The Curse
Chapter Twenty-Five: Explorations
Sakura extended her right hand forward and tentatively allowed her fingertips to brush against the aged wood before her. The large, twenty-foot-tall doors were cool under her skin, its splintered and vine-coated surface exuding an air of ancient foreboding. The metal that held the lumber together had rusted into a deep and flaky vermillion. Curious, the medic rapped her knuckles against the wood and confirmed its heavy density when she heard solid, sturdy thuds. Tilting her head thoughtfully, Sakura then placed her bare palm against the timeworn exterior before applying increased pressure, pumping a small amount of chakra into her hand, testing the weight and resistance, and analyzing how much force she needed to utilize in order to open the locked entry without too much trouble.
After several moments, Sakura retracted her hand and sighed, stepping away from the castle doors with a scrutinizing stare.
"…Don't be afraid, Sakura…" She whispered to herself, "No more fear. Complete the mission."
Pink brows furrowed with sudden determination and Sakura took another few steps away from the ancient palace before spinning on her heels and kneeling down, decisively removing a scroll from her back pouch and unfurling it with a flourish.
Several yards away from her, the Leaf kunoichi could hear her companions going over strategies, rendezvous points, and back-up plans. Footsteps sounded beside her and she looked up briefly to see Sasuke and Naruto approaching. Their arrival didn't stop her from biting into her thumb and drawing out a myriad of characters against the parchment with her blood.
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called out curiously as he watched her begin to store some of the heavier equipment attached to her body into the scroll for safer and lighter keeping, "You okay?"
She didn't answer. She removed a tantō from the Inventory Scroll and strapped it to her belt before extracting a number of medical supplies from her bag and consolidating it into a smaller pouch at her left hip – her large bag filled with additional medicinal reserves disappeared into the Inventory Scroll also.
"You look scary, Sakura-chan," Naruto hesitantly teased as he crouched down next to her, resting his elbows on his thighs while he balanced his weight on his toes.
Akemi, who was silently watching the exchange a few meters away, couldn't help but agree with Naruto. Sakura's emerald irises were hard and steely as she mechanically made her load lighter and equipped herself with the bare necessities – a tantō, kunai and shuriken pouch, small medical pouch, and a senbon launcher strapped to her left forearm. All the heavier items had been stored away so that she wouldn't be hindered in the slightest.
"…The Fourth Ninja War…" Sakura finally said softly, "…That was the beginning…" She lifted her head and connected her gaze with both her teammates', "You remember, right? After Sasuke-kun joined our side in the War?"
"Yeah," Naruto grinned as he watched the medic roll up her scroll and stand up once again, prompting him to straighten up also, "Bastard helped me fight Madara."
"And after," Sakura continued, "When Obito escaped. There was another year of fighting. He recruited criminals and brainwashed civilians and then…that's when we actually had to fight people. Not reanimated corpses; not ninja who didn't feel the repercussions of our attacks – but living, breathing people…"
"…I remember," Naruto whispered, staring down at his feet, "There was a lot of blood…A lot of death."
Sasuke remained silent, but his dark eyes were also clouded with memory, head turned away from his companions as a frown tugged at his lips.
A wry smirk crossed Sakura's lips, "That's when history penned us in their books. We were made generals of our own regiments to fight Obito's armies. We fought and we killed. Those were our orders. But we had our reasons too – for our country, for our Village, for our friends and families…for our own survival even…"
"…Why are you talking about this, Sakura?" Sasuke questioned, his head still turned away from her but his obsidian irises regarding her intensely.
"…Fear," She finally answered, right hand absently brushing against her thigh holster, "That War was what made me the most afraid. Fighting against countless shinobi day after day – fighting Obito; healing wounds and injuries and failing to save so many lives – this went on for months and months. It tested us – tested me. And this…" She swept out her hand to indicate everything around her – The Curse, "…This is making me feel those same emotions all over again."
Naruto managed a weak smile, "…It made you strong too. We survived it, Sakura-chan. Hell, you and Sasuke are even in the ANBU Black Ops!"
"…I'm still afraid," Sakura admitted, "…I just need to control that fear – like I had to before, during the War. I've been allowing this mission to get personal because of these creatures' obsession with me. But now…" She reached into her pocket and removed her leather gloves, slipping them on with finality, "Now I have to remember that I'm a kunoichi. I've killed people before. I've seen terrible things in my life and on other missions. I need to reign in on my strength and composure." She smirked again, "I can't promise any lack of tears – I am the most emotional out of the three of us…" Sasuke and Naruto smirked, "But…I want to finish this mission. I want all this death to end."
Slowly, Naruto grinned before reaching out and resting a strong and secure hand on Sakura's shoulder, "We'll get it done, Sakura-chan." He laughed softly and winked, "Believe it."
Sasuke smirked, slanting his head in silent agreement as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Watching the exchange, Akemi blinked olive eyes and began to realize just how strong Team Kakashi was. Standing there, equipped in ready preparation with their Hidden Leaf headbands shining in the dim light, the Bird kunoichi could finally see why their team was so well-known and why, as individuals, they were powerful in their own right. Uchiha Sasuke with his silent yet intimidating presence; Uzumaki Naruto with his courageous and optimistic attitude; and Haruno Sakura, with her stubborn yet selfless nature.
"No turning back," Sakura declared; her posture straighter and taller. The past few days it was noticed by others that Sakura's demeanor had been shadowed – her gait heavy with uncertainty, the stress of the unknown, and The Curse's continuous, amounting puzzles. Now, it looked as if that wasn't the case for Sakura anymore.
Something had changed within the Leaf kunoichi. Her confidence and determination were more prominent in the clarity of her eyes and the strength of her stance.
If anything, it gave Suzuki Akemi a sense of renewed hope. If anything, she felt more secure and protected with the presence of Team Kakashi at her and her companions' sides.
"–will be scouting out the North, Kasumi, where the lake is," Raiden's deep voice stated a few feet away, "Daisuke, you and your team will be checking the East side and West side perimeter."
"We'll check the West side first," Dai responded as he used a thin stick to draw on the makeshift map they had created in the dirt.
"–still not working?" Akemi shifted her stare and found Isamu and Souta standing together, fiddling with their respective radio devices. The Rain Ninja's brows were furrowed with concern and Souta was outright scowling.
"Hello? Do you read?" Souta spoke into his microphone. A string of broken static sounded in Akemi's left ear as he tested it but she failed to hear the younger boy's voice break through.
"Nothing," Isamu sighed; he looked up at the covered skies, "Those branches are probably messing with the connection."
Akemi frowned. No means of communication between teams definitely put them all at a severe and dangerous disadvantage.
Shin, who had also heard the unsuccessful attempt in patching through the wireless, eyed the device in the palm of his hand, "…It may be our position but we'll stay on the same frequency nonetheless – just in case. In light of this, everyone must know that in three hours' time, we will be rendezvousing here – in front of the palace."
"And I might have Sennin Mode," Naruto cut in as he walked towards them, "But all the unnatural energy is congregated in this area and is a lot stronger than before. I don't know if I'll be able to differentiate any changes until it actually happens. So we'll need to keep aware."
Raiden nodded his head, "Duly noted, Naruto-san. Thank you."
Akemi watched Naruto grin before he walked off to join Souta and Isamu, ruffling the youngest ninja's hair as he passed by and earning a half-hearted protest as the boy pouted. She twisted her head to study Sakura and Sasuke, quirking a brow to see them standing close, speaking in low tones that she couldn't discern. Moments later, Akemi was watching Sakura trace an index finger around Sasuke's eyes –which he had closed – and the medic's brows were drawn as she spoke with an expression of warning. Looking a little more closely, Akemi could identify Sasuke becoming irritated – or was it exasperated? – as he answered her, prompting a scowling response from the pink-haired woman.
"–just don't risk it, okay?" Sakura half-snapped, half-pleaded, "Please? For me?"
Sasuke opened his eyes to fix her with a steady stare, "…Hn."
"Sasuke-kun!" She hissed, "You're so…annoying!"
Akemi then watched the kunoichi stomp off and begin to allow blue chakra to border her fists, reaching up to rip thick, twisting vines from the castle doors' hinges. Wordlessly, Sasuke followed, removing his Kusanagi and effortlessly cutting off the vines from the opposite door Sakura was working on.
"You're the annoying one, Sakura," The Uchiha countered blandly. Akemi watched Sakura tense and her gloved hands fist tightly. To her surprise, Sasuke only shifted his head to shoot a lazy smirk towards the pink-haired medic, which further irritated the Leaf kunoichi more.
"I will pound you into the ground, Uchiha," She threatened, her clenched fist rising.
"For you," Sasuke simply interrupted, turning his head away from her to remove the last of the vines attached to the taller fulcrum, "I won't risk it, then…For you."
Sakura froze, her fist loosened, and slowly she returned her threatening hand to her side. Akemi watched Sakura stare at Sasuke for several moments before her lips twitched upwards. The Uchiha had finished freeing the hinges from the twisting plants, sheathed his katana and solidly met her emerald gaze.
"…Good," Sakura finally responded softly, nodding her head with extra emphasis, "Good. I'm glad." She reached up and ripped the last of the plants tangled in the door's high axel before meeting Sasuke's intense look with a serious one of her own, "I want you alive, Sasuke-kun." She looked away and readjusted the tightness of her gloves, "I need you…alive. Alright?"
Sasuke deliberately began to step towards her, "…It works both ways, Sakura."
The medic smiled warmly, "Righ–"
"How's that door looking, Sakura-san?"
Akemi found herself jerking with startle as her brother breezed by her right side, his olive eyes trained on the castle's doors. Behind her, she could hear everyone beginning to make final preparations in moving out towards their respective scouting territories.
'Damn it, Akio,' The Bird kunoichi seethed as she glared at her brother's back in annoyance, 'You just ruined a moment between Sakura-san and Sasuke-san!'
However, the two Leaf shinobi had taken it in stride. Looking neither flustered nor irritated, Sakura began to explain the physics of her opening the entrance with her chakra-enhanced strength to her frustratingly dense twin brother while Sasuke remained standing at her side, listening to her explanation and looking as apathetic as Akemi was used to him being.
"Be careful in there, Akemi-nee-chan."
The red-headed kunoichi twisted her head and spotted Souta waving a hand at her while Isamu gave a two-finger salute and Dai inclined his head in agreement. She blinked olive eyes in slow comprehension before noticing that they had shouldered their packs and were turned in a direction that led to the west side of the castle.
"Yeah, thanks," She murmured, seeing Naruto exchange words with Sasuke and Sakura in her peripherals before he joined Kasumi and Takeru, who were facing the path towards the lake, "You be careful too."
"Will do!" Souta grinned brightly, chocolate irises bright, and Akemi stared with a trace of anxiety as her teammates – her friends – walked away once again. Her longtime fear, of watching their backs with the potential of never seeing them again resurfaced with a painful pull of her heart.
"Let's get some lanterns ready," Raiden stated a few feet away, waving a hand towards the packs that sat on the ground, beside Shin.
Pressing her lips tightly together, Akemi finally moved forward, her knees aching from having stood still for so long, and knelt beside one of the indicated bags, reaching in with purposeful fingers and feeling the cool brush of metal, from the lantern, against her skin.
"Don't be afraid, Akemi…" She echoed softly to herself, "No more fear. Complete the mission."
Sakura licked her dry lips as she curled and uncurled her fingers. Then she breathed in and out, deep and slow, staring at the wooden door ahead of her with a glint of challenge shining in her emerald eyes. She stepped forward with clear intent, spread her legs in a firm stance, and placed her palms flat against the surface of the aged obstruction. Then, with a quick exhalation of breath, she flexed her fingers once before allowing chakra to seamlessly travel up from her core, down into her arms, and, finally, throughout her hands, causing the limbs to glow a strong, bright blue. Furrowing her brows, Sakura began to add pressure, her muscles contracting as she pushed against the doors, unsurprisingly meeting resistance but continuing to add force to her blocked progression.
The hinges at her sides began to creak and whine with protest and she could distinctly hear the snapping of wood on the opposite side of the door – most likely a board that kept the entry sealed in place. Sakura, however, continued her careful pushing, taking her time and staying cautious as the doors began to groan even louder with protest.
Crrrack. Crrrack. CRAACK!
Suddenly, resistance subsided as a loud snap of wood echoed, muffled by the doors' obstruction, and Sakura took a step forward, allowing her chakra to recede from her arms and hands while slowly pushing the now-unhindered entryway open with an eerie creak. As a fraction of the structure's interior became visible to her – which, unsurprisingly, was complete darkness and the heavy scent of dust – Sakura noticed that the splintered board, which had barred their initial, easier entrance, had been broken in half by her chakra-enhanced strength.
Emerald irises swept through the immediate vestibule, hands absently removing the messily broken boards attached to the interior-side of the doors, to prevent injury, and threw them off to the side. The wood clattered loudly, echoing inside the building in a manner that Sakura could only describe as haunting.
"See anything, Sakura-san?" Raiden asked from somewhere behind her.
Sakura inched a little more inside the building, her figure casting a slight shadow across the floor. She turned her head, green eyes flitting across the darkened expanse of the castle's interior with calculated wariness. The air was a little suffocating – dusty from years of disuse – and it was all so disconcertingly quiet.
"Nothing," Sakura answered, her voice resonating inside the structure, bouncing spookily off the high walls, "It's dark," She blinked, looking up and around, finding rusted candelabras with waxy candles melted down into nothing, "I don't see any movement."
A sudden white-blue light entered her right peripheral vision and the door creaked open a little wider. She turned her head to find Sasuke, holding a chakra-powered lantern in his hand, and they shared a short, yet understanding, look before entering the building side-by-side. Their footsteps resounded against the olden floorboards which were soon joined by the sounds of Akemi's, Akio's, Shin's and Raiden's pursuit.
With her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room, Sakura examined her surroundings critically. It was a massive vestibule with high ceilings and several doors lining the walls which undoubtedly led to even more room and halls – possibly similar in size. Recalling the moment she first set her sights on the ancient palace – standing at the peak of an elevated hill – she noted that the building was squared in shape.
The Medic looked to her right where an arching door was slightly opened – she could slightly see beyond where a long hallway lay. At her left was a similar – nearly identical – door that was shut, but she could only logically assume that it led to another long hallway also. The right door led to the East Wing, with hallways that circled – or rather squared – around. In other words, if Sakura entered the East Wing at her right, she'd follow a long hallway, make a left and follow another hallway, make another left into the North Wing and follow that hallway, then make another left into the West Wing and go down that corridor, and then make a final left which would eventually reach the end of the hall, which would enter back into the first room – where she originally started.
"It's…enormous…" Akemi whispered as her olive irises scanned the high ramparts, eyeing shredded, faded paintings and splintered frames scattered across the floors.
Sakura absently rubbed her nose, her eyes watering slightly from the surrounding dusts but her keen sense of smell also picking up the distinct scent of death. Ahead of her, Shin and Raiden were examining a large staircase that obviously led to additional levels and rooms.
"Do you sense anything unusual, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she knelt down, tracing a finger across the floor and examining the amount of dust and dirt the single digit picked up.
"No," The Uchiha answered, his Sharingan activated, red-black eyes flitting quickly around the room.
"Blood stains," Akemi noticed. Her voice was faint but the emptiness of the room caused her soft observation to resonate clearly. The younger kunoichi was standing off to the side, close to the opened door that led to the East Wing of the castle. Her olive eyes were trained intently on the floor, where crimson tracks were gruesomely painted.
"It leads upstairs too," Raiden commented thoughtfully, crouching down at the foot of the large stairway and examining scarlet splotches that led up to the darkness of the levels above.
"Then we'll split up," Shin stated as he raised his lantern, dark grey eyes studying the obscurity the staircase led to, "My team and I will check the upper floors."
Raiden nodded in agreement as he stood back up to full height and looked around, "Alright, then we'll check out the ground floor."
"Radio check," Akemi tested.
"…Still not working," Akio sighed.
Both Sakura and Sasuke frowned, sharing a brief look, and Raiden ran an aggravated hand through his shoulder-length white locks.
"That's going to make things a little difficult," His dark eyes narrowed on the floor before he breathed out heavily and connected his stern stare with everyone, "Stick close to your teams. We can't have individuals getting lost in this place and without radio contact we're going to have to be a lot more careful."
"Windows are scarce, so time will be hard to follow without the sun's presence also," Shin informed, "Keep aware of how long you have to explore."
"Shin's right," Raiden agreed, "Nothing stupid. Be smart about your decisions."
"Be careful, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered as she stepped away from him, emerald eyes holding his meaningfully.
"You too," The Uchiha answered seriously before walking off to join Shin at the staircase.
"Don't be a scaredy-cat, Akemi," Akio teased as he tugged one of his sister's pigtails. The kunoichi scowled before reaching up and yanking a lock of his shaggy bangs in retaliation, "Don't be a moron, Akio."
Sakura watched Shin, Sasuke, and Akio begin to ascend the stairway with slow and cautious steps before turning around to join Raiden and Akemi who were already peeking through the entranceway where the discovered blood trails led to.
"…I wonder where the throne room is," Akemi muttered as she stepped through the East Wing doorway, looking around the dark hallway with trepidation. She held up her lantern, the blue-white glow only stretching so far ahead of them – about five to six feet.
"It's most likely in the middle of the castle," Sakura offered, "Behind the staircase. There should be another entrance in the North Wing Hall."
"You seem to know your castles, Sakura-san," Raiden murmured, impressed.
The medical kunoichi shook her head, "I've been to the Fire Daimyo's Palace and I see similarities. The architecture was probably based off structures of the past, like this one."
Creak. Creak. Creak.
Akemi stiffened, lifting her lantern up even higher as she narrowed her olive eyes, trying to see beyond the darkness that lay ahead of her. Raiden and Sakura were already moving forward, cautious. The Bird Jounin was inching further ahead with wary steps and Sakura had quickly equipped a kunai in her right hand, her left arm extended in front of Akemi – gesturing a stance of protection.
"…The wind," Raiden finally deduced as he stood back to full height, "Expected. This building is old – it's common to hear strange noises. Come on; let's keep moving."
"…If you're sure…" Akemi whispered uncertainly before hesitantly continuing their journey down the darkened passageway.
Daisuke crouched low behind a large boulder, navy eyes peeking around it to view the forest line just yards away. He raised his right hand, two fingers up, before wagging it in a direction across from him. A dark shadow zipped by him in his right peripheral vision and his eyes slid towards it, nodding his head towards Souta, who was pressed against the trunk of a wide-set sapling. Daisuke's two fingers than became four and he curled it two times in quick succession prompting another shadow to speed by Souta and into a cluster of bushes a few meters ahead.
Silence followed for several moments before a quick, high whistle pierced the air. Upon hearing the signal, Dai took a deep breath before hastily rounding the corner of the boulder, running forward, and swiftly propping himself against a tree, right at the edge of the forest line.
His navy eyes caught Souta's chocolate, the younger peering around his hiding place and nodding his head in assurance. Isamu's blonde head was poking out from the bushes, blue-grey eyes trained on the entrance of the West Side Cobwebbed Forest.
"Souta," Dai whispered, and the younger boy inclined his head in a gesture that he heard, "Are you sure you saw movement in this direction?"
"Positive," Souta called out quietly, his tone conveying offence, "I wouldn't lie!"
"I didn't say you would," Daisuke countered with an exasperated hiss.
"Maybe you were seeing things," Isamu offered as he scanned the tree line, finding only blackness and the unpleasant, sticky webbing from before.
"Why does everyone insist that I'm seeing things?" Souta growled with frustration.
Daisuke shook his head, ignoring his companions in favor of twisting his head to better view the forest line. As expected, all was still, all was silent, and nothing greeted him but shadows and the distinct white of webbing that clung to bark and branches. After several moments of searching the area and finding no changes of notice, Dai sighed loudly and pushed away from the trunk he was leaning against, returning his kunai to its holster.
"Well, whatever it was, it's gone," The Bird Chuunin stated; he watched Isamu stumble away from the bushes while Souta dejectedly detached himself from his own hiding place, "Nonetheless, let's keep aware – just in case whatever you saw decides to come back."
"…I swear…" Souta muttered as he began to walk away, in the direction they had come from. He briefly looked over his shoulder, "…I swear I saw something, Dai-nii-san."
"Maybe it was a squirrel?" The Rain Ninja offered with a short shrug.
Souta shook his head while he scratched at his arm, "No. It was…bigger. A human? I don't know…But I saw something!"
"Alright, we'll keep alert," Dai encouraged, ruffling the younger boy's brown locks, "Let's check out the rest of the perimeter, okay?"
Souta waved away the hand in his hair before slumping off with annoyance, "Yeah, yeah."
Dai and Isamu exchanged a short glance, the former concerned and the latter dubious – then with hesitant looks behind them, the two followed Souta, both sharing the same exact thought…
'Just what did Souta see…?'
Naruto ran a hand through his messy, blonde spikes before shifting it down to the nape of his neck where he scratched at a bothersome itch. His royal blue eyes were trained ahead of him, staring unseeingly at the pebbled ground as he walked along the shoreline of the lake. The waters were still – tranquil even – and it shined in an opaque-grey luminescence from the columns of light that broke through the crisscrossing roof of branches above.
Shifting his head to attain a better view of the lake, Naruto zeroed his sights on the lone island a few hundred yards away. It wasn't a very big island but he stared at the tall silhouette of the lone tree that occupied it, abundant with a canopy of leaves that were probably a vivid green if he ever managed a closer look at it.
"So weird," Naruto muttered as he turned his head away and panned it to the right. The rear of the castle was plainly visible to him and stood about a hundred yards from the lakeshore. He could see the various levels – four total – indicated by the windows. Each floor had a long balcony that stretched across the whole north side of the palace. Maybe Sakura, Sasuke, or one of their teammates exploring the interior of the building might step out and see them…
If anything, they'd at least have a really nice view of the lake – which was probably about a half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide.
Adjusting his sights yet again, Naruto looked further down the shoreline and found Kasumi standing at its edge. Her ice-blue eyes were drawn – solemn even – as she stared off at the isolated landmass across the waters. Her waist-long, wavy, platinum-blonde hair shifted in the wind and she absently moved it to one shoulder as she knelt down and dipped a hand into the lake.
"The waters are quite dark…" She noted softly as he came within feet of her. She gracefully stood back up with a sigh, "And cold."
Naruto didn't really know what to say and instead scanned the shore thoughtfully, noting several upright boulders and the beginning of shrubbery – or, perhaps, it had been a garden centuries ago? – right at the foot of the palace walls.
It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was…nice.
Naruto frowned deeply. That observation, alone, made it highly suspicious.
"Hey!"
Naruto returned his attention to the back end of the castle – particularly the area where the garden-turned-shrubs was located. Takeru was moving through the knee-high foliage, head bent in a searching manner as he swiped at the plants with his hands. The older shinobi looked up and waved his hand, gesturing to Kasumi that she join him. Ever since being put together on the same team, Takeru had made it his personal mission to ignore Naruto, pretending as if the blonde Leaf shinobi didn't exist.
Naruto wasn't going to let his behavior get to him – even if the scowl on his face betrayed the fact that he was bothered.
Nonetheless, he followed Kasumi towards the grumbling male, just as curious as she was about what Takeru had possibly found. However, the closer he walked towards him the more Naruto could distinguish a dark trail emerging from the undergrowth where Takeru was moving about. It seemed the older ninja was trying to find where the tracks led to, lost among the foliage.
Brows furrowing, Naruto stepped up to the distinctive marks, taking note of its dark coloring and wet substance. And there were always two sides to any trail – this trail had one end that led to the castle so the other end had to lead to…
"The lake," Kasumi finished, her conclusions having reached the same as Naruto's, "It originated from the lake."
"…What if it came from the castle?" Naruto pointed out.
"Or, here's a better question," Takeru grunted with irritation, "What the hell could it be?"
Kasumi shook her head before wading into the undergrowth to help with Takeru's search, pulling aside verdure to better view the darkened trail which was leading more towards the aged walls of the palace. Naruto followed their progress for several moments before decidedly jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.
"I'll go check out the trail leading to the lake."
"Yeah," Takeru snorted grumpily, "Go make yourself useful."
Naruto felt his annoyance spike and he shut his mouth with a snap to prevent himself from saying something he was going to regret – an action Sakura vigorously instilled into his head during their not-so-distant youth. With an irritated sneer, Naruto turned away and headed for the lake, walking alongside the more prominent trail as he exited the patch of knee-high vegetation.
Walking alongside the dark trail Naruto was instantly reminded of the day he and Sasuke entered the Rain Border Village in search of Sakura, believing she had been captured. A shudder crawled up his spine when he remembered the trail ending with his best friend covered in blood – thankfully that blood hadn't been hers.
Gazing down at the blackened, wet tracks Naruto noticed the 'dragging' pattern that it created. Its dimensions could compare to a human body, like what the Creature left behind, but it seemed a little larger than the trails he had seen before. When he reached the beginning of the lake's shoreline, the dark, and slightly crimson, tracks disappeared beneath the murky waters, leading somewhere unknown.
Royal blue eyes blinked down at the disappeared trail before raising his eyes to the skies. He frowned. It had only been an hour since they had started exploring the North side of the castle and the sun's light had already dimmed. If the creatures moved easily in the shadows rather than in complete nightfall, then their time limit might be shorter than they initially realized.
And while Naruto wasn't one known for retaining details he clearly remembered running from Iwagakure towards Earth Country's borders – borders that were guarded by tall mountains. It's one thing for the sun to descend behind the horizon and for sunlight to still be present in an open area – but it was another when there was a roof of branches overhead. Once that sun hid behind those precipices, there would be no salvation of light for a long time to come.
"Better work fast then," Naruto muttered as he concentrated chakra to the soles of his feet, taking a single step forward and watching the water ripple beneath him. With a resolute breath, Naruto steadily moved forward, walking over the lake and towards the single island at its middle. His royal blue eyes remained sharp for any clues he could come across.
Thousands of beams of sunlight rained down on him in spots of warmth.
It wouldn't be long before those thousands of lights would go out.
Sasuke carefully side-stepped down the hallway while sticking close to the left wall; his dark eyes remained narrowed as they flitted across the corridor, eyeing the splintered floors and the rusted candelabras that lined the ramparts. He reached a fractionally opened door and carefully placed his hand against the entryway, slowly adding pressure and revealing the interior of the space.
Dim sunlight entered his vision and spilled out into the hallway. Sasuke shouldered the rest of the entryway open before looking around cautiously. Like many of the rooms he had checked beforehand – especially those that were on the north side and faced the lake – the chamber was empty. Torn shoji doors were slightly slid open, leading to the outdoor veranda. Tatami mats were askew, some marked with tracks of blood.
Silently, Sasuke entered the room, eyes roving the empty space before peeking through the opened fraction of the shoji that led to the balcony. He could clearly see the lake and the dying, orange sunlight that glared off the water's surface. Below, distant figures were exploring the shore and he had no doubt it was Naruto and his assigned teammates. With a final passing surveillance of the outside, Sasuke stepped back into the room and out towards the hall, leaving the vacant chamber to check the next.
"Empty rooms and empty rooms," Akio muttered as he appeared out of a doorway across from Sasuke's. His olive eyes connected with the Uchiha's obsidian and he sighed before closing the door behind him.
Sasuke didn't respond, continuing his task of reconnaissance, sticking to the left side of the hall and finding room after room that looked just like the last – tatami mats and shoji doors leading to the veranda – all in ancient, neglected condition. Akio explored the right side of the hallway, checking rooms that were darker – covered in shadow without the convenience of windows – and dusty, littered with debris and broken furniture.
"I wonder where all the blood stains are coming from," Akio pondered aloud as he closed another door, inspecting a morbid smear of scarlet across the aged wood. He sighed once more before moving on, "This is boring. Not a bastard in sight. Where are our answers? What the hell does a castle have to do with anything that's going on around here?"
Sasuke didn't like talking. He wasn't a conversationalist. But he listened to the boy's irritated grumbles as they continued to explore the empty halls, quietly agreeing with his observations. All that they had found since entering the Twisted Valley was a single, abandoned palace and a forest filled with dormant cadavers – cadavers which were going to come back to reanimated life with the sun's inevitable setting.
"This place is gigantic," Akio perceived as he looked around at the high ceilings where, they both knew, there were still more levels above, "I hope we find something."
The two shinobi had now reached a right turn in the hallway leading into the East Wing of the castle. They had discovered in the South Wing – where the Main Staircase had led them – that, at each corner of the structure, there was a smaller staircase; most likely for easier access. The Northwest Stairway had been blocked off, sealed tight, but the ninja had no reason to open it up. Now they were at the Northeast Stairway – its doors opened and leading to darkness beyond.
"Should we go up another floor?" Akio asked as he pointed one of his twin scythes in the stairway's direction.
Creak. Creak.
Sasuke and Akio immediately tensed; both automatically crouching low in defensive preparation. "What was that?" The red-headed ninja's whisper was hushed, olive eyes darting around with unease.
"Staircase," Sasuke murmured in response as he slid Kusanagi from its sheath, onyx eyes bleeding red. He jerked his head in a signal for Akio to flank the right side while he took the left. The teenager nodded once before following the Uchiha's silent instructions.
Creak.
It sounded like footsteps, rising in elevation closer to their level. Sasuke's grip on his weapon tightened and he narrowed his spinning irises with readiness, a frown pulling at his lips.
Step. Step. Step.
"Here it comes…" Akio stated softly.
There was a shift of movement in the shadows. Sasuke altered his stance, electricity crawling up his blade; Akio crouched even lower, ready to pounce.
"I mean no harm."
Sasuke blinked and the figure obstructed by the shadows of the staircase stepped forward into the dim light of the high windows. His hands were up in surrender, grey eyes calm but his brows furrowed with concern.
Akio immediately straightened, "Shin! What the hell!"
Sasuke stood to full height also and sheathed his katana with an audible sigh.
"I apologize," Shin responded sincerely, "I was curious to see where these corner staircases might lead but it has been blocked off at the ground floor. I couldn't go any lower. But it leads to the upper levels without trouble if we're ready to explore the next floor."
Sasuke nodded his head, "There's nothing of importance on this level. Just empty rooms."
"Then we'll head upstairs," Shin decided.
"Hopefully we'll actually find something of any interest," Akio groaned before he followed Shin back into the darkness of the Northeast Stairway.
Sasuke looked behind him at the empty corridor they had just traversed and inwardly sighed himself. Stepping after the red-headed teenager, Sasuke could only agree.
Time was quickly running out.
Sakura tilted her head as she lifted the lantern in her right hand higher. Her brows furrowed as she moved forward, examining the Throne Room doors intensely, reaching out her left hand to trace the crimson smudges that decorated the intricately-designed entryway. Her leather-covered fingertips outlined the shape with a deepening frown, her emerald irises flitting across the entire lower half of the doors where similar shapes, yet in different sizes, of the marks were painted.
"…A-Are those…handprints?" Akemi whispered incredulously, stepping up close to Sakura's side, "…Bloody handprints…?"
The Leaf kunoichi only nodded her head, staring at the multitude of scarlet prints that had been pressed and smeared along the aged wood. Sliding a finger against a particularly small print – no larger than her palm – she noted that there was no residue, cementing the fact that the patterns had been there for quite some time.
Frowning, the Leaf kunoichi placed her hand over the print that was the size of her palm and experimentally pushed against the doors with judicious chakra-enhanced strength. She found a resistance that differed from the obstruction the Main Doors had exhibited before. Something was blocking the doors' ability to open and it wasn't a measly board that Sakura could forcefully crack apart like she did earlier. There was something heavy – debris or furniture, maybe? – and she didn't want to risk a forced entryway that could compromise the old building's structural support.
The gruesome handprints were making her wary enough already and Sakura felt it best that if they did explore the Throne Room, then they do it with the entirety of the team. Not knowing what was on the other side was a safety hazard, and the more reinforcements they had for the exploration – the better.
"I don't like this place…" Akemi admitted, olive-green eyes examining the burgundy handprints with dread, "We should just…burn it down, or something…"
Sakura nodded her head; the idea had merit. But if The Curse wasn't stopped with the burning of the castle then valuable evidence and answers would be destroyed also. That couldn't be risked.
"So…what now?" Akemi inquired as she looked around. They were in the North Wing of the ground floor. Every room they passed and inspected had been empty. The only clue they had worth following was the gruesome trail of blood that was smeared heavily across the walls and floors.
"Over here!"
Sakura and Akemi twisted in order to gaze over their shoulders, following the white-blue light of Raiden's lantern a few yards away as he inspected a gaping entrance in the wall. Curious, the two kunoichi walked towards him as he studied the opening, right hand gripping the frame as he leaned forward and looked down and then up, above him. The closer they walked towards him the more Sakura realized that the particular entryway wasn't built with doors, since hinges weren't present. When she and Akemi finally stopped beside him, the medical kunoichi was surprised to find that it was actually a vertical corridor.
"…An elevator…?" Akemi questioned as she grabbed the left-side frame and peered into the darkness.
"A traditional elevator," Raiden specified as he stepped back to stand beside Sakura, "Pulley-style. But – unsurprisingly – it's broken."
"But…there's a lower level," Sakura realized aloud as she stepped forward. She gripped the frame to carefully gaze down into the mysterious, dark abyss.
Raiden smirked, "Exactly."
Akemi shivered as she looked over her shoulder to regard the white-haired male, "And I'm assuming you want to explore it…"
The Bird Jounin nodded, "Of course. Shin and his team are already exploring the higher levels. That leaves us with the ground and lower floors."
Akemi bit her bottom lip, "I don't know about this, Raiden."
"Just a quick check," He promised, "Let's get this done before the sun sets."
Sakura found herself nodding in agreement, her green eyes roving the darkness of the chute in search of the rope to the pulley but obviously finding nothing. She looked up and noticed that the higher part of the corridor was dark – the openings that led to the other levels were blocked off and disallowed light from breaking through.
"…How many floors do you think are below us?" Akemi asked as she watched Raiden begin to rummage through his pack, removing a hair tie and binding his shoulder-length white hair at the base of his neck.
"I'd be surprised if there were more than two," Sakura offered as she tied her own pink hair back before rechecking her pouches, "Considering the age of the building."
"Akemi, you start heading down first," Raiden suggested as he set his lantern at the left corner edge of the entrance. Sakura – to Akemi's silent astonishment – was continuing to equip her person: reloading her senbon launcher; slipping small, folded windmill shuriken into her right boot; twisting her tied up hair into a bun and stabbing it in place with a thin needle; even rolling back the long sleeve of her right arm and revealing a retractable wrist blade that she extended and withdrew in thoughtful experimentation.
Akemi suddenly paled once Raiden's words suddenly reached her in clear comprehension; her gaze switched between the Bird Jounin and the entrance to the elevator shaft beside her, "Me? Go first?"
"Just scope it out," Raiden answered distractedly as he readjusted his earpiece and the microphone attached to his collar, "I'll be right behind you."
Sakura reached into her back pocket and removed a glow stick, effortlessly cracking it at its center and shaking it to help the object gain its bright green and glowing color. Akemi watched the Leaf kunoichi toss the stick down the chute, green eyes watching the glowing item's descent for a few seconds before it clattered with an echo at the bottom.
"That's quite a long way," The Medic murmured, "…About forty feet; maybe more." She turned her head to regard Akemi, "Do you want me to go first?"
The Bird kunoichi bit her bottom lip uncertainly. Sakura was staring at her intently; her emerald irises were hard and her lips were thin and grim. The look on her face made Akemi shake her head. Sakura was taking this extremely serious and the red-headed teenager suddenly wanted to follow her example.
"No," She finally answered, "No, I can go first." She looked up at Sakura from under her lashes, "Just…be quick, okay? I don't want to be down there alone…"
Sakura nodded, a small, reassuring smile lifting her lips, "I promise."
With a short nod of encouragement to herself, Akemi walked to the elevator shaft's opening and took a seat, allowing her shins and feet to dangle off the edge. Briefly looking down at the dark chasm below her she exhaled deep and quick before spinning around and hanging off the threshold by the hold of her fingers. Then, with careful concentration, she channeled chakra into the soles of her feet and the pads of her hands – similar to what was needed for tree-walking and water-walking – and slowly began to climb down, as if on a ladder.
"Must stay calm…" Akemi whispered to herself, heart pounding loudly against her chest as she was further submerged in darkness. She looked up, olive eyes gleaming as she saw the white-blue glow of Raiden's lantern cast shadows of his and Sakura's movements. Then she looked down and eyed the glow stick that was still about thirty feet below her. "Must stay calm," She repeated softly.
"Doing okay, Akemi?" Raiden called, and her head snapped up to see him peering down at her.
"Y-Yeah," She answered shakily, "Just h-hurry up, will you?"
Breathing out slowly, Akemi continued her descent, staying cautious and taking her time, glancing down every few seconds to see if the glow stick below had gotten any closer. Another step was taken and when her left foot began to take the bulk of her weight so her right could reach lower her chakra suddenly stuttered and her left foot began to rapidly slide down the wall without the traction of her chakra. Her panicked yelp echoed in the vertical corridor before she slammed her palms against the wall, pumping as much chakra as she could into her hands to keep her attached and unmoving.
Sweat started to bead at her temples as she poured chakra into her still-slipping hands, olive eyes darting downwards to see she was still twenty feet up. Again, her feet slid and Akemi's fingers curled in an attempt to grab a foothold. Instead, her skin brushed against something that didn't feel like wood or rock – it felt familiar to her…flimsy even.
"Akemi?" Sakura called out worriedly, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Akemi leaned forward, eyeing what was beneath her hands, so close, that her nose was brushing against the wall. The glowing stick's light below somewhat helping her discern just what she was seeing.
"Akemi?"
"What's going on?" Raiden asked, also appearing beside Sakura after hearing her distressed calls; "Is everything alright?"
The red-haired kunoichi ignored them, leaning forward a little more before blinking in bewilderment, "…An ofuda?"
As if by trigger of her realizing whisper, the rectangular paper in front of her began to glow a bright purple. Akemi moved her head back in surprise and realized that the entire bottom portion she had reached in the elevator shaft was beginning to glow purple as well. Hundreds of ofudas had activated and Akemi only had enough time to look up with fear into Sakura's widened – stunned – emerald eyes before all the chakra was sucked out of her. She whimpered at the uncomfortable, static feeling surging throughout her body before her hold on the wall ceased and she began to fall to the physics of gravity.
"Akemi!"
Sakura could only watch in slow motion as Akemi was detached from the elevator shaft's side, robbed of all her chakra and unable to utilize the ability to stay safely connected to the wall's surface. Akemi's olive eyes were wide as they met Sakura's shocked emerald – her mouth was opened in a silent scream, right hand outstretched as if to grab something – anything – but Sakura was too high up to save her. Her body fell, devoured by darkness as her shadowed silhouette covered the glow stick, below, from view.
"Akemi!"
The silence was deafening – it seemed to last for hours when it was only mere seconds.
CRACK!
"Oh my Kami," Sakura half-whispered, half-choked. Her emerald eyes darted around but the younger kunoichi's body had smothered the light of the glow stick. She turned to Raiden, whose dark eyes were wide, before he was quick to take action, already grabbing a rope and tying it around his waist, muttering to himself in a panicked frenzy.
"I'm going down there," He declared, already pushing the rope into her arms so she could provide leverage, "I have to go down there."
Sakura was already shaking her head, logic quickly taking the forefront of her mind, "You saw what happened, Raiden-san. Those ofudas–"
"–What the fuck are ofudas doing in a place like this–?" He growled in interruption, running a gloved hand through his now-disheveled white hair.
"–You saw what they did!" Sakura continued as she took his shoulders into her petite hands to keep him in place, "Those ofudas took her chakra. You go down there and you'll end up just like her – injured and defenseless!"
Raiden glared – the first display of anger she had ever seen from the calm and composed Jounin, "Are you suggesting we leave her?"
Sakura shook her head wildly, pink hair flying, "No! Of course not! But Raiden-san – you don't have the skills to perform basic medical treatment without chakra. I am! So I should go down there!"
Raiden growled, stepping away from the Leaf Medic and beginning to pace, "If those ofudas prevent us from freely going up and down that chute then you going down there will also mean you being stuck down there. Our rope isn't long or strong enough to bring you both back up. And, fuck, even if we gathered all the rope in our possession, it still wouldn't be long enough."
"Then we'll find a staircase," Sakura assured, "There's always a staircase. Remember, we saw one at the Southeast corner? We'll head for that – or something – that'll get us back to the ground floor."
"I should go," Raiden urged, his tone filled with guilt, "It's too dangerous for you two to be down there alone."
"Raiden-san, this isn't your fault," Sakura placated, "And I'm more suited with helping her than you are," She began to tie the rope in her hands around her waist before removing another glow stick from her back pouch, "You'll lower me as far as this rope will allow. Once I'm down there, you should try and find a staircase. If you can, try and get into radio contact with the others." She watched Raiden untie himself from the rope's other end as he nodded his head with accepted, albeit reluctant, agreement, "Because we're below ground level, the chances of Akemi and I getting in radio contact with you is nonexistent – but we'll try and check in nonetheless."
Raiden agreed with subdued silence before beginning to ready himself into a firmer stance. Sakura carefully edged herself off the side of the vertical corridor's opening.
"…Be careful down there," Raiden stated seriously just before her sight of him was blocked off by the wall with her increasing decline into the pit, "Someone planted those ofudas."
Sakura nodded her head and carefully lowered herself even more.
Just before she reached the point where the ofudas would be activated, Sakura had the strongest urge to use a Katon to burn it all. But, recalling the lessons she received from Daisuke, ofuda seals were very difficult to break once activated. They were even more difficult to break when they weren't her seals – these ones, no doubt, specifically targeted her and her companions as enemies. She also didn't want to risk burning Akemi, especially in such a narrow passageway.
And even if she did reach the bottom and started ripping some of the seals off, there were still some much higher that she wouldn't be able to reach and would still prevent her from using any reserves that she probably needed.
"Damn it…" Sakura muttered softly.
Another step down and she was over the threshold of wards. Sakura watched the seals burn a bright purple, activating on all four sides of the shaft and temporarily blinding her. The hair on her body stood on end as a static-filled charge rushed through her system and caused her form to sag with brief weakness. She frowned; her muscles felt sluggish and she felt heavy without the familiar and comforting feeling of chakra coursing through her. Shaking her head to rid her of the sudden onslaught of dizziness, the Leaf kunoichi continued another few feet before Raiden called out in warning.
"I'm out of rope!"
A feminine groan sounded below her and caused Sakura's heart to jump in her chest.
"Akemi?" She whispered worriedly, "I'm coming to get you. Hang in there!"
Sakura looked down; she reached for the glow stick she had stuffed into the collar of her shirt and threw it towards the side, relieved to find that it hadn't fallen on Akemi but allowed her a slight view of the younger kunoichi's outstretched left arm – which twitched slightly.
"How much farther do you need to go?" Raiden asked from above.
"About twenty-five more feet," She answered decidedly, silently wishing she had chakra to cushion her fall. She didn't want to accidentally land on Akemi either and risk further injury. With a grunt and a little more struggle, Sakura carefully untied the rope from her waist and used the extra few feet to gain more descent. Brows furrowed with grim determination, Sakura then held the rope in her left hand and lengthened the wrist blade hidden in her right sleeve. Switching the hold of the rope into her right hand, the medic reached down to her left thigh and removed a kunai. Finally, after taking a deep breath, she positioned herself to fall as close to the wall as possible – and let go.
With a grunt, the Leaf kunoichi stabbed her retractable blade and kunai knife into the wall, sparks flying as it bit roughly into rock and stone, though it helped slow her fall. Still, Sakura inwardly cursed as her right knee scraped painfully against the gravelly chute and she grit her teeth as her feet finally landed on the hard floor. Pain shot up her calves in waves and Sakura had to twist and fall on her knees to allow it reprieve from the sharp sensations. Hissing through her teeth, the pink-haired kunoichi willed her body to fight through the agony – especially with the additional weakness of her lacking chakra.
"Sakura-san?" Raiden called, "Sakura-san, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," She breathed, arms shaking as they supported her weight, "I'm okay."
Taking deep breaths, Sakura blinked twice before she reached over to pick up her discarded glow stick, re-holstering her kunai and retracting her arm blade before hurriedly crawling towards Akemi. The dimmed, green light in her tight grasp finally brought the red-headed teenager into better view.
To Sakura's surprise, the Bird kunoichi's eyes were half-lidded but aware. Sweat was causing her bangs to stick to her forehead, and her breaths were shallow – controlled – as if she were completely focusing on the sole task of breathing…so she wouldn't have to think about anything else.
Like pain. Agonizing, unbearable pain.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sakura roved the glow stick along Akemi's body and sucked in a breath when she reached the teenager's lower half.
"…H-How bad is it, S-Sakura-san?" Akemi whispered shakily.
The Medic was already rummaging through her small, medical pouch, removing any and all necessary items that would help treat the young woman beside her.
"Is she okay, Sakura-san?" Raiden asked with clear worry.
"Her right leg is broken," Sakura answered strongly, looking around in the immediate area to find a sturdy piece of wood to use as a splint – but finding nothing, "Go find that staircase!"
"Understood," He responded hesitantly, "Remember – be careful!" Sakura didn't even look up to watch him disappear, his fading footsteps the only indication of his hasty departure.
"Broken…" Akemi repeated softly before a humorless chuckle fell past her pale lips, "Feels about right."
"It'd be an easy fix if I had chakra," Sakura muttered as she produced a roll of gauze and a small tub of cream from her pouch, "Until we reach the upper levels, you're going to have to fight through the pain." She looked around hastily as her brows steepened with frustration, "I need a splint, damn it." She patted her body and felt her hands brush along her tantō. Thinking quickly, she unsheathed the blade from her belt and set aside the scabbard for a makeshift injury-support.
"Sounds like I don't have a choice," Akemi stated before she turned her head, "J-Just…don't leave me alone…please?"
Sakura halted in her movements to connect her emerald irises with darkened olive. She nodded her head firmly and offered her a small smile before reaching out to squeeze the hand that rested on her stomach.
"Never."
Akemi smiled, grateful, before a wince twisted her expression and a suppressed whimper broke through the silence. Sakura immediately went back to work, eyeing the broken limb with a frown before taking a deep, readying breath.
"Your bone broke through the muscle and skin of your thigh," Sakura informed as gently as possible, watching Akemi's eyes widen with panic, "I'm going to splint it back into place but it's going to hurt. I want you to try to keep as quiet as possible, okay?"
Akemi blinked rapidly, allowing the information to sink into her head before she nodded in fearful acceptance. Sakura placed a handkerchief to her mouth which the teenager readily took between her teeth.
"Alright, on three…" Sakura readied, one hand holding her tantō's sheath while the other took a dollop of cream from a tub container, "One…Two…Three!"
Sakura smeared the white cream along the injury, hoping the healing and cooling properties would help with the pain. A muffled moan escaped Akemi and her leg jerked at the sensation. Then, with slippery, bloodied hands, Sakura took Akemi's thigh and pushed the bone back into place, pressing the improvised splint against the wound and tightly tying it all together and in place with gauze and tape. Akemi screamed into the cloth in her mouth, her body convulsing with pain as tears began to stream down her face from the unpleasant sensations.
"Almost done…Almost done…" Sakura chanted in hopeful reassurance for the younger girl, her hands sliding against skin as she continued to wrap tightly, watching as the white of the bandages became drenched with blood.
Once Sakura had finished the task of treating the injury she quickly crawled over and propped Akemi up, laying her head against her lap and comfortingly stroking her fingers through red, sweat-drenched tresses. She allowed the teenager to whimper into her stomach as she battled through the aftershocks of continuous pain, letting her fingers tightly grip her waist as an anchor to reality as tears soaked relentlessly into her pants.
"Amazing job, Akemi-chan," Sakura praised softly, relieved to find that her shaking and whimpers were steadily dying down.
When the Bird kunoichi's silent sobbing dissolved into quiet hiccups and sniffles, Sakura reached into her back pouch once more and removed several vials and containers. The first was a green paste, one that Sakura lightly smoothed over the bandages of her injury.
"W-What's that?"
"It'll help with the pain," Sakura answered before removing several herbs from a plastic ampoule, "This will help mask the scent of blood – not that I want us to run into any Corpses – but they can smell blood and I'd rather take this precautionary step." Akemi immediately nodded her agreement.
"And this is a painkiller," The Medic informed as she removed a tablet from another container, "We'll have to start moving soon to find an exit. You'll be able to travel around a little easier with this."
Akemi sat up a little straighter – flinching heavily from the movement – and took the blue pill from the older kunoichi, popping it into her mouth and swallowing it dry with a grimace.
"Take a few minutes to gather your bearings," Sakura stated as she stood up, "I don't want to rush you, but time isn't on our side…"
Akemi immediately understood the Leaf kunoichi's implications and nodded her head with comprehension, already willing her injuries to heal as fast as possible – though the pain continued to excruciatingly shoot throughout her body.
"…Don't force yourself either," Sakura pointed out softly, "The stress will cause more harm than help."
Akemi licked her dry lips before looking up, blinking at the darkness above with still-adjusting olive irises, "I just don't want to be down here anymore."
"We'll get out of here," The pink-haired medic assured as she took the glow stick and examined the ofuda-covered walls, staring at them with narrowed, critical eyes, "I just wish I had chakra." She reached out to touch one of the wards and was rewarded with a purple, electric shock. Sakura scowled as she pulled her hand away, glaring at the seal with irritation.
"…I wonder who put those there…" Akemi whispered.
"If I remember correctly what Dai-san taught me," Sakura began as she stared at the scattered papers, "It uses the same mechanics as the ones we use. And if I'm reading these characters right then these ofudas are also filled with hundreds of ninjas' chakra. But, instead of exuding chakra to act as a defensive shield, these wards have been activated to do the opposite."
"What do you mean?"
"These are designed to function as an overload," Sakura answered, "Like an offensive attack. So many different chakras activated and coming into contact with an individual – like it did to us – would disrupt our own flow and leave our reserves useless."
"So…we just need to get away from these seals, then?" Akemi questioned as she stared at the walls, "Then we'll get our chakra back?"
"That's the idea," Sakura answered but she was frowning, stepping towards the south wall and finding the obscure opening that led to the rest of the underground level, "But I have a feeling these seals are going to be all over this floor."
"Why?"
"Well, if someone put it in this place, in a position that would leave anyone entering unable to climb back up to the ground floor…" Sakura thought aloud, "…then I think it's because…" She trailed off and Akemi leaned forward with growing trepidation.
"Because what, Sakura-san?" She asked in a whisper.
Sakura hesitated before turning her head to connect dark emerald with fearful olive, "…Then it's probably because they'd want whoever fell down here…to not come back out…"
Akemi's entire expression paled.
Seeing this, Sakura shrugged her shoulders half-heartedly, "Though it's all my own speculation."
"…You're very smart, Sakura-san," the Bird kunoichi responded with a short shake of her head, "Don't sugarcoat it for my sake. I'd rather be aware and afraid than be ignorant and dead."
Sakura blinked at her, her expression entirely unreadable to the injured kunoichi, before she turned back towards the exit, and stared out into the indiscernible darkness.
"Rest, Akemi-chan. We'll move on in ten minutes."
The teenager bit her lip as she brushed her bangs from her forehead, staring down at her wrapped leg with worry. Every little shift and stir caused the wound to throb painfully, and seeing the deep crimson staining the white of her bandages caused her to become a little lightheaded and dizzy. She inhaled deep and long to gain back a semblance of composure.
"No chakra…" Sakura began to mutter to herself, "That means we can't use a single Jutsu," Akemi watched the Leaf medic tap a finger against the wall; the resulting scowl suggested that Sakura had expected an outcome – probably for the wall to crack under her touch.
"And we can't use ofudas…" Sakura continued as she removed a ward from her back pocket, staring at it and not feeling an ounce of chakra within, "I hope these haven't been nullified by the ones in here…"
Sighing, Sakura pocketed the paper seal and picked her tantō up from the floor, unsheathed since the scabbard was being used to splint Akemi's broken bone.
"I want to get you back to the ground floor within the hour," The older woman stated, "I don't want to risk your leg being untreated for so long."
Akemi didn't respond but experimentally lifted up her thigh – the contraction of muscles caused her to hiss with pain and halt her efforts with a groan.
"I wish I had a lantern," Sakura growled as she shook the glow stick, "This isn't bright enough – or if I could use a Fire Jutsu…"
Not wanting to focus on the pain shooting up her thigh and throughout her entire body, Akemi decided to breathe in steady intervals as she settled all her attention on Sakura. The Leaf kunoichi was looking around, probably searching for any materials that could create a suitable fire or help, in some way, with their predicament.
The silence was suffocating – made her anxious – as Sakura rummaged around and Akemi sat motionless on the floor; she opened her mouth with a hesitation before curiosity won out, "…Can I ask you something, Sakura-san?"
The Leaf ninja stopped moving for a brief moment to regard her before continuing her activity of searching the space, "What's on your mind?"
Akemi licked her lips, heart thudding in her chest, "…Sasuke-san – his Ameterasu technique. Why doesn't he use it? I've heard about his power; I saw it that one night. So…" She trailed off and she noticed Sakura had stopped moving and was staring at the far wall, emerald irises clouded.
The red-head bit her lip, "Unless you don't want to–"
"You're familiar with the Fourth Ninja War, right Akemi-san?" Her interrupting question was low – eyes still unfocused.
Akemi nodded her head, "Yeah."
"Then you're aware that Sasuke-kun was once a traitor and fought on the side of the enemy," Sakura continued, "With Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito."
Again, Akemi nodded, "…Yeah."
"…When Sasuke-kun returned his loyalty to the Hidden Leaf he had helped Naruto defeat Uchiha Madara. Angry, Obito fled and went into hiding," Sakura's frown deepened, "For another year we fought in numerous battles – back and forth – until about a year and a half ago when Naruto and Sasuke-kun finally found and confronted Obito. It was a long and hard fight but they won – they beat him," Her brows furrowed steeply with memory, "But it came with consequences."
Akemi swallowed, watching the display of emotions play out on Sakura's countenance. Anger. Worry. Sadness. Acceptance.
"Sasuke-kun didn't leave the battle with Obito unscathed," The Leaf medic sighed softly, "Obito, in a final act of revenge, did something to Sasuke-kun's eyes. Tsunade-shishou and I discovered that Sasuke-kun's full potential of the Mangekyou was locked away. If he uses the Mangekyou form, at all, it greatly saps his strength and chakra to the point that it could be detrimental to his life," She exhaled heavily before finally connecting her steady gaze with Akemi's wide one, "Sasuke-kun's accepted it – calls it a consequence of his past actions," She grimaced and Akemi could only describe the sudden expression as guilty, "As his doctor, I've forbidden him from using unnecessary techniques like Ameterasu and Susanoo unless he absolutely must. His basic Sharingan form is unhindered but we don't know if overuse of a higher level of the doujutsu will affect him – it could cause blindness or the complete loss of his bloodline limit."
Akemi blinked. She had never realized the extent of Sasuke's power – even with his limitations. She hadn't fully realized what an integral part Team Kakashi played in the War. And the fact that when Sasuke did use his Amaterasu, he had done it for the sake of saving his teammate – saving Sakura – even when the action could have cost him his own life.
"He…he really cares about you…" Akemi whispered, wanting to say it out loud, remembering the brief exchange she had seen between the two Leaf ninja earlier in the day.
Sakura scowled lightly, "He's a stubborn ass," And then her lips pulled into a small, faint smile, "But he does. Team Kakashi's lucky to have him back – we're happy to have him back. I'm happy to have him back…Really happy."
Akemi smiled, enjoying the sight of Sakura's wistful smile, "I'm sure he'll be happy to have you back too. So…let's get out of here?"
The Bird kunoichi held out her hand – fought down the pain of her wounds with the strongest smile she could muster – and firmly grasped the appendage Sakura held out to her in ready response. Sakura's green eyes were still filled with worry but a smile also lifted her lips as she carefully helped Akemi up, slinging the Bird Chuunin's right arm over her shoulders and testing the weight the younger girl could put on her broken thigh.
"Yeah," Sakura agreed as she adjusted herself – glow stick and tantō in her right hand while her left arm curled helpfully around Akemi's waist, "Let's get out of here."
Pushing down her whimpers, leaning on the strength of Sakura's presence, Akemi took a limping step forward towards the darkness of the basement level, olive eyes hard and determined.
She refused to die in the underground levels of an abandoned palace. She refused to die at the whim of conveniently placed ofudas that caused her to fall from a fatal height. She refused to give up on hope.
She refused to give in to fear.
A/N: So I updated in time! Yay! New Year's Resolution is TOTALLY paying off! And the next chapter will be even better!Hope you got a little scared and paranoid! We're JUST GETTING STARTED!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Company. Only the Original Characters and Plot.
Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Six: Hell
Next Update: 5-7 Days
Anyone been listening to Super Junior-M's song Break Down? I'm so addicted, it was kind of hard writing horror with such a fun beat, lol. Same with SNSD's I Gotta Boy.
ANYWAYS! HUGE FAVOR! I'd like to hear from you readers, I really want to know what's going on through your heads as you're reading this plot. Are you getting scared? What's your favorite part so far? What do you think is going to happen? Knowing these things will really help with the future of this story. There are so many favorites and alerts with this story and I'd like to hear from all of you – or at least the majority! I'm so curious about what you readers are thinking! And for those who HAVE been reviewing, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate your feedback since it really helps with my growth as a writer. So please, just a sentence or two to let me know what you're thinking and what you think might happen, how you feel about the Original Characters, or even constructive criticism? I look forward to hearing from you! THANK YOU!
And I really hope you liked the chapter! It was pretty suspenseful but it's a build-up of what's going to happen in the next chapter! Everyone's going to encounter something! BUT WHAT?
Team Sakura – heading into the darkness of the lower floors.
Team Sasuke – heading into the unknown of the upper floors.
Team Naruto – curious about the trail that was found leading towards the lake.
Team Daisuke – uncertain about being the only visitors in the Twisted Valley. What did Souta see?
Hope you stick around to find out! Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting! YOU'RE ALL THE BEST!
AND! that last part about the Fourth Ninja War and Sasuke's limitations. It's the reason why he doesn't use his powerful techniques like Amaterasu and Susanoo. PLOT HOLE AVERTED - ish. Haha. I thought it'd be important for you readers to know and it was a viable question for Akemi to ask since Uchiha Sasuke is so badass and whatnot. I mean, Naruto can't use Kurama for a reason, let's give a reason for Sasuke too! Hope it makes sense!
GOT QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? PM or Review (but make sure you're logged in under a Username so I can promptly respond back!)
If we reach 850 reviews, OHMIGOSH I WOULD GO CRAAAZY WITH HAPPINESS. MAYBE I'LL EVEN UPDATE SOONER OUT OF EXCITEMENT! EEEEEP!
Twitter: DreamCreateLove
Tumblr: SincerelyLen
~Len