Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

This Chapter is short sorry about that hahaha

Fun Fact: Houseflies hum in the key of f.

CHAPTER THREE

SNAKE VINES

Sakura flashed her I.D at the guards outside the entrance of the town. Immediately, their stern demeanor changed into an apologetic one as one of them handed Sakura back her I.D. while the other guard opened the gate. As they entered the town, they immediately attracted the attention of everyone around them. Sakura and her 6 man-team wore long white hooded robes that kept the upper half of their faces hidden. This was a precaution. Although almost all medical-nins that had no village affiliation and of those in neutral countries just like the one she had stayed in for the past 8 years were considered neutral and free to practice hands-on anywhere, however this was a different story. The Village Hidden in the Grass has long been under a monarchy like most of the other villages. However, rebellions had risen in different parts of its territory after the last monarch was jousted out of his throne. And this particular village they were in was the birthplace and center of all the rebellions. Keeping their head gears hidden made it clear to the villagers as well as those pro-government that they, and their village, did not want anything to do with either groups.

The group stopped at a flower shop to ask around the place for the Herbal Garden where the rare plant was grown. The girl at the counter gave them directions after some subtle prompting. Without delay, they briskly walked to their destination.

"I'll make all transactions," Sakura said as they entered the herbal garden. It was a huge greenhouse and consisted of plants that were both familiar and strange. Sakura beckoned her group to stay behind her as she went over the counter. Quietly she reached for something behind her coat triggering a negative reaction from the person at the counter.

"Relax," Sakura said stopping the man from pushing a button under the counter that alerted all the guards inside the greenhouse. Slowly, Sakura pulled the thing that she had reached for revealing a cloth that covered a rectangular item. The man looked at it warily and at the 5 people behind Sakura. Hesitantly he nodded. Sakura unwrapped it revealing two gold bars.

"We came here to buy all your Snake Vine."

The man reached out and checked both bars if they were authentic. Sakura smiled spying the satisfied look from the man. The gold bars were only two of the tons and tons of gold bars hidden inside the treasury of their small but wealthy village. That was one of the reasons she had chosen that village to further train since medical devices that weren't available in the leaf village was available there. The man looked at her with a beaming face and pushed a button under the counter.

"Sally come here. We have costumers."

The medic-nins gawked at 'Sally' who was a 7 footer burly man. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and an apron that looked out of place on his scarred body. He reminded Sakura of Ibiki, their first examiner during the Chunnin Exam back when she was young.

Jiro, the man on the counter, smiled at their reaction. He talked as he led them to the far side of the greenhouse where all the rare plants were kept. It was double-locked and complete with security cameras.

"The name 'Sally' is a misnomer. My wife and I named him that out of a practical joke," he laughed. "We didn't know he would turn out to be so muscled!"

Sakura whipped her head towards Sally who was blushing now beside his father. They didn't look alike! His father was a skinny man with a beard while he-well we have discussed about that.

"He took after his mum," Jiro said, as if sensing the curiosity in the air that his visitors were emitting. Sally unlocked the gate and opened it, revealing rows and rows of herbal plants but one plant attracted their attention. Instead of being planted on a pot it grew on a patch of land where it intertwined on itself in stems that were as thick as her fist. It was kept in check by wires that were shaped into a snake.

"Snake Vine," Kiro said. He was one of Sakura students who were particularly good in herbiology.

"Nope that one's a practical joke too," Jiro smiled. He pointed to the post beside him where a group of thin vines tangled. "These are the Snake Vines."

"Do not be misled by its appearance," he sounded like a host showing a group of teenagers the monstrous beast that looked like a puffball of cuteness, "it may be small but it's called Snake Vine for something. You see once ingested it affects the body like snake venom: localized numbness to an eventual comatose state and temporary blindness. It sometimes feels like it's going to kill you more than cure you." He said matter-of-factly. "-but the side effects usually only last for one to two weeks. It completely wipes out any trace of the poison and its effects."

"A poison for a poison." Sakura looked at Sally who have until now been silent.

"We'll take it."

Jiro smiled and nodded at his son. Sally took a pair of scissors from his pocket and started cutting pieces of the vine. He put them on a bowl and weighed it according to the amount Sakura had given them. He bunched them together and put them on a medium sized bag and thrusted it towards to Sakura's hands.

"Wait," Kishi protested. "We gave you two gold bars!"

Jiro looked back at them with a serious expression on his face. "Yes, that's for two gold bars. Those vines that you see there have long been extinct or should have been. My family is the only herbalists lucky enough to have preserved them. Besides, you only need one drop to make it work. It works like a Hydrophis Belcheri Sea Snake's venom."

Sakura knew that snake well. She had encountered it during a mission in the Wave Country. The kage's only son was bit on the leg by the Sea Snake while going deep diving. They were lucky that the snake did not inject greater than a milligram and that their own medics were nearby. A few milligrams of the snake's venom could kill thousands of people.

"Thank you." Sakura said shaking Jiro's hand.

"No. Thank you. You should have that dried and pounded. My patients like it as tea." He leaned into her ear and whispered, "They find it better when it looks harmless."

Sakura smiled under her hood and signaled her team to depart but as she turned around to leave there was a big explosion that shook the whole greenhouse. They all ducked as some pots fell to the ground.

"What was that?" Meijing, the other female member of the team except for Sakura and Kishi, spoke.

Jiro and Sally ran out to see the commotion. Sakura and her team followed. They arrived to find that a thick smoke was rising from the market. The greenhouse was a few blocks away the market but the explosion was huge enough for the shock waves to reach them. Sally tried to get the attention of one of the running civilians to ask what happened.

"Men from the capital was able to slip through the city. Aiko's men intercepted them and a fight broke out."

Jiro looked at his son and nodded.

"Sally go and get our things," turning to Sakura he bowed, "I'm so sorry for the commotion here but we have to go. You visitors can go straight ahead in the direction where the other civilians are running. Here." He took a pass and gave it to her. "Show this to the guard near the forest. There's an exit to the city there. "

Sally met with his father. He seemed to be carry a heavy bag. Before going he and Sally turned back and bowed low.

"Thank you for coming." They said with a smile and departed.