The Ninja Way: Chapter 5: Taking Wing
Full Summary: What would you do if the world suddenly turned upside-down? Would you change yourself to adjust, and risk breaking apart, or would you keep on going the same way you always have? The ninja way you uphold must be flexible, but can it ever be?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Within about 10 seconds, she was on him. A furious ball of clashing colors and deadly glowing chakra. One tiny hand had him pinned by the neck to what had to be, in his opinion, the most uncomfortable wall in the world. The other hand hovered in front of him, aglow with menacing blue chakra, fingers straight and aiming toward his chest. Her gaze burned with a tempestuous fire he rarely saw outside of an explosion. He barely had time to register that the hostility in those emerald orbs was vaguely impressive. Where the hell was Tobi when he could have at least served as a distraction?
"I thought I recognized that chakra," she intoned, her lips set between a snarl and a frown. He could see the war between wanting to destroy him, and her instinct as a medic to tear off the hackjob that was his sewn arms and stick them back on properly behind her eyes as she blew a stray strand of pink from her face. Just as he began to wonder exactly how she hadn't gotten soaked in the pouring rain, her grip on his throat tightened ever so slightly. Okay. She had his attention.
Wait. Pink hair? Now he remembered. This little girl had been the one who killed Danna. He must have let his realization show in his face, because her eyes narrowed a little bit, and he noticed the almost imperceptible muscle in her arm tense just slightly.
"Remember me now, huh?" Her mouth settled into a grim line, but her eyes still burned, swirling with rampant emotion. "That's great, cuz you and me are gonna have a little chat. If you're a good boy, I won't have to smash in that pretty face of yours." He sighed. Great. Just great. The mouths in his hands watered slightly as he briefly imagined blowing her to little bits, and he clenched his fists to shake it off, his eyes focusing again on the girl.
"Hmph. I'm not exactly the greatest host, un." Her lips twitched into a wry smile, and she pressed his back a bit harder into the rock wall. "Fine, fine. What do you wanna know? And take it easy with the wall. I have enough bruises already, un." As if he wasn't in enough pain. Damn. Her eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch, and his gaze involuntarily moved to her forehead. She seemed not too fond of that, because she shifted, and her hand briefly glowed more intensely, so he shifted his gaze back down to her eyes.
"I know you fought him. Uchiha Sasuke." It was his turn to raise his eyebrow as she hissed the name of the brat, even as the mention alone made his blood boil. The way she spat out his name. It was like if she could, she would physically take his name, spit on it, and then proceed to burn it, as though it was a curse. Not that curse was too far off. Damn Uchihas and their stupid cheating eye shit. "Tell me everything." He snorted a bit, and her eyes narrowed.
"What? You planning to do something about him, pinky?" Her glare bored into him, and he sighed. "Fine, un. But do we really have to do it like this? I'm cold, wet, and outta chakra. I could probably chew on you if I really wanted to. Maybe." She seemed to consider it. For a second he felt chakra reach into him from the hand on his neck. He almost groaned at how warm it was. It probed him for about half a second, then retreated, along with her hand. He rubbed the tender skin, then shuffled over to the fire he'd put out, nudging the embers with his foot until the flame reignited. Closing his eyes, he plopped against the wall by the feeble flame, then opened an eye to glance at her, as she edged into the miniscule space on the other side. "You got a name?" She hesitated.
"Sakura." Her gaze flickered from the flame to his face, then back to the flame, and he observed her watching it for a moment. She reached into her medical pouch, and withdrew a cloth-wrapped item. After a moment of hesitation, she proffered it to him, then turned slightly pink at his look. "What? It's not poison, ok? It's just to help you talk." He flashed her a slight smirk, taking it, and opened it. He bit into one of the rice balls viciously, took his time chewing, swallowed, and started to talk.
By the end of his account, her eyes were unfocused, and she poked at the fire absently with a stick. He could practically see her mind turning over each individual piece of information he had given, one at a time. He waited, and after a moment more, her eyes focused on him again.
"...He's really hopeless, isn't he?" He didn't answer. She wasn't really asking him, anyway. Her eyes were distant now, the flame in them still burning, but muffled. His head tilted to one side as an eyebrow rose. She sighed, and then steeled. The fire came back brighter, and her eyes locked with his. She moved to his side by the fire. "Whoever fixed you up sucks. Don't get any stupid ideas, though. It's only because I can't stand how bad it is. Feel free to consider it a trade for the information." Then her hands were on him, and he was warm again. Her chakra sung through him, soothing his battered body. His eyes closed. So. Fucking. Worth it.
Seconds later, the hands and the warmth withdrew from him. He flexed his arms, testing them. The stitches were gone. The skin didn't pull anymore. His muscles no longer twinged when he worked them, and his fingers moved so fluidly, it was as if the connection between the nerves had never been disturbed. Most of his more agonizing aches were gone, as well. He nodded to himself appreciatively, then glanced up. She was already gone. A smirk pulled at his lips. What a crazy Konoha bitch.
That was fun. And yes, beat up criminals can always be persuaded better when you bring food. If there are two things in this world that talk, it's money, and food.