Disclaimer/ I do not own Naruto, or this song
This chapter is deadicated to all those who reviewed the last chapter~ Please read, enjoy, and review.
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Chapter Seven
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Life is like a boat in a bottle
Try to sail, you can't with no air
Day by day it only gets harder
Try to scream but nobody cares
Through the glass you see the same faces
Hear the voices fade like a drum
When your life's a boat in a bottle
You're surrounded drifting alone
Don't leave me now
Stay another day
With me
When you're sad and no one knows it
I'll send you black roses
When your heart's dark and frozen
I'll send you black roses
Far away we wait for each other
I'm still on that road to nowhere
Kiss yourself for me in the mirror
Tie a black rose into your hair
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'It won't matter. By this time tomorrow I'll be in the Uchiha compound digging up their secrets. If they run into me it'll be their grave.'
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Of all the times the Suna delegates had to come over for their internship in leaf...Gah, did someone up there really hate her this much?
Getting into the land of Fire was easy enough, but the hidden leaf village was a whole other story. If she hadn't been a resident and loyal ninja to it's ranks before all of this, she probally wouldn't have been able to sneak in the way she did. But that was one of the perks of being an ex leaf nin. She did know it's secrets and all of it's weaknesses. The village had nothing to hide from her, even if it wanted to. This was one of the reasons why missing nin are hunted down with such vigor. A ruler doesn't want the cracks and seams in the defenses of her or her village to be made know to anyone, enemy or not.
Sadly for Tsunade and her village, she was a missing nin and she did know where the biggest cracks were.
The ruins that were the Uchiha compound were still untouched, weather out of respect for the fallen or fear of the deathly place, she knew not. No one liked going there, weather it be because it unsettled them or because they should be there in the first place. The Uchiha compound was for Uchihas, no one else. Even enemy nin tended to avoid this place, so patrols concerning this place were not tight. If you wanted to invade Leaf, this was the place to do it by.
Bending low to the ground and arching, Sakura scrawled across the floor, making sure to keep herself under the deepest and darkest shadows were she was sure she wouldn't be seen. It's not like anyone patrolled around here, but still, you can never be too careful. The house in front of her had a lard hold burnt into it's side, perfect for slithering in to.
Even after so many years the blood stands that were left over from the massacre were still there, faded, but there none the less. Maybe they were kept there to cry testimony for the ones who died with their honor at the hands of the only Uchiha who actually deserved it.
Yes, Sakura knew the secrets only they dead were allowed to share. Funny, how deal old Tsunade didn't think giving her permission to snoop out Danzo's old chambers was a big deal. That would be something the old woman would surly regret.
Safely inside the torn apart house, Sakura rose to a still crouching position, never really letting her guard down. She was maybe four or five doors down from the main house where Uchiha secrets were still kept under mild protection. If her information was correct-she crossed the floor and lifted up one of the matts-there would be a underground passage leading straight to that house's underground chamber.
finding the tunnel, she smiled to herself before slipping down, her eyes turning a brilliant shade of gold that allowed her better vision underground. No doubt there would be booby traps that were set off with light. Uchiha were required to see in the dark like this, so anyone one else who didn't have a natural ability to see in such black places, would light themselves a fire and fall prey to the trappings underneath.
The walls were cold, and the feeling of being underground sent shivers up and down her spine once more. She didn't like being underground, ever since escaping from the lab that had been one of the things she could really live without. The cave she and they kids were staying in right now had high ceilings and plenty of emergency exits. Maybe it was the raven inside of her that wanted freedom and open skies she could fly through, or maybe it was her fears that made her rush through the dark halls faster than she should have.
Coming up in the main house felt like coming up for fresh air after being underwater for so long. Her eyes spied the alter where a fake, booby-trap scroll sat and she snickered to herself. If she hadn't been a leaf nin, she probably would have fallen for that. Too bad she had to go back underground, the way she came in order to get to that room where the real scroll was being kept.
"This won't take long," she quietly told herself before plunging back into the darkness were there was barely enough room to move around in. Following the pattern memorized from long ago, it wasn't long till the steeps that seemed to go on forever stopped at a room that was what she was really interested in.
The alter wasn't lit, but the traps set against fires would go off in this room, so she brought up a light from her fingertips and lit both candles, lighting up the room in a golden hue. There was a box there with the Uchiha secrets, just waiting for her to take it. Sakura held her breath and inched her fingers under the seal, making sure to take it off in one piece, least ti tear and alert the next party down here that someone had take it's contents. It came off easily, too easily.
Sakura felt her whole body flare up in anger when she saw that the box was empty. Empty! After all this way and all this time wasted, was it all for nothing? Where was the scroll now? Had someone moved it after her 'death'? Did they know she was coming for it?
Feeling another body for the first time, Sakura spun around and fell into a defensive position, weapon in hand.
"You're sharp. I wasn't here one second before you noticed me. Not even the Hyuga could do that."
"Who are you and what do you want?"
The man, whoever it was, sighed in a childish manner. "You know, no one ever says anything else when we first meet, unless I have them tied up or something, then they yell at me to let them go or leave them alone. Just once I would like an original first greeting."
Sakura was not amused, and it showed in her tone of voice. "If you have no business with me than screw off, how about that?"
He chuckled. "That's more like it. I'm glad we were able to meet, finally my dear Sakura."
She tensed, eyes widening as she tried to make out his shadowed form. "You know my name and yet I don't have a clue as to who I'm insulting. Don't you think that's a little bit unfair?"
"Only if you call me with a kun, Sakura chan."
He must be really powerful to be talking so lightly to her. He almost seemed playful, and Sakura would have left it at that, had she not noticed the years of power and experience underlining his voice. She shouldn't take this guy lightly. "Alright then, mystery kun. Will you tell me your name now?"
He laughed, loudly. His voice echoed off the walls for a moment Sakura though she was going to be given away and captured by whoever had been alerted. But that wasn't the case, seeing as how he moved closer to the candles to let their light fall on everything under his chin. She couldn't make out his face, but she could see he had long black hair that was wildly tossed about his shoulders and down his back. Black...it wasn't a rare color, but the first hting that sprang to her mind was Uchiha.
"Well, won't you tell me, so that I don't have to keep calling out to you blindly?" she asked once more.
His laughter subsided into silence, though she could still faintly make out some chuckles coming from his shadowed lips. "You may call me Madara, darling. Uchiha Madara kun."
"Uchiha?" she gasped, shocked that her gut had been right about this man. Could it be possible that this guy was not only an Uchiha, but the once believed Madara?
"Aw, you didn't say it right. Didn't I ask for a kun?"
Sakura took a half steep back, knowing fully well that she wouldn't be able to beat this guy, no matter what she tried. Madara was a legend among legends, she didn't stand a hope of a chance if she tried ducking it out with this guy. Best just to play along and pray he lets her live. "Fine then, Madara kun. What do you want with me?"
She could swear she heard him smirk. "For now, I just wanted to see you, but hearing you call my name makes me want to meet you again sometime soon. I'm so glad I decided to do things this way, since it's you who ended up cursed with forever and death. It makes the days ahead seem a bit brighter."
Before Sakura could reply, something was thrown at her and she caught it on reflex. The Uchiha fan stood out against it's side, making her eyes widen once again that evening. It was the scroll she had come for! "What's this for?"
"Didn't you want it? I have no use for it having already known all there is to know about these eyes of mine. You'll find the cure to those little orbs of hers in there, I'm sure."
"You're just giving this to me, without asking for anything in return?"
"I didn't say that."
She shifted positions slightly, ready for an assault. "And what would that be?"
Another scroll was tossed in her direction and she caught it with the same hand, holding both scrolls between her fingers. The second thrown scroll looked old, but not rare. it reminded her of the fairytale stories that she used to collect as a child. It was small too, probably not a lot in it. "What's with this?"
"It's just something I want you to read when you have the time. You'll understand more about yourself this way."
Before she could ask anything more, something blew across the back of her neck, pausing at the shell of her ears to whisper a brief message, before the presence known as Madara Uchiha was no more. Sakura was alone, two scrolls in her possession, deep in enemy territory.
No time for wasting, she pocketed both desired objects and blew out the candles, turning towards the doorway that would lead her out of this accursed place. During her journey upward, she couldn't help but remember his whispered words, shivering every time they repeated themselves in her mind.
'Don't worry, my dear. We'll see each other again real soon. I'll be waiting in Amegakure if you get lonely.'
"Lonely? Chee, not if I can help it," she hissed before zipping out of the Uchiha district and away from Leaf.
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"Tell me once more, why we stopped freaking halfway and turned east?" Kisame grumbled, not happy at all with the way things were going for him and his unlikely partner.
"You were already informed once, Kisame san. Are you really that stupid to have me repeat it so many times?"
"All you told me was, Leader sama ordered it. Like that explains anything."
"We don't need to know, only obey."
Kisame made a face behind Zetsu's back while mimicking his partner in a childish manner. "What a load of bull. That's easy enough for you to say, since you already know why we are here. I'm the only one left in the dark. I work better when I know what I'm suppose to be doing."
Zetsu looked like he was arguing with himself, whispering messages back and forth under his breath, while completely ignoring Kisame. The dark side-the one who wanted to spill the beans and get him to shut up- seemed to have won, since Zetsu stopped walking and turned towards Kisame.
"We are here to intercept a person of vale that Madara sama has his eye on. It's better if you known since we can't have you chopping off her legs or anything like that, yt."ou dumb ass. Of course you'd be stupid enough to do something like that."
"Eh! What do you mean by her? Is it a chick?"
"Great going. Shut up!"
"Holy shit, it is! I bet it's that same chick you wanted me to be partnered up with. We're really going to try and capture her?" Both sides of Zetsu seemed to groan and turn away, even though Kisame kept going on and on about the same thing.
"I told you it would be unwise to choose to fill him in. I thought it would shut him up! Well as you can see, that was not the case. If it did anything, he is now louder and more annoying than before. Not my problem."
"Oi, you listening to be, plant head."
"Of course not."
"I want answers! You can't open a can of worms like that and expect me to be content or quiet. There's stuff I need to know."
Zetsu stopped suddenly, his body going rigid. Kisame reached out to pat him on the shoulder but the green haired man had already begun to melt into the ground. Kisame would have though this was the missing nin's way of avoiding an argument, had he not known that this was how Zetsu looked and acted when his 'stalker' side kicked in. Whatever they were tracking or waiting for was close by and he was getting ready.
"There," the whole earth seemed to say, and Kisame saw the dark black blur heading their way at speeds impressive to even him. Even though she was that fast, he could still see the ANBU mask and hood that covered her face and his her hair. It looks like she didn't want anyone seeing her and/or recognizing her.
Samehada tingled under the blue man's fingertips as he pulled it from his back and swung it once. He knew he should probably try and be quiet, but that was just not his style. Recording the battle would be left up to Zetsu. He got the fun part.
He stuck his sword deep into the ground and began to fly through his hands seals. "Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave," he shouted.
The masked ninja was taken by surprise and sent back, hit face on by the giant wave that seemed to suck up everything, creating a lake's worth of water to give him the field advantage, and to use for attacks. She cursed, throwing out a chain that stuck to one of the largest trees. With that she was able to swing out of the still swirling waves and throw her self high into the air where she could assault her opponent with a rain of finely sharpened ninja weapons.
"Fun," Kisame drawled, pulling out his sword to cover himself with. Nothing got by him. "That all you have girlie?"
He didn't get an answer sine the explosive tags at his feet chose that moment to go off.
"Did I get him?" she asked to herself in a low whisper, readying a kuni just in case.
"Sorry, not even close!" he cried, coming out of the water behind her, sword swinging. She was fast, and that was the only reason she was able to get away with just a bit of her chakra sucked away. Any other person would have lost a leg...or two. Kisame paused, holding up his shredding weapon and frowned. "Hmm, that's strange. I've eaten this chakra before. Have we ever met before this, girlie?"
"Maybe, I think I would have remembered someone as oddly colored as you, though," she hissed, jumping back another three yards to give her enough room to evade once again.
That did him in. Chick or not, he really couldn't stand it when people talked about his skin color in such a manner. Shadows stretched over his face to hide his eyes as he straightened up, sword in hand. "Oddly colored...? Die you freaking bitch!"
The attacks came hard and fast, and there were most than often three at once, thanks to his water clones. She tried to evade and substitute out of her spots, but soon he overtook her, and drained her of almost all she had. The mask went flying only to crash against a nearby tree and split in two before sliding down into the water.
"Ughh," she cried, feeling like crap, having so much of her blood now leaking into the miniature stream that came up to her neck. If she hadn't fallen against a tree like this, would she have drowned? There were shadows crawling over her sight and she felt her body going numb. The water seemed to be sucking up her blood like a thirsty child.
"Oi oi, I think I know you! You were with the green freak guy that didn't know how to shut up? Are you the one we are after?" Kisame asked, suddenly falling back into his earlier personality. It was like he was never a raging beast to begin with.
"Kisame." The blue sinned man turned around to see Zetsu melt out of the tree. "This ones name is Tenten, and she is not the one we are after. It seems we miscalculated. Way to go fat ass."
"Then..." Kisame looked down at the bleeding girl and then back up at his partner. "Then what? Where is she, anyway?"
"The sneaky bitch knew we were waiting for her and haulted till this chick came up. She must have slipped past while you were fighting. Did you notice anything off."
"I though that was your job."
"Shit."
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"I should be too far ahead for them to track me now. Kisame can't hide his presence to kill himself, there's too much chakra in that guy."
Crammed into the back of a woman's ox pulled cart, Sakura pulled out her scrolls, making sure they were both safe before she opened the second one Madara had given her. Earlier she had checked for any tracking signatures or possible traps that could have been hidden in it's layers, but found none.
Her eyes widened considerably at what she saw.
Yura no Nori
Project Karasu details...
Izanagi, god of creation lamented the death of his wife Izanami, goddess of creation, and undertook a journey to Yomi, the shadowy land of the dead in order to see her. Quickly, he searched for Izanami and found her. At first, he could not see her at all for the shadows hid her appearance well. Nevertheless, he asked her to return with him. Bitter, Izanami spat out at him, informing Izanagi that he was too late. She had already eaten the food of the underworld and was now one with the land of the dead. She could no longer return to the living.
Izanagi was shocked but refused to give in to her wishes of being left to the dark embrace of Yomi. While Izanami was sleeping, he took the comb that bound his long hair and set it alight as a torch. Under the sudden burst of light, he saw the horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful Izanami. She was now a rotting form of flesh with maggots and foul creatures running over her ravaged body.
Crying out loud, Izanagi could no longer control his fear and started to run, intending to return to the living and abandon his death-ridden wife. Izanami woke up shrieking and indignant and chased after him. Wild shikome, dead and foul women also hunted for the frightened Izanagi, instructed by Izanami to bring him back.
Izanagi burst out of the entrance and quickly pushed a boulder in the mouth of the Yomotsuhirasaka, the cavern that was the entrance of Yomi. Izanami screamed from behind this impenetrable barricade and told Izanagi that if he left her she would destroy 1,000 residents of the living every day. He furiously replied he would give life to 1,500. As so the parted, life and death, killing and birthing.
This served for inspiration behind the 48 years of research on resurrection properties. By embodieing the goddess of death's powers within the Karasu, we were able to develop a weapon that could resurrect and damned on demand and control them to her will. The subject would have to be female, to synch with the role of goddess of death it seems. After three failed attempts on males, this became obvious.
The only drawback to this weapon was that it can only be used by one person and that person must possess perfect chakra control at all times. The number of humans in the ninja world who can do this is less then five, and there are only two known females who can do so. Tsunade, the hokage of Leaf, and her apprentice Haruno Sakura. Tsunade is too old for such a procedure, so the only choice left for this operation is Haruno-a vassal willingly given up in exchange for-
And that was all there was. The rest was faded and light, making it unable to be read.
"Damn, what does this all mean?"
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Don't lose your faith
Share another night
With me
When you're sad and no one knows it
I'll send you black roses
When your heart's dark and frozen
I'll send you black roses
Ten black roses
Ten black roses
Life is like a boat in a bottle
Try to sail, you can't with no air
Day by day it only gets harder
Try to scream but nobody cares
When you're sad and no one knows it
I'll send you black roses
When your heart's dark and frozen
I'll send you black roses
Ten black roses
Ten black roses
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Don't kill me! I'm too young to die!
In the last chapter we learned that Sasuke is a spy, and Kisame was plannong on making Sakura his partner. In this chapter we learned that...well, it was implied that Madara had bigger plans for Sakura and that he might just have an intrust in her beyond her abilities. That, and Sakura is a sneaky bitch, as Zetsu likes to call her.
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-Vesper chan