000
000
000
Chapter 4
000
A Path Out of Nowhere
000
000
000
Saturday. 5:47 PM.
I stood in front of a shelf, browsing books and graphic novels which were lined up. I was looking for something to get my mind off reality for a moment. I was really missing the province so much that I couldn't manage to do my assignments at home, so I took off and tried to find a comic store somewhere. Luckily, I found one at the east side.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
I turned around and there was Kakashi. He was slightly bending over to see what I was trying to find. It was odd to see him during a weekend.
"Kakashi-sensei—"
"You go here often, Sakura?" he asked in a friendly mood.
"Just discovered the place." I said, shaking my head. I glanced down and saw a small red book on his hand, entitled "Icha Icha Paradise".
Funny name.
"I usually drop by here to check if they have new editions of my favorites." he said merrily, showing me the small book he was holding. "But it's not the sort for your age." he added impishly.
I only mouthed the word. "Ohh."
It was a damn porn. No wonder his male students seemed to be fond of it.
He glanced up above my head, through the glass walls of the small comic store. I turned to see what he was looking at.
It looked like Konoha Academy had been following me all over Tokyo. Because right across the street, under a street post, were the goofballs of the seniors—Naruto, Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke.
They were spraying paints against a wall at the alley. Vandalizing. The sky was darkening but the illustrations were visible. Naruto, in particular, was drawing an ugly caricature of the school head. They were unaware that a Konoha professor was watching them several yards away.
I tried to hide a laugh at the presence of Kakashi.
"Brats." chuckled Kakashi.
Chouji was holding a spray paint on one hand, and a nacho chips on the other. Kiba and Shikamaru were snorting at Naruto's repulsive doodle. And Sasuke, who looked silent at his spot, was reading the label of the red spray paint on his hand. He appeared to be thinking of something else aside from understanding the paint's brand.
"They're the top members of Mortis Org, but they're also the troublemakers of it." Kakashi hinted as he stood behind me, straightening up. His voice was low so that no one else in the comic store could hear him. He knew I was still making my mind up of enlisting myself for the organization. It had been a few days after my orientation with the headmistress. "Making Tsunade's head lose every once in a while is their habit. They often pick fights with other group of youngsters outside the school. Tsunade couldn't completely expel them since they're really the ones who takes home the accomplishments in the organization."
I watched them across the street. They did not look like the types that could cause commotions any minute, but Tsunade didn't say anything about their misbehaviors during my orientation. Maybe because she didn't want to discourage me to be a part of the society. But Kakashi, however, seemed to be unproblematic about it.
Honestly, part of the reason why I wanted to clear my head for a moment was because of my situation about the org. Organization Day would be taking place on Monday, which left me one more day to decide if I'd sign up.
I wasn't able to consult my grandfather about it since he hadn't been home for three days since my school orientation. He was really taking his time to set himself up to see me again.
That old nincompoop.
"Still haven't decided yet, have we?" Kakashi guessed. He shrugged his shoulders to me. "Don't worry too much. We won't throw you away if you're not really fit in Mortis Org. And besides," he gestured to the boys across the streets. "We have a lot of misfits inside it, too. We don't really discriminate students—well—not as long as they give proofs that they could still bring something worthy to the society. It's only a matter of time and you'll understand."
"Does there come a time when someone has a bloodline and doesn't want to be part of the whole Mortis thing?" I asked.
Kakashi looked back up.
"Sasuke's brother faced that kind of situation years ago." he murmured.
I looked back at Sasuke at the alley. He settled himself beside the street post, leaning against it as he stared at the passing cars. The spray paint dangled in his hold. He didn't mind what his friends were doing there at all.
"His brother?"
I didn't even know he has a brother.
Kakashi nodded, his face turned serious. "Uchiha Itachi." he mumbled. "He rebelled against the whole situation about joining the Mortis unions. He was excellent in terms of skills, but we never really understand why he didn't want to be a part of it. He just snapped one day and left the organization."
Kakashi paused for a while, as if he was still unsure whether to tell it to me or not.
"The Uchiha bloodline has been one of the most popular bloodlines to be discovered, and they have been following the steps of their ancestors since the beginning. That's why Itachi and Sasuke's parents supports the Mortis unions. It's amazing that a lot of the members of the Uchiha clan acquired it." Kakashi continued. "But Itachi didn't seem to follow this rule. He didn't want to serve the Mortis Guild. He rebelled against the whole situation about joining the Mortis unions. But his parents still forced him to. He ended up running away."
"So Sasuke was left alone?"
Kakashi nodded. "Itachi has never been heard of after it. But there was a disturbing rumor earlier this year that he had begun lending his hand to the demi-humans."
"That would cause a leakage to the enemy, wouldn't it?"
"That's what we're trying to resolve now. We need to get our hands on Itachi as soon as possible."
I glanced up at Sasuke through the glass wall, who was now being hauled by Naruto, who was trying to make him draw something at the wall, too.
"How's Sasuke taking the situation?"
Kakashi shrugged. "He's been silent about it. Doesn't really tell anyone what he's thinking. All I know is that he hated his brother for it. He was left to deal with everything he left behind."
He sighed and suddenly straightened up and placed his small book inside his pants' pocket. "Well—I better be going too anyway, Sakura. Still have a lot of things to do at home. You'll be all right here by yourself?"
"'Course." I said, as I took my eyes off the senior boys across the street. "I won't stay here for too long, anyway. Thanks for the small chitchat, Kakashi-sensei."
"No problem." He started walking towards the door, carefully passing through the few people who were also reading books silently at their own spots. The small bell hanging above the door jingled as he pulled it open. "Oh—and say hello to your grandpa for me. Ciao!"
000
000
000
It was past seven in the evening when I got out of the comic shop. I first made sure that my classmates were gone across the street before I came out of the small store. I didn't want them to see me since I was not sure what to say them.
But, unfortunately, during my walk on the way home, I got… lost.
Actually, I didn't remember how I got in that shop in the first place. In any case, I only found myself walking along a deserted street at a hushed neighborhood a little far off from the heart of the city. The were a few illuminated houses. Street posts stood at the side street, lighting the path as I strolled along. Stars were already visible in the clear night sky.
I sighed glumly. I felt homesick. I missed my hometown a lot.
I suddenly halted when a cry echoed from the vicinity.
A hoarse cry.
Then, the sound was followed by supple thumps and tumbles. I looked up at the dim street ahead, where the muffled noise was coming from. It seemed like whatever or whoever it was, it was trying not to make the noise noticeable.
Damn.
Is it some sort of a robbery?
I looked around, but no one was there except me. I hurriedly turned around and started jogging towards the other way.
There was another husky cry, but I didn't turn around to look. I only continued to run.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I was starting to panic and I could hear my heartbeat pounding faster.
I yelped when I felt a hand suddenly pulled me to the side as I passed another corner.
"Shhh—keep it down, you little weasel— It's me." an elderly voice shushed in the shadowy corner.
I looked up and saw Sarutobi.
"You!" I gasped the moment he lifted his hand off my mouth. He was wearing a black tight suit which I had never seen him wear before. I noticed something shimmered beside him in the shadows and realized he was holding a katana with his other hand.
"What the hell is that supposed to be for?" I hissed.
He looked serious. He was eyeing the edge of the wall alertly, where the street where I was just walking a minute ago was, as if he was waiting for something to come out of it. I could see the small beads of sweat on his face even in the shadows. From the looks of it, he must be doing some hard labor for hours. His breathing was hard and fast.
He shushed me again. I wasn't about to shut up until I heard another heavy thud from the street. It was as if something the size of a rhinoceros was slowly drawing closer.
And there, at the corner of the wall where we were hiding, I could see an enormous shadow reflected against the ground approaching. It was being emphasized due from the street light behind it.
THUD… THUD…
It was slowly coming closer and closer with each heavy footstep. I grasped on Sarutobi's arm nervously. He cautiously pulled me behind him, drawing me farther to the other corner as he stepped closer at the edge of the wall, his blade tightly held.
Then, there was silence.
The creature, whatever it was, had stopped moving. The creature's shadow had vanished from our sight.
For a moment, it was all quiet.
I drew my head closer to him. My hands were firmly gripped together against my chest.
"Is it gone?" I whispered.
A raucous cry suddenly broke out and a huge creature stepped out from the edge of the wall, lunging itself toward us, breaking the edge of the wall into pieces. Its built was awfully thrice bigger than the average size of a human. Its eyes were red and its skin was very pale, almost white and gray. And it had black markings around its body like blotches. It had thorns coming out of its forehead and had long fangs in its mouth that stuck out. It looked like a hybrid of a human and a beast.
I fell backward as Sarutobi attacked forward. He held out his blade as he jumped off the ground, aiming for the creature's throat. I gaped at them as I lied there on the ground.
A demi-human?
Sarutobi ducked his head as an enormous arm swung over him and crushed the wall at their side.
"GRANDPA!"
With another turn, he leapt off the ground once again and thrusted his sword into the creature's throat. A spray of blood spewed out of the air and both of them tumbled down onto the ground.
The demi-human was left choking as it lied there on the cemented floor. It was giving out a weak cry like a muffled animal. Its long fingers grasping its sliced throat. It had finally stopped moving after several seconds, and only remained lying there on the ground. Its eyes slowly went blank.
Sarutobi stood a few feet away from it, still panting and staring at the freshly murdered creature. Blood dripped off the katana on his hand.
After a few breaths, I silently stood up. I couldn't take my eyes off the dead demi-human.
It was frightening and disturbing. I knew I was frightened since I was left staring like a foolish child. I didn't shake nor cry in fright. I calmed myself down since I was in the presence of my grandfather.
"You all right, Sakura?" he spoke, turning to me.
I nodded mutedly. And after a few seconds, I tried to speak.
"That's a…" My words only trailed off.
"A demi-human." He nodded, looking back at the lifeless creature. He inserted his hand in his pocket, drew out and flicked open his cellular phone and dialed a number. After a few seconds, he spoke to someone on it. "Task is done. I finally found Utaro Ouji. The spot is at the sixth block of Kattoun Street, south Tokyo. How long can you fix the spot and the corpse?... I see… Yes, there's a witness—" He glanced at me. "—my granddaughter. I'll take care of it. Just be sure to be here in seven minutes."
He hung the phone after it and placed it back in his pocket. He turned back to me.
"I didn't want you to see something like this, Sakura—though I don't know what you're doing here in the first place." He said bluntly, as if the whole situation was normal to him. "You shouldn't be here."
"I got lost on the way home." I stood there like a statue on my place.
"Don't worry, I already called the guild and help will soon be on the way." He said, turning back to the dead demi-human. He walked toward it and tapped his blade against its unmoving arm to see if it was certainly dead.
He sighed after it and muttered exhaustingly. "Let's talk after this."
000
000
000
It didn't take long and two large black vans soon screeched to a halt at the street where we stood as we guarded the place before anyone could see the dead creature. Eight people in white coats and suits got out. Some of them went straight to the corpse, and Sarutobi spoke to a dark haired woman with the name of Anko, whom I presumed must be one of the high rankings of Mortis Guild.
The demi-human was hurriedly placed in the larger van. The people in white suits handled it like some sort of experiment. They looked but didn't speak to me. They cleaned the mess in a short time, leaving the broken street wall there. And after having a quick talk with Sarutobi, they soon disappeared afterward. The two black vans drove back away into the dim night.
Sarutobi changed back to his civilian clothing inside one of the vehicles and ushered me back home. He stopped at a coffee shop on our way and bought a pair of hot chocolate for the two of us to relax a bit.
Both of us remained silent for a while. It was either we were both exhausted or we were just too uncomfortable to start an explanation.
And after a moment of stillness, I finally uttered. "It's quite a job you have there."
He knew I'd question him. He only took a sip from his cup serenely with his eyes closed, like what he always does.
"So. Tell me, what did Tsunade said to you?" he asked wearily as we stride along the sidewalks, passing by shops that were closing one by one. The day was ending.
"Well…" I began. "She just told me about the whole Mortis unions and how it all began."
He nodded. "I see… So…what do you think about it?"
I stopped on my tracks.
"What do I think about it?! You should've been home days ago!" I yelled, gripping the cup tighter in my hand. He stopped and turned around to me, looking all worn out to deal with me. "I was lost. What was I supposed to do after it? I didn't know what to believe. You're my grandfather and you were supposed to tell me what this is all about. And you haven't been home after it when I needed you. You only weaseled out of the situation!"
He sighed in exhaustion.
"I can't help it if there was a call in the middle of the day during your orientation and asking me to terminate this demi-human on the loose!" he spoke in a more of a sarcastic manner. "And I tell you, it wasn't that easy to locate him. That monster had already assassinated two civilians. The other rogues couldn't keep track of him. I've been trailing his ass for days."
I only scowled back at him.
"I was planning to finish the task yesterday, but it all got out of hand." he reasoned out. He nodded. "And I know I have a lot of responsibility to you as your only family member who knows about all this. I do apologize for my lateness."
"Well, you're right about that." I muttered disappointedly. I continued to walk along the sidewalks and he did as well. "In any case, Tsunade-sama is asking me to try out for the Mortis Org—and she knows I am your granddaughter. And hell—I didn't even know you were part of their so-called guild which I didn't even know existed. How can I deal with all of it? You just threw me in this bizarre school which appeared to have a secret society that I don't even know about. Now they're suddenly asking me to sign up because you suspect that I have this blasted bloodline!"
He shushed me for the third time that day when a few people who were passing by glanced at us.
"And here I thought you're an introvert—" he hissed.
I ignored him and continued to walk faster now.
"You should just calm down. You still have options, you know. And I'm just doing this to protect you." he said as he caught up to my paces.
We turned to a corner of a restaurant. Tokyo was very much alive during night time. Street lights and city lights were illuminated in various shades and colors. We were passing by a park when I spoke to him again.
"How did you end up in that position anyway?" I asked moodily.
"Well, I've been working in the squadrons for the government for years and when the Mortis unions were formed, I was transferred to it. I was accepted due to my skills and abilities—but I'm not related to any bloodline or any of that sorts. I was accepted mainly because of my abilities." he grinned, more of proud than humble.
"But why didn't you tell it to mom or dad?"
He shrugged. "It was unnecessary. I don't want anyone to get involve in this kind of job unless it is really necessary."
"And you let me be involved in this only because you think I have a bloodline?" I laughed in a mocking way, as if the idea was a joke.
"Well, yours is different. From what I sense, you have a different wave of chakra."
"What?"
"Chakra." he repeated wearily. "More like body waves. It's like an ability to do more things with your body. Like an energy." he explained in a lazy manner. "You'll understand it when you get into the org."
"You're not making any sense."
"I wasn't really planning to enter you in Konoha Academy since I might be wrong, anyway." he continued to say. "But since it turned out that your father had a contract here in Tokyo for his work, I just thought: 'Then again, why not I just enter you in it?'. I thought it wouldn't really matter if we find out that you don't have a bloodline in the end than to risk having you away from Mortis Org while you really have a bloodline. It'll be much risky with that state."
I continued to listen.
"And for some reason, I know you're not the type of girl who would go blurting out about this secret organization in the public if it turned out that you don't have a bloodline." he added.
And after a minute as we move along, I exhaled.
"All right, I'll sign up in the Mortis Org." I muttered, still staring down at the ground. My arms were folded together as I still held my cup. His head turned to me. "But I don't see what good will I bring to it." I shrugged my shoulders and continued to talk, my eyes still fixed on the ground. "It's not like I'm an expert when it comes to these kind of things you deal with. And good God, I don't even know what to do with these demi-humans you people handle."
"You'll get use to it after a while of training." Sarutobi said. I could sense a small grin forming on his old and wrinkled face with my agreement. "And besides, I think Tsunade will handle you with care. She'll make sure you'll have a strict and fine training." He glanced up at the dark sky as thousands of stars gleamed like diamonds. "Hm… I'm guessing she'll give you one-on-one sessions with one of the excellent trainers of the org in order for you to catch up."
"But what if I can't do it? And what if mom and dad finds out about all of this?"
"Huh. I think I'm the one who'd be worrying about that, silly brat."
000
000
000