WOW! The response from chapter 14 was insane and I LOVED EVERY REVIEW I RECEIVED! Thank you all for reviewing and being great readers! You keep inspiring me to continue with this story and i can't do it without you. This chapter is more filler but it's kinda important...ish so just bear with me because i can't make Tetsu that easy to find. Let me build a little more then you'll get your KICK ASS rescue that i've had planned since i started this fic! And trust me my ideas regarding the rescue keep getting better and better ;) i hope you all will be pleased. As always though...ENJOY!
Spring time one of Sakura's favorite time of the year. The flowers are sprouting all around the village and the trees were the deepest shade of green. But that wasn't the cherry blossom's favorite part, not by a long shot. Her favorite spot was on the western side of the village beneath a forest of her namesake.
The sky was painted pink as the large sakura trees glistened in the afternoon light. She was wearing the perfect cotton dress for spring; tight roushing on the bodice and small spaghetti straps, the soft pink skirt flared above her hips and ending just under her knees. This was definitely one of her favorite dresses to wear in spring. It was light, beautiful, the same color as her pink tresses, and when she twirled the skirt created the perfect bell shape.
Giving into her secret pleasure of acting like a small innocent child and twirling until she was dizzy Sakura threw her arms out and twirled. Her laughter bounced off the delicate trees echoing around her as if she were near a canyon or echo chamber. But she didn't think anything of it, right now she was happy and free. Stopping slowly so her dizziness wouldn't send her to the ground Sakura drew her arms in a leaned against the smooth bark of the trunk.
A light breeze followed her twirling lightly blowing her dress and hair around her body. It was longer, she realized, down to her shoulders. When had it grown so long? She couldn't remember the last time it was past her shoulders…first Chunin exams that was it. She remembered now being held by the Sound kunoichi then Sakura bravely took a kunai to her hair and sliced it off to protect her team. Ever since then as a statement to herself and to others, she kept it short. Short hair meant she was done being the weak kunoichi she was in childhood, she would train and be strong; be an asset to her team and not a hindrance. That vow has served her well because she was now strong, independent, and no longer teased about being a brainiac. She was Tsunade's prized apprentice and the second best medical ninja in the world behind the Hokage. She had surpassed Shizune a year ago but she couldn't really gloat about it. Her sibling apprentice was focused more on helping the Hokage with her duties than being a medic ninja. Sakura suspected that once Naruto took over she was going to have to fight for the number two spot with her. It would be a fun and pleasant rivalry each of them would be pushing the other to do something better, stretch their limits just to see who would be the one coming out on top.
But then an odd thought struck her…would she get to even be a part of that?
Itachi had promised to marry her. Delicate medic hands went instantly to her neck and her recent gift from her tall, dark, and handsome Uchiha appeared under her fingers. Sakura lifted up the pendant and smiled at the sheer beauty of the piece. Itachi had definitely spent a pretty penny on her necklace and she couldn't complain. In all honesty if she was going to marry this man then she could probably expect more of this kind of pampering. She giggled at the thought of being showered with jewelry each one more beautiful than the previous piece. But the little angel inside of her cautioned that her Uchiha heir shouldn't be spending money frivolously on her when it could be put to better use. And the devil on her other shoulder said who cares let him do whatever he wants. She wanted to laugh, it sounded just like a conversation she would have with her inner. Sakura wouldn't want any one person to spend all of their money on her but her Inner would just tell her to shut up and ask for more.
Even so if she were to marry Itachi, she probably wouldn't be able to devote the same amount of time to her medical skills as she usually would. And that thought made her sad. Being a medic-nin defined her, it's what set her apart from her team and peers. Who else could claim to be the next Tsunade? Shizune wasn't taught her master's secret to super human strength like Sakura was. Shizune could only match Sakura in medical knowledge. But being the Uchiha Matriarch would hinder her growth in the shinobi world. Was that a bad thing? Could it be something that she would give up? Did she want to?
Yes.
Emerald eyes blinked rapidly at the suddenness of the thought. Actually there was no thought…it was immediate. She barely got the questions out before the answer interrupted her own self-doubt. But then she smiled to herself…Itachi loved her, he told her so. And she knew him well enough that he wouldn't say that to just any woman…no…he reserved it for her. He said those three words that would have every girl melting at his feet, to her. Haruno Sakura. She couldn't betray him or betray their love. She would follow him and stand by his side until she died. Then she would follow him to the heavens and stay near him for the rest of eternity.
But there had to be some compromise. Being the Uchiha Matriarch had to be a huge responsibility. Did she know what it entailed, no, but she hadn't thought to ask either. Whatever it was that her position entailed she would give it her all just like she would in the medical field. She was going to be married and her first priority would always be her husband and then her family. She could see them now behind her eyelids, little Uchiha brats with their dad's raven hair and big green eyes. She cringed as she pictured a small boy with bright pink hair that could only be inherited by his mother. Poor kid…she would definitely make sure that if she had a son born with her very feminine pink hair, that he would have the strength to defend himself against anyone who made fun of him. But maybe her kids would be lucky, maybe they would be blondes or strawberry blondes like her parents. That would definitely be more manageable but then again, Uchiha genes were very dominant. And with generations of dark haired men and women…well she was slightly happy to know that maybe her pink hair would stop with her, even if her babies still carried the genes.
She opened her eyes and saw her babies dancing under the trees and laughing. Their little apparitions smiling and shouting in front of her, three of them, all with raven black hair except the tallest one had a red streak right in front serving as his bangs. Two had dark onyx eyes while the smallest had large emerald eyes matching her own. They continued laughing and playing until the breeze picked up again blowing the perfect picture away. But right where the kids were playing another apparition appeared.
Light sandy blonde hair, dark blue eyes with small flecks of silver and a Leaf hitai-ate on his forehead…her daddy.
"Dad!" Sakura called running towards him.
Strong, warm arms met her and spun her around under the cover of the sakura trees. This was their spot; her family's spot. It was here that her mother and father finally found peace together, and it was here that they decided that their child's name, if it was a girl, was to be named Sakura.
"My little flower," Lu Ten whispered lovingly in her ear, "You have grown into a beautiful woman."
She chuckled and placed a firm kiss on his cheek, "What are you doing here?"
Setting his daughter on her feet he looked into her wide green eyes with a small hint of sadness, "You need my help, that's why I'm here."
Sakura looked at him slightly confused, "Help? But I'm here at our spot in Konoha? I don't need any help right now."
Lu Ten just pulled her into another hug and held her tight, "My little flower, I know you remember and the fact that you're here in your subconscious means that your body is sorely weak and beaten. I know Tetsu has you and I know what you're going through. That's why I'm here to help you."
All of a sudden her memories came back. Her bound feet, the heat from the cattle prod, blood soaking into matching undergarments, dehydration making her appearance more gaunt, and the Tetsu…he was there enjoying it all.
Immediately she cringed and her father tightened his grasp around her.
"Shhhh," he cooed, "It's why I'm here."
"Daddy…" she whined, "Why? Why…"
"I'll start from the beginning…because my brother hates me," he replied in a somber tone, "I fell in love with your mother and I wouldn't let him kill her after giving birth to you. She was a civilian and not worthy enough to stay with our clan. I participated in these heinous crimes in my early years but understand we weren't always like this. Our clan used to be proud and we worked side by side with the Uzumaki clan."
"Uzumaki?" she asked surprised.
Lu Ten nodded then pulled her down to sit under a tree, "Yes. You know that the village of Uzushiogakure, it was destroyed during the Second War. The Uzumaki clan were known for their-"
"Fuinjutsu, otherwise known as sealing jutsu."
He nodded with a smile, "That's right. But what is less well known is that the Haruno clan worked with them, side by side. What we lacked in chakra reserves we made up for in precise chakra control. But we never mixed, our clan heads decided that if an Uzumaki and Haruno were to ever produce children…the shinobi would be unbeatable, on the verge of an abomination. They would be born with the overwhelming chakra capacity given to all Uzumaki's and they could accomplish anything due to their superior chakra control from the Haruno's. We even sealed each other with the sole purpose to prevent attraction with the opposite clan. In the end we just coexisted together. "
Sakura nodded just listening to her father's soothing voice, he was always a great story teller when she was younger so she just sat next to him and listened to his story like she had for years prior, "Is that because the Uzumaki's are blood relatives to the Senju's, descendants of the Rikudo Sennin?"
"Yes. But as you know ultimatums like such were bound to fail. The Haruno's were never given credit where credit was due. We worked side by side with the Uzumaki's but they consistently were given all of the credit. They were even the ones asked to house the nine tails in Konoha, our sister village. This angered our clan head, your grandfather. Why would Konoha choose an Uzumaki over a Haruno? Uzumaki's might have the chakra reserves but we had the chakra control. The only reason they could see was because of blood. Because the Senju and Uzumaki's-"
"Are blood relatives. And since the first Kyuubi container was Uzumaki Mito, Konoha wanted to keep it that way. She was the first to seal the Kyuubi into a body, thus becoming the first jinchuikki," she looked up at her father completely engrossed in her history.
"So the Haruno's decided to leave, without our precise control the larger seals could not be achieved because of the level of chakra control it took to accomplish. Without us the village was at half its power and the Uzumaki's weren't used to having to use or train extensively in fine chakra control because there was always a Haruno there to assist them. So in the end we sold them out. We betrayed out oldest friends over nothing but stubborn jealousy and pride. That temper of yours," he winked at her, "Was very typical for the people of our clan because of our split personalities. I'm assuming that part of our betrayal was because we were so short tempered," he cleared his throat, "Our clan disabled all the protective seals around the city. We led the enemies into the secret passages to infiltrate and then we assisted in destroying our home and the slaughter of our sister clan. And then we disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"Hai, we went completely underground and faded away, out of anyone's conscious thought. It was all part of the plan; if we faded out of existence then nobody would suspect us because we didn't exist in the first place. Who else could've done what we did? We knew everything about that city that we called home. We knew exactly how to counter every jutsu and seal thrown at the enemies. It was perfect, and Haruno's always strive for perfection."
Sakura nodded, that was definitely true at least for her. Perfection was something that was always demanded of her.
"But of course we were not without our own casualties. Death is to be expected in war. With our number severely reduced we had to rebuild. I was just a small boy at the time, no older than you were when I was taken from you," he lifted his finger and brushed her cheek lightly making her smile, "My father took over then and that's when the anarchy started. What Tetsu is doing now is the result of what we were taught as young boys. Poisoned by the thought that the Haruno was second class to the Uzumaki's we were determined to better, more powerful, and a force to be reckoned with."
"That's when the collecting started," Sakura looked down, "It's why Tetsu is breeding the kunoichi's with powerful bloodlines."
"Exactly. Our father started that. With the Uzumaki's gone and with our smaller chakra reserves we were still considered weak. So father ordered all Uzumaki's that were out on missions or that may have escaped our notice to be hunted down and brought back male or female. We even found some in Konoha and infiltrated our sister village in order to get to them."
"Uzumaki Kushina!" Sakura looked up stunned, "You were behind her kidnapping?"
Lu Ten smiled sadly, "We were. Our spies know how to blend in that sometimes we can even pass for civilians. Luckily she was saved before she was brought to us."
"By Minato," Sakura smiled then, "It was the beginning of their love story according to Naruto."
"Kushina, we found out later was a descendant of Uzumaki Mito, Konoha's previous jinchurikki. We wanted her because of her chakra reserves. If she was good enough to be considered the next jinchurikki then she was good enough for us. For years this continued. We only found a handful of Uzumaki's and only two of them were women. We ended up killing the men because they were more of a nuisance than they were worth. Then we began more permanent collecting, kidnapping is various villages. Our scouts would stake out various small towns and villages looking for kunoichi's that would match what we were looking for. These women would of course resisted and that started the typical treatment that you are now subjected to. The men became extreme in their treatment of kunoichi's and soon enough it became the norm. It was during one of these scouting missions that I met your mother. She was the daughter of a traveling merchant and the most beautiful women I had ever seen."
"Tell me about you guys…please," Sakura begged with a huge smile.
Lu Ten laughed at her expression, "I was scouting in this city on the border of Lightning Country and she was there tending to one of the many stalls her father set up. She was sweet, charming, but demanding all the same. I never walked away without purchasing something, she always told me that it was the price I paid to talk to her. At first I just wanted her for physical pleasure…but then the more I got to know her, she became more than just an item to use and throw away. I realized, before I could stop myself, that I fell in love with her. Months later I returned and I found out she was pregnant. I wasn't alone on that scouting trip and so far I had been able to keep her existence a secret from Tetsu. At that time we were both jointly running the clan as Heads. She convinced me to stay with her so that we could raise you together. But the others that were with me found out about you and your mother…and they were going to kill her. In my anger I fought them and ended up using my technique that I gave you. I rushed to your mother's home and told her about the situation and she agreed that we needed to leave. Her father gave us a forced blessing and we were married that night and we made our way to Konoha, the only place that I knew we'd be safe from Tetsu's wrath. I should have just killed my brethren…but I couldn't bring myself to do it. But I suspect they probably wished for death after what I did to them."
Sakura looked down thinking over her father's technique, just the thought of using it against an opponent made her shiver. She had no right to play God…
Lu Ten noticed her subdued countenance and decided to just continue the story, "We made it safely and when we got there Konoha was in disarray from the Kyuubi attack. The Sandaime had us detained for a day before he would see us. When he found out who I was he immediately wanted us to stay. I explained our situation and he put us under protective custody and rushed our residency paperwork. He couldn't afford to have a seal master leave his village under any circumstances. Most of the seal knowledge in Konoha is from me and some from the Yondaime, Kushina, and Mito. Your mother though…she didn't know anything prior to me bringing her to Konoha. She trusted me absolutely even before she should have. It was only when we were settled in the house that you now own that I completely opened up to her and explained everything. She didn't know what to think at first but being the strong woman that she was she decided to just overlook my past. She told me that she would continue to trust me as long as I kept doing things that would keep her and our baby safe. The moment I returned to my former ways she would leave me and never take me back. I promised her then and there that no matter what I would make her happy, and since I wasn't able to give her a proper wedding whatever she asked for I would get it…legally of course."
Sakura smirked…she could definitely see her mother telling her father what for. Even as a little girl she could see the way her father doted on her mother, he would literally do anything for her that she asked of him.
"A week later you were born…a month premature," He looked down into her beautiful green eyes, "You were so small…so fragile when I held you. And I felt very unworthy to be your father…the father of the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. I can still remember Kya's exhausted face as she watched me hold you. She was smiling, her strawberry blonde curls matted down against her face and she whispered to me 'she's yours'. That was the moment that changed me forever. No matter what, Tetsu would never lay a hand on you. No matter what, you would grow up to be a strong shinobi in a village where kunoichi's are admired and praised, not belittled and taken advantage of. I wasn't protecting you or your mother anymore as a type of redemption…I was now protecting you because I wanted to."
Sakura nodded before snuggling into her father's protective embrace. Oh how she missed him, and feeling him hold her like she was precious. Almost similar to another man's embrace, then she wondered if he knew about Itachi. If her father knew she was captured by his crazy brother then surely he knew about her almost fiancé.
"Daddy, how did you know I was captured?" she whispered looking down at his lap.
"I saw it, through your eyes."
"But how?"
Lu Ten loosened his grip and faced his daughter, "I'm a seal master Sakura, how do you think I know?"
Turning her thoughts inward she thought about his question. How would he be able to know? He said he's a seal master but her knowledge of seals was only those used in medical jutsu and not a broader application. She instantly berated herself and promised that once she was out of here she would study up and become very well versed in all manner of seals. After all…they were a part of her heritage. Sitting crossed legged she realized that her father wasn't going to speak again until she came up with an answer. So she pondered, going through all of her memories to come up with an answer. She started with childhood rapidly going through her memories. Then came her Academy days, then Genin missions, training with Tsunade, Naruto's and Sasuke's return, going after Akatsuki, Pein's attack, Tsunade's coma, reconstruction, Medical Academy, war…
Then she shot straight up her eyes wide with shock.
"Naruto…" she whispered making Lu Ten smile, "He said he saw his dad once…and his mom during kyuubi training. This is the same thing isn't it?"
Lu Ten leaned forward and kissed her in the middle of her large forehead, "Smart…I'm proud of you my little flower."
"He didn't tell me everything but he said he got to meet with both of his parents because his father sealed their remaining chakra into him before they died. And it would release when he needed them," she looked up into dark royal blue eyes, "This is the same thing. So where's the seal on my body, I would have noticed it?"
"I had to put it where no one would be able to find it," he father answered then touched the back of her head right where the cerebellum was located, "I hid it here, where even Tetsu wouldn't think to look."
Sakura's hand followed her father's and touched the small flat portion on the back of her head. It made perfect sense because unless she was shaved bald, nobody would find it.
"Thanks daddy," she whispered before wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug.
She was happy that her father placed that seal on her, it just showed how much he loved her even after death. He was always there, comforting her, watching over her, making sure she was safe. He probably felt all of her sadness and loneliness when she was younger probably making him wish he hadn't died. But then he probably also felt her happiness when she accomplished a difficult jutsu or when they won the war, or when Itachi…
Her body froze up instantly…he also probably felt her…and Itachi…oh Kami…
Lu Ten began chuckling, "What happened little flower? Still thinking about the seal?"
Sakura fell back onto her knees and stared at him with a hint of shame.
"I know what you're thinking," he winked at her, "He's a fine young man."
Sakura gulped and closed her eyes her cheeks tinted bright red with embarrassment, "Ummmm about some things…"
"You don't need to explain. You're young and in love. Believe it or not your mother and I were the same way," he told her with a large smile, "It was hard for me to keep my hands off her."
"DAD!" she yelped, "I sooooo don't need to hear about you and mom…making me."
His baritone voice chuckled then gently grabbed her smaller hands in both of his, "Sakura, for what it's worth, an Uchiha is a very high honor. You two have my blessing to be married. He makes you happy and that's all I want for my baby girl, is someone who makes her happy."
Emerald eyes swam with tears then spilled over and down her cheeks, "Thanks daddy…I love you."
"I love you too little flower," he reached up and wiped away her tears, "Eyes so green, just like your mother's. Hair as soft as silk, and so overly emotional when feelings of happiness consume you. It's no wonder why I fell in love with you Kya…" he whispered softly as if she was there with them, "She was so different from anyone I knew."
"Tell me more," Sakura asked, "She never told me much and her letter explained a little bit but, I want to hear what happened. I don't even know how you died."
The light in his royal blue eyes suddenly darkened in sadness but he nodded, "I supposed I have enough time to tell you that. Our mission was to go to a civilian village near the coast of Wave and perform a sealing. This sealing was to protect that village from an endless stream of bandits that constantly raided it. The Sandaime had deployed other teams to take care of the problem but new mercenaries always came around and for the small village it was bad for business. They did a lot of trade with surrounding towns to support their economy and having most of it taken away by thugs was starting to cripple them. So the Sandaime decided to send me and a team to seal the village so only those who are invited by someone from that village may enter."
"That sounds like a very complex seal."
"It was, but Whirlpool had a similar one surrounding the entire shinobi village so such a thing would be easier on a small civilian village."
"But then you would also have to make self-sustaining or else the chakra that powers it will deplete and the seal is then obsolete."
Lu Ten nodded, "Also true but that problem would be solved when we arrived. If a seal master mixes blood from the village inhabitants into the seal, then a small donation will keep it running."
Sakura pondered his statement then asked, "Is that basically a variation on a typical blood seal?"
"It is. It's a mix of a blood seal and barrier seal. And such a seal requires a great amount of chakra and very fine tuned chakra control," he explained.
"Then who were your teammates?"
"Senju Tsubasa, Akimichi Choza, and Uchiha Yotori."
"Senju, Akimichi, and Uchiha…all naturally have large chakra reverses," she mused aloud.
"Which is why they were chosen to accompany me to perform this seal since there wasn't an Uzukami around to do it. I was assigned as the team leader and our performance of the seal went perfectly. It was afterward that we ran into trouble."
Sakura waited while watching her father pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation.
"Tetsu showed up with a small number of Haruno's. I had kept my location from him a secret but as soon as he saw my Leaf hitai-ate, he was very angry. Right before he killed me he promised to hunt you and your mother down and bring them both back to the clan as payment for my betrayal. I'll never forget that face."
Sakura placed a comforting hand on his leg and squeezed lightly, "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be…you and your mother stayed safe. My team survived enough that they brought my body back to Konoha and you and your mother were safe. That's all I wanted and the Sandaime granted it. Now enough about the past I have one more thing I need to teach you."
"Teach me?" she asked confused.
"Hai, about your bloodline. You have been practicing separating your chakra have you not?"
"Hai but it doesn't seem to be working," her face fell slightly.
"Because you're doing it wrong," he winked at her, "Explain to me what you're doing."
Sakura bristled slightly at the reprimand but quickly let it go, her father was trying to teach her something important, something not even Tsunade could teach her, "Well I start out by filling my right hand with destructive chakra and my left with healing chakra. The balance if off though; whichever one I light up first always has more chakra focused on it."
"And you've been using both your Inner and physical chakra?"
"Hai."
"That is where you are wrong," he smirked at her frowning face, "Little flower you have done well so far and the general concept is correct but you're dividing your chakra the wrong way." With a small flicker of his hand Sakura watched her Inner appear briefly then suddenly disappear, "Do you get it now?"
Sakura's eyes widen in realization, "Of course! I can't believe I didn't get it on my own!" she growled cursing herself again for her huge oversight.
"Pay attention now Sakura," he called her attention back, "This technique is going to help you through the predicament that you're currently in."
Sakura's face sobered at his words, "What do I have to do."
"This technique is called Mind Melding. It's something all Haruno's master but I'm not sure if it's being taught to these kunoichi's. This is what you have to do, you have to completely separate your chakra between inner spirit and physical. Now your inner is your warrior as is true for most of our clan, you need to lock your inner's chakra away."
"Why?" she asked a little fearful. If she locked away her inner spiritual power she won't be able to take what's coming from Tetsu's torture, "Dad I can't do that. I'll be at half my already weak power. Tetsu…he'll…I won't survive."
"You will because you must," he told her in a hard voice, "You have others to live for do you not? These kunoichi's want to be saved do they not? Then you must survive."
Pink hair concealed her frightened face as Sakura bowed her head in despair. She can't do this…lock away her strong self, she won't be able to withstand the torment that her body will be going through. Halfway through she always has to rely on her inner for strength but now…she was going to have to let go and rely solely on her own physical strength.
"I'll do it," she whispered with determination, "I'm in one hundred percent…my boys are coming and nobody deserves this kind of life."
Pride filled his heart as he listened to his daughter's vow, "That's my girl. Stand up, my chakra is getting lower by the second. Besides Tetsu can't afford to kill you, if you block away this chakra he will probably take it easier on you…but I cannot promise that for sure. Now are you ready?"
"Hai," she stood tall hands balled to her sides, "Let's do this."
Keeping his large grin Lu Ten began to teach her, "Now you mother gave you my scroll when she died didn't she?" Sakura nodded, "Good this is very similar to that, if you go into a meditative state you can feel your two chakras swirling around. Take your lighter chakra, the spirit chakra, and hide it like you would if you were hiding from the enemy, except you're going to use these seals: bird, dog, serpent, tiger, and seal your spirit chakra away. If Tetsu can't get to that chakra it's going to build just like your Yin Seal from your shishou."
"Hai," Sakura responded listening intently.
"The hardest part is maintaining contact with your inner's conscience because if you lock away her voice you won't be able to get her back."
"But that doesn't make sense," she cut him off, "If I'm locking away her chakra how can I still talk to her?"
"Because you're locking her away from Tetsu's reach not yours. Where is the one place where he can't reach inside your body?" Lu Ten's stare bore into his daughter's, waiting for her to once again figure out what he was telling her.
"One place…he can't…get too…" her eyes scrunched as she flickered through every part of the human body. Thinking, reliving everything she was currently going through Sakura came to the conclusion that everywhere in her body hurt. There wasn't one place that he didn't…
"My mind," she looked up in shock, "If I concentrate on conserving all of my chakra inside my cranium then it can be protected and my Yin Seal is located near the cerebellum, the same place as your seal. I can use the Yin Seal's power of taking chakra and build up my Inner's chakra. And my mind is the source of communication so I can still hear what she's telling me."
"Just a little nudge in the right direction and I knew you would figure it out," he smiled at his daughter making her eyes shine at the praise, "To unseal your Inner just reverse the seals while concentrating your physical chakra to your head and she will be released. No need to be afraid of that big forehead of yours anymore, you're putting it to good use."
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Dad…no forehead comments please." Her eyes began to narrow as her father's body began flickering in and out, "What's happening?"
Lu Ten sighed, "Seems my chakra is almost gone, it's time for me to go."
"No!" she leapt and held him in a strong hug, "Not yet daddy please…I miss you."
"Be strong my little flower, and trust in your boys," he kissed her cheek, "I love you, my beautiful child."
"I love you more Dad," Sakura gave him a weak smile with tears pouring down her eyes, "Say hi to Mom for me?"
"I will, and she is so proud of you. We love you," he whispered becoming lighter, fading into the bright sunshine, "Sakura…"
"…Dad…" she whispered reaching out towards his disappearing form. Then she was once again left alone.
"Sakura," a faint voice echoed as her world faded to darkness.
"Sakura."
She could hear a small voice calling out to her but her mind was too heavy to respond.
"Sakura…Sakura!"
Can't they just leave her alone, she's tired and achy and…
"Please Sakura I need to talk to you!"
The voice was very insistent and so she decided that she could try and appease the speaker. The light feminine vocals did sound a little familiar now that she really thought about it.
"Open your eyes, please…please don't leave us," the voice begged.
"I'm not…going any…where," Sakura ground out before coughing. Her throat was dry and parched, it hurt to talk and swallowing was just not cutting it, especially if you're not hydrated enough to even produce spit inside your own mouth.
"Thank Kami," the voice breathed in relief, "I was thinking we were losing you. Haruno-sama would have my head if that happened."
Sakura snorted lightly, "He wouldn't let me die…"
"I supposed that's true."
Emerald eyes opened to fuzzy surroundings then she felt something cold and wet touch her skin, "Is that you Kaminari?"
"Hai, I'm the one who's assigned with taking care of you, I'll be here to make sure you're doing well. And I'm your," she turned and glanced at the door, "I'll be your messenger between Konoha and the kunoichi's here."
"Good, it's nice to know we will have some sort of communication. So what do you have so far?"
Kaminari dipped her cleaning rag into her bucket and washed Sakura's neck and chest, "Well the four of us are orchestrating everything on the inside."
"Who are you talking about?" Sakura glanced at her from the corner of her eye, "I need specifics so I know what you need to tell Konoha."
"Hai, ummmm," Kaminari cleared her throat, "Well I'm a member of the elemental cycle."
"The what?"
"The elemental cycle," she continued, "It's what Tetsu calls us. I'm lightning, Mizuko is water, Ryuu is fire, and Kaze is air."
"And who is earth?"
"It's you."
Sakura paused with an incredulous look on her face. Her? What the hell was she talking about?
"Well at least Tetsu says you will be…once he's done with you," Kaminari spoke softly, "Your chakra reserves are too small he's going to try and expand them. But first he needs to break your body down to the bare minimum so that when you heal you're healing while he tried to expand your chakra pathways so you can hold larger amounts of chakra in your body."
Shock took the place of her earlier confusion. Tetsu was going to expand her chakra reserves, but that can't be done. If a procedure like that existed then surely her medical connections would have known such a thing. She definitely would have heard of someone somewhere in the world with this ability.
"Don't look so surprised, Tetsu has been perfecting this forever. Any kunoichi that doesn't meet the requirement for chakra reserves has to go through this. It's another reason why he only lets us be used by high level shinobi, they naturally have larger reserves. It's less work for him in the end if everything is done correctly through breeding," Kaminari explained evenly.
"How do you know all of this?"
"Kaze, she…she doesn't really like talking. It's kind of her way of dealing with who she is and the situation that we're all in. So Ryuu assigned her to be our spy since she can literally become air."
Sakura smiled slightly, "Part of her air element abilities."
"Hai, she can literally dissipate into the air surrounding us by expanding her chakra into the different…air…"
"Air molecules I think is what you're trying to get at," Sakura finished for her.
"Yeah…I guess that's right. It's actually pretty cool to watch," a small smile flitted onto her lips.
"I bet," Sakura smiled lightly in return, "Kaminari I need a favor."
"Anything."
"Hold up my body I need to use my hands," Sakura looked up at her scarred wrists.
"Oh…one sec," she snuck over to the open door and peered out. The hallway was empty and she couldn't sense any chakra signatures nearby, "Ok nobody's around."
"Thanks," Sakura felt her body hoisted up slightly and immediately pins and needles stung both of her arms. A small groan of pain slipped through as the harsh sensation gave way to blood recirculating. Then the numbing pain began to throb and her fingers obeyed her command.
"This officially sucks," Sakura ground out ignoring the pain that until now, she hadn't missed feeling. Numbness would be a blessing after all she figured.
"I know…but it won't be much longer I'm sure," Kaminari tried to reassure her.
Sakura slowly lowered her head and eyed her, "What do you mean?"
Maroon hair instant hid her shamed face, "Kaze overheard Tetsu saying you're almost finished with the first stage of conditioning."
Chapped lips hardened into a thin line, "I'd rather die."
"So would I," Kaminari answered in a small voice.
Sakura looked back down at her, "Look at me Kaminari." The girl obeyed with small sad eyes. "We're getting out of here ok? I promise Konoha will come and rescue us."
Kaminari's eyes instantly filled with hope, "I believe you." Hearing those words…words she never truly believed could hold such meaning and such hope before, they were music to her ears. Rescue! She would finally be free!
Sakura nodded once, "Ok give me a second and if you would mind giving me a little chakra I need to do something."
"Hai," Kaminari replied. Concentrating on her own chakra she let a little leak into Sakura's chakra depraved body.
Sakura closed her eyes and entered into that meditative state that her father told her. She could feel Kaminari's chakra flow slow and steady enter into her body. She began concentrating and pulling her spirit's chakra out from the extremities of her battered body. The small amount of power slowly trickled up her legs and spiraled out of the main chakra source in her abdomen then ended in her mind.
Inner, you there?
Hai…I know what you're doing I'm ready.
We should keep talking while I perform the hand signs just in case.
Sure whatever makes you feel better.
…Are you ok?
You really want me to answer that question?
Yes actually, I do.
Then no, I'm not ok.
…Me either.
Getting her hands into the necessary position Sakura slowly performed the seals and felt something close around her mind.
Please tell me you're still here.
I'm not going anywhere else…it worked?
Yeah, now gather chakra, we're going to need it.
Yes master.
…Please don't call me that…
Sorry, be brave I'll still be here for moral support.
I know, thanks.
"Thanks Kaminari, you can let go of me now," Sakura said.
Slowly the maroon haired kunoichi lowered her sister back down into her previous position watching as she winced in pain. The shackles were rubbing against the growing scabs making Sakura's hands clench. Sakura could feel the scabs open slightly. She deduced that her skin and the bloody metal were healing and attaching together; that definitely was going to be hell when the shackles were taken off…if they could even come off after this whole ordeal.
"Ok," Sakura grumbled trying to ignore the pain, "Tell me more I need to take my mind off this feeling."
"Oh, umm well what did you want me to say?"
Sakura chuckled darkly, "Numbers, abilities, who's important and who are just the followers. Actually it'd be better if you wrote it all down and delivered it that way you won't have to remember everything."
Kaminari instantly felt ashamed, "…That's not a good idea..."
"Why not?"
"I…I don't know how to write."
Sakura's body jerked in reaction staring hard at the maroon haired girl. Said girl was busy staring at the blood soaked ground, determined to not look up at Sakura's disbelieving face.
"You can't write? What about read?" Sakura asked hoping that Tetsu wasn't a total bastard.
"I can't read either," Kaminari answered shrinking more into the ground if it was possible.
If it wasn't official before it was official now, Tetsu truly was a bastard.
"Why that self-centered, traitorous, evil….demon!" Sakura cursed, "There is just not enough words to describe how hateful this son of a bitch really is! I thought our clan was full of seal masters!"
Kaminari just watched as Sakura fumed from her position feeling more and more ill at ease.
Sakura let out a frustrated huff before turning her attention back to the kunoichi, "Ok I hope your memory is good because we're going to have work around this. So this is what you're going to need to tell Konoha…"
Tsunade sat at her desk after listening to Naruto's strategist deliver his report. They had a week's worth of intensive study on the Uzumaki's and today they just reported their findings. Except their findings were very meager. Uzushiogakure was their sister village and for being a sister village they sure were secretive to their allies.
Thrumming her fingers against the desk amber eyes bore into chocolate brown. Shikamaru remained unperturbed by the Hokage's piercing stare as he leaned back in the chair with Naruto beside him.
"So most of our research is speculation?" she asked.
Shikamaru sighed, "Yes…they were a shinobi village just as we were they accepted missions from anyone who needed their skills just as we do. We don't even have written accounts about the village from Uzumaki Mito or Uzumaki Kushina. Apparently our predecessors didn't bother to write it down. If they had it would have saved us a lot of troublesome work."
"I wish I still had my mom's chakra inside me…I could have asked her," Naruto mumbled arms folded with a pouty face.
"Yes that's too bad and our prisoners will not have this kind of information so it's useless to try and glean more out of their heads," Tsunade mused, "Sneaky bastard…never giving his subordinates the names of anything, just point on a map and say go here and do this."
"The only person who can give us the information we need about Tetsu is from the man himself," Shikamaru sighed at the end, "So troublesome…"
Naruto snorted, "For once I agree with you."
"Well we're not just going to sit around and mope about it I know you have thought up something Shikamaru."
"Hai Hokage-sama," the Nara stretched, "We do have some small leads that may help us locate his base of operations. One is the jump seal the ANBU found near a town in Hot Springs. We have deciphered enough from the seal that it leads to another city but it's across the world in Takumi Village. Theory supports the idea that these seals transport the team to various other locations before heading back to the main clearing that we have gleaned from the prisoners."
"So should we just deploy the tracker teams and see what happens?" Naruto asked looking up at Tsunade.
"We will have to, especially since the only thing we know is the main jump site are one hundred miles away from the base of operations. If we can pick up a trail that can lead them to the main site then we only a hundred mile radius to worry about," Tsunade answered.
They had to do it. Right now there wasn't a choice. Two weeks have gone by and they should be expecting Kaminari soon with more information. Hopefully it'll be something they can use before the tracker teams are sent out. Any information regarding whereabouts would be useful at this point.
"When is your informant due to arrive?" Shikamaru asked.
"Tomorrow hopefully…unless something happens," Tsunade replied, "Be here at noon tomorrow that's the time she showed up last week and she said same time, same place."
Shikamaru nodded, "I'll be here."
"Naruto tell Kakashi to be here at 9," Tsunade eyed her replacement.
Naruto looked up with an odd gleam in his eye, "Actually baa-chan anything regarding Sakura, Kakashi-sensei has had a really odd string of…non-tardiness."
One blonde eyebrow rose indicating surprise and slight skepticism, "Is that so?"
Naruto nodded then his expression sobered, "Due to the circumstances around this though…I hope he's never on time again."
The Hokage sighed…Naruto was right. This whole situation carried a thick dark cloud around it. When one small ray of sunshine leaked through, circumstances would make sure it didn't last long. Kakashi's reputation for tardiness was legendary in its own right. And to hear him arrive on time to under these circumstances…she had to agree with Naruto, Tsunade would definitely be tolerating his tardiness with a grain of salt more often now.
"Naruto, gather all the squads together. I mean all of them and don't exclude anyone," she eyed him making sure he knew that meant Kurenai's team as well…including Hinata.
"Hai baa-chan…everyone," he answered somberly.
She nodded then turned to the Nara, "Write up all potential areas from your research and bring them to me. We will go over them with others before assigning them out to the tracker groups."
"Hai Hokage-sama," Shikamaru nodded then stood and exited her office along with Naruto.
Another week had passed and his heart ache didn't lessen. No words of comfort reached his ears, no offers of revenge took hold in his heart, and no tender touches from his mother could ease him out of his haze.
That video had left him on edge. Watching her body contort and her screams pierce through his emotional walls had left him tense and slightly shaken. He had seen torture performed before but it had never been on one of his comrades and never been on someone his heart held so dear. The pictures, sounds of her screams, her pained expressions haunted his dreams. And as much overtime as he was putting in at the ANBU offices it still felt like baby steps when it came to tracking Haruno Tetsu.
There wasn't a paper trail. Nothing was written down or recorded to offer them any type of concrete evidence. The only tangible evidence that they had on the man was his poison at the hospital and the two seals they had located. Aside from watching the video Itachi gleaned several things about him from just observations and the lack of information.
Tetsu wanted to stay hidden and he went as far as to not leaving one little note that could lead to him. That told Itachi that this man was definitely a smooth talker, he's charismatic, easy on the eyes for people of the opposite sex, and he carried himself with an aura of confidence and authority that even civilians could discern. But along with that charming visage he knew how to get what he wanted through nothing more than intimidation. From the video it was obvious that once he poisoned Sakura he would let her stew in the pain of it before extracting it from her body. This meant that when things didn't go his way in the beginning, he made sure they did before he left. He would not take no for an answer.
The ease at which he did command his subordinates could suggest two things: one, he has been in that position of power for a long time so his men are used to adhering to his demands. Or two, they don't question him because if they did, they were subjected to the deadly effects of his poison jutsu. He probably even chose who he wanted to live and who he wanted to die making it difficult for his men to known what day was to be his last. But Itachi was inclined to think the former was the real reason. Any new leader would not be able to exude the type of confidence that would have others take him at face value without a hint of unease. Based on reports from Iniochi, the males were beaten into submission at a young age then their brainwashing began. Unquestionable, undeniable loyalty…those who did as their master commanded were rewarded with life and privileges.
So Tetsu was a man slightly younger than his father, who knows how to get what he wants simply by talking and charming his customers. He even concluded that he never had to pay a dime unless it was a bribe that ended in death just so Tetsu could reaquire the money he used to pay the man off. How does he know…the latest seal told them that it jumped to Takumi Village, the Village of Artisans. It made sense that they would need a place to supply them with weapons. And again there was no paper trail. They picked up their supplies and left, if he had to venture a guess. And if these seals continued their round robin escapades then eventually they would have to lead to the main jump site. But how long would that take? Tomorrow Kaminari should be coming with more information. It was odd but the anticipation swelling inside his heart was inescapable.
Sakura…he breathed out along sigh and turned his thoughts inward. He remembered that first mission a few months back. When her medic team came to their aide and they promptly dealt with that platoon. She had never looked more beautiful than when he watched her utilize her strength effectively knocking the pursuing shinobi off their feet making them easy pickings for the Genin level shinobi's following her. It was obvious to him that they had practiced this formation prior to that day's attack. And they had even practiced it with others as the bait, as TingTing, one of her subordinates called it. It was wise though that Sakura be the bait for the platoon because of the sheer number of shinobi's that entered that clearing.
He had to admit that the plan could have been severely flawed. The entire operation hinged on Moegi and her genjutsu, if that were to fail then without a doubt his squad would have had to step in and assist. But the genjutsu worked perfectly and it probably could only work if someone had a medic's level of chakra control. To have ten people focusing on dispersing the genjutsu it would take a lot of concentration to keep it going. But then he remembered that Moegi had extracted a small part of Sakura's chakra so their dispersion of the genjutsu was useless if their sensor types thought the genjutsu was coming from Sakura.
Brilliant…that plan was perfectly executed without a single flaw. Sakura had faith in her apprentice's ability, it was well placed and she had the back up to make it work. TingTing's precision aim inherited from her sister and parents let her hide a safe distance away but still be lethal. Reiko's sharingan bloodline allowed her to anticipate her enemy's moves, their confusion even allowed her one step up for her sneak attacks. Her moves were even hidden by the genjutsu so any attack against her would be hesitant if they couldn't spot their attacker thus allowing Sakura's superior speed and strength to disable the attacker before any harm could come to her medics. Then Moegi joined the fray cloned as a replica Sakura throwing off the rest of the attackers and the rouse was set. With Moegi's match in skills, since Sakura taught her the enhanced punch, she was just as lethal and it threw off the competition when they couldn't decide who was the real Sakura.
He remembered questioning his pink haired medic about the encounter and specifically the genjutsu.
"It's something Moegi and I concocted before the war," she explained while sipping some tea, "It's a chakra cloaking genjutsu so when she casts it, she takes a little bit of chakra from one person and then the sensor types can only sense the one person they can see. We tested this on Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, Sasuke, Naruto, and a few others. Shino couldn't detect others outside the perimeter, Kiba could smell those whose scent was downwind from him, and Hinata could see right through it after a few minutes of concentration and Sasuke could see the genjutsu but wasn't sure where the other chakra signatures were. When both Hinata and Sasuke were stumped we deemed it field ready and that was our first test. Naruto and Kakashi could never find the others and it was fun messing with their heads when they were least expecting it."
A small smile flitted across his lips as he pictured the beautiful light in her eyes, the way they sparkled when she talked about her medics or her boys. He pictured the way her eyes seemed to glow whenever they were together in an intimate moment. Her radiant smile warming his insides while he held her firmly against his body. He could feel her warm breath on his neck as she placed delicate kisses across his skin lighting him on fire.
Itachi
His name always sounded so heavenly in those moments. There wasn't another person on this planet that could say his name in the exact tone. It was as if she was created to love him, to be with him, to make him feel like his life was meant for something more than killing; like he existed for more than just being an S-class shinobi. It didn't take him long to realize that she was now his reason for living.
A firm knock broke him out of his inner musings and he cleared his throat, "Enter."
The door creaked open and in walked his father. Itachi wouldn't admit it but he had been avoiding his father for a few days. Needless to say he had been avoiding many people because one slip of the tongue about his kunoichi could have him losing all manners of self-control, and that he wouldn't allow.
"We need to talk," Fugaku stated taking a seat in one of the two chairs across from his eldest's desk.
"What needs to be discussed?" Itachi asked looking over the scroll on his desk.
"About Sakura."
The paper crinkled slightly but strong fingers released the delicate paper. He didn't want to ruin the information he was looking over so he quickly rolled up the contents and set it aside giving his father his undivided but guarded attention.
"Speak."
Fugaku merely stared at his eldest trying to gauge any sort of feelings. His mother was right…he had been taught to well to be the perfect shinobi. It had taken a soft but firm reprimand from the his wife for his to even notice his son's odd behavior. Itachi was normally an antisocial being but when his wife informed him that Sakura had been slowly breaking him out of that behavior he felt somewhat…ashamed. Did he fail his son? Did he overlook his mannerisms merely because he wished him to be unemotional? Sasuke certainly maintained a disobedient and more outspoken personality while Itachi had always been more reserved. But was he so blind and did his eldest avoid him so much that he didn't notice a single change since he became involved with Sakura.
"I wanted to apologize," Fugaku spoke in a stoic voice.
"You have already done that," Itachi replied in the same tone.
"No…not really."
Nobody spoke again, neither knowing what to say or what to expect. But Fugaku was determined to have a man to man talk with his son. It might be late and it might be for not, but nevertheless it was going to happen. He missed the moment that he decided to wed Sakura and if he wanted to be honest with himself he didn't know that much about her. This was definitely something he wished to rectify preferably before the wedding.
"I haven't been much of a father to you have I?" Fugaku spoke again closing his eyes, "I placed too much responsibility on you at too young an age. I haven't gained your trust or your confidence as a father should. I was too blinded by politics and tradition to even notice that you had fallen in love. I'm a stubborn man, I always have been. I failed you the same way my father failed with me…and I didn't learn from it. Instead I made the same mistakes and I almost forced you into an arranged marriage that even I didn't want when I was younger." The Clan Head opened his eyes and stared at his son.
While Itachi maintained an impassive visage on the outside his insides were shocked. He knew his father and mother were arranged he just didn't know that his father was opposed to it. They have been very compatible and happy ever since he was a child.
"If I weren't a stoic man myself I wouldn't be able to read just now that you are shocked by my declaration. You mother and I did not love each other when we were betrothed. We hardly knew each other actually. I met her a month before our wedding but I guess we were both lucky that we had no prior attachments. Our first kiss was on our wedding day and everything after that…we grew on each other. It wasn't long after our first declaration of love that you were conceived. You mother made it a point to not even try until she knew she could love me as much as she could love the children she would give me. Three years we were married before you were born. I guess I was hoping for a similar situation with you."
Itachi took a deep breath and closed his eyes taking in everything that his father was telling him. When he first entered he said he wanted to talk about Sakura, but he has yet to bring her up. Thought this was probably just his way of warming up to the topic. It was rather pleasing that the man had seen fit to expose himself to him in such a manner, a wise strategy. He was approaching his son the way he would approach himself concerning this topic.
"So, since I've already failed you in every other way possible for a father let me at least rectify my decision about your bride. Tell me about your Sakura."
Itachi reopened his eyes and stared into his father's unwavering gaze. What should he tell him? What was he allowed to say? Did he even want to try, considering the last time resulted in failure? Deep down the answer slowly rumbled its way to the surface, his father had come to him seeking his input. This wasn't the same as before when he, his mother, and his brother were around him, pressuring to have his consent. The situation was now reversed and now the Clan Head before him was a father seeking to know more about his son on a personal level…for the first time in his life.
"Sakura is a lot like Kaa-san," he whispered his eyes closing as he relaxed against his chair slightly, "She's fierce, loyal, brave, and kind. She's intelligent and can apply a plethora of knowledge she has read into the field at a moment's notice. Her medical skills will surpass her master Tsunade-sama if they haven't already. Her chakra control is far beyond anything I've ever seen. Even her Jonin team is jealous of her at times even if they don't let her know it. She grasps concepts quickly and can apply them just as fast. She's dedicated to her goals and won't stop until forced, this mostly happens in the hospital. She's grossly overworked but bears it all with a smile and still manages to get everything done, even if her temper gets the better of her from time to time. When she is in a foul mood…" he smirked ever so slightly, "She's not the kind of person you want to mess with."
Fugaku smirked slightly at his son, "I guessed we rightly deserved her chastisement that night didn't we?"
Itachi nodded once as his mind went back to the day Sakura stormed into the Uchiha compound and told the entire clan what for. He admitted to himself that he labeled that night as one of his fonder memories of her. She was fearless even though she was surrounded by a clan full of sharingan users, many of whom he noticed that night, were clearly intimidated by her menacing aura. If they had decided to subdue her, she definitely would not have won but she didn't care. She was there for one reason and Itachi could see that night that she wouldn't budge until she got what she came for. Of course the Elders antagonizing her did not help in the slightest and things could have turned out much worse.
The perfect representation of an Uchiha Matriarch, he thought with a small smirk on the inside. "Yes you did," he replied quietly, "That behavior towards her and her mother was inexcusable."
Fugaku nodded solemnly, "I see that now. I hope she will accept our apologies when she returns."
Itachi didn't reply, he couldn't answer for Sakura regarding this situation. He was sure she would be willing to overlook it as long as they didn't try anything like that again against her or anyone she held close to her. Forgiveness though…and trust…he suspected they would have to earn it back in her eyes.
"What about your forgiveness?" His father asked trying to catch his gaze.
"My forgiveness…" he started but paused releasing a long sigh. It seemed odd and out of character that his father required this of him. He never sought it before and Itachi could only presume this meant his father was willing to start over, to try again and fix the wrongs from his past. It would be foolish not to take this step, "You have it."
His father huffed in relief then stood, "I've occupied your time long enough. I'll leave you to your work, but your mother expects you home tonight."
Itachi nodded and watched his father close his office door tightly behind him. He felt rather…satisfied knowing that his father was now one hundred percent behind him in this. His mother's support was always unquestionable but his father had only ever supported his rise in the shinobi ranks. This was different…but it was a pleasant difference and one that he could see himself getting used too. Because as his mother said, the world was different…changed since the end of the Fourth War. She couldn't have been more right.
I know filler but review anyway! More intense, adult things, and planning to occur in the next chapter :) keep reading!