Chapter Nine

I find myself tracking across the desert with fully dressed men. I'm glade I made us stop at that ladies home. She, for some reason, had the clothing that they needed. I found myself wondering why they didn't break their word. Then again, I'm happy they didn't, but the memory of the meeting with the old woman is still in my mind.

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We crossed the town, but there were a lot of weird looks. Alright, I'll tell the truth, this is something you don't see every day. Eight, grown, men don't walk through Suna naked for any reason at all unless they are insane.

We reached the small hut with some difficultly. Mainly because Shark-boy got stuck in a tunnel and Deidara had to blast him out. Then we made him crawl.

Hidan didn't stop swearing for an instant till we reached the old, stone building. I had turned to look at them, the Akatsuki, and I say, "Stay here and I will return in a few minutes. No eavesdropping either."

I quickly entered the building. I walked around the building finding nothing. Then, as I turned to leave, an old voice said, "Even thought of looking up?"

I looked up of course. Yet, what I saw was not what I was expecting. I think I was nauseated by the sight.

The person looked like a gunk of flesh colored slim stuck to the ceiling that had a deformed face filled with black holes that had spiders crawling in and out of it. You couldn't tell where the ceiling started and where the body ended. It looked all to made of the same thing.

I have never been this horrified in my entire life. I know that is wrong to say, but it is the truth, and nothing will change how I feel about it. Yet, I have never seen a thing like this in my life.

I never thought that I would be looking up at a person stuck to the wall, but the person then says firmly, "Don't let my appearance settle something of a decision on me, Haruno, Sakura.

"You must look beyond the history of a person, the way they look, to see who they truly are. It is something you must learn to do before it is too late. Don't let their record in current time place a brand on them. Look past that and solve the problems faced of you.

"A scroll has been given to you. You know that is has much to do with you as well. It is the scroll of summoning a rare, unused breed of creature. I am glade that Kakashi gave it to you before I die.

"Now, open the scroll." I don as I am told and I open the scroll. I unroll it and it only covers about seven feet on the large floor.

There are also only six names on it. They are, in order:

1. Haruno, Gale

2. Haruno, Tempest

3. Haruno, Musha

4. Haruno, Kira

5. Haruno, Yuuyake

6. Haruno, Yuuyami

"They are all of my family." I whisper and the person says, "They are. Now it is your turn to become part of the family."

"Is that why I am here?" I ask and the person, now as I realize is a woman, answers me calmly, "You are here because this is the first step to your journey. Now, if you will, there is a chest behind you that I need you to open."

I turn and there is the chest. I don't really ponder on how it got there. I open it and I see a large sack of something, an empty far, and a brush pen.

"Take out all the contents within the chest, please." The woman tells me.

I do as she demands and I take them all out. She then nods her…head. She then says, "There is a kunai in your pocket. Slash your wrist and fill the jar halfway with your blood. Then, with the brush pen, sign your name."

I listen. I pull the blade out of the pouch and I look at it. I then place the blade itself to my wrist and I press down.

I watch as the skin seems to dip down. I watch as the blade cuts in, causing a red dot to appear, and then it rolls down my wrist to drop into the jar. I then draw the blade the rest of the way and I let the river of red flow into the jar.

After it is halfway filled I heal the wound. I then pick up the brush pen, made of black stone with black feathers that the ink, or blood in my case, to soak up. I then dip it into the jar.

I let it set a few before removing it. I slowly start to write my name down. I also notice how the lettering is glowing.

I put the brush down and she demands, "Now, put your hands over the page. Good. Now, close your eyes and open your chakra flow to the ancient magic of the summoning."

I let my chakra open and then I feel the evading chakra flow into my system. Pain spirals through my body and I find myself falling onto my side. Then I hear Inner Sakura's pained scream from within my head.

I feel like I have fire flooding my body. Intense. Hot. Just burning my body as if it is rewriting my chakra and I feel something claw my right arm.

The pain goes away as quickly as it came. I find myself unable to move. I lay there quietly and when the pain fades away I sit up.

I look down at my arm. There are five, long slashes that are close together on my arm. I then look at the ceiling, but the person is gone with a soft, "Take the bag filled with clothing to the eight outside."

I did just that after bandages my arm up. I then grabbed the bag and I pulled it outside. I then handed it to Sasori and he just nods a thanks.

"Finally, Tobi is getting dressed!" the masked ninja cries out in happiness.

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The Akatsuki all walk calmly and I see the mountain range coming in close. I frown and I then look at Itachi, who is leading everyone. I then ask, "So, where are we going?"

"To Pein-sama to tell him what has happened thus far." Zetsu answers, his white side soft spoken and nice, but his black side still seems upset about loosing to a verbal war with me.

My arm still hurts a bit and I look at Tobi. The masked man is walking next to me talking about something that doesn't make sense. How did he join in the first place?

I sigh and I brush my bangs out of my eyes. This is getting really weird. I feel like I am wondering in a fairytale.

Well, I just have to see where this will lead. Then I have to wait and figure everything out. I then hear Deidara say, "So, I get the first taste, un!"

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Alright, the story is starting the right way now. It seems that Sakura has had quiet an interesting few days, ne?

Anyway, I'm going to do a bit of translation.

Musha means warrior
Kira means killer
Yuuyake is Sunset
Yuuyami is dusk

Please Review!!!