Chapter 08

It was her third day since she came into the village. So far, the villagers who have been stricken with the unknown disease were recuperating and doing well. Chisa's parents can be already seen sitting on their porch, enjoying a cup of tea. It was also that long since Sasuke had been staying in her cabin.

Not exactly staying as in staying though. More like he was around her this entire 3 days, just eyeing and observing her silently from a few distances. Every time she turned her head on him he was gone. Not that she minds he was around, but she was getting a bit nervous from his relentless observance and there's always that prickled sensation on the nape of her neck whenever he's around. She was just getting uncomfortable. She was trying her best to shove the thought that Uchiha Sasuke was so near her, and that she had entirely caught his attention. It would be another story if it was 6 or 8 years back. She would be so thrilled and excited like a fangirl who had finally got her idol's attention. This time, she was thrilled alright, but a bit different at the same time. Nervous, shocked, and anxiety all roll into one. It was like, he was following her.

Her suspicions were answered on the fourth day when she walked a path going to the higher ground of the mountain. The pinkette had asked old Minoru about the water system of the village and where they get their water source. The old village chef told her that there was a waterfall in the mountain that goes streaming all the way down to a small lake then broke into a stream and into the village's water ways. So she decided she will start analyzing the water from there. If her hypothesis was right, the bacterium came from the water and was spreading through it by drinking. She was trailing the road and looking at the map the chef had given her. Sasuke was walking a good 10 meters behind her. Now this ticked her off. Why on earth would he be following her? So she stopped her trail and makes a 180 degree turn to face him. As usual, he was having a no-emotion plastered on his beautiful face. He didn't even flinched nor showed any surprised when she faced him.

"Why are you following me?" she barked at him, showing her irritation.

Sasuke looked at her for a few seconds then he continued to walk towards her. Sakura just stood there, the map already crumpled on her left hand, while her right was balled into a fist. The bastard will really have it this day, she thought. But he just passed her.

"I'm not following you," he said as he continues to walk passed her.

Sakura's gazed followed him as he trailed down the path she's going to take. She sighed. It was the first words that came into her mouth after ignoring him these past four days. She wants to punch herself for that. It looks like a headache is on its way on her temple. She needs to get to the fall as soon as possible. She just hopes that he will not be where she's going. She looked up again and he was gone. Maybe he leapt into the branches and made his way to wherever he was going. She could not feel his chakra nor his presence too. Again, she sighed and continued the hike.

After a few turns and jumping from branches to branches, she finally reached her destination. As Sakura walked up the small trail overlooking the waterfall, the spray fell on her awestruck face. She could hear the waterfall way before she could see it. It sounded like the roar of a train. As she swung around a large boulder, she spy the falls. Crispy, white lengths of water sheet out over the edge of the rocks above. They fall in white sheets to the ground. At the bottom the water spring up around the rocks in a froth. Bubbling and roaring, uninterrupted, the splashing waters create a steady pattern of endless rhythm. Like a wall trying to block out the sounds of the world behind the waterfall, it roars louder and louder. The waterfall paints a scene so perfectly.

She walks closer to it and touch the water with her hand. The water is cold to her touch. She smiled. She looks around her again and into the fall and feel the refreshing spray on her face while enjoying the full view of 30 to 40 feet of falling water plummeting down into a beautiful pool. On the other side there is a lush, green carpet of vegetation which miraculously grows on the sheer cliffs due to the constant shower of spray. The entire lake was surrounded by the lush vegetation and boulders of different sizes. It was like a private water bath made for a god.

"Well, maybe I should start up there," she told herself as she readied to climb the slope up to the top of the fall. She jumped from protruding rocks to another, fast and careful coz' they're slippery. The view from the top is spectacular too. Before she forgot what she came for, she started to unpack some equipment she'll use to test the water in this area. She might even need to go upstream and check the surrounding areas as well.

SxS

The recon mission that was assigned to Team Kakashi didn't bear any results. After a deliberate scanning around the perimeter of where the ambushed have taken place, they decided to return back to Konoha empty-handed. It only made Naruto restless and to be able to pacify him, Tsunade gave him B-ranked missions. Now he was on his way to the hokage's room after completing the assigned mission in a day.

"Baa-chan," Naruto yelled as he slammed open the door. Tsunade was writing something and was not even startled how Naruto barged into the room like that. She was used to it, and probably she knows what's next.

"Haven't you learned how to knock, Naruto?" she barked at him. The blond jinchuuriki gave her a wide grin while scratching the back of his head, "so?"

"The missions you gave me are way too easy baa-chan. Don't you have anything more challenging?"

The hokage stopped writing, put down her pen. She sighed. When this ball of energy was around her office, she could never finish her job so might as well face him now.

"If you want challenge, then I have something fit for that," she said, as she picked up a scroll, "here," she threw it to Naruto.

"What's this?" he unfolds the scroll, and his face scrunched up, "baa-chan, this is a D-rank mission! This is for genins!"

"You are a Genin, if I remind you."

"But taking care of children, meh~"

"You're not alone on that. I'll have Hinata joined up on you. Meet her in an hour,"

"H-Hinata?"

"Yes, she took up that mission from Kurenai, and asked if she could have someone do this mission with her. Now, if you have nothing more to say, get your ass out of here before my heels reach it,"

Naruto find himself facing the door of the hokage's office. So with nothing else to do but to scratch his head, he went to meet with Hinata.

The mission was taking care of toddlers in a daycare center in Konoha. Supposedly a mission fit for genins, but the entire roster is filled up already and everyone was on their missions. The one who requested for this mission was a friend of Kurenai, Misa. Misa runs a daycare center with two assistants, but these assistants have urgent things to attend on that day so they asked for a leave. That's why Misa asked Kurenai if she could help taking care of the children, which was overheard by Hinata when she visits her and her baby boy Ren. Hinata volunteered to help instead.

Hinata went to the Hokage to sign up the said request and asked for an assistant with the mission. And that's when Naruto finds himself holding the scroll for the mission with Hinata that day.

SxS

Sakura had finished her test on the water and found nothing on it, aside from a few known bacteria already present on the water. So she packed all of her things again, thinking where could have all the villagers got the said bacteria. She barely noticed that the sky had turned to an orange hue, and the surrounding dark.

"Well, I guess it's time to run home," she said. It was getting darker now and the moon had already showed her eerie presence in the sky.

She went down to the side of the fall. The area was magnificent at night, with the water being reflected with the almost full moon. It feels so calm and relaxing, so she touched the water. It felt warm.

"What if I should take a dip, just a while?" She mumbled as she turns around, checking if there were any people around. She remembered Chisa told her that the villagers had seldom passed by in the fall area because its quite hard to reach. With that in mind, she settled to take a dip in the water.

She puts down her bag in a secure dry area, before checking again with her sensoring chakra for any people around. She felt none, so with that she hides in a large boulder and began stripping off her clothes. Good thing she bought towels on hand. She neatly folded her clothes and put them inside her bag so it won't get wet.

With towel covering a decent part of her front, she slowly walked at the edge of the water, raising the towel so it won't get wet. When the water was on her waist-deep, she threw the towel back to the boulder. Covering her breast, she inhaled and felt the warm water. It felt so relaxing, releasing all the tensions on her body. She began to swim freely, as if not caring with the world. She felt freedom. She felt like she was in paradise. She felt like she was released with all the worries of the world.

She looks like a translucent being, her skin glowing in the darkness of the water. Her hair was like a veil, soft like a cotton-candy, flowing like a silk in the dark. In that dark water, reflected solely by the eerie glow of the moon, she was like a goddess.

And Sasuke watched her with an open-mouth.

He had been there, in that tree, a good 15 meter from the fall, since this afternoon. He had concealed his chakra, just observing her as well as monitoring the chakra signatures he had been sensing this morning. It was really the reason why he had been in that mountain. He wanted to know who those people he had sensed are. Where they the Ame-nins who're after him? He had to be cautious.

But he never expected to watch a show like this. He was stunned. Before he knew it, Sakura had stripped off down to her birth suit and swam in the water like she doesn't care at all.

And even though he wanted to avert his eyes, he just couldn't. She was beautiful. More than every word he could come up with.

"Damn it," he cursed as he tried to calm himself.

Sakura went to the area where the water came falling on the edge of those rocks. She turns her face to the water and let it glide through her exposed upper body. She turned around and let the water massage her scalp, her nape, her back. She closed her eyes with the relaxing feel it gave her.

"Well, well…what do we have here?"

Sakura open her eyes abruptly and with instinct, she sinks her exposed body to the water and looked where the voice came from. One, two, three…there were five of them, looking at her from the edge of the lake, where she had put her bag. They look like a rowdy bunch of thieves. One of them picks up her bad.

"Look here boss, we got a loot," said the one who picked up her bag.

Sakura crossed her arms on her chest. Though they were a decent distant from her, she felt uncomfortable. Her mind was working up of a plan how to get out from this situation without her compromising how vulnerable she was right now. Looking at them, they look like ordinary bandits. She can take care of them with ease. She stayed calm. "What do you want?" she asked.

"We're catching a mermaid," the one at the center said. He was the 'boss' of the group, looking at her with perverse. The other men were laughing.

Sakura was thinking she had an advantage with this group. They can't reach her. She smirked.

The guy in the middle seemed to know what she was thinking, for he smiled too. Much to Sakura's shocked, he walked in the water!

"A shinobi!" she said. Now she wants to panic.

"Ohh? I presume you're a shinobi too? Good, you must have been in a bingo book too eh? That works so much fine, I'll be able to get a good catch!" said the man who started to walk on the water towards her.

"Boss, look at this!" one of the men said, while holding on his hands. Sakura realized that it's her hitaite. The one they called boss looks at the hitaite, then towards her. Then he grins, showing his ugly, yellowish teeth on her, "Konoha-nin. Boys, we got a big catch today!"

The men howled in the silence of the night, laughing like they were starting a big feast, her being their sacrifice. The boss started to run towards her, while the others followed. Sakura on the other hand turns her hand into a ball and infused it with chakra, while her left hand covers her chest. She was still submerged in the water, and even though she very much likes to step on the water surface, she can't. She just can't let them see her naked butt. She'll have to fight them under water! If only she had a kunai in her!

Two of the men have ropes on their hands, whirling it in the air. They were moving and running fast in the water. Sakura have to dive underwater.

"Let's see how long can our little mermaid hold her breath," one of the men with the rope said. They stopped running and just stood in the water, waiting for her to emerge.

Sakura on the other hand can't hold her breath much longer. She needs to surface soon, so she swam further from them. Just as she popped her head from the water, she was greeted with the ugliness of the gang's boss face.

"Boo," he said as he suddenly gripped her throat. She threw a punch on his face which made him roll on the surface of the water. Sakura cough the water which made its way on her air passage but she was suddenly pulled back into the water. One of the men with rope had made its way underwater and had managed to sneak up behind her. She tried to fight him off but the water had minimized her speed and strength. He was gripping her throat while holding her left arm behind, twisting it to hold her movements. She tried to kick, but it just wouldn't reach him. Shit! I have to fight them naked, now or never!

Then she felt the guy holding her was loosening its grip. She turned around and saw that he was not moving now, but his eyes were wide. What happened to him? A flash of white came into her view, then an arm scoop her up around her chest. She needs to breathe. Now.

When she reached the surface, she gasped the much needed air. Her lungs were ready to burst from lack of oxygen. When she realized, she was holding an arm in white sleeve. She turned her head and saw him…Sasuke. He was holding her around the neck.

"S-Sasuke.." she cough.

"Aa,"

She suddenly felt conscious and turned around, reaching up a boulder. Sasuke released his hold on her and just eyed her. She was still coughing out the water.

The man who pulled Sakura under the water came floating a few moments later. He's already dead. The four other men, stunned to find that their comrade has been killed, look at Sasuke with anger. Sasuke, all dripping wet, stood in the water, his Kusanagi unsheathed from his waist. Sakura, still speechless, was behind him.

"Who're you?" the boss said. Sasuke just gave them a smirk.

And with a flash, Sasuke was gone. His incredible speed, still impossible to see with the trained eye, just passed each four men, slashed them up with the kusanagi. Each one gave an eerie howl of torment, pain and agony as they met their deaths.

And he stood in the surface of the water, with the lone katana on his right hand, dripping with the blood of those men.. The moon behind him looks huge and he was just beautiful. Like he was a god.

Sasuke swings the kusanagi to get rid of the blood before he sheaths it back. He then approached Sakura who was almost hiding in the bolder. He looks at her for a full two minutes, and then he stripped off his white kimono and gives it to her. He was standing in his nakedness glory at her. Well, his naked part was just his upper part.

"I-I…uhm, thanks…" she could only say, while looking at his kimono. He was still standing in front of her, while she was still submerged in the water, "I…err…can you turn around please?"

Sasuke gave her an incredulous look, but he still turned around. Sakura quickly slipped on his wet kimono. When she thought she was decent enough, she cleared her throat and stand on the water surface as well.

"Uhm, thanks again," she said, not looking at him.

"Let's get you home before you catch a cold," Sasuke said as he walked towards the edge of the lake. She followed her eyes on him, agape.

"Uhm, y-yeah..right, l-let me get my bag," Sakura said. She cursed herself for stuttering like that. She went to the edge of the lake where she had put her bag, now dripping wet. It's no use changing to her clothes now. She sighed. She looked at where Sasuke was, he was collecting the bodies of the bandits and aligned them under the nearest tree. If Sasuke didn't come to her rescue, would she fall to her demise? Surely, she can tackle the five men, but considering the circumstances where she have to show her naked butt to them? Her cheeks turned hot. Never! But it was her last option then. My God, thinking about it, Sasuke had almost seen her naked!

"Hey," Sasuke shouted from the other side. She snapped from her train of thoughts. She picks up her bag and run towards him.

With him walking ahead of her, his chiseled back in front of her, every muscle move deliciously as he walks, she thought she's going to have another sleepless night again.

SxS

Dear Shishou,

The problem with the village has almost been resolve. The bacterium responsible for their sickness has been identified, and I'm sending you a sample attached with this report. My hypothesis was; the bacterium was spread through the water and was administered through drinking. I've investigated their main water source but so far it turned negative.

The people who were affected have been recuperating well. I gave them enough dosage and taught them the proper way to treat water before drinking. My little assistant, Chisa has been a great help too. She said she wants to become a doctor, so I'm giving her initial training and recommendations in the future.

I also encountered a few mountain bandits on my way to check the water source up in the mountain. There's nothing to worry about as I have contained them already. They were just a few rowdy bunch who robbed travelers who had made their way up in this mountain. So far, everything is well.

I will still continue my research. I'll be back as soon as I can. Give my hugs to everyone. I missed you all.

Love,

Sakura

She sighed as she attached her report to a falcon. Tsunade had told her that once a week, there will be a falcon sent to her personally so she can send back her reports. Sometimes, sending message to Konoha from other villages was impossible. So this kind of setup was planned ahead.

The falcon was of rare snow-white in color, and is her favorite. She named her Yuki. The bird has also been taken a liking to Sakura as well.

"Yuki, deliver this directly to shishou okay? And take care," the med-nin said as she shoved a pellet to the bird's beak. It was some kind of a nourishing pill she always gave to her, as a sign of reward or appreciation. The falcon seemed to like the food as well. After it pecked all the pellets from her hands, the falcon glides in the air, and towards the sky, heading to the direction of Konoha.

"Sending a report to Konoha?"

She was surprised to hear him. It was Sasuke. He was sitting up in the tree again as she had used to see him these past days.

"Yes," she said and turns around.

"Hn,"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she swings around, looking up to him. He turned his head towards her lazily and looks at her with an intense she can't read. Then he smirks.

"Nothing,"

"Yes there is!" Sakura shouted. She began to become irritated with that syllable. It means something and that irked her "spit it out, now!"

"I guess you can't handle a few weak shinobi on your own," he said while smirking annoyingly at her.

Sakura went agape. And she finally got the meaning behind the words and his smirking. "I can't believe this. You're accusing me of ratting you out!"

"Am I wrong?"

"Think whatever you want!" then she stomped towards the cabin.

"You haven't changed," That made her stop. She turned around looking at him with questions on her face. "How far have you gone? How far have you grown? Do you still believe that with people you call friends, you will be stronger? You have been sheltered much. You still can't make it on your own,"

"Are you saying I can't take you down, Uchiha, coz' you think I'm alone and weak?" Sakura said, throwing intense glare with her jade orbs at him. Sasuke jumped down from the tree.

"It comes from you, not me,"

"Want to try?"

He smirked, "Hn," then he vanishes into a puff of smoke.

"I change my mind Uchiha, I'm gonna bring you back with me to Konoha!" she shouted.

SxS

That afternoon, Sakura went to Minoru's house to ask him a few things and to give him her initial findings.

"Minoru-san, the water samples I took from the fall and its surrounding area turned negative. I have also sent a report back to Konoha regarding this as well. Do you have any other water resources here?"

"Hm, there's a large well in the south-west area. We used that too," said the old village chef.

"Then, there's a probability that the bacterium came from that well, I'm going to run a few test with the water in that well, and if it turns out positive, we're going to treat the water in there,"

"Anything you say Sakura-san," said Minoru.

"Sakura-san, we cannot thank you enough for helping us. Please, if you need anything, don't hesitate to tell us," it was Hitomi, bowing her head towards Sakura. After treating her and her husband, they went so well in the past days. Now they can even help back in the field with old Minoru.

"It's my duty after all Hitomi-san, so don't think about it. You should thank Chisa here too, she did great helping me around as well," Sakura said, patting little Chisa's hair. Hitomi and Toru smiled and felt proud of their daughter.

"I should go ahead into this well. Chisa, will you come and lead me the way?"

"Sure," Chisa replied.

Sakura spent the rest of that afternoon around the well, testing and taking samples of the water. Chisa was there, helping her out. It turns out to be positive so that moment, Sakura requested to Minoru to stop the use of the water from the well temporarily. It was already 8 in the evening when she decided to wrap everything up. Chisa went home ahead around 6 with her permission.

She went back to her cabin, tired and sticky, but satisfied. Just a few more test, and treatment, her mission on this village will come to an end. She might be able to come home earlier than she had expected. She went into her room, stripped out from her clothes and took a long shower. The warm water released all the accumulated tension from the day. She sighed. She missed home, and wondered how everyone's been doing now.

And then she sensed a fluctuation of chakra, his chakra. He's somewhere near. Was he practicing?

She remembered their argument this morning. He was clearly looking down at her capabilities just because he happened to save her in the fall incident. Honestly, she could easily take down the bastards, if only she wasn't naked. It was her fault, being careless.

And he accused her of sending words to Konoha for back-up. What? She didn't even mention anything about him! And because of that, it can be considered treason already. God, if the people in Konoha knows about this, she'll be dead!

Wait, why is his chakra fluctuating? Is he preparing to leave?

With that in mind, she hurried her shower, put on her usual attire and sneaked up, chakra completely concealed, went towards where she had last felt his surging chakra. And she was right, he was about to leave.

She has to stop him.

To show him that she was not the weak Sakura before.

092112.0554

TBC

again, sorry for the wrong grammaaarrssss.