"All Kill Landing Edge"
By Nes Mikel
Acknowledgment;
I hereby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge that while this story is mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates.
For non up-to-date readers, this fiction will contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters.
With that said, enjoy.
"All Kill Landing Edge"
- Chapter Nine -
"Ctepetb"
Russian – "Efface"
Sakura stared at the Hokage's hand.
"I realize my visit has come to you as something of a surprise." The Third Hokage said, which Sakura thought was a gross understatement. "But my presence here is, obviously, for a good reason. The matter to which I must discuss with you is something both you and I have to think about greatly."
The words of the soft-spoken old man had hardly registered. Still in shock, she continues to stare at his still-extended hand.
For, a brief, fleeting moment, Sakura considers extending hers in order to return the handshake he so generously offered. With the rehabilitation sessions she could do at least that much now without having to exert herself too badly, but seeing those black lines even on the man who was supposed to be the strongest in the village frightened her tons. The slowly but constantly moving black lines were like 'cracks', she discovered, much like the time when she traced her fingernail over the lines in the bedpost when she first woke up and a cut it apart cleanly with no visible effort. Had she accepted his offer, she was afraid of shattering the elder ninja's hand into a thousand little pieces, although her fears were greatly overestimated for she needed to actually trace through the lines completely in order to cut something apart. But fear was a great motivator in clouding one's judgement. Abhorrence gripped Sakura's small body, and she started to shake a little, tiny fists clenched in her lap.
But the Third Hokage wouldn't have been in a position of such prominence if he couldn't spot at least this much. Sakura saw him crouching down a little further from his one-knee position on the floor, moving himself more closely towards her. "You don't have to be afraid, Sakura." He told her. "You won't hurt me." Then, as if to prove the point, he placed both of his hands on top of her fists.
It took her almost everything she had to not flinch away.
"See?" She looked up, finally seeing his bright smile. "Nothing to worry about."
It was a kind lie, she knew. Sakura wanted to believe them words true, but it was still a lie. As long as her vision continued to show her the cracks of death, where life and existence sat at its weakest point, she could put an end it to all. Had she traced the edges of his wrist, there was no doubt she would be able to slice it off his arm, just like she did before with the bedpost.
"Go on, Sakura." The Third Hokage further insisted. "Just try it. Take my hand. Don't be afraid."
With great hesitation, she finally took his hand.
The difference was felt almost immediately. The Third Hokage's hands were old and wrinkled, never betraying his age, and they were rough, each side sporting tiny scars that gave witness to countless battles and strong muscles that told her he had kept himself fit and strong even to this day. But above all… above all, they were warm. Until now, the only things her hands had come in contact with were the small wooden chopsticks she used to eat out of her food tray, the rough edges of her white hospital gown, and the metal bars and tiled floors of the rehab room during her exercises. For the first time in two years, Sakura realized, she was feeling the warmth of another human being.
Suddenly everything was so blurry in front of her. Tears, she realized. They were tears.
She feels the Third Hokage letting go of her hand as he got up from the floor. "Doctor, can we take her back?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Nodding quickly at the doctor in charge, the Third Hokage turns his attention back to her, his smile never wavering. "Let's continue this in your room, shall we?"
She could only nod.
After the doctors and nurses helped Sakura back into her bed, they quickly excused themselves without prompt so she and the Third Hokage were the only ones remaining in her room. Except, she noticed, she saw the silhouettes of the guards posted directly outside her room through the foggy window built into the door. In fact, she thought she saw more silhouettes than usual, and quickly concluded it had much to do with the fact with her visitor here today. Although that did beg the question as to why the strongest ninja in the village even needed guards in the first place…
"Sakura," He began, forcing her to reallocate her attention back to the village leader instead of taking the easy way out in letting her mind wander. "I want to talk to you about your eyes."
So it was reality coming back to her, then. Nodding, she loosely gripped the sheets on her bed. "…Yes."
"What you have now is something known as the chokushi no magan… the 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'." A slight pause. "Do you know of it?"
She slowly shakes her head sideways.
"They were eyes that were once possessed by a certain individual in a famous clan that was once known as the Ryougi." The Third Hokage explained to her, stepping beside her bed and towards the window to her left. "Your distant ancestors. They go back longer than your grandfather's grandfather's and grandfather's time."
"The Ryougi…?"
"Inoichi has told you about them before, did he not?"
"He did, Hokage-sama. When he told me why…" Sakura stopped, struggling as she tried to piece together her next words. "…why I had Ouka." She finally said.
"I was insensitive, forgive me Sakura."
"No, its okay… please continue, Hokage-sama."
The Third Hokage cleared his throat. "To our knowledge, only this Ryougi member has come to awakening the chokushi, so that will make you the second person in recorded history to have this ability. However, even though it is a very rare ability, it was very well documented, so we also know of its problems. Sakura." He turns around. "When you see the black lines, does it make you sick?"
"…Yes, it does."
"Do you understand what those lines are?"
"Yes. They're just like… like the death I saw when I was sleeping."
"Technically, what you 'saw' during your coma was what we call the Akasha, the kongen, otherwise known as the 'root'. We don't know much about it, except that it is a place where all souls originate from and return to after death. During your stay there, your eyes, or to be more specific, your brain, connected with the 'root', and because of that it allows you perceive what you see."
"Um…"
"Sorry." The Third Hokage said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Old habits die hard. I was going into professor mode again. Think of it as… you were in a special place, and because you were there too long, you can now see things that normally shouldn't be seen. Do you understand at least that much?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Good. Now, you told me you feel sick when you look at the lines. It's because it's not just that you're looking at something that couldn't be seen normally, but because it's something that a mere human being shouldn't be seeing." He allowed himself a small break before continuing. "It's commonly known that even the simplest of eye doujutsus can put a strain on someone, and the more advanced and powerful they are, the bigger the strain. Normally, doujutsu can be turned off by stopping the flow of chakra to the eyes so it won't put a constant strain on the user, but because the 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception' connects the user to the 'root' through your brain, it cannot be turned off. Hm, was that too complicated?"
Sakura had some trouble in following the Third Hokage's explanation, but picked up on it mostly. "I think I understand, Hokage-sama. It means that I feel sick because it's putting lots of strain on me because I'm seeing things I'm not supposed to, right?"
"Very good." The Third Hokage nods to her in satisfaction. "You're a very bright child, Sakura. You were the top in your class during the Academy in terms of test scores, no?"
Sakura smiled back at him, the first time since the conversation. "I was."
"Would you like to go back to the Academy, Sakura?"
The question catches her totally by surprise, and she somehow found the strength to grip an entire length of her bedsheets. She lets go of the sheets quickly and straightens herself up, hugging her arms close around her. Before the 'accident', Sakura had once attended the Academy along with Ino, and despite hardships at the beginning they had been fun times. She had started out at the Academy mostly because of her father, and although she didn't quite want to be like him, especially with the way her mother tossed him around like a slave-driver, she had looked up to him for his wisdom. She wanted to be someone that was full of knowledge, someone who knew the answers to everything, so perhaps, one day, she could find the answers on how to make friends. And for her efforts, she was rewarded with Ino. Despite the fact that she had chased her out of the room when she saw her best friend laced with the lines of death, not a day passed without regretting what she did that day. She wanted to be with Ino again if she was given the chance. She did not want to let go of that connection.
"I do." She finally answered.
"I see." If she wasn't sorely mistaken, Sakura thought she could see sadness flash by in his eyes. "You're going to have a hard road ahead of you, you realize?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Then we have much work to do. First, we need you to get back into shape. Then you're going to have to learn how to use your eyes. Are you prepared for that?"
She flinched at this, but she nodded anyway.
"Don't worry, Sakura." The Hokage quickly reassured her. "I'm not going to force you to use it. Besides, overextending the mystic eye's use will cause severe long-term damage, and I don't want to see that happening to you."
"But Hokage-sama…"
He raised a palm to stop her from going any further. "I know what you're about to say. Even closing your eyes doesn't make that sick feeling go away, does it? Just makes it a little easier?"
She nods.
"This is because, like I said earlier, you're connected with the Akasha through your brain. Closing your eyes doesn't help because you're still 'looking' at darkness, so if we want to solve the problem we need to go directly for the cause. I will ask help from a source I know to help keep your eyes sealed so you don't have to be put in constant strain."
"You can actually do that?" Sakura blurted out.
"One step at a time." The Third Hokage laughed a little uncomfortably at her sudden burst in enthusiasm. "But for now," He extends his hand again. "Welcome back, Sakura."
"All Kill Landing Edge"
- Chapter Nine -
-END-
Author's Notes:
Chapter nine.
A constant week of updates. I didn't think it'd be possible, but I did it!
Unfortunately, as I recently got accepted into beta-testing a certain game, I'm going to go on a three day break to enjoy myself in playing… er, giving constructive feedback on it. Sorry readers, but I've been waiting for this for a looong time. I'll update again sometime on the 28th (translation: midnight of), so until then I ask my readers to wait patiently.
Thanks for reading!
- Nes Mikel
All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Nine "Ctepetb", First Edition: February 24th, 2013, Last Edit: February 25th, 2013