Chapter 4: Binding
Anko leaped up to the top of the tree and gazed down on the two fighting shinobi, explosions coming from their battle. She narrowed her eyes when she saw those familiar silver locks and his one eye covered up. She pulled out a kunai and pointed it at the colored jacket of the Akatsuki member. Then, with a swift toss, it went towards the blonde haired enemy, with Anko following after it in a shadow.
Deidara saw the knife coming and side-stepped it, only to feel sharp pain in his shoulders and feet. Stopping, he turned his head to see a woman in a tan overcoat behind him with an angry look in her eyes. Coming from her extended arms were bodies of snakes, which were biting into his shoulders.
"My my, they just keep coming." He calmly said, flicking his wrist in agitation. Anko dodged the flying shuriken and landed a few pressure points to the bomb user, jumping back into the trees. Placing her hand on the side of the tree, she summoned a barrier of snakes going around the perimeter of the trees that surrounded Deidara. She grinned as a shadow appeared beside her suddenly.
"Didn't know I was coming eh Kakashi?" She asked, glancing beside her to see the ninja break out into a grin.
"I caught the presence of your chakra once you threw that kunai however I didn't know that you'd want to join the fight." He countered playfully, taking out another barrage of kunai.
"It seems you need my help though," Anko retorted, taking shuriken from her pouch. Kakashi gave a soft sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
"This one is quite protective of himself," He replied, jumping into the fight once more. Anko watched the member's movements, making sure to analyze his weak spots. However, before spotting any, a tiny white spider decided to climb down behind her. In a second, it went off and she cried out in pain, a burn appearing on her back. The bomb had gone through her jacket and the mesh suit.
Rolling on to the ground, she got to her feet and immediately blocked as a line of shuriken came towards her. Panting from the bleeding wound on her back, she glared at the figure that jumped out of the trees. As a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her head, she grounded her teeth, clenching her fist in anger.
"Miu," She said, her voice full of hatred. The purple haired girl smirked and spun her hand, a kunai. She wore a Sound village uniform under a black cloak.
"It's nice to see you Anko," She replied sweetly, walking up to meet her. Anko did the same till they were only a few feet away. In the distance, somewhere else around them was explosions, shaking the ground.
"You were a little girl back then, look at what you've grown up to be, still an apprentice to Orochimaru I see?" Anko sneered, licking the blade of her kunai. Miu met her eyes in a flash and the spinning of the kunai stopped in her hand.
"I'm his strongest," She replied back, her voice low and dangerous. Anko chuckled and closed the gap between them, tilting her chin up to meet her eyes.
"Sasuke Uchiha was," She whispered, Anko's eyes turning a pale and gray color. Miu narrowed her eyes as she activated her curse mark, the flames spreading over her face and reaching the other side.
"So, we're going to fight with our curse marks then?" She asked, her eyes widening. Anko frowned and stepped back, putting her hands together.
"If that's what it takes to beat you, then yes." She replied, releasing her curse mark. She had promised herself not to use it after the Third Hokage sealed it, but…in times like these, only a demon can defeat a demon. The flames spread over her face, but she did not allow it to take over…yet.
"Tell me, before we start, were you the one who gave a Konoha ninja the Crescent curse mark?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Miu blinked innocently as wings came out of her back, her skin becoming a dark tone, her lips turning purple. She was thinking hard.
"Hrmm, oh yes! That girl with the pink hair! She was just absolutely delightful!" She replied excitedly, her eyes shining. Anko gritted her teeth as black spikes tore her coat, appearing on her arms, her eyes fading into a light gray tinge. Bending low, she pulled out a set of kunai and placed them in a defensive stance.
"Giving that to her, you're going to be down in hell…" She guaranteed, rushing forward with a burst of speed, clashing against Miu's weapons. Miu pulled from behind her a long sword, bringing it down on Anko. She swiped it with her kunai and slashed her cloak with the spikes on her arms. Anko jumped back and threw a barrage of kunai to her opponent. She was met with a foot against her chin, sending her up into the air and through the trees.
Regaining herself, she stood on top of the trees, leaping as Miu came up from under her. Making a hand seal, she sailed through the air as Miu followed her.
"Fire Style, Fireball Jutsu!" She called out, bringing her hands up to her mouth, blowing. A large fireball rolled through the air, going towards Miu.
"She'll never turn to your side!" Anko said as they clashed against each other once more. Miu gritted her teeth and made a hand seal.
"Water Style, Water Wave!" She yelled as an enormous wave of water appeared out of nowhere and crashed into Anko, sending her up against a tree. With water choking her and entering her mouth, she spluttered as the waves stopped, coughing. Growling, she glared at a smirking Miu and stood up, wiping the water from her mouth with the back of her hand. Extending her hands out, she narrowed her eyes.
"Multiple Shadow Snake Hands!" Snakes darted out of her sleeves and soared towards Miu who was wide eyed.
"No way, you can use that?" She whispered in awe before breaking out of her daze to dodge the snakes. Anko jumped into the air and threw the snakes around like a whip, bringing it down on her.
"Orochimaru didn't teach you this did he?" She taunted, smirking as she landed a blow to her cheek. Miu flew up into the sky, but Anko jumped up against the trees, catching her by the throat. They started to fall with her hands still around her throat.
"You die here!" She yelled as they crashed into the ground, hearing the crack of her bones hit the earth. Dirt flew into the air as the hit shook everything around it, even Kakashi and Deidara's fight. Once he had heard her yell, he knew that she was in rage.
Well there's no stopping her now.
He faced Deidara would now held his side in pain. Sweat dripped down his face as he still continued to launch bombs towards him. Kakashi jumped back and quickly made a summoning justu, summoning Pakkun.
"Pakkun, I need you to go find Anko and make sure she's okay," He ordered, wanting to make sure his companion was safe. The small dog sniffed and then sighed.
"Alright, I'll be back." He replied, jumping off in the direction of the gigantic thud. Kakashi then faced the exhausted Deidara and crossed his arms.
"Why are you here?" He asked, deciding to question the man. The blonde haired ninja sighed and dropped all his weapons.
"Finally man, you finally decided to ask that question! It took you forever!" He complained, throwing his hands up into the air. Kakashi narrowed his eyes as the bomb user put his hands on his head.
"I just was just taking a stroll! And then you guys wandered in! Breaking my peace! Making me fight! Ugh! Such a waste of my TIME! See ya gramps next time we meet, I'll have a reason to fight you," The Akatsuki member replied as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi stood there for a moment, replaying what just happened a few seconds ago. His eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he suddenly remembered Pakkun and Anko. Jumping up, he rushed to meet them.
Binding
"Sakura will be one hell of a weapon when that curse mark sets into her blood," Miu whispered with a crazy look in her eyes. She spluttered out blood as Anko grabbed her throat, sitting down on top of her. The crater they had made from the fall surrounded them, deep down in the dirt.
"You made a mistake branding her with the Crescent curse mark, if you think she'll turn over easily to Orochimaru, you're wrong-" Anko replied in a low voice, leaning forward, her pale eyes frightening.
"Oh she'll turn to us, just like Sasuke did." The Sound ninja foretold, a wide grin forming on her lips. Anko inhaled sharply as she started to disappear in smoke. The grip around her throat tightened in anger as she laughed.
"Don't worry, you'll get to see me again soon," Miu said, her voice only a whisper. Punching the empty space with her fist, she winced as the curse mark retreated and the spikes disappeared. Suddenly, Pakkun came up beside her and sniffed her hand, crawling under it to get petted. She smiled softly back at him as he laid there.
"Kakashi, over here!" Pakkun called out to his master, surprising Anko. He landed beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. She stood up and brushed the dirt off of her torn coat.
"Yeah," She replied, not meeting his eyes.
"C'mon we should go find where Naruto went," Kakashi said as he jumped back into the trees. Anko followed after him silently, still angry about what had happened. Her curse mark was throbbing but she could do nothing but ignore it.
"Is Sakura alright?" She asked, coming up next to him. Kakashi held a worried look in his eye, a frown forming on his face.
"Last time I saw her she was unconscious." He landed down on the ground with Anko by his side. They both entered the town, both looking for either a pink haired girl or a hyper-active ninja.
Anko tilted her head in curiosity as she heard Sakura's laugh near her. Glancing at Kakashi, she could tell that he hadn't heard it from the roar of the busy crowd. Tapping his shoulder, he turned and saw her already walking away.
"Wait!" He said, running up to her and walking at her pace. Anko bent down up against the window and stuck her head through, grinning.
"Yo!"
Binding
Sakura jumped as Anko greeted them, her head stuck through the window of the ramen shop. Sasuke glanced up at her and sipped his tea, his own sign of acknowledging her presence. Naruto laughed and set down his bowl excitedly.
"Anko, you're here!" He cheerfully greeted, a grin on his face. Sakura smiled softly but blinked away black dots that wandered into her vision. She pressed her lips together as the curse mark on her shoulder burned. Sasuke noticed this and stared at her for a moment, thinking of some way to help her. Seeing that there was none, he did what he thought was right.
He put a hand under the table and touched Sakura's, holding it softly in his own.
She looked at him in surprise, and back down at the cold hand that was slowly warming up in her own. Seeing that he was trying to comfort her, she gave him a thankful smile and squeezed his hand. Hearing a throat being cleared, she looked back at Anko who's gaze was now directed towards her.
"Sakura, could I speak with you outside for a moment?" She asked, pulling herself out of the window and to the door of the restaurant. Kakashi gave her a look but she brushed it aside, leaving it alone for now. Sakura let go of Sasuke's hand quickly and climbed out of the booth, heading towards the door. Seeing Anko leaning on the wall, she came up in front of her and waited.
"You needed me?" She asked innocently, watching as Anko opened her eyes and step off the wall. She walked up to the Sakura and put an arm around her shoulder strongly, bringing her close. She led her to Kakashi who held a confused look in his eye.
"I need to take her away for a while. We'll be back soon enough to meet with the Raikage." Anko promised, soon leading off the pink haired kunoichi off in some other direction. Kakashi shook his head and entered the restuarant where Sasuke and Naruto were chatting quietly. Sitting down with them, he ordered some tea calmly.
"So Kakashi-sensei, how was the fight?" Naruto asked excitedly, inching closer to hear. He sighed and sat back in the booth, looking up. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, waiting for a reply.
"We ran into Miu, the one who gave Sakura that mark." Immediately, Sasuke's face turned hostile and his eyes became cold. Naruto's held a face full of anger, his blue eyes blazing.
"Where is she? I'm gonna beat her till she-" Kakashi held his hand up to make him stop, taking a sip of his hot tea.
"Relax, Anko fought her. However, it seems that she got away." Naruto growled, anger rising up within him. His personal feelings for Sakura boiled to the top.
"Easy Naruto, Sakura will be fine. You know she won't turn against us." He guaranteed, grinning as Naruto calmed down, sighing. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he looked down at his hands.
"But what if she does?" He asked the inevitable, surprising even the old sensei himself. Kakashi looked down at the table, not wanting to let them know.
"What would happen sensei?" Naruto asked, leaning in out of anxiety.
"She would be unstoppable."
Sasuke, and Naruto jolted in astonishment at his words. Could she really be that powerful that no one could stop her? Sasuke asked himself, who had been underestimating her strength till now.
"If she turns to the darkness within her, she won't be the same anymore." Naruto clenched his fists and pounded one on the table in anger. His hair bristled as she glared out the window.
"Well she won't! Sakura wouldn't do that to us! There's nothing for her to hate!" He reassured, possibly comforting himself. Sasuke nodded in agreement, wanting to side with him, however an uneasy hit his gut on this topic.
Binding
"Anko, what're we doing?" Sakura asked in the hotel room they rented for the time they were here. Anko had gone into the bathroom and hasn't come back out for minutes. Sakura probably thought that she was dead cause she was gone so long. Suddenly the door flew wide open and she jumped as Anko came out with a bin of water.
"What's that?" The pink haired girl questioned, pointing to the bin. Anko sighed as she pulled off her coat, revealing a large burn on her back. Sakura blinked in surprise as she bent down on the ground, sinking her hands into the water.
"D-don't you care about your wound at all?" Her medical instincts came as she looked over the jounin's shoulder. Anko shook her head and gestured for her to sit down beside her.
"I need you to remove the uniform you've got on." She instructed quietly. Sakura did as she was told and sat down in front of her obediantly.
"Now, I'm going to place a seal on your curse mark got it?" Sakura nodded once as she felt the presence of her hand hover over her bare shoulder.
"This will hurt a bit, but please bear with me. This'll seal it for a while, other than just a chakra seal. You ready?" She asked, making sure.
"Hai!" Sakura confidently replied, her hands balled up against the carpet.
"All right then," Then with that, she brought the hand down on her shoulder. Once the water instantly made contact with her skin, it hissed as steam formed. Anko reached the curse mark after seconds of pain, holding the water there for a minute.
"Argh..." Sakura groaned in pain, tears streaming from her eyes. Anko shushed her and added more water to the batch that was already on her shoulder.
"Just a bit longer..." About ten minutes passed, only the sounds of hissing filling the hotel room. Then, Anko released her hand, followed by Sakura's relieved sigh. She chuckled and patted her pink haired head.
"It's not over yet." Sakura widened her eyes as Anko placed her now dry hands on the seal.
"This, will be the most tormenting." Then placing her other hand over the one on the mark, she took a deep breath.
"Binding Art: Three Almighty Seals!" With a powerful surge of chakra, she activated the jutsu which suddenly burst into a bright blue light. Anko squinted her eyes but made sure she could see the black mark on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura tried hard with all her power to not scream...but she couldn't take it anymore. Yelling out in pain, she stopped herself by gritting her teeth and taking breaths through her nose.
Light blue shadows stretched out from the curse mark, wrapping around her arms and trailing down her back to form into a half a heart shaped crest. It glowed bright and pulsed as if there was another living, breathing form in her. Sakura and Anko panted as they both fell on to their backs in exhaustion.
"T-there, t-that'll help you with things." Anko gasped, clutching her heart with her eyes squeezed shut. Sakura panted on the ground, her hands shaking next to her. She grabbed her uniform and slipped it on slowly, wincing as the seals pulsed once more. The jounin coughed as she stood up, stumbling against the bed. Sakura helped her up and set her on the bed.
"What did you even do to me that could make you this weakened?" She asked, confusion and anger in her green, emerald eyes. Anko smiled and pulled her hand away from her heart.
"I gave you a seal that'll keep you from using the power from the curse mark. Using that kind of ninjutsu will kill you and I know that you wouldn't want that. What I did just now also took away some of my lifespan. It's one of those jutsu's that take something very precious to you to give it what you want." She winced as the bones in her body ached.
"No! You shouldn't have done that!" Sakura retorted, standing up in anger. Anko looked up at her and shook her head.
"Lady Tsunade told me come and somehow help you. This was my way of doing that." She quietly stated, standing up clutching her arm. Sakura was about to make a comment but stopped herself, pressing her lips together.
"Since it is my shishou's actions, I'll accept it. However what you did to me was way too extreme. You just shortened your lifespan! A human life is precious!" She countered, tears of anger forming in her eyes. Swiping it away, she slipped on her boots and walked up to the silent jounin.
"I don't really care about that, as long as I can carry out the orders of the Hokage and serve her to the best of my ability, then I'm fine." She replied in a low voice, her bangs covering her eyes. "Let's go, Kakashi is waiting for us back there." She said as she made her way to the door.
Sakura watched her stalk out and breathed out sharply, looking at herself in the mirror. The blue streaks stood out and were still glowing, just a bit. Giving a sad smile, she tenderly touched one, feeling nothing but her normal skin.
"They'll see it..." She said to herself as she walked out, making sure to lock the door. Anko was waiting outside by the time she came down with a stick of dango in her hand. She handed the other stick to Sakura who happily took it.
"What should I do about the marks on my arms?" Sakura asked, glancing down at the blue marks. Anko thoughtfully looked at them and glanced around. Pointing to a clothing shop nearby, she dragged Sakura along and pulled her inside.
"Pick something that is comfortable and that you can easily fight in. This'll be your new uniform, I'll have Shizune tailor some new ones for you. Pick a matching bottom to it as well, oh while your at it, some shoes too. And some accessories! Don't forget those too!" Anko called out excitedly from outside the shop with a mouth full of dango. Sakura frowned but shook it off as she took a glance around the shop. There were a lot of selections there that really caught her eye.
Especially the black ones...she didn't know why but for some reason, it really stood out up against the other light and darkish designs. But this one, was just plain black and it fascinated her. Stepped close to it, she looked down and saw that there were matching bottoms and boots already there, set up as if it had been waiting for her to come. Grabbing it along with the boots and skirt, she ran to the dressing room and immediately tried it on.
Minutes later, she stepped out with Anko standing by the door eating her dango. Sakura came back out wearing black knee high boots with buckles on the side, a black skirt with red checkers lines along the bottom, and a black denim vest over a white tanktop. the vest had long draping sleeves that covered the marks perfectly. She even changed the color of her hairband to black. It was like a goth Sakura...
"Wow..." Anko breathed, blinking in surprise as Sakura slipped off the boots to grab a different set of shoes. She fitted on some sandals and looked in the mirror, turning to see her full self.
"Hm," She simply uttered, touching her pink hair. Anko stepped forward and stopped her for a second, surprising her.
"Don't even think about dying your hair black. It wouldn't suit you at all, besides, all I wanted was to get rid of all that pink in your uniform. Now you look better!" She complimented, grinning.
"You really think so?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. Anko nodded in approval and stepped out, leaving Sakura to get her clothes ready. Strapping on her kunai pouch on her leg, she was about to clip on her shuriken bag when she saw a black one in the corner of the store. Grabbing it, she quickly bought it and exchanged her supplies from the old one to the new one. Strapping it on, she stepped out of the door like she was a new person. She met Anko in the street and nodded, thanking her.
"Should we meet them where the Raikage is? Or go back to the restuarant?" She asked, following Anko. Her answer was soon solved when they reached the restuarant, passing through a jumble of people.
"Excuse me," Sakura murmured as she came up to the front, bumping up behind Anko who stood there, rigid. Looking past her, she noticed the silver haired jounin standing in front of his students protectively.
"Sensei?" She whispered in confusion, walking up next to Anko to see what's going on.
Right then and there were the top jounin's of the Country of Lightning, standing there with their weapons drawn. Up in the front was someone who looked very familiar to her. Widening her eyes, she remembered her. The strange white soft hair yet that young and fierce looking face.
Chihiro Lee, the sister of Haru Lee. The one who visited her when the others were gone.
I want to thank you for reading this chapter! I've really put my heart and soul into this one and I hoped you liked it! Please review and I'll update as soon as possible! Hey, at least I'm not dead like some people think from not updating in so freakin long. LOL.
-FallenWing21