All that could be heard in the otherwise silent room was a slight whine coming from one of the people across from Tsunade's large desk. A shush was given to the perpetrator, followed by a distinctly nervous giggle. The Hokage still didn't raise her head. That intense stare of hers boring into the mission paperwork didn't bother the shinobi lined up as much as the hint of a smile that tweaked the corners of her lips. The two expressions didn't match on her wrinkle free face, putting them all on edge before they even knew what she was calling them in for.
"Umm...Ts-Tsunade-sama?" Hinata dared whisper aloud, hoping to call attention to the preoccupied hokage. Hazel eyes raised from the paper, an eyebrow lifting in question to the hesitantly spoken voice. The busty woman leaned back in her chair, assessing eyes sweeping the four she'd called to her office. Though Shizune had already confirmed the health of each one of them, she wanted to hear it from their mouths once more.
"Are any of you still feeling ill?"
"No ma'am," Hinata replied.
"I never got sick Tsunade-sama, so yeah, I'm fine." Kiba's face held just a trace of cockiness as he patted Akamaru once on his flank. The large nin-dog gave a short bark of agreement.
"I am fully recovered Hokage-sama," Shino said.
Genma rolled his ever present senbon to the other side of his mouth. "Barely got sick myself. I'm good to go."
"Good, because I have a need for your particular skills."
"You have someone you need us to track?"
"Yes Shino. That bastard Kabuto has not only alluded us, but all the other villages as well. The Raikage and Kazekage sent me messages a few days ago. Neither of them have been able to pin point his location as of yet."
"Can't believe their communicating so openly with ya." Though he said that, Genma's face showed little surprise.
"After effects of the alliance," Tsunade said dismissively, tossing a scroll to the man as a smirk lit her face. "I would have sent Kakashi with them, but unfortunately, he's still out of the village."
"Much to my despair," he replied, a forced heavy sigh leaving his lips.
Tsunade looked away from the four man team's jonin and caught the eyes of some of the village's best trackers. "There have been some substantial rumors we've caught wind of that place Kabuto in the Land of Grass. I want you all to see if you can find any traces of him. If you do happen to find that bastard yourself, do not engage him unless you have a clear advantage - and even then I want you to be on constant alert. We have no idea what kind of toxins he has in his possession."
"Yes ma'am," they replied in unison.
"Send back a hawk with any evidence you are able to find." The group left her office with varying degrees of emotions. Hinata looked a bit wary, but there was a determination building behind her trademark eyes that Tsunade was happy to see. As she expected, the Inuzuka was raring to go. She knew Genma would be a good resource for the mission - even if he didn't have tracking abilities like the former Team 8 did - and he made sound judgment calls. She normally wouldn't send a member of her elite guard out as captain on a tracking mission, but her choices for skilled jonin were limited at the moment.
Shizune slipped in after the team left and Tsunade was not surprised to see the scowl darkening her face. "Is this really alright Tsunade-sama? We've only just found the cure for the infection nearly the whole village became ill with!"
"And what should we do Shizune? Ignore the first sighting we have of that copying asshole?"
The younger woman had followed her master for many years, so she didn't immediately back down from the raised voice and fierce scowl that greeted her. "No but...we're still down six ANBU members, Gai-san, and Team Kakashi. Couldn't we at least wait a few days until they can get back to the village? There's not a lot of options for back-up if Genma-san's team gets into trouble. A lot of our shinobi are still recovering. Even if Kakashi and the others may be a bit travel weary, we know they've been able to avoid being infected."
Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh and glanced at her right bottom desk drawer. Downing a few cups of sake right now would only further irritate her too serious apprentice. "I just sent the message to Kakashi this morning. It's highly doubtful that they'll receive it until later this afternoon. I expect them to return to the village in a few days. It will take longer than that for Genma and the others to reach the Land of Grass. By then, our shinobi should have fully recovered and I can send them out to assist with the re-con." Tsunade sent a half-smile to her companion. "Honestly Shizune, do you not think I'd considered everything?"
The dark haired woman flushed under the hokage's words. "Forgive me Tsunade-sama. It's just that this could easily turn into a very dangerous mission and I worry for our comrades."
Tsunade waved a flippant hand at her apology. "I know. That's part of the reason I need to send out a team to investigate as well."
"What do you mean?"
"The first team the Raikage sent out to search for Kabuto has never reported back."
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed, clutching the stack of papers in her arms to her chest. "Why didn't you say that in the mission debriefing?"
"Because there's been no evidence that any sort of foul play occurred! For all we know, they found a decent hot spring and a bunch of women and stopped off for a rest."
Shizune slapped the papers down on the corner of the hokage's desk and planted her hands on her hip. The hokage's shoulders slumped and she rested her head in her hands. Even to her own ears that sounded like some lame excuse Kakashi would come up with. "Please tell me you don't believe what just came out of your mouth."
"Of course not," she spat. "But there could be a hundred different explanations for why they haven't reported back in the 2 weeks they've been gone. I didn't see the need to make the team any more anxious than they already are. They're not the children we first met when we came back to Konoha Shizune."
"I know," she whispered in agreement.
"These kids have now seen and fought in war. They're good shinobi who I trust to handle a difficult mission. Hell, most of them should be getting ready to take the jonin exams or apply for ANBU themselves." A long breath passed her lips, most of the initial umbrage she'd felt leaving her in an instant. "Besides, I made a notation about the Raikage's group in the scroll I gave Genma."
"I...I understand, Tsunade-sama."
The blond eyed the younger woman, a half smile breaking through her troubled features. She worried about the men and women she'd just sent through that door probably more than her assistant did, but the responsibilities she shouldered as the Hokage didn't allow for her to have such a sentimental heart. If it did, her young apprentice would be in Konoha with her right now, not off traipsing about the damn Fire Country and being put in harm's way again and again. The only thing that gave her piece of mind was knowing the strength Sakura now possessed. After all, she was the one who taught her everything she knew.
Though now, she was quite sure Sakura was learning a few tricks all on her own.
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It had taken her a few days, but she'd finally come to a firm decision.
She was just going to pretend it didn't happen.
At first, she'd thought about apologizing for the entire incident. That was until Sakura realized she wasn't sure if she initiated the kiss, or if Sasuke did. And considering he hadn't pushed her away, but actively participated in the endeavor, what was there to apologize for? She only briefly thought about asking him about it. That idea was vetoed almost as quickly as it came. From her experience – especially when dealing with the stoic Uchiha – her feelings could be hurt in more ways than one should she brooch that subject with him. Sakura concluded that it was simply a mistake that they both had a part in. It was the heat of battle and her emotions had been entirely to volatile at that time.
Their first few meetings after 'the incident' – she hated the way her all knowing Inner snickered every time she termed it that way in her mind – had
been awkward to a certain degree. She couldn't stop the blush from appearing on her face every time she saw him and Sasuke would inevitably turn his eyes away from her.
Not that she minded. It was embarrassing enough within the confines of her own over active imagination; she didn't need him staring at her childish reactions to his presence. All it took was seeing a glimpse of his face and her mind brought back every heated image of that embrace.
Every childhood fantasy she'd ever had about her first kiss had been blown out of the water. There were no flowers, no shy smiles and declarations of mutual feelings between the two. Hell, forget the romance entirely. What happened back in that clearing was nothing short of a deep, primal need that had taken hold of her every cell, making her nearly rip his clothes off then and there.
That thought had her turning darker than her hair.
He must have felt something like that right? The nuances of hand placement had been overshadowed by the sheer force of the craving that had threatened to eat her alive, but she still remembered his hand clenching in her hair, pulling the ends so tightly it bordered on pain. What scared her more was how much it had thrilled her. Ignoring those memories was not the easiest thing to do, but it was the safest option she had for her heart at the moment.
They had finally gotten back to some semblance of normalcy between them after a couple of days. Nothing was said from either party about that moment in the forest and she was okay with that - for now.
Well, not exactly okay with it, but there was too much else going on for her to dwell on that kiss.
Her first kiss.
With Uchiha Sasuke.
The man she'd loved for years.
But...not going to dwell on it.
She gave herself a mental shake – ignoring the pointed stare of her not so happy Inner – and focused once more on the scene before her. From her perch against the railing of their second floor terrace, she could see one of the ANBU members talking with Kakashi. Even from her position, she could discern the tense line of his shoulders and sharp shake of his head as he spoke to the shinobi. She was anxious to learn what had upset the usually easy going man. Sakura could hazard a guess, and what her mind supplied didn't relieve the unease beginning to form in her stomach.
On a recent outing to restock supplies not easily found in the near barren woods surrounding them, Yamato-taicho and Sai heard rumors of a cloaked man with a raspy voice being spotted just beyond the border to the Land of Grass. They initially thought to dismiss the vague tale, but with a little more investigation from the - rather bored - ex-ANBU members, they found the rumors had a significant basis. Some of the few traveling merchants that were still operating during this turbulent time had passed through the area in question. According to the words of the shop owners they spoke with, none of the merchants had reached their destinations. No contact had been made with the missing men for weeks.
Over a fortnight of inactivity had made all the active shinobi restless and they were eager to search for any evidence of Kabuto's possible whereabouts. Though Kakashi had been hesitant at first to send anyone out on an impromptu mission when they were still waiting on word from Konoha, a witness Sai had stumbled upon gave them information that did away with his indecision.
According to Sai's report, the woman wore a mask over her face and though she seemed young, her voice held the same gravelly quality of an old man who'd smoked all his life. Her movements were slow and very controlled - as if she were still in pain with every contraction of her muscles.
She stated the village she was visiting at the time was suddenly covered in an odd, green mist that clung tightly to everything it touched. The moment she'd inhaled the toxic fumes, her airway and lungs burned as if she'd swallowed fire. The entire village was brought to it's knees in a matter of minutes. As they all laid on the ground, writhing in uncontrollable pain, a hooded figure had swept through the main streets – uninhibited by the thick mist. The scaly appearance, red cloak...right down to the glasses – she was able to describe Kabuto, though she didn't even know his name.
Kakashi had given in to the evidence and sent out a four man ANBU team to investigate the area. It would take two days of hard, fast travel to reach the area in question. They were to send a hawk back when they reached their destination.
That was six days ago.
Gai soon joined the discussion down in the clearing and Sakura went back inside to make a fresh pot of tea to accompany their noon meal. Judging from the expression on each man's face, it could very well be the last relaxed meal she would be able to enjoy for a while.
"Hey Sakura-chan."
She ignored the swift upbeat of her heart when Sasuke walked into the room with Naruto. When the jinchuriki flopped down on his back, using his folded sleeping mat as a pillow, she instead focused on his downtrodden expression. "I take it there was no message from Tsunade-sama today either?"
"Hell no. I'm getting tired of sitting around here waiting on any news from the village."
"I know Naruto." Sakura did her best to keep the exasperation out of her tone; this was not a new discussion. "But there's little else we can do at the moment."
"Not for long," came the response from the Uchiha in the corner. She met his eyes for a brief moment before looking away and shaking her head in agreement. Those obsidian eyes were a dangerous distraction she couldn't afford to get caught up in.
She swallowed hard before she answered. "I saw Kaka-sensei talking to the other ANBU."
"They still haven't reported in."
"Is he planning on going after them?"
"Not alone," Kakashi said, entering the room with Sai and Yamato in tow.
"No shit," Naruto mumbled. Kakashi kicked the bottom of his feet as he walked by, giving in to the irritation already coursing through his veins.
Sakura watched as Sai made his way to the spot he'd occupied for the duration of their stay and began carefully packing his belongings. "Kaka-sensei?"
"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke...get your things ready. We'll be leaving after we eat."
"Alright, finally!" Naruto jumped to his feet and began haphazardly throwing his things together.
"What about Yamato-taicho and the others?" Sakura asked.
"We're splitting up. They're going to head into Kusagakure and see if there's any information on the attacks in their country. We'll be going straight after our missing shinobi."
She offered nothing more than a sharp nod of acknowledgment to his orders. There was no crinkle around his visible eye, no grin hidden behind his mask – his anger towards his own decision was plain to see. She wanted to tell him she thought he made the right choice. That ignoring such a strong lead was something none of them would do, but those words would fall on deaf ears.
They ate their meal quickly while making plans for their upcoming departure. In order to make the journey as quickly as possible, Sai would craft two of his large ink eagles to fly them to the area the ANBU where headed for. Gai tried to boast about his and Neji's speed and how they wouldn't require any assistance to reach their particular destination quickly, but Kakashi stopped him mid rant with a sharp glare. A message was sent via hawk to Konoha to inform Tsunade-sama of their plans. Sakura could only hope everything was going well for her shishou and the villagers.
The anxiety building in her gut over this latest development wouldn't allow her time to think of anything else.
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The scent was unmistakable.
How many times had that metallic smell hit his nose over the years. Whether it was his own or belonging to someone else, blood was a very distinctive scent. Yet, never before had it filled with him such trepidation as it did right now. The shinobi raised the mask covering his face for just a moment, wiping the sweat from his brow before pulling it back in place once more. He was sure no one could see him from this vantage point, so his identity could not be given away.
The rough bark of the tree scraped against his already wounded arm, right near the ANBU tattoo that had marked his body for years. He shifted only slightly; too wary to make any large movements that may draw attention to himself. The urge to go looking for his team mates once again was strong, but the last attempt he'd made nearly ended in his own death. How long had it been seen he'd last made contact with them? Two days? Three?
Every message he'd attempted to send had been intercepted. Every attempt to leave this hell thwarted. The soulless eyes of those lying on the ground stared back at his hiding spot high in the trees, a constant reminder of the fate that awaited him should he dare get caught. They didn't bother hiding the bodies. A careless step on the sparsely traversed road would find you tripping over a decaying limb. Though that very fact had put the team on alert, they were ill prepared for the ambush that awaited them.
A rustling in the bush at his three o'clock had the battered fingers of his right hand gripping his chokuto tightly. The shinobi slowed his breathing, focusing intently on the direction of the sound. Nothing but the eerie silence of the forest greeted him. He was a well trained shinobi, had undertaken many S-rank missions, and had commanded many more...this fear gripping him was unreasonable.
He tried to block out the scattered images he'd seen over the past few days. Tried hard to ignore the lingering memory of hearing the heavy breaths of those pursuing them hovering just out of sight in the forest line.
It was difficult to do when he felt their eyes on him even now.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his muscles tensed in response. His dark eyes shifted over the area, searching for any sign of movement. No leaves rustled, no sounds of footsteps crunching through the brush, no presence of foreign chakra made themselves known. Still, he knew he was no longer alone.
He had to warn those waiting for him. If they walked into this unknowing, they would end up like his own team, but he didn't know how else to get his message out. He would try once more though. For the lives counting on this information, he had to make that effort.
A scent hit his nose. One different than the pure smell of blood that covered this entire village. It was a scent that made his muscles tense, his heart rate climb, and fear shoot down his spine.
Decay. The smell of dead flesh rotting under the hot sun. Of dried blood caked in mud. Of filth clinging to a sweaty body for days on end.
The urge to gag on the stench was great, but he had no time to do so. With the scent – and the fear that followed it – a warm puff of air traveled across the back of his exposed neck. His heart raced in triple beat as he turned on instinct – blade at the ready – only to be hurtled out of the tree with the heavy presence of his captor on his back.
Teeth sank into the muscle of his neck, ripping flesh from bone even as they plummeted to the hard earth. His screams that echoed in the forest went unanswered.
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A/N:
I'm starting to think maybe I like Sakura and the guys to be up to their ears in blood. I wonder if I should get help for that. Wouldn't that be an interesting conversation with the shrink?
Do not despair my darlings! There will be more Sasu/Saku-ness coming up. I know it has been a long time coming, but now that it's here, it's not going away ANY time soon!
Read/Review and I send you much love!