Sakura inconspicuously made her way through the crowd and towards Sachie, weaving gracefully between the sea of moving bodies. As they fell into matched steps, the girl leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Something's different," Sachie murmured gravely.
As she glanced beyond the crowd, she realized Sachie was right. Normally, the recruits would be broken into smaller groups and ushered into various endurance rooms, each one featuring its own ruthless torture tactic to encounter. But today, the crowd was being directed back to the training grounds. Sakura wasn't sure if she should be relieved that she would avoid the endurance rooms today or if she should be worried about the sudden break in routine.
Reaching the training arena, the recruits lined up in several neat rows. Before them stood four high-ranking Root members, signified by a blue band wrapped around each of their right upper arms. In the middle, stood the captain, his eyes gleaming with a devious spark and a knowing, wicked smirk decorated his lips. The look he wore sent a chill down Sakura's spine.
When silence overtook the shuffling of footsteps, several additional Root members positioned themselves at each of the training ground's exits. From the corner of her eyes, Sakura could see Sachie clench and unclench her fist in apprehension while Souta stood alarmingly rigid and still. When the captain began to speak, a sharp dread formed in Sakura's gut and it took almost everything for her to fight the urge to bolt out of the room.
"Today is a special day," the captain began, his eyes scanning across the crowd of recruits. "Some of you will get the chance to prove that you are worthy of a place in Root. And trust me, those of you who are chosen will want to do the best you can with that chance."
The captain nodded at a Root member who began to drag the tip of his sword across the ground, tracing a large circle in the loose gravel in the space between the recruits and where the high-ranking members stood. As Sakura watched the shape form, her mind raced with possibilities of what it meant. Every potential option filled her with unease.
"We have been observing each and every one of you closely and we have been impressed by the skill some of you have shown," the captain's eyes paused briefly on several faces, including Souta's. "However, some of you leave something to be desired. That is why you must prove yourselves to us today. Succeed and you will be rewarded with a second chance. Fail and—well, you'll see what happens soon enough."
With a quick motion of his hand, the captain signaled two guards to enter the crowd of recruits and head directly towards each of their targets. Two recruits—a boy and a girl who looked even younger than Sachie and Souta—were then pulled by the arm and directed to stand side-by-side in the center of the etched circle in the dirt below. When she finally caught a clearer glimpse of the girl's face, she realized who she was. When Sakura became a recruit, she was assigned a room in the sleeping quarters with the girl and Sachie as her roommates.
The captain's gaze moved lazily between the two recruits, "You two have been here for over a week but I have yet to see either of you successfully fight during combat training. This ineptitude will not be tolerated here so you have been chosen as the first ones to participate in the test."
The four blue band-wielding Root members on either side of the captain stepped forward and settled into equally spaced positions on the perimeter of the border drawn in the gravel. Sakura could feel the tension among the recruits rise and the two recruits within the barrier began to visibly sweat in fear.
"You two will fight until one of you is no longer able to. Use whatever means necessary to survive. The only rule is: you must remain within the border. Try to escape and you'll regret it; that's a promise." The captain nodded at each of the Root members who surrounded the two recruits. Simultaneously, each member began to draw their weapons and assume offensive positions.
As Sakura dared to look around, she could see that while most of the recruits were fighting to keep neutral expressions, some gawked openly at the captain with wide eyes. Sachie was one of them. Watching the girl, Sakura couldn't help but mirror her reaction. Cold sweat beaded on her skin as she realized in horror that they were about to watch someone—a child nevertheless—die right before their eyes.
Placing his hands on his hips, the captain locked eyes with the two terrified recruits and announced in a smooth, even tone, "Begin."
The recruits began to circle each other slowly, moving in a rhythm that seemed almost like a dance. Sakura could see the fear in the young novices' eyes replaced by raw determination as they fixed their gazes on each other. No doubt, survival was the only thing that plagued their minds. When the boy made the first move, it was so quick and sudden that Sakura jumped in surprise.
In a flash, he charged at the blonde girl with a scream that filled the silence of the arena. But his movements were clumsy and his fist failed to connect with its target as she dove out of the way. He turned and rushed at her once again but she sprang to her feet just in time to dodge and dash to the opposite side of the encircled area.
The pair continued that way for quite some time with the black-haired boy playing offense while the girl maintained her defensive position. As they fought, Sakura could pick out each and every one of their faults that likely contributed to their unfortunate selection in this cruel test. They were faults that she had once seen in her own team when they were merely children.
The boy was much too hot-headed, attacking blindly with unfocused maneuvers. While that may work out for some, he was too slow to make use of his moves as he quickly tired himself out. On the other hand, the girl was quick but hesitant. She seemed content to react to whatever was thrown at her rather than take action. These flaws would get them killed or captured almost immediately in a real battle.
To Sakura's surprise, it was the girl who found success first. After dodging another punch by rapidly dashing behind the boy, she swept her leg beneath his feet and knocked him to the ground. As he was on his back and disoriented, she climbed atop him and readied her fists. But there it was again: her fatal flaw. Her hesitation gave him enough room to counter. His fist connected with the bottom of her chin and a nauseating crack resounded as her head snapped backwards, the force knocking her away from her opponent.
With the blonde now splayed limply on the ground, Sakura watched in horror as he approached her and stomped his foot over her head. Once. Twice. And another time, for good measure. Sakura swore she could hear the girl's skull split open. The blood that began to pool from her body confirmed those suspicions. Beside her, Sachie began to tremble as realization settled in.
The girl's groans of pain grew louder with each assault and Sakura grappled with the urge to place her own body between the two fighting recruits. Soon, the sounds the girl made subsided and Sakura's chest lurched painfully when she thought of the reason why. To her relief, she was still able to sense the girl's chakra signature. Weak, but still flickering softly. She was unconscious but alive.
"Well done," came the captain's voice.
At the sound, the boy halted his blows and stepped away from the bloody body on the ground. He assumed his alert position—feet shoulder-width apart and hands clasped behind his back—before facing the captain.
"You have earned another chance. Prove yourself like this again and you will be rewarded with a place in Root." The captain's eyes moved from the boy to the wounded girl who lay deathly still in the dirt, "As for her, Re-education will set her straight."
Re-education? Sakura repeated to herself. From the sound of it, she reckoned that it was another method of training, albeit likely more cruel and arduous than the current one. The thought of it made her stomach twist with nausea. The current training was difficult enough; she couldn't imagine it getting worse.
Two guards approached the girl's body and began to roughly drag her in the direction of a makeshift stretcher. Her body left tracks of blood in the dirt. When she was carried away and her blond hair was out of sight, Sakura couldn't help but wonder whether death or Re-education was the more merciful outcome.
The remainder of the day progressed with two more fights taking place, the outcome of each reflecting the brutality of the first one. The second match ended quickly, with one recruit noticeably overpowering the other. In the blink of an eye, one of the fighters was on the ground, unmoving. Sakura watched helplessly as guards dragged yet another unconscious body away.
The third, ongoing match had both opponents battered and bruised, each of them clutching a limp and wounded arm as their similar skills and flaws extended the battle beyond the duration of the previous one. The way they mirrored each other almost perfectly led Sakura to come to one conclusion: they had been training together for some time. They would not be able to so accurately predict each other's moves if that were not the case.
As the men in the ring continued their delicate dance, Sakura observed their movements closely. With her combat experience, she was sure she could predict who would win. It was subtle and would be missed by anyone else, but Sakura could see it: the shorter recruit was leading the match and the devilish glint in his eyes revealed that he was well aware of that fact.
Just as she had expected, the leading recruit made his move and slammed his entire weight into his opponent's torso, earning a loud grunt from the other man. Both fighters fell in a heap, one pinning the other to the ground. With his good arm, the shorter man reeled back and charged a punch only for it to be blocked with the other man's remaining uninjured arm. With a snarl, the pinned recruit shoved his attacker away and slid his body out from under the weight of his enemy. The two opponents fell back into their rhythm, each circling the confines of the ring slowly and surveying the damage they have inflicted upon each other.
Watching the match unfold, Sakura couldn't help but see the reflection of Naruto and Sasuke: evenly matched rivals with equally damaged arms. She remembered the challenging and bloodthirsty glares they shot at each other, much like the two men who currently stood before her. She especially recalled the heartbreak she felt as she could do nothing but watch the two boys who meant the world to her do everything in their power to hurt one another. Even now, the ache in her chest that formed with the memory felt more like an open wound than a healed scar.
A loud thud shook her from her rumination and she focused on the current fight to find both men back in the same position with the shorter fighter pinning the other recruit to the ground. This time, however, his punch connected with a deafening snap that indisputably broke bone. This was made evident by the way the victim's jaw now hung slightly crooked as his head lay flat against the ground. Despite his wound, he continued to thrash and fight against the opponent perched on his torso.
As if in slow motion, Sakura watched the aggressor on top grip his foe's head in one hand and chin in the other before pulling in opposite directions. To her utter disbelief and horror, she helplessly looked on as the man's life drained from the crack in his neck, the color in his face paling and his eyes wide in shock. She clapped her hand over her mouth to prevent the scream that she felt bubble from her lungs. Desperate, she focused all her senses on the man, hoping to find his chakra signature. She found none.
A loud gasp sounded to her left and she whipped her head in its direction to see a woman gawking in panic at the scene before her. As the crowd turned to watch her, the woman let out a deafening wail and raced in the direction of the defeated man. Falling beside him, she cradled his corpse in her arms, sobbing at a heart-wrenching volume. The killer only stood stone-faced, eyes trained on the captain.
Sakura wanted to shout at the woman to stop but it was too late. The Root member who stood closest to her approached and grabbed her by the collar. His expression unchanged, he threw the woman to the ground. As she scrambled to her feet, another member swung the hilt of his sword into the back of her head, knocking her out cold in an instant. Sakura could hear Sachie's ragged breathing as she witnessed the violence transpire.
"Shame," the captain clicked his tongue mournfully as his gaze flickered between the two bodies at his feet. "We need the numbers so it's a shame he had to die, but alas, that can't be helped." He addressed the remaining recruits now, his voice rising in volume. "Let this be a lesson to you all: stay weak and you will never survive."
The captain then turned to study the woman crumpled on the ground and shook his head. "As for her, Re-education will do her some good." Facing the crowd once again, he declared, "Let her be a lesson also. Your loyalty is pledged to Root and Root alone. Sever your useless connections now or you will join her shortly."
At the end of the captain's speech, pairs of guards began to drag the bodies on the ground away and the victorious man returned to his position among the rows of recruits. The tension in the training grounds was at an all time high. Undoubtedly, each person was now faced with the possibility that they could be the next body dragged to the center of the ring. Even worse, they could be the body dragged out of that same ring.
Wordlessly, the captain and four Root members exited the grounds, leaving a sea of shocked recruits to wait awkwardly for further directions. As if on cue, one of the guards barked at them to continue with combat training.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening was uneventful relative to the chaos that just took place. Sakura, Sachie, and Souta continued their training in silence amid the remaining recruits as they robotically countered each other's maneuvers. Now and then, Souta would coach Sachie on her stance but that was the extent of noise that occurred. There was a grim sensation that hung in the air and no one dared to speak. Sakura reckoned she had never been caught in silence quite this loud.
As the recruits retired to their rooms, Sakura was relieved that she, Sachie, and Souta were finally alone, although she fought to ignore the fact that one of the three empty beds in the room belonged to the nameless blonde who was dragged away. Almost immediately, she held her hand out to Sachie and demanded to examine her broken arm. The brunette agreed without as much as a word, a haunted look painted across her face as the shock of the afternoon refused to wear off.
"Good, you're healing quickly," Sakura observed as she dismissed the green glow of chakra from her palms. "Continue keeping it elevated and still and it'll be back to normal in no time."
Silence followed as Sakura's voice trailed off. There was a heaviness that settled among the trio now, their own precarious situation at the forefront of their minds as they desperately tried to shake the brutality they had witnessed. It was Sachie who finally broke the quiet.
"Who do you think will be next?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly. When no one answered, she continued, "I think it's going to be me."
"I won't let that happen," Souta's voice was louder than expected and Sakura tensed at the sound.
"There's nothing you can do," Sachie's pleading eyes met her brother's as she gripped his arm tightly. "Promise me, if I get chosen you won't do anything. You have to survive to protect our family. Remember that."
"You won't get chosen," came his simple response.
"Promise me." There was more strength in her voice now, the earlier tremble gone and replaced with newfound determination.
"No," Souta returned with animosity as he roughly pried her fingers from his skin and shoved her away.
"Souta—," Sachie began before Sakura interrupted.
"Stop it, fighting won't change anything." Sakura, who was silently watching the siblings' exchange with pursed lips, stepped between the two arguing bodies. "Go to bed, we'll talk about it in the morning when we're fresh and rested."
Without protesting, the twins did as they were told. Souta retreated out the door and headed down the hall to his room while Sachie crawled into the cot positioned against the far right wall of the room. Sakura did the same, except with the cot on the left. She spared a fleeting glance at the empty bed between them.
Silence befell them for several, sleepless hours. Sakura's mind endlessly reeled as she replayed the sound of bone snapping. The woman's wails haunted her and if she closed her eyes, she swore she would open them and find the lifeless face of a dead man staring back at her. She knew the smart thing to do was to plan an escape and leave this place behind as soon as the dawn breaks. But there was a nagging part of her that willed her to stay.
She had yet to find exactly who was responsible for the bounty on Sasuke and who was leading the reformation of Root. More importantly, she was yet to unveil the identity of Konoha's traitor. The mysteries tormented her and she yearned for answers so she knew she couldn't escape now—not when she was so close. Besides, she reasoned, another opportunity like this would be difficult to come by. There was no way she would be able to talk her way into the rank of recruits a second time.
As she willed her brain to settle and sleep, her thoughts drifted to Sasuke. She reckoned he was still traveling, probably doing a few good deeds here and there to redeem himself and keep as a reminder that forgiveness was always a possibility. She allowed herself to revel in her memories of him, ones that she held dear in the years where his absence drilled a hole in her chest.
It was a warm spring afternoon, several months after Sasuke had been finally released from prison and absolved of his crimes. Naruto had been off on a diplomatic mission with Kakashi in Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to spar alone during one of Team 7's weekly training sessions.
The duo fought intensely, throwing and blocking punches at an inhuman speed until they decided a water break was warranted. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely, Sasuke and Sakura threw themselves onto the grass and lied down side-by-side on their backs, silently watching the puffs of clouds move across the blue sky. Several moments had passed before Sasuke finally spoke, and the contents of his words had crushed her.
"I'm leaving," he murmured in his usual quiet tone.
Sakura turned to face him and found herself pausing briefly to admire how the sunlight bathed his features and highlighted the sharpness of his jawline. She gulped nervously before replying, "When?"
"In two weeks." He was curt as always.
"I see," she had allowed her voice to trail off as she directed her eyes toward the clouds once again. Despite looking away, she could feel Sasuke's eyes on her, studying her face much like she had done to him moments ago. His stare seemed to burn lines on her skin and silence continued to hang in the air.
"What will you do?" Sakura finally asked once the quiet became unbearable. While she was accustomed to his brief way of speaking, the news of him leaving made her want to hear his voice for longer. She found herself desperate to savor the moment when she could still feel his body beside her.
"I don't know," he paused briefly in thought before continuing, "I want to see the world through fresh eyes and try to make the most of the chance I've been given."
"So a journey of redemption?"
"You could call it that, yes."
Sakura only hummed in reply. At the sound, Sasuke craned his neck to face her and after hearing him do so, she shifted to her side to meet his gaze.
"Is everything okay?" He asked hesitantly. Sasuke was never good at this type of talk but the way he tried with her was simply endearing and the thought would have brought a smile to her face if not for the solemn atmosphere surrounding them..
"Sasuke," she started, "do you see a future where you can forgive yourself?"
His brows furrowed at her question and he didn't speak for several long beats. Sakura remembered how her heart pounded in anticipation as she watched his mismatched eyes unfocus in thought.
"I think it's too soon to say," came his eventual reply and Sakura only nodded.
Reluctantly, she broke their eye contact and turned her attention to the grass as she nervously plucked blades of it from the ground, finding comfort in the feeling of the leaves between her fingers. Several minutes passed before she felt Sasuke's only hand cover hers to stop her from destroying what was left of the greenery. When he let go, his touch left flames crawling on her skin.
"You're upset," he stated simply.
"I'm not upset, I'm just—" she paused as she searched for the right words to convey the emotions brewing within her.
"Disappointed?" Sasuke offered.
"I guess so," Her eyes raised from the lawn below to meet his once again. "I guess I was hoping that you would be happy here in the village." And with me, she wanted to add aloud. But even as she left the words out, she could tell that he knew by the way he studied her face.
"Sakura," the tone in Sasuke's deep voice as he trailed off produced a pang in her chest. He sounded tired, almost like an exasperated parent explaining to their child for the tenth time why they couldn't have ice cream for dinner.
As they looked at each other, a million unspoken words flowed between them. For unknown reasons, they have always somehow communicated this way. Even years apart couldn't dull the way they seemed to read each other's thoughts with one simple look.
"I'm sorry," Sasuke eventually whispered, his voice almost inaudible as the spring breeze fluttered around them.
She gave him a small, sad smile and her voice came out just as soft, "Why are you always apologizing to me?"
"Because I always hurt you."
His words hung in the air and Sakura's mouth parted in surprise. The way he had answered with no hesitation and the way his eyes downturned apologetically made her throat tighten. She was completely and utterly speechless as she lost herself in the planes of his face.
After minutes of silence, she pushed herself to her feet in one smooth motion and announced, "I'm starving! Want to get an early dinner?"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at the sudden change in subject but he said nothing as he stood and nodded. They had spent the rest of that evening chatting about the mental health ward Sakura was planning to build in the village's hospital. Or rather, Sakura spoke while Sasuke listened intently and occasionally inserted brief commentary to show that she had his attention. Sakura could remember how desperate she was that night to hold in her tears for when she was alone. And when she finally was, she allowed them to fall freely as she cried for the boy who was about to leave her behind once again.
"Mariko?" Sachie's quiet call roused Sakura from her dream-like state. The sound of her undercover name was foreign to her as she fought back the dread that crept in.
"What is it?"
"Even if I'm not here, will you still keep your promise to protect my family?"
"Sachie…" Sakura began to protest but the girl cut her off before she could.
"Please, just promise me," her voice broke slightly and Sakura's heart lurched at the sound. "I'm begging you, Mariko."
"Okay, I promise."
"Thank you," Sachie sounded so small and sad that she couldn't help but pity her.
As Sakura listened to the girl's soft breathing even out with sleep, a heavy despair weighed on her body and a sudden fatigue overtook her. But most of all, she was sad—sad for the young girl who was convinced of her untimely demise and sad for a world where peace seemed like such a fickle, fictitious thing. She closed her eyes and hoped in vain that in the morning, things will be different—better even. But as dawn broke, the same cruel world was there to greet her.
A/N
Hello again! I hope you all liked this chapter. This is just a quick heads up that I may not be able to update next week. Lately, I've been extremely busy and have only been able to update because I already had the chapters written. Unfortunately, I've almost caught up to the content I already have so I need some time to get back into writing. I'll do my best to get the next chapter to you as soon as possible though!
As always, thank you for your support and comments/reviews are appreciated! :)