When I inevitably emerged from the bathroom, I was relieved to find that Sasuke left on the lamp on my side, which emitted a soft amber glow. I wouldn't have to find my way to the bed blindly in the darkness. I carefully slipped beneath the sheets, trying to settle my weight on the mattress gradually rather than abruptly so as to not disturb him. I noticed that Sasuke's back faced me, and he seemed to be running hot in his sleep, as only the sheet rested over his shoulder. The comforter was pushed down to rest at his waistline. I switched the lamp off and settled in, pulling the comforter to the same level that he had. A faint glow from between the white curtains of the windows indicated a bright, full moon and clear skies.
It's not surprising that Sasuke's fallen asleep by now. It's gonna take some time before I fall asleep. It always does when I sleep in new places. When I first woke up here, it would take hours...
I stared up at the ceiling with tired half-lidded eyes, a little more than envious of the boy next to me as I tried to ignore the steady sound of water drops hitting the porcelain of the sink in the bathroom. I spent a bit of time in there, the bath, engaging with my water chakra molds and easing my sore muscles. Anything to evade thinking of how I would rather be in my bed, not at this Inn, in this world. On this mission.
As the time continued to pass into the night, foggy memories of numerous failed childhood sleepover attempts drifted in and out of my mind. The anxious feelings from being so far from home so late into the night. I suppose just distant recollections of an interrupted life, at this point.
The sounds of Sasuke shifting against the sheets and the feeling of the mattress dipping beside me pulled me from the self-reflection of my younger days. At that same moment, the gradual darkening of the skies pulled my attention to the window. I watched as a rather large cloud obstructed half of the moon, causing the room to dim darker just the same. My gaze descended slowly to Sasuke, who turned to lie on his back, his eyes still closed. His brows were knitted together and I saw that his hair, which normally framed his soft, sculpted cheekbones, was now clinging to dampened skin.
A nightmare was tormenting him in his sleep, contracting his face in a steady variety of pained and frightened expressions. Sasuke's breath hitched, seeming to catch in his throat, before he quietly released it with a shudder. The intensity of the nightmare grew with every resistant groan and hiss of pain over the next several minutes, leaving me feeling compelled to do something to help ease him. When a particularly violent kick of his leg made contact with the side of mine, I pursed my lips.
Oh, screw it.
I stretched my arm out from beneath the cover, fingers reaching for him.
"Itachi..."
I hesitated at the name, my hand freezing in the cool air between us as Sasuke's lips parted, frowning at the hushed tone of utter betrayal.
Should I wake him, though? I think anyone with Sasuke's temperament would hate it if someone saw them like this.
My lips twisted just as my heart did at the decision I was weighing. My next thought finalized it.
What he would hate even more is knowing that he calls Itachi in his sleep.
I couldn't wake him. I don't want him to feel defensive around me on this mission. As much as I want to avoid openly thinking about it, my heart knew that I look forward to the time spent with Sasuke. It felt easier being around him, my resolve in this world, and I didn't want that ruined by him reacting with stoic embarrassment from an acceptable show of weakness. My hand retracted back to my side.
And there's already so much to worry about on this mission...
I also couldn't pull my eyes from his pained features. Once again I found myself enamored by the vulnerable sight of a boy I was never meant to meet, let alone grow close enough to divert killers or take shelter at night with. The weight of the day still weighed heavily on my eyelids, but between the fresh wave of sleeplessness that arose from fitful, erratic movements next to me and the guilt from the envy that I felt towards him earlier...
Cannot.
Sleep.
And the day of my silent oath to the boy asleep on my bed kept worming its way back into my brain.
And the muscles in his jaw just wouldn't stop contracting as he ground his teeth together in distress.
I turned my head to stare dimly at the ceiling again, unable to continue watching him struggle within his own mind. I don't know how much time passed as I listened to the Uchiha survivor continue turning restlessly in his sleep.
My head whipped with the speed of panic when a sudden, large movement caught my peripheral, and I fought off a wince at the twinge of pain that pulled violently at my stiff neck. Sasuke sat upright beside me in bed now, staring aimlessly into the darkness ahead of him. His breath came out in heavy, fleeting pants and gasps as he tried to calm down.
He looks so...
A small part of my brain told me to stay still, a part my body seemed obliged to comply with. There's no way he wanted to see or talk to me, to Sakura, in that condition. I couldn't make him even more uncomfortable than he already is. Yet something within me also felt compelled to get closer, the urge to reach out a second time was almost overbearing this time. Too strong to ignore.
Fragile.
My fingers flexed.
Radiant moonlight poured through the curtains once more, his porcelain skin appearing to glow as it reflected its light. My gaze was attracted by a peculiar shine in the dark. Glossy, half-lidded obsidian eyes stared back down into my own, causing mine to widen suddenly with surprise, and I retracted my hand back to my chest quickly.
Of course, he catches me staring at him!
I eased my posture back down, sinking into my pillows as I stared up at the ceiling once more with an intensity that burned almost as hot as my ears were.
"Sakura?" Sasuke called out to me quietly, his voice still thick from sleep and laced with uncertainty. Had he forgotten where he was when he first woke up?
...Were those tears that I saw in his eyes?
My mind fell to radio silence as I begrudgingly accepted this outcome, trying to focus my attention on the upset boy.
"It's- just me, Sasuke." I replied softly, still pushing down the embarrassment that had threatened to rise to my cheeks moments before. I internally cursed at the impediment in my tone and the ascending trend of my rattled heart. "Are you... alright?"
I saw his lips quirk ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth barely lifting upward.
"I'm fine," he said simply, laying back down.
No, you're not.
I wasn't going to argue with him though, given the circumstances. Instead of pushing, I kept my distance and my quiet. If Sasuke wanted to talk, he would. He knew that I would listen.
"You don't have to explain yourself or your past to me, Sasuke."
The moon fell behind the overcast skies once more, completely, and darkness settled heavily. Sasuke stayed still and silent long enough for me to tune back into the dripping coming from the bathroom sink again. Finally, he released a deep breath, one that sounded like he'd been holding it. I couldn't see now, though I could hear the rustle of the comforter and I felt it pulling slightly as he rolled onto his side. I could tell that he was facing me, and if I hadn't been so exhausted by that point, I might have found his closeness out of character.
At this point, we were just two kids on our first mission out of our home village, struggling to get some rest.
"I didn't mean to wake you." He sounded more awake now, a hint of guilt to his tone.
"Its fine." As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted them. They were too blunt, too matter of fact. If anything, they were dismissive of the not-an-apology he offered. "I couldn't sleep."
I hoped my shared afterthought eased him. Silence hung heavy between us before he spoke up again.
"Can I ask you something?"
Well aren't you full of surprises tonight.
"Yeah?" I replied tentatively, turning to face him once more, and immediately regretting it as moonlight poured back into the room and my gaze landed directly on his face. He looked good despite his hair being an outright mess.
Oh, get a grip... it's late...
I didn't miss his expression betraying a hint of concern or the tension rising between us. As quickly as I could manage it, I glanced away for a moment of composure, my ears burning.
How does he do that?
"Is everything okay?" The softness of his voice caused my stomach to flip and I fought back the heaviness settling quickly on my lungs. This wasn't the first time he'd really asked me such questions, that's not exactly what affected me so much. It was the concern he was openly expressing, it was the effort he made to connect with me despite the way our unforeseen late-night conversation started.
Maybe he needs the distraction.
"You treated the Demon Brothers as if they had done something personal..." He elaborated, probably sensing the awkwardness. "Against you, I mean. It seemed like something serious." I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to fidget under his steady gaze.
"It's really nothing. Just..." I mumbled in reply, losing the battle as I averted my eyes again. Even if he didn't believe my answer, I wouldn't be able to tell him the truth right now. "Some bad feelings coming back to me because of the fight. No big deal." I offered him my best reassuring smile.
The tension between us thickened and we both remained quiet. In spite of my attempt to appear nonchalant, I couldn't help the feeling that something important was about to happen. I wanted desperately to speak, to ease that tensity, but I didn't dare open my mouth. I didn't want to dig a hole for myself. After a moment, the Uchiha sighed heavily and closed his eyes, allowing a small, displeased frown to grace his face. My heart tightened.
His next words surprised me, most of all out of the ones he had spoken before.
"You don't need to fake a smile around me."
The air felt colder as my breathing stopped, the words hanging in the room between us, making me feel even more guilty than I already was. The last thing I wanted to do was cause problems between us. And he was right, wasn't he? I looked down at the covers.
"What you said to me that day, during the bell test..."
I do hide my feelings.
I hide them a lot, actually.
Too much.
And although I didn't want to admit it, my emotions were constantly clouding my judgment. Keeping me from opening myself up wholly to my team.
I know that.
Deep down, I knew that.
I kept up the act, masking my true feelings behind false smiles and genuine acceptance for him. Really, not just for him. I gave it to Kakashi and Naruto as well, because I knew the loneliness they all bore. Truly though, the real reason I couldn't be vulnerable was obvious, but not in Sakura's life. It was because I wasn't strong enough to bare my soul, again, to someone who wasn't...
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.
Him.
A flash of his face bore a hole through my mind, the face of the boy back home.
The one I'd been trying so desperately not to think about tonight.
Or any other night, really.
"Its feelings that are..." I presented an explanation again, but I didn't offer a false smile this time. "Hard to let go of."
My true home.
My real home.
The home I can't return to.
"It has to do with that secret you can't share until my Sharingan awakens." He questioned further, slowly. The gears clicking in his brain showed on his face. "Doesn't it?"
Sasuke will hate me for keeping it from him, for lying to him.
I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging painfully into my palms. My teeth ground together as I fought back the tears. How many times have I promised myself that I wouldn't cry? That I wouldn't show this weakness in front of him again, that I would work hard to become someone he could lean on, rather than a girl he protected all of the time. A girl stuck in her past. No matter how much stronger I got, it wouldn't stop me from hurting. From slowly breaking on the inside as I weighed the lives of my newfound family, the events and actions that turned them into the people they would become.
For Sasuke, most of all...
The Uchiha massacre.
The truth behind it.
I was scared of what might happen if I didn't hold back my feelings. If I allowed the dam to leak, would it break? Would I tell him everything?
If the tears begin to fall,
could I make them stop?
"Sakura?"
My head snapped up as he called to me and I realized I never answered him. He sat there, staring intently at me with patient concern, the faintest trace of nervousness etching into his brows. I thought he was going to continue asking me questions, but thankfully he didn't, waiting for my response instead.
"Yes," I breathed out, my throat dry as I struggled to pull myself back together and stay present. I found it difficult to do as the exhaustion of the day continued bearing its weight down on me. I felt like I was crashing. "It's complicated..."
"It goes both ways."
At the memory of Sasuke's reciprocation of friendship in his kitchen, the tears pooled in my eyes and threatened to spill over, causing my vision to blur. Before I could process what I was doing, I was reaching forward for Sasuke, for the third time that night, only this time I grasped his hand in my own for comfort. I reflexively squeezed his fingers as I stared back into his shocked expression and tried to ignore the feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling that told me I should pull my hand away, that I shouldn't have touched him.
But I couldn't bring myself to take it back. It wasn't because I feared rejection, no. It was purely out of the fear of losing control. Of letting my emotions out. Of giving myself away and having him hate me, and knowing that no matter what I said, it was still all wrong. And it always would be.
And perhaps it was selfish, but I was tired, dammit. So tired. Tired of pretending. Tired of living in a lie that I was better off not believing. Tired of being afraid of everything around me. Everything I loved. Everything I wanted. All these feelings I tried so hard to suppress. The pain of losing them all, back home. Of having them ripped away from me, and having no idea why.
So I held onto his hand, refusing to take back my answer in this state of mind and risk breaking his trust forever. And surprisingly, Sasuke didn't pull away from me. When the shock had worn off his face, he looked confused, but eventually settled into his usual relaxed expression as we stared at each other.
Thank you for lending me some strength, Sasuke. Even though you were the one having a nightmare...
I hoped that my gratitude showed in my own expression before my eyes slowly began to flutter close, and I welcomed feeling the tug that would pull me into sleep.
I would tell him someday, soon.
But not when we were both still so...
Fragile.
Wake up, Sakura.
My vision was hazy, enveloped by a familiar and reassuring navy blue. My gaze landed on buckles before following white fabric up to pale biceps. Sasuke was peering down at me with an expectant expression on his face. His hair dropped with gravity from leaning over the bed, which I thought framed his face elegantly. I concluded from the placement of his left hand that he had just shaken my shoulder to wake me.
"I'm so exhausted." I sighed my words and resisted a groan, throwing my arm over my eyes to cover them from the piercing brightness and my embarrassment from the night before. After a brief pause, I felt two taps on my arm, and I peeked out with a faint, guilty smile at the Uchiha boy. This time, he had a look of apathy, but a slight twinkle in his eyes indicated some enjoyment at my childish antics.
"Kakashi said it's time for breakfast." And with that short, promising sentence, he had me.
My stomach growled in anticipation of food, and I received a single, acknowledging 'hn' in response from Sasuke.
My cheeks began to warm.
"I'll be ready in ten minutes." I spoke softly, almost shyly, as I sat up in bed. Sasuke nodded, straightening up and turning away from me to walk over to his bag and finish organizing his belongings. I continued to sit there for a moment, watching the Uchiha clan symbol on the back of his shirt flex with his movement, allowing my body the moment to catch up to reality. As promised, I emerged from the warmth of my cocoon to prepare for what would undoubtedly be another long day of travel.
"Ah, Sasuke, Sakura." Kakashi spoke as we got seated, in the exact booth as the evening before. I returned his greeting, scooping chopsticks up in my left hand as I settled in. I began transferring prepared rolled omelets from the shared serving plate to my dish.
"Are you finished disarming your traps?" He questioned, as though it were a task he had specifically assigned. I slowed down my chewing and swallowed in order to stare at the dark-haired boy next to me
"Yes." Sasuke answered, dodging my stare and catching Kakashi's. I wanted to sulk but instead settled for a low, barely detectable grumble.
I would have helped you.
"Great. After we eat, we'll finish our packing and check out." Kakashi replied in a pleased tone, though his attention had already returned to his book. He was already done eating. Despite his attempts to ignore me and act unconcerned about it during our meal, I kept giving the Uchiha boy the side-eye.
The distracting quarrel between Naruto and Tazuna on the other side of the booth was something I made an effort to ignore. Inescapably, a distraught remark about brown sugar sucked me in.
"Brown sugar in ramen? That's disgusting!" Tazuna laughed, which is becoming more and more regular around our orange ninja.
"Disgusting?! The flavor combination with the tender pork belly-" Naruto was interrupted abruptly.
"Why would I want my ramen to be sweetened, of all things? I'm not a child. Give me spicy, give me savory."
I pursed my lips, trying to hide my amusement at the absurd exchange by returning my attention to the plate in front of me.
Hoisin sauce as a marinade for the meat is better.
It didn't take long to finish the meal. I carefully arranged my chopsticks over my plate, left hand resting on my full stomach. My right hand likewise lowered to find a place on the cool, smooth upholstery padding the booth as I slouched back in it.
My brain abruptly short-circuited when I felt a radiating warmth, one that could only come from another living being's skin.
My eyes raced down to discover my fingers spread out across foreign knuckles, which were roughened and pallid. Gradually, my stare raised up to confront Sasuke's own shocked expression.
And surprisingly, Sasuke didn't pull away from me. When the shock had worn off his face, he looked confused, but eventually settled into his usual relaxed expression as we stared at each other.
I drew both my hands back as the memory from the night before played fresh in my mind, pressing them against the sides of my legs.
Oh, gods.
"I-I'm done eating. I'm going to head to the room and, um, wrap things up." I spoke erratically, bowing briefly after I slipped out from the booth. I pivoted around on my heel to escape.
"Oh, Sakura." Kakashi called out casually, and I stilled.
"Yes, sensei?" I replied quietly but evenly, my back still turned.
"Can I get the funds to pay the bill, please?" His tone indicated amusement.
"Of course, sensei." Reaching into my hip pouch, I exhaled a breath that I wasn't even aware I had been holding on to.
This time, I turned and gave the money to Kakashi while dodging Sasuke's stare.
"Thank you." He stated this with sincerity and a sparkle in his eye. The bastard was aware of what had occurred between his students under the table of the booth. I gave him a small pout before swiftly resuming my retreat.
That was incredibly awkward.
"What's wrong with Sakura? Her face was all red." Naruto said in the distance.
As we followed the trails, Kakashi evaluated and verified our ability—or lack thereof—to read maps. He advised us on which locations were safer to stop in at with clients and which would jeopardize the success of the mission. We were able to enjoy a nice lunch on our second day of travel, thanks to my request with the Innkeeper to set some smoked meat aside for us. The days that followed were uneventful. It went without saying that we weren't camping due to the risk of being ambushed again. The mission's progress was hindered since we sometimes had to halt early for the night, as the next village may have been tens of kilometers away.
I couldn't blame Kakashi for not entrusting night guard to fresh genin.
We seemed to have fallen into an unspoken rhythm for the first few days in which Tazuna, Naruto, and Kakashi shared one room, and me and Sasuke shared the other. I had a gut instinct that Kakashi was responsible. Kakashi eventually had to explain that it was because he didn't want the boys to wind up destroying a room in a fight, after Naruto complained about never getting to share a room with Sakura.
If Naruto persisted, Kakashi used their passionate disagreements, which frequently ended in the trading of blows, against Naruto. It seemed to quiet his protests every time. So far, at least.
Sharing a room with Sasuke every night would be fascinating to the original Sakura. But we didn't necessarily talk to each other every night or sleep in the same bed. The fact that we continued to have enough money left over each day to continue staying at inns puzzled me.
I had a hunch that the red, wooden ANBU token had a major impact on that. Perhaps a discount of sorts?
On our seventh day of foot travel, Kakashi stopped us for a quick lunch break beside a relatively large, swift-moving creek we had been following. It must have been close to noon. We all let out contented sighs as we shrugged off our cumbersome packs. I made the choice to take a chance on the water and slipped off my ninja sandals, immersing my feet in the water and wriggling my toes in response to the chill that spread as goosebumps on my upper arms and thighs. I shut my eyes and stretched out on the grass, sighing blissfully as I relished the cool breeze on my warm face.
"We have five more days of walking before we reach the coast." I heard Kakashi say, his voice almost distant in my quiet reflection of the week.
"At that point, it'll only take a half-day's boat ride to reach the Land of Waves. Then a twenty minute walk to my house." Tazuna replied.
Just like Kakashi told us before we left the village. Good, we're still on track.
The sound of movement near me compelled me to open one eye, which was quickly followed by the other as my focus was captured. Sasuke had positioned himself on the grass to my left, and I saw him building a makeshift fishing pole out of a flexible stick, some of his ninja wire, and a hook he must have had stashed away. He cut the ninja wire to the appropriate length with his kunai in hand and stored the remaining wire and kunai back in his pack as he continued on with his craft. For a brief moment, he frowned down at the pole, his gaze shifting to the empty space between us. He carefully tossed the line out so as not to unwittingly hook me in the process, bringing a smile to my face.
Sakura almost certainly wouldn't have noticed.
I was trying to learn to cherish these peaceful times spent away from the village, tucked away in the vast woodlands between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves. Finding myself in the heart of wildlife felt comforting and serene. Both in this life and the one preceding it. Nature was the one thing that didn't vary too far from my own world.
Still, I knew I couldn't always depend on Kakashi for protection and oversight. Given how terrifying the Forest of Death will be in the not too distant future, I couldn't let my guard down too much. But, once again, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be carried away by the rhythms of the stream. The occasional fish flopping against the nearby grass would draw my attention, but it never persisted for long. I could have sworn I felt a small heat wave sweep over my exposed skin at one point, but I figured it was simply the sun's warmth.
The next thing I knew, somebody was gently shaking me and pulling me to my senses.
"Sasuke caught some fish and started a fire! You ought to eat some before we head out." A vivid yellow and orange blur was leaning over me. I briefly rubbed at my eyes while blinking the sand out of the corners of my eyes. When I reopened them, the blur was gone. I pulled my feet from the water and forced myself back up into a sitting position so they could air dry. Naruto had gotten back up to his feet and was walking somewhere behind me. The smoke that billowed into the air was accompanied by the mouthwatering aroma of roasted fish.
"Sasuke-kun roasted fish?" I managed to mutter while yawning.
To ease the strain from carrying the heavy pack for so many days, I stretched my arms out to the sides and up in the air. I looked up and saw the team gathered around the campfire, which provided a steady flow of heat for the fish impaled on sharpened sticks. As my eyes wandered to Sasuke, I found him gazing at me with a focused intent that left me feeling puzzled. After a few moments, a faint smirk formed on his lips, and a swift shake of his head left me feeling sheepish and in the dark. He easily plucked the end of one of the sticks from the ground and outstretched his arm to offer it to me.
The skin of the fish had that amazing, crispy, delectable appearance.
My stomach began to grumble at the sight of it
With a tired smile, I slipped my ninja sandals back on and stood to join my team.
I shivered, pulling my jacket tighter against my body and crossing my arms over my chest to keep warm and ease the anxiety that was rising in my body. We were getting closer to the Land of Waves - so close, in fact, that we were in the middle of an ocean, inside of a simple fishing boat. In an effort to see through the dense mist that was enveloping our surroundings, Naruto sat at the very front of the boat with his hands gripping the edge of the vessel.
Directly behind him sat Tazuna. Behind him, me and Sasuke sat with our backs leaning against one another for extra support. I had one knee pulled up with my elbow resting on it, while my other leg was outstretched to the left side of the boat. Sasuke settled into a simple crisscross applesauce facing the right side of the boat. The never-ending waves of the ocean held a peaceful lull to them.
In my world, I'd never seen a beach or an ocean. My family wasn't wealthy by any means. In fact, we never went on a vacation together. Not once. Too many kids, too many animals that needed to be cared for while we were gone. Not enough money, energy, or time. Time and energy were the hardest things for me to give up as I grew, because I had to spend all of it working, trying to survive. Just trying to find my place in the world and exist.
I wasn't bitter about it. Just sad.
I'm not in my own time or world right now, though. Even the idea of money is unimportant now. The ninja are generously compensated for their efforts to ensure the village's safety and prosperity.
The ocean still held curiosities in it though, and it was nice to finally see them at surface level. Even under these circumstances.
Surprisingly, Kakashi wasn't reading his book. I cast an innocent glance at him as I swept my gaze across the big ocean in front of me. He, too, stared into the mist, sitting alongside the fisherman in the back of the boat. He had a languid look on his face, though I couldn't help but notice the focus hiding in his eye. The fisherman had a serious, melancholy expression on his face, and his eyes were incessantly scanning our surroundings for potential hazards.
It heightened my own awareness of the threats and costs involved with this mission, causing my palms to sweat in anticipation of what lay ahead. I couldn't risk allowing my thoughts to stray like they had before in the forest.
No, I have to be vigilant this time. I have a responsibility to my team, to Tazuna...
To Sakura.
As if doing so would improve his vision, Naruto moaned and rubbed his eyes. "That mist is so thick..."
"We should see the bridge soon enough." The fisherman answered frankly. "The Wave country will be at the beginning of it."
Sure enough, in the mist, great shadows grew and appeared. We were able to see the bridge's structural underpinnings as we got closer.
"Whoa!" Naruto cried in astonishment. "It's huge!"
"Be quiet!" The fisherman hissed at the young boy. "Why do you think we're not using the engine right now? We'll all be dead if Gato finds us. ..."
Naruto covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes widening as his face became pale. It was true; the fisherman turned off the engine well over an hour ago.
The vibe in the boat shifted as we recalled that piece of information that Tazuna had inevitably shared during the first few days of our travels through the dense forest.
"It involves the mission." Tazuna had said this, guilt and fear weighing heavily on his face and exacerbating his wrinkles, reminding us all of the tired, old man he was despite his lively, almost youthful demeanor.
"What else are you keeping from us, old man?" Naruto asked suspiciously, his face scrunching up with distrust.
"I probably deserve that. I haven't been entirely truthful about who exactly put the bounty on my head, as you must know since we were attacked by ninja." He spoke with a somber, grim tone that unsettled everyone as his regretful eyes caught Kakashi's. Kakashi sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the bridge builder.
"Go on..." With a wave of his hand, Kakashi urged the bridgebuilder and hushed Naruto.
"I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of him. He's a very powerful industrialist, a short man with a long shadow. His name is Gato..." Tazuna trailed off.
"Gato?!" Kakashi exclaimed, his visible eye wide with shock. "He's said to be one of the wealthiest men in the world."
"Long shadow?" Naruto repeated quietly, the implication not lost on him.
"On the surface, he appears to make all of his money through his shipping company. However, he employs thugs and ninja to carry out his orders, selling illegal items, drugs," He took a brief pause, his eyes darting over my form, causing my jaw to clench at the realization of his next word. "women... He uses these illegal means to take over entire businesses and countries."
"A monopoly..." My own country's battle with the corrupt rich came to mind as I muttered through gritted teeth. Tazuna nodded in agreement.
"About a year ago, he set his sights on my homeland, and he took over our shipping industry. We haven't been the same since." Finally finished, Tazuna hid the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes by removing his glasses and cleaning them.
"Therefore, Gato is the one who employed those ninja that ambushed us." Sasuke got right to the point.
"Yes... He intends to murder me in order to prevent the completion of the bridge, which would connect us to other land and allow us to trade freely again."
"What I don't understand is why you hid the fact that ninja might be after you when you hired us." Kakashi spoke up again, his arms crossed, as he considered the situation.
"My country is impoverished as a result of his rule. He pays off the feudal lord with crumbs compared to the profits he must make from controlling all of the resources flowing in and out of the Land of Waves. Our connection to the rest of the world is basically severed. The cost of a B-Rank escort mission was far beyond my means."
It didn't take long from there for Tazuna to guilt Kakashi into completing the mission—bringing up his grandson and daughter.
"We're almost there." The silence was broken by Tazuna's voice. The boat's fisherman turned to face him with a frown tugging at his lips.
"Tazuna, I think we should take the path through the vegetation just in case. We've managed to avoid detection so far, but we can't rely on that now that we're so close." Tazuna nodded in agreement, thanking the man for the wise suggestion. The sight of beautiful green trees caught our attention as the boat turned to make its way through one of the numerous tunnels in the stone wall beside the bridge's base. Their spiraling trunks broke through the water, providing us with useful cover from prying eyes.
We eventually arrived at a dock and a small house, the doors and windows boarded up. A tattered, aged white cloth was nailed across the entryway to the door. The fisherman became more agitated as we began to unload our luggage and ourselves from the boat, gritting his teeth. He threw the last pack, Naruto's pack, much harder than he should have, and it landed with an audible thud against Naruto's chest.
"That's it for me. Goodbye and good luck." He spoke quickly, avoiding Tazuna's gaze as he yanked on the starting cord to his boat's engine with shaking hands. Tazuna had already turned away.
"Yes, I sincerely appreciate it, old friend. Time to get home!"
My eyes narrowed at the fisherman's suspicious body language, and I turned to Kakashi, who simply shook his head, signaling that I should keep quiet.
There's no doubt about it now.
We will be attacked again as a result of this 'old friend's' betrayal...
A/N: I wanted to give y'all an extra long chapter since you've been waiting so long. :) I revised and rewrote so much, and tried my best to proofread it thoroughly before posting it. So if you see any mistakes... Please let me know! I can go back and fix them. And let me know what you think of the story so far, if you like it. I'm grateful for your reviews, favorites and follows.