The group travelled in silence, their minds all thinking back to the cloaked enigma whom had saved the Ring bearer. The unknown entity had rushed onto the scene quicker than their minds could comprehend and in a roar of fire, had tamed the beast and saved Frodo. Each time one of the more.. curious of the group mentioned the peculiar creature, Gandalf shot them down or interrupted them the second they opened their mouth. They weren't sure why the wizard was determined to ignore the obvious existence of the blue-eyed hobbit's saviour but after a while of asking questions and bringing up the recent events and receiving no answers in response, the inquiries stopped.
Although the majority of the group was suspicious about the hobbit's saviour, they tried their best to drop their concerns, however; they remained tense as they advanced through the mines. Gandalf didn't seem too worried about the creature and; as a result, they guessed that they shouldn't be too concerned. Then again, they couldn't ever really tell with Gandalf.
From the moment they had begun their journey through the mines, Gandalf had warned them that it would be a four-day journey, meaning that they would have to sleep where many skeletons resided -much to the hobbits' displeasure. Even in its abandoned state, the group could tell that the mines were truly impressive, many wooden bridges connected the path, protecting them from the fall they would have had to take if the structures weren't there. Great piles of rock, blended together, creating huge pillars that towered above them. There were obvious signs of ruin- most likely from whatever invasion the previous inhabitants had died from.
Steep staircases travelled up the mines, the hobbits finding themselves climbing up them on all fours, their short statures and big feet making the precipitous stairs that much harder to mount. Not to mention the multiple skeletons and other objects spread about the place.
Pippin nearly took a tumble when he slipped, Merry having to help steady him. Gandalf was the first to reach the top, having been the one leading them in the first place. He looked around at the multiple stone archways, each leading down its own tunnel. A piece of large rock that protruded from the ground stood before the three tunnels and Gandalf found himself sitting down on it after coming to the daunting realisation that he had no memory of the place where they now found themselves.
The rest of the fellowship sat around, Aragorn smoking his pipe from his place next to Boromir.
"Are we lost?" Someone whispered right before a loud shushing noise was heard.
"Merry? I'm hungry."
"What?"
As Gandalf, sat nibbling mindlessly at his pipe, Frodo sensed a presence lurking in the darkness. He frowned, becoming more alert at the muffled scraping that met his ears. Ascending the stairs he spotted some kind of creature travelling on all fours, not hesitating, he rushed up to Gandalf.
"There's something down there." He whispered, his voice hushed but still echoing slightly in the silence of the mines.
"It's Gollum." The wizard replied, not seeming very concerned in the least.
"Gollum?"
"He's been following us for three days. As has that saviour of yours."
Blue eyes blinked before widening. He hadn't seen nor noticed the hooded entity yet Gandalf stated that he had been following them as well. His hand reached up to feel the material of his shirt that rested above the golden object he had been carrying. He hoped that whatever business the creature had, it didn't involve the Ring.
Deciding to focus on Gollum for the time being, he opened his mouth to speak.
"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dur?"
"Escaped... or was set loose. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. He will never be rid of his need for it."
"A pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." The hobbit spoke.
"Pity?" The wizard frowned, turning his head to look at Frodo who faced him at the sound of his voice. "It is pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play here, as does your saviour, for good or ill, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."
The curly-haired male swallowed, his blue gaze cast downward as he took in Gandalf's words. He moved to sit next to the wizard, his eyes still set on the ground.
"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
"So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, besides evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." His kind yet wise eyes stared at the hobbit.
~{*.*}~
Sakura was honestly incredibly fed up with herself and her situation. Not only had she allowed her instincts to take over when a mysterious light shone from over her shoulder, but she had also dived into danger to save a certain shortie. The kunoichi hadn't expected to have a panic attack in the middle of what she could only describe as a tomb, her past horrors coming back to life in front of her eyes. Then again, she hadn't expected to be thrown into a whole new world when, back in her own, they were in the middle of a war.
The group had been travelling for a while, the atmosphere irritatingly uncomfortable, the mood, however, was not what was bothering Sakura. Instead, it was the concerning presence of a certain humanoid figure that had been trailing after the party of nine. No matter how hard the rosette tried she couldn't seem to ignore the lifeform. The kunoichi knew that she shouldn't be trying to disregard the stalker since whoever it was could cause possible trouble for them in the future but she was sure that her presence had caused enough of a disturbance to this world. She didn't want to interfere any more than she had to; she had enough on her mind as it was anyway.
She had been trained for long-term missions, both solo ones and ones with a team but she couldn't help the feeling of homesickness that tore at her aching heart. Memories of her home and pictures of her friends flooded her mind, she could hear their distant laughs, smell Ino's favourite perfume and the stench of ramen that wafted in the air whenever her sunny teammate was around. She knew that what was waiting for her back in her world was a war (if it hadn't already ended) but as she silently followed a team of people whom she knew near to nothing about, she found herself longing for the dark battlefield where no life shone. Maybe that was because there, she at least had her friends fighting by her side.
Sakura inhaled deeply through her nose, letting out the breath seconds later through her mouth. She couldn't let herself drown in her sorrows. She had already spent enough time panicking over her situation, all she could do now was try and find a way out of her predicament. She had, for some reason, decided to follow the stranger and that had led her to follow the rest of the group as well. Maybe it was because she felt as if in order to stabilise herself in this unfamiliar world she needed something consistent to focus on and she had chosen to take up the role of guardian, constantly watching over the party of nine and stepping in only when absolutely necessary.
The group had decided to take a break from walking and settled in front of some archways, the male with the staff sitting on a large piece of rock. She wouldn't have taken note of this break had it not been for the obvious fact that they were lost. The grey-haired man had led the rest of the group through the dark tunnels however, now it seemed that he had lost his way.
It didn't bother Sakura as much as she would've thought it would. She had been lost since she first landed in this world so she didn't feel anything in particular about this odd discovery. She could probably make her own way out of wherever they were anyway.
She crawled, upside-down on the ceiling, chakra sticking her to the rock as she silently kept an eye out. The shortie she had saved had made his way over to the man on the rock, most likely having spotted the disturbing entity down below. The same creature she had been aware of for days was still following the group, its long limbs helping it scale the steep stairs the group of nine had previously struggled to mount.
The kunoichi's ears twitched as the hiss of voices invaded her senses. The pinkette did her best to filter it out, the unknown language giving her a headache. Emerald orbs narrowed as they observed the moving figure that crept around in the shadows. Sakura tried her best to not have an opinion on the entity but she couldn't help the suspicion rising in her gut.
She raised her right hand to her head and a green glow surrounded the appendage as she tried to soothe the throbbing headache that attacked her skull. Her head had been hurting quite frequently since her arrival, a possible side effect that arose from her being somewhere she shouldn't be. The pain had only gotten worse since she had followed the group into the dark caves and Sakura hoped that it would disappear soon.
A sigh left her lips as a peaceful numbness washed over her. She opened her green eyes, having not realised that she had closed them in the first place, and dropped down from her lookout, landing silently with cat-like grace on the ground.
The low grumbles that resonated around her, alongside the sudden standing of several of the group's members told her that they were just about ready to continue the journey.
'It seems the old man has finally recalled the correct route to wherever we're going.' She stretched out her limbs, being mindful of the space around her. She didn't want to accidentally bump into something and ruin her illusion.
She followed the group, making up the behind of their travelling pack. She looked around as they exited the small tunnel, her eyebrows raising. She was sure that before destruction and terror had struck this place, it had been mightily impressive. Even in its ruins, the carvings indented into the rock surrounding them still stood, painting a masterpiece of what once stood in destruction's place.
As the old man with his glow-in-the-dark staff grumbled something, the light emitting from said staff shone brighter, illuminating the colossal space that stood around them. The extra light didn't make much of a difference to Sakura who was able to pump chakra into her eyes in order to see in the dark. Judging by the looks on the group's faces, however, the extra brightness had made all the difference, revealing what the pinkette had seen the second she had looked around her.
Great pillars that dwarfed even giants stood in rows, creating what one could almost call a labyrinth. Each one had clearly been carefully constructed, the place's previous owners obviously having had had a masterclass in the art of sculpting and interior design.
They walked at a steady pace, taking in the place around them. It was certainly grander than anything in Konohagakure, that was for sure, but the absence of life left the pinkette on edge. Remembering the countless remains that they had passed as they travelled left her with haunting images of what could have caused such disaster to befall such an economy.
A loud gasp along with a shout caught her attention and the rosette immediately got into a battle stance, eyes darting around and fingers equipped with shuriken. Sensing no immediate danger she calmed down and turned to where the noise had come from. It appeared the bearded shortie with the odd helmet had run off in the direction of a room, skeletons and other things scattered around on the ground in front of two open doors.
She could hear his sad cries and even with the language barrier could understand that he had probably found someone who was familiar to him. She followed the rest of the crew towards the room, stepping over a skeleton that had an arrow sticking out from where its larynx had once been.
Light shone down, hitting a tomb that had some foreign scribbles inscribed on its surface. She guessed that it read the name of the one the male was crying over.
The familiar grumble of the pointy hat-wearing male caught her attention and from her spot near the doors of the room, she thought it was safe to say that he was reading whatever it was that was on the tomb. Sakura frowned as the bearded shortie began to cry loudly, she found it endearing how he cared so much for someone to openly display his emotions like that but it was obvious that something had committed the massacre and she had a dreadful feeling that whatever it was hadn't left.
The man with the long beard handed his hat and staff to one of the shorties, picking up a book and opening it. He blew away the layer of dust that covered the pages and his deep voice read aloud whatever was written. The rest of the group looked around wearily, the shortie that held the reading man's hat and staff slowly inching backwards.
Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the shortie reach out to the skeleton that looked to be sitting on something. She opened her mouth, prepared to blow her cover in order to stop him when a loud clattering made her and the rest of the group jump. The skull of the skeleton had fallen and tumbled down the well that stood behind the pile of bones. She swallowed as the rest fell after the skull, the armour that still clung to the bones causing a horrible high-pitched sound to attack her ears. As if it wasn't bad enough, a chain appeared to be attached to the skeleton and as a result, it also went tumbling down what looked to be a well of sorts. The chain was connected to a bucket which followed, creating a racket that shattered any remaining hope of staying undetected they had.
If it was any other situation, Sakura might have laughed but all the pinkette felt was a sense of dread. The frightful noise continued and she found herself praying over and over again in her head, wishing and hoping that it would end.
As the noise finally came to a stop, silence enveloped the group, the clumsy shortie who had caused the clamour struggling for words.
~{*.*}~
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf scolded. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity."
The Wizard took back his hat and staff as the poor hobbit looked at the ground.
A repeated banging noise caused them to turn to the well, horror slowly dawning on them. The memory of the words written in the book Gandalf had read repeated in their minds.
"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums... in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves... in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."
Squeals sounded and their breaths grew shaky. They had no doubts. It was their turn, they were coming.
The Ring-bearer drew the sword that Bilbo had gifted him, seeing it glow his breathing sped up, the sound of screeches and chatter growing louder.
"Orcs!" Legolas exclaimed.
The group knew they running low on time as they internally panicked. Boromir ran to the doors, narrowly avoiding two arrows.
"Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn yelled at the hobbits.
The wizard stood in front of them, arm held out as Aragorn threw his lit torch on the ground, choosing to help Boromir close the doors.
"They have a cave-troll." The son of the Steward of Gondor spoke in a tone that screamed 'Of course they have cave troll'.
The Elf of the group tossed the two men who were holding the door closed, some of the weapons that were laying around. The two used them to hold the door closed in hopes of keeping their foe out of the room they were currently in.
They ran back once it was secured, the rest of the fellowship unsheathing their swords and readying their weapons in preparation for the battle that was about to commence.
"Let them come! There's one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" Gimli yelled, fury fueling him as he stood atop the tomb that rested in the centre of the room.
Whatever was on the other side of the doors was clearly fighting to gain entry into the room and multiple weapons were struck into the wood, clawing at the doors, aiming to break them down.
Legolas sent an arrow through a hole they had created, a screech of pain signalling that he had hit his target. More arrows were unleashed, firing through the broken parts of the door and aimed at the creatures of evil who screeched on the other side. The doors finally gave in and a crowd of Orcs came running in, many screamed as they fell, arrows piercing their flesh.
An all-out battle broke out, screams and cries making up their own war as the skill of the fellowship faced the number of the Orcs. As Gandalf joined the fray the hobbits followed with battle cries, ducking under attacks and slicing when they could.
Just as the group seemed to be gaining the upper hand a terrible roar caught their attention as a cave-troll came charging through the broken doorway.
~{*.*}~
It was thanks to her reflexes that she managed to dodge one of the group's members as he rushed to the doors. Two arrows narrowly missed his head and Sakura tensed her muscles in preparation for the fight she knew was inevitable. Her chakra was pumping around her body like adrenaline as every fibre of her being begged her to let loose and not hold back.
She distantly heard the grumble of a voice, panic sounding around her. The rosette took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, she didn't need a repeat of her earlier mistakes, it wouldn't do to have her instincts take control again. Once she had calmed herself, she leapt into the air and clung to a wall, her chakra supporting her.
She would prefer not to get in the way despite her heart hammering against her ribs and the wild combination of adrenaline and chakra circulating through her system. She wouldn't allow herself to give in to the temptation of battle unless absolutely necessary.
Whatever creatures lurked on the other side of the secured door screeched loudly as they hacked at the wood blocking their entrance. Sakura couldn't help but think back to the black riders she had faced on multiple occasions, memories of the dark chakra rolling off them making her swallow thickly. Her green eyes moved to the splitting wooden doors, the culprits behind the damage most certainly weren't the dark knights, their messy attacks, even from behind the wood made her wince internally. It was clear from the odd angles of their strikes and the booming noise that they were wrestling each other in hopes of being the first to gain entry into the room the group she was watching over were in.
She heard the whistle of an arrow fly through the air, the missile launching itself through a hole in the door and striking its prey who fell with a strangled scream. The first arrow was followed by many more, the cavities that had been created by the foul beasts proving to be perfect slots to fire the projectiles through.
It would be false to say that the pinkette didn't send a couple of shuriken at the creatures, making sure she did so at an angle that would make her snipes undetectable to all but her unfortunate victims who were unaware until the sharp weapons met their flesh, skillfully dodging their armour and the chaos raging on around them. She made sure to not use too many of her weapons, keeping in mind that she most likely wouldn't be able to get any more.
The thought was a sad one but it made her think more carefully about using her weapons, they weren't what she relied on most in a fight (that title was reserved for her fists) but they were still useful and she would prefer to not lose any of the limited supply she had. She was trained in the art of dodging because of her role as a medic and often used a kunai or another bladed weapon to deflect what she couldn't avoid.
A loud crash broke her line of thought and she narrowed her green eyes. The door had been demolished, the grotesque creatures bounding in. Sakura watched as a fight broke out below, arrows flying through the air and swords clashing against each other, aiming to strike their target to the ground. The screams that tore through the unknown creatures' throats threatened to destroy the rosette's ears, the sound worse than a dying cat's wails.
Her attention was then caught by an approaching presence and right on queue, in came what she could only describe as a giant beast. It forced its way through the entrance with a roar, some kind of collar around its neck that had a chain attached to it. Its form was like something out of one of the books she would have read when she was a child, representing a cross between a troll and an ogre. A portion of its skin was covered by scales and the only piece of clothing it donned was a loin cloth. It had two small eyes that were a fair distance apart, an open mouth with decaying teeth and a great deal of saliva. Its nose was almost nonexistent if not for the two holes that represented nostrils that were set above its eyes. With its odd outward appearance that was still somewhat humanoid, Sakura tried to come up with a rough mental image of the creature's anatomy. She found it challenging considering the fact that this was a species she had never once encountered before. Even without a clear mental image, she gathered that it was strong and was fully capable of throwing around the giant war hammer it carried in one hand.
An arrow was fired, piercing the great creature's flesh, the multiple roars that came from its mouth bounced off the walls and attacked their ears. Its foul breath joined the stench of death that wafted around the underground. In retaliation to the attack the long blonde-haired male had fired at it, the creature swung its hammer down on one of the shorties who yelled as they ducked out of the way.
Its weapon crashed into the ground, the force behind the blow causing it to be stuck. The small males took this as their chance and hid as the bearded shortie through his axe at the massive troll. It let out another roar and swung its free weapon at the male, destroying the tomb.
It swung again, narrowly missing the helmet-wearing male but taking out some of the vile creatures. The short male was on his back on the ground, the great beast towering over him preparing to attack until an arrow fired by the blonde male caused it to stumble back. The kunoichi let loose a few kunai, taking out the dark entities that had been knocked down by the bigger creature's attacks.
The familiar sound of destruction and earth-shattering roars turned her attention to her left where the troll who had recovered was mercilessly attacking the blonde who had launched arrows at it. The creature wasn't allowing the male a chance at retaliation, swinging the chain that was attached to its collar and its hammer back and forth. The weapon wrapped around a pillar and the blonde took his chance, leaping onto the creature and firing an arrow at its face. The projectile bounced off its hard skin and the male jumped off.
The chain that connected the brute's collar and weapon snapped and it made quick work of freeing its hammer. It turned to where three of the shorties were hiding and swung its hammer down on them. They managed to dodge the attack, taking cover behind two pillars. Sakura flung a kunai at the creature, using the dust cloud that had risen from the force of the strike as cover for her attack.
Over the noise of the battle going on around her, the kunoichi heard the familiar yell of her guide. The seventeen-year-old adjusted her position, eyeing the troll as it sniffed, the blue-eyed shortie who was in possession of the Ring only a metre or so away. She could hear the clash of blades and the screams of pain going on around her but forced her focus on the giant beast and the brown-haired male, calming her breathing as she prepared to take action. The short male hastily shuffled to the other side of the pillar as the troll changed sides. Sakura readied her chakra.
Just as the shortie was beginning to relax, thinking he had escaped the notice of the beast, the terrifying creature appeared before him with a roar, sending spikes of panic through his system. He fell back in shock, a shout escaping his mouth. He crawled back into a corner as the troll approached him, grabbing a hold of his leg. Petrified screams left the male who nipped the creature with his sword, causing it to free him.
Before the troll could grab him again, her guide jumped in its way, a spear bigger than he was tall in his hand. He plunged the sharp end of the weapon into the creature's chest, the shorties who looked most alike tossing rocks of various sizes at it.
With a howl, the great beast tossed the brunette into the air where he came into contact with hard rock. The curly-haired shortie rushed to the male who most likely had a concussion, the troll raising the spear that had previously been poking out of it, aiming the weapon at the short male. It sent the weapon down towards the male and with that, Sakura saw an opportunity.
She released her genjutsu along with the chakra keeping her glued to the ceiling and dove into the heat of battle. She punched the creature sending it into a wall of stone. Behind her, the blue-eyed shortie looked up at her cloaked back in wonder.
~{*.*}~
Just as he was sure the spear would impale him, a shadowy figure appeared in the corner of his vision and the cave-troll flew into a stone wall. The cloaked enigma moved to stand in front of him and Frodo couldn't help but look up at them in wonder. He didn't see exactly what had happened but whatever attack the mysterious being had laid upon the mighty beast, it had enough power to send it through the air into stone- he was even sure he could see cracks in the hard surface.
The troll fell back, stumbling as it fought to keep standing. It turned around and laid eyes on its new opponent. The creature raised the spear that was still somehow unharmed and dived towards the cloaked figure. He leapt, higher than Frodo had ever seen anything leap before, and somehow manoeuvred to face the same way as the troll, moving downwards as the troll's head reached under him. His foot came into contact with the troll's large head, a disturbing crack resounding through the room. He was once again in the air as the beast fell, landing on the creature's scale-covered back when its large belly rested on the ground.
The hobbit wasn't sure how the being had done it. How he had sent the beast into a wall with enough force to cause cracks to form on it. How he had played with the beast as if he was doing nothing more than dancing; as if it was something he did on a daily basis. How he, by some miracle, had taken down the cave-troll single handily in a fraction of the time the whole battle had been going on.
He heard a faint grumble come from behind him and turned, blue eyes widening when he realised that Aragorn was waking up. Behind him, he could hear the sound of the wind whistling as something flew through the air, the brunette he was in front of snapping awake as his brain processed what was happening. The male opened his mouth, prepared to let out a shout when a dark figure appeared behind the hobbit.
The blue-eyed male turned just in time to catch sight of his saviour catching an arrow in between his index finger and thumb. The bottom of his cloak was in the air, curled to the left, hinting at the speed he had used to travel to their location. Frodo blinked and the figure in front of him was gone, a high-pitched scream caught his attention and his blue eyes widened at the scene playing out amongst the chaos.
The cloaked enigma had appeared behind an Orc who was holding a bow that was prepped with an arrow. It had disturbing green skin with black marks that ran down its face. Two rotting canines peeked out from its cracked lips and its dark sclera made its bright yellow-green eyes glow ominously.
His saviour dove his fist into the vile creature's skull, its head exploding upon contact, matter flying everywhere. It took his mind a moment to realise that that was the Orc that had fired an arrow at him whilst his back was turned. The hobbit felt an odd feeling rise inside him, the thought of the mysterious creature protecting him made him feel confused but also grateful.
Unfortunately, as his fist came into contact with the Orc, the foul creature released the arrow, the projectile aimed straight at Frodo. The arrow hit him and a strangled cry left his lips. His pained wails sent alarm bells ringing through the rest of the fellowship's minds, a new rush of adrenaline and vigour aiding them as they finished off the rest of the despicable beings.
~{*.*}~
The pinkette was honestly surprised by how easily the giant beast went down. When faced with one of her chakra-enhanced punches its movements had become a lot clumsier than before. A kick timed at the right moment with the right force had rendered the foul creature down for the count.
She was fortunate enough to have keen senses and lightning reflexes so when an arrow aimed at the blue-eyed shortie flew through the air, she was quick to react. She sped over to the two males and caught the projectile in mid-air. Then she moved to stand behind the one who fired the arrow, diving her fist into his unarmoured head. The matter flew across the room and she held her breath at the feeling of a warm liquid covering her fist.
It was scarily familiar, it reminded her of undead corpses and exposed organs. It sparked memories of war where a medic's purpose was to hopelessly pour their remaining energy into the cold bodies of death. Where she had, on multiple occasions, buried her arm in a comrade's body, pumping hearts and reattaching limbs, fruitlessly trying to clot blood and cease death's determined pull on someone she had once known. Her gaze was blurred, the battle going on around her becoming further and further away, a flat beep rung in her ears as the sound of explosion tags going off and screams of death's looming shadow acted as background noise. The decaying earth below shook as powerful attacks fought against each other, multiple unrecognisable bodies, many missing limbs, covered the ground. The taste of blood hung heavy in the air, ashes merging with clouds of smoke, acting as a smokescreen. Her hands, covered in blood both fresh and dry constantly shook as she warded off the foe around her with one hand, the other surrounded by a green glow. It was a never-ending loop of agony and torment, one that didn't end, not until a sharp scream cut through the vision of death and destruction.
Emerald eyes widened and she took a step back. The shortie she had been protecting previously had been hit by an arrow, of which had been fired by the very being she had dove her fist into moments before. Sakura felt horror dawn on her, it was her fault. She had been so distracted by the familiar feeling of blood on her fists that she had gotten lost in a flashback of the war, a foolish mistake that could prove to be deadly, especially in her current predicament.
She rushed to the blue-eyed shortie's side, vaguely aware of the older man next to the male who was stirring from his unconscious state. Her green gaze moved down to the arrow the curly-haired shortie gripped tightly in his hand, the point of the weapon unmarred. She looked at the face of the male before turning to look at her guide who was squinting open his grey eyes.
By the time the ranger had fully come to, she was gone from their sight. Unknown to the small group who gathered around the young male, a pair of green eyes were watching them from the shadows. Their mumbles were clear though foreign to her ears and she watched as the blue-eyed shortie sat up, unharmed. Peaking out from where his shirt was unbuttoned was a flash of silver and Sakura found herself letting out a breath.
The male parted his shirt, showcasing the breathtakingly beautiful layer he had on under his clothes. Sakura hadn't ever seen anything like it before, the elaborate pattern decorating the edges of the carefully melded-together piece took her breath away. She guessed it was some kind of armour but marvelled at how light it was. It wasn't like anything they had in her world, all armour there was bulky and weighed a ton, the majority of people in her land choosing not to donn it lest it weigh them down or get in the way of them fighting. What the short male had on was no such thing, she hadn't even noticed he had been wearing anything under his regular attire but the Ring before. He had even given her a fright for a second when she had processed what had happened.
'And thank goodness he was wearing it, for if not, I fear what would have happened.'
The helmet-wearing shortie who wielded an axe spoke in a deep grumble and all the muscles in her body tensed as approaching screeches met her heightened sense of hearing. The group's fear level skyrocketed and Sakura gulped as a drum bounced off the stone walls.
The male with the staff ordered something and the group rushed out of the room, the pinkette following close behind, picking up all of the weapons that she owned she could. Loud calls came from behind them and Sakura risked a glance back. She immediately felt her face drain of colour as she saw the number of horrid creatures chasing after them, the worst part was she knew there were more up ahead.
'The sheer amount of them makes me want to throw up, it reminds me of all the zetsu- no!' She shook her head, redirecting her sight to what was in front of her. 'I cannot allow myself to get distracted again, I need to focus.'
The hoards of- whatever they were - only grew in size as more popped up out of nowhere. Some came from above them, crawling on the ceiling and working their way onto the ground via the large pillars. More came in from the sides, some creeping in from in front of them and all of the deadly creatures had a shared purpose; to hunt them down.
Eventually, they were forced to cease their running as the decaying creatures surrounded them, snarling and screeching away. The kunoichi could, in all honesty, take them out or even get herself and even the group away but she still wished to be cautious around events such as these, only stepping in if absolutely necessary. She didn't wish to tilt the scales of balance in this world, doing so could cause more harm than she was aware of and her situation was already frightening enough.
They howled and growled, battering their blades against the hard ground in an attempt to intimidate them. The frightful creatures were creating a painful amount of noise until they weren't. A sudden silence made Sakura's stomach drop and she inhaled sharply as a low boom sounded, chatter erupting amongst the ghastly entities. It repeated and they scurried away, frightened noises echoing in the large space they were in.
The group and the kunoichi soon discovered exactly what it was that had caused such fear to fill the horrible creatures' hearts, an ominous orange glow flickered at the end of the hall, a deep sound coming from where Sakura guessed, the light shone.
She could hear the foreign tongue of this world as two of the members of the group talked in hushed voices and before she knew it they were all running again.
The male who carried a staff hurried them all inside a tunnel, him going in behind them as Sakura made sure to stick behind him. She wasn't sure exactly what it was they were running from but she knew that they had a good reason to, she could feel a demonic chakra signature behind them and her headache was back. Unfortunately for the rosette, every time she tried to use her chakra to numb the pain she found herself losing control over the genjutsu she had cast over herself. It truly was unlike her to not have control over it, usually, she could hold up multiple things at once without any of them being affected thanks to her chakra control.
She sighed, frustrated. It seemed she would have to wait a while before sorting her migraine out.
She was called to attention as her legs came to a sudden halt. The male at the head of the group had stopped after narrowly missing a painful plummet, dropping his torch as he struggled to keep his balance lest he fall into the deep ravine. The blonde male who was behind him caught him and they fell back. She and the others stopped next to them, the shorties staring into the deep chasm.
There was a short discussion between her guide and the old man with the staff and the two turned to look at something. Sakura followed their line of sight, her lips parting ever so slightly at the distant sight of what she assumed was a stone bridge. The kunoichi guessed that that was where they were trying to get to and swallowed as she heard the low rumbles of the creature who cast a firey glow behind them. She knew that it was close and that they had no time to waste and it seemed the group shared her beliefs for they continued on their way.
The seventeen-year-old was really starting to grow annoyed about all the stairs that were contained in the great stone walls of whatever mountain they were in. Although she didn't need to climb them all, she knew that the members of the group were probably having a full-blown panic attack inside their minds and stubbing their toes and tripping as they raced down flights of stairs was probably not helping.
They reached a more precarious section of their path and Sakura let out a silent groan when she realised that they were going to have to jump across the gap that they were approaching. It wasn't an issue for her, even without being able to use her chakra to jump across in case of her genjutsu shattering, she could easily leap over the rift. Ninja couldn't just rely on chakra after all.
First across was the long-haired blonde with pointy ears. He made the jump pretty easily and turned around in time for a loud pounding to be heard, courtesy of what the rosette guessed was what they were fleeing from. The rock that made up the outside of the tunnel they had used got destroyed and large boulders fell from the ceiling. The pointy-eared male said something and the man with the staff jumped across the gap, landing safely.
Sakura's ears twitched as she heard something fly through the air, green eyes widening at the arrow that made contact with where the male had previously stood. The attack alerted the rest of the group to the creatures who had gained higher ground and were shooting at them. The members who had a bow and arrows on them fired back, aiming to at least reduce their numbers.
The man who the pinkette still held a mild annoyance for, picked up the two shorties who looked most alike and with a determined yell, jumped. The piece of rock that they had lept off broke and those who had yet to get onto the other side now had a bigger gap to cross. She looked at the back of the blue-eyed shortie's head, not entirely sure why he hadn't gone over yet. He was the one with the Ring, shouldn't he be one of the first who should get onto the other side, wasn't this whole exploration about the golden object?
She puffed out her cheeks, still aware of the many arrows being shot back and forth along with the terrifying presence that loomed behind the wall of stone. Courtesy of the difference in language between this land and her own, Sakura wasn't entirely sure what kind of mission they were on. She assumed that they were on one because the whole running from enemies and trying not to die fitted quite well into her own understanding of them. It was a pain though, she couldn't ask any questions and it was a real struggle to gather information with the language barrier, all she had to go off of was theories and her own gut. She assumed that it was safe to say that the Ring was an important piece of whatever puzzle she was in the middle of, the meeting where it was in the centre of all who attended along with the dark energy it emanated being plenty of proof to fuel her hypothesis. Something that did bug her was the horrid entities who lurked around the land, their features grotesque and the weapons and armour they donned weren't helping her opinion of them. In the Shinobi Nations, they had plenty of peculiar beings but never had she laid eyes upon anything as she had here. They weren't too much trouble to ward off but she would much prefer to least know what they were and where they came from.
Her guide helped the plumpest of the shorties get across the gap before turning to the one with the helmet. The axe-wielding male yelled something before jumping, Sakura wincing as he almost fell backwards, having to be grabbed by the blonde.
'Gosh, being pulled by the beard must hurt..' She bit her bottom lip, a hand moving to her grime-covered hair. It reminded her of her first time taking the chunin exams and she exhaled, clearing the memory from her mind.
The male was pulled up and, to the group's horror, the gap increased as large chunks of rock broke off. Sakura took a few steps back, lips parting as she was careful to avoid the two males left on the same side as her. They had just about managed to grab and crawl onto the bit of the structure that was still intact, the majority of the group who were already on the other side having concerned expressions on their faces.
Their worry was no surprise for the gap in between them was now something an average genin would have trouble jumping and the pinkette was all too aware of how the occupants of this land seemed to be all that oblivious to chakra, meaning that even the fiercest of warriors didn't have the energy to boost their physical and mental attributes. As much as she hated to admit it, she was beginning to grow concerned herself, so much so that she trying to decide whether or not she should just pick them up and jump over with them herself.
As if their situation wasn't bad enough another roar and a horrifying golden glow coming from the tunnel they had used earlier as well as the multiple chunks of rock splitting from the walls signalled that the beast they were trying to run from was getting closer to catching up. The rosette stumbled alongside the two males she was near as a boulder hit the surface behind them, splitting the structure they were on from the sturdy form of the solid ground behind them.
A loud crack from below caused Sakura to swallow as the stone structure began to tilt unstably. Her guide grabbed ahold of the shortie and Sakura tried to focus on her chakra in hopes of using it to stick her feet to the surface beneath her. Unfortunately for her, all that she received was a sharp pain in her head and she held back a yelp, almost losing her footing on the uneven top of the structure she was on.
Her guide shouted something but all she could really focus on was keeping her balance and maintaining her genjutsu, it was difficult not letting her chakra instinctively focus on glueing her feet to the stone instead of the illusion and she felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead. She wasn't sure if it was just her or if it was getting increasingly warmer.
The piece of rock tilted forward and Sakura's eyes widened as an idea struck her mind. She leaned forward and a second later, her guide and the shortie followed, presumingly getting the same idea she did. A low creak came from under them, the rock crumbling as it clashed against the structure it had broken off from, she could hear the grumble of voices but paid it no mind, knowing it would only cause her headache to worsen.
The unsteady piece they were on came into contact with the side of the bridge the rest of the group was on and the two in front of her quickly hopped onto the stable surface, into the safe arms of their comrades. They began to walk off and Sakura inhaled deeply as the tall structure she was still on fell back. The pinkette jumped at the last moment, her subtle pants silent to even her own ears as the thundering sound of the falling part of the bridge came from behind her.
She left a small distance between herself and the group, ears picking up on their footsteps and their loud breaths. The sound of a grumble created the image of the man with the staff and she guessed he was shouting orders to the others. The thought was somehow amusing to her and she let out a small huff of breath through her nostrils. Another sound, one that was more ominous and threatening sobered her split second of amusement and her gaze hardened as she turned to look behind her, stopping next to the man with the staff, feeling her mouth dry up at the flaming beast who seemed to rise from the flames that were alight in their current surroundings.
Most of its great form was consumed by fire but the dark, hard surface of which seemed to be its skin was cracked, fire lighting it up. Its face was the same material and it had two large horns that curled downwards, its huge eyes that glowed as bright as the flames around it seemed small on its huge frame. When the beast opened its large mouth, letting out a familiar bellow that drained all colour from a particular pinkette's face, she got a clear view of the fire-like light that came from inside it.
As if its appearance and determination to chase after them weren't horrifying enough, the chakra that came from the frightful beast was probably the strongest she had yet to feel in this new world. The only way she could really think about describing it was that of the opposite of the shadows'. Compared to the dark knights chilling call of death that their chakra announced, this beast's was one of a blazing inferno that would consume anything in its path, not caring whether that was friend or foe- in fact, the pinkette doubted the creature had any friends.
As the giant inferno of a creature began to move towards them, Sakura, along with the rest of the crew, decided it was a good time to start sprinting towards the bridge that would hopefully lead them safely out of wherever they were (Sakura still had no idea). Those at the front began to cross it, Sakura narrowing her emerald eyes as she got closer.
'What in the- who in their right mind would build such a precarious thing?'
The stone structure was on the narrow side and if someone were to trip they would fall into the deep abyss that lingered below courtesy of there being no handrails. It made the kunoichi strongly aware of what might happen, what with the huge beast chasing after them.
'It seems the Team7 curse has caught up to me even in this odd world.' She huffed. 'And to think I always thought it only followed Naruto.'
The curse had been a joke amongst their peers due to their team's dreadful luck, secretly the pinkette had always assumed the curse was actually Naruto and his boisterous behaviour. It did always seem to be what got them in tight situations. Now with her a long way away from the rest of her squad and a flaming foe hot on her tail (no pun intended), it was safe to say the curse was really only something that blessed the members of her team. Either that or it was like germs and had spread from the poor sunny boy to those who just happened to be around him when he got into trouble.
The creature who radiated a golden glow made it to the point before the bridge and the group all turned to lay eyes upon the beast. The seventeen-year-old, however, leapt into the air, her genjutsu shattering just as she made it above their heads. She tugged her hood down to cover more of her face, using her chakra to stick her to the hard surface of the ceiling.
She muffled her groan as her vision blurred, a sharp pain hammering against her skull. She sucked in some air, squeezing her eyes closed as she tried to ignore the agony she was in. Normally she wouldn't dare close her eyes with an enemy so close and she was sure her Shishou would be screaming at her but it also wouldn't be good if she couldn't see properly because the pain she was under was making her vision blur and knocking off all sense of balance she had. Her chakra was also annoyingly wild, her pained system only able to focus on one thing unlike normal.
She heard the familiar grumble of the old man with the staff and managed to open one eye though it was squinted. It took a moment for her sight to adjust and for her to stop seeing doubles of the scene occurring down below but once her foggy mind caught up with what was happening her other eye snapped open, emerald orbs widening and mouth hanging open with a gasp.
'That foolish man! Is he trying to get killed?'
He was standing on the bridge, facing the giant creature, spouting some odd words in the foreign tongue of this world. It was clear that the flaming beast wouldn't listen, at least in Sakura's mind it was. She couldn't believe the male even had the nerve to stand in the middle of a bridge that was practically waiting to be labelled the scene of a tragic accident, staring into the blazing eyes of the alight beast. It was insane!
She heard the worried yell of who she guessed was the shortie with the Ring but couldn't seem to move her gaze away from the crazy standoff that was happening between the staff man and the giant beast. The flaming creature shifted positions, two dark shadows made of ash that almost seemed like wings flapped behind it as it stood up, a clear display of the difference in size between the two not failing to make the rosette feel any worse than she already was.
The staff man seemed to chant something, his voice bouncing off the rock walls. The light of his staff glowed brighter, painting a picture that was almost heavenly if not for the fiery beast who also seemed to ready its weapon, marring the pure image with a visual of a guardian of the pits of Hell.
Their weapons clashed in a loud clamour, the group who were behind the old male, safely off the bridge, watching with bated breaths. The kunoichi narrowed her green orbs, deciding between interfering or staying out of the fight. The staff man was foolish but she did see why he had decided to stand his ground and fight even with the exit so close. Even if they did leave they had no proper way of knowing if the beast would follow or not. She had to commend him, he had nerves of steel. The only thing that was really holding her back from jumping into the fight was the fact that her chakra was being fiercely unpredictable and she feared that if she did try and step in she would only prove to be more of a hindrance than a help.
The terrifying beast let out a roar, the old man continuing his chant which was foreign to the pinkette's ears. Something that was understood by the rosette, however, was the microscopic amount of chakra the male was pouring into his staff with every word. It was almost as if he was doing some kind of ninjutsu except instead of using hand signs to help guide his chakra in order to perform whatever he was doing, he was using his staff.
The inferno of a creature took a step forward, onto the bridge and Sakura had to shield her face with the cleaner one of her two hands, ash flying around in the air. The horned entity waved around a fiery whip and Sakura backed away, making sure to get out of the reach of the weapon.
The staff man howled some foreign words, slamming his staff against the ground, a magnificent bright light resonating as the bottom of the object made contact with the hard ground. The flaming foe stepped forward, putting more pressure on the bridge as it waved around its firey whip. The group's eyes widened as they watched the beast fall, the male who had narrowly avoided the surface beneath him crumbling away turned around to join his comrades.
The pinkette opened her mouth, emerald eyes shockingly wide as she released the chakra glueing her to the ceiling, arm stretched out towards the male. He had turned his back on the enemy, believing he had seen the last of the beast when really the vile creature planned to take him down with it, its whip swirling up to catch him and knock him off the precarious bridge of which he stood upon.
The weapon wrapped around his ankle, pulling him to the ground as he struggled to get free of the object acting as his shackle. It slid off him, being pulled down by the weight of the falling inferno below. The old man, however, was not clear of the force and slipped off the bridge, his hands, previously covered by loose sleeves, clung helplessly to the edge of the stone bridge.
A short male's cries resonated through the air as the struggling male fought to climb up the small leverage he had. His blue eyes met a similar pair and he muttered his final words, his grip slipping as he disappeared passed the line of sight of his comrades. A scream of pain tore through a young man's heart, tears erupting from his soul's depths as he fought against the grip of the one holding him back from jumping in after the old man.
Shouts were exchanged amongst the crew, the urge to mourn their lost friend tugging at their hearts but the need to leave the dangerous ruins lest they be caught by yet another foe ordered them onwards on their quest. As they turned their backs on the fall of which their comrade had suffered, looming evil screaming and hissing at them from the shadows, they missed a dark figure disappear into the dark depths of the pit.
A silver weapon caught the light, embedded into the hard material of the wall, out of reach of any who might try and snatch it. Around its handle was a piece of parchment that was branded by odd markings. The weapon's owner had lodged the blade firmly into the rock in hopes of having an easy way out of the dark abyss she had leapt into.
Normally Sakura would never willingly jump into a dark ravine, however, she really couldn't help herself. Although the old man with the staff had his moments of complete oddity and foolishness, she couldn't say she disliked him. He had guided the group, not only as their navigator through the dark tunnels of the stone-made place but as a role model and she didn't need to understand whatever gibberish they spoke in to know that. The guy had pretty much thrown himself at the enemy in hopes of his comrades being able to escape safely and in an odd way, he resembled Naruto. Not that they looked alike or anything, but their selflessness was what made them similar and the rosette missed her blonde teammate dearly.
In the dark of the pit, the seventeen-year-old could safely say that she wasn't plummeting to her death fast enough. If she had any hopes of saving the staff man then she needed to fall quicker than she already was, she had no idea how deep the drop was or if he had even made it to the bottom yet. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't feeling all that optimistic.
Since the male most likely weighed more than she did, he would reach the end of the race before she would (even without counting the fact that he had fallen first). Every object falls at the same speed regardless of its weight or shape but air slows down the fall, as a result, the heavier the object the quicker it reaches the ground so things really weren't looking good.
'Then again..' Pumping some chakra into her arms, Sakura pulled out a couple of weighted kunai from a scroll. Each weapon weighed the same as an average adult male, the kunoichi just hoped it would be enough for her to catch up to the staff man before it was too late. All she needed was to touch the male and she would be able to bring them both back to where the battle between him and the flaming beast had occurred, courtesy of the kunai she had left up there that had a Hiraishin seal wrapped around it.
She had agreed to not tilt the scales of this world so as to not disturb the natural balance but as a medic-nin Sakura refused to stand by and watch anyone suffer something she could have prevented; it was her duty. She had dealt with enough death in her world and had watched enough of her comrades die in front of her, she wouldn't allow the same fate to befall those in this land.
A/N: Hello dear readers and apologies for the wait. Life has been hectic and I spent seven months writing a 100+ Followers Special which is to celebrate reaching over 100 followers on Wattpad -you can find it in my book Sakura Haruno (Child Prodigy)- it took up most of my energy which is why I didn't really update. To hopefully make it up to you guys, this chapter is extra long.. it took me quite a while to finish.
I know Sakura is still keeping herself hidden but certain events will transpire and her time in the shadows will soon end.
I hope you all are well, let me know what you think of this chapter and what you think might happen!
Sorry for any mistakes!
Hope you enjoyed!
