AN: Hey, Cinnabunnbunn here.
I know I'm supposed to be writing the next chapter of Roses of Gold, but again here I am with a whole ass different story after crying about how I'm going to stay away from this cursed site until my exams are over. But don't worry, the next chap of RoG if in progress too, but it will take a bit more time to get with that.
In the meantime, enjoy.
"What do you mean they're planning a civil war?!"
A heavy hand slammed down onto the mahogany table, scattering a stack of documents and making the two other occupants in the room flinch. Amber eyes glared at the pair of messengers, pointing at one of them to speak up.
"The first prince says that they're of age and hence, have the right to take over the throne. But the second prince wants to challenge him as a contender for the crown. They're both planning on involving the people of the kingdom into the battle, if deemed necessary."
Tsunade groaned in frustration before snatching a sake bottle off the side table. "And what does the clan head have to say of this?"
"He supports the decision. He says that since the throne has no direct heir, it is their right to fight for the reigns." The messenger paused to inhale, before lowering his voice so that only the queen regent and his companion could hear him, "However, there seems to be a lot more brewing under the surface right now."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that, "Care to explain?"
"Danzo-san, somehow, speculates that there is an actual, real blood-bound heir to the throne, alive and breathing. He has spies and messengers all around and beyond the kingdom walls looking for a trail to the said heir."
Tsunade paused in the way to her sake cup, blood running cold. The temperature of the room physically dropped by a few degrees as the words settled inside her brain. "What?" she shakily put down the cup, fixing her wide glare at the near cowering boy in front of her, "What was that?"
His partner answered, "We heard Danzo-san talking to the Homura-san, about an alleged incident during her late majesty's labor. They said her late majesty gave birth to a living child, despite what was put out in the public all those years ago. The funeral held for the infant was staged. The rightful heir of the crown is still alive."
Tsunade laced her hands underneath her nose, closing her eyes to will the incoming migraine away. She knew this day would come, she knew she'll have to deal with this sooner or later. But oh, she wished she never had to. "And did they say anything about the later actions?"
She didn't want to ask that. She wanted to pretend that there is no mutiny being planned against her. But it was not the time to be pretending, it only ever led to the worse roads. But when she heard the answer, she almost wished she never asked the question.
"They want to find the heir. And when the council finds them, they would kill them."
Tsunade released a breath, too heavy and suffocating in her own chest. She picked up the cup again and waved the two boys away. "Go away for now. I'll summon you later." And they were gone in the wind before she could even open her eyes.
The room was quiet with only her presence, but the buzz of too many thoughts dominating each other in her mind felt almost too loud. She wanted to do nothing more than just empty the bottle of sake and pass out onto her work table, but that wouldn't do in such dire conditions.
She heard the door of her study open again, then click-clacks of sandals and a tray being put down the table, the silverwares clinking tellingly. "You seem very troubled, m'lady."
Tsunade opened her eyes at the familiar feminine voice, coming face to face with her apprentice. "I have my reasons."
Shizune hummed as she cleared some of the table of the strewn papers and put down the ceramics in front of the blonde; the larger plate of seafood, a bowl of rice, another bowl of soup and a small cup of tea alongside her chopsticks. "May some of the worries be relieved with the dinner."
Tsunade straightened up a bit more, putting away her sake and staring down at the delicious food that suddenly seemed so unappealing. She slowly picked up her chopsticks, moving to take a bite of the salmon but only end up absentmindedly picking on it, her food nowhere near her mouth.
Shizune saw her master's inattentiveness and furrowed her brows in concern. "Are you… okay, m'lady? You look very disturbed."
Tsunade exhaled loudly, putting down the utensils and sliding them away from her. "When is Sakura coming back?"
Shizune raised her brows at the deflection. "She wrote about coming back in three days. She should be back in a day now." She worriedly eyed the untouched food and the deep frowns on her master's forehead. "Sakura-chan said that she's bringing in some herbs and flowers she found during her travel."
The blonde hummed, draping herself along the backrest, and opened her eyes into slits. She contemplated telling Shizune about the new development she discovered. It was worrisome and frustrating, everything; the meetings, the courts, the pesky council, the heavy crown resting on top of a stack of scrolls. Everything was just a frustrating thorn on her side.
"The princes are planning a civil war." Tsunade muttered out, aware of the shocked look Shizune gave her. "They plan to fight for the throne and they want involve the kingdom in it too."
"Oh no." Shizune gasped, putting her hand over her heart. "But-" she looked around and lowered her voice, "But they're not the heir."
"And that brings me to the real problem." Tsunade sighed, looking exhausted, "Danzo has dispatched spies from his ROOT Op to look for someone. He has his suspicions that the blood heir is somewhere out, alive. And he wants to kill any and every threat."
Shizune looked sicker by the minute as she held onto the table to stabilize herself. "Bu-but Sakura? What would we do?"
"I don't know." The Senju picked through the messenger scrolls, absentmindedly looking for something to keep her hands busy. "I could send her on another journey, or medic camp to maybe Suna or Kiri. I could perhaps send her away to continue the toxin research to Chiyo. Or maybe I can send her to Tea for a vacation."
"That is great, m'lady. She can relax-"
"But we have another problem." She paused in her sifting through the scrolls, "Sakura's… condition, has been getting worse." She sighed out in dejection.
She knew she would regret it. She always knew she would regret arming a child with balms and bandages and sending her to a battlefield at an age too young to see any of it.
But she did it anyway.
Shizune reluctantly agreed with her master, "Yes, I saw her letter. She mentioned something about gagging herself when going to sleep." She quickly closed her mouth when she noticed the blonde fists tightening on the scrolls.
Tsunade tried to not glare at her apprentice. She still couldn't find anything to keep her mind busy. She needs to find a way to keep Sakura safe, both from the council and from the princes. She doesn't know how much longer it might be before she finds Danzo's spies kicking down her door. With the progression of the events, it might be less than a year before the war breaks out, and even less time before Danzo and his men find out the real heir.
She needs to bring in some reinforcements.
Just as she was thinking about a place to hide a girl away in, her sights fell on a scroll, a messenger scroll, but not just any scroll. The parchment was a smooth ivory, rolled neatly and the opening sealed with a crimson wax stamp, but the impression on the wax caught her attention; it was a Raven's eye.
Tsunade, as the queen regent, received tons of letters per day, ranging from negotiations from neighboring kingdoms, reports from border armies, complaints from public unions, invitations to banquets from other royal families. But this one stood out. The impression of the crimson eye was from one very particular family.
It was from the Uchihas.
Their letters from the king are mostly scarce, often very froward and straight to the point, very plain and sharp, both the contents and the presentation itself. But this one just felt a little different even from the outside. To start, it was perhaps the red silk ribbon tied around the scroll along with the wax seal, or perhaps it was also the light floral scent of rose she was getting from the parchment.
"Shizune, when did this letter arrive?" Tsunade asked as she turned the letter in her hand, examining the fine design detailing on the outside of the scroll. It was a really beautiful piece, much in contrast to the plain scrolls from the king and the patriarch of the clan.
"I think it was delivered around two days ago."
"It's from the queen." Tsunade mused. The Uchihas were a peculiar family; dark, broody, and beautiful. Anyone who spends more than five minutes with the clan will be able to tell that the Uchihas are not fun people. They look like they haven't felt the sunshine in decades and smiling physically pains them. But there were some exceptions to the generalization, and that would be the matriarch of the Uchiha clan's main household.
The matriarch was warm, kind, cheerful and unendingly welcoming to any and all guests to her home. A true example of people's queen and the perfect hostess. But it was rare to receive any letter from her too.
The Senju carefully untied the ribbon and broke the seal, opening the letter to words in such beautiful writing. The letter started with greeting, wishing the queen good health, asking about the state of her empire. But then the polite greetings gradually turned morbid.
There has been reports about some mysterious illness spreading through Kuroshima, the east of Konoha, ruled by the Uchihas. The borders of Kuroshima was barricaded, shut off to the rest of the Konoha, their armies posted along the barricades much fewer. The negotiations for imports and exports in the last few letters exchanged with the king have been very… frugal. The crops were fewer, the money transaction lesser and much, much less than their normal exchanges.
Now it makes sense.
The matriarch is much more pleasant in her letters than her husband, so it was easy to feel empathetic to her condition. She talked about how even after so many precautions, the illness had managed to hit her family, her youngest son. Their resources have been reduced to very limited few, the manpower so low and the medics in Kuroshima were no better. The clan's medic was supposed to be the best, but even he was no help. Everything seemed like a lost cause.
Kuroshima was desperate, and it strung at Tsunade's heartstring.
And that was when an idea struck her. "Shizune," Tsunade called out, pulling out a fresh and empty scroll from a drawer, "Get me some fresh ink and wax."
This will have to do.
"Your highness, you have a letter."
Mikoto sighed, motioning the maid to put down the letter on her bed, and continued brushing her hair. She closed her eyes, willing herself to forget the horrible coughing sound from a room one hallway away.
It has been like this for over a month. More and more from the clan, and all over the kingdom have been getting struck by this strange new disease, and she has never felt more helpless than she did right now. She thought that her clan medics were the best in Kuroshima, but it now feels like that was just an arrogant boast.
"Your majesty." The chambermaid addressed her again, "Dinner is ready."
"I don't feel like eating." Mikoto replied distantly, her eyes still closed and hands not stopping in her brushing. Her appetite has been kind of gone for a while, she just could not bring herself to put anything in her stomach at the moment. "Make sure Sasuke eats something other than tomatoes."
"But, m'lady, you need to eat somet-"
"I'm not eating anything." The sternness and finality in her tone made the maid shut up and silently backtrack out of the room.
Mikoto dropped the brush on her vanity table, not even bothering to pin her hair, instead letting fall down her back. The night was cold and her thin robes didn't provide her the most warmth, but the slight bite of chill on her skin felt good. It made her feel grounded away from the too hot suffocation she felt.
She needed a distraction.
Then her eyes fell on the roll of parchment sitting on her bed. The scroll was plain, like every other letter she receives every other day. But what caught her full attention was the seal; a deep violet instead of the regular brick red, and the impression of a lily stamped onto it.
She quickly broke open the seal, almost ripping the scroll a little, and hurriedly open the contents.
Warm greetings, M'lady
I hope you have been well, for I have been hearing about the unfortunate circumstances in Kuroshima. My sincere regards go to you and your people, the times are tough and I hope they will pass soon enough.
Which brings me to my intentions for this exchange, I would like to extend my offer for help to the people of Kuroshima.
Mikoto's eyes widened at the words written on the paper. She found it hard to believe that the regent queen from central would offer her assistance regarding the concerning state of east, so readily too. She shook her head, continuing to read with wide eyes.
The letter further stated the alliance that would take place, a medic from central, her apprentice, will stay in her kingdom to help find the cure for this illness. All the queen requested was for the lady to be allowed to stay in their kingdom for an extended period of time. The negotiations were to be finalized with her husband.
The letter was signed off with the curved signature of the queen but no official stamp in sight, indicating it as an informal exchange and not an official one.
"A-anata!" Mikoto ran out of the room to her husband in a hurry, wanting to inform him of the new development. Her husband was surprised, to say the least, but quickly got to work to send the words to central.
"Inform the house of the arrival later, not today. We shall put it to public after everything will be confirmed." Fugaku told Mikoto, signing the official negotiation plan to the central Konoha. Mikoto could only nod as she went back to her room, still clutching onto the scroll and this time, the coughing sound from the next hallway sounding less horrible.
She had hope, Kuroshima had hope.
That night, Mikoto didn't sleep until way past midnight, her head buzzing with the preparation for the medic's arrival.
The day was just beginning to wake up, but Sakura was already on her way. "Sakura-sama, shall we fill up the rations?" another medic from her team spoke up, interrupting the young woman in her task of feeding the horse. She looked into the bag held out to her, finding a coupe of apples and few loaves of bread. "No need. We will be home before dusk." At her command, the medic slinked away to the rest of the team.
She sighed, running a hand through her pink braid, and watching the sky brightening up slowly. She couldn't even remember how long it has been since she has seen her home, should she even call in her home? It might as well be another one of the places she circles around. It has been like this for as long as she could remember; go on an expedition, gather information, go back, rest and repeat.
She doesn't doubt the minute she finishes giving the report for this mission, she will be handed another scroll and made to be on her way in a week's time.
"Sakura-sama, shall we begin?" a small voice interrupted her thoughts, dragging her attention to the group of three ready on their horses, dressed and packed, ready to leave. Sakura patted her horse, smiling as it neighed merrily. She jumped on the saddle, pulling the reins to get it moving, "Let's go."
The travel would've taken more time if the sun was harsh, the way it had been for the past few days, but the sky was overcast and the heat was dim, making it comfortable enough to cut the resting time short and travel faster.
And they were home well before the sun went down. The gates to Hiraisumi, central Konoha were in front of her, the guards hurriedly opened the gates, letting the four medics in and bowed when Sakura passed by.
The sight of her kingdom almost made Sakura's chest hurt. No matter how less of a time she spends roaming the streets of Hiraisumi, it will always feel like something; something warm, something familiar, something close. The stalls and shops bustling in the market district, the quiet houses in the residential sector, the school, the hospital, and her home. It will always feel like something.
"Go to your home, freshen up, eat something, and meet me in two hours at my office." She ordered her companions, taking a different road toward the palace while her team took off to the residential district. The hooves clacked leisurely against the soft road, in no rush to get to her destination now that she is back in her kingdom.
Sakura sighed again, jade eyes looking up at the orange-reddish sky, it has been probably the shorter of the times she has been away from her home, but it was still damn long. She has been gone for the entirety of winter and then a better part of spring, she wanted to be home for spring but no, she needed to be in the north islands looking at bugs and fungi.
She wants a rest, a long one at that.
Her horse slowed down to a stop at the front of large gates, thick and imposing. When the guards looked up at the new arrival, Sakura pulled down her hood to reveal her identity. "Sakura-sama! Y-You're back!" one of them shouted in surprise, quickly pushing the gates open and bowing to the waist, "Welcome back!"
Sakura smiled at the two guards, waving at them as she rolled in and hopped off her horse. "Thank you Izumo, Kotetsu."
Her home was exactly like the last time she saw it, which would be about five months ago, with the exceptions of newer varieties of flowers and plants in the gardens and lining the walkway to the main residence of the compound. Her animal companion neighed at the sight of a cart unloading a fresh produce of apples to the kitchen. Streams of water ran through the ground like small rivers, keeping the abundance of plants fresh and cooling the air around the place. Sakura giggled as she saw small koi fish swimming through the streams, her horse moving to sniff at the creatures.
She made a detour to the stable, handing the reins off to the boy tending to the horses and shooing him off after tucking a couple silver coins in his palms. She kept the hood of her cloak up and hopped through the less frequented guest hallway, wanting to keep herself away from the eyes of the palace servants.
Her sandals landed silently on the floor as she jumped over a railing of the balcony and landed directly in front of the queen's office. She could hear murmurs one hallway down, coming towards her, and pressed herself flat against the crevice along a pillar to the wall, waiting until the palace maids passed along and then swiftly got inside the room.
"You know you don't need to sneak around like a thief."
The familiar voice made Sakura turn around to face the current empress, sitting in her royal seat in a way that indicated none of her might.
"I just didn't want to deal with the residents gushing to me." Sakura drawled, eyeing the crown carelessly tossed to the side and the imperial robe thrown over the back of the chair. If any of the court members saw the way the queen sits in her study, they surely wouldn't waste a second before planning to throw her off her throne.
Tsunade only grunted as she continued writing on the document, only pausing to side-eye the pinkette when she dragged another chair on the other side of the table and plopped down on it, putting her legs on the corner of the table.
"Get you dirty feet off my table." The blonde pushed her legs off, causing Sakura to pout and cross her arms. "My legs hurt alright."
"You are a doctor; you know how to treat it."
"Whatever." Sakura fished out a scroll from the satchel hanging to her side and handed it to the queen, "Here is the report for the mission. I'll get the individual reports from my team by tonight and you'll get the manual by tomorrow."
Tsunade overviewed the scroll quickly and put it away in her drawer before quickly scanning the room subconsciously. "The door is locked, right?" At Sakura's confused expression, she quickly fetched out a letter. "I got a news."
"What kind of news?"
"A news." Tsunade handed the letter to the pinkette, sprawling back on her chair again. "You know the illness that has been spreading through Kuroshima, it has spread through the larger part of the empire and has also reached the imperial family."
"I've been hearing about it, I heard about it in the Konoshima too. They said it was affecting their cereal imports." Sakura recited and she read through the letter. It was from the queen of Kuroshima, stating her concerns about the gradually worsening situation of her home.
"Yes, and it's affecting ours too. The border security to Oto is sparce and the imports of roots and mountainous herbs have also been affected. And we are concerned that if it isn't cured soon, it will soon spread to Hiraisumi as well." The more she heard from her queen, the more worried she became. But what was scaring her more was the implication of it spreading out of Kuroshima.
"Which brings me to the main topic." Tsunade straightened up, putting her laced hands on the table and looking the pinkette straight in the eye. "You will travel to Kuroshima in a week and stay there to help find the cure."
The words 'I just got back' were hot on Sakura's tongue, but she swallowed them down, instead stiffly nodding her head, eyes still trained on the letter refusing to look up. 'Just like I thought.' The bitter words burned in her mouth as she forced herself to not get angry. They needed her help, and it was her job to help people. She had no reason to get angry.
'But just like I thought.' Her mind chuckled bitterly again, 'I am being sent out again before I can even take a breath.'
"Yes, my queen." Sakura mumbled, almost like a marionette.
Tsunade watched the pinkette get up from her chair, her heart squeezing in her chest. Just like before, she is arming a child with salves and sending her out on a warfield, just not one with swords and explosives, but one with disease and distress. But with death in both alike.
"Sakura." She called out, stopping the girl in her track, "There's also something else." Putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder, she pretended to dust something off her cloak but really, just taking some time to caress her for comfort, both for her and Sakura. She took a deep breath and levelled the girl with a stare, "Danzo knows."
"What?" Sakura's eyes widened, her heart jumping to her throat. She barely noticed her finger clutching the latter in her hand, crumpling it to a ball. What does she mean Danzo knows? Is that why she's sending her away? "D-Danzo knows?" She was barely suppressing her tremble, her heart palpitating dangerously and neck warming with sweat. "He knows me?"
"No." Tsunade clutched at the pinkette's shoulders tightly, keeping her in place and grounded. "Not you. Not yet." She took a deep breath to calm herself down, still looking into Sakura's eyes. "But we don't know for how long. For now, you will stay in Kuroshima until I tell you to come back."
Sakura could only nod mutely, not trusting her tongue to form any words. Tsunade's heart clenched at that sight. It felt like she was seeing the terrified fourteen year old girl again, not the battle-hardened soldier that has gone through hell and back.
And in the moment of weakness, she allowed herself to do what she could hardly do ever. She brought the girl close, wrapping her arms around the smaller frame, noticing the stilling of the pinkette. "Trust me when I say this, brat. I promised my sister to keep you alive under my watch, and her soul will haunt me forever if I ever fail."
Sakura buried her face in the blonde's shoulder, willing the burn in her eyes to go away. She wrapped her arms loosely around the older woman, taking a deep, stuttering breath, "You will get gray hair and wrinkles even faster if she ever decided to make do her promise."
"Are you calling me old, you brat?"
"Who ever said that."
Sakura left the office in a daze, her feet on autopilot to take her to her chamber. Her mind was still reeling from the conversation she had with her aunt. Maybe it was for the better that she won't be able to stay in the kingdom for very long, and considering that Kuroshima was apparently reeking with disease, it would be the last place Danzo would send his spies to check.
She sighed again, opening the door to her room and kicking her shoes off before dropping face-down on her bed. She was exhausted; not from her months of medical expedition, not from her travels, not from sleeping in makeshift camps in the middle of nowhere. But from the sheer emotional downhill she went.
She was exhausted.
And she couldn't even sleep right now, her team will be in her office in an hour or so. So with the weight of her responsibilities reminding her of her duties, she stripped down bare and took a towel to the attached personal bath, not caring about drawing the curtains to her room or closing the bamboo panels to the window. It was dark enough for no one to be looking into her room.
The warm water, scented with mint and lavender, was doing wonders on her sore muscles and troubled mind. And again, she was dismayed at the reminder of having to leave her bath.
Dressed in light robes and hair still wet, she was in her study with the three scrolls delivered to her by her team, that had quickly wished her good night and went off their merry way. Sometimes, she was envious of their lack of sleepless nights and screaming dreams.
The compound was quiet at night when her mind was the loudest, spontaneously bombarding her ears with the memories of blasts and screams and blinding her eyes with the reminder of blood and dying breaths. It was getting harder for her to get more than four hours of sleep a day. More often than not, she would find herself drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath in the middle of the night, having nothing but her robes and hair to clutch onto.
So instead of torturing herself in her sleep, she was happy to do something in the night; read a novel, or maybe some scientific scrolls, write a journal, or make up stories in her head. Anything to keep her mind occupied.
But tonight, she decided to plan. Plan her schedule for journey, make a list of what she will need, do research on the possible type of disease that might be spreading. And plan her escape, if need be.
She has one week and she planned to make the full use of it to leave to no page unturned.
The imperial Uchiha compound was in a tizzy.
Servants were running around the compound, more in hurry than usual, scrubbing the floor till it was squeaky clean, polishing everything they could get their hands on till it shines. New plants were being planted, the area around the kitchen was wafting with new aromas.
All in all, in was certainly a strange sight.
"It has been like this since two days ago." Someone complained from the living area. A sea of dark hair and equally dark eyes lined a low table set in the middle of the living area. There was an unusual number of people present at one time, specifically called by the queen.
"Does anyone know what's happening?" an annoyed voice spoke up from somewhere on the table, legs shaking restlessly under the table. "I need to get back to my training."
"You are not the only one with work to do, duckling." Another annoyed voice retorted, resulting in a shouting match between the two. "Stop it you two." A tired voice sighed from the same area.
"Oh, everyone is here!" A feminine voice exclaimed as the door, making the entrance of the much anticipated matriarch. "How lucky that everyone found some time to spare today. I thought I'll have to send the words separately."
Grunts of agreement resonated through the room as Mikoto placed down a large tray of sweets on the table, waving a maid-servant to bring out another tray of tea "Tobi-chan, are you feeling okay?"
A young boy, no older than six, trotted tiredly over to the sitting matriarch, dragging the large blanket wrapped around him and weakly dropped on his mother's lap. "My nose is stuck, Okaa-chan."
"Oh dear." Mikoto wrapped her arms around the little prince, her heart feeling heavy at the once sunshine boy looking so frail and sullen. "You'll soon get better, because I have a good news."
"What is it?" The oldest one in the bunch asked, his hands laced properly on the table. "Is it the same reason why the house is so busy?"
"Yes, Izuna, you would be correct in your assumption." Mikoto smiled at the occupants around the table. "I recently wrote to Queen of Hiraisumi about the state of your land, and the kind empress offered to help us with our situation. She is sending the imperial doctor to find a cure for this disease."
A disgruntled voice chipped in, "Our doctor is the best and even he was useless. What would this one medic from some other kingdom be able to do?"
"Now Sasuke, let's not jump to assumptions when someone has so kindly offered their assistance." Itachi berated his brother, making the younger prince bristle. "When will the doctor be coming?"
"She should be here in around six days. All she asked in return was for us to provide her lodging for an indefinite amount of time. The doctor is apparently a traveler, and she would like to explore Kuroshima."
"Wait, 'she'?" Shisui spoke up in surprise, before a mischievous grin spread on his face. "The doctor is a lady? How delightful."
"Shisui." Mikoto spoke in a warning voice, eyeing her nephew in suspicion, "You are not to be even a little inappropriate toward the medic. I will not have our guest be uncomfortable in our home, especially one who so kindly is helping us."
Shisui raised both his arms in surrender, whistling noncommittedly. "I just hope this new guest will stay out of my way. Otherwise, I can't guarantee." Sai monotonously stated, a fake smile ever present on his face.
"Sai." Mikoto sighed, not having the energy to berate this one. "Just… don't be rude to her. Be hospitable to our guest, we cannot have her running off when we are as hopeless already."
Only a chorus of murmurs of agreement answered her, giving her an idea that maybe it won't be all smooth-sailing.
The morning she was supposed to be taking her leave was bright, much in contrast to Sakura's foul mood. Even the smallest things were setting her fuse off, the sun was too bright even though it was barely out, the birds were too loud and the air was too warm.
Such things were the cause of the dark cloud hanging over Sakura's head, in addition to the suspicious looks Danzo Shimura has been giving her for the past week.
"Haruno-san, on your way already?" Speak of the devil, the old bag of bones was trotting towards her.
"Yes, Danzo-san." She nodded, hiding her uneasiness under the cloak she was donning. She could clearly see the man silently bristling at her referring to him as 'Danzo-san' and not 'Danzo-sama'. But she couldn't care less.
"Where are you going again?" She also knew he was just digging for more information on every move she was making. "Just up north, on another expedition." She said like a matter of fact, shrugging a shoulder for good measures. She could tell that he was disappointed at the lack of things happening in her life.
"Ah. Be safe on your journey." With a last glance at her, Danzo walked away with his cane clanking against the floor.
Sakura released a breath as Danzo turned the hallway and went out of her sight. She might complain about leaving so soon, but she has never been more relieved to just get the hell out.
"Doctor, your horse." The stable boy handed her the reins to her favorite almond brown Taishu. "Hello, my love." She cooed at the horse who has been with her through thick and thin, her animal friend neighing in return and nuzzling her palm. "Let's go, shall we."
The road to Kuroshima was short, taking her less than a day to reach the borders of Kuroshima forest range, spiking up in hilly terrains with narrow roads to cross the borders. And just by looking at the number of guards patrolling the borders, it was very easy to tell that Kuroshima is not in a good state.
Which was concerning even more, because if Oto, or any other rival land, found out that the prime protection to Konoha, which were the steep mountains of Kuroshima, and the patrols stationed on the hills have been weakened, the amount of danger to outside attacks that Konoha will become susceptible to was unthinkable.
One of the guards asked Sakura for her identification, which she provided in the form of her court medallion, signaling her rank as the imperial doctor and the official admittance letter from the king of Kuroshima. They let her pass quickly enough, reminding her to take proper protection while nearing the kingdom territory.
While Sakura loved roaming the forest of Hiraisumi, being near the ocean provided her with great variety in vegetation among the forestland, the woodland of Kuroshima was something to marvel i on itself.
The hilly ranges provided some rare and fascinating plants and trees that Sakura would normally love to stop and stare at, maybe take a sample back too. She had been through the forest of Kuroshima before, but not this particular steep area. She could feel her furry companion getting a little distracted along the new unusual path, sniffing at a new herb or berry once in a while, and she had to pat with to remind him of their destination, "Now now, Kouro, this is not the time."
She had to camp in the forest for the night when the road became too dark and dangerous to travel, and then she was again on her way before the crack of dawn. By the time the sun was overhead, she saw the walls to Kuroshima straight down the road and carefully tied a scarf to her nose.
The guards were very cautious letting her in, checking and rechecking her identification proofs before rolling away the large gates. She cautiously tightened the cloth covering her nose and mouth and pulled the hood up.
She was at Kuroshima, and this is where the journey really begins.
AN: Here is the first chapter, did y'all like it? Then leave some reviews, I crave audience interaction.
See y'all in the next chap.
Bye