"The people here have their own traps in place," announced Sakura when she returned to her sensei's patient side.
"Pretty freaky ones, too," Inner-Sakura added as she shrunk in on herself.
Knowing that they would be unwelcoming of change (after picking up on Shisui's hints), she familiarised herself with what they had set up rather than introduced any of her own. Many of them were complete mysteries that made her wary of getting too close, the various stains alerting Sakura to the levels of pain they would cause if she stupidly set one off. It meant the perimeter run she was ordered to take doubled up as a learning experience—no doubt his intention.
"All's quiet," she continued at the questioning silence, and Shisui nodded once in acceptance of the report.
"Too quiet," said Inner-Sakura, shuddering. "It's creepy."
She couldn't wholly disagree when the natives of the village made little to no noise. They went about their days as usual (she suspected, anyway), yet they didn't utter a word to one another. No sounds of frustration or happiness. Not even a sigh. It felt unnatural and after a short while began to play on her nerves, winding them tighter and tighter when she started to believe it'd been hours since she last heard any noise.
Had she not been used to travelling through the forest, the silence would have continued to be eerie. However, Sakura knew that noise travelled poorly being as deep into the forest as they were; paranoia also played tricks on the mind, for once she forced herself to stand still and listen closely, the illusion of total isolation dispelled, and she was able to hear the wildlife surrounding her again. She allowed it to soothe the nerves trying to get the best of her.
It was difficult to read whether Shisui was feeling the same unease as herself. His poker face was remarkable—didn't even show signs of being aware of her staring until his gaze shifted to meet hers, and a single eyebrow raised in question. Within an instant, her entire face flood with heat at being caught so openly staring at him.
Clearing her throat briefly as she scrambled for something, anything, to discuss, Sakura asked, "H-Have you heard from him?"
"Every now and then," was his quiet response.
She nodded. Then, after a few more moments of silence passed between them, she tried to ask, "Is he…?"
Despite what he told her the night he left, Sakura had yet to receive a single letter from Itachi—not that he owed her anything, she reminded herself with a touch of frustration. She simply… Well, it would have been nice to be reassured that he was alive and well. Even something as pointless as a "hello" and literally nothing else would have eased that knot in her belly.
Something in his expression softened, and he looked to her more reassuringly. "He seems to be doing fine, all things considered."
All things considered.
"…Good."
"There isn't much for us to do out here now that we've set up a perimeter," Shisui announced after more time passed. Nudging her lightly, he said, "Let's get some lunch—after, you can work on your herbs."
She'd never gotten so much research done before.
There hadn't been a single disturbance of any kind—not even a mutter to distract her. Sakura was in awe as she shut the textbook and looked over to her sensei to see if the quiet had served him well too. In the process of reading through the scrolls that he continued to try and decipher even without a decoder, he appeared deep in thought.
Originally, they hadn't wanted to pursue analysing them knowing that it could be done so inaccurately, however the likelihood of never finding the original decoder opened them up to it. Shisui had warned that if he felt anything was too grossly inaccurate, then he wouldn't continue further; if it was merely a few words appearing awkwardly placed here and there that wouldn't greatly affect the histories of her ancestor, then it wasn't too bad. Simply a minor inconvenience.
Nothing in his expression revealed if he was frustrated or relieved and his body language was equally indifferent, leaving her completely (not to mention irritatingly) in the dark. For all she knew, he was halfway done with the whole thing. Doubtful, of course. But it didn't hurt to be optimistic.
A gentle rapping on their door brought them to attention and they met the other's eye in pleasant surprise. If it was who they suspected it to be, then it was the first time the colony had reached out to them.
It would appear less intimidating for her to open the door, Sakura knew, and so held her hands up to wave him off just as Shisui began rolling up the scrolls. Nobody thought much of a little pink haired girl, after all, whereas he was a well-built man with an astounding ability to summon the crows watching over the area, and eyes that changed colour. All they'd really seen of her was running about and exploring.
All that registered with Sakura upon opening the door for several moments was a makeshift tray of food set neatly on the ground, idly reminding her suddenly ravenous stomach that they'd worked straight through dinner. Then she looked up in hopes of thanking whoever had left it for them, only to falter at the figure roughly seven feet away.
A girl as young as herself with mousy brown hair and lightly apprehensive eyes stared back with her hands clasped politely before her. Another hut from across the clearing had its door partially left open, and Sakura could sense more eyes on them, likely to ensure the safety of their child.
She opened their own door further and bowed deeply in thanks, appreciating their quiet nature, and her lips twitched with warmth when her head raised in time to see the young girl copying her move.
Then she was gone, timidly rushing back to her hut and shutting the door without a backwards glance.
It came from that specific family rather than the colony as a whole, Sakura suspected as she accepted the food and closed their door. It smelled wonderful and appeared as nothing more than a hearty stew that once more caused her stomach to growl its demands.
"Smells good," Shisui commented.
The fact he didn't already have their dishes set out despite knowing he too was likely starving after a day of perimeter runs and submersing themselves in their scrolls, brought Sakura to a halt just as she placed the tray down. Up until that point, her sensei always shared tasks, meaning that if she was the one dishing out then he set up their eating space, or cleaned the pots afterwards. Sometimes even both if he wasn't the one cooking.
His stillness alerted her to his waiting on her next move.
Being the medic of their two-man squad, would he want her to…?
Sakura didn't believe the people there would poison them, but being a realist was equally as important as being optimistic, in her eyes (they were outsiders with frightening abilities, after all). It was about finding that delicate balance that prevented her from being too naïve yet not too hardened either.
Without a word for her intentions, Sakura set about heaping a large spoonful of the stew into a plain dish, then produced a vial from her pouch to drop a dash of the chemical into it. Although her incessant stomach wanted nothing more than to dig in already, she was thorough in investigating the meal for poisons—even the obscure ones, since they were deep into the forest and nature was scary as hell for what it could produce.
"Clean," she announced, and couldn't refrain from inwardly cheering herself on at the proud hair ruffle she received in response.
They ate in a companiable silence that was infrequently broken up with light talks about their reading, or the lack of responses from his crows and the traps set up around the perimeter.
For the most part, he told her as they finished up their meal, Mao's scroll wasn't exactly illegible, however there were several blanks that Shisui was struggling to fill. It was nothing too life altering, he suspected. But it was enough to make him wary of handing it over too soon. Nobody wanted a watered down or an erroneous history that could essentially send them down the wrong path or end up making uninformed decisions.
"What if you focus on a single passage for now?" Sakura questioned curiously, head tilting on Shisui when he turned his focus to the rolled up scrolls like they also had a say in the conversation. "I could read that passage and give you an outside perspective on whether or not it's worth continuing."
He snorted at that and teased, "You are too invested in these translations for me to be entirely confident in your response." Just as her mouth parted and the impulsive thought of flinging her heavy textbook at him flashed through her mind, Shisui continued with a chuckle, "I could tell you they got married and ran off into the sunset, and you would be too wrapped up in the romance of it all to question it."
"That…!"
A single, challenging eyebrow raised.
"…Wouldn't be the worst ending in the world," she muttered sulkily.
"But when is life ever so simple, Sakura-chan?"
Sighing at the whole unfair ordeal, she slumped forward to rest her head into her hands and pouted up at her sensei just as he began the process of cleaning up. Still, she had to keep trying, otherwise they were well and truly stuck with no way of translating them.
"If it's just one passage then send it to Itachi-san. It's not like anyone could get much information from it other than names, right?"
"Which are easily changed," continued Shisui thoughtfully. He looked to her with a smirk and said, "You may be onto something."
Providing Itachi wasn't already busy, that was. The only reason she even mentioned it was because she knew that they had a joint summons—Tsunade was already in the process of teaching her about signing a contract with her trusted slug summon, Katsuyu. There were so many benefits to it, mainly that they could communicate through the shared summon providing they meant the other no harm (since that would go against the contract in some way).
Surely it wouldn't look all that suspicious if the crow happened to reverse summon to him? Sakura highly doubted it would approach him if Itachi was in the midst of battle, or if it was obvious that he was tailing someone and risked blowing his cover? She bit the inside of her cheek at the potential scenarios that flitted through her mind, because what if they put Itachi at risk?
But Shisui appeared to have far more faith in their crows. Once the shared room was cleaned of their remnants of their meal, he didn't hesitate to summon one.
The cawed greeting was short and chirpy before the crow hopped about the table with its head tipping curiously at the left side of the room. Sakura wondered what happened to capture its attention and was about to check when it hopped to the other side of the table and ducked down to peck at the rock.
"A young one, it seems," Shisui murmured fondly. "They're more inquisitive when they're younger, and their eyes are lighter."
She narrowed her eyes on her sensei with a touch of suspicion. "He's not about to steal my things, is he? Crows do that, right?"
"It's a possibility," came his honest response. "Though it's a myth that they go for shiny objects specifically—it could be anything."
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is."
His hum was contemplative as he watched his summons pecking away several times at the table. Although Sakura was certainly no expert when it came to birds, she liked to assume that it found comfort under Shisui's watchful eyes, especially when it proceeded to glance up at him several times, its head bobbing almost.
"Is he looking for food?" she questioned curiously at the resuming of the pecking.
"No—he's showing he's content right now."
Sakura straightened as the crow looked to her directly, its head tilting a few times like it was considering her. Its inky feathers shimmered ethereally when it shook them out, and she was drawn to the way the candlelight bounced off certain parts of them, creating an even glossier appearance.
"I have a favour to ask of you," Shisui called out, prompting the crow to return its attention to him. "I'd like you to reverse summon to Itachi and hand him this parchment."
Of course, despite wholly trusting his crows and knowing they would be going straight to Itachi, Shisui would refrain from handing them the original scrolls. Just in case someone intercepted them, for whatever reason.
It took her sensei a few minutes to write the passage with the edited names, followed by a brief rundown of what he was asking of his friend. The whole time, the crow curiously searched their room and pecked away at anything it could find, soon clicking along with a few conversational caws. Its juvenile mannerisms had her relaxing into the table, amused.
"There you go," he said fondly, waiting until the crow returned to him to hand over the rolled up parchment. "See you soon."
"Are they all like that?" she questioned once it disappeared.
"Mostly," Shisui answered. "Like people, they can think for themselves, but they're also a community. So if you piss one off, better believe they'll all hate you for the rest of their lives. They're quite vengeful beings, crows."
She shuddered at that. Seeing as Shisui was now her sensei, it was a safe bet she'd see them quite often. It'd suck if she accidentally offended them and ended up being attacked every time they were summoned. "Any tips to avoid angering them?"
"Food and consistency," he snorted.
It was clear he didn't expect much to come of their conversation, but Sakura made a mental note to always carry some form of food she could use as currency to befriend his summons.
"So, we wait?"
He tipped his chin towards the door. "May as well throw in a perimeter run or two."
Blood red eyes followed her every move that night in her dreams, and she couldn't shake the notion of feeling deeply unnerved by the presence surrounding her. Never in view; never giving away their position. They seemed to be a part of nature itself and left her squandering blindly at the crushing sensation of being stalked.
But then a voice whispered to her. Quiet, gravelly. A warning, she realised far too late, because the moment it registered in her mind what the watcher was trying to warn her of, she was under attack.
Incessant flames that offered no light, and she knew she was a goner once they managed to clip her.
It took Sakura far too long to realise the embarrassingly loud thud to the ground that awoke her was in fact her falling from her hammock. However, the pain it should have caused was inconceivable when the reminder of being burned alive (even if it was just a genjutsu) was so fresh in her mind.
Following Tsunade's guidance, she looked to her hands. Hands that didn't match up to the horrifically mangled ones in her mind; they were for the most part smooth, possessing only minor callouses from the brutal training and cleaning products within the hospital. But they were okay, Sakura fiercely reminded herself, slowly clenching them into trembling fists before straightening them out again. They weren't burned, weren't warped beyond recognition. Just ordinary hands.
A quiet shuffle of feet was her only warning to another's presence before Shisui crouched before her collapsed form with his arms slung over his thighs.
"Another nightmare, kid?"
All she could offer was a nod, though the unblinking focus she had on her hands was more than enough to tell Shisui what the latest one was about.
To that, she distantly heard him sigh but he didn't try communicating further than that. Instead, Shisui sat down beside her and waited out the panicked response to the night terror; she found immense solace in his measured breaths and calming demeanour. It also helped knowing that if it was unbearable, then Shisui wasn't opposed to manipulating her mind to put it at ease until the trauma response subsided—not that that happened often.
If it was apparent Sakura sincerely wasn't coping, then he would step in, but that was only after exhausting all other avenues first. Constantly numbing her against said trauma wasn't advised for it was counterproductive in the long run, however when away on missions, was tentatively allowed.
"Itachi replied," he commented once her breathing evened out.
Already?
The creepy sensation of being watched eventually registered with Sakura and she glanced around the room. By that point in the evening, it was lit only by a single candle that resided on the table, accompanied by what she assumed to be the response letter and the young crow from earlier that evening.
"C'mon," he encouraged and stood up, holding out a steady hand to her.
Itachi's response was clipped—blunt, even. Directly calling out awkward phrasing as well as the risks of playing guessing games with a potentially delicate part of history (she believed that to be rather ominous, since it felt more like a half-sentence), then questioning Shisui's sudden bout of uncharacteristic impatience. Itachi insisted they stick to the original plan of tracking down Madara's hideout, and in response Sakura couldn't resist pouting down at the enviable calligraphy.
But then she reached the closing line, and she fought so goddamn hard to hide her hormonal response.
I'm okay.
"Sakura?"
He was okay.
"He said he'd write to me," she informed Shisui lightly and handed the letter back to him. Whether he knew it was a forced lightness was his problem to deal with, and she prayed he didn't demand answers. "I'm not mad that he hasn't—I just wanted to know he was doing okay out there."
"You don't think he is?"
It wasn't asked unkindly, Sakura didn't think. There was no admonishment to his tone or annoyance in his eyes, she soon confirmed when looking to him from across the table. Just a calmness that encouraged her to speak freely with him, but all she could offer after a beat of silence was the saddened shaking of her head.
His expression gentled. "Would it help knowing he's on a team with like-minded individuals who'll know to look out for him?"
Like-minded individuals? Was he serious? "Nope."
Lowering his voice considerably and taking her breath away, he told her what should have been highly classified, "What if I told you Hatake-san is with him?"
Sakura looked at him like he was an idiot. Both at sharing such information and forgetting how that absolutely could never bring her even an ounce of comfort. "Do you know Kakashi-sensei? He's even worse than Itachi-san for neglecting his health!"
He chuckled sheepishly.
But after allowing the information to sit for a few moments, Sakura begged of herself to consider it more rationally, all but scrounging for all the ways it could bring her comfort. Starting with how fiercely Kakashi protected his teammates.
As emotionally distant as her former sensei tended to be, there was no overlooking the lengths he repeatedly travelled to ensure they all made it home alive. Kakashi rarely missed a beat and was an unstoppable force out on the battlefield—leading to her next point in the list of pros.
He'd seen them in the aftermath of Sasuke's desertion. He too felt that agonising betrayal and loss. Although it wasn't solely his burden to bear, Sakura knew Kakashi was the type of guy to shoulder their pain and use it as motivation. More to the point, he was aware of Orochimaru's plans to take over his student's body.
It was personal to him.
Without her permission, tears of hope filled Sakura's eyes and she looked to the clicking crow as it hopped over to her curiously.
Kakashi would stop at nothing to bring Sasuke home.
Her former sensei was notably depressed when he returned from a mission to find that one of his students had defected, and the other was stuck in hospital as he recovered from their brutal battle. Withdrawing into himself; blaming himself for not being present. Hating that he couldn't give chase because their village was in such a tragic situation following Suna and Oto's invasion that they simply couldn't spare the manpower. Mission after exhausting mission with seemingly no end in sight. Feeling as though he had no choice but to turn his back on Sasuke.
But now he was out there.
It was the reassurance Sakura had desperately needed back when they infiltrated Orochimaru's hideout.
And she almost pitied Sasuke now as she imagined both Itachi and Kakashi getting their hands on him after all he put them through.
"…You have a big heart, don't you?"
Sakura resisted the urge to groan while hastily wiping at her eyes, knowing she was probably about to be teased.
But he shocked her by saying offhandedly, "Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe you really do understand the depth of our love, especially if it's true about Madara and Mao."
"An Uchiha's love is—" Shisui paused and thought over the words carefully, the whole time watching Sakura's inquisitive expression. "It shouldn't be underestimated or interfered with."
"Shisui-sensei?"
"Hm?"
"Why shouldn't an Uchiha's love be underestimated?"
The questioned had him growing pensive, though admittedly, Sakura wasn't all that apologetic about the difficult questions she asked or was purposely going to ask in future. If Shisui was so against them then she believed he shouldn't have said anything in the first place. Who wouldn't have questions after hearing such ominous lines like that? At least she'd given him a few weeks of peace before interrogating him.
Dark eyes almost glittered in the candlelight as Shisui held his hand out towards the crow. It didn't hesitate to take the grains presented in his palm, its head bobbing as it repeatedly went from eating to looking up at him.
"Do you remember when Sasuke first activated his sharingan?"
Their first ever mission as team seven wasn't likely to be forgotten anytime soon, for a cluster of reasons. "He and Naruto were separated from us and attacked by an ice-style user," she recounted with a frown. "The odds weren't looking good."
Shisui nodded once, thoughtfully. Then, he casually told her, "Believing he was about to lose his entire team—his own life—was what prompted the first activation of his sharingan."
But… how? Why? Was that Shisui's roundabout way of telling her that Sasuke loved his team?
"On the other hand, Sasuke leaving the way he did—deserting the village Itachi loves, their family, him—broke Itachi's heart in a way you possibly couldn't imagine," he continued gently. "It changed him."
"Changed him?" she repeated, frowning.
A grimace. Another hesitation to speak. It was the first time Sakura had ever witnessed such a hesitant side to her sensei and so she knew not to interrupt. If he was out of his comfort zone (specifically after mentioning the activation of the sharingan) then that likely meant clan secrets, for the only time he didn't give her all the details was when it involved them.
"…His sharingan?" she eventually had to ask despite not wishing to push him.
He nodded curtly, and she refrained from frowning visibly at the concern that flashed in his expression, amplified by the dim light.
"So that's why Sasuke-kun's sharingan often activated when he was stressed or angry?" Sakura wondered aloud, knowing it wasn't a total change of subject but still enough to steer it away from whatever concerned him about Itachi's sharingan. "It's tied to your emotions?"
"Sort of."
He was uncomfortable, she noted. Although the curiosity and need to learn the mystery was killing her know-it-all mind, Sakura pushed aside her selfish wants to spare her sensei the struggles.
Instead, she asked playfully, "Do you think I'd suit the sharingan?"
"Being as emotional as you are, I wouldn't doubt you'd have it mastered within a year of activating it." A pause. A teasing consideration he played up to let her know he wasn't being serious. "That or you'd turn into a vengeful monster."
"Shisui-sensei!" she reprimanded with a pout. "That's not funny!"
His laugh said otherwise.
Suspicious movement just shy of the invisible boundaries they'd set up was caught in the early hours of the morning; brought to their attention by the crows stationed in the area.
It was remarkable how they worked together—a community, as Shisui had earlier explained. Using their caws as a guidance, Sakura knew to be up and on her feet the second they registered three caws in succession.
"Let's go," ordered Shisui.
The unnerving silence as they dashed through the village was only made eerier when Sakura spotted unblinking stares from the gaps in the slatted windows, but refusing to be distracted from her mission, she kept her attention forward. They were likely concerned by the activity surrounding their homes, though she had to question how they could even sense that considering the only reason she and Shisui could was because of his watchful crows.
A question for another time, she told herself.
Everything appeared untouched, they soon came to discover after assessing the traps. Just when Sakura was certain that was all they'd be checking, however, Shisui had them searching further into the forest shrouded in darkness for traces of movement. Everybody naturally left some form of trail behind, he told her, so it was imperative they didn't half-ass their search and assume nobody was lurking in the shadows (considering that would be why they chose to move during the cover of night).
Being that the mission was top priority, Shisui couldn't hang around and wait for her to spot the signs of infiltrators. Rather, he had her shadow him as they scoured up to a half mile in each direction of their borders, pointing out broken twigs and suspicious tracks that she wouldn't have even considered being important prior. Somebody was trying to cover them, Shisui soon explained to her, pointing out nearby objects potentially being used to disturb the footprints in the dirt.
All she heard at that point was: an enemy is nearby.
"Do you remember the mission briefing?"
Sakura nodded, jaw setting as she critically assessed their surroundings. However, it was much too dark for her to see anything. She wondered if that was what prompted Shisui to activate his sharingan—to know if they were suddenly ambushed and counter any attacks.
"Sabotage and protect."
"Meaning?"
Sakura refused to show her irritation even as Inner-Sakura snarled for them to give chase. "We tighten our defences; we don't go looking for trouble."
He nodded once. The glowing of his sharingan offered some comfort to her as Shisui assessed deeper into the forest with a calm expression, seeming untroubled. It was hard not to feel reassured standing by his side.
"Don't stray too far," he ordered quietly.
Her shoulder remained well-checked during their perimeter run, which was sporadically broken up to evaluate the area for traces of intrusion. Shisui's crows remained a silent, constant companion of theirs. Sitting up in the trees and observing their surroundings with a closeness that would unsettle anyone who knew to look for them hidden amongst the leaves and bushes.
It was as dawn was breaking that they came to the conclusion that their constant running of the perimeter scared off whoever tried infiltrating that night. As Shisui brought them to a halt and told her as much, Sakura heaved a sigh of relief and dropped her hands to her knees, panting harshly.
Her stamina continued to be lacking due to storing away chakra, but she refrained from berating herself for it. Medical ninjutsu was top priority, Sakura reminded herself. Storing chakra was a part of that training. A necessary evil in the grand scheme of things.
"Good work tonight, Sakura-chan," Shisui praised lightly, his sharingan finally deactivating. "You kept composed in a difficult situation—not many your age can do so."
All she could do was nod; her head was swimming.
Her sensei waited it out with her, watching over Sakura as she regained control over herself. It took several moments but soon enough, the symptoms of exerting herself gradually began to fade away. She'd need to eat soon however, Sakura reminded herself.
The walk back to the village was one of reflection. She used the time to go over all that was learned during the attempted breach in their defences, going all the way back to the first warning call of danger from the crows.
It hadn't been loud enough to appear as suspicious; anyone who wasn't well-versed in the activity of birds likely would have assumed they'd simply disturbed them while passing their nest. That wasn't the concern for Sakura. No, what continued to play on her mind was the watchful eyes peeking out of from their huts like they too could sense the danger lurking around their homes. But how? None of their traps were disturbed—they'd triple checked them all—and they didn't seem like sensory types, from what she could tell.
"They were all awake last night," Sakura pointed out uneasily, mindful of keeping her voice low just in case they overheard her somehow. "How did they sense danger that even we couldn't?"
"Ah, that," he said with a touch of sheepishness to his tone. "The people in this village strongly believe that the trees can communicate with each other."
They…
"Eh?"
"I don't know the ins and outs of their beliefs—they have many secrets here," Shisui informed her. "Mainly recipes or treatments that they consider to be closed practices."
Meaning not for outsider use, Sakura reminded herself with a serious nod of understanding. "But… trees, Shisui-sensei?"
He shrugged in a who knows sort of way, then took a moment to assess her body language. "How are you holding up?"
She looked to her hands and pouted, knowing that was his way of saying they needed to move away from the topic. "I could do with a snack." A pause. Then, suddenly aware of how long they'd been running, somewhat awkwardly, "And a bathroom break."
Nodding with understanding, Shisui told her, "I will wait to reply to Itachi. I know you were anxious earlier due to his silence—"
"You don't have to," she quickly tried to dissuade him, her smile sheepish. "It isn't a big deal—"
"Neither is replying," he pointed out and something about the way he glanced at her from the corner of his eye had her flustered. "Whether I write it up now or in an hour's time doesn't matter—there's no time limit."
But that insinuated that Sakura even had anything to say in the first place—did she? She wasn't so sure. The thought of scolding Itachi for not writing to her crossed her mind a handful of times, but then she reminded herself that there was no obligation to. She was just his younger brother's teammate—former teammate.
"There's really nothing to say," she soon insisted quietly. "He can't go into any details about what's going on while he's away, whether it's related to the mission or not… right?" Shisui sigh was her only affirmative, and she snorted. "So what am I supposed to say? Do I ask about the weather?"
The sarcasm wasn't lost on her sensei, who merely rolled his eyes in response. "I'll let him know you wish him well, then."
The weight she hadn't realised was settling onto her shoulders shifted somewhat. "Thank you."
Three days passed in discomforting silence.
The villagers were no more welcoming of them as they'd been the day they arrived, and in a fourteen-year-old Sakura's extra hormonal mind, it was beginning to get rude. Would it kill them to at least smile at them in passing? Any kind of acknowledgment would be appreciated by that point. Damn it, did they want their help or not?
The lack of things to do wasn't helping matters.
It appeared the explorers held back during the day. They could only suspect as to why. What they knew for definite was that she hated sleeping in shifts during the day and staying up all night.
"It's inconsiderate," she snapped while poking at the main source of her ire.
Shisui threw a withering glare that had absolutely no effect on her. "Of course it is their indirect causation of a pimple that is what's inconsiderate about this whole situation."
Lowering the small pocket mirror she was using, Sakura offered up her own glower, muttering sarcastically in a deadpan, "Right?"
Idiot. She knew it was the least of their concerns in the grand scheme of things. However, in that much too sensitive moment (for her), all Sakura could see was the huge ass pimple that caused at least half of her chin to shine a furious shade of red and it fucking hurt.
"Screw it—"
"I wouldn't~" warned Shisui in a sing-song voice just as she went in for the kill.
The tip of her kunai stopped a meagre millimetre from the pimple and Sakura grit her teeth so loud he could hear it across their hut. "Why not?"
That bastard had the gall to look so smug while telling her, "A beast like that? It'll scar if you pop it before its ready."
A beast…
A beast?!
"Shisui-sensei…!"
Dark eyes rolled in the same moment as a textbook dropped onto the table made of rock, interrupting her from ripping him a new one. One glance at the cover informed her the contents was herbs, though why he thought that meant anything in the moment—
Holy shit.
He really was a genius.
"Natural remedies," she gushed happily.
Aloe vera was known for its anti-inflammatory properties; exactly what she needed for the raging pimple that was throbbing whenever she moved her goddamn mouth.
Sakura tried to recall other natural remedies while rushing to grab her medical pouch, barely even taking the time to attach it to her hip before she was grabbing her weapons pouch also. Being out on a mission, with potential enemies lurking in the shadows, meant it would be foolish of her to meander out of the village alone without being armed.
"I'll check the perimeter while I'm looking," she announced.
All she was offered was a laidback two-finger salute—not that she really cared to look in his direction after the beast comment he dared to make.
Even with it being daylight hours (meaning they typically didn't make a move), Sakura didn't allow that to form a false sense of security. She remained completely on guard, and like her sensei was testing her on that, she spotted his juvenile crow out of her peripheral.
It blended in remarkably well with the surroundings; she previously would have overlooked it without a second's thought. However, she knew it was Shisui's summon from the intelligence in its gaze while watching her, its head tilting and infrequent caws only confirming that fact. Others were evidently communicating with it, though it took Sakura an extra moment of listening intently to pick up on the responding caws of its community.
Reassured by their presence, she sent the crow a grateful smile before returning her focus to her task.
Keep eyes close to the ground, Sakura reminded herself. The plant was extremely short-stemmed or completely stemless, with thick, typically green-grey, leaves.
It was fortunate on her part that Shisui made it a point to quiz her on herbs, for had it been a month or two prior then she would have sworn up and down that they weren't in the correct climate for it. But the muggy air of the forest was hot enough for a tropical plant, she deduced. Even better, she knew there were rockeries nearby thanks to their perimeter runs.
Remaining at a distance and sounding its caws like it was reporting back to Shisui, her clever little companion joined Sakura in her search.
What she wasn't anticipating, however, was to spot the young girl from their first night creeping behind trees. Clearly trying to tail someone—at first, Sakura assumed it to be her, since the village had its closed practices, and she was blatantly foraging. But that was blown out of the list of potentials when she ducked to assess the situation, pretending to be enamoured by forget-me-nots.
Sakura frowned within the cover of the bush at the girl's sudden darting behind a tree.
Several of the villagers were sent out to check the status of their traps, though they were typically the same select few—their designated scouting team. Shisui instructed that she commit their faces to memory, and Sakura knew damn well that that girl was not a part of the squad.
What was she doing out there?
From what she'd discovered about the girl's personality, she was timid thing. Petite, roughly the same age as herself, if not a year or two older. Although she clearly boasted some stealth and speed, it was apparent from her nosiness in that moment that her impulsivity was challenging to contain. It overrode logical thinking and made her sloppy.
Then she did something none of the other villagers had.
Caw.
She cursed. Under her breath but still out loud.
Caw.
To outsiders, it was no big deal. Just somebody growing frustrated. Hell, it was quiet enough to barely even pass through the short space that Sakura was gradually closing, yet in comparison to how silent it'd been up until that point, the girl may as well have screamed. It was enough to cause Sakura to falter in her movements.
Caw.
Green eyes widened as the caws of the crow belatedly occurred to her. Three—danger.
But seeking out the juvenile crow that was accompanying her was a mistake, and Sakura grabbed fistfuls of the grass when she heard a sharp intake of breath. By the time her attention returned to the young girl—barely even a second, she internally stressed—she was gone.
She was gone.
What did she do?
Tense, Sakura recounted the mission details in her mind, all the while willing her spinning mind to slow down.
Their main goal was to protect and sabotage—protect first and foremost. It was well within mission parameters for her to give chase, but there was the frustrating issue of overstepping boundaries with the village, should it all be a simple misunderstanding. She—
No, it wasn't a misunderstanding. Shisui's crow gave the three-caw single that alerted them of danger nearby. Adding to the reassurance was the resounding caws that would shortly reach her sensei, who would undoubtedly be guided straight to ground zero.
But waiting around was…
What if something happened to her while she sat around waiting for somebody else to come and save the day?
Sakura glanced over her shoulder for the juvenile crow, who made not only its presence known, but also helped in making her decision, by fluttering to the same tree the girl disappeared from. Shisui would know of her whereabouts via the community.
Steeling her nerves and keeping one hand over her thigh holster, she crept closer to the mysterious tree, ensuring to watch her footing to avoid sounding her presence. As previously noted regarding the young girl's personality, she'd left notable footsteps in her wake, and knowing Shisui would find them in a heartbeat, Sakura clearly marked her own beside hers.
"—this is what we were waiting for, boss." Green eyes narrowed with concern as she picked up on the faint conversation that told her they were vacating the area. "We can use her as leverage."
"Call it fate that she was stumbling around out here."
"This could be the break we needed to get through the Konoha-nin."
Damn it.
Damn it.
How long did it take to officialise one goddamn village? Why was it taking so long? They could only hold them off for so long before something like this happened. People were naturally impatient, particularly when it was so blaringly obvious that they were being sabotaged.
Once she reached the tree, Sakura crouched behind the trunk, listening carefully to find her opening to peek around it. All the while her hand never left its position from over her thigh holster, and she had to make it a conscious effort not to disrupt her chakra's calming flow.
From what she could make out, there was at least three of them. At least. That was assuming one of the speakers was the boss the first guy addressed directly, otherwise that meant four. Not comforting odds, Sakura warned herself grimly. Even low-level thugs could pose a threat if they came at her all at once, especially since she was storing away chakra.
Safest bet was to wait for backup.
But…
The priority in that moment was saving the girl's life. A girl Sakura didn't even know the name of. All she did know was that her family had welcomed them in their own, strange way with delicious food when no one else dared to even make eye contact with them. What she did know was the girl was notably frustrated and wanted to help in some way, even if it had led to her capture.
A single caw from above prompted Sakura to look upwards, and she pursed her lips at the crow awaiting her next move.
Her decision was made up by considerably heavier footsteps that was accompanied by a startled gasp. Footsteps that were breaking off from the rest of the group—a bad sign. It meant they'd decided on what to do from there. An impulsive decision that was steering two—no, three—sets of feet in the direction of the village.
But that was fine by her. Shisui would meet them head on.
Her focus was the one running away. Compared to his comrades, his footfall was considerably heavier and signified he was carrying something, and Sakura believed her suspicion wasn't all that farfetched when pairing it with the gasp of someone being taken by surprise.
Carrying someone slowed a person down. Didn't matter who it was, or how strong they were.
She glanced up at the crow and tried her luck in ordering, "Tail them."
Of course, it didn't obey her, and Sakura pouted up at it.
"Fine," she relented, waiting for the remainder of the group to leave the immediate vicinity before leaving the cover of the tree and bushes. "But it'd be nice if you did help, y'know."
The clicking response was definitely a laugh, wasn't it?
Dismissing the crow with another pout, Sakura took to the branches and sprinted in the direction of the heavy footsteps. Her own were light, presence hidden better than it would have been months prior thanks to Shisui's strict training, though by no means perfect. She still had to make it a conscious effort to be stealthy, especially when Sakura eventually caught up.
The young girl was thrown over a burly man's shoulder, fingers splayed out over his lower back with a petrified grip. Mousy brown hair threatened to obscure her features entirely, but from what Sakura could make of them, she saw how fearful she was, and in response, her heart lurched.
Hands coming together in front of her mouth, she created the whistle calling of a bird not native to the area, and instantly, the girl's eyes snapped upwards in search of Sakura.
She purposely swooped downwards, dangling herself on the branch purely to reassure her, before swinging back up into the cover of the trees.
Relief had tears filling the girl's eyes.
The captor was non-the-wiser to Sakura's presence, though she didn't hang around trying to figure out why. Rather, she sped up until she was perfectly parallel with the pair, green eyes darting between watching her next step and them.
Speed remained unchanged; grip just as tight as it previously was. Nothing in his countenance alerted her to his knowing she was tailing him. A slight limp was only discovered upon closer inspection—another reason for the heavier footfall. Left foot.
Recover the girl without causing unnecessary harm to her, Sakura warned herself.
Had there been a team for backup, then she could have targeted the abductor while sending someone out to recover the client. Alas, it was only her. Targeting him could lead to his falling on the young girl or finding an opening to harm her. She didn't have enough eyes on the situation to be confident in the outcomes.
Direct confrontation, then.
Pushing herself to the limit to overtake the pair, Sakura had him skidding to a startled halt by dropping suddenly from the trees and brandishing her kunai in clear warning.
"Release the child," she ordered in a voice that was stronger than she felt. "We can go our separate ways once she's back with me."
Definitely favouring his left side, she confirmed, though didn't adjust her own stance to accommodate that. It was too obvious an opening—Kakashi taught her that during the bell test. Just because it displayed a potential weakness, didn't mean it was one (or that it wasn't being made up for in other ways). Simply became something to target when or if the opportunity arose.
"You're alone," he noted.
Sakura refused to show how uneasy the assessment made her. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."
"Hoh?"
Rogue-nin, the slashed forehead protector looped around his arm informed her. Formerly Iwa-nin. Iwa-nin favoured earth style, Sakura reminded herself. Likely hired muscle and if his abilities erred on the defensive, then the ideal candidate for protecting the abductee.
He was a hulking figure that initially appeared intimidating, but she reminded herself that appearances could be deceiving.
Dark, beady eyes glanced at the surrounding trees, and she noticed his grip tightening on the girl's thighs even as he muttered, "Seem pretty alone to me."
Calling her bluff.
If she timed it just right…
Just as the rogue-nin shifted his weight in preparation to bulldoze through her, Sakura took the opportunity to toss a handful of grains from her pouch in his direction, smirking at the obvious falter of confusion. Of course, it made little sense why she would throw grains, of all things, but it seemed the sneaky girl from the village had an inkling as she rammed her elbow between his shoulders blades sharply enough to be dropped harshly to the ground.
Using the distraction, Sakura shot chakra throughout her hips and legs and ducked beneath the burly man, snatching the girl up midroll and reappearing suddenly in a nearby tree. By the time she was retrieved, the grains were within arm-length of the man, and he absentmindedly threw an arm out to swat them away, apparently not noticing the juvenile crow hurtling his way with its eye set on the food.
She smirked and shifted the girl behind her.
The swatting of his hand was misconstrued wonderfully, and Sakura didn't feel an ounce of regret when the crow sounded a blaring five-caw call that brought the forest alive.
"This is our chance," Sakura whispered to her. "Hold onto me, okay?"
Light-coloured eyes widened at the sight of the man being swarmed rapidly with vengeful crows. They circled him noisily, seemingly appearing out of nowhere as more continued to flock to the assistance of their youngster.
Knowing they wouldn't hold a shinobi back for too long even as they started divebombing him, Sakura wasted no time in ducking into the girl and hoisting her over her shoulder. One hand to her back, the other behind her knees, hold secure and reassuring.
The first leap she made was powerful enough to shake the entire tree, but rather than admonishing herself for it, Sakura focused on the distance it cleared before repeating the move.
They needed distance more than stealth. To return the girl to the village, if not Shisui. Once she was out of the way, fighting the enemy wasn't out of the question or posed a significant risk to the client. She—
A barely-there squeak was Sakura's only warning before searing pain unexpectedly sliced into her side. Instinctively, she stumbled, though ensured to cushion the fall for the girl as they slipped from the next branch she'd tried to land on.
Whatever happened to clip her expanded horrifyingly up ahead into huge boulders that eventually crashed to the ground with telling quakes of the earth, likely a failsafe in case it missed its intended target, seeing as she would have run straight into them. Gritting her teeth, Sakura shifted awkwardly beneath the winded girl pinning her and tried to assess the situation more rationally, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
They needed to keep moving.
A shift in the caws behind them alerted Sakura to a change no doubt with the opponent, and she promptly switched her position with the girl, shielding her determinedly but by no means leaving herself open for an attack. Instead, Sakura shoved a foot to the ground between them and used it as leverage for hurtling them forward in a desperate dash. The boulder barrier was used as a vault to return to the trees, but as could only be expected of someone aware of her village (these were her stomping grounds, after all), the guy attempted to prevent her from retreating into the trees.
"Same move," the girl surprisingly whispered to her, clutching tightly in a manner that allowed Sakura more freedom of her own hands.
Just as the rock bullet exploded into boulders upon reaching them, without breaking stride in their run, she swiftly weaved the sign for a body replacement jutsu. There wasn't a chance in hell of it working without the hawk-like eyes watching her back during the retreat.
"Nice timing," Sakura said in way of thanks, already tens of metres ahead by the time they heard the log thudding to the ground.
"He—"
The abrupt vanishing of her client startled Sakura long enough for the enemy to regain the upper-hand with two clones—no, three clones.
There was no holding back her yelp at the boulder-like fist that hastily appeared in front of her. Running as chaotically as she was, Sakura was unable to dodge or counter the punch that hurtled her back the way she came, and only briefly did she entertain the assumption of her jaw being broken—briefly because she was brutally winded upon colliding with the previous boulders used to stop her.
A piercing ringing overrode all other sounds of the forest, so powerful it knocked her equilibrium and left her dazed.
…Shit.
But it appeared she'd royally pissed the rogue-nin off, who chose to restrain his abductee rather than flee with her. Whether it was a blessing or not couldn't be decided in that moment, and despite the sickening swimming of her head, Sakura struggled to her feet and slipped into a shaky defence.
Caw.
At least chūnin level, the sudden burst of speed assured. Jōnin, the strength behind the fist slamming into her stomach scoffed.
Sakura was promptly overwhelmed, and her instinctive counters were severely lacking—he ensured to show as much by allowing them to connect, then laughing at the feeble attempts. His sadistic grin filled her vision, soon becoming all she could focus on.
"Body hardening technique," Inner-Sakura warned.
Shit.
The snapping of her teeth that damn near shattered upon collision of his head to her chin couldn't be announced—the pain was extreme enough to blank her mind for a few seconds.
Caw.
But she sure as hell put up a fight when coming to and realising the grave situation she was in.
Her considerably smaller hands closed around his, just as desperate to pry his grip from her throat as her toes were fighting for solid ground, scraping in the dirt until she was lifted from it entirely.
"Quit getting in our way," came a snarl that sounded so far away.
Caw.
Caw.
Caw.
Assistance came in the form of the crows rediscovering their newly sworn enemy, and even with a dimming vision, Sakura watched on in morbid curiosity as they resumed their divebombing on him. Some pecked at his exposed forearms, whereas others focused on more vulnerable areas such as his eyes, and their progress showed in the twitching of the hands around her throat until it became only one. His other swatted at the crows furiously, his curses drowned out by theirs.
"Focus, Sakura," snarled Inner-Sakura. "There's one last vulnerable area left!"
And much to her vindictive relief, it was wide open.
The grip on her throat vanished abruptly the second her wildly chakra-enhanced kick connected with his balls, and Sakura willed herself to regain total control of her chakra while shoving him backwards. The crows moved with him, granting her a breather that lasted long enough to realise the young girl was trapped within a boulder prison—looking was all she had time for, however.
Pain exploding in her back brought Sakura's focus back to the rogue-nin but unlike before, she fought through it. Rolling out of his next attack then ducking beneath the barrier of the crows who were more than happy to swarm him again. They were the perfect companion, Sakura believed, as they provided multiple openings to the girl. She—
The unexpected rolling of the earth prevented her from so much as contemplating how to decimate the prison made from stone, and much to Sakura's horror, it even moved the prison further away from her.
Focus!
Retrieving her kunai just as the rogue-nin's footing slipped, she spun to meet the clothesline that should have taken her out of commission and plunged her kunai deep into his bicep. It was swiftly followed up by another plunged into his thigh, and Sakura used the unyielding grips on the kunai to spin and land a powerful kick into the side of his head, then promptly dropped out of reach. But she wasn't done. Couldn't be. Instead, she spun on her toes and used his momentary distraction to roundhouse kick him away from her.
But it was evident from his persistence that escaping wasn't an option. Moreover, she was running low on chakra already and needed to preserve it for the girl (since there hadn't been enough time to check her over for injuries).
So, she gave chase with a sudden surge of chakra.
The grip she managed to obtain of his head tightened considerably before she was using her own momentum to slam it down into the ground, leaving her attacker dazed. But she didn't let up. She couldn't. So, she welcomed the fury and desperation that unleashed hell.
Blood splattered across the dirt at the next punch that knocked several of his teeth out; his eyes swelling shut within seconds of receiving Sakura's unbridled rage. All she could see was him, snapping into unsettlingly sharp focus like her mind was telling her nothing else could matter in that moment.
But even as the struggling gradually lessened, even as his face became unrecognisable, even as he grew limp beneath her, even as the sound of the stone prison shattering and dissipating crows told her all she needed to know, she refused to stop swinging.
Even as her knuckles split. Even as her wrists ached viciously. Even as her head throbbed. Even as her exhausted body begged of her to stop already.
She. Didn't. Stop. Swinging.
It wasn't until she physically couldn't keep going that Sakura drew to a halt, fist weakly brushing what was left of his skull. And as she panted in exertion above him, she willed herself to shut her eyes against the offensive sight of his head caved in. But she couldn't. It remained all she could focus on even after Sakura managed to scramble backwards into a nearby tree, too lost in a daze as she couldn't prevent falling to the ground despite predicting it.
That was how Shisui inevitably found her, but she barely noticed his falter as he rushed onto the scene. Had she been able to focus on anything other than the rogue-nin, then she would have registered that the near-headless body was evidently the least of his concerns as Shisui carefully approached and crouched before her. His hands were constantly in full view; movements seemingly exaggerated.
"…Sakura."
Wide eyes snapped to his, and she saw before she even heard his surprised gasp. Wondered how fucked her mind was for the widening of his own eyes and parting of his lips to be in such slow motion.
"How…?"
There was no reason to be afraid when he was moving so cautiously, so slowly. Everything seemed to register before it even happened when Shisui carefully cupped her cheeks and tilted her head back into the sunlight. Barely a second later and her hands were covering his in horrified amazement, because right there staring back at her via the reflection in his dark eyes…
…was a single black fleck in hers.
A/N - Chapter is partially unedited. Honestly I've gone through it so many times that I can't even focus on the words anymore haha. If there's any mistakes that take away from the story, please let me know and I'll rectify it!