Chapter Four

Ops Headquarters

Sakura was perched on the edge of her mattress, staring at the piece of parchment in her hand. She must have read it a hundred times by now, but couldn't stave off the growing dread that had taken up residence in the hollow pit of her stomach. She scanned the parchment once again, reading at the speed of a snail in case she somehow missed something important – something hidden.

Haruno Sakura,

Your presence is required at the ANBU Headquarters, Wednesday, the 13th of March, at precisely 8:00 P.M. An escort will arrive at your home to collect you.

Regards,
ANBU Commander
Baku

There were several things that made Sakura uneasy about the ANBU's short letter. She particularly detested that her presence had been 'required' instead of 'requested' or even 'invited' – those words would have gone a lot further where bedside manner was concerned. But the word 'required' implied that she had no choice in the summoning, and declining was simply out of the question. On top of that, she was under the impression that Baku had died sometime ago, and wondered if his codename had been reinstated – passed on like an inheritance to someone that had taken his place as the Commander.

Very little was known about the Black Ops as a rule of protection, but what she did know, wasn't exactly comforting…

The ANBU elite were a special assassination and tactical squad – a group of exceptionally skilled ninja with unique abilities, usually chosen by the village leader. But that was before the war… After, Tsunade decided to entrust control of the ANBU to their commander. He or she communicated directly with the Hokage, keeping her informed about the ANBU missions. Every operative that was chosen post war, was chosen by the Commander.

There were a few exceptions to the rule… Kakashi and Tenzo/Yamato were among them. It wasn't like you weren't allowed to leave the Black Ops, but once you did, whatever secret knowledge a nin inherited on the force was meant to die with them… In the past, Sakura had tried to get Kakashi to fess up about his life among the elite, but he always found a way to brush off her questions. The simple (yet very effective) 'I'd-tell-you-but-then-I'd-have-to-kill-you' was usually enough to shut her up because she didn't think he was joking.

It was hard for Sakura to picture Kakashi ever willingly signing up for that lifestyle, but she knew there was a darker period of his life where she probably wouldn't have recognized him. Now, he was a habitually stoic creature, often prone to episodes of laziness and tardiness, but that wasn't who Kakashi was at his core. She wagered he pulled that crap to hide the fact that he was an actual genius, and one who was regularly sought out for his skills. Sakura surmised that Kakashi truly just didn't like the attention, or anyone making a fuss over him for that matter. But that was neither here nor there.

What was here, however… was the damned scroll and the ticking of her clock.

She'd told no one, just as the ANBU Op had requested, but Sakura was beginning to wish that she told someone – on the off chance that she didn't return from her 'required' meeting at Headquarters. Sakura knew she was likely being dramatic. The Konoha elite didn't kidnap or hurt their own, but she couldn't possibly fathom what they wanted with her.

Sakura paced through the lower part of her house, casting wayward glances out her window as if expecting she'd be able to spot whomever was coming to collect her. That was another word usage she didn't much care for… She sighed, rolling her neck from side to side in hopes of alleviating some of the tension that was building in her shoulders. Finally, just as her patience was wearing thin, there was a slight tap on her door. Sakura closed the distance in three strides, squared her shoulders, and opened the door to greet her 'collector.'

An ANBU operative was standing on her porch, dressed in a pair of black tactical pants and a simple, long-sleeved black shirt with the red ANBU insignia embroidered on his left shoulder. The grey flak jacket had been left behind, but Sakura supposed that an escort mission didn't necessarily warrant full-fledged fighting gear. This Op was wearing the standard porcelain animal mask to conceal his identity – a tiger, she guessed, judging by the triangular ears and the painted stripes.

"Put these on." the ANBU Op extended both arms; he was holding a hooded black cloak in one hand and a porcelain fox mask in the other.

Sakura merely quirked an eyebrow as she took the garments. She flung the cloak around her shoulders, fastening the little button at her throat before carefully fixing the mask to her face. Next, she pulled the overly-large hood up over her head to conceal her hair. "Doesn't seem fair that you know who I am but I don't know who you are," she said. The mask muffled her voice a little, but she was surprised by its comfort. She'd always assumed the masks were a bit of a hindrance in the fighting department.

"I'm the Commander's second," Tiger-mask informed her. "You may call me Tora."

"Right," Sakura said, "Tora." His codename meant nothing to her.

"You will be called Kitsune for the night," Tora told her.

"I don't even get to pick my own codename?" Sakura placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head at the ANBU Op. "Kitsune isn't exceptionally clever." She tapped her masked cheek for reference.

Tora shrugged. "Neither is mine."

Tora meant 'tiger' and kitsune was the Japanese word for 'fox.' "Are everyone's codenames based off of what mask they wear?" Sakura asked.

"No. My mask and codename were given to me because of my abilities."

Sakura raised a slender pink eyebrow, but it couldn't be seen behind her fox mask. "I don't have any foxlike abilities," Sakura countered.

"The Commander picked your name." Tora stepped out of Sakura's doorway, gesturing for her to join him. "Come," he beckoned, "we must be on our way."

Sakura stepped out into the cool evening air, closing and locking the door behind them. It wasn't raining anymore, but a milky fog had risen from the ground and hugged their ankles as they walked down the darkened sidewalks. ANBU Headquarters was positioned within the mountain behind the Hokage Tower, though Sakura had never been inside. Regular nin weren't permitted. A secret thrill went through her at the realization that she was finally going to see Headquarters. She very much doubted she would get to share that information with anyone, but it excited her nonetheless.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me anything about why I've been summoned by the Commander, are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Tora walked leisurely beside her, but Sakura noted the eerie silence that encompassed them. When she focused, she realized that the only sound of rustling was coming from the fabric of her cloak and her subdued footsteps on the sidewalk. Tora might as well have not been there. The early-season spring breeze stirred scents of newly budding plant life; Sakura inhaled deeply, using the aroma to quell her nerves as they approached the path at the base of the mountain where the sidewalks ended.

A natural path wound through the side of the mountain, disappearing through a compact patch of woods with great, towering trees. Silver-white moonlight shone from up above, casting subtle rays through the tree canopy that lit their way across the roughhewn path. The rising fog continued to press in around them, accompanied by the melancholy chorus of owls and crickets that were hidden within the woods. When they emerged on the other side, they were greeted by a great arched doorway that had been carved within the mountain. Two masked elite stood on either side of the door, presumably to guard the entrance.

"Welcome to ANBU Headquarters," Tora said, extending his arm as Sakura stepped through the doorway. Wall sconces jutted from the natural mountain rock, and torchlight lit a path through the interior halls. It was obvious that an Earth-style user had carved out the entrance, and probably the entirety of the ANBU depot. As they walked down the long corridor, the sound of rushing water began to fill Sakura's ears. Her eyebrows furrowed behind her mask when they neared the end of the tunnel, revealing a huge balcony-like platform, and a circular opening that stretched stories above and below them. A giant cleft in the mountaintop allowed for light to spill in from the sky above, and right now, liquid moonlight flowed onto a cascading waterfall that entered a serene pool down below. Tora gave Sakura a moment to take in the view, standing back as she gripped the railing and peered down at the mock training ground at the base of the waterfall.

"I've never seen anything like it," Sakura breathed. "It's incredible." The circular pit down below was equipped with a nature-like sparring arena, and the pool contained a series of balancing stones of varying shapes and sizes. Earth-style was strong here, evident in the complex arching of wooden footbridges that stacked up the walls clear towards the opening of the mountaintop. There were even long ropes and target stations – the place made Konoha's training grounds look like childsplay in comparison, and Sakura felt the hot claw of jealousy raking across her belly.

"This is the main sparring arena," Tora informed her.

"You have more than one?" Sakura sounded surprised.

"There are many rooms for the many training exercises the ANBU must complete before becoming an elite." Tora chose the walkway to the right, following along its curve until they approached another opening to a secondary hallway.

"How many halls are there?"

"Four main halls around the training arena. Each represent one of the cardinal directions." Tora led her to the end of the wing, pausing at the arched twin doors. "The Commander's office is located here in the North wing. Please do not speak out of turn, and I would advise disguising your true voice when you are called upon."

Sakura nodded. It had been a long time since she'd attempted the voice jutsu, but she recalled Yamato teaching her how to do it during a mission long ago to track down Sasori's informant. Once again, Sakura was surprised by how serious the ANBU were about protecting their identities. She waited for Tora to open the doors, and then followed him inside the torchlit room. The floors were the natural dark rock of the mountain, but they were polished and decorated with ornate rugs similar to the furnishings in the Hokage Tower.

The Commander, Sakura presumed, sat at the head of a long stone table, surrounded by about half a dozen ANBU operatives. He was dressed in similar attire: black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt with the ANBU emblem on the left shoulder. Sakura recognized his mask. She remembered Baku from many years ago, but there was something about the height and build of this man that seemed younger. She was willing to bet (against Team Kakashi's former rule of no betting) that the Commander's name truly had been passed down to a younger apprentice.

"Ah, Kitsune," the Commander used her codename, "welcome."

Tora pulled out a chair and gestured for Sakura to sit. She did so without question, gracefully placing herself in the middle of the table. Tora sat opposite to her, turning his masked face towards the Commander.

"I won't waste your time with aimless chatter, but instead cut right to the chase by letting you know that I have asked each of you here tonight on account of the skills you possess. It is because of those skills, that I have chosen you to take part in a highly sensitive covert operation." The Commander paused, letting the sound of his deep tone settle around the table, and Sakura felt a jolt in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sure most of you realize that the nation of Rain is undergoing the process of instating a Kage leader, though half its citizens are in disagreement about the arrangement."

The skin between Sakura's brows furrowed as she listened to the Commander explain the current situation in Rain Country. It was a curious thing that Kakashi had turned up on her doorstep the night prior with a serious wound – a wound that he received from Rain's outlaws, nonetheless. Sakura knew that Tsunade had sent him there as a diplomatic advisor. Rain's new leader wanted to outline the laws of its government very closely to the laws of Konoha, and since Tsunade herself was tied up – who better to send than the genius that was Kakashi the Copy-nin? Rain Country was positioned dead in the middle of three of the continent's biggest nations: The Land of Wind, The Land of Fire, and The Land of Earth; and because of its middle positioned real estate, Rain had served as a meeting point for a lot of the previous wars. Their old government faction required special access to cross into their land, and by the talk of the Commander, it was sounding an awful lot like the divided group was fighting for that to continue.

"Sanshōuo no Hanzo, the legendary Black Salamander, had many supporters in his time," the Commander said. "The rebellion in Rain has named Hanzo's son their leader, which doesn't bode well for their new Kage who only wants peace among the nations."

"I thought Nagato killed everyone that Hanzo had ever affiliated with," Sakura blurted, and immediately winced when every masked face at the table turned in her direction. Right… she wasn't supposed to speak out of turn. Luckily, she remembered the voice control jutsu, making her voice sound a little deeper, like Tsunade-sama's.

"Yes," the Commander agreed. "Hanzo's son seems to be of an illegitimate line. Hanzo was not married to the woman, and she managed to hide Hanzo's progeny because no one knew of his existence until the boy came of age." The Commander rose from the table, casually folding his hands behind his back as he strolled slowly around the table. "Our informants have confirmed that the rebel nin goes by the name of Hattori. He's approximately twenty-six years of age, with the ability to produce the black salamander poison like his father…" The Commander paused. "Which is a terrible inconvenience considering the antidote has disappeared from existence and makes him a deadly adversary to face."

A light flickered in Sakura's mind… Suddenly, she was beginning to understand, at least in part, why she'd been summoned here tonight. A brief memory flashed through the foreground of her mind; a memory from when she'd saved Kankaro of Suna from being poisoned.

"Over the next few weeks, we will have scouts collecting information about where Hattori and his rebellion are hiding. We know they are planning to overthrow the new Kage and reinstate leadership as it was in Hanzo's reign, but it's our job to stop that from happening at any cost… Rain is in a fragile position right now, and the Kage is looking to Konoha to help protect its people. I'm sure I don't have to tell you all the reasons we need this alliance to hold."

Sakura could think of a few off the top of her head. Rain was the neutral ground in which the Chunin Exams had been held for as long as she could remember. It was a land that helped war refugees get back on their feet, and with its borders being promptly in the middle of the larger countries – Rain could very easily halt goods and trades, and supplies that many nations relied on if they went back to the old ways of Hanzo. Hattori was a threat to more than just the new Kage leader, he was a threat to the entire continent.

The Commander reached his chair again, but instead of sitting, merely stood behind it and tightened his grip on the seatback. "After we have collected enough information, the group sitting here tonight will be dispatched to Rain with an order to detain and kill Hattori, and anyone else who stands in the way of protecting him."

Sakura swallowed, seemingly around a blockage that was constricting her airways.

"Assignments will be doled out as we approach our mission date. In the meantime, regular meetings will be held to discuss what our scouts uncover about the Rebellion in Rain." The Commander nodded once. "You're dismissed."

At once, the ANBU team rose to their feet and began departing the room, silent as ghosts.

"Kitsune, I would like a word with you before you leave," the Commander said, sending Sakura's insides twisting into a tight ball of dread. Sakura stood behind her chair, unwilling to make herself move as the doors of the Commander's office closed behind the rest of the ANBU operatives. Presumably, she was alone with the most powerful elite in all of Konoha…

"I'm sure you're probably wondering why I sent for you," the Commander began at length. "Most ANBU initiatives are scouted at a young age and selected for their skill as a ninja, as well as their ability to control their emotions… Which, in the past, was not something you were well known for, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura narrowed her gaze. The Commander's tone hinted as if he knew her on a personal level.

"But I've witnessed what the warring has done to you – witnessed how it has honed your resolve as a powerful kunoichi. I am fully aware that your position as the Hokage's apprentice has made you something of a legend in the medical field as well as the battle field. I'm asking you to join this mission because I require both of those skills to execute the operation effectively."

Sakura should have been flattered. "You want me to develop an antidote to the black salamander poison." It wasn't a question.

The Commander nodded. "Exceptionally talented and clever."

Sakura was frowning beneath her porcelain fox mask… the Commander may have a jutsu activated on his voice, but there was something incredibly familiar about his mannerisms and they way he spoke – even if the pitch didn't belong to him. "You picked my codename," Sakura said experimentally.

"Yes," the Commander confirmed.

"Kitsune is associated with a type of supernatural creature said to have godlike abilities, particularly with metamorphism." Sakura had indeed changed a lot over the years, and it was true she could channel her chakra to an otherworldly level of strength… but who had been there to witness her metamorphosis? Who had decided to give her a fox mask, knowing full well that her best friend was the kyuubi vessel that harbored the essence of the Nine-Tailed fox, Kurama… "Tell me," Sakura began, "when did you become Baku… Uchiha Sasuke?"

The Commander was silent, but after a moment, reached up and removed his porcelain mask. A shock of midnight hair fell artfully over his forehead, revealing the face of the man Sakura once loved. He gifted her with a wry smile. "Exceptional," he said again.

Hullo muh wee darlins'

I hope you're enjoying the development thus far. Thank you for the comments/reviews. I adore hearing from you!

See you on Wednesday.

Happy Reading
~Sparrow