Chapter 40. Attack of bad guys.

Hsss "Hawk is in position, over," Sasuke reported using his code name.

"Fox is in position, ya know," Naruto whispered enthusiastically. "Over," he said as an afterthought.

"Blossom in position, over," I said when the com become quiet.

"Remain in your current position until the target arrives," Kakashi or Wolf ordered."

We reached the coast of the land of fire faster than I thought we would. A day of near nonstop travel ended with us watching the bandits in the reign. They were more like pirates than they were bandits. They spent more time on their ships than they did on land. The bandits loaded their loot and profit from selling drugs onto the ship. The crates worth of fortune were moving to the docked ship.

They weren't very aware of their surroundings, allowing me to cast a genjutsu that hid my springflys that acted as surveillance. I had grumbled about becoming a glorified watchdog, to which Kakashi informed me he took offense to that.

After verifying the location of all the bandits, we moved.

"Mask?" Naruto asked, looking down at the fox mask Kakashi handed him. I received my cherry blossom mask from last time. I really needed to talk with my mother about giving my stuff to Kakashi.

"Ah, I broke in a stole it this time," Kakashi explained, seeing my expression.

"Should I kill you?" I asked with a sweet smile. Kakashi smiled back at me.

"Perhaps don't leave your room so venerable."

"Your right," I agreed, still smiling. "I should fill my room with deadly poison for the one that breaks in."

"Spoken like a true ninja." He gave me a thumbs up. I glared at him as we smiled at each other.

"Why do we need these masks?" Sasuke asked, putting on the Itachi's old mask without question.

"To protect your identity and also to fulfill the role you will play," Kakashi explained, dawing a wolf mask. "You're not quite hunter nin, but they don't know that." I grinned at this it; was like a sting operation.

"It's really starting to feel like we're playing hide and seek," Naruto said, putting his mask on.

It really was. Hide and seek from a horror movie.

The bandits moved back towards the boat after gathering the loot of their fellow bandits and bringing it back to the ship. My springflys flew behind them, some remaining at their "drug store" we would destroy there next.

They moved under the tree I stood, none the wiser, chatting away about their profit. Some were even thinking of skimming off the top.

The bandits gathered in the dock.

"That's all of them, over," I reported.

"Good work, Blossom. We'll move on my signal," Wolf's voice rang in my earpiece. I tensed my legs as I waited for his command. The newly arrived bandits moved on to the ship after having the item checked. Once they disappeared into the ship, I heard Wolf's voice.

"Go."

I moved. The branch exploded under the force as I launched myself into the air. The bandits turned at the sound of the exploding tree, only one of them noticed my shadow on the ground and looked up, but it was already too late.

"Cha!"

Bang! My fist crashed into the ground with the momentum of my fall behind it.

Crack. Booom! The earth cracked and exploded; the shock wave sent the bandits flying. That was the signal. Hawk leaped out of the forest and threw kunais that naturally bounced off each other to hit the bandits that were getting back up.

When the dust settled, Hawk and I stood back to back, weapons drawn. The bandits on the ship rushed to join the battle but met with a sea of orange.

"Where do you think you're going?"

After beating the bandits to a pulp and taking their identity, Fox successfully infiltrated the ship.

Bang! Bang Baaang!

And was running wild within.

Most of the bandits were knocked unconscious from my attack, and others injured from Hawk's attack kunai. Yet those that survived attacked us.

To be fair, some did hesitate after seeing our masks, but others attacked despite this.

"They're just kids," one yelled as though he didn't live in a world with child soldiers.

Hawk met them halfway, his kunai cutting through those that didn't take him seriously. He was fast and accurate, a deadly combination.

Seeing they couldn't take Hawk, they turned their sights to me, completely forgetting I was the one that reformed the shoreland. They charged, and I threw a rock that missed them, making them laugh before it crashed into the ground.

Boom! The small rock formed a small crater behind them. They looked back with eyes of horror. I grinned beyond the mask as I rose my foot high. They screamed and ran away from me. I dropped my foot in an ax kick, and the ground warped again, sending them flying.

"Sakura, was that necessary?" Kakashi asked, forgetting my code mane.

"It's faster this way, don't you agree, Wolf," I spoke back. "So what if they know my abilities. What can they do about it?"

Kakashi sighed, and the line went dead. I took that as my win and moved to clean up the loose ends. I chased after the fleeing bandits as they ran into the wire perimeter I installed.

"Cornered rats." I cheered as they looked back toward me, formed a fist, and attacked.

"Ahhh!"

It was sunset when Fox threw the last tied-up bandit onto the pile. They glared at us with their hands bonded and mouths gagged. One of them was even crying. When they realized they couldn't win, they told us they were Gato's men and untouchable. Fox had broken his arm to prove a point of how false that was, and he hadn't stopped crying since.

Wolf looked down at the mess we made and could only shake his head. He was on standby in case we needed it as over a hundred bandits were gathered here. In the end, we didn't need him.

"These guys are so weak," Fox complained, making the bandits flinch. Considering who Fox trained with, it was no surprise he found them weak.

"Boss, we found all the money," a clone reported through the earpiece.

We went below deck to the storage area to find the clones already opened a few crates. There were jews, fancy clothes, food, and more importantly, Ryo, lots of Ryo.

"W we're rich!" fox cheered, hugging his clones. I looked towards Wolf, who was busy banging his head against the ship. He didn't say anything, so I took that as a "do as you like." I took out a scroll, looked at the loot, and then pulled out a bigger scroll.

"This is going to take a while," I warned them as I moved with Fox's clones to load the items in the scrolls.

The money went into one scroll, but we had to sort through the others. At the end of the process, the moon was high in the night sky. Fox's clones laid on their backs panting when I closed the last scroll. The weight of the scroll didn't change, but it now stored the bandits' fortune.

"We're rich," a clone muttered, half asleep. I smiled and brushed their head.

"You did well. You can leave now," I dismissed them. They sighed and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

I put away the scroll and headed on deck.

The night breeze flew through my hair as I reached the surface. I looked up to the sky and sighed in content. It was colder than in the village, and the smell of the sea tickled my nose, but I really felt like sleeping on this deck.

A warm blanket was thrown over my shoulders, and I looked back to see Kakashi looking down at me.

"You took your time." He said.

"Money needs to be handled with care." I retort. "Is it okay to take off your mask?"

He pointed to the pile of unconscious bandits we piled together. "They're currently unconscious. We'll hand them over to the feudal lord when we hit the drug stores." I took off my masked and looked about before unsealing a sandwich and nibbling on it.

Sealing so many things of varying sizes took a lot of my chakra. I really wanted to sleep; was that okay? Naruto walked out from the ship frowning at me.

"Sakura chan."

"We're rich," I interrupted him. I smiled at him and shook his head.

"I know, the clones showed me," he said. I grinned. He realized his clones shared memories; I won't be the only watchdog.

"Is that right?" I feigned ignorance. Naruto shook his head as though to clear it, probably trying to organize the extra memory. "You okay?"

"What about you?" Naruto asked back. "Aren't you tired?"

I swallowed the remaining sandwich and licked my fingers while nodding before unsealing a nikuman steam pork bun and began to eat it. Why was I so hungry? I thought back to the last time I ate, and glared at Kakashi. I skipped lunch to fight and dinner to seal money away. I already knew this but isn't the ninja life like a black company?

After getting something hot inside my stomach, my body slowly gave into fatigue. I hadn't had something like this happen since I was a child. Kakashi held me to him before picking me up. The bastard was princess carrying me.

"Unacceptable, put me down," I told him to put me down, but he chuckled.

"Try again tomorrow."

"I'm gonna kill you slowly."

"I look forward to it."

I fell asleep soon after that.

There are villages not governed by shinobi scattered all over the world. Most have some kind of security which are usually mercenaries and adventures. Yes, there are adventures in this world of shinobi. To be fair; they are more like wandering swordsman that takes solo jobs from guilds, which also exist in this world. I'm still wheeling from the realization.

Standing atop the roofs of the nameless village, we watched mercenaries walk in and out of the drug store.

"I guess there will always be corruption no matter where you go," Hawk muttered. It wasn't fair to assume all mercenaries are good, but I understood his point. They are the next best time to shinobi after samurais, and here they are doing shady business.

"Will take all their money away," Fox sounded determined. Wolf, who was with us this time, nodded. Mercenaries were our opponents this time, and unlike the farmers turned bandits, they were a threat. I watched the movent inside through the eyes of my summons.

"Around fifty targets, with civilians working in the back," I reported.

"How are we going to do this?" Hawk asked Kakashi.

"Stealth or loud?" I asked.

Fox gasped. "How bout a bit of both," he suggested.

We looked towards the blond. I didn't need to see his face to know he was grinning.

"Explain."

The mercenaries in the villages served as their shinobis. If they are injured greatly, a rival would take over the territory. If it sounds like a gang, that's because it is. That's the way the feudal era worked.

Weakeness spawned an invasion and likely defeat. While I wanted to beat them all up, we couldn't do that. Power vacuums were a recipe for war. But a little conflict between mercenaries never hurt anyone.

Dressed in a black cloak with the patterns of a red cloud, we walked toward the drug store that doubled as a mercenary guild. The men at the front entrance eye us as we walked in but otherwise did nothing. Pushing open the doors; the once noisy building became mute as all eyes turned to us.

Naruto's plan was genius. It was a trick he used to escape pursuing shinobi when in trouble. It was like the substitution but more crud. Cause a commotion in one place and escape in the confusion. Translation, throw a rock to distract the enemy.

I dramatically opened my cloak, making everyone grab their weapons.

"Glory to the red moon!" I rose my blade high.

"For the Akatsuki!" my team echoed and pulled out swords we stole from the bandits. The mercenaries stood up with their various weapons pointed at us. I

"Attack!" I command, lowering my blade; my loyal team charged in.

The swordsman that reacted the fastest was cut down by Wolf. Using his sharp fang, he cut through the enemies with lightning speed. Hawk flew above them, stepping on their heads and kicking them to the ground. Those that tried to pluck him from the sky were thrown down to the ground where they belonged.

Fox, every the tricker, caused confusion among them. Attacking from their blind shot and leading some to believe there were traitors in their ranks. I stood at the entrance as the those guarding it ran in when they heard the commotion.

"What the hell?" one yelled. The other attacked me without question. Ever so gracefully, I spun out of the way of his downward slash and maneuvered behind him. Before he could retaliate, I kicked back of his knee, forcing him to kneel before launching off him. A blade swang over his head and under mine as I flipped in the air.

Landing on the second guard's shoulder, I kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious before leaping off his falling body. The first guard looked up in horror as I slammed an ax kick in his face. His limp body crashed to the ground as I landed in the same spot I started.

Onlookers looked at each other before pulling their swords and charging. The first to reach me trusted his katana towards me. I used a finger to redirect the blade, only touching the dull edge. I don't think he realized the logic behind it as he stared wide-eyed at the moving blade and missed my kick that sent him flying back into the crowd.

Three men in matching outfits attacked at once, forcing me to backflip over the guard's body to avoid them. A large man, I am surprised I missed, was waiting for me there. I used his face as a landing platform, forcing him to the ground before launching off and towards the three fools. Grabbing the middle man's shoulder, I wrapped my leg around the neck of the other two and fell back, launching them to the other end of the room.

"Blossom!" Hawk called as he fell back towards me. I held my bend leg up, and he landed on my sole before I kicked out pushing him back into his fight. My job was to stand guard at the door; no one got in or out. If they didn't attack me, then I likely wouldn't fight. Sadly, no one told them this, and I was attacked by those trying to flee.

One such person was holding a ridiculously large sword that he used as a bat. Zabuza would be horrified. I pulled out my sword, which was the closest thing I would get to a rapier, and held it up. He swung down with no technique, and I allowed the blade to run down my own, throwing him off. His large blade slammed into the wooded floor; I kicked him in the stomach as he tried to pull it out. The other cowards ran around his body and attacked me with crazed eyes.

We weren't killing their peers, but they didn't seem to notice. A staff man used his reach to attack from a distance. The blade was easily batted away, and a thrust of my own took him out of the running. When they finally realized they couldn't defeat me one at a time, they charged all at once. Surely one of them would be able to escape. That would be the case, however.

I lifted the large man's unconscious body, holding him above me. I couldn't help but smile as their hope died and threw the giant at them.

Boom! The ground shook as the giant landed on them. I dusted my hand off as I looked at my handly work. They were all surprisingly still alive; they weren't turning blue from lack of oxygen either. Mission complete as far as I was concerned.

Wolf stood holding a limp body by the collar as he looked about the room. Hawk finally landed and sat on the counter, twirling a kunai. Fox sat on his pile of bodies, seeming pleased with himself.

Our earpieces came alive as the dust began to settle.

"This is alpha fox, ya know," the really Fox reported.

"Roger that, alpha, what is your status?" I called back. My teammate's chakra became weird; I looked at them to no avail. With their masks on, I couldn't read their expression.

"I found the money and the civilians," he reported. "But ah, Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"The civilians…"

"I'll be there soon." With that, I ended the conversation. I already knew what he was concerned about. In order to test the drug's effectiveness, you needed someone to use it.

"Handle the rest," I said before going to the back door.

I opened the back door to find a group of Narutos sealing away money excitedly. I moved by them and went through the door; I felt Naruto's chakra. There I found a group of villagers that didn't look all there.

Junkies

"Sakura."

Naruto stood without his mask and a pained expression. He probably didn't understand what was happening to them, but he didn't like it. He clenched and unclenched his fist. I walked over to the disturbed blond and patted him on the head.

"You did good, and your plan was genius," I praised him. He batted my hand away and shook his head.

"Sakura, this is."

"Just leave the rest to me.," I cut him off, taking off my mask to show him my reassuring smile.

He opened his mouth to spoke before closing it and frowning bitterly. He looked back to the group of junkies and them to me before lowering his head in defeat. I patted his head reassuringly before pushing him to the door.

"I've got this," I told him. "Make sure you get all the money. Don't leave a coin behind." I closed the door behind him before resting my forehead on it.

"What I pain," I muttered before glaring at the mess in the room.

Let's burn it to the ground.

Sound like a plan.

Thinking of starting a new fanfic can't get pass chapter 2 but once I do it's smooth sailing from their, probably.

Next chapter sept 14

See you again.

Night song~