TRIGGER WARNING:
BLOOD AND GORE
•
ANBU, ROOT?
That's funny, she couldn't remember hearing anything about ROOT before, certainly not from old man Atsuya either. Her back tensed as the shinobi in front of her straightened up his posture, becoming rigid compared to the comfortable behaviour she saw before. She was starting to feel like she was walking straight into a trap with no way back. Her intuition certainly had failed her many times before, so she shouldn't base her judgement based on her own feeling of discomfort.
"I've never heard of ROOT before," she mused out loud, lips pursed as she looked around. It was nothing much except for the long line of bookshelves on her right, which probably contained various kinds of classified information.
"I would hope so." It was the only thing he said before the room they were in turned stone cold, causing a shiver ran down her spine. This was probably the first time she had ever felt like this when she wasn't directly being threatened, but the ominous feelings she got when she was back at the Wave's Bridge nearly overwhelmed her.
What… What is this?
The smell of rusty blood greeted her nostrils, and the rosette quickly covered her nose with her hands. She fell back, eyes widening in horror at the horrendous display in front of her. Everything around her turned blurry, a single minded focus that caused her to feel like a caged bird that's desperately trying to get away.
In front of her, a young man no older than twenty was tied in a chair. His eyes were wrapped up with bandages, unruly black hair decorating the top of his head, but what Sakura was more engrossed on was the deep wounds that adorned his back along with various shades of blue, yellow and even green. The flesh was open and hanging from some parts, angry red and dripping dripdripdrip-
Torture. The man in front of her was tortured.
She felt like she couldn't breathe, that if she made a sound it would be her next.
"This is discipline," the shinobi informed her, causing a shiver to race down her spine from the monotonous voice -- a tone that sounded more like a machine rather than a human. With a horror struck realisation, Sakura figured out that everything before this point was an act.
"D-Discipline?"
"For insubordination," he mentioned to her to follow him, and Sakura felt ashamed of how quick she was to do it. She felt uneasy, guilt churning at her insides for leaving the man there without helping him. She knows, this would eat her alive no matter the circumstances.
"What what could he possibly have done to deserve this?"
"You ask too many questions," he told her bluntly. "But that is a good thing, keep it up and you might survive here."
She gulped. "Yes sir, but..."
His footfalls slowed down, deliberately falling into step with her. He glanced down at her and looked forward again, as if he was contemplating to tell her or not. Certainly, he wouldn't be going against a type of regulation?
"He talked back to his superiors, he should have known better. His retaliation almost got him killed."
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed, looking beyond worried for someone who she has never met. Maybe it's the sensitivity inside her? She was always too soft, and she knew for a fact that's frowned upon for a shinobi.
"Will he die?"
To her surprise, the man broke into a wry grin that didn't quite match his face, or his blank eyes for the matter. "That bastard? Nah, he's a cockroach. I would be surprised if he did."
While not entirely reassuring, the words managed to settle Sakura's nerves slightly; that didn't mean that her anxiety vanished. Her wide eyes darted around the room, checking the corners and even the roof-tall gaps in the wall. The slightest of noise made her flinch, agitating her pride while her shoulders remained tense, bracing for a unexpected threat.
Agent Tsugumi didn't typically questioned the authorities. When he accepted the order to recruit Haruno Sakura, the only female genin student of the infamous and elusive Kakashi of the Sharingan, he didn't think she would be so...
Childish?
He doesn't know how else to describe her. Her naïvety and her lack of self-preservation, all of which puts emphasis on her neophyte status, makes her someone unreliable in their line of work.
He thought he was numbed of his compassion from all these years, being in the Shadows and fighting a decade old war would do that to anyone, but he couldn't help it when his heart constricted at the sight of wary green eyes. She was older than when he was recruited, but she was green behind the ears. She grew during the most peaceful times of Konoha, something that everyone in the organisation was proud of. She didn't know how the village operated, and for people like her; it's better if they never would.
Still, the kid was old enough to have formed her own opinions by now, and from their investigation, she was quite opinionated too. The usual training regime wouldn't work for her, it was madness to even consider her as a possible candidate for ROOT.
He doesn't know what Lord Danzō was thinking, if he was even capable of that.
Sakura's recent situation didn't help with the secrecy of the recruitment either. While her ignorant slip wasn't made of public knowledge, important figures have their eyes on her and her family. Moving now from all times was unreasonable, and he can't help but think that the girl has become some kind of bait between the old hooks and Lord Hokage.
But Agent Tsugumi was just a private, he wasn't allowed to question his superiors.
He knows very well what happens to those who even dare to break the rules.
Agent Karasu is enough proof for that.
