"This is as close as I want to get without scouting ahead," Tenzo called, stopping the team a couple of hours before dawn.
Groaning, Sakura threw herself onto the ground in a heap. Tenzo and Sai huddled together a couple feet away, presumably to make plans for the rest of the mission. Part of Sakura knew that she should join them, but Tenzo had made it clear that her opinion was neither needed nor wanted for strategic planning. Besides, she was too tired to care if they paid attention to her or not.
By taking the middle watch the previous day, Sakura had allowed Sai and Tenzo to get the most uninterrupted rest. Splitting the night meant that Sakura's body never fully sank into the deep sleep that it needed. But, she'd made that choice knowingly. Tenzo had pushed them harder than the day before, pausing every three hours instead of every two. Sakura wasn't sure how he dragged her almost to the limit before backing off to rest each time, but she was grateful.
Tenzo and Sai continued their quiet conversation while Sakura watched the serious expressions on their faces. She didn't begrudge the men for the ease with which they excluded her; they'd worked together multiple times in the past. It had been years since Sakura teamed up with either of them. Clearly the pair had developed a mutual respect and friendship in the intervening time.
"I want you back before dawn." Tenzo pulled away from Sai, gaze skimming over Sakura as he took in their camp. "Don't be seen."
Sai chuckled as if the idea were absurd. "Of course, taichou."
Rubbing a hand along her calf to massage out a cramp, Sakura watched Sai stow his pack in the shadows. She wondered if Tenzo would have normally chosen to scout on his own. Did he stay behind because she was in the camp? Tenzo specialized in reconnaissance, which he'd proven on the mission to recover Sasuke all those years ago. Sai had a similar skillset, which Sakura supposed was most useful in Anbu. But, would he normally have chosen to go himself? There was no good way to ask, so Sakura didn't bother.
After a few minutes of stubborn silence to lay out his pack and remove his mask, Tenzo turned. "He'll be gone for a couple of hours. You should get some rest while you can."
Tenzo's tone was smooth, but Sakura heard the undercurrent of annoyance beneath. She pushed back to her feet, wincing at the stab of pain in her backside at the sudden movement. She was too tired to skirt around their problems. "I won't apologize for doing what's best for you."
"You should have told me your decision." Annoyance hardened Tenzo's eyes when they met Sakura's. The man had done his best to hide the frustration and anger, but she found him easy to read after the past few weeks together. "You kept me from doing my job."
"No, I kept you from getting killed while doing your job," Sakura growled as she limped closer, anger surging to meet Tenzo's. "Big difference."
Shaking his head, Tenzo mumbled something under his breath. Sakura made a questioning sound at the avoidance, and the man sighed. "I said I'm fine."
"And, if I hadn't gotten assigned to the mission? Would you still be fine?" Leveling Tenzo with a stare, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. She'd heard the fake breathing when they laid down the previous night, then the steadier sound after she'd moved closer. Neither of them had mentioned it, though.
"I was trained for this," Tenzo answered. His voice sounded tired but adamant. "So yes, even without you, I would have found a way."
Sakura pushed closer until she had to stare up to meet Tenzo's gaze. "You would have taken soldier pills until you dropped dead from exhaustion or your heart gave up trying to pump that level of stimulants through your body. That's what you mean, isn't it?"
"This is neither the time nor the place." Tenzo's chest rose as he took a deep breath to collect himself. He released it slowly, then continued. "I know you meant well, and I'll probably forgive you when we get back to Konoha, but for right now, we have to focus on getting back."
The statement had a sobering effect. So far, the mission had been like dozens of others that Sakura had participated in: long hours of boring travel. That would change soon, however. They'd be stepping into a compound with an unknown number of enemies and no hope for retrieval if something went wrong.
In the silence that followed his words, Tenzo looked down at Sakura. The lines around his eyes softened. "How are you holding up?"
Sakura would be damned if she'd give Tenzo the satisfaction of knowing that she mostly wanted to take a hot bath and sleep for an entire day. Especially after saying that she was ready for the mission so many times. She shrugged, ignoring the bone deep ache in nearly every muscle. She could do this, if she didn't overthink it. The real work hadn't started yet.
Tenzo moved behind Sakura and rested his hands on her shoulders. She tensed at the warmth of his touch until his thumbs slid across the normally covered skin. The gentle but insistent pressure drew out a quiet groan with every sweep. "It's okay to admit it's more difficult than you expected," Tenzo murmured.
Leaning her head back so that it rested on Tenzo's chest, Sakura looked up at him. "Is it?"
"Of course." Tenzo's answer was quiet in the hush of the coming dawn.
For a moment, Sakura forgot the distance between herself and Tenzo. The argument about whether or not he was ready for field work evaporated into nothing more than a bad memory. She could pretend that her exhaustion came from a hard training session, and their lives wouldn't be endangered soon. The only thing that she had to worry about was another boring day at the hospital and whether or not Kazuko would accept her leadership.
Sakura blew out a tired breath and met Tenzo halfway. "It is tough, but it's nothing I can't handle."
The man pressed the heel of his hand against the back of Sakura's shoulder, alleviating an ache she hadn't noticed. "You'll tell me if it's too much?"
The concern in Tenzo's voice shouldn't have surprised Sakura, but it did. She exhaled and pulled away to face him. "I can do this."
Tenzo studied Sakura for a moment, then he offered a tired smile.. "You know, if you ever wanted to join, the Anbu uniform suits you."
As much as Sakura wanted to tease Tenzo about repeating what Sai had said the previous night, she didn't want to ruin the temporary truce they'd created. She tipped her head to the side to study him. "If I did, would you sign off on the application?"
"Probably not." Tenzo softened the refusal by bumping against Sakura's shoulder. "But, let's see how you handle this mission before we make any decisions."
Reaching for her water bottle, Sakura grinned. "Prepare to be impressed."
With a soft chuckle, Tenzo walked back toward his bedroll. Sakura blew out a breath as she watched him go. Even though they'd pushed their disagreement aside for now, it hadn't gone away. Sakura craved normalcy, but she knew that it wouldn't come yet. Besides, Tenzo was right about one thing: they needed to focus on getting back to the village.
Silence hung heavy between them as the sun rose higher, spreading golden light amongst the tree branches. Reclining against a trunk, Sakura finished her water in several long pulls. Flat and warm as it was, it tasted heavenly. As she screwed the cap back on, she glanced over at her captain. "So, what's our next step?"
Tenzo paused in the middle of unrolling the mission scroll and shrugged. "We wait for Bear to return." He looked at Sakura over his shoulder. "He's thorough with reconnaissance though, so he'll probably be gone for a couple of hours."
For some reason, the idea of spending hours alone with Tenzo brought a flush of heat to Sakura's cheeks. She shoved the discomfort away; maybe this would give them time to work through some of the discomfort. "What do we do while he's gone?"
Rather than looking up, Tenzo continued removing items from his pack. "We wait."
"Do we need to keep watch?" Sakura huffed out an annoyed breath and pushed back to her feet. Pain shot through her right calf muscle when it stretched. Wincing, she rubbed at the cramp. "Or, could we work through some yoga?"
The soft sound of the forest waking up was the only answer for several moments. Then, Tenzo glanced up and studied Sakura with an unreadable expression. She resisted the urge to shift from foot to foot, mostly because her muscles ached too much to allow for the movement. After a couple of heartbeats, the man's expression softened. "Together?"
Warmth fluttered in Sakura's stomach, but she pushed the almost nauseous feeling away. "Yes, together."
"Are you going to break my nose again?" The corners of Tenzo's lips curved upward into a smile as he laid the scroll aside.
Sakura matched the almost playful expression, surprised to realize that the exchange had happened only a couple of days ago. "That depends, are you going to be a show off again?"
"I wasn't showing off," Tenzo argued as he stood and dusted imaginary grass from his knee. "I can't help that I'm more nimble than you."
Placing her hands against Tenzo's chest, Sakura shoved him in annoyance. Surprised, the man gave ground. The pins and needles in Sakura's legs protested as they stumbled backward together. She hissed between her teeth when Tenzo gripped her upper arms to steady them. His lips twitched toward a smile. "As I was saying . . ."
"I'm nimble when it counts," Sakura growled as she pulled out of Tenzo's grasp. "You'd be surprised."
Tenzo chuckled and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Is that so?"
"I've never had any complaints." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, daring Tenzo to mock her. Instead, his eyes widened as crimson stained his cheeks. Sakura's mind followed his train of thought half a second later, the memory of her night with Sasuke pushing to the forefront of her mind. She spun away to hide a similar reaction.
Laughing under his breath, Tenzo moved into an open space amongst the trees. "Come on then, let's see how you handle these positions."
Despite the teasing timbre of Tenzo's voice, Sakura's cheeks burned as she followed him deeper into the forest. She wasn't sure why this mission made things so awkward between them, but she couldn't seem to shake it. Blowing out a breath to clear her thoughts, Sakura mimicked the way that Tenzo swept his arms overhead and drew them down the center of his body. They frequently started with this move, so it was easy to lose herself in the flow and the quiet sounds of the forest.
When Tenzo moved into a warrior stance, Sakura followed without conscious thought. Her tired muscles protested, warmth burning along her calves and thighs. She filled her lungs with air at a measured pace and leaned into each stretch to get the full effect. Sakura had needed this more than she'd realized. The pain cleared her built up exhaustion, allowing her body to relax after the stress that she'd put it through over the past two days.
Sakura closed her eyes when they moved into downward dog, controlling her breathing even further. She lifted and lowered each heel in turn and relaxed into the lengthening and shortening of her muscles. Sakura couldn't change the dangers of the mission, she couldn't guarantee that nothing terrible would happen, but she could focus on this single moment in time for as long as it lasted. The movements gave her control over the worry swirling inside.
It took Sakura several long minutes to realize that she'd stopped following Tenzo's lead and started moving through the different positions on her own. She opened her eyes, squinting against the light after the darkness, and found Tenzo watching her with an unreadable expression.
Tenzo pulled one arm across his chest, stretching the shoulder muscle that Sakura had numbed only yesterday. Sunlight slanted through the trees, drappling the man in shadow and light. The Anbu armor fit Tenzo well, Sakura realized with a start. He looked natural in the compression fabric, like it had been molded to his body in every possible dimension. The baggy sweats that she'd see him in lately hid the muscles in his shoulders and arms. Even his legs—
"Is everything okay?" Tenzo's question pulled Sakura from the detour that her thoughts had taken, drawing another blush onto her cheeks. If she kept this up much longer, she'd have to fake a fever or something. Why was this mission making things so difficult?
Pushing away the urge to bounce up and down with nervous energy, Sakura nodded. "Yeah, that was just what I needed. Thank you."
As they walked back toward the camp in companionable silence, Sakura blew out a breath and tried to reach the serenity of moments before. Tenzo bumped against her shoulder. "You should eat something, then get some rest."
"Do we ever get anything besides ration bars?" Sakura grimaced at the memory of the cardboard-like substance she'd choked down the night before. Anything had to be better than that.
Tenzo's quiet chuckle had grown familiar over the past few weeks. "I mean, if we're stationed in a village, sure. But otherwise, it's field rations. I never expected you to be one of those high maintenance shinobi who complained about the food," he teased.
"Enjoining something more than wet sawdust isn't exactly high maintenance, you know," Sakura shot back, moving toward her pack to dig out one of the bars in question.
"It kind-of is." Only the slight shift at the corner of Tenzo's mouth told Sakura that he was joking. "We're preparing to attack an enemy base, possibly dying in the process, and you're worried about food?"
Rolling her eyes, Sakura found her water bottle only to remember she'd finished it earlier. "If I'm going to die in a few hours, shouldn't I go for the things I want instead of being satisfied with just getting by?"
Tenzo cocked his head to the side, then moved a fraction closer without seeming to take a step. Sakura tilted her chin upward to meet his gaze. "And, what is it that you want," he asked.
"Anko dumplings," Sakura answered without hesitation. She closed her eyes, almost tasting the sticky, sugary perfection. It had been too long since she treated herself, a mistake that she planned to remedy as soon as they returned to Konoha.
Releasing her breath in a puff of longing, Sakura brought her gaze back to Tenzo's. The smile that he'd been fighting earlier grew into a full fledged laugh. "Since when do you have a sweet tooth?"
Affecting a pout that Ino would have been proud of, Sakura placed a hand over her heart like the question had injured her. "It's like you don't even know me."
"How was I supposed to know that?" The humor in Tenzo's face drifted toward confusion as he rocked back on his heels. The space between them felt significant somehow.
Sakura rolled her eyes and pulled a ration bar from her pack. "I mean, we've practically been living together for the past month. I thought we were past the point of secrets."
As soon as the words left her lips, Sakura fought down the urge to clamp a hand over her mouth. She and Tenzo had danced around their relationship, neither giving it a name for fear of making things awkward. At least Sakura had. She wasn't sure what, if anything, Tenzo thought about it.
The quiet clearing of a throat interrupted Sakura's frantic rush to come up with something to diffuse the tension that she'd created. Lifting her head, she noticed Sai standing a few feet from them, wrapped in shadows. He removed his mask and hooked it on his belt. Sakura scampered away from Tenzo like she'd been burned, barely repressing the urge to squeak.
Cheeks flaming crimson, Tenzo hurried to fill the silence. "What Sakura meant was that—"
Lifting a single, gloved hand, Sai interrupted the words. "You owe me no explanation, captain."
"Yes, he does," Sakura interjected, trying to read the ambiguous expression on Sai's face. "We've been training together a lot lately and—"
"I've been on medical leave, so I've been at the hospital more often." Tenzo rambled. His expression wasn't as practiced as Sakura's, but she supposed it was better than nothing. At least, she did, until he continued talking. "Sakura didn't mean to imply anything improper between us."
Sai's lips twisted, darting toward a smile before resuming their usual position. "I see," he answered, somehow maintaining the neutral expression. "Perhaps we should discuss my reconnaissance?"
Tenzo's face reddened enough to match the stylized swirl on his bicep. He pointedly didn't look at Sakura as he gestured toward the opposite side of the camp. "Yes, please."
As the awkwardness faded, Tenzo and Sai argued the merits of attacking the enemy base immediately versus waiting for nightfall. The latter feared that they would blow the element of surprise by delaying, while Tenzo urged caution and patience. In the end, the argument had been settled when Tenzo reminded Sai that the captain made the final decision and left it at that.
Sakura couldn't bring herself to be upset that they left her out of the conversation. The men had dozens if not hundreds of Anbu missions between them, both together and separately. She was happy to follow their lead as long as they weren't putting themselves in needless danger. Not that she saw any way around that on a mission like this.
Final decision made, there was nothing left to do but rest until after nightfall. The yoga had worked the exhaustion from Sakura's muscles, but the reprieve was temporary. She needed rest. After the embarrassment of earlier, she didn't bother dragging her bedroll over to Tenzo's. For one, she didn't want to give Sai a reason to question their connection any more than he already did. And secondly, Sakura didn't want to feel the nervous flutter in the center of her chest. She needed to focus on getting through this mission and sort everything else out later.
But hours later, as Sakura prepared herself for the assault, a familiar nervousness settled in the pit of her stomach. When Kakashi had questioned her preparedness for a mission like this, she's been confident in her abilities. Now that she was facing the reality, Sakura felt more anxiety than adrenaline. She tried not to worry as she double checked her weapon pouches and the scrolls that she'd tucked inside.
As Sakura stowed her pack in a small alcove under some bushes, she watched Tenzo from the corner of her eye. He secured a katana across his back without a hint of tension in his posture or the movements. Similarly, Sai crouched a few feet away, idly tracing an abstract pattern in the dirt with a stick. She tried to mimic the men's nonchalance, but she couldn't reach the level of calm they exuded. Her stomach twisted into knots at the prospect of coming battle.
Tenzo cleared his throat loudly enough to bring both Sakura and Sai's attention to where he stood. His eyes met hers for the space of a heartbeat, but the familiarity had faded like a distant memory. "Ready?"
Sakura nodded and finished shifting the branches around to cover her bag more effectively. Brushing dirt from her knees, she stood. The tension that Tenzo and Sai seemed to avoid clutched at her like lead weights, threatening to drag her under. She allowed herself to feel the panic for a moment, then pushed the doubts away. Sakura could do this; she didn't have another choice.
Tenzo waved one hand to beckon the team forward. Sai took point, leading them through the forest like the shadow that he was meant to be. Sakura followed a couple of paces behind, and Tenzo brought up the rear. Though she knew that the center was the safest position, the pinkette didn't take offense at being placed there. As Kakashi had reminded her before they left, Sakura's goal was to bring everyone home, not be a hero. She was fine letting the experienced operatives take the more dangerous positions, though she kept her eyes open for anything out of place as well. Caution kept any shinobi alive, after all.
While the silent travel warmed Sakura's muscles, it did nothing to diminish the nervousness twisting through her veins. She wished that she could turn around and get a read on Tenzo's mental state. Did he regret the decision to bring her along? Had he been offered a choice? Sakura wasn't sure if the man had raised objections and been overruled, or if he hadn't bothered. For better or worse, Kakashi trusted Sakura's judgment. She wondered if Tenzo and Sai had been tasked with the additional duty of making sure that she made it back from the mission. Probably, knowing Kakashi.
After a short eternity, which probably only amounted to about half an hour, Sai slowed, then dropped to the forest floor. Sakura followed through the branches, only aware of Tenzo thumping to the ground behind her because she'd been listening for it. They had waited until after midnight, relying on the darkest hours of the night to hide their passage. Not only that, but the guards should have been on watch for hours, long past the attentiveness of shift change and well into a lull of false security. Their defenses should be at their lowest right now.
Even so, Tenzo didn't take any chances. His head drifted from side to side, assessing the forest around them. Inky pools skimmed over Sakura, contrasting with a glint of white from Tenzo's cat mask, then continued their circuit of the area. She shivered at the emptiness where Tenzo's brown eyes normally were.
For several heartstopping seconds, silence suffocated the trio. Then, nature sounds began to return. An owl hooted in the distance, a lonely sound that drew chill bumps out on Sakura's arms. A small animal rustled through the nearby brush. Drawing a lungful of chilly, fall air, Sakura shivered.
"Are you ready for this," Tenzo asked, voice softer than the leaves sighing overhead. Sakura dipped her chin in acknowledgment; if she wasn't prepared by now, she never would be.
Despite the quiet conversation going on behind him, Sai didn't turn around. Either he wanted to offer them some privacy, or he wasn't interested; Sakura wished she knew which. Sai hadn't mentioned the snippet of conversation that he'd overheard, but she had a feeling that she hadn't heard the end of it yet.
Warmth bloomed on Sakura's shoulder, pulling her away from her thoughts. "You'll be fine," Tenzo murmured, giving the cool skin a gentle squeeze.
Trying not to feel annoyed at the encouragement, Sakura brought her gaze up. "I know. I'm not afraid."
"I didn't expect you to be." Tenzo chuckled, soft and familiar by Sakura's ear. His hand fell away, leaving a tingle of warmth in its wake. "You remember you don't have anything to prove on this mission, right?"
Sakura arched one eyebrow toward the sky, then realized that her mask would hide the expression. She crossed her arms over her chest, instead. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just remember that you're our medic, not part of our front line." Though Sakura couldn't see Tenzo's expression, she heard the frustration in his voice.
Anger boiled inside Sakura's throat. It was one thing for Kakashi to remind her that she wasn't Anbu, but she'd given Tenzo no reason to assume that she'd behave recklessly. If anything, he should know her better than that. "Maybe you forgot the reason I was put on this mission in the first place," she growled in response.
Tenzo's posture stiffened, and he drew himself up to his full height. Before the man could speak, however, Sai cleared his throat. "If you two are done arguing, the patrol has passed. We should move."
Heat flamed to life beneath Sakura's mask as she huffed out a frustrated breath, and Tenzo remained stubbornly silent except for the sharp dip of his head. Sai led them deeper into the forest and stopped by a stand of trees that looked identical to the ones surrounding it. As he started to pull aside sections of brush, Sakura noticed the artificial quality of the arrangement. If it hadn't been pointed out to her, though, she would have walked right past it.
After a moment, Sai revealed a square of heavy fabric on the forest floor. The mottled browns and greys matched the ground perfectly, camouflaging whatever lay beneath Tugging a thin rope, Sai lifted the hatch open. The space was wide enough for one person to slip into, but it was too dark to see the bottom.
Moving in front of Sakura, Tenzo crouched by the hole. He examined the space for a heartbeat, then disappeared into the darkness. Sai pulled the branches a little further back. "You next," he encouraged.
Sakura stretched her feet into shadow and slid off the edge. For a heartstopping second, she fell into nothingness, then strong hands caught her hips and guided her to the ground. Though she couldn't see him, Sakura leaned into Tenzo for a moment, drinking in the familiar scent before pulling away. Sai landed beside them not long after, closing their only escape behind him.
The complete darkness made Sakura's chest tighten with anxiety. Anything could be lurking a foot away, and she would never notice. The soft rustle of fabric filled the air from Sakura's left, then fire hissed into existence. Her heart leaped into her throat as golden torchlight flooded the passage. Tenzo turned away, hiding the sudden brightness with his body, to allow their eyes time to adjust.
Shapes coalesced in the darkness, taking on solid edges though not much else in the way of details. The ceiling, walls, and floors were all made of dark, packed dirt. They were shored up with rough boards along the passageway at random intervals. Sakura took in her surroundings with a weak laugh. "It's not very welcoming, is it?"
Sai pulled a kunai from his weapon pouch, testing the weight like he expected to use it at any moment. "This is more of an emergency exit."
Humming in agreement, Tenzo walked deeper into the hideout. The torch swung from side to side as he examined the walls for any paths leading away from the main. After a moment, the man waved a hand forward, indicating that Sai and Sakura should follow. The ease with which Tenzo slipped through the shadows made Sakura uncomfortable. He'd been a prisoner of Orochimaru once, but surely all of the hideouts were different. This looked nothing like the one that Team Seven had found Sasuke in all those years ago.
The rich scent of earth was overwhelming as they followed the winding paths. There was nothing to see along the empty passageway except for the boards that supported the walls and roof. Sakura's gaze slid over to Sai who had moved up beside her, but the man's eyes were constantly moving as he assessed the tunnel for danger. Similarly, Tenzo didn't turn toward either of them. Left alone with her thoughts, Sakura did her best to keep them from running away with her.
After little over half an hour of walking, Tenzo raised his right fist into the air. Familiar with the signal, Sakura slowed, then stopped a couple of paces behind. Though she didn't notice any difference in their surroundings, she trusted Tenzo's instincts more than her own. After a moment of silence, he doused the torch. Disoriented, Sakura remained still until someone pulled her backward. The direction suggested that the arm belonged to Tenzo, but that did nothing to quell the thunder of Sakura's heart at the sudden movement.
Black faded to charcoal, then melted into a softer grey that allowed Sakura a modicum of vision. Tenzo stood on her left, coiled tight as a spring. His hands were clenched into fists that shook slightly as he blew a breath through his nose. She considered placing a hand on his forearm to let him know that he wasn't alone, but stopped at the last moment. After the past couple of failures, Sakura had learned not to startle Tenzo when he was focused on something else, especially something this important.
Instead, Sakura stared into the tunnel as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Though she couldn't see where it led, the pathway opened up ahead of them. The difference between the two was subtle, but the light levels were brighter toward the end. Tenzo waved them forward, but Sakura didn't draw a weapon the way that Sai had earlier. She wasn't sure if they were walking into a fight yet. Besides, a chakra infused punch was more devastating than a weapon in her hand.
As they moved, Sakura strained to catch any sounds that would give some insight into what lay ahead. But, as the light grew stronger, the quiet scuff of her boots was the only noise that she heard. Something else caught her attention, however. The familiar scent of astringent hung in the air, mingling with decaying earth and old blood. It put her in mind of the hospital, but the memory was older than that. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she tried to place the smell.
Before Sakura could figure it out, the trio stepped around a bend and into a room so brightly lit that it made her eyes water. She blinked a couple of times to process the scene that opened before her. A dozen hospital beds were scattered around the room. Medical equipment waited beside each or hung from the ceiling like vines. Leads and wires ran between the beds like pale snakes, fighting for space, but the beds were empty, the machines silent.
Huge, canister-like devices lined the floor where the Anbu entered the room. Light emanated from the liquid inside the containers, ranging from a brilliant green to a deep, shadowy grey. Only one of them was bright enough to draw Sakura's attention. The luminescent water swirled behind the glass, caught in some current that she couldn't see. Frowning, she moved a step closer to examine the movement flickering through the depths. Stretching out—
"Don't." Tenzo caught Sakura's hand before it could complete its journey to brush against the clear pane. "Orochimaru's traps stay in place long after he leaves his compounds behind."
"I could have used that insight earlier," observed a mocking voice from the opposite side of the room. "I lost a lot of men that way in the beginning."
Before the flush of embarrassment rose into Sakura's cheeks, Tenzo spun away. The katana on his back flashed into his hand as the whisper of steel cut the air. Sai drew a second kunai in her peripheral vision as the mysterious figure shifted out of the first's trajectory. The mocking chuckle returned. "Well, that wasn't very nice."
Sakura pivoted away from her teammates as they advanced on the stranger at a run. She considered turning back to the passageway that they'd come from, but disregarded the idea just as quickly. The position would leave her unable to aid Tenzo or Sai if they were injured, and it would open her to surprise attacks. Metal sang as she darted behind one of the tanks to get a closer look at their foe. The physique suggested that the assailant was male, but the bulky, black robes and mask made it difficult to be sure.
Neither Sai nor Tenzo seemed to care about the stranger's identity as they approached the target with the practiced ease of teammates. Tenzo's sword clashed against the stranger's knife, then he slipped to the right and avoided the retaliatory strike. Sai took advantage of the opening. His kunai sliced across the man's throat in a spray of crimson. Black smoke swirled away from the blood, mingling with the darkness overhead.
Growling in frustration at the shadow clone, Tenzo sheathed his katana with a resounding click. He turned away and caught Sakura's gaze for a moment, then looked over to Sai. "So much for the element of surprise."
Stepping from her hiding place, Sakura hurried toward her teammates. Sai knelt near Tenzo's feet and pulled a scroll from his pouch. His paintbrush flashed over the parchment, then a dozen black and white rats skittered into the darker corners of the room to look for additional enemies and exits. Sakura reached the men as Sai rose back to his feet. "They knew we were here," he suggested.
"Maybe," Sakura answered, more to herself than anyone else. She frowned as she considered the shadow clone that they'd met. It seemed a response rather than a premeditated trap for them to stumble into. "Why would they reveal themselves now, though? They could have set up an ambush here."
"Because they're confident." The gravelly tone of Tenzo's voice revealed his frustration. He blew out a measured exhale. "We can use that against them."
Despite the man's bravado, Sakura felt a seed of discomfort worm through her chest. "What do we know about the ring leader here?"
Tenzo's intense gaze shifted to Sakura, drawing out more chill bumps on her arms. "Very little, why?"
The tickling sensation in the back of Sakura's mind hadn't grown any stronger. If anything, it felt muddier and more tenuous. "Just wondering," she responded after a moment, aware how pathetic the words sounded.
"We rarely have solid information on these missions." Tenzo's lecturing tone needled under Sakura's skin. "We're the ones who get the actionable intel."
Sakura rolled her eyes, then adjusted her mask to provide a better range of vision. The feeling that the man had been familiar wasn't strong enough for her to present her speculations to Tenzo or Sai. "Obviously. It was just a question."
Sai tipped his head to the side as if considering something, then dipped chin. "I believe I've picked up their trail."
"Well then," Tenzo glanced at Sai, indicating that the man should lead the way. "Let's properly introduce ourselves."
As Tenzo's team moved away from the medical wing, the pressure in his chest lessened only slightly. When he'd accepted this mission, he'd known that this was likely one of Orochimaru's former hideouts. The man had left dozens of compounds behind, discarding his research before Anbu operatives could capture him. There were at least six bunkers in the Land of Fire and surrounding countries. Despite knowing that, Tenzo hadn't expected to come face to face with such a visceral reminder of his past.
The once familiar chamber transported Tenzo back to his childhood; not that he had much to draw on. His earliest memories were of a nondescript dampness on his skin, neither warm nor cold. Soft light filled the laboratory, filtering out from the tank that held him in place and the line of similar enclosures that marched into the darkness. It allowed him to see sections of the room, though Tenzo often wished that it hadn't. He recalled watching the luminescent green fade into grey as the tanks went dark around him, one by one.
Panicked memories crowded Tenzo's mind with flashes of emotion driven color. He remembered screaming, bubbles streaming from lips as the flickering light in the last tank went out forever. He'd been alone then, forgotten and trapped, until Danzo came. Shuddering at the memory, Tenzo pulled himself back to the present. He couldn't focus on that, not with the heat of Sakura's gaze itching between his shoulder blades, as it had for most of the mission.
Tenzo still hadn't figured out how the woman had convinced Kakashi to let her take part in his mission. She'd probably spun things to make it seem like he needed a minder. While that didn't surprise him, Kakashi falling for it did. He thought that the man knew better than to assign a babysitter on an Anbu mission. Pushing the annoyance down, Tenzo blew out a breath. Kakashi was a problem for another time; he had to stay focused
After walking for less than fifteen minutes, Sai made a hand gesture that indicated enemies were ahead. Tenzo slowed, and Sakura matched his speed. Even though he hadn't taught the woman the hand signals, she seemed to understand what they meant. Something about that irritated Tenzo, but he could pinpoint why. Shrugging it off, he watched Sakura tug at her gloves in preparation. No matter how many times he emphasized that she was supposed to be in the back line, she planned to fight.
Blowing out a breath, Tenzo shook his head. He'd asked Sakura to stay safe because he wasn't certain that he could focus on combat while watching her back. Even though he knew that she could fight, Tenzo had promised to protect her before leaving Konoha. Sakura would have been furious at him and Kakashi if she'd known, but Tenzo couldn't bring himself to care. She'd promised to stay in the back lines as part of her assignment for this mission, and she needed to honor that.
Tenzo started to vocalize his thoughts, then snapped his mouth shut when he noticed the fierce glint in Sakura's eyes. Picking a fight over the issue wouldn't help either of them. If he wanted to protect Sakura, Tenzo needed to end the battle as quickly as possible. Turning his gaze to their final teammate, he noticed that Sai had produced a couple of shuriken from one of his weapons' pouches. Deadly as they were, the real danger lay in the scroll and paintbrush on the man's opposite leg.
Following Sai's lead, Tenzo unsheathed the katana slanted across his back. He didn't turn toward Sakura with another warning; he'd done that often enough that it wouldn't make any difference now. Adrenaline surged through Tenzo's body at the feel of a weapon in his hand, as if he could almost taste the battle ahead. He wondered if the excitement said something about him or his mental state, then pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Questions like that were meant for therapy, or better yet, never mentioned at all.
With a brief, familiar nod, Tenzo and Sai swept around the corner of the hallway, side by side. He peeled to the left as the younger man moved to the right, their unspoken cues picked up on as naturally as breathing. The spacious chamber opened around Tenzo, the ideal spot for an ambush with its jagged stalactites and stalagmites that offered dozens of places to hide. The enemy had used the terrain to their advantage, spreading into the pockets of shadow to take the high ground wherever it existed.
Brilliant light flared to life on Tenzo's right, and Sai danced backward to avoid the roaring flames of a fire jutsu. The heat kissed Tenzo's bare shoulder, but he ignored the flicker of warmth on his skin. When accepting this mission, he had suspected that they would face other shinobi, but he wasn't worried. This rabble of misfits in motley armor would hardly pose a challenge to hardened Anbu like Sai and Tenzo. Even Sakura, a jonin in her own right after the war, shouldn't encounter any problems, especially if she hung back like she was supposed to.
Pushing thoughts of the woman to the back of his mind, Tenzo shifted through the enemies. His quick gaze took in at least a dozen, making the odds four or five to one. Once upon a time, Tenzo would have blanched at that. Now, it hardly seemed like a challenge. Two men were down and bleeding near Sai's feet, and the flash of Tenzo's katana dispatched another. The serrated edge of a blade caught his next strike, jolting through his shoulder.
The man sprang forward, pressing a second attack too quickly for Tenzo to parry. Fire scorched along the inside of his forearm as a blade split the compression fabric of his glove. Blood dampened the material as he shifted his weight onto his right foot and pivoted. The second jab clattered against his backplate. Tenzo used the momentum of his turn to drop into a crouch behind the fighter, cutting tendons along the back of the man's knee. With a cry, the enemy dropped, useless for the rest of the fight whether or not he died from the wound.
In the momentary pocket of calm, Tenzo searched for his teammates. Sai remained close to where Tenzo had seen him last. Another enemy lay by the boy's feet, a puddle of crimson spreading beneath the body. Sai fought another man, but as far as Tenzo could tell, he hadn't been injured yet. In fact, Sai hardly looked out of breath despite the exertion it must have taken. The years in Root and Anbu had hardened him into an effective killing machine.
Sakura didn't have the same type of experience on her side. Even though Tenzo knew that he shouldn't, his eyes sought her in the fray. The woman's pink hair glowed like a beacon in the dimly lit cavern. Though she'd drawn a kunai in anticipation of the fight, Sakura seemed frozen amongst the sea of faces. Her gaze focused on the black robed shinobi from the first room as if she was trying to understand his motivations. Tenzo opened his mouth to remind her that they were in the middle of a battle—
Pain exploded through Tenzo's side, shattering his thoughts. Sharp agony darkened his vision at the edges and he fought to suck in a breath through the panic. "I thought you Anbu boys knew better than to get distracted by a pretty pair of legs," came a mocking voice.
A sharp eyed woman drew her dagger from Tenzo's shoulder none too gently. He panted through the pain, thankful to see a steady dribble of crimson rather than the pulsing of arterial blood. The woman had missed injuring the delicate joint by a hairsbreadth. Otherwise, he would have been forced to fight with a limp arm. She'd missed his lung as well, though that did nothing to lessen the pain.
Tenzo tossed his katana to the opposite hand and met the woman's next slash with a grimace. Even though the woman wouldn't be able to see it through his mask, he forced a smile onto his lips. "And, I thought villains knew better than to monologue in the middle of battle."
"Villain?" The woman laughed and dipped beneath Tenzo's counter strike. She tossed a thick wave of green hair from her eyes and grinned. "Surely you still don't believe in the archaic idea of right and wrong."
I never believed it was that easy, not really, Tenzo thought, thinking back to his days in Root. His half formulated response died on his lips as a jutsu roared through the room behind him. He turned to check for Sakura and hissed as a new gash opened on his thigh. His opponent bounced backward on her toes. "Stay focused cat boy."
Growling, Tenzo redoubled his effort and drove the woman a few steps toward the wall. The feral enjoyment on her face deepened. "Now you're taking me seriously."
In another life, Tenzo might have liked the woman. She reminded him of Saiyo, all sharp wit and fire, though she didn't have the skillset to back it up. Crimson stained the edge of his katana when she fell for a feign to the right. He offered a soft chuckle to match her earlier laughter. "I always took you seriously, but I needed to get a feel for your skills."
"And?" The single word came out as a purr as the pair met in another bone jarring parry.
Tenzo didn't answer as the woman turned, using the momentum to jab her elbow toward his solar plexus. The force stole his breath when she connected with a sickening crunch. If he hadn't been wearing armor, the strike would have immobilized him. But, Tenzo was wearing armor, and the movement left the woman's chest open. He moved, slashing his blade along her unprotected throat as he spun.
You should have practiced more and talked less, Tenzo thought. He didn't vocalize the words as the woman's hand rose to the ruined mess of her neck. She dropped to her knees, blood pouring between the fingers that tried in vain to stop the flow. He wondered if he would feel a pang of loss at taking her life once the heat of the battle faded, but Tenzo doubted it. He had no space left for regrets.
As Tenzo turned away, an inky lion splashed into a puddle near his feet, its side ripped open by some invisible jutsu. His gaze found Sai holding his ground, then skipped toward the pink that flashed through his peripheral vision. Tenzo studied the way that Sakura circled the man that she'd been watching earlier, a kunai held loosely in her fist. "So much for staying in the back line," he murmured.
Tenzo lost his words in a gasp of pain as something slammed into his right side, just beneath the wound from earlier. The collision knocked him off balance, and he stumbled, spraying bright blood against the dark stone. He managed to keep his feet beneath him as the room spun. The injuries that Tenzo had taken so far weren't insignificant, and they made him sluggish despite the adrenaline coursing through his body.
Four enemies surrounded Tenzo, three men and one woman. Before he could glean more information, a booted foot raced toward his side. Tenzo twisted so that his armor absorbed most of the impact, but a hiss of pain slipped through his lips. He vaguely wondered if he'd broken a rib at some point. Rough hand shoved him forward. "He killed Kalia," one of the males observed, voice sounding oddly removed, as if he hadn't come to terms with the woman's death yet. "Let's make this slow and painful."
"As delightful as that sounds," Tenzo began, only to double over when a fist slammed into his stomach. His armor hadn't softened the attack much, which meant it had been augmented with jutsu. He tasted blood on his tongue and longed to spit it out, but his mask prevented that. Tenzo winced as he brought his sword up to parry another attack, this one focused more on killing him than injury. He'd definitely cracked a rib, if not several.
Ignoring the pain, Tenzo drew on every inch of his training to deflect the barrage of attacks aimed at him. New cuts opened his arms and thigh then spilled sticky, warm blood over his skin. A blade connected with his chest plate in a clatter of sparks that he was fairly certain cracked the armor underneath. Tenzo shifted onto his front foot and slammed his shoulder into the chest of one opponent. The man stumbled back, providing a brief respite to breathe before the storm of blows continued.
Spinning, Tenzo avoided another jutsu powered kick that whistled through the air where his chest had been moments before. Puffing out a breath, he saw the fireball just in time to roll beneath it as it singed the edge of one weapon's pouch. Tenzo recognized a lost battle when he saw one, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Sakura and Sai needed him to be strong, to be the leader he was supposed to be. Shoving forward, he pushed another of the men off balance, surprising them with his sudden offensive.
Tenzo's katana scored across the man's chest. He dipped beneath another attack and pulled out a kunai. It bloomed from the man's throat as he stumbled, a flood of crimson pouring down his front. One of the other fighters gave a cry of despair or surprise, but Tenzo couldn't tell which. Like everything else, it didn't matter. His eyes skipped across the room, searching for Sakura in the fray, but he couldn't see her.
A powerful kick drove the air from Tenzo's lungs for his lack of attention, crushing his armor further. Turning, he sloppily parried another stab, but not well enough. The dark compression fabric on his right arm opened and beaded with blood. His body heaved, trying to move and draw in enough breath to function. A dozen tiny cuts littered his skin as the enemy drove him back. It was getting harder to raise the katana. Even though there were only three left, the odds no longer seemed favorable.
Tenzo raised his weapon to ward off another stab, but the man spun away at the last second. Something connected with the side of Tenzo's head with a sickening crunch. Then, the world exploded in pain.
A growl of frustration rumbled in Sakura's chest as her opponent slid beyond her reach. His quick movements suggested that he'd been trained as a shinobi, but she'd fought some of the best ninja over the years. There was no room for fear in her thoughts as she danced away from a stream of fire that cracked the air like a whip. Sakura had sparred with Sasuke often enough as a genin that avoiding fire strikes came second nature, even after all this time.
Despite her promise to stay back, Sakura found herself in the middle of the fray before long. There were too many enemies to leave it all to Sai and Tenzo, no matter how impressive their skill sets were. Sakura had watched both men dispatch enemies with little to no effort at the start of the battle. But there were enough shinobi to make it dangerous for them to face off alone. Besides, if her teammates needed her, Sakura wanted to be able to reach them quickly.
Sai stood not far away, crimson decorating his pale skin in splotches. The man flowed among the enemy with an ease that spoke of practice and confidence. Sakura hadn't seen him fight in years; if anything, he'd only improved his skills with the passage of time. Sai's boldness and lack of favoring either side suggested that he hadn't taken any significant injuries. As he pulled away from another confrontation, the red from his kunai bled across the scroll in his hand, mixing with the black ink in a macabre display.
Tenzo hadn't had the same luck, though Sakura had watched him eliminate the first person that he faced off against. Ruby ribbons ran down the man's arms and legs, darkening the fabric of his uniform and the white strip of fabric around his thigh. She couldn't tell how serious the wounds were, but they sprouted on Tenzo's body like mushrooms after rain. Half a dozen enemies surrounded him, though several were nursing injuries of their own.
Tenzo lifted his head and glanced past the surrounding shinobi as if he were searching for something. Sakura startled as their eyes met, though she couldn't see Tenzo's expression beneath his mask to be sure that he saw her. The moment of distraction allowed one of the enemies to land a lucky kick that knocked the Anbu balance. A gash opened on Tenzo's arm from one of the other three as an armored woman pressed her advantage. When Tenzo brought his sword up to parry a strike from the third, Sakura saw the feign from across the room. Somehow, the Anbu didn't.
"Tenzo!" The gasp of Tenzo's name tangled in Sakura's throat, getting lost in the cacophony of battle. A deafening crunch filled the air after her cry, loud enough that she felt the echo in her sternum.
Chips of white porcelain mixed with a spray of crimson from Tenzo's right cheek. His left knee folded, and he went down in the sea of enemies. Before Sakua could see how bad the injury was, she lost sight of him. She took one step in that direction then felt a sting of pain rip through her arm. As she turned, a second shuriken clattered to the ground by her feet, stained with red. Clamping a hand against her upper arm, Sakura found it warm and sticky.
Calculating the trajectory of the weapon, Sakura found herself staring at a shinobi not much older than herself. The girl had stringy black hair and a willowy frame that suggested that she'd missed a few meals lately. Even so, a shuriken glittered in each hand, twins to the one by Sakura's feet. The girl had drawn herself up beside the leader. At least, he'd been the one with the shadow clone in the first room, which made it a fair guess that he was the leader.
Since that meeting, something had niggled at the back of Sakura's mind. While she didn't recognize the armor or the voice, there was something familiar about the man. No matter how she turned the facts around in her mind, Sakura couldn't make sense of it. Even though uncertainty annoyed her, she had to focus on ending the battle in front of her. Then, she could worry about reaching Tenzo.
Sakura assessed the room the way that Kakashi had taught her. There had been maybe fifteen enemies at the start of the fight, but a third of that number was dead or incapacitated. Not great odds, but better than they had been. Electricity glinted off the edge of a kunai that nearly opened Sakura's throat, and she forced herself back to the present. She deflected a shuriken with a kunai of her own and felt a second one ping against the porcelain of her mask. It reminded her of Tenzo and the spray of blood that he'd disappeared beneath, but she pushed the memory away.
Forcing herself to take the offensive, Sakura flung the kunai from her hand and rushed toward the enemy. The man's momentarily stunned expression morphed into a grin when his tanto opened a stream of crimson across Sakura's thigh. She returned the smile as she slipped inside his guard and pressed a hand against his chest. Chakra warmed her palm, exploding outward in a current that stopped his heart. He died with the smile still on his face.
Sakura scanned the faces around her, fighting down the panic in her chest. She couldn't find Tenzo in the sea of bodies and dust that half a dozen jutsu had raised from the ground. Sai faced off against the leader, kunai held loosely in his hand. To Sakura's surprise, the man didn't bait the boy the way that he'd been toying with her. He moved with purpose, strikes flashing in the poor light. When Sai managed to press a slight advantage, pushing the man backward a few steps, he doubled his efforts.
A ribbon of fabric flapped with the man's momentum, sliced loose by Sai's weapon. Blood dampened the already dark clothing as if to solidify the idea that he was losing the battle. Then, the leader reached inside his voluminous robes and pulled out a flask. Sakura watched something swirl inside as if it was alive. She shouted out a warning as the man lobbed the container at Sai's feet. It shattered. Glass sprayed in every direction as the Anbu leaped backward and threw a hand across his face.
Noxious black gas curled and eddied around Sai's feet, writhing like angry snakes. Sakura watched it with a mixture of horror and fascination. The darkness spread in waves that crested unnaturally in air rather than dissipating as it reached for Sai. "He's controlling it with jutsu," she shouted, unsure if Sai had noticed the movement of the leader's hand.
Smoke whipped toward Sakura's teammate, arm thick tendrils that grasped and reached. She watched the substance with mounting unease, wondering what damage it would do if it reached them. The answer came quickly. As if sensing Sakura's indecision, one of the enemies advanced toward her with a feral grin. He took a couple of steps, passed through the chemical cloud, then coughed.
The man reached toward his throat, fingers curling into claws that tore the sensitive skin. Within seconds, a distinctive stridor whistled in Sakura's ears. It happened almost too quickly for her to process. Even so, the medic in her turned toward him, half reaching out a hand out as if she could stop the imminent death. Then, remembering where she was, she covered her mouth with the inside of her elbow and rolled away from the smoke.
"Shit, shit, shit." Sakura cursed under her breath, backing away from the broken glass. The movement carried her further from Sai, but there was nothing to be done for it. One problem at a time.
Another vial shattered by Sakura's feet, releasing green vapor into the already dissipating black. Mocking laughter followed her retreat across the room. "You're too slow to be Anbu," the leader's mocking voice observed, disdain dripping from every word. "You're in over your head, aren't you, little girl?"
"Hardly," Sakura returned, reaching into the pouch at her hip. She threw three shuriken in rapid succession, but the man batted them away with a wind jutsu like they were little more than toys. Sakura used the opening to spring toward the roof of the cave. Gripping the ceiling with chakra in her feet, she planted paper bombs on the uneven dirt and rock overhead, then leaped backward.
Orange and red bloomed among the shadows like flowers, raining pebbles and chunks of rock onto the ground. When the dust settled, a patch of silver moonlight dapped the floor. A cool breeze lifted Sakura's sweaty hair from the nape of her neck and carried away some of the toxic smoke. She could only hope that it wasn't deadly in small quantities.
"That was a dirty trick," came a voice dangerously close to Sakura's ear when she landed. A kunai aimed at her chest slid along her chest plate when she turned, opening a gash on her upper arm instead. She ignored the splash of pain and aimed a hard kick at the man's chest. He grabbed for her outstretched leg but she pulled the attack at the last second. The man laughed again. "You're a cautious little mouse, aren't you?
Compressed air rushed past Sakura, ripping gashes in armor and flesh alike. She didn't bother trying to answer, focusing her energy on circling so that she wouldn't be an easy target. A second round of air charged shuriken flew past her and Sakura rolled to keep from being struck. The man snorted. "I guess caution comes second nature to medical shinobi though, doesn't it, Sakura?"
The use of her name brought Sakura up short. She paid for the mistake with the sharp crack of a shuriken pinging against her mask. As the ninja star ricocheted to the side, she shook the surprise from her mind. Half an inch higher, and she would have lost her eye. The eerie feeling that the man was familiar had persisted since Sakura saw him in the first room. The movements and mannerisms had tickled something in the back of her mind, but she hadn't been able to put her finger on it. Now, the pieces clicked into place. "Dokuso," she choked out in disbelief.
The attacks paused, and the man tipped his head to the side as if to savor the acknowledgment. "Ahh, so you do remember me. I was afraid we'd need reintroductions."
The derisive tone was at odds with the soft spoken man that Sakura remembered from her early days at the hospital. Dokuso had been a brilliant medical shinobi during her training, too intelligent for his own good, truth be told. Though she'd never told Sakura as much, Tsunade had kept a close watch on him. Dokuso had been fascinated with the way jutsu and toxins affected the human body. When Tsunade finally grew tired of his experiments, reminiscent of her former teammate's, she'd tasked Sakura with writing a report for his dismissal. The whole thing had happened a month or two before she left on her tour of the shinobi nations.
"Things have changed a little," Dokuso continued, voice hard and unyielding. As if they had all of the time in the world, the man reached up and removed the mask that obscured his features.
When Dokuso's face was revealed, Sakura took an involuntary step backward. When she'd known the man, he'd been handsome in the soft sort of way that reminded her of Kazuko. Now, burn scars marred the skin. The leather-like healing pulled the right corner of his mouth upward and his eye down into a permanent grimace. The expression bordered on horrific when the man smiled. "Your Anbu friends could explain the new appearance, but I'm afraid you won't be alive long enough to hear it."
When the man reached into his weapon's pouch and pulled out half a dozen shuriken, surprise slowed Sakura's reaction. Though she suspected that Dokuso had been trained as a shinobi at some point in his life, she'd never seen him fight. He moved as fast as any jonin, throwing the ninja stars and moving before Sakura could retaliate. She avoided four of the razor sharp edges; one lodged in her vest, and the remaining one opened a fresh gash on her arm. Hissing in pain, she rolled to the right and flung a kunai from her hip.
Dokuso's face twisted into a sneer as he batted away Sakura's blade. She drew a deep breath and exhaled, looking for an opening to use the attack that she'd used on Tenzo all those nights ago. Tenzo. The name screamed in the back of Sakrua's mind, a howl of panic reminding her that she hadn't seen him since he went down. Panic gripped her lungs with icy talons, but she forced the fear away. Sakura would end this fight, then she'd find her teammates and heal their wounds.
As if sensing Sakura's thoughts, Dokuso pulled another vial from a pocket in his robes. Sticky black liquid coated the sides of the glass, shifting whenever the man moved his hand. How many of those things does he have, she wondered. The answer didn't matter if she didn't know what they did. Until then, Sakura had to assume the worst.
Rolling away, Sakura reached into her weapon's pouch and pulled out several kunai that she'd prepared the night before. Calm drowned out the adrenaline in her system. I'm a kunoichi; I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't be here unless Kakashi and Tenzo believed I could do this. Sakura needed only a small opening in Dokuso's defenses. If she could slip close enough to get her hand on the man's chest, she'd be able to drop him with a pulse of chakra to disrupt his heartbeat.
Sakura's first kunai went wide, clattering into the rocks behind Dokuso. He laughed, disdain dripping from the sound. "You should have stayed in Konoha."
Ignoring the anger attempting to burst to life inside of her, Sakura threw a second kunai. The blade grazed the side of Dokuso's arm before he could leap to the left. The movement carried him further away from the fighting, but Dokuso didn't surrender. He unleashed a volley of compressed air bullets that ripped her clothing and skin alike. Ignoring the pinpricks of pain, Sakura threw another kunai that slammed into the wall half an inch from the man's hip.
"You don't belong out—" Before Dokuso could complete the sentence, his words were lost in the explosion from the tags that Sakura had wrapped around the hilts of her kunai.
The concussive force threw Dokuso forward, and Sakura moved with him. Her palm connected with rough fabric and she released a pulse of chakra into his heart. Dokuso exploded in a puff of crimson smoke that made her eyes water. She turned, searching for the man's physical body as the clone died. There. Dokuso stood half a dozen feet away with his mouth twisted into a cruel smile.
The man held a glass vial in his right hand, smoky grey liquid swirling on some unseen current in defiance of gravity. Time slowed to a crawl as Sakura watched the gold and red flecks sparkle in the cloudy concoction. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Dokuso's hand, even though she knew she needed to move. Distantly, someone yelled Sakura's name. Panic and pain edged the voice to a high pitched whine, but she couldn't make sense of why.
Dokuso tossed the potion toward Sakura. Her eyes locked on the liquid, and she couldn't help but think it looked beautiful, like the night sky shot full of brilliant stars. It arced through the air with deadly precision. Something hard hit Sakura as the glass shattered into a dozen twinkling shards. The force of the explosion flung her backward into the cave wall like a rag doll. Then, flames and darkness drowned everything.