Look at Me Now
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Summary: Strange old people in caves are generally to be avoided in the fairy-tales Sakura has grown up reading. But the offer of training from one old lady in a cave in the Land of the Waves not only makes Sakura throw caution to the wind, but teaches her that power comes to those who seize it. Strong!Sakura
AN: I decided to split this chapter into two on Narutobase. While long chapters look alright on FF.net, it would bother me on NB. I also am planning to upload a different version of the second part of this chapter than the one on FF.net. And Sakura gets to kill two people this chapter so, yeah, action.
Chapter IV: Something to Kill and Die For
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When does a ninja strike? A ninja strikes when their enemy is relaxed, when their guard is down. A ninja who wants to strike and avoid being found out by her sensei leaves before dawn, grabbing their equipment and dark red sweatshirt. They spare a small glance as they look into their teammate's rooms, just in case something happens, and silently make their way to leave a note on the counter, stating that they were training in a certain part of the island this early morning and that they would be back before Tazuna left for the bridge. A ninja pulls a red sweatshirt over their bright pink hair, places a gasmask on their face, and surveys the ship they have to climb to strike.
The ninja runs through the mist, wishing to reach their target before dawn. The village is still sleeping on a peaceful day in mid-May, but the ninja cannot sleep in today, or at least not this ninja.
Elsewhere, other ninjas plan to strike as well. One squeezes an apple to show his strength to the other. The younger ninja of the pair wipes the juice from the floor and hands his elder the large sword he was now well enough to yield. A look is shared between them, comrades, shinobi and tool.
"We should go Haku."
That ninja slips on his mask.
Another one does the same as he goes to look at his team. His prodigy ninja is staring disapprovingly at the one ninja on the island who is going to sleep in, face pale with exhaustion. The head ninja shrugs and pronounces the blonde ninja incapable of duty today, which is a shame considering he'd like two on the bridge today. After all, ninja's strike when one is sleeping.
But where, you may ask, do ninjas strike?
Two ninja ran by road. Two traveled by boat. They would meet at the bridge.
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Sakura stared down at the sea, gulping. The last time she had escaped Gato's ship she'd literally climbed the porthole and grabbed down to a ledge she saw, and then dropped herself to the sea. No one had noticed the splash. But this time it was different. She'd scouted the ship from a distance already and it seemed to have been filled with a nervous energy. Gato was definitely planning something today and Sakura only hoped she had time to find out what is was.
But until then, as the sun's first rays shone on her, Sakura would crawl up. She really did feel like some sort of lizard like this, but any other way would put her plan in danger. Interacting with Gato in some disguise was too risky, so Sakura could spare a couple of minutes to climb up the side like some weird red lizard stalking its prey.
'Well, you are.'
Sakura was almost thankful that her chakra wasn't affected by the nervousness her inner's statement amplified. Somehow, despite her weird dream last night of mists and people dying of poison injections, she was able to sleep, but now that she was awake the anxiousness towards her task was back. Her first kill.
The man in the alleyway that Takehana had killed flashed in her mind, reminding of her the fate that she was about to inflict on Gato. Would blood spill from his mouth too, staining the ground as it poured out from his mouth and formed a pool around the body? It was slow poison, but too advanced for him to have a cure, and no offense to the Land of Waves, but Sakura doubted they had a competent enough medic or doctor to know what to do with machin. So as it was slow, would he know it? Chances were that Sakura wasn't going to see his death, so her speculations were probably warrantless.
Still, it aroused both her conscience and her curiosity. Her conscience because most people didn't poison their first kills. Or at least that was what the Academy said. They did a whole lecture on killing and the effects it had on one's mental health. The teachers did try to explain how killing was their reality, but at time not necessary and that the first kill was always the worst. Sakura remembered that lecture because Naruto had skipped it and Iruka was slightly irritated as he tried to tell them the story of his first kill. It wasn't a curriculum requirement but her, admittedly soft-hearted, sensei wanted them to know what it was like.
Iruka's first kill had occurred in the first year he was a genin, towards the end of it. It had happened before he even realized what he was doing. A reaction.
Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to have it like that. Certainly, it would be terrible because there was little intent. But it was also quick. Unlike Sakura's, which was drawn out because Gato was meant to feel his impending death and suffer through it. He was supposed to know. It wasn't an accident, like Iruka's first kill, it was pre-mediated murder.
But Sakura, guiltily, also wanted to see it happen. Perhaps because of how this was occurring, but there seemed to be something right about seeing it to the end. People who poisoned others generally didn't do it because they wanted to watch, but this was different.
Sakura groaned again. Her thoughts were too complicated for her chakra too work as well as she wanted to. She could only move her chakra-laden palms over the slick surface of the ship up to the windows she knew to be Gato's. They were clear glass, large and modern. Sakura strained her neck to sneak a quick peak to see what was there. From a split second she could see a mess of spiky gray hair leaning back on the windows, along with the back of a couch. She hadn't counted on the windows being open, which made it too easy. But it looked like she could thank Gato for his bad habits because he'd cracked one of his windows due to the cigar he was smoking. Sakura's nose crinkled from the unpleasant smell that it produced.
'Looks like smoking will get you killed. Just not in the way you expect.'
'Please don't go developing a macabre sense of humor. It doesn't suit yo-, well, us well.'
Sakura wasn't in the mood for laughing. She uncapped the flask she had stuck inside her hoodie's pocket, checking the label to make sure it was the machin poison she had prepared under Takehana's nose. They hadn't tested it out on anyone, which only made Sakura relieved and nervous, if someone could feel those two emotions towards the same thing at the same time. She didn't want anyone else to die as a guinea pig for her poisons; it was a waste, no matter if that guy Takehana killed was trash. But the idea that this wouldn't work made her anticipate not only the failure of the mission but also Takehana's wrath and that was something Sakura didn't want in her life.
Gato was talking on some sort of device (Sakura couldn't see that well) to someone. Sakura didn't know how to describe his voice but it gave the impression of oil and something unpleasant. He talked in a rude manner and judging by his room on the ship, it his obnoxiousness carried over to taste in furnishings. Everything seemed to convey his money and power, right down to the cigar he was smoking. Was there something to this marked man besides being a crime lord?
"Is the attack ready?"
Sakura's breath stilled. 'Attack?' Did that mean that they were attacking someone? Who was doing the attacking-
"Hey, Zabuza, are you listening to me?
Sakura willed herself to be quiet as she heard him continue. So he was talking to Zabuza, who was heading to attack someone. A trickle of fear went down her spine as she imagined Zabuza storming the house. By this time Tazuna and her sensei, along with Naruto and Sasuke, were probably en route to the bridge, so it would be useless to go attack the house.
Her fingers gripped the edge tighter. What if poor Tsunami and Inari were defenseless because she left to go kill Gato? The mere thought of the kind woman being slain by the missing-nin made Sakura want to drop herself off the ship and charge back to protect her clients.
"I sent Zori and Waraji to go take care of his daughter. Deal with the ninja and you'll get paid."
'Tsunami-san is in danger.'
Sakura couldn't hear Zabuza's muffled reply because Gato turned off the connection and sighed, taking a very long drag of his cigarette and blowing out the smoke in a thick stream in his mouth. He leaned his head back with his hands up to relax on the cushion of the couch as well. Sakura frowned at his relaxation, how unaware was he?
Regardless it all worked in her favor. Turning very slowly so her gasmask wouldn't hit the metal, Sakura returned to taking care of the machin. She gave the little bottle a quick shake before forming the tiger seal for the mist. A small stream of her chakra went into the bottle, returning a second later with the liquid floating. Sakura was hanging on to the ship with her other hand and knees now and she prayed that this would work. Shakily, she added a little more of her chakra to the poison ball, compressing the liquid and making the molecules more heated. Within a minute of this Sakura was confident enough to send it through the small window opening.
If Gato noticed the sudden incoming cool air near him, he didn't show it, just blew a smoke ring after a smoke ring. As soon as Sakura felt that the jutsu had gotten into the room fully and spread the poison throughout, she released her control. Gato hadn't shown any signs of inhaling it yet, and most symptoms would appear much later, but Sakura couldn't help but worry. What if it didn't work and she had to go try this again? How many people would die for Gato to die?
Her thoughts were broken up as Gato started coughing. A minute went by and there was more unpleasant wheezing and hacking.
"F****g –" harsh breath "– cigar." Sakura watched the older man put out the cigar on an ash tray and pick up the communicator as well.
"Ready the ambush. " He said coolly, though his voice was a little harsh from the coughing he'd done a minute ago. "We'll wait till Zabuza's tired out with his fight with the Leaf Ninjas and then get rid of him and his masked brat. Position us near the bridge."
Sakura had to steady herself. The bridge! Zabuza was attacking the bridge but there was another attack by those two samurai on Tazuna's house. Not only that, but Gato was going to betray Zabuza. Now that her job with Gato was done, though she couldn't be sure, it was probably the best that she checked up on the house first, then making her way to support Kakashi-sensei. She threw the little bottle of machin poison (she had others) down into the sea and stared at the back of Gato's head for a couple of seconds. Her green eyes stared before she climbed her way down.
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'Damn it, why did they leave me behind? I thought Sakura-chan was supposed to stay behind today.'
Now that he could manage tree-walking, Kakashi had given them a quick lesson in jumping branch from branch like most ninja, especially ones hailing from Konohagakure, did to get around. Naruto already was dexterous child so he hadn't needed the course, but being able to reach greater heights more easily was a big help.
Greens and yellows dotted his vision as he jumped branch to branch, only stopping when he lost his footing. That it is until he heard a rustle in the trees. Quickly stopping, Naruto strained his eyes to see what was making the bush below quiver.
"Is that…blood?" Naruto wondered out loud as he jumped down to the ground to investigate. Near the bush he saw a weak and dying boar that looked like someone had put it through a grinder. It groaned weakly up at him before lying down at its side and closing its eyes. Feeling a little uncomfortable at the sight of the boar dying, Naruto looked at the surrounding area. Blood was spattered everywhere but even more so was that the surrounding foliage seemed to be cut up with something manmade and sharp. Naruto cast a quick glance at the dead boar and gulped.
"Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever did that." He said, walking back a little. The marks in the barks seemed to be heading back the way Naruto just came so that meant
"Shit!"
An orange blur was seen heading back to Tazuna's house, muttering about being late.
"Inari, can you come help me with something?" Tsunami called from the kitchen. Naruto had left so sudden, leaving his clothes strewn about the house, that Tsunami was almost worried he hadn't put pants on. The boy was so sunny and to be honest not the sharpest kunai in the set, but Tsunami found him extremely likable. Even with the arguments between the young ninja and her son, Tsunami found that at least Inari was drawn out his shell. Ever since Kaiza died, he'd been cooped up in his room just looking at the sea that once brought his father to him.
Even though he infuriated Inari to no belief, that yellow-haired boy from Fire was doing more to help her son than she had for the past year.
"Inari, please come down and help me with the dishes." Tsunami leaned back on the counter to call to her son again. He wasn't a bad kid, just always a bit of a loner, even before Kaiza had left. Kaiza had been such a source of life to their little family. She touched her neck in memory of his head on her shoulder.
"I'm in the bathroom now mom."
Tsunami sighed. She didn't know what he was doing in there but bottomline was that Inari would probably spend an hour there, doing everything from brushing his teeth or trying to make the bath full of bubbles again. Turning to her dishes, she lost herself in the process until her door was slashed down. To pieces.
She had barely heard the sound of metal pierce through her wooden door but she had heard the kick someone sent it a mere second after. The door crashed into the wall, causing Tsunami to shriek at the top of her lungs. Wood rained down on the floor, cracking as it was stepped on y the two men forcing entry into Tsunami's house. The men weren't familiar but looked dangerous, like Gato's many thugs that he had brought on to the island. The bare-chested one looked more dangerous than the other, probably because of his bulging pectorals and tattooed biceps, but the other had a sharp stare. Both had swords at their hips. Tsunami was about to let out another scream when the man with the hat came forward and pushed her into the dish rack.
As her dishes cracked, Tsunami really did let out a scream and Inari came running down.
"Kaa-san!"
The sound of small fee pounding down on the staircase drew the Samurai's attention.
"Eh, it's a kid." One of the samurai sounded slightly surprised as he mentioned this to his party. Inari glared down at the two men, eyes already teary and little body already shaking.
"Let my mom go!"
The tanner and bulkier of the two looked at the other and shrugged, completely ignoring Inari's pleas. "We only need one hostage. Should I cut him down?" His partner barely responded, just giving the other a grin. The bulkier man lifted his katana and made his way towards Inari.
"Wait!" Tsunami yelled after him. Both samurai turned back to look at her cringing on the floor. She snapped her head up to look at them intensely. Tsunami stared them down for a second before saying something that made her son's mouth drop open.
"If you harm a hair on head I'll bite my tongue off and choke on my own blood so you won't have a hostage. Don't test me, I'll do it." Inari couldn't believe his eyes. His mother, bleeding from a cut on her forehead, looked so strong, so intense. There was serious bite in her words.
"M-mom." The two samurai shared a glance between, a practice they seemed fond of doing, and the one in the hat chuckled as he withdrew a rope from his pocket and bent down to drag Tsunami up to her feet. He made short work of binding her arms and hands behind her.
"You have a hell of a feisty mother, brat. Be thankful for that or else you'd be breathing your last breath." The samurai holding his mother punctuated the other's point by shoving Tsunami forward harshly. Inari sniveled and crouched down as he saw his mother being led out by the two swordsmen, snot running down his face as he squeeze his head with his fingers.
His mother's name was on his lips as he tried to console the fact that she was being led away, probably to never be seen again and that he was watching it happening. The guilt in those thoughts made bile rise up in his throat.
"I-I'm sorry, M-mom. I c-couldn't b-be a..a hero."
Suddenly his sobs, both mental and physical, were stopped by the harsh words of some blond kid from the Leaf.
"You little sissy!"
"Coward!
Tsunami threw one last glance back to her house, wondering if she would ever lay eyes on it again, on her son again. The edge of a sword thwacked her knees the moment she looked back.
"Keep walking miss."
One of the swordsmen eyed her and let out a few low laughs.
"Don't tempt me sweetheart. Looking at that pretty skin of yours makes me want to cut it."
Tsunami swallowed quietly, wondering if she would have the dignity of a quick and not disgraceful death. With these men, who knew? The smell of sal****er, a constant in her life, suddenly came to her stronger than she ever remembered it to be, knowing that this smell would never grace her senses again. Rough hands pushed her along the deck and she wondered about her son.
Inari. He was such a little boy and yet he'd been through so much. The people of Wave were used to harshness, living on an island with little resources and money. There were no pretentions, no large aspirations among their people. Like a rock, Inari would weather the storm of her death. He'd survived his real father dying from an altercation when his son was a toddler and he survived Kaiza's death. He'd be fine, even as an orphan.
These are the lies mothers tell themselves to keep from going mad.
The patter of tiny feet reached her ears and this time she did look back fully turning despite the hold her captors had on her. Tsunami watched as her son came out from the house and faced the three of them. He straight up at her, face red and messy with snot and Tsunami wished to run to him and wipe his face away, assure him everything would be fine.
"Wait."
He looked a cross between fierce and pitiful, with the teary face and balled up fists.
"Inari!" The housewife cried out, unsure of what to say that would get him back inside the house, away from the men that would want to kill him. Inari didn't react to his mother's cry, just took a step forward.
"It's that kid again." The hatted swordsman to the left of her mumbled, turning around fully to face her son. The other one followed suit and Tsunami got chills down her spine.
No. Anything but that.
She didn't want to see her son killed in front of her. The black-haired woman pulled her arm against the rope binding her hands to her body, wincing as it stung her. If she could just get o-
"Get away from my mom."
And before Inari could yell at him not to, Inari let out a cry and ran at them. The heavily muscled hired sword groaned about stupid kids and drew his sword.
"Cut him."
"Sure."
Tsunami let out a cry as Inari got closer and they readied their blades and the figure of her son coming to rescue her got closer and closer. Her eyes shut as the men lifted their blades and swung down.
Crack!
She felt hands around her body, not as rough or large as that of the men who took her from her house. These were smaller hands and they lifted her down with ease and within a second she could feel herself being placed on the deck with Inari staring down at her with shining eyes.
The sound of wood hitting the deck buzzed in her ears but all she could see was her son's crying eyes.
"Inari."
"Haha."
There was another beside her, but Tsunami gave him little thought until he spoke up.
"Sorry for being late," Naruto spoke up as he got up from his squat and turned back to face the ronin he'd just duped. "But a hero usually arrives at the last minute, yanno?"
Inari's eyes widened before he softly said the boy's name.
Naruto looked back at the family for a second and grinned.
"Great job, Inari. Thanks to you distracting them I was able to save your mom."
"Well if it isn't one of the loser ninja that Tazuna hired."
The rogue swordsmen seemed to have gotten their bearings and finally responded to the young ninja's presence. Tsunami craned her neck to see what they were doing. Naruto took out a kunai.
"Are you going to be alright?" asked Inari as he placed his hands on his mother's shoulder. Naruto nodded and faced the two rogue ninja. Strangely, Inari didn't feel worried at all. Perhaps it was the compliment the young shinobi had given him or maybe it was the resole he'd gathered in order to save his mother. For once in a while, he had a feeling things were going to be alright.
The two swordsman charged at the orange-wearing shinobi, only to be knocked down by two shadow clones waiting under dock. Two splashes were heard as rogue swordsmen fell into the sea and Naruto finally turned back to the two Wave civilians with a grin.
Inari was stunned at how simply the other had managed to dispose of them. He watched as the blond knelt down and slipped a kunai underneath the ropes binding his mother, slicing through them quickly. Tsunami patted down her shirt the moment her hands were free.
"Kaa-san!"
His mother's fingers threaded through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp in a comforting manner as she enveloped him. The black-haired boy rested his head on his mother's shoulder, not willing to break the hug.
"My little hero." He heard her whisper quietly and it seems Naruto heard that as well, for his grin was replaced by a small smile as he watched the little family reunion. Inari could feel the tears prick at the corner of his eyes again, so he shifted his hand to rub at his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to cry." said Inari, still wiping at his eyes which were now leaking tears again. He could feel his mother's hand move to his face.
"Watchya talkin' about?"
"Huh?" Inari stopped rubbing his eyes to look up at Naruto, grin back in place and shining.
"It's okay to cry." Another hand landed on his shoulder. "If you're happy."
"Naruto, look out!"
Inari's happy moment was stopped by a clash of a sword and a kunai. Naruto's eyes widened as he looked up to see that the taller swordsman had gotten out of the water and had tried to attack him from the back, only to be stopped by Sakura and her kunai. The swordsman pressed down harder, his superior strength and heavily tattooed bulging muscles bringing the kunai down inch by inch. Naruto rolled out of the way, allowing Sakura to kick the man before jumping back a step.
To her relief, Naruto had already moved Inari and Tsunami and seemed intent on getting into the fray. She started doing the hand signs for Kirigakure no Jutsu.
"Naruto, guard Tsunami and Inari, I'll take care of this!"
Naruto looked like he really wanted to argue but before he could, mist rose up from the water and blanket the docks and the house, making it hard to see. Sakura focused, readying her kunai as she navigated through the mist into the place she last seen the tattooed guy. Sure enough, she could hear light cursing about "little ninja wenches" and the sound of a sword swing, as if the man was trying to cut the mist.
She could hear Inner snicker about dumb swordsmen, but unlike her inner, Sakura didn't feel all that confident with this man. He was two of her, literally, and his biceps were bigger than her face. His blade looked really sharp too, and she had seen what it had done to that pig she found on her way back to the house. Like usual, direct engagement was dumb.
'What to do, what to do…'
She stepped to side, relying on the mist to cover her (though her red dress would probably make that harder, even though bright colors, contrary to popular belief, weren't the worst thing in the world for a shinobi).
"Sakura-chan? Is he down? What's going on?"
Sakura almost smacked her face, again. Trust Naruto to give away his cover, now the man would figure out where their clients were. She was going to drag Naruto into stealth courses the moment they got back home. The sound of the sword swinging stopped and footsteps walked a couple of feet to the right of, in the direction of Naruto's voice.
'He's making his move I guess.'
Sakura tiptoed behind him, waiting for her chance. She heard the footsteps stop and steadied herself.
"Gotcha, you little runt-"
The man's foolish decision to speak as he swung down his sword was his undoing, as he never finished the sentence due to blood gushing out of his mouth in spurts and the kunai stabbed in his back. Sakura twisted the kunai, digging it in deeper.
"S-Sakura-chan?" Naruto must have been a foot or two in front of them but she couldn't see through the mist. The man began to slump backwards and Sakura pulled out her kunai before jumping back. A loud crash was heard as the man fell to the floor.
Sakura released the mist, allowing the four of them to see the dying man with blood pouring out him. Tsunami immediately covered her son's eyes and turned him away, while Naruto looked a little shaken. Sakura's green eyes looked down at her kunai, now covered in blood. Earlier she had told herself that her first life would be taken today, through poison, but it seemed that instead she'd be delivering the blow herself.
Her feet moved of their own accord to kneel down and close the man's eyes with her left hand, right hand still gripping the bloodied kunai tight. Naruto nodded at her, mouthing his thanks to her.
"Thanks for saving me, Sakura." No -chan this time, though Sakura could see why he didn't add it. This was probably his first dead body as well. Though they had desensitization courses at the Academy, something about a combat killing was different.
Sakura shook her head. Truthfully, and she hadn't mentioned this to anyone because there was no need, but she had already helped Naruto once. When Zabuza had first thrown his sword at them, Sakura had crashed into Naruto immediately, afraid that he wouldn't dodge. It had been mere instinct, probably one of her quickest reflexes. She'd known Sasuke would be alright; Naruto was inattentive. That moment had passed by quickly and as they ended in the thick of battle, she'd felt no need to mention it once they got to Tazuna's house. It was pure instinct to protect him.
"Hey now, Naruto-chan, I'm sure you'd do the same." She put her empty hand on her hip, cocking to the side a little. Then her face became all serious as she looked at the body again. It seemed that Waraji, the man she had killed, was truly dead. She grimaced down and then looked at Naruto as if to ask what she should do with it. Naruto raise his hands and made a couple of bunshin to roll the man off the docks, with one taking his sword beforehand. Sakura watched as the body sunk into water immediately and with a bit hesitation, threw in her kunai with it.
Naruto touched her shoulder lightly in comfort before turning to Tsunami and Inari. Tsunami had stood up, holding her son's hand.
"I can't thank you enough…"
"No need, Tsunami-san, we just did our jobs, y'know?"
Sakura felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered why she had been trying to find Naruto anyway. She'd gotten distracted with finding a boar carcass and then saving Naruto had purged it from her mind.
"Naruto!" Sakura spun around fast enough to see Naruto jump at her sudden shout.
"Wha-.."
Sakura grabbed him by the sleeve and kicked off, looking back to shout something at Tsunami.
"Tsunami-san, Gato's men are at the bridge attacking our team. Get yourselves to safety!"
"Whoa, wait, really?"
Tsunami and Inari watched as a pink and orange blur ran away from them.
"So those are shinobi?" Inari said quietly.
Tsunami wiped a tear away.
"Yeah, they are."
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