Chapter Nineteen
Carver sleepily blinked trying to wash away the burning sensation sleep leaves behind he yawned, scratching his back watching as Raiden and Naruto bang on Sakura's front door.
"Maybe she isn't home?" Sasuke guessed leaning against his apartment door.
"Or she is being an ass!" Raiden shouted at the wood.
"Let's go check her office before you hurt her front doors feelings." Carver said pulling Raiden's arm.
"Fine!" Raiden huffed; his hair ruffled.
As Naruto and his friends moved to leave the apartment building, Kakashi was trapped confound inside his home.
Kakashi leaned over the toilet in his bathroom dry heaving.
The unrelenting pain thrashed inside his skull keeping him in the same place he has been in since he got home yesterday from the village leaders meeting. Kakashi gasped seeing an end to the recycled pain, relaxing as he collapsed against the bathroom wall, sweat glistened on his skin as he sucked in raspy breaths.
----
Tsunade sipped on a fruit smoothie stepping onto the floor her office resided on mindlessly playing on her phone.
"You open it!" A voice harshly whispered, Tsunade looked up from the smooth screen to see Naruto, Carver and Raiden, as well as Hinata all huddled around Sakura's office.
"What's going on?" Tsunade questioned, causing a few of them to jump at the sudden noise.
"He-Hey Granny!" Naruto nervously suckled reaching behind him to rub the back of his neck.
"Why are you standing outside Sakura's door?" Tsunade went on questioning.
"Well..." Naruto trailed off.
"We went to her apartment this morning and banged on the stupid door for like an hour-" Raiden over exaggerated, "-but she wouldn't answer so thought maybe she got up early and went to her office since its new but once again, no answer!"
"Why don't you just go on in?" Tsunade wondered, "I would think you're the few people she wouldn't care to just walk in."
"Because...well..."
"They are scared too." Carver said.
"So are you!" Raiden snapped over his shoulder.
"Ugh." Tsunade groaned, moving passed them and through the unlocked door.
"But-!" Raiden said getting ready for a swirl wind of swear words but after a second was met with silence.
"Aw." Naruto smiled tilting his head, Raiden peeked into the naturally lit room. Sakura was indeed inside her office, she sat at her desk asleep.
"So, it begins." Carver joked looking at Raiden.
"Has she been here all night?" Hinata wondered.
"It wouldn't surprise me." Carver sighed, "This is her norm."
"But why?" Hinata asked.
"She is a workaholic." Raiden muttered, "So next question is, who is going to wake her up?"
"Not it!" Naruto said quickly touching his nose followed by Hinata.
"Such children-" Tsunade muttered under her breath as she walked forward to wake Sakura who leaned forward from her chair sleeping on the top of her desk. Tsunade hesitated for only a second, questioning herself if this was a smart idea or not...she shook her head clear and touched Sakura's left shoulder. "-Sakura?"
Tsunade's heart skipped seeing Sakura's emerald eyes snap open, she quickly removed her hand from her shoulder and stepped back.
"Good morning!" Raiden jumped as Sakura slowly sat up.
"Mm." Sakura hummed as a response.
"Did you sleep here all night?" Tsunade questioned.
"Um..." Sakura trailed off as her brain took its time waking up. "...yeah..." She answered scratching her head. "...what are you all doing here?"
"We were looking for you." Carver said stepping forward, "Good thing we came prepared."
"Huh?" Sakura blinked; Carver held out a takeout coffee cup waiting for Sakura to take.
"We got you breakfast!" Hinata said holding up a small bag as Naruto held the larger one.
"You didn't need to-"
"You summoned us on a mission-" Naruto jumped in, "-an S-Ranked mission! We wanted to get together eat and get prepared!"
"Uh..." Sakura said rubbing her shoulder. "...ok?" She said turning to reach for her phone which remained dead, "Fuck." She whispered under her breath, she forgot to grab her charger.
"Hey-" Raiden furrowed his brows staring Sakura, "-what the hell is that!?" He pointed directly at Sakura.
"Uh-" Carver tried to answer, "-a person?"
"No, you fucking twat!" Raiden glared at Carver, "Your arm!" Raiden said walking away from the food until he was side by side with Sakura and gripped her forearm.
Sakura rolled her eyes as Raiden scanned over the tattoo that rested on her skin.
"You got-!?" Naruto gasped seeing the ANBU mark on her arm.
"You never even got a Waterfall's tattoo-" Carver said looking at the black ink which faded into a dark blue. "-when did you get that?"
"Uh-" Sakura tried to recall, "-couple days ago."
"And we are just seeing this now!?" Raiden scattered,
"I have been wearing long sleeves." Sakura shrugged.
"Why do you look hotter now?" Carver muttered as Sakura looked around carelessly.
"I heard there was food?" Sakura changed the subject.
"Ye-Yeah!" Hinata said quickly picking up white bag which held eggs, back and pancakes.
"Thank you." Sakura said taking the takeout box.
"So how much work did you get done?" Raiden wondered looking at the neatly stacked files that were pushed off to the side of her chest.
"How much sleep did you get?" Carver asked a better question.
"I got all this finished." Sakura said placing her hand on the two-foot-tall stacks of different files.
"You-You got all that done in a single night!?" Tsunade muffled through the pancake in her mouth.
"Yeah." Sakura breathed leaning back in the chair. "Why?"
"How!?" Tsunade needed to know.
"Because I am good at what I do." Sakura smirked.
As everyone ate their warm breakfast, Sakura explained the plan on how they were going to deal with the lock village.
"Bringing Hanare out of the jail seems like a huge risk to me." Carver said, "Even if you burn her mind."
"The Lock Village is good-" Tsunade said, "-they would know if we sent a clone in Hanare's place."
"Yeah but still..."
"I understand your worried." Sakura looked at Carver, "But we are all going to be there, I wouldn't be pulling Hanare if I thought there was any chance, we couldn't handle it."
"Your right." Carver said, "We are pretty awesome."
"Yes." Sakura chuckled before glancing towards the clock. "Alright-" Sakura said standing, "-you all need to return home and get dressed-"
"But we want to go with you to Hanare-" Raiden whined but Sakura cut him off,
"No." She declared, "You four need to go get dressed and ready and be at the gates of the village in two hours, or you'll be left behind." The authority lacing Sakura's voice sent shivers through Naruto and Hinata who weren't used to hearing it.
"Alright..." Naruto muttered not happy he couldn't go with Sakura, but he wanted to be dressed and ready to make her proud of him!
"We will see you at the gates." Carver nodded as he and the other three walked from the room.
"You should go home-" Sakura said to Tsunade.
"I am going." Tsunade left no room for argument.
"You're not going to want to-"
"I can handle myself."
"Alright." Sakura shrugged, seeing no reason to fight Tsunade. If she wanted to tag along, fuck it, it was no skin of Sakura's back.
The Hokage and Commander of the leaf village trailed swiftly through the waking streets, they reached the jail in record time as they made their way down into the tunnels with no conversation, the guards nodded at the two women.
"Are you sure about this?" Tsunade questioned one last time.
"I am." Sakura said,
"Your decision to do this isn't just because she was with Kakashi, right?"
"Of course not." Sakura turned to look sharply at Tsunade, "If you think I can't separate my personal and professional life than maybe I shouldn't be-"
"I just-" Tsunade calmed Sakura down by touching her shoulder, "-wanted to make sure, I meant no disrespect."
"I don't want to do this." Sakura muttered, "I just got back to whatever stable state I am in...I don't want use up all my chakra on a twat I'd rather watch rot away or just kill."
"I know." Tsunade nodded, "Thank you for doing this."
"You don't have to thank me for doing my job." Sakura told Tsunade as the two of them turned a darkened corner.
"I know, I just wanted to make sure you're ok and-" Tsunade rambled on.
Sakura looked up from the numbly staring off into space, her heart slammed to a brisk halt as Kakashi's kiss flashed through her mind.
"Tsunade." Sakura stated.
"Yeah?" The blonde looked up from gazing at the floor to Sakura, who turned to her with a hard expression.
"Does this prove my point to you?" Sakura gestured before them, Tsunade frowned until she looked forward and caught her breath.
Before the two of them, Kakashi stood in front of Hanare's cell low conversation could be hear from the two.
"Kakashi!" Sakura called, stepping up her pace. She reached his side quickly, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the jail cell.
"What?" Kakashi asked looking down at the pinkette, "What are you-?"
"You can't be down here!" Tsunade breathed, "You need to be as far away from her as possible!"
"But I-"
"Go Kakashi." Tsunade cut him off, pointing to the direction the exit was. "Now."
Kakashi glanced towards the cell before turning and walking down the hallway.
"Sakura I-"
"Let's get this over with." Sakura aggressively replied as she moved to the cell door holding the key in her hand.
Sakura gazed through the metal bars. Inside the cell sat a toilet, sink and a mattress that laid on the stone floor with one of Sakura's favorite chew toys sitting on top of it. Every fiber inside Sakura's body wanted to fly through these bars and finish tearing her into pieces.
"I wondered when you would swing by to end what you started." Hanare's arrogant voice caused Sakura to smile, Tsunade frowned seeing this wild expression in Sakura's glowing green eyes.
"I'm not here to kill you." Sakura said looking down at the woman.
"Oh?" Hanare coughed,
"Yeah-" Sakura nodded, "-you're just going to wish I was." Sakura entered the jail cell, closing the metal door behind her.
"Are you here for round two?" Hanare stood from the mattress, her pants and shirt were coated in dirt and who knew what else. Her long hair tangled and unkempt, her skin grayish from lack of sun light.
"Not quite." Sakura replied as her eyes shifted, glowing against the darkness the engulfed the jail cell.
"Are you just here because Kakashi keeps coming down here to see me?" Hanare sneered, "Your jealous he wants me and not you?"
Sakura's chest squeezed as she discovered this was not the first time Kakashi had wondered down here, his kiss with her replayed inside Sakura's mind with hundreds of questions spinning off it but it didn't matter how she felt in this moment. Sakura had a job to do and a village to watch out for.
"Tell me-" Hanare said with a belligerent tone as she quickly backing away from Sakura, "-does it hurt?"
"Hm?"
"Sleeping at night without him, knowing every time you look at Kakashi, he is thinking of me?"
"Don't flatter yourself-" Sakura smirked, "-I don't break that easy."
Tsunade stood outside the jail cell, she took in a deep breath as she licked her lips. Tsunade jumped, her phone shook out of her hands as Tsunade ran to the front of the jail cell where she saw Sakura held Hanare by the front of her shirt. Hanare screamed as her veins felt like they were being replaced with ice, her brain felt like electricity was being wired straight into her spine.
Tsunade had to look away from the deathly expression plastered all over Hanare's face who screamed as if Sakura was stabbing a knife through her flesh. Tsunade reached up placing her hands over her ears trying to muffle out Hanare's macabre screams.
----
Two hours flew through the leaf village, and just as requested the shinobi handpicked to assist in the lock village trade off all stood around the front of the gates waiting for their commander. Many leaf shinobi were curious as well as skeptical about Sakura and how she would do as their bran new commander, but they were all excited to see her unwrapped and out of the box.
Tsunade had to leave the tunnels while Sakura burned Hanare's mind. The woman's screams were just too much for Tsunade to take, so she changed her clothing and was now standing among the waiting shinobi.
"Tsunade-" Kakashi spoke up from standing beside the hokage.
"No." Tsunade instantly said, "We are not going to have this conversation here."
"But I just-" Kakashi wanted to say but Tsunade turned glaring upward into his eye.
"You were way out of line!" She harshly whispered, trying to stay out of ear shot of everyone around them. "You had no business being down there near Hanare, I don't know if she still has her claws in you or if you generally cared for her but-"
"I-"
"-but I don't care." Tsunade finished her statement not letting Kakashi get a word in. "We have a very important mission on our hands, getting Riichi back is all we can focus on right now."
"Of course." Kakashi said before turning his head following the groups stunned gaze.
Sakura walked towards them; two black ops walked behind her with Hanare in between them. Kakashi eye widened taking in Sakura's stunning appearance.
Carver stood beside Naruto and Raiden snacking on a protein bar waiting for the show to kick start, he slothfully glanced around but quickly did a double take looking at multiple men who all stared drooling over Sakura's captivating appearance. He sighed shaking his head, knowing all too well what spell they were being placed under.
Sakura wore her tight-fitting black pants that were tucked into her matching boots, due to the humid day Sakura wore a short sleeve shirt under her armor. Her long hair was pulling up and out of the way with her sword resting on her back.
"Damn she looks good." Raiden muttered seeing how her enchanting emerald eyes and natural pink hair seemed to slow against her black clothing.
"Yeah." Carver muttered annoyed, "She always does."
Sakura furrowed her brows as she walked to the small group of waiting shinobi, Sakura would have believed Tsunade was standing around with the shinobi because she was here to send them off with encouraging words and Sakura would have believed it if not for Tsuande being dressed in her jonin gear, with Kakashi standing beside her.
"What um...uh..." Sakura blinked looking at Tsunade, "...can I talk to you?"
"Sure." Tsunade blinked.
"Don't take your eyes off her." Sakura ordered the black ops behind her.
"Yes Commander!" They nodded. Sakura and Tsunade walked a handful of yards from the group of ninjas.
"Everything ok-"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sakura quickly snapped.
"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked, "I am waiting for-"
"You're not going!" Sakura laughed.
"What?"
"Your fucking six months pregnant, no way in hell will I let you go."
"I can handle myself just fine, I am going."
"It's not a question of if you can handle yourself Tsuande, you don't need to go this is reckless and just plain stupid-"
"I am the Hokage-"
"Good for you, do you want a cookie?" Sakura brushed over, "And why is Kakashi here? He-"
"We may need him."
"Why?" Sakura asked, "For an unneeded double cross? Clearly, he still has hooks in him from Hanare, we don't-"
"Sakura, do you trust me?" Tsunade smiled.
"Yes, I do but-"
"I am the Hokage, I don't know how Kaguya does things but here, I am on the front lines with you."
"Your six months-"
"I know, but you're going to be there. I know you'll have my back."
"I-" Sakura flustery sighed. "-I don't like this."
"That's ok." Tsunade grinned, "We can both not like this together."
"I really wish you would stay."
"And I wish I had my slim body but hey-!" Tsunade joked. "-here we are!"
Sakura took in a deep breath through her nose before turning away from Tsunade and walked back to the gates.
"Huh?" Tsunade said, but quickly followed.
"Itachi-!" Sakura called out, "-Kakashi, you're going to be on Tsunade."
"I don't need-" Tsuande went to argue but snapped her mouth shut reading the vexed expression on Sakura's face. "-alright." The blonde sighed,
"Let's move out!" Sakura called over the muttered voices inside the crowd, Sakura turned taking the lead with Tsunade close on her heels. The members of kohana eleven, Asuma, Guy and a few of their other peers all ended their conversations and began following the martch.
----
Kakashi kept his eye on Sakura as he stood beside Tsunade as they reached the edge of their territory. Naruto stood next to Hinata as well as his parents investigating the clearing thick and luscious forest circled around the leaf shinobi. They stood in silence watching the bridge running over a rushing river which led out of leaf domain, this was the direction the lock village should be coming from.
"Aren't they supposed to be here by now?" Tsunade muttered looking at Sakura.
"Yeah." She answered never removing her eyes from the bridge.
"What if they don't show?" Itachi question,
"Then..." Sakura trailed off thinking about that possibility. "...they will get a visit from me."
"Sakura-" Itachi stepped closer not liking the sound of this plan. Kakashi watched Itachi with a sharpened eye the closer he got to Sakura the more his blood boiled inside his veins.
"Look." Minato commented, guesting with his head towards the bridge. Sakura turned seeing a group marching towards them on the horizon.
"About time." Carver muttered as Tsunade breathed a slight sigh of relief, she didn't want Sakura leaving to go after anyone.
"Are we sure about this?" Kushina whispered.
"Little late to go back now." Minato smiled down at his wife; Sakura glanced catching Hanare in her vision, the green haired woman looked to be staring off confused into the distance which is a possibly side effect of burning memories away.
"No one moves unless they fuck up-" Sakura ordered, "-and cover Tsunade at all cost."
"Wait, what!?" Hinata said watching as Sakura broke off from their group before anyone could protest, Carver and Raiden flanked both her sides.
"Son of a bitch." Itachi cursed watching as Sakura stepped onto the bridge where the lock village had stopped moving, not daring to enter the leaf territory.
"Good morning!" An elderly man greeted; Sakura kept her face blank as she stopped walking. Carver and Raiden hung back a few feet giving Sakura space.
"A bit much don't you think?" The elder asked looking behind Sakura, Carver and Raiden at the dozen shinobi all glaring at him. "I know you-" The man nodded at Sakura, "-you're the Reaper, am I corrected?"
"You are." Sakura gave a nod.
"Interesting. I am confused, I thought the Reaper died years ago?"
"Seems you didn't get the memo." Sakura said,
"Hm?"
"I'm back from the dead." Sakura smirked at the wretched expression the man baked onto his face.
"What um...what are you doing here?" The man who Sakura believed to be of the head members of the lock village questioned. "Are you here doing the Leaf a favor or...?"
"Wow." Sakura chuckled, "Your spies have really been slacking huh?"
"My...what?"
"Or were you were solely betting on Hanare you give you all the Intel on the Leaf Village?"
"I...well...this has nothing to do with the Waterfall Village or you so just hand over Hanare and-"
"This has everything to do with me." Sakura said, "Considering you kidnapped one of my shinobi and all."
"Your Commander of the Leaf Village?"
"Not as slow as you look." Sakura said,
"I see..." The elderly man turned back to glance at the handful of men behind him, he pulled his attention back onto Sakura as he licked his lips. "...how about you bring Hanare over here and then we can do business-"
"I have a better idea-" Sakura split, "-get those damn handcuffs off my shinobi, then we can talk."
"Why don't we set them free at the same time?" The man countered, "Fair is fair after all-"
"You captured my shinobi; you sent your spy into my village. Who do you think needs to show more trust here?" Sakura questioned.
"Ah, well, yes..." He muttered something Sakura couldn't catch, after a moment two lock ninja pushed forward a man handcuffed and blind folded. Carver and Raiden glanced at each other as Riichi had his hands blind fold ripped off.
"Ah, yes well..." He said trailing off as he unlocked Riichi's handcuffs. Once the cuffs were off Riichi rubbed his sore wrists. The freeing sun burned his eyes, Riichi quickly shielded his face as he used his hands to cover his head. "...now that your man is freed how about we talk about a treaty between our villages?" Carver and Raiden glanced at each other confused as Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" Sakura said,
"A village treaty!" The man smiled wide, "I think we would make great allies!" Sakura blinked staring at the old man, wondering if he had already forgotten that they were standing here because they kidnapped her shinobi. Sakura's lips parted to respond but she closed them feeling befuddled.
"Riichi-" Sakura called out, "-behind me."
"Wait-" The elder went to grab Riichi making Sakura move forward. The lock village leader missed Riichi by inches but caught Sakura's wrist by mistake. Carver and Raiden quickly pulled their swords into play and they braced themselves to fly forward as Naruto flinched wishing to be beside Sakura.
"Wait!" The elder man quickly let go of Sakura, holding his hands up for everyone to see. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grab you-"
"No, you just meant to grab my shinobi instead and hold him hostage." Sakura said.
The fire inside Sakura's eyes captured the old man's heart igniting it spinning it in fire. He oddly found himself fearing this small woman for a moment.
"You-You have your ninja." The man said trying to bounce back, "Can we now talk about a treaty between our villages?"
"What in the-?" Riichi went to ask what in the hell his old man was talking about but was cut off by Carver lightly hitting his shoulder, signaling him to shut up.
"Maybe your Hokage can come over here and we can all discuss this like adults?"
"I am the Commander of the Leaf Village." Sakura stated, "All peace treaties will go through me first before they land on the Hokage's desk."
"Oh." The elder blinked, "I haven't thought the details through yet, but we can stand here and-"
"The Leaf has zero interest in creating a correlation with your village." Sakura said cutting the elder man off.
"Wha-What!?" He gasped, "Why on earth-!?"
"It's simple." Sakura said, "Your village holds no real value."
"What--how dare you, you little bitc-"
"Am I wrong?" Sakura questioned. "Isn't that why you sent your spy to my village and every other village that has placed a warrant out for Hanare's arrest?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Cut the bullshit." Sakura spat out, "I got inside your little spies mind before I fried it, I know how your village works and I honestly have no idea how I haven't set my sights on you before now."
"What do you mean you fried her mind!?" A tall man, holding the same age as Sakura stepped forward.
"Ike." The elder snapped, wanting the boy to step back in line.
"What did you do to Hanare!?" The boy known as 'Ike' stepped beside the old man.
"You're lucky if she can even remember her own name." Sakura flashed a darkened smile.
"What!?" Ike gasped, icy water filling his heart.
"Come on-" Sakura sneered a smile over her lips, "-she went a full round with the Reaper. You're lucky she isn't sitting over there as a human scarecrow."
"You're sick!" Ike cried out.
"Ah." Sakura said, "Was she your fuck buddy too?"
"I will kill you-!"
"Yeah girlfriend then-" Sakura nodded to herself, "-did you know she was fucking her way through the fire nation?"
"Black crow!" Ike yelled out against the old man complaints confusing Sakura, she was about to ask if he was having a mini stoke and if he could smell toast until commotion behind them turned her head.
Two leaf shinobi Sakura didn't personally know had turned on Naruto and the others and were now beginning to attack them, Sakura turned about to run over to assist them.
"Don't turn your back on me!" Ike shouted, moving to strike.
"Sakura!" Raiden desperately called out, flashes of Sakura lying dead on the medic's stretch plagued his mind as the handful of lock shinobi on the bridge bolted forward onto them.
Sakura spun around in time to block Ike's blade with her own, the echo of their metal swords shattered the peaceful nature.
Raiden's panicked voice stole Kakashi's attention, he breathed out seeing Sakura, Carver and Raiden were getting surrounded by the lock ninja. Itachi and Minato took down the two-faced ninja, as Kakashi covered Tsunade.
"Tsunade stay here with Naruto." Kakashi ordered.
"What!?" Naruto and Tsunade protested.
"We don't have time for arguments." Minato agreed as the leaf jonin locked their sights onto the bridge. "We need to get Commander Har-" Minato was cut off by the bridge where Sakura, Carver and Raiden stood upon crumbling apart.
The loud explosion cracked through the hot air of the morning. Kakashi's lips parted as he watched the bridge collapse taking everyone on it down with its shattered pieces.
"Sakura!" Hinata cried out, taking steps to run after her but lock ninja pulled themselves from the surrounding vegetation.
"What is this!?" Minato gasped seeing dozens of shinobi instantly surround them.
"It seems we have been standing inside a trap this entire time." Kakashi answered.
"Black crow was a code word." Tsunade realized as she felt her heart rate spike as she touched her stomach through the thick flak jacket. She understood now why Sakura so badly wanted her to remain inside the village.
"Damnit!" Naruto cursed looking around at all the obstacles blocking him from checking on his friends!
"No!" Lee cried as he was kicked in the chest, he flew backwards into the soft grass. Naruto spun around in time to see Hanare get freed by lock shinobi and scooped up.
"Hey!" Naruto yelled running over, but four lock shinobi jumped in the way giving the ninja holding Hanare the time he needed to get away. "Fuck me!"
"Oh, we're gonna do a lot more than that." One lock ninja mocked.
"Eh!?" Naruto flinched; his butt instinctually clinched as he backed away standing beside Sasuke.