Chapter Six
The best strategy for defeating an adversary is to subdue them without ever fighting.
-Lieutenant Genma
I didn’t know a person could sleep for an entire day and still feel tired.
After the strange meeting with Hatake, I had passed out in Itachi’s ridiculously soft bed and did not surface until almost seven the next morning. I probably would have slept even longer if it was not for the loud knock at my door.
Falling out of bed from my stiff and aching muscles, I open the door in a half sleep to none other than Sasuke who is sporting a wicked black eye. We don’t say anything for a moment each taking the other in and I am alert in an instant as his eyes slide past me and take in my duffel at the end of the bed and the messy bed.
“Did I wake you?” Sasuke asks nervously and I nod not sure what is about to happen.
Sasuke mumbles a sorry and an awkward silence stretches for a few moments, “did you need something?” I ask pointedly as my stomach and the lack of food I had yesterday makes itself known.
“Captain told me what Jiro did… I know I’ve treated you like shit and you won’t believe me when I say this, but I swear I never thought he would do that to you. I only wanted him to scare you into quitting or transferring teams, I never…” Sasuke trails off as he gestures vaguely to my face and chest, and I cross my arms tightly letting him flounder. “I want, no, I need to make this up to you somehow so please, hit me.”
I don’t mean to, but I burst out laughing at his outrageous request, it’s such a stupid guy thing to say. Of course, he thinks me taking a pound of flesh would make it better or make us even somehow.
“I’m not going to hit you” l huff exasperatedly as he looks at me confused for laughing at his suggestion. “Let me get this straight, you’re only sorry that the psycho you asked to hurt me in the first place went too far and sexually assaulted me instead of just, you know, “normal” assault?”
Sasuke’s cheeks dust a little red at my mocking tone and he has the decency to look ashamed, “I’ve been an asshole, and I am not asking for forgiveness, just, if you won’t take it out on me physically, what can I do to make this up to you?”
I shake my head softly and shrug with an annoyed sigh, “I don’t even know…” I say gesturing helplessly.
My stomach chooses that moment to make itself loudly known and my cheeks heat as it breaks the tension a little.
“Can I start with breakfast, maybe?” Sasuke asks hopefully giving me a small smile at the noise and I frown not sure I fully trust him yet. “How do you like your eggs?”
“There are eggs?” I ask before I can stop myself and he gestures with his head for me to follow him towards the kitchens. “Uh, you go first, I need to change and stuff.”
“Take your time, I’ll make a spread!” Sasuke calls over his shoulder with a wave as he disappears into the kitchen, and I gather my stuff to go and change.
After finishing my business and grabbing a quick shower, I stand and morosely look at my choppy hair in the mirror. I really need to do something about it, so I dig through the toiletry cupboards until I locate a grooming kit, and using the small beard scissors of all things, I hack away at my hair until it hangs a little more evenly just above my shoulders.
I had grown my hair long not because I necessarily liked it, but because there was not much time for trips to the salon when I was training with Team Spider. I don’t know why I feel a pang of sadness now though as I look at the long pink hair strands in the sink. The smell of bacon rouses me out of my funk about my hair slightly and I quickly clean up before exiting the bathroom.
When I enter the breakfast hall the rest of the team except for Hatake are all seated and eating already. Sasuke wasn’t lying when he said he was going to make a spread; there is mounds of toast, beans, eggs, bacon, sausages and roasted tomato in the middle and my mouth waters at the smell. I nod a morning to the others and take a seat as I pile a plate with as much food as can fit.
“You cut your hair Sakura?” Naruto asks me confused from where he sits across from me, and I touch the choppy ends of it self-consciously with a small nod. “It really suits you!”
Surprised at the compliment I mutter a thank you and go back to my food as Hatake enters and stops when he notices me. My eyes are drawn to him instantly and my cheeks annoyingly flame as I remember the soft caress he gave me yesterday in his office. Everyone else gives him a harried greeting as they continue eating and chatting but for the two of us, I feel like we are in a vacuum of silence as we stare at each other.
Hatake slowly walks over to stand behind me and reaches over me for a plate just brushing my shoulder with his hand, “nice hair Haruno.”
He is walking away before I can reply, not that I think I am even capable of a response because my lungs have forgotten how to function apparently. Weird.
I finish my breakfast with an unbroken stare at my plate and am thankful when Hatake dismisses us to go warm up and stretch for our drills today. I am still unbelievably sore but moving my body right now with how tightly I am coiled from this strange morning of interactions is a timely distraction.
***
The next week falls into a welcome, familiar rhythm for Team Hound and me.
The hostility and loathing of the first few days has morphed into a mutual understanding that we don’t need to rip each other apart, just bring our teammates home and we can all go our separate ways, kind of understanding. Easier said than done when intelligence is scarce on their whereabouts and Suna has not budged on its previous demands of our weapon plans or their lives. Time is very quickly ticking down until their first deadline, and everyone is on edge at what might happen should we fail to find a good lead on their locations.
General Tsunade has been firm that we don’t negotiate with terrorists, especially with the plans that ‘cloaked dagger’ was supposed to transport to our allies which would see a monumental shift in this war between our nations. While it is a devastating blow to the teams and loved ones of those captured it is the unfortunate reality that their lives could not be counted as worth more than the almost thirty million who resided in Fire Country alone. Doesn’t mean we are going to abandon our comrades that easily though.
My bruising from the incident with Jiro is finally healing as well, and it is now a faded soft yellow that a little bit of BB cream and concealer hide away perfectly. I also don’t feel like death warmed over so much now that I am sleeping in an actual bed and not the freezing floor so all in all I am feeling as optimistic as I can be given my circumstances.
That all comes crashing down when I am woken up from a deep sleep to a pounding on my door and I stumble over blindly in the dark to wrench it open.
Hatake stands, fist still raised on the other side, in a simple black long sleeve shirt and sweats and I realise he has probably also been pulled from sleep for this. The cold air that rushes into the room from me opening the door reminds me all too painfully that I had stripped down to my tank top and panties before bed last night and from the stunned look on Hatake’s face he has noticed my state of undress immediately.
“Emergency briefing, kitchen, two minutes” is all he manages to choke out and I furiously nod as I all but slam the door in his face cursing my half-asleep brain for not shimmying on some pants first.
Digging through my duffel I find my only pair of clean pants and shove them on before I haul ass to get to the kitchen. Everyone is also rushing, and I spy the clock in the corner of the room to see it is almost three in the morning as I take my seat and wait for Hatake to begin.
He is fiddling with a heavy-duty looking laptop and tablet that is connected to the large flat screen tv on the wall behind him. Sasuke and Naruto look alert but groggy and both have not bothered to throw shirts on, opting to just roll out of bed in their sweats. Shikamaru is the only one looking semi-decent in a tight black shirt and green combat pants as he rests his chin on his folded hands and watches Hatake’s every move.
“There is no way to sugarcoat what I am about to tell you” Hatake begins, and the room falls deathly still. “Intelligence received the following video file at 01:00 hours.”
Hatake hits play, and a grainy video of a dingy cement room starts to play. There is a scuffling sound and then a seat is dragged into frame as a beaten and worryingly thin Itachi is thrown into the chair with armed guards standing either side as he is forced to read off a cue card.
“Konoha has failed to treat our threat to your operatives seriously and we grow tired of your insolence. Therefore, we are sending you a present to show how sincere we are that your operatives will die and give you an opportunity to do better” he says in a weary voice. “You will receive our invitation, and we hope you respond, promptly.”
The video cuts off and Hatake pulls out a tablet as he clicks the screen with a quiet fury written into every movement.
“This was also received with the video” Hatake says quietly and the video slides into an image of a note and a small white box.
The note appears to be a fancy Land of Lightning Governor’s Ball invitation smeared in dried blood. The black-tie event of the season, the Governor’s Ball is a jewel in any socialites or dignitaries’ calendar, and it often had both army security and private to ensure the safety of the calibre of guests who attend it. The only issue is Lightning was notoriously neutral ground in this war. Their location alone means they are not stuck in the middle of the turf wars between the Lands of Wind, Earth and Fire, and more than that, their leader is a pansy pacifist who often negates taking sides or providing aid to any of the other major powers. The Governor’s Ball is a notorious event for under the table deals and negotiations between the players within the three major powers and Suna is obviously going to capitalise on the increased security and state of the art protections he offers to strong arm us into giving them the plans and weapons of operation ‘cloaked dagger’.
Hatake clicks to the next photo slide to show the contents of the white box, and it feels like the floor is ripped from beneath me and I am dropping from a great height as I recognise the familiar severed tongue and eye.
“These were in that box, and due to Itachi being in the video, intelligence believes they belong to him, but they are still running tests. We are unsure why they have burnt that sigil into his tongue, but the investigations team will run possible ciphers for it in case it is a clue” Hatake says but he sounds like he is down a long tunnel.
The others all start shouting and speaking but it all sounds like a waspish buzzing to my ears as I can’t tear my horror filled gaze from the contents of the box. Sasuke has thrown his chair and is angrily asking Hatake questions as Naruto tries to restrain him and I struggle to get the words past my lips to tell them they have it wrong.
Itachi is not the operative they have chosen to kill to send their message.
“It’s not Itachi” I mumble through numb lips, but no one hears me over the others angry shouting, “IT’S NOT FUCKING ITACHI!”
The room instantly falls silent again at my outburst and I have pushed to my feet as I force them to listen to me.
“I know whose tongue and eye that is… they are First Lieutenant Neji Hyuga’s.”