Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Full scale war between two shinobi clans was nothing like an ANBU mission. Sakura already knew this, having grown up ferrying weapons, wounded and ammunition around countless battlefields but the war had fundamentally changed now or rather the Senju had changed things forever. They had trained their ashigaru in ninjutsu and taijutsu, not well, just a simple crash course but it was enough to alter the battlefield calculus.
Flares of chakra lit up across the girl’s senses as she darted among the combatants. The Uchiha were winning most of their battles, quality surpassing the quantity that the Senju brought to bear, however each battle their numbers dwindled. The attrition was slow, Sakura pulled her kin back from the brink of death while Senju and their servants died in droves however there seemed to be an endless number of souls to fill the ranks of the dead.
“Sakura!” Madara’s shout ripped her attention from her patient and she jumped as the ground beneath her shot upwards, forming a lethal spike. The wounded Uchiha rolled out of the way just in time, biting back a scream as her injuries were jostled. A fireball sprang from Madara’s lips as he took out the Senju who had attacked his friend while Sakura flicked a barrage of explosive notes into the Senju lines, the explosions rattling their lungs as the two children gripped the downed soldier and pulled them back, away from the fighting.
“She’s stabilized! I’m going back out!” Sakura barked the words out the moment she hit one of the aid tents, handing off the wounded soldier to the other Uchiha medics and returning to the front. The battle had been raging for three days without signs of stopping and she knew her vanishing act had likely been noticed by Senju spies. The battle lines were fluid at this point, both sides launching infiltration attacks and skirmishing up and down the borderline though the bulk of the battle was focused around the trade town of Tanzaku-gai.
“Sakura, let me summon an eagle. You need a break.” Madara grabbed Sakura’s shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Sakura could feel her lungs burning and her chakra scrapping on empty. She knew Madara was doing much better then she was, acting as her escort and only fighting off those who got between them and a downed comrade.
“Alright, we can relay the information to chichiue,” Sakura conceded and Madara quickly called upon one of his eagles. The mighty bird carried them aloft and Sakura watched the battlefield, taking notes of the tactics and organization among their enemy.
It was hell below them. Ninjutsu tore up the land, hurling chunks of stone and calling up spikes that could gut a man in full plate. Fire jutsu had long ago scorched away the grass and trees that had once surrounded the city, leaving an ashen waste land within which the battle now raged. Suiton jutsu constantly rearranged the water that had filled the rice paddies, forming a thick black and gray paste as it mixed with the ash and blood.
Amid the hellish wasteland, shinobi and ashigaru fought constantly, the battle lines on both sides spread out to keep men being trapped in a jutsu. The Senju ashigaru only knew a handful of such techniques but they were disruptive, stone cannonballs that could crash through a spear wall or a wave of water that could knock over a dozen men. The actual level of jutsu being used was low, nothing impressive. The geography would be recognizable once the foot obstacles were broken down and the plant life recovered but that did little to take away from the sheer impact of the scene.
“We’re going to need to start training our own ashigaru and we’re starting behind them.” Madara said softly and Sakura nodded in agreement, her sharingan taking it all in and permanently storing the sight within her mind. Burning the images of hell into her retina and brain forevermore.
“And until then we’ll need to fight with better tactics to make up the difference. Good thing they don’t have any flying summons.” Sakura replied, glancing around and spotting a few slugs covering wounded Senju that were limping away from the carnage. That was Hashirama at working, doing the same job as her, saving lives and staying away from the melee. Tobirama and the rest of Butsuma’s sons however were constantly at their father’s heels, braving the worst of the fighting and just asking for death.
“They’re careless with the lives of their children.” Sakura whispered, knowing exactly how old each of those Senju would live. All of their names were recorded in history and she had memorized what was known about them. If she met them in battle, she would be prepared and would do her best to fend them off or kill them, if fate decided to hand her Tobirama’s life.
***
Naruto couldn’t stop smiling as he ran alongside Kagetora. The two children had their arms full of prank supplies and were moving over the rooftops to avoid civilians. Soon enough, they were stopped in a clearing near the training fields and the two children went over their supplies. Naruto could tell his friend was exhausted, even if she didn’t act it. She’d been scarce lately, ever since the Uchiha Massacre he’d seen her less and less though she never dropped out of his life entirely. It was because of missions, though she never told him what she did.
“So, we’ve got paint, launchers, bait for squirrels and rabbits, itching powder, chili powder, water balloons, paint balls, smoke bombs, what else do we need?” Kagetora asked and Naruto thumbed his chin as he thought over his next big prank. He wanted to get the academy teachers, especially after Tora had informed him they were changing his grades. She’d been helping him study, during pranks she’d quiz him on whatever he was learning in class and his grades should have been improving. Instead they’d dropped further and he’d even been given a few zeroes after being accused of cheating.
“I think this should be enough, the sensei are having a party to celebrate the founding of the academy tomorrow. Can you get the squirrels? The really energetic ones?” Naruto asked, earning a sharp toothed grin from his white and black haired friend. She gave him a nod and he could practically see it now. Tora had refused to tell him where she got the squirrels from, because apparently it was too dangerous for an academy student but she never failed to deliver so Naruto didn’t mind. “Perfect, yeah I’ve got everything.”
With that the two children set to work. Kagetora or rather Sakura, not that Naruto knew her real name, gathered up some squirrels from the forest of death, keeping them in a simple genjutsu until it was time to unleash them. Naruto meanwhile infiltrated the academy, barely dodging Iruka who was looking for him and stole the keys to the staff room. Then he scampered back to their meeting place to hangout and spend time with his only real friend.
***
Sakura felt Hound’s chakra as she escorted Naruto back towards his apartment. The man who had been preparing her for the jounin exams shadowed them without making his appearance as she dropped Naruto off, complete with a takeout dinner. The moment Naruto closed his front door, she shunshined over to the other ANBU, well aware he wouldn’t be broadcasting his chakra to her if he didn’t intend to talk.
Coming out of the shunshin without her sharingan, Sakura was forced to rely on her chakra sensing. It was nearly instant, seamless though more chakra intensive and far less intuitive then simply using her eyes. Still, more exhausting or not, Sakura could ‘see’ during a shunshin, unlike most shinobi and thus she was able to duck the kick aimed at her head that greeted her. Pulling a kunai from her sleeve, she took up a basic guard as Kakashi returned to a casual stance, eyeing her from behind his hound mask.
“Good, your sensing has gotten better.” Hound said, tone blank, as if he didn’t genuinely just try to kick her in the head without warning. The man epitomized the insanity of the modern age. There was nowhere safe, you were never off guard, or at least that was what the regulations stressed. Constant vigilance to the point of paranoia was encouraged despite the mental breakdowns and trauma it inflicted on the shinobi forces. There was always another body to replace those who snapped, always more fresh blood to replace what was shed.
“Thank you senpai.” Sakura kept her tone respectful, after all Hatake Kakashi was a living legend. He was socially stunted but he was an excellent ANBU captain and he was a force of nature in battle. He was also vastly knowledgeable, skilled in every single one of the shinobi arts even if he dismissed his prowess in the more esoteric fields such as genjutsu and fuinjutsu.
“The Jounin exams are in a week, you should be studying not playing with Uzumaki.” Hound lectured, earning an eye roll from the disguised rosette. Hound had no life beyond ANBU. Sure he’d go drinking with the other members of Team Ro. She also knew Team Ro had a tradition of stopping by the Akasen after a successful combat mission, but besides the few concessions made towards interacting with his team, Kakashi didn’t do much of anything besides train. Even his one acquaintance outside of ANBU, Might Gai, was a training partner and their interactions were limited to insane training challenges.
‘He’s a war child, like us but he doesn’t have an Inner of his own.’ Inner whispered in the back of her mind and Sakura sent a wave of agreement towards her other self. Without the two of them, Sakura knew her mind would have long ago snapped under the constant stress of switching times and all that came with it. She’d go from battle in one timeline to a stealth mission in another or perhaps would lay down on an ashen wasteland only to open her eyes in the Senju compound. It was jarring to put it lightly.
“I’m ready,” Sakura replied softly, earning a flat look from Hatake. She knew she was ready. She might not have the experience or the chakra reserves of the older applicants, but she had physical strength and fuinjutsu. She also had her little chest and Sakura suspected there would be a scroll waiting for her within it the night before the exam. She hadn’t checked it in months, not since the night after Butsuma had tried to kill her and Madara.
“I hope you are.” Hound’s voice was stern and she could understand his concern. She trained hard but perhaps not as hard as he would have. Hatake Kakashi was a consummate professional, at least while behind a porcelain dog mask. He was on time, demanded perfection and was a brutal disciplinarian.
Hound had pushed her in kenjutsu and bukijutsu harder then even Tajima had been willing to do, cutting her with live steel and leaving her covered in her own blood during training spars. It brought to mind memories of Root but Sakura never complained, even if sometimes while training with him, her mind felt a bit too quiet and her emotions far too distant.
“I am,” Sakura reaffirmed and Hound nodded, vanishing in a shunshin. The man had come to check up on her, likely making sure she wasn’t nervous or jittery. If she had shown any sign of nerves or had been caught off guard, she knew he’d have knocked her out and dragged her to a training field regardless of her other plans. He had been ordered by the Hokage to prepare her and Hound never failed a mission, or left a man behind. He was a living legend for a reason after all.
***
Sakura sat down in her room within the Senju compound and looked at the chest that Shisui had given her. Even now the memory of his death tore at her and the utter powerlessness she’d felt still clawed at her confidence. She’d been too weak to save him. It didn’t matter that she was only eight years old, nor that Itachi had also failed. With a deep breath, Sakura pushed the memories from her mind and focused on the present. The chest unlocked with a pulse of her chackra and she flicked the latch up before pushing back the lid.
‘Jounin exams,’ Sakura saw the scroll, the label clear as day and withdrew it. Just like the prior two scrolls, Sakura activated it with a pulse of chakra and a drop of blood. The summoning matrix activated and a burst of smoke momentarily filled the room before clearing to reveal a woman with blue hair so dark it appeared black, except where the light hit it directly. The tips of her fox ears and the ends of her tails were white while her eyes were a dark blue.
“Hello Sakura-chan, I am Sana as in calm. I specialize in defense and protect the temples and holdings of our kin.” Sana’s voice was calm, and three tails swished behind her lazily. She pulled out a storage scroll and Sakura had a feeling she knew what lay within. “For your jounin exam, you will need armor and seals.” With a burst of chakra, Sana unsealed a familiar set of armor alongside a stack of barrier seals.
“Thank you Sana-onee-san.” Sakura murmured as she reached out and touched the cool metal of the armor reverently. The dark red lacquer that covered the steel was familiar and immediately brought comfort to the young girl. In the back of her mind, Sakura could hear the clash of armies, the ringing of blades and the battle cries of countless shinobi. The phantom heat of katon danced over her lips while the smell of ash played across her nose. “I appreciate your help, all of you.”
“We would help more often if you called upon us, though your village would not appreciate our presence.” Sana reached out and stroked Sakura’s hair. Sakura tensed briefly before relaxing, her instincts recognizing the kitsune as kin and putting her mind at ease. Footsteps outside her door interrupted the moment and Sana withdrew her hand. “I suppose this is goodbye for now.” Sana said softly then vanished in a puff of smoke as Sasuke pulled the door open.
“Sakura! Get up you’ve got the jounin exam in an hour!” Sasuke chirped, Anko leaning around the door behind the young boy. The snake summoner grinned like a loon, radiating smug satisfaction over influencing Sasuke to always be early like her. Anko’s eccentricity had ramped up after her acceptance into ANBU and she showed no signs of slowing down her march towards a mask of perfect insanity.
“Yeah Sakura, hurry up you don’t want to risk being late do you?” Anko asked before eyeing the dark red armor Sakura was slowly pulling on. Sakura hadn’t worn real armor since the massacre and she no longer brought her scythe on ANBU missions. However today, clearly that trend had reversed. “I don’t remember you buying that.”
“It’s an inheritance from my summons.” Sakura replied calmly and Anko’s eyes narrowed, even as her grin widened. A snake slithered from Anko’s collar, its tongue tasting the art and it hissed something in Anko’s ear. Anko’s eyes glittered playfully and Sakura knew what the snake had likely said. “I know what my summons are Anko.”
“I know, but take it from a social pariah. You’ve been shielded from the general ranks by ANBU and civilians by living within the Senju district. You really don’t want a bad reputation, it makes life difficult when you can’t hide behind a mask. Right now, the village has all but forgotten about you. Nobody calls you chigiri anymore, or at least not to your face and that’s probably how you want things to stay, right?” Anko’s tone made it clear she wasn’t really asking. In fact, Sakura knew that Anko was concerned for her, likely wondering how long she’d been contracted with the foxes. Anko had never asked her about her summons after all and Sakura hadn’t admitted to anyone in the current time save Shisui that her first summoning contract was with the kitsune.
“That’s why I use the tiger contract Anko.” Sakura replied, already tired out despite having just woken up. She pulled on her armor quickly, practiced fingers making for quick work. Once she was done she rose to her feet and unsealed her scythe, twisting a barrier seal around the haft. The chakra shielding seals were carefully placed under her gauntlets and then Sakura strapped her holsters in place before securing her wakizashi at her side. “Now then, I’ve got an exam to pass.”
“Good luck!” Sasuke called out as Sakura left the room through the window. She grinned and flipped midair, waving at Sasuke and grinning as the boy returned the gesture. Then she landed on the opposite rooftop and took off, crossing the short distance between the Senju compound and the jounin headquarters.
The building was bustling, with at least thirty candidates filling the general lounge as they waited for their exam. There would be no cheating or mind games here, at least not for the first exam. Sakura immediately drew attention as she walked in, several tokubetsu jounin looking over the pink haired girl curiously while the chunnin trying straight for jounin dismissed her immediately.
“Maa, Sakura-chan what are you doing here? Lost?” Kakashi drawled, dressed in his jounin uniform. His tone was laid back and his shoulders were slouched but his eye was sharp as was his chakra. He was upset, though about what Sakura couldn’t tell.
“Good morning Senpai, I have my jounin exam today and I wouldn’t want to be late.” Sakura replied, earning a few raised eyebrows as she smiled at him. She felt out of place constantly in this time, Konoha was almost alien to her these days. She was so sheltered within both ANBU and the Senju compound that she barely knew what her peers were like.
‘We don’t even know any non-ANBU shinobi.’ Inner pointed out dryly as Kakashi put on a fake smile, his eye curving even as his mouth remained flat under his mask. His chakra was level and none of the casual ease or amusement he was displaying was genuine.
“Oh and who recommended you for jounin? You need three recommendations after all.” Kakashi pointed out and Sakura rolled her eyes as she walked towards the jounin commander’s office. Nara Shikaku had been the commander since the tail end of the Third War. He was a logistics wizard, a genius of organization even if his battlefield command was somewhat passive, at least by the standards of the warring clans period.
“Well you recommended me, as did Uchiha Naori.” Bear had been the third but Sakura wasn’t going to announce that around so many ears. ANBU was supposed to be a secret, even if Kakashi flaunted it. Most ANBU who didn’t disguise themselves while behind the mask didn’t have public personas. Sakura would have been one of them, if Bear hadn’t made it clear the Hokage had plans for Haruno Sakura. Nagao Kagetora was the natural solution, a false identity that couldn’t be traced back to her.
“Ah, I see, well those are some big names.” Kakashi replied cheerfully, as if he wasn’t one of them. Sakura ignored his whimsical behavior. Hatake fed on annoyance and generally existed to ruffle the feathers of anyone within sight. Of course he wasn’t mean spirited about it, most of the time.
“Quite,” Sakura agreed and opened the door to the jounin commander’s office. The Nara was clearly exhausted, having already admitted thirty candidates to the exam and another thirty would show up over the course of the next half hour. “Here is my paperwork.”
“Haruno Sakura huh? I’ve heard a lot about you.” Shikaku murmured, accepting her paperwork and checking it over quickly. His chakra twisted, nervousness, shame and anxiety fighting for dominance within him. He had a son her age and he’d no doubt seen her mission record. The man was likely thinking over what horrors she’d experienced while behind her porcelain white tiger mask.
‘If only he knew what we see without the mask and disguise.’ Inner whispered and Sakura suppressed a shiver as she remembered the battles of the past. The music of the battlefield was haunting, terrible but enticing never-the-less. She loathed war, it hurt people, broke them, killed them and left only ashes and ruin in its wake but she enjoyed fighting. It wasn’t a contradiction, Sakura wouldn’t start a fight or a war if she could help it but there was no harm in enjoying violence she couldn’t avoid.
‘I think there is something very wrong with us.’ Sakura told Inner as Shikaku stamped her papers and placed them among the pile. His eyes lingered on her and the man’s lips pressed into a thin line as his chakra churned. It was obvious he wanted to say something to her, to speak with her and yet he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Sakura gave him a nod and a close lipped smile as she turned towards the door.
“Shikaku-sama, is that all?” Sakura asked, only half facing the man as she prepared to leave. She used her most polite tone and kept her expression relaxed, not blank but still quite neutral. Shikaku’s chakra spiked, recognition and fear briefly flashing through him before he mastered himself and crushed them, though suspicion lingered in the back of his mind.
‘He’s thinking of Itachi.’ Inner ventured and Sakura had to agree. She knew there were going to be comparisons to the most recent prodigy. The pipeline for early graduation had been completely closed following the massacre. Beforehand it had required the Hokage’s express permission but now it was off the table. Had Sakura not reached the rank of chunin, she would have been sent back to the academy and she was silently thankful that hadn’t happened. She would have died of boredom and likely decked the sensei for their treatment of Naruto.
“No that is all. The first exam begins in half an hour. You may wait in the lounge with the rest of the candidates.” Shikaku said and Sakura felt his chakra lighten as she closed the door behind her. Clearly he hadn’t enjoyed their particular interaction and she couldn’t really blame him. She knew that people in this time period found her unsettling.
The shadow of Itachi loomed large in the village’s mind though she rarely had to deal with it. In ANBU she was seen as a bit of a mascot. The precocious child medic that had saved dozens of lives both in the field and in the ANBU medical bay. Teams she was attached to had very high survival rates, even on failed missions and her cheerful demeanor set her apart from other child prodigies like Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi. That buffer was gone now as she sat down among the other applicants and felt countless eyes drilling into her from all sides.
“You’re a jounin candidate?” A girl with curly black hair asked and Sakura turned to face her only to find herself breathless as she met two sharingan red eyes. The woman looked like an Uchiha, maybe a cousin of Shisui’s with her hair and facial structure, yet there were no tomoe or chakra in her eyes. It was obvious she had Uchiha blood in her though, that color couldn’t happen without chakra mutation after all.
“Yes, I’m Haruno Sakura, what is your name?” Sakura asked and the woman offered her a strained smile. The entire room was eavesdropping on the conversation, the other candidates either using the conversation to keep their mind off their own worries or genuinely curious about the pink haired prodigy that had practically vanished after her showing in the chunin exams.
“I’m Yuhi Kurenai.” Kurenai replied, her smile still tight and clearly uncomfortable. She dropped it quickly, though her chakra was still tight and uneasy. Something about Sakura unsettled her, likely her age though perhaps the older kunoichi held a hatred for the people of Mizu no Kuni, it wasn’t an uncommon sentiment in Konoha. “You’re the child who became a chunin at six right?”
“Five actually, I beat Kakashi-senpai’s record.” Sakura answered truthfully because she was still quite proud of that fact. She was too young for a promotion, the Sandaime was absolutely insane even by the standards of the warring clans era. The man was too comfortable throwing responsibility at children. He had even allowed Naruto to live on his own around the same age she earned her vest. Sakura had still been living with the Haruno clan at that age, only moving out after her induction into ANBU.
“I see,” Kurenai fell silent after that, her chakra still obviously uneasy. Sakura didn’t comment on it, after all this exam was make or break. Everyone present had at least three recommendations and their performance was a reflection of the people who recommended them. Sakura was confident, Hound hadn’t pressured her after their brief exchange at the beginning of the week and Naori had simply grinned when Sakura asked if she was ready.
“Candidates, the testing room is now open. Take your seats and do not cheat. You either know what you need to or you’re not jounin material.” Morino Ibiki barked out the orders and Sakura followed along with the crowd, taking her seat and waiting for further instruction. There were around eighty candidates now, all vying for a promotion though in truth less then ten would earn it and everyone knew it. Jounin weren’t limited by treaty or policy but to earn the title required skill well above the average. They couldn’t just be a seasoned chunin or a veteran of war, they had to be more than that, truly better then their peers.
‘This is easy,’ Inner whispered from the back of Sakura’s mind, dredging up knowledge for the rosette. The girl’s memory was perfect, likely a result of Inner’s existence. Inner could replay anything that Sakura had seen, her perfect recall dating all the way back to when Sakura was around three years old. Sakura just had to want to remember something and Inner would go searching for it in the depths of their mind before pushing it forward for Sakura to watch. It wasn’t instant, not like naturally recalling something, but it was perfect and right now she needed perfection.
‘No multiple choice, a lot of legal knowledge, chakra mechanics, basics of all shinobi arts plus fuinjutsu, squad tactics and first aid.’ Sakura had blitzed through the test and turned it over, placing her pencil down when she finished. She knew an exam like this would have heavily favored the Uchiha, in fact thanks to the sharingan they wouldn’t even need to study. Unfortunately most of the clan’s shinobi had been capped at chunin, with only a handful of tokubetsu jounin and a scarce few reaching full jounin.
“Are you finished?” A proctor asked, coming over to her desk. Sakura nodded and the man slid her papers into a folder and sealed it with chakra. “Very well, leave through that door and follow the guide from T&I for the next stage of your examination. Follow their orders.” Sakura followed the proctor’s orders and got up, leaving through said door and finding herself face to face with a rather recently promoted chunin she recognized from around the village. He had long spike hair and a bandage wrap over his face along with another over his chin. He wore the gray uniform of T&I and he grinned and nodded for her to follow, leading her through the halls of the Jounin HQ then down into the tunnels that ran below Konoha proper.
“You ever been in these tunnels before pinky?” The man asked casualty, no name tag or identifying marks visible on his uniform. Sakura had only seen glimpses of him and couldn’t recall a name she’d never heard.
“I do quite like to explore.” Sakura replied, not directly answering the question but implying the answer. The man grinned at that and continued through the tunnels, stopping before a blank featureless wall and pulsing his chakra.
“After you,” the man made a show of motioning for Sakura to go first, his smile perfectly innocent but Sakura knew mischief. She was a kitsune summoner and spent many, many long hours in the temple of Inari so she recognized the look in the chunin’s eyes.
“A trap? What kind? If I pushed you in, would it still trigger?” Sakura chirped, briefly surprising the man though he recovered quickly. His expression when from playfully polite to somewhat sadistic and his smile was sharp.
“Welcome to the next part of your exam pinky, points for spotting it but you don’t have a choice.” The man nodded at the entrance and Sakura knew she had to obey. With a tight nod, she stepped inside and fuinjutsu script immediately lit up around her as the door slammed shut behind her. A moment later a pulse of chakra burst through the seals and Sakura had a half second to realize what was happening before she was knocked unconscious.
***
‘Yamnaka knockout seal.’ Inner growled as Sakura slowly came to. Her skull hurt like hell and her brain felt tender. She’d never been hit by such a seal before, though she’d seen them in action in ANBU.
‘I don’t think it’s supposed to hurt this much.’ Sakura thought, her split mind likely wreaking havoc with the seal. She knew the Yamanaka were the sworn enemies of the Hagoromo, the two clans specializing in mind arts and fighting a war of extermination that had only just come to its conclusion in Madara’s time with the annihilation of her ancestral clan.
Sakura tried to open her eyes and found them covered by a thick cloth blindfold. Her head throbbed painfully and her chakra was sluggish and bound deep within her. ‘I’m restrained.’ Sakura noted, her panic and fear steadily consumed by Inner, keeping her far calmer then she otherwise would have been. Slowly, Sakura focused on her body, noting restraints and the familiar sensation of metal on her back. Memories of Root rose to the surface and Sakura’s mind instinctively reached for the cold numbness that had been beaten into her.
‘The second test must be interrogation.’ Inner thought as she accepted Sakura’s emotions into herself, curling around them protectively in the depths of their shared mind. Sakura suspected that escaping was likely also a part of the exam. After all no one could withstand torture indefinitely. ‘We cannot kill anyone, this is within our own village.’ Inner reminded as Sakura heard footsteps before the door to wherever she was being kept opened.
“Wake up,” a gruff voice greeted the rosette and her blindfold was ripped off to reveal Morino Ibiki. This close she could feel his chakra, tightly leashed and decidedly unhappy. Sakura could guess why the head of T&I himself was performing her exam, she was ten and she doubted many in the department would be eager to torture a child, even if she was a soldier.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way brat.” Ibiki’s words immediately brought confusion to the front of Sakura’s mind. She didn’t know what he was talking about, the proctor hadn’t given her anymore instructions before her arrival here. “You know the cipher, just tell it to me and that’ll be that. You won’t have to be tortured.”
“I-I can’t tell you.” Inner pushed the false fear forward, or perhaps it was real, Outer didn’t know because she felt nothing. Her eyes came alive with emotion she didn’t feel and her face twisted with fear that might or might not be forged. Outer didn’t know, there were no emotions in Root after all.
“Well let’s see if we can’t change your mind.” Ibiki’s chakra twisted, unease likely churning in his gut though Sakura couldn’t be quite sure. Her senses were muted along with her chakra. It was still there, just at the edge of her senses but she couldn’t quite gather it, at least not easily. “This is going to hurt.” Ibiki promised.
It hurt, not that Outer cared. She felt pain, but not the fear that came with it. Itachi had broken her, prepared her for Root and even though she’d only been in the depths for a week, it might as well have been a lifetime. Outer hadn’t forgotten her name, Inner hadn’t let her but that didn’t mean the conditioning hadn’t worked. She’d been only a day, perhaps two away from getting a seal burned into her tongue. Conditioning was the first step and apparently Danzo-sama had been quite pleased with what Itachi had done to her as it made the process far easier then normal.
‘Outer, Ibiki is gone.’ Inner nudged Outer’s thoughts from her memories and Outer looked around the room while catching her breath. Ibiki had started simple, using small joint locks and other non-debilitating methods of inflicting pain before moving up to waterboard. Small bruises were already forming on the sides of Sakura’s fingers, though nothing was broken yet.
Outer pulled on the leather cuff restraining her arms. She could break them, simply rip her way out but that would reveal her strength and if she was recaptured, they would account for that. No, instead she had to be smart. Her whole body was slick with sweat and a broken thumb could be healed in a flash. It was a common injury after all, so without hesitating, Outer folded her hand just so and then yanked, forcing her hand through the restraint without hesitating and ignoring the flare of pain that shot up her arm.
Working quickly, Outer unlatched her other arm and then her legs. The room didn’t have a camera in it, which was definitely an oversight though perhaps was a concession to the fact that this was an exam. Konoha didn’t want records of it torturing its own shinobi, after all it was the nice village. Sliding next to the door, Sakura quickly put up a simple genjutsu over where she’d been. It was a modified false surroundings that showed her still latched to the table, her chest rising and falling slightly as she recovered her breath.
Covering herself in a second genjutsu, Sakura practically merged with the wall. She kept her chakra stifled, projecting it slightly from her genjutsu to fool sensors into believing her illusion. She was fairly sure it wouldn’t work on a byakugan and knew it couldn’t fool a sharingan but Ibiki had neither so when he returned, he stepped into the room with a cart trailing him. Sakura recognized the electrocution rig and the moment Ibiki closed the door she lit her hand up with medical chakra and placed it on the back of his head, cutting off his thought process and sending him instantly into unconsciousness.
‘You think he let us do that?’ Inner asked, both of them having felt a jolt in the man’s chakra as she’d reached for him. Outer didn’t bother answering because it didn’t matter. If Ibiki had let them knock him out, that was his business, they had an exam to pass.
Slipping out of T&I was perhaps a bit too easy. Sakura knew many of the staff by sight, having seen them around the village so she slipped into a henge of the proctor who had escorted her and walked with purpose. She did her best to mirror his mannerisms from what she remembered but made it clear that she had somewhere to be and didn’t stop until she was outside and a block away from the prison. Slipping into an alley, Outer dropped the henge as her emotions came roaring back to life.
‘Thank you Inner,’ Outer rasped as she leaned against a wall and struggled with the urge to throw up. Her emotions had returned in a tidal wave of sensation, sweeping away the blank nothingness that had gripped her. It was always a painful process and Sakura realized she wasn’t sure where she was supposed to go next. She could loiter around and risk recapture but she had a better idea.