Strike
"Again." a deep, cutting voice echoed through the clearing, while in the background, soft, amused laughter could be heard. "Even our genin can do better than that, so stand up and run through the sequence again." The laughter didn't die down as someone slowly sat up in the clearing. Swaying, struggling to find balance.
"Honestly, this is pathetic. Why did Nagare bring that brat along again?" Came from another voice, not quite as deep as the first and much younger. A general shrug of the shoulders went through the rows before the first person spoke again, swinging a wooden stick and the person lying on the ground before, once again pulled off her feet with a skillful swing.
"Your steadfastness is laughable. Not to mention your endurance." All of a sudden the laughter stopped and except for the heavy breathing, of the person now lying on the floor again, only footsteps could be heard.
"Now stop torturing the poor girl like this. You've been out here for hours without stopping. As if you know what you're letting her do. She's not your outlet for stress and frustration." The new person spoke with a certain authority in the voice, even though it was quite fragile and rough from age.
"Gramps... That brat wouldn't have lasted a day in the academy in Mist, we're just preparing her." Came the reply from the first person, and a contemptuous snort came from the old man.
"Boy, if you want to train her to the standards of yore, you might as well look for new people. There's a reason why Mist has so few ninjas. Strong no question, but few. A weapon is only as good as the blacksmith who made it, the care it has received and how it is handled. A sword, no matter how sharp, is useless unless it's properly cared for and wielded. We have long searched for people to help us and now you want to ruin the chance we have by training them to death? You are still green behind the ears yourself and have no idea about fighting. So take your followers and leave." Exasperated shouts came from the small group and with heavy steps, which showed how angry they all were, they disappeared from the clearing. Only the old man and the tormented girl remained.
Her maltreated body wanted to stay on the ground, especially after the small group had disappeared and she didn't have to be afraid of them and their reactions, but she didn't want to show her weakness in front of the newly added person either, so she slowly and carefully straightened up again.
"They gave you quite a beating, those boys, huh? Bruises, split lips, abrasions, cuts. Looks more like they beat you up instead of training you. How long has it been going on, girl?" The old man looked at the young girl with a sharp eye, took a close look at her ripped appearance, and Sakura felt more than just uncomfortable under his gaze, as if he was criticizing and judging her like all the others. Frustrated, she exhaled and shrugged her shoulders almost disinterested. She didn't want to talk, there was a great danger of just playing into the arms of someone new to get more 'training sessions' that resembled more torture. She missed Haku and Zabuza, in this camp almost all but a few were more or less unfriendly to her and seemed to enjoy making it harder for her than it was necessary.
"I don't know. Two, three weeks or so. What does it matter? Starting right after I accepted Nagare's offer, at some point I stopped counting the days, nothing changes in the so-called training regime anyway." No matter if she got better or not, she still couldn't take on a larger group of adults, especially not if she officially wasn't allowed to harm them, because they were simple civilians, but they didn't have to hold themselves back, and that's why they all liked to pounce on her. Their attacks were neither well coordinated nor precise, but the mass and tempestuousness of them made it difficult for her to dodge the blows or block them. And the katas, her 'trainers' had allegedly observed in Mist, very few made sense in Sakura's eyes, but when she expressed her concerns, no one listened and she was punished with another round of 'evasion training', because what would she know, if she had no connection to ninja villages. She should be glad, she had been taken care of, as pathetic as she was. The longer she stayed in this camp, the less she was disturbed by the thought of what Ao was going to do to these people, if they didn't surrender. Sakura had never thought she would be looking at the possible fate of these people in such a way, and a small part of her, a dark, malicious part, almost screamed that these idiots didn't deserve otherwise and was already looking forward to the day of reckoning. Every time she thought that, an icy shiver ran down her back.
"Your vigilance and attention can take quite a bit of work, if you have no idea how much time has passed since you've been with us." At the statement, the old man was given a poisonous look by Sakura, which he skillfully ignored. "It's easier to let the days blur into each other when unpleasant events occur, but this protective mechanism numbs your other senses, so you may overlook possible openings your opponents may reveal because they become careless." The more the old man spoke, the more Sakura narrowed her eyes. If he wasn't a ninja, where did he get such knowledge? Nowhere did she see a ninja headband, and his posture didn't support the ninja theory either. As if he had heard her inner questions, he began to explain after he sat down on a fallen tree trunk.
"For a short time I was at the academy, even before ..., never mind, but I dropped out to support my father's family business. You also know more about ninja life than you're letting on to Nagare and the others, don't you?" His eyes flashed knowingly as Sakura's posture tightened. She had been so careful not to let anything show and this old man unmasked her after only a few seconds. Inwardly, Sakura panicked and only the calm voice of Inner made sure she didn't let her cover slip.
Although she was tired and her body ached, she couldn't afford to become careless now and narrowed her eyes analytically and thoughtfully while she took a closer look at the man. Nothing about his posture seemed dangerous. His shoulders were loose, his facial muscles more or less relaxed, if she refrained from the wrinkles and the serious expression. Open, visible hands also indicated that he did not want to harm her.
"What do you want?" Sakura said after a while of analyzing, inwardly dissatisfied at the lack of signs to show her what his intentions were. Without further ado, she wouldn't trust anyone in this camp. A frail chuckling could be heard before the old man replied.
"You have a good head on your shoulders." And Sakura wondered what the old man meant by that statement. She knew she wasn't stupid, but she thought he meant more than mere intelligence. "I'll tell you my story and you tell me yours, what do you say?" Once again, a chuckle sounded across the clearing as Sakura looked at him sceptically, as if he was out of his mind. "So cautious and skeptical. You could have become a good ninja with practice." It was the last statement that made Sakura curious enough to curb her excessive caution to timidly agree to the elder's suggestion. Provided he began.
"Where do I best start?" His voice sounded as if he were far away, as well as his gaze fixed on something in a time far before hers. " It was before the ninja world wars, when every country was more or less too busy with its own problems to see beyond its borders. At a time when the hidden villages were still building the very essence of what they represented. At that time I grew up. Kirigakure was still young, but our Kage were strong personalities even then. They laid the foundation for the village and opened a new future for many, including my family. At that time I was thrilled by the opportunities we were given. I wanted to use the freedom to do something different from what my family had been doing for generations and my parents let me. I joined the Academy for aspiring ninjas and at first I loved it. All the paths and opportunities available to me. Everything was like a dream until that day when we were supposed to actively use our Chakra. My reserves were small, much smaller than some of my classmates who came from ninja clans. It was humiliating and the more I struggled, the more frustrated I became, until at some point my teachers gave up, when I didn't show enough progress. By then, my father's business was starting to flourish and he could hardly keep up with the orders. As a small boy I was now caught between the fronts. Doing my training as a ninja, although nobody saw anything in me, or helping my family to keep the business running, which had been the pride of our family for generations. In the end, I chose my family and no one was really surprised, but I haven't forgotten the basics, even after all these years. Simultaneously, it helped due to the fact that my family worked as an armourer. I knew what ninjas looked for in their weapons and used this knowledge to help my father and over the years. Well what can I say, our business became a renowned armoury and has been producing some of the finest weapons in the water nation for years." A painful expression came into the old man's eyes when he interrupted his story briefly.
"But it was before the clans rebelled, the academy resembled a slaughterhouse and Kiri destroyed itself. All which I have remained are a few of my works, my knowledge and the new tent in which some try themselves at the forging. Amateurs. All together I tell you. Well and my grandson who rather makes one lazy sack instead of changing his situation a little bit and getting into the family business."
The grandpa didn't seem thrilled by his grandson's lack of interest in the family business, but for Sakura, something else was more important.
"Your grandson wasn't by any chance the spokesman for that group earlier, was he? The one who called you Gramps?" The man snorted briefly but then nodded.
" That' s the one... I had noticed him disappearing more frequently with his friends since you came to camp. He is also the reason why I fled from Kiri at all. He is everything I still have as a family and he is still too green behind the ears to understand the extent of his actions. Besides, he is blinded by envy and hate, the fool. That's why he takes it out on you, girl. Even if it's not the right way."
Well, how lucky she was again, the grandson of grandfather here was after her to relieve his own frustration.The grandfather, on the other hand, seemed to be all right and Sakura even dared to claim that she liked him in a certain way and not many of the camp residents stood in a good light by her.
"I hope you're not here to speak for your grandson. No matter what you say, it will not make him better in my eyes." Sakura grumbled and slowly sat cross-legged on the floor. "It's only fair that I tell you my story now..." Sakura didn't really feel like it though, she wanted to go to sleep after all those hours of torture.
"Basically, our stories aren't very different. Like you, I went to a ninja academy and it was fun for a while until more and more civilian kids got kicked out. I was good in theory, less so in the physical aspect, but nobody really cared. Our Senseis focused on the clan kids and everyone else could see where they would stay. The Clankids also got help and lessons at home... It was unfair how non-clankids were simply overlooked and I didn't want to disappear in the mass of the insignificant ones. So I quit before the tests took place and joined a relative who wanted to visit other family members and I have been on the road ever since. Not quite as spectacular, but not completely uneven either. There is not much more to tell about my story. Not a member of a Shinobiclan and therefore more or less worthless for the ninja system. I probably would have been cannon fodder anyway, if I'd graduated from the academy." The last part Sakura spoke bitterly and she remembered the messed up mission in the Wavecountry. She was expendable, unlike the last Uchiha and Naruto... He had to have something, even if she didn't know what it was, but she was sure she was the only one on the team who filled the gap.
And for the first time in weeks, she actively thought back to her academy days in Konoha. Ino, who had protected her from Ami and her gang. How she wanted to be like Ino, looked up to her until she ended her friendship because of a crush. Of Iruka-sensei, who had praised her for her good grades, but had never actively tried to make her understand she had to train her body too, instead of worshipping Sasuke. At all her carefree time with her friends, her rivalries and at a time when she didn't have to worry about whether she would survive the next day or not, when she didn't have blood on her hands and was forced to make decisions which decided over life or death. All this seemed so far away, as if years lay between the events and the person she was then and now. Only six months ago she wouldn't have believed anyone who told her she would have a life on her conscience and give a shit about the opinion of Sasuke. Heck, she wouldn't even have expected that she would be betrayed by the shinobi system of Konoha and that only because she was not a clan child. So much had happened, too much for her to handle, so she shut all her feelings and sensations inside her and locked them away, hoping not to have to deal with them. A rustle brought Sakura out of her thoughts and her eyes lay on the old one again.
"So also someone who has been neglected by the system. Now I understand what Nagare saw in you." The old man murmured, and Sakura gave him a confused look. "You can understand our situation. Most of us here come from unimportant families without a bloodline or much influence in village decisions. Although many of us have kept the economy going in Kiri. We were overlooked in favor of the shinobi with influence and Kekkei Genkai. These two-layer-systems have also had an effect on the personalities of some and the privileged have considered themselves as something better. They refused to pay full price for goods, took what they wanted and nobody did anything about it. Until Yondaime Mizukage decided to put an end to this. Suddenly the clan shinobi were no better and those with bloodlines could no longer rest on their status. It was as if justice had finally been done to us. Until the day Yondaime-sama was overthrown. You know what it's like to be passed over, labelled worthless and discriminated against. And like us, you hate it. That's what Nagare saw in you, someone who's just like us, and the fact that you have a certain amount of talent." The old man remained silent for a moment, and Sakura wondered if it was true. Was she really like the camp's residents? Yes, the shinobi system had its faults and she had clearly suffered from it, was carelessly left behind by her team and ...
'We're angry about that. We are very angry. No one has taken the trouble to correct us and our misconceptions and then we're not even worth a search to get us back home.' Inner took over her further thoughts and maybe Sakura wasn't quite as radical as the camp people, but she could comprehend how it had to be. However, she didn't have much time to think about it when the old man raised his voice again.
"Talent that my grandson cannot see. Tell you what, girl. I may not be a ninja and years out of practice, but my knowledge is still there. I'll teach you what I know and you' II make sure our camp remains safe from attacks." There was no question if Sakura would accept the offer, the old man sounded too sure, too convinced, and there was a glint in his eyes Sakura couldn't name. She had no idea that her senseless ordeal would end there and be replaced by a completely different, stricter training program.
___pth___
Rain pelted down from the sky through the crowns of the trees and turned the ground beneath her feet into a muddy path. It had been raining continuously since the early morning hours and Sakura's clothes stuck to her like a second skin. Despite the rain she had to control and repair her traps, which is why she was currently out in the rain. Soaked to the bone she attached one of the last wires for one of her traps around the camp and brushed back a stray strand of wet hair when she was finally done. The wind freshened and Sakura shivered but she still couldn't go to change. The old man wouldn't cancel her training despite the weather and even though she longed for a hot bath and fresh clothes, she forbade herself to think about it any further.
Heavy steps took the young Kunoichi out of her thoughts and she sought shelter behind the trunks of some trees to watch who approached. With narrowed eyes she looked through the grey veil of rain, hoping to discover something or someone, and after a while three figures came into her field of vision that seemed quite familiar to her.
"How long does he want to stay here? The village has hardly anything left to offer and more and more ninjas are coming to the area. If this continues, we run the risk of being exposed." She heard the first man say, and tried harder to hear what was said.
"Boss wants to move on soon. He still has some business to settle, then we' II be on our way, closer to Kiri." Said the second in the group, while the last briefly let his eyes wander and began to talk more quietly.
"From what I've heard, it's one of the legendary swords the boss wants to buy. No idea where he wants to get one, most of them are said to have disappeared. However, if this is right and we come into the possession of one of these swords, our chances are not so bad to take Kiri over." A general, approving hum was to be heard, before the first man began to speak again.
"It's about time we got out of this shithole. Not even decent women are here and this woman from the pub that killed Shousuke can't be found anywhere and I'm dying to teach her a lesson." Greasy laughter echoed across the field, and slowly, the three figures moved away, but before they were completely out of earshot, Sakura heard the second man's statement.
"Let's visit the village again today and have a good time. Who knows when we'll get to it next time."
Whether it was the rain or the overheard conversation, Sakura didn't know, but she was trembling. The mention of a woman who had killed one of the guys called Inner immediately and Sakura realized that the guys were the ones who had been rioting in the bar where she had worked before. At the same time, she wondered who the men meant by boss and what legendary swords they were talking about. But first she had to concentrate on something else, namely her training with the old man.
She hadn't expected much when the old man said he would teach her what he knew, but surprisingly, the man knew more than she thought he could. While his grandson and his people preferred to attack her themselves to vent their frustration and called it evasion training, Gen approached the matter with much more planning and conscience. For two weeks, her training had been going on and Gen had explained and shown her different weapons and their handling if necessary and his body played along. He had also told her a bit about the balance of Yin and Yang chakra and the different chakra natures. Everything he could remember, he passed on and Sakura was amazed each time how much the academy had apparently covered at his time, while in her time hardly a fraction of it was covered. So the old man was all the more surprised when she told him she had started chakra meditation after 'picking it up', as she claimed. After all, she couldn't tell him that Zabuza had introduced her to the subject.
"There you are at last, girl. Start with the usual warm-up routine, then we'll go over the katas for the wakizashi and Ōdachi and while you're warming up, you'll answer my questions about chakra." Even though Sakura had learned a lot under Zabuza and Haku, it was something completely different being trained by Gen. She was neither on the run nor traveling. Here in the camp, she had time and had nothing else to worry about but the safety of the camp and its members. The rest of the time she had free time and under Gen's watchful eyes she had improved a lot within the last weeks. She would never have thought that a one to one training could be so effective, despite the fact that her trainer was not a trained ninja. But the old man had life experience and knew how to handle all kinds of swords, even if only the basics. But for Sakura, it was more than enough. She had her Sai's and the training of Zabuza. Now she learned the basics for two more weapons and trained her body in endurance and agility. Not to mention the information about Chakra she got! If she wouldn't remind herself every night that she was in the camp of her enemy and the lives of Zabuza and Haku were at stake, she could almost have enjoyed this training with Gen. So she just tried to take advantage of it without establishing a closer bond with the old man. With less success than she would have liked, and she tried to repress that. It was late afternoon when the old man finished her training and dismissed Sakura for the day.
"Make sure to gain land, girl and get dry. It's no use if you get sick. Especially if we move on soon and break camp."
"Hai! And Arigatou Gen-san." With these words, Sakura ran from the small clearing to her tent where she had been sleeping for the past few weeks, and grabbed a small bag to store a change of clothes. Afterwards she made her way to the village. As soaked as she was, she wanted to relax and warm up in an Inn before she would meet with Ao and Haku to report what she could find out so far.
___pth___
The warm water caressed her body, drove the cold out of her bones and made her sigh pleasantly. It had been a while since she was last here and could relax thanks to the hot water. Most of the time she just didn't have time, but after the last days and weeks she had decided she deserved a hot bath. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned with her back against the natural stone wall of the hot spring, enjoying the pleasant peace and the heat of the water. For the moment it was all she needed, while her body slowly let her fall into a shallow sleep.
Sakura couldn't tell how long she had dozed off when she woke up from her slumber due to a new person who stirred up the water. She blinked and looked at the person before she lowered her eyes to the surface of the water and straightened the towel around her a bit. An amused chuckle reached her ears and Sakura's cheeks turned red. She knew her behaviour was childish; after all, when they were out and about she had gone into the water to wash herself without any privacy protection. Why she felt insecure now, she couldn't figure out. After all, Haku had already seen her without clothes and she him as well, although she had always preferred to look at her surroundings, so she never really had time to look at him more closely. Here at the bath house it felt much more intimate, something Sakura wasn't used to.
"Stop laughing and get in the water." Sakura grumbled embarrassed and sank even deeper into the water until the tip of her nose almost touched the surface. Again, the water started moving and a little later, Haku was sitting next to her with only a little distance between them. She could almost feel him, she only had to move her arm and...
"You know, you can relax. I am not staring. Besides, why do you go to a mixed bathhouse if you are so uncomfortable being seen? It was no problem on the road." If it was possible, her cheeks became even redder and she blubbered incomprehensible stuff under the water. She didn't understand herself or her actions either.
"It is different here," she murmured softly and avoided looking at Haku. "On the road, it was more important to observe the surroundings and..." Sakura remained silent, unable to finish her sentence. On her journey she had much less time to worry about the situations. It was about survival, now she could relax and let her thoughts run free. Which caused her to wander in directions she had previously blocked out. Damn it, she was a teenage girl and couldn't suppress her hormones forever. For a moment it was silent and Sakura felt Haku's gaze on her before he uttered a silent "Oh". She didn't see it, but Haku's cheeks had turned red when he realized what Sakura was alluding to and what probably caused her reaction. As a result, he averted his gaze and looked in the opposite direction.
Minutes went by in which neither of them said a word, and neither of them was able to break the embarrassing mood laying over them.
"I suppose you're in a room here?" Sakura asked quietly to direct her thoughts to another topic, to why this meeting should be held in the first place. Luckily, Haku rose right along with her and none of them even mentioned the unpleasant situation from the beginning.
"Yes, room 3-1 on the second floor. The others are waiting there." And Sakura nodded. The others were probably Ao and Chōjūrō. She didn't know if Zabuza was there, but she secretly hoped so. She hadn't seen him for a while and she had to make sure he was okay and that Ao kept his word.
"Fine. I'll be on my way, then." Sakura had just gotten up to leave the water when Haku's hand wrapped around her wrist.
"Stay." As if rooted, Sakura stopped, but didn't dare to turn around or move in any other way. "I... There's no hurry, and you deserve a rest." Hakus words were gentle and Sakura nodded timidly, but still didn't dare to look at him. She had blushed again and she didn't want Haku to notice, she wanted to get out of the baths in the first place to escape the strange atmosphere between them. Instead, she stayed because of his request and sat back down at her place next to him. It didn't take long before the exhaustion caught up with her and a little later, Haku felt a weight on his shoulder. Sakura had fallen asleep and her head had come to rest on his shoulder. It was for a moment that Haku simply looked at her before he noticed the bags under her eyes and the slowly healing bruises on her arms. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he stroked over her bags under her eyes and wondered, not for the first time, what she was experiencing and possibly endured in the camp without someone at her side to help her. A heavy sigh came from his throat. Hopefully this all came to a good end. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Sakura failed in her mission, she had become too important to him over the weeks to lose her. Besides, he owed her his life, so to speak. He could only hope that Sakura would come out of the situation halfway unscathed.
____pth____
Hours later, when the sun had long disappeared behind the horizon, Sakura made her way back to camp. Her thoughts were still stuck in the Inn and the conversation she had had with Ao. Zabuza hadn't been there, much to her displeasure, but Haku's presence had at least put her off a bit. Soon her secret mission would come to an end if nothing else stirred in the camp. At least that's what Ao had told her towards the end. A few of his people would be around for the next few days and would invade the camp in due course in order to deal with the fled Kiri inhabitants appropriately. The meeting with the strangers in the forest he had more or less waved off and even if Sakura did not get rid of the feeling that there was more behind it, she did not want to mess with the Jonin from Kirigakure unnecessarily and therefore had said nothing more. She missed Zabuza, even though he was brusque, he had always advised her to rely on her intuition, while this Ao seemed to have nothing more to say about it. It didn't make the shinobi more sympathetic in her eyes.
Just as the entrance to the camp came into her field of vision, a person appeared from behind the trees and Sakura reflexively pulled out a kunai if the person had the idea to attack her. Instead of an attack, the figure raised his hands defensively.
"No reason for hostility. Nagare sent me, he has a task for you and I am to take you to him as soon as you return from the town." Slowly she put her Kunai back and indicated to the man to show her the way. Not that she didn't know where Nagare had his tent, but if he had called someone to look for her, she didn't want to be ruder than necessary and let him do his job.
It didn't take them long to arrive at the tent, and with a loud clearing of his throat, the man drew attention to himself before he gained entry, followed by Sakura.
"Ah Sakura. Nice of you to come." Nagare addressed his first words to the pink haired Kunoichi and then devoted himself to her escort who then said goodbye and left Sakura alone with Nagare.
"We will soon break camp here and move on." He told her and something flashed in his eyes that Sakura couldn't place. But she didn't feel comfortable. "Instead of securing our new camp, I have a new task for you." Intentionally, Nagare paused in his announcement, waiting for Sakura's reaction, which was merely tilting her head to the side asking. She didn't like the fact that Nagare was making such a big deal out of her new task and not knowing what was coming made her nervous. He hadn't heard anything about her actual mission for Ao? "Although the attacks on our camp have subsided, it is still not safe enough for us in the long run, so I decided to break up the tents and move on. I am aware that you cannot protect us from others permanently, but you can certainly do something else for us." Again he took a break and Inner rolled her eyes during his theatrical break, which at least took away some of Sakura's nervousness. At least until he dropped the bomb.
"I want you to pose as a Shinobi of Kirigakure and send me information from inside the village. A perfect cover story I have also put together for you."