Cherry Blossoms and Chakra Strings: New Shores

My plans for the Wave arc changed and I've gone back and edited chapter 20, Assignment, to reflect this. It's not crucial information, but it gives some context to Team 3’s true purpose in Wave.

That's all, please enjoy!

The Land of Waves was much closer to Konoha than Rice. It was so close in fact, that it didn't even take Team 3 more than a day and a half to get to their destination: a small village bordering the Land of a Fire, separated from its sister country by a large river. There were the beginnings of a large bridge seeking to close thegap between the two, but it was unfinished and clearly still under construction, though no workers could be seen. Gato had scared them all off.

When Sakura had read the mission brief, she had been a bit shocked to learn that the shipping mogul was responsible for practically holding an entire country hostage. When she had been a child, riding on the back of her parents’ wagon, she had heard stories of the man. An up-and-comer in the shipping industry and someone to look out for. Since the Haruno family were land based merchants, his activities didn't really affect them much so they didn't pay him any mind.

Maybe they should have.

Team 3 walked through the town with trepidation, examining their surroundings with morbid curiosity. The town was rundown and almost ramshackle and a grey haze of despair hung heavy in the air, filling the streets and driving away any sense of hope.

The civilians they passed stared at them like they were some sort of bad omen, averting their eyes any time the members of Team 3 tried to meet them. Their faces were gaunt and many of them dirty, with frowns etched from stone and sunken eyes. Sakura recognized the look from her childhood, when her family's caravan passed through villages in the more lawless parts of the Elemental Nations where no ninja villages resided. Someone had stolen these people’s hope.

Normally, that wouldn't make any sense. The Land of Waves may have not had a ninja village, at least not as far as Sakura was aware, but they were close enough to Konoha to enjoy the benefits of having one nonetheless. Combined with the fact that this place was situated right on a pretty major trade route and this village should be absolutely thriving, not seemingly on the edge of falling apart. But it was. And it was all thanks to one man.

“I knew things were bad but… Damn. This is awful.” Tsu said quietly as they passed by another derelict dwelling. Tadao whined in her shoulder and she scratches his ear, doing her best to calm the pup.

“Gato did all this?” Sakura asked quietly, watching a little girl cower behind her mother's ratty dress as they passed. Her heart clenched at the fear in the child's eyes, “What a monster.”

“This is what happens when huge amounts of power and greed are left unchecked.” Iwabi said, leading them through the town, “While Gato uses Wave as a base of operations to further his own shipping empire, innocent people suffer. This place is just one of the many villages that have fallen under his thumb in the past several years.”

“Why haven't the hidden villages done anything about it?” Tsu asked.

“Who could?” Iwabi responded, “Kiri would usually be the one to handle something like this but they've been in a civil war while Gato consolidated power. Konoha and Wave are trade allies but sending a team of shinobi in to eliminate a hostile power without permission would definitely cause an international incident, one that the other villages would be sure to jump on. Everyone else likely believes the issue doesn't concern them. At least so far.”

Sakura connected the dots almost immediately, “But if Gato keeps growing his empire, he'll draw their attention and they'll send people to deal with him.” She realized, “And when they do, they'll have access to his entire empire and a base of operations right on Konoha’s borders.”

Iwabi nodded, “Which is another reason to nip this in the bud while we still can. If Gato catches the attention of Kumo or Iwa, things could spiral out of control extremely quickly.”

“We're not really here to back up Team 7.” Hikari said more than asked.

“We'll provide support to them where we can, but our real goal lies elsewhere.” Iwabi confirmed, “Gato is a thorn in our side that has been digging deeper and deeper. While officially we're here to reinforce Team 7, unofficially, the Hokage wants us to pull out that thorn before it becomes infected.”

An assassination mission, then. They were here to take Gato's head. Sakura tried not to look too excited by the prospect of freeing the country from the tyrant’s grasp. She didn't do very well.

“Let’s pick up the pace, we're nearly there.” Iwabi said, speeding up slightly as his students followed obediently, leaving the ruined town behind them.

~~~

Their destination was a little away from the village, a large house built on a dock surrounded by water in three directions. It was nice, at least when compared to the houses they had seen earlier, but Gato's rotten touch was still clear on the place, present in the peeling paint and chipped wood.

A comely woman with raven hair answered the door, gazing at them warily from the crack, “May I help you?”

Iwabi stepped forward flashing his hitai-ate, “Konoha’s Team 3, here go assist our comrades in keeping you folks safe.”

The woman's expression lightened at the sight of the lead insignia on his headband. She opened the door further, wariness giving way to relief, “Oh! You're the team Kakashi-san mentioned! I'm sorry, please come in.”

“There's nothing to apologize for.” Iwabi said as he stepped inside, “Considering the state of this place, I'm sure you've had all sorts of people walking up to your front door.”

They filed inside of the house, following the woman as she led them along, “I'm Tsunami. My father is the one who hired your other team to protect him while he finished the bridge. They're in the kitchen, right over here.”

They filed into the kitchen and were met with an interesting sight. Though the room was far from full, it definitely didn't feel that way thanks to the individuals present, and while the rest of her team continued forward, Sakura just had to stop and gape at the chaos unfolding in front of her.

The members of Team 7 must have gotten into a huge fight or something because when Team 3 walked in, they were seemingly in the middle of trying to kill each other. Ami had Naruto in a headlock and was trying to suffocate him to death while the boy pulled on a handful of her hair in defence. The reason for her aggression was apparent as Naruto was sitting on top of their third teammate, fist held midair as he prepared to slam it into the Uchiha’s already bruised cheek while Sasuke fended him off with one of his own.

They were all dirty and for some reason, dripping wet, but clearly still full of energy. An old man was sitting at the head of the nearby table clutching a bottle of sake, and their sensei was watching the entire scene with dull amusement in his visible eye, clearly having no intention to intervene. He looked up at their team as they entered the room, and his eye turned upwards in a smile, “Good morning, Iwabi. Did you have a safe trip over?”

“Safer than yours, I'm sure..” Sakura's sensei said, causing the fighting genin on the floor to finally take notice of their presence.

Ami was the first to react, jumping off of Naruto like he had scalded her, while the boy himself stayed where he was, squinting at them suspiciously, “Who are they, Kaka-sensei?”

“We're your backup, Naruto.” Sakura answered for the man as she got over her shock, “What are you guys doing down there? Why are you trying to beat up Sasuke?”

Naruto finally noticed her standing there and his suspicion melted away, replaced with a large smile instead.

“Sakura! Long time no see!” He said cheerfully. His arm shuddered in Sasuke's grip and the Uchiha grunted, pushing him back even harder, making Naruto growl, “I'm trying to kick this bastard's ass because he stiffed me on a bet and won't pay up!”

“Because you didn't win, idiot.” Sasuke growled with a scowl on his face, “We agreed on water walking only! You jumped those last few feet so it doesn't count as you beating me!”

“You’re the idiot! I was in the lead the whole way there!” Naruto shouted back, making Sasuke wince at he volume, “That was basically a victory lap! You're just jealous that I got the hang of water walking faster than you!”

Sasuke's eyes flashed at the words, “As if!”

Sakura watched as the two of them rolled around on the ground, collecting dirt and dust bunnies as they went, and a deep sense of exasperation mixed with nostalgia filled her. Looks like these two hadn't changed a bit.

A loud clap brought the two of them to a screeching halt as the white-haired man with the eye patch finally decided to intervene, “I'd say that's enough for now, Naruto, Sasuke. Let's save that energy for when Zanuza comes back.”

“So you really didn't finish him off, huh?” Iwabi asked as the two boys reluctantly detached, “That's surprising. Whatever happened to the famed Copy Ninja, Kakashi?”

“He got rusty and found his match in the Demon of the Mist, I suppose.” Kakashi responded. Iwabi clicked his teeth.

"You've gone soft, Hatake. Bear would be disappointed in you.” He said, but the words held no weight to them as he joked with his old friend.

“If disappointment is as far as it gets, then I'll happily take it.” Kakashi chuckled.

His eye then slid towards Team 3, taking them all in, “So this is your team, huh? Quite the spread you've got here. A Hyuga that uses ninjutsu, an Inuzuka with a sword, and the only puppeteer in Konoha. I was expecting a team of chunin that I could have fun ordering around.”

“The Hokage chose them for the job specifically.” Iwabi responded, “Their skills are especially suited for the task that lies ahead.”

Kakashi's eye sharpened, “The task… I see. And you think they're up for it?”

“I have faith in them.” Iwabi said, causing his team to smile proudly.

Naruto jogged up to them, his hair slick with water from whatever contest he and Sasuke had been having, “So you guys are here to help us beat Zabuza? Well you better be ready to just kick back and relax the whole trip, cause he's mine!”

“You believe you'll be able to handle the likes of Zanuza Momochi all by yourself?” Hikari asked almost incredulously, and Naruto nodded fiercely.

“That's right! I'm gonna kick that guy's ass for what he did! He's gonna get the Naruto Uzumaki special straight from its original creator!”

Tsu barked with laughter, grinning widely at the boy's spunk, “You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you pipsqueak?” She asked, causing Naruto's face to flare with immediate outrage

“What'd you do to calm me!?” He demanded, causing Tsu to laugh louder. Sakura sighed, already feeling a headache coming on from all the screaming.

“Please don't call him short, Tsu. He has a complex.”

“It's not complex at all.” Ami said as she walked up, “Naruto’s just an idiot with a temper. He just happens to be short too.”

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself!” Ami shot right back, kicking him in the leg, “You nearly drowned me earlier with that chakra jump or whatever, and if you keep shouting I swear I will smother you in your sleep! I already have a headache from ingesting whatever crap is in the water around here.”

As Naruto hopped around, clutching his injured calf in pain, Sakura took a moment to examine Ami, noting the muscle she had gained, visible through the short sleeves of her dress, as well as her shorter hairstyle. It seemed she was taking ninja life seriously. Or at least a little more seriously than she had in the academy at least.

They all convened at the kitchen table so that the newly-arrived team could be caught up on the current situation. Tsunami tried to offer them food, apologizing for the meager amount that she was able to give them but Sakura fixed that easily with a couple of scrolls.

Now, as the two teams chowed down alongside Tazuna and his daughter, Ami gave Sakura an incredulous look around a mouthful of crispy bread, “Since when could you put hot food in those tiny seals you make?”

Sakura raised an eyebrow, “I learned how to make food storage seals in the Academy. Don't you remember trying to take my lunch and then wondering where it went?”

Ami’s face went bright red at the looks she received from Sakura’s team, “Oh yeah, heh… I didn't think you could put hot food in them though. You usually ate cold meals or bento.”

“I couldn't before, but I got better at seals and improved the design.” Sakura took a bite of rice, still steaming like she just cooked it, “Preservation seals are one thing, but stasis seals are another thing entirely. Figuring out how to combine them both without causing the whole thing to fizzle took me a while. I managed it eventually though.”

“Well I'm glad you did, girl.” Tazuna laughed loudly, ripping a chunk of chicken straight off the skewer, “I haven't had food like this since that bastard Gato took over! Do you know how hard it is to build a bridge on an empty stomach? It's not easy, let me tell you!”

“That bridge is rather impressive either way.” Hikari commented.

“Impressive!?” Tazuna slammed his hand on the table, rattling the cutlery, “It's more than impressive kid; it's a miracle! Once it's finished, it'll save this country and put that damn Gato in his place.”

“I'd say finishing it will be the real miracle.” Tsu said, feeding a piece of meat to her ninkin who devoured it eagerly, “If I had Zabuza Momochi of all people gunning for my head, I would be in the next country over before the rumors had a chance to settle.”

Tasuna’s face became nervous, “Eh, you think so? You got a pretty big sword too, don't you? You don't think you can take the guy?”

“Pfft-No!” Tsu laughed loudly, resting one hand on Tadao’s back, “That guy would cut me and my sword in half in one swing! I'd be lucky to clash blades once before Kubikiribōchō finished me off for good.”

As Tazuna paled, Hikari gave their friend a look, “You almost sound like you want that to happen.”

“There are definitely worse ways to go than dying to the Zabuza Momochi.” Tsu shrugged, “I studied that guy like crazy, trying to get used to Jin’s sword and even I gotta admit he's pretty cool. “

“Didn’t he kill his entire graduating class just because he could?” Sakura asked. Tazuna let out a wheezing sound as Tsu shrugged.

“It's Kiri. They were probably all pricks anyway.”

Nobody could argue her point, at least those who knew what she was talking about. Killing your best friend and partner at the end of your school curriculum didn't exactly make for the most stable shinobi force.

“Don't be too eager, Tsu. Even if Zabuza does show up, you aren't to engage him under any circumstances.” Iwabi chimed in from across the tale, “That man was a member of the most deadly group of swordsmen to ever exist in the Elemental Nations, and it wasn't because of nepotism. If you find yourself in a situation where you are left alone with him, run in the opposite direction. Preferably towards Kakashi or me.”

“You're such a party pooper, sensei.” Tsu groaned, and Hikari and Sakura giggled at their teammate's antics, and even Tsunami joined in, the tense woman unwinding slightly as they are.

Sakura took another bite of her food, glancing at Team 7. The three of them were arguing with one another, though it was impossible to tell who started it. Despite that, it was clear to see that none of them were actually serious about it. Ami's glare barely had any heat to it and even Sasuke's shoulders weren't as tense as they usually would be when he got sick of Naruto's crap and actually lost his temper with the blonde..

Naruto was Naruto. Loud, proud, and earnest. Sakura wasn't sure if she missed him or wanted to strangle him for the headache brewing in the back of her skull.

All in all though, they looked like an actual team, which was surprising. Sakura half expected them to explode the moment Ami started fawning over Sasuke but looking at them now, they almost reminded her of Team 3 back before Jin died.

As she watched Ami flick Sasuke on the forehead for a sideways remark, something that she could have never imagined the girl doing less than an hour ago, Sakura resolved not to let their fate play out the same way.