Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Blindfolded ❯ Race for Your Life! ( Chapter 1 )

Warning! Read it please!

This story is written in third person view, the only exception is the prologue.

Blindfolded is an AU since I've changed many things from the anime. Please note the following:

Even though Sakura had met Itachi as you know, it's important to emphasise, that she'd never seen his face.

Sakura is 21, and Itachi is 26.

In the anime Sasori's grandmother told Sakura that the jinchūriki dies when a demon is removed from him. This is NOT true for my story, they don't know the answer, and the truth is they don't necessarily have to die; Gaara died because the Shukaku got too deep into his mind.

The biyuu don't have to be gathered in order.

Akatsuki has been changed as well - the leader is OC.

I ignored the whole Sasuke-killed-Orochimaru part, so Sasuke is still with Orochimaru.

In my story, when Itachi killed his clan there was no child younger than 5.

Please check out the altered Naruto map in my livejournal (hajnalmadar / livejournal dot com), it'll be very helpful, especially later on. (I've changed some countries to fit the world of Naruto into my plot.) You can also see the progress of the translation there.

Thanks for my Hungarian beta Eyvindr, who helped with the original text and Lady Hanaka, who grammar checked the first three chapters. I immensely appreciate Synogiok's help, who was working a lot on this chapter to provide you with a better English text..

I hope you'll enjoy my fic :)

Blindfolded

Chapter info:

Genre: action

Inspired me: Neverwinter Nights 2 soundtrack

 

Prologue

The sky wrapped its gray blanket over the village on that tranquil night and the snowflakes were falling quietly to cover the rooftops. In the land of Rain winter had always held the most praised beauty among the seasons, especially when the mosaic crystals of snow descended playfully in many sparkling forms and size from the milky-white sky. At times delicately touching one's skin, it's softness like the finest silk; sometimes lashing out in violent torrents as though the gods themselves were laying their hands upon the earth.

I travelled down a small, well traversed path illuminated by the cozy little light that filtered through the windows and by the several lanterns that remained from the last setsubun festival. The red paper lanterns, torn a bit from the wear and tear of wind and snow, brought a sense of lighthearted nostalgia with them as I silently made my way through this tiny village.

My destination: a small cottage, innocently tucked away at the end of this path, just a few minutes from here—was already visible; even in the darkness of a winter night I could easily make out its features. Suddenly a rusty cawing broke the calm silence of the night. I stopped in my tracks to cast a glance at a couple of crows heatedly cawing at each other over, what appeared to be, tonight's refuse from a local hovel. I shook my head with hope that this was the most hectic event of the night, and continued my usual patrol route at an even pace.

Before long I reached my destination; then leaning up against the side of the house lazily I waited for my partner, a fellow shinobi by the name of Masashi, to join me. The slight rustling of fabric and hushed footfalls alerted me to his presence as he quietly slid the door open.

“Oh Yasamu.” he said with a jovial expression "Sorry to make you wait."

I flashed a knowing grin as I turned to leave, “I have gotten used to it, my friend.”

Masashi made a slight gesture with his head to which I, in response, nodded. It had become a habit over the years, after patrolling the village from its eastern edge, to then meet up with Masashi and continue the patrol to the western edge of the village, ending the night with a glass, or several, of Borgas' excellent mulled wine; the inn was the last building before the village's end, at the base of a Mountain range. Only the sounds of our even footsteps, silent but for the slight crunch of the snow, could be heard as I asked in hushed tones.

“How long has it been since we were assigned to this backwater village?” my lips curling upwards in a slight smile. Masashi clucked his tongue absently while keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding houses. He straightened his hitai-ate and mumbled.

“Around twenty years... But I don't regret a thing, Yasamu.” he said while smiling humbly. "I've heard many who retire from the capital's army; those who are alive to do so" he added as an amused afterthought "are fortunate to do so with most of their body intact."

I nodded and grinned again when the inn loomed through the curtain of the heavily falling snow. I lifted my gaze to the sky; the volume of snowfall had steadily increased over the night, a sure sign a storm was on its way. Looking back to the path, I increased my pace slightly as I spoke wistfully.

"I hope Borgas actually brewed the mulled wine he was bragging about so passionately."

Masashi nodded in agreement as we approached the entrance of the inn.

Just before we reached our haven, we were stopped in our tracks as a figure hastily slid the door open. A young woman stepped out, closing the door behind her. She stood before us, her features hidden by darkness as she peered over her shoulder at the inn—she couldn't have been any older than in her early twenties, judging from her height and youthful figure; but there was something about her that unsettled me: some kind of unfitting, alarming vigilance in her movements, which was rarely found amongst peaceful travellers here.

She turned her head towards us, sensing our presence, a slight flicker of uneasiness passing across her silhouetted features. We all stood still, watching each other, waiting for something to happen in the oppressive silence. The woman stiffened, her eyes darted from us to the surrounding darkness, as if looking for an outlet of escape.

Suddenly, the door opened once again, and the scene before me became a blur of motion. The young woman jolted to life, bolting away at a speed almost too fast to follow with the naked eye. Masashi let loose a kunai in her direction from beneath his cloak; it pierced the outer wall of the inn harmlessly as she ran into the darkness, out of the village and towards the mountains. I felt my body react before I could formulate a plan, my legs gaining momentum as both Masashi and I raced after her. We ran, the snow lifted from the ground by our boots, our cloaks billowing in our wake: a hunt had just begun!

 

Chapter 1

Race for Your Life!

Another rattle wrenched out from her as she gasped for breath, she felt as if the icy wind clawed her throat but it was impossible to halt anymore. A raw pain coursed down the back of her throat each time she took a breath, but she pressed forward nonetheless. That's insane, insane! she thought as she desperately ran towards the forest - adrenaline throbbing painfully in her veins. But mortal fear took over her more and more as the sound of the snow crackling under her pursuer's steady pace gained on her. Her heart tightened in a spasm, giving a painful throb when she finally reached the edge of the vast and with the last ounce of her power she strained her muscles to push off the ground and landed amongst the the thick canopy. She kept running further towards the steely, distant, snow-covered mountains knowing that if she couldn't put some distance between her and her pursuers then she would never be able to reach the foot of the mountain pass.

Using the last of her chakra reserves, she ever so carefully began covering up her tracks, silently maneuvering from one branch to the next once completed; the sound of her subtle movement, even when exhausted and running for her life, was akin to the wind flittering to and fro amongst the branches. Although she did not know how much time had passed since she entered the forest; hope tugged at her heart as she sensed the ninja-hounds dropping behind, their chakra signatures fading. Need and despair had chased her till now; and the urge made her flee that night, as she tried to hide in the inn. Now even though her body screamed in protest, Sakura pushed on; she could still feel her pursuer's breath on her nape; an eerie feeling, like a whisper, promising death. Her pace hastened.

In utter desperation she had run away unprepared, forced to participate in this suicidal race again time. Even now she heard the townspeople's warning clearly in her mind: “If you want to cross the pass then depart now or settle in for the winter. In two weeks time the mountains will be impassible; you'll have to wait until spring before you can try again.” but she could not wait until spring; she might not even survive to see tomorrow. She had known this long ago, but still hesitated to leave for some reason, and now desperation forced her to move; a strange sensation that both weakened her every step but also kept her moving despite pain and fatigue.

Racking her brain feverishly in an attempt to come up with a plan - anything that would help her survive - she let her arms drag behind her, increasing her speed even further; only to curse herself as she sensed a half dozen enemies hot on her trail. She damned her own weakness - if she hadn't hesitated to kill those two guards before they had the chance to alert others, she wouldn't be in this predicament right now! But her body, driven by instinct, set off on its own. And she had no time to think of what could have been. She had to set her thoughts on mere survival.

Running amongst the trees of an old pine-grove, her eyes roaming for a glint of something - anything - that she could use to her advantage, she pondered. Insanity! Even if she lost them, would she have enough chakra left to survive the mountain pass? Would she have had enough time to rest in the village, had she not been forced to flee this night? Suddenly, she was wrenched from her thoughts, almost tripping on a branch. Searing pain shot through her ankle; she let out a choked gasp, eyes widening for a moment as the pain registered in her weary mind. She tried to estimate the damage caused by the failed jump; stifled cry escaping her cracked lips as realization hit her. With a frustrated grimace, she collapsed behind a tree. She needed some time to mend the damaged ligaments; continuing on in this state would be pointless. Forming the appropriate seal, she placed her hand on her foot.

Despair snaked itself around her throat as she sat there, choking her with its deadly grip; she barely managed to fend off the overwhelming sense of failure and dread. Her limbs felt like led as the adrenaline pumping through her system wore off, leaving her beyond exhausted. Her shaking right hand reached inside of her pocket to touch the crumpled edged of the papers, the bearings of her quest, returning without them was unacceptable. She would not fail. She could not. Suddenly her head snapped up when she sensed six guards' chakra approaching her from three different directions. They had caught up to her finally! Judging by the movement of their chakra signatures they planned on encircling her, effectively cutting off any means of escape. Sakura leapt to her feet, adjusting her movements in order to reach their side before their deadly formation could close in on her.

As she ran she looked up at the sky, silently thanking Tsukiyomi for not casting his silvery light on the world of mortals tonight. The snow was glowing, to counter this, in a seemingly mocking manner; still it raised her chances to hide amongst the shadows of the old pine-grove.

Exhaling slowly, silently, she attempted to clear her mind. Since childhood, ninja were taught to be mindful of others' negative emotions; it enabled them to sense danger long before it came into view. Hence why they were taught to suppress their emotions - to become a successful shinobi one needed a clear mind, possess dexterity and silent grace. However, faced with the chance of her untimely demise - her life a hair's breadth away from collapsing into nothingness - even her extensive training did not make stifling her fear any easier. She'd always been horrible at following the rules she'd so painstakingly memorized as a child.

She reached back into her pouch slowly, nimbly grabbing two kunai while quietly reciting a chant to help her focus one with the nature—like a tree, standing calmly among the shadows—like a stone, standing motionless among the shadows—like the shadows, fading into the nature. Then suddenly everything ended in an instant—as she drew chakra to her eyes, only a little flicker of light was enough to initiate an attack. After a few more seconds, there were only four more enemies left. So, her reflexes hadn't been completely shot yet.

As fast as she could she regained her kunai and fled from the scene. If everything went according to plan, the pair to the immediate right of her would approach her first, and then only two would remain. The mountain pass wasn't far away; maybe if she ran for the rest of the night she'd reach it by dawn; but she was already running on a slope, using up more and more energy on the way. Sometimes her feet slipped on the snow-covered soil, and despite all her efforts it swelled more and more. She hadn't had enough time to heal it completely. Her sore ankle only seemed to intensify the biting cold; she would have to grab a coat off of her next victim if she didn't want to freeze to death; though the thought of taking it off of a corpse made her stomach churn.

Maybe that was the mistake she made—to loose the track of time, as in her despair and disgust her mind was focusing only on the chaos in her heart. Or maybe she made it before that, when she thought her pursuers were still far away. Suddenly a kunai pierced into her left shoulder, and the impact launched her several meters forward, tearing a few tendons as it lodged itself deeply. Screaming, she tore the weapon out, and with her right arm she threw the kunai back at its sender along with her own. But kunai is not meant for throwing it face-to-face, and Sakura cursed herself for underestimating the scouts when she realized that her last weapon had been swallowed by the dark.

Suddenly a ninja materialized behind her and grabbed her wounded shoulder. Sakura cried out painfully, and just before she could do anything her body, like an inert weight, slammed into the nearest tree with a loud crack. She felt the bark scrape into her shirt, shredding the skin of her back. Sensing a second attack from her enemy she quickly gathered chakra into her hand; reaching for his neck, in a swift motion, crushing it. His partner froze as he gazed upon the grizzly sight before him - stunned by her obvious strength - and took an unconscious step backwards. Sensing his hesitation, Sakura, in a burst of speed, appeared in front of him and dealt a fatal blow to his lung.

Whimpering slightly as she forced her tired legs up the increasingly steep slope, she felt terribly sluggish. One of her eyes had suffered from an internal hemorrhage, a few of her teeth had come a little lose. She could almost feel them rattling about in her mouth, a mild throb that she couldn't ignore. Some bruise wouldn't make a difference, but now, in the biting cold Sakura felt as if her bones slowly froze from the touch of the howling wind.

The trees were becoming scarce - giving way to a more mountainous terrain - forcing her out of the protective canopy. Sakura could see a vague outline of the mountains' summit as night began releasing it's hold on the sky to a cold, sparkling dawn. Although—she thought bitterly— appearances were often deceiving—it was the nature of these rocky monoliths, their size warping perspective, always tricking you into believing you are almost there.

A faint rustle reached her ears; but she would not be caught off guard this time. Now she could only trust her power, intensified by her chakra, hoping that it would last long enough to finish the two. Luck was unfortunately with them; wounded from her previous encounters and dangerously low on chakra, this would probably be the most difficult battle yet. Steeling herself, she would show them no mercy for they would show her none.

There was no point in coming up with a strategy in this rocky terrain; there wasn't anything even remotely big enough to hide behind. Eluding them was not an option anymore; only raw power would dominate the impending battle. With a perfectly aimed kick she triggered a minor landslide, catching her pursuers off guard; they barely managed to jump away in time to avoid the fissure. By the time they realized what was happening around them, the kunoichi had knocked down one. The other was staring at the motionless body for a moment, then regained his wits and launched his own attack.

Sakura had to admit that despite his age, the man whom she was looking eye-to-eye was a formidable opponent. No words were exchanged as he hurled several kunai at her to no avail; a log fell to the ground where she had stood only moments before. She was waiting for an opening in the man's defense to present itself; it did. With one swift motion she shattered the man's ulna as he lifted his arm to block her attack. An ear-splitting cry erupted from the man's lips, echoing off of the surrounding cliffs; Sakura almost staggered backwards as she saw his intense expression twisted in anguish. She turned to flee, her legs shaking in protest, her body burning with fatigue and chakra overuse; her head felt like it might split in two. Barely thinking straight she pressed on.

”Kill me!” the collapsed guard screamed helplessly, his voice filled with anger and despair. Sakura stopped for a moment, almost turned but then with stooping shoulders she took another step forward.

”Kill me!” he hollered louder than before, his voice cracking pitifully. From far, the yowl of the north wind was heard.

”Don't let me suffer here!” the guard rasped. Sakura fell to her knees, leaving bloody handprints in the snow as she crawled forward. It was so terribly painful but she didn't turn back, even when another cry was carried to her by the wind.

A shinobi must remain emotionless at all times, no matter the situation. It is essential to complete the mission at all costs. A shinobi may never show mercy to her enemy. A shinobi may never show her tears. She didn't want to turn back... she didn't want to kill!

”Don't let me freeze here!” then the voice died away.

.oOo.

Forcing her numb fingers to bring a dry piece of biscuit to her mouth, she continued her ascent once more. She did not know when she collapsed, weakly calling for her mother, or when her fatigued body gave into blissful darkness. Though, before her mind completely relinquished its grasp on consciousness she vaguely recalled a warm hand on her, gently turning her onto her back; a warm body pressed up against her side as strong arms lifted her from the snow, cradling her. Maybe this was just an illusion; a state of delirium... before death.

.oOo.

Not so much later nor far away two friends were reeling in the snow homewards.

”Well, Yasumu, that was not our day.” one of them moaned, as he tried to step forward while leaning on the other. His friend looked at him then with an expression twisted by pain but still smiling, answered.

"If Borgas' mulled wine is sold out when we get there, I'll skin him alive." both men laughed softly as they continued their long walk home.