Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Clearly Drawn Battle Lines ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or any of its Characters



Sakura paused, bringing one hand to her lower back as she stood up straight, the vertebrae of her spine popping in protest of the movement. The green eyed woman sighed, bringing her free hand up to play with a lock of the coral colored hair that rested on her shoulder. The stack of paperwork for the day was finally finished, and with it, her day’s worth of work. Lifting her hands over her head, Sakura arched her back, stretching to get the kinks out of her body from sitting in the small, sterile, room for the past two hours. “Tsunade, I’m done.” The young intern called out towards the back of the clinic.

“Alright.” The blonde doctor called back, stepping into the small cubicle, drying her hands with a towel. “If you don’t mind waiting for a bit, I can drive you to your car.” There was limited parking around the building, and most of those spaces were reserved for the doctors, nurses, or patients. Everyone else had to search for spaces around the few surrounding blocks.

“No need. I’m only parked two blocks away tonight. I can walk.” Sakura slid her white lab coat off of her lithe body, hanging it up in its usual place. She was lucky to get a place so close to the clinic. Most of the time she had to park in the paid parking lot, and that was a five to six block walk, a pain in the ass, but not unbearable.

“Are you sure?” Tsunade frowned, throwing the towel over one shoulder. “This isn’t a nice neighborhood, and I don’t like the idea of you walking. I’m sure it’ll only take me an hour or so to get everything put away and ready to go.”

Sakura shook her head and slid on her black, thigh length coat. “There’s no need. I’ll be fine, really Tsunade.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys, drawing Tsunade’s attention to the small can of mace swinging back and forth in a controlled arc. “Mom sent me this stuff, just in case.”

It was obvious that Tsunade was not at all thrilled with the idea, but the tall blonde woman gave in with a sigh, “Alright. Just make sure you hold onto your keys tightly. And walk quickly, but don’t run. And don’t stop to talk to anyone.”

Sakura nodded. She smiled at Tsunade and gave the older woman a tight hug. “Don’t worry so much. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll let you drive me out to my car tomorrow.”

Tsunade returned the hug. “It’d make me feel better if I could take you out there tonight. Are you sure I can’t change your mind?”

“Nope. I’m already out the door.” Sakura smiled and flung her hip-bag over her shoulder, letting the black canvas rest comfortably against her hip. In it was a few charts and files that she had to look over before the next day. Walking past Tsunade, she left the three-walled cubical and pressed her hand against the building’s front door.

“Be back here, bright and early. And ready to work, we have a full day scheduled.” Tsunade watched as the young woman pushed open the door and walk out. It was so tempting to follow her, and to order her to accept the ride. It was too late though, in the moment that she had spent debating with herself, Sakura was already out of sight, walking towards her car. With a loud sigh, Tsunade yanked the towel off of her shoulder and flung it across the room. She still had work to finish.

- -

Sakura didn’t expect it to be so dark when she left the clinic. Filing and filling out paperwork always made her lose track of time, and it never failed that Tsunade disappeared whenever it came up that the paperwork was getting out of hand. When confronted, the doctor merely shrugged and asked, “Isn’t that what I got you for?” There was no answer to that, not that Sakura had found, at least.

Keys clutched in her hand, she walked the two blocks to her car, her footsteps echoing loudly in the silence of the street. Like Tsunade said, the clinic wasn’t in a good part of the city. The rundown and abandoned buildings on either side of the street stood in silent testimony to the truth of the matter. Sakura, top medical student in her class, who’d never gotten less than an A- in any of her years of schooling, was doing her internship in the slums. Her parents and friends couldn’t understand why she chose the Konoha Clinic for her internship. With her grades, she could have gone to any hospital she wanted to spend the next year working. They certainly would have paid more than the near-minimum wage that she was getting now.

They just couldn’t see that money didn’t interest the young woman. She had always wanted to become a doctor, to help people, and this seemed to be the best way to meet that goal quickly. When looking around for a place to spend the year, she had come across the small, under financed, understaffed and overworked clinic, and it had immediately became apparent that it was one place where she could make an actual difference. Plus it didn’t hurt that one of the most acclaimed doctors Sakura ever heard of was there. Tsunade, for all of her hatred of paperwork, was known far and wide for her healing talents, and working with her was an honor.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, the woman reached her car door. She slid the key into the lock and turned it, opening the door and letting the dome light’s rays light up the area around her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as Sakura took the bag of paperwork off her shoulder and tossed it onto the passenger seat. It felt like someone was watching her, and she glanced up and down the street warily. Deciding she was just scaring herself, Sakura slid into the driver’s seat, shutting and locking the door behind her as she put the key into the ignition and started the small, black car. Turning on her radio, the pink-haired woman pulled out onto the street. Within no time at all, she was out of the darkened streets and leaving the feeling of being watched behind her.

- -

Kakashi watched as the pink haired girl drove out of sight. He was standing in an alleyway, leaning against the side of one of the tired looking buildings. From the street, the buildings looked to be abandoned, but Kakashi knew that appearances were deceiving. The lanky man lived on the streets for most of his life, and knew what kind of low lives holed up in the abandoned buildings. He was one of them at one time.

Running one hand through his long, unkempt silver hair, he continued his watch down the street. He was so preoccupied that he almost didn’t hear the person come up the alley behind him.

“Think he’ll come?” a voice asked from behind him. Kakashi whirled around and came face to face with Genma, one of his closest friends from the streets.

The usually upbeat man seemed as high strung as Kakashi felt. Kakashi lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug, “If he doesn’t, then it’s all the better for us. One less problem that we have to worry about.”

Genma nodded and pulled a wrapped toothpick out of his pocket. Shedding it of its cellophane wrapper, he bit down on the toothpick, gnawing lightly on the end. Just having the wooden pick in his mouth seemed to relax the man, and he stood next to Kakashi in silence, his gaze following the same path that the silver haired man’s was.

It was going to be a long night.