Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Darkness ❯ Search and Rescue ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

After her bloodline limit is revealed, Kana runs away out of fear of what Team 7 might think of her. Meanwhile Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto are all trying to figure out what happened. However, it isn't long before Sasuke sets off to find their charge, Naruto following close behind. Rather than doing this, Sakura rummages through Kana's belongings in order to see if, perhaps, there's evidence of her being a foreign nin, or some other form of an enemy.

Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 09.27.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 277 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime or Manga Naruto, or the characters contained within it. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. However, the character Teitoku Kanako and the other made-up characters (Akira, Sayo, etc..) in this story belong to me.

Through the Darkness

Chapter 3 - Search and Rescue

No thoughts could properly form for her logic to solve. Sakura was simply puzzled by what had seemingly flashed right before her eyes. If she hadn't been hallucinating, which she almost believed she had been.... Then your hand when right through Sasuke's!

In a hesitant voice, Sakura stuttered,“Sasuke-kun, are you alright?”She stumbled to his side, checking his hand thoroughly despite his protests, for any sign of damage.

The Uchiha simply sneered at her, glancing after the female who'd departed the scene not but five seconds ago. He had seemed a bit flabbergasted at first too, but of course recovered from the stun quicker than she, or Naruto.

`Not even a scratch in sight...'

That didn't make out right, though. It wasn't normal for a warrior's hands to be so smooth, but Sakura might expect that from Sasuke. Being as perfect as he was, callused hands didn't seem to fit him either....

`But... There are no scars... Not a scratch, a bruise...'

Somewhere along their missions, the kunoichi was positive that her beloved must've earned some injuries on his hand. Raising her gaze to his eyes, which avoided her, Sakura wondered if Sasuke had noticed the lack of roughness on his flesh...

“I'm fine.”He answered finally after the long-lasting silence. To assure himself of such, he tested his hand, curling and uncurling his finger into his hand. They seemed perfectly fine.

“What happened?!”The blonde kyuubi demanded, finally composing himself after suddenly jumping to his feet. He was usually the first to spring into action, but seemed to have delayed, giving Sakura a silent moment with Sasuke for once.

The raven-haired boy shoved his hands into his pockets with a shrug, shuffling in the direction you had began running. Due his monotone disposition, Sakura was unable to tell what he might think about the event that occurred only moments ago.

Naruto soon disappeared after his rival with a determined look, perhaps to find you before Sasuke did. Everything was a competition when it came to those two. And although she knew they were suppose to stick together during missions, Sakura thought she ought to investigate the backpack and picture you left behind.

`This will verify my suspicions.'

She thought to herself.

A question occurred to her, however, before she reached over to grab the strap of your backpack.

`What would Kakashi-sensei do? What would he say..?'

After all the shinobi training the Jounin had done for the trio, Sakura still didn't feel completely prepared to do missions on her own. But she could vividly recall the Fifth Hokage's words...

~~~

Since she'd become Hokage, Tsunade hadn't commanded Cell Seven to do any form of work. Mostly due to the fact their Jounin, Kakashi, was busy doing A-rank missions that were in dire need of completion. After the assault on Konoha, missions were piled high and A-ranked ones made top priority.

Of course, the Hokage couldn't simply put them on hold. These were important, and she didn't want to show her allies, or enemies, any weakness in her village. So, as a good Ruler, Tsunade saw to the most important missions first.

She couldn't prolong forcing the Genin to do missions on their own without Jounin for long though. More and more stacks of scrolls lined her desk, and seeing as two of the genin from Cell Seven had made it to the Chunin Exams... It was only right to think they should be the most suited to take the first mission.

With a firm nod, she glanced over at Shizune, signaling her apprentice to guide Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto into the room. This would be their first C-rank mission that Hatake Kakashi would not be attending. But, she was confident, after seeing Naruto's abilities... That they could manage.

`After all, they aren't mere children. These are strong shinobi.'

She reminded herself of that before the conversation commenced. Seeing the three youths before her, it was hard to think about sending them out on their own to complete a mission. Even if it was only C-rank...

“Finally, a mission!!”Naruto bellowed, his feet leaving the ground as he obnoxiously hopped about in a hyper frenzy. His arms squirmed around in the air, and his pearly white smile greeted the Hokage's eyes.

Reassurance.... Maybe they would be alright. She promised to have confidence in her shinobi after all. The Hokage would have to trust them.

“Where is Kakashi-sensei...?”Sakura wondered absentmindedly, glancing about for any sign of their Jounin guide.

“He won't be attending,”Tsunade interrupted superfluously,“Kakashi is busy with his own mission. You three will be doing this one on your own. It's only a C-rank mission so I trust you won't have much trouble. In some cases, it may turn into a B-rank mission...”

~~~

The Hokage's voice trailed off as the memory nestled itself deep in the back of Sakura's mind. She needn't remember anymore, anyways. Remembering that was enough itself. Tsunade-sama trusted that the three of them could do this on their own. Sakura just had to believe in her abilities, and use her best judgment.

Grasping the strap of your backpack, she lifted it and rested it against her knees, carefully tucking the flap back and inserting a hand. All her dainty fingers could feel was the smooth fabric of clothing—Something with a hard-shell? A box?

Fumbling with the object, Sakura managed to yank it out of the tangle of clothing and into plain sight. It seemed a bit plain, a regular hard-shelled box, who's contents would remain unknown to her until she opened it....

Obeying her curiosity, the kunoichi cautiously lifted the top, sliding the box open and revealing what looked to be hair utensils. There was nothing suspicious about that, though. Sakura had thought to find... Maybe... Some secret scroll with plans, maybe?

`Tch, yeah right, as if.'

But whatever she'd expected, she certainly hadn't gotten it. Either way, this didn't give her much of an answer. So she turned to the next place she expected there may be some evidence. That picture....

She began brushing away the small grains of dirt that had accumulated upon the glass shielding the photo inside, with her dainty fingertips. Once it was clear, she clutched the frame and hoisted it to her face, slowly going over the features of the people depicted.

`Nothing to be suspicious about...'

Uncurling her legs from beneath her, the kunoichi stood solemnly, staring after her teammates, the picture still in her weakening grasp. It wasn't long before she shook herself from a reverie and gathered what was left around the campfire, carrying both of the backpacks effortlessly and charging after her comrades with undeterred determination.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Narrowing his eyes, and guarding them from the sun peering through the trees, Naruto glanced around the greenery of the forest. Thus far he'd found no sight nor sound of you, and assumed neither had Sasuke, as the Uchiha simply stood there with a bored gaze, head slightly tilted to the side as he endured his companion's antics.

A gray cloud passed over the sunlight blaring in through overhead and the dim light that had assisted Naruto in the search dissipated. This left him a little annoyed as he jerked his head up, glaring at the cloud.

“She wasn't there, anyway,”Sasuke drawled, shuffling ahead with the same expressionless features that always plagued his face.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto stomped after Sasuke, scowling at his rival who apparently had no interest in squabbling. Seemed today the raven-haired boy wasn't in the best of moods, then again... Anyone who'd had another person's appendage literally disappear into their own... Might not be happy.

Naruto wondered, silently to himself, if that stunt had inflicted any pain upon Sasuke, or if there was another reason for his surly disposition. Although he wouldn't dare ask this question, the blonde kyuubi could ponder it inside his head without any fear of a snappy response.

As the two continued forward, only silence prevailed, to Naruto's distaste. However, the moment the clouds above shattered, bringing forth the tears of the heavens, that silence was interrupted.

Despite this, Sasuke resiliently pushed forward without even the smallest sign of tiredness upon his face. Even as the cold drops of water cascaded around them, soaking their clothes and flattening their hair.... Neither of the two boys said a word, and neither paused in their steps.

Determination flared in the both of them as they trudged forward, though Sasuke's gait less obnoxious than Naruto's. This mission didn't seem as annoying as it had when they'd first learned about it Tsunade's office.....

No, this was just another adventure waiting to happen. Answers needed given, and it was almost overwhelming how exciting the prospect of finding them would be. What had seemed like a boring escort mission had become something more elaborate....

A large grin spread across Naruto's lips...

This would be a very interesting mission, indeed.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Out of breath and exhausted from all the running, Sakura tucked a damp roseate tendril behind her ear as she paused to take a breath. Leaning forward, she exhaled before inhaling sharply, filling her lungs with fresh, crisp air. Satisfied, she trudged forward once more..

She had yet to find Sasuke, or Naruto, but according to the tracks engraved into the mud she was getting closer. This would be a major relief, because carrying their backpacks, yours, and her own was a bit heavy. Besides that, using chakra was tiring as well.

Despite this she continued forward, lazily lifting each foot before plopping it back down in front of her in the oozy confection of water and mud below. Her eyes hung open like a zombies, due to lack of sleep, and her hair had become an utter mess as well, disheveled and damp

"Uuurgh—OOF!"She screamed as she tripped over—Well, she wasn't quite sure what she tripped over... Either way, slow motion kicked in as she began plummeting toward the ground, the brown substance inching closer and closer to her face.

'No!'

Her inner Sakura bellowed, refusing to allow herself to be humiliated.

Outstretching her arms quickly, she stopped herself from falling face first in the chocolate-brown goo. However, the backpacks strapped to her shoulders lost their grips and plummeted down to the ground, splattering mud across themselves, her arms... And worst of all, the porcelain skin that made up her face.

The kunoichi slumped down onto her knees, clenching her teeth. It was vexing how she had failed in her attempt to stop herself from falling into the ooze. Either way, no matter what she did, she couldn't have stopped it...

Something stirred in her mind, perhaps a realization about something. However, she dismissed it quickly and returned to her feet, slinging the mud-stained backpacks over her shoulders once more. She had to be optimistic, and she had to find Sasuke.

Wallowing through the mush, she stared forward with a half-smile upon her rosy lips. With her forearm, she wiped away the mud, and almost cheerfully stumbled forward through the mud.

'I'm gonna find Sasuke-kun!'

_________________________________________________________________ _______

It had been who-knows-how-long now and the blonde-haired shinobi felt every last ounce of patience he'd managed to muster slipping away. He was close to yelling,"The hell with this mission!"

Fortunately, however, the raven-haired Uchiha interrupted the unbearable silence that was driving Naruto to insanity."She's over there."

Snapping to life, the blonde glanced over at his companion."Huh?"He had almost forgotten why they had spent hours out here in the darkness, soaked to the bone, with stomachs growling.

Irritated by his friend's antics, Sasuke didn't answer."Hnph."With a simple grunt, he shoved his hands and his pocket and glared at Naruto. It was ridiculous how stupid his companion was acting.

Glancing around, there was a clueless expression on Naruto's face."Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Sasuke's eye twitched in irritation, and he glanced up at the sky."Baka. Don't you see the tracks in the mud?"

"Eh...?"Pausing a moment, Naruto glanced down at the mud. Besides the footprints they'd left behind from traversing around this area, he couldn't see what his rival was talking about."Teme! There's nothing here!!"

A clenched fist connected with Naruto's head immediately after his lips had stopped their endless flapping."Look. Over. There."Sasuke snapped impatiently, thrusting his finger in the direction ahead of them.

In the mud were strange markings, not footprints, Naruto would say. More like a deranged human wiggling around in the brown goo as if they were a fish out of water. Maybe, if you were as imaginative as Naruto.... Then you could somehow make out a monstrous footprint made by a gargantuan animal.

Before speaking a word, he debated between the two. Which one was the most probable? Of course, the answer became obvious within moments of analyzing the two. The latter was the most logical!

"It's just a big beast's footprint!"He retorted quickly.

Another fist to the head."You idiot."Sasuke commented, almost flabbergasted at Naruto's intelligence, or lack thereof."Isn't it obvious that she crawled through here?"Removing his curled fingers from his friend's head, Sasuke waited for more stupidity to spew from Naruto's mouth.

"Is she hurt?"

The Uchiha tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow, surprised at Naruto's half-intelligent question."Appears so."

With a slight nod the blonde boy crouched down, examining the markings in the mud at a closer range. He was a bit worried now, himself. Unlike Sasuke, his emotions ran rampant, though not as outrageously as their female counterpart.

Finally, it donned on him....

'What..? Where's Sakura-chan?!'

"She couldn't have gotten far."Sasuke remarked, staring forward with the same emotionless obsidian eyes..

Before Naruto could return to his feet or make any other move, the Uchiha had began shuffling forward, through the mud, in the direction the markings were heading. He was obviously determined to find you, and seemingly had forgotten about their pink-haired companion.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

You lazily parted your eyes, revealing two luscious hazel orbs that started into the darkness, a bit dazed from just awakening. Everything appeared to be the same as when you'd crawled within the depths of the cavernous structure. Only one difference which was instantly obvious......

'The rain stopped.'

This wasn't the only one, however, as you could feel a burning sensation upon your forehead, and despite the fact you were sweating..... You were freezing cold, teeth chattering.

'Fever..'

The throbbing pain in your ankle was quiet for the moment, giving you a slight bit of mercy in your uncomfortable state. However, you couldn't safely count on this to last long. As soon as you moved, it would began aching again, and if you tried to stand you would most likely get dizzy.

'But... I have no other choice. I have to get out of here, or...'

Tilting your head, you glanced at the entrance of the cave. Outside, it was pitch black, a dim light peering over the horizon, dim amber rays extending their small fingers out toward the world. This event signaled dawn.

Not only had the light caught your attention, but the faint voices approaching your location. If your ears perceived them right, it was none other than the two male shinobi of the group.

'They're here..?'

You weren't sure whether to be happy that they'd come to find you, therefore giving you some hope that this wasn't doomsday.... Or rather to be terrified of their soon-to-be inquiries... And the reaction that they would give you, if you decided to tell them the truth.

'I'm not ready to die.... It's better to face their questions.... Then to meet my fate today...'

You part your lips, using them to direct your voice. However, your throat was too entirely parched, allowing only a weak groan to leak from your mouth. The sound wasn't enough to draw the shinobi's attention.

Pushing yourself forward, you mustered as much strength as you could to begin crawling toward the mouth of the cave. Whatever the consequences of everything that had occurred earlier... You'd face them, but you weren't going to die here.

"Help...."You murmured, trying to find the will to scream the word with all the force and assertiveness you could muster....

You found, after exiting the shelter of the cave, that your body was still utterly exhausted from your last stunt. This left little to no strength, despite your short nap that regained a small percentage of energy.

Collapsing in the mud, you exhaled as your chest connected with the ground, splattering the disgusting brown ooze across your attire. Although, it didn't affect your clothing much considering it was already ruined.

Droplets of water clung to your bangs, prompted by perspiration and moisture to glue themselves to your forehead. A myriad of scratches appeared along the length of your exposed arms. The worst part of your appearance, however, was the strange position in which your ankle sat, twisted, mangled, and throbbing with pain.

Lazily, your eyelids drifted over your eyes, and you tiredly fought to keep consciousness, releasing a yawn as you attempted to lift your body once more. After all, you had to reach the shinobi. The attempt failed, but before you could collapse again two muscular arms wrapped around your lithe figure. A moment later you were hauled into the air.

Tingling across your skin was a warm sensation, and the person's body heat contributed to your own. Despite that, you still shivered, and considering you'd slept in wet clothing that was of little surprise.

Wondering who of the three shinobi had rescued you, you lifted your eyes open for a glimpse. Your vision was still blurry despite the fact you weren't standing up. However, as a short few minutes passed, the haziness dissipated and you could make out the solemn features of the boy who'd experienced your bloodline limit firsthand.

Noticing your gaze, he glanced down, eyes unforgiving. It nearly caused your blood to run cold because of how merciless those two obsidian orbs were, but it was only momentary as he glanced forward once more without a word.

You parted your lips, voice hoarse and strained,"How did... You find—?"

"Huh?! Teme!! You found her?!"An annoyingly familiar voice interrupted as the sound of rapid movement filled your ears. The noise resembled the sound of a shoe crushing a thousand bugs beneath it.... Though, rather than bugs, it was mud beneath the soles of Naruto's sandals.

The raven-haired shinobi didn't respond to your question or Naruto's, but did, however, open his mouth to speak."We need to find Sakura."

Sauntering up beside you, Naruto leaned his head over toward you, his face directly in front of yours, though upside down. It would've been almost comical if it weren't rude that he spoke while breathing into your face."What was the green light? What did you do to Sasuke-teme?"

Your eyes widened at his barrage of questions, but you were too stunned by their abruptness to even begin answering them."I... Well, I..."

"Later."The Uchiha said, prompting Naruto to remove his face from it's position in front of yours.

"Teme.... Who gave you the permission to make all the decisions...!?"Naruto mumbled in a morose tone. He'd purposely spoken loud enough for his rival to hear, but there was no further pursuit of it.

"I.. Um..."You muttered, trying to gather the courage to inquire about the kunoichi."Why isn't Sakura-san with you...?"

A sharp scream that ricocheted through the emptiness of the forest interrupted your question. From it's feminine tone, you could easily assume that it was Sakura. A flicker of worry pierced your heart, as you jerked your head to the side to look forward.

Seeing as how your body was cradled in Sasuke's arms, it was hard to move at all, and it was fairly uncomfortable too. Not only that, but the position would wear his arms out sooner or later, no matter how strong he was.

He obviously realized this as well, as he stopped the moment he heard the sound, where as Naruto bounded forward."Dunce, get over here...."

_________________________________________________________________ _______

In the middle of the trees, there was what the birds silently hiding in their nests would consider a monstrosity. The very sight made them all withdraw in fear, and the air around the creature was ominous. Not to mention the sounds it made was just plain ear-shattering.

Sakura was covered from head to toe in what was the closest thing she'd ever get to feces. It was the most disgusting thing she'd ever had to endure, and she'd never let either of her companion's live it down when she found them. No, this kunoichi would....

'MURDER THEM IN THEIR SLEEP!!!!'

Inner Sakura bellowed, thrashing about in that above-average sized forehead.

'I'LL KILL 'EM! I'LL MAIM THEM! I'LL STRANGLE THEM! I'LL BEAT THEM TO DEATH!!!'

It wasn't only anger, but frustration. She was left behind like she didn't matter, even if it was partly her decision... The kunoichi couldn't help but feel melancholic.

She also assured herself that Sasuke and Naruto had found you, forgot about her, and headed to Konoha by themselves to complete the mission. Of course, if this were true, it wouldn't surprise her...

'MEN ARE PIGS!'

Besides, the way she looked now, she could probably easily produce a chuckle from those extravagant lips of Sasuke's... Well, it wasn't exactly how she'd imagined doing it, but at least she would do something to make him happy.

'No... Not even my appearance now would make him laugh with happiness or joy.. Not Sasuke-kun...'

This was depressing too. The kunoichi was almost tempted to give up, but she never would let herself do it. She'd come too far in her missions, in her life, and in her fight for Sasuke to give up.

Jumping to her feet, she retrieved the backpacks once more, not bothering to toss them up over her shoulders again. Rather, she dragged them along in the mud. After all, they couldn't get any dirtier. She'd fallen seven times by now.

'I have to find Sasuke-kun!'

She sprinted forward once more, determination burning brightly in those two extraordinary dim emerald eyes.... Right before she toppled over for an eighth time, and released another ear-shattering scream from the depths of her throat.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

The second scream was more alarming than the first, and you could feel Naruto's shoulders tense beneath the palms of your hands. At least in this new position, you sat up right, making the 'ride' a bit more comfortable. However, the fact that a male's hands were grasping your thighs elicited a bright crimson tint to heat up your cheeks. It vaguely reminded you of piggyback rides that your sister and father would give you, though.

"Don't worry!"His voice shattered the silence."We'll save you, Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't seem worried, and if he was he didn't let on at all. It didn't seem he was the type of person to ever let even the slightest ounce of emotion leak from the inside.

You'd noticed it before, that his touch was just as ice-cold as your own. He must've endured the rain and refused to take shelter just to find you. Naruto, too, you imagined. It was almost as if they cared, though you know it wasn't the case... You were the mission, they had a duty.

'But, they could've waited. It's not like they had to find me immediately. Despite Naruto's rude questions, they haven't been mean to me.... Yet.'

"We're almost there."The Uchiha's monotone voice drawled as he leaped, hovering in the air until he landed on a branch beside Naruto and yourself. However, he sprinted ahead while the blonde halted, inhaling deeply.

"Urgh! She's so heavy!"He bellowed, his whining loud enough to wake the dead.

"Maybe... We should... Walk?"You mumbled quietly.

"You can't walk,"He retorted, his grip on your thighs tightening."But you could afford to lose some weight!"

_________________________________________________________________ _______

'One thousand five hundred eighty-one....'

Sakura thought to herself as she collapsed into the hazel ooze once again. This was just simply getting annoying, too much so for the kunoichi. She was about to give up and say,"Screw it!"To trying to finding the three of you.

However, she was more irritated at the fact one of her sandals had broken. Apparently they weren't made to trek through the mud, or so it appeared. Either way, it was fairly useless to her now, and she couldn't say she had any 'spare' shoes on her person, nor in the backpacks she carried.

'K-u-s-o!'

Inner Sakura screamed, nearly ripping out every tress of roseate hair protruding from her scalp,

'Why the hell are these sandals so weak!?!? That they would break during a mission! IT'S UNFATHOMABLE!'

The real question, however, was this; What was she suppose to do now? With nothing to protect her feet she couldn't really traverse the forest that easily. However, she couldn't just sit there in the mud 'til it consumed her.

'This has to be the worst mission we've ever been on!

'The kunoichi's better half thought to herself.

'And who's to blame..?'

Somehow, she'd actually begun to think of you as a friend. She couldn't very easily get mad at you for whatever had happened earlier, as it was obvious from your facial expression you were just as surprised as her. While that was true, she could easily be angry at you for running away without an explanation.

'AND I AM!!

'Her inner-self cried angrily.

'But... Blaming Kana isn't going to get me a new sandal... It's not going to find Sasuke-kun, or Naruto. And... It's definitely not going to wash away all this mud that's covering my face... My entire body.'

According to what she could sense, though, she could blame you as much as she wanted because her teammates appeared to be coming to the rescue. Then she would beat Naruto to death for leaving her and rob him of his sandal to replace the one she'd broken.