Darkest Before Dawn

The S-Class Mission: Part Two

   Sakura walked around the ROOT ANBU headquarters, looking around curiously and admiring the dark and dreary atmosphere. There seemed like there was a constant chill in the air, and your footsteps echoed with every step you took. She walked a few more minutes in the spine-tingling silence before she got to her destination.

   Sakura knocked on the door to Danzo's office in the heart of the headquarters. She then peered in.

   "Danzo-sama?"

   "Come in and close the door, Haruno." he ordered. She slid into the room and pushed her back against the door to close it. She looked at the elder.

   "Danzo-sama, why did you call me to your office?" she asked. "And personally, nonetheless. I mean, we've never really spoken before, and... and... how do you know who I am?"

   Danzo was quiet for a few seconds, considering her words. Suddenly, he reached for a file and opened it. He pushed the file to the opposite end of his desk and leaned into his seat. Overcome with curiosity, Sakura walked over and scanned the contents. There were pictures of her and pages covered with thorough descriptons of her abilities.

   "I want you in ROOT."

   "E-Eh?"

   "You are a child prodigy whether you know so or not. That kind of talent should be put to use immediately, and there is no better way to use it than to see it flourish in the ROOT faction."

   Sakura cocked her head to the side.

   "Well, Danzo-sama, if I'm as dangerous as you say I am..."

   Danzo raised an eyebrow, but tensed as a katana materialized in the girl's right hand.

   "... shouldn't you be more careful?"

   Her fingers uncurled into the snake seal.

   "Genjutsu: Kai."

~

   "Minato-sama." an ANBU operative said as he entered the Hokage's office, "Danzo-sama had been murdered."

   Minato's head snapped up.

   "What? Who did it?"

   The ANBU laid some papers on the desk and pointed to the picture of the crime scene. Danzo's office was in a total wreck, but apparently, a barrier of vines covered the walls and flor so that they wouldn't be broken through. Blood pooled arouknd his body, particularly the right side where his arm was ripped off and was no where to be seen. His right eye was injured as well, and seemed to be gouged out. Besides that, there were no weapons to be seen and no sign of a particular jutsu.

   "Currently, we have no leads. We have Inuzuka's and Aburame's looking around, but nothing has turned up. ROOT operatives saw no one enter his office at the estimated time of death, and there was nothing in the office that could have pointed to the murderer."

   Minato leaned back into his chair, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

   "Alright." he said, "Continue on with the interrogation."

   The ANBU bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Not too long after, Sakura limped in with a right crutch, cuts and bruises, and her arm in a sling. She greeted the Hokage with a cheerful smile.

   "Good morning, Minato-sama." she said, "I completed the mission just like you told me to."

   Minato nodded slowly in some state of disbelief.

   "How did you do it?"

   "I admit, I had some help."

   "Oh? Who?"

   Sakura grinned, though it looked strained. She opened her mouth to speak, but fell forwards before a single word could be uttered out of her mouth.

~

   A nurse furrowed her brow as she looked at Sakura's medical chart, Minato at her side.

   "I don't understand how we didn't see it before." she said. She gave the unconscious girl a weary stare, "It's rather sudden and we still are not sure how she sustained this- but she had Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage. It's a condition where blood goes into the alveoli in the lungs. This condition is very serious and can lead to death. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we could do but give her strong medication despite her young age."

   Minato nodded to her as she left to get the medication. Sakura opened her eyes at that moment and had a coughing fit, sending blood onto her white bedsheets.

   "I shoudn't have sent you on that mission. Danzo was craftier than I expected, and I never imagined he could inflict so much damage on you." he murmured regretfully. The nine year old waved a hand a mustered a grin.

   "You're the Hokage, you have to do what you have to do. It's not your fault. I'm glad to have taken a small toll for the sake of the village." she said. Guilt built itself up inside of him. For the sake of the village, she had risked her life and now would have to live with a jutsu-induced lung condition.

   "Get better, Sakura-chan."

   "Don't worry about it, Minato-sama. I'll get out of this hospital soon enough." she coughed. He spoke to her for a few seconds longer before he had to return to his office. The minute the door shut, Zetsu appeared from the floor and went to her beside immediately.

   "What happened to you?!" he hissed. "Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage?! Do you know how serious that is?!"

   "I'm... I'm sorry, Zetsu-san. I was on a mission and I wasn't..." her sentence was interrupted by a fit of coughing, "... I wasn't careful enough. Since I'm in the hospital now, can you please do me a favor?"

   Zetsu sighed and sat at the foot of the bed.

   "What do you need me to do?"

   Sakura raised an arm and pointed to a duffle bag in the corner of the hospital room.

   "Hide it somewhere you know no one will ever find it. Please."

   Zetsu nodded and patted the girls head before standing and taking the bag. He unzipped the bag and looked at its contents. There was an arm littered with sharingan, and a jar with a lone sharingan eye floating in a green liquid.

A Short Story You Should All Check Out: Only Human

   A story about Hidan.