Rotted Rowan

Tock

What happened to them to make them fight like that?

"Oh my," came a soft voice that sent shivers down Sakura's spine. She whirled around, her eyes wide as she stared into pale brown eyes. There was a teenaged boy who was leaning over Sakura. He wore a black cloak that ended below his elbows, and underneath he wore dark pants and tunics. He had no visible weapons, only a single storage scroll attached to his left hip. He was unbelievably handsome.

Like, ridiculously handsome.

His face looked like it had been perfectly sculpted, it was inhumanly beautiful. His scarlet hair looked soft and despite the circumstances, Sakura had the briefest urge to touch it.

The boy who peered at her had no noticeable chakra. Sakura wasn't a sensor, but she knew how to tell a civilian from a Jōnin and the boy in front of her screamed civilian.

Well. Unless he was as dangerous as Naasica-sensei, Obito-sensei, or Kakashi-sensei. Those three were the only ones Sakura knew that could perfectly replicate a civilian level's chakra.

If that were the case, Sakura was screwed regardless.

She sat up, offering the incredibly gorgeous civilian a tentative smile. "Hi. What are you doing up here? It's not safe."

The boy pointedly looked down at the chaos below. "I would imagine it's a fair bit safer up here than down there."

True, Sakura agreed, assessing the boy. He was relaxed. He had no killing intent, nor did his chakra level strike her as dangerous. He snuck up on her, but that could easily be explained by Sakura's inability to pay attention to her surroundings. She still struggled with her bad habit of forgetting her environment while she sniped. She was reliant on Naruto and Hinata to be her lookouts.

But Naruto and Hinata couldn't afford to babysit her while their home was under attack, hence why she left to find her own spot. She was a sniper, not a brawler. Hinata and Naruto would be aptly suited in the front lines, while she did best at a distance. She had hoped Ino would pick the same spot, but it would make more sense if Ino went to the opposite side of the village for more coverage. Sakura didn't think she had enough chakra or strength to shoot her special arrows across the whole village. If Ino noticed her there—which she likely did because Sakura knew Ino was smart—she should go opposite of Sakura.

"Mind if I stay here with you?" the boy asked in a voice that made Sakura's heart skip a beat.

If he's a civilian it's my job to protect him, but if he's not—

Sakura almost snorted.

If he's not, then I'm fucked regardless. Someone on the level of Naasica-sensei is not someone I can defeat on my own.

"Sure," she said. "I need to set up some traps first, though. Stay put, okay?"

"As you wish," he demurred. "I'm Sasori, by the way."

"Sakura," answered Sakura with an easy smile. "Are you a resident?"

"No. Visiting for the tournament. I'm a traveling artist."

"Oh! I love art," Sakura said as she pulled out her prepared fūinjutsu seals to set up the traps. Some explosives, but most of them would serve as alerts and genjutsus.

Sasori had a terribly pretty smile. "Do you? What kind of art do you enjoy?"

"Sculpting," she answered. "I've recently gotten into clay sculpting and woodworking as a little hobby."

"Sculpting," Sasori repeated, his tone gentle and melodic. "A worthy pursuit of art."

"Thanks," said Sakura, a reflexive smile on her lips which instantly gave her an out-of-body moment.