[Recap] As such, Sakura spoke up first with an idea similar to that of her teammates. In a hushed voice, barely audible to even her teammates, she began. Naruto and Sasuke had to lean in slightly to hear it, but once they had, they agreed without hesitation. It was a general and common idea, but it would be a great new addition to their current plan.
Trust no one. A common concept among those who thrived in secretive lifestyles; this included shinobi. Though simple, many found it to be quite useful when it needed to be; whether if it was for carrying out missions, retrieving information and even performing simple tasks. This was the suggestion Sakura instilled into her teammates minutes before.
: Sakura leaned forward, speaking in hushed tones, making Naruto and Sasuke lean forward slightly to hear her. "Despite the hospitality of the soldiers towards us, I still don't think they're trustworthy."
"Agreed."
"Hn."
The speculation was mutual – even Naruto in all his optimism was feeling a little unsure. Their resolve was weakened increasingly when they witnessed what they thought to be human trafficking.
It wasn't confirmed that what they had seen was human trafficking – after all, if it was, the soldiers probably wouldn't have taken them this way, but maybe there weren't any detours? What else could it be? Simple transportation didn't call for such a large number of people being condensed into a wagon. Their destination didn't even seem that far away from the town center from the distant conversing they picked up (not coming from the passing cart). Until further notice, team 7's assumptions would be deemed the truth until proven otherwise.
"As such," Sakura continued. "We should be on guard. No matter how kind they seem, we need concrete assurance before we can put our faith in them."
Thus, this was the mutual agreement team 7 made. "Trust no one."
The next matter at hand was the distant chattering they took notice to earlier. Now turning their attention to it, team 7 noticed the area they were heading into.
Focusing past the outlines of the leading soldiers, towards the secluded area, they saw a large desert scape with a large building towards the left, smaller buildings to the right, and a large, naturally shaped crater in the middle. The sheer size and the distance between the largest building and the smaller ones made them speculate that it was a training ground – in no way was it bigger than the ones in the Elemental Nations though. The training grounds back home were so vast that they could probably hold numerous houses and commercial buildings. This one paled in comparison.
What the training grounds in the Elemental Nations didn't have, however, was housing; unlike what the smaller buildings off to their right were assumed to be. They looked like the cabins that could be found at a bath houses or inns found along roads that were used when carrying out missions. The design could probably be written up to be due to the lack of development. All the houses in the town square looked to be the same as well. If that wasn't the case though, team 7 could possibly be residing there themselves; for the moment at least. That was if those in charge allowed them to be around others. They didn't exactly fit in.
It was Naruto's keen eyes that noticed them first. Despite looking head on into the area, the lack of luminescence made it difficult to make out distinct features – let alone the group of people filing into the largest building. Due to their range of heights, they could be about their age – their real age – and/or younger. From within the building, the dim, wavering light of torches could be seen through the window, as people could be seen sitting down for a meal, and on the outside walls, illuminating the remaining individuals on the porch. The few left on the porch watched a figure tiredly jogging around the edge of the area. As the cart got nearer to the area, Naruto could distinguish those on the porch as young boys and the figure as a girl about the same age as them.
By now, all three members of team 7 were on their knees peering past the soldiers leading them. Naruto temporarily closed his eyes to rest them before they got closer and he, once again, needed to be on guard. The anticipation was, quite literally, boring him. The years never quite eliminated his short attention span; only increasing in dire situations. But it was nice to have a few moments of peace. There was no telling what would occur once they headed into the site – what kind of chaos would ensue? So he pushed those thoughts aside and, along with his comrades in arms, basked in the temporary calm before the anticipated storm. (This would be one of the last moments they got to do this).
The sound of turning wheels and horses trotting drew the boys' attention from the jogging girl to the approaching soldiers and cart; as it did the girl who temporarily stopped her exhausting training(?) to look at them. The girl stumbled towards the porch, probably taking this time to rest and to see what was to come, as a boy with a shaved head ran off the porch to aid her. "Sascha [Transl. Sascha: Sasha]," the boy cried out, in a concerned tone. He definitely sounded like a child – Naruto knew he wasn't one to talk though, as he currently looked like one. This was a detail that those near the building couldn't yet see as they weren't in the range of the torches and the moon could only light up so much. At the distance they were at, the silhouettes of the horses and carts were probably only visible to the kids, not permitting any distinct features from showing. They did know that they were approaching though and soon enough they would be able to.
"Here we go," Naruto prepped himself, mumbling under his breath as they strayed further into the area and into the boundary of the rays. Sakura rubbed his shoulder, eyes still ahead, in encouragement. Upon straying further into the area, for the first time, the two parties were able to see each other clearly.
The now confirmed kids gasped, save for one that simply stared, apprehension apparent on his features. Gaining a stiffer posture in response to their appearance, the kids – six to be exact; four on the porch and two making their way towards it – took an unfamiliar stance. The left sides of their chests were met with balled fists, no doubt for the soldiers. Then eyes drifted to team 7, earning another set of gasps.
Blue eyes met green and Naruto immediately recognized stubborn determination, much like his own. Although probably not sharing the same goals, perhaps they shared the same ideals. Naruto could only hope as it could aid the duration of their mission. If not, he could be tricky; an obstacle for their urgent mission. If he wasn't an ally, he would be an enemy. Seconds passed and nobody made a move until, surprisingly, Sasuke spoke up. In a language unrecognizable to everyone except his teammates, he mumbled "Geez, get a good look why don't you."
Naruto snorted loudly before Sakura elbowed him. Sasuke too was met with an elbow to the ribs before she also hid her snickers behind her hand. Despite not knowing what was said, Levi turned to them with an annoyed expression before dismounting his horse and lowering a side of the cart for them to get out. The female soldier followed.
"He's definitely fun on missions," Naruto quipped, receiving another snicker from Sakura and a chuckle from Sasuke, quickly disguised as a grunt. Proud to receive a rise out of his usually broody teammate, he happily bound his way over beside the horses who shifted away from him; a frown now painted on his face.
The children looked uncomfortable; some could be seen fiddling nervously with their fingers. 'We look the same age as us. Surely they can't be that threatened.' It took Naruto a moment to remember he, and his teammates we covered in blood and wounds. 'Oh.'
The woman with glasses slowly made her towards the six on the porch, noticing their distraught expressions, "Hey Kadetten, seht nicht so panisch aus [Transl. Hey Kadetten, seht nicht so panisch aus: Hey cadets, don't looked so panicked]."
Team 7 heard a snap and looked in the direction of the male cadet, that made a gesture for them to interpret. Two arms made an 'X' formation before being swept downwards, diagonally. This was understood as 'don't'. Then, with his right hand, he made a c formation and his thumb met his four other fingers twice. This was understood as 'talk'. Team 7 nodded in response, after the cadet lowered both of his hands to his sides. It was really unnecessary as he could have put his finger to his lips, but then again, that may have been interpreted as 'be quiet'. Finally, he made a gesture for them to follow him.
They walked towards the steps, presumably heading inside the building, receiving distrusted stares and children moving away from them. It didn't bother Naruto and Sakura much; they could sympathize with what they were feeling, but Sasuke honestly found it kind of pathetic. He even mischievously debated lunging at them, but decided against it, instead settling for a pointed glare. Sakura was kind of scary these days. The action still resulted in drawing skittish reaction from them; he was satisfied.
The woman continued, when they walked further onto the porch, heading towards the door. "Dies sind nur einige neue Entwicklungen, über die Sie sich keine Sorgen machen müssen [Transl. Dies sind nur einige neue Entwicklungen, über die Sie sich keine Sorgen machen müssen: These are just some new developments, nothing to worry about].
"Neue Entwicklungen [Transl. Neue Entwicklungen: New developments]?"
"Was meinen Sie [Transl. Was meinen Sie: What do you mean]?"
"Was meinen Sie [Transl. Was meinen Sie: Who are they]?"
The questions increased not leaving room for any answers. "Beruhigt euch, Kadetten [Transl. Beruhigt euch, Kadetten: Calm down cadets]," the woman slightly raised her voice, not angrily, but authoritative. "Wie gesagt, es gibt nichts zu befürchten. Wir werden ihre Anwesenheit zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt besprechen. Ab sofort, aber alles was ich von dir verlange [Transl. Wie gesagt, es gibt nichts zu befürchten. Wir werden ihre Anwesenheit zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt besprechen. Ab sofort, aber alles was ich von dir verlange: Like I said, there's nothing to worry about. We'll discuss their presence at a later date. As right now, all I ask of you]."
The male cadet reached for the handle of the door, then held it open for the three to walk in. Team 7 filed inside, not caring for the unintelligible words she was saying. As the door closed behind them and the male cadet, they heard the low voice of the woman, "ist, sie vor allen, die nicht in diesem Lager sind, geheim zu halten [Transl. ist, sie vor allen, die nicht in diesem Lager sind, geheim zu halten: is to keep this a secret from everyone not in this camp]."
1, 893 Words
Hey guys, sorry for the late update. During school, I had a lot to do, but now that it's summer, my updates are going to be more frequent. Also, I know this chapter was rather short, but that's because you guys can probably expect another chapter this Monday. No promises though :)
This chapter was a little bit harder to write, simply because it wasn't really flowing the way I wanted to. I made it work though. Hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave me your feedback, suggestions and anything else. Until next time! Bye!!
By the way, ":" and italics will means flashbacks (for further reference).