Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Wednesday 28th of June
Three days after the conversation they had the atmosphere was much lighter. Sakura was happy to see that Sasuke was a bit more open with her and started talking a little bit more. They both thought that the dimensions had the biggest potential of hiding something but they still judged necessary to visit the village. Sasuke broke the silence.
"When we were in the lava dimension I spotted a castle..."
Sakura interrupted him.
"Next to the volcano! I saw it as well when Kakashi and I were hiding with Naruto's clone and Obito. You think there might be something in there?"
"That's our best bet. Now that I am thinking of it I also saw a castle in the frozen one. We can safely assume that there is one hidden in every dimension. We will need to go to all of them but the only problem is that each time I travel into one my rinnegan is inactive for a short period of time. It uses up a lot of chakra."
"I have my seal that can be helpful in this case. I stored chakra in it over the past two years and I'm storing more everyday."
"That's why we need to be prepared to camp in each dimensions for a short period of time. What would be good is if we keep your reserve in case of extreme necessity. We might get attacked in there, who knows and we'll need to be able to fight back or you need to be able to use your medical jutsu."
"We need to stop somewhere on our way there to buy some provisions if we're gonna camp. If we find a place where I can buy herbs I can make some chakra pills as well. I brought some with me but having more won't be a bad thing."
"So the plan is; we travel to Hoshigakure, on our way there we spend the night in a village... the closest one would be the one close to the hidden valley. Travelling there will be one more day considering that we already are in the Land of River. We will be half a day away from the hidden village of the Star, or what's left of it. Our only issue is that the village is hidden in a forest in the middle of a crater. Surrounding it there is a thick poisonous mist protecting the village from raids. We need to find a way around it."
"Do you think this mist could have been caused by the meteor?"
"Little is known of the Land of Bears, particularly this village. We can only make assumptions and see what the situation is. Did Naruto or Lady Tsunade tell you what happened to the village?"
Sakura nodded while looking at him. Them two worked very well together and made a great team.
"Well, Tsunade-sama did tell me about it. She was researching the cause of the ill. As you know the ninjas were using the meteor as a source of power, but overtime the light of the rock connected with their chakra. Their insides started to ridden and parts of their body weakened. It led to major blood loss. She found a cure, well more a treatment for the side effects and sent a team of medics there to heal the population. Shortly after Naruto had to go on a mission over there. Two years after this mission happened, the leader decided to become stronger by putting the meteor inside his chest. It led to a massive explosion that wiped out the entire village. The head of the Land of Bears declared the area dangerous based on the effect it created. The energy of it is still probably present so we will need to be careful. Tsunade-sama told me how to heal the side effects but the main problem won't be solved and it could quickly lead to our death if we are not cautious."
Sasuke stayed quiet after her explanation. She knew that he was thinking so she let him do so in peace. The situation was probably more dangerous than they initially imagined. Her mind started wandering while she looked at the trees. She trusted that he will come up with a plan that she will be happy to follow. In only four days of travelling together she already realised how much closer they were compared to when they had left.
He also started to open up to her by being more talkative which might seem like nothing to anyone but to someone who knew Sasuke they will know that it meant a lot. The image of him staring at her popped into her head. Back when it happened she didn't know what to think of it. The scene was comical though, his mouth was slightly opened and his arm dangling by his side. The kunoichi didn't think it meant anything, he was probably just lost in his thoughts.
They walked for what felt like hours quietly side by side both immersed in their thoughts. The sun was already setting down putting an end to their fourth day of travel. Without speaking of it, they stopped to settle down for the night. They will need to be well rested and they didn't know if sleep was going to be an option in the future.
Sasuke decided to go hunting while Sakura started the fire. The advantage of being in the Land of Rivers was the variety of fish that one could catch. They had a great dinner and even decided to cook some of the rice they brought with them and pack it for the journey ahead. They both fell asleep quickly after eating and woke up as soon as the sun appeared. This was their last day of travel before arriving to the Hidden Valley village.
The afternoon was nearly over when they arrived in front of the gates. The sign above them showed the word "Tanigakure" in blue letters.
They could hear the noise of the water coming from the waterfall that was next to the village. The place stood on the small mountain's side, next to a beautiful but dangerous river. The stream of it was so strong due to the waterfall that anyone who dared jump in it would die. The village in itself was entirely made out of wood and the houses were smaller than in Konoha.
The duo entered and walked together to the main place. Once arrived Sasuke stopped and looked at her.
"I'll go and buy some weapons. Do you need anything?"
"I didn't pack any smoke bomb and explosive tag. It might come in handy if we need to escape quickly."
Sasuke smirked at what she said and she wondered why.
"That was already on my list. Is that it?"
She laughed quietly.
"I'd say so. I'm gonna go and visit the apothecary and then I'll get some food. Can you get an inn for the night?"
"Back here in an hour."
She nodded and smiled to herself. They definitely were a great team.
An hour later they met up and Sakura followed Sasuke to the inn. They both had a separate a room which made sense the her. She took a quick shower after putting the fresh provisions into her bag. A knock on her door made her come out of the bathroom, her hair still wet. She opened it and saw Sasuke facing her. He stared at her for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Follow me we need to plan the route for tomorrow."
She listened and did what she was told. Once in his bedroom. She saw a map opened on the table. Sasuke leaned on his hands pressed against the wood of table. His index moved on top of the dot showing the town of Tanigakure.
"We're here, Hoshigakure is over there." his finger moved following what he said. "We'll be there in the afternoon."
Sakura tried to point at a point on the map but as she approached her hand to the paper, her wrist brushed against Sasuke's hand. Her movement stopped suddenly, his skin was so close that she could feel the heat from it. He immediately pulled away. She cleared her throat pushing away the feeling of embarrassment.
"That's where the poisonous mist is. If we walk through this side of the forest we can avoid it. That part of the forest, over here is already in the Land of Bears. It's known to be home to some of the biggest animals on the continent. We can face them off easily but we'll still need to be careful."
"And by walking this way we gain an hour." added Sasuke.
Sakura looked at him and smiled. Sasuke didn't smile back but his eyes were calm. The usual storm filling them was quiet today. She could swim in them without fearing of being overwhelmed. She allowed herself to give him another smile.
A drop of water started to run down her cheek. It ran all the way to her chin and fell on the table with a small noise. That was when the connection broke. He looked away and shook his head. The young woman blushed discreetly staring at the piece of paper. She built up her courage and asked him a question.
"Sasuke-kun?"
He kept looking away but she knew she had his attention.
"There's a show happening tonight. Just some singing and dancing, but I thought it'd be nice to go. We can eat something as well."
She waited anxiously for his answer. Nothing came and she started losing hope so she turned her back and opened the door. He stopped her before she had time to close it behind her.
"Your hair is wet."
"I'll put it up. Let's go!"
Probably because she was missing the traditional dinner with Naruto and Hinata she insisted to have ramen which Sasuke had no choice but to agree to. He was more distant than he was in the forest and she wondered why. His eyes kept looking in every direction not focusing somewhere in particular. Something was off but she couldn't say what it was. She still enjoyed the music and the show but they both started to feel tired very quickly. The duo went back to the inn and fell asleep without even saying goodnight to each other.
Even if today was a different day, Sasuke was still acting off. They were both marching through the deep forest looking around making sure nothing was following them. They finally arrived in the forest leading to Hoshigakure.
Suddenly before they could even react a huge wolf jumped behind them. A giant claw grabbed Sakura's shoulder and yanked her against a tree. Sasuke turned around but didn't move. He just looked at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. Sakura closed hers from the pain in her shoulder and back. She couldn't lift her right arm anymore and did the only thing that seemed logical to her in that moment. She screamed for help when she heard the beast walking towards her.
"Sasuke!"
He didn't react and just stared, his eyes completely empty. When the beast jumped on Sakura that's when he reacted quickly and moving so fast due to the activated sharingan he killed it with one hit from his sword. The weight of the dead creature falling on him pinned him on the ground.
Sakura was already healing her sore and bloody shoulder when she looked at him. He was struggling trying to get the dead animal off of him and she knew she could help but didn't want to. Instead of that she got mad.
"What the hell happened?! Why didn't you help me?!"
"I was caught by surprise."
She laughed very loudly making fun at the stupidity of his comment.
"There is no way that you, Sasuke Uchiha, got caught by surprise. You didn't bother, that's it."
He tried to push away the beast but failed so she decided to help him. She lifted the carcass and threw it away. Without waiting on him she walked towards Hoshigakure. Very well, if he wanted to play it like they were on their own she will do the same then.
She heard some footsteps and knew he was following her.
"Sakura."
She purposely ignored him and kept walking straight ahead.
"Sakura." he continued. "We need to stay together we could get attacked again."
This was enough to make her already boiled blood explode. She turned around and walked towards him.
"Oh yeah? Why? Because apparently your help isn't an option so why would mine be? You know the disgusting part about this? If this had happened to you I would've jumped to help without thinking twice!" she spat so angrily that she surprised herself.
"Something like that wouldn't happened to me."
She was reaction-less for a second. Was he making fun of her right now?
"Right. Because "if I have time to run after you, I have time to practice" right? Well guess what I practiced. I practiced so hard so I'd be able to save your ass from Orochimaru, I worked hard to save your stupid self from making a mistake that would've cost you your life. But I am sick of the condescending tone you use when you talk to me. Call me annoying if you want, I'm sick and tired of this. Maybe Naruto and I should've left you alone all these past years."
"I didn't ask you to do all of that for me."
She bit the inside of her cheeks to the point where she felt the taste of the blood in her mouth.
"That was my mistake. With you it's always one step forward and four backwards. You know I had my suspicions. I didn't think someone who fell as deep as you did could change and you just proved me right. I'll help you investigate in Hoshigakure but then you're on your own, I'm going back to Konoha. I'll go back to work in MY clinic with MY patients who treat me with respect. As for you Sasuke, you will end up alone as per usual. Don't you dare blame someone else for that because it's on you and you alone. You can push people away all you want but don't be surprised if they let you go."
The words poured out of her mouth without her control. She didn't mean half of these things but now it was too late and for once she was sort of proud of herself. She didn't let him disrespect her and she fought back for her dignity. Maybe if he wasn't this self-destructive they would be able to have constructive conversations but that didn't seem to be the case. Of course he never asked for their help but they tried anyway because that's what friends do for each other. Friends... Sasuke obviously didn't consider her as a friend.
Without checking if the ninja was following her, she just walked deeper into the forest not knowing that behind her someone stood there not willing to move. His thoughts were rushing in every directions but all he could do was whisper something that would have made a difference.
"You are strong enough to fight, that's why I didn't move."
Probably every creature in the forest could feel Sakura's tension and decided not to approach the duo. She was still walking ahead of him not looking back at all. The atmosphere was awfully tense. She felt guilty for some of the things she said but was angry, very angry but also tired of the pattern of letting him back in her life and then him pushing her out of it again. If he wanted her in it he would have to make it clear, very clear for a long time.
She regretted telling him that she will back home once they got there because she didn't want to. She actually enjoyed being away from the village and it was a great opportunity for her to travel. She was definitely too proud to admit that to him.
Her feet stopped at the edge of the forest. Down there was the hidden village of the star or more what was left of it. The crater was huge and deep. She started descending followed by Sasuke. They both avoided the rest of houses blocking their way. The air was very thick down here for some reason so Sakura decided to build up chakra in her abdomen ready to dispatch anywhere in her body to protect her if needs be.
Once they attained the bottom of the crater they could see what was left of the people who lived there. Sakura picked up a headband from the ground and touched the star symbol graved on it. She could imagine little children wearing them and running home for dinner. Now when she looked around her she could just see destruction, death and the horror of what someone desperate for power did.
Her lungs felt heavy but she didn't pay attention to it. She gradually inspected the place not wondering what Sasuke was doing. She just had to find anything related to that meteor which would definitely be hard in that mess.
After walking around for a bit she found a huge book half burnt. Once she opened it on the first page she saw the drawing of a forest illuminated by one billion stars. She admired the drawing for a second and turned the page. On the other side was the same forest but this time a star seemed to fall from the sky towards the ground. She turned another page, on this one she could see a huge crater and in its centre a purple colour emitting from it. She flipped through the pages a bit faster and realised that it was describing the construction of the village. Some of the pages were so burnt that she could only make out some elements of it. She judged necessary to show it to Sasuke so she walked back to him.
"I found something."
He turned around and looked at the book. She stood next to him and showed the pages one by one. His breath fell on her neck and that was when she realised how close the two were.
"The creation of the village. Is there any page showing Kaguya or anything related?"
"No but that purple colour oddly reminds me of her." She flipped the page but he stopped her hand instantly.
"Look" his finger pointed at the bottom of the drawing. Sakura squinted trying to catch what he was seeing. His breathing became irregular. "The lines here, it's not a drawing, it's a phrase."
"What does it say?"
He took the book off her hands and brought it closer to his eyes.
"Last page hides something." he mumbled to himself and flipped to the last page. He put the book down so Sakura could see as well. He coughed a little bit.
The two ninjas stared at the last page their shoulders touching. The drawing was showing a forest and in the middle of it there was a huge hole filled with a red colour. In its centre stood a sort of island with a castle standing on it. They tried to make sense of it.
"Is that when the explosion happened?" asked Sakura.
"Could be. What's the red coloured thing?"
"I don't know, I was thinking the same thing."
Sasuke coughed a little bit louder this time.
"Are you ok?" she worried.
"Yes."
Sakura looked back at the drawing. Always giving him attention when he didn't want her too.
She scanned the drawing and finally saw something odd.
"Look, the island seems way higher than that red thing. What if it is a volcano and not an island."
"Hn, that couldn't be. The whole book is about the story of this village and we would know if a volcano was here."
"Precisely my point. Maybe when the star exploded the land was wiped out and whatever amount of ground recovering the volcano was, it was pushed away and the volcano woke up. We don't know how old this land is so there could very well be a volcano here, underground."
"If your theory is right then how did someone know about this?" he stopped suddenly and looked at Sakura. His eyes half closed.
"Where did you find this?"
"Over there, follow me."
She brought him over where the book was and Sasuke looked around the place.
"Look at that," he said pensively. "the body of this man. It doesn't look like he got burnt. His death is more recent than the others. The headband is from the Land of River as well."
"Maybe the book belongs to him?" offered Sakura.
"In this case what happened to him?"
Sasuke kneeled down and searched the body. He found a little scroll inside the jacket. He gave it to Sakura.
"What does it say?" he asked while still searching.
"Our world isn't the only one. What if this meteor came from somewhere else and its explosion isn't a coincidence." Sakura stopped to think for minute. "It looks like he was doing what we are right now. That was probably his research notes." she added.
"Sakura can you practice an autopsy even if the person died a while ago?"
She nodded and kneeled in front of Sasuke.
"I don't have my material with me but I can do a few things that might help."
She put her hands on the body and the green light came out of it. She moved her hand over it trying to find a place where something felt off. Sasuke coughed in front of her again. She stopped on the abdomen.
"Weird." she noted.
"What?"
"He didn't get hurt by anything... it seems like he died from internal issues. I can't exactly say what it was but I can see that the chakra didn't flow in the body like it should have. It feels like something was blocking it."
"That's all you can get?"
"No, internal blood loss. He drowned his organs in his own blood pretty much."
Sasuke put the book on top of the body and looked at the drawing again.
"Show me the scroll," he asked which she did. "Our world isn't the only one... What if this meteor was sent by Kaguya?"
"No, she was sealed away remember? The village isn't that old. So we know that meteors come from up there, right? So what if it was up there and it just landed. But it is a piece of where she is from?" she replied.
"That's a theory that could work but it still doesn't explain the drawing."
"It does. The meteor exploded on our world but it was from a different one. It woke up a volcano, referring to my previous theory, and the ground was covered in lava." Sakura said proudly.
"Hold on. Lava. That's right. How did I miss it? That shows Kaguya's lava dimension."
"You think that the explosion opened a dimension?"
"The only way to find out is to go there. We..."
He started coughing but this time he couldn't catch a breath.
"Sasuke?"
"Air. I can't..."
He coughed again. Sakura instantly understood and pushed him onto the ground. Her hand focused some chakra onto his lungs and created a barrier.
"Better?"
"ARGGGGH"
His face grimaced and she knew something was wrong. She checked his body to heal him and at her surprise she realised that his chakra was blocked on his abdomen. She looked at the dead body next to them and it clicked: he was dying. She quickly picked up the scroll and the book in one hand while the other one grabbed Sasuke and she jumped out of the crater into the forest. She needed to get him as far away as she could from the the energy of the meteor.