Disclaimer:
I don't own Naruto, it belongs to Kishimoto. I wish I owned Naruto though, or at least had permission to write for the filler arcs. Then I could get this story animated.
Summary:
A plague breaks out on a border town of the Fire Country, and Sakura is dispatched with medicine to aid the medic-nins there, and given an armed escort. When she arrives, however, she and her team discover there is more at work here than a simple plague. Takes place sometime during the Filler Arcs and before the Timeskip. Rated PG-13 for action violence and some light cursing
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Near the border of the Grass Country, there existed a small town. Nothing particularly noteworthy about this town, it had stone buildings (most no higher than two stories), reasonably content people, beautiful scenery. It's primarily source of income was lumber, and it's people were hardworking and prosperous. If there was any fear of their neighbors in Hidden Grass or further northwest, in the rocky country of Earth, they were dispelled by the comforting thought of Konoha's shinobi watching over their town.
However, these days they had a new fear.
An unseen menace had slipped amongst the town of Takaki, as it was known. Not ninja, this foe was far more sinister, and killed its victims far more slowly.
Disease.
At first it had been a few individuals caught by the trouble, a few people stricken, mostly those overworked, the elderly, the young. But soon full-grown, healthy men and women began to come down with the illness, which quickly earned the moniker the Crimson Plague. So named because the victim's body broke out into horrible red splotches, their temperature climbed, and eventually they succumbed to a raging fever, dying within a matter of days.
The plague spread quickly. Medic-nin were dispatched from Hidden Leaf itself, under the orders of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. They moved quickly to quarantine the disease and prevent it from spreading further. Takaki was closed off, armed shinobi posted at every entrance to the city, and no one was allowed in or out save the medic-nin.
However, as the days turned to hours turned to days and the days to weeks, the plague ravaged the population, and the supplies of the medic-nin began to run low.
So Tsunade sent a special team to deliver them.
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"... and that's where you come in," stated the Fifth Hokage, as she handed out the mission profile paper. "You're to deliver the medical supplies to our team already out at Takaki and provide any other assistance that may be needed."
"Everything you'll need is already waiting by the west gate with Izumo and Kotetsu," added Shizune, standing as she usually did by her mentor's right and slightly behind her, ready to provide whatever assistance was needed.
Sakura accepted the mission profile and nodded. "Understood," she said, turning to depart.
"Hold on," came Tsunade's voice, and Sakura came to a halt, almost doing a kaiten in her haste to turn back around. "This mission is going to need more than you're able to provide," stated the elderly, blonde woman. "Not only is it dangerous, you're going to need muscle to haul all of these supplies, I wouldn't dream of making you do it all by yourself. We'll just need to wait until your teammates arrive."
"Teammates?"
A respectful knock came at the door, almost on cue, and moments later it swung open wide to reveal...
"Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, Rock Lee, is here," he announced. Unnecessarily, or so Sakura thought.
"Rock Lee will be accompanying you to protect you and the shipment, Sakura. He... er..."
"... cheerfully volunteered," supplied Shizune diplomatically. She and Tsunade shared a glance, and Sakura shivered, imaging perfectly well what had really happened.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she smiled, turned to Lee, and dipped her head respectfully. "Thank you for agreeing to come with me, Lee," she said.
"Thank you, Sakura-san. I promise, no harm will come to you or the shipment. I will protect you with my life," he stated, striking one of his legendary 'nice guy' poses and flashing his teeth.
As one, Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune sweatdropped.
Tsunade cleared her throat, dispelling the awkward silence that followed. "There's one other coming with you," said the Fifth Hokage. "Idiot needed something to do to keep busy," she muttered under her breath.
Sakura's emerald eyes grew wide, a sinking feeling already creeping over her. "Not...?"
"Saaakuuuraaa-chaaaannn!"
Sakura slapped her hand against her forehead, groaning in frustration. "Naruto..."
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As the sun began to rise in the east, the small, three-man team stepped out of the shadows of the western gate of Konoha. The sun at their backs, they started off on a brisk pace along the road, heading towards the town of Takaki.
The one in front, setting the pace, was a blonde, spiky-haired boy of no more than thirteen at most. Fair-sized and muscular, with distinct whisker-marks on his cheeks and piercingly bright blue eyes. He was clad in an almost painfully bright orange jumpsuit, trimmed in blues and bearing a swirl of red on the back. A holster was strapped to his leg and a pack rested on the back of his waist, and a forehead protector across his brow.
Slightly to his left was a girl, whose hair was a most unusual shade of pink and her eyes were like jade chips. A forehead protector lay draped over her head, drawing back her locks to expose her overly wide forehead. She was dressed in bright reds and blues, complementing her features, and her dress left her muscular arms bare. She too was armed as a shinobi and carrying a pack slung over her shoulders.
Behind them all came another boy, a good head taller than his compatriots and a lot more lean, his slender, wiry body showcased by skintight green spandex. A forehead protector was slung across his waist, his arms and legs were heavily bandaged. He too wore a hip pack and a holster strapped to his leg, and a pack rested on his shoulders as he took proud strides forward.
Together, they set out along the trail to Takaki. Their spirits were high, their morale practically in the clouds. They were in the springtime of youth, whether they realize it or not, and firmly believed themselves to be invincible to any sort of danger or harm.
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High up in the distance, atop of the Hokage's Mansion, Tsunade and Shizune watched as the small Genin team quickly faded into small dots on the horizon, then vanished. Behind them, the silent, stone faces of the former Hokages seemed to do the same, as their great eyes of rock watched over all in the village of Konoha, those who came and went, who lived and worked in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
"It's a good team you picked," said Shizune pleasantly, as if chatting about the weather. "Lee and Naruto won't let Sakura come to any harm. Not if they have anything to say about it."
"I'd like to think the same could be said of anyone I assigned," replied Tsunade diplomatically.
"Those two will approach it with more... enthusiasm, perhaps," Shizune said, smirking a little. Tsunade returned the expression. Her apprentice was right, after all. She only hoped that both Naruto and Lee would be able to focus on the mission and not break down into a wrestling match to prove themselves for Sakura. Partly for their sake.
"But if I may ask," continued Shizune. "Why did you send Sakura herself? She's not fully trained yet."
Tsunade's smirk faded, then turned to a frown as she turned to watch the three Genin depart. "Because becoming a medic-nin cannot be taught wholly in books or hospitals. She will have to learn how to work in the field when life and death hang in the balance. This is as much a test for her as it is a mission," stated Tsunade.
"If she cannot rise to the challenge... there is no future for her as a medic-nin."
Shizune frowned lightly at that. "If... if this is about her last assignment..."
"It is. She has to learn. I just hope she deals with it better than I did," replied Tsunade with a sigh. As always, her training Sakura tended to bring back bittersweet memories of Dan. She'd loved him, and lost him. No medic-nin could halt death, no matter how hard they tried. Nor could they save everybody.
Sakura had to learn that.
Even though her lesson had already partly begun.
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At first, when they'd set out from Konoha, Sakura had been mildly pleased.
Both Naruto and Rock Lee were her friends, after all. They'd both saved her life at least once with little thought to their own safety, and she got along reasonably well with both of them, when Naruto wasn't loudly proclaiming he was going to be Hokage some day, and Rock Lee wasn't shouting equally loud about the springtime of youth. And, a more practical part of her mind agreed, it was useful for them to carry the supplies, being boys that they were. Not that she was weak by any stretch of the imagination.
She quickly found being in the company of -both- of them wore on her nerves.
"Oh! What happened then, Naruto-san?!" asked Rock Lee enthusiastically.
"I took each and every one out with my bare hands! Not a single merchant got so much as a scratch!" replied Naruto, with equal enthusiasm.
"Oh yes! Most impressive!" Rock Lee stated, nodding his head in appreciation of Naruto's tale. Behind them both, Sakura rolled her eyes. She'd seen the real reports. Shikamaru and Gaara's influence had helped, and Naruto had spent more time getting into trouble than being useful.
"It reminds me of the time...!" started Rock Lee.
"SHUT... UP...!!" roared Sakura.
Both boys nearly jumped clean out of their skins, froze, and turned around to face their teammate, who was practically spitting fire from her mouth, with green flames for eyes.
"Just shut up, both of you!" she shouted. "I am sick and tired of hearing about your stupid missions!"
Angrily, Sakura began to stalk forward, and both boys leapt clear out of the way as she stepped between them and continued down the trail, watching her with more than a little fear. Sakura sighed a little once her back was to them, and almost relaxed. Maybe she -was- being a bit of a bitch, she thought. She was just tired about hearing about everyone's cool missions and never going on them.
And then there was that incident...
"You bastard!" came a cry behind her.
Rock Lee and Naruto had thrown down their backpacks and looked on the verge of attacking one another.
"How dare you trouble the wise and beautiful Sakura-san with your uncouth ramblings!" stated Rock Lee proudly, hand upraised to beckon Naruto on.
"ME?! You were the one who wouldn't shut up about the one time you and Gai went to the Tea Country and..." he replied, hands upraised into fists.
Sakura calmly strode over between them, grabbed both Naruto and Rock Lee by the front of their jacket and jumpsuit, respectively...
"I said..."
... and with a mighty yell, hurled them both through the air.
"... SHUT... UP! SHANNARO!"
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The going from that point on was pretty quiet, to say the least.
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Author's Notes:
Takaki roughly translates as Tall-tree or some such. And Sakura's not being overly mean for no reason (being out of character, for instance) there's a reason for it that'll be explained later.