Blindfolded

Blindfolded

Chapter information:
Genre: action/drama/mystery/general
LORE:
Inari - God of Rice
The craze for rubber chicken - it did happen thanks to a Hungarian tv channel.

Author's Note: any reference to politics was inspired by the state of the Hungarian internal politics.

Chapter 8
Murder in the Tavern

For the second time that morning the alarm shrieked, and a half-asleep Ino crawled out from under her blanket. Sitting on the bed, she just stared out of her head stupidly for some time, until she cast a casual glance at the nightstand and noticed an unfamiliar piece of paper next to her alarm. With a big yawn Ino grabbed the paper and tried to decipher the hastily written name on it.

Uchiha Itachi

Ino shrugged, then stifled another yawn and stuffed the paper into her pocket. But seriously.. if somebody wanted to tell her something, don't just scrape down a name on a bit of paper.. Uchiha Itachi.. so what? That creep was around here yesterday, but he had vanished and nobody had seen him since. End of the story.

When Ino was ready, she opened the balcony door and with a casual jump she hopped down to the ground, then left for the training grounds to meet Chouji and Shikamaru. Walking leisurely along the main road she recognized Naruto coming slowly towards her from the other side of the street.

“Naruto!” Greeting the blond shinobi, Ino walked up to him.

“Ah Ino.. how are you?” Naruto asked with a tired voice. “Going to train?”

Ino nodded, then looked at him up and down.

“And you? Been wallowing in mud, I see.” she asked with a half smile. Naruto put his hands behind his head and laughed.

“You know how it goes..”

“Another boring C-class mission, huh?” Ino teased him more. Suddenly the smile vanished from Naruto's face.

“Sakura was sent out alone again.”

Ino looked up at Naruto's face in surprise. Now she understood why the always-happy Naruto was so anxious.

“I haven't heard anything about it. Did you see her?”

The young shinobi nodded, his gaze radiating concern.

“Since Kakashi brought her back she been so different. She shouldn't have been let out alone again! Had I known this.. I'd have talked to Tsunade..” his hands clenched into fists. “You should have seen her Ino.”

Ino was caught by Naruto's anxiety. She didn't know that Sakura had been sent out again, which was strange; her friend always said good-bye before missions. Ninjas could never be sure whether they'd survive the next day.

“She was startled when I greeted her, Ino!”

“Strange. Sakura is always so collected..” Ino mused. Naruto didn't answer, so they just stood about quietly thinking about their friend.

“Oh, talking about strange things.. ” Ino said after a while, and rummaged her pocket. “I found this piece of paper on my nightstand in the morning.”

Naruto just stared at the name for a long before he asked quietly.

“You don't know who wrote this?”

Ino snorted. “What I am, a calligraphologist? I have no idea who wrote it for me, or why.” she said, then leaned closer to Naruto and whispered. “Maybe it was Sakura.”


“Sakura!” Naruto echoed dumbfounded, when Ino's laugh interrupted his swirling thoughts.

“Oh come on Naruto! You should trust Tsunade-sama a bit more, you know. Did you seriously believe that she'd send her after Uchiha Itachi alone? Please..”

A shy smile flitted across Naruto's face. “Sure, you're right Ino-chan.”

Looking at his sad face, Ino took pity on Naruto. Had he lost Sakura as well, Naruto would be the only one left from his old team.. She stepped closer to give him a hug.

“Don't worry about Sakura. We'll give her a big party when she comes back, all right?”

“Sure thing.. thanks Ino.. I guess I’ll be off now..” Naruto said and took a step back. “Have a good training!”

Ino watched as Naruto's figure receeded into the distance.

“His home isn’t even that way” the thought emerged in her mind for moment, before it was blown away by the first breeze. Ino shrugged and looked down at the piece of paper again.

Uchiha Itachi

This whole thing really disturbed her, it festered in the back of her head even when she met her boys and began training; not leaving her when after a long, sweaty workout they went to grab something to eat. It was already late afternoon when Ino couldn't take it anymore, she had to know something - she stood up, said good-bye to the boys and left for the hospital.

“Hello, Hinata!” Ino popped into Hinata's office, where said kunoichi was arranging some documents. Hinata smiled shyly and gestured for her to come in. Ino immediately came to the point.

“Did you hear anything about Sakura's mission?”

Hearing that, Hinata ran her hand through her hair tiredly and sighed.

“Naruto asked me the same question in the morning.. ” she started uncertainly. “..and I told him already, that Sakura only took a one-week sick-leave. She herself-”

The door shut with a heavy bang, leaving Hinata alone.

“..handed in her diagnosis in the morning.. ” she finished the sentence, just for herself, then sighed again. “Naruto-kun in the morning.. now Ino..”

Ino ran towards Ichiraku Ramen breathlessly. She couldn't believe it.. Sakura, how could you be such an idiot!

“Iruka-sensei! Where is Naruto?!” she cried out when she saw her ex-teacher. Iruka looked at her nonplussed.

“He didn't come back home from his mission.. or did he? He did something mischievous again?” he asked worriedly.

“No.. I think not. Thanks, Iruka-sensei!” Ino answered hastily and began running again. She couldn't believe it!

Shikamaru and Chouji were still sitting in the All-you-can-eat-if-you-grill-it-yourself barbecue restaurant's garden, and were stretching themselves out lazily on the wide benches. They were still so full that they only cast a side glance at Ino when she burst into their field of vision.

“Sakura’s left! And Naruto has gone after her!”

“That's great.” Shikamaru said leisurely. “And where did they go?”

Ino was working round for a stroke, her nostrils were spitting fire. “I don't know! I mean yes I do..! Or wait, how should I know?! Everybody says different things!”

“Right, Ino.. take a deep breath.. and start from the beginning who says what.. okay? Just take it easy.”

“Okay oh.. so in the morning I met Naruto, who came back from a mission. He told me that he'd met Sakura by the border of Konoha, and that she'd gone on a mission again, alone, and when Naruto had wanted to accompany her a bit, she had refused. According to Naruto Sakura had behaved strangely, she was easily frightened, uncertain and flustered..”

“Easily frightened? He said that?” Shikamaru asked. Ino nodded.

“Yes, he said Sakura had been startled when he had greeted her. Is that important?”

“Just strange. Not the Sakura I know. Whatever, continue.”

“After that I showed Naruto the paper, whi- oh I forgot to tell you.” Ino gestured wildly with her hands, as if she wanted to catch a really fast, and really annoying bug. “So when I woke up that was on my nightstand.” She pulled out the piece of paper again. Shikamaru didn't say a word, only gave the paper to Chouji.

“Right, so I showed this to Naruto. I even teased him, that maybe it was written by Sakura.. then we parted. I met you guys..” here Ino halted and took a breath, then continued. “This matter just didn't leave me so I visited Hinata.. and what did I learn? That Sakura didn't even go on a mission, just took some sick-leave. Hinata also said that Naruto had visited her in the morning.. I tried to find him, but he had already left..”

“Why didn't you go straight to Tsunade-sama, Ino?” Shikamaru asked in a tired voice. Ino snapped.

“I don't know! You're the brain of the team, you tell me what to do! What if I had completely misunderstood everything?! What if Sakura had just gone mushroom picking, and now she's mushrooming together with Naruto somewhere? Tsunade would bite my head off.”

Shikamaru stood up restlessly, and began pacing. Ino and Chouji watched him in silence, and waited for him to say something clever. Shikamaru stopped and threw up his hands.

“It doesn't make any sense. Why would Sakura go after Itachi alone? Why did she refuse Naruto when she had the chance to get help?” he said while grinding his teeth together, and grabbed the accused piece of paper.

“But this.. this is the biggest mystery of all. Everything else can be explained somehow. When Itachi appeared Sakura remembered Sasuke and wanted to avenge him; so she abandoned common sense and went after Itachi alone. But she didn't want to risk harm to Naruto; even if she failed the Akatsuki wouldn't get their slimy hands on the Kyuubi. Although all of this sounds crazy, but..” Shikamaru shrugged. “We're talking about Sakura here, so it might be possible. But why would she write this?” he fluttered the piece of paper. “And why would she give it to you?”

“What do you mean?” Ino asked back in a dangerous tone.

“I thought you two were not exactly bosom friends.”

Ino's face reddened, and crossed her arms sullenly.

“That's not true! Just so you know, we do share our secrets! Sakura just promised me a few days ago, that I'd be the first who will know abou-”

Ino's eyes widened, but then shook her head.

“What?”

“Nothing! It's not your business anyway!”

Shikamaru smiled ironically and opened his arms.

“Ino, thanks to you we're up to our eyeballs in this already.”

Ino swallowed hard, and began to nervously drum the table with her finger.. for a while she was considering her choices, until she came to a decision.

“Sakura is in love” she said. Shikamaru looked surprised at the sudden change of topic.

“Good for her. Who is the lucky one?” he asked a bit sarcastically. Ino's eyes flared up again.

“Noo.. you don't understand..” she gritted her teeth. “She said she couldn't tell. But she promised, that I'd be the first one to know.”

Silence settled on them.

“Well.. Sakura always had the hots for black-haired Sharingan guys.”

Ino burst into laugh. “That's madness, Chouji!” she said when she could finally get air. Then as if the idea had sunk in, suddenly both of them became motionless and looked at each other.

“Oh come on.” Ino said again, but her voice lacked it's previous confidence. “Sakura has never seen Uchiha Itachi!”

“We don't know that. She was away for months on a mission alone.. anything could have happened during that time.”

“Like what?” Ino raised an eyebrow. “She got red roses from Itachi every day?”

Chouji clicked his tongue.

“It's obvious you haven't read Icha-Icha books, Ino. Let's say Itachi kidnaps her and-”

“And since when do you read Icha-Icha books?” Ino cut him off. Chouji looked at her with wide puppy eyes.

“Me?? ..Never, my sweetheart! Shikamaru told me all of this!”

“A friend in need is a friend indeed Chouji..but you could have carried the can this time.” Shikamaru mumbled.

“What should we do now?” Ino asked finally. Shikamaru grimaced.

“We'll go to the Hokage-sama and tell her all the facts, and keep our suspicions to ourselves” he decided.

.oOo.

While Shikamaru's team was standing in front of the Hokage, Naruto was also standing, in front of a sign-post and with just as much discomfort.

“I remember Sakura-chan saying that she'd go to Waterfall. But now that I'm standing here, I could have sworn that she left towards Rice” he murmured in confusion, then shrugged simply. Most likely he didn't remember right. It had happened before.

.oOo.

A sharp wind tore into Sakura's hair, and she tiredly swept the frozen locks out of her face. For a moment she glanced at the stars, just to orient herself. It was easy to get lost at night even on the road, especially the one she followed. It was a small, meandering path, which sometimes diverged almost unnoticably, leading to secluded, little farms that dotted the Land of Rice till reaching its capital. Sakura could have asked for shelter, but being driven by a feverish madness along the road she wasn’t tired yet.

“What am I doing here?” she whispered to herself once. She wanted to ask somebody to tell her what to do in a case like this, when one finds out that they’ve fallen in love with the person whom they hate?! Because yes, she abhorred the cruel Sharingan more than anything in her life. But she loved those entrancing black eyes with passion, and couldn't forget the beautiful feelings that had flashed in their depths by the moonlight. The realization, that these two were one and the same tore her up from inside.

She couldn't stay, couldn't simply continue her life as if nothing had happened! She had to know.. she felt she'd go crazy if she didn't know the truth. Was everything she had felt and experienced an illusion?! Everything she had learnt about him..

..Once you take off that blindfold.. you'll become part of this fate..

Sakura froze, as if she had just realized where she was heading to. Itachi was right. The more she learns about him the more..

..Maybe you too will realize that the life you've been living was just a cage..

Carefully she took off her headband and gently hold it out to see the Konoha symbol glittering in the starlight. Just a few weeks ago her life seemed so simple, so blessedly black and white.. she knew whom to love and whom to hate, and would have never imagined it possible to put an equal-sign between the two! And now look at her.. she was standing there.. with Konoha behind her..

..Probably you could choose differently. But you never would..

Sakura gripped the Konoha band tightly and then put it back on where it belonged. Gathering herself, she resumed her way along the road. If everything had happened as it was supposed to happen, then Uchiha Itachi is waiting for her somewhere.

Yet his deep voice echoed in her mind for a long while as she traveled without looking back.

..Aren't you afraid, Sakura?

.oOo.

After reaching the first settlement the next evening, Sakura decided to stay for the night. She wanted to lie low in a neither ostentatious nor too raunchy inn. As it turned out she didn't have much choice; it seemed the outskirts of this town didn't abound in taverns as she saw in other countries. Finally she entered one which wasn't as loud as the others, instead a comforting warm light filtered through its small windows. Closing the door after herself Sakura shook the fallen snowflakes out of her hair. She had already rubbed off the mud from her boots before she entered so her cape was the last reminder that she had just come from outside. With a slow, leisurely motion, as if she had all the time in the world to do it, she reached for the clasp of the coat while observing the people under her half-closed eyelids.


The place looked suitable; apart from a priest it was filled with the usual tavern crowd. No nobles, no soldiers - just how she liked it. As she hastily scanned the room a man caught her eye. He was staring at her openly, making Sakura grimace. Of course. It's not surprising that a woman gets attention in a place like this, Sakura reminded herself. She would have given a lot just to get a look under the hat which was shadowing his face almost completely - only an oil lamp on the bar counter poorly lit half of his face. His right eye, that could be seen in the light, gave away an almost hungry interest as he watched her every move.

He was not the only one whom Sakura wouldn't have turned her back on. There was another; a huge man sitting on the other side of the room, across from the man in the hat. Judging from his size he was probably a worker; but he kept his hands on his lap preventing Sakura from seeing whether they were weatherbeaten and worn as peasants' usually were, or rather firm and muscular as a fighter’s. Sakura knew one thing for sure; the farther from him the better.

As she was taking off her coat her eyes wandered to the priest, who was sitting right by the door in the corner. He was alone, accompanied only by a now empty glass, sitting calmly with closed eyes as if he wasn't in an inn where he could get a knife in his stomach any time. Although probably a priest wouldn't get attacked even in a place like this, Sakura thought as she approached the bar.

“A glass of mulled wine, if I may.. and rice.” She stopped by the counter. The bartender nodded and got down to work, while Sakura tried to turn slightly without attracting attention. Left of the door an older man was sitting, and judging from the number of glasses infront of him, he was waiting for someone. His face was foxlike, longish cheekbones, eyes cunning and calculating. His appearance was elegant, but not really friendly. Sakura's eyes lingered on him for a few more moments while she was musing. This is how a real cardshark would look like.. or a Daimyo.

She looked up to check whether her rice was ready but the bartender hadn't come back yet. Suddenly a soft whisper reached her ears, and she cast a sideways glance. An ugly, skinny man leaned over the golem-sized peasant and talked to him in a low voice. As if he had felt Sakura's eyes on his back he turned towards her and smiled revealing his brown and yellow set of teeth. Shivering, Sakura turned back towards the counter, where the bartender had wine fortunately just placed her rice and the steaming wine.

Holding the meal in her hands Sakura faced the room and hesitated. Where should she sit? On her right there was Golem and Gollum, two dangerous-looking figures; a bit farther from them, next to the door there was Daimyo, who was waiting for someone anyway.. On her left Cyclops was scrutinizing her and right next to the door, in the corner was the priest.. finally Sakura decided to sit next to him with her back to the wall in order to keep an eye on everybody. The priest still hadn’t opened his eyes yet. and as she approached him Sakura took her time to observe his features. He was aged but not old; he looked as if the years had given rather than taken from him. His calm demeanour radiated wisdom and power, just like how a priest should be. His dress was old and ragged at places, a bit too loose on him as well - but when it had been new and fit him, he must have been even more imposing.

“I'd sit here if I wasn’t disturbing.” Sakura said as she put down the mug and the bowl on the table. When she looked at the priest again she caught his inquiring gaze for a moment, before he smiled at her and gestured to sit down.

“Please take a seat.. although your admirers will be certainly disappointed, I'm afraid.” he said, his eyes sparkled up with joy. Sakura's jaw fell in surprise. He has seen everything?!

“I'll never underestimate priests anymore.. I thought you were sleeping” she praised him while sitting down. The priest chuckled.

“Truth never hides itself from those who open their mind to it.”

Sakura grimaced and cast a furtive glance around as she broke her chopsticks into two. There were still people who were watching her, not even trying to hide their shady interest.

“Unless, of course, devil tries to diverge us from our purpose.” she said and raised her mug to wash out the bitter taste from her mouth. She loathed these men.

“And that is where I come into the picture” the priest answered with a smile, and Sakura felt her own lips curve into a smile as well. The spicy warmth of the wine began to spread through her body.

“You must know a lot about demons then.”

“More than anybody” the priest answered confidently, and bowed. “Kozuka; wandering monk, demon specialist.”

Sakura smiled faintly. Although it was a bit strange, that the monk introduced himself by his first name; on the other hand she was thankful to him - she would have been reluctant to tell her full name, even to a monk.

“My pleasure. Sakura; medic-nin, vampire hunter.” She returned the gesture and turned back to her wine, but not before she caught the admiring look on the monk’s face.

“I didn't know Konoha had such a unit.”

Sakura took a swig from the mug and waved leisurely.

“I'm the only one of my kind.”

The monk's smile widened at that answer, his eyes flashed for a moment.

“Then you must be irreplaceable. I'm surprised you were let out alone.”

Sakura shrugged, not being in the mood to tell why and how she ended up there. Then the door opened, and the freezing winter air crept into the warm inn. Sakura glanced at the stranger, who quietly closed the door after himself. The man wasn't really old, but based on his riff-raff appearance and shabby clothes, he must have been a beggar. Sakura uncomfortably looked back at the monk.

“And you? Alone as well?”

“Oh, I'm too old for that.” he answered. “My travelling companion had to leave urgently, because he was needed somewhere else. Thus I've been idling in this dull town for a week..”

Sakura was eating the rice with measured movements, while keeping an eye on the beggar as he stepped to the cardshark, who was sitting closest to the door.

“I'm hungry. I'm hungry.” He repeated again and again as he thrust his hand under the other man's nose, but he was completely disregarded.

“Then I understand how you could fall asleep in such a place.” Sakura continued their conversation. The monk shrugged.

“Not really. This is my first time here. I go to different taverns every day.”

“Well, variety is the spice of life.” Sakura gave a wry smile.

“Do you believe so?”

“Why not? You go to different taverns every day, so you can observe various kinds of people. Don’t you find that interesting?” she said in an easy-going voice, but her eyes remained serious. “That is.. if the company is good.”

The monk followed the direction of Sakura's look, who was still watching the beggar going from one man to another.

“Oh this is a usual scene around here nowadays.”

“Seriously?” Sakura looked at the monk in surprise. “One would think that at least in this country, which provides rice for all the others, famine would be unknown.”

The monk leaned back as if he was contemplating on something. Or was he just remembering? Sakura couldn't decide.

“It was indeed like that long ago. When I was young I spent pleasant years in the Inari shrines. The good old days..”

“What changed?”

“Everything.” the monk answered briefly. Sakura's questioning look encouraged him to tell more.

“Do you know dear Sakura what sanctions a leader's power?” he asked finally, but not waiting for an answer he continued. “Lineage. The local noble family trace their ancestry back to Inari, which protected their power perfectly. After all it is to be expected that as long as the Inari cult prospers in this country, the Daimyo will also stay.”

“It's no wonder.. in the Land of Rice being the descendant of Inari is like hitting the jackpot.” Sakura nodded, then she became thoughtful. “But how could this change then?”

“Oh, easily. Since everything is pure demagogy. If they could be successful at it, others can as well. A new religion is needed of course, which has to be made more popular than the previous one. Then adding a few descendants from the new god, influential sponsors and .. well commercials of course. Sweet words. People love sweet words, dear Sakura.”

“But belief is not based on popularity, it's not something that can be changed so easily!” Sakura objected.

The monk cast a pitying glance at the kunoichi. “My dear, you start from the assumption that people think.”

Sakura gaped at the monk.

“Yes, I would like to believe that.”

The monk's smile widened, his eyes sparkled up in the light of the oil lamp.

“And I don't blame you for that, you're still very young. Later you will realize that people really prefer to let others think for them. And this is good for the ruling power, because it is in its own interest to have people who could be persuaded to do anything the power wants. Just think about the craze for rubber chicken last year. It didn't reach Konoha? You have no idea what you missed. Millions of them were sold throughout the countries, Daimyo ordered their personal rubber chicken studded with diamonds. People went crazy for it; there were some who would have done anything to get their hands on a rare piece.”

Sakura broke into a laugh and looked at the monk incredulously. Then she heard something, and turning her head towards the noise she saw that the bartender became fed up with the beggar, and tried to shoo him out.

“Somehow I doubt that power has anything to do with rubber chickens.” she said cynically. The monk smiled at her, but his eyes remained grave.

“Power has to do with everything. You'll learn it in time. Whatever happens, always ask yourself; who will benefit from this?”

Sakura watched in a bad mood as the beggar was caught and thrown out. The door shut in his face with a loud crack. In the upcoming silence the monk noted “the scene would have been even more heartbreaking was he not holding a loaf of bread under his arm.”

Sakura almost misswallowed her last gulp of wine, and stared at the monk with wide-open eyes.

“Really? I didn't notice! It seems I'm not a good observer..”

The monk swept her words away with a wave of his hand.

“Please don't be modest. But let's test it! Do you see that man on the right side of the bar with a hat? One can barely see his face. When you went to the counter he turned after you, as if he was following you with his gaze.”

“Yes, I saw that much.” Sakura answered dryly.

“Do you suspect why?”

The kunoichi shrugged.

“Probably he wants to make an offer. His eye is like a hungry wolf.”

The monk softly laughed out.

“You overestimate your values, my dear. Look at the skin around his right eye.”

Sakura's eyes flashd in irritation, then she shrugged.

“It's full of scabs. I can't see the rest of his face well, but I guess it's the same. Childhood pox maybe.”

“If you look at it closely you'll see that the small scabs form a connected big scar. Look at how the little scabs flow into one another.”

“A burn mark?”

The monk nodded. “By an explosion probably. That would explain a lot.”

“He could be blind in his right eye. But then why did he look like he's watching me?” Sakura mused. “Oh I see! He turned his head to hear better maybe. The explosion might have burst his eardrum, making him deaf in his right ear.”

“I agree with you. But there is something else as well. Do you see the man in the other side of the room with a bottle of sake? His eyes always roam around, but in the end always settle on the man with the scars. Like now. Did you see it?”

Sakura nodded and continued thinking aloud.

“It seems they know each other. That man only casts a glance at the others, but looked at Cyclops as if he expected some kind of acknowledgement.”

“Cyclops?”

Sakura shrugged.

“I called him Cyclops because I only saw one eye from the hat. But looking back, it's really fitting now, isn't it?” she said and watched as the monk smiled faintly.

“Was everybody given a nickname, or was he the only one honoured to receive one?”

Sakura lowered her head to hide her smile. “You're not the only one who felt the need to observe them.”

“Oh, that's really interesting. Tell me, who is called what?”

“That man for example, the one immediately left to the door became the Daimyo.”

“Daimyo?” The monk laughed out. “How come?”

“Just look at him; isn't he like a real card-sharper? His eyes are so calculating as if he was planning something cunning at the moment. Like whom to manipulate or whom to bribe.. His demeanour is refined, his movements are elegant; but still don't you have the feeling that he could do anything for money? Maybe his people love him, but believe me they have no idea that they cherish a viper.”

“I get the impression that you're talking about a specific Daimyo” the monk said as his smile widened.

Aha!, Sakura thought.

“Why? Does that description fit somebody in your opinion?” She asked back innocently.

The monk laughed out, and Sakura grinned. Now who has trapped who?

“I must admit I never enjoyed conversation with a young lady as much as I have now. For a moment I was thinking that you were talking about the Daimyo of this country. In that case you'd know something I didn't. But let us go back to where this conversation diverged. What else do you think of that Daimyo?”

Sakura didn't answer, instead she was looking for other signs she should have noticed.

“Don't you find it strange, that he's sitting in the edge of the room? Shouldn't a card-sharper sit in the middle of the room where he can get more attention? If he wanted to play a game with those cards he's holding in his hands, that is” the monk explained.

“Probably he's waiting for someone?”

“Then he must have been waiting for a long time, because when you look at him closely you can see that his movements are full of tension. Look at how rigid his back is. At first glance he may look like a he is the embodiment of a gambler, but he doesn't possess that easy elegance that would make someone a gambler. Does this person look like his slogan is nothing ventured nothing gained? But look at the fine movements he makes with his fingers. I'd say he's a pickpocket or assassin. Who knows.”

Sakura watched the man incredulously.

“Although he doesn't play, he's looking around, most likely for a challenge to the next party.”

“Indeed it may look like he's looking for his next partner, but look at him closely... he doesn't look at anyone long enough to catch their gaze. There is someone, however, whom he scrutinizes rather intently..”

“..Golem. ” Sakura finished the sentence. At the inquiring look on the monk she went on. “Because of his size. I couldn't decide whether he's a peasant or a swordsman.”

“Neither. Only an officer has such fine hands. Or look at his face. How old he could be? Forty? Compared to that, his skin is too smooth.”

“But what would an officer do in such a place? His clothes are not noble either.”

“Nor suitable for travel which leads us to the conclusion that he never travelled long distances in his life. Look at his boots, how shiny they are. This man didn't take five steps in the mud that is everywhere outside. No.. this man rode here. Peasants don't have horses.”

Sakura watched the man thoughtfully. “All right let's assume that he came a long way here. But then why did he order a bottle of sake? Is he not hungry? Alcohol on an empty stomach.. and a whole bottle..”

“Probably I could give an answer for that. A bottle has a great advantage over a jug: It's intact. Nobody can alter it's content.. nobody could poison it..”

“Interesting.” Sakura murmured.

“But what is even more interesting is something you may not know since you're from Konoha, but judging from his hairstyle he is in the Daimyo's service. This hairstyle with the braid being raised onto the top of the head and the hair being shaved from both sides is something that was popular among the followers of Inari, although nowadays.. it went out of fashion, especially now when the Daimyo's power along with the old cult is declining. This man could be a messenger who didn't want to attract attention, that's why he came here.. although as I see...”

The priest didn't finish the sentence; there was no need. Neither he nor Sakura considered these guesses more than a game. Sakura stood up to get one more mug of that spicy, hot wine that had kept her warm till now, and the monk asked her to bring a glass of rice milk. Later Sakura changed her mind and ordered rice milk for herself as well; looking at these men she decided not to drink more alcohol that night. Rice milk was a popular drink around here, and not just because it was cheap; in the winter it was flavoured with coneflower which gave strength against cold.

“I must admit you're good at judging people. What would you say about me?” Sakura asked when she arrived back and sat down, her voice was colored by curiosity.

The monk thanked her for the drink and leaned back to look at Sakura up and down.

“Interesting.. very interesting..” he mused. “Certainly remarkable. At first glance you look like a comfortable traveller, but I saw the way you walked to the counter. Your boots have blistered your feet haven't they? Seemingly this is your first time using them over a long distance. Had you more time to plan beforehand, I'm sure you'd have preferred your old, comfortable boots. However considering that you're on a long journey you have little inventory: I can see only one backpack too small to carry a sleeping bag. Probably you didn't even have time to pack provisions; you must have been in a real hurry.”

The monk reached out and raised Sakura's jaw in order to take a closer look on the kunoichi.

“Your eyes are tired and red. Have you been crying, or just didn't get sleep for days? Your look is troubled, and judging from your stooped shoulders I have the feeling you're weighed down. Sometimes you drum your fingers nervously until you realize it.”

The monk leaned back, but didn't stop.

“But the big question is: Why did you come to a place like this? Look around; only those who don't want to attract attention come here. Are you on the run or perhaps.. on the hunt?”

The kunoichi swallowed, and swept her locks behind her ear nervously.

“I must admit you hit better than I had hoped you would.” She said in a toneless voice. The monk kindly smiled at her, his eyes sparkling up greedily.

“Then is it true? Are you on a hunt?”

A silence settled on them. Sakura stared at the empty glass, her finger was drawing circles around it's lip. Then spoke up gravely.

“The vampire must be hunted. He must answer.. for the blood of those, whom he killed.”

Stroking his jaw in contemplation, the monk watched as the corner of Sakura's lips turned down.

“When I kill him.. nobody will miss him..”

Suddenly Sakura glanced up, as if she had just realized, that she was not alone.

“Do you know anything about these damned ones?”

The monk smiled evasively. “Unfortunately I haven't met one.”

Sakura laughed bitterly. “Of course you haven't. You're still alive after all” she waved, and turned back to the empty glass.

“As are you, apparently.”

I am. I am, but..

“The vampire.. he gets close to your heart.. and when you least expect it one night you realize that the moon has turned red and the one whom you loved is a monster!”

For a moment it seemed as if something had changed in the monk's eye, but his face didn't reveal his thoughts. “It”s hard to believe that these certain ..vampires..” here he paused, tasting the word “..exist.”

Sakura blinked, then her lips curved into a sardonic smile.

“Oh they do exist, believe me. Most people don't know about them because they always come at night.. always kill at night..”

The monk eyed the kunoichi before he asked. “And what do they look like?”

“Just like in the movies. Red eyes, black coat..”

“Vampire teeth?” the monk cut in.

“Well they don't have that.. but everything else fits.”

“I was afraid you would say that.”

“How come?”

“Then I've seen one, actually.”

“Seriously?” Sakura cried out, her wide eyes staring at the monk in disbelief. The monk laughed out.

“No, I'm sorry. I was just joking. It's too late for such dark thoughts especially in such a place. You know how the saying goes.. talk of the devil.. and he will appear.“ he said. Sakura took the hint, she was tired anyway, so she said good-night to the monk and went upstairs to the room she'd rented.

When the Konoha kunoichi was gone the monk let a wondering look appear on his face.

“The patron saint of women, huh?” he whispered as the corner of his lip curved into a half-smile.

.oOo.

Upon entering, Sakura examined her small room. The door opened from the right corner, and except for a shabby mirror, only the naked wall framed the right side. On the left side another room cut out space for itself from the rectangle-shaped living room, forming a small entrance-hall in front by the door. Sakura stepped inside to take a closer look at the rest of the living room that was hidden by the wall of the other room, but there was nothing besides a small stool. The bed pressed itself shyly against the wall across from her, above it a small window was the only source of light apart from the oil lamp that was given to her upon registering. Sakura noticed happily that the other room belonged to her; it was a small bathroom, a service that was quite rare among cheap inns like this one.

She didn't spend time getting herself clean, after washing her face and brushing her teeth she blew out the oil lamp and went to sleep. But sleep only teased her that night, it didn't want to posses her as she was tossing and turning on the uncomfortable bed. Even when she fell into a slumber her limbs remained tense, her sleep restless - perhaps that was the reason why she was woken by a quiet noise so easily. Sakura leaned on her elbow and held her breath while waiting for the steps to pass her room, but they stopped when they reached her door. She knew then. They have come for her!

With two steps she reached the wall of the bathroom and crouched down in order to be unnoticed by those who stepped into the room. She didn't have to wait for long because the door opened slowly, carefully, and a figure stepped into the dark room. Sakura listened as the man's heavy steps approached her and would soon reach her. Slowly she stretched out her leg not daring the take a breath, which would have been a giveaway in the quiet night. At that moment the intruder tripped on her leg and with a big crash fell face down on the floor. But he was fast, he jumped up to his feet immediately and pulled out his katana.

“Assassin! Show yourself!” he cried out with a proud voice and began rummaging his pockets. Stunned, Sakura just glared at the dark figure as he, after a long moment pottering about, lit up something in his hand. By that time Sakura was sitting on the floor lazily, but when she saw her attacker's face she cried out.

“Cyclops! What are you doing here?!”

“Oh, you're not the assassin” the man noted with just as much surprise, then he tapped his forehead. “I must have mixed up something!”

He was about to leave the room when Sakura grabbed his arm.

“Hold on a second. You tried to attack me in the middle of the night and now you think you can just waltz out of here as if nothing had happened?”

The man opened his mouth to say something, but when his eyes wandered to her headband he bowed deeply.

“Please help me! There is an assassin in this inn who wants to kill Isou-sama! I have to stop him!”

“Who is Isou-sama?”

The man waved as if that wasn't important.

“His room is at the other end of the corridor. But we have to leave now and search for the assassin!” He would have left then, had Sakura not grabbed his arm again.

“You're telling me that while you were running up and down you left his room unprotected?!”

The man froze completely, he hadn't considered that before. Sakura eyed him suspiciously.. Could this man be for real?! It might be dangerous to help him, walking into a trap probably - she should be very careful - but she decided to go along with him for now.

It wasn't long before the two of them were running down the corridor, the old hardwood floor cracked here and there under their pounding steps. When they reached the target room the man halted to knock, but then Sakura kicked the door in, and jumped into the darkness. The room was silent as they moved inside with careful steps, only the oil lamps from the corridor provided a little light from behind. With a kunai in hand Sakura scanned the room, but nothing moved, nothing happened. At the moment she reached the bed she saw a flash in the corner of her eye and spun around.

“Cyclops, to the door!” she screamed and sent several kunai after the escaping man, but her weapons whizzed past the man's snake-like movements, out into the corridor. The man almost reached the door, when the guardian appeared between him and freedom. As he pulled out his sword with a great clang he would have beheaded his enemy had he not been fast enough to evade the sharp blade in that narrow place. But the assassin was moving like a snake, and threw some kind of powder into the guardian's eyes. But what he didn't know was that Cyclops’ hearing had sharpened since he lost one eye, so when the assassin was about to pass him, he stabbed out with the tip of his sword and nailed him to the wall. By the time Sakura reached them, the fight was over.

“Neat piece of work.” Sakura praised him as she examined the body; the assassin had died immediately, and hadn’t suffered much. Cyclops just stood and stared at the corpse.

“I knew he'd be the one” he said simply. Sakura nodded. With the monk they came to the same conclusion as well. Suddenly something came to her mind. “But then.. where is this Isou-sama?”

The kunoichi couldn’t believe her ears when Cyclops answered, but it seemed he was determined to find his master at any cost. They had already checked three rooms without success, but they didn't give up. They just went from door to door, knocking, waiting, knocking -kicking- that was the script, and after a time both of them had to admit that they became pretty good at it. When they circled around the next door Sakura knocked, and a happy voice cried out a come in.

Sakura thought that nothing could surprise her that night, but she wasn't prepared for the scene that welcomed them when she opened the door. As they burst into the room with weapons drawn they found none other than the monk who was comfortably sipping tea from a little cup and having a spirited conversation with a big man. The men looked up startled at the entering guardian with a face that expressed the bewilderment of a child who had just been caught eating sweets at night.

“Numagori! Is there a problem? And who is she?” he pointed at Sakura.

Before anybody could say anything Sakura straightened her back and answered.

“I don't know what's going on, but it seems there was an assassin in your room.”

Hearing that the big man and the monk exchanged glances, and as if they had come to an agreement about their previous conversation, the monk turned towards the kunoichi.

“Well, dear Sakura, I'm sure you remember our conversation about how the Daimyo is threatened by an ambitious clan? Then let me introduce you to Isou Taroushi, a messenger of the Daimyo, who is on his way to Sound with a very urgent task. But before we continue, please take a seat. My neck goes numb if I have to look up at you all the time.”

Sakura realized in surprise, that she was the only one left still standing. Cyclops had already sat behind the messenger, who on closer inspection, Sakura recognized as Golem. So that's how the threads join together, she thought as she lowered herself next to the monk. The messenger took his queue from the monk, and spoke up.

“The Harada clan introduced the new religion to their domain first, which then spread slowly, like a swamp, without our notice. It seeped into and influenced our divine church. It nominated their men into the most important positions and we had no idea all along. With that, the clan multiplied their power by taking control over the church lands, which are tax-free. With this power -in the name of our church - they exerted pressure over the Daimyo, who had no choice but to endow them with more land. In this way however, our Daimyo lost more and more of his income from tax.”

“Which wouldn't have been fatal” the monk cut in, “had they undertaken the role of the Daimyo as well. That is to maintain the towns and keep up economy.. But they hadn't, they only used their power to gain more power not caring for the people at all.”

The pale face of the messenger turned grave, his deep-set eyes looked even more hollow than before.

“Just as you say, houshi-sama. Our Daimyo knows, that many people are poor and starving, but he's helpless. He has to gather an army for the upcoming war, he has to keep back the rice for his soldiers. Only a strong ally could save us now. We've been trying to convince our old brother land, the Land of Sound, to take side with us, and it seems we would succeed could we somehow grant their only request, by bringing them this scroll.” the messenger said and pulled out an ancient, thick scroll.

“We don't exactly know what this is, maybe just a relic from those times when the two countries were one. We know only as much that there are four of these scrolls, and the Daimyo of Sound would like to gather all of them; this is the last one that is not in his possession yet. This scroll” he said it above their head, “will save many people's lives!”

Sakura was sitting quietly, trying to calm her roaming thoughts. On one hand the affair had touched her; she loathed those, for whom human life was only as valuable as a pawn in a chessboard. On the other hand, as a ninja, her suspicions surfaced and she was considering how much could be true from their story. Either way, Tsunade would be more than interested to hear about it. Then the monk continued.

“That's the whole story, dear Sakura. Isou-san came here and told me about their journey - how they ran giving the scroll from messenger to messenger trying to mislead Harada's man without success. He asked me to help them, probably as a wandering monk I could dispel suspicions if we travel together.” here the monk halted, his eyes looking intently at the kunoichi.

"Unfortunately, however, I had to decline his offer; since whatever happens, one guardian wouldn't be enough to protect me." he said regretfully.

Sakura grimaced; she didn't like this whole affair. Shouldn't an Inari monk run to help his Daimyo eagerly? Of course it's true that they would come off well with a professional ninja watching their back and that's why they would attempt to play the dying swan now.. but it could also be a trap to lure her in..

Sakura considered their offer. When she had left Konoha she intended to visit the places where the Akatsuki was last seen, that's why she was in Rice now, and was heading towards Sound. That meant her path and theirs coincided actually.. but again, their offer could be a trap, or something she would rather not be involved in.. On the other hand there was that scroll, that strangely nobody knew what it was about, and if it was so important that Rice could buy Sound's protection it must be something very valuable. It could even pose a danger to Konoha, for all she knew.. Maybe she should consider taking them along and try to find out more about their affair on the way..

"But should I join as well, that would be enough for you, would it." Sakura offered finally.

The monk smiled faintly, or maybe it was just the shadows cast by the oil lamp.

"Oh I'm too poor to hire a ninja myself.."

"You don't have to pay.. you just let me travel with you, and if something happens it'll count as self-defence anyway."

The monk was thoughtful for a short while, then nodded.

"If you assure me with a treaty of blood that you won't turn against me, and will protect me if necessary."

Sakura hesitated for a moment; although the treaty of blood didn't mean that she couldn't put the monk aside, it obviously prevented her from killing him. On the other hand it didn't prevent her from leaving him, at least in case she was convinced that he was safe. In truth for a good ninja the treaty of blood was an eludible hindrance.

"Until we reach our destiny." she said finally. The monk's lips curved into a smile.

"Until we reach our destiny." he echoed.