From the shots that we get from anime and manga.... the original Konoha doesn't seem too big at first glance.
But did you know there is a whole ass district for only hot springs?
Cause some hot spring clan joined and dumped a fat sum when the village was built.
If you add up many more sponsors gathered up behind Hashirama, it's getting even crazier.
Different districts based on different businesses.
Different compounds based on different shinobi clans.
Yeah, this village is big.
But.... where is the common place? Where do all of them meet?
People would say "Idea! That's the Hokage tower!"
Where all the merchants, shinobi, clan leaders come and go.
Where the biggest deals in the history take place.
It's the Anbu district.
The epitome of security and strict protocol.
But .... I beg to differ.
The place where all sorts of people come around.
The place which is quiet during day, but comes to life like a tube light at night.
It's the red light district.
No civilian, shinobi or merchant clan governs over it.
The streets wrapped in crimson had all kinds of people running and walking about....only minding their own business.
They only look at the dazzling lights and the service that this district has to offer.
Women.
It's on the surface.
As we go deeper, the red turns muddy dark.
Drugs plague the streets, under the table shinobi and Anbu prowl the streets for rogue shinobi.
Brokers breaking 50 years of marriage for some cheap sake.
Not to mention spies.
They blend in nicely with the horde of civilian and ninja alike.
Hiding in plain sight.
A perfect place for someone like me who is being hunted down by the whole Konoha as the Uchiha who kidnapped the Hokage.
"Me too".
Yeah... for someone like me and Sakura.
We are both being hunted.
I managed to patch up the broken bones in her body and that finger will take time to heal.
Well, she doesn't use that many hand signs anyway so it's not a problem for her.
Right now we are passing through the streets dressed as a very wide person in a trench coat.
Hiruzen is out cold.
Both of us form the flank of the disguise while tying our legs with Hiruzen.
Using him in the middle and chakra wires attached to the back of his head to move the neck.
An oversized hat is coming in handy to hide that drooling sleepy face.
His almost nonexistent pulse and irregular heart rate have prompted me to put some IV drip.
But I need a better place to hide if I want to administer better treatment.
I've yet to shoot him with any medication since I'm not sure what's causing his unconsciousness.
Could be simple fatigue, but that's just me being optimistic.
At least his heart is still beating and I faintly hear him murmuring about large breasts.
We walk around the streets, brushing shoulders with civilian and shinobi alike making our way to a back alley.
"It's a dead end", Sakura says.
I push a few bricks in.
The small gap opens up below our feet.
"Take him in, please", I ask Sakura while keeping an eye out.
Luckily we all managed to squeeze ourselves into the wall without anyone noticing.
"Another hideout?", Sakura asks as if she is getting tired of it.
I only raise an eyebrow.
"How many do you have?", she asks.
"Not enough ", I look around through the holes in the walls.
I see multiple shadows jumping across the roofs.
They know we are here.
"We won't have much time", I start unpacking.
Unsealing large quantities of equipment will give away our position so, for now I just unseal the chakra network pulse detector.
"What is this?", Sakura asks.
"It gives a read on a person's chakra network", I answer.
"Like ... Byakugan?".
"Exactly", I click my tongue.
I get the nodes ready and put them around Hiruzen's body.
The small screen on the plastic monitor comes to life.
"How is it?", she asks.
It doesn't look good. His chakra coils in his stomach are almost ruptured and the lower chakra points are burst out.
It seems.... he had some kind of fail-safe seal placed in to save him from losing chakra points around his heart and spinal cord.
But that didn't save his lower limbs.
He is effectively paralyzed waist down.
As for his unconsciousness..... his coils may not be broken....but twisted.
Usual occurrence in TI when someone is put through over the top genjutsu torture.
"Let's... pull that chakra point around his armpits and twist the one around his forehead....", I press my fingers.
Hiruzen snaps open his eyes and vomits immediately.
I turn him on his shoulder to let it flow down.
He blinks frantically trying to sit up straight.
Only to find himself unable.
"Please relax, Hokage sama", I urge.
He refuses my help politely with a simple gesture and sits up only using his arms.
"I've been through worse", he reassures me.
He looks around to find himself in a brick room with minimum appliances and a single bulb hanging from the top.
He takes a deep breath as if letting it all sink in and reaches for his pockets.
Sakura catches on and fetches the pipe.
Hiruzen puts the empty pipe in his lips and I light it up with some freshly dried tobacco.
He takes a rather long drag and lets out a huge smoke like a chimney.
Sakura giggles at the circles he made in the air.
He is using one hand.
The left one is flailing helplessly to his side.
So..... one of his hands is gone too?
Now... what am I supposed to do?
Hide around? Somehow call Kakashi?
Is Kakashi even alive?
Someone from the classmates is out of the question?
Run away from the village?
No...no... we will be killed the moment Danzo's man spots us.
Or, Orochimaru....
Or, Kabuto....
Or, that Goo man ....
Fuck....
Fuck....
I knew things were gonna get hectic after the preliminary, but this is insane.
I was supposed to have a month to prepare!
A whole fuckin' month!
"What's the situation?", I hear the Oldman's crisp voice snapping me out of my sulking.
He is asking Sakura.
"The Village outside of the attacked zone seems unaffected ", she says.
"The civilians don't seem to know", she adds.
"It seems our enemy also doesn't want the word of the attack to spread", he comes to a conclusion.
"You have been betrayed, Hokage sama", I chime in.
Hokage takes another puff out of the pipe.
"When am I not?", he asks.
Sakura giggles.
He also chuckles.
But I find it hard to digest.
Usually I'm the funny guy.
"Danzo Shimura disguised himself as Kakashi sensei to coax me into giving you up when you lost consciousness", I say.
Hiruzen only smiles.
"He .... maybe involved.... but what's keeping me from suspecting you lot? How do I know I'm not being kidnapped by you?", he points his pipe at me.
Even that piece of blunt wood looked dangerous in his hands.
"Cause we love you", Sakura says without missing a single beat.
"I love you too, little flower", he pets Sakura.
Finally being able to breathe from the tension being lifted ,I try to arrange my thoughts.
Gosh! I hate being the brooding prick.
I will get back to being the dumb guy when Naruto is around.
Provided that I make it out of it alive.
"All jokes aside, Hokage sama.... the village seems rather calm after what happened. Plans for final tournament are going on in full scale and village is getting crowded by the minute", I say.
"It's as if nothing happened. Well, we are ninjas. If I was still in charge, I would've done the same", he says.
That means someone is in charge other than Danzo? Someone he trusts is running things.
That's a relief.
"You ARE in charge", Sakura reminds.
"You are right, sweetheart . But in the state I am, even if we could make our way to the Hokage tower they will just throw me out thinking I'm an imposter", he says.
"No shit! You can't lead a pack of wolves if you don't have your goddamn legs", I spat.
"You meant fangs?", Sakura corrects me.
I love how Sakura is managing the pressure.
Hiruzen smiles from ear to ear.
"Then you had better find a way to get me back on my feet", he says with a grin.
Is this guy for real???!!!!
What the fuck am I supposed to do?
I can't reconstruct chakra network.
That is not possible!
There is not much information to even go on!
Sakura hands me a chocolate shake as I tear my hair out.
Hiruzen simply chats with Sakura like he is here to visit his granddaughter.
Slurping on the hot chocolate really warms me up.
Nothing in this goddamn world is impossible.
I came back from the dead just hours ago.
The only person who can make the impossible possible is.....
"We have to find your student", I tell Hiruzen.
"Which one?", he asks.
"The one who can get us out of this mess", I can't seem to keep my cool.
God bless his patient soul, the old man simply ignores my impoliteness..... he ponders.
"Tsunade?" He looks at me as if I'm joking.
"Yes".
"Nope".
????!!!!
"Don't Nope me! Where is she?", I almost pulled my hair out.
"Dunno", He simply shrugs.
Now I get where Naruto gets his annoying side from.
"Look kid, I wouldn't be Hokage right now if she was in contact with me. Been looking for her for years" , he says with a shrug.
"If anyone knows... it would be my other student", he adds.
"Jiraiya sama?", Sakura says with her hands up in the air.
"Right you are, little girl ", he again pets Sakura.
Man, she is loving this Grandpa treatment.
"Who should be back to village shortly before the finals", he looks at the walls as if he can see through them.
"I bet he is around here somewhere", I think out loud.
I look up to see Hokage looking at me with squinted eyes.
"What makes you say, that?", he asks.
That.... was a bad idea. The stress is getting me.
"He.... you know.... he is the author of Makeout tactics. He has to do research to depict such vibrant scenarios, right?", I ask hesitantly.
"Research..... that's the exact word he used too", Hiruzen.
"Can peeking at naked ladies be some kind of research?", Sakura asks.
"Anything can be a research, lady", I say without missing a beat.
Hiruzen nods in agreement.
Sakura simply nods.
"So, where do we find this Old legendary Sannin who looks at naked ladies?", she asks.
I see her angle. The Sannin who makes miracles and the Sannin who is a pervert.
Sakura might be a straightforward girl, but she isn't dumb.
I wonder what she thinks of Orochimaru?
"Oh no... YOU will have to find 'em. I will be here keeping the Hokage alive while you will venture outside right under the noses of Anbu operatives to look for Jiraiya", I fold my arms.
I can see a smile creep up on Sakura's lips.
That's what she does.... hide.
"I don't care how you do it... hide, cheat, steal, make deals or even kill. I don't care, get Jiraiya and don't get caught", I come forward with a bag of seals.
Sakura looks at my eyes.
"Know this.... if you get caught I will be dropping everything we have here to come and get you. I will kill everyone and everything in this village to get you out and I will for sure turn this Oldman in if it means you are okay!", I lightly touch her cheeks.
Hiruzen choked on his smoke a bit.
"So you had better not get caught", I say with a serious tone.
"Geez, Sasuke kun is such a tease", Sakura pulls my cheeks.
Then she takes the bag and hugs Hiruzen.
"Don't worry Grandpa! He is JUUST kidding! He will never do such things ", she assures him.
"I'm sure he won't", he says with a smile.... a wry smile.
"But ..... try not to get caught.... just in case", Hiruzen says.
Sakura sticks out her tongue.
If she ever gets caught.... it will be part of her plan.
"Wait", Hiruzen calls.
He reaches for something in the air.
A stick pops out of his palms like magic.
He throws it at Sakura.
The stick increases in size as it falls on Sakura's hands.
She twirls it around her shoulder and hip settling it on her back.
Did he..... did he just give her Enma????
"I hope this comes in handy" Hiruzen says nonchalantly.
No shit!!! You just gave her the monkey fuckin' King!
I can only pull my face with my palms as Sakura demands another head pat from Hokage.
He happily obliges her.
"Sasuke kun?".
"Yes?".
"I don't know what he looks like", she says.
"Let me give you a sketch ".
"And let me tell where you might find him", Hiruzen puffs his smoke.
"Be extra careful, since they might expect us to try and contact Jiraiya sama", I say while drawing.
The grandpa simply nods.
Enma will be able to vouch for her when they meet.
I give her the drawing and Hiruzen says a few shop names and few bars Jiraiya might frequent.
Armed with information and armaments from the God of shinobi himself Sakura sets off on her most dangerous mission yet.
"And be back before midnight if you can't find him. I will be making you your favourite grilled fish", I wave my hands as she slips through the small hole.
I sit down and look for pulse and reflexes on his disabled limbs.
Feeling his gaze on me I can only scoff.
" Do you feel any discomfort, Hokage sama?", I ask to clear the air.
"No... on the contrary.... I'm feeling the most relaxed in a long time", he says.
!!!!???!!!!!
"Sakura is very good at her job. She might have some trouble tracking but she won't ever get caught", I try to reassure him .
"I wasn't being sarcastic, Sasuke kun. I have no doubt the little kunoichi can crawl in a battlefield like taking a walk in the park", he says as he takes another puff.
"Even as I am crippled and unable to protect myself.... I find myself in peace", Hiruzen takes a long drag.
"Is it because, instead of sitting in your office writing reports , you're here fighting behind enemy lines just to survive?" I say bluntly as I inflate the arm cuff.
He stays silent for quite a while.
" Sasuke kun" he calls at last.
"I will take a nap", he says.
"Go ahead".
The old man turns on his side with him facing his back to me and goes to sleep.
Smoke drifting softly as he starts snoring loudly like a normal old man.
Right now.... in front of me is the killer of my family.
My whole clan.
He is the reason my sister is out there living the life of a criminal.
He is the reason I have to spend time alone preparing to fight some god.
He knows the atrocities Danzo has committed.
Yet he stayed silent, lending his aid to Danzo's shadow organization.
I sit and look at the hanging light bulb.
What's keeping me from killing him, right here.... right now?
Is it because I'm a coward?
[ sigh]
No.....
He regained consciousness for at least an hour now.
In this hour, he didn't once mention a single associate we can contact with certainty.
A person he can truly trust.
We don't even know if Jiraiya will actually cooperate.
Fuck! We are in this mess because of his own students.
That is one pathetic old man right there.
I feel like a nurse looking after elderly at an old home.
"Fuck....", I simply chuckle.
Why would I wanna kill this piece of fuckin' mess?
That's like wanting to kick a nasty dog by the street.
Only thing you do for it... is to show some pity.
I love dogs by the way.
And cats too.
And birds?
Hiruzen coughs violently.
I untwist his coils around his neck.
If I don't keep them straight, the Old man will go into coma again.
Well, I predicted as much.....
Let's just try and keep him alive, I guess.... since killing isn't an option here.
Also.... he kinda looks like my grandpa from before.
Sheesh....do all old people look the same at some point?
Like babies do?