(Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com) Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach.
I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's
why I'm poor, okay?
Author's Notes: Lots of people have been bugging me about why
I do not update as quickly as I used to, even though I am back from my
trip. I have a reason why. We have two computers at home, and the one with
the in-built modem blew a circuit. So for the meantime, I have to write
stuff on the still-intact computer at home, and then transfer the stuff
to a diskette and use my college account whenever I can (I'm a PK, you
see a professor's kid.) So I am still writing I just can't go online
as often, that's all. Until my parents buy a new computer, updating will
be difficult.
But I have two new chapters.
Two months passed after the final match of the junior tournament. Sakura
had been in this dimension for nearly four months. She was excelling in
kendo and iaido under Scarlett's instruction. Potamos improved as well
she nailed the tree-climbing exercise, and she passed another test in
the Ninja Mansion. Currently, she was working to perfect her Hidden Mist
spell.
Sakura gracefully moved Tennyo as she did her morning practice. Her
usual Chinese-style dress, bike shorts and ninja gear were on, even though
she was practicing kendo. 'Scarlett-sensei told me that I'll have an escort.
I wonder who it will be...'
Today was Sakura's visit to the Ninja Mansion. The wrangling over it
was long. Scarlett had to work a lot to arrange this. Some of the Mansion's
teachers were distrustful of Sakura because of her performance in the junior
tournament. In this dimension, a competent ninja never entered tournaments.
After all, they were trained as spies and assassins not hormone-crazed
sportsmen who showed off their fighting skills.
Potamos could enter the junior tournament, as she was not a full-fledged
ninja. All of her attacks were based in her demonic powers, anyway. But
Haruno Sakura was a different matter: she was a human who came out of nowhere,
trained in a variety of ninja skills and tactics. To top it off, she actually
showed them to practically everyone in Minerva.
So much for the secrecy of the Shinobi Arts.
Another thing the ninja did not trust about Sakura was simple: they
did not know WHERE she had acquired her abilities. The Ninja Mansion was
the only known place where the Shinobi Arts were studied. Even the ninja
on earth were extinct.
Ninja were a dying breed in this dimension. Their style of martial arts
was practical... up to a certain point. The difficulty with this fighting
style was that people looked down upon it as dishonorable. Sure, a competent
ninja could put up a fight against one celestial. But if it was one ninja
again a group of very enraged celestials, he had little chance of surviving.
Sakura's performance in the junior tournament brought both a renewed
fear and respect for ninja. Thus, the Mansion fell under more distrust.
The last thing that the shinobi wanted was for their art to die out, by
having their government funds pulled or even worse, killed off completely.
Sakura's world was a stark contrast, in that ninja were feared and respected.
They were hired for missions, and kept alive in their hidden villages.
They were not involved in politics, but they were there behind the scenes.
Even if they led short lives, their numbers were large enough to survive
and have families, carrying on the tradition. Except for rare supernatural
crises involving youkai-demons, there was nothing in that world which could
possibly wipe them out.
"Sakura-san!"
Sakura turned around to see Minoru at the gate. The kunoichi slipped
Tennyo back into its scabbard. "Minoru-san! I'm sorry, but today I have
"
" to go to the Ninja Mansion?" the elf finished for her. "Scarlett...
I mean, Angel Salvia-sama assigned me as your escort."
"YOU'RE my escort?" 'OH YEAH!' "But what if you're attacked?
Ninja are fast!"
Minoru waved it off. "Don't worry, I have a few tricks up my sleeve
if things get too rowdy. Come; we should go soon."
"Just wait, I need to put Tennyo away."
Minoru halted Sakura. "Angel Salvia said that she wanted you to bring
Tennyo as well."
The kunoichi blushed with embarrassment. "Oh, yeah, she did say something
about that yesterday..." Sakura glanced behind Minoru, and found nobody
there. "Potamos still isn't here, though. She wants to come along."
A sigh of frustration nearly escaped Minoru. 'I knew it,' he thought
to himself. 'The lass clings to Sakura-san like a parasite. Oh well, it
was because of Potamos that Sakura-san has this chance...'
Sakura strapped Tennyo firmly around her. 'Anybody who tries to steal
the sword shall DIE by the sword!'
Sakura's eyes widened as the wooden gates creaked open. The Ninja Mansion
looked just like an old, Japanese yashiki. It was probably twice the size
of the Fuuma mansion. The training grounds covered even more property.
"Welcome, Haruno-san!" The principal was a bald, slightly hefty man
with the face of a fun-loving god. He did not have the vest, head-protector,
or shuriken holster that was prevalent in Sakura's world, but had traditional
ninja clothing, like what Kakashi wore.
In contrast to the other teachers, he wore no facemask. This principal
was much more trusting and easy-going than his subordinates.
Sakura bowed to the principal, which he returned. "Thank you for accepting
me as your guest," Sakura politely said. "This is Minoru-san. He's my...
escort."
"Elf of the Vines!" the principal greeted. "It is a great honor to have
you as our guest. And Potamos, good morning!"
"Yo, Principal!" Potamos cheerily said.
A nearby guard walked behind the chattering principal, holding two pieces
of paper.
"Haruno-san, Elf of the Vines, this is just a piece of government regulation,"
the guard explained. "We don't aim to kill guests. Yet it is a legal precaution
we must take."
Minoru frowned. He was expecting something as dangerous as this. Scarlett
had already explained the situation to him before. There had also been
heart-warning phrases like "I would turn back if I were you" or "Go away"
painted on road-signs leading to the yashiki.
Sakura and Minoru read the contract. - I hereby declare that I have
read all the road-signs and warnings pertaining to this yashiki, and will
not hold it responsible for any poisoning, illness, injury, or death that
may occur... -
Sakura did not hesitate to sign the form. Taking the offered pen and
inkpad, she used a nearby stone as a desk.
"Um, Sakura-san... You seem a little too excited," Minoru said.
Sakura shrugged. "Oh, I've signed something like this before. Right
before I went into the Forest of Death." She wrote her name down on the
contract, and stamped her fingerprint under it.
"Lovely name for a forest," the elf drawled. He pulled out his hanko,
and stamped it on the paper. 'Is her world only concerned about death?'
The principal gave them a tour of the mostly-empty grounds. It was the
day off for the students. There were a few hanging out at the Mansion to
practice or study, but they tended to be the brightest and most diligent
students. Potamos came along for the tour not only because she wanted
to tag along with her beloved Sacchan, but also that she hoped for a sneak-peek
in the men's quarters.
As the principal explained the use of the more interesting and important
rooms, Sakura was astounded with the variety of classes the Ninja Mansion
gave. The shinobi of this dimension worked a lot to keep their art going,
even though their numbers were few. Sakura could not possibly attend them,
considering that she had sword-lessons and reading to do. But she still
enjoyed herself with the visit.
The principal led the three to a separate building. An air of mystery
and death surrounded the place. Its size was about a fourth of the main
house. A large sign on the door said: "DANGER! Do not come in unless you
are an official ninja or are testing to be one. Severe injury or death
will most probably occur if you enter. We warned you."
"This is where we test our students for their graduation," the master
proudly said. He pulled open the doors to the building. It was a room completely
devoid of light. "It may seem clean at first glance. But there's plenty
of stuff in there. Don't step in just look."
Sakura's eyes trailed into the empty hallway. There was a slight stench
coming out. It was of rust, and... dry blood?
Sakura pulled out a handkerchief. "May I test it?" she asked. The principal
nodded.
"What'dya you mean, Sacchan?" Potamos asked.
Sakura threw her handkerchief into the hall. It wafted in the air innocently.
An array of at least ten different weapons shot out from the darkness
at the handkerchief. They shredded the poor cloth to shreds within seconds.
Sakura whistled. Minoru's forehead wrinkled in disgust. Potamos' jaw
dropped.
"The very epitome of the Shinobi Arts!" the principal said with insane
enthusiasm. "It's so fun... I take a walk in it whenever I get bored."
"I have to go through THAT for my graduation exam?" Potamos wailed.
"Don't worry, Potamos," the principal laughed. "We won't let you in
until we're pretty sure you're capable of it."
Sakura grimaced. 'PRETTY sure? You had better train her, Principal!'
Minoru glanced to his upper-left corner. 'Blood-lust.' He touched Sakura's
hand to get her attention. "Sakura-san," he whispered. "Keep your guard
on at all times."
Sakura gave a tiny nod. She then directed her attention back to the
principal, ever playing the perfect guest like a kunoichi should.
"Normally, I'm not allowed in this wing. But this is a special occasion."
The principal led them into another side-house.
Sakura looked at the room. The sliding-door paintings were gilded with
gold, covered with images of flowers and birds. The group had already seen
the principal's office, so this probably was...
"The kunoichi quarters?" Sakura guessed.
"Correct!" he said. He slid open a door. At the other end of the expansive
layout, five ladies sat in beautiful kimonos. An exquisite lunch on a table
was laid out in front of them.
"Irasshaimase!" the five ladies called out.
"Wata-P! Mina-chan!" Potamos called out to the two youngest-looking
girls. They waved back. The water-demon turned to the blond elf. "Minoru-chan,
after you!" She already knew that the elf was male, but it did not stop
her from putting the girly suffix at the end of his name.
"I wish that you would not address me so, but thank you." Minoru left
his slippers on the hallway floor, and planted one foot onto the tatami
mat. Potamos grinned evilly.
"WAIT!" Sakura yelled out. What happened next, she had partially expected
but she could not have foreseen the elf's reaction to them.
Minoru stepped quickly to the side, evading a shower of ten spears.
He landed onto the next cross-section of the straw matting and again
jumped away, before a manhole appeared underneath his feet. He went to
the next mat, out of which a bed of spikes shot out. No place left to go,
he slammed his back against the wall. He was nervously trying to keep his
balance so that he would not fall on the torture bed.
'THAT WAS SO AWESOME!' Inner Sakura cheered.
Finally, the wall Minoru was leaning on gave way. It was one of those
hidden ninja doors. A curse escaped his lips before he fell into the darkness.
"Minoru-san!" Sakura exclaimed. A loud thud sounded out.
The elf's blond head popped out through the door. His long, wavy hair
was slightly disheveled. A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he
turned to the five women. "That was a superb collection of traps, ladies.
You caught me on the last one."
Four of the kunoichi giggled in response. One of them pulled a cord,
and all of the traps fell back into their original settings. Minoru walked
onto the now-safe tatami. 'Damn, I really am getting rusty,' his inner
thoughts complained.
Sakura was very irritated, for a variety of reasons. "Minoru-san...
I had no idea you trained as a shinobi."
"In all truth, I haven't," the elf answered. "Just some reflexes."
"Would you please join us for lunch?" one of the five asked. When Sakura
looked at the lady more closely, she recognized her.
"Scarlett-sensei?" Sakura asked. It was no illusion. "What are you doing
here?"
The redhead smiled. "I could not let my student go into the Ninja Mansion
alone, now could I?"
"Food, food, food!" Potamos sang.
A fully attired ninja hung in the trees, as he and his comrade watched
the scene below.
"Damn," he whispered to his friend. "Angel Salvia is there, as well
as an elf. And the headmaster is too empty-headed and compromising."
"Maybe Haruno Sakura isn't that bad," the other said, almost in a pleading
manner. "Maybe we're being overly suspicious."
The first sighed. "As students on this academy, we cannot allow others
to show off ninja tactics to the ignorant masses. The teachers are too
scared to act up, or don't even care. But screw them."
"Haruno Sakura is under stiff protection right now," his companion mumbled.
"There's got to be an opening somewhere," the first hissed. His eyes
fell on the wonderful lunch the subjects were eating. His stomach growled
softly. "Maybe we should go have lunch, too. We'll need our full strength
later."
Scarlett walked out onto the ninja training ground. She was in her Angel
Salvia uniform. Potamos, Minoru, and Sakura watched from a distance with
the principal.
With a surge of aura, the red-haired woman flashed out her sword. "Watch
carefully," she called out to Sakura. She then turned to a group of five
youths with shuriken and kunai at their hands.
"Salvia-sama, are you sure about this?" one of the boys asked hesitantly.
"Perfectly. Now throw," Scarlett ordered.
The five threw their weapons simultaneously. Sakura watched in amazement
as her teacher flicked them all away, using an effortless and calm motion
with her blade. The various weapons clattered to her feet.
"Let me guess," Sakura muttered. "I have to learn how to do THAT."
"It will take practice," Scarlett calmly said. "But you will. You CAN.
Potamos... you should learn as well," she said with much hesitation.
"But it's vacation for me!" Potamos wailed.
A grumpy looked passed Scarlett's face.
Minoru elbowed Potamos. "It's perfect for killing your boredom," he
said. He swung his fists outward, and a knife flicked out from each hand.
"It's really nothing that bad, once you get the hang of it."
Copying Minoru, Sakura started to pull out her kunai.
"Sakura," Scarlett called out. "I want you to practice with Tennyo.
For now, you will defend yourself from knives. We'll do shuriken later
in the afternoon. As for darts and needles or senbon, as you call them
don't worry. We'll deal with those later."
Sakura gulped. Even at home, she had a difficult time deflecting projectile
weapons with her kunai. How could she do it with a sword?
As the day's shadow inched by, Scarlett taught the pink-haired girl
how to move her katana. Minoru was assigned to help Potamos. The problem
was, Potamos kept on dodging the training-kunai he threw. They were blunted
and less dangerous than normal weapons, but they still could give cuts
and scratches. For eye protection, Sakura and Potamos wore goggles.
"I can't hold still!" the water-demon complained. "It's just a reflex
I have. Ninja are SUPPOSED to dodge!"
"Yes, I understand!" Minoru exclaimed. "But you could not possibly dodge
ALL the time. Eventually, you will wear out from exhaustion. Learning this
skill will preserve your physical energy. And there are some situations
where blocking is your only choice."
"Like what?" the water-demon challenged.
"For example: what if you can't move?" the blond elf retorted.
"I always can move!" Potamos argued, clearly insulted.
The purple-haired demon then noticed something. She could not lift her
feet from the ground. She looked down, and saw that her ankles were held
tightly by vines. The plants had sprouted from the ground without her notice.
"Where did these come from?" Potamos demanded in a high voice.
"Desperate cases call for desperate measures," Minoru explained. He
could not help but toss in a smirk. He grabbed more training-kunai out
of the box, and turned to the demon. "Now, don't move your body except
for your arms," the blond elf instructed. He lifted up a kunai to the side
of his head, as if it were a dart. "You have to watch, and then force the
weapon out of its course."
Potamos saw the flick of Minoru's wrist. Still true to her instinct,
she ducked the kunai by swinging her head and shoulders back. It was amazing
that she kept her balance with her feet tied down by vines.
The elf frowned. He focused: the vines around Potamos crawled up, now
locking around her waist.
"Heeey!" Potamos wailed. At least she did not have to worry about falling
over, because the vines now were supporting her. But the tendrils felt
as strong as tree root to the water-demon.
"If you keep evading the weapons instead of blocking them," Minoru warned,
"my vines shall go higher and higher until you cannot move at all except
for your arms, of course. I am the trainer, you the trainee. DO AS I SAY."
Sakura glanced at Minoru and Potamos from afar. She was slightly worried
that one of them might lose their temper. "Scarlett-sensei, are you sure
those two should be paired yikes!" She moved Tennyo upward, and a kunai
bounced off.
"Potamos will be fine," Scarlett said. The angel's hand was behind her
back, signaling the students when to throw. "Meanwhile, I don't want you
to let your guard down so easily." Scarlett turned to one of the boys.
"Could you fetch a box of practice-shuriken? I think we can start those
now."
Sakura watched the boy dash off. Not only were these boys here to help
Scarlett it was review for their throwing skills.
"Sensei," Sakura panted. "How much more training do you think I need?"
"Well, it depends," Scarlett answered. She gave another signal.
Ten kunai went after Sakura. Seven of them were deflected, two missed,
and one hit her shoulder. Plenty of cuts and bruises punctured the kunoichi's
skin and clothing. This exercise was not life-threatening yet their aim
was good enough to annoy the now pin-cushioned girl.
"Isn't there some sort of jutsu that does the job for me?" Sakura growled.
"You know, like a shield?"
Scarlett raised her eyebrow. "A large ki blast could do it, but it would
have to be quite large. Spells that create magic shields are high-level.
You're not there yet."
"Of course," Sakura said with a groan. 'Are you trying to kill me,
Lady?'
The ninja-student arrived with the requested weapons. "Scarlett-sensei,
here they are!" he said, dropping the box on the ground.
"Thank you," Scarlett said. "Now get ready." The students reached into
the box and pulled out the shuriken.
Sakura looked at the weapons from afar. It was strange, she thought,
that the sunlight reflected off of them in different ways. These all were
supposed to be the same age and type, right?
And a few seemed to have a purple glint.
A quiet gasp escaped her mouth.
Sakura jumped away with chakra in her legs, avoiding the hail of shuriken.
A few stabbed into a bonsai tree. The others whizzed by, before they fell
onto the grass within distance.
Scarlett was confused at her student's hasty retreat. She then took
one glance at the bonsai.
The love-angel began to emit a red glow, much to everyone's horror.
"What is the meaning of this?" Scarlett demanded in a loud voice. She looked
ready to administer divine judgment.
"What what what is going on here?" Potamos shrieked, glued to her
spot.
Minoru sighed. "The're already gone, Salvia-sama," he said. He put away
his dagger. "They didn't want to confront us with a real battle." The elf
snapped his fingers; his vines loosened from the water-demon.
Scarlett and Sakura relaxed from their fighting stances, and put away
their weapons.
The principal had just come, reacting to Scarlett's yell. He appeared
in front of the love-angel in a blur. "Salvia-sama! What is it?" His eyes
locked onto the bonsai tree. "Oh, my..."
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Potamos repeated once
more. She wiggled herself free from the loose entanglement.
"Look at the tree, Potamos," the principal instructed.
The water-demon looked at the bonsai. A few shuriken were imbedded in
its trunk. One of them had an area of purple bark surrounding it.
The water-demon stared at it, and realized what it was.
"Poison?" Potamos exclaimed, the annoyance evident in her voice. "I
didn't know that we had to work with POISONED weapons!"
"You were not supposed to." The principal's usual, jolly face was now
dead-serious. "Who brought in this box of shuriken?"
"I...I did," a voice quavered.
The principal turned his head towards the student who delivered the
weapons. "Atsushi-kun," he asked calmly, "Where did you get those shuriken?"
"I got them from the supply room. I asked the secretary for a normal,
clean box," the frightened student explained. Atsushi shivered at the piercing
glares from Scarlett and Potamos. "I swear, I had no idea they were poisoned!
Please believe me!" he pleaded.
"Atsushi-kun," the Principal said, "You are in no trouble, but we will
need you for further investigation. I will first escort you and the others
to the hospital-shrine, to get your hands examined and cleaned. Then we'll
talk."
He turned his head back to Sakura and Scarlett. He heaved a deep sigh.
"I believe that today's visit is over. I apologize for this highly embarrassing
incident."
"Apologies accepted. We will come along with you to the hospital-shrine."
The angel held a serene face, although her innards were bulging with fury
both at the students, and herself. 'How could such a simple assassination
plot get through so easily! Why didn't these pip-squeaks see that those
vile objects were tampered with not to mention, that they were real?
And it was careless on my part for trusting them. Thank god that Sakura
noticed just in time. Even Minoru '
Sakura gripped Tennyo's hilt nervously. Fear stuck in her throat. Then,
her fear slowly grew into anger. 'They're after me, ARE THEY?'
Minoru's face was downcast. "Salvia-sama..."
"It's all right, Minoru." Scarlett combed her fingers through her red
hair. Then she glanced to her student.
Sakura's eyes were greener and brighter than ever.
'Well, at least she's taking it well,' the angel-warrior commented inside.
'She's starting to know what's in store for her.'
Notes:
"hanko" - an official stamp or seal of an individual. Even nowadays
in Japan, a hanko is used like a signature for official documents and works
of art. If in the case you don't have one, then you use your fingerprint
instead of a hanko. So NEVER take someone else's hanko; that's a crime
equivalent to forgery or identity theft!
"Irasshaimase" - translated as 'Welcome'. It is used solely for guests.
It is even used to customers if they are entering your grocery store.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please tell me! If
I suck, by all means tell me. In an intelligent manner.
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