Mirror in the mountains

Chapter Text

Chaos. The word itself had no stronghold of a definition; it would be incorrect to assume otherwise. Why? Because that would imply solidarity, a boundary of limitation, that did not exist with chaos. No base to keep it up, yet it stood, defying practicality and the principal of balance. It was what shaped life itself. That was the power of chaos. There was no prelude for the impact it would inflict or when. Like standing in a blizzard without knowing it's cold. That was true chaos. It turned tables, reshapes its entire foundation, there was nothing that chaos could not do.

Nothing could define chaos and yet you would always know when it struck. And Sakura Haruno could only describe what had happened to her in the shortest possible period to be the work of chaos itself.

Within the four spaces of the carved sandstone, images protruding from the cracks of symbols to the left and right; and structures that were blurring with the shadow that crossed over them in an instant; conjoined with footstep which echoed lightly despite hammering against the floors, both hasty yet agile with practice, breaths coming out short but not labored with pain and difficulty. Excitement entering and exiting her mouth with the air and heat.

Her skin glistened with perspiration, that had less to do with her current and past motions but rather the environment that had conducted her actions and caused her senses to become frigid and stretch their arms so far the bones creaked from the strain.

At least she no longer had to be vigilant in terms of taking direction as there was only one passage that took different turns but not offering them simultaneously as it did before. That was irksome but merely a light breeze of discomfort in the bashing hurricane that had and continued to trail after her.

The heat was what she hated. Not even disliked. Her journey through the desert would have been like winter compared to this. Her red top, despite its light material, clung to her body with weighted moisture, keeping the heat pressed against her skin, the metal of her zipper sealing her top together burned her with the swaying back and forth motion from running, aside from her chest that was shielded by her second covering of fabric. She would have removed the top but did not want to feel anymore bare as the clothes on her back were all that had been brought with her when this unforeseen situation took her in its grasp.

In this time, she was grateful to be a ninja with enough stamina and speed to outrun something she wasn't able to fight. While her chakra enhanced strength was considered monstrous among her peers, it couldn't break the wave of lava chasing after her like an angry stampede. It was somehow maintaining its flow through the passages without even melting the walls and the heated growl as it singed everything it touched was a vicious promise of what was to come if Sakura stopped trying to escape it.

She was manipulated into taking the only path granted to her by this labyrinth, and it had clear intentions; to ensure that it eliminated all that occupied its space.

Natural light glistened against the darkness of the room opening its arms straight in her line of vision. However, that light was not shining from eye-level. No, it was from above. She halted at the cross between the passageway and the room. The room without a floor and an abyss she couldn't confirm was bottomless.

All four walls offered small cracks and crevices, wide and with thick green vines seductively woven along the walls. The vibrations from the ground shook through her body and the heat made her feel like her perspiration would evaporate.

She didn't look back, and leaped with her left foot, pushing on the sole making a jump nearly eight meters; easily grasping the handles on the walls but her hands felt its slickness and its scent that crawled to the back of her nose and down her throat so she could taste it on her tongue.

Oil.

The lava pouring like water was almost captivating, but with deadly promise, Sakura didn't feel the need to watch as it pooled from the bottom of the floor-less room and reached for her once again.

'Like hell,' She smiled with arrogance as she pulled her weight easily up along the slippery cracks and protruding rocks slicked in oil. Increasing her pace when the heat grew too close.

The climb wasn't pleasant, but nothing impossible especially for a ninja, and her head hit the clear air when she jumped out of the hole, grateful after being underground for so long.

As her skin started to cool against a warm breeze of mist, Sakura observed her new surroundings of this outside.

The sky wasn't blue covered in clouds nor black with dots of silver illuminating against it. No rather there was just a plain light provided from above with thin lines of gold lining above in a circular pattern. She stepped on terrain that crumbled under her feet, producing steam, the ground cracked and gray as if ready to turn to ash itself.

As far as her eyes could reach, able to touch nothing but the sight of these ever arching mountains of gray plains accompanied by the mist of steam and pits filled with the molten lava. Though still warm, it was less confining compared to the underground room she had woken up in.

She wasn't a stranger to dangerous situations, and her mentality easily kept her from stepping over the thin line of sanity and insanity. Though nothing about this seemed lucid. No matter how many times she attempted to rewind into the past, she was unable to draw a further conclusion as to how this happened.

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Mornings in Konhagakure was like a short film played in Sakura Haruno's mind; no matter when she woke up or how the weather looked that day; it was always the same in her eyes.

Emerging from her bed to do a short morning routine in preparation for the day. Dress in her same sleeveless red top with the plain white circle drawn on the back, spandex shorts, and gray apron skirt with too many zippers. Sometimes she would wear a plain shirt underneath that would not compliment her appearance.

She barely observes herself in the mirror to see how much she had changed or hasn't. With her short, choppy pink hair standing out awkwardly against her round face; and her emerald green eyes; her most captivating features which were also lacking in personality as they were neglected by their owner.

Her hair adorned only with her ninja headband, a short red ribbon with a metal plate in the center with the carved symbol of her village. And that was all. It wasn't that she didn't tend to it, but maintenance was no more than what was necessary and no further attention.

Her eyes were more worn, than anything and couldn't shine with childish abandonment. Always narrowed in; focused. It was preferable.

Sitting on her window, safe under a piece of glass within a wooden frame. A picture of herself at twelve, eyes closed and mouth in a wide smile, her wide forehead framed by her long hair; leaning forward in the middle of two boys. To her right, Naruto, the shortest out of everyone in the frame, his blue eyes narrowed and glaring over her head, ignoring the hand rested on top of his spiked blond hair, arms crossed under his chest; three marks parallel on each cheek like whiskers, above his mouth, twisted down in displeasure.

To her left, was the image of the boy who made her heart skip and break at the same time. Dark hair like a raven's feathers being, a hand resting atop his head mirroring Naruto's; eyes black as coal-like closed windows no one could see through, his mouth closed and curved down, eyebrows furrowed in a frown revealing his disposition to the situation.

Towering over them from behind but hunched forward as if to shield; a man with little features to distinguish as his narrow face was covered by a mask, revealing only the upper half, his eye closed while the other covered by his headband, but his eyebrows curved in a downward arch. Silver hair that stood upward, and curled only slightly to right. That was her teacher Kakashi.

Her teammates; her friend's; her goal.

It has been two years and this image was as close as she could get to any of the three, but it was enough to keep her moving forward each day. Doing whatever she could in hopes of restoring that picture to more than just a moment captured in time. Sasuke who abandoned the village, Naruto who left to train and bring him back, Kakashi who had lost his students as a result and no longer had a team to guide; focused on furthering his abilities. And then there was her.

The small remnant that was trying to be more.

Training and studying in medical ninjutsu, trying to use whatever ability she had brought her closer to those three again. Some days, especially the hard ones, it felt like pouring water into a cup with holes. But to allow herself to dwell on it would mean surrendering to a future that wasn't yet determined.

"Shishou," The pinkette called, lightly tapping on the thick wooden door before swinging it open. A wide room, with sunlight glaring through the windows that allowed one to overlook the village; a fitting position for the leader, the Hokage to reside. At the desk behind the window, a woman with blonde pigtails, slouched over, her head down on the desk covered with papers. The air with the distinct smell of booze.

She stepped further in, clearing her throat, "Shishou; Lady Tsunade!"

The Hokage looked up from her pile of papers at the pinkette in front of her, rubbing her eyes she saw the girls features clearer. Though she was still slightly blurred, too much time had passed for her not to recognize her apprentice.

"Oh Sakura when did you arrive?" asked Tsunade

"Just a moment ago"

"Well um.....why are you here again?"

"Training shishou," She reminded her. Though Sakura had her own temperament; it was a small flame that could be snuffed out by her teacher's; hence she wasn't able to probably express her disposition.

Tsunade nodded drowsily "Oh; I see. Before we start, I need you to assist with some errands,"

It wasn't unusual for her to assist her teacher, although she already had that when someone was conveniently close; especially as close as Sakura was; it only made sense to utilize.

"Yes,"

"There's been some maintenance done in Hokage Rock and I just need someone to double-check the tunnels. They were finished last week and I hadn't the time to check them myself," Tsunade handed Sakura a stack of papers "Those are the maps that have been made for the routes, I need you to make sure they are accurate,"

"That will take me nearly all day," Sakura said more to herself than to Tsunade, now she understood why she didn't want to do it herself.

"Oh no, it'll take no longer than an hour I'm sure. Well I'll leave it to you then"

"Yes ma'am" Sakura sighed.

Being sedulous would be a weight for many but Sakura, it was what helped her walk lighter. Training, working at the hospital, running errands, everything that required her mind's diligence and attention, and her body movements; pushing them both to the point of exhaustion in some way was how she ironically kept going every day. Because sometimes regret and despair would press down so hard on her chest she couldn't breathe and it was as if the world had turned black.

Weak. It was her most canonical description she could give herself; and it was a shame she constantly attempted to bury from the outside. It would only ensure further pity, what's more, it would fix nothing.

People who endure. That was a principal of being a shinobi, it was the baseline of all the rules a ninja had to follow to survive under their circumstances. And she had struggled with this from the beginning. If she had been further scrutinized; many would say she wasn't fit for the role she chose and she would agree, but at the same time, she knew she had strength; and at the very least determination and stubbornness. Somehow she managed to keep going forward regardless of what she faced; therefore she had some merit.

"And that's the last," Sakura said to herself as she exited the last route, completing her inspection. These passageways carved into Hokage rock leading to a hollow entrance of the mountain was meant to act a bunker for the villagers when there was an attack or emergency and the various routes had to be properly inspected and maintained.

There were quite a few passageways to prevent congestion when such an event occurred. It was fitting that Hokage Rock was purposed for this.

The inside of the bunker was wide, the light provided shined through the pupils of the heads carved in the stone. Her footsteps nonexistent as she walked around observing everything.

'Hokage' Her vision blurred. Today was one of those days when stopping meant returning to the past. She remembered the constant ranting of Naruto; promising that he would one day become the village leader; the Hokage. It wasn't arrogance that enticed him to want the role; but his determination to gain the respect that he was denied. It was so hard for her to understand his motive as more than a childish fantasy but his dream. There was so much she wasn't able to see and understand back then; and perhaps even now she was blinded more than the rest.

She looked up at the light, her hand holding up so a shadow cast over her eyes, 'I wish I could undo all of this myself, with my own hands...change everything,'

It was like butterfly wings touching her ears; whispering from a distance that it almost didn't exist. Perhaps a figment of her imagination; a voice inside her head that was just articulate through the silence around her. Still enough to turn her head.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed her uncertainty. Looking around cautiously, perching her ears she held out for a few minutes; but when nothing was heard she relaxed. It must have been a voice of her imagination and not of the tongue.

But then she heard it again, barely entering the passageways again. She returned and called out, "Hello?"

There was no way to distinguish what she heard, it sounded like a voice but the noise was too gentle to make the words visible. Again in silence, she waited; this time it came again but it wasn't a voice.

The sound was rhythmic but not as audible as the voice; this was more muffled but unusually close. Her eyes trailed along the inside of the mountain before she moved closer to the walls of the mountain, lingering her air against the stone walls and instinctively feeling herself drawing closer to the sound.

She barely breathed when she stopped; hovering right above the sound coming from behind a stone wall. She pushed her hand against it; solid rock.

Perhaps it was her curiosity that gave her a lacking moment of lucidity, but she was determined to find the source of the sounds. She molded chakra in her palm and pushed; moving it with much more ease than she expected, nearly losing her footing. It was weighed heavily with a stone a few tons but it moved nonetheless; despite showing now visible signs of cracks that would indicate it was a hidden door.

"What is this?"

She cautiously stepped into the darkness, keeping her hand out to feel out for anything. The sound continued, now becoming an articulate fluttering.

Finally, Sakura's long walk came to an end, as she met with the slightest bit of light from a corner in a short distance and picked up her pace. From around the bend, there was a dead-end wide enough for her to pace six steps; against the other side, pressed against the wall was a quarter-length mirror.

She stepped forward; observing its gold framing, carved with patterned curves and twists to captivate its beholder. The nearer she came the louder the fluttering grew. She was finally close enough to see her reflection in the clear mirror; there was not a trace of dust or a line of murkiness.

"Come.....closer,"

Her eyes were losing its lucidity, as she reached out a delicate hand towards the mirror, her reflection mimicking her actions, but it felt as though there was someone else reaching for her. The tips of her fingers, then her palm gently pressed against the glass, but instead of that solid coldness, Sakura felt an unusual warmth and softness against her skin.

A pulsing against her senses.

"At last,"

Sakura's hand went straight through it as if her entire hand was being enclosed by a solid force that continued to pull her forward. The glass of the mirror no longer reflecting her, but turning entirely white, emitting a painful glow she had to turn away from while she attempted to pry her hand free. Soon the rest of her followed being drawn into the mirror-like a magnet.

She cried out as she was drawn into the mirror having little knowledge that as she entered the mirror it faces began to crack slowly from the corner leading downwards like a tear spreading pattering like a spiders web; until finally….it shattered.

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Sakura's memory was equip with many variations of pain and its creators; from external wounds drawing bruises and blood, to nerves pinching, muscles pulling taut with agony, and that of continued momentum despite enervation. But if she had to put all of those experiences together, she wouldn't be able to remember it in comparison to what shew as experiencing right now.

This pain was going further than her physical and chemical makeup should have allowed; as if it was one of those sensations that were only meant to last for a moment before you became numb but she wasn't reaching that point. She couldn't cry to express her torment and she couldn't scream to distract herself with sound. She couldn't even pass into a state of unconsciousness to numb her senses.

The center point of the pain she couldn't locate, as there was no mercy of a slow spread throughout her body.

As if something was burrowing inside of her from every inch of her body, breaking through her skin, her muscle fibers, bones, tissue, organs, the blood in her veins, everything she was comprised of and then further into the very essence of herself, just driving deeper heightening the pain. It was like being ripped rather than cut, being broken and repaired, such an intensity that you couldn't even hope for a future without this pain because you can't think about anything else, completely lost to all sense of time, but feeling like you understand what eternity was.

Then it just stopped.

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The fluttering was so loud to her now it was as if the sound had crawled into her ear canals and chose to take up residence. Sakura sensed her neck muscles straining as her head arched back, her torso no longer anchoring her legs to the ground. Her feet arched back, pushed against the air.

What was happening?

Her eyes were now open all the way, and she couldn't force them closed. She attempted to contort her body to a position to see what was beneath her - if there was anything beneath her.

There was but it was nothing she had been prepared to see from this position ever in her life. With the sound of fluttering still so loud in her ears, and the only thing to touch was air, the sight was the dominating sense she depended on to understand her surroundings.

It was a mystical vision, almost divine, completely darkness complimenting a sphere distant enough to define its enormity. Rays of light, standing out from it as if reflecting off the darkness; one getting closer to her now stationary position mid-air; until she was engulfed in the flashing light that she had to shut her eyes from the sensation.

Without knowing, she reached forward, as if she could grab light itself. But her hand stopped; her palm becoming warm under a solid touch. Again she opened her eyes; and she was met with a more realistic view; however unusual still. Everything was real. She lay in the center of an eight-pointed star, drawn of white light illuminating her form before fading into dull nothingness.

"Where is this?"

Sitting up, her hand clenched around something she had been holding that she didn't remember grabbing. Opening her palm, examining the object. A frame of gold, twisted and carved, with an opening to her palm in an oval. Without knowing what to make of it, Sakura placed the item in a pocket; more concerned with gaining answers to her growing list of questions.

There was almost no light, but she could detect from the roughness of the ground some form of stone under her fingers, though the pungent smell of moss and wet air and dirt were absent in what she believed to be underground. There was at least a stuffy heat of being packed in or tightly sealed.

She stalked towards the only source of light, shining through a door-sized hole introducing a larger area but still confining. Magma poured through cracks and crevices in the walls, gathering in pools on the grounds with greater depth, fortunately there was still high ground that allowed Sakura to walk, a lot of room depending on where she would tread.

The body could be the best teller of time depending on the conditions it endured. Aware of how much sleep is needed to recover, sounding alarms of strain and pain when it was no longer able to endure certain labors and emitting physical and mental discomfort in less than suitable environments. Sakura used to adhere to her body's clock, but she had come to overthrow that time with her willpower.

This situation was no different, even as she felt the temperature continue to rise, as if she had been placed in a slow heating oven, the pinkette endured calmly. Determined not to allow herself to deter and make any mistakes.

Wiping the sweat off her brow, and jostling her collar for air with minimum movement. She kept surveying her surroundings, following through corridors of stone, avoiding the pits of magma and lava.

At times the ground beneath her would fall through, and she would be met with one or both of these heated elements of nature, sometimes at the heels of her feet before she was able to quickly move through. To move on the ground that wouldn't always hold; it was child-play for someone who could cling to the walls at the soles of her feet and hang upside down on the ceiling and was light enough on her feet to catch her balance before it slipped through her fingers.

'Crap,' She thought jumping over a pit spitting flames. Even though she could do this dance, she was getting tired of moving to the rhythm. It was like an extreme game of hopscotch at times, leaping across the floors. Becoming such a generic action that she was able to devote her concentration to what lead to these events.

'A hidden room in the mountain, that mirror-is it some sort of transportation device?' She really couldn't find any logical explanation no matter how many times she replayed it in her head. She heard fluttering and a voice, but the details alone were too vague to draw any conclusive lines and create a picture allowing her to fully comprehend what had and was occurring.

The next turn she took did not have the same rigorous walkway but rather offered stable ground and two doors of silver, split down with no handles to offer an invitation. A tablet of stone carved with an orthography she hadn't seen anywhere before and couldn't decipher. But she had enough intellect to know it was likely related to the two doors that now stood in front of her.

She had no way of knowing which one would be the right choice. With the heat, no preparation for what has become of her situation; she didn't have the luxury of dwelling.

It wouldn't matter if she went left or right if she was just going to end up boiling either way. She decided to head right. Pushing on the door, it opened easily. Almost as if there was an interior force pulling it for her.

This time the hallways were narrow, and closed off in stone trapping in the heat; and she would soon discover to be filled with more sinkholes than before. There wasn't much for her to admire, and she was more focused on the raging heat pricking through her skin like thorns that couldn't be pulled.

Nothing happened long enough for her to feel safe increasing her speed; the near silence coupled with the heat would have caused many to lose their faculties.

A step and she caught the familiar whizzing of cutting through the wind, instantly throwing herself forward and avoiding the spines of rock that had materialized and shot itself at her. She looked around for any trigger to this but saw nothing at the ground she had just stepped on. The rock was compressed to pierce well.

A bead of sweat slid down her forehead, collected at her chin, and dropped with a thought, 'Don't tell me…..'

She picked up a stone on the ground and tossed it into the air, watching as it was impaled with a spike, emerging only for the purpose of hitting that specific target. Normally, there was a trigger to a trap, and if you could find it you could either avoid or negate, but this time Sakura knew that her body was the trigger. And this place was becoming easily known as her enemy.

Crouching, her right leg leaned back, hind, before she made the plunge, pushing the soles of her feet against the floors, to the untrained eye it would be as if she was a phantom; like her blurred form was solid. It was easier for her to move when she didn't care about the noise she made; the way she breathed, expressing her displeasure with each initiation of movement in avoiding those spikes.

Her body shifted and twisted acrobatically and with a continuum, darting around, her limbs seemingly limp yet controlled, twisting in the air like she didn't need gravity's permission to grant her range of movement.

By the time she had reached the traps finish line, it had been short enough for her to endure but long enough to thoroughly agitated with the assistance of the ever-lasting heat as if she was in a clay oven.

And quickly losing patience to escape it.

The next room she stepped in, Sakura expected something sinister as it changed again, holding a platform decorated with gelatinous spears, and stone bridge leading from one side of the room to another darkened exit, lava spilling from the cracks. Though there were only signs of one entrance and exit, it was a distance away.

Sakura peered over the spears, reflecting her blurred image off the yellow and orange tinge. She continued to watch as her image began to shift despite her stationary form, and the spears begin to seep a liquid thick like broth and from the crevices followed small insect-like creatures with four eyes, arms like centipedes, teeth like needles all creeping towards her.

"Urgh!" Sakura kicked one of the creatures, wincing as its body singed her skin. It was as if she had poured boiling water over her leg. Nonetheless, the creature turns to a puddle on the floor. From them, Sakura kept her attacks swift and precise until all the monsters were reduced to that state.

"Well," She wiped the sweat off her forehead, "That was easy,"

Sometimes, believing in a force that was more than yourself could be difficult, but at this point, the pinkette was convinced that there was something out there causing this grief. The puddles of slime quickly pulled together like magnets being drawn until it towered over Sakura, a creature with no distinct shape, mouth agape wide with disorganized teeth, jagged.

It dived down, head first towards her, white eyes glaring but crashed into the floor as the kunoichi was too adept in movement compared to the monster. Tendrils emerged from its body and began creating whip-like motions with one target in mind.

Dodging the attacks was still a simple feat, but Sakura was determined to get off the defensive and escape this predicament. Focusing chakra to her fist, she slammed it onto the floor, knowing that the monster would likely regenerate, and watched as she caused a chain reaction, the floor crumbled until she was able to see the lava gathered below. Stepping faster, she ran to the other end of the room as the floors collapsed chasing at her heels, but she made it to the end. Watching as the creature vanished.

Just as she released a breath, thick with relief a tremor ran through her body and the area around her nearly stealing her balance. When she turned back, she saw the small pit of lava grow to a height that was threatening to reach where she resided and she knew that there wouldn't be any rest from here on.

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Despite reaching the outside, Sakura still wasn't free. There was obviously a domain outside of this one, she just didn't know how to access it. And though she knew the mirror had a part in transporting her, there were still more questions raised than answers.

Into the distance of ash mountains, was something in her sight enough to draw her forward despite the blazing heat. It was as if she had reached a place where she was just below boiling temperature. The air was thick with it that her throat ached for water with none present. She had seen doors. Colossal doors, lined with gold, thick in silver and as she attempted to push open, apparently locked. What stood out in the double doors was the darker shade of silver curved in shaping a hexagon.

'Dammit, I need a key,'

She was just about convinced her luck had run out but only realized that she was truly exhausted of the phenomenon, when her balance was nearly taken again as the ground shook cracking open the dusky earth spitting flames and magma, a giant made of that very essence, encased in a body of hard stone, crevices of flames that turned purple shortly after, it's face carved with no distinct features, on top of its head curved horns wherein the center rested a panchromatic crystal shaped like a hexagon. She was quick to put one and one to make two, but that didn't raise her spirits. Especially when its eyes set on her, drawing out a clawed hand only to summon a sword of magma rock from the ground.

'Great, now I need that key and a miracle to get it without fighting this thing,'

Sakura bent back almost touching the ground, the force of wind smacking her face but it was better than a sword. Flipping back several feet away from the monster, she avoided another hit creating a crater in the ground.

She wasn't able to feel the growing heat as she continued to avoid attacks, but it was taking a physical toll on her body. Despite its bulky build, the creature wasn't slow nor did it show any sign of slowing.

She waited until it landed another blow to the ground narrowly avoiding her, before she jumped on the side of the sword, her fist glowing with chakra molded and ready to be released. And then she made contact with the stone chest, expecting it to crack and be the end.

While it did crack, what followed was instant restoration. Flames present in the opening and closing with stones drawing towards it like a magnet. The more disturbing part for her was how ineffective her attack was.

In the air, she shifted when balls of flames came at her, but barring fangs, round faces with piercing eyes. While evading the first, she barely avoided the second, her top caught on fire. After landing, Sakura quickly removed the top, watching it vanish into the purple flames, now clad in her sports-bra. The edges of her torso were also burned, her skin raw.

She wasn't able to concentrate on healing however as the creator of those little fireballs was coming towards her heaving his heavy sword.

"Shit," She hissed, crouched down and pushing off again to evade another attack. Flames erupted from where the giant hit this time, causing Sakura to shut her eyes for only a second, and that's when she was struck from the side. Fire tore through her skin like it was paper, fading to reveal the ugly marring.

Again when the giant swung at her, Sakura attempted to punch back, but it was as if its body had nullified her chakra again. She broke through its body but it healed once more and again with less damage than anticipated.

'What's going on? Is this thing immune to chakra or something?' She was observant but under these circumstances, her prior focus was getting the key and escaping this plane. Avoiding the swings of its sword, and somehow evading the fire monsters that were attacking at the same time, but she wouldn't last in a prolonged fight like this. It was a stalemate.

Her eyes wandered back to the gem on top of the crown of the creature. Her goal set in mind. Again she flipped back, on one hand, avoiding another attack and then jumped into the air to keep the fire monsters at bay. Once landing, she waited still crouched as the force of the swing hit her, and then she struck, her fist clashing with the wrist of the giant, its stone armor crumbled and broke apart. Dropping the sword.

Sakura picked up the heavy weapon by its handle, her hand burning slightly from the heat it still emitted and then, as the creature was recovering its hand. The kunoichi took a big jump forward and swung with one hand, for the neck.

On contact, stones and flames splattered like a gaizer unleashed, and when the head landed on the floor, Sakura grasped with a firm hand on the key, pulling the gem out. The fire monster spheres vanished, fading as the giant did, into grounded sand like ash.

In haste, and vision blurred with the rising temperature that no longer allowed her to even swallow in relief, Sakura stood in front of the gate and placed the gem in the slot.

Without waking for the doors to fully open or for her vision to adjust, she stepped in, determined to escape the heat.

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It was a relief, the instant coolness that washed over Sakura when she stepped through the doors. Automatically her exit was also closed off but she didn't care, she didn't want to experience that degree of heat again. Her mouth was dry, she could barely taste the dirt and smoke that had kicked up in her mouth during her fight.

She stopped to observe her environment and heal her burns. She was inside a building, a structure held by pillars of stone, no cracks in tiles, nothing like the ruins she had been venturing through previously. So untouched not even a phantom could have occupied its space. Or so it appeared.

The room was lit brightly by torches and was littered with objects that all appeared to be made of stone. There were ornaments of some sorts and giant piles of pebbles stocked one after the other. In the middle of the room, standing on a pedestal was a simple block urn with an eight-pointed star in the front.

She didn't peer around while approaching the urn; laying a single touch on its center there was a bright light and then soon after everything around her changed.

The rooms colored and in an instant, she watched everything made of stone turn to silver and gold with glittering gems that were nearly blinding.

"Amazing" Sakura gasped looking around in shock and then she heard a voice.

"Yes, it is, though not as grand as myself,"

The voice was booming, heavy with pride that hit every corner of the room. Sakura turned back to where the urn once rested and craned her neck back to embrace what now stood in its place. Skin of pure blue, curved with taught muscle yet lean, hair ash-red with horns nothing short of intimidating and captivating, ruby eyes that came in three instead of two with sclera colored black, sharp silver armor decorating broad shoulders to hook a near translucent fabric of white designed as a toga. This being was both breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying, with a presence that to Sakura's trained senses held power.

"I am Beleth the djinn of strength and discord," The being or djinn as he introduced seemed to be waiting for her response, though she was still awestruck. "You have succeeded in capturing the king's power,"

"King's power?" Sakura asked, finding her tongue at last, though it wasn't as sharp.

"Yes, my king, you have succeeded by appearing before me. I must admit, I had increased the dungeon's difficulty when I felt a strange presence of strength I was unable to determine, but it would seem that I had overestimated your power as it had less potency than anticipated. Nevertheless, you have indeed done well,"

"I don't understand," Sakura shook away all the lingering thoughts of questions trailing from her objective, "I honestly just want to get out of here and get back to my village,"

Soon after she said that something started to glow in the back of Sakura's pocket, she pulled old the gold frame that had been forgotten for a while. "Now what?"

Beleth looked at it and his eyes went wide "That's….a magical tool,"

"What are you talking about? No never mind that, can you explain how I can get out of here and back to my village?" Sakura asked in confusion staring up at the blue giant.

"Well that won't be an issue my king, you shall return to the outside now that the dungeon has been captured," Beleth affirmed.

Sakura nodded, "And that outside is going to be somewhere back in Konohagakure right?"

"I cannot say," Beleth admitted, "I am not familiar with the outside world. As well as you my king,"

"So do you know what the hell is going on here?" She held up the frame; still glowing.

"That my king seems to be reacting to my presence." Beleth sighed, holding out his palm, his stare intense on it, "That would explain where this came from,"

The chance to ask wasn't presented as Beleth's statue decreased to a size where Sakura no longer had to force her chin to touch the ceiling, but still far enough to need to keep her head raised. She shrunk back when Beleth's hand reached towards her, she wanted to dart away but he urged her to stay.

"I will not harm you, my king, you are now my master. I merely want to assist where I believe I can,"

The djinn pointed down at the frame in her hand, again it took on a bright tinge and a soft fluttering was caught in the distance. After both faded, Sakura looked at the frame again and noticed something shining in the corner of it that wasn't there before.

"It would seem that I indeed had a shard of glass within me belonging to that frame,"

Sakura frowned, "Okay, so what exactly does this mean?"

Beleth folded his arms, "I am not certain. But I hypothesis that something unusual had caused the mirror to shatter, it's a magical tool of some kind but I'm unaware of what it does,"

"I think it's what brought me to this place,"

"Elaborate,"

Sakura could only assume that Beleth would be able to understand once she finished telling her story, and give hopes in discovering more about the severity of her situation. While she wasn't certain how reliable information would be, she was determined to get something viable. So she explained everything as intricately as someone who didn't understand their predicament could. And by the end of her story, it seemed that the djinn had grasped the content better than she did.

"I believe I understand now, why I couldn't detect you arriving in my dungeon through the entrance. It was likely the mirror that brought you here. However, I am not familiar with this magical item. You also have a very unusual presence,"

Her brown scrunched, "I'm not sure what that means, but I already figured the mirror brought me here. So there's nothing else you can tell me?"

"Unfortunately my king it doesn't seem that way,"

"Oh!" Sakura held up her hand, "Could you explain why you're calling me your king?"

Beleth seemed taken back by this, "Interesting, I thought you would at least be aware of the dungeon's power and treasures. But I shall explain,"

Sakura learned that she was in a place known as dungeons which each held riches and offered the power of a king, but there were many dangers and trials to face to conquer it. And this was only one of many. Those who succeed will then become a king candidate for a magi. Beleth explained that Magi's were magicians that summoned dungeons.

There was more elaboration on the power of a king which Beleth explained would be the strength she had obtained just now. She would hold the power of a djinn which she would be enabled to summon using magoi.

Even with the explanation, Sakura had been left with more gaps to fill than puzzle pieces in sight. And she tried not to express her disdain to the djinn, but it was nearly impossible.

Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead, "This is...a lot to take in,"

"I believe now would be a good time for us to depart from here my king," said Beleth. "There is no point in waiting for answers to find you. Better if you seek them out yourself,"

That was something she could agree on, "Alright, I've had enough of this place anyway,"

Unfortunately, Sakura was about to discover that she was much further from home than anticipated and that this was only the beginning.