Chapter 2: New Clues

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CHAPTER 2:NEW CLUE

Sakura may not have gotten much when she left the village but she was at least able to swipe the map when the village chief was raving or perhaps he had allowed her to take it as some last show of sympathy. Either way, Sakura was completely on her own now but she didn't fear traveling a forest. it was familiar to her. A welcoming solution that cooled the turmoil within her while trying to come to terms with the fact she was now in another world.

At first, she had dismissed the thought, but as she kept traveling, she had encountered the oddest of fauna. So many animals that seemed to have been stitched together with another. For example on one of her first nights, her dinner was almost swiped by a tribe of monkeys that had the facial features of pigs, and she even had to fight off a platypus that towered like a bear. That part wasn't too familiar to her.

However, she knew how to travel through the forest and the terrain effectively, all the while conserving energy. She knew her flora well enough and had no problem collecting food for herself. Nothing bothered her in the slightest. Except for the silence.

While she typically went on adventures and missions, those were not on her lonesome. She had her teammates, and her friends, and as the days passed, the quiet was becoming louder, a ringing in her ears she wanted to fill with voices instead of nature.

As Sakura lay beneath the canopy of stars, the memories of Konoha lingered in her mind like a distant dream. Lost in this unfamiliar world, she felt a sense of disconnection—a longing for the familiarity of home that seemed more distant with each passing moment. Naruto was meant to be returning this year, would she be able to get back before he did? Tsunade must've noticed she was missing. Sakura even rehearsed out loud the excuses she would make to explain her absence without giving admittance to sneaking out of the village.

It was so juvenile to think about. But kept her mind occupied in that lonely bubble she wished to pop.

Sakura's thoughts turned to the enigmatic mention of spirits, a possible key—a tantalizing thread of possibility in the tapestry of her predicament. "Being spirited away..." she mused aloud, turning her face into the fire, as the wood crackled under the flames.

In her quest for answers, Sakura had explored every conceivable explanation, from genjutsu to teleportation to distant lands unknown. Yet, none seemed to offer a satisfactory explanation for her inexplicable appearance in this world.

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As the days went on, Sakura continued to trudge through the unfamiliar terrain, her steps guided by the map in her grasp. She was growing eager which made her all the more jittery. Her eyes darted around, trying to figure out if she had gone in the right direction or to the correct turn by that last boulder. 

Finally, she came across a sign of a village, but it was minuscule to what she was expecting. There was a collective of people fathered, and some forms of wooden shacks but it all seemed to be a work in progress. A place that had come to a halt for renovation. Before stepping into sight of others Sakura took a scarf to wrap her head around. She didn't want to draw attention or scare people into thinking she was a spirit.

As Sakura ventured further into the makeshift village, she glanced around taking note of anything to be cautioned about. There was the sight of people hauling lumber around, hammering up walls trying to rebuild.

The scene before her was a far cry from the bustling villages she had known in her world. Instead of sturdy homes and bustling streets, she saw tents pitched haphazardly amidst the debris, their inhabitants laboring under the harsh sun to erect makeshift shelters from whatever materials they could salvage. Perhaps a slight exaggeration on her part.

Sakura's gaze fell upon a row of stands displaying food and goods for sale. Her stomach growled in protest at the tantalizing aromas wafting through the air, yet she knew she had no money to spare.

"What happened here?" Sakura asked.

An old man who had been walking through overheard her and answered. "Our village was destroyed by a damn upwards," he replied bitterly, his voice thick with emotion. "Everything was washed away."

"Did the damn burst?"

The old man sighed, "Not quite, the damn was destroyed in hopes of taking out the village. Rather its Firenation occupents. But we were warned in time and managed to evacuate. Of course, it was a spur of the moment and much was lost, but at least we kept our lives."

Sakura sighed, she wasn't sure if she would be able to get much of anything here. Not that she had money for it. Then she caught sight of a line of people gathered around a small shack, their faces drawn and weary, that drew Sakura's attention. Young and old alike, they bore the telltale signs of illness or injury. She realized that in a situation like this, many complications followed, including health.

"What is over there?"

"That's the clinic, though there's only one doctor here in the village and we haven't received any medicine this time around yet." The man explained that the soldiers were dealing with deliveries and such to start rebuilding the village, but it was slow progress because they were so far out and the men tended to take first pick of the supplies before dolling the rest out to the residents.

Sakura realized she had just found the solution to her money problems.

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Stepping into the little shack of a clinic left Sakura heartsore, it was in a bit of a makeshift state, with a light scent of musk, and the muted groans of the sick and injured. Patients lay upon cots, their faces etched with pain, while the lone doctor moved among them with a weariness born of endless toil.

"Hello, are you the doctor here?"

"Yes," The man answered. "What can I help you with?"

"Actually, I'm here to help you." Sakura offered, that she didn't want to spare time on pleasantries as that wouldn't be fair to the patients or to the person that needed to tend to them. "I'm a medic and I overheard that you're the only doctor here. Seems like you've got your hands full."

"And you're offering to help me?" The man seemed skeptical.

"I can tend to the patients, gather supplies, whatever you need," Sakura said. "Just while I'm here. I promise I can help clear your plate."

"And what would you like in exchange for this offer?" He already knew there was no such thing as a free meal.

Sakura smiled. "Just a small fee,"

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Several days passed, and true to her word, Sakura had made it her mission to really earn her keep and give the village doctor enough moments to get off his feet. She wasn't going to slack, her pride as a medic disallowed any error or inefficiency. And the effects of her efforts were nearly instantaneous. She tended to patients effectively, ensuring that they were properly diagnosed and treated, especially when handling the injured. Her remedies and medicines were most effective.

She reframed from using her medical jutsu to heal and even kept from revealing her hair so as not to kick up a fuss.

In the dimly lit confines of the clinic hut, Sakura knelt beside the cot of an injured woman, her face pale and drawn with pain, her breath came in shallow gasps, her eyes wide with fear as she clutched the sheets as Sakura examined her fresh wound. A burn mark due to a small fire accident, while cooking she had been told. 

"It's going to be okay," Sakura murmured, as she took some salve from a container and began to treat the wound with a small brush.

With practiced hands, Sakura began to clean the wound, her movements gentle yet purposeful. With her sense of smell, Sakura could catch a hint of the burnt flesh. It was always one of the more unpleasant treatments to make.

"Will it leave a scar?" The woman asked.

"I'm afraid there will be some scarring," Sakura admitted. Then showed the women a small container of cream. "But this will help soothe the wound and keep out infection. You need to change the bandages every few days."

"Thank you,"

Sakura saw the woman out and stretched in relief as she waved off her last patient for the day. But she had managed to thin out the amount of patients that were stuck in the clinic. The doctor was very impressed by her work, though doubtful in the beginning. Sakura had been able to take on many tasks surrounding treating patients to collecting herbs in harsher terrains.

He even asked that she give him the recipes for some of her remedies for an additional fee. Sakura believed she was set well enough for now to take off soon. She didn't know where to go, but standing in one place wasn't going to do her much good.

"Another remarkable day Sakura." Doctor Shun complimented.

"Thank you," Sakura went about tidying up the area, straightening the cots, and restocking the supply closet.

"You'll be leaving soon huh?"

"Yes,"

The doctor sighed, massaging his strained back, "I would've preferred if you had stayed, you're doing this village a lot of good."

Sakura shook her head, as kind as that was, this was merely a means of survival, she was hardly using her ability for noble reasons right now. But that didn't matter. As long as she could get what she needed. It wasn't bad that this also came with a sense of satisfaction, in putting her acquired healing skills to use. Three years of brutal torture training under Tsunade bore fruits in one of her most vulnerable moments.

"I'm sorry but I have to be on my way. I've made plenty of medicine so that should help you. Though I do think you should consider an apprentice,"

The doctor sighed, while he may be able to find an apprentice, he wouldn't be able to find anyone who worked as efficiently as this young girl. She had cut his daily chores and work by more than half in such a short time, it was truly a shame to see her leave, but the village wasn't exactly all that suited for accommodating long-term in its current condition. The Firenation soldiers had taken over their small village months ago, but after it was washed away, they had barely been paying it much heed and spent more time camping in the forest waiting for the villagers to restore their homes just for them to take over once more. But that was how it had been for the last hundred years.

Perhaps it would be best if she left before the Firenation soldiers returned. He had caught a glimpse of Sakura's odd hair color beneath her scarf, and if she remained she would undoubtedly catch attention. 

"Do you know anything else about the spirit world?"

The doctor's expression grew solemn, his gaze drifting to the distant horizon as he spoke. "Such matters are not commonly known. But there are whispers that have started to grow, that speak of the avatar. Who is said to be the bridge between the two worlds."

"So spirits really exist?"

"They do, but they are said to reside in their own world. There are different kinds of spirits, ones that control the tides, influence the weather, the seasons, and much more. I've had some friends who studied archeology at Ba Sing Se University, and they've touched a bit on them, but spirits are still enigmas. Why do you ask?"

Sakura frowned, "Just curious. So what does it mean that the avatar is the bridge between these worlds?"

"It means I think that he is the only one who can cross to the spirit world and communicate with the spirits. That's according to the legends anyway. But people have only recently started discussing the avatar again,"

"Why is that?"

"Because for the last hundred years, everyone believed the avatar no longer existed."

Shun explained that after the Fire nation had declared war on the world, the avatar had vanished for over a hundred years. The avatar wasn't just a single person, but a being who would reincarnate after their passing and it would follow in a cycle, which would determine their next identity and nationalism based on the attribute. Water, earth, fire, and air. They were the only ones in this world who could bend all four elements instead of one.

"Bend?" Sakura couldn't help interrupting

Shun frowned, "Come now of course you know some people are born with the ability to bend an element of either, earth, fire, or water, and control it."

Was it like jutsu then? Sakura wondered. "Wait you didn't mention air,"

"Ah," Shun sighed, leaning against his chair, "That's because the air nomads were wiped out years ago, thus removing the world of air benders. The only airbender left now is the avatar. It isn't hard to realize why that happened. When the Firenation started the war, they obviously wanted to keep the avatar at bay, and the Firelord at the time likely sought the best course of action was the wipe out the entire race that could give birth to airbenders."

It was an atrocity, Sakura realized, to wipe out an entire nation of people for the sake of ensuring one person wouldn't be born or rather reborn. It had been a genocide. But this avatar. Someone who could cross to the spirit world, and communicate with them. Now that sounded like a lead for her.

"The avatar has been traveling all over the world, and of course, the Firenation has been on the hunt for him. He even came through this area,"

Sakura gasped, "How long ago?"

"I've only heard soldiers discuss this, but it was a few weeks back." Shun stared at Sakura, his gaze hardening. "Do you intend to search for him?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because the Firenation has aggressively been searching for the avatar. While he is revered, being associated would put a large target on you."

Sakura smirked, "While I appreciate the warning, you don't need to worry."

Besides, she was curious to sew what this bending looked like.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

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