Chapter 8

The journey that was supposed to take only two days turned into four, we ate and spent the night in roadside inns. Of which there were a great many. Sensei paid for everything. Kakashi generally behaves strangely, on the one hand, he hardly trains us, on the other, he does not take his share of the money earned on missions, pays for us on the road and is always looking after us.

 Finally, we arrived at the place. A small town, moderately dirty, moderately rich, gray, such do not stick in the memory.

- The target lives in a private mansion, on the outskirts. Here is what is known about him. Your options for elimination. - The commander handed out sheets of paper with photographs and other intelligence. I see, he decided to arrange a small exam.

 I read, my gaze catches on the line "was noticed buying young girls for sexual entertainment." My option will be based on this.

- The security is weak, we will break through and kill. - The Sharingan user shrugs calmly. Sakura feigns agreement with all her appearance, except that she doesn't drool.

- The target likes young girls. We'll disguise Sakura as a peasant and sell her to him. At night, she'll slit his throat, Kakashi-taicho, you'll take her out as a replacement. Sasuke and I are on insurance. So, if anything happens, the relatives will have nothing to present to Konoha, the merchant just played too much. - I'll voice my version. Replacement, also known as "kawarimi" - a technique that allows a shinobi to swap places with an object of similar weight and size.

Sakura opens her mouth in silent indignation, but finds no words. Sasuke also looks disapprovingly. They don't let him fight.

-Well done, Naruto-kun, not a bad scenario at all. - Eye smile. - Any other options?

-Sasuke and I pretend to be nukenin. We get security, wait for a convenient moment, kill. If the target is sleeping by an open window, we can throw a checker with colorless poisonous gas. "Accidentally" run into each other in the city and poke him with a poisoned needle. Throw something cutting through the window, or from the roof, while walking. - I named several more options right off the bat.

-Excellent, Naruto. He really is sleeping by an open window. Do you have a poison checker? - Poisons are unpopular in Konoha, I'm more of an exception.

-Yes. Paralysis and death from cardiac arrest, or a quick death from brain failure? - I name two options I took with me.

 - The second one acts faster, let him do it. Who do you think should throw? - Kakashi asks a new question. Now that's a provocation.

- It's up to you, captain. - I nod my head respectfully.

- Sakura. You. - That's right, we need to knock her rose-colored glasses off.

 I hand the surprised girl the saber, which I've already managed to get out of my backpack.

- Sakura, throw carefully, it activates three seconds after the pin is pulled, it can go off from a blow. Don't squeeze it like that! You'll kill yourself. Kakashi-taicho, I can give the second one to Sasuke, let him back you up.

 The captain nodded. We're waiting for night. The light went out, the mercenaries dispersed to their posts. Let's work.

 Sakura crept up, threw the saber. It quietly hit the edge of the window and dived inside. The job is done. Tomorrow we'll make sure the merchant is dead and then we'll leave.

 We've settled in for the night at the inn, we're sitting there, eating a late dinner.

 Sakura's hands are shaking, she doesn't believe she killed a man. I didn't say that the servant who opens the door in the morning would also die, and sensei didn't say anything either.

-Naruto, were you scared? - Sakura's question.

-What?

-Well, to kill? - And with her eyes, clap-clap.

-Not really. Nervous. Unpleasant. - I'll answer honestly.

-And what's the scariest thing you know? - Unexpected. A very strange question.

-I don't even know, there are many scary things.

-For example? - Kakashi is interested. What's wrong with him?

-Death. The death of friends. To be crippled. To go crazy. Loneliness. Demons... - Sensei nods respectfully.

-Pfft. - Sasuke makes a face. The most fearless one has been found. Well, never mind, now I'll make you turn pale!

- Sasuke, since you are so brave, maybe you will listen to the story of one demon. Compared to whom Kyuubi himself is a kitten? - The little dog became interested. Am I imagining things or did a wave of surprise, anger and mistrust come from my seal? - So, now I will tell you about Slaanesh. The demon of pleasures and delights, they say that he is so beautiful that no mortal can look at him without falling in love. Warriors cut out their eyes, entering into battle with him! And only the strongest and most steadfast in spirit dared to raise their eyes, trying to resist the rolling adoration. Slaanesh fights beautifully and unimaginably beautifully, even splashes of blood from under his claw line up in beautiful patterns both in the air and on the ground, which fascinate the gaze, calling for endless admiration. Death in his clutches is an eternal agony of pain that brings a forbidden pleasure known only to the gods... - I got carried away, starting to tell increasingly creepy stories that I had once read on the Internet.

- Such a beautiful and terrifying demon. - I finished the story in a hissing voice. The print clearly exudes fear and anger.

 Sakura is whiter than a sheet, Sasuke too. Kakashi??? And you too? It seems I got carried away. Your copper, Sasuke and Sakura are essentially children, and I made such a horror story! Moreover, the demons here are quite real.

-Guys? Will you be able to fall asleep? - Damn, I don't even have sleeping pills with me.

-N-Naruto-kun, is what you told me r-true? - How much hope is in the girl's voice.

-I don't know, I read this story in the library.

-It's just a horror story for children! - It talks! Sasuke has broken through! He is too silent a guy.

- Exactly. Right, Naruto-kun? - The captain asks with a strange intonation. A little later I found out that his family, the Hatake, was connected with sacred dogs, temples and other heresies. He is a believer, and superstitious to boot. Naturally, he immediately accepted all this on faith, especially considering what I told him in many details.

 That night, something out of the ordinary happened. Sakura came to sleep with me! She spread out a mattress at arm's length from me and went to bed, having spent five minutes before that assuring me that if I approached her, she would kill me.

-Why didn't you go to Sasuke? - I ask a tricky question.

-Sasuke-kun... kicked me out... - there was so much melancholy in his voice, I wanted to drown myself.

-I see, - I chuckled. - You know, I can help you win him over. You're making one fatal mistake! - I say in a sly voice.

-Which one? - The girl took off together.

 The two clones apply henge and act out several scenes.

-Get it?

-Do I really look like that from the outside? - Sakura's voice is completely depressed, there are tears in her eyes. It got through to her quickly, very quickly. I was afraid that I would have to explain and convince for a long time, but the girl turned out to be smart, just overly fanatical.

-It could be worse. You're too intrusive, so there's no chance.

-Thank you... I'll try. Good night. - She plopped down on the mattress and turned away.

-Good night!

In the morning the captain found out that the target was dead. We headed back. Without incident, although I was pretty tired. Sakura finally mastered the upper road (not without the help of the team, even Sasuke participated), we moved more or less confidently.

 I returned to the village, I really wanted to rest. As soon as the money from the mission was paid, I suggested to my teammates to relax. We rented a portable brazier in a cafe that was run by friends of Sakura's parents. We bought meat and spices, some fruit.

 I brought them to a nice clearing. A lawn surrounded by a wall of forest on one side, and a foamy river riffle with a tiny backwater, like a small pond, on the other. The forest is continuous, extremely dense with a whole bunch of bushes, so that from its side the clearing is not noticeable at all, the river is quite shallow and with an extremely strong current and transparent water. There is a small sandy beach by the shore, just a couple of steps away. The bottom is covered with sand, but if you go a little deeper, there will be polished flat stones. From one large boulder it is very convenient to dive towards the starka, it is quite deep there, at least it hides me, although in most of the river the water does not exceed the waist.

 I came across this clearing by accident. I just decided to go out into the forest for a walk and got lost. Terrible stupidity.

 Here I had a cache of homemade fishing rods, small benches made of peeled logs and a table. A wonderful place. The best place to relax.

 While Sasuke was heating up the brazier, I undressed and plopped into the water, just lying on my back in the shallows. The sun is scorching, the water is murmuring and pleasantly cooling the skin, the forest is quietly rustling. I close my eyes and almost physically feel how the tension goes away, how the anxious lump in my chest is unraveling. I breathe deeply.

- Naruto! Come here, it's time to cook the meat! - Sakura's scream pulls me out of my bliss.

 We eat, tell jokes, changing them on the fly to the local style, Sasuke at first kept his face like a brick, but he couldn't keep the mask, laughing with everyone. He really turned out to be a good guy, it's just a hard fate. Sakura, in a more or less sane state, is also not bad at all. In three months of our communication, only now have we begun to more or less recognize each other. Sakura began to tell stories about my life before losing my memory. I made huge eyes and thanked the gods for losing this memory. Sasuke held back, but snorted with laughter.

 Dragged me in for a swim, Sasuke climbed in without asking questions, Sakura didn't have a bathing suit, said to swim right in her dress, it's hot anyway.

 Sunset. We are sitting on the shore, looking at the sky.

-Sasuke, Sakura. In my opinion, we only became a team now. That's why... congratulations on forming Team #7! One for all, and all for one! - I say.

-One for all, and all for one. Yes. - As if trying out Sasuke's phrase, then he extended his fist. He hit it with his own.

-Boys, maybe we should gather in this clearing sometimes? Let it become our place! - Sakura suggests.

-I'm all for it! You, Sasuke?

-For it.

-Well, I'll name this clearing our team's resting place! - they laughed.

- Sasuke, without your cold mask you are just a great guy, why do you need it? - I ask.

- It is my brother's fault. I have a huge responsibility. I have no right to forget it. My clan was cut out before my eyes, but no one cares! Everyone spits at me with routine phrases of regret and that's it! I must kill my brother and revive the clan, return respect to our symbol! - A fanatical fire flares up in my eyes.

- A worthy goal. I don't have one at all. - I say with regret. Suddenly, melancholy rolled over me. - I have no right to even say the names of my parents. I have no right to go into my clan's quarter. There is an evil thing the size of a mountain inside me, because of which half the village hates me. And I absolutely do not understand what to do.

- Naruto, is it true? The fox is sealed inside you? - Sakura's eyes are dumbfounded.

- It's true, Sakura-chan.

 - Naruto, do you have a clan? - Sasuke is surprised only by this, he doesn't give a damn about me being a jinchuriki.

- Uzumaki. Endurance, huge reserves of chakra, incredible results in fuinjutsu. The last representative, like you, Sasuke. The clan died in full force, but stopped the Fox. My birthday is the day of the death of my entire clan. A holiday with tears.

- I see. I didn't know. Sorry. About the goal... maybe you'll revive your clan too? Let's form an alliance, maybe you'll become Hokage, like he used to yell... - the black-eyed one jokes.

 I thought about it. How is it not a goal? We accept. For now, we'll work in this direction. But is it final? I have one wild and extremely crazy idea related to these tailed ones.

- Sasuke, can I ask you a favor? - he nodded. - Don't wear a mask in front of us.

 - Naruto, I'll try, but she's already a part of me. Every time I walk around the block...

- I understand! - I nod my head. - Listen, maybe I should move in with you? - The suggestion comes out unexpectedly even for myself. - It won't be so depressing.

- I agree. - Sasuke said quickly, as if afraid of luck.

 We sit, silent. The sun has set. The stars are starting to light up, a nasty chill has come from the river, fog has started to rise on the rapids.

- Well, are we heading home? I'll move tomorrow and we'll get down to business. - I break the silence.

- Yeah... - Sakura breathes out quietly.