The Sakura Legend

Within the Land of Waterfalls

After a day and a half of travel, according to Shibuki, they were almost at Takigakure. The group stopped to prepare lunch.

Because Sakura's team didn't know the route, Shibuki had been leading the way ever since they entered the Land of Waterfalls. And Shibuki remained exactly the same as he'd been the previous day – skittish and easily frightened, jumping at every shadow.

Sakura watched him, finding his antics somewhat amusing, while also observing him closely. By now, she'd employed just about every observation technique she'd learned at the Academy, but she still hadn't been able to determine if Shibuki was putting on an act. If he wasn't acting, then he was genuinely just that timid. Well, there's still time, she thought. Once we reach Takigakure, maybe I can find an excuse to stay for a few days.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto spoke up suddenly. He was tending to the fish grilling over the fire. "How come you don't wear that... uh... that green flak jacket?"

"Hm?" Sakura looked at Naruto, a little surprised by the question. "Wear the official vest that screams 'I'm a Chunin'? Isn't that basically painting a target on my back?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused. "But it represents your rank!"

"Hmph. Idiot," Sasuke scoffed from nearby. "That's exactly why. Because the vest marks her as a Chunin, enemies would focus their attention on Sakura. There are plenty of ways to handle enemies, but making your opponent underestimate you is often a better strategy."

"Uh..." Naruto just grunted and didn't argue further.

Actually, Sakura thought privately, the main reason I ditched the vest is because it's hideous.

"It's been suspiciously quiet on this route," Sasuke continued, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "I keep having a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed with a sigh. "It really has been quiet. And... it feels like we've been going in circles."

"You noticed too?" Sasuke shot a sideways glance towards Shibuki, who was sitting not far away.

So it wasn't just me, Sakura nodded. "The Land of Waterfalls isn't that large. If we'd been traveling at a normal pace in a straight line, we should be nearing the border with the Land of Earth by now. But it's pretty clear our client has been deliberately taking us on detours."

"Interesting," Sasuke murmured, a hint of dangerous excitement entering his eyes. "Looks like things might finally get interesting."

"Hold on, Sasuke," Sakura cautioned him. "Maybe we're reading too much into it."

If this were just a standard escort mission, Sakura wouldn't be sweating it – drop the client off and head home. But Lady Tsunade had specifically emphasized this mission. It seemed Takigakure really did have problems, which was the situation Sakura had hoped to avoid. It would inevitably mean another fight.

Just then, Shibuki approached the three of them. "Let's get going," he said. "We're almost there now. Then you can be on your way."

Sakura nodded, packed up quickly, and fell into step behind Shibuki. In any case, nothing concrete had happened yet, and it wasn't like they could just tie Shibuki up and force answers out of him.

After following Shibuki for another hour, the rough path began to slope upwards. As the group ascended, the faint roar of flowing water reached their ears. When they finally crested the rise, the landscape opened dramatically before them.

"Th-this is..." Naruto stared in amazement at the scene, letting out a bizarre yell. "WHOA! That waterfall is HUGE!"

Sakura was equally awestruck. It was a waterfall, a massive one, larger than any she had seen since coming to this world. A torrential cascade of water poured down from cliffs that looked hundreds of meters high, the roar of water crashing against rock deafening. At the bottom, the falling water churned into a vast basin, the pool itself so clear you could see the bottom – a breathtaking sight. It would be perfect, Sakura noted absently, if not for all the debris floating in the pool.

"AHHHHHHHHH—!"

"What was that for, Naruto?! Trying to burst my eardrums?" Sakura complained, covering her ears, which were ringing slightly from Naruto's sudden, exuberant shout.

"Hehe, sorry, Sakura-chan! The view was just so incredible, I couldn't help it!" Naruto apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sakura ignored Naruto's outburst and stepped forward, nudging Shibuki lightly with her foot. He had hit the dirt, startled by Naruto's yell. "Hey. Where are we?"

"Th-this... this is Takigakure," Shibuki said, getting to his feet, still looking shaken.

"This is Takigakure?" Sakura looked around. Other than the massive waterfall, there was nothing else visible.

As Sakura scanned the area, two small children suddenly emerged from the nearby trees. Seeing Shibuki, they immediately ran over.

"Shibuki-niisan!"

"Shibuki-niisan!"

Shibuki started slightly upon seeing them, then greeted them with a smile. "Oh, it's Fu and Shota. Why are you two out here?"

"Shibuki-niisan, it's our turn to clean the pond today," the little girl, Fu, replied dutifully.

"Oh, right. Haha," Shibuki laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Shibuki-niisan, who are they?" the little boy, Shota, asked, pointing towards Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke. "This lady is really pretty!"

The kid has good taste. Points for him, Sakura thought approvingly.

"Ah, these are the ninja who escorted me," Shibuki explained. "I hired them from Konoha Village."

Naruto shot Shibuki an annoyed look. "Seriously? A little while ago he was practically wetting himself with fear, now he makes it sound like we work for him."

"He's not wrong, though," Sakura countered reasonably.

"It's just... it rubs me the wrong way," Naruto grumbled. "He's supposed to be a village leader, a ninja, but he's so timid!"

Suddenly, Shibuki's gaze fell on Sakura. Meeting his eyes, she asked, "What is it?"

"Excuse me," Shibuki began hesitantly. "Sorry to bother you, but... could you possibly ask those two fellows to help clean up the pond?"

Although Sakura was close in age to the boys, Shibuki had noticed throughout the journey that they generally did what Sakura told them, so he directed his request to her instead.

"Hmm, well..." Sakura tapped her chin, considering. Her investigation wasn't over yet, and she was just trying to figure out a way to extend their stay. Shibuki's request was perfectly timed, but she had to play it cool. "I suppose that's possible... However, our mission was to get you back to the village safely. You're clearly here now. So, this would have to count as a separate request, which means it requires additional payment."

"Of course! No problem, I'll pay," Shibuki agreed readily.

You wouldn't guess it from his behavior, but he does seem to care about his village, Sakura thought. She turned to Naruto and Sasuke. "We have a new task."

"Whoa, a new mission? What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto chirped eagerly.

Sakura pointed towards the murky basin at the foot of the waterfall. "Pond cleaning duty."

"AWH, MAN!!!" Naruto's face crumpled instantly.

"Alright, enough complaining. Hop to it," Sakura ordered crisply. "This one comes with extra pay."

Sasuke remained silent. Sakura was the team leader; he knew arguing with her was pointless, so he held his tongue. Internally, however, Sasuke was puzzled. Throughout the trip, Sakura had repeatedly initiated conversations with Shibuki. From what Sasuke knew of Sakura, she wouldn't engage in pointless interactions without some underlying motive. She wasn't the chatty type; mostly, she preferred to mind her own business. Her out-of-character behavior over the past day and a half fueled a growing suspicion, though he couldn't be certain what she was up to.

Sakura sat on a large rock, watching Naruto and Sasuke start clearing debris from the pond, her mind still focused on her investigation. Though she'd talked quite a bit with Shibuki, none of it had yielded anything useful. Her subtle attempts to probe him had met with perfectly normal responses; he hadn't given anything away. Maybe he's genuinely clueless, she mused.

Shibuki himself didn't strike Sakura as particularly complex; he seemed transparent, almost too easy to figure out. Yet, it was precisely that simplicity that occasionally made her suspect he might actually be hiding something significant. The thought made Sakura's head ache.

She watched Shibuki chatting amiably with Fu and Shota nearby, feeling conflicted and unsure what to make of him.

Ah, forget it, she decided with an internal sigh. First, figure out how to get inside Takigakure proper. Those two kids came from nearby, so the village must be close. But all I can see is this giant waterfall...

A sudden thought struck her.

Unless...

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