Darkest Before Dawn

Conversations of the Chasm

When she arrived back at the battle, she could tell that Kisame and Ibiki were wearing thin. The patch of forest was littered with cuts and broken trees, and the assaults to the land just kept coming and coming. Sakura scanned her sensei over. He didn't look too badly injured, but a deep gash ran along the left side of his face. She then looked over at Kisame. He himself wasn't in any critical danger, save for a few slashes and bruises along his arms.

Sakura returned to her place on the tree branch and continued to watch. The girl couldn't help but marvel at their strength. They attacked each other mercilessly and without hesitation. Even with their brute strength, each attack was carefully planned out and gracefully executed. She hoped one day that she could be as good as they were.

An hour later when both of their chakra reserves had plummeted a considerable amount, Kisame smashed his katana downwards onto Ibiki. The interrogator crossed two kunai over his head and drove his heels in the ground to brace impact. 

CLANG!

The impact was tremendous, forcing Ibiki onto his knees. Once he recovered, he launched the two kunai forward. No one was there.

"Dammit!" he hissed. That Kirigakure ninja made a hasty retreat without settling the score. He punched the ground with what little strength he had left. His vision began to grow hazy with chakra depletion.

"-sei! Sensei!"

Ibiki glanced upwards at his student's worried face. He smirked.

"I'm fine... Just... tired..."

He slumped onto the ground, unconscious.

~

Zetsu never thought the little twerp would actually use the summoning tag. Yes, he gave her a summoning tag to call for him if she wanted- but still. He never thought she would use it so quickly. He rose up from the earth in front of the small girl and stared at her with his glimmering yellow eyes.

"What is it that you need, brat?"

"Good afternoon, Zetsu-san! I... um... Can you please take Sensei back to Asai Ike Inn?" she questioned sweetly. Zetsu looked to the side and gawked in surprise. That so-called sensei of hers was a puddle of bone and flesh on the ground. His chakra was low and wavering and he was knocked out cold. He pointed at the body.

"You didn't do this, did you? Because if you did-"

"I didn't, I didn't!" Sakura interrupted with a giggle, "Sensei fought someone from Kiri. His name is Kisame. Anyway, can you please take him back and make sure he's alright? There's something I have to do."

The Kusa nin sent her a calculating look, but nodded without question and disappeared underground along with Ibiki's body. Sakura stood from her crouched position and looked to the direction Kisame sped off to. She slipped her pack off her shoulders and rummaged through it. Bandages. Check. Gauze. Check. Rubbing alcohol. Check. Bruise salve. Check. Water, cotton balls, cloth. Check, check, check. Good, she had everything she needed and some more when she tended to her sensei later.

She put on her backpack and launched herself into the canopy. The five year old scanned the world beneath her, searching for any shock of blue. She finally came upon a dark chasm ten minutes later. Peering off the edge, she saw a shadowed figure with an arm propped up on a bent knee. His back was against the stone wall. Sakura jumped down.

The girl steadily approached the figure and almost instantly recognized him as Kisame. Of course it was him. Who else had blue skin and blue hair? She waved a hand in front of his face. When she received no response, she smiled and sat down beside him. She dumped the contents of her pack in front of her and got to work on his arms.

~

Kisame pried his eyes open with a groan. That fight had taken a toll on him only because him and the Cypher Division had been traveling for a little over a day and a half. Then a Konoha ninja decides to pop up and throw shit down. Wait a minute, was the Cypher Division alright?!

"Ehh, you're up already? Maybe you should rest some more, your chakra's still kinda low."

The shinobi unsheathed his katana and held it to the unknown person's neck.  He looked down at the stranger, who wore a cheeky smile on her face.

"Hello!" she exclaimed happily, "My name's Sakura Haruno!"

It was only a child.

Kisame slowly retracted the sword and returned it to it's sheath. He then stared at his arms, which were bandaged. He looked up at the girl with furrowed brows. She nodded at his silent question.

"I cleaned them and made sure they'll heal properly. They're not serious injuries, and the book says you won't get scars when it heals." she informed. He watched as Sakura closed the book she was reading and stored it in her pack. She then turned to him with a wide smile.

"So, Kisame-san, what do you plan on doing now?" she questioned. He should be the one asking her that question. The Kiri nin slung his katana over his shoulder and crossed his arms.

"To check on my team. After that, it's none of your business."

He spun on his heel and readied himself to-

"Suiren-san's alright." came the girl's sweet voice. Kisame whipped around with his hand on the hilt of his sword, and his white eyes narrow, "She was at the fight, I know, I was there too. I made sure she got away safely!"

You wouldn't believe how confused Kisame was. This puny little kid watched the fight between him and Morino Ibiki, then she comes and tends to the enemy instead of her ally? She was girl who probably isn't older than six, and she skips up to him like he doesn't pose any sort of threat. What the hell was wrong with her?

He got down on one knee in front of Sakura.

"Why are you here?"

"To bring you back to Suiren-san!"

"Is that so? Well, there's one thing I have to do before I go, and that's to murder a bastard named Gato." he said with a pointy-toothed grin, "Still want to bring me back?"

"Of course! I made a promise to Suiren-san so I'll bring you back! And if that means going with you to kill Gato, I'm going with you to kill Gato!"

Kisame smirked.

Disclaimer: I do not own the picture. Or Naruto.