The Innocent Murderer (Mary Sue Series)

Chapter 25

Knock, knock!

I looked over my shoulder to stare absentmindedly at the door. A week has passed since the Sand Invasion.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were all sent to the hospital, while Kakashi Sensei "rushed" from one meeting to the next. News of the dead Hokage spread like wild fire and his funeral would be next Saturday.

Knock, knock!

"Open up, Aisu! We know you're in there!" Sakura's voice screeched from outside.

"Be nice, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, but Sakura banged on my door even more.

"Aisu, get out here!"

Apparently, Sakura was deemed healthy and taken off the hook, while Sasuke fell into a coma (again), and Naruto awkwardly hauled around his casts: one cast on his leg and another on his entire arm.

I had been meditating for several hours, after my eyes started to hurt from reading too much. I took it upon myself to relax and make preparations for the ritual back at home. If I didn't mention before, I needed to have plenty of energy to spare in order to make sure all new skeletons were at my beck and call.

"AISU!"

Why haven't the neighbors alerted them that they were being noisy? I stood up from my mat and unlocked the front door. "Yes?"

"Let's go visit Sasuke!" Naruto immediately cut in, hoping to break the glare Sakura was aiming at me.

"And that concerns me...how?" I drawled, leaning against my door frame.

"We're a team! We gotta make sure the Teme is alright!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his arms around.

"You don't need to come if you don't want to," Sakura sneered, turning on her heel. Naruto must have pleaded with her and used the "we are comrades, a team!" phrase in order to come get me.

"I don't see how my presence is going to help him get better or that sort," I said to Naruto who was calling after Sakura. "I'm not a doctor, nurse, surgeon, medical ninja, or have a medical degree or license."

"Oh, you're right." Naruto crossed his arms and squinted at me, thinking hard. I raised an eyebrow before sliding one foot back and began shutting the door.

"If there's nothing el--"

"WAIT!" Naruto barreled against the door to stop me from closing it completely.  "Just come visit him with us, please?"

Twenty minutes later, we were standing around Sasuke's room silently (awkwardly). Sakura was holding his hand (again) and whispering her feelings (marriage vows) in his ear. Naruto however, grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.

"Aisu-chan, I want to find this person." He shoves a folded stack of papers into my hand. I unfold it, taking in the three pages stapled in the corner. "I asked Iruka Sensei and he said that this Obaa-san is a medical ninja. She's really strong and can heal anyone."

"So you want to ask her to come to Konoha and heal Sasuke, right?" I confirmed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!"

"Good luck then," I said, folding it back up and handing it back to him.

"No! I want you to come with me!"

"I won't have time. I need to--wait, on second thought...I'll come with you."

Again, I have proven myself to be a fickle, unstable person. Previously, I said that I would avoid killing for the sake of avoiding interviews from the higher ups because I had to go back home to perform the ritual. Now, I'm agreeing to join Naruto on his journey and who knows how long that will take.

I do have my own personal reasons fro joining his trip: I want to find materials for the ceremony that will be cheaper outside of Konoha. Also, I calculated the amount of time it will take for me to finish every single book in the library and that's not very long.

"Great!"

"Wait, we need a sponsor. We're underage here."

"Wah?"

"Naruto, we can't waltz out of Konoha. Find an adult who will let us takes on this "mission."

"But--"

"Or I won't come."

"--fine!"  Naruto marched away and left the hopsital, while I headed back home and to make a shopping list.

Whenever I perform a ceremony, I need some rare spices that grow in the mountains. Konoha's land type is forest and greenery, perfect for growing vegetables and fruits. Suna's greenhouses can produce special low-watering plants that can withstand dry, humid temperatures, but not Konoha's vegetation.

Wherever we're traveling, all the markets we come across should have slightly cheaper spices because every single surrounding minor village was several hundred of miles nearer the mountain villages where they grow rare spices.

I walked home slowly, ambling along, lost in my thoughts. I knew I wasn't doing this for Sasuke or for my team.

I was right again: humans did want they wanted for their own personal gain. If Sakura was in my place, she would do this for earning Sasuke's affections and gratefulness. Naruto wanted to do this because he didn't want to lose someone close to him. If Sasuke eventually died, Naruto would become lonely again.