The Living Doll || Sasori

Ch. 7 - Revelations

Kabuto jumped from tree limb to tree limb with Shizuka a step behind him. They'd been traveling with little breaks for a couple of days and honestly, she had been wondering what the rush was. The muscles in her legs were cramping from overuse, but she somehow mustered up the will to carry on. It wasn't like her senpai was going to give her any sympathy anyway; it didn't seem like a word in his vocabulary.

Finally, the male in front of her stopped and Shizuka stopped as well, standing on the branch behind him. Kabuto turned around and looked at the white-haired female behind him. "We're here on a retrieval mission."

"A retrieval mission?" Shizuka tilted her head in confusion. "We're picking someone up?"

"Not someone, something." Kabuto rolled his eyes. "Orochimaru has requested we find an herb. It grows around here somewhere, so we're going to find it." He turned around and started moving again. Shizuka frowned but continued to follow after him. This herb must be really important to Lord Orochimaru if we have to go this far for it.

An hour later, the two finally reached their destination - another one of Lord Orochimaru's hideouts. The female was utterly exhausted and could not wait to get off her feet as the two entered the underground abode. The dimly lit hallways were nothing new to her, however as they kept walking, they entered a huge room with a lot of pillars and a giant snakehead on the back wall. To the right of the head was an open door to a room with a single rock table in the middle.

"Looks familiar, Snow White?" Kabuto spoke, breaking the silence. Shizuka stared at the table and envisioned herself waking up on it years prior, a scared and naive chunin who had been rescued from death. She remembered it as if it was yesterday, from hiding behind the table to meeting Kabuto to meeting and healing her savior. This means that Kusagakure - her home - is nearby.

"I didn't know this place was still in use." She turned away from the room and back to Kabuto. "When are we going to get the herb?"

"Soon enough." The male adjusted his glasses. "Once I find the exact details, we'll get it. In the meantime, you can take a break and catch up on your donations."

With a nod, Shizuka left the room and went to one of the rooms on the hallway. The room was no different from what she was used to in Otogakure, but she'd rather be back in her own bed. Laying down, she tried to give her feet a break however she couldn't do it. She was too restless. Finally, she could see what had become of her home village. Now that the war was over, was it gone or did they survive? Was her family still there?

No sooner had she laid down, the female was back on her feet. There was no way she could pass this opportunity up. Stepping out the room, she looked both ways down the hallway before exiting the hideout. Surely Kabuto wouldn't mind if she took a walk; after all, he did say she could take a break. Once she was a little ways from the entrance, she changed her appearance with a quick jutsu, coloring her hair black and opting for simple slacks and a shirt as she entered the village.

Everything was brand new. The buildings that she had remembered as nothing but rubble had evolved into newer, taller structures. The bodies that she remembered were scattered along the dirt and debris were no more as happy, smiling faces strolling down the pathways replaced them. Kusagakure had grown while she was away and, honestly, it was quite overwhelming. It was as if she didn't recognize her own home anymore.

As she continued through the small village, she kept her head down to make sure no one was paying too much attention to her; it would be an inconvenience if someone recognized her. Retracing all too familiar steps, Shizuka wandered around before she finally stopped. The sheer disappointment she felt as she stood on the unpaved road was an understatement. It was because she had disillusioned herself into thinking the village had evolved in more ways than just an outwards appearance.