— Be quiet, damn it! — screamed the other. — We need the princess.
— Haruno won't let us find her. She's a Four, that's her terrain type.
The other one looked furious.
— Go that way. I'll keep following the footprints.
The first one went towards Dancer's footprints, and the other one stayed. I looked at Karin, well hidden among the leaves, and at myself, completely exposed. Dumb! Dumb!
I felt a sense of relief when the one who was left took a step in the direction the other had told her to, but then she ruffled her hair and lifted her chin high.
And he saw me.
No silence or stillness would be enough. If I screamed, would Sasuke appear? Or Naruto? I wanted to see him. If it all ended there, I at least wanted to see him.
Then a shot grazed the girl's shoulder, and she screamed, and so did I.
She ran quickly, and within seconds, a battalion of guards appeared, chasing after her. Just when I thought I had seen everyone who would appear, Prince Suigetsu and Itachi appeared.
Gods! A miracle.
Karin climbed down from the tree, pieces of her dress stuck to the branches. I climbed down right behind her. When I reached the foot of the tree, I saw Karin in Suigetsu's arms, her face hidden in his chest. He took her away, accompanied by two guards.
I sat down at the foot of the tree, my legs tucked up against my chest.
"Sakura!" Itachi called me with his solemn, hoarse voice. I looked up, and he held out his hand to me, smiling surprisingly. "I don't think any of the other girls could run faster than them."
I smiled, finally calm.
—None of the others are a Four.
— Good point.
Then Sasuke appeared, pale as a sheet, but the color returned to his face when he saw me. Itachi began giving some orders, and I began walking with Sasuke at my side.
"I was terrified," he admitted.
– I was too.
It was about half an hour before I saw the apple tree road again. I looked into the dark forest behind us.
– Dancer!
- Who?
– My mare. I used her to throw them off the scent.
"Let's find her, okay?" Sasuke gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. "Don't scare me like that."
The palace was dark. A few lights were on in some rooms, but I had never seen it so dark.
For some reason, I thought Naruto would be there, waiting for me, at the back door. But he wasn't. No one was. Sasuke was ordered to take me to the hospital wing. My arms were covered in nasty scratches, I was sure to have some scars. But at least I could be thankful that it was the riding pants that protected my legs from the same fate.
I was alone in the ward until I fell asleep.
Suddenly, I heard a sneeze.
I opened my eyes, a little confused, until I remembered where I was. I blinked and looked around the room.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Karin said softly, almost as an apology for interrupting my sleep. "You need to go back to sleep."
She was sitting in a chair, next to my bed.
– Why are you here?
– Because I thought it would be nice for you to wake up to a familiar face.
I tilted my head to the side.
– It's two o'clock – she warned.
– And you're not going to sleep?
– I'm tense. It's part of the job.
Karin rolled her eyes, and her cheeks flushed. A little hesitantly, she reached across the bed and grabbed my hand. I let her.
- Thanks.
***
He thought, for the hundredth time, that this was true hell. Forget about tridents, fire, or any classic idea of a curse. The real torment was in the Southern Colonies. Ever since they arrived, the snow had not stopped falling, destroying whatever plan Jiraiya had carefully prepared for them. In addition, the local population, hungry and scared, was hiding, and the only sign of life they could see were the soldiers patrolling the streets, ever vigilant to ensure the safety of the royal family.
"You came at the wrong time of year, your majesties. You should have seen the colonies in the spring," said Lord Shery Mitsashi, the owner of the only house that could be called dignified in that place. The others were just piles of stones and baked clay, always connected to a furnace that kept its inhabitants from freezing to death. On the other hand, the city was constantly covered by a layer of gray smoke that made any foreigner cough incessantly.
Naruto looked at the dinner offered by the host: peas cooked with honey, mashed potatoes and chicken roasted with onions and sugar. A worthy feast, no doubt, and tasty. But still, the queen wrinkled her nose when she saw a small chip on the china plate.
"How is Tenten doing, Your Majesty?" asked Lady Anko, Lord Shery's wife. "A lovely girl, no doubt. But she is certainly not the prettiest in our family. Isn't that right, Shery? If we put Tonton and Tywin next to her, she pales and becomes ordinary."
It was Tsunade who answered for him, as Naruto looked suspiciously at the employee. It wasn't his eyes or his hair, which resembled the typical Mitsashi brown. The man seemed more interested in the dishes in front of him than anything else.
"I'm satisfied," said the waiter, hurrying to remove Prince Darui's plate and disappearing through the kitchen door.
— Is the provincial department of the Border Village serving meals to the lower castes? — Tsunade's question cut off Mr. Mitsashi's comment, a gesture that was at least rude, but that didn't seem to bother the host. There was something strange going on there. Something that didn't smell right.
— Well, the Border Village is an hour's walk away. Perhaps the lower castes of our colonies would not feel drawn to make that journey. Sleep on an empty stomach or enjoy a good meal while paying for an hour's walk? For Naruto, the answer was obvious, and it was undoubtedly not the same one that Mr. Shery had given him. Darui watched him with his shrewd eyes. He too felt that something was wrong. He also had the same flea behind his ear.
(...)
Naruto didn't know exactly what had brought him to Darui's room that morning. It was obvious that they were rivals, both in love with the same woman, but at that moment, Darui could be his ally, as they shared the same restlessness. Without thinking twice, the two crown princes stripped off their tailored clothes and put on their worn brown coats and second-hand hats. And so, they left the Mitsashi house.
The streets were deserted. In Konoha, at 10 in the morning, it would be almost impossible to drive because of the traffic jams. But in the Southern Colonies, there were few souls willing to walk through the snow.