Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.
Thinking
'Signs to communicate.'
"Speaking"
Inner Sakura
A/N: This story will contain POVs from other characters too.
Previously,
"Um, Sasuke? Would you mind if I stay over with you for a few days?" I fidget with the hem of my t shirt. "I've been having nightmares and I don't wanna stay home alone."
"Home alone? What about your parents?"
"They have gone on another business trip." I mumble.
"Sure, you can stay over." He says while wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"Thank you!" I squeal. Sasuke chuckles and we head over to his house.
It's been two days since our last C-Rank. I was staying over at Sasuke's house, and today team 7 and team 10 have a combined training session.
We weren't allowed to train, in order to let our body and muscles recover. Sensei had even forbidden me from going to the Hospital for training, so I just studied the scrolls Shika had stolen from Gato's hideout for me.
It had cures for almost fatal stab wounds. And an easier yet more lethal version of the Chakra Scalpels.
I was up early, and had to wake Sasuke up if we wanted to get to the grounds on time. Sensei had come over yesterday, to tell us to be at the ground at 6:30 am.
Even though we had the combined training at 8, today we were supposed to do the KI training, so I'm assuming that's why Sensei wants us to go early.
I go to Sasuke's room, "Sasuke? Sasuke, wake up. We have training." I try. When it doesn't work, I go to the bathroom, and fill a cup with cold water. I march over to Sasuke, and immediately dump the whole thing on his face.
"AH!" He shouts.
I burst out laughing, and say, "I had to wake you up somehow."
He flips me off and heads over to the bathroom. Huh. That's weird. Why is he limping?
I shrug it off and leave him alone in the room.
I head over to the kitchen and start making some eggs. I had taken an unusual liking to egg, given that I hated it in my previous life.
I had just put them in a plate when Sasuke came out, still mad at me. I pass his plate to him, and eat my eggs in silence.
Fifteen minutes later, we both are out the door, and headed to the training ground.
"'Ke, you still mad?" I ask, trying not to laugh.
"Yes." He barks.
"I had to wake you up somehow! You're a very heavy sleeper, you know?" I argue.
He doesn't say anything.
"Fine! Don't talk to me! I'm sure you'll find someone to heal you once we're done with training!" I say irritably.
His head snaps to me. "... Sorry, Sakura."
I ignore him.
"I'm sorry!" He insists, bumping my shoulder with his. I let a small smile appear on my face.
"You better be."
He grins and I wrap my arm around his waist. He hangs his arm around my neck, since he was a little taller than me.
My foot accidentally touches his ankle, and he winces slightly. I narrow my eyes but let it go.
When we arrived at Ground 7, Shikamaru was already there. He was sleeping under a tree, and Sasuke and I grinned. He handed me his water bottle, and I shook it really hard in Shika's ear. Enough for him to wake up saying, "Not the water!"
Sasuke and I try our best not to laugh, when someone says, "Alright, you can stop annoying your teammate now."
We turn around to see Sensei standing there with an amused expression. We stare at him in shock. He's actually on time!
"S-Sensei... You're on time." I stutter.
He gives an exaggerated sigh, "I can be on time sometimes, y'know."
All three of us look at Sensei with a 'Really?' expression.
"Ok, ok, now I called you here to tell you a few things. The first one being, do not reveal anything about our training regimen to them. I know it doesn't matter, but I don't want them to know about a few things. Your sharingan, Sasuke. They shouldn't know you have it matured. Avoid using it unless absolutely necessary."
"Hai Sensei." Sasuke says.
"Sakura, don't tell them exactly how much you can heal. Make them think it's only a few minor injuries. Nothing else."
"Hai Sensei." I still hadn't told him about the scrolls.
"And most importantly, none of you are going to tell them you have two affinities. As far as they are concerned, Shikamaru, your affinity is earth. Don't say anything about fire."
"Hai Sensei."
"Sasuke, yours is fire. Don't say anything about lightning. And Sakura, yours is water. Nothing should be said about earth."
Sasuke and I nod together.
"Good. Now, Team 10's training will be mild compared to ours, so we're going to be doing a little training now, to keep our stamina and muscle strength up. First, five laps around the field. Go!"
Immediately, all three of us keep our bottles down and start with the laps. Ten minutes later, we're standing in front of Sensei, who had started reading his Icha Icha.
"You're done? Now, drop down and give me 200 push-ups." He says with an eye-smile.
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For forty-five minutes, we did our warm ups, and then we did the KI training for half an hour. This time, we were able to stand for 20 minutes before we collapsed.
Just as it was nearing 8, Sensei vanished. He said that he 'had a reputation to up hold, and if we told we were doing extra training, we would have to face the consequences.'
Shika immediately fell asleep, Sasuke and I just sat there with our eyes closed.
We had five months before the Chunin exams. What should I do? Should I not enter? Should I train harder and try to beat the Snake Sannin? What can I do to avoid Sasuke from getting the curse mark? Is there anything I can do?
"Hello." A voice snapped me from my thoughts. I cursed myself for not paying attention to my surroundings. Even if it was Choji, Sensei told us to always keep our guard up.
"Hi Choji." I smile.
When I see Ino coming, I mutter, "Sorry about this," to Sasuke, grab his hand in mine and lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. I let a smile take over my face. Thankfully, I was good at acting, so I was able to mask my smirk with the smile.
I feel Sasuke tense at first, then he laced his fingers with mine.
Thank you, Sasuke!
I try to feel Ino's chakra, and feel her getting angry. I smirk inwardly.
"Forehead!" She spits, angrily.
I open my eyes, and see her standing in front of me with her hands on her hips.
"Hm?" I ask lazily.
"What do you think you are doing?" She demands.
"Uh, sitting?"
"Why are you holding Sasuke-kun's hand?"
"Am I?" I ask as if I didn't realize it. "Huh. Look at that. I am. Didn't realize." I say casually.
I feel Sasuke tremble. He's holding in his laughter. I squeeze his hand to tell him to keep up the act for a few more minutes. His eyes were still closed, like he was sleeping.
"Well, I should probably get up now. Sasuke? Sasuke-kun, get up. Come on, we have to get up now." I say in a sweet voice.
"Hm? Did you say something, Sakura-chan?" Sasuke opens his eyes.
"We need to get up. Asuma-sensei's going to be here in a few minutes. We have to stretch before that, remember?"
"Aw, do we have to?" Sasuke groans.
"Yes, we do. Unless you want sore muscles. And I'm not going to heal you." I say firmly.
"But Sakura-chan..." He whines. I mock glare at him. He drops his head, but gets up. I tap Shikamaru on his shoulder, and he joins us with the stretches.
"Hi Sasuke-kun." Ino says sweetly.
Sasuke just looks at her, then goes back to our stretches.
I cover my mouth to muffle my laughter. Once I calm down, I resume my stretches.
I felt another chakra presence, and recognized it as Asuma-sensei.
"Asuma-sensei's here." I inform them.
I wave over to him. He chuckles, "Hello. Kakashi here yet?"
"No, but he'll be here in half an hour." Shikamaru replies.
"Half an hour? No, I think he'll take at least 2 hours." Asuma-sensei says confidently.
Team 7 grins evilly. "Is that a bet?" I ask.
Asuma eyes us, "It is. If I win, you three get extra training. If you win, I'll treat everyone to Yakiniku. Deal?"
"Deal!" All three of us say gleefully. Poor guy. Doesn't even know that Sensei comes earlier these days.
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After waiting for half an hour, Kakashi-sensei poof in front of us. "Yo."
"Yes!" I cheer. Shikamaru has a grin on his face, and Sasuke is smirking.
When Sensei looks confused, we explain. "... So now, Asuma-sensei has to treat us all to Yakiniku!" I finish.
"... I see." Kakashi-sensei says after a pause. "Anyway, let's start with training. Shikamaru, Sakura, Sasuke, did you do your stretches?"
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." We chorus.
"Good. We also won't be doing any missions today. Now how about we split our training? The first half of the day, you will be taught by Asuma, and the second half, will be me." Kakashi-sensei suggests.
All of us shrug and turn to Asuma.
He sighs, "Why not? Alright, give me twenty pushups, squats and crunches. We'll be doing three rounds. Start."
Team 7 grins at the easy workout, while Team 10 looks horrified.
We drop and start our warm up, and finish it way before team 10. I think Asuma goes really easy on them.
Once we all finish, Sasuke, seeing Ino and Choji tired, comments, "That was a nice warm-up."
Ino and Choji look at him with rage and horror. Shika and I snicker, seeing their expression.
"What's next, Asuma-sensei?" I ask.
"Is there anything you guys want to work on?" Asuma looks at us.
"Kakashi-sensei? What will you be taking in the evening?" Shika asks.
"Physical conditioning." Sensei replies without looking up from his book.
"Then I wanna work on my Genjutsu. If you have a jutsu for my affinity, I wouldn't mind Ninjutsu either." I state.
"Ninjutsu." Sasuke remarks.
"Same. Ninjutsu." Shika agrees.
"Ok, what are your affinities?" Asuma questions.
"Water." I reply.
"Fire."
"Earth."
"Ok, I have a scroll for each of them." Asuma says. He gives us a scroll each and makes us stand away from each other, but close enough for him to teach all of us.
I move towards the pond and open my scroll. It's the Water Clone Technique. Yes! I wanted to ask Sensei about it!
I start with the hand signs. After a few minutes, I add chakra to it. The result is... just a puddle of water. I sigh and try again.
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By lunchtime, I was able to create a clone that can move around for a few seconds before it melts.
I went over to Sasuke and Shika. Apparently, Sasuke got Fire Release: Flame Spread Technique, and Shika got Earth Shore Return.
Flame Spread lets the user spread the fire to their weapons or other things, and Earth Shore Return makes a wall of earth in front of the user.
All of us head over to Yakiniku for an hour, then we returned. I wasn't looking forward to Sensei's training, and at the same time, I was.
Kakashi-sensei's training was going to be hard. There was no doubt about that. But I was looking forward to Team 10's reaction to the workouts.
"Alright my minions, and Asuma's minions, let's start training! The first thing will be easy. Five laps around the training ground. Full speed the whole time. I don't want any of you slowing down." Kakashi-sensei says cheerfully.
I look over at team 10. Ino and Choji look horrified (again) and Naruto looks excited.
"GO!" Sensei shouts.
Team 7 grins and gets started. All three of us always compete to see who finishes first. Right now, Sasuke is in the lead, with 25 wins, 13 losses and Shikamaru and I have a tie with 24 wins, 14 losses, and two ties.
This time, I pull ahead, with Shikamaru next, and Sasuke last. That's surprising. Sasuke's never last. When we finished, Naruto was one lap behind us, and Ino and Choji had two laps left.
"Sasuke, is something wrong?" I frown.
"No..."
"Sasuke."
"... My ankle." He mutters, not looking at me.
"Let me take a look." I bent down, and placed my hand on his ankle.
After a few seconds, "That's weird." I frown.
"What is it?"
"Two of your bones are broken."
"What?" Sasuke looks... nervous?
"Sasuke. What did you do?" I get up and cross my arms.
"Nothing...?" He looks sheepish now.
"Uchiha." I warn.
"I... might've trained last night and twisted it. Then injured it again."
I sigh, "Sasuke, Sensei specifically told us not to train."
"I know, but I was getting restless!"
"Then go for a run! Do stretches! Do anything except the exact thing Sensei told us not to do!" I lower my voice, "You remember what Sensei did to us when I trained on one of our holidays, right?"
Sasuke winces again, and I nod my head. Sensei had made us train in the Forest of Death for a few weeks. Survival training and stuff. It was hell.
"I'm sorry." He mutters.
"It's fine. Now, I'm going to heal that, but I'm warning you, it's going to be painful."
"I can handle it."
"If you say so," I say skeptically, "Ugh, I have to tell Sensei." I brace myself. I nervously walk over to Sensei.
"Um, Kakashi-sensei?" I fidget with the hem of my t-shirt again.
"Everything ok?" He eye-smiles at me.
"No, actually. Um, Sasuke broke two of his bones in his leg last night, when he was training, so I need to heal that. It'll take some time, so can we both be excused?"
"Training?" Shit. Sensei's voice is deathly calm again.
"Um, yes Sensei."
"Very well. You both will be getting your punishments for training when I told you not to, but for now, you may go heal him."
"Hai Sensei." I walk away. Damn it! I was hoping he forgot when I trained in Wave!
"Sasuke, we're screwed." I declare when I reach him.
"What? Why?" He asks, scared and confused.
"We both are getting our rewards for training extra, later." I sigh. "Anyway, I'm going to heal you, keep this pill in your hand. Eat it if the pain is too much. Don't try to be brave, it will end in you screaming." I say sternly, handing him the pill.
"I will."
"Good." I let out a breath, and start healing him. After a few seconds, I see Sasuke's hand tremble. He puts the pill in his mouth and lets out a breath.
I concentrate on the bone which refuses to go the way it should!
Suddenly, I hear Sasuke hiss in pain. I bite my lower lip hard. I don't like healing broken bones only because it causes the patient immense pain. Especially when it's one of my friends.
Yes! I'm finally done with one bone! Now for the other.
I use one hand to wipe the sweat off my forehead, and continue healing with the other.
"AHH!" I hear Sasuke scream. I send out a wave of numbing chakra.
Then I sense a presence behind me.
"Is everything ok, Sakura?" Shika asks.
"Just a broken bone. Bones are tricky," I reply. I see him nod his head from the corner of my eye, and then he sits down. I arch my eyebrow questioningly.
"Sensei allowed." He shrugs.
When Sasuke screams again, I bite my lip so hard, I draw blood.
Five minutes later, I manage to heal both of them. At the end of it, Sasuke and I are both sweating, him from the pain, me from the chakra usage.
I look over at Kakashi-sensei, who smiles at me proudly. I give a small smile and look back to Sasuke.
"Are you ok?" I ask.
He nods and flexes his ankle.
"Thanks, Sakura." He smiles.
I smile back and help him up. He's still limping a bit, but that's normal. The three of us head back to Sensei and Team 10, who are doing crunches.
"Ah, Pinky. Is Duckling ok?" Sensei asks.
"Yes Sensei." I respond. "But his ankle is still a little weak. He'll need to rest it for a day before he can go back to normal training."
Sensei nods, "Very well. He can join Team 10 with what they're doing then. 50 jumping jacks, 50 crunches, and 50 pushups."
"That's it?" I ask in disbelief.
"Sakura, their training level and ours is different. Now put those weights on, and both of you drop and give me 150 pushups, jumping jacks and crunches."
"Hai Sensei." Shikamaru and I groan.
Sasuke even smirks at us. For that, I 'accidentally' step on his foot.
"Sakura!" He whines.
I stick my tongue out.
Fifteen minutes later, all of us are standing in front of Sensei, with Ino and Choji panting.
Sensei paired us up and we all did some sparring till the evening, then he told us to go home and rest.
"Kakashi-sensei, is it ok if I skip training tomorrow? I want to train a bit more in Medical ninjutsu, and I want to help out at the hospital. Shizuka-sensei told me they're a bit short-staffed, and it will be good practice." I request.
"Hm. Ok Pinky, you can skip tomorrow, but the day after that, you and Duckling have to be at Training ground 9 at 5:30 am for your training."
"Hai Sensei. Thank you."
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Just as Sasuke and I were heading home;
"Hey guys? Do you both want to come over for dinner today? My mother has been pestering me to get you guys' home so that she will meet you." Shika grumbles.
I smile, "Sure. We would love to. What time should we be there?"
"Uh, in an hour?" Shika asks.
"'Kay." I reply, happily.
"Do I get a say in this?" Sasuke inquires.
"No." Shika and I say together. Sasuke wisely shuts up.
"Alrighty then, we'll be there in an hour. Bye Shika!" I say, walking away. Shika and Sasuke wave at each other, and walk away.
Sasuke jogs over to me, "Will we have to wear fancy or casual?"
I shrug, "I don't know. It's not exactly a formal thing, so I'm assuming I can just wear one of my nicer tops and maybe a skirt. You... can just wear your normal Uchiha clothes. Just take most of your weapons out."
He nods, and the rest of our journey is silent.
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One hour later
Sasuke and I were on our way to Shika's house. I fidgeted with my fingers nervously. Shikaku and Yoshino Nara weren't shown much in canon, so I didn't know what they were like.
Sasuke must've noticed my fidgeting, because he took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
"Hey, calm down." He said in a soft voice, "There's no need to be nervous. It's just Shika's family."
I gave him a small smile and nodded my head, before letting my hands fall to the side, and start playing with the hem of my skirt.
I had chosen a black and white stripped full sleeved t-shirt, with a sky-blue skirt and white ballet flats. Sasuke was just wearing his classic blue Uchiha shirt with white shorts.
When we reached the gates to the Nara clan, the guards stopped us.
"We were invited by Shikamaru Nara." Sasuke said flatly. The guards eyed us for a few seconds before Shikamaru jogged up to us.
"It's ok. They're my friends." He told the guards. They let us in, and I flashed Shika a grin.
He matched me, and led us in. Shikaku was already waiting there for us. I gave him a slight bow, "Thank you for having us, Shikaku-sama."
Sasuke bowed with me, and Shikaku just waved his hand.
"It's a pleasure to have you both, and please, call me Shikaku. That '-sama' stuff is way too troublesome."
Well, now we know where Shikamaru gets it from.
"Now, why don't you both come with me?" Saying that, he started walking towards one of the rooms inside.
Sasuke and I shrugged and followed him, with Shika behind us.
We entered a large room with a dining table in the centre, an open kitchen, and a pretty lady cooking. I'm assuming that is Yoshino, Shikamaru's mom.
"Yoshino, our guests are here." Shikaku drawls.
"Hm? Oh, right!" She comes towards us with a huge smile. "Hi, I'm Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother. You both must be Sasuke and Sakura, right?"
"Yes, Yoshino-san. We are." I confirm.
"Please, drop the –san. I never liked that anyway." She says waving her hand around like Shikaku did. Then she looks at me from head to toe. "Shikamaru told me about you, but he never said you were so pretty."
"Mo-om!" Shikamaru groans.
I blush, "Thank you. You're very pretty too."
"I like you already! Now, why don't you both take a seat? The food will be ready in a few minutes." She says enthusiastically.
Sasuke and I take our seats next to Shikamaru, and Yoshino joins us after keeping something to cook.
"So, tell me; what kind of training does your sensei make you do?" Yoshino asks, curiously.
Hearing that, Shika, Sasuke and I shudder in unison. Yoshino arches an eyebrow.
"Kakashi-sensei's training is a little... painful." I say slowly.
"Painful? Try torturous." Shika snorts.
"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad!" Yoshino says disbelievingly.
"It is." The three of us confirm together.
"What does he make you do?" Shikaku leans forward curiously.
Sasuke takes a deep breath and starts with everything we had to endure from the very beginning. Shikamaru and I chime in every now and then.
When we finished, Shikaku burst into laughter, while Yoshino stared at us in horror.
"I would've thought Kakashi wouldn't teach anything, but this is the exact opposite!" Shikaku states, still laughing.
"Yeah, but it's not funny when you are the one who has to do it!" Shikamaru growled.
Yoshino brought the food from the kitchen, and placed it on the table. She had made quite a few dishes. Half of which I couldn't even name!
Once we all started eating, Shikaku looks at me, "Sakura, Shikamaru told us you did extra training?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm learning medical ninjutsu." I reply.
"Medical ninjutsu? It's good to have a medic on a team. How much can you heal?" Shikaku asks.
"Just minor wounds." I say dismissively.
Sensei had told us not to tell anyone the truth, and I'm going to hide it from everyone except Team 7.
"So, have you had to heal anyone yet?" Yoshino asks.
"Yes. Asuma-sensei in Wave, the three of us after training every day, and sometimes I get to heal a few people at the Hospital." I shrug.
"That's nice." Yoshino comments.
I nod my head in agreement, "Especially when these two get themselves injured. Which is really often. Oh, I remember when they were learning the tree-walking exercise!" I laugh at the memory.
"Sakura..." Shika and Sasuke whine.
Yoshino and Shikaku snicker.
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"Thank you for having us." I bow slightly.
"It was wonderful having you both here." Yoshino smiled at us.
We had to head home, so we left the Nara clan compound. I really liked them. Yoshino and Shikaku are really nice.
Sasuke and I head over to the Uchiha compound. I changed my clothes, and crashed in one of Sasuke's spare bedrooms.
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"S-Sakura?"
I heard a voice call out to me. I reluctantly open my eyes, and see Sasuke standing near my bed.
"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" I ask sleepily.
"Are you ok?" He asks hesitantly.
"Yeah... Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh. Sorry, just a nightmare." He mumbles.
"It's fine, 'Ke." I smile.
"Um, c-can I sleep here for tonight?" He mumbles again. I nod sleepily.
Sasuke smiles at me and gets into the covers. I plop my head back onto the pillows and close my eyes.
Then I feel Sasuke's hand hesitantly closing around mine. I smile mentally and give his hand a squeeze.
The last thing I remember before falling asleep was Sasuke's "Good night, Sakura...chan."
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When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I noticed was the position I was in. My back was facing Sasuke, with his arm around my waist, pulling me towards him, and his face buried in my neck. I could feel my back touching his stomach and chest. My face started feeling hot, and I blushed.
I check the time, to see it was already 7.30 am. I grumble but try getting out of bed.
"Sasuke, you need to let me get up. I have to go." I try.
"No..." He mumbles.
"Sasuke," I whine.
"Sakura," He mumbles back.
"Please,"
"... Fine," Sasuke lets me go and gets up himself.
Five minutes later, I see him coming towards the table, where I'm sitting and eating my eggs.
His face has a tinge of red, and he isn't looking at me at all. I'm assuming he's embarrassed because of the bed thing. I snicker inwardly and look at him, "So, Sasuke-kun, what was that in the morning?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He mutters.
"Really? Then maybe I should remind you."
"There's no need." He interrupts quickly.
"You sure?" I ask innocently.
"Yes." He growls.
I giggle, "It's ok, Sasuke. You just had a nightmare, and were scared. Nothing wrong with that."
His eyes widen, "You're not mad at me? And there's really no problem?"
"Nope!" I pop the P. "Now, I have to go to the hospital, so I'll see you later. Bye 'Ke!"
I wash my dishes, grab my pouch, kiss Sasuke on the cheek, see his face get red, snicker, then leave.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At the Hospital
"Shizuka-sensei!" I say excitedly, "I can heal fractures!"
"Really? Wonderful!" She claps her hands together. "Now you have two options; either you continue poisons, or you volunteer at the hospital and polish your skills. Your choice."
"I'll volunteer." I nod.
"Good, we need more people." Shizuka-sensei says, beckoning me out the door. "But the first thing we need to do, is get you a license."
She walks to the front desk, picks up a few papers and hands them to me.
"Read these, sign each page, then we'll go to the patients."
I read the forms, sign them, and hand them back to Shizuka-sensei.
"Awesome, follow me."
She leads me to one of the rooms, "This is Mio. She just came in, and I was supposed to heal her, but I want you to. You'll do a few healings in front of me, and if I think you're good enough, I'll let you do it on your own. Anyway, she has deep cut on her leg. Now go in and show me what you've learnt." Shizuka-sensei finishes with a smile.
I take a deep breath and walk in the room.
"Hello Mio-san. I'm Sakura Haruno, and I'm going to be healing your leg. Can you please tell me what happened?" I introduced myself.
While I was talking, I had already started healing her, hoping to distract her from the pain.
"You're a kid!" She sneered. "I want a proper medic!"
"Mio-san, I promise you; I will heal you. You'll be able to go home in just a few minutes. Now, please, tell me what happened."
"Whatever. I don't need to tell a kid anything."
"Then you haven't noticed that this kid already healed you?" I ask innocently.
Mio looks surprised and touches her leg.
"There's no scar." She whispers. She looks at me, "I'm so sorry for talking to you like that. I didn't realise you were this good! Thank you!"
"You're welcome." I smile. I walk out and turn to Shizuka-sensei.
"Well done! You healed her very well! Now come on, we've got others to heal." She praises.
I beam and follow her.
She stops in front of another room. "This patient hit his head on a rock, but some of the nurses managed to put him to sleep. I want you to heal him without him waking up. Got it?"
I nod my head again, and enter. I place my hands on his wound and do the jutsu. A minute later, I walk out, satisfied with my work.
Shizuka-sensei uses the diagnostic jutsu for a few seconds, the gives me a thumbs up. I smile again, then we move on to the next one.
"This one, Sakura, is going to be harder than the rest. His name is Kenshin, and he has a minor stab wound in his stomach. He is in a lot of pain, and might lash out. If you can heal him properly, you can do the next ones on your own. Go."
I walk towards Kenshin carefully, and say, "Hello Kenshin-san. I'm Sakura Haruno, and I'm going to heal you. I'm going to need you to relax for me, ok?"
He let out another groan before nodding his head. I carefully placed my hands on his stomach and sent out a wave of numbing chakra. I started healing it, and every time I heard him groan or hiss in pain, I would send a wave of numbing chakra to reduce the pain.
A few minutes later, I exited the room with a triumphant smile on my face.
"I'm done." I announced when I saw Shizuka-sensei.
Once she checked him, she gave me a proud smile.
"Well done, Sakura. I'm proud of you. In all three cases, there was not a single mistake. You handled them all perfectly."
"Thank you, Sensei!"
"Now, these are the patients you have to tend to today. Once you're done with them, you can either treat a few more, after asking me, or you can head home and rest up." Shizuka-sensei hands me a list with quite a few names on them.
"Thank you, Shizuka-sensei."
Alright. Let's go heal people!
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When I reached home, I saw Sasuke on the couch, watching TV.
Without saying anything, I dumped my pouch on the floor and moved to the bathroom. Sitting in the hot water felt really good.
Just as I got out, I heard Sasuke calling out to me. I put on the first t shirt I found, and a pair of really short black shorts and walked out.
"You called?" I asked, my eyes drooping.
"Ye-" He stopped. I saw his eyes stopping at my t shirt before he looked back at me with an amused expression.
"You're really tired, huh?"
What?
I looked down at my clothes and- Oh. I accidentally put on one of his Uchiha shirts. Whoops.
"Sorry, I'll change it later." I mumbled.
"It's ok. And uh, I called you for dinner." He placed a few bowls on the table, "Eat. You need the energy."
He had made rice, chicken, and aww, he even put a few dango sticks!
"Thanks 'Ke." I smiled slightly. I drag my feet to the table and pick up the chopsticks. I see my hand trembling a little, and I sigh. Today was really tiring.
I tried picking my food, but my hand was shaking too much, so I just dropped my chopsticks and picked up the dango.
Just as I finished one stick, Sasuke snatched the rest of it and placed it far from me.
"Sasuke..." I groaned.
"Finish your food first." He ordered.
"I can't pick it up." I muttered.
He hesitated before taking my chopsticks and picking a piece of chicken.
"Open your mouth." He muttered. Surprised, I obeyed, and he fed me.
He looked embarrassed doing it, but Sasuke still did it.
After finishing my dinner, I looked at Sasuke with puppy dog eyes for the dango. He sighed again, but handed them to me. I beamed at him and happily munched on my dango.
"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Sakura." Sasuke mumbled, before heading to his room.
"Night."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I can't do this." I muttered.
I just had a nightmare which involved Sasuke, Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei being killed, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Wiping the sweat off my face, I climbed out of bed, grabbing the medical scroll, and dragged my feet to the dining table. I plopped myself on one of the chairs and spread the scroll out.
I studied it for hours on end, understanding the process, trying to manipulate my chakra to get the right medical proportions, studying the muscles to heal a fatal stab wound.
"What are you doing?"
I turn around to find Sasuke standing behind me, frowning.
"Studying." I replied.
"Sakura, did you get up at night to do this?" He crossed his arms.
"No, I got up after a nightmare and couldn't sleep, so I started studying. And I think I'm almost done with it." I replied.
"... Fine, but you'll have to stop. It's already five o' clock and we need to get to ground 9."
"I know." I sighed. "But I'm so close! I'm positive I could figure it out in another 10 minutes!"
"Ten minutes. If you don't get it, you'll have to stop." Sasuke said. I nodded and went back to my scroll.
"YES!" I shouted. "I finally got it! Yes! Who's amazing? I'm amazing!"
"Well done, now go get ready unless you want to be late for training." Sasuke said with an amused expression.
"Meanie. Not even letting me enjoy my achievement." I grumbled.
"Yes, yes, I'm evil. Now go change." He rolled his eyes.
I huffed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Training Ground 9
"Sasuke!" I grab his arm and stop him.
"What are you doing? It's right here."
"I know, but do not look at the Green with your Sharingan active, okay?" I say in all seriousness.
"The Green?" Sasuke asks, arching an eyebrow.
"The Green." I confirm. "Trust me. If you do, you will be traumatized for life."
Sasuke looks at me weird, then walks away. I take a deep breath and follow him, not ready for what I know is going to come.
"YOSH! YOU BOTH MUST BE THE MOST YOUTHFUL SASUKE-KUN AND SAKURA-CHAN!"
I wince. Does Gai-sensei have to be so loud?
"We are. You must be Gai-sensei." I bow, "Thank you for training us."
"WHEN MY ETERNAL RIVAL, KAKASHI, ASKED ME, I COULD NOT SAY NO. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST UNYOUTHFUL!"
"Ok... What should we do first?" Sasuke asks.
"Start with your usual warm up, then you can join our training!" Gai-sensei replies in a softer tone.
Lee, who had been quiet till now, approaches me,
"Sakura-san, please go out with me! I'll protect you with my life!"
I feel the slightest amount of Killing Intent coming from Sasuke for some reason.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in dating right now." I say, feeling very uncomfortable.
Sasuke drags me to the side, and we start with our stretches and katas.
"Oh Sakura, Kakashi-sensei had given these weights yesterday for us to use." Sasuke pulls a scroll out and unseals a few ankle and wrist weights.
"How much do they weigh?" I ask warily.
"Sensei didn't say." Sasuke shrugs.
I take off my current weights and pick up the new ones.
"Sensei's sadistic." I mutter. "This is almost 70 pounds!"
We both grumble, but put them on. I hate the feeling when I put on the new weights. I feel like I have boulders tied to my leg!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Gai-sensei, we're done." I speak.
"Yosh! You can now join Lee's training!" Gai-sensei gives us a thumbs up.
"I am doing 500 pushups!" Lee says, still doing the pushups.
Sasuke and I shrug and join him.
Ten minutes later-
"All done? Now give me a thousand crunches!" Gai-sensei gives his blinding grin.
"Yosh! And if I cannot do a thousand crunches, I will run five hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!" Lee shouts.
"That's the spirit, Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!
"Gai-sensei!"
And then a background with waves crashing and a beautiful sunset is ruined with Gai-sensei and Lee rushing towards each other in slow motion.
I brace myself and continue staring, only because I want to create a genjutsu like that. If nothing else, I'll at least have a distraction.
After a few seconds of them hugging, I cleared my throat.
"Ahem... Gai-sensei?"
"Yes, Sakura-chan?" He looks at me.
"Someone else is here." I point towards Neji and Tenten.
"Oh! They are Neji and Tenten! The rest of my team!" Lee gushes. "Neji, Tenten, this is Sakura-chan," I wave cheerfully, "And that is Sasuke-kun. They are here to train with us for today!"
Sasuke tips his head in their direction.
"Uchiha." Neji says, stoically.
"Hyuuga." Sasuke matches.
Tenten and I roll our eyes.
"Boys," I mutter. I walk over to her and stick my hand out.
"Hi, I'm Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you!"
"Tenten. Nice to meet you too." She smiles at me.
I look over to Sasuke and Neji who are having a stare down.
"Why are boys so childish?" I sigh. I move towards Sasuke, "Play nice, Sasuke! Don't act like a four-year-old!" I scold.
"You too, Neji!" Tenten scolds.
"Hn." Sasuke grunts. I immediately smack him on the head. He glares at me while Neji smirks. Tenten immediately smacks him on the head too.
I look at Tenten and say, "You use weapons a lot, don't you?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Your hands. They have a lot of scars." I point.
She looks at her hands, "I guess."
"Wanna spar?"
She looks surprised, "Uh sure. Why not?"
"Cool." I smile.
"I'll just finish the warm ups first." She moves over and starts her katas.
"Sasuke, why don't you and Neji have a spar too?" I prompt.
"Fine." He grunts. I roll my eyes again.
"It is your fate to lose, Uchiha." Neji comments before starting his own warm up.
Sasuke growls.
"Calm down and play nice, or I swear I will tell Ino you agreed to take her on a date." I hiss.
Sasuke pales.
That was payback for when we returned from the Wave mission. He threatened to stop my dango! That's sacrilege!
I smirk and look towards Gai-sensei.
"Gai-sensei, can Tenten and I have a spar?"
"Of course!" He allows immediately.
"Yosh!" I punch my hand in the air.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Five minutes later-
"Stances!" Gai-sensei commanded.
I take my stance in front of Tenten. Sasuke takes his stance in front of Neji. Neji and Tenten are both wearing smirks on their faces.
"It is your Fate to lose, Uchiha." Neji repeats.
"Begin!" Gai-sensei jumps back.
Tenten immediately takes out her scrolls and throws weapons at me. I twist my body to dodge them, and quickly cast a layered genjutsu on her.
While she turned around, thinking I was on the other side, I snuck up behind her and tried to attack her when she suddenly turned to me.
"You're not gonna beat me that easily." She says cockily, while throwing punches at me.
I grab her wrist and punch her in her stomach, making her double over. Before I can do anything else, she does a quick foot sweep, making me fall. I jump back up and try using a roundhouse to her face, when she ducks and throws a punch to my own stomach.
I wince at the impact and kick her own the chest, making her stumble. I use the opening to try elbowing her stomach, but a log takes her place. I look around trying to see her, then I feel cold metal touching my neck.
"Surrender." Tenten says, pressing a kunai to my throat.
I sigh, "I surrender. You win."
She lets me go and starts twirling the kunai around her finger.
"You did well, Sakura. You almost beat me." She smiles.
"Yeah, but I didn't. Great, more training." I sigh again. I look over to Sasuke and Neji, who were still fighting.
"Hey, it's ok. I just have more experience than you. Just the fact that you almost beat me is good! Sure, I'm not on the same level as the boys, but I'm still strong. So, it's fine. Plus, you fought well."
"Thanks." I smile back.
"Stop!" Gai-sensei stops the boys' spar. I walk towards them to see both of them bruised and battered. I shake my head and go up to Sasuke first. I start healing him when he tries to pull his arm out of my way.
"Stop it." He says irritably.
I ignore him and continue healing. Once I'm done with Sasuke, I move over to Neji.
"I don't need your help." Neji mutters.
I roll my eyes and place my hands on his arm.
"I don't need your help!" He insists.
"Shut up." I say, not looking up.
"Just let her." Sasuke sighs. "She doesn't listen to anyone when it comes to her healing."
"Damn right." I mutter.
I could practically feel Sasuke rolling his eyes.
When I was done, Neji mumbled a quick 'Thank you' and then we went back to training.
Sasuke and I both tried fighting Lee, but Lee swept the floor with us. Sasuke could track him with his Sharingan, but he could only land a few hits, before Lee won.
And my spar... Well, it was one sided to say the least. He was too fast for me to track, but I managed one hit. One hit. That's it.
Damn it! I was supposed to get stronger! Ugh, I've only been focusing on my medical skills. I have to catch up to my Genjutsu and Taijutsu.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When we ended training, it wasn't very late, surprisingly. Well, not for us, anyway. Lee and Gai-sensei had decided to stay back and continue training while Sasuke, Neji, Tenten and I left.
I was feeling grumpy again, just because I lost to Lee. Even though I normally wouldn't feel this way, today I did.
On the way home, neither Sasuke nor I said anything. It was a comfortable silence, which I didn't mind. As long as I didn't have to say anything, I was fine.
"What are you doing here, Sensei?" I hear Sasuke ask. Oh. We reached. And Kakashi-sensei's leaning on the wall, reading his book.
"Hm? I was waiting for you to come home so that you both could tell me what you did today." Kakashi-sensei eye-smiles.
I mentally groan. I don't want to explain how I lost, in detail.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2o minutes later, when Sasuke and I had finished our explanations, Kakashi-sensei left and I went to my room. I wore one of Sasuke's loose t-shirts, my shorts and I fell onto the bed. I just lay there, staring into space.
Will Sasuke leave the village? Will he go to Orochimaru? Will... will he leave m- us?
I wonder when I'll be able to master both Earth and Water.
I blinked once. I blinked again.
I have earth and water. Earth and water can be used to make wood. I would be able to use wood! Holy shit! I'll be like Hashirama! Damn. Why did I not think of that before?
I started to get up, then stopped.
If earth and water can really make wood, how come no one else has it? Especially Kakashi-sensei. Maybe it's just not possible.
I fell back into bed and got into the covers. Slowly, my eyes started drooping, and I fell asleep.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXSasuke POV
Sasuke was eating his tomatoes in peace, when he felt a presence outside his door. He narrowed his eyes, but relaxed a bit when he felt it as a familiar one.
He got up to open the door, and froze in shock when he saw who it was.
"Hi Sasuke-kun." Ino smiled flirtatiously.
"Sakura's sleeping right now. Come back later. Or don't." Sasuke started closing the door, but Ino stopped him by putting her foot between the door.
"Wait!" She said sharply. "Fo- I mean, Sakura's here?"
"Yes... She's staying with me till her parents return." Sasuke said slowly.
Ino's eyes narrowed as her expression morphed into one of rage.
"That bitch! First, she starts training with you, then she gets placed in the same team as you, then somehow gets you to kiss her, and now she's living with you?!" She started ranting.
"I don't appreciate you calling her a bitch, Yamanaka. You have no business here, so leave." Sasuke said coldly. He closed the door on her face, and stormed over to his couch. He plopped down and devoured the tomatoes.
Once he had calmed down a bit, he continued to sit and stare into space.
I'm bored. Training? ... Sakura and Sensei will kill me, so no. Especially since she's been moody today. She barely said anything to me. Even after my spar with the Hyuuga. Is she sick? No, she would've cured herself then. Did something happen with the Yamanaka? No, then the girl wouldn't have been surprised when I told her Sakura lives here.
Wait. Is she...? Crap, I have to stock up on chocolates and dango.
Sasuke jumped off the couch, grabbed some money and rushed to the market. He first went to Sakura's favourite dango store, and bought enough for an adult to last a week.
Then he went to a sweet shop and bought just enough chocolates for a few days. He didn't want her to get addicted to it like last year. The sugar rush was horrible. He shuddered at the memory and roof jumped back home.
Sasuke stopped outside the house and sealed the sweets into his ring so that Sakura doesn't see it, and entered. He silently went to his female teammate's room and popped his head in. She was still sleeping peacefully, body hugging a pillow like a teddy bear, with her hair all over her face.
Sasuke smiled and went to his own room. He grabbed one of his books and fell onto the bed with a groan.
He didn't hate reading books; in fact, he liked it. What he didn't like, is not being able to move around.
Sasuke wanted to go outside and train, but he knew he couldn't. Sakura would lecture him, Kakashi would punish them, again, while Shikamaru would just mutter 'troublesome'.
So, Sasuke did the smart thing and just read his book. It was a book written by the Sannin Jiraiya, called 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.'
Sakura had introduced him to it, and he found that he liked it. He had already read it a few times, but he never got bored of it.
Half an hour later, Sasuke heard his fridge being opened, so he jumped off the bed; glad to have an excuse to stop reading.
"Nice to see you're awake," he said, amused by Sakura's appearance.
Her hair was all messed up, she was wearing one of his t-shirts which was hanging off of one shoulder, and she was dragging her feet while she walked.
"Shut up." She muttered while glaring at him half-heartedly.
Sasuke raised his hands in surrender, while Sakura looked everywhere in the kitchen for something.
"We're out of dango and chocolates, by the way." Sasuke said nonchalantly.
Sakura froze. "What."
"We are out of dango and chocolates." Sasuke said slowly, as if talking to a small child.
Sakura groaned and whined at the same time, while throwing herself on the couch.
Sasuke chuckled quietly and sat down next to her.
"What do you want?" Sakura muttered irritably.
"It's my house," Sasuke said, still amused.
Sakura ignored him.
Sasuke sighed dramatically, and handed her a chocolate bar.
"Here, I bought some today."
Sakura grabbed it and beamed at him, "Have I told you how much I love you?"
Sasuke blushed a bit. Sakura didn't notice, and just continued happily munching on the chocolate.
Fifteen minutes later, Sakura was on the table, studying another book, and Sasuke was in bed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sakura POV
I am currently trying, and failing, to create my own Genjutsu. I've been making so many notes in my notebook, half of it has been filled already. And I've been writing in English, so that no one else understands it.
Every day, I would practice the languages from my other life; English and Russian, so that I could write or talk to myself without anyone knowing what I'm saying or writing.
I write something else down, then cross it out. Gah! There's nothing that might work!
I whine, "This is so unfair!"
I slam my book shut, and head back to bed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Time Skip – 4 Months Later
"Sakura? Kakashi-sensei has scheduled a team meeting in half an hour." Sasuke pops his head into my room.
"Alrighty, thanks for reminding me." I respond, not taking my eyes off of my books.
It's already been six months since I became a genin, and my skills have increased considerably.
I'm much, much better at Taijutsu, my medical skills are very good; especially now that I've started volunteering at the hospital every day, but I'm still learning under Shizuka-sensei. Team 7 has also been training with Team 9 a lot, making me faster and much more skilled, and I've learnt a lot more Genjustu and Ninjutsu.
I've learnt the Chakra Scalpels, and I can heal serious injuries well, but I still haven't figured out how to create a genjutsu.
I stay up late almost every day, trying to figure it out. The only thing I know is that the amount of chakra for each illusion, and the way you create a genjutsu is much different from the way I learn a genjutsu.
To learn it, I master the hand signs, then add chakra, and I know what the end result will be. But when you're creating it from scratch, you have to have a mental image of the result in your head, figure out which hand signs will be the most effective, then experiment with how much chakra you have to use, then you have to practice the same genjutsu because it won't work every time.
Oh, and I'm still staying with Sasuke. Sure, my parents are home now, but after seeing how I would just collapse after training at Sasuke's, they started going for more business trips so I started living here full time. All my books, clothes, training gear, everything's right here.
Speaking of Sasuke...
"Hey, time to go." Sasuke pops his head in again.
"Do we have to?" I groan and wrap myself around the blanket.
"Not again..." Sasuke sighs. He walks over to the edge of my bed and starts closing all my books.
"Hey! I was using those!"
He ignores me, and continues closing and keeping my books away.
"Get up." Sasuke orders. I stare at him defiantly.
"Now, Haruno." He says, and it was evident in his tone he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Fine." I pout.
He smirks triumphantly. I shoot him a glare, but put the rest of my books away and stand up.
"There. I'm up. Now, let's go." I speak.
"Meanie," I mutter under my breath.
"Heard that." Sasuke says while putting his hand on my shoulder and sending a jolt of electricity.
"Ow!" I jump a bit.
He smirks again and heads out the door. I stick my tongue out and follow him.
I pout for a bit, till Sasuke puts his arm around me and tries to get me to laugh.
When nothing works, he starts tickling me.
"Stop it... Sasuke..." I say while laughing.
"Are you still mad at me?" He asks.
"N-No..." I giggle. He stops tickling me. I shoot him a mock glare.
"You're the worst." I mutter.
"Well, excuse me for trying to get us to the training ground on time." He says sarcastically.
I roll my eyes and continue walking in silence.
"Nice to see you're both here." Kakashi-sensei says cheerfully.
I smile at him and go stand next to Shika.
Sensei had started coming on time, occasionally, for our training, unless we had combined training, in which case he would reach half an hour late.
"What's the news, Sensei?" Sasuke asks.
"Well, I'm not telling you directly. I'm gonna give you a few hints, and on my count, you have to give your answer. Whoever is wrong or slower, will drop and give me a hundred crunches." Sensei says, snapping his book shut. Typical. Kakashi-sensei's the only one who would add training to news.
Shika sighs, Sasuke groans, and I roll my eyes.
"Your hints are; It happens twice in a year, other villages take part, and it's happening in Konoha this time. What are your answers?"
"The Chunin exams." Shika and I say together.
Sasuke looks at us in surprise, while Kakashi looks happy.
"Good deduction, my little minions! Duckling, start." Sensei points at the ground.
Sasuke groans but starts his crunches, while Shika and I snicker at him.
Once Sasuke finishes, Sensei hands the three of us the exam forms.
"Here. Fill these out and hand them in by next week, if you're going to enter. It's not compulsory, so no pressure."
I look at the paper in my hand, and realisation hits.
This is where we'll meet Orochimaru. Where Sasuke will get his curse mark. Where an invasion will happen. Where Gaara unleashes the Shukaku.
Suddenly, I feel faint. I feel a stinging sensation in my eyes. I close my eyes and take a deep breathe, trying to calm myself down in the process.
It doesn't work. I am far from calm. I'm freaking out.
On the outside, it just seemed like I'm reading the form, when on the inside, I am freaking out. Badly. My legs feel like jelly, and I collapse backward, falling on my behind.
Should I not enter? Then the boys won't be able to enter either. That will keep us all safe from him. He won't be able to give Sasuke the curse seal. Sasuke won't leave me if he doesn't have the curse seal. He won't leave the village for power. But they look so excited about this. Can I really do that to them? No, maybe I should just train really hard, and then hope for the best. Damn it, what shou-
"AH!" I hear myself scream.
Oh, come on! One of my oh-so-nice teammates had poured water on me! Cold water!
"Alright, who did that?" I growl.
All three of them immediately avert their eyes and act totally innocent.
I narrow my eyes at them, before noticing a smirk on Sasuke's face.
I clear my throat, "Hey Sasuke?" I say sweetly. "Will you please tell me who did that? Or do I have to have a little talk with Ino?" I look at him with a barely supressed smirk.
Sasuke pales, "Shika's idea." He says quickly. I smile at him before glaring at the frightened Nara.
"Cough-whipped-cough." I hear Sensei say in between coughs, and looks at Sasuke with an amused expression.
Sasuke and I shoot him a glare, and Sensei just continues reading his book.
"So, Shikamaru. Did you put water on me?" I ask in a sugar-sweet voice.
"N-No..." He says hesitantly.
"Mm. I'll deal with you later." I say, "Well, anything else, Sensei?"
"No, not really. You guys are free to do whatever you want today. Including training." Sensei replies, not once looking up from his Icha Icha.
"Ok then. I'm going to go get dango."
And save Naruto and Konohamaru from Kankuro.
"Shika, you coming?" Sasuke asks, dusting his shorts.
"Me? With Sakura? When she's mad at me? Hell no." He snorts. "I still remember what she did the last time I ate one of her dango, and she was mad at me."
"You should know better than to take my dango." I retort.
"Anyway," Sasuke cut in, "Sakura, didn't you want to get dango?"
Ignoring the relieved expression on Shikamaru's face, I turn to Sasuke, "I guess you're right. Let's go!"
Just as we were about to leave, I stop abruptly, "Wait, I forgot something."
At Sasuke's questioning glance, I reach out and smack Shika on his head.
"That was for pouring water on me." I smirk. He glares at me while rubbing his head.
"Damn it, woman! That hurt!"
"That was the point." I grin and walk towards Sasuke again.
After walking a while, we see Kankuro and Temari with Naruto, Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi and Ino behind them.
My guess is that canon Sakura's role was switched with Ino here.
"What's going on?" Sasuke asks me.
"No clue, but Sasuke? Please let me handle it if we need to interfere." I request.
"Sure," He shrugs, "Feel free to put them in their place." He smirks. I smile at him and we walk towards them.
"What's going on here?" I demand once we reach them.
"Go away girlie. This doesn't concern you." Kankuro says, lifting Konohamaru up by his collar.
I narrow my eyes, "Actually, it does concern me seeing as outsiders from another village are troubling Konoha citizens. Especially since Suna is Konoha's ally."
Kankuro narrows his eyes at me, "This brat ran into me and has to be taught a lesson."
"And you're ok with it?" I ask Temari coldly.
"Hey, as long I don't get into trouble, I don't care." She shrugs nonchalantly.
"Let me go!" Konohamaru protests.
"Let him go." I order.
Kankuro just smirks at me and lifts Konohamaru even higher.
I move fast and press a kunai to his throat from behind.
"Let. Go. Now." I hiss from behind him.
When Temari's hand starts moving towards her fan, Sasuke throws a kunai at her, just missing her face and imbedding itself into the wall behind.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He drawls.
Kankuro drops Konohamaru slowly, and I remove the kunai from his neck.
I look towards the tree beside us.
"You can come down now." I say, looking straight at Gaara.
Ino and the kids look surprised, Kankuro and Temari look terrified and Sasuke just has a smirk on his face as he crosses his arms and leans on the wall.
A swirl of sand appears near me, and a voice says, "You are a disappointment to our village, Kankuro."
"G-Gaara... I was just... I mean-" Kankuro tries to say something, but I interrupted him.
"You guys are here from Suna for the Chunin exams, right?"
"Yes." Gaara replies in his monotonous voice.
"Well then, enjoy your stay here!" I say cheerfully.
Everyone except Gaara sweat drops, while I keep the smile on my face.
"I want to know your name." Gaara stares at Sasuke. "And hers." He turns to me.
"Isn't it common courtesy to give your own name first?" I wonder out loud.
"I'm Sabaku no Gaara."
"Sabaku no Kankuro."
"Sabaku no Temari."
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you!"
The Sand siblings look at me with different expressions on their faces. Gaara is emotionless, Kankuro is scowling and Temari gives me a small smirk and a nod.
Then Gaara turns and starts walking away. Temari and Kankuro follow him while Ino and the younger kids let out a sigh of relief.
"So... that went well." I comment.
Sasuke rolls his eyes, "Went well? You threatened to kill the dude, then went on to be friendly with them!"
I shrug.
"That was so cool, Sasuke-kun!" Ino squeals. She wraps her hands around Sasuke's arm, while I try to smother my laughter.
"Don't touch me." Sasuke pulls his arm away.
Just to annoy her, I go and hold his hand, "I still want my dango." I say.
"Of course, you do." Sasuke rolls his eyes again, and shakes his head.
I see Ino's eyes narrow and focus on our intertwined fingers, and I cough. When she looks back at me, I smirk at her, making her even more mad.
Oh gosh, this is fun!
Sasuke notices the exchange and taps my hand lightly, forming 'why do you insist on annoying her?'
Without any outside reaction, I reply, 'who would you prefer to be around? Me or her?'
'You, I guess.'
'I'm gonna ignore the I guess part, but I'm basically showing her that I win.'
'Whatever.'
'Rude.'
"Okay then..." I break the awkward silence, "We're gonna be going. Try not to get yourselves in trouble again, kiddies!"
With that, I drag Sasuke away and towards his house.
"That was epic, though." Sasuke comments.
"Hm?"
"The way you appeared behind him and held a kunai to his throat. That was awesome."
I grin, "Thank you. I learnt from the best."
"I am pretty good." Sasuke smirks.
"I was talking about Kakashi-sensei." I deadpan.
"... I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that." He says in denial.
"Well..." I start, "I guess you're good too, considering I did train with you for two years in the Academy." I say slowly.
Sasuke gives a small smile.
When we reach home, I immediately head to the fridge. I pull out a plate of dango, and a few tomatoes and plop down on the couch while Sasuke was inside, somewhere. I stretch out my legs and place them on the end of the couch, taking up the whole space.
When he comes out, he looks at me in thanks and smacks my legs lightly; telling me to make space.
I sigh in exaggerated despair, but move my legs. He rolls his eyes and sits next to me. I place my legs on his lap as he uses his elbows to tuck my knees closer.
A comfortable silence falls between us, till-
"We are going to sign up, right? For the Chunin Exams, I mean." Sasuke asks, breaking the silence. Saying that, he reminds me of the horrible things are going to happen to him and Konoha. To my best friend and my home.
I squeeze my eyes close, not wanting to cry at the thoughts.
"Sasuke... I- Can we please not talk about it right now?" I request.
His brow furrows, but sensing my discomfort, he nods.
"Fine. But we are going to talk about it. Soon." He says firmly.
I nod gratefully.
"...Why do you no-"
"Sasuke!" I interrupt before he can ask why I don't want to talk about it.
"Fine." He mumbles.
I smile a bit before placing my empty plate on the table and making myself comfortable.
I close my eyes, and doze off. The last thing I remember before oblivion took me, was Sasuke carrying me to the bedroom and tucking me in.