Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.
Thinking
'Signs to communicate.'
"Speaking"
A/N: This story will contain POVs from other characters too.
Previously,
"And you're coming with us because...?" Jiraiya prompts.
"Because..." I smile, a glitter in my eyes, "I've figured out one of Tsunade-sama's techniques."
Jiraiya raises an eyebrow, "Have you now? And what might that be?"
"I don't want to ruin the surprise." I smile mysteriously. "But I swear on dango it's one of her techniques."
"You swear on dango?" He deadpans.
"Hey, dango is half of my life!" I say defensively.
He looks sceptical, but then Naruto chimes up, "You can trust Sakura-chan, Pervy Sage!"
He still looks sceptical, "I'd like to see the technique before I take you anywhere."
I sigh, "Fine. Also, we should probably leave, 'cause I'm sure as hell not paying for this shit." I gestured at the wreckage.
Jiraiya looks around and realizes I'm right. And then – being the great Sannin he is – he leaps out of the hole in the wall.
Naruto sighs in a 'How is he a Sannin?' way, which makes me snicker. We both jump out and follow Jiraiya.
The three of us walk in silence once we catch up with Jiraiya.
He takes us to an open field and commands, "Show me."
I walk far away from them and punch the ground. The ground cracks and breaks.
I look up at the guys. They both are staring at me with their mouths open and their eyes look like it's gonna pop out.
Then Jiraiya's face morphs into one with a shit-eating grin. "Sakura, was it?" At my nod, he continues, "Right, Sakura, you have to promise to let me be there when you show that to Tsunade."
I laugh.
"Whoa..." Naruto breathes.
I grin and we start walking again.
Then Naruto asks a question and a conversation between the two follows.
I unseal my Icha Icha I brought with me and read it as I walk.
A moment of silence. I look up to see Jiraiya and Naruto both staring at me.
"What?" I ask.
"You're reading. While walking." Jiraiya states. Wow. How observant.
"Yes," I answer.
"You realize who wrote that right?" Jiraiya asks, grinning.
"Yup. Would you mind signing it?" I ask hopefully.
"Sure, kid." He signs the front page of the book and hands it back to me.
"Thank you!" I beam. "Suck it, Kakashi-sensei!" I cackle.
"Sakura-chaaaan." Naruto whines. "Don't encourage him!"
I chuckle sheepishly.
We start walking again, and Jiraiya throws two kunai at me. Quite slow, of course, but still.
Without looking up, I dodge one and catch the other between my index and middle fingers and throw it back to him, double-speed.
"Hm. You're not half bad." Jiraiya catches the kunai.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."
He chuckles and we continue walking in silence.
And then another conversation broke out about Tsunade. I tune them out.
After a while, we stop at a place overlooking a fair. I sigh and seal my book away.
"Ah, man! This is gonna be awesome!" Naruto exclaims.
"Now, go have some fun before we start working. This festival will go on for a while, so we'll stay here till it gets over, and then we'll start working." Jiraiya says to us.
Then, Jiraiya does the whole 'three prohibitions' talk and then we go our own way.
"Where do you wanna go first, Sakura-chan?" Naruto grins at me.
"Wherever you wanna." I smile.
"Alright!"
The two of us go to, like, a thousand stalls, and enjoy ourselves. Of course, I pay for stuff too, seeing how Jiraiya stole Naruto's money.
Then we play a few games and go spend the rest of the money on squid.
"Now, where might he be?" Naruto mutters.
"Let's go check the brothel." I snort.
"What? Pervy Sage would never do that... right?" He trails off.
"Riiiiight." I drawl, showing him the Icha Icha book for emphasis.
We enter and see Jiraiya with two women around him.
I look at Naruto, "You were saying?"
I casually lean on the wall and enjoy the show.
Naruto walks up to Jiraiya and yells at him, hits him and chases all the women away.
"Watch it!" Someone yells. "Look what you did, brat! You stained the boss's brand-new designer jacket! You're paying for that! A hundred thousand large!"
"That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" I comment idly. "Can't be that much."
"If you don't want any trouble, girlie, keep your mouth shut." The other guy says.
"Boss used to be a Chunin from the Iwagakure! Show him some respect!" His assistant or whatever says.
I snicker, "A Chunin at that age? Man, you suck."
Noticing Jiraiya telling Naruto to pay attention, I idly flick my finger at one, while Jiraiya uses the Rasengan on the other.
They both go flying back and crash into the balloon store.
Jiraiya buys all the balloons in the stall and the three of us move.
"What was that finger thing?" Jiraiya questions.
"Oh, it's my own technique. I flick my finger and this happens." I flick it towards a tree, and a few seconds later, it shatters.
"You're like a mini-Tsunade..." Jiraiya murmurs, staring at the tree.
I beam, "Thank you!"
Then Jiraiya shoos me away so that I don't see how the 'super-secret' technique is done, and I start my training.
I start with my warm-up, then start practising my new Genjutsu.
Fifteen minutes later, I call for Jiraiya.
"Can I come there?" I yell.
"...Sure." He replies after a second.
I walk over there and see Naruto still struggling with the water balloon.
"What do you want, kid?" Jiraiya asks.
"Can I try out a Genjutsu on you?" I ask bluntly.
"Sure, I guess."
I cast the Genjutsu and watch his reaction. Slowly, his expression changes to one of horror.
I grin and punch the air. "Yes!"
The illusion should have Gai and Lee doing their 'manly-embrace' with the whole sunset scenery behind them. By the looks of it, it worked!
"Kai! Kai!" Jiraiya quickly breaks the illusion. He looks at me with a traumatized look, "What the hell kind of Genjutsu was that?!"
"I created it. Like it?" I grin.
He shakes his head. "You're one twisted kid."
I grin again. "Thank you."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We spent the next many days with Naruto and me training, and Jiraiya conducting his 'research'.
I would heal Naruto's hands if he needed it, giving me a little medical training as well.
Once Naruto had mastered the first two steps of the Rasengan, we started moving again.
Jiraiya explains the third step while I read my book. We start walking again and eventually, we reach the entrance of another town.
Naruto falls over because of his chakra, and Jiraiya casts a side glance. "Come on kid, this is no time to be kicking back! We have to hurry or who knows where that woman will hurry off to!"
"Listen, old man, that's no way to talk to your apprentice who's working his ass off!" Naruto yells, pointing at Jiraiya.
"Oh, shut your yapping!" Jiraiya sighs. "Now, come on kids, let's go find Tsunade."
We walk in and the first place Jiraiya leads us to is a gambling house.
He goes and talks to one of the people there, while Naruto focuses on the balloon.
I continue my reading, and a man talks to us.
"Hey, kids."
I turn to him.
"Wanna throw the dice around?" He asks. "If it's odd, it's called han. And if it's even, it's chou. What do you say?"
I tune him out and focus on my book.
He continues bugging Naruto. Naruto snaps at him and they argue for a minute. Then Naruto messes up his jutsu and his chakra creates a gust of wind.
A few minutes later, Jiraiya exits and we walk away.
"Man, where could she be? She couldn't have gone far." Jiraiya looks around.
We keep walking, till an old lady calls Naruto and me towards her.
She hands us a scratch card, and voila! We both win! Well, his was more than mine, but eh.
I put my wallet away and we continue walking.
I don't want to battle Orochimaru anytime soon, so I don't say anything as to where Tsunade can be.
We walk up the stairs to, as Jiraiya said, 'higher ground' and stand on the roof.
There's a lot of rubble around us. We see everyone running away and screaming in terror. Jiraiya stops one of them and asks what's wrong.
"There's a huge snake over there!" He informs, still yelling. He explains everything and we get going again. We reach the wrecks of the tower, but at the end of the day, we come up empty.
We reach a bar and Jiraiya decides to have dinner there.
"It's a bar! Sakura-chan and I shouldn't be here!" Naruto protests.
"It'll be fine. I'm not telling you to drink anything." Jiraiya rolls his eyes.
The three of us enter and lo and behold! Tsunade and Shizune are at the end of the bar!
What a surprise! Note the sarcasm.
The two Sannin see each other and, "Tsunade!" Jiraiya exclaims.
"Jiraiya." Tsunade throws him a dirty look.
"Thank heavens! I was getting tired." Jiraiya comments.
We all go up to them and sit at their table.
There's an awkward silence. We all order our food, Naruto orders fried crab, Jiraiya orders sake and rice, and I order fried fish.
Once the food comes, Tsunade sighs, "What a day. Seeing old... acquaintances... everywhere. It's like a goddamn reunion."
"Orochimaru." Jiraiya states.
"So, you heard." Tsunade glances at him.
She places a deck of cards on the table. "So, what do you want with me?"
"I'll get straight to the point," Jiraiya says, shuffling the cards. "The village has requested you to become the Fifth Hokage."
Naruto chokes on his crab. I pat his back and continue eating.
Jiraiya picks up his cards and after a few seconds of shock, so does Tsunade.
"You heard about the Third?" Jiraiya asks, not looking at her.
"Yeah... Orochimaru killed him, right?" Tsunade places a card on the table.
"Orochimaru? Who's Orochimaru?" Naruto looks at the adults. They all glance at him but say nothing.
"He's the third Sannin. He was the one who ordered the invasion." I explain.
"Wait, he's from Konoha, right? So why did he attack us?"
"Who is this brat?" Tsunade mutters.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Jiraiya drawls.
Tsunade nods in understanding and Naruto narrows his eyes, "Hold up. You haven't answered my question; why did Orochimaru kill the old man? And what do you mean she is going to become the Hokage?" He points at Tsunade and yells.
Jiraiya shoots Naruto a look saying 'Shut up now. I pull Naruto back into his seat and he glares at me. I glare back.
I win the staring/glaring contest. He huffs and sits quietly.
"I'll repeat myself." Jiraiya leans forward, "Tsunade, the village has requested that you come back and become the Fifth Hokage. What is your reply?"
"Not possible. I refuse." She downs her sake.
"What is going on here?" Naruto groans. "Pervy Sage told me we're getting her to heal Sasuke-teme. Why is he suddenly asking her to be Hokage? And she turned it down!"
"Calm down, Naruto." Jiraiya sighs. "Tsunade is the only one capable of becoming the next Hokage. She contributed a lot in the last war and her combat and medical abilities are unrivalled. And she's the first Hokage's granddaughter. Plus, if she becomes Hokage, she'll come back to Konoha and heal the Uchiha. And the decision was made by Konoha's highest decision makers: the Elders."
I snort at that. Jiraiya shoots me a dark look and I shut up.
"Your apprentice seems to be ruder and stupider than the last," Tsunade says, amused.
I snicker, and Naruto glares at me.
"But even the Fourth died young," Tsunade mutters, the amused expression fading away. "Only a fool would bet his life so easily. My grandfather and the Second Hokage wanted to end the war. But they died before they could accomplish that. The title of Hokage is stupid. Only a complete and utter fool would want to become Hokage."
Naruto has had enough. He stands up angrily and glares down at Tsunade. Jiraiya tries pulling him back down, but it's futile.
"Naruto, this isn't the time or place." Jiraiya tries.
But the blonde continues to glare at her. "Whoever insults the Fourth or the old man, deserves a punch in the face!" he declares.
I smother my snickers and continue watching.
"You've got some guts saying that to me, kid." Tsunade herself stands up. "Let's take it outside."
I have a shit-eating grin on my face and Jiraiya just sighs.
The five of us walk out and Naruto and Tsunade face each other.
"Well, since I was one of the Sannin of Konoha, there's no reason to get serious against a mere Genin." Tsunade taunts.
It works.
"What did you say?" Naruto growls.
"You heard me. I'm only going to use one finger. That's all I'll need. Come on, little boy." Tsunade continues. "But before that, let me ask you a question; why do you care about the title Hokage so much?"
His gaze hardens, "Because... being Hokage is my dream."
She gasps lightly, and her eyes lose focus as she loses herself in her memories.
Naruto takes the moment, but before he can attack, I bring my fist down to the earth and break the ground, making Tsunade and Naruto lose their balance.
Tsunade, being more experienced, simply flips back and looks at me, alarmed.
She stomps over to me and demands, "You! How did you do that?! That's my technique!"
I step back and draw a kunai, just to be safe, and say, "I'll explain everything if you stop trying to beat Naruto up."
Tsunade looks back at a still fallen and shocked Naruto, then says, "You got a deal, kid."
She starts walking away, when Naruto rushes to her, a half-made Rasengan in hand.
She whirls around and flicks his headband, making him fly back.
"Jiraiya!" She turns on him, "Are you the one teaching him the Rasengan?!"
"Well, he is my apprentice..." Jiraiya trails off.
"No wonder! The Rasengan is a Jutsu only you and the Fourth can master. You are the one filling him with false hopes! No wonder he's daydreaming of becoming Hokage!"
"I'm not daydreaming! I can master this in three days!" Naruto argues, standing up.
"Then let's make a bet," Tsunade smirks. "If you can master that jutsu in a week, I'll acknowledge you can become Hokage, and I'll even throw in this necklace!" She displays her necklace along with a ridiculous amount of cleavage that Jiraiya's ogling in ecstasy.
"Tsunade-sama-" Shizune starts.
"I don't need a necklace." Naruto wrinkles his nose.
"Naruto! That necklace has a unique crystal that can buy three mountains! It's the First Hokage's!" Jiraiya speaks, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from Tsunade's breasts.
Naruto's face lights up and he faces Tsunade, "It's a deal, then."
"Alright," Tsunade smiles smugly, "But if you lose, I'll take all your money."
"Wait, I want to up the stakes," I speak.
"Oh?" Tsunade turns to me.
I nod, "If Naruto can do the Rasengan in a week, you have to train me. If he loses... I'll... give you all of my money too." I finish.
"Deal," Tsunade smirks.
"Alright." I grin.
Then Tsunade leads me to her room and orders, "Now explain to me how you did the punch."
"Well..." I start explaining everything from the Chunin Exams.
At the end, her eyes widen, "You figured it out in a month?!"
I nod smugly.
"Damn... either you're a prodigy-"
"Definitely not." I shake my head.
"-Or you train way too much." She finishes.
"Yup."
She chases me from the room after that, and I go into my own.
I plop myself down on the bed and open a book on mental illness.
Wait, Tsunade's going to poison Jiraiya, right? What if I can create an antidote for it?
With the symptoms replaying in my mind, I head out to the field where I saw a few plants that have medicinal properties.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next few days, Naruto barely ever came into the room. He was outside almost all the time except at night when he came to sleep.
Then came the day Tsunade had to meet Orochimaru. I was in my room, preparing the antidote to the poison Tsunade would drug Jiraiya with, and Naruto was still outside, training.
Jiraiya and Tsunade had gone out for sake, and Shizune was in her room.
Fifteen minutes later, I hear a thump, and then silence. I go to Shizune's room, to see her unconscious.
I wake her up and she exclaims, "Tsunade-sama!"
She looks around and gets up. "We have to stop her! She's gone to meet Orochimaru!"
She explains everything to me, and we go to the sake stand.
We find Jiraiya on the ground beside it, snoring.
"Never have I seen a grown man with such a low tolerance." The bartender comments, washing dishes.
I snicker. Tipping the antidote down his throat, Shizune and I drag him back to the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Half an hour later, all four of us were on our way to save Tsunade from Orochimaru.
Jiraiya was feeling a bit better, but he was still partially drugged.
We reach there and see Tsunade facing Orochimaru and his pet. No, not the snake summons, I mean Kabuto.
"You again," I growl, looking at the grey-haired traitor.
"Sakura-chan." He smiles. A taunting one this time.
"Traitor." I greet sarcastically.
"Kabuto, what are you doing here?" Naruto asks, genuinely confused.
"He's working for Orochimaru," I answer instead.
"What?!" Naruto yells.
"You three know each other?" Jiraiya eyes Kabuto.
"We took the Chunin Exams together." Naruto nods.
"Wrong. We took the Chunin Exams." I gesture to Naruto and me, "He was spying for Orochimaru." I correct.
Kabuto's gaze comes back to me sharply. "I still don't know how you discovered my cover so fast, Sakura-chan." He's taunting me again.
I growl.
Tsunade pushes us out of the way and swings her leg at Kabuto to kick him.
He deflects it and jumps away. She pursues him and their limbs are just a blur.
Once Tsunade had Kabuto pinned to a rock, she cocks her fist back.
Then, he slices his hand. The blood splatters on her and she freezes up. He punches her jaw, and she falls back onto Shizune. Both of them fall down.
"Am I missing something here? How come Tsunade-baachan and Kabuto are fighting?" Naruto looks at the two.
"Kabuto works for Orochimaru, so he's fighting her for him. He was acting as a Genin from Konoha to spy on everyone for Orochimaru." I explain.
"As smart as ever, Sakura," Kabuto smirks.
"As annoying as ever, Kabuto." I smile sweetly.
"But he helped my team get through the Exams!" Naruto protests.
"He was spying on you," I reply, still glaring at Kabuto.
"Correct. And I found out one very important thing about you, Naruto." Kabuto pushes his glasses up. "I found out that you have no ninja abilities, whatsoever. You don't have a chance in hell of becoming Hokage."
"You're wrong." I spit. "He's an amazing ninja and twice the man you'll ever be, traitor."
"You both are just little kids playing ninja. You're way in over your heads." Kabuto smirks.
Naruto runs towards him, making Shadow Clones. I observe as they fight.
He is good. Almost as fast as Kakashi-sensei too.
I grit my teeth. He can wipe the floor with me if he really tries. But I didn't train my ass of for nothing.
I start running, when Jiraiya stops me.
"Don't. Go tend to Tsunade. I'll take care of this." He orders.
"But-"
"Now, Sakura."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama." I say in a defeated tone. I move over to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama." I sit next to her.
She's frozen in fear. She looks up with difficulty and her eyes widen.
My head snaps around and I see Kabuto nearing us. He already summoned the snakes for Orochimaru.
"Oh, hell no!" I stand up and throw my weights away. I smile with satisfaction when I see it make a dent in the ground.
I rush towards Kabuto and swing my leg. It connects with his wrist, and in midair, I twist myself around, bringing my other leg up and kicking his face.
I place my hands on the ground and flip backwards.
I stand up to see Kabuto looking at me in shock. I sneer, "What's wrong, Kabuto?"
He stares at me, then activates his Chakra Scalpels.
Crap.
He charges at me and swings his palm towards my neck. I duck under it and try for a foot sweep. He jumps over it and aims a kick for my head.
I catch it in my right hand and try an open palm strike at his solar plexus.
It connects, but his left hand connects with my elbow.
I wince at the feeling, but push through it. I roundhouse kick his head, but he ducks under it and attacks with a punch to my jaw.
I lean backwards, and flip over, my foot catching his chin.
He starts attacking me again, when Shizune calls my name.
"Sakura! I'll handle it." She pushes me aside and I head back to Tsunade.
Two minutes later, I turn back to see Shizune panting on the ground and Kabuto approaching us.
I stand up and stand in front of Tsunade. He growls in annoyance.
I charge again, but this time, he attacks seriously. He uses his Scalpels and hits me with a palm strike to my elbow, then bats it aside and strikes me in the stomach.
I spit out blood and he tosses me aside.
He walks to Tsunade, and she bats his hand away. "Stay away from me!" She cries out.
He starts kicking her and I growl. I place a shaky hand on my stomach and try to heal the damage.
It works. Well, a little, anyway.
I see Naruto dragging himself from the corner of my eyes. I see Kabuto cock his fist back, and Naruto suddenly appears in front of her.
He punches Naruto's hitae-ate and Naruto growls out, "Back off! That's enough, you traitor!"
He starts forming the Rasengan and tries to slam it into Kabuto, but the traitor uses the Chakra Scalpels and touches Naruto's thigh.
"Looks like you had fractured the bone in your left leg with your tussle with the snake. But you could still move with a broken bone, but now, it's past that. I've severed the vastus letarlis muscle in your right leg." Kabuto says.
Then he chuckles, "What's the matter? Are you afraid? Do you feel like running away?" He mocks.
He walks to Naruto and starts kicking him. Pushing through the intense pain, I stand up and run to Kabuto.
I use my super punch from behind him and break a few bones in his back.
He falls over and I help Naruto up. Unfortunately, Naruto falls down again, and I have to drag him to the side.
I walk to Kabuto, who had turned around, and start building my chakra up in my finger. I stick a metal marble to it and shoot it. It goes straight through his leg.
He winces and I smile cruelly. I pull my hand back for another super punch, and punch him in the solar plexus.
He coughs out blood and my smile widens. I pull it back again, but this time, he was ready for it. He catches my hand in his and winces when I shatter the bones in his hand.
I pull my hand back just as he activates the Scalpels again. He swings his other hand towards my legs and I jump up, but it was too slow. His hand touches my ankle and I fall down with a cry of pain.
He stands up with a wince and kicks my stomach. I cough out blood and let out a groan of pain.
"Little girls like you shouldn't try to fight. It's no use." Kabuto smirks. "You might be very smart, but you're no match for me."
He kicks me with his right foot again, but I catch his foot. I use my superstrength to grip it tight and shatter his bones, making him cry out in pain.
It makes me smile.
Gritting my teeth at the pain, I sit up, but keep a firm hold on his foot.
He tries to pull it out of my grip, but my grip is too strong.
I stand up and spit out some more blood.
I pull my leg back, channeling chakra to it, and kick his left knee.
I push back, breaking it, and making him fall. He places his hand on it and starts healing it, when I tower above him.
"You might be better when it comes to combat." I smile gruesomely. "But, I'm stronger."
I swing my leg and it connects with his hand, but it's too strong for him to block. It connects with his head.
He goes flying to the side. I fall to my knees there and cough out some more blood. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
I stand up with a lot more difficulty and limp to Naruto. I quickly, but painfully, heal his broken bone and start with his right leg, when Kabuto appears again.
I growl. "Why can't you just stay down? You're like a cockroach that just won't die!"
He chuckles, "You might be strong, Sakura. But as I said before, you're no match for me. Not even in strength."
He activates his Chakra Scalpels and his hand comes closer to my neck.
I try to use my superstrength, but I'm out of chakra. Instead, Naruto bats his hand away and stands in front of Tsunade and me. He kicks Kabuto behind.
"Tsunade-baachan, get ready to pay up on our bet. That cursed necklace is about to be mine!" He growls. "And Sakura-chan, you've done enough. Let me take it from here."
It's not like I have an option.
"Naruto, stop! Don't do it! You'll just get hurt!" Tsunade yells.
Kabuto runs (limps, since I shattered the bones in his foot) to Naruto with a kunai in hand, "I warned you! Dreams don't come true when you're dead!"
"Naruto, look out! No, get out of the way!" Tsunade screams.
"Heh, don't worry about me." Naruto replies. He stops the kunai between his fingers and uses the Shadow Clone to form the Rasengan.
"Try dodging it this time!"
He slams it into Kabuto's stomach, "Rasengan!"
Kabuto screams, but uses his supposed to be shattered hand to use the Scalpels.
"Tsunade-sama." I murmur. Her head snaps to me like she didn't know I was there. "You... have to... help." I choke out.
I cough up some more blood. Suddenly, Naruto collapses.
Tsunade runs towards him. My vision starts blurring and everything goes dark.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I wake with a groan. My head is pounding.
"Where am I?" I mutter before opening my eyes and blinking.
I scan my surroundings. I seem to be in my room. The hotel room.
"Naruto?" I murmur when I see a fluorescent orange blob in the room.
"Sakura-chan! You're awake!"
"Mm-hmm." I sit up and Naruto comes to my side, a grin on his face.
"What... happened?" I ask.
"Well... you fainted." He says bluntly.
"Fantastic." I mutter drily.
He explains what happened after I fainted, which was the same as canon, and then exclaimed, "... And Tsunade-baachan agreed to be the Fifth Hokage!"
"Right."
"Oh, you're up, Sakura." Jiraiya enters the room.
"Jiraiya-sama." I tip my head in his direction.
"How are you feeling?"
"Bad head-ache, but other than that I'm fine." I reply honestly. My default answer would've been 'I'm fine' but what good would that be?
"Good, because we're leaving in half an hour." He walks back out.
I stand and instantly get tunnel vision. I grip the bed tightly and shut my eyes.
"Sakura-chan! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Naruto questions, his voice laced with concern.
Once the room stops spinning, I look at him, "Don't worry, Naruto. I'm fine. I just got up too fast. Tunnel vision."
He breathes a sigh of relief and I start packing my stuff. Not that I have much.
Half an hour later, we were all on the road.
I increase my pace to catch up with Tsunade and I say, "Tsunade-sama. You remember our bet, right?" I grin.
She shakes her head with an amused smile, "Is there anything you think off other than training, Sakura? But yes, I do remember our bet."
My grin widens.
Then Tsunade gets a gleam in her eyes. The kind of gleam Kakashi-sensei gets before he tortures us.
"But I must warn you... either reconsider it, or take a few days of rest before I start training you. I'm not the gentlest teacher."
"She isn't." Shizune agrees.
"That's ok! I can handle it." I smile.
I unseal my book and start reading again. I feel Tsunade and Shizune's eyes on me and I ignore them.
After a looooooong travel, we finally reach the gates of Konoha.
I seal my book again and try not to let my face break into a grin. Now Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei will be back to normal!
Then my mood darkens. And he'll go to Orochimaru soon. I'll have to stop him. Somehow.
We enter the gates and I wave at Kotetsu and Izumo. They grin at me and I grin back.
I drag Tsunade to the Hospital first thing and get her to heal Sasuke.
She's about to heal him when we meet Gai.
"Tsunade-sama!" He bows. "Please come with me!"
"What now?" Tsunade sighs.
"Kakashi was hit by the same jutsu as Sasuke-kun!" Gai says seriously.
"Say what now?" I ask.
Gai nods and the three of us go into Sasuke's room first.
I sit beside him and watch curiously as Tsunade places her hand on his forehead.
A few seconds later, she withdraws it, "There. He should be fine with some rest."
I nod and we wait for him to wake up.
"Hey Sasuke!" I smile.
"Sakura?" He speaks groggily.
"Yo."
"What- where am I?" He sits up and looks around.
I pat his head, "I'll be right back and I'll explain everything to you."
I gently push his head back to the pillow and he glares at me. I smile, "Stay down."
He huffs but complies at my threatening glance. I walk out and we head to Kakashi-sensei's room.
Tsunade does the same to him and I grin when I see him, too, sitting up groggily.
"Kakashi-sensei!" I chirp.
"Sakura-chan?"
"Yo." I feel a rush of deja-vu.
He scans his surroundings and then leans back with a sigh, "How long have I been out?"
"I don't know. Maybe a little less than a month?" I shrug. "Anyway, you have to rest for at least a day before you can do anything else, and if you try to escape, I will poison you."
He scrutinizes me to see if I'm bluffing.
"You wouldn't do that to your poor Sensei, would you?" He asks.
"I normally wouldn't... but you threatened my dango, so..." I pull out a poisoned senbon.
He sighs in resignation and I smirk triumphantly. Tsunade exits the room, and I follow her.
"Sakura." She turns around. "We'll begin your training in a few days. I will need some time to get everything in order around here."
I nod my understanding and I go back to Sasuke's room.
I find him sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching his head. I frown, "You tried to walk, didn't you?"
He looks guilty. I sigh and stab him with a senbon.
"What the hell?" He demands.
"Paralyzing poison." I reply. "At least this way you'll stay here for a day."
He scowls at me. I stick my tongue out at him, "Deal with it."
Then I explain everything that happened, and he gapes at me. "You can break the ground? With a single punch?"
I nod happily.
I stay there till the poison starts taking effect, then leave.
"I'll bring you some tomatoes tomorrow." I pat his head again. His fingers twitch like he wants to swat my hand away, but he's paralyzed.
I grin at him and walk away.
I start roaming around, not knowing where to go, when I saw a random Hyuuga.
He sent an ice-cold glare my way and I frown. What was that for? I don't even know the dude.
Shaking my head, I let my feet guide me.
Soon, I reach the Hyuuga compound.
Why am I here? Eh. Let's go hangout with Hinata.
Over the month, Hinata and I had become really good friends.
"What is your business here?" A cold voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I look at the person who said that and see the guard glaring at me.
"I'm Hinata's friend, Haruno Sakura. Is she here?" I ask.
"She is." He replies in the same cold manner.
"Can I meet her?" I question slowly.
"You can."
But when he gives no sign of moving, I sigh, "May I meet her?"
He glares at me for a second, then says, "Do not move. I shall return with Hinata-sama."
That was weird.
A few seconds later, he returns with a smiling Hinata.
"Hinata-chan!" I beam at her.
"Sakura-chan." She smiles back shyly. She glances at the guard and then looks back to me and says, "H-How may I help you?"
"I was wondering if you want to go train or hangout?"
"I would love to." She steps next to me, then turns to the guard. "A-Akio-san, would you please tell my f-father I am training wi-with Sakura-chan?"
The guard bows lightly, "I would be honored, Hinata-sama. Although, I do not think Hiashi-sama would be very pleased."
She just smiles, "I will deal with it when I return. Th-Thank you, Akio-san."
We walk away and I grin at her, "That was amazing! You barely stuttered!"
We had also been working on Hinata's confidence.
"I-It's all thanks to you, Sakura-chan." She smiles shyly.
"Oh, nonsense!" Then I frown, "But, would you mind telling me why everyone from your clan seems to have a problem with me existing?"
She giggles lightly, "Ever since you defeated Neji-nii with Genjutsu, everyone has a... grudge... against you."
"Oh." That makes sense, I guess. I did defeat him with Genjutsu. The Hyuuga prodigy. With Genjutsu.
She nods, "But don't worry about it. It'll be fine after a while."
I smile, "What makes you think I'm worried?"
She giggles again and I grin. "So, where do you want to go?"
She thinks about it. "Dango?"
I smile giddily, "I knew there was a reason I like you so much."
She laughs, a light and pleasant sound, and the two of us go for dango.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"... So, the Hyuuga all hate me. Well, except Hinata-chan." I explain to Sasuke.
It's been two days since Tsunade returned and she's already started training me, but it's still pretty mild.
Sasuke was discharged from the Hospital today morning, so we both came back to the Uchiha compound.
He looks thoughtful. Then he smirks slightly, "I see."
I narrow my eyes, "Why are you smirking?"
"Nothing, nothing." He says innocently.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"UCHIHA FUCKING SASUKE!" I yelled, storming to his room.
He winced, "Stop shouting, will you?"
"Why do all of my clothes have the Uchiha symbol on them?!" I demanded.
"They do?" He asked, tilting his head. Although, the smirk pulling at his lips told a different story.
I turned.
"Look at that!" Sasuke exclaimed with mock surprise. "It does have the Uchiha crest!"
Flashback
I was roaming the streets, finishing my shopping, when I saw another random Hyuuga glaring at me. And this time his gaze kept going to my Haruno symbol.
I arched an eyebrow but ignored it.
Then when I bumped into Kakashi-sensei, the conversation started with: "So, he finally asked you huh?"
"What?" I tilted my head.
"Never mind." Sensei waved his hand dismissively.
He poofed away after that.
An hour later, when I went to the Hyuuga compound to search for Hinata, the guard greeted me with: "What can I do for you, Uchiha-san?"
"What the fuck?" I blurted in surprise. "Just because I stay at the Uchiha compound doesn't make me an Uchiha." I snapped.
"Sa-Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked timidly.
"Hm?" I turned to her.
"Why do y-you have the Uchiha cr-crest below the Haruno crest?"
My eyes widened, then I connected the dots. That's the Sasuke was smirking in the morning!
"That dipshit." I murmured. "I did not do it, just to clarify. And I am not an Uchiha." I said out loud. "And I'm sorry Hinata, I'll have to cancel our training today."
"I-It's alright. Tomorrow?" She smiled.
"Definitely." I nodded, then shunshin'd to the Uchiha compound.
Flashback End
"What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" Sasuke asked.
"You have a rivalry with the Hyuuga's, you smirked when I told you about their problem with me yesterday, and all of a sudden, out of thin air, my clothes all have the Uchiha crest on them?!" I demanded again.
"I still have nothing to do with it." Sasuke denied.
"So, this isn't a shout to the world to say the Uchiha are better than the Hyuuga since I defeated the Hyuuga Prodigy?" I quirked an eyebrow.
"You know, I never thought about it that way." Sasuke says with faux innocence.
"Uchiha, listen to me carefully." I said firmly, pointing a kunai at him. "If the crest is not gone by tomorrow morning, a certain sensitive part of the male anatomy will be introduced to my kunai. Understood?"
Sasuke blanched. I smirked.
"Good." I walked out, twirling a kunai.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I still can't believe you read that." Sasuke mutters, eyeing my Icha Icha in disgust.
"What's wrong with it?" I ask absent-mindedly.
"It's smut, for one." He replies.
"It's not smut." I roll my eyes.
"Riiiight."
"It's not!" I argue. "It's actually well-written, has a good plot, there's not much sex in it, and it's captivating. What else do you want?"
"Right. I'm supposed to believe that smut has a good plot point, and doesn't have much... you know what. Sakura, the only reason the books sell that well is because of the... you know."
"You can curse like it's your second language, but you can't say 'sex'?" I snicker.
He rolls his eyes.
"I'll make a bet with you. If you win, I'll... do whatever you say, but if I win, you have to read this entire book." I smirk and lean forward.
"No way." Sasuke scoffs.
"Chicken?" I ask innocently.
"No." He narrows his eyes.
"Then agree to it." I prod his shoulder.
"Sakura-"
I prod again, pressuring him into agreeing.
"Sakura-"
Prod.
"Sak-"
Prod.
"Stop it." Sasuke growls.
"Then agree to it." I prod him again. "Unless you're a chicken." I flick his forehead.
He growls again and says, "Fine. I accept. What's the bet?"
The door opens and Shika enters. "Oi!"
"Hey, what's up?" I ask, standing up.
Shika replies, "Hokage-sama needs us for something."
I tilt my head, "For what?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know? She just told me to find you both and meet her at the Hokage tower." Shika says irritably.
"Fine, fine, give us five minutes." I roll my eyes.
"You might want to hurry up, we were supposed to meet her five minutes ago."
Hearing that, Sasuke and I sped up. Exactly three minutes later, we were in her office.
"You're late." Tsunade tossed three pens at each of our foreheads. "I've got a mission for you three."
I wince when it connects. Ouch. Rubbing the spot, I ask, "A mission? Without Kakashi-sensei?"
"That's right. Kakashi is on a more important mission so I'm trusting the three of you with this one." Tsunade hands me a file. "All the details are in this. It's a B-Rank mission, but it could turn A-Rank depending on what happens. You will be guarding an important figure."
This is new.
"Who are we guarding?" Sasuke asks.
"No clue." Tsunade leans back nonchalantly.
"Say what now?" I speak.
"In the allied Land of Tea, there is an event called Todoroki Taisha, a dedicated ceremony held every four years. We accepted the mission to guard the runner who will run in the race at the ceremony. However, the messengers were intercepted by the opponent's spy before they could arrive here. For more details, you will have to ask Boss Jirouchou himself." Tsunade explains. "Now that's enough questions. You three must arrive at the Land of Tea by the end of today. Dismissed."
Nope, not new.
"Yes Shisho." I murmur.
We walk out and the moment we exit, I hit my head on the wall repeatedly.
"Filler. Bloody filler." I mutter.
Sasuke smiles contently and Shika sighs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We left half an hour later, at around 10.30, and halfway through, I start feeling hungry.
"I'm hungry. Can we stop at a tea shop soon?" I ask.
"Sure." Sasuke answers.
"Yay!" I beam.
Stopping at the closest tea shop, we choose the table closest to the door.
"My treat." I offered when the boys were hesitant to order anything.
They shrugged and we ordered tea along with food.
"Hey Sasuke?" I smirk. "I bet this mission will turn into an A-rank and we'll encounter a missing-nin."
"I bet this'll go smoothly with no problems." He smirks back.
"Whoa, whoa, what's this about?" Shika interrupts.
Explaining it, I ask him, "Wanna join in?"
He scrutinizes me and I try my best to hide my smirk.
"No." He answers finally. "I'm not an idiot. Unlike you." He looks at Sasuke. Sasuke grumbles while I cackle.
"To be laughing so carelessly on a day like this... being a ninja must be easy." Someone strolls up to our table.
I stop laughing and turn to him. "Excuse me?"
"Konoha must be a really peaceful place. All Konoha ninja are stupid looking." He sneers at the boys.
Then he turns to me and his sneer changes to a charming smile. "Oh my, I didn't know there were such cute girls there. I'm Morino Idate. What's your name, beautiful?"
Before I can tell him to get lost, Sasuke and Shika clear their throats. I turn to them and see them casually twirling a kunai with Sasuke's Sharingan active.
"Care to say that again?" Shikamaru drawls nonchalantly.
I hide a smile. Are they doing the overprotective friend thing?
Idate's eyes widen, then he growls, "This is why I don't trust ninjas. Listen, if you stay in the Land of Tea any longer, I can't promise you'll leave unharmed."
"If it's a fight you want-" Sasuke starts.
"Sasuke." I cut him off. "Don't worry, he won't pick a fight. After all, he's not a ninja anymore. Are you, Idate?"
"And how do you know that?" He leans down towards me, a smirk on his face. I place a kunai at his throat and he stops himself.
"How do I know that? Your physique." I answer.
"Checking me out, were you?" He smirks.
I smile, "All I was doing was checking whether you're a threat to us. And trust me, boy, you wouldn't last a second. Especially not with us."
"Why is that?" He stands up straight.
I let my eyes scan his body again, "Because I'm a medic and I know a body that doesn't train in the shinobi arts regularly. However..." I trail off.
"However?"
I smile, "That's something you don't have to hurt your little brain over. Go back to whatever it is you were doing before you get yourself hurt, boy."
He scowls at me and stomps away. I grin widely and turn back to my teammates who are openly gaping at me.
"Have I got something on my face?"
They both blink once then Sasuke says, "Let's just get to Jirouchou's house."
The waitress hands us two bills and Shikamaru speaks up, "Excuse me, we only ordered the items on this bill." He points at one.
"Oh, that boy who just left said you would pay for his." She smiles at us and leaves.
I sigh, "He's annoying. I'm kicking his ass the next time I see him."
Shikamaru agrees and the three of us head to Jirouchou's house.
An hour later, we're standing in front of him. He's an old man with kind eyes and a warm smile.
"Thank you for taking the effort to come here."
Sasuke steps forward, "I am Uchiha Sasuke and these are my teammates, Nara Shikamaru and Haruno Sakura."
"I am Jirouchou. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Now that we are done with the greetings, let's get down to business, shall we? We were told by our Hokage to get the details from you."
"Yes..." Jirouchou starts explaining the story. In a nutshell, two clans have to deliver magic balls – I snickered at that but Sasuke smacked me – that magically kept the storms at bay. To avoid violence, the clans would fight over land through a harmless race.
"And who are we supposed to guard?" Sasuke asks.
Jirouchou claps his hands and someone enters through the door.
I whirl around to see Idate.
I shoot him a dark glare and Sasuke whacks me again. "We're on a mission." He growls. "Behave."
I glare at him and he returns it two-fold. His glares are scary when his Sharingan's active. I huff, but refrain from kicking Idate's ass. For now.
Sasuke somehow became team leader for this mission, so Shikamaru and I were stuck listening to him.
He told Shikamaru to guard Idate, while the two of us roamed the town.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The following morning, the four of us had gathered at the starting line with almost the whole town behind us.
Idate stands in front of us, stretching his limbs, and Sasuke, Shikamaru and I stand guard behind him.
Every so often, I would shoot a glare at him, and three out of four times, Sasuke would catch me. Not that I was trying very hard.
Then the door in front of the runners opens, revealing two boats in front.
Idate starts running, then makes a sharp turn to the left.
"What the hell?" Shika yells.
"Just follow him." Sasuke commands.
"Yes, Your Highness." I roll my eyes.
He shoots me a glare that says, 'I'm definitely kicking your ass later'.
The three of us follow him.
On the way, we save him from some Genjutsu, then reach the south beach and aboard a ship.
"Hey, Idate?" Shikamaru calls.
"What? I'm trying to concentrate here!" Idate snaps.
"Yeah, yeah, I wanted to ask if you happen to know a Morino Ibiki?"
Idate freezes. "What did you just say?"
"Wasn't Ibiki the proctor for the first exam?" I ask, ignoring the ass.
"Yeah." Sasuke nods.
"He's alive?" Idate asks, wide-eyed.
"Well, duh." I roll my eyes.
"He's really alive? Ibiki's alive?" He asks again.
Before I can reply with a sarcastic one, an arrow whizzes over our heads.
We whirl around to see an approaching ship. More arrows go over our heads, and Sasuke orders, "Sakura, take Idate and get to shore. Shikamaru and I will hold them."
"What?" I yell. "Why can't you guard the ass-"
He whacks me over the head. "You better not have said what I think you said! And this is no time to argue! Take him and go!"
"Fine." I grumble.
Just then, oil fell on the ship and it was set on fire. Clones of some random Genin from the Chunin exams appear and I turn to Idate.
"Can you swim?" I ask.
He nods but his fear-filled eyes are fixed on the fire.
"Jump in the water and swim to shore. I'll be behind you." I command.
He shakes his head, "No way! Y-You're just using me as a decoy!"
I sigh in exasperation, "Listen boy! We have a few seconds before we get killed, or actually, I'll be able to fight, but that's not the point! You have one second to jump in and swim before I drag you to shore!"
He stares at me for half a second, then jumps. I jump onto the water and water-walk alongside him.
Multiple clones come up behind me and I get stuck fighting them for a minute. By the time I finish with them, Idate had already reached shore.
I ran onto the land with Shikamaru and Sasuke behind me.
We search for a bit before finding him on the ground a little way from a random dude.
I take one look at his face and recognize him as Rokusho Aoi. Missing-nin from Konoha, but a jounin from Ame.
Shikamaru, Sasuke and Aoi have a quick conversation while I start healing Idate.
Then Aoi pulls me into the fray with his wind jutsu. He smirks and throws his needles at us.
It doesn't hit any of us; we're way too fast for it.
Getting impatient, I walk close to him and bring my fist to the earth.
It breaks the ground and makes Aoi lose his balance. Thankfully, Shikamaru and Sasuke had jumped behind before I broke the ground.
I use my own senbon and stab his neck, sending my own poison into his bloodstream. After paralyzing Aoi, the three of us carry Idate. Well, actually, Shikamaru gets stuck carrying him.
Since Aoi was still paralyzed, we were able to cross the bridge easily.
We reach the finish line soon, since Idate had woken up, and Jirouchou approaches us.
"Thank you all for assisting us. You three will always be welcome in the Land of Tea if you ever need refuge."
"Thank you, Jirouchou-san." Sasuke bows slightly and glares at me when I don't.
I huff but do as he says.
Just as we were about to leave, Idate runs to us.
"Hey, uh, I wanted to say thank you and sorry about everything I said." He rubbed the back of his head.
"No problem." Shikamaru drawls.
Idate turns to me, "Thank you for healing me, you know, when I got poisoned."
I keep quiet for a few seconds, then Shika hits me.
I glare at him and say, "You both are getting your asses handed to you when we get home, I swear."
Then I turn to Idate, "It was my job, you don't need to thank me." I mutter.
"Well, I want to." He leans towards me and kisses my cheek.
I force myself not to react, then when he leaves, "Eww!" I rub at my cheek vehemently.
For some reason, the boys look... satisfied?
Ignoring it, Team 7 heads back to Konoha without a problem.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"The mission was a success, Hokage-sama." Sasuke finishes the report. Since he was the unofficial mission leader, it was only right to let him report.
She hands us our money with a smile, "Good job, Team 7. Here's your pay. Sakura, no training tomorrow. I have another mind-numbing meeting."
"Yes, Shishou." I grin.
"Dismissed."
The three of us exit the office and go to our respective houses. It's already late at night, and I'm sleepy.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The following afternoon, Shishou called Team 7, without Kakashi-sensei, to her office again.
"Another mission?" I guessed. Sasuke, Shikamaru and I were debating on what it might be.
I push the door open and am greeted with the sight of a few jounin.
"Ah, you're here. Good." Shishou smiles at us.
"Shishou, what's going on?" I ask, my hand creeping to my kunai pouch.
She looks down at a paper on her desk and says, "Because of the invasion, this was to be cancelled, but a lot of the jounin recommended the three of you."
She throws a Chunin vest at each of us and smiles, "Uchiha Sasuke! Haruno Sakura! Nara Shikamaru! You three are hereby promoted to Chunin!"
A grin splits my face and I turn my head to look at my teammates' expressions.
Shikamaru has an expression that very clearly says, 'troublesome', and Sasuke has a grin on his face too.
"Team 7 is the only one to get promoted to Chunin." Tsunade informs. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Sh- Hokage-sama." I smile happily.
Sasuke and Shikamaru put the vest on, and I snicker. They both look so weird in it.
After a quick speech on the duty of a Chunin – same as a genin, there will just be higher ranked mission – Shishou dismisses us.
The rest of the day, Sasuke, Shikamaru and I do some light training and then chill.
And by chill, I mean doing normal stuff. Sasuke and Shikamaru play shogi, Go, I taught them Tic-Tac-Toe and we played hide and seek across the whole village.
After lunch at Ichiraku – my insistence – we headed to the Nara compound – Shikamaru said Yoshino wanted us to come more often – and sat outside, with Yoshino-san making snacks for us. It makes her happy, for some reason.
Occasionally, whenever Sasuke got tired of losing to Shikamaru in shogi, I would switch with him. In the evening, Sasuke and I left, and Shishou summoned me to the hospital.
Apparently, she needed me to work the late shift. I hesitated.
I need to stop Sasuke. He'll be leaving in a while.
But Tsunade wasn't asking. She was ordering as the Hokage.
I grumbled but did it.
After a few hours, I ran out of the Hospital and headed to the gates.
I scanned the surroundings, before seeing the Sound Four – in bruises – stuffing a still protesting Sasuke into the barrel many meters away.
I waited till they had left, suppressing my chakra, then ran home.
I packed all my weapons, soldier pills and whatever else I had.
At the crack of dawn, I left for the Hokage Tower.
"Shishou!" I barged in.
"Sakura! What is the meaning of this?!" Tsunade frowns.
"Forgive me, Shishou, but Sasuke has been kidnapped!" I explain everything in a hurry.
"Get Shikamaru here." She orders. I shunshin straight to the Nara compound and two minutes later, Shikamaru was collecting everyone for the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
"Sakura, I can't let you go." Tsunade says gently.
I sigh. I expected this. "What if I go with Lee and the Sand Siblings as back up? I can heal the wounded on my way there." I offer in a forced calm voice. The Sand Siblings were coming to Konoha for something official between the two villages.
She thinks for a second, "Acceptable."
I nod my thanks and whirl around, going to find Shikamaru.
I find him at the gate with Neji, Choji, Kiba and Akamaru, and Naruto.
Shikamaru has a grim but determined expression on his face.
I give Shika a quick hug and murmur, "Bring him back. Please."
He pats my back and promises.
I pull back and say, "I'll be coming as back up in a while. And none of you are allowed to die."
They all nod and Naruto grins confidently at me, "Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll bring Sasuke back even if it kills me!"
I smile shakily, "I have no doubt you will. But try not to die."
They all leave and I go in search of Lee.
I find him in his usual place; the Training Ground.
"Lee!" I yell.
He turns abruptly and his face lights up when he sees me.
"Sakura-chan!" He appears in front of me in an instant.
"Lee, would you please do me a favor?" I plead.
"Anything for you, Sakura-chan!" He nods earnestly. "What would you like me to do?"
I explain everything to him, "...And I need you to come with me as back up."
"I will gladly do so!"
I smile gratefully, "Thank you, Lee. It means a lot to me."
I tell him to leave in five minutes, and that the Sand Siblings and I will follow in a while.
He does as I say and I head to the gates to meet the Sand Siblings.
Shishou had told me they were coming here for something yesterday, but I can't recall for what.
I see Gaara, Temari and Kankuro arrive exactly as I reach there and I smile. "Hello. Welcome to Konoha."
"Hey, you're that girl from the Chunin Exams!" Kankuro points.
"Haruno Sakura." I reply. I retell the events again and they nod.
"We'll do it." Temari smiles at me.
I thank them and we leave.
The five of us go as fast as we can.
Soon, we reach an overly-exhausted and bruised Choji. I try healing him, but he used too much chakra and has possibly fatal wounds.
I push more of my chakra into him, trying my hardest to heal him.
"S-Sakura..." Choji struggles to speak. "Go ahead. I-I won't survive."
"Don't say anything, Choji. You'll be fine." I assure, my voice trembling, even though I was starting to give up hope.
"I wo-won't." Choji shakes his head. "You kn-know it too." He coughs and spits out blood. "Just-Just t-take care of Shik-Shikamaru for me, w-will you?"
"I-I will." I choke out a sob. "I'm so sorry." Tears obscure my sight.
He places a hand on my hands and smiles. Then Choji closes his eyes, never to open them again.
Lee places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Sakura-chan. We have to go ahead."
"You-you're right." I stand up and wipe my tears away. We start moving again, and come across Neji, who's pierced through his chest, along with other wounds.
"Neji!" I land next to him.
He's lying down on the ground, panting.
"Sakura... they all... went ahead." Neji looks at me.
"I know." I take his shirt off and place my hands on his chest.
I concentrate on his stab wound for now, then heal him just enough and tell him the same thing.
The same with Kiba and Akamaru – Kankuro fights the two-headed dude while I heal Kiba – and Shikamaru – same with Temari.
"I told Naruto to go ahead." Shika informs. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Go get Sasuke."
I heal him quickly and we leave again.
Then we come across Lee and Kimimaro. Gaara stays back while I follow Sasuke and Naruto.
I reach the Valley of the End just as they fly towards each other with the Second Stage Curse Seal Chidori and Kurama Chakra Rasengan.
I pull a Kakashi and grip both of their wrists and throw them away from each other. My hands burn slightly, despite wearing gloves, but I push through it.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto says after he recovers from the shock.
"Sakura. What are you doing here?" Sasuke glares at me.
I glare back, then it withers away.
"Sasuke, stop it. You would've killed Naruto! Look at you! You're being influenced by that Curse Mark!" I argue.
"Hn. This seal only boosts my power. I am in control. I am more powerful than ever." Sasuke smirks.
But his second stage disappears. He's too tired. Good, I can use that to my advantage.
I kneel next to Naruto and heal his could be fatal wounds.
"Naruto, no matter how badly I get beaten up, do not interfere unless I get knocked out, or am about to die." I murmur to Naruto. He starts protesting, but seeing the look on my face, he nods.
Sasuke, meanwhile, tries to go back to the second stage.
"It won't work." I speak to him without looking at him. "You're out of chakra. If I fight you now, you'll lose. But I don't want to." I stand up and face him, "Please, Sasuke. Come back to Konoha. Come back to us. Don't go to Orochimaru. You fought against the Sound Four when they tried to get you to go with them."
His eyes widen.
"Yes, I saw that. I was there. I saw them forcibly knock you out and put you in that barrel thing. You didn't want to go. What changed? Why are you fighting now?"
His clenches his fists. "I need the power. You swore a blood oath to kill that Kabuto guy. He killed your parents. Itachi," He spat, "Killed my whole clan. You of all people should understand why I need to do this."
"Don't bring my parents into this!" I snap. "And yes, I do want to kill him, but I'm not going to defect the village to do it. And you shouldn't either."
He looks at me defiantly, "I'm sorry, Sakura. But I'm doing this. If you can beat me and drag me back to Konoha, I'll stay. If not, I'm going to Orochimaru."
I let my eyes harden. "I'll take you up on that."
I run to him and he runs to me. I meet him halfway there and we start the fight.
Our kicks and punches clash. We know each other too well.
I use Ninjutsu, while he can only build up enough chakra to use his Sharingan.
I jump back when I get the chance and ditch my weights. I notice his a few meters away. He's already slow. Good.
I fly towards him, and he's too tired to keep up with my movements. I use my super strength and break some of his ribs.
He groans, but continues trying to fight me. Emphasis on the trying.
I kick his stomach, pushing him back, then appear behind him and make him fall with a foot sweep.
He hauls himself up and I try again, "Sasuke, please, just stop this! Come back to Konoha."
He doesn't say anything; just stands back up. I sigh and run towards him again.
I kick his knee, breaking it, grab his right hand, twist it around and then shatter the bones in his arm.
He falls to the ground. With his other hand, he tries to grab my ankle, but I jump over it and axe-kick his head.
He falls onto the ground and spits out some blood. He stands up again.
"You'll have to do better, Sakura." He smirks, despite getting beaten up.
I charge again, kicking his neck with my right leg, locking it there. I place my hands on the ground, lock his neck with both my legs and throw him behind.
His head hits the rock and I run towards him again. I use my strength and punch his stomach. He coughs up blood and I pull him up, punching his stomach again, then kneeing his nose, breaking it.
I side-kick him and he slams into the rocks. I attach a few exploding tags on kunai and throw them in a circle around him and send poisoned senbon behind them.
He dodges the senbon and looks up at me, "You wouldn't really blow me up, would you?"
I hold my hand up in a half tiger seal. "You and Kakashi-sensei need to stop underestimating me. Katsu."
One tag on each side explodes. When the smoke clears, I see a few burns on his arms and face.
I detonate the rest. I wait for it to clear again and see second-degree burns on his body.
I bite my lip and use Water Senbons and aim them at his vital spots.
Naturally, he dodges them and attacks me. He lands a blow to my stomach, but it's pretty weak.
I don't even wince at the impact. I throw a few more senbon after leaping backwards and then flash through hand signs.
I make two Mizu Bunshin (Water Clones) and the three of us use Suiton: Hachi Shokushu (Water Style: Eight Tentacles).
With eighteen arms, Sasuke stands no chance. All three of us attack and eventually knock him out.
I stab him with a paralyzing poisoned senbon just to be safe.
I nudge him with my foot, just to be sure, and when he doesn't move, I fall on my ass.
I exhale and hear Naruto bounding over to me. "Sakura-chan! You're ok!"
I smile weakly, "I'm ok. You helped, in a way. You weakened him a lot, making it easier for me to defeat him. Thank you, Naruto."
He grins and rubs his head sheepishly, "Ehehe."
Then Kakashi-sensei jumps down. "Sakura! Naruto!"
"Kakashi-sensei!" I stand up shakily. I used up too much chakra.
Naruto helps me stand, and Kakashi-sensei lifts Sasuke.
"You defeated him?" Sensei asks me in surprise.
"Mostly Naruto." I shake my head.
Naruto shakes his own head beside me, but doesn't say anything.
"He has second-degree burns; I might've tried to blow him up, and he also has a paralyzing poison in him. And his knee and arm are broken. Left knee, right arm. Oh, and his ribs. Those are definitely broken. And he's knocked out." I say, trying to remember everything I did. "Is there anything else? Um, oh yeah! His nose is broken."
"...You did a number on him." Sensei examines him. He's covered in blood, sweat and grime.
We start the journey back home. "Kakashi-sensei." I bite my lip.
"Hm?"
"Everyone you met on the way here, are they all ok? I mean..."
"They'll make a full recover, Sakura." Sensei eye-smiles. "You healed them up good. Except..."
"Choji."
He nods once.
"What?" Naruto asks, ever the oblivious. "What happened to Choji?"
"I... I couldn't save him." I answer quietly.
"W-What?" Naruto croaks.
"He's dead. I couldn't do anything about it." I say bitterly. "I healed him as much as I could but..."
No one says anything.
Half an hour later, I hear a groan. My head snaps towards Sasuke. I jump near him, "Sasuke?" I ask hopefully.
"S-Sakura." he speaks stiffly. That could be because of the poison.
"How are you feeling?" I question gently.
"Beaten up." He shoots me a mock glare.
I grin sheepishly. "So... I defeated you. You said you would stay in Konoha." I look at him hopefully.
He sighs, "I suppose. You trained in Konoha and you beat me. And the Curse Mark couldn't even defeat the Dobe."
"Teme!" Naruto protests.
Sasuke smirks. I grin widely.
I did it. I got Sasuke back!
"Welcome back, Sasuke." Sensei eye-smiles.
"Sensei." Sasuke tries to nod. "Sorry about... you know."
"Yeah, well. Let's just say you'll make up for it." Sensei replies, a sadistic gleam in his eye.
"I would feel sorry for you, but you deserve it." I give him a side-glance. He shoots me another glare. "Also, Sasuke, you realize Shikamaru's gonna kick your ass, right?"
I see him freeze. "Can you at least make him do it after I recover?" He pleads.
I laugh, "I'll see what I can do."
I feel happy. Sasuke's back with us. But for how long? Will he try to run again?
"Aaaand, you lost the bet, y'know." I state. "You have to read the book."
He groans while Sensei quirks an eyebrow at my direction.
I explain the bet quickly, "... So he has to read Icha Icha!"
"... I don't know if I should be proud you're taking after me, or worried you're reading adult content." Kakashi-sensei says.
"Oh please." I roll my eyes. "There's nothing in it that I don't already know."
"That just worries me even more." He states.
We reach the gates of Konoha and see Tsunade waiting for us.
She has a blank expression.
We land in front of her.
"Mission complete, Hokage-sama." I give a small smile.
She smiles at me, "Good work, everyone." Then her face turns stern. She looks at Sasuke.
"And you..." She starts.
Sasuke tries to stand up, but I have to support him.
"Hokage-sama, I would like to apologize, and I accept whatever punishment you have for me." Sasuke sounds sincere.
Tsunade studies him for a second, then says, "Hm. For now let's get you healed up."
I help him walk into the hospital, and he lies down onto the bed when we find a vacant room.
Shishou herself heals him and instructs, "You are to stay here for a few tests for the next few days and Sakura, you have to give a mission report along with Naruto in the next half an hour. Go get yourself cleaned up."
"Yes Shishou." I spin on my heel and head back to the Uchiha compound.
Half an hour later, Naruto and I are standing in the Hokage's office, giving our report.
"...And then Sakura-chan came and stopped us from hitting each other with the Rasengan and Chidori!" Naruto finishes.
I nod and start my report.
Two minutes later, I finish and Tsunade nods.
"Very well. Dismissed." Tsunade says with a flick of her wrist.
"Bye, Tsunade-baachan." Naruto grins and exits the office.
"Shishou?" I tilt my head.
"Hm?"
"Have the Akimichi's been informed about...?" I ask.
She smiles sadly, then replies, "Not yet. I thought you might want to go."
"Thank you." I say softly and leave.
I head to the Akimichi clan compound, holding back tears. I couldn't save him, I couldn't save my parents, and I couldn't even save Shizuka-sensei. What have I been training for this whole time? Letting everyone who matters die?
Before I realized it, I had reached the Akimichi's compound.
Before I can knock, I feel a hand on my shoulder. Turning back, I see Kakashi-sensei eye-smile down at me.
Bracing myself, I knock on what I figure is the Clan Head's house.
An older version of Choji opens the door with an anxious expression. He's disappointed to see me, but is still polite.
"May I help you?" He smiles.
"Are you Choji's father?"
"Yes, I'm Choza. But who are you?"
"I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm sorry, Akimichi-san, but your son is dead." I inform in a low voice.
"Wh-I- How?" Choza's voice breaks.
"While on the mission to retrieve Sasuke, he fought a strong opponent and had to use the Red Pill." I explain, keeping my gaze down. "I tried healing him to the best of my abilities, but his wounds were too grave. He died before I could finish healing him. Forgive me." I bow deeply.
A tear falls from his eyes, while a female – Choji's mother, I assume – comes into view.
"Choza? What's wrong?" She asks, "Where's- Where's Choji?"
Choza repeats what I said, and she lets out a cry.
Murmuring something to the Akimichi's I didn't catch, Kakashi-sensei guides me out, a hand still on my shoulder.
Walking in silence for a few minutes, Kakashi-sensei continues guiding me somewhere.
"You did the best you could." He murmurs reassuringly after a while. "It wasn't your fault."
I stay quiet for a minute before, "What if it was?" I whisper, my head still down. "What if it was because I was too slow? Or too weak to stop them from taking Sasuke?"
His fingers dig into my shoulder and he stops me from moving. He walks forward and kneels in front of me. "Sakura, it was not your fault." He says firmly. "He knew what he was getting into when he used the Red Pill."
My head dips down, and I know my expression is clear: I don't believe him.
I could have worked harder. I should have worked harder. My weakness killed Choji. It is my fault. Kaa-chan and Tou-san died because of me and I couldn't save them. Shizuka-sensei died and I couldn't save her. And now Choji... What if-
"Sakura." Kakashi-sensei places two fingers under my chin and forces my head up to look at him. "We've had this talk before. Just like your parents, this isn't your fault. Understand?"
My shoulders start trembling as tears threaten to make an appearance.
Losing patients who I don't know at the hospital is one thing, but losing a comrade I was at the Academy with? Someone who is one of my best friends' best friend? Oh god, what was I going to tell Shikamaru?
"Listen to me." Kakashi-sensei commands in a gentle voice, breaking my thought process. "Did you try everything to save him?" I nod in answer, not trusting my voice. "Did he give any sign that he blames you?" I shake my head. "Then why are you beating yourself up? He didn't blame you, so why are you blaming yourself?"
Obito didn't blame you, so why did you blame yourself? I think, irritated.
I don't voice it, of course.
"You have nothing to fault yourself for. It was Choji's decision, and he accepted it willingly. Now, you have to accept that. Alright?" He reassures.
I nod, everything going blurry because of my tears. I blink quickly, trying to prevent them from falling, but one escapes.
Kakashi-sensei hesitantly reaches past me and wraps his arms around me awkwardly. I accept the hug. I sob into his shoulder, feeling slightly awkward but grateful. He soothed me, letting me cry, not moving from there.
Once I start feeling better, I sniff and mumble, "Thank you, Sensei."
"Anything for my cute little minions." I have a feeling he's eye-smiling.
I pull away, letting a small smile present itself.
"Feeling better?" Sensei asks.
I nod, wiping my tears away.
"Good. Now, come on. I have a feeling Shikamaru will want to know."
I freeze at that. "Do I- Do I have to tell him?"
"I'm definitely not telling him."
"Please?" I even use my Puppy Eyes.
"No."
"Pretty please with Icha Icha on top?" I plead.
"No. And we have to talk about that." Placing a hand on my back, Kakashi-sensei pushes me forward. "Come on, Sakura. You know you have to do it."
"I don't want to." I whisper. "What if he blames me?"
"Firstly, you should have a little faith in your teammates." He chides. "Secondly, he's a Nara. He's smart enough to know the difference. And thirdly, I taught him. He won't be making that mistake."
A giggle escapes me at the third reason. Eye-smiling at me, Kakashi-sensei pushes me forward again. Exhaling, I start walking towards the Hospital.
Upon reaching there, I look in from the see-through door, but lose courage.
"I can't do this." I turn around to leave, but Sensei gives me The Look. You know, the look that says 'you better do it if you know what's good for you because if you don't things are gonna get ugly'.
Kakashi-sensei's looks communicate way too much for just one visible eye.
I sigh and turn back and enter.
"Sakura." Shikamaru greets, smiling slightly. "Sasuke?"
"Back to Konoha and should have a full recovery." I fake smile.
He whacks me over the head. "Don't give me that fake smile of yours." He snaps. "What happened?"
"I- Nothing. Everything's fi-"
"Sakura..." Kakashi-sensei warns.
I whine.
"I swear- Sakura, when you exit this room, you better have told him or I'm taking your Icha Icha away and grounding you for a week. No working at the Hospital, no training with Hinata, no taking missions. Do I make myself clear?" Sensei threatens.
"Crystal, Sensei." I sulk. He walks out the door, closing it with a click.
Shika looks at me expectantly.
I take a deep breath and start retelling the story, keeping my eyes closed. I don't want to see Shikamaru's expression.
Once I finish, I keep my eyes closed and there's a stretch of silence.
I slowly open my eyes, expecting the worst, but Shikamaru is just sitting there, his eyes unfocused, a blank look on his face.
I wince. This is worse than him getting angry at me. I fidget for a moment. This is getting... scary. I don't want Shikamaru to hate me, but I... wouldn't blame him if he did.
After what seems like a thousand years, Shikamaru speaks.
"Did he... Did he seem to accept it?" He asks, still staring ahead, not looking at me, eyes equally unfocused.
"Yes." I answer softly. "He knew it was going to happen even before I started healing him. He-" my breath hitches, "He asked me to take of you for him."
Shikamaru's breath stops. I squeeze my eyes shut, preventing tears from falling.
A moment later, Shikamaru lets out a forced breath.
"I'm sorry." I murmur.
He stays quiet. His fingers twitch and interlock to form his signature thinking pose. He closed his eyes with a calming sigh.
My fingers twitch and I start feeling restless. I clench my fists, forcing myself to just stop.
I – thankfully – don't have to wait long, because a few moments later, Shikamaru opens his eyes and looks at me.
"As much as I want someone to blame, it would be stupid to blame you." He mutters. "I've seen you work, and you always try to save your patients. I'm sure you tried your best, right?"
I nod shakily.
He sighs. "It's alright, Sakura, I don't blame you. You can stop feeling guilty now."
I give him a small smile. "Thank you, Shika."
He nods, then lays back on the bed. I take it as a message for me to leave and do so.
Kakashi-sensei has already disappeared, so I go to Lee's room and see him snoring peacefully. Loudly, but peacefully. I giggle quietly and close the door.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Uchiha Sasuke. Since you were originally kidnapped, the consequences won't be big." Tsunade says through interlaced fingers. "However, since you refused to return to Konoha, you will be placed under a one-month probation period. In that one month, your chakra will be sealed away and you will not be allowed to use your weapons. Taijutsu will be allowed after two weeks.
After the month is complete, you will have access to your chakra and weapons, and you will still remain a Chunin, however the only missions you will get are D-Ranks. For at least two weeks." Tsunade finishes sadistically.
Sasuke sighs but bows, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade nods at the person on the corner of the room, and a random jounin appears. He places a tag on Sasuke's shoulder, and Sasuke freezes. Then he relaxes.
He's stripped of all his weapons and Tsunade says, "Dismissed."
Kakashi-sensei, Shika, Sasuke and I exit the room.
Sensei and Shikamaru instantly slap his head.
"Ow!" He protests.
I giggle, "You know you deserve it."
He grumbles.
Sensei shunshins away, and Shika and I get Sasuke to the Uchiha clan compound safely. By 'safely', I mean from the fangirls. He can't even shunshin away anymore.
We spend some time playing Shogi, then the three of us go out for lunch.
All in all, we just spend the day together.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
One and a half months later
"Sasuke, Tsunade has summoned you." I dump water on him.
Sasuke gets up with a gasp, then glares at me, "Will you stop pouring water on me to wake me up?"
I deadpan, "No. Now get ready quickly, Tsunade isn't in the best mood today."
He gets ready in two minutes and we shunshin to the Hokage Tower.
"Shishou." I greet her with a smile.
"Tsunade-sama." Sasuke bows slightly.
"Sasuke. There is someone who has requested to teach you." Tsunade cuts to the chase.
"What? Who?" Sasuke tilts his head.
"Me." A voice croaks from the corner.
We turn to the voice and my jaw drops at the person sitting there.
"Councilman Shimura Danzo has." Tsunade says through pursed lips. "You will be training under him for the next three years. That is, if you choose to."
I study Sasuke.
He looks hopeful and hesitant at the same time. After a few seconds, he nods.
"I choose to train under Danzo-sama." Sasuke meets Danzo's gaze.
"Very well." Tsunade leans back.
She dismisses me and I wait outside the office.
Minutes later, Sasuke exits.
"Well?" I ask.
"I'm not allowed to tell you." He sighs.
"I suppose." It is Danzo. "Can you at least tell me when the training starts?"
"Tomorrow."
"I see." I reply. We walk out and see Shikamaru on the road.
"Hey." He drawls.
"Yo." Sasuke gives a lazy wave.
"What's new?" Shika asks.
"I'm getting trained by this guy called Danzo." Sasuke smirks.
"Danzo? My dad's said he's this war hawk or something."
We reach our team training ground.
"Yo!" Kakashi-sensei eye-smiles. "Now that all of you are here, there's something I need to say. Sasuke will be trained by councilman Danzo, and Tsunade-sama is taking Sakura as her apprentice. Shikamaru will be training with his clan and father, so I am temporarily disbanding Team 7."
My eyes widen, "You're disbanding Team 7?"
Sensei nods, "Yes." He says simply, "We will not be able to train together, so Team 7 is disbanded for now. In three years, Sasuke's training with Danzo should be complete, so we'll meet then. Goodbye!"
He disappears.
"I suppose he's right." I sigh.
Shikamaru pats my head and says, "Come on. Let's go to The Coffee Café. My treat."
We follow him and enter our favorite café. Its name is literally The Coffee Café.
"I'll take my usual, please, Akiko-san." I smile at the waitress.
Sasuke and Shikamaru order their food as well and a conversation breaks out.
After my dango and hot chocolate arrives, I speak, "You know... since we might not be seeing each other a lot, why don't we meet right here in exactly three years?"
The boys exchange glances and then agree.
"That's... something." Shika says flatly.
Sasuke sighs in relief, "I'll finally be free of both of your stupidity. Oh, bliss."
I throw an empty dango stick at him. He chuckles and Shika and I laugh along.
"Alright then. It's settled. Three years. We'll meet here at exactly four pm. Same day." Shikamaru leans back.
Sasuke and I agree and we finish our food.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Holy shit. We're done with the first part of Naruto! What the heck?! I never expected this. I thought I would abandon my stories, but I actually finished the first part!
Also, I'm so, so sorry for taking so long to upload! I started with another story, then my exams started, and then I just lost the motivation to continue. But today, I pushed through and finished the chapter. I'll try to keep the next updates regular; I swear. I hope y'all liked the story so far!
See you next time!
Fav, Follow and Review!
Bye!
Kristy...