Title: Her Eyes Saw It All
Summary: Sakura can't recall much of the details regarding the mission in Wave, but what she does remember - there are scars left behind. The life she knows changes after this mission and, for better or worse, she accepts it and moves forward. She won't allow herself to fall behind.
Feature(s): Close-knit Team Seven, Protective!Kakashi
Pairing(s): None decided as of now.
*Warnings will be listed at the beginning of each chapter
AU!
Disclaimer: All rights belong to their respective parties, of which I am not included.
Chapter One
She swallowed her fear,
Looked Death in the eyes,
And made the choice to live.
Her eyes sting with tears threatening to fall. Not three feet away from her are Naruto and Sasuke, both unconscious and bleeding. Kakashi is currently locked in a one-to-two battle with Zabuza and Haku. From her perspective, Kakashi is holding his own despite bleeding from a shoulder wound.
Blinking rapidly, Sakura focuses on her teammates. With what little bandages she carries in her pack, she does her best to stop the bleeding on both her teammates. Carefully, she removes the remaining senbon needles from Sasuke's arms and chest and pulls the kunai out of Naruto's legs.
Glancing up, she sees Haku unmoving on the ground. Dead or knocked out, Sakura doesn't care. But the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza grows ten times tense. She can barely make them out from how fast they're moving in the heavy mist.
"Please," Sakura whispers. "Please let him win. Please let us go home." She looks down at her teammates, caresses Sasuke's face and Naruto's damp hair. "Please let them live."
A loud 'thud' sounds behind her and all noise falls silent.
Sakura looks up and her heart stops for a moment. Lying unmoving on the ground several feet away is Kakashi. She can just make out the rise and fall of his chest and tries not to sag in relief. A scrape on the wet ground has her eyes shooting to the man who managed to knock her sensei down. He's advancing on Kakashi's position slowly. Sakura's eyes return to Sasuke and Naruto before darting back to Kakashi.
Get up, she thinks.
But he doesn't.
Move!, Sakura yells in her head.
Nothing.
A deep sense of fear races up her spine and settles heavily on her shoulders. Kakashi can't die. Naruto and Sasuke can't die. Zabuza is getting too close. His sword is resting on his shoulder, making the man appear taller than he is.
Her decision is made.
Swallowing her fear, she pulls a kunai out of her thigh pouch and shoots forward the several feet to get to Kakashi and takes a protective position in front of him. This action seems to startle Zabuza judging by the slight widening of his eyes and how he lowers his sword.
"Move," he commands.
Words escaping her, Sakura shakes her head while not taking her eyes off him.
"If you don't move, you'll die first and then him and then your friends."
"I'm not moving," Sakura states, voice trembling with fear.
"Restrain her," Zabuza commands, sword lifted back to his shoulder.
An arm wraps around her, pinning her arms to her stomach, and something cold is pressed to her neck. Sakura's eyes go wide as she's pulled away from Kakashi. Light puffs of breath brush against the clammy skin of her exposed neck. Her fear intensifies. She and her team are going to die.
I don't want to die, Sakura thinks. I don't want any of us to die.
Tears sting her eyes. Zabuza is almost to Kakashi. His pace is slow, almost teasing in a way. She glances down at her kunai. An insane thought enters her head, something desperate. Without hesitating, Sakura kicks out her leg in an attempt to knock Haku down.
Her body jerks backward with her kick, the sharp metal against her neck following her. Next thing she knows, a sharp kick is delivered to the backs of her knees and she's falling down with her knees 'clacking' against the ground.
The sting is brief, but the gasp that escapes her mouth comes from when Haku grabs her hair, his kunai still pressed to her neck. Sakura looks at Kakashi, heart pounding loudly in her chest. Zabuza is standing over her sensei with his sword still resting on his shoulder. Sakura attempts to shake her head, soft "no's" falling out of her mouth.
When he raises his sword, Sakura doesn't think. She moves. Jerking, she twists her body while raising her kunai.
A cry cuts through the air so high-pitched, it leaves Sakura's ears ringing. She doesn't know who made the sound, she can't really focus on anything. Something in the back of her head tells her to run. She feels sweaty and her hands are sticky.
Wait.
Sticky? She looks down. Haku is staring up at her like she's not human. And then she's on her back while pain ripples across her shoulder. She barely has any time to look before Haku is on her, senbon needles between the creases of one hand raised above her head while the other closes around her throat. She struggles immediately while nails bite into the skin.
Her free hands go to the one he has around her throat, desperate to get him to let go. She looks around but sees nothing to grab and then her eyes fall to his wound. Her kunai still sticking out of his side. Vision blurring, she reaches down for the kunai and uses her palm press it deeper into him.
He releases her immediately.
Sakura rolls over and coughs several times, trying to get her breathing under control. She hears metal clashing against metal and looks up to see Kakashi back on his feet. Her relief is short-lived when she hears the 'clang' on metal hitting the stone ground. With shaky legs, she gets to her feet knowing that she'll be facing Haku now with no real hope of winning. Turning to him, she sees him kneeling on the ground with blood dripping from the wound she gave him.
"I underestimated you," Haku states simply. "I will not be making that mistake again."
Sakura doesn't have time to think before she's flying backward. Her head cracks loudly against the ground, leaving her breathless and in pain.
I don't want to die. Sakura turns her heads towards where she believes her teammates are. I'm going to try. Her hands reach into her pouch as Haku stalks over to her at a slow pace. I can buy Kakashi-sensei some time. Hopefully. Energy seemingly renewed, Sakura rolls over and gets to her feet. Breathing heavy, she falls into a defensive stance.
Their blades collide. She's not skilled in weapons like Sasuke or full of stamina like Naruto or as skilled as Kakashi, but she is good in one area.
With her excellent chakra control, Sakura drops her kunai and lets her hands fly into the symbols to perform a genjutsu. Remembering the few she learned from the Academy, Sakura activates one that plays on the fears of an enemy. Her control seemingly perfect.
"Do you think - ," Haku stops, eyes wide. "What is this?" He looks around, eyes unfocus.
Hope feeling her chest, Sakura darts forward and sends a kick to Haku's chest. He goes back a couple of feet. She lands several punches to his face and stomach. She doesn't stop. Sakura pulls out another kunai and runs forward with the intention to slit Haku's throat only to stop suddenly when his head snaps up and he looks at her with an unreadable expression.
After that, everything moves too fast.
She's on her back again, pain sliding over her stomach. She cries out. Her stomach feels like it's on fire. She turns her head slightly just in time to see Kakashi's hand, surrounded by something like blue lightening, impale Haku through his chest. Haku, who is in front of Zabuza, smiles sadly before he closes his eyes and falls to the ground.
Sakura hears voices, sees unfamiliar people, watches as Zabuza kills Gato and his men, dying in the process. She sees Zabuza crawl across the ground to lie next to Haku, tears falling from his eyes. She didn't realize how close she was to them from her position on the stone ground.
Feeling tired, she leaves Zabuza and Haku one final thought before everything goes black.
May your souls rest in peace finally.
Sakura shoots awake and gasps, her hands flying to her stomach as a white hot burning spreads across it. Her shoulder doesn't hurt nearly as much as her stomach does. Tears spring to her eyes from the pain, but she shakily swallows them back. Looking around, she sees that she's alone. Her thoughts fall to her teammates. Where are Sasuke and Naruto? Are they alive? What happened to Kakashi? Is she the only one to make it?
Glancing to the window, Sakura blinks at the bright moon hanging high in the sky. From its position, she guesses it's really late. Probably past midnight. Slowly lifting the blanket off her, Sakura looks down to see bandages around her stomach and realizes that someone changed her into her cropped night shirt and spare shorts. She grunts at the red specks appearing on the white bandages before moving her legs to the edge of the bed to place her feet on the ground.
It takes her several tries to get off the bed and stand, but she manages. Bracing herself against the wall, Sakura walks along the wall until she makes it to the door of the room she's in. Opening it quietly, Sakura walks out into the hall and starts down the hall at a slow pace. Something in her gut tells her this is the right way to go.
There's another room at the end of the hall and Sakura hopes the boys are in it because she doesn't know if she'll be able to make it to another room in her condition. When she reaches the door, Sakura opens in slowly to avoid waking anyone up. Upon entering, she is filled with an overwhelming need to cry.
Sasuke and Naruto are laying on bed mats, bandaged up, and definitely alive. Sakura pushes herself off the wall and manages two steps before falling to her knees. Pain increasing but not to be stopped, she crawls toward them. Tears are sliding down her face by the time she reaches them. She checks over Naruto, who is closest to her, and then Sasuke. She places a tentative kiss on both their cheeks before lying down between their bed mats. The floor is cold, hard, and not something she should be sleeping on after what happened, but Sakura doesn't care.
Completely exhausted and in pain, Sakura looks up at the ceiling. "We made it." She reaches out and takes one hand from each. "We made it." She falls asleep a moment later.
" - in bed to heal!"
"I am aware - her own person."
"Why didn't you - doesn't have to - comfortable!"
" - you need to calm - put her back to bed."
"Listen to him, Naruto - hurt too."
"Tell us what - her stomach is - shoulder?!"
Sakura comes back to her senses like gasping for breath after nearly drowning. Eyes still closed, she moves her hand to her forehead to rub away the sweat that has collected there. Body aching, mind a mess, and desperately wanting to soak in hot water, Sakura tries to sit up. A sharp gasp escapes her when pain shoots up her stomach.
Hands are on her immediately, pushing her down.
"Sakura-chan, don't get up!"
Wincing, Sakura struggles to open her eyes.
"Don't yell, dumbass."
Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke. Alive. Talking.
- elp me up," Sakura manages to get out. Her throat is dry.
"She's speaking!"
As much as she's happy to hear Naruto, she doesn't appreciate his yelling. "Loud."
"What was that, Sakura-chan?"
Relaxing her body knowing that she's safe among her team, Sakura finally manages to get her eyes open. She blinks once, twice, before her vision comes into focus. She first sees Naruto. He's grinning down at her, but his eyes speak volumes of how much he is worried about her. Sakura takes in the bandages around his forehead and the large one on his right cheek. She looks past Naruto to see Sasuke. There are no visible bandages on his face, but he isn't wearing his signature dark blue, high neck shirt. Just a long sleeve black shirt. His face is blank, but she sees the concern.
"We're glad you're awake, Sakura." She turns her head towards the source of the statement and sees Kakashi smiling down at her (or so she assumes).
"T-time?"
"It's nearing two o'clock," Kakashi supplies.
Sakura closes her eyes and sighs. "Water?"
"I'll get it!" Naruto says.
Sakura hears him race out of the room to fetch her a glass of water. Hopefully with a straw.
"You gave us quite the scare, Sakura. Moving to Sasuke and Naruto's room opened your stitches."
"H-had to k-know. Teamma-mates."
She feels a cool hand brush strains of her hair off her forehead, not bothering to feel self-conscious about that area, and sighs gratefully.
"I know." Kakashi gets it.
"I got the water!" Naruto announces loudly upon re-entering the room. "With a straw!"
"Sit up?" Sakura asks.
"Slowly."
Two sets of hands slowly help her to a sitting position. She hears more than feels her pillows being propped up for her to rest on. Sasuke takes a step back from her and she blinks rapidly when a glass of ice water with a bright pink straw is thrust in her face. She takes it with a small smile and takes a sip. One sip is followed by two and the next thing she knows, the glass is empty.
"Thank you, Naruto. That really helped."
She's rewarded with a beaming smile in return.
"You're welcome, Sakura-chan!"
Nodding, Sakura turns back to Kakashi. "What happened?"
"We won!" Naruto grins.
Sasuke snorts. "Obviously."
"Zabuza and Haku died and were buried together. Gato and his gang are no longer an issue." Kakashi says while taking out his small orange book. "Once you're healed enough to travel, we'll be leaving."
Sakura nods her head.
"Kakashi-sensei said you held your own against Haku," Sasuke states. Sakura blinks. She remembers her battle against Haku, if she's even allowed to call it that, and fights back a sigh.
Instead, she shakes her head. "Hardly. You and Naruto did most of the damage."
"You landed a few good hits on him, Sakura. And I believe you trapped him in a genjutsu."
How he knows that she doesn't know. Again, Sakura shakes her head. "That hardly matters, Kakashi-sensei." The genjutsu lasted less than a minute.
"Your actions saved your teammate's lives as well as my own. Don't downplay them." She wants to argue with him, but one look her way had her stopping. He reaches out and ruffles her hair gently. "You did a good job. I'm very proud of you."
She ducks her head in what they probably assume to hide a blush, but what Sakura really feels in embarrassment. She really didn't do much.
"How are you three?" Sakura says in hopes of changing the subject.
"I'm good!" Naruto answers quickly. "A few bumps and bruises, but nothing that won't heal in a couple of days."
She nods and looks to Sasuke. "I'm okay." It's the only thing he offers and Sakura smiles a little. Typical Sasuke.
"And you, sensei?"
Kakashi closes his book with a 'snap' and gives her head another ruffle. "I'm doing alright myself."
"More importantly! What about you?" Naruto asks, getting closer.
Sakura looks down at her stomach, running a hand over the bandages before raising the same hand to touch her right shoulder. Both are tender to the touch. She doesn't even know what hit either of them. Judging by Kakashi's calm aura, she doesn't believe herself at risk for infection.
"They're sensitive," Sakura concludes. "I don't even know what hit me."
"You took several senbon needles to your stomach," Kakashi replies. "And two kunai to your shoulder. No infection. Your stomach was the most worrying part. The senbon needles Haku used are bigger than normal - huge, really - and a few of them ripped into your stomach. Not extremely deep, but deep enough to make it dangerous for you to be up on your feet."
"What an ugly scar that'll make," Sakura laughs.
"Be proud of your battle scars," Kakashi says, visible eye closing to indicate his smile.
Sakura laughs again, but it sounds strained even to her ears. "Whatever you say."
"I'm sure it won't be that bad, Sakura-chan! You'll still be beautiful with your scars!"
Sakura blinks and then smiles sincerely. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me, Naruto. Thank you."
Naruto's face turns red at her words. He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment before grinning at her. "You're welcome, Sakura-chan."
"Are you hungry?" Kakashi asks. "Tazuna and his family have provided lodging and medical supplies and food until we are well enough to journey back to Konoha."
"You mean until I'm well enough to journey back," Sakura replies, face falling into a blank look.
"Naruto has two cracked ribs and should be resting," Kakashi states, book open again. "And Sasuke's left wrist is all but snapped."
From her position on the bed, Sakura didn't even notice these other wounds on her teammates. She sighs. "I won't argue with you, sensei. And no, I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten since yesterday morning, Sakura." It's Sasuke who says this. "At least drink the soup. It's much more editable than whatever crap Naruto made."
Sakura's mouth twitches into a smile when Naruto turns to Sasuke and they fall into an argument. She's glad that they'll be okay soon. She doesn't even want to think about what sort of scar Haku's needles left on her stomach. It'll probably be very ugly. She blinks. Naruto's kind words come back. Maybe it won't be so b - Kakashi pets her hair.
"We were really worried, Sakura." She hears it over the argument of her teammates. "You lost a lot of blood and there aren't a lot of medical supplies lying around. We had to use what was available since you used yours on Sasuke and Naruto and they, plus I, were ill-equipped. Tazuna's daughter stitched you up the best she could."
Sakura clinches her bed sheets. "I hate being the one who slows down the team. This weakness," she motions to her shoulder and stomach, "will keep us here longer than we should be, Kakashi-sensei. I can barely walk and," she pauses to lick her dry lips, "I want to go home."
"I know. But Sakura," she looks up at him, "there's nothing weak about healing after a battle. Your injuries are different than Sasuke's and Naruto's."
She sighs but doesn't reply.
"You said no to being hungry, but we're concerned. We won't force you to eat if you don't want to," Kakashi flips a page in his book, "but it would make you, and us, feel better."
"That almost sounds like blackmail," Sakura replies, a small smile gracing her lips.
He shrugs, but she can tell he's grinning. Turning back to her teammates, Sakura rolls her eyes at their position. Their faces are a couple of inches apart and Naruto has his fist raised as if to hit Sasuke. An idea pops into her head and she grins.
"Do you guys want Kakashi-sensei and I to leave so you two can be alone?"
The reaction is immediate. Their heads snap towards her in shock.
"I can take Sakura-chan to the next room," Kakashi says playing along.
"It'll be like the Academy days, only Shikamaru isn't here to accidentally make you kiss."
They back away from each other quickly.
"Sakura..." Sasuke shakes his head.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whines.
She can't help it. She starts laughing. It doesn't last long when pain shoots up her stomach, but their reactions are funny.
"Be careful," Kakashi chimes in. "Don't laugh too hard."
She settles down and leans comfortably against her propped pillows once again. Sasuke and Naruto are glaring at each other in annoyance, Kakashi is reading his little book, and Sakura is starting to feel sleepy again. Bringing her hand up, she covers a yawn quietly.
"We should let Sakura rest," Kakashi says after closing his book with a 'snap.' "But when you wake up again, you need to eat something. Your strength will return quicker with something in your stomach."
"Yes, sensei." Sakura blinks a few times, eyes growing heavy.
"Sleep well, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grins.
He touches her hand gently, giving it a squeeze of reassurance. She looks at him with a smile and turns her hand so she can squeeze back. Then she looks at Sasuke who appears not to know what to say or do. Her other hand twitches like she wants to reach out, but Sasuke makes the first move. He walks over to Kakashi's side of the bed and places his hand on top of hers.
"You did good," he mumbles.
She gives him the same soft smile she gave Naruto.
"Thanks, guys."
"Alright. It's time to let her sleep." Kakashi places a hand on Sasuke's shoulder to direct him away from the bed. Before he gets too far, he reaches out to ruffle Sakura's hair once again. "Soup or bread? For when you wake up."
She shrugs gingerly. "Either is fine."
He nods. "Rest well."
The journey back to Konoha goes just a bit faster than Sakura thought it would, but she is being carried piggybacked by her sensei who takes great care in how he moves so he doesn't jostle her too much. Her shoulder has healed up rather nicely and her stomach is, more or less, healed enough for her to move around for a while without loss of breath. She and Kakashi briefly argued about her traveling on foot.
She won, but only lasted about four hours before her stomach cramped and she had to stop. To her amazement, she isn't chastised for her choice and Sasuke gives her an impressed looked. Naruto offers to carry her, but she declines nicely. Kakashi, however, refuses to let her travel on foot again for at least the rest of the day. For the next two weeks, she's mostly carried by Kakashi.
It disappoints her that she can't travel as fast as the boys, but she doesn't voice this.
Tazuna and his family leave them well off. No perishable foods, bandages they went into the nearest town and bought for their journey, and a few personal hygiene items like new toothbrushes and deodorant. Sakura is grateful, of course, because the urge to brush her teeth comes up quicker than she likes.
What really surprises her is the name Tazuna gives the bridge he built.
Bridge Team Seven.
It's a kind gesture that has Naruto grinning like mad for the first couple of days on their journey home, the kind of gesture that has Sasuke smile briefly, the kind of gesture that has Kakashi nod his head approvingly. She is proud of her team. Despite their setbacks, they were triumphant.
"We're almost home!" Naruto exclaims.
He loops around a branch and moves faster until he's in step with Kakashi. Sasuke moves forward until he is right next to Naruto.
"When we get there, I will see all three of you to the hospital. While you're taken care of, I will report to the Hokage."
"What?!" Naruto all but yells. "Why?!"
"Because your ribs are still tender, Sasuke's wrist needs to be double-checked, and Sakura's stomach needs a proper healer." Kakashi speeds up a bit. "Your well-being is more important than turning in a report. As your sensei, I will see to it that you three are properly cared for."
Naruto grumbles under his breath. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura speaks. Something in Kakashi's voice has them biting their tongue.
Sakura feels relief flood her body when the gates to their village come into view. It's such a welcomed sight. When they're a couple of yards away, they hop down and walk the rest of the distance. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by two gate guards who state that Kakashi's presence is needed in the Hokage's office as soon as possible.
With a nod, Kakashi continues to the hospital. All four of them arrive at the hospital where a nurse greets them with a concerned look before taking them to an available room with two beds. Sasuke helps Kakashi lower Sakura to one of the beds and the nurse starts with her first. Three more nurses join them soon after.
"Please treat them with your best care," Kakashi says. "I have been summoned to the Hokage's office." He turns to his students. "Don't try to leave before you're given a clear bill of health." He pats Naruto's shoulder and disappears in a flicker of black.
"Please take a seat on the other bed," one nurse says while looking at Sasuke and Naruto. "We will access the damage to determine that best route to full health."
Neither Sakura nor her teammates spoke during the whole ordeal. She doesn't protest to having her red qipao dress removed (her black cropped tank top underneath keeps her modest) or when the bandages are removed from her shoulder and stomach. She doesn't even blink at the brief horrified look on the nurse's face upon seeing her stomach.
It only confirms how ugly the scar is.
Remember what Naruto said, Sakura thinks. Beautiful even with scars.
"I can heal the damaged muscles and blood vessels underneath, but the scar is too old to heal." She sends Sakura a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."
Sakura only nods.
After that, time seems to slow down. The nurse is towering over her for what feels like forever.
"Done. You may feel a slight tightness in your lower abdomen for about a day or two. Try to take it easy."
Sakura sits up slower, feeling a pull in her stomach, and swings her legs over the edge of the hospital bed. This is the best she's felt in two weeks. Once the nurse helps her re-dress, she leaves. Sakura notices the other nurses left already.
"You okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto calls.
She nods. "And you guys?" She looks at both of them with narrowed eyes, accessing their appearance. Sasuke's wrist is no longer bandaged and Naruto only has one dinky little bandage on the right lower side of his chest. Naruto grins and gives her a thumbs up. Sasuke returns her nod, but he isn't looking at her face. His eyes are drawn to her stomach, where her scar was revealed briefly before being covered by her dress, but Sakura refuses to look, think, or even speak about the injury right now.
"I'm okay," she says softly instead.
Sasuke looks up at her, something in his eyes she can't recognize, and nods.
"Team Kakashi?" a voice interrupts.
All three of them turn towards the open door to their room to see a red-haired, blue-eyed man standing there with a jounin vest on.
"Yes, that's us," Sakura replies.
The man smiles a little. "I've been sent to retrieve you. The Hokage wishes to speak to all of you."
Sakura nods and gets up. It barely hurts this time and she is grateful. Naruto whoops real loud and together with her teammates, they exit the room they were brought to and follow the jounin out of the hospital and towards the Hokage Tower.
The walk to the tower is done in silence. Sakura walks beside Sasuke, both behind Naruto, and hopes that the meeting with the Hokage goes by quickly. She desperately wants to take a shower. She knows she looks as gross as she feels. Her hair a mess, her face pale, and her palms clammy.
Someone grabs her arm abruptly to halt her. Sakura looks at the hand holding her arm and follows along it until she's facing Sasuke.
"Be careful," he mumbles.
Sakura looks ahead of her and sees that she very nearly walked into a wall. They are already at the Tower.
"Thanks," she whispers back.
He nods and let's go.
"Good afternoon," the Hokage greets with a gentle smile on his aging face when they enter his office. Kakashi is standing off to the side, book out, and offers them a nod.
"Hey old man!" Naruto exclaims.
Sakura sighs. "Show some respect, Naruto."
"The old man can take it!"
She shoots Sarutobi-sama an apologetic smile. "Sorry for our teammate."
Naruto huffs. "Are we here to talk about the mission or what?"
"Kakashi has already stated much of what has happened, but I'd like some input from you three."
"It was crazy!" Naruto nearly yells. "Mist nins and misty fields and needles and mirrors!" He scratches the back of his neck. "The other old man named his bridge after us." Sakura nods and Sasuke remains silent.
The Hokage chuckles. "So I've heard." Then he regards them more seriously. "Your injuries. They've been cared for properly?"
"Yes, sir." Sakura nods again.
He looks at her, eyes calculative, before sighing. "Normally, such cases like what happened in Wave are dismissed and the team returned to the village immediately, but Kakashi states that all three of you were capable of completing it despite your grievances. I am glad to see you all back safely and walking. You will receive additional payment for your services. For the time being, however, you will not be assigned any missions outside of the village."
Naruto groans loudly. "But why?!"
Smiling, the Hokage replies with a simple: "You'll find out why soon enough."
Sakura shares a look with Sasuke; both curious as to what the Hokage could mean.
"Make sure you receive your payment before you leave." He picks up a scroll off his desk. "I'm very proud of you three. Dismissed." Kakashi leads the three of them out of the room and towards the financial center within the Hokage Tower.
Sakura's eyes go wide at the amount handed to her. It is a lot. More than she would have thought to receive. She places it in her hip pouch with intentions of adding it to the money she's been saving for the last few years from doing mundane things for her neighbors (babysitting and chores mostly, but money is money and she isn't one to complain).
"Yes!" Naruto pumps a fist in the air. "Time for some ramen!"
Sakura covers her giggle. Typical Naruto. Beside her Sasuke huffs. From annoyance or amusement, Sakura can't tell. Together as a group, they leave the Tower and gather off to the side.
"Regardless of the setbacks, I will reiterate how proud I am of you three for accomplishing something beyond your area of expertise. Instead of meeting up in the morning, we'll meet at after lunch around 12 o'clock."
"12 for us but 2 for you," Sakura replies cheekily.
Kakashi only offers her his signature eye smile before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Let's go eat!" Naruto exclaims. "My treat!"
Sasuke shakes his head. "I'm going home to sleep."
Sakura nods. "Sorry, Naruto. I want to go home and shower and then proceed to pass out on my bed. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow for lunch?" She turns to Sasuke. "Sound good?"
Sasuke doesn't reply.
"Come on, bastard! Let's have a team date or whatever!" Naruto says while getting in Sasuke's face.
Pushing him away, Sasuke replies with, "Whatever, idiot. Stop getting so close."
Sakura laughs. "I'll see you both tomorrow. Bye!" She turns away from and can't help but smile when both of them send her off with pleasantries.
I've learned my lesson about making promises to update only to disappoint my readers later, but rest assured that I never start a story I don't plan on finishing. If you have the time to review, please do so.
Thank you,
SiriuslyFallingInLove