The thick morning air drifted through the long bubblegum pink locks of the short kunoichi. Slender fingers brushed the hair back, holding it in place as she squinted from the sun, staring up at the Hokage building silently, wondering why she had been called away from the hospital. With a shake of her head, she started up the steps, thoughts slowly wondering back to the young patient she had left with Shizune.
She knew the older woman was great at what she did, and was exceptional with children, but Sakura didn't like starting something and not finishing it; even if it was only prescribing the child with bed rest and a lollipop. Think of it as a character flaw! Her inner self prodded to her. One would think we were to perfect and would avoid us if we didn't have at least one! Shannaro! She huffed out a sigh as she moved swiftly towards the Hokage's office. A small smile tugged at the corners or her lips as she traced her fingertips along the plaque engraved with Tsunade Senju, Godaime that was attached next to the door. A strong sense of pride coursed through her veins.
It had been seven long years since Tsunade-sama had begun training Sakura, but she was still proud of herself for advancing so far under the watchful eye of the Sannin. She had become strong in not only her taijutsu, but has come to the point of rivaling her Godaime in the healing arts. She didn't doubt there were others who were better than her, but she did consider herself among the top in the village. She became who she was so that she didn't have to hide in the shadows of her teammates as she did in the past. She didn't want to have to look to them for protection. She wanted to be the one doing the protecting. Her fingers moved up to run against the seal on her forehead and she smiled to herself. They could look at her back now as she led them forward into the world.
She stood tall and proud as her hand moved to the door, her knuckles tapping against the thick wood softly. Or so she thought. Amidst her thoughts and dreams, and her preparing to knock, the door had swung open, leaving her to tap at the hard chest of a rather tall man. Her jade eyes widened as she heard a familiar chuckle, her gaze moving up from the slight wrinkle in the shirt her knuckles made as they sat where they had knocked, to the black fabric covering the male's lower face, to the single visible eye that crinkled in amusement at the girls shocked face.
"Sakura-chan, you should be more observant of your surroundings and not daydream in front of a door. If it opened the other way, I could have smashed you in the face you know." Kakashi's mask twitched over his lips as he smirked, enjoying her face as it twisted from the dance of emotions flashing over it swiftly. First shock, then embarrassment, then irritation, and then back to embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I was not aware that you had been called in as well. If anything, I expected you to be sitting on the roof reading your perverted books." Sakura tilted her head away, hoping to hide her embarrassment with her snarky comments.
"Ouch, Saku-chan, you wound my aging heart." Kakashi pressed his hand to his chest as he pouted behind his mask in feigned sadness.
"Kakashi-sensei, stop pouting like that; it makes me think the boys were right in the assumption that you have fish lips under there." She smirked and arched her brow teasingly. The silver haired man laughed, his eye crinkling in the corner to show his mirth. A cough was heard from behind him and he shook his head, stepping aside to let the young woman into the room before closing the door behind them once more.
Bright hazel eyes met jade ones as she moved to stand in front of the large mahogany desk, silently giving credit to the unknown person who created it in all its magnificent glory as it withstood pale hands slamming down onto it. The tall blonde stood, her hands remaining flat on her desk as she leaned over it, about to speak to the two in front of her. A frown pressed over her lips as the Copy-nin pulled out his famous orange book, wanting this to go by quickly.
"Kakashi, put it away. I have a mission for you both and you need to pay attention." His eyebrow arched as he looked up from his book, knowing she knew that he could multitask. He shook his head and buried his nose back into the book once more. A growl escaped Tsunade's lips, and to Sakura's amusement, the book quickly disappeared and Kakashi seemed more attentive to the Godaime.
"Better. Now, I know that usually squads consist of four shinobi, but this mission requires the greatest of stealth." Kakashi made a point to glance at Sakura's hair then the seal on her forehead, knowing that she was well known for both. As far as he knew, there were no other pink haired kunoichi in the Land of Fire, or anywhere else for that matter. Tsunade shook her head with a frown.
"Seriously Kakashi, you both can manage a simple henge jutsu! You stand out in a crowd just as much as she does." The hazel eyes glared into his single onyx one, waiting for a challenge to her words.
After a moment, she nodded and reached across her desk, depositing a scroll for each of them upon it. Silently they plucked the scrolls from the desk and broke the seals, letting them unroll in their hands. As their eyes skimmed the characters written across the paper, Sakura's breath caught in her throat. She rolled the scroll back up and stared at the Godaime like she had grown a second head.
"You both have two missions, the first on your scrolls are the same for you both, and the second is top secret, even from one another, is that clear?" They nod, Sakura more hesitantly, but still determined to not let her Hokage down. "You will be heading into the Land of Snow, to its hidden village Yukigakure. You both will be scouting the Akatsuki members there. Supposedly Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame are there. We do not know why, but that will be your main mission. Find out why and find out any other information you deem necessary to return to me. You both have today and tomorrow to ready yourselves before heading out at dawn the day after." Tsunade tossed two more scrolls to them. "Pack what you need in these. They should allow you to discreetly carry everything you will need for your missions."
Sakura's trembling hand tucked both scrolls into her equipment pouch. She didn't know how she would complete her second mission, but she said nothing, only giving a swift bow as Tsunade dismissed her, disappearing into a puff of smoke and cherry blossoms.
Kakashi watched Sakura, curios as to what made his former student so shaky, but his thoughts about her ceased as Tsunade snapped her fingers at him, wanting his attentions.
"I want you to watch her on this mission, keep her safe, Hatake. Though she cannot tell you about her secret mission, it will be a hard one for her. I want my precious apprentice returned to me safely." A wave of sadness moved across her face before being hidden back behind her mask of professionalism. "She is smart and strong in her own way, but she will need to lean on you for advice and help." Kakashi blinked, wondering what his ex-student had to do. She was one of the strongest kunoichi he knew, and he couldn't think of anything to make her waiver unless it came to people she found precious to her. She had long grown from the young, weak genin that he had put in charge of, and he couldn't take the pleasure of saying that it was because of his teaching. He knew he had let her down in that aspect.
"Yes, Hokage-Sama."
"Dismissed, Hatake." Tsunade waved her hand, watching him disappear in a poof of smoke and leaves, leaving her to question her own sanity as she sat back down behind her desk. She pushed her doubts aside, knowing full well that her apprentice could handle herself, and that Hatake would be there to protect her when she couldn't. She shook her head before reaching for her bottle of sake.
"I need a drink…," she sighed, hoping the alcohol would numb her now worried senses.