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Chapter 1:Hidden Feelings
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A cool breeze blew through Konoha forest and gave a certain pink haired girl goosebumps. Haruno Sakura shivered when the breeze made contact with her delicate skin. The kunoichi was now 15 and her hair had grown longer, it stopped 2 inches below her shoulders. Sakura was now at the rank of Jounin, along with everyone else who was at the academy.
Sasuke was still as cold as ever when he killed Orochimaru and after Naruto forced him back to Konohakagure. The Uchiha was even more anti-social then before Naruto made him come back. Yet it seemed like he still had a stick shoved up his ass, the only time he socialized was when he was on a mission or when Naruto was annoying the shit out of him.
Sakura let out a huge sigh as another breeze swept around her and made her hair go with the wind. Her clothes have changed since she was a Genin, now Sakura wore a black off the shoulder tank top. The top was tight that it showed off her every curve and her developed chest, it was mesh from under her breasts and right under her belly button. Sakura wore a grey skirt that ended above her knees, there were slits running up the sides and stopping below her thighs.
Of course she did wear black short shorts underneith the skirt and the same footwear she wore when she was still Genin. Sakura left the leaf village headband in the same place as always and a kunai pouch located near her left side and another pouch attached onto the side of her shorts to the right.
Tsunade had taken the petal haired kunoichi in as her apprentice, and trained her almost everyday for the last year. Since a month ago Sakura
had surpased the Hokage herself and was now looked up to as the best kunoichi in the hidden leaf village.
That same day when Naruto heard about what happened he treated Sakura to ramen at Ichiraku, even though she wasn't a big fan of ramen she
at two bowls and Naruto had 5.
Sakura smiled at the memories and walked deeper into the forest, letting the refreshing cool breeze calm her. The kunoichi concentrated for a minute and gathered chakra to her feet. She began to run and walked up a tree, jumping on a large branch for her to ley in. Sakura closed her emerald eyes and let her head rest on the tree trunk.
Today Sakura had to go to a meeting arranged by Tsunade, all she knew was that it was about a mission. The pink haired kunoichi was an exellent
medic nin and was prefered to go on almost all the missions so that she could heal the wounded.
It was already 1:15 p.m and Sakura was told to meet Tsunade inside the Hokage's tower at 1:30 p.m, she lifted herself up and jumped out of the
large green tree and landed on the forest floor.
Sakura knew that Tsunade didn't like to be kept waiting so she began to run towards the tower. The kunoichi ran past familiar faces and didn't stop to stay hello, instead she would nod her head. Sakura saw the Hokage's tower in the distance and picked up speed. She only had 5 minutes to get there or else Tsunade would lecture her about not to keep someone waiting.
The petal haired kunoichi kicked open the front doors and began to run up the steps, all the way to the very top. Sakura huffed and checked her
watch... She almost gasped at the time, 1:28!
'Stupid Tsunade-Sama just has to be at the top of this damn tower!'
The doors came into view and Sakura picked up more speed she flew through the doors and crouched over to catch her breath. Tsunade was seated behind her desk once again drinking sake and reading paper work. The kunoichi sat in a chair located infront of the Hokage's desk and waited patiently for Tsunade to speak first.
The Hokage looked up from her paper work and set down the glass of sake she was sipping. Sakura crossed her right leg over her left and placed her hands on her knee. Tsunade put down her paper work and cleared her throat closing her eyes in the process.
''Now Sakura I have called you here to discuss a mission."
"Yes Tsunade-Sama..." The kunoichi replied.
"You will be teamed with 2 other Jounin on this A-ranked mission..." The Hokage said.
Sakura merely nodded while her inner voice was screaming with absolute delight... 'Oh yeah an A-ranked mission! bring it ON'
Tsunade took in a deep breath before speaking again...
"You will be teamed with..."
"Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji..."
Sakura's eyes widned in disbelief. Her and Sasuke never talked anymore let alone looked at eachother. Sakura knew that there was no arguing with the
Hokage because she was sure as hell that she wouldn't be able to convince her to change the teams.
Sakura sighed and decided to keep her mouth shut, though her inner self was telling her to say something before it was too late. Tsunade opened
her mouth to speak...
"The Akatsuki are advancing on us and you 3 will go ahead and try to stop them before they reach the main gates."
"You will leave for the mission tomorrow morning, meet the other two here outside the tower..."
The kunoichi nodded her head and stood up from her chair, the Hokage pointed to the door telling her without words that she was able to go now. Sakura walked through the door and made her way down the couple hundred steps.
The kunoichi wasn't looking forward to tomorrows mission with Sasuke. It wasn't like she was scared of him, she just didn't want to face him since that night when he knocked her out and left her on a bench before leaving Konoha... Since the time Naruto brought him back... Sakura couldn't look the Uchiha in the eyes again like before...
Sakura but those thoughts aside and focused on the mission only a day away. She wasn't going to let Sasuke screw up her composure and the mission.
Sakura wasn't the same weak Shinobi that Sasuke knew her to be, she was going to prove it to him.
The pink haired kunoichi walked in the direction of her apartment located in the east side of Konoha. On the way to her apartment she was greeted by
a stuttering girl with snow coloured orbs.
"He... hello Sakura-sama..."
The shy kunoichi known as Hyuga Hinata was standing infront of Sakura with her hands clasped together. Sakura gave her a bright smile before she parted her lips to speak...
"I would rather you call me just Sakura..."
"No need for the fancy ending after my name..."
Hinata blushed and started to talk once again... "Sor... sorry Sakura-Sa... I.. I mean Sakura..."
"No problem Hinata." The petal haired kunoichi stated.
Sakura bid the the shy Hyuga good bye and started for her key destination. She saw many faces that she was accustomed to and only stoped for a
short amount of time before she left towards her apartment. Sakura was starting to get aggitated at all the people who kept on stopping her, Lee, Ten Ten,
Kiba, and Ino all kept her from getting home and collapsing on her bed.
Once Sakura finally made it to her apartment she unlocked the door and took off her sandels before collapsing on her soft queen sized bed. The kunoichi breathed in the scent of her bedroom which smelled like cherry blossoms. Sakura sat up and walked over to the kitchen to make a cup of green tea for herself. She loved to drink warm tea when she arrived home and just curl up on her couch and then after falling asleep.
Sakura had a large window in her living room that let her get a great view of all Konoha. Sometimes she would stand infront of the window and watch the sunset over the large ocean and Konoha. It took her breath away every single time, the sun was a beautiful orange and the sky was painted with colours of pink, violet, and red until the sun had completely gone down and the sky turned dark showing millions of stars.
When they tea was ready Sakura poured it into a blue glass cup and sat down on her red sofa. She sipped that warm liquid and closed her emerald eyes
as the soothing tea traveled down her throat. While Sakura stared outside she was deep in thought about her former teamate, Uchiha Sasuke.
The kunoichi didn't want to face him tomorrow especially since they are no longer friends. Actually Sakura didn't know if they were friends or not, Sasuke
had never said anything before and either did she.
Once again Sakura pushed back her foolish thoughts and concentraited on the mission tomorrow. The Akatsuki were a powerful group and Sakura knew that it wasn't going to be easy to stop them from entering Konoha let alone have to fight them. Sakura chugged the tea quickly in one breath and placed the now empty cup in the sink, she walked into her bedroom and removed her clothes and put on her pajamas.
A small powder blue spaghetti strap top and a pair of blue short shorts. Sakura climbed into her bed and pulled the covers onto her body, her house usually became cooler when the sun began to set. The kunoichi hugged herself for warmth and soon found that she was drifting in and out of sleep. Sakura finally gave into sleep and let her now tired eyes shut immediately.
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Uchiha Sasuke was pacing back and forth inside his apartment. The Hokage had called him in for a meeting not too long ago and she told him that his ex-teamate was going aswell. He wanted to protest but knew that Tsunade wouldn't reconsider, his rival Hyuga Neji would also be going. Now Sasuke was stuck with two people that he didn't want to see...
'You are such a bad liar...'
Sasuke hated when his inner self talked without permission, not like he would give it to him. The Uchiha rolled his and tried to ignore his inner self's continuious taunting.
"I Uchiha Sasuke never lie!"
'Your pathetic... you can't even lie to yourself...'
"What are you talking about?"
'Deep inside your glad that Sakura was paired up with you...'
"No I'm not!"
'Like I said your pathetic...'
Sasuke covered his ears using his hands and blocking out his inner voice. Once inner Sasuke finally left he uncovered his ears and sat on his large bed.
The Uchiha was convincing himself that he was NOT in love with Haruno Sakura. But to no prevail he stared at the picture on his night stand of the former
team seven... Kakashi sensei had his hands on Naruto and his shoulders while Sakura showed her genuine smile that everyone was so fond of...
Sasuke shook those thoughts out of his head and instead thought about tomorrows mission and finally being able to kill his brother, Uchiha Itachi.
He would destroy that damn traitor and anyone that gets in the way. After Itachi's death the Uchiha was going to tell a certain pink haired kunoichi that he...
Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to think of anyone but Sakura. He tried hard but his mind kept running back to Haruno Sakura, an image of her smiling popped into Sasuke's mind. The Uchiha felt guilty that he had abandoned Sakura and Konohagakure, the thought of him bringing her sadness and making her cry cut him deeply.
'See I told you!'
"Get lost!" Sasuke shouted.
'Not until you admit your true feelings...'
"I have no feelings towards Sakura..."
'No feelings my ass!'
"Leave me alone.."
'You can't lie to yourself...'
'I now that you love Haruno Sakura...'
"I don't love her and I never will!"
'Come on think about it...'
'If you kill Itachi then you and Sakura can be a couple since there won't be anything that can harm either of you...'
"I... I don't know...?"
His inner self sighed a left the Uchiha alone for once. Sasuke thought long and hard about what his inner self had said,
maybe he was right...? Sasuke didn't know if he loved Sakura since he never spoke to her, Sasuke didn't even no if she still had a crush on or if she
would forgive him for leaving her...
Sasuke just wanted for Sakura to be happy like when she was a Genin a couple of years back. He knew that she never really smiled but instead faked it, Sasuke could tell when she was happy or when she was pretending to be happy. It fooled everyone else but he knew Sakura much better than anyone, and she only pretended to smile and hid her sadness behind it.
Hoping that no one would notice and worry about her. Though she didn't know it, Sasuke knew perfectly well that it pained her to look him in the eyes. If they saw eachother in the market both would avert their eyes and continue to walk until they were no longer facing one another.
Sasuke knew that she missed his company and secretly wanted to talk to him. Though Sakura would never tell anyone this, she hid her feelings for Uchiha Sasuke deep at the back of her mind. Her emerald eyes were not the same as before instead they were faded and never shone. Sasuke wanted to tell her how he really felt and hoped that she still loved him, but he couldn't... Atleast not until the death of Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke would only be putting Sakura into danger and he didn't want that to happen...
The Uchiha knew that he had to keep his feelings hidden...