A/N: This is a joint fic.
SPIRITED
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The commanding officer's gaze lazily slid across the recruits, quietly appraising what appeared to be yet another lackluster group.
"The rules are simple," he sighed, scratching his silver head- he had an awful headache… perhaps it was time for him to retire?- and pacing slowly down the rows of men. "You will all fight each other at once in front of Lord Uzumaki, and those who are still standing in the end will be further considered for higher ranks. Under no circumstances are you allowed to kill. Anything else, however…" He paused for dramatic emphasis, giving an amused smile to the nervous men that only seemed more ominous under his mask, "Well, no matter. Any questions?"
A lone, small hand rose from the back of the throng, barely protruding enough to be seen. Kakashi ambled over, curious as to someone who appeared to be much too small for combat would have to say. Perhaps a young, eager boy desperate to prove himself to the royal family had decided to try his luck. His brow furrowed. The boy would certainly be trampled in the initial chaos before even having a chance to run. A shame. He approached.
"Are we permitted to utilize chakra, Captain?"
Ah. He blinked. A young woman, and with soft, pink locks adorning her face and pinned neatly back into a ponytail. Somewhat pale, he noted. A lady? But how had she managed to get hold of soldier robes? The men around her shifted uncomfortably.
"Are you perhaps," Kakashi suggested gently, "lost?"
At that, she stiffened, squaring her shoulders and looking him straight in the eye, steel glinting in the depths of her green stare. "I am not, Captain."
"I see," he replied thoughtfully. Most women did not train to join the ranks of the armies, preferring instead to become healers with the blessing of the spirits, but perhaps she was an exception. It was generally frowned upon, but not completely unheard of… "I see," he repeated, and he backed off, much to her surprise. The strange, pink-haired girl relaxed, her expression confused but colored with determination. If she was here, it was likely that she was the daughter of a prominent family or had somehow proven herself to some other superior, and he was bored, after all. He would let it be.
"For those who can, the use of chakra is indeed permitted." Yes, if she possessed chakra, she must be from a clan. Surely he would have heard of a girl with such an odd hair color, though. Frowning, Kakashi walked past the recruits once more, and climbed a short flight to join the amused prince to spectate. There was an unsettling sparkle in Naruto's eyes as he looked down, and with a sharp command that echoed through the courtyard, signalled the start of the brawl.
As Kakashi expected, the previously composed rows of soldiers immediately exploded into utter anarchy, clouds of dust exploding from the whirlwinds of movement. Already losing interest, he turned to observe the prince, who was leaning forward with uncharacteristic concentration, rocking back and forth in his chair. Behind him, Naruto's bodyguard, one of the famed genius Uchiha brothers, sensed Kakashi's gaze and returned it with equal consideration.
Kakashi turned back to the fray; the girl with the pink hair seemed to have completely vanished.
"It seems we have someone interesting this time around," he commented lightly. The Uchiha merely shrugged, finding no interest in the girl at all, or in what was obviously an amateur fight.
Naruto, on the other hand, suddenly sprang from his seat, leaning over the wooden railings excitedly. "There she is!"
The moment the prince opened his mouth, Sakura had already located several places for her to properly assess the situation. When the soldiers lunged for each other, she quickly scampered away, channeling energy into her legs just as her grandmother had taught her and diving behind a pillar in the corner of the space so no one could sneak up from behind her. Dozens had already been knocked unconscious, and the dirt was beginning to settle back down as the numbers of fighting men slowly dwindled. She could always wait out the bulk of the fight, she reasoned as she smoothed back a few loose strands of hair, but she was here to prove herself, and that wasn't her style anyway.
A limp form crashed down right next to her, thrown by one of the larger soldiers, groaning as he struggled to right himself. A glance told Sakura that he was already down for the count, but his opponent stalked forward to land another blow. If she waited for him to come to her, she would be both discovered and cornered, which was very much a disadvantage for someone as small as she was. Biting her lip, she held her breath as the man took a few steps closer, channeled chakra into her legs once more, and-!
With quick movements, she swung herself around the pillar, pushing off the ground with an extra burst of energy and heard a satisfying crunch as her foot crushed right into the man's face. He fell over, not expecting such an assault, and she gave him a bonus chakra-infused heel to the abdomen and left him curled up, shaking behind her.
No, she thought to herself with curved lips, she was definitely not lost.
There were now about ten soldiers left of the hundred that the group had started out with, and she could feel her own chakra almost hum in response to theirs as they fought each other. These were the people who had been blessed, the ones that would naturally rise to the top of the ranks because of their abilities, who were gifted with the ability to fight, and she realized with a rush that she was one of them.
They took notice of her immediately as she moved towards them. One- an Uchiha, she could tell, from the fan emblazoned on his uniform- elbowed his dueling partner clean across the gut and sent him flying. Nine left. He drew a quick breath and from his mouth came an explosion of flame. The heat was immediate, and Sakura jumped back, barely avoiding the lick of fire, although one of the others was caught in it. She hesitated, resisting the urge to run to his side and make sure he didn't burn alive, but she knew the other soldiers would immediately attack her the moment she let her guard down. She could not afford to lose this opportunity.
With a stifled sense of relief, she saw the soldier tumble and throw off his robes. Another Uchiha, she realized, and resistant to fire, as she saw he did not seem to bear any burns. One of the men took advantage of his confusion and snapped a fist across the man's face. He collapsed.
Eight left.
A skinnier man rushed her, moving with a nimbleness that matched her own. Sakura waited for him to get close, and just as his arms extended to grab her, ducked to the side and flung his vulnerable form right past her body and sending him crashing into the wall behind her. Seven left. The others had noticed her simple, but effective tactic, and eyed her warily now, something that pleased her immensely. However, they all seemed to be circling around her, and she didn't knew she stand a chance against all of them at once, and chakra-blessed soldiers, no less. She had a dagger in her belt and a few throwing knives, but didn't want to risk fatally injuring any of them, even if they were approaching her with intent to kill. No, she wouldn't resort to weaponry.
The girl took a deep breath, steadying herself, and concentrated on channeling all of her chakra into her right fist, knowing full well that the others could feel her energy gathering and would only be more cautious. Her grandmother had taught her not to do this unless she was absolutely sure she had ample time to properly work her chakra through her veins, but desperate times called for desperate measures. They were coming for her now.
Sakura slammed her fist into the ground.
With a great rumble, the courtyard floor broke open, the earth splitting into chunks that jutted out and toppled her force of her hit blew out from her form, pieces of stone pummeling the soldiers. Huge blankets of dust exploded upwards, clouding the area around her as she let out an exhilarated laugh. The previously clean, tidy courtyard was now in utter ruin. She had done it! Granny Tsunade would be so-
-suddenly, a hand jerked closed around her ponytail and roughly tugged her head back, and Sakura felt the cold metal of a blade pressed to her neck. All joy gone, she was suddenly very still.
"Such pretty hair," the man behind her muttered, and pushed her to the ground with his knee on her back. She didn't dare struggle too much for fear of the dagger sliding too easily into her skin. Forcing her eyes to look behind her, she recognized him as the thin man she had quite literally thrown away, and apparently, hadn't properly finished off. Her mind raced. Her knees were digging into the jagged stone pieces that scattered across the ground, drawing blood. His grip tightened, and her scalp pricked with searing pain.
"Surrender," he commanded. "You have no choice, and besides," he leaned in closer, "the battlefield is no place for a woman."
She took in a sharp breath.
At once, her hand pulled the dagger from her belt and cut her ponytail off in a burst of motion. Pink strands fluttered to the ground.
His hold on her now gone, she pushed herself backwards into his surprised, staggering frame, twisting and grasping his wrist with chakra surging through her fingers. With a snap, the blade fell harmlessly to the ground and the man let out a yelp. She smiled thinly, pointing the dagger at the soldier's jugular and placing her foot square on his groin, her heel kneading down. He whimpered.
"Surrender," she mocked. "The battlefield is no place for a man."
Glaring, he slowly raised his good hand.
She sheathed her dagger, straightening herself and marveling at how much lighter her head felt. She had cut it once before, but the feeling was just as freeing as the first time she had done it. So freeing, in fact, that she almost forgot the waterfall of blood dripping down her leg and the throbbing pain that emanated from her cut. Gritting her teeth, she placed a careful palm over her knee, and gathered her chakra to heal herself. The skin stitched itself together, pushing the dirt from her wound and closing the glaring, raw red until there was nothing left but a slight, pink pucker, and after a moment, even that disappeared.
When Sakura stopped the process, she realized that there was someone beside her, watching her. With a small gasp, she almost fell back. Uzumaki Naruto, heir to the Fire Country throne, was standing by her, looking at her with deep blue, inquisitive eyes.
"Hey," he said easily. "I like your hair."
She stared openly at him, mouth agape, and then remembered what a mess she must be, awkwardly patting down the black robes that were now coated with dirt and gave him a quick, jerky bow. "Um… thank you, your Highness."
"Just Naruto," the blonde grinned cheekily, and to her surprise, dipped his head to her in greeting. "What's your name?"
The commanding officer from the beginning was approaching now, as well as a young man with dark features that she recognized as yet another Uchiha, with the uchiwa fan proudly resting on his chest. The red cloth wrapped around his arm and the leather shoulder pad strapped to his uniform marked him as someone high ranking, and as the prince's personal guard. He was… surprisingly handsome, with dark, slanted features etched into smooth skin. She suddenly felt a little self conscious and shifted her weight onto her other foot, looking away from him.
"Naruto," he murmured in warning, not even glancing at her.
"Haruno Sakura," she said slowly, taken aback by Naruto's interest. "Er, your Highness."
"I'd have remembered someone like you, with that hair of yours," he said with a frown, as if trying to recall her. "The Harunos... " He turned back to the Uchiha with a pout. "Are they one of the noble families…?"
The raven-haired man rolled his eyes. "You should know this already, you moron."
If Sakura was surprised by Naruto's blase nature before, that shock was easily overpowered by the guard's casual insult towards the prince himself.
"No," the captain said, looking at her carefully. "They are not. How did you get in here?"
Her hand instinctively reached back to nervously curl a strand of pink in her finger, but realized that there was nothing where there was normally hair, and knew that the small movement had already betrayed her. The Uchiha and the captain were staring, and she was not good enough a liar to fool them. Naruto looked at her encouragingly- oh, she hadn't the heart to lie to those eyes, anyhow.
"I snuck in," she admitted, feeling equal parts proud and self conscious. "I dressed myself as a man to get past the castle guards and no one questioned me when I entered the barracks."
The Uchiha raised a thin, disbelieving brow. "Is that so? A man with pink hair?" He snorted.
Sakura bristled. "I tied my hair up and hid it under a hat I had… asked to borrow." She didn't mention the light flirting involved with the guard she had 'borrowed' it from.
"You don't look anything like a man, though," Naruto said honestly, and she couldn't suppress the warmth of flattery that lit her chest. Thank the Spirits that he didn't seem to care that she had snuck in. In fact, if anything, he seemed almost impressed. "And you fight better than most men I've ever met." He took a moment to study her eyes carefully and then nodded, as if agreeing with himself, giving her a bright smile.
"Alright, I've decided. You'll be one of my personal guards!"
"Naruto," the Uchiha hissed, grabbing the prince's shoulder. The Uzumaki shook it off.
"I like her," he said simply. "She's strong, she's smart, and it doesn't hurt that she's pretty." He winked. "That's that."
Sakura was stammering several things at once, tripping over her words, unable to contain her excitement. His personal bodyguard! That was so much better than she had been expecting. "Thank you! Na- um, your High- oh, um, Naruto! Thank you."
The silver-haired captain betrayed no emotion from under his mask, but shook his head slightly. "Naruto, you must admit it is a risk. The Harunos are a family of artisans and merchants and cannot offer you anything if you insist on bringing their a member of their family into the palace. The noble families will not be pleased."
"Okay," Naruto rolled his eyes, face painted with mischief. "Too bad."
With that, the prince turned and walked away, stepping carefully over the huge chunks of debris that Sakura had created, and the captain quickly followed with an exasperated sigh, leaving Sakura to smile stupidly at her turn of fortune.
When she had snuck away from home, she hadn't thought she'd receive much more than a position in the army, which was admittedly more than enough for her. It was thanks to the irritatingly bright, pastel hair that she hated so much that she had caught the prince's attention, and her hard work had done the rest. Sakura was tempted to run home and share her achievement with her family, show that she had proved all of them wrong, but was suddenly struck by her need for a good bath. She smelled of dirt and blood, and loose strands of her hair stuck to her warm, sweaty skin. She was hardly presentable to anyone, much less the prince himself. But he had noticed her! He had really-!
"Well, come on," the Uchiha ordered, clearly unhappy, and her light mood was broken. "Or are you going to stand there like an idiot all day?"
Fixing a scowl on her face that matched his own, she followed the tall man, glaring at the fan that decorated his back the entire way out.
The water was warm and steaming, and part of Sakura never wanted to leave. Normally she would have lounged in the wooden tub until she turned wrinkly, but her heart was going wild remembering the prince's declaration just an hour ago. She was going to be a personal guard to the crown prince! It felt unreal. She briefly wondered if she was hallucinating, before recalling the condescending look on the Uchiha's face - no, it was definitely real. She felt her eyebrow twitch. Arrogant assholes like him had always ticked her off… especially when they tried to, quote, "put her in her place". She experienced a special relish in lashing back at them. They were half the reason why she had snuck into the tryouts at all, to be honest. Images of her family, pleading, disapproving, popped into her head before she quickly squashed the thought.
She suddenly realized that she was scrubbing her hair with more force than needed and hastily finished washing and shivered as she stepped out of the circular tub, grabbing onto the soft drying cloth provided on the counter. A change of robes was hanging next to the door, and she paused to take in the dark, utilitarian design before putting it on, admiring the clean-cut, unobstructive nature of the garment. Perfect for fighting. It was a little big on her, but the belt secured it well enough. A servant was waiting for her outside the door, and she led Sakura through a dizzying series of hallways and pavilions through the palace.
Sakura hadn't had time to admire the architecture when she had been sneaking in, but the artisan in her appreciated the curved foxes carved into the roofs of the building. Lone foxes stood sentry at every corner of the sloped rooftops, overlooking the courtyard and gardens, occasionally accompanied by swirling fire patterns etched onto the surrounding pillars and floor. Like the Uchiha, the Uzumaki family held an affinity to fire - although their claim to the power was from the legendary nine-tails itself, rather than just a powerful fire spirit. It was the main reason why they had been able to hold onto the throne for so long. His Majesty Minato was rare in that he had not been of the Uzumaki lineage when he ascended the throne; instead, he had married Her Majesty Kushina, who had been the previous bearer of one of the Great Spirits. If the rumors were true, the crown prince was the current bearer of the nine-tails.
She shivered. That much power, contained within a single person… and she didn't even feel any of it leak out during the short conversation she had with the prince earlier. Naruto must be incredibly talented to contain everything, making him appear almost ordinary if not for the sharp gleam in his eyes and royal robes. She supposed that it was because of his bearer status that he had a Uchiha as a guard - if the nine-tails within him were to break free and go on a rampage, the Uchiha were rumored to be able to hypnotize the spirit with their flames for short periods of time… at least, that was what she had overheard her father saying once during a meeting with close associates.
They passed the throne room briefly as the servant took a side path, letting Sakura get a glimpse of the golden throne, wreathed in stylized etchings that mimicked the spread of the Kyuubi's tails. The light smell of incense soothed her nerves, its smoke curling in hypnotic trails around the seat. A beautiful mural stretched across the sides and ceiling of the room, and Sakura barely managed to get a glimpse of it before the servant abruptly turned in a different direction, and she hurried to follow. She wasn't sure, but she thought she recognized the five Great Spirits painted in several hues and thick ink, crawling about the canvas that was the grand room.
The servant entered a longer, well-lit hall that took them outside towards the back of the palace. Sakura took in her surroundings, realizing with some awe that they had arrived at a private training field. The crown prince was sparring with his Uchiha guard, and eyes widened at the display. Naruto was all sass and quick evasion, with an uncanny knack of well-timed bursts of chakra that seemed to be part air and part fire. The Uchiha, on the other hand, intimately reminded her of a flame - quickly flickering from place to place, with a quiet intensity that drew the eye and spoke of barely-contained power. The servant rang a bell to get their attention, and the prince broke into a wide smile when he saw Sakura.
"Hey! About time you got here! The bastard here was starting to get antsy, couldn't even bother to wait a while for a pretty girl." At her stunned expression, he added, "I know, right? What a jerk." As if he hadn't said anything unusual, he happily dismissed the servant, who didn't blink an eye at the scene and left.
Sakura struggled to keep her jaw from dropping. Did he just - did the crown prince just call his guard a bastard? Did he just - did he just blatantly and casually diss the the man's honor? Not to mention the whole freaking Uchiha bloodline? Wars had been started over less, she thought with horror. Spirits above and below, the Fire country was doomed. The prince was going to create a diplomatic disaster.
"You idiot, she looks like she's going to have a heart attack." The dark haired guard suddenly appeared behind the prince, rolling his eyes.
"Oh! Right, you're still not used to this. My bad. Let me introduce His Esteemed Snarkiness," the prince said, point at the Uchiha. "This is Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, you've met Sakura." Looking at her pointedly, he cheerfully intoned: "Don't let his His Jerkiness put you off, he's actually kinda nice deep down. Now, since you're gonna be one of my personal guards, we're going to need to train you up a bit. That earth cracking thing you did was super cool, but it'd be best if we get a broader idea of your fighting style and stamina, strengths and weaknesses, all that good stuff. People have been shifty lately and I'm liable to get an assassin sent after me sooner or later, so it'll be good for you to be prepared. Sasuke will be in charge of training you!"
"...Right. I mean, yes, your Highness," she quickly added, mentally berating herself. He spoke so quickly and excitedly that it was difficult to process all at once.
"I told you, call me Naruto, we'll be stuck with each other for 90% of daylight anyway, best to get it out of the way. Took Sasuke ages to get out of that formal shit, it was glorious when he finally cracked, called me a - what was it? - a ridiculous monkey with whiskers, I think. I hope you're a fast adapter, I don't know if I can go through that again."
"Alright then… uh, Naruto." It felt oddly natural.
"Yay, you're learning! Okay Sasuke, she's all yours. Be nice, though, I don't wanna have to sit through another hour watching trainees beat each other up. Have fun! I gotta go, I'm late for training and Kakashi's gonna be pissed. Bye!"
The prince ran off. When he was out of sight, she steeled herself and looked up at Sasuke, deciding to give him another chance.
"So, what are we starting with?"
The next few days were full of lessons: tell-tale signs of spies, a crash course in weapon types and their advantages, how to address nobles and servants, what was expected of her, and lots and lots of sparring.
As it turned out, she was nowhere near Sasuke's level. She had eaten dirt so many times these past few days that she was partially convinced she would be reborn as an earthworm at this rate. But she kept getting back up. This is what she had signed up for, and she wasn't going to quit halfway. She was going to prove her family wrong if it was the last thing she did...plus, there was no better motivator than the sight of Sasuke's condescending face smirking at her from above. Spirits, he pissed her off. Him and his purebred bloodline and damn arrogant smirk. He didn't even seem to be working up a sweat.
Before sparring he usually had her running laps with the rest of the soldiers, who stared and made lewd side comments the entire time. Although it was nothing she wasn't already used to, it still stirred anger, which she used as fuel throughout the day. She was always exhausted by the time she got the the training pit; Sasuke had forbid her from using any chakra to boost herself during the run. Or during the matches afterwards. Apparently her stamina sucked.
Today was different, however. Sasuke had finally decided to test her chakra endurance and skill. A few ground rules, though: no wreaking up the training pit, no lethal intent, and no injuries that would put either party out for more than a day. Fine by her. A nearby servant was cowed into helping them, and they took their places opposite each other.
The instant the servant finished counting off, Sasuke rushed her. Spirits, he's fast! She was forced back as she tried to dodge his punches, shoving chakra energy down her limbs to make them respond faster. Before she knew it, he had crowded her against the fence. She swung at his legs to make him jump back, before driving her own assault. But he evaded her easily, and almost immediately she was back on the defensive. The man was just too fast. She bet he hadn't even tapped into his Blessing yet - he was just playing with her.
Gritting her teeth, she ran the situation through her head. Sasuke had all the advantages. She had the benefit of being tested - he wasn't fighting her seriously. He was too fast for her to hope to land a hit on him, but… she could match him. Maybe. She hadn't really tried boosting her speed outside of short maneuvers, but she was confident in her ability to ration her chakra. She just needed to be fast enough to find an opening.
Setting her plan in motion, she deliberately slowed her movements, as if she couldn't keep up. Sasuke's face twisted in disdain, as he moved closer effortlessly - now! The latent chakra in her limbs spiked as she darted into his guard, gathering chakra into her fist and driving it into his right ribcage. She relished the brief look of surprise on his face as his breath was literally knocked out of him, before he swept a leg under her, unbalancing her and sending her to the dusty ground.
She was up in a second, chakra recoil boosting her up faster than she could blink. Sasuke readied himself from his indent in the fence. The surprise was gone now, his face immobilizing in a mask of focus and fury. He moved.
Sakura felt the shift, the hairs on her arms prickling. She darted back, and just in time, as Sasuke flashed to her previous position in an uppercut that would have taken her down. He was serious now - she could almost feel the thrum of chakra as his Blessing took hold, pushing his body past normal breaking points. She only lasted a minute before she was on the ground again, arm twisted behind her, Sasuke's hard knee digging into her back.
"Yield." Sakura suppressed a shiver at the dark voice. She kind of wanted to bite the fingers restraining her head, but instead huffed out a surrender. She was left to pick herself up from the ground. Sasuke looked at her dusty form, and briefly scanned for injuries. He opened his mouth: "How long have you been working on that maneuver?"
"Maneuver?"
"You sped up."
"Oh! Uh, I've used it often enough, I guess, just not for anything longer for a second or two. Maybe a month?"
"I can tell," he intoned dryly. "Your enhanced speed is sufficient for only a few seconds; after that, anyone can spot out your movement patterns. You're not in control of it. You also need to learn how to anticipate your opponent's moves, rather than just reacting to them. You obviously haven't been properly trained."
"What about that punch I gave you then," she sassed back, "does that need work?" He had just insulted granny Tsunade and she kind of wanted to punch him again. He paused for a moment, then:
"A lucky hit. You need to estimate the amount of chakra you put into it better. Though," he paused again, "I suppose you're not completely hopeless."
Not completely hopeless? Seriously?!
He eyed her again, calculating something in the back of his mind.
"You are blessed by the water spirits."
"Just enough to heal," she grumbled back, "Can't summon more than a drop or two of water." He frowned.
"Work on it, no matter how inconsequential. It's important to the nobles. Go get your healing abilities assessed by the head healer. We're done for today."
"What - "
"Your stamina is still terrible, so you will continue running with the troops in the mornings. Follow their training until noon, then meet here for our training. I'll see you tomorrow."
Then just like that, he left. Sakura was seething. Sasuke's kinda nice deep down, the prince had said.
Sakura personally thought he needed to have his head checked.
The days continued to pass by in a blur, with Sakura slowly getting used to palace life and the vicious training that Sasuke inflicted upon her. Since there weren't any other female soldiers, she was staying in the healers' quarters, and the girls in there tittered and whispered every time they saw her, so she found herself less inclined to speak to them. It didn't matter, anyhow. She didn't look pretty, she had to admit, with all the bruises and scratches that now decorated her body, but she liked to think that the smaller, tailored uniform that matched Sasuke's fit her well. Besides, she was proud that she didn't look demure. Each morning she rose before the other women, put on the layers of cloth that marked her as Naruto's guard, and joined the foot soldiers for their morning runs with a burning tenacity.
The head healer was a kind woman with short, brown hair named Shizune who informed Sakura with some surprise that the rosette appeared to be very capable for a commoner, and that whatever training she had received in her district had taught her exceptional chakra control. (She could practically hear Tsunade preening somewhere back at home). She insisted Sakura join the palace healers, an offer which the girl firmly declined, and then told Sakura that it would be in her best interests to practice healing techniques with her so as to refine her 'natural talent'.
In this way, Sakura found herself rushing back to the healers' quarters every evening to exercise her chakra control, right after sparring with Sasuke, who always made sure to bruise her pride along with her body. Her determination was the only thing that kept her going, even as she realized with some sadness that she was getting a little lonely. Naruto was great, but she didn't see him too often since he was apparently being set up to be engaged, and the other soldiers treated her with a great amount of disdain and perversion. The only other person besides Shizune that she interacted with was Sasuke, and Sasuke was, as Naruto would put it, 'a total bastard'.
Despite that, she could feel herself improving. It wasn't by much, but she could keep up with most of the soldiers the entire time when running, and her body had become more compact and lean. She'd lost a little weight since she didn't often have time to eat, and she never wanted to stick around with the healers for very long during meals. But it was worth it. Her movements were a little faster, she could channel her chakra for longer, and even Shizune showered her with praise. Certainly even the stoic Uchiha Sasuke had to admit she was improving.
She hummed with some satisfaction, rounding the long hallway to meet Sasuke for her training session. That morning's run had been the easiest yet, and her legs weren't as sore as they were before. Sweaty and dirty as she was, she felt great. Today, Sasuke would finally treat her with some respect, she resolved as she approached the training field.
Right before she turned the corner, she heard a voice that made her abruptly stop.
"What were you thinking, bringing her here?" Sasuke's words were almost a growl, deep and vehement. "It's been weeks. She's nothing special. You have countless talented warriors that hail from lines of daimyos and shoguns who would kill to be at your side, who train their entire lives for this kind of opportunity. Instead you bring in this- this commoner girl?"
She felt her body lock up and almost stepped out to give him a piece of her mind right then and there. Ironically, for all the nobility running through his veins, he sounded exactly like her commoner father. Her fist clenched, and unclenched again, caught off guard, when she heard a low chuckle.
"Yeah, she's a commoner," Naruto was choking out through laughter. "So what?"
"Like I said," irritation was filtering into Sasuke's voice now. "Her improvement has been nothing short of absolutely average. She's nothing special."
"Oh, but she is." The blonde was wheezing. "Just look at her, would you?"
"I swear to the Great Spirits, if you brought her in because her hair is pink…"
"Not at alll," the crown prince said, suddenly serious, sounding almost affronted. "You're not really looking."
The two men sat in silence for a moment, before Sasuke let out a long sigh.
"Sakura."
She flinched. The angry way her chakra was flaring probably gave her presence away from the very start. With slow, measured steps, she joined the prince and his guard, ashamed she had been caught eavesdropping and furious that Sasuke had the gall to insult her knowing she was listening.
For a long, drawn out moment, the Uchiha didn't say anything, merely turning to look at her, his gaze piercing. Although she was standing above them as they sat leaning against the wooden panels of the building, she felt almost small. Sasuke's presence was overpowering, confident, and loomed over anyone he came into contact with. Sakura straightened her back, looking back defiantly, refusing to be intimidated. He remained silent.
It was really a shame that he was such an awful guy, she thought. He was attractive, with those deep, pooling onyx eyes, and held a certain charisma… at least until he opened his mouth.
To her surprise, he was the one who broke the eye contact. He seemed to have something to say, but chose to fix his glare on Naruto instead, who had watched the exchange slyly.
"What did I tell ya?" The prince sat up, slinging his arms casually over his knees in a rather un-royal position that Sakura noted was very fitting for him. "Do you see what I mean now?"
Truth be told, Sakura had no idea what it was that Naruto claimed she had, and even less of an idea as to why he had chosen her, but she also knew that she wasn't complaining. She had trained hard to get to where she was now, and she was more than grateful that Naruto was inadvertently rewarding her.
"...Hn." The Uchiha closed his eyes. "All I see is a little girl."
Before she could blink, he was gone.
A/N: A JOINT FIC! We're super excited to post this. Hopefully the change in writing styles wasn't too jarring, but let us know what you think! Reviews encourage us, and we squee over every single one, especially those with constructive critique.