Sasu/Saku* She knows her and her new instincts; the need to protect and the desire to mate. The longer she was around him, the more those instincts roared to be fulfilled. But her heart won't give in so easily for she was no longer weak.
*I've noticed that my scene changes aren't separated like they're supposed to be. I apologize for any confusion that may have caused so I went back and made it clearer that the scene changes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or own of it's characters nor do I make any money from my writings. Any reviews will be greatly appreciated. :)
Chapter 1: No Longer Weak
White fur blew through the wind as strong legs carried her through the woods, blue and green orbs searching through the bushes and tree branches. Stars were covered by the darkened leaves while shadows were cascaded onto the ground. Grass and dirt were kicked up as her speed grew, her senses scouting out the area for any possible threats. When she found none, she headed back to the old woman's house, mild excitement running through her. Trees passed her constantly as an old hut slowly came into view. To anyone else, it would look abandoned but the kunoichi knew that a fiery life was inside and was there every single day.
A long, white tail retracted as pointy ears folded back into her head. The fur disappeared and on her head, it was replaced with short pink that ended inches below her shoulders. Not much had changed about her appearance, her face was still soft and cheeky. Her hair was still the same bubblegum color. The main difference was her clothes and eyes. She had undergone something crucial to change her left eye, instead of the jade it once was, it was now a brilliant cerulean. She wasn't blind in it, however, it was because of who she had transformed herself into. She had unlocked and mastered what many would call 'their spirit animal', being able to transform into the creature and unlock it's unique abilities and instincts. It was quite different from the regular transformation jutsu. That jutsu would only allow the user to take the unique form of something or another, the one she had managed to master allowed her to lock into the animal's instincts, virtually becoming apart of the animal. She could willingly transform into the animal without wasting any chakra and maintain her mind at all times. Her right jade orb and left cerulean one was to show that she had obtained both sides to her. Animal and human. And she was proud of both.
Sakura walked into the small hut and looked around, closing the door behind her. The old woman was nowhere to be seen so far. It was a small room, with a fireplace on the opposite side and a table on the right side against the wall. A huge rug made of bear fur sat in the center of the room, covering a trap door that Sakura knew the old lady would be under. The small hut was just a disguise for where the old woman truly spent most of her time.
Sighing, the kunoichi reached a small hand under the rug and pulled up a metallic latch. The smell of smoke and burnt skin reached the pinkette's nose, making her cringe at the horrid scent. Once she pulled the door up high enough for her to fit, Sakura wiggled through the hole, her feet landing on a wooden ladder as she began to walk down it, closing the trap door behind her.
"Elder Sanuko? Are you in here?" Sakura called out into the dark room as she continued to climb down the ladder.
"Elder?!"
The kunoichi's feet barely had time to land on the ground before a walking stick connected with the side of her pink head. Sakura clutched her head and sucked in a hiss as she turned around to glare at the old lady through the darkness of the room. The woman would've been Sakura's height if she wasn't slouched over to half of her height. The elder took slow steps as she walked over to the large fireplace to light it up with a fire jutsu. Even though she was as slow as a turtle when walking, the twelve year old knew better. The old woman was as fast as an ANBU officer when she wanted to be and she had the shortest temper Sakura had ever seen.
"Make it sound like I'm some kinda old lady!" the plump woman grumbled. She had long, white hair that rode down her back in a lazy ponytail and wise, silver eyes that brightened up her soft, kind face.
Once the fire was lit and the whole living room was visible, Sakura made her way over to the large pit, staring into the flames. She had been there for two months and she was learning quickly. The animal jutsu had been the first thing the old woman, Sanuko, had taught her and the pinkette was eager to learn more from her. Suddenly, Sakura felt a sharp jab going into her arm, hard enough to where she could quickly hear a snapping noise.
It was so quick, panic and confusion had overridden any pain she should have felt. Wide eyes looked down to see a bright bruise forming in between her elbow and wrist. Realization settled in and the soaring pain started to kick in.
"You broke my arm!"
"Don't get your panties in a twist, missie!" yelled Sanuko, swinging her wooden cane back and forth to emphasize her point. "This has to do with what I'm gonna teach you next."
Sakura cringed her teeth as she narrowed her eyes at the elderly woman, pain visible in her multicolored eyes. Her eyes narrowed even more when the woman had the nerve to laugh at her. "Follow me." she gestured, going over to a couch in the center of the room with a suitable table in front of it. Sitting down non to gracefully on it, Sanuko placed her cane against the arm of the couch beside her.
Sakura tried not to touch her torn muscles and broken bone as she made her way over to the couch, sitting next to the woman. Sanuko seemed to notice her silent way of trying to ignore the pain, but she wouldn't allow that. The white haired lady grabbed Sakura's arm, making the pinkette let out a loud hiss, and placed it on the table in front of them.
"Push the bone back in."
The young kunoichi's eyes were wide as she stared at the woman incredulously. Seeing that she was serious about her doing it herself, Sakura bit her lower lip forcefully and looked down at her swollen and bruised arm.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
She watched from the tree branch as the giant bear made it's first move, claws extended and teeth prepared. Sakura blinked, thinking how that was the last move the furry beast would ever make. Sure enough, the giant creature charged and his heart could practically be heard as it exploded from the force of Sanuko's cane connecting with it. The thing was though, she had only lifted it up and barely grazed it over the bear's chest. It never ceased to amaze Sakura how such an old woman could have such power.
Jade and cerulean orbs watched as Sanuko picked up the dead body but soon widened when the body was being hurled at her towards the tree branch she was on. The kunoichi stood up and prepared the jump out of the way but the speed it was going was incredible and she was thrown back in the next second.
Sakura gasped for air under the large amount of thick fur above her. She couldn't breathe. Her nails filled with dirt as she clawed her way from under the heavy mammal, taking in a large breath of fresh air when she made it.
"That's dinner tonight, youngin'. I expect you to skin it and cook." the old lady replied, walking over to stand over the young kunoichi.
Sakura groaned in frustration as she attempted to lift the heavy beast, but then settled on pulling it by it's arms.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Four months later, Sakura was lifting another bear the old lady had killed and brought it back to the hut. She still had difficulties lifting the creatures but she was gaining the strength over time to carry them easier and quicker. After entering the hut and going down the trap door, she placed the animal in the back and grabbed a nearby skinning knife. She did it quickly and effectively, with much more grace and caution than she had the first few times.
Out of nowhere, Sanuko had grabbed the knife and slashed it up Sakura's arm, blood dripping down the blade as her arm started to thrum in pain. Sakura hissed and wasn't surprised when the woman instructed her to heal it. Closing her eyes and concentrating her chakra into her palms, her hands glowed green as she touched the wound. Within seconds, the cut started to close up and heal. The old woman's eyes filled with a sense of pride at her pupil, but the young kunoichi still had further to go. Her reflexes were the biggest thing that they needed to work on.
Without handing the knife back to the young female, she reached out and pulled off the headband that was on the kunoichi's head, pink hair falling out of place as she did so.
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked questioningly. Her eyes widened as she watched the elderly woman rake the knife over the leaf symbol on her headband, an eery noise emitting from it that made her cringe.
"You are no longer a leaf shinobi." she replied. Those words stung the kunoichi, but she knew the woman was right. She had left. She was a missing nin now and she had chosen that life that night he left. She hadn't followed him because she had left on her own quest; to get stronger and to somehow better him and Naruto. And there was another reason. . . A reason she would never forget.
Sakura had expected the woman to give her headband back but what happened next, she did not expect. Sanuko wrapped the head band over the girl's multicolored eyes, shadowing her sight in complete darkness.
"You may take this headband off in eight months and not a day sooner. It will help you with your senses and your reflexes."
The pinkette nodded her head in understanding and felt the knife be placed back in her hand. Then she felt around for where she left off on skinning the bear. Oh, this was going to be harder than she thought.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Sakura's eyes adjusted to the new light as she winced against the hurtful rays. She groaned and felt another attack coming from her left. Jumping out of the way before a cane was connected to her torso, the kunoichi rubbed her eyes. Opening them again, she winced and let out a small whine at the brightness. Sensing another attack coming from behind her, she jumped into the air and did a back flip, landing out of the older woman's reach for a brief moment before she charged again. The next moment, a gigantic boulder was swung at Sakura. She caught it with ease but then Sanuko jumped and landed on top of it, seemingly adding another ton to the load. The pinkette grimaced as she struggled to keep up with the weight.
"You will keep this boulder perfectly still for the next five hours."
"What?" Sakura half yelled, her muscles shaking from the sheer weight of it.
"You heard me." the old woman huffed. "How else am I supposed to take a nap?"
Sakura gritted her teeth as she glared down at the ground and spread her chakra throughout her muscles to help maintain balance.
Months later when the old woman felt like the boulder task wasn't enough when Sakura had perfected it without the use of her chakra, she had switched it up a bit and had them move to the water. The thirteen year old kunoichi had trouble at first holding up the boulder and woman and being able to stay on the water's surface, but with her chakra control, she had quickly perfected it and was able to do it for longer.
Pinks strands were turning a bright silver over the time and when the kunoichi had first noticed, she had thrown a fit, saying that the old woman was killing her with stress and making her hair turn gray. The old woman had quickly slapped the kunoichi across the face with her cane, saying something about how she dared to accuse her of such a thing. Then Sanuko had explained to the teenager that it was just her animal form coming more into effect, much like her eye had changed color, she would have silver highlights in her pink hair. Sakura had looked at her quizzically until shrugging, accepting her answer.
More time had passed and before Sakura realized it, she had been gone for almost three years. She had gotten stronger but not nearly strong enough. After all, she hadn't been able to beat the old woman yet. That was her goal before Sakura had to go on her own way. She would beat that crazy old lady and snap her cane in two, throw it on the ground, and set it on fire. That cane had bruised and broken so many of her bones, it was ridiculous. That old woman was lucky she wasn't in the bingo book for cruelty alone.
Though Sakura had to give it to the lady, she sure knew how to push the teenager to her limits so she could get stronger. For that, she was grateful.
~SCENE CHANGE~~
"Alright, Elder Sanuko. I'll be off now." Sakura smiled as she adjusted the long sword on her back.
"What did I tell you about calling me 'Elder'?!" the woman yelled playfully as she swung her deadly, wooden cane around, aiming for Sakura's head.
The pinkette chuckled as she blocked the attack with her arm, this time her bones staying in contact and her skin not bruising at the touch. "I'll miss you too, Sanuko."
The old woman's face lit up with a soft smile as she retreated her cane, but before she could pull it back all the way, it broke into thousands of tiny splinters. Her eyes widened a bit before a huge, amused smirk spread over her mouth. She let out a loud laugh as she regarded the grinning kunoichi above her. "Good luck, Sakura."
The kunoichi nodded her head and turned to walk away, beginning her journey. Where she would end up, she didn't know, but she was going to enjoy every minute of it. Her waist length hair blew through the wind as she started into a run, pink and silver tresses flying behind her. She wouldn't stay in one place for too long, she would keep traveling, with an exception of one place that she could never go again. Looking down at her outfit, she frowned. She would have to get rid of the old outfit for a new one, a better one.
Hours of running flew by and Sakura soon made it to a nearby town. It wasn't too glamorous but that wasn't what she was looking for. The kunoichi walked into a clothing shop, getting many stares as she walked around. She now wore a pair of tight, black shorts that were low on her hips and ended at her mid thigh. Her shirt was a crimson color and was sleeveless. On the back, a clouded full moon was beautifully painted where cherry blossoms flew through the breeze across it. The shirt ended a few inches above her bellybutton. Fishnets covered the naked skin of her stomach and back, beginning at her right shoulder and ending at her left knee, leaving her left shoulder and right knee bare. She bought a crimson belt that hung high on her left waist and drooped low on her right hip. On the left side of the belt, attached to her waist, was her weapons pouch where she carried small herbs, senbon, kunai, shurikan, and some cash. The blue cloth on her headband was replaced with red and was currently tied around her belt, hanging down on the right side of her hip. Black, belted boots were strapped to her feet and ended above her shins. A thick, sturdy, black belt was wrapped around her torso that was attached to the long sword rested against her back.
The hilt of the sword was an onyx color whilst the sheath was a bright silver that shone beautifully when the sun hit it. On the sheath, a crimson dragon swirled around from the bottom and quickly reached the top, it's mouth opened in a fiery roar. It was a brilliant farewell present to Sakura from the old woman, although the kunoichi wasn't about to ask how Sanuko had managed to get it.
Stepping into a weapon's shop, Sakura looked around for anything to catch her eye. Although she loved the long sword Sanuko had given her, it seemed that the sword was too precious to be stained with blood just yet. So far, nothing seemed to interest the kunoichi. It was all about the same; kunai, shurikan, katanas. Nothing seemed to stand out to her. Just when she was about to leave, she spotted something shining against the wall. Her multicolored eyes turned to look at what had caught her attention with it's brightness.
Sakura's eyes widened at the unique looking weapon, stepping closer to it to further her investigation. It was a scythe. The blade itself had to be a foot and a half in length while the wooden handle was a foot. The blade looked to be double edged and extremely sharp. The handle, though made of wood, was smooth as she touched it and was a brilliant silvery color. The chain that hung beside it had to be measured up to twenty feet in length and at the end, a black, medium sized bell was attached to it. Picking up the weapon, she made sure not to unravel the chain as she made her way over to the counter.
"Oho, I see that someone finally took notice of Kohakuno." said the man as she watched Sakura gently place the weapon on the counter.
"Kohakuno? Is that it's name?"
"Sure is, missie." he nodded.
Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the weapon as she paid for it and attached it to her belt, right behind her headband. Walking out of the store, she looked around, already used to the small jingling noise that the bell made as she walked. Sighing, she wondered what she was going to do next or where she would go. Stopping to look at a wanted poster that was attached to a wall on the outside of an inn, she glanced over the picture and price for him. He didn't look so tough, but then again, an old woman living by herself in the woods wouldn't look so tough either. It was a young man, in his early twenties and the price for him wasn't that high but she could give it a shot. The poster said that he was wanted dead or alive and that whoever captured him was to turn him in to the village's elder.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
The first man had been no problem and the ones after that were child's play as well. Before Sakura knew it, six months had passed and she had quite the bounty on her head as well for striking a war lord that had the nerve to touch her inappropriately. Though that never stopped her from collecting heads and the money for them. She was starting to get a name for herself though she didn't really care for the publicity. It was rather annoying, low level bandits with no common sense coming after her and trying to collect her for the bounty.
The kunoichi stopped outside of a small village when she sensed two unfamiliar chakra signatures stop behind her. They were strong but they wouldn't take or kill her.
"Are you Sakura Haruno, un?"
Without turning around to the voice that was clearly male, she replied, "I'm afraid so, un."
There was a laugh behind her that was also male but quickly stopped. She could feel the anger raising from the first male behind her, probably upset from her mocking his language the first time she ever spoke to him. Turning around, her jade and cerulean orbs took the two males in. The one that was glaring at her had blonde hair, half covering his left eye while the other half in a ponytail. The other had a orange swirled mask on with only one eye visible. But they both had one thing in common; they both wore black cloaks with red clouds on them. She never met one in person before, but from what she could remember from reading about them in a paper or on a poster, they were from the Akatsuki. A deadly, powerful organization that killed mercilessly. But what would they be doing here?
"What do you want from me?" she asked, her face stoic.
The blonde calmed himself down before replying. "We have a proposition for you."
Sakura raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What kind of proposition?"
The one with the mask spoke up next, his voice holding an odd sense of excitement that made Sakura slightly uncomfortable. "We want you to join the Akatsuki, Sakura-chan!"
Her multicolored eyes regarded him for a moment before turning around as she called out, "No thanks."
"What?!" the blonde shouted.
Sakura tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. "I said no."
He seemed to seethe angrily at her but she didn't care. Walking away, she could feel them disappear as their chakra quickly vanished. The kunoichi sighed and continued on her way to the next village. Obviously they didn't want her too much or they would have chased after her.
~SCENE CHANGE~~
"Didn't I already decline your offer?"
"You will come with us, kunoichi."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at the male. He was not ordering her around, she would do whatever she pleased. This man had red hair that was unruly and his face was expressionless as he stared at her. Next to him was the blonde fool with the short temper that she met two weeks ago. This time, however, the masked one was not with him. And she was starting to miss that odd, cheery personality of his compared to the temperamental and stoic ones in front of her.
"You will not order me around, puppet." she remarked, her teeth baring at him. He seemed surprised for a split second by her comment. She would've been surprised to if she were anyone else. With the wolf's senses combined with her own, her sense of smell had increased drastically. She could easily pick out the smell of wood and chakra on the red head. And on the other, it was a mix of clay and explosives. Plus, the red haired man's eyes were so lifeless, it was as if he were dead. She could barely sense any life from him and there was no regular heartbeat that she could hear.
"Those are not my orders, kunoichi, it is Leader-sama's." he spoke, emotionless.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at him and placed her hand on her hip. "Get this straight, I take orders from no one."
"Then we will take you by force." he said.
The kunoichi stood up straight, her hand over the handle of her scythe. "You can try."
Sakura jumped backward before the bomb that was placed under her exploded. Another explosion went off behind her, though she decided to use the smoke to her advantage. Quickly creating a shadow clone, she stealthily slid from the battlefield without the other two noticing. She had to have that kind of stealth to capture prey when she lived in the woods. It was either be quick and quiet or don't eat. She also had to have that kind of speed when escaping Sanuko's cane.
She ran further into the forest, feeling that the battle was continuing while she went on. She had made sure to mask her chakra so that they couldn't follow or find her. Her jade and cerulean orbs searched the area for a place to make camp. Finding none, she continued onward. Soon, her shadow clone was defeated and informed her of the battle. It seemed they hadn't noticed her escape at all and that the blonde surely did have a bad temper. Sakura grinned and decided to let her animal form take over for a bit. White, pointed ears slowly appeared on her head as a long, white tail formed on her tail bone. The length of her legs started to decline as she began running on all fours. White fur covered her entire body and her rows of teeth sharpened as her snout grew.
This form was incredibly useful for cold nights, a night that would soon follow. She could feel the sharpness of the wind as it stung her nose. Her furry body was well accustomed to the cold nights and for that, she was grateful. Night would soon fall and she would be well prepared for the temperature change. Another thing that she was grateful for was that, even though she had transformed, her clothes and weapons would still be on her person when she changed back.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Her white tail wrapped around her body as she got comfortable on the ground. She was on the edge of a good, clear spot where someone could easily make camp. Though she had no need to, it was still nice to sleep in areas such as this. It reminded her of the old days when she was still a Konoha shinobi. Before she left.
Her own chakra was still masked when she felt four new ones getting closer. Her eyes were closed and her body didn't move as she waited for them to pass her by. Unfortunately, that didn't happen when they stopped in the clear spot near her.
"Lets make camp here for tonight." said a masculine voice. Still without opening her eyes, Sakura listened to their small conversation.
"Juugo and Suigetsu, scout out the area. Karin, gather the firewood."
The three said their acceptance and she could feel and hear them take off to do their duties. Suddenly, the kunoichi's senses were on high alert when she felt a pair of eyes land on her. She made no move, nor did the male as he continued to stare at her. She could hear no irregular heartbeats and he didn't seem to pose a threat to her so she settled on ignoring him. She felt him walk around the area a bit but he made no move to touch or speak to her, so she made that out as a sign of indifference towards her. She didn't care however, as long as he didn't mess with her.
The male smelt like fire, a burning anger clouded by a smoke of death. It was slightly unnerving to be in his presence. Sakura could also sense his chakra; it was dark, very dark.
"The area is clear." a different male said that was followed by another.
"Hn."
Sakura heard them sit down and she could smell another person coming into the area. A feminine smell reached her nose along with the scent of wood. The kunoichi couldn't stop as she let out a small snort and covered her nose with her paw as the female's smell got closer to her. After a few moments, a fire was lit and the kunoichi could feel the heat of the flames covering portions of her fur.
"What is that?" one of the males asked.
The pinkette had to suppress a groan, not that she could make that sort of noise in that form. She could feel someone getting closer to her and it smelt odd, though not bad. His scent was very similar to that of water but there was a hint of blood there as well.
"Don't get any closer, Suigetsu, you might scare it off." spoke the female, her voice holding a sense of mocking.
"Shut up, Karin. You're just too scared to approach it."
One of Sakura's ears twitched at the sound of the female's voice. It was loud and irritating. The woman in general seemed to offend one of Sakura's senses every time she made herself known. Opening her eyes, Sakura turned her head and snarled when the male leaned down beside her. Her ears were reared back and her fangs showed threateningly as she stared up at him. His hand had frozen in place, previously having the attempt to touch her. All of her senses were on alert as she searched for any type of threat from him. His purple eyes were calm as he stared back at her. His heartbeat was beating slightly fast and his body heat seemed to rise for a moment in surprise. She could sense no fear coming from him, just plain curiosity.
Sakura's white ears lifted as her mouth fell back into place, her body calming as she continued to watch him carefully. He had silver hair that ended at his shoulders and a single tooth sticking out at the edge of his mouth. His scent was calming and his chakra was intriguing. Like a deadly typhoon. The kunoichi could tell that he was from the Land of Waves from his appearance and scent alone.
Her multicolored eyes followed as he reached out and placed his hand on her head. It was a gentle yet strong touch and he began to scratch behind one of her ears. It was a very strange sensation but she quickly found that she enjoyed it. Her eyes caught movement and she let out a low growl as she watched the female begin to make her way over.
Unlike the male, the female had a disturbing scent, like a crazy sense of desperation. The red haired female let out a shrill of shock that made Sakura's ears tilt back in a cringe. Tilting her head more into the ear scratching, she watched the other woman carefully as she began to complain about her. Her jade and cerulean orbs looked around and spotted a big, orange haired male standing near the fire. His demeanor was calm and gentle as he looked at her but something about the man made Sakura tense. Continuing her search, Sakura was met with the oddest sight yet and what was even more odd was her reaction to him.
Sasuke Uchiha stood, leaning against a tree as he regarded her with a stoic expression. She stared back at him, her eyes watching carefully. She didn't feel the need to run up to him and say how much she missed him. But that was the thing, even though she had missed him, ever since she was able to connect to her inner beast, she didn't feel the need to be around him or think about him. She had missed everybody and that was what he was apart of; 'everybody'. However, looking over him at the moment, her mind fully on him, she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with him. His face and body language were cold, void of any kind of emotion. He had completely changed from the boy she had once loved. He was no longer the Sasuke she knew, therefore, she had no obligation to communicate with him.
Closing her eyes, Sakura laid her head back down on the ground, hardly content with the situation she was in even though she secretly enjoyed the scratching behind her ear. She wasn't surprised when the male beside her sat down next to her. From the buzzing of approval she could feel radiating off of him, she figured that the male was like that to animals in general. From his actions, she thought he was just odd.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
She was able to get a decent amount of sleep that night, even though an unfamiliar male body slept next to her for most of the night. She woke up at the first sight of dawn and stretched out her limbs. She couldn't stay in that spot for too long, she had bounties to collect and money to earn. Turning around to head west, she began to walk away at a relaxed pace. Everyone in the group except for the Uchiha was still asleep so no one stopped her as she left.
Once she could no longer feel them near her, her body transformed back into her human from, a thin line appearing over her lips as she broke out into a run. Trees blurred as her speed increased, her destination; the next town.
She ran for about two hours and she could slowly see the town approaching when two not so welcomed visitors appeared before her. Sakura's feet halted as she regarded the two carefully. The foul tempered one was in front of her next to the one that wore the mask. Her pink head tilted to the side as her thoughts searched for a way to get them out of her way.
"Not done chasing after me, Blondie?" she asked casually.
He glared at her in return. "My name isn't 'Blondie'!" he yelled.
"Ohh, Tobi knows senpai's name!" the masked one said excitedly.
"Shut up, Tobi!" the blonde hissed, making the other male let out a whiny pout.
Placing a hand on her hip, Sakura regarded them carefully. "Not that this isn't entertaining boys, but I have business to take care of."
The blonde focused his attention back on the kunoichi. "What business could you possibly have that's so important?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned. "That's really rude. Fine, lets make a deal, shall we?"
His one blue eye that was visible glared at her. "No, we don't have time for deals, un."
Sakura thought for a moment before an idea struck her. She would use their own personalities and throw it back at them. Turning her attention back to the masked male, she put on a bright smile. "You're name's Tobi, right?"
"That's right!" he nodded, the happiness clear in his voice. "Tobi is glad that Sakura-chan knows his name."
Sakura nodded back at him. "Do you want to play a game, Tobi?"
He was about to answer when the blonde interrupted him, "No! We don't have time to play games either."
Sakura frowned at the blonde. "You're awfully moody, do you know that?" He glared at her and gritted his teeth as she continued. "I bet you just don't want to play because you know you'll lose."
This seemed to strike a cord in him as he shouted back, "You're on, yeah!"
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Sakura laughed as she ran throughout the town. It was a game of hide and seek, which surprisingly had worked. Those two were complete fools, to not notice that the Sakura with them was actually a clone. It was a riot that they even agreed to the idea in the first place. Then again, the blonde just seemed to have that attitude that nothing could get passed or defeat him. Idiots.
She continued to run, her pink and silver strands flying in the wind behind her as she traveled through the forest. The unfortunate side of being occupied by the duo was that she didn't get the chance to eat at that town or look for a wanted poster. Sighing, Sakura continued to run until mid afternoon, stopping to look for a spot to start a small fire and eat something. Quickly finding a rabbit, she killed and skinned it with a kunai after starting a fire in a small pit. After eating, she put out the fire and started on her journey.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Stepping into the town was a bad idea when she recognized who was there. Fortunately, they didn't notice her as she walked the down an alleyway and out of their sight. She was sure to mask her chakra and scent as she listened in on their conversation.
"Has anybody found her yet?" Kiba asked, Akamaru standing beside him. He was one of the males in the group of three. Sakura quickly transformed into her animal form and laid down, knowing the abilities of what the other male could do. She had to take precautions around him otherwise she would get caught.
"No." spoke the female. Tenten. "Nobody here has seen her. Neji? What's wrong?"
There was a long pause that made Sakura uncomfortable before he spoke softly, "Someone is listening."
"Can you tell who?" asked Kiba.
There was another long silence between the group until after a few moments, he replied calmly, "No."
Before anything else happened, Sakura began to carefully walk further down the alleyway. She was soon able to exit the town without the search party noticing her, thankfully. The kunoichi was tired of having people constantly searching for her. It was always one of three things, rogue ninja wanting her head, the Akatsuki for some unknown reason, or Konoha wanting her to come back. If she went with the Akatsuki then she didn't know what fate had in store for her, she could be their prisoner for all she knew. She couldn't go back to Konoha, she could become their prisoner because she was a missing nin after all. She would have to do time and the kunoichi had no intention of giving up her freedom. Besides, Konoha had betrayed her. On the night she had left, she went home to find her parents dead on her living room floor. That very same night, Sakura had found out that the elders had sentenced her entire family to be murdered. She was just lucky that she hadn't been in the house at the time. Why they were killed, she didn't know but they were.
Sakura ran through vast plains of grass and trees, seemingly endless as she ran. She was tired of it, she wanted a new change of scenery. It was nice to be surrounded by leaves all of the time but after living practically in them for over three years, she wanted to see something new. She had heard that Suna was surrounded by desert. Maybe she would go there. She'd have to prepare for that scorching heat that would be there though.
The kunoichi continued to run through the forest, dirt barely moving as she passed them. Stopping, she looked around for the familiar chakra signatures to get closer. Transforming, the large wolf sat on the ground, waiting casually. A few minutes passed by as a group came into view, a stoic, dark haired male in front, leading the other three. Her jade and cerulean orbs blinked as they came closer. She watched as the silver haired male of the group ran up to her and held out his hand, a brilliant grin on his face. She regarded him carefully before placing her snout in his outstretched palm, looking up into this bright, purple eyes for a moment. She then watched as the others stopped beside him and looked at her curiously.
"What are you doing all the way out here?" the water nin asked her, his other hand coming up to scratch behind her ear. Sakura tilted her head to the side to enjoy the feeling.
"We don't have time to mess with animals, Suigetsu." said Sasuke, his voice sounding a little annoyed at the silver haired male.
Said male chuckled in response and stopped his gentle treatment, making Sakura want to frown. She wasn't sure what it was about the male, but she felt comfortable in his presence. Perhaps it was his misty scent. It sure wasn't his personality, which practically seeped with mischievousness. Light shone through the leaves of the tree branches, lighting up parts of her white fur and her eyes. Suigetsu tilted his head to the side as he stared at her. He was quiet for a moment, which seemed odd to the group as the female walked towards him.
"What's going on?" she asked.
The big guy spoke up next as he watched the duo. "Is something wrong, Suigetsu?"
"No." he shook his head. "Its just," he paused, "I never got a good look at her eyes before."
"What do you mean?" Karin asked, moving closer to lean over to look at the wolf. Sakura allowed her slight access as she looked over at the red haired female. She gasped when she looked at her, seemingly getting a good look at her eyes for the first time as well.
Sakura had to suppress the urge to roll her multicolored orbs. Her eyes were one of the many reasons why she was constantly stared at when she visited villages and towns. It was just an everyday experience for her. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her as they looked over her carefully, though she was slightly surprised to find that the Uchiha seemed slightly curious about her multicolored eyes. After a few moments with them continuing to ogle her, Sakura got tired of their staring and awe struck comments and stood up. She turned around and began to walk away, her tail swishing around behind her. The female wasn't shocked to hear them walking behind her. She wasn't sure that they were following her or just continuing on their way, but either way, she didn't care.
Hours of walking flew by and the kunoichi wondered if it was because they thought she was incapable of matching their speed. Most likely. For all they knew, she was just a normal wolf. Though the fact that they didn't leave her behind was a mystery to her. Sure, the silver haired male seemed to be attached to her but that didn't mean they had to slow their progress down because of her. Hell, Sakura wasn't even sure why she was with them in the first place. During the time that she walked in front of the group, she noticed that the water nin and the other female tended to argue a lot and each time she attempted to strike the male, Sakura felt a tinge of anger and protectiveness surge through her. She didn't act on it, however.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
The group stopped to make camp once night fell, Sakura, surprisingly, stopping for night with them as well. After all, she wanted to look at the water nin's injury he had gotten protecting her. She hadn't expected him to make such a rash move when the kunai was thrown at her. She wasn't even sure why the rogue ninja aimed at her in the first place, but they had and before she could stop him, the water ninja stepped in the way. Although she would have just stepped out of the way before the weapon hit her. It was. . . odd that he did such a thing.
Sakura stalked over to the male sitting down against a tree. His shoulder had a gash where no one had yet to attend to it. Moving to sit next to him, she looked over the wound carefully. The skin around it was red and covered with dirt, swollen and irritated, signs that it would become infected if it wasn't taken care of. Purple eyes watched as Sakura stuck out her rough tongue, a green glow surrounding it as she licked the wound slowly. Each centimeter was cleaned and closed up as her tongue skimmed across the cut. When it was fully healed, she stood back, sitting on her legs as she stared back at him. She regarded the male carefully, waiting to see what his reaction would be. Finally, after a moment of silence, a smirk played across his lips and he reached out to stroke behind her ear.
"You two are strange."
Sakura and Suigetsu looked forward at the red head staring at them quizzically. Her eyebrow was raised and a hand pressed to her hip. The 'strange' duo narrowed their eyes at her in return. She looked shocked for a moment before she walked away to sit beside the Uchiha. Said, cold male paid no attention to her advances as he stared into the flames in front of him. Low chuckling could be heard from the other side of the campsite. The pinkette tilted her head and looked to see the one named Juugo sitting against a tree, his eyes coated with a soft amusement.
Sakura rested her head against the ground near the silver haired male's legs. Her eyes skimmed over the area as she listened to the calm throttle of everyone's heartbeats. But the one next to her was the most calming. His breathing was even and calm as he sat next to her. The shinobi seemed so at ease with her right next to him, like it was an everyday occurrence for her to lay next to him, even though it had only happened once before.
Closing her eyes, she settled her body into the most comfortable position she could find next to the male. The Uchiha would be the first to take night watch but he wouldn't be the only one to stay up most of the night.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Stretching her limbs, Sakura let out a loud yawn, her tongue coming out along with a whiny noise. Closing her mouth and standing up straight, she looked around the camp. Everyone seemed to be fully awake as they got ready to leave. Yawning again, she began to walk toward the area where they had there fire. Making sure that all the ashes were cold, she waited for the group to set out before she went on her own way. She enjoyed being in Suigetsu's company for the most part, but she couldn't live the rest of her life as a wolf or staying in the forest, eating fish and rabbits for food.
She watched as they began to walk away, more specifically, as the water ninja walked away. Getting a good look at his back, she recognized the giant sword strapped there. It used to belong to the Wave assassin Zabuza that was killed when Team Seven went on the mission to protect the bridge builder. It had happened so long ago, it seemed more like a dream to the pink haired shinobi. Sakura was so far back in her memories that she didn't notice that purple orbs were staring back at her until the male spoke.
"Are you coming?"
Focusing back on him, she tilted her white head to the side and thought about it for a moment. Obviously he wanted her to follow them from the expecting look he was giving her, but should she? She was supposed to be on a journey, a journey to get stronger. How would she continue that if she was following a teenager that was possibly weaker than her around? Closing her eyes, she made up her mind and took a step forward. Sakura looked up at the male as she walked up to him. He gave her a small smirk as he turned to continue walking, her following him.
"Why do insist on that animal following us?" asked the cold Uchiha.
"Is she bothering you?" Suigetsu asked, raising an eyebrow at the male.
Sasuke didn't respond to the question, choosing to ignore it and keep walking.
"I'm curious as to how she healed your wound." spoke Karin, tilting her head back to look at Sakura. "I can't sense any chakra coming from her at all, yet she seems to possess some healing abilities."
"That's because she's brilliant, unlike some people." Suigetsu smirked at the red head's glare and looked back to meet jade and cerulean orbs as if taking in pride that she was only there because of him. Which was completely true, she was only there because he had expected her to follow him and she had chosen to fulfill his small, silent request.
~~SCENE CHANGE~~
Night fell and Sakura was itching for a bath and let out some steam. Luckily, the group stopped somewhere close to a river. She could smell the water in the air and it soothed her senses. Once camp was set, Sakura managed to sneak out without anyone noticing. She made her way over to the river quickly, her movements swift and silent. The river was out of ear and eye shot so as long as nobody came looking for the water source, no one would see her, she doubted that they even knew it was there.
Her body quickly disappeared and was replaced with her human form as she neared the edge of the river. She eagerly removed her weapons and clothes, her naked body glistening in the moonlight with each article of clothing she removed. She sensed that there was no major movement within the group's campsite and so she proceeded, stepping into the cool, night water. She soon found that it was too cold to sit in or bath so she settled for standing on top of it, her chakra holding her up above the surface as she stared up at the moon. Her pink and silver tresses adorned her back, stopping shortly above her tailbone.
Letting out a sigh, she decided on working on her movements. Grace, speed, agility. Without so much as a sound, her feet spun around, bringing up a large amount of water droplets. Swinging her body around, she swiped her hand through the air and into a water droplet. Her body continued to swirl around, moving in different motions and positions as she brought up more water and willed them to stay in the air for as long as possible.
She had noticed his presence a while ago, yet she had done nothing to stop her surprisingly silent observer. She could feel as his eyes watched her every movement from the shadows and she wondered if he would stay in that position the whole time and be content with just watching. Though she wasn't upset about his watching since she knew that he couldn't see her features. He wouldn't know who she was or what she looked like, only that she was human.
Sakura's hands and body moved in fluid motions as she spun gracefully over the water. Spinning around faster, water started to form in a circle around her like a growing typhoon. It reached above her and formed a giant ball. Putting her chakra into it, she watched as the ball started to spin uncontrollably until exploding from the pressure. The water spilled over the sky, making it look like it was raining as she quickly made her way to the edge of the river.
Slipping on her clothes and her weapons, she felt another chakra signature making it's way to the area. Transforming back, she watched with careful eyes as Suigetsu made his way over to her, his facial expression being one she had never seen on the male's face before. His features were almost unreadable as he stopped and stared down at her. Not a moment later, the leader of the group walked into view, his expression stoic as always.
"Where did that chakra come from?" he asked.
Silence met him for a moment before the water ninja replied quietly. "Her."
Sakura tilted her head to the side to watch the Uchiha for his reaction. When she found none, the kunoichi wasn't surprised. His expression was emotionless as they watched each other. Every time he was around, Sakura would feel uncomfortable. She would always unconsciously put up her guard, like he would attack her at any given moment. But she knew he wouldn't since he didn't have a motive, and she could sense that he wouldn't take the time or effort to attend to her, to make sure she was out of harm's way, unlike the water nin in front of her. Sakura could sense the evil within him and it appeared he didn't care for anyone, he was dangerous to be around.
Sakura wasn't sure of how she would've reacted to the male if she hadn't mastered that animal jutsu and then ran into the Uchiha. Though she figured that she would've run up to him and did all she could for him to accept her, even if only a little bit. It was pathetic about how much she cared for him and how she was willing to throw everything aside for him. That was another reason why she was grateful for the animal jutsu, her instincts had immediately told her to back off. The kunoichi wasn't so focused on love and compassion anymore, she was looking for survival and strength.
Looking away from the cold male, Sakura began to walk away and back towards the campsite, her stride graceful and strong.
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