If Sakura and Itachi had any possibility to be together in the manga, they would probably be my OTP. But that is nearly impossible now… how sad. Anyway, the current rating will be T, but that will probably bumped up to M in later chapters
Foolish BehaviorA calico cat darted from one alley way to another, crossing a young kunoichi's path. She was so exhausted from her shift at the hospital that the sudden movement from the animal barely even registered. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she scolded herself for not being as aware as a proper ninja should. But, right now, she was just too tired to care.
Fumbling for her keys, she stumbled haphazardly to her door, falling through as the lock turned. The pink-haired girl kicked the door shut, not bothering to lock it, and dragged herself off the floor, which took far more effort and time than it should have. The kunoichi flung her boots off and landed face first in bed. For the next twelve hours, she remained there, unmoving.
Light had already lost its morning glow and was beating heavily down on Konoha by the time Sakura stirred. She awoke in a muggy haze and soaked in sweat. The medic-nin felt as if she had just woken from a coma. Her body vaguely registered her commands to move, and it resulted in sloppy, awkward movements, at which her ninja friends would have openly laughed.
She had over done it again. Tsunade-sama was sure to yell at her, especially if she saw Sakura in this state. For the past few months, the Hokage had been teacher her student the chakra reserve jutsu that adorned the leader's forehead. She made Sakura swear to never use it except in dire emergencies because the strain it put on the body was too much for frequent use without serious repercussions. The trouble was Sakura was having a hard time understanding what constituted a "dire emergency". Every time someone came in late in her shift with a life-threatening injury, she would activate the seal.
It was not as if saving people's lives is what Tsunade frowned upon, but the damage it caused. In short, the release of the massive amount of chakra over-used her chakra channels. The results were muscle damage, nerve damage, exhaustion, and oxygen-deprivation. If she kept this up, she ould lose the ability to be a medic. And, eventually, it would kill her. She knew all this, but each time she saw someone dying in front of her, waiting for help never seemed good enough. The problem Sakura had currently arose from the fact that every time she used the Yin Seal, it took longer for her to recover. Today, she would probably be unable to move properly until afternoon. Sakura sighed and looked at the clock. The seven hours till sunset would be hot as hell.
In another part of the village, a man's heart monitor beeped at a slow but steady pace. He had yet to wake from the unconscious state in which he had arrived. The white walls and white sheets only served to make the man look paler than he already was in his anemic state. His black hair fanned behind his head stood out, a stark contrast to the room. Currently, the man looked delicate, fragile even, which was pretty much the opposite of his usual dominating and fearsome presence. Tsunade stomped into the hospital room with a clear scowl on her face.
According to his team, the man had behaved recklessly again, which pissed the Hokage off further. Apparently, he had engaged in a fight that was not the target of the operation, which was so unlike the attitude the Hokage knew and expected from him. When he awoke, he should praise the ground her apprentice walked on for pushing herself so far while saving his sorry ass. Tsunade ground her teeth, getting more and more angry at the two ninja. Not only had her apprentice used the jutsu she had instructed her not too, but the Anbu captain she had warned about foolish behavior was now in the ICU.
The gaping chest wound he was admitted with was now closed. Only a trivial pink scar that curved from just above his heart to the bottom of his ribcage remained, which would shrink and completely heal in time. His broken arm had been set and had begun healing from some chakra redirection, despite being shattered only hours earlier. The small other wounds Sakura had been unable to get to before her chakra ran out on her. Another medic had to take over from her during the procedure. Tsunade reasoned the suffering Sakura would be in was enough scolding for the time being. That and the fact she had been unable to finish the surgery would wound the girl's pride.
Tsunade could not understand just what was wrong with those two lately. All Sakura ever wanted to do was work, and all the Anbu leader wanted to do was get himself killed. Honestly, did these young ninjas even know how to relax? She supposed a mandatory vacation was in order for the Uchiha Anbu. But, she had no idea what to do about Sakura. Last time she tried to get the girl to take a break, the girl cried, thinking she had done something wrong. The Hokage found her surrogate daughter's pleas heartbreaking. No way was she doing that again. Tsunade supposed some sake would help clear her mind.