Oh yes. Chapter 2. I feel rather on a roll, despite project anxiety for school. This is probably because I spent more money than I should have on books yesterday, but it feels rather justified. Because it was books. So yeah. So, nothing in this chapter is really fast, it's slow like the last one. But the chuunin exams will come very soon. Like, next chapter or two, or possibly three. And then battles will happen, which is exciting, right? Anyways, I'm feeling like I'm actually doing something good with this story, and it will probably be really long. Which is also good. And now I'm babysitting. Adieu! Hope you enjoy a lot.
The room set aside for delegations was hot, it was loud, and Sakura had absolutely no fricking clue why she had to be there. Yes, she was one of Gaara's advisors. But it wasn't like she did anything. All the Suna and Konoha clan leaders were arguing amongst themselves. Glancing at the Konoha side of the table, she saw the Hyuugas looking even more blank-faced than usual and the Uchiha- Sasuke- playing with his hair. Ino was brushing her hair. Kakashi was reading.
Sakura was playing Hangman with Temari. Sakura was winning two to one, with Temari currently on her last letter and only having IOTI. The other blonde was looking deep in thought- Sakura saw a wrinkled council member smile approvingly at Temari, who now was sporting a rather glazed expression- but it wasn't as if Temari was concentrating hard on whether joint missions between Konoha and Suna ninja were a good idea. No, it was on whether she should guess something sensible, like L, or something insane, like X. (Technically, she needed the X, the L would result in her losing yet another game of Hangman. Sakura was very good at Hangman, rightfully so as Temari was always killing her in Tic Tac Toe battles. They had an established ritual and mindset during meetings.)
Sakura was also waiting for Temari to decide, tapping her pencil, and seriously wondering if she should put a genjutsu on Genma where he was continuously rejected by beautiful women, because if he didn't stop staring at her chest (not like there was much there to look at anyways, but whatever) she was going to attempt murder. And that would sully the relations between Konoha and Suna.
Never mind that she was only kinda sorta a Suna nin. She was going to confuse herself again.
"Hamada-san," one of the Suna councilmen said to her. "And your opinions on joint missions between our two villages would be?"
"Er," Sakura said, pretending that she had been paying attention, which she obviously had not. "Well. I think that they are an excellent idea, because they further unity between us and Konoha. Which is a good thing. It can help prevent conflict. And maybe bring in more clients?"
The councilman, a fat man named Yakusoru if she remembered correctly, nodded. "That is a good point, Hamada-san," he said. "Most concise in phrasing, too."
Bitch.
Sakura returned to playing Hangman with Temari, who had guessed three letters- all wrong- in the time that she had been attempting to speak. Yakusoru was continuing, but even Gaara and Tsunade didn't seem to give a damn and where engaged in a quick, whispered conversation.
"Yes, more clients will come," Yakusoru predicted. "If they can have the best ninja out of Suna and Konoha, we will be able to prosper!"
Shikamaru looked up from where he was making out with Ino. "Are we fairly prospering already?" he asked dryly. "Forgive me, Yakusoru-san, but it appears that since Gaara-sama came into position Suna has been finding economic success, and Konoha too." Yakusoru looked a little thrown.
"And you are?" he asked, his face resembling a fish.
"Nara Shikamaru," Shikamaru said. "Representing the Nara clan, obviously. My wife is representing the Yamanakas." He yawned.
"…right," Yakusoru said. He flipped through some papers in front of him. "Moving on then, shall we?" There was no response from the bored, sweaty shinobi. Temari had given up on defeating Sakura (the word was quixotic, and no one had guessed it yet) and was exchanging heated looks and pointed glances with Kiba. Sasuke had restyled his hair. Naruto was eating ramen. And Kakashi was still reading.
Gaara stood up.
Thank god.
"It has come to my attention that we might need a recess," he said. The people in the room visibly perked up. "Lunch has been provided in the room across the way," Gaara continued. "I shall lead the way with Tsunade-hime. Shall we?"
It appeared that everyone stood up at once. There was a moment as Tsunade and Gaara moved themselves to the front, then everyone poured out of the conference room. Sakura was vaguely pleased- and slightly scared- to see that Temari and Kiba were arm in arm. She sent a wicked grin at her friend, who smirked back.
Sakura still didn't get why it had to be Kiba.
She found herself standing next to Shikamaru and Ino again, the latter of which was looking like her extra twenty or so pounds of baby weight were pulling her down so much she'd faint.
"I think that I'm getting dehydrated," Ino said. "The baby is really pressing on my bladder, right? So-"
Shikamaru interrupted her. "As grateful as I and our parents are- well, maybe not your father- as grateful as we are that you are carrying the future of the Nara and Yamanaka clans in your womb, I don't think that Miyo-san needs to hear about it."
"Actually," Sakura said, "I like babies." Ino shot a Look at Shikamaru. "I have some pretty basic medic training, you see, so…"
Ino smiled and nodded. "I do too! But I can't check up on the baby myself, in case something goes wrong with my chakra control. Do you want to sit with us?" she asked.
"Well, who's us?" Sakura replied.
"A few friends."
She couldn't exactly turn down the request without being rude. But just incase, she pulled her chakra mask tighter. The swirling mass of chakra cocooned her more, and for a moment, she felt safe. Safer.
"Alright," she said. "Let's go get a seat, then. There are servers in the dining hall so the sooner we get there, the sooner we could eat." She wondered exactly which percentage of her friends were going to be sitting at that table. She wondered if Temari would be there to help with her cover. She wondered who would crack her chakra mask. She wondered if the food was good.
Sakura entered the hall.
It was packed in with various shinobi, all of them talking and laughing and eating loudly. Very loudly. She rolled her eyes, and noticed that Gaara was beckoning to her.
"I should go," she said to Ino. "Kazakage-sama appears to need me."
Ino nodded, her hands over her stomach. "Join us when you're done, alright?" Sakura smiled and nodded and hoped what Gaara wanted to talk to her about would take the better part of an hour, minimum. She headed through the crowd to where Gaara and Tsunade were sitting, a large amount of papers spread out in front of them, until she felt eyes on her back.
Neji was observing her calmly, no expression on his calm, pale face. He was tracking movements, apparently, and it seemed he was tracking the swirling of the chakra surrounding her.
Sakura quickened her pace to the table. She sat down on the chair across from the two Kage. Tsunade smiled tiredly at her, and in her eyes was a look Sakura had missed.
"Shishou," she said quietly, making sure that nobody could overhear. "Hello,"
"Sakura," Tsunade practically sighed in relief. "So you're alright. I almost didn't recognize you." Gaara let them reunite, and then pushed a paper in front of Sakura.
"Miyo," he said, brining Sakura and Tsunade back to Earth. "Here is the report from your last mission that was conducted as part of you-know-what." Tsunade pursed her lips.
"Who was sent with you again?"
"My brother, Kankuro," Gaara replied. "He and Temari alone know Miyo's true identity." They speaking so quietly and no one was eavesdropping, but Sakura was convinced that the group of ninja at the next table could hear them loud and clear. Which reminded her.
"Neji," she said. "Hyuuga. He was tracking my chakra mask earlier, the movements of it, I mean. I should talk to him. We can review the missions in a meeting later with Temari, since she is usually my partner on the ones that require that, right?" Tsunade looked indecisive, by glanced over at the Branch House heir. He was still looking intently at Sakura.
"That might be best," she said. "I don't think you have to worry about him telling anything, especially as it's classified S." Sakura got up to go over to where Neji was sitting, with Tenten and Lee, along with the Rookie Nine.
Shit, she thought again. It was rapidly becoming her most used word of the day.
She tapped Neji's shoulder, noting as an eyebrow went up at the sight of her.
"I'm Hamada Miyo," Sakura introduced herself. "Your Hokage has requested that we speak outside, if you wouldn't mind, Hyuuga-san?"
"Neji," he said, getting. Neji turned to the rest of the table, who were watching the two of them curiously. "I'll be back in a moment," he said, shrugging. Once that they were in the hall, Sakura parted her the layers of her mask. It took almost more control than she had to do this- but dropping the layers, peeling them away like an onion, that would result in destroying two years and then some of work.
"You know me, I think," she said. "Haruno Sakura. Tenten's friend, Naruto and Sasuke's student."
"As I suspected," Neji said coolly. "You're lucky that the only other Hyuuga in the hall was my cousin. And she's too busy fawning over Naruto and him doting on her. But don't count on that lasting forever."
"How did you guess?" Sakrua asked.
"Your eyes are the same shade," he said crisply. "And you're one of the only people in Konoha, and probably Suna, with the level of chakra control to hold that large and complex of a mask around you and only using as little of said chakra as you can. It's quite an impressive feat. Also, you've been away for two years, so I figured that you'd have something to hide."
"Right," Sakura said. "Tsunade-sama and Gaara-sama both know I'm telling you by the way, meaning that you're sworn to secrecy. Only two or three other people know. This mission that I'm on is extremely important."
"Espionage?"
"Yes," Sakura replied. "You should probably go back to eating now. Tell Shikamaru and Ino I'm still busy if they ask where I am. By the way, my name is still Miyo to you. Remember that." Neji nodded and left, and Sakura took to pacing up and down the halls. Neji, Tsunade, Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari knew about her new identity, as did Uotani Ren, a Suna ANB who had sent out on a fair number of missions as Sakura/Miyo's bodyguard, and that was all. That was enough, and it needed to stay that way. She sunk down the wall to slump on the floor, and dragged her fingers roughly through her hair, pulling on the knots until they hit the jagged ends and broke.
"You're being awfully rough on yourself there," a vaguely familiar voice said. More than vaguely familiar, actually. It was usually heard in conjunction with a silver-haired man holding a bright orange book.
Hatake Kakashi was looking down at her with a friendly expression on his masked face. Or, with a friendly expression in his one eye and eyebrow angle. Whatever.
"Having a bad day?" he offered. "I find large meetings boring too. That's why I'm late to all of them."
Sakura reacted the way that she was supposed to react.
"You're the Copy Ninja," she said. "The White Fang's son."
"Er, yes," Kakashi said. "But I prefer to be known by my name, no my father's nickname. If possible. And you are?"
Sakura had been craning her neck at a painful angle, and now she looked up at him. "Um, Hamada Miyo," she introduced herself. Haruno Sakura. "I'm an advisor to Gaara-sama and a jounin. And, that's all I guess. Yeah." I'm your ex-student and possible friend, apprentice to the Hokage, and a jounin. That not all, because I'm on a top secret S-class mission that involves spying and my having to be someone else indefinitely. And how are you this fine warm summer's day?
