oOoO oOoO oOoO Tomatoes OoOo OoOo oOoO
oOoO oOoO and OoOo OoOo
OoOo Cherries oOoO
Chapter 1
Rays filtered through the blue curtains on the window, illuminating dust particles until the strands of light hit the ground. The starch white room and its similarly colored furniture, were dimly lit. Night still crept in some corners.
The scene was oddly peaceful, with muffled melodies of birds and a sleepy stillness; however, movement interrupted the tranquility, as a woman entered the room.
She was old and large, with hips that barely fit through the doorway. Her wrinkled skin and round cheeks squished her eyes shut, only revealing a part of her chocolate brown pupils.
Her gray hair was tied back into a characteristic tight bun, which was held together by two ivory chopsticks. Azumi was the color of coffee, but she often gave off the aroma of tea because of the sprigs of herbs she kept hidden in her clothes.
The old lady didn't walk, she hobbled to places, small and stumpy legs were tired and overworked. Yet, surprisingly, Azumi was once young and quite the trouble maker. Her lack of attention in school and single lifestyle, resulted in a job she would never quit. After all, being hired as a full time caretaker forms certain bonds that could not be severed.
There was something comforting about Azumi, a huggable sort of aura, with warmth and softness that seemed to affect everyone. She was caring, affectionate, and skilled in the art of home beauty care.
Currently the brown eyes lady was pulling apart light blue curtains. Her wrinkled hand un-hooked the small lock on the window, swinging it open, and allowing the fresh air to enter.
Azumi turned to the right, looking at the slumbering girl and shaking her head as Sakura continued to sleep, unaffected.
The old woman shuffled towards the bed, slowly sitting herself down upon it and leaning towards the child dosing in the middle. Her brown hand gently stroked the girl's hair, pulling pink strands out of her face.
"Sakura," Azumi said, in her soul filled voice. There was a thick accent that seemed to make the old lady even more amiable than possible.
Her hand shifted towards the girls shoulder, as she gently shook her, "Sakura-hime, you told me to wake you up early."
The girl's eyes drowsily opened, revealing green orbs that were still hazy with sleep. Sakura mumbled inchoate words, before turning over so her back was facing Azumi.
The old woman sighed and reached to shake the little girl again.
"Sakura, your sensei and training."
Suddenly, the little girl sat up causing the sheets to pool around her legs.
Her small head shot left, and then right, looking for the clock that would tell her the time. It was 8:40, and Sakura was supposed to meet Sasuke at around nine.
"Kami!" she exclaimed slapping a hand on her face.
Sakura pushed the white sheets aside and dropped down from the bed. Her bare feet met the cool, dark wooden floor and quickly worked to take her to the bathroom.
She grabbed a purple toothbrush from the cabinet underneath, and began to furiously brush, her eyes widening when she realized all that needed to be done.
"Obaa-chan, my clothes, my clothes!" Sakura said with the tooth brush still in her mouth.
The little girl bounced while brushing her teeth, the matching pink pajamas were wrinkled and her hair was a fuzzy mess.
Azumi sighed, moving slowly towards the white closet and pulling out a green dress. Sakura quickly spat into the sink, using her hand to cup some water and rinse the toothpaste from her mouth.
She turned around and pushed her pink strands back, "No, Obaa-chan! No! I need training clothes the one Otou-san got me."
Azumi raised a gray eyebrow, before complying with the little girl's wish. She went to a chest of drawers and bent down to the one at the very bottom, pulling out black leggings and a blue top that had slits on the sleeves.
With a brief thank you, the outfit was snatched from the old lady, and quickly changed into.
Sakura was then immediately grabbed by Azumi, "Obaa-chan! I'll be late."
The little girl pouted, as the care taker combed through her tangles. Azumi then took a red ribbon and tied back Sakura's bangs; the piece of silk was a gift from her real Obaa-san back in the village.
As soon as Azumi let her go, Sakura dashed out to wear her ninja sandals. The old lady rushed behind, looking strangely like a penguin as she tried to stop Sakura from leaving.
"Sakura, where are you going? I won't let you leave before you eat something." Azumi scolded, as she lifted a finger. Sakura sighed standing back.
"Obaa-chan I told you a hundred times, Sasuke-kun is my new sensei and he's really good. He said that he'll train me so that I'll become as good as Otou-san," Sakura said, "and I can't eat, I'm already late!" She looked at Azumi's disapproving gaze.
"No eat, and then go," The little girl opened her mouth to complain, but she was cut off by the woman's voice, "At least take a sweet bun and you forgot your bento box," Azumi chided.
Sakura's eyes widened, she had almost forgotten her part of the deal! Nodding she waited patiently for Azumi to return with the goods.
Sakura grabbed the sweet bun in her left hand, and the bento box in her right, going on her tippy-toes to give the bent lady a quick peck on the cheek.
The pink haired girl turned in the entryway, preparing to leave, however, she was stopped once again by the old woman.
"Sakura, this boy, he doesn't happen to be Sasuke, as in Uchiha Sasuke?" Sakura tilted her head back, giving Azumi a clear view of the girl's large forehead.
Sakura nodded and skipped out the door, oblivious of Azumi's worried expression.
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A pink haired girl ran through the colorful streets of Konoha. Blue and purple awnings were opened, providing shade that would be greatly appreciated by midday.
There were a few children on the streets, most of them were little and clinging onto their mother's hands. Women seemed to be omnipresent in the market place, carrying big bags filled with groceries and goods. Sakura dodged another person as she continued to run.
For the past few days they had been meeting at the Uchiha compound's private training ground; private, private training ground as Sasuke-kun had put it, because it belonged to his family.
Unlucky for her, the compound was far away from her house, at least a twenty minute walk, fifteen minutes, maybe, if she ran fast enough.
Training was extremely difficult, Sasuke-kun had made her run around in circles and do at least a million jumping jacks.
By the time they were done, she would be exhausted and greatly considering backing out of their deal. However, Sasuke had assured her that in a few more days doing this routine would be easy.
Sakura felt a drops of water hit her face, and she looked to her left, barely identifying its source as she sped by it. A little girl with blonde hair was shaking red tulips, which had been previously emerged in cool water.
She turned right, into a long alleyway between two buildings. It was a short cut that should get her to the compound without having to go all the way around. She ran through the passage, scrunching her nose at the pungent smell of unknown substances, but then slowed down to a walk, the bento box in her left hand bumped against her leg and suddenly felt heavy.
There was a loud clatter from behind her, as a few garbage cans tumbled down on the ground. Booming laughter followed after, and it was then, in the middle of the dingy alleyway, did Sakura realize exactly who was there.
It was the group of boys, the ones who had been bullying her for the past couple of weeks. They were only a few feet behind her, yet they had yet to notice the girl.
Sakura began to cower, trying to blend into the shadows. Her dark outfit made it easy, but her bright hair and glossy ribbon stood out when she crossed a patch of light.
"Hey, it's Sakura-chan," one of the boys screamed, roughly nudging his friend next to him. The other boy looked up at her.
"And look, she's got food!" he said pointing to the bento box.
Sakura looked down at her hand, and frowned. She had made that food for Sasuke-kun! There was no way she would let the bullies take it away from her. Sakura turned and began to run, if she could reach the compound before the boys got her, she would be safe.
She steeled her resolve and wiped away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. Sakura thought of hiding out in the crowded streets, but decided against it, in fear of being late for her training session.
With a plan in her head she ran towards the Uchiha compound, as fast as her little legs could take her. The patting sound of her feet was hidden behind the noises of the bazaar.
When she entered a familiar street, her tired body slowing down to a stop. Sakura looked over her shoulder for the bullies, noticing that they were gone. Her breathes were coming out in puffs, mostly out of unease, as she walked through the last main market of Konoha.
Her green orbs admired the venders around her. Odd shadows stretched on the streets and walls, and there were many different smells mixed in the air: perfume, baked goods, and sweet fruits. Rickety wooden carts contained bright trinkets and small objects, attracting the attention of others.
She stopped in front of a particular cart, where a loud woman was haggling away with a merchant. Both stubborn people would not agree on the price for a pretty necklace.
In the end, the vendor won, causing the woman to snap at the man, before dragging her brown haired son away. The little boy sighed and rolled his lazy brown eyes, mumbling something underneath his breath.
Sakura strode quickly now, determined to reach her destination. She left the streets of downtown Konoha, and begun to follow an acquainted dirt path that was surrounded by trees. In front of her, she could see the blurred lines of the Uchiha compound; a village in itself, just for one clan.
The first time she had come here, Sasuke-kun had showed her around the inside. His pride over flowing as he pointed out various landmarks and was greeted by many people.
Everyone seemed to adore him, especially the younger Uchiha girls who flocked around him, completely ignoring Sakura. One of the older girls, who seemed less keen on gaining Sasuke's attention smiled at her.
"What's your name?" She asked, her dark strands were lighter than the rest of the Uchihas, maybe even a dark brown; however, she still had the same inky eyes.
"Sakura, what's yours?"
"My name is Cho," she grinned, her eyes squinting, "You have a pretty name."
Sakura blushed and smiled back at her, complimenting the girls name as well. They walked in silence for a few moments, watching as the younger girls kept tugging on Sasuke's shirt.
"So, I guess you're not a fangirl then," Cho said, looking at Sakura. The pink haired girl's head tilted, she had no idea what a fangirl was.
"What's that?" She asked innocently. Did it have to do with fans? Maybe those girls were actually performers!
"You don't know!" Cho said dramatically, "They're… well it's hard to explain. They're girls that obsess, you know what that means right?"
Sakura nodded, "Okay good, well they're girls that obsess over things, like right now they're obsessing over Sasuke because they all want to marry him," she said ominously.
Sakura's face flooded with shock, "Marry Sasuke-kun! Why?" Cho shrugged, and lifted her arms to stretch.
"Because he's the head's son, if Itachi-san, Sasuke's older brother, doesn't become head then Sasuke will be next in line," she explained.
"Look, Sakura-chan," she said pointing at a little girl in front, "that's my little sister, she's around your age, crazy I tell you."
She stopped turning to face Sakura, Cho clasped her hands together and brought it to her heart.
"I love Sasuke-kun," she said in a high voice, "We're going to get married and have ten children! We'll live in the Uchiha compound, forever and ever and ever! "
Sakura laughed, at the goofy girl who grinned back. They began to walk again, silence returning before Sakura spoke.
"Well, if you don't like Sasuke-kun, then who do you like?" Cho blushed and chuckled.
"You can't just ask someone who they like after meeting them," the Uchiha sighed, "I guess it doesn't matter since you don't know him, he's one of Sasuke's cousins. My fifth cousin, but then again every Uchiha is related," she said scrunching up her face, "too much inbreeding"
Sakura nodded even though she had no idea what Cho meant.
"But at least you can tell me his nam-"
Her wrist was abruptly grabbed by Sasuke as he dragged her away from the crowd. Sakura looked back to wave at Cho, who waved back, yelling something she couldn't hear.
"I was looking for you," he said, turning towards her with a slight pout, "There were so many girls, that I couldn't find you, but then I saw your pink hair."
Currently, the green eyes child looked obediently to her left, looking for the road that Sasuke had pointed out that day.
Trees stood, towering over her, their green leaves shining like emeralds in the sunlight. There was a break in the foliage, made for the very path Sakura had been looking. She peeped in, before running down the bumpy dirt trail.
The pathway opened up to a large clearing, with various training equipment splayed around. The area did not have a lot of grass, obviously because of the vigorous exercises that occurred here. However, Sakura ran past it, reaching a different, smaller training ground where she looked around for Sasuke. After a few minutes the little girl huffed, sitting down against a tree and putting her bento box to her left.
Sakura closed her eyes and began thinking about the book she had picked up yesterday. After training with Sasuke-kun she had ran to a little ninja store, located at the corner of a street. It was run by an old woman, who had a fluff of white hair kept in a top knot and kind gray eyes.
When Sakura had gone there in the morning, the old lady had just opened the store up. The little girl immediately explained the situation, and how she was looking for a book which explained shinobi basics. The store owner understood and handed Sakura an old manual, with dusty smelling pages.
"It used to belong to another customer of mine," the woman had said, "She gave it back to me after learning it all up. Took her a week. She's quite famous now, you know. Maybe you'll be like her."
Sakura had started to read the manual last night, it was extremely challenging. Most of the explanations made sense after she had learned the definition of each term. By the time she was ushered to bed, she had finished almost one-fourth of the b-
A hand gently tapped Sakura's right shoulder, causing the little girl to turn to the right. Her green orbs were met with black, but not the onyx of her Sasuke-kun, more mischievous ones.
"Finally, found you," the bully said. Sakura's eyes widened immediately, and she got up on her feet preparing to run.
"Not so fast," the brown haired boy grabbed her hair preventing any movement.
He pulled painfully at Sakura's pink strands, twisting it so she would spin around. There were other three other boys behind this one, laughing at the little girl.
"Sho don't pull her hair so hard! It'll all come out and make her ugly forehead bigger!" The boys all laughed obnoxiously at the bad joke, the leader grabbing Sakura's hair smiled wickedly.
"Why'd you run away from us back there?" Sho asked, pushing the little girl. Sakura closed her eyes, as her knees and palms scraped against some rocks. She refused to let those bullies see her cry.
As if reading her thoughts, the dark haired boy bent down to come face to face with her. Grabbing her chin in his hand, and roughly moved it so she faced him.
"Aw, Sakura-chan are you going to cry?" he said mockingly.
The boys behind him dutifully snickered, "Of course she is," one of them said, "pink hair, large forehead, and now crying! She's such a freak!"
The other boys all shouted in agreement, repeating the word over and over again. Their shoes scraped the dirt ground, as they continued to laugh and come up with new jokes and insults.
"You're a weirdo, an outcast!" Sho said angrily, "You don't belong in Konoha, get out!"
It was true, she didn't belong in his Konoha; different was not accepted, that's what his parents had always told him. There was nothing wrong with what he was doing. T
he dark haired boy pushed the girl again, sending her completely flat on the ground. Her cheek scraped the side, before she got back up on all fours and went to stand up again. Her face was streaked with tears, and her ninja clothes dirty.
"N-no!" Sakura started, "I have friends!" All the boys looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out in loud laughter.
His brown hair was an angry mess and his eyes slightly confused, it was the first time she had talked back to him, and he wasn't going to let it go.
Sho shook his head and grabbed the girl's wrist tightly pulling him towards him. "Oh ya, like who?"
"I am," a new voice said behind them.
Everyone stilled before the group parted, allowing their leader to see the intruder.
A little boy of seven stood, with a canvas bag slung along his shoulders, his small body stood proudly; his onyx eyes were narrowed at the boy who held Sakura's wrist.
"Who are you?" Sho snapped.
"I'm Uchiha… Uchiha Sasuke. What are you doing on my property?" he asked crossing his arms.
All the other children's eyes widened mumbling to each other, before Sho quieted them down with his voice.
"This girl," Sho began, tugging Sakura closer to him, "was intruding on your property, so I came to stop her."
It was a good enough excuse. The Uchiha clan were ninjas, while this little thing was most definitely a civilian.
"No, I invited her, you're the only intruder. I want you to leave or I'll call Itachi Nii-san."
The boys may not have heard of him, but they most definitely have heard the name Uchiha Itachi. There was no way in kami that any one in Konoha didn't know who he was.
Sho hid his surprise, and let go of Sakura's wrist, without glancing at her. He didn't want to push the annoying boy any further. It wasn't the arrogant shrimp nor the threat of his dangerous brother that scared Sho, it was the boy's family.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he walked up to Sasuke and crouched down so they at were eye-level.
"You're lucky you're from an affluent clan." The other boys followed their retreating leader into the woods.
Sasuke shifted awkwardly after the boys left, unsure of what to do. If he had been a bit early, Sakura would have never gotten hurt, but his mom had insisted that he eat before leaving, forcing him to comply.
The pink haired girl who stood in front of him rubbed her eyes trying to stop herself from crying. Sasuke glanced at her, quickly noting the large abrasions on her knees and the scratch on her cheek.
"Sakura," he began, looking somewhere in the corner, "Are you okay?"
She nodded as a reply.
Honestly, he had been a bit frightened by the older boys as well, they were intimidating, tall with deep voices. Luckily he had remembered his Nii-san's advice about appearance and quickly toughened up.
Sasuke looked at her painful scratches, feeling uncomfortable. "Why were they bullying you in the first place?"
Sakura looked up and began to loudly sob. Sasuke inwardly panicked, so far he had made her cry twice by saying something stupid.
He glanced around making sure no one was looking. Trying to fix his error, he shuffled towards Sakura and patted her shoulder strangely, refusing to look at the girl in front of him. His intention had been to give her a quick pat on the shoulder, which would magically stop her crying and they could start training. However, she had other plans.
There were only a few women in the world who were allowed to hug him. First came his mother, then Obaa-san, and sometimes Itachi's friend, because she was pretty. So when Sakura had wrapped her arms around his tiny body and began to sob into the crook of his neck, he was dazed.
His arms were stuck numbly on his side, and he stood awkwardly like a plank. He tried to move his shoulders, to loosen her death grip. It didn't work.
After a few seconds, he finally gave in, blushing slightly as he returned the hug less intensely. No one better have seen them otherwise he would probably die from embarrassment. He hoped Sakura would let go now, but instead she began to talk.
"They called me a freak, because I have pink hair and a large forehead. And they told me to leave Konoha" Sakura said in between sobs.
Sasuke almost nodded at what she said.
It was true, when the little boy had seen Sakura the first time, he had been a bit peeved by her bright pink hair and large forehead. But, after getting to know her better, he got used to her unusual features and even thought that she might be, a tiny, tiny, tiny tiny bit pretty. But he would never tell her that.
"I think you look ok." Sasuke said mumbling, his face tinting red.
It was the first time he had complimented someone of the opposite gender, not including his mother. 'Ok' was as far as he would ever go.
"Really?" Sakura said, smiling.
She let go of Sasuke, who was grateful for the freedom; he took a deep breath of air and sighed. Sakura wiped her face with the back of her hand, removing tear streaks from her cheeks. She looked down at the ground for a bit, before glancing at Sasuke, and looking down again.
The dark haired boy stared at Sakura, slightly confused. The little girl blushed and looked up uncertainly, "Do you, did you mean it when you said we're friends?"
Sasuke hesitated, he really had just that at the whim of the moment. It was hard to become friends in a few days, especially since it was him. He looked at her scratches, he really didn't want to see her cry again, so he just nodded.
Amazingly, Sakura's face completely brightened up, as if nothing had ever happened. "Really Sasuke-kun?"
She exclaimed jumping up and clapping her hands together. He nodded again, slightly irked.
Sakura laughed, "We'll be the bestest of best friends!" she pounced on him and giving him a bone crushing hug.
The little boy tumbled backwards, holding on to Sakura as they both fell on the ground.
Sakura giggled at Sasuke's face before getting off of him and sitting by his side. The black haired boy grumbled, his elbows hurt from the fall and he was pretty sure that the back of his clothes were dirty. Sulking, he crossed his arms and pouted, turning his face away.
They sat side by side in silence, before Sakura began to talk.
"Sasuke-kun?" she asked sweetly, turning her face towards him. Sasuke's eyes drifted towards her scratch, and then to her green orbs, before looking away.
"What?" he asked sullenly, his dark ruffled dark strands swayed as a breeze passed by. He trained his gaze at the bento box sitting innocently next the tree, the purple cloth was even darker under the shadows.
"What does affluent mean? Sho said you belonged to an affluent clan," Sakura asked slightly confused. Sasuke looked up and scrunched his face, remembering exactly what the bully had said.
He shrugged his shoulders, and picked up a stick that was next to his legs. "I think it has something to do with the flu."
"Oh, I get it! Your clan is affluent, it can protect against getting sick. A- flu-end!" Sasuke nodded in agreement, it made sense. His family was the best in Konoha, so they could obviously could prevent getting sick.
"Oh-ho, what do we have here" a playful voice said above them.
Two teenage boys dropped down from the trees, wearing dark shinobi clothing and pride fully displaying leaf headbands. Their inky eyes examined the scene in front of them, one with a small smile, and the other with a mischievous grin. They looked at the little girl who had turned to face them, the only real pigment among the four, quickly noticing the scratches on her body.
"Ni-san!" Sasuke exclaimed jumping up to stand in front of him.
The older boy ruffled Sasuke's hair, and kneeled in front of him. Sasuke looked excitedly at his brother, glad he was finally home. Itachi's mission had been extended by almost two weeks, the situation was more severe than earlier thought. Sakura got up too, and came to stand a little behind Sasuke. She shyly shifted from side to side as she looked up at the boys in front of her.
"Hey, you little brat, no hi for you cousin!" The other boy said.
Shisui's wavy short black hair moved as he bent down to look at the two little kids, especially the one he hadn't seen before. If the rumors were true, this new inhabitant of Konoha was the heir of a certain teammate of Itachi. He glanced up at the other teenager, sharing a quick look.
"Ohayo, itoko" Sasuke said grumpily, Shisui rolled his eyes at his sulky little cousin. Sasuke was too much of an Uchiha.
"You look just like Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, surprising everyone. Her shyness had unexpectedly disappeared as she came closer to Itachi. "Except you're a lot older and look tired"
Shisui laughed, and nudged Itachi, "This is what you get for inheriting your father's eye lines." Itachi frowned at the disrespectful comment, before turning to the girl in front of him.
"You never told us your name hime," Shisui said smiling, as Sakura blushed at the nickname, her shyness returning. Sasuke who stood watching the sudden attention given to his companion, pouted.
"Her name is Sakura" He said unhappily, crossing his arms and turning his face upwards, "and she's my student" Sasuke glanced at the little girl from the corner of his eyes, "… and my friend," he added in a mumble.
Sakura smiled brightly, "Yup! Sasuke-kun is going to train me so I can be just as good as Otou-san!"
Itachi and Shisui shared another look, their theories having been confirmed. The slightly detached, aloof, but undoubtedly powerful ninja was most definitely Sakura's father.
"So Sakura, I hope it wasn't training that got you injured," Itachi said disapprovingly, he looked at Sasuke with steady dark eyes "and I most certainly hope it wasn't my younger brother"
"Oh no!" Sakura exclaimed, "Sasuke-kun saved me! He's just like those knights from fairytales!" The dark haired boy flushed at the comparison turning away with his cheeks red. He had been embarrassed way too many times today.
"Saved you from what?" Shisui asked, using a kunai to pick at his nails.
Sasuke answered for her, "A bunch of civilian boys. They were teasing her about her pink hair and forehead," he said pointing at Sakura's face. The little girl watched him with big doey eyes, causing him to look away.
"They were bullying you hime?" Shisui said, his face contorting slightly. He stared at Sakura understanding the strangeness of her appearance, he honestly had no idea how her hair could have ended up that way. Her mother must have been a red head.
"Ya," Sakura said, punching her fist up in the air, "They were meanies, but when I become stronger I'm going to make them say sorry to me!" She had a tough expression on her face, completely opposite from what she had with the bullies.
Shisui laughed and ruffled the little girl's hair, "It was nice meeting you Sakura, but alas," he said dramatically, putting a hand to his heart "I must leave you all, the mission report won't file itself!" He smacked the back of the back of Sasuke's head, before disappearing in a poof.
The little boy frowned, turning to retaliate only to notice his annoying cousin was gone. His attention was quickly switched to Itachi, who had placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder.
"Do you know the name of those boys?" Itachi asked, his dark pools scrutinizing Sakura's wounds. The little girl nodded her head.
"Ya, I think one of them is Sho. His eyes are the same colors as yours, but he has brown hair," Sakura said tilting her head.
Itachi nodded, "Sit by the tree so I can heal you." He lightly nudging Sakura to the spot behind her. The girl followed his instructions and walked over, plopping down next to her bento box.
Itachi kneeled in front, his hands glowed a light green, before he moved up to her knee healing the scratches; the wounds stopped bleeding, but didn't completely close up. His hands moved up to her face, gently cupping her cheek. Sakura's eyes widened at the amazingness of the whole display, Onii-san had completely healed her! As the older boys hand began to retreat, Sakura quickly grabbed it and brought it up to her face.
"That was amazing! How did you do that? I don't see any lights in your hand," Sakura's face scrunched. The dark haired teenager smiled and removed his hand from Sakura's, and placed it on her head.
"It's an extremely basic healing jutsu that every anbu knows, mostly to prevent infections and such," Itachi recited, remembering something else, "There are many other intricate ones, which require precise chakra control. One of the legendary Sanin of Konoha is the best medic in the whole Shinobi world."
Sakura nodded under the weight of Itachi's hand, "Then I want to be a medic too! So, I can protect Sasuke-kun just like he protected me!" She said excitedly, "Oh and don't worry Onii-san I'll heal you too!" She smiled patting his head, just like he had done.
Itachi chuckled, "I am grateful for that Sakura," he said looking at his brother, "Help from friends, especially teammates is never a bad thing." The little boy huffed and crossed his arms.
"I know Nii-san! You always say that," Sasuke said forlornly.
The boy's face suddenly brightened up as an idea popped in his head, "Nii-san since you're not doing anything, can you help me train!" the dark haired boy said, quickly adding "and Sakura too, I guess."
Itachi look steadily at his brother. The older boy wanted nothing more than to go home and rest, this mission had taken almost everything out of him. They had been ambushed, had gotten lost and not to mention, one of their teammates had been killed. He sighed standing up, the desire to see his brother grow stronger over ruled all fatigue. Itachi smiled motioning both of them to come out in the middle of the training ground.
The Sasuke and Sakura ran excitedly to where Itachi had pointed to, standing in front of him with eager eyes. The older boy almost laughed, the two of them looked like excited puppies.
"Well, today we're going to work on some of the basics. There are three main forms of Justus. Do you know them?" Sakura raised her hand, Itachi smiled and nodded to her.
"Well," she said counting off with her fingers, "There's taijutsu, which is fist fighting and use of weaponry, genjutsu which has to do with illusions for attack and defense and ninjutsu which is basically everything else."
"Good job, Sakura" Itachi said.
"Today," he continued, "We'll practice using a shuriken and a kunai." Sasuke suddenly perked up, he had been practicing with those for a few days and had pretty good aim. Sakura raised her hand.
"Umm Onii-san? I don't know how to use a shuriken or a kunai," She said doubtfully the weapons seemed pointy and painful, she didn't want to get hurt. Sasuke looked at her and smiled proudly.
"I'll teach you Sakura" He said taking the kunai from Itachi, and handing it to her, "Nii-san see I'll teach her everything you taught me!"
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By the time they were done, Sakura's arms felt like jelly, but she had most certainly improved. Itachi had insisted that they should learn how to use both their hands to throw.
She had been hesitant to do so, because she was right handed and could barely hit the target already; however, it turns out she wasn't too bad. Sasuke, on the other hand, was amazing, he could hit the target dead on with both hands, almost never missing.
During this whole time, Itachi observed his little brother train, specifically his bandaged hands. Today, when he had gotten back from his mission, his mother had told him about how Sasuke had learned the Fireball jutsu. Itachi had been furious at his father, who had obviously caused the boy to learn it.
Poor Sasuke had practiced feverishly, only to receive a good job and a pat on his back. Why did their father have to be so stoic? All Sasuke had ever wanted was his approval even if it meant turning into someone he wasn't.
A ninja clad in black had popped out of nowhere, telling Itachi that he had been summoned by the Hokage. Before leaving, the older boy had handed both them a few kunais and shuriken to keep and use for throwing practice tomorrow. Sasuke protested, saying that he wanted to continue training, but Itachi sternly disagreed putting Sakura in charge of Sasuke's food and rest.
Currently the two little kids leaned against the tree, with a now empty box happily sitting by them. Birds chirped, hopping around on branches and singing merrily out loud.
Sakura felt a bit drowsy after the long practice, while Sasuke sat quietly, unmoving. Her head drooped all the way, almost falling down to the side before she quickly sat back up. Sasuke scoffed and grabbed the bento box, standing abruptly and walking away. Sakura looked up at him, pushing herself off the ground to follow his lead.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked confused, trailing behind. Her energy suddenly regenerated and she jumped next to him, tugging on his dark blue sleeve, "Where are we going?"
"Home," he answered, turning to look at her, "I'm walking you home, I mean." Sakura twisted her face in confusion, "You're tired, plus the boys can't bully you if you're with me," he explained, red tinting his cheeks
"Oh Sasuke-kun, you're so sweet!" she exclaimed smiling, grabbing on to his hand and pulling it, "But I don't want to go home, let's go to the park and play!"
Sasuke protested, but the surprisingly strong girl pulled him, causing him to stumble as he tried to keep up.
They were able to easily slip by the streets of the market place; most of the people had gone to work or returned home. A lot of the merchandise had reduced in size, especially the fruits and vegetables. Vendors were counting up their earnings, recording it in small books and tallying up their sales. In the corner, a group of loud boys were causing quite a ruckus. Specifically, a blonde haired one, who was jumping up and down and waving a stick in the air.
Blue eyes caught sight of them, pushing through the boys to run towards them. Sasuke seemed to notice this and stopped, causing Sakura to fall back with him. Her eyes widening at the sight of the blonde boy, he was the one Otou-san had wanted her to meet.
"Sasuke-teme!" The dark haired boy winced at the nickname, looking at Sakura to see if she heard. She did, and giggled slightly as she looked at him.
"Sasuke-teme?" Sakura said quietly, poking his shoulder.
Sasuke realized they were still holding hands, and quickly pulled away, hoping Naruto hadn't seen; however, the blonde was his oblivious self, noticing nothing. He came to stop in front of them and stuck his tongue out.
"I haven't seen you for days!" Naruto said, lifting his hands in the air and waving them dramatically, "I've been training , you know and I'm super strong! Believe it! I could probably destroy a hundred clones in just one kick," he pumped his hand in the air while jumping. Sasuke rolled his eyes, while Sakura laughed.
"You're funny," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. She blushed, now aware that she had talked to a complete stranger.
Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at her and pointed, "Heeey! It's pink!" He screamed.
The little girl had a mixed expression on her face, Sasuke prayed she wouldn't cry and quickly punched Naruto in the arm.
"Shut up, dobe," the Uchiha grumbled, but the blonde haired boy stuck his tongue out again before moving towards Sakura.
He grabbed a piece of her hair, and brought his face closer to inspect it. Nodding his head, he moved back.
"Yup, it's really pretty! Just like mom's hair, she has red hair you know?" Naruto grinned at Sakura, whose face turned a bright red. Sasuke frowned, grabbing Sakura's hand to drag her away, Naruto was being annoying.
"Hey! Wait!" the blonde yelled running up to the both of them. "You never told me your name!"
"It's Sakura, now we're leaving," Sasuke spoke as he continued to move forward, pushing past Naruto.
"Hold on a second, teme!" Naruto shouted desperately, trying to get them to stop.
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan," He said pulling on the little girl's hand, Sakura helplessly stumbled backwards at Naruto's strong grip, "Do you want to play with us?" Naruto asked motioning to the group of boys.
Sakura shook her head, she didn't want to play with so many people, especially boys she didn't know.
"Gomen, Naruto but we're going to play at the park, you can come with us if you like." The blonde nodded, asking Sakura and Sasuke to wait while he went to tell the rest he was leaving.
Sasuke frowned, "Why did you have to invite him."
He and Naruto had been friends for a long time, mostly because of their parents who apparently knew each other since genin days. The boys had played with each other when they were younger, developing a healthy rivalry that would most certainly continue for a long time.
"Why? I like him he's really nice and funny!" she smiled, "Aren't you both friends?" Sasuke shrugged, and looked at the approaching boy.
"Okay! Let's go!"
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By the time they were done playing, the sky had started to get dark. It was around six in the afternoon and Konoha was crowded again. Couples walked hand in hand to different restaurants and bars, while some children ran along the streets, pushing through citizens. Red lanterns were lit around the shops, and the yellow street lights competed with the setting sun.
Sasuke had insisted that he walk her home, in order to wade off any bullies; however, Sakura convinced him that she would be fine, especially since she was going half the way with Naruto. The two chattered while they walked, discussing meaningless things from ninjas to new movies. They both stopped at an intersection where a cobbled road led to the Namikaze compound.
"See that! I live there with my parents, you should come sometime Sakura, I'm sure mom would love to see your hair!"
He grinned and gave her a big hug before running down the street, she laughed and continued to walk home.
Sakura kicked small pebbles that lay intermittent on the road. Her house was located at the end of the street, it was a traditional and simple one storied building, just as she liked it.
Turning left, she entered the front courtyard, which had a pink Sakura tree on one side and a tiny pond at its foot. Brightly colored koi fish swam excitedly, hungry for food as they came to the surface, greedily opening their mouths. Sakura's giggle turned into a squeal as a bread crumb went flying next to her ear, landing perfectly in front of the fishes. She turned around,
"Otou-san!"
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I just want to thank all the people who reviewed!
Sakura 6, Naruto 6, Sasuke 7
QUICK QUESTIONS
1. FIFA 2014 who are you supporting?
2. Do you suck at karaoke like I do?
(I was at a party, and let's just say my singing was so bad someone produced a whale noise out of laughter. It was so embarrassing lol, and I couldn't hear what I was saying because you have to put on these headphones on which blasted loud music!)