Flavor of life [AU]
Edited 08/02/2015
A/N: Hello old/new readers, I'm rewriting this story. The main plot will remain the same, I'm fixing little bits here and there and I will be posting regularly seeing that most of the story is already written. :) Thanks for your support and understanding.
After re-reading the letter for countless of times, she still couldn't quite believe it. She wondered what was going through Tsunade-shishou's head to put him of all people into her squad. A long suffering sigh escaped from her dry lips as she did not know what to think of the problem that she now seemed to have in her hands. Sasuke Uchiha was in her team under her supervision; for some strange reason she had an uneasy feeling clawing at her stomach that him coming to her squad was not going to end well. Why should it when he had been expelled from all the other teams? Groaning loudly, she kicked a small pebble. Why did this have to happen to her?!
She came to a sudden halt and stared down at the tall tombstone. A cold shiver rand up and down her spine as she stared at it. For a while she said nothing as her eyes watered up every time she looked at it.
"I'm so tired of pretending that I'm okay," she whispered at last. She stumbled forward and moved her hand across the cold stone, "I… I wish I could trade places…" a loud sob shook her entire body, "I know I'm selfish… I have so many people that love me and care for me and yet… I wish I could trade places…" she paused as tears now fell relentlessly, "I wish y-y-you were here… you would know the right thing to say…" she tried to smile but her failed miserably.
She slowly leaned her back against the stone and allowed her to slide down. She slowly pushed her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head in her arms.
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"Ehhh!? What!? Sasuke-teme is in your team? No way!" Naruto exclaimed dramatically. His mouth was wide open and Sakura winced at the sight of the food that he did not finish chewing properly.
"Yes, Sasuke is in my team," she said after a long sigh and quickly darted her gaze away from the loud chewing blond-haired boy, "I still have no idea what Tsunade-shishou was thinking. I did a little bit of investigating…" she paused and leaned forward, "Did you know that he keeps getting expelled from other ANBU teams due to misconduct?"
Naruto took a deep breath, "I did hear something about it. Hey, why don't you let me just talk to him? It's about time he stops with his bastardly arrogantly ways!" Naruto replied, in a low, fierce tone. Then he sighed and narrowed his eyes and pointed his chopsticks at Sakura, "Just let me know if he acts like a total ass. If he does…" Naruto grinned naughtily and winked at her, "I'll knock some sense into him… with my fists of course…"
Sakura rolled her eyes and leaned back on her chair, her emerald eyes set on the chopsticks, "Tche. Don't worry about it. I will be fine," she replied untruthfully, "and stop waving your chopsticks like that," she added as she put on her usual fake scowl.
Naruto glanced at her and grinned sheepishly, "Alright, alright…" he conceded, "I won't interfere." He said and watched as relief spread over his friend's features.
"So…" Sakura smiled softly, glad that she had the opportunity to change the subject, "How is Hinata?"
Sakura missed home. She missed Naruto the most. Ever since she joined the ANBU and was promoted to be a Captain, she was always busy with politics and missions. So whenever she was home she would always spend her time either with Naruto, Sai and Ino. It had been extremely hard at first; the whole adapting process to a whole new team; new people. Even though she had a new team, she could never forget the time she spent with her old team.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the contents of his food, "I don't know anymore…" he muttered quietly.
Sakura arched a surprised eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"I mean… just this morning, everything was fine. We had breakfast together and one minute we are laughing and chatting and then all of a sudden she starts crying! Claiming she didn't want the pancakes and wanted my cereals instead. So when I gave her my cereals, she pushed the bowl away and started to cry again and accused me of knowing nothing! She's just weird lately," he said and sighed deeply as he placed his chopsticks down.
There was a sudden explosion of choking and retching, plus a good deal of thumping. Sakura, after swallowing her food shot an incredulous look at Naruto. Holding her bottle of water, she couldn't help but to offer him a smile. Naruto had not changed one bit. He was still as clueless as ever.
"Haruno-san," a new mellow and pleasant voice echoed from behind her. Naruto scoffed and crossed his arms around his chest; an angry and disappointed look decorated his whiskered face.
"I'm sorry!" Sakura mouthed at her friend who rolled his eyes in sheer annoyance. Sakura sighed inwardly knowing that Naruto was upset that she had to leave again. She looked over her shoulder and stared at the tall ANBU bear-masked figure, "Yes?"
"The Hokage is requesting your immediate presence," the ANBU replied before disappearing into a mass of white smoke.
"Of course she does!" Sakura spat sarcastically. As much as she loved Tsunade-shishou, she was starting to lose her patience. She was growing tired of Tsunade's little games. It was quite obvious that placing Sasuke in Sakura's team had been done deliberately.
"That's not fair! You have just arrived! You can't possibly leave!" Naruto complained as he stood up at the same time as Sakura did.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I really am," Sakura said as she got hold of her purse, "But I promise I will make it up to you!"
Naruto let out a frustrated groan, "I just don't get it! Why did you even join the ANBU?! Is it because Sasuke-teme?!"
"Don't be silly, Naruto!" Sakura snapped and gave him a disapproving look, "You know perfectly well why I joined."
There was a resigned look on his face, "I know… but it's just that I can't stand to see you like this," Naruto held a hand up when Sakura was about to interrupt him, "I know you say that this is what you want and that you are fine with it but I'm not… you look miserable." He said quietly and looked quite uncomfortable.
Sakura's hand searched his and then she squeezed it affectionately.
"Idiot, I'm fine. I promise," she whispered and forced a smile, "Also I will make sure to be back in time to help Hinata with the baby!" she then flashed him a smile and let go of his hand as she started to walk away. She turned to look at him and waved one last time, before she was lost in the crowd.
Naruto blinked a couple of times wondering why on earth would Sakura want to help Hinata with the baby. What baby? Hinata didn't - oh wait… shit.
"Hey dickless,"
Naruto didn't move. He just continued to stare at the moving crowd.
"I'm going to be a father," Naruto said, his ears turning bright red.
Sai raised his eyebrows, his usual stiff expression quickly changed to a completely stunned one.
"I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER! HEY!" Naruto yelled, startling a few citizens as he ran up to them shaking them and laughing, "Me… a father can you actually believe it?!"
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Sakura stuffed her hands deeper into the pockets of her coat, tucking her chin into a fluffy dark green scarf as she wound her way through what was left of the early evening crowds of the main marketplace. The cold didn't really bother her, of course, but dressing for the weather was a convenient way to stay low profile when out around town.
The Market was still a subdued bustle of activity as the shopkeepers finished closing up their stalls, packing away their wares for another week. The air smelled pleasantly of pine, cinnamon, and incense, the streets awash in that feeling of conviviality that exists around the holidays. So many people each secure in their own safe little worlds, she thought, and I walk among them, a complete stranger that ensures their protection.
She shuddered, trying to banish the thought of the war massacre from her mind. She'd seen destruction before, and caused more than her share to be sure, but the war… the faces of the innocent people dying in front of her, dying in her hands, still haunted her. The endless whispers… always calling her weak was too much for her to handle.
Suddenly the faces around her began to take on darker shadows, their expressions menacing instead of merry. Everywhere she looked, they seemed to leer at her, sneering at her confusion. The crush of people was suffocating, the smells in the air cloying and thick. She needed to get out, needed to get away. Shoving past a young woman with an armload of flowers, she pushed out of the market onto the sidewalk.
A spattering of cold wind-blown rain whipped her coat around her knees as she forced herself to keep to a steady walk, and she held her eyes on the cracked sidewalk beneath her, willing the rest of the world to ignore the nondescript girl in the long coat. Thankfully, they did so – another desperate lost soul was hardly an uncommon sight in Southeast of the new rebuilt Konoha.
Eventually she looked up and surveyed her surroundings. Unbidden, her feet had carried her to the usual meeting point. Her green eyes stopped on the four individuals standing in front of her, a warm smile ready in their lips.
"Hey!" Sakura added with a fake cheerful tone as she walked up to them, "Sorry about this. We didn't even get to stay one day-"
"No problem boss!" Natsu, an orange-haired boy exclaimed enthusiastically, "Is it true boss?" he asked, straightening himself, while the others shifted uncomfortably, "is it true that the Uchiha will be joining us?"
Slightly taken back, Sakura hesitated, "Well… that's the Hokage's orders, so yes. He will be joining us."
"Really?" Makino, a dark-blue haired woman chimed in, her blue eyes sparkling with keenness, "Woah… Uchiha Sasuke!"
"Man…" Soujiro started with an exasperated tone, "This will be a pain in the ass. He was under my brother's squad and almost killed Hitoshi-san because according to the Uchiha, Hitoshi looked at him the wrong way."
Sakura looked at the bald man and faked a smile, "Maybe he really was provoked." She said, doubting her own words.
"How long are we going to stay here waiting for our highness to arrive?" Kenjiro, the sarcastic one asked after a long sigh.
"Yeah… I'm sure he did get the message." Natsu added, yawning loudly.
"All of us are here got it. So of course he also got the message." Soujiro interjected, his thin lips forming a subtle pout.
Sakura inhaled deeply. Things were about to get ugly. Her team, the 13th squad was known to be ruthless when it came to new members. When Sakura was promoted, replacing their previous captain that had decided to retire, none of them accepted the idea that easily. She had suffered her share, trying to make those four individuals to accept her.
"I'm sure he has almighty things that need to be taken care of before he leaves." Kenjiro said, smirking.
"Are you talking about the ugly red-haired girl? What's her name?" Natsu questioned, raising his eyebrows.
"Karin." Sakura replied at the same time she pulled her long hair into a firm ponytail. She clenched her jaw as her teammates carried on talking. Karin was a soft spot that Sakura still didn't learn how to deal with. The red-haired girl was one of the reasons why she decided to join the ANBU.
"Yeah that's it." Soujiro said, nodding, "A fantastic healer, they say."
"Ohhh, she's the one in charge of the hospital, isn't she?" Makino asked.
"Who cares?" Kenjiro intervened, "She's not even a leaf shinobi. Just 'cause she tagged along with the Uchiha, everyone accepted her just like that, no questions asked... 'bunch of idiots; all of 'em."
Sakura was still looking extremely uncomfortable when Kenjiro suddenly winked at her. She smiled softly. He had been the first to acknowledge her leading abilities and he acted like a second leader whenever she was not around. He was also the one who probably understood her the most.
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Sasuke looked down at the 13th squad files. He was quite impressed that Sakura had been able to lead such a team on her own. Every single captain that had been assigned to the 13th squad had resigned within the first month and yet Sakura had persisted for almost an entire year. He frowned as he looked at chart of successfully accomplished missions; they were the leading team for the third month in a row.
He sighed as he stood up and reached for his coat. He had not seen Sakura ever since she visited Naruto in the hospital shortly after the final battle. She merely wished him a fast recovery and that had been it. He had been expecting her to be all over him, making sure that he was being well taken care of but instead he found himself facing a completely changed Sakura. He had been expecting her to beg him to come back to team seven but she didn't. In fact, she never even mentioned it to Naruto either. He didn't know what to make of her anymore.
As he walked towards the door he stopped and took a good look at his reflection in the mirror. A groan escaped him and then he left his apartment, a feeling of an imminent doom taking over him as headed towards the meeting point.
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Light footsteps startled the small group. Sakura crossed her arms around her chest; her dark green scarf and pink hair flowing behind her. Her lips parted a little as she looked at Sasuke, taking notice of his new haircut. His long beautiful hair was gone. His new haircut sent cold shivers down her spine. She felt as if she was staring at the same Sasuke she saw years ago when he returned home.
Sasuke dark eyes stopped on each individual, his features showing no emotion or whatsoever. He eyed the short girl with blue hair. Utada Makino, a perfect killing machine. Specialized in martial arts, she was an expert with chakra control and handling all kind of weapons.
His gaze then stopped on the bald man, Hitori Soujiro. He was highly trained to track the enemy down. Soujiro possessed an excellent knowledge of all kind of geographic factors, people call him the Map.
Next, was Matsumoto Natsu. Sasuke clenched his jaw as he looked at the spiky orange-haired boy. He was the youngest ANBU member ever since his brother, Itachi. Natsu was a known prodigy that had the odd ability to penetrate the enemy mind, manipulating them, driving them to pure madness.
And at last, Tsukasa Kenjiro. Sasuke couldn't find any information on the latter.
"You're late." Sakura spoke, breaking the ice cold silence.
Sasuke darted his inquisitive gaze toward Sakura. Her arms were crossed around her chest, her green eyes staring intently at his. Nothing in her pale features gave away any possible emotion for him to read. Sasuke arched an amused eyebrow. Sakura had learned to mask her emotions well.
"I was busy… cutting my hair." Sasuke said, knowing his answer was nothing but a small mocking commentary to her previous order.
"Busy cutting his hair…" Natsu retorted, narrowing his eyes. "Is this guy for real?"
Sakura raised an elegant pink eyebrow. Her blank expression slowly dissipated away, a smile now clearly visible.
"It suits you," said Sakura quietly, and Sasuke shot her a look that was both furtive and challenging, "Ne, everyone. Please give Sasuke your belongings; he will be carrying them for us."
Sasuke straightened himself and caught with ease the heavy backpack that was thrown at him from his left. His dark eyes never once faltered from her captivating furious ones.
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He ran along, avoiding with ease the thorny branches. His red eyes stared straight ahead, locked on the five figures. They ran with ease, the weight of their belongings gone. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and had to think to himself over and over again that it was just for six months and then he would finally be able to have his own team. He took a deep breath as he readjusted one of the backpacks on his back. This was beyond ridiculous! Didn't they know who they were dealing with?! Uchiha Sasuke! The same Uchiha that had fought in order to protect the country of fire! The same Uchiha that had killed Madara! Also, he should be treated as a God because they all knew that he was a valuable asset to their stupid little team and that were it anyone else they would be thankful to have him and would never dare treat him this way!
His gaze stopped on the laughing pink-haired girl. He studied her as they kept going. She looked so different from the annoying little girl he knew. Sure, she was still annoying but this was on a whole new different level. He couldn't understand her at all. He couldn't tell what she was thinking anymore and that was frustrating him beyond limits.
Ever since the final battle, her usual bright green eyes, the very same eyes that would look up at him sparkling, were gone. The annoying girl that would run to his hospital room to make sure he was alright was gone. Instead she ran to his room. Naruto's room. And he would hear them, laughing, celebrating together.
"How long will it take to get there?" Sakura asked, her green eyes stopping on Soujiro.
"More or less a week." Soujiro replied, grinning, "It will be a fun week."
"It sure will." Natsu added, nodding, "I can't wait to see what he can do."
"There won't be any fights." Sakura said, glaring at the two of them, "I mean it. I won't care who started it…"
"Relax!" Natsu said, waving his hand, "We're not going to do anything."
Makino snorted, "Knowing you two, you already have something planned."
"He is really slow, isn't he? I expected something else from the great Uchiha." Kenjiro said, smirking.
Sakura eye twitched violently. Those idiots really were asking for a fight. Stopping abruptly, she turned around and stomped her foot on the ground.
Sasuke was still a little behind. All of them stopped around Sakura, trading knowing looks. Makino smirked; Natsu pressed his lips tight, trying not to laugh. Kenjiro adopted an indifferent look while Soujiro launched a challenging look at the delayed Uchiha.
The red eyed male finally escaped from the incredibly tall bushes and stepped into a clear field. He eyed the little group in front of them and groaned inwardly. He walked toward them and mercilessly threw their belongings onto the floor.
Sakura arched an unimpressed eyebrow, "What's the matter Uchiha? Can't keep up?"
Sasuke blinked. Did he just hear correctly? "What?" he hissed, his cheeks were starting to grow hot.
"If you can't keep up with us, just say so." Sakura added, readjusting her messy pony-tail, not bothering to look at his stunned face, "We'll camp here for the night."
Sasuke stood still while everyone unpacked and prepared to camp. He still couldn't believe his ears. Was she screwing with him?
Of course he could keep up! He could run for miles, for days if necessary!
"Makino, take the first shift."
"Hai."