2.
Sakura rolled her eyes as the woman who sat next to her ranted about a man. Ino was gorgeous, with her long white-blonde hair and those mesmerizing blue eyes. She could have any man she wanted; she just had trouble keeping one.
"Ino, it's a different one every week. There was Sasuke, and Sai, and "She shuddered "Shikamaru. And now, of all people on Kami's blue earth…Choji?" A long, sweet sigh left her girl friend. Sakura hated how dreamy her blue eyes became when in la-la land.
"He's just so nice, Sakura! And sweet, and cuddly… "A giggle left Ino. "He's the one Sakura. I can just feel it. "Her eye lashes fluttered, like her heart. Her voice was like a cloud singing. "I'm in love." Ino let her hands fly to her heart as if it hurt, yet her smirk never left her face.
"Loves a bit of a drastic word, don't you think?" Sakura tried to be as delicate with the love-struck girl as possible. She was just trying to look out for her friend. Honestly, one more tear filled heart-break induced sleepover would be the end of sanity.
"I don't think it is. Like I said, Sakura, he's the one. The way he smiles… The way he looks at me... We went to dinner last night and it just hit me. "Ino patted her friend on the shoulder. It was as if she was saying 'Your time will come.' Sakura put all thoughts of calling her best friend derogative terms away, instead she just rolled her eyes. She couldn't count on her fingers how many of these speeches Ino had given her. She needed to wake up. They were not the stars of a TV drama; They were shinobi. They're lives were filled with danger and death, there was no room for romance anymore. Besides, love wasn't even that big of a concern. At least, Sakura didn't believe in it anymore. Maybe, that's why she couldn't empathize with her friend. Sometimes she would wonder though, if anything Ino spoke about could be true. If it was really possible to look at someone and feel them in your soul. To laugh, and love, to trust with all you had.
Sakura doubted it would be possible to spend her life with a man.
She always thought hers would be Sasuke. She used to picture them getting married in the present years to come. She sometimes still would lie in bed and imagine what their family would have looked like, and their life at the Uchiha compound. It killed her that she was still hung up on someone she hadn't seen in years. She tried to imagine meeting another man that would fill that spot while Ino blubbered on. If it happened again she wanted it to be like in the books she read. She wanted her jaw to drop the first time she saw him. She wanted to be so shocked he was the man she loved.
"SAKURA!" Both girls jumped as Naruto burst into her apartment unannounced. "We should get going soon! Are you ready?" Sakura stood from her dining room table. She had almost forgotten about their mission.
"Uhm, yeah, just let me grab my bag." Running to her bedroom, she threw a few more items into her back pack. She took her Jonin vest off her desk chair, slipping it onto her shoulders. They all left the apartment.
"Would you like to walk to the village gates with us Ino?" Sakura asked as she locked her door. Ino shook her head, making an excuse about seeing Choji. So they bid a quick good bye and a 'be safe'. Naruto and Sakura made their way to the village gate, making chit-chat on the way.
"So, Ino is into Choji now." She gossiped with Naruto to fill the silence. He laughed way too much at this fact.
"Wow, really?" Naruto shook his head with awe. "Even, Choji can pull more girls than me. Has she made up her mind about him? Or is she gonna like Shikamaru again tomorrow?" Sakura looked up to the clouds, reminiscing the first time they took this walk as Genin.
"Supposedly he is the last one she'll ever want. But we know how that goes." They both chucked. "So are you excited for our mission?"
"Hell yeah!" Naruto was always too enthusiastic. "It's been too long since we were out of these gates! I'm ready to kick some butt!"
Hakate Kakashi stood on top of a gate pole, smirking down at his students with his favorite book in hand.
"So Sakura, "He spoke jokingly "Who's late now?" Sakura wanted to punch him more than she'd ever wished for anything. It would really make her day. The only thing keeping her from doing it was she was saving her hit on Kakashi for when he really deserved it. She would enjoy the day she could throw him into a tree so hard it would crack in half.
Their teacher debriefed the pair quickly and then they were off. They walked for hours on in. The sun went from one end of the horizon to the other. They even strolled in the darkness for a small time. Kakashi decided to set up camp, though. They all needed their rest.
Sakura was pissed as she rolled herself up in a sleeping bag next to Naruto's. Why did Kakashi get his own tent and she had to sleep next to a snoring bear? This was just unfair. She was the only girl- the boys should have to share. Thoughts of their mission entered her head in an attempt to block out the rhythmic annoyance in her ear. They were going to a small town on the Land of Fire's border where they would go undercover as lumber workers. An Akatsuki subordinate dwelled there. The team's job was to get any possible information out of her with any means necessary. They were about three quarter of the way to Ikawa. In the morning they were expected to arrive in the lazy trading post.
Sakura had a different mission than the boys, a personal mission. She hoped she'd run into the Akatsuki, albeit a less terrifying group of them. She wanted information from them. Her biggest concern was to keep Naruto from getting involved. She refused to fall into a trap and have her best friend killed because of her stupidity. She wanted her bright eyed companion to stay safe. She sat up to blow out a candle and attempted to get some sleep, ignoring the sleepy mumbles of her name.
Sakura awoke that morning to the sunlight shining through their tent, projecting its dull green color like a light of its own.
"Sakura! Sakura!" She heard Naruto's frantic voice calling her name from outside of the tent. Immediately she was worried. She practically leapt out of her sleeping bag, and climbed out the small black tent.
The scene was a cause for concern. The camp had been ransacked. The fire stomped on. The food and ninja goods strew all over the place or stolen. Kakashi's tent was completely crushed.
Her eyes fell onto a unconscious Kakashi, collapsed near the fire, battle tired and bleeding. Naruto knelt next to him, trying to wake the elder ninja. She went to their side.
"Kakashi, what-"Her blood ran cold the moment she felt other chakra presences. She couldn't help but shudder at the familiarity of them. "Naruto, get Sensei out of here. Get to the nearest civilian area. Be careful." She barley whispered.
"But, Sakura, I can't leave you-"
"Now."She spoke this time through a clenched jaw. "Don't waste any time." There was a moment of hesitation but Naruto nodded, scooping up their childhood teacher and fleeing.
Kakashi wouldn't be taken down by anything less than a Jonin. That and the Akatsuki's chakra were the main reasons she ordered Naruto away. She stood from her knees, turning to face the trees.
"I know you're there." Only one of them remained, the other had taken off when Naruto had. "Why don't you come say hello?" Her tone dared him. Her fist began to glow blue. Familiar red clouds erupted from the bush. Uchia Itachi made eye contact with her. Sakura hated looking into Sasuke's eyes again- seeing the Sharingan for the first time in ages. No matter, she refused to lose this, even if she was up against a Kekkai Genkai.
"Why are you here?" Her voice was harsh, as it should have been. She took a step closer, straightening her back. She demanded an answer and if she had to beat it out of him she would. "What do you want?" She shouted. Now Chakra was visible on both of her fists.
"You." He spoke simply. "Leader wants you. I'm just following orders, Miss Haruno. Please put your fists down. I do not want a fight." She took her chance had launched at him, but her hand collided with the tree behind him. He was too fast before she had a chance his arm was around her neck in a chokehold. One of her hands tried to pry his arm from her and the other took a Kunai from the holster on her thigh. She flipped herself around, planting her foot on his stomach. In the movement she pried herself out of his grip. She threw in kunai in the same liquid attack, it missed her aim but grazed his shoulder in what was no doubt a bad gash.
"Naruto knows better than to come after me. So if this is a trap for him you can forget it." She shouted, dodging his fist. Itachi frowned more than usual. He grabbed her fist as it made its way for his face, with one squeeze her fingers were broken. Sakura gasped in pain. He pulled her by her hand close to him. With her back pressed to his chest, he could feel her frantic heart beat.
"Leader doesn't have your friend even in mind right now I assure you. " This news changed everything. If she wasn't a trap for Naruto then what was she? She suddenly could feel the fear flowing through her veins. Maybe they wanted information on Tsunade? Maybe they thought if she was the Rokudaime's apprentice she would know village secrets and be tortured for them?
"Well whatever he wants he can forget about it. "She spat, her moment of distraction gave the Uchiha the upper hand though. He twisted her around in his arms, grabbing her by the shoulders. He held her so firmly his hands would leave bruises. One of his hands grabbed her chin, he forced her head up so that she stared him in the crimson eyes.
"…Good night, Miss Haruno."
The Sharingan's effect took hold, and Sakura was surrounded by blackness.
