Haha... first chapter up after prologue! Thanks for all the reviews and your wonderful support! I've thanked most of my reviewers personally, and for those I left out, I'm sorry, and thanks a lot again!
Three of Sakura's loved ones gone in a single day... what next?
Enjoy the story!
N
Chapter 1- Missions?
一 – 目的
Shizune led Sakura to Tsunade's office door, knocking as both entered.
The pink haired kunoichi was surprised to see nearly all her friends lined up in her shishou's office, and felt a slight pang of guilt for being late- it was obvious that everyone was waiting for her.
"Ohayo, Tsunade-sama," Sakura greeted.
"Ohayo, Sakura," Tsunade smiled at her student, waving off Sakura who was about to apologize for being late.
Sakura smiled thankfully and took her place between Naruto and Neji, with Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Tenten, Hinata and Chouji surrounding them. For a moment, Sakura surveyed her friends proudly. Neji and Shikamaru were already jounins in their own right, the rest were Konoha's top chunnins, and she, Naruto, Kiba and Tenten were due to take the Jounin exams in two months' time. Sakura had felt elated when she was selected as a chunnin after the exams. She could finally feel the pride of being a ninja…
The cherry blossom observed all the others in the room. It seemed that all of Konoha's elite were gathered here, in Tsunade's office. Kakashi-sensei stood behind Tsunade, Umuino Iruka, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuuhi Kurenai, Maito Gai and others flanking them.
She was brought sharply back to earth by the sound of the Godaime Hokage's voice.
"All right! Now that everyone's assembled-" Tsunade turned to Gai questioningly. "Where's Lee?"
"Lee was needed at home urgently, Hokage-sama!" Gai stiffened like a statue and saluted, his bright smile nearly blinding everyone in the room.
Tsunade suppressed a laugh at Gai's infamous pose, but Sakura caught her, and smiled inwardly. "It's all right, Gai, He's going on a mission with them, you can send him to me later and I will brief him," there was a slight twinkle in her eyes as Tsunade glanced at her apprentice, a knowing look between them.
"Your mission first," she then faced the rest of the chunnins, leaning against her desk.
Everyone around her, Sakura noticed, seemed to stand a little straighter.
"You have a ten-man team. I have included almost everyone around your ages because it seems that you and your abilities work well together," Tsunade began.
Kiba raised a hand. "Hokage-sama, Shino…"
"Shino and his father have a mission elsewhere," the fifth Hokage explained. He will not be joining you. But for now- back to the mission. You will be travelling west to the Wind Country to source out Deidara,"
"Man, does it take ten of us to tackle that one guy?" Naruto complained loudly. Kakashi and Iruka shot him death glares, which, unfortunately, the hyperactive ninja failed to notice.
Tsunade, used to Naruto's boisterous behavior, continued calmly. "It's rumoured that Deidara is after some secret scrolls that used to belong to one of Konoha's clans,"
"Which clan, Hokage-sama?" Ino asked, suddenly interested.
"Of that we're not sure," Tsunade answered. "But those scrolls must be retrieved. They contain the secrets of a special technique that can be horrendously destructive if used in the wrong way. And-" Tsunade turned to face Naruto. "To answer Naruto's question, our sources tell us that Deidara has an unidentified companion,"
Naruto looked confused while Sakura rolled her eyes. That guy really needed to use his brain more…
For awhile, Tsunade's office was silent, and only the sweet chirping of birds just outside her window trilled through the silence. Tsunade reached across her table and retrieved two scrolls perilously close to the edge of her overcrowded table.
"Neji, Shikamaru," she commanded. The duo mentioned stepped forward tentatively. "Both of you will be co-leading this mission as jounins. Your team consists of two Byakugan users, one taijutsu specialist, a weapons mistress, a soul-switcher, an animal specialist, a lazy genius, an Akimichi heir, my own apprentice and last, but not least, the loudest ninja in all of Konoha,"
"Not to mention the loudest ninja anywhere else," Kiba commented under his breath. Fortunately, Naruto had failed to hear him, otherwise hell would've broken loose.
Tsunade did not notice Kiba's remark, either, and continued, smirking, to the two jounins in front of her. "You should have no problems with your team… right?"
Shikamaru and Neji sweatdropped. Tsunade tossed the scrolls towards them, beckoning them to open it. Eagerly, the rest of the team crowded around to see its contents, with a loud brawl in between as Kiba and Naruto fought to get a better view of the scrolls. Kakashi and Kurenai exchanged pained looks at their students' childish antics, while Asuma chuckled between them, chewing on his cigarette.
Sakura, now with a vein throbbing in her forehead, grabbed Kiba by his hood and Naruto by his collar and lifted them easily. "Get off each other and shut up already," she said through clenched teeth. Everyone was staring.
Kiba and Naruto replied meekly. "Yes, ma'am," Akamaru shook inside Kiba's shirt, terrified of the kunoichi. Sakura placed Naruto at one end of the room and Kiba at the other.
"Stay there. And. Do. Not. Move."
Her voice was warning enough. The two bickering boys had to be contented with glaring at each other from opposite ends of Tsunade's office.
'I can't believe they're actually seventeen,' Sakura thought viciously as she joined the rest of her team.
Tsunade observed her student's handiwork with a smile. She'd taught Sakura well, after all…
Breaking out of her reverie, Tsunade approached the group. "The two scrolls… one of them is a map. The other is a permit to enter Sunagakure. The Kazekage knows of this mission and he is prepared to help. Your objective for this mission is to retrieve the scrolls before Deidara, and according to the information we've received, the scrolls are hidden in a cave, somewhere up North of the Wind Country. Your second objective is to collect information about Deidara's companion. He seems to be a formidable enemy, at any rate,"
The group of chunnins nodded silently. Sakura's hand went up.
"Yes, Sakura?"
"Will there be any possibility of us meeting Uchi-" Sakura stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to mention the name at all. "Will there be any chance of us meeting Itachi?"
Many expressions hardened at the mention of the traitor's name, but Tsunade simply looked nonchalant. "No, Sakura. Itachi is supposedly in the Rock Country sourcing out another jinchuuriki, and Deidara's companion is not Itachi. If there were even the slightest possibility of him being anywhere there… I won't send you alone. Any more questions?"
This time, Neji spoke. "Hokage-sama, since Deidara is part of Akatsuki, and we have not identified his companion… what about Naruto's safety? How do we know that this is not part of a ploy to capture him instead of getting the scrolls?"
"We cannot know for sure, that is a risk we'll have to take. But- I trust Naruto can protect himself," Tsunade said with a knowing smile. "He isn't one to give in… at least, not until he achieves his 'dream' of sorts…"
"You bet!" Naruto cheered from his corner. "I'm gonna live until I become Hokage!"
'Really can't underestimate that boy, can I?' Neji thought with a twitch to his lips, glancing at Naruto.
"Now, if you have no more questions… you may be dismissed for your own briefing and equipment check. You leave at 4 tomorrow morning," Tsunade waved a hand, and the young ninjas filed out, murmuring amongst themselves.
N
Nine ninjas gathered outside the Hokage Tower, forming a circle surrounding Neji and Shikamaru.
"Okay, guys…" Neji began, but stopped when Akimichi Chouza, Chouji's father, approached the group with a nervous smile on his chubby face.
"Ohayo, Chouza-san," the group greeted respectfully. The large, red-haired man greeted them back, while beginning to speak.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Chouji for a moment," Chouza began. "It's very urgent,"
Everyone nodded, and the brown-haired shinobi followed his father a little further off, where Chouza said something in low tones to his son. An inexplicable expression spread over Chouji's face as his father spoke, a combination of controlled worry and slight panic. Nodding quickly to his father, Chouji joined the group again.
"Sorry, guys… seems like I can't join you for this mission… I've got some serious family business to attend to. Don't worry, my father will do the explaining to the Hokage later," Chouji apologized quietly, looking not very much like his usual self.
The group nodded understandingly. "Bye, Chouji… hope you solve your problems soon," Shikamaru clapped a hand on his best friend's shoulder comfortingly.
Chouji waved his goodbyes as he left with his father.
As usual, Ino was her over-excited, extravagant self, jumping and waving to her teammate. "Goodbye and stay safe, you fat-"
Immediately Shikamaru's hand slapped over Ino's big mouth.
"INO! What did I say about that word?" he glared.
Ino shrugged sheepishly.
N
Sakura finished packing the last of her equipment and stuff into her light brown backpack, zipped it up and plopped down onto her soft bed in her own room. She sighed as she thought of leaving Konoha for the upcoming mission; there was still plenty to do at the hospital, patients waiting to be cured. People who counted on her. To be actually put in charge of something… it was a first for Sakura back then. She used to be the loser, the one who tailed behind instead of leading. Tsunade had given her a whole new lease of life when she offered Sakura the post of head-medic.
'One thing good about leaving though… Tsunade-sama will have to manage her own paperwork for awhile,' Sakura thought smugly, slightly elated at the thought of escaping her shishou's paperwork.
"Hey, Sakura! Are you coming or not?" Tenten knocked on her room door. "We promised to meet Ino and Hinata, remember?"
"Yeah, in a moment, Tenten," Sakura jumped up with another sigh, reaching for the hairbrush on her dresser to comb out her messy tresses while pulling open her wardrobe door to retrieve some fresh clothes.
When Sakura had finally managed to get over her phobia of returning to her own home, Tenten had volunteered to move in with her. After all, the Haruno residence was no small place, and besides, Tenten was living alone as well. With her friends had hand, Sakura found it much easier to handle her haywire emotions, and soon the Haruno residence became a popular meeting place for the four close friends and other Konoha shinobis.
Sakura stepped out of the room, dressed in her usual red sleeveless uniform. Her emerald eyes eyed both the long staircase and the banister critically, before she took a running leap and swung over the banister, landing in a perfect crouch at the bottom floor.
"Geez, Sakura… stop being such a daredevil!" Tenten smiled at her friend. "You're gonna break a lot of bones someday…"
Sakura laughed. She never took Tenten seriously when the weapons mistress said these things; both knew that a kunoichi was perfectly capable of doing that without getting hurt. Sakura beckoned to Tenten enthusiastically.
"Let's go! I want to buy some flowers from Ino's place,"
N
Hinata and Ino were already waiting outside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, the former watching some kids at play with a shy smile while the latter was tapping her foot impatiently and complaining loudly.
"Man, Ino… have some patience! We're not even late!" Sakura laughed as she walked into the shop, greeting Ino's pretty mother with a smile.
"The usual, Sakura?" Ino's mother asked.
"Yes, Yamanaka-san," Sakura visited the shop often, to get all kind of flowers for her patients. Sure, she had to splurge a little, but her salary was sufficient and she liked to see their smiling faces. But Ino's mother knew today's occasion and the exact flowers Sakura wanted.
Swiftly she handed Sakura a beautifully arranged bouquet of white lilies, Heian's favourite flower, and roses, Tsume's absolute weakness. She had been prepared.
When the pink-haired kunoichi offered payment, Ino's mother immediately rejected.
"Treat it as a gift from us to your parents. Besides, you're a regular customer here…" the woman smiled, retorting as Sakura made her accept the money. "Eh- I said no payment, or I'm going to chase you out with my trimming scissors!"
"Arigatou!" Sakura thanked her happily, walking out to join her friends.
Today was the fifth anniversary of her parents' deaths. Every year, all three of her closest friends would accompany Sakura to her parents' graves to pay their respects. And every year, Sakura left those very same flowers for them.
Before their graves, Sakura knelt and placed the flowers on the small altar.
"Chichioya… Okasan… I've got so much to tell you…"
N
Sakura walked down the peaceful streets on her own. She'd spent about two hours at her parents' graves, and then Tenten left for sparring practice with Neji. (At least, that's what they called it…) Ino had promised to help out at her family's shop as her parents were going out that night. Hinata was going to a fair with her sister, Hanabi, at Naruto's treat. And so she was alone.
Alone… that sensation was always familiar to her now. Oftentimes, she would feel the pang at her heart when she saw her friends hanging out with the boys. They asked her to go along, in the name of politeness, but she refused, knowing that she wouldn't really fit in. She wondered if this was how Sasuke used to feel. If so… it was painful.
Suddenly, Sakura spotted Konoha's Green Beast walking dejectedly in the opposite direction, his coconut head bowed and his thick brows furrowed.
"Hey, Lee-san!" she called after him. When the taijutsu specialist saw his childhood crush, his face immediately broke into a grin.
"Sakura-san!"
"Hey…" Sakura greeted back. "Have you been to see Tsunade-sama yet?" Sakura questioned, remembering Tsunade's request.
"Yes!" Lee saluted. (exactly like Gai at that) "I have met the Hokage, and I have heard about our mission. However, I am disappointed as Gai-sensei has refused to train with me today. He says that he has to bid his 'beautiful flower' (Sakura assumed this was Gai's secret love) a most emotional and painful goodbye before he leaves for his mission… he assures me that my 'flame of youth' will not wear out just yet, but I am doubtful…" Rock Lee said dolefully.
Sakura resisted the urge to laugh; it would be really unkind of her. "It won't, Lee-san… trust me. You're one of the most energetic people I know, after Naruto-kun,"
Lee brightened.
"Arigatou, Sakura-san! Oh, and Kakashi-sensei wants you to meet him at 'the place'. He says you would know what it means…"Lee said, slightly confused.
"Yes, I do, Lee-san. Arigatou!"
Happily, Lee struck his 'good guy' pose, complete with thick eyebrows, shining teeth, thumbs up and all.
N
Sakura made her way through the thinning forest; her only source of light was the dimming sunset in the horizon. Stepping out onto the clearing where they had first trained with Kakashi, Sakura sighed. She remembered the first morning so well…
She'd never been a morning person… then. She remembered how she'd dragged herself all the way there while Sasuke looked as fresh as the morning sun. (A rather grumpy morning sun, though) She smiled slightly and looked around her.
That Jounin sure lived up to his name. Late, as usual, as always. Sakura vaguely wondered what it would take to get him anywhere on time. She watched the last golden rays of the sun glaze the green leaves, feeling the pinch at her heart as she remembered every tree their weapons had struck on, the bushes they used to hide behind, the rocks they'd blasted apart, and… the visible parting of the ground that she'd created, during their second bell-retrieving mission with Kakashi.
Sakura closed her eyes and smiled… but it wasn't because of the memories.
"You can come out now, Kakashi-sensei… I know you're behind the second tree to my left,"
Sheepishly the Copy Ninja stepped out, a sweatdrop forming behind his head. "Looks like you're really good," he said, laughing nervously. "I even took the trouble to conceal my chakra presence,"
"Face it, Kakashi-sensei… you're getting old. Besides, I'm a medic nin, chakra is my specialty," Sakura smirked, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed. "But… seeing as you're only fifteen minutes late… I'll call that an improvement,"
"Thirty-one isn't old," Kakashi said dryly.
"For you it is," Sakura retorted.
N
"I'm going on an S-rank mission tomorrow…" Kakashi explained seriously as both teacher and student sat against a tree, gazing at the brilliantly lit, starry night. Sakura's gloved hands were wrapped around her knees, her pink hair grazing the sides of her cheeks. "I get the feeling that I might need your help," he explained his purpose for calling her.
"You do remember that I have a mission of my own, or is your thirty-one year old brain not very capable of that?" Sakura teased, trying to keep her face straight.
Kakashi chose to ignore the later remark. "You're quite close to my destination, if you ask me,"
"So, basically, you want me to abandon my team in the middle of nowhere and come running to save your sorry butt," Sakura shot back at him.
"That's a tad too harsh, Sakura. I may just need some help,"
Sakura snorted. "Some help? From your student? Kakashi-sensei, have your skills deteriorated that much already? Seriously,"
"Hey, hey… hear me out!" Kakashi smirked.
"How are you going to contact me, at any rate?" Sakura continued asking skeptically.
Kakashi smiled a knowing smile. His gloved hand held up a crystal locket on a silver necklace that reflected the moonlight beautifully. Sakura looked incredulous.
"Please. Tell me you're not considering the Binding Seal Jutsu,"
"Uh… well… I am considering it," Kakashi said sheepishly. "This locket is bound with my chakra, so when I'm stuck in a desperate situation and need your help, I can just send out a wave of chakra and the locket will react… please? You know I can't trust Naruto or anyone else with this, besides, you're like my little sister…"
"Since when did you start begging? 'Little sister'… haha." Sakura said dryly.
Silence.
"And do you have permission from Tsunade-sama to do this?" Sakura demanded. The Hokage was her guardian; Kakashi would have to go through her before anything else.
"I'm not such a rule-abider nowadays, Sakura… Obito gave me a part of him when he gave me the Sharingan," Kakashi grinned mischievously. "Which means being late and not abiding by rules,"
Sakura rolled her eyes. Her sensei could be so… irritating sometimes.
"Obito's legacy, huh? I'll take that as a 'no',"
"I have Tsunade-sama's permission, Sakura…" Kakashi sighed in defeat. "She's your guardian and you're her favourite student… she'd skin me alive if anything happened to you,"
"Swear?" Sakura eyed him cautiously.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Man, this is childish,"
"Okay, fine," the pink-haired kunoichi sighed. "Just remember that Tsunade-sama won't just skin you alive, she'll boil you, quarter you and feed you to the dogs if anything happens to me. I'll make sure of that," she threw him a sidelong glance.
A large, animated sweatdrop appeared behind Kakashi's head. "Got it," he said quickly.
Removing her black gloves, Sakura grasped the locket in both hands, bracing herself for the searing pain to come.
"You ready?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura nodded quietly.
"Azarashi no Jutsu!" (1) After completing a series of complicated handseals, Kakashi clapped his own gloved hands over hers and a burst of chakra enveloped their hands.
The crystal locket glowed red-hot within the confines of Sakura's hands, burning its mark into her palms as a searing pain ripped through her arms. Sakura hissed from the pain as she opened her hands. The outline of the locket was imprinted deeply into both palms.
"You'll be fine by tomorrow," Kakashi assured her as Sakura hung the locket around her neck.
"How am going to tell when you're in trouble?" Sakura asked, standing and flexing her fingers to ease the pain.
"You'll get the same sensation you just felt,"
"Oh, great," the cherry blossom groaned. "So, if I'm in the middle of battle and you suddenly get it into your head to call for me, then I'm dead meat,"
Kakashi smirked. "The Sakura I know is a lot stronger than that,"
Silence ensued. Sakura carefully examined the embossed seal on her palms, fingering her fair skin as her thoughts focused on nothing, nothing at all. Just... blissful relaxation.
"Hey, you game to go out for dinner?" Kakashi suddenly asked his student.
Sakura glanced at him questioningly. "You mean- as in- a date?"
"If that's the way you want to see it..." the jounin said coyly, his one visible eye twinkling.
"You have got to be kidding me,"
"I'm not," Kakashi faked a serious face, but immediately gave up the idea at the sight of the kunoichi's face. "Fine, as teacher and student, then. My treat,"
"Of course it's your treat. Did I say anything about paying?" Sakura glanced at him, a smile tugging at her lips.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Where d'you want to eat?" The former ANBU member stood up, ready to go.
Sakura jumped up beside him. "I was thinking of Ichiraku's... after all, Ayame's there..." she looked at him slyly.
Her sensei stopped dead in his tracks. "There's absolutely no way-"
"Hey, chill! I was kidding!" Sakura laughed, seeing his expression. "Your face was priceless,"
"Hn,"
"Let's go to the fair, then... since Naruto's there with Hinata and Hanabi,"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "He finally asked her out?"
"Her little sister's tagging along. It's not even a real date, for goodness' sake," Sakura said dryly.
"Does that make a difference?" Kakashi's eye twinkled.
"Just keep quiet and be thankful that I haven't decided to invite Ino-pig's team along..." Sakura shot at him. "Chouji'll eat your money dry, you know..."
Kakashi shut his mouth.
N
When Kakashi and Sakura arrived at the Haruno residence after dinner, Neji was just walking Tenten home. The Hyuuga genius raised an eyebrow at seeing the duo together.
"You're going out?"
"No, she's going in," Kakashi said sarcastically. For some reason, he loved to irk Neji.
"As in, dating," Neji glared at his senior Jounin.
"We're just friends," Sakura said with a perfectly straight face. "Don't you start making assumptions, Hyuuga Neji... I haven't forgotten the time I beat you flat in sparring and carried you like a rag doll over my shoulder to the hospital to heal your wounds..."
Neji flushed and was about to retort when Tenten stopped him. "Quit it already, Neji... they're just friends,"
"Hn. Right," the Hyuuga snorted, turning on his heel with a slight smile after Tenten had given him a quick peck on the cheek. He walked off with his hands in his pockets, with a backward glance. "G'night, y'all..."
Kakashi grinned at Sakura, motioning slightly to her locket before disappearing.
Once they were inside the house, Tenten pounced on Sakura, laughing.
"All right, spill. Is there anything going on between you and Kakashi-sensei?"
"No! We're just friends!" Sakura wriggled out from her friends grasp and took off to her room. Tenten laughed, knowing that the cherry blossom was telling the truth, but could not resist a bit of teasing.
"Don't think you'll get off so easy again next time, Haruno Sakura!"
In her room, Sakura smiled. "Geez, get off my case already!"
N
Note: Kakashi and Sakura are just friends. Like I mentioned, they're more or less like brother and sister after Sasuke left.
(1) Azarashi no Jutsu: I created that one myself. It's supposed to be a summoning or alerting jutsu for humans, where a locket is sealed with chakra into someone else, usually on the palms.
So, how was that? You know the mission, and more twists are coming up! Sorry if the story is moving a bit slow, but I need it to stay that way to increase suspense on my part. Pay attention to details!
I'll try to update soon, but definitely no guarantees, got it?
-Raven Ariana-