Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 2
Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She was laid down on some flat surface and everything was dark. The pinkette had no strength to even move a muscle.
"She's regaining consciousness." Someone next to her said. She couldn't see whoever it was.
Sakura felt like someone had thrown her in a pit of fire. Am I in hell...? She felt as if her skin was boiling.
"Force this down her throat. We need to strengthen the seal." Another person said.
Sakura was grabbed, roughly, by her hair. Whoever had done it, forced her to sit up. Her mouth opened in pain, her eyes closed in pain, and a large pill was shoved into her mouth.
The last thing that she heard before she blacked out was:
"Intruders!"
Drip... Drip... Drip...
Sakura stirred. Did I leave the bathroom tap on? She thought. She sat up but didn't recognise her surroundings.
It looked like she was in a sewer. Everything was dark but there was a bit of light coming from above. "How did I get here?" Sakura asked herself. There was only one place she could walk down.
Sakura walked down a hall of some sort. She didn't know where she was or how she got there. The last thing she remembered was someone shouting very loudly wherever she was taken to.
Her feet splashed in the dirty water and the hall she was walking in divided into three different directions.
"Sakura-chan..." A soft, feminine voice came from the middle path.
"Who's there?" Sakura asked.
"Sakura-chan!" This time it was a loud, familiar voice ringing through the sewers.
Sakura's eyes flew open.
"Naruto, stop-" She heard Kakashi say.
"She's awake!" The blond shouted. Sakura looked around the room. It was a bright white room and the window was covered by cream-colored blinds.
Kakashi was sitting in one of the sears opposite her bed and Naruto was standing, towering over her.
A hospital... But...?
"Sakura-chan!" The loud voice from before called. Naruto hugged Sakura but then quickly pulled back, staring at her in shock.
"You're really hot..." He said. Sakura's head twitched and she was about to punch him. But she actually did feel hot.
"Water..." Sakura's voice was croaky. She still felt like her body was on fire.
"I'll tell the nurse." Kakashi got up and gave her a look. It looked like pity but Sakura wasn't sure. Why does he have to wear that damn mask?
"Seriously, though. You're burning up." Naruto said, poking her arm.
"I know. I feel it." Sakura coughed.
A woman walked in, a glass of water in hand. "Hello, Sakura-san. Kakashi-senpai has told me that you would like something to drink."
She handed Sakura the glass, who downed it all on less than a second. "More." Sakura said.
The nurse frowned and placed her hand on Sakura's forehead before quickly pulling back. "That's... not normal." She said, forgetting about being professional.
Sakura heard Kakashi sigh. "What happened?" Sakura found herself asking, her voice slowly returning.
"You need to rest." The nurse said in a reprimanding tone.
"I need to know what happened." Sakura said. The nurse frowned before nodding.
"I'll go inform your parents." The nurse walked out.
Sakura looked at Kakashi and Naruto with an expectant look. "Naruto, let me talk with Sakura for a bit." The two twelve year olds' sensei finally said.
"What?!" Naruto shouted.
"Now Naruto." Kakashi said, sternly. Naruto reluctantly agreed, cursing as he walked out. "Sakura, what do you know that happened?" The jonin asked, sitting back in the chair he previously sat in.
"Well, I was on the way home with my dad but we were stopped by some stone ninja. I got knocked out. Later, I was laid down somewhere and I heard people speaking but someone forced me to eat some pill. I passed out a bit after."
"Sakura," Kakashi started. "Do you know about the nine tailed beasts?" He asked.
"The Kyuubi? Yeah, it attacked the village about 12 years ago, right?"
"Not just about the Kyuubi. The other eight tailed beasts."
"There are eight more?" She asked.
"They're are all around the world and used as weapons. We have the nine tailed fox, who was sealed inside someone in the leaf." Her sensei said.
"Who?"
"I shouldn't say." Sakura pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "The stone village had two tailed beasts. The Yonbi (Four tails) and the Gobi (Five tails)."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sakura asked, frowning.
"There's a reason I said "Had"." Kakashi got up again and walked to the window, rolling up the blinds, letting the sunshine in. "The leaf village now has the Gobi." He turned to her. "And it's sealed within you."
Sakura's eyes widened. Inside me?! What?!
"The Gobi is like a horse but with a dolphin's head-"
"Why me?" Sakura interrupted him.
"I don't know why you. I don't think it was meant for you. You were just there."
"What?"
"The stone shinobi sealed it within you." Silence followed after as Sakura processed the information.
"Then... Unseal it."
"I can't do that."
"Why?!" Sakura screamed. It's not fair! I have some dolphin-horse inside of me?!
"Because... You'll die." Silence followed after once again. Sakura placed her head in her hands.
This can't be happening to me...
"The seal was placed on your stomach." Kakashi continued. "I'm sorry, Sakura." There was the pity.
"...I need to rest." Sakura said, getting under her covers. Kakashi nodded and walked out of the room.
Sakura now reminded the masked jonin of Rin. Being a normal girl and then going on a small mission. After that, getting kidnapped by shinobi and forced to be a host to a tailed beast.
Kakashi hoped Sakura wouldn't want to kill herself. ...Just like Rin had done.
Sakura woke up to loud voices.
"I can't believe you took her on that mission!" Mebuki shouted.
"I didn't know this would happen!" Kizashi shouted back.
"Kaa-san... Otou-san..." Sakura mumbled, sitting up.
"Sakura!" Her mother engulfed her into a hug. Kissing her cheeks, she asked. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I'll go call the nur-"
"I'm fine." Sakura said. And I no longer feel like I'm on fire...
Her dad then hugged her. "I'm so so sorry." He said in the crook of her neck. Sakura didn't respond. She just hugged her father back.
"Have you eaten?" Mebuki asked her daughter. Sakura shook her head. "I'll go tell the nurse to get you something."
"What happened after I was taken?" Sakura asked her dad once her mother had left the room.
"I tried fighting them off but all they wanted to do was retreat." Kizashi said. "I sent word to the village about you and then Kakashi and Guy, who were on a different mission but on the same route, came to help you."
Sakura didn't know who Guy was. But she didn't ask.
"I gotta pee." Sakura said after a few minutes of silence.
After she was done and sitting back in bed, Mebuki came back in with a tray. "They said all you need to do is rest and you'll be as good as new in no time."
"Kakashi also said that he's pushing training back to give you time to recover." Kizashi added.
Sakura ate quietly as her mom and dad spoke to her about random things. Guess this means I'm not allowed to train... I wonder for how long...
One week later...
"Kaa-san, I'm leaving!" Sakura shouted with the door open.
"Okay! Please be careful!" Her mother shouted back. Sakura shut the door with a roll of her eyes.
I can take care of myself.
Sakura walked to the bridge with her head down. The Gobi is inside of me. I feel so different.
Sakura waited for her Inner to say something like 'Well, yeah. There's something inside of you' but the response never came. Sakura merely shrugged.
The cherry blossom felt as if she was being stared at. She would constantly look up, expecting people to whisper her name to others or just blantantly be staring at her.
"We all know I'm stronger than you!" Sakura heard Naruto shout. She saw Sasuke and Naruto on the bridge, Naruto pointing at the Uchiha.
"In what universe?" Sasuke scoffed.
"This one!" Naruto shouted. Sakura stood next to Naruto but she didn't say anything. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now." Sakura said, putting on a fake smile.
"Next time, don't mess up on your mission. Others have to train." Sasuke muttered the last part.
"Actually, I didn't mess up on my mission. I completed it. There was an interference on the way back." Sakura retorted, stunning her teammates.
What's with her? Sasuke thought.
Sakura-chan loves me now, doesn't she? Naruto thought, happily.
Team 7 waited in silence for Kakashi to arrive after that. Once their sensei arrived, "YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto shouted. He looked to his left and then to his right. He then looked at Sakura, in front of him, who was looking at the ground, lost in thought.
I thought we were both meant to say that... The blond scratched the back of his head. There's defintely something up with her...
Sakura was out of it for the whole day. She didn't look in Naruto's direction when he got beaten up for picking out the lady's special herbs, she didn't look in his direction when he fell down a waterfall and Sasuke had to save him and she didn't look in his direction when he went into the minefield with one of Kakashi's dogs.
Five tails... Was ringing through her mind throughout the day. There was only one person she wanted to speak to about this. Nine tails... But Kakashi won't tell her who it was sealed within.
"Same time tomorrow." Kakashi said.
"Wai-" Naruto shouted but he had already left in a puff. "We were meant to train. Why did he leave?"
Sasuke walked away and Sakura was thinking about what she should do. Maybe I should ask Naruto if he wants to train...
"There's no such thing as square rocks!" Sakura heard Naruto shout. She turned to see him talking to three children. Sakura began to walk over to them.
"Let's play ninja!" Sakura knew who that was. It was the "Honourable grandson", Konohamaru.
"What kind of ninja plays ninja?" Sakura asked Naruto.
"Who is..." Konohamaru started but then he stopped. "Ohhhh..." The Third Hokage's grandson smirked.
Sakura sort of tuned out of their conversation until she heard Konohamaru say "I know that she's your... girlfriend."
"Yeah... She's crazy about me." Sakura's face turned red.
"OH, HELL NO!" Much like it did in Ichiraku, the punch sent Naruto flying.
"Boss!" The children shouted.
Konohamaru turned to Sakura, who was still cooling off. "What was that for, you ugly witch?" Sakura froze.
Normally, she wouldn't hurt a child but right now, she was willing to make an exception.
Moegi and Udon screamed when Konohamaru was sent flying into the wall beside them.
Sakura brushed her hands together and walked off. "Did you see her forehead? It was huuuuge! I mean, what is that?"
Sakura froze. Naruto froze. The Konohamaru Ninja Squad froze.
The academy students and Naruto watched as Sakura's head did a 180. The facial expression was that of a monster out for blood. Sakura then turned her body.
Might as well start some training... Let's play ninja. You, try not to die.
She ran at them at full speed and they all ran away from her. They turned around a corner and when she did, she saw Konohamaru on the floor with some guy, with purple face paint on, standing over him.
"What's this?" The boy said. "You got a problem?"
"What...?" Sakura trailed off when she saw their headbands. Sand shinobi? What are they doing here?
She stopped thinking once the boy grabbed Konohamaru by his shirt. "Runts like you piss me off." The sand shinobi said.
"Hey, let go of him!" Naruto shouted, running at him. Suddenly, Naruto tripped, dropping onto the floor. "...What?"
Sakura knew that the purple face guy probably did something. She wasn't sure what, but he did something to make Naruto fall.
"Stop. You know what will happen if you do anything." A girl next to purple face said.
"This was my fault. I'm sorry. Please let him go." Sakura said, stepping in front of Udon and Moegi, who were scared for their friend.
"Your turn later, sweet cheeks." He winked at her.
Kill him! Kill him now!
Sakura turned red and she clutched her fist. Before she could charge at the disgrace of a man, a stone hit his arm, forcing him to drop Konohamaru.
Everyone turned to see who threw it. Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch, throwing a stone up into the air and then catching it, repeating it over and over again.
"You shouldn't make a scene in someone else's village." Sasuke said. Moegi squealed and the girl next to purple face blushed. Sakura didn't know how to react. Personally, she wanted to beat the crap out of the guy and Sasuke had interrupted them.
"Kankuro!" The sand girl shouted. Kankuro reached for some object wrapped in bandages around his back and took it off. "You're not really going to use "The Crow", are you?"
"Kankuro." A calm voice said. On the other side of the tree, someone was standing upside down on the branch. "Stop making a fool of our village. " The red-head said. "Or I'll kill you."
Sakura looked at Sasuke who looked shocked. He was staring at the new shinobi as if he were an alien.
The new person turned into sand and materialised next to the other sand ninja. They began walking away. "Wait." Sakura said, moving forward. "You're from the sand village."
"Perceptive?" The girl said in a tired voice, turning around. Sakura scowled at her.
"I'm going to need to see a permit. You're not allowed in this village without one."
The girl produced one from her pockets. "We're here for the chunin exams. Do you leaf genin not know that? Typical."
"Yeah, you sand genin are sooooo much better because you know the date of the exams." Sakura remarked sarcastically. This bitch was getting on her last nerve.
"What did you say?" Both girls were ready to attack each other.
"You. What's your name?" Sasuke randomly asked.
"I'm Temari. What's yours?" She asked him, blushing.
"Not yours. The one with the gourd on his back." Sasuke said, to Temari's dismay.
"I am Gaara of the Sand. I, too, am interested in knowing your name." His voice freaked Sakura out.
"Sasuke Uchiha." The raven-haired boy replied.
"Do you want to know my name?" Naruto asked, a tad desperate.
"I couldn't care less about your name." Gaara then walked off. Kankuro followed but Temari stood in place.
"You," She pointed at Sakura. "What's your name?"
"Sakura Haruno."
"Temari-"
"I heard." Temari scowled and then turned around before joining the other two.
Chunin exams... There's no way I'm ready to become a chunin.
Meanwhile...
"My team consists of, genin, Sasuke Uchiha, genin, Naruto Uzumaki and, genin, Sakura Haruno. I, jonin, Kakashi Hatake, nominate all three of my students for the chunin exams."