Chapter 3 – Not Quick Enough

As she made her way back to the camp, Sakura tried to get her head around the fact that he was still hanging around. Or was he? Who was he?

The rest of the teams were still sleeping when she returned and the second she did, Sakura nodded once to her clone, who instantly disappeared from existence. All the information that swarmed her suddenly was boring and unimportant. During her absence nothing thrilling or dangerous had happened, unless you classed Naruto passing wind as dangerous, which some people (Kiba, for example) did.

Sakura fell back into her previous seat by the fire and shut her eyes, breathing deeply.

It felt like only yesterday that she'd last seen him. Everything about him was the same. The cloak, for example. It was the same. Black with those strange red clouds and the high collar of it made it close to impossible to see his face. Hell, Sakura hadn't even been able to see what colour his hair was! That was partly due to his hat, too. Due to it being fairly dark, she hadn't been able to see what the hat was made of, but it was light in colour.

It was definitely a conical hat, though. Most likely made of straw. The added, small ornamental torques as well as tassels made it even more difficult to see his face. Only because he allowed it did she see his smile.

Those lips… They'd been full and soft looking. Gentle, even. It was a beautiful smile and Sakura found herself wanting to see his whole face.

Was that foolish of her? Naïve? Childish? No, Sakura would not say that she was caught up on the guy, because she knew very little about him, but there was no denying that she was fascinated by him.

Out of nowhere he just turned up and saved her team, contacting the Hokage so that a rescue team would be sent out. And now, there he was again. Why? Was he watching over her?

Sakura scoffed at her thoughts, forcing herself to stop getting so carried away. This was no romance novel. More than likely, he was just passing through and happened to recognise her. After all, she was kind of hard to miss. How many people had pastel pink hair and bright green eyes? Not only that, but if there was a chance that he was watching over her (and that chance was ridiculously slim), then he would be watching over the entire team. Not just her.

Exhaustion tugged at her, demanding that Sakura finally got some rest and deciding that it would be best, she moved over to Naruto, shaking him. He was the next to take watch and as soon as they swapped places and Sakura was certain he wouldn't fall back to sleep, she pulled her sleeping bag higher until it was tucked under her chin, welcoming the exhaustion that felt as though it was more like a comforting blanket.

It was a surprisingly peaceful sleep, considering their location.

However, when she woke up to see Ino holding up two scandalously short civilian dresses, all feelings of peacefulness evaporated, almost like they hadn't been there in the first place.

There was no use in arguing with her, though. Not only because it would be a huge drain on her energy (energy she needed for the mission), but also because they had to put the mission first. If going into the closest town wearing such things helped, then Sakura knew she had no choice but to accept it. Being a shinobi was all about having to endure.

And right now, she apparently had to endure looking like a cheap, underage prostitute.

Snatching the dress out of Ino's hands, Sakura glared angrily at nothing in particular and stomped off into the nearest bush, tugging and throwing her own clothing to the ground once she was hidden. Just as quickly, she got dressed into the outfit Ino had packed and inwardly called the blonde every horrible name she could think of.

The stupid thing barely reached the middle of her thighs! No, not even there. It just about covered her ass! Oh Gods, the shame. She'd never felt so… naked before. Usually, if she was wearing a short skirt or much too short shorts, then something else would be there to keep her from showing too much. For example, shorts would be under the short skirt or something like her apron skirt would be over her short shorts.

It was a nice dress and would have been beautiful had it not been for the length of it. The colour of the dress matched her apple green eyes, but it clung uncomfortably close to her body, so much so that it felt like she couldn't even breathe properly. Sakura understood why though after she fixed the thin spaghetti straps. It pushed her breasts up, to the point where they looked as though they were about to fall out of her dress.

Only a second later and Sakura realised why it was such a revealing dress. Ino had bought it a size too small and as she focused carefully on the hem of the dress, she could see that it wasn't the same style of stitching as everything else. She'd cut it!

Reluctantly, Sakura left the safety of the bush and looked around the group warily, tugging on the end of the dress. It felt like her entire ass was on show and just one wrong movement would reveal even more. She would have to walk slowly and carefully. Also, there would be no bending over!

"Sakura–chan, you look–"

"Don't say it," she snapped at Naruto, whose eyes were hungry as they looked her up and down. Of course, he would not be used to seeing so much of her body on show. Even Sasuke looked rather speechless as she looked over to him. "Ino, did you really have to cut the dress so short?"

At her words, Ino appeared out of a different bush but there wasn't as great of a reaction considering it wasn't that different from her usual outfit. A short black skirt and a tight, purple crop top. "Don't complain, Sakura." Ino sighed, brushing her hands down her sides. Then, her eyes met Sasuke's and a coy smile graced her lips, the sight of it making Shikamaru roll his eyes. "What do you think, Sasuke–kun?"

"It doesn't suit her."

The smile vanished and Ino growled. "Her? I meant me!"

A pause. "It suits you."

Sakura couldn't help but be hurt as she listened to Sasuke's words and saw Ino smiling victoriously. It didn't suit her? Why, because she wasn't as curvy as Ino? Or was it because her breasts were just about half the size of hers? What–

"I think it suits you, Sakura–chan!" Naruto told her with a bright smile. "Don't listen to that bastard–"

"It doesn't."

The blond was quick to turn to face Sasuke, glaring viciously at him. "Shut up! You're upsetting Sakura–chan!"

He rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Why?" Sakura forced herself to ask when Ino disappeared over to Shikamaru and Choji, and she was once more pulling at the ends of her dress. "Is it because Ino is more–"

"You don't suit looking like a whore," muttered Sasuke and his eyes narrowed on her seriously. "And you're not comfortable in your own skin. It shows and that's why you don't suit the dress. If you plan on completing this mission, you need to look more comfortable."

So it wasn't because Ino was more womanly than her? Sasuke simply thought she didn't suit it because she didn't suit dressing like a whore? Was that a compliment? Even if it wasn't, it felt like one. In some strange way, it was like Sasuke was telling her she had class and it made her heart warm with happiness.

Oh, she was over 'being in love' with Uchiha Sasuke, but that didn't mean she wasn't happy to receive praise and compliments from him. They were so rare to receive!

Wait…

A slow smirk pulled at her lips. "You said she suited the outfit."

Sasuke did not reply and instead went about going through his weapons, making sure everything he needed would be there.

It felt colder than usual, but Sakura knew that it was because she hardly had any clothes on. Also, due to her state of undress, she was receiving quite a few stares from both men and women. They were not the kinds of looks she liked receiving, though Ino didn't seem concerned by them in the least.

That was something Sakura had always been jealous about: Ino genuinely didn't give a shit what people thought about her. She knew she was beautiful. She knew she was smart and talented. If people didn't like her? Then screw them. They weren't worth her time or effort. Sakura, on the other hand, agonised over the fact that people didn't like her and spent hours, if not days, trying to figure out why, trying to find out what was wrong with her and how she could fix it.

However, out on the mission, none of those were allowed to matter. So, Sakura held her head high and regarded each person passing by her like they were below her, following Ino's lead with surprising ease. How many times had they played dress up in either one of their bedrooms? How many times had they taken turns being the queen or Hokage or anybody such as that?

When they entered a bar, Sakura made sure to discreetly take note of all exits. Four, that she could see and they were all in different places of the bar, giving them plenty of exits should things the situation call for it.

She liked to think she had the same strut as Ino's nailed down, but Sakura knew that that probably wasn't the case. She felt rather foolish just trying it, though hid her unease well and kept repeating that it was a mission in her mind. For missions, there was always something you didn't want to do and some things were worse than others.

Many eyes followed them and knowing that they could be potential targets, knowing that they could possibly have information they needed, Sakura made sure to meet their eyes, offering them coy smiles and glances. Ino continued to act like they didn't matter up until she reached the bar, leaning forward and exposing a great deal of cleavage to the bartender.

Sakura listened in on the brief conversation, though continued to focus on her surroundings. So far, there didn't seem to be any shinobi. Most of the people in the bar were far too relaxed, not to mention there was nothing in particular that stood out and demanded her attention.

Civilians and shinobi differed in ways, after all. Their chakra, for starters, was much weaker than a shinobi's and was hard to pick out if a civilian was in a crowd of shinobi. If it was the other way around, however, the shinobi's chakra would stand out like a sore thumb. Had Sakura been a sensory type, then maybe she could have picked out a civilian in a crowd of shinobi.

"Sakura."

The voice in her head nearly caused her to drop the drink Ino suddenly handed to her, but Sakura made a smooth recovery and smiled gratefully at her, all the while hissing back to her via her thoughts, "Don't do that!"

Ino didn't so much as blink as she glanced over at a table and gestured to it with her thumb. "Let's sit there." It was only after Sakura had agreed that she continued, "The bartender was surprised to see us here. Apparently this place has been pretty dead lately and nobody wants to come here."

It didn't look all that dead to her, Sakura thought suspiciously as she once more scanned the room, pretending to be interested in her surroundings. It was mostly men who were there and in total, she would say there was at least fifteen people in the bar – seventeen if you were included herself and Ino.

"Did he say why?"

She took a sip of her non–alcoholic drink. "There's been trouble around here with some bandits."

Bandits were always bad for business, more so than rogue–nin. Why? Because half of the time, they didn't know what the hell they were doing and always caused destruction in their wake. All they did was take, take and take! Rogue–nin, on the other hand, accepted missions from people who didn't mind working with them. It wasn't always honest work (from what she had learned from Tsunade) but it was much better than what bandits did for money.

In all honesty, Sakura didn't know too much on either subject. She didn't personally know any rogue–nin or bandits and the closest she'd come to knowing a rogue–nin was the one time Naruto had threatened to leave home, because he was sick and tired of people treating him in a way he didn't want to be treated.

Don't even get her started on that. One moment, she and Sasuke had been waiting to start their daily training with Team Seven and then the next, Naruto arrived, screaming and shouting about leaving the village to track down his father's sensei, Jiraiya. Minato must have thought training with Jiraiya would be good for Naruto because only a few months later, the toad sage was returning to the village and accepting Naruto as his student.

"Do you think they've contacted any villages yet?" Sakura also took a sip of her drink, hiding her grimace at the sourness of it. "It's a nice day today, isn't it?"

"Yeah." It seemed she was answering both questions at once, leaving Sakura to bite her lip. "According to the bartender, shinobi have been coming and going, but that could be anything."

She agreed. "They could just be passing through."

"What's our plans, then?" Ino asked brightly, smiling down at Sakura.

They had to keep up appearances. Talking via Ino's mind jutsu was a risky thing, especially in such a public place. Staring at each other, though not uttering a single word, could be taken the wrong way or could make them look a little unnerving. It would make people suspicious and gain unwanted attention. After all, in a couple of the five great nations, such as Wind and Earth, same sex relationships were against the law.

"What about a walk around the town? See what it has to offer."

See what information they could retrieve from local gossip.

Ino nodded once. "I was hoping you'd say that!"

Maybe a henge should have been used?

Fingering the ends of her hair, Sakura looked up at the sky with a slight squint. People were definitely staring, though now she was torn between whether it was because of the outfits or because of her hair. Everybody in the small town had brown hair, though all in different shades. Even Ino's hair colour stood out!

The reason why they hadn't bothered with a henge was because nobody really knew who they were. Sure, Sakura was known as Tsunade's disciple, but nobody really knew what she looked like due to keeping their heads down during her training to avoid trouble. They just knew her by name and through rumours. As for Ino, she didn't really have any distinguishing features other than her beauty, so it couldn't be confirmed that she was Yamanaka Ino.

Neither of them were in any of the Bingo Books, either.

For the past three hours, she and Ino had been strolling around the town, though found that it didn't have all that much to offer. From gossip, however, they'd discovered that two rogue–nin, who matched the descriptions of their targets scarily, had been seen around the village a handful of times. Their arrivals were always quiet, as were their stays, but when they left, it was usually with a bang and when Sakura said 'bang' she meant battle.

Why would they return, though? Any normal shinobi would have found somewhere more secure to stay, somewhere where they–

That was it!

They continued to stay in the town because it wasn't what others would expect.

Incredibly risky, if you asked her. Hunter–nin and those with a great sense of smell wouldn't be fooled for long, if at all. It was probably why they always left with a bang, because they had no other choice but to fight for survival.

Looking away from the bright blue sky, Sakura was startled when her eyes landed on a figure standing on top of a building in the distance. All they were doing was standing there, facing in her direction and she could feel their eyes on her. Who was it? They were too far for her to be able to make out any details, but if Sakura had to guess and if she believed her gut instinct, then…

No, it couldn't be.

It couldn't be him, could it?

"Hey," Ino tugged on her arm, causing Sakura to look over at her, "what is it? You look a little spooked."

"It's nothing." She was spooked. What if it was the man from the night before? What did he want with her? Her team was not around. It was just her and Ino. It was honestly beginning to creep her out a little. What if he was a stalker? "I thought I saw something."

And when Sakura glanced over her shoulder at the same spot, she found herself feeling vaguely disappointed that the figure had gone.

"Nothing important, I hope."

"No… Nothing important," she murmured with a soft frown.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Ino."

"Come on, Forehead!" the blonde sighed with annoyance, sending a glare over her shoulder. "We can't go back with nothing! We'll be letting the team down."

Yes, but they would live another day. What they were currently doing was risky, way too risky and shinobi always tried to think a few steps ahead of their opponent. Doing that at that moment in time was impossible, because they had no idea what to expect.

"Ino–"

"Shut up arguing with me!" she hissed in response, not even listening to Sakura's input. "Stop being such a wimp. All we have to do is investigate the place. Chances are, the rogue–nin won't even be there."

Still…

What if they were? They were told, warned, to avoid battle with them.

Sakura rubbed her arm restlessly, trying to rid herself of her goosebumps. It wasn't even cold, yet her entire body was covered in them. Her heart was beating much more quickly than usual and the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Oh and she couldn't forget the fact that her stomach was churning so badly that she almost had to stop every now and then, fearing that she was about to lose her lunch.

Why couldn't Ino feel the same thing she could? Sakura found herself growing more and more annoyed with her best friend. What they were doing was dangerous and could put the entire team at risk. Hadn't Asuma ever taught her what Kakashi had taught them? About how it was important to put the team before the mission?

No, it wasn't Asuma's fault. He was a great sensei. Perhaps not the best, but still great and he did his best to teach his team everything he knew. Ino had a very competitive nature and just the thought of the guys gathering more intel than them would be making her blood boil.

As for Sakura, her blood was cooling, to the point where it felt as though it was freezing in her veins.

Something wasn't right.

The feeling had been plaguing her since she caught sight of her saviour – that was what he was now dubbed as, since he refused to give her his name. The only time he'd shown up (not including the night before) was when the team was in danger. Was that why he was sticking around? To save them again? And if he was, then why?

Finally, the cabin they'd heard about through the local gossip came into view and they both froze at the sight of the door opening and closing. Without another thought, they leapt up into the nearest tree and crouched down, hiding in the thick cover of leaves and branches.

Hesitantly, Sakura reached for her earpiece, pressing it down.

Ino caught her hand and once more, her voice drifted into her mind. "Wait. It might not even be them."

Why was she risking it? Why–

"Aren't you tired of walking behind them, Sakura?" Ino questioned seriously, irritably. "Shikamaru's already a jonin and Choji's mastered all of his clan's techniques! They're leaving me behind and I can't stand it. Are you telling me you don't mind watching their backs all the freaking time?"

Her questions had Sakura lowering her hand to the branch they were crouched on. Why bother asking such questions when Ino knew exactly what she was thinking? No, Sakura didn't like watching their backs and walking behind them, but what choice did she have? Until she was ready, until she was at their level, she would never have the honour of walking by their sides, of making them watch her back for once.

In the end, she would only be a nuisance and in their way, possibly putting the whole team in danger all because she wanted to prove a point. It just wasn't worth risking her boys' lives!

That was why Sakura just couldn't agree with Ino's selfish reasons. No matter what, she knew she would always put the team before a mission. She would always put her team before her own needs. If that meant watching their backs for a little while longer, then so be it. They were–

Talking reached her ears and Sakura froze, quickly masking her chakra to a much less noticeable level and as she did, she noticed that Ino did the same. Unlike herself, however, the blonde wasn't frozen in her place. She was leaning forward.

"Make sure that thing doesn't get out again," the voice was male, shouting from the inside of the cabin just as another man stepped out of it. "I'm not chasing it this time."

Chasing it? What thing? Sakura frowned in confusion and slight intrigue, though she refused to admit it. What Ino was doing was still wrong and stupidly reckless, but it wasn't like Sakura could just leave her, was it? Something could happen and if it did, then she would never forgive herself. It would be better to be there, to help and heal and protect her best friend, than letting her die alone.

That had to be Sakura's greatest fear: dying alone.

Shaking the thoughts off, she focused on the conversation once more.

"Don't worry about her," said the man who was pausing in leaving the cabin. From what she could see, he was tall with dark hair and equally dark eyes, with a faint tan to his skin. He wasn't all that tall, though, despite being quite bulky. "She obeys her master."

Her? Master? Not only her own, but also Ino's fists clenched tightly. Had they kidnapped a woman? A child? Were they forcing her to be their slave? To follow their every order? To call them master?

Suddenly, a certain smell blew by them with the next gust of wind and vaguely recognising the scent, Sakura took another quiet sniff of the air, only for her eyes to widen a second later and snap to Ino's.

"Don't–"

But her hissed order was unheard, for just like she knew it would, the blonde began to have a sneezing fit after inhaling the cat fur.

Damn it. Damn Ino and her damned allergies!

"Somebody's out here!"

At least they knew who the slave was. Only, she wasn't actually a slave. It was their cat that they were worried about escaping. Typical.

"Great," Sakura spat out in Ino's direction and quickly pressed down against her earpiece. "Guys, we need back up as soon as you can get here. We've been caught."

There was no use in trying to escape, not if the guys were the ones they were supposed to be getting information on. Apparently one of their mind abilities rivalled that of the Yamanaka Clan's, so it would be foolish to try and escape. Quite possibly, they could read minds.

"You didn't have to–"

"Shut up, Ino!" she snapped. "We're not supposed to even be out here, let alone confronting the targets!"

With that, Sakura dropped from her place on the branch with Ino a second behind her. When the blonde tried to step forward, however, to make herself seem like the team leader, she held out her arm, forcing her back and ignoring the angered glare that was settled on her. Already, Ino had screwed up the mission – which was now a failure, by the way. The second they were discovered was the second they failed.

It was the first mission since that mission Sakura had ever failed.

The first man was joined by a second. This one was much taller than the first, easily towering over them all, but he definitely wasn't as muscular as his partner. His eyes were a piercing blue, kind of reminding Sakura of Ino's, but his hair was a dirty shade of brown. If it had been blond, then she would have been suspicious of him being a Yamanaka clan member turned rogue.

They were both wearing dark clothing, the sort that helped them blend into forests while travelling and the area surrounding the cabin didn't offer much space for battle. That meant they would have to fight close–range.

That was fine by her.

Ino, however…

Not for the first time, Sakura cursed her best friend and her competitive personality. Why? Because even though Ino had mastered a great deal of her clan's jutsu, she had not improved that much in taijutsu. Her speciality was the mind and even then, the blonde had to concentrate completely on what she was doing. It was still difficult for her, just like Sakura had difficulty with controlling the flow of chakra she was storing away.

"We're on our way," came Shikamaru's voice in her ear. It was laced with authority and his tone was deadly serious. "Try to stall them. Don't attack head on. Do you understand, Ino?"

From behind her, Ino gritted her teeth. These were direct orders from their captain and she knew she couldn't disobey. "Got it."

"What do we have here?" the tallest of the two men was the one who spoke, eyeing them up.

The smallest man was sneering at them. "Looks like a couple of whores who've strayed too far from town."

Whores?

Whores?

Sakura's blood began to boil.

"Maybe we should teach them–"

"Don't even think about it," Ino snarled and from her hair, she pulled out several senbon, effectively causing her long hair to fall from its pinned up state to its regular ponytail. There were a lot more waves in it than usual due to the previous hairstyle. "Take another step towards us and we'll prove to you both that we're more than just pretty faces."

Was Ino making the situation worse, or better? Sakura couldn't even tell. All she knew was that things weren't looking good for them and she was growing angrier by the second. At Ino, at the men and at herself. All for obvious reasons.

"Oh?" They both laughed loudly, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "I already know what you're both capable of." The first man tapped his head, smirking. "I'm already in those heads of yours."

Green eyes widened.

"Don't fall for it, Sakura," snapped Ino seriously. "He won't be getting into either of our heads that easily."

Her words displeased the pair of them, it was obvious from the looks on their faces. The taller man was now emotionless, though his eyes were hard and the smaller man was glaring hatefully at them.

"So you're talented with the mind, too?"

"I'm the future clan head of the Yamanaka Clan," she spat in return. "It'd be a disappointment if I weren't."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "The Yamanaka Clan, huh? I should've known. Like most freak show clans, you all look the same. Inbreeding, no doubt."

Sakura strengthened her stance, preparing herself for Ino's outburst.

There was none.

When she risked a glance over her shoulder, Sakura was stunned to see that her best friend was focusing hard and shutting her eyes, forming a single hand seal. If she didn't know any better, than Sakura was willing to bet that that was her mind reading jutsu, or perhaps even her mind transfer jutsu – the one where she transferred information, not minds, of course.

"You're from a low class clan of shinobi," she murmured and her frown deepened, like she was concentrating even harder. "Weak. You have no talent at all in taijutsu or genjutsu. All you–"

"How the hell is she in your head?" the smaller man snarled at the obvious leader of the two.

Sakura was startled when she noticed that Ino's nose was beginning to bleed, a clear sign that she was putting too much strain on her mind. "Stop it, Ino. You know the risks–"

"Push your mind too far, girl, and you won't even live to regret it. You won't get through all the barriers of my mind."

But that wouldn't stop her from trying and it terrified Sakura. Why was she pushing herself so hard? To prove a point? Was it really worth her life?

"Dei. Your partner… Hisashi."

Finally, it must have become too much for Ino, because her legs weakened and her eyes snapped open, the jutsu being broken by the lapse in concentration. Sakura was there in an instant and holding her up, allowing her best friend to sag against her.

At least they had names now. The tall guy was Dei, while the small guy was known as Hisashi.

"Seems like that's your limit." Dei smirked nastily.

A/N - I wasn't planning on updating, but I'm not sure how many of you have checked out my profile and I don't like the thought of just leaving you all like that. Anyway, the reason why I won't be updating for a while is mainly because of fanfiction. I'll just copy and paste what I put on my profile:

Fanfiction isn't working properly for me, so I'm not too sure when I'll be updating next. Not only that, but I recently got a job, which exhausts me so much!

28/08/15

Okay, so it still isn't working and I have emailed the support address many times about the error. Not had a single reply. I even made a new account to see if it was just my account or not - and it is. It seems to be only my account that isn't fully working, so I don't know what that means or what to make of it. I'll try updating with a chapter later and see what happens or whether it changes anything. At the moment though, I just don't see the point in posting my stories onto a website that isn't even working properly.

Turns out it's not only my account, because quite a few others are experiencing the same problems as I am.

It's not all bad though! Like I said: I got my job! Not only that, but instead of going back to college, I'm going to university instead!

Oh and for those of you who have given me advice on the kitten. I've tried replying to you all, but like I said, my account is working properly and I've been really busy with work. She's about ten weeks old and was taken away from her mother way too young, though was soon thrown on the street (probably because of her bathroom habits). She's fully litter trained her now, though and there are no more accidents.

Surprisingly, it was the older cats who taught her to use the litter tray. She'd follow them into the room we put the litter tray in (by the back door, there's a small room that was once used as a pantry - gives them some privacy) and she watched them go. Eventually, Tinks (that's her name) picked it up and now she only uses the litter trays, holding her bladder if it's not clean enough.

Also, she's now going upstairs, but that's only to sleep next to our older cat, Strike. I think Tinks looks at Strike like she's her mother, because she's tried feeding off her a few times (another sign that she was taken away from her mother too early).

We've decided we're going to keep Stinky Tinky, because she's so settled now and loves playing with our cats. She's part of the family already!

Thank you so much to those who sent me advice. I've been following what you all said and I'm sorry I haven't been replying. I promise I'm not being rude or ignorant!