Hello people. I wanted to know what you thought about the story so far… Do you think the cooking information is obnoxious? Let me know if you have any problems with my story or if you find any grammar mistakes. ~REVIEW~
~Morgan Louise
Gaara covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily. Sakura smiled, she knew facing Itachi would be a challenge worth her while.
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, kneeling in front of Gaara. When Gaara faced her, he looked 10 years older with all the worry on his face.
"Itachi is a powerful person Sakura, I- I really don't want to see you hurt by that pretty boy." At this, Sakura smiled at him. "Well, if that has got you worried, I'll personally see to it that the arena floor is mopped with his pretty boy face." Gaara rolled his eyes and headed to his room to prepare for the final test.
Leaving Kankuro in the living room, Sakura went into the kitchen to begin packing Naruto's lunch for the next day. Leaving the kitchen 2 hours later with 4 lunches made Sakura was fuzzy in the head. Rubbing her face, Sakura stumbled to her door; closing it firmly behind her Sakura pulled off her shirt and collapsed onto her bed with a happy sigh. Snuggling up to her pillows and grabbing her stuffed animal Sakura stretched like a cat and fell asleep.
Gaara was woken suddenly when the door to his room opened and closed, looking up, he saw Sakura stumble in. Gaara's face started on fire when Sakura pulled off her shirt.
When she sat on the bed next to him, Gaara went rigid. As Sakura cuddled into him, Gaara smiled when she fell asleep he wrapped his arms firmly around her and pulled her close. 'Well, she did come in here.' He thought happily.
In the morning Sakura didn't want to wake up, everything was so warm and there was a nice breez- snapping her eyes open Sakura looked around quickly. Gaara was sleeping next to her, his arms wrapped firmly around her. Before Sakura realized it she was running her fingers over the muscles in his arms that stood out against his sun bronzed skin, he shifted closer to her and Sakura froze, slipping out of his grasp Sakura grabbed her shirt from the floor and began pulling it on while leaving the room.
In the hall, Sakura pulled her shirt firmly down and sighed. Turning around she froze, Naruto was standing behind her, the most peculiar look on his face. "Kaa-san… what were you doing in Gaara's room without a shirt on?" Sakura's mind scrambled. "Welllll, I was showing Gaara a, ah, birthmark I have on my back…" Sakura finished with an awkward smile. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto raised his arms to be picked up.
Carrying the little blond downstairs, Sakura gave him apples and orange juice for breakfast. Rushing him upstairs after seeing the time, Sakura yelled loudly through the house for the guys to wake up and meet her at the arena. Slamming the door behind her, Sakura ran a checklist through her head. Lunches? Check. Naruto? Check. Letter of admission for the three of them? Check. Smiling, Sakura grabbed Naruto and ran the rest of the way to the Academy.
Iruka was playing a game of Ayatori (Cat's Cradle) among a group of small girls. When he saw Sakura he excused himself and walked over. "Well, good luck today. In case you're wondering, I'll be taking the class down later to watch the battles." He said hugging her around the shoulder. Sakura nodded and took a deep breath, smiling up at him. Giving Naruto a thorough kissing Sakura set him down to play and left for her exams.
The exam arena was packed with people, a room to the left led her to the team waiting rooms. Studying the examinees Sakura giggled, they were going to be push-over's. One look at them and Sakura could tell their weak points. A red headed boy in the corner favored his right side. A girl making a fuss in the back of the room used long range techniques, you could tell because her fingers were unblemished with calluses and scars. Itachi Uchiha stood to her right, evaluating the room, same as her. He stood stiff as a board, careful not to give any secrets away.
Sakura caught the Uchiha's eye and she nodded to him respectfully, he let a smirk slide over his face and he inclined his head as well. As the proctor yelled for everyone to quiet down Sakura wandered to her side of the arena to prepare for her battle. Sitting cross legged on the floor Sakura meditated for the first 5 battle sequences. When Gaara's battle was up Sakura watched from high above. Gaara waited for the female he was up against to make the first move, she made the stupid mistake of rushing him.
Gaara cocooned her in the Sand Coffin and ended the battle promptly. Gaara exited the arena amid the whispers of the crowd. Sakura clapped for him and seated herself again. A few more rounds before her and Itachi…
When Sakura's name was called the crowd was silent, they remembered the little girl they believed to be dead and watched her walk into the center of the arena, as beautiful as a cherry blossom. Many bet Sakura wouldn't last mere moments with Itachi in the ring. None of them knew an epic battle was about to take place.
When the proctor called for them to begin, they bowed respectfully to each other and when Sakura looked back up he had disappeared. Breathing in and out Sakura cracked her knuckles and slammed her fist into the ground, as the arena floor crumpled Itachi appeared from the debris and stared at Sakura with a new light in his eyes. He was excited.
Advancing on him in his time of shock, Sakura managed to get a thin slice on his cheek before he loped away. As Sakura waited for him to make his next move she studied him, Sakura stiffened when she felt a kunai pressed to her throat. Swearing colorfully Sakura wound her way under the kunai, gaining a deep cut on her shoulder. Passing a healing enhanced hand over the cut, Sakura sighed when the pain disappeared.
The two ninja began a furious hand to hand combat ritual. They were moving faster and faster and soon no one could keep track of who had the upper hand, they were too evenly matched. When a clod of earth hit Sakura in the back of the head, she faltered and looked around, shocked. Before she realized it, 4 shuriken were lodged in her abdomen, grunting quietly Sakura ripped them out, bending over to catch her breath she created hundreds of clones and they filled the arena.
The clones took advantage of the clogged area and managed to injure Itachi in many places. Sakura regained her composure and began to run full tilt at Itachi. Sakura realized too late that he had disguised himself as a clone of her amid a sea of look-alikes. Skidding to a halt and propelling herself backwards, Sakura was shocked to see a figure running toward them on the field.
Turning her head in slow motion, Sakura watched little Naruto throw himself in the way of the oncoming kunai, she watched them slice through his shirt on its way to her. They embedded themselves into her heart and Sakura fell to the ground, face first. Itachi backed away, assuming the battle was over. No one in the arena spoke and Itachi turned his back to leave.
Hearing rustling behind him, Itachi spun around and gasped as he saw Sakura rising to her feet. As though the world was fading to black and white, Itachi watched as white leeched the color from Sakura's hair as she stood to face him. Her outfit, a once modest dress was now torn into two sections that faded to black, leaving behind the burning white Haruno symbols. An ominous chakra began leaking from her and Itachi gasped when two wings shot out of the girls back.
Sakura and Itachi stood facing each other for what seemed like hours before Sakura snapped her head up and her hair out of her eyes. An eerie gold cat pupil now replaced her usual spring green eyes. The chakra wings behind her began flapping, a rush of wind swept over the arena and Sakura shot into the sky.
The kunai that had been lodged in her chest fell to the ground and her locket fell out from under her shirt. Without any warning Sakura threw up her right hand and screamed "Hakasho Dansu!"
The ground under her began to shake as though an earthquake was brewing under the surface. Something surfaced from the rubble and bones flew into Sakura's hands, a six foot long blade was formed and Sakura swung it around, testing the balance. Looking Itachi in the eye Sakura posed and raised her left hand, gesturing for him to 'bring it on.'
Itachi blanched and pulled a kunai from his side pouch. Pointing the end of the sword in Itachi's face Sakura giggled madly and whispered "Damashii hakkei." A white mist fell from the end of the sword like fog and melted into the ground, the arena held its breath.
Bones surfaced again and a wolf, formed entirely of bones formed and raised its skull o the sky in a silent howl, the motion rose the hair on Itachi's arms and sent a shiver down his spine. The skeletal wolf was joined by two more wolves, they rushed Itachi. No matter what he did he couldn't kill them; and eventually they had him pinned to the ground.
Sakura giggled and walked on the air over to him, "Give." Sakura sang, Itachi's eyes widened and he nodded sharply. Sakura smirked and knocked him out. Before turning to leave, Sakura grabbed Itachi's left leg and flipped him onto his face; backed by her wolf skeletons, Sakura took a victory lap around the arena.
Dropping Itachi, Sakura rose into the sky, a scream rocked her body and the black and white Sakura faded, and the original fell to the earth like a falling star.