"Top secret…" Sasuke muttered silently, looking at Sakura. He then tried to focus on the way, on his mission but no luck; his head just don't want to stop looking at Sakura. He started wondering why.
The five shinobis jumped from branches to braches, trying their best not to ruin the circle of five. To maintain Sakura in the center, the shinobis are trying hard not to accidentally cut any strings bounding the circle with some spells on it. They were traveling for a whole day now; they still have to approach the shore to get to the island. In this mission, Shikamaru leads.
When the shorelines became visible, Shikamaru motioned them to stop. They rested for a little while before advancing to the shores using their chakra filled feet. They thought it will be a more quiet approach so as not to scare the land that fears the white tiger. They needed willpower this time, for they will walk in the oceans that became the only boundary of the Land of fire and the islands including the Land of the moon.
The whole night, they didn't stop specially they are in the ocean. The chakra being drained from Sakura was the only resource of their energy when their chakra went out.
They reached the land by midmorning, stopping at a remote area in the Land of the moon.
Luckily, for them, no one seemed to know about Sakura yet from the neighboring countries specially, the Land of Sound. Sasuke assumed that once Orochimaru hears news about Sakura, he'll try his best to capture her for his benefits.
'Like I would let it happen,' Sasuke thought, his eyes on Sakura again. 'Now, I can take a longer look at her…'
Sakura bloomed after so many years. Her hair reached her shoulders now. Her cheeks were tainted with red, a light shade of red that is. She has curves on the right places, not that Sasuke would care. He's only looking, noting at the changes of what Sakura became after 5 years of his absence. 'So cold though.'
He then looked at his rival, his own best friend. Naruto… has grown up now. He's not that annoying but is still annoying. His voice is not that…loud. And has a little body-shaped figure. Just a little. (A/N: Guess you can check the Shipuuden…)
He noted every possible change on Naruto and Sakura, maybe to catch up those years of being at Orochimaru's side. He wanted to at least fill the gaping holes of his life. Holes that are intended to have the memories of team seven for the 5 years of being away. This day, he admitted to himself that he TruLy care for his friends, Sakura and Naruto.
The shinobis were resting for awhile until they heard some movements from the bushes nearby. They readied themselves in a specific stance that enables them to do long range shots. They won't allow any intruders to destroy the circle, they should be in the perfect circle or else, Sakura will be removed from her bubble so they should avoid face to face combats... That would be too much to risk.
As Sasuke was readying his chidori, 2 young girls went out. The first seemed to be at their age and the smaller was at least 9 years old. The older one unsheathed her katana, while the other one hid behind her.
"Who are you!" the girl boldly said. Her body was trembling but still wearing a bold stare, more of a glare.
"Ah… Maybe we can ask them where the priestess of this Lan- Whoa…!" Kiba reacted quickly when a kunai made its way on his face. If he didn't move, it would be a bull's eye. He looked at the girl seriously.
"I said WHO are you! Are you planning on killing baa-chan?!" The girl said.
Shikmaru stared at her for awhile before he shook his head no. Neji started explaining.
"We're here no to kill your grandmother but to seek help from your priestess." He looked at Sakura worriedly. "This girl in the center is Sakura; she became the white tiger's vessel as of now."
"Yu-yukiyo?!" Her eyes widened for a moment. She turned to the little girl behind her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Guess we'll help you. Don't move to where you are, I'll call comrades."
The two young girls disappeared through the bushes.
'If they were worrying for their grandmother, they shouldn't trust anyone that easily, not that I would mind since that's an advantage.' Shikamaru thought.
The Konoha's promising shinobis waited patiently for help to come. Sometimes they would either look at Sakura or think about possibilities. Sakura is still in her long slumber. Her body still looks weak especially now that her chakra is being drained.
After two long hours of waiting, they felt presence of ninjas surround them. Their body stiffened for a moment but relaxed when they saw the young girl with a lady of old age. The old lady smiled at them and eyed Sakura afterwards.
They were led in an underground house, 1 and a half hour away from were they stayed a while ago but they managed. They were separated from Sakura for checking.
They were interrogated for awhile by medic nins and they got all possible information needed. When done, they were allowed to see Sakura, not in a human bubble anymore but in a decent room lying in a comfy bed.
They approach her almost immediately, not worrying about Yukiyo since she looked vulnerable and at peace. Sasuke was sitting by her head, the others at her feet or side.
Once he touched her delicate face, her eyes started to open. Naruto, forgetting Tsunade's rules to him was by Sakura's side.
Once Sakura saw what surrounds her, she blink a few times and saw Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Naruto. Though she felt pain struck her body, she smiled softly at them. Sasuke brightened a bit when he saw her smile.
"You can feel now. What do you feel?" Sasuke asked in a surprisingly comfortable and caring voice.
"I think my head is spinning and my body aches but I can manage." Sakura looked around her. "Maybe the talismans have something to do with it."
The priestess entered the room with more talismans at hand, her granddaughter behind her.
"I think that all of you should stay here for a month or so. We still have to study her case because the white tiger's former vessels have different cases. My granddaughter, Hikari, can fill you with knowledge outside." She said. "Right now we need to have a little chat." She nodded at Sakura who smiled at her.
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A/N:
Sorry, I was always forgetting to put to be continued in my works. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Sasuke is softening a bit and Naruto is like an old man, forgetting almost important things... Anyways, thanks for the review!
