A/N: I AM SO SORRY GUYS. Right after vacation, I went on another one, and then I had school starting back up, and I just wanted to tell you that I am deeply sorry, and I will continue this story, it'll just take longer with the updates. I may be in high school, but I'm in all AP classes and I spend on average four hours of homework a night, and over the weekend, along with other junk, I do average six to eight, along with all my extra curricular and GAH. Bear with me? Anyways, finally here, enjoy!
Sighing, the blonde haired man set down another box, standing back straight and rolling his shoulders. Looking around, he frowned, shaking his head in mock disbelief. So many damn boxes lined against the walls of his new living room that it almost looked like he lived in a giant cardboard box. Smirking to himself, he could only imagine what his girlfriend would say to that comment. Probably something to do with homeless men, he mused. His heart skipped a beat in his chest when it donned on him, what he just said. Girlfriend. Sakura Haruno, the girl he's dreamed about for years, the love of his life (he hasn't told her, but he's sure everybody and their grandmother already knows this), had returned his feelings and wanted to be his girlfriend. Smiling to himself, he leaned against a giant box of clothes, staring out the window.
Life is good.
"Dobe!" he heard a grunt from the doorway. "Come help me with this damn box! It isn't even my junk!"
Rolling his blue eyes, Naruto shoved himself off the cardboard and started towards the door. "So stupid! I thought you said you were strong, Teme?"
"It doesn't have to do with strength, idiot, considering the fact that you didn't get a box to fit through the doorway."
"Shut up, and quit whining like a girl. Just shove."
Sasuke gave him a death glare from across the top of the box. "What the hell do you think I've been doing?"
"Ok." he said slowly, nodding his head. "Try turning it to the other side?"
"Already did that."
"Sideways?"
"That too."
"Squishing down the sides?" he asked meekly.
"Can't get any more squished than this."
Scoffing, Naruto threw his hands in the air. "The window?"
Pausing, Sasuke sent a glance to the opening, carefully examining it, and shrugged. "Could work."
Finally with an agreement, the two rounded to the glass, which Naruto shoved open, and Sasuke propped the box on the pane, slowly sliding it in. As soon as it was balanced on the wood, the blonde started to pull it inside, when the weight of the items began to shift to the back of the cardboard suddenly, a weight he wasn't prepared for crashed into his stomach. The sides of the box were too big, and before he could stop it, the weight of the box shoved it's way through the opening and onto the floor, cracking the glass of the window in the process. Grunting and rolling over on his side, Naruto curled into the fetal position and held his stomach.
"Auughuhghguhg." he sobbed, wriggling around.
"You moron!" the raven haired man hissed from the outside, staring down at his friend with clenched teeth. "I am not fixing that window! So don't even ask!"
"Teme..." Naruto groaned pathetically. "Call a medic. I'm bleeding out from my belly button over here."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sasuke let out a sharp breath before walking inside and helping the blonde to his feet. Upon standing, Naruto let out a huge whine, and limped over to the wall before leaning against it. His teammate rolled his eyes.
"You're being utterly dramatic, Dobe. More so than Ino."
"I feel abdominal pain, along with my heartache." the blue eyed Shinobi sniffed, rubbing his middle. "How can you blame me?"
"She's been gone a week and a half. Kakashi has been sending in reports regularly with his ninja dogs, so they're doing fine." Sasuke frowned, kicking aside an empty box as he walked to the kitchen. Naruto followed close behind. "I know what happened, but she's not alone this time. It will be fine."
Propping his elbows on the long stretch counter, the blonde watched as his friend rummaged through his box of brand new kitchen ware (an early house warming gift from the council, which he found extremely odd) to find a glass cup, in which he filled it up with water from the sink. Naruto frowned at him, looking completely disinterested.
"So? Things could go wrong again, and I'm worried. Is that so bad?" With another dramatic sigh, he flung himself across the table, splaying out his arms. "And right when she agrees to be my girlfriend too! Damn it!"
Sasuke quirked an inky brow, taking a drink. "Life's a bitch, especially if you're a ninja."
"You should seriously consider writing poetry, Teme, that was deep."
"Hn. Thank you."
A knock rang out throughout the nearly vacant house, and picking up what was the mess of himself, Naruto advanced towards the door, his teammate deciding to stay and pick around in the kitchen. Opening the elegantly carved wood, he saw the unusually innocent smiling face of Kiba, with Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sai, and Lee in tow.
There was a moment of silence, as Naruto stared at them with a suspicious look. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked accusingly, having a bad feeling. Kiba normally didn't look so cheeky, and the rest of the guys had an aura around them. He's been their close friend long enough to know when something was up.
"What?" Kiba asked sweetly. "Friends can't help other friends unpack?"
"No." the blonde said flatly. "Not you guys anyways."
"Ah, damn." Chouji cursed, sighing. "He caught us. Might as well tell him, Kiba."
"Ok, fine." he huffed. From behind his back, he pulled out two huge bottles of sake. "We kinda wanted to get drunk with you and start messing with your crap and run around your monstrous house. Don't be selfish."
Debating it, Naruto stepped aside in defeat, in which the guys whooped and made themselves at home on the bare wooden floor of the dining room. Pulling out a sheet from the box labeled 'linens', Kiba spread it across the ground and sat down the two bottles, the men following suit. Hearing the commotion, Sasuke peeked out into the dining room, and upon seeing the 'merry band of idiots', frowned.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?"
Kiba snorted, cracking open a bottle. "To fuck shit up, obviously."
The raven haired man rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Shikamaru. "Naruto already has that notion taken care of."
"Getting' reeeeal tired of your shit, Teme."
"I shall go get us all glasses." Lee announced cheerfully, which Chouji stared in horror.
"Not you, Bushy Brows." Kiba whistled, shaking a finger. "Naruto just moved in, and we don't need to be looking for him a new house already." Lee hung his head, but nodded none the less in agreement and went to fetch the glasses anyways.
Sai tilted his head to the side, looking curiously at the group. "Why can he not drink with us? Don't all friends join in on such an occasion?"
Naruto barked a laugh and shook his head, grabbing a glass from Lee as he returned. "Not Bushy Brows. He can hold his liquor about as well as an academy student."
"Which is about the size of your penis, but we still accept you." Sai retorted.
"Oi! Do you want to die?!" Naruto cried, and the group burst into laughter.
Kiba, having already finished half a glass, stood and walked towards a box, rummaging through it. Everybody began talking and joking, occasionally messing with the blondes stuff, in which he really didn't care. He had nothing to hide, and nothing extremely valuable that required delicate protection from the morons. An hour or two passed, before Kiba groaned really loudly from the back of the house, which was faintly heard by the guys, for the house was huge.
"What is it, idiot?" Naruto called, taking a sip. He was drinking more than usual tonight, and he was feeling the buzz creep up on him.
"Naruto, are you gay?" he called, and the blonde spit out his drink.
"What the hell, Kiba? No I'm not gay!" he yelled, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as everybody laughed. First the bar tender a few weeks back, and now him? What kind of signals was he sending off?
Kiba resurfaced from the hall, his hands in the air as if he had thrown them up whilst he was walking back. "I mean, what kind of a man doesn't carry porn around here?! I looked in all of your stinking boxes and nothing! Zip! Nada! So other your hiding some really juicy stuff, or you're gay and too ashamed to buy sausage magazines."
"God dammit, Kiba! I'm not gay!" he exclaimed. "And I don't have porn, so you can quit looking, pervert."
Plopping down, the supposed pervert poured himself another drink. "Just saying."
"How does Hinata put up with you?" Shino asked, more to himself than the brunette, in disgust.
Shikamaru shrugged in agreement, and laid back onto his arms. "All men are different together than with their girls. If I acted the way I do with you guys, Temari would bash my head in with her fan, the troublesome girl." he sighed, closing his eyes.
"Yeah, ain't that the truth." Chouji drank in approval, lifting his glass. "I love Ino, I really do, but sometimes, guys just need to be guys. I'm tired of painting her toe nails." he shivered.
"I'm intrigued with the way you all think." Sai said, slurring a bit. He couldn't hold his alcohol very well, but it was miles better than Lee. "It's nothing like in the books. I'm really enjoying myself and, porn, is it? I would be very enticed to see a, 'porn'."
Everybody laughed as he looked on quizzically. Sometimes the boy was so sheltered it was kind of ridiculous. Naruto sat back on his elbows, watching his friends. He loved them all, the stupid goobers that they were. He may never have had a family, but this was the closest thing he had to it, besides Kakashi-sensei, Pervy Sage, Baa-Chan, and Iruka-sensei. The only person missing besides Jiraya (the thought sent a wave of pain through his heart, though it was more aching now than sharp) was the person whom he wanted nothing more than to see.
Sakura...
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"Sakura!" one of the Jounin screamed, just as she turned her head to see a kunai coming for her temple.
Diving to the side, she evaded the weapon smoothly, hitting the ground with a graceful step. Grabbing a handful of shuriken from her pouch, she flung them at the nearest enemy, missing, but with a smirk one of the wind users on her squad stepped out from behind a trunk and sent the shower back to the man with a powerful gust of air. Sakura cringed as the weapons hit so hard they sliced straight through the body.
Flicking several drops of the enemies blood from her clothing, a chakra scan told her that they were in the clear once more, and she reached behind her to slid her kunai in her pouch. Cracking her neck, she rubbed the aching muscles thoroughly. She must have pulled something when evading a nasty punch earlier in the fight, and she would apply chakra, if she wasn't preparing for another battle, just in case.
A Shinobi is never too careful. Paranoia could drive you crazy, but as a Kunoichi, it could very well save your ass too.
Walking over to her team, she gave them all a bright smile, despite the circumstances. It was somewhat of a trademark of hers now, and every ninja who had worked with her had grown accustom to it. No matter what happened, she always found a way to smile.
"Ok, my chakra scans aren't picking anything up for now." Her eyes flickered to the tracker on her squad, who merely nodded in agreement. "So I think that the best course of action is to make camp about forty kilometers west. We'll take turns shifting watch, and this will give us a chance to clean up, rest up, and get ready for tomorrow. We're going into the next town to investigate, and this town is where the main portion of the boys are going missing." she took a deep breath, looking over the bodies of the group they had just fought, the corpses growing cold.
"Were these like any of the ones you fought previously, Haruno-San?" a young red headed Jounin asked, and Sakura drew her brows together, looking at her.
"I'm not entirely sure. It's hard to say. They fit the age range of the boys going missing, but something was off..." she trailed, replaying both fight scenes in her head, and finally shook it, confirming it to herself. "No. There fighting styles are too different. I think this batch was just some unlucky bastards who thought that robbing us would be a good idea." Some of the Jounin actually gave them pitied looks, before turning back to the pink haired medic. "So let's head out. The sooner we get to a camp site before dark the better."
So they began their run, sprinting forward towards the sunset, their packs bouncing gently against their backs. The travel was quiet for the most part, the birds singing dying down with the sun, and the rustle of the trees paired with the wind that was drying up the sweat on her body was beginning to make her more tired than she realized she was. Her muscles began to ache, which she swore at in disappointment. She really needed to take on more missions. They were about halfway to their destination, when a silver blur caught the corner of her eyes. Turning her head and focusing on running in the tree limbs with her peripheral vision, she found the crinkled eye of her former Sensei.
"Yo." he saluted, giving her a tiny wave.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." she smiled brightly despite her fatigue, and he chuckled.
"It's strange, you know. Seeing you all bossy. Taking on a leadership role." he sighed, shaking his head. "All grown up. Wow, I feel old."
"Only as old as you look." she giggled, giving him a lopsided grin. "You never have to worry about grays though. You should be used to it by now."
"Not funny, Sakura." he frowned, but she could see the amusement in his eye.
"But you totally rock the gray, Sensei."
"Thank you."
"Anytime." There was a long, comfortable silence, and when they were far enough ahead from the team to be out of ear shot, Kakashi turned back to her seriously. "What?" she asked, raising a pink brow.
"I was wondering...from a medic's point of view, how is it even possible for him to be alive?" he inquired coolly, and she frowned at the topic. "I've seen you kill people, Sakura, and you don't leave until they're good and dead. So, how?"
"I don't know." she admitted sheepishly, shrugging. "I've considered the possibility of somebody moving the body, but there would have been tracks, you know? The ghost of a jutsu, actual track marks; that man wasn't the lightest of men, and we have the best tracker ninja out there. And why only move his body? There were plenty other great ninja in that cave. I get that he was the leader and all, but if you go through the trouble for him, there were some equally good ninja in there with less serious fatal injury, why not go for more?"
Sighing, she craned her neck back to make sure her team was still following religiously behind her, and upon finding them still in the condition and numbers she left them, she returned back to the conversation, satisfied. She didn't feel anything in the safety radius, and the tracker ninja weren't signaling, so they were fine. For now, at least.
"But I also made sure to scan for anymore more Shinobi. I found nothing within miles. And the cave was already demolished and sealed. I don't know, Kakashi. Maybe I missed something? I mean, it happens..." she trailed, staring straight ahead, replaying everything in her mind like she was accustomed to do these days. Maybe in her weakened state she missed a chakra signature?
"Well, sometimes the most simple logic can help us figure a mission, and it's when we need it that we forget it." Kakashi informed, slanting his mouth in concentration. "Look underneath the underneath." A grave expression crossed his face for a brief moment, and before Sakura could get concerned, it was gone.
"Thanks for the words of wisdom, old man."
He merely smiled at her, and leaned over to ruffle her pink hair. "I'll scout ahead." he said, and was sprinting ahead of the group before she could even open her mouth to say anything.
Sakura merely rolled her eyes and smiled, readjusting the strap of her bag. She loved her Sensei, but sometimes he was just as quirky as his students. Thinking back on his words, she pursed her lips, her eyes screwing up playfully as his words rolled around in her head. Logic, huh? Basic logic. She began to idly play with her medic pouch, rummaging around and checking her bandage supply out of sheer boredom. What was some basic logic that she didn't look over during the mission...
All at once, it hit her like a brick to the face. Of freaking course. Every team had a medic, so that must mean that his newly formed 'Akatsuki' had one as well. But where? And where was said medic when she was there? And why wasn't she able to sniff them out? Where was the medic when all of those people were dying? Grinding her teeth, she knew it was a long shot, but she had a hankering as to what the answers to those questions are.
If the medic was as good as she was dreading, then they would be able to hide their presence so well that her weakened self wouldn't be able to detect them; also, the boss would want to keep them to himself, locked away and saving their energy for when he was down and out for the count, and she was long gone. That would make whoever this medic was, one hell of a field doctor to be able to treat something as severe as what she had inflicted on the bastard.
Cringing, she knew that her observations should have never had slipped through her fingers. If it wasn't for her Sensei's subtle words, she might have been clueless through the entire mission. She has to be prepared for when the real shit goes down, for it was always a nasty battle between two skilled medics. This situation is going to get real ugly, real quick she realized.
They reached their destination, and she sat her bags down by a rather large boulder, that at the top had a wonderful view of the terrain, and if positioned correctly, completely hid the scouter with tree limbs and leaves. Stretching, she felt a few areas along her spine pop, and she groaned in appreciation. Lightly thumping against her shoulder with her fist, she made her way over to the fire, which one of her ninja had started.
"Alright." she said, yawning and looking at the expectant faces of her team. "Somebody needs to sort out the watches, a group of three needs to scout for food, and another two needs to get enough firewood to last us the night. There's a river through the two oaks and down the hill a little ways, where anybody can fill up their canteens and take a bath if not on watch. Any volunteers?" she half-joked, and already saw people pairing up and beginning tasks.
"Haruno-San, what watch would you prefer?" asked the same red headed Jounin from earlier.
Sakrua shrugged, having being used to broken up sleep, thanks to the hospital. "I'll take third watch." Her team beamed appreciatively. "So long as I get the first bath." she said, waggling her finger, her eyes cast seriously and her eyebrows furrowed. A few chuckles broke out from the group.
Grinning, she walked over to her bag, pulling out her canteen, a fresh pair of ninja clothes (and by fresh, meaning she washed them in the last river with a little bit of detergent she brought) and her hygiene pack, and was about to make her way to the trickling water when something fell out of her pack. Shrugging, she reached down to pick it up and toss it back in, but for some reason, she stopped, turning the object over and staring at it.
Suddenly, a wave of longing crashed into her fiercely. She had been so busy with everything that she hadn't the time to get worked up about home, and the picture that had just landed by her feet made it all come back to her.
The grinning idiot in the photo couldn't be anymore than fifteen, his unruly blonde spikes sticking in every direction, a huge, shit eating grin on his face as his tongue stuck slightly out to the side. His arms were behind his head in his usual habit, his jacket was billowing open, revealing the black shirt he tended to wear underneath. The blue eyes that had never changed for all those years sparkled with a mischief she had grown to know and love.
Everything about this picture was Naruto, thus making everything about this picture was something she loved. She completely forgot she had this. Blinking back foolish moisture, she held the photo against her breast, feeling her heart beat against it. Closing her eyes, she cradled it there, as if a piece of Naruto was there for her to hold onto. It was a comforting thought, just not as comforting as his arms around her. Giving it a small smile, she kissed the picture and laid it delicately back into her pack.
"God." she groaned, now staring at her pack. "Do you have any idea how much I miss you?" she whispered to the bag, and shook her head slowly, her ponytail swishing. Standing up, she brushed her knees off and continued down to the river.
On top of the boulder, with carefully concealed chakra, Kakashi sat, smiling down at his student. He had seen and heard the entire little scene down at the base of the giant rock, and it had made him smile fondly at the pink haired medic. Leaning back on his hands, he closed his eyes temporarily, focusing on the crackle of the fire below and the small curse from the river after a tiny splash. It wasn't home, but at least he was around the people who he cared about, so just about anywhere, even in the middle of the forest, seemed less lonely.
Staring up into the darkening sky, he could only imagine what his other knuckle head of a love struck student was doing at the moment.
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"I said no!" Naruto cried, punching Kiba in the shoulder with a little more force than intended. Oops. He always had a problem of controlling his strength when drinking.
Kiba merely laughed it off and rubbed his shoulder, punching him back. "Come on, you pansy! Don't be such a spazz."
"This is utterly stupid." Shino groaned, taking the last drink as Chouji cracked open another bottle.
They had made Lee, the only sober one, go retrieve more sake from the local Liquor store. For his trouble, they gave him extra cash to get him something for himself that was none-alcohol related, in which he was slurping down happily at the moment. Red bean soup wasn't exactly something crazy for a drinking night, but whatever floated his boat.
"I said no!" he said, and gave a tiny hiccup, which the boys roared with laughter at.
"Look! You are a spazz!" he cried in hysteria. Wiping an eye to infuriate the blonde even more, he even 'flicked' the tear at his face. "Everybody else is doing it!"
"That's because everybody else is complete morons!"
"Don't be like that!" Chouji chastised lamely, taking the first drink of the new bottle. They had skipped glasses about four bottles ago and just started drinking straight from the source, which Sasuke sneered at in disgust, but snatched the bottle from the pudgy man anyways and took a long swallow. "It's not going to be anything disrespectful. Just details."
"I said no!"
"God, you're like a broken record, aren't you?" Shikamaru smirked, taking the bottle from Sasuke, who shrugged and leaned back on his elbows.
"A broken, but respectful record." he grumbled, continuing the pass around and retrieving the bottle form Shikamaru. "Besides, I don't get much action anyways." he shrugged, taking a drink. "I'd bore you."
"As if!" Kiba laughed, bumping Naruto with his leg. "We know girls fall over you, man!" Smirking, he gave him a devious smile. "Didn't you just get a girlfriend? Gotten anywhere with Sakura at all?" he wiggled playfully, trying to tease the blonde out of good nature.
Fully joking, but joking or not, the blonde growled, low and deep in his throat. "Don't even go there."
"Ok! Ok!" The brunette threw his hands up defensively. "I get it! Sorry!" he huffed, letting his hands fall on his knees. "I meant nothing by it. You know I wouldn't say anything bad about any of the girls."
Sighing with a nod, Naruto stood from the spot he had been sitting in for hours, and he cringed when the muscles ached and he found that he had a very numb ass. Fighting the light-headed feeling that came with standing that fast, he stumbled to the kitchen, sliding open the big door and sticking his head outside. Moonlight washed over his features, casting a gentle, pale glow across the huge back yard, which served more as a garden as well. Taking notice of this new found area, he suddenly realized that he had never even seen any areas of the house besides the inside.
The lawn was clean cut and manicured, a set of patio furniture off to the left of the door. A few large rocks were scattered around the yard, artistically placed. Flowers decorated the entire perimeter around the lot, and the pale light spilled into the tiny forest that rested right outside of his home, also reflecting in the tiny pond that was tucked under naked sakura trees.
Sakura...
Groaning, he walked over to a patio chair, pulling it out and slumping into it. The cushion engulfed him, and it was definitely a much more comfortable place to sit that what he was sitting on a few minutes ago, but then again he never really cared much about things like that. A cool breeze caressed his bare arms and face, and he eagerly leaned into it's touch, as if it were an actual entity. A soft slide to the door aroused his senses, but he ignored it, already having feeling the chakra signature of who it was before they even reached the kitchen.
Sasuke plopped into the seat next to him, letting out a deep breath and there they sat in relaxing silence, the quiet being broke every so often by a guileful laughter from the house, or a particularly loud cricket. They often did this, if Naruto felt like shutting up for more than five minutes that is. Just simply enjoying one another company, saying nothing, and getting to know each other again just by being in the presence of the other. They did this more than communicating verbally when he first returned. Now that they talk constantly (or as much as the raven haired male will grind out), it was still refreshing to do it again every once and awhile.
Finally, Naruto was the one who broke the silence, as he always was. "I really don't need this big of a house. I told the council that."
"Hn." Sasuke grunted softly, letting him know he was listening.
"But they insisted. 'Oh, Uzumaki-Sama, the Hokage of such a proud village shouldn't live in such a slum.'" The onyx eyed man said nothing, but stared out into the pond, watching it ripple with the wind. "And it's not the sheer size of it, I suppose. Ok, maybe it is, because we're still paying off debts after the Great War and the village doesn't have the funds right now to indulge in this." he said, waving his hands around vigorously. "But the thing that really just pisses me off is that you can afford to indulge for the Hokage this, but make an orphan live in a slum? By themselves?" he snarled lowly, and Sasuke knew that he had hit a sore spot for not only the blonde's self, but his own included. "Things are going to change as soon as I take that vow in two weeks. I promise you that. Starting with this house."
There was another long silence, Naruto watching the leaves in the trees rustle in the wind, rocking the tops gingerly while Sasuke continued to stare at the pond. Eventually, a deep mumble rolled off from the blonde's side. "You know, the house isn't that bad." he began, crossing his arms over his chest and staring up at it. "If anyone deserves it, it's you." Naruto snorted, leaning a cheek against his propped elbow. "And when the time comes to start a family, you have the room. Besides, how are you going to entertain Daimyos in a tiny 'slum' like the one you used to live in?" he finished with smirk towards his friend's direction.
Naruto barked out a laugh, and shook his head. "Could you imagine? The minute they saw a cockroach, they'd probably faint into their own vomit."
Sasuke stared at him blankly. "I'm pretty sure that's every normal persons reaction, Dobe."
"Aw, shut up, Teme. I thought we were having a moment here."
The raven haired man snorted in response. "Never in a million fucking years, moron."
"Now you're just being hateful."
"Guys!" Chouji slurred from the slide door. "Getyourassesinhere."
"What?" Naruto asked, cocking his ear towards the pudgy man's direction while furrowing his brows.
Sasuke sighed. "They want us back in, Dobe. I didn't think they'd miss us that much." He stood gracefully, following a stumbling Chouji back to the group of guys. Naruto continued to sit out in the night by himself, enjoying the scenery while letting his best friend's words jumble around his fuzzy thoughts. Grumbling, he too rose to his feet and went back into the house, nearly falling back into his previous sitting arrangement.
The men joked and laughed, and Naruto joked and laughed alongside them. The night raged on, and the blonde was now passing through it with a cloudy mind, smile-worn face, a stomach that hurt a little too much with excessive laughter, yet still a very heavy heart.
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Sakura cursed as she slipped, a patch of newly wet moss messing up her rhythm. Elegantly, she flipped over the next tree and landed on the upcoming branch, flying through the sprint without anymore trouble. If her team noticed her slip up, they didn't say anything about it. The run to the next village proved to be just as peaceful (i.e boring) as the run to their camp grounds, and Sakura was about ready to die.
Figuratively. Not literally.
So they continued, idly playing with their kunai pouches, or counting the number of birds in the trees, their chakra scans and sharp instincts never left them, but they were always on high alert, so it was almost as natural as breathing by now. The only times they truly were at their most relaxed were when they were safely tucked in their beds in the heart of the village. Even then, the tension never left them. It always lingered, whether they knew it or not, and a lot of the times, it saved their asses.
Starting to check through the mental list of things she left unattended at home, Sakura disinterestedly peered around the forest, until the massive concrete wall that skimmed the horizon warned that their destination was close. Sighing in relief, the rosette pumped more chakra into her legs, her body craving to stay in a hotel with a real bed, a real shower, and some actual food. Don't get her wrong, she loved to sleep under the stars and rough it; craved it sometimes. But two straight weeks of it left a girl feeling, well...gross. Stinky, gross, and hairy. Shivering, that last thought pushed her body forward even faster.
Stepping up to the gate, she smiled sweetly at the guards that were posted at the top, and they glanced down at her warily. Lifting her hand, she gave them a little wave as her team bounded up behind her, stopping to wait patiently a few feet behind. The guards nodded once to somebody she presumed at the bottom, and sure enough, from under the ground emerged a Shinobi, which her mouth puckered in a mildly surprised 'o'. Well, Kumi was much sneakier than Konoha, she supposed.
The guard cautiously approached her little entourage, and she took her time to inspect him, to evaluate. It took her merely seconds by reading his chakra waves and watching his body language to gauge his fighting style, dominant hand and leg, as well as personality. It was all very unoriginal and dry. Flickering her gaze up to his, she noticed that he saw her picking him apart under a strict microscope, and to the average, untrained medical eye he looked unphased, but she saw the very slight bunching of he muscles and the tell-tall bob of his Adam's apple.
Not here to scare allies, Sakura chastised herself, and so she offered him a very warm smile, in which she saw him relax. She heard a light snicker behind her, and she cocked her head to the side in warning.
"Passports?" he asked gruffly, his hand out stretched like a kid waiting for candy, although the expression on his face didn't exactly match the description.
"Yes, sir." Sakura rummaged through her bag, pulling everyone's passports and handing them over.
His eyes glanced back and forth from each document, before nodding and handing them back. "Follow me." he said quietly, swiping his hand to the side and opening a large maw in the dirt.
Everybody followed suit, dropping into the gaping hole and coughing slightly at the musky scent inside the tunnel. Before they could get used to the light or smell, the other side emerged into their view, and they all took turns scaling the side of the dirt, and with another swipe of his hand, the tunnel was completely closed once more. Inside the gates, the city was bustling with much vigor, and despite being a rather small village, the people looked happy enough. Sakura beamed in approval.
"You're the Konoha reinforcements about the disappearances?" he asked her, and she noticed with a slant of the mouth that he never switched from the gritty voice.
"Yes, sir." she answered absentmindedly, looking around the town some more, her stomach growling at the smells that wafted from the vendors.
A gravely laugh had her head swinging in his direction. "Is that all the words you know? 'Yes, sir'? Are you always this compliant?"
"Rarely." she said, grinning. He seemed a little less up tight now. "I was just admiring Kumi. It's really homey."
"Yeah." he rasped, watching a kid swerve around their group, giggling as he ran from what she presumed to be his older brother. "It's really a friendly village, which makes me wonder why so many of our young are going missing..." he trailed, looking to the skies. Sakura watched him carefully, his gray eyes so light that it almost looked like he didn't have any irises. It was a creepy sight. "They were just at the age to become eligible for being Jounin."
"I'm truly sorry, sir." she said honestly, watching the civilians closely once more. "We would have been here sooner, but we caught a lead that I thought was too good to pass up. Turned out to be just a group of useless bandits." she sighed, feeling foolish suddenly. "Waste of time, but hey? Bright side is that we got a hold of a bandit group before things got messy."
The man shrugged, stopping in front of a rather larger looking building. "Here we are." he said, motioning to the building. "I leave you here."
"Thank you for everything, sir." she said, climbing the steps to the rather small village center.
He merely waved in recognition before dispersing into the crowd. With a tug at the corner of her lips, Sakura readjusted her strap and opened the door gently, feeling her team behind her the entire time. In the middle of the rather warm room, a man sat behind a worn desk, shuffling papers around as a fan blew on his sweaty face. The blinds were drawn shut, and only a little bit of sunlight seeped into the room. Upon hearing the door open, his head snapped up, and he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, and rose from his seat, shaking his head. "Terribly sorry. The building here is so hot, it's ridiculous. I've been meaning to rebuild for quite some time, but the funds here aren't very good." he sighed, wiping his hands on the back of his pants. "But welcome, Konoha! And thank you for coming."
"Thank you for letting us help." Kakashi's eye crinkled.
The man smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. "Please, it's our pleasure." Turning to Sakura, he gave another smile, this time of interest and surprise. "Haruno-sama." he murmured, and she nodded. "It's an honor to not only have the son of the White Fang here, but Tsunade's legacy as well! Truly magnificent!"
"Thank you, sir." she mumbled politely, wishing he wouldn't stare so long.
"I heard that your teammate Naruto Uzumaki is pursuing the Hokage title, am I right?"
Her jade eyes softened at the mention of his name. "Yes."
"Well, send my regards!" he said cheerfully, looking down at the floor before snapping his head back up to his desk. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"
The briefing was short and concise, they jumbled around ideas about Sakura's previous mission, and she and her team got the 'Ok' to question the locals and the families of the missing persons. With the meeting over, she hurriedly ran to the nearest decent hotel and got settled, eating a dinner at a local restaurant with Kakashi, which was actually delicious, and headed home for one of the longest, hottest showers she ever had. She scrubbed herself twice, just for the hell of it.
Before falling asleep though, she rummaged through her bag, picking out the picture of her smiling idiot, and placing a kiss on the photo. "G'Night." she mumbled, falling back onto the bed. As she wrapped the blankets around her tightly, she wished silently to herself that it was a pair of strong, tan arms as she drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! (Sorry if it seemed a little short?)
Read, Review (yes please!), and Enjoy!
Read on,
~Dayonight7