Chapter 7:

…

Sakura was humiliated. She felt that she had wronged her team, and abused her knowledge. She thought back to their eventual encounter with the mist nin. Zabuza Momochi.

She had gotten overconfident, she had attacked first.

-Zabuza had just landed on the executioner's blade, and before anyone could comprehend who it was standing before them, Sakura had attacked.

The sharp teethed man had not expected a twelve year old pinkette to start the battle. He laughed out loud, teeth glinting in the little sun available. He had lifted his arm to block her tiny fist with a malicious glint in his eyes. How he fantasized cleaving her from top to bottom with his blade.

What Zabuza had not expected was for the little girl to be quite fast, but not only that, she was ridiculously strong.

As her fist had touched Zabuza's arm, Sakura had sent just the correct amount of chakra to her balled up fist. It connected with a resounding crack as Zabuza had flown through the trees and shrubs a few meters away.

Before Sakura could feel the victory of having hurt her opponent he had rushed forward, Kakashi-sensei had then stepped in, engaging Zabuza in a high speed taijutsu battle.

Sakura had looked down seeing she was still standing on the blade. She firmly planted her feet on the tree and pulled it out.

Sakura stood there with the uncomfortably large sword in her clutches not knowing what to do with it. She knew it was not easily breakable, for it needed only the blood of it's enemies to regenerate.

But that did not make it indestructible. She stared down at the blade, her arms chakra enhanced to keep the blade lifted. She glanced in the direction of the mist nin fighting Kakashi-sensei, noticing he's furious glances in her direction.

Sakura deducted that he'd probably try to take the sword back from her, but she wondered if she would be able to wield it herself.

She decided against it, knowing that not only was her skill in kenjutsu terrible, but to be able to wield the blade you'd have to be incredibly fast to compensate for the blades weight.

Having made up her mind Sakura laid the blade down, lifted her foot and stomped on it. Nothing happened. Sakura was still struggling to control her chakra through her feet to acquire the super strength.

Recalculating her chakra, she stomped again, noticing a crack that led to a chip in the blade. Smiling smugly she stomped again, promptly shattering the blade to pieces leaving only the handle and a blunt piece still attached to it.

Before Sakura could admire her work she heard Zabuza growl before he had her pinned to a tree hands gripping her neck, choking her.

"You little bitch! I'll kill you!"

His hands had squeezed tighter, his malicious grin grow wider.

Sakura's mind was lagging, but she noticed he was left entirely open. Lifting her leg with a desperate speed she kneed him in the balls, causing him to clutch his jewels instead of her neck.

That's where Naruto stepped in, forming a few dozen bunshin and attacked Zabuza.

After that the fight was a bit hazy.-

Now she sat at the dining table in Tazuna's house. Naruto all to happy to tell the over exaggerated version of the battle. Instead of it annoying her, it felt like Naruto highlighted everything she had done so compulsively. How reckless she had been. How her actions led to her painting an unnecessarily large Target on her back.

She looked up from stirring her bowl of soup, since she had no appetite, when Kakashi-sensei had called out her name as he stood from the table.

"I think we should have a talk." He said, with an overly sweet voice.

Sakura followed him as he led her outside. When they were a good distance from the house, yet not too far, he plopped down, pulled out his Icha Icha and started to read.

Sakura stood there awkwardly, she knew he was making her uncomfortable so that she would break first and spill everything. But she did not know how Tsunade would feel if she went and told everyone everything she knew, so she stayed quiet.

Silently sitting down next to her sensei, while squishing down the guilt, she pulled her own Icha Icha out of her weapons pack, ignoring Kakashi-sensei's jerk of surprise.

After awhile Kakashi-sensei sighed in defeat.

"Alright you win." he said quietly, " How do you feel about your first kill?" He asked eyeing her form for any signs of mental instability. Frowning when he saw nothing, not even guilt.

"You mean the two nin we encountered first?"

"Mhmm" he confirmed. Her next words made his blood run cold though.

Sakura turned to her sensei, dead serious and in a hard tone that indicated that the conversation was over said, "He was not my first kill, I've killed many before."

Sakura turned back to look at the ocean in front of her, thinking back on her missions with strange teams since she did not have one, even Anbu ( although she never truly was, but as the Hokage's apprentice she was more than qualified) , how many lives she had taken.

Kakashi sighed again, "Alright, but you do realize that your actions during this last encounter was highly irresponsible. You could have died, you left our client unguarded so that you could attack an enemy much stronger than you."

Sakura felt the guilt creep back, knowing that Kakashi-sensei was only trying to help her, but she knew that Kakashi-sensei could handle Zabuza, and she knew that they would be fine.

He continued, "Does Tsunade know that you are able to perform her techniques? Because as far as my knowledge goes she's the only one that has mastered that and it took her years to perfect, yet you managed it in less than a month." He directed a suspicious gaze in her direction.

"If you want to know you'll have to speak to Tsunade yourself, I'm not entitled to tell you anything." She bit out coldly, annoyed at her sensei's prodding. She felt exposed.

Another moment of tense silence passed.

"Zabuza isn't dead." Kakashi-sensei stated flatly.

"I Know," Sakura said, "The Hunter nin would only be interested in his head. She took his body and asked for the sword."

He nodded, then looked down at her, knowing she had sealed the blade in question. The scroll in her weapons pack.

Alarmingly Kakashi realized he sounded like a Nara when he sighed again thinking this whole situation was troublesome.

TBC