Almost two months had passed sins the Akatsuki incident and Sakura was now standing in the Hokages office dressed in her ANBU uniform. "You wised to she me Hokage-sama." She bowed and turned to the left to the second figure in there. "Kazekage-sama."
Tsunade seemed pleased and leaned back in her chair. "Ah, Cat, I'm glad you could make it in so short notice." Sakurastraightened out, she wanted to give the Hokage a piece of her mind, she had dragged her from a patient in the hospital.
"Please remove your mask." Sakura raced her eyebrow at that. "Hokage-sama, what about our deal?" She asked not making a move to take her mask of. "That's alright just take it of." Tsunade said waving her hand at Sakura.
She reached up and grasped the edge of her mask. "It's alright to let him know who I am, he is after all like a big brother to me, kind of like Kitty just straight." She thought pulling it of and fastening it to the belt she had under her ropes.
Her mask was the one of a cat and it was a bit different than the others, her mask had a black silk fabric that was stuck to it on top and a little ways to the sides as to shield her unique hair color. Sakura straightened up and looked in Gaara's eyes and saw that he wasn't as shocked as she would have thought.
"I must say Haruno that when Tsunade told me that you were an ANBU I was skeptical, but after I read you report about the rescue mission they all went away."
Sakura bowed to him. "Thank you Kazekage-sama." Tsunade stood up and walked in front of her desk. "Yes, me and Gaara have been talking about you a lot these past few weeks and have come to a conclusion."
Sakura waited for her to continue. Gaara picked up a long thin wooden box and so did Tsunade, both coming to stand in front of her. "I know that it's customary to only give one of these but I know that you've been training with two so…" Tsunade said and smiled.
Sakura was puzzled she wasn't completely sure where this was going but she had a pretty good idea. "Haruno, you have been promoted to captain of the ANBU squad." Gaara said and then they opened the boxes.
In there lay beautiful swords the sheaths were black with silver trees winding up and the hilts were blood red. Sakura reached out and grasped the one Gaara was holding, she unsheathed it and smiled when she saw that on it next to the hilt was a delicate figure of a cat. Sheathing it again she looked up smiling widely at the two kages.
"Thank you I'm honored that you'd think I deservethis title." Then bowing to them deeply. "You do deserve it, more than anyone does right now." Tsunade said patting her back. "But, Sakura now on to a little business." Sakura took that as a sign that she didn't have to be so formal and pushed her hood of her head still smiling.
"As you may know only the captain and Hokage can approve of new ANBU and it just so happens that we have two new right now that need to be approved by you sins I have already given my opinion, and if you deem them unworthy of the title ANBU then that is final." Tsunade said looking Sakura in the eye.
"Yes I know of that rule, however I would like to know what you thought of these two and how many there were in the beginning." Sakura said placing a hand on her hip. She then tensed up and quickly grabbed her mask and placed it on and yanked up her hood, just as she had done that Naruto came bursting in to the office.
"Granny Tsunade! I'm chuunin now so stop sending me on dumb missions and let me go bring back Sasuke." Sakura rolled her eyes, he had only been a chuunin for a little over a week and he was already complaining about his missions.
Tsunade turned her eyes to Cat who Naruto hadn't noticed when he busted in. "Cat why don't you wait outside while I deal with this, it'll only take a moment?" Sakura nodded and turned around walking out the door.
"Who was that?" She heard Naruto ask when she was about to close the door. "That was the new ANBU captain Naruto." Gaara answered with a bored tone.
Sakura closed the door and went to stand by the wall, waiting for Naruto to be kicked out. She didn't have to wait for long soon he came out pouting and slammed the door after him.
Sakura shook her head and it seemed that he noticed 'cause he looked at her with interest in his eyes. "Don't you shake your head at me, I'm the next Hokage so show some respect!" He yelled at her. Sakura smiled under her mask just as Tsunade opened the door.
"You can come in now Cat, Naruto don't bother my ANBU." Sakura walked one step closer to Naruto, making him a little peeved, and bowed. "Future Hokage-sama." And then she walked in to the office and closed the door leaving a stunned Naruto left behind.
"I think I rather like the new captain." Naruto then said smiling and walked away. Sakura took of her mask again when the door was shut and smiled at the kages. "Now it you'd please tell me what I want to know."
Tsunade looked confused for a moment but then seemed to comprehend what she was talking about. "Oh yes. The two are Hyuuga Neji and Nara Shikamaru, they're both well trained and intelligent and I think that they'll do well in the ANBU." Sakura nodded and then pointed her to continue.
Tsunade looked uncertain if she should do that but did anyway. "There were over fifty applicants." Sakura's eyes widened. "Over twenty!? You're telling me that you picked only two of fifty to become ANBU, were no others that were as good?"
Tsunade nodded. "They were the best, the others were only at jonin level and wouldn't have survived the first mission they got, and if you're going to ask why I picked the youngest ones then don't, it's the same answer." Sakura only shook her head and ran a hand down her face making Gaara smile a little over her antics.
"When will they be here?" There was a knock on the door and Sakura placed her mask back on as Tsunade called them to come in. In walked the very ones that Sakura was wondering about, how was she going to make sure that she was doing the right thing and then she got it, she knew exactly what she would make them do.
"Ah, Hyuuga-san, Nara-san, we were just talking about you." She then monitored to Sakura. "This is Cat the ANBU captain." They both bowed to the kages and Sakura. "I thought that Frog was the ANBU captain, was I mistaken?" Neji asked.
"No you weren't, Cat here is the new captain, Frog has decided to retire and enjoy his old age." Tsunade said to Neji. "Now introduce your self to Cat, your future as ANBU is in her hands now."
Both nodding, Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something but stopped when the masked girl lifted up her hand. "Nara Shikamaru, a lazy ass genius with an IQ over 200, an amazing strategists and a master of the shadow possession jutsu."
She then turned to Neji. "Hyuuga Neji, the branch family prodigy, had a stick buried up your ass a few years ago but that was pulled out when one Uzumaki Naruto beet you in a battle." She heard a snicker come from the Hokage but she ignored it when she heard Shikamaru mumble. "A woman as a captain, how troublesome."
She then turned back to him. "I forgot that about you Nara, also a bit sexist." She turned to Tsunadeand asked. "I can make them do anything I want to see if I approve of them, right?" Tsunade nodded. "Anything that won't kill them that is."
Sakura smiled, even if they couldn't see it she enjoyed having their future in her hands. "Humm… what should I make you two do." She said turning around to face them. "I could always just make you battle me but Hokage-sama said that I couldn't kill you so that's out."
She started pacing around in front of them. "Running a track set up by every ANBU I know? No, they never have time to do me a favor. Push you of a cliff? Nah, to easy, maybe with their legs tied to a rock? Still too easy. Maybe I could see how far you'll go for the mission and make you dress up in one of my dresses and walk down the street hitting on guys?"
Ok now Neji and Shika were officially freaked out by the captain, a dress they didn't think so. Tsunade and Gaara on the other hand were enjoying this to its fullest, having figured out that Sakura was just teasing them and making them sweat.
"I've got it." Sakura turned on her heal. "You have to answer my question and then I'll decide." They both looked reviled at that. "Why do you want to become ANBU?" They both paused at that, knowing that they should have seen this coming from a mile away, but didn't.
Sakura pointed to Neji telling him to go first. "I'm doing it to provethat it doesn't mater it you're a branch member or from the main house, you can surpass anyone if you put your mind in to it." Sakura smiled at this, Naruto really left an impact on him from the fight those years ago.
Then she turned to Shikamaru. "Your turn." She said. "I think that my skills will come in handy here, as you said before, I'm a good strategists and that is one of the thing I enjoy the most. Even if I'm not great at field work I make it up with good plans." Sakura nodded and turned to the kages.
"I'm going to keep them." She announced making them all smile. Tsunade turned to the now new ANBU members and said. "Your first mission is tomorrow morning, your uniforms will be sent to your house tonight and Cat will bring the masks that you'll wear." She looked then at Sakura.
"Nara is Deer and Hyuuga is Canary." She said then turning to them pointing at them, mostly at Shikamaru. "We leave at day break and don't you dare to be late or it will be my fist to your face." Both nodded and Tsunade dismissed them.
When they were out she handed Sakura a scroll. "Sakura on this mission be careful, the Akatsuki have been spotted." Gaara said looking her in the eye. "Are they after Naruto?" Sakura asked placing the scroll in her weapon pouch.
"We don't think so, the scouts we sent out have told us that their movements aren't like they're following Naruto." Tsunade said pouring sake in two small cups handing one to Gaara. "So be extra safe on the mission, we don't know what they're after and that makes them even more dangerous." Gaara said looking at the drink with caution.
Sakura nodded and was about to jump out to window but turned around. "You know he's underage, right?" Tsunade shrugged and gulped down her drink and Gaara's. "Happy now?" Sakura smiled and jumped out.
The next day the three of them were at the gate just before sunrise and Sakura was handing them their masks, stopping them when they were about to putt it on. "No, you have to activate the protection jutsu first." She said pointing to a spot in side the mask on the forehead. "Just press some of your blood on here and that'll do it."
They both did as told and pressed some blood on the spot making some markings come forth for only a moment, then they placed the mask on and waited for Sakura to move. "You have no idea what you just did do you?"
Sakura shook her head when she got no response. "Didn't think so, alright to simply putt it, you just now activated a jutsu that will protect your identity as long as you don't take the mask of." She took the edge of their masks and pulled making them stagger. "See, only you can take it of and the Hokage but only if you're unconscious or dead, the Byakugan can't see the face behind the mask."
They both nodded and Sakura then turned around and jumped over the city walls with them close behind.
The mission was an easy one thought Sakura, probably because they were new. Sakura remembered her first mission it had been with Kakashi when he rejoined the ANBU, but only when they needed help was he called in.
She had been forced to change all she could in that mission or either she or Kakashi would have died that day. This mission was however much different, she hadn't used her kekkei genkai ones in it, all they had to do was to find a scroll in a village north of snow country.
It had been too easy, for her at least, Neji and Shika had some bruises but nothing that a goodnights sleep wouldn't heal. Sakura dismissed them when they came in to town and delivered the scroll to Tsunade her self.
"I hope everything went well." She said as she took the scroll. "Yeah, it was a piece of cake. Why did you give them such an easy mission, I know you didn't do that to me. Or do I have to refresh your memory about that, sending a barely fourteen year old on a suicide mission with only one partner?" Sakura crossed her arms waiting for an answer.
"Don't remind me, I remember perfectly well how you both looked when you came back and I have the report. I didn't want that to happen again so I've decided to let all newbie's have a fairly easy missions at first."
Sakura nodded and bowed to her sensei, disappearing in a swirl of cherry blossoms.
A/N : Hi, hi... I got my 2 reviews and one extra so I'm happy... I'm not sure about the whole ANBU captain thing but here there will only be one captain over the entire ANBU and now that is Sakura... As always I need at least two reviews before I update and tell me if somethings are uncertain in this and the next chapters and stuff 'cause I wasn't sure about them... ;P
