Chapter 8
Only one girl
revised
Sakura woke early much earlier than normal, it wasn't even dawn yet. Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep she got out of bed, changing into her 'laps' clothes and weights.
Walking down the stairs, into the kitchen, Sakura didn't bother with the light, given that the kitchen was dimly bright due to the predawn light coming in through the kitchen windows.
Looking around the kitchen, Sakura noticed a bright yellow note on the fridge.
Walking up to it, it was from her mother. Who wouldn't be up from another few hours, she wasn't a morning person.
Scanning the note it was short and uninformative.
I have a surprise for you! -mom
Sakura shook her head, though she was excited to know what it was, but she'd have to wait. With that she left the kitchen and started her laps.
By the time she returned, her mother was wake, sitting at the table her morning hair thrown into a messy half attempt at a ponytail, wearing her pjs and robe, having her strong morning tea.
Hana gave Sakura an early morning lazy smile followed directly by a loud yawn.
Seconds later her Father gave happily trotting into the kitchen, already dressed in his green spandex appearance glowing with early morning energy unlike her mother who looked like lifting her cup was all she could do, before her hot shower that would finally wake her.
Gai gave the two ladies of his life a giant happy smile complete with a joyous cry of Good morning blossoms. Sakura happily returned the greetings, Hana on the other hand hissed at him. Gai smartly sat closer to Sakura at the table than his wife.
Hana was scary in the mornings, especially before her shower.
Minutes later Hana left the kitchen, seconds later they could hear the shower come on.
Gai gave a sigh of almost relief. Sakura had to suppress a laugh at the sight. Her mom was awesome.
"How were your laps little Blossom?" Gai asked back to her rummaging through the cabinets for breakfast.
"Gai get out of the cabinets!!" was heard over the echo of the shower.
Gai jumped like a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Sakura just giggled.
Her mother was awesome.
Gai sat at the table, pouting.
Sakura was still laughing.
The shower was cut off seconds later, minutes from then Hana came into the kitchen her long red hair wrapped in towel, wearing her non-mission nin-outfit, of short red and black Asian dress that fell mid-thigh only to be slit up the sides to mid-abdomen allowing her hips and trunk more modality underneath was a pair of black capris. Her headband was already tied around her waist loosely, the only things missing where her weapons and weapon pouches and knee high nin-sandals.
Hana glared at Gai, before moving the fridge to get the food to make breakfast.
"Blossoms are you two going to come see my wonderful team." Gai asked excited.
"How do you know they are wonderful?" Hana questioned while taking a bite her breakfast.
Sakura just watched the exchange with a smile.
"Well I know of you of them, a boy, he has a burning will that I hope to help grow to need burning heights." Gai said his own eyes burning with determination and ferocity.
"What boy?" Sakura asked, wondering if she knew the boy that had her father so excited.
"Rock Lee." Gai announced as if it the boy was an epic hero.
Sakura shook her head she didn't know the boy.
"What makes his boy so special?" Hana questioned voice indifferent but she was genuinely curious, why her husband was already so attached to him.
"He has no charka pathways." Gai said in a serious tone, though they was an excited giddiness in his eyes.
Sakura was shocked, she'd never heard of someone without Charka pathways, it must be extremely hard.
"You're going to train him to be Taijutsu master," Hana said softly, to receive a nod from Gai "Well then if that the case, "I get to train Sakura to be a Genjutsu master." Hana yelled as if it was a victory.
"Blossom, I plan to train them both." Gai whined only to be ignored.
"Of course you're not; Sakura will be a genjutsu master, first taught by me then, later by her sensei Kurenai. Right sweetheart" Hana said with a cheerful smile patting Sakura's head.
Sakura just smiled mouth full of rice, giving her mother a thumbs up.
Hana just laughed. "Oh Sakura I got you a new ninja outfit, it's in your room, you change into it and show me before you leave." Hana finished with a smile.
Sakura nodded, before quickly finishing and running up the stairs, leaving her mother and father at the table.
Sakura jumped in the shower to clean off all the sweat from her early morning laps.
She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her new outfit; it was more feminine than her last outfit which was just black capris and dark green shirt long sleeve shirt. This was a forest green lined in black Asian dress that reached her knees then slit up her slides to her hips, underneath was a pair of capris. Sakura turned and looked at the back which had her family symbol on the back of it. Her mother's Haruno circle surrounded the Maito name, it stood out white and bold on her back. Sakura smiled pulling her pink locks up into a high ponytail where it wouldn't be covering the symbol.
She walked down the stairs where she hoped her parents where still sitting at the table.
"Little blossom, you are radiating." Gai yelled tears of joy flowing, "They'll be no doubt that you're the daughter of Konoha beautiful green beast."
"What do you mean no doubt!" Hana yelled, "are you questioning my honor." Voice rising, eyes glowing in rage, "are you questioning that she isn't your daughter." Hana snapped.
"Of course not I'm just" Gai didn't get to finish he collapsed on the floor in pain, Hana elbow him in abdomen throwing him a glare that equaled death.
Sakura shivered in near fear, her mother was scary.
Hana looked to Sakura her face lit up in motherly love and adoration. "you look so cute, you'll be a great ninja, I want to see that lazy boy ignore you now." Hana said with a wink which set Sakura's face aflame.
"What boy" Gai yelled jumping to his feet, pain all forgotten.
"Sakura has her first crush on a boy." Hana said eyes glittery in excitement.
"What boy, thinks he's worthly of my daughter," Gai yelled voice full of father overprotective-ness.
Hana finally noticed that her daughter was dieing of embarrassment and was looking at the floor with hopes that it would swallow her and save her.
Coming to her daughter's rescue "don't worry about it Gai-kun it's just a simple crush nothing serious, you had those before you met me right?" Hana said with a smile drawing Gai attention away from Sakura and to her.
"Of course not, you were my only love blossom, I knew the second you beat me in battle." Gai said with ferocity and truth.
Hana though taken back by shock continued "well it's like all the silly crushes I had before I fell for you." Hana said with a smile.
"like your crush on Asum" Hana's hand stopped Gai from finishing his sentence, Hana looked back to see Sakura looking like the cat that got the mouse, only to have her face fall when Gai didn't finish the name. Hana gave her a smile "aren't you late for class."
Sakura pouted before running out the door.
She arrived early, walking in the classroom she noticed she wasn't the only one there, there was someone hutched over on the desk, snoring. Getting closer she froze it was Shikamaru; she should leave and come back that way she didn't disturb him. But why would he get here so early, just to sleep.
She really didn't understand boys.
"Hello Sakura-chan" came a gentle voice behind her, turning quickly she saw Chouji behind her munching on chips.
"Chouji you're here early as well." Sakura said.
"Shikamaru's mother called and asked if I knew where he was, I figured he came here so he could sleep before class, without her 'troublesome' bickering as he says." Chouji said with a full mouth smile.
"Ah, that way he doesn't fall asleep during class." Sakura asked
"No he'll still do that." Chouji said with amusement.
"How will he learn anything if he sleeps through it all" Sakura asked horrified, that he'd rather sleep than train his mind.
"He doesn't have to hear any of it, he's rather smart, and probably a genius you should talk to him sometime, he's just lazy." Chouji said in between bites, not noticing Sakura's face inflame at the suggestion of talking to him.
"Sakura-san how was your laps?" came a voice from behind Chouji which turned out to be the shy Hinata.
"Awesome," Sakura said, with crashing waves behind her eyes glittering in determination.
Hinata gave a nervous laugh; Chouji was happily munching on his chips and didn't notice, Shikamaru continued to snore.
"Are you training after class?" asked Hinata.
"No," Sakura's face fell, "Father is meeting his new genin team,"
"What about your mother?" Hinata asked.
"She's working with her boss today and testing some new recruits, who think they want to be on Torture and Interrogation Force." Sakura said with a sigh.
"Hinata, me, you, and Naruto should train we haven't had a chance to train as a group." Sakura said hyped at the thought of training with them both. Hinata face turned red at the very thought.
"RIVAL!" Sakura shouted pointing at the poor Shino that just walked in the room only to receive a sigh from the boy.
"How's your mother, I haven't see her in ages?" Sakura asked happily.
Only to receive a look, "okay, tell her I'll come see her soon." Sakura said receiving a nod.
Sakura turned back to Hinata to see a confused look, "It's the connection between great rivals," Sakura said getting all glittery eyed again.
All thoughts where interrupted by a yell of Sakura-chan, which left Sakura lying on the floor Naruto hovering over her.
"Why do I always end up on the floor when you're around?" Sakura questioned herself aloud.
"Because my powerful youthfulness knocks you off your feet," said Naruto doing a horrible impression of her father's nice guy pose.
"Sakura you look like a girl." Naruto commented as he watched her get up only to be districted by the poking the sleeping Nara.
"Hey Sakura isn't he that boy that you are always turning red around," Naruto said poking Shikamaru while talking.
Sakura when pale then red, "Naruto STOP IT YOU'LL WAKE HIM UP!" Sakura yelled hitting Naruto on the back of the head sending him flying across the room.
Sakura was still yelling when a yawn and a stretch followed by a pop brought her attention back to the once sleeping Shikamaru.
"Why's it is loud in here?" He asked in his lazy tone looking around at all the people crowding around him. "Why are you guys standing around me?" He questioned looking at Chouji, Hinata Sakura, Shino and Naruto that was rubbing his sore head.
Before anyone could answer, Iruka and the rest of the students came walking in.
Sakura and Hinata took seats next to each other; Naruto sat at the other side of Sakura.
After class, Sakura was pumped for training, her and Hinata walked out to see Hanabi standing there, "Sister, we must go, father wants to see us both," Hanabi said to Hinata. Hinata just gave a small nod.
Hinata looked to Sakura, who just smiled, "We'll train later."
Sakura looked around for Naruto just to see him leaving with Iruka-sensei heading toward the ramen stand.
Sakura sighed.
Her training was just cut; both Hinata and Naruto are now busy. Sakura sighed, her mother was busy, so that left her alone in her training.
"I'll find father and train with him and his team." Sakura announced, to anyone who was listening which happened to be no one.
Sakura ended up somewhere in the midst of the training grounds and the forest, before she saw him again only to lose him again.
"This isn't what I had in mind." Sakura thoughts were cut as she heard a familiar yell.
"Dad" Sakura questioned to herself, why would he be out here.
Sakura walked into the clearing to find her father talking loudly and joyously to a younger boy, about her age, with eyebrows like her dad's and hair too but it was longer with a curl and braided, very odd. Off to the right she could see a girl with brown hair up two buns twirling a kunai on her finger, behind her was another person it was hard to tell at the distance, they were far away from the rest they had long hair, must be a girl.
Sakura stepped forward, on a twig, she barely avoided the kunai that flew toward her face cutting off a few strands of hair.
"That was close"
"Little blossom, why you are hiding in the bushes, young Tenten could have hurt you, had your youth not protected you." Gai asked.
"Training" Sakura reasoned lamely with a smile.
"Who is this, Gai-sensei, another teammate?" The girl asked after retrieving her kunai.
"I'm Sakura Mito." Sakura said with a big sparking smile complete with thumbs up. "Who are you?"
"I'm Tenten." The girl replied with a slight smile. "I'm Rock Lee," said the boy who looked like her father.
"Who's the other girl on the team?" Sakura questioned after the said person didn't step forward.
"I'm the only girl?" Tenten reasoned.
"The one with the long brown hair" Sakura explained only to be met with confused looks.
"That's Neji Hyuga." Tenten explained carefully.
"My rival!" Lee injected firmly.
"So it's not a girl." Sakura asked finally.
"No" Tenten and Lee both stated.
"Oh."
Sakura didn't notice said boy glaring at her, from behind Tenten and Lee.
"Now that introductions are over, time for four hundred laps around Konoha." Gai announced joyously.
-fin-
More family moments!
