Chapter 8
The Chunin Exams
Sakura was on her way to meet her two team mates at the barbeque restaurant. They were gathering there to discuss if they were indeed ready for the chunin exam or not. Amelia was still missing and she felt so helpless that to not even have a clue where she went.
Stepping in the small but comfy hotel, the smell of delicious meat met her nose and she turned around and found her team mates in a table in the corner. The shop seemed to be pretty busy with most of the tables set.
Sakura hurried their and sat down next to Naruto. Without any further greeting, she got straight to the point.
'Okay, Kakashi already gave our names and it's up to us to decide whether or not we are to participate or not. If one of us refuses, none of us can participate unless they find a third willing member. So there is no way I am backing out. What about you guys?'
Sakura knew that this meeting was probably just a way to make things final. NAruto would never back out of the exams and Sasuke so hell bent on power would never refuse. It was up to her, and if it was her old self, she probably would have just given up scared.
'Haha, no way am I backing out. I am gonna kick everyone's ass and become a chunin believe it' Naruto's expected reply came with a his usual grin.
'Hn, same goes for me'. Sasuke said looking down at the table, irked att Naruto's outburst but he didn't say anything.
'Ok then, I guess it's official. Since that's out of the way, I better go. I have got something to do.' Sakura said and was about to hurry of when Naruto stopped her.
'Wait Sakura-chan. I ordered ribs and you can't just leave me with this brooding teme.' Naruto said with a puppy dog face.
Sakura 's resolve fell. Hell, it's not like they went out for team gatherings often, she could train later. Even Sasuke looked like at her, expecting her to stay not wanting to stay alone with Naruto.
'Ok Naruto, if you say so. Besides I am starving.' Sakura replied with a genuine smile.
As they sat there in the crowded restaurant waiting for their food. Naruto and Sakura chatted away, and even Sasuke joined in for his little snippets of opinion, his mood a notch down from the snobbish brat child. Devouring her food cause she hadn't had breakfast, Sakura watched as her team mates bickered with each other and thought that maybe things weren't so bad after all.
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After saying good bye to her team mates, Sakura was on her way to the training ground. She was in a fairly good mood after a long time and she felt happy. It was still 8:00 and she could put a couple hours in training before it got late and she had to head home.
As she reached the ground and readied her stance to test her taijutu, Sakura immediately detected a presence in the trees behind her thanks to her heightened senses. She felt her heart beat fastening up and turned around in a blur.
'No point in hiding, I know your there.' Sakura shouted out, going for the bold approach. It was better knowing atleat who was hiding out.
After a few seconds a cloaked figure jumped in the clearing a few feet from her. She couldn't see his or her face. 'What do you want' Sakura asked.
The figure instead of replying attempted to rush at her to attack but found themselves unable to move.
Sakura smirked in her mind. 'Idiot, the only reason I asked him the question was to give myself time to activate the earth jutsu' Sakura thought.
Wow, you have gotten smarter, a voice inside her head said.
Inner?
Who else?
What's up with you nowadays, appearing in my mind for a day or two and disappearing for weeks.
As if, I was in your big forehead, not like I can go many places stuck in your big head, came inner's smug reply. I just tend to stay quite sometimes.
Whatever inner, I have a guy to fight.
Wasting no time, Sakura rushed forward chakra focused in her right hand, she punched the person right on the face. As she was beginning to smirk, Sakura watched as the figure dissolved into nothing but water.
'What the, a water clone-
Sakura was cut off as she felt a presence behind her accompanied by a familiar voice.
'You have improved kiddo'.
Sakura turned around in an instant and came face to face with amelia, her brown hair hard to miss by. Sakura found herself smiling despite having an almost hear attack. Sakura felt more happy then she had felt in the whole week. But that doesn't mean she couldn't shout.
'What the hell Sensei, you gave me a heart attack. I thought I was being ambushed, what's up with the dramatic entrance.' Sakura said with a smile visible on her face, and she knew amelia knew her words were just hollow of any real anger.
'Quite down kid. I wanted to see if you had been slacking off behind my back, looks like you have been practicing on your own but your still lacking, you should have able to tell a clone from the original.' Amelia replied with a smirk.
'I was too busy thinking of what to do, besides water clones are the hardest to detect. You know that.'
'Hm, maybe'
Sakura saw that Amelia had let her hood slip off. Now she was in the cloak she had seen before but now her head was visible.
'But anyways where have you been, you know I thought you abandoned me. I was worried-
Before she could finish Amelia spoke, ' Village business, since you had that stupid C ranked mission which I assumed went well since you are here alive, I thought I might get things done since I got a message from Mist to do some things over in Stone.'
'Whatever, a message would have been nice' sakura replied.
'Well I am here now' Before Sakura could tell her about the chunin exams, she continued. ' I know the chunin exams are about to start, and I know you are participating, so I am gonna teach you a trick or two since there's only a week left but you gotta work really hard if you wanna learn something worthwhile in this week.
All past questions and doubts were erased from Sakura's mind. Now that Amelia was back she finally found herself to be happy. There was a chance now that she would become chunin. She found a uncontrollable smile on her lips. Forming a salute sign she replied:
'Yes sensei'.
'Good, meet me here at 6 and no breakfast till I say so'
Not even caring about breakfast, sakura just nodded content. After her first civil get together with her team where they clearly enjoyed each other's company as a team and now meeting her sensei. Today might just have been a really good day after her crappy week.
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Unknown to them, Kakashi stood watching the reunion in the trees. The mysterious kunoichi he had never seen in the village before was clearly from Mist. She had mentioned it herself. He knew there was no way Sakura got so much better herself without any outside help. Now that he knew that the kunoichi was from Mist, he couldn't let her see Sakura because those were the Hokage's orders: To keep her away from any Mist ninja.
Ok guys, review and feel free to tell me what's going for you and what's not. And if anyone's confused then the sentences in commas are dialogues and the one in italic writing is Sakura and her inner. And might be some Kakashi insult because I clearly don't like him. He's always like: Hey Sasuke, you are the best and I am gonna teach you the bad ass move chidori and then let you betray the village and to Naruto: Hey Naruto I wanna teach you this cool new wind jutsu. And when it comes to Sakura he's like: Sakura? Are you on my team too? So yeah! And special thanks to angel 897. I like your reviews and I like how you review every chapter stating what you liked and what you didn't like, so keep them coming.
