Over the course of the next month things went by extremely slowly in her eyes, from what felt like the millions of D Rank Missions to the training sessions that their sensei was three hours late to every single time and she'd just about had enough of that.
But what irked her the most was how her sensei didn't even see her, like at all and so it led to her becoming a mass of anger "He did it again, completely ignored me like I wasn't even there, not only that but Kakashi-sensei refuses to even let me join in on the training sessions" Sakura ranted and raved one evening.
To Ino and Hinata when they finally had a chance to catch up with one another "Wow and here I thought the worst part of being a genin was all the little D Rank Missions, those really test one's patience, but you Sakura, you have it worse than we do" Ino grimaced taking a sip of her tea.
Next to her Hinata nodded "H..Have y..you as..asked him to l..let you join the t..training sessions to S..Sakura-chan" Hinata inquired curiously, Sakura let out a long suffering sigh in response before answering.
"Yeah and he tells me that since I'm a girl and a delicate flower that I should just sit back and be protected" the pinkette grumbled beyond irritated with her sensei before all her anger abandoned her in one fell swoop.
At least neither Naruto or Sasuke ignored her and once they were dismissed they did a couple extra hours of training by themselves that was the only reprieve to the madness she'd suddenly thrust in, her two teammates.
Ino felt pity well up on her "Kami that's just ridiculous, you should go tell Hokage-sama that your sensei isn't treating all three of you equally as he should, I know that if I try to slack off Asuma-sensei scolds me something fierce, same with Shikamaru and Choji" the blonde explained.
"Ku…Kurenai-sensei is the same way sh..she works w..with all three of us and do..doesn't exempt any of us" the bluenette agreed, knowing that having a superior on her side would do her friend a lot of good, even if she wasn't supposed to be there with them since she was the Princess of Fire Country.
Still felt extremely surreal if she was being honest having the Princess of her Country as one of her best friends "Right tried that already to but nothing happened, anyway it was nice catching up with you guys, we'll have to get together again soon" Sakura polished off her snack.
Before leaving some ryo on the table and a tip for excellent service "Good luck Sakura and I hope things work out for you soon" Ino was the next to stand as she to finished off her late afternoon meal, knowing that if she didn't home right then and there she'd be late in packing for her mission.
"J..Just re..remember y..you aren't a..alone Sakura-chan an..and what I..Ino-chan said th..things will wo..work out y..you'll see" Hinata was the last to leave and the three of them split up in opposite directions to do whatever.
The next day wasn't any better "Oh come on this isn't fair Kakashi-sensei I deserve a chance to train with Sasuke and Naruto to" Sakura got fed up and point blank glared at her sensei, this was honestly ridiculous.
In response to her outburst everyone on the training field went quiet "We've talked about this Sakura-chan you're a delicate flower that needs to be protected" Kakashi narrowed his lone onyx iris on his sole female student.
Clearly she wasn't going to take that as an answer anymore "Kakashi-sensei I'm a kunoichi, what I need is to be able to improve alongside Naruto and Sasuke, not be shoved to the sidelines, I won't be the type of girl that you want me to be" Sakura stated in a blunt tone of voice.
Kakashi blinked in surprise "Very well then but if you get hurt don't come crying to me, because I'll just tell you I told you so" the silver haired nin snapped his book shut, irritated that she refused to bow to his wishes for her to stay out of the way.
Now she felt marginally better and faced her teammates "Let's train" the pinkette grinned feeling excitement well up in her because now she could actually train and not have anger weighing her down during the spar.
"Scary do we really have to do this Sakura-chan" Naruto gulped feeling nervous as she faced them, no doubt she would be ten times more vicious than she usually was during their training sessions and he was wary.
He wasn't the only one Sasuke was to "You sure you want to join us Sakura, we do get pretty rough you know" Sasuke sniggered earning a light glare "Okay, okay starting now" the raven haired preteen sighed and lunged.
Only to be completely sidestepped, Naruto reeled back when the ground cracked just enough to be noticeable "Really scary then" the blonde shuddered ducking low and leaping back when she swung a fist at him.
By the end of the training session all three of them were sporting multiple scratches and dark bruises "Feel better after that do you Sakura" the Uchiha asked as she tended to their self sustained injuries.
"Definitely see Kakashi-sensei I'm not a crybaby like Naruto is" the fuscia haired preteen princess stuck her tongue out at her sensei when he dropped out of his tree to the ground preparing to dismiss them, but was interrupted by one of Naruto's offended ~hey's~
Followed by an extremely large pout "Mean I'm not that bad anymore right Teme" the Uzumaki boy sulked, Sasuke avoided his gaze though making him pout even more until they all broke down in laughter, friends through thick and thin no matter what came their way, they'd overcome it together.
Their sensei in the next moment released them for the day "Tomorrow we have more D Rank Missions" the Copy Ninja stated then disappeared in a plume of smoke, to think, mostly about his sole female student, she was different, a lot different than he'd imagined.
And she'd more than proved that day she wasn't a delicate flower to be protected, but what shocked him the most wasn't her defiance in regards to his wishes, but the fact that she could actually use the mystical palm jutsu.
Back on the training grounds Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke flopped back to relax for a bit "Rough training session or D Rank Mission" Kotetsu suddenly popped up at their side in the next moment, on his heels was his partner.
Causing the little genin to jolt in surprise "Relax he's just messing, but anyway you three look as if you've been through hell" Izumo raised a brow looking the lone girl over, she looked the worst if he was being honest.
"You could say that, I've had to fight Kakashi-sensei all month just to get him to let me join in on one measly training session and I feel like I've fallen behind or something" Sakura scowled furiously, still not liking that she was mostly singled out.
The two Chunin reeled back at that "Kakashi Hatake is your sensei oh boy good luck with him brats" Kotetsu shook his head having heard stories about the previous attempts to get the man to take on a team of genin.
What was even more surprising was that he hadn't failed them yet "Did something happen for you to say that" Sasuke jumped up worried, though now that he was thinking about it the man had always seemed off to him, beyond his name, they didn't know anything about their sensei.
Izumo glanced to Kotetsu who shrugged "Just something we heard, Hokage-sama had been trying to get him to take on a genin team for ages, your his first genin, so what did you do to get him to pass you" Izumo was curious.
"Oh that's easy we beat his stupid survival test and got the bells without letting anything get between us and we did it as a team" Naruto flashed a whiskered grin in response making the two Chunin stare at them again.
Before Kotetsu and Izumo turned on their heels and started off "Ah before I forget someone came for you again" the raven teased at the lone girl on the field leaving very little doubt in Sakura's mind who that someone was.
Which prompted her departure from the training grounds, Naruto and Sasuke watching her go with matching smiles "Yeesh looks like she missed him" the brunet chuckled under his breath having watched all this before they to were back to their post.
Meanwhile Sakura flew down the streets to her Aunt and Uncle's house arriving just in time to see him step out "I was just on my way to find you Sakura" Darui greeted her with his usual hug at least he hadn't had to go looking for her and she'd come to him.
Sakura relaxed completely in his hold "Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san hinted that you were here so yeah" the pinkette hummed softly glad that he was there even if he'd only left about a month ago, she was grateful.
Darui chuckled softly "Guess I should have known they'd do that if they saw you, but hey about what you wrote in your last letter, is your sensei still giving you trouble" the white haired male pulled back wanting to talk to her face to face instead of her being squished to his chest.
"Absolutely, though I think I finally got through to him somewhat today, cause he let me train with Naruto and Sasuke" Sakura nodded, she didn't know what that man's problem was, but he needed to get over it because she wasn't no frail little girl.
His lips quirked upwards "Only somewhat, you know he's probably just going to keep giving you problems" Darui explained as they headed into the mostly empty house, she was contemplating just getting her own apartment, sharing with Naruto and Sasuke, so they wouldn't be alone anymore.
For a moment she got lost in her thoughts before she remembered Darui had said something "Sorry an idea just popped into my head, but yeah your probably right" Sakura sighed flopping down on the couch exhausted.
"Idea, what kind of idea Sakura" Darui joined her in the next moment, her idea's were always pretty interesting, her genjutsu for one, he didn't know where she'd thought up such a creature and if one wasn't prepared for it, it could be really shocking and frightening.
She perked up in the next moment "Getting an apartment, a large enough one to share with Naruto and Sasuke, since they have no one but themselves for the most part, only if that's okay with Father and Mother and you" Sakura blushed in the next moment.
Now that he was thinking about it, she never did anything without permission from those important to her and he felt honored she'd consider his feelings on the matter as well "That what you want Sakura" Darui asked pulling her into his side again.
At his question she nodded "Yeah cause those boys need someone to welcome them back home instead of going home to lonely apartments" Sakura explained, she'd always felt guilty about having her entire family still while those boys had no one.
"Then go for it Sakura, write a letter to your parents, I'm sure they'll say yes and hey if you get a response before the end of the week I'll even help you three look for a good enough apartment" Darui announced.
Her eyes lit up in excitement and then she popped up off the couch and vanished into her room for ink, her ink brush with a phoenix crest on it and the official message scrolls of her family before returning, only to settle on the floor and begin writing up a storm.
Darui watched her in mild amusement until the door opened to admit Koron into the house "Well your back earlier than usual, did something happen with your sensei again" Koron questioned hesitantly, worried that Sakura was still angry.
"No Koron-chan, I had an idea, gonna ask Mother and Father if I can do it and he released us early today" the pinkette said without even looking up as she tried to figure out a way to properly request what she wanted before throwing caution to the wind.
Once she was done she let the ink dry, took in her elegant swoops and swirls, made sure her name was signed neatly before rolling it up and tying it with a red ribbon, Hono was waiting for her and the scroll was put in his message pouch before he flew out the window to deliver his letter.
All that was left now was to wait for a few days "I'm glad that your finally getting along with your sensei Hime-sama, excuse me I'll go make dinner early tonight" the green haired pink eyed woman nodded her head then vanished into the kitchen.
Practically an hour later they were called in to have dinner "So what was your idea Sakura-hime" sue her she was curious as she peered at her charge, while the others were off on their travels or missions like Koeda.
Sakura blinked "Oh that to have my own apartment and share with Naruto and Sasuke, so they aren't on their own anymore" the fuscia haired preteen princess of Fire Country admitted casually and Koron nearly choked on her tea.
Before she thought the idea over "Maybe that is a good idea, you don't really need Kyogo or I to watch after you anymore and we can leave material to help you improve on your politics if something pops up and we haven't taught you about it yet" Koron mused.
Off to the side Darui nodded "And perhaps those two will calm down having a shared space, teach them how to play nice with one another" Darui chuckled because those two boys fought like cats and dogs it was ridiculous.
He wasn't the only one thinking that because Sakura broke down in infectious giggles before dinner was polished off and she was vanishing to her room to take a bath, only to return and read completely squished to his side for two hours and finally go to bed.
The next morning after breakfast and a quick hug to Darui, Sakura headed out the door with a smile on her face to the bridge Team Seven met on "Early as usual Sakura, you seem happy" Sasuke commented when she slid to a stop before him.
"Course I'm early and yes I'm happy, Darui-kun is here again and I had a brilliant idea, though I want Naruto here before I explain my idea" Sakura clapped her hands giddily hardly able to wait because she just knew it would make them happy.
Sasuke shrugged in response "Another idea huh, let's just hope it doesn't involve us becoming your slaves" the raven teased and got smacked on the back of the head before he could even move out of range.
Just as Naruto skidded to a halt and burst out laughing "What did you do Teme and Good Morning Sakura-chan" Naruto grinned widely hopefully they'd get an awesome mission that day, if not he was going to complain until they got one.
"Uh okay is something wrong" the blonde blinked when Sakura became visibly excited to the point she was bouncing up and down on her heels and looking as if she was about to squeal, he looked over his shoulder and didn't see anything.
In the next moment she burst out "How would you two feel about sharing an apartment with me if my parents say yes to the idea" Sakura exclaimed looking each boy in the eyes hoping to get a feel for what they were feeling.
Both of them were stunned speechless even the knucklehead "Share an apartment with you" Sasuke repeated slowly a couple minutes later once the words had registered in his brain, Sakura nodded carefully.
"I'm down for it Sakura-chan cause honestly it's lonely going back to an empty apartment and having no one to say I'm home to or be welcomed back and have dinner waiting for me" Naruto jumped on board immediately a moment later.
Sasuke pursed his lips in consideration before finally grunting his approval "Guess that won't be so bad so long as it's big enough for the three of us and has individual bathrooms and if your parents are okay with it" Sasuke huffed.
Her eyes lit up in happiness "Couldn't be graceful about it could you Teme" Naruto sniggered in the next second as they all leaned against the railing to wait for their sensei, who as always was three hours late.
"Your mission today is to find a lost cat for the former Feudal Lord's wife" Kakashi announced, Naruto started in with his usual complaining before he was dragged off by Sasuke, Sakura trailing behind the two boys on the look out for any sort of trouble.
And of course he tailed them to ensure that none of his students even thought about goofing off "Hows it going Kakashi" Genma was suddenly pacing along beside him as he crept after his students chakra completely blocked so they didn't realize it.
Kakashi glanced to his former classmate and fellow Jonin "Trying to figure them out, mostly her, Sakura Haruno" the silver haired nin pointed to his sole female student as they went around looking for their mission target.
Genma looked, then paused and looked again "Her huh, she's a strange one that's for sure, she's had those boys training since they were about ten, always had the three of them walking away from the training session with bruises and scratches" the brunet shrugged.
"Wait a second you've known her for two years, has she ever cried about getting hit before" Kakashi narrowed his lone onyx eye glad for the chance to finally acquire information about his female student, who was practically a mystery to him.
Brown eyes trailed in his direction "No, but once Tonbo cast a genjutsu on her, the hell viewing technique and nearly puked, we found out later that she's engaged to a guy from the Hidden Cloud named Darui and her fear in the genjutsu was that he'd break the engagement off" Genma said.
Earning a concerned glance "Just how is it that she got engaged to a foreign shinobi especially at such a young age" the silver haired Jonin frowned, mask bunching up at the corners in response, now he was worried that his sole female student really wasn't cut out for the life of a ninja.
This was answered by another shrug "Have no clue Kakashi, but he comes to visit her here in the Leaf Village, I've seen them together and their close like best friends or something" the brunet admitted quietly before seeing someone else he knew and was gone.
Leaving his former classmate to his thoughts until eventually his students found Tora and successfully acquired their mission target so now it was time to go to the Hokage Tower to report in and return Tora.
Madam Shijimi was all to happy to squish Tora to her chest and pay the ninja for finding her precious cat, all without noticing Sakura to her relief because she was to focused on her cat, though it was no wonder Tora ran away constantly if that was how he was treated.
"Serves him right for running away constantly" Naruto snorted glad that the demon cat was being taken away because he'd gotten scratched by the damn thing right on the face, even if the scratches had been healed by Sakura.
Who decided to scuff him over the back of the head with her fist in the next moment "Be nice Naruto, we get paid for our work not to mouth off" Sakura snorted lightly glancing back warily just to make sure the former Daimyo's wife was gone from the room.
Even Sasuke looked relieved "Now what is there any other missions we can do" Sasuke faced forward determined to keep himself busy and not think about the idea that had been proposed that morning so he didn't agonize over it.
Hiruzen glanced down at the list "Weeding someone's garden, babysitting, grocery shopping" the Hokage announced, and almost immediately Naruto started complaining like usual about how he wanted a ninja mission.
Brown eyes shifted in the quiet jonin's direction "I suppose they have earned a C Rank, but that's it once it's done no more complaining for awhile" Kakashi scolded not sure how he'd got stuck with two mouthy boys and one extremely stubborn female.
"In that case a C Ranked escort mission to the Land of Waves with that suit your tastes Naruto-kun" Hiruzen asked finally relenting to the demands of giving the boy a better mission, even if he was extremely reluctant.
Naruto nodded his head eagerly "Then meet your Client Tazuna a master bridge builder, your mission is to escort him back to his village and guard him while he finishes his bridge" the Third gave mission details.
Just as a door off to the side swung open to reveal a drunk old man "You think I can really trust them to get the job done, especially the short one" Tazuna insulted right off the bat and Sakura's eye twitched in response.
Poor Naruto though went to take a swing at their client as he realized he was the shortest one among his teammates "Let me at him, let me at him" Naruto struggled in his sensei's hold not liking that he was being picked on for his short height.
"We can't hit the client Naruto, our mission is to guard him" Kakashi sighed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he wondered what he was thinking relenting to the blondes demands of a better mission.
The blonde sulked and shuffled towards Sakura "Don't worry Naruto, you'll get taller I'm sure of it, so tall that you'll probably be taller than me someday" Sakura soothed his upset feelings like it was second nature.
All while sending a death glare at Sasuke, who wisely didn't comment "That's it then we go home, pack for a couple of weeks and leave right" Sasuke instead focused his attention on his sensei who nodded and they filed out of the office to go home and back.
For the entire trek home Sakura felt dread pool in her stomach "Hime-sama is something the matter" Koron was there to greet her, only to become concerned when she saw the conflicting feelings at war on Sakura's face.
"Got our first outside the village mission a few days away from here, we'll be gone for a couple of weeks, though I've got a bad feeling about this already" Sakura grimaced looking around subtly for Darui and not finding him.
Koron gasped in surprise and reminded herself that she couldn't stop her charge from going off on a mission "I suppose the only thing I can really tell you is good luck and I hope that you come back to us safe and sound" the green haired pink eyed woman said.
Sakura let a small smile form on her lips before vanishing to her room to pack and make sure she had everything that was needed, when she was done she stood and with a small wave prepared to vanish out the door.
When she swung it open she slammed face first into someone's chest "Looks like your in a hurry Sakura" Darui's familiar voice greeted her ears with a light chuckle and Sakura relaxed feeling better already now that she wouldn't have to leave without telling him.
"I am actually, Naruto complained so now we have an escort mission outside the village probably for a couple of weeks starting today" Sakura rambled that feeling of dread still pooling in her stomach but at least she got to talk to Darui before she left.
Darui bit back a grimace "Well I'll wish you luck here and now then I suppose" Darui forced a smile onto his lips, he wouldn't ruin it by announcing his worries, this was supposed to be exciting for her since it was her first outside the village mission.
Her eyes raised to meet his vibrant viridian clashed with onyx and before he was even fully aware of his actions he'd swooped down and pressed a kiss to her forehead "Th..Thank you D..Darui-kun" Sakura squeaked in embarrassment blushing five different shades of red.
Before scrambling around him and vanishing down the streets "Poor girl has it bad for you" Koron laughed lightly having seen the moment, perhaps Sakura had chosen the perfect person for her all those years ago and now they were seeing it to.
"Been aware of that for awhile now, but that's the first time I've ever man this is drab" Darui groaned rubbing a hand down his face when the woman laughed even harder, he let out a light chuckle himself before setting up on the couch.
Meanwhile Sakura had made a quick pit stop to her favored ninja gear shop before running like a madwoman towards the village gates only to find out that she was the first one there, which gave her to much time to herself as worry overcame her.
And so she stared out the gates down the path stomach twisting itself into knots and feeling like she was going to puke she was so worried "Relax brat geez you look like your constipated or something" a familiar voice filled her ears in the next moment.
Drawing her thoughts away from her worries as her head snapped in his direction "Iwashi-san, Tonbo-san" it wasn't just the Chunin with the goatee but the Chunin with his head completely wrapped in bandages as well.
"He's got a point brat, this your first mission outside the village" Tonbo questioned having sensed the girl near for several minutes, though she'd merely stood staring outside the village, at his question she wandered near.
Inwardly thanking the kami that she had someone to talk to "Yeah, Naruto got us a C Rank Escort Mission but this is the first time I've been outside the village without you know a heavy escort myself" Sakura swallowed thickly, was that the real issue though, she wasn't sure.
"Pretty sure your over thinking things brat, just relax it will probably be smooth sailing" Iwashi snorted glancing up as someone came running towards them, the blonde idiot on the girls team and he slid to a stop before them.
Completely out of breath "Sorry I'm late, hey where's teme and Kakashi-sensei" Naruto looked around and realized that he and Sakura were the only ones there at the gate so far, Sakura smiled lightly and gave him a light noogie in response.
"Knucklehead and maybe thanks Iwashi-san, come on Naruto" Sakura dragged her friend/teammate towards the opposite side of the gates and leaned against the arch wall to wait for the rest of their team and Tazuna.
Tonbo shook his head "Either way good luck on your mission brats" Tonbo scoffed, he hoped to kami the brats came back or things would be hell for them there in the Hidden Leaf Village, all because of her, Sakura Haruno.
Next to appear was Sasuke "At least I'm not like….Kakashi" Sasuke straightened up when moments after his appearance their sensei appeared, their client on his heels at a near run towards them so they could all sign out.
"I hope I don't have to remind you that once we're outside there will be no turning back we have to see this mission through to the end" Kakashi faced his students once they'd finished signing out of the village and the mission scroll had been checked over.
All three of them nodded seriously "Let's go already, time's a wasting" Tazuna grumbled earning a small glare from the only girl as they started out the gates and down the path in the general direction of the Land of Waves.
Sakura was absolutely rigid as they walked, keeping her guard up and senses spread because she certainly didn't want to be caught off guard, thanks to that it kept Naruto and Sasuke mostly subdued which she was certain their sensei appreciated.
Even Tazuna was quiet as they walked but it was far from peaceful, there was a tension in him and Sakura picked up on that two days into their trek, so when they passed that little puddle and she felt the chakra within it she knew something was about to happen.
She was glad she wasn't the only one who'd noticed the puddle but they kept walking forward "Tazuna-san please stand by me" Sakura requested politely in the next moment ~Ambush be on your guard~ she mouthed at Naruto and Sasuke,.
Both of whom straightened and reached for their pouches just as the enemy ninja launched their attack "KAKASHI-SENSEI NOOOO" Naruto screamed in horror as their sensei was shredded and he stood there like an idiot frozen in fear when they turned their attention on him.
He barely felt the pain in his hand as their clawed gauntlets made a scratch on him "Get down DOPE" Sasuke shouted going on the offensive and stopping their attackers in their tracks, what he didn't count on was for them to be able to get loose from their chains.
And for one of them to make a dash towards the lone female "I don't want to die" Tazuna cried cowering behind the girl as she reared back her fist and let loose with a bone crunching punch that had the nuke-nin flying backwards to collide painfully with a tree.
The man didn't get back up again and then Kakashi was stood before them again in all his silver haired glory not a single scratch on him "Good work Sasuke, Sakura, you to Naruto" Kakashi praised eyeing his female student warily.
Before focusing his gaze on Tazuna "After I interrogate them I believe we need to talk, you need to tell us the truth why ninja would be after you" the silver haired nin stated simply having felt something was off the entire time.
Tazuna shuddered "Right" he grimaced of course they would have figured him out, he just hadn't thought it would be so soon and now there was a possibility they would completely abandon him to the fate Gato had in mind.
Sakura glared full force before marching towards Naruto "I was useless I couldn't do anything to help" Naruto, who was beating himself up for just standing there like an idiot when both Sasuke and Sakura had acted.
"Don't worry about it Dope, this is our first time experiencing something like this and it's okay to freeze up like you did, now hold still and let Sakura tend to your injury" Sasuke was trying to cheer him up.
Her eyes softened "Sasuke's right now take this like a good boy and hold out your hand" Sakura ordered lightly hands already glowing a bright green as Naruto swallowed the pill with a grimace, she'd never said it would taste good after all.
"Bleh what was that, it was totally disgusting" the blonde wiggled his tongue trying to get rid of the nasty after taste of the pill he'd just swallowed without question, that's how afraid of Sakura he was that he'd do anything she said.
Sakura giggled softly "There was poison in that wound wasn't there, that was an antidote pill to one of the common poisons" the raven had seen where she'd pulled the pill from though and guessed accurately what it was.
Naruto froze and stared down in horror at his hand as it was healed by her "Right and if left unattended who knows what that poison would have done to your body" the pinkette quipped finishing up and letting the green glow fade from her hands.
Then she was focusing all of her attention on their sensei and client "Your right I lied about the mission rank, but you got to understand the village I come from we're a poor land and only had enough to get request a C Rank Mission" Tazuna admitted.
"Still you unnecessarily put my students in danger since this is no longer a C Rank Mission but an A and their not ready for something like this" Kakashi frowned behind his mask not liking this in the least, only two days in and already something had happened.
However his students obviously didn't get the memo and apparently the old man had grown on them so they had no choice but to continue the mission "Thank you I won't forget this" Tazuna bowed his head humbled that they weren't dropping him on his ass.
"You better not because we're all risking ourselves for you" the silver haired nin scowled, getting this feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse as they got on a boat and started making their way across open water.
The feeling of dread increased the closer they got to land and then they were climbing out of the boat and Naruto was running forward like an idiot slinging his shuriken "Baka what the hell do you think your doing" Sakura whisper shrieked at the blonde.
Who paled and hunched his shoulders "Oops I thought I saw something" Naruto smiled sheepishly collecting his shuriken and joining his teammates as they walked for a ways and then the bushes rattling to the right of him had him freaked out again so off he went.
"Dope honestly this isn't a game you know" Sasuke grimaced as the culprit was revealed to be a rabbit, poor thing was practically scared to death now and looked as if it's soul had left it's body, while Naruto was hugging the bunny.
Sakura's eyes narrowed and she looked around warily "EVERYONE GET DOWN NOW" Kakashi shouting confirmed her suspicions that something was very, very wrong with the situation and without thinking about it lunged and tackled Naruto the ground.
Kakashi did the same for Tazuna who let out his own yell "What the devil is going on now" Tazuna grumbled as a large butcher knife like sword went sailing over their heads and Sakura was immensely glad that at least one of them had sensed it headed their way.
But when she got a good look at the sword her skin paled "Is something wrong Sakura-chan" Naruto saw her expression of horror and he quickly looked around but only spotted the ginormous sword embedded into a tree.
Only seconds after it's appearance came him "The hell who is he" Sasuke growled under his breath as he slowly picked himself up off the ground, then he got a look at his female teammate, who looked as if she'd seen a ghost.
"The Executioners Blade, one of the seven great ninja blade of the Hidden Mist, has the ability to draw iron from the blood of it's victims to repair itself" Sakura murmured under her breath, not quite low enough though.
Because light brown eyes shifted in her direction and a shudder rolled down her spine "Ooh so girly fancies herself an expert on my sword eh" the man mock clapped bandages bunching up around his mouth leaving no speculations about the fact that he was smirking.
Kakashi stared at his student in shock "You and I are going to have a talk after this Sakura, for now, Zabuza Momochi huh a rogue from the Hidden Mist Village, wanted for his attempted assassination of the Mizukage" Kakashi reeled off.
Naruto clutched tightly to Sakura as the adult's talked "And your Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, the man who's copied over a thousand jutsu" Zabuza growled out in a gruff tone of voice, completely dismissing the brats for the most part.
Sasuke choked on his tongue and Sakura patted him on the arm, a silent warning to be quiet or face her wrath since now wasn't the time for stupid outbursts "Gato sent you didn't he" Tazuna didn't get the memo and Sakura glared at him.
This drew Zabuza's attention "Hand over the bridge builder and I'll consider letting you go…to an extent" the rogue chuckled darkly, to his surprise though the girly physically put herself between him and Tazuna.
But she didn't mouth off only clenched her hands into fists at her side "Don't be stupid Sakura, the last thing you need is his attention focused on you" Kakashi frowned deeply not liking how reckless she was being so far on this mission.
Viridian irises shot in his direction for a fraction of a second and kept her lips sealed shut, Kakashi sighed now he really needed to talk to the girl because this was ridiculous so turned his attention on Zabuza to start the fight.
"What are we going to do Sakura-chan" Naruto shook as the two jonin fought against each other, one a rogue, the other their sensei, who wasn't doing so well at that moment and a thick mist was blocking their view of everything.
Making them crowd in closer around their client "This is my fault, my fault just take me spare them" who was completely freaking out on them and Sakura really wanted to whack, but kept up her guard the best she could.
"Come on be quiet already can't you see that making a racket like your doing is only going to give your position away and ours to" Sasuke got fed up with the whining of the fully grown man cowering behind them.
And Sakura sighed "Would all of you be quiet I can't hear anything" Sakura grumbled not daring to take her eyes off the hardly visible form of their sensei, who chose to tilt his head back in their direction and give one of his eye crinkle smiles.
"Relax I won't allow my teammates to die" Kakashi vowed, even if all he wanted to do right at that moment is drag his students back to the Hidden Leaf Village and make sure they can go on another outside the village mission to prevent them from getting hurt.
Just then Zabuza's voice filled their ears loud and clear "You think you can really protect them" Zabuza chuckled darkly in amusement, he was hiding in the mist of course and his entire attention was focused on that sliver of space between the brats and the bridge builder.
Even if the girly was slightly interesting he just wanted to get his own mission over with and so started, screams erupted from two of them when he appeared before them, from Tazuna and the blonde idiot, but the girl and the other boy merely stared at him.
Then there was a kunai against his neck and he and the jonin engaged in a short water style clone battle before he managed to kick Kakashi into the water and trap him in the water prison jutsu "Run, get out of here" the silver haired nin tried to make the brats run.
As he made another water clone, Sakura bit her lip harshly and a trickle of blood ran down her chin in response "We can't, you taught us teamwork Kakashi-sensei and if we abandoned you that would make us just as bad as criminals if we came back without you" the pinkette shook her head.
Formulating a plan as the water clone neared "Sakura's right, the moment you got caught running no longer became an option for us, we have to rescue you, no matter what it takes" the raven haired teen stood at her side.
Kakashi felt his blood run cold "Go ahead and save your sensei, it's my fault anyway" Tazuna even agreed with the ludicrous situation and Zabuza chuckled in that same dark way he had earlier proving he was slightly amused.
"You hear that Kakashi-sensei we're gonna save you and your going to kick the freak with no eyebrows butt BELIEVE IT" the blonde cheered before realizing that he shouldn't have done that and shrunk back at the glares.
Two from his teammates and the other from the water clone before them "Hehehe your just brats, you don't know what it's like to kill to feel blood splash across your face and find it fun" the Zabuza clone taunted.
Sakura bit down even harsher on her lip in response and discreetly activated a sound proofing tag "Listen, use your shadow clones Naruto, transform into a giant shuriken, have a clone throw it to Sasuke, who will throw it at the real Zabuza-san, I'll take care of the clone" Sakura rattled off a plan.
"Awesome we can do it Sakura-chan believe it" Naruto boasted a lot more tame than earlier before making a massive amount of clones all of which charged at the Zabuza water clone, he knew better than to think he had a chance of taking the water clone down though.
His main goal was to distract for the moment as he was flung backwards with force and when one of his shadow clones dispelled before him he took his chance to transform into the giant shuriken and had the last remaining clone throw him to Sasuke.
Who caught him "Here I come, demon shuriken, windmill of shadows" Sasuke leaped high into the air throwing the transformed Naruto and landed on his knee's he hoped to kami this plan worked because this was all she'd given them.
With that Sakura launched into her own attack while the Zabuza water clone was distracted by her teammates and lunged clenched fist held out and before he could react punched as hard as she could with a chakra enhanced fist.
The water clone burst into a puddle of water at that just as Naruto unveiled himself and threw a kunai at Zabuza from behind making the man release their sensei "Good work Naruto, Sasuke, that was a nice plan" Kakashi praised.
Glad to be free of the water prison and Sakura frowned deeply feeling hurt that he hadn't even acknowledged her in the least and she was the one who'd come up with the plan in the first place "It's going to be over soon right" Tazuna drew her attention.
"Brats that have skills now that's different than what I've been told about genin in the Leaf Village, all heart and unable to fend for themselves in a fight" Zabuza climbed atop the water's surface using the water walking exercise.
Shooting a quick glance at the lone girl because he knew unlike the man before him who didn't want to see her skills, that it had been her, who'd thought up the plan to take him down and had also defeated his water clone.
Looks that Kakashi completely missed as they continued fighting until it really seemed like he was going to die, thank kami for Haku, who appeared in the nick of time and threw his senbon needles, helping him to fake his death.
And pull the wool over the jonin's eyes essentially what Haku didn't count on was her "Don't listen to him Kakashi-sensei he's n….." Sakura tried to tell the truth as she realized what had happened and the place the senbon needles had been thrown.
Only to be hit over the back of the neck and dragged away before any of her team could react "N..No" Kakashi whispered in horror falling flat on his face and passing out from overusing his sharingan, when all he wanted to do was rescue Sakura.
"Why did he take her to I thought he was one of the good guys" Tazuna was completely confused as they stood in the clearing that had obvious signs of a fight all over it and he didn't understand a single thing that had happened in the last several minutes.
The two boys did though "Let's get Kakashi to your house for now, I don't think they'll hurt her, use as a hostage against you maybe, but standing here gawking is not going to help our case" Sasuke took charge since their sensei was unconscious.
Usually it was Sakura but she'd been taken "He's not a real hunter nin then like he said" Naruto glared harshly at the ground tears in his baby blue eyes, all because Sakura had to be smarter than the average genin and figure things out, she was taken.
With that they started the trek to Tazuna's, miles away Haku finally came to a stop, depositing both his cargo on the ground before turning to his master "The hell did you bring her for" Zabuza asked when he was awake and able to look around him.
"She figured me out just like that Zabuza-sama, we can use her though as a hostage to get Tazuna and take him out like Gato wants" Haku saw the countless possibilities in the situation just by taking the girl with him like he had.
Zabuza glared hard before a smirk formed on his lips "If Hatake cares about her then we can negotiate an exchange her for the bridge builder" he finally saw what the brat did and so they headed towards their base.
Sakura completely unconscious "Exactly for now you should rest Zabuza-sama it's going to be a long week" Haku commented knowing that it was going to be difficult when the girl woke up and realized she'd been snatched.