AN: Two for one special (couldn't sleep). Here's two chapters on two consecutive days.

Road to Cherry Blossoms

Tenth Path

The Drive to Get Stronger Arc: Irritated

"Woooow! Konoha is so much bigger than I thought!"

"Alright, team. We're finally making it."

"Mom, Dad. It's noon, right?"

"Moooom! Your baby is beginning to drive me crazy!"

That's what I (and Team 8) hear at the southeast gate at noon. The sounds of five people - definitely a family. The more they speak, the more I'm positive they're looking for us.

They turn a corner and I see the family of five in all of their glory. Kurenai-sensei waves them over. I wrap my hands around my backpack straps and force a small smile.

Being second tallest, the father meets Sensei first. His hair is lavender, his eyes are brown, and his pants have so many patches I'm pretty sure the original fabric is gone. "Goood morning, shinobi! Would you be our guiders?"

The mother of the family looks a lot more put together. Her thin, apricot-colored hair is in a bun with her fringe hovering over her eyes. Her outfit is modest, yet it doesn't hide her natural curves (that I'm so jealous of!). "We are the Zensen Family, Miss Shinobi. Are you sure these children are up to this mission?"

The tallest is their son. His hair is dark purple and shaggy, his eyes are black, and his clothes are loose on him. I can see his collarbone and the exact area where his chest turns into a stomach with a six pack. (Swooon!) "Greetings," he grunts.

The girl has wavy, pinkish-peach hair and brown eyes and an adorable dress that isn't so good to move in. She holds onto a little baby with black hair and eyes. "You guys are our escorts? Well, good! Let's get a move on! It's too hot to be standing here any longer!"

Team 8 exchanges a glance.

"Ehhh? You guys're already buggin' me, ya jerks!" Kiba shouts, which is what the glance implied, but he wasn't supposed to say that out loud. Shino and I scold his brashness with a knock on the head.

"My friend here meant," I say with my most pleasant voice, "we're Team 8. I'm Sakura, that's Shino, Kiba, Hinata, and our sensei is Miss Kurenai Yuuhi."

The dad opens his mouth. "This really is our group after all!"

The daughter scrutinizes me. "You look cute with your pink hair and eyes. Really, the only unattractive thing about you is that bruised forehead protector. Get it fixed, will ya? If you can't take care of metal, you definitely can't take care of husbands."

Did...did she just...?

I grit my teeth and force a smile. "This scratch has sentimental value! Sorry, hahah!"

This chick is SERIOUSLY annoyin'! Who says I even wanna be a wife?! ...I wanted to be Sasuke's wife...but that's not the point!

"Yeah," the chick says with an eyeroll. "And this bruise I got totally has a place in my heart. Especially the scab that peeled off randomly one day. Very important."

Her brother nudges her. "Enough."

Glad he said that; I was about to ask Sensei for a genjutsu that could make that spoiled brat crap her pants.

"Um, hey..." Sensei starts. "You guys, this is the Zensen Family! The father is Hiraku Zensen, the mother is Ouka Zensen, their eldest son is Chiru Zensen, their daughter is Hanami Zensen, and their baby boy is Sakan Zensen."

On cue, the five bow in unison. "It's nice to meet you," they drone.

I'm worried...what the heck are these people doing here? Sensei sees the question in my eyes. "Well, we're taking the Zensen Family to the Tidal Village so that they can celebrate their grandmother's 134th birthday."

Hiraku (the father) beams. "I'm so glad Ma is still around all these years! She's finally older than our family turtle!"

Ouka (the mother) peruses the contents of her backpack. "I'm positive we packed the turtle somewhere, actually. I can't quite remember where..."

"Sensei," Kiba says. "We gotta guide these loonies to Water? Really?"

"Kiba, be nice. Not everyone has an easy disposition, but we're all still human."

I see Hinata worried and curious for the family; Shino looks a bit nervous - probably because these guys may be way too exciting for him.

I look at Hanami who already gave her baby brother to Chiru. She pulls out a pale pink parasol and opens it just as the wind hits. Her hair and dress ripple elegantly and beautifully in the breeze despite her personality. And that fact that she's watching Konoha boys, rating them from hot to not.

(Been there, done that.)

I can just see a silver chain wrapped around her neck, but its centerpiece is hidden under her clothes. Maybe it's just a simple fashion design? I shouldn't feel so anxious about it.

Chiru plays with Sakan, his baby brother, by poking his belly and sides until they're both giggling. I just noticed his bag is the smallest of all.

Is this family poor?

Looking at Hanami, you wouldn't think so. They all don't seem to be carrying much and their clothes are so old, I haven't seen them in stores or worn by others. Also, I've seen very few places where they can put food and water.

Can you drink water made from chakra? Kakashi-sensei wants to teach me Water Release, so I'll see then.

Regardless, there's something up with this family. I don't understand why a couple would have so many children if they were poor. I know nobody from Konoha who has more than three kids; the age gap is hardly over three years. Poorer folks simply never have children and even the rich feel little need for children.

It's probably just a Water thing. Perhaps they don't really care about their economic status.

"So we'll be in Water by early tomorrow?" Hiraku is saying.

"And if all goes well, we'll arrive in Tidal Village by night." Sensei smiles. "We'll be six days early."

Hiraku claps. "I like being early!"

"Then we must get going," Ouka says. "Our home awaits!"

"Right, right, my love!"

I hear Hinata chuckles quietly. "They're such a cute family." She's smiling with sad eyes. Wasn't there...something from the Chuunin Exams she mentioned? I can't remember exactly what.

We start moving out of Konoha. For the Zensen Family and I, we're going back to Water.

These guys all have a common theme when it comes to their names. But because you aren't Japanese-speaking, I recommend searching their names in a website called "jisho" and seeing what I did there.

If you do so, I got "Zensen" from "sakurazensen."

(I kept descriptions to a minimum so you guys could be free to imagine how they look. I also incorporated their personality traits with their descriptions to make visualizing easier.)

Thanks for all the follows and favorites; in case you didn't know, I like making these short because it's faster, more fun to write than long 4000+ chapters, and it's sorta like "snapshots" into her life.