I apologize I did not have the time to reply on the reviews due to me being out of the house all the time recently. I will answer them here!
BlueAngel7810 - I can't wait for them to go on missions, too! I'm so excited for that part! ;) a thank you is not enough for the continuous support. I'll just give you a virtual forehead poke! :)
Guest 1 (So what's going to happen between sasusaku? Is hebgoing to find out that naruto went out on a date with her will sasuke be jealous? Will sasuke try to go with Karin or some one else) - hi, there! I guess my answer to your questions can be found in this chapter? :) oh, and I have no plans on including any member of Team Taka in this story :)
Guest 3 (I dont know why but there's a huge part of me that wants this to be a KAKASAKU fic. Please make more KAKASAKU SCENES next time even though this is sasusaku? PLEASE!) - Kakashi has an important role in this story. He will have many interactions with Sakura soon but I cannot promise it will be romantic hehe
Guest 4 (UPDATE SOONER! I also miss KAKASHI! Who is the mystery man? ITACHI or SASUKE? I think its itachi tho... Hehehehe) - I also miss Kakashi! No worries, he's back! :) the "mystery man" is Sasuke tho :D
yamada chibi- I'm glad you're liking this story! We're just getting deeper!
To the other Guest reviewers, thank you so much for letting me know of your thoughts! I agree they're great motivation to a writer.
Now, on to the story...
Disclaimer: I can't claim Naruto, Divergent and the cover picture as my own :(
Chapter Eleven - Fruits
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I pass by rows of vandalized walls and shift to any corner I see, left and right, without having any directions, without knowing where this will lead me, where I will go. But I try to move as fast as I can, that I wish I could just float and fly.
It is dark and quiet. All lights are off, only the moon becoming the source of illumination, since the stars are hidden behind the thick, heavy clouds.
How long I have been running, that I do not know. Why am I running, I can only wonder. But I am not allowed to think; to be curious. My conscience tells me to just run, run, run far, far, far away, where they could not catch me.
Run, run, run, and never look back—
A painful ringing of metal resonates through my ears, almost reaching my skull, followed by a series of familiar groans as the clanging of metal continues.
'A dream?' I ponder as I slowly get up, barely registering the presence of that mop of spiky silver hair in the room at first.
Needless to say, we are all surprised to see Kakashi enter the Transfers' dorm the next day, for as per the other Jounin, he is not supposed to be back until next week. It turns out the mission was not that important, perhaps, and it must be all a ploy of Uchiha Itachi.
In spite of the mask on his face, we could see he is not pleased with what Idate has done. He is shooting dagger glares at all of us as if we are at fault for them leaving.
Actually, Kakashi is the only one making a big deal out of this, and I think I know why. Withdrawing in the middle of the initiation is a common occurrence in the Shinobi; however, Idate is Kakashi's bet against Uchiha Sasuke at the top spot, and at the same time, versus Tobi, who is representing the other group of Genin. Now that Idate, who was ranked second, has backed out, another Uchiha takes his spot. Although Shikamaru climbed to third after the change of ranks, the Transfer's score could not make it to the top anymore as the duels have already concluded.
"I leave you one day and then you start rebelling." Kakashi begins lecturing, and sighs heavily like a tired old father. "Is this how the youth today is?"
I control the urge to roll my eyes.
Still, I'm quite glad Kakashi is back. He is the only neutral one here and he truly recognizes my skills. Plus, he returning means Itachi will not substitute for us anymore.
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When Kiba asked me to have lunch with him, I wholeheartedly agreed. He reasons he misses me but knew he could not talk to me while Ino is around. It is not like he allows Ino to boss them around; he just does not want this to affect his friendship with Ino, built since they were young. But I am also his friend, so he will not take sides, which I am greatly thankful to him for.
We talk about the days from our former kumi, even if it is forbidden, until we touch the topic of Idate.
"Idate's family name is Morino," Kiba says before biting on the barbecue. "They're like the most influential clan in the Shin after the Yamanaka."
I have heard of them. The best interrogators of the Shin mostly come from their clan, and I have actually met one of them, Morino Ibiki, through my father. He is a burly man with scars on his face, and has a cloth wrapped on top of his head. Just his physique alone is enough to terrify criminals, figures why he is mostly assigned to the notorious criminals arrested. It surprised me Idate is his relative, though; I cannot imagine Idate looking like that in the future.
"'Ya know, it's the first time someone from the Yamanaka and Morino transferred kumi, and now, fuckin' Idate went factionless. Things must have been crazy there." The brunet laughed bitterly.
I softly sigh, fixing my gaze on the food on my plate. If only I could tell Kiba the reason why Idate fled; if it would be that easy to reveal ourselves.
"Maybe he got tired of the fighting here?" I cautiously glance at Kiba to gauge his reaction. If I told this to Naruto, the blond would scream how much of a coward Idate had been.
Surprisingly, Kiba only shrugs and proceeds to stuff a few pieces of pork in his mouth. "So am I." Aside from Naruto, Kiba is the least person I expect to say that. He was active in the trainings and duels, he is one of the top fighters. I strongly believe that among the Transfers, he is the one who is most likely to be the first to fully embrace the Shinobi principles. Maybe I judged him wrongly.
I must have been gawking at him for a little longer, for he suddenly gets flustered, "H-Hey, don't look at me like that," He greedily chomps on his food, trying to avoid meeting my gaze. "It's just two months. I'm sure most of us aren't still used to the violence here. Just like you." Oh, you don't say.
Kiba has a point. For sixteen years, we were exposed to the ways of our previous kumi. Here in Shinobi, our new kumi, we have just entered the second week of March, even if it feels like we have been here for years due to the heavy pressure carelessly thrown upon us, physically, mentally and emotionally. We are being forced to grow ten more years of experience within the span of three months—through the initiation.
"But we're still kickin' some ass, ayt? We're doin' a better job coping to this than those Shinobi-born who were like raised in this… dunno, battlefield?" Kiba says, his sharp fangs showing themselves as he grins widely. "So don't lose hope, 'kay?"
I smile. Strange to hear such words of motivation from Kiba but it surely helped.
"Oi, Sakura-chan! Dog-breath!" A hyperactive blond in his infamous black and orange jumpsuit bounces towards our table and shrieks, "Why are the two of you here? Are you on a date?!"
"So what if we're on a date, fox face?" Kiba growls at Naruto, effectively angering the blond.
I laugh at their childish banter; this is how they greet each other. Then, a taller boy with inky locks steps beside Naruto. Said taller boy looks striking with that casual black V-neck tee and jeans he is wearing, and I like it. I always see him in his training clothes or that mysterious cloak of his. In this outfit, he looks so… normal. Normal, in a good way, because he looks good in everything he wears.
Plus, his chest is slightly peeking through the lapel of his shirt, shannarroo!
"Try shouting louder, Dobe. I think Suna hasn't heard you yet." Sasuke says, his brows knitted to a frown as he takes the seat next to mine. I cock a brow in wonder.
"Teme! Whaddya doin' sittin' beside Sakura-chan?!" Naruto voices out my thoughts, just in a louder, harsher way.
Too bad for Naruto, and for me, Sasuke merely lets his noisy friend rant his lungs out and surprises me, yet again, by casually picking up a meat from my plate using my chopsticks.
"Hn."
Kami, I think I'm going to faint.
"Don't you 'Hn' me!"
"Don't sit beside me." Kiba quips.
Naruto snaps at the former Shin, "I'd rather go on a ramen diet, believe it!"
Laughing, I stand up, catching Naruto's attention, "Come here, Naruto, I'll sit beside Kiba." Surely, Naruto would be more comfortable to have Sasuke as a seatmate rather than Kiba, and for now, I prefer to be with my fellow Transfer. Sasuke is proving to be bad for my system.
The restaurant seems to have fallen into a deep lull as a hand firmly grips my arm and pulls me back on the bench.
At first, the culprit refuses to meet my gaze and let go of my arm, choosing to continue eating as if he had done nothing wrong, as if he is eating on his own plate, but when he finally turns to me, my breath hitches.
His face does not give away any emotion; however there is a sliver of intensity and superiority on those cool eyes, bringing a delicious shiver down my spine. He wants me to stay. He is not telling me what he wants; he is commanding me to do what he wants. I would have found it romantic, if not for his display of dominance over me.
Kiba clears his throat loudly, breaking the awkward atmosphere just now and tearing our gazes off each other. The chatters from the other customers and the sizzles of the meat being cooked in the background return to my line of hearing; I scoot a little further from Sasuke to give him back his space. I opt to ask a server for another plate and chopsticks seeing as the Uchiha prince has no intention of giving it back to me.
Kiba violently tugs down Naruto, who surprisingly did not fight back as what he would have done.
"When did Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan get close?" is the last decent sentence I have heard from Naruto before he begins eating and bickering with Kiba.
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Naruto forces Sasuke to pay for our food since he is "an Uchiha and Uchihas are freaking loaded." Kiba and I begin protesting and taking out our wallet, but Sasuke, albeit looking unwilling, hands the male server a couple of paper bills and even told him to "keep the change." Without a word, Sasuke stands up and strides towards the door, with the noisy blond immediately running after his best friend.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, we're going now! We should do this more often, believe it!" Naruto says as Kiba and I get out of the restaurant. Sasuke glances at me at the same time, which is his way of saying 'See you.'
"Of course without Teme and Dog-face next time!" Naruto adds, causing for Sasuke to hit him on the back of his head and walk ahead of him. The whiskered blond follows, showering Sasuke a string of profanities.
I laugh in response and slightly wave my hand.
While watching the back of the two Shinobi-born, Kiba whispers with a playful grin on his face, "Tell me the real deal between you and Uchiha."
I stop myself from groaning; I knew Kiba will ask me this. "There's nothing to tell."
Kiba stands up straight. There is this strong urge in me to wipe that grin off his face. "And I don't believe you."
"What, it's true." I glare at him, forcing my legs to initiate the first steps away from the crowd. This topic is something I would hate for outsiders to overhear.
"We saw you and Uchiha often sneaking out at night. You were even together last Valentine's."
Yeah. Training.
"We were training. We both don't celebrate Valentine's Day." Truth.
"Yeah, and Naruto is the smartest person on earth."
"Kiba…"
My friend only shrugs, still having that confident look on his face as if telling me he will win the argument. "I'm not dumb, Sak. I can practically smell the sexual tension between you and Uchiha back at the barbecue house. Oh the eye smex."
What sexual tension? Eye smex?
Once again, I recall the scene at the barbecue house. I cannot fathom how I quickly understood what he was trying to tell me, and at the same time, his out-of-character actions then bother me the most. He could have just said he does not want to sit beside Naruto or Kiba; he did not need to act… possessive. Yes, that was the term I had been looking for.
"I don't know what you're saying." I continue denying, although the fluttering feeling in my chest comes back just by thinking of that encounter.
My mistake is, I completely forgot Kiba was from the Shin. And what he says next totally catches me off-guard.
"Sakura, did you know Uchiha kicked Taka's ass for you?"
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"Alright, you assholes. Your first judgment day has come!" Tobi cheerfully announces, stepping on the platform in front of the electronic board. Kakashi follows suit, his dark eyes formed into slits. His forehead protector is now properly placed on his forehead. His left eye looks normal; I wonder why he was covering it until now.
"That is encouraging, Tobi-chan." Kakashi deadpans.
"Fuck off!" Tobi growls at his rival before turning his attention on the group of Genin huddled in front of him. "Now, if you see your name on the screen, I wish you better luck, and if you don't, I wish our paths will not cross again, yeah?"
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the training area gets tense. I can feel my heart violently pounding against my chest. I know my chances of getting in went higher at the backing out of Idate and his friends, still, I cannot help but be nervous on my ranking.
"Ah, I think we forgot to tell you the chakra control also affected your overall score," Kakashi interrupts. "Ranking's based on how quick you grasped on the lessons each session. This is your chakra control score." Then, the electronic board shows a list of names and numbers beside each name, mumbles and gasps filling the place.
Why would not they be shocked; there at the number one spot is my name.
"Whoa, Sakura-chan, you're amazing!" Naruto exclaims, and Kiba pats my back a little hard. I had to bite my lower lip to stop myself from grinning widely that my cheeks feel like burning. I am number one, can you believe it?! CHA!
Fifty points will be given to me, while next in line are Shikamaru, Hinata and Sasuke. Based on the shining aura around Kakashi, he is probably boasting to the brooding Tobi that two of his kids made it to the top spot.
Taka and his group are the least pleased of the news, as expected. After all, they did not even reach the top fifteen. I would have mocked them for it, but I catch Sasuke's gaze, and I almost melt seeing the proud look on his face.
"This is just the chakra control, Kaka-baka!" We hear Tobi snarl, though it did not deter Kakashi from teasing him more. "Now, let us see the final, final, final result!"
The scores beside our names change, and then the position of the names have jumbled. All Genin turn silent, waiting for the changing of rank to stop.
There at the number one spot is the undefeatable Uchiha Sasuke, garnering a total score of 210. Fangirls begin squealing and congratulating the number one Genin, even Tobi is dancing on the platform. Surprisingly, Kakashi's good mood did not fade, for second to Sasuke is Shikamaru, who has 208 points, having only 3 points away from taking the top.
We turn to our friend, who still could not believe what he is seeing. Before this, he is ranked third, but after the addition of the chakra control points, it turns out he is able to take the second spot from Sasuke's cousin. I am certain if Idate stayed, Shikamaru would have beaten him as well.
Aburame Shino and Kiba are ranked fifth and sixth, followed by Taka and Ino. Uzumaki Naruto is at thirteen, Hyuuga Hinata at fourteen, and Akimichi Chouji is ranked seventeen. Ran and another friend of theirs unfortunately made it to the top twenty.
Meanwhile, I, Haruno Sakura, am placed fifteen.
In the midst of our celebration, Ino and I accidentally make eye contact. The mirth that was once in her baby blue eyes seconds ago instantly disappears, and when I open my mouth to congratulate her, she diverts her attention back to Shikamaru.
At a distance, I merely watch my friends congratulating one another. Kiba and Naruto are in a bear hug but quickly pulls away after probably smelling each other, then the blond bounces towards the silent Shino and Hinata, whose face immediately turns scarlet. Ino snatches Chouji's chips away from him, telling the brunet to start going on a diet, that it was a miracle he got to the top twenty. Shikamaru agrees by patting Chouji's tummy.
This scene would have been better and complete, if Idate and his friends have stayed. Naruto would have already challenged Idate to a ramen eating competition, to which Kiba would force himself in until all boys, except Shino and Shikamaru would join in the end. The girls would just sigh and maybe do a shopping spree together.
Either way, there is no place for me there.
I am glad we all passed the first round. Although, I cannot find the elation and fulfillment in me, unlike everyone right now. If it were not for the withdrawal of Idate's group, I do not think I could make it to the quota, despite the additional fifty points. I would have been among the few rejected people who were just ushered out, not only in the area, but in the Shinobi, forever.
"Have you already thanked your boy toy, Stiff?" Taka whispers on my ear. Ran giggles from behind, and I almost shove him to his whore, away from me, and away from my life. Unfortunately, I cannot, for these two have passed first round, too.
"And have you thanked yours?" I smirk watching his facial expression darken at the implication of my words. Shrugging, I make my exit from the training area, without letting anyone else know.
Honestly, I do not think Taka has a boy toy. I was just messing with him.
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I lay sprawled on the grass field in the Shinobi training grounds. It is my first time here; I have always stayed by the riverside whenever I need to be alone, for I liked the calming effect the sound of the waves brought me. Now, lying here on the cool lawn, listening to the soft whisper of the wind and the light croaking of crickets, and just gazing at the blanket of stars above me, this is the most relaxed I have ever felt from the day I entered the Shinobi. Flowers had begun blooming, too, as Spring has arrived, my favorite season.
Right now, those who passed the first round have gone off to celebrate in their own ways. I bet my group is at Ichiraku, having a ramen eating competition, and the others must have been sneaking out to drink at the bars.
The gentle ruffling of the leaves beside me does not surprise me. In fact, I have sensed his presence even before he reached the meadow.
The newcomer also slumps next to me, but maintains a respectable distance between us.
"Hey, congratulations, number one," I say, my eyes remain fixed on the sky.
He grunts his usual 'Hn' and mumbles, "You, too." He really should work on his vocabulary.
Also, for the first time this day started, I feel a genuine smile forming on my lips. My mood also has gotten lighter while I'm thinking of what topic to open.
"No celebration with your family?" I ask, stealing a glance at his side profile.
"Done. Short meal."
Despite his consistent short responses, I find it now easier to converse with Sasuke, while trying to calm my insides.
"Too bad we didn't face each other, right?" Jokingly, I say. To be honest, though, at some point, I wished Tobi would have me fight Sasuke. I was curious on what would Sasuke have done if it happened.
The Uchiha snorts arrogantly. "You think you can beat me."
No. "Who knows, you might have gotten distracted by my beauty."
He stares at me with an eyebrow raised. His expression is not angry; he is amused, rather. "You will get distracted by my attractiveness."
YES, I KNOW. DON'T RUB IT IN. "Hah! Look who's getting conceited here!" I have never heard Sasuke talking about his looks until now.
"And who started it?"
"Fine, you win!" I laugh. That was my first laugh this day, either, and I have never once thought it would be because of the renowned ice block beside me. It feels… different. Even he is smirking, which is his version of a smile.
"Sakura, did you know Uchiha kicked Taka's ass for you?"
Is that true? If so, why would he do that? We were merely acquaintances, bordering to friends. We may have been spending the most time together then, but is that enough for him to take revenge for me? How did Kiba know?
"Do you know why I had Sasuke fight Taka?"
Was Kakashi involved in it?
"Sakura," he suddenly calls me. As if programmed in my brain, I turn to him without hesitation. My heart skips a beat. I did not notice he had scooted closer to me and now, our faces are an inch away from each other. And Kami, he looks beautiful under the moon ray.
"I need you to be honest with me." He begins, his tone low and serious, in contrast to the atmosphere we just had. Why did he take a sudden shift?
"Sakura, tell me," I hate how I love it when my name sounds when he speaks it—
"Are you a tokushu?"
TO BE CONTINUED
Kiba is my spirit animal.
Also, I recall some past reviews saying Sasuke would most likely give way once he knew of Naruto's feelings for Sakura. On the contrary, I personally believe Sasuke will get more possessive. ;)
Tell me what you think :)
Aria