Dreams on Fire
Chapter 11: Guardian Angel
Sunday, December 22, 1985.
I ran my fingers over the calendar nailed on the wall.
1985… 1985… if I remember correctly, the war ended between 1986 December and 1987 January. And I came into existence in 1988. Naruto was born in the same year… in October. Which meant, 1988 October it'll be "bye-bye Minato!" and Kushina, of course.
I closed my eyes and my forehead hit the calendar. I'd been here for nearly two months and I longed for the calendar to read 2008, every single day.
2008. Where I should be right now.
I took one last look at the calendar before grumbling and making my way back to my desk. I lazily collapsed on my chair, tilting my head backward and yawning widely.
When my brain realizes it's a Sunday, I'm pretty sure it stimulates some hormone which tends to result in immense laziness. And this Sunday, was no exception. As a matter of fact, I felt slightly extra lazier than usual.
To put a cherry on top, I was sleepy as hell.
And sleepy was not something I was supposed to feel when I was in the hospital. My face contorted into a frown, as I checked my watch. It read eight-fifteen. Rin was late. Very unlike her since she's usually on the dot.
I sat up straight, shoved the medical reports aside and placed both my legs on the desk. I comfortably settled in my chair and yawned again. I closed my eyes and smiled. If I'm caught, I'd be as good as fired.
I'd become such a machine in the past month. I did nothing but work, train, eat, dodge beautiful blonde-headed jerks and fit in some sleep somewhere in between.
My day usually started at four in the morning. Yeah, I know... early. I'd wake up at four, rub the sleep out of my eyes and head over to the training grounds. I'd train all the way till six-thirty. Training alone was not one of the most entertaining things in the world, but at the end of the day, training was training. It's not something I could afford to compromise on, considering it's been saving my life all these years.
After my routine training session each morning, I'd head back to my apartment, take a quick shower, stuff a few slices of bread into my mouth and immediately head to the hospital. The staff always talked behind my back. It was something which I'd gotten used to back in my time too. It was the usual; "Is her hair naturally pink?", "Did you hear? She made a nurse cry last week!" "She's so scary." "Her temper is just like Tsunade-sama's." And what not's.
Back to my schedule. Yeah, I'd always be the first to arrive at the hospital; at nearly seven fifteen am, and the last to leave; whenever I felt like I was about to crash. I'd converted the usual eight hour shift into a twelve hour shift. I totally deserve to have a statue carved in my honour. And I'd been following this schedule for the past month, so make that two statues. Hell, make it two statues and an ice-cream shop, for I never used the door to get into my apartment, anymore. I didn't want to risk running into my annoying yet angel faced neighbour. So, I'd completely resorted to using only the windows.
"Sakura-sensei!"
My eyes snapped open.
Damn, I didn't even notice Rin's presence. "You're late." I yawned, as I removed my legs from atop the desk.
Rin folded her arms and glared. So what was she glaring about? "Listen here little missy," I said sternly, "show some respect to your superiors."
She huffed. "Well apparently my superior has amnesia."
"Excuse me?" I narrowed eyes. She's lucky I'm a little too sleepy to react... violently to her comment.
She sighed. "It's your day off from the hospital."
I scratched my chin in thought. "Is it really?"
"Yes. And mine too."
Oh yeah... it is my day off. Kind of slipped from my mind. No wonder she mentioned amnesia.
"You need to sleep more," she continued, "You look tired."
"What do you expect?" I huffed, "I work for twelve hours; I sleep for half that time and I squeeze in some training before heading to the hospital."
"It's your day off," Rin repeated, "please get some sleep."
"Yes m'am," I mock saluted. "Now leave if you're done with your instructions."
Hell, it may be my day off, but this schedule is like my new drug. And I'm planning to follow it with no breaks. Yeah, it's tiring but at least it keeps me sane and out of trouble. In the end of the day, it's all worth it.
"You're not going to go home, are you?" Rin guessed.
"Nope," I confirmed. "Don't you have any other work apart from bugging me right now?"
"Actually, I do. I'm training with my team today."
"Well, good for you," I smiled. "Now leave."
Rin frowned. "Someone's becoming anti-social lately. Anyway, Minato-sensei asked me to bring you as well."
I raised my eyebrows. "For what?"
"Training, I suppose?" she shrugged. "He knows it's your day off, by the way."
I rolled my eyes. "Who does he think he is? My sensei?"
"So I take it, you're not going to come?" she guessed.
I narrowed my eyes. "Aren't you the one who said I should catch up on some sleep?"
"Yes," she sighed. "But that's not apparently what sensei thinks."
"I don't care what he thinks." I said calmly. "Now kindly leave and let me be in peace."
"So you're definitely not coming?" she pushed.
"Positive." I smiled.
She sighed and dug her pockets. She pulled out a piece of paper. I frowned in suspicion. She handed it over.
"What is it?" I raised my eyebrows, accepting it.
"Sensei asked me to hand it over to you, if you failed to co-operate." She said simply. The white sheet was neatly folded in two. Quickly unfolding the paper, I came face to face with Minato's neat and rather girly hand-writing.
Dear Forehead,
Your forehead is huge. Just thought I'd remind you.
With love,
Minato.
PS: I realized something this morning. You're fat.
My brows instantly came together in a frown and I found myself crushing the paper into a tiny ball.
Rin gulped nervously. "What happened?"
"Where the hell is that prick?"
I stomped all the way to the training grounds, sleep completely washed out of my system. I couldn't deny I was slightly disappointed with myself, I mean, I was breaking my routine. A routine which I dearly loved. Oh well... I guess I'll just take a quick minute to give him a piece of my mind and then leave.
In a few minutes, Rin and I made it to training ground 7. I flexed my knuckles, as I saw Obito, Kakashi-sensei and him, sitting under the shade the trees provided.
When Minato finally turned his gaze toward me, he greeted me with his usual over-the-top smile. I must be the definition of a sucker, because honestly, I had yet to get accustomed to the way he smiled. This fact naturally irked me even more. I just wanted to punch him square on his nose. Maybe I should too, I mean, broken noses and bruised faces are certainly not hereditary, so Naruto will no doubt be safe.
"Sakura-chan!" Obito greeted cheerfully. "Long time!" I took a quick second to flash him a smile and then got my angry face back on.
I accusingly pointed my index finger at Minato. "I f**king hate you."
He sighed and got up from the ground. "I'm touched. I love you too, forehead." He scratched his chin, in thought, "I'm guessing this means you read my note?"
"You are the biggest jerk I've ever met!" I hissed.
"Is that the way you usually greet someone you haven't seen in a while?" He chuckled.
"I saw you on Friday!" I snapped. "And today is Sunday!"
Minato's smile instantly dropped. He folded his arms and intensely studied me. After a few seconds he said, "You're right. I saw you on Friday." Then his expression changed. He shot me a glare. "I saw you on that Friday two weeks back!"
"So what?" I retorted sharply, throwing my hands in the air. "It was still a Friday!"
"I saw you for hardly two seconds before you slammed the door on my face!"
"I had a long day!" I countered, matching his tone. "I was tired. So excuse me for trying to make it to my bed before letting myself fall nose-first on the ground!"
He knit his eyebrows together. "Quit lying and tell me what you're up to."
"I am not up to anything," I huffed. "And even if I was, it would certainly be none of your business."
He glared. "Tell me one reason why I shouldn't make it my business?"
"Okay people!" Obito exclaimed waving his hands in the air. "Let's calm down. Let's all take one deep breath—"
"Shut up before I smack you." I interrupted. That instantly silenced him.
I turned my attention back to Minato. "Because," I said, placing both my hands on my hips. "It's my life. My choices. My mistakes. My lessons. And certainly none of it is your business."
Then we began our staring contest. We stared and glared actually. Neither of us wanted to back down.
"So...?" Obito said, nervously. "What—"
I raised my arm to silence him and continued staring at Minato. It wasn't a difficult task, considering the sight was quite beautiful. Moreover, since I hadn't seen him in quite some time, I could use this as an excuse to stare at him without being accused of drooling and ogling.
As the seconds ticked the silence seemed never-ending.
I was determined not to give up.
Another minute.
I sighed finally deciding to give up. I mean, how much longer am I supposed to stare at him? I could do it forever without a problem, but I had a hospital to get back to. It didn't matter if it was my day off. I most definitely don't want to lose this state of… peace, or whatever. His presence was just too intolerable. To make things worse, I still wanted to kiss him.
F**k human nature. Always wanting what it can't have.
I took a deep breath. "You're a jerk, Minato. That's all I wanted to convey." I paused. "I have work in the hospital, if you'll excuse me."
He took a step forward, still glaring. Didn't I forfeit from the staring/glaring contest? "It's your day off." He said bluntly.
I folded my arms. "People get to do whatever they want on their day off, right?" I raised my eyebrows. "So I want to spend my time in the hospital, helping people."
"Anything except working."
"Does it look like I care? I love the hospital, so I have the right to spend every waking hour in there if I wanted to."
"No you're just using it as an excuse to avoid me." He instantly accused.
True. But I'm sure as hell not telling him. "Are you seriously implying my life completely revolves around you?" I folded my arms over my chest. "Well, sorry Mister Flash but you're completely mistaken."
"No," he retorted sharply. "I'm right as usual and you're too stubborn to accept the truth, as usual."
I clenched my fists. "And you are a jerk, as usual and I hate you, as usual."
"You know what?" He waved his hands in the air. "I don't care. Now that you're here you might as well train with us."
"Yeah, Sakura-chan!" Obito agreed excitedly. "Train with us!"
"Well, thank you for the tempting offer," I smiled. "But since it's my day off, I get to decide what I want to do. And what I want to do is go back to my lovely job in the hospital."
"But you're always in the hospital!" Obito whined.
I shrugged.
"You know Sakura, you're not just a doctor, you are a medical ninja," said Minato, finally dropping his glare. "You have apparently forgotten the ninja half of the term 'medical ninja.' "
I opened my mouth to reply but he interrupted.
"And a ninja needs her training." He smiled. "Do you plan on getting yourself killed in the field?"
"You know Minato," I began calmly, "just because you don't see me training doesn't mean I don't train at all. You should get your facts right."
He narrowed his eyes. "Is that why I never find you in your bed every morning?"
Wait, what? He doesn't find me in my bed? Every morning? But that's not possible unless… "Have you been breaking into my apartment?!" I cried in disbelief. "You—"
"You should set some traps if you don't want anyone entering your apartment." He interrupted bluntly.
"Maybe, I will." I snapped.
"Yes, you should."
"Fine!"
"Good."
"Goodbye." I corrected, taking a step back.
I gave him one of Sai's infamous fake smiles. Creep. Breaking into my apartment. First thing I've got to do is set some traps. Such a troublesome ass.
"No, you're not leaving. Not yet." He said walking toward me.
"What are you going to do? Tie me to a tree?" I challenged, taking a step back, for every step he took forward.
"If I have to." He smirked. He quickly covered the distance between us and grabbed my wrist. Damn his and his stupid speed.
"Minato," I began calmly. "If you don't let me go right now, I will punch you all the way to Suna."
"Do it," he challenged. "Fight me right now."
"What?"
"Are you deaf? I said fight me."
"What?"
"I said, fight me, as in what all shinobi do."
My jaw slightly dropped.
I simply stared at him. Fight him? Fight him? Fight him? I softly gulped. He is the Yellow Flash. The legendary Fourth Hokage. How the hell am I supposed to fight him and not make a fool of myself? He'll probably take me out in less than five seconds, as much as I hate to admit.
I placed my hand on his and tried to pry it off my wrist.
"Come on, forehead," he rolled his eyes, while tightening his grasp on my wrist. "Just one friendly spar."
"Yeah, Sakura-chan!" Obito agreed. "You, Rin and I can easily take him out together!" Kakashi-sensei rolled his eyes, while Rin studied me curiously.
"No." I successfully pulled my wrist out.
"Come on, Sakura," whined Minato. "Have some sportsmanship!"
"No." I refused stubbornly.
"I can make it more exciting." He smirked. "How about loser gives winner whatever they want?"
I felt my stomach churn. Oh hell, I'd better run. I laughed nervously. "Deal sounds good, but I really don't want to mess up your team-dynamics." I took a step back. "So, I'll be on my way. See you around."
"But…" Obito started uncertainly.
"Fine, I'll let you leave on one condition," said Minato folding his arms.
"I can leave whenever I want!" I instantly snapped. He'll let me leave? F**king prick. Naruto… if it weren't for him, I'd have killed this bastard a long time ago. Naruto owes me. He owes me big time.
"Just admit you're too scared to fight me." He smiled. "We both can go on with our day's activities then."
My jaw dropped instantly. I'm definitely killing him as soon as Kushina Uzumaki gets pregnant. No hesitations. "I am not scared!" I defended. I'm definitely not scared; I just don't want to make a fool out myself. I mean, what if I end up doing something really embarrassing? Like kissing. Very unlikely during a spar but one can never tell when my senses decide to go on a vacation.
"Yeah, she is not scared!" Obito agreed with me.
"Admit it, Sakura. You're just too scared that you'll end up losing, aren't you?" He laughed. Damn him and his irritatingly beautiful laugh.
"I am not scared." I denied.
"Denial," he shook his head, "just so sad to see."
"Who do you think you are accusing of being scared?!" I yelled. "I am the Sakura Haruno! I am the Hokage's apprentice! I am—"
"You're the Hokage's apprentice?" Kakashi-sensei interjected.
Oopsy daisy. I grunted and went back to yelling. "I am part of the legendary Team Kaka—" I abruptly stopped. This is honestly getting irritating. I can't even speak freely in this forsaken time. Kakashi-sensei eyed me suspiciously. I just seriously hope Kakashi-sensei figures it out. I mean, this is getting really hard to conceal.
"Anyway, I am not scared!" I insisted.
"Liar," Minato bit out. "You're many things, Sakura, but I never thought you'd be the 'scaredy-cat' type."
Scaredy cat? Scaredy cat?
My fists clenched and I shut my eyes. Don't give in. Don't give in. Don't give in. "Scaredy cat…" he repeated. Don't give in. "Scaredy cat…" Don't give in. "Scaredy cat..."
And then that was it. I lost it. "Fine! I will f**king fight you!" I yelled, my eyes snapping open. "In fact, I'll take on all four of you at once!"
"I'm glad to see you're pumped up, forehead," smiled Minato, "but four against one is a little too unfair, don't you think?"
"I've taken on much more than four at a time," I huffed. Of course, I never had to fight the Yellow Flash, before. That's one big minus. But there's no way in hell I'm going down without a fight.
"Don't bite more than you can chew," he warned.
"Are you scared I'll send you flying half way through Konoha?" I asked sweetly. Out of no-where, I felt a little confident. How hard can it be? In fact, he should be the one scared. I mean one chakra-enhanced punch from me and he'll be a goner. A permanent goner, if the punch connects with his skull. I mentally cringed at that thought. Can't afford killing him right now, as much I wanted to.
"You're on, forehead," he replied. "Remember, loser gives winner whatever they want."
Crap. Even though I was marginally more confident, something told me I was walking into dangerous waters. But in the end, by some miracle if I did win, I would get what I wanted form him. And that was a chance I was willing to take.
"Fine," I said clapping my hands together. "I think I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass, Minato."
"Yours too, Kakashi-sensei!" I added, smiling smugly at him. "Yours too, I suppose, Obito."
"Bahhh... but I really wanted to be on your team!" whined Obito.
I shrugged.
"I think I'd better sit this one out," said Rin, "this is going to get messy and someone's got to fix you up."
Messy. Yes, definitely yes. I quickly put on my gloves and flexed my fingers. Whatever happens, no chakra-enhanced punches to anyone's head, I reminded myself. Especially Minato's. Maybe I should completely restrain from using my chakra-enhanced strength in terms of offence, just to be on the safer side. I'll let myself indulge in my strength strictly only to cause diversions.
I frowned. It almost sounded as though I was telling myself to go easy on him. No... I am going easy on him since I won't be using my strength offensively. Although he won't have any problem dodging my hits, I'm not taking the risk. Besides, I still have my chakra-scalpels for offence.
"Good luck," grinned Minato.
"Yes, you're definitely going to need it." I replied confidently.
The four of us scattered.
My chakra was constantly masked. I looked down from the highest branch of the tree on which I stood. I scratched my chin trying to pick my first target. Minato? No way. I need my full attention to take him down, can't afford Obito or Kakashi-sensei distracting me then.
I scrunched my nose. To make matters worse, they'll all probably work together. That is if Kakashi-sensei ever practiced what he preached.
I could faintly make out Obito's chakra a few metres away. No sign of Kakashi-sensei or Minato near him. Oh well, the lesser the better. I stealthily jumped from branch to branch. When I was close enough to him, I softly landed on the ground.
"Obito..." I cooed, as I found him hiding behind the trunk of a tree. He stepped out and quickly threw a few shurikens toward me. I stood my ground and deflected the weapons with my kunai. Obito raced toward me continuously throwing kunais at me. Naturally, I dodged.
"Not bad, Sakura-chan," complimented Obito.
"Your aim needs some serious work, Obito," I replied.
As the two of us met mid-field, we switched to tai-jutsu.
He threw his fist toward my face, forcing me to duck. Just as I was straightening back up, he swerved his leg in a wide arc. I blocked his kick with my hands; cushioning them with chakra to soften the impact.
Obito continued to attack me with tai-jutsu moves and I effortlessly dodged/blocked them. He was clearly failing to understand that simple tai-jutsu moves wouldn't work on me. I grabbed his fist with both my hands. His feet left the ground as I swung him in a wide arc. I released my grip on him and consequently he flew. His back hit a tree with great force. He grunted, as he slid down the trunk of the tree, "That hurt!"
"Come on, Obito," I said, "I expected a lot more from you."
The two of us simultaneously threw kunais. They were nullified as they clashed mid-air.
"Okay, you asked for it!" he yelled, instantly pumped up.
I saw his fingers expertly go through some signs.
Horse. Tiger. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.
Uh oh. It was no-doubt the seals for a fire jutsu. And sure enough, I was right. Obito placed his index and middle fingers in front of his mouth and blew out. Angry hot flames escaped from his mouth. My jaw dropped as I found myself in the direct line of a huge fireball. Without any hesitation, I swiftly performed the signs required for a substitution justu. I safely landed on the branch of a tree.
I saw Obito's fireball burn the log of wood which I had left in my place. The burnt wood noiselessly fell on the ground.
"No!" I heard Obito shriek, as he ran toward it. "Please don't tell me I killed you!"
I instantly face-palmed. Goodness. This kid… did he seriously assume he killed me? From the branch on which I stood, I threw a kunai in his direction. Hearing the swish sound it caused; Obito turned his to his left.
"Ahh!" he screamed, bringing his own kunai in front of his face to deflect mine.
Fun's over. About time I end this, I mean, I definitely need all the chakra I can get to take on Minato. I quickly landed on the ground and immediately raced toward Obito. With a determined look, he too raced toward me. My hands moved with great agility through familiar hand signs.
Tiger. Horse. Rabbit. Rat. Dog.
Both my palms glowed green with scalpels. Obito's brow creased in confusion. Never seen a scalpel in combat, I presume. Or better put, never seen a scalpel at all.
His hands quickly moved through the hand seals which I just saw a few minutes ago. Fire jutsu? Again? How can he possibly pull off two fire-jutsu back to back? I growled, as flames escaped from his mouth yet again. I quickly got rid of the scalpels, as the flames danced its way toward me. Without a moment's thought, I gathered chakra in my fist and brought it to the ground. As soon as the ground split, I leapt into the cracks. The flames barely swept a few inches above my head. The searing heat which radiated from the fireball made my head feel like it was on fire.
Moral of the lesson: always stick to substitution justsus while dodging fireballs.
I wiped my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand.
Okay, those two fire-jutsus should obviously have considerably drained him. I sent chakra to my feet and pushed myself out of the earth. And sure enough, I was met with a panting Obito.
"Back to back fire jutsus," I sighed, shaking my head.
"I'm going to beat you today!" he grinned, as he began racing toward me. Both his hands went to his kunai holster. He produced three kunais in each hand and flung them toward me. I too raced toward him, simultaneously deflecting his kunais. As the both of us neared the other, I dropped my kunai and quickly performed the hand signs needed for chakra-scalpels.
He performed a round house kick.
Tch, tch. He was giving the stick and getting the beating. I reached out and my scalpel effectively tore his calf muscle. He instantly screamed in pain, "Ouch!" I took his one moment of weakness to my advantage. My hands went to his shoulders and I pushed him back. He stumbled and fell flat on his back. Still refusing to give up, he reached for a kunai and threw it toward me. I softly smiled while tilting my head left. The kunai sailed harmlessly past me and hit a tree.
I walked to Obito and knelt before him.
"Do you accept defeat or you want me to knock you out?" I asked, smiling.
He abruptly sat up. "I will never give up!" He announced and threw his fist to my face. I effortlessly caught it in my palm. I clicked my tongue. This was kind of easy. His other hand sailed toward my face. I caught this one too and transferred both his hands to one of mine.
He grunted and struggled in my grasp. I used some chakra to hold him. My other hand went up to the pressure point behind his neck. Obito's eyes widened. "H-hey! Wha—"
I knocked him out. "Better luck next time." I pursed my lips as I made him lie flat on his back. Knocking out people like that brought back old memories. I sighed, pushing those thoughts out of my head.
Now, I had bigger fish to fry.
I frowned in concentration while rubbing both my palms together. I couldn't detect Kakashi-sensei's chakra at all. He's masked it pretty well. What else can I expect from my great sensei?
In a distance, I could see Rin healing Obito's leg. He slowly sat up and rubbed his neck. As soon as he saw Rin healing him, his face broke into a smile. I smirked. Looks like I did him a favour.
I tapped my foot impatiently on the ground as I looked around. Kakashi-sensei... where are you? To answer my question, a kunai flew straight to my face. I gasped and instantly deflected it with one of mine. Great timing combined with deadly precision. Immediately, Kakashi-sensei dropped from the branch above me.
Damn he's been up there all the time and I never noticed.
He drew out a tanto and thrust it forward. I turned sideways to avoid it. His other hand flew toward my face. I sent chakra to my feet and took a big leap back. He raced toward me, tanto at the ready. I frowned. Kakashi-sensei never used a tanto...
We settled into fast-paced tai-jutsu, the both of us throwing in kicks and punches. Our weapons clashed frequently.
In spite of it all, neither of us managed to get a hit on the other.
Our weapons clashed. We stood head to head, my kunai and his tanto in contact, both of us holding our ground. Both weapons shook with the pressure they were being subjected to, the high pitched sound of metal scrapping on metal echoed loudly.
"Hey sensei…?" I said uncertainly.
He pushed me back. "I am not your sensei!" he growled. He performed a high-kick. I used chakra as a fuel and jumped into the air. Kakashi immediately threw a number of shurikens. Mid-air, I substituted myself with a log of wood.
As soon as I safely landed on the branch of a tree, I heard a soft click. In a split second, nearly a dozen kunai whizzed toward me. Crap, it was a trap. And I'd set it off.
I brought out another kunai for my other hand and began dodging and deflecting the weapons. The stupid weapons continuously pushed me back. He must have set the trap while I was fighting Obito. I was forced to retreat. Kakashi-sensei soon appeared in front of me and greeted me with another shower of kunais. I threw out equal number of kunais. They clashed mid-air and cancelled out each other.
He disappeared.
"I never expected you to be this aggressive as a kid, sensei," I softly muttered, jumping back to the ground.
Out of no-where he appeared behind me. I turned just in time to block his punch. He raised his leg to a kick and I was forced backward. He pursued me aggressively. I caught one of his kicks, used chakra as fuel and pushed him back. He flew backward and his back hit the branch of a tree. He immediately burst into a cloud of smoke.
I grunted. A freaking shadow clone.
"Kakashi-sensei!" I yelled. "Come out!"
From behind a tree, he came out and quickly formed two shadow clones. Three Kakashis raced toward me showcasing feral expressions. Well... who would've guessed my sensei was highly...competitive in his younger days? Plus, I didn't know he had a thing for shadow-clones.
The three of them surrounded me. "You're done for," one of them said, presumably the real Kakashi.
"You know, sensei," I smirked, flexing my fingers. "When I've trained for years with Naruto, two shadow-clones is like a piece of cake."
"We'll see about that!" The three of them chorused, breaking into a run.
I shrugged.
I kneaded the apt amount of chakra in my body and a second later, gathered it in my fist. My chakra-enhanced fist reached the ground with full force. The earth shattered and the clones turned into smoke on impact. As for Kakashi-sensei, he stumbled and fell flat on the ground.
I was surprised when he didn't get up. "Don't tell me that's it!" I complained. "Even Obito was harder to defeat!"
He glared. He disappeared leaving a log of wood in his place.
I sighed. I'd better get this over with. There's still Minato I have to deal with. But honestly, I don't understand why the three of them just didn't work together and take me out. Team Minato obviously lacked team work. Either that or they spilt up so as to go easy on me. My gut instinct told me it was the latter.
I grunted and jogged deeper into the grounds. I looked around, trying to spot Kakashi-sensei.
I felt a flare of chakra behind me. I crouched barely in time to avoid Kakashi-sensei's roundhouse kick. Still crouching, I swung my leg in an arc, attempting to sweep him off his feet. He figured out my intentions and in a split second propelled himself into the air. Mid-air, he produced three kunais in each hand and flung them toward me.
I scrunched my nose. This is getting annoying. As I deflected them, he threw a few more.
The new kunais were tagged. F**king great. I barely leaped out of the way, when they exploded. Dense smoke covered the area and it obscured Kakashi-sensei from my view. Not good. I flew up to the branch of a tree and tried to pin point his location.
Left? No. Right? No. Down? No. So I'm only left with… he dropped from the branch above me, tanto at the ready. He swung his tanto, which resulted in it giving off a white streak of light. What the…? As I blocked his weapon with my kunai, I asked, "What kind of a tanto is that?"
The two of us separated and retreated. "My father's." He replied, impassively.
I narrowed my eyes. Kakashi-sensei was the son of the White Fang... that much I knew. And the White Fang got the title of 'White Fang' because of his weapon. The tanto he used produced a streak of white light when swung. Looks likes his dad passed it on to him... after he died.
I shook my head and cleared my thoughts.
"Let's wrap this up, sensei," I smiled. "Today is the day I finally beat you."
He grunted. "Finally?"
I blinked. "...Never mind."
Okay. Really, I've got to finish this.
Tiger. Horse. Rabbit. Rat. Dog.
My hands glowed green with scalpels. Then I completely switched to offence. I continuously thrust my hand forward in strikes hoping to come in contact with Kakashi-sensei. Man, sharingan or not, he's brilliant. He avoided all my strikes. Most of them were narrowly dodged, but in the end it didn't matter. A dodge was a dodge.
As he swung his tanto again, I used my scalpel to knock it out of the way. After all, scalpels did act like a chakra blade. But nevertheless, my hand slightly began to bleed. He looked annoyed when his tanto hit the ground with a clang. He began retreating but I pursued him.
He pulled out nearly six tagged kunais and flung them toward me. I grunted and launched myself into the air. The kunais sailed harmlessly past me and embedded themselves on the tree behind me. Kakashi-sensei then began retreating rapidly.
As soon as I landed on the ground, I began pursuing him. The tagged kunais finally exploded. I snuck a glance back—and thank god I did too—to find the tree falling vertically. Uh...Kakashi-sensei! He was totally destroying the field.
I got out of the way, as the tree crashed to the ground. On impact, it produced a lot of dust. I waved my arms in front of my face, coughing slightly. By the time the dust cleared, Kakashi-sensei had disappeared.
"Hey Sakura!"
I turned around and looked up to find Minato standing on a branch. F**k, I can't deal with him now. I still have to take out Kakashi-sensei.
"Watch out," he warned, "he's going to use the chidori next."
"What?" I slightly panicked. "He's barely thirteen! He invented the chidori so quick?"
"It's not perfect, but still deadly," he explained.
"Uh...thanks for the warning."
"No problem," he grinned, "I'd hate to see your pretty little head blown off."
A small part of me wanted to smile. Who wouldn't want to when a hot guy calls your head pretty? But obviously I couldn't act on that. Naturally and predictably, I went into aggressive mode. I glared. "Prick! Fight me or get out of here."
He laughed. "No, I think I'll wait and watch until you're done with Kakashi."
"Scaredy—"
I was cut off when I heard the faint sound of the something crackling... no doubt a chidori. I turned around to find Kakashi-sensei standing at the other end of the clearing, with a chidori in his right hand.
Man, it looked like he wanted to kill me.
"Umm... Sakura?" Minato called. I ignored him and focused on his chidori. Minato was right, it was imperfect. It didn't have the apt amount of chakra. It had way too much of it. When he began charging toward me, I also noticed it slowed him down considerably.
After seeing the fully perfected chidori on numerous occasions, this version seemed kind of...pathetic. But still, it was deadly. Not something I could afford to get hit with.
"Get out of the way," Minato's voice commanded.
Definitely didn't need to be told twice. I did the only thing that came to my mind. I punched the ground with my chakra-enhanced fist. The earthquake made him stumble and fall flat on his face. I disappeared, leaving a log of wood in my place.
When Kakashi-sensei fell, his chidori came in contact with the ground. In simple words, the ground was obliterated. Just as he was getting up, I quickly used a Shunshin to transport myself to him. He'd barely stood up, but I pushed him back. He fell flat on the ground. Without any hesitation, I knelt down and pinned his arms. When he struggled, I used a little chakra to hold him.
"Do you accept defeat?" I smirked.
He glared. "You didn't even land one hit one me."
"Neither did you," I sharply retorted. "I still beat you though."
He glared even more. "No, you didn't."
"Really? You're completely immobile." I laughed in triumph. "Do you accept defeat or should I knock you out, sensei?"
"Fine." He said through gritted teeth. "I demand a re-match a few days from now."
"My pleasure." I smiled, getting myself off him.
I wiped my sweaty (and large) forehead with my forearm. When I turned around, I saw Minato slowly walking toward me, his special kunai in hand. I scrunched my nose. He had a really unfair and big advantage.
"Get back to the others Kakashi," Minato instructed.
I inhaled deeply. It was finally time to take out the queen bee.
I studied his form intently. My mind went blank. I didn't know how to proceed. I weighed my options carefully. It would definitely be reckless to blindly race in and attack head on. It was obvious that he couldn't be taken down, unless I found his weakness.
I sighed.
As much as I hate to admit, physically, I'm no match for him. The confidence I felt earlier vanished into thin air. I even felt a little silly for feeling confident in the first place.
I sighed again.
It's not at all like me to feel inferior and incapable—at least not from when I began training under the Fifth—but at this instant, I was being realistic. My gaze shifted to my feet as I remembered him saying something about loser giving winner anything they wanted.
I groaned and transferred my gaze back to Minato.
Standing a few feet away, Minato was making his own inspection of me. When he heard me let out a frustrated groan, he chuckled.
"Calm down forehead, I promise I won't demand anything too big, when you lose," he assured smoothly.
I shot him a glare and his lips quirked upward in response. "I can tell you one way to beat me," he continued.
I narrowed my eyes. His body language suggested that he definitely wasn't pulling my leg. But I'd learnt from experience that nothing comes free from him. "So what's in it for you then?" I questioned, rather cautiously.
"The pleasure of helping you," he answered without hesitation.
I snorted. "I'm not falling for that Mister Flash."
If you put more thought into it, it was actually an insult in disguise. If he was so willing to reveal his weakness, it only meant he thought it wouldn't make a difference in the end result. It meant, he thought I would be unable to exploit his weakness, even if I did know what it was.
He scratched his chin. "Okay, then...if you don't want to know, I won't tell you."
I pursed my lips. I imagined how it would feel to sink my fist into his cheek. Fantastic. It would feel fantastic. But hitting him would prove to be very difficult. His uncanny speed was his biggest asset and my biggest obstacle.
"I could go easy on you," he offered.
"Excuse me?" My fingers clenched with such strength that my knuckles undoubtedly turned white.
"I'll go easy on you," he repeated, nonchalantly.
I pulled out kunai and glowered. "I'm going to f**king obliterate you." Drawing from the limited knowledge I had on his jutsu, fragments of a small idea were lacing together in the back of my mind. It was too early to confirm if it was fool proof, but it just might do the job.
He twitched. "I see your language is as vulgar as it was since the last time I saw you."
I pulled out as many kunais as my hand could hold. I raced forward throwing them toward Minato. He pulled out his own share of kunais— which were all Hiraishin kunais- and threw them to deflect mine. The kunais clanged on impact and scattered across the field.
When we met mid field, it was tai-jutsu.
I punched, he ducked. As he was getting back up, I performed a round-house kick. It would have connected with his head, if he hadn't disappeared.
I turned around to see him a few feet away, picking up one of his special kunai from the ground. That's when I realized I was at a massive disadvantage. His kunais were scattered all around the field, meaning he could quickly move around without breaking a sweat.
"You and your stupid jutsu," I growled menacingly.
"Stupid?" he raised his eyebrows. He immediately threw his kunai. I blocked it with one of my own. His kunai landed next to my feet with a clang.
"Yes, stupid!" I hissed. "Totally stu-"
He was behind me. I felt the cool metal of his kunai against my throat. "Game over," he sighed. "And I'm pretty sure you won't call my jutsu stupid when it saves your life one of these days."
I looked down at the kunai on the ground, next to my feet. The one which he'd obviously used to transport himself behind me.
Careless old me.
I inhaled deeply. "If anyone's going to be doing any saving, it'll be me saving you, Minato."
"Excuse me?"
I clicked my tongue. Not the right time to go down that road. I steered the conversation in a different direction. "And for you info, did you actually think that if you put a kunai at my throat, it's 'game over'?"
"Just accept defeat, Sakura," he said in a bored voice, thankfully forgetting my earlier comment. "I already promised I won't demand anything too big from you."
I clenched my fists. Without any hesitation, I drove my elbow forcefully into his stomach and slammed my right foot on his. He grunted but through all of it his kunai never left my throat.
"I'm so sorry, Minato-kun! I didn't mean to hurt you!" I said, trying to act like a five-year old.
He exhaled loudly. "I think I like the 'kun' behind my name. Anyway, yield."
In response, my hands went to the kunai at my throat. I began pulling it away. I sent chakra into my hands and successfully pulled out the kunai from his grasp. I safely held on to his kunai, simultaneously launching myself forward.
I'd barely gotten out of his reach, when he grabbed my collar from behind. He tugged harshly and I stumbled. My back hit the ground with a thud and a soft groan escaped from my throat.
He seemed insanely tall from my position. Duh, I was lying flat on the ground. He smiled. I, being the number one sucker stared/drooled. "Yield," he commanded. Yet the friendly, heart-warming smile never left his face.
I reluctantly tore my eyes from him. I inspected his special kunai which I'd grabbed just now. I placed both my hands on it. My eyes snapped shut and my brows creased in concentration. Chakra accumulated in my palms.
"Umm… are you planning on falling asleep?"
Silence.
"If you do, I'm definitely not carrying you back to your apartment."
Silence.
"If you're wondering why, it's because you are kind of heavy."
I twitched and kept my attention in check.
It was all about timing. It had to be released with precise, pinpoint timing.
"Hellooooo?"
Come on. Come on. Come on. Yes.
When my eyes flashed open, there was a noise. The noise of something... breaking. I smirked and looked up at Minato. "I think I just broke your little toy, Minato." My palms opened to reveal his kunai. It was split in half. Not accurately, but it was in two. Permanently out of function.
He instantly knelt down beside me and pulled his kunai—or rather kunais—from of my grasp.
"You...you...you broke my kunai," he said horrified. "You broke my kunai! You broke my kunai! You broke my kunai! You broke my kunai! You broke my special kunai!"
Taking his momentary distraction to an advantage, I quickly got up and put some good distance between us. I made a fleeting glance at my palms to find them bleeding. That's what I get for destroying a sharp object with my bare hands. I quickly wiped the blood on my pants and sent healing chakra to the tortured skin. I turned my focus back to Minato.
"You broke my kunai, you idiot!" he repeated.
"Yes, Minato, I did. Now get over it and try saving the rest of your kunai before I destroy them too."
I felt eerily happy when his eyes flashed with anger. "You wouldn't dare."
I bent down and picked another one. "Watch me," I chuckled. Just as I was pumping chakra into my hands, he appeared behind me. Oops...I kind of forgot he could transport to the location of his special kunai in an instant.
Quickly recovering from my surprise, I spun and thrust his kunai toward him. He turned sideways to avoid my strike. Without a second's lag, he grabbed my outstretched wrist and pulled me harshly. Simultaneously, his other hand flew toward my face.
I immediately crouched and tore my wrist from his grasp.
With lightning speed, I substituted myself with a log of wood. I safely landed on the branch of a tree a good distance from him. Quickly and effectively masking my chakra, I leaned my back against the tree trunk and sighed heavily. A quick second later, I seated myself on the branch and placed Minato's special kunai on my lap. I dug my pouch and brought out one of my own kunai. Taking on last look at Minato's special kunai, I placed a subtle genjutsu on my kunai; creating an illusion to make my weapon identical to his in appearance. I placed my kunai next to his on my lap and tried to pin-point the differences. I was satisfied with the results; the illusion was not perfect but it might just do the trick. I immediately pocketed my kunai.
I was up on my feet again, holding Minato's kunai in my left hand. Using the tree's wide trunk as cover, I jutted my head out to pin point Minato's location. I scanned the entire field. It was empty.
A throat cleared behind me.
"You know Sakura, you can't hide from me when you're holding on to my kunai," Minato said in an amused tone.
I turned around to face him. I held up his kunai, "You can get to it even when it's out of sight?"
He rolled his eyes. "Just because I can't see the kunai doesn't mean I can't get to it."
"Oh... But doesn't it mean you'll be unaware of the area to which you're transporting yourself to? Won't it be a like a surprise every time?"
He clicked his tongue. "Yes. It's a surprise whenever I can't see the kunai."
"What if I wasn't standing on solid ground right now? What if I was drowning in a lake while holding on to your kunai? Won't it be risky to activate your justsu and suddenly find yourself in water?"
He scratched his chin. "You're right. It would be a huge risk. I would probably be drowning along with you, considering the fact that I can't swim."
I gaped at him. "You can't—"
"Do me a favour and keep that information to yourself." He requested. "And the secrets of the Hiraishin jutsu too, if you don't mind."
"No problem," I replied casually, making a mental note to tease him about his lack of swimming skills.
"Thanks," he smiled.
"And what happens if I destroy the rest of your kunais?" I prodded. "Does it mean it's the end of your Hiraishin jutsu?"
He scratched his chin. "I don't intend on letting you do that, in case that's your mastermind plan to beat me."
"It's not," I rolled my eyes, "so tell me, will it be the end of your jutsu if the kunais are gone?"
He sighed. "You don't get it do you?"
"…"
"Watch," he said. He performed hand signs in a sequence I've never seen before and placed his palm on the branch on which we stood. A seal appeared on the surface.
"All my kunais have this seal on it. If all my kunais are destroyed, I would just put this seal on you," he explained. "And I could get to you no matter where you run."
"Hey!" I immediately retorted. "I'm not a scaredy-cat! I would never run!" I mentally made a note to never let him touch me. Who knows when he might put that wretched seal on me? I'd no doubt be doomed.
He quirked his eyebrows. "Really? Because it definitely looks like running to me."
"It's called being on the defensive! Not running!" I yelled angrily.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about." He pursed his lips.
A pause.
"...it's not?" my eyebrows arched.
"I'm talking about life in general. You're just... you're just running away from—"
"Look Minato, I'm not running away from you or anything," I quickly interjected. I didn't like the new direction this conversation was taking, it had to be averted. "I'm not avoiding you either, I'm just busy. And like I said before, my life doesn't revolve around you. Got it?"
I decided to ponder on when I'd become such a brilliant liar in my spare time.
"You can't lie to my face and expect me to fall for it," he replied bluntly.
I sighed. Some brilliant liar I was. Pathetic. I decided it was best not to react to his statement.
"Let's fight," I said with fake enthusiasm.
"See? You're running again!" he accused.
"Oh my god! Just shut up!" I cried, exasperated.
I pulled a Naruto and blindly charged in. The branch creaked under my continuously shifting my weight. My left hand tightly held Minato's kunai and my right got ready to deliver a punch.
He just stood his ground and observed me. A frown marred my face. It didn't look like he was about to budge. I tightened my grasp on his kunai, knowing he'll be using it to transport himself.
He came from behind the last two times, so he would likely assume I was expecting another rear strike and attack from the front instead. No. He would expect me to think that and go for the back again—
Without waiting for a sign, I spun. Minato flickered into sight in the same second. His expression sharpened as he realized I'd anticipated his move, just before I caught him with a hard uppercut to the chin.
My lips curved upward as I relished the feel of my knuckles on his chin.
I laughed like a manic when he retreated and began rubbing his chin vigorously. "I got you didn't I?" I clutched my stomach and bent down laughing. "So much for people calling you the Yellow Flash!"
I felt insanely happy for such a petty reason.
"You couldn't even dodge a simple punch!" I continued, still laughing.
"I wasn't expecting it!" he defended. "I definitely would have!"
"So this increases the count to four, doesn't it?" I smirked. "I've hit you a total of four times, now."
"I'm going to get you back for this," he smiled, as he finished rubbing his chin. "Remember if you lose, whatever I say goes." He paused. "Make it when you lose, not if."
I was neither prone to taunting nor was I easily provoked during a battle, (Naruto handled that department flawlessly), but with Minato it was extremely difficult not to rise to the bait. Maybe it attributed to the fact that I despised everything about his demeanour. In addition, I couldn't indulge in my heart's deepest desire and rip him to shreds. Having a strong urge to kiss him now and then didn't help my situation either.
Naturally I took the bait, and as a result I could literally feel the killing aura emanating off of me. "I hate you."
It had been quite a while since I discovered that staying perfectly calm while letting out your killing aura scared people shitless. Apparently Minato didn't fall under that category for it evoked a completely different reaction from him.
He was simply amused.
"I hate you," I growled, "with a passion."
He chuckled. "Aww, I love you too, forehead."
His sarcasm was really infuriating. I wanted to end this madness and just curl up in my bed and sleep. The two of us abandoned the branches and silently landed on the ground. I scratched my chin in thought and tried to work out my next move.
I settled into a defensive stance, holding Minato's kunai in my left hand.
"You'll be at a massive disadvantage if you continue holding on to my kunai," he pointed out. "It's a really dumb move."
"I'll be the judge of that," I said haughtily, tightening my grip on his kunai.
"If you're so fixated on losing," He shrugged. "And why wasn't your punch from earlier chakra-powered? Are you going easy on me?"
"I'd hate to see your pretty little head blown off, Minato," I smirked, repeating his words from before.
He glared. "So you are going easy on me!"
"I've got to say the same thing about you!" I sharply retorted. "At least I punched you! You didn't even scratch me!"
He folded his arms over his chest and huffed, "I'm perfectly capable of winning without having to hurt you."
"You." My index finger raised and pointed him. "Did you just imply that I'm weak?"
"Of course not," he shook his head. "I was just telling you what I was capable of."
"Fun's over." I said icily. It was time to set my plan to action. I kneaded the apt amount of chakra in my body and a second later, gathered it in my fist. My chakra-enhanced fist reached the ground with full force, pulverising it. Minato rapidly retreated to avoid the quake. Effectively masking my chakra, I took advantage of his distraction and slipped into the cracks. I prayed he didn't see me do that.
Speed was of eminence. My index and middle fingers of both my hands came together in a cross. A clone poofed into existence. I dug my pockets and pulled out the kunai on which I'd put the genjutsu on. I was glad to see that the genjutsu was very much intact and my kunai resembled Minato's.
"Listen carefully, Sakura," I told my clone. She nodded attentively. "Don't get too close to Minato, be on the defensive but make sure he's sees you holding this," I waved my kunai in front of her face. "I'll take care of the rest."
She nodded as I shoved the kunai in her hands.
"And don't stay silent; keep throwing in random insults."
"Understood." She smirked.
"Now go."
The Sakura clone leapt out of the cracks and headed north. Without a moment's hesitation, I used a Shunshin and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I landed in a deeper part of the forest.
I drove Minato's kunai into the trunk of a tree and whistled in a low volume.
It was time to see if my plan was fool proof. I instructed my clone to be on the defensive while making sure Minato saw her holding on to the fake Hiraishin kunai. He would think my clone was actually holding on to his kunai and activate his jutsu. If my judgement was right, he would come to me. After all, I was the one holding on the original Hiraishin kunai. To make things all the more better, Minato himself confirmed the fact that he could transport to his kunai even if it was out of sight, just that it'd be a surprise where he'd end up. So all Minato had to do was activate his justu and he would be finding himself in an unexpected place which coincidentally happened to be right under my nose. I would use his momentary confusion to my advantage. Game over.
I smirked evilly. Patience and alertness. That's all I needed to wrap this up.
He flickered into sight a moment later, his face showcasing surprise and bewilderment. Bingo. With lightning speed—and without so much as a warning-I slammed him onto the ground, straddled him and pinned his arms at the side. I was pinning him down, infusing chakra all over my limbs to lend me strength. It rendered him completely immobile.
He struggled for a second before concluding it was useless. I smirked in triumph.
He grunted. "What the hell did you do?"
"You were fighting my clone, Minato," I replied smugly.
"Clone or not, you had my kunai in your hand."
I blew some adamant strands of my hair from my sweaty face. "No. That wasn't your kunai. It was mine."
"I clearly saw it! It was mine!" he insisted.
"Have you ever heard of the term genjutsu, Minato?" I remained silent and let him figure it out. In the meantime, I threw my head back and shook it vigorously, trying to get a few sticky, annoying strands out of my face.
"Oh." He said bluntly, as realization struck him.
I cleared my throat and spoke in a gruff, man-like voice, "I'm perfectly capable of winning without having to hurt you. F**k you, Minato! That was such a direct insult!"
"Cunning idiot." He grumbled.
"I'd prefer clever to cunning," I confessed, "but if it's a compliment, I don't mind."
He glared at me and I smiled back sweetly.
After a few seconds his features eventually relaxed and he laughed softly, "So what now? Ever plan on getting off of me?"
"No problem," I replied casually. "Just accept defeat."
"No problem," he mimicked my tone, "I'll accept defeat the day you actually beat me."
A frown marred my face. "You are done, Minato. I don't see you ever getting out of my hold unless I let you."
He intently observed me through narrowed slits.
My eyebrows arched. "Well?"
"Your hair," he murmured quietly.
"My hair?" I echoed in confusion, narrowing my eyes.
"Your hair." He confirmed, looking at me-or rather my hair- intently.
His sudden shift of attention to my hair startled me. It must probably look like a mess if it attracted his attention in the middle of a training exercise. But on the other hand, I distinctly remember Jiraiya confessing that Minato took a liking to women with long hair. Especially the ones with unusual colours, I recollected. I liked the former theory to explain his shift of attention to my hair, rather than the latter.
"Your hair," he repeated, smiling slowly. "It's beautiful."
Slowly a rosy, scarlet colour spread over my cheeks. Damn, did he have to say that now? But I couldn't deny, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. My lips involuntarily tilted up. When he returned the gesture, I couldn't help but smile even more and hell I wanted to kiss him.
F**k human nature. Always wanting what it can't have.
But maybe it won't hurt. I mean, I've already kissed him a couple of times, so just once more isn't going to hurt anyone. And Kushina isn't here to witness it either. So Minato can just run back to her, as if nothing happened. So in the end, I would get what I want without f**king anything up. Yeah, no one's going to get hurt, I assured myself, as I leaned in.
"Are you going to kiss me now, forehead?" he murmured silkily.
"W-w-what makes y-you say that?" My eyes slightly widened as I stuttered, embarrassed at my intentions being discovered.
"Oh, I don't know... maybe the fact that you're constantly bringing your face closer to mine?" he chuckled.
I abruptly stopped myself from leaning in any further. "I-I-"
"Please stop stuttering and go for it." He encouraged. "I might burst a vein and die, from all the anticipation."
His blatant approval only fueled my desire more. By now, our noses were touching. Just another inch and... "We have a deal, Minato." I reminded, pursing my lips in utter disappointment, "And I want to respect that."
"The deal says nothing about you not having the right to kiss me," he pointed out.
I gulped nervously. "But—"
"Besides," he interjected, "I'm different from you. I definitely won't punch you square on the face if you kiss me."
"I-"
"I know you want to," he cooed.
His piercing blue eyes gazed into my own. The fact that another person possessed the exact same orbs, proved to be the only reason I found myself pulling back. And rather gloomily, I must add.
We stared at each other in silence.
"I knew I wasn't that lucky," Minato sighed. "I mean, how many times can I expect to get kissed by a girl with hair like that?"
"Are you obsessed with my hair or what?" I asked in honest disbelief.
He chuckled. "Well, it is beautiful."
"Shut up and stop distracting me!" I instantly yelled, frantically trying to subdue the annoying blush.
Goosebumps involuntarily developed on my skin when I heard his soft laughter. "I wasn't distracting you; I was merely complimenting you."
"At a time like this?" I cried, exasperated.
He frowned. "Well, if not now, when then?" he questioned. "You're very 'busy' the rest of the time."
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth, "I'm flattered that you think my hair is beautiful. Now quit wasting my time and accept defeat."
He chuckled. "You still haven't beaten me. So tell me, how have you been doing lately?"
"Minato..." the frustration was clearly evident in my voice. Under normal circumstances I could have just got up and gotten the hell out, but right now, it proved to be impossible. I was currently pinning him down and if I gave him even the tiniest chance to escape; he wouldn't hesitate to grab it. And then it would truly be game over. To make things worse, winner gets whatever they want. I'd no doubt be securing a one way ticket to hell.
It was ironic. I was the one immobilizing him but I was similarly affected. Neither of us could move. Minato: literally and myself: figuratively.
"It's a simple question, Sakura. Answer it, please."
I sighed in resignation. "I'm fine but I've been better. A lot better."
"I see. And you're not stabbing yourself with kunais I hope?"
"No." I assured smoothly.
"Fantastic. And health wise?"
"I'm perfectly healthy." I replied.
"Are you emotionally stable?"
Not when I'm around you, I mused mentally. "Kind of." I answered. "What's with all the questions?"
Minato frowned in response. "Well?" I prompted.
He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. "I'm just..." he paused, squinting in thought. "...doing what I have to do, I guess."
I cleared my throat. "So you're basically enquiring about my well-being because you have to?" I questioned. "You make it sound like some obligation." I added, rather bitterly. My back was beginning to feel numb, considering I had to bend forward from my position to keep his arms in place.
"It's not obligation, Sakura," he rolled his eyes. "I'm just looking out for you."
"Why?"
"You tell me."
"Because you're nosy and bored. That's why."
"Wrong. It's because I care about you."
"You care about everybody," I corrected. I honestly didn't know if he cared about everybody but it had to be presumed. He was going to be crowned Hokage at the end of the war, after all. So naturally, he should possess that quality.
"You're right. I care about everybody," he agreed, confirming my theory. "That's why I'm doing this for the blonde kid in your genin team photo. Naruto. Correct?"
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What does all this have to do with Naruto?"
He pursed his lips. "Hmm… so how do I put this? It's like…" he squinted, trying to form the right words.
"Like what?" I prodded.
After a short pause, he spoke, "Naruto will have my head if something bad happened to you. Yup, that's sounds right."
"Excuse me?" I yelled in disbelief. "You don't even know Naruto!"
"I don't know him, Sakura, I just feel bad for him." He muttered quietly.
"Why on earth do you feel bad for him? Explain." I demanded. By now my back really began hurting.
"I'm just putting myself in his shoes," he began, "And right now, if I were him, I'd be pretty much in a mess."
"Naruto is fine!" I snapped instantly.
"I don't think so," he opposed, "I mean, if the girl I'm in love with were to be pushed back in time, I'd certainly be a train wreck. Or something worse."
For the next one few seconds my mouth repeatedly opened and closed. His statement could mean so many things but I zeroed in on one. When I finally found my voice, it was rather small and squeaky, "Naruto is not in love with me, if that's what you're implying."
"Denying it is a complete insult to his feelings," his voice was laced with annoyance. "You should respect it, since what he feels for you is something really deep."
"What the hell even gave you that absurd idea?" I questioned harshly, regaining my voice. My back ache was long forgotten.
"Add blind, stupid and forgetful to the list of things that you are. But most of all you are one big, fat denier. You're a denier of realities which are sometimes harsh but most of the times not."
"That still doesn't answer my question and—" I abruptly halted. When I'd initially landed in this forsaken time, I distinctly remembered the Hokage and Minato probing into my mind, going through my memories. That had to be it.
My arms which were pinning his instantaneously went to his throat. I yanked him up by the throat. "You f**king bastard!" I strangled him. "You had no right to do that!" His head wobbled back and forth.
"Stop it!" his muffled voice demanded, his hands trying to pry mine off. My chakra flared and flowed dangerously through my hands. His face was turning really pale but my anger blinded me. To say I was pissed would be an understatement; to say I was furious would be just skimming the surface of water, to say-
"Insane idiot!" his muffled voice cried, "stop it!"
He'd taken advantage of me, even after I specifically told him not to.
My eyes roamed over Minato's pale face. I concluded I might end up choking him to death if I continued. I hastily released the death grip I had on his throat. His head hit the ground and his arms fell limp beside him. They were soon pinned by my own.
All I could hear was heavy breathing, like the sound of an asthmatic bulldog who couldn't find his inhaler. "Crazy...idiot..."
"It wasn't on purpose," he said, his breath still ragged. "Your memories were like..."
"Like what?" I barked.
He took a moment to compose himself.
"They were attached in some weird way. We saw some stuff that we didn't want to see but had to," he paused and inhaled softly, "it was like a string of random events. That's when we stumbled upon the memory of Naruto's—"
"Shut up." My voice was low and dangerous. My eyes closed and my shoulders dropped in dejection. "What else did you see?" I questioned, rather bitterly.
"We didn't understand why most of the things were taking place..." he replied, "For instance; you were fighting a lot of puppets..."
"A hundred..." I supplied, my eyes still closed.
"We saw that for about thirty seconds... you bonked Naruto's head quite a few times and-"
"Enough." I interjected, as my eyes snapped open. "I don't care what else you saw."
"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.
"What's the point? It'll just make me hate you more than I already do."
"Of course you hate me." He chuckled.
"This brings us back to you 'looking out' for me for Naruto's sake," I scrunched my nose, "You're confusing me like hell! Stop being so f**king cryptic!"
"It's so obvious, forehead! Don't you get it?" he looked at me puzzled.
I glared, he sighed.
"It goes like this," he began, "if the girl I'm in love with was to be pushed back in time, I would really appreciate it if someone looked out for her... you get what I'm saying?"
I blinked. "What falls under looking out for her?"
He shrugged, "Make sure she's fine... keep her safe... make her smile... keep her as happy as she can be in such a situation... stuff like that."
I swallowed a truck load of saliva I had no idea I'd been holding. "That's a lot of responsibility, Minato. Are you seriously going burden yourself with such a huge task for me?"
"And for Naruto," he said. "Don't forget him."
I sighed, shaking my head.
"I want to do the job right but if I don't," he clicked his tongue, "Naruto will be angry. Probably try to kill me or something."
I chuckled. "You're wrong. Naruto would never even think of killing you. For a lot more reasons than you can ever imagine."
"Well, that's good news," he dramatically sighed in relief. "Can I ask you something?"
"Is it personal?"
"Yes."
"Then don't."
"Do you love him?"
I glared. "That falls under personal."
"I guess that means 'no'," he pursed his lips. "It's a little obvious, though."
"I never said that!" I immediately retorted.
"You're not denying it either."
"It doesn't matter," I replied hotly, "because when I get back home the first thing I'm going to do is ask him out! For ramen! His favourite!"
"You are going to ask him out?" Minato asked in confusion.
"Are you deaf?"
"No... it's just..." he said confusedly, "Isn't it the guy who's always supposed to do the asking?"
"Mi-na-toooo," I groaned. "I'm from the twenty first century! It's completely normal for the girl to do the asking. Goodness, you are so old fashioned!"
Minato blinked as he processed the new information I'd given him. "I guess things change with time..." he said slowly. "What about proposing? Do girls get down on one knee with a ring?"
I burst out laughing. "No f**king way! That job is eternally for guys."
"Oh," he smiled sheepishly. "Anyway, I too think you should ask him out. He seems to be a good kid..."
I rolled my eyes. He's your kid, I wanted to say.
"And quite handsome too, I should add."
I snorted. "You're just saying that because he looks like you."
"Maybe," he chuckled. "Can I ask you something?"
"Is it personal?"
"Probably."
"Ask away."
"Hmmm… I thought you'd say no."
"Would you have obliged?"
"Chanceless."
"So quit being a pig and ask me the f**king question already."
"Are you usually attracted to people with blonde hair?"
I blinked. "Not really... I don't really have a type if that's what you're asking." I smiled hesitantly at Minato, who was still pinned beneath me. He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off. "Fine, Minato, I think it's about time you accept defeat. I've been restricting you for all this time, from a very uncomfortable position and my back is really killing me so... please?"
After a short pause, he laughed softly. "Sakura, you haven't beaten me, I already told you."
"Are you stupid? You can't move!"
"Oh really? You really think I'm incapable of moving?" he challenged.
I tightened my grip on his arms and pushed an extra amount of chakra, to keep him place. He wasn't going anywhere and I was damn positive. Nothing beats chakra-enhanced strength.
"You're grip is really tight you know..." he complained. "So I think it's high time I get out."
"Good luck with that," I snorted.
"I don't need it," he smirked. "Just turn around and take a look at that tree."
"I'm not falling for that," I glared. "How dumb do you think I am?"
"Sakura, honestly, I'm not going anywhere, I can't go anywhere, so just turn your head and look."
He did have a point. I hesitantly turned. "What do you see on that tree?" he asked.
I squinted. "A kunai's sticking in its trunk."
"Who's kunai?"
"Your kunai. I put it there."
"What have you learned about my jutsu in this training exercise?"
My face paled. "That you can transport yourself to the kunai in the blink of an eye."
"Correct. So what's going to happen to you, considering the fact that you're hanging on to me?" His voice was smug.
A pause.
"Oh f**k no..."
The next thing I knew, my right cheek was rubbing against the rough tree trunk, and both my hands were trapped behind my back. To make things worse, I felt dizzy and very nauseated. I felt Minato push my hair aside and place a kunai at the back of my neck. "Game over, forehead. You lose. And like I said, I beat you without having to hurt you."
"You're so... you're so... annoying!" I yelled, agitated. "If you could have done this so easily why the hell did you put it off? My back hurts like shit and it's all your f**king fault!"
"Excuse me, but I was completely at your mercy, you could have knocked me out just as easily and ended this. But you didn't. Conclusion: you just like me a little too much to hurt me."
"Hey! I never said that!" I snapped.
"But you're not denying either." His voice was laced with smug satisfaction.
I inhaled deeply and my eyes slid shut. "You're confusing me, Minato," I muttered through gritted teeth. "One moment you're so f**king annoying that I would have no problem killing you, but then the next moment you bring out this really sensitive, caring side of you, that I would have no problem—"
"-falling in love with me?" he interjected.
"See?! That's you being annoying!"
"I was just completing your sentence and—"
"Just shut up and let me go." I demanded icily.
When Minato sighed, his hot breath tickled my neck. I frowned, trying to keep myself focused.
"Do you accept defeat?" he asked.
"What the hell do you think 'let me go' means?"
"Fine."
As soon as I was released from his hold, I rubbed my cheek which was in contact with the rough tree trunk for so long. "Your students will be wondering where you are. Let's get going." I instructed. With that being said, I began walking.
Minato fell into step beside me. "Can I ask you something?" his voice was laced with uncertainty.
I tilted my head and gave him an impassive look. "How many times do you want to go through this?"
"Do you want me to change?"
I raised my eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"If you want I can be permanently annoying or I can be permanently nice. You pick."
I smiled slowly. "You would change for me? How touching. But you'd be doing me a huge favour by staying the same."
"Are you saying you like me just the way I am?" he teased.
I squinted and rubbed the back of my head. "It's like this. When you're being annoying, I try to remember the nice things you've said/done for me and naturally it keeps me from killing you. And when you're being a nice guy, I remember all the times you've gotten on my nerves, and that naturally keeps me from..." I paused and sighed in annoyance. "...falling in love with you, or something like that."
"Oh my god, I actually completed your sentence correctly, didn't I?" he teased, giving me one of his over-the-top smiles.
"Well, don't flatter yourself, Mister Flash," I scoffed, folding my arms to my chest. "I'll never fall for you, please keep that in mind." I tore my gaze from him and looked ahead.
He draped his arm over my shoulder. "Well, good luck with that, forehead."
"And now you know why I won't." I shot back, pushing his arm off my shoulder.
But goodness, I wanted to kiss him. And I almost did it too, some time back. I mentally made a note to improve my self-control and train myself to not succumb to the temptations.
"I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands, "Loser gives winner whatever they want."
I literally felt the colour drain from my face. My shoulders drooped in dejection, and I turned to face him. I gave him a small smile, secretly pleading him to let me off the hook. Who knows what he's going to make me do? Gut instinct told me he would make me his slave. But he can't be that childish right?
"You can relax for now," he smiled, patting my shoulder. "I need to think about it. I'll let you know when I've decided."
He's only prolonging the agony. I turned my gaze to the sky. Someone up there must really hate me. We walked in silence after that, just listening to the soft rustling of leaves. In the distance, I saw Kakashi, Rin and Obito. Kakashi was patiently sharpening his father's tanto, Rin was staring at him, and Obito was pacing back and forth, desperately trying to catch Rin's attention. And failing miserably.
"Can I ask you something?" I broke the silence.
"Is it personal?" he asked, in a girly high pitched voice.
"I do not sound like that!" I instantly defended.
"Ask away, forehead."
I decided to ignore his mocking. "You said you were going to look out for me, right?"
"What about it?"
"You don't have to. I don't need a babysitter or a bodyguard." I glanced at him, sideways.
"If it's not for you, it's for Naruto then, I already told you that," he said, reaching out and tucking a few loose strands of my hair behind my ear. "Besides, baby-sitting and body guarding are jobs, I'm not exactly getting paid for this, you know. I'm doing it because it's just the way I am."
My lips pursed. "You'll make a great Hokage," I said quietly.
Minato rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. That gesture reminded me so much of Naruto. "Thanks." He muttered, still quite embarrassed.
"I'm just pointing out facts, Mister Free-of-cost-social-service," I teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that. I'm more like your..."
A pause.
"...guardian angel."
A/N: aaaaaaaand I'm back!
I know the action scenes were not that great but unfortunately that's all I'm capable of. Writing action is (obviously) not my forte… but I tried... I just hope it was passable. I used the years 1985, 2008 because well… doesn't stuff like 1387 seem scary to you? It does to me. and besides naruto is set in the modern world. i picked sakura's birth year as 1988 on a completely random note. not becoz im born in 88' or anything. (i'm young :P)
and you might find a lot of errors in this chap. i didn't bother proof reading it becoz im a lazy ass and it's extremely late. it's actually wednesday morning over here. o.O
Well, as for my long absence, I apologize. Life was busy and full of exams… I think you can relate. and I know my updates are becoming erratic with each chapter but I hope it isn't making you lose interest in the story. sadly i do have a life outside fanfiction… i really hope you understand. If you don't… well… -_- anyway i'm 100% committed to this story so all I ask in return is your patience.
thanks for the amazing reviews on the last chapter, they really made me smile.
until next time... :)
Posted On: 13/3/13
