Hey everyone! Glad you liked the last chapter, and all I have suddenly had many ideas for this story and I don't know why … Maybe it was the ice cream's brain freeze that did that… lol well anyway on with the story!
Sakura smiled to herself as they walked, 'I wonder what kind of test this will be… hopefully it's not another written test… I think I would die from that.' She thought.
'You're right that last test was horrifying we probably should have taken the time to study more of the academy stuff then are actual training… The test the Kazekage had me take was very simple an I knew it by heart since in the few months we had been in the academy had covered most of that…' Inner said in one breath.
Sakura nodded in her mind, "Hey Temari…" She trailed off as they stared at the giant fenced in forest in shock as a huge snake slithered up behind a snake and ate it whole. "Holly Crap…That was a HUGE SNAKE!" she cried, as the few other gennin teams that were there nodded in agreement at her statement.
The crazy lady turned to them, "I guess I should tell you… My Name is Miterashi Anko… And this test will really cut more then half of you from the third test." She said sadistically.
Sakura shuddered, and looked to Gaara, 'Hope he doesn't decide to kill me in here and say it was one of those giant snakes…' She thought imagining it. 'That is rather gruesome…' She shuddered once again.
Suddenly Naruto let out a loud cry as he suddenly had a kunai slice his cheek and another at his throat their proctor smiling like a maniac. "Care to say that again?" She asked and suddenly a very long tongue sliced through the air and licked away some of the blood.
Everyone froze, "Sorry I just could help myself…" A Grass-Nin said licking her lips.
Anko just nodded stiffly before handing out a sheet of paper, "Okay everyone sign this so I won't be held responsible if you die in there…" She said.
Everyone stared at the paper in shock, but everyone signed it none the less.
Once the rules were explain and all teams received either the Earth scroll or Heaven scroll they went to the assigned gates. "This is going to be fun…" Sakura said and smiled at her teammates.
'Let's just hope the snake doesn't make an appearance.' Inner suddenly said.
'You got that right…' Sakura replied.
And the alarm went off the gates flew open and all teams flew into the forest to find another team with the opposite scroll.
Only 3 hours after Sakura and the rest of her team met some nin with the scroll they were looking for. "Hand over the Heaven scroll and we might let you live…" Kankuro said.
The other team smiled, "You little runts think you can challenge us?" The leader of the team laughed. "You are the ones who will die!" He yelled and then the fight began.
Sakura smiled to herself, "Hey Gaara… let me take care of the one on the right you get the scroll… Temari, Kankuro you get the other guy!" She said Gaara glared at her but nodded along with his siblings.
Sakura looked at the man and smiled sweetly at him, 'I may not have done to well on the written test but this is going to be a piece of cake…' She thought and as the man got closer she threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken at him.
The man smiled and deflected them all, "Pathetic!" He sneered at her, "Is that all you know?! I GUESS YOU DIE HERE!" He shouted and slammed his fist into her chest.
Sakura gasped and flew backwards into a tree the man smiled maniacally and walked toward her pulling out his kunai to finish her off when he heard a cracking noise. "Ever hear the saying look underneath the underneath?" Sakura asked and the shell around the fake her exploded to reveal a beautiful puppet with long orange hair held in a high ponytail. It's gray eyes seemed to be glaring at the man. As it's white dress seemed to float around it. "I'd like you to meet, Himeko. Isn't she beautiful?" Sakura questioned, as she appeared a little ways from her puppet.
"What the hell?!" The man cried falling jumping away. "What is that?!" He continued staring at the puppet.
"It's known as a puppet… You loser…" Sakura said smiling at him. "Now lets show him your little gift Himeko!" She cheered.
Himeko flew at the man then suddenly both Sakura and the puppet vanished, "PUPPET ART: SEVEN STRIKES!" Sakura cried and suddenly claw like swords flew around the man slashing him seven times with fatal accuracy.
The man let out a scream of agony as the attack subsided, "I WON'T DIE!" He roared and as Sakura became visible again he vanished. "LIGHTING STYLE: DRAGON THUNDER!" He screamed. A giant bolt of lighting flew through the air.
Sakura's eyes widened there was no time to get out of the way, 'I'm going to die…' She thought horrified. Her eyes closed and she waited for the pain when there was the smell of burning wood. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at her puppet which she had stopped controlling. "Wha-what the?" She whispered falling back.
"You okay Sakura?" A voice suddenly asked.
Sakura's head snapped up and Kankuro stood there along with Temari and Gaara using her puppet. "I never thought you would finish up so fast…" Sakura sighed and stared at her puppet then looked around it to see the man lying on the ground dead. "You know you better fix my puppet Kankuro…" She said standing up.
"Oh and she is made of a very rare wood… you better have a lot of money on you…" She said smiling up at him.
"I just saved your life! So you should be the one to fix your own puppet!" Kankuro cried.
"You should have used your own puppet then… I would have fixed it myself… for you." Sakura replied putting her puppet away in its scroll. "But I guess I can fix her myself… though it will take a little while… so I hope I don't have to use her again…" She continued and smiled at them. "Now can we go please?" She asked.
They nodded and they all took off toward the tower. Once there Sakura sighed as she sat on the small bed that she would be sleeping on for the next 4 days. 'This is going to be boring…' She thought and looked out the window up at the stars. 'Didn't think you would be able to see the stars in a place like this though…' she continued her thoughts drifting in and out of sleep. When she suddenly heard a thump up on the roof.
"What was that?" She wondered out loud and quickly climbed out the window to see Gaara starring up at the stars. "I'm guessing you still have insomnia…" She stated.
Gaara's head snapped toward her and he glared menacingly at her, "What do you want?" He asked in a dangerous voice.
Sakura sighed, "I want to know what happened 6 years ago to make you hate me… but I don't think you will tell me that anytime soon…" She said and sat down beside him.
He went tense at her actions but his eyes narrowed even more, "Your right I won't tell you…" He hissed and looked back up to the stars.
"It's pretty isn't it?" Sakura questioned also looking up at the sky a sad smile on her face.
"…"
Sakura smiled at him, "You know you can talk to me…" She said hiding how she really felt. "I am your frie…" She never finished because she was thrown backwards across the roof. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" she cried holding her now very sore arm.
"Don't say that something you will never mean…" Gaara growled now standing up. "You are only lying to me…" He continued.
Sakura stared at him, "I'm not lying to you Gaa- SHUT UP!" Gaara hissed interrupting her.
She stepped back as he started to advance toward her when a voice stopped him. "Gaara Stop…" Temari said as she appeared on the side of the roof, Kankuro beside her.
Gaara turned his glare onto her, before he disappeared in a swirl of sand. Sakura sunk to the ground, "I wasn't lying to you Gaara…" She whispered.
Temari motioned for Kankuro to leave, he nodded and disappeared as Temari sat beside Sakura and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay to cry… I know you don't know why he became like this…" She whispered.
Sakura curled herself closer to Temari and sobbed on her shoulder, "Why did he begin to hate me Temari? I don't get it!" She sobbed shaking violently.
"I do and I will tell you but you have to stay calm…" Temari whispered.
Sakura pulled away and stared at the older girl, "Okay… tell me." She said hoarsely.
"I believe you remember the night before this all started well another Assassin tried to kill Gaara… But in a way he did." Temari started.
Sakura blinked, "You mean he hurt Gaara?" She questioned, "But his sand would have protected him! How could he have been hurt?!" She continued her questions.
"Shh… Just listen and no interrupting or you won't hear the story." Temari replied. Sakura nodded.
"Well he didn't hurt him physically but he hurt him emotionally… You see… the Assassin was… well… he was Yashamaru…" Temari whispered the last part but Sakura heard.
"But why would he do something like that?!" Sakura cried, "He loved Gaara! why would he do that willingly?!" She whimpered.
"He lied about loving Gaara… He wanted Gaara to trust him so he could hurt him even more then anyone of the Assassins could…" Temari sighed. "I didn't find out what happened till recently when I was going through Father's old mission scrolls and came across it… Yashamaru was giving small reports of how much Gaara was trusting him and he was more or less just waiting for the right moment to kill him." She said sadly.
Sakura shuddered against Temari, her sobs once again raking through her body, as she cried for Gaara, and for their ruined friendship.
After a little while they went inside and Sakura avoided Gaara as much as she possibly could while she got ready for bed.
The next day as Sakura was just making her way through the small library they had in the tower why it was there she didn't know but she was happy it was. But just as she was about to open a book she felt an immense chakra flare… 'Naruto?' she thought and shot out of the room and to the roof of the tower. 'Something's wrong…' she thought.
'Maybe the snake went after Team 7… It is logical because from what we know of Orochimaru, he would need a new body.' Inner said.
'And if he is as power hungry as Father said he was… He's going AFTER SASUKE!' Sakura thought frantically and shot away from the tower following Naruto's chakra.
"This is bad… really bad… I'm going to end up challenging a Sannin!" Sakura whimpered to herself as she came to the spot and hid her chakra as she watched Sasuke and Naruto fight against Orochimaru. Ami was hiding in a tree doing nothing.
Just as Orochimaru hit Naruto backward and then he started to perform his curse mark jutsu. Sakura gulped before she pulled out a kunai and attached a paper bomb. 'Please work…' She thought and threw it just before he could complete the hand signs.
"WHO THE HELL?!" Orochimaru roared as the kunai hit the branch he was standing on and it exploded instantly.
"Get lost you stupid Snake!" Sakura shouted as she appeared in front of Sasuke. "Sorry I'm late I didn't know you were in trouble until I felt Naruto's chakra." She said winking at him.
Sasuke sighed in relief as Naruto quickly joined them on the branch, "This is getting bad we have to get out of here…" Sasuke said quietly.
Ami chose that moment to appear "SASUKE-KUN ARE YOU OKAY?!" She cried and tried to cling to him but Sakura's words stopped her.
"You are such a loser… you should learn to fight instead of trying to whore yourself out to any hot guy you see…" Sakura said as she looked around them. "We have to be careful… This guy is a Sannin…" she continued cutting off Ami before she could even say something.
Sasuke and Naruto nodded, "Got it…" They said in unison.
They evil laugh that echoed around them made them all flinch, "So you have heard of me have you Pinky?" The sickly sweet voice said deviously.
Sakura's eyes flickered around them, 'Where is he?' she wondered to herself as her fear began to emerge.
"I guess I will have to get rid of you pests before I can take my prize…" Orochimaru cackled from somewhere in the shadows.
Sakura took a deep breath and concentrated, "I found you…" She whispered and suddenly flew at the tree across from them and smashed her fist into it.
The part of the tree she hit shattered into splinters and a loud screech was heard, as Orochimaru appeared on a branch I little ways from there a few cuts covering his body.
Sakura smiled at him as she landed back in her place back-to-back with Sasuke and Naruto. "Where did you learn that?!" Naruto cried in shock.
Sakura smiled, "I'll tell you some other time…" She replied and glared at Orochimaru. "You're not going to win Orochimaru…" she hissed at him.
"You think you can beat me a Sannin? Don't make me laugh! You may have you strength… but I am stronger then you as I know more Jutsu then you!" He cackled.
"Who said anything about any of us fighting you? I was meaning them!" Sakura said and smiled as she pointed up.
Orochimaru's smirk vanished as he looked up and his face contorted into one of rage, "HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!" He screeched as he dodged a giant shuriken.
"It wasn't that hard after all of all the Gennin doing this test Sasuke is the only you would most likely show interest to… Seeing as he is a Uchiha and he has activated hi Sharingan as well…" The ANBU captain said landing on the branch beside Sakura.
"Boy am I glad you showed up when you did… I think we would have been digested by his purple snake by now if you hadn't." Sakura sighed then looked toward Sasuke and smiled at his shocked face.
"I thought you were on a mission… In The Hidden Stone Village…" Sasuke said incredulously.
"I finished early…" The captain replied as the rest of his squad went after the Sannin. "You may return to your team now Haruno… They are probably wondering where you went." He said turning to her.
"Is that anyway to treat your little friend? I don't think so…" Sakura said pouting at him. "And I think I will travel with team 7 to the tower… I need some time away from my team… they are vary bothersome…" She continued.
The captain stared at her, "Sakura… You are very annoying…" He said and ruffled her hair.
Sakura made a face at him, "Hey, hey, watch it Uchiha!" She said slapping her hands to her head. "I don't like people messing with the hair!" She growled at him.
"That's why I did it." The captain replied removing his mask to reveal his face.
"It's really good to see you again Itachi-kun!" Sakura cheered and latched onto the older boys' waist.
Itachi rolled his eyes and pried her off, "I must be going… I will see you later, Sasuke, Naruto…" he said and nodded before taking off after his team.
Ami stared wide-eyed, "HOW DO YOU KNOW ITACHI!" She suddenly screeched at Sakura.
"You know I don't normally do this but I just have to…" Sakura growled and knocked Ami out. "She is no ninja and she never will be… For that I am certain." She said smiling at Naruto and Sasuke. "So shall we go?" She asked throwing Ami over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Naruto looked like he was trying to contain his laughter and nodded, "Yeah lets get going…" He laughed.
Sasuke smirked and followed after Sakura as she took off toward the tower, "We still need to get an Earth scroll." He said jumping beside Sakura.
"You mean this?" Sakura asked and held out an earth scroll. "I grabbed it when the snake wasn't looking so if he tries to get in as another Gennin he will have to get another scroll… Stupid stunt I know but he should have swallowed this to begin with so no one could take it." She said and handed it to him.
"You are the best Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.
Sakura smiled at them, "Now come on guys the tower is just up ahead." She said and they burst into the clearing that surrounded the Tower.
Sasuke and Naruto waved good-bye to her as she disappeared up the stairs to her little room.
Okay I think my hand is dead… and you better like this chapter because it took me two hours to type it… and it's 9 pages… so R&R!!! Cya in the next chapter!