Nobody but the people who had left the village to find Lady Tsunade who was at the hospital knew exactly how much stronger Naruto had gotten because whenever the two trainees had a few hour break Naruto bugged Sakura to teach him better chakra control and as such he had learned how to move his chakra points around in order to not be hit seeing as his opponent was a Hyuga the ability would come as a surprise and in the case he was hit he could heal himself now because he had practiced the Medical Ninjutsu, Sakura taught him.
As such when the fight began he jumped back instead of charging forward like everyone had expected him to do and watched Neji who looked at him confusion in his lavender irises "What's the matter Uzumaki to afraid to fight me" Neji smirked hoping to bait Naruto into attacking him recklessly but Naruto just stands there analyzing Neji which made the slightly older boy uncomfortable because he had been expected a quick and easy fight "I'm still going to avenge Hinata-chan and make you pay for hurting her" Naruto finally shouts but remains standing in his spot being unusually careful.
"Come on Uzumaki what happened to charging in stupidly" Neji tries again growing frustrated when Naruto still stands unmoving "Fine I'll come to you" Neji snaps charging forward falling into the main stance for the Hyuga clan activating his byakugan 'If he thinks I'm going to let him beat me without a fight he's wrong' Naruto snickers in his thoughts as Neji charges towards him palms facing him "Eight trigrams 64 palms" Neji shouts striking Naruto's shoulder realizing too late that his attack was exactly what Naruto had been waiting for and now Neji was about to get a shock.
Neji's hit strikes but his lavender eyes widen as Naruto's chakra point shifts over a fraction of an inch and a second later Neji finds himself flat on his back jumping to his feet Neji stares at Naruto warily 'What was that surely this idiot didn't just move his chakra point' he sweeps his long brown hair over his shoulder in confusion before jumping forward again his eyebrow furrowed 'Eight trigrams air palm" Neji barrels onward shooting a palm of air at Naruto who spins to the left to dodge it before standing still once more to Neji's growing frustration.
"I thought you were going to get revenge for Lady Hinata" Neji calls out also standing still "I am but I'll do it my own way you bastard" Naruto points an accusing finger at Neji "Why are you fighting so hard for Lady Hinata why do you care so much" Neji asks eyeing the Hyuga Heiress who sat next to Naruto's female teammate "Because unlike you I do care and that's all that matters" Naruto scowls deeply at Neji before finally making his first move and disappears in a move reminiscent of Sakura's when she fought Ino hiding extremely well.
While Naruto was hiding Neji was trying to find him with his byakugan unfortunately for Neji, Sakura had warned Naruto about the byakugan's blind-spot and that's where Naruto was hiding a slight move a second later found Neji face first in the ground Naruto grinning over him "What's that bastard thought you told me I was destined to lose to you" Naruto smiles widely the nine-tails chakra leaking out of him in his anger before jumping back from Neji and waits for the brown haired boy to stand who snarls at him in anger "Your so annoying" Neji says angrily.
Now Neji was getting serious and this caused Naruto grin again before settling into a fighting stance "That's more like it Hyuga-san" Naruto giggles girlishly for just a moment before his face turns stoic again not letting any emotions through "Why you irritating little loser" Neji snaps having had enough of the insults Naruto seemed to be fond of that day and jumps forward "Eight trigrams 64 palm" and catches Naruto off guard or so he thought and begins closing every single chakra point the blonde had in hopes to end the battle before the battle dragged on any longer.
Closing the last point Neji stands back and eyes the blonde sitting on the ground seeming to be unconscious before turning to the proctor waiting for him to call it when from above in the stands "CHA GET YOUR FUCKING LAZY ASS UP NARUTO AND KICK HIS HYUGA ASS" Sakura screams and Naruto twitches and pouts before sitting up and before Neji's very eyes begins healing himself opening his chakra points back up and stands as the green glow of the medical chakra fades and Neji afraid almost gives up right at that moment feeling Naruto's near limitless chakra reserves.
"Ouch that hurt bastard" Naruto glares at Neji now it was official playtime was over and it was time for him to get serious and suddenly he was in front of Neji "See I've been training really hard and lets just say it wasn't easy so I'm gonna make my sensei's and teammates proud as Sakura-chan put it by kicking your Hyuga ass so that you never hurt Hinata-chan again" Naruto grins teasingly before punching Neji in the chin and sending him flying across the field Neji's eyes wide in absolute shock as he was hit again by the blonde.
Suddenly both boys were throwing punches at each other neither one giving as they stay in each others space it was clear Neji was getting frustrated because with every punch he gave Naruto the blonde would heal himself quickly and fling an insult while punching back twice as hard until finally Naruto had, had enough and with a quick punch to Neji's temple the Hyuga was down for the count and proctor announced him as the winner this causes Naruto to let out a loud cheer pumping his fist in the air at the announcement of victory before grinning sheepishly.
The cause was Sakura who had yelled at him to stop goofing off and get his fucking ass up in the stands so the next fight could begin and Naruto being well Naruto kicked his butt into high gear and flew up the steps to where Sakura and Hinata sat pure terror in his eyes because he knew that if he didn't Sakura would definitely follow through on her threat that had yet to be said "It's about time you got here Naruto" Sakura huffs when Naruto finally sits down next to her "Hehe sorry Sakura-chan" Naruto says grinning widely.
Sakura was about to say more when Kakashi appeared in front of her "Sakura the Hokage wants to speak with you" he gives her a small wave before grabbing her arm and before she could let out a squeak of acknowledgment they were gone standing in front of the Hokage a moment later "Senpai that wasn't funny the least you could do is be a little gentler I am a girl you know" Sakura stamps her foot while glaring at him "Sakura this is a matter of most importance" Hiruzen eyes the pink-haired genin warily for just a few moments.
Deciding that she was as serious as she could get Hiruzen starts "Drop out of your fight" he says simply "Lord Hokage I have trained so hard these last couple of months there is no way I'm going to drop out of the fight now besides I really want to become a chunin" Sakura responds in a hurt filled voice "Sakura I know how much you have trained but if you don't you will die and don't worry I've already recommended you to become chunin" Hiruzen soothes the upset girl who stares at him her mouth dropped open in shock.
"You mean I'll get to be a chunin, what about Naruto and Sasuke will they get to as well" Sakura squeals excitedly causing the two men to chuckle at her enthusiasm "Yes to all your questions now Kakashi where is Sasuke currently at" clearly Sakura had been dismissed and not wanting to ruin Sasuke's entrance into the fight she appears back down next to Naruto while smiling pleasantly at Hinata she could barely hold in her excitement her eyes were bright and shining full of so many emotions that it confused Gaara who had never seen her like this before.
"What has you so excited and happy Sakura-chan" Naruto asks wanting to know what had her so happy "Ohh you'll find out Naruto hehehe" she giggles out while Naruto just stared at her like she was crazy "Ok Sakura-chan I think I'm just gonna go talk to um ah Kankurou that's right Kankurou" he mutters out before standing up and sprinting over to stand next to said boy who was eyeing Naruto warily before Sakura could say anything Shikamaru had taken Naruto's empty seat "Hello Sakura" he greets before boldly grasping her hand in his and twining their fingers together.
Sakura was in shock never before had Shikamaru done this sure they had laid down in the grass and watched clouds together but they had never held hands "Shika-kun" she squeaks out her face a bright cherry red "Yes, Saku-chan" he grins teasingly shortening her name like she had done with his 'Sakura get a hold of yourself Shika-kun couldn't possible like us like that' Inner moans pitifully meanwhile Sakura's heart was beating wildly in her chest "Shikamaru what are you doing" she finally mutters her eyes full of confusion at her crushes actions "What do you think" Shikamaru whispers.
He liked the way Sakura said his full name "Is there a possibility that you could, no that's impossible" she murmurs under her breath causing him to lean forward in order to hear what she said "Is there a possibility that I could what Sakura, were you going to say is there a possibility that I like you" he scoots a little closer whispering his words in Sakura's ear pressing his cheek against hers he felt the heat radiating off of it from her blush her breathing hitched just slightly and really quick like he pecked her on the cheek.
All of a sudden he felt a murderous aura and looking up he saw Shino, Sakura's brother standing over him the kikaichu beetles hissing up a storm as their hosts emotions leak out in waves "Surely Nara-san you didn't just flirt with my sister nor did I see you just kiss her on the cheek right" Shino asks deadly serious causing Shikamaru to gulp and flee away from the bug master once he was gone Sakura turned on him "Was that necessary Shino" Sakura huffs out getting her heart under control now that Shikamaru was no longer next to her.
"Sakura he was harassing you" Shino defends his actions by putting all the blame on Shikamaru "No he wasn't Shino he was, he was ummm well I don't know what he was doing but he certainly wasn't harassing me like you think he was" Sakura was angry Shino knew how she felt about Shikamaru he was one of the few that did so now she was standing and glaring at her brother while defending Shikamaru's actions her face was red for an entirely different reason now as her eyes spat fire at him hands on her hips and scowling deeply.
Recognizing his sisters angry tone of voice Shino quickly back-pedals that particular look she was currently sporting on her face usually meant death for the one who had pissed her off apparently Naruto had the same thought because he came flying back over to quickly grab Hinata and get her out of Sakura's warpath pulling her back over to the other side of the stands and cowering behind Kankurou again "Now Sakura I didn't mean any harm I'm your brother and I'm entitled to scare off guys" he tries to placate her but apparently Sakura didn't want to be placated.
Before Sakura could do any permanent damage to her brother the proctor finally decided to call out the names of the next to contestants Shino and Kankurou but before Shino could head down the steps and out onto the field Kankurou wimps out "I forfeit" he calls out grinning sheepishly when Temari glares at him so the proctor tries again after announcing Shino as the winner "Sakura Aburame and Dosu Kinuta" to which Sakura snaps out "I forfeit" and Dosu curses "Temari vs Shikamaru Nara" Genma calls out irritated and this causes Sakura to stop glaring at Shino in worry.
Suddenly in the spotlight Shikamaru nearly forfeited his own match but Naruto just had to push him off the railing while shouting like a maniac Temari following him down in much the same manner only while Shikamaru had landed on his backside Temari landed on her feet gracefully "DON'T YOU DARE CHICKEN OUT SHIKAMARU" his own blonde teammate shrieks from the stands "What a drag" he mutters dragging himself to his feet and walking to the center of the field so that his match against Temari could begin 'Tch I'd much rather be cloud watching and napping' Shikamaru thought lazily.
The procter calls out for them to begin and immediately Temari jumps back in a defensive position watching Shikamaru closely "CHA YOU GO SHIKAMARU AND TEMARI DON'T GO EASY ON THAT LAZY ASS" Sakura screams from the stands cheering both of them on all in one breath this causes the two battling teens to laugh and start chatting "Just like Sakura to figure out a way to cheer two people on at the same time" Temari grins at Shikamaru "Yeah I'd much rather be cloud watching right now" he yawns out his jaw cracking loudly voicing his thoughts from earlier.
"Is that why Sakura calls you a lazy ass" Temari grins looking around her in case the boy tried a sneak attack while they talked at her words Shikamaru rolls his eyes but otherwise doesn't move an inch "Did you know that Sakura-chan likes you" Temari baits him teasingly and there it was his cheeks go red in embarrassment and Temari knew she had him with that she pulls out her fan "Ninja Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu" she calls out waving the giant weapon which causes Shikamaru to hide behind a tree to avoid Temari's jutsu thinking up a strategy.
Suddenly a shadow comes from the direction Shikamaru was hiding in making Temari hop back to get out of his range and draw a line on the ground "Ha this is as far as you can go your jutsu can't get past this line" she calls out when her jutsu finally dies down and the dust settles allowing her to see Shikamaru again before swinging her fan again casting the same jutsu which causes Shikamaru to hide again when that one finishes he puts his fingertips together a few minutes later his eyes open smirking widely at her.
"What's the stupid grin on your lips for as long as I stay behind this line you can't get me" Temari yells over to him only to jump back in shock as the shadow extends past her line and keep hopping back before finally stopping "Temari over your head" Kankurou calls out and Temari looks up before staring at the ground in shock as the shadow extends again Shikamaru had thrown his jacket in the air during her last jutsu and used it to extend his shadow leaping backwards more Temari finally stops slamming her fan on the ground to hide behind.
"Your all out of moves" she calls out running through her own strategy before going through a set of handsigns though before she could finish her entire body froze "Your caught" Shikamaru calls out "But how" Temari asks and her head looks back seeing a hole behind her suddenly she was being walked forward by Shikamaru's shadow possesion jutsu and Temari stood there waiting for him to finish her off when the jutsu fades "This is a drag I give up" he plops down on the ground in exhaustion his chakra had run out right before the proctor could speak.
Rolling his eyes Genma names Temari the winner of the match before levelling the two teens with a glare "The final match is between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Desert" he calls out Temari and Shikamaru scrambling for the steps that led up into the stands bickering back and forth "Why would you quit you had the win" Temari growls at the idiotic boy that her pink-haired friend seemed to like "Because if I hurt you Sakura would hate me" Shikamaru shrugs not really seeing the big deal in giving up this way he gets to keep his friendship.
At his words Temari pulls Shikamaru to a stop by his jacket that he had put back on "You really like her don't you" she asks staring at him kindly "Yes, more than I probably realize at the moment" Shikamaru admits "Well I don't think you have to worry to much what I said out there on the field about Sakura liking you was the truth" Temari grins at him teasingly chuckling when Shikamaru's cheeks flush a soft pink "Troublesome women" he groans out before heading up the stairs quickly Temari trailing behind taking the stairs two at a time.
Reaching the top they are greeted by Sakura who hugs Temari and holds out her hand to Shikamaru "You guys fought good especially you, you lazy ass" Sakura grins turning and dragging the boy behind her as the crowds go wild apparently Sasuke had just shown up in a swirl of leaves alongside Kakashi wearing a different outfit that was much different than his usual clothes he stood in the center of the arena tall and confident his usual arrogance radiating off of him in waves Gaara having seen his opponent heads down into the ring to begin the match.
Sakura was worried as she sat down next to Shikamaru clenching his hand tightly 'On one hand I should cheer for Sasuke but on the other I want to cheer for Gaara to but I really don't want them to fight in the first place' Sakura's thoughts were frantic when Shikamaru nudges her in the side "Hey aren't you gonna cheer them on like you did us" he asks forehead creased in concern "Yeah you GO SASUKE DON'T YOU DARE FORFEIT AND YOU CAN DO IT GAARA" she finally cheers before falling silent as her worried thoughts consume her again.
Down below Sasuke had dropped into a defensive crouch to avoid the sand shurikens Gaara had flung lazily at him he truly didn't want to hurt Sakura's teammate but he didn't want to let him win either while lost in his thoughts he felt the sand shift and protect him from the kunai Sasuke had thrown at him in retaliation "What's the matter Gaara of the Desert I've seen you fight and I know you can do more damage than that fight me seriously or are you just a coward" Sasuke flings the insult at him hoping to bait Gaara.
Gaara truly did try to ignore the stinging words as his heart throbbed painfully in his chest "I'm not a coward" Gaara whispers "I won't hurt Sakura and it's obvious on some level she cares for you so I'll this fight quickly" he says again before shifting his sand into the form of a hand and reaching for Sasuke who jumps back to avoid the sand tossing more kunai in Gaara's direction but the leftover sand blocks it and Sasuke curses silently running up a wall after throwing exploding tags at the sand after him before going through some handsigns.
Finished a loud crackling fills the arena as Sasuke's hand becomes encased in blue electricity it was obvious who had been training the Uchiha boy as the jutsu was Kakashi Hatake's favored jutsu and often used it to kill his enemies quickly and painfully speeding down the wall jutsu in hand Sasuke flies at Gaara with alarming speed ramming chidori deep into the sand barrier a moment later a scream comes from within the sand and all knew that Gaara had been hit suddenly it was chaos in the stadium as sound ninja appeared and began attacking the Leaf Village.
She had to get down to Gaara was the only thought running through Sakura's mind as she weaving through Leaf and Sound Shinobi fighting ducking and dodging here and there as a stray kunai was thrown her way finally she had reached the steps and began running down them heart pounding it hadn't occurred to her that she could just jump over the railing of the stands and get down in the arena quicker all she knew was that Gaara was hurt and she had to heal him before something truly terrible happened to Sasuke who stood gaping in surprise.
"Sasuke get the fuck out of the way" Sakura screeches at him when she skids to a halt and falls to her knees in front of the two boys one trapped in sand and the other now gaping at her "Didn't you hear me GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE" she screams before turning to the sand that currently protected her friend said sand that was now shifting dangerously around them "Gaara calm down" Sakura cries and the sand pauses before falling to the ground unmoving as Gaara reveals himself "Sa..Sakura" he asks in confusion clutching his bleeding shoulder tightly.
"That's right Gaara it's me Sakura" she scoots forward on her knees cautiously until she was touching him slowly Sakura lifts her hand and grasps Gaara's in her own before carefully pulling it away from his wound "Gaara I'm going to heal that alright" she smiles reassuringly at him before filling her hands with healing chakra and gently healing the wound that Sasuke had given him once down she gives him a side hug before pulling the both of them to their feet when stood Sakura realizes that Sasuke hadn't listened to her he was still in the same spot.
Rolling her eyes she ushers the two out of the way of a fighting pair heading through a hole someone had made in the arena wall along the way the three are joined by Naruto and their other friends along with Temari and Kankurou and then it happened while they had been jumping through the tree's Sakura and Sasuke were separated from the others she didn't know how it happened it just had as Sakura stands on her feet Sasuke doing the same only to stop in surprise because just a few feet away was Dosu Kinuta the Sound Shinobi.
"Sakura Aburame you've pissed off my Master and he has ordered your death" Dosu growls out in a menacing voice instead of standing around and arguing pointlessly Sakura dropped into her fighting stance waiting for the sound nin to make the first move while Sasuke did the same on her left "I'm sorry this isn't your fight Sasuke Uchiha all I want is the girl" Dosu calls out calmly causing Sasuke to snarl and jump forward in anger "I don't care I'm a lot stronger than Sakura so I'll be your opponent you mummy freak" Sasuke snaps out absolutely furious.
While the two boys were fighting Sakura was biting her lip harshly causing blood to dribble down her chin in rivulets while the two pounded on each other Sasuke getting his aggression out and Dosu trying to knock Sasuke unconscious so that he could get to her Dosu succeeds in finally pushing Sasuke back but not knocking him unconscious when a sword comes out of nowhere aiming straight at Sakura and she clenches her eyes shut tightly hearing the sound of flesh being sliced open and she opens her eyes only to stare in horror at what was before her.
"Sasuke" she whispers swallowing thickly as the boy drops to the ground dropping to her knees Sakura reaches out to touch the boys cheek as she takes the sword out of his abdomen calling healing chakra to her hands as she tries valiantly to heal him only stopping when Sasuke puts a hand over hers and smiles up at her wiping away the tears that were coursing down her cheeks "It's alright Sakura" he coughs out blood flowing down his chin "No, Sasuke" Sakura cries out trying to heal him again but her hands were to shaky to form handsigns.
"Sakura I'm sorry I always antagonized you and the dope" he laughs weakly as more blood pours from his mouth "Take my eyes and give them to my brother please I beg you consider this my payment for being a rotten teammate" Sasuke gives one last weazy breath before stilling completely 'Sasuke's dead' Inner chokes out while her outer counterpart sat on the ground the last few minutes playing through her head in a horrifying movie "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke" Sakura began chanting nudging him in hopes he would wake up and call her an annoyance he had to be faking.
Tears were pouring from her eyes and she barely realized it was raining as she hovered over a body that was laying in a pool of his own blood Sasuke's last words engraved in her heart "Take my eyes and give them to my brother I'm sorry for being a poor teammate" he had gasped out when she had removed the sword from his abdomen failing in healing the gaping wound left behind all of this proved to much "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" she screams the word echoing through the tree's as the rain poured down even harder as if agreeing with Sakura's emotions.
Dosu had watched all this unsympathetic and was preparing to finish the girl off he had raised a kunai and had it aimed at her head when a wave of malevolent chakra poured of Sakura pushing him away to slam into a tree while Gaara the little traitor appeared behind her and watched this happen "ALL OF YOU WILL PAY" Sakura screams maniacally her eyes emerald eyes darkened and bloodshot from crying over Sasuke's death feeling the power of Jashin wash over her granting her temporary immortality Dosu barely blinked and suddenly Sakura was wearing a different outfit now.
It was darker and more horrifying than he could imagine as the girl grasped a short blade on her back and took it out of its black sheath "Your the first one who's going to die by my hand and my hand alone" Sakura seethes pure fury radiating off of her as she looks at Gaara warningly who steps back in surprise at the rage in his friends eyes "Gaara I don't want anyone else to see this will you give me cover" she asks calmly this time not taking her eyes off of Dosu in case he ran away.
Nodding he builds a wall of sand around the two and minutes later he could hear the Sound Nin begging for his life, for once in Gaara's life he didn't thrive off of death in fact right at that moment he wished he had never experienced death because it most certainly changed people 'Like Sakura' Shukaku called out from within 'Yes like Sakura' Gaara's forehead creased in worry and fear as terrifying sounds emitted from the other side of his sand and suddenly he could feel sympathetic towards the one Sakura was unleashing her fury on if only just slightly.
Once the sand wall blocked them Sakura smiled sweetly at Dosu who backed further into the tree he was still against before jumping to his feet "Now Sakura if you killed me you'll be called a murderer" he tries gulping in fear "Your an enemy no one will miss you and as for being called a murderer no one but myself and Gaara will ever know who killed you" Sakura seethes ducking under the kunai Dosu throws at her to keep her from coming towards him he watches in awe as Sakura stabs herself with her sword with a smile.
"You heathen I have personally selected you to be my first sacrifice to my Lord Jashin" Sakura says sweetly tearing a scream of fear from Dosu as Sakura forms her blood into a circle with an upside down triangle after healing the stab wound she had given herself before stalking forward sword raised high and suddenly another scream is ripped from his throat as she cuts him shallowly on the arm before walking back over to her weird symbol licking his blood of her kunai he watches on in absolute horror as Sakura's skin changes colors her eyes darkening further.
Her skin was now a black and she had white markings all over her from the skin he could see Dosu briefly thought she looked like Death itself he pulls himself out of his thoughts as Sakura began praying "Jashin Lord of Slaughter I, Sakura Aburame have chosen my first sacrificial offering" she started off eyes closed in concentration as she raised a forest green kunai to her wrist and harshly slashes it this time Dosu screams in pain as the wound Sakura had inflicted upon herself appears on him in the same exact place Dosu was absolutely screwed now.
He stared at her heart pounding wildly in his chest as she started her prayer again "I thank you for granting me this chance to carry out my mission to you" again she cuts herself roughly spilling more blood as she sat in the circle and she applauds Dosu mentally for only letting out a whimper but Sakura was far from finished she bites her lip roughly making it bleed again as a giggle escapes from between her lips "I shall sacrifice this heathen spilling his blood for you O Mighty Jashin" she calls out loudly raising her kunai again.
Instead of slashing her wrist like Dosu thought she would she unbuttons the coat she was wearing sliding off her gray tank top to sit in her chest bindings and shorts and skirt before carving a symbol into her skin this one meaning pain before doing a handsign activating it and thats when Dosu begins screaming uncontrollably no longer able to keep from begging for his life as she starts cutting and slash every available surface of skin making sure to keep her jutsu going until finally Sakura smiles holding the kunai above her heart hearing Dosu beg in fear.
Dosu knew that if he didn't do something he was most definitely going to die a most painful death he was hurting all over and his lip throbbed painfully as Sakura kept biting down on hers every few moments appearing to hesitate but in fact it was the opposite and he figured that he could make a deal with the pink-haired girl "Sakura if you spare me I'll serve you for the rest of my life" he pleads weakly tensing as the kunai she had poised over her heart moved closer just an inch the tip pressing against her now.
Smirking internally Sakura lowers the kunai suddenly watching as Dosu gives a sigh of relief 'Yeah right like I believe that' Inner chuckled darkly also influencing Sakura's current state of mind "Oh really" she smiles at him causing Dosu to tense again at the pure malice in that one little smile and he knew that he hadn't convinced her as she raises the kunai again slashes her throat before plunging the kunai into her heart going extra slow as Dosu drowned on her own blood allowing him to live his last moments alive painfully before passing out as she is overwhelmed.
Her mind floated blissfully in all the pleasure before she started coming to in a garden "Huh" she whispers the soft word echoes loudly when a voice calls out to her "Well done my young acolyte I am most pleased with your first sacrifice" the man appears before her sitting on a thorny throne he wore dark colors and had bleached white long hair that pooled on the ground and his eyes were the darkest color of red reminiscent of blood and Sakura knew she was standing before Jashin "Lord Jashin" she asks she just had to be sure.
Suddenly before Jashin could nod at her question Sakura's repressed emotions come swirling out in a torrent of broken sobs "Child you knew what you were doing when you decided to sacrifice that boy so why do you cry" Jashin asks curiously "My teammate he killed my teammate and I couldn't save him" Sakura cries even louder now that she had admitted to herself that Sasuke was dead "I don't care about Dosu he deserved everything I did to him" Sakura's sobs die down and she raises her head to look at Jashin who still sat on his thorny throne.
"Sakura since you did your first sacrifice so excellently I shall give you a gift this young one will be your companion" Sakura hears as Jashin's voice fades feeling herself awakening from the ritual when Sakura opens her emerald eyes she see's Gaara standing over her worry clear in his pale green irises "Sakura what happened" he asks as she sits up finding the kunai laying on the ground and not where she had put it "Gaara you can't tell anyone what happened here alright" Sakura pleads while struggling to her feet feeling drained and exhausted all of a sudden.
When Gaara nods in acquiesce she starts forward but pausing as something on the ground catches her attention it was a black ferret with mismatched eyes one was red and had patterns and the other was onyx dropping to the ground again she scoops the kit up running a finger over his damp fur "Sasuke" she whispers out the name 'Thank you Lord Jashin' she smiles softly tears still falling from her eyes the rain was still pouring down but it was obvious the fighting had stopped "Gaara can you carry him" Sakura turns her blood shot eyes on him.
Nodding Gaara starts wrapping the boy in his sand when Sakura calls out to him "Wait, I have to do something" Sakura hands the baby ferret over to him and he holds it close gently while she walks over to Sasuke's lifeless body and he watches in morbid curiosity as she lifts his eyelids and medically removes his eyes he had died with the sharigan activated before putting them in a jar that had a preserving liquid in it before sealing that jar in a scroll and labelling it important object when she's done she nods at Gaara to continue.
After handing the tiny ferret back to Sakura he wraps Sasuke's body in his sand as they walk through the pouring rain back to the arena where the chaos had begun along the way they are joined by a soaked Naruto who explains to Sakura that the others had already returned to the field to help out with the fighting but that he couldn't find Sasuke anywhere "Hey Sakura-chan what's wrong" Naruto asks when Sakura chokes on a sob at Sasuke's name and cuddles the kit closer "Naruto, I'm sorry" she breathes out not elaborating any further on the subject.
Arriving on sight they are found by Anko "Anko-sensei" Sakura walks right up to the woman startling Anko "Hey brat why are you crying" Anko asks nervously knowing that her pink-haired student was about to say something truly terrible "Sasuke, he's um he's well he's dead" Sakura spits out forcefully between her clenched teeth as more tears pour out of her already burning eyes this is said so softly but everyone around her heard the words Sakura spoke and began mourning another shinobi that had died that day "How did it happen brat" Anko asks sadly as Naruto appears silently.
"He was fighting that sound shinobi I was supposed to fight Dosu Kinuta and then a sword came out of no where and I couldn't heal him" Sakura answers solemnly leaning against Naruto for emotional support "Shinobi die all the time" Anko responds watching more tears leak out of Sakura's tightly clenched shut eyes "I know it doesn't make it hurt any less if that person is someone you considered a friend" her emerald eyes snap open "I swear I'll get revenge but first I have to get stronger so this never happens again" Sakura's swears vehemently to her sensei.
"I know you will brat but for now we have a couple of funerals to plan" Anko explains "Two funerals who else died" Sakura's heart almost stopped 'If Shikamaru is hurt I swear' her inner thoughts are cut off by Anko's reply "Lord Hokage died, Orochimaru killed him" she sighs out "Oh no" Sakura cries a little more "Yes now why don't you guys head on over to the hospital and Lady Tsunade who has been named the 5th Hokage will check you guys over for any injuries you may have" Anko ushers them away so that she could work.
It was a weary group of teens that trudged into the hospital 20 minutes later "Sakura what happened" Tsunade jumps to her feet after healing Gaara's elder sister "Sasuke is dead" Naruto answers instead causing Tsunade's honey brown eyes to soften "Hey brat it will be alright, hey what's that you got there" Tsunade fishes for a distraction before noticing the sleeping baby animal in Sakura's arms "Oh its a ferret, I named him Sasuke because he looks like him" Sakura sobs softly while smiling at the same time causing everyone around her to stare in astonishment and in sadness.
"Are you guys hurt" Tsunade inquires a few minutes later when no one else speaks up "No I don't think so at least" Naruto speaks up while Sakura stared at Gaara who wisely keeps his mouth shut leaving Tsunade oblivious to Gaara's inner turmoil "You guys should rest hop in a bed and get some shut eye I'll wake you later if your needed" Tsunade pushes them into a room after Gaara sits down Sasuke's body and removes the sand allowing the nurses to take it away so that it could be prepared for the funeral that would happen soon.
A couple of weeks later everyone in the village dressed in their black clothes and gathered in the cemetery two mourn the loss of their leader and Sasuke Uchiha who had died fighting against the enemy Sakura almost didn't go but decided the least she could do was show up so that Sasuke could rest in peace she had barely been able to perform her rituals "Come on Sakura" Shino calls softly to her "I'm coming Shino" Sakura mutters trudging alongside Shino as they left the Aburame compound so that they could follow the masses of people dressed in black.
When the funeral was over Sakura is approached by Tsunade who had taken up the title of Hokage trailing her was Naruto "Sakura I have to speak with you and Naruto privately meet me in my office in half an hour" Tsunade says quickly before walking briskly away Naruto hot on her heels "You should put on some different clothes" her father says from Shino's left and Sakura hurries back home to change before running quickly back through town and straight up the steps of the Hokage tower with a little bit of extra time to spare before her meeting.
When she was allowed in she found Naruto and Gaara in there with her "Sakura we've recently found out that Sasuke Uchiha's eyes are missing you wouldn't have any idea about what happened would you" Tsunade's eyes pierce right through her and she bites her lip again 'Damn that's becoming a bad habit' Sakura thought before focusing on Tsunade again "Lady Tsunade" she starts carefully performing a sound-proofing jutsu she had picked up from Ibiki "I took them" Sakura admits outright shocking all those with in the room "Why" Tsunade asks curiously wanting to know why Sakura had taken them.
"Lady Tsunade, Sasuke he asked me to give his eyes to his brother call it his last request but I want to complete it for him" Sakura whispers sadly her eyes filling with tears again before she harshly wipes them away "I understand Sakura" Tsunade eyes the broken girl before moving onto her next topic "Also congratulations on becoming chunin Naruto and Sakura" she announces causing Sakura to let out a bitter laugh and mutter to herself "This is some sick joke right Lady Tsunade surely I can't be a chunin" Sakura chokes out tears pouring from her eyes again.
"It's true Sakura and here's your chunin vests" she hands the jackets over to the two newly promoted chunin before kicking the three of them out of her office the next week Baki took his team and left the separation of Gaara from Sakura upset her and she further distanced herself from people closing herself off from all of her friends while she dealt with her sadness and hatred it consuming her until Jashin pulls her into his garden for another chat she had been skipping on her rituals and while he did understand he still wasn't happy with her.
"Young acolyte" he starts a sinister smile directed at his newest follower "Your letting your feelings disrupt your blood-letting nightly rituals" he finishes "I know Lord Jashin" Sakura answers but it wasnt in a smart tone just a sad one "What would Hidan say if he saw you now I wonder" Jashin tries instead "He would call me a fucking bitch and tell me to stop being so fucking pathetic" Sakura laughs realizing how ridiculous she had been lately "I'm deeply sorry Lord Jashin" she bows low completely apologetic and wakes up in her own bed her determination renewed now.
She started with apologizing to all of her friends none more so than to Naruto who immediately forgave her and then she started getting sent on C-ranked missions while the village tried to rebuild itself until one day two weeks later she is called in to Tsunades office again "Sakura we've gotten word that three men have entered the fire country one of them was identified as Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother" Tsunade announced immediately once she had sat down in the chair in front of her desk "I'm giving you permission to go to him alone" Tsunade says seriously.
Recognizing Tsunade's no nonsense tone Sakura nods silently "I understand Lady Tsunade" Sakura stands and heads out of the room to pack "You have 3 months vacation" Tsunade calls out before the door slammed shut Sakura raced home telling the maids that she was going on a mission before grabbing her pre-packed bag and heading to the gates telling Naruto where she was going and signing out with Izumo and Kotetsu before leaping into the tree's and running as fast as possible not wanting to waste any time now that she knew where Itachi was she wanted to meet him.
"Why did you have to come along Hidan" Kisame complains for the millionth time since they had started their journey into the Land of Fire "Because fishface my fucking apprentice lives here and I want to fucking check up on her because Jashin ordered me to" Hidan cusses up a storm while Itachi remained silent he wanted to check up on his younger brother so he had no reason to complain if someone Hidan knew was in the same village another slew of cuss words escape the Jashinists mouth before all three of them stop completely dead in their tracks.
"Fucking Bitch" Hidan laughs happily rushing forward at the sight of the pink-haired girl "Fucking prick" she laughs right back allowing Hidan to ruffle her hair "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you two know each other" Kisame sighs at their greeting "That's right fishface this is my apprentice the fucking bitch" Hidan grins widely resting his arm on Sakura's head while she glares playfully up at him "That's no way to talk to some Hidan-san" she pouts cutely reverting back to the mild-mannered girl he had first met before he had somehow corrupted the once innocent girl.
"Fine Sakura this is Kisame or Fishface as I call him and the other is Itachi the icecube" Hidan introduces his two travelling companions to his young apprentice "And this is Sakura the fucking bitch who helped me find my pendant awhile back and then became my apprentice by the way I'm fucking happy your wearing that now" he turns his attention back onto Sakura eyeing her attire appraisingly "Hello Kisame-san, Itachi-san" she gives a small wave ignoring Hidan for the moment before sighing softly ready to get her task over with now that she was standing before Itachi Uchiha.
Sensing the change in Sakura's emotions he realized what Jashin had been talking about but apparently she was on the mend because she bravely walked forward to stand in front of Itachi "Itachi-san" Sakura held back on the urge to grasp his cloak "Yes" Itachi asks emotionlessly "I have some upsetting news to give you" she breathes out grasping the scroll that held Sasukes eyes "And what is that" Itachi asks slightly more interested now "Sasuke's dead" Sakura says bluntly seeing no other way than to just say the words and get it over with before thrusting the scroll at him.
"Sasuke's last request was that you received his eyes they are sealed in that scroll in a jar" Sakura walked backwards to stand next to Hidan again while Itachi stared at the scroll "Your lying" Itachi hisses angrily preparing to kill the girl when Kisame lay a restraining hand on his shoulder "She's not lying Itachi-san my nose would be able to pick that up" Kisame shakes his head at the suddenly defeated man "How did he die" Itachi asks sharigan fading allow those before him to see his repressed emotions clearly in his onyx eyes "Orochimaru" Sakura says.
"That snake bastard the next time I see him I'll kill him" Itachi snarls "Please Itachi-san let me be there when you do face him I want my revenge as well" Sakura asks softly and Itachi nods "I'll be sure to collect you when your strong enough until then train well" he announces stuffing the scroll in a pocket in the cloak before turning on his heel and starting back they way they had came Kisame and Hidan following now that they didn't have to make the whole trip to the Hidden Leaf Village their business finished now.
"Wait let me come with you" Sakura runs after them and Kisame smirks "Sure pinky if you think you can keep up" he challenges "Hell yeah I never turn down a challenge" Sakura pumps her arm into the air before taking off after the fast-paced trio again when they had continued walking while she had been clearly goofing off "Jashin fucking bitch be careful" Hidan curses when she nearly rams right into him in her haste to keep up "Sorry Hidan-san" she rubs the back of her head sheepishly as her pace keeps even with Hidan's not wavering even once.
Later on that day after they made camp in a forest clearing "Ok pinky what's your trick" Kisame asks seriously as they all sit around a fire she had made eating the dinner Sakura had cooked as well "No trick I'm just that good" Sakura laughs loudly feeling safe enough to do so because there was no danger for miles around "Sure aren't you just a little prodigy" Kisame sulks while finishing his meal "Nope I'm just an ordinary kunoichi" Sakura shrugs "Normal my ass fucking bitch" Hidan takes that moment to stare at her like she was nuts and she was.
"You got me there Hidan-san" she giggles again watching the sun go down and in complete sync with Hidan the two rise with Kisame and Itachi watching curiously as they head over to a tree and hop up into it curious they get a little closer hopping another branch to watch "Take a fucking picture fishface" Hidan snarls while Sakura rolls her eyes "Does it matter Hidan-san if they watch" she sighs out pulling out a forest green kunai "No it fucking doesn't I suppose" Hidan finally cusses out pulling his own kunai out to begin their nightly blood-letting ritual.
"Jashin Lord of Slaughter" they begin stating their names and slashing their wrists at the same time while the other two watch in morbid curiosity several minutes later Hidan and Sakura feel the rush of pleasure and they promptly pass out 'Oh god not another one' Kisame thought having watched this while jumping out of the tree as the two begin waking rousing Itachi trailing behind him silently and Kisame wondered what Itachi thought about the weird ritual the two had performed he was about to ask when first Hidan then Sakura jumps out of the tree heading to sleep.
"Ok that was freaky" Kisame whispers to Itachi who shrugs unconcerned "What those two do are none of our business Kisame" is Kisame's reply who sits and sulks keeping watch for the night the next few days they travel to the Hidden Rain Village finally they reach the small village that was always raining before being led straight through the village and into a tall building going down hallways upon hallways and through doors upon even more doors all of this extremely confusing and disorienting to Sakura until they came to a stop in front of a door labelled Leader.
It was Itachi who knocked on the door which prompted a voice from within the room to call out "Enter" and then she was standing in front of a man with spiky orange hair purple-ringed eyes and lots of piercings while Sakura was staring at Pein in awe Itachi quickly explained the reason why they were back so early "I see that is truly upsetting" Pein clasps his hands before peering down at the small pink-haired girl "And who is she" he nods his head at Sakura which Hidan took as his cue "This is f..Sakura my apprentice" Hidan frowns.
A heated argument soon erupts between the two "Ow hell why did you do that you fucking bitch" Hidan whispers while Sakura grins cheekily up at him "Because fucking prick I don't want your Leader not knowing my real name" Sakura crosses her arms in triumph "Can't beat you there fucking bitch" Hidan nods accepting defeat before turning back to Pein who was staring in two parts amusement and 1/4 amazement that someone had actually made Hidan talk normally without a single curse word "And why are you here Sakura-san" Pein directs his gaze onto said girl waiting for something.
This time Hidan pokes Sakura in the side and she jumps rubbing the spot while glaring at Hidan "I'm on vacation" she mumbles looking at her feet "Hey Leader can she fucking stay or not" Hidan skips right to the point not wanting to beat around the bush any longer than they fucking had to "She can stay" Pein sighs out "Hells yeah" Hidan picks up the small girl and prepares to rush out of the room "On one condition Hidan" Pein's voice stops him before he could get to far and he trails back into the still open door.
"Well what's the condition fuc...oww Leader" Hidan asks glaring at the brat who was making his life difficult at that moment witnessing this Pein smirks openly "You keep her in your sights" he finally answers "That's what I was gonna fucking do anyway fuc...ooww Leader" he finishes before glaring down at Sakura who was staring up at him innocently "Whatever" Hidan sighs heading back through the door after setting Sakura on her feet so that she could follow him "I wonder how long it will take before he snaps and kills her" Kisame asks in curiosity once they were gone.
"I give him a week at best" Pein answers seriously before dismissing the two from his office so that he could get back to work meanwhile Hidan had led Sakura right to his and Kakuzu's room entering the room they found it empty "Ok fucking bitch you can either sleep on the floor or in the bed I fucking promise not to touch you" Hidan salutes causing Sakura to giggle "Thanks for the offer Hidan but I'll take the floor" clearing a space on the floor next to his bed and unseals a low mattress and a blanket and pillows.
This all came from one of her scrolls which she promptly reseals putting her pack down next to her bed and that's when things got slightly more interested the door slams open and a tall man wearing a mask much like Kakashi-senpai and had green eyes enters the room he pauses when he spots Sakura leaning on her knees and promptly throws a kunai at her the sand still around her wrist coming up to prevent her from being hit all of this was watched by Hidan who immediately started laughing "Ahahahahah the look on your fucking face" he says.
While he was laughing he was pointing at Kakuzu who's eyes had narrowed angrily he was about to ask who the girl was when she opened her mouth "Hidan that's no way to talk to your friends" Sakura glares hands on her hips and her emerald eyes gleaming "I'm sorry but it was just so fu...oooooowwwwwww" Sakura had jabbed him again "I'm sorry for laughing at you Kakuzu" Hidan reiterates before pouting sulkily at the girl "I'm sorry Kakuzu-san I'm Sakura" she bows low respectfully "Hn whatever just stay out of my way" Kakuzu shrugs calmly sitting on his bed.
Internally his thoughts were not so calm but he figured if the girl could keep his partner in check he could at least be nice to the brat by not going out of his way to terrorize her for how ever long she stayed with them pulling out of his thoughts Kakuzu brought out his money from his recent bounty and began counting it while Hidan laid on his bed and Sakura rustled around in her pack looking for something specific cause moments later soft curses floated through the room until Sakura dumped her entire bag on her bed angrily.
This was all done so quietly that Kakuzu didn't lose his concentration a soft "Aha" a moment later is heard as she snatches something up from the items littering the bed before repacking everything in her pack before setting it to the side before Sakura had left she had went to Sasuke's apartment and grabbed the item he had gifted to her it was a book on Uchiha clan techniques that she wanted to give to Itachi but couldn't find just then a soft whining emits from her coat pocket as a tiny black head peeks out of the pocket.
"Sasuke" Sakura squeals softly taking the kit out and laying him on his special pillow that she had gotten him with her mission funds surprisingly the little ferret was well behaved and she had him looked at to determine what he was and to Sakura's relief he was just a regular household pet "Hey what's that" Hidan asks curiously eyeing the pet "Oh that's Sasuke" she smiles petting him on his tiny head "Well where did you buy him at" he asks again because he seriously wanted to know where she had gotten the ferret at "I didn't buy him".
The words were whispered softly as Sakura continued petting Sasuke "Well where did you find him then" Hidan huffs out utterly confused "I didn't find him" Sakura answers rolling her eyes knowing what was coming next "Lord Jashin gave him to me as a gift" she shrugs finally letting her hand fall next to the ferret "Lucky bitch Jashin must really fucking like you" Hidan pouts finally at hearing her explanation on the other side of the room Kakuzu had paused in counting his money when Sakura had said Hidan's god's name before continuing on silently minding his own business.
Meanwhile the Leaf Village was in chaos a couple of days after Sakura had left a couple of anbu had found Sasuke's grave dug up his body was still there but the fact that someone had dug it up in the first place was deeply upsetting and now the elders were pointing the blame on Sakura and Tsunade had enough of it slamming her hands down on her desk splitting it in two she shouts angrily "Sakura is innocent you fools now shut up so I can figure out who really committed this crime" she shouts eyes practically spitting fire.
"Well then Princess Tsunade who did it" the female elder asks "I don't know but if all of you don't get out of my office right this instance I'll start putting the blame on you" Tsunade snarls sending everyone scurrying out of her office to avoid her famous temper and violent tendencies 'I can't believe they would actually go that far to blame Sakura' Tsunade sighed angrily in her thoughts after getting to know the pinkette she had honestly come to like her even if she was a brat 90 percent of the time Tsunade thought with a small smile.
She is broken out of her thoughts when her door swings open and Shibi Aburame stalks in "Please don't tell me you believe in the lies those elders are spouting" the man nearly shouts kikaichu hissing angrily in his gourd as he stood in front of the Hokage "I do not Shibi" Tsunade explains simply with those words the kikaichu fall silent as their host calms "She is very precious to me" Shibi admits lowering himself into the chair behind him "I think she's precious to a lot of people" Tsunade grins at the man who gives a soft laugh.
"I believe your right in that regard" Shibi answers a moment later before standing "Lady Hokage promise me that you'll make those stupid elders see that my daughter is innocent" he asks his voice filled with pain and Tsunade nods "Of course Shibi I'll do everything that I can" Tsunade calls softly to his retreating back before burying herself in her paperwork working through the rest of the day until those damn elders came knocking on her door again demanding answers to which she promptly kicks them out so that she could continue looking for any answers she had missed.
The sun had gone down and she was no closer to finding the culprit 'What sick bastard would dig up a young teenagers grave' Tsunade questions herself internally 'A sick bastard that's who' she answers her rhetorical question before slamming her head down on the newly replaced desk 'This is so not helping' Tsunade thought before "SHIZUNE BRING ME SOME SAKE" she orders and the black-haired woman comes running into the room a bottle of sake in her hands Shizune places it on the desk before exiting the room leaving Tsunade to her thoughts and work heading back to work.
While the night slowly ticked on Tsunade got no closer to the answer while slowly sipping on her sake riffling through a stack of papers and seeing nothing of importance she tries to focus on work again when her attention drifts off again as she got drunker and drunker Tsunade didn't know how it happened but suddenly her head was laying on the desk and her eyes were slowly closing no matter how much she tried to stay awake her eyes wouldn't listen and that's how Shizune found her snoring softly head on her desk and papers scattered every where.