26
Reasons I love you.
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They had been traveling for two days now. No one uttered a word except for when their brown haired captain Subaru would issue out orders.
They were all assigned to extract an informant that had been taken hostage during a mission.
They still had a days worth of travelling before they intercepted the caravan the informant was reportedly traveling with.
Nightfall was pending as they jumped branch to branch. Sakura held her own in the front, while Itachi and Kakashi held up the rear.
Suddenly Subaru held his hand up for all of them to halt, "Itachi how many?" Subaru looked towards Itachi.
The boy kneeled on the branch flashing his sharingan to tune into the chakra signatures around them.
"Four at 12 o'clock and five at six o'clock closing in on us captain." He replied in concentration as he stood.
"Not good" their captain mumbled.
"How much time do we have." Sakura spoke from behind her mask.
"Not much" Another ninja named Taiga spoke pulling into a defensive stance.
"Our check point isn't for another 12 miles" The medic named Ren supplied.
"Captain." Sakura spoke quickly
"Yes Sakura."
"I had placed a transportation seal about five miles ago, there was a pass that we could use that will keep us en route if we take it."
"Still planning ahead I see." Subaru said gratefully.
"It would be best if we made clones in order to not completely disappear off the grid. That should buy us enough time to get through the pass, before we are found out." Ren added.
Everyone nodded.
"Make sure to extinguish your chakra signature as soon as you summon your clone." Subaru spoke.
Within seconds, seven doppelgangers appeared in a cloud of smoke.
Sakura began to quickly sort out the transportation jutsu as Subaru ordered the clones to split into two groups and to head east and west respectively.
"How are your chakra stores Kisōsha-san." The only other female on the team spoke up as she looked at Sakura going through a sequence of hand movements.
"Since I'm going to be transporting seven of us it's going to take a bit out of me." She stood up and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Nothing a soldier pill can't fix Nanami"
Nanami nodded, "Don't push yourself too hard yet, we still got another day to go."
Sakura nodded as she dropped from the branch and onto the ground to quickly draw out a seal on the ground, and then placing a tag in the middle.
"All is set captain, you all just have to stand in the seal." Sakura called up to the rest of the team that still held guard up in the trees.
Kakashi looked wearily at Sakura through his mask. It had been such a long time since he had been on a mission with her.
"You heard her" Subaru said as he jumped from the branches, and so did the rest.
As they all stood in the seal, Sakura quickly executed the jutsu, without breaking a sweat.
Once they made it to their previous location, it took them a moment to reorient themselves.
Sakura slipped a soldier pill underneath her mask.
Nanami spoke up, "If we can cover 10 miles in the next 30 minutes we should be fine. We should have enough distance between us and the assailants."
"We should set up camp as soon as we do, who knows when we'll be able to rest next." Ren spoke to Subaru.
Subaru quickly glanced at Sakura who was exchanging a few words with Taiga as they looked over a map.
"We're a big group so we're going to have to split up aren't we." Sakura looked at Taiga's mask solemnly.
"We'll worry about that tomorrow we just got to make our checkpoint tonight." Subaru spoke up, "Let's go you lot, the longer we wait around the less distance we can put in."
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The next morning as they cleaned up camp Subaru spoke up, "From this point on we're going to be working as two units. It'll be more efficient and covert that way."
Every member of the team stood still as Subaru pulled out a small leather bound notebook from his back pocket, "We will have one unit continue from this point, and the other unit continue where we were yesterday prior to transporting." Subaru continued.
"Each unit had 36 hours to complete the mission, we will regroup at our first checkpoint."
"That's about a days travel from here Captain, and we still have a fair ways to go till we reach the interception point." Taiga added
"I am aware of that Taiga." Subaru spoke from behind his mask, "Time is of the essence, the more we stretch this mission out the smaller of a window we have to actually saving our client and returning to the village in one piece."
Everyone nodded then in understanding.
Subaru sighed, "That being said we must exercise the upmost caution. We are dealing with rogues here, rumour has it its those red cloud ninja again."
Kakashi caught Sakura sparing him a quick side-glance when she heard the captain mention the red cloud ninja.
Kakashi bit his tongue, of all the missions she had to be on, why did it have to be this one?
Subaru walked forward, "Team A, will be Taiga, Nanami, Itachi and Kakashi. You will be continuing from this point. Kakashi will be team captain."
"Ren, Sakura and I will be team B. We will be continuing from our last position yesterday. We will be slightly behind you but we should catch up within a few hours." Subaru added before cracking his neck on each side, "Two minutes and then we split."
As everyone walked away to finish packing, Kakashi walked towards Sakura who immediately stood on guard.
"Can we talk" he said bluntly
"Talk" Sakura retorted, "I'm not listening to any apologies right now though. When we get back home we'll settle everything like adults."
Kakashi shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "Very well." He pulled out a small pouch and handed them to her, "You'll need them more than me, and please take care of yourself."
Sakura only nodded as she took the pouch from him and proceeded to walk away from him, but then he grabbed her arm, "Sakura please be careful I beg of you."
She looked down and then at his mask, "Don't do anything stupid you idiot." She replied before shaking her arm out of his grasp.
He smiled wistfully under his mask before meeting up with three other members of his unit.
When Sakura stood with Ren and Subaru, she looked into to the pouch Kakashi had handed her to find soldier pills. She didn't let her mind read too much into it and she quickly stuffed it in one of her pockets.
As Subaru began to quickly mention their plan of attack Sakura, heard Kakashi call over, "We're leaving now Captain"
"All the best!" Subaru called back before they were gone.
Sakura felt something tap her ankle. She looked down and her eyes softened.
"It's been quite a while my dear lady."
"It's nice to see you Pakkun." Sakura removed her mask to reveal her smile as she crouched to acknowledge the pug.
Pakkun looked up to Subaru, "Don't mind me captain, I'm just here as assurance for the little lady here."
Subaru nodded, "No problem, we don't mind the extra company."
He then turned to Sakura and she nodded, pulling out the same transportation scroll she used yesterday.
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About one week ago, as Sakura sat alone in her uncle's old home, she found Pakkun at her doorstep.
She burst into tears as soon as she saw him and clung onto him for dear life.
"What's my dumbass master done to you now little missy?" Pakkun spoke as he pat her on the shoulder.
The woman stayed quiet when he asked her that question.
Pakkun then dropped out of the woman's hold and looked her in the eyes, "I won't tell that idiot where you are, I'm just here as a friend. Talk to me, you got us all worried here."
"Thank you Pakkun" she hiccupped
"Anytime."
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Sakura popped another soldier pill in her mouth, Pakkun shook his head, "Stop popping them like lollies, Kakashi didn't give them to you so you could eat them all."
"Calm down I'll be fine." Sakura assured as she trailed Ren and Subaru.
Pakkun sighed and then spoke to the group, "We're getting close be on your guard"
Ren pulled out two kunai to be at ready, Sakura began to pick up her speed to match Subaru's.
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They sat in their camp they made at their first checkpoint. The four of them sat down around a fire chowing down a small meal of fish and radishes.
The informant lay in a tent resting.
"What's taking them so long" Itachi peeped after a while.
Kakashi had been sitting there asking the same question for the passed couple of hours. His food lay untouched.
"I thought they'd get to the informant before us." Taiga supplied
"Me too" Nanami whispered with worry.
Kakashi looked up at the darkening sky, his mind reeling. Pakkun still hadn't reported back yet since he first summoned him a day ago. He was weary to summon the pup back.
Kakashi sighed, "We have a deadline to meet" peering at his team.
"We can split up." Nanami offered, "Two of us can take the informant back to the village, we are only about twelve hours away from the village. Plus we should be fine because there will be a lot of outbound and inbound Konoha nin in the area, so if anything happens we should be fine."
Itachi spoke up, "The other two will recover unit B then?"
Nanami nodded.
"We should get going now. Nanami and I will take the informant back to the village. You and Itachi have more chakra in your reserves to begin with."
Kakashi and Itachi nodded, "It's settled then"
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"Ren! Stay with me you can't die. We need you!" Sakura shook the dying medic.
"Shit" the medic cursed as he coughed up blood, "Sakura – fuck- I can't"
Subaru looked to the woman and shook his head, "We can't stay too long. We have to leave him behind."
Sakura looked at her captain in shock, "WE WILL NOT LEAVE OUR TEAMMATE BEHIND"
Subaru looked at the woman, "You don't think this is hard for me? We have a mission to complete we can't afford to wait this out."
Ren coughed and looked at Sakura, "It's true, I'm dead weight now, there's no helping it Sakura. At least I got to have mission with you one last time."
Sakura shook as five dead bodies lay near the Ren, "Don't do this to me Ren, please I beg of you."
He only gave her a smile before he closed his eyes for eternity.
Pakkun looked sadly at the kunoichi who was struggling to comprehend the loss of her teammate. But she couldn't dwindle long because Subaru called for her as he walked on.
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They secured the informant but they still had to deal with three of the red cloud nin.
All the while Sakura was wondering where the hell Kakashi was.
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She managed to slip a transportation Jutsu in the midst of battle. The choice would have proven to be detrimental. But upon learning that the informant that they had secured was actually nothing but a clone, the only way to get out of the fight was to transport herself, Subaru and Pakkun out of it.
Subaru had gone unconscious after the jutsu had been executed. Sakura wasn't too far along, but she kept pushing.
"Pa-pakkun, get me 'kashi" She slurred as she dragged Subaru through the forest.
Pakkun was indecisive as to whether or not he should leave the woman and man alone, but it was the only way they'd get out of this mess.
"I'll be back soon" Pakkun looked to Sakura who just about collapsed into a tired mess next to Subaru.
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Sakura woke up with clammy and calloused hands touching her face frantically; when her vision began to clear she saw Kakashi and her heart leapt out of her chest.
He was crying.
" 'kashi stop crying" She croaked.
But instead of relief washing over his face he pulled her closer and shook more. And then she began to register a searing pain in her lower abdomen.
She moved her hands to her pants to find them sticky with blood. And then she pulled Kakashi closer and cried, "St-Stop crying Kakashi, please"
Subaru now conscious stood near Itachi, they both looked tragically at the two.
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"I was eight weeks along"
"A boy or a girl"
"Boy"
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record! I update 2 chapters in 24 hours ding ding ding
Maybe another one tonight who knows :)
Review !
Much Love
OXZA