I apologize for the extremely late update! I had finals to worry about, and then my stupid pendrive crashed on me – with Chapter 35 three-quarters done, too! =.= I had to rewrite the whole thing….
All right, I hope you guys haven't forgotten much of the story (my bad!!! ^^; ) and just to refresh your memories:
An hour later, the team was one box, two scrolls and two keys richer as they neared the tall tower, tired out. Sasuke and Naruto lugged one box between them, Sakura and Tenten had the other.
"Well, well, if it isn't our own team 7," a voice greeted them from the doorway labeled with Konoha's crest. Anko was leaning casually against the doorframe, her arms crossed.
"Anko" Tenten groaned. "Please don't make life any more nightmarish for us or I swear I'll get back at you later."
"What?" Anko asked innocently. "I haven't done anything yet."
"Yet," Sakura muttered darkly, Knowing Anko, that woman probably had another sadistic plot up her sleeve, waiting to serve it up to the bedraggled team.
"Just show me what I want to see, you brats, I haven't got all day," the Jounin rolled her eyes. She'd actually had something planned for them, something that included a Naruto riding piggyback on Sasuke for another lap around the forest… but feeling Sasuke's blood-red eyes boring into her, she decided against it.
The team dumped both boxes down, and handed over the five keys and four scrolls, too tired to argue.
"Not bad…" the dark-haired woman grinned, scanning the items: all intact.
"Which means?" Sasuke deadpanned.
Anko surveyed the unenthusiastic team before her, laughing inwardly. They didn't look concerned about passing at all.
"Well, congratulations. You cleared the second test."
Hope you guys still remember the dangerous Rain village team: Shiroi, Tsume and Sayuri. They're important ^^
On with the story!
N
Chapter 35 – The Beginning of the End
The team found a certain silver-haired Jounin waiting for them along the hallway leading to the main room, idyllically flipping through his familiar orange book – although this one seemed to be a new edition: 'Icha-Icha Tactics'.
He looked up as they approached, feigning innocent surprise. "Oh, you made it."
"Always the tone of surprise," Naruto grumbled. "You make it sound as if you expected us to fail."
"Well, you sure took an age to get back here," Kakashi said, in his usual, laid-back manner. "When I took the Jounin exams, I completed it in – "
"Oh, shut up, sensei…" Sakura groaned. "Your self-praise is always exaggerated, I don't think I believe you anymore."
"Ouch," the Jounin feigned hurt as he shut his book with a dramatic flourish. "Ah, gone were the good ol' days when my dear little students would just obediently lap up everything I said…
"We did not – " Naruto started out furiously, but was cut short as Kakashi's face turned somber.
"Jiraya-sama said goodbye and take care, Naruto."
They were instantly silent.
"He… left already?" the jinchuuriki asked quietly. The silver-haired Jounin merely nodded, his face blank.
In silence, the team walked on, the reality of facing war finally sinking in.
N
"Naruto!" Kiba gestured wildly from across the hall as Team 7 entered with Kakashi. Shino, Lee, Kiba, Haku and Akamaru were huddled in a section of the circular hall, as were the other successful teams, looking a little worse for wear, but otherwise unhurt.
Team 7 weren't exactly paying attention to them, though. Their gazes were fixed upon the Hidden Rain group, further to their left, where Tsume and Sayuri stood unperturbed, flanking a pale, sickly-looking Shiroi sitting and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking indifferent as his cool, grey eyes stared at Sakura.
The said cherry blossom met his gaze steadily, but her insides squirmed. How do you face a person like him, a person who freezes you at the merest touch? A person whom she had saved but tried to kill her in return?
Naruto and Sasuke were tensed, angled to protect her, low snarls ripping through their throats. Several teams had turned towards them, curiously watching the drama unfold. The two boys had subconsciously lowered their centre of gravity, leaning forward, preparing to spring with the murderous intent radiating off them in waves.
Tenten cuffed the two boys lightly, placing her hands firmly on their shoulders, asserting force to steer them away. "Not now, not here," she hissed in a low voice. "Walk. Away."
It certainly did not help that Sayuri chose that very moment to let a slow, mocking grin spread across her face, daring them, provoking them into making the first move. Of course, that infuriated the boys further, and Tenten very nearly lost her grip on them as they swerved away from her.
"Hey!" a low voice cautioned, and Neji's vice-like grip caught hold of both boys. The Hyuuga had his back towards the Rain team, and glanced at Sasuke and Naruto warningly, opaque eyes narrowed.
"Not worth it. Walk away," he repeated Tenten's warning quietly. There was an underlying current to his tone that made them obey. Slowly, both boys relaxed, very slightly, and forced themselves to turn away, still growling, fists clenched, stalking towards Kiba's alarmed team.
Sakura stood there for just a moment longer, meeting Shiroi's silver gaze, trying to fathom the strange, cold man.
But she found nothing. His eyes, though beautiful, had no depth to them, like a sheet of misted glass.
"Haruno-san," a quiet voice with a liquid, soothing feel to it accompanied the hand that lightly touched her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
She turned to him, forcing her smile for her friends. But who was she fooling? "I'm fine, really. How was your exam?"
Lies. All lies.
Haku knew that, he could see it. But he also understood her confusion, the lost feeling when one was trying to understand, to grasp what seemed like running water. He didn't know the whole story yet, but what did it matter?
As he smiled back and retold tales of his exam, Haku decided that for her sake, it wouldn't hurt to play along.
For awhile.
N
"Well, then."
All the shinobis in the hall looked up at the sound of Anko's voice. The smug Jounin stood atop a raised platform in the centre of the hall, surveying the ten battered teams left to her.
"Congratulations on passing the third test," she continued, her gaze momentarily resting upon the Amegakure team, and the death glares directed towards them from a certain Team 7. Something fishy was going on and she intended to find out what it was – it wasn't as if she hadn't noticed the deadly aura the Rain team emanated.
"Locate your boxes and keys," Anko waved towards the rows of neatly placed chests to her right. There was a soft murmur and quiet shuffling of feet as the teams moved in that direction. Once everyone was in place, Anko spoke again. "Open them."
Each team did as they were told. They had learnt not to disobey Anko after the little kunai incident during their briefing.
Naruto knelt next to Team 7's chest, picking up the two keys from their place on the floor and fitting them into the tricky double lock, turning them simultaneously. There was a soft 'click', and Sasuke lifted the lid carefully, wary of the contents.
A series of profanities made themselves heard throughout the hall as the examinees realized just what was inside the boxes.
Sakura lifted the dark blue fabric and watched it unfurl slowly into a formal men's yukata. She recognized the weaving work.
"You've got to be kidding, Anko! "Kiba yelped indignantly as he glared up at the Jounin, who glared right back. "We half-killed ourselves for four days in the bloody Forest for a box of clothes?"
A murmur of disgruntled agreement rippled through the hall. However, in the midst of incredulity, Sakura noted with satisfaction, there were several kunoichis who recognized the value of this gift.
"These aren't just any clothes," A kunoichi from Sunagakure spoke quietly, drawing surprised stares.
Tenten nodded. "They're hand-woven traditional costumes made by the Orimono(1) clan of Konoha. And for all that quality, they aren't cheap."
"Save your complaints, we set the task and you complete it. There's no need for comments, especially since these are gifts for you," Anko added sharply, looking around at the skeptical faces. "You will wear them tonight and attend a formal dinner hosted for several important ambassadors and officials from your respective villages."
Naruto groaned quietly. "I hate dinner parties – there's never enough food."
Sakura rolled her eyes at him, then focused on Anko.
"Every single one of you must be present. Remember that these people will play a part in deciding whether or not you will be selected as Jounin," Anko spoke rather disdainfully, she didn't like all those high-handed officials. "Get back and rest. Dress up, and we'll see you at the hall located near your assigned quarters at six sharp this evening. Dismissed."
Slowly, the circular hall began to empty, tired teams trudging out for some desperately needed rest. The Chunins escorting the teams out of the Forest looked flustered, scuttling ahead of the examinees, keeping a wary distance from the dangerous-looking shinobis. Their superior Jounin's scathing glares from the centre of the room only served to aggravate the situation.
"Those brats will be the death of me, I swear," Anko muttered under her breath as Kiba's and Naruto's teams approached her slowly, Neji accompanying them.
"Why? They look pretty okay to me," Kiba commented wryly, knowing from first-hand experience how impossible it was to ever please Anko.
"Hah!" Anko snorted derisively. "They look scared. Terrified by you lot of Jounin examinees, actually – and they're still technically on the same rank as you guys, too! In my day you wouldn't catch a Genin shriveling under the enemy's stare."
"In your day, Genin's probably wouldn't even live long enough to see the enemy, much less meet their eyes," Sakura said quietly. "Besides, not everyone grows up in an era of war."
"Well, they're gonna have to learn fast, won't they?" Anko quipped scornfully. There was no such thing as 'subtlety' in the Jounin's vocabulary. They fell silent on the subject.
The rest of the hall had emptied out gradually. Anko watched the last of them leave, then turned to the remaining shinobis, critically eyeing them.
"Spill," she demanded after a lapse in the conversation. "What the hell happened during the exam? I could never get a lock on your location with our surveillance cameras – Kiba's team was fine, it was your team that was always missing," Anko pointed sharply towards team 7, as if it was their fault that she'd lost track of them.
"Maybe we weren't within range…?" Tenten ventured.
"No, we could catch a glimpse of you on the screen, then you would just buzz out of sight and the cameras went blank…"Anko cut in distastefully. "All that expensive surveillance equipment too… all tampered with. The Hokage'll have my head. They were supposed to be well hidden."
"Wait. Buzzed out of sight?" Sasuke queried, frowning. "There shouldn't have been any tampering or anything wrong with the cameras themselves, just interference. That happened to equipment in Otogakure sometimes – even strong levels of chakra can affect them."
"Ah – "Naruto began, but was cut off as a sharp, splintering sound tore through the quiet hall, echoing off the walls in an eerie manner, like the sound of a glass heart shattering.
"Show yourself," Haku was already at the other end of the hall, his old, subtle yet deadly tone returning to his voice. It was clear that the splintered icicles were his contribution.
What caught their attention, however, was not the magnificent, glittering scene of ice. Like an island in the middle of a frozen sea, a circular, dry patch stood out, unaffected by the wetness of the ice, as if protected by an invisible roof.
They were being spied on.
"Shit!" Tenten swore furiously, flinging three kunais with point-blank accuracy. The spots they struck, in mid-air, shimmered as the weapons rebounded and clanged uselessly to the ground.
In a blur of motion, all ten shinobis were surrounding the dry spot at a safe distance, wary. Haku was concentrating, quickly carving ice over the invisible object, trying to discern its shape. But before he could fully complete the seemingly dome-shaped prison, the ice was splintering again, the invisible object was expanding. Shino and Naruto dived apart, barely avoiding being trampled as the 'thing' barreled its way out of the circle.
"Don't!" Neji warned, halting any intention of going after the thing. "You'll only get hurt, this isn't a simple camouflage trick."
There was silence for a stunned second, before Sakura sobered and snarled. "Hokage's office. Now."
N
The cherry blossom's mind was troubled as she slipped on the elaborate crimson kimono embroidered with white lilies. The feel of the fabric was satin against her skin, the garment was light and cool despite its thickness and various embellishments. It would've taken half a year's worth of Sakura's salary to purchase just one of the Orimono clan's garments – highly impractical considering living expenses, even if it was a must-have.
Despite that, Sakura couldn't fully revel in her new treasure, her mind was elsewhere occupied.
"Spies?" Tsunade's hazel eyes narrowed. Then came the barrage of questions that inevitably followed: who, how, what, when, why…
What was most disturbing was that they did not have many answers to those questions. Tsunade had sent her elite forensic team to scavenge for clues, but it would be awhile before they would find something – if they could find anything at all.
"Go get ready for your dinner first. I'll see you there," Tsuade said heavily after an hour long discussion.
It disturbed Sakura, to see Tsunade like that.
"Smile, Sakura, for goodness' sake," Ino slapped her playfully on the arm, her tone indignant. "I'm trying to make you look dazzling here!"
"It's just another bloody dinner," Sakura muttered.
"It's your first formal dinner with the Uchiha in attendance and I'll be damned if you don't look good," Ino retorted sternly as Tenten laughed from across the room, twisting her hair beautifully around a small weapons scroll.
"Why isn't she getting tortured?" Sakura grumbled, glaring at Tenten, wincing as Ino curled her braids into a pretty twist at the nape of her neck and fastened it with a silver lily.
"Neji wouldn't care if she were wearing a dishcloth, I'm not going to waste my time on her," Ino snorted. Tenten threw one of her sandals at the blonde kunoichi – deliberately missing by a few millimeters.
Sakura fought back a smile and relented to Ino's administrations, allowing her to doll her up in peace.
"You're bringing weapons?" Ino glanced at her in surprise as Sakura tucked a pair of tessen, metal bladed fans, into her cream-coloured obi.
"Can't be too careful," Tenten grinned. "Anko taught us that much." In actual fact, Neji had also dropped a few hints – discreetly, of course. Tenten was serving as their weapons source in case of any emergency, the scroll integrated into her hairstyle assured that. She had even managed to convince (or annoy) Sasuke to let her place his sword into her collection so that he wouldn't have to carry and surrender it.
"Well, you're done," Ino eyed the two girls critically, then sighed. "I suppose that's the best we can do in two hours…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten's eyes narrowed at the blonde kunoichi.
"No-thing…" Ino sang innocently, grinning. "Oh, I gotta get back, otou-san is waiting for me to go to the dinner – see you there in a few!" Waving cheekily, the girl dodged out of Sakura's room, shutting the door just as a hairbrush went flying after her. A moment a later, the door was opened , and Ino's head poked in again. "Enjoy yourselves!" She withdrew quickly, before Tenten could throw something else at her, and Sasuke and Naruto were shoved in, startled.
There was a bout of awkward silence as Ino's footsteps died away and both sides took each other in, studying the elaborate, unfamiliar get-up that adorned their teammates.
For the first time, they fully realized just how much each of them had grown, scrawny brats that were now nearly adults. Naruto himself had grown lean and much taller, his once round face maturing into firm, chiseled features with clear blue eyes. His sky blue yukata fit him perfectly.
Despite their constant jokes regarding his hair, Sasuke's good-looking features had become stronger, his expression calmer, his eyes more serene. He used to be always tensed, but now the Uchiha's posture had relaxed, even though that didn't make him any less dangerous. His deep, cobalt blue yukata was embroidered with white calligraphic art, contrasting his paler skin.
Sakura had grown her hair a little longer. Both she and Tenten had been naturally slender, with tanned skin and toned muscles from constant training. Over a span of five years, they'd blossomed into proud kunoichi, beautiful in their own unique way.
"Well… shall we?" Sasuke broke the silence, never taking his eyes off the cherry blossom, subtly offering her his arm.
Suddenly feeling a rush of heat colour her cheeks, Sakura averted her gaze and hesitantly slipped her arm through his, fully aware of Tenten and Naruto's nudges and broad grins behind her.
N
"Surrender all your weapons, please."
At the entrance to the dinner hall, two ANBU squad member stood, frisking all guests before they entered – standard procedure for events attended by important nobles and ambassadors.
Team 7 willingly submitted themselves for checking, the boys surrendering their weapon pouches. Sakura's tessen were left alone. Sakura could've sworn that the female ANBU checking her was smiling under the mask.
Once inside, they were escorted to one of the long tables, and found themselves opposite the Hyuuga family – Hiashi, Hinata, Hinabi and Neji. After exchanging the customary formalities, they discussed the Jounin Exams at length and frowns creased Hiashi's brow as he heard their story. Neji had related it all to him, but getting confirmation from those involved made the situation far more serious.
Before he could comment, however, the Hokage stood at the head of their table, and the quiet chatter immediately died down.
"Thank you for coming," Tsunade's deep voice sounded calmly across the room. "Over the past few days, each of your teams have displayed excellent ability in each of the exams we presented, and finally, we are down to the last five teams. Tonight, we celebrate, before their final exam in another two days."
Everyone listened quietly, even if not attentively. Plenty of the officials from other villages, even the examinees themselves, were fidgeting. Sakura scanned the room quietly, a habit of hers, to locate possible exits and clear paths for combat.
"Please raise your glasses and toast our examinees!" the Godaime announced, raising her sake cup and downing it in one gulp. Sakura sighed. Without Shizune present, she'd have to make sure Tsunade didn't go overboard with her sake.
Setting down her glass, Tsunade clapped her hands loudly, twice. The shoji(2) doors along the banquet hall slid open, and serving girls bowed politely before bringing in trays of food and serving the first course. They bowed gracefully once again, and left the room in perfect, rehearsed formation, sliding the doors shut behind them.
"Please enjoy your food," Tsunade nodded, ever the gracious hostess, before resuming her seat.
"Itadakimasu(3)," came the soft murmur of voices over a slight clatter as the dinner guests picked up their chopsticks and began the meal.
Sakura could feel the eyes watching her, but skillfully kept her face smooth and demure, as would be the countenance of a proper lady. They were observing, she knew. The guests. Jounins were entrusted with high-level espionage missions that often included attending functions at which their targets were present, and each of them had to be able to disguise themselves perfectly in any situation.
The cherry blossom was glad that Naruto, at least, had the sense to act more refined. Dinners at the Hyuuga estate with Hinata must've done him some good if he could eat so calmly now.
Sakura's emerald eyes met those of Sasuke's for a moment. He held her gaze and conveyed a sense of slight worry through his eyes, which Sakura suddenly understood. They had not paid much attention to it this afternoon, but they suddenly realized the significance of a certain absence.
The Otogakure team were not among the five to pass the third test. From what Sasuke had told them, the Sound team was powerful, it was impossible for them not to have passed.
So that left them with only one conclusion: a deliberate dropout. But why? She chewed thoughtfully through her first course, and then her second. The soba noodles were good.
A thought struck her. Placing her chopsticks quietly on the table, Sakura lifted her left arm delicately to shield her face as she spoke to Sasuke on her right. He leaned towards her to listen.
"Sasuke, do you think they – "
She never finished that sentence. At that very moment, a loud bout of intense coughing and choking rang through the polite murmur of voices in the banquet hall. Everyone turned, startled.
Team 7 recognized – with horror – the silver head bent over at the next table, his hands covering his face as his body convulsed violently, shaking the table and upsetting the cutlery. Crimson liquid flowed from between his fingers, dripping onto the pale tatami mats.
"He's been poisoned!" an indignant outcry came from Sayuri next to him, Tsume bent over him in concern on his other side.
There was a patter of noise as chopsticks clattered down. Everyone sat still and silent, frozen – as if waiting for another person to throw up, claim poison.
"What is this?" Sayuri leapt up, pointing an accusing finger at Tsunade. "Is this how Konoha treats its guests?"
The shinobis of Konoha were already halfway rising from their seats, prepared to defend their Hokage.
Tsunade cast them a warning glance as she stood. "I assure you, we have nothing to do with it. But please let me see to him – "
Sakura was almost out of her seat before Sasuke and Naruto yanked her back down and held her there firmly, grasping her arms so tight she gasped. "Don't you dare," the Uchiha hissed, onyx eyes livid.
"There is no need," Sayuri said coldly, already heading out of the hall, supporting Shiroi opposite Tsume, careful not to touch his bare skin. "We have our own medics."
"If you move him, the poison will spread – " Tsunade protested, but was cut off by an icy glare from the Rain shinobi.
Slipping out through the shoji doors, Sayuri cast a warning glance back at the mortified guests and Tsunade, her voice sneering. "Amegakure will not forget this insult, Konoha! Do not underestimate us!"
The trio disappeared into the inky black night beyond the door. Sakura noted that Neji had his Byakugan activated, calmly appraising the situation. She patiently waited for his verdict, her own instincts giving her a vague outline of what was going on.
"Just as I thought," the Hyuuga prodigy snapped back into the present, his face smooth. "They've administered the antidote, just beyond our gates."
"That means…" Naruto trailed off.
"They poisoned their own teammate," Lee finished grimly.
"But how? And why?" Kiba questioned in a low voice, only audible to those around him. "People would've noticed."
"Koru Shiroi could have easily put the poison in himself, no one would suspect if he added something to his own food," Shino suggested, arms crossed. "And the reason's obvious. They just wanted to get out of the dinner without seeming rude on their part, and if they damage our guests' faith in us, it'll be all the better for them, wouldn't it?"
"They're coming," Hinata whispered, pale. "If the Rain team left so suddenly, that means they're coming, doesn't it?"
"The war is beginning," Hyuuga Hiashi murmured.
Tsunade, it seemed, had come to the same conclusion. "I offer my deepest apologies, but due to certain factors, I'm afraid I will have to discontinue the Jounin Exams for the moment."
She paused, allowing the information to sink in as a bout of agitated whispering filled the hall. Their guests were uncertain. Few wanted to terminate the exam they had worked so hard for, but the poisoning incident had shaken most of them.
"For your own safety, I advise, with no disrespect, that those who are able to – leave tonight. If you wish, stay, and Konoha will do its utmost to ensure your safety, but we cannot allow you to enter our inner quarters and we will not guarantee your safety either.
"What is going on, Hokage?" the ambassador from the Hidden Grass village questioned sharply, almost rudely. "You would terminate an important exam on your own accord, and fling your guests out like this?"
Tsunade looked at him squarely in the eye. "Konoha is facing an invasion, Komakura-san. If you do not wish to get involved, then I suggest you leave."
Heavy silence settled over the guests, and the man who had spoken looked away, red-faced.
"Hyuuga-san," the Hokage addressed Hiashi. "Could you please lead our guests into the next room and leave them to make their decisions?"
"Certainly," Hiashi inclined his head as he stood, then motioned towards the guests. "If you would please follow me."
The Konoha shinobis clustered around Tsunade as the guests left, somber.
"Neji, tell Anko to call the test off," Tsunade instructed. He slid noiselessly out. Before he closed the shoji door, a tiny black sparrow fluttered in. Tsunade pulled a scroll from her obi and performed several handseals. The sparrow lost its form and black ribbons of ink transferred onto the paper, forming black, beautiful, calligraphic letters.
'They are approaching.'
Tsunade's hands tightened on the paper.
Behind them, the shoji doors slid open again, and Neji re-entered, followed by a familiar group dressed in black, busy removing cloth masks covering their heads and faces.
"Aw man… I was looking forward to the ambush," Anko complained as she joined the group.
"What ambush?" Kiba asked cautiously.
"Oh," Anko was grinning again, rather slyly. "We were supposed to ambush the dinner like assassins to see which idiots had actually relaxed and surrendered all their weapons."
Her grin turned into a frown as she was met with blank faces. "Don't tell me…" she trailed off, then swore. "Oh, dammit."
"Anko, Izumo," Tsunade barked, snapping out of her agitation and taking charge as she rolled up the scroll. "Send word through Konoha, evacuate everyone to the safehouses and summon all shinobis, Chunin-level and above. We meet at the front gates."
"Hai!" both saluted, and disappeared.
"Kakashi, Neji – get Shikamaru and arrange our forces as planned."
"Hai," the silver-haired Jounin and the Hyuuga nodded, teleporting.
"Asuma, Kurenai – check your traps and barriers, and alert all border patrols, especially the archers."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama," the couple bowed and exited.
"Kotetsu, deal with the supplies and rations. And help Iruka with the evacuation."
"Yes ma'am! " He, too, sprinted out.
"Yamanaka-sana, I'd like you and your strongest clan members to assist Shizune with the kekkai barrier,"
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Inoichi and Ino hurried out, the latter casting a quick, worried look at her friends.
"Hyuuga-san," Tsunade addressed the man who had just returned from the next room. "Please ensure that your Byakugan users are with the patrol teams."
"Yes," Hiashi nodded. Hinata and Hanabi followed, but not before Naruto clasped Hinata's hand and cast her a look that held many words unsaid but understood. Hinata bit her lip and slipped her hand out of his grasp, following her father and sister.
"The rest of you, hurry back and get changed. Prepare yourselves, and meet at the main gate in fifteen minutes," Tsunade said heavily. They were all so young – did they really have to do this?" Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto – you're with me."
They parted ways. All the guests, save for the Sand team, had opted to leave. The Sand shinobis, along with Temari as their ambassador, had followed the Konoha shinobis.
As they sped through the cool night, Tsunade spoke. "All your things are at the Haruno estate? Get them."
The Godaime waited as they stripped off their formal wear and pulled on sturdy combat gear, stocking up on weapons and other essentials. Sakura had her medical kit and of course, the glass vial of unknown substance that she carried everywhere.
Tenten was there with her, packing all her weapon pouches and her scrolls. "Ey, Uchiha!" she yelled in the general direction of the next room, tossing Sasuke's blade to him as he poked his head out. She'd just summoned it out of her scroll. He caught it with a quick mutter of 'thanks'.
In silence, they gathered at the main gate to the Haruno residence, where Tsunade was waiting for them, eyes closed, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. Her expression was a fleeting mirror of emotions, as if she was contemplating many things. Sakura's heart was heavy, watching her.
Hearing them approach, Tsunade looked up, and straightened. Sakura suddenly remembered something.
"Tsunade-sama, I thought of something during the dinner," the cherry blossom said quietly, recalling the theory she'd been about to tell Sasuke before the poisoning disaster.
The Hokage glanced at her questioningly.
"It's impossible that a team as strong as Otogakure's could've failed a survival test, so I'm guessing they dropped out deliberately," she continued. "And that leads me to guess that they haven't given up on retrieving Sasuke, but they can't touch him yet with all of us around, so they're temporarily withdrawing – delaying until we are weakened by Akatsuki , waiting for greater forces to aid them."
"So – it's not just the Akatsuki and Rain Village that will be attacking – but also the Sound?" Tenten asked, her voice deadly.
No one answered, the answer was obvious.
"Tenten, Sasuke, I want both of you up front," Tsunade said grimly, determination blazing in her hazel eyes. "Warn everyone, tell them to brace themselves and fight smart. Konoha isn't going down on my watch."
"Us?" Naruto asked hopefully, even though he knew the reply.
Tsunade glared in his direction. "As per agreed. You two stay in the safehouses," the Godaime dared him to challenge her.
"If the enemy gets wind of us being there, everyone in the safehouses will die" Sakura protested.
"If the enemies get hold of both of you we're all going to die, either way!" Tsunade growled.
"But-" Sakura persisted.
"Sakura," Tsunade said dangerously, turning to face her apprentice. "You think I don't want to be out there? You think I like watching my comrades fall while I stand protected as the Hokage?" She advanced on the pink-haired kunoichi, hazel eyes blazing. "We can't get killed or captured, do you understand? We have our jobs, and it may not be at the front lines, but it's important all the same!"
"My job is to hide!" Sakura said, frustrated. "Can't I even stay at the outer walls to heal?"
"And get captured the first thing when Akatsuki arrives? If you're so desperate for a job, then you can bloody well go protect everyone in the safehouses!" Tsunade stormed.
Sakura stayed silent, astonished at Tsunade's outburst. She was usually not this temperamental.
Seeing the reaction her voice had garnered, Tsunade took a deep breath, turning away.
"Just stay there, okay, Sakura? I don't have the time or energy to argue with you anymore." None of the four shinobis could see it, but the older woman was biting her lip, fighting to keep her frustrated trembling from them.
Tenten's brown eyes were soft as she faced Sakura, touching her best friend gently on the arm, in hope of leaving her with a little reassurance, comfort, anything. "We'll be going, then," she gestured to the Uchiha, who was silent. "Stay safe, Sakura, Naruto. I'll see you all after this. I promise." She looked wistful, but she meant it. She would stay alive for them, and she counted on them to do the same.
Clenching her jaw, the cherry blossom threw her arms around her best friend, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill shamelessly from her emerald eyes. "Stay safe – all of you. Tell everyone for me, all right?"
Nodding, Tenten drew back with Naruto, allowing Sasuke his time with her.
Sasuke's face was unreadable as he reached for Sakura slowly, and pulled her to him, holding her tightly. She returned the embrace, tears sliding uncontrollably down her face now as she clutched fistfuls of his clothes and sobbed into his shirt, almost heartbroken. Could she really let him go? All her friends, could she really watch them leave and stay behind?
The Uchiha was the one to gently extricate himself from her grasp, and Sakura felt his lips brush across her cheek lightly as he drew back – barely whispering past the corners of her lips.
There were no words. His eyes stared long into hers, telling her clearly: I'll come back.
Exchanging a quick glance with Naruto, Sasuke and Tenten lingered for a brief moment, and then they both disappeared into the night.
N
NOTE::::: I'm planning to start a Bleach fanfiction.... tell me, are any of you interested in Bleach??? .
Foreign terms:
(1)Orimono : this literally means fabric/ weaving
(2)tessen: metal-bladed flip fans used as weapons to cut.
(3)itadakimasu: a custom, it is said before every meal, to give thanks for the food and to start the meal.
Well, there! It's almost beginning… after 35 chapters! Hope you guys enjoyed it!
Review, thanks!
-Rave-chan-