The next morning after breakfast the three individual groups packed up and set forth into the forest to continue on with their mission "Ugh this is my achilles heel for sure" Sasuke groaned trying not to offend Shino but trekking through a bug infested forest, especially when some of the insects were poisonous was not his favorite thing to do.
"What I would have thought you'd have gotten use to it from the Chunin Exam" Kiba rolled his eyes at the melodramatic Uchiha, walking forward blindly until he nearly fell into a hole, he would have to if Sasuke had been paying less attention.
Considering the Uchiha grabbed his hand and hoisted him onto his feet once more "Come to think of it, we never ran into each other which is strange, why because I don't remember seeing you until we were all gathered in the Tower" Shino commented.
Sasuke snorted "That's because we made it to the tower on the first day and barricaded ourselves in the room we were assigned, hence the reason I'm not use to well this" the current Uchiha heir explained somewhat lamely.
He was sure Sakura would have gone into more detail but the truth was they had been in danger and so they'd all done their best to get through Training Ground 44 as fast as possible "First day but how that's crazy, though we have no room to speak right Shino" the Inuzuka heir gaped.
Before smirking at his teammate because they'd also made it to the tower the first day or rather night "What possible reason could you have had for wanting to barricade yourselves in a room the entire time, why it seems strange" the Aburame heir frowned yet again.
Noticing how Sasuke seemed reluctant to explain "Orochimaru the Sannin, he was after my sharingan not to mention you remember Yakushi right, well he was after Sakura, tried to take her right out of the village during the coup Orochimaru attempted" Sasuke intoned grimly.
"Is that why Sakura was in a coma, Kurenai-sensei never told us but you mean that bastard who approached us attempted to kidnap her, for what reason as I remember she never even looked at the guy" Kiba very nearly shouted.
Remembering in the nick of time not to be so loud "Quit, why because it actually seemed like she was trying to avoid him" Shino nodded also remembering that moment in which they were approached during the first round the Written Exam.
The Uchiha curled his lip "Can't say for sure but he was obsessed with her, always trying to touch her and stuff like that, was pretty creepy towards Naruto and I as well" the Uchiha shuddered, just glad they didn't have to deal with him at the hospital anymore.
Which was shaping up now that Tsunade was back "Hang on Sasuke, Shino, I think I smell something, it's faded, about a day old I reckon" suddenly the Inuzuka had his nose in the air picking out the different scents.
And determined that there were indeed intruders "I see, Sasuke can you send a message with your hawk summons to my Father, why because it was just as we suspected, they are trying to poach the Bikochu beetle" the Aburame turned to Sasuke who was in possession of an actual summons.
Their kikaichu were to obvious if the enemy was who he and his Father thought they were, bitter enemies at that, remnants of the Kamizuru clan to his mild annoyance and they still had a few days to go before the Bikochu laid it's egg.
Sasuke did as requested, then attached Shino's message to Umo's foot and sent him off to deliver the message to Shibi who wasn't expecting a hawk to land on his shoulder "That's Umo, Sasuke's summon" Naruto recognized the hawk immediately.
"I see and if he's here then that means they found something" Shibi mused, spying the paper tied around the hawks foot which he quickly read, confirming his suspicions, though he did have to wonder at the efficiency of the Chunin on the mission.
Perhaps he should just leave it to them to see how well they would actually do "Should I send a message to Kurenai-sensei, are we going to regroup with them and Sasuke" the blonde Uzumaki questioned, ready to do anything he was commanded to do.
Shibi contemplated for a moment then nodded "Your call Naruto-san if you think that's best to regroup then we should" the Aburame Patriarch deferred to the younger shinobi's judgement as two toad summons were sent in opposite directions with the message to regroup as a whole.
With that they turned and headed in the direction his son had gone which was surprising that Naruto remembered which way the others had gone though he said nothing merely followed after the boy who marched forward determinedly.
Meanwhile since it was taking awhile for the toad summons to reach the group of kunoichi, Kurenai, Sakura and Hinata continued trekking through the forest undeterred "You think those boys have found anything telling yet" Kurenai glanced down to Sakura.
Who wasn't a chatterbox so unless someone spoke to her first Sakura wouldn't talk, like at all "Probably, it's only a matter of time before one or both of them send their summons" Sakura shrugged, getting this feeling they were about to be in way over their heads.
Which put her on higher alert than usual "C..Come to th..think of i..it, y..you have a summons to d..don't you Sakura-chan, though I co..couldn't see what it w..was last night wh..when you summoned it" Hinata commented.
Hoping that Sakura would tell them what type of summons she had "Bats or more accurately hairy-legged vampire bats but don't worry their quite friendly and don't attack allies" the pinkette informed hastily seeing the flash of fear both of her companions sported.
"Good to know Sakura-san but they would need blood at some point so where do you get it from" the crimson eyed kunoichi intoned dryly before questioning the girl about her summons, she was about to get a shock though.
As Sakura gestured to herself "Y..You mean y..you give them y..your own blood" the Hyuga heiress stuttered in horror, going pale and feeling like she was going to be sick at the revelation revealed to her.
Sakura didn't seem to understand what the problem was though "Look I know what your thinking Kurenai-sensei, Hinata, but it's just a few drops, plus they do hunt for prey on their own, the animal variety" Sakura gave a slightly more detailed explanation.
In hopes to put the two kunoichi at ease "Just a few drops huh and how long have you had that particular summons" Kurenai relaxed a little, glad that it wasn't as bad as she thought, though she did wonder where Sakura had come across summons such as that.
"From the time I was ten, Sasori-sensei actually gave the summons scroll to me as a reward for doing well, I even got to spend three weeks in their c….." the rosette smiled brightly only to freeze as she felt a change in the air around her.
Then she was dragging Hinata to the ground, Kurenai having the sense to jump out of the way of the sudden attack "Wh..What's going on" Hinata cried softly as they ran to the safety of a large tree as the onslaught of weapons continued to rain down on them.
"More than likely the intruders we were warned about, they know we're on to them and are trying to take us out" her sensei informed hiding a ways away from them behind a different tree, kunai clutched in her grasp.
At that Hinata steeled her nerves and activated her Byakugan "I..I don't s..see anyone" the pale eyed girl declared after a moment of searching their surroundings and making sure to check in her blind spot to ensure they were truly alone.
Eventually the rain of weapons ended and they were able to leave their hiding places "The enemy probably set this trap prior to our arrival so it's less that they know we're on to them and more that we're getting close to where their hiding themselves" Sakura deduced after a moment.
Why else would they need so many weapons for other than to thwart someone from trekking further in this particular area which could be where they were hiding "Sakura-san isn't this one of Naruto-san's summons" Kurenai distracted her a second later.
Pointing out the toad hopping their way a message scroll in his mouth, Sakura recognized the toad as the same one from last night and crouched down "W..What d..does it say" Hinata questioned once Sakura had read the message.
"Regroup, apparently Kiba found a scent in the other direction that's a day old, but just in case I'm going to leave a clone here to keep watch over this area" the rosette said as she rolled the scroll back up and shoved it into her pouch.
Let Kurenai take the lead as she made a hand sign and left behind a shadow clone to continue patrolling the area for her because she just knew that they had been on the actual right track to finding the intruders and soon they were on their way to group up with the others on the mission
Meeting up with the two individual groups was quite the hassle as it took over an hour to trek the same amount of distance Sasuke, Kiba and Shino had, if she was right that Naruto and the Aburame Patriarch would do the same.
So by the time they actually did regroup it was lunch time "Finally about time you got here" Sasuke scowled at her and got a scowl back along with a roll of jade eyes and he quickly took a large wary step away from her.
"Excuse me but have you seen this place Sasuke, it's not like we could have just snapped our fingers and magically found each other" Sakura snapped, digging through her pack for her food supplies already enough on edge as it was.
She was just getting an overall bad feeling about this mission now which in turn affected her general attitude "Teme you should've known better than to take a crack at Sakura-chan when she's in that kind of mood" Naruto shook his head.
"Was she like that the entire time you three were alone" Shibi raised a brow at the only other Jonin on the mission, still contemplating on if he wanted to leave the mission to the Chunin to evaluate their efficiency, Asuma had said they were budding strategists after all and he wanted to see them in action.
Kurenai shook her head "Perfectly polite and respectful, though we did run into an unexpected trap Sakura-san sensed we were under attack before even I did and pulled Hinata out of the way at the same time" the ravenette explained.
Shibi's brow raised higher at that "Did she indeed" the Aburame Patriarch murmured mostly to himself as they both tuned back in to the conversation the younger members of the mission were having amongst themselves as lunch bubbled over the fire.
Apparently all three Chunin had somehow had time to bring along an assortment of food supplies "Ouch you should be nicer to your teammate Sakura" Kiba teased, just a little surprised because most girls were obsessed with Sasuke.
Then again he had to remember Sakura had never been one of those annoying screechy fan girls like Ino had once been, and Hinata had never been one either, "I'll be nice when this mission is over" Sakura frowned unbelievably tense at the moment.
Naruto and Sasuke shared a look over her head then spread out their senses becoming equally as rigid as she was "Th..There's n..no need to worry s..so much is there" Hinata intoned quietly seeing how tense the Chunin were now.
"Yes that's right, why because as soon as the rain comes what the intruder is here for will have all been for naught, especially if we can find it first" Shino nodded not seeing what Naruto, Sasuke or Sakura were so concerned about.
But none of them were willing to elaborate "Alright listen up, from this point on Team Seven is in charge of this mission, how do you want to play this out" the Aburame Patriarch declared suddenly stunning everyone including his son at the sudden decision.
Shibi however noted how each of them straightened, communicating silently to one another "Best option would be to draw the intruders to us, we're going to need a bit more detail, such as who they are" the pinkette informed, turning to Shino.
Who shot his Father a veiled look but relented "Remnants of the Kamizuru clan, they wield insects like us, why you ask would they intrude knowingly, that would be because we're bitter enemies and the Kamizuru clan holds a grudge against the Aburame clan" the Aburame heir said.
Sakura scribbled that tidbit of info down in her notebook "So they hate anyone Aburame basically, you said the scent was a day old right Kiba, but then Sakura and you guys ran into a trap, so which way was the scent going Kiba" the blonde knucklehead questioned of Kiba next.
"Ah yes and the direction…..the same way Kurenai-sensei came from" the Inuzuka heir realized in the next moment as he sniffed the air determining the direction, though he was highly impressed even if he would never admit it.
It was no wonder Team Seven had become Chunin they were just as tactical as the Nara clan were known to be "Okay then how about using the henge jutsu to lure the Kamizuru's out, by becoming Aburame, they'd take the bait and we can lead them here to be dealt with" the Uchiha suggested.
Formulating a plan that both of his teammates agreed upon "I..I don't think I un..understand" the Hyuga heiress admitted, unable to wrap her mind around everything she'd seen and heard over the last day and a half.
"Right..basically in simpler terms Hinata-chan we're going to transform into nondescript members of the Aburame Clan, lure the members of the Kamizuru clan out and lead them here to be dealt with by the current Aburame Clan Head, sound fair enough" Sakura repeated.
Making sure the other girl could quite clearly understand the plan "Gah I don't get it how can you guys just do that, come up with a plan on the spot before we even have a chance to" Kiba burst out loudly and got a hand slapped over his mouth.
Sasuke's sharingan was activated as the bushes rattled and out came a giant centipede, probably lured there by the smell of their lunch "Father" Shino warned a second to late as the centipede lunged interrupting him as they all scattered.
Unfortunately Kiba was a split second to slow, Sakura inwardly apologized knowing that Aburame's hated to see insects harmed but she didn't have time to mess about as she threw one of her sedative coated senbon.
That went straight through the hard shell of the centipede then after prying it's jaw from Kiba's arm delivered a kick to it's side flinging it off into the forest "Kiba hang on it's going to be okay" Kurenai soothed her student who was currently in unbearable agony, from both the pain and poison.
"Ca..Can y..you rem..remove the poison S..Sakura-chan" Hinata stuttered horribly as she glanced to Sakura who was already grinding herbs rapidly with a mortar and pestle, her hands completely steady with no shaking whatsoever.
Off to the side Sasuke was boiling a pot of water that Sakura dumped the herbs she was grinding up in once she was finished then she rolled up her sleeves, focused chakra into her hand and lifted the mixture out of the pot and pressed it to Kiba's arm.
Drawing the poison out slowly "Luckily it didn't have time to really enter his bloodstream, otherwise she would be having to pull that out of him in other places" Sasuke admitted watching intently, ready to make another batch should she actually need it.
But thankfully what was made was enough as he and Naruto went on to heal the bite wound while she actually made the antidote "There see your fine now" Naruto declared once Kiba was made to drink what Sakura had concocted for him.
Cleansing his system of anymore poison "It appears Hokage-sama was right to send you with us, tell me does she know of how skilled you are Sakura-san, perhaps you could ask her to apprentice you" Shibi commented in a questioning tone.
Imagine his surprise when Sakura shook her head "She only knows the three of us are part of the hospital staff not our skills or anything but you know that doesn't sound like a bad idea" the rosette mused stowing away her mortar and pestle and whatever else she used after cleaning it.
Next to her Naruto visibly shuddered "And what have you become scarier than Hokage-sama I don't think so, just getting punched by you without you enhancing it with chakra hurts to the point where it actually feels like you broke a bone" the Uchiha on her team cringed away from her.
Vividly remembering his beating five days prior and he still had bruises that he hadn't been able to completely heal "What….you mean you hit your teammates so hard you break their bones" the Inuzuka gaped in horror at Sakura.
Who gave a little shrug "Just when we're particularly annoying or in the case of Sasuke stupid reckless other than that Sakura-chan usually heals us, anyway we really should move away from this spot before that centipede wakes up" the Uzumaki pointed out.
Prompting them all to pack hastily and get as far out of range as they could "By the way what exactly did you hit that insect with, I thought I saw you throw a senbon but that wouldn't usually knock out an insect of that size" the Aburame Patriarch questioned.
"Y..Yes that's right I s..saw you throw a se..senbon needle to" the Hyuga heiress chimed in not daring to glance back as they hurried further in to the forest owned by her teammates clan and found a better place to set up camp.
Realizing she wasn't going to get out of answering Sakura gave another little shrug as she answered "Dipped in a personal concoction of mine, it was a liquid sedative, I knew better than to kill it so I went with knocking it out" Sakura explained.
Showing off one of her throwing needles that had liquid dripping from it before it was stowed away in its special pouch again "Very intriguing, is that also something he taught you" the Aburame heir inquired.
Doing his best to understand his former classmates turned Chunin "Hell no, Akasuna made her craft antidotes all the time without a recipe once she got use to it, but concocting creepy stuff like that is all her" Sasuke spewed.
Edging away from his teammate who merely rolled her eyes at his melodramatics "Oh please Sasuke it's not like she ever uses it on us, except for Kakashi-sensei that one time" Naruto scoffed as he was suddenly reminded of their bell test.
And Sakura bit her lip to keep from laughing before she cleared her throat settling the two down both of whom shut their mouths "Right you have a plan to enact" Shino remembered, glad that Team Seven was there all of a sudden.
"Precisely now if your going to transform you'll need to study our physique and chakra network, can you do this" Shibi asked when the three Chunin stood and after a short examination Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura transformed into textbook examples of what an Aburame looked like.
Complete with coats that had a high collar to them and sunglasses, their hair matching for once "Our turn I suppose" Kiba grimaced not sure he would do his teammate justice but he could damn sure try and soon he looked nearly identical to the henged forms of Team Seven.
Hinata the last to do so even if it felt weird "Gu..Guess w..we're going now" Hinata stuttered nervously, following after the others as they were led in the direction of earlier to lure out their targets, leaving behind the two Jonin.
"What are you thinking leaving this in their hands Shibi-san, I admit they are more knowledgeable and prepared than I expected but there's no way they'll be able to successfully execute their plan" the crimson eyed Jonin rounded on Shibi who settled in for a long wait, not answering.
Meanwhile the other six members on the mission, five of them disguised as nondescript Aburame, made haste to where the Kamizuru's were possibly hiding themselves and arrived an hour later "Hold on, my clones missing" the pinkette frowned.
Sasuke activated his sharingan "I can't see her with my sharingan do you think she was taken captive or something" the current Uchiha heir lowered his voice, seeing the chakra trail of an unknown shinobi, probably one of the Kamizuru's.
Sakura nodded grimly and gestured for him to take the lead "Shino, Kiba, Hinata prepare yourselves, they'll be expecting us more than likely" the blonde haired Uzumaki whispered to the other three tagging along with them.
Each of them nodded "Got it" the Inuzuka heir saluted, hiding Akamaru in the big overcoat so that he wouldn't be seen right off the bat, after all a ninja was supposed to be sneaky, this way he was adhering to that shinobi principle.
"Un..Understood N..Naruto-kun" the lavender eyed heiress whispered back to her crush unaware that he had his own crush which was on someone else entirely though he didn't quite realize it just yet but it would be soon.
The further in they went the more tense they all became until finally they happened upon the Kamizuru's current hideout "Looks like you were right, a clone is being held hostage" the Aburame heir commented.
Pointing out the tied up Sakura clone being guarded by a dark haired man, Sakura made a hand sign dispelling her clone which caused the man to whip around "Just be careful you guys, leave this one to Hinata and I" Sakura mouthed jumping to the ground.
Being nervously followed "The hell, where did you brats from the Aburame clan come from" the dark haired man yelled loudly already stalking towards them and when he was closer than necessary the both of them turned and ran, him stupidly giving chase.
"Kurobachi what's with all the yelling, oh crap Sis we have a problem, the Aburame are here and they sent a lot of them" a blonde stepped out of the cave they were using to hide in and spotted Naruto and Kiba in their disguises.
Naruto raised his hand and wiggled it before taking off as fast as possible "Fuck U…could have warned me" Kiba growled under his breath as the blonde idiotically followed them like the other one had followed after the girls.
"If I had it would have tipped him off that this was a trap to lure them out" Naruto shot back, chancing a glance back and found the blonde way to close for comfort so he sped up if that was even possible forcing Kiba to do the same.
Meanwhile left behind were Sasuke and Shino who waited patiently for the so called sister to make an appearance when she did it was a couple minutes after the others had gone "Damn you Aburame's, always have to make life for us Kamizuru's difficult don't you" the honey brunette snapped.
Not as stupid as her brothers apparently "I mean after all it's your clan's fault we lost respect in our own village and the clan started dying out, you know since your here I might as well take revenge for that, so just hold still you little brats and I might have mercy and end your lives quickly" the woman ranted crazily to herself.
Before arming herself with a weapon and charging them "That is if you can catch us" Sasuke taunted carefully, ducking under the kunai as it was thrown at him and soon she was chasing after the two of them.
Glad that his plan was working "Can you run ahead, make sure that something is set up to prevent them from escaping once we have them in the designated area" Shino whispered and Sasuke sped up and made it back to the clearing first.
Only to find both males of before knocked out and tied to tree's "A..And just like th..that th..the mission is over" Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as the last remaining Kamizuru was knocked out by Sakura who dropped down on top of the woman and delivered a chop to the back of her neck.
Followed by tying the woman to a separate tree "Well, perhaps you have really earned the right to call yourselves Chunin" Kurenai mused, thinking over all she'd witnessed in the last few hours a lot of it being very surprising.
Team Seven obviously didn't waste any time "Maybe a couple of us could use a little more growing up but we do know how to take missions seriously Kurenai-sensei" the fuscia haired Chunin informed.
Still feeling as if the worst was yet to come "Hey I hope you weren't talking about us Sakura-chan" the blonde knucklehead caught on quickly to who she was calling immature and promptly let out an offended hey in response.
Sasuke shook his head "So anyway what are you going to do with them" the current Uchiha heir glanced to Shibi who had been quiet thus far, after letting them handle and do all the hard work which was slightly annoying.
"Father before that I have a request, if we can find the Bikochu that is, let's let Sakura use it to locate her parents" the Aburame heir interrupted when Shibi was about to inform them of his decision regarding the Kamizuru's.
Ending up shocking everyone including Sakura who opened her mouth and shut it repeatedly not knowing what to say "Son what are you talking about why would Haruno-san need to locate her parents when their back in Leaf" the Aburame Patriarch questioned.
Deciding he could deal with the Kamizuru's after once he found out what his son was talking about "No their not and according to Uchiha they've been missing since Sakura was ten" the Inuzuka heir chimed in.
Hands behind his head "Oh god is that why Akasuna-san was training you" the ruby eyed Jonin gasped completely horrified and feeling more guilty than ever but Sakura shook her head mutely looking like she was about to cry.
"I..Is th..that why y..you don't want to b..be in a relationship w..with anyone" the bluenette inquired gently, glad to have something to tell to her cousin about the girl he wanted to court and marry later on down the road.
But Sakura kept shaking her head "S..Sasori-sensei was training me long before they were abducted and no that's not the reason" Sakura managed to say after several minutes of just being completely stunned.
"Do you have something that carries their scent albeit faded it's still there and the Bikochu beetle will be able to pick up on it no matter how faded" Shibi asked and Sakura gripped something that was in her pouch.
Pulling it out to reveal a scroll "Isn't that….your old house key, or rather theirs" Naruto breathed not having realized Sakura had kept that after all this time, then again who could get rid of something that important certainly not him.
"Then it's decided we search for the Bikochu have it scent that and it will lead you straight to your parents" Shino nodded decisively, guilt lessening by the minute, having felt like he hadn't deserved Sakura's forgiveness when he'd apologized after she woke.
Sakura clutched the scroll tighter in response "Guess we have no choice Shibi" Kurenai smiled lightly just as the three Kamizuru's woke with simultaneous groans, Shibi was in no mood to play around so simply had them sealed in a storage scroll.
With that he turned on his heel already beginning the search for the Bikochu "Aren't you happy Sakura, we finally have a lead that will literally take us straight to your parents" Sasuke asked of his teammate who looked so hopeful that he would do everything in his power to make sure they found the insect.
He wanted her to be with her parents again, "Hinata you should try searching with your Byakugan, you might be able to see the beetle with your eyes after all" Kiba suggested as they trekked after Shibi who left no stone unturned in his search.
"Y..Your right Ki..Kiba-kun" Hinata stuttered softly activating her dojutsu as Sasuke did the same with the sharingan and it was then she gained a small appreciation for the other dojutsu user on the team because between the two of them nothing was left unseen by their eyes.
The search continued well into the evening until they had no choice but to stop in the dwindling sunlight and stomachs growling in hunger protesting to not stopping for dinner sooner, then camp was made, dinner was cooked and eaten and finally they all went to bed.
Only to repeat for the next couple of days the threat of the incoming rain making them search that much harder "L..Look o..over there" the Hyuga heiress pointed finally seeing the elusive insect at long last just as the dark clouds over head began spitting out fat raindrops.
"Leave it to me" the blonde Uzumaki yelled over the crack of thunder already chasing after the insect to catch it with the bug case Shino expertly shoved into his hands and with that they had the Bikochu to everyone's relief.
Especially Sakura's who was on a happy high as the Bikochu laid it's egg "Now we just wait for the rain to stop and once the Bikochu hatches be ready Sakura-san, otherwise this will have all been for naught" the Aburame Patriarch informed.
"I understand Aburame-sama" the pinkette grasped the scroll with the key in her hand ready to move the moment the beetle hatched which wouldn't be for awhile as they took shelter in a cave to wait for the rain to end.
And the entire time she kept her eyes glued to the glass tank "Take it easy Sakura, the Bikochu's not going anywhere" the raven of Team Seven assured, squeezing her hand lightly even as he to glued his gaze onto the still egg.
While Naruto watched the rain trying to tell if or when it would stop but at that point it was impossible "You must have really missed your parents huh Sakura" the Inuzuka heir commented seeing how intensely she was watching the bug tank.
Sakura nodded silently "But there's also no need to strain yourself either Sakura-san" the older kunoichi on the team reminded gently not wanting to come across as overbearing or like she was trying to mother the girl.
"Correct, why because even should this fail there will be another chance in the future" the Aburame heir declared, intending on studying the time frame in which Bikochu mated and laid its egg to narrow down an exact time for them to try again.
Eventually Sakura was unable to keep her eyes open any longer and soon she'd drifted off to sleep with her head on Naruto's shoulder and hours later the rain slowed to a light drizzle, then a sprinkle before altogether stopping.
Shibi gave Sakura a light nudge "Be ready it's hatching" Shibi reminded as the girl shot awake quickly and she scrambled for the scroll that her parents house key was sealed away in, then a moment later a new Bikochu had hatched.
And she promptly set the key on top of the tank all of them watching as the beetle stuck it's nose to the key "And with that it will lead anyone to her parents right" Naruto questioned slightly dubiously, it couldn't be as easy as just having the insect scent the key could it.
He was about to find out as the lid was lifted and the beetle took off in the opposite direction "Perhaps Father we should wait to release it when a proper team has been assembled to follow it" Shino suggested glad that it had worked.
So they hurried after the swiftly disappearing Bikochu and caught it carefully in the tank again that Sakura clutched in her arms guarding it possessively as she practically curled around the insect case to keep it safe and protected.
Why wouldn't she, since it was after all her one ticket to finding her parents after three years and with that they were on their way back to the village, mission objective complete with a little extra on the side.
"Until then Shino what should I do to take care of it, like is there a specific food I'm supposed to give the Bikochu or such" Sakura asked wanting to do her best to ensure this beetle was well looked after until it was the proper time.
Just a little surprised she was asking the Aburame in question turned to look at her then launched into a lecture of sorts, detailing what she would need before ending his lecture asking her after if she managed to retain all he'd told her.
By looking at Sakura who nodded firmly "Of course she did Shino, just look at her, Sakura would probably move heaven and hell just to keep that beetle well and alive" Kiba whispered to his teammate exasperatedly.
Sakura was a serious sort of girl after all "Keep in mind this mission isn't quite over, there could be others who wish to use the Bikochu and if they find out that it's already been used they could attempt to kill it" Kurenai burst their bubbles a second later.
Reminding them that the true danger was now ahead of them with their objectives in hand, the reaction was immediate, Naruto and Sasuke crowded Sakura who if looks could kill everyone would have done been dead by the glare in her eyes alone.
There was no doubt in any of their minds that should someone attempt to take away or harm the Bikochu she would react violently "We won't let anyone hurt the Bikochu Sakura, plus your scary and I doubt anyone would mess with you once they realize how hard you hit" Sasuke said.
Trying to lighten the mood a little bit by making a joke, the glare softened and Sakura gave him a small smile while he and Naruto discreetly fist-bumped "I guess I shouldn't be to surprised, I mean after all she did destroy the ground during her match with Temari" Kiba mused.
"V..Very true Kiba-kun" Hinata nodded as they all continued their trek until they were back at their starting positions, so they carefully climbed the cliff leading out of the bug habitat and were soon on their way down the path back to Leaf.
It was there that the real trouble began as someone jumped out at them, only looking at Sakura "This should be quick then, hand her over and I won't have to harm anyone else, Orochimaru-sama sent me to acquire her for his subordinate" the white haired teen demanded.
Just wanting to accomplish the last request his master would be making of him by completing this mission, Sakura was practically apocalyptic "Unfortunately that is something we cannot do, so if you fight us, you fight all of us" the Aburame Patriarch stepped forward.
Eyeing Sakura and wondering why Orochimaru would be after her "Are you talking about that sick bastard Kabuto Yakushi, he's in league with Orochimaru" the Inuzuka heir choked suddenly remembering what he and Shino had been told.
And here that bastard was trying to abduct her again "Just hand her over, I do not wish to fish, you won't win not against me" the ivory haired teen warned, closing his eyes as he did so, this was not going according to plan obviously.
As the whole lot of them settled into defensive positions leaving him no choice, Sakura was ready when he lunged and after handing the Bikochu over to Sasuke she reared back her fist, fueling it with enough chakra to knock a full grown elephant out and thrust it forward.
The impact was deafening as their enemy went flying back with a loud crunch, surprise in his vivid eyes and pain "Do not expect me to ever go to that bastard of my own free will, if I have to die then so be it" the rosette snapped livid that someone would just expect her to go with them anywhere near Orochimaru or Kabuto.
Her punch must have done more damage than she thought though as the teenager stumbled for a couple of seconds "Such a terrifying little girl, I do believe even Hokage-sama couldn't manage that much force at that age" the crimson eyed kunoichi shuddered lightly.
Seeing how strong Sakura was in that moment than the whole time they'd been on the mission so far "Can't believe you Sakura-chan, holding back all this time, your scary" the blonde of Team Seven bemoaned his fate at being stuck with a scary strong female teammate.
"Just be glad it's not us I guess" the Uchiha scoffed, equally as pale faced as Naruto was as they watched Sakura glare at the guy who was attempting to abduct her again in front of many witnesses this time.
Off to the side Team Eight was dumbfounded at what they were seeing, Sakura, civilian born Sakura was stronger than they were even though they were actually clan children "How is that even possible though" the Aburame heir frowned.
Confused but when he looked to his father the man shook his head not knowing himself "Unreal, this is like a scene straight out of a horror movie" the Inuzuka heir breathed, only to curse as the guy coming after Sakura lunged yet again.
Flicking his hands at her and sending something white flying at her that she effortlessly dodged, which had been ingrained into her very psyche "S..Sasuke-kun y..you should send a m..message" the pale blue haired heiress suggested suddenly.
While Sakura's would be abductor was focused on the girl herself, Sasuke nodded, passed the bug case he was holding over to Naruto and sped through the hand signs to summon his hawk, then gave Umo a message to deliver with speed this time.
He didn't know how long Sakura could actually hold out against one of Orochimaru's men, all of them shuddered as the ground shattered in the next moment and they had to leap further back "DON'T PRAISE THAT BASTARD TO MY FACE" Sakura screamed completely infuriated.
Before becoming eerily calm in the next moment a calculative gleam in her eyes as she watched how her opponent moved "Orochimaru can save you just as he saved me, if you come with me now no one else has to get hurt" the unknown teenager held out his hand.
Expecting her to take it "I don't want to be saved least of all by that psycho so he can go ahead and drop dead for all I care" the pinkette spat rejecting the offer as easy as that even as she gathered chakra in her fingertips.
Ready to finish this before it got to out of hand as the teen across from her shook his head and sighed then sported a determined look on his face as he lunged unprepared for blue chakra strings to suddenly attach themselves to him.
And be completely unprepared as Sakura swung him into the air and back down with a sickening crack "Why" the teenager coughed, realizing he might have been off more than he could chew by going after the girl directly.
"Your really asking me why I refuse to become a traitor to my village, well I'll tell you it's because I love my home and once I'm able to I'm going to bring my parents home to and Leaf is where I'll stay for the rest of my life" Sakura glared getting it all out in the open.
In the nick of time as Sasori and Minato appeared before them "Ah brat I see you have everything under control" Sasori commented, eyeing the destruction of the area they were in as Minato drew a storage seal and the enemy was sealed away in it.
Sakura slumped tiredly to the ground at that giving him a half-hearted smile "May we ask who that was, the message that was sent only requested immediate emergency backup" Minato inquired watching as Sasuke and Naruto helped her back up onto her feet.
"One of Orochimaru's subordinates that was sent after her, luckily he was so focused on Sakura-san that he didn't notice Sasuke-san sending that summons of his to request help" Shibi informed, definitely planning to recommend the Chunin for the Jonin Exams.
When they were ready to take it of course because in spite of it all they were still children, at his answer though Sasori growled low "Come here Sakura I've got you, that bastard can't touch you" the redhead assured as she stood next to him.
And he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder "Thanks Sasori-sensei but you can't protect me all the time you know" the rosette reminded gently as they began their walk back to Leaf undeterred this time even though she still felt as if something else was going to happen.
Maybe she really should give thought to Shibi's words about asking the Hokage to apprentice her "Unfortunately" Sasori grimaced knowing Sakura was right and soon he'd be a sensei to a new batch of idiot genin.
He was just thanking his lucky stars that they weren't going to be the same age as when he first started training the brats who went on to become known as Team Seven "Not to say you aren't formidable Sakura-san, but why didn't you do that when Kabuto tried to kidnap you" Kurenai questioned suddenly.
Keeping on high alert since she didn't know who else would be sent, Sakura went rigid and gnashed her teeth together "If I'd been given half a chance to Kurenai-sensei I would have punted him on his ass" Sakura grumbled.
Not angry at her she was sure but the situation that led to her being stuck in a two month coma "So basically your saying is that even though you tried he managed to best you using underhanded tricks" the former Hokage explained.
And got a nod "And he's still after you" Minato winced, not wishing that kind of situation on anyone especially someone who had been through more than enough in their admittedly short lifetime like Sakura.
"Here Sakura-chan the Bikochu" Naruto suddenly said handing his teammate the bug tank with a beetle of some sort in it, they would probably get an explanation later for now it was imperative they get back to the village without anymore incidents.
Sakura eagerly accepted the tank and curled her arms around it protectively "Just so you know Sakura you are one scary girl" Kiba whistled despite the tension in the girl and earned a small smile in response.
"Of course she's scary and be glad she's not on your team" Sasuke deadpanned, Naruto nodding sagely in agreement even as Sakura rolled her eyes before the three of them shared amused grins in sync without even trying.
Kurenai shook her head with a small smile "T..Then again i..if Sakura-chan w..were on someone else's t..team, th..they would probably b..be the ones Chunin" Hinata chimed in, eyeing Sasuke and wondering what would happen if a byakugan user and a sharingan user had children.
"Very true" Shino commented, giving Sakura an appraising look from behind his sunglasses, she would be the perfect person to refresh any clan and make future children stronger than the generation before.
And two hours later they were home and signing back in to the village Sakura finally released her death grip on the glass tank she was carrying like it was precious cargo "Well seems Mikoto made a valid point you three are danger magnets" Tsunade said when they walked into her office.
Pointing very specifically at Team Seven "But….regardless you completed your mission, used sound judgement when dealing with the unknown and for that I congratulate you, all of you and in turn you have a couple days off" the Hokage finished waving her hand dismissively.
Before anyone could leave a shocking announcement was made "Tsunade-sama please take me on as your apprentice, I want to become stronger, and be able to heal anyone of any injury, please" Sakura requested bowing low, stunning all.
