The cool breeze caressed Sakura's face, playing with the ends of her cotton candy locks before disappearing back into the midnight sky. Despite the twilight hour, she could barely see the stars in the sky, as they were subtle in comparison to the obnoxious street lights and flashing lamps of the Konoha street. Sakura held her takeout bag tightly, maneuvering through the crowd of late-night shoppers and pedestrians. Konoha truly did come alive at night, with vendors hollering about their newest merchandise and buzzed men and women chattering about in the streets.
"Is it wrong to have ramen more than three times a day?" Her blond teammate slid his eyes over to the Ichiraku Ramen stand, his mouth virtually drooling from the savory smells wafting from the stand. Catching Naruto's eye, Teuchi perked up from behind his bar and gave the boy a small wave, smiling brightly at him before returning to his customers.
"Baka," Sakura shook her head, lightly smacking the back of her friend's head. "Of course it's wrong. Do you know how much sodium ramen even has?"
"Don't know and don't care," Naruto sang out, hooking his hands behind his head. The two of them fell into companionable silence once more, strolling through the streets of the bustling village. The street lights bathed the market in a golden hue, accented by tinges of red and pink shining from the lanterns that hung above them. Children giggled as they weaved through the crowds, passing by young couples arm-in-arm and off-duty shinobi. The kunoichi's lips formed a soft smile at the familiarity of it all, a certain comfortable warmth enveloping her as she walked alongside Naruto.
"Remember when we used to have those Team Seven dinners at Ichiraku?" Naruto mused, his robin egg eyes gazing up at the muted stars. His expression held a twinge of nostalgia, a bittersweet smile accompanying his whiskered cheeks.
"Geez, all you can think about is ramen," Sakura teased, giggling as Naruto pouted at her. She gave him one last grin before turning her attention back to the night sky, her viridian orbs gazing at the deep blue wistfully. "We used to try and figure out what Kakashi-sensei was hiding under his mask."
"I still think he has large, swollen lips," Naruto snickered, kicking a stray pebble under the pavement.
"And I still think he has buck teeth," Sakura replied, sharing a small grin with her friend. They both rounded the street corner, leaving the central market and heading towards the residential district of the village.
"You know," Naruto hummed, "Sasuke used to think that he had puckered lips."
The two of them fell silent after that, nothing but the sound of their footsteps between them. The kunoichi's gaze fell to the pavement below her, a heavy weight settling over her mind. Her lips remained sealed, unsure how to respond.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura observed how Naruto lifted his head to gaze at the stars, a slight smile on his lips. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan," he whispered softly. "We'll get him back."
Naruto's eyes flickered in the bright street lights, filled to the brim with emotions Sakura couldn't describe. Instead, the kunoichi followed his gaze back to the sky, a smile of her own tugging at her lips.
"Yeah," she whispered into the night. "We will."
Sakura woke up from her dream to the sound of Naruto snoring.
She turned her back to her blond teammate, snuggling deeper into her comfy pillow in an effort to escape the horrendous sound. She sighed under the covers, savoring the warmth under the blankets from her teammate's body heat. Reaching her arms out, she pulled the source of heat closer, her movements sluggish as she curled up under the covers. A lazy smile settled onto her lips as a weight draped over her waist, her cheeks pressed fully against the firm pillow. Something slid across her shoulders, wrapping around her chest from behind and pulling her closer.
"Sakura-chan~"
The kunoichi eyes immediately snapped open, her body sharply twisting around. The blond only cuddled her closer to his chest, rubbing his whiskered cheek against her face.
"Naruto," she whispered loudly, trying to avoid waking her other teammate. She pushed away the still-sleeping blond, prying his tanned arms off of her chest and scooting closer to Sasuke's side of the bed. The girl shifted and turned her body back around, intent on returning to her sweet morning sleep, when her nose bumped against a solid chest.
Her honeydew eyes blinked and looked up to see her raven-haired teammate pressed up very close beside her, closer than she had remembered before going to sleep. His body acted like a heater, radiating warmth as he pulled the covers closer and shifted in his sleep. Sakura's eyes widened, her heart rate rapidly increasing at each passing second.
W-Was I cuddling with Sasuke?!
Blushing at their proximity, Sakura scooted away from the Uchiha, gently removing his arm around her waist before scrambling off the bed, kicking Naruto in the process.
"Ow!" Naruto yelled, rubbing his nose as his eyes fluttered open. "Why'd you do that, Sakura-chan?"
The kunoichi ignored her oblivious blond teammate, sprinting toward the bathroom door and slamming it closed. Splashing water from the faucet onto her face, she waited until her burning cheeks cooled from the lukewarm, running water. Her heart, however, didn't cease its violent pounding, and her body felt giddy and tingly. She pinched her arm hard enough that the skin turned into an angry red, trying anything to distract herself from the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Why am I so flustered? Lifting her gaze, Sakura took the time to study herself in the dusty bathroom mirror, taking a moment to calm her racing heartbeat. Wide, doe-like eyes looked back at her, mirroring her inner turmoil. Her messy lotus pink hair framed her sleepy face, a couple strands still soaked from the water droplets falling down her forehead. Light pink sprinkles dusted her cheeks, slowly fading back into their normal shade.
The girl released a long, deep breath from her chest, leaning against the countertop as she sorted out what happened.
Sasuke...
Honestly, Sakura didn't know why she was so embarrassed. All she knew was that when she looked up at Sasuke's sleeping face, felt his warmth envelop her, her heart couldn't seem to stop pounding. Images of the Uchiha flooded her mind, from his dark hair to his deep stare. What's wrong with me? She bit her lip, unconsciously moving a hand to fiddle with her bracelet. She sighed once more, letting the thoughts leave her like the air from her breath, before facing herself once more in the mirror.
"Calm down, Sakura," she murmured to herself, her eyelids fluttering shut for a moment. This isn't my first time sleeping beside Sasuke anyway. Thoughts of Team Seven's wave mission and the night they spent at Tazuna's house entered her mind, pasting together a collage of memories. She remembered sleeping between Naruto and Sasuke then, of always being squished between them in the middle of the night.
But...She chewed at her lip in a nervous manner, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. This is...different.
Shaking her head, Sakura massaged her temples, willing herself to get rid of her messed up emotions. Come on, Sakura. Get a hold of yourself. It's just Sasuke. Cold, rude, and arrogant Sasuke.
He's not that bad, though, another part of her whispered. She chose to ignore that part, instead forcing herself to move on from the topic and her embarrassment.
After drying off her face, the kunoichi slipped back through the bathroom door back into their hotel room, her expression composed and light. She greeted the barely awake Naruto with a small smile, moving towards her travel pack to start her morning routine. To her surprise, Sasuke was up and out of bed as well, his attention focused on the watch on his wrist. His hair stuck out messily like a panther's fur, his spikes even wilder than usual.
"What time is it?" She chirped, moving to shake their drowsy teammate out of bed. At first, the sleepy blond swatted her hand away, nearly falling off the bed in the process. Sakura ended up dragging the jinchuriki out of the bed, ignoring his whines and complaints as he held onto the sheets for dear life.
"About six-thirty," the Uchiha answered, lazily rubbing the sleep out of his eye with his shirt sleeve. "I think we have to be at the testing center at nine."
"Three hours?" Naruto whined, curling up on the floor as Sakura refused to let him back on the bed. "Why did you guys have to wake up so early?"
"Three hours is perfect," the kunoichi countered, pulling the blond boy up from the floor. "That's plenty of time to get ready, eat breakfast, and head over to the center."
"We can also check out the rest of Suna, to get our bearings," Sasuke added, his eyes now wide-awake and energized. He glanced at his watch once more before revisiting his teammate's gaze. "We should probably head down for breakfast in an hour."
Both Naruto and Sakura nodded, and the three of them each began their morning routines. They each changed into comfortable shinobi attire, with Sakura throwing on her regular red qipao top and sweet pink skirt, Naruto pulling on a neon orange shirt-sleeve sweatshirt, and Sasuke slipping into a black top and shorts. Even though there was no need for her to bring any weapons to the testing center, Sakura didn't hesitate to fill her pouch to the brim with senbon and kunai, ever cautious. I know that only the written exams are today, but I don't want to take a chance.
After a tiny argument about who got to brush their teeth first, which Sakura won, and another about who to send to Kakashi's room, in which Sasuke was elected, the team had managed to keep their goal and get ready within the hour, with only minutes to spare. By the time Sasuke had returned from his journey to their sensei's room, Sakura had managed to force a reluctant Naruto to help her make the bed and clean up the rest of the room.
"Why isn't Kakashi-sensei with you?" The kunoichi asked as soon as her teammate entered their hotel room. The Uchiha shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets as he strolled into the center of the room.
"He told me he had to go to another Konoha jonin meeting," Sasuke replied, leaning against the wall with an aura of nonchalance.
"But they just had one yesterday," Sakura pointed out, furrowing her brow. Why would the jonin have another meeting? Is there something wrong?
"Either way," Sasuke continued, slipping a kunai out of his pouch and casually twirling it around his finger. "We should head over to the testing center soon. I don't think sensei is coming with us."
Sighing, the kunoichi nodded in agreement, following her teammates out the door and into the corridor.
"Man, I'm so pumped for this!" Naruto shouted out, running ahead of his two teammates as they strolled through the bare Suna streets. The atmosphere was thick and heavy, settling uncomfortably over Sakura's arms and legs as the unforgiving sunlight beat down upon the exposed road. The kunoichi fanned herself as they passed by clay houses and merchant stands, the unbearable heat draining her energy as she called out to Naruto to slow down.
After the three of them had eaten their fill of syrupy waffles, they had set out to travel across town to the designated testing center for the exams. Sakura definitely felt more energized after the warm cup of coffee she had sipped along with her breakfast, though she was nowhere near as ecstatic about the exams as Naruto. The boy had sucked in the food like a vacuum, cleaning his plate in less than five minutes before pestering Sasuke and Sakura to finish theirs. It had gotten so bad that the kunoichi considered stuffing his head into a bowl of cereal, but refrained when Sasuke solved the problem by virtually throwing the jinchuriki out of the lobby doors. After a series of verbal insults and near death threats, Sakura eventually had to step in and defuse the situation so that they wouldn't get kicked out of the hotel.
Despite this, however, the blond jinchuriki's mood remained bright and buoyant, his smile full of spirit and eagerness as they made their way through the boiling heat. Sakura smiled fondly at her excited teammate, trailing alongside Sasuke as she observed him bounce throughout the street.
I miss him. The kunoichi's eyes softened as her memories brought her back to simpler times, back when she wasn't a time traveler, or when she wasn't Konoha's only hope.
Back when she was just Sakura.
She remembered lazing around with Sai under the sweet shade of an oak tree, teaching the Anbu artist the ways of social interaction. She remembered having petty fights with Ino, learning medical ninjutsu alongside her, and teasing her about how she was a couple months ahead of the girl. However, most of her memories were filled with Naruto, of chatting with him, scolding him, and going on missions together.
It was true, though, that the Naruto in this life and the Naruto she had grown up with were not the same. That Naruto was the one who had gone on countless missions alongside her, who had seen her tears and smiles and joy and fear. That Naruto was the one she had grown up alongside, the one that she matured alongside. That Naruto was the one that shared the pain and anguish she had felt when Sasuke had left, the only other person who understood what it was like to lose a teammate to darkness.
They aren't that different, though, Sakura reflected. After all, this Naruto is just a younger version of that one. Who knows who he'll turn out to be in this life? Without meaning to, her gaze slid over to the boy next to her, tracing his profile with her gaze. The same could be said for anyone else. She observed both of them, her eyes following the bouncing blond ahead of her and the stoic Uchiha beside her. Whoever they turn out to be in this life...they are still my teammates. They might not be the Naruto and Sasuke from my previous life, but they are still my Naruto and Sasuke.
At this thought, a small warmth enveloped her chest, cozy and fuzzy like a wool blanket. She lifted her gaze to the cloudless sky above her, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. And this time, I'll fight even harder for both of them.
"Ow! Watch it, you dumbass."
The sound of a somewhat familiar voice pulled Sakura out of her thoughts, bringing her attention back to the village street. Ahead of her, a strange boy loomed over a fallen Naruto, his mouth twisted into a disgusted snarl. Deep violet markings were painted across his face in broad strokes, a bandaged object in the shape of a coffin strapped to his back. The kunoichi froze for an instant as she processed the boy in front of her, vague memories tugging at the back of her mind at the sight of the familiar face.
Kankuro? Sakura's lips slipped into a light frown, studying the genin in front of her intently. That's right. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro should be taking the exams as well. I wonder why we didn't see them yesterday at the center.
"You bumped into me, you weirdo!" Naruto growled back, rubbing his head as he moved to stand up. "You should be the one apologizing!"
The two boys glared at each other with clenched teeth like a pair of dogs, each one hovering their hand over their weapon pouch threateningly. Just as Sakura was about to step in to diffuse the situation, a hand laid over Kankuro's shoulder, pulling him back a few paces. A dusty blonde girl with four wild ponytails and a condescending smirk stepped out from behind Kankuro, a handkerchief with the symbol of Suna displayed proudly around her neck.
"Let it go, Kankuro," Temari spoke to her brother, all the while keeping her bottle-green eyes trained on Naruto. "We shouldn't waste our time with clueless genin."
"Hey!" Naruto immediately jumped up, clenching his fists as he scowled at the pair of siblings. "I'm not clueless! You're the one who started it anyway," he pointed to Kankuro.
The Sand genin stretched his painted lips into an unsettling smirk, whipping a kunai out of his pouch. "Well then," he spoke with a threatening tone, "I guess that I should be the one to finish it as well."
Well, that escalated quickly, Sakura internally commented as she watched the two Sand genin gang up on her teammate. Sensing a fight brewing, she stepped up beside Naruto, making eye contact with both of the siblings. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sasuke come up to the other side of Naruto, ready to intervene as well if necessary. Noticing the way Temari shifted her body towards her fan, Sakura dropped her attack stance, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible.
"That's not necessary," she intervened, keeping her gaze steady and her tone firm. "We shouldn't get into a fight right before the exams."
"Nice try, kunoichi," Kankuro taunted, reaching an arm behind him to pull the bandaged object on his back. The object landed on the ground with a heavy thud, with Kankuro resting his hand on the bushy head of dull hair on top. As soon as it slipped off, Sakura pulled a kunai out of her bag, her lips falling into a deeper frown. A puppet.
"What are you doing Kankuro?!" Temari exclaimed, stepping back from her brother with a confused look. "You're really going to use the Crow for this?"
The bandages on Kankuro's puppet started twisting and whipping in the air, slowly unraveling as the boy smiled maliciously. "This little runt needs to be taught a lesson," he replied, maintaining eye contact with Naruto. "Plus, I've been meaning to blow off some steam."
After a couple of moments, Temari sighed in acceptance, seemingly used to her brother's antics. She dropped her hand from her fan, taking a step back as the puppet exuded more and more chakra. "Whatever," she shrugged, merely glancing at the Konoha genin before retreating behind Kankuro. "Just make sure to wrap this up quickly. We don't want him to find out."
This isn't good, Sakura clenched her fist, carefully observing Kankuro and Temari's movements. At this rate, we'll have an all-out battle with Kankuro and Temari, which could spell out bad things for the rest of the exams. I need to find a way to end this quickly.
Just as the last bandage slipped off the puppet, an artificial hand shot out towards Naruto, wrapping around his torso faster than Sakura could blink. The kunoichi reacted immediately, moving to grab the arm at one of its joints. She gripped the wood until it creaked and groaned, eventually snapping it in two from the pressure of her chakra, releasing Naruto. The blond boy stumbled back at his sudden release, his eyes wide open in shock as he processed the attack.
"What the hell?" Kankuro spat, his painted face twisting into a snarl and he glared viciously at the pink-haired kunoichi. "You'll pay for that, you brat!"
Another hand shot out from the mass of bandages, pulling the rest of the puppet body along with it. Empty, soulless eyes stared into Sakura as the puppet rocketed towards the girl, it's hand aiming to clamp over her foot. Leaping away, she dodged the attack, landing neatly on the other side of the street. Holding her kunai before her, the kunoichi prepared to attack when a gust of wind forcefully pushed her onto the ground. Sakura instinctively shielded her eyes from the debris, her hair whipping wildly around her as the powerful winds coerced her to the pavement.
"Damn it, Kankuro!" Temari yelled, her shrill voice drowned out by the whipping winds. "This is what you get for picking fights. Now he'll find out!"
Peeking through her arms, Sakura spotted an irritated Temari clutching a colossal, semi-opened fan with one violet dot displayed on the front. She quickly scanned the area, picking out Naruto's bright head of hair peeking out behind a merchant stand and a disgruntled Kankuro fiddling with his broken puppet arm behind his sister. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
As Temari's attack died down, Sakura quickly tumbled to her left, taking shelter behind a nearby merchant stand as well while she had the chance. From there she observed the two Sand Siblings, her calculating jade eyes honed in on Kankuro's wooden puppet. If I can destroy that puppet with my enhanced strength, this fight would be over. Her gaze slid over to the girl next to him clutching the sleek black supports with practiced ease. However, I need to get rid of her fan if I want to get close.
Her answer came to her when she noticed a flicker of black against the flawless, cornflower blue sky. Lifting her gaze to the rooftops, Sakura's eyes came across a dark figure lurking on top of the clay structures. For a couple of seconds, their gazes met as a smirk slid onto Sakura's lips. So that's where Sasuke is. She glanced back at the Sand siblings, the seeds of a plan sprouting in her head. He must have hopped onto the nearest rooftop when he saw Temari's fan. Knowing that she had his attention, Sakura tilted her head towards Temari, subtly signaling the Uchiha. Catching on quickly, the boy nodded, crouching low as he positioned himself above the siblings with a kunai in his hand.
"Kankuro, get over your stupid puppet," the blonde kunoichi chided, pulling her brother up with one hand as she held the fan in front of her defensively. "We can't let a bunch of lousy brats beat us. We're running out of time, Kankuro-"
Before she could finish, a kunai whizzed past her face, nearly cutting her cheek open before burying itself in the ground.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Balls of fire burst from Sasuke's mouth, shooting towards the Suna kunoichi at high speeds. Temari's eyes widened, her fingers fumbling with the fan as she swiftly unleashed a blast of air to ward off the flames. However, the flames peeled back to reveal hidden shuriken, in which only a few were deterred by the hasty wind attack.
Taking advantage of Temari's distraction, Sakura sprinted out of her shelter behind the stand, her gaze honed in on the puppet master. Meeting her eyes, Kankuro discarded his puppet's arm, raising his fingers to send his wooden masterpiece her way. The Leaf kunoichi leaped to the side as the puppet swiped at her with a kunai, gathering her chakra in her foot as she spun around and delivered a devastating kick. The wood splintered beneath her foot, her chakra destroying the puppet until it was nothing but pieces of timber.
Kankuro's face slackened, staring solely at the broken puppet as it's lifeless body was destroyed before his very eyes. In an instant, his violet lips warped into an outraged snarl, his nose wrinkling as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You-"
"Enough."
The word echoed throughout the empty street, bringing all the genin to a pause as they searched for the source of the call. Grains of sand rose from the dusty street, as if moving on their own, and came together to form the vague shape of a human body. Features were molded from the sand, solidifying before peeling away to reveal a young boy.
Sakura simply stared at him, unconsciously holding her breath as her body stilled. Burning frost crawled up her limbs, freezing her in place as her attention stayed trained on the boy.
...Gaara.
Particles of sand curled around the jinchuriki's feet, falling from his sickly pale skin onto the ground as he fully materialized in front of the genin. On his back he carried a clay gourd, a dark, bold seal painted on the back. Thick, inky strokes outlined his eyes, emphasizing the seafoam green orbs inside. His expression didn't change in the slightest when he met Sakura's eyes, so dull and emotionless that it was unnatural. The girl suppressed an uncomfortable shiver, the hairs on the back of her neck tingling at the ominous look in his eye. The boy ignored the rest of the genin, his gaze honing in on Kankuro with his arms crossed on his chest.
"Kankuro," Gaara spoke, his voice dry and cracked like the ground beneath him. "Are you the one who attacked these genin?"
There was something unsettling in the way the genin's face barely twitched, not a flicker of malice evident on his features. However, his tone carried a sense of foreboding, mirroring the invisible threatening aura that surrounded the boy.
Kankuro's snarl instantly fell at the sight of his brother, slowly replaced by something akin to barely masked horror. His painted jaw slackened with his eyes widening ever so slightly, shifting his weight backward. Sakura glanced at his twitching fingers, noting the way he fidgeted with the hem of his black shirt.
"Th-they started it," Kankuro stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Gaara merely stared at the boy with those blank eyes of his, his silent threat not going unnoticed by the puppet master.
"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, hopping out from behind a merchant stand. "You were the one who attacked us first!" He stopped beside Sakura, pointing an accusing finger at the Suna genin.
"That's only because you were being a little-"
"Shut up, Kankuro," Gaara interrupted, his cold voice piercing through Kankuro's reply. The puppet master nodded, hunching his shoulders like a scolded child. "Your actions reflect poorly on our village. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"But," Kankuro stepped forward, his tone bordering on desperate. "Temari and I-"
"I don't care," the jinchuriki interrupted once more. "If you embarrass our village again..." A certain kind of cruelty settled over the boy's eyes.
"...I'll kill the both of you."
Even though the threat wasn't directed at her, Sakura could still feel Gaara's words echo through her body, a sort-of primal fear awakening inside of her as she stared into his eyes. There is something about him that's...unstable, she shivered, pinching her arm to calm her racing heartbeat. I always knew that Gaara wasn't exactly good when he was a genin, but I never realized the extent.
She couldn't really blame her past self for not truly realizing how evil the boy was, since at that time she had never been confronted by true madness. But, throughout her years as a kunoichi, Sakura had been exposed time and time again to true madness, to villains who craved bloodlust like the thirsty craved water. And, as the time-traveler looked into the eyes of the boy before her, she recognized what made her muscles tense and her instincts scream at the sight of him.
Madness.
Gaara shifted his attention to Sakura, a passing breeze ruffling his blood-soaked hair. He glanced at the broken remains of the puppet at her feet, taking a moment to study her before meeting her eyes once more.
"I apologize if he caused any trouble," he spoke, nodding his head to the remains of the puppet.
Unsure how to respond, Sakura kept her gaze steady on the boy, letting his apology hang in the air. Gaara kept his gaze locked on her for a couple of seconds before moving on to size up Sasuke. Something in his expression darkened, and the kunoichi kept her eyes trained on the boy, monitoring his body language closely. I need to be prepared if he decides to do something, she thought, subtly shifting into a barely noticeable attack stance. Thankfully, the boy made no move to attack any of the Konoha genin, though Sakura could not be sure what he was thinking.
"Who are you guys anyway?" Her blond teammate asked, his voice loud and out of place in the tense atmosphere.
The crimson-haired boy barely spared the other jinchuriki a glance, instead silently turning around and walking away from the genin. As if under an unspoken agreement, Temari and Kankuro hurriedly followed him, not leaving any parting words for the Konoha genin.
"Identify yourselves," Sasuke called out, his voice forceful and firm. He swiftly came up on the other side of Sakura, his attention honed in on the retreating backs of the Sand genin.
"Me?" Temari chirped, turning her head back with a sweet blush on her cheeks.
Sasuke shook his head, narrowing his eyes at Gaara's back. "No. The boy with the gourd on his back."
At this, Gaara paused, stepping to fully face Sasuke. His expression remained blank and emotionless, though Sakura spotted a flicker of curiosity in his eye.
"Me? I'm Gaara of the desert," he replied, taking a moment to study Sasuke. "I'm curious about you as well. Who are you?"
"So you answer when he asks you your name, but you ignore me?!" Naruto exclaimed, his presence virtually ignored by the two genin.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke responded with a hint of a smirk on his lips, ignoring Naruto's outburst.
Gaara nodded before his seafoam green eyes slid over to Sakura. "And you?"
The kunoichi furrowed her eyebrows at this, a little startled that Gaara had asked for her name. Well, I didn't expect that. Nonetheless, she collected herself, fearlessly staring back at Gaara's emotionless eyes.
"Sakura Haruno," she replied, her tone curt and firm. Sensing his aura of competitiveness, she met his challenge with a glare of her own, their green orbs clashing in a silent battle.
"And my name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto's declaration broke through their glaring contest, his grin haughty and bright as he pointed a thumb to his chest. "Believe it!"
Gaara remained silent for a couple of moments, meeting Naruto's gaze for the first time since he came. "I don't care," he stated without a hint of interest, turning around fully to continue walking down the street. Soon, the siblings disappeared from view, leaving Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto alone once more.
"Geez," Sakura sighed in relief, massaging her shoulder as she faced her teammates. "That was...interesting."
"Yeah," Sasuke agreed, a slight smirk pulling at his lips. A heated flame burned in his onyx orbs, something that the kunoichi had seen in Sasuke's eyes many times before. Of course, he's excited about a new rival, she shook her head. Classic Sasuke. Picking fights with people left and right.
Shifting her attention elsewhere, the kunoichi noticed her blond teammate a little ways away, his shoulders hunched and defeated. Is he okay? Concerned for her friend, Sakura closed the distance between her and Naruto, about to lay a hand on his shoulder when she realized it was shaking.
Naruto's sapphire eyes stared at the ground, gritting his teeth with a scowl on his face. His fist was clenched tightly, and Sakura could almost feel his chakra spike. Taking a deep breath, his shoulders relaxed, his face holding a look of determination.
"I'll win this thing," Sakura heard him mutter under his breath. "Believe it."
"Choose a desk and sit down," one of the Suna jonin directed, ushering genin into the common room.
Sakura maneuvered through the rows of desks, keeping an eye out for any that were unoccupied. She decided on an empty seat a little further away from the center of the room, not wasting another moment to claim it before another genin chose it. Twisting her head, she found Sasuke sitting in the row behind her, his hands folded in front of his face. Naruto sat down two rows ahead of her, only a couple desks away from Kiba and Hinata.
I wonder what's going to be different about the written exams this time? Sakura wondered, leaning her head against her head. Is it going to be different at all?
Taking a moment to survey the room, Sakura looked out for any familiar faces in the sea of genin. Most of the Konoha genin were randomly spread out throughout the room, with Ino sitting a couple rows behind her, Neji sitting only a few desks left of her, and the rest of the rookies on the other side of the room. What really caught her attention was when Gaara shuffled into the room, wandering through the crowd before sitting in the desk directly behind her, with Sasuke right beside him. The kunoichi immediately stiffened, her shinobi instincts bristling at the fact that she had her back towards a potential enemy. She dug her nails into her skin, forcing herself to keep her eyes to the front of the room and not turn around. Come on, Sakura, the kunoichi coached herself. Forget Gaara. Focus on the exams.
"Hello, everyone."
A middle-aged woman stepped out to the front of the room, a deep frown etched into her face. She wore the standard outfit for Sunagakure jonin, her hair pulled into a neat bun while her hands remained clasped behind her back.
"I will be your proctor during these exams," the woman informed, pacing around the front of the room. "There are nine written questions in total in this exam. You will be expected to complete them in," she glanced at the clock on the wall, "thirty minutes. Over the course of the exam, you will not be allowed to speak or leave your seat. Cheating will not be tolerated in any form. Any participant who is caught cheating will be dismissed from this year's exams. Do you understand?"
A series of nods and yeses echoed throughout the room, which seemed to satisfy the proctor. She gave a sharp nod, motioning her hand to signal a couple of jonin near the corner of the room. The jonin marched down the rows of desks, passing out papers and pencils. Once their job was finished, they retreated to the sides of the room, their eyes scanning the crowd like a hawk's.
"Your time starts..." The proctor watched the clock for a couple of seconds, and the room fell into silence.
3...
2...
1...
"Now."
Wasting no time, Sakura flipped her paper, eyes roaming over the questions. It seems like the written exams are similar to the ones we had in Konoha, she noted, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Lucky for me, I don't run the risk of getting caught cheating. Gripping her pencil, the kunoichi rapidly filled out the exam, her mind working through the problems and deciphering the coded messages. If a ninja has been intercepted by the enemy in neutral territory...
As she was reading the eighth question, Sakura felt an itch in her eye. She blinked a few times, her eyes watering as more and more particles came into her eye. What is...is this sand? Her hand rubbed at her eyes, hoping to brush off the grains of sand that invaded her vision. It didn't take her long to figure out what was going on. She glanced toward the ceiling, confirming her suspicions when a single, floating eye stared back at her.
It's Gaara! He's trying to cheat off of me, she pieced together. Not wasting another second, Sakura swiftly turned her paper over, hiding the answers from the ominous eye floating above her. Slipping a senbon out of her pouch, she flicked it at the eye, piercing it through its pupil. The eye dissolved into a heap of sand, freezing in the air before retreating back to its master.
Sakura paused for a couple of seconds, glancing around for any unusual activity. If Gaara was cheating off of me, it means he figured out that I knew the answers to the test. She narrowed her eyes. I need to be more careful. Deeming it safe, the kunoichi flipped her paper over once more, though this time writing noticeably slower and pacing herself through the questions to throw off potential cheaters. Even when she had finished, she kept her pencil in her grip, her gaze focused on her test as if she was struggling with a problem.
Using her peripheral vision, she glanced at Sasuke, who was using his Sharingan to cheat off of Neji. He'll be fine, she reassured herself, shifting her attention ahead of her. Her gaze fell on the obnoxious orange sweatshirt sitting two rows in front of her. I'm more worried about Naruto.
Though she could only see the back of his head, it was pretty easy to pick up Naruto's nervous confusion by his swiveling blond head and the constant tapping of his pencil on the wooden desk. I need to find a way to help him, Sakura thought, pursing her lips. But how? She checked the clock ticking on the wall, her brows furrowing. There are only seven minutes left. How am I going to help him?
I can't pass him a scroll, she thought, setting down her pencil and flipping her paper over. And I don't really have any techniques that could help me. Folding her hands in front of her, Sakura squeezed her palms together as she watched the minute hand of the clock tick, each passing second slipping between her fingers. There's nothing I can do without getting caught. He's sitting too far away from me. I just hope that these exams are the same as last time.
"You have one minute left," the proctor informed, marching through the rows of desks with her hand clasped behind her back. Her footsteps echoed through the silent room, the only other sound being the scratching of pencils on paper. She looped around the room once before checking the clock.
"That's time. Put your pencils down."
The jonin lining the sides of the room maneuvered through the desks, picking up test papers and pencils as they passed by. Once they collected all of the papers, the proctor spoke up once more.
"Congratulations, you all have completed the written portion of the exam." Although the proctor was congratulating them, her voice remained monotonous and a frown stayed on her lips. "There is, however, one final question. If you do not answer the question correctly, you will automatically fail this year's exams." A series of gasps erupted throughout the room at the proctor's words. The woman didn't seem fazed at the slightest, continuing on as if she couldn't see their reaction. "You will each be questioned by a jonin separately. If you fail the test, you may leave. If you pass, you must stay for the briefing of the next stage."
Questioned separately? Sakura frowned. That's new. I wonder what the question will be? She refused to think of the possibility of her somehow answering the question incorrectly, reassuring herself that, as a jonin, she should be able to answer any question intended for a chunin. Her eyes followed the jonin as they circled through the room. One of them stopped in front of a genin, his hands forming a series of signs while staring intently at the boy. They were both silent for a few seconds, the boy's eyes seemingly glazed over as his body became unnaturally still. Genjutsu? Sakura guessed, her gaze never leaving the pair. Eventually, the jonin lowered his hands and the boy seemed to snap back to life, though his eyes were blown up wide and his shoulders shook slightly.
"Fail." Without a second glance, the jonin moved to the next genin beside the boy, repeating the same hand signs once more. What? The kunoichi frown deepened, her expression troubled. What was in that genjutsu?
As the jonin made their way throughout the room, various genin were failed and dismissed, with only a few remaining in their seats. Despite this, both groups of genin wore the same expression, one of absolute horror. Some were able to handle it better than others; for example, Neji, who, after being released from the jutsu, carefully coached his expression back to his neutral facade as he remained in his seat. A kunoichi a couple of desks away from Sakura, however, had immediately broken down, taking a moment to bury her head in her arms before running out of the room.
One of the jonin eventually made their way to Sasuke, who had activated his Sharingan simply due to the stress of the situation. When he succumbed to the genjutsu, however, his eyes cooled down once more to deep obsidian, no longer seeing the classroom around him. Sakura's attention was absorbed by her teammate, anxiety building up in her chest as she prayed for a good result. Not a moment too soon, the jonin lowered his hands, bringing the Uchiha out of his dreamlike state. Almost instantly, his eyes were flooded with crimson, the tomoe of his Sharingan spinning wildly as his fists clenched on the desk. He lifted his head to meet her gaze, his blood-red eyes intense and overflowing with terror. Sakura's heart nearly broke at the way he looked at her, as if reassuring himself that she was still there.
"Pass."
The jonin moved on to the genin beside Sasuke, who happened to be Gaara, but Sakura still didn't break eye contact with her teammate. Only when a hand laid on her shoulder did she turn around, facing one of the Sunagakure jonin who was already forming the hand signs. The kunoichi didn't even have time to mentally prepare herself before her mind surrendered to the jutsu.
Sakura awoke in a forest.
Gathering her bearings, she pushed herself up from the cool, dirt floor, blinking as her eyes adjusted to her dimly light surroundings. The smell of soil and earth hung in the air, a sharp contrast to the thick humidity of the common room. Waves of a ghostly fog rolled through the shadows of trees, so dense that she could barely see three feet in front of her. She shivered as the mist seeped through her skin, the cold enveloping her body and soaking into her bones. Her eyes instinctively searched for any source of light, any source of warmth, but she soon realized that only darkness surrounded her.
"It's only a genjutsu," she whispered to herself, the sound of her voice filling the eerie silence. Crouching onto the forest floor, she slowly stood up, her hand slipping into her weapons pouch. Her head turned side to side, scanning her surroundings for any potential threats. What's going to happen?
All of a sudden, the sound of leaves crunching broke the silence. Peering through the fog, the kunoichi discerned the vague shape of a figure in the mist. She immediately brought her kunai in front of her, dropping into a defensive stance as the footsteps became louder.
"Choose..." The wind whispered to her, the word echoing faintly in her mind. Shaking her head, Sakura cleared her thoughts, focusing solely on the figure nearing her. Are they going to fight me?
The fog parted around the figure, revealing a startling familiar boy. Sasuke? Sakura gasped, barely restraining herself from walking up to her teammate. Remember, Sakura, it's a genjutsu, she reminded herself, bringing up her guard once more. The illusion of Sasuke, however, mirrored him almost exactly, with his unreadable eyes, slight frown, and messy midnight locks. Her attention slipped from the Uchiha when another figure appeared in the mist, this time revealing a certain blond jinchuriki with his tangerine sweatshirt.
And Naruto too? Sakura pursed her lips, keeping the kunai in front of her. What's going on?
"Choose..." The forest whispered the word once more, although this time a bit louder. "Choose."
"Choose what?" she asked in confusion, unsure who she should direct the question to. Another breeze passed through the darkened woods, making the branches shake as if cackling. Sakura's skin began to prickle as the sound of her heartbeat throbbed in her ears, her instincts running haywire.
"Choose..." The trees spoke once more, the fog growing thicker as the seconds passed by. The branches overhead stretched and groaned, curling over her as if they were talons preparing to snatch her. Sakura held her breath, her eyes darting around her as she stepped backward.
"...someone to die."
One of the branches suddenly shot out, piercing Sasuke's shoulder violently. He screamed, doubling over as his hand clutched at the wound, blood leaking from in between his fingers.
"No!" Sakura cried out, moving to assist her teammate. Before she could move a step, however, vines burst out of the soil beneath her, snatching and wrapping around her arms and legs. She struggled in place, slashing her kunai at the thick plants as they curled around her limbs. She grabbed at the plant, channeling chakra into her palm, but the vine remained unharmed, not even bruised by her enhanced strength.
Another branch swiftly came down from the trees, this time piercing Naruto's torso. The blond fell to the ground, red liquid soaking through his orange sweatshirt.
"Choose..."
Another branch shot out, and then another and another, filling the woods with the screams and cries of her teammates. Sakura looked on in horror as blood pooled out of their beaten and stabbed bodies, seeping into the inky black soil.
"Choose..."
"Stop it!" She screamed, pulling against the vines with all her might as she tried to reach her teammates. "Please, stop!"
"Choose..."
A branch stabbed at Sasuke's stomach, blood dripping from the tip as it pulled out of his body.
"Choose..."
"I won't!" Sakura shouted, shutting her eyes as she spotted another branch coming towards Naruto. It didn't block out his scream of pain, however, and she could almost feel it ripping at her heart. I can't choose between them!
"Choose..."
Sasuke groaned in pain.
"Choose..."
Naruto cried out.
"Choose..."
Choose.
Choose.
Choose.
"Myself!" The kunoichi yelled, tears streaming down her face. "I choose myself to die!"
For a moment, not a single sound echoed through the forest. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, blinking through the warm liquid. Sasuke and Naruto's broken bodies laid lifeless in front of her, gradually fading away into the thick mist. The vines around her loosened, slipping down her body and back into the soil. The kunoichi immediately collapsed onto the ground, her chest panting heavily as her body remained frozen from shock.
Her eyes fluttered shut, the woods enveloping her in their darkness.
Sakura jerked forward, her stomach hitting the side of the wooden desk. The bright lights of the common room blinded her for a couple of moments, and she blinked rapidly, letting herself adjust to them.
"Pass."
The jonin in front of her moved on, repeating the same series of hand signals to the girl next to her. Right, she thought to herself. I forgot that it was a genjutsu. By now almost all the genin had left, with only thirty or so remaining in the common room. Sakura barely registered this fact, though, as her mind was still reeling from the genjutsu she had just endured. She stared at the back of Naruto's head, not a trace of blood in his blond locks. It looks like he already went through the test, she noted, her eyes following the rest of the jonin as they moved back to the corners of the room.
"Well, then, I guess I should congratulate you all once more," the proctor remarked, stepping into the front of the room. "All of you have passed the first stage of the exams and will now move on to the second stage. The second stage will begin at 7:00 sharp tomorrow morning at the village gates. You are dismissed."
Sakura stood up from her chair, shuffling along with the rest of the genin out of the common room and outside, where the sky had darkened into a deep shade of navy. The kunoichi quickly found Sasuke in the crowd, maneuvering and making her way to her teammate. The Uchiha spotted her when she was a couple feet away, pausing so that she could catch up to him. His eyes were still washed over in deep crimson, the tomoe of his Sharingan spinning slowly as he gazed back at her.
"Sasuke. Sakura." A voice whispered weakly from behind her, laying a hand on her arm.
Sakura turned to find Naruto, his eyes sullen and devoid of their usual warmth. Images of the branches piercing his body and blood soaking through Sasuke's clothes flashed through her mind, replaying like a sick movie on loop. The desperation, the horror and the heartbreak, that she had felt threatened to break her facade of calm, to rush in like water bursting through a dam. All of a sudden, a certain urge overcame her, prompting her to throw her arms around her teammates and envelope them in a bone-crushing hug.
Even though she was a shinobi, even though she had been through the thick of battle and the horrors of war, the fear of losing those closest to her still persisted. The kunoichi buried her head into their shoulders, her heart overflowing with concern, fear, thankfulness, and everything in between.
They were okay.
Almost instantly, Naruto returned the gesture, pulling her and Sasuke closer as if he were to lose them at that very moment. And, only a few moments later, Sakura felt another arm hesitantly wrap across her waist, pulling his teammates closer as well.
There the three of them stood, reassuring themselves and each other that they were safe.
Locking the door behind him, Kakashi stepped into the hotel hallway with his travel pack heavy on his shoulders. It had only been a couple hours ago when the emergency Konoha jonin meeting had been called, and only a couple of hours before that had Kakashi first found the scroll on his bedside table from the Hokage. The jonin had all decided to rendezvous at the hotel where Asuma and his genin team were currently staying at, all four of them cramming into his tiny room. Unlike the last meeting he had attended, Kakashi didn't even think about pulling out his beloved Paradise novel, the circumstances being too pressing for any leisure of that sort. The four of them had discussed the letters they had received in detail, though they soon found out that none of them knew more than any other in the room. The only course of action they could take was to obey the Hokage and return to Konohagakure. Only then would they be enlightened on the reasoning of their urgent return.
Of course, that brought up the question of what to do with their genin pupils.
"Well, we can't just pull them out of the exams," Kurenai objected, crossing her arms on her chest. "They should have already completed the first stage by now."
Asuma glanced at his watch before nodding in agreement. "Assuming they all passed, we may have to leave them to complete them."
"They'll have to fend for themselves then," Kurenai pointed out, a delicate frown on her cherry lips.
"They were going to learn how to anyway," Kakashi drawled, leaning his shoulders against the wall. "Might as well give them a head start."
At this, the three other jonin seemed to agree, and it was settled. The Konoha sensei would leave for Konohagakure at midnight while the genin remained in Suna.
Slipping his room key into his pocket, Kakashi trudged down the silent hallway, pausing in front of his student's door. Three crisp knows sounded through the empty hall before silence engulfed it once more. The door opened with a small click, real the face of his only female student.
"Oh! Kakashi-sensei," she greeted, her bright eyes widening a fraction. "We weren't expecting you this late. Sasuke and I were just playing a game of shogi."
She opened the door fully, making room for her sensei to step into the room. Packets of pretzels and crackers were scattered across the floor alongside partially opened scrolls, stacks of books, and newly sharpened weapons. At the foot of the bed sat Sasuke, his fingers fiddling with one of the pieces as he stared at the board in front of him thoughtfully. The Uchiha merely glanced at Kakashi, nodding to him in greeting before refocusing on the board. Closing the door, Sakura moved past him and took her place across from Sasuke.
"So, who's winning?" The white-haired jonin asked, peering at the pieces on the board.
"Me," both his students answered simultaneously, narrowing their eyes at each other.
"That's good," Kakashi replied carelessly, not very interested in his students' rivalry at the moment. "How were the exams?"
"They were fine," Sakura hummed, her focus on the board in front of her. After some thought, she moved a piece forward. Sasuke smirked at this, almost immediately moving another of his pieces in retaliation. "We passed."
The jonin raised his eyebrow at his student's curtness, a little uncharacteristic for the girl. Though, by the dull look that passed through his students' eyes at the mention of the exam, he decided not to press the issue. Instead, he observed the two of them as they played, registering the noticeable disappearance of his most obnoxious student.
"Where's Naruto?" he pointed out, glancing around the room.
"The dobe went out a while ago," Sasuke supplied, not bothering to lift his gaze from the board. "He said he needed some fresh air."
The masked jonin nodded, shifting the pack on his shoulder. I'll have to go check on him and tell him the news.
"So, why are you here, Kakashi-sensei?" his female student chirped, both her and Sasuke shifting to fully face him. "Why are you carrying a travel pack?"
"Well," he dropped the polite smile on his face, meeting his student's gazes with a somber look. "The Konoha jonin, including myself, have all been summoned by the Hokage to immediately return to Konoha."
The room lulled into a brief silence, his students staring at him with wide eyes.
"But then what about the Chunin exams?" Sasuke questioned, his dark eyes now fully attentive.
"The three of you will be staying here to complete them," Kakashi answered calmly, studying the genin's reactions.
The Uchiha seemed to calm down slightly after he said this, though a light frown remained on his face. Sakura, however, did not seem to take the news well, her eyes sharpening as her brow furrowed, He could practically see the gears in her mind working, calculating and theorizing the reasons why he would leave.
In a gesture of reassurance, Kakashi reached out and ruffled her hair, messing up her blush pink locks. "Don't worry," he smiled. "I know that you both will be able to take care of yourselves. Look out for Naruto, okay?"
Sakura playfully swatted his hand away, her hair still slightly messy after she attempted to rearrange it. His purpose fulfilled, Kakashi moved to the door, resting his hand on the knob as he met his students' gazes.
"Stay sharp."
Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other, a silent understanding passing through them before they shifted their attention back to Kakashi.
"Yeah."
"Okay."
With that, he slipped out of the door and closed it, making sure it automatically locked. The white-haired jonin strolled into the lobby, returning his room key to the receptionist and stepping out into the Suna night. Setting off towards the village gates since he was already ten minutes late, Kakashi paused when the sound of multiple pairs of footsteps filled his ears. Curious, the jonin pinpointed the source of the sound as the hotel rooftop. He leaped onto the side of the building, using his chakra as he crept towards the storm of feet.
Peeking up from the side of the building, he raised his eyebrow at the multitude of clones of his student flying around the rooftop, bouncing off clay buildings as they sparred with each other. So this is what Naruto's been doing, Kakashi internally commented as he observed the mass of shadow clones.
Clones upon clones slashed kunai at each other, explosions of smoke filling the air as each fallen clone was replaced by a whole new wave. The jonin watched quietly as his student trained with rigor, something like pride blooming in his chest. He's grown so much.
They all have.
Unwilling to interrupt the jinchuriki's training, Kakashi slipped off the rooftop without a sound, leaping down to the road with a new sense of reassurance. His hands found their way into his pockets as he continued his trek to the gates.
They'll be fine. As long as they remain cautious and look out for each other, they'll be fine, he reassured himself.
These thoughts and more echoed through his mind, repeating almost like a mantra as he journeyed to the village gates.
A pair of slitted eyes peered through the shadows, their intense gaze focused on the group of jonin lingering at the gates. All at once, they took off, disappearing into the darkness of the horizon. A thin smile pulled at the unknown figure's lips, their tongue slipping out to lick their cracked, scaly lips.
"Phase two: completed."
Hello there everyone!
I'm so sorry for the late update! I had to rewrite this chapter so many times and school stuff also got in the way. Thank you so much for your patience :) Lucky for you, this chapter is a bit longer than my previous ones, so it's kind of like a special treat (or an apology gift)!
This chapter was mainly about the first stage of the exams, the written ones, and how Team Seven dealt with meeting the Sand Siblings. Just in case you skimmed over it, the second stage will be held the next day for the exams. I promise that there will be more sasusaku in the coming chapters!
Here are a couple questions for you all to theorize over:
How do you think the Sand Siblings and Team Seven's relationship will progress from here?
What about Naruto? How do you think the events of the chapter will influence him or his development from here on out?
Also, what were your thoughts on the genjutsu as 'the final question'? And what about the Konoha jonin deciding to leave the genin in Suna?
Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story! Your opinions and theories are all very interesting to read. Feel free to comment on the story or give feedback at any time :)
And also, make sure to review as a logged-in user! That's the only way I can reply back! Speaking of which, just giving a quick shout out to one reviewer who made some really good points in the last chapter of how Sakura could potentially beat Kabuto. Thank you for your enthusiasm. It was fun reading your comment ;)
Best wishes to all of you!