The newborn sun crept over the shadowed horizon, it's young rays bathing the village of Konoha in its heavenly warmth. Hues of blush, marigold, and citrus bloomed across the limitless sky, their light illuminating the shadowed corners of the office. Hiruzen leaned back in his seat as he chewed on his tobacco pipe, enjoying the view of the new dawn in silence. His peace, however, was interrupted when three crisp knocks sounded on his door, followed by quick footsteps.
"Hokage-sama," one of his shinobi guards greeted him as he entered the room. Hiruzen sat up in his chair, turning away from the tower window to face the guard.
"What is it?"
"They're here, Hokage-sama. The jonin you sent for from Sunagakure," the shinobi explained, his spine rigid as he delivered the report.
Folding his hands atop his desk, Hiruzen lifted the pipe from his mouth, letting the smoke roll off his lips and into the air. They're already here?
"Send them in," he ordered the guard with a wave of his hand. Adjusting himself in his chair, the Third Hokage gazed at his village from the tower window once more. "And one more thing," he added before he could hear the guard leave. "Send for Tsunade Senju."
Hiruzen didn't have to turn around to know that the guard had nodded, his footsteps leading him out of the office as the door closed with a click. The Hokage observed as Konohagakure rose with the sun, sighing as he took another puff from his pipe.
So it begins, he thought to himself, his chapped lips falling into a deep frown.
Just one last time.
Chakra gathered in Sakura's chest; the powerful essence pooling into her stomach. Her fingers flew rapidly through a series of hand signs, channeling her built up chakra into the scroll in front of her. Come on, come on. She clenched her teeth, her eyes narrowing with determination. Bit by bit the symbols on the scroll lit up, the bold, clouded ink illuminated by the power of her chakra. Almost there...just a little more!
"What are you doing?"
Sakura nearly yelped, her concentration shattered like pieces of a broken mirror. The symbols instantly lost their ethereal glow, reverting once more into useless, dull characters. The kunoichi huffed in irritation, swiftly standing up from the hardwood floor with clenched fists.
"I was concentrating, Sasuke!" She resisted the urge to stomp her foot, instead settling for shooting the boy an accusing glare. "Why did you interrupt me?" I was so close to finishing that jutsu! The Uchiha wrinkled his nose at her, not bothering to respond as he peeked over her shoulder at the scroll behind her.
"What is that?" His brows furrowed before rising high on his forehead. "Is that fuinjutsu?"
Following his eyes, Sakura hastily kicked the scroll closed, using her body to block his view of the scroll. "Nope," she answered too quickly, blocking his half-hearted attempts to look past her. "It's just medical ninjutsu."
"Sakura, I'm not an idiot," the boy pointed out, abandoning his attempts to peek at the scroll and instead leveling with her gaze. "Why are you practicing fuinjutsu?"
For you, her mind responded almost immediately, but the kunoichi bit her lip to keep the words from spilling out. She met the Uchiha's intense gaze with slight panic, pressing herself to think of an excuse for teaching herself an A-rank fuinjutsu. What should I say? Thankfully, her luck seemed to swoop in and save her in the form of her annoying blond teammate.
"Can you guys stop talking, please?" Naruto whined from under the covers, his face fully buried in the pillow beneath him. "Do you have any idea how early it is? I need my energy for the exams!"
Sakura wasted no time in seizing her opportunity to escape, giving Sasuke a slight, nervous smile. "Naruto's right," she spoke hastily, inching towards the bathroom door. "We should start getting ready for the exams." The Uchiha instantly picked up on her plan to escape, his lips falling into a slight frown as he stepped closer to her.
"Sakura-"
"I'm going to take a shower. Bye!" She waved at the boy before swiping some spare clothes from her drawer. Without wasting another moment, she slipped into the bathroom, ignoring his attempts to stop her by swiftly shutting the door.
That was too close, she sighed, leaning against the door and locking it behind her. What if Naruto hadn't spoken up? Knowing Sasuke, he would've kept asking me until I answered him. Closing her eyes for a moment, Sakura released a long breath before stepping into the shower, twisting the knob until water sprouted from the showerhead. Stripping her clothes, she stepped into the warm water and let the steady streams soothe her tense muscles, closing her eyes as a pleasant smile tugged at her lips.
Nonetheless, I should prepare an excuse just in case, she reasoned as she rubbed the bar of soap over her body. I said it was medical ninjutsu before, so I should think of something related to that. For a couple minutes, she stood idle under the steady stream of warmth, massaging the hotel shampoo into her hair as she thought. It didn't take her long to come up with a viable excuse, though, knowing Sasuke, it likely wouldn't ease his suspicion in the slightest. I'll just tell him that Tsunade-sama wanted me to learn different types of sealing for training. If he asks for more detail, well...it's none of his business anyway.
Earlier that morning, Sakura had woken up long before her sleepy teammates beside her. She had chalked it up to mostly the general feeling of unease that had settled over her ever since last night, when her sensei had informed both her and Sasuke that he would be leaving the village. Even though she was still careful, the kunoichi had taken some comfort in the fact that her sensei was watching over her and her teammates, in case any of them got wrapped into trouble in the unfamiliar village. But now, we'll have to deal with it on our own, Sakura thought, rubbing some conditioner into her hair. It made her feel strangely vulnerable knowing that Kakashi was no longer staying in a room down the hall, but was now miles away on his journey back to Konoha.
It was mostly due to this feeling that she had been unable to sleep last night and had woken up at a horrid time, when even the sun hadn't bothered to wake up yet. Realizing that she could no longer fall asleep, Sakura sneaked out of the covers and to her travel pack, deciding to use her remaining hours alone to practice the fuinjutsu exercises Tsunade had given her. Unfortunately, the ever-observant Uchiha had woken up soon after her, likely noticing her absence in the bed, and caught her in the middle of her jutsu practice.
"Stupid Sasuke," Sakura muttered under her breath, if only to satisfy her irritation towards him.
Practicing the fuinjutsu exercises, however, reinforced the reason Sakura had even bothered to learn the Evil Sealing Method in the first place. With her sensei gone, the kunoichi knew full well that she was at a disadvantage when it came to protecting Naruto and Sasuke from Orochimaru. The evil snake with his sly amber eyes and unsettling ways became prominent in Sakura's mind, chasing away all other thoughts in her head. For all she knew, Orochimaru might be planning something right now. She couldn't let her guard down during the exams, otherwise...well, who knows what the consequences would be?
What scared the kunoichi more than the snake himself was the fact that she didn't know what the outcome of Orochimaru's plans would be in this timeline, or if he would even attack their team at all. Since the first day she was sent back, so many things had already changed in this timeline. It's becoming harder and harder to predict what's going to happen.
At this point, I'm almost as blind as everyone else in this timeline.
After washing all the bubbles and foam out of her hair, Sakura reluctantly turned the water off and wrapped a fuzzy towel around her body. She stepped out of the shower, her teeth shivering at the sudden exposure to the cool bathroom air. Rolls of steam filled the room, tumbling through the atmosphere and fogging up the wide mirror over the sink. Leaning forward on the counter, the kunoichi studied herself in the clouded mirror, her fingers wiping the surface to get a clearer image.
Dripping, lotus-hued locks fell just above her shoulders, sticking to her cheeks as drops of water fell onto her skin. Sakura grabbed a spare towel and dried her hair before moving onto the rest of her body. She slipped into her usual shinobi outfit with dark spandex shorts, a pink skirt, and a sleeveless red top, taking care that her hair was fully dried before tying her headband atop her head. Once she was finished, she scooped up her pajamas and opened the door, throwing her old clothes into the hamper. She was secretly grateful when Sasuke slipped into the bathroom after her, glad that at least for now, she wouldn't have to face him.
However, when she saw the mess of blond hair peeking from under the covers of the bed, Sakura's irritation overwhelmed her once more.
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, ripping the covers off her teammate. "What are you still doing in bed? Get up!"
Naruto shivered at the loss of warmth, cuddling his pillow closer in an effort to block her out. "Stop, Sakura-chan," he whined, scooting away from the girl. "I can't get up as early as you and Sasuke. I need my beauty sleep."
The girl simply rolled her eyes, used to her friend's antics. "Get up, Naruto," she commanded, grabbing a hold of his foot and tugging it off the bed. The blond scrambled to grab the bedpost, holding with all his might as Sakura struggled to get him off the bed.
"Please, Sakura-chan," he cried, holding onto the bedpost for dear life. "Let me stay!"
"You need to get up, Naruto!"
"I'm not leaving!"
"Get up-"
Two knocks suddenly sounded from the door, causing Sakura to hastily drop Naruto's foot and swiftly move to the door. The boy wasted no time scurrying back onto the bed, burying himself beneath the covers like a gopher. The kunoichi shook her head in exasperation, sending the blond an annoyed look before opening the door. The hotel receptionist stood on the other side, holding a scroll in the palm of her left hand.
"Hello," Sakura greeted the woman, a polite smile resting on her lips. She made sure to only open the door partially, hoping that she wasn't able to see the mess she and Naruto had made when she attempted to drag him out of the bed.
"Hello there," the receptionist greeted with a thin smile, handing Sakura the scroll she held. "A messenger delivered this for you today."
"Thank you." Sakura smiled politely as she took the scroll, looking over it in curiosity. What could this be?
"My pleasure," the receptionist recited before walking off without another word. The kunoichi softly shut the door, walking past Naruto's huddle of blankets and plopping onto the empty side of the bed.
The scroll was nothing special- just a regular messenger scroll that was frequently used by civilians and shinobi alike. The symbol for Sunagakure lay stamped in bold ink on the fresh parchment, a thin string being the only thing keeping the scroll together. Wasting no time, Sakura untied the string, carefully unraveling the parchment. Behind her, she heard the sound of the bed covers rustling, and Naruto peeked at the scroll from behind her shoulder.
"It says that we have to be at the village gates at seven o'clock," her blond teammate pointed out. Sakura nodded, her eyes skimming through the rest of the letter. It's information about the second stage of the exams, the kunoichi realized as she read more. Though it's only a brief description of what we need to bring and how to prepare. It doesn't really say anything about the second stage itself.
At that moment, the bathroom door clicked open, and a freshly showered Sasuke walked into the room. He too wore his regular shinobi outfit, though instead of black shorts and shirt he wore a blue, high-collared shirt and white shorts. He rubbed his messy raven locks with a towel as he walked up beside Sakura, peeking over her other shoulder at the scroll.
"What is this?" He asked, though his eyes were already skimming through the text.
"It's just extra information about the second stage of the exams," Sakura spoke, resisting the urge to shiver when the cool drops of water from his hair dripped onto her neck.
Sasuke lips fell to a frown as he read through the letter, his brows furrowing slightly. "Why would we need to bring food and water?"
"I think the second stage stretches on for multiple days," Sakura explained, rolling up the scroll and placing it on the dresser. "We can stop by some shops for supplies on the way to the gates."
The Uchiha nodded in agreement while Naruto grumbled, reluctantly emerging from the covers and slipping off the bed.
"Stupid Chunin exams," he muttered, releasing a yawn and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He padded towards the bathroom, snatching some clothing from his pack before shutting the door.
It only took a little while for Naruto to get showered and changed, which Sasuke and Sakura used to review their weapon supply and strap on their gear. The medic made sure to double-check her medical supplies, including the healing salves she had pocketed from the hospital. It's not much, but it should be enough to get us through the second stage. Once both her teammates had dried their hair and strapped on their weapon pouches, they finally headed out into the lobby, grabbing a bite to eat before leaving the hotel.
As planned, they stopped by a nearby shop to pick up supplies such as energy bars and food pills for their journey, though it was hard to find one that was still open due to the lack of people in the streets. Eventually, they made it to the village gates, where various other genin teams had already gathered as they waited to be briefed by the exam proctors.
"It's five minutes to seven," Sakura whispered to Sasuke, eyeing the different teams waiting around the gates. "Where are they?"
The Uchiha shrugged, taking a moment of his own to scan the area before replying. "It seems like a couple of teams are still missing," he pointed out, tilting his head to the teams just arriving at the meeting spot. "They are probably waiting until most of the genin get here."
They didn't have to wait long, since as soon as it was seven o'clock sharp, the proctor marched out in front of the crowd. "Hello again, everyone," she greeted in a powerful voice, gaining everyone's attention. "Welcome to the second stage of the Sunagakure Chunin exams. We hope you all received our letter and brought the necessary supplies. We will not be providing any additional supplies."
Good thing we stopped by that shop on our way over here, Sakura thought as she spotted a couple of genin teams floundering about as they re-read their letters. After she had established this, the proctor nodded over to a troop of jonin waiting by the gates. One of the jonin nodded back before picking up a hefty box that lay at their feet, bringing it over to the proctor.
"For the second stage of the exams," the proctor continued, "you will all be surviving in the desert for the next few days." The woman paused, riffling through the box the jonin had brought and pulling out a compact white scroll. "Each team will be given one scroll, either a heaven scroll," she held up the white scroll, "or an earth scroll." At this, her hand dove back into the box once more, pulling out a scroll relatively the same size with inky black parchment. After taking a moment to display the scrolls in front of the crowd, the woman returned the scrolls back to the box, motioning the jonin to begin distributing the scrolls.
"Your objective: defeat a team with the opposite scroll as yours and bring it back to the village in three days' time. When I give the signal, you may open your scrolls. This will activate a jutsu that will teleport you to a random location about ten miles east of the village."
So the objective is similar to the exams in Konoha, Sakura noted with mild relief. The only difference is this time, we will be teleported into a random location instead of just running off at the start.
The similarities, however, still irked Sakura, as they reminded her of all that went wrong in the exams in her previous life. The second stage is when Orochimaru decided to attack Sasuke, she recalled, her relief instantly leaving her. That's when we were most vulnerable, since there was no jonin to watch over us. Three genin all alone in the desert, with low supplies of food and water, and likely exhausted from using chakra and walking under the sun all day...
...it would be the perfect time to strike.
One Suna jonin walked up to her blond teammate and handed him a scroll randomly plucked from the bin, moving on as soon as Naruto grabbed the parchment.
"Hey, guys!" Naruto called, holding up the scroll and motioning her and Sasuke closer. "Look, we got a heav-"
"No!"
Sakura leaped towards Naruto, snatching the scroll and wrapping her arms protectively around it. Sasuke clamped a hand over his teammate's mouth, signaling him to remain silent.
"Shut up, dobe," the Uchiha whispered harshly, his eyes hastily darting towards the nosy teams around them. "Someone might hear you. We don't want any of the teams with earth scrolls to be targeting us."
Naruto's eyes widened as understanding dawned upon him, and he slowly nodded his head at Sasuke who removed his hand.
"Sorry about that," the boy grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's no problem," Sakura smiled in reassurance, handing her blond teammate the scroll. "We should still be extra careful, though." Her eyes slid over to the Iwagakure team behind them with their stares fixed at their backs, trying to sneak a peek at their scroll and listen in to their conversation.
Thankfully, Sasuke seemed to pick up on this as well, as he met her narrowed gaze and subtly tilted his head towards the team. She nodded, tapping Naruto's shoulder and whispering in his ear. The three of them huddled closer to each other, using their bodies to block any view the other teams could have of their scroll.
"Who should keep the scroll?" Naruto whispered, holding the heaven scroll between them.
"It should be someone that doesn't seem obvious but can still protect it," the kunoichi pointed out, her brows furrowed in thought. "I think it should be you, Naruto," she decided, meeting his shocked eyes. Sasuke wore a similar expression, though his brows seemed narrowed in confusion instead of shock.
"Me?"
"Hear me out," she whispered, leaning closer to her teammates. "We can't give the scroll to Sasuke because he seems like the obvious choice." And he's constantly challenging people so he is more likely to get attacked, she added internally. "I shouldn't carry it since my skill set is a more close-range style, so the enemy would have more opportunities to swipe it from me. However, if you carried it, Naruto, you could create shadow clones to distract the enemy or hide the scroll nearby. You also have the most stamina out of all of us."
Sakura almost couldn't keep a smile from her lips when Naruto's eyes sparkled in excitement, a joyful grin erupting on his lips as he clutched the scroll.
"Thank you, Sakura-chan!" he beamed, his cheeks dusted with shades of warm pink. The boy wasted no time sticking his tongue out at his other teammate, the cheerful look on his eyes morphing into one of mischief. "Take that, teme," he taunted, a smug smile resting on his lips. "Sakura-chan likes me better than you."
"Whatever, dobe," the raven-haired boy shot back, wrinkling his nose at his blond teammate. Naruto's triumph over Sasuke was interrupted, however, by the sound of the proctor's voice carrying across the crowd of genin once more. The three Konoha genin abandoned their little quarrel, shifting their attention back to the woman in front of the gates.
"Now that you all have your scrolls, you may open them and begin the exam. All of your teammates must be touching the scroll when unraveling it in order for the jutsu to teleport all three of you to the same location," the proctor instructed.
Alright, Sakura bit her lip, staring at the scroll. This is it. The three of them lifted their gazes, nodding at one another to signal their readiness. Sakura and Sasuke laid their fingers on one side of the scroll as Naruto slowly untied the string holding it together, his fingers pausing before pulling the parchment out. Ancient characters were scrawled onto the parchment with ink, a vivid light emanating from the strokes.
Before she knew it, the light had grown to envelop their bodies, taking only a few seconds to transport their bodies into the vast desert surrounding Sunagakure.
"Welcome back, Kakashi," the Hokage greeted, his voice a rough rumble from the tobacco.
"Hokage-sama," the jonin respectfully nodded back, stepping aside as his fellow jonin sensei entered the room.
"Kurenai, Gai, Asuma," Hiruzen acknowledged the other jonin sensei coming through the door, setting down his pipe and folding his hands underneath his chin. "Thank you for coming at such short notice."
Kakashi took a moment to observe the room, noting the various shinobi surrounding the Hokage when they had entered. One of them was Shikaku Nara, the head of the Nara clan and one of the top strategists that the Hokage relied on during times of peril. Kakashi recognized some of the other jonin as part of a team which had gone on a mission to Kumogakure to scout out a potential gang of bandits, but seemed to have been called back to the village like himself. The one that caught his eye, however, was the Legendary Sannin who stood directly beside the Hokage's desk, someone who he hadn't expected to see in a long time.
Though Kakashi knew that Tsunade Senju was currently staying in the village, he did not expect her to be involved in matters regarding the village, as she had distanced herself over the years from it. However, he did vaguely remember Sakura briefly mentioning that Tsunade had taken her under her wing and was training her in the art of medical ninjutsu. If someone like Tsunade is attending this meeting, then it must be worse than I thought. Kakashi frowned, noting the grave expression resting on the Sannin's face.
"What's the situation, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai prompted, resting a hand on her hip. "Is it what we feared?"
"Not quite," Hiruzen spoke after a brief pause, raising his pipe back to his lips. "But something is definitely brewing on the border. I've already briefed the rest of the Konoha jonin on the matter. Though we haven't reached a final decision, the council and I have agreed to recall all jonin groups participating in non-essential missions outside the village. As of now, you will all be stationed on the regular patrol shifts for your assigned districts."
The jonin simultaneously nodded in understanding. The Hokage sighed, taking another puff from his pipe before lifting his gaze.
"Dismissed. I will let you know the final strategy that the council and I decide upon when the time comes."
All of the jonin started towards the door, slipping out in the hallway and likely back to their respective abodes. The white-haired jonin moved to leave along with the rest of the jonin, but the sound of his name made him pause in his steps.
"Not you, Kakashi," Hiruzen grumbled, standing up from his chair as the last of the jonin left. "I would like for you to stay for further discussion on the matter. I would like your opinion on this."
Kakashi nodded obediently, turning back towards the Hokage with curiosity. The only ones left in the room were Shikaku, Hiruzen, Tsunade, and himself, making the atmosphere strangely still and silent. Hiruzen blew out a steady stream of smoke, nodding to Shikaku as the Nara clan head stepped forward.
"There have been multiple incidents of attacks on jonin teams on high-profile missions outside the village," Shikaku explained, his hands hanging on his pockets. He signaled Tsunade and Kakashi towards the Hokage's desk, having them all gather around the mahogany wood. Atop the desk lay a broad map of the shinobi nations, little pencil sketches and strokes peppered across it from previous use. "What is most concerning is that a couple of our ANBU squads were deliberately attacked as well."
Kakashi glanced at Shikaku, crossing his arms above his chest. "That means that the attackers must have somehow gotten their hands on the classified information regarding their missions." That would give them access to the squads' locations and mission details.
Shikaku nodded, picking up a red pen from the Hokage's pencil stand and motioning towards the map. "So far, we know only three specific locations of the attacks. One was a couple miles away from Kusagakure, or the Village Hidden in the Grass." Uncapping the red pen, he drew a fat 'X' on the village in question, which was located in a country bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. "Another one was near Amegakure," Shikaku continued, marking a location near the village. "The final one, and this is the most concerning, was located in Tanzaku Quarters." As he said this, Shikaku marked a location on the map that was not too far off from Konoha. "The rest of them have been located roughly around the border of the Land of Sound."
"The Land of Sound?" Kakashi asked, pointing out the country on the map. "Do you think they could be behind these attacks?"
"They may," Tsunade chimed in, crossing her hands on her chest. "But we believe that the primary offender is the Akatsuki. Based on the strength of the current members in the group, it isn't a surprise if they are the ones who have been taking down our seasoned jonin and ANBU."
The white-haired jonin furrowed his brow, taking a moment to process the information just given to him. "When did these attacks first start occurring?" Kakashi asked Shikaku, who shoved his hands into his pockets with a sigh.
"Well, if I were to guess," he drawled, "the attacks started picking up roughly around the time when Sunagakure first reported their sandstorm situation."
"So not that long ago," Kakashi reasoned, stroking his chin in a pensive manner. "Why would the attacks only start picking up recently?"
"My guess is that it's to deliberately catch Konoha's attention," the Sannin theorized, her amber eyes narrowing in thought. "None of the other villages have reported attacks on their jonin squads or approached us for assistance. It also explains why the attacks are all specifically on our border, not a border we share with another great nation."
"That could very well be a possibility," Hiruzen remarked, sitting down once more in his seat. "Luckily, Tsunade here has already been keeping tabs on the Akatsuki on her own time."
She has? Kakashi turned to Tsunade with wide eyes, a little surprised by the new information. She already suspected this?
At that moment, a knock sounded on the wooden door to the office, breaking the shinobi out of their intense strategy session. One of the jonin guards peeked inside the room, silently asking the Hokage for permission to let the newcomer in. Hiruzen sighed deeply, picking up his pipe once more before motioning the guard to let them in. After a quick nod, the guard disappeared behind the door once more, before a figure strolled into the office.
"Glad you could make it," Tsunade greeted with a slight smile on her blush-pink lips, the grave look in her eyes lightening up slightly. The shinobi she was addressing grinned, setting down the hefty scroll he carried on his back. Crimson marks trailed down his bronze cheeks from his dark eyes, his bushy silver hair framing his aged face. His sandals clicked on the wooden floor as he walked over to the rest of the jonin, nodding first to the Hokage.
"Sandaime."
"It's good to see you, Jiraiya," Hiruzen chuckled, taking a puff from his pipe. "It's certainly been a while."
Jiraiya? Kakashi's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly tamed his expression into its signature nonchalance. Why is he here?
"Indeed," the Sannin nodded with a grin, shifting his attention over to his past teammate. "It's nice to see you too, Tsunade. You look as beautiful as ever."
"Keep your eyes up here, you pervert," Tsunade grumbled, pointing a manicured nail to her face. Her frown didn't last long, though, and her lips tilted up into a small smile. "Honestly, you never change."
Jiraiya chuckled before waving a hand to Kakashi and Shikaku, moving closer to the Hokage's desk and peeking at the map. "It's nice to see you Kakashi, Shikaku." He nodded to each of them respectively. "Looks like you were in the middle of a strategy session, eh?"
"Yes, take a look," Shikaku spoke, moving aside so the Sannin could get a full view of their marked-up map. "We were just discussing the recent attacks on Konoha jonin," the head of the Nara clan explained, pointing to the red 'X's on the map. "So far, we've narrowed down only three exact locations."
"We think it's the work of the Akatsuki," Tsunade added, leaning against the desk with her arms crossed. "That's why I called you back to the village."
"Attacking Konoha jonin, huh?" Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful look. "Can't say that I've encountered any information in regards to that during my research..."
This grabbed the white-haired jonin's attention. "You've been surveilling the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked, caught off guard. Why would Jiraiya be spying on the Akatsuki? There is no solid evidence that they have been the ones behind the attacks.
"Not so much as surveillance, but just digging a little bit," Jiraiya hummed, pointing a thumb at Tsunade. "Tsunade sent me a letter a couple weeks ago about it, but she wouldn't tell me why. Turns out it was the right call, though."
Tsunade? Kakashi shifted his gaze over to the other Sannin, narrowing his eyes at the medic. Feeling his gaze, Tsunade slid her amber eyes towards him, meeting his suspicious stare with one of her own. If she told him a couple of weeks ago, that means that she asked him before the jonin attacks started becoming more prevalent. What reason could she have for asking Jiraiya to research the Akatsuki?
Something else is going on here.
A raspy cough broke the jonin's train of thought, and he shifted his attention away from the Sannin to the Hokage. A stream of smoke puffed out of Hiruzen's lips, the man taking a moment to clear his throat before lifting his gaze to the rest of the shinobi.
"Well this has been a thoughtful discussion," he began, setting down his pipe. "But I believe I should first discuss this with the council before we decide on anything. Rest up, all of you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the jonin automatically replied in sync, recognizing by Hiruzen's deep frown that he wanted to be left alone for the moment. The four of them swiftly left the room, closing the door with a soft click.
"Honestly, this is so troublesome," Shikaku muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. He waved casually to the other three shinobi before trailing down the hall, not bothering to give any parting words.
"I should leave too," Tsunade sighed, massaging her temples with one hand. "I have a couple cases on stand-by in the hospital. Shizune is probably overwhelmed already by the amount of work I left her. I guess I'll see you two around." She waved as well before suddenly disappearing into a burst of smoke, likely in a hurry to get to the hospital.
Kakashi was just about to leave as well when a strong palm rested on his shoulder, making him pause in his steps.
"Kakashi," Jiraiya said his name, a large grin splitting his painted cheeks. "Let's talk, shall we?"
After Kakashi agreed, albeit a little lost as to what the Sannin would want to talk about, the two of them headed to the tower rooftop, the morning sunlight a welcome contrast to the mundane tower walls.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" The jonin raised his eyebrow at the Sannin, leaning against the rooftop railing with his hands in his pockets.
"Tell me, Kakashi," Jiraiya began, leaning against the railing next to him. "How are things here in Konoha nowadays? I haven't come here in a while, so I could use a refresher."
"Ah." The jonin gazed at the rising sun, enjoying the way the cool breeze brushed against his skin. "Not bad, at least I think so. Though it seems like this situation with the jonin attacks has escalated quickly while I've been gone."
"Gone?"
"To Suna," Kakashi explained, shifting his mask. "For the Chunin Exams."
"Oh, the exams," Jiraiya muttered, resting his arms on the railing. "They are in Suna this year, eh? That's odd. Last thing I heard, they've been dealing with those sandstorms for weeks."
"Apparently, they've stopped," Kakashi shrugged, glancing at the Sannin. "Somehow, Suna was able to convince the Kages to host the exams as a show of gratitude to the other hidden villages who have helped them during the time of crisis."
"Interesting," Jiraiya spoke under his breath, more to himself than to Kakashi. He paused for a moment, a light frown falling onto his aged lips. "Tell me, Kakashi, what did the village look like when you were there? Any sign of damage from the storms?"
"Not much," Kakashi replied, picturing the streets of the hidden village. "There was almost no sign of damage on the structures. The village was pretty much a ghost town, however."
Jiraiya nodded, his eyes narrowing as he observed Konoha in silence. The tips of his busy hair twirled in the wind, settling down once he stood up from the railing.
"That reminds me," the Sannin suddenly spoke, his grave expression morphing into a more light-hearted one. "How are your students? I heard you had the nine-tails on your squad."
"Ah..." The jonin kept his gaze on the horizon, his expression thoughtful. "They're a handful," he commented, earning an amused chuckle from Jiraiya. "One of them is always trying to save the day while the other two are showing off against each other half the time."
"Reminds me of the good old days," Jiraiya joked, a flicker of nostalgia passing through his dark eyes. "I think I'll swing by Sunagakure and take a look at them. Besides," the Sannin winked, "I haven't been to their bathhouses in a while."
Kakashi simply shook his head at the Sannin's lewd smile, though he couldn't deny his curiosity as to how his students were faring in the exams. They should be on the second stage now, he pondered, releasing a breath as he stood up from the railing. I wonder how they're doing?
"Ow!"
The three genin dropped from the sky, unceremoniously crashing into the sandy ground on top of each other. It took Sakura a moment to rid herself of the dizziness effect she felt from the jutsu, her stomach twisting and tumbling from the sudden change in location. Her eyelids fluttered open, slowly taking in the blurry grains of sand and endless sky around her.
"Sakura-chan, you're heavy..."
Naruto? At that moment, the kunoichi noticed the odd shape of a body beneath her. She tried picking herself up, but found that her arms were pinned down by a heavy weight on her back. She clenched her fists as she tried to wiggle out from her awkward position, pausing when the boy above her shifted. All of a sudden, the burden on her back lifted and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her up from the jinchuriki beneath her.
"Thanks, Sasuke," she spoke softly, giving the boy a small smile. She stretched her arms high above her head before checking her and Sasuke for any injuries. Her teammate simply nodded to her before turning his attention back to Naruto, who was still laying on the ground.
"Get up, dobe," the Uchiha scowled, glaring at the laying genin.
"Give me a second to recover, teme," Naruto grumbled, refusing to get up. "You guys were so heavy," he whined.
Not known for his patience, Sasuke kicked some grains of sand into the jinchuriki's face, who immediately shot up.
"What the hell?" the blond yelled, vigorously rubbing the sand out of his eyes. "Why'd you do that, Sasuke?!"
"Come here, Naruto," Sakura said, motioning the boy closer. "If your back hurts that much, I'll take a look at it for you."
Sticking his tongue out at Sasuke in retaliation, Naruto rushed over to Sakura, who lifted his sweatshirt and peeked at the bruises that plagued his skin from their crash-landing.
"So, where are we?" Sasuke asked, observing the medic as she worked on Naruto. Sakura lifted her gaze, taking in her surroundings as her chakra soaked into Naruto's skin. A sea of golden dust surrounded them, stretching far beyond what they could see and into the unknown. Fortunately, the sun was young in the sky and the heat remained bearable, at least for the time being. There were no signs of structures or figures in the distance, leading her to believe that they were the only ones around.
"Based on what the proctor said, we should be within a ten-mile range of Suna," Sakura reasoned, deactivating her healing jutsu. "There are still a decent amount of teams competing in this stage, so we should run into another team sometime soon. Let's just hope they have an earth scroll."
The kunoichi stepped away from Naruto, who beamed at her and chirped a cheerful 'thank you'. Beside her, Sasuke remained silent, a slight frown on his face as he took in their surroundings with calculating eyes.
"We should get moving," the kunoichi spoke up, digging a hand into her weapons pouch. She pulled out three energy bars and passed them around to her teammates, who gobbled them up gratefully. "The proctor said that we'd be teleported east of the village. Since its morning, that means that the village is in the opposite direction of the sun." She vaguely motioned towards the sky, hoping that both Naruto and Sasuke understood her reasoning. The two of them nodded in acceptance, with Naruto brushing off any remaining grains of sand off his pants. His expression burst into a wide smile, his fist pumping into the air while his other hand hooked around Sakura's arm.
"Alright then! Let's go!" he cheered, dragging her and Sasuke along with him.
Two hours later, any ounce of optimism had long ago been drained from Naruto's face. The three Konoha genin dragged their feet across the scorching sand, their throats parched from the dry air and their feet aching from climbing the endless ranges of sand dunes. By mid-day, the sun sat high above them, it's rays merciless as they beat down upon the poor, sluggish shinobi. The harsh atmosphere made Sakura feel as if she were being roasted alive, her energy slowly leaving her as she trudged through the endless desert.
What made things worse was that the genin were almost out of water, with barely enough left to keep the three of them going for a couple more days. This was mostly due to Naruto, since he had somehow managed to go through his entire portion of water within the first hour and then had asked Sakura if he could share with her. The kunoichi reluctantly consented, but soon regretted her decision when the two of them had managed to drink through her entire portion for the day within half an hour. After this, both Naruto and Sakura had gone to Sasuke, who had at first refused but then agreed to share some of his water after the two of them had worn him down. The Uchiha drew the line, however, when Naruto tried to gulp down around half of his portion within the first twenty minutes.
God, I hate the desert, Sakura scowled, hauling her sluggish body through the arid heat. I'm never coming back here again. Her despair had gotten to the point where she wished that they would run into another team, even if they too had a heaven scroll, just to feel the adrenaline running through her veins again and the sweet thrill of using her chakra.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long for her wish to come true.
"Guys, look!" Naruto whispered loudly, snatching Sakura's shoulder to get her attention. "There are people coming towards us!"
The kunoichi whipped her head towards the direction her teammate was pointing in and spotted the suspicious figures slowly coming closer in the distance. The unknown shinobi were much too far away for Sakura to discern any prominent features, but there was no denying that the figures were heading their way.
"What should we do?" Naruto whispered softly.
"We need to figure out if they have an earth scroll or not," their raven-haired teammate whispered back, even though the shinobi were much too far away to hear any of them. He slipped a kunai out of his weapons pouch, holding it out in front of him in a defensive stance. Sakura did the same, her discomfort from earlier forgotten in the wake of this next obstacle. For a moment, a spike of fear shot through her, the possibility of an encounter with Orochimaru making her heart pound.
They're coming closer, she noticed, narrowing her jade eyes at the unknown figures. They're definitely headed our way. Hopefully they aren't any trouble and we'll get this over with quickly. As the figures came closer, Sakura recognized them as the team from Iwagakure that had been eavesdropping on them earlier. She felt a spike in their chakras as they came closer, a way to silently challenge them to a fight.
They must've picked up that we have a heaven scroll earlier, Sakura deduced, a deep frown falling onto her lips. She shifted into an attack stance, her eyes never leaving from the approaching enemies. They must have an earth scroll.
The Kumogakure team paused before the Konoha genin, both teams locked in a silent standoff. They all wore standard Iwagakure attire, with the symbol of their village engraved proudly on their headbands. One of the shinobi stepped forward, not even bothering to pull out a kunai.
"Oh, look what we have here. A bunch of Konoha rookies," the boy taunted, a cocky smile on his lips. "I bet this is your first time taking the exam, isn't it?"
Naruto immediately stepped forward, glaring at the Iwagakure shinobi with clenched teeth. "Hey! Don't talk about us like that," he growled, pointing his finger at the shinobi. "We're going to win these exams, believe it!"
"Sure you will," one of the other shinobi replied carelessly, sarcasm oozing from her reply. "Keep telling yourself that."
The boy who had spoken earlier opened his palm, motioning to the Konoha nin. "Alright, just hand over the scroll," he demanded, his tone light yet threatening. "If you do, we'll let you go unscathed."
"And if we don't?" Sasuke replied, quick as a whip, his onyx eyes flickering at the challenge.
"We'll still get the scroll," the boy answered with confidence, a condescending expression on his face. "It'll just be through...the hard way."
"We'll take the hard way, then," Sakura answered without missing a beat, a slight smirk on her lips. If we can get this team's earth scroll, all we have to do is find our way back to Suna as soon as possible.
The boy's expression hardened like cooling metal as his eyes narrowed into slits. "Fine then," he spat, clenching his teeth. He turned to his team, waving them forward. "Let's get them."
The Iwagakure kunoichi wasted no time throwing her hands into the necessary signs for a powerful attack.
"Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm!"
The ground rumbled and split beneath Sakura's feet, forcing her to leap to the side and regain her footing. Behind her, she heard Naruto activate his signature Shadow Clone Jutsu, the clones rushing past her in a wave towards the girl. Just in time, one of the Iwagakure shinobi jumped in front of her and fended them off, buying her time to escape and come up with another attack. Sakura glanced at Sasuke, meeting his midnight eyes across the battlefield. He shifted towards the other shinobi and Sakura instantly understood, turning to focus her attention on the girl. I guess I'll have to take care of her.
Sakura sprinted forward towards the Iwagakure kunoichi, her kunai poised at the ready. The other kunoichi's eyes widened as she realized Sakura was coming at her, quickly throwing her hands together in a similar fashion.
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
All of a sudden, a wall of solid earth shot up from the ground right in front of the medic. At the last moment, Sakura channeled her chakra to her foot, propelling herself above the wall and leaping over it. She rerouted her chakra to her fist, aiming a punch at the other kunoichi as she came down from above. Unfortunately, the other kunoichi managed to avoid the blow by jumping to the side, causing Sakura to destroy the earth beneath her. Sakura didn't give her time to recover, however, and pounced on the girl with a barrage of kunai swipes, kicks, and punches.
The other kunoichi met her kunai with her own, and the two of them dodged each other's slashes, with Sakura slowly pressing her backward. Attempting to slash at her face, the other kunoichi lunged at Sakura, providing the medic the perfect opening. Sakura's hand clamped down on the Iwa nin's wrist, kneeing the girl in the gut before twisting and delivering a devastating kick to her chest. The Iwagakure girl's eyes widened as her body skidded back, crashing harshly onto the grains of sand.
"Ugh..." she groaned, instinctively curling into herself to protect her injuries. Wasting no time, Sakura crouched beside the other kunoichi, swiftly striking a pressure point on her neck. The Iwagakure girl fell limp in her arms, laying defenseless in the sand. After searching through the girl's pouches and coming up empty-handed, Sakura's trained eyes examined her injuries, something that she did almost unconsciously.
Vibrant crimson blood soaked through the girl's clothing, staining her top and dripping onto the sand beneath her. When she lifted her top, the medic noticed the splotches of black and blue blooming on her ribs, her eyes instantly diagnosing her condition. She has at least two broken ribs, the medic noticed, her brows furrowing as her hand lightly grazed over the bruised skin. Flowers of guilt blossomed through the medic's heart as she observed the bruises, her medical instincts urging her to heal the wounds. I can't just leave her here like this, she thought, chewing her lip as she weighed her two options.
If she decided to heal the girl, not only would she be helping another team that clearly disliked hers, but she would also be wasting valuable chakra and effort. If she didn't, however...
Sakura glanced at her teammates, who had both already defeated their respective opponents. Sasuke was currently crouched over one of the other shinobi, rummaging through his pack for the earth scroll. Meanwhile, all of Naruto's clones were gathered together, high-fiving each other and cheering at their victory over the Iwagakure shinobi.
Sakura's gaze slid back to the wounded kunoichi. I don't think they'll mind if I heal her, she decided. Besides, she's already knocked out.
The medic's hands illuminated with misty green chakra, soothing the angry bruises over the other kunoichi's skin. Her chakra flowed into the other kunoichi's body, mending the broken ribs and patching up the punctured skin. Once she finished, Sakura headed over to where her teammates were discussing.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto called out, motioning her over to them. A giddy smile refused to leave his lips, accompanying his excited, electric blue eyes. "They have an earth scroll!"
"Really?" Sakura automatically replied, though she had already guessed as much. She peered past Naruto at the scroll Sasuke held in his palm, just to confirm that the parchment was black. The Uchiha didn't have the same excited grin on his face as Naruto, but a light smirk still rested on his lips, alongside the smug flicker in his eyes.
I'm just glad that they were only Iwagakure genin, Sakura sighed internally, though she too had a smile on her lips from their victory. She glanced at the other defeated Iwagakure shinobi out of the corner of her eye. One of them, the one she assumed fought with Sasuke, had mild burn marks rampant across his arm while the other had some bruises and cuts from Naruto's kunai. Both of them were knocked out cold, though they would likely wake up before morning. None of them were in as bad shape, however, as the girl Sakura had fought.
My punches are getting stronger, Sakura noted with a sense of satisfaction, closing her palms into tight fists. I'll have to pay more attention to the amount of chakra that I channel into them now.
"So, who should keep the earth scroll, then?" Naruto asked, his wild grin from earlier taming into a more serious expression.
"I don't know," the kunoichi hummed, stretching her tense muscles. "If you want Sasuke, you can keep it," she offered.
"Uh...guys?" Her blond teammate combed through his weapon's pouch, his face slowly morphing into one of panic.
"What?" Both she and Sasuke answered at the same time, their attention fully focused on the floundering blond. He lifted his eyes to meet theirs, a nervous grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I think I lost the heaven scroll."
"Oh Naruto..." The kunoichi shook her head, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. What are we going to do now?
"Damn it, dobe," Sasuke muttered, his eyes throwing daggers at the jinchuriki. "I knew this would happen."
"Re-relax, guys," Naruto stuttered with a timid chuckle, dumping the contents of his weapon's pouch onto the sand. "It's got to be in here somewhere."
Kunai, shuriken, and food pills spilled onto the desert sands, but there was no sign of any sort of scroll. The three of them hastily began a search for the lost scroll, hurrying to retrace their steps and digging through the sand. Just as she was about to give up, however, Sakura paused when she heard Naruto's relieved voice calling to them.
"False alarm! I found it," he yelled from afar, running back to join his teammates who were searching the area around the Iwagakure shinobi.
Apparently, during his battle, Naruto has secretly hidden the scroll from his opponent in a location not far off from the scene of the battle, but then had promptly forgotten about it afterward. After hearing this, Sasuke had been on the verge of tearing the jinchuriki apart, but thankfully Sakura had swooped in and saved the poor blond from dying at the hands of his teammate. As a punishment for his forgetfulness, however, Naruto had to surrender the right to carry the scroll, with Sasuke being the new keeper of the heaven scroll and Sakura holding on to the earth scroll.
By the time this had all passed, the sun had decided to retire for the night, soaking the sky in vibrant colors that mirrored the golden hue of the sand below them. The three Konoha genin agreed to put some distance between them and the Iwagakure nin, traveling around two miles west towards Sunagakure. Once they had found a good spot, they swiftly put together a shabby campsite, with Sasuke using his jutsu and some dried shrubs as fuel to light a fire. The three of them settled around the warm fire, content with the fact that they had already secured both of the scrolls.
"I can't wait till we get out of this desert," her blond teammate spoke, rubbing his arms furiously as he scooted closer to the fire. "Who knew that a place so hot in the day could get so cold at night?!"
"Tell me about it," Sakura mumbled, leaning closer to their only source of warmth. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sasuke begin to sharpen his kunai, preparing his arsenal for tomorrow.
That's right, she reflected, wrapping her arms around her knees and bringing them close. Even though we have both of the scrolls today, who knows if we'll be able to defend them long enough to get to Suna? We should still be prepared for any teams that we happen to run into. A particularly strong gust of wind swooped past her, causing goosebumps to erupt across her skin. Sakura shivered, rubbing her arms and scooting an inch closer to the warmth of the blaze.
We were lucky today, but that doesn't mean that we'll be lucky tomorrow. There's no telling what will happen. Visions of deathly black seals and snake-like amber eyes slithered into her mind, making her shiver despite the warmth of the fire. Sakura instinctively buried her head between her knees, trying to block out memories of the Sannin and his sinister, blood-thirsty smile. A wave of fear crashed over the kunoichi, it's icy cold water freezing her limbs as she sunk deeper and deeper beneath the waves.
He's coming. I'm sure of it.
The words repeated over and over again in her head, and no matter how much she stared at the crimson and citrus hues of the flames, she couldn't get the image of those disturbing yellow eyes out of her mind. She pressed her arms tighter and tighter around her knees as if to protect herself from an invisible enemy. He was coming and she-
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura's thoughts shattered like a broken mirror, her body jerking sharply as she returned to reality. The kunoichi lifted her gaze to see Naruto looking back at her, a flicker of confusion running through his eyes. She paused to regain her bearings, making sure her breathing was normal once more.
"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Her blond teammate furrowed his brows, squinting his eyes as if she was a puzzle he had to solve. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." Beside him, she spotted Sasuke pause in his sharpening, his dark gaze studying her with interest.
"Sorry about that, Naruto." Sakura's lips pulled into a nervous smile, though she couldn't bring herself to feel comfortable. "I'm just...tired. What were you saying?"
"Oh, okay," Naruto replied, though he still held a bewildered look in his eyes. "I was just asking whether or not you wanted to take the last shift. We were thinking that I should take the first shift and Sasuke would take the second."
"Sure," Sakura answered carelessly, focusing on calming her rapid heartbeat. At her reply, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his stare turning from something of mild interest into something more intense. The kunoichi chose to ignore it, not really in the mood to deal with any of her teammates at the moment. I just...need to be left alone for a little bit. Just to sort out my thoughts.
"I'm going to go to sleep," she announced, stretching before laying down on the cool sand. She turned her back towards the fire, curling into herself to ward off the chill of the night.
"Good night, Sakura-chan," Naruto chirped behind her. Sakura didn't bother answering, letting her eyelids drop and darkness overwhelm her. As she was falling asleep, however, she could still feel a pair of starless eyes staring at her back.
"Sasuke," the Sannin hissed, his slitted tongue licking his sickly pale lips. His neck elongated unnaturally and wrapped around her raven-haired teammate, slowly constricting him.
"Stay away from him!" Sakura frantically yelled, though no matter how much she tried to move, her legs refused to budge. Instead, they sunk deeper into the sand below her, drowning in its depths. Despite her protests, the Sannin's jaw widened, his fangs instantly piercing the skin of Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha went limp, his body falling lifelessly onto the sand.
The kunoichi's eyes widened in horror, her scream catching in her throat. Before she knew it, frigid claws wrapped around her neck, digging into her soft skin mercilessly.
"Poor, little kunoichi..."
The claws tightened around her neck, leaving her gasping as they choked the life out of her. The air slowly left her body, the rough talons washed with blood as they squeezed every drop of life from her body.
"You failed."
Sakura's eyes snapped open, her hands immediately flying to her throat as she desperately gasped for air. Cold sweat ran down her forehead as her heartbeat throbbed in her ears, drowning out the sound of anything else. Shifting into a sitting position, the kunoichi slowly regained her bearings, closing her eyes until her heartbeat fell into a steady rhythm.
"Sakura."
The sound of her name instantly caught her attention, and Sakura opened her viridian orbs to find Sasuke staring back at her with a troubled frown. His eyes flickered in the warm firelight, studying her with emotions she couldn't decipher. His hands paused in the middle of their sharpening, his attention fully focused on the girl.
"Sorry for disturbing you, Sasuke," she mumbled, her gaze falling on the mesmerizing flames. She refused to look at the Uchiha's eyes, feeling strangely vulnerable at the moment. "I just..."
Her voice trailed off in the wind, unwilling to finish the sentence. Her eyes slid to the ground, following her fingers as they dragged across the sand below her. With the absence of the sun, the golden hue of the sand had changed into a washed-out grey, only turning a dim yellow at the flicker of the firelight. The sky above her was painted in ink, decorated with tiny splotches of white.
Her gaze fell back to Earth when she noticed that the Uchiha's eyes never left her. She frowned at this, a little annoyed at his nosy nature, when she caught the flicker of concern passing through his eyes. All of a sudden, it was like she couldn't hold it in anymore, and she ripped her gaze away from his.
"I had...I had a nightmare," she whispered, shuddering at the thought of the Sannin's claws digging into the skin of her throat. She suddenly felt exposed, so vulnerable and defenseless in front of Sasuke. So weak and scared.
But, when she lifted her gaze and timidly met Sasuke's eyes, she was slightly startled by the understanding they held- as if he knew exactly what she was feeling at the moment. True to his nature, Sasuke stayed silent, though he dropped his gaze and resumed his sharpening. Somehow, the gesture was appreciated by Sakura, as she felt that he was giving her a chance to collect her thoughts.
The two of them fell into a peaceful silence, with only the crackling of the fire between them. Unable to go back to sleep, Sakura simply stared at the fire, allowing herself to relax and ease the tension in her body. The nightmare soon faded to the background in her mind, the sound of Sasuke sharpening his kunai and the whisper of the wind strangely soothing.
Feeling a bit more like herself, Sakura stood up and shuffled over to her teammate, his eyes looking at her with curiosity as she plopped down beside him. He simply raised an eyebrow at her before returning to his sharpening. Once again they fell into silence, enjoying each other's silent company. After a while, however, Sakura grew a little agitated, leaning towards Sasuke as she observed him work.
"So, how many kunai have you sharpened so far?" she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder. Sasuke didn't even glance at her, keeping his gaze focused on the kunai.
"About ten or so," he answered curtly.
Sakura rolled her eyes at his reply, lifting her head from his shoulder. Geez, would it kill you to have a conversation?
After a couple more beats of silence, the kunoichi poked the Uchiha's shoulder, who immediately gave her an irritated look in return.
"Can I ask you a question?" she chirped, tucking a pink lock of hair behind her ears. The boy paused for a couple of seconds before nodding, setting down his kunai.
"Well, okay..." She chewed at her lip, taking a moment to gather her words. "These exams...I just, I don't know...do you think we'll be...okay?"
The Uchiha lifted his eyebrow at her question, his silence encouraging her to continue. I can't tell him everything, she thought, fiddling with a strand of her hair. But...I just want to hear what he thinks about it.
"I...I just have a bad feeling about these exams, you know?" Her voice shuddered as she spoke, but she forced herself to remain composed. "What do you think?"
For the first couple of moments, Sasuke remained silent, contemplating her question.
"Hn...I don't know," he finally said, his eyes fixated on the dancing flames. "But...you're strong, Sakura. I think we'll be fine."
Sakura stared at the boy, completely shocked. She almost didn't expect him to reply, much less try and comfort her. Just a couple of weeks ago, he called me weak and said that I would do anything to take the easy way out. Now he's calling me strong? Warmth blossomed in Sakura's chest, her lips pulling into a bright grin as affection threatened to overwhelm her. She leaned towards Sasuke, nudging his shoulder with a giggle.
"I think you're strong too," she smiled, looking up at his onyx eyes. The Uchiha lips pulled into a slight smirk, letting her lean her head against his shoulder as he picked up his kunai once more.
The two fell into a comfortable silence, with Sakura leaning her weight against Sasuke as she observed the fire flicker. A cozy feeling enveloped the kunoichi's body, warding off the chill of the night with the warmth of the fire and Sasuke's body heat. As the minutes passed by, her eyelids began to close, exhaustion slowly overcoming her as she relaxed against Sasuke. Eventually, her mind drifted off to sleep, a little more at ease with the knowledge that she was under the watchful eyes of her teammate.
Hello everyone!
This chapter is definitely a long one...there was a lot of stuff that needed to be put in. At this point, the plot has diverged into two different paths: Team Seven as they take on Chunin exams and all that jazz going on in Konoha.
What were your guys' thoughts on the Konoha strategy meeting with the Hokage and the jonin? What about the jonin attacks?
Also, Jiraiya showed up in this chapter! Trust me, he'll be a big part of the story to come (not as big as Kakashi and Tsunade, but big nonetheless). What do you guys think about this?
What do you guys think about Sasuke and Sakura's relationship? What about her nightmare?
There are a lot of questions and hidden details in this chapter, so feel free to theorize and share your ideas with me! It's really fun reading about what you guys think of the chapter and your various theories :)
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really appreciate you all!
I hope you all stay safe and healthy during these times :)