2 months had passed since that day, and Team 7's skill only grew.
Sakura worked them to the very brink, having them run 3 miles around the village at dawn before training them until the sun set many hours later.
Cuts, bruises and even broken bones caused the Genin intense pain but were easily healed by their Sensei. They didn't hamper the training process for more than a few seconds. Other Jonin Sensei may have thought Sakura was going overboard, but this was a necessity. The brats needed to be strong in order to protect Konoha from any threats that may come their way.
Besides, they were all high profile Genin to some degree.
It was known how much Kumogakure had hungered for the Byakugan's power, and Hinata being the clan's presumed heir would only make the attention on her eyes grow. Sakura had personally witnessed how cruel and indifferent to the girl's fate that her father was, and had made a silent vow to shape Hinata into a strong kunoichi to prove the man wrong.
Naruto was a Jinchuriki, and their power was sought after extensively. Having the power of any Biju was a boon during times of war and strife, but the almighty Kyūbi would be one especially. There would be threats coming that Sakura would not always be there to protect him from. It was crucial for Naruto to be able to stand on his own two feet.
The case for Sasuke went without saying. He was one of the very last loyal Uchiha, and Itachi's younger brother. Itachi had many enemies, but the Genjutsu expert was far too skilled to even be touched by most of them.
Sasuke was simply not at that level yet and had a long way to go before even coming close. But Sakura was sure he could one day reach it. Killing Shisui was an entirely different animal though.
Begrudgingly, Sakura had taken a liking to the brats. Though she didn't plan on showing it just yet, she cared for the little shi- children.
Like any other Genin team, Team 7 had begun taking on standard D-ranked missions. The tasks ranged from babysitting, to laundry duty, to their current mission.
Catching this damned cat.
This was the third time it had ran away in as many days, and Sakura was fast becoming irritated with capturing him. But like any other Jonin, she did the mission without complaint and would accept the paycheck that came along with it without question.
"Angel... report." Sakura conveyed on her speaker. Hinata hid behind a tree a fair distance away.
"Target in sight, Tigress. Raven report." Hinata spoke covertly.
Sasuke scoffed. Was all this really necessary? Three Genin and a fucking Elite Jonin for Kami's sake chasing after a harmless cat. Despite his annoyance, Sasuke did not defy his orders.
"Raven reporting. Ready when you are." He grumbled out.
Sakura nodded. "Good. Kitsune, report." The rumbling static confused Sakura.
The Jonin looked over to see Naruto acting out of orders and trying to catch the target by himself. Tora intercepted and scratched the boy until his face was coated with cuts and gashes. Naruto fell from the treetop rapidly, moaning dramatically. Sakura groaned and used expert precision to pin him to the tree by his jacket using a kunai.
Sasuke ran up to the branch Tora was on and startled the cat by grabbing out at it, which allowed it to fall gracefully into Hinata's warm arms. The cat purred from the delicate ministrations Hinata had performed.
"Mission complete Sensei." Hinata handed over the cat to Sakura. The poor feline tried to leap out of the pinkette's grasp, only to be caught effortlessly and lightly restrained.
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he removed the dagger from Naruto's jumpsuit and got the boy down from the tree.
"That damned CAT! Lemme at em!" Naruto sprinted up but was temporarily paralyzed by a faint touch from Sakura. The boy was still such an easy target. He had much learning to do.
"It's best not to kill our clients Naru-Chan." She smiled in a disarming way. Naruto mentally shivered, as he was currently incapable of physically doing it.
I hate that lady. Naruto mused to himself. She was always taking the fun out of everything.
Sasuke picked him up with an annoyed sigh. "C'mon dobe. I don't wanna hear a peep or down you go!" Naruto wanted to retort but wasn't willing to risk injury. He knew Sasuke wouldn't hesitate to drop him.
Sakura beckoned for her genin to follow her as they walked back to the Hokage Tower.
In Hiruzen's Office
"Tora-Chan! You're back! Thank you three sooo much!" A husky woman squeezed her pet tightly and left. The assembled Shinobi understood why Tora had kept running away. The woman would end up suffocating the poor thing.
Hiruzen smiled and thanked the woman for the mission payment. He gave the check to Sakura, who would divide it evenly four ways.
"Very good Team 7! Your next mission is to look after the elderly..." Naruto, who had regained the feeling in his body interrupted.
"NO,NO,NO!!! I want a REAL mission Jiji!!" His eyes revealed deep determination. His teammates didn't speak out of turn, but the old Kage knew they agreed. Especially the young Uchiha. The boy's drive was palpable despite his attempts to mask it. Sarutobi sighed.
"There are several assignment levels for missions. D-ranks are basic, C-ranks are usually escort tasks, B-ranks are about Chunin level, A-ranks are Jonin level, while S-ranks are for the most Elite Jounin and ANBU only." He explained.
"Since you three are only Genin, I can't trust you with much."
At this tidbit, Sasuke had to respectfully interject. "Pardon me Hokage-sama. I have to agree with the Dobe. Sensei is an Elite, right? We should be able to handle any mission with her here."
If the Konoha Library was anything to go on, Sakura was the most skilled kunoichi the village had ever produced, outshining even the Legendary Slug Princess Tsunade.
Hiruzen thought it over for a while. It actually did make sense, and the whole system was never really his thing anyhow. It stunted the growth of young shinobi. Only tradition had kept the practice in place.
"I suppose so. I actually have a mission just for your Team. The client should be here any minute now." Hiruzen said.
Hinata smiled slightly. This was the chance she needed to impress her father.
Sakura raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "What rank is the mission and who's our client?" It didn't really matter as Sakura was confident in her own skills, but she would be letting her team do most of the work this time. It was high time for a real test with actual stakes.
Hiruzen nodded. "He should be in now." On cue, a man no younger than 55 walked in. He reeked of days old alcohol and urine. When was the last time this man had bathed? Naruto's nose scrunched up at the smell of the geezer.
"These three are gonna protect me? They all look so weak, especially this one with the ridiculous pink hair." The man scoffed.
Suddenly, the room got awkwardly silent. One could have heard a pen drop. Insults normally did not perturb an S-ranked shinobi , but this was Sakura's Achilles heel. Hiruzen coughed trying to ease the tension. He knew Sakura was especially insecure about her hair ever since she was a child. Tazuna might not even make it to his home country.
Sakura did not physically react to the insult, but her face did twitch into a frown before it schooled of emotion, all within a second's notice.
"This is Tazuna. You'll be guarding him until he finishes building his bridge. The mission is a C-rank. Pack well, and prepare adequately. You'll leave in an hour." Hiruzen informed them. The three Genin left to pack while the adults stayed where they were.
Sakura's piercing jade eyes turned to the old man. "Tazuna-san... I'd hate for anything to happen to you so... watching your mouth is advised." She let out only a fraction of her massive killer intent, and it took everything in Tazuna not to wet his pants.
Sakura vanished in the blink of an eye, smirking.
1 hour later at Konoha's Gates
"I trust you all packed well." Sakura said. She received three nods in affirmation and a grunt from Tazuna. Apparently the man's pantries were still in a wad from Sakura's little display of power. Sakura couldn't bring herself to care even a little.
The group left in haste, determined to reach the Land Of Waves in a timely manner.
The group had been traveling quietly for about ten minutes, and of course the hyperactive blonde broke the silence with a bombardment of questions.
"What's the Land Of Waves like?"
"Can we surf there?"
"Do they have a Hokage?"
Sakura had fast grown irritated, but she didn't let it show. She simply told Naruto that shinobi should travel in silence for fear of listening ears. The boy nodded in understanding and closed his mouth.
The five of them kept walking for a bit longer, until Sakura noticed something most peculiar.
A puddle in the middle of a totally dry road. It was June, and the land had been dry for months. The trap itself may have caught Chunin off guard and maybe even an average Jonin, but was child's play to sniff out for one of Sakura's caliber.
Just then, The Demon Brothers leapt from the puddle, weapons drawn. The two pushed forward in tandem with a chain and sickle that was meant to bisect Sakura.
Team 7 and Tazuna reacted with great shock at the attack. The two enemies were moving at a speed they couldn't hope to match just yet.
Even still, Sakura effortlessly dodged the attack. Channeling chakra to her heel, she slammed it into the duo, knocking them back a great distance.
The Demon Brothers, eh? It was a nice little sneak attack I'll give them that but they're still ahundred years too early to challenge me.
Without batting so much as an eye, Sakura knocked the duo out with unsettling ease.
"Let's go on ahead. They'll wake up soon and scram. We're on a schedule here." Sakura commanded.
Sasuke knew he would've had a hard time dodging that attack even with his Sharingan active, but Sakura had dodged it and launched a counterattack seamlessly.
So this was the power of a Jonin.
Itachi was a high caliber shinobi himself but never took Sasuke too seriously during their rare training sessions. Sakura had reacted with precision and power the boy could not hold a candle to.
Naruto and Hinata had similar sentiments. They had never actually seen Sakura fight anyone, but if this was anything to go by she was definitely powerful.
Tazuna even begrudgingly praised her, but only to himself.
She is definitely formidable. Maybe I'll be okay after all.
"That. Was. WICKED!" Naruto beamed. "Sensei, can you teach me that move?!" Sakura smirked back at him.
"Maybe later, but for now we need to get a move on."
BREAK
From behind a tree, a large figure carefully stalked the bridge builder and his cohorts. Immediately, he cursed his luck.
Damn'! Since when does the Bloody Blossom teach a bunch of brats? All reports have her listed as an active duty Jonin.
Out of all people, that woman had to be the one protecting Tazuna. This would definitely not be easy. Maybe even downright impossible but the man was nothing if not persistent.
He smiled darkly and clutched the handle of his blade as the blonde boy began running toward him giggling, completely unaware of what would meet him.
BREAK
Naruto was bored out of his mind. The high of seeing his teacher in action quickly subsided and he was unimpressed with the circumstances once more. Was this how dull missions were? All they did so far was walk around. Even the fighting was handled within a few seconds and he had not seen any real action. It was lame beyond his beliefs.
He dared Sasuke to race him and began to run at full speed. The Uchiha remained stoic but admonished him mentally.
Dobe.
Sakura decided to let the boy run. He would get lost eventually and then come back with his tail tucked between his legs. What Sakura sensed dangerously close to Naruto in the blink of an eye startled her. Her eyes widened as a massive sword came for the boy.
Sakura hastily summoned chakra to her feet and stomped the ground with enough strength to knock down Naruto who was about a yard ahead of them and those in her immediate vicinity. The blade thankfully missed by a mile and embedded itself into a tree.
"So it's you huh Kato? To think you've fallen so low as to train a bunch of irresponsible brats!"
The dust cleared revealing a tall, muscular man standing atop his sword. His voice was heavy.
Sakura frowned.
"It's you... Momochi."