Sakura was knelt to the ground, fastening the straps on her shoes while her uncle stood across from her, arms crossed. Finally, the pink haired kunoichi stood up, a challenging smile on her face as her eyes met her uncle's matching green eyes. Higure took a small step back, relaxing his stance a bit.
"Alright, first and most important rule of the Chunin Exams: survival," Higure stated. "The Forest of Death has the term 'death' in it for a reason. Many shinobi better than you have died in those woods." Sakura's face drooped, a slightly irritated look on her face.
'Thanks a lot for the support…'
"Luckily for you, those shinobi didn't have me teaching them. In the Forest of Death, there are literally hundreds of poisonous plants and animals. The most obvious color for anything poisonous is the color purple, however, there are exceptions. I've set up a meeting with an old medical ninja friend of mine to go over that later. For now, we'll work on your overall abilities. Show me what you've got."
"Alright," Sakura replied, smirking once again. The kunoichi stretched her arm across her body, eyes focused on her uncle who remained completely relaxed. "I hope you haven't gotten soft in your old age uncle."
"I've definitely gotten soft, but that doesn't mean I can't put up a fight. Now attack."
Without another word, Sakura shot forward in a red blur. Higure's eyes narrowed before he stepped back, avoiding Sakura's forward strike. The kunoichi scowled before throwing another punch, which her uncle also dodged. Two more lightning fast strikes were dodged and the third was caught. Higure held Sakura by the wrist, holding her there as firmly as he could. Sakura growled before throwing her foot up at her uncle's head. Without taking his eyes off his niece, Higure jerked his head back, releasing Sakura's wrist. The young kunoichi spun around then landed on her foot, standing across from her uncle in a battle ready position.
"You need to think faster," Higure bluntly stated. "If I were an enemy, I could've killed you in those few seconds I held your wrist. Block out the pain. You can cry after the battle."
Sakura got angry then shot forward. Higure was impressed with her speed, especially for her age. He ducked, swerved, and dodged all of Sakura's strikes. The pink haired kunoichi got angrier, her strikes becoming faster and more vicious. Higure remained calm, his eyes unblinking as he moved nearly two seconds ahead of Sakura. Finally, Sakura had enough then spun around, throwing both of her arms outward to use the striking shadow snake technique Anko taught her. However, the snakes shot out and struck nothing. Higure was gone. Sakura's eyes were wide with confusion as she looked around frantically.
"You can never take your eyes off your opponent," Higure's voice called out. Sakura spun around, seeing her uncle standing a ways away from her. "That's the difference between life and death." Higure sighed then started walking towards his niece. "I have a lot to teach you. The first thing is always keep your eyes on your target. That is the most essential factor in battle."
"Alright, I'll do my best." Higure nodded once then let his arms fall to his sides.
"I'm going to come at you. Your job is to go on the defensive and keep your eyes focused until you see a window of opportunity. I'm not going to hold back…well I'm not going to kill you or put you in any life threatening situations, but other than that, no holding back." Sakura nodded then readied herself.
Higure closed his eyes then sighed before vanishing in the blink of an eye. Sakura gasped with shock before ducking, barely seeing a flicker from the corner of her eye. Higure had thrown his elbow at the side of his niece's head, missing her by only a few strands of hair. Sakura threw an uppercut. Higure pulled his head back and caught her by the wrist. The kunoichi tried to pull away, but to know avail.
"I said to wait for your moment to strike. My eyes will still on you the whole time."
"S-sorry uncle Higure." The older man sighed then released Sakura who took a big step away. It was weird, she'd never seen her uncle like this before. Usually he was just a sarcastic lovable goofball, but now he was so serious.
"Well…judging from what I've seen you're good on speed and reflexes. Now those will undoubtedly save your life in a variety of situations. What you really need is to learn to trust your instincts more, and think faster in a combat situation."
"Yes sir," Sakura replied with a brisk nod. Higure tilted his head a bit with confusion. Now Sakura was perplexed as well.
"What's with the 'sir' remark? I'm still you're uncle aren't I?" Sakura's shoulders drooped and a relieved smile came across her face. Higure smiled back then shifted back a bit. "Alright, ready?"
"Ready," Sakura replied, dropping into a quick defensive stance.
Higure quickly threw a kunai forward. Sakura pulled her head to the side, allowing the blade to pass through her silky smooth hair. She kept her eyes focused on her uncle, actually seeing him shoot forward this time instead of a blur. She watched carefully then threw a punch forward just as her uncle blinked. Higure lowered his head, grabbed her niece by the wrist, moved around behind her, and began choking Sakura with her own arm. The kunoichi gasped in vain for air. She tried wrestling her arm away, but that was a wasted effort too. Finally, she lifted her leg up, stamped down on Higure's toes. Her uncle cried out briefly, and loosened his grip slightly. Sakura then elbowed Higure in the gut with all her might, causing him to fully release her. Higure fell on one knee after being elbowed in the stomach. Sakura jumped in the air, spun around and kicked her uncle across the face, knocking him to the ground. Sakura stared with wide eyes as her uncle slowly propped himself up on his hands. He rubbed his jaw, moaning with pain before looking up at his niece.
"I'd say that qualifies as break time," Higure stated. Sakura's posture slumped over as she rolled her eyes. Higure got up, still rubbing his now aching jaw. "That's one hell of a kick you got by the way."
"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I old man?" Sakura punched her uncle's arm playfully, getting an annoyed glare in return.
"You know I hate it when you call me that right?" Sakura giggled as Higure started to walk away. The kunoichi tilted her head then followed her uncle.
"Where are we going," Sakura asked.
"This is a good excuse to see that medic friend of mine."
Sakura moved in front of Higure, stopping him in his tracks. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just don't want to give you another chance to hit me like that again," Higure replied. Sakura rolled her eyes as Higure continued past her. The kunoichi shook her head and shrugged to herself before following after him.
The two walked through the streets of Konoha as the shops started opening and people started coming out. A few people greeted them as they made their way across the village to Konoha's medical center. A tall building, painted white that had countless windows all around it. The Haruno duo entered into the lobby where a blonde receptionist smiled at them.
"Hello, how may I help you two today?"
"Is Rin here today," Higure asked. The nurse hummed to herself as she flipped through some papers.
"She is. Do you have an appointment with her?" Higure nodded. The receptionist smiled then got up and walked into a back room.
"You set up an appointment with this girl," Sakura questioned.
"No, you set up an appointment with this woman," Higure corrected. Sakura's jaw dropped with shock at her uncle's statement. Higure smirked then turned as the door opened, the blonde receptionist walked out with a brown haired woman with purple marks on her cheeks.
"Long time no see Higure-san," the brunette said.
"Very long," Higure replied. "This is my niece Sakura. I hope you don't mind teaching her some basics."
"Not at all," Rin answered with a smile.
"Alright, Sakura, don't be a bother for Miss Rin got it?"
"Good lord, how old do you think I am? Five?" Higure chuckled embarrassingly before turning and heading for the exit. Sakura took a deep breath before turning back to the new stranger before her and gave a small wave. "Hello, I'm Sakura Haruno."
"It's my pleasure, I'm Rin. Follow me please." Sakura nodded then watched as Rin simply hopped over the desk in a swift movement. Sakura's eyes widened slightly. She didn't expect a grown woman to just hop over things so casually. Sakura shook her head a bit then followed Rin into the hospital.
"So how do you know my uncle," Sakura asked, watching as several nurses and doctors walked by them.
"We met on a mission together. A three man team was sent to infiltrate the Land of Lightning and report back. I was sent as the medical support."
"Who was the other member," Sakura asked.
"My…boyfriend, Kakashi Hatake." Sakura nodded, lowering her eyes to process the information. Kakashi was an obvious choice due to his lightning affinity, as was Rin for her medical prowess. Sakura shook her head, mentally cursing herself.
'Why do I always have to analyze everything?'
"Alright, this is the room," Rin said, turning and opening the door to her right. Sakura entered, and was shocked. The room was humid, and full of countless plants of various color and shapes. It was a bit difficult to breath, but Sakura managed. Rin closed the door then walked forward. "This way."
The two walked through the room. Sakura looked around, observing all of the unique and beautiful plants around her. There was a faint humming of the artificial light given off from. There were about three or four other doctors observing the plants, watering them and making sure they had enough light. Rin stopped and turned to a table, which Sakura also faced. The flowers and plants were beautiful and varied in countless bright colors.
"These plants are poisonous," Rin stated. Sakura turned to the medic with shock, then back at the beautiful plants. "If you're not sure a plant is poisonous or not, there's one surefire way to tell." Rin and Sakura leaned forward. The brunette poked the stem of the plant then turned to Sakura. "The stem of a plant is never poisonous, only the leaves or even the vines, but never the stem. If you get a kunai or shuriken and stab the stem a liquid that's clear, but flows slowly, it's poisonous."
"Clear and flows slowly," Sakura told herself with a quiet tone.
"That's right, not only that but you can tell from the taste as well." Sakura shook her head then did a double take on Rin.
"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of avoiding the plant?" Rin giggled a bit then straightened up.
"Only if you ingest it. If you stab it and you're not sure, take just a little lick of if. If it tastes bitter and makes your tongue tingle then spit it out immediately. Don't leave it in there for more than ten seconds, otherwise there's a high chance it could harm you. Now, if you can't tell immediately and you're nearing the ten second mark, spit it out, wait five minutes. If you're dying to try it again, then it's most likely poisonous."
"How did you all develop these techniques," Sakura asked.
"Watching animals," Rin replied simply. "Animals will taste, but not ingest many poisons, which we adopted. However, some plants give off a certain venom that animals will spit out, but then still try because it tastes good. Those plants are very rare, and there are less than a dozen of them in the Forest of Death. We check the forest monthly to make sure that that specific type of plant doesn't grow out of control otherwise we'll lose more animals that we'd have to replace, and during the time of the exams countless Genin would die. It's just easier to kill the plant then replace animals and deal with angry countries."
"So what does this plant look like?"
"Well…it has a few different forms, and we don't keep it on storage singe it would most likely kill the rest of the plants. But there's one defining characteristic that the plant has. It has leafs that looks like two shuriken stacked on top of each other." Sakura quickly pictured the image then nodded once to Rin.
"Is there any treatment in case if someone ingests them?" Rin cocked an eyebrow up. "My teammates are idiots. I need to make sure in case they eat it."
"Well, there aren't many treatments, but we do have a vaccine that helps neutralize the poison. I could get you some if you need it, but you're teammates surely can't be…" Sakura gave Rin an expectant look. The brunette smiled then turned her body, "This way."
Sakura looked around at the other medics who paid no attention to her while Rin fished through countless antidotes in a refrigerator looking storage device. Sakura took a quick glance, seeing what must've been a hundred vials of various types of liquid. Rin examined each one closely, wanting to make sure she acquired the right one before grabbing a vial with a blue liquid inside of it.
"Here we go," Rin exclaimed, turning around and holding the vial in front of Sakura before shutting the door. "This is a vaccine for the double shuriken leaf. What's cool about it is that it's actually a poison that counteracts the affects of the double shuriken." Sakura hummed curiously as she took the vial to get a closer look. "So you could use it on your kunai or shuriken against opponents to poison them. But if your friends are as dumb as you think I'd save as much of that stuff as possible."
"Right," Sakura chuckled with a nervous smile. "Do you have something else to put this in so I don't spill it or something?" Rin turned, grabbed something off of the desk to her right then held out a simple cork for Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi took the wooden cork then pushed it down firmly to make sure nothing could leak out.
"Now, is there anything else we could go over while we're here? Your uncle only asked me to go over poisons with you, but I think I could teach you a few basic medical techniques." Sakura's face lit up with excitement and a huge grin crossed her face.
"A medical ninja? Me, really?" Rin giggled then escorted Sakura out of the floral room and back into the hallway. "You don't have to do this if you have other duties Miss Rin, really."
"No, no, I want to make sure the next generation of shinobi are well prepared for the future." Sakura gave a curious look to Rin, who simply kept her eyes forward. "It's something not many of our people believe in anymore…"
"What do you mean?" A look of shock crossed Rin's face as she quickly shook her head.
"I-It's nothing, forget I said anything." Rin turned into a room and Sakura followed accordingly. "Alright, this room has many different concoctions that serve various purposes. The thing is most of our medical equipment is activated by a precise amount of chakra flow. Too much will cause an overdose affect and kill the person, and not enough chakra won't make the medicine work. This for example." Rin turned around and lifted a pill in capsule form. "What does this look like?"
"A clotting pill," Sakura asked.
"Yes, but not entirely true. Certain poisons, both used by shinobi, and the types found in plants all have one thing in common: they're carried through the bloodstream. They mostly attach themselves to red blood cells and get carried through the body. This pill can act as a clotting pill, but with the right chakra flow, it only clots specific blood."
"The blood that has the poison attached," Sakura stated.
"Very good. And that's where chakra flow comes in." Rin lifted up her hand. Sakura looked up with a puzzled look on her face when Rin's hand started to glow green with chakra. "What you have to do is send your chakra through a person's bloodstream. The real trick is that your chakra has to flow as effortlessly as the person's blood, otherwise you may end up harming the patient. There wouldn't be any permanent damage, but it would still be very uncomfortable for the individual. The pill does the clotting for you, so you have to sense the clots with your chakra, and then push them all into a single area. Sometimes though I could understand being in a time crunch, so try to leave the areas you send the clots no more than four. Once all the clots are in one area, get a blade and slowly make tiny cuts on the person's skin, enough to draw blood, but not enough to leave a scar. After that, use your chakra again to push the clots out."
"This sounds a lot more serious than 'just the basics' if you ask me…"
Rin laughed a bit, "Don't worry. I hear you have excellent chakra control. It'll take a few practice runs, but you should be fine."
"You don't happen to have a person who was poisoned to practice on do you," Sakura asked jokingly.
"No, but what we're going to work on is you flowing your chakra through a person's bloodstream. You're going to practice on me." Sakura's eyes widened a bit with worry. "Don't worry, I've been through this exercise plenty of times through the medical initiation. They do it to demonstrate the pain you'd put another person through if you failed the exercise. Now, then, let's start with something small." Rin rolled up her sleeve, exposing her arm to Sakura. "Go ahead and place your hand on my arm gently." Sakura nodded then did so. "You know how to funnel your chakra into someone else right?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good, now just concentrate and ease your chakra into my arm. Don't force it." Sakura's eyes were closed as she focused on letting her chakra flow out. It felt as though something was blocking her chakra flow. The kunoichi scowled a bit and focused harder. "Don't push your chakra. You're trying to hard Sakura. Just relax. You're chakra isn't use to this." Sakura had no idea if it was her words, or Rin's soothing tone, but she felt more calm and relaxed. Sure enough Sakura could feel her charka push through whatever barrier was holding her back and flowing naturally with Rin's blood. "Good job. I'm impressed with how well you're doing. I can hardly sense your chakra."
"So this is all I have to do," Sakura asked, opening one eye to look at Rin.
"Don't get too excited now. What aren't you noticing?" Sakura opened both eyes to fully give Rin a confused look. "How far is your chakra going?" Sakura closed her eyes to concentrate.
"It's…only going to your elbows…" Sakura's eyes both opened with a sudden realization. "A-and my chakra can't go into your hands! But I'm right on your wrists!"
"This is what I mean by basics," Rin stated. "Your chakra is flowing in a straight line. The joints are a bit trickier to deal with. Your chakra has to be able to flow freely. Right now it's flowing where you want it to flow."
"Um…how do I change that?"
"You have to let your chakra go, without letting it go." Sakura tilted her head and blinked repeatedly with confusion. "That's the best way I can describe it. As a metaphor I would say that it's like letting your child wander around in a park, but not letting them out of your sight. Does that make sense?"
"So…I'm keeping control of my chakra…but letting it go at the same time?"
"Right," Rin replied with a nervous smile. She hoped she didn't confuse the poor girl too badly. "Your uncle probably has a better way of teaching it to you. This medical stuff has become like second nature to me."
"Well, the Chunin Exams aren't for awhile now. I could work on it and come around when you're not busy."
"That works," Rin replied. "You can come around my lunch break at one o' clock."
"Are you sure," Sakura asked, feeling guilty over taking the woman's only break during the day.
"Yeah it's fine. I usually get a break until three anyway." Sakura's eyes widened a bit. Rin, noticing the younger girl's shock, simply shrugged. "I'm a valued member of the medical corps. I can basically ask for almost anything I want around here, no arguments and no questions asked."
"That's handy to have." Rin nodded with a sly smile on her face. "So um…I'll take this" Sakura put the vial of poison in a safe compartment in her back pouch. "And I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure thing," Rin replied with her usual warm smile. Sakura smiled back then held out her hand awkwardly. Rin giggled at the gesture then shook Sakura's hand.
"Thank you again Miss Rin."
"Anytime sweetie. I'll escort you to the door." Sakura nodded then walked with Rin back towards the front door.
Once Sakura exited the hospital, she turned around and waved to Rin once again before continuing down the road. Rin watched until the girl was out of sight, then went back inside the hospital. Sakura walked through the busy streets of Konoha, wondering what she was going to do with the rest of her day. It had just turned noon, and she still had a date—'MEETING,' she corrected, with Ryu at three. Sakura looked up and thought for a moment. Did she even set up a place to meet him at? The pink haired kunoichi groaned and lowered her head. How was she supposed to go on a date—'MEETING!' with Ryu if she didn't know where to meet him at? Sakura looked forward, seeing a familiar orange haired man browsing a merchant's fruit selection.
'Wait…isn't that Ryu's sensei? Should I ask him? No, you haven't even said two words to him, plus how creepy would it be if you just asked out of the blue where he and his students were staying at? Yeah, that doesn't sound desperate at all Sakura.'
'Cha! Just do it girl!'Sakura groaned, knowing she'd never hear the end of it from her split, crazy personality. The girl thought herself crazy as she walked towards the orange haired man. Mostly because of inner Sakura.
"Um, excuse me," Sakura said. The man snapped his head towards Sakura, causing the latter to flinch a bit with uneasiness. "Um, hi I'm Sakura Haruno, I met you and your students yesterday."
"Oh yes, I remember." The man seemed to ease his body a bit. "Can I help you?"
"Um…well…" Sakura shifted her feet with nervousness and fiddled with her hands. "I was wondering…well I was supposed to meet Ryu later this afternoon and I was wondering if…you could…tell me where you all are staying at?" The man blinked with confusion, making Sakura even more nervous. 'Damn it, I'm such an idiot!'
"I could just tell Ryu to meet you somewhere if that would be easier," the man finally said.
"YES!" Sakura mentally cursed herself for her nervous outburst then shook her head, "I mean, yes, that would work just fine."
"Very well, where should he meet you at?"
"Um…well uh…how about…HERE!"
"Here?" Sakura once again mentally cursed herself and her complete nervous demeanor. 'I guess it couldn't do any harm…' Yahiko pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Sakura looked with confusion as he wrote something down and handed it to her. "This is the hotel we're staying at. Just wait for him and he'll be out. Does he know what time you're coming?"
"Around three o' clock."
"I'll remind him just to be sure." Sakura gave a respectful bow then lifted her head up.
"Thank you very much sir." Yahiko nodded, and then Sakura was off. 'God that was the most awkward thing ever!'
'God that was the most awkward thing ever,' Yahiko thought to himself.
After awhile, Sakura got her jitters worked out right as she got home. She reached for the doorknob, but heard someone talking inside. She slowly turned the knob, and peaked in. To her shock, Zaku and Dosu waited inside, sitting on the couch and talking to one another. Sakura poked her entire head inside of the house, seeing her uncle sitting on the chair across from them. All eyes turned to Sakura as she opened the door and walked inside.
"Ah, there she is," Higure exclaimed loudly. "Sakura, we were just talking about you. Man these teammates of yours, they're a riot." Higure put his arm around Sakura then pulled her closely and whispered, "Get them out of my house." Sakura rolled her eyes then looked at her teammates. She didn't need an explanation on why they were here, or why Higure wanted them out. Just the fact it was Zaku and Dosu was enough.
"Come on guys," Sakura called out. The boys hopped off the couch then headed for the door.
"Can you pick up groceries on your way home," Higure asked. Sakura sighed then nodded. "Right, one second." Higure ran off upstairs while Zaku and Dosu waited in the doorway.
"My time with Rin went well by the way, thanks for asking!" Sakura crossed her arms then huffed. Was it too much to ask for crying out loud? Zaku and Dosu turned to one another then shrugged. Higure came back downstairs and handed her a list. "Money," Sakura asked, holding out her hand.
"Right," Higure replied before running back up the stairs.
"Is he getting senile," Zaku asked.
"I heard that," Higure's voice called out from upstairs.
"Age certainly hasn't affected his hearing," Dosu whispered to Zaku.
"I heard that too!" Higure came back downstairs then handed Sakura some money. She put both the list and money in her back pouch. "Alright, try not to get yourself killed with these two."
"I'll try," Sakura replied with an overplayed tone. Higure waved as Sakura and her teammates walked outside, then closed the door behind them.
The trio walked through the streets mostly in silence. Sakura knew that they came to her house to try and patch things up from yesterday. She also knew that the silent treatment would milk the situation a bit more. Zaku and Dosu looked to one another before glancing back at their kunoichi teammate.
"So…how's it goin," Zaku asked.
"Not bad," Sakura replied quietly.
"Cool…"
"What've you been up to today," Dosu asked next.
"I went to visit my parents, then trained with Uncle Higure, and then visited with a medical ninja he's friends with at the hospital."
"Learn anything cool," Zaku inquired.
"Lots of cool stuff," Sakura replied with a smile on her face. "Stuff I could use to save your life, so remember that next time you want to taunt me." Zaku and Dosu gave relieved looks to one another. "So what'd you idiots have in mind to do today?"
"Well, we could train, or just run around town, or go eat somewhere," Zaku suggested.
"I doubt she wants to train idiot. She's been practicing with her uncle and learning medical crap all day!"
"That's why I gave the other two suggestions idiot!" Zaku and Dosu gave each other the stink eye, only to be broke up by Sakura.
"Whoa, idiots, calm down alright? Let's just go eat somewhere since we didn't do that yesterday."
"Sounds good to me," Zaku replied. Dosu nodded in agreement and the trio was off.
The teammates were walking and talking as they headed to their favorite restaurant. Sakura always found it amazing that they could hang out nearly every day, and still have something to talk about for hours.
"Well, well, well, looks like we have the orphan trio," a voice called out. Sakura, Zaku, and Dosu turned around, seeing Hinata with Sasuke, Shino, and Choji standing behind them.
"Oh great," Zaku murmured. "Anyone else lose their appetite?"
"Oh very funny orphan trash," Hinata snapped. "I wouldn't want to ruin your daily diet of garbage and stolen food." Zaku's eyes hardened on the young Hyuga heiress.
"I'm sorry, but isn't your outfit a bit too slutty for a pampered little princess like you," Dosu asked. Hinata looked at her very risqué attire. She wore a black tube top that exposed her flat stomach, and tight pants that were very similar to Sakura's.
"Well, unlike you I'm not afraid to show myself to anyone. Come on mummy man, can't show us your face? Maybe you're so ugly your parents just left you lying in a dumpster!" Sakura quickly grabbed Dosu's arm, holding the hunched over boy back from attacking. Hinata laughed a bit before glaring at the only one she hadn't insulted yet. "That's right, listen to the resident team slut. You know, there's a rumor going around that she gives you both head. Is that true?" Now the situation was reversed as Dosu was now the one who had to hold Sakura back by her arm. It was a losing battle as Dosu was being pulled forward. Zaku took Sakura's other arm and the two together successfully managed to pull her away. "Awe, did I upset the poor baby?"
"You're hardly one to be calling people babies you spoiled little brat," Sakura seethed. "The little Hyuga princess has everything handed to her!"
"Oh, are you going to preach how I haven't endured the hardships of being an orphan," Hinata asked. "Whether or not if I was an orphan I'm from a superior clan, so I could still best you in battle."
"You wanna put that to the test," Sakura questioned. Hinata threw her head back and laughed mockingly before focusing her white eyes on Sakura.
"Even if you weren't outnumbered, you're still out classed. Besides, what would your dear old uncle say if I were to harm his only living relative?" Sakura screamed with rage, nearly breaking free of Zaku and Dosu's grip.
"WHOA NELLY!" Zaku shouted, pulling back with all his might.
"Whoops, touched a nerve did I," Hinata questioned. Sakura growled in anger as she fought to break free of her teammate's grip. "That's no way for a lady to act." Hinata turned her head, "Isn't that right Sasuke-kun?" This seemed to keep Sakura from thrashing around like an animal. A small blush formed across her cheeks as she glanced up at the always brooding Uchiha. "Hey, I found out how to keep the noisy girl to shut her trap. Well, aside from blowing her teammates." Sakura scowled angrily as Hinata simply laughed then walked away. The others followed after her.
"I…really hate her," Sakura fumed.
"Don't we all," Zaku murmured. The trio was silent, both boys finally releasing Sakura once they knew she had control of herself. "Alright, if any of us face her during the Chunin Exams we have to punch her in the face."
"Or even better, we could pants her," Dosu suggested. Sakura cracked a smile at the idea. "Think of how embarrassed the little princess would be then."
"I'm much rather poke out those all seeing eyes of hers," Sakura muttered. "Then she won't be acting so high and mighty…"
"I know this is weird, but why was Choji with them," Zaku asked.
"Probably because we always call him fat," Dosu replied.
"Oh…right…well, who wants to go eat?"
The team made it to the restaurant and ordered their food. After a few moments of awkward silence the Hyuga princess caused, they started talking again, cracking jokes and having a good time.
"So Dosu and I are hiding behind Iruka's desk, and when he comes in he dodges the signature bucked of water on the door, but what he didn't see was the mouse trap we set up that snapped right over his foot!" Dosu's shoulders bounced as he laughed at the memory of when they were at the academy. "Man that was so long ago…"
"Yeah," Dosu agreed. "Didn't you use to hate us back then," the boy asked, pointing a finger at Sakura.
"I couldn't help me," Sakura snapped. "Everyone hated you back then, and I blamed you guys for being the reason I couldn't be on a team with Sasuke-kun."
"Just be glad you weren't on a team with Hinata," Zaku replied before taking a sip of his drink.
"You had a crush on her for awhile didn't you," Dosu asked accusingly.
"What," the black haired boy asked, slamming his cup on the table. "I had no such thing!"
"Yeah you did, for awhile right before and after we graduated. You liked her because she dressed like a slut."
"That and she was curvy," Zaku muttered. "Besides, I didn't know she was a major bitch. I mean if she didn't act so bitchy I'd do her, but eh."
"Ew," Sakura shouted, throwing her fork down. "I'm still trying to eat!"
"Really," Dosu asked. "We've been here for awhile now."
"Yeah, what time is it," Zaku asked. Sakura looked up at the clock hanging on the wall in the restaurant. Her eyes widened with shock before she let out a quick, fearful scream.
"I'm late! Please take care of this guys!" Sakura quickly slid out of the table then rushed out the door. Dosu and Zaku looked at the door then to each other and shrugged.
"Oh god, it's three thirty! I'm so late!" Sakura ran through the streets, sliding around corners and even did a perfect flip over a merchant's cart. She ran halfway across the village before she turned the corner on the street the hotel was at. As she turned the corner, the kunoichi collided with someone. Sakura stumbled back, groaning and holding the side of her head. "Hey watch it you—oh Ryu!" The familiar blonde was rubbing the front of his face with pain, and quickly gave a huge smile once he saw the pink haired kunoichi before him.
"Hey Sakura-chan. Sorry about running into you…ow…"
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Ryu, are you okay?" Sakura walked forward and moved the boy's hand away. Surprisingly, aside from a slightly reddened face, nothing seemed wrong with him. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I had lunch with my friends and time slipped away and, and—I'm so sorry Ryu, really I am."
"It's okay Sakura-chan," Ryu replied, now rubbing the back of his head embarrassingly. "I didn't have anything better to do so I just waited."
'Oh, that's so sweet! Why'd I have to make him wait damn it!'
"My sensei told me you met him in the market right?"
"Yeah, he seemed nice. Weird, but nice." Ryu nodded in agreement. "So, um, I'll start showing you around." Sakura walked forward with the blonde walking by her side.
Sakura showed Ryu around the market place, and the shopping center of Konoha. She showed him the weapon's store where they had everything ranging from shuriken, tantos, shields, even staffs. Next door was a store where they had a few scrolls of low ranking ninjutsu, but they were still expensive nonetheless and all dealings were monitored by the village and Danzo himself. During the entire tour, Sakura talked about herself and her family, and Ryu told her about his friends and sensei. She showed Ryu the as much of the village as she could. The last place they went to was the top of the Hokage monument.
Ryu gazed with wonder as the sun set in the distance, finding the whole sight to be breath taking. Sakura walked up and sat down on the ledge of the monument, pulling her knees towards her chest, resting her arms over her knees and a smile on her face as she watched the sun. Ryu took a deep breath then walked forward and sat next to Sakura.
"The view sure is pretty," the blonde said awkwardly.
"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "My uncle once brought me up here one day when I was really sad. He told me this is the spot where my parents first kissed…" Ryu smiled then looked at Sakura.
"They chose a pretty romantic spot." Sakura nodded with agreement. "So…your uncle takes care of you?"
"Yep. He's great though. I couldn't ask for anyone better to raise me."
"Was he a shinobi too? Like your mom and dad?" Sakura rolled her eyes then sat her chin on her arms. "Is that a no?"
"You couldn't tell from the way he acts. Most veteran shinobi I know are harsh, serious, and jerks. My uncle is just…always light hearted. It's weird."
"So he's retired," Ryu asked.
"Yep. He retired after I was born apparently. He told me after my mom passed away that he had to take care of me, despite Danzo and the village elders' protests."
"Protests," Ryu repeated.
"He was a very skilled shinobi. His generation apparently was full of prodigies. One in particular was an old friend of his: Minato Namikaze." Ryu's eyes flickered at the name. "He was a ninja famous for his speed and abilities. He had this one technique called the Flying Thunder God. He had the nickname of Konoha's Yellow Flash."
"I've heard of him," Ryu said. Sakura turned her head, hearing the sorrow filled tone in the boy's voice. "He was a great ninja, trained by the traitor Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin. He was loyal to the village and brought great honor to the Land of Fire and Konoha…" Sakura tilted her head a bit, showing worry on her face. Ryu looked over, then quickly smiled. "Uh, I-I know a lot of history is all."
"You sure? If I didn't know any better I'd say you had a personal history with him."
"No way, how could I have a history with a dead hero?" Ryu chuckled nervously, hoping Sakura would turn away. Luckily for him, she did. "So uh…how does your uncle know Minato?"
"They use to be best friends, going all the way back to the academy. The way Uncle Higure talks about Minato's abilities is…weird. He doesn't say it, but I can hear it when he tells me of his adventures, he had the utmost respect for him. Uncle even told me that he believed Minato could've become Hokage if Lord Danzo wasn't…well…I shouldn't say it out loud."
"Really," Ryu asked, a smile growing across his face. "Minato Namikaze couldn't become Hokage?"
"That's what Uncle Higure tells me." Ryu grinned then looked up at the sky, a great sense of pride coming over him. "Oh gosh, it's getting late. I have to be home otherwise my uncle will kill me."
"I'll walk you home," Ryu said. Sakura turned and smiled at the offer. "Come on, it's the least I can do after you showed me around your village."
"Alright, but I have to stop and get groceries first."
"At this time of night?" Sakura's shoulders slumped a bit. There really wasn't any point in getting groceries now. Higure was going to kill her. "Come on, let's head back before it gets too dark, otherwise my sensei'll kill me too." Sakura nodded as Ryu stood up. The blonde extended his hand out to Sakura. The kunoichi grinned then took his hand and was pulled to her feet.
The couple was soon walking through the streets, heading towards Sakura's house. "Hey, what's your favorite type of food," Sakura asked.
"Ramen, why?"
"Just wondering…what're you doing for lunch tomorrow?" Ryu turned his head with a puzzled look on his face. "There's still some parts of the village I haven't shown you. Maybe we could meet up tomorrow morning and I could show you around the rest of the village, and then go for lunch."
"That'd be nice," Ryu replied with a smile. Sakura smiled back then stopped. Ryu stopped too and looked around curiously.
"We're at my house now." Ryu looked up, seeing the young kunoichi's house. It wasn't a bad place in the blonde's opinion. "Well, I would invite you in, but I think that my uncle would be asleep by now." Sakura leaned forward and whispered, "He's kind of old."
"I understand," Ryu replied laughing. "So um…what time tomorrow?"
"Um…nine or ten maybe. Depends on what time you wake up."
"Let's go for ten," Ryu suggested.
"Alright then, see you tomorrow at ten." Sakura walked up to her door and opened it before turning the blonde one last time with a smile on her face. "Goodnight Ryu."
"Goodnight Sakura-chan," Ryu replied. "Thanks again." Sakura nodded then entered her home and closed the door.
"Yeah," a voice exclaimed. Sakura jumped with fight, turning around to see her uncle lying down on the couch reading a book. "You totally don't have a thing for mister-young-mercenary."
"What're you doing awake," Sakura questioned with a furious blush on her face.
"Waiting on my niece to get home with groceries." Higure closed his book then sat up. "Why didn't you invite the young man in?"
"I thought you'd be sleeping!" Higure smirked then looked out the window. His eyes widened with shock as he saw said mercenary walking by. Sakura noticed the look of awe in her uncle's eyes then immediately grew concerned. "What's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost…" Higure quickly shook his head and blinked repeatedly.
"Nothing, it's nothing. I guess I'm just a bit tired after all." Higure stood up, still having a puzzled look on his face. "What'd you say the boy looked like?"
Sakura was taken back by the questioned, "Um…well he has spiky blonde hair and big round blue eyes." Sakura blushed then glared at her uncle. "And I only noticed his eyes because they were big and round!"
"Uh huh," Higure murmured. Sakura once again looked on in confusion. Usually her uncle would be all over a chance to tease her. Again, the older man shook his head then ran his hand through his hair. "Wow I must be tired. I'm heading to bed. There are leftovers in the refrigerator."
"Don't ask me about my day or anything," Sakura muttered as her uncle walked up the stairs.
The young girl went into the kitchen then got out some vegetables from yesterday, heated them up then sat down and ate them slowly. Sakura chewed slowly as she thought about her uncle's expression when she told him what Ryu looked like. Why would spiky blonde hair and blue eyes freak him out? For god's sake, she had pink hair and that doesn't freak him out? As soon as she finished her dinner, she cleaned her plate then sat it on the drying rack. Sakura walked upstairs, went into her room and dressed into her nighttime clothes: a baggy red shirt with a white circle across the chest, and sweat pants. She made sure that the money her uncle gave her, the list, the poison Rin gave her, and the address Yahiko gave her, were safely put in the drawer of her desk. She walked out of her room and headed for her uncle's bedroom. She opened the door, seeing the older man soundly asleep. As soon as she flicked on the lights, Higure groaned and pulled a pillow over his head.
"I was sleeping," his muffled voice shouted in protest.
"I don't care, I'm going to tell you about my day." Higure groaned again then sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eye. Sakura smiled as sweetly as she could before jumping on her uncle's bed. "Hey, you're always asking me about my day anyway."
"Not while its bedtime. Besides, Rin came by to tell you her lunch hour has been moved to two o' clock and she told me that she went over how to identify poisons, and she's teaching you some medical ninjutsu."
"That was the first half of my day," Sakura stated. "Now for the second half." Higure rolled his head then stared at his niece. "Well, on my way back from the hospital, I ran into Ryu's sensei, a guy named Yahiko. He was nice enough to tell me where they were staying so I could meet Ryu later. Then I came home—,"
"And you found Zaku and Dosu here, took them away, made up, went to eat, showed this Ryu kid around town then came home and woke me up. Goodnight." Sakura jerked forward and grabbed a handful of her uncle's light brown hair. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, okay I'm up!" Sakura released her uncle who winced as he threw his hair back. "You're so mean…"
"Well if you must know, after Zaku and Dosu and I made up we ran into that bitch Hinata who for no reason decides to insult us and call us orphans and trash and whatnot!"
"Sakura, you know you can't get into fights with her unless you want to start a huge issue with Danzo and Hiashi."
"I know, but she doesn't always have to be a bitch does she?" Higure shrugged.
"There's nothing you can do about it. Since Danzo's in charge, the princess gets whatever she wants and if someone like you harms a hair on her head then we're both in trouble." Sakura crossed her arms then huffed. Higure smirked then placed his hand on Sakura's head. "Don't worry, you're still a better woman than she is, and I'll be damned if you won't be a better shinobi than her." Sakura smirked then looked to her uncle.
"Thank you Uncle Higure." The older man smiled back then started ruffling Sakura's hair and laughed about it. Sakura cried out then forced away Higure's hand. "You little!" The young girl dove forward, only for Higure to dodge then tickle her sides. Sakura once again cried out then started laughing uncontrollably. Higure chuckled as his niece squirmed and thrashed around while laughing. "I give up! Uncle, uncle!" Higure snickered then removed his hands from Sakura's sides. The kunoichi took a deep breath then sat up. "You're a jerk."
"You brought this upon yourself," Higure replied. Sakura stuck her tongue out then jumped off of the bed. "Does this mean I can go to sleep now?"
"Yes, you can go to sleep now," Sakura replied.
"Thank you," Higure mockingly said. Sakura turned off the lights then closed the door and headed to her room. Once inside, Sakura simply walked up then flopped down on her bed.
"What a busy day," she told herself before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
WOO what a chapter. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I've sort of been through a lot these past few weeks. My girlfriend broke up with me last Thursday, and I start school in two weeks anyway. Still, I promise I'll try to update more often before I go to school. For some reason I wanted to make this chapter all about Sakura and well…there ya are lol. The next one will hopefully be bouncing back and forth between characters as usual.