Sakura furrowed her brow, moving carefully through the hand signs Kurenai had shown her and yelling "Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!" She sighed when she ended up buried only to her hips.
Next to her, Gaara had just popped out of the ground beside her, having gotten it down on his fourth try, to Kurenai's joy.
Kiba had only gotten a rumble out of the earth beneath his feet, and though he had glared a bit, didn't say anything, instead taking a deep breath and trying again. He didn't even bother being upset when Sakura and Gaara picked up skills involving chakra control faster than he did anymore.
Especially since Kiba was almost always ahead of them in any of the physical aspects of their training. Sakura was relieved he hadn't decided to pick up kenjutsu just to outperform her there, as well.
Sakura wriggled out of the ground, and checked her chakra levels. She probably had another three tries in her before she would need to stop. She wouldn't be out of chakra at that point, but she still had most of the day in front of her and knew better than to go into it severely depleted.
"Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!" This time she fed a tiny bit more chakra into the jutsu, and a moment later found herself completely underground. She would have cheered, but didn't want to end up with a mouthful of dirt.
Instead, she followed the instructions Kurenai had given them, and closed her eyes, concentrating on the natural earth chakra she could feel around her.
After a moment, she identified two people standing about four feet away - Gaara and Kiba - and one about ten feet to her right - Kurenai.
Sakura burst out of the ground with a little more force than she had planned, causing Gaara to jolt a bit in surprise. "Well done, Sakura!" Kurenai said, and she grinned at her sensei at the praise.
"Do it one more time, and then why don't you take a break and run a few laps around the field before lunch?" Sakura sighed, but didn't comment out loud about how most people don't consider running a break.
Two days ago Kurenai had shown up to practice with three squares of chakra paper and explained elemental chakra natures to them. Apparently she wanted to teach them a few C-Rank Elemental Jutsu that week.
When they had fed chakra into their paper, Kurenai had stared at the results, bemused.
"Huh," their sensei said. "Three earth natures, and Gaara with a secondary in wind. That's...unexpected, though I suppose it shouldn't have been, considering your families.
Though usually it's secondary for Inuzuka...their primary tends to be fire...well, we'll just have to have Sakura and Kiba train in a second nature, as well," Kurenai had said decisively.
Kurenai was now working with Gaara on Wind Release: Gale Palm, since he had gotten Hiding Like a Mole perfected already. The day before they'd spent six hours attempting to loosen dirt by feeding chakra into the ground.
Sakura had gotten it on hour four, Gaara on hour five. Kiba hadn't quite managed it until halfway through the day. Nobody on their team would be a ninjutsu specialist, apparently, but it was good to have some jutsu in their repertoire.
After lunch, they were all feeling refreshed, and it was with a spring in her step that Sakura followed Kurenai to the training ground. She stopped short and barely held back from groaning out loud when she saw Rooster standing in the field, obviously waiting for them.
"I didn't know it was a Rooster-sensei day," she said lightly, and Kurenai gave her a look that said she knew exactly what Sakura was thinking.
"Today we're going to be training in dodging attacks using only the Replacement Jutsu and Shushin," Rooster intoned without bothering with greetings. Sakura eyed the logs that had been strewn across the clearing, and shifted uncomfortably.
"Dodging what, exactly?" Kiba asked, missing the way Gaara was shaking his head frantically. His question was answered in the form of three medium sized fireballs heading their way. Sakura's eyes widened, and she rolled out of the way, then yelped as she was hit with the stinging slap of what she knew was the flat of Rooster's blade on her back.
It was a familiar sensation, and a moment later she heard two more thwaps and the exclamations of Kiba and her brother from a few feet away.
"I'm sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear. Dodge only using the Replacement Jutsu and Shushin." Rooster said in a bored tone. Sakura sent a desperate look to Kurenai, who was wearing a blank expression that Sakura knew meant they'd be getting no help from her.
And then Sakura had no time to think at all as a kunai whipped towards her.
She inhaled and quickly moved through the signs to perform a clumsy but effective shunshin. She really, really hated Rooster-sensei.
"I have a C-ranked mission for you today," the Hokage said, and chuckled when all three of the genin went wide-eyed and stiff. "An official C-rank mission."
He shuffled through the papers in front of him. "Here we are. You're to escort and guard a merchant on the way to a medium village on the outskirts of Wind Country
You'll stay with her until her business is concluded there. She'll be bidding for a long-term trade contract with Wind Country for her family business. Competition for these things can get messy, so you need to be on the lookout."
The Hokage leaned back in his chair and studied them. "This," he said, "is the official mission. The secondary part of it will be your first attempt at sabotage."
The three of them exchanged looks, and Sakura was forced to swallow down her nerves. Wasn't it too early? As though reading their minds, the Sandaime chuckled.
"No, no, it's nothing like that. This is fairly danger-free, though there is the chance of political repercussions if you're caught," he said sternly. "Of course, that is always the case with such missions."
He put the tips of his fingers against each other and studied them. "I believe, however, that you will do just fine. Tell me, what do you know of the recent history of Wind Country?"
Sakura cleared her throat. "Well, economically they've taken a hit, due to the near destruction of their shinobi village by an out of control jinchuuriki four years ago," she said. When the hokage nodded, she continued. "They lost their kage and many of their high level shinobi that day, along with their biju.
The Wind daimyo has been forced to look outside of the shinobi village for many of its missions - actually, I'm guessing this is one of those jobs that would have gone to a Sand shinobi originally if they still had the capacity for it." The Hokage nodded and gave her a smile, then glanced at Gaara.
"Tell me about their economics right now. What's the exact situation?" he said. Gaara shifted once, uncomfortable with the attention, but answered.
"Because the people are poor due to the loss of one of their economic pillars, many merchants took their wares out of Wind the last few years, as nobody could buy at the standard rates.
They could make more money elsewhere. However, Fire Country and two smaller countries that are close to sand, Hot Water and Grass, have been aiding in rebuilding both Suna and Wind Country's economic basis as a whole. The problem now is that there isn't anywhere to spend their money."
Gaara looked unsure for a moment, and the Sandaime gave him a gentle smile. "That's correct. Let me add a few things that aren't taught openly to your knowledge.
I hope I don't need to tell you, but the things I say in here, this knowledge, is not to be shared outside of this office. You'll need to know things that are very classified for your work, so get used to it now."
The three of them all nodded and murmured polite confirmations. Sakura was both excited about learning something new that was kept from the general population, and feeling sick with nerves. For the first time, she felt the reality of their team's specialization, and it made her apprehensive.
"Fire Country has given Wind Country a large loan, earmarked with the express purpose of using it to give substantial bonuses to merchants who are willing to sign trade contracts with the Wind daimyo. We have not been idle throughout the past four years, either.
We sent some of our jounin to them to train their forces and replenish their higher-level shinobi. We've also helped in the rebuilding efforts of Suna more than most people are aware, and in the clearing out of bandits that had taken over main travel routes. They can now guarantee semi-safe travel within Wind Country borders, which was not the case up until six months or so ago."
"But why?" Kiba blurted, and Sakura cringed a little at his lack of decorum, putting an unsubtle elbow into his side. "Eh he," he said, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, Hokage-sama, why are we helping a rival country so much? Isn't it good that we're getting all of their missions? And that they're too weak to try for another war?"
The Hokage smiled kindly at him. "All good questions, and it is true that there are those that would have had us take the route of inaction. Tell, me, though. What do you get when you have a fallen ally on your borders? One that once held a large swathe of land that, despite its appearance, holds many resources?"
"You get a weak point," Gaara said slowly. "A spot of vulnerability to those who aren't your allies."
"Yes," Kurenai spoke up for the first time.
"There is also the fact that desperate people could lash out - and Sand shinobi are not weaklings, even if they are weakened. In reality, Konoha only had one of two choices if we didn't want a larger country whom we have shaky relations with moving in and trying to claim Wind Country for their own.
Either we conquer Wind Country ourselves and hold it, effectively doubling our workload, or we help the people we want to be in power hold it."
"That is correct. Well spoken, Team Eight," The Hokage said in approval. "So you see why Fire Country has put so much effort into the rebuilding of Suna and Wind Country's economy. Now, on to why you're here." His face went grave, and he leaned forward.
"For some of the remaining elders of Sand, our aid has chafed. To get them to agree to the loan, our daimyo guaranteed Wind full autonomy over which merchants they choose to contract with." The hokage picked up a file and handed it to Kurenai.
"Our agents have picked up rumors that some of the merchants that will be bidding are actually part of a large civilian criminal organization. To allow them a foothold in Wind Country, when they are just now recovering, would be a grave error.
Your secondary mission is to make sure that these merchants do not get chosen as one of the contracting groups. It must be subtle - if it is discovered that Konoha meddled when we were supposed to stay out of it, there will be a lot of angry Sand Shinobi banging on my door," he said ruefully.
The woman they were escorting to the village of Miyati was kind and soft spoken. Her hair was greying at the temples, but her dark skin was mostly wrinkle free.
She sold cloth and wool from sheep that her family raised in their village. Sakura had ended up walking next to her almost the whole way, talking about the Land of Lightning, where she was from.
Sakura hadn't realized how much the people there were different from her own home, culturally speaking. Not to mention the completely different survival techniques needed to live comfortably in the mountainous region.
"Ayate-san, it's time to get up," Sakura said softly to the woman. She, Kurenai, and Iko Ayate were sharing a room at the village, with Kiba and Gaara sharing the other.
Sakura would never say it to Kiba or Akamaru, but she was relieved not to have to share with them, since they'd been caught out in the rain yesterday. Akamaru was intelligent and loveable, yes, but he was still a canine that got a horrible wet dog smell when he was damp.
They got ready, Sakura pulling on her black shorts and long sleeved red shirt that she'd bought at a clothing store tailored specifically for ninja.
It wouldn't fall apart like her last outfit did, leaving her walking around in front of Ino and her team in her sports bra. In retrospect, it was embarrassing, though at the time she'd been too tired for anything but annoyance.
She pulled her hair - which now fell down to brush her shoulders, thanks to Rooster-san's enthusiastic throwing of fireballs in the Forest of Death - into a tight bun, having learned her lesson about leaving it loose.
It would take forever to grow back out, now. She tied on her headband as she thumped down the stairs behind Kurenai, and smiled at her brother and Kiba, who were standing outside the door looking alert and excited.
They made their way through the village to where the merchants who were interested in the offered contracts were setting up with their wares in a large community center.
Sakura could see the signs of hard times around her in the too-gaunt faces of the people and their threadbare clothes. Many of the storefronts were boarded up, and children who would have been in school in Fire Country were running around unattended.
They entered the large community center, which had obviously received some attention recently, as it smelled of fresh paint and was gleaming. It was also bustling with multiple merchants from across the nations, busy setting up on the provided tables.
Kurenai had them switch off keeping an eye out for trouble with her and helping Ayate unload her wares. The cloth was well-made and died in beautiful hues of blues, reds, greens, and browns, and immediately garnered interest from the people around them.
They finished by lunch, and Kiba and Akamaru went with Ayate to get food while Kurenai went to take a look around, and Sakura and Gaara watched the table. Other merchants were wandering around, looking closely at the competition, and they received some sharp looks when she quality of Ayate's wares became apparent.
That evening, Gaara, Akamaru and Kiba stayed to guard their booth while Kurenai and Sakura went back to the hotel with Ayate. When the woman went to shower, Kurenai pulled Sakura out into the hallway.
"I found the merchants Hokage-sama told us about," she whispered. "One fruit and vegetable stand in the eastern corner from Hot Water, a ceramics and earthenware merchant from Wave two rows over, and a furniture merchant from River Country along the west wall. I want you to go early tomorrow and come up with a plan with the boys. I'll escort Ayate-san on my own."
Sakura headed to the community center the next morning with breakfast buns, weaving her way through the early-morning crowd until she got to her team. Gaara was wearing his grumpy morning face, and Sakura smiled at how adorable it looked in conjunction with his messy hair.
If Kiba's grin was any indication, he agreed. The boys perked up at the sight of food, and they sat down behind the booth where they would be hidden by the piles of cloth, putting Akamaru up on the table to keep an eye out for would-be eavesdroppers or saboteurs.
"This mornin' one a' the jewelry merchants woke up and all their metals were melted together," Kiba said in a low voice. "But nobody tried to mess with us - probably 'cause we were here. Kinda stupid to do something you obviously need a shinobi for, since only a few merchants hired some.
Some official already questioned us," he said with an eyeroll. "And kicked out one a' the other merchants when they figured out it was their guards that did it."
Sakura hummed in thought, frowning. How were they going to watch Ayate's booth and sabotage three other merchants without giving away that it was done by trained ninja? In a low voice she told them what Kurenai had discovered the day before.
"I think we need to do this in a way that looks like the issues are natural, or due to low quality," she whispered finally.
"Yeah, but how do we do that?" Kiba asked as he snuck Akamaru half a meat-filled bun.
"Advanced cellular regeneration," Gaara said suddenly, and Kiba blinked at him.
"Uh, throwing out nonsense words isn't going to help, Gaara," he said.
Sakura stared at her brother for a moment until it clicked. "Oh! Do you think you'd be able to do it with enough of the produce to make it obvious?"
"Yes, it shouldn't be difficult," he said, and Sakura grinned at him.
"Brilliant as usual, brother mine," she said and he rolled his eyes.
"Still have no idea what you're talking about over here," Kiba said in a grumpy voice, and Sakura sent him an apologetic look.
"Gaara can use his mystical palm technique to force the fruit and vegetables to ripen faster than they usually would," she whispered, and Kiba's face cleared.
"Rotten vegetables should turn the daimyo's representatives off their stuff, eh?" he said, delighted. "And it'll just seem like they've got bad food. Nice," Kiba sent a wide smile Gaara's way, and he blushed and looked to the side.
"So what about the earthenware, then?" Sakura frowned in thought, then brightened as a thought hit her. "Well, it's made of clay, right?" When they both nodded, she held up a hand and wiggled her fingers. "We just spent three days learning how to manipulate earth chakra."
Gaara hummed and tilted his head to the side. "So, we can create imperfections in the pots using earth release, but it will seem as though the craftsmanship is just shoddy."
"Bugs!" Kiba said loudly, making the Haruno siblings both jump and then shush him. He lowered his voice, but he was bouncing in excitement. "Last year my cousin, who's a total slob, had to get rid of all his furniture 'cause it was infested with bugs."
"Gross," Sakura said, and Gaara wrinkled his nose. Kiba just waved their reactions off, annoyed that they weren't getting the point.
"Remember those nests of sand beetles we passed 'bout half an hour before we got here? Maybe me 'n Akamaru will go out for a run this evening," he said meaningfully.
Sakura stared at him in horror. "That," she said, "is disgusting. And brilliant." They spent some time beaming at each other.
That afternoon Sakura and Gaara went to buy some vegetables to go with the sandwiches they were having for lunch. Sakura took a deep breath before hiding a hand sign by angling her body away from the guards, weaving a simple genjutsu that made them continue to see an innocent looking Gaara casually picking fruit.
The rest of the crowd couldn't see his glowing green hands as they ran over the produce, since he was facing away from them. Then, Sakura paid for their vegetables and they went back to the stand, exchanging looks.
''That was terrifying,'' Sakura's said.
''I cannot believe that worked,'' Gaara's replied. Neither of them could stomach eating due to nerves.
Sakura couldn't help but imagine the Sandaime's disappointed face if they got caught.
Later that day, she went to the earthenware merchant, who had hired sharp-eyed mercenaries to watch over their pots and cutlery. Sakura examined the wares, chattering on about needing to buy a present for her mother's birthday to the reedy man working the booth.
In the end, she left with an overpriced serving bowl that her mother would definitely love, and left behind product that was sure to disappoint the contingent from Wind Country's capital that were arriving the next day.
All she'd had to do was feed a bit of chakra into her hands as she handled the product, putting weaknesses and imperfections into what had initially been high quality earthenware and ceramics.
That night Sakura stayed with Kiba in the community center and Gaara went to the hotel with Kurenai and Ayate, and she carefully laid a genjutsu over the center.
Kurenai had taught it to her, and it was designed to make already-sleeping people stay asleep. Kiba had gone out that evening for a run, and come back with a jar of the disgusting beetles, which were the color of sand and had large pinchers.
By the time he returned from dumping them all over the furniture, Sakura was sweating from maintaining the illusion over such a large area. She released it with a sigh of relief when he lay down.
"You okay?" he whispered as she sat up and reached for a water bottle.
"Ah, just used a lot of chakra for that," she muttered.
"Alright. I'll take most of the watch, you get some sleep," he said, voice concerned. Too tired to argue, she just nodded, and fell asleep almost immediately.
She awoke to the sound of Akamaru's furious barking, and she was on her feet with a kunai in her hand before she was fully conscious. Their time in the forbidden forest had taught her not to ignore a wake-up call from Akamaru.
Kiba was crouched on the back of a large man, blue chakra creating a glow around his now-feral features. He had apparently activated his Beast Human Clone technique to take the man down quickly. His claws were at the man's throat, who was holding very, very still.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at what looked like a spray bottle in the man's hand, and met Kiba's eyes before nodding her chin to the rest of the room, which was now full of half asleep, annoyed-to-be-awake guards, letting him know she'd watch his back while he dealt with guy.
Now that Sakura was awake, Akamaru sat down, looking a little smug at the capture of somebody who was obviously up to no good.
"What's that you got in that bottle, huh?" Kiba said cheerfully as Sakura turned and scanned the crowd, who were watching the events unfold with interest.
"Smells pretty awful. You weren't planning on spraying that on our client's cloth, where you?"
"I - what? No! I was just..." his voice trailed off as he tried to come up with a reason for sneaking around the booth of one of his competitors in the middle of the night with a spray bottle of foul smelling liquid.
"Uh huh," Kiba said. "Akamaru, go get Kurenai-sensei. Me n' Sakura got this for now."
Sakura struggled not to yawn, still feeling the effects of creating and holding such a large genjutsu, but also overcome with pride for her team.
They'd protected Ayate's wares and sabotaged three merchants that day, so far without reprisal or drama.
Maybe they would be able to succeed at the job the hokage had given them without dying horribly at a young age, after all.
Ayate, Gaara and Kurenai showed up a few minutes later, only Kurenai looking unruffled from interrupted sleep. She raised an eyebrow at Sakura in question, who just nodded. Mission successful.
Her sensei smiled, radiating pride for just a moment, before going stern and turning to the man who had attempted to make all of Ayate's cloth smell so terrible that nobody would want to buy it.
That day there were the sounds of screams when somebody tried to test out a chair at the furniture merchant's booth and was immediately besieged by angry biting beetles.
The smell of rotting produce had also permeated one corner of the center, and the sound of a ceramic bowl shattering when somebody picked it up could be clearly heard over the lunchtime rush. Team Eight very carefully kept all traces of smugness from their expressions.
In the end, Ayate was offered a contract, and she had smiled and thanked them profusely before presenting them each with a beautifully woven scarf. Sakura's was a deep red color that was soft against her skin
Kurenai's was a stark white, Gaara's a deep green, and Kiba's a bright blue. It was a good day.