I'm sorry for the SUPER delayed update! Life and One Piece happened. Please blame them (especially Zoro). And please, no spoilers! Law and Doflamingo are just about to fight, okay haha thank you!
Actually, there was supposed to be a (steamy) Sasuke vs. Sakura duel before the end of 1st round and it was Kakashi who called them instead of Tobi (with Sasuke surprisingly losing because Sakura managed to seduce him HAHA) but I deleted it last minute. Oh the humiliation Sasuke would face had it happened! Haha!
Now, to answer the reviews…
Enbi - I can get reeeaaally evil! But that's a compliment to me! Thanks!
henneko - I KNOW IT'S GETTING REAL! Lmao I hope you will continue to be surprised? Hehehe thank you for reading!
suki - possessive Sasuke is the hottest! Don't worry, there will be no KakaSaku and Karin! I don't think there will be lemons here. They're still babies! Hehehehe but let me think about that one.
haechuu - hi! I'm happy you now included a codename! You'll now see how she answered!
Guest (Ino believed Sakura's lie about the cloak belonging to Naruto in chapter 5) - Maybe she did, maybe not. Who knows. This story is being told through Sakura's point of view. ;)
Guest (On a lesser note, I hope that you ship Hinata and Naruto, and Ino and Shikamaru.) - Yes, I do. :)
Guest (who asked about Naruto's backstory) - No tailed beasts here. And I won't reveal his parents' past soon, but I might drop clues from time to time ;)
Guests (who all wished Sasuke would open up to Sakura) - he's slowly opening up to her!
Aquarian Charm - OMG thank you so so much! I'm trying not to include the parts I didn't like on the original novel.
To the other guests, and those who clicked follow and favorite, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Okay, okay, I'll shut up. You may now read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Divergent and the cover picture.
Chapter Twelve - Identity
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My brain nearly stopped functioning.
I fix my gaze on the pair of ebony irises in front of me, while still trying to comprehend his question. Did I hear him correctly? Did he just ask me if I am a Tokushu?
Somehow, it just feels wrong hearing that word from Sasuke.
'Are you a Tokushu?'
After the words finally sink in me, my mind is in shambles. Tons of questions flood my mind, accompanied by different scenarios which would happen depending on my answer.
If I say yes, he might knock me unconscious and then I will find myself in front of the Shinobi Council awaiting for my end—if they will let me wake up. This man is an Uchiha; the youngest son of the current Hokage. He is, no doubt, a loyal member of the Shinobi and the higher-ups, and even though there were no news of the Hokage being involved in the Tokushu murder, it does not mean he and his family have no knowledge of it.
It does not mean they entirely had nothing to do with the situation.
'But,' my inner consciousness stresses, 'this is Sasuke! He is the boy who saved your life! He helped you survive until now! He is the one you lo—'
Whoa, hold on, stop right there. All of those may be true; however, the interest of the kumi should be above all other things. Also, my feelings for this person does not matter at this point, for my life is being threatened here, and this was the one thing I avoided.
So, should I just lie? Even so, it is highly probable Sasuke will see through it anyway, just as he usually does. Oddly, he is nearly as good as Sai in reading me, and he knew me for, what, only two months. That, or I was being too transparent around him.
I wonder; what would Aunt Tsunade do if she were in my place?
"Tokushu?" I spat almost angrily.
I want to slam my forehead on the ground after realizing my mistake. Aunt Tsunade would not be a good example for this situation.
Sasuke's eyes widen a fraction so I quickly attempt on putting on a confused expression. "...What is that?" I add in a soft and shy voice, silently praying my sudden shift to an innocent Stiff act will work. Putting up a naive front is something my hot-headed troublemaker aunt would never do.
As expected, the Uchiha narrows his eyes, but keeps his silence for a while, leaving me guessing what his thoughts are, yet again.
At one particular heavy blow of the wind, Sasuke sighs and sits up letting me face his broad back. I fight the strong urge to cuddle against it and check how warm it is.
I hold my breath as Sasuke dramatically pauses.
"Shinobi and Chi," the Uchiha starts, his voice deep and low. I cock an eyebrow up. What is he talking about?
"Those were my aptitude test results," he slightly angled his face towards my direction, eyeing me with challenge. "What were yours, Sa-ku-ra?" A shiver course through my spine hearing him say my name, once again. I softly growl. This person... he seems to know its effect on me and is taking advantage of it.
But…
I sit upright and gawk at the raven-haired man.
Sasuke is also a Tokushu.
"What are you saying?" I ask, my voice shaky and raising an octave. "Why are you telling me this? What if someone else is listening to us right now?!" I feel tears prickling my eyes in anger.
Sasuke maintains a composed stance and stare, the total opposite of the state of mess that is me. Uchiha or not, the number one rule among the Tokushu is to not—never—tell anyone of your true identity voluntarily. And this fool even told me his test results, out in the open.
But… But what if he just said that to catch me off-guard?
"Do you trust me, Sakura?" he asks quietly, his dark irises gradually softening. The gentleness in his eyes that is so Sasuke shakes my resolve on keeping the truth from him.
I realize, yes, this is Sasuke, an Uchiha, son of the Hokage, and a Shinobi since birth. But he is also the person who saved my life, helped me pass the first round, and is a fellow Tokushu. He is not the type of man who will fool a fragile, weak woman.
I let out a deep sigh. When would I find the strength to say no to this man?
"Shinobi, Chi and Yori."
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They're getting closer.
I can hear their footsteps louder than minutes ago. They are shouting my name, telling me to stop running and just come to them, like a puppy. There is no voice among the chasers that I recognize. All I know is they're bad people and I shouldn't let them go near me.
Soon, I find it harder to breathe as my legs slightly feel numb. Tears blur my vision, I just wanted to scream and cry for help, even if someone told me not to because the bad guys will find me.
I raise my arm to wipe away my tears, but another hand from in front of me surprisingly squeezes mine. I tried pulling away, even if something tells me I'm safe with this person. Has it always been there? Whose hand is this?
"Sakura."
My eyes snap open as I sharply gasp for air. It's still dark, I can't see anything clearly, but I can feel the familiar smooth texture of a blanket and bedsheet around me. Where… Am I?
"Sakura, oi!" A face suddenly appears before my line of vision. I quickly struggle out of the bed, scrambling away from the unknown man, but instead of reaching out to me like the bad guys, he only lifts his arms up to the side and hisses, "Sakura, it's me, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru?
Now that my vision is slowly adjusting to the darkness, I can make out the sharp features of Shikamaru's face and his shoulder-length hair free from his ponytail.
"S-Shikamaru? What's wrong?" I croak, finding his face etched with worry. My fingers clench on my chest, feeling uncomfortable with the heavy and violent pounding of my heart.
The brunet sighs softly and places his palm over his forehead. "I should be the one asking you that, idiot. You were whimpering in your sleep."
I remember the dark alley, the unknown men chasing me, and the warm hand that held me.
It was just a dream.
Relief washes through me realizing I am still in the dorm and alive. I am now lying in my bed, Shikamaru's kneeling beside me, and the other Transfer Genin are soundly sleeping. No one's chasing after me, and I am not alone in the darkness of this room.
It all comes back to me. After our 'talk,' Sasuke insisted he drop me to my dorm. Knowing the suspicions the other Genin had on my relationship with Sasuke, I tried discouraging him without revealing the rumors, but Sasuke didn't—doesn't—take no for an answer, and continued accompanying me. Luckily, all of the Transfers were already in dreamland by the time we arrived. It was so awkward wishing him a good night.
"Oh. Nightmare, I guess. I can't remember." I grin sheepishly, hoping the former Chi would buy it. Honestly, though, I can't clearly recall the dream anymore.
"Well, that's normal for people who sleeps late." He looks at me meaningfully. His tone tells me he knew something that I didn't want him to know. I didn't want to know it either, so I choose to let it slide. I'm too tired to think.
"Thank you for waking me up."
He nods and stands up. "Sure thing. But I was not the one who heard you. This is troublesome, you know. I was having a nice dream."
The bump under Ino's blanket then shifts.
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Our group is oddly energetic this afternoon. Naruto and Kiba got engaged in a competition wherein the guy who makes us laugh the most wins. Even the normally stoic Shikamaru and Shino suddenly aren't immune to it. They just settled the winner through a ramen eating challenge, as usual.
"Here." Ino, who is a seat away from me, slides a small glass to me. She doesn't spare me a glance, but there is no cold aura surrounding her today. Is it because of the nightmare I had?
I stare at the white liquid in the glass. I have a hunch of what the content really is, considering who my aunt is, so I look at Ino to confirm it.
"The Ichiraku master gave it to us. Wants to congratulate us." She briefly explains.
Now I know why the guys are so lively. I just can't believe Naruto would drink sake. And in daylight! Besides, we're only sixteen; We're not yet allowed to take this!
"Sakura-chan! Look, look, I have a present for you, believe it!" Naruto stumbles towards me holding up a black rectangular box. He places it in front of me, urging me to quickly open it. The childish excitement on his face makes me laugh.
To my surprise, inside the box is a set of various white chocolates of different shapes and designs. It's my first time seeing white chocolates up close!
"Thank you, Naruto. But what is this for?" I ask, smiling. It's not my birthday, right?
"You don't know? Today's White Day, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaims, his whisker tattoed cheeks turning slightly pink.
Oh. So that's why almost all food they serve today have white sauce, or any white ingredient.
"Idiot. The Yori don't celebrate it, remember?" Shikamaru grumbles before taking a gulp of the sake like he's used to drinking it.
From what I've read before, White Day is the counterpart of Valentine's Day. This time, boys will give anything white to the special girls in their life. Most of the time, it's in response to whoever gave them gifts last Valentine's Day.
Because white is the color of the Yori who don't even celebrate it, the rest of the kumi who does can only give white food as presents. Chocolates, for example.
This is the first time I experienced this, so I don't know how to respond to it. I wasn't even able to celebrate Valentine's Day because I had no idea when it takes place. I trained with Sasuke that day, and when I came back to the dorm, I was surprised to see Shikamaru holding a few boxes of chocolates. Apparently, the guy had secret admirers.
"I see. Thank you again, Naruto." I smile giddily. I haven't tasted a white chocolate yet.
"Also have one for ya, Sak!" Kiba shoves Naruto away and gives me another box of white chocolates.
"Thanks, Kiba." I feel my cheeks burn in embarrassment. They didn't have to go through this much trouble. Besides, I can't eat all of these!
"Heh, my chocolates look tastier than yours." Naruto chimes in while peeking over Kiba's shoulder.
"Yours probably taste like ramen!" Kiba retorts.
"Yours probably smell like a dog's breath, believe it!"
"What?! Did you even bake yours?!"
"What about you?!"
"W-Well… Mine's more expensive!"
Then I hear two heads bang against each other and Ino's angry yell. I sigh. Those two should never drink sake again.
A few seconds later, my friends suddenly grow silent. The rowdy chatters of the other customers are reduced to hisses and whispers.
Before I could see what happened, someone takes the unoccupied stool next to mine. I almost choke on my fish cake after seeing who caused the restaurant to become a little more civilized. After all, who would have the nerve to act improperly at the presence of the second Shinobi Prince?
"TEME WHADDYA DOIN' HERE?"
Oh, of course. Naruto.
Sasuke merely ignores his best friend, as usual. To everyone's surprise—especially mine—Sasuke snatches my chopsticks away from my hand again, only to pick up a fish cake from my plate and put it in his mouth.
I don't think I've ever heard Ichiraku this quiet.
When Sasuke stares back at me, I think my head and heart exploded.
I don't think Sasuke knew the rumors about us.
"What?" Sasuke asks me before eating another fish cake.
He dared ask me what was wrong?!
I gape at him. "Why are you really here?" And making me feel like a lovesick girl.
Sasuke puts down the chopsticks elegantly. He glances at me with a serious expression, contrasting the out-of-character playful act he just displayed. I don't like it when he becomes like this.
"I'll pick you up at eight."
"W-What?" I may be clueless when it comes to dating, but I know what he said did not sound right. Others might hear him!
"You think our training is over?"
Oh. He just used the wrong choice of words. Why am I disappointed?
"W-Well, no…"
I slightly move away when he leans closer to me and whispers, "Remember, eight PM." Does he like flaunting his handsome face to me that much?
I slowly nod, now that I understand what he meant. Though, there is this part of me that wished he would take me out because it's White Day. Then again, all Uchiha Sasuke thinks of is training and becoming stronger. Not that I don't think of it, too.
"Teme! Did you just ask Sakura-chan out on a date?!" Naruto always manages to break the mood.
Sasuke glares at the blond. "None of your business, Dead Last."
"Don't drink this stuff." My jaw nearly dropped to the floor watching Sasuke snatch my sake glass and drink its contents empty. Without a care that everybody in the restaurant have their eyes on him, Sasuke walks out, his back straight and chin up.
"TEME!" After a few moments of confusion, Naruto runs after Sasuke. The moment the black-haired royalty and the blond troublemaker are gone, restaurant's liveliness is back.
"Nothing's goin' on, huh." Kiba gently nudges my side while grinning like a Chesire cat.
My cheeks burn at his implication. "That was nothing!"
"Of course the date has to be a secret!"
"But it's not—"
"Excuses!" Kiba ignores me and merely pats my head. I unconsciously look at Ino, only to find her staring at me with a blank expression on her face.
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I arrive at our usual training place at seven thirty. I know Sasuke would really pick me up at the dorm, so I went here early. It may be thoughtful of him to make sure I always have someone with me wherever I go, especially during night time, but I do not want others to get the wrong idea about us.
I do not want to get the wrong idea.
"I believe I said I'll pick you up." Sasuke's voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
His stance is rigid under his black cloak. Judging from the deep scrunch on his forehead and the frowning of his lips, Sasuke is absolutely annoyed. Kami, he's really angry.
I gently nibble on my lower lip while playing with my fingers. I should have expected this kind of reaction from him. "Sorry. I was already in the area so I thought of going here directly, but I have no means of contacting you—"
If I was not cautious of how scary Sasuke looked now, I would not have noticed him suddenly charging towards me with that lightning speed of his.
However, the shock paralyzed me and even if I knew he was coming at me, I could not avoid him. My back hits the tree bark hard as his right arm makes light contact with my neck.
"Hey! What was that for?!" I almost yell as I struggle against him. He should have known such sudden attacks freak me out recently, so why did he do that?
He glares at me. "We're training."
"Yes, but I haven't warmed up yet."
Sasuke continues giving me heated glares, making me slightly sink lower on my position. After a minute, he pulls away from me and removes his cloak and knapsack.
"Then I'll give you a good warm-up."
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There was no warm-up.
Sasuke immediately brought out his weapons and charged at me, actually.
We worked on chakra control using weapons. Sticking moving and sharp weapons through the feet is harder than standing on top of the tree and water. These weapons are made of metal and are really slippery, so catching it using chakra is can be difficult.
We mostly spent the night throwing and catching the kunai to each other only through feet, using our hands to maneuver our body.
Now that Sasuke calls the night off, I immediately collapse on the grass, and spread my arms and legs. I groan lightly; I can barely feel both of them right now. Only two days without exercise did this to my body. Plus, Sasuke indeed pushed me to my limit tonight.
I hear him sitting next to me and fumbling with the items in his bag. I do not bother checking what he is doing; I'm too tired to even crane my neck a little. I then think back to our conversation last night at this same place.
It still feels surreal knowing the Uchiha Prince and I share a personal secret. Being a Tokushu is a big deal; you're risking everything on the line the moment you reveal that secret to someone. You only tell such information to someone you completely trust.
Warmth floods my chest. Sasuke trusts me.
"Here." A black box with elegant floral designs block my view of the starry sky.
Taking the box using the most strength I could exert due to the exhaustion from the training, I sit up properly and carefully remove the lid. My fingers are shaking.
But then, I almost drool at the sight of pieces of onigiri properly and neatly arranged in the lunch box. Aside from the fact that I'm tired and starving, the rice balls look delectable. And, this was given to me by Sasuke!
"You made these?" I glance at him, probably with big, shining eyes. I'm just too happy!
Light pink dusted his cheeks as he looks away from me. "Aa."
"Wow! Thank you! Can I taste it?" I've been meaning to ask that the second I saw the rice balls. It would be rude to eat ahead of him without his permission, right?
"Hn. I gave it to you," is his nonchalant response.
"Aren't you going to eat, too?" I ask, noticing he isn't making a move to take one of the onigiri. He should also be hungry by now.
"No. That's yours."
Shrugging, I take a bite on one of the rice balls and suddenly feel so light and happy.
This is the best onigiri I have tasted!
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A week after the end of first round for all kumi, comes the day when transfers' family members can visit them.
The Shinobi transfers are gathered in a huge courtyard outside the headquarters. It is the only place where outsiders can step in the Shinobi territory. We are not allowed to go with them outside or further in the headquarters.
The first ones to arrive are Shikamaru's parents, followed by Kiba's. Shikamaru's Chi parents are calm and quiet. His mother is just a little talkative and affectionate. Kiba's Shin family, on the other hand, is a rambunctious bunch. They seem to act violent towards each other but I think it is just how they show affection without being mushy.
Since I do not expect my parents to come, I find myself sitting beside Ino on a bench overlooking our friends.
"Your parents aren't coming too?" Ino asks, her voice gentle. It feels like a long time since I heard her voice this way.
"Most likely." I answer, watching Kiba's older sister ruffle Kiba's hair roughly, much to the younger man's irritation. I purse my lips firmly to stop a smile from forming. Ino's slowly opening herself up to me again.
Ino's father is technically the leader of the Shin, and they raised Ino to be the heir. All of the Shin surely had high expectations on the blonde, only for it to disappear when she chose the Shinobi as her kumi, instead. It was a disgrace not only to the kumi, but to the Yamanaka, as well. Because of it, Ino is not expecting her parents to appear.
Still, I wish to see my parents here, even if they do not talk to me. I just want to see them, that they are doing well without me, and somehow, they miss me. That is why I still look around, searching for a blond hair in a bun and a neat magenta hair.
I do see blond hair, but it belongs to a man and with him is a brown-haired woman who resembles the girl beside me.
Of course I know what the Shin leader looks like.
I smile. "Ino."
Ino follows my gaze after a moment, and in an instant, she is away from me, running to her parents while crying for them.
I heave a deep sigh. How I wish I could do the same. But there is no sign of my parents in the courtyard. I don't think there will ever be. This is what I signed up for, right?
"Why the long face, dear?" I hear a familiar voice from behind me. There's no need for me to check the person's identity. This is the voice that gives me light and life since I was a baby. This is her voice.
"Mother!" I stand up and jump into her arms like the young girl I used to be. I cling onto her tightly and bury my face on her shoulder, not caring if the other Transfers can see me. I will always be a Mother's girl and that will never change despite the change of kumi. I miss her face, her flowery scent, her light blue eyes, her beautiful golden hair, and her white kimono.
After a few seconds, Mother slightly backs away and holds both of my arms, her smile wide and still beautiful.
"You have grown stronger in just two months, honey! Look at you!" She caresses my cheeks and hair, and I lean to her warm touch.
But there is something missing. No, someone is missing. There is supposed to be a big magenta-haired man with her. I don't care if he's meters away from me, or if he's not flashing his goofy smile at me. I just really want to see him, because I miss him so much.
Probably noticing the sudden shift of my mood, Mother holds my hand and tucks a few strands of my hair behind my ear. Suddenly, I get conscious realizing I forgot to brush my hair up to a bun.
"He really wanted to come here, but he's needed to be by the President's side today." Mother says, her voice soft. "I would not lie to you. You know that, am I right?"
Yes, Mother would never lie to me. As much as Father's absence disappointed me, I will just accept it and move on. I know there will come a time when I can see him again. For now, I will cherish this moment with Mother.
I nibble on my lower lip and nod, not wanting to ask more. I have never asked questions from my parents, so I do not know how to. I may be part of another kumi now, but my mother is still a Yori, thus, I still have to abide by the Yori principles as respect.
Her hands now move to gently cup my cheeks. I can't remember her being this affectionate towards me. Perhaps, being in the territory of a different kumi gave her the courage to do it.
"He's not mad. We're not. We told you whatever you'll choose, you have our support, do you remember? He wanted to go see you. He was actually excited for this day, but the President asked him to accompany him to Suna for a meeting with their leader. I promise you, he misses you so much."
I smile. I could imagine my Father running around the house in excitement, only to sulk when his plan was foiled. Knowing that he wanted to see me too is enough for me.
To my surprise, Mother's expression instantly shifts.
She leans closer to me and whispers, "Sakura, you are good at hide and seek, right?"
I hold back a gasp. How did she know about that? "I guess so."
"Good. You can use it for the second round."
What? Second round?
"Find good and trustworthy teammates. They will help you."
I frown a little. 'What are you talking about, Mother?'
I want her to explain what she was talking about, but she does not stop.
"If you are having troubles here, you can always run to Uchiha Mikoto."
Uchiha Mikoto? Isn't she...
"And here, take this." Mother pulls out an envelope from her pouch and places it on my palm. "Use this in any way you want, just like a cake! You've never had one before. Your Father and I would love to buy it ourselves but we cannot give you anything other than that." While she rambles, I open the envelope in curiosity. In it are bills of ryo.
This is more than my weekly allowance! I have never handled money this much before.
"Try going to Sweet Tooth. They're the best in The Pit!"
I look back at her, questions running through my mind. All those disappear seeing the loving look her teary blue eyes are giving me. Tears blur my vision, finally understanding what this meant.
Mother caresses my cheek as a tear escaped from her eyes.
"Advanced happy birthday, Sakura. We love you."
TO BE CONTINUED
I know, Sasuke was OC. But this is an AU, so… Yohohohoho!
I'll try to reply to your reviews via private message from now on! Of course, except for the Guests; I'll respond on my next update. I would love to answer Guest reviews too, but please include a codename so I'll know how to address you? :)
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Aria