Mission Impossible
Chapter 6
"So," Sasuke could already feel the vein in his head throb at the sound of his cousin's – what he's sure is going to be – teasing. "Guess what the little village birdies whispered into my ear today?"
They were reading in the living, turns out Sakura did find the book he found interesting and he ended up buying it for her. She had put up her usual fight, but the store clerk turned out to be a fangirl who kept looking at him like he was a bottle of cold water and she'd been stuck in the desert for months, and decided to let him have his way. Well, more like he forced her to let him have his way.
…
"Sasuke-kun, I am not having this argument with you again." Sakura, true to her nature, stubbornly turned down his offer to pay for the book as she made her way to the counter.
"Neither am I so just let me pay for it," he replied, not bothering to stop himself from rolling his eyes. As usual, he got ignored.
The girl in the counter looked vaguely familiar, but he reasoned that it must be because he's seen her around the village. When Sakura places the book on the counter, it doesn't escape him how she was ignored for a second too long in the favor of eyeing him. The smile she gave him would have been friendly had she not looked at him the way Naruto looked at ramen – like she couldn't wait to devour him.
His eyes went to Sakura and in either a stroke of pure genius or a blatant disregard for his own safety, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nestled his chin on the juncture between her shoulder and her neck. He found that her trying her hair up in a loose ponytail worked to his advantage.
For the second time that day, he felt her stiffen under him and figured it was safe to give in to the smirk that was slowly making its way to his lips since she couldn't really see him anyway.
"Come on, Sa-ku-ra," he tightened his hold on her. "Let me do this for my girlfriend."
…
Before Shisui came in with a headache he was undoubtedly going to give him, he and Sakura were lying on the couch; him reading one of the books on countries who have moved on from the shinobi way of living on the western side of the world while Sakura leaned her back against him. He had an arm around her shoulder still, finding that it at least gave him a couple-second warning before she decided to randomly punch him whenever she remembered the day's earlier events.
Itachi came in a couple seconds after Shisui, shaking his head at his older cousin's antics.
The eldest of the Uchiha cousins seemed to take his silence as a cue for him to continue, and his already wide grin gets even wider and – even though Sasuke didn't think it was possible – the unspoken tease in it doubling.
"So Itachi and I were on our way to that dessert shop he and Izumi love so much – we should really take you there sometime, Saku-chan – " Sasuke rolls his eyes at his cousin's side comment. Ever since he met his team when they were genin, he took a special interest in Sakura. Not in a weird way, of course – he'd have his head on a silver platter if he ever did – but more of a sisterly way evident in how he always makes it a point to make her feel included even when they were talking about something as trivial as a dessert shop.
"- and as we were ordering a particularly loud customer waiting in line behind us was telling her friend how all her dreams have been crushed now that – how did she phrase it again Itachi?"
It was obvious by the way he was looking at him that Shisui had absolutely no trouble recalling the conversation but simply wanted his best friend to join in on his fun.
Sasuke turned to his brother who was eyeing the pair on the couch with a barely concealed smirk.
"It appears that the 'hottest guy in the city' is apparently already off the market," Itachi provided. "News seems to have traveled quite fast among the female civilian population."
Sasuke didn't dignify them with a response, instead choosing to go back to his book. Beside him, he felt Sakura shift a little before turning her own page. It seemed that they had an unspoken agreement not to humor the two, especially Shisui, who seemed to be taking great pleasure from this.
"Did you know that the hottest guy in the village is apparently quite handsy with his new girlfriend, Itachi?" Shisui asked.
He felt heat make its way to his face and brought the book closer to his face. In the back of his mind, he wondered how red Sakura had gotten, knowing how easily she blushed. Thankfully, she had her own book to hide behind too.
"It would seem so judging from what Elder Daizo told me, Shisui," his brother replied.
If it were under any other circumstance, Sasuke would have rolled his eyes at the two. The way they were talking reminded him of those awful roleplaying exercises they had to do back in the academy.
"Really? Wow! What did Elder Daizo tell you, Itachi?" He wondered if Shisui knew ridiculous he sounded, or if he could hear the resemblance he currently held to those annoying infomercials his mom often fell for.
His brother shook his head, probably realizing how dorky they were being, before answering. To his credit, he dropped the over-the-top enthusiasm.
"He simply asked me if I was aware of your relationship with Sakura," Itachi answered. "Said he ran into you in the village earlier and found you particularly smitten, although he didn't offer any details."
His eyes landed on his brother. Then something shifted – his lips quirked up, eyes glinting with something Sasuke found annoying whenever it was on Shisui's but threatening whenever on his brother's. He tried not to shift under his gaze.
"He also asked me if I could tell you to be less..." his smirk widened, "…overt with your affection as it is not appropriate. At least not in front of the elderly population."
The youngest Uchiha in the room felt the heat creeping up his neck as well as the burning of his ears. He was thankful Sakura hadn't looked up form her book. From his peripheral vision, he could see his cousin and brother exchanging knowing looks and knew there was no hiding it from them. he could only hope they were feeling merciful enough not to bring it up.
"You okay there Sasu-chan?" Shisui grinned. "You look a little red."
I swear to God, I'm murdering him in his sleep!
Beside him, he felt Sakura shift and raised his arm long enough to give her the space she needed before settling it back over her shoulder. She'd stomped on his foot the moment they got to the Manor, not bothering to hide her satisfied smirk at his pained cry.
At least she was merciful enough not to use chakra.
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
"What else did you hear, Shisui?" she asked, looking at the eldest Uchiha in the room.
Shisui blanked out for a second, clearly not expecting his jests to be taken seriously much less asked about.
"Well, the friend she was talking to didn't believe her at first," Itachi provided.
…
One of the benefits of being a high-ranking shinobi with years of experience was that your hearing was far superior to that of the average civilian.
When the customers behind them were practically shrieking in dismay about some local heartthrob getting a girlfriend, they paid it no mind. Mainly because ever since their eyes were opened to a fraction of the gruesome reality that came with being a shinobi, civilians were now more hesitant about investing their emotions into people who lived off suicide missions. Besides, they knew of more than a couple of civilians who were more than happy to take shinobi men's fan clubs off their hands.
"Was he with that pink-haired girl who works in the hospital?" the girl's companion asked, effectively catching both Uchiha's attention. "I heard they're always together anyway, so it could be nothing. Apparently they used to be classmates in the Academy and belong to the same team as kids. You know those kids who go around the village doing odd jobs? Yeah that."
"No! You didn't see what I saw!" the other girl insisted. In the back of their minds, Itachi and Shisui wondered if she was aware of her volume. It was a wonder no one else was looking their way.
"He hugged her from behind and whispered something in her ear that made her go all red!"
Shisui was already grinning from ear to ear with that telltale glint in his eye he always got whenever an opportunity to make fun of Sasuke presented itself.
"Then," apparently the girl wasn't done with her rant, "he looked at her all soft too – kinda like he couldn't decide whether he found her cute or funny – before taking the book off her hands and paying for it himself!"
"Ugh! No way! I always thought he was asexual or aromantic!"
"I did too! Apparently, he's not."
"Wait, we're talking about Uchiha Sasuke right?"
"Yeah! And doesn't Sakura-san have her own fair share of guys who practically worship the ground she walks on?"
"I mean I can't blame them, but still! It should be illegal for those two to get together!"
"I know right? My self-esteem can't handle it!"
"Oh trust me, ladies," Shisui whispered just loud enough for Itachi to hear, "I can't handle it either."
He sounded way more excited than he had any right to be.
…
Itachi didn't want to laugh at his little brother's troubles, he really didn't, but it was too amusing not to. Looking at him now, all red and grumpy, trying – though discreetly – to avoid looking at Sakura, he couldn't help but remember their genin years when they got back from a D-rank mission involving retrieving one of the village elder's cats.
…
"I told you to be gentle with her!" an irritated Sakura said as she dabbed Naruto's scratches with antiseptic.
Team 7 had just finished one of their D-rank missions and were currently staying at the Uchiha Manor because his Mother had insisted they have dinner there. It also happened to be Itachi's day off, so he had the pleasure of looking over the book he was pretending to read and watching as his little brother glared kunais at his blonde teammate.
Now, this was way before he and the Hyuga heiress were interacting on a regular basis; that being said, during their genin days, Naruto had an embarrassingly obvious crush on their pink-haired teammate and judging from the light sprinkle of pink that dusted his cheeks, he was enjoying the extra attention she gave him.
"How was I supposed to know she'd freak out like that if I plucked her out of the ground like that?" Naruto still didn't seem to understand how cats work.
"Because it was a cat, you idiot!" Itachi had to hide behind the book again if he wanted to hide his laugh at the kunoichi's irritated answer. "Have you ever been around a cat?"
By this time, Naruto had withdrawn a little from the rosette because pretty, precious, and pink as she may be, she's known for her temper and occasional – cough. Understatement. Cough – violent streaks.
"They're like the Sasuke-kun of animals!"
Even he – Uchiha Itachi, heir of the great Uchiha Clan, genius, prodigy, youngest ANBU in Konoha history – couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him at the comparison. He heard his brother's indignant "hey!" and peeked over his book once more only to find that his little brother had moved on from glaring at his teammate to glaring at him. It also didn't escape him how the tops of his ears were beginning to rival Sakura's hair nor the unconcealed betrayal in his eyes.
It only made Itachi laugh even more. His brother really is a cat.
Sasuke apparently decided that was enough glaring and took the antiseptic from the kunoichi.
"Tch, you nag the dobe but you're no better yourself," his brother said, pouring some of it onto a cotton ball and bringing her arm closer to him.
"You practically ripped the cat off of him and got yourself scratched too." The younger Uchiha rolled his eyes, dabbing her upper arm with the antiseptic.
"You saw how she was practically tearing him apart!" defensiveness coated Sakura's reply. Itachi saw didn't miss how her face was giving Sasuke's ears a run of its money.
"Tch, that's what he gets for being an idiot."
"Hey! If you wanna flirt with Sakura-chan go ahead but leave me out of it!"
"How is this flirting?" Itachi did his brother the favor of leaving the room before letting his laughter out.
…
"Well if the civilians are talking about it, most of the village should know by tomorrow," Sakura commented before settling back and continuing to read her book.
Itachi and Shisui nodded, but Sasuke heard the undercurrent of dread and exhaustion in her voice. He waited until the other two left the room to go to the backyard before leaning on her a little to get her attention.
Feeling him shift, Sakura adjusted herself. When he didn't move from his position though, she raised an eyebrow at him – something he noticed she started adapting from him a couple of years back.
"You worried about your mother knowing?" he asked.
Almost immediately, the kunoichi deflated, leaning back against him as a sigh left her lips.
"Not really," she answered, although she sounded unsure in Sasuke's ears. "Dreading seems like the better word."
He nodded despite her not being able to see him. The Uchiha knew she knew him well enough to know.
Whenever people asked why she moved out of her childhood home, the story she told them was so she could live closer to the hospital in case there were any emergencies that needed her immediate attention; other times, she told them that it was so she could get used to living on her own since that was where she was inevitably heading anyway and might as well start early.
Her friends knew the real reason though.
The answers she gave out weren't necessarily lies since they were concerns she always had in the back of her mind anyway, but the biggest reason was simple – and a bit too teen-angst-y: to get away from her parents. Particularly, her mother.
Don't get her wrong, growing up, her parents were more than supportive. She was their only child after all, so why shouldn't they let her follow her heart's desires? Besides, they come from a civilian family. Even if she got into the Academy, there was no guarantee that she'd make the cut all the way towards graduation.
Except she did.
After she graduated from the Academy, her parents began to show some apprehension about her career choice – asking her if this was what she really wanted, telling her it wasn't too late to enroll at a civilian school if she wanted to start over (oftentimes, they pulled this card when she came home complaining about a tiring day of cleaning rivers and fixing houses), telling her about her civilian cousin's lives in the Land of Tea and asking her don't you think that's nice, Sakura-chan? But ultimately, they left her alone because what harm can a few odd jobs do? It might even be helpful in the future.
When they came back after fighting Zabuza, her parents were called to the Hokage office to brief them as well as congratulate them since technically, their little Sakura-chan just survived her first A-class mission.
They were much more open with their disapproval after that. They made sure to ask for mission details whenever she went out, hovered over her whenever she came home with even the tiniest scratch on her, encouraged her to come with them whenever they went to the Land of Tea so she could spend time with her civilian cousins instead of "ruining her natural prettiness by training for days on end".
She hadn't even told them she took the chuunin exams! Instead, she told them she had an out-of-village mission and that she wouldn't be back for a couple of days. Safe to say, they saw right through her lie when more than half the village was left in ruins after Orochimaru's and Suna's attack.
After that, her mother had her constantly under her watchful eye. That's when the discouraging began.
At first, it was simply "Are you sure this is what you really want, sweetheart? It's not too late to change your mind." "You're still young, you have your whole life ahead of you!" and when she still refused to listen to them, that's when the invalidating began.
Suddenly she was "too young to know what she truly wants" and she was still "living in her childhood fantasy of becoming a ninja". After Sasuke left the village to "join" Orochimaru, her mom had been livid. She couldn't believe she let her little princess near such a "monster" and flat out forbade her from interacting with the rest of the Uchiha because they were "traitors just waiting to deflect".
She told all of this to Naruto, who offered to let her stay with him in his apartment when she wanted to, but of course, she couldn't have done that without her mother looking into it. When he left the village to train with Jairaya, she'd told Ino everything, who told it to Choji and Shikamaru, who asked about it during a mission they had with Neji who told Lee to pretend not to know Sakura whenever she was with her parents around the village, which caught Tenten's attention who brought it up with Hinata, who in a fit of worry after not seeing Sakura in a while asked Shino if he could look for her with his bugs, who brought it up with Kiba who asked Ino about it.
Turned out, Sakura was just stuck in the hokage's office swamped with medical scrolls and textbooks. She didn't feel like going home only to get berated again about her whereabouts and went to the Uchiha compound since Shisui and Itachi still regularly visited her while she was training – they said it was so that she got at least a semblance of her old genin life.
Mikoto had offered to let her stay for the night when she noticed how tired the rosette seemed; she'd spent so much of her genin years in the Uchiha Manor she practically lived there anyway. She knew she should have declined the offer, but there were too many photos of Sasuke on the walls, an original photo of Team 7 by the bookshelf, there was even one of Sasuke and Naruto arguing – over something extremely petty, she'd bet – while she and Kakashi-sensei looked at the boys with both exasperation and amusement.
Against her better judgment, she accepted the offer.
Kaa-san doesn't have to know, she'd thought then. I can tell her I was at Ino's.
But Haruno Mebuki was a civilian, and if there was one thing civilians were better at than their shinobi counterpart, it was spreading and receiving news inside the village. Apparently, someone had seen her go into the Uchiha compound the day before, and when she didn't come home that night, there was no lying her way out of it.
That was the first time her mother slapped her.
Naruto came back a few months later and was filled in with everything he'd missed. Including Sakura's deteriorating relationship with her mother. They had decided, then, that they should get a two-bedroom apartment while waiting for Sasuke to finish his undercover mission so she could get some distance between her mother and so Naruto could make sure she didn't do anything drastic, but of course, word got to Mebuki about it and her fondness for the blond went down the drain.
Anyone who tried to put her baby in harm's way was an enemy in her eyes. It reached a point where sometimes when Naruto came home, he'd find her waiting for him by his apartment to ask if he'd talked to Sakura or if they had any missions planned together and if they did, he needed to tell her every single detail about it so she could protect her. How she planned on doing that other than keeping her in house arrest, Naruto didn't know, but he just shrugged and not-so-gently pushed her aside so he could get into his home.
That was actually the real reason the Uchiha family built two rooms for them inside the Manor, although no one really needed to know that.
When Sakura turned 16, the age of legality for shinobi, the first thing she did was look for an apartment of her own. Tsunade had offered to have her stay with her at the Hokage mansion, but the rosette declined, not wanting her mother's delusions to cloud her views of the Hokage – also because she had exercised so much self-control not to hurt her own mother when she slandered the Uchiha and she didn't think she had enough restraint left if she said even a word against her shishou.
When Sasuke returned from his mission – which was a success as far as they knew – she had already chosen an apartment between the business sector of the village while being close enough to the hospital so that she didn't have to waste chakra speed running there in case there was an emergency.
He'd asked her about it too when he found out she was moving, and Naruto had taken it upon himself to fill his best friend in. It was Sasuke who convinced her to put a restraining seal on her mother so she couldn't disturb her peace.
…
"Sasuke, restraining seals are a precaution for petty criminals who want to hurt you," she told him as they made their way to her apartment after dinner at Ichiraku's.
"Petty? Check. Wants to hurt you? Check." The Uchiha counted the offenses on his finger.
"Criminal?" He glanced at Naruto for a second. "If she were a ninja, it wouldn't be, but since she's not, I'm pretty sure attempting to break into the dobe's apartment could be considered a crime. Although we'll never know now since he didn't report it."
"Hey! Mebuki may be crazy but she was looking out for Sakura-chan," Naruto replied, glancing at their teammate. "No offense."
The kunoichi sighed, causing Naruto and Sasuke to share a concerned look.
"None taken."
"But the teme's right, 'ttebayo," he said. "She's getting out of hand, Sakura-chan. I know she hasn't done anything to you physically, but emotionally and mentally, I can see how better you've gotten since you moved out."
Beside her, Sasuke nodded. "See? Even the dobe thinks so."
The rest of the walk to her apartment was silent, even Naruto knew better than to break it. The air was heavy as Sakura contemplated what she wanted to do. Well, she knew what she wanted to do, and she knew what she had to do. In all honesty, it should be easy since they were the same thing.
She could feel hey boys' eyes on her and knew that they were more than supportive about it. In fact, even Ino had brought up the idea once but ultimately dropped it when she declined. Sasuke and Naruto weren't as easy to throw off.
She knew how to cast a restraining seal in theory, but never actually tried it before. It was simple enough. She just needed something from the restrainee like their hair or something they treasured – something they put their heart and soul into – and write the seal in her blood on it along with her – Sakura's – name.
When they reached her apartment complex, she had already made up her mind.
"I'll do it."
Now, if anyone were to look at her left ring finger, they'd see a red seal running along its side.
…
The chimes above the Yamanaka flower shop signaled a new customer.
"Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, how may I hel –" Ino's surprise caught up to her mid-spiel. Beside her, Hinata plastered on a polite smile like how she'd been taught all her life.
"Good afternoon, Mebuki-san" the Hyuga-heiress greeted. "How may we help you?"
Did she really update in less than a week? Why yes, yes I did 😌 I just happened to get a long weekend without any work to do and figured I owe it to you guys since I did make you wait a while between the last update.
Also, I did not expect it to turn out this way, but here we are. I planned for fluff and teasing and more SakuHinaIno, but I really really don't like Sakura's parents. What should have been a brief mention turned into a half-chapter backstory. I'd love to hear what you think about it though. Do you guys want me to explore Sakura's relationship with her parents more or should I go back to the light fluff with occasional mentions of it?
Honestly, half of this wasn't planned (since I don't really plot my stories to begin with) and I'm more than open to suggestions about how you want me to proceed.
Anywaaaay, thank you for reading and as always, I'll see you on the next chapter.
