Disclaimer: For {n | n an element of N, n 0}, let n represent the number of the chapter of this story. Therefore for all n, I do not own Naruto.
A/N: There's a hint of Neji having an interest in Tenten..and Sasuke as well, but it's nothing major. All part of the master plan - but I thought it fair to warn you.
Some stuff to clear up...
(a) I think it'd be fairly obvious to a smart cookie like Kakashi that Sakura liked Sasuke. After all, one of the first things Sakura did in front of Kakashi was dissolve into giggles while staring right at the aforementioned Uchiha boy...*sighs* What are you going to do.
(b) Uh...I guess you could read into Kakashi's motives however you want, but it's not intentional on my part...
(c) To be honest, I think the first chapter was my best as well...but it's not for lack of effort =)
As always, thanks for the reviews!! I appreciate it.
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Chapter 3 : The Meeting
Sakura's mother came running downstairs with the intention of answering the doorbell just as Kakashi was closing the door behind him. Catching sight of an unfamiliar figure looking up at her from the bottom of the stairs, she stopped abruptly and stared. Kakashi felt the need to act quickly.
"Eh...Ohayo gozaimasu..." he said, bowing.
Having recovered from her initial shock, it didn't take long for Mrs. Haruno to piece together the identity of the man who stood before her. Her newly acquired knowledge was by no means reassuring. Here in her house, for some unknown reason, was Hatake Kakashi - first and foremost a dangerous man, her daughter's jounin sensei or otherwise.
Acutely aware of her discomfort and feeling every bit of the awkwardness of the situation, Kakashi stood upright and put one hand behind his head in a gesture of good-natured embarassment.
"Gomen nasai, your door was unlocked. Is Sakura up yet? She's late for her mission", he lied.
He'd rather Sakura's mother think him rude, than think that he was stalking her daughter in dead of night.
Mrs. Haruno narrowed her eyes in a mixture of apprehension and mild annoyance. "Just a moment please," she said. "She might still be asleep. I'll go get her."
Kakashi watched her retreating figure, then leaned against the wall to wait. His eyes closed involuntarily. After a few minutes had passed, he sensed Sakura's approach.
His eyes reopened to see Sakura standing in front of him, expressionless, clad in her usual apparel.
"Hey, Sakura." he said calmly. "Shall we be off then?"
As they passed through the front yard, he could feel Mrs. Haruno's eyes boring through his back.
When they were out of visual range, Kakashi let out a brief sigh. Pakkun had been busy that morning, going on his behalf to Gai to request a favor and then to Tsunade to request an audience. And they still had an entire day ahead of them.
Sakura looked up. "Kakashi-sensei?" she said in a questioning tone.
Kakashi looked down at her as they walked, and grinned from under the mask. "Ha, I don't think your mother likes me very much." he said sheepishly.
Sakura laughed, something he hadn't seen her do for a long time. "She's just miffed because I've been neglecting my chores, that's all - and I think she blames you for part of it."
"What?" he replied, his visible eye widening in a mixture of amusement and surprise. "What did I do?"
"If your missions didn't take so long, I'd have more time to spend at home." she said pointedly.
"Heh, if you guys worked better as a team, the missions wouldn't take so long," drawled Kakashi.
Sakura merely stuck out her tongue in response.
The atmosphere between them was comfortable until a bothersome thought suddenly occured to Sakura.
"Kakashi-sensei." Her voice had lost all of its former lightness.
"Hnn?" he answered.
"...Did you tell Sasuke-kun and Naruto about...me...?"
Kakashi paused in midstride. Sakura stopped to look back at him.
"No..I didn't." he said after a moment's hesitation.
This seemed to surprise her. "Why not?" she asked, curious.
Kakashi shrugged, and they continued walking. "There's nothing to tell until we know more." he said. He sounded unconvincing, even to himself.
Sakura let it go. While she had taken Kakashi's lectures on openness and teamwork to heart, on the inside she was grateful for his recitence. She deeply valued the strong bond that existed between the members of Team 7, but always nagging was the sure knowledge that Sasuke, and even Naruto, thought her weak. She was no fool. She knew that they had ample reason to think her as such. But all the same, she would rather not strengthen their image of her as helpless.
"I hate it." she said aloud.
Kakashi shot her a look, taken aback by her outburst. But he didn't think it wise to draw attention to her comment. They passed Kikyou Castle in silence, drawing nearer to their destination.
When they arrived, an unremarkable looking attendant ushered Sakura and Kakashi into the Godaime's office. The decor hadn't changed much, noted Kakashi with mild interest. The portraits of the former Hokages hung on the wall to his side. He felt a brief surge of panic, feeling as though they too, along with the woman in front of him, were scrutinizing his every movement. Suppressing his nervousness he cleared his throat to begin, but Tsunade beat him to it.
"So, Hatake Kakashi, what can I do for you and..." She paused briefly to look at her notes, and continued "...Haruno Sakura, yes?"
Sakura nodded.
Kakashi put a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, and gently said "This is your story to tell, Sakura."
Tsunade turned her attention to the quiet pink-haired girl, her curiousity piqued.
"I've been having these dreams lately..." began Sakura, feeling silly even as she spoke. She adamantly fought back the tears that were welling up and threatening to spill out of her glistening emerald eyes.
Am I wasting everyone's time? she thought angrily to herself.
The feel of Kakashi's hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She continued her story, her tone resolute. "I'm in a dark room, and I can't see or sense anyone. But then there's a voice. And the voice..." Here she broke off, her voice cracking slightly.
Unsure of what to make of Kakashi's student or her story, it was mostly out of deference to the well-respected jounin that Tsunade wordlessly urged Sakura to continue with a slight nod.
Sakura found her voice again, and finished "The voice just says 'It will happen soon.'"
Though he didn't show it, Kakashi was taken aback by the effect that Sakura's words had on Tsunade. As he watched, Leaf Village's Hokage paled visibly. Sakura's gaze was fixed on the ground, so she noticed nothing.
An uncomfortable silence blanketed the room until finally Tsunade said in a quiet tone "Sakura, I'd like to speak to your sensei alone for a minute. If it's alright with you, just step right outside and my attendant will show you to a waiting room where you can relax."
Sakura looked up at Kakashi as if asking for approval. He nodded. Sakura gave Tsunade a small smile, and said sincerely "Thank you." Then she left.
Tsunade waited for the door to close before she began. Motioning for Kakashi to take a seat on one of the couches in the far corner, she moved out from behind her desk to join him.
"Kakashi, why don't you tell me more about your student?" It came out as more of an order than a request.
Kakashi was about to speak when he realized that he really didn't know that much about Sakura apart from what he'd directly observed as her sensei. Tsunade noted the hesitation, and seeking to alleviate his discomfort, added "Let's start with the basics."
Kakashi complied readily. "Haruno Sakura, 12 years old, Genin-level ninja. Under my command together with Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Chakra control superior to her teammates, but she has neither their stamina, power or prowess on the battlefield. Exceptionally bright, but again not so effective in combat" he summarized.
Tsunade nodded slowly. "Just one more question, Kakashi. When is Sakura's birthday?"
Kakashi blinked. "...Uh...February..." he hedged.
Seeing that Tsunade wanted a real answer, he reluctantly pulled out his well-worn copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Her eyes bulged. "What..." she said, a dangerous edge to her voice.
"Relax, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said hastily. He flipped to the back, revealing a series of names and dates scrawled on the inside cover. He scanned them quickly, then returned his book to his pocket. "March 28th."
Tsunade got up and began to walk the floor of the room. Her face was impossible to read. After the longest minute of Kakashi's life, she said "Kakashi, I want to you to go to your student. There are some things that must be taken care of on our end first. It will take a couple days, but I will send for you when we are done."
Kakashi got on his feet, and was about to leave when he paused. "Hokage-sama. Is Sakura in any danger?"
Her back half turned to him, the only response he got was a tired shrug.
Bowing, he took his leave, leaving Gondaime standing alone in her office, staring out the window at the peaceful town below. Once she was sure that Kakashi had gone, she called out "Shizune!"
Shizune came into the room and bowed. "Tsunade-sama..." she trailed off as she noted Tsunade's expression.
Tsunande sank into her chair, cradling her head in her hands. She suddenly had a headache. "Go down to where we keep the archives. Bring me everything we have left on Shiraishi Miyako."
Sakura was reading an old magazine when Kakashi entered the waiting room. While the meeting had left him drained, Sakura seemed by comparison much cheerier than when he had last seen her.
"Oh, Kakashi-sensei! What did she say?" Sakura said, running across the room to meet him.
He gave her a strained smile. "Eh, not much. They'll do some investigating, and then get back to us."
She noticed that Kakashi's mood had dampened significantly, but she didn't think it prudent to mention it to him. Instead, she asked "Where are Sasuke-kun and Naruto?"
Kakashi answered "We're can go get them now. I had them train with Gai's team today. I didn't think we'd be done so early."
Sakura looked at the timekeeper on the wall. Indeed, it was still only early afternoon.
------------------------------------------------------------
"Dammit!" swore Naruto as he was thrown backwards to land heavily against an unrelenting tree trunk. Getting up slowly and shaking his head to clear his blurry vision, he thought he heard Hyuga Neji snicker.
The sound made his blood boil...but it wasn't the genius of the Hyuuga clan that he was fighting. Neji was sitting on a tree branch, watching the procedings with great interest. Naruto's actual opponent was Tenten. And right now, he was sprawled out on the ground, and she was having some difficulty in helping him to stand up.
"I can't believe it...she's cute...but so damn violent..." he muttered to himself. In his mind he could hear Kakashi telling him that his basic skills needed work, and he grudgingly admitted to himself that the jounin had a point. He emitted a groan as he brought a hand to where a shuriken had nicked his brow.
Stepping back, Tenten cocked her head to one side and surveyed the damage that she had done. "You'll be okay." she said comfortingly.
Neji jumped down from his vantage point to land beside his teammate. "Nicely done." he said simply.
Tenten turned to him and smiled, pleased. "Thanks, Neji."
Sasuke had left the group earlier, ostensibly to train on his own. And he had, for a while, before curiousity had led him to watch the training match between Tenten and Naruto. He was surprised to find that reports of Tenten's talent with weapons had not been exaggerated. Naruto, without calling on the Kyuubi, would have difficulty defeating her. She was no where near fast enough to fool his Sharingan, but while she posed no direct threat to him, he was nonetheless impressed. "Against her, Sakura wouldn't stand a chance," he found himself thinking.
"She's good, isn't she." came a deadpan voice from behind him.
Sasuke didn't need to turn around to identify the speaker. He shrugged nonchalantly and answered "I suppose so, yes. But no match for you."
Neji scoffed. "And no match for you, either."
Sasuke and Neji stood beside each other for a brief moment. Two top graduates. Two advanced bloodlines. Two troubled pasts.
Two stubborn boys.
Neji finally broke the silence. "Uchiha." he said, his pale eyes staring right through Sasuke. "Don't tempt me. Know that I will do what I deem necessary with no regrets."
Sasuke smiled with a confidence that would have infuriated anyone except for the implacable Neji. "Now, Hyuuga. Afraid of some competition?"
Neji started to walk away, but then paused. There was a frightening chill to his voice as he said "You will not be warned a second time."
Sasuke watched Neji leave. He shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure what that whole exchange was about, but he had a vague idea.
Uchiha Sasuke was not one to back down from a challenge.
Gai met Kakashi and Sakura at the entrance to the training grounds. "Why hello!" he said, flashing an ultra-white smile at Sakura and his rival.
"Hey, Gai. Thanks for taking my students in for the morning, eh?" said Kakashi, leaning against the gate opening.
Gai was inwardly annoyed at Kakashi's cool behavior, but he said nothing, choosing to grin at Sakura instead. "How are you? Lee has told me much about you!"
Sakura's eyes widened. "Ooookay..." she said, smiling. "Hello, Gai-sensei. Is Lee-san feeling much better?"
Gai nodded happily. "He's resting at home. I'll tell him that you asked about him" he answered. Inside, he was ecstatic. She had asked about Lee! Score one for him!
Kakashi stretched and yawned. "If it's alright, can I retrieve my team members?" he asked, smiling.
"Of course. I had Naruto and Tenten train together, but they should be done by now." answered Gai.
They followed him into the forest. As they neared the clearing they could see Tenten kneeling next to Naruto's sitting figure, lecturing him about keeping his wounds clean. Naruto appeared to have a number of small cuts all over his body. Neji was standing over Tenten, his face an expressionless mask. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
Kakashi stepped into the clearing first. "What's this, Naruto? I can't leave you alone without you getting hurt?" he drawled.
Naruto jumped up, ignoring the protests of his already healing body. "Hey, hey, Kakashi-sensei! I did okay for the first bit, but then there was this huge explosion of metal stuff!"
Sakura looked at Tenten, who was intently polishing her kunais while Neji stared balefully into a spot in the underbrush. "I wish I was that strong." she thought to herself.
Then she saw Sasuke heading towards them from where Neji had been staring. She turned her gaze expectantly towards him, but he had eyes only for Tenten.
"That was an impressive showing."
Tenten looked up in surprise. "Thank you." she said simply.
"You must train very hard and very often." Sasuke wasn't much with words, but something about him made him attractive to the opposite gender. Neji was fully aware of this, and though Tenten was mostly confused by the sudden attention she was getting from a boy she had never spoke to before, his patience was fast approaching break point.
"She trains with me." said Neji, pale eyes glaring daggers at Sasuke.
Sasuke merely smiled.
Sakura watched the exchange, feeling evermore the outsider. Why was Sasuke so interested in Tenten all of a sudden?
(because she's strong)
Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine. But she didn't care this much about Sasuke yesterday -
(because you were strong then...but not now)
Sakura gave a small cry and ran off into the woods, leaving the others to stare at the spot where she had been standing in surprise.
Sasuke turned to Kakashi, a questioning look in his eyes. Kakashi shrugged in reply. Gesturing for him to stay put, he took off after Sakura. She wouldn't be difficult to find.
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Hmmm...the next few chapters are going to take some planning..but I'll try to put them out soon. I'll try to polish up the old chapters as I go along.
Thanks for reading!
A/N: There's a hint of Neji having an interest in Tenten..and Sasuke as well, but it's nothing major. All part of the master plan - but I thought it fair to warn you.
Some stuff to clear up...
(a) I think it'd be fairly obvious to a smart cookie like Kakashi that Sakura liked Sasuke. After all, one of the first things Sakura did in front of Kakashi was dissolve into giggles while staring right at the aforementioned Uchiha boy...*sighs* What are you going to do.
(b) Uh...I guess you could read into Kakashi's motives however you want, but it's not intentional on my part...
(c) To be honest, I think the first chapter was my best as well...but it's not for lack of effort =)
As always, thanks for the reviews!! I appreciate it.
*********************************************************************************************************************************
Chapter 3 : The Meeting
Sakura's mother came running downstairs with the intention of answering the doorbell just as Kakashi was closing the door behind him. Catching sight of an unfamiliar figure looking up at her from the bottom of the stairs, she stopped abruptly and stared. Kakashi felt the need to act quickly.
"Eh...Ohayo gozaimasu..." he said, bowing.
Having recovered from her initial shock, it didn't take long for Mrs. Haruno to piece together the identity of the man who stood before her. Her newly acquired knowledge was by no means reassuring. Here in her house, for some unknown reason, was Hatake Kakashi - first and foremost a dangerous man, her daughter's jounin sensei or otherwise.
Acutely aware of her discomfort and feeling every bit of the awkwardness of the situation, Kakashi stood upright and put one hand behind his head in a gesture of good-natured embarassment.
"Gomen nasai, your door was unlocked. Is Sakura up yet? She's late for her mission", he lied.
He'd rather Sakura's mother think him rude, than think that he was stalking her daughter in dead of night.
Mrs. Haruno narrowed her eyes in a mixture of apprehension and mild annoyance. "Just a moment please," she said. "She might still be asleep. I'll go get her."
Kakashi watched her retreating figure, then leaned against the wall to wait. His eyes closed involuntarily. After a few minutes had passed, he sensed Sakura's approach.
His eyes reopened to see Sakura standing in front of him, expressionless, clad in her usual apparel.
"Hey, Sakura." he said calmly. "Shall we be off then?"
As they passed through the front yard, he could feel Mrs. Haruno's eyes boring through his back.
When they were out of visual range, Kakashi let out a brief sigh. Pakkun had been busy that morning, going on his behalf to Gai to request a favor and then to Tsunade to request an audience. And they still had an entire day ahead of them.
Sakura looked up. "Kakashi-sensei?" she said in a questioning tone.
Kakashi looked down at her as they walked, and grinned from under the mask. "Ha, I don't think your mother likes me very much." he said sheepishly.
Sakura laughed, something he hadn't seen her do for a long time. "She's just miffed because I've been neglecting my chores, that's all - and I think she blames you for part of it."
"What?" he replied, his visible eye widening in a mixture of amusement and surprise. "What did I do?"
"If your missions didn't take so long, I'd have more time to spend at home." she said pointedly.
"Heh, if you guys worked better as a team, the missions wouldn't take so long," drawled Kakashi.
Sakura merely stuck out her tongue in response.
The atmosphere between them was comfortable until a bothersome thought suddenly occured to Sakura.
"Kakashi-sensei." Her voice had lost all of its former lightness.
"Hnn?" he answered.
"...Did you tell Sasuke-kun and Naruto about...me...?"
Kakashi paused in midstride. Sakura stopped to look back at him.
"No..I didn't." he said after a moment's hesitation.
This seemed to surprise her. "Why not?" she asked, curious.
Kakashi shrugged, and they continued walking. "There's nothing to tell until we know more." he said. He sounded unconvincing, even to himself.
Sakura let it go. While she had taken Kakashi's lectures on openness and teamwork to heart, on the inside she was grateful for his recitence. She deeply valued the strong bond that existed between the members of Team 7, but always nagging was the sure knowledge that Sasuke, and even Naruto, thought her weak. She was no fool. She knew that they had ample reason to think her as such. But all the same, she would rather not strengthen their image of her as helpless.
"I hate it." she said aloud.
Kakashi shot her a look, taken aback by her outburst. But he didn't think it wise to draw attention to her comment. They passed Kikyou Castle in silence, drawing nearer to their destination.
When they arrived, an unremarkable looking attendant ushered Sakura and Kakashi into the Godaime's office. The decor hadn't changed much, noted Kakashi with mild interest. The portraits of the former Hokages hung on the wall to his side. He felt a brief surge of panic, feeling as though they too, along with the woman in front of him, were scrutinizing his every movement. Suppressing his nervousness he cleared his throat to begin, but Tsunade beat him to it.
"So, Hatake Kakashi, what can I do for you and..." She paused briefly to look at her notes, and continued "...Haruno Sakura, yes?"
Sakura nodded.
Kakashi put a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, and gently said "This is your story to tell, Sakura."
Tsunade turned her attention to the quiet pink-haired girl, her curiousity piqued.
"I've been having these dreams lately..." began Sakura, feeling silly even as she spoke. She adamantly fought back the tears that were welling up and threatening to spill out of her glistening emerald eyes.
Am I wasting everyone's time? she thought angrily to herself.
The feel of Kakashi's hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She continued her story, her tone resolute. "I'm in a dark room, and I can't see or sense anyone. But then there's a voice. And the voice..." Here she broke off, her voice cracking slightly.
Unsure of what to make of Kakashi's student or her story, it was mostly out of deference to the well-respected jounin that Tsunade wordlessly urged Sakura to continue with a slight nod.
Sakura found her voice again, and finished "The voice just says 'It will happen soon.'"
Though he didn't show it, Kakashi was taken aback by the effect that Sakura's words had on Tsunade. As he watched, Leaf Village's Hokage paled visibly. Sakura's gaze was fixed on the ground, so she noticed nothing.
An uncomfortable silence blanketed the room until finally Tsunade said in a quiet tone "Sakura, I'd like to speak to your sensei alone for a minute. If it's alright with you, just step right outside and my attendant will show you to a waiting room where you can relax."
Sakura looked up at Kakashi as if asking for approval. He nodded. Sakura gave Tsunade a small smile, and said sincerely "Thank you." Then she left.
Tsunade waited for the door to close before she began. Motioning for Kakashi to take a seat on one of the couches in the far corner, she moved out from behind her desk to join him.
"Kakashi, why don't you tell me more about your student?" It came out as more of an order than a request.
Kakashi was about to speak when he realized that he really didn't know that much about Sakura apart from what he'd directly observed as her sensei. Tsunade noted the hesitation, and seeking to alleviate his discomfort, added "Let's start with the basics."
Kakashi complied readily. "Haruno Sakura, 12 years old, Genin-level ninja. Under my command together with Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Chakra control superior to her teammates, but she has neither their stamina, power or prowess on the battlefield. Exceptionally bright, but again not so effective in combat" he summarized.
Tsunade nodded slowly. "Just one more question, Kakashi. When is Sakura's birthday?"
Kakashi blinked. "...Uh...February..." he hedged.
Seeing that Tsunade wanted a real answer, he reluctantly pulled out his well-worn copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Her eyes bulged. "What..." she said, a dangerous edge to her voice.
"Relax, Hokage-sama..." Kakashi said hastily. He flipped to the back, revealing a series of names and dates scrawled on the inside cover. He scanned them quickly, then returned his book to his pocket. "March 28th."
Tsunade got up and began to walk the floor of the room. Her face was impossible to read. After the longest minute of Kakashi's life, she said "Kakashi, I want to you to go to your student. There are some things that must be taken care of on our end first. It will take a couple days, but I will send for you when we are done."
Kakashi got on his feet, and was about to leave when he paused. "Hokage-sama. Is Sakura in any danger?"
Her back half turned to him, the only response he got was a tired shrug.
Bowing, he took his leave, leaving Gondaime standing alone in her office, staring out the window at the peaceful town below. Once she was sure that Kakashi had gone, she called out "Shizune!"
Shizune came into the room and bowed. "Tsunade-sama..." she trailed off as she noted Tsunade's expression.
Tsunande sank into her chair, cradling her head in her hands. She suddenly had a headache. "Go down to where we keep the archives. Bring me everything we have left on Shiraishi Miyako."
Sakura was reading an old magazine when Kakashi entered the waiting room. While the meeting had left him drained, Sakura seemed by comparison much cheerier than when he had last seen her.
"Oh, Kakashi-sensei! What did she say?" Sakura said, running across the room to meet him.
He gave her a strained smile. "Eh, not much. They'll do some investigating, and then get back to us."
She noticed that Kakashi's mood had dampened significantly, but she didn't think it prudent to mention it to him. Instead, she asked "Where are Sasuke-kun and Naruto?"
Kakashi answered "We're can go get them now. I had them train with Gai's team today. I didn't think we'd be done so early."
Sakura looked at the timekeeper on the wall. Indeed, it was still only early afternoon.
------------------------------------------------------------
"Dammit!" swore Naruto as he was thrown backwards to land heavily against an unrelenting tree trunk. Getting up slowly and shaking his head to clear his blurry vision, he thought he heard Hyuga Neji snicker.
The sound made his blood boil...but it wasn't the genius of the Hyuuga clan that he was fighting. Neji was sitting on a tree branch, watching the procedings with great interest. Naruto's actual opponent was Tenten. And right now, he was sprawled out on the ground, and she was having some difficulty in helping him to stand up.
"I can't believe it...she's cute...but so damn violent..." he muttered to himself. In his mind he could hear Kakashi telling him that his basic skills needed work, and he grudgingly admitted to himself that the jounin had a point. He emitted a groan as he brought a hand to where a shuriken had nicked his brow.
Stepping back, Tenten cocked her head to one side and surveyed the damage that she had done. "You'll be okay." she said comfortingly.
Neji jumped down from his vantage point to land beside his teammate. "Nicely done." he said simply.
Tenten turned to him and smiled, pleased. "Thanks, Neji."
Sasuke had left the group earlier, ostensibly to train on his own. And he had, for a while, before curiousity had led him to watch the training match between Tenten and Naruto. He was surprised to find that reports of Tenten's talent with weapons had not been exaggerated. Naruto, without calling on the Kyuubi, would have difficulty defeating her. She was no where near fast enough to fool his Sharingan, but while she posed no direct threat to him, he was nonetheless impressed. "Against her, Sakura wouldn't stand a chance," he found himself thinking.
"She's good, isn't she." came a deadpan voice from behind him.
Sasuke didn't need to turn around to identify the speaker. He shrugged nonchalantly and answered "I suppose so, yes. But no match for you."
Neji scoffed. "And no match for you, either."
Sasuke and Neji stood beside each other for a brief moment. Two top graduates. Two advanced bloodlines. Two troubled pasts.
Two stubborn boys.
Neji finally broke the silence. "Uchiha." he said, his pale eyes staring right through Sasuke. "Don't tempt me. Know that I will do what I deem necessary with no regrets."
Sasuke smiled with a confidence that would have infuriated anyone except for the implacable Neji. "Now, Hyuuga. Afraid of some competition?"
Neji started to walk away, but then paused. There was a frightening chill to his voice as he said "You will not be warned a second time."
Sasuke watched Neji leave. He shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure what that whole exchange was about, but he had a vague idea.
Uchiha Sasuke was not one to back down from a challenge.
Gai met Kakashi and Sakura at the entrance to the training grounds. "Why hello!" he said, flashing an ultra-white smile at Sakura and his rival.
"Hey, Gai. Thanks for taking my students in for the morning, eh?" said Kakashi, leaning against the gate opening.
Gai was inwardly annoyed at Kakashi's cool behavior, but he said nothing, choosing to grin at Sakura instead. "How are you? Lee has told me much about you!"
Sakura's eyes widened. "Ooookay..." she said, smiling. "Hello, Gai-sensei. Is Lee-san feeling much better?"
Gai nodded happily. "He's resting at home. I'll tell him that you asked about him" he answered. Inside, he was ecstatic. She had asked about Lee! Score one for him!
Kakashi stretched and yawned. "If it's alright, can I retrieve my team members?" he asked, smiling.
"Of course. I had Naruto and Tenten train together, but they should be done by now." answered Gai.
They followed him into the forest. As they neared the clearing they could see Tenten kneeling next to Naruto's sitting figure, lecturing him about keeping his wounds clean. Naruto appeared to have a number of small cuts all over his body. Neji was standing over Tenten, his face an expressionless mask. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
Kakashi stepped into the clearing first. "What's this, Naruto? I can't leave you alone without you getting hurt?" he drawled.
Naruto jumped up, ignoring the protests of his already healing body. "Hey, hey, Kakashi-sensei! I did okay for the first bit, but then there was this huge explosion of metal stuff!"
Sakura looked at Tenten, who was intently polishing her kunais while Neji stared balefully into a spot in the underbrush. "I wish I was that strong." she thought to herself.
Then she saw Sasuke heading towards them from where Neji had been staring. She turned her gaze expectantly towards him, but he had eyes only for Tenten.
"That was an impressive showing."
Tenten looked up in surprise. "Thank you." she said simply.
"You must train very hard and very often." Sasuke wasn't much with words, but something about him made him attractive to the opposite gender. Neji was fully aware of this, and though Tenten was mostly confused by the sudden attention she was getting from a boy she had never spoke to before, his patience was fast approaching break point.
"She trains with me." said Neji, pale eyes glaring daggers at Sasuke.
Sasuke merely smiled.
Sakura watched the exchange, feeling evermore the outsider. Why was Sasuke so interested in Tenten all of a sudden?
(because she's strong)
Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine. But she didn't care this much about Sasuke yesterday -
(because you were strong then...but not now)
Sakura gave a small cry and ran off into the woods, leaving the others to stare at the spot where she had been standing in surprise.
Sasuke turned to Kakashi, a questioning look in his eyes. Kakashi shrugged in reply. Gesturing for him to stay put, he took off after Sakura. She wouldn't be difficult to find.
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Hmmm...the next few chapters are going to take some planning..but I'll try to put them out soon. I'll try to polish up the old chapters as I go along.
Thanks for reading!