Zarrah-chan
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Well… Here it goes…Chapter 7
Unreachable DestinationThe group of Konoha ninjas had been traveling in quietude for the past several hours now. Although it was well past noon, the sun was hidden beneath the shadow of dark clouds that hovered over them. The humid atmosphere and gloominess of the sky indicated threatening rainfall. And by the thickness of the air, it would be a heavy storm to come.
Sakura uncomfortably cleared her throat at the silence. Through the corner of her eye, she could see that Neji was still fuming at Shikamaru's decision to both include her on the team, AND place her next to him as his counterpart. His eyes could only reveal so much resentment, and she could only guess at what he was thinking. Sakura focused her eyes ahead and struggled to brush the negative thoughts out of her head. I'm on a dangerous mission, she thought, I can't afford the luxury of self-doubt, nor the distraction of what that arrogant bastard has to say.
The Hyuuga could tell that the kunoichi had been staring at him. Although his Byaakugan had not been summoned, his observations were still top-notched. He could even sense her build-up of uncertainty. Stupid girls. He inwardly spat. How quickly they change emotions.
Neji rebounded from a tree branch. He still couldn't understand what it was about her that pissed him off so much. He contemplated on his aggressiveness with the girl back in the hole and questioned the anger that drove him to strangle her. It was completely out of his calm and collective character to act impulsively in rage like he did. The Hyuuga shivered in disgust. I'm becoming like the Uchiha…
That thought was quickly shoved aside. The Hyuuga was too proud to even THINK of being compared to that Sharingan-eyed brat, the one whom they were all risking their lives for AGAIN. Thinking about him made Neji's blood boil. If Sasuke had wanted to get stronger, all the bastard could've done was TRAIN. Geez, would that be too difficult? Instead, he had gone off seeking Orochimaru for power, which led this team to waste time and energy to bring him back. What a frickken idiot.
Neji clenched his fist, attempting to calm himself. He was making himself angry over stupid issues, in which it was too late to change. His genius mind blocked out any thoughts of the Uchiha, to prevent himself from wasting angry energy. Thinking about something else…ANYTHING else, was far better than thinking about Sasuke…
…Even Sakura was a far better topic.
Neji was reminded of the kunoichi who had defeated the elite ninjas, hours prior. The Hyuuga thought for a moment. Was that why he had lost his temper?
It had been the first time since his loss against Naruto in the chuunin exams that he was so humiliated in his life. Jounin, Hyuuga Neji, conquered by Chuunin, Haruno Sakura.
Neji flinched. Those weren't exactly the greatest words to parade around in neon lights.
Hmm…the jounin inwardly grunted. She just got lucky.
Deep down, Neji knew that wasn't entirely true. No matter how many times Neji replayed their fight scene in his head, he couldn't spot any flaws, nor could he think of anything he could've done to change the outcome. The Hyuuga noticed. They ALL noticed. Haruno Sakura was probably one of the strongest on their champion team. She was a warrior. And they all failed to see that in the past.
Neji reflected on Sakura's change of character. He hadn't known her very well when they were younger. In fact, to him, she barely existed. She was one of those wastes of chakra, back in academy years. All she cared about were looks, gossip, and Uchiha Sasuke. He remembered once thinking that girls should've been forbidden to be ninjas. Hardly any of them would make it very far anyway. Ten Ten was fierce, but not nearly as strong as himself, while Hinata was too shy and self-conscious. And Ino… The Hyuuga shivered at the thought of this blond and how she tried to seduce him with her 'good' looks during the Chuunin exam in Death Forest. She was the leader in the squad of girly bimbos who were still determined on winning Sasuke's affection. Quite frankly, to him, she was the weakest of all of them, to even THINK of attempting to distract him with flirtatious gestures.
Yes, he had without a doubt thought that girls were weak, with the exception of Tsunade, who was the only female capable of kicking Neji's ass…
…and Sakura was starting to take after the Hokage more and more.
Neji grunted at how the pink-haired kunoichi booted his sorry behind.
Sakura had changed. Neji was beginning to admit to himself that fact. The girl back then was nothing compared to the girl he knew now. She was fierce. She was confident. She was strong…
… and hey… a guy would have to be completely BLIND to not notice...
She was pretty.
Dammit! Neji flared. Did I just say that?
So much for calming himself down.
This time, Neji clenched both his fists until his knuckles turned white. Why he was so angry again, the Hyuuga had no clue. Part of him hated the fact that Sakura made him look like a weak failure, which he WASN'T. The other part absolutely resented his comment on her appearance, as if he was attracted to her, which he definitely WASN'T.
Neji cursed his partnership with the kunoichi. Guard her with my life… he muttered under his breath, a repetition of Shikamaru's instruction. This mission sucks.
A deep grumble was heard and Sakura immediately looked at the sky. Was it a thunderstorm?
The noise gurgled again, and this time she discovered its source.
"Ahhh… I'm hungry." Naruto whined ahead of her. He was grasping his belly as his face formed a goofy look of complaint.
Sakura would've bonked him on the head if she were allowed to leave her post on the formation. Despite his physical maturity and the learning of new techniques, the baka hadn't changed much, especially old habits.
The grumbling continued and the other men scoffed, choosing to ignore the blond boy's petty whining. A crinkling of tin foil was heard, followed by the zipping of a pouch compartment.
"Here." Sakura said, tossing a silver, aluminum-wrapped round object. "This should suffice for now."
With his quick reflexes, Naruto caught the item in both surprise and curiosity. Unfurling the object's shiny exterior, he blinked in pleasant surprise, and then peered at Sakura with glistening eyes.
"Sakura-chan…" he trailed off in a wobbly voice. "I will cherish this jelly-filled donut for the rest of my life."
Immediately, he ate it.
Sakura pursed her lips and threw a nut at his head.
"You're such an idiot."
He grinned his sugar-powdered fox grin at her and put his thumbs up.
"Very delicious. Is there anything you can't do?"
And irritated snarl broke between their conversation.
"One thing you both can't do is keep the hell QUIET! An army of deaf-mutes could probably hear you guys a mile away." Neji bit. Geez. He was touchy.
Naruto's smile morphed upside down.
"Why ya gotta be so grouchy for, huh, Neji?" he asked innocently, as if a little boy wondering what he had done after breaking a valuable vase.
Neji humphed. Truth was, he still didn't know why he was so bitter. But, like the stubborn Hyuuga that he was, the jounin would never let that be known.
"We're on a serious mission here. This is no laughing matter. If you don't straighten up, you're going to have a heck of a lot of deaths haunting your guilty conscious."
Naruto's brashness quickly surfaced. "Well, you're being awfully loud as well, trying to tell us that we're loud." He babbled. "Why don't you be quiet?"
Sakura smacked her head. He was acting like a three-year-old again, and towards the worst possible person, who had no patience for his immaturity. For a blond-haired, blue-eyed sixteen-year-old who had claimed that he matured over the years, his attitude now surely wasn't proving it.
Surprisingly, Neji decided to play his game.
"I'll be quiet if you be quiet."
This coming from a supposed Hyuuga GENIUS?
"Fine! I'll be quiet if YOU be quiet!" Naruto challenged back. The two were both ready to gnaw each other's heads off. Naruto narrowed his eyes and whipped his head back to the front of the formation, while Neji did the same. Sakura could not believe she was seeing and hearing this. The saying was true. Girls grew up to be women. Boys grew up to be bigger boys.
Observing the two's bickering was like watching a video clip of a far memory in Sakura's mind, one that she tried so hard to push back. The way they squabbled was exactly how Naruto and Sasuke had, while they were on missions as team number seven.
Come to think of it, Neji very much reminded her of Sasuke. The way they glared, the posture of their walk, their icy cold exterior…
…except, Sakura was drooling for neither of them now. That ship sailed. Well, Sasuke's had anyway.
The kunoichi looked at Neji, his gaze averted. She actually didn't know how she felt about Neji yet. Yes, she HAD to admit, he was very good-looking, and so many things about him screamed the name Sasuke. Perhaps, that was why she partially felt a small amount of resentment towards the Hyuuga. Sasuke was the man who never looked her way twice, who never expected progress from her, who never paid any damn attention to her. She had wasted so many years as a ninja, in trying to win over his desired affection, and all she received was a smack on the back of her neck and a pathetic thank you, while he abandoned the village and her heart.
Now, Sakura knew that Neji wasn't like that. Sure, he had slammed her into a dirt wall, and tried to suffocate her, and insulted her in front of everyone. But Neji was a rule-abider and an honourable Konoha citizen who would never think of betraying the village. And although they had gotten off the wrong foot, he would still follow Shikamaru's orders to protect her. Neji was the same as, yet a complete opposite of Sasuke, and Sakura concluded that she would at least give the cold-eyed bastard a try, JUST because he was different from the Uchiha. BUT, she inwardly promised herself, I will never get emotionally involved.
She was an independent woman now. She needed neither the affection of a man, nor the pity of one to get her through the day.
Sakura hadn't realized that she was staring so long at Neji's face, until he turned to look back at her with a fierce glare.
"Whatever you have to say, say it already." He said calmly and coolly.
Crap, she was caught. Sakura tried to put on a tough face.
"Baka. I was looking past you, for your information. Not AT you. Give your ego a rest for once."
The kunoichi knew that it was a bit harsh and a complete lie but hey, two could play at the stubborn game.
Neji was quiet and then turned his head back to the front. Sakura half smiled as she inwardly tallied a mental score. Sakura: one; Neji: zero. She clapped with delight in her mind. This was something she was unable to do with Sasuke because she never had the guts to talk back to him, even though she knew he was an ass at times… Ok, ALL the time. Toying with Neji was, to Sakura, making up for lost time. And she loved every moment of it.
In spite of her inner victory, Sakura kept the firm demeanor plastered on her face. She decided to make her lie a truth, and actually shifted her eyes to look past him, just so that he wouldn't catch her in the future. The Hyuuga was a man of integrity and he did not appreciate lies, nor being lied to. Like Sasuke, he would tell the blunt truth if he had to, even if it meant telling a girl she was fat, or a mentally challenged man that he was stupid.
Suddenly, something caught Sakura's attention. About twenty yards past Neji's head, her trained keen eyes spotted a tree, marked with an X, directly five feet above the ground. The tree wavered a bit and then strangely disappeared. Her eyebrows squinted together in confusion. Then, abruptly, she halted; almost burning the bark of the tree branch she landed on.
"Crap…" she muttered. "No way…"
The stunned Neji stopped at his counterpart's pale face, which caused the other team members to glance behind them at the commotion.
"What?" Neji demanded at the distracted kunoichi. "You're stalling us, Haruno!"
Sakura paid no attention to him and shot her eyes up at the sky. A loud rumble was heard, and almost instantly, drops of water came spitting down, followed by a waterfall of rain.
Sakura's pink hair matted down on her head, but it didn't bother her. It wasn't as if she cared about her appearance anymore. Heck, she was dressed in a boy's shinobi outfit, and she loved it more than her red dress.
The pouring rain drenched everything it came into contact with. The ninjas' clothes draped tightly over their bodies. Dirty faces were washed, bloody wounds were cleansed, and the stain of sweat on their clothes blended with the wetness of rain. But the shinobis too, like Sakura, were concerned of far more important things than a little wetness.
Like why Sakura was peering around her like a deer caught in headlights.
The team discontinued their movement, once they caught glimpse of Sakura running into the direction of what had caught her attention.
"What the heck?" Shikamaru pondered. "Oi! Neji! I told you to guard your counterpart!"
Neji fumed. Yeah, I'm supposed to guard her when an ENEMY attacks! Not fricken baby-sit her when she sees pretty flowers she wants to pick! He rampaged on in his mind. He growled and decided to go after the girl. This had better be a damn emergency, or I refuse to be her counterpart…
Neji landed beside the kunoichi who was busily examining the X-marked tree like a madman. The Hyuuga could sense that she was in complete dismay, as if searching for something her life depended on. In seconds, the rest of the team had joined the two, all dripping wet from the storm. Shikamaru looked impatient.
"Sakura-" he began but was interrupted by the girl's panic-stricken voice.
"It's here! This is it! I've been here before!" she rapidly spoke. Neji was still in the dark.
"What are you talking about?" he said harshly. Sakura took out a kunai and traced the mark.
"I made this mark to let me know that I've past here before, to prevent me from going in circles when I was following you!" she babbled. "That was over twelve hours ago!"
That slapped the Hyuuga into interest. Actually, disbelief. He snatched the kunai out of Sakura's hand.
"You mean to tell us that we've been going in circles the whole time?"
Well that was a load of crap. There was no possible way that they could've been aimlessly wandering. He, after all had the keenest observations, while Shikamaru had the sharpest perceptions. If they were circling, surely one of them would know, right?
"It could've been another shinobi's mark, Sakura. The forest's full of them, you know." Shikamaru said, crossing his arms. Sakura knew that neither of them believed her, but her confidence did not waver. Instead of arguing, she searched around her, at both the sky and the ground. After analyzing her surroundings, she put her hands together to form jutsu seals.
Monkey, Rat, Dog, Monkey, Snake, Rabbit, Dog, Dragon…
"What's she doing now?" Neji questioned at the girl's movements. Females, no doubt, totally baffled him.
When she finished, she struck her palm to the ground with a powerful force.
"KAI!" she chanted.
At first, nothing happened, and the irritated shinobis made a move to leave. Just as they were assembling into their formation, the ground lit up in a perfect circle around them. The circle was gigantic, and engulfed perhaps hundreds of square miles of the forest floor. When the light dimmed, they konoha ninjas could make out jutsu characters in a distinct pattern. Instantly, the characters stirred and moved into the center of Sakura's palm, as if her hand were a vacuum sucking up the dirt on a carpet.
Sakura winced as the last of the few letters entered her palm.
When everything was sucked into the invisible vortex in the kunoichi's hand, she stood up. However, he knees gave way in weakness, and she collapsed into a heap, clasping her hand in excruciating pain. Naruto was the first to be at her side.
"What just happened!" he exclaimed.
Immediately, his surroundings rippled and then vanished, to reveal a completely different set of trees, clouds, and horizon line. To their horror, they gaped at the familiarity of the landscape, and then back at the lightheaded Sakura.
The kunoichi held up her palm to reveal the "sealed" symbol.
"Illusion chakra barrier technique." She weakly mumbled. "We're back in Konoha territory."
Author's note: Ooo. That was my dose of suspense for you. Left you all hanging off the cliff, didn't I? Haha, I don't mean to be cruel, it's just my bedtime now, and I haven't finished my homework. Hahaha. Well yeah, I hope that was a good chapter. Even though, most of it was Sakura's comparison between Sasuke and Neji. Thanks for reading. I'm really liking how everything is rolling. The next chapter should be up soon times.
Reviews, once again!