Sakura4life: Elow there! Good to see that you're reading my fic. I'm soooo happy right now. I couldn't believe it! I got sooooo many reviews. To all those who reviewed there are only two words I would love to tell to all of you-------
(((((((((((((THAAAAAAAAANNNNNKKK YOOOOOOOOUUUUUU)))))))))))
I've received a lot of complains about Ino being in team 7. I know you guys don't like it! But I have my reasons! You'll see it later chapters. Promise!
Declaimer: I am not creative enough to own the coolest, the most amazing, and the best anime in the world. BUT I WISH I DID!
Chapter 4: The spring Flower (you'll find out why I named it that way)
3 days after Sakura's birthday.
Naruto was waiting not so patiently at the entrance of the village along with his team. He was tapping his foot on the ground; arms cross against his chest. His face was screwing up in each passing second.
'Patience…patience…patience…' waschanting in his head as hecontinues tapping, a vein popped out of his temple and was twitching quite horribly. He wasn't anywhere good at this 'patience' thing ever since the beginning.
Tick-
Tock-
Tick-
Tock-
Another vein appeared-
Tick-
Twitch-
Tock-
Tick-
Twitch-
Tock-
Final Twitch-
Naruto finally popped—
"What's keeping them so long! We've been waiting for 3 hours already!" Both his hands curled into fists; waving them madly in the air; two more vines pooped on his temple.
"I know, you're not the only one whose been waiting for them!" Ino was showing the same impatience as Naruto. At least she was just sitting on a bench a few feet from the main gate of Konoha. Although her patience was running short. Just like Naruto, Ino had no patience what so ever. Right now she was doing her best to stay calm. But she was clearly loosing. She closed her eyes tightly as a vine on her own temple popped out and her right eyebrow was twitching uncontrollably. Naruto was still wailing and it was adding to her shortening temper. 'Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…' she was trying to clam herself down, unfortunately it wasn't working.
Kakashi though was leaning comfortably against a tree a few feet away from the two impatient ninjas. Seeing his two students starting to loose their patience…OK, so one of them had already lost it while the other one was about to explode, he tried to calm them down.
"Cant the two of you just wait? They have to travel on foot you know, so it would take time for them to get here." finally making his point to his team he went back to reading his ever so present Icha Icha Paradise. 'Mmmm… oh, that was good.' A girlish giggle came out from their sensei and a faint blush could be seen even through his mask.
The two blonde shinobies turned dark-green in disgust in seeing their sensei enjoying his perverted book.
"By the way where's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked suddenly out of the blue. The raven haired boy was no where to be seen. It's not like him to be late or be absent like this, especially on a class B mission assign to them by the Godaime Hokage.
The two snapped out of their disgusted stance-
Naruto faced his sensei. Putting his hands on his hips; he threw his head in the air before saying:
"Who, that Bastard! I have no idea, and I don't care about that moron. He can burn to hell for all I care!" Naruto's words were replied by a smack on the face by Ino.
"Naruto! You don't have the right to call my Sasuke-kun a bastard, a moron or anything else at that matter!"
"Here we go again." Kakashi was already used to this, almost every morning these two fight, if not they would bicker endlessly. Making Sasuke annoyed as hell, maybe this was the reason why he was absent for the mission.
Naruto would say something not so pleasing about Sasuke, and then he would be greatly rewarded by a smack in the face, a kick in the chin and an occasional bloody nose and a black eye, courtesy of Ino.
For a 16-year old chunin who has mastered the Resengan within a short period of time, who had been trained by one of the three legendary Sanins, and who was able to convince Tsunade to be the Fifth Hokage, he was still no match against a girl's over powering will to kick ass for the one she loves. If you can call it love.
Now Kakashi understands why Shikamaru would often say 'Girls, so troublesome.'
Kakashi sigh and slightly shook his head.
"Are you sure none of you know were Sasuke is today?" He asked again without looking up from his book.
After a few hundred slaps, Ino finally let go of Naruto. The poor blonde boy looks like he got bitten by a thousand bees. Ino faced Kakashi. "I went to his house earlier and he said that he busy with something. He didn't tell me what it was though."
Kakashi just nodded his head in reply. "Busy huh? Still the same excuse."
The same excuse that Sasuke used during Sakura's burial. That he was too 'busy' to attend. But he had his doubts. Sasuke was around during her burial, he was sure of it. He had sense his chackra somewhere near by. Kakashi new he was there and he knew very well why he didn't want to go too near at her burial site. He could still remember how Sasuke's facila expression when he saw Sakura's dead body. He was sure that—
Naruto's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Kakashi-sensei, look somebody's coming!" Naruto said enthusiastically, pointing at the entrance of the gate. That was sure a fast recovery.
Kakashi snap his book shut and put it in his pocket; completely sweeping aside his previous thoughts. This mission should be his only priority as of now. They didn't exactly know who their charge is; they didn't even know what she looked like. There was very little information gathered for the mission. The Godaime didn't even explain the mission clearly enough. All they know was they have to protect a girl from an ex-Juonin and now considered a missing nin. All the other needed information will be received from the Jounin that would be with their charge upon arrival.
They went nearer to the two human shaped shadows. One of the shadows was short and had a petite body, which would be their charge. The second shadow was tall and had muscular form; must be the Jounin. As they went nearer to them they were able to get a better look at the newly arrived guest.
They stopped; they were frozen on the spot. Their eyes widen; their lips were slightly parted looking like they were fishes out of the water.
Ino, Naruto and even Kakashi were shock as if all hell had broken lose.
"Im…impossible." Ino
"Am… I j-just dreaming?" Naruto
"Mmmm…this can't be." Kakashi, looking more serious than ever.
-
-
-
"Sasuke-kun, are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine; just go already."
"OK"
After recalling his little 'excuse' to Ino, he was now thinking about there new mission. They were assigned to protect somebody from a different village; the hidden Grass Village. That person was to stay in their village until things would be sorted out in their own. This was in his head while walking to the entrance of the village. He really didn't feel like going on any mission today. They weren't gonna leave the village so what's the point of it? That missing nin will probably wont even be able to pass the boundary of the village.
He made a turn then –
Somebody running bumped into him.
Whoever it was wasn't going to leave without a scratch. How dare he bump into a prodigy just like that and to an Uchiha no less.
"Hey… what the hell? Watch where your go-." It couldn't be. He couldn't believe it.
Looking at the person in front of him.
Her eyes were closed and her poise was a bit tipped by their earlier collision.
Her hair was braided to its tip.
Her face was unmistakable.
The girl that bumped him was about to speak but then-
Strong arms were wrapped around the girl's body.
He had hugged her tight.
Sasuke had hugged her tight.
He didn't let go, as if he did he would loose her again. And to his surprise for once in his life he felt-
WARM
COMPLETE
"Sakura…." He whispered as he still hugged her. When he finally parted, he was about to speak-
Realization struck.
Her eyes… they were not her eyes.
He stepped away from her, staring at the figure in front of him. The girl was staring at him, just staring at him. None of them moved. They stayed at that position for a moment or two. Time seemed to stopped-
"Sasuke-teme!"
Sasuke turned his head to his side and found Naruto calling his name.
Kakashi, Ino and a man that seem to be a ninja from a different village were behind him; they were running and then stopped. "Good, you caught her." His sensei said.
"Her?" Sasuke looked backed at the mysterious girl.
The girl in front of him was about to run away again but Sasuke grabbed her wrist. He was now giving her a 'Who are you really?' look. The stern version. His eyes narrowed up at the girl.
Seeing this she tried to struggle out of his grip but to no avail.
"Let go of me." Came her voice.
It made him numb.
Her voice.
Who are you…?
-
-
-
An hour passed, and things were handled up. All of them were now sitting on a wooden chair in a tea house.
Kakashi, Ino, Naruto and Sasuke were in front of the two guests seating in a square table in the tea house. Naruto, Ino Kakashi were seating alongside each other. The Jounin and the girl were seating alongside as well.
"Sorry for the way we acted at you earlier." Naruto said to the girl that was drinking her tea.
"Um... It's ok." She said as she softly drank her tea.
"Kakashi-sensei can I ask exactly what happened earlier." Sasuke ask monotonously as if he was not that interested. He was at the farthest side of the tea house. He didn't want to be near to anybody.
"Huh?" Oh… you see Sasuke. Naruto and Ino kind of freaked her out earlier." Kakashi said in a lazy yet amused voice.
Now he was recalling what happened earlier. "Earlier this morning while we were waiting at the front gate-
Flashback:
"Im… Impossible." Ino
"Am I j-just dreaming?" Naruto
"Mmmm…this can't be." Kakashi looking more serious than ever. But still remained calm.
On the other hand Naruto and Ino looked like they'd seen a ghost. And for them they really did.
This-girl-in-front-of-them-looked-exactly-like-their-friend.
In front of them stood a girl about their age wearing a yellow long-sleeved loose jacket and brown baggy pants that reach her heels and black ninja sandals.
Her long PINK hair was braided.
Naruto flew 2-feet from his position and suddenly engaged a tight bear hug with the unsuspecting female visitor.
"Sakura-chan! You're ALIVE! WE THOUGHT WE LOST YOU FOREVER!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs.
Ino was screaming: "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD, SAKURAAAA!" over and over again while her hands were having frantically in the air.
The two were in uncontrollable frenzy.
Naruto— hugging and screaming.
Ino— screaming and waving her hands high in the air.
Girl being hugged and screamed at— eyes wide, shock expression, turning blue from lack of air, body stiff as a manikin's.
Kakashi and the other Jounin that was with the girl stood by each other. They stared at the scene and sweat dropped.
But it wasn't long before the girl Naruto was hugging freaked out and ran away. Judging by her facial expression before she dashed faster than a fox during hunting season the girl was obviously horrified.
End of Flashback:
"-and so it was." Kakashi ended. Ino blushed and Naruto let out a nervous laugh while scratching the back of his head. They were ashamed of what they did.
'Then if that's the case then that baka hugged her even before I did' Sasuke shook that thought out of his head and thought of it no more. 'She looks exactly like Sakura.'
The Jounin she was with spoke. "Well now that we settled things down why don't we introduced ourselves." He said without any hesitation in his voice. "My name is Yamamura Takara. I'm pleased to meet you all." The dark-brown haired man slightly bowed from his seat, showing his respect to the other shinobies in front of him.
"Same here, I'm Hatake Kakashi and this is my team." Signaling his team to introduce themselves, each one stood and told their name except for a dark haired Uchiha who was in no mood for any introductory speech.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, It's nice to meet you sir." Naruo said politely as he could. 4 years of experience had thought him how to be polite and to give respect to other people. And it's all thanks to Tsunade. She had thought him well in the art of being a well-mannered person. Hell! If he didn't give respect to people from other villages that woman would definitely sent him flying to the moon!
"My name is Yamanaka Ino, I'm glad that I will be able to help you Takara-san." Ino bowed to Takara and went back to her seat. She slightly flinched when she saw Takara winked at her. 'Great another pervert to deal with.'
They were still waiting for the dark haired teen to introduce himself but seconds tick and not a word came out of Sasuke's mouth.
"Ehem." Kakashi gave a warning look at the raven haired boy after a few seconds of waiting in silence. Understanding his sensei's look or glare to be precise, Sasuke gave off an annoyed sigh before introducing himself.
"Uchiha Sasuke." He said without even standing up. His face was impassive as always.
Kakashi gave off a sigh of his own but not out of annoyance. Will the boy ever change? Always impassive and emotionless. Some things never change. Forget about the boy, on to the mission.
This girl looked surprisingly like his old student. He couldn't blame Naruto and Ino for their reaction at seeing the girl. The resemblance was amazing. "Would it be ok if you would tell us what your name is, miss?" Asking the girl in front of him.
Startled, the girl slightly flinch her seat "Huh…? Umm…" She fidgeted with her tea which kind of reminded Naruto of Hinata.
"Its ok, go ahead." Takara gave a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The girl nodded at his encouragement before facing the rest of team 7. All eyes were on her. Finally they will be able to know just who is this mysterious girl.
"Umm…" She inhaled deeply before continuing. "My name is Akina, Kitano Akina."
A/N: Akina - spring flower
Kita- north
-no- is added to connect
Takara- treasure, precious object
Yama – mountain
Mura – village
Now you know why I named the chapter title like that. I think the name suits her. Don't you think?
Our exams are over! Hurraaaaayyy! Oh! By the way our principle
Wait till what comes next!
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