Chapter 7:Collapse
"Master Orochimaru... you summoned me?" Asked a man with long black hair.
"Yesss... I want you to keep an eye on a certain cherry blossom..." Spoke Orochimaru.
"She lives in Konoha... find her and make sure your not followed!"
Minoru nodded and dissapeared in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru walked towards a serpant like throne. He seated himself and looked at the pile of scrolls in the corner of the room.
"I'll be waiting...Sakura Haruno"
(back at Ino's)
Sakura shifted in the bed she slept in. Ino was the first to awaken. Fully dressed in her academy
outfit. Her hair was pulled into a high pony-tail and she had applied some eye shadow.
Hinata was still heavily sleeping and dreaming about Naruto.
Ino sighed when she heard the crazed Naruto girl mumble his name... She decided to wake Sakura up so they could talk while waiting for Hinata to wake up. Ino walked up beside the bed Sakura was sleeping in and shook her as hard as she could.
The pink haired kunoichi swatted at Ino and rolled over, only to fall off the bed. Sakura landed on her side and Ino began to laugh. Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes...
Sakura picked herself off the ground and gave Ino a death glare. She immidiatly stopped laughing and gave her best friend a big smile.
"Good morning sleepy head!"
"What did the floor feel like...? Said Ino sarcastically.
"Ha ha very funny Ino-pig!" Sakura shot back.
"Bill board brow..." The blonde haired kunoichi mumbled under her breath.
"Hn..." Sakura hn'ed.
Ino sat on a bed while Sakura stood trying to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes. She went into the wash room and quickly changed and brushed her teeth. Sakura wore a pink tank top, a short black skirt and to top it all off a pair a strappy black heels. When she walked out of the wash room Ino gave her a surprised look...
Sakura grabbed her brush and walked to the mirror. She left her hair down and never really wore make up,
unless it was for a special occassion. Ino smirked at Sakura and decided to wake Hinata up.
"What was that smirk for?" Asked Sakura.
"I was just thinking about the expression on Neji's face when he sees you?" Ino said.
"Whatever..." Sakura shrugged and left the room.
Ino began to shake Hinata like she did to her best friend. Nothing happened... She started to get annoyed and screamed out Hinata's name in her ear. Still nothing... She ran into the bathroom and soaked a cloth in some water. Ino made her way to Hinata and squeezed the cloth! Water leaked from the cloth and poured onto Hinata's pale face.
Ino heard her gasp and then she bolted up. Blinking wildly and rubbing her face. Ino laughed and told her to get changed. Hinata did as she was told and put on pair of baggy blue knee length shorts. She threw on a black top and she fixed her hair.
Sakura was headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. All 5 guys were seated in the kitchen trying to start a conversation. It was about none other than...
"So did you guys think strip poker was fun?" Naruto quietly asked.
Silence.
"Getting to see 3 beautiful girls half naked..." Spoke Kiba.
"How troublesome." Sighed Shikamaru.
"So... which chest was the biggest?" Naruto questioned.
Before he could speak further Sakura stormed in and punched him on the head. Naruto was holding his throbbing head in pain. He gave Sakura the, please-spare-me look...
"Naruto! You are such a perverted idiot!" Screamed the pissed off Sakura.
"No Sakura-Chan! Please I was only kidding!" Pleaded Naruto.
"Hn..." Sakura hn'ed.
She took her seat beside Neji and gave the annoying spikey haired boy a death stare.
Naruto gulped and tried to start a conversation with Rock Lee.
He didn't listen to him but instead kept looking at Sakura. Mezmerized by her beauty and especially those
emerald eyes.
Soon after Ino and Hinata arrived downstairs and all 3 girls began to prepare breakfast.
Neji was gazing at Sakura... "Her skirt is so short and her legs look so smooth..." Thought Neji.
"Gah! get those thoughts out of my head!"
YOUR HOPLESS...
Its you again...get lost!
JUST ADMIT IT! YOU LIKE THAT HARUNO GIRL?
I don't!
SURE...THEN WHY WERE YOU STARING AT HER?
I was merly watching over her!
COME ONE NEJI! YOU CAN'T PULL ANYTHING ON ME! I KNOW EVERYTHING THAT CROSSES YOUR MIND!
Whatever...
ITS NORMAL TO FEEL THIS WAY... YOUR ONLY HUMAN!
Hn.
Neji thought about what his inner self had said. But he couldn't admit to himself. That he was actually in love... Not only that but in love with Haruno Sakura. Even though he confessed it to Sakura... And she confessed it to him.
She had grown up to become a very dependable person. If it was either in fighting or healing or even friendship...? Neji snapped out of his thoughts when a plate of food was placed in front of him.
"Arigato Sakura." The snowy eyed prodigy whispered loud enough for her to hear.
"Your welcome Neji-Kun..." Sakura said.
Neji tried the eggs and to his surprise they were delicious! Everything was... The eggs, the bacon, the bread!
Everyone was happy with the outcome of breakfast. Shikamaru even smiled... And thats pretty rare!
When breakfast was over Ino announced that they were going to team up and spar.
Now that was one thing Naruto loved to do! Believe it!
"I have matching numbers in this hat!" Started Ino.
"The person who gets the same number as you is your opponent!"
Everyone was excited to do a fun little spar. All exept Hinata, she never really liked violence.
She was going to back down but Naruto annoyed her enough to do it.
"Huh... the things I do for him..." Thought Hinata.
She walked towards the line up that Ino had ordered. First to pick was Ino of course.
The blonde kunoichi grabbed a piece of paper it was...
"Number 5!" Ino hollared.
Everyone now had a piece of paper in their hands. Ino had started to pair them up according to the numbers.
When she had 2 people beside eachother, Ino called out the sparing partners.
"Me and Kiba!" Announced Ino.
"Hinata and Lee!"
"Naruto and Neji!"
"Sakura and Shikamaru!" Ino finished.
She led them outside and into Konoha forest. They walked for 3 minutes until Ino haulted and turned to face all of them.
"This is the battle field!" Explained Ino.
"The winner from each battle will face off until someone wins!"
They all nodded in agreement and waited for Ino to continue.
"The winner will recieve this extra large kunai pouch!" Announced Ino.
"First up Hinata and Lee!"
Hinata was shocked to hear her name being called first. She stummbled to the battle field but regained her posture and quickly readied herself... Lee and Hinata waited for Ino's words.
"BEGIN!" She screamed.
Lee quickly jumped into the air and made hand signs. Hinata threw a couple kunai at him as they struck his body, another Lee came from behind and kicked her back. Making Hinata fall and making hand signs of her own... She used shadow clone jutsu and at least 20 Hinata's appeared and ran towards Lee. While he fought of the clones, Hinata was watching from a tree. She activated the Byakugan and looked for Lee's weak spot.
Hinata found it! His weak spot was his stomach... She waited for the right moment and quickly slipped out of the trees. Hinata had a small ball of chakra in her hand and ran in Lee's direction. He grabbed her wrist and was attempting on triping her, but Hinata had other plans. She countered it by kicking him in the chest causing Lee to fly into the air. Hinata jumped underneith him and punched him hard in the stomach with the ball of chakra.
After Lee was hit directly in his weak point he landed on his feet. But soon after he found himself on the ground.
Coughing up a bit of blood... Hinata ran to his side began to panic.
"Oh...m..my gosh! a...are you ok..okay?" She studdered with worry in her voice.
"I'm alright Hinata-Chan... it's fine, i'm not hurt..." Said Lee.
"That much..." He quickly added.
Ino came over and patted Hinata's shoulder. Reassuring her that Lee would survive and that she advances to the next level. Since Sakura was a nin medic she used her chakra to revive Lee. He thanked her and left the battle field to watch from the side lines.
"Next up is...Me and Kiba!" Ino declared walking to the battle field.
Kiba placed his dog on the grass and walked to where his opponent was. He looked at Ino giving her a mischivious grin, she stuck out her tongue and shouted... "BEGIN!"
Ino took out a kunai and aimed it at Kiba's legs, he noticed just in time to dodge the flying weapon. Kiba tackled Ino and readied a kunai. She kicked him off and quickly puched him in the face! Kiba grabbed blocked her hand before she could punch him any further. He kicked Ino in making her taking her off the ground, he then followed her and raised his foot over her stomach and made contact with it! It sent Ino flying down, falling faster with every passing second.
She was falling through a tree, sticking her arm out hoping to catch onto a branch and hoist herself onto it. She never did grab hold of a branch. Instead Ino landed on a huge branch, her stomach was on the branch while her upper and lower halfs were dangling over it. She spat up some blood when her stomach hit the branch! She felt a little weak and light headed.
Ino was now standing on the branch that caught her fall from the ground. She could faintly feel Kiba's chakra but she did know that he was somewhere nearby... Ino preformed some hand signs and created only one clone of herself. She made the clone stay in the tree and to distract him enough that she could finish him off.
The clone agreed and Ino climbed higher into the tree, hiding her chakra. The clone stood up and called out to Kiba...
"Hey Kiba come and get me!" Screamed the clone while shaking a tree branch for Kiba to see.
"Gotcha now blondie!" He replied. and jumped into the tree.
He instantly caught sight of the kunoichi and prepared to knock her off the branch. Kiba attacked only to be blocked by the clone, he did manage to trip her and she fell on the branch. Kiba took out a kunai and held over the clone.
Ino made quick hand signs it was her special jutsu, where she took control of any body while her body was uncontious.
She felt her body go limp and her knees started to buckle, she blacked out and her body was supported by a branch.
Kiba dropped the kunai it was falling towards the battle field. He also felt his body go limp and then...darkness.
Ino was now in Kiba's body she knew exactly how to end the battle. Ino nodded to the clone and she jumped of the
branch she was currently standing on. The body she took over was now plumeting to the ground, Ino made same hand
signs and she returned to her own body.
Kiba wearily opened an eye and saw what was happening. Before he could react Kiba had already crashed into the ground! He felt a surge of pain go through his entire body and heard voices near him...
"Kiba are you alright!" Asked a scared Hinata.
"I'll revive him as best I can." Declared Sakura.
She placed both hands over Kiba's chest and a glow emitted from her hands... He slowly opened his eyes and sat up looing around. Kiba called for his dog, he jumped on Kiba's lap and licked his faced. He pat the dog on his head and stood.
"Oi! Ino you win!" Called Kiba.
"Yes!" Hollared Ino from the trees.
She jumped down and walked towards the group. Ino scratched her head and apologized to him.
"Sorry about that Kiba..." Said Ino still scratching her head.
"Thats okay blondie..." Kiba said smiling at her.
She sighed in relief and announced the next match.
"Ok! Sakura and Shikamaru! Your next!"
"How troublesome..." Replied Shikamaru.
"Hn..." Sakura hn'ed.
They walked towards the field and waited for the signal.
"BEGIN!" She screamed once again.
Shikamaru made the first move he ran towards Sakura and tried to land a punch. While she was busy blocking Shikamaru's attacks, he quickly tripped her and went to punch her while she was down. Sakura grabbed both his fists and placed her feet on his stomach.
She used all her strength and managed to flip him backwards landing face first. Sakura rose and pounded
the ground with her fist causing the large holes in the ground. Shikamaru moved in time to dodge a hole forming under him.
He had jumped into the air. That was Sakura's chance, she threw her kunai at him. The weapon cut the side of Shikamaru's
stomach.
Sakura ran after the opponent and kicked him hard in the chest! Shikamaru also threw a kunai and to his satisfaction it hit the target. The kunai grazed her upper leg but Sakura ignored the pain and focused on beating Shikamaru.
She threw her last attack at Shikamaru, she kicked him in the side of his face making him fly backwards.
He made contact with a tree and fell to the ground in defeat.
Sakura walked over to Shikamaru and healed him with her chakra and then examined her own wound. Even though it hurt like hell it wasn't deep. Sakura decided not to heal herself, so she could save her chakra. Lee saw the cut and tore off a piece of material from his shorts, he gently wrapped it around her wound.
"Thanks Lee..." Sakura whispered.
"No problem Sakura-Chan." Bushy brow replied.
She sat down to rest up and saw Neji and Naruto head to the field. Both with determination in their eyes.
Neji readied himself and Naruto the same.
"BEGIN!" Ino announced.
Neji ran towards Naruto and quickly attacked him with his fists. Naruto dodged some of the punches but he also got hit alot. He whiped out his kunai and threw it at Neji, he dodged it and threw a kunai himself. It scratched Naruto's cheek, he did some hand signs and made clones of himself. Neji destroyed all of them the real Naruto was hiding somewhere...?
"Byakugan!" Neji said while looking furiously around the area.
He spotted Naruto behind a bush. Neji threw a kunai where Naruto was. He also performed a hand sign.
Naruto moved and threw a kunai of his own... It hit Neji or so he thought?
"Yea dead on!" Cheered Naruto.
He looked up to see a puff of smoke and a log with his kunai embeded into it!
His mouth hung open and he felt a pain go through his head and back.
Neji had used a substitution jutsu and was now attcking Naruto while he wasn't looking.
Naruto was lying on the floor holding his head which was now throbbing... The battle ended and Sakura hurridly
went to Naruto and healed him. She had used up almost all of her chakra... How would she fight in this condition?
"Maybe I should quit... Tsunade said not to push myself?" Thought Sakura trying to stand.
Her legs failed her and she fell to the ground. Everyone was giving her a worried expression. She smiled and tried once more.
No luck she just fell back down, her legs were now totally useless. Sakura sighed and Ino went to her side...
"Sakura are you okay?" Ino asked.
"I just used up too much chakra..." The pink haired kunoichi replied.
"You sure?" Said Ino now helping her friend up.
"Yea I'm fine...though I don't think I can fight in this state." Sakura spoke.
Ino gave her a smile and helped Sakura get to the side lines... Her legs were still useless.
"Thats weird?" Thought Sakura.
"I should be partially able to use my legs by now...?"
Something was not right about this... She didn't even slightly over use her chakra. Sakura sat down and tried hard not to think about it... Sakura saw grey clouds start to gather around Konoha and then it started to pour on them.
"Guys maybe we should call it a day and do this someother time?" Sakura suggested.
"Your right Sakura-Chan!" Agreed Naruto.
It was decided that they would go back inside and do something else... Sakura stood and quickly fell to the wet ground, Ino ran to her side and helped her up.
"Sakura your legs havn't recovered yet?" Ino asked with a scared expression glued to her face.
"No...this has never happened to me before?" Said Sakura while Ino began to walk to the house.
They all left the battle field and headed for Ino's house, to get out of the rain. While they were walking Neji would glance at Sakura. His expression showed concern and worry...
Little did they know that someone was watching them from the distance. He smirked and continued to watch Sakura Haruno.
His eyes were glowing a light shade of red and then they went back to normal. He smirked coldy and began to walk the opposite direction.
"Master Orochimaru will be pleased about this..." The figure said and continued to walk, hands in his pockets an evil smirk still visiable on his pale face.