Weeks after the incident at Ino's house, Sakura was feeling much better. Her and Sasuke were at a good place. Sarada and her were also better at interacting with one another. Although Sakura didn't know who her daughter was going to apprentice for, she still did her best to train with her when she could. To be honest, she kind of assumed Sarada would apprentice for Naruto while Boruto apprentice for Sasuke, and then Mitsuki for Orochimaru. For the most part, it seemed predictable but one could never be certain.
Still on Friday evenings, Sakura spent her time on the court playing ball and relaxing. Her work at the hospital and training students were also going good; in other words, life was perfect. Almost perfect. She hadn't talken to Ino since the incident and it seemed as if they were purposely avoiding one another.
While eating lunch with Sarada and discussing the training she was having with Sasuke, Sakura smiled warmly at her daughter. They were sitting on a bench near the training fields, the day was warm with a little bit of wind.
Sasuke came from the bushes and smiled at his beautiful wife and daughter. He was such a lucky man, and the day his daughter was born should have been the best day of his life...if he'd been present.
"After work, Sakura, head to the Hokage's office." With that, he nodded his head at his daughter and she walked with him to the training grounds.
When work ended later that evening, a yawn escaped her mouth as she walked with heavy eyelids to the Hokage's office. Once there, mostly everyone had gone home she noticed but she stepped into the office and saw Sasuke, Shikamaru, Temari, and of course, Naruto sitting at his desk.
Sakura walked up and stood next to Temari, unsure why the stay at home mom was here along with her.
Sasuke walked around to where Naruto was. "We have an assignment for the two of you. Sakura, do you know who your apprentice is going to be?"
Sakura shook her head. "Hmm, there are so many students this year. It could be Inojin, the creepy girl with the doll, the dark skinned boy with the wrap around his head-"
"You don't know." Sasuke confirmed.
Naruto sat with his hands folded before his mouth. He looked up to speak, "We have an undercover assignment for you two."
"Those usually take years..." Sakura said.
Naruto nodded his head. He continued to give both women the information they needed.
"Hinata just arrived back from a Chunin mission. She discovered drugs are entering into the Fire Nation from the basketball teams and clubs popping up. These drugs are being administered to doctors, to athletes and being used as both pain killers and performance enhancement tools."
Drugs-Sakura was shocked to hear that. She glanced at Temari but as always, her facial expression was focused.
"Sakura," she turned her attention back to the Hokage. "That jutsu I taught you was just to help you relax, but I'm gonna need you to train so you can withstand it longer. You also need to find a means of escape if you are to be taken out of the jutsu." Sakura nodded her head, determined. "Temari, here, is your partner. Teach her the jutsu and how to play basketball. You two along with Rock Lee will try out for the tournament later in the next year or so..."
Rock Lee didn't know their identity nor did Sai which Sakura was relieved to know. Both men were also working on the mission, but it was discussed between Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru that it would be best if not many knew of Sakura and now Temari's identities. Still, she couldn't imagine how flustered Sai'd get if he knew it was Sakura's dick he was stroking those weeks ago.
Although the assignment they were given was to start immediately, Sakura wouldn't start the mission until two to four years after she had trained an apprentice or two. If she made the tournament then her, Temari, and Rock Lee would be going to the west. Rarely did she ever stray too long from her medical duties but since Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke were focusing on the Ostuski Clan and Kawaki, it made sense they needed more hands.
Shikamaru stepped forward. "Two kunochi will be occupying you as well. We're still deciding on the two but they're women you work well with." Tiny bits of sweat drops began to appear to the side of his brow. He gulped. "Sakura, do you think you could teach Temari how to..how to..." Temari snapped her neck toward her husband. It was like a band-aide. He needed to rip it off fast. "Do you think you could teach Temari how to be a gentleman with the kunochi we assign?"
The following days as Sakura walked the city or took the train, she finally noticed the pain clinics. How did she not notice this? She thought back to when Boruto and Kawaki both ended up in the hospital, plus Naruto and Sasuke after a bout with the Ostuski clan. She remembered when Susu introduced pain killers to Kawaki. This was how the industry was going with medicine and technology. There were numerous advancements everyday. Was she so depressed about her marriage that she literally wasn't seeing what everyone else was? It was something she didn't want to think about as she walked to the training fields to meet with Temari.
Temari leaned against the tree with her arms folded, and one leg propped against the trunk of the tree. She glared when she caught sight of Sakura. The pink haired woman only sweat dropped but continued to walk to the blonde.
"A gentleman..." Temari mocked.
Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. After years of being in Konoha, Temari actually fit right in with the Konoha 11 women...except for Tenten. For some reason the two women didn't really seem to engage with one another.
"Temari, the way you treat men...you shouldn't treat women like that. Shikamaru is probably just worry you'll be a bit too aggressive with the kunochi we're assigned with."
Temari huffed at Sakura and walked away from the tree. Now in the center of the training field, Sakura held up her hand to show Temari what to do. Before she could do it, the words, stance, and hand sign were done.
A puff of smoke appeared in front of Sakura and soon Temari stood in front of her as a man. Temari's hair was short, faded on the sides, but spikey on top, medium length. She had gages in her ears and a piecred eyebrow. A dragon tattoo coiled around her neck. Temari looked like a hot bad guy.
Her attire was simple. She wore a netted undershirt that allowed her muscular chest to shine through and she wore dark blue jeans with a chain around the loops. Her shoes were brown ninja boots.
It took months for Sakura to finally do the sexy jutsu to the point clothes appeared on her. Four months was really how long she'd been doing it too yet Temari did it the first try. Sakura figured she must have quickly picked up on it from seeing Naruto do it so much as a child during the chunin exams, plus the amount of chakra she had went beyond average for a kunochi.
Sakura opened her mouth to comment but Termari jumped up. She landed on the other side of Sakura and ran out of the fields.
"Where are you going?" Sakura transformed into her sexy jutsu and followed after Temari.
The two "men" ran from the fields and onto the top of businesses and houses. Sakura wasn't sure why Temari was running but she had to keep up. It wasn't easy. As a woman, Temari was the strongest out of all of the kunochi when it came to combat and now in her sexy jutsu, Sakura didn't even want to think how powerful Temari would be in combat.
Temari jumped down into the road and startled Ino who was carrying a pot toward her store. Temari smirked at Ino then flipped over her, continuing her run. Ino turned to look at the blonde man who looked familiar. When she turned back around, it was Sakura who landed before her. Both women met one another's eyes, something they hadn't done in weeks. Sakura had no time, she needed to catch up to Temari. So she flipped over Ino and continued to chase after the blonde.
Temari stood outside a business just as Sakura ran up to her. She turned to face what Temari was looking at, and realized they were standing outside of Tenten's weaponry shop.
Confused, Sakura glanced at Temari. "Why are you standing outside of Tenten's shop?" Sakura looked around. "Out of all places to go, why here?" She watched as a couple of sweat beads appeared next to Temari's eye and her face began to flush bright red. Sakura stood back in awe but then a mischievous smile came to her face. "You like her?"
"No!" Temari snapped. "I'm married and I love him."
Sakura folded her arms and cocked her hip. "You can love more than one person at the same time. And you can love different people differently. It doesn't make you a bad person."
Temari sighed. Then all of a sudden Tenten opened the sliding door to her store. She peered out in hopes of seeing customers but no one was there. With wavy tears rolling down her black dot eyes, and pouted lips that looked like the number three, she went back into her store.
Sakura sat next to Temari on the roof top of another business that over looked Tenten's.
"I was hoping that maybe I'd talk to her as a man."
"That's the first thing you thought about after performing the sexy jutsu, 'damn, let me see Tenten'." Sakura laughed. "She got you sprung, dude."
"Shut up." Temari hissed. Temari made a mental note that using the sexy jutsu not only changed their physical traits but even their mannerisms. No way would Sakura out of jutsu say 'sprung' or 'dude'.
Sakura laughed a bit then the two of them sat in silence.
After a moment, Sakura broke the quietness. "So...when did you start liking her?"
Temari shrugged. She assumed it was around the same time she started liking Shikamaru, so the first Chunin exams. Just like how she thought Shikamaru was cute back then, she thought Tenten was pretty. She was excited to fight her but the match went left when Temari saw how disgustingly weak Tenten was. Temari's ego and pride gotten the best of her, and she had berated herself for even thinking such a low girl could get her attention. Upset and offended at Tenten's attempt to battle her, Temari did what she did to end it. She left Tenten humiliated and close to a broken spine. Temari was never more satisfied than when she saw Tenten broken on her fan.
Temari thought that was the end of her girl crush until time went on, and she saw Tenten grow from a girl to a woman. Tenten's humor was also a delight and she often caught herself smiling at Tenten's jokes from the sidelines. More time went on, and Temari found herself getting to know the Konoha Girls except for Tenten. Tenten didn't seem to like Temari.
"I think she still has a grudge or something." Temari explained.
A bit awkward, "Temari, it's been years. I mean years!"
"What else could it be, Sakura?"
Sakura thought for a moment. Temari wasn't going to like what she had to say. "I think she's still afraid of you, Temari." She paused so it could sink in for the blonde woman. "Tenten didn't see you grow up and become good after Naruto fought Gaara. All she knows is you are good now, but she still remembers when you weren't. Just like how Sasuke almost killed me, Temari...you almost paralyzed her." Sakura had to take a breather. It always did a number on her when she remembered she was so close to death at her husband's hands. "That kind of thing...people don't forget."
Temari bowed her head and jumped down from the roof. Sakura saw her go toward Tenten's shop.
Tenten was reading a book when she heard the sliding doors to her store open. It was always a delight when she had customers. Technology was advancing so fast with the scientific ninja tools plus guns from the west, it was a tough pill to swallow that traditional combat weapons would soon be obsolete.
She watched the young man enter into her store. He was tall, thick yet lean. There was an edge to him Tenten thought was cute but when he turned to face her, his face was strong and quite intimidating.
"Ca-can I help you?"
"I want some kunai." The man said bluntly. Usually Tenten would try to sell more items or even try to get the customer to purchase another tool, something not so basic but she was a bit-afraid of him. She did her best to not be obvious when she looked him in the eyes, but she couldn't help but noticed how similar they were to Temari's and even her son, Shikadai. The young boy wasn't much into weapons but he did like to read so the two would often exchange books and conversations about them.
She wrapped the kunai and put them in a bag, and rung him up. Once the change was exchanged, she handed him the bag and wished him well.
Once he left the store, Tenten waited a few before she walked to the window. Outside, she saw him and another man with pink hair conversing with one another. A Haruno clan member in the city. Usually they kept to the outskirts but just like Sai, Tenten was forgetting Konoha had since changed to a city with millions of residents. Still, she didn't like them just standing outside her store and she felt tensed from the blond man. He reminded her too much of Temari and everytime she thought of her, it always took her back to the Chunin exams.
Temari stepped outside with the bag. Sakura waiting for her, looked at the items.
'Kunai, that's it.' Sakura thought to herself. She sighed and placed a hand on her head, a bit embarrassed for Temari. "Well, did y'all talk?"
Temari shook her head. Sakura sighed again. This was going to be a long two to four years of partnering with one another. Two to four years of jutsu training-two to four years of basketball practice.
The two of them walked toward the blacktop all the while Sakura thought about Sarada and how old she would be in two to four years. She'd be fourteen or sixteen but then something told Sakura this mission her and Temari were assigned to probably wouldn't happen until much further along. There was a bad feeling she was getting, in regards to both Naruto and his son. She was sure something drastic was going to happen.
A couple of weeks went by. That Friday evening, Sakura and Temari walked to the blacktop with one another. Already in their sexy jutsu, Sakura wanted to introduce Temari to the team. She would go by Mari and that night, she'd just watched the match and after seeing Sakura play, Temari felt she had a good chance of playing with the team, and getting into the tournament.
The two women walked to the burger joint, hungry and full of sweat, and funk. They laughed with one another. It was Sakura who opened the door first and stepped in. It was Ino who sat on a stool at the counter with Tenten, waiting for their food. While she was talking with Tenten, her eyes suddenly met Sakura's. Confused at why her friend stopped speaking, Tenten turned and saw the two men from her store.
Sakura acted as if she didn't know Ino as she walked by but Temari kept her eyes on Tenten. Once the cashier came with their food, the two women left. Sakura went to her usual booth and sat down.
"Wait," Temari started. "You don't want to talk to them?"
Sakura shook her head. "We shouldn't. We're on a mission." Temari was too impatient though. Before Sakura could grab her back, the blonde made her way outside to stop the two ladies from disappearing into the night.
Ino and Tenten were both caught off guard by her. Ino knew the pink haired man was Sakura and even though the blonde one looked familiar, she had a hard time putting it together. She probably could figure it out but the man was aggressive and quite overbearing over the two women.
Tenten found herself reaching for her scroll. She recognized the man from her shop, and the feeling she had about him then hadn't changed even now.
Sakura hurried outside and grabbed Temari by the arm.
"Sorry ladies. He gets excited when he sees pretty women." Sakura said as she ignored the smirk Temari gave her for saying the word 'excited'.
"Your friend isn't much of a gentleman is he? Chasing us like a dog." Ino shot back.
There was that word again. The same word her husband had said a couple of weeks back. Just when Temari was about to retort back with even less tact, Sakura stepped forward. She puffed out her chest to Ino, and looked down at the slender woman. Ino talking down to her, she could do it while Sakura was a woman but standing before Ino in the sexy jutsu, it wasn't going to be as such. Sakura's confidence was slowly coming back, regardless of the incident that took place at Ino's house. It was time to move on.
"What do you know about a gentleman when you're married to the least man of them all? Might as well be married to a woman." Sakura snorted.
"You'd want that, wouldn't you? Given how much of a failed marriage you have." Ino shot back with quickness and sarcasm.
It was Sakura's turn to glare and step forward. She reached out to grab Ino. If it weren't for Temari stepping forward, Sakura would have caught a hold of Ino's neck which was just out of reach. Sakura was much better at controlling the new found testosterone flooding through their bodies but when angry, she seemed to let it take control. Yes, they were quarreling with Ino and Tenten but to get to the point of them putting their hands on the women...as men-Temari shook her head yet still finding time to laugh at the insult. Let's face it, Sai may be a high ranking official to the Hokage but he was still feminine in every course of the word.
Tenten turned to Ino. From the sound of the conversation and their tones, Tenten wanted to confirm it with her. "Do you know him?" Tenten asked. She watched as Ino slowly nodded her head and rolled her eyes. "Are they good...or bad?" Tenten was still unsure if there was going to be a fight but she began to put her scrolls away when Ino confirmed the men were good, if at least on their side. The brown two puffed woman shook her head. She felt Ino's hand grab her wrist. The two men that stood before them may be "good guys" or "on their side" but Tenten wasn't convinced. The men were both rude, aggressive, off putting, and just overall, mean, possibly even misogynist. Tenten didn't fail to notice the pink haired one almost assaulted Ino and the blonde one had the audacity to follow them out the burger joint...for what-Tenten didn't know. She hated it when shinobi had such bad qualities.
"Come on, Tenten, let's go home."
Tenten looked back at the men. "You know, if you keep acting like this, I'm going to the Hokage!"
Once the women were out of sight, Sakura and Temari went back into the burger joint for a meal. They ate in silence. Neither really sure what exactly just happened. Things were once going good for Sakura as she downed her soda. She huffed and slammed her back into the booth's seat. Then Ino had to ruin it by bringing up her marriage. She did that when Sakura was at her house then she did it again here. Honestly, it pissed Sakura off!
"We need to not talk to these women while we're in the sex transformation jutsu." Sakura said.
"I'm too nervous to talk to Tenten as a woman...and she's busy in the week. The only time we have enough free time is on Fridays and Saturdays but we're practicing for our mission."
Sakura sat with her hands in the pockets of her basketball shorts. What Temari was saying was true; during the week, Ino and Tenten were busy with their missions that involved the Ostuski Clan. During the weekends or when they could, they tended to their own businesses. For Sakura, she had the hospital and the students on the weekdays and on weekends, it was basketball. Temari was right; they didn't really have time to speak to them as women.
She sighed and shook her head, understanding and empathetic. "Temari, we can't speak to them as men, right now. There's too much animosity, suspension, and hostility. You heard Tenten. If we get reported, it wouldn't look good." She gulped and continued, "We're novices with this jutsu. Let's focus on controlling our anger, or power, our strength. Let's mature first."
Temari played with her empty soda cup before finally speaking. "Do...do you think we should have sex in this jutsu? I've been reading some things...about women going hysterical or men getting extremely angry, and it was always a lack of sex." Sakura knew what Temari was referring to when she mentioned women and hysteria. During that time in history in the west, it wasn't thought of women could receive much sexual pleasure. It was how the vibrator was made. As for men, lack of sex often did lead some men to be a bit more erratic or frustrated. Both women knew though, the only women they wanted were the two it was best for them to not even speak to at the moment.
They remained sitting where they were until it was time for the burger joint to lock up.
