A/N: Hello everyone! I'm Morgan and this is my first Naruto fanfic which is Shisui and Sakura-centric! (I haven't seen enough stories of these two lol!) Things will start off a bit slow but please bear with me! Yes, Sakura may be a bit unlikable at the start, but I'll try to improve things more down the line. Also I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. I just own the plot of this specific story!
I hope you all enjoy!
The Chunin Exams were going off to a roaring start for all of the Genin involved. Parts of both Team Kakashi and Team Asuma were able to advance to the final rounds, and that's the turning point where the steaks got higher… well for Naruto and Sasuke at least. Luckily, both of them were able to get themselves some sort of mentor to look after them before that final stage. Those mentors being Kakashi and Jiraiya in particular.
Sasuke was going to get some training from Kakashi, his lightning affinity was something that the Copy Ninja wanted to put to use, while Naruto unknowingly would get a Sannin for his mentor. What they would concentrate on?... Who knows.
While so many people had their attention on those who qualified for the final part of the exams, there were also those who were pretty much forgotten after their time in the exams were over.
Inside many of the people who had flunked the exams, feelings and different emotions were raging inside big and small bodies alike.
In one pink-haired kunoichi in particular… emotions were flying. She felt like she let her whole team down after what had happened. Sure, she had fought her best against her best friend/rival, but she wasn't sure if trying your hardest was enough anymore. When you're a ninja you don't just have to look strong, but you have to be strong, and that just wasn't where she was right now.
What she needed was more training and to concentrate on a specific skill that she had. One that she knew that she could grow and improve on for years to come… but what would that skill even be?
For Sakura, figuring that out was the first step for her growth.
After that she would need a teacher like what Sasuke and Naruto have… but she shouldn't concentrate on them right now. From here on out it would be her and only her that she should care about. Somehow she would have to catch up to those two— and maybe grab a certain Uchiha's heart in the process...
As these thoughts ran through the kunoichi's mind, a feminine voice piped up, snapping her concentration back into reality. "Hey Sakura!"
Immediately, Sakura's head shot up seconds before a blonde ponytail found itself into her line of sight. "Oh! Hey there Ino! What's up?", a smile appeared on her lips. Did she forget to mention that her and Ino were now friendly rivals? Yeah… that was definitely a nice change.
"Nothing much~. I just wanted to let you know that… there won't be a tie between us next time, forehead." The blonde preteen flashed a determined grin at the pinkette.
Sakura stared at her slightly at the surprise statement.
Seconds later, she flashed that grin right back at her along with a thumbs up. "Yeah! I was just going to tell you that same thing Ino-pig."
Snickers of amusement echoed from both of the girls in the hospital hallways as they pulled out the name-calling. Originally, those were names that held an antagonizing feel to them… but now it was just a friendly gesture, a contrast to the not-so-far-away past.
"Do you have any plans since you're not participating in the exams anymore?", the blonde questioned.
"Huh?... Uhhh no. Not really. Not anything specific anyway.", she tapped her finger right underneath her lips in thought. "I'm thinking that I'll just try to sharpen my skills a bit more now that I have the time."
"Ohhh?", Ino crooned, "I bet that would definitely get Sasuke's attention huh?"
The pinkett's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment at Ino's statement. "H-Huh?! I-I mean… maybe?", there was a slight pause, "It's not only that though Ino."
The Yamanaka stared at her friend with intent as she continued speaking.
"It's also for myself. I can't just let those two carry the team! I have to do my part too, you know?'
Ino's lips curled upwards slightly. She was silent, which kind of scared the pinkette slightly, but then an outburst totally shattered that original feeling. "Now you're starting to sound like a real ninja Sakura. This is what I'm talking about!"
Chuckles were heard at her friend's enthusiasm.
"I'm not able to stay here for much longer, but best of luck to you! I have my own training to start after all.", the blonde sang slightly.
"Oh? Where are you going to train Ino?"
The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry too much about it, forehead. I'm not going to tell anyone anything."
Sakura puffed her cheeks out slightly in protest. "What? Why not?"
"Because! If I start blabbing it out to others, then you can bet that I won't have any private time to myself to train, others might just keep on bothering me!... But most of all, I want to keep anything new that I learn a secret! You get what I mean?"
Okay, Sakura had to admit that was a good idea. "... Smart."
"Hah! I know right?!", the Yamanaka gloated slightly, "Then we'll be able to see who Sasuke will fall for out of the both of us! Not only because of our gorgeous looks but maybe our skills as well… but we both know that looks triumph over all when it comes to the battlefield of love~"
"Haha, whatever Ino. I'll see you around.", emerald eyes rolled slightly in amusement as Sakura waved farewell to her friend as she went off in the other direction of the hallway. From there, the pinkette began getting a move on as well.
After all, she had her own training to get to anyway.
Not only should she catch up with Sasuke and Naruto, but she almost forgot that she had Ino to compete with as well, but the battle with Ino was on a different battlefield, but there was still a few crossovers between the battles here and there.
Looks triumph over all when it comes to love huh?... I'll probably have to work on that too while I'm gone.
Amused laughs emitted from Sakura as her footsteps echoed through the Hospital's hallways, making her way out of the building as those many different thoughts ran throughout her brain.
Once she stepped foot out of the medical facility, a fist was shot up to the face of the sea blue sky with some force as Sakura let out an enthusiastic shout that got her blood pumping. "Now! Time to get training! Shannaro!"
Yup, that little shout definitely got heads to turn in her direction, but honestly she didn't mind… okay that might have been a small lie. Sakura was a bit embarrassed when people stared at her, but she sucked it in and made her way somewhere else.
Ninja are put on the spot all of the time… so she should get used to this type of stuff eventually.
As she stood outside of the medical facility, the kunoichi took this time to think some stuff out.
So, first she had to find a place all to herself to train, kind of like what Ino was doing… okay, it was exactly like what Ino was doing, but it was such a good idea! The pinkette couldn't help but borrow it from her.
Hours passed as Saura went around to different corners of the village, even areas a bit outside of it, searching for a place just for herself before wandering farther into the forest that was laid out in the perimeters of the village.
It was areas like these that were most secluded, so it was perfect to use for some private training!
Hands were placed on the pinkett's hips as a soft breath escaped her lips, finding herself in a small clearing out in the middle of the forest, like deep, out into the forest.
"Hehehe~ this is awesome! Nobody would even think about venturing this far out. Secrecy is mine!"
"SHANNNAROOO! Since nobody will find us out here Sasuke will get his socks knocked off when he sees just how much we've improved! He won't be able to resist us then!", mischievous giggles could be heard from this strange being inside of the pinkett's mind.
'Be quiet you…' , a red tint made its way to her facial features at Inner's little outburst.
What she needed right now was time to herself, while her little battle with Ino is something she wants to work on as well, improving herself physically and ability-wise is the first step to everything. The main thing that she wanted to knock out was her goal to catch up to her teammates.
Don't think of Sasuke—
Don't think of Sasuke—
Pushing those unnecessary thoughts into the back of her mind, Sakura then locked her fingers together before facing her palms out forward into a stretch, letting out deep breaths as she began, "Now, it's time for me to get moving—"
As the words left the kunoichi's mouth however, her eyes drifted upwards into the sky as something up ahead caught her attention, causing emerald eyes to widen.
What she saw made her stomach drop, her earlier confident attitude now being replaced by nervousness and self-doubt.
Teeth were clenched together tightly as smoke was seen in the far distance, and she could tell that this was no ordinary smoke. It was scattered, not to mention very dark... and the scary part was that the smoke wasn't spreading, it was just appearing out of nowhere.
It was common knowledge to know that there were smaller and more secluded villages that were spotted outside of the Leaf Village, villages that didn't have as much protection as the Hidden Village,… and Sakura had an idea that the origin of the smoke was one of them.
Underneath her feet, the young teen could feel the earth quaking.
'W-When did all of this shaking start?', her mind wondered, completely perplexed by everything that was happening.
What she was feeling, seeing, and observing right now could only mean one thing… the smoke was being caused by a village raid.
'Great… perfect timing for disaster to suddenly strike.', she thought sarcastically.
With those thoughts in mind, Sakura took a shaky step back, scared of what she might do if her mind went one way or another.
As a kunoichi, The pinkette knew that whatever she does from here on out could make the difference between life and death for the tons of lives that could possibly be at stake right now… and that type of pressure was unbearable to her, someone who was weak enough to fail the chunin exams.
Since this was obviously nothing caused by natural doings, she could always go back to the village before going to the Hokage's office and ask for hel— NO.
As much as Sakura hated this own side of her, the part of her that yearned for the same type of strength that her teammates had, made her think… if Naruto and Sasuke were here, they would run straight towards whatever danger they needed to before helping out the people however they could.
That's one of the reasons why they were so strong.
It was that thought, the part of her that wanted to get stronger no matter what, that was fighting against the logical side of her that told her to go back to the village and run for help… but there was one measly problem with that last choice.
The way back to the village would take too long. If she decided to go back to the Leaf Village and call for help, many more lives might be lost than needed… and she had the ability to possibly help right now, even if it was only a bit.
That only meant that once choice was left.
Whether she liked it or not… Sakura's legs just started moving on their own. Internally her mind was screaming at her hysterically as she ran towards the smoke screen that plagued the blue skies.
In the forest, branches snapped and leaves crunched under the kunoichi's feet as she accelerated into a full on sprint towards the disaster area.
She absolutely hated it. However, slowly but surely, the pinkette could begin to hear the screams and shouts of various people echoing into her ears from farther up ahead as she was soon approaching the smaller satellite village.
These sounds that harassed her ears made Sakura's legs feel like they were turning to jelly with each step, and it felt as if her own heart would beat out of her chest, but despite everything that she felt at the moment, she knew that there was no backing out of the situation now. She made her unfortunate choice back at the clearing.
As much as Sakura hated it all, it was do or die time.
Although the village wasn't in sight just yet, emerald orbs observed that the air around her was getting a lot thicker and everything around her was getting less visible and just more… grey. The destruction of the small village was beginning to create a visual barrier. This would definitely play to the enemy's benefit.
Sakura clenched her fists slightly in nervousness as she kept on running deeper and deeper into the danger zone.
'Why?... Why am I doing this again?'
In the cloak of smoke that she had entered, a dark figure was seen emerging from the growing darkness.
Right then and there, it felt as if her body locked up in fear. From her sprint, Sakura just stopped moving on the spot. Her feet were planted on the ground and for a second it felt like her whole body was trembling… like she couldn't move, and this was all out of fear out of what she was dreading to do… Fighting. How pathetic.
She was about to reach for the kunai in her kunai pouch in order to defend herself just in case, but a small whisper could then be heard around her, which caught the pinkette's attention immediately.
"Help…"
It was very soft and ragged, but strangely enough she could make it out. From how the voice sounded, whoever it originated from sounded desperate.
They needed her help, and Sakura was pretty sure that the person who spoke was emitting from the figure she was looking at right now.
Her throat was dry, but as a ninja, she had a duty to act. It was the right thing to do.
"I-I'm here!", she let out a shout, as strong of a shout that she could muster right now, so the person in front of her could hear her.
Shouting probably wasn't the best thing that she could have done as there may be enemy ninja around, but she had no idea what else she could have possibly done to get that person's attention.
Shuffling her legs slightly, Sakura managed to get herself out of her frightened stance a bit before beginning to advance forward. The figure got clearer before she could make out that the person standing in front of her was a middle aged woman, in the company of a small child who was about the age of five, who she was carrying.
The kunoichi's brows furrowed in sympathy as she examined the woman's and the child's facial features… they were absolutely frightened and fatigued probably from the whole situation that was taking place in the village. "I'm here to help."
"Please… help my child get out of here."
"Ma'm, I'm here to help you too. I need the both of you to get out of here as fast as you can. We can't have you in harm's way."
"Is there anyone else with you?"
Sakura froze slightly at the question before angling her head downwards in shame. "N-No… it's only me."
"I see… so the main village couldn't act in time."
She wanted to retort back to the woman about the village, and why exactly she was the only one present at the moment, but Sakura knew better to argue about anything right now. Now's not the time for that.
"Ma'm I promise that more reinforcements are on the way, but you need to get out of here right now. I need to help the other villagers as well."
"I don't know if such a young child such as yourself could complete such a task, but if you're so intent on helping then there should be some villagers behind us. The attackers already got some of the others… but you should have some help already present in the fight."
Sakura's mood couldn't help but take a plunge slightly at the woman's statement about her being a child. Did she really look that helpless?
"Help?... You mean some of the other villagers are fighting against the enemy ninja?!", she asked, pushing that last thought into the back of her mind, where so many other rants have been stored in the last hour.
"You could say that."
The pinkett's head snapped behind her when a new voice appeared. It was a bit distant, but Sakura could tell that whoever it was, they were getting closer. Before she knew it though, she saw about a handful of other people come into view. Out of the smoke screen, an older man stepped up from the group, revealing himself to be the voice that spoke up earlier.
These must be the villagers!
"One of us are fighting against those ninja to protect the village. If you can help him in any way, young kunoichi, the help would be greatly appreciated."
Her throat felt as if it were tightening as the elder man spoke. Unlike the woman who she had spoken to before, this man seemed very humble… and he had a sense of trust and wisdom to him. What got to her the most however, was that he sounded like he actually trusted her to get the job done. Regardless of how she looked to him.
"Do you actually believe that—", the first woman spoke up slightly before being cut off by the young child who shifted his weight in the woman's arm slightly.
"Please… help nee-san."
Sakura eyed the child softly. She really was the only one there who could help… almost everyone here had a type of trust in her because she's a ninja, and she couldn't let that trust go down to waste.
Letting out a big and deep breath as she made her decision, the young kunoichi nodded her head in affirmation to all of the villagers. "I'll do what I can to help your friend, but all of you need to gather whoever you can and get out of here. Do what you can to escape and stay hidden until reinforcement arrives."
As multiple heads nodded simultaneously, Sakura smiled before going off in the direction of the village.
Whoever this unknown person was, she hoped that they were still alive.
Unfortunately she still needed a little bit more ways to go before she reached the village, but when red flames were reflected in the pinkett's emerald eyes, she knew that she had reached her final destination.
Past the tree barrier, the leaves then opened up her vision to the state that the village was really in.
Wild flames grew atop and inside of buildings,the smoke got thicker and darker, and the kunoichi's throat got dryer before she began to let out a cough.
'H-How could anyone even fight in such an atmosphere?! You can't see anything!... Not to mention that you can barely even breathe at all.'
When she stepped foot into the fiery village, Sakura did end up realizing that there was something that she should have done earlier… she had no idea who she was looking for and what they looked like.
While she had the chance, she should have asked.
Unfortunately, it looks like she just had to try her best to pick out whoever it was that she was looking for and get the both of them out of the village. With how the smoke was going and the heat of these flames, she didn't know how much longer any of them could last.
"Hey! You there!", an unknown voice shouted from the side.
At first Sakura internally got her hopes up that the person who shouted was the one that she was looking for… but the tone of that voice didn't sound like one that was too friendly.
Unfortunately, due to the smoke, the young teen couldn't make out who it was that had called her out.
"Dammit… what was I thinking coming in here?", as she muttered, the kunoichi's heart couldn't help but drop in despair at her lack of usual senses.
Between the conditions that she was in right now, and the added threat from that voice, that she couldn't get the location of, she knew that she couldn't be much help in these flames… most of all, she couldn't really do a thing for all of the villagers like she had promised.
Worst of all, if she, a kunoichi from the Leaf Village, was having such a hard time even just seeing or moving in this atmosphere, she couldn't help but feel like whoever it is that was fighting to protect this village might be already… dead.
"I-I—"
Stutters came from the girl as her mind became mixed and blurred with doubt. The doubt that lingered in her mind took up so much of her focus that the rapid footsteps that were approaching her went unnoticed by the girl.
"GET DOWN!"
Emerald eyes shot open immediately when a roar reached her ears.
'Wh-What was I thinking?! Why was I just standing there like that?!', the pinkette internally screamed at herself seconds before she was shoved down, onto the ground with a loud 'THUMP'.
Right where she was just standing, Sakura could feel the earth shake as a paper bomb was just let loose. The heat and force of it reached both her and the unknown figure.
A surprised shout emitted from the girl as her body slammed to the ground harshly, scraping the side of her arm and a bit of her shoulder.
"Gah!"
"I'm so sorry, they were throwing something your way. I just couldn't stand around and do nothing while you were out there... Are you alright?"
At those words, her breath was slightly hitched in surprise. Not at who the voice belonged to, but more like how it sounded.
How could she put it? Their voice was kind and soothing. It was soft enough to put a person at ease, but in a situation like this, a voice of such tone would be near impossible to manage in whatever chaotic situation that they were in right now… sha had to admit that she was majorly intrigued
Luckily for Sakura, it was only her right arm that took in most of the impact, so the rest of her body should be okay at the least. Emerald eyes were squinted slightly as the dust and as debris kicked up due to their less-than-graceful landing onto the dirt floor.
"Y-Yeah… I'm fine."
A small whimper exited from her lips as she tried moving a bit. As her sight began to return to her, it was then when she realized the position that she was in with the unknown stranger. Whoever they were… he was practically pinning her to the ground.
Both of his arms were like an enclosed cage to the girl, as his body hovered over her slightly. The pinkette knew that he did it for all of the right reasons… but she couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed at how they were as her cheeks went a tint red slightly.
'...Stupid adolescent hormones.', she cursed internally.
"Are you one of the villagers?", Sakura questioned aloud, trying to forget her earlier thought, as she laid on the ground in a slightly uncomfortable position.
The teenage boy nodded his head in affirmation as he got himself back onto his feet quickly, allowing the young kunoichi to get back up to her feet as well.
"Kind of…", the stranger spoke as his face was turned away from the girl, possibly in observation of what was happening out there in the village. "I would like to explain more, but we really don't have the time now. I should get you to a safe place before making another move on these guys."
As this stranger spoke, Sakura had to say that she was in awe. She noticed how he seemed a bit hesitant when answering the question on if he was a villager or not, it gave her a feeling that there was something more that needed to be said, but what really got her attention was that this guy was sounding calm and rational throughout this whole dispute… it was as if he was used to these types of things already.
She was embarrassed to admit that even she wasn't that apt to these types of scenarios.
"I-I'm here to help!", she managed to let out.
At Sakura's announcement, the teen swiveled his head slightly in the direction of the girl, halting his plans on trying to grab her and drag her and get her out by any means necessary.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she saw his head begin to turn in her direction. Sakura expected to meet some sort of gaze come her way, but that didn't end up happening at all. Instead what she saw made her jaw drop and her stomach twist.
The boy's eyes were closed. Not only were they closed, the eye lids just looked… different, possibly even a bit deformed.
So… when he shoved her out of the way from the paper bomb— did he not have his sight that time either?
A short gasp escaped her lips at what she saw and observed. She could guess that the stranger must have realized her sudden shock because in the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed that the corner of his lips curled upwards in… was that amusement? In a time like this?!
"Ah, so you must be a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. At least it's good to know that I have some help."
She was a bit taken aback at what he said. This guy… his eyes were closed, he had no sight, and yet he could tell that she was a ninja? Okay, there's always a possibility that he could just be making a general guess based off of her statement. After all, what normal girl would even jump into a burning village anyway? But still— There were so many more questions that she just had to ask, if she ever got the chance.
"Help?! Don't tell me that you're actually planning on fighting all of these guys off by yourself!"
The elder teen's head quirked to the side at her response as if he just saw her grow two heads… not that he could even see that.
"By myself? What are you talking about? You're here too aren't you?"
"Me!? Are you sure that just the both of us could even pull this off? It was hard enough for me to even breathe in there! And you.."
Sakura's words droned off slightly as the other teen's head tilted downwards slightly when she started talking about him. She could definitely sense a hint of melancholy coming from him.
"My sight…", the male's voice droned off a bit before facing Sakura with a smile making its way back to his features, "Just trust me on this alright? All we have to do is get them away from the buildings that are still standing and wait till reinforcements arrive. Just like the Leaf Village is to you, this village is those people's homes. I can't just abandon it."
Reinforcements… right…
Sakura was so unsure if reinforcements would even be arriving at all. As a new ninja, the pinkette didn't have any knowledge of the Hidden Leaf's procedures on if they happened to spot an attack that was happening outside of the Village borders. Really, all that she can do now is hope for the best and give it everything that she has.
The Pinkette couldn't help but notice something else however. The stranger referred to the village as the villagers' home, and didn't mention himself in having any affiliation with them. There was definitely something that this guy was hiding.
The only other thing that still bugged her was the fact that she could barely even move around freely while she was in the burning village, what more would happen when it comes to actually fighting?
"Look, I might be a ninja from the Hidden Leaf, but I'm only a genin! When I was in the village I could barely even breathe or see in there, just how much more of a burden would I be if I ended up fighting in there?... I'm not so sure I'm up for this."
The other teen gave the girl a comforting smile before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you won't need to step a foot into the flames if you don't want to."
"But—!"
"I'll go in and fight them. While I do that you can take them out with your shuriken and kunai from a distance. Do you think that's manageable?"
Her lips were pressed into a thin line. Sakura wanted to protest, but he sounded so confident and experienced in this type of stuff that she didn't feel like it was her place to say anything against it. After all… it did sound like a reasonable enough plan.
"I can do that, but what about you?! Your sight…"
"Don't worry about it." The teen cut in, "I can't really explain much right now, but make sure to be quiet while you're over here when you're taking them out. It's best that they don't know where you are. Just trust me. It'll be fine."
There was a small pause. There was that soft tone of his again.
"Fine, but don't blame me if you end up dying out there… and make sure to let me know if you need any help."
The smile that the unknown boy wore was still present on his features, but a small chuckle was added on top of that. "Of course. And the same goes for you too beautiful."
She wanted to retort back to the name-calling… even though she was a bit flustered, forgetting for a split second that he was actually blind, but when she opened her mouth to make a comment, the teen was already off and on his way to the burning village.
Yeah. A blind boy. Heading off into a village set on fire and filled with crazy people, assigned ninja mind you, who probably wanted him dead.
… what did she just send him off into?!
Surprisingly enough, for her, as the boy was walking back into town, the teen didn't run into any walls or buildings at all despite his lack of sight.
He was definitely a strange kid indeed.
Unfortunately, it didn't take too long for the hired ninja to find him just standing out in the open... It was as if he was just asking for those ninja to find him!
Sakura couldn't help but grit her teeth together when the boy was then surrounded by the enemy shinobi.
"What were you thinking?", she murmured to herself in, strangely enough, concern for the boy, as she kept herself hidden behind the tree that the boy positioned her in.
What felt like ages was only a few seconds before the kunoichi saw kunai unsheathed and the clashing of metal was heard.
Honestly, at the moment, Sakura felt like she couldn't watch the fight whatsoever… well, she didn't want to watch the fight at all due to the teen's obvious disadvantage, but she promised him her aid, so she had to watch what was going on whether she liked it or not.
… It seems like she's doing a lot of things reluctantly these days.
Emerald stayed glued to the fight happening a few feet away from her. "This guy…"
"Oh wow! You guys are definitely better at fighting than I originally thought!... For a bunch of bandits that is.", the teen snarkily replied as he held his kunai up in his hand, currently using it to block the attacker's own blade.
One of the other enemy shinobi who was off to the side of the standoff growled. "Be quiet you little brat! We're Hidden Mist shinobi! And you're the one who's gonna die here, so don't start getting all cocky with us."
Taking out another paper bomb, the man who spoke sprinted behind the teen before throwing it right at the boy, who was occupied with not getting sliced up by the other shinobi. "Kai!"
"You guys surely do like playing dirty huh? Three people ganging up on one blind boy? How sad."
Before the bomb could reach him, the teen did a flip backwards up in the air in order to avoid the other bandit's knife along with the paper bomb that was blown his way, causing it to blow up in front of the enemy shinobi that he was standing off with last time.
An amused snicker escaped the teen's lips as he landed out of the blast zone.
The man who threw the paper bomb snarled yet again as his eyes tracked the unknown teen. "You… you're a shinobi too aren't you?"
After the small laughs, a frown illustrated itself onto the ravenette's features as the question came up. "Yeah? So what if I am?"
"Heh, just making sure that we REALLY don't have to hold back with you, no matter how disadvantaged you are. Blind or not, you're an enemy."
Although he couldn't see anything, the man's tone of voice made the boy's brows furrow in slight worry as he felt the man, who was previously caught in the paper bomb explosion, got back onto his feet and joined the other attacker in standing in front of the teen, before preparing themselves for another attack.
"Let's see just how disadvantaged I really am."
Those two are just… wait— two? Where was the other one?
A bead of sweat dripped down from his face after his little taunt, not only because of the increasing heat from the approaching flames, but also out of worry for where the other shinobi's location might be
"Where's your other friend? If I'm correct there were three of you who came in the beginning to attack the village."
The two enemy shinobi glanced at each other for a second in surprise. Just how did this kid know how many of them there were? And in his condition of all things.
Even though there were more things that could have been said and asked, the attackers were on a time schedule here, so they didn't waste their time in asking the kid many questions.
"Heh. Why don't you ask your little friend, brat?"
"My friend?"
It took a quick second, but the teen's stomach dropped as he let out a small whisper before whipping his body around immediately to where Sakura's hidden location was supposed to be.
"NO!"
Right at that moment Sakura's head perked up. He had shouted in her direction in horror, but from her point of view, it seemed as if he was the one who was in real danger.
As the teen's back was turned to face her the two enemy shinobi took their chance to jump him. Kunai were out and everything.
"Behind you!", she screamed.
Emerald eyes widened in hope when the other teenager then turned his attention back to the two enemies that stood in his way. It was only less than a second later when the pinkette took in a sharp breath when she noticed that he was doing something with his hands.
Were those… hand signs?
Unfortunately, before she could see exactly what jutsu that the boy could perform, Skaura's pupils dilated in horror when she noticed a big shadow looming over her on the ground.
"What—?"
That's all that escaped the girl's lips before her world went dark.
A sharp 'crack' was heard.
"MISS!"
A/N: I realize how weak I made Sakura in this chapter, but I promise you that's not how it's going to be for long! I Intend this fic to be something that improves her strength, intellect, skill, along with her mentality and morals! But she'll need character development for all of that. I won't make too many drastic changes to her current skill set, but I'm definitely going to focus more on her genjutsu affinity later down the line. In Part 1 it seemed like she really had a thing for genjutsu and I just want to expand on that. As for why I added Shisui in the story, he'll be a huge asset to her in the long run as a mentor, friend… and maybe even more! As a ShisuiSaku shipper I couldn't help myself haha!
Reviews are encouraged! Some constructive criticism is welcome if you have any!