Their first mission as a team was to Ame.
The team had been ground-bound while Sakura trained with them, learning their individual strengths, weaknesses and styles. Sakura could tell over the course of the few weeks that Kakashi was quickly becoming restless, and irritable at that.
So far, she'd had little luck with cracking her captain. He seemed determined to avoid all individual interactions with her, and Sakura could hardly get a question in before he would evaporate away, sometimes without saying anything close to a goodbye.
Sakura wasn't one to force her company on someone who didn't want it. She was happy to stick to Yugao, who occasionally came by, never without a biting remark for Kakashi, and Tenzo, who had quickly warmed to her and impressed her with his control of chakra for wood release. Ko was a rare presence, though Sakura had learned he'd be joining them on their first mission instead of Yugao.
Sakura's read on the team was that they were strong, and closely-knit. It was exactly what she'd been looking for, after her temporary stint on the jounin team. Even from anbu, she'd kept in touch with the jounin she led, but she knew that they were hurting for their old captain, not Sakura. She knew it took time to work into a replacement or change, and couldn't help but laugh to herself at the irony of having gone from one such situation to immediately another.
When Sakura finally got around to catching Tsunade to talk about it, her shishou said everything she'd expected to hear. That is, nothing that was all too reassuring. Sakura agreed with all of her points—it was a promotion, yes. Anbu was more challenging, better for growing her skills, yes. Team Ro was one of the top teams in anbu, with an excellent track record, it was all true.
Sakura could only sigh.
She knew her mentor saw it as a way to both promote her and keep her safe, and for that she couldn't blame the older woman. Still, Sakura had warned her. If Kakashi never accepted her, maybe a different anbu team would be more appropriate.
Tsunade promised to reevaluate if Sakura still felt this way after a few weeks.
Sakura tightened the straps on her tight, constricting vest, and ran a hand over the cool porcelain of her new mask. The inside of the mask fogged up in the summer heat.
"Sakura-san," a voice called from behind.
Sakura turned with a smile and greeted him. Ko had just moved on to a first-name basis with her, which she was glad for. Sakura stepped back to be in line with him, just as Tenzo strolled up.
He waved a hand, "How does that new vest feel?"
Sakura made a noise, "Horrible in this heat." She could see Tenzo's eyes crinkle.
Late and last was Kakashi. He landed quietly, cloak billowing as he clutched the mission scroll in his hand. He had a tanto strapped to his back, and dog mask in place.
"Alright," he drawled. "First mission. We're headed to Ame. Reconnoissance. Intel tells us that there's a group gathering support in the area, which is still destabilized from the last great war. Elder's orders to find out their motive and local sentiment."
He looked from person to person before finally noting, "No engaging unless necessary."
They nodded and took off.
The pacing was nothing short of breakneck, the team hurtling through the trees and on track to making the normally week-long journey in only three days.
Sakura's heart was racing. Her jounin team had been talented but not insane. She'd also been along on anbu loaner missions in the past, but did all of them do it like this?
At the end of the second night, she was so thoroughly spent that she couldn't help a clumsy dismount from the tree, once Kakashi called for the night's rest. At various points throughout their travel, she'd noticed Kakashi training his sharingan on her, a red blur at the corner of her vision that she didn't return. Sakura didn't know what he would have to say, and also thought it more polite to let him stalk in private. She had a hunch he'd been evaluating her chakra levels and general fatigue.
As she landed on the ground with an audible rustle, she got the sense she was being watched again.
Ko and Tenzo dropped down nearby, silent. A few hundred yards through the tree line, there was an inn with smoke streaming out of a single chimney.
Kakashi held up a hand. "We're close enough that we should change now."
The team nodded and started pulling off their identifying insignia. Sakura tugged her mask off, then her hitai-ate. She couldn't help but take a deep inhale of the fresh forest air. Putting the items into her pack, she pulled out a thin yukata and stepped a few yards away.
She pulled off her dense vest, which dropped onto the forest floor with a heavy sound, and tugged her thin black undershirt up and over her head. She had confidence her colleagues were giving her privacy.
Slipping the yukata on quickly, she pulled on a quick henge and returned to the group with her light brown hair. She kept her eyes unchanged.
Around her, the men had changed into similar casual wear. Ko opted also for a yukata, while Kakashi and Tenzo wore lounge shirts and casual slacks. Kakashi had worked his sharingan to match his other eye. She thought he looked a little bit friendlier without the red glare.
"Two rooms, an inn of that size won't easily have rooms for four," Kakashi said. "Ko, you're with Haruno."
Ko nodded.
They headed off towards the inn. Inside, the single dining room and check-in was hot from the heat of the attached kitchen. Kakashi and Ko asked for the rooms while Sakura and Tenzo idled behind.
Ko came up to her with a small smile, "We're in room 3."
"Hai," Sakura followed him up the stairs. Pausing in front of their doors, she looked back at Tenzo. Kakashi had already disappeared inside the other room.
"Dinner later?" she asked.
"In an hour?"
Sakura nodded and headed inside. The room was pleasantly decorated, the slightest smell of being lived in. There was a large double futon in the middle of the room, and a small table for dining off to the side.
She dropped her henge as she let her pack down.
"Shower, Ko-san?"
"You go first," he encouraged.
Sakura felt amazing after being freshly showered. She appreciatively ran her hand through her damp pink hair and breathed in the scent of the inn hotel, which was good enough. She sat at the small table waiting for Ko and braided her hair in a single braid.
When he came out of the shower, he gave her a quick smile. "Did you find the shower to be relaxing, Sakura-san?"
"It was great," she smiled back as she stretched her arms up past her head. Her joints cracked at the motion. "These couple days have been pretty intense."
Ko nodded as he tucked away some of his dirty laundry. "Kakashi seems like he's in a rush."
He paused before adding quietly, "That man has his moods."
Sakura quirked her head for a second, before laughing lightly. Seems like even the even-headed Ko was not immune to jabbing at their captain.
"How long have you been in anbu, Ko-san?"
"Two years, since Kakashi became captain," he replied. "He brought me onto the team once he was promoted, we knew each other from being jounin."
Sakura took in this information. She said the next part slowly and carefully. "You must be familiar with each other."
He stood up from his pack and took in her gaze, a slight smile on this face. "I know him as a teammate and as a captain."
Ko went to the door and Sakura got up to follow him back out to the dining area. The small room had only three tables, and Kakashi and Tenzo were already seated at one of them, nursing a small canteen of tea.
They waved in greeting as Sakura and Ko sat down. Sakura busied herself with studying the menu while the men got to talking about construction, apparently their cover story for why they were in Ame.
The food came out quickly. Where on the previous nights, they had talked about personal matters while gathered around the campsites, their distance to Ame and the close walls of the inn made the environment feel too small to talk freely tonight.
"Tomorrow, we'll want to check out the construction methods they utilize in Ame," Kakashi noted evenly over his bowl of rice. His mask was pulled down to eat.
The rest of them nodded.
"I suppose we'll also want to ask around for the regional styles, the most popular architect of the area." Tenzo offered.
At the end of the meal, the same elderly lady who had checked them in came out to ask about the food.
"We loved it, thank you," Tenzou told her with a genuine smile that reached his eyes.
"Of course, sweetheart," the older woman clasped his hands in hers. "You must tell me how a handsome bunch like you ended up all the way out here."
Sakura watched the scene with sleepy eyes, unable to suppress a yawn into her teacup as she took a sip. Ko gave her a glance from the side before standing up.
He bowed in thanks to the inn keeper and quietly said, "Please excuse us. My wife and I will be retiring for the night."
Sakura jolted imperceptibly at this. Across the table, she also saw Kakashi lift his eyes up from his bowl.
"Of course, honey. Don't let me keep you."
Ko smiled at Sakura from where he stood and offered her his elbow. She deliberated for a second before slowly standing and wrapping her hand around his arm. She blushed, only partially as an act, and demurely stepped away with him.
At the table, the inn keeper tutted, "What a handsome pair."
She fixed Tenzo a look, who was still warmly holding her hands, and Kakashi, who slouched back in his seat, legs spread wide. "Now tell me, how do the two of you know each other?" She asked with a bright smile.
Kakashi took only one second before he drawled, "This is my partner, Yamato-kun."
Sakura and Ko could only quicken their pace into the room before they burst out laughing.
They'd set out early the next morning. Clad in civilian wear, they could only stroll at a regular pace towards Ame. The mood was quiet as they took in the new environment, and conversation was sparse.
The tall walls around the hidden village came into view soon enough. In the summer, this part of the world was oppressively humid, with heavy rain that came sporadically but in droves.
Sakura gently fanned herself as she puffed from the heat. She could see a small train of sweat down Ko's profile.
"Let's divide and reconvene. Village gates at dusk?"
Kakashi stepped to be walking next to Sakura, the message was clear. She drifted a little closer to him and they passed the unmanned village gates.
Inside Ame, the lack of development was apparent. The average quality of life looked to be much lower than that of Konoha's. Sakura steadily counted the number of undernourished children she saw running around, some of them staring back at her with curiosity or otherwise blankness.
She couldn't help but grimace.
"Ame's always been a battle ground," Kakashi interrupted her thoughts, speaking under his breath as they moved forward. "The strategic location of their village means wars here whenever the other hidden villages don't want to fight on home territory."
As an afterthought he added, "Including ours."
Sakura nodded. They kept moving.
Despite the wariness of the locals, there was nothing about Ame that indicated any kind of banding together—which they were looking for. If anything, the locals seemed hostile to any kind of relationship further than that of their immediate families. Sakura saw no indication of young love, or children playing with friends in the desolate streets.
Kakashi nodded them into a bar. Sakura tailed him and rolled her shoulders to loosen up. They sat at the empty bar and Kakashi ordered drinks for both of them, then they waited. While Kakashi seemed to be genuinely drinking his, Sakura carefully evaporated hers with a chakra laden grip when she was sure there was nobody to see. A few drinks later, a commotion behind them told them they were no longer alone.
With her back turned, Sakura could smell the blood on the group.
Two men of average stature came to stand next to Sakura at the bar, a third next to Kakashi. They were fenced in, but Kakashi's body language stayed casual and languid as he sipped his sake and struck up a quiet conversation with Sakura that moments ago, they were not having.
Sakura struggled to keep up the guise of conversation while also listening to the mutterings of the shinobi who had just entered. Thankfully, they made themselves more apparent.
The one closest to Sakura leaned in roughly. She instantly jerked back in her seat as the man nearly spilled into her lap. Kakashi had stilled.
The man adjusted to lean closer to her still. His eyes were unfocused, they must have been drinking elsewhere too. He deeply inhaled and declared, "the scent of sake and flowers… delicious."
Sakura kept her lips pursued in what she hoped was neutral. The other nin with the man were laughing at his clumsiness. He stayed close to Sakura and scrutinized her face. "A pretty girl. Are you with this sorry fuck?" He gestured to Kakashi, who remained impassive.
Sakura forced herself to drop her eyes. She quietly stated, "We're just passing through."
The man barked a laugh in her face. She forced herself to stay still. He hooked an arm around her shoulders and pounded on the bar for a drink. His eyes stayed trained on her as he tilted his head and grinned into her neck.
"Just passing through? You have half an hour to spare?"
Sakura paused for just a second. Gears turning in her head, she steeled her resolve. Slowly, she maneuvered her posture to allow her yukata to slip just slightly lower on her collarbone. Arching her neck, she averted her gaze.
"That depends," She said just as quietly.
He laughed loudly and roughly squeezed her shoulders. She could smell a stench from him, mixed with the blood.
"What's your price, bitch?"
Kakashi spoke up, his eyes trained straight ahead of them. "It depends on what you have."
The man put one hand on Sakura's thigh. She shied away, closer to Kakashi. "Not without paying," she explained with an edge. Looking up at the man, her eyes finally met his. "How does someone in this shit hole have any money?" She goaded.
Wrong move.
He slammed a hand into her cheek, sending her out of her chair and sprawling on the floor. From the corner of her eye, Sakura could see that Kakashi's body had tensed but otherwise stayed still, facing forward. The other two men were watching the scene. The bartender kept busy in a corner, eyes averted.
Her vision blurred slightly as she shook her head.
The man stood over her. He stepped on a corner of her yukata, then nudged her with a heavy foot. It slightly pulled her yukata off of her shoulder. "You dirty bitch. I'm a mercenary. I was specially recruited by the Akatsuki."
He sneered at her.
Sakura pressed herself up to her elbows. She looked at the man again, and forced her eyes to tear. Still, she didn't say anything.
"No?" He had grabbed her by the front of her dress now, and lifted her up. Sakura could tell by the light breeze that the front of her yukata had opened. "Money's not interesting enough for a whore? I could just fucking kill you."
"I don't want trouble," Sakura forced herself to cry. Her hands came up to grab his, tugging with controlled strength to try to cover herself. She needed to diffuse the situation before it got more physical.
Kakashi stepped in. He signaled the barkeep over, and also laid a light hand on the offensive man's shoulder. The man reeled back and was about to lunge at Kakashi when the copy nin gestured to the sake laid on the bar.
"Friend," he drawled, "Let's have a drink first. Leave her, we can stop here for a while and you can have fun later."
The man gave Sakura one last look, that turned from angry to leering. He dumped her with a rough shove of her yukata that Sakura forced herself to fall from. She clattered into a few tables away, and quickly retreated, broken-seeming, to a corner of the room.
Kakashi began to pour for the men. With a light touch, he generously sloshed sake into the cups. "To men," he toasted. The man who'd assaulted Sakura looked at him with some reserve, still taking the drink. The others cheerfully joined in.
The one next to Kakashi nodded in Sakura's direction. "Are you a keeper? Sorry about her face."
"No," Kakashi waved him off lazily. "No problem if you pay." He took a sip before continuing. "I'm a small time ninja. Nothing impressive."
The violent man's interest was piqued. "That so?"
Kakashi smiled modestly, tipping his sake back down his throat. "Doubt I could get into that mercenary league you mentioned."
"—Akatsuki," one of them corrected.
Kakashi shrugged, "Never heard of 'em. Was it started here?"
"Think so, and shit pays better than anything else in his godforsaken place." The man eyed Kakashi, "You from around here?"
Kakashi laughed. "Thankfully, no. We're from stone."
One of them leered at Sakura again, "Women from stone, eh?"
Sakura sat quietly in the corner of the bar, forcing her body to shiver as she diligently nursed her bruised cheek. She might have had a black eye too. For a half time mercenary, the man had a strong right hook. Within half an hour, Kakashi had plied their mouths open with enough sake to drown an elephant.
With the wine flowing generously, the men took to Kakashi instantly and took him in as just another rough mannered brute. Kakashi, on the other hand, kept up appearances with a slight drawl and enough street mannerisms to be convincing.
Sakura listened in on the conversation. It sounded like this group, Akatsuki, was being promoted as place for all wayward nin. Given the lack of notoriety elsewhere, she could only assume it was started or largely head quartered here. The pay as decent, missions mostly assassinations, but also some that seemed like peace-keeping, to her surprise. The contracted mercenaries seemed to range from impressive to lackluster.
Clearly, she thought, eyeing the men with resentment.
Suddenly, the man who hit her fell out of his seat. He keeled over, head rolling on the floor. Sakura startled up, standing as she watched him with wide eyes. The other men also turned, including Kakashi, who put a hand up and murmured, "Maa, maa."
"Hey, Hideo!" One of the other men yelled, kicking the downed man in the ribs. He made no movement, but shortly started snoring. The standing man scoffed.
Kakashi sighed, and put down his sake, looking disappointed. He gestured to Sakura, who crept over, eyeing Hideo as she passed him on the ground. She kept her head lowered until Kakashi tilted her face up by the chin. Impassively, he maneuvered her head around and studied her with half-interest.
"It looks like your friend Hideo did quite a number on Aika-chan here." Kakashi looked down at the sprawled man, and sighed loudly. "He's not even awake to make good on his promise now."
Kakashi looked at the other men, and gestured to Sakura's beaten face. "You guys interested?"
They grimaced at her black eye and swollen cheek.
"Then I'll be going now, before I'm out even more money from the sake." Kakashi lazily pulled a few bills from his obi, and slid them onto the table. He stood and grabbed Sakura by the bicep, then roughly nudged Hideo with his foot.
"And next time, tell your friend not to touch the goods before he pays."
Sakura stumbled after Kakashi out of the bar. His hand was still iron-clasped on her arm, and she had trouble keeping up with his strides. It was raining heavily when they stepped out, and she hissed at the stinging sensation of the fat rain drops assaulting her tender cheek.
Kakashi didn't say anything to her. He also didn't remove his hand. So they trudged along silently in the streets. Some of the orphans Sakura had observed were still standing or sitting along the sides of the road, and this time they might have been the ones looking at her with pity.
When they'd passed through the gates to the meeting point, it was already dark. In the shadows, Tenzo and Ko stood waiting under a pair of umbrellas. They stepped forward when they saw Kakashi swiftly approaching them, and Sakura stumbling after.
Exhausted, Sakura tripped in her geta. Kakashi chose this moment to let go of her arm, and Ko quickly grabbed on to her and tugged her under his umbrella. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" Ko quickly noticed her face, and looked from her to Kakashi.
"Later," Kakashi bit out. "We should get moving."
Ko kept Sakura under his umbrella as they walked. She shivered with the cold of her drenched yukata, and also grit her teeth at the pain radiating out from her bruised face.
"Sakura-san," Ko said quietly to her as they walked, "Do you want to heal your face?"
She looked up at him with a reassuring smile, "Let's give it a while longer, I don't want to blow our cover."
An hour out from Ame, they had passed the inn they had stayed at without stopping. As they rounded a hill towards another similarly sized establishment, Sakura passed a hand over her face and quickly repaired the damage there. In higher spirits, she was almost impressed at the damage the hit had done.
"Tenzo and Ko, you're in one room," Kakashi said without glancing back at them. Ko gave Sakura a worried look, who nodded at him. He handed her the umbrella and darted through the rain to reach Tenzo.
Sakura stayed a few steps behind Kakashi. She watched his back as he redeemed a room key for them, and then followed him up.
Quietly closing the door, Sakura stood awkwardly in the entrance. Kakashi still hadn't looked at her. She watched him slowly peel off his wet layers, hitai-ate, discrete weapon pouches, and finally the yukata layer over his undershirt and pants. He threw it all on the table in the room and let out a deep breath.
Finally, he turned around to face Sakura. His hands were planted on the table behind him.
"You shouldn't have done that," his voice had an edge.
Sakura grimaced at being reprimanded.
"I felt like it was the natural next step."
He barked out a sarcastic laugh, "Playing a prostitute?"
She straightened her back. "You think they would have believed that I was your colleague? Did you see how they looked at me?
Kakashi glared at her. "It's precisely how they looked at you that made your plan a shit idea."
"Captain, I would never have done it if I thought it would jeopardize our mission," Sakura defended.
He banged one palm down on the table, making her jump. "It's not just about the mission, Haruno. What would have happened if I actually let him take you away?"
Sakura countered, "He almost died from alcohol poiso—"
"I drugged his drink. You think I could have left that up to fate?"
She narrowed her eyes, offended at his lack of confidence in her. Sakura's chest puffed up despite the rolling anger that radiated off of Kakashi.
"There are a million ways I could have disposed of him, more than half of which would have kept him alive and none the wiser the next day."
Kakashi gave her an impossible look and tilted his head back in a growl. "I'm going to shower," he bit out as he stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him before she could reply.
Sakura let her mouth drop open in exasperation, staring at the shut door.
At some point while waiting for the shower, Sakura had already fallen asleep on the double futon laid out for them. The sound of the door opening got her to blearily open her eyes, and she sat up on her elbows as she regarded Kakashi. He stood over her at the foot of the futon, towel wrapped around his waist and dripping water onto the floor.
Neither of them said anything as they stared at each other, and Kakashi was the first to turn away, busying himself in his pack. Sakura looked at his back balefully, and got up for her turn. Her wet clothes made suction noises as she slicked them away from her body, draping them over a table to dry for the next day's travel.
With a sigh, she shut the bathroom door behind her, and leaned against it tiredly. Sakura ran her hands through her hair multiple times, looking at her reflection resentfully in the mirror.
She shouldn't have gone for it. But it was no mistake. Even if Sakura had been alone, she would have felt comfortable doing what she had to get that information.
Stepping into the hot shower, she smoothed her hair down and thought back to their first training, her try-outs.
"On this team, medics need to operate with discretion, and to be strong supports when needed."
She recalled his words. It was her fault they hadn't aligned on expectations before going in. Kakashi's anger could have also been read as worry. Sakura mulled over that possibility as she massaged in the shampoo.
She dipped her head under the stream of the shower. What exactly was the dynamic with the last medic, Rin? Did Kakashi really expect her to just hang back and watch from shelter? Sakura shook her head. She knew her own worth and that was as an active member in combat and action.
She dried herself and slipped into her sleepwear. Sakura padded out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her damp hair.
Kakashi was sitting on the futon, leaned against the wall. His ankles were crossed, eyes closed. His posture looked relaxed.
Sakura had a sense he was awake.
Quietly, she knelt in front of him.
"Captain."
He opened his eyes, looking right at her. She could read some anger in them, still.
"I apologize," Sakura put her hands in her lap. She tried to convey her earnestness. "I haven't given you enough reasons to be confident in my abilities. I apologize for making you worry."
His lips stayed in a firm line. Reading his face, Sakura continued.
"It's my intention to continue contributing to active combat, and other things, like today. There are two theories to medic strategy. One is what you described, where a medic is back-up and kept safe by other team members. The benefit of that is you generally always have someone to heal you."
"The other theory is to have a combat medic. This is how Tsunade trained me. I believe myself to be more than proficient in battle, and would still have faith in my placement on this team even if I didn't specialize in medical ninjutsu. The benefit of my style is that you have a medic, and another offensive player."
Sakura maintained the eye contact. Kakashi still said nothing, but having done her spiel, Sakura felt like she should give him time.
She nodded, got up to turn off the lights, and laid down on her side of the futon, careful to give her captain space.
In the dark, she heard his quiet voice, "I've never had a combat medic before. I'm willing to try your suggestion."
Sakura smiled to herself.
"Thank you, captain."
The pace back to Konoha was much less punishing than the pace on the way there. The next morning, Sakura's cheek still throbbed lightly but showed no physical trace of the battering. Kakashi was stiff to her at first, but eased back into what seemed like a cool normal as they rejoined Ko and Tenzo on the road.
They made it back to Konoha around dusk, and Kakashi dismissed the three of them to do the mission briefing himself. Ko and Tenzo politely bid her goodbye, and Sakura ambled her way home. She was exhausted, but happy.
Her first mission with her anbu team. She had gotten to see a hidden village she'd never visited prior. Learned critical information about this insurgent group. And come to an agreement, or stalemate, with her captain.
Sakura knew that with seasoned shinobi, their wills were battle hardened and difficult to sway. She learned as much from her time in the hospital. Her captain was young, but apparently just as bullish as all the rest of those leathery commanders. She knew there was a reason why they were all like that.
Sakura had respect for his ways, even if she didn't agree. She'd only just reached home when she noticed a note on her doorstep.
training to prove your suggestion. grounds fifteen. noon.
Sakura smiled to herself.
Author's note:
Thanks to those who followed the story, made it your favorite, and even followed me as an author. Your excitement about the story makes all the difference for me. I was so excited to share this week's chapter and have been thinking about it since Wednesday. It's a battle against myself to not release a chapter early.
I also wanted to thank the readers who left comments. Thank you caiuscassiuss, guest-san and StarklyRamie! I always welcome comments, especially feedback.
My favorite part of this week's chapter is seeing Sakura negotiate with Kakashi. They're both hard-headed in their own ways, and I think it's such an interesting dynamic to see them work with and concede to each other. If I were to describe next week's chapter, I would say it starts off hilarious and moves into some serious developments. It's a good one. So excited to share it with you!
- Maudlim