A buxom, blonde woman stared at the paper inked with words that she just didn't have the time nor the patience to read. Irritation was biting at her, reminding how impatient she actually was.
"Those brats aren't back yet and it's been weeks…"
A foreboding aura radiated from her, darkening the room, much to the security guards' fear.
"What….the….hell have they been doing?!"
With each word, her anger grew and so did the volume of her voice, which was now loud enough for the entire village to hear.
"They have the village's best tracker, the ass with the highest IQ, the ice cube with the best eyes and a powerhouse of chakra for Kami's sake!"
The guards have seen their leader go through much worse tantrums and are proud to say that they have lived through them. Sensing that her emotions were passed the point of no return, they readied themselves for the flying objects.
"Don't they realize how much the village relies on them?!"
The desk that had been repaired several times before went flying, out of Tsunade's arms and crashed against the wall.
As much as the guards wanted to save the innocent pieces of furniture, they simply couldn't. Not when their leader found satisfaction in breaking things, happily taking out her infamous anger and enormous strength on the wood and concrete. Besides, They really preferred their bones intact.
"We are backed up with s-class missions but no shinobi to take them!"
Sufficed to say, wood splintered and flew everywhere.
"Ungrateful brats!"
Before Tsunade could throw the nearby chairs, a hand appeared with a bottle of expensive sake, effectively halting her movements.
"Is that?..."
Her eyes glazed over at the mere sight of the beautiful liquid sloshing slightly in the red bottle.
"It is. If you want it, you know what to do." The gruff voice of Jiryaya filled the Hokage's office, a smirk on his painted face.
Tsunade instantly lowered her arms, assuming that her former teammate wanted nothing more than peace and quiet.
"Strip!" The white haired man demanded with a lecherous grin.
Moments later, the blonde in the room held the leg of her broken desk in one hand while the pervert before her nursed his broken nose.
"Tch….serves you right."
"Now now hime, shouldn't you treat your olds friends with love and respect?"
He questioned as his white brows wiggled suggestively.
"I just did." Was her cold reply. However if one looked close enough, the underlying affection the pair had for one another was more than apparent. Sadly, they both chose to hide it under a false façade of harsh words, perverse comments and lots of bruising.
"Hm…Then I suppose I should just dispose of this…." The great sannin threatened, holding the wine bottle by the rim with only two fingers.
"No! not over the balcony!"
Just when Tsunade was about to grab the precious drink, Jiryaya chuckled, amusement evident in his bright eyes.
"Here." He threw the sake towards her carelessly. However didn't worry whether or not the bottle would hit the floor and shatter. He knew his friend well enough that she would never let alcohol go to waste, especially if it's expensive.
"At least it'll keep you quiet long enough for me to get some writing done!"
"Why you lecherous idiot-"
"See you around hime!"
He merely winked and gave her a casual salute, hoping that the drink would not only calm her down but also buy his apprentice some more time. Only Kami knows what sort of trouble that kid has gotten himself into this time.
"Oh Kami…I can't wait to get home." Sakura murmured to herself as she sped across the trees with her friends following closely behind. It had been almost two days since the former members of Akatsuki had swore their loyalty to her. A fact that she still found extremely hard to believe.
Her hair flew behind her in a flurry of pink while she willed herself to go faster.
The warm comfort of her bed sounded so tempting right now. There was no way that she would let anything stop her now, even the wrath of her mentor.
Would Tsunade-sensei try to understand?
…
No.
That was the cold, hard truth.
Why would her teacher sacrifice the safety of her village for the sake of missing-nin?
Before Sakura could ponder on more depressing thoughts, someone spoke, his voice calm.
"Sakura-chan?"
Her green eyes locked onto the familiar head of blonde hair and electric blue eyes.
Although fatigue was more than evident in her features, Sakura forced a smile.
"Hey there Naruto."
A heavy silence clung to the air between them, which grew thicker and thicker until they both couldn't take it.
"I'm sorry!"
"Forgive me Sakura-chan!"
They both spoke at the same time, alerting the remainder of their group of the conversation they were currently having.
"Wait what? Why are you sorry? I was the one who took so long to find you."
A sheepish expression appeared on Naruto's face while a look of remorse filled hers.
"Don't be sorry….I just….."
"You can tell me anything. And I won't judge you. Ever."
"I know. It's just that I feel guilty. I had several chances to escape, but….I didn't want to."
The pinkette braced herself for the disappointment she expected to see on her childhood friend's face. However, it never came. Instead it was one of sadness.
"It must have been really bad back home if you were willing to stay with…them."
"Naruto!"
A slight gasp left her lips at the tone of his voice, which was the epitome of hard and cold.
"Hey, don't get me wrong. I won't ever judge you. But I can't say the same for the guys behind us."
Despite the anger that simmered underneath the surface, she knew that she couldn't expect Naruto to accept them so easily. It would only be natural for him to reject them yet for her sake he was still here, bringing her home, including some new "friends".
But of course, there was no way Sakura would allow, even her closest friend, to insult them. Not when they sacrificed so much for her, including their lives.
"I understand that and appreciate that you haven't killed any of them…yet."
Her casual statement brought a small smile on his whiskered face.
"But-"
As she continued, the miniscule grin soon turned into a pout.
"-try and give them a chance."
"What?! No way! Just cause you're real "close" with them doesn't mean I have to be!"
The pink haired medic winced at his words but could not berate him because it was true.
Besides, a horrible thought entered her mind, filling her with dread.
If this was the reaction of the kindest person she knew, then what would everyone else's response be?
The blonde saw this and sighed, hating the fact that he was most likely putting more pressure on his childhood sweetheart, something that he never wanted to do.
"F-fine. No guarantee that I'll like them though."
Immediately, a smile graced her lips, making Naruto blush red to the tips of his ears.
The former members of Akatsuki saw this and majority of them growled with possessive anger while the rest of them merely glared daggers at the blonde.
Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru saw this and shared a glance. Not believing their eyes or ears.
But from what they've witnessed the past few days, it was true. Yet they all still found it difficult to believe that Sakura Haruno, of all people, had managed to get the most infamous missing-nin on their knees, begging for her attention.
As the large group of nin practically flew across the trees, a dark figure smirked, smug satisfaction rolling off him in waves.
Idiots. They don't even realize I'm here, following their every move.
He pulled his cloak tighter around his body, excitement filling him at the sight of pink hair.
Soon…Not only will I kill you, but I'll make your lovers watch you die by my hand.
With those words echoing in his mind, the man disappeared into the shadows, fully intent on his plan of revenge for the pink haired medic.
AU: Hello there my lovely reviewers! Hope you enjoyed the chappie. Yes, kind of boring but it's important trust me. I'll update again soon! Can anyone guess who's the mysterious man at the end of the chapter? The first person who gets it right will win a one shot of their favorite pairing ;) Anyone interested?
Mmkay, gotta go now :)
Once again, I apologize for any and all grammatical errors.
Till next time! - VZ