It was two days later when she was walking around with only Darui and Cee as her company since the others had abandoned her for the most part and the two Mist Shinobi were allowing her a small reprieve of training with Nuibari.
That she was approached "E..Excuse me Sakura-san correct" by a woman in a nurses outfit "You took the medical license exams not long ago and passed with flying colors" she prodded trying to make sure she had the right girl.
Since there were two pink haired emerald eyed girls in the Leaf Village "Yes that's me, is there something you need" Sakura questioned pulling the three of them to a halt and wondering what the medic wanted from her.
"My name is Shiketsu, as you've probably already guessed I'm a medic at Leaf's General Hospital and you see we were wondering if you'd join us in healing participants of the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exams" Shiketsu introduced herself then asked her question.
Earning a wide eyed stare because a whole new realm of possibilities had been opened up "I'd love to but what about Hokage-sama would I even be allowed Shiketsu-san" the pinkette questioned feeling excitement bubbling up within her.
Barely able to contain herself to Cee's amusement and Darui's "We've already asked Hokage-sama, showed him your test scores and whatnot and he feels that you would give us that boost we need, plus afterwards we'd like to offer you a position at the hospital as part of our staff" the orange haired woman offered.
"Really you want me to work at the hospital to oh wow this is totally awesome, when do you need me" Sakura was her most exuberant yet because she'd just been offered a position at the hospital, something she'd never expected to happen.
"Thank you, your presence on the team is just what we need and not for a few more hours yet, again thank you Sakura-san, I'll come to collect you later" Shiketsu bowed lightly glad that she'd managed to do what everyone had said would be impossible.
Considering Sakura was young and everyone thought the girl would be focused on boys and her looks instead of accepting the offer "Congratulations Sakura you're an official part of hospital staff now" Cee clapped.
Not horrendously surprised since Sakura actually had talent and could possibly someday in the future surpass Tsunade Senju in healing abilities "Quite guess that means we won't see you until after dinner probably" Darui chuckled.
Watching the girl he was betrothed to closely and seeing the emotions flying across her face, happiness, excitement all good things to his relief "Right oh kami I thought this would never happen in my life" Sakura shook her head in disbelief.
As they continued their walk for another hour or so before running across Kotetsu "Still such a pity oh well hey brat what's go you all excited today" Kotetsu prodded seeing the excitement on the young girl's face.
Her lips curved upwards and her eyes lit up "The hospital offered me a position on their staff and stuff it Kotetsu-san I won't be bullied by you about not participating anymore" the fuscia haired preteen huffed.
Darui turned his head away trying vainly not to crack up laughing at the surprised look on the Chunin's face "When the hell did you get so gutsy damn brat" the raven haired male snorted with a roll of his eyes.
"Been gutsy ever since the day we met anyway what are you doing here, thought for sure all Chunin were ordered to wherever the second part of the exam was supposed to take place" Sakura questioned in confusion.
Kotetsu looked shocked that she'd known that much "Not even going to ask how you knew that and since not all the little genin brats have shown up yet we got a bit of time, a few hours before the second part ends" Kotetsu explained.
Sakura nodded in understanding "That makes sense why that medic said a few hours and then she'd come to collect Sakura-san, see she'll also be wherever the preliminary rounds are being held to help heal the contestants" Cee joined the conversation.
Onyx eyes shot his way full of disbelief "Right because when Sakura took her medical license test she apparently got the highest score they'd ever seen since Tsunade Senju" Darui nodded with a smirk adding to the shock.
Until eventually Kotetsu shook his head "Geez well just be careful alright some of those contestants are pretty rowdy and don't know how to treat a girl right" the raven haired man warned carefully before heading off down the streets.
Leaving behind three wary people "Do you think everything will be alright" the pinkette grimaced now worried that something was going to happen, even if all she'd be doing is healing people of their injuries after their fights.
"Everything will be fine Sakura-san, he probably just said that to freak you out, don't let him get underneath your skin alright" the blonde assured sending a glare after the Chunin, who must have felt that he was being stared at and went a little faster.
Darui shook his head with a snort "Trust in your instincts Sakura, do you feel as if anything's going to happen…no good" the white haired male gave her a light smile, there went her cheeks blushing red again and with that they continued on their way.
"There you are, we've been looking all over for you brat" twenty minutes later Ao appeared before them, Chojuro in tow like usual and so they had to once again stop and chat to find out what they wanted.
Chojuro nodded quietly "Y..Yes y..you see I wa..was hoping y..you'd spar with me sin..since your teammates a..are busy today" Chojuro explained their reasons for seeking her out an hour after lunch to be precise.
Imagine their surprise "I can't not today at least cause I was asked to help heal the preliminary round contestants in just a couple hours and need to have all my chakra, I'm sorry Chojuro-san" Sakura apologized.
For the first time in her presence Ao gaped "Asked to help heal the contestants, you, sure you know how to heal but just how good at the mystical palm are you" the blue haired hunter nin narrowed his blue eye on the young girl.
Who pressed herself into Darui's side "She's the first person to pass the medical license test with flying colors in over twenty years, Sakura-san currently outranks probably even the Head Medic with her medical skills" Cee was the one to answer.
"Quite and if I were you I'd calm down and back up a little" Darui said in a light warning tone and Ao remembered himself and realized that he'd made himself extremely intimidating to the point where Sakura had hid herself behind Darui.
Ao grimaced "E..Either w..way it's okay I..I don't mind wh..when we spa..spar just th..that we do so..sometime b..before w..we have to g..go home" the blue haired teenager piped in helping to calm down the situation even more.
Making the Cloud Shinobi relax and for Sakura to appear again "Right so see you tomorrow probably Chojuro-san, Ao-san" Sakura smiled wide for effect but kept herself close to Darui, the Mist duo nodded in understanding and vanished in the opposite direction.
With that Darui, Cee and Sakura decided it was time to inform the others about the sudden duty Sakura had been given "What that's great Sakura-chan your skills are finally being recognized" Naruto was the first one to catch on surprisingly.
"Yeah bet everyone will be surprised when they see you there to heal them" Sasuke smirked wishing he could be there as well, but knowing that since Sakura was the medic on the team and had skills that she was the only one who could go.
Sakura grinned widely "Just got to wonder though, how come you never asked for a position at the hospital before this" Hiretsuna was the one to ask making her future sister in law turn in her direction with a sheepish expression.
Cee understood immediately "Never thought they'd go for it you know, considering how against they were having me take the test in the first place after all" the pinkette crinkled her nose up and flopped down gracefully on the couch.
"Right I remember that to, guess you did have a legitimate reason not to ask" the older blonde nodded in agreement knowing he'd probably be spending the night again, that was okay, he didn't care, plus the genin were good cooks.
Darui sat down next to Sakura "Same here, but now you don't have to worry and get to work at the hospital and experience what it's like" the white haired male rubbed her arm and gave her a smile that her cheeks turning red again.
She nodded her head eagerly in response "Congrats Imouto-chan just heard, can't believe you were offered a position at the hospital" Musubime entered the living room in the next moment having decided to come over and visit and heard the tail end of the conversation.
His little sister glanced up at him and let a wide smile form on her lips "Me either somewhat and she just walked right up to me and offered that's the craziest part of it all" Sakura exclaimed lightly as her excitement started slowing down.
Allowing her to relax and get her stuff together, even go so far as to dig out the medic's outfit that had been bought for her what seemed like so long ago "Nice, I've never seen an outfit like that before" Cee whistled.
Eyeing her new outfit a pale blue kimono top with only one sleeve that tightened at the wrist, the other sleeve was to her shoulder, to which she put mesh on that went from her hand to just a little after her elbow which had a pale blue elbow warmer over the top.
The rest of the outfit went to her knee's in pale blue like a dress with a slit up the side, and underneath she wore pale pink shorts with mesh that hid her bandages to keep her weights out of sight from others.
A pale blue medical pouch was on her hip, followed by a storage pouch in pale pink and a white senbon needle leg holster, her hair was in a braid that trailed over her mostly uncovered shoulder and to top it all off white sandals to complete the outfit.
Darui coughed onyx eyes wide and then he noticed what else she wore the bracelet he'd gotten her ages ago, "You extended it to fit around your ankle" Darui commented pointing to the accessory, the only jewelry she wore.
"Mhm found beads and everything to make it unique and keep it out of the way so it doesn't fling off or break, the chain is something I found in the ninja gear shop from a kusarigama" Sakura nodded feeling free and not restricted like she usually did in her training outfits.
Even Musubime was speechless "Is that the outfit Kyogo got you when you were six Imouto-chan" the fourteen year old prince of Fire Country asked remembering a long time ago when she'd told him about this very exact outfit.
"You remembered Musubime-ni, took me a bit to find it actually and stock the pouches with my supplies though" the pinkette bounced the short sash that tied some armor that was white with metal plating around her midsection mimicking her actions.
Cee sniggered under his breath eyeing his friends reaction to Sakura's new outfit "It's like you change every day to someone different Sakura" the Uchiha on her team commented doing the same but most likely feeling completely different to how Darui felt.
Who stood and before anyone could react grabbed Sakura gently around the waist and vanished again "Probably feeling as if someone was going to snatch her away from him, I don't blame Darui-san, Sakura-chan is very pretty for her age" the brunette snickered.
Naruto grinned "Oh yeah she doesn't realize it but that Mist guy the short one with the sword stares at her all the time, and anytime we're in the village at the market we have to keep guys from approaching her, Sakura-chan's oblivious when it comes to other guys" the blonde said.
Meanwhile once again at the Hokage Stone Mountain "Whats wrong Darui-kun do you not like my outfit" Sakura was concerned and rambling again as she looked her attire over, but didn't spot any place that showed off to much skin.
Beyond a little bit of shoulder and a little bit of her thighs that's all one could really see "Nothing like that Sakura, your outfits great, I'm just worried that another guy is going to try and steal you away from me" Darui grimaced feeling like an idiot in that moment.
Like seriously who was he kidding, he knew Sakura wasn't going to want anyone else considering she'd confessed to him and all "Darui-kun your silly as if I could think about another guy not when I have you and your always in my heart and mind" the pinkette murmured shyly.
Darui coughed "I'm aware of that but sometimes guys don't makes sense and ah man this is drab" the white haired male groaned then without giving her any time to react pulled Sakura into his chest and buried his nose in her soft pink locks.
Holding her close trying to convey his feelings to her without having to say it because he felt like he would make a total fool of himself if he did, unbeknownst to them they were being watched by the Mizukage and her two shinobi.
All three of them stood frozen in surprise at the moment that was unfolding before their eyes especially when Darui pulled away from a familiar pink haired girl and bent brushing her bangs out of the way to press a kiss to her forehead.
"Why are you always kissing my forehead" Sakura turned a bright cherry red and mumbled those words feeling decidedly warm and as if her heart was about to burst right out of her chest, she was also hyper aware of how close Darui was to her still.
"Because it's so wide and charming, no matter what anyone says Sakura, you makes you and I wouldn't have you any other way" Darui answered and her cheeks turned a much darker color in response as he body flickered them back to the house.
Leaving behind Mei, Ao and Chojuro who were curious and concerned "You don't think he's using her do you to possible\y inherit the Daimyo Position in the Land of Lightning Mizukage-sama" Ao questioned.
Mei shrugged "No idea just keep an eye on them alright and if you ever find them alone like that make sure he can't do anything to her, she's young and could get hurt easily" Mei ordered not wanting to see the girl hurt because of someone from an entirely different village.
"R..Roger th..that Mizu..Mizukage-sama" Chojuro nodded as they all headed back down into the village to find something to occupy their time until the Hokage could return, since he was watching over the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exams.
~Back with the others~
It wasn't more than an hour later after eating a light snack that Shiketsu came to whisk Sakura away to the forest of death "I see your ready Sakura-san" the orange haired brown eyed woman commented eyeing the girls new outfit.
She nodded lightly "Exactly Shiketsu-san and I promise to do my absolute best to ensure no casualties" Sakura saluted to the others and pressed her hand to Shiketsu's arm then in a plume of smoke was gone to the Tower in the center of the Forest of Death.
"You brought her to early Shiketsu, Haruno-san I'm sorry the preliminary rounds haven't even started yet, Shiketsu likes to jump the gun sometimes so you may go wander just be careful of participants from the exams that are already here" a woman with gray hair scolded.
Then turned to her and apologized before sending her off to explore, Sakura blinked then turned tail and headed off into the arena and up into the stands before finding a good spot to sit and read for a bit in the library of course.
Less than twenty minutes later a shadow fell over the table she was sitting at blocking the light and preventing her from reading so with no other choice she looked up straight into pale green eyes of the red head from Sand "Um hello there" Sakura greeted cautiously.
He tilted his head to the side curiously looking her over "I saw you before with my siblings, they told me that you weren't participating so what are you doing here" the red head rumbled out in a gravely tone of voice.
"Uh I'm one of the medics that will heal participants was asked earlier today because they needed someone who had a talent in the medical arts" the pinkette answered looking around warily wondering what the hell was going on.
And who this boy actually was "Gaara….it's my name" Gaara introduced himself only to earn an odd look from the girl before him so he decided to elaborate, then he felt Temari and Kankuro's chakra headed in their direction and vanished from the library.
Sakura blew out a breath of relief and decided to return to the room that had been designated for the medics at the tower "My apologies for ushering you off earlier, my name is Herasu" the gray haired woman from earlier apologized again then introduced herself.
"Don't worry it's okay I got in a bit of reading so is there anything you'd like me to do" Sakura inquired looking around trying to spot something that she might be able to do because this was entirely new to her.
Herasu looked around as well "That, you can organize the tools, make sure their all clean, check the amount of bandages and ointments we have, then look over the antidotes test them out or something in case one of the contestants uses poison" Herasu instructed.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Sakura hurriedly did as told, by meticulously cleaning all the medical tools, before organizing them so they'd be easier to find by title, then counted the rolls of bandages and petri dishes of ointments before testing each antidote.
Before returning to Herasu's side "I'm finished and everything is ready for action" Sakura announced with a smile feeling accomplished and wanting to do more, cause she'd really never thought this would ever happen to her.
The gray haired woman tapped her lip in thought with a chipped nail "Hmm let's see other than those things that's all we can do to prepare" Herasu shrugged lightly and Sakura felt as if she was the only one taking this whole thing seriously.
"It's alright Sakura-san, Herasu's the Head Medic, if you come this way you can help me prepare the anesthetics, then put them in the syringes" Shiketsu was at her side in the next second leading her to a different area.
A tray full of empty syringes was on the metal table and off to the side was a bunch of herbs with anesthetic properties, several which were recognizable to Sakura "Mullein, Kava Kava, Mandrak, Caraway those are good herbs" the pinkette ticked off her fingers.
Uses for each at the forefront of her mind "Wait a moment just how on earth did you know what herbs they were, I haven't told you" the orange haired woman turned in confusion abandoning her task of setting up a pot of water to boil over a portable burner.
Earning a wary look before the young girl found her confidence "Memorized each medicinal herb, flower and plant from the time I was six and another medic gave me tests sometimes, I have a photographic memory in simpler terms" Sakura said lightly.
Feeling out of her depth all of a sudden "Oh my god you're going to be a renowned medical genius and we discovered you" Shiketsu attached herself to the younger girl who gave the older woman a disturbed look.
"Actually Shiketsu-san I discovered myself as having a latent talent for medical ninjutsu and being a medic-nin because that was my dream and I studied mostly by myself" Sakura responded but Shiketsu was no longer paying her any attention.
Humming actually as she boiled the herbs to make a pale yellow concoction which was sucked up into syringes then a hypodermic needle was attached to each individual syringe just as a commotion was heard out in the arena.
It seemed the preliminary rounds were finally beginning, Sakura straightened and waited patiently next to the tray with the anesthetics until the first injured genin appeared on a stretcher of course and she wanted to be sick.
Because it looked as if his arms had been cut to smithereens from the inside out "You can handle this right Haruno-san" Herasu cut through her turmoil and drew Sakura's focus back to what was happening around her.
Sakura nodded seriously then grabbed up one of the syringes with a hypodermic needle, rubbed a bit of rubbing alcohol on the teenager's arm, tapped a vein and emptied the contents of the syringe into his body.
To which he immediately relaxed and stopped flailing about allowing them to start healing his shredded arms "That was awful" Sakura said hardly able to imagine what it must have been like for the teenager or the kind of pain he had to have been in before the anesthetic took effect.
"Just try to keep your focus on healing alright and not think about the injuries it will help I promise" Shiketsu was at her side again preparing another syringe and hypodermic needle as the tools were cleaned and bandage rolls were checked along with ointments.
Not much longer after that another teenager came sporting the same headband as the first genin, only this one, a girl was completely unconscious, there was a lump on the back of her head which was easily healed and she was wheeled off to be with her teammate.
And another girl was after her, a brunette with buns in her hair, she was also completely unconscious though "Damage to her spine" Sakura pointed out knowing that if the injury wasn't fixed now the older girl would feel pain for the rest of her life.
"Very good seems there's very little we'll have to teach you once you start working at the hospital" Herasu nodded satisfied because she'd found a little treasure in the young girl suddenly and it was like having a miniature version of Tsunade Senju in her hospital again.
Sakura tried to smile but it came out as a partial grimace and then another genin came prancing in much older than the previous genin he was almost an adult, he was extremely low on chakra and he was littered in cuts.
A chakra restorative pill was crushed up and mixed with boiled down lobelia herb, then injected into his bloodstream before he was healed, then another who was obvious the previous guys teammate, before both of them were wheeled away like the rest of the injured.
Finally it seemed that there was a lull in the fighting as the contestants got a break from the spars and allowed the genin to rest for a moment and relieve themselves if they needed to, it was after the break that things changed.
When the next genin was wheeled in Sakura immediately recognized the girl "Hinata-chan oh no" Sakura was beyond horrified and then she realized what was happening "Cardiac arrest" she whispered and kicked her butt into high gear.
Undoing the damage that had been done to her friend, it was obvious who'd done it, Neji Hyuga, Hinata's cousin and all the while she was healing Hinata tears stung at her eyes "Keep it together Sakura-san she's your friend yes but she needs you in order to survive" Shiketsu reminded.
"Right I got it you don't have to worry, Hinata-chan will live no matter what it takes I'll heal her" the pinkette vowed seriously taking a deep breath and opening up the chakra points that had been forcefully and brutally closed.
Before switching her attention on Hinata's heart and the damage that was dealt to her internally twenty minutes it took then Hinata was wheeled away as well to be with the rest of the Chunin Exam contestants that were injured and knocked out.
"Is she going to be okay" a beautiful raven haired woman she briefly remembered from the start of their genin days appeared worried out of her mind for her student who'd been seriously injured by one of her own blood.
Sakura smiled lightly "Hinata-chan will be fine, what she needs now is rest and time to recover" the fuscia haired preteen princess drew the woman's attention onto her just as the woman's name popped into her head.
Obviously the woman recognized her though "Kakashi's genin, what are you doing here, Hinata told me you weren't participating" ruby eyes were focused on her and a new genjutsu idea came to mind before she managed to shake it off.
And just as she was opening her mouth to explain her presence there "We asked her to help heal contestants if they were seriously injured or unconscious, since she has the best medical skills we've seen in over twenty years" Herasu interrupted.
"Thank you Herasu-sama but yeah that's why Kurenai-sensei, if your wondering I remember you from when you greeted Hinata-chan, Kiba and Shino the day we met with our Jonin sensei's for the first time" Sakura admitted.
Kurenai was honestly surprised "Either way thank you for helping heal her she was in a horrible state when she was taken away, going into cardiac arrest and unconscious" Kurenai blew out a breath of relief and slid into a chair to compose herself.
Before heading back out into the arena to stand with her remaining students, only one of which would be going through to the final round, Sakura watched her go before focusing her attention on the latest genin that was brought in on a stretcher.
Only to feel completely horrified "Kami that's worse than what happened to that other one" a teenage boy in a green jumpsuit, hair in a bowl cut style with thick bushy eyebrows, spine and arm crushed with sand particles in every cut.
She knew that there was absolutely no way she had the skills necessary to heal him "Even if you don't do much the least we can do is relieve him of some of his pain Sakura-san" the gray haired Head Medic assured.
With that Sakura jumped straight in healing as best she could before using up one of the syringes full of anesthetics, then he was wheeled away as another concerned Jonin Sensei burst his way into the room blubbering about how it was his fault before dashing after his genin.
Just like that the preliminary rounds were over and the final round was set for a month away giving the final round contestants time to improve upon their jutsu, taijutsu and anything else they could think of in that time frame.
"You did good Sakura-san, we'll see you tomorrow at one in the afternoon to four in the evening for your first day as part of the hospital staff" Shiketsu was the one to inform her of her hours working part time at the hospital before they were outside her house again.
Sakura felt like she'd been through hell and trudged wearily into the house "Are you alright" Cee, one of the few there since the others were out getting dinner because Naruto and Sasuke had felt to lazy that night to cook, turned and was immediately concerned.
The tears came then "Some of those genin were horrible, Hinata-chan she's in the hospital and a Sand Genin crushed another genin's spine it was awful, I couldn't heal him Cee-san" Sakura cried lightly feeling like a terrible person.
Cee grimaced and prayed to the kami that Darui got back soon "It's alright Sakura-san situations like that are bound to happen, listen when I started work at the hospital a team was brought in I couldn't save them at all at least none of your patients died" the blonde winced.
And her head snapped up tear filled emerald orbs rounded in horror "Right it's just I don't think I was fully prepared for it you know being there and healing them, it was all kind of last minute" the pinkette wiped her eyes dry then sat down.
Only seconds later the door was thrown open "Your back are you okay, were you crying, who hurt you" Naruto was the first one to her surprisingly and he had been behind Darui, not only that his arms were full of bags.
Darui blinked "Fine, yes and no one, was a little overwhelmed but I'm okay, resolved to get better with my medical ninjutsu though so that I'll be able to heal someone who's seriously injured next time" Sakura vowed.
"There you go Sakura now are you ready for dinner, you have to be after using up a lot of your chakra" Sasuke squeezed around the dark skinned male and Darui shook his head in amusement as the lot of them traipsed into the kitchen.
Hiretsuna on their heels "So do you know when you start work at the hospital Sakura-chan" Hiretsuna asked because she was curious and since food was still being dished out she had time to ask her question.
Sakura looked up "Tomorrow an hour after lunch to four in the evening so just 1-4 so only three hours" the pinkette announced lightly feeling a little better especially when the smell of ramen wafted into her nose.
"Good just try not to push yourself alright it would be drab" Darui teased in the next moment and Sakura blushed then stuck her tongue out lightly with a small giggle, everything was right as rain in her world after that as they ate dinner.
There was no after meal workout for her that night and after taking a bath Sakura went straight to bed, "Must have been exhausted" the white haired male commented as he pulled out the couch eyeing Sakura in the chair that she'd chosen while the wall in Sasuke's room was fixed.
"Probably just got to wonder how bad the injuries were if she used up that much chakra trying to heal them" the Uchiha on her team frowned deeply, having made up a pallet on the floor in the living room out of a double futon.
Which he shared with Naruto "Yeah well either way I'm not waking her" the younger blonde said snuggling underneath the covers after his own shower he was feeling tired himself, since it had been a somewhat long day for them.
Hiretsuna nodded "Exactly and the idiot who does is going to get kicked right where the sun doesn't shine" the brunette warned in a low whisper, Naruto and Sasuke gulped and settled down for the night and soon enough their snores filled the living room.
She wasn't long in falling asleep either "At least she's back and nothing truly horrible happened while she was there" the older blonde in the house sighed, though he was still just a tiny bit disturbed that she'd cried in front of him.
Cause he didn't know how to handle her tears or a girl in general if he was being honest, Darui nodded and soon enough they were asleep as well getting shut eye at the same time instead of having one of them keep watch.
The next morning was a riot as they were joined by "Kakashi-sensei what are you doing here and so early mister I have to be late all the time for everything" Sakura greeted with a grin feeling just a tiny bit mischievous.
An ebony iris blinked at her in surprise "Well someone's in a mood this morning and I figured I'd sit and have breakfast with you lot since Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are always going on about how good they and you can cook now that you have your own space" Kakashi snorted.
Darui turned his head away to try and prevent himself from cracking up laughing at the ridiculousness of the moment they'd all just bore witness "Of course you can Kakashi-sensei, the more the merrier" the pinkette giggled dashing away into the kitchen.
Kakashi shook his head "Yeesh she's hyper today, why is she hyper" the silver haired nin directed a look to his two male students who both shrugged pausing in their attempts to roll up the futon and put it in the storage closet that was downstairs in the living room.
"No idea Kakashi-sensei…..maybe she's excited today is gonna be her first day working at the hospital" Naruto snapped his fingers as the night before came back to him, of course she'd be excited about getting to heal people.
His sensei creased his brow "Wait since when did Sakura-chan ask to work at the hospital" the Copy Ninja was seriously confused, it was his fault though for almost outright ignoring his students for the last couple of weeks.
Sasuke paused again "Oh she didn't a medic from the hospital approached her yesterday and asked her personally to work at the hospital, she even got to help heal the Chunin Exam contestants after their survival round" Sasuke piped in smugly.
That was Sakura all heart with a scary right hook if you pissed her off, it was obvious Kakashi didn't know that bit either and become even more confused "All this happened yesterday" Darui patted the man on the shoulder disappearing into the kitchen after his betrothed.
"You as their sensei should be more aware of those three and what they get up to" Cee felt no sympathy in the least following after his partner into the kitchen leaving Kakashi to hurry after him and seat himself around the table.
Watching closely the dynamics between his students and what he saw really impressed him "Looks like this was a good idea after all, you three have gotten in sync even better than before, bet your teamwork will be superb when we go on another mission soon" Kakashi said.
Leaning back in the kitchen chair "Mission when" the raven haired preteen on the team shot a look at their sensei stirring the batter in his arms before passing it over to Sakura who started making pancakes.
Kakashi chuckled "In a week or so, we'll be back three days afterwards the hospital has asked us to go out and gather herbs for it for the upcoming Final Rounds, though I didn't know Sakura would be part of the staff" the silver haired nin explained.
Viridian irises lit up in excitement "Good so long as it's not going to turn A Rank on us it will be nice just to go out and gather herbs" Sakura smiled widely flipping the pancakes, then out of the corner of her eye, eyed Naruto who was making the eggs and Sasuke who was making the bacon.
Before deciding they didn't need any help this time it was a relief that they were actually getting this whole cooking business down finally "Oooh this looks like it's going to be a good breakfast this morning" the blonde on Team Seven bounced up and down in excitement.
As he finally pulled the scrambled eggs from the heat, done to perfection without a single brown spot on them, then got started on boiling water for tea "No doubt about it I feel a little spoiled if I'm being honest" Hiretsuna piped in for the first time that morning.
"Us to so don't feel to bad about it Hiretsuna-san those three know how to cook" Darui nodded sending the fourteen year old a little smile, knowing that after this she would probably vanish to visit Musubime or the blonde prince would come here.
Then they'd all go to the training grounds "You no doubt remember this even if I didn't tell you, but you promised to go a round with Chojuro-san" Cee remembered last minute because in the excitement of Sakura being drafted for the hospital personally had nearly made him forget.
Sakura turned her head to spy the much older blonde in her kitchen "I remember Cee-san though Chojuro-san is probably going to have to content himself with a light spar since I don't want to use up all my chakra before 1" the pinkette stated.
Intending on taking it easy for the first time in her life, this earned matching dubious looks "Take it easy in a fight you hahaha I'm gonna be there to see this fight" Sasuke laughed obviously finding it hilarious.
Earning a light glower "Now, now Teme, Sakura-chan can take it easy without struggling you'll see" Naruto came to the rescue not wanting to see his friend pummeled for his idiocy, thanking the kami it wasn't him that had said it.
"That's right she's never harsh when she's helping me work with my dagger" the brunette at the table harrumphed sending Sasuke her own glower before they all cracked up laughing when it got to be to much for them.
Kakashi shook his head not understanding his students in the least anymore "Are you going to take Nuibari as well to this training session" the older blonde questioned suddenly as food started getting dished out, though like usual Sakura and Hiretsuna were the first ones to have their plates and cups of tea.
"Of course, though I'm not sure what he had in mind I'm taking Nuibari anyway" the fuscia haired preteen princess exclaimed patting her weapons pouch, it was then Kakashi finally caught sight of the outfit she was wearing.
Which was a drastic change from her usual outfits and nearly spewed his tea "Are you alright Kakashi-san" the white haired male eyed the man with a wary look in his eye, and grew even more concerned when the man just sat there staring.
Then he followed the ebony iris and spotted what had caused the uncharacteristic action "Just what on earth are you wearing" Kakashi couldn't help but ask since he'd never seen his student dress like that before.
Sakura blinked then looked down at her medics outfit "I thought that would have been obvious Kakashi-sensei, clothes though this is new/old in a way since I've had it forever, since I'm going to be working at the hospital I decided on a change" Sakura announced.
Her sensei let out a long suffering sigh as they all finished up breakfast and the kitchen was cleaned spotless "They do that every single time to" Hiretsuna commented when she saw the confusion in the much older male's lone onyx eye.
"Anyway thanks for letting me have breakfast here and I'll see you lot later" the silver haired nin stood needing time to think over what he'd witnessed that morning and figure out a course of action that would help him understand his students, then vanished in a plume of smoke.
Making his sole female student scowl after him and open a window to usher the smoke out of her house "Gonna stay here for a bit, see what we need and go shopping I guess" Naruto didn't follow the others when they started out of the kitchen.
Cee smiled in amusement "Right we'll probably be back for lunch" Cee waved knowing better than to leave Sakura alone to two Mist Shinobi, now there was a lot of wariness between Mist and Cloud so he had no qualms about being protective.
The pinkette was as good as a little sister to him though he would probably never outright admit that to her or anyone else if he was being honest and he wouldn't trust her safety with just anyone "I'll see you for lunch, Musubime-kun and I are going to walk around" Hiretsuna said.
Disappearing a few minutes into their trek back in the opposite direction they were going, "And what about you Sasuke, do you have something your going to do as well" Darui directed a look to the ebony haired preteen.
"Nope I want to see this spar as much as you two do so there's absolutely no way I'm missing out" Sasuke snorted keeping close to his teammate, like hell would he let anyone sneak up on her and snatch her off her feet while he wasn't watching.
With that they hurried the rest of the way to the training grounds and found the two Mist Shinobi already there waiting for them "Bout time what were you doing lollygagging or something" Ao grumbled irritably like usual.
Sakura was tempted to roll her eyes "Eating breakfast after making it Ao-san, can't rush while your cooking you know" the pinkette stated simply reaching into her storage pouch and she'd just grabbed the scroll with Nuibari intending to pull it out when she was stopped.
"I w..was thinking just regular ta..taijutsu and some elem..elemental jutsu's i..if that's okay Sakura-san" Chojuro announced putting his own legendary sword off to the side then settling into a stance across from the lone girl on the field.
Who fought down a smile and she even went so far as to take off her weights, Sasuke felt a thrill of fear go down his spine "Ready when you are Chojuro-san" Sakura nodded politely reminding herself to take it easy.
And just like that the spar started and she had to duck low under a punch and cartwheel backwards kicking out gently with her foot in the midst of her back flip and land a hit in the middle of Chojuro's chest, all without chakra for once.
It was different and exhilarating "She's actually holding back" Sasuke gaped watching the fight, not once had he felt her flare her chakra or gather it into her limbs as the fight progressed where they were pretty much evenly matched.
Then Chojuro pulled some move and shot a jutsu at her at point blank range "S..Sorry" the blue haired teenager grimaced glad that he hadn't added that much chakra to his jutsu and she was able to heal herself of the damage.
"Right it's okay" the rose haired preteen said lightly settling into a stance and launching herself forward, landing a careful punch on Chojuro's shoulder, before going for a side sweep, in the end neither of them won as the match was called.
Not once though during the entire spar did she use chakra "Why didn't you fight like you usually do brat" the hunter nin who'd been silent like the others the entire time growled irritated that she'd changed herself completely somehow.
"Because if she had then she wouldn't have much chakra to use during her three hour hospital shift" Cee commented watching Sakura as she put her weights back on, wrapping the bandages carefully around her limbs before rising carefully to her feet.
Hardly a scratch on her much like Chojuro "That's right plus I had to prove to Sasuke that I could hold back in a fight without seeming like a berserker all the time" Sakura grinned taking the mickey out of her friend.
Who scowled good-naturedly at her before snorting "Okay you win, you do know how to hold back when it truly counts" Sasuke groaned relenting to the stare with a sulk and she broke down in laughter at his expense.
Which like usual tugged a smile out of him and Darui chuckled "You two are something else" the white haired male shook his head in amusement not jealous in the least because he knew the two were like the best of friends/siblings in their hearts and nothing would ever happen between them.
"Either way thank you for indulging Chojuro with the spar we'll be going now" Ao grouched out like usual leading the way off the training grounds, intending on watching them from a distance because he didn't trust those Cloud Shinobi in the least.
Sakura shook her head as they retreated hastily "S..See you around S..Sakura-san" Chojuro waved following after his partner mission from the Mizukage at the forefront of his mind and intending on completing it no matter what.
Now left with nothing to do, Sakura crinkled her nose up trying to think up something that would involve using very little chakra on her part "Why don't we go see if the Dope needs help shopping" Sasuke grunted out.
"Right because that knucklehead sometimes messes up without realizing it, let's just hope we're not to late" Sakura nodded in agreement so with that they headed from the training grounds and all the way to the market.
Where it seemed like Naruto had just gotten of the mind to go shopping "Teme, Sakura-chan I thought you were sparring with that Mist Shinobi guy" Naruto was surprised when they appeared before him sporting matching smirks.
That admittedly creeped him out until he realized they were doing it on purpose and started pouting "I did spar, didn't last very long then they vanished so we decided to come help with the shopping" the pinkette exclaimed.
"Exactly Dope so where's the list, you did make one right" the ebony haired preteen held out his hand and a list was dropped in it so they could all stare at it as he held it up, then they divided it up equally between the three of them.
Just like that they split up in opposite directions to get what they needed for their house "Still don't understand how they can just share" Cee was confused and he wondered why the three preteens were so close with one another.
Darui shrugged "Me either but at least they won't ever try to make a move on her that's the only reason I allowed it because those three kids see each other as family" Darui admitted, he knew because she told him all the time in her letters.
Cee shot him a look "But why, what happened to Naruto-san's parents, I won't bother asking what happened to Sasuke-san's because everyone in all the five great nations know" the blonde frowned in concern this was the oddest situation ever.
"No idea, she doesn't know either, nor does he so it's pointless asking, Naruto's been an orphan his entire life and no one will tell him anything and right" the white haired male said, watching the trio of preteens as they worked together flawlessly.
And then with their groceries it was back to the house for lunch where Musubime and Hiretsuna were waiting for them "Afternoon Imouto-chan have you had a good morning so far" Musubime greeted his little sister with a careful hug.
"Oh it's been great got in a light workout, Kakashi-sensei came to have breakfast with us and told us about our new mission in a week and then we went grocery shopping" Sakura chattered a mile a minute returning her brothers hug.
Sorely missing her parents in that moment, Musubime smiled "Quite eventful imouto-chan, Hiretsuna-chan also tells me you'll be going to work at the hospital after lunch is this true" the fourteen year old prodded wanting to hear more.
As they all headed into the kitchen "It's true Musubime-ni, a medic from the hospital asked me personally to become part of the staff and I can hardly wait" the pinkette bounced in excitement eyes bright and full of happiness.
Making the others smile as they sat around the kitchen table to wait for lunch to be made "How do you think your first shift will go Sakura-chan" Hiretsuna found her chance to ask her own questions because Musubime would go on and on sometimes.
"Probably hectic, then again I have no idea what their going to be having me doing at first and I know it won't be smooth sailing exactly" Sakura admitted heating up the turkey meat for stir-fry knowing it was a personal favorite of everyone's.
This meal Naruto and Sasuke sat out just watching and taking in as much as they could to help out the next time they had lunch at the house "Really shouldn't they start you off on something that requires your skills" the brunette frowned.
"Yes but that's the thing about hard work, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up" the fuscia haired preteen explained lightly now working on the vegetables for the stir fry and making a sauce that was palatable for everyone.
Hiretsuna sat back at that "Guess there's a lot I don't know about this world still" Hiretsuna sighed softly only to have her hand squeezed by Musubime who shot her a smile, and she realized she wasn't the only one lost, her betrothed was to and that made her feel better.
Soon enough lunch was ready and they all dug in to eat "Mm this is better than usual" Naruto burst out like usual after taking the first bite of his food once they all had their plates and a cup of tea or something to drink and started eating.
"I agree it's different, you changed the recipe again, it's like those waffles that you still won't tell us what you did differently on" Sasuke accused with a sulk and Sakura grinned secretively, Darui knew and that's all that mattered.
Speaking of Darui chose that moment to chuckle "Oddest bunch of kids ever that's excluding Omoi from the Hidden Cloud" the white haired male shook his head in amusement stuffing another bite into his mouth.
"Ah yes Omoi, the one who over thinks things to the point of driving everyone else to insanity with his completely irrational fears, his teammate is no better what with having a temper, Karui, reminds me a bit of you actually Sakura-san" the older blonde snorted.
The girl in question smiled cheekily, then glanced to the time "Looks like I have to get going so I'm not late" Sakura hurriedly finished her dinner then stood leaving the clean up to Naruto and Sasuke only this time.
To her surprise Darui stood as well and followed her into the hall where the front door was located "Good luck Sakura and don't let them take advantage of you to much" Darui pulled her in a for a light hug, Sakura blushed, then tugged her white sandals onto her feet and was out the door.
Rushing down the streets to the hospital for her first day at work "Your here, good, now listen closely these are going to be your duties for the foreseeable future until you can work your way up to everyone else's level" Herasu was waiting for her.
And immediately she got a clipboard shoved into her hands "Pediatrics and Geriatrics, cleaning the bed pans, healing injuries the civilian way unless the mystical palm is absolutely necessary" Sakura read off feeling relieved.
It was a lot more than she thought she'd get to do "Now you know, now Sakura-san get to work and I'll release you at four" the gray haired woman nudged her newest employee off and Sakura was left to find her way around the hospital.
Not that it took very long to find the Geriatrics Ward, then go around to each individual room and clean out the bedpans, tend to any other need the elderly patients needed before heading for the Pediatrics Ward and tend to children's injuries the civilian way.
Every once in awhile she had no choice but to use her mystical palm jutsu because the injury was to extensive, and one little kid even needed stitches because the gash in her leg was to severe that it was a little above her skill levels.
Then at four after a mostly lonely shift in which she'd mainly talked to the parents of the children she was tending to headed for the lobby "Mm not bad, good work today Sakura-san and we'll see you tomorrow" Herasu was there to meet her again.
Patted her on the back and then sent her out the door, Sakura smiled feeling accomplished and hurried home, when she got there and entered the kitchen she was surprised at the two extra guests "Kakashi-sensei and…." Sakura trailed off not recognizing the brunette.
"You can calm me Tenzo, now that your here Kakashi-senpai has something he wishes to ask of you" Tenzo introduced himself carefully wishing he hadn't been dragged into this plot and hoping beyond hope the girl wouldn't remember his chakra.
Sakura sat down with a look of confusion her face "Well I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having me live partially here as well so that we can all learn to work as an organized unit" Kakashi coughed out sheepishly.
Darui was shocked and shot a look to Sakura, who looked equally as mystified "Before you say no, Tenzo here can use wood style and make another part of the house and fix that wall in Sasuke-kun's room" the silver haired nin pressed onward.
Glancing at Tenzo who nodded "Right and I have full permission from Hokage-sama to do this" the older brunette explained lightly and Sakura tilted her head to the side in consideration before looking to Naruto and Sasuke.
In the next moment the three preteens were stood on their feet and they all vanished to the living room "Do you think it's a good idea Sakura-chan, though Kakashi-sensei's just as lonely as us, he has no one but us his genin" Naruto was wise for once.
"Quite and remember what you said the more the merrier and as much as I hate to admit it, if we're going to be a team a damn good one that goes down in history, Kakashi needs to be right here learning how to work alongside us as well" Sasuke snorted.
Just like that her decision was made and so they traipsed back into the kitchen, before she spoke she peered at Darui, who nodded in acceptance "Okay, but you have to be responsible Kakashi-sensei, no more being three hours late, and you have to cook to" Sakura stated.
Before heading to the stove "Relax those boys went out and got ramen for dinner cause we all thought you'd be exhausted Sakura-san" Cee stopped her before she could start making dinner for the lot of them and pointed to the boxes.
Sakura blushed making them all laugh as they sat down to eat their ramen of choice before heading off to take showers, the wall in Sasuke's room was fixed and that night besides Darui and Cee, everyone settled down in their beds to sleep for the rest of the night.