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12. Hardskills: Week two - Out of Hospital
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At seven in the morning Sakura got out of bed, put on her satin gown and entered the living room. Surprisingly the couch was empty besides a neatly folded blanket.
The small table next to her kitchenette had been laid. There was a bottle of fresh milk, some aromatic bread and a selection of fruit. On a plate there was a red rose lying on something what looked like a letter.
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"To Sakura.
Thank you for helping me.
I'm sorry I had to leave early and head back.
Please do never talk to anyone about what you've witnessed last night.
I hope we could meet again after my mission.
Enjoy your breakfast.
T"
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Smiling she sat down and relished the food he got her.
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For the next three days the young kunoichi had to work at the hospital.
The first day was unspectacular, after work she gave Icha Icha Tactics a new try. But on her second day an injured Naruto came by. He had a dislocated shoulder and a not too deep cut on his chin.
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"What happened?"
"Classified. I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." He scratched the backside of his head.
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Of course she healed him, as he was restored her tongue itched, she needed to ask him.
"Naruto, is HE ok?"
"I don't know what you mean."
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She raised a brow at him.
He whispered "You know it's classified."
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Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. He gulped, after her last hit on his head he didn't want to deal with that headache again.
"Yes, thanks to you he is fine". Both smiled and she relaxed.
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Naruto didn't miss the sparkle in her eyes. It reminded him of the short but happy time they had together. He wasn't the smartest guy, but he was an expert on emotions and he knew his friends very well.
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On her third day the pink-haired medic nin got called from hospital to a meeting with Tsunade. Sakura was worried, she didn't know what's going on and what she should prepare for.
The hokage sat at her desk in her office inside the tower.
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"Sakura-chan, good to see you again! Take a seat!"
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The young kunoichi did as she was told. Would this be about the healing of a certain ANBU?
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"I'm sorry, but your work at the hospital is done, Sakura. I think you should better invest the time you've left here in Konoha into your training, focus on your mission. You knew this would be sooner or later these days. Please take the day to clean your office and hand your records to Shizune and Ino. When you're done come back to my office. We need to talk, ok?"
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As a response she just nodded, staring down at the floor and fidgeted with the hem of her coat. Sakura stood up and walked back to her own office in the hospital, her heart felt heavy and she felt lonesome. In a few weeks she would be gone, life in Konoha would go on like she had never been there. Everyone would forget her.
"Maybe it's for the better, we all can press the restart button and hopefully find happiness and satisfaction", she closed her office door behind her and started to garter her things together.
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Later Sakura went back to Tsunade's office.
The two women had some drinks together, Shizune joined them and they laughed a lot about their good old times.
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"You should be glad, the kazekage turned into a real hottie, Sakura!" Shizune winked at her with her little pig in her arms.
"I haven't seen him in a while now, but Temari said so too. We'll see", Sakura shrugged.
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"I assure you, you'll like what you see. Also he is a very intelligent man with good manners and a big heart beneath his stoic professional attitude. You'll like him", Tsunade smiled fullheartedly at her former apprentice.
"The best target ever!" Shizune chuckled and they all broke out into laughter.
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After some more drinks and funny conversations Sakura asked in her slightly drunken state about Tatsuo.
Shizune didn't know any guy fitting her description.
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"Where did you heard of HIM?" Tsunade responded laughingly.
"I met him at a bar." Sakura emptied her cup.
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"So he goes out again. Great! Hehe, funny!" The blonde leader poured them more sake.
Curiosity got her caged, she needed to hear more. "What do you know about him?"
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Tsunade emptied her cup and said with the sting of sake in her voice "Best ANBU captain of his generation now."
The pink-haired kunoichi raised a brow "I thought that title would be Kakashi's?"
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"And where did you hear that from?" The hokage replied and Shizune cocked her head to the side.
"Rumours" stated Sakura and shrugged.
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"Forget them. Kakashi isn't in ANBU anymore" Tsunade waved her off.
"But he was a legend", Sakura slurred a bit, which earned her a chuckle from Shizune.
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"In fact he IS a living legend. All of you in team 7 are." Tsunade told her dramatically changing her voice.
Sakura chuckled "Said one of the legendary sannin, who used to train me herself."
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The three women laughed and opened another bottle.
Shizune smiled and said "Strange how you three were all under a different sannin's tutelage."
Tsunade smirked.
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Sakura cocked her head to the side "By the way, who had been Kakashi's sensei?"
Tsunade poured them some more sake "The fourth."
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Sakura raised her eyebrows "Really? He never told us or Naruto. Wow, so all the strings are knotted together."
"Yep, to the circle of life!" Tsunade raised a toast.
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Tomorrow they all would be very grateful for Tsunade's secret hangover jutsu…