I've got nothing to do, so I'm typing. Enjoy…yeah.

Deidara: Hey! Why are you stealing my way of talking, yeah?!

Me: It's not yours, yeah.

Deidara: Yes it is, yeah!

Me: That's redundant, yeah.

Deidara: No it isn't, yeah!
Me: …

- - -

"So, what are we doing?" Naruto asked as they walked down the road to Iwagakure – Stone.

Ino groaned, "You didn't read the mission scroll?"

"Nope!" The fox-by grinned sheepishly. "And I forgot to give it to those two."

Sakura pulled out a copy of the scroll and tossed it to Kakashi. "We're moving too slowly, Ino. We're picking up the pace now."

"Hai!" Ino replied cheerily, glancing over at the boys. "But can they keep up? We'll be going for quite a while."

Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "We can do anything!" he shouted. "Bring it on!" Sakura smirked and immediately increased her speed. Ino followed, leaving the boys behind.

Sasuke snorted. "They won't be able to keep that pace for long," he predicted in contempt.

"Hurry up!" Ino called back. "Don't make us wait!"

As soon as they caught up, Naruto repeated his question. Sakura looked back briefly. "We're going to find a missing rat…"

"A rat?" Sasuke looked up, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Hokage-sama sent us on a D-rank mission?"

Ino laughed shortly. "But after we find this rat, we'll kill him. Our target is a wealthy businessman who markets illegal drugs."

"As for the rank," Sakura provided calmly, "this is an A-rank mission."

"A-rank?!" Naruto looked from Sakura to Ino and back. "Why are they sending gennin on an A-ranked mission?!"

A flicker of surprise showed in Ino's face before passing quickly. "You made chuunin?" she asked. Naruto nodded proudly.

"Sasuke-teme too! And Kakashi-sensei is still jounin," he told them. "How about you?" he asked. "Still gennin, right?"

"No," Sakura answered curtly. "Ino, we're increasing speed again."

Kakashi spoke as the boys struggled to keep up with Ino and Sakura. "You are chuunin as well?"

"Passed three months ago." Ino spoke in an offhand way, implying hat it had been easy enough.

"So what did you pass today?" Sasuke asked in confusion. "Were you demoted or something? Did you fail so miserably that they moved you down?"

Ino scoffed. "Are you kidding me?" she replied incredulously. "Forehead girl passed with the highest marks! Twice – because we're both jounin."

"Jounin?!" Naruto exploded. (A/N: Literally! No, just kidding…) "How – Who - ?" Ino looked at Sakura, who only increased the pace even more. By now, even Kakashi was breathing hard.

- - -

Four hours later found Naruto trembling with exhaustion, Sasuke panting and gasping, and Kakashi drenched in sweat. The Kyuubi's stamina was the only thing keeping Naruto up and moving. Ino was only breathing heavily, and Sakura didn't show signs of major discomfort.

"Hey, forehead girl," Ino muttered. "How far away was your mission?"

"A little bit beyond Stone," was the curt reply. Sakura stopped for a moment, landing lightly on a branch to watch the men struggle to keep up with cold eyes.

"H-hey, c-can we stop for today?" Naruto pleaded desperately. Sakura surveyed the group and nodded once.

"Set up camp and get a fire started," she told Ino. "I'll join you in a second. You three – " she looked pointedly at the three worn out male shinobi " – take a plunge in the stream." She pointed at a moderately-deep stream and left to help Ino.

Five minutes later, a cheery-looking fire blazed in a hastily made pit, a pot of water boiling over it. Three tents were put up, and Naruto's, Sasuke's, and Kakashi's packs were tossed inside.

The boys came back shivering; Naruto was hugging himself to keep warm. "Sa – Sakura-chan," he chattered. "The water is freezing!"

"Is there ice?" she asked flatly.

"N-no, but – "

"Then it's fine. Ino, let's go." Ino stood obediently and followed her emerald-eyed friend to the stream.

Sakura dipped a finger into the frigid water and splashed her face. Standing, she glared at her teammates.

"Turn around, please." Her words were icy and clipped; calculated to fall just short of rude. When they obeyed, she dropped her clothes and walked in.

"Well, forehead girl?" Ino demanded.

"Come in. It's fine," Sakura answered. "There's no ice yet." There was a slight splash, and Ino laughed.

"I'm sure the temperature dropped ten degrees after you got in," she joked.

There was amusement in Sakura's voice as she answered. "But I suppose you counter my effects. There's still no ice."

Ino sighed. "Pity; remember that time when he made us take a bath under the ice?"

"Yeah," Sakura giggled. "He lied – he said that we could stop once there was ice. Oh, well. If the water freezes every time I get in, I might as well get used to it."

"Yep – look, there's an ice cube. Time to get out."

"Aa…"

Sasuke turned quickly; Naruto and Kakashi followed. She – she sounded just like someone… I just can't place it! he thought, grimacing. Kakashi and Naruto, of course, thought that she sounded just like Sasuke.

Ino shrieked softly before Sakura clamped a pale hand over her mouth. Her eyes narrowed, as did Sakura's.

"Turn around," she commanded. "As if one Uchiha watching us drown isn't enough…" This last part was muttered so that only Sakura could hear it. Silence.

Then Naruto realized something. "Hey, Sakura-chan, you don't have a towel! How will you dry off?" Ino grunted, walking past them. Sakura dropped out of a tree in front of them, fully dressed.

"That's easy," she returned. "We won't." Her sopping hair was plastered around her face, trickles of icy water running down her neck. "But the hair…"

Ino glanced at her. "Can we, forehead girl?" she pleaded. "I'm going to catch a fever!" Sakura snorted.

"If you do, it'll be your own fault," she warned. "And sensei will kill you." Ino laughed nervously.

"Ha ha… I think I'll stay on his good side, thank you very much…" she mumbled. Kakashi opened his mouth to insist that he wouldn't "kill" Ino for getting sick, but before he could say anything, Sasuke spoke.

"Don't tell me you packed a hairdryer," he guessed dryly. "There's no electricity out here, in case you haven't noticed."

Sakura sneered in contempt. "Don't be stupid," she mocked. "Ino, sit." Placing a hand to her mouth, she blew – fire. This was unlike Sasuke's Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu, though. It was a carefully controlled, tiny thread of flame. It did, however, produce the same amount of head. Ino ran her fingers through her hair – which was now dry, thanks to Sakura's jutsu.

"Thanks, forehead girl," she said gratefully. "Your turn." She repeated the process for Sakura, who smiled warmly – a smile that Sasuke and Kakashi had yet to see directed at either of them.

"Handy little jutsu," Kakashi commented, trying to figure out where they could have picked it up, but all he got was a vague "Aa…"

"What say we go hunting, forehead girl?" Ino beamed, tossing her dry hair. Sakura nodded; she got up and they disappeared into the surrounding forest.

- - -

Five minutes later, they were back with a rabbit for each person. The only clue as to how they had died was a small hole on either side of their necks, and the glinting senbon in Sakura's hair.

Sakura tossed an animal to each male. "Find a stick and use that to cook it," eh ordered shortly, doing so herself. Once the meat was cooked, she leapt up into a tree to keep a look out. Ino did the same; the men stayed on the ground to eat.

"Hey, where will you sleep?" Naruto asked, glancing around as he munched on his meat. "Don't tell me the three of us will have to share a tent!"

Ino leapt down and disposed of the bones from her meal. "Of course not," she laughed, pulling out her plastic sheet and dark-colored blanket. "I'll sleep right here!" She laid them out under two trees and pointed.

"Don't you have a tent?" Kakashi inquired, raising an eyebrow. "What if it rains?" He stood. "Sasuke and Naruto can share a tent, and you and Sakura can share one."

Ino shook her head, looking up at the clear sky. "Don't bother," she yawned drowsily. "It won't rain tonight, and I've done this before."

"What about Sakura?" Sasuke smirked. "Won't the ground be too hard for her? Maybe she's packed an air mattress in her bag?"

The pink-haired medic dropped silently from her spot hidden in the branches and pulled the coil of thick black rope from her backpack. Without speaking, she tied the ends to branches of the two trees under which Ino's bed was made.

Ino grinned at the confused boys. "Well, there's your answer! So, let's get to sleep. Good night, minna!" She put out the fire and laid down under the blanket, using hers and Sakura's backpacks as a pillow.

Naruto retreated to his tent and immediately, his snoring filled the otherwise silent air. Ino soon fell asleep, her chest rising and falling with her light breaths. Sasuke glared suspiciously once around the clearing with his Sharingan activated before disappearing into his tent. Kakashi sat quietly outside his tent for an hour without any sign of Sakura.

Finally, he began to get impatient. "Sakura," he called softly. "You should sleep." When he got no answer, he added, "If you don't, I will take command of this mission and force you to sleep." Still no answer.

Ino stirred, mumbling, "Forehead girl, if you don't sleep, your sensei and shishou will be annoyed…" That did the trick. With a displeased air, Sakura landed beside Ino and clambered onto the rope. The blonde promptly fell asleep once more.

Kakashi started in surprise. "Sakura, is that where you're going to sleep tonight?" She glared at him.

"Go to sleep and leave me alone. You're keeping us all up," she spat. Sure enough, Sasuke and Naruto poked their heads through the flaps in the tents and blinked sleepily.

"What – Sakura-chan! You'll fall!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura snorted.

"Don't insult me," she sniffed. "Go back to bed, you fools." After some persuading, the Kyuubi container crawled back to the warmth of his sleeping roll.

Sasuke and Kakashi moved into their respective tents, expecting to be awakened by a loud thump – signaling that the pink-haired girl had lost her balance – soon. It never came.

- - -

There it is! I know it's kinda short, but I'm… yeah. See ya!