Title: The Mission From Hell
Author: JackieLupin (you can contact me at )
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sama owns all!
Rating: Light R for suggestive language, swearing, and battle scenes. And maybe some sex later on.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS STORY: This is an AU, which means an "Alternate Universe." In this story, Sasuke never left Konoha and never attacked Naruto at the hospital after the Chuunin Exams. Also, I'm making The Hidden Sand Village an ally of Konoha; therefore, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro did NOT attack the Hokage Sarutobi with Orochimaru, and the fight between Team 7 and Gaara/Shukaku never happened. However, Orochimaru did manage to kill the Sandaime, so Tsunade is now Godaime. Sakura has trained underneath Tsunade for four years, so Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and the Rookie 9 are now 17 years old, while Neji, TenTen and Lee are 18. Yamato-taichou and Sai are also around, but probably won't have major roles in this story.
If you have any questions, please contact me and I'll do my best to set everyone on the right track! Thanks!
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Chapter One
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After Kakashi convinced Sakura to heal Sasuke's broken arm, after Naruto had been placated after Sai had gloated in his face, and after Yamato returned to the ANBU headquarters, Team 7 finally managed to reach the Hokage's tower. An anxious-looking Shizune ushered them inside hurriedly, and an angry Godaime Hokage awaited them, looking very tired.
"Sit," the Hokage snapped, rubbing her temples and cutting straight to the details. "This is an urgent mission, and I would not have asked a chuunin team to handle it, but I believe it will be a good experience for you. A lord by the name of Igarashi Benjiro wrote to us pleading for a team of shinobi to help him regain his city, Iwate."
"Why should we do anything?" Sasuke scoffed, "All of these lords are the same! They've never helped anyone-"
"Quiet!" Tsunade growled, "You're just a child." The look on the young Uchiha's face was of pure anger, but Tsunade wasn't moved an inch. "Are you ready to listen to the rest of the details now?"
Grudgingly, Sasuke nodded, though Naruto's snickers in the back didn't help the situation. Inwardly, Sakura sighed. This is going to be great, she thought wearily, Especially if Sasuke doesn't give a damn and Naruto makes a mess of things that Kakashi and I will have to fix...
"Now that you are all listening," the Godaime continued, "Lord Igarashi lives in Wind Country, near our eastern border. He claims that there was a coup, and his government was overthrown last month. All of the other reports I've received had nothing but good to say of Lord Igarashi, and I believe that. The new government, however, is a dictatorship. A man by the name of Maeno Montaro now controls Iwate, and according to the people, the new government has killed and tortured all of those who threatened or disagreed with them and their new...policies."
"Gomen, Tsunade-sensei," Sakura interrupted, "But if Lord Igarashi lives in Wind Country, why did he contact Konoha and not Suna?"
Tsunade smiled. "You were always very clever," she praised, causing her student to blush, "Igarashi contacted Suna first, but right now, Kazekage-sama has enough problems of his own and was forced to decline. Igarashi came to us; I couldn't refuse this one. The money is too good for Konoha to just leave. And besides, I'd rather the city be set right. It's a major trading capital and a major asset that I'd rather we or any of our allies controlled. If, say, Sound controlled the city, that would be a problem for us. It's a win-win situation; Lord Igarashi regains his city, and we gain an ally."
"Do we have any other leads on Maeno Montaro?" Kakashi asked gravely.
Tsunade shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, but his name was hard enough to uncover. Whoever he is, he's doing a great job at keeping himself private to the public. Even the people in the city don't really know who he is because his subordinates run the government. That will be part of your objective in this mission; discover all that you can about this man. I need to know if he has contacts within any of our enemy nations like our information has hinted at. It is imperative that you do not fail, Kakashi. The same goes for you three. This is your first S class mission, and I want you to treat it as such."
"Hai!" Team 7 chorused.
"Now go. The rest of the mission objectives are in the scroll."
-
Back at her apartment, Sakura quickly packed some food for the two day journey to Wind Country and wrapped it in cloth before stowing it in her pack. When that was done, she hurried into her bedroom, slammed on her boots and grabbed her bedroll, securing it to the top of her pack. "Okay," she murmured, "I've got my jacket, bandages, extra food in case Naruto forgets some of his, my kunai, my senbon..."
"You forgot these."
Sakura spun around and hurled herself at the intruder, but the man just stepped away with a laugh. "Naruto!" she growled upon recognizing his blond hair and blue eyes, "You know how to knock!"
He merely shrugged with a grin and handed her her chakra gloves. "That takes the fun out of scaring you," Naruto teased, "It's too much fun to stop, Sakura-chan!"
"Baka!" she said, but she was smiling. "Do you have everything you need?"
He saluted her. "Yes ma'am!" He was dressed in all black, Sakura was surprised to see, and his hitai-ate was wrapped securely around his forehead. Even his track jacket lacked any flamboyant orange that it usually sported, and seeing Sakura's inquisitive look, Naruto said, "I was thinking about what Tsunade-baa-chan was saying, and I felt that I needed to take this mission seriously. You know, our first S-class! Besides, orange isn't really a good color when trying to stay hidden."
"I've been trying to tell you that for years," she teased him, ruffling his hair with one hand, "I'm just surprised. You without orange is a little odd for me to see."
-
Half an hour later, Naruto and Sakura reached the gates to find Sasuke and Kakashi, all packed and already waiting for them. Sasuke glared at them. "You're late," he said sullenly, but Naruto only rolled his eyes. Sakura glared right back at Sasuke, still angry - and hurt - about how he had treated her during their practice.
Kakashi grabbed Sasuke just as the teenager tensed to launch himself at Naruto. Sakura shook her head and began walking out of Konoha, her hands in her pockets. "C'mon, you three!" she said, stopping a couple feet away to look back at them, "We can't waste any more time." Looking out to the horizon, Sakura suddenly was overcome with a sense of fear. This is our first S-class mission, she thought, an icy hand gripping her heart tightly, There's so much that could go wrong... What if...
They travelled in silence for a couple hours, all four suffering under the afternoon heat and the harsh sunlight. Sakura was very uncomfortable, as her shorts began chafing her thighs and the combat boots that she hadn't worn in a couple weeks began to rub her ankles raw. The heat wasn't helping either; the sweat beads that ran down her back were annoying.
She glanced to her left. Kakashi had pulled out his Icha Icha Paradise and was content to thumb through the pages again and again, and Sakura scowled, wishing she had something to do that would get her mind off of the heat. "Kakashi?" she asked, and smiled when he looked down at her, "Can I see the mission scroll please?"
"Sure, Sakura," he said, twisting around to grab it out of his pack, "Here."
She unrolled the scroll carefully. On the top of the scroll, the words "PRIORITY MISSION" were stamped across the edge, and underneath it in smaller lettering contained all of the information about the Lord, Igarashi Benjiro. He was a forty year old man with no combat training that came from the Igarashi Clan, one well known in Wind Country for trading. Ten years ago, Lord Igarashi established the city of Iwate, his own trading outpost, and it had grown and flourished until it was one of the top trading destinations in Wind Country. The city was very successful, and the men and women who lived in Iwate were comfortable and just as successful. Though the city was a trading outpost, the level of crime was very low, due to the number of loyal shinobi that worked under Lord Igarashi.
"Kaka-sensei?" Sakura asked.
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever met Lord Igarashi?"
Kakashi was silent for a moment, but when he answered, his words were spoken earnestly. "One of the fairest men I've ever met," he said with a small smile, "Lord Igarashi is a good man. The fact that he was overthrown is very troubling, because the majority of people who meet him immediately respect him."
"Do...do you think that Sound has something to do with it?" Sasuke asked from behind her, and she could hear the slight trepidation in his tone despite his apathetic expression. Her eyes narrowed; if only, just once and a while, he looked the way he felt!
The Copy Ninja sighed. "I don't know, Sasuke. It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but then again, I don't understand why anyone would want to remove Lord Igarashi from the head of Iwate. But he does have ties to Konoha and Suna, so it could be possible."
"Is there a chance that Orochimaru will be there too?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked over at him in alarm; his eyes were hard and glittering angrily in his usually happy face, and his fists were clenched in his pockets. She gently put a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to smile encouragingly at her, but she knew it was forced.
"Hopefully not," Kakashi answered, scratching his head, "If that happens, I will call for an ANBU backup. Before you three got there, Tsunade-sama said that she was keeping a squad of ANBU ready if we need them. Thankfully Iwate is close enough to Konoha that if they use the Teleportation Jutsu I left them, the ANBU will get to us in about three hours."
Team 7 fell silent after that.
-
The sun was just beginning to set when Kakashi's gloved hand signaled them to stop. He was uncharacteristically silent as he motioned for them to hide; the hair on the back of Sakura's neck stood up in anticipation. She could feel the hush of the forest as the birds stopped their ruckus and the wind picked up. Something was coming. There was a slight trace of chakra in the air, and then Sakura was aware of the presence of two unknown shinobi.
"Kakashi-sensei," she whispered as quietly as possible, "Hunter-nins?"
"Hai," he muttered, looking unusually grave, "They know where we are, so we need to move, quickly. I feel two of them; you and I can handle one, and Naruto and Sasuke can handle the other."
Sakura nodded in agreement. Her body was tensed and ready to go, her right leg already supporting her weight to help her spring back if she needed to make a hasty retreat. She felt the chakra in the air, surprised. Hunter-nins were very dangerous, ANBU level shinobi. They must purposely be letting their chakra leak if she could feel their presence, for the hunter-nins were prided on their ability to remain undetected. What was going on here?
They were coming closer. Kakashi disappeared into the ground as their purposely-loud footsteps drew closer; her sensei was obviously intent on getting a closer look without being seen. Sakura frowned; why were they letting them know where they were? Did they think that Team 7 wasn't going to be hard to subdue? Because they were in for a big surprise if they thought that Sakura - and Sasuke and Naruto- were genin level shinobi!
There were two shinobi, men, wearing robes and cloths around their heads. One was young and tall, with dark, curly hair sticking out from underneath his hitai-ate and bright blue eyes and a smile on his face, while the other man was older and very thin, streaks of grey starting to stain his brown hair. He too was smiling, though he seemed wiser and more collected than his younger partner. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw their hitai-ates; Sand!
Just as Sakura relaxed, Kakashi erupted from the ground beneath them and raised his hand in greeting. The two shinobi nodded their heads in recognition, and the man with the curly black hair waved back. The older man nearly rolled his eyes at his partner's enthusiasm, but instead he settled for a sheepish half-smile that reminded Sakura of Kiba's when he made a mistake.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, come on out!" Kakashi called for them, and without waiting for the other two to appear, Sakura scrambled out of the bushes and went to stand behind her old sensei. Naruto bounded out as well, waving at the two shinobi in an unrestrained way, while Sasuke, his dark gaze mistrustful, hesitantly left the cover of the bushes to stand a couple feet away from the two newcomers.
Kakashi smiled. "Itanade Jomei is an old friend of mine," he said, indicating the older man before him.
Jomei bowed his head in greeting. "It is nice to finally meet Kakashi's famous students!" His voice was smooth and calming, a testament to his age and experience. He looked at all of them with a kind smile on his face, and Sakura immediately liked the older man. "Allow me to introduce my apprentice, Takahasshi Akeno," Jomei added, and the young man stepped forward, his smile reminding Sakura of Naruto's.
"It's great to meet you," Akeno said warmly, and with a blush, Sakura realized just how handsome he was. His blue eyes were lighter than Naruto's, but seemed to fit in his tan face and mellowed out the darkness of his curly hair. He couldn't have been two years older than they were, but if he was skilled enough to be a Hunter-nin, he must be formidable... Sakura quickly looked to Jomei when Akeno's gaze fell onto hers; she didn't want him to realize that she had been staring, but he must have known, for his cheeks reddened slightly too.
Sasuke and Naruto, however, growled warningly at Akeno. The top of Sasuke's head suddenly blocked Sakura's view as he abruptly appeared before her, and she gaped at his sudden protectiveness. Kakashi laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "You'll have to excuse Naruto and Sasuke," he told Jomei, "They're very protective of Sakura."
Akeno smiled at her. "That's a pretty name," he said quietly, unable to meet her eyes for longer than a second or two.
Sakura blushed darkly. "Thank you," she murmured back, reveling in the attention. He's staring, he thinks I'm cute! Then Sakura noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sasuke was staring at her, too. He looked away rather quickly, but it was obvious to her, as well as to Kakashi, that Sasuke was angry.
"Er, Jomei, can I speak with you for a moment?" Kakashi said, staring at Sasuke intently until the teenager looked up at him. Sasuke frowned, and Kakashi pointedly shook his head, a silent warning to Sasuke to behave himself.
"Of course," Jomei replied, and the two older shinobi went to speak a few feet away from the teenagers. Sakura shuffled her feet in embarrassment, glaring at Kakashi for leaving Sasuke and Naruto unsupervised, especially around Akeno. For a few long, uncomfortable, awkward moments, the four simply looked at each other or at the ground. The tension was stifling for Sakura.
"So," Naruto finally drawled, "How old are you?"
Akeno smiled. "I'm eighteen. I turn nineteen in a month."
Naruto glanced at Sakura. "He's too old for you, Sakura-chan."
"Naruto!" she cried, mortified. Akeno laughed nervously, but Sasuke's furious glare soon caused him to stop. "Naruto," Sakura continued, hoping to calm everyone down before a fight broke out, "It's none of your business who I go out with, thank you. And we've only just met Akeno; it's not like we're immediately going to start dating!"
"Gomen, Sakura-chan," Naruto muttered, turning red and looking abashed.
Sasuke, however, was still glaring at Akeno. "I don't care, Sakura," Sasuke said icily without taking his eyes off of the Sand shinobi, "You're not going out with this dobe."
"Oh, and you have the right to say yes or no, do you?" Sakura replied angrily, "You're not my father!"
"I'm your teammate!" he snapped back, his black eyes boring into hers.
Sakura threw her head back and laughed. "Some teammate you are!" she goaded, "A teammate doesn't aim to kill during practice."
"I thought you would dodge it!"
"That's not the point! If you had hit me any higher, you would've killed me!"
"You healed your injury in a matter of seconds! You were fine!"
Sakura growled. "That's all I am to you, isn't it?" she cried, finally reaching her breaking point, "I'm just a goddamn teammate of yours! I'm not even a friend, considering the way you treat me, and I haven't done anything that warrants that kind of treatment from you! But y-you're just a spoiled little brat that throws a tantrum whenever you don't get your own way! Well, welcome to the real world, Sasuke, because that's how it is here!"
She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for his response. Hell, she wouldn't even be surprised if he tried to hit her.
But there was only silence.
When Sakura opened her eyes, Naruto was staring at her with his mouth hanging wide open. Akeno looked very nervous, but he wasn't used to her behavior, so it was apparent he didn't know what to make of her. And Sasuke... Sasuke had disappeared.
-
Kakashi and Jomei had decided to set up camp together, just for the night. Kakashi deemed that they had made good time during the day, so they could afford a night's rest before completing the last stretch of the journey to reach Lord Igarashi tomorrow. Sakura didn't know what the two Sand Hunter-nins were doing this far into Fire Country, but then again, since Gaara-sama and Tsunade-sama were closely allied, the Hokage probably knew about it anyway. Jomei and Kakashi were on friendly terms, which made her feel relaxed and comfortable at the camp. That is, until Sasuke returned.
The six shinobi were currently sitting around the fire, talking quietly. Or, rather, Naruto was trying to join into the conversation with Kakashi, Jomei and Akeno, while Sakura was content to listen in. And Sasuke, sitting across the fire from her, just stared into the flames, lost in thought.
Sakura smiled slightly, watching her blond teammate as he desperately tried to prove himself. Kakashi put a hand over Naruto's mouth to control his outburst as he and Jomei continued to share battle tactics and old mission stories. Sasuke smirked, and Akeno laughed at the expression of surprise and chagrin on the blond's whiskered face. Naruto growled, but then he fell silent, his thoughts already elsewhere.
"Sakura," Naruto began sheepishly a few minutes later, keeping his voice lower than a whisper so no one would hear what he said, "I know its hard to believe, but really, Sasuke attacking you like that was a warped compliment; if he didn't think you were skilled enough, he wouldn't have kicked you like that. And besides, you're the best medic I know, besides Tsunade-baa-chan."
She sighed. "Yeah, I guess..." Though Naruto meant to cheer her up, Sakura's spirits fell even further. That's a weird way to show affection, she thought, a wry smile twisting her lips. Why couldn't she have fallen for one of her other friends? Even Neji would be easier to get along with than Sasuke. Neji may be aloof and proper, but that was how he was raised, and he was never deliberately icy. Sasuke, however, reveled in making others uncomfortable and on edge.
Half an hour passed like this, and soon Sakura was feeling very tired. Yawn after yawn assaulted her, and she had difficulty keeping her eyes open. Kakashi smiled at her and ruffled her hair gently. "Sleepy-head," he teased.
Jomei inspected the fire. "We need some more wood, otherwise the fire will go out soon. One of you four can go get it." He grinned at the expression on their tired faces.
Sasuke turned his head to stare at Sakura, and she mentally braced herself. "Why don't you get it?" he said with a smirk, "You didn't help set up the tents, so it's only fair you do something."
"Sasuke!" Kakashi and Naruto admonished at the same time, but Sakura was too tired to be very angry.
She only shrugged, knowing that would make the black-haired teenager angry. "Fine," Sakura said nonchalantly, getting to her feet and stretching, "Next time, you can dig the latrine." She resisted a smile at the furious scowl that appeared on his face, then grabbed Naruto's jacket, slung it around her shoulders and walked into the surrounding forest.
"Hey, I'll go with you," Akeno called out from behind her, jumping to his feet and joining her in a few long strides.
Sakura blushed deeply and smiled up at him. "Thanks," she murmured, embarrassed but touched. After her earlier outburst at Sasuke, she had been convinced that he would have avoided her. Guess I was wrong, she thought, and couldn't help but be inwardly happy.
Akeno grinned back at her, and Naruto made gagging noises behind them.
"So," Akeno began after a few moments, "Sakura, right?"
Sakura nodded, reaching down to grab a large twig and add it to her pile. "Yeah," she laughed, "My parents were... well, they liked the name."
"It's a pretty name," Akeno said for the second time in a few hours, blushing as he said it, and Sakura found herself smiling along with him. He was very sweet and well mannered as well; Sakura was somewhat drawn to him already.
"What're your parents like?" he asked, breaking a large branch in half and collecting it up into his arms. He seemed genuinely interested.
"Well, they're normal," she replied with a slight smile, gripping Naruto's jacket tighter around her, "They're civilians. I grew up like a normal girl, and joined the ninja academy because my friend was doing it."
"How did they take it?"
"Ah, you know. They were really nervous for me, but they supported my decision. It's odd, sometimes, because when I talk to them, I have to remind myself that they don't understand half of the things I've said. They didn't know anything about chakra until I told them, or jutsu either. Now, though, they must be experts," she joked.
Akeno laughed. "My parents were civilians, too. My father actually forbid me to join, but my mother understood since her sister - my aunt - became a kunoichi. Now, of course, Dad tells everyone who'll listen how proud he is of me. You know, hero of the village in all." His white teeth flashed in a grin. "My mom hits him whenever he starts off on that."
Sakura smiled at him. "I think you're very skilled, for being a Hunter-nin at eighteen!"
Akeno smiled back. "Jomei-sensei has been a great teacher. He's taught me everything, and he's the one that got me this far."
"Kakashi-sensei may be a great teacher, but he's also chronically late for everything. He didn't teach me... I had to learn on my own, but he's the kind of man who gives encouragement and lets his students discover their talents on their own."
The Sand-nin whistled. "The great Copy Ninja," he said, awe apparent in his voice, "Jomei-sensei used to talk about him all of the time."
"Do you know how they met?"
"I think it was during one of the Chuunin exams," he said, "This was only a couple of years ago... fifteen, I think. But Kakashi-sama was one of the proctors, and so was Jomei-sensei. I guess they got to know each other, and became friends. Or acquaintances, I don't know. I do know that Jomei used to write to Kakashi, even when Suna and Konoha weren't on the best of terms."
"I'm glad we have a strong alliance with Suna. It helps that Gaara-sama is an old friend of Naruto's!"
Akeno gaped at her. "Naruto is friends with Kazekage-sama? I mean, I've heard so many good things about Naruto and Konoha, but I never heard about that!" Their arms were now full of firewood, and she knew they had stalled enough in the forest. Turning around, the two headed back toward camp.
Sakura smiled, though it was bittersweet. "Gaara and Naruto...They understand each other," she replied quietly, "They were both orphaned, and both of their villages made them outcasts when they were very young. They understand what it's like to be all alone. Naruto is like a brother to me, like I'm a sister to him, but Gaara and Naruto... they share a common background, and it's a close bond."
Akeno gently took the wood from her arms and carried it for her. "Naruto is lucky to have someone like you as a friend," he complimented, looking down at her softly, "Sakura, I've never really met a kunoichi like you before."
She blushed darkly, looking down at her hands. "Akeno..." she began softly, "That's really sweet of you."
"I mean it," he said earnestly, "All the other kunoichi I know are... actually, kind of scary. Temari-sama, for instance-"
Sakura laughed. "Temari! She wouldn't hurt a fly! Her bark is far worse than her bite!" She could just see the campfire now through the foliage, and she knew they were only a few hundred feet from camp. She felt a warm, bubbly feeling grow in her chest at the warmth and affection Akeno was showing towards her. She felt like she was beautiful...something Sasuke never made her feel. Instead, she felt awkward and uncomfortable around him, but that didn't change the fact that she... What was it she wanted from him, anyway, with a shinobi like Akeno doting on her? An extinguished Hunter-nin like Akeno, or a moody, violent chuunin like Sasuke? But then again, Akeno reminded her of Naruto... like a friend.
"What took you lovebirds so long?" Kakashi asked when they reached the camp." Sakura blushed for the umpteenth time that day, while Akeno just smiled and dropped the firewood into a pile beside the fire. Jomei smiled at his student wickedly.
"Looks like Akeno found himself a nice kunoichi," the older Sand-nin teased.
Sasuke frowned at this, staring accusingly at Sakura. She refused to look over at him, suddenly very angry with her teammate. What was his problem?! He was acting so possessive of her, and he had never shown any interest in her in the past! Instead of acknowledging Sasuke and his sudden affectionate display, she grinned down at Naruto and returned his jacket to him.
"Well," Jomei said as tension filled the clearing once more, "Naruto, would you like to spar with me?"
Naruto jumped at the chance. "Yes, please," he said enthusiastically, shrugging on his jacket and reaching for his weapon's pouch, "Thanks Jomei-san!"
Jomei merely smiled. "Kakashi-san was telling me of your progress. I'd like to see your style of fighting, if you wouldn't mind."
"Not at all, not at all!" the excited blond cried, moving off a couple of feet away from the fire and settling into a defensive crouch. Jomei stood, waiting for him, but Naruto, though he made sometimes stupid mistakes, didn't fall for it.
Sakura sat down next to Kakashi and grinned up at him. "So, what do you think?" she asked her sensei.
Kakashi nodded at her. "I think Naruto will surprise Jomei. Their styles of fighting are far different. While Naruto always takes the offensive with his jutsu and taijutsu combinations, Jomei tends to use genjutsu. I wonder if Naruto will be able to sense it."
A movement to her right caused Sakura to look over; Akeno had settled himself next to her, in between her and Sasuke. She smiled at the Hunter-nin, then turned her attention back to Naruto and Jomei, missing the pleading expression that filled Sasuke's eyes as he watched her.
The fight between Jomei and Naruto blurred with kicks and punches, blocked and returned, over and over and over again. Soon Sakura let her mind drift away...She was so tired, and it must have been really late at night because the moon had risen and fallen already in the sky... The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Sasuke's face from across the fire, gazing over at her... and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a small smile on his face...
-
She was dreaming, she was positive of that fact. The fire set a warm glow across the clearing, and while her teammates and the two Sand shinobi sat around the fire in an identical fashion as earlier in the night, she could see Sasuke, laughing and joking with Naruto and Akeno, while Kakashi and Jomei looked down at their students proudly. She met Sasuke's gaze from across the fire, and he smiled at her warmly. He raised one hand and beckoned her over towards him, and she did so, but it was as if she were in a fog... his hands suddenly grabbed her own, and he held her close to him-
But then he pushed her away and shook her roughly. "Sakura!" Sasuke said, but his voice and face were changing...
That wasn't Sasuke!
"Sakura," a deeper voice called, and Sakura recognized it as Kakashi's, "Wake up!"
She snapped awake as reality flooded her senses, and realized that she had fallen asleep on her teacher. "Oh!" she cried in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Not to worry, Sakura," he replied kindly, "You started snoring, so I thought you'd want me to wake you up."
Great, she thought, gazing down at her hands in mortification. Can't get any worse right now...
With a final thump of flesh hitting flesh, Jomei sent Naruto flying through the air with one well-placed kick. Her teammate landed a couple feet away with an "Oomph." He got to his feet with a good-natured laugh and shook hands with the older shinobi. "Thanks!" Naruto called, "That was a lot of fun!"
Kakashi, with a rare smile, said, "I think it would surprise you, Naruto, that you have grown immensely in the years that I have had the privilege of teaching you." Naruto finally gets the praise he deserves, Sakura thought, grinning at Naruto proudly while her friend blushed.
Jomei nodded and clapped Naruto on the back. "You did very well," he told the young Leaf shinobi earnestly, "Kakashi was not lying when he spoke of your skills."
"Good job!" Sakura called to Naruto, giving him a swift hug, "You did wonderful!"
"Thanks, Sakura-chan," her friend said sheepishly, though he was grinning.
Even Sasuke congratulated Naruto. "You did good," he said stiffly, but it was genuine.
"Thank you," Naruto replied, and grinned crookedly at the Uchiha, "I did better than you would have."
"You go ahead and think that," Sasuke replied, though there was a small smile turning up the corner of his mouth.
"Teme, take that back!"
"Make me, dobe."
Sakura smiled as she watched the two bicker. Maybe... maybe Sasuke isn't a lost case afterall, she thought, feeling the hope start to rise in her stomach. "Maybe," she whispered.
-
End of Chapter One! I hope you guys are enjoying "The Mission From Hell" so far!
I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and/or put this on your favorites list and/or alerted this story! I'm taking a plunge right now by attempted a full-length story, so bear with me! The next chapters might be a little slow in coming as my school year finishes up, but this summer should give me plenty of time to chew through some new chapters! Right now I'm predicting around eleven or twelve chapters, though the Prologue and Chapter One might be some of the longer, transitional ones.
I promise SOME Sasuke and Sakura fluff in the next chapter, but remember, they probably won't get "together" for at least six/seven more chapters. These things take time, haha!
Reviews are welcome!!
-Jackie