Title: The Mission From Hell
Author: JackieLupin
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. Akatsuki is NOT involved, so Itachi and the other misfits of the gang will NOT be 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 SIX
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Sakura sat down the next morning outside in the sun, relaxing in its gentle rays and allowing her aching body to rest. The entire camp had been on high alert last night, waiting for any other possible waves of Sound shinobi to try and take them out, and tensions were still on high alert.
She groaned at the headache she had gained from Sasuke and Naruto's incessant bickering. They had woken her up with their insults and punches, and although she wanted to smash them both into the wall, it probably would not have been a great idea. That, and Kakashi had quickly ushered her outside with a promise of bringing food to her later to break up the fight himself. Sakura had left, though not before glaring at both of them openly for their immaturity. Naruto had enough sense to smile a sheepish apology her way.
So here she was, trying to relax in the sun while listening to the yelps and groans of Naruto and Sasuke as Kakashi took it upon himself to show them what sparring was all about. Not that her teammates' combined efforts didn't give her sensei a run for his money.
The fresh morning air was gentle against her skin. Sakura had discarded her shirt earlier, as the sunburn that had decorated her shoulders had faded into a light tan. The wound on her side was still slightly raw and twinged whenever she stretched, but the pain was bearable, and Sakura was only grateful that her genjutsu had actually worked and driven off the Sound shinobi. She had not only saved herself without any help, but she had also saved Igarashi-san and his men!
But as for the ANBU team, she couldn't wait for them to arrive. Sakura sincerely hoped that Yamato and Sai would be a part of the unit, but she knew that was wishful thinking. They were a part of ROOT, and even though Tsunade-sama trusted them, she doubted Danzou, that old coot, would allow them to leave to help one of the Hokage's prized teams.
Now that was rivalry.
Sakura nearly snorted. Rivalry described Sasuke and Naruto's friendship, not to mention the love-hate relationship between her and Ino. Rivalry was the three powers that Tsunade, Danzou and the Council held in Konoha. Even Kakashi-sensei and Maito Gai were rivals, and their bets and gambles were legendary in Konoha. Rivalry sure did strengthen skills, but sometimes it was quite troublesome and only provided problems. Right now, she had more than enough problems to deal with, but bickering with Ino was something she missed.
During her days off, Sakura always fell into a regular routine. In the mornings she would train with Shikamaru unless he had a mission with his old team. From time to time, Neji would join them; the Hyuuga claimed training with them always pushed him to the limit, what with and Sakura and Shikamaru's intelligence and planning combined, as well as the different styles of fighting. Shikamaru was a long distance fighter, usually keeping well out of his opponents grasp, but Sakura and Neji depended on hand to hand combat for most of their tricks. Sakura had her genjutsu for long range attacks, but they drained her chakra reserves so quickly that she relied on them only if she had no other option. Her medical jutsu and chakra-enhanced hits could only be made within feet of her opponent to actually affect them. Neji's attacks too were only useful if he could manage to hit the enemy, for his Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou closed the chakra sources in the body. Physical contact was necessary.
"Here you go, Sakura," Kakashi said sheepishly as he appeared behind her, holding out one small bowl of soup for her to take, which she did, "Breakfast!"
"Thanks, Kaka-sensei," she said, smiling, blowing on the simple broth soup to cool it. It was part of their supplies, backed full of nutrients and vitamins for a healthy shinobi that encompassed the entire day. Shizune and Sakura had helped to develop it in the hospital when too many shinobi turned up dehydrated and malnourished.
The older shinobi sat down next to her with a sigh, stretching out his feet before him. For a few long, comfortable moments, they sat in silence, eating their soup and watching the sun rise higher and higher in the sky. Well, Kakashi more of slurped his soup through his mask, Sakura wincing at the exaggerated sounds he was making. For the time being, Igarashi and his men were safe; if the Sound shinobi were retreating to regroup, then they would have attacked already before Igarashi and his men could recover. Their absence was a good thing.
She glanced over at her lanky friend; he was now reading the same Icha Icha as the day before, the pages well-worn and read countless times. When she was younger, the fact that her sensei read porn in public both embarrassed and irritated her. Now, Kakashi wouldn't be himself without that small orange book safely tucked away with his kunai.
Kakashi tilted his head to glance at her, his now empty soup bowl sitting forlornly by his side. "If you;re so interested in Icha Icha all of a sudden," he teased her affectionately, "I have an extra copy in my backpack."
Sakura flushed guiltily. "Well..." she began, laughing softly, "If you'd lend it to me, I promise I'd give it back."
Team 7's squad leader chuckled and ruffled her hair. "You're of age. It can't hurt. And it might even be... enlightening." Getting to his feet, Kakashi picked up his empty bowl and ambled back into the cave to get the romance novel, "Just make sure you don't tell Naruto."
"Tell me what?" she dimly heard Naruto ask, before a loud cry of pain was heard, then the clinking of kunai against kunai. Then the scuffle continued.
She squirmed where she sat, fighting down her embarrassment. She was an adult, so there was no harm in asking, but it was like a shift in the tables. Last week she had probably yelled at him to put the book away and train with them, and here she was now tentatively expressing her interest in it.
"You'll always be my little, awkward pink-haired brat," Kakashi said teasingly when he came back out, that offending book in his hand while his other hand rested on her shoulder like a brother would lean on his younger sister, "Kami, I remember when I first saw you three... I was thinking how unlucky I was! You were all so young and carefree, especially you and Naruto... you didn't know the meaning of being a shinobi and the death and loneliness that came with it like Naruto and Sasuke, but you learned..." His voice held a hint of sadness. "I sometimes wish you didn't have to learn that lesson, Sakura. I may have thought you weren't fit to be a shinobi when you were twelve, but now... you're my student and friend. You helped me to grow up and accept responsibility. I can't always protect you, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't if I could."
Sakura was speechless. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes as Kakashi spoke, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with affection for her mentor. He was usually never this vocal about what he felt, usually hiding his true emotions behind snaky comments and teasing words. She opened her mouth to reply-
"Aww, you do care!" Naruto said from behind them, emerging from the cave sporting a black and blue cheek, courtesy no doubt of Kakashi. Her teammate plopped down on her other side and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry for pissing you off, Sakura-chan!"
"Language," she said absently, though she gave her friend a smile. "Apology accepted, though you already apologized."
Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't sure you would see it," he teased, "I know you see red when you're angry!"
Kakashi rolled his visible eye while Sakura raised an eyebrow. She knew her temper sometimes got the best of her, but was she really that bad?
The blond seemed to sense danger. Holding his hands up in front of him in defeat and to ward off any punches Sakura might possibly send his way, he clarified, "Anou, Sakura-chan, your temper is bad at all compared to Tsunade-baa-chan's! Every time I go to see her I walk away after being beaten into a pulp!"
"That's because you call her old every time you see her. Oh, and you usually just barge into her office without asking and shout in her face about getting a S-class mission," Sasuke remarked from behind them, his arms crossed over his chest.
While Sasuke and Naruto went back to insulting each other, Sakura turned back to Kakashi and took the Icha Icha he offered, quickly stuffing it into her pouch before the boys could see it and comment on it.
"Kakashi," she whispered happily, "Thank you. For the book, but also for earlier..."
He rewarded her with a rare embrace, then stepped up to tear Naruto away from Sasuke, where they both lay, attempting to pummel each other into the ground. "You two!" he said in exasperation, "Act your age! We're on a mission."
Sakura shook her head and laughed. Team 7 may be entirely dysfunctional and at times, completely insane, but they were her family, and times like this made her appreciate them all the more. They had been through so much together, and she knew it was only beginning.
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Nothing out of the usual happened during the day, though the camp was much more subdued. The men rested and chatted quietly, playing cards or shogi around the fire pits while the women cooked a large feast in celebration of the battle won the night before. Children ran around, in and outside of the cave, whacking each other with sticks, so carefree and innocent that Sakura was envious.
For her team, however, training was their version of relaxation.
Naruto ate, napped and trained with Sasuke, going through drill after drill with each other while Kakashi watched and critiqued them. Although Team 7 was renowned for its skilled shinobi, there was still much that a veteran shinobi like Kakashi could teach to the teenagers. Naruto needed to learn patience, and Sasuke needed to learn humility. And Sakura needed to control her temper and not let words affect her.
Sakura glanced up from the book of jutsu Tsunade gave her to study when Sasuke sent Naruto flying with a crash. She watched him as the Uchiha stood over his teammate and friend, offering Naruto a hand up with a smirk. Naruto took the offered hand, but then the two were back to the drills. Her eyes lingered on Sasuke for a few short moments, watching the way his muscles rippled underneath his shirt and the way his eyes narrowed every time Naruto's fist flew his way. When he spun to avoid an attack, his dark hair would fall into his face in a way that made Sakura itch to gently tuck it behind his ear. And his dark eyes were staring intently at Naruto as he waited for another attack, just like the way he sometimes looked at her. Like yesterday, she thought with a shiver, remembering the look in his eyes as he looked her up and down.
Growling at herself when she realized that she had been staring, Sakura forced herself to look back down at her book and concentrate.
...the Doton Doryuuheki no Jutsu is specially designed to block other offensive jutsu from B class level and down. Mud flows from the user's mouth and forms a shield-like barrier that hardens when it is shaped...
Her emerald eyes landed on Sasuke once more as he launched himself at Naruto, his shuriken stopped by one of Naruto's kunai. They broke apart, Sasuke dropping the shuriken to hurriedly form the seals for the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu. Naruto's eyes widened, and a fraction of a second later, the blond took off through the air, concentrating chakra to the bottom of his feet to run up the steep walls of the cave to avoid the fireball Sasuke sent his way.
Sakura shook her head and returned to the book. Better not disappoint Tsunade-sama, she thought dejectedly, silently wishing the book was more interesting... If she was careful, she could pull out the Icha Icha... no, Naruto would spot that immediately.
...Chakra barriers, such as the Chakra no Tate no Jutsu, are used mostly defensively and can block an array of jutsu and weaponry from C class level and lower, though the user runs through chakra at an accelerated rate, especially with every hit that the chakra barrier takes...
Sakura slammed the book shut in frustration. She already knew most of these jutsu! She was creative and intelligent enough to have formed her own defensive and offensive medical jutsu to suit her own needs!
Kakashi glanced over at her. "Something wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head, scrambling to her feet, her eyes fixed on the two teenagers fighting in the middle of the cave. They halted in their attack patterns when they saw her coming, but silently, Sakura motioned for them to continue. Shrugging out of her shirt, she released the catch on her shuriken holster and on her kunai pouch, withdrawing a kunai to grip between her teeth. Thanks to the good night of sleep, her chakra levels had recovered swiftly until she was at full capacity. She fixed the chakra in her fists after pulling on her gloves, then streaked into the fray.
Naruto was the unlucky one caught by her right hook; the poor teenager flew back a couple of feet, clutching his sore shoulder. "Unfair, Sakura-chan!" Naruto complained, though he was relatively unhurt, "That nearly dislocated my shoulder!"
"I'm not going to go easy on you," Sakura snarled, momentarily distracted as Sasuke activated his Sharingan and began an attack combination of taijutsu, forcing her to fix her eyes on his limbs and hope to Kami that she avoided all of his hits, "Don't go easy on me!" Sakura was forced to keep her eyes on Sasuke, leaving her open to any attacks Naruto might throw back at her. Taking a chance as she felt his chakra signature near her, Sakura flipped herself to the ground and swiped her leg at Sasuke's, hoping to catch him unawares. The mighty Uchiha only stumbled slightly, but it was enough for Sakura to hastily remove herself as Naruto came charing in.
As she was retreating, a hit grazed her back. Sakura let out a whoop of laughter that her quick escape plan had worked, even if Naruto had almost managed to get her. She knew that if he wanted to, Sasuke could have grabbed her, but it seemed he'd rather take out his frustration on his blond teammate. In response to that, Sakura came up behind him and, taking a leaf out of Neji's book, used her medical chakra to close one of the chakra pathways in his left arm in two seconds flat.
Sasuke's Sharingan, however, caught her and held her motionless when Sakura accidentally met his eyes when he turned his head to glare at her. Sakura cursed inwardly that she was careless enough to be ensnared, but her frustration lasted only a couple of seconds before Sasuke was forced to look away to avoid a kick of Naruto's.
She let out a sigh as her body unfroze, though for a few moments she watched as Sasuke drove Naruto further and further back, never once halting blow after enhanced blow, courtesy of the Sharingan, though his left arm was stiff and the movements were rough and sloppy. Naruto, panting, yelled to her, "Truce, Sakura-chan? Let's take out the teme!"
Sakura laughed. "Deal!" She flew at Sasuke from behind, gathering chakra in her palms again. With the chakra, she slammed her fist into the ground, causing the cave floor to groan and split as tiny fissures made the rock uneven. Sasuke stumbled slightly, and Sakura was able to grab his left arm and flip him over her body with a burst of strength.
Naruto raised his fist in the air and whooped, "Take that, Sasuke!"
The Uchiha didn't remain down for long; moving so fast his body blurred, he grabbed a surprised Sakura from behind and hefted her up over his shoulder, then launched her through the air. Sakura's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips as she realized she was heading for the cave wall at an alarming speed. There was nothing she could do; she hit hard and crumpled to the floor, dizzy and disoriented. Her shoulder, especially, stung horribly.
Naruto didn't fair any better. He too was lying on the ground, groaning as he coughed up spit and blood. "Damn, teme, that hurt!"
Sasuke looked a little apologetic as he glanced over at Sakura where she lay. "Sorry," he gritted out, walking over to her and offering her a hand.
Sakura smiled faintly and allowed him to help her to her feet, knowing that although his apology was gruff, he meant it. The Uchiha hated apologizing, and in an attempt to cover his awkwardness and embarrassment, he hid behind his emotionless facade. She watched as he tugged Naruto to his feet as well, though less like helping him to his feet as much as dragging their blond teammate up.
Their attention turned to Kakashi as he stood up, and, with a sigh, closed his Icha Icha and put it into his pouch pocket. "Naruto," he began, walking over to the ramen-loving shinobi and gesturing to his right arm, "You need to work on strengthening your punches and increasing speed in this arm; your left arm is much faster, and that difference in speed will cost you. Sasuke, you rely too heavily on the Sharingan; you need to be able to sense what is behind you as well. Sakura was able to close a chakra pathway in your arm quite easily because you weren't paying attention. Sakura, your use of chakra and strength is a good combination, but you as well need to work on increasing your speed when it comes to taijutsu."
Team 7 nodded. "Hai!"
Clapping from the left caused the four shinobi to glance over; there stood Lord Igarashi with Hirotoro, who was standing unsteadily on his feet but completely healthy. "That was quite a show," Igarashi complimented, brown eyes dancing in amusement, "Team 7 is very skilled, and I can safely say that without you and your young students, Kakashi, Maeno would have already won."
They bowed their thanks. Sakura couldn't help the small smile that stretched her lips at his praise. We've worked so hard, she thought, It's nice to get some recognition for it once in a while.
"I also want to thank you, Sakura-san," Igarashi continued, clapping Hirotoro Kado on the shoulder gently, "For helping my friend."
Hirotoro nodded and bowed to her. "My deepest thanks as well, Sakura-san. You are truly a gifted healer."
Sakura blushed with the praise and bowed back to them. "It was my honor to help," she murmured in embarrassment, but Naruto's affectionate hand on her shoulder eased it and soothed her frazzled nerves.
"Hey, do you feel that?" Naruto suddenly asked, looking towards the mouth of the cave. In a few quick, energetic bounds he raced outside, standing on the edge of the cliff and gazing out across the horizon, "Kakashi-sensei?"
Hirotoro smiled. "I believe that is the ANBU team from Konoha," he said, squinting in the bright afternoon sun, a hidden smile threatening to emerge on his weathered face.
Sakura ran to where Naruto stood and stared down where Naruto pointed; from what she could see, four shinobi and a large something were coming their way quickly. Kakashi's secretive smile made Sakura suspicious. "What is it?" she asked curiously, but he only shook his head, still smiling.
"You'll see."
Sasuke appeared at her side, and he too peered down at the newcomers. "They don't look like ANBU," he observed, "Those aren't the uniforms... and... is that Akamaru?"
It was! Suddenly Sakura's heart was in her throat. "Kiba!" she heard Naruto cry happily, "I'll be damned, it's Kiba!"
If the squad wasn't ANBU, and if Kiba was there, then most likely the three other shinobi were part of the Rookie 9! Sakura laughed; their friends were coming to help them! She gazed at them intently, still trying to figure out who the other three shinobi traveling with Kiba and Akamaru were.
Sasuke suddenly groaned. When Sakura glanced at him inquisitively, he said dryly, "I see a green jumpsuit. Rock Lee is here, too."
Kakashi groaned as well. "At least Gai isn't on the squad!"
Then she felt it; two very familiar chakra signatures. "Oh Kami," she breathed, laughing just as happily as Naruto was, "Kakashi, is it really-?" But it was. Racing towards them across the desert was Shikamaru and Neji, bringing up the rear of the group. Sasuke threw her a veiled glance, a small frown on his face, though Sakura missed it in her excitement.
Her emerald eyes fixed on the two figures bringing up the rear of the squadron; Neji and Shikamaru, here! She couldn't believe it! "But Kaka-sensei, I thought Tsunade-sama was sending an ANBU squad?" she asked, though she found it hard to really care.
Kakashi shrugged. "I guess they were the only squad available."
Naruto chuckled as he realized who else was on the team. "Neji, huh? I think I owe him money... Well, at least we've got Shikamaru. He can do all the planning for us!"
She rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to whack him upside the head. "This is still our mission, Naruto," she reminded him, "They may help us, but we still are in charge and its our duty to finish it, not rely on the reinforcements to do it all alone."
"Doesn't mean that they couldn't," Sasuke muttered darkly under his breath before disappearing back into the cave. Sakura frowned as she watched him retreat back into solitude. Why wasn't he going to stay and welcome the new team? What did he really have against any of them anyway? Well, besides the distrust and animosity between him and Neji, anyway, or the sometimes-annoying and overzealous presence of Rock Lee...
Sakura forced herself to hold back as they came closer and closer. First they needed to check in to Kakashi and Lord Igarashi before the greetings could begin. This was a mission, not a get-together, and the need for professionalism was there. She felt a sense of relief wash over her knowing that Shikamaru would be around to help out, not to mention Neji and the most likely enthusiastic attempts from Kiba and Lee. Now this mission didn't seem so impossible to accomplish without getting stuck in the mud.
Climbing up the rock slope, Shikamaru waved lazily at her before moving forward to bow to Lord Igarashi and his bodyguards while Rock Lee, Kiba, Akamaru and Neji waited patiently behind him. "Jounin squadron reporting from Tsunade-sama, Hokage of Fire Country," he drawled, "We are yours to command."
The gray haired man bowed back gravely. "I present my humblest thanks to the Hokage for her generosity. Make yourselves at home for now; I'm sure that Team 7 will show you around and update you on the present situation." With another bow, Igarashi too left and retreated inside the cave, heading back towards his tent.
Despite her happiness that Shikamaru was here, Sakura couldn't help but fell slightly put out by the absence of Sasuke. He wasn't usually intentionally rude... but maybe it was the fact that Neji was on the team... She glanced towards the cave, but all she could see was shrouded in the darkness that the shade offered. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
"Hmm," Shikamaru said from a couple feet in front of her, causing her to look back at her friend, "I thought you would have been more excited to see me, Sakura." His dark eyes were glinting as he squinted in the bright sunlight, though he looked undeniably content where he was standing. He was wearing his jounin vest, though the black long sleeved shirt he usually wore underneath was replaced by a short sleeved one, and the standard issue shinobi trousers were replaced with dark shorts with a plethora of pockets. The heat didn't really seem to be bothering him at all, even though he had basically just run across the desert that had nearly exhausted her.
Sakura didn't hesitate to run up to him and throw her arms around his neck. Warm, broad hands patted her back gently; he always had thought physical contact was troublesome, especially due to the ferocity of his female teammate, Ino, whenever she felt the need to embrace him. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said happily.
The Nara clan genius chuckled and ruffled her hair when she released him. "I thought you would be. Tsunade-sama told me to tell you that she gave you the wrong jutsu book as well. Troublesome."
Sakura gave a cry of defeat. "I can't believe it! Here I was, suffering through reading about all the jutsu I already know... great, that's time wasted."
Shikamaru shook his head and rubbed his temple. "It's too troublesome," he said, though he was grinning, "I wouldn't have read it if I were you."
"Well, I was bored today, and Naruto and Sasuke were sparring, Kaka-sensei was reading, and I-"
Neji interrupted her rant, one eyebrow raised. "Where is my hello?" he asked, a small smile stretching his lips as he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. She was surprised to see that he was not wearing his traditional robes; instead, the Hyuuga prodigy was clad in shorts very similar to Shikamaru's and a dark green shirt that rapped around his front and snapped at the side. Instead of usual clothing that shinobi wore, this shirt looked more like what Neji would wear on his days off, but she could tell from the slightly open sleeves and the dark arm wraps that peeked out from under it that he was able to hide many weapons. Heh, she thought, he'll be underestimated.
Sakura grinned back at Neji warmly and was about to greet him properly when they turned to see Naruto, Kiba and Rock Lee shouting about something. Well, Naruto and Kiba were chatting away about something when Lee had decided to join them. Naruto must have made some snarky comment, for Kiba hit him on the head with a loud laugh and Lee was saying something about youthful energy-
Sakura sighed as Lee saw her. "Sakura-san!" he said happily, immediately making a bee-line for the woman he loved. She cringed inwardly; even though he was a good friend, he never seemed to understand that she just didn't feel the same way about him. Every time she saw him, he would tell her how beautiful she was, how she was his 'youthful Sakura-san' among many other pet names that she just didn't appreciate. But deep inside, she would found the attention he showered her with rather flattering if he didn't shower her with it every single time she saw him.
But thankfully, Kakashi intercepted Lee right before he reached her and right before Sakura made an obvious retreat behind Shikamaru. "Let's get into the shade," the older shinobi suggested, laying a hand slightly on Lee's green-clad shoulder and basically pushing him inside without waiting for an answer. Shikamaru snickered at the look of relief on Sakura's face.
Sakura sighed in relief as Kakashi steered the unsuspecting Lee away from her and into the cave. Laughing from behind a gloved hand, Kiba left Naruto's side and came over to hug her swiftly. "Your teacher has great timing," he teased lightly, the tips of his pointed canines peaking out from between his lips, "He kept blabbering about you the entire way here!"
"Troublesome," Shikamaru added.
A flying ball of shaggy brown and white fur suddenly came flying at her; Sakura didn't have time to react as a solid one hundred and fifty pounds of muscle and bone hit her before she fell backwards, landing with an "Oomph!" on her backside.
Naruto was laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes as he attempted to pull Akamaru off of her as she was subjected to having her face 'cleaned' with his long, slobbery tongue. "Hey Akamaru," she said weakly, wincing as her face dripped with dog saliva. In the end, Neji had to aid Naruto in pulling the determined, oversized puppy away from Sakura.
Sakura scrambled to her feet with a laugh. "Nice to see you too, Akamaru." The dog barked at her, then turned around and swiftly padded back to his master's side as Kiba whistled once. "Let's head in," she suggested, and the five shinobi and one dog followed her, all happy to get out of the hot, boiling sun and into the cool, welcoming shade.
"Where's Sasuke?" Kiba asked in confusion, looking around as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, "I don't remember seeing him."
Sakura blanched, but thankfully no one noticed as Naruto replied with a grin, "Oh, teme? He's been really moody lately. But honestly, he's always like that. Don't take it personally if he doesn't want to show his face, he's just missing out!" Neji nodded in understanding as Kiba snickered and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. They all knew how unsociable the infamous Uchiha was.
Yeah, Sakura agreed sadly, scanning the interior of the cave before her eyes fell on his familiar silhouette near the far wall of the cave, That's just how he is...
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I wanted this chapter to be as lighthearted as possible, because the next chapter is going to be all action!
Thank you for all the reviews! I had to say, I did not expect this many, but they made me very happy! So je vous donne une GRANDE merci beaucoup! And thanks for all the guesses too!
The winner of the cookie: ALAYNENI! You were right; Shikamaru is part of the backup team! With Rock Lee, Kiba and Neji as well. giggle
I'm really trying to portray Sakura in a new light. I know she was kinda girly and didn't try hard enough in the first couple of seasons, but in Shippuuden she has really improved so much and is now so independent... She's always been my favorite character, even in the first season, so to see this change in her behavior and skills is really great, and now that she's an independent, strong willed woman, she's just so fun to write about! (I hope you guys feel the same way!)
Okay, enough of a rant. But seriously, thanks to all of you who have stuck with the story so far! Like I may have said in previous chapters, I have NEVER completed a full-length story before I ran out of steam, so I am forcing my nose to the grindstone with this one and I WILL finish it! And then on to other missions! Ahem, stories!
So I really like hearing what you think... review? For me?
Love!!
-Jackie