AN: - The 6th chapter had finally turned out to be so long that I decided to split in into two shorter chapters. So, finally, the story will be of 8 chapters instead of 7.
- Thanks again for all your encouraging reviews!
XOXOX
The door of the Hokage's office burst open and a visibly furious Sakura marched in. No knocking, no warning.
"Why," she demanded without preamble, "did you do that?"
Two pairs of eyes, one cerulean blue and one onyx black looked with equal apprehension at the obviously enraged medic-nin.
"Time to leave, I think," said Sasuke hurriedly. He had a small, or rather a huge idea what the Hokage had done to have resulted in the wrath of their former team-mate, and he certainly did not want to be in the crossfire between these two.
Naruto glared at his friend. "Traitor!" he mouthed as the Uchiha scampered away.
The latter smirked, making a cutting throat action as he reached behind Sakura, action which the very much incensed medic-nin did not see, before he disappeared. The Uchiha had absolutely zero doubt about the outcome of this 'visit'.
The flashing green eyes pinning onto the Hokage did not bode anything good, and Naruto inwardly winced. He had been expecting and apprehending this visit.
"Hello Sakura-Chan," he stalled.
"Don't you dare hello me, Uzumaki Naruto," she growled angrily. "What are your intentions?" She planted both hands on the surface of his desk and leant forward menacingly.
He instinctively edged his chair back. "My intentions?" he repeated, bracing himself mentally.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about," she gritted through clenched teeth.
His eyes were drawn despite himself to her lithe figure which was put into advantage by her angry cat posture; he could not help but stare appreciatively at the smooth arch of her back, even while being under the receiving end of her wrath. She had absolutely no idea how hot she looked at that precise moment, as she glowered, all fury, at him.
"Give me a valid reason why I'm not included in the Suna envoy," she demanded hotly.
Here we are, he thought. "The fewer we travel, the better it would be," he said after brief pause.
Her eyes narrowed. "What?" she hissed.
Part of him was disappointed as she straightened up, the remaining part relieved that he was out of her reach; at least for the moment. He did not put it past her to still land a punch on him. He looked at her warily. He had, on purpose, sent out the travel mission scrolls to the envoy members as late as possible that afternoon, and thereby making official his departure to Suna only on the eve on the scheduled day, hoping that it would not give her too much time to react and ponder on it. It did not mean that he had not been expecting her explosion, though.
He had already received the brief visit of an equally incensed Tsunade, dryly recalling the heated and ranted lecture he had received from the older woman. But it had been a mark of her respect for his leadership that the former Godaime had not pushed him to abandon the idea of traveling to Suna.
Now, looking at the angry face in front him, he carefully enacted his much rehearsed explanation. "It's safer this way, Sakura-Chan. The less people to go, the less we will be exposed to any imminent threat."
The green eyes staring at him incredulously contained all the outrage that she felt, and Naruto detected a flash of hurt as well, which made him feel worse.
Sakura had got the news of the visit to Suna from Tsunade, who had also been kept in the dark same as her. The younger medic-nin had been shocked to learn that Naruto had intended to go, despite all, to Suna - true, there had not been any more incident since the Kumo one, which was already more than two months ago, long enough to assume that things were safe - still, he had never confirmed his decision to go, and to learn about it only on the eve of his departure had been utterly disconcerting. But even more shocking and hurtful to her was that she had not been included in the envoy. She could not comprehend this decision of his; it had left her totally floored.
"Is it because of what happened the other day?" she rasped, looking away as she suddenly felt unable to meet his eyes. "Is it why I'm being excluded from this trip?"
She still felt mortified thinking what had brought about their…kiss, two days ago. She was not the smartest Kunoichi of her generation for nothing; she had put two and two together, and had concluded that she must have made some advances to him during her drunken stupor, and being Naruto, he must have refused and had had to placate her by making that stupid promise.
Fro a moment, Naruto looked blankly at her. Then it dawned to him what she was alluding to – their kiss. "No!" he immediately protested, "It's not_"
"Listen, I know I must have forced your hand, somehow," she cut in tightly. "It's a lame excuse, I know, but I was drunk. I-I sincerely apologize…But this should not affect our professional relationship." Or our friendship, she thought.
His eyes widened, and he hurriedly got to his feet, agitated. "Sakura, don't! I assure you it's NOT that!" he said firmly. "I_"
A knock at the door sliced through the charged atmosphere. They both looked around to see Shikamaru standing at the opened doorway. Sakura had not closed the door when she had barged in, and Sasuke had been too busy running away to shut it behind him.
Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at the obvious tension sizzling between the two. "Should I come later?" he drawled.
"No, it's okay," Sakura rushed to say. She dearly hoped the Nara had not heard all of their conversation. Naruto ran a frustrated hand through his hair, urgently wanting – needing to convince her that she was totally wrong concerning the kiss, but could not do so in the presence of Shikamaru.
Turning back to him, she resumed their argument. "Then why? Why are you breaking your own rule of a medic-nin accompanying a mission outside the border of fire country?"
"Sakura-Chan, this hardly qualifies as a mission! It's just me going to Suna for the exams!"
"The Hokage traveling outside the border with a potential deadly enemy lurking qualifies more than any A rank mission," she retorted darkly.
Naruto was feeling helpless by the minute. "Shikamaru…" He looked at his friend desperately, wanting some help from his side.
The Nara, still standing at the doorway and carrying some files, looked like he wanted to be anywhere rather than here. He heaved a sigh. "How troublesome," he grumbled, before turning to Sakura with obvious reluctance. "HE," pointing towards Naruto, wanting to make it clear that he had not been agreeable with him, "feels that we should travel in the smallest group as possible to avoid the risk of increased casualties."
"Shikamaru!" Naruto protested, glaring at the betrayal.
"What? It's the truth!" Shikamaru drawled.
"Increased casualties?" Sakura repeated sharply.
Naruto turned to Sakura. "Sakura," he started, preparing for a long argument with her, but she looked at him, stricken-faced, and cut him.
"Okay," she said slowly. "I get it… "
Naruto stared at her open-mouthed, his eyebrows raised high, incredulous at her quick yielding. Shikamaru looked at the pink haired medic nin as incredulously. That had been too easy, both men thought.
"So," continued Sakura in a low voice, "I have not been included because either you think I'm too weak to form part of this envoy and I am the most apt to be the casualty of the mission," Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but she fired him a smoldering look, "or," she continued in a tight tone, and he closed his mouth again, "you feel that the others are less deserving of life and chose them to travel with you, if this is all about protecting me," she finished.
Naruto blanched. He opened his mouth again, then thought better of it and closed it.
Shikamaru gave another long sigh. "Man. You know you can never win an argument against them," he solemnly told Naruto, "why even bother?"
Sakura still glared at Naruto. "If this is such a dangerous mission that it cause you concern for me, then as your medic-nin, it's the more reason that I'm on this envoy, in case of any ambush."
Her sharp eyes did not miss the slight guilty start at the words. She frowned suspiciously. "You're up to something, aren't you?" she immediately pounced.
The silence which followed made Sakura certain that there was something being brewed up.
"We are planning to lure the enemy out," Naruto finally admitted, deciding that it was better he told her everything.
She gaped at him. "You're doing WHAT?"
Naruto grimaced at her strident tone. It was how he had been expecting. "I think it's better to draw them out and finish with this once for all."
She paled. "You're willingly being a bait?" she whispered, appalled.
"It's not really that he would be a bait. We just don't plan to conceal ourselves during the travel," explained Shikamaru. "We will not avoid exposure."
Her heart skipped to her mouth as she think of the danger he was willingly putting himself on. Of all the stupid …! She was angry. And scared. Very scared. And felt even more betrayed that he had excluded her in the confidence of such a dangerous, reckless plan. She studied his face, noting the obstinate resolve set there.
Her mind raced at the possibilities. She knew firsthand how stubborn Naruto could be when he has set his mind onto something; she doubted whether she would be able to convince him to drop this ridiculous, dangerous idea. Her best bet would be to ensure that she form part of the envoy. She needed to be in this mission at all cost; it was out of question that she would meekly stay back now.
"Can I change your mind about this?" she asked calmly; she owed it to herself to at least make an attempt.
"I don't want to have this threat lingering any longer," Naruto replied quietly.
"Then I'll form part of your envoy," she stated, her tone firm and irrevocable. "You cannot go against your own laws. You need a medic-nin in this mission, and unless you have a better medic-nin than me, such as Tsunade shishou, then you have to accept me along. This is your own written rules."
He opened his mouth, but she cut his words off again. "Don't find pathetic excuses not to take me along, Naruto."
Naruto looked at her silently, no immediate refutement coming to his mind.
Shikamaru sighed. "Her request is reasonable, Naruto. We have agreed to shoulder you in this; the least you have to do is have a medic-nin by your side. I'm having Ino on my team as our medic-nin."
Naruto's shoulders slumped in resignation. "Okay," he said, causing Sakura to breath with relief.
Seeing that an agreement had been reached, Shikamaru walked to the desk and deposited the files he was holding. "If you can have a look at this before this evening," he told Naruto, before turning to his heels to leave, making sure to close the door this time.
A heavy silence fell in the office after his departure. Sakura looked at Naruto and still felt deeply cut by his omitting her in all this.
"Were you really considering keeping me out of the loop till the end?" she finally asked quietly. It hurt to know that he did not trust her enough to share such a burden with her, that he did not have enough faith in her abilities.
Naruto gave a long sigh, raking his hand through his hair. "Is it so bad to want to protect my precious people?" he replied softly. "I am the Hokage. I want to protect my people, not the other way round."
The look she gave him was a mixture of exasperation and hurt. "I'm not a china doll, Naruto," she growled. "Please stop treating me like such. It's the worst insult you can give me. I feel like the pathetic weak girl I was years ago, when I was always watching yours and Sakuke's back, always lagging behind."
His eyes widened in dismay. "It wasn't my intention to make you feel insulted," he protested earnestly. "I didn't mean it to be this way; you know it's not that." Then his face turned stern. "And it's utterly stupid if you still feel weak. You don't have anything to prove to anyone, anymore, certainly not to me, so you shouldn't feel insecure of your strength so easily!" he rasped. "It's just…I just didn't want you to stop me or put you in any type of risk – maybe it was selfish of me."
She searched his eyes and saw his genuine concern, her face softening finally. "Baka. We are all your team, don't ever forget that. We have all worked hard to come here, so do give us some credit."
He gave a tentative, apologetic smile after a short silence, and nodded. "Sorry. I really am."
Sakura felt her anger ebbing away; as usual, she could not stay angry with him for long, not when he looked sat her with those dejected eyes. Eyes which had turned deep blue due to emotions.
Eyes which she had looked into so deeply, so close to her, two days ago.
With her anger abated and the issue of the mission cleared out of the way, Sakura felt suddenly flustered under his intent stare. The air shifted subtly, a jolt of electricity invading the room as they looked at each other. Trying hard not to fidget, she said, "I'll go now, I'll have to prepare for tomorrow," and turned to leave.
She barely touched the door knob when a hand shoot out and grasped her hand, halting her movement. "What_?" She jumped in surprise and snapped her head around, her shoulder bumping into hard chest in the process. He has moved so swiftly and silently that she had not sensed his movements at all.
"Wait," he beseeched, face grave and unsmiling.
Her eyes were wide as she turned fully to face him and his proximity made her take a step back by reflex, only to feel the door pressing against her. His warmth engulfed her and she felt the now familiar thrill shooting through her.
Naruto looked down at her, feeling nervous. He owed her a serious talk; he had so many things to say to her, words that he had dreamed of telling her since as far as he could remembered, but he suddenly felt tongue tied and his brain felt fuzzy and empty.
"Uhh…," he tried again, feeling terribly uptight and all wound up.
His mood was rubbing off her and she felt strangely anxious and restless too. She felt a heat creeping up her cheeks. "Naruto?" she said as the silence stretched, her voice coming out in a whisper.
"I think we have some unfinished discussion," he said finally, trying to smile but it came out as a grimace instead.
She looked mutely at him, her heartbeat speeding madly.
"I need to remove your delusion that I kissed you because I was forced to," he said gruffly, his heart pounding in his chest, the words almost coming out in their own accords as he felt himself being drawn into those lovely, wide green eyes. He decided to follow his instincts, feeling that any words he would say would be superfluous. If he could not find the right words, then he would show her. He had always been best at demonstrations rather than explanations, anyway.
This time, she could not claim that he took her by surprise. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion as he bent his face towards her, and she automatically closed her eyes, a shaky sigh escaping her as he claimed her lips in a kiss. And he was kissing her as nothing like the previous kiss, kissing her as if there was no tomorrow.
She knew she should stop him; she knew she was supposed to protest. But she could do none of these. She was done making herself crazy denying her emotions; she knew that she wanted more than she deserved, but she needed this, she needed to feel him, the warmth which she had been close to since long but not been allowed or able to savor.
With a ragged gasp, she stepped into him and gave in to his hot, searching lips. And she was kissing him back, and it was blissful oblivion. Everything melted away; the threat of the enemy, the deep confusion of the past weeks, the yearning of the past years. There were only them, enveloped in each other's warmth and their feverish exploration of each others lips. He gently nibbled her lower lip and she reflexively gasped. It was all he needed to gain access, and his tongue set out for a thorough exploration of her mouth, tasting her, feeling her. He kissed like he was in actual life: enthusiastic, passionate, vigorous, and a tad bit clumsy. But she was far from complaining, as she tried to match his movements as clumsily as him, setting out to an initially timid, then gradually a bolder exploration of her own.
They had to pull back for air eventually, both of them breathing hard, speechless, and she was still in the process of catching her breath and trying to recollect her chaotic senses when he lean in again for her mouth, impatient and hungry, and she responded as eagerly. This second time round they had got the grasp of things; their heads had angled so that their nose was not colliding, tongues caressed each other with more confidence and expertise. She was sagged against the solid wall of his chest, her knees weak, her hands tangled in the soft blond hair; his hands moved down her back, waist and hips, shaping her feminine soft form to the hard contours of his body. Arching her back, she strained even closer, a molten fire burning in the pit of her stomach, her heart pounding like thunder in her chest while her mind whirled at his unmistaken arousal she felt against her belly. It was not clear who whimpered as the temperature instantly spiked up.
A sharp knock at the door, resonating high as her back was against the wood, abruptly brought them back to the surface, and they jumped apart. Naruto growled in protest, not wanting to come out of this wonderful bliss, needing to feel her again. He stared shakily at the wide tremulous emerald eyes looking up him, noting the flushed face and the quivering, swollen lips, his own heart racing madly and his breathing jagged. The knock repeated, insistently this time, and however much he wanted to ignore the knock, the moment was broken.
He badly wanted to say something, though he hardly knew what, but she had already moved, away from the door and further from him, and was jerkily smoothing her top.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he moved to his desk and looked back at her to ensure that she has recovered her composure; then called a 'Come in,' in a quite unsteady voice.
It was Kakashi. "You called for me," their former sensei said lazily after greeting both of them.
Naruto had indeed asked his secretary to get Kakashi earlier, but he still cursed the horrible timing of the older man's arrival. Said man observed his two former students keenly. He knew them long enough to know that they were not in their usual state; the electricity in the air was almost palpable
"I'll leave now," Sakura quickly said, and almost fled from the office.
Kakashi looked at Naruto, the visible eye glinting mischievously. "Did I interrupt something?"
A blush crept up Naruto's cheeks. "She came enquiring why she did not form part of the envoy," he quickly explained, "and she was angry." He hoped his old sensei would accept this to be the cause of their harried state.
"Oh. And?"
"And I finally agreed that she accompany us."
"Hmm." It was no surprise to Kakashi to learn that. He knew all along that one way or another, Sakura would form part of the trip.
Looking at the deep blush in the Hokage's cheeks, he wondered whether his plan, along with the help of Anko, had born fruit. It had been a very long shot - his plan had been based on many assumptions and the deep understanding he had of his two former students. But Kakashi had not been known to be the brightest of his generation for nothing. Usually, his plans, however far fetched, had good success rates.
The first hurdle had been to get Sakura to agree to have a drink – she had firmly stayed away from sake since her 20th birthday incident. Then, he had counted on Naruto wanting to accompany her home in the probable success of getting her drunk, and this had been the easiest part; Naruto would not have let anybody else accompany her in that state. And finally, he had gambled that Sakura would unload what would be in her mind – she did that the first time she got drunk on the 20th birthday, speaking out whatever was in her mind at that particular moment. He had specifically asked Anko to talk about men while sharing a drink with her, so that the last subject on the medic-nin's drunken mind would have hopefully been Naruto. From there, logically, things would have taken a step forward.
Yes, it had been a very long shot, but at least he could not be accused of cheating, not with that twisted, indirect approach. Anko was the only one to have been in the confidence, because he had needed her to give the first push of what he hopefully considered to be a domino effect. But he had no way of knowing yet whether he had succeeded; there had been no hint about the two having progressed into something. He gave a deep sigh.
"I need to discuss some details about tomorrow with you," Naruto said, the long night full of last minute meetings looming up ahead and the two settled down for a talk.
XOXOX
Naruto was warmly surprised at the crowd which had gathered to see him off the next day, early morning. A huge part of the inhabitants has massed at the gates, all cheering and sending warm wishes of safe trip to their beloved Hokage.
"Be safe, Hokage-sama!"
"Get back soon, Hokage-sama!"
"We will miss you, Hokage-sama!"
The acclamations touched him at his profoundest core, and he gave his usual, bright smile to his people as he waved at them. His team, comprising of Sakura, Sasuke, Sai, Neiji, Kiba with of course Akamaru tagging along, and a masked ANBU, stood ready by his side. No-one in the group had been surprised to learn that Sakura was finally included in the mission; they had been telling the Hokage that he would not be able to exclude her, and he had been stubbornly refusing to heed them. Some lessons are better learnt than told, each of them thought smugly.
Tsunade was at the forefront of the crowd, and she looked at the young Hokage with an uneasy heart as they stood face to face, a slight worried frown etched on her forehead. "Be careful," she told him. She felt a nervous clench in her stomach. "Don't be reckless," she warned sternly.
"We'll be fine, Baa-Chan," he replied, smiling reassuringly. "Take good care of the village." She will be the acting Hokage under his absence. "And try to be sober from time to time while you do so," he teased, earning a glare from her as her eyebrow twitched.
He laughingly hurried away, least of receiving one of her deadly finger flick, and Tsunade moved towards Sakura.
"We leave now, shishou," Sakura said, bowing to her former master.
Tsunade took the younger girl's hands in hers, as if wanting to impart her strength to her. She herself might not be able to accompany Naruto, but she felt she was sending part of her within her apprentice. "Protect him, Sakura," she whispered, voice laced with anxiety.
Sakura looked into the hazel eyes, noting the deep worry in there. It was not often that the last of the legendary Sannin showed her anxiety so openly, and Sakura knew that she must be very worried to have displayed it to her like that.
"Don't worry, shishou, I will," Sakura replied quietly, the green eyes resolved as she gave a reassuring squeeze to the older woman's hands, before following the others they moved out.
A carriage awaited outside the gates; carriage whose wheels were enhanced by chakra and pulled by two black horses. It had been part of Shikamaru's plan that Naruto made use the formal transportation system for Hokages, even though it would have been quicker and more practical that they traveled by the usual tree-hopping method. Naruto had not been too keen about the idea, but Shikamaru had insisted that on top of adding to the baiting aspect, the enclosed space would provide less exposure to the Hokage and in case they were attacked, they would at least have some minutes to react.
Sakura walked towards Naruto as he made to hop in the carriage, and their eyes crossed. With the rush of the crowd at the gates and the farewells fervor, they had barely exchanged any words apart from a hurried greeting, and now, green eyes locked with blue eyes almost timidly, both wary of each other's reaction in the face of the bright morning light. The eyelock lingered, Sakura unable to look away despite herself, and the inevitable memory of the shared heated moment of the previous evening flared in both green and blue eyes.
A tingle rushed up Sakura's spine and she felt a moment of confused panic as she did not know which countenance to adopt, despite the long hours of self lecture she had subjected herself during the restless night.
She was still mentally teetering on the stay or flight mode when Naruto dropped one eye in a cheesy wink; and what she could only describe as the most wickedly seductive smile she had ever been subjected to curving up his lips, the blue eyes alight and dancing in the knowing delight of the secret intimacy they now shared.
She felt her stomach flip and she blushed furiously before quickly looking away. Surely the baka had better sense than to fool around during such a …such a serious time? She thought, taking refuge in her defensive mode, eyebrow twitching, heart beating madly and very much flustered despite herself. She scowled, firmly chasing the butterflies away from her chest. It would NOT do to get all jittery right now! She admonished herself. This was a mission where ALL her professionalism was needed, and she would not give in to his game.
Taking a deep breath, she schooled her features into her most prim, hardcore don't-mess-with-me-expression and marched stiff straight, head held haughtily high.
Naruto's grin widened as he watched her, knowing what was going through in her mind right then, the resolved and stern face so familiar, expression which he knew only too well having been her teammate: she has turned herself into 100% ninja mode, and Kami spare the poor soul who would dare come across her path right then.
He had been closely and furtively observing her since they had met at the gates, and he felt elated that although she looked flustered and confused, she did not look angry or repulsed. His heart glowed happily at the implications. He definitely had a chance. And if he went by her reaction and response to their kiss, he knew that she was not adverse to his advances. Despite his inexperience in the physical intimacy area, he had certainly not missed how she melted in his arms, and he gave a smug inner grin. He so looked forward to their next, umm…escapade.
Well, it would be foolish to do anything right now, during the mission, and knowing the mood she was in and how on edge she was when it concerned his safety, he would be in for a good chakra enhanced punch if he goofed around. They had the whole time after the mission to work on their story; maybe when they were in Suna…his smile got dreamy as he thought ahead.
At least their easy camaraderie was still in place and he was still her familiar friend, Sakura thought, as they walked out of the gates and into the forest surrounding Konoha, his smile still warmly imprinted in her mind. She had been terrified about the possibility having an uncomfortable barrier between them. Relieved, she resolutely cleared her mind from all personal thoughts, as she had firmly drilled into her mind during the night.
XOXOX
Kiba and Akamaru opened the cortege, being quite a few paces in front; Sakura and the cat masked ANBU stayed close to the carriage, on each side of it; Neiji closed the trail, his 360 degrees vision ensuring that their back was covered; Sai was overhead riding his ink eagle, and Sasuke stayed up in the trees, out of sight and scouring the area.
The second team – the decoy team with a Kage Bunshin as false Hokage, had already anonymously left the village in the dark hours of the morning, and awaited somewhere in the forest to take the route which Shikamaru had planned onto. It consisted of Kakashi, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, and at Kakashi's suggestion, two ANBUs henged as Sakura and Sasuke, assuming that the enemy would have enough intel on them to know that the two would travel with Naruto.
The routes Shikamaru had derived for the two groups were far enough from each other that it did not raise suspicions, yet it was close enough to be within swift reachable distance in the case one of them needed help. They had decided against using radio communication in case their wavelength would be intercepted, instead, Naruto's clone was to act as communicating link: it would be dispelled in case of being attacked and the real Naruto would get the information needed.
The pace of the travel and the camping place had been minutiously worked out by Shikamaru, so each team had an idea about each other's location at a specific time. As an added precaution, Naruto had left a three pronged kunai with the Hirashin seal with Kakashi, ordering him to summon him in case needed.
XOXOX
They had traveled only half a day when Naruto was already bored out of his mind. When he had agreed to Shikamaru's idea about traveling by carriage, he had not really foreseen the boredom that would come with it, to sit idly and just admire the scenery, doing nothing, literally.
"Should I really sit in this thing during the whole travel?" he grumbled as Sakura appeared by the door of the carriage to check on him, chakra propelling her at the feet as she ran at the same pace as the carriage. "I feel so …so like a helpless princess!" he blurted out.
Sakura pursed her lips to prevent herself from laughing. "It's the way it is," she said with an eyeroll. She had been expecting his complaints – such inactivity from his hyperactive nature would have bore him sooner or later, and they had barely made one sixth of the journey.
"Why should Hokages travel in carriages, anyway?" he sighed.
"Will you quit complaining? All this was YOUR idea, right, to be the center of attraction to lure the enemy out?" she said mock sweetly.
He mumbled an intelligible reply before looking at her, eyes hopeful. "Why don't you hop in to keep me company," he asked coaxingly.
"I'm supposed to be guarding you, not keeping you company."
"Just for a little while won't hurt!"
"Enjoy your ride!" She quipped and sped a few pace ahead, leaving him looking forlornly at her back.
She needed to keep all her wits with her, and riding in the enclosed carriage with him, alone, right after the past night's episode and with her current state of mind, certainly did not qualify as the best setting for that.
XOXOX
It was the second night, and the team had set camp near a small stream. There had been nothing to report; the journey had been uneventful so far. The decoy team seemed to have had a similar result since Naruto's Kage Bunshin was still active. Sasuke, same as for the previous night, has set a network of meshed barrier of chakra threads all around the perimeter; no living thing – human or animal - could get past the barrier without the alarm being raised.
Naruto sat meditating at the edge of the stream, collecting nature chakra to be in sage mode. He has done so at each rest, to probe about their environment for any potential foreign chakra signature – which had been negative so far. The atmosphere seemed to be quietly peaceful on the outside, but it was just a deceptive appearance, since each team member was to their fullest alert. It was Neiji's turn to be on guard, while the others rested.
Sakura watched Naruto. Having a small free moment, she felt her mind drifting. Naruto had not made any move for personal conversation, and she was thankful for it, not wanting anything to shake her guard. To say her mind was in total confusion was an understatement. They had kissed. Twice. And that she had loved it and craved to jump back in the haven of those arms was another understatement.
But two kisses did not automatically mean they had a story going on, and she had absolutely no idea where that left them. She badly needed answers, but again, being surrounded by other people was not the ideal setting to have any private talk. And it's definitely not the time, she chided herself again, dragging her thoughts and attention back to the present. Her sole concentration should be on the mission; they were expecting an attack any time, now was definitely not the time to be distracted by thoughts about her emotional life. It would be pathetic if after her insistence to be included in the mission she was to become a liability due to her not focusing her attention where it should.
She would think about all this after the Chunin exams, when they are back safe in Konoha. Hopefully, she would get her answers then. This was her and Naruto, afterall, they shared a deep history; this was no game. But for the next week, her sole concentration should be on her immediate task – that to protect their Hokage – at all cost.
XOXOX
"Another hour or so and we'll be out of the forest," Kiba's voice rang out from far ahead. Akamaru's woof immediately echoed his master. They still kept the planned formation, and were to keep it until the end of the travel.
"It was high time," came Naruto's relieved voice as he poke his blond head out of the carriage.
The scene had been the same monotonous green forest environment since they had set out three days ago, and the idea of a break on the scene was a welcoming one. They would soon enter the no-man's land between the Land of Fire and Land of Wind, leaving the lush green forestation to enter barren, dried up desert. Only about half day travel was left to reach Suna. The risk of ambush was greatly diminished since the possibilities to hide in the flat sandy landscape were practically nil. Naruto's bunshin still held steadfast in the decoy team, so it means that they had not met with anyone either.
It was quite an anticlimactic feeling, what with the high alert in which they had geared themselves when setting out.
XOXOX
They barely entered the deserted area when they were surprised by a sandstorm. The whole party was engulfed in a furious mass of swirling sand, and visibility became completely nil. It was not unusual to have sandstorms in this region, but the sky had been clear blue, not foreseeing any storms.
Even as each one of them became suspicious, Sakura, Neiji and the ANBU, the three sticking close to the carriage, froze. Literally. Their limbs were suddenly stuck rigid. They were incapable of further movements, their whole body statued to the ground; even the two horses stood frigid like statues, the carriage having halted -
_ then, as if materializing out of thin air, at least a dozen of figures appeared around them; figures which Neiji had not detected with his activated Byakugan, presence which Kiba and Akamaru had not sensed -
_ at the same instantaneous time, a huge, chakra enhanced fuzzy dome erupted over them, encasing in the carriage and its occupant and the three statued Konoha shinobis, and the false storm stopped.
Sai, who was high above in his eagle, immediately swooped down, while at the same time Sasuke, who had been keeping his usual distance, dashed towards the dome, Kiba and Akamaru following suit. But with a bang they all bounced off the dome, unable to reach their frozen friends, and they watched, horrified, through the hazy but still transparent enough dome as their statued friends were surrounded by the numerous figures which could only be the enemy –
_ figures which stood on the outline of a vast, queer drawing on the sand which looked like a pentagram, which had not been there previously, which clearly had been hidden under the sand and the sandstorm had revealed_ pentagram onto which the envoy had walked right onto, oblivious, and which seemed to be holding them tight to the spot, incapable of any movements.
"We've been ambushed!" The horrifying thought flitted through Sakura's mind as her heart pounded in her chest, her mouth opened in a silent scream, as, added to the loss of usage of her body, she had also lost her voice; at the same time the three Konohan shinobis plus dog outside the dome were launching powerful assaults upon assaults on the unyielding wall of the dome, trying desperately to reach their trapped friends.