Hello you wonderful people!
I'm alive!
First of all, I'd like to apologise for the lateness of this update – my asthma suddenly got worse around mid-January, so I only left the hospital at the beginning of this month. Then I suddenly found out we had VERY important exams a week after, so I had to studystudystudy which didn't really leave much time for anything else.
Sorry for that!
But now I'm back, and I promise the updates will be a lot more frequent!
Many thanks to: Esther (guest), crangelique, firetiger3, AwarenaTenshi, Nanashi (guest), fangirl (guest), Fiamma-Del-Cielo, Toreh, SakuraHerem, Shimmerwind, Ally(guest) and bookluv22 for their amazing reviews, as well as all the other wonderful people who reviewed and stayed with this story!
Now, I shall stop rambling and let you get on with the story! (if you want more fic-related rambling, see end of chapter )
ENJOY!
Sakura's mind went blank. There was a mistake, there must've been. This form was not for her.
Yet, even as she thought that, her eyes fell on the big, bold writing at the top of the page - her name. Still disbelieving, she discreetly pinched her arm.
The Hokage chuckled. "It's real, kid. As much as I may wish that it wasn't, it's true."
Sakura blinked, then rubbed her eyes. When that didn't help, she finally realised that this was real, that it was actually happening. Inhaling sharply, she picked up the pen, her hand trembling. She read through the document a couple more times before shakily signing her name, hand-writing almost illegible due to how much her hand was shaking. Slowly, she raised her thumb to her mouth and bit lightly, drawing blood, then pressed it over her name on the form.
The rosette took a deep breath, struggling to calm her frayed nerves.
"When do the exams start, Hokage-sama?" she asked, cursing internally when her voice cracked at the end.
She grew worried when the Godaime gazed at her with something akin to pity in her eyes.
"They started the moment you signed that paper." when her eyes went wide with shock, the Hokage's eyes dropped to the floor, for once looking abashed. "I'm sorry, Sakura."
Were she anybody else, she would've ran out, crying, desperate for comfort. Were she anybody else, she would've picked up the paper and ripped it to shreds. Were she anybody else, she would've screamed about how she wasn't ready, how she wasn't nearly powerful or experienced enough to have a chance in ANBU.
But as it was, Sakura stayed put, the only sign of her inner turmoil being her bowed head. Tsunade sighed – she pitied the girl. She reminded her of her old teammate whose name she would rather forget; yet, when she was younger, he too was just a young, confused child, much like the girl standing before her now. Yet in both cases, the children proved to be extremely malleable; and, in both cases, that characteristic was cruelly taken advantage of, and exploited.
She was about to offer some words of comfort to the girl, but before she could, the rosette's head snapped up, the look in her eyes startling Tsunade.
There was none of the despair that she had expected to see there. No fear either – just ice cold determination and an unbreakable resolve.
"May I just have a few minutes to say goodbye to some people?" the rosette asked politely.
Tsunade nodded, too speechless to do much else, before she remembered who she was and cleared her throat. "Be at the gates in three hours. Pack for a few months. You'll be away for a while."
All she got as a response was a fleeting 'hai' before the girl disappeared from her office.
The Hyuuga's not going to be happy…
Not too far away, the same thought flashed through the rosette's mind. She was just on her way to the Hyuuga compound, giddy with excited energy and anxious to tell her friend of the sudden development, before doubt wormed its way through the tiny gap in her happy bubble, and she stopped.
He wouldn't approve. She realised with a shock. He'd say it's too dangerous.
But she couldn't bear the thought of not telling Neji, so with a dejected sigh she pulled out her messenger scroll and scrawled a hasty message, sealing it when she was done. Forcing herself to calm down, she approached the guards by the gate to the Hyuuga Compound and handed them the scroll, along with clear instructions of who it was intended for.
Finally satisfied, she jogged back to her house, brainstorming what to pack on her way.
A smirk pulled at her lips and her step had an extra bounce it. She was finally doing what she had always dreamed of. Life was finally getting better.
She arrived at the gates half an hour before she was told they'd be leaving, mildly surprised to discover that she was the last one to show.
"My apologies." She intoned, bowing slightly. The only other kunoichi in the group chuckled.
"No worries girl." She smiled reassuringly, though it didn't fully reach her eyes. "Is there a message you need to pass over to us?" she asked, head tilted in curiosity.
"No." she shook her head, a wry grin on her face. "I am the fourth member of your team."
The woman's eyes widened, her purple hair billowing behind her as she snapped her head to the side to stare wide-eyed at the two men. "Were you two aware of that?" she demanded. "I thought they stopped letting kids try out for ANBU. This is not a field trip!"
"Stop being such a hypocrite, Yūgao. You were a kid when you first got into ANBU." A tall, black haired jounin muttered off-handedly.
"Yeah. Plus, the kid's one of Izaya's brats. It was bound to happen." The other man, who had previously stayed hidden in the shadows emerged, senbon stuck between his teeth. "Sakura, I believe?" he asked, this time addressing the rosette.
"Yes." She replied, nodding. "You were the proctor at the second stage of the Chunin Exams, weren't you?"
"Yeah. The name's Genma Shiranui." He nodded, before turning his attention to the other two, expectant eyebrow raised.
"Yūgao Uzuki." The kunoichi grudgingly filled in, glaring at Genma.
"Haichi Shintarou. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The raven haired man grinned, walking towards her with an outstretched hand.
Sakura shook it gingerly, offering a hesitant smile to the man. He didn't seem too bad, though at first glance, she wouldn't have pegged him for ANBU material. Then again, never was she.
"Shall we leave?" Genma asked, clearly bored with the conversation.
"I'm not going anywhere until I make sure the kid has all she needs – I hate being demoted back to jounin, and hell will break loose if I'll be forced to stay in that useless rank because of some kid." Yūgao snapped, hand motioning for Sakura to hand over her scroll.
The rosette was about to voice her aversion of the treatment, but a minute shake of the head from Haichi made her hold her tongue and grudgingly hand over her scrolls. She smirked inwardly when she imagined the kunoichi's reaction when she finds out that-
"It's not opening." Yūgao hissed, eyes narrowed accusingly. Sakura allowed for a hint of her smirk to peek through as she made a show of stretching out her hand, finger glowing a visible blue and gently touching the paper; it unveiled the second her finger made contact.
"Chakra sensitive scrolls?" Genma asked, one eyebrow raised in slight surprise. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
Sakura nodded briefly in acknowledgement, and turned to watch the older kunoichi rifle through her carefully packed belongings. After a thorough check, the purple haired woman grudgingly handed her back her pack and they set off. It turned out that the first stage of the ANBU Exams was a scroll-full of missions; ranging from intel gathering and bounty hunting, to retrieving valuable artefacts stolen from Konoha during the Wars. Sakura tried to mentally rank the missions in her mind and paled slightly upon the realisation that there was nothing lower than A-Rank.
"You alright, kiddo?" Haichi asked curiously, slowing down to run beside her.
"Yes…" she replied, a question on the tip of her tongue, but a certain professional courtesy held her back. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore; she wasn't theoretically ANBU yet – she didn't need to worry about formality. "How?"
"How did I know?" he chuckled. "I heard your heartbeat stutter then accelerate, so, concerned, I asked. Wouldn't want our teammate dying of heart attack, would we?" he joked, winking.
Sakura smiled; he reminded her so much of A- she caught herself. His demeanour was familiar to her. That's it. Just familiar.
Though when his words finally registered, her eyes widened, and she stared up at him in amazement.
He heard her heartbeat. From a good 40 metres in front of her. Sakura's mind tried to come up with a reasonable explanation that didn't involve a crazy kekkei genkai: she failed.
"It's something you learn with experience." He explained, lips quirked in amusement at her puzzlement. "Your hearing can save your life – nobody says you can't help it a little." He winked again, then returned to his previous place in their formation, leaving her staring at his back in confusion. Her gaze snapped to his feet, which were surrounded by a baby-blue glow, and she resisted the urge to face-palm.
Chakra.
Of course, you idiot.
If anybody asked, Sakura wouldn't hesitate to say that this was by far the most challenging mission she'd ever been on. After three months of constant travelling, fighting, stealing and killing, she thought she'd finally adjusted to this new lifestyle. Yet, the last stretch they'd covered proved otherwise: she was panting, gasping for breath, a killer stitch in her side, a headache from dehydration, and tonnes of small scratches ranging from artificial to deep and bleeding profusely littered on her body.
Yes, she could run. Yes, she was exceptionally fast. But she had never, ever, had to sprint for two hundred miles straight, through a forest, dodging fireballs and kunai while trying to keep up with Yūgao, who she found out was actually an ex-ANBU.
Needless to say, she was far from happy. The necessity of staying constantly ready for attack and aware of her surroundings was wearing thin on her sanity and subconscious.
"Quick, here!" the older kunoichi called out, suddenly turning a sharp corner and ducking into a cave. Sakura followed suit, collapsing the moment she was hidden from view. Her sides ached, her eyes stung, and her ears rang with the echoes of the constant explosions that chased them. Apparently, one of the Iwa-nin was a pyromaniac. Just peachy.
"Get up, pinky!" Yūgao snapped, nudging her with her sandal. "They might still catch up!"
Sakura groaned and sent the kunoichi her best deadpan. She was not the only one struggling – Yūgao actually looked worse for wear as she had foolishly failed to avoid an oncoming fireball and most of her right arm and thigh was peeling, irritated skin and scar tissue. She was also visibly dehydrated and exhausted. Sakura mustered her courage, as well as remaining energy, and aimed a kick at the back of the woman's knees. She collapsed in a heap, and stayed still, breathing heavily.
"S-Shut up…" Sakura croaked, exasperated. But, in a last ditch effort of safety, she gathered her last remaining chakra and wound a masking genjutsu that her ex-teammate had taught her. The memory brought a sharp stab of pain to her heart, but she was too tired to properly acknowledge it.
"N-Not bad… Sakura." Yūgao commented, voice muffled.
A slow, victorious grin spread on the rosette's face. This was the first time the older kunoichi had addressed her by her first name. And with that final feeling of self-satisfaction, she allowed chakra exhaustion to take over and succumbed into unconsciousness.
She was being rudely shaken awake in what felt like just a few minutes since she passed out, but, to her horror, turned out to be over two days.
"-activity outside the cave, I'm going to check it out, stay here!"
She groaned in protest, rolling onto her side, but when she opened her eyes, Yūgao was already gone. Only after she managed to wake up enough to keep her eyes open for longer than two seconds did she realise that she would've preferred to still be asleep – the consequences of chakra exhaustion finally caught up with her. She was hungry, thirsty, achy, and in desperate need of a shower. Moreover, some of the blood from her wounds had scabbed over and stuck her clothes to her skin.
With a tired groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position and unbuckled her scroll. One step at a time. She reminded herself.
After ingesting most of the blood, chakra and energy replenishing pills she had brought and treating her wounds, she set out in search of actual food. Walking out of the cave, she dismissed the illusion, mentally congratulating herself on a job well-done. As far as she was concerned, nobody had come to attack them when she was K.O, but that also meant that they had probably lost Genma and Haichi. Which was definitely not good.
During her musings, she found a bush of what looked like edible berries; while not exactly the best form of nutrition, she'd take anything she could get.
She had eaten some and was about to reach for more when three relatively familiar chakra signatures passed dangerously close to her. The rosette froze, muscles tensing when she heard voices and twigs snapping nearby. She crouched, kunai drawn and ready to strike, waiting for the ninja to reveal themselves. A bit more shuffling ensued, and then a head peeked out from between the branches, and Sakura could not contain her shocked gasp.
"NEJI?!"
It turned out that Neji, as well as Shikamaru and some strange chunin whom Sakura had never seen before were all sent on a kind of 'retrieval mission' as apparently, their time limit for completing the scroll was up.
"I wasn't aware we had a time limit…" Sakura muttered, conflicting emotions raging on inside her.
"I wasn't aware you would actually leave without telling me anything." The Hyuuga huffed, avoiding her gaze. "I thought we were past the 'let's hide all our secrets and make people worry' stage of our friendship."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I didn't tell you because I knew how you'd react – you'd disapprove."
"Damn right I'd disapprove!" Neji yelled, startling Sakura and the other two. "You may think otherwise but you are simply too fragile for ANBU! Sure, physically you would manage, but you do not have a strong enough mind-set and psyche to last long amongst emotionless killing-machines!"
The rosette paled, jade eyes turning a dangerous glinting emerald as she glared at her friend. "I do not recall asking for your opinion, Hyuuga-sama." She hissed.
"Oh, what a drag." The Nara sighed. "Would you two stop with the drama?" he asked, clearly exasperated. "I can't hear myself think over your arguing. Troublesome."
Sakura saw Neji clench his jaw and barely hold himself back from snapping at the lazy teen. She took pity on the brunette and extended a hand for him to shake. "I'm sorry, Neji-chan." She murmured, too quiet for any of the other two to hear.
"It's alright. I'm sorry for snapping, I was out of line; it's your life after all." He whispered back, ruffling her hair gently.
"Well, isn't this just the cutest." An unfamiliar voice called out, but before any of them could even think to react, darkness overtook their vision and everything went black.
When Sakura came to, she realised that her cheek was pressed to a cold stone floor, and there was another body really close to hers, and her arm was twisted behind her back to the point where it was actually numb.
"You awake?" a voice whispered next to her ear. Startled, the turned to face the speaker, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness enough to recognise the pineapple-shaped ponytail of the Nara.
"Yeah." She whispered back, throat too parched to attempt speaking. She kicked lightly at the body on top of her, smirking slightly when she heard the Hyuuga groan in pain and stir. "Any idea where we are?" she asked.
"None." The teen sighed. "Though I'd wager a guess that it's not a place where they'll offer us tea and cookies." he muttered sarcastically. Sakura decided that she actually really liked him, and attempted to sit up.
"How long have we been here?"
"By the fact that my mouth feels like something died in it, I'd say about two days." Neji groaned, clutching his head as he sat up beside her, clearly too dazed to bother turning on the filter between his mind and mouth.
"Wow, Hyuuga. I never knew you were actually capable of a sense of humour." The Nara remarked dryly, to which Neji shrugged, too tired to do much else.
"Where's the other chunin?" the rosette asked, finally awake enough to realise that there were four of them when they got captured.
"Uruha?" Shikamaru asked. "He's just there, in the corner." He replied, pointing to the bundle of cloth which Sakura belatedly realised was actually a person.
The chunin in question turned to face them, a finger on his lips. "Sssh. I think someone's coming." He whispered.
And indeed, someone was coming. In less than a minute, they were all manhandled to their feet and led out of the cell, pushed and nudged by the guards whenever they accidently slowed down or turned the wrong way. Sakura bit her lip, struggling with restraining herself from snapping at the guards – with none of them having any chakra, she doubted they could really escape. Basing on what the corridors they were led through looked like, she'd hazard a guess that they were in some kind of fortress.
That theory was proven correct when they were finally pulled to a stop and forced to their knees in the middle of a giant hall, with a single, ornate throne at the front.
The guards let them go, but formed a semi-circle around them, blocking the way out. From the front of the room, a man walked towards them, and though he looked slight in built, the way he held himself, the cruel look in his eyes and the self-satisfied curl of his lip assured Sakura that he was the one who called the shots in this place.
"Well, well, well." He drawled, voice thick with amusement, like they were missing out on some obvious joke. "You know, I'm quite disappointed, really." He walked around them, and Sakura did her best to keep her chin up and her eyes forward. They were forced into a two-by-two square, with Neji and Uruha at the front with her and Shikamaru right behind them, so close that Sakura could smell Neji's lavender shampoo. When the man had made a full circle around them, Sakura raised her eyes and glared at him. He tutted lightly when he noticed her and smirked. "From the way you ninjas carry yourselves, it's like you think you're all that. Yet all it takes to knock you out is a bit of air-borne gas and a bracelet." He chuckled, foot lightly tapping said bracelet on Neji's wrist.
The Hyuuga twisted his wrist and grabbed the man's ankle, yanking so he fell on his bottom. The guards immediately sprung forward, two helping the man off the floor while the rest seized the Neji's hair and shoved his face into the floor, the obvious cracking of bone ringing loud and clear through the empty hall.
"No, no, let him be." The man waved the guards off, and approached the teen, hand grabbing his chin and forcing him to look up. "I'll deal with this one myself." And the smirk that appeared on his face chilled Sakura to the core. "You're feisty. I think I like you enough to reveal what I want now." He made another circle before he started speaking, arms spread out dramatically as he addressed them. "My name is Takao. I am not a ninja, nor a daimyo, but a man with means and opportunity. I hate shinobi. My village and people were destroyed during the last War, simply because it refused to take sides and acted as the neutral ground. Because of that, it was turned into a battlefield with no survivors, save for myself and a few of my henchmen." He paused, standing in front of Neji again, tracing the Hyuuga's pale jaw with his fingers and smirking when he shivered in disgust. "Thus I am on a self-assigned mission to make every ninja that comes my way suffer like I was forced to suffer." He crouched now, hand leaving Neji's jaw to rest on his neck. "But I've grown quite fond of you, so I'll give you a second chance." He winked. "Tell me who your leader is, and I will let the rest of your little team go."
With a jolt, Sakura realised that Takao must have thought that Neji was the leader since he was at the front. And a man. Her subconscious whispered. With another jolt, she realised that they had never discussed who should take the leader's position since it was a 'retrieval mission'. But then, she remembered that she outranked all three teens, so the leader's spot would fall to her by default. She just hoped Neji was conscious enough to come to that conclusion as well.
"So? I am waiting." Takao taunted, smirking predatorily.
Neji took a deep breath. "I am the leader."
Sakura's heart plummeted and stuttered in her chest. Icy cold fear gripped her gut when she saw the satisfied, hungry look in the man's eyes at the Hyuuga's words. He drew ever-closer and tangled his hand in Neji's chestnut locks, then yanked. "Fantastic." He drawled, waiting till Neji steadied himself on his feet before getting right into his personal space and licking a long trail from the teen's jaw to his temple. "You're coming with me then." As he was about to lay his hand on the Hyuuga's back, Sakura couldn't take it anymore.
"Don't touch him!"
"Don't touch him!"
Neji stilled. He recognised the voice and cursed inwardly. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He could sense the rosette struggling to get on her feet, hissing at the guards when they got too close. He heard her take a deep breath before she spoke, calmer this time: "Don't touch him. I am the leader."
Almost immediately, two sidekicks swam in from the wings, grasping Sakura roughly by the shoulders, just as Neji was pushed back to his place beside Uruha. She was forced forward, to the front of their group, and pressed to her knees as the men retreated into the shadows, and left her as the solitary figure in the centre of the vast chamber. And they could do naught but look on hopelessly as the rosette knelt before the leader.
But Neji saw it, watching helplessly from the front. As unfathomable as it might've seemed, he saw the flare of pride in her eyes as she tilted her chin up and fixed her unwavering emerald gaze on the man. Defiant.
"So young…" Takao whispered sadistically, a maniac glint in his eyes. His pale hand rose to briefly caress Sakura's cheek. "I'll have fun breaking you."
And they watched, having never felt as helpless as they did at that moment, the ninja carted her off, and for the next few hours, they could only hear screaming.
When the tip of a wicked, barbed blade was pressed to the apex of her jaw, Sakura did nothing but grit her teeth. Slowly, agonisingly slowly, the searing pain was drawn along her jaw and a hot trickle rolled down her neck. Yet, she held her silence. There was a pause, before the blade returned to flash dangerously close to her eye. They expected her to flinch. They expected her to cry out.
But she'd dealt with worse. Much,muchworse.
A defiant grin bloomed across her face.
"You'll have to do better than that." She spat.
She had lost sense of time. The only measurable entity she felt was pain and that had temporarily subsided. The blessed relief was unnerving. The anticipation sent her pulse racing.
Blood.
All they saw was blood.
And in the middle of it all, Sakura. Their leader.
He heard Shikamaru gag and step back, overwhelmed by the view. But Neji couldn't allow himself such weaknesses; with every second they wasted, Sakura's life was slipping away, more and more. He could see that in the ever-growing pool of blood around her.
"Sakura?" he whispered. The rosette stirred, but her eyes did not open, and when he reached out to touch her, she flinched away, trying to bury her back in the stone wall. "Sakura, it's me, Neji."
He could see the rosette fight a battle with her eyelids, but when she finally managed to pry her eyes open, Neji gasped.
The previously sparkling emeralds were now dull, and glassed over. Neji realised that even though she was looking at him, Sakura couldn't actually see him.
"N-N-Ne…ji." The teen in question suddenly felt tears prickling at his eyes. The rosette's voice; the voice of his friend, his teammate, his leader… he barely recognised it. Just like her, it was broken and hoarse, and he heard her breath become ever more shallow as she tried to force more words out.
"Shh. Don't speak, Sakura." He gently placed his finger against her lips and felt guilty when she still flinched in pain. But the rosette didn't give up, it seemed like there was something she needed to show him. Neji watched as she tried to move her arm, but hissed in pain and tears gathered in her eyes at the movement. That was when Neji noticed the extent of her injuries – and as he did he felt bile rising up his throat.
The rosette's arm was broken in two places – and was that bone he saw peeking out? – her left shoulder was badly bruised and there was a weird lump – dislocated? – her leg was twisted at a strange angle, and then there were tonnes of cuts, some shallow, others so deep Neji could stick his hand in them.
And the blood.
It was everywhere; on Sakura's clothes, on her face, her body, around her, on the wall, still gushing out of her wounds…
Suddenly, it became quiet. Sakura's breathing had stopped.
Neji panicked. "Sakura? Sakura! Don't give up! Stay with me, damn it! Sakura! For God's sake, don't you dare let go! Sakura!" he hadn't even realised he was shaking her until a hand rested on his shoulder and pulled him away.
"Stop, Hyuuga. She's unconscious." Shikamaru's quiet, pained voice reached his ears. Neji turned on the Nara in anger.
"Don't you dare say that." He snarled angrily. "Sakura wouldn't just give up. She was trying to tell me something before!"
"I believe she meant those." The lazy teen replied, still quite pale, pointing at the chains that held the rosette up. They were attached to the stone wall and glowing blue.
Oh.
"And if that's what I think it is, then this just got a lot more troublesome than before."
As he sat by the rosette's bed-side, all patched up, Neji wondered how they would ever fully heal from what they experienced. He could still feel Takao's touch even after he scrubbed himself so hard his skin was red and irritated. He imagined that he had mental scars, but at least those scars he was sure were the ones that time and other commitments could erase. But Sakura? He traced a jagged scar on her forearm which stretched from her wrist to the crook of her elbow. The medics did all they could, but the pale pink scar would stay with her forever, an eternal reminder of that day. Not for the first time, he realised that he really wouldn't want to be in her position.
"N-Neji?" Sakura's voice startled him out of his musings, making him realise that he had been tracing her scar for the better part of five minutes. He helped her sit up and offered a glass of water which she took gratefully. He sat quietly, watching her drink, worried that she would disappear or fall apart and he'd lose her forever. However, when she didn't look like she'd crumble and break, he finally relaxed and slouched in his chair. Sakura, having noticed his relief, chuckled lightly, but the sound cut off as she choked and blood spattered from her lips.
"Help!" Neji called, apparently needlessly as a medic-nin was already running in, hands glowing green. She lowered the rosette to the bed and swiped her hands across her chest a couple of times.
"The damn punctured lung…" Neji heard her mutter under her breath. His teeth automatically found his bottom lip, gnawing it, while his eyes glared holes into the woman, demanding an explanation. "She'll be fine." The nurse remarked, frowning. "I'll just need to inform the Hokage that she is awake."
Neji's stomach churned painfully. As much as he respected the Godaime, she wasn't his favourite person at the moment. He had no doubts that the moment the woman found out that Sakura 'will be fine' she'd try to get her to re-test for ANBU again. And Neji would do his damnest to make sure that didn't come to pass. He'd like his best friend in one piece, thankyouverymuch.
"Hey, get rid of that frown, Neji-chan." Sakura murmured weakly. "You'll get wrinkles."
Neji, remembering the time they had a similar conversation, cracked a half-smile at the rosette's attempt to lessen the tension. "I thought we agreed that Hyuugas don't get wrinkles." He replied, his smile feeling forced and fake even to him. "It's just- I'm worried, Sakura. I'm afraid that they'll–"
"Afraid that they'll what, Hyuuga?" The Hokage walked in, followed by Sakura's team.
"Nothing, Hokage-sama." Neji grit out, bowing politely then moving to sit at Sakura's bedside again, eyeing the three jounin cautiously.
"OK, Sakura. You up for a little talk?" the Godaime asked, standing in the middle of the room. Haichi, Genma and Yūgao stood carefully behind her, the former looking sympathetic and like he itched to make sure Sakura was really alright, while the other two did their best to avoid looking her in the eye.
"Yes, Hokage-sama…" Sakura replied, voice hoarse and so broken the three jounin couldn't hold back a flinch. "Though, I must apologise." All five people present looked at the rosette in confusion as she bowed her head. "It was because of me we didn't get to complete the assignment, and for that I am sorry."
Silence fell in the room. Sakura's teammates stared at her in something akin to startled awe, while the Hokage sighed, suddenly sounding world-weary.
"The assignment given to potential ANBU candidates is not designed for completion." She said quietly, a frown marring her face. When all five turned to stare at her in surprise, wordlessly urging her to explain, she sighed again. There are too many missions for a short time span, and too many are S, if not SS-Rank."
"SS-Ranks?" Neji asked, a frown creasing his brow.
"Suicide Missions." Yūgao explained hastily, staring at the Hokage in fear. "I wasn't aware the mission desk still assigned them, however." She murmured, concern and doubt evident in her expression.
"That's because they don't." Tsunade sighed, falling into the nearby chair wearily. "The Elders keep them as punishments meant for captured rogue shinobi. If they complete them and come back, they will be redeemed."
"So the potential elite receive the missions meant for criminals?" Genma asked, disbelief colouring his voice before he snorted. "I'm out of here." He turned on his heel to march out.
"Genma!" Haichi exclaimed, grabbing the jounin's wrist and staring at him pleadingly.
"Sorry, H." Genma murmured, features softening. "But I refuse to be part of the Elders' sick game yet again." He turned to face Sakura. "Besides, the kid will need someone sane to help her out when she passes." He smirked.
"She'll have Yūgao." Haichi replied, not missing a beat. Genma snorted.
"Did you hear me when I said sane?" at that, both men chuckled, and Haichi released his friend's wrist. "Alright, you have a point there. Stay safe though. Keep out of trouble."
"Sure thing." Genma promised, before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Haichi returned to the group, not looking in the slightest apologetic. He resumed his position by Yūgao's side and gazed at the Hokage expectantly.
"Alright." Tsunade sighed, clearing her throat. "Before the…complication of Takao, you were on the way of beating the record of most completed missions. As such, you pass that stage. All you have left is theory, and then combat." She paused for a breath. "Do you choose to proceed?"
"Hai." Yūgao and Haichi chorused, but Sakura hesitated. She turned to face Neji, wordlessly asking for his opinion. In his eyes, she saw exactly what she expected; No. but it was a plea rather than a command, and that startled her so much she took a moment to read deeper. He was…worried? No, she realised with a shock. He was downright petrified. He was afraid… for her.
She took a second to think about what she wanted. ANBU had been her dream since she discovered the mystery of Uchiha Itachi. It would grant her access to places and files she'd only dreamed of. It would give her the chance to track down her father's killer without turning rogue. It would give her the chance to do what Haku had asked of her in his last words: chase her dreams.
She glanced apologetically at Neji before turning to the Hokage. "Hai."
"Great." Tsunade replied, clearly relieved. You have a month to the combat stage, but there is no set date for the theory exam. That you can take at your own convenience." And with those words, she left.
Needless to say, Sakura returned to the hospital a month later, bruised and broken-boned, but victorious. Her opponent was, by far, the hardest challenge she had had to face so far, but that allowed her to finally unleash the style her father had taught her; the ANBU Exams were like the Chunin Exams used to be in Kiri – it was kill or be killed, unless your opponent forfeited. The rosette and her opponent both adamantly refused to forfeit, but unlike Sakura, that decision cost her opponent his life.
Sakura was brought into the hospital on a bloodied stretcher, but all that remained of him could've easily fitted in a matchbox. For once, she was glad that ANBU Exams didn't have the same audience as Chunin Exams; even she was slightly sick to the stomach after she realised what she'd done, and she definitely wouldn't have wanted Neji to see it. But as the medics patched her up, and she realised that she passed two out of three stages – (she didn't yet know the result of the theory test she took earlier in the week) – she allowed herself to hope.
A week later, she was summoned into the Hokage's office, along with Yūgao and Haichi. The Godaime didn't say anything; she didn't need to. The three brand new ANBU uniforms laid out on her desk spoke for themselves.
To her surprise, Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes.
She passed.
One step closer to fulfilling my dream.
There you have it! The latest chapter, and so much happened here as well! I apologise if it seemed rushed – I checked out the Wiki and scanned through the content of the manga and anime, but there is no information whatsoever on how a ANBU Exam is carried out.
So I just assumed that it was similar to the Chunin Exams, and the rest sort of wrote itself ;)
Once again, I apologise that it took so long for me to update. Health and life got in the way.
Now, before some of you ask any questions:
Yūgao Uzuki is a cannon character; she is an ANBU in the series, and was Hayate's lover. In the anime, her team was the one who found his body during the Chunin Exams. That is the main reason why I made her re-test for ANBU instead of already a part of it: I think that finding the body of your lover leaves a nasty impact on a person's psyche, and from what I gathered, they need to make sure the ANBU are top-notch. From there, it did not seem all too far-fetched to have her re-test to make sure she is still capable. She will be in the story quite a lot for the next couple of chapters
Also, yes, Genma was there too. Why? Cause I just love him too damn much and he already is a tokubetsu jounin and an elite guard for the Hokage. Besides, he didn't actually complete the Exam, so he still is a jounin.
And yes, Haichi is my OC, as well as Takao. He is loosely based off Kaoru, since I miss writing him sooo much! He will also make more appearances in the oncoming chapters.
Finally: Neji. No, I will not forget him. He will still be one of the main characters in this story, and how that will be possible will be explained in the next chapter(s)
And Sakura? She's all fine and dandy, ANBU at 12 just like she wanted.
And to clarify timings, let's say it's March there, 29th. Cause I mentioned in one of the dialogue's in last chapter that ("They will have her going for ANBU by the end of the year") or something like that. Then here about four months passed. So we can say it's March. Cause why not? ;)
Also! Quite a lot of people were confused with the ages so:
Sakura is now 12
Neji is 15
Akane and Kaoru are now 16
FINALLY, Akane and Kaoru will be back, either in the next chapter or the one after that!
Thanks for reading!
If you have any opinions or questions regarding this chapter, please leave them in a REVIEW!
Love,
Invincible Shadow!