Sakura: I'm bored.

Kendall: Ditto.

Sakura: Where'd the author go?

Willoffire123: I guess we'll never know.

Sakura: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Willoffire123: This is the perfect moment to explain my new work schedule.

Kendall: huh?

Willoffire123: It's quite simple really. Each time I take a sick day from school, I turn out a new chapter.

Kendall: oh

Sakura: But what happens if you're healthy for the rest of the year? You wouldn't leave us here to rot, would you? WOULD YOU?

Willoffire123: heh, heh, on with the chapter!

Sakura: Oh no you don't! I'm not done with you yet!

Willoffire123: Yes you are! I am your boss, therefore, I say on with the chapter!

James

"Welcome to your first training session!" said Sakura, spreading her arms wide like an announcer.

"What's first, coach?" asked James eagerly. He was easily the fittest out of the four, and looked forward to showing off in front of Sakura.

"Warm ups," said Sakura. "I want 100 jumping jacks, 50 squats, and 25 bend and reaches."

"Coach?" asked Carlos, hand in the air.

"Carlos," said Sakura, calling on Carlos like a teacher.

"What's a bend and reach?" he asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" said Sakura. She stuck her arms straight above her head, her hands balled into fists. "This is the starting position."

Her arms came down to hit her gut. "This is the middle position."

Finally, she bent over to touch her toes, and repeated the process backwards.

"That's one bend and reach," said Sakura. "James, Carlos, and Logan, get to work."

Out of the corner of James' eye, he saw Sakura approach Kendall while they were doing their warm ups.

"While they're doing that, we can start on physical therapy," she said sweetly. "Can you show me how far you can lift your left arm above your head?"

Kendall lifted his arm until it was level with his shoulder before gasping in pain, and putting it down again.

James immediately stopped his warm-up and sat next to Kendall.

"Hey," he said, putting an arm around Kendall's shoulder. "You okay?"

Kendall forced a grin. "Yeah. It just startled me, that's all."

"Dude," said Carlos. James realized that he wasn't the only one to cut his warm up short. "You don't have to hide if you're in pain. Isn't that what you told me the last time I got a concussion?"

"We can go slower," said Logan. "You just have to tell us when it hurts."

"I have an idea," said Sakura. "I'm about to teach the others some basic defense moves. Why don't you watch and learn? Then later, I'll give you a healing session. Your shoulder will be better before you know it."

Kendall grinned, for real this time. "That sounds great."

Kendall

"So, what did you think?" asked Sakura later that day. "Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah," said Kendall. "Don't mess with you."

Sakura chuckled. "That's true. Now then," she slipped off her gloves and set them on Kendall's bedside table. "Take a seat, and we'll begin."

Kendall sat nervously on the stool provided by his mom, his back facing Sakura. At first, he didn't feel any different. Then, he felt Sakura's hands working their way over his bandaged shoulder.

"What do you feel?" asked Sakura.

"I feel…" Kendall started. What did he feel? He felt pretty useless, to tell the truth. He felt stupid for letting himself get hurt in the first place.

"It's all falling away," he said at last. "Floating away on the wind."

Sakura didn't bother asking what that meant. Kendall had a feeling she knew exactly what he meant. She continued working her hands over his shoulder, then down to his ribs.

Kendall sighed. This was pure bliss. He felt as if all the pain, and all the stress he'd been feeling since his accident just drifted out the window, never to be seen again.

Without realizing he'd done it, Kendall drifted off to sleep.

Sakura

Sakura laid Kendall on his bed, turned off the lights, and quietly left the room.

"Naruto, Sasuke," she said to the empty apartment. "When you find me, I'm beating the shit out of the both of you for making me go through this."

MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE

Unknown

Their previous employer fell to the floor, unconscious.

"He's useless," said his interrogator, prodding his prey with the tip of his shoe.

"She's here though," said the other. "I sense her chakra, don't you?"

The first ran his hand through his spiky blonde hair. "Yeah, but it's faint. Maybe-,"

"THIS IS THE POLICE! OPEN UP!" came a shout from the other side of the door. Without waiting, a team of 5 police officers broke down the door, their guns trailed on the two men standing over an unconscious body.

The blonde one reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black throwing knife, sharpened to a deadly point.

"What are you thinking, Sasuke?" he asked, casually spinning the knife around his fingers.

"FREEZE!" hollered one of the policemen, loading his gun.

The second man, Sasuke, frowned, his eyes closed.

"She isn't close; we need to keep moving," he said at last. He grasped the hilt of a sheath strapped to his side, but thought better of it, deciding to leave his sword in its sheath. He wouldn't need his sword for this fight; he wasn't going for the kill.

"And since we need to keep moving," he said, opening his blood-red eyes. "You are in the way."

"Let's go, Naruto," said Sasuke Uchiha, casually stepping over the writhing body of the chief officer.

Naruto Uzumaki sighed and followed him out of the building, leaving the screams of horror and pain behind.

"You're so theatrical," Naruto complained. "Couldn't you have just knocked them out?"

"We need to keep moving," Sasuke repeated. "My Sharingan won't last forever. We're wanted men now."

Naruto clutched his stomach.

"I'm hungry," he whined.

"Baka, did you just hear a word I-"

"I know! But this is a big village, and we've been travelling for days now. We should find somewhere to lie low for now. Knowing Sakura, she'll probably end up finding us," said Naruto.

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but his growling stomach shot him down.

"Fine," he grunted. "But first-"

"Yeah, yeah, the guy on the roof," said Naruto, taking out his knife and throwing it at a point on the roof of the building opposite them.

Jett Stenson dropped his phone with a shriek, a ten-inch long, black knife now impaled in the screen. He looked back at the two men only to shriek again; for the blonde one was then standing directly in front of them.

"H-how d-did you-," he spluttered.

The blonde grinned. "Not important." He picked up Jett's phone, pulled out his knife, and handed the phone to Jett. "Just forget you ever saw us, okay?"

Jett nodded frantically.

"Great!" the blonde turned to go. "Oh and one more thing. If you see a girl called Sakura Haruno, tell her we're here. Got it?"

"Uh-huh," Jett mumbled, too stunned to say anything smarter.

"Then we'll be going now," said the blonde. "Bye!" and he jumped off the roof, he and his friend disappearing from sight.

Jett blinked. Where did they go? They couldn't just disappear like that without him seeing.

Could they?

"Who cares?" Jett scoffed. He struck a heroic pose, his foot up on the edge of the roof. "Jett Stenson conquers an army of vicious ninjas terrorizing uptown San Diego! When I get back from this movie shoot and tell Jo all about my awesomeness, she'll fall head over heels for me!"

For a moment, Jett lost his balance, falling backwards onto his butt. He got up, dusted himself off, and went back inside the apartment building. As much as he wanted to, Jett knew he wouldn't tell a soul about the two mysterious super ninja people.

Because really, who in their right minds would believe him?

Willoffire123: Hooray! I finally finished it!

Sakura: Don't get excited missy, you still have to finish the story.

Willoffire123: …

Sakura: and your One Piece fic

Willoffire123: …

Sakura: and your Harry Potter Batman Beyond crossover

Willoffire123: …

Sakura: and your Batman Beyond fic that you decided to expand.

Willoffire123: But I don't want to!

Sakura: But you have to!

Willoffire123: Okay. I guess I need to get to work. Until next time folks!