Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto characters.
A/N: Thank you for your reviews, everyone. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Now in this chapter, Sakura becomes a man and joins the Ninja Training Camp. But she does not get a warm welcoming. As well you will learn who will be in charge of the training.
Read and review please.
Three:
After her parents had gone to sleep, Sakura went to work immediately. She had waited till it was nearly midnight, just to make sure that her father was truly asleep before she sneaked into his room and stole the summoning scroll. She looked at him in longing, watching him sleep. She didn't want to do this, but he was giving her no choice.
Then she went into the armor and pulled out his old Shinobi uniform. She looked them over, trying to judge them if they were about her size. She knew they might be a little baggy on her but she didn't care. She needed them to be. She rolled them up into a bundle before going for some of her father's weapons. She took out his kunai holster with a few pockets full of shruikens and throwing stars, as well as took his prized Kunai.
Once she had them, she hurried back to her room and stuffed them into a traveling bag before going to the kitchens and stole food from the cupboards. She knew she would need a good amount of food if she was going to be traveling. She decided she would make herself into a boy once she left the residence. Doing it now would probably cause a little trouble if she got caught being up.
Before leaving her room, she had paused in front of her mirror, looking at herself. There was one other problem she was facing. She did have a small chest, but it was clear that she was female. She shook her head. "Men do not have boobs." She muttered bitterly to herself. Before this happened, she had been disappointed that she had a small chest while other girls had large ones, but now, she was grateful that she didn't have big breasts. Still, it was a problem. So she went to her mother's herbal cabinet where she kept bindings. Sakura stole a few rolls, promising herself that she would take care of her problem later.
Finally, she had everything she needed together. They were all stuffed into her bag and she was now making her way outside of the Haruno clan's gates. She couldn't help but turn back and stare longingly at her home. She was half tempted of just putting this behind her and go get back in bed. But the image of her father on the ground, in pain stopped her. She would miss her family but she had to do this. This was for her father. For his life and his honor.
"Goodbye, father. I won't let you down." Sakura whispered before she was hurrying away out of the gates and into the darkness of the night.
The pink haired girl traveled for almost three hours till she was well away from the Haruno residence and any home for that matter. Once she was safely hidden in the forest, she stopped to make camp in a clearing. It was still in the springtime, so it was still just a little cool. She was really tempted to try and make a fire. But if she did that, it might bring strangers to her camp and she did not want that right now.
So, she just laid in the soft grass under a willow tree with Suka's kunai in her hands, staring down at it. There was another problem she had to face and that was her gorgeous, long pink hair.
"Though boys don't have pink hair, they certainly don't have long, pink hair." She muttered to herself before she gently ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, my friend. But it has to be done." She then grabbed a fist full and began to saw at her wonderful hair. She couldn't help but sob as she cut her hair short. She didn't have a mirror to help her, so she wasn't sure if she was getting it even.
Once she was done cutting her hair, Sakura used her hands to try to figure out what it now looked like. She had cut it boyish style, though it was still a little long, only to below her ears. It would have to do though. She was feeling a little too tired to cutting it again. With a sigh, she looked at the rest of her hair, shaking her head in disgust. "I'm sorry, my friend." She said softly before she began pulling off her dress and changing into her father's old clothes.
However, she stopped when before pulling on her shirt, to wrap the bindings tightly around her chest. It was not easy to flatten her chest. It took a long time to get it done by herself but she managed after an hour an a half of wrapping the bindings around her. Soon enough, her chest wasn't sticking out anymore. And then she continued to dress herself as a man. She tucked in her shirt, leaving it a little baggy and pulled on her father's Shinobi jacket.
Finally she was done and it was time for her to get some sleep. She knew she would need it. So she laid down in the grass, using her old clothes as a blanket and a pillow. It took a while to getting to sleep but finally, she fell asleep.
It was nearly noon when she woke up again. She was almost too nervous as she got up and started her to get ready for her travels. She had to discard her dress in a river she was passing by before going on. Her hand was running through her hair, measuring the length of it. But as she traveled, she came to a forest she knew that was the Forest of Death. She stopped there for brunch and stared into a small stream.
Sakura really did look like a boy now. Her hair was cut so short and was uneven but she knew quite a few guys that had uneven hair. She heard it was actually a little common to have uneven and wild hair. The only problem was, she was still a little too girlish looking. Her face was soft and fair looking, though she wasn't sure if that was going to be a problem or not. But to make sure, she took some dirt and rubbed it on her face. It helped just a little. She hardly recognized herself.
"Hmm. Maybe this will work after all." And then she pulled a face at the sound of her voice. Her voice was going to be a big problem. It was too soft and high pitched like a girl's. So she tried to deepen her voice, roughing it up a little. And she practiced with it as she walked.
An hour later, she found the Ninja Camp.
The Konoha Ninja Training camp was on the far south side of the village, at least five or ten miles away. It was set up at the edge of the Death Forest, with more than a hundred tents set up. There was a mesh tent where quite a few tables were. And there were men sitting on them, eating steaming plates of food. There were more wandering the camp or talking with others. It surprised Sakura to see so many men that have shown up to join the army. Quite a few of them were about her age, and a few were older, already fathers, she could tell.
And there were even more Shinobi all around the camp, seeming to be observing the new recruits.
"Okay." Sakura sighed, nervously. "Time to put on a show." And then she began making her way closer to the camp, pausing just outside the bushes to watch the men. She needed to see how the men acted, so she could copy them. And to be perfectly honest, she was starting to regret it.
Some of the men were the most disgusting men she had ever seen. Several were spitting on the ground, a few was picking their nose and flicking it down and more than fifty was stuffing their faces with food, eating with the worst table manners she had ever seen. It was too gross to watch. A group of men were just standing around and watching the others like Sakura was doing. But a few were acting really tough and trying to pick fights.
"Hey! Move it, shrimp!"
Sakura jumped when she heard shouting, thinking it was directed to her since it was so close but then she realized that a huge man was talking to a smaller one.
"You talking to me, fatboy?!" The other yelled back. And soon they began fighting. Some men grinned and stood by to watch as the men began pounding the living daylights out of each other.
Again, Sakura felt her stomach curl and she nearly felt sick. She knew this was going to be a whole lot harder than she thought. But she still had to try. So taking a deep breath, she moved into camp.
And to her dismay, she was noticed immediately.
She saw several men stop what they were doing and looked at her. Sakura's face drained of color as she stared back. She was immediately wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her. More than several men were just staring at her, almost in shock. She wondered why though. Could they tell that she was not a boy? Could they see right through her? She hoped not. She knew that she could be killed for impersonating a boy. She knew the laws and heard what would happen if they were broken.
"Wh-what are you staring at?" She demanded, trying to sound like a tough boy.
Immediately, men burst into laughter, surprising her. Some were roaring so hard that they fell to their knees and began pounding the ground with their fists. Sakura sweatdropped but then stood still, her hand on her waist. "All right. I'm missing the joke, obviously. But what is so funny?"
A young man close by moved forward in a very slow manner, a smirk curled on his face as he looked her over. His black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and he actually had earrings in his ears. He looked at her rather lazily, almost in a very bored way. "You are." He said slowly. "You are the joke, dude." He reached up and grabbed a few strands of Sakura's hair before giving them a sharp tug, making her yelp in pain. "Who in the hell has pink hair?"
Sakura winced as she rubbed her head before glaring at the boy. "Ow." She then slapped his hand away as he tried to do it again. "What was that for, you jerk?!" This only made the men laugh even harder, as if she had said one of the funniest jokes on the planet. "Stop laughing! So what if I have pink hair?!"
The young man standing before her just sneered as he placed his hand on his was, shifting his weight. "Oh, how troublesome." He said rolling his eyes. "Pink hair is for girls. Not men." He sneered. Sakura felt her body grow very cold with shock, her breath nearly stopping there. She knew they must have known that she was a girl. But how? It must have been her pink hair. She knew she should have done something about its color. "I….I am not a girl! I am a man!" She said trying not to sound nervous. The boy just sneered again before he shook his head. "No, you're not." He remarked. "You are a girly boy. You're probably one of those guys who was so pampered by their mommy and were raised to be a wimp while your daddy refused to hang out with you and chose to go pork his secretary, or someone's wife or daughter, right?"
Sakura wasn't exactly sure what had happened that very second. All she knew was she felt her temper just flare up after hearing those insults. Especially the one about her father. No one ever insulted her father. Not even if she was pretending to be a boy. And that was one thing that the hands learned to never do on the Haruno residence. They had learned that Sakura had one of the worst tempers and if she lost it, they were sorry. She practically became a whole different person. And that was what happened.
"Oh! Punch his lights out!" She heard her inner voice exclaim, something she had somewhat developed while a child.
But, Sakura happily obliged into doing what she was told, though she wasn't exactly aware that she had done it until she felt her fist slam into the young man's jaw, sending him flying backward. It had startled her as much as it had startled him as he crashed into a table and made it collapse. Coffee and ramen went flying in every direction, landing on men all around the table and sitting at it.
There were shouts of rage and pain as coffee or hot tea burned some. One young man, an energetic blonde with strange whisker like markings on his face, looked like he was going to start crying because his ramen had been ruined. Another with him, one with black spiky hair, looked incredibly angry as he had hot coffee spill all over his lap while one right by him, one with long black hair pulled back leapt up from his seat with coffee and noodles all over his front.
"Shikamaru! What are you doing, you lazy idiot?!" That one exclaimed angrily.
The young man, Shikamaru, the one that Sakura had punched quickly got up into a crouch while rubbing his aching jaw where he had been hit. He made a quick glance at the young man yelling at him before wincing. "Neji?! I'm sorry, man! Sasuke!" He then pointed at Sakura, who stepped back in shock. "He punched me! It's his fault!"
Sakura coiled back as all eyes turned onto her. She did not like the looks that they were giving her. Especially on the names that this Shikamaru had just said. She knew them from a distance. 'Oh no! It's Uchiha Sasuke! And isn't that Hinata's cousin, Hyuuga Neji?! Not good!' She thought moving back more steps. And what was worst, everyone was now glaring at her. Anyone who had been hit by food or was friends with Shikamaru or fans of the two nobles.
"Hey! Who do you think you are spoiling Neji and Sasuke's clothes like that?!" One young man exclaimed as he glared at Sakura.
The blonde with whiskers nodded, glaring heatedly at her. "And ruining my ramen!"
"Shut up, Naruto!" Another young man exclaimed. "No one cares about you!"
And the blonde glared at him. But no one replied as they started to move towards Sakura, who swallowed hard and moved back. "Uh, I'm….I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to do that. Honest." She tried to reassure them.
Another young Shinobi snickered as he if he found what she had said was funny. "Heh, Shika was right. You really are a wimp." He remarked, earning a glare from Sakura.
Uchiha Sasuke just looked her over, still wiping noodles from his clothing. He squinted his eyes as he looked at her face then down before looking up again. He eyed her hair with discontent. "A boy, with pink hair." He snorted as he tilted his head to the side. "Now I've seen everything." He shook his head as he folded his arms, glaring. "Go home, pink boy. You don't belong here. Go home to your mother where you belong." He said now turning away. The other, Hyuuga Neji was frowning deeply as he looked Sakura over. He seemed to notice something but then shook his head as if deciding against from saying anything.
However, Sakura immediately frowned as she remembered her father's face flashing in her mind at Sasuke's words. She knew that she couldn't go home. If she did, her father would come and then he would die. And she was not going to let that happen.
"No."
Everyone nearly froze as soon as the word were out of her mouth. The black haired young man, Sasuke stopped from walking away and slowly turned back, giving her a serious look. "What did you just say to me?" He asked grimly. Sakura shifted her weight and lifted her chin with a very determined look on her face. "I said no. I came here to fight a war and gain a high honor. And I am not about to let some pretty boy tell me what to do. Nor push me around." She said firmly.
There was a very long silence between the glaring two, before the black haired boy smirked and shook his head. "You're going to be very sorry that you didn't leave, pinky. Very sorry." He said before waving a hand as he spun on his heel. "He's all yours, guys." He told everyone glaring at Sakura as he went over and stood next to Hyuuga Neji and another silent black haired young man.
The men all around Sakura just began cracking their knuckles as they started towards Sakura, sneering. One, being the blonde, Naruto. "You're so going to pay for ruining my ramen, pink boy." He growled, punching his fists together.
Sakura just shook her head as she backed away, her fists tightly clenched. She wouldn't have a problem fighting at least one of the young men. She had taken lessons from Suka, about ninjutsu since she had been 8 years old. But fighting all of them at once; that was going to be a problem. "I did you a favor, noodle breath. Ramen isn't good for your brain." She then smirked as she eyed the angry blonde. "Not that you have one. You're so dumb that you'd probably be cast out of the army before you know it." She wasn't aware that the insult was probably not a good idea.
"THAT'S IT!" the blonde roared, as he started to lunge. "YOU ARE SO DEAD!" he was quickly followed by the other men.
Sakura quickly began moving to avoid flying fists of fury at her. She ran over and behind a crate of food to distance herself but they were all over her. She decided to try and fight it out. She began ducking under fists and threw her own. This was not a good idea, she realized but she would prove to these men that she could be just like them.
"…..Orochimaru and his men have already sent word that they will wait a full year for us to prepare an army to fight, so that will give us time." Someone spoke from within a tent not too far away from the big fighting crowds. "The so called Secret Sound Nin, Orochimaru's band, will probably begin their attacks in the East though, demolishing any village or farms in that area. But we will go there and stop them at all costs."
The tent of the Shinobi was full of elites, men above that age of 20. There were at least ten Jounin and a few Chuunin standing around a table, where Namikaze Minato was standing, looking at a map of the Fire Country. He was marking territories where he believed Orochimaru might attack. He was looking rather grave as he briefed his men, but they didn't look any happier.
"And what about the new recruits in the camp, Minato-sama?" A Jounin standing off to the side asked. "Who will train them?" This man was quite tall and had short black hair. He looked rather rugged and was smoking a cigarette, which seemed to disgust a few of his comrades.
Minato's lips curved up a little as he looked at the Jounin who had spoke. But then he shrugged. "Well, there are quite a few choices, Asuma." He told the smoking Jounin. "I've decided that most of you will train the new recruits. But the one I will leave in charge of everything," he paused, his eyes drifting to a Jounin standing in a far corner, away from everyone else. "I've decided that it will be Kakashi."
The spoken Shinobi tilted his head as a few eyes turned in his direction but he was looking at the golden haired Shinobi. He was quite tall, yet he was shorter than he actually looked, due to his silver white hair standing up on end, slumping over just a little. He was a young man, at least in his mid twenties, 27 at least. He was wearing the usual Shinobi outfit, black pants and jacket with the leaf green vest. Around his waist he was wearing a travel pack. A kunai holster was on his right leg as well as a mini bag of shruikens and throwing stars. He was fairly handsome, though his bottom of his face was well hidden from view by a skintight mask. His forehead protector was pulled down over his left eye though, while his dark brown one was focused on Minato.
"Kakashi?!" Another Shinobi exclaimed, clearly not liking the idea. He was slightly shorter than the silver haired one, though his hair was black and in a bowl cut style, hanging over dark eyes and caterpillar eyebrows. He was wearing all green though. "Why him?!"
Minato, as well as everyone else looked at that one, before shaking his head with a faint smile. "Kakashi is the best choice, Gai. He has more experience than any of you and knows more techniques to teach the new recruits. He's a master of the jutsus." He said sounding a little fond of the silver haired Shinobi.
The Shinobi, Maito Gai just snorted as he folded his arms across his strong chest. "Pfft. He's just a teacher's pet." He grumbled.
Other Shinobi rolled their eyes, Kakashi being one, though he was chuckling darkly to himself and shaking his head. "Get jealous much, Gai?" He remarked, dryly. Gai glared at him while shaking a fist in his direction of his "Eternal Rival".
But Minato sighed, shaking his head as he held up a hand. He was clearly not happy with the outcome. "Enough, you two. We don't have time to argue among each other. My decision is final, Gai. Kakashi will be the commander of the training camp. It's not just my decision anyway. The Hokage wishes it as well. Kakashi is the strictest Shinobi we have. He will make sure that the boys will be ready within the year to fight Orochimaru. You, on the other hand, would go easy on them. Do not deny it either." He told him when the Shinobi opened his mouth to argue. "We need to be hard on the boys. They will have to be ready to fight for their lives and this country. They will be going up against Orochimaru, an S ranked Shinobi and once was the student of our Hokage. You all know his history. You know how dangerous he is. There's a very good chance that half of these boys won't go home alive." He said in a miserable voice. "Maybe more than half. If Kakashi wasn't the one to train them, I'm sure that all of them would die. That's why he's going to be the one in charge. I have faith in all of you. You all are the strongest and most powerful Shinobi we have. But these boys need the strictest if they want to survive. Respect my choice, Gai. You know it's true."
No one spoke as they listened to what Minato said, and they all silently agreed. It was true that some of them might take it easy on the boys. They didn't like being hard on their students, making it almost impossible to complete tasks. But they knew that if the boys were truly going to go up against Orochimaru, they would need a very strict teacher. And the strictest was Hatake Kakashi.
"My son is one of the new recruits." Gai muttered under his breath, but he knew that the others heard him anyway. "All right. I guess Kakashi can train him." He then pointed an accusing finger at the Shinobi. "You better be nice to him though, Kakashi!"
Again, everyone rolled their eyes, including Kakashi, who shifted his weight to standing up straighter. Minato just sighed shaking his head as he stood up. "I know you're son, Rock Lee is one of the new recruits, Gai. I've seen him in the camp. But you have to remember, my son is also one of the new recruits." He spoke rather softly, before his eyes snapped open wide, as if he had sensed something.
Suddenly there came a loud yelp as someone came crashing through the entrance of the tent, stumbling and falling over himself and crashing down onto the table that the Shinobi were standing around. Every Shinobi jumped to their feet or placed their hands on their Kunai before frowning when the saw who it was.
"Speak of the devil. Here he is now." A Shinobi named Genma said while smirking.
The blonde haired 18-year-old was swearing up a storm as he tried to get to his feet. He looked very much like his father, though he had the whisker markings on his face. He was saying the most vulgar words as he climbed to his feet, saying how he was going to kill someone for hitting him. "That kid is so dead!" He snarled, not seeming to realize where he was.
Minato just frowned as he watched his son start towards the tent entrance. But he shook his head as he followed after and grabbed the young man's arm, stopping him. "Naruto! What is the meaning of this?!" He demanded. He wasn't happy that his son had just came crashing into the tent during a very important briefing meeting. In a way, the boy had just embarrassed him.
Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto looked up at the one who had grabbed him before he winced and grinned sheepishly. "Oh….hi, dad. Sorry I crashed into your tent."
Minato still glared accusingly at his son, shaking his head. "But what in the world are you doing, Naruto? What is the meaning…..?!"
That was then every single Shinobi heard the shouting from outside the tent. They could hear a fight going on and by the sounds of it, it wasn't just a friendly brawl that usually happened between boys. So without a word, they all began to file out. Minato, Naruto and Kakashi were the last ones to leave though.
Once outside, everyone froze to see so many new recruits all over the place, fighting like cats and dogs. Some were throwing jutsu at each other and some were just duking it out on each other. The fight was pretty big and mostly trained on one boy, who looked rather roughed up as everyone tried to attack him.
It was a great surprise to everyone, though, to see a boy with pink hair.
But apparently the golden haired Shinobi had seen one before. His eyes lit up surprise when he saw the 'boy', though he was well aware that it was actually a girl in disguise. He remembered her, though she did look rather different. He couldn't believe she had actually cut her long, pink hair into making herself look like a boy and donned men's clothing. Minato was well aware of Haruno Sakura's intentions and why she was there. He had known that she was going to do something to protect her father. He had actually given her the idea. But this was not what he expected. This was not what he had in mind. He had expected her to hire a man to pose as her brother to join the Ninja training camp. But she hadn't. Instead, she was doing it herself.
"What the?!" Gai remarked as he looked at the pink haired girl. "Now that's something you don't see everyday. A pink haired boy."
A Shinobi, Ibiki beside him frowned as he watched the 'boy' duck under a flying kick before lashing out 'his' foot and kicked the attacker in the back. "Are you sure that's a boy? He seems really beautiful to be one. Too girlish like and….."
"No." Minato surprised himself as he spoke. He wasn't even sure why he was speaking in the behalf of Sakura. He figured it was the fact that she would be killed if found out. "That's a boy. I know him. I've had the opportunity to meet him when I went to see his family. He is Haruno Daisuka's son. I don't remember his name though."
Everyone looked surprised to hear that. They all knew Haruno Daisuka's name. He had been a well-known Shinobi at one time. But they didn't know too much about his family. Kakashi, however, narrowed his one eye in the pink haired 'boy's' direction. "Haruno Daisuka's son?" He asked in skepticism. "I didn't know he had a son. I was aware that he had a…."
Minato pulled a face while everyone was looking away but he quickly shook his head as he stepped closer to his once student. "He has twins, Kakashi." He lied casually. "A boy and a girl. They both have pink hair and are identical." He turned his eyes back to Sakura, just in time to see her throw a man off of her before ducking under a fist again. He couldn't help but chuckle to see how well she was doing. She looked like she was actually used to this sort of thing, even though he knew that she hadn't been. "Hmm. I think I might like this boy. He's kind of feisty. I'd hate to see what his sister is like." He smirked towards Kakashi. Kakashi, however, looked highly annoyed as he looked away. He didn't want to get into this argument. The other Shinobi caught onto something. They knew there was a hidden meaning underneath that message. It just made them even more curious.
"Oooh! And does our Kakashi know that boy's twin sister?" Gai asked grinning mischievously.
Kakashi shot him a dark look before starting towards the fighting group of new recruits. He was not going to get into that subject with Gai. No way, no how. But as he was passing by the Shinobi, he stopped as Gai grabbed his arm and held on. "Come on, Kashi. Spill it. What kind of scandal are you pulling now? We all know you." The black haired Jounin said grinning. There was a short pause before Kakashi yanked his arm free from Gai's grip and shook his head as he kept his eye away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about. If its about my books, get a life, Gai. It's my business, not yours." He remarked dryly before going over towards the fight.
"Ouch." Gai said wincing before looking at Minato who shook his head. He caught him muttering the name Tsunade under his breath. "Oh, let me guess. Tsunade showed up at his place giving him the ol' "You-need-to-settle-down" routine again, didn't she?" He asked, making a face. Minato nodded as he watched his former student but then followed after him.
Sakura gasped for air after getting it knocked from her lungs as one man had elbowed her. She quickly tried to move away only to get tripped by another young man. 'Oh boy!' She thought fearfully as several fists came flying at her head. "Not good!" She yelped covering her head to protect herself.
"Gentlemen!" Someone barked.
Immediately the fists stopped from hitting Sakura and was held before all of their owners spun away from the pink haired girl and looked to see who was yelling at them. Sakura uncovered her head a little to see who her savior was and froze when she saw the golden haired Shinobi that had went to her house. And he was looking at her with a pleasant smile.
Now as for who had just saved her from getting a beating of a lifetime, he was quite taller than her if she was standing up. He had silver white hair that nearly stood up on end and one eye was covered with his forehead protector. There was no doubt that this was an Elite Shinobi, by the vest he was wearing. But right now, he wasn't looking too friendly.
"Oh man. It's him! The Copy Nin!" One of the nearest men gasped under his breath before he and all of the other men quickly backed away from Sakura and stood up tall.
Sakura, on the other hand, clumsily got to her feet and brushed herself off before she realized that the Shinobi was standing over her. She looked up at him, seeing the dry look he was giving her and she suddenly realized that she was suppose to be doing what the other young men were doing. She gave them a quick glance before straightening herself, trying to be as stiff as they were.
The Elite Shinobi was not impressed by the look on his face. "What do you think you are doing picking a fight in my camp?" The silver haired Shinobi asked dryly.
Sakura frowned a little and was a little stumped but it was clear that he was angry with her. About the mess that was just made in trying to defend herself. "Uh….sorry." She paused when she heard one of them snort. She then remembered what the young man, Shikamaru had said about her being a wimp so she decided to take on the tough boy sort. So, she tried grinning at the Shinobi. "I mean, sorry you had to see that. But you know how we men like to be. You know, so tough and all. Teaching wimps like them a lesson." She even added a punch to shoulder for an affect.
That seemed to be a very BIG mistake.
Sakura saw the dry look that the Shinobi was giving her turned into a full out glare and she saw a few of the other young men wince while others snickered. She cringed a little knowing that she had done wrong.
"Let me see your papers." The Shinobi said coolly.
Immediately, Sakura dug into her pockets for the summoning scroll before finding it. She quickly held it out to the Shinobi, who practically snatched it from her and looked over it. His eye followed each line before looking back at her, his eyebrow raising and he tilted his head. "So, you're from the Haruno clan, huh? The son of Haruno Daisuka?" He asked still serious as ever.
However, the name made quite a few other young men gasp and began murmuring. It still made Sakura frown but at least the men seemed to think she was a boy. "Yes. I am." She told him.
"Yes, what?" The Elite asked roughly.
Sakura was taken back by surprise by how he suddenly was angry at her. She was wondering what she had done wrong. She even tried to look at the other young men to see if they would help her out, which they weren't going to, she looked to Minato instead, hoping he would give her a hint. He seemed to, because he smiled and shook his head before mouthing, 'Yes, sir.'
"Yes, sir!" Sakura quickly said, her eyes snapping back to the Shinobi.
The Elite Shinobi still didn't look satisfied. He just frowned, at least she knew he frowned. She couldn't see the frown because his mouth was hidden by his mask. But she could tell because of the look on his face. But then he held up the scroll. "Your papers are missing one thing. Your name. What is it?"
Sakura's heart nearly stopped as her eyes snapped wide open. She could not believe of how stupid she truly was. She had forgotten to pick out a boy's name. She knew she couldn't be called Sakura. That was a girl's name. But she knew that she better answer quickly because the Shinobi wasn't looking any happier.
"Well?" He asked impatiently.
Sakura quickly searched her mind quickly for a name. But all she was getting was blank. Her mind was racing but she wasn't finding anything. "Uh….."
Now the Shinobi looked even more annoyed. He folded his arms and shifted his weight, while looking very annoyed. "Well?! Do you have a name or don't you?!" He asked roughly. Sakura nodded timidly as she still tried to think of a name. "O-of course I do. I do have a name." She said flushing bright red. "An-and it's a boy's name." She could have slammed herself to the ground for that. She knew how stupid she was sounding. Even some of the men were sniggering. And they weren't the only ones. Some of the Shinobi cracked smiles and were shaking their heads. "It's….it's ah…."
"What is your name?!" Again the Shinobi asked, sounding more angrier.
And then a word popped into her mind. She didn't know where it came from but she had. It was the only name that came to her so she quickly said, "Zaku!" Everything seemed to stop at once. The men stopped laughing at her and now the Shinobi rose his eyebrow, now looking at least a little satisfied that he finally got a name. "Zaku?"
Sakura nodded quickly as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, si-sir. My name is Haruno Zaku." She tried to sound brave, but unfortunately, her voice cracked. She was terrified out of her wits. The look that the Shinobi had been giving her a minute ago had almost been murderous.
After a long moment, the Shinobi nodded before turning away from her and looked around the camp at everyone else. The men all straightened again, lifting their heads higher than before. "Listen up!" The Shinobi called out loudly, now starting to pace in front of them. "I am Hatake Kakashi and I will be training you for the last year of your lives!" The name took Sakura by surprise. She remembered that name, Hatake. She wondered exactly who this was and what his part in the clan was. But she chose to ponder over it later.
"My word is law here, boys. If you think this is going to be like a summer camp, guess again." Kakashi said dryly, his arms still folded over his chest. "We're not here to teach you how to sing camp fire songs or how to row a boat. We're here to train you to be soldiers! This will be the roughest training you will ever go through in your lives. You will do what you are told!" He told them in a loud voice. "When I say jump, you leap for the moon. When I tell you to crawl, you get on your damned bellies and crawl like worms." His voice was rather serious and rough right about now. "If you can't cut it, you go home with dishonor for your family! Now then," He glanced over at Sakura, who cringed a little. "Thanks to your new friend, Zaku, you all made a mess out of this camp. And now you are going to clean it up. No one can rest, eat, sleep or sit down without my saying so. If you do, you will be punished. Now start picking up every noodle and fix what you have broken!" He ordered.
Sakura winced again as she saw the look Kakashi gave her a cold look before turning away. But that look was no where near the looks she was getting from the other young men. Every single young man she had gotten into a fight with was now glaring at her in a most dangerous way. They looked like they were getting ready to kill her. So many murderous looks, so many daggers in those hundreds of eyes. She knew that there was no way she was going to make friends out of these guys.
"Haruno Zaku."
Sakura tensed when she heard his voice again but slowly turned to look right up at Minato, who was still smiling at her. He had one eyebrow raised as he looked her over. And by the look on his face, he knew who she really was. "Uh….y-yes?"
Minato just smiled before he turned away, motioning for her to follow him. "I would like a word with you, Miss…." He paused to look at her slyly. "Mister Haruno." He finished. Sakura felt her face drain of color, knowing that he was going to say something about her being there. But it wasn't just that look that had her nervous. It was the now returned look that Kakashi was giving her. He had heard what his old teacher had said and turned back to protest.
"Master Minato-san," He interrupted. "The boy needs to help clean up the mess that he made." He said seriously.
But Minato just waved Kakashi away with his hand, shaking his head. "Relax, Kakashi. It won't take long. I'll be quick. Then he can join his comrades to cleaning up." He promised, then motioned for Sakura to join him. Sakura timidly followed, glancing at Kakashi who rose an eyebrow at her but did not say anything after that. They both walked well away from the others, from prying ears so that no one could hear what they were going to talk about.
But after a long moment, Minato spun on his heel and faced Sakura, who immediately halted from running into him. "I thought I told you not to do anything stupid." He said dryly. "Why didn't you listen to me?"
Sakura swallowed hard as she looked down at the ground. So she had been right. Namikaze Minato did recognize her and did know what she really was. She knew she was in for it and big time. "I'm sorry. But I couldn't let my father die." She said shaking her head. "He's too old and the limp in his leg would have slowed him down. He would have been killed."
Minato frowned seriously, giving her a look of warning but then he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Ah, what am I going to do with you, Miss Haruno? I agree that Suka was not fit to rejoin the Shinobi lines but you are a woman. Women do not belong in the war. It's way too dangerous. There's reason why we don't let them join Shinobi ranks." He gave her a very serious look. "The law would have me execute you immediately. This is breaking way too many laws at once." He saw her flinch but still did not meet his eye. "And I should just send you home to avoid that. But I won't."
Sakura's head snapped up and she looked at him in shock. She couldn't believe that he just said that. She knew that he was breaking the law if he didn't punish her or sent her home.
Minato just shook his head, still looking seriously at her. "I'll let you decide, young Zaku. You can either quit or you can just get kicked out. I must warn you now. My former student, Kakashi is not easy to get along with. He's very strict and does not allow anyone to play around. He is going to be very hard on everyone, even you if you continue this charade." He shook his head again. "He has my orders to make sure that everyone in this training camp will be ready to fight for their lives from the greatest enemy of the Fire Country. And that is to work these boys into men. This is going to be back breaking for everyone. If you stay, you will have blisters on your soft, delicate hands and it will tire you out until you drop. Eventually," He paused to tilted his head to the side. "You will break and you will give up."
The words echoed inside of Sakura's mind like the sound on the walls of a cavern. They scared her. It made her feel like she was going to cry. To feel that bad, it hurt. Maybe she should give up while she had the chance. At least she would still live and no one would ever know what she tried to do. Only herself, her mother and her father…..
"Father." She whispered with a gasp.
She remembered how she had seen him fall down, struggling to get up. She remembered the look of pain on his face and how she never wanted to see him like that again. She refused to She could not let him fall down again.
So with all the determination she could muster, Sakura looked up at Minato, with such sternness that it nearly surprised him. "I will never quit and I will never fail." She said boldly. "If I fall, I will get back up. If I get blisters on my soft, delicate hands, I will just put ointment on them until my hands hardened with my labors. I may have been a woman yesterday, sir, but I am a man today. I will not let my father fight this war when I can do it for him. This is my fight for honor. I couldn't get my honor as a bride, so I will do it as a soldier." She said with pride.
There was a long silence between the two before Minato's face softened and he looked at her with a smile. "You really are a fiesty one, Haruno. But I will guarentee you, Kakashi will find a way of breaking you.."
Sakura forced a smile as she looked into his deep blue eyes. "I don't break easy."
That really made Minato smile as he lift his chin higher. He had to admit it, she was full of courage. He had expected her to be afraid but she wasn't showing any fear. "We shall see." He said softly before nodding. "I do hope you're right. Because I like your spirit. That's why I'm letting you stay. I hope to see you in six months when I come for a check on the training status. Do not let me down, Haruno."
Sakura only smiled at him, still a little too serious. "I won't. I swear it."
Minato just nodded as he turned away and started back towards the Elite Shinobi. He paused to wait for Sakura, who quickly joined his side. "I'm going to give you one more warning, Zaku. Kakashi is not going to take it easy on you. He will not take you under his wing or anything. If you fall, he won't catch you or help you back up. He's not like that. He expects you to get up on your own." He told her.
"…..He….he doesn't know, does he?" Sakura asked looking up at him.
Minato shook his head as he already knew what she was talking about. "No. He doesn't know that you're a girl. Not yet anyway. You're going to have to be very careful around him. He will figure it out if you're not. He's one of the most intelligent Shinobi I've ever taught. So whatever girly habits you have, drop them immediately. You have to convince him that you are a boy. You must have repulsive habits." He made a face at the thought. "Spit in public, pass gas without a thank you, if you must. Burp out loud. But keep it a limit. It annoys Kakashi and you don't want to do that. Pretty much, just do whatever he says but don't be a mindless drone. He likes it when people think for theirselves but obeys the rules." he warned her.
"I'll try to remember that." Sakura murmured before glancing at him.
Minato was still giving her a serious look as he looked down at her. "Be careful, Zaku. I mean it. If you act like a girl once around Kakashi, he will catch on. He's one of the most intelligent students I've ever taught. He will figure it out." He told her sternly.
Sakura only nodded as they started to approach the others, but hesitated when she saw some murderous looks thrown in her direction. She knew that she was in trouble with them. And she had a feeling that they weren't too happy that she was actually 'befriending' Uzumaki-Namikaze Minato.
"Hmm. You better start helping them clean, Zaku, or you're going to have a lot of enemies." The golden haired Shinobi told her, also noticing the looks.
Sakura made a weak face as she nodded. "I think I've already done that. They don't like me very much. I don't think anyone's going to go easy on me." She murmured.
Minato's eyes flickered over to her, pausing for a long moment before he sighed. He just patted her on the back, giving her a light push. "You'll be fine." He told her. Then he watched her start cleaning up, though away from the young men. "I'll make sure of it." He muttered to himself before he looked around for his son, spotting him helping fix a table. With a deep breath, he went over to those young men. "Naruto."
The blonde young man, Naruto, turned around before grinning when he saw his father. He gave the other men a quick wave of the hand to let them know he would be right back before hurrying over. "Hey, dad!" he said excitedly. "Leaving already?"
"Not just yet." Minato told him silently before moving closer. "I need you to do me a favor, Naruto, while I'm gone and you are here."
Naruto grinned as he looked wide eyed up at his father and even started bouncing on his heels. He would do anything to impress the Great Minato. No matter what it was. "What?!" He asked excitedly.
"I need you to watch Haruno Zaku's back, keeping the others from picking on him or hurting him."
That came as a slap in the face for Naruto. His excited look immediately vanished and he looked at Minato as if he was crazy. "What?!" He exclaimed. But...why?! He's a pink haired jerk who ruined my ramen and kind of a loser and..." He stopped when Minato gave him a dry glare. He knew he was in trouble now. He only got that look when he did something really stupid or said a nasty curse word.
"Naruto!" Minato scolded. "I'm surprised at you. You should not discriminate Haruno Zaku because of the color of his hair and a stupid accident. Ramen is ramen. I know you love it, but Zaku is a person." He shook his head as he folded his arms and shifted his weight. "Do you really not like Zaku because of his hair?"
Naruto frowned but nodded. "Well, yeah. No one likes him because of his hair. Pink hair is for girly boys."
Minato sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. He couldn't believe that Naruto didn't like 'Zaku' just because he had pink hair. "Naruto," he sighed. "You disappoint me. To judge one so wrongly, that is not fair. If you truly believe that Zaku is weak or stupid just because of his hair, you shame me." He told him. To even hear that, Naruto's eyes widened with surprise before he lowered his head with a frown. He had never really shamed Minato before. Why? Just because he didn't like a pink haired brat? Now that he actually thought about it, it really wasn't fair. So he figured that he should give Zaku a chance.
"Oh, fine. I'll be nice to Haruno. But it doesn't mean I'll like him and be his friend." He grumbled.
Minato smiled and shook his head before he reached over and ruffled his son's already messy blond hair. "Good, Naruto. Thank you for doing this. Now, work very hard while here at camp. I know you will make me proud." He told him. Naruto just grumbled before going back to work.
Minato found Kakashi next watching over the new recruits, making sure that they were doing everything they were suppose to do. And doing it right. A few he scolded and made them work even faster. But as his old sensai approached, the silver-white haired Shinobi turned and looked at him.
"Kakashi," Minato began. "I'm leaving now with my men. But I wish you good luck with the boys."
Kakashi only nodded as he bowed to Minato at the waist then straightened as his revealed eye flickered over to the pink haired boy. "What about Haruno Zaku, Master Minato-sama? What should I do with him? Send him home?" He asked in a low voice. Minato just frowned as he glanced over at 'Zaku' but then shook his head. "Are you not willing to give him a chance, Kashi? You just want to send him home without any chance at all?"
"He does not belong here, Master. He's not strong enough." Kakashi said dryly but then looked squarely at him when Minato placed his hand onto his shoulder.
The golden haired Shinobi shook his head at his student. "I want you to give him a chance, Kakashi. There's potentional in that boy. I can see it. He's stronger than he looks. Give him a chance to prove himself. He might just be one of those soldiers you're looking for to end this war. Keep an eye on him." He then smiled slyly. "You might turn out to like him."
Kakashi rolled his revealed eye and shifted his weight. "I highly doubt that, Master. He looks like an idiot to me." He muttered. Minato rose an eyebrow with a deep chuckle rumbling out from his chest. "Oh, Kakashi. This isn't about what Tsunade said when she visited you yesterday, is it?" He saw how tense Kakashi suddenly became and he grinned. "Relax, my young friend. It's up to you, not her that if you go up with the match up. She only wants to make sure your clan continues to flourish. And just think of it this way, Zaku may just as well become your..."
"I'm not going to get into that right now." Kakashi said impatiently. "I have other things to worry about besides worrying about getting married to some girl that I don't even know. And I certainly am not going to give the Haruno boy a special treatment just because of that girl. This whole arranged marriage thing is stupid in my opinion." He then pointed at a young man close by. "You!" He called. The young man he was suddenly yelling at was a large young fellow with circular markins around his cheeks. He looked up at Kakashi with wide eyes, looking like he had just been caught doing something very bad. "Uh, yes, sir?"
"What is your name?" Kakashi asked folding his arms.
The large young man swallowed hard, as if he was swallowing something, coughing a little. "Um, Akimichi Choji, sir." He answered.
Kakashi gave him a very dry look before shaking his head. "Well, Akimichi Choji, you just earned a lap around the camp for eating ramen off the ground, which is very nasty, by the way." He then threw his thumb over his shoulder. "Now start running."
"What?! I was not eating...!" Choji exclaimed but stopped at the look on Kakashi's face.
The silver-white haired Shinobi narrowed his dark eye onto him, giving him a look as if daring to argue with him. "Do you really want to argue with me, Choji? Or do you want to add a hundred laps to your sentence?"
With a grumble, Choji began running, while other young men gave him a sympathedic look and others sniggered.
Minato sighed, shaking his head before he clapped Kakashi on the back. "Don't overdo it, Kakashi. They're still young. You really shouldn't be that hard on them." He told him. Kakashi just shook his head as he once again folded his arms. "They may be young, Master. But they're old enough to know how to handle the pressure. And if they don't, it won't save their lives." He then turned to face Minato, again bowing to him. "Good luck master. And be careful."
"Thank you, Kakashi. And I wish you luck with the boys. Turn them into men, will you?" Minato told him, bowing back before he turned and was hurrying away from the camp with a large group of ANBU.