Chapter Fourteen: Konoha
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
Sakura crouched as modestly as she could in the torn slip she was wearing.
"We should be close enough..." She thought aloud.
Before Sasuke could ask questions, she was whistling in a pitch high enough to hurt. Wincing, he opened his eyes t ofind themselves completely surrounded by ANBU.
"Ryuu!" Sakura cried happily as an ANBU took her hand in a show of friendship.
"Sakura!" He exclaimed as he pulled her up, "The ground is not fit for you!"
"What are you doing all the way out here?" A kunoichi inquired as she wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulders.
"I'll explain everything later, but first I need to talk to Lady Tsunade." Sakura said.
"Say no more." The third man assured her.
"What?!" Tsunade demanded, slamming her hands down as she stood up.
"And he has enough of my chakra to effectively replicate it. On top of the, he as already cracked the genetic code for the Sharigan and several elemental kekkei genkai. With those, the Byakugan is up for game." Sakura added.
"Shizune, I want ANBU Squad One ready for dispatch. Sakura, you'll be accompanying them."
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Sasuke protested.
"Relax, Uchiha," Tsunade told him icily, "You're going as well."
He lapsed back into silence as she amended several documents before dismissing them.
Sakura bathed quickly, changing into more suitable attire and supplying herself with extra weaponry and medical gear. Tying a sleeping pallet to her pack, she knotted her headband around her hair and stepped out into the night.
Sasuke had showered and taken the remaining time to eat a light dinner, meditate, and stretch in the hopes of generating some of the chakra he had used. When he felt as sufficiently prepared as the time allotted, he grabbed his pack and walked through the door.
"Ready?" He asked Sakura as he approached the gate.
"Yeah, but I wanted to give you something." She replied as she rummaged briefly through her pack before withdrawing a small vial containg about a hundred small, blue pills.
"They're a variation of the military rations." She added, sliding one into her mouth.
Sasuke did the same, tossing his head back to force it down. The results were instantaneous: He felt his chakra levels spike and plateau at their crest. His senses sharpened so crisply he was alarmed he had allowed them to fall so far.
"Is our little Sakura treating you to one of her concotions?"
He turned to see the same kunoichi from that morning walk up behind Sakura.
"Tsurara, you overestimate me." Sakura insisted.
"Nonesense!" Ryuu boomed good-naturedly.
"He's right, Sakura." The third--Hebi--whispered.
"We should get moving." Sakura suggested gently.
"Agreed." Tsurara nodded as she vaulted herself over the gate with the others following closely behind.
When he was sure Sakura was far enough ahead, Sasuke turned to Ryuu and asked, "So, how do you know her?"
"A bit of a surprise?" The ANBU chuckled.
"I didn't know she was on a first-name basis with anyone from Squad One of the ANBU Black Ops." He replied.
"Well, she wound up saving our lives: About six months ago, we returned from a mission in Lighting. We knew we were going to die...at least, we thought we did. We were found outside of the gate and it just so happened Sakura was nearby. I remembering opening my eyes and thinking she was crazy, trying to heal two of us at a time like that." He reminisced.
"But when we awoke, we were in the hospital--alive and well. In return, we began testing her poisons, antidotes, and rations in the field. Needless to say, we found her talent so impressive we began to tutor her personally." He concluded.
"I see..." Sasuke said.
"She's something special." Ryuu commented.
Sasuke had to agree.
TBC