The summer heat of Konohagakure was stifling. People bustled about in the streets, some of them running various stands and shops as they always did during this time of year. It was the best season for many things.
Near the edge of the village, the shrill sounds of metal against metal rung in the air as a certain pink-haired medic dashed backwards away from her training partner. They stood a few yards apart, both panting from exertion.
"I think I'm gonna call it," Sakura's voice called across the field, watching her sensei shift from his defensive stance.
"You're getting better at this," Kakashi pointed out, his one exposed eye crinkling at the corner.
"I've been trying my best, although it still isn't where I need to be," The rosette said, unsatisfied with her progress.
"You'll get there, the way you've been going at this lately. I can barely keep up with you at times." He replied, trying to boost her confidence even a little. He knew Sakura had always seen herself as the weaker one in their squad, without any special traits or techniques in her bloodline. Even with all that she had learned from Tsunade, it felt irrelevant when weighed against her teammates' abilities. She did have the best chakra control Kakashi had ever seen, however, and that alone was rare enough to set her apart from most.
She went to collect her things but not before waving a brief farewell to her teacher, who nodded and vanished in a swirl of smoke seconds later. Sakura followed the dirt path that led away from the training grounds and back into the village, taking her time as she made for her apartment.
On the street leading up to where she lived, she heard a commotion ahead of her and stopped to try and make sense of the jumbled voices to find out what was going on. From what she was able to make out, it sounded like there was something big going on. Overcome with a new sense of curiosity and nervousness, she strayed from her original path, quickly slipping down a short side road towards the Hokage's tower.
Sakura stood in front of the large double-doors of Lady Tsunade's office, taking a breath before she raised a hand to knock. She was greeted by Shizune, and the dark-haired woman stepped aside to allow Sakura to enter. The first thing she noticed were the faces of her teammates already present in the room. This must be something really big, she thought, semi-excited but still nervous.
"Sakura, just in time. Have a seat," Came the voice of the Fifth Hokage herself from beyond her large oak desk. Sakura did as she was told, seating herself across from her mentor. Naruto and Kakashi stood to the right of her, both of them silent and awaiting whatever was to come, while Shizune remained at the back of the room.
"Now that you are all here, I'm going to explain what has happened. There has been a new development regarding Orochimaru," The sannin began, her eyes moving to glance at each of them.
Sakura heard Naruto make a small sound at the mention of that name, but surprisingly he kept his mouth shut.
"He has been eliminated. Our intel agents tell us that Kabuto Yakushi is at large, and he is responsible for Orochimaru's death. While it is good news, it may also be bad, given the circumstances. We don't know what Kabuto's goal is, or his reasons for doing this," Tsunade continued, a grim edge settling into her tone.
Sakura straightened in her chair, giving a sideways glance at Naruto, who looked extremely shocked at the news; Kakashi's expression remained unreadable beneath his mask.
"Four-eyes?" Naruto said under his breath.
"Anyway, I also wanted you all here to brief you on a new assignment. It is imperative that we capture Kabuto alive, and we need our best team on this mission as soon as possible," Her honey eyes landed on Naruto upon saying this, a flash of warning in her gaze. His stare became intense and angry. Kabuto tended to pick Naruto apart, and the bitterness of his betrayal years ago was hardly forgotten.
Knowing it was a common thing for him to lose his complete shit on the battlefield against certain enemies, she voiced the warning for extra emphasis.
"Alive, Naruto,"
"Tch, will do. But I can't promise he'll be in one piece," Naruto grumbled, his stare faltering.
"We have already given Kabuto a head-start as it is, so it would be best if you prepare yourselves upon leaving this room. That's all I have to say until further notice," Tsunade folded her hands on her desk, tilting her head down slightly and letting her eyes fall shut.
Big news indeed.
Sakura's evening plans had come to a halt with the new need to gather herself for this mission. It was already mid-afternoon, so she began quickened her pace towards home.
When Sakura reached the gates of the village, Naruto and Kakashi were already standing under the archway waiting for her with their rucksacks hoisted upon their shoulders.
"All set?" Kakashi asked, glancing her way and then at Naruto, who gave a nod.
Sakura nodded as well and they started off into the forest beyond the gates, dashing into the trees above in the direction of rice country. It would be at least a days journey, maybe more with the time already lost.
They reached a fork in the path after many hours, coming to a halt to decide which path would be more ideal.
"If we go left, it will be more dangerous, but faster. Rogue nins tend to hide out around this part of the border," Kakashi informed the two, shrugging off his pack, the straps slipping into his hand.
"Nothing we can't handle," Naruto said, mirroring Kakashi's movement and setting his own pack down on the thick branch of the oak they stood upon.
"I think we ought to take this time to rest for a bit," Their sensei said, taking a look around at their surroundings, in search of a good location to set up a small camp. He dropped from the tree and ambled over to a spot under a low tree with a thick covering of brush above.
"This seems like it'll do," He called to his two students still above him.
They descended to where Kakashi now crouched, setting their things down next to where he was already collecting a heap of thin sticks for a fire.
Darkness shrouded the forest, giving way to the sounds of night. The only light was that of the flames before them, flickering and illuminating their faces. Sakura's eyes wandered to Naruto, his lips formed a flat thin line and his brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought. Wondering what was on his mind, Sakura gave him a gentle nudge.
"You alright? You seem pretty tense," She pointed out. Naruto flinched ever so slightly, his racing mind coming to a standstill as his blue eyes landed on Sakura.
"It's just... I never would have guessed it would be him. I sort of imagined that it would be Sasuke who took him down, or one of us. Something about it doesn't sit right with me," He gives an unsettled look, shifting his legs so they are straight in front of him.
"I know what you mean. It doesn't feel right, but the sooner we find him, the sooner we will be able to find out why. I just hope the little bastard isn't planning something worse now that he's done this," Sakura sighed, fiddling with a stray piece of string off the edge of her shirt. Thoughts of their last encounter with the gray-haired ninja flood her mind – She remembered the look on his face as she'd sent him careening backwards into a solid tower of stone. How he'd called her ability impressive.
A cloud passes over Naruto's face, but then he allows himself to relax, giving a sideways glance toward Kakashi, who appeared to be asleep.
"If there's one thing I'm sure of about Kabuto, it's that he's definitely got some slimy reason. He's good at deceiving those whose trust he is able to gain when it benefits him. So, it seems like he wouldn't have done it just for the sake of doing it. He's a smart guy, you know? He knows what he's doing, without a doubt," Naruto prodded a stick into the fire, watching it become black with soot.
Sakura made a small sound of agreement, turning her gaze up toward the sliver of sky between the canopy of trees.
"I think we should get some rest. We don't know what tomorrow will bring," She said with a soft tone. The fire popped loudly, turning Naruto away from his thoughts. He laid back onto his already rolled out sleeping bag, clasping his fingers behind his head.
"Night, Sakura," He muttered, his eyes closing with the release of a deep breath.
"Goodnight, Naruto."
Sakura unrolled her own sleeping bag and tucked herself within it, willing herself to relax enough to sleep.