Naruto blinked at the sight of the towering forest.
"This is the right place, right Saki-chan?"
Sakura smacked his head playfully, her other hand gripping her package to her chest.
"Nari… yes, this is where we are supposed to be. And there Sasuke is. Without a bag. He's such a prick."
Naruto gasped in mock shock.
"Sakura!! Language! What will I tell your mother!?"
"I learned from the best?" She smiled brightly at Naruto before sitting on the ground.
Naruto followed her down, leaving enough space so that she wouldn't feel crowded.
"Are you opening it now?"
"I should, right?" Sakura asked softly, biting her lip. "I mean, Mama gave it to me. And I never met my father…"
"Really Sakura? I thought you had your whole family behind you. I've seen your father around before." Sasuke mulled over his thoughts. "I haven't seen him in a while though. What happened to him?"
--
Blood again. So much blood and anger and rage. Sakura knelt by her bed, not looking up into the angry eyes of her savior.
"Is this shit why you want Sasuke so much? Is the asshole supposed to protect you from him?" Naruto growled angrily and kicked the naked man again. "Why didn't you tell Sensei? Kakashi-sensei would help you. You know that!" Sakura continued staring at the floor. She flinched when a sheet surrounded her. Slowly, Naruto drew her to her feet. She chanced a glance at him to see him staring at her wall while he deftly twisted the sheet around her skinny body. Sakura bit her lip. Maybe she had misjudged the blonde. She let out a whimper when the material pulled tightly over a bruise. There was an animalistic growl, and Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "Sakura-chan…"
"Go. Please." Sakura whispered softly, fear warring with shame. "Don't tell anyone what you saw." A sob wracked her body. "I'm filthy and weak and I know it. But don't tell anyone else. Please?"
"Does your mother know what that fucker has been doing?" Calloused fingers grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet angry blue eyes. "Does she!?"
"No…" Sakura whispered brokenly. "Please go Naruto."
"Sakura-chan…"
"GO!!"
The blonde walked to the window and jumped onto the ledge.
"I would have helped you sooner had I known." She gasped, jade eyes meeting hazy blue. "You shouldn't suffer for trash like that Sakura." Naruto left through the window as silently as he had arrived. Sakura collapsed to her knees, staring blankly at her second stepfather. When her mother arrived home that morning from her friend's bachelorette party, she found Sakura and her third husband in the same spot. But the man had died sometimes during the night; another piece of Sakura had left as well.
--
"He died a while back Sasuke." Naruto spoke up. "And that wasn't her dad. Just a stand in."
Sakura slowly ran her fingers over the plain brown paper, seeking the tape that held it shut. She unwrapped it, slowly, methodically, ignoring the people around her. As the brown paper vanished, the dull gleam of wood met her. She pulled the lid off the box and peered into it. Sakura smiled softly at the weapon that awaited her.
"My father would pick an odd weapon. Do you know what it is?"
"It's a kerambit. Those aren't very useful though. While hard to disarm, their…unique shape are easier to use as something for force or hitting pressure points."
"Thank you Sasuke." Sakura picked up the curved knife and found two more waiting. "But these are very sharp. I'm sure I could cut with these as well."
Sasuke shrugged.
"Your weapon. They seem useless to me." He hissed in pain suddenly.
"No one asked you Sasuke." Sakura hissed. She watched blood drip down his cheek and turned pale. She turned back to her box and frowned when she saw Naruto was lifting something else out of it. "Naruto!"
"You didn't see it and I want to know what it is."
Sakura tipped her head to stare at the weapon.
"My father seems to have a love for curved weapons. I recognize this though, it's a saif." She held out her hand and accepted the scimitar like sword. "It's smaller though, so I can wield it single handedly…" She smiled. "I can use both weapons at the same time!"
"So you can wield the…saif and a kerambit at the same time?" Naruto grinned. "And you have the wire as well."
Sakura's grin grew to match his.
"I'm kickass!"
Naruto snickered and then glared at the raven haired Uchiha.
"Shut the hell up you asswipe!"
"She can't even use the weapons! How the hell is she kickass?"
There was a soft sound as someone cleared their throat. Both boys looked up to see their proctor glaring at them.
"As amusing as you three are…SHUT THE HELL UP! It's my turn to talk now." Anko smiled brightly. "Actually, I've been talking for a while. I wish the three of you luck. Hopefully, you won't die and I won't feel bad about not repeating instructions."
The reunited team seven blinked.
"All you've said is to sign waivers that take the blame off of you for our deaths, to get the counterpart to whatever scroll we have and to make it to the tower in the center in five days. I haven't missed anything you've said." Sakura replied. She pushed herself to her feet, clutching the wooden box to her chest once more. "Nari? Make a clone and send this box home will you?"
"Anything for you Saki."
"And make it bring back your black jacket. We forgot to get it for you."
"Why not the white one?"
"It'll get filthy! And then Mama will have to wash it for you. At least with the black she won't have to see blood all over it."
Naruto sighed.
"Fine! It's in your closet, right?"
"Yea." Sakura smiled. "I'll let you use the other two kerambit…"
"Deal!!" Naruto formed a familiar cross seal and waved the clone off. Sakura handed him the two other curved knives as promised. Minutes later, as they were signing their forms, the clone reappeared, black jacket in hand. It also held a dark crimson colored jacket as well as another shirt.
"Your mother said to take the jacket Saki. Something about sickness and she isn't trying to keep you healthy. Manatsu-chan also said Naruto should wear his under armor. She wishes the both of you luck once more." There was a ripple of laughter through the gathered genin. After all, the girl's mother was sending her supplies still? What good could she be as a kunoichi?
"Ah!! Thanks Nari!" Sakura grabbed the crimson coat and slipped it on, revealing that it was only an inch or two longer than the white shirt she wore. Naruto snorted in response and slipped off the simple green shirt he was wearing. Girls turned to stare as the tan boy stretched.
"Kid. I don't know what you do, but you have some physique." Anko shook her head. "Why can't men my age look like you?"
Naruto ignored her and slipped on the underarmor before putting his shirt back on, and then his jacket.
"Sakura!! You live with Naruto? What, do you sleep with him too?"
The pink hair girl turned to look at her ex-rival as she fiddled with the crimson ribbon in her hair, she slipped it off and flipped it over, revealing the black underside and the plate that announced her village.
"Actually, in the afternoons, when we have them off, we do sleep together. Why?" Sakura tied the hitai-ate on, tightening it to make sure it wouldn't slip down to cover her vision.
"EHH!? You're sleeping with Uzamamki!? Class clown! Deadlast? What's wrong with you!?"
Sakura blinked.
"Don't you think we're a little too young for what you're thinking Ino-chan? Maybe in a few years." Sakura untied the sash from around her waist and then retied it differently. The saif was slipped into it along with the kerambit she was going to use. "What a filthy mind you have there, Ino."
Naruto reached over, gently fixing Sakura's hair by patting it down where it was sticking up. He ran his fingers through it gently before tugging on a bang sharply.
"Turn in your waiver Saki. We need to get a move on this exam."
"Whatever Nari." She walked past Ino as she headed to the desk the disinterested genin had lined up at. Sasuke and Naruto soon followed.
"Don't hold me back, got it?"
Sakura and Naruto snickered.
"Sure thing Princess." Naruto replied. "We'll step off your dainty toes. In fact, we'll give you free reign. Get our scroll!" When everyone had decided, they went to their gates and waited to be let into the Forest of Death. When the bell rang, the reunited team seven ran into the forest.
"Nari, do you have a plan?"
"How long do you think it will take to reach to the center?"
"Why?"
"If we go to a midpoint between the tower and other teams, we can use it to our advantage. Ambushes and traps are one of my great specialties after all."
"And what if the scroll we need is not there?" Sasuke interrupted.
"What's your plan then Sasuke?"
"I'll get the damn scroll on my own. Just go to the tower."
"You know, teamwork is something we are supposed to display." Sasuke spun to face the pink haired genin, skidding to a stop. The other two stopped moving as well.
"Team work!? Like when you and Naruto abandoned me under Kakashi-sensei and didn't look back? Like the teamwork you did when you and Naruto fled the team without a warning. I've seen your brand of teamwork and it's below my means."
"You know why we left Hatake. You got all the training, while we were taught nothing. He brought us to a training field, and then he spent time trying to teach you a new way to spit fire, a different way to throw shuriken, a better way to kick and punch and stab. He didn't teach us anything! He gave me a scroll and told me that it would help me with my taijutsu." Sakura smiled grimly. "It was too advanced for me to do at the shape I was in. He had nothing to help me with and repetitively gave me things he knew would keep me busy so I wouldn't question him. But I was never able to grasp anything he ever tried to teach me because it was over my head!"
"It's not his fault you were too stupid to grasp basic things!"
"Who in my family could have given me formal tips!? You've had everything Sasuke, we have had nothing. Nothing!" Sakura sucked in a breath and then jogged past him. "I don't understand you at all Sasuke. Why can't you understand others?!"
"I tried! I tried so hard when you left, when you both left! I thought I didn't need you, you both were below me, you both were trash…and yet, on my mission to Wave, I met a boy. He asked me if I knew what true strength was. I told him yes…and then he proved me wrong! I have nothing precious to protect. The only people I even thought of at the time were you, the ones who had betrayed me! How can you be precious to me? You're nothing but traitors to our team!"
"How'd he prove you wrong Sasuke?" Naruto asked. He had never seen Sasuke throw around so much emotion.
"He…Haku died for his precious person. But in that moment, he was stronger than Kakashi, he was willing to give up his life for one man, and he did. And he was better! The bridge was named after him. Can you believe it? The boy who tried to kill the builder was honored in death!" Sasuke glared at his teammates and then vanished. Sakura turned to Naruto.
"Should we follow?"
"In a couple of minutes." Naruto replied.
The girl nodded her head.
"What do you think?"
"He seems sincere. But this is Sasuke, and Hatake seemed sincere when he taught us, but we know he wasn't."
"But you know how Genma-sensei is. If word reaches him that our teammate ran out on us…" The duo shivered in tandem. Sakura ran a finger over a scar in the center of her palm. "You remember what he did to me."
Naruto smiled softly.
"Let's go then Saki-chaaan!" The two took off, sprinting after their last teammate.
--
Sakura ran into the training ground, panting heavily. "I'm sorry I'm late sensei!"
Kakashi nodded.
"Don't do it again." He turned back to Sasuke. "Pull your arm up."
Naruto stared at his sensei in shock.
"What the fuck!? She has a bruise the size of the Hokage tower and you don't even ask where it came from?" He growled. "And she's fucking limping. And you don't even ask what she's been doing?"
"She should be practicing the taijutsu form I gave her. Shinobi receive injuries all the time Naruto. I cannot baby her for something so simple."
"You know damn well that isn't taijutsu training." He spat at his teachers feet. "I quit. I'm tired of your fucking shit."
"Can't quit unless the Hokage releases you. You would know this if you paid more attention to people Naruto."
"Thanks for the information Kakashi-sensei." Naruto turned to Sakura. "Will you come with me?"
"I got hurt from taijutsu Naruto. I don't have those moves down yet. I slipped and these wounds are minor."
Naruto stared at Sakura in disbelief.
"The hell? Sakura-chan?"
"Mind your own business you idiot!" She swung without thinking, a force of habit. It went silent as her hand connected with his cheek. Sakura gasped. Sure, she had hit Naruto before, but she never had slapped him. The shocked expression on his face told her just how much her actions had affected him.
"S-Sakura-chan?" He looked away from her, his eyes a deep blue. "W-Why?"
Sasuke stopped what he was doing, shocked. Never had he heard Naruto sound so hurt.
"What's wrong idiot? Sakura stronger than you? Tch, weaklings."
Naruto straightened up and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, there was an unfamiliar chill where warmth usually played.
"I see Sakura. My regards to your family. I guess I was wrong to interfere." He left the training field, not even giving her a chance to respond.
"Naruto…"
--
"Sasuke!! We want to work with you now…promise."
Sasuke snorted.
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because you're about to walk into a trap and we're going to save your butt?" Sakura replied sweetly.
"Sakura!" Blue met cold jade and Sakura nodded.
"Understood." She slipped into position in front of Sasuke and he stopped, wondering what was going on.
And then…
The enemy…
Screamed like little girls and ran…
"Weren't expecting that were you bitches?!" Sakura called after them, laughing at their shocked expressions. She took off after them, calmly following their trail. Without slowing, she leapt into a tree and then dropped in front of the fleeing boys. "Hello honey." The boys screamed and whirled around only to stop when the blonde dropped into their path of escape. Sakura sucked in a breath when she felt filtered rage flow into the clearing, coating almost everything with hate.
"Why, you tried to trap my team and I… I don't appreciate it!" There was a pause, a moment of silence, and then the clearing exploded into motion. The team had reacted in panic, throwing kunai and shuriken at their tormentors. One boy froze when his weapon was stopped inches away from the pink haired girl's face. It lowered itself into her hand before he caught the faint gleam of chakra. Staring at the wire, he watched as it slowly was drawn back into its owner's bangles and then he understood. The girl wasn't as weak as she had appeared, even with the two foreign weapons at her waist. Every bangle on her was made with wire and compressed into the form of jewelry. He had a moment to make a shocked sound before he was knocked unconscious by his own weapon.
"Sa..ku…ra?" Sakura spun to face Sasuke. "H-how?"
"Genjutsu. I projected an image of a missing nin I met once that was from his home land. I dropped it in the end. I rather let him know he got his ass handed to him by a girl." She smiled at Naruto when he walked past her.
"Wrong scroll." He gave it to Sasuke and then paused. "Sasuke…did you ever think it was unfair when we were a team?"
Sasuke blinked and mulled over it.
"Once. I only ever thought about it once. It was after you quit. I thought, he can't quit. Kakashi-sensei won't let him. But he did. I followed you around for a week to see if Kakashi-sensei would come to you to get you back on our team. But he never did. And when I asked him finally, he said you were useless." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist "He said you would never amount to anything unless taught and even then, you would never be as great as me. Then I realize he had never tried to help you become stronger. Just me. And then, I accepted it. After all, I am Uchiha. But then, like I said, I met Haku." Sasuke shrugged. "And he made me think."
Naruto snorted and then paused. He sniffed the air and then shook Sasuke's hand free.
"What is it Nari?" Naruto spared Sakura and annoyed glare and then closed his eyes.
"There's blood and sand headed our way. I rather not meet the owner of that scent. Let's go."
Sasuke smirked.
"Does this mean we're a fixed team now?"
"No. We'll be going back to Genma-sensei, and you to Hatake…however…we can be friends." Sakura smiled at him. "And that's a good start, right, seeing as we hate your teacher and all."
Sasuke stared at his temporary teammates.
"Fine."
"Good, now let's go, the sand-blood smell is getting close." The trio left the clearing quickly, heading towards the tower. They stopped twenty minutes later, when Sasuke asked them to.
"What is it?" Naruto whispered.
"Team up ahead. Should we try to get their scroll?" Sasuke replied. Naruto looked back. Sakura was idly turning her bangles.
"Saki?"
"Are they moving?"
Sasuke shook his head.
"They seem to be arguing about whether or not they should open the scroll."
Sakura shook her head.
"I think it's an ambush. Bypass them."
"And what if it isn't?"
"Then we lose an easy scroll."
"I don't think it's an ambush though." Sasuke pressed. "That would be too silly, this early on. I think it is plausible that they want to open their scroll."
"I don't think it is. Let's go closer though, to see them." Naruto whispered. The trio crept forward, using all their hard earned skills to keep quiet. The voices go t louder as they got nearer.
"I think we should open the scroll up! This whole forest is probably supposed to creep us out!" The dark haired boy yelled.
"But shinobi should never look into their clients affairs." The other boy replied softly.
"But this is a test! Rules aren't the same!"
The green haired girl sat on the floor, watching her teammates argue.
"Ren, what are the chances that we are to open the scroll." The quiet boy asked the girl.
"The probability of that is .0045. It is more likely that we are to transfer the complete set of scrolls to the tower to proceed."
"See Taki? We should just bring the scrolls."
"No one asked you or Ren. Especially since the two of you are soo close." Taki responded.
"Your actions are foolish and unnecessary Taki. Cease this behavior immediately or I will report it to your clan."
"Why the fuck do you always drag my clan into everything Ren!? I try to make it on my own!"
"You are being foolish Taki." The green haired girl responded blandly. She blinked slowly, amber eyes focuses on something other than the boy in front of her. "We have been in the same location for too long Taki. I advise that we move on before attacked."
"Like anyone could beat us. We are the invincible team eight from Amegakure. No one can defeat us!"
"You are an idiot Taki." Ren stated as she stood. "I will inform your clan of this as well." Amber eyes turned heavenward.
"Is someone here Ren?"
"Yes Kenyu. We have been found."
The boy with the dark green hair cursed and turned on Taki.
"You idiot! Look what you've done."
Taki stiffened in anger.
"If you didn't depend on that whore of a cousin so much and listened to me, we wouldn't have argued."
Kenyu froze and Taki realized he had doomed himself.
"He has the scroll. It's sealed in another scroll in his shuriken holster. It activates to his blood." Kenyu held a hand out to his lighter haired cousin. "C'mon Ren. We're going. I'm sure that we can find another scroll to replace the one that will be lost. And hopefully another teammate later on."
Ren slipped her hand into her cousins.
"The likelihood of gaining a new teammate is 24. Maybe 86 if Taki is KIA." The two Rain
ninja leapt away, leaving their teammate behind. The dark haired clan boy gulped.
"Ren? Kenyu?" He received no response. There was a soft sound as something landed behind him. He spun around to be greeted by red eyes.
"Looks like they left you."
Taki gulped as the commas in the eyes spun.
"U-Uchiha!" He turned and ran, trying to get as far away from those eyes as possible. He was caught off guard when something hurled itself into his back. Taki fell to the ground as the delicate looking pink haired girl landed gracefully. His brain connected her with the brute force that had caught him off guard.
"What kind of scroll do you have?" Sakura asked sweetly, catching the Rain nin off guard. He stared up at her, morbidly wondering if this was how it was going to end for him. "Hmm? Or were your teammates lying?" The boy nodded stupidly and then winced when he saw her stroll closer. There were two thumps behind him, and he peered over his shoulder to see Kenyu and Ren on the floor and two Naruto's sitting on their backs.
"Kenny here had the scroll Sakuuura-chaaaan. And…it's the wrong one…again." He smiled brightly. "But check to see if he has a scroll anyway."
Sakura nodded and kicked the boy onto his back. Deftly, she undid his holster and pulled a scroll out. Taki hissed in pain when something wrapped around his thumb, cutting him deeply. The blood on the wire was smeared across the seal and it glowed crimson as it unraveled. Sakura pulled it open the rest of the way and quickly scanned its contents.
"Fuck! Nari, Prick, we have to go." She dropped the scroll and leapt back, into the trees. The two boys followed her lead as she ran away.
"Sakura, what the hell is the problem?"
Cold jade met obsidian.
"It's a fucking suicide summon. Or that's what I got from it. Those three are dead the moment that scroll is unsealed."
"Why the hell wo-."
"Bloodline." There was a loud sound as the scroll finally did its duty. Sakura stopped running and braced herself as a wave of hot air washed over the trio.
"I swear, nothing interesting is happening today." Naruto whined. "We can't even get into a good fight. Everyone is either downed by Sakura or fucking dead! And I'm so telling your mom what you said Saki."
Sakura glared at Naruto.
"You wouldn't dare."
Naruto sniffed haughtily.
"I am the revered obscenities master. You have no place trying to outdo me."
"I wasn't trying to outdo you!"
"My ears say otherwise." Naruto paused and cocked his head. He turned east and pulled in a deep breath.
"What is it?" Sakura asked, dropping from the tree to the ground to follow Naruto. Confused the loyal scion to the Uchiha clan followed.
"I smell death." Naruto spun, bright sapphire hazing to a darker color closer to purple than anything else. He murmured something under his breath and a fox crawled out from behind a tree. It crept towards him slowly, head down and lying on its belly. Naruto's gaze didn't shift to it, even when it rested its head in the dirt by his feet and flipped to show its stomach in submission.
"Nari?" Naruto kneeled, purple eyes never leaving the east and placed a hand on the fox's snout. His hand blazed with chakra for a second and the fox froze and then let out a pained yelp. Naruto rose and blinked slowly, eyes flickering to crimson and then back to purple.
"Sasuke?"
"What?"
"What have you learned under Hatake?"
"What do you need?"
"Shunshin. Group preferably."
"I have not mastered it to the point where I can travel with others." Sasuke admitted. "I do not have the control necessary."
"Fuck."
"Did your Genma-sensei not teach you this?"
"He wanted us to build our own speed to a level of his liking first."
Sasuke blinked when a wave of rage and pain filtered into the clearing, generated by the fox that was pushing itself to its feet. He switched his gaze to it and stared as its once grey fur darkened to a rusty color. His eyebrow rose when the fox began to growl. The other eyebrow followed when the fox began to grow. His jaw dropped when the fox began to speak.
"What do you wish of me my master?"
"Protect us from whatever the fuck is about to crawl outta the woodwork. Saki, Prick, let's go." And so they went, leaving the raging fox to face off against whatever was heading their way.