Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Recap:
Once the two reached the door, Naruto, who learned from his past mistake, knocked.
"Come in," Tsunade responded.
Naruto opened the door, and being the gentleman that he is, let Sakura in first.
"What the fuck...," Sakura muttered to herself angrily.
End Recap.
Sakura saw that Tsunade had gotten all of the available rookies to come to her office. This included Shikamaru, Ino, Ten Ten, Lee, Hinata, and Shino. But this wasn't the reason for Sakura's outburst. It was Karin. Karin was clinging onto Sasuke like a kid does with a puppy. She was also flirting with him nonstop. Sakura calmed down a little when she saw that Sasuke was trying to push her away.
"Hello, forehead," Karin said, emphasizing the nickname that Ino gave her when they were younger.
Sakura let out a deep, frustrated breath and said, "Karin."
The whole room tensed. Everyone knew that Sakura hated Karin with everything she had. Especially Sasuke. Sakura and him weren't exactly "best friends" anymore when Karin arrived. She came when Sasuke was distant, cold, and out for revenge. Of course, this had only made Karin want him even more. She arrived one cloudy afternoon, through the forest opening in the back of the training grounds. Her clothes were torn and she looked exhausted. Sakura was the only one that had helped her, the only one that accepted her.
*FLASHBACK* 5 years ago...
After working seven, gruesome hours at the hospital, it was finally time for Sakura's lunch break. She walked outside, hoping to see the bright, natural light and to be hit by a wave of warm, late-spring air, but all she got was gray and humid.
'This is exactly why I'm so pale...,' Sakura said, disappointed.
She walked into the busier part of the village and looked for something to eat.
'Hm... fried tofu... riceballs... barbeque...,'Sakura thought.
"Hey Sakura! Come eat over here!" Naruto yelled from the Ichiraku Ramen stand.
'Ramen,'Sakura decided.
She walked over to the ramen stand and sat to Naruto's left, right next to the wall. She ordered her usual, a small bowl of miso flavored ramen with one boiled egg. She and Naruto talked about their days. Sakura talked about how even though Lee is still recovering from his operation a week ago, he was already feeling much better. He even managed to do 300 push ups before Lady Tsunade got mad at him and forced him back into bed. Naruto talked about his and Kakashi sensei's most recent training session.
"I swear, I was this close to beating him," Naruto said, putting his index finger and thumb together while closing one eye for emphasis.
"You know, you tell me that story every time you two train," Sakura said.
"Yeah, but this time I'm telling the truth! I could have beat him too! If only I didn't-" Naruto said before being interrupted.
"Oh shoot! I'm late again!" Sakura yelled frantically. Sakura quickly pulled money out of the pockets of her nurse uniform and set it next to her almost finished bowl. "Keep the change!"
She took the short cut; running through the dense woods near the training grounds. Sakura quickly passed the discreet, back opening. She glimpsed over and stopped running when she saw a red haired girl collapse onto the ground. Sakura ran over to the unconscious girl and quickly checked her pulse, breathing, and body for injuries. Her breathing was irregular and she had bruises and cuts up and down her arms and legs. Her purple, zip-up jacket and black shorts were torn and shredded. Her glasses were also broken. She looks like she would have died if Sakura hadn't have seen her. Sakura quickly began to heal what she could, beginning with her cuts and bruises.
"Hey guys, I think I found her!" Said a familiar voice from behind her, stopping her from healing the stranger.
The group of ninjas, which included Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba & Akamaru, Ino, and Shikamaru, came over to Sakura.
"Hey, Sakura, where were you? Lady Tsunade was expecting you at the hospital an hour ago!" Ino said.
"Well, as you can see, there was an emergency," Sakura said, almost done healing the cuts on the girl.
"Who's she?" Asked Kiba, Akamaru now sitting on top of his head.
"I don't know. I was running back to work and I saw her collapse onto the ground. Of course I wasn't just going to leave her," Sakura said.
"She looks like she was cut very recently. See, they're still fresh. It seems a little too recent for it to be from a battle," Shikamaru said observantly.
"Yeah, and her clothes don't look torn from a battle either. It looks like someone intentionally took a kunai and neatly cut it," Ino added.
"What are you saying?" Sakura asked her friends, even though she could also see what they were implying. Naruto listened intently, obviously not getting it.
"They're saying that she's faking it," Sasuke said coolly.
"But why would someone injure themselves on purpose?" Naruto asked.
"Maybe she wanted attention," Ino said.
"Or to have the empathy of the villagers," Shikamaru added.
"Or to be pampered for being 'injured'," added Kiba.
"I still don't get why someone would do this on purpose though," Sakura said.
"Hn. Just take her to the hospital," Sasuke said before departing.
The rest of the guys left, leaving only Sakura, Ino, and the unidentified girl.
Once Ino knew that everyone was gone, she said, "Sakura, I wouldn't trust her... whoever she is."
"Why not?"
"Sak, it's obvious that she did this to herself on purpose. And people who do this just to get attention are no good. I know that you kind of came to Konoha this way too... but you had a legitimate reason. But grabbing attention and empathy from the villagers on purpose is not a legitimate reason," Ino said, being careful with her words. Ino could see a flash of pain in Sakura's eyes as she mentioned her past. "Sakura, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"It's OK Ino. I know you didn't mean to," Sakura said.
Ino looked at her friend with guilty eyes, "Yeah, sorry. It just kind of slipped out... do you need me to tell Lady Tsunade where you are?"
"Nah, I got it," Sakura said, "But can you promise me one thing?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Promise me that you won't mention any of this- the things that we said about her or even that I found and helped her- to her when she wakes up. You wanted me to avoid her right? Well you and Shikamaru are usually right about people's wants and intentions, so I'll trust you. I'll try to avoid her by making it seem like I've never seen her in my life," Sakura said.
"I promise, Sak," Ino said.
The two best friends, and rivals, locked pinkies and shook on their promise. Sakura then carried the mysterious girl to the hospital.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"So Granny, why are all of these guys here?" Naruto asked, breaking the tension.
"We are here to discuss the matter of Sasuke being back in the village. As I told you and Sakura, I already have a plan ready. Sasuke will be on probation for a year, maybe less if he cooperates. He will be doing D or C rank missions during this time. We will also have an ANBU watching him at all times," Tsunade explained.
"Who's going to be the ANBU?" Ino asked.
"Sakura."
Everybody in the room looked at Tsunade, then Sakura, then back at Tsunade.
'Wait, what the fuck did she say?' Sakura thought, in shock.
'You, idiot! You're the ANBU that will look after Sasuke!' Inner Sakura said excitedly.
"Wait, why her? Why not a more experienced person, not that... thing," Karin said with disgust.
"Excuse me?" Sakura said while everyone in the room took a step back.
"You heard me, you bitch. I know you talked Tsunade into letting you stay with my Sasuke. You planned everything," Karin said accusingly.
"What the hell? No I didn't. I didn't know about this until everyone else did," Sakura said while clenching and unclenching her fists, "You just don't want to except that Sasuke doesn't like you."
After Sakura said that, Karin ran towards her, her hand curled into a fist. Lee ran towards her and grabbed her around the waist while Shikamaru preformed his Shadow Possession Jutsu. Her fist was about an inch from Sakura's face.
"Karin, what do you think you're doing?" Tsunade asked, her face flushed with anger.
Karin was was trembling with rage while taking deep breaths.
"It's all your fault," She whispered while looking into Sakura's eyes, still frozen in place, "You took Sasuke from me."
"No, I didn't, Karin. I never did anything to you besides..."
"Sak, do you think that you should tell her that?" Ino said.
"I think it's time for her to know," Shikamaru said while Tsunade gave a nod of approval.
Hinata, Ten Ten, and Lee looked at Sakura with a confused face while Shino remained expressionless.
"Karin, do you remember the day the you collapsed in from of Konoha?" Sakura asked.
"Yes."
"Did you do that on purpose?"
"What? No! Why would I-"
"Your wounds were fresh," Shikamaru said.
"Yes, because-"
"And your clothes were teared cleanly, not like they would in a battle," Ino added.
"We tested you in the hospital, Karin, and everything looked intentional. I don't know what you did to yourself, but you would have died if Sakura hadn't taken you to the hospital," Tsunade said.
Karin s tared at Sakura and then burst into tears.
"Karin, I was the one who took you to the hospital. I saved you. You would be dead right now if it weren't for me," Sakura said.
Shikamaru released his jutsu while Lee let go. Karin slumped to the ground, crying.
"But, what about Sasuke...?" Karin asked, looking up at Sakura.
"Karin," Sasuke said, "I love Sakura. She is the first and only person that I love."
Karin looked at Sasuke in disbelief, and then in disappointment. "OK, I get it. I'll leave you two alone. And Sakura?"
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry."
"It's OK, Karin," Sakura said while giving her a small smile.
"Now that that's settled, I have nothing else to say, so everybody is dismissed," Tsunade said.
As her friends were leaving, they said hello and good bye to Sakura as she stood stood there, still shocked from what happened.
Someone then tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Coming?"
She turned around and saw that it was Sasuke.
"Yeah, where to?"
"Dinner."
"My place?"
"You can cook?"
"No."
"Sure, your place."
Thanks for reading, guys! Next chapter will be the last one.
E person :)
6-18-11
edited on 6-23-11