"Firefight" by JackieLupin
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kishimoto-sama.
-
Don't waste time getting to the point, cause I, I'm patiently waiting
For your next phone call, your next excuse for losing sleep again
Tell me what you think about being open,
about being honest with yourself
Cartel, "Honestly."
-
CHAPTER TWO
-
When Sakura awoke the next morning, she felt much much better. She had no idea what had destroyed the floodgates the night before, but allowing herself to wallow in her misery in turn made her feel better about losing control. She chuckled. "The irony of it." She rolled out of bed and took a look at herself in her bureau mirror, twisting her body this way and that as she inspected herself.
Her skin was lightly tanned and smooth, though her sleeveless shirt left slight tan lines across her chest. She flexed experimentally, then grinned as she saw the muscles in her arms grow taut. She lifted up her pale pink tank top to inspect her stomach; her muscles were definitely defined but not overly so to the point that they seemed masculine. All in all, she knew she had an attractive body.
Stepping closer, Sakura inspected her face. Her eyelashes were long and dark against her rosy cheeks. Her pink hair, though, needed some serious attention. It currently stuck up wherever it pleased and looked awful. With a laugh at her comical appearance, she quickly dug through her drawers and pulled out a comb to tame the many knots. Once her hair was halfway decent, she threw on a clean red shirt over her breast bindings and then buckled her medics skirt around the tight spandex shorts. She belted on her pouch and shuriken holster, then walked into the other room, grabbed an apple to munch on, slipped on her boots and left her apartment.
"Time to go get Naruto," Sakura muttered dryly, knowing that he would still be asleep. Naruto really only woke up for training, and that was if he had remembered to set his alarm clock in the morning. To give him credit, he didn't know they had a mission briefing to go to today, and no training session was going to wake him up at six in the morning. Besides, Neji and Shikamaru had helped her clean Naruto's kitchen out of anything spoiled, moldy or rotting the week before, so there wouldn't be any other surprises for her to clean up while she waited for him to get ready. Hopefully.
She just hoped she didn't have to go get Sai. That would be a little odd. Although the artist had been on their team for countless years now, he still hadn't learned all of the...appropriate things to say and do in public. And he was absolutely clueless about relationships between men and women. It was a little shocking to see him walking around reading an Icha Icha that he must have acquired from Kakashi for information. His little snarky comments - no doubt memorized from the book - pissed her off and flattered her at the same time. She would never admit the 'flattery' part though.
Sakura reached Naruto's apartment a couple minutes later. He lived in one of the top floors in the huge complex situated near the lake. She was surprised he could even afford it; the rent each month was astounding. She knew he didn't make that much money with missions, so how her teammate could afford it was a complete mystery. With a slightly envious sigh, Sakura opened the panel and buzzed number 12-17.
"Ehhh... hello?"
"It's me, Naruto, let me up."
"S-S-S-Sakura-chaaan? What're you.... aaahhh... doing here?"
"Let me up, Naruto. I'll make you breakfast. We have a briefing soon."
All of his apparent sleepiness vanished when she mentioned the mission. "Dattebayo! Great, I can't wait to get out of here-"
"Just let me up."
"Okay, okay. I'll be in the shower. Come on in, I'll unlock the door."
The intercom closed with a click as the front door unlocked. Sakura opened it and walked inside, still marveling at how nice the marble entrance lobby was. She hit the elevator button for the twelfth floor, then clasped her hands in front of her as the steel box lurched with a screech and then moved upward at a rather alarming speed. Sakura gritted her teeth and ignored the rolling of her stomach; she really hated elevators. If she didn't want to wake the neighbors, she would have concentrated chakra on the bottom of her boots and just climbed up the apartment. A couple neighbors of Naruto's had filed complaints about it though, so maybe it wasn't the smartest idea.
The elevator halted abruptly, leaving Sakura grasping onto the rails to steady herself. "Stupid elevator," she muttered as she hastily stepped out of it onto the floor. It seemed to hiss at her as the doors slammed shut and it hurdled back to the ground floor. She shot her best glare after it, then smartly spun on her heel and marched down the hallway. Reaching room seventeen, she turned the handle and let herself in, hoping that Naruto had something edible to cook with."So then I say can't find a lover," she heard Naruto belt at the top of his lungs, his loud voice echoing off of the stone walls of his bathroom, "Well there's no other way of pulling me under, cause it's gotta be fate if we're under the covers, it's all gonna be A-OOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKK, AAAAAA-OOOOKKKKKK-"
"You can't carry a tune to save your life!" Sakura shouted at him, rifling through all of his kitchen cabinets for bread. She grimaced when she pulled it out; the back of the loaf was molding, the bread already a disgusting greenish white pasty color. "Dammit, Naruto! We just cleaned out all of your expired food!" At least some of the bread could be saved. Sakura took out four slices and threw them in her teammate's toaster, then opened the refrigerator to look around for butter. She finally found some in the far back behind the cheese and wilting vegetables. Dropping to her hands and knees, she basically had to climb inside the refrigerator to grab the butter. "Ugh," she moaned, "This sucks."
The shower turned off and she heard Naruto climb out of the shower, still humming that god-awful melody to himself. The cabinet slammed shut, then the water ran as she heard him brush his teeth. The previous humming had turned into a garble that made her chuckle as the young adult tried to sing around his toothbrush. Two minutes later, just after the toast had popped up from the toaster, Naruto entered his kitchen, clad only in blue boxers.
She couldn't help but enjoy the sight of his bare, muscled chest and strong arms. Hey, he may be her best friend and she really didn't think of him romantically, but Kami did he have a nice physique, especially for a shinobi. While ninja like Shikamaru were thin and wiry by nature, Naruto was just strong and big. His immense frame not only grew vertically, but horizontally as well as his strength increased. Soon after Naruto's eighteenth birthday, she had seen all women, kunoichi and civilian alike, sending sly glances at her teammate. Even Ino had given him the 'up-down' look, as if appraising him. She had barely restrained herself from smacking the drooling kunoichi on the face to wake her up.
The hyperactive ninja was as oblivious as ever though.
Five years later, at the ripe age of twenty-three, Naruto had become a man. He still had that humorous attitude, though, and that confident grin and demeanor that influenced those around him to do their best as well. Tsunade had even said (after three shots of sake and the threat of an afternoon alone with the Council) that he would be the next Hokage if he continued on the path that he had taken. First chuunin, then jounin. It would only be a matter of time before he made ANBU.
"What're you thinking?" Naruto interrupted her curiously, "You've got that dreamy expression on your face."
She flushed lightly. "Nothing, gaki."
Naruto rolled his eyes and glanced at his plate of buttered toast and looked slightly disappointed by its contents. "Ne, Sakura-chan," he whined, "I thought you said you were making breakfast!"
Sakura frowned. "Toast is breakfast," she said simply.
"Breakfast means omelets and eggs and bacon and sausage!" the blond said with a dramatic sigh as she clenched her fists, "I thought it was gonna be a real breakfast!"
"Eat your toast!" Sakura growled angrily
"Okay, okay," Naruto replied with a grin, running a hand through his wet, dripping hair, "Did Baa-chan tell you what kind of a mission she was sending us on?"
The pink-haired kunoichi hoisted herself up onto the counter next to Naruto and took her toast with her. "No," she replied, "She didn't say."
"I hope it's a good one. I hope it's an S-class. I've been itching for action for weeks now! I want to get out there and kick ass and save the damsel in distress or rescue a village-"
Sakura rolled her eyes as she munched on her toast. "If they don't kick your ass first."
"That was low, Sakura-chan."
She just giggled at the hurt look he was sending her. She took his plate, then shoved him off of the counter. "You know I'm only joking, you big goof ball. Now go put some clothes on so we can go!"
-
Sai was waiting for them outside of the Hokage's building, arms crossed and looking bored as always, though he smiled when he saw them. "Hello, Naruto, Sakura. I believe we have a mission." He closed his ever-present sketchbook and shouldered his bag.
"Yeah yeah," Naruto said, rolling his eyes, "C'mon Sai, it's not a good idea to keep Baa-chan waiting."
"It's not a good idea to call her Baa-chan," Sakura muttered to Sai, whose smile grew.
She and the pale-faced artist trailed after Naruto as the still-hyperactive ninja all but ran down the hallway, pushing past an unsuspecting Shizune and a disgruntled Ton-Ton with a simple "Gomen!", leaving a flurry of paperwork in his path.
Shizune, resigning herself to picking up the papers, gave a weary wave to Sakura and Sai. "How are you, Sakura-chan?" she asked, her dark eyes friendly and warm. It wasn't hard to see why Genma, the infamous loner, had finally settled down with his sweet teammate.
Sakura stopped to help, quickly gathering the bulk of them that were threatening to flow away in the gentle summer breeze flowing in from the open windows. Sai stared at her questioningly; "It's okay, Sai," Sakura told him, "I will be right there."
With a polite hello to Shizune in return, the artist followed Naruto up the stairs.
Shizune accepted the papers with another smile. "Thanks, Sakura," she said cheerfully, though she looked a bit tired.
"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked gently, touching the older woman's wrist with her hand, "I don't mean to pry..."
The brunette picked up Ton-Ton and held him close. "It's nothing, really. Genma has another mission tonight, so it looks like I'm on my own."
"Ah," she said sympathetically, "He was gone for a month, I almost forgot about that. Well, don't worry. It's just a border patrol, he should be back before morning."
Shizune smiled and walked off down the hall. "I know. I'd go see Tsunade-sama if I were you though, Sakura-chan. She's ready to punch a hole through the wall."
The pink-haired kunoichi laughed. "What was it this time?"
"The council," her friend called back.
"Great," she muttered to herself and glanced at the stairs. The Godaime was a fair woman in her deals and actions, but sometimes her temper was very violent. She was like a bomb ready to explode at the smallest thing. Sakura inwardly winced; Sai and Naruto together had just increased the odds of Tsunade losing her temper by almost ninety percent, to her reckoning. It was inevitable.
She climbed the stairs quickly, hoping to make it before Naruto said something so tactless that they would all get kicked out of her office. She was relieved that when she reached the door, it was quiet. She knocked once, then pushed the door open. Naruto was standing in front of the desk rather impatiently, but at least he wasn't prodding Tsunade-sama to hurry up or get to the point. Sai was sitting down in one of the chairs, his fingers laced together as he calmly waited.
The older woman looked up at her and nodded her head in greeting. "Now that you are all here," she began wearily, regarding the scroll in front of her as she spoke, "Here is your mission. We have had reports of an increased activity of shinobi from all different villages close to our borders. Now, there has been no suspicion of attack at this moment; the activity is not a very conspicuous increase, but it has increased enough to cause us to worry about the safety of our perimeter. Team 7, you will be assigned a shift of border duty, from this afternoon to tomorrow morning."
"Wait," Sakura said, confused, "Wasn't an ANBU squad going to be in charge of the border patrol?"
Tsunade gazed down at her with wise and, if Sakura interpreted that look correctly, dancing eyes, as if she knew a secret joke. "Yes," she answered simply, "But it is best to have more than one team doing patrols around Konoha. If there is any danger to our village, reinforcements are right there. Besides-" Her gaze turned to Naruto then. "-your teammate here wanted to get out of the village and go on an important mission. This is the only one we had left."
Naruto growled under his breath, "Important my ass-"
"Naruto!" Sakura hissed angrily, "Shut up!"
Sai smiled. "Dickless."
The blond immediately swung his fist around to punch the dark-haired artist. Sai ducked underneath Naruto's wild punch and skid out of the way, kunai already armed and ready in his long-fingered hands. Tsunade merely watched them, a vein throbbing furiously in her temple as the two began to squabble. She growled, dug into her cabinets, poured herself a shot of sake, then downed it in one gulp. "Get out of my office!" she finally shouted as Naruto began to threaten the artist with various dismemberment, slamming the empty sake glass on her desk for emphasis, "Beat each other on the training grounds, but be ready to go in three hours!"
With that, they were kicked out of the room. The door slammed shut with a resounding smash.
"Nice job, guys," Sakura muttered.
"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto asked as if nothing happened, "Want to go get ramen while we wait?"
Sai frowned. "Why would she want to go get ramen with you? You have no dick."
Naruto stopped. "Wait, is Kaka-sensei going with us?"
"No," she responded.
"Yamato-taichou?"
"No, just us."
"Oh... well, I guess that's okay. We're more than a match for whatever comes our way, dattebayo!"
"All shinobi that look at you would run away anyway," Sai remarked nonchalantly, shouldering his pack, "That shade of orange is unappealing and hurts to look at."
"Yeah, well, your shirt makes you look like a pus-"
"Naruto!" Sakura interjected, shocked that he would even utter such a word. He must have found her clenched fist mildly frightening, for he laughed sheepishly and mumbled a quick apology.
They walked down the rest of the stairs and the length to the door in silence.
-
Four hours later they were deep within Fire Country.
They raced through the woods, breath rushing out of their mouths in hasty puffs. For a few minutes, they sprinted tirelessly, the wind whipping through their hair, the leaves and branches of the trees snapping and crumbling against their powerful bodies. It was joy to run, for a shinobi, to feel the strength and energy flowing moving their bodies. With chakra firmly concentrated on all limbs, they could lose themselves and shut down their thoughts until all that mattered were mere senses and feelings. The forest would come alive; birds would cry and call out to one another happily, flitting from tree to tree as the small animals enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the abundant food. All that Sakura could feel were their life-forces, her own, and the steady pounding of her heart and her movements propelling herself through the air.
It was nice, to be able to disconnect like this. She had done too much thinking in the previous weeks that was really redundant and useless to both her knowledge and her well-being. And in this untroubled state, she didn't yearn for a certain shinobi nearly as much.
Unbidden, a memory sprang to her thought.
A masculine scent suddenly assailed her senses. Sakura breathed it in, savoring the smell and committing its pleasurable aroma in her memory even as she stared up into Kakashi's mismatched eyes. He hesitantly wove his fingers through her hair, his touch very light. His thumb ghosted over her cheek just as lightly. There were barriers, she saw, in his eyes. Keeping him in. And keeping her out. But even as she stared up at him those barriers shifted and faltered until it was just him looking down at her. There was no veil in between their emotions.
His lips were inches from hers.
Everything suddenly made sense again. She wanted Kakashi not only because she was physically attracted to him, but because she was intellectually as well. His dry humor and wit never failed to make her laugh. His words of protection and camaraderie for his team when they were younger still stuck with her. She respected his skill as a shinobi and also his actions as such. Kakashi was not one to make hasty decisions. Nor was he one to be forced to do something if he really didn't want to. His unwavering loyalty to Konoha and its occupants made her glow with a strange pleasure that she had previously thought had to do only with that respect she had for him. Now that she realized that she wanted to be his companion did she realize she may have loved him all along.
Just then, a tiny flicker of something that did not belong in the forest drew her attention. Sai must have felt it as well, for he swiftly stopped at the next tree branch and hid himself within the leafy canopy. Naruto flipped around and hid as well; she could only make out a faint trace of orange that revealed his location. Following her teammates' example, Sakura wove her lithe body against the trunk of a tall pine and inspected the surrounding area.
"Feel that?" Naruto whispered to Sai.
"It's not one of us," the artist whispered back, his dark eyes scanning the ground, "Hostile, whoever it is. Their chakra is concealed, for the most part. If it were one of us, it would not be so contained."
Sakura sighed heavily. As a border patrol unit, it was their duty to investigate the matter before letting whoever it was pass any closer to the hidden Leaf village than was necessary. "Looks like you get your fight," she muttered to Naruto, who chuckled.
"Then what're we waiting for?" the blond shinobi grinned, rolling up his sleeves and reaching for his kunai, "Let's find out who has come calling."
Noiselessly and simultaneously they sprinted forward; Sai went on ahead of the unknown shinobi to try and head him off as Naruto and Sakura broke off to cover any possible escapes in case the nin sensed their chakra. When they were in place ahead of and behind the shinobi, Sai let his chakra pulse in a flare of pure energy that was the signal to attack. "Naruto, wait here," Sakura told her friend, "If it goes badly, we'll need the surprise element you can give us."
Naruto's grin was wolfish.
Sakura burst out from the underbrush, releasing her chakra and allowing it to flow through her body. Ahead, she felt the shinobi release his as well as he sensed her deadly intent. She skirted around him, leaving a safe hundred feet in between them. From that distance, she couldn't make out much about him; the nin was wearing a simple, dirty brown traveling cape, its hood over his face. He stood still as she and Sai carefully approached them, his head bowed. Sakura glanced at Sai; he nodded at her. "State your business," she called out in a clear, even voice.
The hooded shinobi did not move.
Sakura frowned; what was going on?
Five flares of chakra suddenly flickered into existence from all around, positioned in a loose perimeter around them. Trap! she thought. While her team had surrounded the shinobi, it looked like the team of the enemy surrounded them in turn. Quicker than a flash of light, Sakura pulled out her senbon and shot them at the hooded shinobi. Sai too initiated his attack, ripping his scroll open to scribble animals onto its parchment. "Ralonzukurabu no Jutsu!" the artist cried as five lions sprang from the scroll, snarling angrily at the senbon missed by a wide margin as the shinobi suddenly sprang into being. He threw himself out of the way and sprinted over to Sai, who was forced to drop his scroll and brush to block the oncoming blows with the blade of his katana.
"Naruto!" Sakura cried as the five chakra signatures drew closer and closer. Her friend was by her side in a flash of yellow, black and orange, his mouth set into a firm line.
"Well, didn't see that coming," he muttered dryly to her as the five cloaked nin came to the rescue of their comrade. Although they did not wear their hoods like the decoy, their faces were covered by white, wooden masks with various details painted on them by their owner. "Shit!" Naruto exclaimed, "Hunter-nins!"
An explosion drew her eye; two of Sai's lions had exploded ten feet to their left. The hooded shinobi, however, was still standing, though he untied his smoldering brown cape and threw it to the side, revealing an old lined white face and dark brown eyes that glinted with deadly purpose. Why his face was uncovered unlike his team, Sakura didn't know, and didn't really have time to speculate on that matter because the shinobi had abandoned Sai as two of his teammates had taken his place and now was charging her.
"I've got your back!" Naruto shouted to her as he engaged the three remaining Hunter-nins in combat with a plethora of Bunshin clones. Sakura nodded, her bright green eyes fixed cautiously on the pale shinobi sprinting right at her. She was a little disconcerted by his cool demeanor and the emotionless dark eyes that bored into her mercilessly. No shinobi would charge head-on like this unless they were certain it would work, or if it was a trap. Not wanting to stay to find out, Sakura threw herself to the side and leapt into the nearest tree, using the bought time to rearm herself with kunai.
I have no idea what his skill is like, she thought bitterly as she threw herself out of the tree at the approaching Hunter-nin. He didn't change direction, like she thought he would. Instead, he anticipated her movements and was right in front of her before Sakura had time to blink. Unthinkingly, she thrust her kunai at his face. The tug of the blade through flesh and the spray of hot red blood told her she had found her mark. But why would he throw himself at her like that with no defense to protect himself?
A searing pain in her side as Sakura suddenly found herself flying through the air told her why. "Uuurgh," she groaned as she fell to the ground hard. Perplexed, she stared up at her opponent. Her medical abilities told her that his right eye was now a useless and bloody mess. White bone visible through the gash told her that she had cut to, and possibly through, his skull. How he was still standing was a mystery. His remaining eye was still fixated on her, no emotion, pain or sick enjoyment visible.
What the hell is going on? Sakura thought desperately as she jumped to her feet and spaced herself even farther away from the Hunter-nin.
The look he sent her way made her tremble like a genin. She fought to get ahold of her strong terror and instinct to run for safety when he suddenly opened his mouth and spoke in a harsh, raspy voice. "Little girl," he chided, "I feel no pain. Your attacks are futile."
Enough of herself remained that Sakura was able to hide her fear and scoff at his words. "You are not invincible," she all but taunted, "No one can withstand that amount of damage." Even so, she still concentrated chakra into her fists. She could not afford give this impressive Hunter-nin anything but her most devastating attacks.
He chuckled. "I am in the bingo books, child. You obviously have not paid enough attention to them. I'll tell you this now; my name is Daeco. I was part of an... experiment in Stone. I am a genetically altered shinobi designed to feel no pain and to fight with all of my strength until I die." Blood was now running freely down his face from the wound she inflicted, contrasting darkly with his light skin.
Sakura fought the urge to retch. The blank look on his face did not match his darkly amused tone in which he addressed her. He was playing with her, like a fox will play with a mouse before it eats it. Like a snake as it stares at a terrified meal. And like a killer as he stares into the eyes of a horrified victim. "You just told me what I needed to know to kill you," she said bravely, "That was not a smart move."
The pale old man merely watched her.
I know what to do, she thought. He may not feel pain, but his body will not respond if he loses too much blood or is crippled in some way... GOT IT! Her chakra tunneled into the ground underneath her feet at her command, soaking through every rock and grain of dirt until a large chuck of the earth was completely under her control. All she had to do was immobilize Daeco and trap him so he could die without killing her in the process.
"Tut, tut," Daeco snarled, "You won't have the time to attack, little girl. This is over!" He flew at her with a speed that was unnerving. Sakura, however, stood her ground, a wry smile stretching her lips. Daeco had the chance to only shriek his fury before the ground, with a huge earth-shaking rumble, all but swallowed him whole as boulders squeezed his body, crushing him to death.
No longer able to contain herself as the Hunter-nin slowly died and her chakra reserves drained at an alarming rate, she fell to her knees and vomited the little she had eaten that day. Her little stunt had cost her more than three quarters of her chakra. Hopefully she would not need to draw on the rest of it.
Strong arms pulled her upright and held her up. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, "C'mon, get up! We're not finished." He supported her until Sakura was able to regain her composure and glance around the clearing. Along with Daeco, who was undoubtedly the leader of the Hunter-nins, only two remained standing. The bone remains of two shinobi lay in a jumbled pile, singed and completely burnt from Sai's explosive lions. One other lay face down, a kunai impaled directly into his heart.
The remaining Hunter-nin were focused on Sai. The artist nimbly moved around their fatigued attacks, every swipe of his katana adding more and more blood to the earth. One of the nins suddenly broke off and charged at Naruto; just as quickly, the blond shinobi threw Sakura to the side out of the way. Naruto and the masked shinobi traded blows, then leapt apart.
A pained groan made Sakura look up, horrified. Sai fell to the ground, his hand a mess of broken bones and blood. She was on her feet in half a second and was at Sai's side in two. The Hunter-nin was just about to deliver a killing blow when Sakura blocked his katana with her kunai and managed to wrench it away so that it imbedded itself in a tree trunk. Now weaponless, the enemy backed away defensively. He wasn't fast enough; Sakura's mercy was at its end. The shinobi lay dead at her feet in one swift swipe of her kunai.
"Sai, are you alright?" Sakura asked, offering her teammate a hand up. He grasped hers with his good hand, cradling his injured one against his chest as she pulled him to his feet. "Let me see that."
Naruto's cursing caused her to look up. Her friend was kneeling about fifty feet from his opponent, curled around his probably-broken ribcage. As if time slowed down, she saw the shinobi draw out of his pocket four kunai and aim them at the injured man in front of him. Just as slowly, the nin pulled his arm back and prepared to throw the life-taking metal at him.
Sakura took off, although her body screamed its exhaustion in every step. The kunai had just left the shinobi's fingertips when she finally, finally, reached her friend and brother. She threw her body in front of Naruto's to shield him. Although it was as if time had slowed, her body refused to keep up, and she knew she had no chance of blocking the kunai. Instead she stared straight into the masked face of the Hunter-nin, afraid only for Naruto.
"To protect a friend," she whispered, her emerald eyes closing as the kunai flew closer and closer to her.
Time ticked by slowly.
One...
Two...
Three...
Four...
But when Sakura got to ten, she knew something was not right. She should have felt the cold metal pierce into her flesh by now. The warm blood should be flowing down her chilled flesh, seeping into her clothing. She should feel the flash of agony that would cripple her senses and leave her breathless and broken on the ground. But all she felt was the warm summer breeze blowing against her skin and the gentle hum of her chakra as it flowed throughout her body.
When she was certain that the knives had not sunken into her flesh, she opened her eyes.
"Nani...?"
In front of her was a shinobi. Not Sai or Naruto; Naruto was still behind her, his hand feverishly clenched on her arm, and Sai crouching at the corner of the clearing. The nameless shinobi's flak vest was worn in places and covered in dirt. A long scratch ran through the orange swirl placed in the middle. Sakura stared at the familiar vest, wondering where exactly she had seen it before. But her mind had slowed and refused to keep up with her.
All she had to do was look up and all of her doubts and questions suddenly were answered.
Kakashi...
Just as quickly as time had slowed, now it accelerated until all Sakura saw through her weary haze was an ANBU team, one of theirs, take up positions around her exhausted and injured team. The two remaining enemy Hunter-nins were cold and dead on the ground in under a minute, efficiently picked down by the ANBU.
When all the enemy nin lay dead at their feet, Kakashi moved away from Sakura. "Search the woods," he growled at his team. Two ANBU nodded and did as the Copy-nin demanded, soon disappearing into the leaf canopy of the forest as Kakashi knelt down next to one of the bodies to inspect it.
The remaining ANBU unclipped his mask and turned to them, revealing squinty, intelligent eyes and a rather roughish grin. Shiranui Genma surveyed them quickly, obviously checking for any life-threatening wounds. When he was content with their health, he chuckled. "Nice job here. We've been tracking them all afternoon, trying to bring them down. Looks like you got to them first."
Naruto, ignoring Genma, wrapped his arms around her. "Thank Kami," he said thickly, "Sakura, you shouldn't have done that..."
Sai joined them, looking on gravely. She sent him a weak smile, then took his hand in hers and set the broken bones in his wrist with a quick jerk. He hissed in pain, but to his credit stayed completely still as she healed the surrounding tissue and muscle with the last of her chakra. When she was satisfied that it wouldn't pain him much as the bones continued to heal, she released his hand. "Arigato," the artist thanked.
Kakashi got to his feet with a sigh. "Stone," he muttered to Genma, who scowled and cursed under his breath. Sakura found that she could not take her eyes off of the silver-haired man as he strode forward towards them with a purposeful air. Sakura's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly - angrily - grasped her shoulders and gave her a rough shake. "What were you thinking?" he demanded, his lone gray eye sharp and glinting in the afternoon sun, "You could have been killed."
It took her a moment to catch up with what was happening. "What?" Sakura spluttered, bewildered by his sudden and overwhelming fury as it rolled through her in dangerous and powerful waves. "What are you-"
He growled under his breath and released her shoulders. "Standing in front of those kunai was a stupid mistake that could have cost you your life."
Naruto stepped forward, obviously intent on protesting against Kakashi's almost-cruel words. "Kaka-sensei, don't yell at Sakura. It was my fault, she was trying to protect me-"
"It was not my fault," Sakura retorted icily to Kakashi, absently interrupting her teammate in the process as she fixed her emerald eyes on his to glare up at the tall shinobi standing so tensely in front of her, "You used to say that one who didn't protect their friends was worse than trash, sensei. I had no choice but to protect my friend and teammate. I care about him more than my own life."
"Naruto is more than capable of looking after himself." Kakashi's dark and dangerous tone left no room for argument. "You, however, are not fit to be relied upon if you cannot even take care of yourself, much less your other teammates. If I had not stopped the kunai, you would be dead, and a burden to your team."
The silence that stretched between them was stifling. Naruto was glaring up at his ex-sensei almost as angrily as Sakura was. She couldn't believe he had said what he did. She wasn't a little genin anymore, she was a twenty-three year old jounin and medic-nin and a fantastic kunoichi to boot. Did that mean nothing to him? Had he not seen her many accomplishments that she had earned for her name over the years?
She forgot her current exhaustion as the delayed adrenaline ran through her veins at his harsh words. She bristled with anger, knowing it would be stupid to attack him at the same time as she itched to pound his face into the ground. But she would only humiliate herself even further; for every step forward she took in her skill and prowess, Kakashi took a step forward as well. He would always be just a bit faster than her, always be just a little bit stronger. So instead of kicking his ass all over Fire Country, Sakura spun on her heel and walked off to collect herself privately. Six pairs of eyes followed her.
Five minutes later she had a tight grip on her emotions. Letting out a huge sigh that helped in erasing her anger and frustration at Kakashi's words - not to mention her wounded pride - Sakura returned to the group. The sun was low over the horizon, bathing the forest in a strange, orangey glow as it set over the distant mountains. Genma and the other ANBU had set up traps all along their perimeter; on the ground were three bedrolls, obviously meant for them. Sai was already situated in one, cradling his still-tender wrist in his lap. He looked up when he heard her arrive and sent her a smile. Although it was fake and a little unsettling, she smiled back; it was the thought that counted.
With a sigh of relief, she realized that Kakashi had disappeared; only Sai, Genma and the masked ANBU remained in the clearing. Naruto, Kakashi and the other ANBU were nowhere to be seen.
Sakura kept her eyes on the ground as she walked over to Sai, feeling very much like a little puppy dog who had been rebuked by its owner, so she was startled when a familiar voice called her name.
"Hey, Sakura," a woman called lazily. The pink-haired kunoichi looked up into a fierce, tattooed face. The ANBU had removed her mask to reveal two red fangs decorating her cheeks, slightly pointed teeth shown in a big grin, and narrowed, slitted eyes. Inuzuka Hana. Kiba's older sister, though not as wild and feral as her younger brother. Sakura about died right there; in Hana's face was Kiba. Their grins were identical except for the length of their teeth, and the way she drawled her name made her want to cry.
"Hullo," Sakura responded meekly, thinking that her luck could not get any worse. Great, she thought to herself darkly, I fight with Kakashi, and Hana turns out to be part of the ANBU team. Just great.
"Nice job back there," Hana congratulated her, leaning her weight against a small sapling, the epitome of relaxation, "That was some fancy-footwork with that freak. Good thing I didn't have to see him; the ground can have him for all I care."
"Thank you." She glanced around, then asked softly, "Where are your dogs, if you don't mind me asking?"
Hana shrugged. "ANBU regulation," she complained to Genma, who nodded in agreement, "It's best if we remain... as anonymous as possible."
"Then why is Kakashi-san not wearing a uniform?" Sai asked curiously, "He has made no visible effort to change his appearance."
Genma snorted. "Most lower nins run if they see the infamous Copy Ninja. It lowers morale for our enemies, which can make it easier for us to pick them off."
Sai nodded. "Ah," he responded simply.
The bushes rustled as something moved through them; immediately Genma and Hana sprang across the clearing, katana drawn and ready to attack whatever came through. But it was only her teammate. Naruto walked over gingerly, ignoring the two startled ANBU opposite him and completely wet. At Sakura and Sai's questioning looks, he smiled. "Took a bath. I stunk."
"Here," Sakura said, patting the bedroll next to her, "Let me take a look at those ribs of yours."
Her teammate sat down next to her with a wince, once large hand holding his right side. "I don't think they're broken," he hissed through clenched teeth, "Just bruised. Nothing snapped that I could hear, anyway."
Sakura shook her head and touched his side gently. A small drop of chakra had regenerated in her reserves, but it wasn't enough to really make a difference. She looked at her kunai pouch for a minute, deliberating whether or not she would regret taking a soldier pill the next day. It was Naruto's obvious discomfort that made up her mind. She released Naruto, opened her pouch and then shook a pill out of the container. Ignoring Naruto's protests - "It doesn't hurt me that badly, Sakura-chan, really!" - she split the pill into pieces, then took about half of what lay in her palm. The rest she put back in the container.
Five seconds later the kunoichi felt like she had rested for an entire night. Though her reserves had increased, she still only had about half of her usual supply of chakra at her command, but it was more than enough for the task before her. She grinned at her friend. "I feel great!" Then she replaced her hands on his chest and allowed her chakra to seep through his skin. Naruto was right; they were only bruised. The tissue and muscle around them was injured and strained, which would explain why it was so sore and tender. She eased the inflammation and even created a temporary, durable casing of chakra around each individual rib on his side to prevent further injury on their mission. Her chakra ran out just as she finished the final rib.
Exhausted again overtook her, and she swayed where she sat.
"Sleep," Hana told her gently, "We'll look after you. And don't worry about Kakashi-san; he'll come around."
Sakura had energy enough to nod and kick off her boots before slipping underneath her blanket. Someone - Naruto, she assumed - smoothed out the blankets and tucked her in. "G'night," she sighed.
"Night, Sakura-chan."
That night, she dreamed of drowning and of masked ninja, wounds that would not heal and a silver-haired shinobi who called her name over and over again through the rush of water and surf that swallowed her whole.
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To be continued....
Rough Translations
Gomen= informal apology
Arigato= thanks
Nani= what?
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Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! They fuel my passion just like good music does.
-Jackie