Sakura sucked in a deep breath while her hands weaved through the hand seals for the Great Fireball Jutsu.
Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse and tiger.
Bringing up her hand, she cupped her fingers near her mouth and released air, which quickly turned into fire, from her mouth. The fire was targeted at Sakumo, who stood across Sakura.
Sakumo gave a low whistle as the fire neared him. "Not bad Sakura," he complimented, jumping out of the way. "But not effective against one enemy who can freely move around the area."
"Why did you even move out of the way?" Sakura deadpanned, not really understanding why a ghost would avoid an attack that would just go through him.
Then again, Sakumo was an odd man.
Sakumo just shrugged, "Instinct." he explained. "More importantly, you'd be dead by now." He smirked, motioning behind her.
Sakura turned around quickly to see Rin smiling at her. "Rin-sensei!" She called out, surprised.
Inwardly she was berating herself for not paying attention to her surroundings, because Sakumo was right. She would be dead by now if they were in a serious battle. She sighed, feeling dejected.
Rin gave her an assuring smile. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, you're doing alright for a rookie."
"I want to be exceptional, not alright." Sakura quickly said, a self-pitying frown on her features.
"If you have time to pity yourself, then you have time to improve yourself."
Sakura, to her credit, didn't even jump in surprise and merely glanced at Sakumo who had somehow walked over to her when she wasn't paying attention. At this point, Sakura was a hundred percent sure that it was a ghost thing to appear out of seemingly nowhere.
"Mou, Sakumo-san, there's no need to be so harsh. She's got time." Rin crossed her arms, a stubborn look on her features. "I know that Sakura-chan wants to become very strong, but-"
"By the time you were Sakura's age, you were already learning how poison people." Sakumo cut off. "Heck, by the time Kakashi was her age, his hands were already bloodied."
Rin furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing what to say.
"Look, I know there's no war going on, but that doesn't mean she's not allowed to get strong. I'm not even going hard on her." Sakumo's gaze turned a bit cold as he looked into Rin's brown eyes. "You're her sensei, not her sister."
"I-I didn't say she was my sister.." Rin quietly protested, though she knew that she acted like a big sister towards Sakura. The brunette then sighed in defeat. "Fine, I get it, no need to say anything else."
Sakura, feeling an air of awkwardness wash over her ghostly companions, decided to intervene. "What's the secret?" She blurted, earning two prying gazes. "To completing D-ranks, I mean?"
Rin giggled while Sakumo outright laughed at her.
Sakura scowled at them, "What's so funny?" she asked.
"D-ranks are the easiest out there Sakura-chan." Rin answered, hiding a smile behind her hand.
"They're not!" Sakura protested, "It's been two weeks and my team is still failing!"
"Well, your team is a disaster waiting to happen. Besides, you lack something called teamwork." Sakumo explained.
Sakura crossed her arms and pouted. "It's not my fault that Hana and Idate keep getting into stupid arguments that somehow compromises that mission, every single time."
Rin shot Sakura a pitying look, recalling the occasional failed missions, courtesy of Obito and Kakashi's rivalry.
"Where's Shisui?" Sakumo suddenly asked.
"We have this system going on. He keeps an eye on...his cousin...while I'm busy with missions and team stuff. We meet up afterwards."
Neither Sakumo nor Rin questioned the slightly sad look Sakura had when she explained that to them.
.o0o.o0o.
Idate gasped in wonder. "How are you doing that sensei?!" The boy exclaimed, his gaze never leaving Aoi who was walking up a tree without falling. "Teach me!" He excitedly demanded.
Sakura forced a surprised look on her features too, inwardly giggling at Idate's excitement. She would have been as excited as him, had Shisui not already teach her the Tree Walking exercise.
Hana, however had a knowing smile. "I've seen other shinobi and fellow clansmen do this before, it's called Tree Walking, right? My mom told me that my sensei would teach me when I graduate."
"Correct Hana-chan." Aoi smiled his usual smile, the one Sakura found didn't quite reach his eyes. "What do you think I'm doing Idate-kun?"
Idate scrunched his eyes. "Uh, defying gravity!" He exclaimed while Sakura hid a smile behind her hand.
Hana rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."
Idate glared at her.
"You're not wrong, but you're not sufficiently correct either. What's your theory Hana?"
Hana furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. "It obviously involves chakra, so you used a jutsu?"
Aoi shook his head no. "I do use chakra, but this is not a jutsu." He ignored how Idate stuck his tongue out at the embarrassed Inuzuka, instead turning his gaze towards the youngest of his team who looked as exasperated as he felt about Hana and Idate.
Or as Aoi would like to call them, the bickering idiots.
"Sakura, your turn."
Sakura blinked and looked at her sensei, absently noting how he doesn't use any honorifics while addressing her. Oddly enough, she preferred it, considering Aoi sounded condescending while using a honorific. "You direct a certain amount of chakra to the bottom of your feet so you can walk up the tree, or like Idate said, so you can defy gravity."
If Idate sent her an appreciative smile, well Sakura didn't notice.
She may have done something kind, but as far as she was concerned he and Hana were still a source of her growing stress. Or as she'd like to call them, immature rookies. Hilarious, considering she was a rookie herself.
"Correct." Aoi stated while dropping down to the ground in a crouch. He stood up and gave his team a smile. "Now, this week will be dedicated to this. I'll let you decide when you practice it and when you call it a day. If you all finish earlier than expected, come find me at the lounge."
Sakura barely contained a scowl as Aoi disappeared.
Leaving her alone with the two bickering teammates of hers.
"I'LL BE DONE IN ONE DAY!" Idate boated to the empty spot before running towards the tree.
He barely made three steps before falling down on his butt.
"What an idiot." Hana laughed.
Idate glared at her, "I'd like to see you do better, princess." he sneered.
Hana haughtily scoffed, "Anything is better compared to what you just did." she sneered back before running to the tree.
If Sakura was being honest, she had expected Hana to fall too. But Hana managed to prove her wrong by making it to the first branch of the tree and sitting on it.
However, Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes when Hana immediately taunted Idate.
She decided to just tune off their argument as she walked up her own tree reaching the top branch rather easily. Yet, she could still hear the two arguing, which she firmly ignored.
"You're such a show-off!"
"At least I have talent!"
"I don't see you working your butt off as hard as I do!"
"Yet, I don't see any results!"
That is, until the two reached a point that hit home in Sakura's case.
"Would you two just shut the hell up?!" Sakura shouted from a top of the tree, scaring off some birds in the process.
Hana and Idate's eyes were wide in surprise as she jumped off and landed without even crouching, courtesy of chakra.
"Listen up," Sakura ordered, not bothering to let either speak. She was done with their childishness and she was going to make that clear. "I'm sick and tired of you two. Don't either of you know what a team is? Well, apparently not! So let me explain. A team is a group of people banded together, who works together to achieve things. This idea requires some actual teamwork."
She glared at both of them, who were too shocked to really say anything.
"Idate. Instead of asking for help or training, you keep complaining and getting into fights with Hana. How are you ever going to become an Anbu, let alone the leader of them all, if you can't even work together with Hana?"
The boy looked down, avoiding eyecontact with her.
With a huff Sakura turned to Hana. "And Hana. Instead of relying on talent, why don't you actually try working hard sometimes? That's better time management than picking on your own teammate and bullying him, don't you think? Frankly, I expected better of you."
"Sakura..." Hana tried, only to be stop as Sakura raised her hand up.
"Stop. I'm done. I don't want either of you to even look my way until you learn to get along." With that, Sakura walked off.
.o0o.o0o.
Hey Itachi,
What's up? Nothing much has been happening in the village. Sasuke's still relatively okay, the whole traumatized thing not included. I'm still training Sakura-chan. She graduated, you know? Now she's in a team with Hana Inuzuka, you know the girl who used to have a huge crush on you, and Idate Morino, little brother of our own head of T&I. I'd tell you who her sensei is, but I doubt you'd recognize the name.
Anyway, how are things with you?
Have you been resting enough? Make sure not to overuse your Sharingan too much. Oh, and get enough nutrients. Do you like work solo, or are you in a team? If so, what's that like?
Eagerly waiting your reply,
S.
Sakura couldn't help but giggle despite her bad mood as she re-read the note Shisui had written for Itachi.
"What's so funny?" Shisui demanded, obviously embarrassed.
"Nothing!" Sakura assured, "It's just, you're being such a mother hen." she gently smiled.
Shisui sulked as she closed the scroll and gave it to a crow.
"Sakura? Is someone up there?" she heard her mother yell.
Sakura sighed. "No!"
"Oh, okay..."
Shisui sent Sakura an apologetic look, which she promptly waved away.
"I think I'll move to an apartment. The one next to Naruto is cheap enough for me to pay for." Sakura mused aloud as she lay back on her bed.
Shisui didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
She knew he supported her anyway.
.o0o.o0o.
Sakura wasn't sure what she was expecting when she walked to her team's training ground that morning.
Maybe some awkward silence.
Or some awkward silent treatment.
What she didn't expect however, was for both Hana and Idate to immediately bow in front of her.
"We're so sorry for being idiots!" Idate exclaimed.
That was the only thing she gathered before both launched into an explanation for how sorry they were and how they would try to change so they could be a better team, and frankly Sakura couldn't really process much considering the two were speaking over each other.
Sharing a look with an amused Shisui, Sakura flicked both her teammates' heads.
"That's enough, you two are giving me a migraine." Sakura sighed, ignoring their sheepish smiles. "Look I forgive you two, but I really want us to actually be a good team, you know?"
"We get it." Hana assured, "Idate and I talked about it."
"You did?" Sakura asked, surprised.
Idate nodded. "We decided we'd like you to be in charge of us, sort of like a team leader."
"But you two are older!" Sakura protested.
"That doesn't matter. You're more fitted for the leader role, Sakura." Hana stated.
"C'mon, just accept it, boss." Idate grinned.
Sakura blushed as the two smiled at her. "A-alright, but I'm warning you, I can be a control freak sometimes!"
They both grinned and messed up her hair.
"Looks like it all worked out in the end." Shisui mused as Hana and Sakura started helping Idate get the hang of Tree Walking.
Chapter End.
Author's note: short chapter I know, and I'm sorry! I just really wanted to give y'all an early-ish Christmas present. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, not much Shisui and Sakura interaction, but I'll make up for it with the next chapter, I promise.
Questions:
1. What will Itachi's reaction be to the letter?
2. What would happen if Kisame reads Shisui's letter instead of Itachi?