068 Smile
The Uchiha never smiled; well the men at the very least or so Sakura thought. The kunoichi has spent limited time within the compound, only spending those brief moments 'picking up' her partner Izuna. It was from a lack of enthusiasm and vigor that the pinkette had figured that he nor the large clan was not excited to have one of their prized boys partner with a 'civilian' ninja on missions. Or at least any ninja without an influential pedigree.
Huffing somewhat and cheeks slightly distended to puff out a gust of air, she walked for the third time to pick up her rogue partner. It wasn't like she enjoyed having an Uchiha as a partner again, with all the stalking women and the reputation to live up to – it was like reliving her childhood team with Sasuke. Sakura knew that all of the Uchiha were not….terrible people, in fact she was close friends with her previous team mate and his immediate family after years and years of working together. However, it was the rest of the clan that the medical prodigy worried about. Other than Sasuke and his immediate family, the young woman knew zip about the other brilliant warriors of the Uchiha and often times was shielded from them by either Sasuke, his brother or their parents as if she were some sort of prize. It was almost strange, maybe they were just protecting her from the 'harsh' critique of their relatives or something of that nature. Whatever the case may have or is with that type of action, the woman had allowed it to roll off of her shoulders hypothetically.
She had retraced her steps to where the young man was usually found, those green eyes staring off in to space as her mind munched on that topic of the perceived Uchiha stoicism and the obvious class difference between herself and them. Hoping somewhat that this constant tardiness on part of Izuna was not because he disliked the idea of working with someone whom may be perceived to be weak. Or someone who had a lack of a pedigree. Sakura had to sigh to herself, chewing on her chapped lip at that premonition. Ino would have been better suited to be this man's partner or even the shy Hinata, at least they had the background in dealing with these types of social hierarchies. Sure she had her own experience with politics and being able to communicate effectively – making her well known not only as the apprentice of the Hokage herself but a potential ambassador to other nations. But anything dealing with the internal social machinations of clans was way over her head. All the girl knew, as she left out another frustrated huff of air that they were confusing and apparently restrictive in their 'rules'.
Tsunade had mentioned that this new partnership between the pinkette and one of the prodigy Uchiha kids was a way of getting them to interact with the rest of the populace. After all many clans tend to only interact amongst themselves or within their own clans without intermingling with the 'civilian's. It was just getting annoying having to play babysitter to a man who was two years her senior and acting as if it was the end of the world. Well maybe his world but the earth didn't stop turning because he had to 'hang' out with someone like her. Every time that the kunoichi had to fetch the pain in the ass, she had to go in to that unfamiliar part of the Uchiha compound and brave some incriminating stares – curiosity or not. Ohhhhhhhhhhh, that young man was defiantly going to get a piece of her mind for wasting her time and the village's time. As somewhere in her mind a little image of Sakura rolling up her sleeves and stomping right in to his family's home like a cartoon occurred and brought some amusement to her frustration. As the girl imagined this at all with a screwed up face, she did not take notice of his looming brother – Madara.
"Girls should smile not look like they are going to poison someone."
It was that dark glass voice that snapped her out of her thoughts and autopilot pacing to his house. She huffed somewhat, narrowing those green eyes at him as if the man was the bane of her existence.
"And your young brother shouldn't be hiding."
Both had looked at each other, his eyes were carefully blank and hers were darkening in frustration. Both where somewhat amicable with each other due to one of the said prodigies landing in the hospital from their training. Yet this was not the time to be jesting and bantering over something 'frivolous'. That is when she saw a smile, a smile outside of the 'normal' Uchiha's she had dealt with. None the less one of the more infamous of them.
It was rare apparently, according to her best friend, the gossip monger it was rare for Izuna much less Madara to crack a genuine smile at any one other than each other or family members. And even that was a rare occasion due to the brutal training they pushed themselves through at the mercy of their father, Taijima. In her dazed manner, this must have been like the four leaf clover that those crazed fan girls were searching for all of these years only this four leaf clover was pointed directly at her in a very…sincere way.
Sakura flushed somewhat before looking away rather quickly, she did not want to be labeled as an Uchiha groupie. No. However it had pricked her ears that the Uchiha despite her worries of being not of a proper pedigree or perceived weakness, that the Uchiha were rather fond of the girl. And she had to wonder if that was because of her status within society, her skills or who she was a person – but sure as hell the girl had to doubt the latter. As both looked at each other, one smiling and the other somewhat in apprehension.