Twenty-Four: Summer Haze
"Mm, there's nothing better than ramen, right guys?" Naruto asked, not waiting for his teammates' responses before digging into the large bowl sitting in front of him.
"Yeah, nothing like our fifth bowl of ramen this week," Sasuke grumbled, but he picked up his chopsticks dutifully and started shoveling the food into his mouth.
The four shinobi had had an intense sparring session that afternoon. They hadn't seen much action since the incident at the gathering of nobles, after the head of the Sasakis' guards had upped their security. Really, the mission had become nothing more than an extended vacation, but as long as they still didn't know the rebels' plans, the Leaf ninja were going to have to stay on as extra protection.
Sasuke sighed. He knew Kakashi and Sakura were doing the best they could, but it was summer now, and he honestly just wanted to go home. He was tired of dealing with adoring fangirls and snobby nobles.
If the Uchihas had been anything like the nobles he'd encountered so far in the Land of Silver, Sasuke thought he could understand why the second Hokage had pushed them out of the village. They were goddamn annoying.
"Can we get something other than ramen tomorrow?" Yamato sighed, leaning his head against his hand and twirling one chopstick around in the broth.
"Yes," the two black-haired ninja quickly agreed.
"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked, through a full mouth. Sasuke shot him a look, and the blonde quickly realized this wasn't an argument he should make. "Well, okay. That's fine with me. Hey, Captain Yamato! Why don't you buy us food like that one time at that hot springs! That was really delicious, and you actually paid for us, which was weird, because Kakashi-sensei like never bought us anything to eat. Probably because he realized how much I ate, and it would make him broke, but that's why he always tricked you into paying for us anyway, right?"
Yamato closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead as if it could prevent the inevitable headache he was getting from listening to Naruto's babbling.
"Naruto! I'm not buying your food. You have funds for that."
"Aw, but Captain Yamato," he whined.
"I said no." Yamato turned, giving the three a good glimpse of his scary face.
Sai appeared unperturbed, as always, but Naruto still gave the same reaction as he always had—which was to yelp and cover his eyes. Sasuke wanted to tease the blonde jinchuriki about still being afraid of the captain's face, but Sasuke was sort of creeped out by it himself.
He and Yamato weren't exactly close like the rest of Team Seven. To be fair, the first time they had met, Sasuke had stabbed him, so he supposed he should just be happy the wood-style user tolerated him at all.
"Okay fine," Naruto grumbled, turning back to his ramen. "I was just asking."
Sasuke shook his head, polishing off the last of his ramen. He hoped something exciting would happen soon. He was starting to get really bored.
"Are you ready?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book at Sakura, who was pacing nervously around their kitchen. Takara and the boys would be there any minute to pick her up and head out to the tavern where all the new recruits were supposed to go to join the rebellion.
"I guess," she said, stopping her pacing and perching herself on the countertop.
They had been laying low in Gintown for just over a month, and while both shinobi were itching to get on with their mission, Sakura couldn't help but enjoy the downtime she'd spent in her and Kakashi's little apartment or hanging out with her new friends.
Takara's brother, Mitsuo, had been just as kind to her as his younger sister, welcoming her into their group with open arms. He wasn't as energetic, however, and Sakura appreciated that fact.
His best friend was Isamu, a tall, dark-haired boy a year or two older than Sakura. His dad happened to own the apartment complex, and he gave Kakashi an even lower price once he found out Sakura was friends with his son. She had wanted to protest the discount, but the man insisted.
Then there were the other two members of their little group—Akira and Akio. The black-haired, black-eyed boys were cousins, a year older than Takara and equally as energetic. The three younger kids together were enough to drive the older ones crazy sometimes, but Sakura didn't really mind. In a way, they reminded her of her team back home.
She missed Team Seven fiercely. Naruto's goofy grin, Sasuke's occasionally smirk, even Sai's ridiculous nicknames. And she wanted to see Yamato, to show him how she was doing. She was glad she had Kakashi with her on this mission, or she would have surely gone crazy.
They spent a lot of time together in the living room, watching TV, reading, or just talking. Kakashi tended to stay low and not go out much. He could still be a recognizable figure to someone who knew a lot about the Fourth Shinobi War, and a one-eyed man would be memorable regardless.
"You'll do fine," Kakashi said simply, turning back to his book and flipping through the pages. "I have faith in you."
A knock sounded on the door, and Sakura knew it was time.
"Wish me luck," she whispered, before slipping out the door.
"Ready to go?" Mitsuo asked. His long blonde hair had been slicked back out of his face, and he wore nicer clothes than he usually ran around in.
The rest of the boys looked the same, and Sakura briefly wondered if she should have worn a dress. Isamu, who had an older cousin in the army, had told them to make sure they looked presentable when they went to meet the recruiters, but Sakura hadn't really known what that meant. She'd settled on a skirt and blouse that she thought made her look presentable without being considered too girly. She would have asked Kakashi's opinion, but she knew the Copy Ninja wouldn't have had a clue.
"Are you sure about this, Kaiya?" Takara asked, falling into step beside Sakura. "I mean, you really want to join the army?"
"I'm sure," Sakura nodded. "I want to be able to help my friends, and I'm the best medic in this town."
"And your brother's okay with this? He seemed like he was really protective of you whenever I saw you guys together."
"Well, I think he's uneasy about it, sure."
That part wasn't entirely a lie. They were both a little uneasy about the entire mission, Kakashi especially, but Sakura was pretty sure that was just a part of being ANBU.
"But he trusts me, and he has faith in my skills, so I know he'll get over it."
Takara sighed. "I wish my brother trusted me enough to let me join with you guys."
"It's not that he doesn't trust you, Takara. You're just too young."
"I'm only a year younger than Akira and Akio, and two years younger than you!" the blonde girl protested.
"But I'm only a medic, and both Akira and Akio have been martial artists since they were children. We're special cases. Just give it time. You'll see that Matsuo is only looking out for you."
"I guess you're probably right. I just don't want to be left alone here while you guys are off risking your lives. And for what? Some extra spending money?"
Sakura winced. She knew the fact that Matsuo and the others were joining the rebellion out of financial need—and not for ideals—was something that bothered the younger girl. Takara, much like Naruto, was too optimistic for the world she lived in.
"I can't promise you that they'll all live. I'm not that naïve, but I can promise you that no harm will come to any of them as long as I'm around, okay Takara?"
Takara nodded, tears shining in her blue eyes.
"Okay," she whispered. "I'll hold you to that, Kaiya. You're the best medic around, so I'll be counting on you."
Sakura smiled. "You don't have to worry."
"Kaiya! You ready to go in?"
Matsuo's voice jolted her back to reality. The boys had moved ahead of them, and had already reached the tavern where the recruitment drive was taking place. They were just waiting for her now, so they could all walk in together.
"Yeah! I'm coming!" she called, before turning back to Takara and giving her one last hug.
The blonde girl would be heading back to her apartment soon. She had wanted to wait and walk back with them, but Isamu said it was likely the meetings would last well into the night, and they weren't in the best part of town, so they didn't want her staying out alone.
If all went well, they would be leaving in the morning with the recruiters to head to the nearest rebel base camp, where they would begin their training. It would likely be the last time Takara saw any of them besides her brother before they left. For all they knew, it could be the last time she saw them ever.
"Goodbye, Takara," Sakura said, hugging the girl tight. "And thank you, for everything. You really made me feel like I belong."
"O-of course," Takara sniffled. "I'll see you soon, Kaiya. You'll still come back and visit eventually, right? Even though your brother's moving as soon as you leave?"
Sakura nodded, remembering she had told her friends Kakashi was moving to take a job in a bigger city to explain his sudden absence after her departure.
"Yeah," she lied. "I'll see you soon."
"Well, I can't really say this is what I was expecting," Akio said, taking in the sight of hundreds of passed out teenagers and young men. There were a few women among them, Sakura noticed, and she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she wouldn't seem too out of place.
Akira snorted. "What did you think soldiers were going to be doing in a tavern late at night? Drinking apple juice?"
Akio grinned. "Just because you can't hold your liquor doesn't mean you need to act so pissy every time we go to a bar, cuz."
"Alright, that's enough," Matsuo said, pushing the cousins apart.
"That's right," Isamu said. "We don't want to make a bad impression."
The two black-haired boys rolled their eyes, but they let their previous argument go.
"So who do you suppose we're supposed to go talk to?" Sakura asked, looking around for someone sober.
"I don't know," Isamu said honestly. "My cousin didn't tell me that. I'm surprised there are so many people here already though. Maybe we got the time wrong?"
"Are you new recruits?" A loud voice barked, startling the five and making them jump. Or at least making the four boys jump. Sakura's instincts were too good for that.
"Yes, sir," Matsuo said, recovering first and turning towards a tall, burly, redheaded man who looked like he was in charge. He had that air about him. "We wish to join the rebellion, us four as fighters, and her as a medic."
The man squinted at them, looking them over. His gaze lingered on Sakura a bit longer than the others, but she told herself that was completely normal, considering they probably didn't get many women wanting to join.
"Alright. You five can follow me."
"Yes sir!" they said, allowing the large man to lead them into a back room. It was much quieter and nicer-smelling than the one they had previously come from, something all five were grateful for.
"So, you all want to join our army, huh?"
"Yes sir," Matsuo said. The blonde was the unspoken leader of their group.
"You kids know what you're getting into, right? You're giving up a pretty easy life here in town to head out on the road, sleep in tents, and possibly risk your life on a daily basis. And you're okay with that?"
They all nodded.
"Even you?" His question was directed at Sakura, who wanted to laugh. She probably knew more about living on the road and risking her life than he did. But he wasn't supposed to know that.
"Yes sir," She confirmed. "When I first came here, I didn't have any desire to join the rebels, but once I found out all my friends would be fighting…well, I just decided that I wanted to be there to heal them if any of them were to get injured."
"Ah, so you're a healer, not just a medic?"
"Yes sir. My late father and my brother were both doctors, and they taught me the healing arts." She knew better than to call it medical ninjutsu. She wasn't going to give herself away that easily.
"Well, you should quickly rise through the ranks then. We don't have many medics who can use healing arts in these lower-raking battalions. What's your name?"
"Kaiya Nagasawa, sir."
"Well then, welcome to the army, Kaiya Nagasawa."
Sakura was up bright and early that morning. The kunoichi was rummaging through her things one last time when Kakashi found her a few minutes before she was supposed to meet the rest of the recruits to leave for their new base.
She couldn't bring her ANBU gear with her, and the new recruits had been told to travel light anyway, so she was going to be sending the rest of her things with Kakashi. Sakura just wanted to make sure she would have all the medical tools she needed.
"Okay, everything looks good," Kakashi said, coming over to stand by her. "Try to remember to look a little nervous when you meet the higher ups at camp. You don't want to look too battle hardened."
Sakura snorted. "If I get caught, they'll torture and kill me slowly. So yeah, I'll try to put on a fearful face."
She turned back to her bags, but Kakashi gripped her arm, turning her back toward him.
"I'll be right behind you. If you get into any trouble, I'll come and get you out right away," he said.
Sakura smiled. "I know."
The fact that he would be there backing her up made both of them feel a lot better about the mission.
"I guess this is where you say 'good luck' and I say 'see you later,'" Sakura mumbled, suddenly nervous for the first time since she'd been accepted into the army.
Kakashi looked at her and sighed, before pulling her closer and wrapping her in a comforting hug. Thanks to their height difference, his chin rested comfortably on top of her head, while her face was pushed against his lean chest. She smiled. This, at least, was something familiar.
"Thanks," she whispered, as he finally released her.
"You'll do fine," he assured her. "Just remember your training."
"I will," Sakura nodded. "Now it's time for me to go."
"We'll meet up as soon as it's safe for you to get away. As a medic, you should be allowed to leave the camp fairly easily, but we shouldn't make contact with each other for the first week unless it's an absolute emergency. If that's the case, you know what to do."
"The scroll," she said, which Kakashi confirmed with a nod.
Sakura slung her pack over her shoulder and took one last look around the apartment she'd come to call home over the past month. "Well, I guess I should be off."
Kakashi nodded again. The auburn was starting to fade from his hair, and for some reason, Sakura found the sight of his silvering locks reassuring.
"Be careful."
"I will." She grinned. "Don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easily. I'll see you in a week."
"Right," Kakashi said, and when she realized the Copy Ninja wasn't going to say anymore, Sakura nodded one last time and shut the door behind her.
She and Kakashi were both awful at goodbyes.
~A/N: Hello everyone! Today's the day I finally get on schedule! First full week of classes too, so everything's finally falling into place. Also, as a college student on her fourth bowl of ramen this week, I would like to say that I sympathize with Sasuke, Yamato, and Sai on this one... Anyway, happy reading!