I posted this yesterday but it apparently didn't post. Sorry about that. This chapter came out a little bipolar and I was in a bad mood when I wrote it so just bare with me. There will be another chapter post after this once I edit it. I am so sorry about the late post. This chapter kinda formed on its own so I got off track. I am going to start a poll soon when it's up please vote. I have to ask what would you guys do if I decided that no one won lol. Not that I plan to do that it was just a suggestion from a friend. I think my grammar checkers made up yay! As always reviews are not necessary but the are inspiring.
Kiba sat on the steps of the Haruno complex nursing his recently mended broken jaw as the remaining competition approached. He looked both depressed and defeated as yelling was heard from within the home. The rest of the rookies were making their way up the path behind the competitors. Sakura wasn't happy and it was partially their fault. They had kept something from her. Something important and now that Sakura knew she was pissed. They knew she was going to lash out but with the added stress she was volatile. The point was driven home when Tsunade and Dan were pushed out of the front door which was slammed behind them not giving them a second to look at her. Apparently Sakura wasn't in the mood to be alluring or considerate. They heard Sakura screaming at someone inside. "Until Ibiki calls you I don't want to see one of you move from that spot. If you do I will beat you to death with your own limbs!"
"She knows doesn't she." Kankuro asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"She's out for blood starting with the photos." Tsunade sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. Not an hour prior they found that Tora was no longer within the walls of the village, and so Tsunade had come clean about everything. Tora's attempts on her life, the assassins, and ANBU guards. Kiba had tried to calm her only to receive a fist to the jaw. He deserved that much for sneaking around. Now she had Ibiki in the garden interrogating each member of her servants.
"Before she talks to you guys I want you to know that Tora is missing. The minute Ibiki was called in he disappeared." Dan added as Shisui moved through the crowd with Gaara and Itachi following close behind.
"Where are you three going?" Naruto asked confused, but never received an answer.
"You can run all you want but it wont help you in the end. I have your scent now asshole." Tsume snarled as her partner panted beside her. They had been chasing this man for almost an hour now. This seemed to further piss her off. This bastard had been trained to avoid being seen specifically, but she didn't need to see him to find him. Twice he had attempted to leave an article of cloth and deviate his path to escape. Hana was checking the last deviation at that moment. He was attempting to separate her from Kuromaru which wasn't going to happen. A piece of paper fell from above which caused them to jump back as it exploded barely missing her face. She gasped as she attempted to pick up the scent again once the smoke cleared. She couldn't smell anything which only meant one thing. The tag wasn't meant to kill, just block her tracking abilities. Hana showed up rubbing her face along with her ninkin. The tags had been laced with black pepper and milkweed powder which they had inhaled. Tsume snarled again with reluctance she turned to Hana. "Bastard! Hana we need to retreat while we can or this may not end in our favor."
Hana nodded and they began their retreat only to be greeted with another explosion. The forest was even more dangerous now that their noses were useless. As they cautiously began to pass through the trees a Kunai found its mark deep inside Hana's left leg. Hana dropped and her ninkin surrounded her acting as a shield. Tsume searched the trees in the direction the kunai had come from only to have the assassin approach from behind trying to stab her between the L3 and L4. She heard him and turned catching his arm in her hands and throwing him into the nearest tree causing another explosion as the clone disappeared. She had not gone untouched despite her efforts. Pressing her hand to a shallow wound on her right hip she chuckled darkly. "Tease me again and when I find you I'll stew your balls!"
Hana had healed what she could and was now limping with Tsume's help as they dodged paper bombs and expertly placed traps. This assassin was steadily making this a personal vendetta with Tsume. Anyone in the village could tell you that was not the wisest thing to do. She wanted to turn around and find the bastard. To tear his throat out, and feed him to strays. Instead she assisted Hana in her escape like any mother would do for her pup. No matter how big her children got they would always be her pups.
An hour after entering Sakura's home Itachi and Gaara emerged with two of Sakura's former servants whom were bloody and looked as if they bordered insanity. Ibiki followed with a third and a chuckle. This caused the others to pale. "Ah business is good."
"Where is Shisui and Sakura?" Sai asked getting straight to the point.
"Inside having a very adamant discussion." Itachi replied handing off the wreck he had guided to a waiting ANBU.
"You have a lot of nerve thinking that I'm going to take that as an excuse Shisui. I deserve to know when my friends find out that my life is in danger." Sakura yelled as she slammed her fist against the wall causing the wood to snap and splinter.
"Yes but you also have the right to fucking relax. We were just thinking of the stress you were going through and how this would just add to it!" Shisui was bordering the end of his patents. For an hour he had been arguing with Sakura and for an hour she had been both challenging him and pressing his buttons. If he was to be completely honest he was both aroused and infuriated. She was on par with him mentally, and if he wasn't careful she would definitely use his words against him.
"Stress has nothing to do with it. You just wanna play the knight and save the damsel in distress. I will not allow myself to become that again. I am strong and can take care of myself!" She slammed her palms against his shoulders shoving him.
"You don't have to be that person again to let someone be close to you Sakura! You can push me around all you want but that wont change the fact that your strong on the outside, but not inside. Damn it Sakura you're not perfect no one is!" Shisui returned to looming over her face yelling with more intensity by the moment. Neither one backing down from the others challenge.
"I've never claimed to be perfect Shisui, but I'll be damned if I'm going to hide behind everyone else! You don't get to decide what I need to know and not know! No one gets that privileged! No more fucking secrets I'm sick of them!" Sakura yelled back her fist clenching as she fights the urge to hit him. Shisui grabbed Sakura's arm and yanked her to a mirror griping her face in his hand roughly forcing her to look at herself. His hand released her arm moving down to press against her stomach forcing her back against him to trap her there. He was going to make her understand one way or another. His eyes locked on hers through the mirror so as not to get distracted.
"Fine you want the fucking truth Sakura? Fine I'll tell you! Your important to us! You gave us all back something that we needed! Family, friends, and hope all of that and what did you ask for in return? Nothing! Nothing at all and when we want to repay you what do you tell us you want? Nothing but our happiness. But you're not happy are you Sakura. No you're not and your content to just fucking sit there and watch everyone else be happy. You think no one notices, but we do! I- We see someone trying to hurt you while your unaware so we protect you and try to give you a little happiness to. You want to know why Sakura because your amazing! Your beautiful, smart, hot tempered, sexy, to humble, and most of all strong. Yet all you see is what my moron of a cousin, and that Hyuga told you. You believe that your weak, and worthless enough to leave on a park bench in the middle of the night, or discarded because of politics. That's right I know all about both situations! Guess what Sakura THEY were wrong not you and you need to realize that." He prayed it worked because she looked like a statue unmoving and hardly breathing. His words washing over her and sweeping her insecurities aside as they finished the healing of her emotional wounds allowing them to scar. She loved scars at that moment because it was a promise. A promise that the pain was over and she could move on.
"Thank you Shisui for telling me those things. I didn't realize that my fears were doing this to me." Sakura felt a new confidence, and strength fill her.
"I just told you what anyone in the next room wanted to. So do I get a reward for risking life and limb to argue with you?" He teased feeling much more relaxed as she laughed gently.
"Nope cause my thanks is enough for a chivalrous knight." Sakura giggled and tilted her head back to look into his eyes their breath mingling.
"But I am a knight in bloody armor which is better because I have seen battle enough to prove my worth." His nose brushed hers gently as he smiled back trying to keep this at teasing.
"Still you're a knight and as such you have a code of honor to follow." She teased back with a smile.
"I have no intention of defacing either of our honor at this moment." He joked releasing her. She laughed a bit and faced him on the balls of her feet. Her lips quickly placed a kiss to his cheek and left the room to meet the others.
"Hey I wasn't ready!" Shisui called after her turning the corner to catch her.
"To bad cause I don't intend to do it again." She teased as he walked beside her. As they entered the living room she sighed sitting on the floor leaning against Akamaru whom nuzzled her and wrapped a tail around her as Shisui went to get the others. He had heard the entire conversation and was glad that someone finally had the balls to tell her the truth.
"Feel better now?" Akamaru asked.
"Definitely." She smiled snuggling into his fur.