Transition
Sakura is perceived from the perspectives of others as she changes during the years into something else entirely. The people near her follows her transition closely and when she starts abandoning everything she held dear - she gets closer and closer to her goal.
Chapter 11
Team Seven and That Girl
Through the Eyes of a Fox Boy, a Powerful Alcoholic and a Shy Beauty
The Fox Boy Uzumaki Naruto
"Naruto?" Kakashi let his mask go, settling it over his silver head and then he looked at the pink haired girl in front of him. He frowned, with one wide eye. "Sakura?" He asked, the same confusion in his voice.
"Huh?" Naruto took in the appearance of his former sensei and the pink haired girl in front of him. Sakura? Haruno Sakura? He rose from the sitting position and looked closely at the girl. He wrinkled his nose when he smelt something come off the girl. She reeked of the want for blood, murdering killing intent. Her hair was long and petal hued and flowing and her apple green eyes were hard. His breath hitched.
"Wait, no. You're not Sakura." He breathed and reflexively pulled into a defensive stance. She flinched.
"Who are you? Where's Sakura-chan?" He lashed out, gripping his kunai hard which he had produced forth in an instant.
"Naruto. It's... me?" She said, perplexed at his hostile outburst, backing away.
"Sakura is innocent and pure and you're not! Sakura-chan doesn't have that aura, she doesn't reek of blood! It's a henge! Don't you see?" He turned to Kakashi who slowly shook his head, only looking at him.
"It's an enemy nin! Infiltrating Ko-"
"Shut up, Naruto. She has just changed." Kakashi smacked the young man on his head with the neon orange book, hard. Naruto startled, his eyes wide as he flinched. Then he turned to really look at his former teammate, followed by Kakashi. Kakashi looked just as much unbelieving at the girl as Naruto did. No wonder, she was an entirely different presence.
"Sakura-chan? It really is you?" He asked, and his cerulean eyes shone. He stretched, touched her arm, and then gently, yet hesitantly embraced her. She returned it awkwardly.
"Yes, you idiot." She murmured into the depths of his neon orange jacket. She was shorter than him now and it somehow pleased him. She looked up at him, her brows furrowed. Green glinting eyes.
"That's more like it." He grinned, finally. "That's such a Sakura-chan-thing to say. It's really been a long time!" He cheered and he almost forgot she had changed. Then he looked more closely at her outfit. With raised eyebrows he gaped and let her go to study her. She blinked.
"And... wait. Wait. You're ANBU?" He asked, his voice surprisingly hard.
Naruto then remembered baa-chan's words he had received that morning when he and Jiraya had reported to be back at the Hokage's office. 'I'm just warning you. Don't expect Sakura to be the same girl you left, brat. She won't scream loudly, she won't hit you because of something you said inappropriately... But if she does hit you, and probably with good reason if she does, you won't like it. You won't be leaving with just a bruise.'
"Well, yeah. Kakashi as well." She answered hesitantly. "You're not supposed to know, though. But I couldn't help revealing myself when-when it was you..." She trailed off. Naruto looked at Kakashi, who seemed to still be pondering the fact that she was ANBU as he regarded the blank mask she had worn, laying abandoned on the soil of the street. Naruto figured Kakashi hadn't known it was her either, and they had probably been working together. Naruto realised it must be hard on Kakashi as well, seeing his former student at his side, working with dangerous missions ordered by the Hokage. Naruto stared at her again, taking in her slender yet strong figure. She bit her lip, looking down on her feet. Perhaps this wasn't the kind of reunion she had expected.
"Are those... Scars?" The blond man looked wide eyed at her body, taking in the half moon shaped and pink coloured burn marks visible on her arm, the hideous red tinted slash across her palm, the little shallow scars adorning her creamy skin. She blinked.
"Yes?" She asked, her burning green eyes meeting his cerulean ones.
"Don't- but, I don't..." He stuttered, not knowing what to make of it. He just couldn't comprehend it. The smell of blood on her hands. Her hard, shinobi-like eyes. Her scars. Her being ANBU. His mind was almost near on to imploding. He waved his hands violently in defiance, not looking at her. Anywhere but her.
"I don't like this Sakura." He whispered, knowing his words probably stung, yet he turned around and jumped up on the roof top, running fast away from the two former members of Team Seven. It was not supposed to have happened this way. He jumped over the roof tops, going anywhere and nowhere. Naruto had imagined that when he returned, Sakura would be a pretty Medic, greeting him with a smile on a sunny day. Out of harm's way, out of death's way, out of the way of the mental scars that came with death, she would be in the back to heal. But she wasn't innocent any longer. She was scarred, she was bloodied, she was dirty - as if she was a true shinobi. He felt it, what she was, he could smell it, sense it. But she was supposed to have been cheerful, happy and yet annoying at times, to be a gentle Medic in the back, someone normal, supposed to have been that bridge between him and Teme. But he wondered if she would only destroy that bridge now, if she ever even lightly touched it.
He leapt off a chimney and fell tumbling to the ground, touching the ground lightly with his feet pushing into the soil, continuing to run anywhere and nowhere. And then he found himself jumping in the tree tops within the Forest of Death and nostalgia hit him hard. He ran up a tree and found a large branch which he sat heavily down on. He leaned against the the tree's bark and let out a long, deep breath, closing his eyes. The breeze in the tree tops were soothing, the rustle of leaves beneath him peaceful, yet his inner feelings were in a turmoil. Of lost innocence, of a lost girl. He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes. He needed to meditate. He folded his legs together, crossing each other and he breathed deeply once again, letting his mind drift away. Away from everything.
A few hours later he opened his eyes as he felt a presence nearing him, fast. In a rush of leaves whirling around, she stood in front of him. His mind was blank, from meditating so long, and he blinked at her.
"Here you are, sulking all by yourself." She said, tilting her head slightly to the side. She had changed into a red top together with a beige skirt and he found the clothes soothing, somewhat. Like this is what his Sakura would have looked like had she not changed.
"You found me." He stated and grumpily turned his head away. He still couldn't accept it. Accept her.
"Want to see a trick?" She asked and he didn't answer her, as he looked away. But that little nagging interest in the back of his mind made him turn around his head to look at her, the girl who reeked of blood. Sakura shuffled through her pocket and found what she was looking for; a little round and oblong container. Then she screwed the cork off and Naruto saw what it was. She gently blew through the hole of the stick and several soap bubbles swiftly came into existence, swirling in the breeze of the wind. In one movement, she mumbled a little jutsu and whispered 'kai'. Suddenly, the bubbles floating in the air glowed. A blue light within them made them glow like little stars. They illuminated the still night and somehow, started to multiply. The tree they sat on was covered in the blue light and the bubbles glistened around them. She smiled widely at him.
"Come on, Naruto. There's no angry way to say bubbles." She said and her apple green eyes were soft. Naruto frowned; was that a challenge?
"Bubbles!" He screamed angrily, defiantly, and surprise hit him hard. Sakura almost fell from the tree laughing. It had sounded so... Childish? He was perplexed. Was he being childish because Sakura had changed? The blue bubbles floated in the air, stirring, then they multiplied again. They drifted off and Naruto saw them floating towards Konoha, out from the Forest of death.
"It looks even more beautiful from the Hokage mountain." The pinkette said lowly and sprinted off the tree, leaving a scent of fresh flowers and mint behind. Naruto wanted to continue with his grumbling, and sulk alone in the tree, but he found himself following after her either way. When they reached the top of the Hokage mountain they had a perfect view of the village in the darkness of the night in front of them, displayed beneath their feet. The shining blue bubbles drifted through and over the buildings and streets, giving off dreamy dim blue lights. They sparkled and were simply beautiful as they hovered in the air, drifting away into nowhere. It looked like the night sky had fallen and draped itself over the village, the stars replacing the bubbles.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Sakura breathed. Her long hair was messily tied into a bun on top of her head, her creamy complexion reflecting the stars and her profile was mesmerising.
"Yeah, 'ttebayo." Naruto grumbled, yet agreed. He felt something in his chest pound hard and he noticed it was a sense of longing. He had longed for the sweet pink haired girl he had left behind, and what he had found was a blood drenched diamond. Yet, who was he to blame her? He had changed as well, though not in the same way. He sniffed and noticed she was looking at him. There was so much sadness and nostalgia in the depths of the green in her eyes that Naruto almost bit his lip.
"I missed you, Naruto. Let's patch up Team Seven together." She said and looked into his eyes. Her green glinting orbs were so deep and Naruto felt his chest turn into fire.
"I... I missed you, too, Sakura-chan. And I-I'm sorry. For earlier. I just couldn't believe you could have changed that much." He frowned and scratched the back of his blond hair. "I still can't believe it."
"It's fine. I actually don't know myself much anymore." She whispered, as she pushed her knees up to under her chin. Naruto silently studied her suddenly smaller form when she gazed out into the village, letting her take in the scenery slowly. She breathed and closed her eyes.
"It all started with Izanami." She murmured. It seemed like she opened herself up to him, and Naruto was somewhat pleased. Maybe he would understand why she had changed into someone who seemed to revel in carnage. And why she had changed.
"Who's that?" He asked, letting go of his suspicions and childishness.
"My katana." She opened her eyes and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. Naruto saw a sleek black katana strapped on her back. He squinted his eyes at it and felt a powerful hum come off the sword. It was a dark chakra. Very dark. He almost shivered.
"It's alive?" He asked, already knowing the answer. It reeked.
"Yeah. It isn't that strange really, me having a Goddess of Death as the embodiment of a sword, since you have a Nine-tailed Beast inside your stomach."
"True. Goddess of Death? What's she like?"
"She's a thousand years old, if not more. Beautiful and bloodthirsty." She said simply and Naruto wanted to say 'just like you', but he bit it down. She'd probably not appreciate hearing that.
"Sounds like Kurama, except for the beautiful part. He's got an ugly mug." Naruto sniggered and grinned mischievously.
Boy, you're being childish.
Deep inside Naruto's mind, the nine-tailed fox Kurama commented with a deep voice and snorted within his cage, swirling his tails around, and Naruto flicked him off outside the bars while sticking out his tongue. They had developed a special kind of bond during the recent years. Some kind of relationship, almost. Sakura smiled surprisedly.
"I never would have thought that we'd have something like this in common." She let out the words together with a light laugh.
"What?" He asked confusedly. Something in common with Sakura?
"We both have beasts near us, talking to us and trying to get us to give in to the hatred." She explained and tilted her cheek against her up folded knees.
"Izanami is like that as well? She'd get along well with Kurama, 'ttebayo." Naruto stated and nodded. So she had a demon as well. That explained a lot of the blood smell.
"Probably." The pink haired kunoichi at his side smiled gently and her fingers grazed the hilt of the katana strapped at her back. Her eyes seemed to flash white in the moon light, then it was gone. Naruto blinked. A play with the starry night lights must have been reflected in them, he figured.
"Do you want to meet her?" Sakura asked then, loosening the sword from its scabbard. Naruto widened his eyes slightly as she held the sharp sword in her grip in front of him. It hummed with black powerful chakra, seeping around the edges as a smoke-like snake coiling around it.
"I can do that?" He asked, lifting his head up to meet her eyes. They were pale green.
"Yeah, if you touch her and she lets you see her, you can meet her. She's saying you're interesting. She'll let you. But I have to warn you; she is powerful. Be humble."
The pink haired former teammate of his reached out the katana towards him and he didn't hesitate when he accepted the sword, gripping the black old hilt carefully. He wanted to meet Sakura's demon. He figured he would in control, since he was so used to his own creature of hatred. A sudden heaviness fell on his whole being and he was drained away. He didn't feel anything, didn't see, didn't hear, didn't smell, didn't feel his own breath.
Darkness was everywhere. It was like he had turned blind, tangled in the arms of subconsciousness, yet he could see a figure float towards him in the murky atmosphere. As it came closer, his breath hitched. The woman was extremely beautiful. With sleek long black hair flowing around her in cascades, her glinting eyes and the red ruby adorning her forehead he knew that she was a goddess. Her perfect face displayed a diverted smirk, but she didn't look at him with those coal black eyes, framed by rows of long eye lashes. The fallen goddess called Izanami looked behind him, over his head.
In a slow movement, he turned his face around. He was there. The beast inside him, uncaged. It was as if he had followed Naruto there, into the depths of the mind of the katana. The gigantic fox loomed over him with his large frame, yet he was laying casually behind him and stared at the goddess of carnage with amused eyes.
"Hello, Izanami. It's been a millennia or two." The large dangerous nine-tailed beast growled lowly in a greeting, flicking his ear.
"Little furry fox." The Goddess of Death purred and smirked. "Always a pleasure."
Naruto felt his heart beat faster. The two inhuman beings emanated such a powerful presence he felt cold sweat break at the nape of his neck.
"You have found a cute little container, haven't you?" She drawled and finally, her coal black orbs found his. Naruto cringed, feeling his heart almost leap out of his chest.
"Humans shackled me to this brat. And he's not especially cute." Kurama growled.
"But oh no, fox, you shouldn't lie to yourself. I see your attachment to the little boy clearly." She snickered and Kurama snorted. Naruto finally found his thoughts, his words, his voice.
"Wow! Baa-chan, you're really pretty!" Was all he could muster as he blurted the words, his wide blue eyes still taking in the shapely form of her being. For a moment, the Goddess of Death looked slightly baffled. Kurama roared with rumbling animalistic laughter and Naruto saw a smirk ghost on the enticing lips of the heavenly demon woman in front of him.
"Little boy. You are the first one in this filthy world that has ever called me 'baa-chan'." She whispered amusedly, like the rustle of leaves in the wind it reached his ears. Naruto frowned.
"But you're old, aren't you? Sakura-chan said something about a thousand of years." He muttered, not caring about the powerful presence of the godly woman in front of him. "But you're still pretty."
"I would rather not be perceived as only that, little boy. I am the Goddess of Carnage, not just a pretty 'baa-chan'." She said and her eyes were never ending.
"I know, and I'm sorry. But all I have seen of you is your face, not your achievements nor accomplishments, baa-chan." He explained and looked up at her floating form. Suddenly, he felt small when she looked down on him. Like an ant, easily crushed.
"Indeed. I believe you would rather not, anyway." She smirked arrogantly and then Naruto felt killing intent push down, down, down on him. It was like a cold hard rain of swords and blood. The reek of metallic liquid and rotting flesh and squashed maggots and death. He almost blanched and gulped heavily, swallowing the vomit in his throat harshly as he shook uncontrollably, falling to the whatever he stood on.
"Don't scare the boy, Izanami." Kurama growled dangerously, his tails swirling around.
"Yes, yes, Kurama." She sighed and let her killing intent drop. "It was just a dip of my presence, that is all." She looked down at Naruto again, her eyes slithering across his body as he tried to stand up again. He did, succeeded, and met her eyes.
"I am called Izanami. Not 'baa-chan'. Teach your container some decency, fox." She said with a hard gaze and Naruto felt himself still, freeze again.
"Calm down, Izanami. He's like that to everyone. Just a few moments ago he called me ugly, and I didn't eat him because of it." The beast snarled. The Goddess looked with squinting beautiful eyes at the jinchuuriki.
"That's just because you can't physically eat him." She stated, flicking her flowing black hair over her shoulder.
"That is not all. He's amusing." Kurama snorted. "And I don't want to eat him entirely. Not nowadays at least. Maybe just a tempting bite, now and then."
"That's not true! Just the other day, you said that together with some pepper and salt would make me into a perfect juicy meat ball." Naruto grumbled.
"And some grilled asparagus as a side dish. Don't forget the asparagus." The Kyuubi snorted. "And I said that because you were mocking me about the amount of tails I have, saying something ridiculous about me making up for something." Kurama laughed roughly and Naruto felt an upcoming grin plaster on his face.
"You bear a very unique relationship to your human, fox." Izanami said, letting her fingers grace her smooth cheek in a pondering posture.
"Yes, over the years, it came to be this way." Kurama replied simply. "My hatred for humans has not dissipated and it never will, but this little one is different. Whenever I try to give him my power, he refuses. It is always when he is in an unstable state of mind, often when his friends are threatened, that he gives in to my offers of power. But he never gives in to the hatred I have tried to feed him with."
"Oh. He is interesting, I will give you that." Izanami said and tilted her head. "Quite like my own container."
"Yes. It has been a pleasure to see you after so long, Izanami. It has been quite a time since we stood side at side on the battlefield." Kurama growled and smirked. The Goddess of Death floated lightly in murky darkness, illuminating the black with her overwhelming presence.
"Indeed. You painted a beautiful mosaic with the blood on the grass, I can recall." She said and Naruto squinted his eyes at the fox.
"Carnage and destruction is a work of art, yes. It's pleasure in its perfected form." The Nine-tails agreed and then looked at Naruto, with those condescending yellow eyes. "It is time to leave. The seals on your stomach, boy, is dragging me back and the pulls are getting harder to ignore."
"Then, until next time, Kurama." Izanami said and didn't blink as the fox bowed deeply down to the demon goddess with his large head. Naruto heaved and then waved at Izanami, wanting to leave just as much the fox had to.
"Bye, scary baa-chan!" He said and the last he saw was that faint smile play on her lips as everything disrupted and thrashed away and suddenly he could smell, feel, touch, hear and then he could see Sakura standing in front of him as he laid on the grass. He was back.
"Oh fuck. She's scary as shit, Sakura-chan." He said and rubbed his eyes. "But really pretty."
"That's just so like you, Naruto." She mumbled and smiled. Naruto saw that the bubbles had started to pop and fade, yet some were still left around the edges of the village down below.
"Kurama tagged along as well. Seemed like they knew each other. All buddy-buddy." He added as he rose from the ground and shook off the dirt. Sakura had picked up the cursed katana the moment he had let go of it, it seemed, as he saw it strapped on her back.
"Really? Well, it seems like the old ones all have some kind of past together." The pinkette said and scratched her head.
"All? There's more?" Naruto asked, almost snorting. What was it with all these surprises lately?
"Well, I have a contract with the Four Celestial Beasts and they knew Izanami since before." She confessed and pointed at her neck as she turned around, showing it to him. There were four rhombus like tattoos on the nape of her thin neck and they glistened in the faded lights of the bubbles.
"What's that? It sounds awesome." Naruto glittered and Sakura laughed.
"These tattoos are a ways for me to summon them with my blood and an incantation. The Four Celestial Beasts are Genbu the black tortoise, Byakko the white tiger, Suzaku the vermillion bird and Seiryu the azure dragon. And-"
"Wait, wait, hold on just a minute. You have a dragon summoning?" Naruto squealed, almost jumping up and down as Sakura confirmed with a nod. "A dragon! How cool is that! A dragon!"
"Calm down, Naruto." Sakura laughed again, the sound unfamiliar to her lips. But it seemed it was settling into her composure better than before. "But, yeah. He's kind of cool."
"A dragon!" He cheered again and couldn't help himself as he grinned and almost fell into a little happy dance. "Can I see him?" He asked pleadingly.
"Not now. I won't summon Seiryu just so you can drool on him." Sakura grinned. "Later, sometime. Maybe when we're practicing. They always watch me when I perform different training methods and they add a few tips on improvement. So you can probably meet him then."
"Can't we do some training right now? Please?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide and blue and excited.
"No." Sakura said and waved him off as his face drooped. "It's too late and it would seem strange to train now. But maybe tomorrow or some day soon?"
"Hell yeah! Sounds awesome. I can't fucking wait. A dragon!" Naruto cheered and fist pumped in the air, making the pinkette cover her mouth while laughing.
"Come on. It's late. Let's go home." Sakura said and he nodded with sparkling eyes as they set off the mountain, heading back to their beloved village. They parted with a light hug and he saw Sakura hop off on the buildings to another direction than the one of her parent's home. He frowned, but didn't think more of it.
Naruto had a lot to process that night when he went to sleep in his noodle massacred apartment. He laid in bed and stared at the spider web covered roof as he thought about the happenings of that day. About Sakura's change and her scent of blood and her being in ANBU. Her animal summonings, the azure dragon Seiryu. The demon sword Izanami. A dragon. Kurama knowing Izanami from long ago. A dragon. The shining bubbles and their reunion finally settling in, him almost accepting her change. A dragon.
He squealed again but shut his eyes, trying hard to fall asleep. Yet all he could think about was the badassness of having a dragon summoning.
The Unknown Librarian of the Hokage's Secret Files Senju Kitsune
Kitsune missed the quiet girl who used to only come at night. It was so long ago since she last visited. How would she be able to get her back? When one day she unexpectedly met her on the street, grocery shopping in the afternoon, Kitsune slipped a fast written note in the pinkette's pocket. The note said that Kitsune could show Sakura one of the Forbidden Scrolls if she came to visit that night. It was a not-so well known jutsu developed by Hashirama Senju, then even further studied by Orochimaru. It was a jutsu requiring perfect chakra control and it was called Kaigara-no-jutsu, of which Kitsune knew that Sakura possessed that type of chakra control. This jutsu would tell the chakra in the body to react on impact and directly force a large amount of chakra there, dispelling the attack and at the same time heal most of the wounds inflicted in that particular area instantly. It would make the girl almost invincible in battle.
When that night, the pinkette showed up at her door step, Kitsune couldn't hide her joy. She was 27 years old and she was lonely. She admitted it was kind of pathetic, and most of all illegal, to show the girl the Forbidden Scroll but Kitsune couldn't see the problem; Sakura was a nice girl and the former apprentice of the Hokage. She wouldn't do anything bad. And the scroll would be useful to the girl; it wasn't an offensive attack jutsu - all it did was protect the girl.
Sakura's eyes gleamed in the darkness of the library as she read the scroll and memorised every word. Kitsune was glad. When the pinkette was done reading, she gave the Forbidden Scroll back to Kitsune's expectant hands.
"Thank you, Kitsune. I don't know how to repay you for showing this to me." The girl smiled lovingly and yet her eyes glistened like a diamond in sun light.
"Please, don't thank me. Just- maybe, come back sometime soon?" She asked, almost shyly.
"I will. But the night is still young. Why don't we have some tea now and discuss the political climate in Suna?"
"Sounds lovely. Did you hear about the Kazekage's latest political move?" Kitsune asked as she almost bounced to the water boiler. Sakura settled in a chair and nodded.
"Oh, yes. That inclination on the economic situation in the foreign sector..."
The Powerful Drunk Senju Tsunade
"You're to meet up with the Kazekage in Suna. They have gathered some information regarding the Akatsuki's goals and it seems to have something to do with the jinchuurikis and their containers - meaning it concerns you Naruto. I want you to find out what they know. I'm dispatching the remnants of Team Seven for this mission; Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. To replace the missing spot of Uchiha Sasuke I have come across Sai who will take his place. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Godaime-sama." They said in unison. Tsunade smiled and looked at the fox boy with a caring gaze. She was glad he was back, that little joyful fox boy, and in the back of her mind she hoped he would affect Sakura. The girl had grown darker and sharper during the last five months and she had reported regularly that Danzō had stepped up her training and it had been excessive. Tsunade knew about the Sharingan eyes medically inserted in the man of shadows' arm and she was disgusted to no end. But this harsh training of his had taken a severe toll on her former apprentice, and so Tsunade hoped that the little boy of the sun would shine his never ending benevolence on her.
The Godaime looked up from the mission file with the informative details and gave it to Kakashi. The man seemed to almost shy away from where Sakura stood besides Naruto and Tsunade knew why. She had deliberately sent them off to missions together as ANBU, since she knew they were used to each other's presences and movements, which would aid the mission rate of success. And, in the corner of her mind, she had wanted Sakura to see another side of the sleazy Copy Nin. That he could prove himself useful, though probably not in terms of coaching a Genin team which Sakura had a first hand experience of. Tsunade still had a sore spot regarding Kakashi, since Sakura had told her she didn't even know the basics of some more advanced justus most other Genin teams had been taught by their assigned teachers. Sakura hadn't even had a signature move when she had become her apprentice. Kakashi had left her to fend for her own and cheer at the side lines.
When the Copy Nin had found out that Utsuro Sen was in actuality Haruno Sakura, he had come to see her. Without a warning beforehand he had appeared in her office, his eye accusing her already. He hadn't been impolite, yet he had asked her why and how come little Sakura had been accepted into ANBU. The Godaime had clenched her teeth at the time and icily told him that Haruno Sakura was perfectly able as ANBU, and he should know it. That the girl was already at Jounin level, but didn't take the test due to other circumstances Kakashi was no part of and so he didn't need to know the reason. The Copy Nin had scowled, bowed and poofed away.
Coming back from her jumbled thoughts, she sharply looked at the old members of Team Seven.
"You will travel to Sunagakure tomorrow, early. I expect you back within nine days." She said as she produced a newly bought saké bottle from her desk. Shizune had the day off and she would use this opportunity to her heart's content.
"Roger that, baa-chan!" Naruto cheered and saluted the Hokage of Konoha.
"Oh, you and your 'baa-chan'! You childish, impudent brat-" Tsunade sizzled and took a grip of her saké bottle, dangerously insinuating she would sacrifice the precious content if it managed to injure the Kyuubi container. Naruto ducked as if she had already thrown the bottle at him. Sakura shook her head.
"And that's our cue to leave." Kakashi chuckled and waved at the Hokage. "In nine days, Godaime-sama." He said and poofed away, already having an Icha Icha in his hand as he disappeared. Sakura dragged Naruto by the ear out the door, with a sly and inconspicuous wink at Tsunade. The Godaime let herself fall back in her chair as the door shut close and sipped from her precious Kameosa, and she smiled.
The Fox Boy Uzumaki Naruto
"Who's this Sai guy that's been assigned to our team? None can replace Teme!" Naruto grumbled as he walked together with the pinkette on the street, heading for Ichiraku's.
"He's fine, Naruto. Just don't be too hard on him. He's a bit similar to our..." Sakura trailed off. "To Sasuke-kun." She finished with a lowered tone.
"What? You've met him before? And he looks like Teme?" Naruto scowled.
"Yes, I've worked with him a couple of times. And he's got the social skills of a rock, just like Sasuke-kun." She said and her eyes were distant.
"Oh shoot. So that Sai guy is all like the 'hn' sound is the equivalent answer to everything?"
"Pretty much so, but the difference is that at least Sai is trying." She smirked and Naruto bit his lip. He could see it hurt her to just say his name, but she coped better than last time he had seen her, years ago. It seemed she wasn't as broken anymore because of Teme.
"Ah, whatever. I don't care. When can you show me your dragon? I wanna meet him!" He said and changed the subject.
"Take it easy, Naruto. It's not like I can just showcase him like a trophy - he is a presence that has the ability to think and feel, you know." She scolded him with a gentle smile.
"But still-"
"In due time, Naruto." She said and he saw her frown, and that should have been a warning but Naruto just couldn't get the thought of a dragon out his head.
"Oh, come on Sakura-chan. It's not fair." Naruto wailed.
"Don't you have animal summonings of your own?" Sakura asked, trying to change the course of the conversation. But Naruto wouldn't let it go so easily.
"Yeah, I formed a contract with the Yakuza Toads which Jiraya introduced me to. They're cool and all, but a dragon-"
"Oh for god's sake, would you please stop nagging about Seiryu?" Sakura clipped. Naruto sighed and went inside Ichiraku's as they had reached their destination.
"Sorry, sorry." He said and moped silently as they went to the bar. Sakura ordered a nonalcoholic beer, since they had the mission tomorrow early morning. Naruto ordered a bowl of noodles and they settled at a table.
"Have you met up with anyone else?" Sakura asked as Naruto slurped his noodles hungrily, having forgotten all there was to a dragon summoning. Noodles was his way of life and it was almost the same as meditation for him.
"Huh? Met up?"
"Yeah. Like with Kiba, or Shika. Or Hinata." She said and her apple green eyes gleamed.
"Nah, haven't had the time yet. Me and Jiraya had to report a bunch of important shit to Tsunade, about some political situations happening in the other Hidden Villages and stuff. We travelled a lot and learned a lot, so we had to report it." He said and chewed the delicious food.
"That's too bad you haven't had the time. You know what, Hinata told me yesterday that she had something to tell you. Maybe you should go see her tonight?"
"Hinata? What would she want to tell me?" He asked while frowning, noodles hanging unabashedly from his mouth.
"You'll just have to find out." Sakura smirked as she sipped her beer.
"I was supposed to meet up with Jiraya for a bit tonight to review some of my skills, but sure. Why not, if it's important." He said and shrugged. Sakura's smile was hard to make much sense of.
"Great. Meet her at Black Gold, they have the best coffee in Konoha. I think she said six o' clock would be a good time." She told him as she bit her lip, as if trying to bite down a huge grin.
"Alrighty."
The Shy Beauty Hyuuga Hinata
She had seen him. He was back and the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't stop fluttering about. Whenever he neared she still blanched and blushed, but she had gotten better. At least she hadn't passed out this time. The sun shone brighter whenever she saw him and her feelings for him had only grown so much more for the last years spent apart. Not that he would ever notice her feelings for him. He was just that kind of man. And his cheerful spirit always lifted her up in the clouds and she danced in her dreams in the pale moon light.
Hinata was perceptive and she knew that Naruto had somehow lost his childhood feelings for the pink haired girl, or at least they weren't as strong. She saw it in the way he looked at her. He was more confused than ever, and he probably had troubles accepting a no longer innocent Sakura. Hinata knew she still had doubts herself.
Then, three days after his arrival to the village, Sakura had told her that she had a surprise gift for the Hyuuga heiress and that she wanted to meet up with her six o' clock at Black Gold. Hinata pulled on one of her usual purple jackets and went. When she sat at the outer serving of the hidden café she mused on what surprise the pink haired kunoichi had prepared for her.
When quarter past six an orange jumpsuit appeared before her, she swallowed her coffee in the wrong windpipe and coughed while blushing as Naruto came to greet her.
"Yo! Y'allright there, Hinata?" He asked with concerned cerulean eyes. Cough. She coughed again and strained herself to answer.
"Y-yes, N-Naruto-kun." She murmured and coughed yet again. So this was Sakura's surprise.
"So, Sakura said you had something to tell me." He cheered and went to sit down in front of her with a cup of steaming coffee and in that moment, Hinata knew she had been set up. The trap was perfect for an inconspicuous date. She cursed and blessed her pink haired acquaintance for this chance and this scheme.
"Uh. Y-yes. I-I wanted..." She swallowed. "I wanted to w-welcome you back to Konoha."
"Oh." He said and blinked. "Thanks! It's nice to be back." Naruto said and grinned, yet it seemed he was still a bit confused.
"W-why don't you t-tell me what y-you have been up t-to these past years?" She said and gathered her courage as she spoke. She would make the most out of this opportunity. She braced herself and let out a light breath. The man in front of her was then enveloped in his descriptions of his adventures with the pervert Sannin and Hinata fell for him all over again. They talked most of the evening and Hinata succeeded in saying a few sentences without stuttering. Somehow, he gave her courage. He gave her strength.
And she loved him.
The Prodigy Hyuuga Neji
"So Sunagakure's next, huh." Neji commented as he sipped from his citrus tea. It was sweet and sour.
"Yeah. With old dear Team Seven, minus one." She said with a grim tone, yet she smiled gently.
Shikamaru sat opposite her, with a game of chess in front of him and contemplated his next move against the pink haired kunoichi. It was almost like the older days, when they had met up regularly to drink tea and play whatever board game Shikamaru suggested. Neji hadn't seen much of the kunoichi during the last five months and he knew she had been training. Whenever he had managed to catch glimpses of the girl, she was almost always covered in bandages and exhaustedly dragging herself forward.
Shikamaru had told him that she had been accepted into ANBU a few months ago, and the Hyuuga prodigy had somehow already known it. She hadn't needed to tell him. In the way she moved, how her eyes glistened harder than ever, he knew she couldn't have been assigned to only regular missions. She was too much of an asset not to be used to full extent. Neji pondered on how the ANBU life had affected her. She had most probably built up an even stronger resistance against human emotions. Not the least because of Izanami's influence as well.
They were in the Nara compound and it was late afternoon, the last rays of the sun shedding its radiance on the garden and the veranda which they leisurely sat on. Sakura had just gotten back from Ichiraku's with Naruto and when she had met up with them, there was a mischievous grin on her face. Neji had heard that Hinata was supposed to meet up with Sakura at the coffee shop, yet she was with them, sipping her tea as she looked at the game of chess with scrutinising eyes.
"Weren't you supposed to meet up with Hinata, well, about now?" Neji asked, raising an eye brow. At that, Sakura laughed.
"No, it's not me she's going to see." She said mysteriously, then it seemed she couldn't hold it in. "It's Naruto."
"Oh. A little date-scheme, I see." Neji smirked. Shikamaru snorted, mumbled 'troublesome', and moved a chess piece. Sakura nodded to herself.
"Yeah, thought it was about time to step up the game." She smiled and moved her own piece, the black chess piece knocking away Shikamaru's white piece. He grumbled.
Shikamaru looked up at Neji with a contemplative gaze, disregarding the game for a few moments.
"Ah. Neji, I forgot to ask. How did the seduction mission go last week?" He asked. Sakura turned her head to look at the prodigy with slightly wide eyes. Neji looked down on his hands, suppressing the urge to give the pineapple headed sloth a hateful opalescent glare.
"It was successful." He mumbled.
"It was your first, right?" Shikamaru pressed and it took all of Neji's strength not to hit the Nara out of this world.
"Yes." Neji bit off, then he stole a look at Sakura. It seemed she was no longer interested in the subject and had moved on to observe the chess game. He felt something sink in his chest.
"What about you, Sakura?" Neji found himself asking.
"What?" She looked up from the game and her expression was unreadable.
"Have you... been to a Seduction mission?" He tried and didn't waver as he held her gaze.
"Yeah." She answered easily and both of the men at her side were shocked. The Nara froze when he was about to move a piece, but regained his composure seconds after and settled the piece down. Neji almost broke his tea cup.
"When?" Shikamaru asked, regarding her carefully.
"Three months ago, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders, dismissing it so easily, when it shouldn't be.
"How... was it?" Neji asked, not really knowing if he wanted the answer or not.
"Nothing special, I got the information and it was quick." Sakura said simply.
"Oh." Neji let out. The two Clansmen stared at her and she sighed deeply, as if she was about to scold children.
"Guys. This is normal. We are shinobi, tools of our villages. Having sex is part of our jobs, it is required of us. If you make a big deal out of it, you won't feel too great."
"That's just..." Shikamaru trailed off, seemingly realising it was true, however horrid it was.
"Fucked up? Yeah. But what did you expect? The shinobi life is not as glorified as it seemed when we were Genin, you should know that." She said, with those hard, glinting green eyes.
"Yes, but still...", Shikamaru muttered, "Who was your Seduction teacher?"
"Genma, and later Anko." She said and sighed.
"So Genma took your virginity." Neji stated. There was something cold in his chest that wouldn't melt, no matter what.
"Yeah."
"You're too casual about this, Sakura." Shikamaru observed. "Don't you feel anything?"
"What do you mean?" She asked with a befuddled expression.
"Like... Didn't you want to at least love the person of whom you gave your virginity to?" He said, almost blushing. Neji agreed silently with him.
"Shika. That's a luxury a shinobi doesn't deserve." Sakura said sharply. "We are humans that kill humans without a second thought. Who are we to demand such things like love?"
"You're too harsh on yourself, Sakura." Neji strained. "Shinobi are not depraved of the choice of love."
"Whatever. At the moment, the mere thought of love is quite distant to me. I think I have lost the essence of it. I know I appreciate you two, as well as my family and Naruto and a few others. But I am not certain I can grasp the concept of love." The pink haired kunoichi confessed and her eyes travelled away into the garden, observing the birds flying about and the greenery which sprouted with life.
"Sakura. Love is not something you can grasp. It simply is there." Neji said, trying to make her see it.
"You don't understand. Izanami... she has deliberately shaved off on my feelings. If one thing she hates in this world, it is love." Sakura breathed. "Love has no meaning for me."
Author's Note
Hi guys!
Long time no hear. At this moment, I don't have much time for this note, but I'll say two things: I LOVE YOU GUYS and that I'll do the poll on love in the next chapter, put everything together and stuff.
Please tell me if you see any errors, since this chapter was rushed and shit.
Love ya
xx fascalia