A/N: Day seventeen. Fight scenes aren't my forte, especially when there's time constraints and I'm dying. Sorry.
As it's not the first time that they've been in the Shi no Mori and they've been to places far worse than this, she and her brothers don't feel the anxiety that the rest of the genin have been taken by. However, she and her brothers do share the irritability that comes from being so high strung with the other children.
If Karin wasn't a spectacular sensor nin, Sakura feels like she would have punched the not-yet-announced Uzumaki in the face and made Datsuji drag her around. It could still happen, as whilst her ability is convenient… they can work around it.
She's really tempted to take a few more pointers from Shion and try to rewire some things in their heads, which really just goes to show that this kind of mission just isn't her forte. Nor her brothers', but that's been obvious from the beginning.
"So you're Sai's sister?" questions the single redhead of the group, with an unsubtle dose of condescension. "He talks you up so much, but now that I really focus on you I don't think you're much. I can't even feel your chakra signature, it's like you're not even there."
There's a reason for that, of course.
She can practically feel the bristling of all her teammates, but she smiles. "I find your opinion of me irrelevant, Karin-san. Now's not the time to see me as some kind of threat to your existence, as we're in a literal forest of death and you've given the okay that no one will be held responsible for your death."
Datsuji snickers from somewhere behind her. "Is it treason to kill your own teammate?" he asks, to no one in particular. He has a somewhat aggravating voice.
"Who thought it was a good idea to put the two of you on the same team?" Naruto inquires instead, looking both concerned and irritated. "Seriously, I thought you guys got it when Sakura-chan said that our opponents have chuunin-level skills at the lowest and jounin at the highest. Datsuji, dude, if you kill Karin then you and your team fail. Idiot."
Sai holds Datsuji back from lunging after the blonde. She looks around the group, finding Neji's team to be the most serious so far. Even Lee has a focused frown and has thankfully quietened down, otherwise his yelling would attract some unwanted company. Sasuke's looking around with his Sharingan activated and Karin's huffed away from Sakura to look at the Uchiha in awe, probably because he's pretty.
They would be a terrifying couple, truly. If Sasuke ever gets over his obsessive insistence on their future together, she hopes to all things fortunate that he chooses someone… well, sane. That might be hard, because the world is fall of crazies.
"Are there any teams nearby?" she sighs, deciding that she might as well see how they do in such a situation. Maybe she should put them in some risky situations, then interfere as necessary.
Karin blinks, adjusting her glasses then frowning up at the sky. Surprisingly, she obeys without complaint. "The Kirigakure teams are together… South of us. The Amegakure teams are a few kilometres away from them, but they split up and… I think they're going to try ambushing the Kirigakure teams." the redhead shivers all of a sudden, but Sakura understands as she can feel the oppressive chakra herself even though sensing isn't her speciality. "The… Sunagakure team has killed the Takigakure team already. They're west of us, but they're moving towards the tower."
"We'll stay clear of the Suna nin for now." she states, glancing at Naruto slapping Datsuji and whisper-yelling for the blind guy to listen. She could get Sai to simply use his Chouju Giga to scout the surrounding area with relative ease, but she supposes that it should be left to the genin who've yet to prove themselves. That means letting someone else take control and see how they do, rather than doing it all herself as she's used to.
She turns to Naruto, who readily meets her eyes. "I'll hand the leadership role onto you, Naruto. Sai, Neji and I will take a back seat but we'll help as necessary." Naruto blinks, his eyes widening before they narrow in determination and he nods.
"Alright, I'll do my best." he grins, looking over the rest of the group. "Can you guys tell me what your specialities are, since I don't really know all that much about you?"
Karin takes an abrupt forward with a frown. "Whoa, hold up! Why are those three going to stand back and let us do all the work? That sounds seriously unfair to me!" she places her hands on her hips, directing a glare over to Sakura and her brothers.
Sai tilts his head, with that irked but personable smile. "Perhaps you have not noticed, Karin-san, but we are far above your current skill level. This is because we are not genin, and our mission is to guard you all by acting as your teammates. However, it is also our mission to ensure that you grow as ninja. If we do everything for you, then your growth will be stunted." he explains, with a certain sense of relief now that it's all out in the open. "It is a confusing, vexing mission but we will see it through to the end."
Well, the mission parameters did say that it's acceptable to reveal themselves if necessary. In her case, Sasuke and Naruto already know of her and her brother's statuses. She's never said as much, but it's not hard to figure out when they've known each other for as long as they have.
Tenten furrows her brow in consideration. "That means that you guys probably aren't genin at all, nor chuunin… So you guys are at least jounin or even ANBU." she theorises, looking over them and at their attire which admittedly does imply a certain association to ANBU.
Though it's good to practical for all ninja, those of standard forces often opt to wearing casual attire that has less of a… uniform feel.
"Regardless, we'll make sure you idiots don't get yourselves killed if anything goes wrong. Which it will." Neji sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Just remember that we only have two days to get our scrolls, and the wildlife here is a factor you need to think about."
"You understand?" Sakura tilts her head, looking over all their faces. "Perhaps not, but we don't have time for a full blown conversation. Good luck, we'll be watching from the shadows."
Then Team Yamaneko disappears from their sight.
She's not sure how she feels right now. It's a mix, where she's both proud and accomplished that all of their teams passed… but she's also just mentally exhausted because her genin teammates really like to go all out. Admittedly, the idea of mixing fire and oil in the hopes that the Kiri nin retaliate with water was smart. Rather than dousing the flames, it would only make them grow.
The flames grew a little too much, because Naruto's oil is the strong kind. He is associated to Jiraiya, after all.
"You guys are insane!" Karin exclaims, pulling at her already shortened hair. It looks like a mess, so Sakura supposes that the redhead has yet to get it fixed. Or perhaps it has been already. "You could have killed us all with that move! What the hell were you thinking?!"
Naruto and Sasuke sit together, both covered in grime like the rest of the genin. They're all tired, both physically and mentally. Team Yamaneko is just really done with this mission, she's sure. It's so much easier when it's just them and their usual routines. She bets that Shisui would have a field day hearing about their woes, though.
"Shut up, god!" the blonde scratches the back of his head, wearing a frightful scowl. "At least it worked! What the hell were you doing, screaming about and pushing Datsuji into the fire?"
Their eyes slide over to Datsuji, who's in the corner muttering to himself about bitchy redheads and how he'll return the favour. His serious injuries have been dealt with by Sakura, but there are some that will just have to heal on their own. Lee's lying on the only bed there, unconscious from expending all his energy during the fight with one of the Ame nin. Tenten's hair has come loose, and she's using a staff to keep herself steady.
She doesn't think it's sunken in yet for some of them, that they killed those other genin. Sasuke and Naruto would probably gloat more about this kill, if it weren't for the others raining on their parade.
She, Neji and Sai are relatively unscathed. Not unexpected, but the skill level of the other genin teams were. Well… It's not unusual for villages to train genin teams to the point that they should be chuunin or even jounin already. It's a show of strength, but Konohagakure's genin teams weren't exactly ready for that.
"I realised something…" Tenten mutters, still staring at the ground of their current room. "I think I hate just about all of you, save for some. I also never want to work with you ever again, if I can help it."
Sakura, despite herself, laughs at this. "I understand, Tenten-san. I understand." she may be an exemplary ANBU operative, but this is possibly the most trying mission she's ever done. She had forgotten about the differences between her and a majority of other children her age. "But we all passed, so… yay."
Since only four teams passed, there's no need for a preliminary round.
Neji pinches the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself. "The team with the Kazekage's children passed as well… they'll likely be tough opponents. Especially Sabaku no Gaara." he remarks, more to himself.
"You three are going to do the final stage too?" Naruto queries, sliding his weary gaze over to her.
She tilts her head, glancing to her brothers before shrugging. "We have the option to forfeit, if we want to. We don't really belong in the standard forces, so the title of chuunin isn't important to us. I don't think we're even officially genin either." she answers, cracking her fingers.
"So you guys are ANBU… I knew it." Tenten wobbles with her staff, before trudging over to the bed and shoving Lee so she can lie down as well.
Sasuke shifts, pulling on a lock of his best friend's hair. Said best friend sneers at him, until he runs out of energy to do so. "What happens if we don't make it to chuunin?" the Uchiha asks, meeting her eyes.
Sai gives an ominous hum. "You will. Once the announcements are made for your respective battles, you will be given a month to train before then. Your jounin teachers may set up a schedule for your training, but you will also be trained by us regardless. You may not be ready now, but it is only a matter of time. My siblings and I do not wish to do this again."
Since the Chuunin Exams are a bi-annual event, even if some fail they can still try again in the next one. It'll be within the year, but neither she nor her brothers wish for that to occur. It's probably going to, if she looks at the state of Sai's team.
Datsuji releases a wet cough. "Sounds like it's going to be rough." he comments, turning towards Karin who twitches in disgust from him even facing her. A slow, feral smile begins to form. "I hope I'm fighting you, Karin-chan."
"You say that like you'd win." Karin scoffs, moving herself into a sassy hand-on-hip position. "I'll kick you into the ground!" except that it's been shown multiple times that Karin can't land a hit on her blind teammate.
Sakura tilts her head when she feels a familiar chakra signature behind the door, then goes to open said door to lay her eyes upon a bubbly man-child-dog. She leans back, as Kakashi's aura is almost blinding.
"The Hokage's summoned you all…" he relays to her, reaching towards her. She indulges his need for affection with a mild smile. "You have five minutes to clean up…"
The idea of revealing their arsenal of skills to the general public in a series of tournament battles is unsettling, especially for Team Yamaneko whom are used to working in the shadows. So, it's not surprising when they all forfeit. Although, Gaara seemed to be confliction with that since his stare burned into her side until they all left.
"So we don't have to win our matches in order to be considered for promotion…" Naruto says to himself as they all make the trek back to the village. "That's convenient, since we'll be versing each other."
Sakura hums in absent-minded acknowledgement. She plans on going home, taking a shower then ordering in for dinner since she's not in the mood to cook. Dealing with genin for three to four days in a row without reprieve really does things to her mind, she thinks. Perhaps it's because she's gotten used to the elevated mindsets of those whom she actually spends time with. Sasuke is included, even if he's… well, himself.
"If it was all about winning, then only one genin would get promoted each time." Neji states as he adjusts an unconscious Lee on his back, in a tone that implies that should be obvious. She agrees that it should be obvious. That way of promotion would be inefficient as it's only one genin from any village at a time, then they might have only won through sheer raw power without all the other factors needed to be a chuunin.
"That is why we will have to ingrain it in your minds to think like chuunin, since my team is sure to lose in all their battles." Sai adds on, side-stepping the lethargic swings aimed at him.
Tenten releases an exhausted, drawn out sigh. "What happens if and when we become chuunin? Will you three still be in our teams?" is her intelligent query. So far, Sakura likes Tenten the best out of all the genin whom she doesn't already know and have a history with.
"No." Sakura answers. "Our mission will be over, then a select few of you will be chosen for apprenticeships. The rest will scatter, in any manner that the Hokage pleases. You may remain in your original genin team with a replacement member, or you will be slotted into temporary teams as the missions requires. In any case, we'll cease to be your teammates."
"Oh…" Naruto mutters, exchanging a glance with Sasuke. "Well, I guess that makes sense… You guys have always been ahead of us."
She feels a frown mar her expression as she attempts to analyse Naruto's mood. "We're not suited for the standard forces, Naruto. From the very beginning, we've been trained for high risk and high reward missions. It would be inefficient to keep us in these teams, since the missions you receive could be accomplished by any one of us solo."
Also, Naruto and Sasuke are sure to be taken as apprentices by the end of the month. Team Seven will cease to exist and there's no point for her or Kakashi to stay. She's not sure about the other four, but that's not really her problem at the moment.
"Not to mention that we're already in a team." Neji huffs, folding his arms in his usual hissy manner. So adorable.
Karin makes some sort of screechy growling sound. "You guys think you're so much better than us, don't you?" she scowls, adjusting her cracked glasses. The girl simply looks like she's squinting in consternation.
"We are. It is a fact that we are." Sai easily responds. "I must say, Karin-san, it is going to be quite the challenge to whip you and Datsuji-san into suitable chuunin candidates."
Tenten speeds up, to fall into pace with Sakura. With a blink, she tilts her head as hickory eyes slide over to her. "So, Sakura-san… I was wondering if you'd be cool with… uh, being my friend?" Tenten giggles, sheepish as she rubs the back of her head. "I don't really have many female friends."
Sakura blinks, not expecting that to be asked of her. Though, she's not opposed to it. Even though Ino and Hinata are in the little group, she's not very close with them. It's the kind of group where some are noticeably more closer than others, with a few of them being people whom she's never hung out with alone. Chouji, Ino and Hinata are among that categorisation for various reasons. For one, Hinata's got something against her again for associating with Neji, who's got something against Hinata. It's not hard to figure out why they don't like each other, but…
She frowns, trying to curb from thinking about the interrelationships of the group. It's complicated. "I don't have many female friends either." she finally replies, with a slight smile. "So I'd like that, if you can deal with the absurdity of my life."
The brunette beams at her. "I'll do my best. Even though it's been tiring working with everyone, I do respect you in particular. You're like Tsunade-sama, a woman who's strong and capable. I aspire to be like her."
"Ah…" Sakura struggles with her expression, since Tenten becoming temperamental and violent like Tsunade wouldn't be that nice. "Well, thank you. I'm sure by the end of the month, you'll be stronger and more capable. Hopefully, you'll become a chuunin by then as well."
"That'd be pretty awesome." her newfound friend nods with a grin. "You're going to have trouble with all of us." she adds, her smile fading away as she looks at the others.
Sakura takes a deep, calming breath. "No, I think you guys are going to have trouble dealing with our methods. We're going to get serious and make sure you're up to par." because if Shisui has taught them anything, it's be thorough in the path to excellence.
She smiles at the thought of them all being traumatised by the end of the month.
Father comes home at least three hours after they do, bursting into the lounge room where they're all located with a giant grin stretching his face. He looks like he hasn't slept in days and may be a little delirious, but at least he looks happy… in a manic sort of way.
He locates her with his wild eyes, then dives for her to assault her with all of his affection. "You are my fucking treasure, my lucky strawberry shortcake charm! Oh, Sakura Ocha is booming thanks to the unfortunate end of Gatou!"
She smiles, remembering that whilst she did destroy the general base of Gatou Kanpanii… she also took all of the man's possessions so that Father could find a use for them.
"Of course," Father sighs, leaning back but still holding onto her, "the crotchety old asshole is happy too. He wanted to give you a gift in person, but I chewed his ass about how that's never going to happen because he'd taint you!" in what manner, that's up to interpretation.
Although the old man's last gift was Sai and that turned out to be a good thing, Sakura still doesn't feel right to know he wants to give her yet another gift. It's like he's bribing her or trying to make himself seem like that unseen but awesome uncle, where he just gives spontaneous gifts as he's journeying around the countries.
Father pulls out a scroll from his bag, which she recognises to be a summoning contract. "He says it's a summoning contract for owls and thinks it's an appropriate summon for your kind of work." he explains, though with a sour, almost sulky tone.
She accepts it, though with visible hesitance. "I wonder if he's going to try to guilt trip me into working for him in the future, by referring to Sai and this contract." she comments, deciding that she'll look into the contract at some point.
Neji coughs. "Wait, what?" she hears him choke out in confusion from behind her.
"I was gifted upon Sakura when she was… around five, I believe." Sai explains, possibly being the reason for the patting sound that she's hearing. "My life would have been very different if that had not happened."
Sakura hums. "Well, tell him I'm grateful and suspicious." she tells Father, who nods with a deep scowl.
"I accused him of trying to court you, but he was so horribly offended that I would even dare to think of such a thing." Father scoffs, waving his hands around. "He surrounds himself in brainwashed children, the damn creepy ass weirdo! And you, my cuddly bun, are a gem amongst cobblestones. No doubt he wants you before…"
Father scratches his ribs in consideration. "Ah, I guess I can't tell you about that yet. How have you kiddos been? Have your uptight relatives tried contacting you of late, chocolate cake?" his gaze lands on Neji, who is 'chocolate cake', much to his annoyance and their amusement.
Neji sighs, flipping his hair over his shoulder as she comes to sit beside him. "I'm no longer one of them, as they've disowned me for essentially straying from their beliefs." is his brief explanation, grabbing his tea and sipping it like a graceful swan. "Not that it matters, I belong here anyway."
Father gasps, delighted. "Do I get to adopt you and officially have your last name as Haruno?! Does this mean that we'll be considered a clan because we have five members?! Right then, my sugar stars! I'm off to sign some papers and get this shit done! This is so exciting!" Father gives a hearty and deranged laugh, ignoring the sputtering of their Hyuuga sibling. "I don't even need a woman to bear me any more children at this point, haha!"
Then Father is off, unable to be stopped as he's like a hurricane. A moment of silence falls over the lounge room, until there's a clanking from the kitchen where Kakashi's making fish.
"I told you he would adopt you into the family." Sai says, with a triumphant tone and a smile to match.
Their soon-to-be Haruno brother sulks, because he hates losing bets.
Chapter Word Count: 3,734
Total Word Count: 56,332
Targeted Word Count: 0
A/N: This chapter might subtly reflect how exhausted I am, so pardon that. As well, I'd also like to say that I would love to write fight scenes. Unfortunately, my vivid imagination of battles aren't translated well into words. I could probably try, but it'd stress me out and I don't need any more of that right now. I apologise if you'd like to see fight scenes. It might happen in the future, maybe.
You can probably tell I'm better at character interactions than anything else, hence all the interactions with all the erratic pacing and plot working in the background.
(P.S. I might not reply to all of your reviews, because half the time I can't remember who I have replied to and who I haven't. I'll still try to, if I don't die. Regardless, I see them and they make my heart explode with gratefulness. I hope glitter sticks onto your enemies and pisses them off for eternity.)
Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.