The next few days went by at an unbelievably slow pace until it was finally Sunday, the day she'd promised to hang out with Inoichi and his friends, Sakura sighed again as she sat in the recliner chair she'd claimed as her own after breakfast reading a medical book.
"What's the matter Sakura-chan" Nagato asked wondering what was wrong with the pinkette, while Konan giggled and Yahiko sniggered, they knew why their friend was sighing like that, Sakura closed her book to answer.
A bored expression on her face "Well this is my only free day on the weekend and I'm stuck learning to play shogi" Sakura pouted though inwardly that wasn't the real reason, she wanted to hurry up and be an adult again, being a kid to put it plainly was very frustrating to her.
Nagato blinked before he pressed his hand over his mouth as a laugh filled the air, his eyes widened as he realized it had come from him, Yahiko looked mildly surprised while Konan giggled all the harder and Sakura sat in the chair staring at him in amusement.
"I'm sorry, I uh didn't mean to laugh" he said lamely as more laughter bubbled from between his lips and Yahiko broke down in his own fit of laughter, Konan's giggles becoming infectious as Sakura shook with mostly silent laughter.
His cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red, "It's okay Nagato-kun we aren't laughing at you, we're laughing with you" Yahiko made this sort of snoring sound and Konan fell off the couch rolling around holding her stomach.
"Oh kami it hurts, it hurts" she snickered loudly as her own cheeks turned red from lack of oxygen, Yahiko slapped his hand over his mouth but it proved to be to much as he lost it and fell back on the couch laughing even more than before.
The red head couldn't stop himself as he continued to laugh at the silliness of the moment while Sakura threw her head back and laughed in such a way it filled the apartment with warmth it all came to a stop a moment later as someone knocked on the door.
As their laughter faded, Sakura hopped from her chair putting away her book before padding barefoot down the hall to the door and swung it open to reveal "Choza-san is something wrong" she creased her forehead when all the Akimichi Heir did was stand there shifting.
"Um here we should have returned these a few days ago, but we forgot" he suddenly thrust four thermoses in her hand and Sakura smiled in surprise "See you later Sakura-san" Choza waved heading down the stairs.
Sakura grinned, to be honest she hadn't expected them to return the containers she'd used, but she was grateful none the less 'I'll just have to thank those boys later' she nodded heading into the kitchen to wash them, but when she unscrewed the lids, they were already sparkling clean.
'Well I'll be boys with manners, I bet it was Inoichi who washed them' Sakura shook her head in amusement, this was turning out to not be such a bad day after all considering, and how Nagato had laughed had made her heart beat quicken with an unknown emotion.
She cleared her mind and shoved her feelings to the side as she put away the thermos containers in the cabinet, suddenly Sakura heaved another sigh, she was really going to hate leaving here in a few years, and her eyes glazed over with tears.
Hurriedly before Yahiko, Konan or worse Nagato could come check on her to see what was taking so long, Sakura wiped her eyes dry and nodded bracing herself for the rest of the day, then headed back into the living room to spend the rest of the morning with her charges, technically they were, not that they knew it.
As far as the rain orphans were concerned she was a part of their family and she wasn't going to be the one to tell them otherwise, Sakura smiled softly feeling really confused because her conflicting emotions and picked up her earlier book to continue reading until after lunch.
At two Yahiko left "So I guess we're are gonna go spend the rest of the afternoon with Inoichi-san and his friends huh Sakura-chan" Konan jumped to the floor landing a little more gracefully than usual, and she smiled in triumph, she was getting better.
Nagato grasped her hand like usual "Yeah, you guys don't have to if you don't want to though" Sakura looked between the bluenette and red head but they shook their heads stubbornly, they really were to sweet most of the time, while Nagato was just downright adorable.
"Anywhere you go Sakura-chan, we go with you" Nagato vowed "Cause our motto is share the burden" he exclaimed for once, today it seemed he was going to be a little more outgoing than usual and she wondered what was up.
Though Sakura doubted the boy would tell her considering he usually kept things from her so that she wasn't burdened with his problems, Nagato's cheeks flushed red a moment later when he realized Konan was giving him a strange look.
Not wanting the red head to revert back to that shy introverted boy, Sakura nudged Konan in the side and she stopped staring, Nagato sighed in relief but remained quiet the rest of the way to the Nara Compound, that Shikaku had told them to meet him and others at.
To their surprise Minato was also there "Hey Sakura-san, Konan-san, Nagato-san" the sunshiny blonde boy waved, and Sakura inwardly sighed so as not to worry the others, it was difficult being around Minato because he reminded her very much of Naruto and it hurt more often than not.
But she sucked it up "Nice to see you to Minato-san, Shikaku-san, Inoichi-san, Choza-san" Sakura sent the last boy an extra wide smile "And thank you for returning those thermoses" she added and they all just kind of avoided her knowing look.
Konan snickered softly and even Nagato looked amused at their reaction "Okay, enough dawdling shogi is a very hard game to learn" Shikaku marched over to them and took Sakura by the shoulders before leading her to a table that had the game and all it's pieces set up in the right way.
In the meantime Choza, Inoichi and Minato led Konan and Nagato a little ways away to come up with something to do themselves with Sakura and Shikaku were busy, Konan wanted to protest, but the pinkette sent her a reassuring smile, that was then directed at Nagato as well.
Seeing her chance to make new friends, Konan grabbed onto the offer like it was her life line "You should play to Nagato-kun" she tugged on his hand gently when he stood there looking still a little unsure about spending the rest of the afternoon in someone else's house or yard.
"You've never played shogi before right" Shikaku asked just to be sure, and Sakura nodded, "Joy" he mumbled 'What a drag' he thought inwardly not daring to say it to the pinkette's face or his favorite line about how women were troublesome.
Sakura pressed her lips together in amusement "You just thought this was a drag and that women were troublesome right" she asked in a knowing way, a flush crept up Shikaku's neck turning his ears and face red and Sakura tried very hard not to laugh 'Score Me: 1, Shikaku: 0' she thought with satisfaction.
He spluttered in confusion "How the heck did you know that, I don't say it that often" Shikaku looked fully put out, but when he realized he was pouting and that men didn't pout even though he was still a little kid himself, he shook his head.
"Never mind, to start read this instruction manual, then I'll show you how the game goes" he tossed a book over to the pinkette and Sakura caught it in one hand flipping it open and her emerald eyes flying across the pages taking in the information with ease.
Truthfully she already knew how to play the game mostly thanks to Shikamaru, but she'd never had a chance to go a round with Shikaku, so it shouldn't be to different, fifteen minutes later "Okay let's see how this game works" Sakura put the manual down to watch.
Shikaku started by telling her the names of all the pieces, the directions each one could go, showing her how to get checkmate before resetting the game "Right let's go a round" he crackled his knuckles gesturing for her to go first.
Sakura nudged one forward and that started the toughest game she'd ever played, though she wasn't really aiming to win, she did make it hard on him, until Shikaku called out "Checkmate sorry you lose Sakura-san" he fought to keep the smirk from his lips.
"That's fine, it's very challenging though" she smiled not minding in the least that there was a half smirk on his face, Shikaku frowned suddenly as he peered over her shoulder, Sakura turned around in her seat and noticed or rather what he wasn't looking at.
'Oh come on' Sakura really wanted to hit something, as she slumped down in her chair after scouring the backyard and not spotting the four boys or Konan, how the hell had they managed to sneak past them even if the game had been rather time consuming, they should have heard the five kids.
Hearing the sigh, Shikaku focused his dark eyes on the pinkette "Suppose we ought to go find where they've wandered off to and make sure they haven't gotten in any trouble" he stood pushing his chair in as Sakura did the same.
Once she was on her feet Sakura spread out her senses searching for Nagato and Konan's familiar chakra, when she got a lock on the red head she sprinted to the right and leaped into the bushes "Hi Sakura-chan" he grinned surprising her.
"Why are you in the bushes Nagato-kun" Sakura creased her forehead in confusion, a second later she realized what was going on as Shikaku passed by them and Nagato pressed his hand over her mouth with wide eyes, the purple ringed pattern of the rinnegan standing out in his small round face.
They were playing hide and seek, then suddenly she felt rather mischievous, Sakura snickered silently focusing on Shikaku and held out her hand manipulating the moisture in the air and shot a bubble of water at the back of the Nara Heirs head.
It splashed against his hair and Shikaku jumped looking for the culprit, but what he couldn't understand was where had the attack come from, it had seemed like it had come from behind him but there was no one there "Okay this is a drag" Shikaku sulked suddenly.
Just then Choza and Inoichi jumped out of the bushes to the right of him and tackled Shikaku getting easily caught in his shadow "Ah man and we really thought we were going to get you this time" Inoichi sighed peering around the yard when the boy released him.
Choza just laughed "You guys can come out now" he called drawing Konan, Minato, Nagato and Sakura from their hiding places "I wondered where you'd gone" he pointed at the pinkette and she just smiled innocently.
"Someone threw water on me" Shikaku piped up suddenly staring among his friends looking for the guilty parties, how could it be one of them, they had to have been standing behind him, when he didn't find any guilt in their expressions he sighed.
Sakura smiled inwardly 'Score Me: 2, Shikaku: 0' she tallied mentally, even if she couldn't beat him at shogi there were other ways she could one up him and that's the funnest thing ever, irritating a Nara is something she was extremely good at.
Konan gave her a weird look "So what are we going to do now, it's only four thirty and we have an hour an a half before we have to be back at the apartment in time for dinner, oh no, we won't have anytime to cook dinner" she gasped in realization.
"Don't worry Konan-chan, I'm sure Sakura-chan has an idea of what we can have for dinner" Nagato assured for once not wanting his friend to be overcome with worry, they were all he had and he never wanted to lose any of them.
The bluenette relaxed when Sakura nodded "Yeah I figured I could order some food from the tea and dango shop, even if I do get attacked" she snorted in amusement and Minato blinked in confusion wondering what the pinkette meant.
He asked a moment later "What do you mean attacked, Lord Hokage doesn't allow children to get attacked" Minato spoke up drawing those emerald eyes unto himself, there was a weight in them and once they were settled on him, he felt as if the world had been dropped on his shoulders.
In the depths of her eyes was sorrow, loneliness, despair, determination, and heartache, and he swallowed thickly "Well it was kind of Inoichi-san's fault" Sakura grinned bringing a flush to the boys face "But when I say attacked I mean coddled by a bunch of pink obsessed crazed women" she explained.
"Oh" Minato shifted nervously avoiding her gaze not wanting to see all of her pain, why did a little kid have all that agony bottled up "I should get home see you guys" he waved speeding off, he had a lot to think about it seemed.
At the second blondes hasty departure Sakura wondered if it was something she'd done, but didn't ask instead "You guys can go to if you want" Inoichi smiled politely, they'd had enough fun to last for the rest of the day after all.
"Is it okay if we come around next Sunday to" Konan asked before they left and Shikaku nodded "Thanks see you then Inoichi-san, Choza-san, Shikaku-san" she waved keeping hold of Sakura's hand as they left the Nara Compound.
Nagato frowned when he realized Sakura was planning on braving the tea and dango shop "I'll go" he stopped her suddenly and the pinkette blinked "I mean I just don't want you to get stuck in there" Nagato explained.
She patted his hand "Don't worry so much Nagato-kun, I'm sure they've calmed down some" Sakura assured, though she doubted it, then headed into the restaurant and ordered their food without a single problem, it was only on her way out did something happen.
A man jumped in front of her and swung his hand forward, Sakura flinched imperceptibly until she realized he was holding something out "I'm sorry you know for trying to hit the girl and hitting you, please accept my apology" he murmured softly and she immediately recognized him.
Sakura held up her hand "It's not me you should be apologizing to, but thank you for trying to make amends and I don't need you're money" she nodded politely and the man stared at her in awe as she bypassed him exiting the tea and dango shop.
Konan took a bag and Nagato grabbed the other two as they held her hands all the way back to the apartment, it was still thirty minutes shy of Yahiko's return, so the three of them had enough time to set up the food and sit at the kitchen table.
He entered covered in scratches and the bluenette spit out her water "What happened Yahiko-kun" she flew from her chair searching him over for any extensive wounds, but there were none, "Are you okay" Konan creased her forehead.
Yahiko sniggered "Yeah I tripped and landed on a crate filled with dull weapons and they scratched me a bit, I thought I was a goner though cause the owner was so mad, but I managed to clean up the mess" he waved his hands suddenly.
"Do you want us to heal you" Nagato offered but the orange haired boy shook his head "Well dinner is set up wash up" he nudged Yahiko off and the boy blinked in confusion, he didn't know why but he suddenly felt different or why he was acting so differently to his usual self.
The brown eyed boy didn't question instead washing his hands and face clean before seating himself at the table "This doesn't look like something you guys made" Yahiko pointed out suddenly and Sakura shook her head.
"Nope I braved the tea and dango shop, since we realized we wouldn't have enough time to make dinner without you complaining" she quipped bringing a blush to his cheeks and Konan snickered at him while Nagato smiled his amusement.
Yahiko looked her over "You don't look like you got mobbed by a bunch of girls" he narrowed his eyes further and Sakura just flashed him a grin, "Wait you mean they left you alone" Yahiko prodded and she nodded "That means we can start going back right" he asked.
"Of course Yahiko" Sakura rolled her eyes inwardly finally digging into her rice and curry, half way into the meal Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru poofed into the apartment and Konan almost threw her fork at them with deadly precision until they stepped out of it's path.
She stared in horror and then at her hand wondering how she'd managed something like when she could barely throw a kunai on a regular day, Orochimaru stared with interest and Jiraiya burst out laughing while Tsunade rolled her eyes.
Konan retrieved her fork and washed it clean "Sorry Jiraiya-sensei, Orochimaru-sensei, Tsunade-shishou" she apologized quickly sitting back down at the table, they nodded and took the extra chairs.
It was silent for a few minutes until "So we have to go on a mission, the three of us here" Jiraiya cleared his throat "And we have to leave you kiddies behind" he continued when Tsunade waved her hands for him to get on with it and stop dragging it on.
Nagato reached out for Sakura's hand beneath the table since he was seated so close to her and held tightly, "What will we do while you're gone, and how long will you be gone" he asked the two most important questions.
Orochimaru chuckled "Very inquisitive Nagato-san, as for you're questions, Lord Hokage told us to tell you to meet him tomorrow morning in the tower, now for how long we'll be gone, it could be a couple of weeks" he announced.
"Though it won't just be us on the mission either, a man named Dan Kato will be going with us" Tsunade piped in before the three of them stood missing Sakura's expression as they left the apartment, she quickly got her emotions under control before.
"Uh um finish up without me, I'm not feeling so well, I think I ate to fast" Sakura lied holding her stomach twisting her lips into a fake grimace to make it more believable, Konan frowned and then she excused herself from the table hurrying to the bedroom.
Once within, she hastily created a clone and leaped from the second story window making sure it was shut behind her for easy access later on, outside on the ground, Sakura took off like the devil was nipping at her heals, she had to tell the hokage the truth, otherwise Dan was going to die.
Hiruzen jumped as his door slammed open and the pinkette that his students were training with three others burst into his office "Lord Hokage" she called looking exhausted as if she'd just run a marathon, he raised a brow as she shut his door and locked it slapping a no noise tag on it before sealing the room.
"What is the meaning of this Sakura-san, you come in here and then seal my room, I hope for you're sake you have a good explanation" Hiruzen became all to wary when she flopped wearily in a chair before flying through a set of hand signs then held out her hand.
He hesitantly took it and then images were forming in his head that he realized were Sakura's memories a moment later they faded and the pinkette leaned back in her chair looking extremely pale "If you don't stop Dan Kato from going on his current mission he's going to die" she breathed.
Eyes wide "Why tell me the truth, is it because you feel as if you can trust me" Hiruzen questioned taking a puff from his pipe as he worked through all that he had just seen, a girl from the future, he was certain though she hadn't showed him everything juts bits and pieces.
Sakura took a deep breath "I trust that you won't speak of this to anyone not even Master Jiraiya or Orochimaru or Tsunade-shishou even though she's the person who assigned me the mission to come back" she rattled off as her racing heart slowed to a normal pace.
She was right, if someone came to him he always kept that information locked away so no one could access it "What do you need me to do" Hiruzen pulled out a brush, some ink and a scroll after asking his question and Sakura sighed in relief.
"Dan Kato can't go on the mission, Tsunade-shishou was hurt horribly and left the Leaf Village after the war because she was afraid of blood, isn't there anyone else you feel is strong enough to take his place in the mission" she stared at him with wide emerald eyes pleading with him to keep Dan safe.
Feeling the urgency in the pinkette that Dan remain alive, Hiruzen quickly sorted through his available shinobi "Well there is Might Dai" he finally said writing in neat kanji as he summoned his students and the man Might Dai to his office.
"You might want to remove you're jutsu and hide beneath my desk, you won't have enough time to get out before they spot you" he ordered and Sakura scrambled beneath the desk cloaking herself in a transparency jutsu and suppressing her chakra and scent to the best of her abilities.
Ten minutes later the five he'd summoned entered his office "What's going on Lord Hokage" Dan sat down on the couch and Tsunade seated herself as close as possible, Hiruzen eyed the two hoping he was making the right decision.
"I've just been informed that there is more danger to the mission I assigned you, so I'm reassigning Might Dai to the team, Dan you're to remain here in the village" he ordered and Tsunade frowned worriedly, perhaps it was a good idea if he stayed home.
None of them argued and the five left without further complaint, Hiruzen sighed as the door shut behind Orochimaru, "You can come out now Sakura-san, also you're secret is safe with me, I won't tell a soul" he promised as she unveiled herself.
"Thank you very much Lord Hokage, and I'll promise to let you know if any major events come up in the future" she smiled looking massively relieved and glad that she'd managed to save one of her shishou's precious people, saving her from all that heartache and grief and drinking.
Then she was out the door disappearing down the hall and running down the streets to the apartment sneaking through the window and dispelling her clone, just as the smoke faded Konan poked her head into the room "Sakura-chan are you feeling any better" she asked carrying Chibi.
"Oh um just a little bit" Sakura smiled uneasily, how low would she be able to keep up the lies to the Rain Orphans, 'My luck probably forever' she thought "I'm gonna get a little more rest okay" she slid into bed and threw the covers over her head to go to sleep.
The next morning after breakfast and meditating, Sakura led Yahiko, Nagato and Konan to the Hokage Tower and were showed into Hiruzen's office, the pinkette acting as if she hadn't burst in there last night to save Dan Kato's life even if indirectly by having him removed from the mission.
Speaking of the pale blue haired man was sitting on the couch in the same position as last night as they stood in front of Hiruzen's desk "Now seeing as you're normal sensei's are off on a mission, I had planned for you to spend the next couple of weeks learning from a man named Might Dai" he started.
Sakura inwardly gagged but outwardly looked semi curious, it was better to pretend like she knew nothing, no questions would be asked that way "But since for unforeseen reasons he was reassigned to the mission you'll be learning under Dan Kato for the next couple of week" Hiruzen finished.
Yahiko frowned "Excuse me but who's Dan Kato" he tilted his head to the side in confusion missing the mischievous expression that appeared on the man in questions lips, Sakura, Konan and Nagato didn't as he crept forward until he was standing behind Yahiko fully suppressing his presence from the boy.
Then Dan raised his hand and settled it on Yahiko's shoulder "I'm Dan Kato, Yahiko-san" he smiled widely freaking the orange haired brown eyed boy out until he backed up right into Hiruzen's desk, only then did Sakura and Konan collapse in a fit of giggles.
"Hey that's not funny" Yahiko exclaimed in outrage "What happened to never abandoning you're friends" he huffed not really all that angry but wanting to hear Sakura's answer anyway so it would make his resolve to do the same all the stronger.
Sakura straightened from her bent over position and cleared her throat "Every boy or girl for himself Yahiko-kun, but should you really be in trouble, not even a mission would stop me from saving you" she nodded and she got a cheeky smile from Yahiko.
Nagato grasped her hand like he always did "Why do you always say that Yahiko, when you know what Sakura-chan is gonna say, it's not like she's ever changed it" he smiled his amusement again, the two butted heads often but they all worked well together.
Dan watched the interactions of the children closely, they were a tight knit group like Tsunade had told him before she'd left with the others, then he shifted his green eyes to stare at the Hokage who was looking at the quartet of orphans, or more specifically the pinkette.
He could understand why, after all it wasn't often little kids went around claiming they'd abandoned the mission to save a friend "Even if you're ridiculed for it" Dan couldn't help but insert himself into the conversation wanting to hear what the girl said.
"Exactly, if it's for a friend, I'd do anything to save them including sacrificing my own life, what I do is nobody else's business anyway" Sakura shrugged nonchalantly, everything she said was the truth there was no lie this time and that's what she was sticking with.
She felt Nagato tightening his grip on her hand at her casual statement of how she'd die for them, and she would to, not even the kami would be able to stop her, "Sakura-chan you really are to kind to us, and you're younger than us to" Nagato frowned softly in that heartbreaking way.
Of course whenever he looked like that she felt the need to reassure him "Don't worry about it for now Nagato-kun, that's still a long ways off, besides I'm going to be the worlds best medical ninja so that won't happen" Sakura flashed him a quick smile and Nagato instantly relaxed.
Oddly enough so did Yahiko and Konan, both of whom wanted to reject the idea and tell Sakura that they'd never allow her to die at least not on their account, but they'd wisely kept silent making the office seem smaller than usual.
It felt like the walls were closing in on her "Right we should get to training so you four follow me" Dan chose that moment to speak up again and Sakura calmed down her world returning to normal, for a moment there she'd almost had a panic attack.
Hiruzen watched Dan lead the four orphans from his office until the door shut behind them and he returned to work, he had faith that Dan would treat them well, considering the man was known for his love of the world and wanting to be the Hokage.
At the training grounds Dan turned and faced his charges for the next couple of weeks "Okay then um what have Jiraiya-san, Orochimaru-san and Tsunade taught you so far" he asked clearly lost on what to do, and the orange haired boy sniggered at him.
"Just so you know I'm Konan, and the last thing Orochimaru-sensei, Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-shishou taught was were our individual jutsu's along with the tree climbing exercise and of course for me and Sakura-chan medical ninjutsu" Konan stepped forward to explain.
Surprised that the four kids were already so advanced, well not really but they understood more than regular academy students who came out as genin innocent to the true horrors of the world, Dan sighed "Okay then we'll start with the tree climbing exercise" he nodded to start them off easy.
Each of them chose a tree and set to work on focusing chakra into their feet and of course along with a newcomer came questions "Why aren't you using a hand sign like the others" Dan walked over to the pinkette who just had her eyes closed.
She opened them to reveal bright emerald, "You're familiar with the term ninshu right" Sakura asked instead of answering, Dan nodded though he looked massively confused "I'm learning how to use my chakra without hand signs, I'm using ninshu" she explained.
"Why though surely it would be easier to use the hand signs instead of trying to figure out how to use you're chakra without them" Dan prodded hoping to gain more information on the girl Tsunade talked about constantly when they were alone.
Sakura sighed and gave up trying on concentrating for the moment "What you say is true, it would be easier, but I feel so much more connected to everything when I'm not, I can feel around me for miles and miles while meditating and it's so much more satisfying" she breathed out.
"And while the training is difficult in using jutsu's, the more I practice the better I'll get, I'll be able to heal someone quicker without wasting a moment to use hand signs, save someone if they are in trouble body flickering, and sense enemy in hiding much easier" Sakura listed.
Now he understood why Tsunade had taken such an interest in the pinkette personally, she was different than the others, more unique "Okay I understand I'll let you get back to practicing" Dan took a step back to think over everything he'd learned in the span of a few short minutes.
It was baffling the struggle Sakura was putting herself through just to learn a dead training regimen, no one used ninshu anymore, but a little girl no more than seven years old was learning how to, it wasn't just for herself, it was for her friends and others as well.
He had so many more questions to ask, that one hadn't been enough, "Dan-san look I did it" Konan's voice distracted him from his inner thoughts and Dan looked up into the tree to see the little blue haired girl sitting on a branch not quite half way up the tree.
"Good job Konan-san, keep trying Yahiko-san and Nagato-san, you to Sakura-san do you're best" Dan praised before giving encouragement to the other three kids he'd found himself teaching, him as a teacher it was weird but oddly satisfying.
This odd feeling was bubbling within his chest leaving him warm and fuzzy inside, it was like what it could be like in the future if him and Tsunade ever got married and had kids of their own, it was a feeling only parents got when their kids did something that made them proud.
Dan shook his head, here he was thinking weird thoughts again, his hand came up to rest over his heart as he thought about his blonde haired lover, and clasped the necklace she'd given him in the other hand 'Please be safe Tsunade-chan' he prayed.
The next to reach the tree branch was surprising Nagato "Well done Nagato-san, just stay there until Yahiko-san and Sakura-san make it, then you can come down" Dan called again and the little boy beamed at him.
Sakura was next with Yahiko making it to the branch last before they all hopped to the ground not quite gracefully but at least they landed somewhat on their feet except for Yahiko who lost his balance and fell to his knee's at the last moment.
"Good job but as I can tell you're training isn't even half way done, you still have two hours so I'd start practicing you're individual jutsu's and if you're really good on time I might show you a cool trick" Dan offered for a little encouragement and Yahiko's eyes lit up.
He caught Sakura rolling her eyes a moment later "Really Dan-san" Yahiko bounded over to him eyes wide and full of excitement, no matter what awful horrors had happened to them, they were still just children so this was bound to happen.
"Yes only if you complete you're jutsu training before eleven thirty" Dan clapped his hands signaling to them that they needed to get started on their jutsu's otherwise he wouldn't have any time to show them that day, of course he could always show them another day but he wasn't that mean.
Konan creeped over to stand next to Sakura when she prepared to start practicing with her water and earth natures "Hey Sakura-chan, do you think we can work with our medical ninjutsu first" she scuffed her shoe on the ground with a hopeful expression.
She swung around emerald eyes lighting up at the mention of trying medical chakra first "Oh but we don't have the melons" Konan deflated a moment later, Sakura's eyes rounded before patting Konan on the shoulder then headed over to the little river.
Curious now, Konan watched as the pinkette drew a kunai from her weapons pouch and tied ninja wire around it watching the surface of the water, then with her other hand she threw a shuriken making a fish jump out which Sakura then threw her kunai at.
Sakura repeated this one more time before heaving the two really large fish over to her "We can practice on fish, that way we'll still be healing something to learn how much chakra we need to use" she swiped her hair to get it out of the way but it proved useless.
'Ugh I don't know how I ever stood having my hair long' she grimaced contemplating just cutting it all off right then and there, "Anyway just make a gash on the fish and then try to heal it" Sakura explained it was basically the same concept.
Over where he'd leaned against a tree, Dan kept his dark green eyes glued to the two little girls, while checking on the two boys who were practicing wind and water jutsu's, when he saw Sakura swipe at her hair in irritation he chuckled softly before sneaking over to them.
When he was close enough "You know Sakura-san I can help you tie back you're hair if it's bothering you that much and getting in the way" Dan offered holding up a red ribbon, what he didn't expect was for those soulful emerald eyes to fill with tears.
This immediately alarmed Nagato, Yahiko and Konan who all crowded around her "Why are you crying Sakura-chan" the red head had the deepest frown on his lips and concern was bright within his rinnegan eyes.
Feeling stupid in that moment, Sakura rubbed her eyes harshly to get rid of the tears "It's a stupid reason" she huffed angry at herself for losing control over the emotions she worked hard at keeping locked up tight so she didn't worry the rain orphans.
"No matter what reason it is, you're still crying Sakura-chan" Yahiko burst out brown eyes narrowed and looking as if he was about to hit something, he probably felt like it, though what he didn't like was Sakura crying for any reason at all, even if it was stupid.
Konan wrapped her arms around the pinkette humming softly like she always did for them "It's okay Sakura-chan, you can tell us we won't make fun of you for cause remember our motto is share the burden, if we can lift just a little bit of you're burden from you're shoulders we'd be ever so happy" she whispered soothingly.
Grateful that they weren't crying along with her Sakura wiped her eyes again this time managing to stop her tears "Well for my last birthday before my parents went out on their trip they gave me a red ribbon, and I lost it" she lied but none of them questioned it.
He felt horrible "I didn't mean to bring back such an upsetting memory Sakura-san, if you'd like you can hit me just this once for free" Dan offered and she immediately shook her head instead she flashed him a dazzling smile as if she hadn't just spent the last several minutes crying.
And asked in the most sweetest voice "I wouldn't feel right, but if you don't mind would you tie the ribbon into my hair please Dan-san" Sakura fidgeted wringing her hands nervously, and peering up at him with wide emerald eyes.
Not being able to say no especially to that kind of adorable face, the ribbon was quickly tied around Sakura's hair holding it back, "There you go now get back to practicing" Dan stood from his kneeling position and leaned against a tree again.
Twenty minutes later the two girls switched from trying medical ninjutsu to working with their individual jutsu's while Nagato and Yahiko crept over to the fish to practice like the girls had, it was weird how well they worked together.
By the time they were done, there was just ten minutes left "So are you gonna show us that trick or not" Yahiko marched up to him with an expectant look on his face and Dan chuckled patting the boy on the head before walking over to the river.
"This is called the Walking on Water exercise, it's vastly different than the tree climbing one" Dan said stepping out onto the waters surface and standing on top of it with ease, he sighed softly for a moment until he heard feet running towards him.
Sakura gave a start as Yahiko ran full speed at the river trying the technique they'd just be showed "YAHIKO DON'T" she shouted racing after him just as his feet hit the water and he went under, to late Sakura searched the river waiting for him to come up.
Konan froze in horror "YAHIKO-KUN" she screamed trying to run forward to save the orange haired idiot, but Nagato stopped her staring worriedly at the water, a second later orange hair broke through the surface of the water and Sakura yanked him out by the hand as he started coughing.
"You Idiot what were you thinking Yahiko" Sakura glared so hard, she'd never been so afraid in her life, she was here to save the boy not let him drown because he thought he was this big tough man who knew how to use a couple of jutsu's.
Unable to speak for a moment as he coughed out water he'd inhaled while Dan got back on the land kneeling next to him patting his back until all the water had left his lungs "I thought it would be cool if I could use that technique to, to make Jiraiya-sensei proud" Yahiko heaved with a grimace.
Sakura wanted to strangle him "It's a official you're an idiot, I read in a book once that to use the water walking technique we have to apply chakra to our feet constantly not only that but you have to account for all the fish and every little wave that may be in the water to" she huffed.
Though no matter how mad she was, she still helped Yahiko to his feet feeling his trembles because he was cold "Sorry for ruining you're trick Dan-san" he apologized as they started leaving the training grounds to eat lunch.
"Why don't you come over to my place it's closer and you'll get dryer quicker, I make an awesome meal" Dan offered suddenly, not quite wanting to let the quartet of kids out of his sight just yet, plus it would give him a little extra time to learn more about them all.
He could see Sakura bit her lip chewing it as she thought on his offer before staring around her at Nagato first who smiled shyly for the first time in a couple of days before nodding hesitantly, then she looked to Konan, the bluenette must have given a positive reaction because then she was peering at Yahiko.
Who pouted but nodded "Okay Dan-san" Sakura blurted out suddenly straightening from her half bent position, "We'll go with you to you're place" she nodded eyes bright again and his heart squeezed, he felt for the kids he really did.
"Right okay just follow me it's a couple streets over this way" Dan pointed the opposite direction they usually went and soon he was leading them to his own apartment, before he started on lunch he got Yahiko a towel because the boy had started shivering horribly.
He was curious though "So what do you kids intend on doing for the rest of the day" he asked hoping they would speak to him as freely as they did their sensei's, Dan craned his neck around to peer at them as they all shared a look.
"Well after lunch I have work at Zu-chan's Origami Shop" Konan jumped into the conversation "Zu-chan said she was going to pay me today" she exclaimed happily amber irises wide and full of pride that she'd made it through her first week as a part timer in the origami shop.
Dan blinked his dark green eyes flipping the sausage patties he was cooking along with eggs and toasting some bread in the oven "Why are you working I thought Master Jiraiya was buying you the things you needed" he inquired.
It was Nagato that answered "Because we don't want to be mooches, we want to be able to buy our own things to have that sense of dependency, so when we go back to the Rain Village, we'll be able to survive on our own" he nodded with a smile.
Sakura patted his hand fondly "Nicely said Nagato-kun" she gave him a proud smile and he turned immediately shy 'Oh I feel like I'm going to get whiplash from all the conflicting emotions Nagato portrays' Sakura thought feeling a little dizzy.
"Okay that's reasonable, so what about the rest of you, do you have jobs, and do you have to go into work as well" Dan nodded before asking more question, it was odd the more he learned about them, the more confused he felt.
Yahiko grinned "Course we all have jobs, our motto is share the burden, and nope just Konan-chan has work today, while tomorrow Sakura-chan just goes in, then on Wednesday all of us except Sakura-chan, and Thursday Sakura-chan again" he ticked off his fingers.
"And on Friday Konan-chan, and Nagato, and on Saturday, me and Sakura-chan, and on Sunday just me" Yahiko finished "I work at the weapons shop, while Nagato works at the pet shop, Sakura-chan is at the flower shop and Konan-chan like she said has the origami shop" he smiled
He was surprised "So you work three days a week" Dan asked just to make sure he was getting it right, they nodded "Okay back to my original question, what do the rest of you intend on doing while Konan-san is at work" he got the conversation back on track as he took the bread from the oven.
Sakura took her turn to talk "We'll probably just go back to our apartment, or wander the village" she stared around getting nods from both Nagato and Yahiko, Dan chuckled and assembled the sandwiches placing one down before each kid.
When he saw the orange haired boy raise his hand and poke it, he couldn't stop from letting out a snort of laughter "It's food you're supposed to it" Dan struggled to regain control, that had been absolutely hilarious, Yahiko sulked and took a hesitant bite.
He chewed slowly letting the flavors sit on his tongue before swallowing "It's not bad, but it's definitely not as good as something Sakura-chan can make" Yahiko whistled innocently with a cheeky smile on his lips and Sakura rolled her eyes at him.
"Yeah Sakura-chan you're food is the best" Nagato pitched in and she turned a brilliant shade of red setting off another round of laughter this time from both Yahiko and Dan, while Konan stuck her tongue out them with a little huff.
"Don't pay them any attention Sakura-chan" she gave Yahiko the stink eye, she was still a little miffed about the stunt he'd pulled "Us girls have to stick together when boys are idiots, not you though Nagato-kun" Konan flashed the red head a bright smile.
Dan shook his head but saw his chance to get himself invited over to dinner "I guess I'll just have to be the judge of that, do you mind if I join you for dinner tonight" he prompted and all eyes turned to him, it was a little creepy to be honest.
Then Nagato, Yahiko and Konan looked to Sakura for direction and he instantly understood why they all worked well together, the pinkette was the glue to their group, keeping them together, leading them all be it discretely and protecting them to the bests of her abilities.
Sakura smiled inwardly 'That's just so cute' she was tempted to pinch all their little cheeks, but she was sure to get weird looks for it "Okay Dan-san we'll make it a deal, you can judge for yourself how good my food is" she nodded finishing off her sandwich.
Seeing as he was still getting his way, Dan shook her hand to seal the deal "So where do you guys live" he finally realized he didn't know the way to their place and Yahiko sniggered until Konan smacked the back of his head.
"Ow Konan-chan" Yahiko whined in that annoying and got a glare, he pouted and since it didn't look like Sakura was going to attempt to give the pale blue haired man directions "Do you know the big apartment building halfway past the...uhhhhh" he trailed off at a loss.
"Do you have a map Dan-san that you don't mind having a couple marks on" Sakura piped up when the boy had struggled enough, Yahiko tossed her a grateful smile and leaned back in the chair he'd chosen next to Konan.
Dan stood an fetched one of his smaller, less used maps and handed it to the pinkette along with a pen, then she quickly circled a spot on the map "It's around in this area, second floor, fifth door" Sakura finished handing him the map again.
He creased his forehead "Thought you guys were staying with Master Jiraiya" he frowned, little kids weren't supposed to live on their own, how could he have missed that, they all shook their heads and Dan felt a headache forming.
"Well I have to go or I'm going to be late" Konan stood up suddenly bowed her head politely "Thank you for the meal Dan-san" she thanked him before exiting his apartment hastily, Dan turned his head to eye the last three kids.
Nagato wrapped his hand around Sakura's when they stood and Yahiko followed behind them "See you at dinner Dan-san" the orange haired boy waved as they all left, he got polite nods from each child and then they were gone.
'Ugh what the heck did I just get myself into, if Tsunade-chan can't figure them out, how the heck am I supposed to, I don't think I've ever felt this confused over a bunch of kids in my entire life' Dan held his head in his hands as it pounded for a split second.
Then he took a deep breath and steeled his nerves, the pounding lessened until the pressure between his eyes was gone, 'I can't back out now' Dan nodded, he would figure them out before his lover got back, he was determined to actually and nothing would stand in his way.
"What are we going to do until Konan-chan comes back" Nagato asked softly keeping close to the pinkette, he just had this feeling that they were in for quite the next couple of weeks and he doubted it would all be fun and games.
Sakura flashed him a smile "There are plenty of things we can do, for one we could take Chibi-kun out for a couple of hours and teach him some more things, he's definitely big enough for them now" she suggested and Yahiko's eyes lit up.
"Yeah but how exactly are we supposed to teach a dog something, I know he can growl and bark when he senses something, but other than that he's pretty much useless" he pointed out until he felt the aura of depression leaking from Nagato.
She really wanted to smack him "It's simple don't worry Nagato-kun, Chibi's not useless, he'll be the best ninja hound ever" Sakura reassured the red head so that he would stop feeling so depressed, like usual he gave her that tiny little smile and relaxed some.
They finally made it back to their apartment and collected Chibi, they also grabbed a timer so they would have enough time to return and make dinner, then the three of them went back to the training grounds to start teaching Chibi some new things.
"So how exactly are we going to do this" Yahiko eyed the still growing up with a large amount of curiosity in his brown eyes, Chibi wagged his tail and he rolled his eyes in exasperation, he doubted it was possible to teach the dog to be anything other than what he wasn't.
Sakura smirked "Okay Chibi sit" she ordered, Chibi stopped wagging and sat down staring straight at her "Good job boy, now we're going to teach you how to find a hidden enemy" she spoke as she did this she made a regular clone from her chakra.
Then gave it instructions to hide somewhere she wouldn't be easily found, before the clone disappeared, Sakura whispered one last thing, a few minutes later Sakura was instructing Chibi "Now an enemy is hidden what do you do to enemies Chibi-kun" she stared the pup down.
He immediately let out this little growl, which wasn't all to threatening right now and bared his teeth "Search and Destroy Chibi" Sakura commanded and he shot off into the bushes to Yahiko's surprise, he hadn't really expected that.
And fifteen minutes later a soft pop and memories slammed into her, Chibi returned victoriously to her side wagging his tail once more, Nagato kneeled down and scooped the pup into his arms "Good job Chibi-kun, he rubbed his face into Chibi's fur squeezing him gently.
Not even Yahiko could help from praising the dog for doing a good job, "Yeah nice one Chibi, though it was just a clone" he pretended like he wasn't curious to know what else the pup could be taught "So what else is there to show him" Yahiko avoided Sakura's knowing gaze.
"Well he needs to learn how to fight a bit" she tapped her lip straightening from her crouched position, Nagato set Chibi on the ground and he and Yahiko backed away "And I know just the thing" Sakura smirked, this was going to be fun.
She took a deep breath "Okay Chibi-kun, this time you are to dodge my attacks if you get hit that's equivalent to being killed" she warned, it was all in the way a person spoke, and dogs were mostly intelligent creatures after all.
Chibi tilted his head to the side watching closely wondering what his owner was going to have him do next, Sakura created another clone and left it instructions, then she walked over to the side line "Chibi Dodge" she ordered and he leaped back just as the first ball of water was shot at him.
"Wow Sakura-chan, Chibi-kun is so cool" Nagato exclaimed fully enjoying this moment with just him, Sakura and Yahiko, getting to watch something like this was amazing, his eyes were completely lit up with his excitement and Sakura smiled.
Yahiko was pretty much the same way but he was far less vocal about how cool something like this was, but he did sit a little closer to the pinkette so that she was sandwiched between him and Nagato, out here anyone could attack and Sakura would be protected.
Half an hour later Chibi's training came to a screeching halt when a silver haired male came flying onto the training ground and snatched the little pup up "Gotcha" he whispered and Yahiko jumped up running over to him.
"HEY LET CHIBI GO, HE'S OUR DOG" he shouted startling the obvious teenager, Sakura and Nagato hurried after the orange haired boy until all three of them were stood before the older boy "Didn't you hear me I said put Chibi down" Yahiko ordered with a glare.
Sakumo blinked and took a good look at the dog he'd captured that he was currently holding by the scruff "You should get him a collar and a tag, how do I know you didn't steal him" he smirked pressing his hand against the boys forehead when he tried to hit him.
Nagato hunched his shoulders and tears gathered in his eyes as he craned his neck around to meet Sakura's gaze pleading with her to do something to get their puppy back, "We didn't steal him" she spoke up in a confident voice.
"Oh and I'm to believe a bunch of brats, you know I think I'll just take him to the pound on the Inuzuka Compound, then you're parents can get him" he raised a silver brow and started walking away ignoring the shouts for him to stop.
Yahiko and Nagato lost it and burst into tears 'Oh for kami's sake' Sakura wanted to kick something preferably in the place that hurts on Sakumo, she knew who the older boy was and she really wanted to hit her sensei from the future to for not warning her that his dad was an arrogant asshole.
"Come on now Nagato-kun, Yahiko-kun, stop crying the both of you not all is lost, we'll just follow him" Sakura soothed grabbing their wrists and tugging them along behind her as they sped after the silver haired boy that had snatched up their pup.
"Yeah found the little bugger with a bunch of kids, I believe they stole him anyway just throw him in the pound" Sakumo handed over the pup to an Inuzuka standing guard and he vanished from view, then he turned and headed home, his task was complete.
Ten minutes later three kids were standing in his place "Please an older boy came here with a dog right" Sakura breathed heavily, they had to hurry or they were going to be late on time, the two Inuzuka's shared a look.
"Sakumo Hatake he said he found a dog with a bunch of kids and that they stole him" the one to the right stated "Anyway it's to late, he's already been taken to the pound and now you have to bail him out if he's you're dog" he sniggered.
Sakura dug into her pocket "How much does it cost to get Chibi back, and by the way we didn't steal him, he came with us to the village when Jiraiya-sensei, Orochimaru-sensei and Tsunade-shishou brought us here" she snapped feeling extremely pissed off.
The second Inuzuka the one of the left snorted "To much for a little kid why don't you go home and cry to you're mommies and daddies about it" he laughed disregarding the little pinkette's words until a shudder rolled him feeling the decidedly dangerous looking glare directed at him.
"We don't have parents, we're orphans, look just tell us how much" Sakura glared pulling out the two thousand ryo she had on her, the two Inuzuka's shared a look and she hoped to god they didn't suggest she'd stolen the money because she didn't really feel up to explaining to idiots right now.
Thankfully the two Inuzuka's noted that it was enough to get Chibi out of the pound and Sakura was led into the Compound "But Sakura-chan" Nagato stared at her with worried eyes and she flashed him and Yahiko a reassuring smile.
"I'll be fine, look just go home set out ingredients, I don't care what they are, I'll cook anything tonight" she suggested firmly and the two boys turned tail and sped home to their apartment to do as the pinkette told them.
Fifteen minutes later Chibi was in her arms again and she was being led back through the compound to the gates halfway there "Hey who the hell are you and what are you doing in the Inuzuka Compound" the child version of Tsume Inuzuka stepped in her way.
Sakura froze before she relaxed "Um my puppy here got thrown in the pound accidentally I was just leaving so don't worry Inuzuka-san" she smiled and Tsume stared at her with wide onyx eyes before looking to the pup.
"It's no wonder that dog of yours got thrown into the pound, he don't have a collar or a tag at all" Tsume clicked her tongue as Kuromaru barked atop her head "What's that boy, you say he's of the ninken family" she asked.
Becoming nervous Sakura realized what was coming "Why don't you leave him with us and we'll take good care of him" Tsume's eyes were once again on her and the pinkette sighed "Besides we can teach him to be a great dog" she tossed her head back.
Not willing to part with the pup even if he did have ninken blood in him, which is probably why he was growing at an accelerated rate Sakura shook her head "I'm already teaching him, sorry Inuzuka-san, but if I go home without Chibi, my two friends will be really upset" she flashed the girl a smile, then sped towards the gate.
When the cloud of dust died down Tsume eyed the blank space before her and a feral grin spread across her lips "Hehehe just you wait girly, I'm gonna find you and when I do" she murmured to herself heading home.
With a couple hours to spare to make dinner, Sakura flew into the apartment she shared with Yahiko, Nagato and Konan and set Chibi down "Looks like we're gonna have to start putting Chibi-kun's tag and collar on before we go out" she called drawing Nagato and Yahiko from the living room.
The red head looked massively relieved but instead of going straight for the pup he wrapped his arms around her first "I was so worried Sakura-chan, it looked really scary in there, did anyone hurt you, what about Chibi is he okay" he rattled off looking at her expectantly.
Next was Yahiko "Yeah and if I ever see that guy again I'm gonna kick him where the sun don't shine for stealing our dog and he accused us of stealing" he punched his fist into his hand brown eyes narrowed before he finally pulled Sakura into a hug.
She held up her hand "I'm okay really it wasn't that scary, no one hurt me and Chibi was just fine, he had technically just been put in with the other pups" Sakura smiled "And I don't usually condone violence, but maybe just this once" she patted Yahiko on the head with a smirk.
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head "You mean you're gonna let me kick him in the nuts" Yahiko sniggered and Sakura grinned widely "Cool" he murmured as he and Nagato sat down at the kitchen table to watch the pinkette work her magic and make a delicious dinner.
Midway through chopping up the vegetables for veggie lasagna a knock sounded from the hall and Yahiko neatly jumped to the floor to answer it, he came back a couple minutes later with Dan trailing behind him "I didn't want to be late so I came early" he smiled at the trio.
"Try way to early" Yahiko sniggered "Admit it you just really want to eat Sakura-chan's food" he poked fun at the older male, Dan smiled innocently which didn't really work on a grown man and he seemed to realize that a moment later.
Sakura smiled in amusement as she dropped the noodles in boiling water "I hope you like you're vegetables Dan-san cause we're having Veggie Lasagna" she took a moment to speak seeing as she had a couple of minutes to relax.
The pale blue haired man chuckled "Nothing wrong with vegetables, they are healthy for you and give you more energy to do things during the day, but I don't think I've ever had veggies in my lasagna before" Dan looked half curious half disgusted.
It was the look that came from everyone the first time veggie lasagna was placed in front of them or explained "It's really good" Nagato piped up holding tightly to Chibi, he feared that the boy from earlier would break into their apartment and steal the puppy again.
"Yeah it's the best veggies I've ever had to, and the sauce is just so good" Yahiko sighed until he felt a little drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth and he hastily wiped it away to Dan and Sakura's amusement, he didn't try to defend himself though, cause it had been kind of funny.
A moment later "So what did you guys do up until you cam back" Dan inquired hoping they'd tell him, he really wanted these kids to trust him just as they did Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, though instead of the excitement he expected Yahiko glared at the table and Nagato crushed his puppy to his chest.
"Some older kid named Sakumo Hatake stole our puppy and had him thrown in that Inuzuka Compound, the pound for dogs you know" Yahiko glared so hard as if he was imagining the table was Sakumo, he probably was for all they knew.
Dan blinked and frowned "He really did that" he creased his forehead, Nagato nodded silently and his frown deepened "I'll have a talk with him, to let him know not to do that again if you take you're puppy out for any reason at all" Dan promised.
Yahiko shook his head "Uh uh I want to kick him" he sulked, and Dan chuckled patting him on the head again, "But that wouldn't be the right thing to do would it" Yahiko sighed, no wonder Sakura hadn't said anything, he had to realize things for himself.
"No it wouldn't Yahiko-san, at least you understand, anyway I'll just talk to him for you guys and the problem will be solved" Dan clapped his hands ending the conversation and the atmosphere around the kids lightened up.
Grateful that not all adults were such jerks "You know you're pretty cool Dan-san" spewed from Yahiko's mouth and Nagato nodded smiling as he finally set Chibi down, before ~grumble~ and all eyes turned to Sakura.
"Hehehe" she laughed sheepishly as her stomach rumbled with hunger, she still struggled using her chakra and she had to eat a lot more to compensate what energy she used up "Guess I'm a little hungrier than usual" Sakura admitted.
"That's okay Sakura-chan, I'm a little hungry to" Nagato added shyly so she wasn't embarrassed about the loud rumbling of her stomach, it had been really loud, but at least "At least you don't have chakra exhaustion like you did that one day" he finished.
None of the orphans were going to let that go it seemed "Yeah I have to be careful, we all do cause we're kids" Sakura couldn't help but smile though, Yahiko, Konan and especially Nagato were all very sweet, though they could be little brats when they wanted.
Yahiko grinned "Konan-chan should be home any minute now" he looked at the clock noting that it was five minutes till five "Will the lasagna be done before then" Yahiko looked to Sakura again and she tapped her lip in thought.
"Hmm it does have to sit in the oven for a couple of minutes and right now I'm assembling the lasagna, probably ten minutes after Konan-chan comes back" she finally announced and Yahiko pouted, and Nagato smiled softly while Dan stared between the three orphans in amusement.
Fifteen minutes after five, Konan came barreling through the front door a little blue with a yellow origami flower on it pouch, hanging around her wrist "Guess what Zu-chan gave this to me cause I don't have any pockets" she chattered loudly pointing to the pouch.
"That's cool Konan-chan" Nagato got a little closer to see before smiling widely, he'd really changed from that hopelessly constant shy boy to near outgoing with a side of cute shyness, it was because of Sakura's presence, not that he'd admit it.
Sakura smiled pulling the lasagna from the oven just in time to have a pouch thrust in her face "And Zu-chan gave this to me to give you Sakura-chan" Konan grinned and she took it without fuss, she didn't really carry money on her openly but she'd carry the pouch around just to make Konan happy.
"Thank you very much Konan-chan, Yahiko-kun, Nagato-kun would you help set the table" she faced the two little boys and the scrambled from their seats as if they'd been waiting for her to ask and hurriedly set the table as she dished out the food with the help of Konan.
When a slice of veggie lasagna was placed down in front of him along with a fork and a glass of tea, Dan really wanted to grimace instead he waited as the four children sat down "Go ahead Dan-san" Sakura gestured for him to take the first bite.
And he did, needless to say he doubted he would ever be able to eat the other kind of lasagna again, "Okay I give Sakura-san is the better cook though I don't know how" Dan finally announced halfway through his second piece.
Sakura smiled knowingly while Nagato, Konan and Yahiko laughed at the pale blue haired man "Though I love a healthy competition this isn't one, I simply enjoy cooking and besides even Yahiko-kun, Konan-chan and Nagato-kun could have made this by themselves" she pointed out.
Their beaming smiles was all she needed to know that they were happy as they polished off their dinner "True, and thank you very much for letting you have dinner with you" Dan nodded thanking the kids, but then they truly surprised him.
"Here Dan-san, we couldn't possibly eat the same thing two nights in a row so you can have a couple more pieces, Chibi-kun will probably get the leftovers" Konan pressed a container with two more pieces of veggie lasagna into his hands.
Catching sight of the confusion and possible rejection Sakura jumped in "Yeah, besides it's bad to waste food" she grinned and Dan relented thanking them one last time before finally leaving, she slumped in her chair tiredly.
Yahiko and Nagato took care of cleaning up and washing the dishes before they all settled in their familiar circle to meditate "Say Sakura-chan how exactly do you connect with you're chakra while meditating" Yahiko asked a question he'd been wanting to know for sometime.
"That's the easy part, just close you're eyes and sink you're awareness into you're body almost as if you're floating in a sea of black and find the very core of you're being which is you're chakra network" Sakura began glad to have a distraction.
"Then when you've found it, it's like a wave effect you're chakra will naturally reach out and connect with those around you, or whatever you're next to" she finished, a couple minutes later, Nagato was the first one to understand.
"Is..is that why we always hold hands while we meditate, so that our chakra can connect with each other, is that why we feel closer to each other after we finish" Nagato's eyes were so wide with wonder that Sakura couldn't help it.
A squeal slipped past her lips and she hugged the red head so tightly "You are so cute Nagato-kun" she rubbed her head against his with this huge smile on her face, predictably Yahiko started laughing until Konan whacked him and Nagato blushed redder than ever before.
Five minutes later Sakura released Nagato and they began their meditation, and then like always afterwards they took their individual baths before the pinkette went around checking the traps and locking the door and windows before each of them climbed into their beds to fall asleep.