Ch: 9 Know Your Enemy
"It's Ame," Jiraiya said. "Hanzo is dead."
His toads had just gotten back from their scout. They found nothing in any of the neutral territories except for the long discarded rumors of civil war in Hidden Rain and the assassination of the Salamander.
Up until now, he was Hanzo the Undefeated—the single shinobi in existence who was stronger than the Legendary Sannin back in their prime. There was almost no chance Akatsuki would be headquartered there as long as he was alive.
"It makes sense. Hanzo always closed Ame to outsiders. Any unrest or change in leadership could easily be kept invisible to the outside world," Tsunade agreed.
And that was the problem. They had no way to verify the rumor without infiltrating Ame.
"I've been able to confirm the name of Akatsuki's leader," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade felt goosebumps erupt over her body. When did he—
"Don't look so upset," he said with a smirk. "It's just a name. According to sources, he goes by the name Pein."
That knowledge was surely too dangerous for any one person to possess. She wanted to yell at Jiraiya for being so reckless. For putting a target on his back. For not consulting her and doing something stupid in the name of the village. Shoving her personal feelings aside, she managed to ask the proper question. "What were you able to figure out about Pein?"
Jiraiya shifted his body weight along the window sill. She chalked it up to them being teammates, but he never formally stood in front of her desk when they talked business, often choosing to prop his legs up instead. "Not much about him, but we did confirm his plans," he said. "The other villages have lost their tailed beasts—not that they'll admit it."
If Akatsuki had already taken tails one through seven, it wasn't hard to guess who they were coming for next.
"There's going to be another war," Tsunade said grimly.
"Looks like it."
The door flew open.
"Hokage-sama!"
Tsunade sprung out of her chair. "Haven't you heard of knocking, Shikamaru?!"
"Ah—Sorry," he said, out of breath. "Word arrived from Suna—they sent Tobimaru."
"What?!" Her goosebump-y skin jumped once more. Tobimaru was the fastest messenger hawk in Suna. If they sent him, it was bad. She glanced at Jiraiya. Still as a rock—he hadn't even flinched.
"Send the message for decryption. Now!"
"It's been decrypted, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru said. "I came to tell you the message."
"Well then you're not talking fast enough! Spit it out, boy!" Jiraiya exclaimed, his humorous undertone contradicting Tsunade's mood.
"Two of Suna's shinobi were taken from the border next to Ishi," he said. "Their bodies were not recovered."
"Is it related to Inuzukas' disappearances?"
He nodded. "It appears so… Suna believes that forces have begun to move behind the scenes. We should act immediately."
Damn it. It was just as she feared.
"Shikamaru—was it Iwa?"
She made eye contact with Jiraiya as she said it. They had discussed the issue in private, but she decided it was about time to loop in Konoha's military strategist.
"I'm more inclined to think it's Akatsuki. The organization already has an established agenda, but it's too soon to say exactly who was behind the attack."
"But we don't know if Akatsuki has allies. Is there any evidence to suggest that it wasn't Iwa?" asked Jiraiya.
"Kankuro was with Jonin from Iwa when the news broke. He reports that the Iwa-nin were just as shocked as he was. They claimed to have nothing to do with it. They're conniving by nature, but Kankuro asked them a direct question and they are known to be poor liars."
Tsunade nodded. "Obviously, the best case scenario would be that Iwa intends to fight Akatsuki alongside us," she said. "We would have to let bygones be bygones."
"Affirmative. If Iwa can agree to a Konoha-Suna-Iwa alliance, the middle territories will cave. With a united west front, we can call a summit and more easily secure alliances with the other two kages," Shikamaru said.
"Well, that's putting it simply, but that's the gist of it," Jiraiya agreed. "In the meantime, I'll try to find out more about this Pein I've been hearing so much about."
"Pein?"
"Nothing," Tsunade said, waving her arm to say that the information was on a need-to-know basis. She shot Jiraiya a dirty look for being so casual about it. "Shikamaru—what will your first step be?"
He yawned very loudly and scratched his head.
She had to refrain from shaking him awake. The kid was so freaking lazy.
"It'll be troublesome, but I'll go to Suna and make preparations for a joint military effort."
"Be off within the day, then. This part should be more or less routine for you," Tsunade said.
"Yes, hokage-sama."
"Kakashi should be back soon. When he returns, I'll send a team to gather intel on Iwa."
She had just the team in mind.
"Are you thinking of an evaluation already?" asked Jiraiya, reading her like a book.
Tsunade nodded. "Best to test them them sooner than later."
Shikamaru turned to leave.
"Oh and…Shikamaru?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Say hi to Temari for me."
"Ah—well that's not really… erm—"
"Sakura-sensei, could you please show us one more time?"
So this is what her life had come to. Teaching little brats—enemy brats—the secrets of her ways. She was glad her Akatsuki teammates weren't around otherwise they'd probably judge her for falling so low.
She thought back to how she got suckered into it. Shikamaru left for Suna abruptly, and he asked Princess Tsunade to assign his despicable Genin to Sakura because apparently they liked her that much.
She was left with a note that said she could either accept the task or work out a deal with the Uchiha brat, who happened to be an overachiever and finished all his missions earlier than expected.
She didn't hesitate to choose the former.
"It's like this. Do you guys remember the tree climbing exercise?"
They shook their heads.
Sakura wanted to face palm. What was that pineapple-head doing? Teaching them Shogi?
"Do you guys know how to stick yourselves to... uh," she struggled. "Objects... using chakra?"
Meh. Wasn't graciously put, but good enough.
Mirai was the first to speak. "Yes, sensei. Like this?"
The girl flawlessly picked up a nearby log about the size that would've been good for a substitution jutsu—it was too large for her to wrap a hand around and must've been heavy. It stuck to her hand like glue.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Are Oishi and Tone able to do that too?"
The other two Genin shrugged and took turns demonstrating perfect stickiness.
Sakura examined the log afterwards, observing that there were no signs of wear and tear. The wood was perfectly unharmed.
Her assumption was wrong, it seemed. They weren't playing Shogi all day.
With their level of intuition, the Genin brats were probably allowed to skip right past the tree-climbing exercise.
Now that she thought about it, she'd completed the tree-climbing exercise on her first try and doubted that the Copy Ninja would've made it an entire day's lesson if the Jinchuriki and Uchiha brat had any talent for chakra control.
"Great. The principle behind walking on water is almost the same thing, except this time you're pushing chakra out to stay on top of the water."
The brats looked at her with their little minds spinning.
"But sensei… if it's pretty much the same thing, why did Shika ni-chan wait so long before he told us to learn it?"
"Well, it's harder. You have to constantly adjust the amount of chakra depending on how deep the water is."
Sakura was much older than them when she learned it, but she wasn't about to volunteer that information to the little runts.
"Here—lemme try!"
Oishi quickly stood and took off his shirt. He began to take off his pants when—
"Ow! Mirai what are you doing—"
"What do you think you're doing?!" Mirai asked. "Nobody needs to see that! Keep your pants on! "
"Geez… fine," he grumbled, rubbing his head. "You're such a prude. They're just going to get wet anyway."
Mirai sent him another warning look and Oishi cowered.
He folded his shirt and set his stuff in a neat pile on a boulder.
"Here I go," he announced.
He took one step onto the water and it swallowed him whole.
"Hahahahaha—"
Mirai clutched her stomach, wheezing.
Tone sighed. "Mirai, you shouldn't laugh…"
"I know, sorry. I couldn't help it," she said as she wiped a tear.
Knowing Oishi, it was karmic retribution for something he did earlier that day. "It's a lot harder than it looks!" he shouted while treading water.
With the way he charged at the water, Sakura wasn't surprised.
"Tone—are you ready? Let's do it," Mirai said with a look of determination.
He nodded at her encouragement, and they both took off their forehead protectors and shoes before running to the edge of the water.
Sakura watched as they stopped to meditate for a few seconds, likely visualizing their chakra collecting at their feet.
So far so good.
Mirai opened her eyes first.
She took one step forward and—
Splash.
Into the water she went.
"Ha! See?" Oishi said to his underwater teammate.
Mirai's head emerged with her wet hair clinging to the back of her neck. She shot a mouthful of water into Oishi's face.
"Ew—get it off!"
Sakura's last hope rested on Tone it seemed.
If all three of them had a similar problem, there was probably something fundamentally missing that would require a little more effort for her to address. Shikamaru was getting a great deal out of this. His plan was phenomenal—dump the kids, run off to Suna, and then come back to a powered-up team of Genin without putting in any of the work.
"You can do it, Tone!" said Mirai.
"Just don't screw up, okay? No pressure," Oishi said, still treading water.
Sakura watched as the last one cautiously pressed one foot onto the surface of the water with most of his weight hanging back. When it seemed like his foot was firmly secure, he took another wobbly step forward, both feet hovering above and beneath the surface of the water with unpredictability. It seemed to be working, if he could just get the last bit of balance right…
Sakura watched him gain a bit more confidence. When his body looked like it stabilized above the water, he put his hands on his hips.
"I guess this isn't so—GAH!"
"Whoa—watch it!" Oishi launched himself out of the way.
Splash.
Sakura dropped her head. It looked like she had her work cut out for her. "Just be thankful that we're not at the hot hot springs, otherwise you guys would be cooking."
She would've taken them to the regular stream where most shinobi did their training, but the mid-fall weather was chilly and she didn't want them to catch a cold. Not that she cared—it was more like she didn't want to have to answer to pineapple-head if they all got sick.
"Oi! Sakura!"
Where'd that come from? She scanned the surrounding meadow and the farther away buildings where Konoha's hot springs were located. Finally, her eyes settled on a pair of arms waving in the air.
Even at this distance, the distinct voice of the man was unmistakable. Not like the outfit was doing him any favors to blend in, anyway.
It was the Jinchuriki. And he was with that Sarutobi kid.
What an eye sore. How nice it must've been for a vessel to roam so freely, not knowing that he only belonged in a cage where his existence could actually contribute to something. Seeing him walking around Konoha was just another constant reminder of how she was stuck in the village, doing little to meet her Akatsuki's objectives.
As the two approached, Sakura lamented how she couldn't just write a time and date into a scroll and lure the Jinchuriki out to meet Itachi. He was rarely allowed outside the village without the toad-hermit or Copy Ninja, and the meeting location needed to be far enough from the village otherwise complications would arise.
She was feeling antsier with every week that best case scenario would be if Team 7 were sent on a diplomatic mission, soon. Something easy and non-threatening, like a delivery or escort. That way, maybe Princess would let him out with just the three of them.
"Naruto, hey!" she said with her most cheerful expression.
At least she could celebrate the progress she'd made so far. She'd gotten good at faking her friendliness, and all her "friends" were none the wiser. She also stopped accidentally calling the blonde "Jinchuriki"—she patted herself on the back for that.
"Are you guys relaxing? A bath sure sounds nice right now," the blonde said to her.
"Naruto ni-chan, it looks like they're doing some training."
At that moment, they both grinned, and Sakura knew for a fact that she was in for it.
"Let's go see if we can give them some tips," the blonde said, rubbing his nose with a smug grin.
Konohamaru chortled and followed along.
"Hey you two," Sakura interjected, trying to stop them. "Wait a second—"
It was too late.
Oh no.
"Hey Mirai!"
"Oh hey, cousin Konohamaru!"
She watched the two men insert themselves into her lesson, crouching and examining the little chakra-feet of the Genin brats as they repeatedly tried walking and then kerplunking into the water.
"Mhm... mhm, I see," said the Jinchuriki as he nodded and rubbed his chin scientifically. "Well, what you need to do is…how can I put this…it's really easy if you can…"
Sakura's eyebrow twitched.
"The best way to do it is imagine you want to fly, and push out chakra from your feet like you're on a rocket," the blonde said.
He was talking out of his ass. With that type of thinking, a shinobi would designate all their chakra to standing. It was so stup—
"Stupendous, Naruto ni-chan! I totally get what you're saying," Konohamaru said, nodding along enthusiastically.
"Really...so that's how you do it..." Oishi said. He looked like he was deep in thought, like the blonde had said something philosophical. Slowly, he got out of the water and stood next to the blonde and Konohamaru, shooting them a cheesy grin. "Sounds awesome!"
Of course Oishi would be the first to fall victim to the blonde and his sidekick's antics. Three peas in a pod.
Tone and Mirai looked at each other doubtfully.
The girl began to whisper, "somehow I don't think that's—"
"Correct," said the Jinchuriki. "That's exactly how you do it."
That's exactly how you leak chakra and die in battle, Sakura thought to herself.
"Oi! Sasuke! Stop lurking like a creep and come over here for a second!"
Sakura screamed in her head. It was bad enough that her lesson was hijacked by dumb and dumber. Just when things couldn't get any worse—
"Who's that?" Tone asked.
"I don't know but he's… so handsome," Mirai said, blushing, practically with hearts in her eyes.
No. No. No.
Tone looked from Mirai to the Uchiha brat and then back to her again, scoffing. "He's nothing special," he muttered. "I don't see what the big deal is…"
"Me neither, kid. Me neither," Sakura grumbled to herself.
The Jinchuriki waited for the Uchiha brat to near, which he did apathetically with a hand resting on his sword.
"Anosa! Sasuke, we never had a chance to learn this exercise together," he said. "I'm teaching them how to walk on water. I said they need to think of themselves like a rocket."
Sakura twitched. He was teaching the kids? Wasn't it supposed to be her? She felt a headache coming.
The Uchiha brat smirked. "Naruto, you're the only one who can think of it like that because you have limitless chakra."
And there emerged a familiar competitive look. "Well then, Sasuke, how would you say it?"
"Think of the chakra as a platform underneath each foot, acting as a barrier between you and the water. The deeper the water, the more dense your chakra has to be."
Well… Sakura thought, it wasn't exactly like that, but it was a lot more accurate than the Jinchuriki's theory.
The blonde scrunched his nose like he smelled something fishy. "That sounds like a load of mumbo-jumbo bologna."
"Yeah… I have a funny feeling about that," Konohamaru added.
He was the perfect henchman, really.
"Just because you don't understand doesn't mean it's not real," the Uchiha brat retorted.
"Don't get all cocky bastard—"
"Wait—I understand it!" Mirai said, enthusiastically getting out of the water to stand next to her crush. When he looked at her, her voice became shy. "I mean… I think I get it…"
Tone and Oishi both glared.
Suddenly the Jinchuriki's eyes lit up. "I have an idea! Why don't we see who's method works the best? A little team 7 competition," he said.
Now that was going too far. Sakura began to protest. "Absolutely n—"
"Yeah!" all three Genin shouted at once.
She wanted to tell the Jinchuriki and Uchiha brat off for interfering with her day.
No—her life.
"What's your secret, Sakura-sensei?" Tone asked as he got out of the water.
Sakura inwardly groaned. Mirai and Oishi's eyes were already gleaming with enthusiasm, and her Team 7 mates were looking at her expectantly. Backing out now would just cause a ruckus.
Oh, for the love of god.
"Come here, Tone. I'll tell you in secret," Sakura said as she bent down to his level. "You and the water are two magnets," she whispered. "Your chakra should repel the water. The deeper the water, the less effort you need."
Tone's eyes got wide as the sudden revelation clicked.
"Ready teams," the Jinchuriki shouted.
All three Genin lined up in front of the water, prepared.
"Ready… set… go!"
They took off running.
Unknown
Hidden in the leaves, he watched the chaos ensue.
It was always a pleasure to observe people when they didn't know they were being watched. It was much more natural this way.
He'd been waiting for a chance for days.
They were all together now, in one place at the same time. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke...
Smiling, laughing, candid.
The perfect setup.
Yes…
It was time.
A swift movement scared a flock of birds from the trees, sending ruffled feathers and wings flapping in every direction.
Sakura jerked her head towards the disturbance.
Everyone else must've felt it too.
Something in her peripheral vision flickered. She only caught a glimpse before it disappeared again.
It was so fast—she could only catch the tail of a shadow each time it moved—
There it was again.
And gone.
She could've sworn it was moving closer.
Another flicker.
Closer.
Suddenly, something slimy looking flung itself from the grass and aimed at her neck—
An enemy?!
Sakura was about to scream when a blurry flash of black and red whizzed by her.
She hadn't even had time to blink before she heard the swish of a blade cutting into tissue. A moment later, two halves of a snake fell limply onto the grass just beside her.
"S-so fast… " she heard Konohamaru whisper from behind her.
Neither of the other two Jonin managed to form a single hand sign. Sakura hadn't even moved to grab a weapon from inside her pouch. Yet, somehow the Uchiha brat had managed to unsheathe his blade and slice their enemy in two in the time it took everyone else to register what happened. He now stood next to her, his eyes on high alert.
The air became swollen with anticipation.
Sakura rapidly scanned their surroundings, this time prepared with a kunai in her hand.
What was happening? It was unlikely that a snake planned the attack all by itself.
It was too quiet.
Something by her foot caught her eye—it was gross and messy and black, and splattered all over the place, covering some of her toes and sandals with stickiness.
Wait.
Paint?
That meant—
A figure zoomed out from the trees and tackled the Uchiha brat to the ground, marginally missing Sakura by centimeters.
The two tumbled and tumbled, grunting and wrestling with all of their might, smudges of green grass and ink and dirt ruining their clothes.
"Sai! What the hell are you doing?!" the Jinchuriki shouted.
Sakura's mouth fell agape—she couldn't believe her luck. It was the pale one... and he was trying to kill the Uchiha.
"Ninpō: Chōjū Giga!"
Sai's brush sopped with fresh black ink—Sakura hadn't even seen him pull it out—and in one smooth motion, it spilled intricate curves and swirls onto a blank scroll being pulled through the air. Six lion heads came roaring to life as they swarmed out of the paper in a tangled flurry, snarling and materializing on the grass.
Three of the beasts charged forward with a direct attack while the rest circled around back, enclosing the Uchiha brat in an inescapable circle.
Sai pulled out his scroll once again, and in rapid succession, stripes of ink flew onto the paper.
"Ninpō: Chōjū Giga."
Three slithery snakes followed suit, weaving through the grass with phenomenal speed.
"What the fuck?" the Uchiha brat raged as he narrowly dodged one of the beasts. Sharp jagged teeth clamped down on his sword and he clenched his jaw as he swiveled his grip, sending the sharp blade slashing through the beast's mouth.
Ink splattered in all directions again, dotting their faces and clothes and making a mess in the air before loose droplets fell to the ground.
"Not yet..." Sai formed his hand seal and commanded the snakes, unwilling to allow the Uchiha one second of rest. "You're not escaping—"
His opponent cursed, leaping out of the way as another beast surged forward with a roar, followed by a slithery slime ball of a snake or two.
Sakura could barely keep up. She only knew that she wished the damned Uchiha brat would get caught and die already.
One of the snakes creeped up behind him, slithering its way through the chaos and aiming for a ripe ankle. A second beast circled around and Sakura realized that the lions were only a diversion—and a good one at that—so that the snakes could work their magic.
There— it had him!
"Sasuke! Behind you!"
The snake bit into a whole lot of nothing as it coiled around itself so tightly that it burst from its own pressure.
Sakura cursed and sent a glare at the Jinchuriki for ruining the moment.
"You two! Cut it out!" the Jinchuriki called, both hands pulling at his hair tightly. "Ah—what the hell do I do?!"
The Uchiha transported himself behind Sai. "We're done here," he said as he plunged his sword into his victim's chest.
"No—Sai! Someone help!" the Jinchuriki dashed forward to catch his mortally wounded teammate, who by this point gushed a sticky fluid which oozed out of the torn fabric at his chest. "Sasuke… what have you done?!"
Well then. Not the exact ending Sakura hoped for, but she'd take it—at least she had one less Konoha shinobi to worry about.
The Uchiha brat stood with no expression. "It's a clone."
A what?
Sai's body began to melt, and within a few seconds a puddle of black ink lay where he once was.
The Uchiha's eyes wandered in all directions until they landed on Sakura for the first time since they were attacked. Then she suddenly felt a little self conscious, wondering if she should do something to cover herself because through the intense gaze of his Sharingan he had the ability to see everything—like... everything.
Wait—
She shook the dirty thought. Where'd that come from?
"Sakura-sensei!" she heard her Genin yell. "Behind you!"
She felt a shadow breeze by her. It was Sai.
It looked like she was next.
But instead of aiming for her like he thought she would, Sai leapt over her shoulder and lunged at the Uchiha brat again, full throttle.
Sai! Stop attacking Sasuke!" she heard the Jinchuriki yell.
"Chidori Nagashi!"
Sakura jumped backwards to avoid the explosion of current. Sai was thrown backwards, static electricity sparking over his body. He landed with a thud on the ground, grimacing from the pain.
Sakura looked back at the Genin. Their bodies were tense, like they wanted to help or see if she was okay. They, like the Jinchuriki, were probably at a loss of what to do or who to help. The situation didn't make clear who was in need of greater help. Or, in her mind, which one she preferred to die first.
"I'll be okay. Stay back," she said to them. It would just be troublesome if they got involved.
"Sasuke! Watch out!" the Jinchuriki warned.
Sakura missed what happened. By the time she looked back at the brawling men, they were leaning into each other, face to face, both their hands occupied with one sword and the other's wrist.
"Was that… the correct defense, Sasuke-kun?" Sai asked. His tone sounded mocking, but she couldn't be sure.
The Uchiha brat narrowed his eyebrows. "What's your problem?"
Sakura could make out purple and blue veins in their forearms as they both struggled to hold the stance. They were well-matched, at an impasse, each equally struggling to hold the stance.
Naruto and Konohamaru appeared behind each of the two, restraining both comrades with their arms looped underneath their armpits.
"That's enough, you guys."
"Sai. Explain yourself," the younger one commanded.
Both of the men were released from their friends' grips.
Sai met the rest of the team's expressions with cluelessness."I feel much closer to Sasuke now. To make friends quickly with someone who is quite different from you, one must break their ice." He wore a smile like it was a beard he'd spent months trying to grow, cheerful and proud.
Sakura now realized that it wasn't a real assassination attempt, and that meant the fun was officially over.
Everyone else blinked in confusion.
"Break their ice?" the Jinchuriki asked.
Sai thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No—break the ice. That's the right phrase," he said with a thumbs up.
"By attacking me?" The Uchiha brat looked like he wanted to hook and jab the pale one in the face.
"It is said that the line between attacking and roughhousing can be quite nonexistent."
"And your objective was to befriend me?"
"Yes," Sai said, matter-of-fact. "Couldn't you tell? I took great care into my preparations for it."
The Jinchuriki's head dropped. "No, I think you took it a little far…"
"Come to think of it," Sai said as he put a hand on his chin, "my actions would not have been much different if I was trying to kill somebody, I suppose."
The Jinchuriki smacked his own forehead.
"Perhaps I will find another way to move you," Sai said to the Uchiha brat.
"Huh? Move?" asked Konohamaru.
Sai nodded. "Move. To evoke an emotional effect; to touch one's heart by words or action."
Sakura sighed. Sai memorized that definition from a textbook a long time ago, which is why he recited it so awkwardly. For a period of time, Sai's whole thing was going around town "moving" all their colleagues.
"Sakura, you recall being moved by me a number of times, right?" Sai took a step forward, reaching to ruffle the hair on her head.
The Uchiha visibly tensed.
Noticing this too, Sai withdrew his arm and met the glare of swirling Sharingan eyes.
"Do you not like it when I touch Sakura?"
She saw Konohamaru stifle a laugh, and cringed. Why did Sai have to make things so awkward?
The Uchiha brat diverted his eyes elsewhere. "Matters like that are not my business," he replied.
Sai blinked, clearly confused.
Sakura refrained from saying or doing even one thing for fear that it would only call more attention to the mortifying moment. Please don't say anything else, she begged Sai silently.
"Could this be one of those moments where we say the opposite of how we feel?" he asked.
The man couldn't read a fucking room.
"Sai, I said not to follow those books!" the Jinchuriki exclaimed, exasperated.
"I made a special exception," Sai replied, nodding between the blonde and raven-haired man as he formed a hand sign. "This learning experience will definitely go into my notebook. I hope to form bonds with you soon, Sasuke."
The Uchiha only stared back.
"Wait Sai! Where are you—"
Poof.
He was gone.
"It's okay, everything's fine!" the Jinchuriki shouted loudly, with a panicked tone, as he waved his hands so that the kids could be put at ease. "Sai did the same thing to me when we first met!"
The Genin brats cautiously cast one more glance at Sakura before resuming their training.
"That was… odd..." Konohamaru said to no one in particular. "He keeps a notebook for this kind of stuff? And why did it seem like he was trying to kill Sasuke more than anything else?"
"Who knows with that guy," the Jinchuriki said.
Sakura took a mental note that the pale one appeared to be more involved with the Team 7 situation than she previously thought—she'd have to be careful. He was a complete wildcard because he was so hard to read.
"Your team is just, so weird," Konohamaru said, this time directly to the Jinchuriki.
The blonde groaned, then held a hand up as if now he was the one with the headache. "I know—just… don't."
"Okay!" Oishi leaped up from where he laid with one finger pointed up in the air. "I'll get it the next time," he announced.
When he stood, his body wavered. His eyelids fluttered.
Shit—
Sakura rushed forward, but by then it was already too late. The Uchiha had appeared in front of Oishi, allowing the kid to collapse forward over his shoulder. Curse his reflexes—he was faster than her every damn time.
Sakura saw the Jinchuriki slump his shoulders forward, sulking. His Genin was out of chakra and exhausted, which meant he lost the competition.
"Can you still keep going?" Tone asked Mirai.
She shook her head. "Probably not. I'm tired. What about you?
"I feel..." Tone began, glancing at Sakura. "I feel... great," he marveled, as if he was surprised at his own triumph.
"It's an important lesson. Eventually, standing on water will become just a reflex."
"Thank you, Sakura-sensei. We'll continue working on it tomorrow by ourselves," Mirai said.
"Anyways, let's get Oishi home," Tone said.
"I'll help. It's in the direction I'm headed."
Sakura saw Mirai blush at the fact that her crush just volunteered to take them home, and rolled her eyes. So he was being manipulative now—using cheap tricks on kids to win back the village?
The Uchiha brat met her eyes with an expression she didn't recognize.
Great. Now what was he looking at? He might be able to get reactions out of little twelve year olds, but not her. Not today. In fact, if Sakura could help it, not ever.
Don't fucking blush. Whatever it takes, don't fucking blush, she told herself repeatedly.
"Mister—we don't need help," Tone began to protest.
"Shut up Tone," Mirai said. "We totally do."
Tone looked between his blushing teammate and the Uchiha brat again, eyes narrowed. When he realized that he'd have to fight Mirai over it, he gave up, and with a reluctant sigh, allowed the man to piggyback Oishi.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted", the Jinchuriki said as he saluted their departing teammate. "I'm surprised Sasuke offered to take them home. That bastard has come a long way."
It was still mid-afternoon when they finished, and the sun was barely coming down from its highest point in the clear sky.
"Want me to walk you home?" he asked.
Just then, something in the back of Sakura's mind nagged her to remember something—a fleeting inkling that she had a point to make or was supposed to mention something.
"Sure," she replied. Hopefully she'd remember it along the way. It would just bother her otherwise.
His face lit up at her response. He'd been awfully easy to please lately.
Like always, they started the walk home in silence.
Unfortunately, the peace didn't last.
"You know, I've been trying some new ramen recipes in between my missions..."
Of all things.
"There's just the one part of the broth that I can't figure out. It's supposed to be a mixture of pork bones with chicken, but it's just not thickening enough."
Sakura nodded along, trying to seem interested.
"I'm afraid to let it simmer too long, it'll taste old. But maybe that's why it's so thin? It needs to be simmered longer? How does old man Ichiraku do it? He makes it perfectly every time..."
Oh my god, she thought. He's going to talk the entire way isn't he?
"I can't put my finger on it. Sakura, maybe you could try it. In fact, how about tonight—"
Finger. Hinata and her annoying fingers.
"Naruto," Sakura cut him off. "I have something to ask you. It's about a date."
He snapped out of his monologue and looked at her with what looked like his utmost focus. "A date?"
She couldn't believe that she was troubling herself with this, but it would get Hinata and Ino off her back for good. "You and Hinata. How about tonight?"
He blinked.
"Oh… "
Oh?
What kind of an answer was that?
"Hinata likes you," Sakura said.
"Yeah, I know…"
"Well?"
"It's just… "
Hyuga royalty was throwing itself at the nameless Jinchuriki and yet he had to think about it? Was he blind? In what world would any guy hesitate to go out with that? Sakura wanted to shake the man. He had only a few weeks to live!
"I've got… things I need to do," he said slowly.
"Things?"
He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Weren't you just telling me that you wanted to cook ramen tonight? Why don't you ask Hinata to come over? It's perfect," Sakura pressed.
He dropped his head and stared at the ground as they continued to walk. Sakura could see thoughts swirling in his bright blue eyes as he tried to formulate a response. "To be frank… she kind of weirds me out," he said quietly.
It was Sakura's turn to blink.
"I mean—don't get me wrong, she's beautiful, and has a good heart too…" he said carefully. "It's just. I can't really talk to her because she gets so nervous, and we have nothing in common. It's awkward."
Sakura was about to chastise him, but stopped to think. He had a point. Even when Hinata just talked about him, she fainted.
"I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings…" he continued.
She watched him stare at the ground and realized that he actually seemed pretty saddened by the fact that he would have to disappoint someone. But what was she supposed to tell the woman now? 'He said no?' She would probably be humiliated and explode into a billion particles, and Sakura would have to clean up the mess. He should just tell her himself.
"Have you ever told her? She deserves an answer."
"No—how can I? I can barely say hello. We don't talk," he said. "Why does she even like me so much?"
Oy vey. Sakura felt her second headache of the day coming.
"Okay, okay. I'll let her know you're not available for a date," she said begrudgingly. "But you better tell her if she tries to talk to you."
If the Hyuuga woman wanted to know why, Sakura would tell her to ask the blonde herself. She didn't need to be the middleman on this.
The two of them got quiet again, letting their footsteps fill the awkward silence.
"Sakura—how about it? Do you want to come over for ramen later?"
She inwardly groaned.
"I can't—"
"Oh come on. Please? It'll be our date," he said, laughing and sticking his tongue at her.
"Naruto!"
"Ow! Sakura!"
To be continued...