Ch: 10 Practice Makes Perfect
"It's already lunch and none of you have a bell yet," Kakashi said.
Not that they were supposed to be able to get one—that wasn't the real test.
"Well, I'll give you another chance. If you accept, eat your lunch and we'll continue after. Don't let Naruto have any." His shadow towered over them, giving his intimidation tactic a good effect. "I am the law here. Understand?"
The two academy graduates nodded meekly as they sat on both sides of the log with Naruto strapped to it.
"Good."
Kakashi acted like he left them to grab his own lunch.
He'd purposefully subjugated them. Like all the previous academy graduates sent to him, they'd follow the rules and be sent back. It was only a matter of time.
He hid behind the trees and watched.
Naruto looked starved and miserable. He watched Sakura and Sasuke as they looked at their bentos, probably also starving. Sakura reached to pick up her fork and prepared to take a bite.
Kakashi sighed.
He was about to step out and break the news that they'd failed when—
"Naruto, here." Sakura held out her bento. "Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat. I'm on a diet… I mean—I just eat less than Sasuke."
"Hurry up," Sasuke whispered as his eyes scanned the field. "We don't know when he'll be back."
Kakashi thought of Obito as he watched his new Genin team break all the rules.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
One million times, yes.
"You're sure you're up for leading...?" the Princess asked Sakura with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, shishou. Iwa is farther than most missions call for, but I'm well rested and can handle it."
Just as smooth as she'd practiced—not too eager, guided by logic.
"Jiraiya is leaving for Ame in three days. We hoped to deploy his and Team 7's mission concurrently."
Sakura nodded energetically. It would be even better if the Legendary Sannin was out of her hair.
Finally, the perfect mission had arrived, after many weeks of slow, grueling busywork. It was so perfect that Akatsuki could probably take the Jinchuriki in as little as three days. Sakura would need to tell Itachi to make preparations.
"I was originally planning to send Kakashi or Yamato to lead Team 7 in a four-man squad instead of three. I still think it could be a good idea, if Shikamaru finds evidence that Iwa is working against us..."
No. Please, she thought. Either of those two Jonin in particular would be the worst for Akatsuki to deal with. She needed to get the Jinchuriki alone or as alone as possible.
"Shishou, I am skilled and experienced enough—"
"Tch! It's not that, Sakura," the Princess interrupted.
Based on the irritated expression on the older woman's face, Sakura had to tread carefully.
"This time it's different. Sasuke is still unpredictable—we don't know what he's capable of."
Ah, yes. The Uchiha brat. The thorn at her side, ruining her life even when he wasn't around.
"But on the other hand... I guess testing Sasuke is now or never. The village needs this to be done and it's not like we'll ever find a better time to test him," the Princess continued.
It was smarter to just shut up and let the woman talk herself into it. Without so much as another peep, Sakura waited in front of the Hokage's desk, trying to stop her fingers and toes from fidgeting as the older woman debated with herself outloud.
"Okay. I've decided to move forward with the original plan."
Original plan?
"You are approved to lead Sasuke and Naruto to Iwa on the condition that everyone passes the evaluation. Kakashi! Get in here!"
Sakura heard a muffled voice behind the door and jumped—she hadn't even sensed him. Damn it, she was getting soft.
"Yes, yes, I'm here." he said, poking his head into the room before stalking in casually. He threw up another one of his greetings as he bookmarked a page in his book and put it in his back pocket.
"Evaluation?" Sakura asked out loud.
Tsunade nodded to Kakashi, turning their attention to him.
"Well Sakura, let's just say that if you want a chance to lead Team 7… you'll want to keep your bell."
The Jinchuriki kept his hands in his jacket pockets as he scuffed his sandals against a patch of dirt. "What do you think it'll be, Sasuke? A test of strength? Speed? Taijutsu? Or maybe a competition to see who's jutsu is the coolest?"
The Uchiha brat leaned on the wooden stump next to him.
The early morning air was getting chiller and chiller, pulling the Fire Country through mid-fall and towards a cold winter. Sakura had to make sure they passed the test today if it was the last thing she did. Leader's deadline was fast-approaching, and the darkening weather only served as a stark reminder that she'd been slacking.
"Yo!" the Copy Ninja said as he appeared in a puff of smoke, his hand in the air apologetically.
"Don't act so casual! You're more than thirty minutes late," accused the Jinchuriki, pointing his finger.
"Well you see..." the man began, "I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."
"That's not going to work! I don't think you're cool anymore!"
Sakura heard the Copy Ninja mutter something resembling self-pitying as his head dropped.
"Kakashi," Uchiha brat interrupted. "What's the exercise for today?"
"Sasuke, always so impatient," the man chided. "You three are being asked to go on a mission. But I have to make sure you're all prepared."
The three of them lined up as they eyed him thoughtfully.
"This time it's totally different," he said holding up four bells. "Everyone gets one of these. Sakura and Sasuke will have red. Naruto and I will have green. The first team to get one bell of the opposite color wins."
Naturally, Sakura was being paired with her least favorite. Wait a minute—two versus two?
"How will you judge if we will pass as Team 7? The three of us are not on the same team," she asked, not sure what her best play was.
"I knew you'd be the one to ask," replied her former sensei. "That's for me to know," he said with a wink, smiling under his mask.
It looked like she wouldn't be able to hack her way to victory, then. Sakura positioned herself next to the Uchiha brat, watching both of her opponents carefully.
"Sasuke, you can bet that I'm going for you," said the blonde from the opposite side.
"If you think you can keep up."
"Begin!"
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The Jinchuriki multiplied himself into four copies, each of which threw diversionary kunai. The Copy Ninja transported himself behind them, forcing Sakura and the Uchiha brat into a vulnerable position sandwiched between opponents.
Sakura hit the ground with her fist. The ground shook as large rocks and frenzied bits flew through the air.
The Uchiha brat covered her, blocking the incoming kunai with his own. She watched him pull a bundle of wire string from his pouch. He put it between his teeth and yanked, sending a high-pitched squeaking noise as the wire was held taut.
More shuriken flew at them. Her teammate cocked his head to the side just as one breezed past, and Sakura caught it mid-air behind him. She sent it flying back to the Jinchuriki as the Uchiha brat bound the wire strings to his own shuriken, throwing all of them at once.
The Jinchuriki dodged the projectiles but was not so lucky with the wire strings. By the time he even noticed, it was too late.
The Uchiha brat pulled.
"Ah! Damn it!" Their blonde colleague fell onto the grass, squirming with his arms bound to his sides.
Her partner pulled on the wire string harder, dragging the Jinchuriki forward. "Katon: Taika no Jutsu!"
The Copy Ninja dashed towards them. "Naruto! How did that work on you?!" the older man shouted in disbelief, sending his own water release technique just in time to block the incoming flames.
"I don't know!" the blonde cried. "Just untangle me!"
Sakura sent the last of her kunai flying. Her coordinated attack with the Uchiha brat forced the green team backwards to a defensive stance.
After a moment of collection, the Jinchuriki came running towards them, colliding with his rival kunai to kunai. When the Uchiha's was forced from his grip, they began to throw taijutsu combos. Signs of competitiveness took over.
She wouldn't have to worry about the Jinchuriki anytime soon. That left just one opponent—
Sakura jumped out of the way, ducking the Copy Ninja's opportunist swing at her blind spot just in time. When she whipped around, all she saw were trees and an empty clearing.
The sky went dark. She jerked her head upwards, where he came down with full force. She narrowly rolled out of the way as his foot crashed into the ground.
Needing to create some distance between them, Sakura gathered a small amount of chakra into her foot for a roundhouse kick, hitting him in the arm and throwing him sideways. But she was shocked to feel that his arm felt like a rock. The next second later, a puff of smoke revealed a replacement jutsu.
The oldest trick in the book.
Above?
Not this time, as she only saw the open sky above her.
Behind?
She scanned the perimeter, but he was nowhere to be found.
In the distance, she heard what must've been one hundred copies of the Jinchuriki taking their shots at the Uchiha brat, who used Chidori Senbon to eliminate tens all at once. Unlike when they were little, where she would've heard the Jinchuriki's helpless screams after walking into obvious traps set by their sensei, Sakura's standoff with the older shinobi was quiet. And long.
Then she heard it—water. Lots of it.
"Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!"
An aqua-born head surged at her from behind the trees, scaring her shitless as it swirled into its full-bodied formation of a giant shark.
The wide-open jaws of her predator closed in on her with each jagged tooth the size of her hand, and she was thankful that she'd seen Kisame's jutsu before otherwise she wouldn't know what to expect.
It wouldn't go away unless she either forced the Copy Ninja to break concentration or until she blasted the thing into a useless puddle.
The Copy Ninja was nowhere to be seen, but he had to be close. She'd have to dance with the shark until then.
With a long and powerful swoop, the shark caved in to where Sakura stood. She didn't move, instead waiting an extra second as if she'd been caught off guard. It took the bait, and at the last minute she disappeared and gave it a good chunk of air.
As the shark pivoted to her new location, a shadow moved behind the trees in the distance.
There!
She dashed to the part of the forest where she now knew the Copy Ninja was controlling the shark from.
Channeling chakra to her arms, she wrapped both of her arms around the tree by her side and uprooted its entire 30-foot trunk. With as much speed as she could, she swung it like a bat until it collided into the shark, sending an explosion of water droplets into a pool of water on the grass.
Next would be the Copy Ninja.
Certain of herself, she lifted the trunk again until it was almost perpendicular to the ground and, using all of her strength and the momentum of its weight, prepared to slam it into the section of trees where the Copy Ninja hid.
Mid-swing, her confidence waned.
The Copy Ninja appeared in front of her eyes with a grin under his mask, sporting a look that said he got her good.
She wouldn't have enough time to empty her arms and dodge him at the same time. As the tree hit the ground, she grimaced with her eyes closed, waiting to feel a blow.
She could kiss her bell goodbye.
She felt a gust of cold wind as the air around her went into a flurry, sending the strands of her short hair into a hurricane.
…
A moment later, still, she didn't feel the bell being taken from her.
Warm hands wrapped around her waist and something pressed against her back.
"How many times am I going to catch you off guard…?" a low voice murmured so close that she could feel hot breath on her ear.
That wasn't the Copy Ninja.
It was him.
A shiver rippled down her spine. A flutter in her stomach—
Fuck. This.
"Shannaro!"
Sakura whirled around and angrily sent a kick into the air, determined to shatter the body of the man behind her. She'd put up with him for weeks and she was fucking done.
The Uchiha brat only gave a light chuckle as he backed off, if ever such a thing as a chuckling Uchiha existed.
"Is that a 'thank you' for saving your bell?" he asked as he dodged another one of her kicks. She heard his bell by his waistband, indicating that at least both of them still had them.
"Shut. Up!" she grunted and continued to throw punches, closing in on him without holding back.
The fact that he could take her attacks so lightly without Sharingan made her even more angry. She punched harder, not caring that she was getting out of breath.
"You look upset," he said as he continued to duck and dodge.
She threw another punch that went past his head, but this time he made a fatal mistake when he caught her forearm.
She smirked as he winced. He probably caught the tail end of her chakra, which most likely sent a crack in a bone in his hand even if it wasn't as direct as catching a punch.
"That hurts," he said as he glared at her through a tense jaw.
"Then maybe you should let go," she retorted, emphasizing the last two words.
His eyebrows furrowed and created a wrinkle on his stupidly perfect-clear forehead.
"What's your problem?" he said, not letting go. "Why're you fighting me?"
"Because you piss me off."
The man in front of her was a far cry from the adorable bug-eyed and chubby-cheeked protégée that sent academy girls swooning. Whatever she felt for him when they were Genin, she'd never understand about herself—she couldn't stand him now.
Sakura realized that next to the spot on her forearm where he was gripping her, the Uchiha brat was holding a second bell—green. He must have gotten it from Naruto. Did that mean they won?
"I was trying to help you," he said.
She tried to shake his grip off her but he held it still stubbornly. "You've been uncharacteristically friendly these days," she said bitterly.
"You never had a problem with it until now. Is it because I make you uncomfortable?" His lip tugged upwards lightly, and it was clear that he wanted her to admit that he did.
Not going to happen.
"Like hell," Sakura bit back.
"Oi! Sakura! Wrong person!"
When she looked in the direction of the voice, she realized that they were far from their original spot, now positioned across the stream where she last fought the Copy Ninja's water jutsu. She'd been transported involuntarily, courtesy of the asshole in front of her.
Seething while the Copy Ninja and Jinchuriki jumped and headed in their direction, she sent him one last glare.
"Don't touch me again," she hissed as she snatched her arm away from him.
"I won't have to if you pay more attention to your surroundings."
"I handle myself just fine."
He looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. "You almost lost your bell."
"Mind your own fucking business," Sakura snapped. "I never asked for you to butt in."
Any semblance of amusement left his face. "What is up with you, Sakura? Is it so hard to say a simple thank you?"
"I'm not fucking thanking you. I wish you never came back to Konoha. That's what's up with me."
He was taken aback. A look of hurt betrayed his eyes, but then his face hardened and he clenched his fists. "Fine, then. Next time I'll just let you get fucked."
That was it. She could care less if she killed him now.
She hurled herself forward and tackled. They fell onto the floor with her straddling him, and she collected chakra at her knees to anchor herself at his sides so that he couldn't escape from under her. She collected all the strength she could muster in one arm and punched.
Black hair swished sideways as her fist came down, and she felt hard earth against her knuckles. The force of the impact created a crater that sent the both of them lower into the earth.
She punched again and cursed when the Uchiha brat jerked his head to the other side.
"Why're you acting like such a bitch?!" he shouted from underneath her.
Third time's the charm.
As her fist came down again, the world was suddenly flipped upside-down as she felt herself being thrown over his head.
Sakura reached one hand up to find the ground while she was still in the air, and managed to push off just in time to land on her feet. But as soon as she did, the breath was knocked out of her lungs as she felt the full weight of his body crashing into her, the back of her head hitting the ground as they fell.
He was on top now, with his hands pinning her shoulders.
He looked pissed for real. But so was she.
"Fuck you, Sasuke. Get off of me."
"Apologize. Now."
She laughed darkly. "What for? That's how I feel."
The look on his face told her that she had him. He couldn't tell her not to feel a certain way, and he didn't know what to do about it.
She couldn't stop herself from adding fuel to the fire, the next words spilling from her mouth. "You only came back because you're a failure," she spat. "You couldn't even manage to kill your broth–"
She stopped herself.
That was too far.
At first, his eyes only locked onto her, capturing everything from the top of her matted hair to every rise and fall of her chest. Then, as if the words began to sink in, as his mind came to a full comprehension and what she'd just said, his eyes flashed blood, killing intent rising with the intensity of the red.
He stared and stared and stared, like he was about to snap at any second.
Sakura writhed, feeling uncomfortable familiarity at the memory of the last time she was pinned underneath a teammate in such a vulnerable position.
Genuine fear of what he'd do next and anxiousness assembled within her.
She'd have to do something first or she'd be dead meat. With her shoulders still pinned, she stretched a couple fingers around one of his wrists—the angle was too awkward to get a full grasp.
She clamped down with her fingertips.
The Uchiha brat swore when she pushed on the fracture he received earlier.
The pressure on her shoulders disappeared.
"Now I'm in a real fucking bad mood."
His fist came falling down.
Sakura thrashed her legs in a panic knowing he had every intention to make her pay. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Sasuke! Stop!"
Hands shot out from nowhere.
The Copy Ninja and Jinchuriki came to her rescue, pulling the Uchiha brat off of her at the last moment.
"You two are supposed to be a team," the Copy Ninja said sternly.
"Tell that to her," he said as he shoved them off of him.
"It doesn't matter, Sasuke. In the end we had to pull you off."
"I saved her and she…"
He looked up at the Copy Ninja, who looked a bit disappointed. He sent Sakura a last glare before shoving his hands in his pockets. "Forget it. I shouldn't have done that," he muttered as he stormed off.
"Sasuke—" The Jinchuriki ran after him, looking defeated. Blood was splattered all over the front of his shirt and his nose looked broken, and he was missing a bell, but that didn't seem to bother him.
"Sakura, are you okay?" The Copy Ninja asked.
Was she? The Uchiha brat hadn't done any lasting damage, and she wasn't in a comatose state, so… she guessed she had to be okay.
All she could do was nod.
Her team had won, like the Copy Ninja advised.
"I'm sorry Sakura, but I'll leave Sasuke to Naruto. I have to report to Hokage-sama right away," the Copy Ninja said. He hesitated for a second, his eyes flickering to the bell still fastened at her waist before he disappeared.
She couldn't waste time now.
She still had her bell. And the Uchiha brat did too. Not only that—they had gotten a green bell.
That meant despite whatever happened, the mission was on.
Itachi,
It's time. Meet us on the border of Fire Country near Iwa in three days. I will be accompanied by the Jinchuriki and your brother.
The exact time and location is forthcoming. Stay alert.
-Sakura
Again, the words disappeared as she wrote them. A drop of water fell from her hair onto the blank paper and Sakura quickly wiped it away with her hand so that it wouldn't the nice paper wouldn't crinkle when it dried.
That was a wrap. Now, she just had to lead the Jinchuriki into the ambush.
She stood in her towel, freshly showered, lotioned, and with her chest wrapped in new bandages.
She hadn't received official word yet from the Hokage, but it was probably just a matter of paperwork and bureaucracy with the Uchiha brat. They'd leave the day before Jiraiya, in two days.
Not only would this mission bring the new world to all shinobi, but it was also the beginning of a new life for Sakura.
She walked over to her wall and took out the photograph of her parents, sliding it carefully inside her bingo book so that it would stay crisp.
Sakura would probably never return to this miserable place.
There was no need to pack much—just enough for one night or maybe two, until she returned to Akatsuki's base. She collected one extra set of her sleeveless red mini dress with spandex shorts just in case. She'd wear her knee-high boots, which would leave her thighs exposed, but she had her white winter cloak to shield her from the biting cold no matter what land she'd travel.
She ran to her bathroom for the essentials and then to the bare kitchen to concoct a last-minute herbs and supplements kit with some dried packaged food. She also remembered to pad her side pouch with the rest of her money hidden inside her empty refrigerator.
Just then, she heard a knock at the door.
She hadn't felt any chakra. Was it the Copy Ninja?
She hesitantly opened the door, only to see that a box had been placed on the doorstep with a small note attached to the top.
It had the Hyuga emblem on it.
Sakura-chan:
I hope you accept this gift—it was custom woven.
Made from the silk of chakra worms, it is designed to be sturdy yet light. It keeps you cool in the desert and warms you in the snow. Hyugas wear it on missions.
I gave one to Ino too. Hope you like it!
- Hinata
It was for helping Hinata with her love troubles, probably. Sakura hadn't exactly earned the gift yet, since she never exactly told Hinata about what the Jinchuriki said, but who was she to refuse?
Sakura tossed the note aside and brought the box onto the kitchen table, unwrapping the tissue paper without care.
As she lifted it from the box, the fabric shimmered under her bedroom light. The color was a sophisticated deep purple like Hinata's hair, and the fabric itself was woven intricately, embroidered with soft lace.
It was some form of undergarment.
Even without all the chakra properties that the note described, it would've cost a fortune. Not that Hyuga royalty couldn't afford it. Throwing it over her head, Sakura stuck her arms through the straps and pulled it down over her figure.
So this is what kept Hinata so warm that night.
The silk felt airy and didn't hinder her movements. It kind of felt like the spandex of her shorts, yet the thin fabric kept her warm in her chilly apartment. This thing was so useful she couldn't believe she'd never heard of something like it before. Sakura decided she'd wear it to sleep that night—she was that impressed.
She walked over to her bedroom mirror and blushed at the site—it conformed to her figure, highlighting her strong shoulders and narrow waist like an hourglass. It was low cut in the front and delicately hung from her shoulders with tiny noodle-like straps. She shuddered at what Hidan would do if he saw her wearing it. Since she was safe from that creep for now, she decided her old baggy t-shirts could get an extended rest in her drawer.
This thing was definitely coming along with her.
"Yeah, I'm working on it, fuck!"
Why was it up to Hidan to remember these things? He was in the middle of a ritual, and now all the blood dripping from his shoulder was going to waste. He'd have to ask Jiashin for forgiveness later.
"Leader's telling us the code now!"
They had to pick up some slack because Itachi was busy with that bitch, but Kisame should get off his ass.
"It's 49816—"
"Hold on ya fuckin' prick! I'm not ready yet!"
"You better hurry up if you want to keep your legs!"
"Yeah—just try me, Fishface!"
Where was a damn piece of paper in this house? Hidan wandered into the first bedroom on his right and something on the desk caught his eye. He unraveled it, realizing that it was blank.
Perfect.
Now all he needed was a pen.
"8179L—"
"Fuck! I said wait!"
Forget it. He'd just have to use blood.
"Alright what was it again?!" Hidan called loudly to Kisame. "458—"
"No, idiot! 498—"
"Who're you calling an idiot, asshole?! Just gimme the damn code again!"
Hidan smirked. Whatever Kisame intended to use the scroll for, he'd be in for a nasty surprise.
It was a perfect day to enjoy the peaceful movement of the clouds and the silence of nature as he'd learned from Shikamaru many years ago.
Too bad Naruto couldn't.
"Sasuke," he called. "Sasuke—seriously. Just wait up!"
Somehow, things were going downhill fast.
The first thing was a few weeks ago, when Naruto ran into Sasuke on the street.
The woman with her two children—she had those judging eyes. The same ones that haunted him as a kid, when everybody treated him like a nuisance. Like he wasn't human. She spat unkind words to Sasuke and walked away. It was all too familiar.
Naruto's blood boiled. He acted like he hadn't seen, but he did.
Both of them were crippled with loneliness growing up. Much of Sasuke's decisions stemmed from a frantic need to run away from that feeling of pain. Underneath his façade, Sasuke had a bleeding heart like no other.
And now there was this.
When Sasuke finally stopped walking, Naruto was out of breath.
"This must mean that I'm your favorite teammate now," he joked.
Sasuke tensed.
Naruto tried to be lighthearted so that it wouldn't get uncomfortable. Now he could see that it was unappreciated.
A while later, Sasuke still didn't say anything, so Naruto pressed on.
"What was the fight about?"
"Nothing. She's just annoying."
It was definitely more complicated than a case of 'Sakura's annoying'—it looked like they were trying to kill each other. But Naruto decided not to pry. "Just like old times, huh?" he asked.
Sasuke chuckled darkly, but didn't say much else.
Naruto knew he was holding something back. "You don't have to worry about it. She still loves you, you know," he added. "Kakashi too. We all do. Just give them some time and we'll be a family again."
"I've made many mistakes," Sasuke started with a sigh.
Well that was surprising. It seemed like he was feeling relatively open to talk today.
"But you came back on your own," Naruto said in encouragement.
"So? We were only a Genin team for a few months before I..." his voice trailed off at the end before he could finish the sentence.
He didn't have to. Naruto understood. "It doesn't matter," he said. "We'd been through so many things together either way. Whatever Sakura said to you—she's just not feeling like herself."
"Right…"
"Team 7 is going to hunt Akatsuki so you can find Itachi. And by the time I'm Hokage, the entire village will accept you as they've learned to accept me. That's a promise. Bastard, you'd better believe it. I don't break my promises."
Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow.
"We're brothers. Got it?"
When Sasuke didn't respond, Naruto nudged him again, harder.
"Got it?"
His friend nodded.
"I have to say though, you can't be so moody all the time."
And that was the beginning of the lecture he'd been dying to give.
"People need to see the real you. You can't expect them to know things you've never told them. Have you ever said sorry to Sakura and Kakashi? Don't be so prideful. And it wouldn't kill you to say thank you once in a while. I know you're really not that cold."
…
"Okay, Sasuke?"
...
Naruto sighed when he got no response.
"Next time you see Sakura, just try to apologize."
Of course it would take a little more than a pep talk for the always-stoic, always-cool Uchiha to open up.
He would get there one day. At least he was given a chance to voice his opinion today. That's farther than he'd ever gotten before.
More importantly, what was that smell? An aroma of grilled onion and garlic drifted towards them from an unknown location, but Naruto could already feel his mouth watering. "Alright that's enough for the day. Let's head home. I'm starving."
Naruto pushed himself off the dirt and stood up with a jump, feeling like a new man after taking that much needed break.
Sasuke followed suit, dusting off his pants as he began walking. "You talk a lot, dobe."
Naruto shot him a glare. "I was only trying to help, ass wipe."
Even Sai would have gotten something out of it. Sasuke was just a hopeless jerk.
For once, Naruto decided that he'd talked enough for the day, and instead joined Sasuke on their walk back to their apartments, wordlessly.
"Thank you," Sasuke said abruptly.
Aha! So he did get through to the man. And now they were in need of some comic relief, otherwise things would get awkward.
"Huh? What was that? I didn't hear you," Naruto teased.
"Idiot—I said you were an idiot," Sasuke grumbled.
Naruto couldn't hold back his laugh.
"Mark the day Sasuke said thank you! Ha!"
"What of it, Kakashi?" Tsunade said as he and Jiraiya followed her into the office.
A fresh stack of paperwork rested on her desk. Without casting a glance in its direction, she shoved it aside and used it as a coaster for her early afternoon tea. Jiraiya sighed at the sight.
"What happened out there?" she asked.
"Well… that's a little more complicated," he said scratching his head.
What exactly had he seen?
Everything was going according to plan until Sakura attacked Sasuke… but was that a smile he saw on the young man's face at first? Was it because she attacked him? And then not too long afterwards, he was pulling Sasuke off...
"Complicated?" asked Tsunade with a raised eyebrow.
He didn't know what to make of it.
"It seems that Sasuke is different now..." he said slowly. "He normally would've been too consumed by his competition with Naruto to care about anything else, but he did come to Sakura's aid when she needed it."
"So then what's the problem?" asked Jiraiya. "Wasn't the entire point of the test to see if Sasuke would aid his teammate? Based on the requirements, it seems they passed; we can send them to Iwa."
"But then Sakura provoked Sasuke, and he attacked her afterwards. It would've been ugly if I hadn't stepped in," Kakashi replied.
"It's that temper and monstrous strength…" Jiraiya muttered.
Tsunade shot her teammate a look of death and he straightened up.
"I would expect something like this from Naruto and Sasuke when they were twelve, not Sakura and Sasuke now. Sarutobi-sensei sure knew how to pick teams," chuckled Jiraiya.
Kakashi shook his head. It was much more serious than the Sannin was making it seem.
"Kakashi—that's only a small piece of the bigger picture. Jiraiya has news to report," Tsunade said.
"My source confirms Akatsuki movements in Amegakure," Jiraiya revealed. "I will be leaving in three days."
He'd overheard, but didn't know it was related to the S-class organization.
"That's a dangerous mission," said Kakashi. "With all due respect, you shouldn't go by yourself."
"I've done many in my day, boy," said Jiraiya as he grinned. It was hard for Kakashi to not notice the likeness of Naruto in the hermit's expression. "And it's just a little recon."
"As I was saying… many of our Jonin team are busy," Tsunade began. "I plan to send a team within two days."
Kakashi knew that look. He remembered what happened when Minato-sensei had entrusted him to lead a three-man squad—Obito and Rin perished. They weren't ready.
"Hokage-sama, you can't."
Tsunade looked grim. "Someone has to go to Iwa."
"There's too much emotional baggage to sort out, and that makes them unstable in the field," he tried to say. "Not to mention, Sasuke is still unpredictable and it seems like Sakura has forgotten her teamwork skills."
Tsunade looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"Send someone else. If they ever want to leave the village, Sakura and Sasuke have to prove that they can repair their broken friendship."
She held up her hand to stop him.
He could say no more, as he was outranked.
It was up to the Hokage to make a decision on this.
He just prayed to god that his first and only Genin team wouldn't end up dead because of it.
To be continued…