It's just after lunchtime when they arrive at their destination. Sakura looks around the little village curiously. It's slightly smaller than the one she visited when hunting for that boar, but consists of the same little wooden houses, surrounded by rice fields and forests.
After asking around a little, Sakura, Hajime and Tomomi find their way to the house belonging to the parents of the missing boy. Their house has only one room, and they settle down on the floor to talk.
"He was out gathering wood in the forest like he does every day, but never returned home," the boy's father tells them.
"Ko is a smart boy, he would never get lost," his mother adds. "He knows the forest like the back of his hand, and he knows he isn't allowed to go too far."
"So we thought about the bandits that were caught in the next village a month ago. Rumour has it that they weren't the only bandits kidnapping children, so we thought Ko had run into another group of them and been taken."
Sakura grimaces, remembering the bandits in question.
"Do you know where he was going?" Tomomi asks.
"Yes. He was going beyond the fields to the west," the father says. "A neighbour's dog traced him there too."
"Please find our boy. We're so worried about him, and he's been missing for two days already," the mother begs, her eyes shining with tears.
They promise to do their best and leave the village behind soon thereafter, following the same directions as little Ko supposedly did. Tomomi, being the best tracker of their little group, takes the lead.
"The villagers must have stomped all over his tracks trying to find him. Best we can hope for at this point is being able to spot if he ever deviated from the path."
They follow the path over the fields and into the forest, where the tall trees soon hide the village entirely from their view. The path is well worn, showing obvious signs of being regularly used and particularly so the last few days. Big and small feet have stepped everywhere, on and off the path itself. Someone has picked up a stick and used it as a staff, the small indent evident in the packed dirt.
"This is where his parents said he was going."
There is a small clearing, a number of recently cut trees showing that someone has indeed been working on chopping wood here. They look around but the clearing is just as full of steps as the path, numerous footprints intermingling with the one they are searching for.
They search the surrounding area, following the various paths up and down until Sakura is dizzy and unsure of how to get back to the village. Luckily, Tomomi seems to be less lost, directing Hajime and her as they continue their search. One of the paths leads towards a nearby river, another back towards the village, another to the main road, intersecting with other paths, animal- and human-made both, and so on and on. Nowhere do they find any signs of struggle or of bandits being present.
They take to the trees, spreading out and searching the area again and again, to no avail.
"Find anything?" Hajime asks dejectedly at last.
It's nearing dinnertime. Sakura's stomach is growling. She's had a ration bar for lunch, but over the last month she's gotten used to eating three proper meals a day.
"No," Sakura shakes her head. "Nothing."
"Same here," Tomomi sighs.
Helplessly they look around, wondering what to do next.
"If he was taken by bandits there should be some sort of tracks of it, right?" Sakura points out at last. "Even if they weren't on horseback they still would have to leave somehow."
"Maybe they flew?" Hajime suggests, his smile mirthful rather than humorous as he bends down to refill his water bottle from the river.
"Or maybe they were just skilled enough not to leave any tracks." Tomomi flops down on the ground, staring up at the sky through the trees. "We were lucky last time. This group could have better shinobi."
If so, their chances of ever finding Ko are next to non-existent. And if they can't even find any signs of the people taking Ko, then the chances of the boy ever being returned to his parents are just as non-existent. Sakura clenches her hands by her sides helplessly. If only she were a better tracker. A better shinobi.
"What if he wasn't taken at all?" Hajime suggests thoughtfully.
Looking over, Sakura sees him staring at the river, his water bottle apparently forgotten.
"What if he fell in the water and was taken away by the stream?"
Sakura and Tomomi exchange glances before they join Hajime by the riverbank, studying it intently.
"His parents said that he goes to the woods every day," Sakura says, a sinking feeling in her stomach. "The riverbank doesn't look very steep or slippery. I don't think he would have slipped here, do you?"
"Maybe not."
"It's worth investigating though," Tomomi states. "If he got in he got out somewhere, and if he did we're more likely to find those tracks than we are of finding tracks of foreign shinobi."
They look at each other, sharing a look somewhere between hope and fear.
"Let's get going then. I'll take this side. You two take the other one. Keep an eye out for signs that someone got out of the water."
"Or that someone didn't get out of the water," Hajime mutters.
Startled, Sakura glances over to him but he isn't looking at her and she doesn't think he intended for her to hear it anyway. Swallowing, she tries to dismiss the words.
"And stay close to Hajime, Sakura. The stream could be worse than it looks."
Despite his earlier comment Hajime chuckles at that. "I think we've established already that Sakura's pretty good at walking on water. I don't think she needs me to babysit her."
"It's not Sakura that I'm worried about."
When Hajime gives Tomomi an offended look Sakura can't help but smile, despite the worry in her stomach.
They continue their search down the river, keeping careful eyes on the riverside while looking for any traces that a boy might have tried to get out. Sakura's chest feels tight with fear for the little boy.
Around them the forest grows thicker and the riverside more steep. It's looking more and more unlikely that a boy would have been able to climb out of the river on his own.
If he was ever even in the river, that is.
Sakura prays that he wasn't.
It is Tomomi who spots the green scrap of fabric stuck in between two rocks.
"Look at this," she says, waving them over.
Two sharp rocks rise out of the water, forming a vague v-shape. Just below the surface of the water a small piece of fabric is caught between the rocks.
"Looks like he might have tried to grab onto the rocks for support and torn his clothes in the process."
They look around, studying the riverbank intently but ultimately find no traces of anyone climbing out of the river here.
"He must have lost his grip," Tomomi states grimly. "But at least we can be pretty sure that he was here."
They continue their search, eying the riverbank even more intently than before now. Every stick and stone seems important; anything could be a trace if the boy really did manage to claw himself out of the river somehow.
Hajime finds the cliff with the broken roots of a bush on it. The bush itself is desperately clinging to the top of the cliff, its roots wrapped around the rock and what little dirt there is. Some of the roots have been torn off.
"There's blood too," Tomomi points out.
Indeed, there is blood smeared over some of the remaining roots, as if little hands have been clawing desperately for leverage but lost their grip over and over again.
Sakura's heart twists uncomfortably.
They move on, continuing down the river.
Eventually they reach a portion of the river where the riverside is less steep. Sakura feels hope rise in her chest, even as she distantly notes that the river is also wider here. Deeper. The current stronger beneath her feet.
There are more tracks along the riverside here, and so they move slower. Deer come here to drink. They see the tracks of a lone fox, a group of boars, of various birds.
Still no traces of a boy.
The current picks up in strength, the water vibrating beneath their feet with the power of it. There is a roaring in the distance and Sakura doesn't like it.
"There's a waterfall ahead," Hajime warns her. "Be careful. Don't lose your focus now."
She nods her understanding and doubles her efforts of finding any traces the boy might have left, praying silently that he has not been swept down the waterfall.
They round the riverbend and the waterfall lies before them, breathtaking in its beauty and the roar of the water as it is thrown over the edge.
There is a cliff in the middle, rising just above the water. Sakura's heart clenches even before she sees the figure on it.
Ko is huddled on the cliff, surrounded by the strong water current on three sides and the empty abyss on the fourth. His arm is twisted in an unnatural angle and his arms and legs are chafed raw, bloodied and bruised from repeated attempts at trying to drag himself out of the water.
At first she thinks he's already dead. Then, as she gets closer, she notices that his chest is slowly rising and falling.
"He's alive!" she exclaims, rushing forward.
Hajime and Tomomi are close behind her and they all fall to their knees around the boy, using their chakra to ensure that they aren't swept away with the current.
"Ko!" Gently she shakes his shoulders, trying to wake him. "Ko-chan, we're here! Your parents sent us. We're going to take you home, alright?"
He doesn't even stir and she helplessly looks up at Tomomi and Hajime. Tomomi places a gentle hand on Ko's wrist, searching for a pulse. Sakura does the same, struggling to sense it over her own beating heart.
"His pulse is faint," Tomomi states. "And he's cold. Poor thing must have been in the water for the whole two days."
"Let's get him back to land," Hajime says, reaching for the boy.
With surprising gentleness he eases Ko into his arms, taking care not to jostle him as he stands. Tomomi and him exchange a look but don't speak.
"We must get him out of those wet clothes," Sakura says, desperately drawing from her knowledge from the Academy. "And we should make a fire, get him warmed up. And tend to those wounds."
She reaches for her first aid kit.
"I'll get a fire started."
Tomimi heads out to find some firewood, leaving Hajime and her to undress the boy. They try to be as careful as possible, trying not to harm the boy any further, but his arms and legs are stiff and cold to their touch, making it more difficult. He whimpers hoarsely but doesn't wake.
Hajime reaches for his backpack, using his blanket to towel the boy dry.
"I'm not sure how to fix a broken arm," Sakura mutters as she starts to tend to his wounds.
"Just wrap it up for now. It's not what's most important right now."
She bandages the arm and both of his hands, which have deep cuts in them from grasping onto sharp stones. The unbroken arm and his legs have a number of cuts and bruises on them and she generously covers them with band aids.
Meanwhile Tomomi has returned with an armful of wood and gotten a fire started. Hajime pulls out his extra shirt and pulls it over Ko's head. It is large enough to look like a dress on the boy. They pull it down and wrap him in Sakura's blanket before placing him next to the fire, still moving him as gently as they can.
Ko still doesn't stir.
"What do we do now?" Sakura asks after a few minutes, helplessly watching the ghostly pale boy.
"We wait," Hajime says. "And pray that he makes it."
She looks up at him, noticing that the sun is setting around them.
"Can't we … Isn't there anything else we can do?"
Hajime shakes his head, eyes gentle. Sakura clenches her fists in frustration, once again looking down at the unconscious boy.
"There must be something we can do?! I broke my arm and my ribs during the invasion … my teammate, Sasuke, he was unconscious for over a week and it was really bad but then … they were able to fix all that."
"Neither of us are medics," Tomimi states. "Learning to heal takes years. I wouldn't even know where to start."
Sakura looks up at Tomomi, seeing the dejection on the older woman's face. Looking over at Hajime she sees a similar expression there. It mirrors her own emotions near perfectly.
They sit in silence as the sun sets, listening to the roaring river and the sparking fire. At some point Tomomi hands her a ration bar. Sakura stares at it for several long minutes before she even remembers what to do with it, and when she finally takes a bite it tastes like cardboard in her mouth. She doesn't want to eat but Tomomi and Hajime both urge her to take another bite until she has finished the whole thing.
As the evening grows later they continue feeding the fire, careful to keep Ko close enough that he's getting an appropriate amount of warmth from the flames. Sakura watches the light dance across his little face, already worn with the experience of a hard life despite his young age. He's younger than her by several years, yet there are calluses on his hands that speak of experience with manual labour.
Somehow she manages to nod off. Her sleep is restless and filled with terrible nightmares that leave her cold with sweat. Hajime or Tomomi - she's not sure who - wraps their blanket around her, but it does little to chase away the cold fear in her chest.
In the darkness of the night Ko's breaths grow more and more shallow, until finally they aren't there anymore.
She doesn't even notice when it happens, but suddenly she's aware that the little boy isn't breathing anymore. Tomomi reaches out to feel for a pulse.
"No pulse. He's gone."
They share a look then; full of helplessness and sorrow for this boy that they couldn't help after all.
"There's nothing we could have done," Hajime states. "Maybe if his parents had sent for help sooner and we had arrived yesterday, or maybe if we had had a medic on the team, but under the circumstances we had … no."
It doesn't feel right but she can't deny the truth of it either. She hugs her knees closer, trying to comfort herself a little even though it doesn't change the fact that a little boy is dead. "What happens now?"
Tomomi sighs. "We try to get some sleep. Then in the morning we bring him back to his parents."
"And then?"
"We head back to Konoha and move on."
It sounds so callous, yet Sakura can't deny the truth of the words either. Humans die all the time. As a shinobi, she should simply be grateful that it isn't her, or a comrade, a friend, a family member or anyone else close to her. She should accept that, but looking down at the little boy it all seems so unfair.
After a couple of more hours of restless sleep they clean up their camp and start their trek back towards the village. Though they refrain from taking the tree way, it is still a surprisingly short walk, and they arrive back in the village mid-morning.
Ko's parents are devastated when they are presented with their son's dead body but they dutifully thank the kind shinobi for bringing their son back to them. Sakura kneels stiffly on their single rug and allows Hajime and Tomomi to do the talking.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she says as they are leaving, bowing lightly.
"Thank you for at least helping bring him back to us, shinobi-san," the mother replies, bowing back.
The father still kneels on the ground, eyes locked onto his unmoving son and seemingly unaware of his surroundings. It is a sight that follows Sakura all the way back to Konoha.
By the time they're back in Konoha again it's late afternoon, and they report back to the Commander. He listens to their verbal report with a solemn expression.
"At least it wasn't a human-smuggling ring," he sighs when they are finished. "Not that this is necessarily preferable. Good job, at any rate. All three of you."
How can it be a good job when someone is dead? Sakura wonders.
She takes a long, hot shower and an even longer bath in the communal baths that evening. Tomomi joins her in the bath, sinking down beside her.
"I know this wasn't an easy mission, but we did some good work anyway. Those parents got closure because of us. And I know that isn't much of a comfort, but it is what I tell myself whenever something like this happens."
"Does it happen often?" Sakura asks quietly.
Tomomi doesn't need her to clarify what "it" is exactly.
"Too often." She sighs. "And it never feels ok when it ends like this, regardless whether it is because you screwed up or if there is nothing you could have done in the first place."
Sakura doesn't ask if it ever gets easier, but after a moment Tomomi still adds:
"I won't say that it ever gets easy, but it does get less difficult to handle at least."
Sakura isn't sure she understands but takes comfort in the words anyway. She falls into bed that evening, safely ensconced by fresh sheets and soft pillows, and she dreams of drowning and death.
As it turns out, Kakashi's knowledge of the Sealing Techniques is disappointingly average, at least when in the company of the likes of Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya. His knowledge is pretty much limited to some of Minato-sensei's slightly modified seals, and none of his more groundbreaking creations.
A breakthrough is made though thanks to an old ANBU-friend of Kakashi's; Tenzo. Tenzo has a natural ability to suppress chakra, and with a bit (a lot) of tweaking with some experimental seals, Jiraiya has a hesitant solution to the suppression of the One Tails.
Still very much a trial-and-error, hush-hush, it-might-not-work kind of solution, but still.
Two days after returning to Konoha again, Commander Hatake hands Sakura a note during breakfast. Curious, because missions don't usually come in pink little post it notes even since the invasion, she reads the short note. Team 7 are to meet that very morning at their usual training ground.
"Did he say anything else?" she asks, looking up at the Commander.
"Nope," the Commander says, shaking his head and looking both amused and frustrated. "I just found that thing on my desk this morning."
"Is it alright if I take the morning off then?"
He definitely looks amused then, raising his eyebrows at her. "If I know Kakashi you'll need more than the morning just to wait for him to actually arrive. Take all the time you need though. And let me know how things go."
"I will. Thank you!"
Though Kakashi-sensei will most likely make them wait for at least another hour she hurries out, eager to at least meet her teammates again. Besides, she's pretty sure that if she's ever not on time Kakashi-sensei will pick that day to actually be on time and then lecture her on her tardiness in front of the boys.
As expected Kakashi-sensei is nowhere to be seen when she arrives at the training ground. Sasuke is already there though, looking like the whole world is an insult to him personally at the moment. Something about him is different, she thinks. He used to look so cool and awesome, and now he just looks … standoffish. He doesn't return her greeting either and she settles down to wait a bit away from him.
Naruto arrives a bit late but still plenty before Kakashi-sensei. He greets Sasuke but when Sasuke doesn't answer him either he settles down next to Sakura.
"So how have you been, Sakura-chan?" he asks. "Done any more cool missions?"
Sasuke scoffs but they both ignore him. Instead she offers Naruto a small, somewhat dejected smile.
"I got a mission alright, but it wasn't that cool and didn't end well either."
"How come?"
His eyes look almost comically large as he eyes her worriedly. He looks like a child, she thinks. All innocence and good intentions. The thought leads her to the memory of Ko and she grimaces, trying to push that particular memory aside.
"It was ranked a C-rank at first because they thought a boy might have been kidnapped by bandits, but then it turned out he had just fallen into the river and been carried away by the currents." She tries to keep her voice neutral and unaffected but fails. "By the time we found him he had already been out there two days and he was badly injured. We couldn't help him."
Naruto looks crestfallen, almost as devastated as she felt just a few days ago.
"That sounds awful, Sakura-chan."
"Yeah, it was. But at least we were able to give his parents closure, I guess. That's what Tomomi and Hajime, my teammates from the Genin Corps, say matters the most."
Naruto makes a little noise, as if he's torn between agreement and disagreement. Struggling for words he at last reaches out a hand to touch hers and she grasps his hand in hers, grateful for the small show of support. They share a look and she offers him a fragile smile, allowing him to see how much she still mourns for little Ko.
"You two will be in the Genin Corps forever if you think like that," Sasuke suddenly says.
Startled, they look over at him. The anger in his eyes is so palpable, so sharp that she quickly looks away again. The harsh words and tone feel like a slap to her face and she isn't sure how to react.
Naruto has no such qualms.
"Hey, don't speak that way to Sakura-chan, alright!" he exclaims, shooting to his feet to stand over her, as if trying to protect her from Sasuke's glare. "You weren't there; you can't even begin to imagine what it was like so show some respect, alright!"
Sasuke turns to face them fully, glaring daggers at Naruto as he folds his arms across his chest.
"I know that you're both losers who won't ever amount to anything."
"We're not losers!" Naruto shouts, looking like he's about to burst with anger yet still somehow managing to voice his anger in a comprehensible way. "We may not have your stupid eyes or whatever, but I've learned two great techniques in the past month and Sakura-chan has done a ton of missions!"
"With the Genin Corps!"
That he doesn't even acknowledge Naruto's growth speaks volumes in its own way.
It is Sakura's turn to shoot to her feet in anger then. Naruto's defence of her is touching but she can still admit to herself that she is still a newbie shinobi. Tomomi and Hajime, however, both have literal decades of experience and have become both friends and mentors of hers. As have Aimi and Takeshi, strange as the thought would've seemed just a month ago.
"Don't talk about the Genin Corps like you know what you're talking about!" Part of her is surprised at the anger in her voice. Ladies aren't supposed to show their emotions. They're supposed to smile and be pleasant, regardless of the situation. "I've learned more in one month with the Genin Corps that I have in four months with team 7!"
"Maybe that's because you weren't cut out to be a shinobi to begin with!"
Naruto roars in anger at the insult but it is her fist that connects with Sasuke's chin, sending him stumbling backwards. It isn't a very good hit and he quickly recovers, facing off against her.
"See, Sakura-chan is amazing!" Naruto says beside her.
It makes her heart warm, really, to hear him support her like that.
"Pfth. A first year Academy student can do more damage. If you really want to prove yourselves, why don't you come at me for real?"
A chill runs through her. Already she's horrified with her own behaviour, years of aunt Kasumi's teaching of how a proper lady should behave bearing down on her like a ton of bricks. Yet there is a part of her that is still snarling in anger, eager to take him on.
"What?" Naruto growls, something almost inhuman in his voice.
"You did say that you wanted to fight," Sasuke taunts, looking haughtily between them. "Well, you've got your chance. Unless you'll chicken out."
This is a terrible idea, she realises.
Yet, part of her grins at the thought of taking Uchiha Sasuke down. Preferably by a kick to his stupidly beautiful face.
"Perfect," Naruto says with an animalistic smile. "I was just thinking about how I wanted to kick your ass!"
The boys stare off, Sasuke's eyes turning red with the Sharingan. Sakura feels her own eyes grow bigger with a mixture of anger and terror.
This has to stop. Right now, or they'll be in serious trouble. Bad as their teamwork has been, they can't really fight each other for real.
But Sasuke needs to get his ass kicked. Hard.
"Naruto." The one word is all she manages to produce, and she's not even sure if she means to make him step back or to urge him on.
"Don't worry, Sakura." He doesn't take his eyes off of Sasuke when he speaks. "Sasuke and I have had this fight coming for a while now, and I won't stand to let him insult you like that."
"You won't be so cocky when I beat you into the ground,"
"I've had it with you acting all high and mighty, as if you're somehow better than the rest of us! I'm going to show you, once and for all!"
With twin growls they are at each other, moving almost too quickly for her to follow. They exchange blows, dodging and attacking with neither of them getting in a good hit. Then Sasuke sinks into a kick, hitting Naruto's midriff. Naruto stumbles backwards but quickly collects himself, grabbing hold of Sasuke's foot and using the momentum of the kick to swing Sasuke around.
She wants to shout with glee, but then Sasuke uses his hands against the ground to get enough leverage to send another kick at Naruto, sending Naruto flying through the air.
Acting on instincts honed from hours of Academy practice Sakura attacks before Sasuke has time to get his footing again, going in with her own kick to further ruin his already bad balance.
Swiftly Sasuke throws himself backwards, furious sharingan-red eyes glaring at her. She follows her kick up with a series of blows which he easily blocks, much to her frustration. A growl escapes her, and then Naruto is there, attacking from above.
Between the two of them Sasuke is forced to retreat and he growls in anger because of it. Naruto places himself between her and Sasuke, as if he's still intent on protecting her. She wants to scream at him in annoyance, because as he does so he also effectively prevents her from attacking Sasuke.
"Not so tough after all eh, Sasuke?" Naruto taunts.
Sasuke doesn't reply but instead attacks again, raining down blows over Naruto in a speed which is too great for her to follow. When he sinks down into another kick that sends Naruto stumbling backwards she moves in, falling into a series of mixed kicks and blows which he easily matches. He's faster than her and manages to land a painful kick to her sternum that has her gasping for breath as she stumbles backwards.
A blur of blonde surrounds her and she distantly notes that Naruto has multiplied. Five of his clones surround her in a defensive circle whilst another group of at least twice as many attack Sasuke.
"I don't need you to defend me!" she shouts at him, frustration leaking into her voice.
"This is between Sasuke and me," one of the clones growls back.
And what am I, upholstery embroidery?
With surprising ease Sasuke defeats the first wave of clones but there are more. The clearing is filled with them, too many to count in the chaos, and a second wave quickly moves in.
Sasuke escapes by jumping for the trees, forcing the clones to follow him there. Standing steadily on a branch, Sasuke is able to easily catch them in the air as they jump, raining blows and kicks and mixed kunai and shuriken over the clones.
However, the sheer volume of clones quickly becomes overwhelming, forcing Sasuke to retreat. She sees him bring his hands together, flashing through a series of hand seals. It gives her just enough warning to escape the wave of fire that soon engulfs the whole clearing. The clones "guarding" her aren't as quick, and quickly diminish in the fire.
The jutsu leaves in its wake scorched trees and earth of a magnitude that has her staring in shock. Sasuke really isn't playing around. Even as the jutsu itself is over, there are still trees remaining aflame. If Sasuke notices at all he's clearly not bothered by the destruction, instead scanning the area for Naruto.
Somehow Naruto has survived the inferno and now appears in the middle of the clearing, his last two clones disappearing as a blue orb of wildly spinning chakra forms in his hand. That must be the jutsu he was bragging about.
Sasuke is still in the treetops and she catches him running through a few, quick signs before he lunges towards the waiting Naruto, his own hand also sparkling with chakra. And that must be the jutsu Kakashi-sensei taught Sasuke.
For a moment she stands paralysed, staring at the two of them as they charge at each other, wielding what can only be two A-rank jutsu against one another.
They'll kill each other, she realises.
For real.
She doesn't have time to think. Before she can fully formulate her plan she's charging at them but there is no way she'll make it in time. There is no jutsu in her small repertoar of jutsu which can stop two A-rank jutsu.
But she can misdirect them.
Her chakra moves, almost as if on its own, her hands forming into a snake-seal. Twin voices are screaming in her mind: Someone stop them, please! And Get that fucker!
The sensation of the body replacement technique is familiar and she has less than a second to reorient herself. Behind her, Naruto crashes into the tree where she stood a moment ago. Ahead of her Sasuke's red eyes flare with surprise.
He's mid air and unable to stop the attack but her chakra is already reaching out, tugging at him, sending him flying in the opposite direction before he too crashes into a tree.
Panting, she falls to her knees, staring in horror as Sasuke's attack pierces through the tree, creating a large hole through the thick trunk. A loud creaking noise has her glancing behind her, where Naruto's attack has actually destroyed the trunk, causing the top portion of the tree to fall to the ground.
Note to self: never, ever again get between Sasuke and Naruto when they're fighting.
Silence falls over the clearing as Naruto and Sasuke both get up, staring at each other, the damage they have caused and her. Please don't start fighting again, Sakura prays silently.
"What do you three think you're doing?" Kakashi-sensei's voice rings through the clearing, devoid of his usual laziness. It's sharp and hard, cutting through the tension like a knife through butter.
Sakura physically flinches at the tone and looks up to see their sensei standing in a tree on the other side of the clearing.
"That was a little intense for a sparring match, don't you think?" he adds, voice deceptively calm. "What's wrong with you?"
Neither Naruto nor Sasuke acknowledges their sensei's presence, still eying each other and the damage they have caused. Sasuke grows pale in anger as he realises that Naruto's tree is entirely chopped off, whereas his own is "merely" damaged. As if it's not impressive enough to be able to cut through an entire tree trunk with one jutsu.
"What were you thinking? Were you really going to kill him, Sasuke?" Kakashi-sensei continues, his voice growing even sharper as he makes his way over to Sasuke first.
It is only then that Sasuke finally acknowledges Kakashi-sensei, turning to face him. There is not a shred of regret on his face, Sakura notes.
"I did not teach you the Chidori so that you would use it against your comrades. I told you that when I taught it to you, did I not?"
Though Sasuke looks far from chastised, Kakashi-sensei turns to Naruto next.
"And you, Naruto; I don't know what Jiraiya-sama was thinking when he taught you that jutsu, but if you're using it against a comrade, a teammate even, then you're clearly not ready for the responsibility of it."
Unlike Sasuke, Naruto flinches, averting his gaze in shame.
Kakashi-sensei turns to her next and she's flinching even before he speaks.
"And you, Sakura; you should know better than to get between two such powerful jutsu. Have you no sense of self-preservation?"
"I'm sorry," she instinctively responds. Though she's not quite sure that she means it. Yeah, she shouldn't have gotten in between them like that, that part was probably stupid. She could've just used chakra threads to begin with. First tug Naruto out of harm's way, then redirect Sasuke's attack.
That's what she'll do next time, she decides.
Another part of her violently shies away from the thought of there being a next time.
Kakashi-sensei sighs and levels them all with stern glares.
"So much for teamwork, I guess," he says. "Perhaps I was wrong to have you spend so much time apart. Or maybe I shouldn't have passed you to begin with."
The last part is muttered under his breath, barely audible.
"Anyway, what's done is done, I guess. Either way, I called you here today to discuss the future of team 7."
Sakura feels her throat constrict. This is it. This is when her future is decided. Suddenly she feels almost lightheaded, wanting to apologise for her behaviour earlier and assure Kakashi-sensei that she will never, ever again do anything to make him angry.
Mentally, she snorts at the thought. It's not as if she's ever been able to keep on Kakashi-sensei's good side for long.
"As you know, the village is shorthanded on shinobi power. Because of this, I'm going to be required to do more high-ranking missions that you guys can't go on yet."
Her fingers clench, grasping the fabric of her Genin Corps' uniform. She should've taken the time to change into something else, shouldn't she? The uniform is comfortable and practical, and currently her best set of clothing, but it's also a signal that she doesn't belong with the rest of team 7. That she belongs somewhere else.
"This in turn means that I won't have as much time to train you all, and you may be asked to take on more C-ranked missions, with or without a chunin or jonin to guide you."
"So we'll get to go on more cool missions?" Naruto asks. "Woho!"
Looking up she sees him doing a little dance of joy.
Sasuke is looking intently at Kakashi-sensei, apparently more cautious of the news. "What does this mean for our training?"
"Well, that's what we need to discuss." Kakashi-sensei puts his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky as if contemplating something. "I'll continue to train with you, Sasuke, whenever I can. You still need to practise using that sharingan of yours, especially against another sharingan user."
There's something in his voice that Sakura can't quite decipher. Something strained and almost reluctant. But Sasuke looks appeased, at least.
"And what about me, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice is loud, ringing in her ears.
"Jiraiya-sama will be staying for a bit longer, though I doubt he'll stay permanently. He's agreed to keep working with you whenever I can't."
"But what about when Pervy Sage leaves?"
"Then I'll find you another teacher, if I still don't have enough time to properly train all three of you."
Naruto pouts, clearly not too happy with that answer.
Sakura blinks away the burning in her eyes. "What about me?"
Kakashi-sensei finally looks away from the sky, meeting her gaze. With only the one eye visible he's always been hard to read, but she thinks there's something resigned there. Maybe something sad as well, though that might just be her wishing so.
"Kichiro did well, teaching you that chakra-thread jutsu. Maybe he can continue to work with you, at least until I'm able to find a more suitable teacher for you?"
Sakura swallows, the taste of rejection bitter in her mouth. Despite this she forces herself to smile back at him. "Yeah, sure, if he's not too busy."
Slowly, Kakashi-sensei nods. Despite the empty ache in Sakura's chest, he doesn't look happy.
"Anyway, things will probably be chaotic for some time right now. Some of your fellow genin will be promoted to chunin, and some are injured and unable to take missions."
In other words, people will need to be shuffled around in order to make nice, even teams, Sakura deduces. Team 8 will probably have to do without Hinata for a while, due to her injuries during the Chunin Exams and then later during her kidnapping. And her cousin, that Neji Hyuga, was injured as well, according to Hajime. Which makes at least two teams that are at least one member short, not counting any potential promotions.
"The three of you are still one, whole team, but it's possible that you'll be individually selected for missions based upon your skills and the mission parameters."
"'Course we're still a team!" Naruto exclaims, looking almost insulted. "Right guys?"
He looks from Sasuke to her, but Sakura averts her gaze.
Are they still a team? They haven't been working together for over a month now, and considering today's events it seems unlikely that they'll be able to work together properly on a mission. Especially without a superior present to intervene.
Sakura wraps her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. She shouldn't have let the boys get a raise out of her like that. She should have controlled her anger and found a way to distract them. Like a proper lady, not some brawling, brainless shinobi.
Except she is a shinobi. Mentally, she shakes her head, trying to straighten out her thoughts.
"Guys?"
"It's more complicated than that, I'm afraid, Naruto." Kakashi-sensei's voice is almost soft. "You three are still a team, but because of the way things are right now you might be asked to work with other people, or other people might be asked to work with you."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, but we're still team 7! We're still doing this together, right?"
"Idiot. That's the exact opposite of what he's saying."
"What'd you call me?!"
As Naruto angrily turns to Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei swiftly steps in between them, slapping them both over the head.
"None of that, you two."
Naruto looks mildly chastised, while Sasuke looks more annoyed than anything. Ironically, his annoyed face annoys Sakura.
"But Sasuke is partially correct. As it is, Lady Tsunade might decide to ask you, Naruto, to work with, say, team 8, since they're a man short."
A woman short, Sakura wants to point out. Or girl, rather, since she can't really call Hinata a woman yet.
"But Naruto is also correct. The three of you are still a whole unit, a complete team. Lady Tsunade might decide that it's best if you continue working together. If you can work together, that is."
At the last part, Kakashi-sensei levels them all with a doubtful look.
"What are you talking about Kakashi-sensei, of course we can work together!"
"Can you? Because from what I've seen today, you can't even wait for your sensei together without getting into a fight and trying to kill each other."
"Well, that's … that's …" Naruto stammers, apparently having enough self-awareness to understand the truth in that.
Sakura takes a deep breath, shame burning in her chest. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. It won't happen again."
She's better than this. She knows better than to get into fights with her comrades. It's one thing to have a rivalry, like what she used to have with Ino, but a completely different issue to actually get into a fight like she did today. She'd started it. Well, Sasuke had started the verbal part, but she'd thrown the first punch, which certainly hadn't helped.
"Apology accepted, Sakura, but it's not me you should apologise to." Kakashi-sensei gently ruffles her hair before turning back to the boys again, giving them both a stern look. "And you two need to apologise as well."
Naruto and Sasuke glance at each other, Naruto growing red in the face and Sasuke stubbornly refusing to say anything.
She'll have to start, Sakura realises. Which sucks, but if it can help the boys get back to not wanting to kill each other again then she'll just have to take one for the team, right?
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I shouldn't have hit you."
The words taste strangely bitter on her tongue.
He grunts in acknowledgement of her words, still not really looking at her. How has he gone from seemingly perfect to being so annoying? Even now she's itching to hit him again, which is really more what she would expect around Naruto.
"And I'm sorry Naruto. I shouldn't have yelled at you, or … or egged you on, or-"
"No need to apologise, Sakura-chan! It's this bastard who should-"
"Apologies typically do not include insults," Kakashi-sensei interrupts, pulling the boys closer, so that they're standing face to face, both with one of Kakashi-sensei's hands on their shoulder. "Now, apologise and show me that you can put your personal feelings aside and work together."
They glare at each other, the hostility between them thick enough that Sakura could almost touch it.
"Fine. Sorry." Naruto bites the words out, still glaring at Sasuke.
Sasuke grunts. From where she's standing, Sakura can see Kakashi-sensei's hand grasping harder to Sasuke's shoulder, to the point where it looks painful.
"Sorry."
Sasuke spits the word out in a tone more akin to a curse than an apology, but Kakashi-sensei smiles at the two boys.
"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it? Now, how about sensei treating you all to some dango, and then we can call it a day for today?"
Despite his obvious effort the tension between the boys remains, until finally Sasuke takes a step back.
"I don't like dango. See you later."
And with those words he steps away, heading back towards the village. Sakura watches his retreating back, a sinking sensation in her stomach.
"I'm not really in the mood for dango either," Naruto finally mutters. "I'm going to find Pervy Sage, alright?"
After a nod of acceptance from Kakashi-sensei he's off too, leaving Sakura alone with their teacher.
"You did good today." Kakashi-sensei's voice is quiet but strangely reassuring.
"We're not going to be trusted to work alone together, are we?"
She knows the answer already, and the way Kakashi-sensei averts his gaze only confirms it.
"I'll just continue with the Genin Corps for the time being then?"
"I think that'd be good. I'll talk to Kichiro about your training."
Sakura nods as if grateful, offering him a smile before she heads back towards the Genin Corps' Headquarters. Like everyone else, Commander Hatake is a very busy man at the moment. He won't really have time for her, even if he might be kind enough to make some.
More painful than that though, is the growing suspicion that team 7 will never be properly reunited again.