The trip to the capital had been rather uneventful. Tobirama was expecting an ambush as soon as they set foot outside of Senju lands but it seemed the gods had favoured him for this particular mission. Sakura and Mito had hit off immediately, acting like best friends despite knowing each other for merely three days. The two always shared a tent and being the gentleman, scratch that, being the ninja he was, he offered to watch over them the whole night then sleep two hours before sunrise whilst the girls cleared their camp. There wasn't any need to take watch though, they spent the whole night talking about anything and everything.

Tobirama thought he should've picked Toka for the mission but he banished that thought as soon as it entered his mind. His relationship with her at the moment was complicated. The reason he had been late to meet up with Sakura at the gates, being the ever time-conscious ninja, was that Toka had been pouring out her heart to him for nearly twenty minutes after catching him walking leisurely towards the village exit. She had fumbled over her words, a far cry from the battle hardened ninja she was but the genjutsu specialist had been reduced to a stuttering mess. She had confessed to liking him for over five years now. That meant she had a crush on him since they were ten. She hoped that perhaps they could have a relationship as romantic partners.

He had gently let her down as best as he could, though he could imagine Hashirama bonking him over the head for his phrasing but he had been clear. He wasn't interested in a relationship with her or anyone in particular, he was content with being a bachelor for the rest of his life. He'd rather marry his jutsu than settle down with a female, he told her. Her reaction, however, was what had shocked him. He had expected her to shout at him, throw a punch or two, a kick in the loins just like many of the girls who had confessed to him prior though they never managed to land a blow. But Toka had bowed her head and apologized before walking away with her head held high. It was there and then that the guilt had hit him like a punch in the gut. Perhaps he should've been kinder with his words. He ought to offer to teach her a new genjutsu when he returned home as an apology.

His attention turned to Sakura who had been staring at him out of the corner of her eye. Her face turned red when he caught her eye, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She quickly turned away and pretended to read a scroll, though he wasn't sure what she was reading to be honest. "You're holding it upside down," he called out as he turned back to grilling their dinner. He heard a low curse from the pinkette and chuckled inwardly at her antics.

They had only a day left until they reached the capital.


Sakura peeked through the flaps of their tent, watching Tobirama as he sat on a tree branch to her left. As much as he liked to act like a gentleman, it was taking a great toll on his body. His back rested on the trunk and he looked just about ready to drop dead. Her heart bled out to her crush.

She cast a glance at Mito who was sleeping like a dead man but would be up and about if she sensed so much as a miniature shift in the atmosphere which screamed danger. She tiptoed out of their tent and walked up the tree using chakra. The white haired Senju must've been already asleep as he made no movement at her arrival. She crouched in front of him and stretched out her hand to grab his shoulders but she suddenly found herself pressed against the trunk of the tree, a warm kunai pressed to her neck. Sakura dared not to breath as she watched the shinobi's red eyes squint at her in the dark, tension evident in his body. She saw recognition flash through his eyes and he visibly relaxed as he withdrew his kunai. "I can take the watch for the rest of the night. You haven't been sleeping for three days straight," she told him as he created distance between them. "I'm fine," he spoke curtly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Seeing that he wasn't budging, Sakura decided to ask him something which had been pondering her mind ever since she took the mission. "You know a lot about fuinjutsu, don't you?" she asked as she gave him a side eye, watching him rub his eyes tiredly. "Better than most non-Uzumaki, I guess," he replied without a inch of humility. "There's a seal I've been working on these past few days. But I'm not sure if I did right. Can you look over it for me?" she told him. It wasn't a seal she created, it was a seal she remembered from her dreams. "Okay," he said. There was no harm in looking over a seal.

The two jumped down and Sakura left him slumping against the tree trunk whilst she went to retrieve her scroll from her travelling bag. She returned to find Tobirama wide-eyed but failing miserably as his eyes kept drooping every now and then. She perched herself beside him and opened her scroll. "I want to create an extra reserve of chakra from my main one. Even though I have the chakra reserves of an adult but I want to have more in case of emergencies. This seal is designed to store chakra over a period of three years. I've been practicing in medical ninjutsu so I added another seal that could heal me from any injury as long as it's activated." She went to further to explain the equations and mathematics behind the seal and was about to ask if there was anything amiss when she felt a head rest on her shoulders. Craning her neck as best as she could, she found Tobirama fast asleep. She shook her head as she chuckled inwardly. "Hey, did you hear anything I said? Is the seal okay?" she asked as she poked his forehead but the Senju moved his head away to escape her fingers. "Tobirama?" she asked again but all she received were light snores.

"...perfect..."

Sakura's face turned beet red at the words he had mummured. He was probably talking about the seal but it seemed to have a double meaning to her. She calmed her erratic heart and mentally scolded herself for thinking too much about something so small. She didn't know how long they stayed like that but eventually she fell asleep too some minutes later.


When Sakura woke up, she was in her tent. Mito was nowhere to be found. The thirteen-year old yawned and stretched her stiff muscles before rolling up her futon and sealing it away. She made sure her appearance was at least presentable from the small mirror she carried before going outside. Tobirama was nowhere in sight, she figured, but Mito was clearing up their camp. "Good morning sleeping beauty. How was your nightly expedition with Tobirama-sama?" the redhead teased, a knowing smirk on her face. "It was nothing like that. I was just asking about something," the pinkette spoke with averted eyes. "Yeah right," she snorted. "Just make sure you don't become a mother at 13," the Uzumaki princess spoke sagely. "Please, hell would freeze over before he could even see me as woman in that manner," Sakura spoke with an eye roll as she sealed their dishes in a scroll.

"No man is immune to the charm of a lady. You just have to know how to use your assets properly," Mito purred as she swayed her hips to the side. "Mito!" Sakura exclaimed, her face pink. "What? You gotta know. In the world of shinobi, a girl has much more than jutsu to defeat an enemy. No jutsu can defeat an irresistible woman. You just gotta know how to act the part before you strike," Mito said as she sealed all of her scrolls in the larger scroll which was strapped to her waist. "You sound like you have a lot of experience," the pinkette remarked uneasily. "I have experience alright, more than I wanted," the sixteen-year old girl retorted.

There was a beat of silence before Sakura spoke. "Can you teach me to be like that too?" the younger girl asked. "Why'd you want to know how to do that?" Mito asked, eyebrows raised curiously though they both knew the answer to that. "You're not doing for Tobirama, right?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What?! N-No, I'm n-not...I mean m-maybe? Is that a bad thing?" Sakura asked as she peered at her with miserable eyes. "I'm not one to judge but I don't think you should change yourself to that extent. He should like you for who you are," Mito said firmly. Sakura's head dropped visibly. "But that doesn't mean I won't teach you the art of seduction!" the older girl exclaimed with a pose. Sakura brightened up immediately.

It was then that Tobirama decided to make his appearance. "Please don't taint my older brother's friend," he said as appeared beside Sakura. The pinkette jumped away, her face burning with embarrassment. How he had been able to sneak up on her like that , shw did not know. "Good morning," she said hoping her voice was calm, opposite to what her nerves were feeling. She was always like that whenever he was around. He nodded in return. "Did you hear anything I said yesterday?" she asked. Sakura doubted if he did hear something, he was asleep as a dead man. "Yeah, it's okay," he replied evenly. Oh. "Then can you help me put it on? I want to start as soon as possible," she asked, fiddling with her hands nervously. Tobirama watched her with an unreadable look before nodding his head in agreement.

Mito cleared her throat and shot her a knowing look. Sakura couldn't help but groan in embarrassment.


They arrived at the capital late in the afternoon. "We should probably wait together until my entourage comes to take me back to Uzushio," Mito told them. The two Senju clan members nodded in agreement. They both left to God knows where and Mito was left to her devices. She took a power nap for twenty minutes before taking out her scroll. She had been working on a new seal, the Strength of a Hundred Healings. She was halfway through drawing her final draft. Searching her bag, the redhead found that she didn't have any ink left. 'Mmm, I must've finished the ink on the last drawings,' she mused to herself as she frowned. Sakura probably had some ink, considering how she was always writing in a scroll the past three nights they had been together.

Removing herself from the bed, she went to the pinkette's bag and fumbled around until she finally found the ink she was looking for. She noticed the scroll that Sakura had been writing. It was rolled up with a pink ribbon tying it together. 'I bet she's writing down her feelings for Tobirama,' she thought with a snicker as she removed the ribbon and unfurled the scroll. She scanned the contents with a mischievous smile but as her eyes travelled further down, she discovered she wasn't writing anything of that sort. Her face fell as betrayal coursed through her form.

At that moment, the door slammed open and Sakura entered the room with puffy eyes and streaming down her cheeks. She rubbed at her eyes furiously but the tears didn't stop. Mito's eyes were murderous as she spoke. She couldn't believe that Sakura would stoop so low?! "So when were you going to tell me, you thief?!" she snarled as she tossed the scroll at Sakura's feet. The younger girl picked up the scroll and inspected it through wet lashes. "It's not-" "Oh just shut it! I knew I should've never trusted you! I thought you were different from all the others, wanting to befriend me for the sake of my skills but you're just the same!" she shouted as she threw a random scroll at her. "Wait. Mito, it's not what you think-" "Oh, do tell me what I think," the redhead huffed as she glared at her.

Sakura sighed weakly. "It's just-" The pinkette winced in pain as she held her head. She started taking short breaths as her eyes stared unseeing at the ground. Mito knew the signs of a panic and Sakura was having one too. "Oh, stop with the act. You're a liar! A backstabbing liar! You disgust me! I hate you!" she spat as she headed towards the door. She pushed Sakura as she passed her, not caring that she fell to the ground. Tsk! Why should she care for a liar?


It was around dusk that Tobirama found her as she was drinking at a local bar. She was too drunk but the words he said sent a dread within her stomach.

"Sakura is missing."


Long time no update but I don't feel guilty. I have a lot of stories to update so yeah. Sorry for any grammatical errors, don't forget to leave a review

Tozoonana

AfricanFire