A strong breeze blew the leaves around on the quiet dirt road, they had been travelling nonstop for four hours and Sakura was in dire need of a break and conversation. However, her teammate didn't give her any conversation and didn't appear to need a break. She suspected Sasuke did not want to talk to her after what happened. What was there to talk about? What was there to talk about before? They barely spoke to each other when they were genin if Naruto wasn't present. Not mission-related conversions but normal small talk to pass the time. He never spoke of his hobbies or if he had any, nor his family or his dreams. Sakura was so caught up in saying the correct things and looking good that she never asked the right questions. She wished Naruto was there with them, with him, his loud chattiness would cut the painful awkwardness between them. Sakura unconsciously touched her stomach as she walked along the road.
"Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked.
She snapped her gaze to him. That took her by surprise, she couldn't remember the last time he asked her if she needed anything.
"Ah, no, just a little tired." She removed her touch from her stomach, a little uneasy that he had been watching her.
"We can take a break at the next cafe we see," he said.
"Okay." She pondered on things they could talk about, thinking it was a good time to break the ice even further. "Have you ever been to Kaisui?"
"No, I've been to the Land of the Sun before when I was with Orochimaru when we were going to the Land of Lightning,"
"Oh, I haven't been either. Ino went on an escort mission a long time ago, she claimed it was a magical paradise and didn't want to leave."
They came upon a small cafe.
"Welcome!" A kind old man welcomed them. They looked at the menu and saw some exotic items Sakura hadn't seen before.
"Can I have the takoyaki and cup of matcha tea, thanks."
"And for you, mister?"
Sasuke read through the menu and his eyes seemed to sparkle at an item. "Tomato ice cream."
"Okay, please sit and I will bring you the food when it's ready."
Sakura slumped on the bench, leaning against the cold wall. "I wonder why Kakashi-sensei sent us on this mission? I mean there are capable chunin that can handle this type of assignment."
"Understanding why Kakashi does anything will take a millennium," Sasuke said.
Sakura chuckled, and she stopped. Was that a joke? Did Sasuke just tell a joke? She had heard him joke and bicker with Naruto in a dry scrastic way but never to her. Why was he being so formal and relaxed with her? After what happened a few nights ago she would imagine he would try to stay away from her. Not treat her so casually. Whatever the reason, she liked this side of Sasuke. He was easier to talk to and there was something about him, there wasn't an invisible wall between them. He seemed so close she could reach out a touch him without being deflected.
"Please enjoy." The man brought out their food.
"Thank you for the food." Sakura smiled. It was a unique combination of flavours and colours, to say the least. The vibrant red of the tomato ice cream contrasts beautifully with the soothing green of the matcha tea. If tried together, the cool, refreshing taste of the tomato ice cream complements the earthy, slightly bitter notes of the green tea. And of course the umami taste and soft and gooey texture of the takoyaki.
Sasuke immediately dug into his ice cream, like a kid in a sweets shop, ironic considering Sasuke dislikes sweets. She couldn't help but laugh.
"Wait is it?" he asked.
"You still love your tomatoes, I remember when we were younger you would devour any tomato in sight,"
It must have been the heat because Sakura could have sworn she saw a light blush on his cheek. She ate her takoyaki and Sasuke tried his ice cream.
"Is it good?"
"Yeah." He dug in more. "What's your favourite food?" he asked.
"Anmitsu or anything sweet."
Before they reached inside the village the coastline of the beach came into view. Sun dazzled against the crystal clear water, and people lounged and played on the sand with cheerful faces. They were welcomed by a group of soldiers in armed silver armour.
"Are you leaf shinobi sent by the Hokage?" One guard asked. His eyebrows snapped together above his hawkish stare.
"Yes, I'm Sakura and this is my teammate, Sasuke, we will be Hara-sama's bodyguards," said Sakura.
The men spoke among themselves for a second and stepped aside.
"My name is Koji, Hara-sama's commander and chief, please, come in I will take you to the palace." He walked and they followed him.
There were dozens of bustling shops, ranging from food stores to clothing to entertainment, like bars and casinos. She could see why Ino spoke so highly of the place. Sakura would have to make a few stops before she went back home.
"This place is beautiful," Sakura spoke out loud.
"Thank you, it's all thanks to Hara-sama's efforts, after the war the entire village was in ruins but he pulled out all his resources to rebuild his home and create many jobs for the citizens," Koji said.
Another guard spoke up. "That's why it's important you Leaf shinobi are here, this other brother Fuyutake has always been envious and we're afraid he might do something stupid."
They entered the gate leading up to a gorgeous palace next to the beach. The entrance was flooded with workers probably for the palace, and more guards awaiting their arrival. In the middle was a beautiful man with long turquoise hair and a feminine yukata.
"Welcome! Thank you all for coming!" The man hugged Sakura and kissed her on her cheek.
She was a little taken aback but smiled politely. The man did the same to Sasuke, she was even more surprised Sasuke didn't pull away or flinch at the man's touch.
"Hara-sama, you're being too formal with your guests, these are supposed to be your security," Koji told him.
"Wait, you're Touwa Hara-sama?" Sakura exclaimed. She expected him to be an older, stern man from the way the guards spoke of him.
"Yes! Thank you for coming all this way, Leaf Village Shinobi." He bowed to them.
"It's no problem, I'm Sakura Haruno, a medical ninja and this is Sasuke Uchiha,"
"It's a pleasure to meet you both, please come inside you must be tired from your travels." Touwa led them up the stairs. "Please give your bags to my servants, they will put them in your rooms."
Sakura took off her bag and her shoulders and sighed at the relief. She rubbed the tension away and applied a light layer of cooling chakra for the discomfort.
Inside the palace was more eye-pleasing. There were a lot of open areas where the sea breeze wafted in, and it smelt like a mix of sandalwood and seawater. They sat on a comfy couch, more lavish than anything Sakura had ever felt. She couldn't help by sink her fingers in the soft fabric.
"Your home is beautiful," Sakura said, her eyes wandering the high ceilings.
"Thank you, after the war almost everything was destroyed so it took a while to rebuild,"
"I understand, Konoha was the same-" A server brought a drink for her and Sasuke. She took it. "Thank you." She sipped her yellow and orange drink. A lemon-lime flavour hit all the right spots. "So yummy!"
Touwa chuckled. "You're so honest, I admire that, Sakura-san." He smiled and she took in his feminine features, his almond-shaped eyes and small and delicate mouth and nose, and his skin was so clear and smooth. She heard noise from Sasuke, barely audible if she hadn't been sitting right next to him.
"Shall we discuss the mission?" Sasuke said.
"Yes, my older brother, Fuyutake, will be coming tomorrow to celebrate my mother's ninetieth birthday. She lives here in the palace with me. I believe he wants to gain the leadership by force," he said. Sakura noticed his words became quiet at the end, as if he was saddened by his brother's behaviour.
"Our Hokage said Fuyutake threatened you before, what did he do?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh, well…" Touwa fell into a silence and so did the already silent guards around them.
Koji raised his head and spoke up. "Fuyutake stabbed Hara-sama while he was asleep,"
"Not exactly threatened if he outright tried to murder you," Sasuke added.
Touwa waved a hand by his face. "Well, you know how family affairs can get,"
Oh, Sasuke certainly knows.
"Then why even bother to let him come into your home? Shouldn't he be in prison or something?" Sakura said.
Koji exhaled deeply. "My thoughts exactly, but Lady Hara-sama wants the brothers to make amends or at least try to before she passes. And if things go south that's where you two come in,"
"Right," Sasuke said.
"Are we sure about that?" An older, horse voice came from behind. Everyone turned to see a woman, who Sakura would have guessed was Touwa's mother. Her short body seemed to drown in her long yukata and watching her walk made Sakura's back pitch in discomfort.
"This is my mother, Matsu Hara. Mother, these are the Leaf Village shinobi I hired. Sakura and Sasuke,"
Sakura straightened her posture and bowed her head. "Nice to meet you,"
Matsu eyed her before she slowly walked to Sasuke. They stared each other down, and Matsu smirked. "This one is crippled, he's a half-ninja at best,"
Sakura gaped at her, to say that about anyone was rude but to say that to Sasuke's face was on another level of crazy. Sasuke on the other hand was calm and didn't even flinch at her words.
"Mother, please be nice to my guest,"
"I'm only looking out for you, son, how do I know these ninjas are capable of the job," Matsu gave them both a dirty look.
What is with this old woman?
"Um, if I may Sasuke and I are very seasoned shinobi we both fought in the fourth shinobi world war and have saved many lives,"
"See, mother, they are more than capable."
Matsu grinned and the wrinkles on her face ripped at the motion."So, who's the stronger shinobi?"
Sakura rose a brow. "Sorry?"
"Who is the strongest? You…" She pointed her thumb at Sasuke. "or this one?"
Sakura narrowed her eyes to Sasuke, they both knew they were never going to say each other's names.
"We're both strong in our own ways." Sasuke finally said.
"Then let's see it, you two have a battle and we'll see if you're capable,"
Touwa interjected. "Mother, please, we don't need them to fight,"
She and Sasuke fight? Was she requesting them to battle? Sakura has never battled him, never sparred with him. And more or less, she had nothing to prove to this insolent woman. Sakura had spent the majority of her teenage years trying to overcome her insecurities as a ninja, and thankfully she was not in a state of confidence in herself and her capabilities. She definitely had nothing to prove and neither did Sasuke.
"Okay." Sasuke agreed, smirking at the woman's challenge.
"Huh?! We're really doing this?"
With that same look of determination on his face, he looked at her. "Yeah, if you're up for the challenge."
A flush of adrenaline tingled through her body. What had gotten into him? Whatever it was, she wasn't going to back down from his challenge.
"Fine! When and where?" Sakura asked with determination laced in her voice.
"You will battle at dusk on the beach, plenty of time for you to get yourselves settled in. I hope you won't disappoint me." Matsu sauntered away.
"I'm sorry about her, she isn't usually like this." Touwa waved to his servants. "Please show our guests to their rooms. Feel free to walk about the palace."
"Thank you," Sakura smiled and followed the servants.
Her room was directly across from Sasuke's room. It was decent-sized with a view of the sea. Opening the windows she let the cool breeze calm her nerves, she couldn't believe she was going to fight Sasuke in five hours. She inwardly cursed herself, she hadn't trained in a mouth having been occupied in the hospital and she hadn't been on a proper mission in three months. Needless to say, she was out of shape.
"Alright!" She took the time she had to scratch out her tight muscles and work on her taijutsu. Sasuke was stronger than her, not exactly physically but he knew more jutsu and had been in more battle than her. He has seen a lot of fighting techniques and after fighting a literal God, nothing will surprise him.