She was not nervous, she told herself. But it was hard not to feel intimidated when standing among eighty thousand elite shinobi, every one of whom was primed for the war. Plus, her sudden deployment shift from the Third to the Fourth Division meant that she had to re-orientate herself with her new comrades. Sakura tried to locate Shikamaru by his chakra signature, knowing that he was Gaara's Proxy Commander in his division. At the very least, he was a familiar face.
She was distracted from her search, however, by a hand laid on her shoulder. Sakura didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Ino-pig."
"Forehead-girl."
It was just their average, everyday greeting to each other. With Sasuke out of the picture, their rivalry had over the years mellowed back into some semblance of their childhood friendship. Including the use of childish nicknames.
Ino leaned her full weight against Sakura's side, a Cheshire grin lighting up her face as she drawled out – "So, I heard this rumour…"
She should have known. The gossip train would never cease running, not even for a war.
But Sakura would not let herself be goaded into speaking first, and Ino knew that for a fact. So the blonde went straight for the jugular.
"Seems like someone was caught sneaking out of the Kazekage's tent last night, looking completely ravished and worn-out," Ino tapped her lower lip thoughtfully, "I wonder who that could be…"
Nope, not going to rise to the bait.
"Some of the guards reported that the person in question was distinctly female. Oh! And that she had short, pink hair! Do you happen to know anyone that fits that description, Sa-ku-ra-chan?"
Sakura sighed dramatically, "Fine, Ino-pig. It was me. And I was up late helping Gaara with paperwork, not knocking boots with him."
"Oh, so it's just 'Gaara' now. No more 'Kazekage-sama' for his personal medic-slash-lover?" Ino waggled her eyebrows at Sakura suggestively.
Sakura realised her slip a little too late, so the only thing she could do was salvage her dignity and hope she didn't scuttle the rest of her boat in the process.
"He didn't want the formality. And we've known each other since, what, twelve?"
"Yeah, when he tried to kill you, but somehow did not. And now you're playing private nurse to him when we are about to embark on a world war. I think it makes for a perfect setting for a wartime romance story, don't you think, Forehead-girl?"
Sakura mentally reminded herself to burn all of Ino's trashy romance novels once they returned home.
"Tsunade-shishou ordered this as a mission. You know what it would be like to refuse her," Sakura could not help the visible shudder at the thought of turning down this mission – Tsunade would have her cleaning bedpans for a year. At least.
"Excuses, excuses. So tell me, Forehead-girl – how is he in be…"
"Ino! He's the Regimental Commander! Show a little respect!" Sakura hissed at her friend.
Ino held up her hands in surrender and took a step back.
"Fine, keep your secrets," then she smiled coyly, "But remember – on the warfront, there is little in terms of entertainment. That's why there are always so many babies born during and after a war."
Ino would have been a messy smear on the ground now, had Shikamaru not restrained Sakura with his Shadow Imitation Technique.
"Ino, get away from here before Sakura kills you," Shikamaru sighed, "And Sakura, murdering Ino will not stop the rumour mill, it will just fuel it."
"Shikamaru, you're here! Does that mean the briefing is over?" Sakura did a one hundred and eighty in her attitude and Ino took the chance to escape a certain death.
Shikamaru released his ninjutsu on Sakura and replied, "Yeah, it was just more of the same stuff. The Kazekage didn't want to leave anything to chance and wanted to make sure we memorised each others' strategies besides our own."
Then as if recalling something, Shikamaru reached into his pouch, "By the way, the Hokage told me to pass this to you."
Sakura held out her hand for whatever Shikamaru had to give her, and had to fight the irrational, girly-girl urge to shudder the moment he dropped something squishy and slimy into her palm.
"Katsuyu-sama!"
A palm-sized version of Tsunade's animal summon looked up at her and waved her tentacles lazily in greeting. The sight of the slug made Sakura smile – this was Tsunade's way of saying that she was just a summon away if she was ever needed. She lifted Katsuyu onto the shoulder of her flak jacket, and the slug promptly slithered into the warm confines of her collar.
"Oi, Shikamaru, you left the meeting so fast that you…" Temari was making her way through the crowd when she suddenly stopped and rather disturbingly, reached for a senbon tucked in her hair.
"Temari-san?" Sakura asked worriedly, seeing how the blonde shinobi was looking about to attack her.
"Sakura, don't be alarmed, but there's something really gross and possibly dangerous clinging to your neck," hissed out Temari as she readied her senbon.
Sakura's hands shot up to shield Katsuyu protectively, while Shikamaru reached over and pushed down the brandished weapon.
"That's the Hokage's animal summon, Temari. Why do you women always favour violence?" Shikamaru sighed. Of course, he knew the answer to that – he was surrounded by female shinobi almost all the time, so statistically speaking, he would more often run into women who are not afraid of using a little (or a lot of) force.
Still, it would be nice to have a little fantasy.
Tomorrow's weather forecast: rainy, with a 100% chance of lightning striking down Madara and Kabuto because they just so happened to be holding hands and declaring undying love for each other. Thereby ending this troublesome war before it begins.
Shikamaru was glad that fantasies did not have to make any sense.
Temari made a sound of acknowledgement and sheathed her senbon, ignoring the way that Katsuyu was now angrily waving her tentacles at the blonde kunoichi.
"Sorry, Sakura, but after the Forest of Death, I learnt that animals of an abnormal size tend to be rather malicious."
Then Temari gave Sakura a look that was just a little too calculating.
"So, I heard about you and my brother…"
Oh, stars.
"Whatever you heard, Temari-san, just ignore the rumour mongers." Sakura sighed.
"Oh, you mean you didn't have an indecent liaison with Gaara? That's a shame. I thought for sure I would win the bet."
"What. Bet."
Temari dismissed the potent mixture of anger and mortification radiating from the pink-haired and replied, "Kankurou and I have this bet going. I say Gaara is interested in girls; it's just that he had not found one he could stand to spend more than two seconds with. Kankurou, on the other hand, is betting that Gaara is asexual."
And really, they should not be having such a discussion. Not now, not ever.
"Temari-san, I really don't think this is an appropriate topic of discussion…"
"Ok, ok – but since you'll be hanging around my brother everyday now, let me know if I'm winning the bet, alright?" She flashed Sakura a winsome smile that was frankly scary at the same time.
Wanting to get this conversation over and done with, Sakura nodded before she even had time to process Temari's words. When she finally realised that Temari was effectively telling her to seduce Gaara, she whipped around to face her and was about to give the blonde a piece of her mind, but was stopped by Shikamaru.
Shikamaru had jabbed a thumb upwards, "I think they're supposed to rally the troops now."
Looking in the direction that Shikamaru had indicated, Sakura watched as the five Division Commanders emerged from the overlooking outcrop of rocks. Gaara seemed to arrive last, but it was more due to his height than anything else.
There had been some shinobi quietly talking among themselves previously, but it seemed as if the sight of Gaara had ignited something already volatile. Before she could register what was happening, a surge of sand had burst between some quarrelling shinobi, and immediately her eyes were drawn to Gaara.
Sakura awaited a rebuke from the Regimental Commander, but Gaara continued his streak of defying her expectations. There were no reprimands – only a confession of how he had once lived solely for hatred, and how a single Konoha shinobi had changed all that; that there was no longer a division along the lines of villages, but instead an alliance of all who called themselves shinobi.
It was when he humbled himself, deeming himself too green and far too young to lead; when he bowed and sought their strength for the coming war, that Sakura's breath hitched and her pulse raced. By then, the arguing shinobi seemed to have found a compromise, and the uproar that followed was one of jubilant cheering for Gaara's rallying speech.
If she had to be completely honest with herself, Sakura was secretly sceptical about having the Kazekage lead the war against Akatsuki. Gaara was only a few months older than her, and there were other Kage who had wartime experience. Now she understood why Tsunade was adamant about appointing Gaara as their Regimental Commander – because a lesser man would never have admitted to needing the strength of others to accomplish a greater good.
She was shaken out of a reverie that she didn't even realise she had fallen into by a brush of sand against the back of her hand. She blinked at the contact, not quite certain what to make of it.
Temari, who had turned to look at Sakura, saw her discreetly trying to shoo away the offending sand as if they were bothersome insects, and she had to suppress a smirk.
"Sakura, the Regimental Commander has summoned you," Temari called out.
Really, she should have suspected that. But Sakura didn't get summoned through sand everyday. Scrolls, the occasional shinobi appearing at her window, and a few animal messengers – that was all she had experience with when it came to being called away. There was that one time that involved Naruto's female shadow clone at a public bath, but that was something she preferred to forget.
With a nod of thanks to Temari, she transported herself up to the outcrop and a short distance away from the Division Commanders. Gaara was still conversing with Kakashi, so she took the opportunity to gaze down at the army standing before her.
Too young, was her conclusion. At least a quarter of the forces were made up of shinobi who were not even born when the Third Shinobi World War had concluded. Anyone ranked chunin and above who met the age requirement were automatically drafted into the war, and some have chosen to go rogue to flee their duty to their nation. This was an army hastily put-together, and now, had to be held together by a common enemy.
She hoped that Gaara's charisma would be enough to keep the army focused on their shared purpose.
So lost in her thoughts she was that Sakura was startled by Kakashi brushing past her; he had concluded his conversation with Gaara, so she made her way towards the waiting younger man.
"Kazekage-sama, what…"
Sakura didn't even have time to blink. The mini version of Katsuyu had decided to make her presence known by spitting a small jet of acid right at Gaara's face. He was fortunately saved from a lifetime of disfiguration when his sand shot up and blocked the corrosive goo.
There was a very pointed pause before Sakura found her voice again, "Katsuyu-sama, did you just attack the Kazekage?"
Gaara dismissed the sand wall and looked at the slug inside Sakura's collar. If Katsuyu was a cat, she would have been hissing and puffing herself up by now.
"Kazekage-sama, I am so sorry. I don't know why Katsuyu-sama just attacked you! I'm going to send her back to shishou right now!"
Gaara raised a hand to stop Sakura's hysteria, and she commanded herself to calm down and take in a deep breath. She still could not erase the look of absolute horror from her face, and Gaara sighed, knowing that an explanation was in order.
"It's alright. It is I who should apologise for trying to eat the Hokage's animal summon."
The previous look of horror was nothing compared to the look of sheer disbelief on Sakura's face now.
"Several days ago at a meeting, your Hokage offered me a small version of Katsuyu-san, just like yours," he gestured to the still glowering slug, "In her own words, she said that it was 'vital' that I 'take it'."
Sakura waited, somewhat knowing what to expect now.
"So I asked her how it tasted."
Sakura paled so much that Gaara almost reached out to catch her in fear that she would faint there and then, but he tamped down the urge. Sakura had every reason to be appalled that he suggested tasting a slug, let alone a slug animal summon.
"I thought she was offering me some strange Konoha medical dumpling or something. I did apologise to Katsuyu-san afterwards, of course," Gaara explained.
Katsuyu muttered some very colourful words into the fabric of Sakura's collar, and her hand automatically slammed down over the slug to prevent Gaara from hearing any of it. The slug squelched in protest, but there was little she could do.
"I…I…" Sakura tripped over her tongue, then finally sighed and mumbled, "I have no words to describe how I feel about this misunderstanding."
"The Hokage said the exact same thing," Gaara smiled lightly at the memory, "And afterwards, she decided that it was no longer so 'vital' that I carry a small version of Katsuyu-san with me. Apparently, she wants you to have it instead so we can relay messages through you."
"Oh, so now I'm a messenger hawk?" Sakura snorted.
"I have never seen a pink-feathered one, frankly. Are they native to Konoha?"
"Okay, now you're just yanking my chain."
Somewhere behind her, Kakashi cleared his throat rather obnoxiously.
Sakura snapped back into kunoichi mode. "You have summoned me, Kazekage-sama?"
"Haruno-san, I'm assigning you to Hatake-san's division for now. His division will be scouting enemy territory, and I want the best medic made available to his team as a precautionary measure. The Hokage expects you to report for medic duties at the medic tents once the initial scouting is completed," then almost as an afterthought, "I still expect you in my tent at ten o'clock sharp tonight, naturally."
"Of course, Kazekage-sama."
"And perhaps the torture can be less excruciating this time, Haruno-san?"
Oh, he was so yanking her chain, and he knew it.
Sakura smiled back, secretly cursing him in an old Konoha dialect at the back of her mind, "I apologise, Kazekage-sama, but you know what they say – it hurts because it works."
Gaara gave her a pointed look, and Sakura had to wonder exactly what sort of game they were playing. Finally, he let a smile tug at the corner of his lips before he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
Sakura bowed, then jogged up to the waiting Kakashi. They had started walking back down towards the shinobi teams when Kakashi jabbed a thumb backwards, no doubt towards Gaara.
"So, Sakura-chan, what was that all about?"
Well, at least Kakashi wouldn't bother her with those rumours.
"Nothing at all, Kakashi-sensei. Nothing at all."
Kakashi nodded sagely. "Good to know that. I can now report to the Hokage without worrying that I have to give her news of your impending nuptials to the Kazekage."
On second thought, it was a good thing Gaara assigned her to the frontlines. Because she was definitely going to need to kill someone. Something. Anything.
May the heavens help the first enemy shinobi she was going to encounter today.