A few days have already passed, Sakura and Karin's relationship had progressed. Maybe not like Ino and Sakura's friendship but they were getting somewhere, fixing the old trauma's and aches. Though Sakura is still on her toes if ever Karin was just fooling with her but so far Karin's intentions were clear and good.
Sakura stared at Ino and pouted. The day has come that the blond will be leaving. Though the blond promised that she'll ask Tsunade to send her back since the hospital and staffs were in fine condition. So far, the patients from different villages stopped coming because of the medial staffs sent by other hospitals of other villages. Sakura gave Ino a tight squeeze. The blond sighed at the warmth and hugged the pinkette back.
" Take care forehead. " Sakura pulled away still holding on to the blond's shoulder. She wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes. She nodded at the blond then gave her a small smile. The blond smiled at the pinkette.
" You take care pig, text me or call me when your home okay? And give mom and dad a visit, they'll be happy to see you. " Ino nodded at her. She pulled away when she saw Sai approaching them. Sakura looked at the pale man and side-stepped. She squeezed Ino's arm. The pale man approached the blond and smiled at her.
" Beautiful, do you want me to escort you back to the village? " Ino giggled and shook her head. She gave Sai a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.
" I'm good. I'll see you at Konoha? " Sai nodded at Ino. Ino then smiled and pushed Sai towards his teammates who were calling out to him. Ino gave him a short wave, Sai smiled at her and waved back, and went off. Sakura smiled at Ino then pointed to the pineapple head who was heading towards the girls.
Shikamura stopped in front of the girls and cleared his throat. He glanced at Ino and patted her on the shoulder. Ino smiled widely at him and immediately tackled him in a hug. Shikamaru gave her a short hug and patted her back. Sakura smiled at them and looked at the pale man who was staring at the two. Sakura bit her lip and looked back at the pair. Ino pulled away from Shikamaru and pinched his cheek.
The lazy man rolled his eyes and patted the blond's hair. " Uh take care Ino. " The blond giggled and nodded at him. When someone called out to Ino, she turned around and waved at the bodyguard.
" Welp, gotta go. Bye! Y'all take care in here and call me! " She waved and ran off to the car. Sakura stood beside Shikamaru who stared at the vehicle moving away from them. He sighed deeply and pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Sakura scoffed and nudged Shikamaru's side.
" You could have told her you liked her. " Shikamaru glanced at her and placed the cigarette between his lips.
" It's too troublesome. " Sakura shook her head and patted Shikamaru's shoulder. " It's more troublesome if someone gets to her first. " Sakura pointed her head towards Sai. Shikamaru followed her direction and shook his head. Sakura turned around and left the lazy man who was staring at the road where Ino's car disappeared.
Itachi and Shisui sat casually in the living room of the Mayor's house. Both have been visiting the place regularly, now the place feels like home for them. Itachi was speaking to someone on the phone while Shisui was arranging the documents on the coffee table, for a while the duo has been like this, Itachi then placed his phone on top of the coffee table and read some of the documents. A redhead approached them, wearing a green apron over the white dress paired with her yellow fluffy slippers. Both men stood up and bowed before her.
" Hello, Kushina-san " Kushina smiled at them and bowed back. Shisui sat down and went back to arranging the documents.
" So what do you boys want? " Itachi smiled and shook his head. Kushina then peeked at the documents. Itachi followed her gaze and handed her a file. Kushina held the file with tears in her eyes.
" I believe that is your niece, Karin. " Kushina held a hand to her mouth, holding back a sob and a smile. Itachi smiled at her patted her shoulder.
" Luckily, Kakashi found them, and they immediately surrendered. So far, Haruno-san is evaluating her for legal purposes and she seems to detect no trauma or sickness from Karin. " Itachi sighed and brushed off the hair from his eyes.
" It's good to know that she's safe but there's a possibility she'll be accused, but Kakashi is trying his best to figure it out by interrogating them. " Kushina nodded at Shisui who spoke and handed him the document. Shisui then placed it on top of his other documents.
" It's been 2 months since I last came back, except for Shisui, and I missed your cookies, so do you have any? " The redhead's mood instantly lifted, she giggled and nodded. Itachi took a seat next to Shisui, who grinned at Kushina.
" I'll be back, with mocha for Shisui and cappuccino for Itachi? " Both boys smiled and nodded at her. Kushina beamed and went to the Kitchen. Both boys looked to the left and saw Minato leaning by the wall. Itachi sent a nod at him. Minato chuckled and sat in front of them.
" Now that the Karin problem is discussed. Let's discuss the plan you formulated? " Shisui and Itachi nodded and handed him a portfolio. Minato leaned back and read the portfolio. The room fell into a deep silence as the duo waited for Minato's approval. Minato then glanced from the portfolio and closed it. He handed it to Shisui and smiled.
" It's perfect. " Shisui grinned and sent the blond a thumbs up, Itachi chuckled and nodded. Kushina entered the room and saw the men chuckling while discussing, she smiled and approached them. She bent down and placed the tray on the coffee table. She bent down to kiss her husband on the forehead.
" You boys busy yourselves here, I'm going to the garden and water the flowers, okay? " Everybody nodded at her she then walked away. Just when the redhead disappeared between the doors. the butler emerged from the kitchen, followed by a red-haired young adult.
" Sir, your visitor has arrived as discreet as we could. " Minato looked up and saw Gaara standing beside the butler.
" Ah, Gaara just in time. " The said boy sent a small smile to everyone and bowed. Minato stood up and patted the boy's back.
" This is Itachi and Shisui, the names I mentioned on our call. They'll be assisting you. " Gaara nodded and stared at the duo. Itachi stood up and extended his hand.
" Glad to meet you Gaara-san. " Gaara shook both hands at the same time and grinned.
" Now shall we get back to business? " Shisui grinned and pointed to the documents on the table.
Naruto crouched down to evade another attack from Sasuke. Who continued to swing his wooden sword at him. He rolled to the ground and blocked another attack. He stared up at Sasuke's frustrated sweating face. Naruto gulped when Sasuke glared hard at him and attacked him again. Naruto rolled to the side and stood up immediately and swung his staff at the raven who blocked it. He pushed his sword forward, while Sasuke pushed his even more.
" I know you have problems with Sakura-chan but no need to take that frustration on me! " Sasuke sneered at the name of the pinkette and kicked Naruto on his stomach, sending the blond crashing a few feet away from him. Naruto stood up and threw a fist at the young Uchiha. Sasuke who was too frustrated got hit and stumbled back a bit. He wiped off the blood on his bleeding lip and attacked Naruto again this time with his fist. Both boys threw their wooden sword away from them and continued sparring using their fists.
" Teme, stop being an idiot and just tell her what she did wrong! " Sasuke glared at him and threw a punch at the blond's head who luckily evaded it. " Shut it dobe! " Naruto sent a kick to Sasuke's side and was blocked by Sasuke's arms. Sasuke gripped his leg and threw him away. Naruto landed on his knees and ran towards the young Uchiha. The frustrated Uchiha did the same and ran towards the blond.
" Just because she called Neji with a suffix doesn't mean she likes him! " Sasuke glared harder at him and threw a fist at the blond. Both continued their clash, and when they were thrown off by each other. They immediately grabbed their airsoft guns and pointed them at each other.
Both breathed heavily and stared at each other, waiting for one of them to pull the trigger of the airsoft guns. For a second Sasuke was about to pull the trigger when they heard clapping. Both men looked in the direction of the sound and found Kakashi approaching them. His eyes crinkled at the corner, a sign that he was definitely enjoying the view.
" Great practice boys, now did the bruises alleviate the feeling? " Naruto sighed and dropped the airsoft gun and laid on the floor. Sasuke glared at Kakashi from his kneeling position and pointed the gun at him. Kakashi raised a brow at him. Sasuke sneered and moved the direction of the gun towards the steel targets from the far side of the training room. He pulled the trigger and dropped the airsoft gun. Kakashi stared at the target paper and saw the fake bullet hitting the bullseye.
" Perfect shot Sasuke, now you boys why don't you stand up and head to the shower room and meet me in the laboratory, okay? " Without waiting for their reply Kakashi turned around and left. Sasuke groaned and stood up followed by Naruto who was limping towards the shower room.
Both boys walked to the laboratory together. Naruto would roll his shoulder once in a while Sasuke would sigh whenever his arm would ache. As they passed by some soldiers, Naruto would smile and wave while Sasuke would nod at men staying aloof especially when women would wink at him.
Once reaching the now well-lit room, they both sat in front of Kakashi who in turn smiled at them. Kakashi eyed the bruised duo who was trying not to show any pain. Naruto looked away avoiding Kakashi's eyes and would tap his foot once in a while. Sasuke on the other hand found the door interesting and glared at it for the remaining exchange. Kakashi grinned even more when he heard a knock. He opened the door and two women walked in, the other one wearing a lab coat while the other one was in casual clothes.
Naruto almost fell off the chair if Sasuke didn't pull him back. Sasuke's eyes widened and looked at Kakashi who grinning at them. " Well, Ladies, I'll leave these idiots to you while I head for my mission, okay? " Both women nodded and approach the duo. The pinkette glared at the young Uchiha, who looked too calm. While the Hyuuga heiress sighed while approaching the blond.
" N-naruto-kun, you're so beaten up, what if there's an ambush and you're looking like this. Y-you can't fight back properly if you're already beaten up by Sasuke-san. " Hinata approached the blond who chuckled only and rubbed his head.
" Hinata-chan, we kind of got too far that we didn't notice. " Hinata sighed helped Naruto up, held him, and guided him to the door. She looked back at the pinkette who was glaring at the Uchiha. " S-sakura-san, I'll take Naruto-kun to our room that I shared with Neji-nii-san, my kit is in there. " Sakura waved at the Hyuga while still glaring at the Uchiha. Naruto made a scared face at Sasuke and pointed at Sakura.
Once the pair was out of the room, she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped repeatedly her foot on the floor. The Uchiha glared at her then looked away. He was about to stand up when the pinkette placed her hands on his shoulder and pushed him back on the stool. Sasuke had to bite his tongue at the pain of his shoulder. He cannot deny his arms and shoulders ached but the pinkette's strength made it even worst.
" What idiocy is this Sasuke? You know we're in the middle of a war slash pandemic and you and Naruto are beating each other up? Why not beat the enemy! " Sasuke looked away and trying to ignore the pinkette who he had been ignoring the whole day. Sakura pulled him up by his arm and dragged him out of the room then locked the laboratory. She took his wrist and had to forcefully drag him.
Luckily it was just a short walk from the room that Sakura is taking him. They stopped in front of an unknown room, he looked around trying to remember who's room it was. He was dragged inside the dim room and was pushed on the bed. He laid for a while Sakura locked the door and turned on the lights. He sat up and rubbed his shoulder. Sakura glared at him then turned her back on him and removed her lab coat. Sasuke stared at Sakura who was wearing black shorts and a red sleeveless top. She threw a towel at him while digging in her luggage.
" Remove your shirt and shoes " Sasuke sighed and obliged. It was either other medics' checking-up on him or Sakura, he'd rather have Sakura. He sighed and removed his shoes and shirt. He looked around the room and noticed it had two big beds, her medical bag on the left side of the room, and a large table near the door filled with herbs, laboratory apparatuses, tons of books, and documents. Then everything fell into place, he was inside Sakura's room.
He looked back at the pinkette who was opening her medical kit, taking out a bottle of alcohol, gauze, cotton, and surgical tape. She then moved to the bed he was sitting on and knelt in front of him. She took the towel from him and dipped it in lukewarm water. She took his arm and saw scratches and bruises. She sighed and rubbed her hands with alcohol before treating the wounds and bruises on his body.
He had to look away or scoff whenever Sakura would move closer to him when she tapes the gauze or cotton on his skin. She pulled back and rubbed the warm towel on his bruises. She then pulled him even closer and inspected his face. Sasuke had to fight back a blush. He would clear his throat that was obviously ignored by the pinkette. She turned his head from side to side and pulled out another gauze and wiped the blood on his lip.
Sasuke looked down at the pinkette and stared at her. Her eyes showed no discomfort nor pain. She was too focused on her task to feel discomfort from the proximity. She leaned back to take one final look at him, when she was satisfied, she nodded and went to her bed and take her towel. Sasuke stared at her top to bottom and saw the blood staining her shirt and arm. He didn't know he was bleeding that much.
" I'll take a quick shower, so you better behave and keep compressing the warm towel on your bruises so it'll heal faster. " Sasuke nodded obediently at her retreating back. She entered her bathroom and went to shower.
Sasuke sat in silence and inspected the room. The room was clean, there was a small kitchen with no stove but just a sink and a mini-fridge, there was a built-in closet on both sides of the room and there's one bedside table for each bed. When the towel and water turned cold, he placed them on her kitchen sink. He washed the towel and hung it on the towel rack. He went back to bed and place the alcohol and medical tape in her medical kit. Almost 20 minutes have passed, Sasuke sighed in boredom and sat on the empty bed, and leaned on the wall. Waiting for Sakura to emerge from the bathroom.
Sasuke was about to doze off when he heard the bathroom door open, he looked at the door and found Sakura fully clothes with her hair partly damp. She walked to the other bed and pulled out her phone from the drawer just in time for her phone to ring. She glanced at him and turned around.
" Good Evening, Itachi-san " Sasuke immediately sat up and glared at Sakura's back.
" Ah yes, in my room, of course, I'll send today's report. " Sasuke had to glare at the wall when Sakura glanced at him then went back to talking to Itachi.
" I'll call tomorrow night again and please inform Shishou of our progress in here. Tell her I sent the results. " Sasuke wanted to throw the pillow at the person Sakura was talking but he held his emotions and remained glaring at the wall.
" Yes, I will tell Sasuke that you said good night. Good Night Itachi-san, Shisui-san. " Sakura turned off her phone and placed it back on the drawer. She approached the moody Uchiha and sat in front of him. Sasuke raised a brow at her and she smiled at him.
" Do you feel better? Does it still ache? " Sasuke shook his head and grabbed his shirt. He was about to stand up when Sakura held his wrist.
" Itachi-san, Kakashi-sensei, and Tsunade-shishou requested for you to stay in here while Kakashi-sensei will be traveling back to Konoha. " Sasuke could feel his breathing stop but he calmly stared at Sakura.
" Why? " Sakura blushed and tucked a hair behind her ear. Sasuke almost felt his blood boil, thinking that they don't believe in his strength of staying alone in his room, well if Naruto is sleeping in Kiba or Shikamaru's room. That dobe tends to have sleepovers in different rooms. He clenched his fist, wanting to punch Itachi. He looked back at the pinkette who was fidgeting
" I-, since I'll be alone in this room since Ino left, Tsunade-shishou feared that the enemy will take me since I'm creating the antidote. Word had already got out that I am in the process of creating the cure that's why I'm not in the laboratory and why I was moved in this room beside Shikamaru's and Kakashi's room. " Sasuke had to unclench his fist and rub his temple.
" How about the dobe? " Sakura looked up at him and bit her lip.
" Naruto will temporarily move in with Hinata and Neji since they fear that they'll ambush Naruto in his sleep, knowing the idiot is a heavy sleeper. " Sasuke snickered and approached the door. Sakura looked away from Sasuke's frowning face thinking he would not agree. She bit her lip and rubbed her temple. She moved to the kitchen and poured out the water from the bowl, she released a heavy sigh and looked down on the sink, thinking Sasuke had already left.
" Please clean up the bed that I'll be using, I'll be back, I just need to take all my stuff and weapons. " Sakura looked back and saw the door close. She smiled and held a hand to her chest. She went turned around and pulled out the compartment and plugged in the heater.
2 days had already passed and she and Sasuke last talked but because he got an urgent mission, they never get to meet. Whenever Sasuke was back from his missions Sakura would be asleep and when Sakura was off to the hospital Sasuke would be sleeping or out training and since he was too busy with his missions he didn't get to unpack his luggage and she promised she'd help him tonight. She looked up at the clock and realized Sasuke had been in the bathroom for almost an hour.
She started slicing some apples and watermelon and placed them in a bowl. Sasuke then emerged from the bathroom and opened his luggage and approached the pinkette who was still slicing some apples and watermelon. He stood beside the pinkette and took a piece of fresh tomato. He took the basket with fruits and vegetables and placed some that would easily rot in the fridge and left the others in the basket. He took out a piece of red juicy tomato and washed it.
He took a bite off it and went back to his bed. Sakura looked glanced up at him and placed the bowl of fruits on her bed as well as the journals and books she needed. She moved to help Sasuke arranging his clothes and shoes in the closet. Sasuke took his last big bite of the tomato and wiped his hands on his towel. Sakura smiled at him and went back to the kitchen to make tea when they were done.
Sasuke took his towel, and toiletries and went directly to the bathroom. Sakura sighed and leaned on the kitchen counter, she let out a heavy sigh after feeling the heavy atmosphere in the room. She pulled out the foldable end table that she found from the laboratory and unfolded it and placed her tea and fruits on it. She glanced at the clock and found the time to be too early since she skipped her dinner again because she was caught up with the antidote and the reproduction of the herb and flower she found just around the base.
8:30, The clock glared back at her. She sighed and skimmed through her books and journals. Too engaged in her journals and books, she didn't notice Sasuke emerging from the bathroom not until she felt someone's minty breath on her side. She looked to her right and found Sasuke leaning into her while reading her journals. She held her hand to her chest, thinking it'll calm her heart. She stared at Sasuke's perfect jaw then looked at his thin lips, her gaze moved to his aristocrat's nose and lastly at his eyes. Who was already staring at her, Sakura immediately turned red and tried to look away but her body was frozen in her spot. They stared for a while, and like gravity that he was, she leaned closer to him.
Sasuke didn't know what overtook his body, maybe his frustration of not seeing her for 2 days or just the moment. When Sakura leaned into him, he couldn't help but lean down at her. They stared for a while until their lips touched. Sasuke closed his eyes and placed his arms on both of her sides, balancing his body. He could feel her soft lips on his and he didn't know what to do next. Since this time it felt different like before. He didn't want to pull away but he also didn't want to prolong it or she'll feel suffocated.
With enough strength in his body, he pulled away slightly and looked down, finding the pinkette lying beneath him. Sakura blushed, even more, when she noticed Sasuke was half-naked and was slightly wet. She bit her lip and looked away. Sasuke smirked at her and leaned down, pushing all the books and documents off her bed. He moved to climb on top of her. Sakura could feel her heart beating erratically, she stared up at Sasuke who was smirking at her, she bit her lower lip even more. Suddenly, Sasuke crashed his lips on hers and Sakura never felt so alive during her stay here. She closed her eyes and pulled Sasuke closer.
In between their make-out session, Sasuke would pull away for a while to stare at her then kiss her again. This lasted for a few minutes until they heard a knock on their door. With her amazing strength, she pushed Sasuke off her, got up from her bed, and ran to the door. She fixed her hair before opening the door.
Sasuke stood up and approached the door. Once the door was opened he saw Naruto pouting and barging in, moving past Sasuke and Sakura. The blond slumped on the bed and groaned. Sasuke slammed the door close and glanced at Sakura who was staring at him apologetically. The pinkette approached the blond who was now almost crying. Sakura sighed and sat beside Naruto.
" What happened? " Naruto looked at Sakura and hugged her. Sakura patted his back until his whines and sobs died down. Naruto pulled away and wiped his nose.
" Neji said I wasn't good for Hinata-chan, because I was an idiot and my dad is the mayor, putting Hinata-chan's life in danger. " Sakura smiled sadly and patted his head. Sasuke groaned and sat beside Naruto and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
" Then tell him if you beat him in a spar tomorrow, you get to court the Hyuuga girl. " Naruto's eyes widened at the idea and nodded at Sasuke. Sasuke smirk soon faded when Naruto hugged them both.
" Thanks, guys, you're the best! I'll ask him tomorrow but for now, I'll sleep in here. " Naruto laid on the bed and patted the other side for Sasuke. Sakura had to let out a giggle at Sasuke's annoyed and unbelievable look. She stood up and moved to turn off the lights then laid on her bed.
" Good Night guys " Sakura murmured and turn off her lamp, the room being evaded by complete darkness.
Sorry for the very late update. this pandemic is eating up all my time at work and at home! I hope everyone is safe!
Enjoy this chapter!
-Luna