Author's Note:

Hello everyone! Happy new year, and welcome to another (extremely late) chapter of Kamen!

I know I promised last time that I wouldn't take a year to update, and that I've broken that promise for what feels like the fiftieth time, but I swear I have a good reason this time. And that reason is…

I'm a mom now!

My fiance (also a new life surprise!) and I were just over the moon at the unexpected news, so of course my focus went straight into prenatal stuff. And then my first doctor's appointment brought some even crazier news! I was already halfway through my pregnancy! And of course she came a little earlier than expected! So as you can imagine, writing has been yeeted onto the backburner. She actually just had her first birthday recently!

Soooo yeah. This time I have a good, genuine excuse haha. But anyway, enough about me! I really hope you're all doing well and having a great new year! And I also hope you're all excited for the long awaited, new chapter of Kamen!

So without further adieu…Welcome back to Kamen!

Kamen

Chapter Nineteen

For many shinobi, the training fields were a home away from home.

They were safe spaces for shinobi to escape to—whether it was to let off some steam, learn a new technique, or to just get away from the rest of the world. And it was where bonds were formed, where weaknesses and bentos were shared, and where Genin and Jonin alike could lay back to watch the stars at night.

Sakura couldn't even pretend to put a number to how many times she and Team Seven had fallen asleep in theirs—whether it was after a drunken night out or a post-training nap. Nor could she count how many dinners were spent there, over a campfire with the sounds of another team training in the background.

So it was no surprise that the training grounds were full of shinobi, even now.

All around her, shinobi of all ranks were lazing about—some sitting on low hanging branches and others catching their breaths on the grass, while others were on their feet, engaged in friendly hand-to-hand spars. And civilians were there too for once, sitting on patterned blankets with picnic baskets chock-full of snacks between them, watching the shinobi with awe in their eyes.

Sakura sat amongst them, with Sasuke and Naruto at her sides and a bottle of strawberry soda in hand, laughing as the blond regaled the story of how he and Sasuke had been stuck together via liquid chakra. Neither man had ever revealed their half of the story, remaining tight lipped about it all these years; and now, she understood why.

They nearly drowned themselves after jumping off a cliff with the hopes that an outcropping rock would've been enough to break their conjoined hands apart. That in itself was dumb enough to warrant a laugh, but their resulting liplock was just the icing on the cake.

"Seriously?" Sakura managed between laughs. "How many times has this happened to you guys now?"

Sasuke hid his face in his hands, allowing only the reddened tips of his ears to be seen. "Too many."

Naruto was less bashful about the incident, crossing his arms and glaring at his two teammates. "It's not funny, Sakura-chan! Teme nearly broke my teeth!"

At that, Sasuke tipped his head to the side to reveal his own, far more potent glare. " Me ? You're the one who suggested it!"

"Yeah! But you went along with it!" Naruto huffed. "You know some of my ideas don't work out right!"

"At least you admit it." Sakura shook her head, leaning back onto her hand as Naruto and Sasuke continued to bicker. She remembered that mission. They were sent to retrieve a golden statue from bandits; Kakashi and Obito had traveled along the riverbank, while the three of them took to the footpath.

They were barely a team back then—more children than ninja. Teamwork wasn't even a thought in their heads at the time, just a word. And because of that, she had been captured.

It was the first time she'd been taken hostage.

Another growl rumbled within Sasuke's chest, hinting to both Sakura and Naruto that he was about ready to pounce on the loudmouthed blond, but Sakura interrupted before he could, pointing to a pair of shinobi sparring across the field. "Hey, isn't that Konohamaru?"

Naruto leaned forward, squinting, before throwing an arm in the air and waving it. "Oi! Konohamaru!"

The Chunin glanced their way at the sound of his name, blue-green eyes narrowing before snapping back to reality just as a fist flew over his shoulder. He latched onto a handful of his opponent's shirt, twisting on his heel, and threw him to the ground. Then, with a boot on his fallen opponent's chest, Konohamaru raised a hand in the air, two fingers free of a fist in greeting. "Hey!"

"Nice takedown," Sakura flexed her bicep. Beside her, Sasuke acknowledged him with a two-fingered salute.

"Yeah, nice one, Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru beamed, dipping his head slightly whilst helping his comrade to his feet. "Thanks guys!" Then, he pointed at Naruto. "You're next!"

Naruto leant back onto his palms. "Can't! I've gotta save my energy for a real challenge!"

Konohamaru snorted. "Yeah, right! If you're too scared to lose in front of everyone, you could've just said so!"

The blond's nose scrunched and his eyes narrowed; he mockingly repeated the teen's taunt. "If you're too scared to lose—" He pointed back at Konohamaru who tugged on his cheek below his eye. "I'll remember that when we train this weekend, you little shit!"

Konohamaru barked a laugh, half-heartedly waving a hand in response, before bumping a fist against his opponent to start the next round. Team Seven watched as Konohamaru and a Nara clansmen traded blows, settling into an easy silence. And as Konohamaru fought, Sakura couldn't help but think: I feel so old.

Just yesterday, Konohamaru was an annoying little brat who, with his own team, would follow Team Seven around. He idolized Naruto, imitating his walk and his attitude, joining the blonde in his prankish antics around the village and announcing his goal of becoming Hokage to anyone with a pair of ears. Hell—he, Moegi and Udon used to hide in the trees and watch as Team Seven trained, and all three used to beg them to train together. And now, here he was: a respected Chunin with dreams of teaching other young minds about the Will of Fire, and a half dozen B-ranks under his belt.

Is this how Kakashi-sensei feels when he looks at us? And Tsunade-sama?

"Man. Time sure flies, doesn't it?"

At Naruto's soft muttering, Sakura closed her eyes and laid her head against his shoulder. "I was just thinking that."

"Hn." Sasuke concealed the fondness in his own little smile by climbing to his feet, rolling his shoulders and neck. Then, offering a hand to Sakura, said, "We should probably start warming back up."

Sakura took the offered hand with a sigh. "Yeah, you're right." She raised her arms up over her head, moaning in satisfaction as the muscles in her back pulled taunt. She kicked Naruto's boot. "Hurry up, Naruto."

But to her surprise, Naruto didn't share their sentiment. He groaned, flopping flat onto his back with his hands folded behind his head and his lips pursed into a pout. He crossed his ankles over each other. "I don't wanna get up right now. I'm too comfy."

"Seriously? Three years on the road together, calling me a lazy bum, and now you're too lazy to train?"

At the new voice, Sakura and Sasuke whipped around while Naruto shot back up into a sitting position. The blond's eyes widened, taking on that infamous brilliant sapphire shine. "Ero Sennin!"

The Toad Sage stood before them, his large arms folded over his chest and his head tipped slightly back. He looked almost exactly the same as they last saw him—trading that olive ensemble and red haori for a red, short-sleeved yukata but still donning those old-school geta—just with longer hair and a few more wrinkles around the eyes. His lips thinned at the nickname and his expression lost its enthusiasm, but the fondness in his eyes didn't waver.

"Disrespectful as always, I see," Jiraiya groused. He squared his shoulders, drawing waves with his hands in a strange Hyuuga-esque imitation, and stomped his left foot into the ground, posing dramatically. "Remember who you're dealing with, Gaki! I'm not any old pervert! I'm The Man Unmatched Across Land and Sea! The White-Haired Frog Tamer! Jiraiya: the Gallant!"

Sakura didn't bother hiding her eye roll at the ridiculously dramatic introduction and swallowed her snort while Sasuke obscured his exasperation with one hand. But Naruto was on his feet in moments, closing the gap between him and Jiraiya in a series of swift steps, and engulfing the larger man in an airtight hug. "Shut up you old perv! Say hello like a normal person!"

"Hey, that's no way to talk to your master! I'm a legend, you know!"

"Alright! The moment's over! I'm out of here!" Naruto pulled away, just to laugh when Jiraiya stubbornly yanked him back against his chest.

It was heartwarming, seeing her teammate so enraptured.

He looked so…complete at this moment. Like he had found a part of himself he didn't realize he was missing.

And Sakura understood that feeling completely.

Jiraiya had been his master, after all. He had been there when Iruka, Kakashi or his father couldn't. He was the one who pulled Naruto out of his darkest, most difficult days and illuminated them with his kind smile. He was the one who pushed Naruto to find his way back on the right path, who understood all that self-doubt and inner turmoil that secretly raged inside him, and turned him into the man he was, today.

Because he could've been someone entirely different. He could've rolled with the darkness—turned into someone selfish or cruel. Someone who isolated himself.

Kami, she couldn't even begin to imagine how he would've turned out without them.

"Master Jiraiya, it's good to see you again," She greeted, politely bowing with her hands linked against her lap.

The Toad Sage glanced at her from over Naruto's shoulder, then a grin that bordered lecherous spread across his features. He pushed Naruto aside, making the blond stumble into Sasuke with a comical, "Oi!" then came to stand in front of the rosette.

"Well, if it isn't Little Tsunade! You're all grown up! And you're even more beautiful than when I last saw you."

A muscle twitched at her temple as Jirayia's hand extended for one of her own, but Sakura coaxed the fiery annoyance away with the brushing of her bangs, taking it nonetheless. She smiled a tad too sweetly. "And you look even older than when I last saw you."

Jiraiya placed his free hand over his heart. "Your words wound me, Sakura-chan. You really do take after Tsunade—in more ways than one." His body tensed, his face scrunching with agony as Sakura warningly tightened her hand around the one in her possession. He struggled to rip his hand away, nursing it against his chest while turning to Sasuke, who had his gaze nonchalantly settled on a bird in a nearby tree. With a softened countenance, Jiraita set his throbbing, reddened hand upon the Uchiha's shoulder. "It's good to see you, Sasuke. I heard you've been promoted in the Force."

The Uchiha straightened at the mentioning, pushing his chest and chin out proudly. "I'm a Sergeant now."

Jiraiya nodded and chummily shook the ravenette. "Congratulations! You deserve it. Next time I visit the Leaf, I expect to see Lieutenant stripes on you."

Sasuke bowed his head, but even from where she was, Sakura could see the well-hidden veil of disappointment that draped upon him. She made a mental note to talk to him about it later. "Thank you. I will."

Clapping Sasuke's shoulder in sympathy, Jiraiya pulled away to wrap an arm around Naruto's neck, forcing the barely-taller man to dip down to match his height. "So," He began, tilting his head and bearing the feral slash of a smirk. "What's going on? What's gotten you so lazy all of a sudden?"

Naruto dismissed the question with the wave of his hand, pulling the Sage down lower than him now. "Oi, forget that! What are you doing here, Ero Sennin? I thought you were busy in uh—Shi…bon? Shion? Shibari?"

Sakura snorted while Jirayia sighed and freed himself from Nature's hold. "Not even close, Kid. I was in Fujigata. And what do you mean, what am I doing here? It's the coronation of a new Hokage! Of course I'd be here! It's my duty as a Konoha shinobi to be here."

"If not for Lady Tsunade tying you to a pole at her coronation, you would've left the moment you got her here," Sakura mumbled, coaxing a semblance of a snicker out of Sasuke.

But the other two men didn't pay her any mind, with Naruto immediately asking, "What were you doing in Fujigata? Did you save a village from a ferocious beast? Or from an angry spirit? Oh! Did you track down a serial killer? Was it a woman who poisoned all the men in the village because she was scorned by her lover?"

Typical Naruto.

Another elongated sigh left Jiraiya's lips at his student's overzealous million-mile-per-hour questioning, and he pulled away from Naruto so he could lean against the nearest tree—indicative of a story to tell. And like a child, Naruto rushed to sit cross-legged at his feet, ready to dangle off his mentor's every word—just as he did when they were Genin. Deciding against teasing him, Sakura took a seat beside him while Sasuke stood with his arms crossed.

"Alright, alright. I've got a story for ya. Now, I can't go too deep into details, but this is what I can tell you. I was in Fujigata looking for a scientist who had teamed up with a local gang to manufacture a drug that previously caused an epidemic in nearby towns," He began. "I chased the lead to a smaller town a few kilometers south called Uradaka.

"Uradaka?" Sakura skimmed through the names of all the places she'd visited through the years. "I've never heard of it."

Jiraiya leveled her with a hard stare. "You wouldn't have. It's not the kind of place any self-respecting shinobi would go to. It's…dirty. Seedy. The kind of place where rogue nin thrived. Almost immediately, I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was terribly wrong there."

A quick glance at Naruto found him leaning forward, towards Jiraiya. His eyes were wide and locked on the white-haired man, his mien focused, yet full of childlike awe. And once again, Sakura couldn't beat down that tender warmth sizzling at the center of her chest.

"Everywhere I went, that feeling followed me. I was being watched. Someone was onto me. Villagers looked at me like I was shit on the bottom of their shoes. They pulled their kids away and shut their windows as I passed. No one would talk to me." Jirayia closed his eyes, rubbing them with his thumb and middle fingers. "But I was tired. I had been traveling for months, chasing dead end after dead end, avoiding nukenin of all walks of life with chips on their shoulders. I was tired of sleeping in the dirt, so I decided to stop at the town's inn. It was a shabby, little thing—one where the innkeep eyed me like I was some kind of criminal for even entertaining it as a place to stay."

"Woah…"

Sakura bit at her growing smile. As ridiculous as he was, Lord Jiraiya had always been a great storyteller. He knew just how to pull people in, knew exactly when to shift the tone of his voice to accentuate a point in his stories. And one of his greatest talents was his almost chimeral description of places just like this.

"He was old and tonsured, doddery on his legs. And he had one eye—the other covered by timeworn bandages that wrapped around his head, but it felt like that one eye saw everything. Everything about him screamed a person of interest. So I thought he would be the perfect person to interview. But I was wrong."

"He was the scientist!" Naruto interrupted, punching the side of his fist into his palm, confident, as if he had solved the entire mystery. "The one you were looking for, right?!"

Jiraiya showed his palms to them, gesturing for him to settle down by lowering them towards the ground. "I wasn't sure then. Despite his decrepitness, the old man moved around a lot. He always disappeared when I'd drop by the reception desk, sending his nephew to greet me when I poked around too much. And everytime I followed him into town, he would enter this slummy, old building through the back entrance. The windows were always covered by these thick, moth-bitten curtains, and there were always goons standing by that door. I didn't want to scare him or let him know I was onto him. I'm just a traveling raconteur, afterall. But then, a nukenin going by the name Haradashi was found dead."

Naruto emitted a loud, audible gasp. And even Sasuke's expression shifted, morphing into genuine interest as he finally took a seat beside her.

"Murder?" The Uchiha asked.

Jiraiya's gaze deepened. "Blatant murder. His mouth was stitched shut."

"It was a message," Sasuke deduced. "He was a liability to someone."

"He wasn't the only liability. The next morning, another lowlife was found dead—this time, with his eyes stitched shut. By nightfall, three more bodies were found. And all of 'em were clearly meant to be found. Not only that, but they just so happened to be people of interest in my investigation."

"So what happened then?" Sakura inquired.

Jiraiya glanced at her, then at Sasuke, then Naruto. "This was all beyond the scope of my mission. Just being there was a new danger. I had to lay low and act quick. I booked the room for three more nights and spent those days observing what I could from my window. Thankfully, the walls there were thin, so I could hear everything, and anyone who entered the building. I even managed to sneak a peek at the innkeeper's records. And for such a small inn, it had a lot of guests. Shinobi, a rogue samurai, a few suspicious peddlers, and five now-dead men who just happened to be at the forefront of my investigation."

"The inn," Naruto breathed. "It's the common denominator."

"It was. And the old innkeeper? He didn't have much to say about his coincidentally dead tenants. If anything, he seemed pretty damned amused by their deaths."

"Because he killed them!"

"I had little to no evidence that this was my guy beyond my suspicions, and if I stayed too long, he would've caught onto me. So I planned to check out and make camp just outside the town's perimeter, watch from afar. But then, just as I was packing my stuff, I heard him talking to someone right outside my door."

Naruto rocked forward, fully invested. "What were they saying?"

Dark eyes swept over the three of them, heavy with mystery and exhaustion, and years of trauma. "Take care of him."

Naruto's body went rigid. "I knew it!"

"They were plotting an ambush. My cover was blown. I had to go but I wasn't sure who was on the other side of the door or how many there were, and there were too many civilians outside to risk a major battle. So I had no choice but to wait for them to make the first move. And then, as I waited with a kunai in my hand, there was a knock at the door. I asked who it was, and the old innkeeper responded, saying I had some guests."

All but vibrating in anticipation, Naruto curled his fingers into the grass. "And then!?"

"...I opened the door, and almost immediately fell to my knees because…" Jiraiya swallowed, his breath stuttering, and closed his eyes as he seemingly recalled that day. "There were three beautiful women! With skirts that left nothing to the imagination, and breasts that couldn't be contained by any stretch of fabric!"

Had she been standing, Sakura would've fallen over.

Sasuke merely stared ahead at a tree, his face devoid of any depth beyond self-disappointment—as if saying to himself, "Of course. Why did I think this story would've ended in a different way?" And Naruto just stared at Jiraiya, who rambled on about the fangirling women, with his brows tented, his head canted to the side, and his nose and lip twisted in discombobulated disdain. Then…

"WHAT THE HELL PERVY SAGE?" Naruto ripped some grass from the ground and threw it at Jiraiya, who continued to wear that same lickerish leer. "That's not a story!"

"Of course it is!" Jiraiya defended. "You listened to it, didn't ya? So it's a story! But if you want the rest of the juicy details, you'll just have to read about it in my next book. It's a thrilling romantic mystery that will have you on edge—in more ways than one!"

"You're impossible!" Naruto griped, jumping to his feet. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began stomping off like a petulant child. "C'mon guys. Let's get outta here. Unlike some people, we've got things to do!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sasuke stood up. "Well that was a waste of time."

Rising with the help of Sasuke's free hand, Sakura shrugged. "At least it got Naruto up."

"Hey, you three should feel honored that I gave you a sneak peek into my next novel!" Jiraiya huffed, watching as a snickering Sakura and brooding Sasuke waved goodbye over their shoulders. "Lots of people would kill for that much, y'all know?! It's gonna be my next biggest hit!"

Kamen

The stadium shook beneath Sakura's feet as she stalked down the walkway. Cheers bounced off the walls of the tunnel, distorted by the abrupt gust of wind that lashed out at her cheeks. She shivered at the sensation, closing her eyes as residual chakra pressed carefree kisses along her skin. Beside her, Naruto physically shook out his excitement with a relieved sigh.

"Man," He exhaled. "Now that's a feeling I'll never get tired of!"

Sasuke smirked to himself, his fingers curling over and over into his palm with anticipation. "Me either."

They walked out of the tunnel and into the sunlight where the roar of the surrounding crowd doubled, and stood at the edge of the walkway overlooking the battleground below. A quick perusal of the stadium showed it was nearly overflowing in capacity, the seats entirely occupied to the point that children sat with their legs dangling off the railings or on the shoulders of their fathers, while shinobi were forced to stand anywhere they could comfortably fit—even if it meant hanging upside down from the overhang. In the box seats above the bleachers, their retiring Hokage sat, chatting away with the Kazekage and his siblings, and someone who appeared to be the daimyo, when another familiar face entered the box.

She was about to point out the surprising guest when another bluster of wind engulfed the arena. It slammed into her, making her fight a step back with a thin dust of chakra along the soles of her feet while invisible fingers demandingly grasped at Sakura's jaw, forcing her to redirect her attention to the battle taking place below.

Kakashi ducked back, narrowly evading the heel of Gai's wildly precise roundhouse. He blocked the next kick Gai followed up with and batted away his lower jab; then returned the attack with a pair of high kicks of his own. Gai easily evaded them, pushing through with a punch that Kakashi tilted away from, a second slug that Kakashi bat aside, then a mid-ranged kick that Kakashi mirrored and hooked his own leg around, forcing Gai to the ground just as a Fuma shuriken sliced the air above them. The shuriken spiraled past them, curving right, to where Obito, Genma and Asuma were trading blows.

Through the rising dust, Sakura caught a glimpse of flickering scarlet as the Uchiha's Sharingan tracked the field. He threw an arm up to block Genma's jab while simultaneously throwing an elbow back towards Asuma's chest, then while ducking Genma's following punch, hooked his arm under the senbon-wielder's knee in an attempt at throwing him down. But Genma (clumsily) caught himself and countered with a high roundhouse that coincided with Asuma's quick right hook. Obito managed to dodge both somehow and landed a heel kick strong enough to Genma's chest to send him reeling back. Then he ducked beneath another swipe of Asuma's knuckle blades, popping back up to deck the bearded man's jaw, slammed the flat of his boot into his knee, then finally incapacitated him with a knee to the face—all whilst evading the oversized shuriken heading his way.

And Gods did that make Sakura warm.

"Come on Iruka! Gotta do better than that!" She heard Obito tease. He reached out, plucking it from the sky, and with an artful twirl, pitched the weapon back across the battlefield. "You're spending too much time in the classroom. You're getting a little rusty."

The academy teacher huffed at the jibe, but managed to catch the returned weapon with ease. The moment his fingers wrapped around the shuriken, he vanished, reappearing behind Obito with the same shuriken already pitched halfway between them. "So are you!"

Obito leapt over the spiraling steel, ready to snipe off another jab when the weapon burst into a flurry of leaves, revealing a sword-wielding Raido in its place.

Beside Sakura, Naruto all but leapt over the railing, pointing at the combatants below and shouting, "That's my move! Let's GO Iruka-sensei!"

A kunai sliced through the air, striking Raido's katana just hard enough to knock it from its path and up into the stands where a cloaked shinobi appeared to catch it before disappearing again. Obito, meanwhile, put space between them with a back handspring, expertly twisting midair to avoid both Iruka's trailing high slash and Raido's matching low one; he linked his arm with Iruka's, yanking him over and under him, then threw him down onto Raido.

He jumped back, ready to follow up with his own attack, only to find his feet rooted in place. The ground glittered as it caught the sunlight, revealing a clear sheen of slime that pooled around the Uchiha's feet. His Sharingan scanned the field, barely locating the near-hidden Izumo when Sakura felt the ground rumble. The syrup entrapping her mentor rippled, visible only at the right angle, then burst as Izumo and Kotetsu emerged from beneath. They attacked swiftly and in tandem, swiping at the Hokage-to-be's back and chest with their conjoined duel-bladed kusari-kunai and slashing his arms as they raised to defend himself—tactfully slinging their weapon so the chain wound around Obito's wrists so they could separate his hands and bind him further in place.

Each attack stirred the anxiety within her, folding into the pride and the excitement that compounded within her chest.

Sakura watched anxiously as the two Chunin strained against Obito, trying (and succeeding) to separate his arms from one another, as a now-conscious Asuma sprinted towards him. Asuma easily skated over the syrup with a fist raised to strike, but then Obito simpered. His head tipped back slightly and his chest expanded; then a great, golden flame burst from his lips.

"Woah!" A spectator gawked. "He didn't even use hand signs!"

Sasuke scoffed at the comment, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "An Uchiha who can't perform Gokakyu without their hands is an incompetent Uchiha. Or a child."

Asuma spun on his heel to avoid the fireball, ducking as he faced forward again to avoid the flame's tail, then uppercutted the wide-eyed Uchiha. He followed up with a left-handed punch, then a right, but when his knuckles landed, Obito was gone—replaced instead by a stunned and bloody Gai.

At the opposite end of the arena, Kakashi and Obito stood. Obito held tall, with his head tilted back to reflect the sun with his grin and a fist raised triumphantly into the air. Kakashi, on the other hand, knelt on the ground, using his shoulder to wipe the sweat dripping into his eye. Watching their opponents regroup, Obito rolled his shoulders, and even though he faced away from her, Sakura just knew the Uchiha's Sharingan was stained with a friendly splash of bloodlust.

"Here we go," Naruto mused, rubbing his hands together when Kakashi revealed his matching Sharingan. "Now it's gonna get interesting!"

Kakashi moved so fast, flash-stepping across the field while Obito's body faded away with the wind. He dove over Iruka's Fuma shuriken, twisting mid-air to pitch a handful of red-wrapped kunai. Asuma jumped to the front to knock aside the incoming projectiles, but after the clang of the second kunai, he was ripped away by the back of the vest just as Obito appeared just inches before him. The Uchiha winked as he disappeared, rematerializing behind him with the third kunai in hand. There was a hiss just before the seals around the handle detonated, enveloping the shinobi in a blinding, gray smoke.

Kotetsu and Izumo broke from the cloud first, followed by Gai, Raido then Asuma. Before Sakura could speculate on what happened to Genma, Kakashi appeared from the smokescreen with a kunai in hand, dead set on chasing the two gate-keepers. Then a black, kinked chain shot out of literally nowhere, and curled around the hilt of Raido's sword.

"You're coming with me," Obito warned, right before Raido was yanked into the chain's portal. He was gone for a mere second, rematerializing a few feet away by the time Sakura blinked, as an unconscious heap on the ground. Obito showed himself too, stepping out of another portal sporting a few thin blood trails on his left cheek and a surprisingly deep gash on his chest.

A heated chill swam up and down her spine before encircling her lungs, evoking a pleasant shiver from the rosette.

Okay, Sakura thought whilst balling her fists. That was fucking badass.

Before Obito could get so much as a jeer out, Asuma was rushing him with chakra radiating from his blades, swiping at the Uchiha in quick but concise intervals that backed Obito towards the arena wall. He sliced high across, using the momentum of his attack to spin on his heel and deliver a back-handed slice to the abdomen, then swung with his right hand again. Obito dodged and wove through every attack, waiting for the right moment; and when he found it, he casted the chain of his kusari-fundo. It looped around Asuma's arm, its sharp segments digging into the fabric of the other man's sleeve, making his arm bow downwards. Obito took advantage of this, pulling the chain towards him until Asuma was forced to bow all the way down; then he kicked his friend's head into the wall, hooked his knee around the back of his neck on his skull's returning bounce, and slammed him into the ground.

Everything had happened so quickly—less than five minutes, she would estimate—and nearly everyone was already incapacitated. Kotetsu and Izumo were struggling against Kakashi, who unleashed jutsu after jutsu on them, while Gai made a beeline for Obito. And by now, the smoke had mostly cleared, leaving Genma behind. Or rather, Genma's head, which stuck out from the cracked earth, gazing at conjurings only he could see.

Ah, Kakashi-sensei's favorite technique: the Shinju Zanshu. Snorting, Sakura leaned further against the rail. She couldn't wait to tease him about that later.

All in all, it was a slaughter. Or it would've been, had this been a serious fight and not a friendly (albeit rough) spar between comrades.

Thankfully, mercy came in the form of Tsunade's voice bellowing out, "STOP!"

The cheers that concluded the bout were deafening. Children screamed louder than ever; shinobi punched the air while ryo and drinks changed hands. Beside her, Naruto leaned over the railing, whooping animatedly despite the kid that somehow ended up on his shoulders while Sasuke clapped with open pride for his fellow clansman.

Kakashi and Obito helped their friends to their feet, clapping their shoulders and giving playful shoves. They saved Genma for last though, dispelling the genjutsu that tethered him down so they could all share a laugh at his expense before helping him out of the ground. And even though they were a ways away, Sakura caught the softest hint of a, "Fuck you, Kakashi!"

Finally, Obito addressed the crowd. He threw his arms in the air, relishing in the well earned laudation from his village. "Is that all you guys got?!" He challenged with a too-smug grin. His stance laxed, his arms now splaying out into a questioning shrug. "C'mon! Who wants one last spar with their new Hokage?"

Sakura didn't bother even attempting to fight the smile that spread across her face. "He's ridiculous." She straightened from her lean against the railing, her expression morphing into something a little more impish; she curved her back and raised her arms above her head, humming contentedly as her spine popped. "Well? Shall we?"

While Sasuke gracefully tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear, Naruto gingerly set the girl on his shoulders back on the ground, then bumped knuckles with him and Sakura. "Let's do this!"

She had just set one boot up on the railing when a playful breeze whisked her hair into her face, accompanied by warm fingers finding their way beneath the hem of her top, where they burned against her skin.

"Gotta be quicker than that!"

"Damn it!" Sasuke, who rubbed at the red mark forming on his forehead, growled, and it was met by a pair of deep chuckles and the vivid scent of fresh dango and worn leather.

By the time Sakura managed to fold her mussed hair behind her ear, a harsh wind beat against her cheeks, the audience choked on a surprised breath, and Obito and Kakashi were face-to-face with their next opponents: Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui.

Kamen

There was no fanfare, nor announcement to start. One moment, Kakashi and Obito were standing amongst their defeated comrades, and the next, Obito had been pushed several meters back, his heels carving into the ground as he held Shisui back sword-to-sword. Kakashi, meanwhile, had disappeared behind a rock wall that sizzled and smoked, but did not crumble beneath the barrage of booby-trapped kunai Itachi had launched. Then he darted away from his shield, flipping and skidding to change directions as Itachi materialized beside him. The younger Uchiha stuck to Kakashi like a mischievous shadow, quickly pulling him away from the swords clashing behind them. They traded blows relatively evenly, countering each other—looking like mismatched reflections in a mirror.

"So fast!" Someone muttered.

"Amazing." Breathed another.

Then there was Naruto.

"I can't see shit!" He complained, using a hand to block out the glare of the sun. "They're moving so fast! It's giving me a headache!"

Sasuke didn't miss a beat. "Sucks to suck." His own Sharingan blazed as they tracked the field, moving so quickly that it made Sakura's head spin.

A kunai caught the light, the stark glimmer dancing between Kakashi's fingers as he expertly twirled it into place, slicing the air with each strike. He twisted on his heel, his kunai sideways and arm fully extended, but dodged as Itachi dipped back and sidestepped. The Uchiha threw an arm up at the next swipe, blocking it at the forearm, then balled his free hand and revved his arm back. Shuriken threaded through wire ripped up and out of the ground and spiraled towards the pair, forcing Kakashi to leap high into the air to evade them, and embedded into Itachi, who erupted into a flock of ravens.

"Oh wow," A nearby spectator breathed as Itachi reappeared in the sky above Kakashi. He floated like some heavenly being, inky locks lifting into a halo and arms fluidly ghosting around to maneuver the shuriken threaded between his knuckles. He severed his own lines, bounced kunai off one another and summoned new blades from the shadows of others. "I knew shinobi were capable of some great feats, but I had no idea they could do things like that!"

Long, nimble fingers formed a singular seal. Itachi's chest expanded, and with one drawn out breath, red flames bloomed from his lips. Shards of flaming metal speared into Kakashi's evading shadow, chasing him up the walls of the arena where an Anbu scrambled to rectify a barrier.

Another spectator beside Sakura excitedly kicked her feet and cradled her hands to her chest. "It's not often we get to see an Uchiha in action, let alone three of them!"

"I know, right? They rarely ever train outside their compound. How did we get so lucky?" Her friend swooned as Kakashi finally countered, forming the seals for an earth-based jutsu that fully enveloped his body in stone. Flaming shuriken exploded against his bracing arms, chiseling away at his armor; but when the flames died down, his stone figure broke apart, revealing an empty shell. Then, as the arena oohed and ahhed over the Jonin's escape, an ear-piercing cacophony of shrieks ripped through their ears and lightning illuminated their faces; and a lion-dog made of white lightning came to life, charging at Itachi with massive fangs bared. "And Kakashi-sensei isn't too hard to look at either."

"Oh, I know! He's got a different kind of mysteriousness than the Uchiha. Like the Inuzuka—you know, before they start talking."

"Hey, aren't the Hatake relatives of the Inuzuka?"

"I don't know but Kami, they're all so hot. You know—I've never seen an ugly clan. At least not one from Konoha."

Swallowing a snicker, Sakura tossed a look at Sasuke, who had his face fixed into an embarrassed (or was that envious?) scowl and his arms folded across his chest. She nudged him. "Hear that?"

Sasuke's scoff was loud and harsh. "No."

"Incest." A playful barb died on the tip of her tongue at the abrupt, deadpan comment by a third civilian, prompting Sakura to instead smother a cackle with her hands while Sasuke's scowl broke into a horrified gawk. "Clans like the Uchiha and Hyuuga have to marry within themselves, otherwise they water down the bloodline. Why else would they all look like the same person in a different font?"

Naruto, having not heard the jab but sensing the moment, hung over Sasuke, shaking him while annoyingly asking about what he'd missed. And while the woman wasn't quite wrong in her assumption, she also wasn't quite right.

Before Sakura could ponder on the intricacies of Clan Politics, an Anbu materialized in front of her, throwing a barrier up just as the sword Obito had been using embedded itself into the spot directly in front of Naruto, followed moments later by the appearance of a smirking Obito. The soles of his boots and his stabilizing palm radiated with pale blue chakra as they fused with the near-invisible barrier, which rippled as he executed a gravity-defying back-handspring to avoid the charging Shisui. He slung his arm to the side, a bloodied thumb summoning his kusari-kunai, which lashed at Shisui's cheek, then dashed forward and birled to crack the chain and free his uchigatana. But Shisui evaded, flash-stepping so quickly, the barrier didn't even register his footsteps. His tanto flashed like his teasing grin just before disappearing into Obito's side and phasing through him.

And for the briefest of moments, when momentum pushed Shisui past Obito, Sakura swore his Sharingan had locked on her.

It was subtle—the shift in his gaze, the minute linger—and by the time the thought even registered in her mind, Shisui had flickered to the opposite end of the arena with Obito at his heels, but she was fairly certain her eyes weren't deceiving her.

She watched as Shisui skirted the fine line between bloodshed and safety, as he executed complicated strands of flips and twists to avoid the sharp edge of Obito's blade. And it was interesting, seeing just how much of Sasuke she saw in his movements—or rather, how much of Shisui was in Sasuke.

Like his cousins, Shisui stood with his shoulders squared and his head canted just so. But he leaned to one side like Sasuke, and was just as ambidextrous, juggling his tanto between both hands and readjusting his grip on the fly to get the best angle through an opening in Obito's attacks. He was also more acrobatic and adaptable than the other two elder Uchiha, Sakura noticed, watching as Shisui slipped out of Obito's reach with one flip more than necessary. Then with one well-timed back handspring, he redirected Obito's kusari-kunai upwards; he caught it by the blade's handle, curling the deceptively thin chain around his fist as he whirled in place, and wrenching his cousin to him. He poised his tanto to strike but the blade phased through Obito again, so he flash-stepped backwards to cut him off.

Obito expected this, apparently, because just as the edge of Shisui's tanto sliced into his side, he disappeared, and in his place, lightning surged towards him.

With wide eyes, Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Kakashi appeared in Obito's place with Raikiri crackling from the tip of his fingers; it came so close to Shisui that from where she sat, it looked like a direct hit to his face, but somehow Shisui escaped with little more than singed hair and a splatter of blood against his cheek.

"Holy shit, I thought Shisui was a goner!" Naruto admitted. His hands were in his hair, clutching it in nervous bundles.

Sasuke's pout gave away his well-veiled concern, even when he flippantly looked away. "Shisui is too fast to fall for a trick like that. Nothing short of Nanadaime's Hiraishin can keep up with him."

Despite the space he put between them, Shisui ended up on the defense, ducking each swipe of Kakashi's kunai with expert ease while also evading the pounce of his komainu. He wove through every single one of Kakashi's attacks, countering with sharp elbows and low kicks of his own—all while somehow weaving the seals to summon a massive dragon that tore across the battlefield. The dragon snarled as it swam across the stadium, flames dripping from the tendrils on its face and the jerk of its tail; it tackled Kakashi's lion-dog, encircling it with its long, sinuous body until their combined light was fully smothered. A kunai tore through the resulting smoke, beelining towards Kakashi who leapt out of the way. But upon passing him, Shisui materialized, pitching the kunai back and reappearing to catch it on the other side. He did this over and over, each sling of the kunai cutting into the Jonin's body, until one powerful punch sent him flying back end-over-end.

But Shisui never hit the ground, instead exploding into a flury of squawking crows upon impact. The flock soared up into the air as one, rolling once before diving right for Kakashi who hurried through the seals for a Katon, just barely managing to blow out a giant fireball that swallowed the attacking birds.

And then Shisui appeared, breaking out of the vibrant flames, roaring like a beast born out of fire, and absolutely bodied Kakashi.

And it was breathtaking.

Sakura nibbled on the pad of her thumb. She had heard all the praises sung of Shisui's speed from civilians and shinobi alike, so she knew he was fast. But she also chalked a lot of it up to over exaggeration, particularly on Sasuke's part.

But seeing it? Seeing exactly how fast Uchiha Shisui actually was? Combined with the tactical prowess he clearly possessed?

The tip of her tongue wet her lips.

The sharp clang of metal against metal demanded her full attention then, drawing her gaze towards the sun-sparked slivers that flashed across the field. And seeing those vibrant sparks were jarring in the best way, each abrupt flash fanning the ashes smoldering behind her navel.

Kamen

"Fuck off, Naruto!"

"I'm just saying," Naruto threw his hands in the air placatingly, but his expression betrayed his amicability. "I think your expectations are too close to the sun."

Sasuke grit his teeth, revealing a glassy snarl. "That's not how the saying goes!"

"Kawaii, Kowai," Naruto's hand flopped forward dismissively. "Whatever. You know what I mean." The Uchiha seethed as he stalked off, growling again when Naruto caught up to his stride and draped an arm around his shoulders. "Look Teme, you might not catch up to Shisui but that's okay! If you ask nicely, I might teach you Hiraishin."

"Shut up!" Sasuke shoved Naruto hard, making the blond stumble right into the alleyway they passed and into a trash bin.

The blond stumbled over the bin with a loud crash and an indignant shriek, throwing a discarded glass bottle at his teammate. "Oi! Fuck you, Sasuke! Sakura-chan, remind Teme how to act in public!"

Sasuke, who caught the bottle and tossed it back, huffed. "Sakura, tell the village idiot to shut the fuck up before he loses all his teeth."

Sakura blinked hard and shook her head, then offered Naruto a hand. "Huh? Sorry. Both of you, knock it off. We aren't twelve year olds anymore, ya know?"

A dark brow quirked. "What's wrong with you?"

Frowning, Sakura folded her hair behind her ear. "Nothing. I'm just hot. And tired." She rubbed at the muscles between her neck and shoulder with a sigh. "I need to take a shower."

"Take one at my place," Sasuke invited. "Save yourself the trip."

Sakura nibbled on her lower lip as she contemplated the invitation. It would save her the hassle of traversing the village, just to make her way back. But going to the Uchiha Compound would mean—

"Oh look! It's your brother and Shisui!" Naruto took hold of Sasuke and Sakura's wrists, dragging them towards the small crowd that encircled the pair of Uchiha before either could protest. He released them only upon pushing his way through the crowd, opting to clap an appraising hand on Shisui's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, that was a great fight, man! I can't believe you dogged Kaka-sensei like that!"

Shisui, who had been accepting the compliments of some unnamed shinobi, turned to address them with a boyish grin. "Now that's a compliment, coming from you. Hey Sasuke!" He greeted Sasuke with a smirk and ruffled his dark, iridescent locks despite the latter's protests, then waved at Sakura. "Sakura-san."

Despite the warmth that began to creep up the back of her neck, Sakura smiled politely at both Shisui and Itachi, who batted the former's hand away from his brother's head. "Hi." She playfully jabbed a finger against Shisui's shoulder. "Normally, I'd cuss you out for stepping in on our fight, but I'll let it slide this time. You guys kicked ass."

The curly haired Uchiha chuckled and threw his hands up defensively. "Hey now, that was all Itachi's idea. He's the mastermind here. Brotherly rivalry and all. I just followed his lead." Perfect teeth edged with a devious canine flashed. "Trust me: I would've loved to watch you beat up my cousin, instead."

There was something about the way he said that that made Sakura's skin tingle. Her chakra felt warmer just above her navel and dipped for a moment before returning to normal. But she shoved the thought into a box deep in the recesses of her mind.

Shaking his head, Itachi returned Sakura's little grin with a small one of his own. "Thank you, Sakura. Please elect to ignore Shisui. He's been beaten around so much, he sometimes forgets his own ideas." Then he bowed his head. "I apologize for cutting this short, but Shisui and I must return to the Compound. We have some work to do before the evening comes."

Returning the curt bow, Sakura said, "Oh, of course! We've gotta get cleaned up anyway. Maybe we'll run into you guys later tonight?"

Tipping his head in departure, Shisui chuckled, and for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, it pulled a shiver from the base of Sakura's spine. "Maybe you will."