Chapter 61. Sky in spring.

"Sakura-chan?"

I looked at mom as she walked to my small garden. Most of my herbs were in the hideout, but those that needed more attention were on my balcony (garden). She looked at my plants and back to me with a worried expression.

"You know those are poisonous plants, right?" she asked. "I know that some poisons can be medicines but those are only used for the deadliest of poisons, where did you get those?"

"The Yamanaka flower shop," I responded flatly. "They keep the deadly ones in the back for poison users."

"You're planning to become a poison user?"

"Yes and no, I'm a medical ninja so I can be lethal without poison," I watered the plant that has caused many deaths. "This is only for protection. There are some people that are resistant to instant death. You would think a hit from me would kill someone but noooo, they still get up and attack. You blow up a forest they still escape. Even if you chop off their head they just grow a new body." I looked back at her with wide eyes. "Who does that!?"

Her face became blank. "Please don't tell me you met someone like that."

I didn't say anything.

"I swore life was simpler before you were born," she muttered. "If you really did meet an immortal, why do you think poison will hurt them?"

I smirked.

"It's not just any poison," I looked at my pet project that had various seals on it. "It doesn't just poison the body, it also poisons the mind and chakra."

"What?" I heard her step back.

"I'll just poison his chakra and kill him the more he uses it. You might be able to change bodies but your chakra remains the same. Hehehehe. If you think I'll allow you to put your filthy hands on Sasuke you're sadly mistaken. I'll show you pain, you snake bastard."

"Darling! Our daughter is going on a killing spree again!" Mom called.

"Huh? Didn't that already happen?" Dad called from downstairs.

"She's targeting someone specific this time," Mom ran out of my room and I listened with half an ear as they departed whether to warn the Hokage or not.

The chunin exams were right around the corner, it was bound to be chaotic and I needed to protect my team from the unknown danger.

Lightning stuck and thunder drummed.

I looked up to see Kakashi standing on my railing. He crouched down and greeted me.

"Yo."

I stared at him for a moment and he spotted the plants I was watering.

"You do know those are poisonous, right?"

"Yes I'm growing poisonous plants with the intent to kill a certain someone," I replied with a smile. Sasuke didn't hate Itachi who was a powerhouse for the life village. While he still wanted to kill the Uzumaki, he didn't have that feeling of betrayal he did with his beloved brother. I felt the odd feeling when thinking about that woman again. I know I saw her at the Uchiha massacre but I felt like I knew her from somewhere. Her fighting style too.

"We have a mission," I snapped back to the present and looked at my guard dog.

"What?"

"We have a mission," he repeated.

"I thought this was our day off?"

"It was but the Hokage decided it would be faster to send us."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What rank is it?"

"Rank C escort mission," He smiled at me. My brow twitched.

"Remembered what happened the last time, don't you?"

"That's why we're taking Tensen with us."

"Yamato?"

"That's right." he stood up. "Meet us at the Hokage tower in half an hour." With that, he disappeared.

I signed putting down my water bucket and staring at the deadly plant.

"Grow healthy and strong," I powered chakra into the plant before standing up and walking away.

"Mom!" I have a mission!" as I left the seal barrier formed around the plant protecting others from its poisonous petals, and trapping the poison pollen in to be absorbed by the earth.

The trip to the Hokage tower was a short one. Leaping atop roofs will never get old. I walked down the corridors at a leisurely pace, feeling out my surrounding with chakra. That's when I sensed it. It was hold and malicious. Like a pool of lava that threatens to consume every living thing. I ran to the office.

I didn't know why it was happening but I needed to get there and fix this. Where the hell was Yamato when he was needed?

My heel clicked on the tile as I dashed to the Hokage office where the chakra was strongest. I pulled out a seal and prepared for a fight.

"I really hope the Hokage got insurance."

I kicked down the door and ran into the room ignoring everything and aiming for the malicious chakra.

Slap!

The seal tag stuck to his skin and leaped away putting distance between us.

"Seal!" I activated the seal that engulfed the room in bright light. It was the seal I make to suppress the nine tails chakra; anything weaker didn't stand a chance.

The light faded and I was met with an unconscious boy in a monk outfit?

"Huh?"

"Sora!" I moved to the side as another monk ran past, me attacking to drive me away. I watched the two calmly as I tried to understand what was happing.

"What did you do?" the monk asked in a threatening way.

"So that's how it is!" I exclaimed when it finally sunk in. the kid was Sora a monk in the fire temple and a bastard of the nine tails. They tried to make their own Jinchuriki and he was the end result. "Dude you shouldn't walk around with malicious chakra leaking out like that. Don't you guy's know any proper fuinjutsu?"

"What is it now?" the Hokage sighed making his presence known. He sat behind his desk with Yamato on his left and Iruka on his right. I bowed as this was my bad this time.

"Do forgive my rudeness Hokage-sama I didn't see you there." I apologised.

"Nevermind that now," he waved the matter away. "Why did you attack the boy?"

"I didn't attack him pre se," I defended. "He was leaking malicious chakra so I acted in the interest of the village."

"Malicious chakra?" Iruka asked confused.

"You're probably used to Naruto's chakra so you wouldn't notice right away," I told him looking down at the boy still asleep in the monk's arms. "This kid is an inferior version of Naruto. Both in chakra and control."

The monk flinched, and the Hokage stared him down.

"Chiriku, what is the meaning of this?" the third asked and I realized something. The third Hokage wouldn't know about Sora's existence. I looked at the monk. What were they doing here anyway? Sora doesn't show up until Shippuden long three years from now so why were they here.

"Did I miss something?" Kakashi asked with a sigh as he walked into the room with Naruto and Sasuke.

"You're late," I told him.

"No you're early," he looked down at the monks and sighed. "And causing trouble I see."

"Iruka, if you will excuse us." the Hokage despised Iruka who dowed and left the room.

"Well, Chiriku," Hiruzen prompt. "We can't protect you if you're not honest with us."

"This feels like the land of waves all over again," Naruto whined. "Didn't the old man lie about the mission too and we had to set in."

"I'd rather not go through something that troublesome again," Sasuke hmphed.

Chiriku sighed and looked down at Sora with worried eyes.

"We were attacked while out of the fire temple." he began.

They left the temple for training and while outside the temple they were attacked by masked bandits. They seemed to be after Sora, for what reason he didn't know, so he sought shelter in the leaf village. They need to return however and he doesn't trust them not to attack. He doesn't want to burden the village with an uncertainty so he followed Asuma's advice and got team 7.

Asuma told him that if there was no incident, it would be cheap and fine but if there is an incident the team would be able to handle it.

"That doesn't explain the malicious chakra, Sakura spoke of," Hiruzen said.

"I don't understand it myself," Chiriku admitted. "We were instructed to seal the chakra inside of him but soon after it went out of control and destroyed the temple."

"Isn't the temple suppose to be impenetrable?" Sasuke asked. "Iron gat and all that"

"That's what we thought too, but Sora destroyed it," Chiriku bowed his head in shame. "We found him unconscious a bit away with no memory of the event. There hasn't been an episode since so I didn't think it would be a problem."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I can't believe you brought a nook to the village without sealing it properly," I whined. I didn't want to agree with those elders but after feeling the malicious chakra I knew it wouldn't be safe to have the boy wander around with his spiraling emotions.

I looked over at Naruto who was looking at Sora with fascination. Naruto's seal was strong and only the most hateful of emotions could even draw the chakra out. Sora need only sneeze and the chakra would come out.

"Could it be that the people who attacked you want Sora for his destructive chakra?" Yamato asked.

"It is possible, yes," Chiriku admitted.

"Hm. it would seem this mission is too much for new genins," Hiruzen said after a moment.

"Not true."

He looked at me and raised a brow.

"Yamato, Naruto and I are good at seals and with Sasuke and Kakashi's sharingan, we don't have to worry about the chakra going wild. On the other hand, I doubt an anbu can handle a jinchuriki…" I thought for a moment and looked at Kakashi and Yamato. "Okay maybe Itachi, Kakashi and Yamato can."

Hiruzen massaged his temple. "Those three are the best among the anbu," he groaned. I smiled. A vein twitched as he glared at me.

"Very well, I'll allow it, but the mission is now B rank," Hiruzen said as he stamped the mission scroll and threw it to Kakashi.

"Wow, at least the rank changed before we left the village," I gave Kakashi an "I told you so look."

Sensei sighed in exhaustion.

"What a drag."

Sora woke to the sound of the wind. The trees whizzed by him in a blur and he opened his eyes making his squint to focus. He was on Chiriku's back running through the forest via the trees. He didn't learn this technique yet so they usually traveled by foot. The last thing Sora remembered was meeting an old man that was supposed to be important and being attacked by a pink-haired woman.

"Oh you're awake." his eyes met green gems and the girl smiled at him. "Man, you really suck at controlling your chakra." The girl in a red qipao had pink hair and was the same person who attacked him.

"Ahhhh!"

The shinobis stopped and leaped down to the ground at the sound of Sora's scream. Chiriku also landed and Sora leaped off his back and backed away from the group.

What the hell!?" he yelled. "Who are you people?"

"Now, now, no need to worry," Kakashi tried to diffuse the situation. "We are shinobi of Konoha. We were tasked to protect you on your journey home, we won't hurt you."

"Oh yeah!" Sora scoffed. "Then what about her attacking me?" he pointed to Sakura who pulled out another seal tag.

Chiriku stepped between them. "Sora, you need to calm down. They are the people Asuma told us about, they are here to help."

"Tch, how do you expect me to trust them when the first thing they do is attack me!?" Sora's chakra spikes like a porcupine ready for war. Sakura sighed and walked over to him.

"Stay back!" Sora yelled and pulled out his triple-bladed claw. When she didn't stop he attacked first.

"Sora!" Chiriku called out but the boy didn't stop. His claws pierced flesh and blood dripped to the ground. His claws had pierced her chest. His brown eyes went wide with horror and he stepped back on shaky legs. He didn't mean to hit her, he thought for sure she would dodge, why didn't she dodge.

"Are you done?" Sakura asked as blood spilled from her lips.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," his voice trembled as tears ran down his cheeks. His shoulders shook as he cried and his knees gave out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." he repeated over and over his claws still lagged in her chest. She knelt in front of him and offered a blooded smile.

"If you promise not to do that again, I'll forgive you and act like it never happened," Sakura offered. "Deal?" he held up her pinky.

"But I hurted you."

"It's fine," she waved him off. "I'm strong."

"Strong?" What did being strong have to do with anything?

"Even if you try you can't hurt me so don't worry about it."

"You … You don't hate me?"

"Huh?"

He looked at the claw still in her chest, how can she call herself strong when she was injured.

"I hurt you."

"I forgive you."

He looked up in shock. "So long as you try to control your anger and not do it again. I'll make it so it never happened. 'Kay." She smiled at him. He didn't remember his father's face but he imagined that smile was one his father gave him.

He looked at her with wet eyes and nodded. Reaching up with his pinky to lock it with hers.

Reality cracked and shattered into pink fragments, his triple-bladed claw clanked on the ground and Sakura was before him unharmed, without a trace of blood.

"What?" he was confused. Sakura smiled at him and patted his head.

"See," she said with a white smile. "It never happened." she stood then and offered a hand. "Now let's get going."

Still confused, he took her hand and she pulled him to his feet. Chiriku ran over to him asking if he was okay but he was lost to the world.

"Don't worry about it," Sora looked over at the blond that handed him his triple claw blade. "It never happened." Naruto grinned at him and Sora took the blade and nodded. He wasn't sure what was happening but this was the nicest anyone has been to him. Even though she attacked him and he returned the favour she still smiled at him as though it was nothing. It was so different from the way the monks treated him.

Were they trying to deserve him?

"Sora."

He looked up at the call. Sakura was already in a nearby tree waving at him.

"If you're ready, we should get going. We wanna reach a village before sundown."

"Right!" Chiriku called back and presented his back to Sora. "Let's get going."

"R-right." Hesitantly he climbed onto the monk's back and they were off.

He looked ahead to find Sakura's pink hair dancing in the wind. It reminded him of the cherry blossoms in spring.

The road to the fire temple begins. With Sora being targeted, it's up to team 7 to protect him and keep him from going into rage mode. will they succeed or will Sora wake in the arms of the enemy? find out next time on Thrill Seeker.

Next chapter

July 5

Unlit next time

Night song~