Hi all,
Here's the second chapter. I'm going to try to upload at least once a week, if not more. I don't want to keep you guys hanging for too long.
I want to address something as well. While I appreciate all the PMs I have received about enjoying my story and wanting to do art for it, I'm not looking to commission anyone for art right now. I just want to write my story for you all to hopefully enjoy. What I would really enjoy is to get some feedback from actual reviews. I want to know if I'm developing this story the right way.
Anyways, hope you all love this next chapter!
Sakura groaned as she slapped a hand over her eyes to cover them from the sunlight that beamed through her bedroom window. She internally berated Ino for convincing her to go to the bar the night before, and for urging her into drinking one too many glasses of sake. Sakura squinted as she removed the protection from her eyes and rolled over to look at her alarm clock. It was still a little early to be up on a Saturday morning, but Sakura had always been an early bird, especially after she started working at the hospital. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes again as the light throbbing in her head grew. She was going to punch Ino for sure. Sakura decided maybe another hour of sleep wouldn't be so bad and dropped her head into her cool pillow, sighing in relief as the coolness immediately softened the throbbing. A knock sounded at her front door and Sakura groaned once again as she sensed Ino's chakra.
"Go away!" Sakura shouted, pulling her other pillow over her head. The knocking stopped but Sakura could still feel Ino's presence, and she knew that Ino was more than likely using her spare key to get inside by now.
"Wakey wakey sleepy head! Let's go get coffee!" Ino exclaimed as she walked into Sakura's room, yanking Sakura's covers off, exposing her bare legs to the chilly air. Sakura took the pillow off from over head and turned to glare at Ino.
"It's 8AM on a Saturday morning and you had me out drinking all night. I don't want coffee, I want to sleep." Sakura grabbed the pillow and threw it at Ino. Ino giggled as she threw the pillow back.
"You needed it forehead, and you had fun so I don't want to hear any complaining. Come on! Coffee will make you feel better and we'll get some pastries too. You know you want a buttery crossiant." Ino teased.
"As much as I would just love to endure your overly optimistic and positive outlook on literally everything right now, I was going to go to the hospital in a little bit anyways. So I don't have time." Sakura watched as Ino's eyebrow raised.
"It's Saturday. You shouldn't be working on a Saturday." Ino said. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"I guess all the injured and sick people didn't get that memo." Sakura deadpanned. Ino walked over to Sakura's closet and began rummaging through all her clothes. She pulled out a baby blue sundress adorned with little white daisies and a jean jacket, throwing them on the bed and then moved over to her shoe rack.
"You're taking the day off. You already work extra hours everyday of the week, you need to relax every once in a while or you're going to end up the sick one." Ino stated as she threw a pair of brown sandals at Sakura. Sakura shook her head, realizing that Ino was never going to let her off the hook, and slowly sat up to swing her legs out of bed. She stood up and moved her tangled hair out of her face as she took in her haphazard appearance in the mirror. She definitely looked like she had a rough night.
"I hate you." Sakura shot at Ino as Ino just stood there with a smile on her face and her hands on her hips.
"Yeah well, it happens. Now get dressed so we can go. Brush your hair too, you look like a troll." Ino blew her a kiss before she skipped out the door and went to wait for Sakura in the living room. Sakura tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she walked into her bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and hair before slipping into the outfit Ino had picked out. Once she was done and felt she looked presentable enough, she walked out to the living room to find Ino sitting on her couch flipping through a photo album.
"Remember when you cut your hair to your shoulders and I thought you were absolutely crazy for it? Looking back on it, it actually really suited you." Ino said as she held up the album to show a picture of Sakura and Naruto. Sakura clung to Naruto's back, arms wrapped around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist. They both smiled big, and Sakura's now long pink hair had been cut short, grazing just the top of her shoulders. Sakura had decided her long hair had been too much of a pain, always getting in her way during missions. She had cut it and was thankful for how well it had turned out and how easy it was to manage. Sasuke however, had decided he didn't like it and had advised her to grow it out again.
"How come you grew it back out? Not that your hair isn't beautiful now, but I thought you really liked it?" Ino asked curiously looking back down at the album resting in her lap again.
"Sasuke didn't like it." Sakura replied, staring blankly at Ino. Ino's eyes grew big as she tilted her head back up to look at Sakura, snapping the album shut in the process.
"Well on that note, we should get going. The line at the cafe on Saturdays is always pretty long." Ino jumped up with a smile, grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her towards the door.
The girls walked at a slow pace towards the civilian district, Sakura trying to keep the now minimal throbbing in her head at bay. Even though she was still annoyed by Ino's insistence of her getting out of bed so early, Sakura had to admit that the fresh spring air and the comfortable warmth that settled over Konoha was refreshing. Sakura found herself smiling slightly as they walked along a path lined with cherry trees, the cherry blossoms now in full bloom as April approached. Ino glanced over at Sakura just in time to see her mouth slightly lift at the corners into a small smile, tilting her head up as a few cherry blossoms drifted down from the trees to land at their feet. Ino was grateful that Sakura seemed to be in somewhat high spirits.
"You should cut your hair again." Ino said, breaking their silence. Sakura's smile remained as she glanced down and picked up a small strand of her hair falling right below her breast and twirled it with her finger.
"You think so? I've kind of grown to like it this length, but I do miss how easy it was to take care of when it was shorter." Sakura responded. Ino shrugged.
"You can keep it if you want, it is pretty. But you also have those big green doe eyes of yours and the shorter hair definitely opens your face up more. You have a face most women would die for and I know more than a few that are even jealous of you. I wouldn't hide that if I were you." Ino stated. Sakura couldn't keep the look of surprise off her face at Ino's admission. Sure, Sakura knew she was pretty, but to the point of being the source of envy for other women? Sakura didn't think so, and as she thought back more on it, Sasuke who had been her boyfriend for the better part of the last four years had never voiced an opinion like that.
"Don't look so surprised, forehead. Everyone knows you're gorgeous. Naruto drooled endlessly over you for years, Lee would jump off a cliff if you told him to, Kiba and Choji both had crushes on you. I'm pretty sure the only guy in Konoha who isn't or wasn't into you is Shikamaru and that's just because he's so far up Temari's ass he can't see anyone else." Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at Ino's comment about Shikamaru.
"Well him and our senseis." Sakura clarified.
"I don't know about that. I think any one of them would happily give you a good fuck, especially now that you've got the nice rack to go along with the face."
"Ino! I can't believe you said that!" Sakura shouted, slapping Ino's arm. Sakura could feel the warmth spread across her face and she knew that she had turned red at Ino's insinuation. Ino rolled her eyes at the rising blush spreading across Sakura's face.
"My point is, you're beautiful and you could have any man you wanted in Konoha. Except for Shikamaru." Ino looked at Sakura and they both couldn't contain their laughter. They continued to laugh even as they approached the front door of the cafe, attracting the attention of more than a few people with their loud antics. Once inside, Sakura went to grab an open table in the corner by a window while Ino joined the back of the surprisingly short line to place their order. While the small cafe was indeed bustling with a small crowd that morning, it wasn't nearly as busy as Ino had suggested it would be, causing Sakura to think that maybe she'd been duped into coming earlier than she really needed to. She couldn't find it in her to be too angry about it though, as the steam from the cup of the vanilla latte Ino had just placed down in front of her filled her nostrils and eased the remaining tension in her head.
"See. I knew coffee was the solution." Ino joked as she took her seat across from Sakura and bit into her blueberry scone. Sakura smiled back as she quickly eyed her buttered croissant, then reached over to pick up a small piece of Ino's scone.
"Hey!" Ino whined as Sakura plopped the piece into her mouth and stuck her tongue out in response.
"You make me come here at 8AM and force me to skip work, so you forfeit some of your food." Sakura teased. Ino chuckled as she sipped her latte.
"Haruno-san. Please excuse the intrusion." Sakura and Ino jumped as they turned to a man standing next to their table. Sakura recognized the man as a shinobi on Tsnunade's guard believed his name to be Izumo, but she wasn't entirely sure. He was dressed in his usual green vest, long sleeved blue turtleneck and the standard issued blue pants.
"Uh, it's no problem. Can I help you with something?" Sakura asked as she set her cup down on the table.
"The Hokage requests your presence at your earliest convenience. She has a matter she would like to discuss with you."
"But it's Saturday!" Ino declared. Sakura shook her head at Ino before turning back to address the man.
"Thank you. You can tell her to expect me soon." Sakura advised the man. The man bowed in response before disappearing. Sakura looked back at Ino who looked entirely displeased at the disruption.
"Oh stop looking like a hurt puppy. I'll go speak with Tsunade and then we can continue with whatever else you wanted to do today. I'll meet you back at my apartment." Ino huffed but nodded in agreement as Sakura stood up from their table. She shot a quick smile at Ino before departing the cafe to start her walk to the Hokage mansion.
Sakura smiled at the two guards posted by Tsunade's office doors as she approached. The walk to the mansion had been faster than she had anticipated. Both men bowed their heads at Sakura before one stepped into the office to announce her arrival. The other, a tall man with brown hair that reached his shoulders, wearing a blue banana tied around his head, smirked at her as she stopped in front of him.
"It's nice to see you outside of the bar, Haruno-san." He greeted. Sakura looked at the man curiously, only faintly remembering the previous night when Ino had dragged her to the bar. It then hit her that she had seen him hanging out with Kakashi that night.
"Ah. You're one of Kakashi sensei's friends." Sakura replied. The man chuckled before pulling out a senbon from the small pack tied to his thigh and sticking it in his mouth.
"That I am. Name's Genma."
Genma. Sakura knew that name. She had heard it from Sasuke multiple times. Genma was also an Anbu operative, and he had been Sasuke's mission leader on several occasions. Sasuke did not have nice things to say about him, and that left Sakura wondering.
"You're in Anbu." She stated simply. Genma's eyebrows rose.
"Yes, although people don't usually go around pointing out Anbu identities so loudly." He replied, shifting his senbon from one side of his mouth to the other. Sakura felt her face flush.
"I'm sorry! I didn't think about that. I just remember Sasuke mentioning you before." She explained. Genma continued to stare blankly at her.
"He didn't mention anything about the missions though! I know the details are all secret." She quickly added. Genma continued to stare at Sakura for a few more seconds before a hint of amusement broke through.
"Is what Uchiha had to say about me a secret too?" He teased. Sakura relaxed at his teasing and let a small smile out in response.
"Top secret. Super confidential. My lips are sealed, sorry." She joked back. Before Genma could respond, the other man exited the office and ushered for Sakura to go in. Sakura nodded her head in thanks to the man, then glanced briefly at Genma.
"Duty calls." She said as she gave him a small wave and walked in through the doors. Tsunade sat behind her desk, a few piles of paperwork resting in front of her. She glanced up as Sakura entered and smiled at her apprentice.
"Sakura, glad you could make it. I was surprised when Izumo said he had to track you down when he couldn't find you at the hospital." Tsunade said as she stood up and walked around the desk to greet Sakura with a warm hug. Sakura gladly returned the hug.
"I'm sorry shishou, Ino kidnapped me this morning. I haven't had time to get to the hospital yet." She replied. Tsunade pulled away from Sakura with her hands still on both her arms, holding her at arm's length.
"Nonsense, you've worked there everyday this week. It's good to take a day off every once in a while. I'm glad Ino was able to drag you away." Tsunade dropped her hands from Sakura's arms and gestured to the chair in front of her desk. Sakura sat as Tsunade walked back around to her own chair.
"What's this matter you wanted to discuss?" Sakura asked. Tsunade pulled out a folder from a drawer and slid it across the desk in front of Sakura. Sakura eyed the folder curiously.
"You've been working really hard, Sakura. You've excelled in your position as head of surgery, but I feel like things have grown a bit stagnant for you, and we have urgent needs elsewhere. So, I have a proposition for you." She said. Sakura stared at Tsunade, confusion written across her face as she picked up the folder and opened it.
"Head of Trauma - Anbu Unit?" Sakura almost whispered. Tsunade smiled as Sakura continued to stare down at her title change.
"We've had more cases of trauma within Anbu, more severe injuries coming in lately and obviously it's crucial we keep their identities and cases confidential. We can't continue to bring them into the normal, everyday hospital operations, so Shizune and I have created a separate sector strictly for Anbu. We want you to run it." Tsunade explained. Sakura's head shot up and she stared at her teacher bewildered.
"You want me to run it? But, what about Shizune? She has way more experience than me, plus I thought you needed me for surgery?"
"Well, I would have loved for both you and Shizune to be able to run it together, but seeing as you two are my best and I need one of you to continue to overlook the rest of the hospital, you were deemed the best fit. Shizune is an incredible medic, Sakura, but the extent of a lot of these injuries coming in from Anbu require a more extensive skill set. A skill set only you have. I trust no one more than you, nor is anyone else more capable. Only one other person has reached your level of medical ninjutsu and that's me. Obviously I'm too tied up with being Hokage to take on this venture myself." Tsunade interlocked her fingers in front of her face as she leaned back in her chair. She looked so relaxed about her decision, Sakura wasn't sure if she was fully aware of the level of responsibility she was entrusting Sakura with. Sakura looked back down at the file and stared at the bolded words next to her picture. Head of Trauma - Anbu Unit.
"This is obviously a promotion, as this is a higher level and sensitive position. More pay, higher clearance within the forces. You won't be in charge of civilians and our everyday shinobi anymore. No more children's flu cases, or routine shots, simple appendix removals. These will be life-threatening, on the brink of death injuries. Most of these surgeries will require advanced care, and many of these operatives will need severe additional post op care. But I have full faith in you, Sakura. I know you're more than capable." Tsunade watched Sakura's face carefully as she explained the full extent of the offer.
"In addition, all medical care for our Anbu operatives will be done through this unit. We want to keep them out of the common areas of the hospital, to maintain their confidentiality as much as possible. They may not be coming in dressed in their Anbu gear for their regular physicals all the time now, but there's always ways to slip up and I want to reduce that risk as much as possible. If you need time to think about it, you can let me know in a few -"
"No." Sakura blurted, cutting Tsunade off. She looked up from the file and met Tsunade's appraising eyes.
"I accept. I'll do it." Sakura stated. Tsunade seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad to hear that. You've made me so proud so far with the success you've garnered here in the village, and your continued growth and improvement as a medic nin. You are very impressive, Sakura." For a moment, Sakura thought she could see a small tear forming in the corner of Tsunade's eye, but it disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Sakura smiled at her shishou. Tsunade had not only taught Sakura almost everything she knew, but after her parents had passed away only a year apart, she became more of a surrogate mother for her more than anything. A sense of overwhelming pride erupted in Sakura's chest as the realization of what she was being offered settled in her mind. Tsunade trusted in her ability so much that she was handing her a top position in the hospital on a silver platter. Not just any top position, but a position among an elite force. She was going to be working with and responsible for the well being of the village's special unit. Sakura was suddenly very aware of what else this position was going to entail.
She was going to have to face Sasuke sooner or later, but the idea of having to see him almost weekly and being in charge of his medical care stirred an uncomfortable feeling in Sakura's gut. Tsunade watched as Sakura's face fell.
"What's wrong?" She asked concernedly. Sakura shook her head, trying to erase the anxiety slowly seeping into her body.
"It's nothing. I just…this has no effect on my professionalism, it's just that Sasuke and I broke up last night. I just realized that he's Anbu and if I'm going to be in charge of this unit, then I'll be the one administering his care." Sakura explained. Sakura watched nervously for the look of disappointment she was expecting. It didn't come.
"So I've heard." She responded simply. Sakura looked taken aback. How in the world did Tsunade already know?
"Naruto." Tsunade stated, reading the question plastered on Sakura's face. Tsunade smiled.
"Yes, there will be times that you will have to face Sasuke. The good news, however, is that you will be appointed a team. I don't expect you to handle every single operative's care single handedly. I doubt, unless he is seriously injured and requires more extensive care, that you will have to see him all the time. You can always assign him to another medic. Is this still going to be a problem?"
Sakura quickly shook her head. She would not pass on this once in a lifetime opportunity. She would not let Sasuke take this success from her. Not this time.
"Good. Take the rest of the weekend off. You're going to need more rest if you're expected to be using more extensive amounts of chakra. Not that it's going to be a daily occurrence, but you should always be prepared. We'll talk more on Monday and hash out the details."
Sakura stood and bowed to her shishou before turning to leave her office. She nodded to Genma and the other guard as she exited the office and softly shut the door behind her. Sakura began to walk down the hallway towards the exit. She couldn't wait to get back to her apartment to tell Ino all about her new position.
"Haruno-san." Sakura stopped and looked over her shoulder to regard the speaker. Genma removed the senbon from his mouth and gave her a smirk that Sakura could only describe as cocky.
"See ya around." He said before winking at her and turning away to enter Tsunade's office. Sakura stared at the spot where Genma had just been, puzzled at their brief but interesting interaction. Deciding to write it off as nothing but a simple conversation between two fellow shinobi, Sakura turned back around to continue her departure from the Hokage mansion. She still needed to tell Ino about this new development in her professional career.
Sakura decided to take to the rooftops to get back to her apartment. It had been a few days since she had gotten any real exercise in, and she desperately needed to warm up her stiff muscles. It was also faster than taking the slow trek back to her apartment. After landing softly on her doorstep, Sakura unlocked her door and stepped in, only to halt at the sight of her furniture covered in plastic and the strong smell of paint wafting down the hallway.
"Ino! What the hell is this?!" Sakura called down the hallway towards her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Ino peeked her head from around the corner and beamed at Sakura, waving for her to follow. Sakura glared at her as she walked into her bedroom to find a similar scene.
"I leave you alone for an hour and you fucking destroy my apartment."
"I didn't destroy it! We're going to make it better. Think of it as a fresh start. These yellow walls are ugly as shit." Ino opened a can of soft baby blue paint, the shade almost identical to one on her dress.
"Ino, I rent this place. I can't just paint the walls." Sakura placed her hands on her hips and watched as Ino pulled out some paint brushes from a paper bag.
"I already asked Mrs. Suzuki and she said it was fine. So go change into something trashy so we can paint this place. We're meeting Naruto for dinner at Ichiraku's later." Ino stated as she turned away to face the wall on the opposite side of the room. Sakura sighed in defeat.
"I guess that's fine. I have news for you both anyways, so maybe I'll just wait until dinner." Sakura said as she rummaged through her dresser drawers for an old pair of pants and shirt. Ino quickly spun back around, dropping the brush as she rushed over to Sakura.
"What news? You can't make me wait! Tell me now!" Ino exclaimed, taking the old pair of ripped jeans Sakura had pulled out and hastily threw them onto the bed. Sakura shot a glance at the jeans on the bed, then looked back at Ino.
"Well that was rude." She stated blandly. Ino rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated breath.
"Forehead!" She shouted. Sakura chuckled.
"Ok, pig. If you just absolutely cannot wait. Tsunade offered me a new position at the hospital. It's higher ranked, which means more responsibility but way more pay. I'll be the head of the Anbu unit she and Shizune are creating." Sakura said. Ino's mouth dropped open.
"You're shitting me. That's fantastic!" Ino squealed as she hastily wrapped her arms around Sakura, jumping up and down. Sakura laughed as she too began to jump around. The girls stopped jumping and both fell backwards together, landing on top of Sakura's bed. Their laughter slowly subsided as they stared at the ceiling.
"Do you know what this means?" Ino asked. Sakura turned her head to look at Ino.
"Your life is already getting better. This is what you needed, forehead." Ino turned her head to look back at Sakura. Sakura smiled as she looked back up at the ceiling and breathed deeply.
"You're right, Ino. This is exactly what I needed."
Ahh! I'm so glad to be finished with this chapter. I had a lot of ideas floating around, but I'm glad this was the one that ended up developing.
Like I said before, this is going to be a slow burn, so expect longer chapters and slower development for certain things. Notice how I added in a small interaction with Genma? I know, he's still not a big part of the story right now, but I promise it'll get there.
Please review!