The Hound and the Hyena

by Vierinna

Summary:

His eye caught the sudden flash of color against the drab backdrop of the blacks, dark greens, browns, and blondes that littered the area. The pale pink seemed to glow under the amber bar lighting making her look almost ethereal and angelic. But he knew better than anyone that she was anything but. He saw the darkness that lingered in her eyes like a predator lying in wait for its next meal.

Kakashi notices something off about his former student and what starts as a wellness check turns into something a lot more complicated as he discovers more and more about her. POV switches between Kakashi and Sakura. Starts off with her at 17 and him at 31. Will add tags as I go.

Notes:

Chapter Summary:

Kakashi notices there is something off about his former innocent little Genin and wants to make sure she is okay but keeps finding out new things he could've never predicted his little pink civilian would fall into.

Chapter 1: Unexpected Revelations

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Chapter One: Unexpected Revelations
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Kakashi’s POV:

He sat on the stool with his back to the bar, holding his beer in his lap keeping everyone in his peripheral as he listened to Genma bitch about his latest mission. He had to protect an entitled merchant to the Land of Tea. It was boring and more of a flex for the merchant than a necessity it seemed.

His eye caught the sudden flash of color against the drab backdrop of the blacks, dark greens, browns, and blondes that littered the area. The pale pink seemed to glow under the amber bar lighting making her look almost ethereal and angelic. But he knew better than anyone that she was anything but. He saw the darkness that lingered in her eyes like a predator lying in wait for its next meal. She was just waiting for the right moment to strike and he had seen her do it multiple times before.

The first time he saw his former student pin a woman to the bar wall by her throat he thought he would have to break up a fight knowing the kunoichi’s famous temper. But instead, he saw her slide her other hand up the side of the woman and start making out with her in the public bar. He was astounded and shocked. It wasn’t the Sakura he used to know. Though it had been years since he could claim he actually knew her in any sense.

He knew he allowed himself to fall back into Anbu under Lady Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage after the invasion and his last student was taken in by that same Hokage as her second apprentice. He heard she flourished. He knew he was no teacher to her. But Tsunade certainly was. The insecure fangirl turned into a hardened confident woman and he didn’t see it coming. It was like she was another person entirely.

He noticed her around the village after that first time when she was seventeen and he was thirty one. He needed to make sure she was okay and not being manipulated by someone. He just couldn’t connect that his little Genin could become what she was in that bar.

She was still close with the Yamanaka heir, Ino. She also spent considerable time inside the T&I building but he didn’t know why. He thought she was a medic nin that worked in the hospital but he noticed after a week that she didn’t visit the hospital even once. What was going on?

He decided his worries were founded enough to consult the Hokage. The next afternoon he slipped into her office through the window while she barely looked up from her mountain of paperwork. He noticed the sake bottle with a half full cup slightly off to her left. He cleared his throat, “Lady Tsunade, I just wanted to ask a question.”

The blonde woman didn’t look up from her work as she made marks on a document for corrections or changes.

“Ask your question, Kakashi.”

He cleared his throat and gathered his courage keeping his voice light and steady, “I’m concerned about Sakura. She is displaying unusual behavior and is going to the T&I building instead of the hospital.”

The pen stayed still hovering above the paper until it was sent down off to the side and Tsunade leaned back in her chair raising a brow, “What do you care, Kakashi? She is my student. She is fine.”

“I’m just worried is all. It doesn’t seem like her.”

“Tell me, when was the last time you talked to Sakura?”

Kakashi had to rack his brain for the answer and was surprised when the answer came to the surface, “Since she was thirteen.”

“Four years. You haven’t spoken to her in four years and you expect her at seventeen to be the same as she was at thirteen?”

“I…I guess not.”

“No, she wouldn’t be. I see Sakura almost daily. She is exactly as she always is. I’ll see her tonight at dinner. I’ll be sure to let her know of your concerns.”

It was a dismissal if he ever heard one. He made himself scarce and quickly left the tower to find himself spotting the now familiar pale pink short bob that moved swiftly through the streets heading to the T&I building yet again. What was she doing that Tsunade obviously knew about and wasn’t concerned at all? None of his students should be involved with T&I.

Kakashi shadowed Sakura for weeks on and off when he wasn’t on a mission. It was his newest obsession that he just couldn’t figure out the answers to. The more he saw and learned, the more confused he became.

The next time he was on a training field with Genma the topic came up.

“What’s distracting you, Kakashi? You’ve been out of it for weeks.”

Kakashi jumped back from where they were blocking each other’s attacks and let his arms drop to his sides. He wondered if Genma would know anything and then remembered that Genma, just like Ino, thrived on gossip and lived to collect it.

“I saw Sakura enter the T&I building.”

Genma flicked the senbon in his mouth from the left to the right, “So?”

Genma didn’t think that was strange?

“Well, she is supposed to be in the hospital but I always see her enter the T&I building instead. It’s strange.”

“Kakashi, I know you don’t talk to your old students considering two of them haven’t been in the village since the Konoha Crush that was their shitshow of a Chunin exam, but you really don’t know?”

He tensed, “Know what?”

“Sakura doesn’t work in the hospital. She hasn’t since she was fourteen and mastered everything Tsunade could throw at her. She got bored and started experimenting with her own body. There was an entire scandal Tsunade, apparently successfully, covered up.”

“She…experimented on… what the hell was Tsunade doing?”

“Her job. She couldn’t watch her student every hour of the day. So Shizune took Sakura on to teach her poisons. But Sakura mastered that within a year too. She’s a sponge. I’ve overheard them talking about her limitless potential that if it was a clan kid she would be labeled as a prodigy.”

Kakashi felt his body go cold. That label was the worst thing that could happen to a child within their village. Though the higher ups never realized what the label did to the children in question. What it had done to Kakashi.

“So she is working under Shizune…”

Genma shook his head, “No, she mastered poisons. She found another teacher. She’s been the prized pupil of Ibiki Morino for two years now. Some want her to take over Torture Divison and Ino Yamanaka take over the Interrogation side.”

Kakashi’s mind was spinning. He placed a hand to the side of his head unconsciously gripping his unruly hair trying to ground himself. This was never the future he wanted for her. The only thing worse would’ve been Anbu.

Genma chuckled and Kakashi realized he said that last part out loud.

“Oh, man, sorry to tell you this but she’s been in the black ops for over two years as far as I know.”

“She’s one of us? How did I not know? Why didn’t she ever seek me out? She must’ve recognized my hair.”

Genma’s face lost all sympathy, “Man, you can’t be this delusional. You left her after the boys left. She had to beg Tsunade to train her. I was on guard that rotation watching this intimidated little girl demand day after day to be the Slug Sannin’s apprentice. Why would she seek you out after you disappeared and never came back?”

Kakashi felt like he had been punched in the gut and realized it was the truth. He had put in a recommendation for Tsunade to train Sakura and then just left back into Anbu. He heard two weeks later after a mission that she was the second apprentice to the Hokage and never thought of her again. In his mind, she was safe and with a better teacher than he could ever be. He did what he preached not to do, he abandoned his teammate. He was scum.

Chapter 2: Needle in a Haystack

Summary:

Kakashi attempts to figure out who Sakura is in Anbu.

Notes:

I'm not sure if I'll have a dedicated schedule on when I add chapters. Currently I am just posting one when I feel like it. I am trying to get through more chapters to have a lot in my google doc just in case I don't have time to write or get stuck in the story so you guys can still get your fix. Though I do have an idea on where I want it to go.

The amount of traffic on my stories gives me life. I may not respond to many messages but I do read every single one!

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Chapter Two: Needle in a Haystack
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Kakashi's POV:

It was over a week later that he saw her without knowing. Every single Anbu that wasn’t currently on a long term mission was stationed in the village for three days for their yearly performance tests. The arena rivaled the one used for the Chunin exams but this one was indoor and underground within the Anbu Headquarters. All the teams were huddled in small groups in the raised seats littered around the dirt arena floor. On one side near the floor sat the top brass of Anbu with the commander in the middle and Kakashi at the one end. He lounged back into the seat letting his hound mask hide his evaluation of all the current members. Most of the masks he knew but there were a lot that he didn’t recognize or that he knew the former owners of the mask and not the current.

Anbu masks were in rotation. If one member died then that mask and name was held for at least a week in mourning and then was available for the next recruit. The only masks that were permanently benched were ones who grew too infamous. He knew whenever he permanently left the organization that his mask would be permanently benched. It would only harm the next person to be given his mask. It was too well known for his deeds.

Most Anbu wore black hoods that connected to the inside of the mask and to their uniform to hide their hair if it was an obvious color. He used to wear one as a teenager but soon stopped since everyone knew who wore the hound mask. The commander sat with his plain white mask and black hood in place. No one knew who he was with the voice modifiers that were built into the masks.

The commander stood after the last members filtered in and the clock struck 0700.

“Today starts the first of three days of your yearly assessments. You will be ranked among your comrades in three categories, taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. One day will be dedicated for each category. If you wish to change teams depending on your ranking you will have your pick. Teams are built for specific purposes so be aware I may decline the choice based on your usefulness elsewhere.”

He picked up a folder and scanned the contents, “First up for taijutsu is Crow and Bear.”

It was only moments before both operatives stood across from each other waiting for the start.

Kakashi watched lazily trying to pick out which of the females with hoods may have been Sakura but he really wasn’t sure. He never realized how many women could pass as her until they were all in the same uniform with masks and hoods. Not an inch of skin was showing on most of them with long sleeves and gloves and boots instead of the traditional shinobi sandals. He tried to pick out someone who moved like Tsunade but again was unsuccessful. He was growing frustrated.

He watched two of his three teammates compete. Genma in his Racoon mask did very well against a mask he wasn’t acquainted with. Yugao in her Panther mask didn’t do as well as he knew she wanted to since she specialized in swords and weapons weren’t being tested in this assessment. There was a separate assessment for weapons.

Tenzo still wasn’t called and they were about two thirds through the operatives. Most matches didn’t last beyond five to ten minutes since they all could tell pretty quickly who was more specialized in hand to hand combat.

Kakashi allowed himself to listen to the commentary that his fellow captains said around him. In the front was the commander with the top ten captains sitting to his sides with the rest of the captains scattered behind them in the area separate from their teams. There was a separate assessment for the captains and usually the top ten positions didn’t change. At least it hasn’t since Kakashi joined it when he was in his late teens. He was now thirty one and no one had been able to step up enough to knock one of the existing ten from their spots,

“I like my current team. I doubt I’ll replace any of them. They work well together.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that, Cobra. Usually you trade out your members like collectables.”

Kakashi was also surprised to hear that comment. Cobra was known to instill fear and mistrust into his team. It was very difficult to find members to stick with him. He was similar to Kakashi in that no one wanted to work under him except a select few. Kakashi got lucky with his team. They had the highest mission success rate but were still feared just as much as Cobra's team.

He couldn't recall who was actually on Cobra's team beyond Gopher who had been the only constant. He knew Gopher was similar to Yugao in that they were a woman and a swordsman.

A mask he was unfamiliar with was called along with a known bruiser.

“Hyena and Owl.”

He knew Owl. They were older and a hell of a fighter. They specialized in ninjutsu but they weren't a slacker in hand to hand combat either. But they were like him where they were used to having a kunai in hand. The only reason Owl didn't hold a captain position was because they never wanted to be responsible for a team.

He watched the fight and this small woman launched herself across the field and leapt over attacks. She was good. Very good. She had a bit of wasted movement but not much. She managed to remain unscathed at the six minute mark. He wasn't sure he was capable of that feat against that opponent. It was impressive.

The other captain, Hawk, spoke, “Isn’t she on your team, Cobra?”

“Yes. I’ve had her for about two years. I think she was a floater before that.”

“What are her specialities?”

“Taijutsu and Genjutsu mainly. She dabbles in poisons.”

Hawk hummed, “Seems like a well rounded fighter you found. I wonder how she will do in ninjutsu tomorrow.”

“I expect her to place towards the bottom of the operatives. Her reserves are shit.”

Another captain laughed, “Such kind words for your team member!”

Cobra shrugged, “I don’t keep her for her ninjutsu. I have a specialist for that.”

Hawk chimed in again. Her lyrical voice hinting at her true identity, “Who is your ninjutsu specialist again?”

“Chameleon.”

“He fought earlier. Not a very good showing. Can he do anything besides ninjutsu?”

Cobra crossed his arms and sighed like this was so much effort on his part, “He is very good in ninjutsu and is excellent support for my front liners when he doesn’t want to get his hands dirty.”

The other captain, Boar, cocked his head listening to the conversation while not taking his eyes off the fight. He matched his mask very well being a tall and bulky man that excelled in taijutsu with ninjutsu supplementing his techniques. He was a bitch to fight even for Kakashi.

Boar thought out loud, “A ninjutsu specialist who is used as support, a swordsman who supplements with ninjutsu and poison, a taijutsu and genjutsu specialist who dabbles in poisons, and you, the Nightmare of Konoha. That is a fearsome lineup. No wonder your team holds one of the top success rates besides Hound’s team.”

Hawk verbally jabbed at him, “If only we all could have a mokuton user who could heal us in the field.”

Kakashi sneered behind his mask, “You can start the illegal experiments on infants again if you are so inclined, Hawk.”

She laughed, “I didn’t mean to go that far. No one is as insane as Orochimaru to try that stunt.”

The match had ended without him realizing when the commander stood up, “Winner; Hyena, Team Ka.”

The next match was called and Kakashi stole a glance at the time board to see how long Hyena had lasted against Owl before securing the unexpected win. She lasted fourteen minutes. That was impressive. He wasn’t sure if any of his team could last that long against Owl in a strictly taijutsu fight and still win. He questioned if he could.

The day ended with Tenzo and Genma securing wins with Yugao having a loss. A lot more was taken into account like the amount of time you either lasted against the winner or how much time it took you to win. Technique and fighting style was also taken into account.

He realized he didn’t figure out who Sakura was by her taijutsu alone. Not a single one was close to the style that Lady Tsunade employed. He concluded that she had learned another style to remain hidden.

The next day was the ninjutsu assessments. The operatives were only allowed to fight if using a ninjutsu in some fashion, they could not use typical weapons or a simple punch unless it was coated in a jutsu. He knew the only one of his team that would struggle today would be Genma. He was great in taijutsu and used poisons with senbon. Ninjutsu was only a backup for him. Kakashi expected Tenzo to score the highest with Yugao not too far behind and Genma residing somewhere in the middle of the entire list of the operatives. He was curious how Cobra’s team would match up after yesterday. So far they were pretty even.

Kakashi’s expectation for his team was right on the money with Tenzo securing a win within a minute with the mokuton. Yugao coated her sword in wind chakra and almost sliced her opponent in half. Genma didn’t do too badly and was right where Kakashi assumed he would be and what made it even better was he was matched against Hyena.

Cobra wasn’t joking when he said he expected her to be at the bottom of the list. She coated her hands in water chakra but she wasn’t able to maintain it for long enough and ended up dodging most of the time before Genma managed to encase her one leg in earth.

He had to remind himself how well she did the day before with the disgust he felt at such a weak Anbu operative being allowed to continue in their ranks after seeing her ninjutsu match.

Hawk whistled, “She is exactly as you expected. She really cannot sustain her chakra for ninjutsu. How disappointing compared to yesterday.”

Cobra just hummed his agreement. He didn’t seem surprised or upset to Kakashi. He wasn’t sure he would’ve remained so calm.

The third day was for genjutsu and this was the day that was unique among the assessments. Since so few operatives excelled in this field after the Uchiha massacre over a decade prior, they turned it from matches into a tournament. The same few operatives always made it to the end of the bracket but this year there was a newcomer, Hyena.

Kakashi spoke without taking his eyes off the matches, “Why don’t I remember her from the top genjutsu matches last year?”

Cobra lazily responded as they all watched Hyena’s name be called again and her opponent drop to the ground convulsing within seconds after the commander said begin.

“She was out of the village on a solo mission last year and missed it.”

“The year before that?”

“My entire team was away.”

Hawk leaned forward, “What about the year before that?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only had her for about two years.”

They all watched as the same operatives won match after match the same as they did the previous year. The only difference was Hyena who hadn’t let a match reach a minute yet. The pool of combatants was dwindling and now it came to a head where the top twenty who had a knack for genjutsu and regularly employed it in the field started to be paired against each other.

“Rat and Hyena.”

They watched in anticipation. Rat had made it into the top four last year. He was no slouch and at one time was even considered to apprentice under Cobra. Rat had declined it after learning who Cobra was outside of the mask. Not many people wanted to be near the man who could worm his way into your mind and you would never be the wiser.

“Begin.”

They both stood there perfectly still with both of them only holding a ram seal in their dominant hand. It was now a battle of the minds and will power. It would come down to who could craft their illusion more seamlessly and realistically to make their opponent second guess what was reality. The clock reached forty seconds and Rat was slightly shaking trying to hold onto the seal. The clock clicked onto one minute and twenty seconds before Rat collapsed to the ground, violently shaking and screaming for it to stop.

“Winner is Hyena, Team Ka.”

The moment she was announced as the winner her hand dropped from the seal and Rat took in a large breath like their air had been restricted and now he could finally breathe. Rat was carried off the field while Hyena nodded to Cobra before returning to her seat in the stands. Both her teammates were already out.

The matches continued on this way. Any match without Hyena in it lasted over five minutes and you could see the struggle between the two operatives. But any match with Hyena ended the same way. No one made it to the two minute mark and every single one lost screaming gasping for air.

Kakashi remembered her fantastic performance in taijutsu against Owl. He recalled her poor underwhelming performance in ninjutsu against Racoon. But this was something else. Not a single one of the operatives could hold a candle against this woman. She went above and beyond mentally torturing her fellow comrades without a second of hesitation.

A lot of times younger recruits would make the mistake of holding back and getting a hard lesson after getting their teeth kicked in. But this woman didn’t hold back at all. It was like it didn’t even occur to her with how quickly she performed her jutsu like she was in battle and her life depended on it succeeding.

Kakashi spoke under his breath knowing Cobra who sat next to him would hear, “She’s like you.”

Hawk had overheard on Cobra’s other side, “If that isn’t a terrifying thought I don’t know what is.”

Boar commented next, letting curiosity coat his voice, “Where did you find her?”

“She found me. She was assigned to my team as a floater and learned what I could do. She requested I teach her.”

Kakashi pulled his attention from the current fight to give more of his attention to Cobra. Was this man who was known as a loner with no friends, a man not many trusted to have their backs, saying what he thought?

“She’s your pupil?”

“She’s my apprentice, yes.”
“You’re passing down your legacy?”

Cobra turned his head so their masks were facing the other. Kakashi knew Cobra couldn’t see his face or his eyes behind the mask but it felt like the man could see into his soul.

“She is my heir.”

Hawk whispered, “Kami save us all.”

The tournament ended with Hyena against the previous year’s winner, Jackal.

Jackal was known as a genjutsu expert that wasn’t too far below Cobra. He lasted exactly three minutes in the arena with Hyena. It was above impressive what the woman managed to accomplish. Kakashi now didn’t care what her score was in the ninjutsu portion. Her coming in first for the genjutsu and coming in the higher ranks for the taijutsu would still bring her score to a high enough number to remain on her team even if he knew Cobra wouldn’t let her go. There was no way he would allow his heir to leave his team.

Kakashi discussed with the other captains the scores and placements in a conference room with the top ten captains and the commander. If that person was on one of their teams then they were not permitted to have any input.

His team ranked high with Tenzo being the highest and Yugao the lowest but barely. They were all excellent soldiers and complemented each other and him.

Quite a few operatives moved up in score from the previous year and just as many fell lower. It wasn’t too difficult until they got to Hyena. They had no previous scores for her to work off of.

Peacock voiced their vote, “I would place her in the eighties.”

Hawk tilted her head, “You don’t think that’s too high? She basically failed the ninjutsu portion.”

Kakashi listened before putting in his opinion, “I vote within the eighties, as well. She may have done poorly in the ninjutsu portion but she excelled in the taijutsu portion and actually won the genjutsu portion. She doesn’t need ninjutsu for her repertoire. She may only have problems against dojutsu users but I have no doubt if we didn’t put restrictions on the fights that she would’ve placed within the top ten.”

Kakashi leaned back letting the others voice their opinions and argue over placement. Hyena ended up scoring an eighty six out of one hundred. That was unheard of for first time participants in the assessments unless they were a prodigy.

Days later, Kakashi was jumping across the rooftops with Genma heading to a training field to meet the rest of their team for practice. He stopped when something caught his eye. He had to push up his headband and open his Sharingan eye to better see in the dark of the pre-dawn light.

Not far away heading towards the T&I building was none other than Ibiki Morino, Santa Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno. He wasn’t surprised to see his old student with Morino considering that she was his apprentice according to the rumor mill. But why was Santa with them? Santa worked on and off in the Torture side of T&I but it was on a case by case basis when he wasn’t working as Cobra in Anbu.

Kakashi watched Sakura laugh and link arms with Santa as the man smiled down at her. Just what on earth was going on with his old student? Kakashi could feel his rage building and he quickly stamped it down and put a stopper on it before someone detected him. He wouldn’t be surprised if Santa already knew he was watching. The man was a sensor.

Genma crouched next to him and tried to see what he did before pulling on his sleeve. Kakashi let himself be tugged in the direction of the training grounds. But the image of Sakura wrapping herself around Santa’s arm wouldn’t leave him mind. What was he to her?

Chapter 3: Cry for Me

Summary:

Training with her mentor.

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Chapter Three: Cry for Me
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Sakura’s POV:

She walked down the street perusing the fruits on display at the various vendors throughout the market place. She didn’t actually need any groceries but she was in the mood for something sweeter than her usual. She did let herself indulge regularly in sweets like dango and cakes but today wasn’t the day for that since she had training later. She didn’t want to risk throwing up after that one time. Physical exertion and heavy sweets didn’t mix too well in her stomach.

She walked down the road side stepping civilians that weren’t watching where they were going or young shinobi that were just letting loose and laughing, not paying attention. The pear was on the juicer side and she felt the juices dribble down her chin as she attempted to lick it all up with her tongue but resulted in using her tank top, lifting up the bottom and wiping her mouth before letting the dark red garment fall back into place. She wore bandages down both her arms wrapping around a few of her fingers. They would help in the training as well as hide her Anbu tattoo on her right bicep. Her loose black pants were tied at the waist and mid calves with her standard open toed shinobi sandals. Her weapons pouch rested comfortably on the small of her back instead of her thigh due to the type of pants she chose to wear.

The drab T&I building came into view and she threw out the core of the pear in a trashcan off to the side of the entrance that doubled as an ashtray for the smoking area. Too many people she knew smoked that worked in this building. You had to find some kind of outlet when all you dealt with all day was other people’s suffering.

She strolled into the building waving to Kotetsu and Izumo at the front desk on her way through a side door after swiping her wrist over a panel. She had a seal embedded into her skin granting access to every single level of the T&I building. It was a seal created by Lord Second and it was only ever slightly modified through the decades. It was created to be able to be turned inactive from the heart of the T&I building by the two heads who were currently Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino. Though not many realized that Morino had taken a step back in recent years as Ino was taking a step forward.

The hallways were a boring grey with nothing distinct about any of them to confuse anyone not familiar with them. It was only too easy to walk in circles and get turned around if you were unfamiliar with the unique layout of each floor. She hummed under her breath as she opened a door without knocking and immediately draped herself across the old fabric couch in the corner.

Morino sat behind his desk scribbling something down in a folder before typing something on his keyboard then locking the folder away in a filing cabinet behind him. There were no windows in his office with filing cabinets lining the entire back wall behind his imposing wooden desk with the small two seater couch off to the one side which she was laying on letting her one leg dangle off the arm and against the opposite wall were shelves stuffed with scrolls and books. Majority of them, Sakura had been required to read throughout her training with the scarred man before he deemed her beyond anything he was capable of teaching her.

Sometimes, she got tired of being a sponge and absorbing knowledge like it was her lifeblood. But her mind whirled and moved and demanded more. She was voracious and knowledge was her sustenance. She moved through mentors and masters like none before her. The day she was able to perform a surgery even Tsunade deemed impossible was the day she knew her apprenticeship was coming to an end soon. She attempted for numerous months to enhance her own body before she was caught and taken under Shizune’s wing. But soon there was nothing more the woman she viewed as an older sister could teach her. Morino was by chance when she wandered into T&I looking for Ino. But she didn’t last any longer with him after learning all she could about forms of torture, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. He did recommend her for Anbu much to Tsunade’s chagrin.

Anbu taught her more than other missions were capable of doing. It was much higher stakes and most were life and death. It made her feel alive. And for the first time ever she found herself a team that didn’t try to keep her on the sidelines because she was weak or because she was a medic or the Hokage’s apprentice. They didn’t know who she was and they didn’t care as long as they could all work together. She did eventually learn all their identities. Her captain reminded her of Morino, they were both slight sadists. But he took her in as his only ever apprentice and heir. She was now carrying the legacy of techniques not only from the Slug Princess, Tsunade Senju, but also from the Nightmare of Konoha, Santa Yamanaka.

“Get your feet off my couch, brat.”

Sakura looked down at her feet, one was on the floor and the other was handing off the arm of the couch.

“Technically, neither of my feet are on your shitty couch, old man.”

This earned Sakura a glare and the full attention from the top torturer in all of Konoha. She smiled letting the darkness overtake her features making her look slightly demented. They all were slightly demented here. Messing with the old man was one of her favorite hobbies. Tsunade said it was good for him and kept him on his toes after she stopped cackling. Even Shizune found the humor in it though she did advise Sakura not to overdo it or he wouldn’t be merciful. But that was part of the fun.

Morino sighed as he stared at her, “Why are you here again?”

“Besides the fact that I’m your favorite?”

Morino scoffed. They both knew he liked her and Ino the most though.

“Okay, fine. I’m waiting for Santa. He’s supposed to be training with me today but it’s not like we can just meet up at a cafe. People would talk and the rumor mill loves to include me in its bullshit stories.”

Morino pulled out another file, “You mean you aren’t taking over the Torture side of T&I? Whatever will I do?”

The sarcasm was so thick not even a former Root member would miss it. The man was laying it on thick. Granted they both knew he was grooming Ino to take over, not her. Ino was going to one day run both sides of T&I, she was incredible.

“Cry. You’ll definitely cry.”

Santa walked through the door as Morino threw a paperweight at Sakura’s head. She moved her head just enough to the side that it sailed past her and embedded itself into the wall.

Sakura glanced behind her head, “Rude. That could’ve hit me, old man.”

Morino scoffed, not even bothering to look back up from the file he was marking, “I’m not that lucky.”

She saw Santa shake his head and then tilt it towards the door for her to follow. She waved bye to Morino who didn’t wave back before she closed the door behind her.

They walked side by side taking the same path they had taken more times than either of them cared to count over the last two years. Deep beneath T&I and slightly adjacent to the other levels was a training ground that was just one open cavern with a small lake and stalactites and stalagmites. It was an impressive area that was reinforced with steel pillars throughout and fuinjutsu seals on top of that. You could do almost anything in here besides earth ninjutsu and Sakura’s super strength which made it perfect for her to keep her strength in check.

Santa took the time to wrap his knuckles and his forearms after taking off his overshirt to leave him in just the mesh armor. Sakura took the time to stretch her limbs out. This was going to hurt.

Hurt it did. Santa pushed off his back foot charging forward to flash to her unprotected back. She had to spin on her one foot to have a chance at blocking his fist from landing directly on her spine between her shoulder blades and instead landed on her upper arm. She knew she would have a bruise before the fight was up.

She pushed her body and lungs as far as they would let her go. Her limbs ached and screamed at her with each new bruise he sent her way. But she gave just as good as she got. For every hit on her that Santa made, she returned it with a strike of her own. She knew from the impacts that his body was screaming just as hers was. She wasn’t using her chakra enhanced strength but her normal strength was nothing to scoff at. Her muscles had to learn how to hold the power and weight behind her strikes and the chakra output.

Sakura was employing the Senju taijutsu style but decided to switch it up at the last moment her arm sailed past Santa’s head. She let her body move into a new position that wasn’t as low to the ground but instead looser allowing her to take the impacts more efficiently and repurpose that momentum into her movements. It wasn’t a Yamanaka style. Instead, it was a bastard style she and Santa created together from bits and pieces of other styles, even some from other nations influenced heavily by the style used as the base in Kiri’s academy. It was fluid and flowed through stances to move like water in a stream. The strikes used open palms more than closed punches to redirect the opponent's strikes.

She let her one foot glide forward while letting her arm wrap around his using his movement to the side against him as it gave her the push she needed to lift him and throw him across the area. Sakura didn’t let up and ran after him to force him on the defensive. The genjutsu hit one after another as he didn’t just attack her body but also her mind simultaneously.

A growl left her throat as she let the anger from exertion fuel her movements as she flicked off the brutal mental assaults.

Santa’s face contorted as he joined her in fighting on two fronts, physically and mentally. She had yet to win against him and it only fueled her rage in the utmost want that she could feel. She wanted to win.

Before this she had beaten every single one of her mentors not just in a battle but also at their own field, Tsunade in surgery, Shizune in poisons, Morino in torturing, and she was determined to beat Santa in genjutsu.

“ARRGGGHHHHH! FUCK YOU OLD MAN!” Sakura dove out of the way of a boulder before she could swipe the illusion away and realized there was no boulder.

She pushed off the ground with her tired arms trying to get back on her feet quickly but it was too late. That one second of being too slow was all he needed to pin her to the ground digging his body into her back. Her cheek hit the dirt floor and dust flew from her ragged breaths leaving her mouth in a rapid motion.

His breath brushed the shell of her ear, “Yield,” His voice was low and cold.

It was the voice that was just absolutely done with her shit. She shivered.

“I give,” The whisper left her mouth with a small puff of air.

Santa loosened his hold and let go of her. It allowed her body to relax against the ground while he flopped next to her facing the ceiling. She laid there on her stomach with her head turned to the side facing him. She watched his profile and his straight nose and strong jaw. His blonde hair was an absolute mess and was partially pulled out of the usual high ponytail he had it in. Sakura snickered at his appearance, at least happy she could do that much knowing full well that she was in a similar state.

He turned his head to face her, “It’s rude to call me old. You call Ibiki that.”

She attempted to shrug from her position, “Aren’t you guys like the same age?”

He placed his hand on his chest like she dealt him a fatal blow, “My dear apprentice how could you insult me so. I thought I was your favorite mentor.”

Sakura snickered, “So you're not the same age?”

Santa dropped the dramatics and looked at her with a deadpan expression, “He’s five years my senior. I’m only twenty seven.”

She scrunched her face, “Aren’t you Ino’s uncle?”

“I was born much later than Inoichi. He’s 42.”

“Ah, you were an accident baby!”

Santa flung his arm out so the weight of it falling landed on her back, “Brat.”

Chapter 4: I'm Not Calling You Mom

Summary:

Sakura plays tag, has a meeting with Tsunade, and asks Shizune for a favor.

Notes:

I'm absolutely loving the feedback for this story and am so incredibly grateful. I write short stories and novels and am using these fanfics to get out of a writing slump. So thank you!

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Chapter Four: I'm Not Calling You Mom
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Two days later, Sakura was playing tag with her Anbu team in one of the sectioned off private training grounds that was reserved for Anbu only. She had her chakra suppressed just like the rest of her team while the only times they could show it was when they were tagging or about to be tagged to try to escape. It was as much a game of control as it was a game of strategy.

Sakura lunged forward from the earth grabbing the ankles of one of her teammates and pulling their weight out from under them causing them to hit the ground and slam their forearms trying to protect their heads while she laughed and vanished. Chameleon, who’s name was actually Shinji Kagawa, yelled in frustration. He was currently losing. At this rate he was going to be paying for the team dinner.

Sakura ran and hid not staying in one place for more than a few seconds but that was all it took before she could manage to flick the genjutsu off her network and saw Santa smiling at her with his finger poking her cheek.

“Tag, Saku.”

She growled under her breath knowing you can’t tag the person who just got you so she was forced to find either Shinji or Gopher who was actually named Akari Yamada. She found Akari a few seconds later but the swordsman was fast and a bitch to catch. It was why she had gone for Shinji previously.

The game ended with Sakura being the loser by getting tagged just one more time than Shinji.

They sat in the clearing on the training ground drinking water and catching their breath. Sakura leaned her head back and groaned.

“I swear I was targeted!”

Shinji laughed and shook his light brown curls, “Not a chance you are pushing the loss on me! You get to pay for dinner this time.”

Sakura let herself fall sideways and her head land on Santa’s lap, “You’re all so mean to me!”

Akari laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, “All is fair in love and war, Saku. Don’t be mean and make Shinji pay again. He paid last time!”

Santa smiled and stroked her pink hair brushing it away from her face.

She watched them all laugh good naturedly at her expense and not once did she feel like she was getting laughed at like she used to as a child in the academy or on team seven. When she had first joined Anbu she had floated from team to team to fill in gaps if they were down a member for some reason until she got put on Team Ka and heard the rumors after another operative told her to watch her own back cause they wouldn’t. Team Ka was known for losing members whether it was a death on a mission or an operative requesting to change teams. They had one of the largest turnover rates and everyone knew it was because Santa was the captain. No one wanted to work under him after his entire Genin team died when he was a Chunin on a mission during the war. They said he was bad luck. Him taking down entire enemy squads without lifting a finger didn’t help. He earned the moniker the Nightmare of Konoha and he hated it.

Sakura had asked him once why he hated it since it proved he was strong. He answered that it was a reminder of everyone he couldn’t save.

Gopher or Akari had been with Santa the longest. She was paired with him as a Chunin in the war and he had saved her life. It had changed her entire impression of him. She had believed the rumors saying he let his teammates die for glory. But that one mission indebted her to him with a life debt. She had paid it a long time ago but along the way they had become friends.

Next was her two years ago. She was used to hanging around and learning from people like Morino. Santa didn’t bother her in the slightest especially after their first mission when he pulled her to safety when their fourth member didn’t provide them cover like he was ordered to.

Not even seven months ago they got a floater that couldn’t find a team that wanted a ninjutsu specialist that wasn’t a front liner like Hound. They automatically expected him to go charging in yelling a battle cry and instead got a reserved guy that was sweet and protective of his people that would hang back and support his comrades with long range attacks. He was what their team desperately needed. It only took one time of Sakura threatening to kill him if he didn’t have their backs in the field after a slip up of hesitation to straighten that out.

But now the four of them had found a rhythm that worked for them. They knew how to move around each other and when to compensate for each other. It also helped that she could heal all of them on each mission, raising their team’s success rate to be closer and closer to Team Ro who was the highest standard.

Sakura furrowed her brows thinking of Team Ro. She knew who some of the members were. She knew Kakashi was the captain. That he was the man relaxed leaning back in his seat next to her own captain at the assessment. She had no idea if he had spotted her or not. She hoped not. She really didn’t want to deal with him and his excuses or even worse his uncaring aloof demeanor.

–O–

Sakura was only ever seen out with Ino Yamanaka and rarely anyone else. On occasion, she would be seen at the Hokage Tower with Lady Tsunade or taking something to Shizune who ran the hospital. But besides those three the rumor mill of Konoha was getting bored with her as a subject. There was nothing interesting concerning one Sakura Haruno. That is, until she was no longer a Haruno.

Sakura sat across from Tsunade who basically adopted her after the Konoha Crush when she was 13 and became her apprentice. After Tsunade realized her new apprentice was sleeping on the streets because her house was no more and she had no family to turn to, Tsunade and Shizune took it upon themselves to strong arm the girl into living with them at the Senju compound though not many knew of this fact.

Tsunade huffed sipping her sake, “Come on, Sakura. It really wouldn’t change anything besides your name.”

“But it is a big deal! You can't just adopt me!” Sakura expressed with her hands waving in front of her.

“I’m the head of my clan and you have no claim on you. I can do whatever I want. So say yes and sign the paper.”

“I’m not signing the damn paper! This would make me your heir!”

Sakura’s voice kept rising in volume and octave. She got up from the seat and started pacing while Tsunade followed her with her eyes.

“Sakura, it’s just a formality. Everything I have will be split between you and Shizune if I die.”

Sakura whirled around stabbing a finger through the air to point at Tsunade, “You cannot die! You have to live to a ripe old age. Damnit.”

Tsunade sighed. She thought this would've been easier, “Kid, sit down.”

Sakura forced herself to take a breath and sit. She curled her hands into fists in her lap so she wouldn’t hurt the chair.

“I am not dying. I am going to be here to annoy you for the rest of your life, especially after I step down from being Hokage and have more free time. But I need to do this right. And you have been my daughter for years now. We share a home and all the domestic bullshit that goes along with it. I want to make it official and adopt you, Squirt. Now will you please sign the damn paper so we can both go out drinking and celebrate?”

Sakura sighed letting her panic leave with the exhale. She did think of Tsunade as her mom. In every sense of the word it was exactly what she was and had been for years. This was just a lot. Sakura would have to change her last name to Senju and it would make her the heir to the clan. She may need to do a blood test against Tsunade’s blood just out of curiosity. She wouldn’t be surprised if the council demanded one.

“Fine. I’ll sign the stupid paper. But I’m not calling you mom.”

Tsunade threw her head back laughing and poured them both a drink to start off their night.

“Welcome to the clan, Sakura.”

The whispers throughout the village were everywhere and not inconspicuous. The whispers that were hidden behind hands like she didn’t modify her hearing when she was bored at fourteen. She heard them all. The shock and surprise from some. The jealousy from others. It was too much but Sakura refused to let them see how it bothered her. She was so happy when the rumor mill had turned away from her and onto something else but now it came full circle and it was focused solely on her and her alone. Accusations of her manipulating her way into a prestigious clan and reaping all the benefits. They called her horrible names as she passed thinking they were whispered in almost secret but she heard them.

She purposely walked with her head held high knowing that with her short hair the Senju emblem on the back of her dark red haori was on full display. She was marked as a member of the clan and she had full clan rights. She now wasn’t just a civilian and had to be mindful of how she interacted with the other clans now.

The hospital was colder than she remembered from her last visit though a lot of that could be credited to the darting glances from the staff and the not so whispered gossip exchanged between them. Even some of the waiting patients in the lobby had joined in. Sakura, thankfully, didn’t work for the hospital and didn’t have to have decorum when accosted with such obvious annoyances. She summoned her best impression of Ino and glared at the bystanders who paled in response. If a little bit of killing intent leaked out of her then who was to say.

She didn’t bother to knock on Shizune’s office door since there was only one chakra signature inside the room. Shizune looked up startled someone had just bursted into her office noticeably calming down when she registered it was Sakura who leaned against the now closed door.

“Sakura?”

“Kill me, please,” Sakura groaned knocking her head against the wooden door and whining.

“Are you okay?”

The concern in Shizune’s voice made Sakura calm down just a hair and take the seat in front of the desk. She already felt tired and she had only trained and came here before lunch. The day wasn’t even halfway over yet.

She ran her hand through her pink locks pushing the strands out of her face, “I’m okay as long as I’m not in public. Everyone is whispering about me and I can’t take it anymore.”

“Ah, yes. You both had to expect that the village would run rampant with the news of Tsunade adopting you. For decades, she was the only Senju alive. Now there is an unknown heir that used to be a civilian. Don’t pay them any mind. The rumor mill will find another topic in a week.”

“Easy for you to say, you can’t hear all the nasty things they’re saying behind their hands.”

“You can?”

“I enhanced my hearing years ago when I was bored. It’s as good as an Inuzuka’s hearing or maybe even better.”

“That’s impressive but also unfortunate in this case.”

Sakura pouted, “It makes me want to hide in the T&I building where none of them will care what symbol is on my back.”

Shizune laughed, “No, I don’t think they would. They don’t care what clan any one comes from.”

The pouting continued as she scrunched her nose, “Why don’t they care about you? You’re her niece.”

“Ah, but I am her niece through marriage. Her and my Uncle Dan married in secret during the war before he died. I don’t have any legal right to the Senju name. I am still a Kato.”

Sakura sighed, “This is so annoying. It’s not like she hasn’t been taking care of me since I was thirteen. We all live together!”

Sakura threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

Shizune sighed, “Not many are aware of that. We kept it quiet so you wouldn’t be any more of a target than you already were being her apprentice.”

“Well, I have a big ass target on my back now.”

Shizune smiled with a bit of an edge, “But now you are strong. You have surpassed too many mentors not to be.”

Sakura hummed knowing Shizune spoke only the truth. She was strong. She was lethal. She was deadly. No one who went up against her as Sakura lived to tell the tale of her strength. It was easier to stay beneath the radar.

“Hey, can you do me a favor if you have the time?”

“Sure, I could spare some. What do you need?”

Sakura pulled out a medical storage scroll. It was specifically designed to store samples at the correct temperature and keep them in stasis until the seal on the scroll was broken. Sakura placed the tiny scroll on the middle of the desk, “I need you to compare the common factors in these two blood samples. It’s mine and Tsunades’. The council is already bitching about how she has no right and I am hoping that I have a distant line to her even if it’s just through the Uzumaki line.”

Understanding lit up Shizune’s eyes, “Ah, you think you may have some because of your pink hair?”

Sakura nodded, “It’s a long shot since my dad had much darker pink hair that was almost brown in certain lighting and my mom was blonde. But I figured it can’t hurt.”

Shizune sat there staring at the scroll and Sakura could practically see the gears turning in Shizune’s head going through all the probabilities and statistics of such a case before nodding, “Alright. I’ll run this personally and no one else will have access to it. I’ll call you when I get the results in a week or two.”

Sakura nodded and said her farewells, not bothering to walk through the corridors the way she came originally. There were too many people and her hearing was too good. She did not want to deal with it. So she opened the window to Shizune’s window and scaled the wall to the roof before running and leaping across the rooftops. She wasn’t quite sure where she was going but just knew that she didn’t want to be near people.

Chapter 5: Down the Rabbit Hole

Summary:

Kakashi attempts to find Sakura.

Notes:

Holy crap this story has taken off a lot more than I ever thought it would! Thank you so much!

I am my own editor along with Google Doc so please forgive any mistakes.

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Chapter Five: Down the Rabbit Hole
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Kakashi’s POV:

It had been days since he had spotted a sign of pink anywhere within the village. Even when he half attempted to track her down it just led him in a circle from the Hokage Tower to T&I to the hospital to the Senju compound. The hospital was the oldest and T&I was harder since it had a lot of her scent overlapping over the course of days. He stopped trying when he realized he would need to bring his ninken out to help sift through the scent trails and that would then require him to explain to the pack why he was fixated on hunting down his old student he hadn’t mentioned once since he was her teacher for less than a year. Pakkun used to call her Pinky.

It was when he was grocery shopping through the open market stalls that he first heard the gossip about her. She was being adopted by Tsunade and would be taking the Senju name. She would soon be Sakura Senju, heir to the clan. She would be on equal footing with every other clan heir in this village. Most of which just so happened to be in her graduating class from the academy.

The men and women weren’t nice about it. Some whispered behind their hands thinking they were safe enough from lip reading but he could hear them just fine. They claimed she was a fraud who manipulated Tsunade into signing the papers and she should be tried for treason against Konoha. Some called her a bitch and others called her a slut. He didn’t know how those terms related to supposed treason but the shinobi and civilians seemed to think there was a connection.

Kakashi tried to gather as much information as he could but it honestly wasn’t that much after an hour of meandering through the stalls and purchasing the meat and veggies he needed. After dropping the food off at his apartment he made his way over to Genma’s place. If anyone knew any information that he was missing it would be the gossip king of Konoha. The only other option was Ino and Kakashi was not about to go to Sakura’s best friend and the next head of the Interrogation division.

After a quick knock on the sliding glass door, because Kakashi was respectful like that and didn’t just break in, Genma let him in and passed him a cup of tea when he returned to the table in the kitchen area.

“What’s up, Kakashi? I thought we didn’t have practice till tomorrow?”

Kakashi took the time to sit down and take a sip of the white tea sitting in front of him. He left his mask down since Genma had seen his face numerous times since they were kids in the academy.

“I just came from the market. There’s a lot of rumors about Sakura going around. Not very nice things are being said about her.”

Genma put his tea down, “Ah, yeah, that. It’s understandable given that she’s becoming an heir to a founding clan overnight. But what’s being tossed around in public where she most likely has already heard isn’t ideal.”

“Have you heard anything more about her becoming the Senju heir and people calling it treason?”

Genma shook his head, “Not much. I do know the council has demanded a blood relation test between her and Tsunade. Tsunade straight out told them no. But rumor has it that Sakura went to the hospital to visit Shizune about four days ago.”

“You mean Shizune told you.”

Genma shrugged, “Has some pros dating the director of the hospital.”

“She tell you anything else?”

“Yeah. Sakura asked her to do the blood test. She thinks because of her hair color that she may have some distant Uzumaki blood that can tie her to Tsunade through Mito. But it’s a long shot. Shizune isn’t confident at all.”

Kakashi sighed, “This is such a shitshow. I understand why Tsunade did this and I know they’re close but she really had to go and adopt her?”

Genma leaned his head on his head letting his eyes drop partially closed, “You don’t get it. Sakura was taken in by Tsunade right after she became her apprentice. The three of them live in the Senju compound. She’s basically been her kid for years.”

Kakashi felt the surprise run through him as the words registered, “Why wouldn’t she stay with her parents?”

“Hell Kakashi, her parents died in the Crush. She had no family and no home. Shizune said they found her on the streets after she finally convinced Tsunade to take her on as an apprentice. The girl had nothing.”

Despair and guilt gnawed at the pit of his stomach at hearing that his student had nothing and no one and he didn’t care enough to find out. He assumed at the time that she had been safe and okay since she was the only one of team seven to have parents to go home to at the end of the day. The rest of them were alone and had next to nothing. And then without him knowing his last student had joined the club but she was living on the streets and all he did was put in a good word with Tsunade before disappearing. He wasn’t sure he could get any lower.

“HEY!” Gemma snapped his finger in front of his eyes jolting him back to reality from the mental spiral he was about to plummet down.

He took a deep and shaky breath and let it go, “Thanks.”

Genma nodded, “None of this is your fault. If you feel guilty just talk to her. It’s been years.”

Kakashi stared down at his hands wrapped around the teacup staring into its depths as if it could reveal the secrets of the universe, “That’s the point. It’s been years. What am I even supposed to say?”

“I’m sorry would be a good place to start.”

Over the next week, Kakashi still attempted to locate Sakura just to make sure she was okay. The gossip had only gotten worse with shinobi claiming they never trusted her. It was damaging her reputation and would hinder what teams she would be able to work with in the future. He never did find Sakura. Her scent was getting weaker by the day so he assumed she was either holed up somewhere or was out of the village on a mission already.

His curiosity spiked. He decided to see the roster of all her mission records and who she could currently be out with. When he found her file that could be accessed by Jonin Leads it told him nothing. According to her, she hadn’t been on a mission in years besides a random diplomatic one here or there. He remembered she was in Anbu and decided to find the file that only Anbu captains had access to.

Deep within the archive room of the Anbu headquarters, Kakashi stood in the filing stacks that could only be accessed by one of the top ten captains or the commander. He needed to know she was okay. He located her name and quickly scanned the page once he saw her picture attached with her face blank and her eyes cold. This was not the girl he remembered but it was the one he was slowly getting accustomed to.

Sakura’s Anbu file was redacted to hell and back. He couldn’t see her mask name or really any of the missions she went on or what team she was on. He saw that she was a floater for almost a year before being permanently placed on a team but the name was blacked out. The missions were numerous and lengthy but he couldn’t see where she went or the summary of any mission. He did see the dates of the mission length though. He saw that she was barely within the village since being accepted onto this team of hers.

But what Kakashi couldn’t figure out was why it was all restricted or redacted. Her file was so protected and he wasn’t sure why.

Kakashi knocked on the nondescript door and opened it after hearing enter. This was one place he did not want to step on toes.

The commander of Anbu sat behind a wooden desk in a large office that looked to double as a meeting place of sorts with a table and chairs off the the side and a whiteboard on the wall. His blank white mask was securely in place with the black hood not giving any hints to his real identity.

“What can I do for you, Hound?”

Kakashi was required to wear the mask within these walls and expected for a second to hear his actual name and not his mask name.

“I’m following up with a concern and wanted to know why Sakura Haruno’s file is redacted and restricted in the senior archives.”

“Her file is a special case and only I and the Hokage have full access to it. What concern do you have?”

Well, that was interesting. There weren’t many files on that level of restriction. He knew Tenzo’s was that level but that was because of the mokuton. What made Sakura’s that level?

“I heard the rumors about her in the market and wanted to make sure she was okay but I haven’t been able to find her.”

 

“So you wanted to see if she was out on a mission and decided to snoop instead of ask?”

“I thought it would be less of a hassle?”

Kakashi phrased it as a question. The commander had dealt with him for years and knew his habits well. The former commander had as well.

“She is fine. Her team is on a mission. I wasn’t aware you were still close with your former students?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m not exactly that close with her,” Kakashi was beating around the bush and he knew it. He knew he had no reason to look into her file to this length and had no authority to but he couldn’t help the tickle in the back of his mind that told him to check up on her.

“Leave her be, Hound. She is fine. You can find her around the village when she returns.”

Kakashi bowed slightly and left his commander’s office. But deep down he knew he wasn’t going to leave this alone. He needed to make things right and he wanted to protect her.

Chapter 6: And It Was A Good Day

Summary:

Sakura's Anbu team is on a mission then runs into another team.

Notes:

The comments being left on this story are making me laugh so much! I love them! I am really surprised that so many people seem to enjoy this as much as they are and am super happy it's going so well. I'm trying to read through and edit chapter 7-10 that's done. Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter Six: And It Was A Good Day
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Sakura’s POV:

She pulled air into her lungs in long pants as she stood above the dead enemy ninja’s mangled body. He had a fist sized hole clean through his chest where his heart should have been but instead he was on the ground in a pool of blood and his heart was in her hand being squished between her fingers making disgusting squelching sounds that only further fueled her bloodlust as she turned to the next enemy that had wide eyes in fear and was attempting to finish hand signs for a jutsu that they would never complete. She pushed off her back foot and propelled herself through the air faster than they could see before they turned trying to catch sight of her but it was already too late. Sakura stood behind him with her right arm still raised, leveled with his neck, the glowing green chakra scalpel shimmered in the moonlight as the blood cascaded down his front and over the ground soaking into the dirt. She kept going.

She kneeled at their sides soaked head to toe in blood that wasn’t hers. She held the hand sign as she funneled chakra through Lady Katsuyu that sat as large as a mouse over top of Gopher’s and Chameleon’s hearts. She sat there in utter silence methodically working to heal them back to full health or as close to it as her reserves and the mission would allow.

They were ambushed by a large group of rogue nin that were hired by a wannabe crime lord in the Land of Rivers. Sakura hadn’t planned to destroy the majority of the group in one go but she could admit it had its benefits to completing the mission faster. Not like she really wanted to go back home with all the rumors circulating. She was being ostracized due to jealousy mainly. Her team had been excited for her. That was a huge reminder to her of the opinions that should matter versus the ones that didn’t.

Her team captain, Cobra, finished scouring the bodies for anything they could pilfer before sealing all fifteen bodies in body scrolls. At least a few of them had bounties they would be collecting on their return to the village.

Cobra stood silent off to the side while she finished her work and her summon bid her farewell. They worked quickly getting the entire team back on their feet before moving out to complete the mission. They had a crime lord and at least ten more missing nin to deal with along with mercenaries for hire. It was going to be a long night.

The compound was in shambles when they arrived. It wasn’t due to being attacked or a freak weather condition. It looked like it was due to neglect. This couldn’t have been the main base.

“Can Chameleon just use a fire jutsu to burn the entire building to the ground and we can call it a day?”

Gopher chucked, “That would save time.”

Cobra shook his head once, “Negative. We cannot chance anyone surviving and we need to collect the records of the business deals. Gopher, go with Chameleon through the fire exit on the top floor in the back. Hyena and I will go through the front door. Clear your floor before regrouping at the top of the staircase.”

They waited for the ‘begin’ signal before dispersing to their designated starting locations and knocking on their doors.

Sakura made sure her “knock” busted the front doors off their hinges and blasted them through the entire foyer back to land on the steps. The chaos began. She made noise so Gopher and Chameleon could go in undetected.

The genjutsu being flung around caused the enemies to drop to their knees before either Sakura or Santa took the distracted men’s lives. It was systematic and familiar. It was a routine they had practiced many times. They would draw the majority of the enemies their way and they either got caught in a genjutsu and killed swiftly or they managed to disarm the genjutsu or avoid it somehow and Sakura would just eviscerate them. This was not a nice mission. It was a death sentence for every single man and woman within this house or employed by this man.

The bottom floor had four missing-nin that were maybe Chunin if they were feeling generous and an absurd amount of hired muscle that weren’t ninja. It was just skill against sheer numbers. Skill won.

Sakura went first up the stairs knowing that Santa could feel where all of the enemies were in the entire mansion. Even a civilian emitted a faint chakra signature since it was tied to their life force. Santa was skilled enough as a sensor to be able to pick them up. She trusted him to signal if she was about to be ambushed but she still walked slightly crouched and on alert knowing even he could make a mistake.

At the top of the stairs there were no more enemies. Instead, their two teammates greeted them with Chameleon giving a little wave. They had cleared the top floor successfully. Sakura instinctively ran a glowing green hand over both of their bodies only needing to heal a gash on Gopher’s forearm before they proceeded.

Sakura leaned against a wall on guard with Gopher in the hall doing the same thing while Cobra and Chameleon pilfered every single scrap of paper or document they could get their hands on. Even going so far as breaking into a locked drawer inside the desk that was underneath a false bottom. They sealed it all away and then Cobra put the scroll back into a pocket on his vest before signalling to exit out the fire escape. Soon, they crouched within the treeline watching the empty house go up in flames knowing that the moisture in the air and ground would keep it from spreading into the forest. Just in case, Chameleon also burned a circle around the entire property so the fire wouldn’t have anything to spread to. Causing a forest fire in the Land of Rivers was not in their mission docket.

They camped after running throughout the day back towards Konoha. It was now dusk and they were all exhausted after having been ambushed, fighting through a decrepit mansion, burning down said mansion, and then hightailing it out of the Land of Rivers back into Fire. They sat around a makeshift fire roasting rabbit meat on sticks. All four of them were on their last leg and needed to eat and sleep before they could continue.

Sakura felt the drain on her body from the amount of times she healed her teammates and employed either genjutsu or her strength. She desperately needed food and knew that they were stopping mainly for her sake. The other three were tired but knew they could make it back to Konoha. She would end up passing out after using a soldier pill. It was best for them to stop for the night and continue before sunrise.

Sakura took the first stick offered to her by Chameleon. She tilted her mask to the side slightly so she could still see out of one eye hole and eat. She didn’t care to eat primly like her mother had instilled in her in hopes she would give up the shinobi life to get married. She ripped the meat roughly with her teeth chewing as much as she needed to before swallowing the meat in large chunks just to get something in her stomach that wasn’t a cardboard ration bar. She didn’t bother to look around her knowing that Cobra was on watch and just kept eating as sticks kept being passed to her.

She consumed the entirety of her rabbit as well as a little bit of Chameleon’s and Cobra’s. Her mouth was wiped on a sleeve and the Hyena mask adjusted back into place. She stretched her arms until she heard and felt the delicious pop from her joints before yawning.

“Go to sleep. I’m up next on shift then Chameleon then you. Get your six hours while you can.”

She didn’t bother to do anything other than nod and practically fall into the bed roll that had been set out for her. She had no idea who it belonged to other than she knew it wasn’t hers. Thankfully, they all used unscented shampoo and soap so the bed roll just smelled clean.

She sat up straight with a chakra scalpel at the ready when her body recognized the chakra signature before her eyes adjusted to see Chameleon with his hands up in front of himself used to how they all would wake up ready for battle.

She let the scalpel fade and stretched getting out of the roll so he could climb in. They only ever had three rolls out at a time on a mission and just shared them. It made it easier to make and break camp.

The very early morning was still dark when she settled into the tree high above the camp listening to the night and the sounds that came with it this time of year. The trees were losing their foliage so there was less cover until they got farther into Fire where the mokuton of the Hashirama trees stay green all year round even in the dead of winter only losing some leaves but all of them turning a deep dark green like they were angry it was cold.

The darkness engulfed everything within its grasp and only let the moon shine on whatever it could claim in its light. It was peaceful and quiet. This was the time of day she loved the most. The time where the world was sleeping and everything was just starting to slowly come alive. The sun started to dust the horizon and she knew it was time to get moving again.

She hopped down from the trees and nudged Cobra first with her foot flicking off his instinctual genjutsu as she made her way to the next teammate. She almost got stabbed by Gopher and quickly healed the scratch and pinned Chameleon’s hands interlacing her fingers in his so he couldn’t perform any hand signs or it would be a fireball at her face, she was sure.

They broke camp with a practiced ease without a single word or hand signal between them. They were efficient and left within twenty minutes of waking, leaving the clearing like they had found it after Chameleon hid all evidence beneath the earth.

The four silently slipped through an Anbu entrance into the village, keeping hidden from all others and only letting other Anbu teams detect them. They headed in a simple diamond formation back to headquarters with Sakura picking up the rear and Cobra leading the front.
The four of them strutted through the crowded halls covered in blood after a successful mission keeping to the diamond pattern.

She felt the stares on them. She saw the various animal masks turn to look at her team. She took notice of the path made for them to walk to the locker rooms. The other teams gave them a wide careful berth as was the usual. They feared Cobra and in extension they probably were at least cautious of anyone that chose to stay on a team being led by him. No matter how many successful missions they completed.

The locker rooms were not separated between men and women. The lockers were packed all in a huge room with the wooden benches in the aisle but the showers were separated. The open doorways led around two corners to open into a big communal area with drains on the tiled floor and shower heads lining the walls. There was a single door on the one wall that led to enclosed bathrooms that some of the shy members used as changing rooms after a shower. But most of the operatives lost that care a long time into their career and got desensitized to nudity when you had to change out in the field and have a comrade on lookout just to relieve yourself. Embarrassment grew rare and the majority of the people kept to themselves or their teams.

The first thing to go was their masks straight into the top shelf of their lockers. No one else was in the locker room so they took their time stripping down and throwing their used uniforms into the laundry bins knowing that new ones would be placed into their lockers for them. It was standard procedure after a mission. Someone on the administrative team would come through and collect the laundry bins and hand up fresh clothes. It was usually older operatives that couldn’t work in the field anymore but didn’t want to or couldn’t retire yet.

Sakura threw on her robe and grabbed her bag of toiletries and walked into the female showers followed close behind by Akari. She saw in her peripheral vision the two guys going into the male side of the showers in their own robes. They took their time scrubbing every inch of themselves of blood and grime before collecting their things and wrapping towels around themselves. Sakura wrapped one around her pink hair too. Akari let her long dark brown hair hang behind her not caring.

They heard the voices before they saw them. Santa was standing in front of his locker pulling his mesh armor shirt over his head and securing his pants. His feet were still bare. Shinji was only in Jonin pants drying his light brown hair with a towel keeping to himself.

The other team that had come in looked like they were just returning from a mission too but they didn’t seem that dirty compared to her team’s bloody uniforms. Sakura used Akari as a barrier between her and the other team that seemed to be mostly men. Akari moved a half step back to better block their view of Sakura and she was grateful the other woman understood her needs. She liked to stay under the radar especially now that she wasn’t just the Hokage’s apprentice but now her heir apparent.

“Come on, that was so boring. You cannot tell me you had fun on a mission that was supposed to be more than just information gathering.”

Sakura recognized that voice. It was Genma Shiranui. He was dating Shizune. He was on Team Ro. Fuck. Sakura glanced, hiding her face more, catching a glimpse of silver hair on Genma’s one side taking off his boots. She did not feel like seeing her former Genin leader who didn’t even know she existed. The coldness and aloofness he had always pointed her way would feel like a stab in her gut right now with all the gossip and mean things being said about her.

Sakura henged her hair color underneath the towel to a brown somewhere between Akari’s and Shinji’s hair colors. Her eyes darkened to a forest green. As long as Kakashi kept his Sharingan closed she should be safe. Just in case she very slightly changed the shape of her face and nose, adopting Ino’s features.

“Ah, Santa, so this is your team?” Kakashi’s laid back voice rung out.

Both Santa and Kakashi were sitting on benches in front of the lockers facing each other. Sakura ignored them as she opened her locker between Akari and Santa’s lockers. Shinji was on the other side of Santa sitting down facing away from Kakashi.

Kakashi’s team took notice of them but continued to talk about their own mission not really caring to jump into this conversation just yet.

“Hm, yes, this is my team. We just got back from a mission after a week away.”

“So which of these two are Chameleon and Hyena?”

Sakura finished pulling on a sports bra after her Jonin pants. What the fuck was happening. She still had the towel over her head and listened as Santa introduced them.

“This one here is Chameleon and that one is Hyena.”

She removed the towel after glancing back and seeing his headband was still on his head over top of his eye and she was getting lucky so far. The brown hair fell around her face just past her chin. She pulled the top half up into a small ponytail before getting her mesh shirt.

The quiet was noticeable. His team was now silent. Sakura turned around and sat down to put on her sandals so she could get the fuck out of this locker room. How did she get this unlucky? In the almost three years she had been in the black ops she had not once run into Team Ro in the locker rooms. This was anxiety inducing.

“So you’re the one who won the genjutsu tournament assessment? That was incredible work.”

The brunette she knew was Tenzo complimented her. She just nodded. If she talked she would have to adjust her vocal cords to change her voice and that wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

Genma raised an eyebrow, “Not very talkative, is she?”

Akari answered, “She tends to only talk around those she’s close to. Don’t take it personally.”

Her team was fully dressed now and Team Ro minus Kakashi were now in robes. Their female member waving and smiling and slipping into the shower room ahead of the others. Tenzo shortly followed suit while her team all started standing while closing their lockers.

Kakashi stood shirtless but still in that mask and headband “If you’d be up for it, Santa, we should have a team spar between Ka and Ro. I think it would be good practice.”

Santa arched his brow while placing a hand on her shoulder, “I’ll think about it.”

Sakura didn’t let out the breath she was holding until they were out the side entrance through an underground tunnel out into the village. She kept up the henge for much longer.

Chapter 7: Steel Your Spine

Summary:

Sakura hangs out with Ino and her family. Shizune has the test results.

Notes:

I'll be away for the Fourth of July and won't be posting the next chapter until sometime next week.

This chapter was my favorite to write so far with Ino being in it. Also just went down such a rabbit hole researching for a chapter I'm currently working on. Please be aware all information is loosely based on cannon and I apologize for nothing. All medical and science info is bullshit that I pull out of my ass. Not sorry.

Anyway! Hope you like the chapter!

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Chapter Seven: Steel Your Spine
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Sakura fell onto Ino’s bed in a dramatic huff. She groaned and let her arm drape over her eyes like the sunlight of the afternoon had personally insulted her. She heard Ino snicker sitting on her bed reading a trashy romance novel.

“You already vented about becoming a Senju and the bullshit everyone is saying. Is this still about that or something else?”

Sakura moved her arm just enough to see Ino's concerned face, “I saw Kakashi.”

Ino threw her book to the night stand, “Oh girl, tell me everything.”

So Sakura told Ino about returning from her mission with her team. About getting out of the shower room to see them. About henging her coloring and features hoping no one would see through it. About how he wanted to do a team spar between Ro and Ka.

Ino was silent as she took it all in, “So you're telling me you've seen him and his entire team naked?”

Sakura swatted her best friend with a pillow, “Pig!”

Ino cackled, “What? I'm asking for science!”

Sakura laughed feeling lighter and less worried, “No, I have not seen them all naked. I had my back to them the entire time. I've seen the guys shirtless but that's about it.”

“That's so sad.”

“Not going to ask about your uncle?” Sakura quirked an eyebrow and smirked devilishly.

Ino made a fake gagging sound, “Way to ruin everything. Why are we even friends?”

“Because you love me and I'm nothing if not entertaining. Besides, who else are you going to take to bars? Hinata and Tenten?”

They both loved the two girls but they both also knew that Hinata was too shy and Tenten only had eyes for Neji so neither one of them were good for helping to torture men and women alike at the favored shinobi bar in the village. No, Ino and Sakura both knew that the only other woman that could deal with their specific brand of bullshit was each other. Though Anko did come close.

Sakura looked around the room that had been her second home throughout her childhood minus what the two of them referred to as their “dark period” when they were rivals for Sasuke’s love. They were so stupid as children. If not stupid, then definitely naive. The room had changed and evolved with Ino as she grew and her tastes changed. It started as a pale pink then went to a bold bright purple and now the walls were a very pale light lavender that felt calming with all the tans and whites littering the room. Ino’s room wasn’t large but it also wasn’t small. It comfortably fit her queen size bed, a full desk, standing armoire, a large corner had her vanity table littered with brushes and makeup and a full length mirror with a subtle door that opened into a walk in closet. Sakura used to be jealous of this room as a child and now she basically had the same thing at the main house in the Senju compound.

“I have the rest of today off and all I can think about is how to convince Santa to decline the invite to the team spar. Do you think I could trap him in an elaborate genjutsu to make him think we’ve already done it?”

“You want to trap the village’s best genjutsu user that was said to rival the Uchiha Sharingan?”

Sakura stuffed her face into a purple pillow, “So you don’t think it’ll work?”

Ino looked at Sakura like she was stupid, “No, Forehead, it will not work. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? You’ll be fighting in masks won’t you?”

Sakura perked up, “I could probably get them to all agree to fighting in full uniform. That’s doable!”

“At least that way you wouldn’t have to worry about wearing contacts or a wig because there is no way Kakashi’s eye won’t see through a henge.”

“I’ll have to avoid using the Senju taijutsu.”

“You and Uncle Santa created a whole new style. Use that.”

Sakura ignored the mutterings from Ino about crazy people creating new styles when they’re bored and normal people just go shopping. She knew she wasn’t normal. It was already proven that Ino’s uncle was also not normal. He was basically her unofficial big brother now. Did that make her Ino’s Aunt? Ew. Weird.

“I won’t be able to use any enhanced strength. Chakra scalpels wouldn’t give it away, right?”

Ino put a finger to her chin thinking about it, “I think you’re safe to use any medical ninjutsu. Tsunade doesn’t use it offensively at all. The only person I’ve seen do that is Kabuto Yakushi.”

Sakura shuddered, “Ew, don’t compare me to him. He gives me the creeps.”

Ino cackled, “Isn’t fighting him where you got the idea?”

Sakura groaned propping her head up in her hands, “Yeah, but still. He’s so creepy.”

“Agreed. I hope we never have to see that slime again after that shit he pulled during the Crush.”

Sakura nodded, “Want to go shopping with me? I need new clothes but I haven’t tried seeing anyone since the adoption announcement and have been avoiding the public.”

A devilish smile slithered across Ino’s beautiful face, “I dare them to give you shit with me there. It’s been a long time since I’ve made a grown adult cry.”

Sakura may have made a mistake, “Uhh… maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

Ino hopped off the bed dragging Sakura with her, “Nonsense! Shopping is ALWAYS a good idea!”

In the shinobi shopping district it was obvious that ninja were staring or gossiping. The stores varied depending on the customer’s needs. There were clothing stores that were meant for battle with armor and reinforced stitching, clothing stores meant for undercover work that could still stand up in a fight but was meant to look more casual and civilian, accessory stores for all the odd and ends, weapons shops, and even a medical supply shop for first aid kits that any medic-nin got their supplies from if they didn’t get it from the hospital.

Sakura needed battle clothes, she had torn through or stained too many pieces to feel comfortable if she ended up on a long mission that wasn’t Anbu. Plus, a lot of times they wore what they wanted incorporated in their Anbu uniform. She was no different with dark red accents that were so dark they were almost black. Her mother once told her that red was her color and now it was a nice reminder of her parents and that stupid bright red dress she used to practically live in when she was twelve.

She let Ino pull her around enjoying the easiness of their friendship. It also helped that Ino glared at anyone who even attempted to speak too loudly for her tastes or looked at Sakura with anything other than a nice expression. She once again thanked the gods for giving her a friend like Ino.

They spent hours going from store to store buying whatever caught their eyes. It was a nice way to spend her afternoon and turn her brain off from the anxiety she was letting slowly creep in since the adoption. Ino was a breath of fresh air and everyone else Sakura wanted to punch but overall it was a good day.

“Stay for dinner. My mom is making curry, I think.”

Sakura hummed her appreciation and acceptance. She loved Ino’s mom’s cooking. She had found herself at the Yamanaka dinner table quite often in the past two years being dragged in after training by Santa. Ino’s parents never seemed to mind the additions. She knew Santa had his own smaller house not far away from the main house but also knew that the man preferred to eat with his brother’s family. Maybe if he ever found a wife it would change.

Sakura laughed at a joke that Ino told about Morino. Ino definitely tortured that man more than Sakura did. She would have to visit him more.

“Saku, pass the pitcher.”

Sakura passed the water pitcher to her mentor like she lived here. She smiled knowing that here she was just herself and would never be judged. Ironic since Inoichi was the top interrogator in the village and his brother, Santa, was the top interrogator in the field. Ino was right behind them both. But here she was safe from whispers.

Inoichi handed his empty plate to his wife as she cleaned up the dishes and wandered into the kitchen. Sakura could hear her singing under her breath when the kitchen faucet turned on.

“So, Sakura, any word on the results of the blood test?”

Sakura shook her head, “Not yet. I’m going to stop by the hospital tomorrow to see if it’s finished. I’m not expecting much. But if there is even a very distant relation to any Senju it would get the council off Tsunade’s back.”

 

Santa scoffed, “Like they don’t have anything better to do with their time.”

Inoichi nodded as he leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, “There was discussion of it in the last clan head meeting with the Hokage. Some are against the adoption. I think because it will change the power dynamics in the village and they don’t like change like the Hyuga. Others, like us, speak in favor of it knowing your background in being adopted in all but name at this point. Most don’t say a word and observe, like the Aburame.”

“What did Tsunade say? Were all the clan heads there?”

“It was only the heads of the most powerful clans still around, Aburame, Ino-Shika-Cho, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Sarutobi, and Senju. Though I was surprised that Kakashi Hatake actually showed up. He has never willingly come to a clan council meeting ever,” Inoichi was silent for a moment pondering on that thought, “Ah, but Tsunade said the same thing she has already said. We have no power to deny her adoption of you.”

“You don’t?”

“The clan heads can throw around their weight all they want but she is right. There is no political reason they can deny the adoption. You will be a Senju no matter the results of the blood test.”

Sakura let that wash over her. She knew the crimson haori she was wearing sported the Senju clan emblem on the back. She wasn’t even technically a Senju yet but Tsunade gave it to her after they signed the papers and told her to wear it. It made her feel loved.

Santa spoke up, “Any idea why Kakashi was there? Did he say anything?”

Sakura pulled her focus back to the conversation. She was listening intently also wanting to know. She saw Ino had been doing the same taking in all the information she could.

“Your guess would probably be better than mine. I heard he was fishing for information on our dear Sakura here but it was always prefaced with wanting to make sure she was okay.”

Ino snarked back, “Nice of him to worry about her now when she has all her shit together and is fine versus when she was thirteen and actually needed him.”

Santa and Inoichi raised an eyebrow in an almost identical look that further showed how strong the Yamanaka genes were.

Ino shrugged in an unrepentant manner, “What? I’m not wrong.”

The next day, Sakura made her way to the hospital. She was anxious but she repeated the pep talk that Ino gave her the night before. Walk tall, shoulders back, spine straight, head high. Do not let any of them know if they hold any power over you. Ignore them all. They are insects. You could kill them all before they knew you were there. Act like it.

Sakura felt powerful. She had on her new clothes consisting of skin tight black pants with knee high boots and a crimson kimono top that cut low so her sports bra was peeking out. Though to anyone else it would simply look like a tank top. Her fingerless black gloves spanned her entire forearms with metal plating on them. She felt invincible. Ino had helped her pick out the outfit. It didn’t hurt that the crimson haori was hanging off her shoulders further displaying the amount of fucks she had to give.

She stalked through the hospital not giving anyone the time of day or a glance beyond a glare she had permanently etched onto her face for this moment. She would not bend. She would not falter. She was allowed to after she was in the privacy of Shizune’s office but not in public.

She knocked first and let herself into the office of the director before taking a seat and crossing her legs leaning back into the chair not saying a word.

Shizune stared with surprise at her demeanor but soon her face softened into something Sakura was familiar with, “You look like you’re preparing to take someone’s head off. Should I be concerned?”

Sakura took a breath, “Are the results in?”

Shizune nodded, “I actually just sent someone to summon you and Tsunade. She should be here soon.”

“Have you looked at them?”

Shizune shook her head, “No, I thought you two should be the first to see them.”

Sakura nodded and stayed in her meditative steeled state waiting. Shizune saw how she was and let her be while she went through hospital files making notes.

It felt like a lifetime but Sakura knew that it was actually only minutes before Tsunade opened the door and slammed it behind her. She took the seat next to Sakura in front of Shizune’s desk and waved her hand in a go on motion.

Shizune picked up an envelope and pulled out a piece of paper that would either help her in this adoption or hinder her. It would go much smoother if it helped.

“So I didn’t just run your sample against Tsunade. I ran it against every single clan we have in the database just to be sure.”

This was killing her, “And?”

Shizune read the results quickly before speaking, “You are related. Sakura, your great-great grandparent on it looks like your mother’s side was a Senju. They would’ve been in their prime before the village was established. You also have a great-great grandparent on your father’s side that was from the Kurama clan. That could explain your gift for genjutsu and why you have such an easy time deflecting them and dismantling them.”

“Holy shit.”

Tsunade rubbed her chin, “So, she is a Senju. I can claim her without anyone kicking up a fuss now. Not like they would stop me either way.”

Shizune nodded, “Yes. She is legally a distant relation to the Senju clan and can be claimed by them and since the Kurama died out we don’t have to worry about another clan putting a claim on her.”

“Holy shit, I’m a Senju.”

Tsunade gripped her shoulder and pulled her into an awkward hug across the chairs before pulling her up to stand into an actual hug, “Welcome to the clan, kid. You are officially my heir. I’ll put through the rest of the paperwork today. From now on you are Sakura Senju.”

Sakura let the steel leave her spine as she melted into Tsunade’s arms and squeezed her tighter feeling some tears be absorbed by Tsunade’s green haori. She couldn’t believe it. She came from two different clans! The Senju clan were known for their chakra control and prowess with medical ninjutsu while the Kurama clan used to be known for their terrifying aptitude for genjutsu said to rival any dojutsu user. She now knew where her talents came from and why they felt natural to her. If she had known her origins as a kid she would’ve known where to start and not wonder why she wasn’t good at all the fancy ninjutsu that her team had tried to excel in.

If the Third Hokage had known her ancestry, would he have put her on a team under Kurenai Yuhi instead?

Chapter 8: I'm Sorry

Summary:

Team Ka vs Team Ro

This chapter ends on a cliffhanger. If you would like to wait until either tomorrow or Wednesday that is when I will be posting chapter 9.
Consider yourself warned.

Notes:

Okay chickadees, so I have to update the tags in this story since I just did the rough draft of chapter seventeen and it has a sex scene. I wasn't sure if this story would contain any smut or not but it felt right for the chapter so we're gonna run with it. So just be aware that this story tag is now changing to mature so I don't forget to do it later on.

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Chapter Eight: I'm Sorry
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Sakura’s POV:

Sakura was not successful in making Santa think team Ka had already fought team Ro. She was, however, successful in convincing him to let them all wear their full Anbu uniforms. He agreed that if she wanted to keep her identity secret then the mask and hood could only come off when Kakashi had his eye covered. He spewed some bullshit excuse about true field conditions of having to see through the mask, blah blah blah. Point is that Kakashi agreed to it.

They stood off to the side of the training ground in full gear like they were about to go on a mission. The only one with a hood was her. Santa currently had his mask clipped on his belt waiting for team Ro to show up.

He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, “He’s going to find out eventually.”

“I’ll put it off till I can’t.”

Santa shrugged straightening up at the arrival of the other team landing on the hard packed earth on the other side of the training ground. All four of them had their masks clipped to their belts. She was surprised the woman with the purple hair didn’t wear a hood like she did.

Both teams moved to the center of the clearing sizing up the other.

“Alright, any rules before we begin?”

Kakashi shook his head, “Nah, full out fight excluding death though anything else can be healed by Tiger afterwards,” Kakashi gestured to Tenzo who was securing his tiger mask onto his blank face.

Soon the woman became Panther and Genma became Raccoon. The captains were the last to secure their masks, Cobra and Hound. She watched all four of them intently as they drew their weapons of choice as the captains shook hands before all eight of them jumped backwards into the tree line. It had begun.

The genjutsu was subtle as she felt it wash over her skin and she let it take hold knowing her captain was helping her, not hindering. It was an auditory genjutsu only so he could relay instructions to them. Hyena and Gopher were the front liners and they would lead the fight with Cobra and Chameleon assisting as backup with genjutsu and ninjutsu.

Engagement was almost immediate. Team Ro was a well oiled machine more so than any other team having been together longer than most. Hound and Panther were their front liners with Raccoon and Tiger assisting with poisoned weapons and the other’s mokuton.

A sword went for her neck but was deflected not by a kunai but by a chakra scalpel elongated slightly to be the length of a kunai. Not many could make the scalpels let alone change the length. It took incredible control that only the top medical ninja could claim. She knew Tsunade was capable but preferred her fists and hardening her body.

She may not have been able to use her strength the way she wanted to but she could reinforce her muscles and skin to become hard like stone. It wasn’t quite up to the earth jutsu that hardened one’s skin to be impenetrable but it got the job done. She focused on her defense being perfect and not letting the sword touch her body. This woman was skilled. She may even be better than Gopher and Sakura was not in the mood to find out if her teammate would come out on top or not. The genjutsu wasn’t from Cobra but from Sakura as she twisted it like a thread under the skin and into the brain. She invaded her senses not enough to be noticed but just enough for Panther to think everything and everyone on team Ka was two inches to the left. She wanted this woman to open herself up without realizing it.

It didn’t take long before the mokuton user was yelled at to assist Panther by Hound. Sakura had to act quickly or all her effort would be for nothing so she moved behind the swordsman closer to the wood spikes coming her way and temporarily paralyzed the woman. She doubted Tiger could fix that without an actual licensed medic-nin. It was an advanced move that if done incorrectly would actually paralyze someone permanently and could not be reversed unless you knew how.

Panther dropped to the ground with her sword clattering out of her hand and the wood spikes hit Sakura’s thigh and shoulder before she could dodge, only managing to dodge the one meant for her torso.

“Fuck!” She cursed, pissed at the pain and let her scalpel deactivate for all of her chakra to focus on self healing those two areas. She put all of her weight on her good leg and fell into the defensive stance for her and Cobra’s taijutsu they created.

Fireballs came sailing around her body hitting the wood and burning it into ash. The fire burned into little spots in front of her and would blaze upwards into a thin pillar when fed with chakra. That skill was created by Shinji and it was extremely chakra heavy to use. She needed to move. Genjutsu weaved it’s way from her body as she now treated this as life or death on instinct forgetting she was fighting allies. The ram sign held and Tiger’s knees buckled as he let out a cry of pain even though he had no physical injuries.

Her thigh was completely healed having given that priority over her shoulder and she moved. She moved like she and her entire team would die if she didn’t rush forward. She landed a solid kick against Panther’s head knocking him unconscious for the time being. She stood to her full stature of five feet four inches like she was the tallest person in the world and growled deep in her throat, pissed off that she was even here.

Chameleon was leaning against a tree not far away with a hand around his middle looking exhausted. He had to be low on chakra with an injury. Gopher was going toe to toe with Raccoon both having poisoned weapons and trying to not get scratched or cut. Cobra was face to face with Hound, kunai against kunai. She could see that Cobra’s breathing was labored and he had more visible cuts on his body than she was comfortable with so she ran. She flash stepped and knew that she would need to block the shuriken thrown without missing a beat. The Sharingan eye relaying information faster than most people could interpret it.

Her killing intent was leaking and she knew she shouldn’t have any in a friendly fight but damn was she fucking pissed she was even in this damn team fight to begin with. She spun and forced Hound to duck or risk getting his skull bashed in with her steel tipped boots like she had already done to Tiger. He was fast but he was relying on flashy jutsus that ate away at his reserves. Plus they were already hindered by a dojutsu that wasn’t his by birth. His body wasn’t built to handle it and it caused him to endure chakra exhaustion more than most.

The sound of screeching birds assaulted her ears and the bright light temporarily blinded her through the mask that she didn’t dodge enough and his chidori, thankfully scaled back, clipped the side of her mask shattering it into pieces. She saw the moment realization hit by his posture freezing up at her pale pink hair and bright green eyes. He knew she was Hyena.

“Fuck this.” Sakura let everything out. There was no more holding back.

Her killing intent washed out from her in waves like the ocean hitting the sand. Her arm jutted forward striking not in a punch but in a knife hand made into a large chakra scalpel. He would dodge or she would be cutting his arm off.

He dodged but not in time. He held his bicep as blood soaked down, eventually dripping from his fingertips to the ground.

“Sakura?”

She didn’t let up. She wanted him to hurt for all the times she was ignored as a child. For all the times she was pushed to the back to be protected instead of taught how to protect herself. For all the times he lied and said everything was going to be okay with his stupid eye crease of a smile when nothing ended up even close to being okay.

Sakura kneeled over top of Kakashi whose mask was somewhere off to the side where it had flown with her punch to his head. He was on his back looking at her with wide eyes that looked slightly sad. She had his arms pinned above his head and a chakra scalpel to his throat. Raccoon appeared ten feet in front of her looking exhausted but having won his battle with Gopher.

Cobra walked up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, removing his mask with his other hand and clipping it to his belt., “Saku, let Kakashi go. It’s over. Come on.”

Her heartbeat pounding in her ears made the words muffled but she let Santa gently grip her wrist so the scalpel was no longer at Kakashi’s throat before she let it go. She sat back letting his hands go as she sat there on his waist just trying to breathe.

To Kakashi’s credit, he didn’t move. He let her take the time she needed before Santa picked her up and cradled her to his chest in a princess hold.

Genma helped Kakashi up off the ground, muttering something about this is why we apologize to children but Santa set her down on the ground before she cared to hear more forcing her attention on him.

“Saku. I need you to go and heal whatever damage you did to team Ro. Can you do that?”

Sakura vaguely heard him saying they would take the rest to the hospital after Tenzo and Yaguo were up and standing. Sakura just nodded and bit her thumb before pressing her hand to the ground summoning a pug sized Kasuyu to her, “Lady Katsuyu, can you please split yourself and go find all eight ninja currently on this training ground?”

The slug bobbed her head, “Of course, Sakura.”

The white and blue slug split itself into eight tiny versions and moved in different directions. One climbed each of the four of them while the other four went to find their defeated comrades.

A moment later the little Katsuyu on her shoulder spoke in her bell-like voice, “I am in position.”

Sakura nodded confirmation before taking a deep breath and channeling healing chakra into her summons. She knew she had already healed herself so this was more of a long distance ability so she wouldn’t have to go to each person individually and do it all at once instead.

“Progress,” Santa demanded.

“Panther is fine. I reversed the temporary paralysis I inflicted. Tiger had superficial burns and a fractured skull. He will be waking up soon with barely a headache. Gopher was poisoned but it has been metabolized and filtered through her system. Chameleon had a broken arm and a deep gash on his abdomen but will need to rest for mild chakra exhaustion.”

“And the three of us?”

“All back to 100% except for Kakashi with mild chakra exhaustion,” She turned her gaze to the masked man who was just staring wide-eyed at her, “Which will end up being severe if he doesn’t close his damn Sharingan!”

A few more moments passed before she stopped funneling chakra into her summons, “Thank you for your assistance, Lady Katsuyu.”

The slug bobbed its head again and poofed back to Shikkotsu Forest. Sakura looked at Santa while the now healed members of the teams walked up to their group.

Santa placed a hand on Sakura’s shoulder and squeezed but left his hand there stepping closer to her. She saw Kakashi’s one visible eye track the movement.

Genma whistled, “Damn, Shizune said you were strong but she never did you justice. Kid, you are impressive. No wonder team Ka is skyrocketing through the rankings for success rate with a healer of your caliber on the team!”

“Genma, you’d think you would’ve taken me seriously when I told you I would kick your ass if you hurt her.”

He laughed as he placed a new clean senbon in his mouth, “I thought that was just a little sister threat. Not an actual threat.”

Santa chuckled, “You better be careful. She’s getting closer every day to surpassing me.”

“...Sakura, I…” Kakashi stumbled over the few words he was able to get out.

“What? What do you want, Kakashi? To tell me to be a good little Genin and stay in the back?” The venom was clear in her voice and made Genma take a half step back. Everyone was surrounding her but she didn’t care. Her team knew the gist of her past with this man and how she resented him.

His face fell, “No… I… I just…”

He was struggling to get the words to leave his mouth and instead of having any patience because let’s be real all her patience regarding this man had run out years ago. She didn’t care what he wanted to say or that he was struggling with it. He was lucky she didn’t punch him in his stupid masked face. She looked down at the ground and at her shaking fists trying to focus on anything that wasn’t him. Attempting to let the warmth of Santa’s hand squeezing her shoulder ground her in the here and now instead of her mind spiraling like it wanted to.

“I’m sorry I left.”

There it was. So simple. Just four words but Sakura’s head jolted up at attention with wide green eyes focused solely on him trying to register what she just heard.

“I…” Kakashi coughed and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I abandoned you after the boys left. I should’ve stayed and trained you. I should’ve made sure you were okay beyond recommending you to Tsunade. I should’ve checked up on you but I just assumed you were okay and I let myself fall back into Anbu because it was easier… I’m sorry.”

Chapter 9: Found Family

Summary:

Sakura attempts to deal with the emotional aftermath.

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Chapter Nine: Found Family
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Sakura’s POV:

Everything hurt. Her insides felt like they were twisted and knotted. She had hoped to hear this from him for years. She had wanted an explanation. Then she wanted some kind of closure. Then she hated him and just told herself that she was better off but it still hurt.

“After the Crush, I was alone. I had literally no one and nothing but the clothes on my back. Sasuke left and then I found out over a week after the fact that Naruto had left for training. I went to our training ground to stand on that bridge every single day after getting told off by Tsunade. Every single day I had hope that you would show up and say some stupid excuse about getting lost on the road of life. But you never did. You never came back, Kakashi.”

Sakura was shaking by the end and tears were freely falling down her face. She knew it wasn’t pretty. She probably looked like a sweaty mess and her heart hurt. It ached. Her stomach was in knots. She felt sick like she was being abandoned all over again. If this is what she had wanted, why did it hurt so much?

Kakashi raised a hand like he was going to reach out to her and Santa stepped in front of her slightly, effectively blocking it.

“I think I should take her home. You can continue this when everyone has had time to calm down and breathe.”

Kakashi just nodded not taking his eye off her as Santa wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his warmth letting his familiar scent wash over her as she pushed her face into his side.

“Team Ka, you are dismissed. I will see you in two days for training.”

Akari, having clipped her mask to her belt earlier on, looked at Sakura and then nodded at Santa before disappearing. Shinji, his mask was also on his belt, touched her hand and quickly squeezed before letting go and flash stepping away.

Santa leaned down and picked her up again like a princess. She hid her face into his neck not caring that team Ro was watching.

“Come on, Saku. Let’s go home.”

Sakura had been deposited back directly into her room through the window by Santa once she unlocked the wards to let her and a guest pass. He kissed her on her forehead and whispered that he was always there if she wanted to talk or just to fight. He left through the same open window and she stood still in the middle of her room not moving until after she felt him pass back through the wards and them close and lock behind him.

No one entered the Senju compound without permission. Mito Senju nee Uzumaki had made sure of it. She wanted it to be a safe haven for her children and she created seals that still were never able to be replicated to this day just for this compound. The only people who currently had access were Tsunade, Shizune, and her.

Sakura slowly peeled off her clothes and let them collect in a pile on the floor along with her boots and weapons pouch. She realized her mask was missing and then that it had broken into pieces and was probably still at the training grounds. She would have to go back for it. Instead, she sent a small little Katsuyu on a mission to return with the pieces and if they were gone then to find out who currently had them.

An Anbu operative’s mask was their key to everything and could not be replaced easily. She would need at least a large piece of it to get it replaced at headquarters.

The shower was one of her longer ones due to her just standing under the showerhead for well over thirty minutes letting the hot water soak into her muscles easing some of the tension she was holding. Her chakra had healed all her physical wounds from the team fight but it could do nothing for any mental ones that she had.

She slipped into shorts and an oversized shirt she had stolen from Santa months ago when she stayed over at his house after a long training session. It was an old black shirt that was more of a short dress on her small frame compared to his much taller one. She took comfort in wearing it and snuggled into her bed not caring that it was the middle of the day.

Sakura awoke from footsteps coming into her room forcing herself to feel the open chakra signature instead of attacking in her still tense state. It was Shizune. She let herself snuggle back into the sheets and pillow and waited. Shizune pulled her desk chair over to sit next to her bed and brush a hand over her short hair.

“How are you holding up?”

“Mm…”

Shizune continued to card her fingers through the pink strands, “Genma told me everything. That must’ve been a lot for you to handle. It’s okay if you want to just stay in bed for a while and not deal with people.”

Sakura didn’t answer but looked through her pink lashes up to her adoptive sister.

“You may see him tomorrow evening though. There’s a clan council meeting for the clan heads and heirs. It is meant to officially introduce the new Senju heir to them. As the head of the Hatake clan and last living member he may be there.”

“Do I have to go?”

Shizune smiled softly, “I’m afraid you do. But you’ll have Tsunade at your side the entire time and your friend, Ino, will be there with Inoichi.”

That made her feel slightly better that she would have three allies at her back to shield her if she needed it. She normally didn’t need shields. She normally didn’t need protection. She was a front line combatant and a damn good one. Her team would sometimes joke that she was their tank and they were just there to support her. But she didn’t want to be on the front lines for things like this. She wanted to hide in her room and not leave.

“Alright, I’ll go tomorrow without a fuss. But I’m wallowing until then.”

Shizune chuckled as she kissed the top of Sakura’s head, “That sounds just fine. Rest and let me know if you need anything. I’ll bring you up dinner later.”

Sakura stayed there with her misery and thoughts as she cocooned herself further into her nest of blankets and pillows. She tried to sleep on and off but she wasn’t sick and her body didn’t need the extra rest. Her mind was what kept her beneath the covers.

Her summons returned to her with a poof, having reversed summoned itself back to her. She peeked out of her blankets seeing the white and blue slug slowly make its way up the nightstand next to her bed so it could be eye level with her since it was the size of a mouse.

After the slug stopped and settled in next to a book it relayed the information it discovered, “Your Anbu mask was broken into three major pieces with many small pieces that were either destroyed or too small to recover. It is currently being held by your captain, Santa. He said he would have your replacement for you tomorrow.”

She nodded to the slug, “Thank you.”

“Be strong, Little one. I do not understand the complex relationships that humans cultivate but I do not contract with anyone who cannot withstand hardship and struggle. Melt away the rotted portions and come back stronger than before.”

“Yes, Lady Katsuyu. Thank you.”

The small slug poofed out of existence back to her own realm while Sakura smiled. She knew Katsuyu was a very old noble summon that had only agreed to contract with a handful of humans before her. Having the slug choose to accept her as a summoner proved that Sakura was strong. Katsuyu may have an odd way of giving a pep talk but it did make Sakura feel better. If nothing else, she knew she was strong and capable. She would get through this.

The next day Sakura was meditating on the rug in the middle of her bedroom floor away from all her furniture when the familiar chakra signature opened her bedroom door. It was evening and Sakura could feel Shizune’s signature moving around downstairs in what she assumed was the greenhouse. She knew Shizune had let him through the barrier and sent him up to her room.

Sakura peeked open a single eye part way to see Santa sit on the floor opposite her with her new Hyena mask in his lap. She let out a long breath and brought herself out of the meditation letting her chakra go back to circulating normally throughout her network. She opened her eyes and relaxed her position.

“Katsuyu told me you had my mask. I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding the pieces.”

“I actually only found the biggest piece. Kakashi used his ninken to find the other two that survived his chidori.”

She didn’t bother to hide her surprise at this information. It was Santa. He was her teacher, her mentor, and basically her older brother. She never hid anything from him.

He smiled, “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting his help either.”

She wrung her hands in her lap not looking at him but instead at her mask in his lap, “Did he say anything?”

“Just that he understood if you didn’t want to ever talk to him again,” Santa furrowed his brows in thought, “He’s an idiot and socially stunted like all young prodigies. I’m shocked he was ever forced to become a teacher. The man sucks at it.”

“Were you a prodigy?”

He nodded.

“You don’t suck at teaching.”

He held up a finger, “Ah, I don’t suck at teaching you. I could never be a traditional Genin teacher to three random brats. You are a special case. It also helped that it was cultivated in Anbu. You were serious and determined to learn even if it was from someone like me.”

She scoffed, “Stop putting yourself down. The other operatives are stupid and cowardly for assuming. I got lucky being put on your team.”

His arm snaked around her neck pulling her body into his as it forced both of their bodies to shift sideways so her side ended up against his with her neck at an awkward angle through his arm as he ruffled her hair, “Aw, my little brat standing up for me!”

She squealed like a little girl pushing against his side until he let her go with a laugh. She pouted but then joined in. She got lucky with the family she found. She lost her team and her parents but found a mother, older sister, and older brother after the ashes had settled.

She continued to smile thinking tonight wouldn’t be that bad after all if these were the people standing with her in the end.

Notes:

So this may not be the explosion everyone wanted as a response but I was thinking more so if she was blindsided and didn't know how to respond beyond shutting down and trying to process it. A lot is going to happen but it won't be a right away thing. This is a long process of 4 years of Sakura holding the resentment and anger. It won't disappear in a chapter but it will turn into some interesting interactions and Sakura finding her footing.

I plan to eventually bring in all of team seven though it definitely is not going to be the way it happened in cannon because fuck that. I also don't want Naruto and Sasuke to be one dimensional so we shall see what happens and if I am good enough to do them both justice.

Chapter 10: The Meeting

Summary:

The meeting of the major clans in Konoha.

Notes:

Note to readers: there is one part where all clan last names are in a circle to show where they sit at a round table. It was not staying in a circle with just the spaces so i added dashes in an attempt to fix it.

So I know everyone wants Sakura to blow up at Kakashi or at least not forgive him. And let's be real, no one is that kind hearted to forgive and forget years of feeling abandoned and then on top of that losing your only family in the Konoha Crush. So no there is no instant forgiveness. There is however, her having to have a civil relationship due to work etc.

There is going to be happenings and they will not be instant since there are a lot of characters interacting with Sakura on a daily basis and other things going on. But know that shit will eventually hit the fan.

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Chapter Ten: The Meeting
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Kakashi’s POV:

It was getting colder at night as the seasons continued to change. The trees wouldn’t lose most of their leaves but they would darken and look like they were out of a gothic romance novel that he would never admit that he had read. He didn’t just read the Icha Icha series though it was his favorite by far that he kept going back to. He used the books just like he used his mask, as a type of barrier against those around him. He didn’t need anyone to respect him as a person but they automatically respected him for his power and abilities.

Everything he did was for a reason, the mask, the erotica in public, the lazy slouch, the tardiness. He cultivated a persona to help protect himself throughout his life after he lost everything he had ever cared about. Everything he touched was cursed. It was one reason why he was so thankful to Genma, Tenzo, and Yugao. They stuck with him throughout every mission even though he was cursed. Gai was the same way even though they rarely, if ever, went on missions together.

Kakashi could count on one hand the amount of people he considered a close friend. There were others who were friends though he didn’t mind not seeing them like Asuma or Anko. They were there to hang out with but he would never let them see him vulnerable like what he had allowed all of team Ka to witness on that training field. He threw all his instincts out the window in a desperate plea to save one connection that he didn’t even try to foster when he easily could have.

Sakura Haruno, now officially Sakura Senju, was strong. He didn’t believe it when he saw that mask come off that everything he tied to Santa Yamanaka’s little apprentice was her. She was the one who did very well in the taijutsu assessment. She was the one who aced the genjutsu tournament. She was the one that went toe to toe with Yugao and won and then decimated Tenzo with a distraction from Chameleon in a last ditch effort. He saw how she handled herself when he had chanced checking on his teammates in his battle with Santa. He threw a scaled back chidori in her face and while it wouldn’t kill her, it had the potential to put her in the hospital for weeks if taken directly.

He was in awe of her raw capabilities that he had no hand in growing. He had seen her as the only stable member of team seven. She was the only one with a support system, a family. He had seen her as a weak civilian that would have either resigned after their first hard mission or spent her career in the Genin Corps. He had never imagined that she would’ve made Anbu by the time she was even fifteen. Impressed wasn’t enough to describe his feelings.

It wasn’t even that he was upset that he didn’t get a hand in being one of her many teachers and having a hand in her greatness. He was more ashamed that he had disregarded her in favor of the two clan orphans and then by the end of six months she was the only one who had stayed. The other two were off training under a Sannin and she- It was then that he realized all three of his Genin students had trained under one of the Legendary Sannin.

They were the real teachers. Probably even Orochimaru was more of a teacher to Sasuke than he had been. What a thought. That the disturbed insane Orochimaru who had defected after illegal experimentation on children was a better teacher than he was. Kakashi shudders, stopping that train of thought in its tracks and actively burying it.

Kakashi could count on both hands the amount of clan council meetings he has attended since he became clan head at five years old. He hadn’t participated in a meeting until his teen years. There was no need for him to have a vote in the majority of topics since he simply just didn’t care.

He fell into his usual slouch and impassive stare opting to leave the little orange book in his one pouch for now. He shoved his hands into his pockets after he entered the clan building meant for their meetings. The room opened into a conference room with a large round table so no clan could sit at the head of the table. Each spot was designated to a specific clan by their emblem engraved into the table in front of that seat. A few seats were perpetually empty from clans dying out like the Uzumaki or the Uchiha.

He sat in his chair and leaned it back to balance it on the back legs. On his right was the Inuzuka clan. Tsume was already in her seat with her daughter, Hana, standing right behind the chair. She was laughing at something The Akimichi clan head, Choza, was saying on her other side. His son, Choji, stood behind him. On his left sat the empty seat for the Fuma clan.

His lone eye observed all the clan heads already in attendance minus the Senju who was deliberately coming last as was custom when announcing a change in head or heir. There were five empty seats scattered around the table representing the now extinct clans, or disgraced in the case of the Shimura Clan. They stood empty for Shimura, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Fuma, and Kurama clans. The still existing clans were Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Hatake, Aburame, Sarutobi, Hyuga, and Senju. Within those were the four noble clans that held more influence and power. They were the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, and Aburame. He guessed they were now three noble clans since both living Uchiha had defected.

Kakashi sighed. He was now remembering why he rarely ever came to these meetings.

Tsunade walked into the room in her usual attire with her green haori with the Senju clan emblem on the back. In her wake for the first time walked Sakura with the same haori but in a deep blood red. Her short pink hair swayed with her movements as her face remained as stone without any emotion showing. He was impressed by her so far. He just hoped she could keep it up. She was now willingly within a den of wolves.

He half listened to the proceedings after Tsunade took her seat between an empty seat for the Uchiha and the empty seat for the Uzumaki.

(E) = Empty
------Shimura (E)--Uchiha (E)
---Sarutobi----------Senju
-Aburame--------------Uzumaki (E)
Kurama (E)---------------Yamanaka
-Hyuga----------------Nara
---Fuma (E)--------Akimichi
------Hatake---Inuzuka

Most of this meeting was bullshit that Kakashi really didn’t care about but forced himself to leave his Icha Icha book in the pouch. The last time he had pulled it out he had to listen to a lecture from Hiashi Hyuga and by the end of it both their killing intent was out as they stared each other down. He was struggling. Instead, he occupied himself by observing not only the clan heads but their heirs, especially Sakura.

The Nara clan heir was slouching worse than he tended to do and that was saying something but not surprising for their clan. The Akimichi heir was eating chips. Also stereotypical behavior. Each heir held true to their clan’s behaviors besides the Yamanaka heir, Ino, making a face or two at Sakura. He knew they were friends. Probably trying to get her to hold on through this. The only surprising clan head was for the Sarutobi clan. It was held by Asuma since his elder brother was sickly with the heir being his brother’s son, Konohamaru. Now the newest surprise was the Senju heir.

Tsunade didn’t bother with fussing or making her words pretty like a Hyuga would. She was blunt and to the point in everything she did just like her family who came before her.

“I’m formally introducing my heir before the clans,” She moved slightly to the side and gestured behind her with her hand, “This is Sakura Senju, my daughter.”

Of course it was the Hyuga who spoke first, “I wasn’t aware you had any children, Lady Tsunade.”

“She is adopted.”

“Then she has no claim to be heir as per the clan by-laws written when founding Konoha.”

Tsunade smirked before passing a packet of papers over the empty Uzumaki seat to Inoichi Yamanaka. He took one and kept passing them onwards. Everyone remained silent until the papers were given to all the present clan heads.

Kakashi scanned through the paper not fully understanding what he was looking at. He wasn’t the only one.

Asuma asked, “What is this?”

Tsunade answered, “It is genetic testing results between Sakura and every single clan that the hospital had DNA on file for. Her great-great grandparent was a Senju during the warring clans era. She is blood related to me. She has the right to be the heir apparent as well as the head of the Senju clan some day.”

It was Shikaku Nara who spoke up next, “And who is this other genetic match?”

Tsunade didn’t break a sweat when she answered like this meant nothing, “One of her great-great grandparents was from the Kurama clan.”

Shikaku’s eyebrows raised, “Does this not give her as much right to lead the Kurama clan as it does the Senju?”

“Yes.”

Hiashi’s face was darkening with anger, “This is preposterous. She is nothing but a civilian from civilian parentage. She has no right when her blood has been diluted through generations.”

Kakashi looked at Tsunade then to Sakura and he really looked. She was getting angry but she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want this.

He spoke up in his normal lazy voice, “I vote in support of the Senju clan.”

Hiashi glared at him, “I vote against.”

The Ino-Shika-Cho exchanged looks between them before Shikaku spoke, “The Ino-Shika-Cho are in favor.”

That made it four for the Senju clan and one against. There were nine active clans and the Senju needed five votes to secure this.

Tsunade could adopt whoever she wanted into her clan but not just anyone could be made the heir or the head of a clan. It would either set Sakura up for life or give her a battle to fight for as long as she attempted to represent her now clan.

Asuma Sarutobi sat back with his arms across his chest waiting. Shibi Aburame did the same. It only took one more vote in favor and even if they didn’t vote against it was still not one in favor. The Inuzuka were known to vote the same way as the Aburame and vice versa. So when Tsume spoke up it tilted the board.

“The Inuzuka are in favor.”

“It is not needed now but the Aburame stands in favor.”

Six in favor. One against. One abstained. The Senju couldn’t vote on their own heir. It was done.

Tsunade smiled something vicious, “Then it is settled. Sakura is now my heir.”

The meeting was adjourned quickly after the voting was done. The Hyuga were quick to leave with Hiashi’s timid daughter Hinata smiling at Sakura and Ino as she gave them a little wave when they passed by. Her father couldn’t see it since she was behind him. Interesting.

The Ino-Shika-Cho gathered around Tsunade and Sakura congratulating them. The Inuzuka, Aburame, and Sarutobi said their congratulations before leaving. Kakashi waited until the Nara and Akimichi left before making his way over to now only Inoichi, Ino, Tsunade, and Sakura. He almost felt like he was intruding as all their attention turned to him.

He nodded to the two clan heads before turning his attention to Sakura who stood stock still.

“Congrats, Sakura. I’m happy everything worked out for you.”

She nodded slightly, “Thanks for starting the votes in my favor, Kakashi.”

He chewed on the inside of his cheek forcing himself not to fidget, “It’s the least I could do. Bye, Sakura.”

He nodded again to the two heirs as well as the two clan heads before making his way out of the building hearing a small, “Bye, Kakashi.” behind him as he left the heavy wooden doors fall closed behind him.

He pulled in the cool night air into his lungs feeling like they were constricted. He felt like every part of his body was wound too tight to the other connected parts. He replayed the interaction in his mind not knowing if the bye was just because he was leaving the meeting hall or if it was because he knew deep down inside that he lost any hope of a connection with Sakura Senju. He failed her so voting in her favor was really the least he could attempt to do for her since he knew she was better off without him after the shit he pulled and needing Genma of all people to clue him into reality.

“Fuck,” Kakashi whispered into the night before making his way back to his apartment.

Chapter 11: Tiny Limbs Are Bullshit

Summary:

Sakura runs into Kakashi.

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Chapter Eleven: Tiny Limbs Are Bullshit
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Sakura’s POV:

Sakura once again freely walked around the village like the last two weeks she avoided it never happened. She still heard whispers but now they were joined by just as many saying she had Senju DNA and she was a gift given back to the village. Sakura hated them just as much as the ones who still called her a bitch and a manipulator. They all spoke out of jealousy and Sakura had no time nor respect for that emotion. Anything done out of a negative emotion like jealousy would only breed more negative emotions. She had enough negative emotions of her own. She didn’t need random strangers sharing theirs.

Sakura entered the small little bookstore on the edge of the shinobi district with the civilian district. It focused mainly on romance novels. It was her favorite hole in the wall store ever since she found it with Ino when they were fourteen. This was where they fell in love with the main characters like Rysland, Mr. Darcy, and Zade Meadows. Granted that last one probably wasn’t a healthy one to swoon over but hey it was all made up.

Inside the tiny bookstore stood rows of tall shelves housing books by type of romance like dark, fantasy, or even historical. Sakura waved to the older woman, Emi, who was behind the counter. She was a retired Jonin who said her dream was to always own a bookstore. This was her baby.

Sakura slowly wandered through the stacks letting her fingertips gently caress the spines of the books on the shelves she passed. She had come back for the next book in the current series she had finally given in to reading, Icha Icha. Ino had dared her to read them after the last time they saw Kakashi walking through the market with his nose in the infamous orange book. She already owned the orange book, Icha Icha Paradise. She was here for the second book in the series, Icha Icha Violence. The first book wasn’t bad and she found it funny that Tsunade was the original inspiration for the entire series.

Sakura made her way around the end of the aisle and into the next looking for the notorious brightly colored covers of the series. At the top of the shelf in the middle of the next aisle sat the series in all its glory. Sakura nearly squealed seeing them all together and knew she was probably just going to buy the rest she didn’t already own.

There was one major problem. Sakura was short. She stretched her arm above her head even standing on only one foot to attempt to gain enough height but there was no way she was going to be able to reach the top shelf. Ugh, bullshit. Tiny little limbs. Sakura glanced around not seeing a step stool at all. She guessed she would have to ask Emi if there was one in the shop available.

She took one step towards the end of the stack that was closer to the front door and the register but stopped short when he turned the corner into the aisle with his head in a book not looking. He looked up a few steps in and stopped with his one charcoal eye widening. Kakashi.

She didn’t do anything still slightly mid step and pulled her one foot back so she could stand normally. He did the same. They stared at the other for a few awkward moments. What was she supposed to say? She honestly didn’t think she would see him here since he owned the entire series already.

He closed his orange book that had definitely seen better days and put it in his back pouch on his lower back.

He raised his hand, “Hi, Sakura.”

She raised her hand mimicking him, “Hi… Kakashi.”

After a few moments of them fidgeting he thrusted his thumb over his shoulder pointing back the way he came, “I’ll… I’ll just…”

He turned presumably to leave the store. But before Sakura knew what she was doing her arm rushed out and her fingers grasped his sleeve stopping him in his tracks. His head whipped back with his eye widened staring between her face and her hand that was clenched so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

“Sakura?”

“I, um… I just…”

Shit. Now it was her turn to stumble over her words. Sakura took a deep breath before letting his sleeve go and pointing to the Icha Icha series on the top shelf next to her.

“Can you reach those for me?”

Kakashi’s eye followed her hand to the books in question before looking back at Sakura, “Icha Icha?”

Sakura slowly nodded and felt her face getting warm, knowing full well she was blushing, “I need all of them except Paradise.”

She saw his shoulders and posture relax a bit with her admission as his eye turned into a slight crescent and she guessed he was smiling.

She took one step back as he took her place and barely had to reach up to get one of each Icha Icha book. How unfair that he had no trouble reaching the top shelf.

“Wait, Kakashi, I don’t need Paradise.”

“I do.”

“Oh. But you already own it.”

Kakashi held the stack of books in the crook of his one arm while pulling out the little orange book she had seen him put away. It was stained with what may be either coffee or blood or both, the spine was broken, and some of the pages were coming out.

“I need a new one to bring with me on missions. This one will retire to my apartment bookcase.”

“Ah, yeah, it does look sad.”

He nodded as he returned the little worn book back into his pouch before turning his attention back to her, “Need anything else while I’m here?”

Because that didn’t sound like a loaded question with their history. She had an urge to say she needed to hit him but she guessed she had already done that. So she shook her head and followed him to the register where Emi rang up the books.

Sakura pulled out her wallet before Kakashi pushed her hands down with a stern look.

“Don’t worry about it. I got it.”

“You don’t have to buy them for me.”

“I want to… please.”

It was the please that did her in and she put her wallet away back in her pouch. Sakura guessed he still felt guilty and this was a way for him to make amends. It was a very weird and completely Kakashi way of doing it. He was buying her the rest of his favorite series. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this.

Sakura observed him as he paid for the books and took the bag from Emi with a thank you. He wasn’t treating her like a child. He was treating her like a fellow ninja. Like equals.

She walked next to Kakashi in step through the streets towards the Senju compound without a word.

“Are you going home? Or should I bring your books in a different direction?”

“Ah, no, home is good.”

They walked like that in silence. It was slightly awkward and she wasn’t sure what to say. She was still trying to figure out what was happening when they made it to the front gate of the compound.

Kakashi stopped and fished out the orange book from the others in the shopping bag. He held the bag out to her, “Here. I hope you enjoy them. Personally, the fourth one is my favorite. You may prefer the third one though.”

Sakura took the bag, her hand brushing his for a moment, “Why is that?”

“The third deals the most with the character’s motivations and feelings. It is a little more fleshed out than the previous two.”

“I’ll let you know what I think of them.”

His eye widened just a fraction before it squished into a crescent. She could see the slight movement of his mouth and cheeks behind the tight mask. He actually was smiling unlike when she was little.

“I look forward to it.”

With that he jumped away back across the rooftops towards the direction of the heart of the village. She let herself into the compound making sure to close the gate behind her locking the barrier in place.

What just happened? Sakura stood there staring at the compound that lay at the end of a winding dirt road and analyzing the entire interaction. She didn’t hate it. He was fine to be around. He surprised her with his kindness to pay when he was notorious for sticking people with the bill though she wasn’t sure if it was out of a sense of guilt he still harbored towards her. It had to be the guilt.

She was surprised at herself though for offering what she supposed was an olive branch of sorts. Though realistically, how often was she really going to see Kakashi? She figured if he annoyed her or tried to be too friendly, she could always crush his bones into powder and let him suffer before fixing him.

Actually, maybe she would just do that anyway and say it was an accident that not even she could fix. Tsunade would definitely call bullshit. At least she got free books out of it.

Notes:

Sakura being a Senju isn't going to be relevant for a little bit but it will come back up later on.

Chapter 12: Assistance

Summary:

Team Ka is sent out to assist another Anbu team.

Notes:

Sorry, I thought I had posted this on Friday the 18th but it was still sitting in drafts. My bad. You get this and the next chapter today!

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Chapter Twelve: Assistance
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Sakura’s POV:

It was snowing which usually only happened once or twice in the Land of Fire. It was something Sakura loved at night when the world was quiet and she could sit with Tsunade and Shizune on the wooden deck enjoying the freshness of it all.

This was the second time it had snowed this year and Sakura was not happy about it. She was mainly not happy about it due to being on a mission in the disgusting slush that was mixed with dirt. It got everywhere and made her and her team experts in circulating their chakra to keep themselves warm.

She jumped through the branches bringing up the rear of the formation. They were all in more layers than usual with the weather and all four of them chose to wear the thick black hoods over their heads to attempt to keep in some warmth. Her mask was not helping the cold though being made of a ceramic material. You’d think they would find a lighter material to make them out of that wasn’t affected by the outside temperature. She would have to bring up the idea to Tsunade at the next family dinner, or maybe even Morino.

They had left days prior traveling slower due to the weather and needing to be extra aware of not leaving a trail behind them. Snow was a bitch. It was similar to sand being harder to run on. If you used too little chakra you would fall into it. If you used too much chakra you would create a mini snow blast under you.

Their mission wasn’t actually their own. There was a request for backup from another Anbu team and her team was the one available with a capable medic. Tsunade didn’t like to play around with lives. She would give that other team their best chance to get back home alive. That was where team Ka came in.

Sakura was alert but not as alert as she probably should have been. She had been pulling a genjutsu net behind herself for the last half a day once they crossed into this territory. Anyone who got caught would find themselves being turned around in the opposite direction thinking that was the way they needed to go. Santa was out in front and she was thankful he was the top sensor in Konoha. Ever since the Fourth Hokage died, the mantle had belonged to one Yamanaka or another.

It took another half a day to reach the rendezvous point outlined within their mission scroll. It was a small cave system on the outskirts of the Land of Earth. It was very well hidden within mountains that naturally held a lot of small caves throughout its expanse. It was only due to Santa being a great sensor that he knew where to go.

“There’s a few faint chakra signatures up in the mountains. I don’t know if it’s our guys or not. Be on guard and be ready.”

They all nodded in response and they headed out. Their chakra was low and suppressed to almost nothing. No normal team would be able to feel them coming. They crept slowly from two opposite points towards the mouth of the cave. Unfortunately, it was formed in a way that the mountains created a bottleneck that forced them all to enter in a single file line. Sakura went first.

Within the cave it opened up into a single large cavern but jutsu was used to create pillars of earth to force them to have many blind spots and barely be able to separate. If there was another nation’s ninja in this cave she was going to be pissed. She felt the genjutsu settle over the entire cave. It was one of Santa’s highest level ones that was a bitch even for her to escape.

Sakura slowly stepped forward keeping an eye out for traps. She gathered chakra into her bones, muscles, and skin to force them all to harden like stone. Two long chakra scalpels elongated off her hands into daggers. Her enhanced hearing picked up someone shuffling off to her right and she locked onto her target. With a hand signal to the rest of her team, she jumped over an earth wall ready to slice apart whoever was on the other side until she saw the animal mask similar to her own. She landed and stayed in a defensive stance just in case they didn’t realize she was friendly and attacked.

The person took their mask off with a face of relief, “You’re here.”

It was Kakashi. Fuck.

Sakura immediately pulled back all her chakra and pulled off her mask clipping it to her belt, “Cobra, it’s team Ro. Confirmed Hound.”

Kakashi didn’t bother to wait for the rest of her team before walking and signaling her to follow. She knew Santa would find her. Kakashi let his chakra out a bit more and Sakura knew it was for Santa. He led her to a smaller section in the very back that they had made walls for so it was a little room almost. The other three members of team Ro were inside. And then she saw why a medic was specifically requested.

Sakura didn’t bother to wait and bit her thumb and laid her palm on the ground. Katsuyu took in the fallen quickly, probably recognizing them from when she had helped Sakura heal them all after that team spar forever ago. Katsuyu split into three small forms and made her way to each of their chests over the heart.

Sakura could now hear Santa asking Kakashi questions but she tuned them out and went into medic mode. All that mattered was the three fallen in front of her. Tenzo was the worst with a punctured lung, a concussion that was causing the brain to swell and at least two broken ribs with more fractured. He had taken a blow to the chest most likely and it caused him to fly backwards hitting his head.

She whispered under her breath knowing Katsuyu could hear her as they relayed information back and forth for each of the patients. Sakura had stabilized Tenzo and was working on Yugao. She didn’t want to activate her byakugou seal unless she had to. She would force her chakra to be exact with no wasted amounts. She did not train her control to be basically perfect for years for it to fail her now.

The purple haired woman gasped in air once Sakura had cleared the fluid out of her lungs. What was with them and injuring their lungs? The woman had a broken leg in three places including the femur. That was going to require a large amount of chakra to fix so she was capable of walking.

Genma was in the best shape and was awake to smirk at her. He was holding his side and winced. When she moved his hand she saw the infection that Katsuyu was already burning away to then heal it. Well that would explain the wince. That definitely did not feel good.

Sakura patted Genma on the cheek and went back to Tenzo. She poured chakra into his body to stitch everything back the way it is supposed to be. She wasn’t sure how long she was there moving from person to person and funneling chakra through Katsuyu.

“Lady Sakura, it is done.”

Sakura immediately pulled all her chakra back and took a deep breath while looking to the Katsuyu that spoke. It was the one on Tenzo.

Sakura nodded and scanned each of their bodies before she was satisfied that they were alright and she could now sleep. She was so tired. Genma was already snoring leaning against the wall.

“Thank you for your help, Lady Katsuyu.”

The one slug bobbed its head and all three poofed away. Sakura fell back onto her butt and swayed to the side only to be caught by someone who pulled her out of that “room” and laid her on a bedroll. It was Santa. He tucked her in and she was swallowed into the darkness before he had stood back up.

Chapter 13: Pray for Him

Summary:

Kakashi asks an awkward question. Pakkun loves pets and causing mischief.

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Chapter Thirteen: Pray for Him
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Kakashi’s POV:

The mission intel was bad. It was so bad it was nonexistent. Him and his team made it successfully into Earth Country and into the town said to have their target, a well known human trafficker who was stealing kids from Fire Country. The reason why it was now Anbu level was the newest intel said he had clan kids. That was a serious offense and a step higher than just taking civilians. They were told him and the ninja surrounding him would be less than ten and none above the level of Chunin. Instead, there were over twenty and quite a few were Jonin level, one of which was a sensor who spotted them. Their cover was blown but all they needed was the head of the human trafficker so they engaged. It was the wrong call.

This call left it up to him to trap the remaining scumbags in a genjutsu in a faint hope that he would have a chance to get his team with the help of his ninken to a safe place to assess the damage. Tenzo would wake up and start to heal them all and then they would be able to decide the next course of action.

Tenzo didn’t wake up. He groaned in his sleep and then stopped groaning after a day. Yugao was in and out with immense pain due to her leg and coughing fits. Genma was the only one that stayed awake for the most part though the wound on his abdomen didn’t look good even after it was cleaned and wrapped. He definitely had a fever indicated by the way he was soaked through with sweat no matter what Kakashi did to help his friend. This was a horrible scenario and one he needed a skilled medic for. He had to call in another team.

It was close to a day after the fight when Kakashi had sent out the missive for help with a hawk he knew would get there within hours. Or at least he hoped it would. That left the amount of time needed to assemble a team qualified if there was even one within the village currently, and then their travel time to get to him and his team. Kakashi was not hopeful that they would all make it through this and knew that it was going to be his fault for making the wrong call. Their lives would be on his already stained hands.

Kakashi spent his time trying his best to take care of his team and also enforcing their defenses so he would be able to fight alone if discovered. The cave already had a natural bottleneck that would help. He created the large pillars and then the “room” for his injured team. He weaved genjutsu after genjutsu trying to hide them but also trying to let their reinforcements be able to find them. With any luck it would be team Ka. Santa would be able to find him and Sakura would be able to save his team. Kakashi didn’t know what deities were listening but he prayed to them all.

He felt them picking at his genjutsus and felt them falling away as if he didn’t construct them with a Sharingan. He had no idea if they were friend or foe. He hoped for friend but prepared himself for foe. He stalked them as they entered, not being able to see them just yet beyond being dark silhouettes. He felt the genjutsu gently press against his senses and he’s ashamed that it took him precious time he didn’t have to break it from his own network.

When his senses came back to himself again, he saw the Anbu standing in a defensive position in front of him but not attacking. When the mask design registered, he ripped off his own mask in relief, “You’re here.” It was Hyena. Which meant it was team Ka.

He listened to her report into Cobra and confirmed it was him and his team before he started walking signalling her to follow. He let his tight grip on his chakra relax just a bit for Santa to follow just in case.

When Sakura saw his team and the state they were in she rushed forward already summoning her slug who split into three and went to assist his team just like that day on the training grounds. He watched in silence as she whispered back and forth to the slug who whispered back. He was surprised they could hear the other. He could hear every word uttered thanks to his Hatake genetics. All his senses were enhanced naturally on par if not better than an Inuzukas. They were originally bonded with dogs, whereas the Hatake bonded with wolves. Both bonds were tied to their bloodlines. He didn’t think Sakura had anything like that.

Santa came up next to him with his other two team members. He cursed and then said commands that were immediately followed. They would secure the perimeter on top of the little he was able to do.

“Kakashi, don’t worry. They’re in the best hands they can be in.”

Kakashi nodded woodenly as he stared at the glowing green chakra moving from all three slugs and Sakura herself into each of his teammates.

“It’s all my fault, Santa. If they die….”

A firm hand gripped his shoulder, “They will not die. That girl is the best medic in Konoha and she hasn’t even unleashed her Byakugou seal yet. Come on. Let’s get you some food. You look like shit.”

Kakashi sat on a stone bench made with earth chakra courtesy of Chameleon or Shinji as he learned he was called. He met all of team Ka and let them know his team’s names. The dried jerky handed to him from Santa was a lot better than a cardboard ration bars that he had up to this point been surviving on. There was no fire since they were inside the cave and they weren’t even comfortable getting the wood needed for a fireless one. No one roamed too far and Santa was keeping tabs on them all.

Kakashi had never been a fan of Santa. He was like Kakashi in a lot of ways but instead of working to prove the rumors wrong and proving he was trustworthy, Santa didn’t. From what Kakashi had gathered up till this point, the man just didn’t care enough about the opinion of others. He kept a small tight knit circle that rarely brought in newcomers. Until Sakura and then Shinji. Those two were the only new people in this man’s life that didn’t walk right back out. Kakashi knew he swam in guilt that was threatening to crush him most days and was envious Santa didn’t show a single sign of self hatred like he did. Kakashi was four years older than the man but felt like a child next to him at times.

He openly watched them all with his lone eye after he covered his Sharingan with his headband. They moved well with each other and they seemed to respect each other too. After hours, Santa got up without a word and came back with Sakura curled into his chest, her eyes glazed over. He put her into an available bedroll and tucked her in before sitting back next to Kakashi.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Santa looked at Kakashi, “Sure.”

“What is she to you?”

Santa raised a brow, “Why?”

“You two seem so close that I wasn’t sure if your apprenticeship with her evolved and became something… more.”

Santa sniggered, “Are you asking me if I’m dating her?”

Kakashi was very glad the majority of his face was covered because he knew this conversation was none of his business in any way but he needed to know what they were and that she was okay. Even if he had zero right to any of it.

“You’re still as awkward as ever, Kakashi. No, we are not dating. She’s basically my little sister. We look out for each other and treat the other as a sibling but that’s it.”

Kakashi felt relief rush through his body in one fell swoop. She wasn't like him then. He was grateful Santa was a better superior to her than what he had once had in his youth.

Santa huffed in amusement, “I pray for whatever idiot ends up falling in love with her.”

Now Kakashi was just confused, “Why?”

“Besides the fact that she is the Senju heir and her now mother is not only the Hokage but also a Sannin? Her older sister, Shizune, is a sadist with poisons. Her best friend, Ino, is going to become the head of T&I in the next decade. Not to mention, Ibiki is very fond of her and I would mentally destroy anyone who hurt her. The idiot who pursues her better have a heart of gold or they’ll never find the body.”

Kakashi chuckled, “That does sound terrifying for a family. Though if someone hurts her, I think, they should be just as terrified of her as they are of her family.”

A fond smile formed on Santa’s face as he looked at Sakura snuggling into the bedroll, “Yeah. She really is something. Maybe I really should start praying.”

Kakashi was relieved the more he observed interactions between Sakura and her team. They seemed like a family and worked well together, all compensating for the others. He may have failed all three of his once upon a time Genin but at least he knew this one was truly safe and taken care of. He hadn’t seen nor heard of Sasuke since he left at thirteen. He heard random snippets from Jiraiya about Naruto’s training so he knew the boy was well taken care of if not in an unique way considering it was Jiraiya. And Sakura had an entire family she collected and built from the ground up. He was proud of her and what she had become.

The first time he had seen her with Santa, he had automatically thought the worst and was terrified. But now he knew and saw the truth. They really were siblings as he laughed behind his mask as Santa ruffled Sakura’s hair just for her to swat at him like a fly scrunching her face in annoyance.

It was days later when his entire team were able to sit around the circle they made with a now smokeless fire going. Yugao had a makeshift splint on her one leg so she couldn’t move it too much until Sakura recovered more chakra to finish mending the bones. Tenzo was back on his feet if a little paler than usual but his own mokuton would do the rest. Genma was the first to be able to walk around the day after team Ka had first arrived. Kakashi looked over each of his teammates feeling uncontrollable guilt that they had been in this situation and relief that they were going to make it back home alive. He had been having nightmares since team Ka had joined them. He had stayed awake before that not having anyone else to keep watch.

His ninken were all summoned keeping tabs on the perimeter so they would all rest and recharge. They were coming and going on their patrols until he watched Pakkun jump down from Bull’s head and plop himself in Sakura’s lap while Bull went back out.

Kakashi sighed, “Pak, you can’t just use people as a bed.”

Pakkun looked at him then back at Sakura with his droopy eyes, “But she’s pack. It’s been a long time but I still recognize Pinky.”

Sakura blinked with her hands held up in line with her shoulders, “You still remember me?”

Pakkun looked her in the eye with what seemed like a condescending look if a pug could make it, “Of course. We never forget a scent. Now scratch my head, will you?”

Sakura did as instructed while Pakkun looked at him smugly.

“You look like a house cat.”

A rumble came out of the small dog. Not really a bark but a sound of annoyance in his chest.

“Insulting, pup. I never call you names.”

Kakashi could not believe the blatant lies from his ninken, “You tell me I look like shit all the time.”

“That’s me trying to help you take better care of yourself. How else will you ever have a mate and pups of your own.”

Kakashi ran his hand down his face with a groan. Sakura was laughing and some of the others were failing at concealing their laughter. Genma didn’t even try. Neither did Santa. Jerks.

“I’m not having this conversation. Just don’t wear out your welcome with Sakura.”

The pug rolled over onto his back asking for tummy rubs which Sakura fully obliged. She would spoil him at this rate.

She cooed at the dog, “He could never with that adorable face.”

Kakashi saw the glimmer in Pakkun’s eyes. That dog lived to cause mischief. Kakashi was doomed if the two of them became friends behind his back. Kakashi was only further proved correct in his worry when Sakura gave Pakkun pieces of dried meat for him and the other ninken. Pakkun took the pieces in his mouth and trotted off to share with the others.

Notes:

So I could not get this chapter right. I rewrote it a few times and even wondered if I should just scrap it altogether but I really wanted to show how socially inept Kakashi was after stumbling through his childhood and teenage years with next to no guidance and then just a commanding officer ordering him what to do. He was definitely taken advantage of by his own superiors at some point.

Chapter 14: Two Teams Are Better Than One

Summary:

Team Ka and team Ro continue to the original mission assigned to team Ro.

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Chapter Fourteen: Two Teams Are Better Than One
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Sakura’s POV:

She leaned there off to the side, slightly behind the others listening to the planning. They were tasked with helping to finish the mission if at all possible. Now two coordinating squads versus only one. It honestly seemed like overkill for about fifteen shinobi of varying strength and one weak crime boss.

“Is the sensor still alive?” Santa asked.

“I believe so. He was the reason our entire plan and all contingency plans fell apart,” Kakashi responded.

Santa rubbed his jaw in thought, “Do you remember how far you were from him when he spotted you?”

“You want to figure out his range?”

Santa nodded, “We will need to know where the window is between me and him.”

It was Yugao who answered, “I think he was about fifteen to twenty paces away.”

“Okay so we will all stay out of his range with some buffer room. Did any of them have a dojutsu or seem to break the genjutsu you placed easily?”

Kakashi shook his head, “No, none of them had a dojutsu. A few of them broke the genjutsu but it took them about eight to ten seconds for a rank A.”

Santa continued to rub his jaw, “Alright, we can work with that. I’ll layer multiple rank S genjutsu over the entire area. Sakura will layer one directly on the sensor once she identifies him. She will head in and take out the sensor first. Kakashi, you and your team will finish your mission and target the crime boss first and work your way back to us. We will work our way to you from the outside. I’m assuming this smuck is now holed up in some building. He’s going to play it safe for the time being.”

Kakashi nodded, “Alright, we will find them again with the help of the ninken and then once we see the building we head in the top floor and you head in the front.”

It was Tenzo who spoke up, “How will you know which one is the sensor?”

He was looking at her. Every member of team Ro looked to her wondering the same thing. Her team didn’t bother to look already knowing the answer.

“I can feel them. Their chakra has a different frequency compared to non-sensors.”

“How are you able to feel that?”

“I noticed it after I started treating patients under Tsunade. They would feel different depending on what they specialized in. The genjutsu experts feel like mist or sand that you can’t hold onto. The ninjutsu experts feel like the elements they have the nature of. The other medics felt minty and cold. And the sensors feel dense and warm like a weighted blanket pressing against my chakra.”

“Do you have to touch them?”

“I did at first but not anymore. I just need to be within a handful of paces from them. So if I’m already close enough to fight them I already know what they specialize in.”

Kakashi looked astounded. Actually his entire team did. She knew that wasn’t the norm. She knew not even Tsunade was able to tell this from other people’s chakra. They had theorized it was due to her perfect control over chakra but without anyone else being able to claim that they had no way of testing it.

“What do I feel like?” Kakashi whispered

“A thunderstorm.”

“What about me?” It was Genma.

“A warm fire.”

Yugao looked excited to ask, “Me next.”

“A cool breeze.”

She looked at Tenzo waiting.

He put his hands up in front of himself, “I can guess what I feel like having the mokuton.”

She nodded, “Anyway, that’s how I’ll locate the sensor.”

Sakura picked at her nails not really wanting to be the center of attention. She knew she could do things no one else could. But it was mainly her chakra control and a lot of hard work over the course of years. It wasn’t some fancy family genetics or teachings. It was her busting her ass getting beaten into the ground by every single mentor until she was able to stay standing. Tsunade had broken every single one of her bones repeatedly. Shizune had poisoned her until she was immune. Morino had tortured her just as much as taught her. And Santa had given her more nightmares than she wanted to admit. She was broken and glued back together by each new mentor to be better than she was at the start. She was more durable now, stronger.

Sakura peeked up through her lashes observing the movements of the other team. They had obviously been together a long time without changing out members. She was fascinated knowing that this was the team Kakashi had probably left to be saddled with a Genin team, her Genin team. Looking back she saw how her team was volatile and didn’t mesh together like the other teams did. Even team Gai, who were so different and seemed like they shouldn't be able to work together, found common ground.

But her team was an angry boy who watched his brother murder his parents and wanted nothing but revenge, a boy who was neglected and isolated his entire life for something he couldn’t even control, and a man who was similar to two of his students. She was never supposed to survive that team. The Third Hokage must have been getting senile for that line up.

She refocused on the conversation happening in front of her. Santa was speaking.

“-you’re in charge of this mission, we’re just here to help.”

Kakashi shook his head, “I think your team is better equipped for this situation than mine is with our differing skill sets. I would like you to take the lead.”

Santa stared at Kakashi without blinking. He was completely locked onto the man. Sakura knew what he was doing. He had given that look to her multiple times. He was reading the other person’s chakra. Santa was one of the best sensors in the elemental nations currently and had been for years though he downplayed his skill for his own benefit. He could read a lot from his opponents through their chakra. Not many people guarded their emotions that could be read through the chakra because it was an ability that could only be done by an extremely powerful sensor like the Second or Fourth Hokage.

Whatever Santa could see within Kakashi seemed to placate him and he grunted and blinked, “Alright.”

Kakashi cleared his throat and nodded, “You’re fucking unnerving, Santa.”

Sakura snickered, “Try being his apprentice.”

A kunai embedded itself next to her head with a glare from Santa.

Sakura glared back, “You really are like Morino.”

Santa groaned, “Shut it, brat.”

That night they were off. They moved across the snow covered ground silently as both teams followed ninken back in the direction that Kakashi said his team came from. But the dogs veered off the original path to the right further away from the Land of Earth into the Land of Rain. The snow turned into sleet and slush since it was the dead of winter. The closer they moved towards the Land of Wind the warmer it became. The Land of Wind rarely received snow but they did get frost during the night that would kill any unprepared travelers and in the day it would be scorching temperatures that could kill you just as easily.

They ended up stopped far enough from Wind that there wasn’t concern about freezing in the desert night and far enough from Earth that it was now rain, constant rain that the country was famous for. The Land of Rain was humid and rained the majority of the year avoiding most of the extreme temperatures that the countries on either side had to endure.

The dogs stopped as ordered well over twenty paces away to ensure the enemy’s sensor didn’t pick them up on their senses. They huddled beneath a copse of trees and kept watch as Santa did his thing.

“Found them. There’s a large group of shinobi in a building in the closest town. I’d bet those are the guards he’s hired. But the town is full of civilians and we don’t want to endanger them.”

Kakashi stared behind his mask in the direction of the town. It was the middle of the night.

“What if we put a genjutsu to ensure the civilians are out of the way?”

Santa’s cobra mask turned to his hound mask, “A pied piper?”

The hound mask bobbed up and down, “Think it’ll work?”

“The other sensor may feel that amount of civilians moving even if he’s not looking for such small signatures.”

“Maybe just a deep sleep one then?”

Cobra nodded, “We will have to keep the destruction isolated to this one building. The enemy will not care about the random civilians.”

“Sleep it is then.”

They waited as Kakashi and Santa weaved a complicated sleep genjutsu that gently wrapped itself around every single person within that town. Once it was delicately placed they sprinted after their captains. Santa indicated the building along with the ninken and they split up. Team Ro went high and team Ka went low except for Sakura.

She moved with a genjutsu wrapped around herself like a light shaw. It would ensure no one except a sensor or dojutsu user would see her. She slipped past the men and women within the building that looked from the outside like a normal two story manor with a courtyard. The enemies were laying on the ground or slumped against the walls looking as if they had just gotten tired and fell asleep where they were.

She didn’t bother with the ones she passed knowing her primary target had to be near. The scent was tangy like sweat mixed with juice. The smell was unique to each sensor but also the same with a tangy undercurrent that itched at her nose and made her want to scratch the offending appendage. She resisted as her nose continued to twitch behind her mask.

She could hear the very faint sounds of drips of liquid hitting the floorboards and knew it was blood from the first of the kills as the tangy scent was joined with the unmistakable scent of blood. A large portrait hung upon the wall in the foyer between the staircases on either side of it leading upstairs. This portrait was old. The paint was starting to peel and split. The man’s face no longer looked gentle standing behind what she could only assume was his wife, now he looked cruel with cracks through the mouth and around the eyes. The wife sitting in front of him in an ornate chair was in a similar condition but her eyes looked sad instead of cold. Almost like she was sad that they were here killing on her property. Sakura sent a silent apology to the woman and felt around the portrait. The trail led her to this painting and beyond it. Her chakra control had never been wrong before so she hoped it wasn’t now.

A latch unlocked as the portrait came away from the wall just a few inches but it was enough to realize it was the entrance to a basement that wasn’t supposed to be found. There was no light in the stone beyond what little moonlight filtered from the front windows into the opening with the portrait now pulled completely open.

Sakura pushed chakra into her eyes knowing full well her pupils were now dilated and her irises were glowing a bright green allowing her to see in the dark. Onwards she went.

Down a stone narrow stairwell led into a narrow hallway that houses four doors. She was not a sensor like Santa but her control did allow her to feel them now that she was on the other side of the door. The first room was an unmoving small signature. Not the sensor. There was nothing within the second door. But the third she felt it. It felt like a heavy blanket against her chakra signalling the sensor was unmoving on the other side. Her ears picked up on his heartbeat as she carefully opened the door as silently as possible.

Inside was a man and a woman on two beds. Their breathing was regular and their heartbeats were even and slow suggesting that they were both asleep but a sensor was a funny thing and Sakura knew from experience they tended to go hand in hand with genjutsu resistance. It had a lot in common with high chakra control.

Silently she moved, going slowly not trusting the genjutsu was still holding. Treat them as if they were both Santa and you will come out alright. Assume they are faking sleep and assume you will be attacked in some way by both of them.

Sakura was intimately aware that it was just her in this room with two enemies without any backup. She kept her breathing even and her limbs loose as if about to go into battle. Her chakra collected in the tips of her index and middle fingers on both hands ready to invade the other person’s body at a single touch. She had been working on this technique for months on random bandits and thought it was finally ready to pull off for an assassination attempt. She still wasn't ready to use it in the middle of combat.

Her fingers barely touched the ankle of the woman before she moved away and towards the man. The moment her fingers came within a handswith of his person his eyes flashed open and a blade came forward straight to her neck but she was prepared. Her hand came up and the kunai went right through her palm while she gritted her teeth in an effort to not make a noise as she closed her hand around his with the blade still in her. She just had to touch him before she lost the chakra built up in a specific frequency.

It slithered its way from her fingertips into his body and now she just had to wait for it to reach its intended target.

The woman flipped out of the bed behind her with a kunai before stopping the moment her feet hit the stone floor. The agony etched across the woman’s features turned her from someone with a faint beauty into a moment of pure anguish forever as her face stayed that way in a silent scream and she fell to the floor as if her body was made of stone.

“Mora! What did you do to her, you bitch?!” The man snarled at her with both of their arms locked in place against each other his kunai moving slightly causing her pain as the hole through her palm was made worse as her chakra isolated it and hardened the skin, muscle, and bone around it in an attempt to not make it worse.

His face then mirrored the woman as he fell back to the bed without the kunai.

She pulled the weapon from her palm and let her chakra heal the hole rebuilding her bones and everything else in her palm until there was no wound and no scar remaining. Both of the bodies went into a scroll and she kept moving, flaring her chakra in the single that the sensor was taken care of.

The first door held a man sleeping at a desk in what looked like a records room. His body was added to the scroll after she broke his neck to preserve the paperwork within the room. It was probably evidence. The second door was a storage room with nothing of notice or worth inside. The fourth and final door was curious as it opened to another narrow stairwell. It was best to not go any farther without backup.

Sakura collected every single item except for the desk and cabinets in the office into a scroll for team Ro. It would probably be needed for their mission. She then went back up the stairs to the foyer finding her team and team Ro coming towards her.

Cobra used the Anbu hand signs to speak, “Okay?”

She signaled back in the same manner, “Three enemy. Down stairs. Dead. More stairs. Unknown Ahead. Request backup.”

Cobra nodded and sent her back down first with him following her. The rest followed except for Tiger and Raccoon keeping guard in the foyer just in case.

They reached the narrow hallway and Cobra and Hound investigated the rooms with her signalling that she had the bodies and documents in scrolls. Then they came to the fourth door and the next set of steps leading down in a spiral.

The temperature noticeably dropped the farther down they went. It was humid and cold. There was moss growing along the stone walls and insects that scurried out of their way as they descended. At the bottom there was another door.

Santa tapped out a code on her shoulder. Four targets. Small chakra or hidden. Careful.

Sakura nodded and then opened the door enhancing her sight and hearing so that it was like a cloudy day for her and not pitch black. The medical procedures she did on her own body were worth every second she got yelled at by Tsunade and Shizune for being reckless. Her sight and hearing were already great from the experiments and then with chakra on top of that it made all the difference for their team.

But she didn’t need to go in with scalpels at the ready when all there was in that room were cells lining the walls. The sight was disgusting. There were six total girls huddled on the other side of the bars shaking with fright. Sakura looked at all six. Santa had said four. Two were most likely dead from the conditions.

There was a torch on the wall next to the door that she led Chameleon to and tapped on his arm asking him for a small fire jutsu. The light of the small flame lit up the space and the children started crying covering their faces from the light. Sakura pointed to the torch and then went to the first cell that Hound was trying to lockpick. She nudged his shoulder and waved at him to back up. He nodded as he complied.

Sakura yanked on the cell door breaking the lock and then moved on to the next one until all of them containing children were open. Then she went to the cells containing the two that may have been dead. The first was dead and her small body was already stiff and hard to move. She went in a new body scroll away from her captors. She deserved that much.

Sakura signaled to Hound and Cobra before moving to the next girl, “Speak?”

“Yeah, Hyena, go ahead.”

“Get me Tiger to help.”

She didn’t wait to see if they nodded before moving on to the other maybe dead girl. She was alive but barely and had a very high probability of not surviving the night. Sakura moved her mask to the side and bit her thumb before summoning Katsuyu.

“Help her.”

The slug was the size of Pakkun as she split herself into five. The four small versions of the slug went to the four other children that were screaming or crying as the slug attached herself to their bodies against their will and secreted a sedative to calm the children down. The largest one that was the size of a squirrel remained with Sakura and the little girl that was fighting for her life.

These children were filthy and dirty so she couldn’t tell if any of them looked like any of the clans in Konoha or not. She swore she would do everything within her power to save these children and get them home safe.

Chapter 15: Luck is Planned

Summary:

The two Anbu teams return to Konoha.

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Chapter Fifteen: Luck is Planned
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Sakura’s POV:

The five girls looked like they were anywhere between four and six years old. None of them really said a word being terrified and it was best to keep the children either sedated with Katsuyu on them or asleep under a genjutsu for the remainder of the mission.

The fifth girl whose life was teetering could not leave Sakura’s arms if they wanted her to remain stable.

They ran as fast as they could after pilfering everything they could from that manor that wasn’t furniture or blankets. Tenzo had used his mokuton to block off the access to the stairwell behind the portrait so something like this would never happen in that manor again. When they closed the portrait behind them and the girls, Sakura thought for a second the woman in the portrait looked a little bit happier.

Hound led the way home with Cobra bringing up the rear. The rest of them were side by side in rows with Sakura running side by side with Tiger who was holding a child in his arms just like her. In front of them were Panther and Raccoon holding children and behind them were Gopher and Chameleon with only the latter holding a child.

They made steady pace sticking to formation with everyone on guard and the little Katsuyu on each child monitoring their status. If it got too bad they would stop for a healing before continuing on. Tenzo had to heal the one girl twice due to a respiratory issue but they were making progress. Sakura’s arms had a faint green glow coming off of them, keeping the fifth child stable the entire time. It was slowly eating through her reserves and she was going to have to open her seal before they made it to the village.

They were one day away from Konoha when they had to stop. Sakura was lagging and so were the others.

“Fuck this.”

She set down the child and opened the seal letting the expanse of what felt like infinite chakra wash over her. She knew from the slight steps back from team Ro that they could either see the glow of her eyes through the mask or just feel the immense amount of chakra washing over the area. She funneled some through each of the children ensuring they would all make it to the hospital. She took a step to Cobra and tapped his chest with her finger and then continued to do so with her other teammates.

She then went to Hound and held up her hand while asking permission, “Just a bit of a chakra transfer to get us all home.”

“I’m fine.”

“I need you to stay on alert for another day. If you pass out it means longer away from safety. Please.”

His stance relaxed a scant amount and the nod was barely completed before she tapped his chest and she could hear his intake of air. It was always a slight shock to receive chakra from another. She then went to each of team Ro and waited for the nod before tapping their chests and stepping back. She felt the seal recede back into the mark on her forehead and she picked up the fifth child again before nodding to the others.

It was Hound who looked them all over before exchanging a silent conversation with Cobra before ordering, “Move out.”

The village was in full swing when they launched themselves through an Anbu gate and to the hospital. The Anbu entrance was a secret tunnel from an adjacent building that connected to the third floor south wing. It was a restricted area that only a select few had clearance for. Sakura touched down right next to Tiger and flared her chakra in a specific pattern that Shizune would know and respond to.

Regular nurses were taking the children with little Katsuyu summons still on their chests keeping them stable. Within minutes, Shizune came rushing into the large area and her eyes widened when she saw the children.

“What happened?”

“Those three have been relatively stable. This one, “Sakura pointed to one sleeping girl on a hospital bed, “was having respiratory issues and this one has barely made it so she will need the most care. They had basic triage and healing done just to get them to you.”

Shizune nodded, “Your two teams?”

It was Cobra who spoke, “We are all fine thanks to having two healers.”

Shizune nodded looking them all over visually for wounds but finding no active bleeds, “Alright, I’ll take care of the children.”

Within minutes the two teams were standing at attention in front of the Hokage desk with a very tired Tsunade behind it. The silencing seals were enacted, “Masks off. Report.”

All eight of them clipped their masks to their belts with Sakura letting her hood fall back.

“Team Ro encountered the enemy but it was higher skill and numbers than previously reported with an enemy sensor. We had to retreat to a nearby cave before I requested reinforcements with a capable healer. Team Ka arrived and healed my team before we set out to complete the mission. They were holed up in a manor in Rain Country. No civilians hurt and all enemies taken care of. We recovered five of six young girls still alive in the secret basement. They are with Shizune now.”

Tsunade nodded, “The bodies and any evidence?”

Yugao and Genma stepped forward and placed four scrolls onto the edge of the desk, two were body scrolls so the other two had to contain documents. Akari did the same and then Sakura stepped forward with two scrolls before taking out a body scroll and handing it to Tsunade with a sad look.

“It contains the remains of the sixth child.”

Tsunade took it, “I will make sure she has a proper burial.”

They stood back in their line of eight people standing at attention waiting.

Tsunade sighed, “I expect both team’s reports on my desk tomorrow evening. Dismissed except for Sakura.”

The other seven vanished once the silencing seal was disabled and Sakura took a seat stretching her arms and shoulders out.

“You did good.”

Sakura nodded, “I wish I hadn’t been too late to save the sixth girl. You should’ve seen them. They can't be more than five or six and they were in a damp cold cell without any light. Those poor girls deserved better than that kind of end.”

“We can only do what we can do. Do not place blame on yourself for something out of your control.”

Sakura leaned her head back on the chair, “I know, I know. It just sucks.”

“How was it working with Kakashi and his team?”

She shrugged a shoulder, “Not bad. He’s completely different when he’s Hound compared to when he was the leader of team seven.”

“That’s to be expected. You’re different as Hyena compared to when you’re just you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So would you be able to work with him as Kakashi Hatake and not just as Captain Hound of team Ro?”

Sakura hummed thinking it over. She didn’t necessarily hate the man anymore after that big yelling match on the training field. Punching him into the dirt helped too. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hang out with him or be friends with him just yet or ever but she didn’t mind him. She wasn’t trying to avoid him anymore after the bookstore. Though she hadn’t seen him since then outside of Anbu either. Would she be able to be on a team taking orders from Kakashi? She thought she could as long as he didn’t baby her. And she knew the man would have her back.

“Yeah, I think I could.”

“Alright, I’ll take the mark off your file then that you can’t work with him.”

Sakura sat up, “You marked that I couldn’t work with him?”

Tsunade raised a brow, “You thought it was a coincidence that you never have since team seven?”

“I…I guess?”

Tsunade snorted, “No one is that lucky. I had to write an exception for your Anbu team to go assist theirs on this last mission. So you may see him more often but only if both your skill sets are needed.”

Sakura shrugged, “I guess that’s fine. It’s not like I go on many non-Anbu missions.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, kid. There’s a diplomatic one coming up with the other five nations in a few months.”

Sakura groaned, “Am I even allowed to go as your heir? Don’t I have to stay here in case something happens to you to preserve the bloodline or some bullshit?”

“HA! Now that is some bullshit! Not a chance! If I’m stuck playing nice then I’m taking you along for the ride. Besides, you’re one of my best and I may be able to gain something with your healing abilities on the table.”

“Oh my god…. Please tell me you are not going to marry me out to gain something for Konoha?!”

Sakura screeched in fear. She refused to be some pawn in a political marriage with a stranger, or worse a civilian.

Tsunade cackled throwing her head back laughing, “Hahaha! I-I swear I wouldn’t!” The words were pushed out between bouts of laughter.

Sakura never had to worry about an arranged marriage being a Haruno when the only clout she had was being the second apprentice to the Fifth Hokage. But now she was the Senju Heir.

“Great, new fear unlocked,” Sakura mumbled.

Tsunade reined in her laughter to turn a more serious stare on her, “I will never force you into a political marriage. And no one besides me would have the authority over you to force your hand. If the next Hokage even suggests it, you tell them to go pound sand. Got it?”

A big smile curved across her face, “Yes, ma’am!” Sakura saluted her Hokage.

Tsunade waved away the words, “Ugh, you make me feel old.”

Chapter 16: Ideas

Summary:

Inspiration strikes.

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Chapter Sixteen: Ideas
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Sakura’s POV:

It was officially the season of spring and a week before her eighteenth birthday. Sakura sat sprawled out in the soft grass watching the tree branches sway in the slight breeze and the bumble bees flit from flower to flower collecting nectar. She was sitting in the Senju compound in a meadow off to the side of the main gate to the compound. The meadow was filled with wildflowers but also held quite a few specific plants that were cultivated for poisons, usually by Shizune.

Sakura was gathering either the entire plant or just pieces of it like the leaves or flower depending on what was needed for the poisons. Sakura had an immunity to every single poison that was available in the Land of Fire thanks to her sister slowly guiding her through mithridatism. She knew that Shizune and Genma were also immune. They had to be with the poisons they used that coated their weapons.

Sakura was even immune to a large number of poisons from the other four major nations. She knew one day when she finally died, probably on a mission, that it wouldn’t be due to poison. But others who came into her path would die from it.

Sakura wasn’t in the bingo books. There were many shinobi who thought all worth came from whatever price other nations put on your head and if you were able to get a flee on sight warning. Sakura owned the newest version of all five major nation’s bingo books. She knew that each of her mentors were within the pages. Shizune was the only one not in any of them. And it was something she had told her when Sakura was under her apprenticeship that had stuck with her.

A ninja’s job is within the shadows. The moment you step out of them enough to be marked in a bingo book is the moment you failed at your job.

Sakura’s goal was to be an S-rank shinobi and to never be in a single bingo book. She wanted to be silent and deadly with no one being the wiser when they encountered her. She knew having delicate features, pink hair, and a short stature would only help her be underestimated and she was grateful. All of it would stack the odds in her favor and give her more of a chance to survive.

The Gympie Gympie plant sat in her hand that was carefully coated in chakra to prevent her from damaging the plant in any way. The tiny hairs along the stem and leaves would cause immense pain to anyone who came in contact with it. Sakura would be fine but she needed the plant whole so she could extract the neurotoxin within it. It was a favorite for some interrogators and Morino had asked if she could collect some for him.

The majority of the toxin she would keep for herself. But almost half would be given away. Sakura looked at the beautiful unassuming plant and felt a kinship to it in a way. Both of them were underestimated and both of them were absolutely deadly to any who got too close.

Sakura needed this toxin for her next experiment to her body and wondered if the labs beneath the Senju main house would suffice instead of Shizune’s lab at the hospital she had used last time. The hospital would be ideal if her life was in danger or if she was worried about needing immediate help. She decided she would summon Katsuyu instead and stay within the compound.

It was midday when Sakura finally extracted the last of the toxin into a glass vial the size of her middle finger. This would last Morino months even if he used it on every single prisoner. He only needed a single drop to hit the bloodstream for unending agony in their entire body that felt like being set aflame to slowly burn to death. If it was injected in the muscle, it would inflame that entire limb and make it immobile due to the agonizing pain. The pain was so immense that most opted to cut the limb off instead of enduring for weeks on end. The best part is the toxin wouldn’t kill you. It did cause such incredible pain that most would end their own lives to escape it. The toxin would stay in one’s system for weeks before being filtered out naturally and most medics weren’t advanced enough to be able to manually filter it out or extract it.

A small smile graced her lips as she stared into the clear liquid. It was colorless and odorless. A perfect specimen for her needs. Especially if she messed it up it wouldn’t kill her. Not outright.

Sakura took her time as she made her way to the T&I building near the Hokage Tower. She was in no rush and had nothing else on the agenda for the day beyond getting food after this errand. If she was lucky Ino would be available to get lunch with her.

The unassuming grey building came into view and Sakura kept an eye on every single person that came within her scope. It was interesting the amount of information one could gleam from just brushing against their chakra.

She kept a tight rein on her chakra and kept it smothered down to the level of a Chunin instead of the reserves she actually had access to, not including what was stored within her seal on her forehead. She should start another seal somewhere else on her body for more. If she ever drained her seal in battle then she would need another to jump to. Hm, that was a thought. Technically, she could create one on each tenketsu in her chakra network though some were better designed for the purpose of the byakugou seal than others. The forehead tenketsu was ideal for the chakra storage and healing capabilities but it wasn’t the only one.

There were two other major tenketsu in the human head, one on each side of the nose underneath each eye. If combined, with a seal on each that worked in tandem, they would function at similar capacity to the one on her forehead. She could technically have twice the amount of stored chakra than she did now.

She rounded the front desk with barely a wave. She was simultaneously keeping tabs on everyone near her and thinking through the calculations of a duo seal on her cheeks. The rhombus was already tested by Tsunade so she knew how it would work and end up looking but another one on a completely different tenketsu would need a different formula and may end up looking different or even working differently than her byakugou seal. This would need a lot of prep work before she could inscribe the seal onto her body.

She didn’t even bother to knock on the nondescript grey door of Ibiki Morino’s office. The worn handle was pulled down and the metal door flung open to almost crash against the stone wall as it swung to a stop before being flung closed in the same manner. Sakura walked around his wooden desk and sat on the side of it next to where he was typing away on a computer.

No hellos were exchanged before she gently placed a small glass vial filled with a clear liquid down in front of his keyboard so he was forced to stop typing and give his attention to her.

“This is more than last time. I will let you know the next time I need more well in advance.”

His large tanned hand grabbed the vial and slipped it into a previously locked drawer of the desk before it was relocked and the key slipped back into his coat inner pocket.

“I have a favor to ask.”

He leaned back in his tall cushion black leather chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared into her soul, “Ask.”

“The next time I ask to test something I’m working on, you let me have unfettered access to the death row inmates.”

“Done.”

She nodded and pushed herself off the desk with a slightly manic smile, “I knew you loved me.”

The sigh that escaped Morino held such exasperation that it was impressive but the small quirk of his mouth told her that he enjoyed their little interactions just as much as she did.

She left the same way she entered, still with barely a wave to anyone but filled with a manic type of excitement for all the plans and ideas she had buzzing around in her brain waiting for her to get started.

She didn’t bother looking for Ino before wrapping a solid notice me not genjutsu around her the moment she left the T&I building. This time she rushed back to the Senju compound to write down the thoughts swirling in her mind. They needed to be written down in a notebook and made tangible and not just a fleeting thought that could disappear.

Sakura walked through the side door into the main house and directly down the basement stairs to the storage room. On the other side of the storage room stood a metal door reminiscent of T&I that required a chakra signature to open and only three people had access to it. The same three people that had access to the Senju compound. She knew they would be able to feel where she was in the house and know not to bother her.

Inside the lab it smelled like antiseptic and chemicals. Along the one wall was her station that had a notebook open and waiting from the last time she was down here jotting down ideas that never panned out into an actual experiment. This time as her pencil flew across the ivory pages writing down the overall ideas and trying to see how to formulate them into something concrete when it struck her like lightning. The hair on her exposed arms stood up in elation. It was so simple!

Most types of frogs were poisonous by a secretion through their skin from glands within the skin along their entire bodies. Sakura just had to create from scratch the same glands and connect them to specific parts of her body like her fingertips or lips. But how to create the poison? Orally. She could actively eat the plants or even the toxins from them and have her body absorb it and move it with her chakra into the glands she creates. She could store it in the glands until she needed it. This would require her to change her body extensively. She would to create the glands from overproducing cells that she forced to become the type she needed for the gland and the interior lining of it.

Sakura looked in the reflection of herself in the glass cabinet a few steps away staring at her face, visually peeling away layers of herself to imagine where the glands could go. If she wanted the poison in her lips then the ideal place was to get rid of the majority of the fat tissue and create the glands directly within her lips. It would probably make them slightly bigger and more plump but that didn’t bother her. It wouldn’t be noticeable enough for anyone except Ino to comment on.

It was at least plausible unlike some of her other past ideas. Sakura side-eyed her notebook, refusing to think of her failures. No, they weren’t failures. She just hadn’t figured out how to make them work yet.

Her other idea was easier since she already had a base with the byakugou seal and this would just be an extension off that original formula just on different tenketsu. The form it would take was an unknown since only Mito and Tsunade had only ever accomplished the seal prior to her. It might not even form in the same color as her purple seal. Hopefully, it didn’t clash with all the colors she already had to deal with. She shuddered as she imagined two diamonds in orange. Ew.

Notes:

Hello my little chickadees. Just an FYI there will be a smutty scene in the next chapter. Chapter Seventeen....the land of the unintentional spicy scenes. And now I have to go back and edit them...

Chapter 17: Party Like its Your Birthday

Summary:

Sakura and Ino go to the bar for Sakura's eighteenth birthday.

Notes:

There is some smut in this chapter. It's F/F so if you're not into that here is your warning.

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Chapter Seventeen: Party Like its Your Birthday
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Sakura’s POV:

“Can you help me with the clasp?”

Sakura stood struggling in front of the full length mirror trying to connect the two ends of the necklace behind her neck without breaking the tiny silver chain.

“Sure.”

Ino pinned another lock of her long blond hair back from her face before sliding up behind Sakura and focusing on the tiny clasp. The silver chain wrapped around her neck and down her chest between her breasts to connect to another chain that wrapped around her stomach. She wore one of Ino’s crop tops in black with denim shorts and boots.

They had decided on no heels just to go to the Rusty Kunai that was the favored shinobi bar in Konoha. She would rather be comfortable where it counted.

Ino leaned her chin on Sakura’s shoulder and smirked, “Damn, we’re hot.”

Sakura smiled, “The body chain was a good idea. Thanks for the shirt too.”

Ino smacked a kiss where her chin had just been on Sakura’s shoulder, “Anything for the birthday girl.”

They stood side by side sizing themselves up before smiling, “Let’s go have some fun, Forehead.”

Sakura grabbed her wristlet, “Time to find a playmate.”

Ino cackled as she linked her arm through Sakura’s after they left the Yamanaka main house and walked to the main gate before breaking their point of contact to jump to the roofs. The Rusty Kunai was only minutes away if they ran. The Yamanaka compound was closer to the shinobi district and the bars compared to the Senju compound that was to the outskirts of the village. They jumped down to the street a block away from the bar and could already hear the music and the people from the doors being opened every so often.

The bar wasn’t the largest but it was the one owned by retired Jonin that made it the perfect hang out spot for the upper echelons of the ninja of the village. Sometimes you would see random Chunin here and there but for the most part it tended to be Jonin and Anbu level ninja trying to have a good time.

Sakura let Ino pull her hand as she led them up to the bar to order drinks. Ino’s drink of choice tended to be hard liquor like vodka versus Sakura tended to drink sake. They got their drinks and headed to a booth off to the side that was occupied by Shikamaru and Choji. They knew Hinata and Neji were picking up Tenten before heading over so it made sense they weren’t here yet.

“Happy birthday, Sakura.”

Sakura smiled at Choji as she held out her sake cup and clinked it to his beer glass before repeating the gesture with Shikamaru and Ino and then they all took a sip.

“Thanks, Choji. It’s going to be a fun night.”

“Fun may not be the word I would use to describe a night out with you two.”

Ino rolled her eyes at Shikamaru, “Oh? What word would you use, Shika?”

“Troublesome.”

Sakura giggled, “We aren’t that bad!”

Choji laughed, “Sakura, last time we had to carry you both home after you made that Jonin cry.”

She scoffed, “He shouldn’t have boasted about being the strongest ninja without chakra then. It’s not my fault I broke his wrist in that arm wrestling match.”

Ino laughed, “I forgot about him! What was his name again?”

Sakura shrugged, “No clue.”

It wasn’t long before Hinata, Neji, and Tenten showed up with Lee in tow though Lee wasn’t a big drinker. She did appreciate him coming out to celebrate her day either way.

The small dance floor became crowded as Sakura swayed her body from side to side to the beat of the songs. She occasionally grinded against a partner but would more often than not dance against Ino instead. She was always more fun than a random stranger.

Sakura’s head felt light and happy as the music kept playing and she lost count of how many drinks she had. Since it was her birthday they kept being bought for her and who was she to turn down free drinks.

She didn’t see who had handed her this latest drink and didn’t really care as she smiled and laughed at something Tenten was saying over the music in her ear. The hand lightly caressed her upper arm as a pretty girl with light brown hair and dark blue eyes pulled Sakura into her orbit. Sakura went willingly as she handed off her drink to Tenten as they exchanged a knowing look.

Sakura was short at only five feet and four inches so this girl was slightly taller than her but Sakura didn’t mind as she got closer holding the other’s hips and meshing their bodies together like puzzle pieces in their movements. The girl teased as she nipped at Sakura’s ear causing heat to gather low in her belly and spur her on further fueled by desire.

Sakura pinned the girl to the wall off to the side of the dance floor knowing they were in full view of every single shinobi currently in attendance and not caring at all even after someone let out a whistle. Sakura had the girl’s wrists in her one hand above both their heads against the brick of the wall and her other hand was traveling even further up the girl’s skirt lifting her thigh up. The girl wrapped her leg instinctively around Sakura’s waist as they kissed, slanting their mouths together roughly not caring to be delicate.

The girl moaned into Sakura’s mouth and Sakura took advantage to deepen the kiss and stick her tongue in for a taste. The bar fell away as the girl grinded herself against Sakura wanting more friction. Sakura let the girl’s wrists go and used both her hands to lift the girl completely off the ground and pin her to the wall, never breaking the kiss. Sakura enjoyed the feel of thick muscled thighs in her hands feeling the legs wrapped around her as they grinded on each other.

Sakura broke the kiss and gazed into the dark lust filled eyes before she whispered, “Want to go somewhere more private?”

The girl just nodded and that was all the answer Sakura needed before she left, still carrying the girl out of the bar. This was going to be a fun birthday after all.

The alley beside the bar wasn’t the best place for this but it was what she had so she could work with it as she let the girl down and continued to make out with her as she simultaneously slipped her hand up the girl’s skirt and stroked her eliciting a loud moan that only fed Sakura’s lust and demanded more. She moved the girl’s underwear to the side and slipped a finger inside the wet warmth before adding another finger and pumping. Curling her fingers and stroking against just the right spot as she got even more wet herself off the girl’s pleasure.

Soon the girl screamed out in pleasure as Sakura kept pumping her hand into her to elongate the orgasm. She knew others could hear exactly what was happening even though she didn’t bother to try to sense if anyone was watching. Though some chakra presences were unmistakable. She didn’t care. She was going to ride this lust filled high to its completion.

As the girl came down from her high with a dazed smile on her face, Sakura pulled her hand out and fixed the girl’s underwear and skirt before licking her fingers clean. She watched the girl track the movement with widened eyes as Sakura licked every bit of the juices off. Now it was Sakura’s turn.

Sakura unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts and let them and her underwear fall to the ground before bracing a foot on the brick wall behind the girl and then gently pushed the girl’s shoulder down until she willingly lowered herself to her knees and got started. Sakura moaned low in her throat once the girl’s tongue made contact with her clit knowing exactly what to do and how to suck it for more pleasure. Soon the girl added her fingers to the mix, shoving them inside of Sakura and curling them just like Sakura had done for her.

Sakura slid her fingers through the light brown hair and watched as this girl ate her out as she rode her pretty little face until the build up was too much and the waves crashed inside of her starting from her center and cascading out throughout her body as Sakura moaned and babbled “oh god” and “yes” repeatedly.

When the orgasm ended and she could think again she loosened her hold on the girl’s hair and helped her up before fixing her underwear and shorts. Sakura then held the girl’s chin and kissed her, tasting herself on the girl’s lips.

As Sakura pulled away she asked, “What’s your name?”

The girl smiled, “Yua. Yours?”

“Sakura. Want to come back inside with me? I’ll buy you a drink.”

Yua nodded and looped her arm through Sakura’s. They made their way back into the bar and Sakura wrapped her arm around Yua’s waist as she guided her through the crowd to the bar to get their drinks. She was aware the majority of eyes were on them assessing what might have happened. She caught Genma’s eye sitting across the bar as he winked with a smirk. She winked back before seeing that it was Kakashi sitting next to him just observing her with a widened eye. She winked at him as she took her cocktail and Yua took hers.

They made their way back to the booth that had grown with the majority of the rookie eleven having gathered. She stole a chair from another table and set it at the end of the table before sitting down and pulling Yua to her lap, careful of both of their drinks.

Sakura smiled devilishly, “Guys, meet Yua. Yua, meet the gang.”

She exchanged a knowing look with Ino as Yua fell into easy conversation with Choji and Shikamaru since she was apparently a branch member of the Nara clan. Who knew.

Notes:

Okay! So I am kinda just writing this as whatever happens, happens. I start writing from whichever perspective I feel is easier in that moment and go for it. I do not have an outline for this fic and have no idea where it will go or how it will end if at all. I do not foresee this being a smut heavy fic. Out of the 28 chapters I have semi written there is only smut in chapters 17 & 18.

Hope everyone is enjoying the story! Thank you all so much for the comments and continued praise! Keeps me writing it honestly.

Chapter 18: Interesting Night

Summary:

Kakashi goes to the bar and gets more than what he bargained for.

Notes:

Rational Mind: Work on your main story!
ADHD Me: But there's this Hades/Persephone short story to write! Not to mention the Sakura sees ghosts story that is amazeballs! Oh here have a random Sakura idea that doesn't go with your main story AT ALL, guess we have to write a one shot now.....
Rational Mind: *Sigh* Why are we like this?

fyi the ghost story I'm currently reading is Running Through the Halls of Your Haunted Home by Harliqueen

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Chapter Eighteen: Interesting Night
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Kakashi’s POV:

It was a rare nice day when it wasn’t too hot or too cold so he had the sliding door to his balcony open to air out his small apartment. The ninken were lounging around with Pakkun on his lap as they both stretched across the old worn green couch he’s had for more years than he can remember. Icha Icha was in hand and it was just getting to his favorite part when they find out that the guard they are denying their feelings for is actually Junko in disguise.

The chakra signature wasn’t disguised as it landed on his balcony and slid open the screen door. A few of the ninken lifted up their heads before realizing it was Genma and returning to their naps.

“Kakashi, let’s go to the bar tonight.”

“Hmm… I’m busy.”

Kakashi could see the face that Genma was making and giggled at the scene in his book knowing it would annoy the man to no end.

“You’re not busy. Come to the bar with me.”

“What about Shizune?”

“She’s working.”

“Yugao?”

“With Hayate tonight.”

“Tenzo?”

“Doing something for Tsunade.”

“Hmm… don’t you have more friends?”

“I do and they’re all busy except you. Come on, you need to get out of this apartment.”

Kakashi opened his mouth as he set aside the book, “I-”

“Missions don’t count.”

Kakashi snapped his jaw shut. Well damn. He sighed, “Fine. Let’s go.”

It was about an hour later when he sat there at the bar next to Genma listening to him talk about something Shizune said. He was happy for his friend. He had known Genma since they were in the academy. Genma was one of the handful of people that had stuck by him throughout the years. He was also one of the only people besides Gai that was friends with him before his father passed. Not many could say that.

Kakashi listened to the story and smiled that his friend could finally find a partner that he felt was worth trying for. Genma was a notorious man-whore in Konoha but it was also widely known that no woman left his bed unsatisfied so he had never had an issue of finding a partner if he wanted one. Then Shizune came back with Tsunade and the rest was history. They had been dating for over a year since it took longer than that for Genma to convince Shizune to give him a chance. She didn’t do flings or one night stands. She was a relationship type of person and now so was Genma but only for her.

Kakashi made a verbal jab back at Genma before their attention was pulled to the door as people they knew started to filter in. It was the start of the entire rookie class from Sakura’s year. First, the Akimichi and Nara heirs saunter in and claim a large booth after getting beers. Then he saw Sakura and Ino make their way in and within an hour the bar was packed and that booth even more so. He noticed how she interacted with her peers and he honestly wondered how many of them knew she was in Anbu. If he had to guess, probably Ino and maybe Shikamaru figured it out. He noticed her Anbu tattoo was missing and discretely pushed up his headband to open the sharingan slightly and saw the henge over top of just the tattoo. It was extremely precise and he was impressed. Unless the Hyuga in attendance activated their dojutsu the henge would go unnoticed.

“Stop staring.”

Kakashi immediately tilted his head to look at Genma and his own drink instead of Sakura and her friends. He wasn’t trying to stare. He was mainly curious after the handful of times he has interacted with her since the training ground fiasco.

“Does she still hate you?”

Kakashi shrugged, “I don’t think so. But I’m honestly not sure if she was just being polite the few times I’ve seen her.”

“That girl is not polite to people she hates unless it comes with backlash. And l know that her yelling at you wouldn’t result in any kind of punishment.”

“So I guess we are past the hatred part then.”

Genma slapped him on his back, “Look at what an apology can do! Who knew? Oh wait, I did!”

Kakashi grunted as Genma laughed. He knew full well that his friend was right but owning up to mistakes and admitting what you did wrong was not the easiest thing to do. It also didn’t help that he was blind and didn’t realize he had made a mistake until it was pointed out to him. He wished he had noticed sooner back when she was still his Genin. Maybe he could’ve done something. But hindsight was 20/20 and he was a fool.

The night went on like that and Kakashi was four beers in when he was about to call it a night and get Genma home.

The flash of pink pulled his attention as he saw her against another girl and he wasn’t sure what was happening. Then Sakura pinned the girl’s hands to the wall above her head and he thought it was about to be a fight and started to push his bar stool back before he stopped. His brain stopped. Someone wolf whistled and then his brain restarted to allow him to register what was happening in front of him. Sakura was holding the girl against the wall and they were making out. He peeled his eyes away to then see the majority of the bar watching including her friends. Ino was smiling like she wanted to eat them alive. Kakashi shuddered. That was not a good look.

His head whipped back around to Sakura as she broke the kiss and he could just make out what was whispered on the other side of the bar before he watched the two girls leave the bar, one carrying the other. He could guess what was about to happen though he didn’t see Tsunade liking a random booty call being brought back to the Senju compound so maybe they were going to the girl’s apartment.

“Fuck, that was hot.”

Kakashi glared at Genma.

Genma held his hands up in front of himself, “What? I can appreciate the show that happened right in front of me.”

Kakashi narrowed his eye, “Isn’t she basically your girlfriend’s little sister?”

“Hot little sister,” Genma nodded in agreement.

Kakashi sighed, “Come on. Let’s go home.”

They paid their tab and headed out the front door of the bar and turned to the right towards their apartment complex. Genma lived two doors down from Kakashi and Tenzo lived on the floor below them. It was mainly inhabited by Anbu operatives though the apartment was designated as Jonin.

The night air was crisp and cool. It felt great after being in the overheated bar all night. Kakashi took in a long gulp of air enjoying the slight sting of the cold in his throat.

The moan stopped them in their tracks. Both of them whipped their heads to the right. The alleyway was steeped in blackness with no light filtering in between the buildings. Genma couldn’t see it even with chakra enhancing his vision but Kakashi was Hatake and his senses were better than the Inuzuka. He barely needed to send chakra to his eyes before he could see clearly as a pleasurable scream rang out from an unknown voice. He watched the brunette’s head tilt back against the brick wall as her skirt was pushed up and her panties askew to allow Sakura’s hand access to her most private parts. Sakura was kissing the girl’s skin and would probably leave a mark or two that wouldn’t be noticed until the morning.

Genma didn’t make a sound as he stared and Kakashi knew he was a mirror image of his friend but knowing full well that Genma was seeing a darkened scene while Kakashi was seeing it clear as day.

He thought it was over when Sakura fixed the girl’s clothing but then he saw her shorts and scrap of underwear drop to the ground and her leg lift up as the girl went to her knees. He knew he shouldn’t be watching this. He knew he should leave. But he couldn’t make his feet move. He was seeing not a young girl but a woman take what she wanted and it was mesmerizing.

No. No, he needs to walk away. Yes, walk. Kakashi grabbed Genma’s flak vest and pulled and they both forced their feet to move. Unfortunately, their feet went right back into the bar and they both ordered shots in their previous seats.

Not long after their shot and now beer, Sakura walked into the bar with a smirk and her arm around the girl. They ordered their drinks and he saw Genma smirk and wink at her out of the corner of his eye and her returning wink. He then locked eyes with her having no idea what his face looked like, not like she could see much of it with his headband down and his mask on. She winked at him and his eye widened. He then watched her return to her friends. He watched as she pulled up a chair and placed the girl onto her lap. He was so impressed and turned on he didn’t know what to do besides finish his beer and go home.

Standing out front of his apartment door, Genma patted his back, “Well, that was a much more interesting night than I thought it would be.”

Kakashi nodded but didn’t answer as he let himself into his apartment after Genma proceeded to walk to his own. Kakashi took his shoes off and hung his flak vest over a chair and threw the keys onto the table. He went through his entire routine silently and alone before he placed his headband on the nightstand and got into bed. The image of Sakura with her hand underneath that girl’s skirt as she kissed her neck kept switching with Sakura bare assed with her leg propped up holding that girl’s head to herself as she moaned and watched herself get eaten out.

“Fuck…”

Chapter 19: You Remind Me

Summary:

Sakura spends the day in the lab.

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Chapter Nineteen: You Remind Me
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Sakura’s POV:

Sakura groaned as she scrunched her eyes further shut against the bright light behind the cream curtains. She rolled over feeling a soft body next to her and pulling it in tighter to her own. She pressed her face into something soft that blocked out the light and nuzzled it with a sigh.

A shiver ran through the other body due to her warm breath grazing over the skin. A feminine groan let out and an arm snaked around her with a squeeze before letting go.

“It’s noon. Want breakfast?”

Sakura whimpered as Ino got out of the bed and the bright sunlight assaulted her poor eyes through the lids.

“Come on, Forehead. Pancake time.”

Sakura groaned as she rubbed a hand over her face and forced her eyes open to see Ino pulling on sweatpants. The woman hated sleeping in pants for whatever reason. Sakura yawned and stretched before climbing out of Ino’s bed and letting her feet touch the cold wooden floor.

They lumbered down the staircase to Ino’s mom cooking in the kitchen who knew full well the girl’s routine after a night out. The stack of pancakes and breakfast meats were already sitting on the table with plates. Ino’s mom brought in two glasses of juice for them and smiled at her girls.

“How was last night? Did you both have fun for the birthday night out?”

Sakura piled pancakes high on her plate nodding her head with a smile, “It was a great night.”

Ino basically moaned as she shoved a pancake in her mouth, “Mom, you’re awesome. I love pancakes.”

Setsumi Yamanaka was a graceful woman with light brown hair pulled back in a tight bun with strands hanging down around her ears. She married into the Yamanaka clan from a small civilian family. She was one of the most successful shinobi from a civilian background besides the Fourth Hokage. Setsumi Yamanaka was always someone Sakura looked up to growing up, finding out that Ino’s mom wasn’t from some fancy clan but from a family of bakers that dreamed of being a ninja had given her hope as a child. You would never know looking at the lithe woman that she was a retired Jonin who used to specialize in infiltration and undercover assassinations.

Sakura sighed after she took a sip of juice, “Thank you for cooking breakfast, Setsumi. It’s incredible as always.”

Setsumi smiled as she took a sip of her tea, “It is no problem, dear. I’m glad you both had a fun night. Do you both have any plans for today?”

Ino nodded, “I have to stop by T&I later. There’s some paperwork I’ve been putting off.”

“What about you, Sakura?”

Sakura thought it over. She had the time off from Anbu due to back to back missions so she didn’t really have any obligations. She didn’t have a training session scheduled until the day after tomorrow either. Then she remembered her notebook in her lab and the formulas waiting to be enacted. She had written out exactly what the procedure would entail and was confident she could perform it on herself as long as she disconnected the nerves from her lips.

Sakura nodded slightly to herself, “I have some lab work I need to get back to before training resumes for my team.”

Setsumi smiled and looked like she knew exactly what both girls were not saying, “Just make sure to be safe and watch your backs. I’m here if either of you need anything.”

It was about a half hour later when Sakura was walking away from the Yamanaka compound and back to her own. The streets were bustling with the afternoon markets in full swing nearby attracting all kinds of people from civilians to shinobi alike. She was headed in the opposite direction away from the market and away from the hustle and bustle of the more lively parts of the village. Only certain clans liked to be this close to the center. The Yamanaka were the main ones with their flower shop not far away. The Nara and Aburame compounds butted up against forests for their deer and insects. The Hyuga compound wasn’t on the outskirts but it was highly fortified and felt like its own little world once inside.

The Senju compound was similar to the Nara where it sat away from everything else and closer to nature probably due to Hashirama’s wishes. The Uchiha compound used to be similar to the Hyuga where it was closer to the center but not as far as hers. They were forced to move due to prejudice and power hungry elders. Thankfully, they were all gone after Tsunade ordered an Anbu team including a Hyuga to observe Danzo Shimura for months on end. And overnight, the Shimura clan was disgraced beyond repair all due to one man. The entire council was overhauled and the Third was sentenced to house arrest and was no longer allowed to hold any seat of power including the clan head. It was a whole thing that no one liked to think about.

This was a reason that Tsunade was trying to pass term limits or an age restriction to the council of elders and the Hokage positions. She didn’t want a senile old fool in a seat of power unless it was as a clan head. Those could not be restricted by those outside the clan.

Sakura stood on the top of the high gate that stood guard at the entrance to the Senju compound. She could see a bit of the village this way and feel the fuinjutsu barrier at her back waiting to let her inside. She observed the village she fought for and killed for and let a small smile overtake her face knowing she wasn’t done yet. She had so much more to do.

Sakura let her body fall backwards off the top of the gate and through the barrier only to flip midair and land silently on the balls of her feet facing into the compound. The barrier thrummed with life as it closed the small opening immediately behind her and she walked. She walked along the hardened dirt path that would lead her directly to the main house after the square. She didn’t bother going through the front door and instead skirted around the side that would lead to the door closest to the basement laboratory.

No one else was home which wasn’t unusual for early afternoon on a random day when Tsunade had a village to run and Shizune had a hospital to run. Sakura breathed in the sterile metallic room feeling energized knowing what she was about to attempt.

Within the hour, Sakura was flat on the metal surgical table in the middle of the room with an IV in her arm so she wouldn’t have to stop for food or drinks. She did risk peeing herself if she went too long but she really didn’t want to insert a catheter in herself. It was not pleasant and she would rather clean up her own pee.

The nice thing about operating on herself was the fact that Sakura was intimately aware of every single thing inside of her own body from the smallest cell to her organs and what was required to change to survive. Sakura’s own chakra would do the work without her having to move a muscle. She just had to use her perfect chakra control to do her bidding.

She spent the last week planning out this procedure and then planned out every single detail and step that would be required as well as what was most likely to go wrong and how to fix it.

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she disconnected the nerves in almost her entire facial structure and began. She started by willing her cells to multiply but instead of remaining the same type of cell she used her chakra to change the makeup of each individual cell before making them into building blocks essentially and sticking them together.

She started with the outline of both glands pushing her fatty tissue out of the way knowing full well her face and especially mouth was going to be extremely swollen and normally painful if she could actually feel it. Next was the lining so she could actually safely store toxins within the two small glands. They were stable so she immediately started destroying the fatty tissue that was in the way meticulously careful not to overdo it. She had to connect the glands to the tissue in the surrounding area and also connect them to her lips so she could activate them to secrete the toxin in question. Small microscopic tubes connected to the backing of the outer lips and she reinforced the skin of her lips to be more like the skin of a frog that naturally would be resistant to anything she could store.

The glands and lips were done and the area wasn’t as swollen but still she knew through her chakra that it wasn’t normal yet either. Now was the hardest part. The connection from her esophagus that would allow her to absorb the toxins and transfer them to the glands. She ended up having to chemically change the entirety of the inside of her mouth to be closer to that of a frog including her teeth to be lined with a film that would naturally be immune. She then changed her entire esophagus and stomach lining so it would still do it’s intended job but not be damaged if the toxin wasn’t fully transferred to the glands.

Sakura ended up taking more time than was reasonable to heal the entire areas she touched so they would be back to her new normal without any infection or swelling. The moment of truth was when she dared to reconnect the first nerve furthest from the site. This took what felt like an anxiety filled year thinking each reconnection would lead to excruciating pain. All the nerves in her torso were back online as well as the ones in her neck and spine. The ones in her face were reconnecting so smoothly she really thought she had pulled this off without a hitch.

“UGHHHH!!!”

Sakura tried screaming but her mouth wasn’t fully connected yet to be able to finish the motion of opening so it was somewhat muffled. She quickly disconnected that nerve and reassessed the nerve. The gland needed to be reinforced in one spot. She tried again more successfully this time and continued on her way.

Her eyes fluttered open adjusting to the dim light from behind her head. She slowly moved each finger and then toe before moving up all four limbs making sure everything was functional. Her body pulled itself into a sitting position before swinging itself to the side of the table so her legs dangled off. There was a mirror on the wall that she used to observe the person staring back at her. She was still herself. Her lips looked a little fuller and naturally glossy with a rosy hue that she knew Ino would kill for.

The toxin glands were officially finished. Now she just had to eat poisonous plants to see if her body would send the toxin to the glands with help from her chakra. If she had done everything correctly then it would. A lot of this depended greatly on her control being perfect. Her chakra would have to be trained to safely transfer anything ingested into the sacks in her lips to be used at a later date. Eventually, if she pulled this off, her chakra would automatically do the process for her just like it did for her healing.

She stood on shaky legs using chakra to reinforce all of her muscles. The IV got unceremoniously yanked from her arm with a few drops of her blood hitting the floor with the nutrition liquid. Sakura summoned a small version of Katsuyu to help her.

“Lady Sakura, how can I be of service?”

“I just finished self experimentation again. Can you please sterilize the entire lab? I need to sleep.”

The little slug bobbed its head and started moving around the lab getting rid of anything touched or spilled, like her blood and the IV needle. Sakura knew everything was in good hands with her summon using her acid to purge the lab of anything not meant to be there while she trudged through the storage room and up the two sets of stairs to her bedroom. She didn’t bother searching for chakra signatures. She could feel them. Shizune’s signature was steady and calm in her bedroom so most likely she was asleep.

Sakura looked out the window seeing the blackness of night. It made sense that her sister was asleep. She thanked Shizune silently for not entering the lab. That could’ve caused damage that was unforeseen.

Tsunade’s signature was not in her bedroom but in the den at the back of the house. Sakura made her way there knowing her adoptive mother was still awake. She found the woman sitting on a sofa leaning into the arm with a glass in hand. Only a soft light was on in the one corner giving a warm glow to the area that didn’t quite light it up but it did keep the darkness at bay.

Sakura sat down on the other side of the two seater sofa and brought her legs up underneath her.

“What are you still doing up?”

Tsunade huffed, “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that after you sequestered yourself away in the lab for a day?”

“I finished a theory and it was time to test it.”

“Self test?”

Sakura nodded, “Yeah, I created poison sacs inside my lips that will safely hold anything I ingest.”

Tsunade turned all her attention onto Sakura and took her chin in her hand before using her thumb to prod Sakura’s bottom lip.

“Feels similar to the normal fatty tissue but there’s a filmy layer on top giving you that glossy look.”

Tsunade let go of Sakura’s face before raising an eyebrow, “I thought you stopped self experimenting?”

Sakura shook her head, “There is still much I can improve upon. I don’t think it would ever be feasible for anyone other than the two of us though. It works due to chakra control mostly. You would need at least ninety percent control to be able to safely do what I am doing.”

“What else have you tweaked?”

“Lately or everything?”

“Everything. Give me a list.”

“Sight, hearing, and smell are all better than an Inuzuka’s senses. Thicker epidermis layer making it harder to cut but also harder to heal. Thicker and reinforced muscle layers throughout my body making it harder to cut or pierce and having the side effect of increasing my strength. Thicker and more eyelashes to help keep the dust out when fighting. A nictitating membrane or third eyelid to help with dust and to not have to blink in battle. And now the poison sacs in my lips and the lining required throughout my digestive tract and in my mouth to protect me from it.”

“You’ve done extensive modifications in the last four years since you completed your training with me.”

“I have another one I've been mulling over for making my blood more acidic so it would burn anyone who injures me. Though that one is still a far off theory in my notebook.”

Tsunade nodded, “I’m not happy that you put yourself through all of these experiments. But I also can’t stop you. You technically aren’t breaking any laws by using yourself as the subject. But Sakura,” Tsunade set her glass down and took both of Sakura’s hands in her own, “Please promise me you will be safe and not put your own life in danger just for the sake of your idea of improvement. You share an intellectual hunger that I’ve only ever seen in one other shinobi and we both know what happened to him. Please be safe and don’t ever do this for someone else.”

Sakura did not have to ask who the other person was that she was reminding Tsunade of. It was obviously Orochimaru. He was once a brilliant scientist, always curious about improvements to his own body and getting stronger until his experiments were no longer safe to try on himself and he needed hundreds to test on before it was considered safe for himself. He had been roped under Danzo’s thumb and the rest was history. The decline of Orochimaru was used as a cautionary tale to any medic wanting to get into the lab for any reason. He went insane in his pursuit of knowledge and power and immortality. He lost everything and gained nothing that Sakura saw as valuable. She thought about her once Genin teammate who had left without a word in the middle of the night after she begged him to stay to go train under the insane Sannin. She wondered if he was now similar in mindset and lack of humanity. She wondered if he had ever managed to kill his brother or if his goals had changed.

Sakura pulled her mind back to Tsunade, “I promise. I will never become like him. I will never experiment on anyone other than myself and I will only do so on myself once I know it is perfectly safe.”

Tsunade nodded and squeezed her hands before letting go, “Good. I can’t bear to have to put another loved one in our bingo book.”

Sakura whispered as she leaned into Tsunade’s side and felt the woman’s arm wrap around her. “I promise I’m not him.”

Tsunade sighed, “No, you’re just as much like me which might be just as bad.”

Notes:

I love the idea of Tsunade seeing an echo of her old teammate in her now daughter and getting worried but knowing that there is nothing she can do besides support and love Sakura.

Chapter 20: Loser Doesn't Have to Pay

Summary:

Training for team Ka.

Notes:

This was a really fun chapter to write and I really like showing Sakura's relationship and trust with her team.

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Chapter Twenty: Loser Doesn't Have to Pay
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Sakura’s POV:

Meditation was slow going and sometimes hard to fall into the groove that it required to actually be useful. Some people were masters of falling into their mindscape and letting the outside world fall away into nothing. Sakura was not one of those people. She had to sit somewhere with her back propped up against something or her lower back would start hurting and it would pull her out of focus. She needed to be somewhere completely safe and guarded or her instincts would pull her back to the surface with every small noise or touch of the breeze on her skin.

Sakura sat beneath a cherry tree right behind the main house in the Senju compound with her legs barely crossed and her arms limply resting on her knees. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even and steady. She sat there but mentally she wasn’t there, she was inside herself. Sakura floated within her chakra network guiding it with a gentle hand while it actively extracted and transferred the Gympie Gympie neurotoxin into the glands in her lips. She had eaten a small amount of the stem as a test to make sure everything was in working order.

Her reserves were full and the new modified parts to her body were holding and working beautifully. She was in awe when the glands each held just a small miniscule amount of the clear liquid and the actual stem part that she had eaten was being broken down harmlessly in her stomach acid. It was working.

Sakura let out a rush of air as she opened her eyes and let the surrounding world come back into focus. The trees swayed in the spring breeze and she started the process of getting her muscles to stretch and wake up with her chakra. She was due soon for training with her Anbu team and she was excited to tell them about her new abilities.

Though as she continued to transfer a steady stream of chakra to the two tenketsu points on her cheeks underneath her eyes, she knew she would keep that project to herself. She had no way of knowing if it would work at all since it was so modified from the original that sat proudly on her forehead. It could end up not working at all or it could take her years for the seal to complete. It took her almost one year for the original byakugao seal to manifest for all to see. She wondered if this one would be faster or slower. It was a twin seal, two parts of a whole. The markings would manifest together and only be able to be used together.

Sakura shook her head to bring her mind back to the present as she made her way into the window of her bedroom to rummage through her closet for her uniform. The all black Anbu uniform hugged her body like always and made her feel powerful and sexy. She was still riding the high of her interactions with the Nara girl, Yua. It had only been a handful of days and it was still fresh in her mind. She wondered if the girl would be interested in a repeat performance.

The private Anbu training ground Sakura found herself standing in wasn’t one they usually used. This one had targets set up randomly throughout an obstacle course. Oh no. The shiver ran its way through her body in slight fear and trepidation. Not this training ground.

Sakura groaned as she stood on the edge of the training ground within the tall wooden fence that hid it from normal eyes. Next to her was Shinji with his chameleon mask clipped to his belt as his eyes squinted trying to take in the course.

“I didn’t know today was going to be this again.”

Sakura placed her hands on her hips, “I fucking hate this course.”

Laughter came from behind them. When they both looked they saw Akari taking off her gopher mask and clipping it to her belt in the same way as them.

“Come on! It’s not that bad. We’ve done this before. You both should be used to this course by now.”

Shinji groaned, “Easy for you to say. You excel with weapons.”

Sakura tilted her head, “We have to do this because they changed the course again, didn’t they?”

Akari pursed her lips taking in the course, “Yeah, it’s different from the last time.”

Sakura huffed out a breath, “This is going to suck.”

“Aww come on, my little duckies! This will be fun!”

The three of them turned to the newest voice and the wide sadistic smile of their team captain, Santa. His cobra mask was in his hand below his face.

Shinji made a face, “Is this still just weapons and agility?”

Santa’s smile didn’t waver, “Yes, it is! No chakra allowed. And if you want we can make a wager?”

Sakura laughed at Shinji’s face. He looked like he ate a lemon.

“No way, I don’t feel like paying for everyone for dinner.”

“Aww come on. You don’t know that you’ll lose.”

Shinji sent a glare her way for the comment, “But I do. Your natural aerobatics and stamina are insane,” He pointed to Akari, “She’s the best with weapons and her natural ability is nothing to scoff at,” He then jutted his chin at Santa, “And don’t even get me started on you!”

Akari had a gleam in her eyes, “How about this then. Instead of the loser, second place and third place pay for dinner. The winner and last place are exempt.”

They mulled that over knowing full well that Shinji would be holding last place and the rest of them would be fighting for first. Santa put his hand out, palm down. Akari placed her hand on top of his. Shinji shrugged and placed his next. Sakura looked at their stacked hands and placed hers on top muttering about this being like the academy. They moved their hands down and then flung them up above their heads with a yell.

“Let’s do this!” Sakura said with a feral smirk gliding across her face. She was not paying for dinner this time. She wasn’t.

The obstacle course was massive and required them to hit a bullseye on certain targets to stop pieces of it from moving or to get a “door” to open. They started off at a run to then have to climb a rope wall and jump from the narrow top platform to vertical logs that were only wide enough for one foot to fit on it at a time forcing them to balance on the ball of a single foot before pushing off to the next log. The course required them to use every single muscle group in their bodies ending with swinging from a wooden handle to another that went side to side before they had to flip on the last swing to make it over a wall and land on a platform. If they were skilled enough they could hit a bullseye that would lower the wall a bit to make it easier. But the throw required you to throw two weapons using the one to change the directory of the other since the target was behind the actual wall lower down. The very last was running from that platform up a vertical wall and pulling themselves over the top before using a rope to scale down the back of it. It was murder.

They each were going through individually being timed by the other three on the ground to keep it far. It also screwed with your head not knowing where you were in accordance to where your teammates were since they weren’t next to you in real time.

Sakura’s arms and legs burned. Her core muscles hurt and begged for relief. But she forced air into her lungs and kept moving forward focusing only on completing the course. She needed to be first. Sakura felt her body start to slow down and knew she couldn’t use chakra to help her so instead she imagined that her team’s lives depended on her reaching the finish line. Her team needed her to get there or they would die.

She yelled as she forced her body into the swing not bothering with the weapons. She forced her body to contort and flip so she landed on her knee facing the wall and had to get up and spin but used the wall behind her to kick off and run like her life and her teammates depended on her making it up this damn wall. At the last second when her momentum was at its peak and her body would start to fall back due to gravity she kicked at the vertical wall she was attempting to run up and stretched her body. She stretched as far as her body would allow, sending her right arm out farther than her left with the tilt of her body trying to get farther up. Her fingers grasped the edge of the top and Sakura knew she would slip soon if she wasn’t fast enough. She got her left hand up and forced her aching arms to lift her entire body weight up into a roll onto the platform before falling off the opposite side with the rope in hand. SHe kicked off the back of the vertical run which was now just a straight wall with no incline like the other side. She could feel the skin being torn on the way down by the friction of the rope.

“Fucckkkkkkkk!”

Sakura screamed on her way down before throwing herself over the white painted finish line in the grass. She curled in on herself trying to protect her head and other vitals landing hard on her shoulder and rolling like she had been trained to do.

“Wow! Sakura! I think that may be the best time so far!” Shinji cheered.

Sakura was gasping for air as she forced herself to uncurl and lay flat against the ground. She let her eyes focus on the three standing above her.

“Can- can I heal?” Sakura hoped the answer was yes. This shit hurt.

Santa looked down at her from the clipboard that they were recording their times on, “Yeah, kid, heal up.”

Her chakra flared to life as she let it go from the iron grip she had to hold it in to keep from automatically healing herself. She sighed as her muscles relaxed and were soothed. Her hands knitted themselves back to perfection and her breathing got a lot easier.

Sakura sat up and looked at Shinji who had sat down next to her. He had gone before her. Akari had gone first. The only one left was Santa.The reigning champ from the previous time had to go first. The rest drew straws.

Akari sat down with the clipboard on Shinji’s other side as they watched their captain make his way to the starting point. The course went in a giant horseshoe so they started and ended relatively close to where the rest of the team was.

“How was my time?”

Akari didn’t take her eyes from Santa once he started the course and she pressed the timer, “You beat my time. You are currently in first place.”

So it was her holding first and Shinji holding last. Santa would now determine if she remained in first or if she would have to pay for half the dinner with Akari.

Sakura was always amazed when she watched someone else complete the course. The way they chose to do it with only their strength and agility or being able to make it easier by hitting the targets with weapons. She had watched Akari depend heavily on hitting the targets to keep her time low. Shinji had suffered through it like a normal human being. She had ignored every single target besides one that didn’t give you a choice and had to be hit to get a stone wall to fall before you could continue the course. Santa was a mix between her and Akari. He was more balanced in using the targets to be more efficient but didn’t rely on them making it easier like Akari did. She was always in awe of her team.

Santa leapt across the finish line similar to what she had done as he hit the ground gasping for air. Sakura immediately started to heal him like she had done for all of them after their runs.

Akari recorded the time next to his name on the clipboard and sat back waiting for Santa to recover a bit.

Santa asked from the ground, “Me or Saku?”

Akari smiled, “She beat you by half a second. Sakura wins.”

Sakura pumped her fist into the air and then high-fived Shinji, “Yeah! Free food!”

It was a rare day when the captain and lieutenant of team Ka had to pay for the meals.

Santa huffed, “Go home and get cleaned up. Dinner at Yakiniku Q in two hours.”

“Oh, remind me at dinner but I got a new ability to tell you guys about.”

Shinji rolled his eyes, “Of course you do. The one that doesn’t know what a hobby is.”

“Hey! I have hobbies.”

Akari laughed, “Training doesn’t count.”

Santa looked in the opposite direction as she pouted. They both thought training was a hobby. They all shuffled out of the training grounds after having collected all the kunai and shuriken thrown at the various targets. It was going to be a good night.

Notes:

There's going to be a few fun chapters that are much more on the lighter side and fluffy, granted this entire fanfic is basically fluff to me without any dark themes. But it's going to get a tad more serious in a few later chapters that I am currently fighting with myself to write and to stop revising. Having trouble with some of the characters being harder to write for me. But we are slowly catching up with where I currently am stuck on a chapter. So just be aware that these updates are going to get sporadic until I can work through chapters 25-30 give or take.

Chapter 21: Petty Party

Summary:

Sakura lets her inner petty out.

Notes:

This chapter came from nowhere and it was fun to write. Haven't worked on this story in a bit. Got extremely side tracked on another Sakura story of her from a cult similar to Hidan's Jashin cult.

Side note: Read a fanfic the other day where in it Hinata chastised Naruto about his language (cause he cursed). All I thought was oh we can kill people but we can't say shit? And then got the thought of Sakura gutting someone like a pig while chastising someone else for their cursing. I will cackle and now need to fit it into a story somewhere. Probably the cult fic.

Unhinged Sakura is my favorite Sakura.

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Chapter Twenty One: Petty Party
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Sakura’s POV:

The grocery store was busy with a sale and Sakura was bumping into other civilians and shinobi trying to get ahold of her needed items. She was almost done and was in front of the vegetables trying to decide what she could need or want for the next two weeks and what would last if she were to go on missions. She grabbed some carrots and celery thinking she could make a stew and freeze it if need be.

The shock of silver on her right startled her for a split second and she automatically tensed before registering who it was. Why was she seeing him more in the last six months than she had ever seen him in the last four years?

“Yo.”

Sakura nodded her head, “Kakashi.”

“Taking advantage of the sale?”

She hummed a confirmation and wished she could go back to being alone in the sea of people.

Kakashi reached for the eggplant. Her eyes immediately zeroed in to the two remaining purple vegetables and she acted before her mind caught up to what she was doing. Her hand snaked out and plucked the two eggplant stems between her digits and expertly moved them into her basket.

“Well, I’ll see you around.”

With that Sakura kept her face serene with a ghost of a small smile as she noticed his single narrowed eye on her side and then felt it follow her. She made sure to not drop her pleasant demeanor the entire time and even kept it rigidly in place her entire stroll to the Yamanaka residence within their compound. This was not Sakura's original destination but she needed to share with Ino what had just happened.

The gate guards waved her through knowing her for years between her friendship with Ino and then her apprenticeship with Santa. Sakura was immensely happy there wasn't any frozen food in her shopping bags.

She didn't bother knocking and just opened the front door to the Yamanaka main house proceeding to kick off her shoes and call out, “Ino!”

A call from the kitchen rang out in reply, “In here!”

Sakura entered the kitchen and placed her two grocery bags on the end of the counter before pushing herself up to sit next to them.

Ino was chopping lettuce near her for a salad. She glanced up at Sakura and looked her up and down before going back to her salad prep, “So what happened?”

Sakura smiled. Ino was able to read her so easily after all these years.

“I was grocery shopping and saw Kakashi.”

Ino turned around and leaned against the counter opposite her, “And?”

Sakura scratched at her cheek, “Uh. I may have taken the last eggplants before he could and bought them and left.”

Ino stared at her while she processed what she had just been told. The cackling rebounded off the walls slightly. She turned back to her salad.

“What did he do?”

“He just narrowed his eye at me and I had to plaster this smile to my face and act like we both didn't know that I had purposely taken what he was about to grab. I don't even know why I did it! Now I have to find recipes for eggplant!”

“Do you even like eggplant?”

“I don't not like eggplant.”

Ino's laugh was like gentle music mixed with wind chimes.

“Leave them here in the fridge. My mom likes them and will probably make eggplant parmesan or something.”

Sakura sighed in relief. She really didn't want to search for recipes just for the one vegetable she usually never bought. After she placed both eggplants in the fridge she turned and hugged Ino from behind.

“Thanks for listening and not judging me.”

Ino turned around with her salad and a fork in hand.

“Judge? Oh no, this does not require judgement. This requires enabling. Let's be petty.”

A laugh exploded out of Sakura and she covered her mouth with a hand before recovering and a huge smile formed on her mouth, “Petty party?”

Ino matched her smile and nodded, “Petty party. Let's fuck with him so much he has no choice but to question his sanity.”

“I should've started this months ago.”

Ino munched on her salad. “You're welcome for my genius.”

That one small instinctual act with the vegetable birthed a game Sakura now played with Ino feeding her ideas and helping her some. Sakura wouldn't go out of her way to interact with Kakashi but when she did it usually led to her getting free food or drinks and driving him crazy. She had forced his hand into buying her dango on more than one occasion and had even supplied the Yamanaka household with more eggplants than they probably wanted but Setsumi just hummed and thanked her for the purple vegetable. The Yamanaka matriarch never did ask why Sakura was suddenly supplying her house with eggplants of all things. Though from the smirk, Sakura guessed the woman knew the gist of it.

Sakura sipped on her fruit smoothie as she made her way back into the Senju compound and into the front door of the main house to see Tsunade, Shizune, and Genma at the kitchen table with cups of tea talking. She slipped into the seat on the other side of Tsunade and listened while enjoying her smoothie. It always tasted better when she didn't have to pay for it.

Genma eyed her, “So what's up with you and Kakashi?”

She raised an eyebrow, “Hm? Is there something going on I'm not aware of?”

“Hm, I'm not sure. I've just heard some things. You may be the only person to get free food from him.”

Sakura smirked before taking a satisfying sip from her drink, “Food always tastes better when you don't have to pay for it.”

Tsunade threw her head back laughing, “This is hilarious! Gotta keep him on his toes!”

Genma smirked, “Just don't break him. The man is awkward enough as it is.”

“It’s not my fault he makes it so easy. I’m not even trying.”

“You really don’t need to, you’re you.”

Sakura rested her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table, “What’s that mean?”

“You’re the only one of his team left. Everyone from his original Genin team died and everyone from the team he taught left except you.”

“Exactly, everyone else left… including him. He can feel bad all he wants and I’m not really mad at him anymore but it’s not like we’re friends either. He’s just there, ya know?”

Shizune smiled something tinged in sadness, “You’re allowed to still be angry at him.”

Sakura blew her bangs out of her eye, “I don’t need to be angry. I get why he disappeared, he said so himself. It was easier. He took the easy known route and left the poor little civilian Genin to her own devices. He was emotionally weak. He never should’ve been forced to be a Genin leader to begin with but who else do you hand the last loyal Uchiha to except the only other guy with a Sharingan?”

Genma quirked a brow in interest, “What about Naruto?”

“Honestly, I think the Third should’ve had Tenzo involved with the nine tailed Jinchiriki’s training and maybe bring Jiraiya back sooner and force him to have a relationship with his godson but that’s just me.”

Genma’s eyes were wide and the senbon threatened to fall out of his mouth, “You know?”

Sakura waved it away like it was nothing, “Duh. It wasn’t hard to figure it out after Gaara almost killed me in the Crush. Not to mention once you see a picture of the Fourth you realize Naruto is basically a clone. The whole ‘this is an S-rank secret’ was kinda stupid and only served to hurt Naruto instead of making him loyal to the village. He should’ve been lauded as a hero’s son and instead we all treated him like trash.”

The clink of the metal senbon on Genma’s teeth was loud in the silence. He looked back and forth between the three women not knowing what to say.

Tsunade chuckled, “She’s right. I would’ve handled it a lot differently. Minato and Kushina’s child deserved better.”

Shizune hummed, “I wonder if the Third was pressured by the Elder Council at the time. Danzo did convince him to do a lot.”

Tsunade scoffed, “Spineless is not a good look on a Kage.”

Genma muttered much to all three women’s amusement, “You three are terrifying creatures.”

Sakura hummed, “Terrifying is one word for us, I guess.”

She knew what they were. And terrifying certainly was an apt word to describe the three of them if one actually knew them. If they didn’t know them, then all they saw was an alcoholic Hokage past her prime, a weak medic that never mastered the chakra strength or the byakugou seal, and a pretty little medic that never left the village according to the archives. They let others see exactly what they wanted them to see. It also helped that Shizune and her had never been entered into any bingo book. They remained unknown factors which always gave them an edge.

Only a handful knew what they could actually do. The main ones regarding her were the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. The Yamanakas knew about her and the Nara were lauded as a genius clan for a reason. She was sure they all made sure the heirs were well aware of her even if Shikamaru chose to stay silent and Choji pretended that he didn’t. Genma was slowly getting fed more and more information about her family’s true capabilities and she saw how he was starting to regard them all in a different light. He knew they were strong but it was obvious that he hadn’t realized the actual scope of how strong.

Sakura smiled around the straw of her drink. It was best this way. She knew instinctually that one day she would need to be underestimated to come home alive. Though the thought of facing such a strong opponent did cause some small tingle of excitement within her.

Chapter 22: Peace Before the Storm

Summary:

Kakashi is paranoid and Genma is over it.

Notes:

So I am uploading this chapter from my phone. If there is an issue or a mistake anywhere please let me know! I usually use a computer but my internet has been an issue for over a week now and it just got fixed.

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Chapter Twenty Two: Peace Before the Storm
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Kakakshi’s POV:

He knew after that look flashed in her eyes and her hand whipped out to expertly snag both of the two remaining eggplants what had happened. Even after she had plastered that nice little innocent smile on her face and kept her body language relaxed at the register, he knew. Sakura Senju was fucking with him. He didn’t even know she liked eggplant. He hoped she wouldn’t just throw it out.

The second and then third time confirmed everything he was trying to convince himself was all in his head. He suspiciously would spot a flash of pink nearby without ever being able to pinpoint it after the fact but he had trouble ever finding eggplant after that. The store owner even commented how it was so popular these days when it normally wasn’t. Suspicious.

It continued in the form of immature pranks that he could never pin on her but in his gut he knew. The adhesive expertly slathered onto the tree branch he normally napped on in the one training ground took him an embarrassingly long time to, one; notice it was even there after he had settled in, and two; figure out a way to escape his imprisonment of being glued to the branch without having to ditch his clothes and run home practically naked.

He foolishly thought a peace offering would lessen this war against him. But no, free dango and smoothies from her favorite shop and even actual meals did nothing to deter the hellion of a woman from targeting him. And still he could not prove that Sakura was the one behind any of these acts. He was slowly going insane and getting more paranoid than he already was. If Kakashi was watching this be done to anyone else he would be impressed but instead he just wished for peace.

Kakashi had gotten into the habit of having at least one of the ninken with him at all times just in case since their senses could potentially pick up more than his with his mask on. They had warned him of strange scents and odd things that seemed off and he had successfully avoided a broken bench that he would’ve fallen through if he sat on it. He had even found another grocer that had now started ordering in eggplant and holding it just for him to pick up. He was making this work.

Genma landed in front of him a few steps and stood still until he was able to fall into step with Kakashi.

“Not getting any better?”

Kakashi shook his head like he was trying to dislodge something, “I don’t know. A lot of things are so subtle that it could just be coincidence and I’m giving her the credit. Maybe I’m overthinking this and need to start from the beginning.”

“How would you start from the beginning?”

“I need to keep her within sight at all times. Maybe I can invite her out for a day and see if anything happens while she’s with me? That would prove it or not.”

Genma looked over with furrowed brows, “Kakash-”

“No! That’s too obvious! I need to follow her and track her at a distance and observe her. She is more likely if she doesn’t know I’m near. She’s not a sensor. I just need to stay out of range so she can’t feel my chakra nature.”

“I think you need some sleep and-”

“No! She’s around the Yamanaka clan too much for that to work. They would inform her right away! That would fall apart instantly. Maybe if the pack tracks her instead and I go on like nothing has changed they will be able to catch her in the act.”

Genma stopped clamping his hand in an iron grip on Kakashi’s shoulder and without a world flash stepped them off the streets and to the gate of an Anbu training ground that was obviously in use by the sounds of metal hitting metal. Genma strolled through the gate without a word pulling Kakashi behind him.

Why were they here? He had to find a plan that would have a higher rate of success than his previous ones. Why was Genma wasting his time instead of helping?

Genma came to a stop and flared his chakra announcing his presence and the flashes of moving bodies and metal striking metal stopped and there was silence.

A familiar man wearing a Cobra mask appeared in front of them out of striking range, “What is it?”

“Sir, I need to speak to Hyena.”

Santa removed his mask and clipped it to his belt as his pupiless eyes moved over both of their persons weighing his response. Then a flare of chakra and all of team Ka stood at attention behind Santa.

“We’re gonna take a short break. You may remove your masks.”

Santa stepped to the side allowing him to see his team out of the corner of his eye. When all the masks were clipped to belts instead of on their faces he spoke again, “Saku, Genma wishes to speak to you.”

She nodded with cold green eyes that were still just a step away from battle ready. Sakura stepped forward with her hands at her sides and nodded to the two men, “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Genma sighed, “Sakura, please, I need you to stop messing with Kakashi. It’s going to start affecting missions and I need my team captain to have his head on straight.”

Kakashi’s eye flicked to Sakura’s face taking in the small quirk of her mouth. He knew it. This was basically a confession.

“I knew it was you,” Kakashi heard himself whisper.

Sakura shrugged, “You made it fun. The first time was by chance. And some things I didn’t even do like that bench breaking. That has been on the repair list for about a month now. I just got lucky that you didn’t bother to read the sign that was next to it.”

“Why me?”

Sakura’s face grew into a bigger genuine smile, “You were fun to play with. And I had to lay off Morino for a bit. Last time I wrapped everything in his office like a birthday present he threatened to put me in his iron maiden.”

Genma made a choking sound, “Ibiki Morino?”

Sakura nodded, “Yeah! He’s my usual target.”

Kakashi eyed this woman who looked so innocent and ethereal like a forest fairy with her bright green eyes, pale pink hair, delicate features, and small stature. She lulled you into her net before revealing that she was dangerous and deadly. He knew, he knew that Sakura Senju was formidable and ridiculously strong to the point where if they sparred in an all out match he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that he would come out the winner.

He whispered in awe, “You’re a terrifying woman.”

His comment made her eyes lighten and a warm smile play on her lips, “I know.”

It was at this exact moment where everything he had ever known about this person from the time he met her when she was twelve and then re-met her when she was seventeen that everything started to meld together into one person. He now understood why everyone scoffed at him when he started sniffing around about her welfare after he saw her those first few times at the bar.

Tsunade had looked at him like he was an idiot and now he knew that he really was one. This woman didn’t need a welfare check. She didn’t need an old teammate making sure she was good. She was what you kept your precious people from. She was the threat.

Kakashi made a choking sound deep in his throat as he remembered Ibiki laughing at him, remembered the Anbu commander dismissing his concerns, and remembered Inoichi gave him a narrowed look. They all knew. They all knew what she was. She was incredible and the majority of the village had no idea.

“No one knows what you are, do they?”

Sakura and Genma had stopped whatever they were saying and both turned their attention to him. Genma’s eyes widened and a feral smile that was all teeth overtook Sakura’s face as her eyes darkened to a deep forest green.

“No, not many know. My mentors, the Yamanaka main family, and my Anbu team are the main ones who know everything. And I’m pretty sure the Yamanakas brought the Nara and Akimichi into the fold due to their alliance. And now you and your Anbu team are being slowly brought in.”

“Why are we being allowed to know the full extent of what you can do?”

That feral smile chilled him and he felt like a mouse in front of a cat that’s been starved.

“That is the question, isn’t it?”

“It’s not your doing?”

“It’s Tsunade’s doing. I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot more of each other soon, Hatake. It was best for you to wipe the image of what I used to be away so you wouldn’t make a dumb mistake in the field, like protect me.”

Kakashi shook his head, “I can now see that you don’t need me to.”

He watched as her eyes dipped down in a slow and calculated move to assess his entire form. What she found he wasn’t sure. But her eyes flicked back to Genma, “I promise to stop playing with Kakashi, Genma. So you can stop your worrying.”

Genma’s stern look was replaced by his easy lopsided smile, “Worry? Me? Never.”

Kakashi watched as Sakura reattached her Hyena mask back on her face and clipped the hood to it so she was just another female Anbu among the rest of her team. Kakashi let Genma pull him out of the training field as he watched team Ka resume their fight and the spark that came off the metal weapons as they met each other filled his background until it faded with distance.

Chapter 23: The Guard

Summary:

Sakura gets summoned to the Hokage Tower.

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Chapter Twenty Three: The Guard
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Sakura’s POV:

The sun was still struggling to assert its dominance in the sky and force the moon away. The rays of light lit up the horizon more and more as time wore on and with it Sakura trudged herself through her morning routine knowing full well she was expected for a meeting in the Hokage office not as the heir to the Senju clan but as a Jonin of Konoha.

She had received the summons the night before informing her well before the meeting which she was grateful for. It was hit or miss with timeframes.

She made sure to be battle ready with tight black Anbu issued pants and her weapons pouch on her one thigh and her medical pouch on her lower back. Her top was also on the tighter end and went up high enough to sit under her chin with long sleeves. The look was completed with her steel toe boots and leather fingerless gloves that connected to her forearm gauntlets that had metal plates along them. If for some reason she was out of chakra or kunai these gauntlets did wonders for blocking even most swords. She pulled her short hair half up into two little buns on either side of her head towards the back and left the other half down. It reached just below her chin.

Sakura tilted her head slightly back in the mirror lifting her chin and showing her neck. Genin Sakura would be proud of what she had become. She was now a formidable shinobi by all accounts and she knew she ranked higher than most in Konoha. Though she did need to learn either more mid range or long range attacks or a way to bring the opponent to her. She was a close range fighter and that had some drawbacks. Maybe she would talk to Tsunade and see if it was possible for her to learn the chakra strings that Suna puppet masters were famous for.

Sakura didn’t bother to enter the Hokage office through the door like the rest were doing out of respect for their leader. She was sitting on the metal awning of the window below Tsunade’s office and listened. The window was slightly ajar and Sakura knew it was Tsunade who had just done it after feeling her there. She would wait outside in the spring weather instead of waiting with the rest in the office. It tended to get crowded in there easily.

A hand slammed on the desk and Sakura knew it was Tsunade calling for silence. She let out a sigh and reached a hand up to slide the window all the way open before flipping from the awning to crouching on the windowsill. She let a leg dangle into the room and observed everyone’s eyes who hadn’t felt her smothered chakra jump to her person.

“Ah, nice of you to join us, kid.”

Tsunade remarked and waved Sakura into the room.

Sakura got the hint and hopped down from the window and closed it before she felt the seal activate on the room watching the walls shimmer before going back to normal. The others in the rooms were standing in groups. Inoichi and Shikaku were standing on the other side of Tsunade’s desk. Santa came and stood next to her bumping his arm against her shoulder. Sakura crossed her arms and watched everyone else in the room while listening to Tsunade.

Tenzo, Genma, and Kakashi were standing by the one wall with Genma leaning against it. Shikamaru and Neji were off to the other side with Shika in his signature slouch that rivaled Kakashi’s. Gai Maito stood in the center at a relaxed attention facing Tsunade. He was the only one that looked the part of a Jonin. The rest of them were relaxed and waiting for whatever the news was.

Tsunade waved and Shikaku sighed before he began speaking.

“There will be a Kage Summit in less than a month hosted in the Land of Iron. The leader of the samurai, Mifune, had agreed to host it again as a neutral party.”

Sakura watched as every set of eyes she could see zeroed in at the words. Everyone still looked relaxed but Shikaku held their complete focus.

“For this summit, each Kage is allowed to bring a team of eight shinobi. You will have a partner within that larger group. You will not go to a single place without your partner, is that understood?”

Eight heads lowered slightly in acknowledgement. She wondered if she would be teamed up with Santa since they already worked well together though that seemed overkill to put the two most adept with genjutsu on the same team. Sure, Kakashi was good at the act but he rarely ever used his eye for that and instead used it for the higher reflexes and information gathering abilities.

“Team four will be Gai Maito and Genma Shiranui.”

Okay, so she wasn’t with Genma. That wouldn’t be a big deal. She knew she wouldn’t be with any other front liners like Gai.

“Team three will be Shikamaru Nara and Neji Hyuga.”

Damn. She had been slightly hoping for Shika. He was a tactician only second to his father and a damn good match with her abilities. Maybe she really was with Santa?

“Team two will be Tenzo Senju and Santa Yamanaka.”

Sakura went over who was left in her head and internally cursed. Her mind immediately replayed a conversation from months prior about taking the restriction of not being able to work with Kakashi off her file. Shit. Tsunade had even mentioned the Kage Summit then too and she had made a joke about it not wanting to deal with the hassle. She hadn’t even realized that the two things would come up like this. She didn’t hate Kakashi. Most days he was just there and other days she lived to torment him. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. It was going to be work related.

“Team one will be Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Senju.”

Sakura didn’t let her face make any change at all and held it in its blank stare at Shikaku waiting for the next bit. Though she would feel a particular eye on her.

“Team one will be directly responsible for Lady Tsunade’s protection and will attend all meetings with her as her personal guard.”

Sakura kept focused on the rest of the meeting as travel routes were discussed and expectations and responsibilities for each team to carry. She wasn’t expecting to be a part of the personal guard of her Kage. Usually, the most notorious and strongest take that role. Having Kakashi fill one of the spots made perfect sense, he was renown throughout the nations as not only Copy-nin Kakashi or Sharingan Kakashi but also as the son of the White Fang. His bounty was rank S in the bingo books and he was in every single one. On the other hand, Sakura was an unknown from a humble background with no notoriety to her name or even a moniker. She wasn’t in a single bingo book and didn’t have a bounty. She was unlikely to instill any type of fear into the other nations or even act as a deterrent. Why bring her to the meetings? It would’ve made more sense in her mind to be switched with Gai. He was on par with Kakashi and known as the Green Beast of Konoha.

The meeting ended and would be resumed the next day to iron out more details though each team would be scheduled for combat training together later in the week. She prayed it wasn’t a damn Anbu obstacle course.

Sakura watched the others slowly trickle out of the office through the door as she continued to stand at the side of Tsunade’s desk waiting with her arms crossed. Tsunade was wrapping up orders to Inoichi and Shikaku and she glanced over her shoulder at Sakura with a nod before seemingly ignoring her. Sakura knew that was Tsunade acknowledging that Sakura was now next in line and to just wait a bit.

She leaned against the same window she had come in through until a grunt was heard and her eyes darted up to lock with Tsunade’s amber eyes. The room was now empty and the silencing seal was gone.

“I’m not questioning why I’m in the eight man team. I am questioning why I am on your personal guard. Wouldn’t Gai be a better deterrent against the other Kages and their guards?”

Tsunade rolled her neck, “And here I thought you stayed to fight being paired with Hatake.”

“I don’t care about that. Work is work.”

“You are one of my personal guards because you are damn strong and probably on par with Gai before he opens the last three gates. But you are also more than that and offer more than just strength at the table. I need your capability to incapacitate someone without killing them and without destroying the building.”

“Hmm… yeah, Gai would probably not care about the building.”

Tsunade scoffed, “None of the flashy ones ever take that into account. I am not trying to be in debt to the damn samurai.”

“But they won’t fear me.”

The feral smile that overtook Tsunade’s face made Sakura suppress a shiver.

“I don’t want them to fear you. I want them to underestimate you and ignore you. Kakashi is there to be the deterrent. Hell, I am a damn deterrent. You, you are a secret weapon up my sleeve that I hope to never use. You will be by my side seen only as the best medic in this world and seen as a bargaining chip in plain sight. Can you do that for me?”

Sakura thought it over before nodding, “I can.”

“Good. You will be sensing every single one. I want to know everything about everyone we encounter and what they feel like. We are not there just to play peace and talk trade agreements, we are there to assess each major village that someday could declare war against us.”

Sakura knelt on one knee and held her right fist over her heart, “I won’t let you down.”

A warm smile replaced the hard line that Tsunade’s feral smile had morphed into, “You never could.”

Notes:

Okay, so I have been fighting with motivation since the chapters I am currently working on are just not sitting all nice and neat like some of the previous chapters. Maybe because there's actual plot? Rude. But I am throwing around the idea of certain characters making an appearance but we shall see if they fit into the chapters or not.

Though I do need more Sakura being a troll and just not giving a shit cause that is ultimately my favorite version of her.

I am also attempting to work on the next part of my one work, Intense Worship, cause it felt unfinished and I need it to be more.

Chapter 24: Team Training

Summary:

Sakura goes to the designated training ground for new team training with Kakashi.

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Chapter Twenty Four: Team Training
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Sakura’s POV:

Sakura was given no information and no clue as to what this training would entail. Apparently, each team would be given a different instructor and the training was left up to that person to decide. She was really hoping to not get a sadist but luck probably wasn’t on her side. They were shinobi afterall, they all were a little bit of a sadist. How else did you continue on killing people you didn’t even know the names of.

You learned to live with the blood on your hands or you didn’t continue to live.

Sakura walked into a training ground she wasn’t familiar with. It had a small pond on the one side with the usual plethora of trees on the other and a clearing in the middle with large rocks at the back end. She didn’t sense another chakra signature within the vicinity but with her short range that didn’t say much so instead she did what she did best. She created things to supplement her weaknesses.

She knelt on the ground and laid her palm against the ground digging her fingertips in slightly. Her chakra threaded through each of her fingers and into the ground weaving itself like a net infused with her earth chakra helping to guide it and helping it “adhere” to the surroundings. Sakura had essentially taken the idea she used with her genjutsu net and instead used her chakra control to weave one infused with earth chakra from scratch anchored to her fingertips in the dirt. It would slowly work its way outward from her in a giant circle and anything that breathed would ping on the net and relay that information back to her through her chakra. It had taken her a week to be able to pull it off but because it was so new it still took her forever to create it and then wait for it to expand and then relay the information. Her Anbu team had been her guinea pigs when he was testing it out in a game of hide and seek where she was the only seeker.

A squirrel scurrying up the trunk of a tree. A bird landing gently back into its nest to feed its hatchlings. A gopher underground napping on the very edge of the training grounds. The tree branch in the forested area to her left. A person, an adult, was sitting on a higher branch reading with their chakra snuffed out.

A smirk lifted the one side of her mouth. She wondered which book he had with him today. Sakura opened her eyes and pulled her fingers out of the ground, breaking the net she had cast into nothing. Her legs pushed off the ground as she seemingly vanished into thin air only to reappear in front of Kakashi with her head dipped over his book trying to read it upside down. A kunai was pressed against her throat and wasn’t removed until she knew he registered her as safe and not an immediate threat. She noticed his book lowering slightly and his kunai being returned to the weapons pouch on his thigh.

“Ma, Sakura, didn’t anyone tell you it’s not nice to sneak up on paranoid shinobi?”

Sakura was having no luck reading the book with the way he kept moving it as he talked. Rude.

“All the time. Sometimes, it’s followed up with a mentor trying to skewer me. Like the other day when I snuck up on Shizune and got a senbon to a major artery. It was so sweet of her to only try to kill me with a poison I’m already immune to. Sisterly affection and all that.”

She could practically see the annoyed face he was making behind his face mask with the narrowing of his eyes, “I thought you agreed no more tormenting me.”

Sakura plopped her butt down on the branch instead of crouching, forcing Kakashi to straddle the branch as well.

“I’m not tormenting you, silly Kakashi. This is me treating you as I would any of my other friends. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“You torture your friends?”

Sakura thought about it as she looked off to the side, “On occasion. Except for Ino. I don’t need her in my head again. Once was enough to get the message.”

Kakashi’s mask elongated as his mouth hung open, “Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not. So what chapter are you on? I couldn’t read it with all your fidgeting.”

“I don’t fidget.”

Sakura deadpan stared at the man, not answering until he sighed and answered.

“It’s the part where Junko gets kidnapped by the rogue-nin, Kenpachi.”

“Oh I love that part! He’s so roguishly handsome!”

“How do you know he’s “roguishly handsome”? His looks are barely described beyond the tiny bells attached to the end of his braided hair.”

“I can just tell by the things he says and his actions! He’s one of my favorites! I really hope she at least sleeps with Kenpachi. He would probably be great in bed.”

Kakashi choked on his spit as he tried to regain his senses, “Are we really talking about sex?”

Sakura waved his awkwardness away with her hand, “Oh come on, Kakashi. Like you haven’t had sex before.”

The pink creeping up to the top of his cheeks above the mask was making Sakura giggle.

“I haven’t-”

“You’re telling me… that you haven’t come back after a shitshow of a mission and found the first willing warm body to fuck all your apathy away?”

The tips of his ears were scarlet to match the rest of him.

“I, well, maybe…”

Sakura was having too much fun with this, “It’s normal, Kakashi. We’ve all done it at least once.”

Kakashi froze and looked at Sakura like he found another new version of her he had never seen before. She supposed he had. She had never talked like this in front of him before because she was only like this with her friends and he had never been in that category.

“Sakura, I, um, I may have seen something regarding you I wasn’t supposed to see.”

Sakura remained quiet and waited, having some idea what he was going to say.

“That one night at the bar when Genma and I went to leave and we oversaw you and that girl in the alleyway and I’m sorry!”

A smile cracked her face and she laughed, “I know.”

The skin above his mask and on the tips of his ears was no longer red or even pink. He just looked surprised with his one eye widened.

“You know?”

“Yeah, I experimented on my eyes years ago and can see in the dark. I know Genma couldn’t see but I also know an Inuzuka or Hatake could. Didn’t you question why I winked at you?”

“I really hadn’t.”

Sakura laughed, “Genma was right. You are so socially awkward!”

She could see Kakashi scrunching up his face underneath the mask even if she couldn’t actually see his face and it made her laugh even harder before she had to hold onto his shoulder to steady herself. She didn’t want to fall out of the tree.

He ended up swatting her out of the tree with the Icha Icha book and she laughed the entire way down before flipping midair and landing on the balls of her feet with barely an indent in the earth from her trying to stabilize herself while laughing.

“Well, at least you both are getting along. Now let’s see how you do fighting side by side.”

Sakura immediately stopped laughing and saw Kakashi land beside her, no book in sight of the new shinobi in front of them. Sakura gulped. It was Shikaku Nara and Morino Ibiki standing there, the former like they were bored and the latter looking pissed off they were tasked with this.

“Shit,” Sakura whispered under her breath knowing full well the rest of them heard her if the narrowing of Morino’s eyes were any indication.

A common misconception from the younger generation was that Shikaku Nara wasn’t among the strongest due to how lazy the Nara clan in general tended to be. But the Nara weren’t lazy. They only put out the amount of effort it took to get something done and no more. Unless one of two things happened, the first was if themselves or a comrade was in danger and the second was if you pissed them off. A pissed off genius promised a bad day for everyone else.

The frown slightly etching itself into Shikaku’s face did not promise an easy first day. At one point between drills she even heard him mumbling about how he didn’t get paid enough to babysit grown adults. At that, Sakura glanced over at Kakashi and noticed the tension in his spine. Yeah, she was pretty sure he had heard it all too.

All day was spent running drills together and synchronizing their skillset to work in tandem together on a protection detail. Morino had stood at their backs most of the time as a stand-in for Tsunade and tried tripping them up saying anything could happen and they had to be everywhere at once.

The end of the day could not come soon enough as she wheezed precious oxygen into her poor lungs with a good amount of dust making her cough and hack it up. Sakura laid face down on the ground with all of her limbs feeling like jelly with the occasional spasm. Her training clothes were trash with all the holes that now adorned them and she was now in desperate need of a wash.

Shikaku lightly kicked the sole of her sandal, “We’re done for today. Your next training session is in two days.”

Morino placed two water bottles and two ration bars between her body and Kakashi’s that was in the same corpse-like pose as hers. She barely heard the ‘good job, brat’ before the two men disappeared as she and Kakashi tried not to die.

“I think I hate them,” Kakashi struggled to whisper.

Sakura coughed up a laugh, “At least they’re better at teaching than you.”

He attempted to look offended but they were both too tired for the faked dramatics.

“I wasn’t that bad.”

Sakura attempted to lower her voice in mimicry, “Ma, Sakura, go sit over there while the boys spar and you can go next.”

Kakashi sighed, “Yeah, okay, I sucked.”

“The Third was obviously senile for forcing you to teach.”

“I think that counts as treason.”

“It’s fine. My mom is Hokage.”

They both laughed at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. As Sakura watched him sit up and start to sip his water under the mask a thought crossed her mind. They may be alright as teammates afterall.

Notes:

I absolutely loved writing this chapter! It just flowed really easily and nicely and I miss that. I need that to come back for the current chapters I am working on. FINALLY mad it past the chunk of bullshit chapters I was struggling with and now into a new struggle lol but it has plot and that's hard.

Anyway, expect the next few chapters to focus on the Summit and a surprise will come at the end. Whether you think it is a good or bad surprise is up to you. I apologize for nothing.

Chapter 25: The Journey

Summary:

The Hokage and her eight guards start their journey to the Kage Summit.

Notes:

This is the beginning of the Kage Summit arc for me. It will mostly be serious. There will not be another fluff chapter until after it is over. There will be some lighter points but the overall tone is serious.

I will add in a disclaimer for graphic violence or gore in an upcoming chapter or two but they're ninja in basically dictatorships soooooo what ya gonna do? Nothing too dark or political cause I hate writing that and am not good at it. Enjoy!

As always your comments and kudos fuel me so please feel free to leave some! :)

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Chapter Twenty Five: The Journey
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Kakashi’s POV:

The air was perfect and crisp in the morning as they left Konoha. It made sense that a few of the Jonin in the guard for the Hokage were in sleeveless shirts. The pace set was grueling to anyone not used to it. For the Anbu it was normal. Though he wasn’t sure if Neji or Shikamaru were ever recruited to join the black ops. He knew Gai was never pulled due to his skillset serving better in full frontal assault teams. Though Gai was well enough informed to know all of team Ro. He had been friends with Kakashi and Genma since their academy days. Even if Kakashi had only attended for a single year.

He kept an eye on the others just to make sure everyone was keeping up since he was in the back and could see if anyone struggled. Tsunade was directly in the middle with two guards on each side of her and two in the front and the back. Santa was in the front with Tenzo using his abilities as a sensor to scope out any incoming people. Kakashi was in the back next to Sakura. He could practically feel the small subtle genjutsus she was playing with as she ran. He wondered what they did but needed to keep alert. Having a sensor was nice but relying on them too much would make you easily slip into being negligent when you needed to be alert and ready to fight or defend. In his case, defend Tsunade. He and Sakura were her last line of defense and responsible for her safety throughout this entire mission.

Some would say it was an honor to be considered for the eight man guard and others would be jealous of those actually chosen. The majority of the Chunin and Genin would see the two man personal guard as some high honor when in reality it was more work. He would’ve been fine just being on the guard and not having to follow the Hokage everywhere and attend every single meeting. But he knew his role in this was to be the scary guard dog that everyone knew would bite to kill. He knew his role and Sakura was explained her role as well. She was an unknown, purposely kept that way for all these years. It blew his mind when he had started to hear about her past missions and what they entailed. Team Ka was the other side of the same coin to team Ro. They were the teams called when you absolutely needed to mission to succeed no matter what. They were the only two assassination teams that could hold their own in a full frontal assault. They were the only ones with near perfect success rates with their current members.

Sakura had told him the story of the first mission she went on with team Ka. He had laughed knowing she wasn’t exaggerating at all. She had known the stories about Captain Cobra and knew going in that she would have to watch out for her own back or there was a strong chance she wasn’t coming home. What she didn’t expect was their fourth member to leave an opening for an enemy to attack Cobra out of spite.

Kakashi had been angry on Santa’s behalf knowing full well what that was like. He knew what it felt like to lead a team where no one trusted you to keep them alive. You had to go out every single mission determined to watch your own back and theirs. It wasn’t until Genma had joined the black ops that things had gotten better for Kakashi. He had strong-armed his way onto team Ro and defended Kakashi to hell and back after the Uchiha Massacre. Itachi had previously been on team Rob and had been Kakashi’s to look after. Then he snapped.

He was happy that Santa had found a good team finally. He was also happy that Sakura was safe on a good team. Even if it took Kakashi a long time to realize it.

They set up camp as the sun was setting on day one. They would work in the same two man teams throughout this entire mission even on watch shifts through the night. Their shift was always going to be first or last so their sleep was the least interrupted. It was really the only perk to being the chosen personal guards to the Hokage.

Kakashi sat on a low wooden bench, courtesy of Tenzo, in front of the small fire they had pitched their tents around. He would be sleeping in the same tent as Tsunade and Sakura. He was honestly tempted to sleep outside on such a nice night if it didn’t mean being too far from the Hokage he was ordered to protect. Not to mention the whole swearing loyalty to the Hokage and the village for the remainder of his life.

He listened to the small conversations going on as they ate dinner. Sakura was playing a game of shoji with Shikamaru and from the pursed look on her face like she just ate a lemon he was guessing she was losing.

Shikamaru smirked, “You’ve improved.”

Sakura huffed out a breath as she moved another piece, “But not enough to challenge one of the best tacticians in the village.”

“You’re more fun to play against than Ino. She refuses to play with me anymore.”

“That’s because she got tired of always losing.”

“You don’t?”

“I don’t play you enough to care. Also tactics and strategy is not my area of expertise.”

“But you dabble,” The warmth in Shikamaru’s voice was evident.

Kakashi watched as they bantered back and forth recalling that awkward conversation he started with Santa on that one Anbu mission about whoever fell for Sakura needed to have a heart of gold or they wouldn’t come out with their life intact and definitely not their mind if they lived. He wasn’t sure if the Nara heir fit that bill and wondered if they were always like this. It was easy to guess that they probably were and had known each other through Ino. He pulled his thoughts back to the present at Sakura’s answer.

“I dabble in almost everything.”

A smirk curved up one side of Shikamaru’s face, “Insatiable thirst for knowledge.”

“Like that’s not why we’re friends. Did your mom have a chance to look into the formula I sent over?”

“No, not yet. She said she would during this mission and have an answer for you upon our return.”

Sakura nodded her head as she flicked her king over in defeat.

Shikamaru looked at her, “You still had a few moves left.”

Sakura shook her head, “There was no point in fighting the inevitable when the end result was the same.”

Kakashi left his log to set up the rest of their tent for Tsunade to rest. She had only been out of the village a handful of times since donning the mantle of Hokage after the Third died in the Crush years prior. They were pushing a grueling pace so far and he didn’t want her to start lagging. She would be the prime target if they were attacked and he needed her to be on her guard.

The rest of the night was uneventful and he blinked open his eye taking in Genma poking his arm with a finger. He was far enough away to dodge if Kakashi accidentally attacked but Kakashi was keeping himself in a light sleep to always be on his guard. He swung his legs out of his cot seeing Sakura on the other side of Tsunade stretching her arms out above her head. They nodded and left Tsunade to her slumber for the remaining few hours. Sakura jumped into the trees on the other side of their tent and he went the opposite way to cover all directions easier.

An attack didn’t come at night when they would have expected it. Instead, it came in the form of an ambush the moment they were close enough to the border of Rice but still in Fire. The ground gave way to earth spikes and the kunai and shuriken rained down upon them. They jumped back to avoid the spikes and Tenzo formed a wooden wall to curve over the group to shield them from the numerous projectiles. Kakashi had only noticed it due to his Sharingan and did a double take of the two women. The one who looked exactly like Tsunade winked at him and he could see the double image through the dojutsu versus his actual eye that only saw the lie. Tsunade and Sakura had henged into each other. It was a good strategy since Sakura was known to be Tsunade’s second apprentice. They would have similar fighting styles and Kakashi knew Sakura could switch flawlessly between the Senju style Tsunade taught her and the one she created with Santa.

The wooden wall fell and the group of rogue nin jumped from the trees and landscape with weapons ready and teeth bared. Predictably, they tried to target the Hokage. What they didn’t know was they were actually attacking Sakura and not taking the presumed pink haired apprentice seriously. It would’ve been funny to watch if he didn’t have to worry about his own neck.

The fight was over quickly. Sakura stood there still looking exactly like Tsunade. Her hand was wrapped around the rogue nin’s throat tightening after he spit in her face. His scream was strangled and half cut off when she deliberately broke both his hands by squeezing them in her other hand.

She threw the man to the ground and without looking up started giving orders, “Santa, get me everything from him. Gai and Genma secure a perimeter. Tenzo act as guard for her,” The still disguised Sakura jutted her thumb at the actual Hokage who now let the ruse drop and Sakura did the same. A few eyes widened but orders were still followed. Sakura and Kakashi out ranked them all on this mission.

“Saku, you want him alive?”

The pink hair fanned out as she shook her head, “If he doesn’t die from the mental invasion, slit his throat.”

Tsunade stood with her arms crossed as Tenzo and Kakashi shadowed her while Sakura checked over everyone and healed any minor injuries.

When Genma and Gai came back and reported a secure radius, it was double checked by Neji’s dojutsu before Sakura’s shoulders relaxed slightly with a sigh. She waved a hand in a wide arc sweeping to encompass the dead, now including the one laying in front of Santa with a slit throat, “Someone bury them. No evidence.”

Neji, Gai, Genma, and Tenzo stood a bit farther out keeping guard as they talked.

It was Tsunade, Santa, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Kakashi in a loose circle before Tsunade waved a hand at Santa, “What did you find?”

The man shook his head causing his high ponytail of blonde hair to swing back and forth across his back, “Not much. They were hired by a cloaked messenger. Only their leader who wasn’t here knew the client. They were waiting around the edge of Iron for about a week now. I don’t think they knew exactly when we would be traveling but they had an inkling. There are other teams lying in wait for the other Kage’s too.”

Tsunade huffed, “They can handle themselves.”

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, “One of the Kage’s has a rat.”

All eyes turned to the Nara as he explained, “No one outside the Hokage, the clan council, and the guard knew when we would be leaving. But these men had enough of an idea to lie in wait for only a week. They had a window. They knew what path we would take and where we were most likely to enter Iron. They caught us as we were entering Rice instead of going directly to the Fire-Iron border, which would be a more direct route and more common to take.”

They all mulled over this information that coming from a Nara was basically a fact instead of just conjecture.

Kakashi spoke, “Did the other Kage’s know of each other’s routes?”

Tsunade nodded, “Yes. We were supposed to memorize it and then burn it. I am the only one in Konoha that would know that information.”

“But can the same be said for the other Kages? Someone most likely knew the routes,” Sakura thought out loud as she picked at her nails, “Are there any rogue nin from Konoha that could make that educated guess?”

Tsunade gave it a thought before answering, “Itachi Uchiha may be able to. Orochimaru definitely is capable of guessing the route too.”

Most of their faces darkened. No one wanted to deal with either of those two rogues. They were two of the strongest to ever come out of the Leaf Village. One murdered his entire clan before deserting. The only survivor was Sasuke who also defected to train under the snake sannin. Orochimaru defected after he was caught experimenting on children. The result was Tenzo who was a clone of Hashirama Senju. He had come back to invade the village and kill his old teacher who shunned him. A lot of the reports concerning those two shinobi were so heavily redacted by the Third and his council that the truth had been hidden under black ink. They were still slowly working their way through boxes of documents in the secret storage room off the Hokage office. Everything from Root had been transferred to that office for security reasons. It was still a mess and it had been years since the Third’s death and almost as much time since Danzo’s demise and everything came to light.

They still didn’t have concrete proof of who killed the old warhawk. Though from the residual DNA within the sockets in the Hashirama cells used in Danzo’s arm they could take an educated guess. Each empty socket contained DNA belonging to Uchiha who were long dead. It made sense then that one of the only two Uchiha still alive knew about the less than noble deeds of Danzo Shimura. Kakashi knew a little of the old man from his stint in Root in his younger years before he got Tenzo out with him. Danzo should’ve been tried for treason after that attempted assassination of the Third.

Tsunade let out a deep breath and spoke a little louder for the outer circle to hear, “For now, let’s work on the assumption we have a rat within our ranks. You trust no one outside this guard with any information. Understood?”

Eight confirmations were returned.

“Let’s head out.”