Deceitful (A Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 54: Sakura

"My brain is fired." I groaned, shielding my eyes from the ever present glare of the early morning Konoha sun. I was up at an ungodly hour, running on little to no sleep. The method of sleeping fully without waking up proved to be extremely unhelpful. The nightmares were back at full force. I rubbed my temples, vaguely aware of the dark rings under my eyes and the persistent pounding in my skull.

"Did you mean to say fried?" Neji corrected, an extremely polite and cordial aura enveloping him. He and I were waiting for Shikamaru and Kakashi to show up, but he wasn't willing to take a chance breaking character. It was understandable enough.

His words however, still had a hint of playfulness that caused me to smile slightly before continuing.

"Yeah, that." I replied, pausing swiftly before continuing.

"Actually, no. You know what? My brain is fired too. It needs to pack its things and get out." I added as I closed my eyes, feeling the sun on my lids as the temperature started to rise. It was September, but the cool start of winter was only apparent at night.

Neji hid a smile effectively, the only giveaway being the slight wrinkle in his nose that probably rarely occurred nowadays. His lilac eyes shifted constantly, surveying the area even though we were at the gates of Konoha. Always on guard and endlessly careful.

"I thought I told you to get some sleep." He murmured, low enough that if the wind picked up at that exact moment I would have missed it.

"We all know how well I follow directions." I replied cheekily, my dull eyes reflecting how my heart wasn't really in the comment.

"You've lost a bit of spark. I'm sorry." He noted, tacking on an excessive apology.

I waved my hand in acknowledgement, hyperaware of the toll things have taken on me. I could feel the other members of our squad approaching, causing an untimely, abrupt, and almost awkward end to our conversation.

"Don't mention it." I smiled brilliantly, attempting to reassure Neji and defect from the profile Yamanaka-san had come up with for me. I wasn't broken and I didn't need to be coddled. I repeated that internally a few times as Neji shook his head slightly, knowing the truth.

He quickly and quietly shot me a 'this isn't over' look as the habitual sigh of Shikamaru interrupted the moment. Footsteps ensued and I turned, flashing small smiles at both teammates.

"So, this is just a normal patrol?" I clarified, cautious of any surprises. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past Yamanaka-san.

"Yes, no surprises." Kakashi replied, lazy eyes roaming the landscape ahead.

"Well, normally I'd suggest we split up to cover more ground quickly, but it looks like that's not going to be an option. Neji, you want to lead?" Shikamaru spoke tiredly, already offering the lead as he glanced at an even more exhausted Kakashi. Kakashi's mask was put on half heartedly, his eyes already shut and his book nowhere to be seen. He definitely had a rough night.

Shikamaru looked equally tired, worry lines and faint dark circles prominent on his features. He stretched briefly, glancing with wonder and relief for a minute at the nearly cloudless sky.

Neji looked well rested enough if looked at fast enough. If one focused on him for a while, you could sense the tired, sluggish atmosphere his eyes exuded. It was cleverly hidden by his ever present lightening reflexes and poise instilled by the years of his childhood.

They obviously wouldn't let me lead, since technically I was at Genin rank, so I didn't even bother asking or protesting. It was too early for confrontation.