A/N: I realized that I made a grave mistake. I forgot that after Sakura, Naruto, Sai and Yamato’s first meeting as a team, they left the village in an hour. So let’s just say I moved that event and changed it to a mission debriefing a day before.
Kohana stood between Sakura and Sai, her arms crossed and a calculating frown on her face. It looked as if nothing had happened the day before—as if she never cried and never talked to Osamu about accepting the mission. However, it was thanks to Naruto and Osamu that Kohana was a little bit willing to give the mission a shot. After all, it did benefit her in more ways than just receiving information.
“Team Kakashi departs!” Yamato declared, his voice loud and authoritative.
“What is it?”
Sakura and Kohana’s heads swung to Sai’s direction, suddenly curious.
However, silence only followed as they continued to walk, Kohana was positioned at the very back between Sai and Naruto while Sakura walked two paces ahead of her, behind Naruto. Kohana couldn’t help but sigh mentally a certain whiskered-nin continued to glare at Sai. She wasn’t sure how she could describe the way Naruto looked at Sai, but nevertheless, she assumed it to be something along the lines of a look that tried to confirm something.
Her eyes trailing to the sky (slightly covered by the towering trees) in thought, she concluded:
‘Maybe he’s trying to compare Sai with Sasuke…?’
Face scrunched up in slight confusion, she shook her head, attention settling on the two boys.
“Please stop staring at me. Don’t make me hit you,” was Sai’s monotonous response.
It also seemed that Sai’s words set something off inside Naruto.
Naruto finally faced him fully, raising his fist in obvious aggravation. “Every damn thing you say just pisses me off!”
Sai simply smiled that smile of his and continued to walk leisurely. “I don’t hold any malice towards you.”
Naruto growled, his arm shooting out to point an accusing finger at the pale boy. “Liar!”
One hand in his pocked, Sai coolly replied, “I’m just trying to put on that kind of attitude.”
Kohana pursed her lips at Sai’s seemingly innocent tone of voice; she wanted no part in this.
“Aha! You do have malice!” He said, but Kohana hadn’t expected him to continue with his outburst.
“Why the hell are you here? All you do is piss people off!”
Their walking came to a halt once Naruto had begun to say that. With a heavy sigh, Yamato turned around, a hand on his hip and a very apprehensive look in his eyes.
“Hey, hey! Don’t say something like that right in front of your captain, Naruto. Teamwork and cooperation are the most important elements in a team. I thought Kakashi-san had already taught you that. Someone like you in a team with the great Kakashi-san… what is with you?”
Naruto stubbornly kept his finger at Sai’s direction as he cried, “It’s because he’s not a member of Team Kakashi! The other member of Team Kakashi is… Sasuke!”
Sakura’s mouth opened slightly in surprise, while Kohana merely sighed, a strained expression on her face. She didn’t like where this was going, and she had no intentions of sticking around if Naruto wanted to continue something as irrational as this.
