DUTY BEFORE HONOR ; naruto

1. In which Sakura's chastity is questioned

Some things never seem important 'till they're gone.
Constantly struggling to make it on her own,
She becomes so aware, that life is ruthlessly unfair.

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"Are you a virgin?"

Sakura froze and stared at the woman who had taught her almost everything she knew about being a ninja. What made the question even more awkward was that the man who had taught her everything else about being a ninja, Hatake Kakashi, was standing directly beside her, trying not to look interested in the answer by staring blankly at a light fitting. Two ANBU stood on either side of the door, their masks guarding whatever thoughts they had about the question, and the chunin that Tsunade employed to catalogue her records was working at his desk. By the way his pen had paused against his book and his eyes remained fixed to his work indicated he was listening pretty closely too.

A delicate blush, barely perceptible, tinted Sakura's cheeks. "Um... why do you wish to know Tsunade-sensei?" she asked, schooling her voice to keep calm. Before she gave a potentially embarrassing answer, she just wanted to know if there was a reason behind the question, and not Tsunade playing a cruel joke.

"Sakura, I'm sending you on a very tricky mission here," Tsunade told her. "I'm choosing you because you are the best Kunoichi in the village..."

Sakura's ego soared.

"...who isn't already on a mission."

The ego plummeted back to earth.

"I would rather prefer sending a more seasoned woman on this mission," Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair and tenting her fingers. "But situation requires more talent than experience... but experience really is quite necessary too. I would prefer if you had a little of the latter asset..."

Sakura tried not to look at any of the other men in the room, especially not her perverted teacher who was still staring at the light fixture. Her blush had intensified, making her face feel rather warm. "Y-You mean... experience of the s-se-"

"Sexual nature? Yes." Tsunade had a wry smile on her face. The kind of smile only an old woman who had seen it all could give a child who knew nothing. Sometimes it looked odd on her twenty-something face. "Which is why I ask you... are you a virgin?"

Sakura still couldn't work the words around the lump in her throat to answer.

Kakashi yawned next to her.

"I see," Tsunade said suddenly. "Oh, well. I'll just have to send Ino on this one. She may not have your strength, Sakura, but I hear she's quite the hit with the lads-"

"I can do it!" Sakura blurted impulsively as bitter jealousy surged through her veins.

She may have been on good terms with Ino these days, but even trips to the shops and blubbering together during sad romance films was not enough to kill the deep-seated rivalry they shared. A rivalry that, at times, could be more spiteful and psychologically traumatizing than the one between Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura was leagues ahead of Ino now that Tsunade had unwrapped her budding potential and nurtured it, but she could already hear Ino's crows of triumph for taking on an A-class mission that Sakura herself couldn't handle. Sakura couldn't let Ino win this one.

Tsunade's eyebrow tilted up. "Oh?" she practically purred.

"I-I..." Sakura swallowed her embarrassment quite literally with a gulp. "I have experience of that... nature. I can do whatever you ask of me."

The hokage grinned. "That's good. But honestly, you surprise me, Sakura... I really didn't peg you as that kind of girl..."

Sakura glared fiercely at her former teacher, discreetly hinting that she should drop it. Tsunade just smiled. She knew that Sakura's temper was too much like her own to risk igniting.