Konoha's Prodigies || Naruto [Sasuke x Sakura x Neji]

Chapter 27

The air she held in her lungs would not suffice for her to reach the surface.

A figure plunged into the water and reached out a hand. When he was nearer, she could see who it was.

Neji.

He pulled her hand and grabbed the back of her head, bringing it to him. His cold lips touched hers and he opened her mouth to push in the air from his mouth. They quickly parted and he pulled her up to break into the surface. The pinkette gasped for air, filling her lungs with oxygen greedily.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked as though the kiss, although necessary to save her life, did not happen.

She looked at him and grew flustered as she remembers their underwater kiss. Her cheeks reddened as she stuttered out, "Y-Yeah. Thanks."

It was her first kiss, and it was not as magical as described in the fairytales. It was not a kiss of love, it was a kiss to save a life, a kiss in the middle of an attack.

Sasuke and Kakashi were already standing on the surface of the water as they examined the area with their Sharingan. The other two pumped chakra onto their feet and stood on the surface to watch their surroundings as well. The civilians gathered together and discussed in panic of what had happened and what they should do. They further freaked out when the three tigers encircled them. The civilians wouldn't know, but the tigers were actually trying to protect them.

"Don't worry, we won't let harm reach you." Sakura reassured them.

It was peace and quiet now, aside from the crackling sound of the boat in flames and the crashing of the waves. The four of them exchanged glances and nodded, confirming that the coast was clear. They did not know who attacked them or why, but they must bring the civilians to a safe place above anything else.

"The nearest land to us is the Land of Water. Let's stop there." The team leader suggested.

Sakura and Neji performed a jutsu which created a path made of ice with the combination of their wind and water chakras respectively. The team helped the civilians to get on the ice path and walked towards the Land of Water. The tigers were still in their mature form in case an ambush would arise.

Once they reached the shore, they arrived in a small town and quickly changed into dry clothes. The Jounins gathered in Kakashi's room to discuss about the incident while their now little cubs tossed and turned on a dry towel. They were free from the motion of the boat and they can't be more ecstatic.

"I'll send a message to the Hokage about it and she'll inform the Kirikage as it happened close to her land." Kakashi stated.

"It seems like their target was Sakura." Sasuke said in a voice laced with anger.

He nodded, "Very likely. There was no further attacks after the water dragon hit her." He looked at the pinkette. "Do you know anyone who would be after you?"

She stared at the three of them seriously while trying to recall if she or her clan made any enemies. "Not that I know of.."

"If that's the case, I think it would be wise if you return. They would—"

Sakura stood up furiously and raised her voice, "No!" The men were stunned at her outburst.

"We don't know why they are after you, Sakura. They could be incredibly dangerous." He advised further.

"I'll accompany you to the Leaf Village, you need—" Neji joined in.

"No!" She shouted. "We can fight them off and we have a mission to accomplish."

"What's with this mission that you're so fixed about?" Kakashi countered.

Sakura fell into silence. She had a second agenda.

"Is there something you're hiding from us?" Sasuke asked, his eyes were anything but kind.

She pursed her lips and sat back down angrily. She folded her arms in front of her chest and huffed as they all stared at her for answers.

She has no way out of this.

Sasuke pushed, "We're a team, we care for your well-being." This time, his gaze softened. He was sincerely worried about her.

The fact that she hid secrets from them disappointed him after everything they had been through for the past few years. Even if she did not return his feelings, they were something. Their bond should mean something.

In the end, she gave up with a sigh. "It's my father. He's hiding something from me and my answer to it is probably the Land of Keys." Then, she explained about how her usually emotionless father acted when she mentioned about her mission.

They agreed that it was suspicious, but it did not explain the ambush earlier. Either the ambush was something else, or it could be related to the mission. There were many probabilities, but the pinkette insisted to stay despite their worries about her safety.

"Fine, but you must not go anywhere alone." Kakashi warned. "We don't know how strong the other party is."

==

Dedicated to Galelover4ever for actively voting! Your username is very familiar as well, perhaps I've seen you popping in my notifications before this?

In the older version, I jumped straight to their arrival in the Land of Keys. I decided to add this scene because I thought it would entertain you, rather than using timeskips too frequently. Timeskips could be boring.. And I feel bad for not providing you a good work.

Could you guess? Who would want to attack our dear heiress? 🤔

~Joelle

Published: 18 May 2018