UPROOT||SASUSAKU||COMPELET

chapter 7

“What do you mean?” A vicious hiss escaped through the teeth of Orochimaru. His yellow eyes narrowed as he stared the older shinobi down. To his surpise, the Leaf nin only stood with a blank expression on his face. Anger fumed within the Sannin’s body as he began to pace. As silence filled the room, he knocked glasses of liquids from Kabuto’s experiment table and let out frustrated grunts.
“I can find her, Lord Orochimaru.” Kabuto straightened his stance, looking from Orochimaru, and back to the older man. He found himself glaring at the Leaf shinobi as well.
A scoff sounded from the black haired Sannin as he whipped his body around and marched up to Kabuto. Their faces were inches apart, and he could see Kabuto’s throat swallow heavily with fear. “You really think she would listen to you? You of all people?” An icy tone slithered out of Orochimaru’s mouth, and he began to pace once more. Kabuto’s face fell at the words of his mentor.
“She returned to the village. As of now, she’s staying. She’s on probation. And your precious comrade, Tsunade, is supervising her.” The words were clearly spoken, and they only angered Orochimaru more.
“I knew she wouldn’t come back.” He sneered, “Looks like we’ll be making an appearance in the village, soon. Very soon.”
Kabuto snorted as he nodded at Orochimaru before taking his leave from the room. A quick wave to Orochimuru and the other shinobi in the room, and he was through the doors and making his way down the hall. The Snake Sannin looked back to his acquaintance in the room before smiling mischievously.
“Thank you for the information, Danzo.”
“I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, Sakura!” Tsunade called out as she picked her text books up from the small tables that loitered in the study room. Bookshelves lined the walls, and three chairs resided alongside the tables. While the study wasn’t particularly small, it wasn’t large either. The study is a comfortable amount of space to tuck away in the corner and get lost in the many medical books that Tsunade owned. Sakura found that while studying under Tsunade, not only would she be exercising her new abilities, but she would also be going more into depth with medical jutsu.
Sakura huffed, exhausted. “Yes, Lady Tsunade!”
She scurried out of the building and began her walk to her apartment. Her eyes throbbed from the headache that nestled behind her eyes, and she simply wanted to go back to her bed and crawl in it for the remainder of the day. With each step that she took, she grew more irritated with the fact that she had been up for almost six hours, and all she had done was read, take notes, and ask her mentor questions.
She could’ve at least let me practice some of these new things, instead of reading for six hours straight.
A tired yawn escaped her mouth, and she found herself pulling her apartment key off the top of the trim to her door, and unlocking it. Upon entering, the sweet and intoxicating smell that she had grown use to over the short amount of time that she had been back, lingered in the enclosed building. Sakura inhaled deeply. Upon catching the signature scent, another smell lingered in the air; food.
“Sasuke?” Sakura let the straps of her bag fall loosely off her shoulders and down her arms, and she set it aside. She pealed her boots off of her feet and left them at the door as well. Stalking to the kitchen - half asleep now - she found exactly who she was looking for.
“Hn.”
“What’re you doing here? And how did you get in?” After the words fell from her mouth, she realized she would get the same smart ass retort from Sasuke that she got last time she asked him how he got in.
The raise of an eyebrow from him indicated that she should know how he got in. Sakura offered a small smile before her cheeks flushed. Quickly recovering from her embarrassment, she walked up to see exactly what he was doing; since he hadn’t answered her first question. As she stood behind him, she peeked around his body to see that he had made some delicious looking soup, and she felt the saliva in her mouth begin to flow. Not only was she trying to keep herself from drooling, but now her stomach was releasing unruly growls of every volume. Again, Sasuke turned to her and raised an eyebrow.
“Go sit down.” His cool demeanor sent shivers down her spine, and she simply nodded to him. Sakura felt her feet dragging against the cool floorboards as she made her way to her dining table. Sitting down, she rest her hand against the side of her face and began to feel herself doze off. Just as sleep began to flood her consciousness, she felt her face make contact with the table and her body jerk awake. Beside her her stood a smirking Sasuke.
Sakura glared into his black eyes, pissed off. “Sasuke, you ass! What the hell was that for?”
Not only had she embarrassed herself earlier with her repetitive question, but now he was playing games with her. Knocking her elbow out from under her and watching her face smash against the wooden table.. Who did he think he was?!
“My entertainment.” He pressed on, setting down a bowl that contained a thick liquid and smelled absolutely delicious.
Sakura felt her anger within her melt, and happiness take over her petite frame. As she picked her eating utensil up, she began to dig into the miso soup that Sasuke had prepared for h- for the both of them, and she wolfed hers down. The feeling of food entering her body instantly perked her up, and the headache she had early began to fade. Upon finishing, she let out a content sigh and slumped down in her chair.
“That really hit the spot.” Sakura began to feel content, the warm soup in her stomach was now making her even more tired. Sasuke was done with his bowl of soup, and picked them both up and made his way back to the kitchen. The sound of the facet pulled Sakura from her thoughts, and she jolted to the kitchen. Sasuke looked at her with his famous expressionless face, and looked back down to the sink.
“I can do those.” She offered, making her way to his side and casually trying to scoot him out of the way. To no avail, Sasuke remained planted in front of the sink and washed the dishes. A smirk graced his lips as Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and stomped off towards her room. Her bed called out to her, and once she crawled in and under the cotton linen, she finally felt the tension in her shoulders release. That is, until she heard Sasuke walk in.
“What are you doing?” His deep voice made the hair on her neck stand tall, and she let out a small squeak. The calm tone he used always made her heart beat faster, and harder against her rib cage.
Sakura scoffed. “I’m not answering your question.”
“Sakura.”
“Fine! I’m going back to sleep because I’m tired. Okay, mother?” Sakura smiled to herself at her insult. It may have been childish, but Inner Sakura stood proudly; chest puffed out with a victorious smile grinning from ear to ear.
“Don’t call me that.” Sasuke’s tone changed to an icy one. “Get up. We have stuff to do.”
Sakura rolled over and narrowed her eyes at him. Her blood began to boil within her until she saw his eyes shimmering with serenity. “I already had a lesson this morning with Lady Tsunade. Just let me sleep! And last I checked, you weren’t my mentor. Or my mother. So if-” Before Sakura could finish her sentence, he had a grip on her wrist. She felt her body being ripped from the warmth of her bed and the feeling of his arm wrapping around the back of her thighs as she was hoisted up and onto his shoulder.
Here she was, being carried like a sack of potatoes by none other than Sasuke Uchiha.
“You better put me down or I’ll…” She slammed her fists into his back and kicked her feet with all her might. Even infusing chakra into her fists wasn’t working as she slammed them into his shoulder blade. Nothing was working; he wasn’t even answering her with a small grunt anymore.
“You’re being annoying, Sakura.”
With those words being said, Sakura glared off into the distance as he made his across the rooftops of Konoha. Not only had he made her slam her face off of the dining table, but now he had pulled her from the comfort of her bed and was taking her to Kami knows where.
xxx
Upon their arrival, Sakura was dropped off Sasuke’s shoulder, and she landed in the grass with a loud grunt. Her green eyes narrowed sharply at the smirking Uchiha, who then tossed her boots to the side of her.
“You’re not scoring any points, you know.” Sakura mumbled, sliding her boots on her foot and zipping the backs up. The buttons clicked as she latched them in place and stood up. Specks of dirt and blades of grass were brushed from her clothing before she peered into black eyes. In the sun, they shimmered silver flecks.
“Aa.” Sasuke sounded before he brushed passed her shoulder and began walking away from her. “Let’s spar.”
Is he serious?
Sakura found her mouth gaping open, and she cleared her throat as she chased after him.
“You’re serious?” She reached for his shoulder, and as her hand clamped down, his form disappeared in a puff of smoke. An instant frown overtook her features as she screamed. “You’re such an ass!”
xxx
After what seemed like hours of a barrage of punches, kicks, and different ninjutsus, the two shinobi were now sitting in the grass, side by side. Sakura looked out over the training ground, and giggled at the site. Between craters that had been punched into the ground by her own fists, and the burnt and char-coaled greenery by Sasuke’s doing, the training ground was a disaster. A small sigh escaped Sakura as she fell onto her back and closed her eyes.
“It’s nice being back, Sasuke.” A small grunt sounded from the Uchiha, and a smile graced Sakura’s lips.
Her alone time with Sasuke always made her nervous, and giddy. But Sakura wasn’t a fan girl of Sasuke anymore, she had grown passed that stage. She was now a strong, young woman. And even though Sasuke had opened up to her lately, and treated her much nicer than he had when they were Genin, she would never show her fan girl side to him again. Even if her life depended on it.
As she started to drift off, she began to feel a very strange and unsettling chakra signature. As her green orbs opened, she peered to her left, only to find nothing. While the chakra signature was still there, her heart began to beat faster. The unsettling signature was now feeling familiar, and her breath hitched. Sakura’s heart stopped, and panic began to course through her veins.
Kabuto.
Pushing herself up from the ground, she grabbed Sasuke’s arm and hoisted him up quickly as well.
“Hn, what’re you doing Sak-” She had already cut him off.
“Let’s go back to the village. I’m tired, and want to shower. You should probably do the same, you stink.” She offered a nervous smile, and began to pull on his arm. She lead the way back to the village, and away from Kabuto. She glanced over her shoulder one more time, only to see the malicious smirk, and a glint of his glasses before he was out of site.
Once they made it back within the village, Sakura’s heart was now racing within her body, and she couldn’t think clearly. As her body underwent autopilot, she steered herself towards her apartment rather quickly, and was already pulling the door open, when she finally came back to her senses. The leftover smell of soup from earlier still lingered inside her apartment, and along with the delicious scent, was an eerie feeling. As she made her way inside, she flicked the lights on. Sitting in front of her was none other than Kabuto, and her temper was immediately flaring. The apartment door slammed shut behind her, and she bared her teeth at the white haired medic.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Kabuto?” Sakura growled at him, standing firmly in the entry way of her home.
“Why haven’t you returned back to us, Sakura?” Kabuto mocked her, knowing all too well why Orochimaru’s apprentice hadn’t returned. His toothy grin was only infuriating Sakura.
The pinkette narrowed her eyes at Kabuto, and then looked away; very well aware that he was baiting her. She didn’t answer, instead, she bit her lip and put her hands behind her back. Kabuto raised an eyebrow at her.
“Answer me, Sakura.”
“I don’t answer to you.” She hissed back, fully aware that the curse mark was pulsing within her, and begging to be released. She clenched her teeth at the ridiculous amount of pain that coursed through her body, but didn’t show it to him.
“Ah, I’ll be sure to let Lord Orochimaru know. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to learn that you no longer wish to fulfill your mission.” His smooth voice was irritating.
Finally, the curse mark began to break through the seal, and sprawl across her back and chest. Kabuto grinned at the site, and titled his chin up. “We’ve also got word that you’re studying under Tsunade now. I don’t think that’s very fair to Orochimaru now, is it?” His mocking tone was getting closer now. The medic nin pushed up from his seat, and began to walk towards Sakura, who was now suffering, trying to hold the curse mark back.
“Get the fuck away from me, Kabuto. I’ll kill you. That’s a promise.” She seethed at him through clenched teeth.
Through short gasps of air, her mind began to lose control, and the curse mark was now spreading throughout her whole body. Her heart was out of control as it pumped molten hot blood through her veins, and she found Kabuto was no longer in site. Falling to her knees, she caught the feint signature of Kabuto behind her, and she rallied on him. With her superhuman strength, she latched her hand around his throat, and pushed his body against the wall. A loud gasp and whimper sounded from Kabuto as his back collided with the wall. The grip around his windpipe began to tighten, and his eyes began to squint, but the mischievous smile never faded.
“You’ve got a month, Sakura. Orochimaru is growing impatient.” The words were rasp, and short due to the lack of air that the medic nin was inhaling.
Sakura sneered, and as she gave into the curse, Kabuto vanished in a puff of smoke. Her hand was no longer gripping his throat, and she stood there, panting heavily.
“A clone…” Sakura growled, before falling to her knees again. This time, she no longer sensed his chakra signature near her, and she curled her body up into a ball. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and she inhaled and exhaled slowly as she laid on the floor of her entry way. Inner Sakura soothed her mind by lulling a small hum, and the curse began to recede back to the seal. Her mind began to feel serene again as the curse faded, and she closed her eyes.
The feeling of the cool wood against her face felt so soothing, and she soon found her mind losing consciousness.
“What a day…” She murmured to herself, and as those words fell from her lips, she was finally asleep.
Sasuke had sensed that something was wrong with Sakura immediately after their sparring match. What he found even more strange, was the unfamiliar chakra signature that had pulsed near them, and Sakura reacted rather panicked. Upon being lifted and pulled from his seat on the ground, he followed her.
“Let’s go back to the village. I’m tired, and want to shower. You should probably do the same, you stink.” Her voice was rather shaky, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
I don’t stink.
With a hushed sigh, he followed his teammate back to the village. The walk home was off, as Sakura was quiet. She was never this quiet. Figuring that she had fallen victim to her thoughts, he veered off and acted as though he was making his way to his own apartment, but began to follow her. Her body movements were stiff, and her eyes looked as though they were glazed over. She made quick work of getting to her apartment, and Sasuke had already sensed the unfamiliar chakra signature again. His own anger spiked as he got closer to her building now, curious as to what exactly was going on. Concealing his chakra, he landed on the top of her apartment building. The sun had set, and darkness had blanketed over Konoha. He admired the lights around the village during the night.
As the scene unfolded from the inside of Sakura’s apartment, Sasuke listened in closely. Honing in on his excellent hearing abilities, he knew that the shinobi within the building was an enemy. The sound of distress sounded from Sakura as she questioned the foe, who’s name was Kabuto. Upon hearing the name, his recollection of this Kabuto now made sense. An S-ranked missing nin, who was excellent with medical justu, and Orochimaru’s right-hand man. Everything made sense now.
The sound of a loud thud brought Sasuke back from his thoughts, and he was now positioned to rush to Sakura’s aid, but he still felt her signature hot and glowing. More alive than ever. He smirked, knowing all too well that Kabuto was done for. Within a minute, the remainder of Kabuto’s chakra signature was gone, and he felt Sakura’s begin to dwindle.
A scoff sounded from the Uchiha, and he waited. The small bit of chakra that emit from her body, was now a small flame as she fell asleep. The slow and even pulse was an indicator that she was out for the night. As he pushed off from the roof, he made his way to her door and grabbed the key from the top of the trim.
She should really try hiding this better.
The thought ran through his mind as he entered the apartment. Right at the entrance, was Sakura. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and her body looked rather exhausted. Her long pink locks stuck to her face from the sweat and grime from the day, and he smirked. Picking her motionless body up gently, he made his way to her room and took her to her bed. He knew she had had a long day, and sleeping on the floor wouldn’t have been the best for her body.
Sasuke placed her down in the middle of her bed, and pulled the cotton sheets up to rest on her chest. He then tucked the stray tendrils of hair behind her ear before leaving. As he pushed up and away from her bed, she moved ever so slightly. He turned to look back at her, and noticed that from the position that her body now laid in, that the moonlight that was shining in through her window and highlighting her features perfectly.
For once, Sasuke smiled at Sakura, and took in the sight of her natural beauty. He closed the door behind him, and exited the apartment building. As he made his way home, his hands were shoved inside his pockets, and he found himself thinking of Sakura the entire way home.
The need to protect her was now fueled due to the unexpected visit from Kabuto. His brows knitted themselves together as he stepped inside his apartment building.
I won’t lose her again.