Gekkou and Sakura were called in first, leaving Team Seven behind to wait their own turn to present their mission details and analysis.
Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, the usual papers stacked neatly on his desk and a water bottles bottle in front of him. His hat was dipped low over his eyes, while his robe splayed out around him. His mouth was cupped over his fingers, and he seemed to be focusing intently on the two returning ninja. There was a reason why he had called them in first. He needed to be sure.
Sakura used her senses to "see" around her, taking in the general shape of the room and quickly finding where all the hidden ANBU were. Two in the ceiling, and another in a closet that she didn't know existed. (Which was kinda weird if you thought about it, but Sakura's head hurt too much to really care.)
"I'm glad to see that you two have returned safely," the elderly Hokage murmured, unclasping his hands to lean them on the desk. "Mission report?"
Gekkou nodded and took a deep breath, before starting from the very beginning. He told of how they were ambushed, Sakura's first kill, another ambush, him getting knocked out while the genin made morel kills, as well as the undercover ninja that arrived after.
Sarutobi frowned when they got to that part. He glanced at Sakura, who he saw was fidgeting in her spot. "Is this true, Sakura?" he asked, and the pinkette nodded, much to his horror. Things would be difficult indeed.
"And is it true that he claimed to be a rouge ninja who was also searching Otogakure for Orochimaru?" There was another nod, though he wasn't expecting for Sakura to speak.
"I am unsure if he was a rouge, or simply sent from another village. He had a henge cast over him for most of the duration, and when he was back to his normal look when we were alone, I didn't get see what he actually looked like," she told him, gesturing to her covered eyes as if to emphasize her blindness. What completely slipped her mind was that she actually did know what he looked like, because Nico had told her in the beginning of the week.
Sarutobi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I understand. But you handled it well, I hoped. Didn't give away any of Konoha's secrets and such?"
The genin shook her head. "The only thing he knows of Konoha is what everyone else knows. Just basic information," she assured him, her voice stronger now that she was more confident. Sakura had made sure to be as vague as possible about her village when it would come up in conversation. Though if Itachi had noticed, he didn't point it out.
"I believe you," Sarutobi eventually said, leaning back in his seat. "So what did you discover?"
"That Orochimaru is in fact involved with Otogakure and has secret tunnels under the village. Though we are unaware if the village's occupants know this," Gekkou replied, scratching at his head. The circles under his eyes seemed even darker than usual.
Both ninja looked a little worse for wear, and the Hokage nodded. "Well, you two may leave for now. I will want to talk to you again later though, after you two have settled down a bit."
Then Gekkou, as if finally remembering something, started pulled the vile of logos out from his vest. He set it on the desk. "Sakura managed to pull this from one of the tunnels rooms. She did good," Gekkou praised the genin, causing her to blush.
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to pluck the vile. He brought it close to his eyes, before shaking it a little. He then stuffed it into one of his robe's pockets.
"This could prove to be useful. Thank you, Sakura. I hope you didn't risk too much getting this possible valuable peice of information," the elderly man gently chided the genin, who simply scratched her cheek sheepishly. "You two may leave now. And send in Kakashi after you."
The nodded, and walked outside. "He's ready for you now," Sakura told her old team, leaving the door open so they could step through. She let out a large yawn and covered her mouth. She was ready to go home.
Kakashi pat her on the head as she walked past, causing her and Gekkou to turn towards him.
"Don't forget we have some shopping to do~" he said in a chipper tone, and Sakura grinned. She had also missed Kakashi, despite his past actions.
She let out a small smile. "I look forward to it," she replied, her hands doing up to fiddle at the cloth covering her eyes. And she really did.
As she walked away, she heard Naruto let out a laugh. "You Kakashi-sensei? Going shopping? That's not manly at all!"
His words were soon cut off by a yelp, as the jōnin gave him a good head slap.
"I'm home!" Sakura called out when she entered her house. She knew her parents were home by the smell that wafted in from the kitchen,
She felt her mom's minuscule amount of chakra come towards her as she already from the doorway. Her headache lessened, now that she knew she was at home and safe.
"Ah, glad to see you back," Mebuki greeted her, pulling her in for a hug and kiss on her large forehead.
Kizashi appeared beside her as well, and stole her from Mebuki, filling her into a warm hug. "I've missed you so much!" he exclaimed, making Sakura giggle as she was smothered half to death. Not that she minded. It felt good to be in his arms.
He eventually pulled away and they were both ushered to the kitchen by Mebuki and sat at the table.
"So, what was the mission? Save any princesses or important fuedel lords?" Kizashi asked, a playful tone in his voice.
The pink haired girl only shook her head and pretended to lock her lips up with an imaginary key. "It was a super secret mission, so I'm afraid I can't tell you," she responded in a sly voice, grinning like a crazy person. It just felt so good to be home.
As Mebuki continued to make lunch, her husband pretended to pout. "Oh, you're no fun Sakura-chan! But I guess I can't argue with a super secret mission," he laughed.
Lunch was soon served, and the whole family dug in. Mebuki managed to keep her disapproving thoughts about her daughter being a ninja to herself, and they reminisced about old memories.
A story then came up from Kizashi, about before he married Mebuki and had Sakura.
"I was probably about nineteen, and was way more adventurous than I am now. My old man was passing along his trade to me, gearing me up to take over his business due to his old age. I was hesitant at first though, and tried to pass it on to my younger sister, much to her horror," he began, before Sakura interrupted.
"I never knew you had a sister!" she exclaimed in suprise. Nothing like that had ever come up before.
Something akin to sadness and guilt popped up in the man's eyes, but he replied with, "Not many people knew. She wasn't my real sister, but I loved her like one. We both had strange colored hair, mine pink and hers pretty and purple, so many people just assumed anyways. She was an orphan, her family being killed-" he suddenly shut his mouth, and shook his head. "They had been killed," was all he offered. "and left her all alone. My old man found her hiding under an old box like an abandoned kitten, so he took her in. And then, I gained a sister."
"But back to the story- I didn't want to inherit the business, but neither did my sister. She believed that she had a greater calling, to be a kunoichi, just like you are doing," Kizashi stated, leaning forward to poke his daughter cheek. She puffed out air and he laughed. "So, in order to see who would take over the business, we made a little game. We would try to seem as unresponsible as possible, which was probably a bad idea at the time, but we made sure that there was no actual damage to the old man's world. Though in the end, it was still me that ended up taking over."
Sakura was transfixed on his words. She leaned forward and propped up her face on the palms of her hands, her elbows resting on the table. "What was her name?" she asked, curious.
"Her name was Tsuki." Kizashi told her with a smile. His head was resting in the palms of his hands as he gazed at his only daughter.
"And.. what happened to her? I've never seen her or heard her talked about. Did she actually become a kunoichi?" Sakura rushed out, excitement filling her. Maybe she would have someone else to talk to about her experiences.
The man known as her father lost his smile, his usually bright eyes dimming. "She died during her first mission."
...
Today was the day. The day that Sakura would go shopping with Kakashi.
The genin wrinkled her nose in amusement as she was putting her sandels on. It was a strange thing to think, really. Never in a million years did she think that something like this would happen.
"Tell us about your sensei, Sakura-chan!" Nico urged, huddled into a ball at the edge of her bed. Keiki was there as well, choosing to be perched on the opposite side of the room, on the dresser.
Sakura had decided to summon them both today, due to not seeing them in awhile and missing them. While Nico didn't really mind Keiki being here, the she-eagle settled for the silent treatment, like a child.
That caught her attention. "I'm not a child!" she protested, flapping her wings indignantly.
Sakura snorted as she brushed a few knots out of her hair. "Okay, okay, I didn't mean it." She then focused on the question that Nico had asked earlier. "Well, Kakashi-san is a little weird. He's always a few hours late to meetings, reads porn in public, has an air of indifference around him, and has the Uchiha's Sharingan in one eye."
Keiki perked up at the last things. "Sharingan you say? He isn't an Uchiha, is he?" she asked, tilting her head in puzzlement.
The pink haired girl shook her head. "No, he's a Hatake. And even then, I don't know much about his family. So how he gained the eye, I'm not sure."
There was a thought nagging at her head though. A transplant was very possible, no matter how rare. It was no secret how powerful the Uchiha's kekkai genki was, and there was only one of two ways that an outside would gain the ability.
Number one: It was given to them in a time of life or death.
Or number two: It was forcefully taken.
Either one made her feel a little queasy.
"Maa, don't look so down, Sakura-chan," a familiar voices rang out from the genin's balcony.
It was Kakashi. Squatting on the edge of her balcony. Not even seeming bothered by the two summons who squeaked in surprise. Just glancing between the pink haired girl and his pornography.
"Pervert!" Sakura yelled as soon as she was done gaping, and groped around for something to three at the jōnin. Her fingers finally wrapped around her hairbrush and she whipped it at Kakashi, only for him to merely duck. It instead hit a nearby window, making everyone wince.
"Let's pretend that didn't happen," Kakashi said in an easy tone, stepping through the balcony doors to step into the room and settle on one of the chairs in the corner.
Sakura glared in his direction, not appreciating him barging into her room like that. "You know, I could just scream and pretend that you were being inappropriate to me," she threatened, pulling off her sandel to throw at Kakashi, determined not miss this time.
The jōnin' eyes widened and he quickly hopped out of the chair, heading outside again. "No need to do that, Sakura. I'll just be waiting outside."
And then he was gone.
Keiki turned to the genin who was putting her sandel on again. "You're right. He is weird."
"I know."
Pretty soon the two summons and their summoner made it outside, ready to go. Kakashi, as promised, was lounging against the side of the house, waiting for her.
"You finally made it," was all the jōnin said, before he began to walk away, leaving Sakura, Nico, and Keiki to quickly follow.
As soon as the pinkette reached his side she asked, "Where are we going?" Maybe it was to the same place she went last time with the nice old lady that pulled her around all day?
But Kakashi only tutted. "It's a surprise~"
The pinkette sighed at the answer and settled for just giving herself tiny scratches and healing them for chakra practice. She would need to set up a training routine now that she was back home. It wouldn't do to have her loose the little bit she gained from her time with Itachi. Plus, there was something she needed to work up to.
"You're being pretty quiet back there."
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"The Chunin Exams."
Kakashi choked on his spit and turned around. He obviously wasn't expecting that response. "What about the Chunin Exams?" he asked wearily.
Sakura shrugged. "Nothing much."
And that short conversation was over once the jōnin realized he would get nothing more.
"Well, we're here!" Kakashi said a few minutes later, sliding his disgusting porno into his vest.
"Where is here exactly?" Sakura asked, having absolutely no idea where they were. She never remembered being in that area. And in the map she memorized, she didn't recall a place like this. Even as they were walking here, the genin lost track of her place.
The jōnin grinned lazily. "We're in a secret spot only jōnins' and elite chunins' know of them."
That didn't make any sense whatsoever. Sakura cocked her head in confusion. "Huh?"
There was a chuckle and Kakashi patted her her head. "You really think that jōnin's get their supplies from the same shops as everyone else? If we did, there would be no telling the things that could happen."
Again, Sakura still didn't understand. "What do you mean? What's wrong with everyone getting their supplies from the same place?"
"Several reasons actually," he began to explain. "You see, all of those shops are for the public, and although they only allow Konoha nin to buy them, slip-ups may still happen. For example, if there was a shinobi from another village here, they would be able to easily to go to that shop and see its supplies. See what we use and how we fight. He could bargain with the shop owner under the table and buy our weapons."
The pinkette was beginning to see it now. How every village had a certain style of fighting, and how ones weapons could be the secret to uncovering it. And now that she though about it, the weapons shop in Oto had been a little shabby. "So there's another shop, this one secret?" she asked, trying to get clarification.
Kakashi nodded on instinct, though voiced his confirmation aloud after remembering the girls.. disability. "That is correct. And genin' are rarely taken to this place, so consider this a privilege. Follow me."
There were multiple twists and turns, and the air turned colder as they entered some sort of cavern. It reminded her the tunnels in Oto and made her more than a little nervous.
Speaking of that little self-appointed mission you did, I think that was very dangerous and you could have gotten killed, Nico chastised her from his place on her arm. Keiki was on her opposite shoulder, and seemed to be humming in agreement.
Sakura grumbled. It wasn't like she didn't already know that. But the need to prove herself was too strong to overcome. Plus, Gekkou had let her, albeit reluctantly.
Keiki seemed to scowl there. But again, it was Nico who spoke. Yea well, I don't care what that jōnin thinks. I don't want anything happening to my partner.
His words made her warm, and she let her head dip into his feathers. "Thank you," she whispered. Then Keiki fluffed up her feathers, and Sakura nuzzled up to her, showing that she appreciated her silent concerns.
"Oh, watch that sign-"
His warning came too late.
Sakura barely registered the pain in her nose before she let out a flurry of profane curses, and the summons on her shoulder drifted to the ground. Their laughter echoed through her mind.
Something warm began to drop out of her nose, and it took a few moments for her to realize that it was blood. "Do you think I broke my nose?" she managed to ask, her voice muffled from her pinching her nostrils together. It really hurt.
Kakashi hands tilted her head up as she removed her own from her face. The jōnin hummed under his breath as he magically pulled out a cloth and pressed it to her face. "It might be," he admitted, letting the genin hold the cloth her her own nose.
Sakura sighed. "Figured. Well, at least it can be quickly fixed," she muttered, and no sooner did she finish speaking, a hands glowed a bright green light. Within moments, her nose felt better better. Then she pulled her hands away.
There was a moment of silence.
Kakashi was shell shocked, but all he managed to stutter out was, "It's crooked now. Your forget to pop it back in place."
Shiiiiiiit.
And so, after rebreaking her nose, putting it back into place, and then healing it again, they ducked past the low hanging sign and entered into a warmer room.
Well that was embarrassing. At least she learned for next time though.
"Impressive to see a genin able to use healing jutsu," a low voice grumbled, and Sakura saw Kakashi's chakra waver.
"U-Uh, thank you?" she said timdily, wondering what had surprised her old sensei.
"Sakura, this is Ibiki Morino, head interrogator at T.I.F, the Interrogation Force," Kakashi introduced the genin to the other person in the room. Er- was it shop actually?
The chakra coming from Ibiki was strange, it's tendrils wary yet alert, as if a predator stalking its prey. Sakura knew what the Interrogation Force was after all, and she knew the types of things that happened there. The Academy made sure to drill it into the students brains that horrible things that would happen if you defected from the village and was caught. In short, it wasn't butterflies and rainbows.
There was also this thing with the ninja that hailed from that place. Usually chakra was always at least partially hidden. You never knew when something could go wrong and you had to hide. But the chakra from the T.I Buildings people was wild. They did t bother masking it. Probably for intimidation purposes.
Enough chakra bombarded at you at once could paralyze your senses. It was a technique only a select few could accomplish.
Sakura gulped. "N-Nice meeting you, Morino-san," she stuttered out, twisting the hem of her shirt nervously. Keiki and Nico promptly poofed from existence due to the genin accidently cutting off their chakra.
"No need to be nervous, genin," Ibiki said, curiousity laced in his voice.
No matter his assurances and Kakashi being there, Sakura still felt like a trapped animal. It was the aura that Ibiki exceeded, and she remembered Kakashi displaying a fraction of it only once, when he was scolding them during the bell test that seemed like so long ago.
When the pinkette didn't respond, Ibiki took it upon himself to continue. "I see Kakashi is breaking a few rules for you, hm? Genin's aren't aloud here you see, them not being able to keep their mouths shut and all."
"Morino-san.." Kakashi trailed off in an off-tone, positioning himself so that he was almost shielding the genin.
Ibiki only laughed, the sound strange and rough. "Don't worry, Hatake. I won't hurt your little blind genin. On the contrary, I want to have a chat with her. So you go on and take a walk for now." It wasn't a suggestion.
The white-haired jōnin almost protested, but as soon as Ibiki's chakra clashed with his, he wisely nodded and walked away, disappearing out the door.
Leaving Sakura alone with possibly the most dangerous man in Konoha. She gulped again, wishing that she had kept more control on the chakra that secured her two summons here. She also cursed Kakashi for leaving her. She still needed her new mask.
"So, I hear the weather in Otogakure is nice this time of year."
This time, Sakura choked on her spit. "H-Huh!?" she eventually managed to get out, having to smack her own back a few time in order to get the words out coherently.
Ibiki let out a dark chuckle. "Oh, you know, I heard from a little birds that Hokage-sama sent you and that Gekkou-san out on a mission," he said in a low drawl, his hand clamping down on her shoulder as he tugged her forward, leading her to an unknown area of the secret shop. His intimidating aura was choking her.
The pinkette licked her suddenly dry lips. Some water sounded amazing about now. "I-I have no idea what your t-talking about," she lied, knowing that her mission was a secret one, and she would be in deep shit if she told someone. Even if it was the head interrogator at T.I.F asking her about this, she wouldn't give him what he wanted.
"Hmm, not what I want to here, little genin the jōnin said in a disapproving tone, though his chakra wavered a bit.
Sakura pulled herself out of his grasp in a not so nice manner. "I'm sorry, Morino-san, but my sensei brought me here to help me get something, so if you would be so kind as to allow me to return to him? I'm afraid I cannot answer any of your questions."
That was also not the answer that he was looking for, for he snatched her arm and squeezed hard, to the point of her letting out a whimper of pain. His voice was suddenly close to her ear, "I don't believe that's true. Maybe the part about Hatake-san bringing you here, but not the part about you answering my questions. I'll ask one more time, or things are going to get messy- What do know about Otogakure."
If Sakura was one thing, she was stubborn and was rarely dissuaded from anything, no matter if be love or war. In this case, Konoha's secrets were on the line. And what use would she be if she couldn't keep this simple secret.
"If you don't believe me, go talk to Hokage-sama," she tried to keep her voice as steady as possible, despite the pulsing fear she felt within her. If he wanted to, Ibiki could snap her like a twig.
Ibiki glared at her, before he abruptly let go of her and cleared his throat. "Congratulations, Sakura Haruno, you have now been officially been accepted into the Chunin Exams."
For the second time that day, the blind girl was left flabbergasted. So flabbergasted in fact, that she stumbled backward, running her head into something hard and fell to the ground.
She awoke a few minutes later to cold washcloth on her face and multiple people surrounding her.
"Maa, Sakura, you can't keep hurting yourself like this," Kakashi said, his chakra becoming clear as the genin focused on him. A large smile was on his face, though there was an air of barely concealed worry about him. And behind him was Ibiki, a hand on his hips and a smirk on his face.
Sakura's hand flew to her temple when it let out a flare of pain, and let a small trickle of chakra heal it. Though, a dull throbbing was left in its presence, her already abnormally low amount of chakra diminishing even more.
"What the hell?!" Sakura finally shrieked when realization came crashing down on her. She had been accepted into the Chunin Exams, according to Ibiki. Was this some type of test?"
Ibiki nodded, and she realized that she had asked that last part aloud. She really needed to stop doing that. "And a test that you easily passed. As a shinobi, there will be many secrets that you will be forced to keep. And sometimes, other shinobi or even civilians will want that information," he explained as Kakashi helped the genin to her feet.
She scratched the corner of her mouth in thought. "And I passed because I didn't tell you what you wanted to know?"
"Correct."
"And Kakashi was in on it this whole time?"
"..Also correct."
The genin frowned and turned to her old sensei, and even without seeing him, she knew that he was trying to look as innocent as possible.
"You should be happy he didn't stick Iruka-san on you like he's planning to do with his own team," another familiar voice rumbled in amusement. Apparently Gekkou was also around as well.
Sakura grimaced. "I don't see how Iruka-sensei would be worse than Morino-san, not that there's anything wrong with your method," she said that last part quickly, not wanting to offend the scary man and make him actually angry at her. That wouldn't end well.
In the end, after Ibiku left with a smirk on his face, the pinkette did end up getting her mask. It was black, like Kakashi's, accept that it covered her eyes. It was also made of the same material, and was extremely comfortable. Now, she wanted to find Naruto and see if he even knew about the upcoming Chunin exams.
Though she had a feeling that he didn't. Kakashi wasn't the type of person to let his students know about that type of thing. She would know.
Sakura found Naruto awhile later, hanging around three lesser chakra signatures. He must have been trying to teach a few Academy students, she thought wryly to herself. After adjusting her new mask on her face, she flared her chakra so they would be able to sense her presence.
Even Naruto, who wasn't the most perceptive of things, noticed her. He turned around in surprise, his own wild chakra flaring. "Sakura-chan?! I didn't see you there!"
And she thought she was the blind one. The pinkette raised an eyebrow.
Then one of the kids by Naruto spoke, "Why do you have a mask over your eyes?" a boys voice asked, soundly slightly dopey. The question caught Sakura off guard for some reason.
She tried to smile at him. "I'm blind".
The little kid audibly gulped. "O-oh. I'm so sorry I asked. I didn't mean to offend you-
"You didn't, it's okay. Are there anymore questions?"
"Excuse me, are you his girlfriend?" one of the little kids asked, a girl.
Both Naruto and Sakura started spluttering in shock.
"N-"
"Yea, of course!"
"Really, boss? Nice! Though she does have a large forehead.." (Apparently the mask didn't hide her forehead as well as she had hoped.)
"Naruto!"
"Ahhhh, I'm sorry!"
"Wait why are you chasing me too?! Is it because of the forehead comment??!"
Sakura only stopped chasing after them when she suddenly sensed a chakra similar to Naruto's own, but much more blood-thirsty. It was on a different level than even Ibiki's.
Strangely enough, she couldn't place exactly where it was coming from. All she could sense was two other chakra signatures, strange and unfamiliar.
"Oomph!"
The boy, Konohamaru, had run into one of those strangers. There was suddenly a bad feeling in the out of her stomach.
"What do we have here?" a males voice said, cocky. It sounded like he had some type of narcissistic problem. Or Sakura was reading into it too much. That was highly probable too.
She heard Konohamaru kick and grunt, trying to get free.
"Hey, let him go!" Naruto called out, stepping forward. The other two kids came rushing up and his behind Sakura.
There was another chakra signature behind the unfamiliar boy. Unfortunately, neither chakra matched that of what the pinkette had sensed earlier.
Naruto and the two newcomers argued back and forth, (in which she learned their names, Kankuro and Temari), and that they had come for the Chunin Exams.
And Naruto, being the complete moron he was, had to sully the name of Konoha and make a fool of himself. "Huh, what are the Chunin Exams?"
The pinkette facepalmed so hard her forehead became bright red. There was sure to be a bump there later.
"Naruto, if you would have paid attention in school even once of your life.. or if Kakashi actually had the decency to let you know... you would know what the Chunin Exams were. They are here because-"
Sakura suddenly remembered something, and she stopped in her tracks. Her milky green eyes widened from under her mask. If there were already people coming for the Chunin exams, then that must mean he might be here too.
...
It was night time, and Itachi and Sakura were heading back to their shared room in Otogakure. The pinkette paused though, a sudden thought coming to her. Her fingers reached out to stop Itachi, grasping at his sleeve.
"Hmm?" the undercover nin asked his silent question.
"W-Well, the Chunin exams are going to be starting up in my village soon," she began, her voice squeaky and unsure. "And I was wondering if you would to like to come and watch me participate."
Sakura had come to the decision that she would take part in the Chunin exams, if she was granted permission to, a few days ago, while she was in a particularly grueling set of sit-ups. It was not an easy decision to make, the very likely possibility of dying along the way threatening to scare her away. But, she knew she would die anyways. Maybe not anytime soon, but quite a few years along the road. The thing that really pushed her to her decision was actually that very thought.
You see, Sakura was blind. Obviously. Her disability slowed her down. She found herself lost, unable to find a purpose for herself. And that scared her even more than dying. If she didn't become a ninja, then what was left for her? She didn't carry on a family tradition of making weapons, where he heightened senses would help her. There was no way she could become a doctor and help people like this. But, she could possibly become a ninja. Even if she died early, then she would be dying for her purpose. Serving her village. Her friends. Her family. The bonds that held her here.
Without that purpose, she was just an empty shell.
Itachi was strangely quite, not making a sound. At first, Sakura thought he might refuse. She wouldn't be mad of course. She was just a genin that he could use. Someone he passed by in his travels. But, he held a special place in her heart, as evasion as he was. He was her first real mentor besides Kakashi, and someone who had encouraged her. Trained her. Helped her. Believed in her.
"I might pass by Konoha. I have business in there. And I might be bringing a friend along. So we will see."
Sakura felt an inkling of worry in the back of her mind and almost regretted asking. But she smiled anyways, giving a thumbs up. "Sounds great~"
...
"-akura? Did they do something to you?" Naruto's worried voice snapped her back, and she let out a gasp. Quickly spinning on her heel and nearly smacking the Uzamaki in his nose, she grabbed his shoulders.
"Have you seen a man about-" Then she stopped with what she was going to say and clamped her mouth shut. She let go of him. "Never mind."
Itachi wouldn't be stupid enough to use the same disguise as last time, just incase anyone recognized him.
Konohamaru's indignant cry relieved her of her thoughts, and she suddnly realized she shouldn't be just standing around drifting off into space. The other genin, Kankuro, still had a hold of the Academy student.
Sakura stepped forward, even as Kankuro threatened to really hurt the boy if she came any closer. "Did you know that the earth beneath your feet has an eighty five percent chance of caving in if I put enough of pressure here?" she asked in an informative voice, stopping exactly seven feet in front of the Sand Genin.
Kankuro scoffed. "Yea right. You're just bluffing."
The pinkette cocked her head. "Am I though? I'm a Konoha ninja, and you know what kind of affinites our people have. Plus, you barely know me. How would you know if I were lying or not. Unless, you want to find out.." She brought out her fist and layered it in thin amounts of chakra, until it became barely visible. A bead of sweat ran down her back.
"L-Liar," It was Temari that spoke now. "You wouldn't risk hurting your precious friend. Plus, you're blind. What could someone like you do to us?"
Ouch, that hit a sore spot. Way to point that out in such a way. Asshole.
Sakura summoned a sicky sweet smile. "Watch me." The she preformed a couple of quick handseals, and lunged her fist towards the ground.
"Wait, okay fine! You win." Kankuro then proceed to dropped Konohamaru to the ground, and the boy scrambled to his feet. He ran back and hid behind Naruto.
Sakura smirked and allowed her chakra to be released. She held back her sigh of relief. "Good job. And you were right, actually."
"Huh?"
"I was bluffing."
Of course she was. She didn't even know what she was talking about. It sure sounded fancy though. Maybe she should become an actor. It took a a lot of willpower and a good chunk of her chakra to make it visible. She had never tried anything like that before.
As she was about to speak again, Sakura suddenly sensed something. With a confused frown on her face, she turned to her side. That was.. odd. "Is anyone there?" she called out, ignoring Naruto's questions.
Someone was, in fact, out there. She could hear them. But for some reason, there was absolutely no traces of chakra. It was a well known fact that all living things had at least a small amount of chakra. Even non-ninja, and ordinary animals.
She could hear faint rustling sounds, and what seemed to be shoes against pavement. (She still wasn't good with naming the sounds she heard.)
Just then chakra became visible, though it was still greatly condensed.
"I'm impressed, Sakura-san."
She knew that voice.
"It- Hosuh-san!"
A large smile spread across her face and she started running towards Itachi. She had hoped he would come, seeing as he was one of her closest friends.
Buuut not close enough to jump on him and give him a big hug. (They would slowly get there though.) Instead she stumbled to stop a few feet in front of him. She would have fallen face first though if large hands hadn't of gone to her shoulders to steady her.
Sakura turned her face upwards with a smile. "I've been accepted into the Chunnin Exams," she said in a happy voice. "And I got a new mask, so blood won't show up on it anymore!"
The way she said that so casually should have been worrying, but Itachi's lips turned up and he patted her head. His fingers looped down to tug at the mask and feel it out.
"Good job, on both the exam and the mask," the nin said in an approving voice, withdrawing his hand.
The pinkette let out a hum. "Thank you. Though, now that I actually made it this far, I'm not sure how long I'll make it," she admitted its a frown.
"I'm sure you'll do fine," the older nin assured her. "Konoha is fortune to have a worthwhile kunoiche such as your-" He pause for, his little amount of chakra fluctuating in surprise.
Another chakra signature suddenly appeared, startling Sakura. She definitely hadn't been expecting that. It was almost similar to what Itachi had done earlier.
Then she remembered something else, that if Itachi did come, then he would be bringing a friend. Was this the friend?
"Ah, hello, brats." There seemed to be another chakra surrounding him, as if he had two systems running through him. It was curious.
"Hey, why is your skin blue?" The question that came out of the Uzamaki's mouth was extremely loud. Sakura and all the surrounding party, (yes, everyone was still there, extremely confused as to what was going on but having no intention to leave just yet), winced.
"Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "You just can't ask someone why they're blue!" Though she was curious. Was Itachi's friend actually blue? It seemed a little unnatural. Though she herself couldn't say much. After all, how many people did she know with bright pink hair?
The stranger let out a gruff laugh. "You kids are funny. I'm suprised Hosuh-san actually knows you guys, though I suppose it not much of a surprise considering.." he trailed off, a knowing tone in his voice that peaked Sakura's interesting. Considering what?
Itachi seemed to recover and took control of this situation. There was a barely noticeable edge in his voice. "Sakura-san, this is my partner, Kitaru-san," he introduced the two. The way he said it, like he said his own name. Was it code also?
"Hmm, so this is the little she-ninja you kept hiding from me. She doesn't look like much, being blind and all. But I'm impressed, especially since she seems to be the only one that sensed their chakra," Kitaru stated, his voice sharp with interest.
Huh? Sakura tilted her head in confusion. What was he talking about? And could people stop making comments about her being blind, for Kami's sake!
Itachi's partner laughed, filled with a biting cold. It sent shivers down everyone's spine and nobody dared to speak.
"Oh yes, you were noticed, with that bloodthirsty chakra of yours. And you too, the one in the tree. We know you're there."