The Jounin team purchased tickets to cross the Kaizoku Sea, the sea they literally just crossed from the Land of Honey. This time, their transport was not as opulent as the gozabune they rode in before. But it was fairly large. The godairikisen was used as the only transport to cross the ocean. Luckily for them, there weren't many civilians in the boat because it was rather late in the evening.
After travelling by boat for long hours, it almost made them seasick. It was the second time of the day to sit in the boat while being pushed back and forth; only, the waves were much rougher in the night. They sat on the floor and laid their heads on the wooden wall, their head thumping on it when waves come crashing. It made sleeping impossible.
Even their tiger-nins were cuddling with each other in a corner, clearly feeling unwell. They could barely eat in the boat and it worried the team. The cubs were left untouched in fear it would trigger something in them. Sleep was what they need to keep themselves distracted from the motions.
Sakura walked out to the back of the boat in exasperation. The luminescent crescent moon was reflected on the uneven surface of the sea. She stared at it while pondering about the eccentric behavior of her father. It gave her an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, a bad omen.
Silent footsteps headed toward the pinkette; it was the Hyuga clan's heir. She turned around at his presence.
"Is something bothering you?" He asked.
She turned around to face the sparkling ocean again. "No."
"You're not a good liar." He stood next to her and watched the stars of the sea.
"Then why do you ask." She retorted sharply.
"I am simply worried, Sakura." This time, he was facing her.
She hung her head and sighed, "It's nothing for you to worry about."
Neji took her hands in his and said, "We are a team, Sakura. It's only natural that we would care for each other." She looked up at him. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but Sasuke and I will always be here for you."
They gazed into each other eyes for a moment; emerald and lavender. Each held their own emotions. The boy was full of concern and love and the hope for her to depend on him. The girl was touched and appreciated him very much. But she could not understand the feelings she held in her heart.
Finally, Sakura replied breathlessly. "Okay."
The Hyuga smiled, just a little bit.
Suddenly, the boat shook a little too vigorously that it almost knocked Sakura off into the water. The heir was quick to grab her by the waist and pulled her further into the boat. Water splashed over them as they tried to stand firm. The couple was wet from head to toe.
Sasuke and Kakashi ran out to see their soaked teammates, following after them were the few civilians who were curious as to what had happened. They began to panic as the boat rocked aggressively, sending them from side to side. The tiger-nins ran out and transformed into their larger form.
They sensed danger. A danger that shouldn't be taken lightly.
The three tigers roared loudly and Kakashi yelled, "Jump into the water!"
The trio saw what was coming and pushed the civilians who were close to them into the ocean. The tigers pushed the rest of them into the ocean even though they hated water. There were a total of eight civilians including the operators of the godaisirikisen. Fire shurikens attacked the boat out of nowhere and set it into bright flames which contrasted the dark blue night. A water dragon rose from the water and aimed at the pinkette. Being in the water was a disadvantage because it prevents her from moving quickly. She faced the blow and was sent a few feet into the sea. She let out a gasp from the strong impact and immediately realised her mistake.
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