"Well since you've all passed we begin our first official mission as squad seven two days from now. I'll see you all at the Hokage tower then. Remember to eat breakfast" Kakashi instructed before disappearing in a puff of white cloud.
The newly formed Team 7 walked together from the training grounds back to the village, Naruto on Sakura's left babbling away to her about how she should try ramen and Sasuke walked quietly beside her on her right.
Sakura was only half listening to Naruto, she was deep in thought about how she would achieve her new goal. When she'd announced her dream to become a top medical ninja her team's reactions were all different. Kakashi nodded his head in approval; Naruto was openly happy for her and proceeded to spray her with half-digested rice chunks as he yelled his congratulations with mouth full. Sasuke remained silent as always but Sakura thought she saw a look of confusion pass through his face but was gone just as quickly.
"SASUKE-TEME!"
Sakura was shaken out of her reprieve and found Naruto yelling at the empty space where Sasuke was.
"Sakura-chan, Sasuke just disappeared he didn't even say goodbye! Damn idiot!" Naruto whined.
Sakura simply chuckled "He does that if you haven't noticed... But even I have to agree it's creepy that we never hear him leave. He's just like Kakashi in that respect" she observed.
Naruto nodded and muttered something about Sasuke being too cool for everyone.
"Eh Sakura... so now that we're alone…" Naruto said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle before receiving a large bump on the head.
"PERVERT! I'll see you tomorrow for the mission" Sakura said, annoyed.
She then headed for the inner most part of Konoha. The pink haired teen decided the best place to start looking for Tsunade was at the Hokage tower where every foreign visitor to the village was required to report.
I'd better keep my training with Tsunade a secret from the rest of my team. I don't want them to think I'm selfish, Sakura thought as she walked through the sliding doors into the air-conditioned lobby of the Hokage tower. She approached the receptionist nervously.
"Um hi I was wondering if anyone by the name of Tsunade had registered here this morning and if you could tell me where she might be now?" Sakura asked.
The female receptionist looked up and Sakura recognized her as one of the girls who bullied her during her time in the academy.
"Oh it's you giant Forehead girl. What the hell do you want?" Ami sneered. Sakura clenched her fists at the mean nickname her classmates had bestowed upon her.
"I wanted to know if someone named Tsuande checked in here this morning" Sakura said through gritted teeth.
"Look Forehead. I'm only taking this internship because my mother made me. If you think I'm helping you forget it! You're the same loser you were back at the academy. The only reason people pay attention to you is because you're on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke. Who by the way you'd never be good enough for" Ami said with conviction before turning her attention to an important looking business woman waiting at the counter.
"OH HELL NO! LET THAT BITCH HAVE IT! I'LL TOTALLY RIP HER TO PIECES! IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CAN DO ANY BETTER SHE FLUNKED OUT OF THE ACADEMY ANYWAY!" Inner Sakura blazed.
Sakura almost gave into temptation and let her inner self run rampant and kill Ami. But instead she decided to leave and head for home ignoring the stabling feeling in her heart.
Tsunade was more than a little angry as she stormed out of Konoha hospital. The incompetence of the staff was something to be marveled at. They hadn't shown her any respect and she'd exhausted most of her chakra healing patients because some of the nurses "didn't feel like wasting their chakra" The head medic was absolutely useless. Tsunade had to wonder what they would do if a whole load of ANBU came in critically injured.
"I need some sake" Tsunade muttered as she walked towards the nearest bar.
Sakura meanwhile was in a deep depressive state as she repeated Ami's words to herself over again, her self-esteem had taken one too many hits today. Sakura looked up just in time to see Tsunade walking past her towards the Konoha tavern.
"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura called out and raced after her.
Tsunade turned around in response to her name being called and recognized Kakashi's pink haired student. "You're Sakura, right? What can I do for you?"
Sakura gave a timid smile "I was wondering if I might take up your offer to train under you"
Tsunade studied the girl carefully. "Well I can tell you now I'm not going to go easy on you. Your talent for chakra control will only get you so far, for this to work you need to be one hundred percent committed to training"
Sakura nodded her head vigorously; she was prepared to do whatever it took to not be considered weak. "I'm prepared to do absolutely anything you ask in order to get stronger" Sakura replied firmly.
"Well that being said I'm completely drained of chakra because of those useless boneheads in the hospital. They all seem to be lacking a frontal lobe, so I'm headed to the bar which means no training straight away. But you can come with me if you want? I'll even shout you some non-alcoholic fruity drink because you look like you need one" Tsunade said before resuming her original goal with an apprehensive Sakura following behind.
"Hello Miko, the usual for me today and your finest mock tail for Sakura here" Tsunade instructed.
The bartender bowed in response and began busying himself preparing the drinks. The blonde woman (as tired as she was) could tell something was up with her new apprentice. Once their drinks were ready she decided it was now her business as her new sensei to pry into these matters. After all any emotional baggage would be a hindrance during training.
"So what made you change your mind about training under me? When I suggested it this morning you didn't seem very enthused" Tsuande asked as she sipped her sake.
Sakura had a feeling this question was coming and she decided it was best to be up front and honest with her new sensei.
"It's going to sound silly but I had a nightmare last night. My teammate Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi said I had been kicked off Team 7 because I was too selfish and absorbed with how I looked. Ino a girl who I used to be best friends with was my replacement. She and my other teammate Sasuke Uchiha were together" Sakura paused and looked at her sensei who nodded for her to continue.
"He called me weak… And today just before I saw you outside the hospital I went to the Hokage tower to find you and a girl from the academy was working as a receptionist there. She insulted me and told me the only reason people know who I am is because I'm on the same team as Sasuke" Sakura finished glumly.
"I see" Tsunade replied.
She drank deeply from her bottle of sake and felt sympathy for Sakura; she knew what it felt like to be left behind by her teammates. The feelings of loneliness and uselessness washed away by the alcohol she so desperately craved.
"But I-I want to change that. I don't want to be known as just the girl on the same team as the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan and trained by the famed Kakashi Hatake. I want to be recognized as a person, as someone important" Sakura said as she felt her emotions bubble over.
"Hmm. That's the kind of answer I was hoping for. Strength is not restricted to physical appearance but a strong mental attitude is imperative as well. As you become physically stronger your confidence will grow and you'll be your own person" Tsunade smiled and stood up. Leaving some money on the counter she walked out and Sakura followed.
"So I have half an hour before I have to return to the hospital and those useless nurses. After my shift we can start your training but is there anything particular you want to do for this half hour?" Tsunade asked mildly.
"I was actually hoping to change my look a bit. I have too many fancy clothes and not nearly enough clothes for training and missions. I brought this dress because it looked good; it's actually pretty impractical for a ninja" Sakura said.
"Fair enough I actually have something in mind" Tsunade said smirking.
Sakura kicked the door to her room open with her foot, her arms full of shopping bags. She threw the bags down and flopped on her bed exhausted, Tsunade was one ridiculously fast shopper. She went through the racks throwing clothes behind her to Sakura's waiting arms. The pile got so big she couldn't even see over the top of it.
Reaching for one of the bags Sakura pulled out her new outfit for training and missions with Team 7. Instead of a dress her outfit was split in two. Her top was a very basic design and red in colour, Tsunade had chosen a short grey apron skirt made of breathable material and good for flexibility but she would still wear the same black mid-thigh tights underneath. To top it all off her blue ninja sandals were replaced with a pair of black boots.
Regaining some of her energy back Sakura opened her wardrobe and began stuffing her kimonos, most of her makeup, all of her necklaces except one, all her high heels except one pair into a huge bag.
Once the bag was full she started putting all her new ninja clothes on hangers as well as some everyday clothes which were a few t-shirts, two pairs of jeans and a pair of shorts. Ninja sandals replaced the high heels, only two tubes of lip gloss were left from the makeup and her jewellery was replaced with hair ties. Tsunade had requested she put her long hair up when training.
Sakura walked into her bathroom taking her new training outfit with her as she changed out of her signature red dress. She emerged from the bathroom holding her dress in one hand and picked up the bag full of her old clothes in the other.
Putting the dress in the bag would mean saying good bye to everything she used to be. But then again she had chosen the dress herself and her parents had bought it for her in celebration of her acceptance into the academy.
Perhaps keeping it and looking at in every now and again will remind me of how far I've come, she thought before hanging it back up.
Satisfied with the change Sakura hoisted the bag over her shoulder and began walking to Konoha Girls Orphanage which was just a couple of streets away from where she lived. Normally she'd spend ages working on her appearance before she left the house to go anywhere just in case she ran into Sasuke, but Sakura felt strangely light and free.
With a new focus and a goal to achieve she felt like everything had been put in perspective. A relationship with Sasuke would be nice, even if it was just good friends but Sakura wasn't holding her breath.
"Welcome Miss Haruno, nice to see you again" The director of the orphanage greeted her cheerfully. He and her parents had been friends for years and Sakura visited the orphanage regularly.
"Nice to see you to Kioshi-san. Sorry I can't stay long today I'm off to train but I have some clothes for the girls" Sakura said, smiling at the man who gave his entire life to helping people. She only hoped that all this training would pay off and she'd be able to do the same.
When Sasuke told her she didn't understand what it was like to be lonely she was hurt a lot deeper than she outwardly portrayed. Obviously she had never lost her entire family but through the stories of the girls at the orphanage she was able to gain an insight.
Even when all she cared about was Sasuke and her appearance she still had a heart and visiting the orphanage became a weekly ritual. After dropping off the clothes Sakura headed for the training grounds in the outer most western part of Konoha. Apparently Tsuande had been granted these training grounds for her own private use by the Hokage which left Sakura wondering about the influence her new sensei had.
Unlike Kakashi, Tsuande arrived shortly after Sakura did sporting a mild headache no thanks to the sake she'd had hours before hand. The setting sun cast an orangey fire over the training grounds as Sakura sat next to her new mentor, who demanded an extra half hour before they started. Sakura's brain was buzzing with questions to ask the blonde woman but instead she chose to thank her.
"Thank you for the advice about the bell test. We all passed today" Sakura said.
Tsunade managed a small smile and offered Sakura a quick pat on the back before pumping more chakra into her head to quell the insane throbbing.
"I'm glad to hear that, how did you do? Even after I fixed your headache I could tell you were low on chakra"
"I actually tried something a little different, after I almost healed Hitoshi I realised I could use the chakra as a weapon. During the test today Sasuke got himself buried neck deep in the earth thanks to Kakashi-sensei. Naruto and I needed to get him out so he could help us get the bells. So I directed my chakra to my fist and punched the ground. It didn't make much of a crack but enough so Sasuke could get out. But I was completely drained of chakra afterward" Sakura spoke softly.
Tsuande glanced at the teenager in surprise, she had read Sakura's file and knew she graduated top of her class in chakra control and precision, but the girls ninja file did not account for her intelligence and resourcefulness. Tsunade knew some medical ninjas who were more advanced than Sakura that never would have thought to combine a taijutsu attack with pure chakra.
"Impressive I must say but it has become obvious to me what we need to start with; increasing your chakra reserves. It's good you can combine taijutsu style fighting with chakra infused attacks and we'll develop that further. The most help you can give to your team at the moment is being able to heal their injuries. When your chakra reserves reach the level that I'm happy with then we can progress further" Tsunade replied.
Tsunade took her hands off her head and looked directly at her apprentice. "So tell me everything you know about chakra" she instructed.
Immediately Sakura's brain went into academic mode and she recited a textbook style speech about chakra. "Chakra is the moulding of physical energy present in the cell of every body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience"
The response was a basic definition but it was a lot better than most ninja her age Tsunade thought as she reached into her back pack and pulled out a scroll.
"Good, what you said was correct but I'm going to elaborate" spreading the scroll out Tsunade began her lecture.
"Everyone produces chakra to some degree, however certain groups such as ninja have learned to generate more chakra and release it outside their body through their chakra points in order to perform jutsu. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, and dojutsu all require chakra however taiijutsu is different and requires only stamina with exception of chakra manipulation to a standard punch or kick which is what you did today during the bell test" Tsunade explained.
Unravelling the scroll further Sakura noticed a picture of different coloured Japanese symbols all connected to each other. "Those are the different types of Elemental Chakra, the five main elemental types are also the Five Great Shinobi Nations; Fire, Lighting, Wind, Earth and Water. Each ninja has the potential to better utilize one of these styles and potentially more" Tsunade finished before rolling up the scroll.
"Most ninja neglect chakra because they don't think it is important but chakra is the foundation of every jutsu and every technique performed. Those with good chakra control are open to a wide variety of techniques that those with weak chakra control are not" Tsunade said returning the scroll to her bag and drawing out a book.
"I brought this book when I began to take an interest in medical ninjutsu. I used this it all through my training and many people criticised me for relying on one book but it has everything in it and is a fantastic source of information and I've added my own helpful comments on how to perform certain jutsu's and techniques in it. I'm now giving it to you" Tsunade said handing it to her student.
Sakura was surprised but took the book gratefully from her sensei's outstretched hand "Are you sure shishou?"
Tsuande nodded "I've got it memorised and I want you to do the same. Take it on missions to read when you have the time"
Sakura tucked the book safely in her back pack before rising to her feet and Tsunade did the same "There is just one more chakra related item I would like to discuss with you. It deals with the power of emotions"
Sakura looked at the older woman in confusion. "But one of the shinobi rules is to never show emotion"
At this Tsunade chuckled. "That one rule in particular is ridiculous. We are all human and humans feel emotion, if someone you loved was dying would you not cry just because some rule told you not to?"
Sakura shook her head, she couldn't imagine not crying if someone she loved was dying because of some ridiculous rule.
"Didn't think so although in battle emotions can be dangerous. They can cloud judgement and cause rash and dangerous decisions not only jeopardising the mission but the lives of the team. But they can also be immensely powerful. There have been many occasions where a ninja has drawn on superior inner strength despite severe chakra depletion because a loved one's life was hanging in the balance. Emotions should be kept under control if possible but drawn on when needed" Tsunade explained further.
Sakura took in this new information with some relief. She'd always considered her emotions yet another coal added to the burning fire of weakness within her. She never voiced it a loud but Sakura always doubted that rule. Suddenly Tsuande tossed a black blur in the air and Sakura found herself reaching for it, upon closer examination the black blur was in fact a pair of gloves.
"I noticed your knuckles were badly bruised from the punch you did. You're going to have to get used to it but until then the gloves will help" Sakura slipped them on gratefully and faced off against Tsunade as both women took a fighting stance.
"Now to increase your chakra we need to develop your stamina, I'm going to come at you with everything I have. Most of this will be purely defence and evasion on your part but if you see an opening feel free to attack me"
"Hai!" Sakura yelled and the two kunoichi rushed at each other.
"That will be all for this evening Sakura" Tsuande said
Sakura's resolve broke as she threw herself onto the soft grass completely exhausted. Every inch of her body screamed in protest, she knew she'd be well and truly bruised tomorrow. Tsuande sat down next to her student without a scratch on her; Sakura glared and pulled herself into a seated position despite the pain it caused.
Tsuande reached across and began healing some of the more prominent scratches on Sakura's arm. The older woman had to give the teen credit, she had really let her have it and Sakura didn't complain once. Checking her chakra level Tsuande was pleased to find it had increased a small amount, it wasn't at the level she wanted yet but it was a start. Standing up Tsuande extended her hand to her Sakura who gladly accepted and both females headed for home.
As they reached her house Sakura turned to Tsunade "Um Shishou. Do you think maybe we could keep my training a secret from Team 7? I just don't want them to think I'm being selfish especially after today and the progress we made"
"Alright but you can't keep it hidden from them forever. For now you can claim your healing ability on what you've learnt in the book and your chakra punches can be excused as a result of your chakra control" Tsunade replied.
"Did you want to come in for a minute?" Sakura asked but Tsunade shook her head. "I have to get back to the hospital. I understand you have a mission two days from now correct?"
Sakura nodded, it seemed Tsuande had done her research and Sakura tried to not be too freaked out by it
"Very well, tomorrow we will concentrate on increasing the amount of time you can heal someone for in preparation for your mission. I'll see you then" With that her new sensei disappeared the same way Kakashi had.
"Damn it I am so sick of people disappearing like that!" Sakura grumbled and opened the door.
It was hard to believe two days had passed and Sakura was waiting outside the Hokage tower in her new training outfit for her team. Yesterday had been even worse than the day before, Tsuande kept pulling fish after fish out of the stream, cutting them in different places and rupturing organs before handing them to Sakura and demand she heal them.
Aided by her new medical book Sakura was able to heal most of the fish but passed out a couple of times due to chakra depletion. Then Tsuande forced her to do more stamina training and Sakura was completely shattered, bruised and in a lot of pain but she felt a little stronger. A strong gust of wind blew and to Sakura it felt strange not to feel her pink hair floating in the breeze, instead it was tied up in a high ponytail. Sakura blew a few loose strands of hair out of her face and tapped her foot impatiently.
"GOOD MORNING SAKURA-CHAN!"
Sakura looked up to see Naruto waving at her in the distance with Sasuke walking beside him. She felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of them becoming closer and leaving her out. But from the annoyed look etched on Sasuke's face it was obvious Naruto had ambushed Sasuke on his way to the Hokage tower.
As the two boys drew nearer Sakura watched and waited to see who would notice her new look first and was not at all surprised that Naruto was the first to notice… and make a huge deal out of it.
"HOLY CRAP TEME LOOK AT SAKURA'S OUTFIT AND HER HAIR!" Naruto bellowed and ran as fast as he could towards her, landing in front of his female teammate. His face was a few inches from hers and he stared at her through squinted eyes.
Sasuke who had his eyes closed opened them with the full intention of smacking Naruto over the head, but instead he caught sight of Sakura and for once thought Naruto had given an appropriate reaction.
"Dobe stop staring at her like that. You're making her uncomfortable" Sasuke said walking passed his two teammates but not before he smacked Naruto across the back of the head.
"Sakura-chan where's your dress and why is your hair up?" Naruto asked curiously. Sakura could feel Sasuke's eyes boring into the left side of her head and breathed deeply.
"I just felt like a change is all. Plus a dress isn't right for a ninja" she said a little uncomfortably.
"Well I think you look great, don't you Sasuke?" Naruto prompted. Sakura looked at her raven haired teammate who simply glared at the blonde boy before snorting.
"Whatever Dobe they're just clothes, it doesn't change anything"
"SASUKE WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A TEME"
"Shut up loser the whole village can hear you!"
"Teme"
"Dobe"
"Teme"
"Dobe"
"TEME"
"DOBE"
Sakura shook her head and tried to remind herself that Sasuke and his opinions of her were no longer top of the priority list. Naruto who was satisfied with the thought of winning an argument against Sasuke, sat himself on the ground and waited for Kakashi.
Sasuke however was sneaking looks at Sakura and he had to commend her. The clothes she had picked were more sensible for training and missions than that stupid dress was, not to mention flattering to her body.
He was immediately disgusted that the thought had even crossed his mind.
Stupid, your focus is not that weak girl and the blonde moron but the revenge you need to exact on Itachi and the restoration of the great Uchiha clan, Sasuke thought trying to banish all thoughts of his pink haired teammate and her flattering outfit.
"Well hi there team"
Kakashi once again appeared out of nowhere and waved hello to his squad, Sakura could feel her blood boiling.
"Why does everyone have to sneak up on me like that!?" she asked angrily before throwing the doors open and stomping off into the Hokage's office.
Kakashi followed her and noticed the change in her training outfit but decided against saying anything. Apparently that had already caused some drama the silver haired man deduced. Sasuke trailed after his sensei with a bored expression on his face and Naruto brought up the rear end by slamming the doors closed earning him a kick in the face from one of the receptionists.
"Sasuke I'm at Point B"
"Sakura I'm at Point C"
"Naruto I'm at Point A, believe it!"
Kakashi sighed and readjusted his headset before speaking into the mouth piece. "You're slow Naruto. Okay squad seven..." Just then something shot out of the bushes and leapt into the sky.
"The target has moved! Follow it!" Kakashi instructed urgently through the headset.
Using a burst of chakra, Team 7 responded to Kakashi's order and moved in synchronised form to another clump of trees.
"Over there" Naruto called out spying the target
Quietly sneaking up, each of the squad members positioned themselves, making sure they were in clear viewing distance.
Kakashi's voice echoed through the static. "What's your distance from the target?"
"5 meters, I'm ready just give the signal" Naruto replied.
"I'm ready too" Sasuke said
"So am I" Sakura added
"Okay….. NOW!" Kakashi yelled
All three members of Team 7 shot out of the bushes, Naruto threw himself on top of the target which was in fact a cat. The cat then proceeded to scratch his face off and Sakura smiled in amusement.
"Can you verify a ribbon, right ear?" Kakashi asked.
"Affirmative we got a positive ID" Sasuke replied.
"Right, lost pet Tora captured. Mission accomplished" Kakashi said, ticking off some items on a sheet.
"CAN'T WE GET A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS? I HATE CATS!" Naruto screamed through the headset.
"Oh my poor little Tora, Mummy was so worried about her little fuzzy kins"
Sakura winced and couldn't help but feel sorry for the cat as the owner embraced it and began hugging it tightly, calling it cute little nicknames. Apparently Naruto didn't feel the same compassion.
"Hahaha! Stupid cat, that kitty deserves to be squashed! Hahaha" The blond boy laughed
"No wonder he ran away" Sakura sighed
Clearing his throat the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked through the mission scrolls.
"Now then, for Squad Sevens next mission we have several available tasks. Among them babysitting the chief councilors three year old, helping his wife to do the shopping and digging up potatoes" he read carefully.
"NO! I WANNA GO ON A REAL MISSION! SOMETHING CHALLENGING AND EXCITING, NOT THIS LITTLE KID STUFF! COME ON OLD MAN!" Naruto yelled flailing his arms around.
He's got a point, Sasuke thought.
"But he's such a pain" Sakura said under her breath.
"Hmm... I knew this was coming" Kakashi said, the possible consequences he would face from Naruto's disrespect running through his head.
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU'RE JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITH NO EXPERIENCE. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE YOU START WITH SIMPLE MISSIONS TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AND PROVE YOURSELF" Iruka screamed back at a defiant Naruto. Sakura massaged her temples, with all this yelling she could feel a headache coming on.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS? BABYSITTING IS NOT A MISSION IT'S JUST A STUPID-" Naruto began to bellow again.
Sakura snapped she'd had enough. Between the anger from this morning, her complete exhaustion from her training with Tsunade and the blood pulsing through her brain playing drums in her head she lost it. Stalking forward she raised her fist and threw an almighty punch at the top of Naruto's skull causing a huge bump to appear.
"Will you put a lid on it?" Sakura hissed and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kakashi sighed and the Third Hokage addressed Naruto.
"It seems you do not understand the tasks you have been given. Listen, many different kinds of requests come into our village every day. From babysitting to assassination, these requests are carefully recorded, analysed then ranked A, B, C or D depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked by ability, Hokage at the top, Jounin, Chunin and Genin at the bottom. At the highest level we select the missions and assign them to ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience. If the mission is successful we receive a fee which supports our village and our work. Since you are untried Genin you are given D rank missions… Hmm?"
"So I had this tantatsu ramen yesterday and I'm thinking miso ramen today" Naruto chattered away completely oblivious to the fact that the Hokage had finished speaking.
"SILENCE!" Sarutobi yelled loudly.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly "Oh uh sorry about that"
Naruto however wasn't sorry at all. "YOU ALWAYS LECTURE ME LIKE YOU'RE MY GRANDFATHER OR SOMETHING! BUT I'M NOT THE LITTLE BRAT WHO USED TO PULL PRANKS ALL THE TIME! I'M A NINJA NOW AND I WANT A NINJA MISSION!" he folded his arms and pouted like a toddler.
I'm going to hear about this later, Kakashi thought.
At this the Hokage chuckled. "So Naruto wants us to know he's not a brat, he's a former brat and he wants a mission. So be it" he declared.
Sakura looked up "What they're actually going to give us a higher ranked mission just because Naruto threw a tantrum?"
Sasuke seemed equally surprised, if anything Naruto's meltdown should have reduced the quality of their missions not improved them.
"Since you are so determined I'm going to give you a C ranked mission, you'll be body guards on a journey"
Naruto stopped pouting and turned around giving the Hokage his full attention.
"Really? YES! Who? Who? Are we guarding a princess or some big league councilor?" Naruto exclaimed.
Sakura felt excitement rush through her. Now she'd get a chance to try out her new techniques and hopefully she'd get some spare time to train alone and look over Tsunade's book more.
"Don't be so impatient, I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor" The Hokage declared.
Team 7 turned their attention towards the door, Naruto wore an eager expression as he imagined who it could be, Sakura smiled in spite of herself at the thought of gaining some lead way with her training and Sasuke smirked at the thought of leaving the village. Perhaps if word got back to Itachi that he was now a ninja, Sasuke would get his shot at revenge a lot sooner.
The door slid open and the first thing Sakura noticed was a bottle of alcohol. That was never a good sign and she soon lost her enthusiasm. Sasuke too dropped the smirk and his face twisted into an annoyed scowl.
"What the? A bunch of little snot nosed kids?" The man stepped forward and began drinking deeply from his bottle.
Sakura looked across at Naruto who was fuming after he heard the word kid. This is going to be a long mission, she thought.
"And you the little one with the idiotic look on your face, you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"
At this Naruto burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his…?" Trailing off the blonde boy looked at Sakura and Sasuke before realizing the man meant him.
"I'LL DEMOLISH YOU LET ME GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Naruto began screaming threats.
"You can't demolish the client Naruto it doesn't work that way" Kakashi said holding Naruto back.
After another long drink the man introduced himself. "I am Tazuna a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely even if it means giving up your life"
Kakashi nodded "Well you heard the man we leave first thing tomorrow morning. Be at the village gates at 5 and pack properly"
With that Tazuna left followed by Kakashi and Naruto taking the left stairway, expecting Sasuke to leave of his own accord Sakura left as well and headed for the right stairwell but was surprised to see Sasuke fall in step next to her.
"Hn. Don't read into it, we live near each other" Sasuke said indifferently.
Sakura smirked "It's hard to read into something that isn't there"
With that the two walked out of the Hokage building in a companionable silence.