[FFML] [Fanfic][Naruto] Suiren, Chapter 11: Distance...

[Eimii]

[Already posted this to the GoogleGroups FFML, but i guess i should
post it here as well. This incorporates some suggestions that Aaron
Nowack and William Little made on GoogleGroups, so it's not _exactly_
the same as that version...]


Disclaimer: She's mine! All mine! <grabs Sakura-chan possessively>
...actually, no -_-;. Damn you, Kishimoto! Why do you scorn your
kunoichi so!

Spoiler and Continuity Warning: No new spoilers in this part. In fact,
this is where we start to diverge from canon once again. Wai!

Non-Yaoi Warning: We've got _boys_ in this chapter- lots of them!
Tread with care, fair reader, lest you catch them in the act, for
anyone who reads Naruto fanficion knows that when you get two of these
kids together in one room for more than ten minutes, the clothes are
coming off! O_o;... Oh, wait- i don't write yaoi. Nevermind...

This Part Is Actually Pretty Tame Warning: Not a whole lot of deviant
shenanigans happening this time. Sorry ^_^;...  <PARTIALLY REDACTED
DUE TO NEW SCENES> Uuuhh... yeah; you'll see =_=;...

Hmm... originally, this chapter had note right _here_ where i
apologized profusely for taking so long to publish it the _first_ time
O_o;. Gah- i can't believe how long it took to revise this chapter,
and then being without a computer for over a month didn't help. Those
who have read this before will recognize the new scenes, but those who
haven't: the opening and ending are new/changed. There was originally
going to be one more new scene involving Ino, but it's not finished,
and i'm not sure whether i want to include it in this chapter or the
next; as it is, i'm not sure whether or not the new scenes work, so
comments and criticism are always welcome! I'll try to get better
about updating, really ;_;. Anyhow, this is my first actual story post
to the Google FFML, so here's to hoping that there's actually anyone
out there reading...

~Eimii





DISTANCE...



"Grrr- this is pointless!"

With a snort of disgust, Sakura slammed the notebook shut and dropped
it to the floor next to her cot. It had never been her intent to
replicate the Shintenshin, so her research notes were woefully
inadequate to the task of explaining how her version of the technique
actually _worked_.

Flopping back down onto her pillow, the pink-haired girl yawned and
rubbed her eyes. Her internal clock told her that she'd once again
wasted most of the night, and dawn was fast approaching. Blinking
blearily in the gloom cast by her flashlight, Sakura wondered if there
was still time to get some sleep.

She got her answer when the thick metal grating in the ceiling
flickered to life, bathing the room in harsh white fluorescence.
"Ugh...." Rolling onto her side, Sakura covered her head with her
arms, but the light pressed down on her with almost tangible force,
like a clingy silken sheet; mildly stifling and impossible to ignore.

Sluggishly crawling out of bed, Sakura smoothed out her pajamas and
staggered over to 'assume the position' opposite the cell door,
waiting for the morning security check to begin. The drowsy kunoichi
twitched in surprise when she heard the scrape of a lock being turned.
She hadn't felt the characteristic prickle of the restraining wards
being activated.

"We can turn them on if you'd like," Yoshinari's voice offered in a
bland, honest tone that made Sakura wonder whether or not he was
making fun of her.

"I'll pass," Sakura replied dryly, turning to face her jailer.

Sakura found the monkey-masked man standing just inside her cell with
a tray of food in one hand and a bundle of black cloth under his arm.
Yoshinari was wearing standard ANBU armor today, rather than his
'office' uniform. Beside him, a petite woman wearing a rat-styled mask
and a khaki cloak was carefully turning over Sakura's bedding.

Sakura hadn't heard either of them come in, but that wasn't unusual.
"Good morning Hyuuga-san, Asano-san," she greeted with as much
enthusiasm as she could muster. "Something special happening today?"
she asked, squinting at the tall man's garb.

"Sandaime Hokage-sama's funeral," Yoshinari replied evenly, handing
her the bundle of cloth, which she now recognized a funeral robe. "I
_did_ promise that you'd be allowed to attend, provided that your
condition remained stable."

"Oh." Already agitated by the smell of food, Sakura's stomach twisted
queasily; it would be nice to get out for a while, but it was hard to
feel happy about it when he put it like that.

"So, how did you sleep?" Yoshinari inquired, setting the tray on the
small desk beside the door and crossing his arms. "No strange dreams?"

"Um... I didn't really sleep last night," Sakura admitted, looking
down in embarrassment.

"Trying out your new toy?"

Turning around, Sakura blushed beet red when she saw the small pink
cylinder that Asano was waving under her nose. "Aaaaah!"

"I don't remember this being here yesterday," the Hunter nin observed slyly.

"It's- It's not mine!" Sakura blurted, leaning away. "It's Anko's!"
Sakura grimaced in disgust when she realized how much worse that made
it sound. *Dammit, I can't believe she left that thing behind!* Anko
must have hidden it in her blankets when she wasn't looking.

"Hmm...." Glancing at the vibrator, Asano gave a tiny shrug. "Well, I
suppose I could let it slide, just this once. It would have been nice
if Anko-sama had bothered to clear it with me first, though."

Before Sakura could protest that she didn't even _want_ the nasty
thing, Yoshinari interrupted. "It may not matter. Morino-san wants to
see you this morning, Sakura-chan. I believe wishes to personally
evaluate your state of mind before he authorizes your release."

"Really?" Sakura instantly forgot about her instructor's latest act of
mischief as the promise of freedom was suddenly dangled before her,
but she cautiously reined in her enthusiasm. "It's only been three
days, though," she noted in confusion. "You said I'd be here for at
least a week."

"The village council has authorized the assignment of low-level ANBU
to B-class missions, to help alleviate the manpower shortage," Asano
replied candidly, startling Sakura when she pressed the incriminating
'toy' into the pink-haired girl's palm. "This facility is jointly run
by the Hunter nins and the Interrogation Squad, and Interrogation is
mostly chuunin, so we'll be understaffed." Folding Sakura's bedding
under her arm, the older kunoichi moved toward the door. "Maybe Ibiki
thinks he can kill two birds with one stone," she mused, giving Sakura
a sideways look.

Something in the small woman's voice made Sakura nervous- a hint of
cruel humor and... anticipation? "So, I'm going back on active duty?"
she asked hesitantly.

"I'd presume so. You haven't displayed any signs of degeneration or
given any reason to doubt your loyalty," Yoshinari conjectured.
"Unless there is a reason you didn't sleep last night?" The Hyuuga
gave Sakura a probing look that she could feel even from behind his
mask.

Shuddering, Sakura quickly shook her head. "No! No, nothing like that;
I was just up all night studying."

"'Studying,' eh?" Asano chuckled, and Sakura could tell she was eyeing
the pink plastic wand in Sakura's hand. "Well, try not to 'study' too
hard, Sakura-chan; you could go blind!"





Glancing over the top of his freshly-minted copy of the newest 'Icha-
Icha Paradise,' Hatake Kakashi frowned in disappointment. *Did he
_really_ beat the Hyuuga kid?* With a sigh, the gray haired ninja
cleared his throat and motioned for his students' attention. "Another
point for Sakura," he declared, giving Naruto a flat stare as the mob
of orange-clad genin started throwing another tantrum.

"But Kakashi-senseeeeei!" the real Naruto whined, taking a step
forward, "Sakura-chan ain't even hit me _once_!" He gestured at the
ragged ring of pink-haired clones that encircled his huddle of
kagebunshin. "How come she keeps gettin' points?" he demanded.

"Idiot! She's-" A warning glance silenced Sasuke, but the Uchiha heir
still allowed himself a snort of disgust before he resumed scanning
the battlefield. He wasn't participating in the sparring, but Sasuke
seemed incredibly agitated for some reason.

Turning to the two young ninja in the clearing, Kakashi peered
speculatively at one of Sakura's remaining bunshin. Sakura was dressed
oddly today, having replaced her usual red blouse with a gray hooded
sweatshirt and her running shorts with a pair of faded blue jeans. She
was also wearing her forehead protector properly for once, and had a
katana tied across her back.

The clone's sword was sheathed as it faced Naruto head-on with needles
fanned through the fingers of either hand, but Kakashi could see that
the real Sakura had her sword drawn and ready. She was poised to cut
down her unsuspecting opponent from behind, just as she had 'killed'
all of the kagebunshin that had been struck by her decoys' illusory
projectiles.

*Misdirection and concealment.* Sakura's mastery of basic ninja
tactics and Naruto's lack of perception were more evident than ever
when you threw a cloaking genjutsu into the mix. The mismatch was
almost painful to watch.

Looking over Naruto's shoulder, the jounin lowered his book and
smirked indulgently through his mask. "That's an impressive trick,
Sakura, but try something else now," he commanded, surreptitiously
observing the body language of the raven-haired boy at his side.

"Alright, Kakashi-sensei!" one of the Sakura doppelgangers
acknowledged, before the mass of them dissipated in a thick cloud of
smoke and the real Sakura moved away from Naruto to find cover.

As Kakashi panned his gaze across the smokescreen, he noted that
Sasuke's eyes traced the same path as his own. While Sasuke was trying
to seem casual about it, the boy's stare was intense and searching.
*Ah... well, I suppose he'll have to learn eventually.*

Sasuke had activated his Sharingan shortly after Sakura had scored her
first point on Naruto. Despite this, it seemed that he was having
trouble throwing off the pink-haired girl's technique. Sasuke gave a
start of surprise when Sakura dropped down from the branches of a tree
at the opposite end of the field from where they were looking. Having
been found out, he favored the elder ninja with a glare.

Kakashi simply shrugged. "You're going to go cross-eyed if you keep
squinting like that," he pointed out, brushing off the unspoken
accusation. "Genjutsu is nothing to scoff at. Even those eyes can only
do so much."

In response, Sasuke frowned deeper and focused on his teammates once
more. *Always so stubborn,* the jounin mused ruefully.

While Sasuke fumed at the unwanted attention, Naruto seemed infuriated
that he was being ignored. "What'dya mean? What trick?" the blonde boy
persisted, absently dispelling his own clones. "I dunno what you're
talkin' about!"

Turning back to his noisy pupil, Kakashi placed his hands on his hips
and sighed again. "That's why I let her keep using it, Naruto. If you
still don't know what's going on, you need to pay more attention."

"C'mon- lemmie try one more time!" Naruto pleaded, obviously riled by
the look of disdain Sasuke was directing his way. "I just need a hint!
Pleeeeease?"

Though Sasuke hid it well, Kakashi detected a hint of anticipation
from the Uchiha heir at this suggestion. Perhaps he would give them
another chance. Those two always did shine brightest when they were
pushed into a corner, and Sakura's new technique was proving an
unexpected challenge.

*Could be interesting.* The masked ninja shrugged in defeat. "Alright,
once more," he agreed. Turning to the patiently waiting kunoichi,
Kakashi gave her an appraising look. "You can use that technique one
more time, Sakura."

Her expression unreadable, the pink-haired girl nodded silently.
Sakura would've had trouble against Naruto without her concealment
genjutsu, but if the restriction had troubled her, she hadn't shown
it. Kakashi could hardly believe that this was the same excitable,
insecure young girl that had been assigned to his team barely three
months ago.

"Hey, what about my hint?"

If only some of that maturity would rub off on her teammates. Kakashi
considered denying Naruto's plea, but Sakura's streak of easy wins was
making it difficult to judge just how far the pair had progressed
while he was away. As unlikely as it seemed, Naruto simply wasn't
pushing Sakura very hard.

Perhaps it was time to turn up the heat a bit. "Take off your coat,
Naruto," he suggested.

"Huh?" The blonde boy asked intelligently, blinking in confusion.

"Just... trust me."

Reluctantly, Naruto complied. "What does this have'ta... eh?" The
short ninja paused, his face betraying puzzlement as he stared at the
back of his bright orange jacket.

There, displayed for all the world to see, were five small strips of
paper. Each one was approximately the size of an explosion note, but
instead of seals they bore inscriptions like 'BOOM!' or 'HI, MY NAME
IS CHARCOAL.'

"AAAAAH?! WHAT THE HELL?!" Rounding on the two 'geniuses,' Naruto held
up the vandalized article of clothing. "Wh-where'd these come from?
Sasuke, you bastard, did you do this?"

Sasuke snarled in contempt. "Sakura did it, moron!" he snapped.

"That's enough, Sasuke," Kakashi warned, glancing at the dark-haired
boy. "I think Naruto can figure out the rest."

Naruto's expression crumbled in disbelief as he stared at the pair.
"Eeeh? No way!" Turning to his object of desire, he gave Sakura a hurt
look. "Sakura-chan?"

Green eyes flashed with mischief as Sakura gave him a small, mocking
smile. "Surprised, Naruto?" she asked. "I _am_ your opponent, you
know. I haven't been slacking off, either, so you'd better start
taking this seriously, or I'm gonna make you look _really_ stupid."

Kakashi watched in amusement as Naruto's face underwent a series of
strange contortions, like he couldn't decide whether or not to be
offended. Even Sasuke looked taken aback; Sakura was always on her
best behavior when he was around, so this was a side of her he'd
seldom seen.

"How about we have a little bet?" Sakura continued, before Naruto
could make up his mind. "Loser of this bout buys the winner a bowl of
ramen!"

As she uttered the magic word, all indecision vanished from Naruto's
face. "Ramen? Alright, you're on!"

"_But_, to make it interesting, I propose a restriction," Sakura
added, confidently riding over Naruto's enthusiasm. "Kakashi-sensei
wants to see how we've improved, so I think we should both stop
leaning on our strengths: I won't use genjutsu this time, if you don't
use ninjutsu." A cunning grin crossed Sakura's lips as the jaws of the
trap started to close.

Naruto wasn't completely oblivious, however. "No ninjutsu?" he asked
uncertainly. "That ain't fair, Sakura-chan. I wouldn't be able ta do
Kagebunshin or-"

"How is it unfair?" Sakura pressed, her good humor evaporating in an
instant. "All your best techniques are ninjutsu, while all of mine are
genjutsu; that sounds like an even trade to me," she pointed out,
crossing her arms and frowning testily.

"But-"

"Unless you think my skills aren't worth much?" Her tone growing
bitter, Sakura fixed Naruto with a venomous glare. "I may not be able
to go toe-to-toe with any _monsters_, but so far I have a pretty good
record against slow, loud-mouthed genin."

Naruto's jaw dropped, and for several moments he could do nothing but
open and close his mouth like a dying fish. "W-what did you just- hey!
That's- it's not- Aaargh!"

Visibly torn between striking back and trying to placate the hissing
pit viper that had replaced his kind, wonderful Sakura-chan, the
blonde ninja turned to his teacher in search of support. "Kakashi-
senseeeeei!"

"You should probably just agree, Naruto," the jounin offered sagely.
It seemed like the only safe option, since even _he_ couldn't tell if
the girl was acting or not.

"Stay out of it, broom-head," Sakura snapped angrily. "If he hasn't
got the guts ta face me without his _precious_ Kagebunshin, then let
him use it. I'm gonna kick his fuckin' ass either way."

*'Broom-head?'* One bushy gray eyebrow twitched a hair higher. *So
much for sorting this 'mentor' thing out before she picked up any bad
habits,* the copy-ninja observed, sighing in chagrin.

The way Sakura was baiting Naruto made a bit more sense now: she was
emulating Anko. The wild woman of Konoha was frightfully adept at
driving people to distraction, and Sakura had always been a quick
study. Indeed, Sasuke was now staring at Sakura with an expression
like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice down his shorts, and
Naruto...

"Ha! I thought somethin' weird was goin' on!" the blonde boy barked,
glaring suspiciously at the surly kunoichi. "Is that you, Kiba?"

Reeling, it was Sakura's turn to gape in disbelief. "W-what the hell!
Are ya _really_ that stupid?" she screeched. "Why the fuck would think
I'm _Kiba_ of all people?"

"You're always doin' dumb crap like this, like that time that ya
pretended ta be Sakura-chan and gave me a rice ball with filled with
hot pepper sauce!" he accused. "Ya not gonna fool me again, though!
Sakura-chan would never talk like that!"

Sakura seethed for a moment, but then a wave of realization broke
across her face; definitely not a reaction that Kakashi was expecting.
The rage returned, but now it was tempered by hurt and frustration.

"Grrr- shut up and fight!" Sakura roared, surging forward with
surprising speed. Caught off guard, Naruto didn't have time to form
any seals before the pink-haired girl was on top of him, and then he
had his hands full.

"If ya wanna fight, at least change back- OW! Dammit!" Naruto winced
as Sakura feigned into a nerve strike that rendered his left arm numb
and tingly from the shoulder down. Stepping back, he tried to put a
little distance between them.

Sakura stayed right with him, however. Twisting around Naruto's
foreshortened palm strike, she changed her footing to catch his legs
and then slid her left hand to the side to grab his shirt, pivoting
into the blonde boy's guard.

Instead of following with a throw, however, Sakura pulled her other
hand back for an elbow jab, distracting Naruto as she freed her legs
and tripped him onto his butt. Sakura's follow-up kick missed Naruto's
face by less than a centimeter as he leaned away. Rolling to his feet,
Naruto rubbed his nose and squinted warily at his opponent.

Relaxing her stance, Sakura gave him a playfully sadistic grin. "What,
ain'cha gonna use your favorite fuckin' trick?" she taunted in a
mocking singsong. "C'mon- If ya don't, yer gonna loooose!"

"Ya only hit me twice!" Naruto barked back, flexing the fingers of his
left hand to show that feeling had already returned to his arm.
"Kagebunshin ain't all I can do, either! Watch this!" Forming a
different set of seals, Naruto growled in concentration- and then
promptly collapsed to his knees, slowly toppling forward like a felled
tree.

Cupping a hand behind her ear, Sakura cocked her head to the side.
"Sorry, I didn't hear that last part. Wanna run it by me again?" After
waiting a few moments, she sneered in disdain and turned to peer
expectantly at Kakashi.

"He doesn't need to go to the hospital, does he?" the jounin
deadpanned, giving the pink-haired girl a skeptical look.

"Naah, he'll be fine in an hour or so," Sakura assured him. Crossing
her arms behind her back, she leaned to the side and stuck out her
tongue cutely. "Sooo... are we done?"

Frowning, Kakashi reached up to scratch his head. "Well, if he isn't
going to wake up for a while, I suppose I ought to get going." He
might not be late for that mission debriefing after all.

"Could you maybe drop Naruto off at home on your way to HQ?" Flashing
an innocent smile that seemed at odds with the mocking leer she'd worn
just moments before, Sakura gazed up at him with huge, pleading green
eyes.

*That's even creepier than when Anko does it,* Kakashi thought,
turning his involuntary shudder into a shrug of ambivalence. "I
guess," he conceded.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!" Beaming, Sakura turned to her conscious
teammate. "Do you want to go get something to eat, Sasuke-kun?"

Though Sasuke had long since regained his composure, the dark-haired
boy didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gazed in mild apprehension
at Sakura until her smile started to wilt around the edges.

"Okay," he finally agreed. Turning, Sasuke stalked off without looking
back to see Sakura breathe a sigh of relief and jog after him.

*So much for being on time.* After the pair disappeared down the path,
Kakashi ambled over to the fallen boy. Kneeling down, he turned Naruto
over to check him for injuries. As expected, the two 'hits' that
Sakura had landed were nothing to worry about; neither of them had
done enough damage to even leave a bruise. More troubling, however,
was Sakura's 'third' attack.

Pulling aside the collar of the black T-shirt that Naruto wore under
his coat, Kakashi carefully fingered a pair of small, closely spaced
puncture wounds in the soft spot of skin and muscle under the boy's
left collarbone. The holes were tiny, and there was hardly any
bleeding, but Naruto still should have noticed them.

She'd done it as she was brushing her hand to the side to grab his
shirt. The nerve strike hadn't been meant to impair Naruto at all; the
numbness had masked the sting of the needles, while the aborted throw
and jab to the ribs had taken his attention away from his shoulder.

After that, it had just been a matter of keeping Naruto distracted
until the poison took effect. It appeared to be the same poison that
she'd used on the Sound nins she'd captured, but diluted enough to
make it 'safe' to use on her teammate. Like before, with the explosion
notes, Naruto had never even sensed the 'killing' blow.

*There's no way she learned to fight like that from Gai,* the gray-
haired jounin decided. On top of the way she tried to trick Naruto
into forsaking his favorite techniques, the careful and premeditated
use of poison didn't fit Gai's style.

Sakura hadn't mentioned training with anyone else while he was gone,
but Kakashi was starting to suspect that her apprenticeship to Anko
wasn't as recent as he'd been led to believe. *Why would she want to
hide it, though?*

Kakashi wasn't fond of Anko, but he didn't begrudge Sakura's decision
to find herself a mentor. Anko was a competent ninja, and as long as
she hadn't taught Sakura anything _too_ dangerous... Frowning, Kakashi
hefted his unconscious student. The more the thought about it, the
less he liked where this might be headed; this definitely merited
looking into.





"C'mon, man! Ya can't just leave it at that!"

"There is nothing more to say." Calmly ignoring his comrade's whining,
Shino took a sip of his cold barley tea.

Snorting, Kiba turned away. "Yeah, right!" The dog boy was getting a
bit frustrated with his teammate. At their meeting after the Hokage's
funeral, Shino's had given his team a brief account of his part in the
battle. Some of the parts he'd glossed over had piqued Kiba's
interest, but dragging details out of Shino was like squeezing blood
from a stone.

Slurping up another mouthful of steaming noodles, Kiba chewed
thoughtfully. Shino claimed that ANBU had ordered him not to reveal
too much, but he _had_ let slip that Sakura had helped him beat two of
the Hidden Sand genin team. After months of working with the Aburame
clan heir, Kiba was finally starting to get the hang of reading
Shino's mood from the bizarre m=E9lange of scents that the bug-user
gave off, and there was no doubt about it: Shino was definitely
uncomfortable whenever Sakura came up.

Was it possible that he liked her? That would be kind of weird; Kiba
just couldn't picture Shino getting all gushy over a girl. "So after
ya dragged the blonde outta the river, then what? Did'ja have ta
give'er mouth-to-mouth or somethin'?" he prodded anxiously.

As a hint of pink appeared on Shino's cheeks, the answer struck Kiba
like a lightning bolt. "Or hey- did _Sakura_ do it? Hah, that's it,
ain't it!" Shino's expression didn't change, but Kiba's eyes grew wide
as an vivid, tomato-red blush blossomed on the quiet boy's face.

*Holy crap! He's totally freakin' out!* Kiba had never seen Shino
react like this before. "Jeeze, what else did she do?" he demanded,
wishing he had a camera so he could capture this historic occasion for
posterity.

Brows furrowed in annoyance, Shino reached for his chopsticks, read to
give Kiba the cold shoulder once again. As he lifted his head,
however, he froze, staring past the dog boy in shock. "Ask her
yourself," Shino stated softly, looking down at his bowl as the acrid
scent of discomfort moved to the fore of his strange olfactory
symphony, mingled with something else that Kiba didn't recognize.

"Hmm?" Twisting in his seat, Kiba glanced over his shoulder to see
Sasuke lifting aside the shop curtain with Sakura right behind him.
Conflicting signals bombarded Kiba's chakra-enhanced senses as a
breeze blew past the pair; Sasuke, cool and aloof on the outside, was
actually a seething cauldron of irritation, while Sakura's bright
smile was at odds with the unhappiness that swirled around her like a
bitter, mossy fog.

"Huh...wonder what the deal is with them." From what Kiba had seen, it
was rare for Sasuke to be alone with a girl, even Sakura. It was also
odd that Sakura seemed upset with this new arrangement. Whatever their
problem was, it was a perfect opportunity. Sitting up straight, Kiba
waved to get the pink-haired girl's attention. "Hey, Sakura!"

Flinching at the loud interruption, Sakura turned to look their way.
As she stared at the boys from team eight, glancing from one to the
other, the sharp tang of fury scraped down Kiba's sinuses like a rusty
iron spike. "Sasuke-kun, go ahead and order. I'll be there in a sec,"
she called to her companion, her cheerful mask unfaltering, but Sasuke
was already moving toward the counter. With a despairing sigh, Sakura
stalked toward them.

Shino seemed to sense the change in her mood as well, for he was the
first to speak. "I didn't say anything," he mumbled flatly, though his
fading blush exploded back to life.

Stopping beside their booth with her arms crossed loosely behind her
back, Sakura regarded Shino for a moment, a smirk appearing on her
lips. "Thank you, Shino-kun. I knew I could trust you to be discreet,"
she purred sweetly. Leaning forward, Sakura dropped her gaze a
fraction. "Maybe you should wait a bit before you stand up, though- we
wouldn't want you to have another embarrassing 'accident,'" she
teased.

Before Kiba could figure out what they were talking about, those
smiling jade eyes fell upon him. Suddenly, he could almost _feel_
Sakura's teeth sinking into the soft flesh of his throat as her lips
pulled back in a thin mockery of a smile. "Kiba-kun," she greeted
casually, every syllable fairly dripping with menace, "I hope you
haven't been talking about me behind my back again."

Kiba found himself shaking his head automatically, praying that she
would believe him and just _go away_. "That's good," she praised,
allowing his insides to unclench for an instant. Then her voice
dropped to a breathy, sibilant hiss that made him feel like there were
centipedes crawling in his ears. "If I were to find out that you'd
started any more horrible rumors about me, I would be _very_ unhappy."

Pouting cutely, Sakura reached up to secure a cotton-candy cowlick
behind her ear, and an involuntary shiver raced down Kiba's spine as
he noticed the sword-hilt peeking out from behind her shoulder; that
thing looked awfully familiar. A bead of sweat trickled down his
temple as Sakura's fingers lingered beside the weapon for just a
heartbeat too long.

Then, as suddenly as it had gripped him, the spell was broken.
Sakura's smile was just a smile, and no hungry, murderous beasts
lurked behind her eyes. "Sasuke-kun is waiting for me though, so I
don't really have time to talk right now. I'll see you guys around,
okay?" Giving the boys an apologetic little wave, she turned and
strolled away.

Collapsing in on himself as the tension evaporated, Kiba looked down
to see that his hands were still shaking, and he'd snapped his
chopsticks in half. "Shit! That was _her!" The 'foreign swordsman'
that he'd bumped into on the day of the exam had been _Sakura_! There
was no he could forget that almost tangible aura of malevolence. "What
the fuck?"

She had to be using some sort of technique; there was no other
explanation. "Like hell I'm gonna let her get away with that!" With a
growl, Kiba started scooting out of the booth to go give little Ms.
Sneaky a piece of his mind. When he looked up, however, he found
Sakura glaring straight at him, her face hard with disapproval.

The next thing Kiba noticed was a ribbon of silver light flickering
toward his throat. A puff of cheap foam padding tickled the back of
his neck as the vinyl head-rest behind him split open lengthwise like
a pair of lips. As Kiba turned to look, a rush of vertigo hit him, and
he suddenly felt like he was falling forward, right into his half-
finished bowl of noodles.





"You're not serious." Kakashi favored the brunette with an
disbelieving stare. Could it be that straight-laced Kurenai had
finally grown a sense of humor? Had Anko put her up to this? Had she
gone insane?

None of these seemed sufficient to explain the tawdry tale of
forbidden love that the earnest young jounin had just recounted to
him. Stolen kisses in back alleys, illicit torture-chamber trysts; if
she had _this_ much imagination hiding behind that chaste, reserved
facade, then maybe she wouldn't be such a bore to work with after all.

There was such a thing as going too far, however. "If you don't know
what's going on, then just say so," he suggested.

Frowning, Kurenai glared at the masked man. "I'm only telling you this
because she's your student, and because the stories you'd get from the
rumor mill would be far worse," she snapped, crossing her arms in
indignation. "I witnessed the kiss behind the restaurant personally."

Despite her annoyance, Kurenai's red-eyed gaze grew doubtful. "I'm not
sure what to believe. Anko wouldn't give me a straight answer when I
asked her, but Kiba claims to have seen them doing... various things
together, and Anko accompanied Sakura both to and from her fight with
Ino."

This gave Kakashi a moment of pause. "She had another fight with Ino?"
That little detail must have slipped Sakura's mind when he'd asked her
what she'd done while he was gone.

Kurenai nodded. "The day before the third test; there was quite a
crowd." Blinking, she turned to regard a team of lightly armored ninja
that were filing out of one of the nearby briefing rooms. "ANBU even
brought a security team in, just in case they had to break it up. I'm
surprised you haven't heard about it."

"I seem to be the victim of a conspiracy," Kakashi deadpanned. Taking
a step toward the departing ninja, he caught the attention of a tall
man wearing a dog-styled mask. "Excuse me, but do you have a second?"

"Captain." The ANBU nodded in recognition as he approached. "What is it?"

"Do you know if any disciplinary reports have been filed regarding
Haruno Sakura? She's one of my students." When ANBU didn't react,
Kakashi elaborated. "She was in the chuunin exam; bright pink hair."

"Ooh, her." The dog-masked ninja nodded in understanding. "Yes; I
believe she was released from custody this morning," he explained.

"Custody?" Kakashi's brows knitted in confusion. "I was told that
Sakura was in quarantine, not being interrogated."

"Hmm...." The ANBU's body language became slightly guarded, as if he
were deciding how much he could say. "My unit wasn't involved, so this
is second-hand information, but it sounds like it had something to do
with the enemy ninja she'd captured."

Kakashi had figured it was something like that, but it was still
worrying. "Have you had any other problems with her?"

"Not really," the ANBU replied, but after a moment he seemed to
reconsider. "Nothing major, at least. Anko-sama brought her in for
questioning about a week ago, but she was released the same day. A few
days later she challenged Yamanaka Ino to a public fight, but I don't
think either of them were seriously injured." The ANBU shrugged
helplessly. "Anko-sama has been handling all of the paperwork. That's
all I know."

"I see," the one-eyed man replied distractedly. "Thanks; I'll let you
get back to work."

Nodding, the ANBU turned to go. "Not a problem. Don't be a stranger,
Captain." he added with a parting nod.

"I'll work on it," Kakashi assured his former subordinate. When he
returned his attention to Kurenai, the gray-haired jounin wore a
bemused expression. "It look's like I'm going to have to ask Anko," he
observed.

"Ask me what?" Coming out of another door further down the hall, Anko
waved and started walking toward them.

Kurenai's face screwed up in confusion as she stared over Anko's
shoulder. "Isn't that Homura-dono?" she asked, and Kakashi's gaze was
drawn to an older man that had just exited the same conference room
Anko had been in. "What are _you_ doing in a briefing with the head of
the village council?" the genjutsu master queried.

Anko didn't seem to take offence at the thinly-veiled jab. "Actually,
I was going to talk to you about that. Are you planning on going
anywhere for the next couple weeks, Yuuhi?"

Kurenai's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "No, I was going to try and do
some training with Hinata, so I requested local missions. Why?"

Anko's face broke an 'innocent' smile. "Ah, it's just that I got
assigned a long mission, and I was wondering if you could keep an eye
on my student while I'm gone- you wouldn't have to teach her or
anything," Anko hastily assured her friend, looking the tiniest bit
guilty. "Just check up on her once in a while. She's got a habit of
doing stupid things when nobody's watching."

"Well, I suppose that might be-" Kurenai began, considering the
request. "Wait! _You_ got a student? How?" she demanded in disbelief.

"Y'mean broom-head here didn't tell you?" Anko replied. She jabbed a
thumb at Kakashi. "I'm training Sakura-chan now, 'cause Hokage-sama
decided _this_ idiot was too irresponsible to handle it."

"Too... irresponsible?" Flabbergasted, Kurenai to Kakashi, her wide
crimson eyes begging for an explanation.

"When did this become _my_ fault?"





Sliding into the water with a heavy sigh, Sakura lay back and closed
her eyes. She didn't usually take midday baths, but it had been a
while since she'd had anything but a quick shower, and she desperately
needed to relax after the rotten morning she'd had.

The Hokage's funeral had put her in a strangely sour mood, and when
Kakashi had asked them to meet afterward for a 'progress evaluation,'
Sakura had welcomed the chance to work out some of her frustration
with her favorite blond punching bag. Then Naruto had ruined it by
making her mad, and she'd ended up cursing like a sailor in front of
everyone.

Now Sasuke-kun was being cold to her, and Naruto was being stupid. *He
didn't have to call me a fake!* Like she wasn't already insecure about
her identity! Squirming uncomfortably, Sakura sank deeper until her
eyes were barely above water.

Of course, then she'd gone and make it worse by threatening Kiba. *I
could have handled that better,* Sakura mused. All she'd wanted to do
was scare the dog boy into keeping his mouth shut. Left to his own
devices, Kiba was bound to say something crude in front of Sasuke that
would ruin her reputation forever.

Then she'd lost her temper... again. Kiba was apparently too stupid to
take a hint, so she'd tried to silence him with a genjutsu-enhanced
glare. At the same time, she'd been thinking of how satisfying it
would be to just kill the pervert- and suddenly Kiba had screamed,
grabbed his throat, picked up his bowl of ramen and dumped it over his
head.

It wasn't hard to connect the dots after she thought about it for a
moment. Her killing intent must be magnified by the intimidation
technique- enough that he'd actually _seen_ her gristly assassination
fantasy, like a weak version of technique Orochimaru had used to stun
them during the survival exam. Kiba's reaction was hilarious, though.
She must have laughed at him for a full minute before she realized
that everyone else in the restaurant was staring at her in horror. It
wasn't so funny after that.

She really needed to figure out how to limit that technique to just
one victim, instead of broadcasting it to everyone within range. The
restaurant owner had asked her to leave because she was scaring the
other customers, and Sasuke-kun hadn't even spoken to her when she'd
asked him if he wanted to go eat somewhere else.

"He must think I'm some sort of sadistic monster...." Twitching, the
pink-haired girl turned around to rest her chin on the edge of the
bath. "That's your cue to say something witty and mean, you know," she
added, glaring at the entrance to the changing area.

Craning her head around the corner, Anko peered at Sakura curiously.
"How'd you know I was here?"

"I noticed the air had suddenly gotten cooler, so someone must've
opened the door, but I didn't hear it or sense anyone else in the
room," Sakura explained, feeling slightly smug about catching the
special jounin's slip.

"Hmm...." Shaking her head, Anko stepped fully into the doorway.
"Pretty paranoid, kid. You're gonna get gray hairs before you're
twenty."

"It'll be your fault if I do, stalker woman," Sakura countered,
favoring Anko with a disparaging look. "You're still dressed. Weren't
you going to sneak in and grope me or something?"

The brunette smirked mischievously. "Do you want me to?"

"Not right now. I have a headache."

"Aaaaw- tease!"

"Exhibitionist!"

"Drama queen!"

"Psycho- and you're one to talk! You chased me halfway across town
over _dango_!"

"You knocked me into a puddle too," Anko countered accusingly. Moving
to the edge of the bath, the older kunoichi crouched down to look
Sakura in the eye. "So they let you out early for good behavior?"

"Something like that," Sakura agreed.

Anko's mouth stretched into a huge, predatory grin. "Oh well, I hope I
helped make your last night memorable."

"I'll bet you'd know if I... if I'd done that," Sakura grumbled,
blushing. "It'd be like naming a devil."

"Aaaw!" Pouting, Anko crossed her arms over her knees. "I'll bet you
do it in the bath. I should've gotten you one that doesn't take
batteries."

Snorting in disgust, the younger kunoichi stood, holding her bath
towel closed as she stepped out of the water. "Why are you here, Anko?
Weren't you supposed to be in a mission briefing this afternoon?"

The examiner frowned, puffing up in mock indignation. "Hey, is that
how you address your superiors? I thought we talked about this."

"I am _not_ calling you 'Mistress Anko'," Sakura declared icily.

An exasperated note entered Anko's voice as she followed Sakura over
to the locker where the pink-haired girl had left her clothes. "Can't
you at least call me 'sensei'?" she pleaded.

"Teach me something and maybe I'll consider it," Sakura deadpanned,
pulling on her pants.

"Well, if you'd like to come to my apartment, we could-"

"Something about being a _ninja_!"

"Bleh, you're no fun." Frowning in annoyance, Anko glanced at her
watch. "Alright, fine; I guess we have time for that too."

"Huh?"





"Do I have to sign these forms every time I come here?" Handing the
thick sheaf of non-disclosure agreements and liability waivers back to
Anko, Sakura noted that they seemed to get heavier with each visit.
*ANBU must have some sort of 'red tape' jutsu that makes bureaucracy
seem more tedious.*

Flipping through the signature pages, the examiner shook her head
distractedly. "Nah, this should do you for a while." Anko pushed about
half the stack across the desk to the guard on duty and waved for the
pink-haired girl to follow her inside. "Okay, let's go."

This time, instead of the cells or torture chambers, Anko led Sakura
to a small, windowless office on the second floor of the building. A
single naked bulb hung from the ceiling to illuminate the room's
sparse furnishings; a heavy wooden desk dominated the room, vying for
space with a small, uncomfortable-looking chair and a half-dozen
cardboard boxes.

"These," Anko explained, gesturing toward the boxes, "are the mission
requests, surveillance reports, profiling, interviews and other prep-
work done for twelve of the small-squad missions that ANBU has
accepted in the last four years."

Opening one of the boxes on top, Anko extracted a long, cord-bound
scroll and offered it to her student. "Your task is to write me a
proposal detailing how you would complete one of these missions solo.
I'll allow for any reasonable amount of pre-mission support, but I
want you to assume an insertion team composed only of yourself. You
should include as much contingency planning as you deem necessary and
you can consult anyone you want for general advice, but you are
forbidden to ask about these specific missions. I also want you to
catalog all of your sources. You have three weeks to finish this task.
Any questions?"

For several seconds, Sakura was at a loss for words. Hesitantly, she
stepped forward, reaching for the scroll. She retracted her hand
quickly when she noticed the nasty-looking protective ward that sealed
it shut. *Those things are real!*

Disbelief shone in Sakura's eyes as she looked up at her mentor.
"You're not serious, are you?" Anko's expression didn't change, and
the pink-haired girl's voice rose in shock. "But that's insane! ANBU
only handles A and S class missions, and you want me to figure out how
_I_ could do one of them _alone_?"

"Consider it a challenge," The interrogator offer with a droll smirk.
When this failed to mollify the younger kunoichi, Anko frowned
contritely. "What's the big deal? I thought you loved this sort of
thing. Iru- er... your file said you were always doing extra credit
research papers and stuff when you were in the Academy."

The grimace that flashed across Anko's face made it clear that she
didn't share Sakura's 'enthusiasm' for studying, but Sakura was more
interested in the woman's poorly hidden slip of the tongue. "You spoke
to Iruka-sensei about me?" she asked curiously. Checking up on a
student's past performance was a logical, sensible step for a new
teacher to take, and thus completely out of character for Anko...
unless... "That's a sneaky way to get a date," Sakura observed,
grinning from ear to ear.

Shifting in discomfort, Anko scowled and slapped her palm down on the
desk. "Hey, give me some credit! I just-"

"-Bumped into him," Sakura guessed, "at his _favorite_ ramen shop,
which you happened to be passing by, coincidentally?" The brunette's
reaction was guarded this time, the merest twitch of an eyebrow, but
Sakura could smell blood in the water.

"Jeeze, you're pathetic!" Sakura sneered. "You act all wild and scary
and shameless around everyone else, but with Iruka-sensei you're like
some shy schoolgirl who's read too much romance manga!"

"You're one to talk!" Anko sputtered, going red in the face. "Your
record's not the only thing I've been checking up on, and it's pretty
disgusting the way you fawn over that Uchiha brat, even though he
obviously couldn't care less!"

The truth stung, but Sakura pushed it aside. "At least I'm trying!
Besides, I'm thirteen years old! What's _your_ excuse?"

For a few moments it seemed like she'd stumped Anko, for the jounin's
face went blank. Then a chill settled over Sakura as Anko's expression
hardened. "You, of all people, should know that," the tall woman
snapped, her voice cool and controlled, but with an edge of
bitterness.

"Oh." The electric thrill of triumph evaporated when Sakura realized
that she'd managed to really hurt Anko's feelings. "I'm sorry. I
wasn't thinking," she apologized sheepishly, "but, I mean- he has to
know what you're like when he's not around. If you want to know if he
could return your feelings, shouldn't you just be yourself with him?"

"So what am I _really_ like?" Anko countered. "Do you think I'm just
_pretending_ to-" She stopped abruptly, biting her lip and looking
away in frustration, as if she felt like a fool for trying to justify
herself to a child.

"Not pretending, maybe just... trying too hard." Frowning, Sakura
leaned against the edge of the desk. "You should try to relax a bit
more."

"Hypocrite," Anko needled, peering querulously at her charge. Though
she was clearly still angry, the accusation was more tinged with
annoyance than hurt.

Sakura breathed a sigh of surrender. "Maybe." Meeting Anko's gaze, the
green-eyed kunoichi ventured a small, melancholy smile. "Sometimes I
feel like I don't know who I am, or who I should be, so it's hard for
me to let my guard down and just be 'myself.'"

Sensing that the conversation had become too personal, the two
kunoichi shared a moment of uncomfortable silence, but then Sakura
remembered something that she'd wanted to ask her teacher. "I didn't
see you at Hokage-sama's funeral. Are you okay? I mean with, you
know...." she trailed off uncertainly as Anko's expression sobered.

"I was on guard duty," Anko explained, glancing down at her feet. "A
few dozen of us volunteered to stand watch while everyone else was at
the ceremony. We got to pay our respects later." A sad smile tugged at
the corners of Anko's mouth. "Besides, a lot of folks probably
wouldn't have been happy to see me there. Normally I'd say, 'Fuck
'em!' and go anyway, but...."

Sakura gazed silently at the older kunoichi for several seconds as she
wrestled with a dozen comforting platitudes that would all probably
come out tired and useless if she said them aloud. Then, sitting up,
she walked across the room and wordlessly wrapped her arms around
Anko's waist.

The brunette looked down at her in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," The pink-haired girl murmured, her cheek pressed against
her mentor's chest.

Anko stared at Sakura for a few moments before placing her hand on the
back of the shorter girl's head. "Thanks," she whispered in gratitude.
Then her melancholy expression twisted into a familiar, devilish
smirk. "Just don't go thinking you can wiggle outta one of _my_
assignments that easy, Sakura-chan."

Lifting her gaze, Sakura flashed Anko a pleasant smile with lots of
teeth. "Shut up, Anko-neechan."

"That's all I'm gonna get, isn't it?" the special jounin asked with a
dramatic sigh.

"For now," Sakura affirmed, now wearing her own mischievous grin. "Or
would you prefer 'Anko-baachan'?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Hah!"

"But why can't you call me 'sensei?' I'm trying to do teacher stuff."

"And what exactly am I supposed to learn from this-" Sakura's voice
was laced with sarcasm as she peered out of the corner of her eye at
the boxes of scrolls. "-this exercise in futility?"

"How about we both learn what you _think_ you're capable of." Anko
countered smugly.

For the first time, Sakura was a little impressed; she hadn't expected
Anko to come up with such a plausible answer. *Well, I guess she _is_
an examiner. She has to know how to test people, at least.* Sakura
wasn't ready to give up, though. "There are less time-consuming ways
to learn that," she pointed out. "I mean, you say three weeks, but I
could probably work on this for _months_ without making any progress."

"It's not that bad," Anko dismissed, though her face said that she
would enjoy watching her pupil suffer. "Besides, there's no such thing
as a 'perfect plan.'" Suddenly, Anko's expression turned almost
guilty, and she paused to take a deep breath before adding, "Plus, it
looks like I'm not going to be able to teach you anything else for a
little while."

Sakura grimaced as her stomach did an uncomfortable flip. With hooded
eyes, the pink-haired girl glared suspiciously at her teacher. "What
did you do now, Anko?" she demanded.

"Hey! Don't just assume it's _my_ fault! And what happened to 'Anko- neesama'?"

"Don't push your luck- and don't change the subject!"





*Dammit!* Reflexively ducking low as Ino turned her way, Sakura
suppressed a growl of frustration. *Too close!*

When Ino led her into this overgrown gully, Sakura had immediately
realized that she'd stumbled into a trap. The shoulder-high grass did
an excellent job of ruining her concealment. When she moved, it
created a physical tell that her genjutsu didn't compensate for, and
the densely-packed brush it made it hard for her to use bunshin as
distractions.

Sakura hadn't given up the chase, though; you didn't always get to
choose your battlefield, and Sakura was impressed that Ino had already
worked out a way to foil a technique she'd only seen once. Plus,
Sakura had figured environmental factors would hinder Ino almost as
much as her, reducing the fight to a test of close combat skills.

She couldn't have been more wrong; the half-dozen bunshin sweeping the
area around her didn't seem to have _any_ problems navigating the tall
grass. They just pushed through it like they were solid, circling
inward in a cautious search pattern that made it very hard to tell
which, if any of them, was the real Ino.

Cringing as the grass started rustling a few yards to her left, the
pink-haired girl took a chance and quickly slithered away on her side,
cutting the narrowest path possible as she moved to a safer distance.
*How the hell is she doing that?* she wondered for the tenth time,
straining her senses for any hint that Ino had spotted her.

Ino didn't have the stamina for Kagebunshin, but Mizubunshin was
possibility. It was a common jutsu among the villages that favored
water element techniques, and Sakura could name at least one person in
Konoha that knew it. They also might be genjutsu illusions, but Sakura
didn't know any specific counters for that type of trick, and she
couldn't use Kai without cancelling her own genjutsu.

Mentally cataloging her scant remaining equipment, Sakura considered
her options. She had four simple exploding tags, but no sentry tags,
so she couldn't set up a perimeter. She also didn't want to hurt Ino;
she still felt terrible about how she'd gone berserk the last time
they'd fought.

She could probably force Ino to surrender by planting a dummy tag like
she had with Naruto, but that was a risky proposition unless she could
single out the real Ino first. Caltrops were normally a good solution
for bunshin disposal, but they were impractical in this terrain. The
thick grass could neutralize them as easily as it concealed them.

She had plenty of senbon, but Sakura didn't know how long her
concealment would hold on a thrown projectile. When she'd put down her
sword during her fight with the Hidden Sound, her opponent had noticed
it immediately. Without bunshin to throw 'shadow' needles, Ino might
be able to triangulate her position from the direction of her attacks.

Her best option was probably the same tactic she'd used against the
Sound nins: create a momentary distraction and initiate a running
offense to thin out the opposition. She'd know quickly whether they
were genjutsu or clones by how they 'died.' She couldn't use a clone
of her own, however; she hadn't created one beforehand, and doing so
now would give away her position.

*Unless... crap, did I bring any of those?* Rooting through her
equipment pouch, Sakura noted in relief that she still had a single
flash bomb. She'd had to sacrifice some of her basic gear since she'd
started carrying poisons and the tools to prepare them, and her bulky,
delicate flash bombs had been among the first things to go.

Bouncing the plum-sized paper sphere in her hand, Sakura took a kunai
and trimmed the fuse down to a tiny stub. A quick glance around
confirmed that her targets were still searching in the same pattern.
The flash would only blind Ino if she looking Sakura's way; a bunshin
created during the distraction would hopefully fool Ino if she wasn't
blinded, but that wouldn't hold up for long.

There was also the chance that Ino wasn't one of the copies. If she
was hiding out of sight, the flash might still catch her, but that
would make Sakura's task much harder. Training with Gai had improved
her stamina, but maintaining her concealment genjutsu for very long
was still draining. She had to find Ino as soon as possible.

Lighting the fuse, Sakura closed her eyes and tossed the bomb into the
air, blazing through the seals for her 'improved' bunshin technique as
she felt a brief flash of heat from above. Standing as her decoy leapt
high into the air, Sakura launched a pair of needles with a flick of
the wrist, skewering two blonde kunoichi.

The copies vanished in twin puffs of smoke as Sakura's needles stuck.
*They're just bunshin after all! But how?* Spinning to face her third
target, Sakura bounded toward a rotting stump that would partially
relieve the pressure on her concealment justu.

To her shock, the stump wavered and vanished an instant before she
landed, revealing Ino. The blonde girl's hands were locked in the
'release' seal, and victory shone in Ino's sapphire eyes. Springing
away, Ino formed a short, unfamiliar set of seals and planted one hand
at her feet with a cry of, "Kusashibari no jutsu!"

*The grass!* Sakura realized, too late to correct her trajectory. As
she touched down, the field beneath her came alive, snarling her legs
in a hungry, tangled morass. Bending her knees, Sakura tried to keep
her body upright, but momentum forced her right shoulder to the ground
as she hit.

Groping for her sword with her left hand, Sakura recoiled as the grass
all around her began to lick at her limbs like straw-colored flames.
Within moments she found herself completely entangled, face down in
the dirt with both arms pinned, her behind waving in the air like a
flag of surrender.

"Fuck!" the pink-haired girl spat, not caring who heard as she
strained against her bonds, but the chakra-enhanced fibers were as
strong as steel. Blushing, Sakura calmed her struggles when she felt
the bottom of her sweatshirt slip down to pool at her breasts. "W-what
the hell?" she growled, glaring at her rival out of the corner of her
eye.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, it's not that hard to figure out," Ino replied
teasingly. The nearby grass clung to the blonde kunoichi like it was
attracted by a static charge, but it didn't seem to hinder Ino as she
stepped closer. "I've used this on you before," she hinted.

Sakura's brow crinkled in confusion, but then realization dawned on
her. "That 'hair rope' trick?" she guessed.

"Bingo, got it in one!" Ino congratulated, dropping to one knee beside
Sakura's head. "It'd be a pain if I had to grow out my hair again
every time I used it, so I found a better way."

That was possibly the biggest understatement Sakura had ever heard.
The original technique was already powerful, but to turn a simple
snare trap into something that could hold an opponent completely
immobile- beneath her anger, Sakura couldn't help but feel twinge of
awe. *Ino-chan is still incredible.*

Her eyes must have betrayed her, for Ino's smug smile grew to a full-
blown grin. "Impressed?" Ino asked, eliciting a scowl from her red-
faced captive. "Didn't you say something about 'moving on?' It looks
to me like you didn't get very far."

Wincing, Sakura looked away. Ino had always had been able to read her
with painful ease. *I guess I deserved that.* Her words before their
last fight had been chosen specifically to make Ino mad, but Sakura
could admit that she'd acted like total jerk.

Besides, Ino was right. This was the third time an opponent had pushed
her into a corner by piercing her concealment genjutsu. Without that,
how much had she really improved? *Not much,* she concluded glumly;
clearly not enough to say that she'd 'surpassed' her rival in any real
sense.

As disheartening as that was, she wasn't going to just stand by and
let Ino rub it in her face in it. "You've made your point! You win,
now let me go!" she demanded, praying that the blonde girl wasn't in
the mood to gloat.

Unexpectedly, Ino's expression softened. "I'm willing to call us
even," Ino offered, reaching down to brush Sakura's bangs from her
eyes with surprising affection. "You _have_ come a long way, Sakura-
chan- but I haven't been standing still either!" Smirking, Ino gave
Sakura's cheek a firm pinch. "Did you think I'd give up just because
you beat me once, forehead-girl?"

Unable to jerk away, Sakura grit her teeth and tried to ignore the
ache of her abused cheek. "No," she mumbled grudgingly.

"Then stop sulking!" Ino scolded, pinching harder. "It's making me
mad! In fact-" Reaching behind her, Ino produced a disposable camera.
"I think it's time for some payback!"

Paling in horror, Sakura tried to bury her face in the grass.
"Iiinoooo! Please, no!"

"What? You humiliated _me_ in public, but I was nice enough to
challenge you to a _private_ rematch, so I need some sort of proof
that I won." Letting go of Sakura's face, Ino sat back on her heels
and snapped a few shots, grinning madly as the pink-haired girl
squirmed.

When she was finished, Ino didn't put the camera away. Instead, she
crouched down and poked Sakura in the cheek with it. "See, that didn't
hurt so much, did it?" she taunted.

Biting back tears of shame, Sakura pouted and glared at her rival.
*Dammit, how long does she plan to keep me like this?* Testing her
bonds, Sakura found them as firm as ever. Even after all the training
she'd done, Ino's chakra reserves were still better than hers, she
noted bitterly. *This fucking sucks!*

When Sakura didn't reply, Ino frowned and poked her again. "Hey, do
you _really_ want to keep these pictures a secret?" she asked, waving
the camera where Sakura could see it.

"What the hell do you think?" Sakura snapped. Muffled by the grass,
her voice sounded whiny and pathetic in her ears.

"Then I'll make you a deal," Ino purred slyly. "I promise I won't show
them to anyone if you promise to get me a date with Sasuke-kun."

"What?" For a moment, Sakura was too stunned to respond. Ino had just
defeated and humiliated her, and was now blackmailing her into playing
matchmaker? "Like hell I will!" Sakura snarled.

"Why not?" Ino demanded, putting her hands on her hips and glowering
down at her captive. "Why do you care who he dates? You don't even
like boys!"

And here they were again. "I do so like boys!" Sakura snapped
defensively. Even though Ino had accepted that she wasn't dating Anko,
for some reason, her friend had latched firmly onto the idea that she
was a lesbian.

Anko had suggested that she try convincing Ino with actions rather
than words, but she still had to defend her territory until she could
win Sasuke's heart. "Even if I _did_ like girls, which I _don't_, who
says I can't like boys too?" the pink-haired girl growled, blushing
deeper.

Ino's cheeks reddened as well, though it was hard to tell whether it
was from anger or embarrassment. "Now you're just being greedy!" she
accused. "You've had plenty of time to win him over! If he doesn't
like you, why can't you just give up and move on?"

"Why can't _you_ give up?" Sakura countered scornfully. First Anko and
now Ino; did everyone think chances with Sasuke were a joke? "If he
won't go out with me, what makes you think he'll go out with you? He
hates annoying girls, and you're a hundred times more annoying than
me, Ino-PIG!"

Twitching at the familiar jab, Ino huffed and crossed her arms. "Oh,
really? Then what kind of girl does he like?" she challenged.

As she opened her mouth to reply, Sakura found herself stumped. Back
in the academy, she'd heard that Sasuke liked girls with long hair,
but that was just a rumor. Other than that, she had no idea what he
liked; in fact, he never seemed to show any interest in girls at all.
*How did he react to Naruto's Oiroke-no-jutsu?* That would at least
tell her if he liked big boobs.

Wracking her brain, Sakura almost managed to tune out her anxiously
waiting rival- at least until she saw the calculating gleam in Ino'
eye. *She's fishing for info! That sneaky bitch!* Hiding her surprise,
Sakura decided that two could play that game. She'd just tell Ino that
Sasuke-kun liked all of the things Ino _wasn't_. That would drive her
rival mad!

She had to be careful, though; rather than blatantly bashing Ino, it
would be better to list good qualities that Ino didn't possess, like
modesty and patience and... *There has to be more than that!*

Naming physical traits that Sasuke 'preferred' would just force her to
put herself out of the running as well, but personality-wise... Ino
was proud and headstrong, but she was also loyal and kind. A great
friend and a natural leader, Ino was intuitive, clever and decisive,
and always seemed to know what to do.

Sakura had worshipped and idolized Ino as a child, and she hadn't been
alone. The blonde had always been one of the most popular girls in the
academy. *And I was always just, 'that weirdo that hangs around Ino.'*
Even thinking about it was depressing; it was enough to give a girl an
inferiority complex.

"Well?" Ino prodded impatiently, interrupting Sakura's thoughts. "I'm
waiting." Frowning, the blue-eyed kunoichi gave Sakura a look of
disdain. "I'll bet you don't even know what he likes," she scoffed.

Sakura was getting really tired of people reading her mind. Flustered,
she sneered in defiance. "If I did, why the hell would I tell _you_?"

"Because if you don't, I'll show everyone how badly I beat you!" Ino
reminded her angrily, gesturing with the camera for emphasis.

"Like you weren't planning to just _tell_ everyone anyway!" Sakura
accused. She hadn't missed the fact that Ino hadn't promised to keep
her shameful defeat a secret; just the pictures of it.

Finally hiding the camera when she saw how Sakura was eyeing it, Ino
leaned forward until their faces were just centimeters apart. "I'll
give Kiba copies!" she added in a threatening whisper. "I'm sure he'll
be happy to show them all over the village! He'll probably even keep a
few for his 'private collection.'"

"I don't think he'll be a problem," Sakura hissed, her lips
compressing into a thin smile. "I'll just tell his sister that he's
been spying on me. Once she's done with him, he won't be able to look
at a girl straight without his balls shriveling up like raisins."

Sakura wasn't certain it would actually happen that way. Though Tsume
had been her brother's keeper for as long as Sakura could remember,
the Inuzuka siblings had always struck her as a little odd. Given
their entire clan tried to emulate the qualities of wolves, who knew
what they considered acceptable behavior towards the opposite sex?

Fortunately, it seemed her bluff had worked, for Ino was trembling in
frustration. Clearly nearing the end of her rope, Ino took a deep
breath and almost closed her eyes, then seemed to think better of it.
"Fine," she spat tersely. "If you don't want to cooperate, we can do
this the hard way."

Straightening, Ino began walking around Sakura until she was standing
in the pink-haired girl's blind spot. No matter which way she turned
her head, Sakura couldn't see what Ino was doing. She got a jarring
hint when she felt Ino's hand brush against her shoulder and the
weight of her sword disappeared from her back.

"Ino? What are you doing?" she asked with a guarded frown, shivering
involuntarily when she heard the rasp of the blade being drawn from
its scabbard. "Ino?" Sakura asked again. The setting sun was directly
at her back now, but the shadows cast on the tall grass were too
broken up to make out.

"C'mon, stop it. We both know you won't do anything to me just because
I won't fix you up with Sasuke-kun, so stop playing and let me go,"
Sakura reasoned, trying to sound calmer than she felt.

Ino struck without warning, her fingertips dancing lightly down
Sakura's bare sides and over her stomach like a swarm of spiders.
"Bwah!" Barely stifling a guffaw, Sakura clenched her jaw and
squirmed, desperately struggling not to cry out under Ino's assault.

"What's his favorite food?" Ino grilled, leaning down to tickle under
Sakura's arms. "What kind of music does he listen to? What kind of
hair gel does he use? You must know _something_! Start talking!"

"N-never!" Sakura bleated stubbornly, unable to hold back a torrent of
giggles when she opened her mouth.

Unrelenting, Ino moved in for the kill, reaching back to feather the
crook of Sakura's knee. "Is he a dog person or a cat person? Can he
cook? Boxer or briefs? Tell me and I'll stop!"

Barely able to breathe, Sakura felt her head start to spin. Flailing
about for any means of escape, she remembered how Ino had recoiled
from her touch back at the hospital; maybe she could shock Ino into
letting her go! Wriggling backward, Sakura clumsily lifted her butt to
rub her hips up against Ino's.

Unfortunately, a muscle spasm caused by Ino's tickling made the motion
more forceful than she'd intended, and apparently Ino's legs weren't
quite where she thought they'd be. "Aaaah!" Sakura cried breathlessly
as she felt Ino's knee grind hard against her crotch.

Instantly, the tickling  stopped, but after a pregnant pause Sakura
started to feel something not quite like killing intent emanating from
girl bent over top of her. It was frightfully intense, and the blonde
had once again gone silent.

"Ino?" Sakura's hesitant call went unanswered, but the other girl
slowly, deliberately began to extricate herself from their messy
embrace. "Ino?" Sakura asked again, growing worried. She could
practically feel Ino's smoldering gaze, like it was burning a hole in
the seat of her pants.

Sakura squeaked in fright as the blade of her katana slammed into the
ground just a hair's breadth from the tip of her nose, but then she
sensed Ino's presence start to recede. "Ino, I'm sorry!" she called
over her shoulder, still unable to move. The rustle of the grass was
her only reply. *Fuck, that was dumb!* Now Ino would think she was a
pervert- again!

She had to catch Ino and apologize! *Dammit, why hasn't the technique
ended yet?* Maybe Ino was still nearby, watching her. Now that she
thought about it, her butt still felt like it was roasting, too.
Running gaze up along the polished edge of her sword, Sakura choked
when her eyes caught the distinctive flicker of firelight.

"IIINOOO!"



 -     S     U     I     R     E     N     -



 To be continued...