Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Apple Blossom Tea ❯ This'll be Fun ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: DudettRin101 
I'm very sorry about the Layout of the story! I have no way of Fixing It!!!
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.14.2008 | Updated On: 07.14.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 239 | Status: Completed
I'm very sorry about the Layout of the story! I have no way of Fixing It!!!
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.14.2008 | Updated On: 07.14.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 239 | Status: Completed
Welcome, Readers!!! This is Chapter 1 of 'Apple Blossom Tea' I hope You like it, I know I do!!
This story was NOT written by me. It was written by backlash symphony on FanFiction.Net. I was given Permission By her to post this story. It is, in my opinion, the Best KisamexSakura fic ever written.
Disclaimer: I don't own the story or Naruto!!!!
_________________________________
--
Text means thoughts belonging to Inner Sakura
Text means thoughts belonging to Sakura
--
Timeframe: 2 Weeks After Sakura's Departure from Konoha (Sakura is still 22)
Location: Akatsuki Hideout
--
To say Sakura was nervous was an understatement. She was less than ten feet away from the door that would officially register her life in the ranks of the missing-nin. Even if she didn't make it into Akatsuki, the fact that she attempted to get in on her own would brand her a criminal. She felt Kisame place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile as they stopped at the door. Sakura inhaled deeply, staring at the door.
"You ready?" Kisame asked quietly.
Sakura exhaled and nodded.
"Yeah."
Although she certainly didn't sound like she was alright to enter a room that held the most powerful shinobi in the world, he didn't ask any questions. He knew this was one of the topics you didn't baby someone about for it usually made them change their mind to the negative option, something he didn't want. With a sigh he wrapped his fingers around the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door forward and walking through. He shut the door behind him and Sakura stared silently, waiting for her cue.
She and Kisame had practiced this since she left Konoha. He would make an introduction for her while she waited outside the room, giving her a good name, spicing up the one she already had, and when the Akatsuki leader agreed, he would open the door and Sakura would come in to be questioned before assigned a task to complete for her entrance into the Akatsuki.
By the time she finished reviewing the plan the third time, the door opened and Kisame stuck his head out.
"They're ready for you," he said calmly.
Sakura took a deep breath and headed through the door, Kisame ducking back so she could pass through. She exhaled slowly; very, very, very slowly. She walked and came to a stop beside Kisame who closed the door behind her. The room was mostly dark with what appeared to be candles spread across the wall. A quick count told her there were six flickering candles in a room that had no wind or blowing air.
She could make out a platform of some sort ahead of her, though only about a foot off the ground, nothing exceptionally high. There seemed to be a long rectangular box that she figured to be a desk. There was a figure in black, or so it appeared, seated at the desk with two figures standing on either side. Taking a look on either side of herself showed her an single row of chairs, each holding a different member of Akatsuki. Every one of them was staring at her.
She noticed the burning Sharingan belonging to Itachi closer to her than anyone else. She fought down the urge to turn around and run away when Kisame walked past her and headed for an empty seat next to Itachi.
He did not just leave us here!
She did her best not to fidget, though the temptation to run the hell out of there was growing, and she took a firm step forward, followed by another one, until she reached the platform. With her eyes straight ahead, she stood straight and waited for any words or commands. After the first fifteen seconds, Sakura began to feel worried that nothing was happening. By thirty, she could feel the sweat forming on the back of her neck. At fifty, she was ready to haul ass back to Konoha when finally, at sixty, a rough raspy voice greeted her.
"So you're the famous Haruno Sakura."
Sakura swallowed and nodded her head, willing her voice to come out steady.
"Yes."
She heard a low laugh come from the same person as well as a few scattered chuckles. She held herself high and remained calm, despite the fact that she was doing all she could to keep herself from shaking.
"You've got quite the reputation, you know."
"So I've heard."
Another set of short laughs.
Apparently we're a hit.
Yeah, that or they know something we don't.
That's a safer bet there.
"Why would an innocent thing like you want to be in the Akatsuki?"
Sakura inhaled slowly, going over the words she had practiced with Kisame.
"Freedom."
Er, word.
She could imagine the man's eyebrow rising at her response.
"Freedom?" she heard him chuckle before he continued. "You sure there isn't something else?"
"Someone!" a voice called out.
Sakura felt stunned. Her fear was slowly dying down as the actions she witnessed continued to grow. People calling out? Correcting the leader? Joking with her? Hell, this didn't feel like a criminal organization! It felt like being in first grade again!
Is this for real?
"It wouldn't interfere with my skill, I can assure you," Sakura replied tartly.
She heard him sigh and was perfectly certain this place was a joke. Itachi was nice, not the killer she had imagined, and Kisame was amazing in bed despite his more than obvious physical implication that he'd never been with a woman before. Now, she was getting teased.
TEASED.
In a place where heartless criminals were supposed to reside. Instead, she got a handful of grown men giggling like little children! Was this supposed to be happening in order for her to lower her guard or was this organization, the most feared in the world, mind you, honestly just a bunch of PMSing grown-ups acting like first graders on pot?
"Sheesh, you've gotta be kidding me," she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.
"Alright then, let us see what you're capable of."
Sakura didn't have the chance to respond before the room was suddenly filled with a bright light. She squeezed her eyes shut and immediately after doing so, her senses began to alert her that something was going to attack her from in front of her. Without opening her eyes, she forced chakra into her feet and rocketed into the air, feeling the whoosh of air beneath her. She opened her eyes slowly as she flipped down, landing on the platform.
The entire room was painted with brown walls, simple, of course, and the platform she stood in a fighting stance on was completely white. Six feet behind her was a desk, like she'd imagined, with three figures behind it, one sitting. But no, that wasn't it. In Konoha's records, there were supposed to be nine or ten Akatsuki members. As she looked in awe around her, she found at least thirty.
At least.
"Oh, fuck."
"Ooo, she's got quite the dirty mouth," a man with dark green hair and equally dark green eyes announced at Sakura's right.
"Yeah," another man, this one with short blonde hair and sitting at Sakura's left, agreed. "Looks like Kisame's got a handful. You can share her anytime you like," he joked, causing more laughter.
Sakura was so shocked by the comments that she completely forgot about her attacker who was standing with one foot on the edge of the platform, leaning forward against his knee.
"Possibly the best looking woman I've seen in a long time. The pink hair's a little over the edge, but at least you'd know if she was cheating on you," he piped. "Though it kind of disrupts the whole tough girl tomboy image since it's such a feminine color..."
Sakura turned to glare at him, taking him in. His face was handsome with high cheekbones and smooth tan skin. Deep chocolate eyes hid beneath lavender colored bangs. He seemed tall enough while he was bent over, so she imagined he'd tower over her when standing at his full height.
She blinked, suddenly understanding his comment. Her green eyes narrowed and she placed one hand on her hip, leaning forward a few inches.
No one...and I mean no one! Disses the hair!
"Feminine? I'm a few cards short of a full deck but correct me if I'm wrong, is it just me or is your hair looking a little on the purple side?" she retorted.
She heard a few snorts of laughter and was now completely and utterly positive this place was a joke. She watched as her opponent rolled his eyes and stepped fully onto the platform. Sakura noticed that her estimate was just about right. This guy was definitely a lot taller than she was.
"Again, it may just be me but it seems you're stalling," she teased. "What's the matter? You afraid of losing or something?"
His lips curled into a smirk that reflected his egotistical inner self.
"Afraid? Of losing? The only thing I'm afraid of is ruining that pretty little face of yours, pinky."
More laughter. Sakura gave a smirk of her own and raised a brow.
"Or maybe you're afraid of ruining your nails? They look pretty freshly coated to me."
She heard him growl and she sighed.
"Staallliiinngg," she said in a sing-song voice. "Hurry up, would you? I'm getting bored here. I've got chakra to burn and an ass to kick so get to it!" she snapped, readying herself.
Within a second he was gone and Sakura spun to the side, avoiding a leg that slid over her head. His body became visible again and fifteen kunai were headed her way. Skillfully dodging each one, she made it appear that she was trying to catch some of the weapons while her fingers hurriedly made the seals to perform the clone jutsu. With Itachi behind her to see the fake, she wasn't sure if he'd blab or keep it a secret, but the clone appeared directly in front of the real Sakura, taking her position in identical form, and the real Sakura disappeared without a trace.
Her opponent rushed towards the clone and began a taijutsu attack. The clone evaded each punch and kick without touching him as he forced them to move around the stage. The leader and his desk were gone before they could get the fight any farther.
"You can't win by dodging, you know! Don't be such a coward!" he aimed another fist to her face.
The clone smirked and moved out of the way.
"Aw, but it's so much fun!"
Before he could get another word in, the real Sakura suddenly appeared behind him, arm drawn back with her fist filled with chakra that no one else could see. He made a move to spin around as his senses flared but Sakura was faster. Her fist collided with he cheek, sending him soaring across the room and crashing into the wall.
Wait, scratch that, crashing through the wall.
Dust filled the air as parts of the wall crumbled and fell down. There was no movement and Sakura brought her hands together, waiting in position for the nin to get back up. Although she still couldn't hear or see anything, she knew he wouldn't have gone down that easily.
Hell, with what we've seen already, it wouldn't be a surprise if he did get knocked out.
Sakura should've known that it wasn't over yet, and although she knew, she never convinced herself. Something suddenly grabbed onto her foot and she nearly cried out. Taking an awkward step back, she attempted to shake off whatever was on her foot and rather than get it off, she fell backwards and onto her butt. Her arms were on either side of her, holding her up as she stared at the green object holding her foot.
"Is that a...what is that thing?"
She tried shaking her leg again only this time it slid around her calf, moving higher and higher up her leg. She freaked out at that point and shot forward to try and pull the rising vine off of her only to find another three breaking through the ground and wrapping around each of her wrists and her other leg. The vines pulled down, spreading her body eagle style as she struggled viciously to get free. The more she struggled, the tighter the vines got, and she grew to realize that the point was to tire her out so she would have to forfeit.
Hell if that happens!
Sakura calmed and stilled suddenly, causing the vines to stop tightening, and she gathered her chakra into her arms. In a second, she yanked her arms towards her body, effectively pulling the vines up with her, but they pulled back. She struggled for a few more moments before the vines finally gave and snapped. Quickly, Sakura performed the seals for her chakra scalpel and dove forward, slicing the vines off of her legs.
She got to her feet hurriedly, reaching her chakra out beneath the ground to alert her of any vines that would pop out next, and searched the room with her eyes for her enemy. She found him lounging against the wall next to where she hit him, cheek swollen and lip cut. She smirked at the sight of her work and readied herself again.
"Clever," he called out, "but you won't be able to stop this."
Sakura's eyes shifted to watch his hands, knowing he would perform a jutsu.
"Just watch and learn how someone really fights."
She chuckled.
"Oh, I'm watching alright," she said sneakily.
His fingers moved swiftly to create the seals and Sakura moved her fingers in an identical pattern after he finished the first two. As he called out the name of his jutsu, just as he finished, she began, and vines with thorns shot up around Sakura, venus fly traps snapping at her while scented flowers spread across the floor around her, smell strong enough to knock her out, yet she remained standing while the vines moved to wrap around her.
The same array of attackers surrounded her opponent who was in shock. His attack was an original attack and Sakura had used it nearly a second after he had. He looked closely at her eyes and noted their deep emerald color, not red, emerald. Sakura formed some more seals, rocketed into the air, and spiraled back down, slamming her heel into the platform. The ground rumbled before a huge crater the size of the platform was left behind. The plants were sucked in and she immediately made some more seals and headed for her enemy who was busy performing the jutsu that dispelled the attack.
By the time he finished, Sakura's hand was already inside of his chest, fingers gripping his heart. She could feel it pumping frantically between the digits and noted that her heart was much calmer.
"I can crush your heart right now if i want to," she explained, voice soft but firm. "Make any wrong moves or do something I find threatening, and I'll rip it out and throw it on the floor. Do I make myself clear?"
His eyes were wide with shock and she could feel the rest of his body trembling. She knew this was one of the effects of having someone's hand in your chest. The body didn't have enough space for it so its reaction was shaking, for some odd reason. He nodded slowly. She smiled.
"Good. Then I believe the right phrase for this is 'Checkmate. I win.'"
She pulled her arm back and stepped back, regarding him carefully. And then she heard it.
A clap.
Then another.
Then another, until she had applause filling her ears.
"Looks like we need to add another trait to your file, Haruno. Itachi, would you mind explaining this one?"
"She's intelligent and perceptive enough to memorize the seals for a jutsu by witnessing it. She can comprehend the movements and the chakra positions in less than a second while also storing the seals in her mind," Itachi explained as if he had known the answer all along but just wanted everyone else to figure it out.
Sakura turned and nearly gaped.
"She's like the Sharingan, only she's got a truly natural ability," he concluded.
Sakura laughed.
"Yeah, and maybe if I try hard enough I can change colors and force people to hallucinate because of my absolute sexiness," she noted sarcastically.
She heard more laughter from the others as she looked at Itachi and Kisame, noting both had amused smirks on their faces. She winked at the two before turning around to face the guy she had fought who was still pressed against the wall. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and pressed her hand up to his forehead. She pushed her chakra into him and his body visibly grew calmer. She withdrew her hand and smiled apologetically at him.
"Sorry 'bout that..."
With a shrug she turned and walked back around the chairs of criminals, noting with a grin the damage she'd done to the building. She stopped behind Kisame and Itachi, pressing her hands to their shoulders. The leader was standing in the center of the crater she'd made.
"Congratulations, Haruno Sakura, and welcome to the Akatsuki family."
A small smile spread on Sakura's face and she bit her lip with excitement. Her fingers gripped harder on their shoulders when she took another look around the room.
"I'm the only woman here?" she said in surprise.
There was a man named Deidara sitting farther away from her, but she only knew he was a man because she'd run into him before during a fight. If she'd never met him, she probably would have thought he was a chick because his hair was so similar to Ino's, but one closer look at his face would bring out the chiseled features that could only belong to a man.
"I'm sure they know you could beat them to a pulp if they tried anything with you," Itachi said, slightly amused.
Kisame scoffed.
"They know I would shred 'em if they laid a single finger on you," he explained.
Sakura giggled adorably.
"My big strong hero," she teased, moving her hand to poke the back of his head.
"Kisame, Itachi, show her to her room."
The two men nodded and stood, walking to the door with Sakura practically clinging to Kisame. With one final look over her shoulder, she exited the room to follow the two men to her room.
Five minutes later brought them to a new building with long hallways.
Looooooooooong hallways.
And tons of doors. Dozens.
Each door had a shiny silver plate with the name of its occupier. She noted the names she didn't know and winced at the names she recognized, that it until she came across Kisame's name before she bumped into Kisame. She muttered an apology before looking around him and at a door with her name on it. She became confused.
"Why is my name already here?" she asked suspiciously.
"I knew you would win," Kisame explained.
She looked at the next door over and saw Itachi's name.
"So I'm between the two of you?"
"Yes," Itachi answered.
Sakura grinned mischeiviously.
"This'll be fun."
"Don't get any ideas..." Kisame said warily.
"That is, unless you know we'll enjoy them," Itachi corrected.
Sakura's grin widened.
She was so going to own their asses.
Che, forget that. Let them own our ass first
Kisame opened the door and walked inside with Itachi. Sakura noted that her room was big. Really really really enormous.
"How does this," she gestured to the room, "fit into the tiny space between the doors?"
The two continued walking and Sakura scurried to Itachi's side. She felt like it would take five minutes just to get to the other wall!
"Genjutsu on the hallway," Kisame explained.
Sakura sighed.
"You realize this place is a joke, right?" Sakura said.
"How so?" Itachi answered.
Sakura threw him a skeptical look.
"I felt like I was back in first grade up there," she stated dully.
Itachi chuckled and shook his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"And you thought I was the psycho murderer before you got to know me. It's only an act for the rest of you. Just because Akatsuki is made of criminals doesn't mean we aren't human," Itachi explained. "Well, except for Kisame, of course. Speaking of which," Itachi laughed again and turned his head to face Kisame, "how was she?"
Sakura's brows furrowed. How was she?
What the hell does that mean?
Kisame's response was enough to clarify.
He laughed enthusiastically before answering.
"Loud!"
Itachi turned to face Sakura again only to see nothing. He stopped and turned to look behind him, finding a tomato red gaping kunoichi. Itachi burst out laughing and hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand. Kisame stopped as well and moved to face Sakura, joining Itachi's outburst.
"That's not," he gasped, "a bad thing!" he forced between laughs.
"For you maybe!" she squeaked. "That's so incredibly embarrassing!"
Itachi calmed down first and walked the few steps back to Sakura, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He shoved her against his side and began walking, forcing her to move with him.
"Hey, look on the bright side, at least I know what to expect."
This story was NOT written by me. It was written by backlash symphony on FanFiction.Net. I was given Permission By her to post this story. It is, in my opinion, the Best KisamexSakura fic ever written.
Disclaimer: I don't own the story or Naruto!!!!
_________________________________
--
Text means thoughts belonging to Inner Sakura
Text means thoughts belonging to Sakura
--
Timeframe: 2 Weeks After Sakura's Departure from Konoha (Sakura is still 22)
Location: Akatsuki Hideout
--
To say Sakura was nervous was an understatement. She was less than ten feet away from the door that would officially register her life in the ranks of the missing-nin. Even if she didn't make it into Akatsuki, the fact that she attempted to get in on her own would brand her a criminal. She felt Kisame place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile as they stopped at the door. Sakura inhaled deeply, staring at the door.
"You ready?" Kisame asked quietly.
Sakura exhaled and nodded.
"Yeah."
Although she certainly didn't sound like she was alright to enter a room that held the most powerful shinobi in the world, he didn't ask any questions. He knew this was one of the topics you didn't baby someone about for it usually made them change their mind to the negative option, something he didn't want. With a sigh he wrapped his fingers around the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door forward and walking through. He shut the door behind him and Sakura stared silently, waiting for her cue.
She and Kisame had practiced this since she left Konoha. He would make an introduction for her while she waited outside the room, giving her a good name, spicing up the one she already had, and when the Akatsuki leader agreed, he would open the door and Sakura would come in to be questioned before assigned a task to complete for her entrance into the Akatsuki.
By the time she finished reviewing the plan the third time, the door opened and Kisame stuck his head out.
"They're ready for you," he said calmly.
Sakura took a deep breath and headed through the door, Kisame ducking back so she could pass through. She exhaled slowly; very, very, very slowly. She walked and came to a stop beside Kisame who closed the door behind her. The room was mostly dark with what appeared to be candles spread across the wall. A quick count told her there were six flickering candles in a room that had no wind or blowing air.
She could make out a platform of some sort ahead of her, though only about a foot off the ground, nothing exceptionally high. There seemed to be a long rectangular box that she figured to be a desk. There was a figure in black, or so it appeared, seated at the desk with two figures standing on either side. Taking a look on either side of herself showed her an single row of chairs, each holding a different member of Akatsuki. Every one of them was staring at her.
She noticed the burning Sharingan belonging to Itachi closer to her than anyone else. She fought down the urge to turn around and run away when Kisame walked past her and headed for an empty seat next to Itachi.
He did not just leave us here!
She did her best not to fidget, though the temptation to run the hell out of there was growing, and she took a firm step forward, followed by another one, until she reached the platform. With her eyes straight ahead, she stood straight and waited for any words or commands. After the first fifteen seconds, Sakura began to feel worried that nothing was happening. By thirty, she could feel the sweat forming on the back of her neck. At fifty, she was ready to haul ass back to Konoha when finally, at sixty, a rough raspy voice greeted her.
"So you're the famous Haruno Sakura."
Sakura swallowed and nodded her head, willing her voice to come out steady.
"Yes."
She heard a low laugh come from the same person as well as a few scattered chuckles. She held herself high and remained calm, despite the fact that she was doing all she could to keep herself from shaking.
"You've got quite the reputation, you know."
"So I've heard."
Another set of short laughs.
Apparently we're a hit.
Yeah, that or they know something we don't.
That's a safer bet there.
"Why would an innocent thing like you want to be in the Akatsuki?"
Sakura inhaled slowly, going over the words she had practiced with Kisame.
"Freedom."
Er, word.
She could imagine the man's eyebrow rising at her response.
"Freedom?" she heard him chuckle before he continued. "You sure there isn't something else?"
"Someone!" a voice called out.
Sakura felt stunned. Her fear was slowly dying down as the actions she witnessed continued to grow. People calling out? Correcting the leader? Joking with her? Hell, this didn't feel like a criminal organization! It felt like being in first grade again!
Is this for real?
"It wouldn't interfere with my skill, I can assure you," Sakura replied tartly.
She heard him sigh and was perfectly certain this place was a joke. Itachi was nice, not the killer she had imagined, and Kisame was amazing in bed despite his more than obvious physical implication that he'd never been with a woman before. Now, she was getting teased.
TEASED.
In a place where heartless criminals were supposed to reside. Instead, she got a handful of grown men giggling like little children! Was this supposed to be happening in order for her to lower her guard or was this organization, the most feared in the world, mind you, honestly just a bunch of PMSing grown-ups acting like first graders on pot?
"Sheesh, you've gotta be kidding me," she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.
"Alright then, let us see what you're capable of."
Sakura didn't have the chance to respond before the room was suddenly filled with a bright light. She squeezed her eyes shut and immediately after doing so, her senses began to alert her that something was going to attack her from in front of her. Without opening her eyes, she forced chakra into her feet and rocketed into the air, feeling the whoosh of air beneath her. She opened her eyes slowly as she flipped down, landing on the platform.
The entire room was painted with brown walls, simple, of course, and the platform she stood in a fighting stance on was completely white. Six feet behind her was a desk, like she'd imagined, with three figures behind it, one sitting. But no, that wasn't it. In Konoha's records, there were supposed to be nine or ten Akatsuki members. As she looked in awe around her, she found at least thirty.
At least.
"Oh, fuck."
"Ooo, she's got quite the dirty mouth," a man with dark green hair and equally dark green eyes announced at Sakura's right.
"Yeah," another man, this one with short blonde hair and sitting at Sakura's left, agreed. "Looks like Kisame's got a handful. You can share her anytime you like," he joked, causing more laughter.
Sakura was so shocked by the comments that she completely forgot about her attacker who was standing with one foot on the edge of the platform, leaning forward against his knee.
"Possibly the best looking woman I've seen in a long time. The pink hair's a little over the edge, but at least you'd know if she was cheating on you," he piped. "Though it kind of disrupts the whole tough girl tomboy image since it's such a feminine color..."
Sakura turned to glare at him, taking him in. His face was handsome with high cheekbones and smooth tan skin. Deep chocolate eyes hid beneath lavender colored bangs. He seemed tall enough while he was bent over, so she imagined he'd tower over her when standing at his full height.
She blinked, suddenly understanding his comment. Her green eyes narrowed and she placed one hand on her hip, leaning forward a few inches.
No one...and I mean no one! Disses the hair!
"Feminine? I'm a few cards short of a full deck but correct me if I'm wrong, is it just me or is your hair looking a little on the purple side?" she retorted.
She heard a few snorts of laughter and was now completely and utterly positive this place was a joke. She watched as her opponent rolled his eyes and stepped fully onto the platform. Sakura noticed that her estimate was just about right. This guy was definitely a lot taller than she was.
"Again, it may just be me but it seems you're stalling," she teased. "What's the matter? You afraid of losing or something?"
His lips curled into a smirk that reflected his egotistical inner self.
"Afraid? Of losing? The only thing I'm afraid of is ruining that pretty little face of yours, pinky."
More laughter. Sakura gave a smirk of her own and raised a brow.
"Or maybe you're afraid of ruining your nails? They look pretty freshly coated to me."
She heard him growl and she sighed.
"Staallliiinngg," she said in a sing-song voice. "Hurry up, would you? I'm getting bored here. I've got chakra to burn and an ass to kick so get to it!" she snapped, readying herself.
Within a second he was gone and Sakura spun to the side, avoiding a leg that slid over her head. His body became visible again and fifteen kunai were headed her way. Skillfully dodging each one, she made it appear that she was trying to catch some of the weapons while her fingers hurriedly made the seals to perform the clone jutsu. With Itachi behind her to see the fake, she wasn't sure if he'd blab or keep it a secret, but the clone appeared directly in front of the real Sakura, taking her position in identical form, and the real Sakura disappeared without a trace.
Her opponent rushed towards the clone and began a taijutsu attack. The clone evaded each punch and kick without touching him as he forced them to move around the stage. The leader and his desk were gone before they could get the fight any farther.
"You can't win by dodging, you know! Don't be such a coward!" he aimed another fist to her face.
The clone smirked and moved out of the way.
"Aw, but it's so much fun!"
Before he could get another word in, the real Sakura suddenly appeared behind him, arm drawn back with her fist filled with chakra that no one else could see. He made a move to spin around as his senses flared but Sakura was faster. Her fist collided with he cheek, sending him soaring across the room and crashing into the wall.
Wait, scratch that, crashing through the wall.
Dust filled the air as parts of the wall crumbled and fell down. There was no movement and Sakura brought her hands together, waiting in position for the nin to get back up. Although she still couldn't hear or see anything, she knew he wouldn't have gone down that easily.
Hell, with what we've seen already, it wouldn't be a surprise if he did get knocked out.
Sakura should've known that it wasn't over yet, and although she knew, she never convinced herself. Something suddenly grabbed onto her foot and she nearly cried out. Taking an awkward step back, she attempted to shake off whatever was on her foot and rather than get it off, she fell backwards and onto her butt. Her arms were on either side of her, holding her up as she stared at the green object holding her foot.
"Is that a...what is that thing?"
She tried shaking her leg again only this time it slid around her calf, moving higher and higher up her leg. She freaked out at that point and shot forward to try and pull the rising vine off of her only to find another three breaking through the ground and wrapping around each of her wrists and her other leg. The vines pulled down, spreading her body eagle style as she struggled viciously to get free. The more she struggled, the tighter the vines got, and she grew to realize that the point was to tire her out so she would have to forfeit.
Hell if that happens!
Sakura calmed and stilled suddenly, causing the vines to stop tightening, and she gathered her chakra into her arms. In a second, she yanked her arms towards her body, effectively pulling the vines up with her, but they pulled back. She struggled for a few more moments before the vines finally gave and snapped. Quickly, Sakura performed the seals for her chakra scalpel and dove forward, slicing the vines off of her legs.
She got to her feet hurriedly, reaching her chakra out beneath the ground to alert her of any vines that would pop out next, and searched the room with her eyes for her enemy. She found him lounging against the wall next to where she hit him, cheek swollen and lip cut. She smirked at the sight of her work and readied herself again.
"Clever," he called out, "but you won't be able to stop this."
Sakura's eyes shifted to watch his hands, knowing he would perform a jutsu.
"Just watch and learn how someone really fights."
She chuckled.
"Oh, I'm watching alright," she said sneakily.
His fingers moved swiftly to create the seals and Sakura moved her fingers in an identical pattern after he finished the first two. As he called out the name of his jutsu, just as he finished, she began, and vines with thorns shot up around Sakura, venus fly traps snapping at her while scented flowers spread across the floor around her, smell strong enough to knock her out, yet she remained standing while the vines moved to wrap around her.
The same array of attackers surrounded her opponent who was in shock. His attack was an original attack and Sakura had used it nearly a second after he had. He looked closely at her eyes and noted their deep emerald color, not red, emerald. Sakura formed some more seals, rocketed into the air, and spiraled back down, slamming her heel into the platform. The ground rumbled before a huge crater the size of the platform was left behind. The plants were sucked in and she immediately made some more seals and headed for her enemy who was busy performing the jutsu that dispelled the attack.
By the time he finished, Sakura's hand was already inside of his chest, fingers gripping his heart. She could feel it pumping frantically between the digits and noted that her heart was much calmer.
"I can crush your heart right now if i want to," she explained, voice soft but firm. "Make any wrong moves or do something I find threatening, and I'll rip it out and throw it on the floor. Do I make myself clear?"
His eyes were wide with shock and she could feel the rest of his body trembling. She knew this was one of the effects of having someone's hand in your chest. The body didn't have enough space for it so its reaction was shaking, for some odd reason. He nodded slowly. She smiled.
"Good. Then I believe the right phrase for this is 'Checkmate. I win.'"
She pulled her arm back and stepped back, regarding him carefully. And then she heard it.
A clap.
Then another.
Then another, until she had applause filling her ears.
"Looks like we need to add another trait to your file, Haruno. Itachi, would you mind explaining this one?"
"She's intelligent and perceptive enough to memorize the seals for a jutsu by witnessing it. She can comprehend the movements and the chakra positions in less than a second while also storing the seals in her mind," Itachi explained as if he had known the answer all along but just wanted everyone else to figure it out.
Sakura turned and nearly gaped.
"She's like the Sharingan, only she's got a truly natural ability," he concluded.
Sakura laughed.
"Yeah, and maybe if I try hard enough I can change colors and force people to hallucinate because of my absolute sexiness," she noted sarcastically.
She heard more laughter from the others as she looked at Itachi and Kisame, noting both had amused smirks on their faces. She winked at the two before turning around to face the guy she had fought who was still pressed against the wall. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and pressed her hand up to his forehead. She pushed her chakra into him and his body visibly grew calmer. She withdrew her hand and smiled apologetically at him.
"Sorry 'bout that..."
With a shrug she turned and walked back around the chairs of criminals, noting with a grin the damage she'd done to the building. She stopped behind Kisame and Itachi, pressing her hands to their shoulders. The leader was standing in the center of the crater she'd made.
"Congratulations, Haruno Sakura, and welcome to the Akatsuki family."
A small smile spread on Sakura's face and she bit her lip with excitement. Her fingers gripped harder on their shoulders when she took another look around the room.
"I'm the only woman here?" she said in surprise.
There was a man named Deidara sitting farther away from her, but she only knew he was a man because she'd run into him before during a fight. If she'd never met him, she probably would have thought he was a chick because his hair was so similar to Ino's, but one closer look at his face would bring out the chiseled features that could only belong to a man.
"I'm sure they know you could beat them to a pulp if they tried anything with you," Itachi said, slightly amused.
Kisame scoffed.
"They know I would shred 'em if they laid a single finger on you," he explained.
Sakura giggled adorably.
"My big strong hero," she teased, moving her hand to poke the back of his head.
"Kisame, Itachi, show her to her room."
The two men nodded and stood, walking to the door with Sakura practically clinging to Kisame. With one final look over her shoulder, she exited the room to follow the two men to her room.
Five minutes later brought them to a new building with long hallways.
Looooooooooong hallways.
And tons of doors. Dozens.
Each door had a shiny silver plate with the name of its occupier. She noted the names she didn't know and winced at the names she recognized, that it until she came across Kisame's name before she bumped into Kisame. She muttered an apology before looking around him and at a door with her name on it. She became confused.
"Why is my name already here?" she asked suspiciously.
"I knew you would win," Kisame explained.
She looked at the next door over and saw Itachi's name.
"So I'm between the two of you?"
"Yes," Itachi answered.
Sakura grinned mischeiviously.
"This'll be fun."
"Don't get any ideas..." Kisame said warily.
"That is, unless you know we'll enjoy them," Itachi corrected.
Sakura's grin widened.
She was so going to own their asses.
Che, forget that. Let them own our ass first
Kisame opened the door and walked inside with Itachi. Sakura noted that her room was big. Really really really enormous.
"How does this," she gestured to the room, "fit into the tiny space between the doors?"
The two continued walking and Sakura scurried to Itachi's side. She felt like it would take five minutes just to get to the other wall!
"Genjutsu on the hallway," Kisame explained.
Sakura sighed.
"You realize this place is a joke, right?" Sakura said.
"How so?" Itachi answered.
Sakura threw him a skeptical look.
"I felt like I was back in first grade up there," she stated dully.
Itachi chuckled and shook his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"And you thought I was the psycho murderer before you got to know me. It's only an act for the rest of you. Just because Akatsuki is made of criminals doesn't mean we aren't human," Itachi explained. "Well, except for Kisame, of course. Speaking of which," Itachi laughed again and turned his head to face Kisame, "how was she?"
Sakura's brows furrowed. How was she?
What the hell does that mean?
Kisame's response was enough to clarify.
He laughed enthusiastically before answering.
"Loud!"
Itachi turned to face Sakura again only to see nothing. He stopped and turned to look behind him, finding a tomato red gaping kunoichi. Itachi burst out laughing and hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand. Kisame stopped as well and moved to face Sakura, joining Itachi's outburst.
"That's not," he gasped, "a bad thing!" he forced between laughs.
"For you maybe!" she squeaked. "That's so incredibly embarrassing!"
Itachi calmed down first and walked the few steps back to Sakura, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He shoved her against his side and began walking, forcing her to move with him.
"Hey, look on the bright side, at least I know what to expect."