Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden in Plain Sight ❯ Hitch ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8: Hitch
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Sakura dragged herself in the door of her apartment, going on auto-pilot more than anything. She'd spent all day training with Tenzou and had little to show for it.

At least she'd shown some improvement. She'd actually managed to suppress her chakra three times to the point where he couldn't sense it anymore, even sitting right next to her. None had lasted for more than a few seconds, but hey, it was something.

It helped when she finally had a mental image of what it felt like. Tenzou - always the literalist - had said that to him it felt like being tightly wrapped in something invisible. To other shinobi he knew of, he'd continued, the sensation had been described in a whole assortment of ways, from sweeping themselves clean (whatever that meant) to drowning in a bubble to having a duplicate 'ninja-self' that was made smaller and smaller until it all but disappeared, just lurking in the corners and able to be called out at any time.

She, however, couldn't make sense of any of that. She hadn't quite grasped the doing of it until she felt it for herself, and it was like nothing so much as trying to smooth all the ripples out of a running stream. With a blanket. How that made sense she had no idea, but now that she'd tasted what it felt like, knew the odd, disorienting sense it left on her, all she needed to do was work on her endurance.

That was what they'd be working on tomorrow. Then there was testing it under stress - such as sleep deprivation, surprise, or attack - and seeing if her chakra leaked through or if her suppression held.

She slunk into bed only to wake up and do the same thing the next day. This time, after spending sixteen hours training with Tenzou she could hold the suppression for five minutes, even amid distractions such as Tenzou attempting his 'scary' faces, which made it harder to focus than she would've thought considering how unintentionally funny they were.

The third day provided something of a hiccup. She walked into the tiny training ground they were using only to find a wooden totem erected right in the middle, the word 'Mission' scrawled across its front. Apparently Tenzou wasn't going to be joining her today, and who knew how long he'd be away. No supervised training in the near future then.

That wasn't too bad though. Now that she'd figured out the feel for it, she could practice on her own. The only major drawback to not having someone there with her was in their ability to let her know if she was 'leaking' chakra. While that was inconvenient, it was hardly her biggest concern at the moment as she needed to focus primarily on endurance. When she got good enough to worry about the quality of her technique she'd figure something out if Tenzou still wasn't around.

Maybe she could pester Shizune or Tsunade, practicing in the office and having them tell her if they were suddenly able to sense her. Or, if they thought it a bad idea to make it so obvious she was working on suppressing her chakra, she could always just work with her own clone, despite how much less chakra that would leave her with. After all, it worked for Naruto, right?

So she set to, sitting in a sunny patch of grass in the middle of the small clearing, closing her eyes and breathing deeply to clear her mind. It wasn't until hours later that she opened her eyes, surprised to see the sun setting beyond the horizon. It wasn't all that unusual to lose track of time while training, but to lose that much - especially when working on a new jutsu that often felt like pulling teeth - did catch her off guard. Her stomach chose that exact moment to rumble its protests and she laughed. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and now that she realized it she was far too famished to take the time to make something at home. Take out it was.

Rising into a stretch and wincing when her back popped several times, she decided she'd take her food over to the hokage tower. She felt like all of this work on her mission had made her somewhat remiss - even if unintentionally or unavoidably - in her other duties. She'd look in and see if Shizune or Tsunade needed help with any projects or paperwork. If not (which was a laughable idea, but did happen from time to time) then she'd meander over to the hospital and see how she could help out over there.

After all, tomorrow the only thing she had to look forward to was more of the same training, which was great for quick improvement but was quite monotonous. Anything to break that up would be nice, even if it was work.

Stretching her legs out one last time, she took to the trees with an enormous leap, flying through the branches at dizzying speeds and glorying in the absurd overuse of her chakra.

~ ~ ~

Sakura cracked open an eye, only two hours into her morning training, to see a masked ANBU operative crouching in front of her. She couldn't decide between rolling her eyes or glowering at his overly-dramatic entrance - like he really needed to crouch just to prove how close he could get to her. When she was focused on other things and very obviously not paying attention, no less. Opting just to shrug at him, she opened her other eye to let him know he had her full attention. A smile played on her lips though; either he was new to ANBU or just naturally really uppity. Either way she could probably use that or something similar in her own cover.

He leaned forward just a bit before saying, "The hokage wishes to see you. Now." Then, message delivered, he started to fuzz at the edges ever so slightly before just disappearing entirely, without so much as a puff of smoke like Kakashi-sensei.

She whistled while gathering her supplies and taking off toward the tower, worry pulling at her for the way Tsunade had chosen to summon her. Choosing to distract herself while running, she thought about the ANBU operative again.

She had to admit, if she had such an awesome teleportation jutsu down, (or any teleportation really, she'd never had the opportunity to train with one) then she'd use it all the time. Grocery shopping? *Poof* At the store. Need to tell Naruto he's being an idiot and then make a grand exit? *Poof* Need to harass Kakashi-sensei for his choice in literature? Poof in, grab book, then poof out. It'd be amazing. She might just need to prioritize that in her training schedule in the future.

Then again, she'd heard they took immense amounts of time to master. That ANBU operative had either started young learning that jutsu or had a natural affinity for it. Then there were the rotten cheaters like Kakashi-sensei who just got to copy the jutsu with their fancy eyes.

Reaching the base of the tower in minutes - it was oh so wonderful to be able to use her chakra full out - she raced inside, ignoring the startled aids she passed.

She was up at the top before she knew it, but despite her rush she took a moment to collect herself before entering the office. If Tsunade caught her breathing heavily after such a short run - even if most, if not all of it, was due to surprise and niggling worry - she'd kick her ass and have her back in basic training before she could blink.

After waving down the hall at Izumo - who'd popped his head in to see what all the commotion about - she quickly ducked into the office, closing the door behind her.

"You requested to see me, Tsunade-shishou?" she asked tensely.

The blonde looked up from her mountain of paperwork with an expression that bordered on giddy relief - because anything that distracted her from that hell was welcome - and Sakura relaxed immediately. If Tsunade was using her as an excuse to get out of paperwork then it likely wasn't too bad.

"Yes. I want you to let your team know that your training with Kakashi for tomorrow is canceled, as I've pulled him for a mission. Might as well let everyone know they have a free day as Kakashi likely won't have the time to inform you all, or just won't bother."

Sakura blinked. "I-I can do that. Was that all?"

The hokage's face turned calculating and Sakura knew her fate had been set from the moment she'd stepped foot in the room.

"Well, as long as you're here, why don't you help me out with some of this paperwork?"

She glared. Tsunade knew she was supposed to be training right now, and that was supposed to be just a bit of a priority, but she gave in to inevitability, pulled up a chair, and planted herself down at the desk with a sigh. Tsunade must be really behind if she was pulling her from something all three of them had deemed so important.

Silence reigned in the room, the only sound that of pens scratching on paper. Then Tsunade did something utterly out of the ordinary - she lit the small burner that sat on the corner of her desk. Its presence was already strange, as the older woman typically only had it out during the winter months, either to heat the immediate area, to heat sake, or to make tea, to which liberal amounts of alcohol were usually applied. And considering that it was both warm out, and that Tsunade was putting effort into getting her work done and thus unlikely to choose that moment to get drunk, the burner made no sense.

But Sakura knew that, while they were all prone to little quirks and moments of madness, this seemed planned out enough that Tsunade probably had something else in mind. That was confirmed when Tsunade passed her the first note.

Don't say a word. We're having a silent conversation, understood?

When Sakura nodded her acquiescence Tsunade slipped the small piece of paper into the burner, watching every last bit of evidence burn away.

There was another attack, she wrote.

Sakura looked up at her shishou, surprised, then leaned across her to grab her own sheet of blank paper.

When?

A couple days ago. Another lone jounin. Her body was found and recovered quickly and quietly. She was on a simple mission, one which gave no excuse for her late return, so a team was sent out.

Sakura took a moment to absorb those words. Cause of death? she wrote back succinctly. They were in a crunch to exchange as much information as possible as secretly and subtly as possible and avoid being caught at it. Superfluous questions and better worded responses were pointless at the moment.

She was the most cut up of any shinobi thus far, so we assume either she put up one hell of a fight or the assailants were toying with her. Still checking her system for toxins, but apparent death is from a blade to the chest, driven through her back.

Where was it?

Tsunade sniffed before pausing to move all her other paperwork safely away from the burner. She then doused the sheet they'd been writing on with sake before putting it to the flame, keeping a glass of water handy just in case the blaze got out of hand with the added fuel. After a suitable wait, during which Sakura had entertained herself by idly working some mindless paperwork, the blonde pulled out a fresh sheet of paper.

In response to Sakura's raised eyebrow at her actions, her first words were, The smell.

Her mouth formed a small 'o' as realization hit. The smell of burning paper, while incredibly faint thus far, could be detected, especially by clans with extremely sensitive senses of smell. Throwing alcohol on the flame not only covered the scent with a stronger one, but if anyone came asking then Tsunade could play it off that she was drunk and had burned some paperwork - either on accident or to prevent having to do them.

She smiled. This was why her mentor had been picked for hokage. Sure, she was beautiful, talented, and could hit like a sledgehammer, but she was crafty, devious, and brilliant, which was even more important in the world of politics. Sakura scribbled, I love you, and Tsunade smirked smugly before pulling the paper close again.

You'll find out just how close the site is when you go there tomorrow. You leave bright and early, and given the proximity, how recent it was, and the fact you can't fully suppress your chakra yet, you'll have a partner. Since Tenzou is already out on a mission you'll be going with Kakashi. That is why he won't be able to train your team tomorrow.

Sakura inhaled sharply in surprise and had to fake a sneeze to cover for it. Kakashi-sensei? she wrote, staring holes into her mentor. But he knows me so well. What if he figures out who I am?

Do you have any better suggestions? Without even waiting for a response, she continued, We know he's trustworthy. I'd bet my life on the fact that he'd never turn on Konoha. If we do have a mole, he's certainly not involved. That being said, even if he does figure out your identity he both has the finesse to not react to it immediately and we can rest assured he won't out you. He might come to either you or me with questions, but that would be about it.

Even though most of the sheet was still blank, Tsunade put that one immediately in the fire. Turning back to Sakura with a challenging look, she waited for a reply. Sakura glared back while furiously thinking through her options.

Kiba was something of an obvious choice. Because their sensitive sense of smell meant they could identify anyone, disguise or no, everyone in the Inuzuka clan was given extra training in matters of secrecy from a very young age. Thus they were often the ones entrusted with more delicate tasks for Konoha; their history and skills made them particularly suited and they'd never yet had a major breach.

Honestly, it made Sakura wonder briefly why Tsunade-shishou hadn't picked Kiba, or even his older sister Hana, for this mission instead of her. She supposed it was the same reason that she, for all his skills and qualifications, wouldn't make him first choice for her partner.

There was a difference between personal and professional trust. Even though she knew Kiba would have her back, would protect her secret, it wasn't the same kind of trust she had with those she'd had to depend on, day-in and day-out, for years. Just like Tsunade had picked someone close to her for this mission, Sakura knew she would feel more confident going into this next assignment with one of her teammates.

Who just happened to also be the ones who'd find it easiest to identify her. Drat.

Naruto was immediately her last choice though. Not only did he know her the best, and therefore was the most likely to recognize her, but he just didn't yet have the restraint to not immediately shout his surprise and start asking questions, regardless of their surroundings or the situation. Hence why he was currently in political training, because no one without at least a minor capacity for intrigue and secrecy could be Hokage.

And then there was Sai, who for all his improvements over the years was still a bit off. There was just no way to completely negate years of having the emotions and all related understanding trained out of him. Ino, of course, claimed she understood him perfectly fine and that there was nothing odd at all about this behavior anymore, at least no more than the average Team Kakashi member. But Ino claimed she had masterful understanding of everyone, especially males, so Sakura didn't put too much faith in that.

Besides, while she knew she could trust Sai implicitly, she just couldn't always trust his sense of judgment in new situations. For all she knew, if he discovered her identity, he could think it all a grand joke, a prank, or even a test of his skill and cunning. After all, she'd never done any serious undercover work before, small things with Team Kakashi notwithstanding. Playing the dumb, drunk girl at the bar to cozy up to their mark or pretending to be a customer of a casino or inn to case the place better weren't the same kind of gig at all.

Unfortunately Sai just wasn't predictable enough in new scenarios. She could always get around that by letting him in on the secret beforehand, but damn it, she wanted to prove she could do this, to herself if no one else. Tsunade wouldn't blame her for letting essential, trustworthy people know if it was necessary. Heck, she'd already suggested it with Kakashi, but it was a challenge she wanted to know she could rise to.

She wasn't built for subterfuge, not like Ino was, but she wanted to show her abilities weren't solely concentrated in particular areas. That she could do anything required of her, even if it didn't play to her strengths and wasn't a field of her expertise. She wanted to be worthy of the trust Tsunade-shishou, Shizune-senpai, and Konoha in general had placed in her. She didn't want to let them down in any way, and she felt like taking even a small step toward revealing her identity would be starting off in the wrong direction.

And since Tenzou was out on a mission, resulting in this whole mess in the first place, that pretty much put her right back at square one with Kakashi being the best choice.

She grit her teeth and glared. Fine, she wrote tersely, feeling no need to elaborate on the fact that her mentor had been right all along.

The smug smile on Tsunade's face said it all though.

Sakura pointedly looked away as she wrote, What are the details?

Tsunade was instantly all business again for which Sakura was grateful, as she was already having trouble remaining silent and not letting out an irritated grunt. Though, she supposed that wouldn't be entirely out of place while doing piles of paperwork either.

You meet Kakashi tomorrow morning at seven. I told him six, and granted that you're new to him, he'll likely only be about an hour late in an attempt to at least be somewhat polite. The body was recovered this morning and we estimate the attack happened two days ago, so the area should still be fresh for you.

Who was it? Sakura wrote.

Tsunade paused before replying. I can't tell you that yet.

Sakura inhaled sharply as the paper went into the fire. That meant either the family hadn't been informed yet - because they almost always had the right of first notification - or it was someone she knew, at least vaguely, and they needed to make sure she was able to maintain her objectivity.

Exhaling slowly, she nodded once to indicate her understanding. Tsunade seemed almost proud of her for her easy acceptance, for her willingness to just do what needed to be done and not argue the point, which made Sakura feel marginally better.

I assume you still haven't mastered chakra suppression? It had only been days since they'd last talked about it, after all.

Sakura shook her head.

All right then. I just need to plan accordingly for how long it might take you to complete the mission. Shizune and I are already working on a couple different cover stories to explain your absence, depending on how long you're actually gone.

How far away is the location?

Six hours, with chakra.

Sakura sat up straight, almost snatching the pen away from Tsunade. That close?

The Hokage sank deeper into her chair. They're getting bolder. I don't like what that portends.

Filled with new determination, Sakura penned back, I'll figure out what's happening. I swear. To her gratification Tsunade seemed to perk up a bit and even smiled, though it was a bit sad.

I know you will. But they both knew there were no such things as guarantees in the world of shinobi.

Like I said, six hours with chakra, so I expect it will take you at least twice as long without - unless you think you could convince Kakashi to piggy-back you all the way there and back.

The mental image that conjured was so ridiculous that Sakura couldn't help but laugh. She covered it by saying, "Oh, shishou, you just have to read this report. It's a doozy," and then shuffling some papers around.

I'll take that as a no, she wrote and Sakura could hear Tsunade's dry tone in her head perfectly. She knew just as well as Sakura did how unlikely that scenario was. The only time either of them had ever seen him perform said action was to carry someone too injured to walk. In fact, he tended to eschew physical contact at all unless it was part of training.

So 7am, we'll travel to the location - which I assume you've told Kakashi or you'll give me specifics. I have him wait at a safe distance, keep watch while I investigate, then we return.

Basically. I have told Kakashi the location but you should know at least the generalities. It's on the west side of the country in the densest part of the forest, which I hope is the sole reason the enemy was able to attack so close.

In that thicket? It's a wonder the body was found in just two days then.

Yes. Tsunade was still for a long moment after that and Sakura had to wonder what specifics regarding the case was on her mind, whether there was some odd story behind it or whether she was just sad at the loss of one of her villagers.

That's all, I think. Anything else you need before heading out?

Sakura shook her head.

Good. Then you want to help me with some paperwork for a while? After this lengthy conversation I'm even further behind.

Ah, so it was the guilt tactic. Well, it's not like that was out of the norm.

Sakura shrugged but then grabbed the pen back to write, For a little while. After all, I have a big mission in the morning I have to prepare for.

Tsunade nodded before putting the last paper in the fire and watching it crumble entirely into ash. Then, with a satisfied smile, she put a bottle of sake on to heat, tapping her nose as if to say she needed to further the cover story for why she had the burner on, just on the off chance someone smelled it and wondered.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura still pulled out her own sake cup, then set to the tedious task of attempting to whittle down the pile before her.

~ ~ ~

A/N:I can't believe this took so long. I thought it was gonna be one or two pages, if that, and just take a couple days. Guess I showed me. It's still pretty hard for me to write but it's coming along, if slowly. Thanks to everyone for your patience and dedication.

Now on to the next! (Where they finally start really interacting. Yay!)