A/N: This is my first chapter fic! Please be nice and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the other characters.
Summary: Sakura is sent to Sunagakure on a mission to train the medic ninja there. Yet, there is one little problem…She'll be living with the Kazekage and his family. Will she survive long enough to complete her task?
Up Close and Personal
Chapter 1
"No, you're holding the scroll wrong!"
Haruno Sakura's voice rang out in the classroom, making the young woman fumble and drop the scroll. The kunoichi sighed and ran a hand through her short pink hair, breathing deeply, trying to keep her patience in check.
She had been going over the same technique for almost two weeks and they still hadn't grasped how to perform it properly.
Determined to make them understand how the technique was done, Sakura whipped out a kunai and drew it across her arm, blood welling up from a cut. The entire class gasped; she didn't even flinch. Sakura took out a scroll and, holding it over the wound, did a hand seal. The small cut healed quickly.
There was silence in the classroom.
Grinning, she said, "That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you properly use a simple healing scroll."
She glanced at the clock and tossed the scroll into a bin at her feet.
"You're all dismissed. Remember to practice and, please, don't kill anyone."
The class laughed and proceeded to clean up, each complimenting their sensei on an excellent demonstration as they filed out of the room. Once they were gone, Sakura sat down in a chair with a sigh, feeling drained. Handling teenagers and trying to teach them healing jutsu was a much harder job than it seemed.
"Long day?"
Sakura jumped at the voice, relaxing once she recognized the speaker. Shizune stood in the doorway, smiling at her, Tonton in her arms.
"Yeah, it's been a very long day." Replied Sakura. She stood from the chair and approached Shizune. "How can I help you?"
"Tsunade-sama is looking for you. I think she has a mission for you."
"What!" Sakura exclaimed. "A mission? I just started my job here!"
Shizune flinched at the angry tone in her voice before placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, attempting to placate her. "Let's just go see what she wants before we jump to conclusions."
The pink haired girl took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine, let's go."
They both walked out of the classroom, Sakura turning off the lights as they exited.
"I hope what she has to say is important." Stated Sakura's inner self.
"I seriously doubt it."
"Just don't lose it and attack her. She is your sensei and Hokage after all."
"I won't."
"Uh-huh, sure…"
"Oh, shut up!"
Sakura strode into the Hokage's office and sat down in a chair, trying to restrain herself from glaring darkly at the woman in front of her. Shizune hovered by the doorway, reluctant to walk in, not wanting to be caught in the middle when one of them snapped.
"Hello, Sakura!" Said Tsunade happily, a wide grin on her face.
"Hello, Tsunade-sama," She muttered.
"Well, you came here for a reason and here it is!" Tsunade rolled a scroll across her desk towards Sakura. The kunoichi caught it and opened it. As she read, her eyes narrowed more and more. When she finished, she closed it with a snap, and slammed it onto the desk.
"What the hell do you mean by this!" Asked Sakura angrily. Her inner self didn't usually show but this was one of those special moments.
"Well, Suna requested help from our most talented in training their medic ninja." Said Tsunade calmly. "And you're one of our most talented. I trust you won't mess up this mission. You will be leaving tomorrow with an ANBU escort."
Sakura's eye twitched. She was holding the arms of the chair in a grip so tight that her nails were digging into the fabric.
"Do not attack her. Do not attack."
"Just restrain yourself with as much self-will as you have, which is practically zero."
"Shut it!"
"Um, Sakura?" Questioned Tsunade tentatively.
"I'll hate it," Said Sakura. "But I will accept the mission." Relaxing visibly, the pink haired girl slumped in her chair, already resigned to her fate.
Tsunade smiled, surprised at how well the whole thing had gone.
The Fifth stood up and walked to the door, stopping by Sakura and said, "Just try to adapt and keep in touch. You're a kunoichi of Konoha. Remember that."
She left the office, Shizune following close behind. Sakura stood and left a few minutes later, trying to digest all the information that had been in the scroll.
It wasn't all bad, once she thought about it. Sure, she was going to be living in a distant village, not her own. And she was going to be gone for over 6 months. She was also allowed to withdraw whenever she wanted, if she saw that things weren't going well.
One problem stood out in her mind. She was going to be living with the Kazekage and his family.
"We'll manage."
Inner Sakura snorted. "I wish I could believe that."
Well, that's it for now. Remember to review!