Disclaimer: Naruto characters and original story are property of Masashi Kishimoto

/NOTES/

I'm so very sorry this chapter came a lot later than I expected it to. It was about 75 done when I posted chapter 1, but I started back at school and between homework, work, and real life, I had no time to work on it. Much thanks for your patience! 3

Review responses are located at the end of the chapter.

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.:Come Undone:.

.:02:.

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The sun slowly stalked its path midway through the sky as the morning wore out and afternoon approached. Covered in a thin layer of sweat, three young ninja concentrated in the silence of the parched air. Nervous eyes glanced from face to face, as the group pulled in a collective breath, each trying to anticipate the next move.

"Yes!" Sakura suddenly yelped, fanning out her cards excitedly. Her bright voice broke the tension for a moment, and the air felt light. "Three of kind!" Her happy tone was reflected in the joyous expression on her face, for she believed she finally won. Unfortunately, her euphoria was short lived, and her careless shouting was brought to a sudden halt.

"Hmph." Sasuke smirked in response to her proud boasting. He laid his winning cards out in front of the group, effectively hushing the enthused kunoichi.

The beaming smile evaporated from her lips. In front of her, she noted five cards of the same suit. "But…" she started, bringing her lips together in a small pout, "I thought…"

Naruto growled and shot up with sudden vehemence, shoving an accusing finger in Sasuke's face. "SASUKE-BASTARD! You tricked Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke huffed and turned his head, further infusing Naruto's anger so much that it almost seemed intentional. "I wouldn't worry about her too much, she still faired better than you did, dumbass."

"Th-That was part of my strategy!"

"You're an idiot."

Sakura watched the two interact, feeling the nag of boredom and irritation burning just behind her eyes. At the start of a new mission, she knew she would have to deal with Naruto's boisterous persona day and night until they returned home. The bittersweet agony of being able to escape the mundane and bothersome jobs they received from the Godaime straight into a tiresome journey with the number one noisy ninja made her head hurt. She idly wondered if rearranging the team would be such a bad idea. Maybe she could be on a team with just Sasuke…

Of course, that would never happen. Even the strongest critics of their dysfunctional team knew better than to separate Sasuke and Naruto. Behind the quarrels, their competition was the very thing that propelled them forward. In fact, Naruto went as far as to remain at genin rank so he could properly 'defeat' Sasuke in the chuunin exam once Sasuke was finally allowed to take the exam. Sakura of course, found nothing fair about the inherent bond between the two rivals.

"Yo!" A cheerful voice called from behind the group, breaking the argument. "Sorry I was late, but I was enjoying the weather so much I decided to take a short walk and-"

"LIAR!" the group yelled in unison, while Naruto frantically dug through his coin purse in search of any leftover money.

The jounin gave an exaggerated sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "I decided to go swimming, but then I was all wet, so I had to go back home to dry off."

The group's attention was already directed elsewhere.

"Listen Sasuke, you cheater!" Naruto yelled as he ran and shoved his teammate to the side, giving an extra shove directly into his ribcage for added measure. "I need that money for Sakura-chan!"

The dark-haired boy snorted but did little else to acknowledge his rambunctious friend's whining.

"Hey! Hey! Kaka-sensei!" Naruto turned his attention elsewhere once he decided the Uchiha wasn't going to pay attention to his crisis. Turning to his overly sensible teacher was not the ideal solution, but Naruto never thought about those things.

After sluggishly shifting his position toward the yelling, Kakashi looked down at him to show he was listening. There was certain urgency in Naruto's voice that yielded full attention no matter how absurd the words leaving his mouth truly were. It was amusing in its own way.

"Sasuke took all my money! And I promised I'd take Sakura-chan on date! How am I supposed to do that now!" The conviction in his voice evolved into something akin to a defeated whine - though that surely was not his intention - as he finished off his statement.

"Hey!" Sakura screeched from behind her noisy teammate, "I never said I was going on a date with you!" Her voice rang out in a rude manner, but she at least was fully convinced her stance was fully justified considering the circumstances.

"We're going out to eat ramen together, remember?" He reminded her with a toothy grin aided by innocent naivete, unfazed by her brash tone.

"Yeah, but it wasn't-"

"Naruto." Kakashi interrupted, placing his hand on the boy's head, just as he did when they were children. He adopted a policy somewhere along the way that as long as they acted like twelve-year-olds, they would be treated like twelve-year-olds. Naruto was still far from reaching any significant level of maturity, possibly encouraged because Jiraiya was not the best for instilling values and responsibility on a young mind, but regardless Naruto never seemed to care that he was still regarded as the idiot savant of his team. "I guess you should not be so careless with your money then, hm?"

Naruto frowned and furrowed his brows, his frustration and annoyance showing shamelessly all across his face. Why he would expect any other reaction from the elite jounin was unclear. "But Sasuke cheated! He had to!"

"You really think so?" Kakashi turned his head and eyed Sasuke who stood off to the side away from the ordeal, looking annoyed. "Sasuke… did you cheat?"

Sasuke stood with his arms folded and back to the group, moving only to deepen his frown. He saw no reason to play along.

"Of course he didn't cheat!" Sakura hissed as she sent Naruto a not-so-subtle glare, "Sasuke's not the type to cheat people out of money, and if he was going to do that, he would choose someone with more of it. Right, Kakashi?" She finished her sentence with a gloating smile plastered on her face. After everything, Sakura still managed to see nothing but good and sincerity in Sasuke, and therefore was not about to let Naruto throw unwarranted accusations around because of his own insolence.

Naruto mumbled something about silence proving guilt, while Sakura counted off the many reasons Sasuke was great and would never have to cheat. Kakashi watched the three continue to throw shallow and largely meaningless words at each other with an edge of amusement. They were always like that, somehow never really changing despite the push of the world around them. However, apart from the unending bickering, the three appeared to be in good spirits. The familiarity of setting off for a mission on the same four man team was refreshing, even with the superficial conversation that took up most of the time they spent together.

And if all went according to plan, their energy would successfully transfer into to a smooth mission. Having returned only days earlier from a rather strenuous mission, Kakashi was unwilling to deal with any extra annoyances along the way and would take extra care to avoid them at all costs even though this particular team was especially good at attracting all kinds of uncomfortable and troublesome situations.

Cutting into their tirade when Sasuke finally broke down and joined their insult brigade, Kakashi called the three to him to instruct them on their mission. The eager group crammed around their leader, anxiously looking up in wait of instructions while he continued to appraise their moods.

The only truly unnerving fact was noticing Sakura had a glint in her eyes that could manage to make even Kakashi slightly uneasy. The jounin, for the most part, prided himself on understanding his former students, who were anything but simple. In the five years since he met them, he'd seen the good, bad, and almost unbearably ugly. However, Sakura in many ways always somehow evaded his understanding.

He knew nothing of girls or how their minds worked, and Sakura for all his luck was particularly unique. For most of the five years he was in charge of them, he often ignored her, figuring she was and would always be simply average. Yet, she somehow managed to prove his usually flawless logic wrong. How was anyone supposed to know she would become Tsunade's most talented apprentice?

Today, her features were a bit tighter than usual and her eyes kept darting from one place to another in a paranoid fashion, so long as she did not meet Kakashi's stare. Her demeanor worked up more suspicions as she obviously concentrated hard on some hidden line of thought. She did not bother to blush when Sasuke's shoulder brushed against hers which was truly – if nothing else – the sign of apocalypse. She instead, appeared to be thrown off by everything around. Unusual since Sakura typically reserved her shyness and insecurity solely for Sasuke despite that fact that he, ironically, was probably the only one who would think less of her for it.

And that was Sakura. For her to be removed so far from herself was what generally concerned Kakashi most about the kunoichi.

The most alarming factor, however, lay in the fact that she was smarter than the two boys at her side. She was, after all, the only one who could ever successfully unravel Kakashi's complex mind games with occasional relative ease. Combined with a mental capacity woven with bipolar emotional outrages, she managed to acquire quite a solid reputation for herself. The security against her semi-psychotic instability, everyone assumed, was that she had absolutely no idea how smart she was.

These things together were somehow enough to keep jounin on edge. Sasuke and Naruto were obviously oblivious to her behavior, only furthering suspicions from the leader. The idea of a solo-scheming Sakura coupled with superhuman strength that rivaled even the Godaime when her temper flared at its worst was truly a frightening thought. Kakashi decided would have to keep a close eye on her.

"Well then," he announced in what he considered his best 'happy' voice. "We have a big mission ahead of us, do we not?"

The three nodded and a spirited grin spread across Naruto's features at the mere mention of 'big mission'. He pictured epic battles intertwined with numerous breaks for ramen noodles. And although their missions never turned out that way, he always headed into them with the same overwhelming enthusiasm.

This time, their mission was truthfully fairly simple. But everyone knew that keeping Naruto excited and happy for as long as possible was the first step in keeping the banter down to a minimum. Fortunately for them, simply telling Naruto something was interesting would keep him content for hours before he finally realized it was actually boring. As soon as they each turned to shoulder their bags, Naruto bounded ahead of the group, expending far more energy than necessary, while the other three mulled over their directions enjoying the relatively quiet moment while it lasted.

This particular mission required them to travel to the lightening country in order to work out a plan in which the fire country could help finance repairs on the southwestern border of Lightening country, since they had sustained substantial damage during the war between Fire and Sound. Of course, the true intention of their mission was nothing quite so innocent. Rumors had been sifting through Konoha and many of its allies that the village of Cloud was expending their finances on extreme militant improvement. The implications of this, unfortunately, led many of the Konoha elite to assume the country of Lightening were using their financial dependence as means to eventually combat against Konoha.

These rumors, thought not proven, had enough credibility to make the situation worth looking into. Team Kakashi was to spend a week in the Village of Cloud, making arrangements to assist the country, while also investigating whether or not there was any truth to the rumors.

Of course, it was likely that the rumors were nothing more than out-of-control gossip - as gossip seemed to be particularly problematic among jaded groups of ninja. But if the Village of Cloud truly were spending an unprecedented amount of money on their ninja power, then steps would have to be taken before the village was able to rise too far. Konoha itself, after all, was still relatively weak from the blow of the war and the final battle with Orochimaru. All of Konoha intended to avoid any conflicts that threatened when at all possible. Safety was key, and it was better safe than sorry. Furthermore, since Sasuke and Naruto were still technically genin, their group could be sent at a significantly cheaper price than a full chuunin or jounin team.

Being so seldom let out of the village, their team was the first on the list for the mission. At least they were allowed to stay at an inn rather than forced to sleep in the middle of the forest. A cozy indoor bedroom was a definite encouragement to finish their journey quickly, so they ventured on without breaks.

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Evening was fast approaching by the time the group passed the border. The air was quickly growing humid and the group – all except for Naruto, of course – were growing tired. Slowing down to a walk, they greeted the doorway of the inn they were scheduled to stay at with barely concealed glee.

Sakura, being the only girl, naturally got her own room. Kakashi and Sasuke were left with the lucky task of sharing with Naruto, who did more than his share to make up for the silence of the other two. It was likely better for their general health, if Naruto was the one left to his own room, but allowing a seventeen-year-old girl to share a room with her very male teammates (antisocial or not) was simply a not a line they were willing to cross.

By the time Sakura plopped down on the tatami mats to write her daily report, she could hear Naruto in the next room loudly sharing his frustrations on what flavor of ramen to prepare for the night. Sasuke said something about Naruto eating them all anyway and Sakura sighed, glad that a wall separated her from her most child-like companion.

She pulled out a crisp red notebook bought a week earlier when Tsunade had so graciously sent her on mission: Stalk Kakashi. Yes, they actually expected her dig up dirt on her eerily perceptive leader who was capable of leashing torturous mental havoc far worse than death. Part of her grudgingly wondered if it was simply one of Tsunade's sick games to pass time. Maybe Sakura had done something to anger the pushy woman.

Additionally, It seemed silly to the girl that the Hokage really saw any shortcomings worth mentioning from the infamous copy-nin. Sure, everyone had their flaws, but Sakura always saw Kakashi on a level far above Naruto or even Sasuke. Having watched him in battle countless times, she wanted to just tell them all he was amazing and their doubts were absurd. And why, of all people, were they leaving her in charge?

Growing frustrated with her thoughts, Sakura scribbled the date on the first page of her notebook as Tsunade had instructed. She was required to give a detailed recount of each and every day of their mission and Sakura could think of nothing to write on uneventful days. She lazily recounted the few words he spoke them and she mentioned his thorough explanation of their mission. After a few choppy sentences, she slammed the notebook shut and shoved it back in her bag.

She let out a frustrated sigh and fell flat on her back glaring at the ceiling. Something crashed and presumably broke in the next room and she clenched her eyes shut. The noise was followed by a silent pause before indiscernible yelling broke out accompanied by Naruto's telltale nervous laughter.

She hoped the mission would be short. Extra stress was not something she needed.

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This chapter is once again without a beta. I know three of you offered, but I couldn't see your email addresses to contact you. So, ruka-kun, xlycia, and the-kaiba-heir, if any of you are still interested please email me at the address located in my profile. I'll keep whoever contacts me first!

Wind-Guardian – Thank you so much! I hope you liked this chapter too!

selle18 – Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far, and I hope you are not disappointed in future chapters. And sorry about Flawed Kakashi… but I like a slightly unstable damaged Kakashi. hides

Stormy Addiction - big giant hug Thank you so much! I hope I don't write too slowly, but I really want to make this story as good as possible. Now I'm going to go wander of to catch up on your story… XD

the-kaiba-heir – Thanks so much! Hugs

SweetAssassin – Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Hottie Eden – I really hope it turns out okay, I'm very glad you like it so far. Thanks so much!

redskittles999 – Sorry it took a while for this update, but I prefer quality even if it takes a little longer. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. XD
2005-12-31
ch 1, reply This is really good. Update soon!

Zenna – I'm really glad you like it so far! I love KakaSaku and there just aren't enough good fanfics of them so I really hope the rest of this one goes well. Thanks for the kind words!

W.S.C. – Thank you very much! Hmm… I don't think he's getting too old, but we'll just have to wait and see, right? XD And no, the scene at the beginning did not happen in the series, I totally made it up. I'm flattered though that you think it could have. I really hope you continue to enjoy this story, and also hope that this KakaSaku may turn out to be one of "the good ones", lol. Thank you again for the kind words!

Jemiul – I'm glad you like it, and I hope I didn't make you wait too terribly long for the update. Thanks so much!

Kyuubi no Kitsune0101 – I agree! Tsunade is mean, lol. Thanks for the review!

animemistress419 – Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

xLycia – Thanks so much! Err, it's been so long since I've written anything, so I'm really paranoid that my writing is just terrible, but I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Please let me know what you think of this chapter!

ruka-kun – Yes, I feel sorry for Sakura. Tsuanade is a little unreasonable, but hey, now Sakura can spend some quality time with Kakashi! XD Thanks so much for the review!

Kat Ouji – Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too!

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hamgirl – Thank you!