The Sakura Legend

The next day, when Sakura arrived at the Mission Assignment Desk, Naruto and Sasuke were already there.

"Ahhh~" Sakura yawned, stretching languidly. "Looks like I'm the last one here."

"Sakura-chan, you're so slow!" Naruto bounced on the balls of his feet, practically vibrating with excitement as he waited for Sakura to sign the mission scroll.

Sasuke, meanwhile, maintained a calm expression, but the eagerness flickering in his eyes couldn't be entirely hidden. It seemed both boys had been going stir-crazy cooped up in the village; they were clearly itching for a mission to prove themselves.

Sigh. Such kids, Sakura thought, shaking her head with resigned amusement. Only kids get this worked up. She walked over to the Chunin handling the mission assignments.

"Alright, just sign your name here," the ninja said, getting straight to the point. He produced two copies of the mission scroll for Sakura to sign, then turned to a boy standing nearby. "Please sign your name as well."

Standard procedure for escort missions involved three copies of the scroll: one for the team leader, one for the village archives, and one for the client. Once the team leader and client both signed, the mission officially began. It served as a contract, preventing potential disputes if issues arose later, or safeguarding the village against losses if a client misrepresented the mission rank – Tazuna's case being a prime example.

"Wait!" The boy nearby, clad in leather armor whom Sakura hadn't noticed before, pointed nervously at the three Genin. "Are they the escort team?!"

"Yes. Please hurry and sign," the desk Chunin stated plainly.

"Hey! No matter how you look at it, they don't look any older than me!" the boy exclaimed, staring at Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke with an expression of pure disbelief. "Are you sure they can protect me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Predictably, Naruto instantly bristled. "I'm super strong, y'know!" He waved a threatening fist at the boy.

"N-no... no... I don't... I didn't mean that..." To everyone's surprise, the boy stumbled back in fear at Naruto's outburst. "It's not that, I just felt... felt..."

"Hmph. Relax," Sasuke stepped forward, cutting the boy off. His voice was low and steady, but held an undercurrent of menace. "We'll get you to Takigakure." Clearly, the boy's blatant distrust had ticked Sasuke off too.

Seeing Sasuke's dark expression, the boy actually trembled. With a startled cry, he darted behind Sakura – the only one present who looked remotely approachable – and peeked out cautiously. "S-sorry... I'm sorry..." he stammered quickly.

Sakura blinked, slightly stunned by the boy now cowering behind her. She turned to the desk Chunin. "Who is he?"

"He's your client for this mission," the ninja replied. "The Village Head of Takigakure, Shibuki."

"Uh... right..." Sakura looked doubtfully at the trembling Shibuki. "Okay, don't worry," she said, trying for reassuring. "I'm the team leader for this mission. I'll make sure we get you to Takigakure safely."

Hearing Sakura's words, Shibuki's face fell. Looking utterly miserable, he turned back to the mission desk ninja. "Is it possible... to request a different team?"

"This mission was assigned personally by the Fifth Hokage, so it's non-negotiable," the Chunin stated firmly. He gestured towards Sakura. "And you shouldn't underestimate her. She's a Chunin. For a C-rank mission like this, she's more than capable of handling it herself."

Shibuki stared at the pink-haired girl, surprised. He hadn't expected her to be the strongest of the three. Although he still wasn't convinced, he figured continuing to protest would likely just get him thrown out.

"H-hello," Shibuki said resignedly, stepping out from behind Sakura and forcing himself to stand straighter. "I'm Shibuki, the Village Head of Takigakure. Thank you for taking on this mission."

"Hmph."

"Hmph."

Naruto and Sasuke were clearly still sulking over the earlier exchange. They both just snorted dismissively and didn't say a word.

"Hello," Sakura said. "I'm Haruno Sakura, Chunin and the team leader for this mission." She gestured to the boys. "This is Uzumaki Naruto, and that's Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ah... haha, well then, let's set off," Shibuki said quickly, seeing Naruto and Sasuke weren't going to acknowledge him. He didn't press the issue and signed his name on the mission scroll.

.........

.........

"Hey, Shibuki," Sakura called out as they walked through the deep woods of the Land of Fire, her hands laced comfortably behind her head. "Takigakure is a hidden ninja village, right?"

It was already afternoon. Since setting out that morning, through their brief lunch break, the three Konoha ninja hadn't exchanged many words with their client. However, during the journey, Sakura had quickly noticed just how extremely timid Shibuki was. He jumped and tried to hide at the slightest sound or movement. It puzzled her. If Takigakure was a proper ninja village, shouldn't its leader at least be a ninja? Yet Shibuki's behavior so far seemed even more helpless than a civilian's.

"Mm... yes, that's right," Shibuki replied, sounding somewhat distracted.

"So, since Takigakure is a ninja village, as its Head, you should be a ninja too, correct?" Sakura asked, feigning casualness.

"Yes... that's right. Why do you ask?" Shibuki responded warily.

"Oh, nothing," Sakura said with a slight smile. "It's just... for a ninja, especially a Village Head, your level of timidity seems a little... out of sync with your position."

"Who— Who says?!" Hearing this, Shibuki suddenly yelled as if someone had stepped on his tail. "I'm not timid! I'm being cautious! There's a world of difference between being cautious and being timid, you know!"

Hearing Shibuki's exaggerated outburst, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all cracked a smile. The tense atmosphere immediately felt lighter, filled with a sudden, unexpected liveliness.

"Oh? So you agree you seem timid then?" Sakura teased, a wry smile playing on her lips. "I never actually said you were timid."

"Don't worry! I'll protect you all the way to Takigakure!" Naruto declared, having completely forgotten his earlier annoyance with Shibuki.

"Wh-who needs your protection!" Shibuki retorted defensively, though his voice lacked conviction.

Naruto just chuckled, "Heh heh," and didn't argue further. Perhaps protecting someone so obviously "timid" gave Naruto a pleasant sense of being needed.

The four walked for several more hours until the sky finally darkened. Although Shibuki was supposedly a ninja, he certainly didn't travel like one, maintaining a slow, civilian pace. Since the client wasn't pushing to speed up, Sakura was content to take it easy as well. It wasn't exactly a rush job, and given her hidden objective to investigate Kakuzu, she was actually glad for the extra time together. Perhaps she could glean some useful intel from Shibuki if she played her cards right.

Even though Shibuki acted incredibly fearful, Sakura found it hard to believe he'd have the nerve to be involved in the assassination attempt on the Hokage. Still, appearances could be deceiving. What if this whole timid persona was just an act? Ninjas were required to master a wide range of skills, and being a master of disguise was certainly one of them. While Sakura herself wasn't capable of such deep deception, plenty of ninja were.

They found a suitable spot near a stream to make camp. They got a fire going, and Naruto immediately showcased his knack for roughing it, likely honed by years of often going hungry as a child and needing to catch his own fish by the river and grill them. He knew exactly what he was doing.

After Shibuki got the fire blazing steadily, Naruto headed to the stream to catch some fish. Even though it was dark, Naruto was still a ninja, and Sakura figured this was a good chance for him to practice his sensory skills.

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, who was looking distinctly bored. A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Sasuke," she called out. "Go scout the nearby area, see if you can hunt down some dinner for us."

Sasuke shot her a look but didn't move. Even though I can't beat her yet, he thought irritably, that doesn't mean she can just boss me around. She might be a Chunin now, but she can't give me orders for things unrelated to the mission.

Seeing Sasuke wasn't budging, Sakura decided to try a different tactic. "Sasuke," she began, her tone shifting, "don't you want to surpass me? Slacking off like this won't help you achieve that. When I suggested hunting, I was actually thinking it would be good practice for your Sharingan. It's dark now; the conditions are perfect for training, but you're letting the opportunity go to waste. You shouldn't neglect your training, even during a mission."

Sakura shook her head slowly, putting on an expression of profound disappointment. "Maybe I expected too much from you. I guess I'll go myself then."

She started walking towards the edge of the woods, still shaking her head, looking for all the world as if she were truly lamenting Sasuke missing this golden opportunity to improve and eventually surpass her.

Whoosh!

Watching the dark blur disappear into the trees ahead, Sakura smirked. Heh. Looks like I've finally found a reliable way to get Sasuke to do things for free.

A short while later, both boys returned. Naruto proudly displayed four decent-sized fish. Sasuke, meanwhile, returned with a freshly killed snake and two plump pheasants.

Hehe, snake stew tonight, Sakura thought with amusement. Nice work, Sasuke.

With a quick application of Earth Style, she molded a makeshift recliner out of the ground. It was a little rough, but out here in the wild, it would have to suffice. Sakura settled onto her earthen lounge chair with deep satisfaction, watching the three boys bustling around the campfire. In that moment, she felt distinctly like a queen, reclining in comfort while her three devoted attendants prepared her royal feast.

This feeling, she decided, was absolutely fantastic.