do you wish to see fire in the clouds?

of course, he should expect no different an answer that that. it is how he replies in kind that should change. the circumstances are different this time. there will be no need, he thinks to say, but there is no certainty that such will be the case.

Sakura thinks of the boy she'd carried down the mountain. He isn't just a monster. Can she say he's any different to Naruto?

The sound of wrapper crinkling in the air was a distinct one, something that carried along even across generations. In his time, there had been brittle paper, leaf wrapping, or if the item was particularly meaningful then it was tenderly covered in furoshiki in silks, cottons, linens.

Now, here, and for this purpose, it was foil - or, it was…similar?

The flicker of light caught the inside of the foil packaging as the child tossed it to the side carelessly, stepping out of the shop to fan the printed cards within. His grin broke excitedly when he saw his friends, waiting outside for him anxiously with wide eyes, expectant.

"You wouldn't even believe it if I told you."

"Dude, you can't be serious."

"Reverse holo."

"No way!"

The flurry of activity that burst at this proclamation, as though it had been the fiber holding them in place, and they gathered at his back to hover, seeking out the promised treasure.

"I didn't even know they made that one!"

"I have four of the Common version, but this is nuts!"

Tobirama bent at the hip, fingers coming together over the flap of the wrapping, and the children glanced over their shoulders at him, curious at the flare of his chakra to announce his presence.

"You dropped this." His tone was clipped and cool, and the narrowing of his eyes indicated that he knew as well as they that it had not been accidental - even still, he extended the wrapper for the boy to take.

A pause, then a scoff. "Whatever, old man."

A small group of children dropped their wrapper. If Sakura had been closer, she'd have told them to knock it off. However, before she could, a man stepped in.

Sakura looked at him. No, she knew him, didn't she? She looked over at Hokage Rock. Then the man. Then the rock. Then the man.

Whatever, old man.

No, she was being silly. This was not the second Hokage come back to life, because that would imply the dead could come back to life. That didn't happen. Sakura sure was glad that wasn't a thing!

"Kids!" Sakura said in exasperation. The kids had wandered off, looking down at their shiny new cardboard. Literally shiny - its reflection was shining in Sakura's eyes. She blinked a few times to get rid of the dry sensation.

On one hand, there's no way he's going to tell her that, especially before he's done what he wants to do. On the other, he knows how insistent she is about getting information out of him, from their last meeting.

"…Not really."

Not really?

Another deep breath. Okay, Sakura can react calmly and rationally to this. However, if she keeps breathing like that, she might suck out every piece of oxygen from the air.

New plan: waste oxygen asking Sai.

Sakura can be cute. She can be charming. Boys liked her, right? (Name one, her mind taunts. Sakura shoos it away.) Maybe if she used her charms, Sai would totally tell her. If she’d had more time, maybe she could have done something about the outfit.

While her balance is off from another sweep of the legs, he lunges again- another attempt to bring her down into the water alongside him. But he stumbles at the key moment, the water's surface still rippling from their fight in a way that he should be able to account for, if it wasn't as though he were learning to walk all over again.

Chakra too dispersed to catch him, Sai plunges into the water with a splash.

Though it burns, the spring isn't deep enough to be dangerous. Despite this- an almost eerie silence falls over the area, lacking any of the struggle that one might normally have upon falling into the hot water.

(Oh. What if he can’t swim? What kind of shinobi can’t swim? If Sai is indeed legitimately one of theirs, how will Sakura explain that she’d drowned him?)

(Well, simple: it was Sai’s fault.)

She watches, waiting for a sign of struggle. And waits. And waits. He swims like he’s gone for a lakeside swim. Sakura bends over and sticks her hand in the water, before immediately pulling it back.

There’s only one conclusion: Sai isn’t human.

(The second conclusion is, he’s simply better at concealing than Sakura is. For that thought alone, she hopes he drowns. Which is unfair, considering these are her own thoughts.)

To think he understood how the world worked when he was—at his core—still a kid spoiled by the peace that came from wars, ignorant of what it meant to lose. Laughable.

He could lie to Sakura. Maybe if he kept convincing himself that this was a bad dream, he would eventually believe it. But Sakura wasn't stupid and neither, unfortunately, was he.

"I don't know," Shikamaru sighed, picking up a pebble and skipping it across the pond. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. Testing. "It feels like we're still in the Exams. Like this is the final test or something."

The next pebble sank after two skips. He tried not to think too much about it.

(Two of them are here now. When did the other one arrive? How did Sakura not notice her?)

“What would they even want to test?” Hadn’t they all long graduated? What was there left to prove? Or test? She paced while he skipped stones. Admittedly, Sakura had understood little of what happened in that lab. Others found faces that haunted them, while Sakura say nothing. She had lost nothing.

She wanted to ask what Shikamaru had seen. He seemed haunted, rather than the usual casual disinterest he held for the world. She hated that she didn’t understand.

Once he reaches her, one of his hands is shoved into his pockets and the other reaches to remove the cigarette from between his lips to flick away some of the ash. He's still trying to relax or find a way to ground himself, and every so often his eyes avert towards the forest. Maybe he'd feel more ready if the darkness opened again. 

"I just wanted to know how you were holding up after the---?" Exams, everything. Just everything that happened during the previous month. He cut himself off and holds his hand up in a vague gesture as if that would explain the rest of what he wanted to ask her. "If you need someone to chat with, all you gotta do is ask."

What is there to say? She’s lost on the whole thing. What had they done? What are the implications? Everyone seems to understand, but she does not. What had been the point of it all, just to end up in that place?

At least she had been helpful, then. She had managed to do something to move them along.

“It’s funny, I had expected Kakashi-sensei.” Why? It’s not like he’s her teacher anymore. It’s silly to hold onto the nostaliga of their old team, she supposes, but it doesn’t stop her from digging her fingers in. She’d always been a stubborn girl.

She wants to lie and say she’s doing well. In fact, a loud part of her shakes her into silence. Once again, Sakura is stubborn.

this time, they're a little more prepared. the conversation stifles like the embers of a campfire and for once, he finds himself a little uncomfortable with that silence. "are you still nervous?"

Without a word, Gaara knows she’s nervous. Stupid! Of course he knows; you’re almost yelling it at him! If her mind had a physical presence, it would beat Sakura senseless.

He waits a moment longer, but nothing immediately changes. As long as it stayed that way, it wouldn't be particularly difficult to get out when they wanted to, so he doesn't mind her any more- sitting back down, he grabs the nearest pastel, and continues sketching.

Deep breath. Deep, deeeeep breath. Okay, maybe there's a way out of this. Maybe her fists aren't the solution here, especially considering she thinks her bones might break before the stone does right now.

Jeez, women were scary. If this was Sakura on her best behaviour, he'd hate to see her at her worst.

Blue Eyeshadow turned to them, her narrowed eyes nearly disappearing into her heavy makeup. "Young Lady, I'll have you know that I've traveled across the Great Nations and this ... is the best ramen I've ever had!" Her face lit up as she gestured animatedly at her bowl. "The rich broth, the chewy noodles, even the chashu was seared perfectly!"

Whew.

"I only have one complaint."

Shit.

"This employee of yours is shockingly rude! He ignored me the first time I called for him. Look—" She pointed at his left foot, which was angled towards the street. "—he's ready to make a run for it! What a spineless man. I say you fire him."

His plan had worked a little too soon. Ideally, the customer would've complained to the actual shop owners, who would then fire him on the spot to save face. And since Sakura was dragged into this mess by association, they'd relieve her from her duties as well.

But now, he could either leave Sakura to fend for herself or ...

Shikamaru shifted his foot back to its neutral position and lowered himself into a bow. "I apologize for my bad mann—"

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to your wife!"

He begrudgingly turned his bow towards Sakura. "I apologize for being—"

The thought depressed her. She decided not to dwell on it.

Heheh, there it was: Shikamaru getting laid into by this woman. Sakura had to bite down on the corners of her lips to stop herself from smiling. Take that, Shikamaru! That's what you get for forcing me into this!

"Well, I can't fire him, becau-?!"

Her sentence was cut off by her choking on her own spit. Wife? Wife?! WIFE?!!?!!???!

"Huh?!" Sakura's face turned into a shade of reddish-purple as her stomach turned. "Him? No!" If her voice went any higher, only local dogs would be able to hear her.

She gestured to him, like her hands were scanners, up and down his body. "He's so- he's Shikamaru!" she yelped, as if that was an explanation. "I like boys who are brooding, and sensitive, and have a bit of darkness to them." Boys like-

Well. Anyway.

Family helped family. Which is why he's on his knees, digging through the dirt, and pulling potatoes from their roots to put into a bucket beside him. Despite their early start, they still had more than half of the field to work through, and with only the two of them, it would likely take all day. 

The jounin wipes his hands together to brush some of the more stubborn clumps of dirt off and turns his gaze towards the tree line of the nearby forest as he takes a drink of water from the thermos he'd packed. There was rustling in the the trees. Apart from the gentle breeze the branches were still, and for a brief second, he watches something (or someone) move in the cover of the shadows. 

"Hey," his head turns back towards Sakura. "Did you see the farmer leave his house?"

It's all part of their way. She wishes their way was a little more exciting, though. Don't they have genins (real genins, not Sakura) for this kind of thing?

Asuma looks, and Sakura pretends she doesn't notice, but she wants to know what he's seen. It's one thing for one shinobi to look, but not both of them. She keeps her eyes on the potato she's currently uprooting, but her attention and senses are solely on Asuma.

"No." Her voice is low. The potato thumps as it joins its bucketed brethren. "What's wrong?" She casts a glance at the tree lines without moving her head, and catches a glimpse of something.

Halfway down the path, Neji realizes that his legs ache.

That doesn't make sense. The midmorning sun is still in ascent, signaling the start of his mission. He hadn't left the village in three days, and nothing had been out of the ordinary in his daily routine. There's nothing that should've tired him—

The figure in the road comes into view, too sudden for him to draw a weapon. By instinct, his hands fly into the Gentle Fist stance, before remembering, just a moment later, that it is not an option for him at this moment.

(Deep in his mind, a vague déjà vu stirs. This is not the first time it's happened today, is it? But in the space between one thought and the next, this feeling is quickly quashed.)

'I am not the one you are looking for,' the figure states, and their voice is one that he seems to remember, somewhere, someone, many half-memories strung together into a patchwork of a whole. Who had he been looking for?

Instead of turning and leaving (had he done this, already? how many times?), he crosses the distance between them, stopping at a mere arm's length and focusing his sharp gaze on the nondescript figure.

(He will forget their features, if he takes his eyes off them for just a moment.)

"What are you doing here?" Neji demands, wariness heavy in his tone.

Neji is staring intently at her. Sakura hasn't even raised her hand yet, and he's staring at her like that. She touches her hairline; did she push her forehead protector too high up? A stain on her clothes? Gunk in her teeth? Maybe he thinks she's cute - no, she's deluding herself on that one. Neji doesn't seem interested in that stuff.

He asks his accusatory question, and Sakura points to herself. "Me?" She looks around; there doesn't seem to be anyone else here so yes, her. "I know, I know, I should be training, but I wanted to go and get lunch first." She deserves a cheat day, right?

gaara sighs out as he watches her grab the axe. “it isn’t just them.” she’s at least smart enough to know that. 

he focuses momentarily on the sand in his palm and straightens the edge until it could cut through the tree the axe had landed in. “don’t tell me what to do.”

in one moment, where there stood five bandits, three were felled. the man who had thrown his axe for some ungodly reason, the man who had laughed at his miss, and the assassin at their back waiting for the right time to spring forth and surpise the two students. all of them lay clutching at their throats and gaara looks to the trees. “that axe is useless unless you can aim it.” 

As if on cue, an arrow whizzes past, then another. Can Sakura aim it? She's got the strength in her to throw the axe that far, she's certain of that much at least, but will her aim falter?

There's no room for doubt. The axe is heavy and, as much as she hates to say goodbye to it, it's the only way they'll make it out of there. She throws the axe, pauses for a beat, before she hears the weapon cleave into something.

A groan. A thump of a body. Relief.

"Ready."

Like the signal for a race, the lightning crackled in front of them, splitting the ground in half. Sakura froze for a moment - really, what on earth was she doing? - before shaking sense into herself. This was why she was here in the first place. If she started smaller, maybe, then she would be less afraid. After all, no new skill was learned in a day.

Yes, she's certain that "beautiful" had been part of the mission brief. And these days, Sakura, with her confidence to match that frightening strength, certainly fits the bill as well.

"You didn't!"Jaw hanging open, Ino turns to both playfully slap Sakura's shoulder and to scan the crowd to her friend's right. No one who matches the description there.

"Mmmm...let's see...you know my type, so stop me if you see someone first..."

Tapping her chin with her free hand, Ino's eyes sift through the children playing with toys, the mothers browsing wares, the commuters with their heads down and their quick gaits, and—

There. Ahead and to Ino's left. A man with a shaved head, a large travel pack, and three piercings on his right ear. Between the passers-by, Ino watches as he stops in front of Granny Sazae's lacquerware shop, even though the curtains are drawn and the shopkeep has been away for weeks. Their target looks over his shoulder, away from the pair of girls, before reaching for the doorknob to work at the lock.

After a quick squeal to keep up the act, Ino leans harder into Sakura's side, dramatically cupping a hand to her ear.

"Stop," she says, still giggling. If she looks over at the man and thinks of him, she can at least fake a blush. "You really think so?" Shy blue eyes flicker back to the stranger.

He's breaking in. There's no doubt about that. The problem is stopping him from whatever he's trying to do.

The problem is, of course, that they can't interfere. They're supposed to report this. However, they need more evidence; this guy could claim Granny Sazae is his real granny, then the girls would be in trouble.

"Do you think I should tell him?" Him, of course, meaning reporting back. "I don't know, I don't think I'm ready for it yet."

What was that place? Countless bodies, and so many of them seemed haunted. Sakura didn't dare to take a closer look, but she could guess what those bodies meant to some of the people around her.

When she left her house, everything seemed so normal. Almost like nothing happened. She walked around the village, hoping to find someone from that place. Then she saw him - thank goodness.

"Shikamaru!" Her voice was too high pitched, too desperate. She walked over to him, and paused only to think of how to word her sentence. She didn't have any words. "Did- did any of that happen?" Maybe just for a moment, she needed assurance.