"Y-you wanted to see , Milady?" asked Sakura timidly, as she entered the Hokage's office, leaving the door ajar behind her just in case she needed to make a quick escape. "…e-eep!"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused , girl!?" Tsunade thundered, slamming her fist onto the desk, which promptly shattered into splinters. "Do you know how many hours of overti I've pulled just to cover your surgeries!? I've been sleeping in my office for three weeks just to keep up with the day-to-day paperwork!"
Sakura let out a terrified squeak.
"And what do you have to show for it? Nothing!" Tsunade continued, marching up to Sakura through the rubble of her desk. "If you had at least mastered the Raikage's Lightning Armour, then at least I wouldn't have had anything to complain about!"
Sakura slowly started backing away, feeling blindly behind her back for the doorknob.
"Not that I would've let you use it anyway!" Tsunade shouted. "Do you have any idea what kind of consequences there would be if you started using Kumo's ultimate technique in public, you stupid, stupid girl? Are you that eager to start the Fourth Great Shinobi World War!?"
Kakashi, that traitor! He had gone and blabbed to the Hokage!
"And another thing!" Tsunade growled, jabbing her forefinger at Sakura's left breast. "Katsuyu tells you've been visiting her regularly! If I didn't know any better…"
Seriously, had Tsunade called her here just to complain?
"Eek!" shrieked Sakura, shielding herself with her hands. "I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade! I just didn't want to lose to Naruto and Sasuke!"
"I don't care!" roared Tsunade. "You are my disciple, and I forbid you from learning Sage Mode! I've put too much effort into raising you to watch you throw it all away on a whim! You only have one life, and it's high ti you started acting like it!"
Sakura straightened out her back and looked at Tsunade proudly.
"I'm afraid that's one order I can't accept, Milady," said Sakura very seriously.
Tsunade's face turned beet red.
Did this girl seriously think she could get away with saying no to the Hokage? She'd clap her in irons, shatter her legs and strap her down to an operating table if that's what it took! But then, just as she was about to raise her hand and slap so sense into her disciple, she looked into Sakura's erald eyes.
Whether it was Naruto, Nawaki, or even Kato Dan, their eyes were all clear and filled with determination and love for the village. But unlike theirs, Sakura's eyes weren't clear at all— they were clouded with impure, worldly thoughts!
'People die if they are killed,' Sakura's bright eyes seed to say. 'You can't goon if you are dead.'
Those were the eyes of soone who had no intention of dying whatsoever!
"You do know there's a 99% chance of failure, right?" said Tsunade, sighing. "Don't you hate bugs? You'll turn into a slug and rge with Katsuyu, and your consciousness will join her hive mind."
'Slugs don't have arms,' Sakura's unwavering eyes seed to say. 'You can't goon if you don't have arms.'
Tsunade closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing loudly.
"Fine. Do as you like," she finally grunted. "But don't bla when you turn into a slug."
"Really?" asked Sakura brightly.
"Yes, really," Tsunade replied, cracking a smile. "Oh, and incidentally…"
…
anwhile, on the other side of the village…
"Helloooo, Konoha!!" Naruto shouted, laughing wildly as he leapt onto an electric pole to get a better view of his surroundings. "You haven't changed at all!!"
After two and a half years, he was finally ho!
He couldn't exactly claim to have mastered the Nine-Tails' chakra like he was ant to, but at least he had grown stronger. So what if Jiraiya had loosened the Nine-Tails' seal? By now, his teammates ought to have grown strong enough to suppress it, if it ever ca to that.
"Hey, look over there, Pervy Sage!" said Naruto, raising a hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. "Granny Tsunade's up there on Hokage Rock, now!"
"All grown up, eh, Naruto?"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder, trying to spot the source of the voice, while Jiraiya—still planted firmly on the road below—tilted his head up. Kakashi was perched on a nearby rooftop, peering over the top of his dirty book, and Sasuke lounged against the wall next to him, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaid. "Sasuke!"
Kakashi hadn't changed a bit, but Sasuke looked like he was still a bit taller than he was.
Damn it, he had lost again!
No matter, Naruto told himself, he had matured a lot over the past two years— he was no longer the sa immature brat who picked fights over nothing. So what if Sasuke was a centitre or two taller than him? He'd been trained by one of the Legendary Sannin, so he was bound to be stronger than him! And in the end, wasn't that what mattered the most?
"Long ti no see, loser," Sasuke drawled. "You haven't changed at all, huh?"
A vein popped on Naruto's forehead.
"You haven't changed a bit either, you bastard!" Naruto shouted, instantly losing his cool.
"Now, now, boys," said Kakashi appeasingly. "Why don't we shelve the violence for now and get so ran at Ichiraku's for lunch?"
Naruto's mouth began to water, and the three of them dropped to the street, setting off towards the city centre with Jiraiya in tow.
"Here you go, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto as they walked, pulling a book from his jacket and handing it to him. "Souvenir!"
It was the latest book in the Make-Out Tactics series!
Sasuke smirked at the sight of the book.
"What's that look for?" Naruto demanded, instantly noticing Sasuke's signature expression of smug superiority. He jabbed a finger at him. "You still think you're better than , huh? Well, you've got another thing coming. Why don't we fight and settle it right now?"
"I don't need to," Sasuke said coolly, leaning and murmuring into Naruto's ear, "I've already won in every way that matters."
Naruto's blood seed to turn to ice in his veins.
"W-what's that supposed to an?" he stamred, but Sasuke flashed him a snide grin in reply.
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