Shinobi Life

Chapter 17

Whoops! I didn't even realize a month had gone by.
MY BAD!!! Enjoy all the flirty shenanigans ;)

Chapter 17

Sakura rubbed her forehead in frustration and let out an exasperated groan. She hadn't slept in over 24 hours now, and she didn't see that happening any time soon. Jiraiya was currently debriefing the room full of Shinobi about the Akatsuki and Sakura found her newfound faith in her abilities dwindling.

These individuals are strong - strong enough to go against the elite. What chance does Konoha have against them?

She looked around at the people surrounding her and smiled. Tsunade noticed the look on her apprentice's face and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What on earth has you smiling at a time like this, Sakura?" Sakura balked as everyone turned to look at her and then gazed fondly at each of them one-by-one.

"This might be a tough fight but we can win. I felt hopeless at first but... I believe in all of you. I believe in Konoha and in the ninja here. We can do this; we just need a plan. Jiraiya can give us an advantage."

As she spoke, the tension in the room decreased. Several smiles flashed in her direction and then Jiraiya was speaking again.

"This is the information I have on the members so far." A scroll was passed around with names, photos, and information on Jutsu.

"I've seen some of them battle, but I haven't been able to find many weaknesses as of yet. It should be easy for us to analyze what I've found with the help of the Nara." Shikamaru groaned loudly and walked closer to the desk. He looked up at Jiraiya and mumbled about troublesome work before nodding his head in agreement.

"Alright, I'll inform the council of the attack and start preparing a task force. Kakashi, inform Ibiki that the village is on level 2 lockdown. Itachi, inform ANBU of what has occurred and set a meeting up with myself and the clan heads. Shisui, take Sakura home and make sure she rests for at least 16 hours. Sakura, you and I will meet to talk about triage for the medic-nin tents tomorrow."

Tsunade stood up and grabbed a binder from one of her shelves and handed it to Shikamaru. Sakura snorted at her Shishou's orders. She placed her hand on Shisui's forearm and squeezed gently, fingernails gently scraping his skin.

"Are you ready to head out? I'm exhausted."

"Let's go then. I have strict orders to make sure you rest." He gave her a tender smile and intertwined his fingers with hers.

She blushed furiously and let him lead her out of the building. Her eyes were glued to their clasped hands as he led her through the village at a slow, even pace. She glanced up and noticed he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She met his gaze boldly and raised an eyebrow at him. He stopped abruptly, and Sakura grimaced at the gaping hole in his apartment where a door should be.

"I can pay for that."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you're okay. However, remind me not to piss you off when we get a house." Shisui's casual mention of the future had Sakura choking on air. She started coughing so loudly that Shisui rubbed her back and bent down to look her in the face.

"Sakura, I was joking... a little. I know it's too early to talk about those things." She nodded quickly and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We can stay at my place until this gets fixed." Sakura's large eyes met his. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face and Sakura narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Sakura, are you asking me to move in with you?" Her face flushed bright red at his teasing and she tried to stutter out an explanation but he cut her off.