Weaker & Weak

Chapter 8

Yuuki stood up and said, "I will see you tomorrow night...someone is coming...I must leave..." Sakura was about to ask how Yuuki would find her but Yuuki had already disappeared. Kakashi walked out of the tent and said, "It's my shift now. You should get some rest."

He pulled out his Icha Icha book and jumped into the tree and sat down.

Sakura stood up and jumped off the tree before walking into the tent. She rummaged through her rucksack and pulled out her medical ninjutsu book. She read a bit more, turning the old pages. A piece of paper fell out. She picked up the paper and turned it over. The paper was crinkled, brown and aging, yet Sakura was still able to decipher the writing.

As far as Sakura could make out of the writing, the paper explained of a jutsu. Sakura could not tell what it was. She decided that she would try to decipher the writing when they went back to Konoha. She placed the paper carefully back into the book. She opened up her rucksack and placed the book inside.

A twig snapped outside and she froze. She silently stood up and headed outside. Kakashi had dropped out of the tree and was scanning the dark forest around them.

"Did you hear that?" asked Sakura, walking to Kakashi's side.

Kakashi nodded, while his only visible eye scanned the forest.

"You should head back inside. It was probably nothing." Sakura nodded and walked back to the tent.

Before she entered she thought she saw a flash of purple, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

In the morning, Kakashi still seemed wary. In 20 minutes they had packed up and were headed out.

When they arrived in the land of Iron a man was waiting for them, standing inconspicuously in a corner of the gates. He motioned towards them and said, "Kakashi of the Sharingan?"

Kakashi nodded and the man pulled out some scrolls bound by gold rope. He looked around them and nodded once again before walking away and blending with the crowd.

Kakashi placed the scrolls in his rucksack and said, "Let's head back!"

A few hours later, Kakashi said, "Let's take a break. We're making good progress. If we continue at this pace, we'll reach the village by tonight."

They all nodded and Sakura walked away to find a stream, to fill her canteen. She knelt down beside the stream and filled her canteen. She watched the water ripple and become blurry. When the water became clear again, she saw Sasuke standing behind her.

She whipped around and stood up. He bent down to fill his canteen. She was about to walk away when Sasuke said, "...Is something up?...You're not yourself..."

Sakura stopped and didn't turn around. Her eyes darkened as she said, "...It's nothing..." Sasuke turned around and nodded before walking back towards the clearing where Kakashi and Naruto were.

Sakura looked at his back as he walked away. She looked at the ground and raised her head. A lone tear escaped her eyes. She let it fall and watched it hit the ground.

She walked back towards the clearing.

A/N: Please follow