Naruto Shippūden: The Legendary Team 「伝説のチーム」

Chapter 3.2

It was nearly evening by the time Sasuke and Sakura arrived at the river. The forest was a little compacted, but the sound of the stream of water proved to be relaxing as Sakura immediately ran over to the edge and took out a couple of canteens from her knapsack.

Sasuke kneeled over the water, squinting at the fishes swimming below. There weren't too few of them, so it would do.

Without further ado, Sasuke took out two kunais from his pouch, assessing the rate at which the fishes swam by. He studied their pattern for a bit before deciding on an ideal spot on where he could toss his weapons.

Thunk! Thunk!

The kunais hit the fishes dead right at the middle, causing a bit of blood to leak into the waters. Sakura watched in awe, not noticing that her canteen was already overflowing.

Sasuke inadvertently glanced at her, and she jolted, immediately averting her gaze and going back to her business.

Sasuke took out his kunais and threw the fishes towards the land, their movements already ceased. Sasuke turned back to the river and poised his kunais for a next strike.

Sakura finished with the canteens and placed them back inside her knapsack, zipping it up closed. She wore it around her back once more and tried not to look at Sasuke, waiting for him to finish. Normally, she'd offer to help him out, but he already seemed to be having an easy time of it on his own and she would probably only be a hindrance, anyway.

Sakura's brows knitted together in thought. Since when had she become this bold, anyway? It seemed like just yesterday, now that she thought about it, when she was a shy girl trying to adjust into the Academy. She was still severely lacking in the taijutsu department, and she had little to no ninjutsu skills. Her stomach still held some pain, albeit much better now compared to that day. She just couldn't move as fast as she wanted to.

"Let's go back." Sasuke's voice streamed into her ears.

Sakura stood up, still trying her best not to look at him. It suddenly felt awkward being alone with him now. She felt like she had gone through several different personalities before settling on one that fit her the most.

Besides, she was still a little afraid of Sasuke, especially because he seemed to be a bit too quiet and she couldn't read his closed-off expression. Her hand was still throbbing slightly, and she doubted if she could use it to defend herself during these three days.

The walk back to camp was silent. It wasn't even a comfortable silence, either. This kind of quietness was stifling; Sakura felt like she didn't have enough air to breathe in. She didn't want to strike up a conversation, but it felt wrong to not say anything.

"Sakura."

She snapped to attention at the sound of her name, turning towards Sasuke. He had an unreadable expression on his face, but it seemed like he had an internal conflict going on inside his head.

"...Sasuke-kun?" she said softly, tentatively.

Sasuke stopped walking, facing her. Sakura stopped as well, still confused.

"Um, what's the matter?" she asked.

"...I'm sorry," he told her quietly, looking straight into her eyes, making her heart skip a beat. "For being inconsiderate earlier."

Sakura stared at him. It wasn't easy for him to say those words; she could tell by the subtle way he was struggling with himself. And it was not even because of mere arrogance. It was more like... he wasn't used to it. Like he wasn't accustomed to being...