The Dango Gesture...

Chapter 2: Tipsy Reunion

One Year Later

Sakura's Pov
Land of Iron
Age: 14

One more!

A solid hit caused a small crack.

Another!

Another crack appeared, larger this time.

One last time!

The rock split into two, a rough jagged edge separating both parts.

"I did it! Yes!" Sakura jumped up happily before she recoiled in pain. Looking down at her thighs she remembered her closed chakra points. She'd closed them to increase her training on drawing chakra.

A Shinobi should be able to draw chakra from anywhere in there body, Sakura had closed the points on her legs to make her arms stronger. A lot of chakra flowed through the legs, because they were needed for water and walk walking. The arms, most specifically Sakura's, didn't have a lot of practice on using chakra, so she'd taken it upon herself to increase that weakness.

Rubbing roughly at her legs Sakura huffed in annoyance, standing up she brushed off her behind and walked slowly over to her bag and water bottle. If she wanted to make good time she'd start moving now.

She needed to be at the next town over by dusk. Because she knew that she, and her aching legs wanted to spend the night in a soft hotel bed.

As she reached her bag Sakura readied herself for a long two hour jog or run. She didn't want to, but any form of   training was an improvement.

She'd since left Sasuke and Naruto a year ago, today. She'd tried to take her mind off of it by stoping to train and let out her frustrations, but it was inevitable, because here she was thinking about it yet once again.

She'd be lying if she said that she didn't miss their company, that was it though. She didn't miss Sasuke's comments, she didn't miss Naruto's annoying bickering, she didn't miss Kakashi's aloofness. She just wanted someone to talk to.

Stepping over a precariously large branch Sakura thought of people she'd kill to talk to. Shikamaru wouldn't be that bad, although he wasn't much of a conversationalist.

Ino...no she'd just hit her or yell at her.

Chouji might share his chips with her, she highly doubted it though.

Neji...no that one was off of the list immediately.

Lee...no comment..

TenTen? She didn't really know the chick.

Hinata, maybe, but she didn't really know her either.

Kiba and Akamaru, those two were nice sure, but she had no doubt they'd just tie her in.

Shino, well she wasn't a huge fan of bugs...

Team Seven wasn't on the slate at all...

Maybe...Itachi?

He had talked to her all night that day, they'd gotten along quite well in Sakura's opinion. They'd shared dango, tea, jokes, he'd even walked her to her room.

Sighing Sakura looked up at the canopy of trees. After that day Sakura'd been peeking into each crowd looking for a head of black hair, but never finding the right one would suffice to dim her spirits considerably.

She'd left the Land of Snow not even a day after their encounter, she'd gone straight to Grass Country. Hoping to zig zag her way away from the ANBU she knew'd be following her. Along the way she managed to pick up some helpful scent hiding techniques, those saved her ass a couple times.