In the Blink of an Eye (Sasusaku)

The Village Hidden in the Sand

"State your name and purpose," barked one of the shinobi guards.

"Kakashi Hatake," their sensei replied without missing a beat. "We're here from Konoha for the Sunagakure Chunin Exams." One of the guards nodded, moving aside so that the team could pass through.

"Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Sand."

Sakura smiled politely at the guard before following her team inside the rocky formation that surrounded Suna. So this is Sunagakure, she looked around, raising a hand to shelter her eyes from the sun. Buildings molded out of clay-lined the streets in an orderly fashion with few people buzzing out on the streets, a stark contrast to Konoha's evening rush. Colorful patterns painted on the outside of houses caught Sakura's eye, swirls of blue and pink decorating the dull stone. All the buildings here look fine, the kunoichi noticed, eyeing the sturdy structures. The only way you would know that they went through all those disasters is by the small number of people outside. Odd.

Naruto sneezed loudly beside her, rubbing his nose furiously. "There's sand everywhere!" he complained, waving away the dust surrounding them. "Why is it so hot here?!"

"What did you expect, loser," their other teammate spoke, wiping the sweat off his brow. "It's a desert."

The atmosphere certainly felt like it was boiling, waves of heat rising from the sand below them. The sun beat down harshly on the exposed village, making the genin sweat profusely and making them regret not bringing lighter clothing. Eventually, however, their sensei motioned them towards a particularly tall building near the center of town.

"Oh thank god," Sakura sighed as they burst into the cool, air-conditioned room. Naruto jumped in happiness, nearly knocking Sasuke over as he sprinted towards Kakashi.

"So when are we going to start, Sensei?" he asked, hopping up and down like a bouncy ball. "Is this the exam building?"

Kakashi chuckled through his mask, shaking his head at his student. "No, this is just the place we're staying at," he explained, guiding them towards a desk nestled in the corner of the room. "The exams don't start until tomorrow, so we have one day to rest and prepare."

At this, her blond teammate pouted, crossing his arms and mumbling under his breath. Sakura rolled her eyes, sharing a look with Sasuke before returning her gaze back to her sensei. A small head peeked out from behind the desk, greeting them all with a polite nod.

"Two rooms please," her sensei requested, holding up two fingers. The woman, who Sakura assumed was the receptionist, nodded, typing away on a compact laptop before pulling out four keys from her desk drawer. She handed each of them a key, pointing to the hallway where their rooms would be.

"Thank you," Sakura chirped, slipping her key into her weapons pouch. Kakashi nodded to the receptionist before turning his attention to his three genin.

"So where will we all be sleeping?" Naruto exclaimed, seeming to have gotten over his recent mood swing. "Can we pick our buddy?" He wiggled his eyes devilishly at Sakura, who simply ignored him.

"No," Kakashi refused. "You three have to sleep in one room, while I'll sleep in the other."

"What?! No fair!" Naruto whined, crossing his arms with a pout. "Why do you get a room all to yourself?"

Their sensei ignored his boisterous student, leading them all towards a room a little further down the hallway. "This will be your room," he spoke, pausing in front of a doorway. "My room is a couple doors down, closer to the lobby. We'll meet in two hours, at about six o'clock, and mingle with the other contestants. You all should get to know your competition first." With that, he waved at them before slipping into his own room, leaving the three of them alone in the hotel hallway.