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[Wrathchylde]

Okay, here's the deal:

I'm waiting to see if my hard drive (which has my fic on it) on my laptop can be saved or not so I'm bored and my muse is whispering rather loudly in my ear. I've decided to start a round robin story here. For those of you who don't know what round robin is, I'll explain. Round robin is when one person writes a section of a story and then another person continues and so on until the story's done. Voila.

Now, the ground rules are as follows: No less than 1 paragraph (8 line minimum for speech) and no more than 3 paragraphs, keep this somewhat serious so no random acts of stupidity unless it's in character which brings up another point, keep it as IC as possible, the main pairing must be Naru/Saku of course,and lastly, do not post after yourself. There must be a minimum of one other post before you can post again.

Now, to avoid complications, I will give this some time for people to sign up. Make a post just saying that you'll be posting here. The posts that appear will determine which order you will write in the round robin. IE I'll make first post, then someone makes another post and so on. Each person who posted then goes back and edits their post by putting in the chapter. Confusing? Probably, but example will help.

Start posting.

[Wrathchylde]

The branches bent and flexed beneath their feet as they leapt through the verdent forest. In the pre-dawn hours, there was absolute silence except for the faint rustle of leaves as the wind occasionally tickled the trees. Their footfalls, however, made no sound. To see them, anyone would know they were ninja. The hitae-ate were a dead giveaway afterall. Not that anyone woud see them, mind you.

They moved swiftly, if sleepily, to complete their mission. It was hard for them to maintain any enthusiasm though, since this was yet another c-ranked task that held no real excitement. It was a simple delivery of a note from the Hokage to the Hidden Cloud. It most likely contained nothing more than Tsunade's sake order or a request for money to feed her gambling addiction. Still, they were given a job and they would complete it as professionally as possible.

[Smiter]

Upon sighting the mountain of Hidden Cloud, the group paused briefly. The shinobi delicately perched upon the branches, surveying the numerous fortifications dotted around the mountainside, and the mist that obscured the peak.

Watching one of her teammates finger the scroll securely stashed within his jacket, a pink-haired shinobi gave off a prolonged sigh, her shoulders slumping.

Haruno Sakura could not wait to get the mission completed. While she was now the Hokage's apprentice and was establishing herself as an excellent medic-nin, she could not shake off the nagging feeling within herself. She was bored. It was now a year since Team 7 had disbanded. It stung her to remember how her former crush had rejected her and betrayed Konoha, but she still wanted to get him back safely. He was once a comrade, after all. Sakura smiled wanly to herself as she remembered her other teammate. If he hadn't suddenly left Konoha without a goodbye - damn him - then he would very likely have demanded better missions for the two of them. She smirked as she pictured the then 13 year old vociferously protesting. She wished she could do that and get away with it.

[XTCDraGonZ]

Naruto was probably one of the few people that would be able to get away with it, along with other things. She reasoned that the village must be desensitized to his rather? loud and tactless disposition. She remembered how appalled she was during the times she witnessed Naruto?s behavior towards the Hokage. Whereas most people would?ve thought that the Tsunade-sensei?s legendary temper and strength would?ve done Naruto in for his crass and disrespectful behavior, Tsunade-sensei was strangely tolerant, only giving a well-rehearsed chiding or occasionally a light smack to the back of the head. Come to think of it, Naruto?s the only person she knew that could get himself out of trouble as easily as he gets himself in them. She?d never seen anyone get away with so much apparent disrespect towards authority figures or symbols, especially in a shinobi village where order and authority are so respected. His boisterous personality, although annoying at times, was actually kind of refreshing ? in small doses of course. It sure was boring without him around.

Her smile faltered as the familiar ache of abandonment hit her. Her temper flared and she couldn?t help but direct the familiar surge of anger towards Naruto, wherever the hell he was. She understood that he had no choice but to leave to train, but dammit, he didn?t even say goodbye! Didn?t he care at all about how she felt? Her ungrateful train of thought derailed, her rational side gaining control as her anger slowly dissipated. Well, it wasn?t as if she was exactly nice to him. Memories of how he would always unfalteringly stand by her regardless of how much she mistreated him ran through her mind?s eye. Her wan smile came back at the particular memory of Kakashi-sensei chasing Naruto after he miraculously managed to swipe Icha Icha Paradise from under Kakashi-sensei?s nose. She supposed it was gradual, but she didn?t realize until recently how much her thoughts and attitude towards Naruto changed. For all his loudness, crudeness, and tactlessness, he really was a sweet guy. Not that she?d tell anyone of course. She sighed softly. In fact, she?

?Haruno, did you hear what I said?? asked her team leader.

?Huh?? replied Sakura intelligently. Sakura looked up at the frowning face of the chuunin leading the team. His eyebrows furrowed with irritation. He was an impatient man.

?I said that we?re well into Mist territory now. Keep your eyes open and proceed with caution. That means no daydreaming, Haruno. One would expect better from the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage.?

Face flushed with embarrassment at the scolding, she muttered an affirmative and followed the aged chuunin as he started towards the village, ignoring the questioning looks from her teammates. She allowed herself a small, wry smile at the fact that Naruto could still get her in trouble when he wasn?t even here. It was going to be a long two years. Shifting her full attention to the mission again, she continued on behind her Team Leader. Gods, she was bored.

[Wrathchylde]

Her team was a strange bunch to be sure. Its formation seemed a bit haphazard at best. No one played to anyone else's strengths or covered weaknesses. Their chuunin leader seemed to be more of a babysitter than a squad leader as he spent the first hour of the mission sighing and mumbling something about "stupid brats" and chastising them for so-called stupid behavior. Sakura tuned him out after a while. Better to pay attention to her surroundings anyway, in case someone thought their scroll worth taking.

The other two members, a boy named Runi and a girl named Nakai, were genins straight from the academy on their first C ranked mission. Why would they be here without their jounin sensei? More importantly, why were they here at all? Neji and Chouji had been available for missions when her team left Konoha. She had an established record with them as well, so why choose to team her up with an old man and two new genins? The scroll really must be trash if they'd trust it to such a pathetic looking team.

[Smiter]

The group moved on once more, trees flashing by at a high speed as they effortlessly glided through the forest. The ground sharply rose as they reached the base of the mountain and the forest started to evaporate, the trees becoming more and more widely spaced until there were none at all.

Sakura and the team landed softly on the barren ground, kicking up small clouds of dust. The wrinkled chuunin brought his eyes up and surveyed the immense stone wall that greeted them. He pushed his half-moon glasses up with his middle finger, and cleared his throat. His hand reached to his utility pouch and brought out a neatly folded piece of paper.

Two heads peered over the top of the fortified wall at the new group of shinobi. Upon sighting the Leaf hitai-ates that the old man and his three younger comrades wore, the older guard straightened himself up, assuming an air of authority, while his younger accomplice simply blinked at the pink-haired girl, idily wondering whether her hair colour was natural. The first guard, now standing rigidly, barked down at the newcomers.

"Shinobi of Konoha! You are now on the territory of the Hidden Village of the Hidden Cloud! State your business!"

[XTCDraGonZ]

Sakura frowned at the harsh greeting. That?s not a very polite way to talk to ambassadors of another great village. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw her leader grit his teeth in irritation and composing himself before responding.

?We have a message for the Mizukage from our Hokage!?

The older guard raised an eyebrow in open suspicion, and Sakura noticed her leader?s hand clenching in response.

?You should have been told of our arrival beforehand,? her leader added.

The older guard frowned at that statement and his head disappeared behind the high walls. After what seemed like an hour in the humid and stuffy weather, (her thong was actually starting to chafe) the large doors opened up and the small shinobi team was face-to-face with an equally small entourage.

The rude, older guard appeared flustered, and was flanked by a few of Mist ANBU.

?Um. Please follow me.? The Konoha team entered and the large doors groaned shut behind them.

I can?t wait to get out of here. Thought Sakura as her team followed the entourage, sweat trickling down her heat-flushed face. The humid weather was making her skin all sticky and her hair was sticking to her face. Plus the way the atmosphere here was so tense and hostile? hmmm. That was strange. The mist shinobi seemed somewhat nervous and guarded around the Konoha ninjas. It?s never been like this before? even at the other villages she?s been ambassador to. Something?s not quite right. A glimpse towards her Leader confirmed her suspicions. Irritable grump, yes, but her chuunin leader was a very capable shinobi. Although his demeanor was calm and collected, the way his face was guarded and the casual proximity of his slightly flexed hands by his pouch betrayed his unease. Sakura nervously fingered her belt, but forced herself to calm down. Chances are nothing is going to happen to them. If they wanted them dead they could have killed them earlier on right after they entered the door. The contents of the scroll were probably more important than she thought. Seeing as getting paranoid wouldn?t really help her now that she was deep in Mist Territory, she focused her attention on her surroundings, absorbing with intellectual curiosity the differences between the Leaf and Mist cultures in the city, and subconsciously plotting the quickest escape routes?

A blonde streak flashed by her peripheral vision. What was that? Her heart started beating faster as her mind raced. Could it be? no. Her rational side kicked in as she realized that she was in a shinobi village afterall. A village with its fair share of blonde ninjas. Stupid of her to get so worked up over? a white and red streak flashed towards the same direction as the blonde streak. Her heart rate started up again. It might be possible. Naruto and Jiraiya-sama were traveling together. No reason why they couldn?t have gone to the Mist vill? Her thoughts were interrupted at a cough coming from the direction of her Leader.

She turned towards him, receiving a withering glare from her extremely PO?d Leader. PO?ed with good reason too. Now was not the time to get distracted. With a sheepish and apologetic look, Sakura focused her attention back to the here and now. That was twice today. She was not looking forward to the lecture she?s sure to get from Tsunade-sensei when she gets back. The group arrived at the base of a large tower, its large marble doors groaning as it opened before them. How? grandiose, she thought as they entered the large tower. Glancing back wistfully through the closing doors at where she saw the blonde streak, she composed herself again and started after the entourage. She?ll worry about her mission first. Everything else will have to wait. The group of shinobi started up the spiraling flight of stairs, oblivious to the pair of bright blue eyes watching in from a window.

[Wrathchylde]

The group followed their escort, matching the brisk pace set by the annoyed guard up the seemingly endless staircase. Every so often, they would pass a large window, revealing the sprawling village below. It wasn't unlike any other village. Shops and homes lined the streets, much the same as Konoha with one rather vast difference. The entire village was built into the side of a mountain. The homes and shops began at the base with simple structures packed tightly together and as they ascended the mountainside, they gained in opulence and spacing. It wasn't until they'd passed a few more windows that she could see the mountaintop where a large palace resided. At least, it looked like a palace. She could just make out the dots of what must be people going to and from its large gates which gave Sakura the impression that it was more than just a home for a lord.

A slight stumble over a step brought her out of her sightseeing and got her another stern look from her commander. She was going to get it later. She just hoped "it" wouldn't be too painful. Steeling herself against further distractions, she held her head high and tried to maintain what little dignity she had remaining.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they reached the topmost landing of the tower and stood in the middle of a large antechamber. The room was sparsely decorated save for a few small tables and several paintings dotting the walls. At the far end of the room stood another imposing door guarded by two fierce looking ninja. At least their mission would be over soon.

[Smiter]

The heavy oak doors slowly swung open, as if emphasising their imposing nature upon the small team. Sakura's eyes adjusted to the dim glow of the hallway as she fell into line behind her commander.

The hall was quite extravagant looking. Tall, slim arches stretched high up and met at the domed glass ceiling, through which the sky shone with a blinding shade of pure blue. The Konoha shinobis - asides from their veteran commander - craned their heads back to look in wonder at the spectacle, blinking their eyes at the brightness. It was strange to think that such a grandiose piece of architecture could be found in a shinobi village - such luxury had no place in the lifestyle of a ninja. Not even the Hokage's tower was grand, being a simple three-tiered whitewashed building, crammed head-to-toe with many scrolls and relics from the past that took up so much space they almost squeezed the occupant out.

Sakura was fortunate to snap her senses back to reality fairly quickly. Runi and Nakai were not, earning them a stern rebuke from their leader. The pink-haired girl felt sorry for the two rookies, but she knew she could not allow herself to show that - not only would she get another lecture from the captain, she would also be setting a poorer example of how a shinobi should always be focused on his/her mission.

"Hmm, a message from Tsunade-sama for Raikage-sama? Heh, this is starting to feel like an invasion from the Leaf - you're the second group to arrive here." The official chuckled. "I just hope you don't make as much trouble as him."

For the first time Sakura had seen him, Akito - the captain - raised an eyebrow out of curiosity and interest.

"'Him'? I was not aware there were other Leaf shinobi here."

The official raised both brows in surprise. "Well, I'm surprised you don't know where others from your village are! I do hope that others are better organised."

Akito snorted out of irritation at the blatant insult.

"Well, anyway, this guy arrived a few days ago with his master. He's pretty good, even if quite... unorthodox. We're just having a lot of trouble with some of our own challenging him to a 'friendly match'."

[XTCDraGonZ]

sorryyyy... got test... gotta miss this round... delete plzzz.

[Wrathchylde]

Akito took the opportunity to return the insult and shrugged his shoulders simply, "Looks like the cloud don't have much restraint then. Either that or they have nothing better to do?" He sighed in a bored fashion that reminded Sakura distinctly of her former teacher befor waving ahead, "Can we get on with it? I want to get back home. This thin mountain air isn't for me."

Their escort narrowed his eyes slightly at Akito's lack of manners but nodded anyway, "You follow me," he said, pointing to Akito, "the rest can go sightseeing or some such. This will take some time."

[Smiter]

Updated. Sorry for the delay!

[XTCDraGonZ]

sorry... i'm forced to miss this one... plz delete this and my previous post some guy with l33t thread power.


-j0e-sama

[Smiter]

Joe, don't worry - we can wait for you if you like.

[Wrathchylde]

Updated finally!!