Between Life and Living

Between Life and Living

Chapter Five: And Your Mission is...!

 

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Shortly after dismissing the copy nin from her office, Tsunade returned to her desk and sat down with a sigh. The amount of chakra she had used today to save her patient had taken a toll on her body. And then there was the vast quantity now stored in the newly formed seal she had put on the girl's forehead.

Tsunade groaned as her head continued to throb, and allowed it to smack down onto her desk. Well, that didn't help anything…The small, but noticeable chakra signature emanating from the corner of the room reminded her that she was not alone. With a sigh, she lifted a hand and dropped back down limply at her side.

"You know, you can come out now."

Obediently, the shinobi clad in ANBU attire leaned away from his place of hiding and stepped into the center of the room. Tsunade pulled herself upright and propped her elbows on her desk, a smirk on her face that, despite the mask concealing that of the ANBU's, she knew he could see.

"I'm going to go over your mission in this whole ordeal," she explained, and went on to continue after realizing the nin was not going to say anything in response. "I want you to understand that my reasons for assigning you specifically are not only because you happened to be present with Kakashi when Sakura was found…"

Tsunade's cherry red nails tapped on her desk and her eyes narrowed. "I've read your file, ANBU. I don't believe it will be necessary for me to repeat what I have read inside of it. Whatever knowledge you have of ANBU, I want you to put it aside as it will not be important on this mission,"

A pale hand rose and slowly pulled away the mouse-faced mask the ninja was wearing.

His dark eyes met with the light, twinkling without affection while thin brows knit together in confusion at the Hokage's orders. "You want me to complete my mission without the skills I have obtained through my years in ANBU? Lady Hokage…I do not understand—"

Tsunade smiled thinly and sat back in her chair. "But you do. It's just as simple as that, Sai. Think of this as a sort of hiatus from all of your Black Ops commissions. No fighting, no training, no spying and no murder. I realize this will be a very different experience for you, compared to what you were used to in ROOT. Now that you are a regular ANBU, you are entitled to a normal side of life. Every ninja is entitled to a normal side of life. Don't you agree?"

The dark haired shinobi tilted his head as if the question had been something he really needed to consider. He'd never truly given any thought as to what he'd do with his life, if given the chance to live outside of ROOT or ANBU, aside from maybe spending his days painting away. Tsunade gave a small chuckle at his thoughtful expression and simply shook her head.

"The answer is yes, Sai…"

Sai recovered his stoic, blank look before he gave a respectful nod. "…Very well then, Lady Hokage. Please relay the details of my mission and I will do my best to carry them out, as you see fit—"

"Ah ah ah," the blonde interrupted Sai's formal allocution with a shake of her finger. She then leaned over her desk with a sly grin that the former ANBU could not comprehend.

"Come closer, ANBU. There are a few things I need to teach you first before you…" Sai drew closer, as her voice dropped to a whisper…the poor boy had no idea what he was up for, and kami help him if he ever learned.

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"Sensei, is there any chance I'm getting out of here sometime soon?" Sakura grumbled as Kakashi walked into the room. He'd returned upon request with some umeboshi, which was one of her personal favorites.

"Don't complain, Sakura" the copy nin scolded mildly, setting the bowl of dried fruit in front of her. The pinkette gave a small scowl before settling back against the hospital cot and grabbing a piece and putting it in her mouth. In no less than a minute, her foul mood had dissipated with the combination of sour and saltiness tingling on her taste buds. Kakashi smiled behind his mask at the contentedness of his former student and brought his chair closer so he could sit beside her.

"Sakura,"

Mmm?"

"You'll have a new visitor today."

"Agh rirahrirh?" the girl repeated while chewing the fruit in her mouth. The man shook his head at her ill-manneredness but still found he was laughing nonetheless.

"Yes, a visitor. Um…Sakura, do you think you could chew with your mouth closed?"

"Yeah, sorry," she apologized, wiping her mouth with a napkin. With her thoughts lost on the delicious snack that had been brought to her, Sakura turned her attention to the new subject at hand. "What do you mean, a visitor?" Honestly, she had no idea who it might be.

The silver-haired jonin regarded her for a short minute, but before he'd finally figured out a way to explain his revelation, there came a soft knock on the hospital room door. Both heads, pink and silver turned in the direction of the far side of the room, their silence sufficient admission to whoever waited on the other end.

The door opened…

And Sakura's heart dropped into to her stomach.

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