S-Class Shinobi!
The sky was still a deep shade of blue when Sakura arrived at Training Ground 7. The sun had yet to rise, the morning air was crisp, and the world was utterly silent.
Perfect.
She perched herself on a wooden post, arms crossed, one leg lazily dangling off the edge. Her combat hooded shirt and flak jacket absorbed the early morning breeze, giving her an effortless aesthetic.
[Aura System]
+12 Aura Points gained.
(Farming Method: Arriving dramatically early for a mission, lone wolf energy.)
Minutes passed. She did not move.
More minutes passed.
She still did not move.
At exactly 5:30 AM, Sasuke arrived.
Sakura's eyes flickered toward him. He was, as always, dressed in his usual high-collared edgelord ensemble, hands in his pockets, face set in that permanent brooding scowl. His footsteps were quiet.
He stopped a few feet away, eyeing her for a long moment. She didn't say anything. Just… existed stylishly.
More aura points.
Then, finally, in a low, cold voice, he spoke.
"Was it really an act?"
Sakura turned her head slightly, meeting his gaze.
A pause.
The wind chose that moment to pass through the training ground, shifting the leaves, ruffling her hoodie ever so slightly. Her hair swayed just enough to add to the effect.
Sasuke's eye twitched.
[Aura System]
+8 Aura Points gained.
(Farming Method: Unnecessarily dramatic silence.)
Sakura finally exhaled through her nose.
"Yes."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You spent years pretending to be an idiot fangirl."
"Yes."
Another pause. A crow cawed somewhere in the distance.
"Why."
Sakura turned back toward the horizon. Serious shinobi mode.
"Infiltration practice."
Sasuke inhaled through his nose, exhaled sharply. "Infiltration practice."
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them again.
Sasuke's hands curled slightly in his pockets. He was clearly processing.
"You," he began, voice dry, "were practicing infiltration at the age of 7."
Sakura nodded. "Of course."
Sasuke stared at her for a long moment. Then, without another word, he turned away and faced the opposite direction, arms crossed.
Sakura smirked to herself.
Another successful social interaction.
[Aura System]
+10 Aura Points gained.
(Farming Method: Breaking the mind of an Uchiha.)
Now, all that was left was to wait for Naruto.
He showed up 10 minutes later, surprisingly early considering him.
Naruto promptly sat on the ground, picking at the grass.
Sakura leaned casually sat on the post, her posture completely relaxed. Too relaxed.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+8 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Looking Suspiciously Unbothered.)
Naruto scratched his head. "Why are you so calm?"
Sakura gave a slow nod. Thanks to the Cool Pill, the motion looked deliberate. As if she had been planning this moment for years.
"I'm just taking advantage of the situation," she said cryptically.
Naruto blinked. "Eh? What situation?"
Sakura just smiled. Mysteriously.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Dropping Vague, Mysterious Statements for No Reason.)
Sasuke turned away with a scoff, but Sakura could tell he was thinking about it.
After letting the silence simmer for a bit longer (and collecting more passive aura in the process), Sakura finally spoke.
"We should discuss strategy," she said. "Naruto. Sasuke. What can you both do?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why should I tell you?"
Sakura tilted her head slightly, the Cool Pill making her seem effortlessly composed.
"Because we're on a team?" she said, voice dry.
Sasuke clicked his tongue, but didn't argue.
Naruto, on the other hand, was already talking.
"I can do this REALLY COOL jutsu!" He grinned. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Sasuke blinked, looking surprised for the first time. "Wait. Real clones?"
Naruto smirked. "Yup!"
"How many?" she asked.
Naruto grinned wider. "A lot."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+7 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Letting Naruto Show Off.)
Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "And what about you? Other than your senbon obsession?"
Sakura tapped her fingers against her arm, debating how much to reveal.
Then, she simply said: "I'm fast."
Sasuke frowned. "That's it?"
Sakura smiled. "Fast enough."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+9 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Being Unnecessarily Cryptic.)
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, clearly debating whether to push for more information. But in the end, he just looked away.
Sakura filed that reaction away for later.
Now, it was time to drop some information of her own.
Sakura pushed off the tree, stepping forward.
"I doubt either of you actually know what we're up against," she said, voice calm. "So let me explain."
She turned to Naruto first. She had to say this in a way that would make him take it seriously.
"Kakashi Hatake," she started. "Rank: Jonin. Specialty: Everything."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Sasuke scoffed. "Elaborate."
Sakura lifted a single finger, pausing for dramatic effect.
"200 million ryo."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "HUH?!"
Sasuke actually looked confused for a second. "What?"
"That's his bounty," Sakura said. "Kakashi Hatake is an S-Class Shinobi."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+12 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Dropping Alarming Information Casually.)
Naruto still looked confused. "But… but he's just a Jonin Sensei!"
Sakura smiled thinly.
"Jonin is just his official rank," she said. "Unofficially? He's on the same level as Kage-tier assassins."
Naruto swallowed. "Oh."
Sasuke's hands clenched slightly. Good. Now he was listening.
Sakura continued. "You've probably heard his nickname before… Copy Ninja Kakashi."
Naruto's brows furrowed. "Oh yeah! Iruka-sensei said that before, but what does it mean?"
Sakura's eyes glinted.
"He has the Sharingan."
Sasuke actually stiffened. His eyes snapped to her. "That's impossible."
Sakura turned to him. "Is it?"
Sasuke's brows furrowed. "He's not an Uchiha."
Sakura simply nodded. "Correct. And yet, he has it."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Dropping a Bombshell on an Uchiha.)
Sasuke was visibly unsettled. Naruto just looked deeply confused.
Sakura let the silence stretch for a moment before continuing.
"His Sharingan allows him to perfectly copy any jutsu he sees… aside from Kekkei Genkai, obviously. He's memorized over a thousand techniques."
Naruto's mouth fell open.
Sasuke was stone-faced, but his hands were clenched.
Sakura smirked slightly. "And this is the man we're supposed to fight today."
Silence.
And then it broke.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Naruto screamed.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+14 AP gained.
(Farming Method: Inducing an Existential Crisis in Naruto Uzumaki.)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Stones and reviews!
Patreon: Teddartic