Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Wrong Shade of Green	By : VantheKeyofLain Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 963 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Opening
- 2-Rest
- 3-Life
- 4-Pain
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer: I do
not own Naruto, and this is making me no profit.

NOTE: Have you figured it out yet? Most
of you have. If not, this will tell you. X3

Warning:
Implied Sex, Violence

The Wrong Shade of
Green

�� She had been fighting. Fighting countless enemy
nin left and right. At times
she�d been knocked down, but she would always get right back up. For a while
the whole thing seemed unending. On and on it went, until she could visibly
count the number of enemies left, and made sure to count as she took down each
last one. Finally she was victorious.
�� The scene shifted a bit, as if the
following events were happening in a blurred speeded motion. She could briefly
make out faces of fellow shinobi, and some faces from
people she�d met before on missions. Other events occurred that had no rightful
explanation, but seemed perfectly logical.
�� At last, she arrived back in Konoha. She was tired, exhausted, physically and, strangely
enough, emotionally drained. As she passed by the ramen stand, she thought
nothing odd about the way Naruto was wrestling with Sasuke over a bowl of ramen, or that her residence was an
actual house instead of an apartment.
�� Walking inside, things seemed normal
enough; but she felt empty and dirty. Walking into the kitchen, she downed the
cup of perfectly warm soup that just happened to be there. Then without a
second thought, she wandered her way to her bathroom. As she went, she easily
and efficiently shed one article of clothing, dropping each piece behind her.
She didn�t even have to bother getting a towel, as one was already on the sink
for her.
�� Slipping into the already running
water, which was the perfect warmth, she let herself purr in happiness. The
water soaked into her hair and trickled down her body making that dirty feeling
slowly disappear. The heat from the water, and steam was soon filling up her
senses and starting to replenish her strength. The only thing that would make
this better would be-
�� Two arms slipped and crossed her
waist from behind; hands resting on her hips. Her back rested against the body
pressing up against her. She gave a little �myu� as
the nape of her neck was assaulted by gentle nipping, slowly moving up to her
ear. One hand pulled away from her hip and moved up slowly, only to rest on her
abdomen. She hummed lightly as she reached up and adjusted the shower head.
Once that was finished, she turned herself around, and pulled the other with
her; so that now her back was resting against the tiled wall.
�� The hand on her hip trailed down her
thigh; while the hand on her abdomen trailed up to her breasts. Kisses followed
her jaw line until lips met with lips, and further to that, tongue danced with
tongue in a ploy to see who would pull away first for breath. She won with the
quick employing use of teeth to catch her prey, and received a deep throated
growl as her reward. Letting go, she leaned in a little to nibble at lips that
should by no right belong to any man.
�� The hand on her thigh gripped and
pulled up, and she instinctively moved with it, only to hook her leg across the
other�s waist and back. Her arms raised and she wrapped them behind the neck of
her companion, pulling him even closer. One hand was now steady on the small of
her back, while the other fondled her breasts. Her breath was labored and short,
and as he pressed even closer, she gritted her teeth against the sharp sting of
penetration. Hot breath mixed with the still warm trickling waters and she
leant her head against the wall, were that hot breath was now playing on her
ear.

�� Sakura��

�� It was like silver silk; the way he
said it. Deep and heavy, but with richness; a quality unfound in many. She
could hear the lust and practically feel the passion from just that reply
alone. From just that alone she was riveted; dragging her nails across a toned
and muscular back. From just that she was gripping tight with her legs,
employing strength she usually only reserved for fighting. From one simple
statement she was reeling, and it only heightened with the almost forgotten
ministrations upon her body. She was reaching that euphoric state, and losing
any and all control she had over every thing; though with one last thought her
own, she willed her self to capture his gaze and not let him or herself lose
it.

�� Gai��

- - - - - -

�� Emerald
eyes snapped open and flashed in the darkness. Heavy breathing and tangled
sheets indicated something of an unknown predicament. Cold sweat trickled down
pale skin of the woman who remained frozen in place, staring up at the ceiling.
Eyes dilated to darkness and shock, she looked ever like a person who�d just been
caught doing something illegal.
�� Leaning up
and wiping her brow, Sakura threw the sheets away from her body; which was
flaring hot from the outbreak of cold sweat. She slowly got out of bed and
staggered over to her bathroom, grabbing up a small washcloth and running cool
water on it. Wiping the damp cloth across her heated skin, Sakura�s breath
began to even out and she moved to sit back down on her mattress.
�� Having this
kind of dream wasn�t exactly new to the kunoichi.
True, she�d have dreams of the nature long ago, and every now and then.
However, the major difference usually steamed from her emotional core, rather
than her subconscious, and would be someone whom she had taken a fancy to.
�� Another
side note led her to the train of thought that her dreams usually always
included most of her shinobi companions and friends.
Aside from that, there would also be at least one or two aspects of being a shinobi. Other than that, it was usually something random
and strange; but dreams seldom ever made much sense, and a dream�s logic was
unfoundedly true.
�� Biting her
lip lightly, Sakura let herself mull over the dream. Every now and then she had
dreams that were vivid enough that she could actually remember feeling them. This was one such dream.
It was slightly unnerving. If she closed her eyes long enough, she could easily
recall feeling the way his hands rested on her hips, and slowly break to move
across-
�� Sakura
pulled her legs up and rested her forehead against her knees. She didn�t need
this; not today, not at all. She tried to calm herself and will away the
phantom touch. For the moment, it seemed to work, and Sakura fell back onto her
bed. She did not stir, and just stared at the ceiling for a while, keeping her
mind blank. Slowly her eyes grew heavy, and she slipped back into darkness for
only a brief period of time.

�� Fingers laced, skin met skin, and a heavy
panting-

�� Sakura
jerked back up, once again sitting on the edge of her bed. She gripped the
mattress for a moment before letting it go, and letting escape a sigh. Now she
was too awake to go back to sleep, and too nerved to even try. Glancing at her
alarm clock on the side of the bed; preparing for the worst, Sakura gave a sigh
of relief. It was only an hour and a half before her alarm would go off anyway.
Reaching over to turn off the alarm, Sakura groaned and padded over to the
bathroom. It wasn�t too early, but she needed to wake herself up. She needed a
distraction.

�� It�s about the right time. I�ll just grab a
shower before I go over.�

- - - - - - - -

�� The early morning was quiet with the few
exceptions of the normal hustle and bustle of opening a business or two. Such
was this the same fate of one Yamanaki Ino, who was currently setting out the Yamanaki
flower shop sign out front. Stepping back a moment and
checking over the window display from a customers point of view, Ino nodded in satisfaction. Waving to another shop owner
across the street, Ino paused a moment upon seeing
her best friend and rival walking her way.

�� Sakura?
You�re up awful early.�

�� The kunoichi yawned on cue and stretched.

�� Early Mission, but I still have an hour.�

�� Ah,
so what brings you here?�

�� I
knew you�d be setting up, and I just felt like someone to talk with.�
��
�� Ino eyed her friend curiously and frown slightly.

�� Is
something wrong?�
��
�� Sakura�s
gaze drifted to the ground, and she sighed. At this, Ino
huffed and grabbed the other woman�s hand and lead her inside. Walking them
both into the back room of the little store, she only uttered for the woman to
sit at the table before going over to the tea she had already prepared earlier
that morning. Fixing up two cups of the brewed liquid, she returned to the
table and set them down, sitting herself down across from the pink haired
female.

�� Out
with it. What�s got you tweaked?�

�� I�m
not tweaked.�

�� Sakura,
I�ve known you for how many years? I know what gets to you and how you get.
You�re tweaked. Something�s bothering you. Now what is it? Is it this mission?�

�� Sakura
sipped her tea and shook her head.

�� No
no�nothing like that.�

�� So then�what?�

�� For a
moment, Sakura hesitated.

�� No,
it�s stupid. I don�t even know why I let it get to me.�

�� Sakura.� Ino gave a warning tone,
to which Sakura sighed.

�� Just a dream.�

�� Just a dream?� Ino raised an
eyebrow, clearly not buying it.

�� Sakura
paused once again. Maybe talking it over with Ino
would help; maybe not. The topic wasn�t anything new to either woman, but
sometimes it was still a little hard to come out and say it.

�� One
of those dreams.�

�� It only
took the blond a second to realize her friend�s meaning. Upon this realization,
Ino�s disposition made a complete 180, as she leaned
over the table a little and seemed to have a glint in her eye.

�� Oh ho ho! Finally! How long has
it been, like what, forever, since you told me one of these? I was starting to
sweat you know.� The last time I told you
mine, was well a while back and I was beginning to think you were going to
blackmail me any second.�

�� Oh
please, that wouldn�t have even been worth the hassle.� Sakura felt half the
weight on her shoulders melt away.

�� Alright, alright, whatever. Now that we�ve established
you�re human once again, let�s start from the top: Who, What, When, Where and
How?�

�� Sakura
almost snorted her tea as Ino launched into what use
to be their routine of such fun little conversations. She could still remember
all the times Ino confided in her over such silly and
embarrassing storied, and she had no doubt Ino could
do likewise. In a way, years ago, they had seen this a
sort of womanly way to keep tabs on the other woman � a kind of blackmail that
was completely true.

�� Shower; Night; Everywhere and Everything.�

�� Sakura��

�� Hm?� Sakura sipped her tea,
hiding half her face with the cup.

�� You
didn�t say �Who�.�

�� Sakura
looked at the coy smirk on her friend and gave a sheepish smile in return.

�� You�ll
forgive me if I leave that out?�

�� Ino snorted and leaned back.

�� Uh, no! That�s like, the best part! Ok, well, the best part
is really the �How�, but the �Who� emphasizes it all. Wait; is it this that�s
gotten you all worked up?�

�� The woman
in question nodded.

�� Why?
It never bothered you so bad before.�

�� Before,
I was another hormonal little teen like everyone else, and that before, these
types of dreams usually involved, oh I don�t know; someone I actually saw that
way?�

�� Ino rolled her eyes.

�� Ok,
so what? You think I�ve never had fantasies about guys I didn�t see in that
way?�

�� Sakura
looked at the woman curiously.

�� Wait,
what? Who was that?�

�� Shino, for example.�

�� What?! Really? Oh, wow, I had
thought you�d liked him at the time.�

�� Ino laughed at this, and sipped at her tea.

�� No way. I mean, friend-shippy
yeah, but, nothing more so. Maybe I said I did to fool you or something. Hell
it�s been so long��

�� Sakura
turned her empty cup in slow circles, debating with herself over the matter.
Glancing up, she could see Ino fixing her with a
stare; prodding the other one to go on. Without looking up, Sakura gave into a
light mumble to which the other huffed.

�� Spit
it out.�

�� .
. . Green
Beast of Konoha. . .� �

�� Ino frowned a moment and tilted her head.

�� So
what�s so wrong about a fantasy with L��

�� When Sakura
didn�t meet her gaze, Ino�s eyes widened tenfold. Shock
melted into a coy chuckle.

�� OH�.Oh�Ooo hoo hoo.
This is priceless.�

�� Sakura
folded her arms together on the table and hide her face under her lightly damp
hair. She was beginning to regret even bringing the whole damn conversation up
in the first place; but for the love of Kami, she
needed to get this out of her system.

�� It
was bound to happen sooner or later.�

�� Pulling her
head up only slightly, Sakura regarded the other woman with narrowed eyes.

�� What?�

�� My
little girl�got tired of playing with the boys, so she decided to play with the
men.�

�� INO!�

�� In
all seriousness, though, I knew you�d fantasize about him sooner or later.� Ino�s light tones and small shrug completed the factual
sounding statement.

�� Sakura,
who�s face was a now a bit shaded with red, and expressed morbid confusion,
could only gape at her friend; luckily willing herself to utter at least one
question.

�� Why?!�

�� Ino set down her empty cup, and held out her hands.

�� You�ve
got Naruto�s spirit and passion, and his whole
�never-give-up� thing�combined with Lee�s determination, work ethic and �youth.�
Add in one hell of a body, toned from years of physical training, and the
ability to bring down buildings � without the need for chakra. Face it; your
two boys equal out to one hell of a man.�

�� Sakura was
stunned into speechlessness by Ino�s examination of Konoha�s original Green Beast. What was even scarier was
that the argument held eerily well. Though, the man did have his own personal
quirks. Sakura was still a little floored.

�� Of
course, you being around him more so than usual, helps too.�

�� I
guess�� Sakura mumbled lightly.

�� Ino picked her tea up and shrugged lightly.

�� Then
again, it could be you just really want to fuck him.� She spoke casually as she
sipped the sweet liquid.

�� Sakura
nearly fell out of her chair at her friend�s light toned remark. Calming
herself down, and trying to cool her burning face, Sakura got up and opened the
fridge, staring generally at nothing, but making the attempt of doing
something.

�� No,
that�s not it. That is just not it; no, it isn�t and can�t be. Ino; I don�t even look at the man in that light�not,
consciously anyway. I mean, maybe somewhere, somehow, my brain registered that
he�s physically�physically fit and all, but I�ve never, you know, stopped and
thought on it; on him.�

�� Then
maybe it�s not physical at all. Maybe it�s all mental.�

�� You�re
mental.�

�� I�m
serious, Forehead. Listen; sometimes when you spend access time with people you�ve
never really spent time with, outside of normality, you tend to pick up on
things that make up the person; aside from the obvious.�

�� Thinking a
moment on the other�s words, Sakura mulled the thought over. So far, this
seemed to be proven itself; for had Gai not just told her what was apparently a very unshared
story? He�d mentioned only a select few new of his�unbalanced nature.
�� Look,
it�s probably a combination of a lot of things with you right now, what with your body and mind still dealing with
sub-conscience stresses and your current mindset. So you�re worked up, and you
wanted relaxation. So you�re human and wanted humanistic needs. Your mind just
happened to pick him, to fill someone in that would basically mean �safe.� It�s
alright. Just try and let it go. The more you dwell on it, the more you�ll make
out of it. Then it�ll get problematic.�

�� Closing the
fridge, Sakura turned back to her blond friend, and nodded; giving her a half
grin.

�� Yeah�the
last thing I need right now is to make more stress for myself.�

�� Right. Now, get out. I still need to finish putting up shop
and you need to get going for your mission.� Ino
smiled and led her friend back out to the front, arm draped across the other
woman�s shoulders.

�� Thank
you Ino. I would have driven myself crazy today
without this. How is it you know all this stuff?�

�� Ino smiled and patted the pink haired kunoichi�s
back.

�� I�m
your best friend and rival. It�s my job to know all this stuff; so I can help
you with your problems, or cause them.

- - - - - - - -

�� Ino�s words and her own thoughts over her morning�s events
played out in her mind as she prepared for her mission and even on the way to
the gate entrance where the group was assembling. It wasn�t all that uncommon
for split team missions to be assigned, but Sakura did feel a little like an
intruder on a family picnic.

�� Coming into
view, Sakura�s pulse quickened a bit upon seeing the familiar green jumpsuit,
but let out a breath upon noticing it was Lee. Thank Kami
for little miracles. Though, it was odd to see Lee by himself when a mission
with his team came along. Shrugging to herself, Sakura closed the distance
between them, and greeted the other happily.
��
�� Good
Morning, Lee-Kun. Up bright and early as usual, I see.�

�� Lee looked
up from where he was crouched, having been securing his weights in place. A
smile spread across his face upon seeing the kunoichi,
and he scrambled up immediately, greeting her with much enthusiasm.

�� Sakura-San! Yes, Good Morning to you as well. To see you
here�do you have an early mission as well?�

�� You
could say that��

�� Lee was
about to question her further until he was interrupted by another.

�� Morning,
Lee, Sakura. You�re up rather early. I�ve only seen you awake at this hour when
you�re working over at the hospital.�

�� Morning,
Tenten. Yeah, you�re right. I don�t really get up
early when I don�t have to but�sometimes it can�t be helped. Morning, Neji.�

�� Neji, who�d accompanied Tenten up
into the group gather, simply nodded back to the other woman.

�� I
dunno about you, but I think it�s a little ridiculous
having such a large group for a C-Rank mission.� Tenten
huffed.

�� C-Rank?�

�� Yeah,
and to think we�re actually getting a fifth person to go with us. Pretty
ridiculous if you ask me.�

�� Sakura
mental sighed.

�� Maybe
they suspect a large amount of enemies?�

�� That,
or perhaps there is something to be cautious of when dealing with our enemies.
It could be they may have something dangerous that wasn�t indicated in the
scouting reports; but was suspected at having.� Neji
folded his arms, contemplating.

�� True�but still, a fifth person? Don�t they believe we can handle
it ourselves?�

�� Sakura was
really starting to feel left out in the cold now; least until it seemed Lee
came to her unknown rescue.

�� I
do not think they doubt our skill, Tenten, but merely
wish to make sure we accomplish the mission, and further, do it in a manner
that will prevent major injury. Perhaps they are merely wishing us safety and
good luck.�

�� I
suppose.�

�� It
will depend on who it is.� Neji looked over at his
friend and �rival�.

�� Sakura
glanced at the Hyuuga and raised an eyebrow. What did
he mean by this?

�� If
it is someone like Shino, who could use his insects to scout or take down
sentry guards, then this could be a quick and tactical operation. However, if
it�s someone like Uzumaki��

�� Sakura
fought back the urge to chuckle at the mental image that statement painted.
Though she knew deep down Neji respected Naruto deeply, it still didn�t mean the Hyuuga
would be overly enthusiastic to work with another hyperactive ninja.

�� I believe Naruto-kun
would be an excellent choice, Neji! He�s improved
greatly over the years just as we have, and his talents-� Lee
was cut off by his female team member.

�� His
talents are running into a situation head on; and blowing everything up with
his Rasengan! If we need tactile strategy, Naruto is the last person we want on this trip! Yes, he�s
strong and no questioning bravery�but you�re missing
the point Lee.�

�� What about�me?�

�� The three
members turned towards the soft voice; Sakura for the moment felt like a dear
caught in the gaze of some ferocious predator. Had they forgotten she was
standing right here?

�� Medical.�
Neji quipped after a minute.

�� Sakura felt
herself sink.

�� OK,
yes, I am a Medic-Nin, but�that�s not all I�ve got
you know.�

�� I
do know. However, to add you onto this Team would be unnecessary for anything
else.�

�� Sakura felt
like the man had just dropped a boulder on her.

�� Look
at statistics. We already have three physical fighters; two of which are
masters of Taijutsu, and myself,
in the art of the Hyuuga fighting style. Lastly, we
have Tenten who can fight at long ranges and with a
vast numerous amounts of weapons. The only ideal candidate would be either
someone to counter balance Tenten�s long ranged
scheme, or someone strictly as a Medic-Nin.�

�� At this
point, Sakura heaved a sigh. Lee, who looked more offended at Neji�s calculations than Sakura herself opened his mouth in
protest, but was cut off once again.

�� Sorry
to keep you waiting everyone!�

�� The sudden
appearance of the �youthful� jounin had no effect
upon the group as it did back in years previous; though it did cause Sakura to
tense up a little. It could be your grandmother, but for all intent and
purposes; when someone pops up out of nowhere without your knowledge � it�s
going freak you out.

�� Gai-Sensei!� Lee chirped happily,
but a second later, a tiny squeak passed Lee�s lips. Tenten
gasped lightly and Neji, though remaining rather stoic,
did seem to raise an eyebrow in interest.

�� Gai-Sensei! Wha-What
happen to your eye?!� Lee asked in concern.

�� Gai himself just laughed it off, having known his precious
prot�g� would have asked the older man about the rather obvious shiner
decorating his left eye.

�� Nothing
you need to worry about Lee; I�m perfectly alright.�

�� But
Gai-Sensei..�

�� Trust
me, the color will fade by the evening.�

�� But-�

�� He
said drop it Lee.� Sakura poked the younger Green Beast in the side, causing
him to squirm.

�� Grinning
lightly, Gai glanced over to the pink-hair kunoichi, then back over his own students.

�� Well
then, since everyone is here and ready, let�s not waste a minute! We�ll go at
double the pace!�

�� Wait,
wait�our fifth person�� Tenten inquired.

�� Is
none other than Sakura-san herself. Tsunade-sama was kind enough to lend us her top Medic-Nin for this mission. I had to agree, it was a wise
choice.�

�� Sakura
felt her face heat lightly, before it went completely cool as she glanced over
to Neji, who gave her the tiniest of smiles. It was
one of those �I-told-you-so-but-glad-you�re-with-us� smiles. Before she had the
chance to return her own smile of meanings, she was scoped up in a half hug by
the weapons mistress.

�� It�s
about time we had another woman on this team! You�ve no idea how it gets having
three to four boys to baby-sit all the time.�

�� Oh
yes� being surrounded by men all day is so
horrible. Their chiseled features; getting all hot and sweaty, asking you for a
towel or some water. How can you stand it?� Sakura teased back, though the
smile on her face was proof of this.

�� The two
women laughed to themselves as they walked towards the gate. The guys just
followed on, wondering what could have been so funny to the two kunoichi. It wasn�t long after their shared stories that
the girl opted to save the rest of their talking for later. The Team was now
getting underway towards their destination for the mission about to take place.

- - - - - - - -

�� Alright�let�s
go over this one last time.� Gai spoke softly to the
group.

�� Tenten, you will be using your Souryuu
Tensasai technique as the main distraction. Once it
finishes out, that�s the signal for the rest of us. Lee; you will be handling
the eastern side of the wall. Once you see the signal, take it down. I�ll be
stationed at the entrance to the south with Neji. Sakura,
you will need to take out the western wall. I doubt you should have a problem
with that?�

�� No problem
at all.� She gave a grin and her glance shifted towards Neji
for just a few moments. He seemed to have caught her hidden message of �More than just here for Medic-nin reasons.�

�� Alright,
let�s go!� With that, the group split.

�� Taking up
their positions, Tenten let lose with her attack. The
sentry guards atop the wall stop and watched it in amazement. A few of them
alerted others of what was appearing before them. However, as quickly as the
display came, it suddenly became violent, and the rain of weapons came down
upon those inside the small fortress. Scrambling every which way from the
sudden attack, the enemy nin
didn�t get very far in their fortification as the Eastern wall suddenly rumbled
and a large hold broke open in it. Just as quickly, the Western wall followed
the same fate. Finally, the entrance gave way. The all out attack began.

�� As Lee had
made his way through, he�d began by taking out anyone off guard, and closest to
his location. Sakura had done the very same. Gai and Neji had started making a bee line path for a central
location � a small chamber which held the very thing they were after in this
mission. Tenten came up from the rear, picking off straggling
Nins with were precise weapons expertise.

�� Midana! Midana! Our forces are
under attack! They�ve come for it!�

�� Hmm�I was
wondering when those Konoha rats would show up.� The
man snickered and snapped his fingers.
�� Four
figures emerged from the shades of the dark room. Each one of them looked
dangerous and imposing. At least, to the lackey. He
scurried out of the room quickly.

�� Give our
guests some entertainment.�

�� They all
nodded and made their way outside.

�� This is
almost a bit too easy. Why did they need me anyway, just to break down a wall?�
Sakura muttered under her breath, watching the enemy that had been in front of
her falling down. Scanning the area, she could see no one was really having any
overt trouble. So why did-?

�� Ooh, what
a unique color. Maybe I should keep you as a pet instead of kill you.�

�� Dropping
low and dodging to the left, Sakura avoided the collision of something rather
hard and heavy; which instead hit solid ground. Looking at her new opponent she
grit her teeth. This guy was a bit bigger and much
more different than the other nins
she�d been fighting. He lifted his weapon back up over his shoulder and
smirked. Sakura herself just narrowed her eyes. It looked like an extremely
large boat oar; but had an edge that held a blade.

�� It�s about
time I finally had some fun!� A female voice alerted Tenten
she was not alone. She yanked a scroll from her pouch and brought out her chain
sickle. As she spun and threw it, it clashed with another and the two ends
tangled.

�� Weapon user, hu? We�ll see just
how skilled you are.� The other woman narrowed her eyes, and jumped airborne.

�� Lee dipped
low as a Kunai bearing nin
came upon him, and took him out just as quickly with an upper-cut punch. The
weak nin fell to the ground
with a thud. Though all the ninja that had been on him were now dispatched,
Lee�s instincts alerted him to the presence of one other bearing down upon him
at that moment. With swift grace, Lee dodged out of the way just a large arm
and fist pounded upon the ground.

�� Mehehehe�� The large brutish looking shinobi
cackled as he looked over to his new prey. Lee was not fazed, but he readied
himself for this new target. He looked much more skilled than the others he�d
faced.

�� Neji and Gai were clear cutting a
path through their own opponents, and at first had been making smooth and quick
progress. Their objective lay behind the gated doors to the small central room
they were rapidly approaching. However, this progress was halted by the sudden
appearance of two new ninja, whom the two jounin knew
were above the skill of any they had come across so far.

�� The two
mirror copies; twin in looks, yet by way of a mirrored image both began a head
on attack, at the last minute shifting and pulling out two large and deadly
looking sickle blades.

�� Try not
to��
�� die so quickly.�

As so it was that each member
became locked into their own personal battles.

�� Sakura
swerved out of the way time after time as this crazy ninja with a deadly
boating oar came at her. Swing after swing he missed. It wasn�t until Sakura
finally found an opening did she take the initiative. Dropping low and with swift
grace she unsheathed a kunai and threw it at the other�s arm, all in one flowing
movement. The kunai connected and sliced through the man�s hand; sending both
it and the boat oar flying.

�� Heaahaha� clever little trick.�

�� The man
seemed unfazed he�d just lost a hand and was rapidly losing blood. She narrowed
her eyes and watched him for some kind of sign of what he would do next. For
what seemed like the longest time, they just circled around, him cackling away
and she fixing him with a hard stare. She contemplated risking a quick glance
at her teammates.

�� She took
the chance as they made another circle.

�� Lee was
weaving back and forth between a large brute looking nin and his Doton jutsus. Tenten was tangling with
what appeared to be another weapons dealer. Neji and Gai were facing two identical looking foes.

�� One last
quick look told her that everyone by now had made at least one major hit to
their opponents, which cause them all to still. It was a strange and
disturbingly sick sound that caught Sakura�s attention, and she no more than
moved a fraction of a foot when a sick and ungodly like appendage reached out
and stuck her in the chest. Falling back, Sakura regained enough of herself to
tuck and roll as she skidded along the ground.

�� Pushing
herself right back up, she now had a lot more time to check the other enemy
ninjas. It seemed they too all had something unnatural about them, and her team
mates were also struggling a little. Lee was holding up well enough until he
was knocked down, and hard. Tenten was executing an
attack, but was lightly plucked from the air like a drifting leaf and thrown
down. Neji was starting his rotations; knocking away
the four sick monstrosities trying to get at him�.

�� Wait.�

�� A quick scan of the battle field
indicated they were short one team member. Though at the moment, Sakura had
little to no time as her own opponent was now bearing down upon her. Dodging
back, the kunoichi calculated quickly. Though these
guys were tougher than the other nins
they first fought, they sure as hell weren�t all that impressive, except for
this sick jutsu. As she landed, she swept low and
rolled along the ground of to the side, avoiding the �hand� like claw that
stabbed into the ground. Taking aim, she withdrew an exploding kunai. Pushing
up and off, away from her enemy, she threw the kunai straight and true. It
landed in the man�s side, and exploded.

�� Sakura
landed and kneeled, waiting for what would happen next. As the dust settled,
her target was lying motionless on the ground; part of his body looked ripped.
When nothing moved for at least a full five minutes, Sakura turned and made
haste towards Lee.

�� Lee for the
most part was a little banged up, but yet alarmed. He knew he�d hit this man
with so many bone shattering techniques, yet he was just not going down. As if
on cue, a kunai whizzed past the green one and into the large brute. Lee had
taken one quick glance at the kunai and pushed off, back and away, just as the
explosive tag went off. The blast threw him back further than he�d planned to
go. He tumbled as he landed, but as he came to a stop, quickly pulled himself up.

�� Lee-kun!�

�� Sakura-san,
are you alright?�

�� I was
going to ask you the same thing, but yeah, I�m alright.�

�� The kunoichi was about to go on further but was cut off by the
sound of three more large explosions. As Lee and Sakura stood back to back,
they finally noticed things were in the clear. Tenten
huffed lightly from her spot, but grinning like a cat who�d
just caught her mouse. Neji stood tall, though his
hair was out of place and his breathing a little faster passed. Even after a
tough battle he would try to retain so much poise.

�� The four
members collected themselves.

�� Our
targets have been neutralized, but we aren�t through just yet.� Neji spoke, as he led them towards the small building of
his previous destination.

�� Where�s Gai-Sensei?� Lee asked as he trotted alongside him.

�� We had an
opening, so he went ahead. I held back to take care of those two nin. With any luck, Gai-Sensei will not have had any problems retrieving the
stolen items.�

�� As if
confirming Neji�s words, the team leader emerged from
the building with the items in hand. As he approached the others, he handed off
the items to Neji.

�� Everyone
get back! After this, we�re out of here!�

�� The group
shifted and started a departure, with Neji in the
lead and Tenten close behind. Lee nodded and he too
turned to go, while Sakura followed behind him. Perhaps it was because the
others were to far ahead, or perhaps it was because she was currently the
furthest behind, but whatever the reason, something caused a shiver down her
spine. She stopped. The others didn�t seem to take notice, until Lee turned
back a moment.

�� Lee stopped
and retreated back to her, stopping as he reached her.

�� Did you
feel that?�

�� No. What was
it?�

�� Sakura
didn�t have time to reply as they both heard the incantation of a jutsu being stated. Both the younger shinobi�s
eyes widened as the little building seemed to collapse upon itself,
from what seemed like a small self contained earthquake. Those two younger
ninja were snapped out of their trances when a laugh emanated next to them.

�� You can
gawk latter, for now let�s just get out of here!�

�� Hai, Gai-Sensei!�
Lee nodded vigorously.

�� Sakura
nodded and began to follow the two men back to the rest of the team.

- - - - -

�� The bodies
from before, those of the strange group of enemy shinobi
that had supposedly been neutralize, still and seemingly lifeless suddenly
darkened in color. Their skin darkened to a deep blue black like hue. The backs
of each one began to rip open, as if something were trying to escape.

�� And indeed
something did.

�� Bursting
open out of each of the five ninja�s bodies, came large gruesome and sickly
looking clawed hands. Dripping in blood and some other kind of substance, these
hands swung around and arched, and soon found their targets. The
fleeing ninja. Striking out, the claws all converged and headed towards
the tail end of the group, aiming down onto one target.

�� And they
caught their prey.

�� It was like
someone had stabbed her from behind multiple times. First came the stabbing in
the back of the neck; next came one on each arm. Finally, her legs were seized.
The impact of each hit was so quick, the shock and sting of each collided into
one large wave of pain that ripped through her body like fire. She clenched her
fists, her legs tightened; feet digging into the ground. As she flared her
chakra to move herself, the claws tightened more and she let out a shout.

�� Lee turned
around upon the sound of the cry and swerved.

�� SAKURA!�

�� Lee was
already closing the distance between himself and the captured kunoichi until he was blind sighted. Something somewhere
had grabbed onto his leg and tripped him up. Looking up, he could see that smaller
arms were growing out from the one�s currently holding onto Sakura. A quick
look down and the one on him was still grasping tightly at his ankle � least
what it could hold onto with the large ankle weight there.

�� Lee didn�t
have time to get up before he was more or less tossed like a rag doll away from
the captured team member.

�� Tenten muttered under her breath and proceeded to send a
wave of sharp and lethal weapons at the claws. This proved ineffective as once
again, more arms came out � some grabbing up the weapons, and others taking
them like shields, cutting off limbs that didn�t matter. It was at this point
that Sakura was hoisted off the ground, and pulled into the air. It looked as
if the claws were going to try and rip her apart.

�� Sakura
herself was fighting against the strength of the claws. She flared her chakra
again, but it burned to do so. Her vision was also getting fuzzy, and she was
losing her strength.

�� Shit� this is�an effect of poison.�

�� She watched
her teammates down below scrambling with the smaller arms that were being used
to keep their attentions away; but not working really well. She knew they were
all trying to figure something out. Yet she had her own idea too; though it
would be greatly risky. She let herself grin.

�� Poison�exploding
kunai�this brings�back memories.�

�� So she once
again opted with her old trick. With just enough strength, she reached her
pouch; fighting all the way to do so, and snagged two of her exploding kunai.
Triggering the fuses, Sakura braced herself and let one kunai go before the
other; yet still at the last possible minutes.

�� The double
explosion went off, and worked the first half of her plan. The rest would be up
to them, as her vision went black.

- - - - - -

�� The rest of
the team, dealing with both Sakura being caught, and the lesser claws trying to
distract them, all turned at the sound of the explosions, though only one of
them had seen what had caused it.

�� The first
explosion triggered the claws release of the kunoichi
and stunned them, while the second had blow three of the five claw hands apart,
causing them to whither and spirt like a snake with
its head chopped off. The second explosion had also thrown Sakura�s unconscious
form a bit away from the claws, but still within the vicinity of the two
remaining ones.

�� The pink
haired kunoichi landed back first onto a patch of
upturned earth and rubble, with a none too pleasing
sound. Neji and Tenten
looked on in horror as Lee was stumbling to get back up. It was clear Sakura
was not going to get up any time soon.

�� The two
claws that remained came out of their stricken states and seemed to look upon
the field for their prey. They found her all too quickly, and like vultures
dove in for a killing crush. Prone was their victim, and in the state she was
now in, no resistance meant an easy death. One aimed for her throat and the
other her chest.

�� Both claws
connected.

�� One claw
gripped tightly into the victim�s neck.

�� The other
claw pierced flesh easily, regardless what fabric lay in the way.

�� The poison
seeped again, spreading quickly. It burned its way throughout the body and
caused such intense pain. Disregarding this pain, pushing past it and fighting
against the power in these claws, did a harsh command issue.

�� TENTEN! NOW!�

�� Tenten didn�t have to be told what she needed to do; she
knew exactly what she was expected to do, and so it was with a great effort
that she fought back any hesitation, and whipped out her scroll; producing as
many small explosive kunai as she could, and aimed them all along the two
claws.

�� Two claws that were currently trying to rip their way into her
Sensei and teammate.

�� This time,
even through smaller arms came out and caught the offending weapons; they all
still did the trick, and tore up the claw arms in no time. The blasts did send
both Gai and Sakura flying. Not knowing exactly where
they�d land, Gai; who had been holding onto the kunoichi and using his own body as a shield, pulled her
closer and tucked his head as they hit the ground; tumbling much in the same
fashion Lee had done previously.

�� As they
came to a stop, the others quickly aided him up.

�� Gai-Sensei, are you alright?�

�� Is Sakura...?�

�� She�s
unconscious, slightly unstable and her breathing is too shallow. We don�t have
time to stand around. Let�s go!�

�� The team
didn�t need to be told twice, and within a matter of minutes, they were out of
the wreckage of the run down hideout and taking to the trees. They flew through
the trees for a good while, and didn�t stop for a single minute. The severity
of the events were the reasons behind their increased speed; though one could
only go so fast when carrying another person�s full weight.

�� It had only
been ten minutes, but already something was going wrong.

�� Every step
off from the branch to the next took more effort. Every breath taken was
getting deeper. Colors were fading and vision was distorting.

�� Shit��

�� Those
claws��

�� Neji and Tenten looked towards
their Sensei as they moved along side him.

�� They had
some�kind of poison.�

�� Tenten gaped a little while Neji�s
eyes widened in realization.

�� The
severity had just tripled, and was made that much more pronounced when the Byakugan user noticed the shape his Sensei was in, let
alone the unconscious kunoichi. This news was both a
help and hindrance. A help to boost their speed and need to reach Konoha, but a hindrance at what the cost would be if they
didn�t make it in time.

�� Ten minutes
more passed and they were closing in on their home. They were making record
time, but even then, this knowledge still didn�t prevent the sudden surge of
pain, and loss of breath. It caused Gai to miss his
footing and slip; and he began to fall. His fall was short lived however as Neji and Tenten were quick to
reach him and each hooked an arm around his own. They both noticed his
breathing was way too heavy.

�� Lee, go�..ahead
to the�hospital. Get Tsunade. Just go�fast as you
can.�

�� Lee nodded
as he called out to his mentor, and indeed took off faster than anyone had seen
him go. Neji and Tenten
also tried to increase their already heavy pace, and even if it proved
difficult, they made the effort. Neji took another
look at the other man and his expression was grim. His skin had lost most of its
color, his breathing sounded horrible, and he was hardly using his feet to kick
off anymore. The only thing Neji could tell that Gai was still fighting to maintain was his hold on the
unconscious kunoichi.
- - - - -

�� HOKAGE-SAMA!� Came the exasperated
shout from the young man in green.

�� All the
nurses looked in shock towards the youth who looked like the world was coming
to an end. Tsunade, who had been preparing to leave,
came over to the boy, who was frantic beyond belief, and it made the older
woman�s stomach lurch. Lee would only be like this if something horrible had
happened.

�� Lee, what�s
wrong?� Tsunade tried to calm to boy down. She took a
quick note of the trickle of blood from his nose.

�� Gai-Sensei and Sakura. You need
to help them! Some kind of poison! Sakura is unconscious! Gai-Sen-�

�� Tsunade stilled the boy in his spot, holding onto his arms.

�� Lee! Calm
down! I need you to tell me exactly what happened, and what poisoned them.�

�� Lee
regained his composure as much as he could manage, and began to recount the
entire mission. As it got down to the nitty gritty, Tsunade had paled a few times. The recount of their
mission, and what they had faced was a gruesome reiteration, but Tsunade�s medical mind was already burning away at what
would be needed for this emergency treatment. As Lee finished with his story, Tsunade was already barking orders to the nurses for
supplies and stretchers.

�� By the time
Tsunade had about half her supply ready, Neji and TenTen came bursting in
through the doors. Lee had to scramble over to help his teammates carry in their
Sensei, who at this point was passed out. They brought both him and Sakura over
to the waiting stretchers. As quickly as the patience had been brought in, they
were being hauled off to the emergency room.

�� The only
thing now the others could do was wait. Neji and Tenten took two seats
outside the room. Lee however, chose to remain standing. He didn�t speak, and
he barely moved. Tenten watched him quietly. She took
note of the trickle of drying blood from his nose; no doubt from him breaking a
new speed during his way here. She bit her lip lightly, and closed her eyes.
She was worried, of course. She knew Neji was too.
Though deep down, both her and Neji�s concerns were
probably nothing near their fellow team mates silent staring.

�� Then again,
how could she even make that comparison? True, a very good friend of hers, as
well as her Sensei were literally hanging onto life by a thread. Indeed, anyone
would be in anguish. Anyone would have frazzled nerves and be on the verge of
breaking down.

�� Yet he
stood there, so still and quiet, staring at the door beyond which lay his two
most precious people in his entire world.

�� Together
they would wait. Together they would pray. It would be well into the next
morning before anyone would be told what their comrade�s conditions were.

x-Ch4-x

Sorry about the long delay there. I had a lot to put in this
chapter; most of which changed at the ending. I�ll probably be adding that into
the next chapter. Anywho, I�m glad a lot of you have
been enjoying this, and what�s more, enjoying this pairing. XD To address some
concerns, Sakura will mellow shortly, and there will be more funny, more
shenanigans and of course, there will be some much needed fluff. And of course,
more action, and fu fu fu� action.
- 3
- 4
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Wrong Shade of Green