Shades of Grey

Chapter 38

The next morning prior to leaving the inn Sakura decided to place the henges on herself and Kisame. It would be unwise to let anyone on the ship see their faces for fear that they were associated with their mark. The risk was slim but should not be ignored. So, they would maintain their disguises the whole time they traveled to the port city. She stood in front of the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair watching as it changed from her vibrant pink to a light violet. Next, she closed her eyes and slowly opened them happy that they were now an exact replica of Naruto's blue. It was her favorite color when creating a henge.

"Is this good enough or do I need a more drastic change?" She asked as she turned to face her companions.

"That's perfect kid." Kisame assured her. "He likes exotic so if you can't go like you are this is the next best thing."

"What do you think Itachi?" She turned to their dark-haired companion.

"I would have never thought that I would say this, but I prefer the pink." The Uchiha said.

"Well this is just temporary." She offered him a small smile as she turned to face Kisame. "Your turn. What color of hair would you like?"

"I am a little more worried about the blue skin." The large man chuckled.

Sakura concentrated on him for a few minutes scrunching her brow as she worked. Finally, she gave him a skin tone that was a touch darker than hers or Itachi's. Once she was satisfied, she gave him hair as light as Ino's, eyes a rich honey like Tsunade's, and finally she hid his sharpened teeth.

"All done." She declared. "If there is anything that you want me to change just let me know."

"Looks great kid." Kisame declared as he looked at himself in the mirror. "I might just have to get you to do this little trick when we hit up another bar."

"I suppose I could." She giggled at the smile on his face.

"We should be going." Itachi told the pair. "We still need to pick up your kimono before we head to the port."

"Great." The kunoichi grumbled. "I am not wearing it until we reach the port. Those damn things are not great for traveling you know."

"Fine." The Uchiha nodded as he headed towards the door. "We shall pick up a few things for you then that are more fitting to travel."

By the time they reached the port they had purchased her five kimonos three of which would be practical for traveling. She now had a violet which matched her hair temporary hair color, a jade which would match her normal eyes, a cream with pink stitching which was likely practical for nothing, and a more formal silver for meeting their mark. Itachi's personal favorite was the one she currently wore, a deep navy with tiny sakura blossoms which came down just past her thighs. The kunoichi looked good in the colors of his clan. The Uchiha had tucked her purchases into his pack insisting she should not be burdened with the extra weight. It was decided that Itachi and Sakura would get a room in an inn so that they had a place to rest until they were able to board their ship.

"I saw a ramen stand just down from the inn." Itachi told her once they had set their packs down within. "Would that be an acceptable dinner?"

"Sure." The kunoichi gave a small nostalgic grin. "It definitely will not be the first time that I have had ramen for dinner."

"I shall be back in a few minutes." Itachi told her as he made his way to the door.

"Take your time." Sakura said. "I have a few things to prepare anyways."

She waited until Itachi had left the room to start digging through her bag. At last she located six beautiful hairpins that Kakashi had given her before her first mission of this nature. The most beautiful part, Sakura mused, as she pulled a vial of poison out of her medical kit was that they could be just as deadly as they were beautiful. About thirty minutes had passed when she heard the door open.