The Flowers Cherish You

Chapter 3; D-Rank Missions

(A/N: Play the media for more effect.)

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Learning to find our place,

Learning to meet each other's face,

Learning to work together,

It will make everything better.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Sakura has a hard time focusing on anything with Naruto and Sasuke engaged in one of their larger-than-life arguments over something incredibly petty - by her standards - while she is attempting to chop vegetables for an early, light lunch. Kakashi was a no-show at 8 AM. At 9, Sakura grew annoyed and challenged Sasuke to a spar with Naruto as the moderator - it ended in a draw. At 10, Sakura stated she would be returning home for lunch because they're wasting time just waiting there.

Of course, she invited her teammates. Sasuke is a decent cook, but Naruto - not so much. He's usually stuck with setting the table and washing dishes; not that he's made outward complaints...until today, that is.

" - maybe if you weren't so bad at this, you'd be able to help," Sasuke snaps.

"Shut up! I can cut some damn tomatoes!"

Patience, patience, patience...

"You butchered them the last time you tried to help, idiot!"

Patience, patience, pat -

Sakura's eyes flicker to the tree directly in front of her, a couple of feet away from the sink. The sacred tree, beautifully blossomed, looks back at her. It's who's hiding in the tree that has Sakura smirking to herself. She's always aware of whoever is in that tree. The connection between her and the tree runs deep despite the lack of happiness that Sakura feels when she enters the garden.

"Naruto, come take over for me. I need to step outside for a moment."

Simultaneously, Sasuke and Naruto turn to look at her. Sasuke's expression has her biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from cracking up. Naruto looks like Christmas came early.

"Okay!" Naruto shoots forward. Sakura hands him the knife carefully. "Please don't get into a fight while I'm outside."

Sasuke snorts while Naruto beams. "What do you take us for, Sakura-chan?! We can get this done!"

Shaking her head, Sakura unties the apron around her waist and tosses it over the back of one of the dining table chairs as she passes it to go outside. The moment she sets a bare foot on the lush green grass leading to the center of the garden, Sakura feels a little more at peace. The ground ripples in acknowledgment as she walks along the path to the sacred tree.

The moment she's before it, Sakura crosses her arms and looks up. "I'm not apologizing for not being at the meeting place when you finally decided to show up, sensei. You told us to meet at 8 and we waited until 10."

A moment of silence and then - "It was an order."

"I don't believe I should follow orders of the sensei who doesn't seem to care about the growth of me and my teammates."

In a flicker of black, Kakashi stands before her with his arms crossed over his chest as well. "What makes you think I don't care?"

"Yesterday, you didn't show up until three hours after the scheduled time. Today, I grew tired of waiting. You gave us a time to meet and didn't even show up yourself." Sakura turns around so that her back faces him. "If you don't want to take this seriously or have decided to not be our mentor, then please see the Hokage so he can find a suitable replacement. It's not fair that Sasuke, Naruto, and I are treated in such a manner."