J A D E

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Oh, sorry." I mumble as soon as I crash into someone's broad chest. I look up, smiling awkwardly at the redhead general of the allied armies.

"It's okay." Gaara smiles down at me. I can imagine what I might look like. My hair is a long mess, still caked with blood of one of my patients. My shirt and vest is tattered up with burnt marks still visible on my skin. I am covered in bruises and scratches from the last fight. "Are you okay, Sakura-san?" His voice is like velvet, calm and collected. Even in the middle of the chaos, he looks peaceful.

I wake up with a loud shriek as I feel cold water being poured down on me. I tremble from coldness as I glare at laughing Ibiki. He puts the basket down and smirks at me, satisfied with what he has done.

"Come on brat!" Ibiki shouts happily and turns around, heading towards the door. "You have twenty minutes to get ready!"

"I have day off, Ibiki." I shout back to him, looking down at my wet bed.

"Not anymore." He clicks his tongue and sighs, rubbing his face. "You are needed in T&I HQ." I sigh, nodding my head. "Be down in twenty, we have to hurry before the man dies." I nod once again, throwing my wet blanket over my body.

***

"You don't seem happy, brat." Anko looks down at me and raises her eyebrows. "What's up?" She is calmer than usual, which strikes my surprise and interest. Even during the most intense interrogation, Anko never loses herself. Yet, now she seems nearly worn out and fading.

"Just a bit tired, I guess." I shrug my shoulders and continue walking down the hallway. I greet ninjas along the way, most of them are already used to the fact that I am working here, but there are still some people, who deem this work inappropriate for me. The same people, who looked down on me in my previous lifetime.

"Sakura-chan!" Inoichi waves his hand to me and I greet him back, smiling kindly at the father figure in front of me. "Are you ready to the case?" He asks me with more serious tone and I nod.

"What's the info?" I ask with a shrug and sit down on one of the leather armchair Ibiki has in his office. Ibiki sits by his desk, looking through some papers with furrowed eyebrows, while Inoichi takes out his own set of papers.

"His name is Fuko." Inoichi starts in cold, low voice. "He is from Sound." I nod again, waiting something like this for a long time already. "He did not say much. And we think that he already said what he knew, but we want to check it." I nod and sigh, hopping out of the armchair. "He is in the Cell 233."

"Should I go down?" I ask tilting my head towards the door. Inoichi looks at Ibiki, who in response shakes his head.

"Not yet." He adds and looks through some papers once again before lifting his head. "I want to watch it." Ibiki states, making me feel a bit more confused. "I have noticed that no one has been monitoring your interrogations for past two years." He adds with raised eyebrows. "And I wonder how it happened."

"Well, they told me I could handle it on my own." I shrug my shoulders and look at both men with irritated look. "Come on, Ibiki. I am sleepy and it was supposed to be my day off." I smirk at them as Inoichi glares at Ibiki. The Yamanaka Head has clearly stated that I was not to be bothered during my day offs.

"Come on, brat." Ibiki sighs and ushers me out of his office. "Let's break him once again." He adds with ominous chuckle as we head down in the dungeons. "How has been your trainings going with Kakashi?" Ibiki asks me out of blue, gaining my curiosity.

"Normal I suppose." I shrug my shoulders and tap my chin. "Though, we are doing missions most of the time. D-ranks. Hokage banned us any missions higher than that." I add with a loud sigh. "You know, after our last mission. I think he is still pretty mad about Zabuza incident." Ibiki laughs loudly and pats my head.