SICK || A Naruto FanFiction

21. Paralyzed

The Forest of Death loomed over everyone in a way that was equally terrifying and exhilarating.

Ken could feel her nerves buzz with both excitement and terror. It was amazing. She felt alive. It was kind of twisted, in a way.

She shared a determined glance with her two teammates. Sasuke was smirking softly, in a way that radiated confidence and pure assurance that they would do fine, a way that put her nerves to rest. Naruto was grinning brightly, a ray of sunshine that lit up Ken's hopes. They were so confident.

Quickly, Ken threw her arms around their necks and pulled them in for a hug. Sasuke was the tallest, and Naruto was only a centimeter taller than her, but they all angled oddly to recieve the hug. Both of their faces burned as Ken spluttered thanks.

"R-Right." Naruto beamed, scratching the back of his head. "It's okay, Ken! We're a great team, and you're super capable. It'll be okay."

She couldn't help but return the grin at his kind words. Ken's mind drew back to a few hours previous, when Sakura had given her a few words and a gift before she left.

Ken locked the door behind her, turning around to see a familiar pinkette standing nervously by the edge.

"Sakura-san?"

The girl jumped, her shoulders bunching together as she whirled around. Her face was nearly as pink as her hair, and her lips stretched into an embarrassed smile. "A-Ah! K-Ken-san. Please, j-just call me Sakura."

Ken smiled kindly. "Then I'm just Ken, Sakura."

The girl nodded, averting her eyes to anywhere that's wasn't Ken. Her eyes darted to the floor, then to the pots of plants right by the door. "I-Uh, I-I wanted to wish y-you good luck." Sakura flushed darkly under Ken's curious gaze. "I-I hope you d-do well."

"Thanks, Sakura!"

Suddenly, someone was thrust in fromt of her. Curiously, Ken accepted the item and inspected it keenly. Sakura still refused to meet her gaze, blushing intensely.

"I-It's a good lu-luck charm." Sakura informed quietly, her voice cracking a bit. "Sorry."

Ken brightened, pocketing the pretty thing. She cocked her head to the side. "Why apologize for gifting me and my team such a nice gift? Thank you, Sakura."

The girl's face continued to burn, and she hurriedly nodded before she rushed out of there. Ken stared after her, confused, but happy.

"Are you all done finishing up your forms?" Anko crowed from the front of the crowd. Ken sent her teammates one last glance before signing the bottom.

Naruto was busy joking about how all three of them had to put N/A for parent information, and surprisingly, Sasuke was rolling his eyes but he wasn't getting riled up or upset. Ken mused over that for a bit before turning back to her aunt.

"Why do you think the form asks for body measurements?" Anko hissed at a cocky kid. "They're gonna send you home in a matchbox!" She cackled.

Ken sighed.

Her aunt continued to threaten kids and intimidate them as she turned to her team. "Do we have a plan?"

Naruto and Sasuke stared at her expectantly, making her blanch. "What do you think we should do?" Sasuke ventured. Naruto nodded, and Ken dug out her weapons pouch.

"Toss me your pouches." They did as asked, and Ken quietly peered through them. Decently stocked, Sasuke's more than Naruto's, but it was enough. There were chakra wires and explosion tags. "I think we should just run ahead to the tower and wait for someone to arrive. It guarantees that they'll have both scrolls, and they'll probably be tired and out of chakra by the time they get there so it'll be easy to trap them or overpower them."