Within the Land of Fire
The combined group of nine Konoha and Sand shinobi traveled through the forest at a leisurely pace. Or rather, unhurriedly.
The Konoha contingent, naturally, preferred to move as slowly as possible, practically wishing they could stretch the journey over two days. The Sand ninja, on the other hand, were burning with impatience.
Watching Sakura amble along slowly at the front, Baki couldn't hold back any longer.
"Ah, Captain Haruno Sakura," Baki stepped forward. "Shouldn't we perhaps pick up the pace? To reach your village sooner?"
"Ah, apologies, apologies, Captain Baki," Sakura offered an apologetic smile. "We're well within the Land of Fire now, so there's no need to worry anymore."
"..." Baki was speechless. "Still, it would be best to arrive at your village promptly."
"Ah, haha, no worries!" Sakura said, scratching her head. "You've all traveled a long way; you need plenty of rest. At this speed, we'll be there in two days."
"We're not tired," Baki countered, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "It's better to conclude our official business as soon as possible."
"Augh…" Sakura covered her face. "Honestly, I don't want to go this slow either."
"Then why?"
"Because… well, we accepted another mission on our way here," Sakura began, coughing twice as she spun a rather awkward, impromptu lie. "It was to capture some bamboo rats, you see, and since the route was mostly the same, we took it on. Now that we've successfully met up with you, I trust you wouldn't mind letting us finish this little side task, would you? Ahem."
"..." Baki truly had no words left. His first thought was to file a complaint against Haruno Sakura the moment they reached Konoha. Her audacity was truly something else.
He had already guessed the purpose behind Konoha dispatching this escort team, but he couldn't exactly stop them. Still, if they were going to send someone to gather intelligence, couldn't they have chosen someone slightly more professional? This pathetic excuse left Baki utterly exasperated.
Then again, he mused, perhaps this makes it easier. Someone like this would be simpler to handle. If she wanted to drag things out, let her. She was just a newly promoted Chunin, after all. Inexperienced.
Sakura, of course, knew perfectly well she wasn't cut out for espionage. She had never intended to extract the information herself; the key was Karin.
"Huh? Sakura-chan, do we have— Mmph!"
The moment Naruto opened his mouth, Sakura knew trouble was brewing. She quickly fished out a soldier pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Gulp… Hah…" Naruto swallowed with difficulty. "Sakura-chan, what was that for? What did you just feed me?"
"It's a soldier pill. You looked tired, so I gave you something to boost your energy," Sakura said, shooting Naruto a pointed look filled with frantic signals.
"Hmph. Idiot," Sasuke drawled, drifting closer to Naruto.
"Damn it! Shut up, Sasuke! What's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto immediately redirected his attention, launching into a familiar squabble with his teammate.
Ignoring their bickering, Sakura subtly glanced at Karin. Her only goal had been to draw the Sand ninjas' attention, make them overlook Karin, and give the redhead a chance to observe.
Baki understood the Konoha team's objective, and Sakura could guess that Baki knew hers. The problem was confirming who held the information. Sakura suspected it was the kunoichi who had visited Konoha previously, but she needed more proof.
Sakura slowed her pace, gradually falling into step beside the kunoichi.
"Hi there! I'm Haruno Sakura, but you can just call me Sakura. What's your name?" Sakura put on her most harmless smile, hoping to gain the older girl's goodwill.
"..." Juan looked at the pink-haired girl, hesitating slightly about whether she should respond. Elder Chiyo had given her a scroll before leaving, instructing her to present it to the Fifth Hokage only if negotiations reached a stalemate. Juan wasn't stupid; it was obvious this Konoha escort team was after the very scroll nestled in her pouch. Still, just talking should be harmless, right?
"Mm, hello, Haruno Sakura. I'm Juan," she replied.
"Juan-san, that's a lovely name," Sakura complimented, though her expression felt a bit stiff.
"Is it? Thank you," Juan responded calmly, her face impassive.
"..." "..."
An awkward silence descended. Sakura wasn't exactly skilled at small talk and found herself unsure of what to say next. Juan, for her part, was quite content with the lack of conversation.
"Juan, come with me for a moment," Baki said, appearing beside her. He then turned to Sakura with a polite but firm expression. "Excuse us, Captain Haruno. We have some Sand Village matters to discuss with Juan."
"Oh, no problem, no problem at all," Sakura replied quickly, feeling slightly intimidated by Baki's unapproachable demeanor.
After Juan followed Baki away, Sakura eagerly grabbed Karin's arm. "Did you sense anything?" she asked, her eyes full of hope.
"..." Karin just gave Sakura a look that clearly screamed, Are you an idiot?
"What is it? Just tell me what you felt!" Sakura urged.
Karin still didn't answer immediately, instead looking Sakura up and down critically. Just as Sakura was about to lose her temper, Karin finally spoke. "You're still the same old Sakura… How did you suddenly get so dense?"
"Karin!" Sakura clenched her fists, glaring.
"Ha… haha… just kidding!" Karin quickly backtracked, seeing Sakura was genuinely getting angry. "Look, it was just two sentences. How am I supposed to judge anything from that? She was telling the truth, mostly. You, on the other hand, were lying through your teeth." Karin shrugged helplessly.
Seeing Sakura's frustrated expression, Karin felt a little bad. She mentally replayed the brief interaction, trying to glean more. After a moment, she spoke again, sounding a bit uncertain. "Well… Sakura, right after you spoke to her, Juan showed a brief flicker of wariness. I'm not entirely sure, but…"
"Hm? When exactly?" Sakura pressed.
"Right after you said your first sentence to her. Just for an instant, her emotions showed guardedness," Karin confirmed after thinking it over.
"I see..." Sakura murmured, falling into thought.
That settled it. Juan was undoubtedly the target of her mission. An ordinary ninja wouldn't react with wariness to a simple greeting. Baki pulling her away afterward only solidified the conclusion.
Now, all she needed to do was wait for nightfall to search for the evidence. Sakura wasn't sure what form the proof would take, but it was likely a scroll – the most common tool ninjas used for recording information. Perhaps even a storage scroll.
It was still too early. She'd make her move after they set up camp for the night.
And so, Sakura continued to drag the Sand delegation along at a snail's pace. For the rest of the day, Juan remained firmly embedded within the Sand ninja formation, giving Sakura no further opportunities to approach her. Sakura almost wanted to laugh at how blatantly Baki was protecting Juan – it practically screamed that she was hiding something important.
Baki, naturally, made this move because he knew Konoha was aware Juan carried the crucial item for the negotiations. He was openly shielding her now, both sides maintaining the thin veil of civility without explicitly acknowledging the game being played.
Night fell...
The Konoha and Sand camps were set up distinctly, separated by the flickering light of a shared bonfire.
After dinner, Baki proposed that the Sand team take the first watch of the night, with Konoha taking the second half. Sakura readily agreed.
When the time came for the shift change, Sakura relieved a distinctly grumpy-looking Baki and found herself a relatively high vantage point to sit and wait. Baki had just come off duty; it wasn't the right time to make a move yet. She needed to wait a bit longer.
After letting some more time pass, Sakura judged it was probably safe enough. She prepared to act.
Creating a Shadow Clone, she left it perched on watch.
"Earth Release: Underground Voyage Technique!"
Sakura slowly sank into the earth, navigating beneath the surface towards Juan's tent.
However, just as she neared the edge of the Sand encampment underground, her progress halted abruptly. A quick probe with her senses revealed the issue: the ground all around was permeated with sand infused with chakra.
"Sand! ...Dammit!"
Sakura's heart sank. "I completely forgot about Gaara! That guy doesn't sleep!"
She'd definitely been discovered. Which meant Baki's offer to take the first watch must have been deliberate – a ploy to make them lower their guard regarding Gaara's constant, sleepless vigilance.
With no other choice, Sakura surfaced. Sure enough, Gaara was already standing there, waiting for her.
"Uh, hey, Gaara!" Sakura stammered, feeling incredibly awkward. "Just… uh… checking underground for any enemy intruders, you know?"
"..." Gaara simply stared at her, silent, as the sand around him began to shift and swirl, floating ominously towards Sakura.
"Whoa, hey, seriously?" Sakura felt a mix of exasperation and alarm. "Little Panda, do you really have to go this far?" She knew she was technically in the wrong, sneaking around their camp, but wasn't he worried about the diplomatic implications? Attacking her now, during negotiations with Konoha?
Her hands flew into the 'Dog' seal.
Water Release activated.