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edenfallingThis is part 9 of An Ounce of Prevention, a Naruto/Harry Potter crossover that I started as a giftfic for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
askerian.
Technically, it's an insertion of one HP character/plot device into the Naruto world, but that does count as a crossover of sorts. "An Ounce of Prevention" will not affect canon in either series; that is, it takes place during the Naruto timeskip, and significantly before CoS in HP.
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Chapter 9: Idle Hands
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Sakura and Ino had long since set aside their enmity, but there was no point losing a good rivalry just because they were friends again.
Sakura did her best to sneak stealthily through the trees surrounding Team 10's favorite practice area. Shikamaru spotted her within ten seconds, of course -- he was a lot more observant and paranoid than he liked to let on -- but he didn't give her away. Either he figured it was too much bother, or he liked watching Ino get ambushed.
Sakura crept up a tree, inched out along an overhanging branch, and hurled herself forward in a flying kick. "Ino-pig!"
"Forehead-girl!"
Damn, she'd dodged. Ino was definitely getting faster. Sakura wondered if Tsunade knew a way to concentrate chakra non-explosively and use it to enhance a quick-step jutsu. It should be possible, albeit fiendishly tricky, and she thought she'd heard rumors of a flash-step jutsu used by some jounin in the wars the Fourth Hokage had ended.
Sakura and Ino circled each other warily for several seconds, and then Ino threw up her hands. "Screw this. I trained all morning and I'm too tired to spar. Let's call it a draw and you come have lunch with us."
Sakura looked to Shikamaru and Choji for confirmation; Shikamaru shrugged, and Choji smiled bashfully. "My mother's cooking barbecue today," he said, opening a bag of potato chips. "Another guest is no trouble."
"Thanks!" Sakura said. "Now?"
"Yeah," said Ino, and they each grabbed one of Shikamaru's hands and hauled him to his feet.
After lunch, they wandered over to the Yamanaka flower shop. Ino badgered Choji into helping her carry some potted shrubbery from the greenhouse to a delivery cart, while Shikamaru and Sakura poured fresh water into the vases of cut flowers. Sakura wasn't quite sure how she'd ended up with a watering pot in her hands, but things like that happened around Ino if she didn't pay close attention. Ino was good at bowling people over.
"How's your mission going?" Shikamaru asked.
Sakura spun around, spilling a trail of water over the floor before she straightened the pot. "What mission?" she asked, and then silently cursed herself for reacting. Anko was right; she'd been letting her guard down in Konoha. Sooner or later that was going to get her into trouble.
Shikamaru sighed. "It's obvious you have a mission. You're twitchy and tired, you haven't tried ambushing Ino for nearly two weeks now, I haven't seen you anywhere else around town, and your parents wouldn't tell us where you were when Ino dragged us over to your house. I figure it must be intelligence work, either internal spying or collating paperwork for an ongoing or failed mission. So do you need help, and how soon will you be finished? Ino doesn't like losing your attention and it's tiresome dealing with her in a snit."
Sakura grimaced and set the watering pot down on a handy counter. Shikamaru had her neatly targeted; there was no point trying for a cover story that he wouldn't believe. She'd just omit all the details. "Yes, I have a mission, it's classified so I can't ask you for help, and I don't know when I'll be finished. Have you mentioned any of this to Ino or Choji?"
"Do I look suicidal?" Shikamaru said as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "You said you can't ask me for help, so... who are you asking, or is that classified too?"
"You're too smart for your own good," Sakura grumbled.
"Classified," Shikamaru concluded, and shrugged. "Intelligence missions suck, but at least you get to stay in Konoha for yours, instead of running all over the continent trying to find things that may not even exist."
"That would be easier," Sakura said as she picked up the watering pot and turned back to Ino's flower arrangements.
Shikamaru made a noncommittal noise and slid over to sit on the counter. "Interesting. You have bags under your eyes and your hands aren't steady enough with the watering pot -- and the only thing I've seen you lose sleep over is Uchiha Sasuke. Are you dealing with another traitor?"
Sakura slammed the watering pot down again. "I do not have bags under my eyes! I'm not losing sleep. And I'm not talking about this with you anymore, because it's classified and it's none of your business anyway."
Tomu was her responsibility. She would figure him out. She wasn't weak, she wasn't stupid, and she was not going to fail this mission. She was going to prove herself to everyone. Maybe she couldn't talk to Tomu right now, but there was no way on earth she was going to waste time listening to anyone insult her loyalty to Sasuke.
"Tell Ino I had to go home," Sakura said, and went to find something to break.
---------------------------------------------
End of Chapter
Back to If at First You Don't Succeed
Continue to Can't See the Forest
Read the final version on ff.net
---------------------------------------------
I am currently trying to clear my writing schedule for NaNo. This year I have an original fiction idea, and I would like to try taking the challenge seriously. Therefore, in an attempt to reduce my potential distractions, I want to get at least one chapter done for all my fanfic WIPs during October, and possibly make a good stab at finishing one of them altogether.
This is step one. :-)
askerian.Technically, it's an insertion of one HP character/plot device into the Naruto world, but that does count as a crossover of sorts. "An Ounce of Prevention" will not affect canon in either series; that is, it takes place during the Naruto timeskip, and significantly before CoS in HP.
---------------------------------------------
Chapter 9: Idle Hands
---------------------------------------------
Sakura and Ino had long since set aside their enmity, but there was no point losing a good rivalry just because they were friends again.
Sakura did her best to sneak stealthily through the trees surrounding Team 10's favorite practice area. Shikamaru spotted her within ten seconds, of course -- he was a lot more observant and paranoid than he liked to let on -- but he didn't give her away. Either he figured it was too much bother, or he liked watching Ino get ambushed.
Sakura crept up a tree, inched out along an overhanging branch, and hurled herself forward in a flying kick. "Ino-pig!"
"Forehead-girl!"
Damn, she'd dodged. Ino was definitely getting faster. Sakura wondered if Tsunade knew a way to concentrate chakra non-explosively and use it to enhance a quick-step jutsu. It should be possible, albeit fiendishly tricky, and she thought she'd heard rumors of a flash-step jutsu used by some jounin in the wars the Fourth Hokage had ended.
Sakura and Ino circled each other warily for several seconds, and then Ino threw up her hands. "Screw this. I trained all morning and I'm too tired to spar. Let's call it a draw and you come have lunch with us."
Sakura looked to Shikamaru and Choji for confirmation; Shikamaru shrugged, and Choji smiled bashfully. "My mother's cooking barbecue today," he said, opening a bag of potato chips. "Another guest is no trouble."
"Thanks!" Sakura said. "Now?"
"Yeah," said Ino, and they each grabbed one of Shikamaru's hands and hauled him to his feet.
After lunch, they wandered over to the Yamanaka flower shop. Ino badgered Choji into helping her carry some potted shrubbery from the greenhouse to a delivery cart, while Shikamaru and Sakura poured fresh water into the vases of cut flowers. Sakura wasn't quite sure how she'd ended up with a watering pot in her hands, but things like that happened around Ino if she didn't pay close attention. Ino was good at bowling people over.
"How's your mission going?" Shikamaru asked.
Sakura spun around, spilling a trail of water over the floor before she straightened the pot. "What mission?" she asked, and then silently cursed herself for reacting. Anko was right; she'd been letting her guard down in Konoha. Sooner or later that was going to get her into trouble.
Shikamaru sighed. "It's obvious you have a mission. You're twitchy and tired, you haven't tried ambushing Ino for nearly two weeks now, I haven't seen you anywhere else around town, and your parents wouldn't tell us where you were when Ino dragged us over to your house. I figure it must be intelligence work, either internal spying or collating paperwork for an ongoing or failed mission. So do you need help, and how soon will you be finished? Ino doesn't like losing your attention and it's tiresome dealing with her in a snit."
Sakura grimaced and set the watering pot down on a handy counter. Shikamaru had her neatly targeted; there was no point trying for a cover story that he wouldn't believe. She'd just omit all the details. "Yes, I have a mission, it's classified so I can't ask you for help, and I don't know when I'll be finished. Have you mentioned any of this to Ino or Choji?"
"Do I look suicidal?" Shikamaru said as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "You said you can't ask me for help, so... who are you asking, or is that classified too?"
"You're too smart for your own good," Sakura grumbled.
"Classified," Shikamaru concluded, and shrugged. "Intelligence missions suck, but at least you get to stay in Konoha for yours, instead of running all over the continent trying to find things that may not even exist."
"That would be easier," Sakura said as she picked up the watering pot and turned back to Ino's flower arrangements.
Shikamaru made a noncommittal noise and slid over to sit on the counter. "Interesting. You have bags under your eyes and your hands aren't steady enough with the watering pot -- and the only thing I've seen you lose sleep over is Uchiha Sasuke. Are you dealing with another traitor?"
Sakura slammed the watering pot down again. "I do not have bags under my eyes! I'm not losing sleep. And I'm not talking about this with you anymore, because it's classified and it's none of your business anyway."
Tomu was her responsibility. She would figure him out. She wasn't weak, she wasn't stupid, and she was not going to fail this mission. She was going to prove herself to everyone. Maybe she couldn't talk to Tomu right now, but there was no way on earth she was going to waste time listening to anyone insult her loyalty to Sasuke.
"Tell Ino I had to go home," Sakura said, and went to find something to break.
---------------------------------------------
End of Chapter
Back to If at First You Don't Succeed
Continue to Can't See the Forest
Read the final version on ff.net
---------------------------------------------
I am currently trying to clear my writing schedule for NaNo. This year I have an original fiction idea, and I would like to try taking the challenge seriously. Therefore, in an attempt to reduce my potential distractions, I want to get at least one chapter done for all my fanfic WIPs during October, and possibly make a good stab at finishing one of them altogether.
This is step one. :-)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-02 04:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:32 pm (UTC)Also, there are technical problems with destroying a Horcrux when you don't have Fiendfire or a basilisk handy. I think there might be a way around that... but it would involve Orochimaru and snake summoning, so it would be off the table for obvious reasons. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:34 pm (UTC)Oh I donno, they've got Anko around still. *grins*
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-02 06:26 pm (UTC)I'm also super excited to hear your October plan and I look forward to the next chapter of Secrets. *bounces*
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-02 08:18 pm (UTC)LMAO I can see that so easily.
Sakura wondered if Tsunade knew a way to concentrate chakra non-explosively and use it to enhance a quick-step jutsu. It should be possible, albeit fiendishly tricky, and she thought she'd heard rumors of a flash-step jutsu used by some jounin in the wars the Fourth Hokage had ended.
*...sparkles* *__* I WISH. Awesome idea. Go Sakura, go. Now THAT would be something to do with her smarts. Prrt.
the only thing I've seen you lose sleep over is Uchiha Sasuke. Are you dealing with another traitor?"
Ouch.
I love the interaction with Shikamaru, and how he deduces everything. Nice characterisation for him too. ^__^
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 01:14 am (UTC)Well, we know that chakra can be used to enhance jumping, right? We see it every time a Leaf-nin goes branch-hopping.
We also know that chakra can be used to attach things, as in tree climbing.
The two limiting factors of ground-based acceleration are power (view point A, above) and traction (point B). Thus, to push yourself to faster speeds than humanly possible: Spread chakra from your foot to anchor to the ground where it is resting. Run a jumping cycle, however it works, on that leg while moving the other forwards to take the next step. (at higher speeds, some additional enhancement may be necessary to complete the second half of that in the required time) Release your anchor as the driving stroke finishes and the other foot comes down. Repeat process with sides reversed.
Complicated, a tad, but probably one of the Jounin staple tricks, and well within the capabilities of a chakra control prodigy. ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 07:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-03 09:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-04 10:39 pm (UTC)