The air was mostly humid at this time of year, but that didn't stop a certain kunoichi from taking on a small trip to another town. Like the Godaime said, she needed to take a small vacation. At first, Haruno Sakura refused but Tsunade swore to push her into a pool herself if she chose not to take the vacation offer.

And of course, with whom better to spend it with than her Team 7? Not the old Team 7 and not the new one either. They were combined. Sai and Sasuke were both with her, Kakashi and Naruto. It was surely a miracle that Sasuke didn't accuse the artist-nin of impersonation since they looked a lot like each other. But ever since the young Uchiha had killed his older brother, he started to lighten up a bit but that didn't include being nice to the Jinchuuriki.

The road they walked turned from sand to a road paved with bright red bricks. The kunoichi continued to lead the way, knowing they were close to their destination-a small town called Kawa no Onsen Machi. And as usual, she wasn't able to concentrate because of the bickering.

"You dickless retard!" A loud voice spat. "I'm sure Sakura has better plans than posing nude for your art, bastard."

At the statement, she turned to see what the hell was going on. Sai immediately answered back. "Well, I'm sure she'll have time."

"No she won't, you under-developed human life form!"

She smacked the both of them behind their necks. Honestly, she was getting tired of their constant arguements over even the littlest of things. "Cut it out, both of you." She yelled. "Sai, I don't want to pose nude just so you could paint me... And Naruto, stop calling the perverted idiot names, okay?"

Kakashi walked closer to her with the Uchiha following him silently. "You know what you're doing is hopeless, right? Eventually, they'll begin yelling at each other like crazed morons again." Reminded Kakashi. He looked at the two who were currently rubbing the back of their necks and then looked back to Sakura. "Ah, if things are always going to be that way, maybe Naruto and Sai should stay in their hotel rooms while Sasuke, Sakura and I go to the springs together."

Sasuke looked from the corner of his eye at the idiots. He might get a chuckle out of this. And as if scheduled, Naruto ran to Sakura's side and put his arm around her. "Let's go!" He looked behind him. "You too, my idiotic friend."

"Naruto," Obviously, Sakura wasn't all too happy about what her former sensei had started. "You do know that the springs for male and female are separated, right? Stop wasting your breath."

She shuffled out of his grip and resumed their journey. As she walked, she was starting to think that taking the whole team with her wasn't a good idea. Maybe she should have just walked here alone. And what fun would that be?

She took a few more steps before she sighted the huge gate of the town. And the moments would have been peacefully perfect if it hadn't been for Naruto breaking the humid silence. "Where are we heading, anyway?"

"A town called Hot Springs of the River, Kawa no Onsen Machi." Slowly, she pulled out a piece of paper from the back pocket of her custom made black cargo shorts. She gave up wearing her cream apron a year ago. She also ditched the pink vest since it clashed too much with her hair color. From then on, she chose to wear anything, including orange, but pink or red. "Come on, I can see the gates. Tsunade said it's a perfect vacation spot and she went here all of the time back before we crushed her freedom and she chose to be Godaime." She excitedly exclaimed but then thought about what she just said. "I think she's still bitter about it."

Naruto ran up behind her and looked at the gates as well. They were nothing special but they surely were big. "The old woman decided that herself. To become the Godaime, I mean." He pulled out a hanky from his pocket and handed it to Sakura. "Feeling hot?" She accepted the hanky and gave him a faint nod. "Good, because you are."

She hit his gut with an elbow and ran to the gates excitedly.

They found a cheap but very decent hot spring in the middle of town. Sakura walked in a very foggy room in a small piece of cloth that she doubted was even a towel. Well, it was cheap so what did she expect something more. She guessed what had walked into was the spring.

She gracefully took off her towel and took a dip in the water. It took a little time to adjust to the temprature since it was a bit hotter than it was outside but she was able to relax.

Somehow, they didn't imagine it was going to be empty but it was so much better than having to find a good spot to relax. It was only the four of them in the male section of the spring and they all agreed before entering to not speak to each other while in the water.

Kakashi, as usual, didn't take his mask off which was unfair to the others. They were all skin and he still had a piece of cloth that hugged his face and neck like a second skin that he chose not to shed off.

The Copy Nin began reading his perverted novels while Sai brought his art materials with him. They didn't know it was allowed in the first place.

No sooner than expected, they heard several giggling from the other side of the wall that was right across them. "It's the ladies' section!" Naruto announced to his companions. "And I guess Sakura's in there too." As soon as what he had just said registered in his mind, he swam to the other side but Sasuke stopped him.

"Hold on, moron. Not that I care or anything, but remember the last time you peeked at her?" He reminded.

Oh yes, the perverted and noisy blond could remember seeing a beautiful and bare back of a pink haired kunoichi. Unfortunately, the next thing he saw was a fist flying to his face and when he had gained consciousness once more, it had been three days since.

"And even though Tsunade-sama ordered her to heal you, she didn't because she was so mad at you for becoming a peeping Tom like Jiraiya." Added the Copy Nin.

"At least I don't read his porn nov-"

Kakashi didn't let him continue what he was about to say. He didn't need to hear it from him, the apprentice of one of the most perverted nins in the world. "Romance novels." He corrected. "Limited edition, too." He closed his books and showed one of the printed marks on the cover that said limited.

The blond gave him a look of indifference. "Riiiiight. How lucky of you." He said sounding uninterested.

They were all feeling relaxed by the time they got to the hotel and Sakura just wanted to go to her room and sleep for the remaining 2 days they had. This was the first time she got her own room whenever Team 7 was with her. Maybe because everyone else in her team were guys and she was the only girl. She was an excemption. For the first time, she wouldn't be waking up to the sight of Naruto changing his clothes, Kakashi reading his smut books or Sai's easle up in her face.

No. For the first time, she would be waking up with the rays of the sun coming in through the window just to wake her and greet her peacefully. But getting your own room comes with a price, literally. She had to pay for it on her own while the guys would share the expenses with their roomates.

While Kakashi made the negotiation with the receptionist, Sakura joined the conversation of her other three comrades. "How was it?" Sakura asked the noisy blond, crossing her slim arms across her chest. "Did you have fun? Have anything else planned? Walk around town? Go to the local pub? Peeping in the ladies' hot spring, perhaps?"

The last question was certainly not in the list of things Naruto wanted to hear from her. The younger of the two sharingan users approached them from behind and mocked the Jinchuuriki. "I told you."

"Didn't you learn from the last time, Naruto? Or maybe you just want another broken bone?" Naruto was about to answer but the way Sakura looked at him, for sure she wasn't going to listen to his reasons even if he told her she was hot. He'd be wasting his breath. "It's a good thing I have my own room now."

He chuckled. "Calm down, Sakura-chan!" It had been a long time since he used that prefix. He would only use it to appear adorable during drastic situations like this. "I'm just goofing around. It's not like I'm going to kiss you or anything. I wouldn't want to be your-" Before he could finish his announcement, the kunoichi stomped on his feet with the heel of her boots. How did their little chat end up in that topic anyway? In what way did it relate to their first subject? "Aaahhh~!" He yelled.

"I thought we talked about this?" She exclaimed with a worried look on her face. The artist and the avenger were now lost. They were locked out as Naruto and Sakura had their own conversation. "Don't blurt it out to the public..." She thought about what she said and added, "...Or to anyone else. Now shut your yap."

A gloved hand reached for the back of her black 3/4 shirt that didn't even reach the hem of her low-waist cargo shorts. The hem of her shirt rose higher until the top of her navel. The next thing she knew, her feet had somehow lost the floor. "Give it a rest, Sakura." The Copy Nin said as he set her down.

"I'm not 12 anymore, Kakashi." Grumbled the kunoichi.

The eldest nodded his head faintly. "I know. It's been 4 years since so stop acting like one." He opened up his palm and offered a choice of 3 room keys to her. "Pick whatever you like."

She went for the 14th room. It was the smallest number there was. "I'll be in my room." Sakura said as she walked away from her team.

She really made the most of it, not having any guy in the room at all. She brought a few books with her that she never seemed to have the time to read. And now, she was half-way done with all of them. It was already dark outside when she stepped out of room. Maybe she could see what was going on in the others' rooms for a moment. She kind of missed the ruckus they made.

She was about to knock on the door when the wall beside her teammate's room door had been crushed from the inside. Dust spread all around and the wall was in scattered pieces on the carpeted floor of the hotel. The pieces moved and a blond head emerged from underneath the wall's pieces.

"Sai, you bitch!" Naruto curled his hands into a fist and rushed back into the room. "I told you not to draw me while I'm sleeping! That's creepy!"

The blond's fist almost reached Sai's face if it hadn't been for Sakura pulling him to a retreat. "Naruto, what did I tell you before we all got to our rooms?"

Naruto put his fist down and mumbled. "Don't pick on Sai."

"Good." She pushed him aside making Naruto stumble backwards and onto the leather couch across the room. "And Sai, control yourself. Drawing girls while sleeping, it's pretty sweet. Drawing guys in their sleep..." She didn't know how to break it to him gently. "I'm sorry, but I have to take Naruto's side on this one. That can be considered as creepy."

"Well then, I guess you don't mind if I draw you while sleeping?"

"I'd be delighted but I just want a normal night tonight. No drawings, no jutsu and no ruckus. At all." She turned her back on them and exited the similar way she entered-using the door. "See you at dinner." With that, she shut the door behind her and walked back to her room.

She went back to her reading but after a few minutes passing, somebody knocked on her door. Without waiting for any answer, the visitor entered the room. A silver head poked his head inside the room first to look where she was and after seeing her casually sitting on her couch, Kakashi entered.

"Hey, Sakura. It's dark outside. Want to go to dinner now?" He closed the door gently behind him.

She put her book down beside her and rose. "Sure. Let me just go get ready and I'll be outside."

After that, Kakashi made a hasty exit and went back to their room to get ready as well. "And now I wonder where they were thinking about eating." She mumbled to herself. They don't know this town so how were they supposed to know where to eat?

She shook it off and made her way to the wooden cabinet where she placed her bag. Flipping the bag open, she searched for her perfume and a brush. Once she found both items, she closed her bag and entered the bathroom. It was the first time she'd use it today.

She clicked the switch beside the doorway and the small bulb inside the bathroom flickered and didn't seem to stop. Too bad for her. Maybe she'd use Kakashi's shower tomorrow morning. It's not like she was afraid of bathing in the dark or anything. But having the lights flickering while you took a bath would be a little frightening. She clicked the switch again to turn it off and went back in the room. There was a vanity on the other end of the room so maybe she would just use that.

After getting ready, she opened the wooden drawer and pushed both her comb and perfume inside, not taking her sight off of her reflection like it was going to run away. With one last comb of her hair with the use of her fingers, she exited her room.