Waking East
By DanniMaire
About the story: This is a slight AU, I have yet to see all the episodes, but I do know what happens. This is going to be a Itachi/Sakura/Kakashi story.
Ratting: PG-13/R
Part 001
Setting at her desk, Tsunade read over the scroll for the fifth time, and she still had a hard time believing what was written on it.
Izumo had ran into her office, all color gone from his face, scroll clutched in his hands. A member of Akatsuki had appeared out of no where and handed the scroll over, then vanished. They wasted no time in getting it back to her.
At first she thought that it was going to be a letter of intent. Akatsuki allowing them time before they attacked, however it was far from the truth. If fact they wished to come to terms, and they requested a meeting with her within the next few days.
She knew that it was unwise to go and meet with them alone, and before she talked it over with the counsel. Pulling out a blank scroll she wrote a response and handed it back to Izumo.
"Take this to the gate. Place it out side, a ways out, and then get back within the village. Allow them to take it. This is an order from the Hokage." She said in a strong tone. Time was everything and she couldn't waste any of it.
"Shizune!" She called out as she walked out of her office. "Shizune!"
Running around the corner, Shizune stopped as she made she way to her teacher. "Yes ma'am"
Without stopping Tsunade turned to the younger women. "Go inform the counsel that I want them all in the Grand Hall now, there is no time to explain."
"Yes ma'am" With that she took off down the hall and decided to jump out one of the windows to save time.
"Kotetsu!" She hollered walking though the hall.
The young man had come out of the office he had when he had heard her screaming and shouting for Shizune.
"What can I do for you?" He asked in a cool voice.
"I need you to go find Sakura, she should be out training with her old team. I need her now."
With a nod he was off.
"Now all I have to do is convince the counsel that this could work out to our favor."
Out on the training ground
"Kakashi that's not fair!" Sakura screamed as dodged an on coming attack. Even thought he was not longer her teacher, they still trained together every morning before training with their new teams.
They had agreed to just use Taijutsu, however Kakashi thought that it would be fun to throw in some Ninjutsu to keep her on her toes.
"In a real battle, your opponents won't follow rules. You should know this by now." He said, trying had to keep from smiling under his mask.
"I know that you dork! It's just that I would like to be able to focus on my Taijutsu with you for once, you always have to go throwing in something else."
Jumping down from the tree that he had been in, he landed right next to her. It had been over five year's since he had clamed to be her teacher, he had now grown to see her as a good friend, one of his only true friends, other then Naruto.
Leaning in he whispered in her ear. "Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe I can't beat you in hand to hand combat?"
Taken back she looked him in the eye. She knew that she was strong, but stronger then Kakashi?
"Are you saying that I'm stronger then you?" She asked.
With a laugh he roughed up her hair. "Not a chance. You just look so cute when you think you win."
Turning red, she was about to get him back, however the feeling of a chakra coming their way fast, took their minds off what they had been arguing over.
Landing a few feet away from the two Shinobi, Kotetsu stood and looked over to them.
"Kakashi" He nodded. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need Sakura to fallow me back to the Hokage Tower now. Lady Tsunade needs to talk to her."
Looking over to Kakashi she shrugged. "I guess we have to cut it short this time, sorry Kakashi."
With a nod back to them, he watched as they took off. He still had a good two hours before his team was to show up and thought that he would see what was going on. He loved to test his spying jutsus.
In the Grand Hall
The voices of the men setting in the room were like setting in a bee hive. You couldn't make out anything, but you knew they where talking.
She was waiting for Sakura to arrive, before she began. This had more to do with her then she liked.
Once she saw her enter the room and set down she stood up and the room become quite.
"I have called you all here to discus a request that has been asked of the Leaf Village. Early today, I received a message from Akatsuki."
A loud uproar took over the hall.
"They are requested to come to terms. They asked to meet with me in a few days time."
"You can't go! It could be a trick. They could be planning a trap." Some one called out.
"And if they aren't? Don't you think that we should go and find out!" She said back in a rather stern voice.
"I think that we should see what they want." Sakura said from the back of the room. "It has been five years and we have heard nothing from them, they could have attacked us at any point and they haven't"
"What would you know girl." Come a voice of a older councilmen.
"Councilmen Soya, you had better remember who you are talking too. You all know that Sakura is my student and should be given the respect that you give me." She was losing them, this wasn't good.
"And why should we? It has been over five years and you still have yet to catch and kill Orochimaru and the sound."
"And what about the Uchiha boys!" Came another.
"If you so badly what them caught and killed, join the shinobi in the hunt, see how easy it is." Sakura yelled out. "None of you know anything about what it is like out there."
Setting back, Tsunade knew she was right. None of these men knew the first thing about fighting, or what it was like to be out in the heat of war. She knew that she should have thought about this more before she went thought with it, however she knew that it would feel great.
"You are all released, from this point on; you are all no longer apart of the council. I will be putting together a new council, full of those that I think are fit. Now if you would all get out, I have things to do."
Before they knew what had happened, she was up and walking out. She was just about to get to the door when someone grabbed her arm. Looking over she saw that it was Soya.
"You think that you can just be rid of us, you don't know who you are dealing with. You may have your fun now, but know that this is far from over." With that he let her go and walked away.
"Tsunade what is going on?" Sakura asked coming up behind her teacher.
"Walk with me to my office and I'll fill you in."
They had met in her office, unknown to them that Kakashi was outside the window. "Sakura, do you feel that you are up to my level as a medic?" She asked looking her in the eyes.
"Tsunade, I hardly think I'm at your level. I try hard to train under you and I like to think that I have come a long way in the five years, but there is much that you still have to teach me."
"What if I told you that I have taught you everything I know?"
She couldn't say anything; she didn't know what to say. There was no way that she had learned everything in five years.
"You have Sakura. There is nothing more that I can teach you, there are things out there that you must learn for yourself now."
"What are you saying; I'm no longer your student?" She asked, hurt filling her voice.
"Sakura, you haven't been my student for six months now, I see you more as a colleague more then anything."
She didn't know what to say, she never thought that this day would come, she didn't think that she would ever learn everything, and this fast.
"Sakura as you know, Akatsuki would like to meet with me, it seems like they would like to come to some kind of truce with us. They have offered to hunt down Orochimaru and deliver him to us alive, for us to deal with him."
"What do they want in return?" She asked.
"They are requesting a medic for a year. One who is on my level."
"Me?" Sakura said more to herself then to the women in front of her.
"Yes, they have known that I have taken on a student and they know that I can't leave the village. I am to meet with them to discus full terms. I would like for you to come with me, this is something that I will not force you to do. However the outcome could work in our favor."
So much to take in, she thought it all over. Akatsuki wanted to have a medic, for what she didn't know, but they would seek out Orochimaru and bring him back.
"I'll do it." She said, "If it's for the village, then I'll do it."
"Very good…" Tsunade was interrupted by her window opening and Kakashi stepping in.
"Kakashi! How long have you been out there!" She asked getting up. She really needed to talk to him about spying on her.
"Do you think it is safe for her to go alone?" He asked, looking over to Sakura.
Taking a deep breath, she looked to the copy ninja. She had know for some time that he had felt something for his former student, however he would never admit it to himself, and she didn't know if Sakura was aware of his feelings.
"Kakashi Hatake, are you asking to be assigned to this mission?"
"Yes."
It was all she needed, and somewhere deep down inside she felt better about the whole thing.
"Very well, we will be leaving at sun down to meet with a member of Akatsuki; I trust that you both will be ready."
"Yes ma'am" They both said. Sakura stood and looked over to Kakashi and smiled. She was happy that she wouldn't have to go though this alone.
They stood and walked out of the room, not saying a word. They parted ways once they got out of the room and took off to train with their teams.
Latter that night
They hadn't had to go far outside of the village before they where met by one of the Akatsuki members, Deidara. He took a low bow and looked up to the three.
"I am pleased to meet you Lady Tsunade. I am to take you to meet with our leader, please this way." He said pointing to a rather large clay bird that was behind him.
With a nod she jumped up and looked down to Sakura and Kakashi, they took a jump and landed right beside her.
"Good, you may want to set down; it's going to be a good hour till we get there." He said smiling, then looked to Sakura and his smile grew, causing her to turn a soft red.
And it was, about an hour later they started to descend and landed in a clear filed. Sakura could feel the chakra of the other members and for a minute thought that this could be a trap.
The look on Tsunade's face told her that she wasn't too worried, and at this, she tried to calm her nerves.
Once they had landed she jumped off and landed with grace, Kakashi landing to her side, and Sakura behind them.
They didn't have to wait long till shadows come out of the wooded area, all in straw hats and black cloaks with red clouds.
"Lady Hokage, I am very glad that you have taken the time to meet with us." Came a deep, clam voice. A man who's face was covered in a mask, stepped forward. With a deep bow, he stood and looked over to Sakura and Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't like how they had all seemed to be looking at Sakura.
"As I have said in the letter that I sent, we are willing to retrieve Orochimaru for you, if you allow us to use your best medic."
"How do I know that you are going to keep your word? That this isn't a trap to take Sakura and then attack the village."
"I assure you that we mean no harm to your student, Sakura. Nor will any harm befall her in our care."
"And you wish for her skills for how long? I can't afford to lose her."
"I understand that. We request her skill for one year."
Thinking about it, it seemed to be to good, they must need a medic badly in order to seek help from her. Looking around she saw that there was one missing. Itachi.
"You must also give up on seeking Naruto." Sakura said from behind Kakashi, as she walked around him.
With a laugh he looked at her. "Girl we gave up on him five years ago. He has proven himself strong enough to contain the fox, and we are more then happy to leave it with him."
Looking shocked she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't know if she was happy, or confused.
"Let me get this straight, You are going to give us Orochimaru, who you are after as well, and you are no longer after Naruto, and all you want is Sakura's medic skills for one year? Do I have that right?" Tsunade said.
"Yes."
"Fine, however Kakashi will be escorting Sakura, you understand I'm sure."
"I do, we would be honored to have the great copy ninja staying with us."
"And how do we keep in contact with each other?" Kakashi asked.
"You are able to come and go as you will, as long as you are both vow to not disclose our whereabouts to you village. I trust you, not them."
"Very well, you have a deal. I will wait to hear word from you about Orochimaru." She said with a bow.
"Yes. Deidara, please make sure that they get home safely."
"Yes sir."
Before anything more could be said, they had all disappeared, as if they had never been there. The ride back to the village was a quite one. So much was running through their minds. Once they had landed, Deidara took off, headed back to his master.
"Kakashi from this point on, you are not to let Sakura out of your sight. If anything happens to her, we are all screwed." The Hokage said as she made her way to the tower. She had a lot of paper work to do in a short time.
Turning over to Sakura he smiled, "Well it looks like you're stuck with me for a while."
"Looks that way, but you know what? You have to be close to me to be stuck to me." And with that she took off in a full run, to her house.
"This is going to be a very long year." And with that he took off after her, taking the short cut he knew.
Ok there you go, part 001 is done! Let me know what you all think about it. The sooner I hear what you think, the sooner I update.