Swoosh.

Clunk.

"Damn it all." The young Kunoichi sighed and placed her forehead protector once again on the top of her head.

"And you told me to watch my tongue."

Sakura snorted and ducked her sweaty head into the pool of water. Drawing her head out, she flopped her short hair back and squeezed the water out. She stared at her sensei by the corner of her eye.

"Tsunade-shishou what are you doing here?" Sakura looked up through the canopy of leaves.

"Just checking up on my student." Glancing at what used to be a smooth clearing in the forest, Tsunade cocked a blonde eyebrow. "And wondering what on Earth you are doing."

Sakura shrugged and turned to the young fifty-six year old woman. "I'm catching up on what I missed while I was…gone."

The Gondaime smiled. "Yeah, I suppose you are behind." Tsunade dropped the smile and walked closer to Sakura. Placing her hands on her pink haired student's shoulders, Tsunade became dangerously serious. "Sakura, the council has informed me of your lack of cooperation. Why won't you tell them what happened during your three year absence? Why won't you even tell me?"
Glancing up at her shishou, Sakura noted the pained look on her beautiful face. A stab of guilt spiked in her stomach, and Sakura ignored it.

"For certain reasons." Stale and cutthroat, Tsunade grimaced.
This wasn't the student with the bright smile she knew.

"Sakura you know you can tell me. I….You always seemed like a daughter to me." The female Hokage's grip on Sakura's shoulders tightened. "You must trust me, Sakura. If that Uchiha…" Quickly taking note of Sakura's body freezing up, Tsunade sighed.
"Sakura, I'm sorry but if he did anyth-"

Wrenching for the older woman's hold, Sakura turned around and watched a butterfly land on a spider web.
"Have you ever been in love Tsunade-Shishou?"
Confused, Tsunade raised her hand to grab Sakura.
"I mean, real love?" The green eyed girl bent down and picked the struggling butterfly from the sticky web. Looking at the exhausted creature, Sakura's vision vibrated and blurred.
"Have you?"

Tsunade retracted her hand and let it fall to her side. The older woman's eyes closed and she settled herself against a near by tree. "Yes." Memories of a laughing perverted hermit with wild white hair and flashes of snake like amber eyes flitted past her vision.

"Then why does it hurt? Hurt to love?"

Tsunade's eyes snapped open, and pivoted in surprise to her student. She didn't … Fear pounded against the elder's heart.

"Sakura, why are you asking me this?"

Sakura watched the butterfly leave her sore hand and slowly raised her jaded eyes to her teacher.

"Shishou, you asked me to tell you what happened during my three year vacancy. I fell and forgot. I remembered Naruto, Kakashi, you, and the others, but I forgot the pain of …Sasuke. And…" Her green eyes sparkled with an essence akin to happiness. "And…fell for him. And he took care of me. I wasn't mistreated. And for the first time I felt I had a place." A slow miniscule smile spread upon Sakura's lips. "And loved."

"Sakura, Itachi… he isn't the one to love like that. He's a murderer. Cold and calculating. He doesn't-"

A dry chuckle emitted from dry lips. And tears dropped from her green eyes.
"I'm still the foolish, love sick girl I was years ago, huh Shishou?"

Pulling the crying kunoichi in to a labored hug, Tsunade tried to sooth the young woman. "Sakura, love hurts because of its intensity. And all women are still love sick."

Nudging her face in Tsunade's arm, Sakura sobbed. "Love is cruel isn't Shishou?"

Tsunade nodded and kissed Sakura's forehead. "Indeed it is."