~A/N: Well, hello there! Welcome to my story. This actually started out as an original piece I'd been working on, but I sort of hit a road block with it, and then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could tweak a few characters and plot things here and there and make this a fanfic so people could actually read it. Which is more fun. So here we are. I hope the characters don't seem to be OOC in the first few chapters. I really did try to make sure I didn't accidentally leave any of the old stuff from my original story, but apologies if I did.

This is KakaSaku, but there will be other characters in here too. I like ensemble casts of characters, so I will enjoy using them :D

Also, this isn't really AU per say, but I am taking a few liberties. Like, I really like Jiraiya, and I totally want to write him in this story, so we're going to pretend that he's not dead. Also, I sort of have to make Sakura a little weaker than she maybe normally would be at this point in cannon in order for the plot to work out at the start of this fic. And for, you know, character development. However, as an end result, she may be stronger than she ends up in cannon, so who knows.

As for spoilers...I'm not really sure. I'm up to date with the manga, but I'm probably not going to actively try to follow it. I may still reference things from it though, so just a heads up.

Thanks for reading!

W/ luv

~T

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything, hence why I'm writing fanfiction and not, you know, the actual manga

One: Start

Sakura wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders to protect herself from the cold breeze. It had been getting progressively warmer everyday, but she knew they still had a few more months before they would be saved by the warmth of summer.

As a kid, she'd always preferred the summer's heat. After all, it was hard to dislike a feeling that seemed comforting when the alternative was one that seemed to bite at you and drive you away. She wondered if Sasuke liked the winter as much as she and Naruto liked the summer. She figured he probably did.

Sai probably liked spring. It was all about new things and blooming, and Sakura thought that the former foundation agent would appreciate all that it meant. He had bloomed himself over the past few years. As for Kakashi…well she had no clue.

She sighed. It had been weeks since she had seen her former teacher. Not that she was complaining about the relative peace that they had, but she had gotten used to always being around her teammates and teacher. Sakura wondered what he did now that he didn't have to teach them anymore.

Team Seven had been reformed after the Fourth Great Shinobi War. It had taken some convincing, but she, Naruto, and Kakashi had made a pressing case to allow Sasuke back on the team, and much to their surprise, Sai had even pitched in, saying he thought they would make a great five-man squad.

It was unconventional, but then again, when had anything about Team Seven been conventional? Sometimes Yamato joined them on a mission, and despite the fact that they were supposed to be two teams of three, they acted like one big team of six.

They'd all grown pretty close over the years, close enough that Sakura hear rumors about her and one of the guys being together almost daily. She just shrugged them off though. Outsiders would never understand Team Seven and what it had gone though, so how could they possibly understand the bonds she shared with her boys?

Even Sasuke and Sai had lightened up—although the latter still had trouble figuring out what emotions were and the former still had trouble showing them. But she wouldn't change her boys for the world. Not even Sasuke, whom she was happy to say she no longer had a massive, irrational crush on. In a way, he had actually become her best friend, possibly even more so than Naruto. The blonde was sweet, but he was sort of an idiot. With Sasuke, you could at least have an intelligent conversation.

That didn't mean they still didn't fight. No, Team Seven wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and they all had their own insecurities that came up every now and then.

Sakura frowned as she remembered the whole reason she was out in the cold on her day off at the hospital. She was going to see Ino and drag her away on her lunch break.

Now that the war was over, it seemed like the shinobi of the village didn't have much to do. Many ninja had taken to working around the village until a new mission came up in order to make enough money to live the way they were used to.

She loved the times of peace, really she did, but it wasn't exactly good for the ninja who didn't know how to do anything besides fight. Sakura was lucky enough no to need a job during her downtime because of her work at the hospital, but she knew she was just a special case. Even Sai had taken to selling some of his paintings for extra spending money.

Sighing again, she pushed open the doors to the Yamanaka flower shop and stepped inside to find Ino.

She didn't have to wait very long. The blonde-haired girl's face lit up the second her friend walked in the door.

"Dad, I'm taking my lunch now!" she called, not waiting for a reply and pulling Sakura out the door. Once they were outside, Sakura didn't stop, but instead just kept walking. Ino frowned. Something had clearly gotten her pink-haired friend all riled up.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino asked, when they finally came to a stop outside of one of the only village bars that was open during the day. "A bar?"

"I need a drink," was all that Sakura said before slumping down to order.

Ino raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Her friend would tell her in good time. Smirking, knowing that her team would have a fit if they knew the girls were drinking before noon, Ino ordered a beer, noting that Sakura had ordered something much stronger.

"So do you want to tell me what this is all about?" the blonde asked asked, after asking the bartender if they could have some chips. She wanted something solid in her stomach if they were going to get wasted this early in the day.

"My teammates are idiots," her best friend growled.

"You're just now figuring that out?" Ino deadpanned.

Sakura shot her a look, and the blonde realized her friend was really upset.

"Okay, so what did they do?"

"They think I'm useless in a fight. I was redressing Sasuke's wound from our last mission when Sai said it's good that I'm a medic because everyone on our team gets hurt so much."

Ino nodded. Kakashi's team did seem to always come back with at least one injured member.

"Then Naruto made a crack about how it's only fair since I'm the reason he and Kakashi are always getting injured. Because they have to save me."

This time Ino winced, knowing how much of a sore spot her lack of fighting skills in respect to her male teammates was to Sakura. The medic wasn't lacking in physical strength, that was sure. She had been trained by Tsunade after all. But Ino knew when it came down to a battle of jutsus that her pink-haired friend could sometimes struggle.

"It's Naruto," she tried to soothe. "You know he always says things like that. He doesn't mean it."

Sakura shook her head. "It's not that. It's their eyes. I mean, we all knew it was a joke, but the thing is, I could see it in their eyes, even if they wanted to hide it. They all think I'm a hindrance in a fight."

She looked depressingly into her shot glass. "The only reason they even keep me around is because of my healing."

"Stop it. It is way to early in our binge drinking session for you to be this depressing!" Ino scolded before signaling the bartender to bring them something stronger to drink.

"Now," the blonde girl said, turning back to her friend. "You are an amazing medic—the best in the entire world behind Lady Tsunade probably—and there is absolutely no reason why anyone wouldn't want you on their team. Hell, I wish you were on mine!"

"You don't even have a real team," Sakura muttered, before she realized what she said.

"Oh geez. Ino, I didn't mean—"

Her friend shook her head. "It's okay. It's true. Ever since Asuma-sensei died, even though we have the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, we still don't get to work together all that often." She fixed the pink-haired medic with a stare. "You don't know how lucky you are to have them."

Sakura sighed. "I know. Believe me I know. I love them more than anything in the world. They just frustrate me so much sometimes. But it's my fault. I guess I just don't want to get left behind."

Ino put a hand on her shoulder. "You won't. You keep up with them in your own way."

"Yeah. You're right. So what about you?" Sakura asked. "After all, you are drinking with me, and it's not even noon yet."

"I don't know," she mumbled. "It's kind of dumb."

"Nothing's too dumb to tell your best friend over drinks in the morning," Sakura teased.

"Fair enough. Just…promise you won't judge okay? I really just miss my old team, my guys. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're at peace and we don't have to fight anymore, but…well I miss everyone. I don't have a team all the time, so unless something big comes up I won't be sent out on missions, and since Shikamaru's gone all the time, we don't train that much. But that's not exactly something to get plastered about."

"What's Shikamaru doing all the time?" Sakura asked. "He's so lazy I didn't think he'd volunteer to take any of the few missions we get now."

"It's not missions. Come on, Sakura, everyone knows he and Temari are basically married. He travels back and forth between here and Sand a lot."

"Oh, Ino," Sakura said, remembering a time a few years back when her friend had confessed to falling for her brown-haired teammate.

"Um, well, about that," Ino said, looking down at the table guiltily. "I may have, sort of, lied to you about liking Shikamaru."

"Ino?" Sakura questioned, and from her tone, Ino knew she wasn't getting out of it. "Just, don't laugh at me okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Well, I sort of really like Choji."

Sakura was surprised for a few moments before she broke out into a huge smile. "That's great! Choji's such a sweetie. You two would be adorable together!"

Ino blushed, much to Sakura's surprise. Her best friend had never been one to be shy. "Do you really think so?"

Sakura smiled. "Even better. I know so."

Ino squealed and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I do miss everyone though," Ino said. "The Konoha 12, and even all the friends we made in other villages. Sometimes I feel really sad about it too, but then I feel silly getting all depressed about it when there are people dealing with far worse things."

"To each their own," her companion shrugged. "I think it's very valid. Here you got so used to the camaraderie of fighting alongside everyone, and now that it's all gone, you miss the interaction. A lot of soldiers go through this after returning home from war. You know, if you need to talk to someone, I'm sure I can set something up at the hospital."

Ino waved her off. "Nah, it's not that bad. I can just talk to you like this if I'm feeling especially moody. But I think you're right. A mission probably would cheer me up."

"Maybe you should talk to Tsunade. I'm sure she'd find you something."

"Maybe," Ino mused, then became silent.

Sakura was quiet too, toying with telling Ino the idea that had been running around in her head for the past few weeks. "I was actually thinking that a solo mission would be good for me, but since I'm not ANBU, I can't take one."

"Those are really dangerous," Ino said, looking up from her drink. "Are you sure you're okay? The boys didn't say something worse, did they?"

"No, it's just something I've been thinking about," Sakura reassured her friend.

"Going on a solo mission?"

Sakura nodded.

"You mean you want to join ANBU?" Ino couldn't help her shock, but she knew her best friend well, and she knew this was exactly what she meant.

But ANBU had to go through some intense training, and almost all of their missions were so top secret that they were classified.

"It's just something I've been considering," Sakura said defensively. "I mean, before Lady Tsunade trained me I was taught by Kakashi, and he's ANBU."

"Yeah, and he's like thirty-something. You're nineteen!"

"I know my own age," Sakura grumbled.

"That's not my point!" the blonde exclaimed, causing the other patrons in the bar to look their way as she slammed her fist down.

She lowered her voice when they looked away. "Joining ANBU is dangerous. You're still young. Don't you want to be able to hang out with your friends and go on dates and things like that too?"

Sakura snorted. "Ino, the only people I hang out with are the Konoha 12. And dates? Do you realize who you're talking to?"

"Don't start that," Ino said, knowing that her lack of a love life was something that secretly bothered the pink-haired medic. "You're gorgeous and any guy would be lucky to have you."

Sakura gave her a look. "I'm the second strongest person in this village in terms of physical strength. No guy is going to want to date a girl that can kick his butt in a fight. But that's not what this is about. I want to prove myself too."

That was something Ino certainly understood.

"I can't say I like the idea of you being gone all the time," she whispered. Despite their little rivalry when they were younger, the girl was still her best friend.

"I never said I was going to do it for sure, I just said it was something I was thinking about," Sakura reassured her friend. "And don't worry. It's not as if I'll just disappear someday. If I ever decide to go through with this, you'll be the first to know."

"Bitch, I'd better be," Ino grinned. It turned into a full-fledged smile that ran across her face a few seconds later when she saw the corner of Sakura's mouth turn upward into her signature crooked half-smile.

"You know, aren't you normally the one comforting me at a bar?" Ino asked as they drained the last of their drinks and finished off their chips.

Sakura shrugged. "Well, you know how these girl talk things go."

"Oh, there you are!" a high-pitched voice broke in. The two turned around to see Hinata at the entrance to the bar make her way over to them.

"Naruto's freaking out. He thinks you're really mad at him for what he said about your fighting. He didn't mean it and he's really sorry. I know he's a total idiot, but—"

"Tell him not to worry about it," Sakura said, waving her had to cut off the dark-haired girl's explanation. "Seriously. I'm not mad about it. I just overreacted. I've been stressed out being back working in the hospital again. Seriously, he shouldn't let it bother him."

"Oh good." Hinata looked relieved, and Sakura couldn't help but smile as she thought about how far the black-haired girl had come. Even Naruto had begun to notice. She imagined it was only a matter of time before they got together.

"So you want to go shopping or something?" Ino asked, looking at the two girls.

"I'd love to, but I really think I should go back and tell Naruto that Sakura isn't mad at him," Hinata said, pressing her index fingers together.

"As tempting as that offer is, I'm going to have to take a rain check today. I need to find Kakashi anyway. I've got something I want to run by him."

Ino narrowed her eyes at her friend, but Sakura didn't offer any further explanation, and with Hinata there, Ino didn't want to ask. She was pretty sure she knew what Sakura was thinking though.

"I'd love to take you up on that offer another day though!"

Ino laughed. "Well the offer still stands. Let's go Hinata. We can stop by Naruto's on the way to the shops.

"I'll catch up with you guys later, alright?" Sakura waved as her friends left the bar.

Ino nodded. "Yeah. See you later."

Sakura stood up not too long after the others left. She'd ended up ordering one more shot. After all, she felt she could use the liquid courage if she was really going to ask Kakashi about ANBU and go through with her plan.