Hello, everyone! This is my first time writing a fanfiction, so be kind with your criticism. I will try my absolute best to write a good story, but if it isn't, just say so and move on. I don't need overly vicious comments about how much I suck at writing, thank you very much.

Anyway, this story will probably be a SakuraxAkatsuki fanfic. I haven't chosen who Sakura will end up with yet. I may have her with one guy, or I might have Sakura be the recipient of her very own harem.

Also, there will be a few differences in my story. First, Sasori will be revived as a human. Second, Asuma will not be killed by Hidan. Third, Madara will be a separate member of the Akatsuki from Tobi. Madara will not be an evil creeper in this story either. Tobi will not be Obito, so he will have a different backstory. Fourth, Deidara will not have a mouth on his chest, just like Kakuzu will not have the masks on his back. This is just to make my job of writing just a bit easier. Sorry to anyone that wants that. Finally, Nagato will not be in the story; Pein will be entirely his own person.

I hope that y'all enjoy the story. Don't be afraid to let me know what y'all think, please review.

Bye,

~SG~

Disclaimer: I do not own the show Naruto, or any of its characters. That privilege belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Okay, that should do it!" Sakura said cheerfully, as she finished wrapping the bandage around the young girl's knee.

The girl smiled, "Thank you, Sakura-nee-san!"

"You're welcome, Yuki," Sakura replied with a chuckle. She turned to Yuki's smiling parents. "Wait here, I have some ointment that I want you to put on the wound to prevent infections."

Sakura walked to the cabinets lining the left wall of the small hospital room. She rummaged around in the cabinets, until she pulled out a small, round container with a pale blue lid. Sakura started walking back to the family, but she stopped. Turning back around, she pulled out a jar of suckers. She went back to Yuki and her parents.

She handed the container of ointment to the parents as she gave them the proper instructions, "Spread this on the wound twice a day; once in the morning, and once at night."

She then held the jar of suckers out to Yuki, "Pick whichever one you want. A reward for being such a good patient."

Yuki happily picked out a strawberry sucker, and gave her thanks as she trailed out of the room after her parents.

Sakura sat down at her desk with a sigh, as she started to fill out the necessary patient files. She hated doing paperwork, much like the hot-tempered Hokage that had become a second mother to the young pink-haired woman. Sakura's biological mother still lives with the other members of their clan in a secret compound, just outside of Amegakure.

Sakura moved to Konoha when she was five years old. The clan's elders thought it would be best to have the young girl undergo her ninja training in the Hidden Leaf Village. Her mother entrusted her upbringing to a couple from a branch family of the Haruno clan, who moved to Konoha shortly after adopting the five-year-old pinkette.

The couple that adopted her, Kizashi and Mebuki, had been killed in Orochimaru's attack during the third stage of the Chunin exams. She missed them, along with her actual mother, but she had Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Yamato, the other senseis, and the rest of Konoha 12, including Sai. They were her family now.

Sakura remained at the hospital for a few more hours, performing routine check-ups and filling out paperwork. She visited all of the patients staying overnight before she left at 5:30 p.m.

She had just exited the hospital building, when an ANBU ninja stopped her.

"Haruno-san, Lady Hokage would like to speak to you," the ANBU stated.

Sakura nodded, "I understand, thank you."

The ANBU disappeared, as Sakura made her way to the Hokage Tower. She thought about what Tsunade could possibly want to talk to her about.

'Maybe she has a mission for you. You have been pestering her for one for a while now,' Ryoko said. Ryoko is Sakura's inner demon. She has been with Sakura since birth. The connection was created through a special clan ritual.

As Sakura considered this possibility, she felt a new burst of excitement at finally getting to do something other than hospital work. She leapt onto a nearby roof, running across several others, hoping to reach her shishou's office sooner.

Five minutes later, Sakura stood in front of the Hokage's door. She briskly knocked four times, signaling that it was her.

"Come in, Sakura," came Tsunade's reply.

She wasted no time walking into the room. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, as Shizune poured her a cup of tea, unusually Tonton was nowhere in sight. Sakura stopped in front of Tsunade's desk. "You wanted to speak to me, shishou-sama?"

"Yes," Tsunade replied. "Shizune, you can leave now."

"Hai, Lady Tsunade." Shizune placed the tea kettle on the desk, and started to walk out. Before she exited the office, she sent a sorrowful look toward the young pinkette.

Tsunade rested her chin on her interlocked fingers as she regarded her apprentice. Sakura was no longer just an apprentice, though. The 16-year-old girl was practically her daughter. She sighed, contemplating the pinkette's reaction to the news that was about to be presented to her. Tsunade knew it wasn't going to be pretty, but she had to know. It would be best if she told her personally; otherwise, her reaction would be even more explosive.

"Sakura," the Hokage began, "they left."

Sakura froze; she had an idea of who her shishou was talking about, but she prayed that she was wrong. She plastered on a confused smile, "Who left?"

Tsunade saw the brief flash of disappointment in the teen's jade eyes. She knew the younger girl was aware of whom she was talking about, but she hoped otherwise. "The other members of Konoha 12. They left to bring Sasuke back."

"I see," Sakura looked down, fists clenching at her sides. I guess they thought I was too weak to go with them. I thought I had proven that I was stronger, but apparently, I was the only one that thought so. She looked straight into Tsunade's worried gaze. "Thank you for telling me. If that is all, may I leave now?"

"Yes," Tsunade knew that Sakura was hurting, but there was nothing that she could do to alleviate her pain. Sakura needed to be alone, and that was the only thing Tsunade could help her with. "You've been working a lot recently. Why don't you take tomorrow off?"

"Of course," Sakura said with a fake smile, the first of many.

Sakura bowed, then turned and exited the room. She teleported back to her apartment, leaving a small cluster of black cherry blossom petals in her place. Sakura decided to skip dinner, so she changed into her sleeping outfit of a black and red satin tank top with matching shorts. I guess I'm too weak to fight alongside them.

'You're not weak, Sakura,' Ryoko countered. 'They just aren't able to look past a carefully created disguise.'

As Sakura drifted off to sleep, one final thought drifted through her head. I wonder what will happen when the illusion fades.