This is the story that I was so excited about! So as always, feedback is welcome and encouraged, especially constructive crit. You have no idea how important con crit is for a writer. This is my work and while I did put effort into it and rewrote parts of it (more than once) I am biased. Any errors or guidance? Please let me know in a respectful way. Any questions? Ask them. Thank you for reading. This has NOT been beta read.

Chapter One

Asleep in your uncertain future no one else can tell you what you came here for or read your thoughts
If confidence is open-ended there's no guarantee you'll be protected now; there's no safety house

Sakura hadn't been too sure if ANBU was the right move for her. She had the same tense feeling in her stomach when she had approached Tsunade to mentor her, and quite a few other people (namely Naruto) weren't too thrilled with her decision either. After meeting strict qualifications and passing numerous rigorous exams, she found that ANBU fit her like a glove.

Her duty remained with the hospital but because of her abilities and a strong natural opposition to genjutsu, she was summoned for some tricky outings. She had been an active member for just over a year now and found herself assigned to more missions with tensions rising with Iwa once again. Iwa, as the Hokage (none other than the radical Danzou himself) had said, was a force that was to be neutralized. Sakura wasn't too fond of the rise in violence but any arguments of peace talks were squashed.

That's not to say times were taxing. The citizens of Konoha enjoyed a small time of peace after the demise of the Akatsuki and the man known as Madara. While relations with other countries strengthened – the alliance with Iwa was short lived and that's why on this morning she wasn't at the hospital preparing for her shift.

Sakura sat, legs crossed and back straight, as the commander along with Ibiki went over the latest intel. She looked around the auditorium and all the seats filled with black uniformed bodies. She couldn't help but look for him and she found him a few rows in front of her, to the right. She grinned lightly at his seemingly gravity defying hair. Not much had changed about him and in a sense it was comforting, especially with the way things were heading.

Ibiki took command the floor, droning on about Iwa nin. It seemed to be just another boring meeting until ...

"We need two men for a mission. Our sources, and a large sum of money, have finally landed us this opportunity. If you accept, you will be placed deep into Iwa territory, working alongside Jari and his squad. This is our best chance to take him and his operation down. Of course, it won't be simple and if your cover is blown, there will be no help for you. This mission is risky and chances are high that you may not return. We all want a piece of those scum – but keep that in mind before you volunteer."

There were whispers and hushed murmurs of excitement. Sakura shifted her eyes around, ignoring the person beside her talking trash about how he would wipe them out.

"I'll do it."

Her eyes went wide and she felt her heart sink as she watched Kakashi rise to his feet..

"Very good."

The man sitting in front of her stood, "I'll go too."

It was then that she realized it was Genma. Kakashi looked back over his shoulder and nodded once before his gaze locked with Sakura's. She wasn't quite sure if what she saw was relief or disappointment.

"The rest of you are dismissed!"

Sakura continued to stare at Kakashi until the guy beside her patted her on the shoulder to ask her to move. She mumbled an apology and got up, filing out behind the others. When she turned to look back at Kakashi again, he was gone.

.oOo.

It was no surprise that when Kakashi entered his apartment that night that the first thing he saw was a head of pink hair.

Sakura rose from the couch and turned around to face him. Neither of them spoke. He finally closed the door behind him and she stepped forward.

"Sakura-"

"Why you? Why'd you volunteer to go? It sounds like a suicide mission!"

"Would you rather someone else take it?"

"Yes!" she snapped at him.

"You don't mean that," but his voice remained as calm as ever, "What if someone like Kotoro accepted it? He has a wife and kids, would you want them to go through this?"

"No, of course not," she replied softly.

"Okay. Besides, I'll have Genma with me."

"Why does that not sound comforting?"

"Because you've never worked with him. He didn't achieve his rank by being an immature, womanizing pig."

The corners of her lips tugged upward, but the panic behind her eyes didn't fade.

"Don't do this, Sakura."

"You talk about Kotoro without realizing that you are like him. What if you don't come back? You're family to Naruto … and me, you're-"

He placed his hand against her cheek, "You'll be fine and so will I."

"Kakashi-"

"You worry too much. I'll come back. How could I not when I have someone like you waiting for me?"

Sakura sighed, conceding with a nod. This wouldn't be the first time he had left on a particularly dangerous mission. He was loyal to a fault and he put his country, his duty, before himself. His dedication was one of the things she admired about him after all, it wasn't fair to hold it against him.

"So when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

She opened her mouth to complain but quickly decided against it. Now wasn't the time to be selfish and she knew he must be having more difficulty with this than he let on. After all these years he had allowed Naruto and Sakura closer, or more like they had forced themselves into his life. They refused to go away, to leave him and he found himself with not only a young friend in Naruto but a wonderful lover in Sakura.

After all the time spent together he could read Sakura easily, far too easily than she was comfortable with sometimes, but she didn't care at the moment. He smoothed a hand through her hair catching the ends and twirling it between his fingers.

"Stay with me tonight, okay?"

"Like I'd want to be anywhere else."

He grinned softly to himself, "That's what I like to hear."

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently, pulling her toward the bedroom. She pulled down his mask, humming in delight when she felt his lips. Kakashi was in no real hurry as he stripped her of her clothes, leisurely appreciating each part of her body as it became exposed.

Once she laid before him completely naked, he let his hands roam her body, his Sharingan eye open and taking in every piece of her; her long legs, her flat, toned stomach, her full breasts, her kiss swollen lips and wide green eyes, and every freckle and scar in between. He wouldn't dare say it out loud, but if he were to die, he'd like to have a perfect image of her to recall. He claimed that he would come back to her, he sounded so confident, but his actions were saying otherwise.

Sakura hadn't felt self conscious around him since she was a teenager, but he was looking at her so intensely that the urge to cover herself rose.

She blushed, "Um … Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" he ran his hand down the side of her face and she turned her head into the caress.

"It's nothing," she whispered, kissing his fingers as they passed her lips.

Kakashi was passionate about many aspects in his life, especially when it came to sex, but this felt different. He had always been considerate of her wants and needs, but this … This time he not only fueled her desire, he overwhelmed her with it – bringing her to climax first with his fingers and then his tongue before giving in to her pleading to join their bodies. Even then, he took his time, drawing out the most pleasure inch by inch, with every push and pull, every languid rock of his hips against hers.

Reaching euphoria was a slow process and when it finally hit, it hit hard – her toes curling and spots dancing before her eyes as she cried out, clinging desperately to her lover. He maneuvered them into a new position, slipping his hand between their bodies to coax her into another orgasm as his pace increased.

Her body was still trembling and tears filled her eyes, it was all just too, too much. If Kakashi was anything, it was determined and he was relentless in accomplishing his goal. Sakura panted heavily, one hand clutching his arm, the other the sheets, as his rhythm broke and his thrusts became erratic. He was so close – and so was she.

"I love you. Sakura, I love you."

Her eyes widened. Kakashi was a man of action and he always let his actions speak for him. Never once in their nearly two year relationship had he said those words. He pulled her close to him, kissing her with urgency, a raw need.

They came simultaneously, moaning and crying into the kiss. They broke apart from each other, their breaths coming out in rapid puffs against the each others skin. He collapsed beside her, draping an arm over her sweat slicked abdomen, both of them still trying to regain composure, allowing their heart rates to steady.

Once her breathing returned to normal she rolled onto her side, facing him, gently dragging her fingers along his jaw and lips, "Did you say-"

"I did."

She smiled, although a little sadly, "Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"Of course I do."

He kissed the top of her head, "Good."

She stared at his chest in contemplation. She reached over and traced the scar across his right pectoral, "I love you, too."

She raised her head to look at him. He nodded, smiling softly, "I know."

She curled up into him and he pulled the blankets over them before wrapping his arm around her again. They both lay awake, silently, listening to the other breathing until the hour came that they both succumbed to sleep.

It was still dark when Sakura was stirred awake by the jostling of the bed as Kakashi got out of it. She watched him while he dressed and when he was finished, he turned to face her, "You should get some more sleep, it's still early."

"What time is it?"

"It's four-thirty."

"I can make you a quick breakfast."

"No time, I have to leave."

"Already?"

She leaned over the bed, picking her shirt off of the floor and quickly pulling it over her head. Her eyes scanned the floor, "Where-"

Kakashi leaned down, her panties dangling from his fingers. She snatched them away from him, hiding a smirk and mumbling 'pervert'.

He chuckled softly before she stood and wrapped her arms around him. She inhaled his scent deeply.

"I'll come back, so-"

"There's no need to say goodbye, I know," she sighed.

"Be sure to keep track of all those dirty little thoughts you have about me. I'll gladly indulge in them with you when-"

"Yeah, yeah," she smiled, "I'll look after your place."

"Alright, I'll see you soon."

She held her smile as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. He put his mask in place and then he was out the door with a small wave over his shoulder.

Sakura sat back on the bed, bringing her knees up to her chest, and looked around the small room. She still had a few more hours until she had to be up to get ready for her shift at the hospital. She felt the familiar sting of tears pricking at her eyes. She laid back down with a sigh, burying her face into his pillow, pushing them back. She wasn't going to cry. She knew he was skilled, precise and deadly, and she was going to have faith in him. He was going to come back home She drifted off to sleep, curled up in his side of the bed

.oOo.

"So, how do I look?"

"Like the enemy. Good work."

"Sir."

The door to the sub level ops room opened and in hurried a rather disheveled Genma. He wasn't properly uniformed and by the style of his hair, he had just woken up. He bowed respectfully after kicking the door closed behind him, "Sorry sir!"

"Well good morning sunshine! How nice of you to join us."

Genma looked to his side and jumped back, startled, "Whoa! Is that you Hatake?" He poked at the scarred face. Kakashi swatted his hand away at every attempt.

"The name's not Hatake, from here on out his name is Tochi," commander Gota spoke, "And since you were late, you get to be Anshou."

"Aw, you mean the one with the wart on the nose?" Genma sighed heavily when his question was confirmed with a stiff nod.

"Change into his uniform, we'll go into the next step afterward."

Genma held up the pants and jacket, shaking his head, "I have to say, us Leaf nin have the better taste in clothing."

"Are you going to talk about hair and make up too Shiranui or are you going to get dressed?"

He kept silent, slipping into the single sleeved undershirt, followed by the flak jacket and the pouch around his waist. While he was transferring his weapons over, another ANBU member came into the room.

"I have Shiranui's fabric," she announced holding up a box.

"Get started."

The female operative knelt in front of Genma, taking a thin piece of sheer fabric out of the box. She peeled off the backing and placed it inside the bottom hem of his left pant leg. She repeated it with the right and then she pushed up his pant leg, her slender arm fitting up, her hand brushing his knee.

"Careful there," Genma smirked as her fingers inched upward, "Or you can feel around. You may like what you find," he chuckled.

She placed the strip on the inseam and then pinched some of his leg hair between her fingers and yanked.

He groaned in pain, jerking his leg away. She 'humph'-ed and continued with her work, Kakashi holding back a laugh obviously amused at his friend's misfortune.

"Thanks to one of our more technologically advanced allies, we now have this chakra activated material. I'm sure you remember when we collected samples from you."

Genma winced at the memory, "I'd rather forget."

"The strips of fabric are made specifically for you and react to your chakra. This makes keeping up a henge practically effortless, using the minimal amount of chakra, even while sleeping. This is one of your most crucial tools for remaining undercover."

The worker finished her task, sealing the last piece on the back of the hitai-ate he was to wear.

"Now you should henge, it'll require much less chakra," she stated handing the band over.

Genma summoned his chakra, surprised at just how much less chakra it took. Technology surely had its advantages.

"I suggest you get familiar with your appearance, quickly. Take these with you, learn your roles," he produced a set of scrolls which Kakashi took, "When you're done, destroy them. Our latest intel puts a camp of Iwa nin to the northeast of our border in a village that they've run over called Kasenaga. There's a squad of ANBU east of that location, they will be waiting for you under orders to attack on sight. The show you put on has to be believable, but try not to kill them."

"Sir!"

"You know the procedures to follow once you're on the inside and how to get out and back to us once you've completed the objective."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Once you're outside the gates you'll be on your own. Are you ready?"

The pair shared a look and then nodded.

"Then move out, and good luck."

The door opened and in came Ibiki, he straightened, hiding the fact that he was catching his breath, "Good, you're still here."

"Morino-san, they were about to head out."

"Then I'll make this quick. These just arrived. The cost of the mission is too high to risk. If by chance you don't make it back, at least some of the information you get will. These bugs are practically undetectable and work over extremely long distances. Maybe by the time you get back we'll have our new radios too."

Kakashi and Genma put the bugs on the inside of their jackets, the tiny chips seeming to melt into the fabric, it was camouflaged well.

"We'll be listening."

"Right. Come on Anshou."

Genma shot him an annoyed look, which didn't look much different than what was Anshou's permanent expression, "Sure thing, Tochi."

.oOo.

Three weeks later …

Sakura sighed as she shrugged out of her lab coat. Her shift managed to feel like it was much longer than it was, but that usually happened when she was stuck performing physicals and tending to the patients that were going stir crazy from being confined to their beds.

"Are your files ready for Hokage-sama?" Shizune asked, poking her head into the office.

"Yeah," she muttered, pulling the stack of files from her desk drawer, "I really wish that old man would understand that this isn't necessary."

"Well, he doesn't know anything about our line of work, saving lives," Shizune said softly.

"Yeah, just taking them."

"Sakura!"

"Sorry," she ruffled her hair scratching her scalp, "it's been a long day and I have training still."

"Oh, well tell Ino hello then. I haven't seen her since she's been missing her practices with me lately."

"I didn't know, I'll talk to her."

Shizune shifted the files around in her arms, "See you tomorrow."

Sakura waved and then gathered her things, locking up her office as she left. She said her goodbyes to the nurses she passed, roughly pushing open the front doors. She was so happy to be out of that place. It was too pretty of a day to be inside. The sun was shining brightly and the afternoon air felt wonderful with the cool breeze coming in from the north. She tucked a short piece of hair behind her ear and continued to Kakashi's apartment.

She had been coming once or twice a week to water his plant and keep his apartment clean and free of dust. She knew he'd appreciate it, but she wouldn't admit that she was doing it more for herself. She had no idea when he'd be back, if he'd be back. There was no news coming in, but Ino had assured her that "no news was good news." But that didn't do anything to alleviate the fact that she was really missing him.

She let herself in after collecting his mail. She placed the letters in the stack and picked up an orange from the bowl of fruit she had brought. After rolling it between her palms, she peeled it and then ate the juicy sections while doing a run through of his apartment. She filled the small watering pot and smiled, turning the plant in the window.

"Hey there Mr. Yuki, you look thirsty," she tipped the pot, letting the water rain down over the leaves and deep into the soil. She grinned to herself recalling the way that Kakashi took care of his plant … when he remembered to. He was often apologizing to the thing for neglecting it, perhaps he'd be surprised to see it in such good condition.

A leaf broke off the end and fluttered down onto the sill. Sakura looked at it, her brow furrowing as a strange sensation came over her. A sudden knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she sighed, picking up the leaf. She set the pot down and walked over.

She opened the door to see Ino standing there, "What ya doin Forehead? I thought we were sparring today?"

"We are, I was just cleaning up."

"Did you kill his plant?"

"Please, if he can't kill it I don't think anyone can. It just … fell off."

"So are you going to keep me waiting or what?"

Sakura set the leaf on the counter and grabbed a couple bottles of water, "Lets go."

Ino hadn't changed much, she just filled out a little more over the years … and that in turn gave her that much more confidence. She was fending off men she didn't want and sleeping with those she did. She moved up to Jounin status a couple years ago and had been making quite a name for herself. And she was proud of it.

The two women walked through the village. Surprisingly, they had remained friends even after Sakura entered ANBU. And just as their friendship remained in tact, so did their rivalry. Ino was determined to make it into the Black Ops as well, not to be beaten by someone "so low" such as Sakura. Having already been through the process, Sakura offered her help to her friend. At first Ino declined, claiming superiority but after her first failed attempt … well, pride wasn't much of an issue after that.

"Shizune said that you've been ditching lessons with her. If it's because of our sparring sessions-"

"No, it's not that. I just … I don't have the chakra for it, I don't have the will for it. Besides, my dad wants me to use my skills for something else. He thinks I'd be great for espionage or something like interrogation."

"Do you have the stomach for interrogation? You remember those classes we took right? It's even worse in ANBU, they do some pretty awful things to prisoners."

"Since when do you care about what happened to prisoners?"

She shrugged. She didn't want to let her friend know that she had been called in on more than one occasion to heal prisoners just so that they could be kept alive to torture longer. She didn't want to tell her about broken men begging her to kill them.

"So," Ino started as they entered a training field, "What are we doing today?"

"Lets go all out; weapons, ninjutsu, genjutsu."

"Good," the blonde grinned.

Sakura pulled her gloves on and tightened her hitai-ate, "Come on, Pig, show me what ya got."

The two jumped away from each other, readying for attack. Ino moved first, darting out to the right unleashing a fury of shuriken. Sakura blocked effortlessly, her agility was impressive. Ino appeared behind her, with her foot posed to strike. As she made contact, Sakura 'poof'-ed away.

Ino blinked, 'A clone?' She didn't see her perform an jutsu, her eyes had been locked on her the entire time.

The ground split underneath her and she quickly jumped away. Sakura smiled, a few meters away, "I hope you didn't think it was going to be that easy!"

"Of course not," she grumbled, forming hand seals, "That's why I 'm prepared!"

.oOo.

Anshou and Tochi were carrying an injured member of their team as they moved forward through the enemy outpost. It was a simple assassination job, but thanks to the bugs that were planted on their clothes, the squad was well informed and had been prepared for their coming.

What they weren't prepared for was that Jari had planned for that as well. In the end, the assassination was successful and the bad guys were getting away. As much as Kakashi hated it, it was quite lucky for him and his partner. Jari was a smart man, smarter than they had anticipated. He had experience on and off the field and when he spoke, it was with clarity and enthusiasm. He was manipulative and respected, and feared. He had power and he knew it and he used it freely.

The others were celebrating as they made it into the clear, another victory for Iwa. Anshou chuckled along to a joke about dead leaves while Tochi helped their teammate to the ground.

"That was amazing, Jari-sama!"

The man chuckled darkly, "No, that wasn't amazing. This is."

He had moved so fast, Kakashi barely saw it coming. Genma made a run for him, "Tochi!"

"Anshou, no!"

.oOo.

Sakura was breathing heavily, dirt and sweat matted her hair, but she was smiling, "You know your genjutsu won't work on me."

"But I had to try," an equally worn looking Ino replied between breaths, "It's not fair, you're strong against genjutsu."

"Which is why I'm your perfect opponent. If you can't beat me then-"

"Who says I can't beat you?!"

"Come on Ino, I thought you were better than me?"

"I am."

"Then prove it!"

Goading Ino was always easy and the way she lashed out was always predictable. Ino charged at her and Sakura raised a kunai, ready to block. As Ino brought her weapon down a flash of black was between them.

The two women stood straight, surprised by the sudden visitor. But it wasn't just any visitor, it was ANBU.

"Sorry ladies, looks like you're done training for today. Haruno-san, you are to report to HQ immediately."

"Oh, okay."

Ino sighed, "Just you wait Sakura, I'll be there beside you one day."

"I know you will. Hey, don't let your emotions get to you. You get worked up too easily when I call you weak."

"Cause I'm not!"

"I know, but don't talk about how strong you are, you have to show it. That's what ANBU looks for."

Ino slowly nodded, "I'll see you later then, I guess."

Ino wouldn't admit it out loud, but it made her sad that she didn't have as much time with her friend anymore. Sakura turned to the masked nin, "Any idea why I'm being summoned?"

"All I was told was to retrieve you."

"Okay, lets go," she pulled her hands together and they disappeared.

.oOo.

Sakura was taken to a conference room, surprised to see both Sai and Yamato there. She acknowledged both of them and turned to look at Ibiki. He held up his hand and a moment later the door opened again. Raido bowed upon entering, followed closely by Neji. The door closed and Ibiki looked around the room at the questioning faces.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you are all here. Allow me to get straight to the point. Shiota, the tape. We received this a while ago."

A small device was handed over to Ibiki who pressed a button and set the electronic piece down on the table.

The sound of hard breathing filled the room, followed by words of encouragement, to "hang in there." There was a faint sound of explosions in the back ground followed by loud cheers and laughter.

"That was amazing, Jari-sama!" a gruff voice.

A chuckle. "No, that wasn't amazing. This is."

"Tochi!"

"Anshou, no!"

There was a loud thump that made Sakura jump in her spot.

A soft string of curses and then, "Anshou … What are you doing Jari?! Anshou was-"

"You can stop right there Hatake, Kakashi."

Sakura felt her body go rigid. No. No way, this wasn't happening.

"I know all about you and Shiranui there."

Ragged breathing and some grunting.

"Careful there, don't make my men kill you just yet."

The sounds of a struggle ensued, Sakura's stomach clenched and she willed her knees to lock, to hold herself up just a little longer.

There was a loud slap followed by stronger impacts, which reminded Sakura of how her fist sounded when connecting with a target.

"You fucking Leaf nin think you can deceive me?!"

Another whack and a sickening snap accompanied by a thick groan.

"Pick him up! And that other shit head too, he ain't dead yet. It's time to get some answers boys."

Ibiki cut the tape off, "Our men have been found out. There's more silence, background noises and then the man we presume to be Jari starts talking, asking questions," he shifted his eyes around to look at everyone, "he's keeping them alive to get any information he can out of them. They were ratted out, but he didn't say by who. The game has changed, we're getting them out of there."

"When?" Yamato asked.

"Immediately. Listen to me, I hand picked all of you for this, don't trust anyone outside of this room, if we have a rat we don't need the information getting to them. I have a bad feeling about this. Your mission is classified. No one else is to know what you're doing, not even commander Gota. If he has a problem with it, tell him to see me. I'll take care of it. Understood?"

"Sir!"

"Haruno! You are a last resort fighter, do you understand me? You are the only medic on the team and you can't do your job if you're dead. You're going to need your chakra to heal Hatake and Shiranui, so don't be reckless."

She was still in shock, "Yes sir."

"What was that Haruno? I didn't hear you."

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Now lets get you caught up and out of here."

A/N: I know this first chapter is a little short and it seems a little jumpy. I intended for that. Things will get explained later.