Own Naruto? Sadly no. He would have made a fantastic slave.

Cherry Blossom on the Wind

It was the most beautiful day Konoha had seen in a while. The sun was shining warmly with a soft complimenting breeze. Petals from the flowering trees were blowing through the air under the lazily rolling clouds, and a previous rain had caused everything to seem new. Sakura paused on the bridge on her way back to town and leaned on the rail. She inhaled the fresh damp air. Spring always seemed to lift her spirits, weather such as this made her feel like she could do anything she wanted.

She crouched down and picked up a pebble that had most likely been kicked onto the bridge by a previous traveler. She stood up, took a fleeting look at the familiar Team 7 meeting place, dropped the pebble into the swiftly flowing stream, and watched her blissful mood sink with the stone.

Sighing heavily while again leaning forward against the rail, she said to herself, "If only I could capture the heart of that elusive Uchiha!"

"Really? You're after Itachi, too?"

Sakura whirled sharply, her gaze flying towards the other end of the bridge from which the voice came. To her utter shock, the person standing there was Sasuke. Though she knew that he was aware her feelings for him, his arrival at one of her private moments of exasperation was still quite embarrassing.

With one eyebrow cocked, Sasuke wore his ever-present frown, though his eyes showed a hint of amusement. As he sauntered to a spot across from her, he said, "I've been having a bit of trouble finding him as well. But don't worry - once I've finished him, you can have his heart. Well, as long as you don't mind it being stabbed repeatedly."

Sakura's face had gone from blood red at Sasuke's unexpected arrival to irridesent green at his gory humor - if it could be called humor.

Whatever Itachi had done to him, she thought, must have been bad. I don't think I've ever heard him talk like this. It makes me think of...him.

Sakura was shaken from her thoughts as Sasuke reached for his weapons. Sakura felt a wave of panic. Were they about to be attacked? Why could she not sense danger? She looked around as far as she could without moving her head - she did not any enemies that could be near to know that she had a hint that they were a threat - and then returned her gaze to Sasuke. He had removed a kunai knife from his pouch and was attaching a paper bomb to it.

What is going on? Sakura had to know.

"Sasuke-" she began.

"Hold on," he cut her off. "I'll explain in a minute."

He threw the kunai knife high into the air. When he judged that it was high enough, he mad a quick hand sign and the paper bomb exploded.

Sasuke looked away from the clearing smoke and settled his gaze back on Sakura. If he was not so good at controlling his emotions - anger being the only exception - he would have burst into uncontrollable laughter upon seeing Sakura's face, which was emitting hopeless confusion.

Beginning again slowly as to prevent herself from going ballistic, Sakura tried, "Sasuke, please - "

"Kakashi-sensei called an emergency team meeting," he interrupted her once more. "He sent Naruto and me looking for you. When one of us found you, we were to use a paper bomb to signal the others and meet up at the usual spot. Finding you here has just made everyone's job easier."

With that, he swung up onto the railing and laid down - closing his eyes in the sunshine as if to take a catnap.

Forcing herself not to stare at his reclining frame, she looked past him instead.

"Sasuke," trying once again, hoping for no more interruptions. "Why did Kakashi-sensei call an emergency meeting? What's this all about?"

Sasuke adjusted his position slightly and replied, "Dunno. All he said was, 'Find Sakura signal with a paper bomb and meet at the usual spot go. And then he disappeared."

He lazily opened one eye at her and then slowly shut it again while saying, "You might as well take a nap or something. Naruto may get here in a while, but it's not like Kakashi will be here any time soon."

"SLURP! Yeah, I know."

Sakura whirled around at the new voice, but Sasuke just smirked - eyes still shut.