Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden, I do however, own this story and the OC characters that are in it.

A/N: HELLO, my lovelies!

This is the first chapter the UPDATED VERSION of Immortals.

I chose to update this story because I felt that there was not enough background about Sakura and Sasori's relationship to explain the way they acted with each other. Having given that minor plot hole a great deal of thought, I have since developed a wonderful backstory (in my opinion) and I have a firm understanding of where I want this story to go in the future.

To my newest readers, forgive me if Sasori is OOC. My Sasori is human and I think he's wonderful.

And, no worries, anything that may be confusing now will certainly be explained in the future!

ANYWHOOOO...

Thank you all for all of your patience, love and support!

I hope you all enjoy this RE-VAMPED edition of Immortals!

Posted: 05/25/2018
Updated: 06/03/2019

Chapter One: Surprise

One Hour Ago - Hokage Tower, Konohagakure

It was a peaceful evening in Hokage Tower, with many shinobi having already left to go home to their families or to the bar to catch-up with old friends. All that remained in the building were a spattering of hidden ANBU guards, the few members of the night staff, and the Hokage and her beloved apprentice. However... not for long.

"You would think that times of peace would mean less paperwork, but noooo."

Resisting the urge to sigh in frustration, because her shishou had been especially annoying today in her complaints about paperwork, Sakura responded as she usually would in this situation. "Patience, Shishou, you have only one more hour left until it's five."

Unsurprisingly, the blonde woman groaned miserably from her seat before lifting her brush once again, grumbling softly about the mistake it had been to take on two overachievers as her apprentices instead of someone lazy like Shikamaru.

Humming thoughtfully from her place beside the records cabinets located across the room, one said 'overachiever' responded knowingly, "You would have punted Shikamaru across the village after the first day."

"I could say the same for you when you first showed up," Tsunade replied as she set aside one signed document and reached for the next. "Thankfully, you redeemed yourself quickly."

Chuckling softly, Sakura slide another completed mission report into its proper place before asking, "What? When I threw Kiba out of the women's bath or when I smuggled you a bottle sake without Shizune-nii-san finding out?"

Tsunade smirked. "Both."

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Sakura gave a soft snort of amusement before returning to her task. "It's good to know that booze and my propensity for violence earned me your favor, Shishou."

To her surprise, the Hokage's next response came with an unusual amount of nonchalance. "I am but a simple woman, Sakura."

Wisely, Sakura resisted the urge to scoff at the blatant understatement. Instead, she finished sorting the remainder of the mission reports and shut the filing cabinet softly before returning to her former mentor's side.

"Is there anything else that you would like for me to do, Hokage-sama?"

Raising a pale eyebrow, Tsunade caught the hints of amusement still dancing in the younger woman's gaze and snorted. "If you don't wipe that grin off your face, I'm sending you to go and fetch Team Gai for their next mission debriefing."

Although the threat was serious enough to defuse some of her amusement, Sakura couldn't help but be unsettled by the mentioning of the old genin team. As it were, many of their old genin teams had split once they were all promoted to jounin following the war, with each of the Konoha 11 pursuing their own distinct roles around the village. It was unsettling to hear her Hokage suddenly requesting to see three high-ranking jounin for an evening mission briefing.

Having obviously noticed the younger kunoichi's sudden distress, Tsunade offered some reassurance. "Relax, Sakura, we have a group of delegates from Wave Country visiting tomorrow, Team Gai will be receiving them at the border and acting as their escort back to the village."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Sakura nodded. Then, she asked if she should really go and summon the members of the former Team Gai.

"No," Tsunade said with a gentle shake of her head, "but there is something I want you to complete before you leave."

Curiosity piqued, Sakura watched quietly as the Hokage set her ink brush down and leaned down to open one of the lower drawers of the large cedar desk. Then, after pulling open what appeared to be an empty compartment, the younger medic watched the kunoichi perform a short series of hand seals before reaching into the opened nook and withdrawing a pair of scrolls, each bearing the Hokage's official seal. Green eyes sparkled with interest as she watched her shishou set the scrolls on the desk between them. Then, honey-colored eyes fell upon her and Tsunade spoke.

"I think it's time that you leave this village, Sakura."

Jaw dropping open, Sakura stared at the older woman in shock, her mind blank.

Leave the village? Why? For what? A mission? Did something happen? Was she being exiled?

Apparently sensing or foreseeing the poor woman's internal meltdown, Tsunade calmly elaborated.

"What I mean is, I think it's time for you to explore the world without the burdens of this village."

Still not fully grasping just what the blonde was trying to convey, Sakura struggled to find the words to make a coherent sentence. And while normally, the sight of her former apprentice seeming so completely flustered would be amusing, Tsunade was growing impatient. Perhaps, she needed to switch tactics.

"Sakura, how old are you?"

Blinking in surprise at the sudden shift in the conversation, Sakura answered hesitantly. "I'm twenty-one, Tsunade-sama."

Nodding thoughtfully, the blonde leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, repeating Sakura's answer softly, "Twenty-one... twenty-on-"

Then she stopped.

Gaze hardening, Tsunade sat up slowly and pinned the young woman standing before her with a sharp glare.

"Sakura."

Forcing down the instinct to flinch at the sharpness of the older woman's tone, Sakura answered cautiously. "Yes, Shishou?"

"When was the last time you took some time off?"

Uh... what?

Sakura gaped.

"I beg your pardon?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she watched Sakura's mood shift.

"Answer the question, Sakura."

Confused by the Hokage's sudden and intense interest in her work schedule, Sakura took a moment to think carefully before responding. "I don't know, Tenten and Neji's wedding, I suppose."

*CRASH*

"WHAT!?"

Instincts taking over, Sakura jumped across the room at sight of the Hokage's once-beautiful cedar desk laying in shambles on the cracked tile floor and the woman responsible slowing rising from her chair, her fury extending outwards in waves as she stepped over the carnage. Then, she roared.

"Sakura! That was over a year ago! Why didn't you say something?" She roared,

"Because, it's not a big deal!"

"Are you stupid, yes it is!"

That was it.

Suddenly, Sakura felt just as furious as her shishou looked. "So what if I didn't take a vacation this year! Why does it even matter? It's not like I have anywhere special that I want to go, I would've just spent the time at home or running errands. I'm much better off doing something productive and useful with my time!"

"That's no excuse to drown yourself in work, Sakura!" Tsunade snapped, her hands curling into fists at her sides as she marched in the direction of her beloved pupil, prepared to send her through the wall if she didn't choose her next words carefully.

Even in her rage, Sakura wasn't foolish enough to challenge her shishou. So, instead of adding more fuel to the fire, she sighed.

"Look, ever since you took Naruto on as your successor, the hospital has been short-staffed. Plus, it's not like I'm stuck in the village and suffering from wanderlust or something, the alliance with Akatsuki has been an exciting venture and diplomatic missions let me travel." Offering Tsunade a small smile, Sakura added, "I'm fine, Shishou, really."

Then, as the pieces started clicking together in her mind, Tsunade smiled softly at the young woman and spoke gently, "Sakura, you're only making excuses."

Meeting the older woman's gaze head-on, Sakura insisted, "No, I am not;" hoping that the finality of her tone would signify the end of this conversation.

Tsunade, however, seemed less convinced, and instead of allowing the kunoichi to continue, she reached out with steady hands and drew the younger woman into a rare hug.

Then, after tucking the pinkette's head into her shoulder and gently running her fingers through the girl's long hair, she whispered, "It's already been two years, already, Sakura; you can't keep pretending to be busy. You need to move on."

Sighing softly, Sakura returned her teacher's hug before speaking. "I have, Shishou. I promise. I'm all right."

"Then why are you still here?" Tsunade asked, pulling the kunoichi away from her chest and staring her right in the eyes.

Sakura's brow furrowed, "What do you mean, why am I still here?"

And so, they were officially back to square one.

Tsunade let out a frustrated huff before looking down at her apprentice sternly, "What I mean is, why are you still letting the village tie you down?"

"Tsunade-sama! You couldn't possibly-" Tsunade clicked her tongue and gave her student a sharp thump on the head.

"Of course not, you idiot!" She hissed, "What I am trying to get through that thick skull of yours is that you are young and the shinobi nations are at peace. So, why don't you take this chance to go and explore the world like you've always wanted?"

The pinkette frowned.

"The village needs me, Shishou. I can't just leave."

Tsunade sighed, "I'm not telling you to leave. I telling you to take a break and go gain some life experience outside of these walls. Go and conduct medical research like you have always wanted. The village will be here when you come back."

Gazing up into the soft, honey-colored eyes of her mentor, Sakura felt the deep chains of anxiety, the ones that tightened around her heart every time she heard of another friend's engagement or one of Naruto's many outrageous adventures in another country, loosen.

She inhaled sharply. It was all so sudden, the idea that she'd actually get to leave the village without the added burden of a mission - it felt too good to be true. But, as she stared into her shishou's eyes, the pink-haired medic felt excitement flutter in her chest for the first time in years and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Tsunade was being serious.

"Really?" she asked breathlessly, waiting with bated breath for her shishou's response, as if expecting it all to be some cruel joke.

However, when the blonde Sannin nodded, the kunoichi launched herself into the woman's waiting arms and laughed.

"I expect regular updates, lots of souvenirs and a bottle of exotic sake when you return." The Hokage ordered with a chuckle, squeezing her apprentice once more before releasing the beaming jonin and taking a step back to turn towards the devastated desk. Sakura watched eagerly as, after a minute of searching and tossing various scrolls aside, the Hokage turned back around and presented her with the first of the two scrolls that bore the Hokage's seal.

"I've been hanging onto this for about a year now," she mused as she held the scroll out for Sakura to take, "I was honestly beginning to think you would never come and ask me for it."

Once the document was safely clutched within the hands of her apprentice, Tsunade smiled and handed her the second scroll. "This one is in case he decides to join you. It will allow him to travel freely through the nations as your companion... Just don't go to Suna."

When Sakura nodded in understanding, Tsunade added, "I will take care of filing your request for leave from the hospital and removing you from the active duty list. You'll have to visit the jounin headquarters tomorrow, though, just to make sure you haven't been already been requested for any missions. Otherwise, you have a week to settle any affairs in the village. After that, I don't want to see hair or hide of you in Konoha for at least a month or two."

Sakura glanced down at the scroll in her hand before looking back up at her mentor. "And if there is an emergency?"

"I will send Katsuyu for you."

"What about Naruto?" Tsunade scoffed.

"The brat's twenty, he'll live."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the look of irritation that passed over her shishou's face at the thought of informing the overactive Hokage-in-training of her departure.

"And my apartment?"

"I'll make sure that you will always have a place to come home to, Sakura."

The tenderness in Tsunade's tone made Sakura pause in her mental checklist and, before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around the buxom blonde one more time as a few tears spilt down her cheeks. Biting her lip, she willed her voice not to waver as she felt the older woman hug her tight and gently stroke her bubblegum-pink hair.

"Thank you, Shishou." She whispered.

Tsunade blinked away the tears that gathered in her eyes at the thought of letting her prized student go, but after she gave the girl one last loving squeeze, she pulled away and smiled. "You're welcome, Sakura."

Quietly closing the front door behind her, Sakura stepped out of her shoes and into her apartment, the scrolls Tsunade had given her still clutched in her hand.

"The second is in case he decides to join you. It will allow him to move freely through the nations as your companion."

Lifting her gaze from the scrolls, Sakura looked appreciatively around her apartment and smiled faintly as memories of friends, family and teammates joining her for dinner or in grief of a fallen comrade, alike, began to surfacing in her mind. The small living space held so many precious memories that it almost felt wrong to be so excited to leave.

However, as she moved further into the tiny apartment, gaze drifting over various knick-knacks and souvenirs she and her friends had acquired over the years, she couldn't keep the silly grin off her lips.

After the war, she had abandoned her desire of traveling the world and studying different medical ninjutsu in favor of helping the village recover. And when the reconstruction period ended, the foreign relief and diplomatic trips began, sending her from Iwa to Kiri to Suna and every civilian village in-between. There had been so much that needed to be done that only the civilians had the time to think and dream - she was too busy mending the pieces of her broken reality. It wasn't until a sudden sandstorm had forced her to stay-over in Suna three years ago, when Gaara had offered her unrestricted access to the late Lady Chiyo's medical research as a 'thank you' for saving his and his brother's lives, that she'd realized she had never stopped yearning for the chance to set out on her own journey. And now, in the early years following the latest Great Shinobi War and the Allied Peace Alliance with the Akatsuki, after she had sacrificed everything for the people she loved, for her home, she was finally getting the opportunity to pursue her greatest dreams.

She'd be damned if she didn't take it.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura moved towards the small kitchenette in search of tea, anything to calm her quickly growing excitement. She had a week to pack and get everything sorted out at the hospital and the missions office, she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by the urge to start planning her trip.

Unclipping and setting her standard-issue belt and medical pack on the kitchen table, Sakura grabbed the empty teapot off of the stove and strode over to the sink. Setting the lid aside, she flipped the tap and turned her attention towards the overhead cabinets and withdrew her favorite porcelain teacup. An incredibly thoughtful (and late) birthday gift from her former sensei, the teacup was hand-crafted in Tea Country and painted a pale mint green with thin branches and vibrant cherry blossoms wrapping elegantly around the curved surface. Placing the cup carefully on the counter beside the stove, Sakura turned back towards the sink, shut off the faucet, and relocated the teapot onto the stovetop before replacing the lid and twisting a plastic dial to light the gas-fueled burner.

Satisfied with the promise of hot tea, the kunoichi made her way over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of leftovers from the previous night's dinner. Popping the lid off the takeout container, she dumped the contents onto a dish she had grabbed from the cupboard and slid the plate into the microwave. A few beeps later, the soft drone of the microwave and the smell of re-heated katsudon filled the air as Sakura pulled open a nearby drawer and extracted a pair of disposable chopsticks. She had just slipped the paper casing off when a shrill whistle erupted from the direction of the stove, signaling that her long-awaited cup of jasmine tea was ready.

Quickly removing the kettle from its heat source, Sakura shut off the gas and happily poured herself a cup of jasmine tea before fetching her dinner and settling into one of her kitchen chairs and digging in. Odd as it may have seemed, despite enjoying the company of her friends and family, she preferred eating her dinners in the silence of her kitchen. It was the only way she knew how to relax and de-stress after hectic hospital shifts or long diplomatic missions. Although, it hadn't started that way.

Staring down into the half-filled cup of tea, the twenty-one year old medic frowned as the memories of silent dinners and emotionless apologies began to eat away at her good mood and the smell of smoke and sandalwood slowly drifted into her senses. Subconsciously, her chopsticks snapped like thin twigs between her fingers and she tightened her grip on the delicate teacup. However, before her favorite piece of tableware could be reduced to a pile of fine powder, the taste of blood brought her back to the present and she quickly released the teacup to touch her now-bleeding bottom lip.

"Now is not the time to be thinking about that, you have more important things to do." She scolded herself lightly before swiftly finishing her dinner and tea and taking her dishes to the sink. She would do them later. For now, she needed to figure out what she wanted to take with her and what she wanted to leave behind until she returned.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura forced down any lingering discontent and began moving out of the kitchen and into the adjacent living room. However, just as she passed the threshold, she paused when her gaze came to rest on a set of pictures hanging beside the doorway to the kitchen.

The first was a picture from the day she and Ino had been promoted to jonin following the war. The pushy bombshell had forced a reluctant Shikamaru to take their picture on the spot, despite the obvious reconstruction measures taking place in the background. It wasn't until a particularly late night at the bar that a drunk Ino had admitted to Sakura that she had wanted the sight of the village being rebuilt in the background because it symbolized how far they had all come and how much they had endured together.

A small smile tugged on the medic's lips before her gaze fell upon the next photograph. Unlike the previous image, this one had pre-dated the war and had been gifted to her by her mother after her's had been lost in the wake of the battle against Pein. It was of her and her parents, taken shortly after her official promotion to medicnin and was granted a position in the hospital. It was one of the few times her civilian parents had been proud of her career path, because they finally felt that she was "useful" to the village working in the hospital.

Having long since accepted her parent's opinions of her occupation, Sakura let a soft sigh slip through her lips before turning her focus to the picture that had started it all: Genin Team 7.

Somehow, despite the fractured relationship of its original members, the small photograph had survived the collapse of her previous apartment complex, as well as the fire that had engulfed large portions of the village during the Akatsuki raid. She still remembered the exact moment that she had pulled it out of the wreckage. It was one of the few moments that Naruto had smiled during the first few weeks following the war. Framed cracked and glass shattered, the picture had miraculously stayed intact - much unlike the team it depicted.

Smiling sadly once more at the grinning and disgruntled faces looking back at her, and at the memories of happier and simpler times, Sakura turned away to venture further into her apartment.

And immediately froze.

She wasn't alone.

Eyes wide, the kunoichi stiffened as the dark figure lounging on her sofa made himself known.

"I'm disappointed in you, little girl."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight as her heart threatened to crash through the front of her chest. "That voice."

"Hmm? Cat got your tongue?" a dark chuckle echoed through the small apartment as cool gray-brown eyes scrutinized her every move, "You didn't really think a locked door and some mediocre genjutsu could keep someone like me out, did you?"

She grit her teeth at the mockery in his voice. Although, she be damned if she admitted that he was right. She really should be more careful and conscientious of the price on her head. But this was a time of peace across the shinobi nations and after spending days and weeks and months constantly watching her back and the backs of her teammates during the war and on missions, she figured she'd deserved to be able to let her guard down within the safety of her own village.

She glared at the patronizing missing-nin sitting on her sofa.

Apparently not.

Letting out a melodramatic sigh that did not match the bored look on his face, the man sneered, "To think that I was killed by you," eyes narrowing, "a little girl who is now brandishing chopsticks as a form of weaponry - how pathetic."

She growled lowly, tightening her grip on the decorative hair sticks she had pulled from her hair - a gift from Tenten on her last birthday - and lowering herself into a defensive stance in case he decided to strike.

Instead, the missing nin scoffed at her obvious preparation for battle. He then rose from her couch and moved towards, his cloak fluttering around his legs as he stepped around the coffee table and into the thin strip of moonlight that poured into the room through a small crack in the curtains, illuminating the scarlet clouds printed on his black attire and his hair, the color of blood.

"That doesn't change the fact that you died and I won." She snarled, side-stepping back towards the kitchen. If she could just get to her pack she would be fine.

However, just as she chanced another step backwards, he disappeared from sight.

And reappeared behind her.

Letting out a startled gasp, Sakura lunged forward and made an attempt to put as much distance between herself and the undead, homicidal puppet-master as possible. When her back hit the wall, however, Sasori grinned. And this time, when she tried to run, he caught her with ease, attaching chakra strings to her arms and legs and halting her movements completely.

"I will admit that you surprised me with your abilities once before," he hissed, closing the distance between them in a few quick strides before taking her by the chin and forcing her to meet his gaze, "but I assure you, this time, you won't be getting away so easily, Sakura."

Well, there you have it! Chapter One has been completed!

Thanks again and PLEASE let me know your thoughts in the comments or DM me!

~Smash41KMF