Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything of the sort….I only own my keyboard and my fingers.

Important Note:

Hello, this is my first Naruto fanfic and I don't know if I'm copying anyone because I'm new to this anime series. Besides I think this will be my first anime story that I am writing about. So sorry if it sounds familiar to yours…but maybe we've both got the same mind or something. This is a SasuSakuSai pairing….I think that's how one would write it.

Anyway I decided to rewrite this story after noticing the death of Orochimaru…and so I'm changing it…so there will be changes now…

The story takes place after five years. Sasuke is now eighteen; Orochimaru is dead (because Sasu killed him somehow). After this event, Sasuke becomes a missing-nin. He gathers a four man team (himself included) to carry out future plans….one of them is destroying Itachi. Sasuke attempts to kill Itachi but fails. Sasuke retreats and gets separated from his team. Naruto met him on a mission somehow and brings back a battered and beat-up Sasuke. Naruto could not remember anything except the part that he found Sasuke laying in a pile of rubble. In critical condition, Sasuke was brought back to Konoha. He gets treated, interrogated, punished, jailed, tortured, quarantined, and later was put on rehab in the hospital, counseled daily by Kakashi, and constantly watched by ANBU for any sign of further connections with Orochimaru…But in Sasuke's case, he doesn't really care about all this. Naruto became livelier than ever about Sasuke being back despite the bitter past that they both shared and missed. While Sakura decided to move on because she thinks that its time to grow up.

"Hey Sakura did you hear? Sasuke-kun will be out of the hospital in a week!" Ino exclaimed happily. The pink hair kunoichi looked up from her book. "Aren't you going to see him?" Ino asked her. "It'll be like old times."

"That's good to hear." Sakura replied and then returned to reading her book. "Come on we can go visit him! I'll stop at my family's shop to grab a bouquet of roses for Sasuke-kun. Do you still want daffodils?" She teased Sakura knowing that Sakura had a thing for the white flowers.

Sakura shook her head in a polite way as a sign that she didn't want to. Realizing that her friend wasn't so enthusiastic about it; Ino replied, "What's wrong? We haven't seen him at all in five years. Don't you wonder what he might look like now?" Ino snatched the book away from her. "The hospital is open for visitors; this is our opportunity to welcome him back home."

To be honest, Sakura did want to go and see Sasuke, but she didn't think she could after all the things that Naruto went through.

You can go ahead Ino, I'll visit Sasuke later. Don't let me slow you down." Sakura said wholeheartedly. Her strange behavior surprised and confused Ino. She gently sat down next to Sakura underneath the peach tree. "You really haven't forgotten that incident have you?" The blonde haired girl asked. Sakura didn't reply.

Two years ago then they found Sasuke in Orochimaru's lair. Sakura felt that maybe he would suddenly come back to Konoha. But she never realized that she was the one who has been missing out on Naruto and Sauke's heated past. She knew nothing of it. And if she had been given the information earlier; she wouldn't have have treated Naruto the way she did during their childhood years.

Sai and Yamato-sensei had recently been added to Team 7 as substitutes for Kaka-sensei and Sasuke's place. They worked their backs off just to find Sasuke and in return; everything about finding Sasuke was in vain. She was shocked when he made the intention to harm Naruto. And Naruto whose wish at the moment was for Sasuke to return, yet Sasuke only brush Naruto's concerns away. That mission was a failure, since Naruto could not control his demon form. So they had to retreat and did not hear of Sasuke since then. Sakura realized that they never got Sasuke back, until now….he's here and had sworn to become a shinobi of Konoha once again.

"Sakura are you even listening to me?" Ino nudged her out of her thoughts. "Sorry…" Sakura replied. Ino stared at her friend and then sighed. "Hey, if you don't want to go, I won't either."

"But Ino—" Sakura tried to explain but was cut short.

"You've bloomed into a beautiful flower. No longer having silly crushes on boys, and me…well I haven't change much at all. I'm still acting alike a child, a bud that has not open yet." Ino answered. "I guess we could stop thinking about him."

"Can you believe a guy like that could attract so many girls?" The two girls look up to see Shikamaru.

"What are you doing here?" Ino immediately pointed a finger at him. Shikamaru groaned. "I'm on break, geez its not like I'm contagious or anything. Besides the Hokage-sama wants to see Sakura." Shikamaru replied yawningly. Sakura was curious. Why would Tsunade want to see her so urgently? She just left that place a few minutes ago. "What does Tsunade-sama request me for? Is the new mission?" She guessed. Shikamaru rubbed his temples. "Well isn't it obvious?" he responded. "Here I am trying to send you the message and yet even before I got here; you both were talking about it. So you should probably know what the mission is already."

His words made Sakura utter out "Sasuke?"

"But Tsunade-sama what about Naruto and Kaka-sensei? Shouldn't they be watching him?" Sakura asked the woman who was busy signing stacks of paper.

"I sent them off on an A-rank mission. You're the only one left on Team 7 who can watch over Sasuke for a while."

"When will they return?" Sakura needed to know. Tsunade did not look up from her papers. "In a couple days or so...Sai is also watching him as well." Sai? He's back from the Wave Country mission already? Sakura thought. After their failed attempt to bring Sasuke, Sai and Yamato-sensei had returned to their previous ranks. Sometimes Sai or Yamato would be replacements again on Naruto and her missions. "Sakura…" She immediately looks up the moment Tsunade said her name.

"Isn't Sasuke what you wanted? For him to come back to Konoha?" She couldn't answer her sensei after that.

"You haven't visited Sasuke at all?" Sai stood next to Sakura on the roof. "Of course I did…I went to see him at the hospital." Sakura lied. He looked at her with questioning eyes. "Are you happy that he's here?" Sai asked her. Sakura was beginning to get pissed off about why everyone keeps asking her that. Did she really show that much emotion about Sasuke in the past? She felt so embarrassed about it now. "Why do you ask?" Sakura paused. Sai knew she was a terrible liar and he did not want to get punch in the face while trying to speak his mind out loud.

"When someone that you care for returns from a long journey or someone whom you haven't seen for a long time comes back; shouldn't you spend time with them?" He implied. He continued when she did not answer. "You wanted Sasuke back so much, but now you're ignoring him." "I'm not." Sakura said.

"I have been monitoring his movements for quite some time now, and you never showed up. Only Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, the Hokage-sama, and the ANBU had spoken to him personally" said Sai.

"What about you? I thought you were going to be guarding Sasuke?" She asked the raven hair teen.

"Since Sasuke simply hates me. I just don't feel like I would want to be near him at all." Sai admitted with a small smile. "That guy doesn't know how to control his anger sometimes." Looking at his smile, Sakura sort of felt sorry about dragging Sai into Team 7's relationship. Before Naruto and she had met Sai. He was a total jerk who would disrespect Sasuke. But now they had came to accept him as a friend.

"I'm sorry to hear that Sasuke hates you Sai." Sakura said.

"Don't mention…I'm just a replacement for Sasuke on your team. Now that he's kicking again; its time for me to get out."

Sasuke stared darkly at the masked ANBU bastard outside. He laid sleeplessly on the hospital bed. Everyone is tightening security both outside and inside every night. They even put seals on windows and the outside of his door just so that he doesn't attempt to escape. Well it's not like he's going anywhere fast. His thoughts drifted off to the brutal torture and interrogations that ANBU put him through. That hurt…but it was something he will get back at them later for. His cold face remained staring at the figure outside. DanmThis particular ANBU seems to be following him for the past days. If only he had healed completely, he would have used the Sharigan to unmask that stalker's face. But for now all Sasuke wanted to do was save his chakra and rest. But before he could drift off to sleep…the door creaked open in the dark….If it was the nurse, the lights would have been turned on already. But the room was still dark and he could hear someone walking in softly. The figure walked around his bed to the side of the desk. Immediately Sasuke reached out to grab the person by the throat. He pressed the intruder against the desk causing a vase to fall. To his surprise a feminine choke was heard from the unidentified person. Sasuke dropped her to the floor and flicked on the lights.

"Sakura what are you doing here?" he demanded. Sakura sat on the ground gasping for air. With a hand over her own neck; Sakura looked away. She was still shaking from his grip. What possessed him to attack her? She was a little confused. Sasuke wanted an answer. Was she sent to assassinate him? Sasuke looked at her teary face and saw a small bouquet of daffodils in her hands …

To Be Continued…..I will update it another day….I'm beginning to love this story because later on Sakura becomes a victim in Sasuke and Sai's deadly quarrel. Who will she choose…Sai or Sasu?