Author's Notes:

This is my very first official fanfic, so I'm still getting used to the format.

Also, I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors or Narutoverse inconsistencies.

I did include an OC here, but I'm using him to assist with story-telling so he won't be taking up space

in later chapters. Thank you!

Chapter 1: Intruder

A beautiful man in his early thirties was sitting opposite of Sakura, drinking a hot cup of tea. Everything about him was elegant and precise as if a forest spirit has graced her with a visit. He had long brown hair, neatly tied back, and wore a well-fitting traditional garment. His gaze was busy with a long letter. Sakura sat nervously, trying to hide her anticipation. The man noticed that, deciding to spend extra time going over each word, trying to not let it show that he, in fact, read the letter several months prior her follow-up visit.

"So, um... Komatsu-san.." insinuated the kunoichi, noticing him folding the letter over. As much as the rumors of this man's avoidant nature and motivation issues put her on guard, she needed to get this over with. This man could potentially save her life. She took a deep breath to loosen herself up and finally fired up her determination.

"And you must be Sakura-san?" wondered the man, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Oh my, I heard so much about you. The blossom of Konoha - as strong a healer as she is a fighter. This is truly an honor," recited Komatsu, with a playful smirk. Sakura clearly understood that this was an attempt to derail the conversation from the topic at hand. She politely smiled back at him, without indulging in a frivolous complement exchange; however, she could think of many about him. This man was an extremely talented medical ninja, that made advancements in psychotherapy. A man who is able to read people accurately, and administer the best course of action. He could save her from the mess she got herself into. Starting up a clinic focused on helping kids with never ending psychological issues was a noble cause, but it was driving the woman into the ground. She was swamped day and night, with a mountain of paperwork, constant complaints, and meetings. She could feel herself suffering side effects of overwork. It became harder to hide her dark eye circles with makeup. Her hair was thinning. She was losing chakra.

"Ah, thank you. Those are merely exaggerations. I do strive to help as many people as I can, though. Which is why I am here," continued Sakura, artfully bending the polite conversation to her whim. She heard the man sigh with disappointment, as he understood that Sakura was the real deal. His expression became a little less cheerful. "So, what do you think?"

"Are you offering me employment?" asked Komatsu, suddenly turning to Sakura. Finally facing him, Sakura noticed him studying her face, and gestures. She suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was as if he was touching her while being two feet away.

"I am offering you a chance to help me run an institution. I believe you always wanted a quite facility to conduct research. I promise you would be compensated in full! There is just so much, that to do, I don't think I could do it without your help." confessed Sakura, trying to distance herself from her plea. Begging like this, she thought she was close to tears. Her psychotherapy department was very large, with a multitude of different professionals - and many different methods. She celebrated the days without verbal or physical confrontations. Multiple complaints were filed directly to her, each demanding her picking a side - an executive duty she couldn't handle all by herself. Especially without an in-depth understanding of psychology, and an educated moral compass. This was her duty to the village, looking from the outside at the suffering of her friends, unable to help. But now, she could. And it only took Ino weeks and weeks of begging Sakura to finally come to her senses, and ask for help. And now she's here, in a town on the outskirts of Konoha, trying to enlist a man whose avoidance was more famous than his talent. "Just a little bit more," she told herself.

"Excuse me," politely gestured the man as he finished the rest of his tea, and got up to put away his cup. The woman rested her head in her hands. She found it extremely difficult to focus whenever she did not have mountains of paperwork in front of her. Her mind would always wander. She couldn't help but want to repress certain thoughts and emotions. She was in charge now, so she needed to act that way. But now, she found herself replaying that memory. 'I'll see you soon...' Sakura got up from the table, deciding to bring her cup to the kitchen as well. The rusty room was left slightly ajar, so she could hear bits of conversation.

"This is a great opportunity for you, Kei. I don't see why not?" wondered a weary man's voice.

"Uncle, this is all extremely risky. And my boss would be a child," stated Komatsu.

"Didn't you say that she trained under lady Tsunade?"

"Battle strength is not the same as experience."

"Besides, I can clearly see her mental state. I don't want to work under someone who lacks conviction and emotional stability."

"You've got a point," concluded the elder. Sakura turned back. She sat back at the table, in somewhat of a shock. 'Me - unstable? What would he even know about me? What a pretentious little-' Sakura felt the smooth concrete of the wall to her right, against her fist. A deep indent was formed with cracks spreading in every direction, with a symphony of popping and trembling. Soon the small, two-story cottage was replaced with piles of rubble and steam. Sakura grabbed her miraculously unscathed bag and started to walk away, ignoring the onlookers wondering how a random house could collapse out of nowhere. She was through with these games. As intelligent as she was, conversations that resembled a game of chess were not her strong suit. Letting out steam by punching a nearby tree, she finally managed to calm down. With chilly air, came a sense of cold emptiness, and melancholy. She was confused.

"Thank you so much, Lee-san," said Sakura, receiving a cup of coffee with a large bag of miscellaneous snacks. The guy clearly did not know what she liked. She failed to hide the fact that she fell asleep at her desk, yesterday night. Her hair now mimicked her father's eccentric cut, while still being recognizable as a bedhead. Her face looked pale while featuring ink stains. In her disorientation, she dropped the bag on the floor, and almost did so with the coffee. Lee immediately caught it mid-fall and positioned the provisions on her desk.

"No problem! Always ready to help!" exclaimed the goofy guy, with his signature smile. She saw him exit her office, the same way he entered - by making a very showy jump, even by shinobi standards. She closed her window and leaned back in her chair while looking at the ceiling. The room was large, almost the size of Rokudaime's, but way more filled. There were shelves on both sides, filled to the brim, as well as multiple potted plants. Both on top, and around her desk were mountains of paperwork. While spinning in her chair, she almost knocked over her heater. Suddenly, she noticed the clock. '12:30, huh' She realized at this point, that she wasted hours sleeping, but she couldn't bring herself to start any of her work. Finally, deciding to honor her coffee, she began to slowly wake up. Rummaging in the plastic bag, she found dango, bread rolls, chips, onigiri, and some candy. 'Oh Lee. You shouldn't have. That damn Ino, going around telling people I can't handle it!' She wanted to prove everyone she could. She wasn't a helpless little girl anymore. She wanted to prove to them, and the whole world. And even to…

"Sakura-san!" pleaded someone, suddenly bursting into her office. Sakura was stretching, and this genuinely startled her. She quickly informed the gravity of the situation, by the medical ninja's white uniform. The man was in a state of panic compared to Sakura's calm composure. The clinic still went to her in cases of extreme emergencies, but they never turned out to be anything Sakura couldn't handle. She put on her jacket and rushed alongside the anxious ninja. It was a few blocks from her facility. She neglected to appreciate the beauty of the ever-busy Konoha, this time as well.

"Amazing! To be able to perform such an unheard of procedure!" began a man on the other end of the hospital lounge.

"I was holding my breath. Such finesse. Say, senpai, do you know if, you know?" asked the other ninja, wondering about Sakura's availability.

"Back off," replied the older guy. Both of them proceeded to laugh it off. Sakura didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but she was too exhausted to entertain that thought any further. As impressive as the procedure might have looked like, it was a close call. And that was not even including Sakura's abused sleep cycle. She had never seen such an abomination of a case. Three unconscious ninja were found spliced together after missing from a lengthy mission. Not only that, besides them being conjoined in several odd locations, but Sakura found that their chakra networks were tangled up. Not only was this an extremely improbably by medical standards, the chakra points were overacting. These ninja were in a collective coma, as their bodies were quickly rejecting the other two's presence. They were not even well matched in terms of blood type. The needed to be separated as possible. To conduct this procedure she needed an extreme amount of focus, precision, and chakra. But nevertheless, she did it. After putting the obscurity in her notes, she decided to take a small break in the lounge. The busyness and cleanliness of the clinic were a welcomed change of pace, compared to her lonely office, where the only companion she faced fo hours, was the mound of looming deadlines. 'We all pay a price for success I suppose.'

"Sakura-Senpai." called a nurse. Sakura remembered her face. This girl used to follow her around everywhere, always pestering and distracting her from her work. Now, she was more than happy to see her. Her innocent face reminded her of her own back in the day. "There's someone here to see you!"

"Who is it?" wondered Sakura without any particular curiosity.

"I don't know. But he's a major cutie. Those sharp eyes. I think I've seen him somewhere before." began the girl. Sakura's heart jumped. 'Could it be? No way. But then what other cutie would come all the way here to see me?' She didn't reply to the girl, and went toward the lobby, a sense of anticipation and hope made her step quicker. She was desperate.

"Oh, it's just you," harshly noticed Sakura with intense disappointment. It was the very same man who she was trying to recruit a few days ago. Komatsu Kei. After the fiasco, she no longer regarded him as a candidate for assistance, now loathing him for not being Sasuke. She got depressed. 'I'm such an idiot, what could he possibly want with me, now of all times, when he's clearly off god knows where' "What do you want"

"I'm here to reconsider," announced Komatsu, with a fake smile. His face was decorated by scrapes he likely got from the collapse.

"Huh?"

"You did break my house after all."