Disclaimer: Naruto and company aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for the duration of this fic..so enjoy! Just as a warning there'll be language and adult situations so to be on the safe side I'm rating this mature for now.

A/N: Sasuke has been gone for several years in his search for power. Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi are a three man cell...that much I wrote to keep the anime part going. Pretty much everything else won't resemble manga events, as I've never read it, and at this point I don't know how much will ride the anime version line. Naruto and Sakura have within the last six months joined the ranks of Jounin, and they're still teamed with Kakashi. Currently, there are no pairings in this story, although that could change. I'll post a notice when it does, if it does.

Sheltered

By: nlightnd

Furiously, Sakura stormed into her apartment; slamming the door behind her. Her temper was obviously a shortcoming she'd never overcome. And it didn't help matters that she'd apprenticed meticulously under the fifth Hokage, a superior medic nin who's abilities far outweighed anyone else's, a busty blond named Tsunade. That woman had a temper far worse than the pink-haired medic nin ever thought of having. In fact men feared her former teacher. Even Jiraiya, legendary in his own right, seemed to walk a fine line around her. Although, he loved getting drunk with her.

Sakura often wondered if anything ever happened between the two Sennin while under the flow of inebriation. The two not only bickered, but their mannerisms made their relationship, to the uninvolved passerby, more than platonic. One might almost suggest in the marital domain.

Sakura shook her head back and forth violently, immediately denying such an idea. There's no way the Godaime would go for him. Right? The frog Sennin was nothing short of lecherous and deprived, his mental capacity rarely ventured from below a female's breasts unless a situation was serious, possibly on the verge of being head on into danger.

But then again, she'd seen Jiraiya on the wrong end of Tsunade's bad side. She'd seen the much older man running like hell out of the village, dust trailing behind him, several times as a result of his perverted nature. Trying to proposition the female Hokage to model for an Icha, Icha volume, Jiraiya angered her forcing him to abandon the premises or face bodily harm. So, basically there's wasn't much of a choice.

And this is one of the reasons Sakura surmised that Tsunade's strength and temper had passed to her. Every day more and more male shinobi alike walked the other way when Sakura pitched a fit, expressing violently her anger towards someone who'd pissed her off.

"What the hell's their problem anyway?"

Dropping on to her overstuffed couch, she angrily punched a pillow to her side. "Why are they always doing that? Protecting me, I mean? They know I can't stand to be protected!" Small delicate fists balled up at the humiliation she'd suffered from her two team members.

Tears filled her eyes, feelings of weakness returned to haunt her. Like the night when Sasuke left the village on his quest for Orochimaru and great power.

That night she'd never felt so incredibly weak in all her young existence. Even Sasuke had protected her then. He'd whispered his thanks to her; rewarding her with a blow to the back of her head. For that, he knew, would be the only way he could prevent her from leaving, from screaming, or drawing attention to them both.

It'd hurt that he'd done so. All her life, the men around her, surrounded her, protected and sheltered her. And in her eyes it was because they viewed her as weak, a liability, a kunoichi unable to call on her abilities, much less use them.

She was weak. Bottom line. End of story. And that's all she'd ever be. No matter how much physical strength she amassed, Sakura, or her strength, would never be enough. She'd always be left behind. That's the way it'd always be...that's the way she'd always be...sheltered and protected.

Wanting to kick, scream and cry, Sakura closed her eyes tightly, fighting for some semblance of control, a way to calm her raging emotions. One word came to her mind. Training. It was that simple. Multiple times in the past she trained to rid herself of anger while improving various skills that needed their capabilities increased.

That's what I'll do, she said, her mind set on the physical aspects and rewarding fatigue her body would receive as a result. Standing up, she walked to her bedroom, determination emanating from every inch of her skin. Nothing would stop her, or no one.

Looking at her garb, her red tunic and black shorts, the same outfit she'd worn as a Genin and Chunin, still fit just right. It was also perfect to train in since it was loose and formfitting where it counted. Aside from her regulation green cargo pants, vest and black shirt, it was an outfit that she deemed comfortable to train or spar while wearing.

Grabbing her gear she hurriedly left her apartment, running towards the familiarity of team seven's training grounds. One of the sources of fun, troubled emotions, beginnings and endings, that were part of her as well as her friends, whom she considered her family, too.

Hours later, heaving for breath, shurikens held in hand, Sakura narrowed her eyes at the wooden targets. Leaping into the air, yelling out, her hands released the weapons as she flipped through the air. Seconds later, she heard three, consecutive thunks as they planted their sharp edges into the thick logs.

Landing gently on her feet Sakura grunted in satisfaction. The trio of metallic weapons hit dead center. "Yeah!" she yelled triumphantly.

Beads of sweat rolled down her face, sliding down her arms and legs, she whipped out several kunai.

"Here we go again." Whispering this, the pink haired kunoichi relaxed her limbs, concentrating on the three targets before her. Thinking harder, she smirked. "That's the ones!"

Suddenly the kunai flew from her hands. They didn't even head towards the marks directly in front. Instead the deadly knives flew to her left, whistling in the wind as they swiftly headed towards her intended targets.

Whack! Followed by yelling and cursing, two males evacuated the tree they'd been occupying. "Damn, Sakura! You almost hit my balls, thanks!"

Her face innocently pouted. "You mean I missed?" Shrugging she said, "Guess that means I'll have to get back to practice so I can perfect my aim." Green eyes flashed in anger and fury, her petite body tensed; ready for action.

"What are you two doing here anyway?"

Pulling out the kunai buried in the front of his jacket pocket, Kakashi dropped the knife and flipped open his vest pocket. Retrieving an infamously, orange- colored book, he bemoaned its destruction. "I just got this book too. Can't you be a little more careful, Sakura, of others and their belongings?"

Not a good thing. He received a much different reaction from the female shinobi.

His eye crinkled giving her the happy look, fingerless, gloved hand stroking the back of his silver, wild hair. Nervous laughter flowed from his lips, taking in the furious expression, eyes dark as thunder clouds, hands appearing ready to show the extent of her monstrous strength, Kakashi flinched under her anger. Rarely did she direct it towards him, but now it was his turn.

Lips clenched tightly, fists at her side growing white from the pressure she placed on them, Sakura let loose.

"Shove it up your ass, Kakashi! Your precious book deserved it, you pervert! You're almost as bad as the author who pens them!"

Insulted, Kakashi cried out, "Hey! You're talking about literary genius here. Not to mention he's in a class all by himself."

The damned lazy Jounin, considering himself an expert on literary masterpieces made her inner self laugh, if only for a second. Those books were nothing but pornographic mind candy, useful only for perverts who had no one to relieve their baser needs. That or they were just too apathetic and lazy to go get one!

Unamused, she snapped, "Yeah, you're both in a class by yourself!" Growling in frustration, she closed her eyes, opening them to find both men looking at her dumbfoundedly. Their faces pushed her closer to the edge and Kami help them when she went over because they were going with her!

Moving closer to them, she fumed, "And talking about being careful and respectful of people's belongings...what about respecting people, and their feelings, Kakashi?!" Pink hair swinging to accommodate the motion of her head changing to Naruto's direction, she asked him, "What about you, Naruto? What about respecting a person and their feelings?"

Naruto and Kakashi shared a look of genuine confusion. What had they done this time? The occasion was rare for the kunoichi to express anything but respect and appreciation for the older man. However, it wasn't uncommon for Naruto to offend Sakura and ending up with a punch to the head for what he'd said or done. But the blond, or silver-haired man, couldn't remember anything they'd done to set her off. Something somewhere had stirred her up. But what?

Sakura still hadn't informed them why she was so mad, so the blond haired boy figured he'd ask.

"Sakura, what's wrong? Have we done something to piss you off? If so, we'd appreciate it if you could let us in on the problem." He stood there arms crossed, blue eyes shining and mouth frowning in concern. His lean, muscular form stood silent and still. His body had changed a lot since their academy days and they time before he'd left to train with Jiraiya. He'd filled out easily becoming a rival for Sasuke. If he'd ever return, that is.

"You mean you don't know? How could either of you not know?!"

Their ignorance pushed her further towards the edge, making her all the angrier. How the hell could they not know? They'd listened to it, dealt with it and supposedly helped her overcome it during her Genin days. Guess not.

Sakura knew neither of them were that stupid. Mainly speaking of Kakashi. That man was too damned intelligent and a brilliant strategist to state otherwise.

Kakashi's smooth, calming voice called out to her. "Sakura, honestly, we have no idea why you're so angry with us. Please enlighten us so we can fix it." Flashing her a weak, lopsided smile, he added, "A good team won't work well together if there's a problem and it never gets fixed. Trust me on this."

Both of them genuinely appeared to care. And both of them seemed unsure of what had caused her verbal and physical tirade.

"Fine! Have it your way!"

Turning on her heel, she threw a smirk in their direction. "If you don't know...I'm not going to tell you. Now, if you'll excuse me I am expected at the Hokage's office for a mission debrief. "

Without another word, she disappeared in a flurry of petals which blew around the male duo, teasing them with the lingering smell of Sakura.

Blue eyes met a dark, serious gaze, "So what now?"

Shrugging his shoulders he murmured, "We do what I do best."

An eyebrow raised wondering what his former teacher meant. "And that is..."

"We wait." Kakashi replied. "We can't force her to reveal her troubles before she's ready. It'll only end in more pain and anger, so we must wait until she comes to us."

"Damn! That might take forever, Kakashi!"

"I doubt it, Naruto."

Naruto, worried about his female team mate wondered if she'd be alright. Hell, he still wasn't aware of anything that he and Kakashi had done; to say the least, it was bothering the hell out of him. Sakura had always been emotional and temperamental, at times, always had been. Sometimes she reminded him of himself when a friend's life was endangered and everything was on the line. That's when their true strengths shone through. That's when their ultimate abilities revealed themselves; enabling them to defeat their opponents while finishing their objective.

But Naruto couldn't forget the injured look in Sakura's eyes. A look that supposedly he and Kakashi placed there, and it haunted him. He hurt because she hurt. Her emotional pain sliced him as no kunai could. The uncertainty of alleged events and words mocked him, threw him into a mental, wandering tailspin.

Suddenly, a growling split the air. Slightly chuckling, the blond Kyuubi container grabbed at him belly flashing Kakashi a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Haven't eaten in a couple of days. Not since our last mission anyway."

Kakashi's stomach grumbled, echoing his friend's bodily noise, and he glanced at Naruto. " Care to go get some ramen?"

"You bet!" Naruto's enthusiatic reply echoed across the area, his voice repeating several times before fading to nothing.

The pair, formerly teacher and student, now friends and team mates walked off team seven's old training grounds in the direction of Ichiraku's, ready to stuff down the world's greatest ramen. Or so says Naruto. Their forms, dark silhouttes against the setting sun, finally eclipsed from sight, their voices adrift on the softly blowing wind.

Emerald eyes gazed at the Hokage in surprise. "You want me to do what? Godaime, are you certain?" Shock wearing off she continued, "But the differences in our abilities, our levels...you're sending me after an S-ranked individual?" Sakura's palms connected with her teacher's solid, wooden desk. "Why? Why me? I don't know if I'm ready for this, Tsunade-sensei!"

Calm, decisive eyes watched her and replied, "Are you frightened, Sakura?"

"Yes! Who of us wouldn't be? This isn't someone's fucking cat, dog or fat-assed, lazy public figure you're sending me after! This is him for Kami's sake!"

Pain welled in her eyes, her mission instructions cutting at what remained of her beating heart. "Are you sure I can do this?"

"I'm sure you can, Sakura."

A third voice, calm as Tsunade herself, answered her question. The soft voice seemed so certain, so sure.

"but I'm not, " her voice whispered, "this is a man who's had years of experience on me. One who's tried to break me! Do I have the strength to face him and take him down?"

"You do. You're as strong in strength and spirit as the Hokage, herself. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're my sister and I tell you that you CAN do this! Look deep, push away all doubts, find the shinobi you're meant to be, bring her to the surface and dare anyone to rouse your fierce anger! Do this for us, Sakura! You'll succeed, I know it!"

Turning to face Shizune, Sakura bowed her head fighting her warring emotions. Strange enough since shinobi weren't supposed to show emotions, especially on missions.

A hand slammed down on Tsunade's desk. The Godaime's temper awakened. "Sakura! Snap out of it! You're more than capable to handle this one! Quit your whining, moaning and get your ass out there and take care of him!"

Eyes blazing furiously, Tsunade's voice lowered a notch, "Sakura, if Shizune or I had any doubts about you being able to handle this do you think we'd assign you the mission; then let you go?" Her face softening, Tsunade calmed like a storm spent, "You're like a daughter to me. And I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't believe I'd let you go had you not proven yourself worthy on many occasions, on many missions. You'll do fine. Believe me."

Her head lifting proudly, Sakura smiled, a true smile, saying, "I'll do it. If the two of you have that much faith in me...then I at least have to try!"

Returning Sakura's smile Tsunade replied, "That's my girl! Now here's all the specs you need to memorize before your departure tonight."

Frozen, the young Jounin questioned, "Tonight?"

"Yes. Tonight."

Scroll in hand, she stuttered, "But I won't have time-"

"I'll tell them," Tsunade assured her. "Obviously, I can't tell them your mission, but the least I can do is tell them you've been sent out on one."

Bowing, she replied, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Turning, she placed the rolled parchment on Tsunade's desk having memorized all she needed to know, she headed back to her house to pack.

Hours later, the time was arriving close to midnight. Sakura adjusted her pack, evenly distributing its contents for easier traveling. She was still preoccupied that she hadn't been able to bid "her boys", as she called them, goodbye. At least they'd know why, should the Hokage explain that expedience was top priority, and she didn't have time to run around the village telling everyone farewell.

Crickets chirped, owls hooted, the wind blew, it's gentle caress soothing her busy mind. Twigs cracked under the playful feet of the animals which casually stepped on the, alerting her to their presence. Truth be told, the young medic nin comforted by these sounds, prayed they wouldn't cease. For if they did it'd mean one thing... her target would be near. And this thought sent fresh, frightening feelings throughout every inch of her central nervous system, and limbs.

Sakura continued to travel through the forest. For how long she wasn't entirely certain, but she was sure at least two or three more hours had passed. Her body steadily grew tired, fatigued by the many miles she'd covered. It's pulling persuasion telling her to rest before her chakra depleted from overuse. No matter that she hadn't used any for healing purposes, but she'd traveled a much further distance than was accustomed.

Halting her progress, she leaned wearily against a tree. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she sighed. Oh, just to grab an hour's worth of rest, she thought. Just enough to rejuvenate me. She was so caught up in relaxing she forgot one of the shinobi's main rules: don't ever let your guard down. Especially in foreign places.

All around her crickets ceased their chirping, owls no longer hooted, the wind seemed to stop blowing; the many animals stopped their playing. Silence fell all around.

The only thing Sakura could hear was her thundering heart pushing blood through her veins at a rapid, whooshing pace. "Oh, shit! He's here!" Her harsh whisper sounded loudly in her head, though she spoke it quietly. She could only wonder...where was he? He had to be here somewhere! He was taking his time in revealing himself, letting anticipation build while allowing her to indulge in a small bout of fear-laced adrenaline, ready, preparing for a fight that she was sure she wouldn't walk away from.

A form suddenly appeared before her in the darkness, moon light shining around his tall body. A hand shot out, wrapping this fingers around her slim throat his voice cut through the night.

"Hello, Sakura."

Unable to say anything due to the choking hold his strong hand had placed at her neck, Sakura couldn't think, couldn't react. Her surroundings fading due to the lack of oxygen reaching her brain. Any moment and she'd black out. That's what he intended, she knew. His meaning was hostile and she was positive he meant her harm. What little breath she retained in her lungs, she wheezed his name. A name she new so well. A name to strike fear in the hearts of most men, and women.

In that brief moment she realized why the two men she loved most had acted as they had. They were protecting her due to the chivalrous nature that they'd been raised with, not because they didn't think she wasn't strong enough.

They did it because they were her friends and because they cared and loved her. Now she wished she could take back all her spiteful words she'd spoken in haste. If I make it back, she promised, I'll make everything right. I swear.

Swiveling her attention back to the here and now, she wondered fearfully if the man before her had thoughts of killing or torturing her. His face still had the power to effect her, but she'd be damned if she'd show him that!

Struggling against his tight hold, she choked out his name. A word she hoped could bring him to his senses. Lungs burning, dizziness ensuing, Sakura could feel the affects of unconsciousness creeping up on her. A last resort...she called out to him, the former childhood friend who'd abandoned his entire village because of his hunger for increased strength and power fed by his own greediness to fulfill these whims. Opening her mouth his name barely slid past her lips with her air deprived status, but she still had to try.

"S-s-a-su-ke."

With what remaining oxygen she'd had Sakura expelled it all in the hopes he'd release her. She hoped he wouldn't kill her. Of course he wasn't the same Sasuke she'd known as children, or as teenagers. Green eyes slowly drifted closed and her world dropped into an enveloped, encompassing blackness. A sleep of silence and blessed numbness.

Smirking at his former friend and team mate, he picked her up into his arms, lifted her against his chest and leapt into the trees, their branches barely shaking from the added weight, he moved from limb to limb until not even the moon's rays reached him through the leafy canopy as he made his escape.

A/N: Well, that was my inspire from this weekend. Hope you all liked it. Later.