Summer Nights

by KageKyro

Konoha's 100th birthday is fast approaching and Sakura is recruited to help plan security. She is teamed up with an ANBU soldier that shows her what it is to live. And what happens when Sasuke returns with a treacherous plot. Beta for H&E Contest

-1Summer Nights

A/N: This is a dual purpose chapter. It was written for the "Heaven and Earth Contest III" as well as an introduction/prologue to a new series of one-shots that I will be writing. Normally I will release in smaller sections but I needed to introduce all the characters and settings while still adhering to the keyword within one chapter.

Rated: T - for language and references to certain reproductive cycles.

Prologue: It has been six years since Naruto left with Jiraiya to train. Little is known as to why Naruto and Jiraiya did not return after three years. In the mean time Sakura focused on her training, determined to prove her strength to Naruto and Sasuke when they finally returned.

It was that time of year again. The yearly festival celebrating Konoha's birthday was fast approaching and everyone was preparing for the festivities. However, this year was different from any other year. This year was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The marketplace was begining to fill with carts filled with goods from other villages and countries. Haruno Sakura was walking through the village, enjoying the nostalgia of the preparations. Shop owners were making repairs: replacing worn out tarps, replacing molded wood, evicting small animals and painting every square inch of their shop.

However, there were preparations of other sorts going on in the background. The Hokage had arranged for every ANBU and Jounin to be available the week the festivities began. There would be thousands of villagers and travelers lining the streets of Konoha and safety was a prime concern. Sakura, who herself was a Jounin, had been chosen by Tsunade to manage and inspect the villagers preparation for the festival. It was her job to make sure the villagers were safely repairing the village and to organize assistance for those who were to sick or old to finish the repairs themselves.

Almost everyone in the village was so excited about the upcoming anniversary that despite age or sickness, everyone was helping out as best they could. This made Sakura's job extremely easy. She would simply wonder through the streets, monitoring the progress and helping out when needed. She had also arranged for the Chuunin, Genin, and Acadmey Students to help around the village as well. Repairs to all the government buildings were going ahead of schedule. Sakura couldn't help but smile at how well things were going.

Despite all the happiness that the village seemed to be drowning in, Sakura couldn't forget two particular ninja who were missing. Naruto and Sasuke were never far from her thoughts. In fact, they were her motivation to become stronger. When, not if (as many predicted), they returned to the village, she wanted to prove to them that she didn't need to be protected anymore. She had improved immensely over the past six years. In fact, she was also up for a promotion after the festival. A new group of Academy Students were graduating and she was one of the top picks to be a Jonin-Sensei.

Sakura smiled at the thought of molding new ninja into excellent fighters. But this wasn't the time for anticipation for something that was still weeks away. Much more pressing matters were at hand. Sakura checked the watch on her wrist: 1:46. She was scheduled to meet with Tsunade-sama in fourteen minutes. She turned down the street on her right and redirected her course towards the Hokage Office. She hadn't seen much of Tsunade-sama since the preparations for the festival had begun, it would be nice to see her smiling face again.

"SAKURA!!!" screamed the long blonde-haired Hokage. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!!!"

Sakura nervously looked at her watch, it was 2:05. On her way to the office she had gotten distracted by an old women who was having a particularly hard time watering the flowers that were very high up. After helping the old women, she made a mental note to send Genin there the following day to help her. This side trip had made her five minutes late to Tsunade's meeting, which normally wouldn't have been a huge deal, but today something was up.

"I'm sorry Tsunade-sama," chirped the kunoichi, "I was helping a women…"

"I don't care if you were helping the Kazekage himself! When you have an appointment, you better make it here on time!" blasted the Hokage.

"I'm sorry," said Sakura, bowing, "it will never happen again."

Sakura remained bent over until the Hokage had retaken her seat. It was unlike the Hokage to fly off the hinges like that. Something serious must be up. Sakura, sensing the Hokage's change in attitude, decided it was safe to speak.

"What did you want to speak with me about," asked Sakura, straightening her back.

The Hokage's face was intent and serious. Sakura had never seen the Hokage like this. "Reports have come in that Orochimaru has been on the move recently," replied the Hokage. "Intel suggests that he is planning another attack on village during the upcoming festival."

Sakura usually didn't pay much mind to Intel like this, but this was different. Threats like these were always being made. Usually they were just retired ninja trying to have their 15 seconds in the spotlight. However, this time Tsunade's tone was different, as if she had retrieved the Intel firsthand.

"Since this is the case," continued the Hokage, "the entire ANBU Black-Ops will be posted throughout the village and it's borders. The Sand Village has also agreed to lend us several of their Jounin for added border security during the week of the festival."

"If this is true," replied Sakura, still stunned, "we need to have an escape plan. There will be so many people in the village that it will be difficult to get them all into hiding very quickly."

"You're correct Sakura," responded the Hokage, her demeanor lighting by Sakura's quick thinking. "I want you to work with ANBU to formulate a quick and efficient method of securing the village's inhabitants. You have been walking the streets and have indepth information as to the dispersal of the population as well as the most efficient means to direct people to safety."

Sakura nodded. "Understood."

"Excellent," smiled the Hokage. "The ANBU representative will meet with you later this evening, around 10PM."

"Why that late?" asked Sakura. Her favorite TV show was on tonight and it was the season finale.

"During the preparations for the festival, it is best if the ANBU are not seen during the day. This might cause panic because of the events at the Chuunin Exams several years ago."

Sakura winced. It was difficult to forget that day, the day the Third Hokage had given his life to protect the village.

"Alright," affirmed Sakura. "Where do I meet him?"

"He will come and find you," said the Hokage.

Sakura nodded, bowed, and left the room. She was still trying to digest the information she had just been given. The invasion must be a serious threat if the Hokage was arranging secret meetings at night. When she had met with the ANBU before, it had been during the day. But a secret night meeting? It was just all too weird. Sakura shrugged it off and decided to take the rest of the day off. It was going to be a long night and she decided it would be best if she got a little sleep before hand.

Sakura slowly awoke from the blackness. An intense buzzing was filling the room and every cell of her body was intent on making it stop. She looked to her night stand; the alarm clock was flashing 9:45. Sakura swore into the pillow and pushed herself out of her bed. She wasn't looking forward to this meeting. She swore several more times as she walked around her apartment, gathering her clothes. The sun was just about to set and a warm soft yellow glow filled her bedroom. As she put on her last article of clothing, she noticed a note sitting on her dresser. She picked it up, opened it and read it to herself.

Meet on roof in 15 minutes.

"Damnit," she swore to herself. Like the ANBU would have the balls to sneak into her room while she was sleeping, nearly naked on top of her covers, and leave a note. She decided she would give the ANBU a piece of her mind. She opened her fridge and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading to the roof to meet the asshole.

On top of the roof, and ANBU soldier was patiently waiting while enjoying the sunset. It wasn't often that he got to see a Konoha sunset anymore. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the last of the days warmth the sun had to offer. The sunset was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. It was a mixture of pink, yellow and orange and seemed to span the entire horizon, reflecting off the clouds and casting shadows in the sky.

He sensed another presence and turned around to see Haruno Sakura standing behind him. She was more beautiful than anything he could have imagined. His admiration was cut short as he received a powerful uppercut to his gut.

"That!" she stated, "was for sneaking into my room."

The ANBU clutched his gut and tried to regain his breath.

"…I…" he said gasping for air to fill his lungs, "…didn't…"

Sakura was taken aback by the ANBU's defense. She stared curiously down at his short, spiky black hair which stuck out of an owl ANBU mask.

"Then how the hell did that note get into my room?" questioned Sakura.

"I used a replacement jutsu," said the ANBU, beginning to refill his lungs with air. "I switched out a hair pin for the note." The ANBU pulled out one of Sakura's hair pins from his pocket and handed it to her. "I'm sorry, but you were sleeping and I didn't think it was right to sneak into your room."

"Oh," said Sakura, "well…thank you. And I'm sorry…" She extended her arm in an attempt to help the ANBU soldier to his feet. He accepted and regained his feet. She realized that the ninja was almost a foot taller than her. He was also very well built and held a posture that gave off a sense of confidence.

"Thank you," said the ANBU. Sakura couldn't tell if the ANBU was smiling, but his voice defiantly sounded lighter and friendlier than most of the other ANBU she had dealt with. "Shall we get down to business?"

"Yes," replied Sakura. "Although I'm not really sure of what I am supposed to do."

"Don't worry," said the ANBU, "I will explain everything."

For the next several hours, Sakura and the ANBU soldier worked together planning escape routes for the 500,000 some visitors that would be attending the villages celebration. Plans for additional safe houses were drawn and strategically placed throughout the city. The entire time they worked together, Sakura never once looked at her watch. Normally, she couldn't wait to be done with work. This ninja however, he had a personality that made you want to be with him more and more.

It was midnight before the pair finally decided to call it a night.

"Alright," said the solider. "This is a good start for now, I think we can call it a night. I will run these plans by my superiors and bring any feedback they have to you tomorrow night. Same time, same place?"

"Sure," replied Sakura.

The ANBU stood on the roof of Sakura's apartment building and looked out over Konoha. Many of the street lights were still on, causing the city to create it own magnificent glow. The moonlight cast its shadows on the Hokage Monuments that watched over the village.

"It sure is beautiful," he said.

"It certainly is," agreed Sakura.

"During the day," said the ANBU softly but professionally, "would you mind running through the village one more time, taking notes on the types of business setting up shop around the village. Also, double check the placement of our safe houses and makes sure our escape routes have not been blocked with new arrivals. Also, inform all the Inns to make sure to create and maintain an up-to-date guest list of all those staying in the village."

"Sure," said Sakura. She felt so comfortable with this man that she would have said yes to just about anything he said.

The ANBU turned to Sakura. "Alright, I will be heading off then. I'll meet you back here tomorrow night."

"Will do," replied Sakura smiling. In a flash the ANBU soldier disappeared. Sakura let a deep sigh as if she had been holding her breath the entire time. She didn't know what it was with that ninja, but she felt as though they had made some sort of connection. The entire night they had almost lived on the same frequency; suggesting and commenting on one another ideas as if they were reading each others minds. It was almost two in the morning and Sakura was mentally exhausted. She had to be up for work again in only 7 hours so she headed down the stairs towards her apartment floor, quietly walked down the hallway into her apartment, dragged herself into her bedroom, turned off her light and crawled into bed. He thoughts drifted casually to the ANBU soldier before finally falling asleep.

"Good morning Tsunade-sama!" said Sakura cheerfully.

"You're perky this morning Sakura," said the Hokage groggily, obviously receiving little sleep the previous night. "How did your meeting with the ANBU go?"

"It went very well," she said smiling but still holding a professional tone. "We got a lot done but there is still a ton more to do."

"Very well," said Tsunade. "I want you to focus your efforts on what the ANBU need you to do. From now, I will assign a team of Chuunin to take over your previous position."

"Thank you," said Sakura, bowing out of politeness. She stood up and headed towards the door. She stopped just short however and turned back towards her master.

"Tsunade-sama," said Sakura nervously.

"Yes Sakura," said Tsunade without looking up from her paperwork.

"What can you tell me about the ANBU that I was assigned to partner with?"

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork and gave Sakura a questioning stare. "Why do you ask?" she asked.

"No reason," she answered. "I just don't know much about him and if we are going to be working together I would atleast like to know his name."

"You like him, don't you?" said Tsunade with a perverted smile on her face.

Sakura's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "No, I would just like to be able to address him by a name. What is his codename?"

Tsunade, still not convinced, simply said "He doesn't have one."

"What?" said Sakura, shocked.

"He has a name," said Tsunade, returning her attention to her paper. "but he does not he have a codename."

"Why?" asked the kunoichi.

"I wasn't creative enough to give him one," she said, looking up at Sakura and smiling.

"Well, can I know his real name then?"

"Nope," replied Tsunade childishly. "You know the rules with ANBU. Their real names are to be kept secret."

Sakura was disappointed at this news. How was she supposed to get to know this man, let alone work with him if she didn't know what to call him. Slightly annoyed, Sakura left the Hokage's office and began the tasks the ANBU had asked her to complete. It was around 6 PM when she finally finished. With a notebook full of sketches and notes, she returned to her apartment complex. She made herself some dinner and sat down in front of her television set. She flipped through the channels but there was nothing good on. Frustrated she clicked the TV off and threw the remote on the couch. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a video tape on the top of her VCR. It had writing on it, but it was too far away to read. She got up and went over to the television set and picked up the tape.

I'm sorry you had to miss your favorite TV show to meet with me. I hope this makes up for it.

Sakura popped in the tape and turned her television back on. Her heart fluttered when she saw that it was the season finale of the show she missed the previous night when meeting with the ANBU soldier. How could he have known about this? She hadn't told anyone. Smiling, she sat down on the couch, legs crossed, eating her dinner and enjoying her TV show. Outside, behind a mask, a young man smiled.

At ten o'clock, Sakura headed up the emergency stairs towards the roof of her apartment complex. Sitting on the edge of the building sat the man, watching the sunset once again. The soft colors of the setting sun reflected off his spiky black hair. His hair kind of reminded her of Sasuke's hair, and for a moment she thought it might have been him. But she remembered how soft and tender the voice behind the mask was, there was no way that was Sasuke's voice. Sasuke's voice was more demanding and strong, the voice of one of the remaining heirs to the Uchiha Clan.

"Thank you," she said softly, "how did you know that was my favorite show?" The ANBU turned around and looked at Sakura.

"You seemed like the kind of girl who watches shows like that. And since you met with me when it was on, I figured I would give it a shot," said the soldier.

"So, you were just completely guessing that I liked that show?"

The ANBU laughed. "Yep."

Sakura hung her head and laughed quietly to herself. "And what would you have done if I hadn't liked that show?"

The ANBU looked down at the ground. Sakura could tell that he was thinking even though she couldn't see his face. "Well, I have a feeling I would be gasping for air again as you dug your fist into my stomach."

Sakura laughed. "You're a funny one," she said.

"Thanks, but now its time for business. Did you get those sketches and notes I asked you for?"

"I sure did," said Sakura smiling, holding the notebook in her hand. "I even got a list from the head merchant of all the sales carts that are planning to attend the festival."

"Wonderful," said the ANBU. He stood up on the edge of the building, turned and walked towards Sakura. Her heart fluttered as he got closer to her. Ignoring Sakura's obvious physical reaction to his close proximity, the ANBU took the notebook from Sakura's hand and began flipping through it.

"These are wonderful," said the ANBU. "Tonight will go even better then I had planned."

"Glad to hear it," said Sakura. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Once again, Sakura and the ANBU worked together for several hours, planning and organizing security for the upcoming event. Every time the ANBU talked, Sakura couldn't help but get lost in his words. She had to fight to stay focused. It was finally three o'clock in the morning before the two decided to call it a night.

"Once again, wonderful progress," said the ANBU soldier. "I think that we will be able to have off this planned and implemented in plenty of time for the festival."

"Glad to hear it," said Sakura, yawning.

"I need to talk with my superiors about a few security concerns regarding gate patrol and how they factor into our plans. So, I don't have anything I need you to do tomorrow. Feel free to take the day off."

"Thanks," replied Sakura. "Although, I don't really know what I will do with myself all day tomorrow. I'm so used to working that I don't really have much in terms of free time activities. Also, all of my friends are currently out on missions, so yeah."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said the ANBU. "I'm sure you will be able to find something to do."

Sakura nodded. The ANBU turned to leave.

"Wait!" said Sakura.

"Yes," said the ANBU, turning back around.

Sakura took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "What's your name?"

"You know I can't tell you that," replied the ANBU.

"I know, but don't you have a codename?"

"No, not really. This is my first mission with a non-ANBU ninja and my superiors never assigned me a codename."

"Oh," said Sakura, disappointed. "Well, you know my name, I would atleast like to be able to address you by some name."

"Okay," said the ANBU. " but I'm not really good at coming up with names, why don't you come up with one."

"Um, okay," said Sakura. She hadn't really thought about a name, she looked up into the night sky, trying to find some inspiration. "Tsuki," she said.

"Tsuki," said the ANBU, looking at the moon. He turned back to Sakura. "I like it."

"Good, then I'll see you tomorrow night Tsuki."

"Goodnight Sakura," said the ANBU before he disappeared into the night.

"Goodnight," Sakura said softly to herself.

Sakura slept in for the first time in several months. It was almost noon before her eyes even began to start opening. Sakura smiled as she the memories of the previous evening began to flow back into her mind. The young woman procrastinated getting up for another 30 minutes before finally succumbing to the day. She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. As she passed her dresser, her eyes slipped a glance at her picture of Team 7. She stopped and grabbed the picture off of her dresser. Naruto and Sasuke, with all the things that had happened the past couple of days, she had almost forgotten about them. The happiness that Tsuki had filled her heart with was replaced with a sadness caused by the vacancy of her teammates.

Sakura set the picture back down on the dresser. As she did, she noticed two slips of paper sitting face down next to her jewelry box. She picked them up and turned them over. They were reservation slips, to the Konoha Spa! Where had these come from? Underneath the tickets was a note. Sakura picked it up and read it to herself.

Thank you for all your help. I hope you enjoy your day off.

Tsuki. She smiled, but what was she supposed to do with two tickets? Moments later there was a knock at her door. Why would anyone be knocking at her door? Grabbing her robe, she made her way to her door and opened it.

"Hey there forehead!" screamed Ino.

"Ino!?! Why are you here?" asked Sakura, "I thought you were on a mission."

"I was!" said Ino. "But early this morning we were relieved by a group of Chuunin. Apparently the mission had been downgraded to a B-Rank mission so there was no need for us to be there. What is that you got in your hand there?"

Still stunned, Sakura looked down at her hand. The tickets!

"No, it couldn't be…he couldn't have…" said Sakura.

"What are you blabbing to yourself about now?"

"Oh, nothing," said Sakura, returning to reality. "Ino, why are you here?"

"What do you mean why am I here? You left a note for me to meet you here!"

"I what?"

"There was a note from you in my apartment when I returned this morning. It said very clearly that I should meet you here this afternoon," explained Ino. "Why are you acting so weird? And I'm going to ask again, what is in your hand!?!"

"They're tickets…" said Sakura.

"To what?" asked Ino.

"The Konoha Spa…"

"NO WAY! You got reservations? How did you do that? Even Hinata couldn't get reservations this week, and she's the leader of an entire clan!"

"They were a present," said Sakura.

"From who? Tsunade?"

"No."

"Then who! Spit it out girl!"

"I think, from Tsuki."

"Tsuki, who is Tsuki?"

Sakura was still in shock. Everything was happening so fast. As it began to sink in, Sakura smiled.

"I'll tell you during our facial! Give me a minute to get dressed and lets go!"

"Alright!" said Ino, psyched for the spa retreat. "We are going to look so good for the festival!"

Sakura laughed and smiled. "Yes we are!"

The rest of the day was filled with laughter and gossip as the two kunoichi enjoyed a day of rest and relaxation. They received every type of beauty enhancement the spa had to offer as well as a full body massage that can not be described. They giggled as they talked about the cutest boys and Sakura told Ino all about her experiences with Tsuki over the past couple of days. When the day was done, both girls were feeling very relaxed and very primped. When checking out of the spa, the receptionist informed them that their reservations also included a complimentary dinner at one of Konoha's finest restaurants. Shocked, both girls enjoyed a wonderfully prepared meal and conversed about Konoha's 100th birthday. Sakura also told Ino about the Intel that Tsunade had received and what Tsuki and herself were working on. After the dinner was over, Ino and Sakura each headed home. Sakura had very little time before she had to meet with Tsuki and she had a bunch of questions for him.

Sakura arrived on the roof as Tsuki was watching the sunset. He looked to peaceful. She smiled, but she was on a mission.

"Did you get me those reservations?" asked Sakura, right off the bat.

Tsuki turned and looked at Sakura. His owl mast reflecting the last glimmer of sunlight the day had to offer.

"Yes, I did" said Tsuki, showing little emotion.

"Why? You didn't have to do that."

"You said you didn't have anything planned. I figured I would help you out," answered Tsuki, shrugging his shoulders.

"But what about Ino? Did you arrange to have her sent back?"

"It was a mere coincidence that her mission was downgraded to a B-Rank. After hearing that you two were friends, I took advantage of the situation. I figured you wouldn't enjoy yourself if you were all alone."

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" asked Sakura. Her eyes were trembling with hints of emotion.

"I was trying to be nice," said Tsuki. "I know that you have a difficult time, especially with the disappearance of your team mate from Team 7. I just wanted to help you feel better."

Sakura didn't know what to say. Her heart was beating fast, faster than it ever had before. Tsuki walked towards her and placed his hand on her shoulders. Sakura gave a slight jump and began to go weak at the knees.

"I know a lot about you, Sakura. You have logged more mission hours than anyone else in your age range. From what I figure, you are doing this to keep your mind off of the past by focusing on your mission. While this may be giving you the desired results, you're missing out on life. For example, you missed your favorite TV show because you were assigned to meet with me. I am simply doing what I can to give you similar results but in a fashion that is much more productive. A girl your age should be enjoying her life, not wasting it away in missions."

Sakura looked up at the ANBU soldier, staring intently into what would be the man's eyes. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around the man and dug her head into his chest.

"Thank you," she said, "for everything."

The man responded by wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly against his body.

"You're welcome, Sakura-chan."

The next several days were the most memorable of Sakura's life. During the day, Sakura would find a note from Tsuki with a recommendation of what she should do during the day. Sometimes it was a book that he recommended she read, other times it was a particular location in the village he thought was interesting. During the evenings, the two ninja worked together planning security details. They would often end their nights looking out at the sky. The moon, which took up most of the sky, would cast shadows across the village.

It was the last night before the beginning of the festival. All the appropriate actions had been finalized and Sakura and Tsuki found themselves with nothing much to do. As they sat on the edge of Sakura's building complex, Sakura leaned her head against Tsuki's shoulder.

"What will happen when the festival is over?" asked Sakura.

"What do you mean?" responded Tsuki.

"Will I ever see you again?"

Tsuki let out a deep sigh. "I don't know."

"I want to," she said, looking out at the village.

The ANBU said nothing.

"It's kind of unfair," said Sakura.

"What is?" asked Tsuki

"Everyone I care about always leaves me," she said, fighting back a tear.

Tsuki sighed. "That is how the life of a ninja is," he said. "Sometimes it isn't fair. Sometimes you want things you don't have, and have things you don't want. All we can do deal with the hard times and look forward towards the good. But despite what happens, we will always have our memories."

Sakura smiled and looked up at the masked man. "No matter what is going on, you always have a way of making me feel better. Thank You."

The masked ninja said nothing, just looked forward over the village. But deep down, Sakura knew that under his mask, Tsuki was smiling. The two ninja sat on the building for several more hours, just staring out over the village. After a short while, Sakura fell asleep on Tsuki's shoulder. He picked up the pink-haired kunoichi bridal style and carried her down to her apartment. He opened the door, walked into the bedroom and set Sakura down on her bed. He pulled the covers over the young women as she quietly adjusted herself to her new setting. The masked ninja stood up and looked down at the kunoichi.

"Good night, Sakura-chan. Sweet dreams."

The following morning, the village was buzzing with excitement. Children with painted faces were running through the village street, their parents desperately trying to keep up. Thousands of transactions were being processed every minute as merchants from every corner of the country gathered to sell their merchandise to willing customers. Sakura watched from the roof top, analyzing the movements of the people, making sure that the escape plan her and Tsuki had created would work in the case of an emergency. While many of the villagers didn't notice it, hundreds of ninja were monitoring the activities, making sure everyone was safe. Sakura looked around the building tops, looking for a certain owl-masked ninja. Her heart saddened when she realized that it would be nearly impossible to find him.

"Sakura!" came a shout from the crowd below. In the middle of the street stood Ino, Chouji, Shikimaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten and Lee. "Come down here and enjoy the festivities!"

"I can't!" screamed Sakura. "I need to monitor the escape routes!"

"Don't worry about it," said a voice from behind her. An ANBU solider wearing a bear mask appeared out of no where. "We can handle it from here. We have orders from the Hokage to relieve you of your duty for the remainder of the day."

Sakura bowed. "Thank you."

The ANBU nodded and Sakura jumped down to meet her friends. Together they took off to check out all the hottest booths of the festival.

The festival went off without a hitch. There were no disturbances throughout the entire week. A few minor scuffles broke out between merchants and customers, but nothing that required any serious actions. The closing fireworks were only an hour away and Sakura was getting excited. She loved fireworks and supposedly this was to be the greatest display Konoha had ever seen. During the week, Sakura had been unable to find Tsuki. However, this didn't stop Sakura from enjoying herself. She had atleast learned that much from her time with him.

Sakura watched as the crowds began to migrate towards the training fields where the fireworks would take place. Suddenly, she noticed a presence behind her. She turned around to see a tall ANBU with black hair and an owl mask appear.

"Tsuki!" she cried, embracing the ANBU. "I'm so glad I found you!"

The ANBU didn't say anything, but simply motioned for Sakura to follow him. Confused at the ninja's silence, she followed him through the woods surrounding the training fields into a small clearing.

"Tsuki, what are we doing here?" asked Sakura.

Still, the ninja said nothing. He reached his hands behind his head and untied his mask. As the mask fell off, Sakura's legs almost gave out.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Hello Sakura," said the Uchiha. "It's been along time."

"But, why? Why didn't you tell me who you were!" asked Sakura, very confused.

"I wanted to keep it a surprise for tonight," said the Uchiha as he walked towards her. "Because tonight is going to be a very special night."

"What is so special about tonight?" asked Sakura, slightly disturbed at the look in Sasuke's eyes.

"Several things are special about tonight," responded the Uchiha. "First, and most obviously, it is Konoha's 100th birthday. Second, it is also a very unique night for you as well Sakura."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sakura.

"While a celebration such as this only happens once every 100 years, what's happening to you happens about once a month," said Sasuke, sneering. He began to walk circle around the kunoichi. A trickle of fear began to crawl up her spine.

"What? How did you…what does that have to do with anything?" asked Sakura.

"It has to do with the third reason tonight is special. Tonight is the night the Uchiha Clan will be reborn!"

The trickle of fear now became a raging waterfall. Sakura attempted to run away but found herself unable to move.

"You are slipping Sakura," said Sasuke, holding up his hand into the moonlight. Sakura watched as a string glinted in the moonlight. Sakura cursed underneath her breath. She had been so in shock about Sasuke's return that she didn't notice him spinning the cable around her as he walked.

"You're sick! Why are you doing this!" screamed Sakura.

In a flash, Sasuke disappeared and reappeared night next to Sakura. Sakura's entire body went limp as Sasuke pulled out the needle he had just injected into her neck.

"I am restarting my clan," said Sasuke as he untied her, "and you are going to be my vessel."

Sakura couldn't move. Whatever Sasuke had injected her with had paralyzed almost every muscle in her body. She tried to scream, but she couldn't talk either; all she could do is look in fear as Sasuke went to remove her dress. Sakura closed her eyes and her heart was beating a thousand beats per second as she waited for her former teammate to start raping her. Suddnely, out of the darkness she heard a violent scream.

She opened her eyes to see a figure standing over Sasuke with a knife in his back.

"You're slipping Sasuke," said the man. Sakura felt a wave of relief over her when the voice reached her ears. The man standing over her was wearing an owl mask and had black spiky hair.

Sasuke winced in pain as he turned to look at the man who was holding a knife in his back.

"Who the hell are you!?!" screamed the Uchiha, activating his Sharingan and thrusting his own kunai towards the ANBU. Tsuki quickly retreated a few feet away, dodging Sasuke's attack.

"I'm hurt Sasuke," said the ANBU, "don't you remember me?" Sakura, still paralyzed, watched as the two men stared each other down. There was something different about Tsuki's voice. It was no longer soft and tender, but vengeful; as if someone close to him had just committed the ultimate betrayal.

Sasuke examined the man with his Sharingan. He stood up and laughed.

"Oh my, this is rich!" laughed Sasuke. "When my spy reported to me the description of the ANBU who was working with Sakura, I never imagined it would be you behind the mask."

Sasuke looked down at the still paralyzed Sakura. "And I bet you didn't even expect it for one second, did you Sakura?"

What was Sasuke babbling on about? Who was behind the mask that Sasuke found so amusing?

Sasuke looked back at Tsuki. "I must admit though, from the personality description my spy gave me, you hid your identity very well. That perverted old man must have given you acting lessons, huh Naruto?"

Sakura's eyes shot open and her heart began to race. Naruto!?!?!

The ANBU straightened himself and removed his mask. As the mask feel to the ground, the moonlight revealed three distinctive marks on each cheek of the ANBU soldier. Sakura's eyes shook violently. Except for the hair color, there was no doubting that the man standing before her was Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto's blue eyes met hers, as if saying 'I'm sorry', before returning back to Sasuke.

"I was assigned to work with Sakura because we knew that you were coming," said Naruto.

"Oh, did you now," responded the Uchiha, obviously amused at the entire situation. "Then why the act?" asked Sasuke. "Were you too pathetic to win Sakura over as yourself that you had to pretend to be someone different?"

Sakura's head was spinning, everything was happening so fast. She tried focusing on Naruto, hoping to hear his answer before she fell unconscious.

"I worked with her so that we could alter her menstrual cycle."

Sakura's eyes shot open. WHAT!?!? Sasuke was equally surprised.

"What are you talking about?" asked the Uchiha.

"We knew that you planned to use her to restart your clan, and Tsunade knew that her peak fertilization day would be on the 100th anniversary. While we did require her assistance in preparing for the festival, it was also my mission to create a backup plan if I could not be there to help her."

Sasuke's eyes widened in realization. "No, you mean…"

"The spa day," said Naruto. "The spa used specialized creams and oils specifically designed by Tsunade to cause an unbalance in her hormones, causing her cycle to slow down. Her peak day, instead of being tonight, is not for another five days."

"You bastard!" screamed Sasuke, lunging at Naruto. Out of no where, several teams of ANBU black ops appeared from the forest and surrounded Sasuke.

"You won't get away with this. You may have stopped me from getting Sakura, but there are hundreds of other girls out there that I can use. This isn't over!"

Sasuke disappeared in a poof of smoke. The ANBU leader barked out orders and all the ANBU, except Naruto, jumped off into the night in pursuit of Sasuke. Naruto walked over to Sakura and knelt down beside her. He took a syringe out of his pocket.

"This is an antidote to Sasuke's poison," said Naruto softly. "You should be able to move again in a few moments."

Naruto injected Sakura with the antidote, but nothing happened.

"Sakura…damnit it should be working…SAKURA!!!"

Sakura wasn't responding. He had waited to long to give her the antidote. In her last moments of consciousness Sakura could feel Naruto picking her up, then nothing.

Sakura slowly awakened as a bright light burned her corneas through her eye lids. She groaned in pain as feet scurried over to the direction of the light and made it disappear.

"I'm sorry Miss Haruno," said a female voice.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, adjusting her focus to analyze her surroundings.

"Where am I?" said Sakura hoarsely. Her dry mouth made the words barley audible.

"Here, drink this," said the nurse again. Sakura felt a straw to her lips. She sucked into the straw and felt a rush of releif as water coated her mouth and soother her sore throat.

"Where am I?" she asked again.

"You're at the Konoha hospital. You have been recovering here for almost three days," answered the nurse as she took notes of Sakura's vital signs.

"Where's….Sasuke…." she asked soflty, her voice still not fully healed.

"I'm afraid I don't know dear," asked the nurse.

"How did I get here?" Sakura asked.

"An ANBU Black Ops brought you here unconscious. He said that you had been poisoned and that he had tried to give you an antidote. It was discovered that the poison you were given was an extreme muscle relaxant. If the ANBU hadn't administered the antidote, you would most likely be fully paralyzed."

Sakura thought for a moment, trying to remember what exactly had happened. Violent images flashed through her mind of Sasuke injecting her with the poison and trying to rape her. Her heart sank into her stomach as she tried to remember what happened next. Suddenly, she remembered Tsuki showed up and he…

"Good afternoon Sakura," interrupted a voice. Sakura turned in her bed to see her master, Tsunade.

"Good morning Tsunade-sama," answered the kunoichi respectfully.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little," answered Sakura. "Where's Sasuke?"

Tsunade sighed. "The ANBU who saved you were unable to track him. It is assumed that he is still within the broders of our country, but we have been unable to find him. What do you remember from that night?"

"Not much. I just remember Sasuke attacking me and injecting me with something. After that not much. But, why was Sasuke there? I thought Orochimaru was supposed to attack the village?"

"He did," said Tsunade. "The fireworks had been tampered with. When they were launched they released a deadly gas. No one noticed until the fireworks crew passed out. However, thanks to your escape plans, we were able to save almost every single villager."

"My escape plan," muttered Sakura. Suddenly she remember Tsuki. "Where is Tsuki?!?" she shouted.

Tsunade was taken aback by her students outburst. "Who is Tsuki?"

"The ANBU I was working with on the plans. I remember he showed up and saved me."

Tsunade looked at the floor as if trying to find the right words to use. "Sakura," Tsunade said softly,
"the ANBU you worked with disappeared shortly after your run in with Sasuke."

Sakura's heart sank even more. "What?" she said, fighting back a tear.

"He did not report in after the initial pursuit of Sasuke was called off. To be honest, we don't know what happened to him."

Sakura didn't know what to say. Tears began to escape from her eyes and rolled down her soft but bandaged face. Tsunade looked at her student in pity.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but that is how the life of an ANBU is," reassured her teacher. Sakura nodded, she understood but still found the entire situation to be unfair.

"Miss Haruno," said the nurse. "You have another visitor."

Sakura looked at the nurse. "I'm not really in the mood for anymore visitors."

"I know, but Miss…"

The nurse's sentence was interrupted by a familiar shout from the hallway.

"Tell that girl not to be lazy, I haven't seen her in 6 years 'tebayo!"

Sakura's attention perked as the voice got closer and closer to the door. Finally, a young man with a big goofy grin, yellow hair and whiskers poked his head in the door.

"Hey there Sakura-chan!" said Naruto gleefully. "You're looking better!"

"Naruto!" said Sakura amazed. "But when…"

"He and Jiraiya showed up shortly after you were hospitalized. He has been trying to come and see you ever since but I refused to let him in until you woke up," said Tsunade smiling.

Sakura watched in shock as the yellow-haired ninja burst his way through the nurse and into her room. Everything seemed better now that Naruto was here.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Tsunade. "I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on."

"Thanks Granny!" said Naruto.

Tsunade mumbled something about 'liking him better before' as she whisked the nurse out the door before closing it. Sakura sat up in her bed as Naruto took a seat on the edge.

"So Sakura-chan! Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, especially since you are here! I missed you Naruto!" exclaimed the kunoichi, thrusting her arms around the young man.

After the initial shock, Naruto put his arms around Sakura. "I missed you too Sakura-chan."

Without really knowing why, her head melted into Naruto's chest. It made her feel comfortable, the suddle rising and falling of his chest made her feel absolutely safe. She had only felt this one time before, when she…

Without explanation Sakura pushed herself away from Naruto. The remaining images of the nights events began flooding her mind. Naruto revealing himself, the confession about the plans, the hormones therapy, all of it.

"It WAS you!" shouted Sakura. "I thought I remembered your face that night!"

"Sakura-chan…I…" started Naruto.

"Don't lie to me know Naruto! Or should I call you Tsuki!" cried Sakura angrily.

Naruto didn't say anything, he just looked at Sakura with sadness.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan," he said solemnly.

"How could you do that to me!" she screamed. "How could you lie to me like that!"

"I had to Sakura-chan," said Naruto softly. "It was my mission…"

"Your mission!?!" screamed Sakura. "What exactly was your mission?!?"

"My mission was to build the escape plans with you and to make sure that Sasuke wouldn't succeed in his plans."

"You mean to rape me?" cried Sakura. "And what was all the crap about the taped TV show, the spa, the dinner, all those notes and books! Was that part of your mission too?"

"No," said Naruto softly. "That was me…"

"But that night, you said the spa day was just meant to mess with my hormones! Why should I believe anything you say!"

"You're right, the spa messed with your hormones, but the implementation was my idea. Originally, Tsunade-sama wanted me to simply inject you with the hormones while you were sleeping. I didn't think you deserved to be treated that badly so I organized the Spa day and had the chemicals placed in your spa ointments and creams instead. I felt bad for lying to you, so I was trying to make up for it?"

"And the books, the dinner, all those notes! All those wonderful moments we shared together, was that just a part of your mission too?"

"No, that was me," said Naruto.

"What do you mean 'That was me'?"

"I don't know, I just wanted to do something nice for you. We never got a chance to really know one another when we were younger before I left to train. I figured this was my chance to show you who I really am. Everything I said and did, I meant all of it."

Naruto paused, hoping that Sakura would accept his explanation.

Sakura looked at Naruto with eyes full of hated and betrayel. "I don't believe you," she said harshly. "Why should I believe anything you or anyone else says? You lied to me! Both you and my damn teacher! I hate you, get out!"

Naruto could do nothing but look at Sakura in defeat, pleading with his eyes to reconsider.

"I said GET OUT!" she said finally, pushing him off the side of her bed onto the floor.

Naruto got up and slowly walked towards the door. Sakura fell into her bed and started crying into her pillow. Naruto looked back at Sakura, trying to find something to say that would make her feel better. Deciding there was nothing, he opened the door and left.

Several more days passed and Sakura remained in the hospital room. Tsunade and Naruto tried many times to come and talk with her, but she rejected both of them. When Tsunade was forced to come in and treat Sakura, Sakura said nothing to her master and simply stared out of the window. Tsunade noticed that Sakura wasn't improving. She knew that it would require direct chakra-healing of her muscle structure, but Sakura would not allow anyone, especially Tsunade, to touch her.

Sakura's condition was worsening. Tsunade diagnosed that the poison must have affected her muscle cell structure. If she didn't act quickly, Sakura would lose all voluntary movement. Several times she pleaded with Sakura to let her operate, but Sakura flatly refused. She said being a ninja didn't matter anymore if people were just going to lie to her.

Finally, Tsunade pleaded with Ino to try and talk with Sakura.

"I'm not sure if she will listen to me," whispered Ino as she stood outside Sakura's room.

"Please Ino, you have to try," pleaded the Hokage. Ino nodded and opened the door.

"Hey there forehead," said Ino.

"Go away," said Sakura quietly but flatly.

"I want to talk to you," said Ino.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," said Sakura. Ino could tell from her friends voice that she was depressed.

Ino stormed over to Sakura's bed and grabbed her by the collar. "Then you can just listen!" she said intently. "Stop acting so depressed. Do you think that this was the first time one ninja lied to another to help protect them? Do you?"

Sakura didn't answer, she just kept looking out the window.

"Tsunade and Naruto both care for you more than you can imagine!" continued Ino. "Do you think that they would honestly try to hurt you just for the hell of it?"

Still, Sakura said nothing.

Ino sighed. "Do you remember when we were little and we imagined what our perfect husband would be?" Sakura made no movements, but the flutter of her eyes told Ino that she did. "Don't tell me that Naruto was everything that you imagined."

"But it wasn't Naruto," said Sakura. "It was Tsuki."

"Sakura," said Ino. "Naruto was working for the ANBU Black Ops. You and I both know they live on a whole 'nother set of rules. Their entire lives are shrouded in secret. Most ANBU would have done with Tsunade asked them to do and drugged you in the middle of the night. But Naruto didn't feel that you deserved that."

"Naruto returned to the village just a month before the festival," interrupted Tsunade from the doorway. "He and Jiraiya had gathered information regarding Orochimaru. Their information said that Orochimaru was planning some sort of attack on the village and that it somehow involved you. With further investigation we found out that Orochimaru had infact taken over Sasuke's body."

Sakura's eyes darted to Tsunade, but before Sakura could say anything Tsunade continued.

"However, it wasn't a full possession. A small portion of Sasuke still remained, determined to kill his brother. Two souls can live in one body for very long, so together they formulated a plan. Sasuke would father a child, a Uchiha in all its forms, that Orochimaru could take over. Using several forbidden jutsu, they planned to artificially speed up the childs development to the age where it could be trained and taken over. Also, through his research Orochimaru found out that he could 'freeze' a child's development in a type of stasis. If Sasuke fathered enough children, Orochimaru would have enough Uchiha bodies to last him an eternity."

"But why me?" asked Sakura, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Another part of Orochimaru and Sasuke's plan was to father a child in every village. With Uchiha roots in every village, the Uchiha Clan would become the most powerful clan in the world. Together, Sasuke and Orochimaru would take over the entire region."

"Sasuke…and Orochimaru, working together?" murmered Sakura, "I don't believe it. When I saw him that night, he…"

"Tried to rape you," interjected Tsunade. "Does that sound like something the old Sasuke would do?"

Sakura shook her head. "I still don't understand why you didn't tell me the truth? Why lie to me about all of this? Why have Naruto hide his identity?"

"We knew that Sasuke would be watching you and we needed a ninja that would be able to work with you and be able to successfully defend you against Sasuke. Naruto, because of his history with you and Sasuke, was decided to be the best choice. We also needed to hide his identity to Sasuke wouldn't become suspicious."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Trust me Sakura, he wanted to tell you so badly. So much so that I had to place a sealing jutsu on him that forbade him from revealing his own name."

Ino loosened her grip on Sakura as she slid into her bed.

"I know this is a lot to take in all at once, which is another reason we didn't tell you. I am so sorry that we had to lie to you like this, but what is done is done. My main concern right now is your health. If we don't operate soon, you may become fully paralyzed for the rest of your life."

Sakura nodded. Tsunade barked commands to the nursing staff to prepare the surgical room. While preparations were made around her, Sakura remained in a daze. How had things spun so wildly out of control. Sakura closed her eyes as the hospital staff rolled her into the operating room. She slowly fell asleep as Tsunade placed a genjutsu over her. The next several hours would be painful and Sakura didn't need to be awake for it.

Sakura spent the next few days recovering from the surgery. Her entire body ached but Tsunade reassured her that all the damage had been repaired. She would have to take it easy for a few weeks but after that she should be able to restart her training. Sakura secretly hoped that Naruto would come visit her, but he never did. She felt horrible for the way she treated him, especially after all he did for her.

Sakura walked (with the assistance of some crutches) into her apartment the day she was finally released from the hospital. Everything was exactly the way she had left it, only slightly dustier. She opened her blinds and looked outside over the village. The sun was almost ready to set and the village was already preparing for the end of their day. She looked out at the horizon, at the mixture of yellow, pink, and orange that reflected off the clouds. As if it were a habit, she grabbed her crutches and began to hobble up the stairs leading to her apartment roof.

When she got to the top, the view she saw almost took her breath away. The sun seemed to take up the entire horizon as it was setting. It was the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. In front of her laid a shadow of a man with spiky hair. Standing at the edge of the building, almost engulfed by the sun stood Naruto. She smiled as her heart fluttered. She felt at home up here on the roof top. Naruto, obviously noticing another presence, turned around to see who was behind him. He was wearing his ANBU outfit minus his mask. Seeing that it was Sakura, he vacated his spot on the edge of the building and walked towards her. As he got closer, he stopped.

"Sorry," he said plainly, "I'll leave." Naruto started to walk past Sakura.

"Don't," burst Sakura.

"What?" asked Naruto, not quite sure if he had heard her correctly.

"Please, don't leave," repeated Sakura. "Stay and watch the sunset with me."

Naruto looked at her hurt and confused. "But, I thought…"

"I'm sorry," she said painfully as she looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and said such horrible things, especially after all you did for me."

"It's okay," said Naruto, "I can understand why were angry. I would be too."

"No, it's not okay. You were right," said Sakura, looking deep into Naruto's blue eyes.

"About what?" he responded.

"About when we were younger. I never really got to know you as well as I could have. I only really started to appreciate you right before you left, but by then it was to late. I had given up hope until..."

"It's okay," interrupted Naruto, "you don't have to explain yourself, I can understand…"

"No, it's not okay," interrupted Sakura. She wiped a tear away from her eye. "You have been so great to me, despite everything I have ever done. I have given you no reason to treat me that way you have."

Naruto went to say something put she put her finger on his lips.

"I'm not done," she said, tears free-flowing from her eyes. "All those nights we spent together, you made me feel like I've never felt before. You made me feel important, smart, protected and loved. These past six years I've imagined every single thing that could have happened to you and Sasuke, but I never once imagined this."

Sakura looked deeply at Naruto, as if scanning his very core.

"I don't care who you were in the past," she continued, "that was so long ago I can barely even remember most of it. All I know is I fell in love with you on this roof. It doesn't matter if your Tsuki or Naruto, all I want is you."

"Sakura-chan…"

Sakura wiped her face, brushing the hair out of her eyes and ridding her eyes of the tears. Naruto's eyes fell into the deep green ocean that was her soul. Sakura stood on her toes and leaned forwards towards Naruto. Simultaneously, Naruto let his head fall closer to the kunoichi. They felt each others hot breath on their faces, yearning for the next step. Hormones raged through their bodies, releasing massive amounts of endorphins into their system. Sakura felt as if she was on Cloud 9 when her lips finally met Naruto's.

They met only for a second, but to Sakura it felt like an eternity. Their lips parted, and Sakura waited for a reaction for Naruto. Naruto placed his arms around Sakura and connected with her lips again, but this time more forcefully. They both breathed heavily as their lips said what their words could not. As their lips embraced, every single moment between the two from the past week flashed through Sakura's head. Every joke that had made her laugh, every hug that she had received and every smile she had let escape from her soul. After several more seconds they broke apart for a second time. Unable to find the words to accurately described the sensations she was feeling, she swung her arms around Naruto and dug her head into his chest. In his arms, as she had many times before, she felt a since of security that you can only feel when you are in the arms of a loved one.

Together they watched the sunset, arms wrapped around one another. She knew that the two of them would never forget those memorable summer nights.