A/N: Please read and review, all feedback is welcome :)

Disclaimer:

I don't own Naruto.

Qualifier:

This fanfic takes place in the au world in which...

Danzou has taken over Konoha after Tsunade has failed to awaken from her coma.

Sasuke has killed Itachi, but does not know the truth about the Uchiha massacre.

Sakura never followed Naruto, declared her love for him, or went after Sasuke.


Défil

Chapter 1

"Where is he?" Danzou growled into Sakura's ear.

"I don't know! I swear!"

Sakura's denials were ignored as he shoved her forward into the Hokage's desk. Her forehead made contact with the hard surface, sending scores of pain through her head. Danzou leaned over her shaking form, tightly binding her wrists in his grasp.

"You will tell me where the Jinchuuriki is Kunoichi. Do it and I'll spare your precious friends here in Konoha. You think I don't know about the secret faction against my regime? But I do know. I know that they meet under the guise of restoration committee number three. I know who's in charge. I know every single shinobi involved. Now, tell me, where is Uzumaki?"

Damn it, she thought. Danzou had more information on the resistance than they had anticipated. "They" consisted of the Rookie 9, Team Guy, and the rest of the Jounin and Chuunin who were still loyal to Tsunade after Danzou's take over. The Anbu were too closely monitored by Root to be trusted fully with information. Danzo had made it so that every Anbu squad consisted of a Root member, insuring that the dirty deeds of the council and, more dangerously, Danzou were followed through.

Danzou's grip straining against her arms continued to pull down. Sakura's shoulder's screamed from the tension. She clenched her jaw and threw her head back towards the sickening voice. She was only rewarded with a grunt though, after her head made contact with a solid chest instead of a face. Danzou growled and this time his entire body slammed Sakura into the desk.

"Silence won't get you anywhere kunoichi and neither will your struggles."

His weight pressing her harder into the wood caused Sakura to panic. She had to get out of here and he wouldn't let her leave without information. Ironically, Sakura actually knew very little about her best friend's whereabouts. The shinobi still loyal to Tsunade-Sama felt it in Naruto's best interest to keep the details about his training in the knowledge of only a select few ninja. While Sakura was annoyed that that group hadn't included her, now she was more than grateful for the lack of information.

After Pein's attack on Konoha more than four months ago, Naruto had been forced to run. The council had made it glaringly clear that they wanted him dead. Sakura could only hope that he found some kind of safety from her own village and the threats of Akatsuki. Now it was her time to help keep her precious friend safe.

"Fine I'll tell you," she managed to grit out even with her face mashed into the table top.

He seemed to believe her words and eased off her back. She was swiftly spun around, a Root agent replacing his restraint on her wrists behind her back.

"He's... He's training in Water Country."

Sakura lowered her head in hopes of hiding her expression. The seconds that followed were filled with silence. She could only hope that he would believe the farce. Danzou appeared to be contemplating the validity of her statement, watching for any sign that she might be lying. Sakura raised her eyes to see if the self imposed Hokage bought her story, but he was no longer standing in front of her. Instead she heard the shuffling of papers from the desk she had just been assaulted on. When the shuffling stopped, Danzou stepped back around to hand a mission scroll the Root members currently standing towards the back windows of the Hokage's office.

"Your mission is to retrieve the jinchuuriki and bring him back to Konoha at any costs."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" The three responded together and disappeared out the window.

Sakura's rigid body relaxed the slightest bit at the dismissal of the Root squad. That should buy Naruto some time before I can send a warning, she thought. It was well known that the Land of Water contained hundreds of small islands. That Anbu team would be forced to scour every single island in hopes of finding their target.

However, her reprieve was cut short. Danzou stalked back in front of her, taking her chin into his steel grip. His one eye glared into hers. She glared back, though slightly less threatening. She studied his lined and scared face, looking for any hint of what he wanted.

"You were the apprentice to Tsunade."

The statement hung in the air. He continued to regard her until he took the silence as confirmation.

"Very well. You will act as my assistant, seeing as the last one failed to show the same loyalty to the present Hokage as you do."

Sakura's eyes widened at the statement and her stomach twisted at the word loyalty. Shizune had always been one of Tsunade's most stout supporters and refused to work for their new leader. Shizune had not been seen since Danzou took office. She knew then that she would have no choice but to obey his orders. The fingers that griped her chin made their way around her neck, painfully holding her in place. Any hint of her challenging his authority and he would snap her neck. Not wanting that day to come any time soon, Sakura assented with a semblance of a nod, her throat too tense to make a sound. Suddenly her neck was released and she took a sharp intake of air.

"Leave. I expect you to report here tomorrow morning, seven O'clock."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Sakura barely managed making her reply audible. She hated that he had this power over her. He stripped her of her will as well as her grip on her emotions.

Finally, he strode out of the office towards the private chambers. Sakura practically bolted toward the door, eager to put as much distance between herself and Danzou.

Her legs took her out of the Hokage tower and into the night. The rest of Konoha was slowly being resurrected much to the efforts of Yamato-taicho and the villagers. She walked through the heart of the city, where most of the construction was complete, and toward the outskirts. The number of people out increased changing from civilians to shinobi. Weaving through the tall canvas tents, she made her way to the newly established training grounds.

The grounds were only illuminated by an odd flash of chakra every now and then. Small groups of ninja trained, but conversation was kept to a minimum. Shinobi censored their words in fear of being accused of treason. Danzou had Root agents everywhere in the makeshift city. Their unwelcome presence brutally reminded them of their fallen leader and Danzou's power.

Sakura trained her eyes on the tree line. Then, as a spark of chakra lit up her field of vision, she caught a glimpse of her target. Walking past a genin team, Sakura made her way towards a copse in the far right of the grounds. The flashing lights lit the tree trunks just enough for her to discern a familiar shock of silver hair. Sakura quickened her pace as she approached the figure.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, it's good to see you," Kakashi greeted with a familiar eye crinkle. However, the effect was mostly lost in the heavy darkness.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura looked down to her feet, unsure of how to relay her confrontation with Danzou. She felt trapped by her situation. The last thing she wanted was to be at the beck and call of some deranged (as Sakura thought he was) and militaristic leader. Danzou made his position clear though, she didn't have a choice. She knew that wouldn't be betraying the resistance with her new position. Hell, it wasn't like she asked for it! Actually now that she thought about it, this position would most like give them easier access to more information about Danzou's plans. A new feeling swelled in her chest at the thought of it. Finally she would be worth something to the resistance. Her, Sakura, would finally be able to help save her village.


The Copy-nin casually leaning against a tree straightened when he saw one of his former students approach. The past month had been difficult on most shinobi, but he had a feeling that Sakura had been suffering more than she let on. Her mentor was stilled trapped in a coma after saving hundreds of lives during Pain's attack and her best friend had been forced into hiding. Kakashi also had a feeling that that Sasuke, who had successfully avenged his clan and had not yet returned to Konoha (at least what was left of it), was taking and emotional toll on the girl as well.

While the Copy-nin doubted he would ever see his three students back together in Konoha peacefully, he knew that Sakura still secretly held on to that hope. Whether she was aware of that hope or not was a mystery even to him. He suspected that she mostly pushed any thoughts of Sasuke away.

Kakashi made sure to keep his eye on Sakura recently. He chalked it up to fact that she had been a student and teammate of his that he felt this concern. How else could a vibrantly pink haired girl work her way into his small list of precious people? He watched as she threw herself into the role of medic. She continued to work as hard as ever with her usual cheerfulness, but when he looked close enough, the gleam in her pale green eyes had disappeared.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei."

With only a few words spoken by his former student he was able to tell something was wrong. The confidence she usually held herself with was gone, the girl who stood before him more closely resembled the weak student he had known when team 7 was still together.

"Sakura, what's—

But before he could finish his inquiry, the demeanor of the small form in front of him changed. Her rounded shoulders straightened and pulled back, her head raised high over a slender neck, and her pair of green eyes rose to meet his single grey one.

"Our prospects might just have changed for the better, sensei."

Those hushed yet determined words completely changed what Kakashi thought the upcoming conversation would entail. He was expecting another round of twenty questions about the whereabouts of Naruto, and his own usual method of evasion, by changing the topic or simply disappearing, from his side of the conversation. The last thing he expected was to see the determined expression in her eyes that he hadn't seen since she and Naruto beat him in the bell test for the second time.

"As of ten minutes ago I am Danzou's new assistant. And I think we can use this— "

"Shh, not here."

Kakashi signaled her to follow him as he headed out of the training grounds and through the maze of tents. They passed through the shadows and avoided being seen by other shinobi. He made three stops, whispering a secret code words into the specific tents. He lead Sakura past the last seven tents in the row and into one of the many supply areas. This one contained high stacks of lumber. Kakashi took Sakura's hand, pulling her in between two lumber stacks and waited.


After being dragged halfway across camp and into the reconstruction sector Sakura was thoroughly annoyed with the Copy-nin. Being so far away from the lights of camp made it hard to anything in front of her, but she knew that Sharingan Kakashi would be able to make out the expression of extreme annoyance on her face.

Sensing the seriousness of the situation though, she refrained from remarking on how she was always left out of the loop. Kakashi seemed to make it his life's goal to keep her out of anything that had to do with the resistance. Sakura knew she had her hand full with her duty as medic, but she wanted to do her part as a Konoha shinobi as well. Danzou had just foiled Kakashi's plans. There was no way they could pass up this opportunity, right?

The quiet sound of three different sets of approaching footsteps interrupted her thinking. She must have visibly tenses because then Kakashi spoke.

"It's alright, Sakura. It's who we've been expecting."

Once the words were spoken Shikamaru, Shikaku, and Morino Ibiki, the only Anbu member in resistance. stepped into the small space between lumber her and Kakashi were occupying. She greeted the Nara's with a nod and silently regarded Ibiki as he did her.

"So, there has been a development?" asked Shikaku.

The question was directed at Sakura. She took a deep breath and told them about her position under Danzou.

"Well, Haruno, it looks like you'll be able to provide the resistance with a new set of eyes and ears. You will need to be discreet about gathering information. Do not go out of your way to hunt down a lead without authorization. Your mission will only be to report the suspicious activity that you observe. Is that understood?"

Ibiki explained her role with utmost seriousness, reminding her of the time when he explained the rules durring the written portion of the chunnin exams. She still harbored a fear of the integration specialist after that event.

"Hai, Morino-san."

"Good, then you will report your findings to Hatake or Nara Shikamaru to avoid suspicion."

"Hai."

With that the three men walked away into the night. Sakura turned to face the man standing to her right. She noticed that he had gone rigid and was staring a hole into the lumber above her head.

"Kaka-sensei?"

He directed his one eyed stare to her then. The weight of his gaze was unsettle and Sakura began shifting her weight from one foot to another. She was opening her mouth the ask again when his words cut her off.

"Sakura, you have to be careful. Danzou knows that you won't take the position lying down. You cannot give him any reason to suspect that you are playing spy, or the consequences will be severe. In fact, I'm sure that he will assume that the resistance will try to use you. He may feed you false information so it is imperative that you report all information to me—"

"But Ka—"

"No Sakura, listen. I know you can be just as impulsive as Naruto at times," Kakashi lifted a finger to silence her when he saw her hackles raise in disagreement.

"Danzou won't hesitate to hurt you, kill you. You need to be careful."

Her anger at being treated like a child and then compared to Naruto fizzled away when she heard the emotion in his voice. The ever stoic Hatake Kakashi showing emotion. This was a momentous event for the pink haired kunoichi and the perfect oportunity.

"Aww Kakashi-sensei. Don't worry about me I'll be fine. Is that a tear I see? Here let me get that."

Just as she raised her hand the snatch at the fabric of the illusive mask Kakashi's hand halted her wrist.

"Tsk,tsk, Sakura-chan that isn't nice. Trying to take advantage of your poor sensei?"

"What? No—I," she spluttered into the retreating jounin vest.

So much for seeing his face, oh well, maybe next time. Sakura sighed and cursed the dirty old man she had for a sensei. How dare he even suggest that?

"Wait! I already have something to report."

He quickly returned to her side, giving her an expectant look.

"Danzou pressured me for information about Naruto's location. I gave him a false lead but, if Naruto's not careful he might end up with multiple teams of Anbu on his back. And he knows about the resistance, and committee three and—"

"We know this already Sakura."

"And you're not going to do anything about it?! Please you need to contact him. At least, let me know he's safe."

Something changed in the copy-nin's eyes then, a softer look came over them. He reached out and ruffled the girls pink tresses reassuringly.

"I'll do my best to keep him safe Sakura-chan. The resistance can handle itself, though be sure to report anything else you hear."

Kakashi paused and then gave her another sincere look.

"Remember what I said."

He disappeared with a quiet pop and puff of smoke.

His words were just heard over the cacophony of crickets and frogs and seemed to die in the darkness. Thoughts of naruto, as if hanging over her shoulders, broke the light mood that the quick bout of teasing had ensued. She wandered through camp alone until she came across her own tent.

Sakura had had long day, the longest she had in while actually. Both her head and body ached and demanded sleep, so she readied for bed in her small space. Most of the tent was lined with stacks of various medical texts. Her personal items as well as ninja gear were stored in their respective packs at the foot of her bed roll.

She laid down on top of the blankets—the weather was too hot to sleep under the covers. She wondered if this would be her last night sleeping in the "tent city." Danzou, the new council, the elders, and those in favor with the new Hokage had been the first to be settled in permanent residences like the civilians. The Hokage tower, the hospital and academy had been reconstructed first followed by the civilian sector and various shinobi headquarters. Thankfully most of the hospital had been spared by the attack and Yamato-taicho was able to bring it back to life with minimal effort.

As of then, most shinobi were camping. It wasn't an inconvenience for most though, because shinobi were constantly being sent out on missions. Missions were the primary source of economic funding for the village when most means of trade and commerce had been destroyed.

If Danzou wanted to keep her close, which she assumed he did, he would probably move her into his compound. Sakura cringed at the thought. It would be closer to hospital and lately she had spent most of time her healing. These new living arrangements may have some advantages, but the close proximity to Danzou was enough to make whatever could be positive about the situation negative.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't know how she was going to balance her work with the hospital with her responsibilities as Danzou's assistant. He would need her at almost all times.

All times.

Then it hit her. She wouldn't be working at the hospital after this night. Her fists clenched the sheets at her side.

Tsunade's condition and the disappearance of Shizune had left Sakura in a tenuous position. She was ranked top medic yet only had the short field experience of a chuunin. Many expected her to take over at the hospital, which she did. She had the help of other senior medics, but she had finally just gotten used to her role as head medic. The hospital was running almost as well as it did in the past with Sakura at the helm these past four months. She had dedicated herself to healing and running the hospital. Now she was forced to give that up and it frustrated her to no end.

The one thing Sakura hated more than being weak was being out of control. That was why Sakura had taken so easily to the career. She could depend on her unwavering control on her chakra, her emotions, her actions, and her decisions as a medic. She was confident in her abilities and rarely ever did her endeavors end in misfortune. Becoming Danzou's new assistant was taking away that control though. She was pray to the whim of her "Hokage." Kami, how her stomach twisted at the thought.

All she could do now was close her eyes and try not to think about everything that was going wrong. She turned, facing the tent wall, but instead of offering darkness to her weary eyes she searched for the small glint of glass she had seen in the corner of her vision. A thin stream of light filtered into her small space from the gap between the canvass flap-doors. There was just enough light to cast down on her old picture of team 7. She reached for the frame and once it was in her hand she stroked the glass with her thumb.

Where are you Naruto, Sasuke? I hope you're safe, both of you. I love you.

Carefully, she placed the frame on the mated floor and fell asleep next to the faces of her teammates.


The rouge ninja's silhouette stood out against the river. Moon light reflected off the surface and onto the weapon gripped in his hand. The razor sharp edge caught the light and flashed into the night. A black aura encompassed the bank, emanating from the man.

The squad of four Anbu slowly approached him, their actions mirroring a defenseless hiker trying to not provoke an already tensed mountain lion.

"The Hokage wishes to speak to you," the Anbu captain spoke in a monotonous tone, but it failed to mask the rigid set of his shoulders.

A long moment of silence passed. While he had been awaiting this confrontation for the past two days, having been able to sense their pursuit, he wasn't sure what his answer would be.

"Then tell the fool to come speak to me himself," the ninja growled low.

The ninja abruptly turned away from the water and towards the squad behind him. He weighed the advantages of just killing them then and there,he already knew what they had to say.

"Danzou-sama has said to inform you that the circumstances have changed since the last time he contacted you. He says to assure you that he will personal make your return to Konoha well worth your while."

He thought of that bloody night, when he had killed him, nearly four months ago. Not a day or hour had passed without it flooding into his thoughts. So many things about that night didn't add up. He was an avenger, and avenge he did. However, the satisfaction, closure, finality, whatever you want to name it, had not come to him. His mind was still locked in turmoil, but this time he had no ambition to focus it in. He needed a new goal, one he could only complete in Konoha. They would be avenged and restored to their past glory, he swore it.

The lone ninja lifted his sword, setting it into the scabbard at his waist. The shinobi's hands in front of him tensed over their weapons. He smirked over the effect he had on them.

"Very well then. Tell your Hokage that I will be visiting soon."

"Of course, Uchiha-san."


Thanks for reading.

'til next time.