Post-War. Enjoy the ride.

A special thank you to: Far2addicted, for betaing this story.

You make me look wonderful.

Updated: 11/11/15

Disclaimer: Naruto, in all facts and facilities belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I just borrow them for awhile. All emotional rollercoasters, heartbreaks, and pent up suspense, plotlines and what have you belong to me. Enjoy.

A Meeting of Two Minds

The forest was silent and still, dew glistening on the dark green chutes of grass that embraced the terrain like a second skin. Only the adept ear would have been able to decipher the tale-tell taps of sandals making contact with the tree branches above. However, they were most definitely there.

Four figures clad in black flew like the devil was at their heels in their specified direction. Two of the four figures, who wore white decorated masks, supported a third between them, never allowing the figure's feet to touch the branch for more than a second. The fourth was running ahead of them, scanning for any unseen entities intending to intercept the skilled squadron. They functioned seamlessly in complete silence, the way their training and experience had taught them. The two supporting their comrade wore Kitsune and Okami masks, and the incapacitated third sported one of a Kusuri while their ever-watchful point man was a Mangusu.

A slight twitch of the Mangusu's hand halted their forward progress instantly. The Kitsune and Okami pressed their backs against the trunk of a nearby tree, resting the Kuzuri's slumping figure against it as well. The Mangusu had taken refuge in the tree just ahead of them. Both the Kitsune and Okami awaited the Mangusu's signal, muscles tense, and ready to jump into action at a moment's notice.

The Mangusu drew three senbon in his right hand and two in his left. Turning his head to the left, toward the space in between the trees, he threw three of the five senbon between the gap without looking at them. The tale-tell sound of bodies hitting the ground reassured the troupe that it was safe to continue.

It was five more minutes before the first signs of their destination became apparent, much to the Okami's relief. She slipped two fingers beneath the Kuzuri's mask to feel for his pulse, which was quick and thready but still there. He had taken some major hits during their mission, and she was concerned for his well-being.

She was nearing chakra exhaustion herself from all the healing she'd had to do on him. What treatment she'd been able to give, she hadn't had adequate time to perform. They had played with fire when they had laid him down before her and held their position behind enemy lines. Not long after, her other teammates had partaken in the seemingly choreographed dance of battle around her so she could patch him up to the best of her ability. The enemy never once got close, both of her teammates knowing that an intrusion would have meant death for the Kuzuri.

The Kitsune shifted the Kuzuri's weight more onto his shoulders, intending to take the brunt of his weight from the Okami. His calculations somewhere had been wrong. For all their vigilant observations and careful planning, the mission had still fallen through at points. The ambush did not fit the enemies MO. They tended to dive head first into battle, much as the Kuzuri did, with no heed to the logic or strategy that the Kitsune found solace in.

This mission had lasted two months. Two months of observation, two months of formulation, two months of tracking, of freezing in the cold, harsh winter with no fire to warm them for fear of discovery, of dealing with each of their teammate's withdrawals of social interaction, and of feeling dehumanized, which seemed so troublesome to the Kitsune. It would take another month for each of them to fall back into normal human socialization. Now, it was all for naught.

Granted, the mission had been reconnaissance only, but they had gained a sudden opportunity to obtain actual intelligence. And any missed opportunity to gain the upper hand was always the move that cost the game, as the Kitsune knew all too well.

The gateway that lead to their home came into sight, but the billowing smoke and red flames that appeared sent the returning squad members into overdrive.

They cleared the one hundred or so yards to the gate in less than a minute. Once inside the gate, they became an audience to utter chaos. Buildings were on fire, marketplace produce was strewn along the street, the injured and bleeding lay helpless and moaning on the scorched earth, and the help seemed to be in as much disarray as the victims.

The squadron shed their masks upon entry, letting them fall loosely around their necks. Shikamaru took Kiba's limp form from Sakura as she knelt beside a bleeding child on the ground. Groping in her pouch for a fruit pill, she ingested it before the green glow emanated from her hands. The breathing was shallow, but it was still there, his condition stabilizing beneath her hands.

Neji activated his Byakugan and pivoted slightly on his left foot to get a full view of the village. His eyes widened then narrowed once he locked onto the invasive force.

"They are headed toward the civilian district on the eastern side," he relayed, his voice tempered with anger. He had long ago foregone his bitter lamentations about being of the branch family of the house of Hyuuga. Konoha was his home, and he was enraged that someone had the gall to threaten it in his absence.

Sakura's eyes widened. She rose to her feet immediately and channeled chakra into them, launching herself from the ground and into the air. She took to the rooftops, sprinting as fast as her exhausted leg muscles would allow and ignoring their protest at such exertion. Her emerald eyes were wide in fear and anxiety as she flew by, only a black and pink blur to any who might observe her.

She landed unsteadily before a white house that had been set ablaze. as she approached it, the second-story of the house fell down into the first. Emotion flooded her eyes as she watched the horrifying scene unfold before her.

"No," she found herself whisper, her own voice sounding foreign to her.

Without a second thought, she barreled into the building, throwing back blistering debris with her bare hands, never feeling any pain. The flames were hot and licked at her body like a warm caress, but she paid them no mind. She looked around frantically, but saw nothing. Jumping onto what little remained of the unstable floor of the second story, Sakura ran as fast as she could down the hall and to the right, as she remembered it.

She threw back the door revealing a room nearly unravished by the flames, her sight catching on a figure pinned to the bed by a wooden beam. She rushed to the figure's side, hurling the beam away before cradling the figure in her arms. The smoke was thick and affected her vision as she spotted the only window in the room. Charging through the window backward and falling from the second story, Sakura held the figure securely against her torso, breaking his fall. The building collapsed entirely moments after and the flames roared more fiercely, accentuating her near failure.

Sakura rolled over and laid the figure on the ground beneath her. It was a boy around twelve, his figure thin and fragile as it had always been. His sandy-blonde hair was slightly singed by the fire as she gently brushed the fingers of her left hand through it. He curled into her touch, and Sakura took this as a good sign.

"Junsuino," she called to him softly.

The boy stirred at her voice and opened his emerald green eyes to regard her before blinking several more times. He looked confused and opened his mouth to speak before heavy coughs racked his small frame, spewing blood from his pale lips.

Sakura's softened expression took on the visage of panic as she immediately brought the glowing green energy to her hands. She closed her eyes as she searched his system frantically for the source of his blood. She felt her heart drop when she sensed the broken ribs that had punctured his lung and liver. A sharp jagged edge of bone was rubbing against the aortic artery that led directly to the heart. He was bleeding out on the inside.

"No," was all she could manage to say as she pushed her green healing energy to flood his system, wincing at the strain of chakra exhaustion she felt. She had closed her eyes to concentrate when a voice called out to her urgently.

"Sakura!" It was Neji's voice. Sakura opened her eyes in time to see her squadmate sail over her to deflect her silent attacker. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked to her left, where two more figures closed in on their location.

She rose to her feet and used her chakra laiden fist to slam into the neck of the first one, barely dodging the kunai he had pointed at her, and his body crumbled instantly. The next adversary was more cautious after watching her previous performance, quick and light on his feet. It was a combination Sakura didn't have time to deal with.

The enemies kept coming. When Sakura killed one, two more would fill their place. Sakura's hits grew more reckless as worry began to invade her mind. If she didn't get to Junsuino soon, he was going to die.

After what seemed like forever, the flood of enemy nin seemed to die down. Neji, who had stayed at her side, activated his Byakugan again, scanning the landscape before him.

"They are retreating," he stated as Sakura dispatched the last nin on her side of the battlefield.

The sound of gargled blood snapped Sakura's head to the figure on the ground. She threw herself down and brought the green energy to her hands once more. Junsuino coughed again and spat up a wad of clotted blood.

"No, you can't give up. Not now. Junsu, I promised I would protect you. I won't break that promise," she said fervently as the green glow in her hands ebbed and flickered into non-existence. Her eyes widened as a rush of nausea passed through her. She had nearly exhausted her entire chakra supply. It was a defense mechanism ingrained into her by Tsunade to shut off her systems when the level was too low.

"No," she cried as she tried to bring the glow back to her hands. Tears blurred her vision and her brow lifted slightly out of concentration as a pale white hand grabbed on to her own trembling fingers.

She gazed into the smiling face of her brother, his emerald eyes holding an understanding of the situation beyond his years. He knew he was going to die.

"Don't worry, Kura. I'm going to be alright," he said with a smile. Sakura felt the first of the hot tears trail down her face as he lifted his hand to palm her cheek and wiped it away. Her lower lip trembled fiercely.

"I can't lose you Jun," she said softly as her voice quivered.

"You won't. Remember what you told me when you first became Anbu," he asked his voice choking slightly on the unwanted liquid being forced up his throat. He took her hand and placed it on the left side of his chest three inches from his sternum. "I'll always be right here."

Sakura's vision blurred entirely as she felt the quivering rise and fall of his chest as he struggled to breathe. She knew this moment meant the world to him; she had to say the right thing. This was going to be his last memory of her.

She could already see the light in his eyes fading as she spoke to him one last time, "That's right, Junsu. And I'll always love you."

As the last embers of his mind fired on their final pistons, a smile was gracing his features. He closed his eyes and spoke his final sentence, "I love you too….Kura."

Sakura felt her heart clench and her breathing come to her in large gasps. She coughed violently, trying to regulate her breathing as sobs threatened to rack her frame. Gritting her teeth, she felt the first sob build up in her throat, threatening to break free from her restraint. Her vision blurred as tears flooded her eyes and spilled over in a boundless limit.

The hand that laid itself on her shoulder shocked her, and Sakura drew a kunai and turned to her assailant. Neji caught the kunai's tip gingerly with his fingertips as recognition flooded Sakura's features, and she dropped the kunai. Raising her gaze slowly, she was presented with an expression few have ever seen the Hyuuga wear: unadulterated sorrow.

"Sakura," he spoke into the silence that seemed to echo throughout their surroundings, "cry."

Sakura felt her shoulders shake as she turned and cradled Junsu in her arms gently as if he were made of precious china. She felt the first of what she knew would be many sobs form within her throat again. This time she released it.

It manifested itself in a mournful scream. She felt two arms encircle her waist and a pressure against her back as her sobs echoed throughout the street for what seemed like hours…..

Thunder rolled and broke the rosette kunoichi from her momentary lapse in concentration, her emerald eyes lazily assessing the target that she had been tailing for the past week, a wanted defector from Konoha. According to the mission scroll, this was one of the many rogue ninja indirectly responsible for the assault that had taken the lives of many people two years ago, including her brother.

Her normally stoic expression hardened slightly at the thought of having someone responsible within her grasp. Her eyes narrowed as the figure moved more edgily down the path, shifting his backpack ever so slightly, like he could sense her killing intent. It mattered little to her. His death was impending whether or not he squirmed beforehand.

Naruto leaned back in his chair behind the Hokage's desk as the sun glinted off of his glaringly orange long coat. As he aged, people within the village began to talk about how the jinchuuriki was beginning to favor his late father. The similarity had also transcended upon his choice of wardrobe, much to Hinata's humor.

His newly acquired position brought him a great sense of pride, but it came a great weight of responsibility, something he hadn't fully comprehended nor appreciated of his predecessor until very recently. The classic smile vacated his normally sunny complexion and was replaced with a deep frown that tugged at the edge of his lips.

A knock that sounded on the door to his office ushered him back into reality, forcing his signature smile back to its proper place.

"Come in." Naruto's great booming voice echoed within the expanse as the door opened and he rose to meet his guest.

The crimson locks of the Kazekage dressed in his traditional kage garb came into his visage, and his smile visibly brightened. Sabaku no Gaara returned a semblance of the gesture as he extended his hand to his friend.

"Kazekage," Naruto greeted, taking the offered hand and shaking it. "I am glad that you were able to come on such short notice."

Gaara dismissed the greeting with the slight wave of his hand as he made to sit in the appointed chair before the Hokage's desk.

"I knew when you asked that you would not be asking for this meeting unless it was of great importance," he countered, his seafoam eyes searching his friend's sapphire blue orbs as he took his own seat behind the desk.

Naruto's eyes were contemplative as he glanced around the room at his own elite bodyguards stationed strategically around the room, then at the Sand nin that had dutifully followed the Kazekage into the office.

"What I have to say needs to be done in nondisclosed confidence," he stated his blue orbs meeting and holding Gaara's gaze.

Gaara searched his eyes for any indication of what was to come, and what he observed reflected in those orbs concerned him.

"Hn," was his only response as he waved his hand and the Sand nin retreated.

"All of you, go, take a fifteen minute break," Naruto stated to the rest of the elite bodyguards leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

He waited until the door was closed before sealing the room entirely. Only when the blue glow of chakra ignited every crevice of the room did he open his mouth to speak.

"Sakura's life is in danger."

She was in position to take the target when a tree branch snapped some odd ten feet from the subject. His head jerked to the right as he backed off to the left just enough to bring him out of range.

Her emerald orbs narrowed in the distracting sound's direction. More likely than not, it was an animal of the forest trying to make its way through the undergrowth. In any case, it was enough to warrant a look.

Sakura soundlessly sprinted to the right, landing silently on the forest floor. She rose from her crouching position and drank in the still, leafy expanse around her. There was nothing. Her cold eyes blinked once before she withdrew a kunai lazily to block the offending weapon thrust down upon her.

Upon opening her eyes, she glanced to her right as the target bared his weight on her in an attempt to overpower her. Her eyes merely narrowed. He had no idea who he was dealing with.

Gaara had his fingertips pressed together, his lips resting against them in thought as Naruto continued.

"I have significant intel that leads me to believe the group responsible for the assault on Konoha over two years ago is now targeting her."

The Kazekage drew his head back as his brow furrowed slightly.

"How are you certain?" he questioned.

"The intel she has brought back from the S-ranked missions she's performed over the years. Additionally, other findings from additional Anbu Black Op reconnaissance missions also indicate her as their next target," Naruto finished.

His blue orbs clouded with concern as his own brow furrowed with thought.

"At first we weren't certain. They would make brief references to 'the medic'. Then we started getting a description. One message noted 'monstrous strength'. Another noted 'extreme chakra control'. The last one we received even had her family name on it," Naruto finished, sighing as he leaned back in his chair.

Gaara gazed up unblinkingly at his friend. It was apparent that Naruto's position was aging him, as his own had already done to him. It was forcing the eternal optimist to see the darker side of life, something that Gaara, after becoming Kazekage and experiencing it himself in all of its black-hearted wonder, had questioned if his friend could handle and still maintain his carefree air. In this moment, Gaara knew his very foundation was being tested.

He had no doubt that Naruto would always do what was best for his people, and Gaara knew that Naruto expected no less of him as well. It wasn't a question of whether or not Naruto had what it took to be Hokage; he did. The issue remained with a simple question: could he do it, and not lose himself to it entirely?

"Why Haruno?" Gaara questioned fishing for his friend's thoughts.

"The same reason the Akatsuki wanted her, the same reason Sasuke wanted her, and the same reason attempts on her life have been made before. Sakura is a very skilled medic. One that any village, organization, or person would be lucky to have at their disposal. Not to mention the fact that she is a woman and, from experience, we know what could happen to her if she is captured under such pretenses," he growled lowly.

"What is it you need from me?" Gaara queried, attempting to steer himself from his current line of thought.

"I need you to take her to Suna and protect her," Naruto stated unflinchingly.

"Haruno Sakura is a kunoichi-" Gaara stated leaning back in his own chair.

"A damn good one who has single-handedly taken on over sixty S-ranked missions within the past two years alone," Naruto interrupted. "I am not questioning her abilities to eliminate her attackers, Gaara."

"Then what is your concern?" he requested, his tenor tone laced with curiosity.

"Further damage to her already fragile psyche," Naruto admitted.

Gaara's brow once more furrowed. "I am not sure I understand."

"Let's just say after the attack, we lost Sakura for a while. We weren't sure that she would ever truly recover, and I don't believe she ever really did..."

Sakura withdrew a second kunai from her weapons pouch and slashed at the rogue's throat, but he jumped back deftly, dodging her strike. She threw the kunai in her right hand high, and the left one went low. The target dodged by taking to the trees.

Sakura's eyes remained expressionless as she chased after her fleeing prey. It was of no consequence to her. At his current pace she could keep up with him for the next day or two if she had to. This was just another job, another mission, another check mark, another day.

"What do you mean, lost her?" Gaara questioned.

"The attack destroyed her," Naruto elaborated. "Almost entirely. She lost a part of herself that night, Gaara. Do not ask me what; it is not my right to say."

The Kazekage leaned back in his chair, taking in this new information.

"After the assault, she had a very brutal falling out with her family in the hospital over it. They blamed all of it on her: the fall of the village, the damage done to their home, and for the loss of something precious. They taunted her with her inability to save lives in the midst of chaos, insulting her achievements, and even her title of kunoichi."

"Why couldn't she?" Gaara queried, his eyes sharp from concentration.

"Her squad of Anbu happened on the assault on return of a mission that had lasted two months. Knowing her squad, her chakra was spent long before she arrived," Naruto said calmly. "She, more than likely, was on reserves upon entering the village."

From anyone else, Naruto would have bristled at the question, but from Gaara it held a different meaning. It was not meant as a barb, as it would have been from any other kage or elder, but instead as a hook for information.

The Kazekage sat in contemplative silence as Naruto continued.

"She had severe chakra exhaustion burns upon arriving at the hospital," his expression took on a far away look to Gaara and his tone was low as if remembering a bad dream. "I had never seen her so broken like that. It was like her whole world had shattered."

There was an impassive silence between the two men before the redhead spoke.

"What did she do after?"

Naruto's gaze hardened.

"Trained. Constantly. With anyone and everyone she could get to agree. At first, we thought it was good for her. It was an outlet. Everyone needs an outlet after something like that, but this...this was beyond that. It became an obsession."

She had followed her target nearly ten miles from the original point of attack, and it was honestly wearing thin on the rosette's nerves. It was time to end this.

She briefly disappeared from sight, and the target slowed as he glanced behind himself to find her. On the next tree branch he paused, and that would be his fatal mistake.

The branch seemed to implode as shards of wood and splinters flew off in every direction. His wide eyes took in her seemingly calm visage, and she raised her head to look him in the eye as she drew back her originally extended right fist. He landed on the next tree as chakra surrounded her chakra-flow enhanced gloves. She took aim, he barely had time to throw himself from that tree branch before it too seemed to implode.

Upon the impact with ground, the rosette before him, bearing senbon, her stance lanky as she wielded two senbon and struck, immediately assaulted him. He felt the pinpricks of contact as the needles pierced two of his pressure points, his left arm going numb instantly as it fell at his side, useless.

The man grimaced as he jumped back from the kunoichi, waiting for her approach before he threw the exploding tags. When the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the pinkette, and that disturbed him.

He felt a bead of sweat roll down his spine uncomfortably as his eyes scanned the still, quiet clearing he found himself in, a moment's reprieve before she continued her aggressive assault, her attacks relentless in speed and ferocity. The rogue just barely managed to dodge each blow, but, as fate would have it, his luck was running out.

He felt the bite of a blade tear into his shoulder. With gritted teeth, he threw his own kunai managing to shred the material of her black long-sleeved shirt on her bicep. Her eyes, accentuated by the black half-mask she wore, narrowed as she continued the assault.

He forced his hands together and began making hand signs. Sakura jumped in recognition of the phoenix flower jutsu as a great ball of fire raged toward her previous position.

As the flames cleared, her figure was revealed, airborne. The black wrappings on her forearms were slightly unraveled and attached to them were an assortment of weapons. He felt his shoulders tense in anticipation as she swung her wrappings toward him.

He dodged half-heartedly to the left as a tanto pierced his calf muscle. He cried out in pain as kunai along with other randomized weapons lodged themselves securely into his being. With a ruthless jerk of the wrappings all the weapons returned to her person, disappearing at the bidding of a single hand sign, as blood poured from his being in massive quantities.

She dropped to the ground silently, merely feet from him, as she made her approach. She halted a few steps from him and uttered a single sentence.

"This is for my brother."

With a rib-shattering kick, he was launched feet into the air. Glancing at the ground through pain-dazed eyes, he found her figure absent. She reappeared behind him and released the bindings on her arms, which wrapped around his person securely. With a swift jerk, they both began the fated torrential spiral earthward, and just before impact Sakura released her prisoner.

His body was unmoving. Sakura panted softly, the first, and only, sign of exertion she had shown during the entire exchange. However, after a few moments, that too ceased.

She approached the man slowly and, after placing two fingers to his carotid artery, she turned, leaving without another word as a wayward breeze ruffled her ponytail.

"Kiba, Lee, Neji, and Tenten are among the many sparring partners she's had, and, because of her fierce dedication to her training, she has become an even larger force to reckon with. Paired with her medical knowledge, she now has Neji's pressure point technique that has become a close match to the Hyuuga gentle fist technique. Along with Tsunade's outrageous chakra enhanced strength, she has Lee's taijutsu training, Kiba's ferocity and Tenten's weapons skill, and her own innate regenerative skills. Gaara, if she isn't already, she is on her way to becoming the ultimate killing machine," Naruto finished, sounding much older than his years let on.

Gaara sat in complete silence.

During the war, he and Sakura had grown close after Tsunade had sent her on assignment as his personal medic. Through the combat, the strategizing, and the near-death close calls somehow he and the rosette medic had formed a semblance of friendship. Even after the conclusion of the war, they had corresponded for a while.

In truth, the letters, over the span of two years, had awakened feelings in the red headed Kazekage that he had never known he harbored, and, to him, it was even more peculiar that they decided to surface due to a certain rosette kunoichi.

However, two years ago the letters had stopped altogether. He had known about the assault on Konoha and had even personally come to aid in the rebuilding of the hidden village. At the time, it hadn't seemed strange to Gaara that he hadn't seen her. Since she was a medic, he had expected she was swamped at the hospital, and he was too busy helping Naruto reform his village that he had negated to go searching for the kunoichi.

Although, as time dragged on he had noted the absence of her letters and silently pined for the presence she once held in his mundane life, but there had been no official arrangement between the two nor mention of the intentions behind such correspondence. So, as time passed, feelings began to fade and, eventually it all had just become a fond memory.

Now, sitting here, in Naruto's office, Gaara silently cursed himself for not seeing it sooner.

"I need your help, Gaara," Naruto pleaded.

Gaara gazed up into his friend's hopeful eyes before responding. "What would you have me do?"

"I am going to assign her on a detachment security detail to Suna, with your permission, of course."

One of Gaara's uncolored eyebrows elegantly raised in question.

"On what grounds?"

"Extra security for the Kazekage due to a death threat made by the same organization that lead the assault on Konoha," Naruto finished, a grin on his face.

"This is, of course, unfounded," Gaara surmised, his eyebrow still raised.

"Naturally," Naruto responded the smile still painted on his face.

Gaara leaned forward once more, leveling his friend with an intense gaze.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but you expect me to take a, by your definition for all intents and purposes, unstable, kunoichi into my village, who happens to be an increasingly more volatile killing machine than she was the last time we met, under the pretense of a lie that an organization, that happens to be the catalyst for said instability, has made a claim on my life while simultaneously ensuring her own safety. Furthermore, you want me to lie to this person?"

"I am glad we understand each other," Naruto said rising from his seat.

Gaara leaned back in his chair and exhaled stressfully while Naruto chuckled in the background.

"I could potentially have a mass murderer in my village," Gaara lamented, staring at the ceiling while resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, I thought Suna was used to that kind of thing," Naruto quipped with a side smirk.

Gaara gifted Naruto with a semi-glare, but he just laughed good-naturedly. Shortly after the laughter died down, the serious inflection returned to Naruto's voice.

"Gaara, if anyone can save her, I know you can."

"So that's what this is all about," Gaara spoke softly, holding his friend's gaze steadily.

"I know you use to send each other letters all the time," Naruto said with a knowing glint in his eyes, "She use to talk about you all the time. Sometimes I grew sick of hearing about you." He laughed slightly at the memories.

"That was years ago, Naruto," Gaara responded with a breathy sigh.

"Even so, that doesn't just go away. I know, somewhere, you still care about her," he said before adding, "And I bet she still does too."

Gaara looked up into Naruto's endlessly blue eyes and had the notion that he was being set up on a weird, strange, twisted, cliche, and possibly cataclysmic date with Haruno Sakura. Or an adventure, maybe.

The resigned sigh that escaped Gaara's throat left the blonde grinning unabashedly.

"So, when should I send her?"