New story idea I'm working with, inspired by Sasuke's goal of being a Hokage in the manga. I've been going overt this idea for a year now and just recently started to write it out. I'm sure other authors have written about this already, but this is my take on it.

Enjoy!

This had to be one of the worst weeks of Sakura's life—not the absolute worst, but it was pretty close.

Sakura stood in the Hokage's office, looking over the mission scroll for a third time, occasionally glancing up Tsunade, just to make sure this wasn't a joke. But each time she caught a glance at her master's face, it grew more serious. There was no hint of amusement or happiness.

'This can't be real . . .'

"You're sending me to Orochimaru's village?" she asked finally, incredulously.

"Otogakure, Sakura," Tsunade corrected her. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the comment, biting her tongue; they were the enemy, she would refer to them however she felt inclined. "And don't give me that look; you know perfectly well that the village as a whole is no longer an enemy force—"

"Don't give me that!" Sakura shouted, amazed that Tsunade could be so calm about this entire situation. "Just because Orochimaru is dead doesn't mean that his shinobi aren't still going to attack our own at any chance they have," she seethed, remembering the trouble they had caused so many years ago.

"The attitudes of a village usually are affected by the beliefs and actions of the current leader," the Hokage said slowly. "Their Otokage has allied his village with our own. As a new ally to Konohagakure, it is our duty to assist an ally whenever help is called for."

"And what if I don't want to?" Sakura asked slowly, choosing her words carefully. "What if I tell you that this entire mission makes me uncomfortable, goes against my best wishes, and that I refuse?"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed considerably. "Then you go against the oath you took at the Academy Graduation ceremony, you go against a political alliance, you go against this village, and you are going against my direct order," she answered between her teeth. Tsunade knew then that she hit a low point. Sakura was a completely loyal person to the core of her being; to be told that she was ultimately betraying so many aspects of her Shinobi contract would tear her to pieces.

Sakura glared up at the woman she had once admired, someone she would rely on with her whole heart. "Is this because of the council?" she asked slowly, carefully watching Tsunade's face in case the woman lied to her. "Is it because of—"

"No," Tsunade said quickly, her eyes glancing away. "This mission that you are assigned has nothing to do with that." There was a slight pause. 'Liar,' ran across Sakura's mind. "The council is still very upset with you, the family of the child will not drop the charges, but this mission has nothing to do with that." Tsunade stood from her chair and turned to observe the village through the large windows. "Don't think of this as some form of punishment for your actions, Sakura. Consider this mission a blessing in disguise." The woman looked back at her former pupil. "Get away from the village for a while, step back from this whole mess. Do some good—"

"I saved that kid's life—how is that not good?" Sakura demanded, keeping her voice as calm as possible.

Tsunade did not comment on the outburst and continue as if uninterrupted. "Be away long enough for this whole thing to blow over. Maybe putting your efforts into Otogakure will do you some good."

Sakura glanced away, the pit in her stomach falling. She couldn't deny that everything that had happened this past week had taken a serous toll on her, but she would never admit it out loud. But the Hokage was right: everything had gotten out of hand so quickly; if Sakura stayed in the village, around her hospital where it all started, things might actually get worse. Perhaps Tsunade was right . . .

"When do I leave?"

"Immediately."

The journey to the land of Otogakure was long and emotionally trying for Sakura. Every step she took towards the newly-formed country was another step away from Konoha, her home. It had only been a year ago when the dynamics between all the great nations essentially changed and the countries rearranged themselves. After the Great Ninja War, borderlines were redrawn after the fall of different deities; countries underwent changes in structure and power. For the most part, the Fire Country, Earth Country, and Lightening Country remain unchanged as far as politics were concerned. Water country gained control over the surrounding islands, Winded gained control over Ame and Ishi, but it was Oto that had changed the most. With the fall of Orochimaru's reign, the village had essentially fallen apart. However, as the war caused this same destruction to other countries and villages, all of the smaller countries that had surrounded it were without a leader.

Sakura could remember everyone's mixed reactions when Oto essentially took control of the entire surrounding land between Fire, Earth, and Lightening countries. It had taken a few long months for Naruto to convince everybody that the new and official Kage of Otogakure was nothing like his former master. The immediate alliance between Konoha and Oto was a testament to that—though it did take a lot of convincing for Tsunade to make the official call to form the alliance. Because they all knew Sasuke wasn't going to be the one to initiate the contract.

It was nearing the end of the second day of Sakura's journey when the rain began, a constant downpour that lasted into the third day of her travels. The weather ironically reflected her inner turmoil with the entire situation. She relayed in her mind was the mission scroll had stated, remembering that it was tucked securely in her pack.

Sasuke had requested that a set of trained medics be sent to Oto to assist with building up a secure and efficient medical unit within his village. Sakura could understand the request; first off, Konoha was the only true ally of Oto—they were still working to form other bonds, and secure the newer ones into alliances that Sasuke could fully rely on. Not only that, but when Sasuke took on the task of become the new Kage of Oto, he went out to physically rebuild the entire village in a location that was geographically smarter, considering the fact that the new country his village resided in was much larger than the former Rice Country. Prior to this, the Sound Village had essentially just been made up of a bunch of underground tunnels that were set in place by Orochimaru to hide his experiments. Apparently Sasuke was not in favor of those tunnels. He had positioned the new village to be as close to center in the new country as possible, which resembled some of the other countries. Not only that, but if Sakura remembered correctly, the Sound Shinobi were not known for their medical skills (aside from Kabuto, but Sakura didn't like to dwell her thoughts on him too much).

Sakura wondered what his reaction would be upon realizing that Tsunade only sent him one medic, and that the one medic she sent was his former teammate. If Sakura were honest with herself, she would admit that she was nervous to see his reaction, anxious to see him, scarred that he would send her away, that she had missed him despite everything that happened between them. But she was very rarely honest with herself these days, so none of these thoughts lingered for long in her conscious mind.

By the late afternoon Sakura arrived upon the gates of the Sound Village, clutching her travel cloak tighter around her to protect herself from the onslaught of the unrelenting rain. Two guards stood at the gates, watching her warily as she passed. She wondered vaguely how they would have reacted if they had seen her headband and the Leaf insignia upon it; Sakura did not regret having tucked it away hours ago.

Sakura trudged through the streets, looking for some indication of where one would find the Otokage. She could vaguely remember Naruto having described to her the layout of the visit, having memorized it from the several visits it took to it for Tsunade. She had never really paid attention to what the blonde male had told her, for the mention of Sasuke and his village had always made her throat constrict painfully. If she remembered correctly, the tower would be settled against the side of a large cliff that was located on the north side of the village. The concept reminded Sakura vaguely of how Konoha was set up. Walking through the streets, Sakura noticed how dull and lifeless everything seemed; shops were closed, windows shut tightly, no one milling about. 'Though that might be due to the weather,' she thought dimly. Perhaps things would appear differently under different circumstances.

Of course, the fact that she did not want to be here probably had an affect on how she looked at the growing village.

As Sakura neared the north side of the village she became aware of a large tower-like building that was connected to two smaller square ones at its side. Despite the rain—which was getting significantly worse—Sakura remained outside, staring up at the building that loomed over her. With its dark exterior it seemed to blend in with the dark weather, making everything seem even more lifeless. In the back of her mind, Sakura wondered if she could really last a whole year in a place like this. She felt as if she would whither away in such a village.

'Hopefully it only takes a year…'

A clash of thunder sounded overhead, causing Sakura to jump slightly and remember where she was and her purpose. Taking a deep breath she forced her feet to move forward towards the large oak double doors. Right as she was about to reach for the handle a large sword came sailing out of nowhere. Sakura jumped back, holding her hood closer to her face. 'Son of a bitch, he could have taken my hand off!' she thought, already irritated. This was not how she wanted to start her time here. Sakura looked over at whoever was holding the sword, taking in his appearance. It didn't take even a second for her to recognize him as Suigetsu, one of the members of Taka.

"Hey there," he drawled, "what's a guy like you doing trying to get in to the Otokage's tower, eh?" He made a motion to grab at her, to which she brought up her arm and blocked. Because of this, her hood blew off her head, revealing her pink hair. Suigetsu paused and took her in. "So you're a woman," he mumbled. "Sakura, right?"

The young woman narrowed her eyes. She didn't think that he would necessarily remember her, they had only met on a couple occasions, and those times hadn't even been official. Sakura pushed her now-drenched hair out of her eyes. "I'm here on business from the Leaf Village," she said simply. "That is all you need to know."

Suigetsu smirked, looking her over. "Well, aren't you bold?" he pondered while lifting the sword from the entryway. He opened the door, bowing; even his body language screamed 'sarcasm'. "After you, ma'am." Sakura gave him her best stink eye before she passed him. His attitude reminded her a bit of Kiba; at least he didn't smell like wet dog.

Upon entering, a sign indicated different departments in the complex building and where they would be located. Checking the sign, Sakura then proceeded to weave her way through a few hallways and up a large staircase, then down another hallway. It wasn't long until she reached another set of oak doors. She gathered whatever courage she had left and knocked, hoping her knocking didn't sound timid.

"Come in," came a voice—his voice.

It took Sakura a second to register that he had granted her permission to enter his office. His voice had been calm and slow, no longer containing the malice and hatred that she had unknowingly grown accustomed to whenever she had run into him.

'Well, here goes the next year of my life,' she thought, half miserable and half . . . something she couldn't describe.

Sakura grabbed a hold of the doors, squared her shoulder, and opened the door.

Her eyes were set straight ahead, so the first thing they happened to focus on was the man behind a large desk, writing on a scroll. He didn't look up at her, focused on his work before him. Sakura took in his appearance: he wore a dark shirt, his hair was cleaner than she remembered, his brow furrowed in concentration, a slight scowl on his face. "What do you want?" he questioned, barely paying attention to whoever had just walked in.

"You should be a little more courteous to you guests, you know," she said before thinking. Immediately she remembered her place: she was a medic, and his was a Kage. She needed to be more respectful.

Sasuke froze the instant she opened her mouth, staring at the parchment in front of him. 'That voice . . ' Slowly he raised his eyes to the woman before him, not truly believing that she was actually there. But as his head came up he took in her appearance. Her outfit was dreadful: she was completely drenched from the rain, hair plastered to her face, clothes soaked through. But when his eyes reached her face, he noticed how her face was set into a firm expression, eyes filled with determination and boldness.

"What are you doing here?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, momentarily forgetting that she needed to treat him with respect. "You sent a notice to my village asking for medical experts." Sasuke leaned back in his chair, eyeing her with a calculating gaze. "I'm the medical expert."

"I asked for a team of experts," he said smoothly.

Sakura sighed, shoving her hair out of her face again. "Yes, I'm aware. However, the Leaf Village is short on trained medical staff at the moment, so Lady Hokage sent me," she explained. She bowed before him, trying to be respectful—for he was a Kage now, she needed to remember. "I am the top medical ninja, I will not disapp—"

"I remember, Sakura." He watched as she paused, glancing up at him from behind her hair. "I remember fighting alongside you in the war, what you did. You healed a majority of the Shinobi Alliance," he recalled. "You are a capable medical ninja."

Sakura straightened, trying to hold in her shock; having him verbally recognize her abilities was not something she was used to. She cleared her throat, composing herself once more. "What do you wish for me to do while I am here, Lord Otokage?" she asked.

While Sasuke's face didn't show it, he was taken aback by how Sakura addressed him. Of course, he was use to this from his own Shinobi, expected it. But to hear it from someone like Sakura . . . it felt odd, as if they truly were too far apart now. They were on completely different levels.

Sasuke stood, putting away the documents he was reviewing. They were already overdue, another few hours wouldn't make much of a difference. He quickly grabbed a cloak that was hanging up and led her out of the room. "Where are we going?" she asked as he led her down the hallway.

"I'm going to show you where you will be staying," he answered shortly.

As they made their way through the streets, Sakura took in more of the village. Parts of it still looked as if the village was still under construction; there were buildings that were only half built, some that looked broken and abandoned. If Sakura didn't know better, she wouldn't have been able to tell if this was a village being built or one being left behind. Sakura gripped her cloak closer to her as the winds picked up again, howling between the buildings. "Is the weather always this bad?" she wondered out loud.

"No," came a curt reply. Sakura made a mental note of that.

"So what is going on here that you requested assistance from the Leaf?" she asked, turning her gaze to his figure, which was covered by his cloak.

"We don't have a medical staff," he started off. "Orochimaru never bothered training people to know medical ninjutsu, so most of the shinobi here don't know any of the basics. They need to know. That will be the first part of your job. The second is to establish a hospital that can run efficiently," he said, glancing up at a tall building they were passing. Sakura looked up as well, taking note that this shabby building was the hospital. "What we have isn't good enough to the sick or injured to reside in."

"I see . . ." she mumbled. The building wasn't nearly as large as the Konoha Hospital, but its size was wasn't pitiful. However, judging by what Sakura could see through the onslaught of rain and wind, the building didn't look stable enough to house the sick and injured.

They approached a set of apartments; Sakura appreciated that the apartment complex was close to the hospital. He led her to the first door on the second floor, handing her a key. "I was expecting more medical ninja, so you won't have any neighbors until someone else moves in later on," he said, sounding disinterested.

Sakura took the key and opened the door to her temporary home. It was an open concept with the living room and kitchen not having dividing walls. She could see that there was a bathroom down a hallway, which probably stood across from the bedroom. Sakura took off her cloak and set down her traveling pack, slowly walking around the apartment. There was some furniture with cheap linens on the bed, dishes and silverware in the kitchen, and a couple towels in the bathroom. Sakura started making a long mental list of everything she would need to buy the next day; she didn't bring too much with her, there hadn't been enough time to pack everything she'd wanted to.

"We will need to discuss more tomorrow," was all he said before walking out, closing the door firmly behind him.

Sakura waited a few seconds before walking to the kitchen and collapsing into a chair, running her hands through her hair. She had no idea what to make of the mid of emotions running through her. On one hand, she did not want to be here. This entire place was too foreign to her, unwelcoming, and too far from her home. But on the other hand, there was Sasuke. And Sakura hated this, how despite everything that had transpired between them, she still got flutters in her chest at seeing him.

This was going to be hard.

R&R