_ Chapter One _
Sakura walked beside Naruto and Hinata. The two were quietly smiling at each other. Sakura was smiling at both of them, thinking that it really was about time. Naruto had always been so clueless about Hinata's feelings.
Sakura was so preoccupied, she didn't even notice the brown-haired girl walking the opposite direction, staring slack-jawed at the five heads of the Hokages rising spectacularly above her. She and Sakura crashed into each other, flying backwards to end sitting on the path. Sakura was back up in a second, her temper boiling. "Who are you? What do you think you're doing? Watch your step for once!"
The girl merely looked downwards, her long, mouse-brown hair veiling her face. "Aren't you going to apologize?" Sakura asked, a vein pulsing in her temple. Naruto and Hinata had stopped and turned around. Naruto was regarding the brown-haired girl with a curious look.
Still, the girl stayed silent. Sakura exploded! Her fist flew forwards with full power towards the girl's still downturned head. An orange blur swept Sakura's target out of the way at the last second. "Sakura, wait!" Naruto cried. "It's Sasame!" The pink-haired dervish instantly calmed down and a brilliant smile split her face.
"Sasame!" she said. "How are you? Oh I'm so sorry. I should have watched my step. Not your fault at all. How are things with the other Fuma?"
Hinata looked strangely at her fiancé strangely. Spotting this, he moved over to her. "Sakura and I met Sasame on a mission to find out about Sasuke before I left. We tried to help save her cousin, but he ended up dying. When we left the sound country, she stayed behind to try to help rebuild her shattered clan- the Fuma. I met her again on my journey with Jaira, that's how I recognized her." Hinata nodded in understanding, and the two turned back to Sakura to hear the end of Sasame's explanation of what had happened.
"… I have rebuilt our clan, and my father is now our leader. I have also begun training as a medical ninja. It was the only way I could be useful." She smiled quietly. "I always was never skilled enough to fight effectively."
"You're training as a medical nin too? That's wonderful! I'm the only trainee in the village. I've always wanted another student to study with. Come on, I'll introduce you to my sensei!" Sakura grabbed Sasame's hand and dragged her off to Tsunade's office, with Hinata and Naruto lagging behind, Naruto chattering with a very serious looking Iruka.