"Huhhh... " Ino sighed with her chin resting on her hand. "This stinks..."

There she was in the middle of summer, manning the cashier of her family's flower shop on one of the rare days that she had off. As her irritation grew more and more pronounced, Ino's thoughts began to turn negative as she nodded towards Konoha's latest gossip.

Only a week had passed and already news had spread like a wildfire of the hot newcomer in town. It seemed that even after all this time, Sasuke was still the object of many girls' affections. Disgusted by the thought of him, Ino felt sorry for Naruto and Sakura when she heard of his return. Although she and Sakura were once rivals in obtaining Sasuke's attention, they were still best friends, and it didn't stop Sakura from seeking Ino out yesterday to unload some of her hard feelings towards their old comrade.

In truth, Ino was angry at Sasuke too. Now that he was back, she might never see Sai again if he disappeared back into ROOT. With him being on Team 7, Ino was more likely to run into him whenever she met up with Sakura.

"Stupid Sasuke..." Ino mumbled as she watched the wind ruffle the bunches of flowers. Dropping her head down onto the counter, Ino shut her eyes and groaned in discomfort.

"Sasuke!" came a whining voice. "A flower shop! Let's go in!"

Ino popped her head up at the sudden sound of his name. Surely they couldn't have meant the very same Sasuke she was thinking of. Looking towards the open doors, she found that her irritation was about to get much worse.

"Sasuke! Buy me roses!" Karin begged as she pulled him into the store.

Sasuke stopped dead once he saw a familiar face looking back at him.

"Ino..." Sasuke whispered as Karin dragged him forward.

"Excuse me! Could I please get a bouquet of these!"

Ino's face fell dead of expression as she made her way around the counter and acted as if she didn't know Sasuke.

"These?" asked Ino with a smile.

"Yes, please," Karin answered as she beamed at Sasuke.

The moment that Ino turned to walk back around the corner was the moment that she made the ugliest face she could to get it out of the way. By the time she had turned back to face them, she was ready to hold her composure all the way until they left.

"Thank you, please come again," said Ino as she handed over the flowers.

As Karin turned to drag Sasuke out of the shop, he stopped and turned halfway out the door to address his unsteady feeling.

"Ino..." began Sasuke, immediately alerting Karin to his familiarity with the girl with pretty blonde hair. "What's going on? What happened to Sakura?"

"Sakura!" Karin huffed. "You mean that chubby girl with pink hair?"

Ino fumed.

"CHUBBY! Who are you calling chubby you FAT PIG!" shouted Ino as she jumped over the counter.

"What did you say bitch?"

"Get the hell out of my shop!"

A hand was suddenly thrown in front of Karin just as she was about to pounce.

"Karin... go find the others," Sasuke ordered.

"What!"

"It was you who lost them in the first place... Go find them."

Karin was steaming as she stepped back and left Sasuke with Ino. From the moment she agreed to take her leave, Ino glared at her until she could no longer see any part of her body in the doorway. When she was completely gone, Ino gave Sasuke an ugly look before whipping around to walk back to the counter.

"Ino, wait," called Sasuke. "What's going on?"

Ino stopped in her tracks and gripped the edge of her apron with both hands. She was trying so hard not to be angry, but she just couldn't handle it.

"You want to know why Sakura's acting this way?" Ino narrowed her eyes as she turned to face Sasuke. "She's pissed! That's why! Ever since you left, Sakura and Naruto had fought so hard to find you, all the while taking flack from the villagers for pursuing a traitorous bastard like you! They tried so hard to get you back, and now that they have, you're acting as if none of it happened, and you brought that nasty-haired bitch in to spoil Konoha's reputation for beautiful women to boot!"

"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!" Ino screamed as she stomped off into the back room of the flower shop.

Sasuke was left stunned and speechless as he had never had a girl yell at him like that before. Looking around in bewilderment, he took a few seconds to let it wear off before he silently took his leave and exited the store. As he stepped out of the shop, he let the sun beat down on him and could only feel one thing at that moment: shame.


Sakura stood on her balcony looking down at the people passing below. The tiny side street where she lived was quiet and empty for the most part, and she was glad that she lived there as she was less likely to run into anyone she didn't want to see. Resting her head on her hand, she daydreamed away until a patch of blonde hair made its way closer towards her home.

Sakura sighed in regret as she moved to slide open the balcony door. Making her way lazily down the stairs, she arrived at the front door just in time to open it a second before Naruto knocked.

"Ohiyo, Sakura-chan," Naruto smiled. "Tsunade-baachan wants to see us... Sasuke too. Don't worry though, I already told him to go there alone so you don't have to walk with him."

"Thanks," said Sakura as she shut the door behind her. Stepping beside Naruto, they both turned to walk towards the Hokage's office.

"Do you think Tsunade-baachan is going to stick Sasuke back with us?" asked Naruto as he looked around at the shops they were passing.

"Who knows. Now that Sasuke has his own team, it's likely she'll make him stay with them because they already know how to work as a group."

The walk to Tsunade's office was long and torturous for Sakura, and as they rounded the bend to see the stairs leading up to the Hokage's office, Sakura grimaced as she found that Sasuke's team was waiting at the bottom. Taking a deep breath, Sakura tried not to look offended as they came closer.

The sight of Sasuke's old team made the new one uncomfortable, but none more so than Karin as they passed. Taking the opportunity to mark her territory, Karin grinned as Sakura and Naruto passed.

"Juugo, do you like my bouquet of flowers? Sasuke bought them for me..."

"No he didn't," said Suigetsu suddenly. "You bought those after you dragged him away from us!"

Sakura smirked as she walked up the stairs. Though she wasn't looking, she could feel the embarrassed expression that Karin was giving at that moment.

I don't know who that guy is, but I like him already, Sakura thought as she stepped into the building.

As Naruto and Sakura walked the rounded corridor to the Hokage's office door, the sound of Tsunade's voice trickled towards them in what sounded like irritation. Taking the initiative, Sakura took a deep breath and grabbed the door knob to step in for her fate.

"Ah, Sakura," Tsunade nodded as she turned her eyes on her student. "I'm glad you two finally made it."

Sakura walked forward with her head held high to take her place beside Kakashi, Sai and Sasuke. Tsunade's face was hard and tough, so Sakura looked to Shizune standing behind her whose face was soft with a consoling look. Though Tsunade was a tough shishou, Sakura knew that Shizune was the true emotional expression that Tsunade always carried with her.

"Sakura, Naruto," began Tsunade. "I was just explaining to these two that although Sasuke has returned, he will remain as captain of his own team but will also work simultaneously with yours when need be. In fact, I've already got a mission lined up where I will need both teams together."

"Hai," responded Sakura.

"The mission is not going to happen yet, but I figured I would get your teams out of limbo and let you know to prepare ahead of time... I recommend bonding."

The last word rubbed everyone the wrong way. Somehow the awkwardness in the room was multiplied once it was uttered. Though the expression on everyone's face stayed the same, the simultaneous fidgeting was evident.

"You're dismissed," said Tsunade. "I will let you know as soon as I decide when to send you out."

As everyone turned to make their way towards the door, Sakura made her way out last as she knew what was coming next.

"Sakura..." came Tsunade's ominous voice. "Stay for a moment, please."

Sakura watched as Naruto looked back and closed the door behind him. When it felt as if the presence of the others had made it out the building, Shizune spoke first.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it."

Tsunade tsked at the sound of "don't worry."

"Shit," Tsunade swore as she brushed back her bangs. "I don't like this one bit. Something is wrong. I can feel it."

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"Well, I figured I should tell you since you're my student, but something's not right about this whole situation with Sasuke."

"We think he's hiding something..." whispered Shizune. "Didn't you ever wonder about the sudden reappearance of his team and their willingness to return to Konoha?"

Sakura stopped for a moment to ponder the question. "I guess I was too mad at him to notice..."

"Well, I'm asking you to be my eyes and ears in this situation," ordered Tsunade. "Sasuke's much more advanced. I can see it. I can't get ANBU close to him anymore. I will need you to be my inside person. Kakashi's already aware of the situation, but it will be you and Naruto who will be with him the most."

"What about the other members of Sasuke's team?"

"I want you to monitor them as well, but keep your eyes on Sasuke as he seems to be the one making all of the decisions."

"Hai," Sakura bowed and turned to leave them.

"Oh... Sakura?"

Sakura turned to face her shishou.

"Don't be a stranger anymore. We've missed you this past week..."

Sakura gave a tiny smile and was thankful that she had such friends. Nodding in reassurance, she stepped out of the office door and walked out to find Ino waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

"Boy, oh boy... do I have a story to tell you!" Ino squeaked.


"You did what!" shouted Sakura over the sound of their Yakiniku sizzling.

"Yupp! I socked it to that bastard a real good one!" Ino laughed as she punched a fist into her other hand.

"Oh my God... I love you, Ino..."

"I know," she beamed back.

The rest of the meal flew by quickly as the two chattered away loudly. When they had finally finished, Sakura treated Ino by paying the entire bill in thanks.

"What are you doing now?" asked Sakura as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Well, my break is over, so I've got to get back to the shop and keep the red-haired freak from coming back in."

Sakura snickered. "Well, I hope that you'll be okay and not get any complaints."

"Considering the fact that I'm generally nice to my customers, my mother knows I wouldn't have done it without good cause. If not, she'll get over it..."

"Thanks again, Ino."

"No problem. Anytime, really."

When the two girls arrived at Ino's shop, Sakura waved one more time in gratefulness that she had such a friend before making her way back towards her apartment. As she walked alone, she felt as if someone was watching her. Stopping in the middle of the street, she tried to feel out its presence.

Sakura silently stood still and waited until the feeling of being watched had subsided. She wasn't sure that it was real, but she looked around anyway. When she was sure that everything was okay she once again picked up her feet and made her way home. Turning the corner, she didn't notice that someone was peeking at her from between the buildings on the other street.

Though Sasuke's face showed no expression, his heart was reeling with guilt for what he had done, and regret for what he had to do. As he watched Sakura's pink head disappear around the corner, he felt his body relax from the intensity of seeing her again. Somehow, all that time he had spent away from her only intensified the feeling of being loved when she pleaded for him to stay. In all honesty, though his true mission in Konoha was the reason he returned, he secretly wanted to return to see her. Nobody else realized it, and not really even him.

"Well, well, well..." came a voice standing behind Sasuke. "If it isn't my original student!"

Sasuke turned around to find a beaming Kakashi.

"What are you looking at?" Kakashi asked as he peeked between the buildings and saw nothing. "Hiding, are we?"

"Hello, Kakashi."

"Eh? No Kakashi-sensei? Ah... I miss those days. You three were so cute then! Trouble, but cute!"

"What do you want?"

"What ever do you mean," asked Kakashi as he put his hands in his pocket and leaned against the building.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you never said 'hi' to people unless there was a reason."

"Well, at least you remember that much about me. It's time to bond, as Tsunade-sama requested. Come on, let's get a drink... I assume you know how to drink now, don't you?"

Sasuke looked at him expressionless before agreeing to follow, but looked back hesitantly, wondering if Kakashi knew what he was doing there.

"Don't worry," said Kakashi as he led the way. "I won't tell her you were peeking."


As the afternoon fell into evening in Konoha, Sasuke found it a bit hard to steady himself upon the stool where he sat beside Kakashi. The tiny sake stand at the edge of town was a perfect place for a quiet reunion between the two. Although they had conversed before, this was the moment when they really got to have a conversation, and they wasted no time in discussing the future of their teams.

Listening to Sasuke describe his new team members and their abilities, Kakashi sat quietly and calculated in his head how they were going to approach the upcoming mission. It seemed that they were all dangerous in their own sense, but they were useful in many ways. Suigetsu sounded like the person whom everyone depended on to be hard to figure out, especially when it came to figuring out how to defeat your enemy. The hardest opponent to beat was the one you took too long to find out their weakness.

Karin was a useful tool, not only for tracking but in cases where your fighters depended on strategy and extra efficiency. Her usefulness in replenishing chakura was indeed a rare gift, but Kakashi couldn't imagine biting her even if she had a nice body.

Juugo was the wild card of the team, very much like Naruto though without the irrational behavior to charge into situations. Though Juugo could fly off the handle, his maturity seemed to make up for those qualities and his ability to communicate with animals offered a less obvious way of surveillance.

"Sounds like you've got a winning team," said Kakashi as he brought the sake cup to his mouth. The flash of him pulling his mask down to drink was so quick that it still stunned Sasuke after all these years.

"So..." began Sasuke. "Tell me about your team."

"You mean, 'tell me about Sakura-chan!'" Kakashi teased as Sasuke nearly choked on his drink. Clearly he was drunk.

"That's not what I meant."

"Hmmm... Sakura... Sakura... What can I tell you about Sakura..."

As Kakashi pondered what to say, the silence from Sasuke as he did so was a telltale sign that he was in fact, interested to hear about Sakura.

"Well, let's see... Sakura has gotten a hell of a lot stronger than you would have ever imagined," said Kakashi, suddenly putting down his cup and his expression becoming completely serious.

Sasuke too put down his cup and looked sideways at Kakashi's countenance.

"Shortly after you left, Sakura took it upon herself to no longer be weak, and it has become the epitome of her goal. In fact, I think she even put finding you as second. Her strength is amazing and it comes from her talent at chakura control. What's even greater than her fighting ability, I think, is her knowledge and skill as a medical nin. I think she may be even stronger than Naruto..."

"Really?" Sasuke said nonchalantly. "Who would have thought it possible for someone who was as weak as her..."

"Sakura isn't weak," Kakashi cut in crudely. "She never was. You all couldn't see it, but I did."

Sasuke heard Kakashi pause and turned to see the mean look on his face.

"You know how I knew?" Kakashi said intently. "It was her dead eyes..."

"Dead eyes?"

"Yes... but I guess you wouldn't know because you've never fought against her. All those years of us training together, she only looked at you with those twinkling green eyes of hers, never seeing what they were really capable of... When I had you three attacking me back in those days, your eyes were calm and calculating, Naruto's were crazy and irrational, but Sakura's... there is no other way I could find to describe it other than being utterly dead. When she came at me in all seriousness, the sparkle in them were gone, the lights had disappeared leaving nothing but darkness. In essence, there was only one target that existed, and it was me. Her eyes... they become soulless like a true killer. You all never noticed because her skills back then were insufficient and I could easily dodge them, but I always knew... One day her skills would match her eyes and then we'd all be in trouble... In fact, I really don't think she's reached her full potential, and it scares me..."

Sasuke stared at the sake lingering at the bottom of his cup. Absorbing what Kakashi had just said was tough to imagine, but hearing the sound of his voice speaking those words told him that it was no laughing matter.

"Now, as for Naruto... his stupidity still has no limit..."


Sasuke walked silently home towards the old Uchiha part of town. As the sound of the crickets chimed in the grass, he tried to imagine the dead eyes that Kakashi spoke so ominously of, but all he could see was the glitter in Sakura's eyes and the tears she wept when he had left.

"Ah! You're back!" Karin waved from the gate into the Uchiha neighborhood. "We've got dinner!"

"I'm not hungry..." said Sasuke as he passed her like a ghost.

Karin's smile washed away as the smell of sake enveloped her senses. Though there was no misstep in his walk, it was clear that Sasuke had drunk a lot.

Sasuke moved past the silent stares of Juugo and Suigetsu as he made his way upstairs to his old room. Laying down on the bed, he turned his head sideways until his eyes landed on the old picture resting on his dresser.

The colorful collection of different kinds of hair stood out like a crayon box that was the picture of Team 7. Everyone was so young then, and Sasuke's innocence had already been tainted by the murder that took place in the very house that they now slept in. The old memories still haunted him, but he had found a new hatred thanks to Madara having told him the truth of Itachi's past. It seemed that he was moving from one revenge to another, and as drunken sleep finally overtook him, the last thing he saw was the splotch of pink that emanated from the old photo.