Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, not me. Song lyrics by Sarah McLachlan.

Less team seven-ness in this part, but it's made for with 90 more Kakashi (I hope).

Have fun!

- DeB

--

What ravages of spirit
Conjured this temptuous rage
Created you a monster
Broken by the rules of love?
And fate has led you through it

You do what you have to do…

--

Tsunade was not amused when Kakashi showed up at the balcony-side window of the Tower. Not that she had been gleeful as a schoolgirl before his arrival, but a fresh bottle of sake and a good game of dice with Shizune had been working its way into getting her to that state.

And now Kakashi had to ruin it by sliding through the window with nary an Icha-Icha book in sight.

"Yo."

"Kakashi…I don't remember you having an appointment."

"I didn't know I needed one to see you now." His one eye scanned the half-empty bottle and the dice cup. "In any case, it doesn't seem like you were particularly busy."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"I'm winning."

"Then you should quit while you're ahead."

"Quitters never prosper."

"I thought that was cheaters."

"Yeah well, them too. Are you sure you don't want to make an appointment?"

Tsunade could feel the exact moment when Kakashi's change from something mildly threatening to ohmyfuckcouldkillyouSOHARD and from the tense way Shizune was sitting, she could probably feel it as well. She subtly curled her right pointer finger into her thigh and flicked the thumb outwards in the silent pidgin speak they had refined in the field for just such situations.

'Leave immediate area, stay in shouting distance, medium alert,' said Tsunade's fingers.

'ANBU, alert stage three?' Shizune questioned with her wrist movement and a slight lean to the side as she stood from her chair and began to excuse herself from the room.

'No ANBU. Stage three codeword usual, not likely.'

Shizune bowed her assent and waved to Kakashi as she left the room. His non-sharingan eye followed her movements, but his lifted hand displayed no signal that he had caught the silent conversation. Either he did not notice, or he did notice and didn't care.

After Shizune left, Tsunade grabbed her sake cup and gestured with it towards the seat across from her that Shizune had vacated.

"If you insist on talking at me, then sit down. You're too damned tall and I don't feel like getting a crick in the neck."

Kakashi eyed the chair for a second before sitting down. The hesitance was disturbing, but the fact that he actually sat eased Tsunade's mind. Much harder to defend or attack while in a sitting position. Apparently he didn't know enough yet to be really upset at her.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" she asked, taking a sip of her sake and watching Kakashi's hand movements over the rim of the cup.

Loose fingers, curled inwards, no weapons, no seals.

"I think you know."

"Jiraiya isn't scheduled back for another month yet, so you can stop bugging me about the next Icha Icha installment."

Fingers tensing, still no weapons, no seals.

"Sakura." The name came clipped and cold out of his mouth.

"What about her?"

"She's been acting strangely. You know why." Damn. That was almost accusing. If only she could tell what his expression was. That stupid mask.

"I might," Tsunade hedged. "Strangely, how?"

Fingers tensing, clenched fists now, no weapons, no seals.

"She's more nervous now. Hyper-sensitive to her surroundings. Avoids eye contact. Avoids skin contact. Hesitates during confrontation."

Tsunade frowned, folding her hands in front of her and leaning forward. The hypersensitivity was manageable, even an asset if it didn't lead to exhaustion. Eye contact was no big deal. But hesitating was never a good thing. Hesitation got ninjas killed.

"Do you think this sudden change will affect her performance on missions?"

"I'm not certain." She could practically hear Kakashi's frown, even if she couldn't see it. "Her medical skills have not faltered, but we have not done any full combat training since she came back from her mission. I would like to believe that in a real situation she would be able to pull it together, but…"

"But your team has a habit of dragging personal issues into public battles," Tsunade finished for him. "That is unfortunately true. Have Naruto and Sasuke also noticed this change in Sakura's behavior?"

"Yes."

"And they are unable to get an explanation from her?"

"No. Neither was I."

"That is surprising, considering how open she usually is when something is bothering her." Then again, she couldn't be hiding her current affliction too well if both Sasuke and Naruto noticed something.

"Maybe if you could enlighten me as to what exactly occurred while she was away…"

"I can't do that, Kakashi."

Tsunade watched his one eye narrow and shivered. She only had a few good jounin left to fight for Konoha. It wouldn't due to have this one pissed off at her at so crucial a time, especially when he was supposed to be one of her more stable seniors and up for a position within ANBU once more as soon as things calmed down a bit with team seven.

"Why can't you?" The questioned was edged as sharply as any kunai.

Tsunade seethed at the impudence. Really. Shouldn't the Hokage garner more respect and deference then this? Did she really have to stand for being menaced in her own office?

"Well for one thing, I can't tell you because I don't know what's wrong with her either--"

"You know something," Kakashi interrupted. She couldn't tell if that was annoyance or frustration in his voice.

"—And for another thing, what I do know is classified information."

"I have S-level clearance."

"And that means jack shit unless Sakura feels like telling you the details and…Kakashi sit back down!"

"Dammit Tsunade, she's my student." A fist crashed onto her desk and…oooh, crap. That was an expensively varnished antique Kakashi just cracked and she'd be damned if it wasn't going to come directly out of his pay.

"She stopped being your student when she begged me to train her as a medic-nin. You don't get to have jurisdiction over this Kakashi. You made your choices already and Sakura's made hers and you can't change that."

Tsunade watched the grey-haired nin carefully, especially the hand which had previously been clenched into a fist on her desk and was now hanging loose at his side. Out in the hallway there was a soft click sound which meant that Shizune had gotten antsy and alerted ANBU against her wishes dammit…

"Hokage-sama I…"

Tsunade turned her attention back to Kakashi, who seemed to wilt where he stood.

"You're right." His head bowed. "I lost any control I had over Sakura when I decided to concentrate on Sasuke's recovery and reinstitution. It's none of my business what missions you choose for her, or how you train her."

"…Kakashi…"

"I scolded Iruka for that once, you know? Acting like they were still his students that he could shelter and protect. And now I'm just the same. Gai must be rubbing off on me more then I thought."

Tsunade sighed and rested her chin on her hand. A mopey jounin was only slightly less dangerous then an irritated jounin. How to fix this…

"Listen, I'm not able to tell you anything specific. Those records are classified and furthermore, I'm not clear on anything specific that happened anyway."

"Hokage-sama, I apologize…"

"Shut-up." God that damned mask. She didn't have a clue what he was thinking—hmph, that's the point—behind that damned thing. Would he take it off if she ordered it? Could she order it without making him hate her more? Too risky. Better not.

Tsunade closed her eyes and prepared herself.

"The mission…was not a pleasant one. Even if it was completed well…there would be some damage taken. I didn't want it to be her, but she really was my only choice. Sacrifice is the way of the ninja. You know this better then anyone. And she knew it too."

And crap, now she was talking to his back. Hatake Kakashi was the only person she knew—okay besides Naruto—who had the gall to leave her office without being officially dismissed or carried out by ANBU.

He was almost to the door and something more needed to be said, didn't it? Something that indicated that she really did want to help, that it was seriously bothering her that she couldn't, that she really did care about these kids dammit but this wasn't about that and—

"I don't regret it, Kakashi."

He paused, hand on the doorknob, listening.

"Do you understand? I can't regret it. If it hadn't been her, it would have been someone else's kid. But that's the job we signed up for, right? That's the price we agreed to pay. And the kids…they understand that too." Even if they can't forgive us for it.

Kakashi was silent for a few moments, his shoulders slumped, the fringe of his hair brushing the door in front of him. Then he straightened.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about your desk."

She relaxed enough to smile slightly. That tone had not been apologetic at all.

"Don't be," she said. "I'm just glad you're generous enough to buy me a new one."

"I am?"

"Oh yeah." She grinned. "A real expensive one. With paper weights, even."

"Hmph. Well, I guess it can't be helped."

Kakashi shrugged loosely as a made his way out the door and down the hall, completely ignoring the clustered groups of ANBU guards desperately trying to make themselves look less suspicious. It probably wasn't worth it.

After a few moments Shizune scooted her way through the door again, TonTon at her heels.

"Tsunade-sama…are you okay?"

"I'm surrounded by brats."

--

Sakura stood under the shower and watched the water trickle down between her breasts. It didn't look so bad now, really. The bruises were faded, and not so finger or mouth-shaped. She could almost pretend they came from the hit Sasuke had pulled at the last minute during taijutsu practice one the day before she left for Rock country.

Another few days and she could go back to wearing the sleeveless top she usually wore without arousing Naruto's curiosity. The only problem was that her kunai holsters, which she had kept strapped to both arms, hidden underneath her sleeves, would be clearly visible. One of them was sure to ask why she felt like wearing them all the time now instead of just on missions.

I suppose I could lie, she thought to herself, but I'm really sick of doing that. Maybe I should pull a Sasuke and tell them it's none of their business…

Heh. Like that wouldn't raise some questions on its own.

Gingerly, Sakura circled a finger around one of the darker weals marking her collarbone. Was this kind of…marking…typical of sexual encounters? Hard, and deep so that the trails of teeth and tongue stayed present on the skin for days? If she had managed to get her hands on one of Kakashi-sensei's naughty books, would they have prepared her?

Or were the marks just the prerogative of creepy fucks like Miyazaki who wore black gloves over his creepy, meaty hands the entire time he was touching—

Okay, she really had to stop doing that.

"Sakura!"

Her mother's voice sounded more exasperated then worried, but Sakura moderated her voice to be as cheerful as possible, just in case.

"What is it mom?" she called, over the rush of the water. "I'm taking a shower."

"I know." Her mother's voice was now obscenely close to the door, and Sakura was suddenly terrified that she'd forgotten to lock the door. "Is there a reason why you suddenly felt the need to use up all the hot water? I was going to wash some clothes…"

"Sorry Mom," Sakura stuttered, twisting the water off immediately.

'Don't come in, don't come in, don't come in.'

"I was just finishing anyway."

There was a pause in which Sakura crouched in the bottom of the shower, shivering and trying to control the rapid pulse in her throat and temples. She could here her mother breathing just outside the door.

'Don't come in, don't come in, don't come in.'

"Dinner will be ready soon." Footsteps, muffled by tatami, faded away down the hall. Sakura kneeled where she was until she couldn't hear them anymore.

Then she stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her hair, slipped into a light yukata, and left the bathroom without once looking in the mirror.

--

A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. Especially those who gave me some tips on how to improve this story. I really appreciate it.

It was really difficult to approach how to do Kakashi in this section, because he's normally so laid back and such. But I really do think he'd be strongly effected by this (and he's more perceptive then Naruto and Sasuke, so he has a bit of a clue as to what is going on) and wouldn't like being kept in the dark.

And about the ranking of genin for Sakura, I did mention that for the purposes of this story, it took considerably less then 2 and a bit years for Naruto to convince Sasuke to come home (i.e. stop being a retard), so they're all younger then they would usually be post time-skip. I'm assuming, at the time this fic takes place, that none of them have taken a second chuunin exam, and likely won't until Kakashi is satisfied with their team dynamic once more. Make sense?