Title: Finding My Way, Again

Summary: Team 7 missed a vital member for six years, but Naruto never thought he'd say that missing member was Sakura. Six years, and now she's back. Bringing with her the news of a war that supposedly never ended. How can he trust her again? But how can he ignore what she said? And why the hell did she leave in the first place? Rated M for possible violence, language, and sex in later chapters.

. . . . . . . . . . .
x
. . . . . . . . . . .

"Ahh, so I see. You've traveled to many places then, correct Sakura-san?"

"Hai."

"We discussed earlier that you left the village six years ago and the reason you were back now. Can you shed some light on why you left?"

In front of Sakura sat an average looking doctor, she had short black hair with choppy layers. Her eyes were a deep brown, her nose was slightly pointed and a bit wide. Her lips were a little on the thin side, and she had low cheek bones with slightly chubby cheeks. Her skin looked like it was made of porcelain, like the woman never went out into the sun...ever. Her eye brows were slightly arched, and perfectly tweezed. She was curvy, but held practically no muscle and rings adored each finger she had except the finger her wedding band would have been placed (if she was married, but Sakura assumed she wasn't).

Why was she in front of a doctor who was asking her fifty questions? Well, 'Hokage-sama' decided that it would be best if she underwent several tests before being allowed to speak to Shikamaru, which Sakura thought was downright stupid but who was she to question his orders? One of those tests was a psyche evaluation which was being completed by the doctor in front of her. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her emerald eyes.

"I think we both know why I left, Doctor."

Doctor Hiroki looked up from her notes, and her pen froze a moment. Yes, Doctor Hiroki did know why Sakura left. How Sakura knew that she knew, is what almost had her visibly baffled. "Sakura-san, I do know why you left. However, it is not my job to speculate. It is my job to find a clear and concise answer, so for the purpose of this evaluation, it would be in your best interest to tell me yourself." Doctor Hiroki smiled, but it was fake, Sakura knew it.

Sakura also knew that Naruto had specifically requested for Doctor Hiroki to ask a few questions of his own. "Doctor Hiroki, excuse my bluntness, but we both know Naruto asked for you to specifically ask this question. If you would be so inclined to offer a bit of client confidentiality, I would love for you to tell him to shove his head where the sun don't shine and to stop being such a damn coward and ask me himself."

Doctor Hiroki's jaw dropped but she quickly tried to compose herself. How could this woman be so frank about the Hokage! "I-I will refuse to tell the Hokage that in those exact words, but I will inform him that you would prefer to answer that question directly to him."

Sakura curtly nodded with a small smile gracing her lips, "So, are we done here? I'm starving."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha, a henge hiding her features. She didn't want anyone to know she was back yet, though she surely expected Naruto to tell plenty of people that she was. She just wasn't ready to face everyone's questions. What Naruto had said the other day, about harming some of the people who had come after her, it was true. But she had to do it. Naruto had never stopped sending people after her, which, in his own way, made it seem like he never stopped caring. But maybe he was just more curious why she left.

Konoha didn't look that much different to her than it always had. Sakura breathed in deeply through her nose, the smell of home could always comfort her. It was true, what people said. There really is no place quite like home. Which is probably why she had yearned to come back for years.

But she couldn't until now.

She hadn't been ready to come back. Her heart had told her she was ready, that she never should have left. But her mind told her, even if she caught a lot of shit for leaving, it was the right thing to do. Which is surely why it had been so difficult to stay away, she found that she always ended up in Konoha at least three times a year to check in on everyone. When her friends would struggle, it practically killed her.

She did whatever she could to help them, without actually being there of course.

One time, Sakura had a particularly difficult time so she came back for two days, slept in the high trees outside the walls of Konoha where she was safe from ANBU.

She saw Ino crying one night because her boyfriend had dumped her. Sakura didn't know who the guy was but that didn't stop her from wanting to go and comfort Ino as best as she could. But seeing Ino, it had brought back memories. Memories of nights where Ino would have a bad date, or Sakura felt especially down about Sasuke, and they would throw a big sleepover. They would paint their nails, go shopping that day, watch some movies, eat some popcorn.

Ino's biggest addiction was shoes. Whenever she was upset, she would drag Sakura to at least six different shoe stores. She couldn't wear them out most of the time because obviously, six inch heels aren't a girl's best friend when she's jumping through a forest. But it helped Ino cope and Sakura went along to keep her friend happy.

The next morning, Ino woke up with an anonymous package on her doorstep with a pair of designer heels. Her smile had been so bright and happy, even though she didn't know who it was that gave them to her. Seeing her friend smiling had made Sakura's day, and the trouble (and money) she had went through to get those shoes without being recognized, worth it. She always made sure to drop off gifts for her friends on their birthdays, even Naruto's stubborn ass, though she didn't always stay around to see their reactions to the gifts.

Sakura stopped outside of a small tea and cakes cafe that hadn't been here before she left. So she opted to go in. She wasn't really hungry, despite what she told the nosy psyche doctor, so a big meal wouldn't do much for her right now. The decor inside was very earthy, with bright yet calming paintings spread through out. She quickly went to the counter to place an order.

As she patiently waited for her order to be prepared, two younger shinobi girls that Sakura didn't know came through the door chatting heavily. Sakura didn't pay any mind to them as she grabbed her cakes and tea, sitting at a table toward the back corner of the cafe.

She poked and nibbled at her cakes, deep in thought, staring out of the window, watching the people pass. She briefly wondered how her life would have been had she stayed. She quickly shook those ideas from her head. 'Now is not the time to be thinking like that Sakura, you've got to stay focused.'

So instead, she thought about the possible impending war. The previous war had taken the shinobi alliance by storm. She had fought in it of course, at the forefront. She remembered enough of it to know that Sasuke came home, tried to settle back into the village life. Hinata-chan had sadly passed away during the battle, though not before giving her life for Neji and calling him the brother she never had. Sakura had tried her hardest to save Hinata, but she ended up being another casualty the wave of war brought to their doorstep. Neji seemed to hold it against Sakura, that she couldn't save her.

She supposed that could have contributed to the reason she left a bit. As a doctor you face the very reality that no, you can't save everyone who comes to you. In war, the chances of saving them become slim, but Sakura's fatality rate was the lowest of any of the medics. She probably shouldn't have let it get to her, people just wanted someone to blame for the deaths of their children/brothers/sisters/husbands/wives. The medics were the first ones and being a head medic and the overseer of most of the worst victims? She took the brunt of it.

Her depessing thoughts were interrupted when the two shinobi girls' conversation drifted her way.

Gasp,"So did you hear about Haruno-san?"

"No... What happened?"

"People are saying she came back last night. Someone caught a pink haired ninja walking into the Hokage's office! Isn't that great?"

"Pfft, Kuriko. You know better than to listen to those old ladies and their gossips."

"It's not just the old ladies, Omina! Everyone is talking about her!"

"Yeah, well, I don't see why. She's nothing special."

"Shut up, you're just jealous that she's a better kunoichi than you could ever be! Besides you know how many lives she saved during the war? Your father would have been dead if it weren't for her!"

"Please, she should have just let him die. Woulda been better off without the son of a-"

"Language!"

"Fine, fine. But my point is, so what she saved a few lives? She left everyone behind. People who betray their village are scum. No, actually, they're WORSE than scum. I could care les-"

Sakura had heard enough. She knew there would be a lot of people to react like that more spiteful kunoichi, so she'd rather ignore the negativity. Quickly throwing her trash away, Sakura exited the cafe.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She found herself sitting across from Konoha's dear 'Hokage-sama' once more the next afternoon. She'd been back in Konoha about two weeks now and no one, aside from the trusted advisors and ANBU that Naruto specifically allowed, had seen her. The rumors that she was back had severely quieted down because of that. Which she couldn't say upset her. She continued using different henges of 'average' looking women as she walked around town. Sakura always tried to refrain from conversing/interacting with people she knew before she left. It was just easier that way.

Part of her accepted that her friends, her old friends, wouldn't accept her back easily...or readily for that matter. It hurt, partly, but some where deep down it was something she had expected. Sending them a few anonymous gifts once a year wasn't going to change the fact that a) they didn't know it was her who sent them, b) she still left, and c) she still refused to contact them. She sneered at herself, she was a fucking coward. Six years of killing people, surviving in the wild, haunted by the horrors of war, and yet she was still cowardly enough to not want to face the people she grew up with.

The people she had, to them, so easily kicked to the curb.

"You've completed the tests I assigned for you."

"How'd I do, Hokage-sama?" She asked, practically scowling out his title. She was proud of him, for how far he had come, she really was. She didn't know why she said it the way she did, but part of her was angry at him. Angry that he was angry at her. Was it fair for her to be angry? Probably not. But fuck life, when was anything really fair?

He glared at her, begrudgingly admitting, "You passed with flying colors."

Hmm, thought so. The first test was a lie detector test, Karin and another ninja administered the test. Somehow the fiery red head had become a part of the Interrogation unit, probably because of her ability to easily tell the fluctuation in chakra - aka, if someone was lying. They mainly were trying to see if she told the truth about the reason she came back.

The second test was the psyche evaluation, which mainly just tried to make sure she hadn't left, became insane, and come back with some sort of evil vendetta.

The third had originally planned for Inoichi and Ibiki to walk around in her mind and check out her memories, but her mind was so severely blocked that they'd had a hard time even getting in let alone checking out her hard-core and heavily guarded secrets. But they'd seen enough to know she truly meant no harm.

"Doctor Hiroki informed me of your refusal to answer certain questions however." He leaned forward in his desk, clasping his hands together and holding her gaze.

She took a few moments to really drink him in. His hair was much longer now, resembling the fourth's hairstyle. He wore his orange and black fiery robes, only these robes included the hokage symbol on the back. He had forgone the traditional head piece. His clothing was dark, black and greens with the traditional ninja sandals. His face was chiseled, a bit of stubble could be seen around his chin. She could see the bags under his eyes that seemed almost too carefully hidden. Was he wearing makeup? The thought almost made her smile. But His blue eyes spoke of wisdom, anger, and she swore she saw betrayal somewhere in there. Maybe even defeat. Defeated by what she didn't know.

He was handsome, like she had expected and she wouldn't deny that if asked.

He realized she wasn't going to say anything in response so he continued, "She also told me that you had some pretty colorful language, something about I should shove it where the sun doesn't shine? If I wanted to ask you a question, I could ask you in person? Well here I am Sakura, and I'm asking you."

"Asking me what exactly, Naruto?"

He sighed. She sighed. She knew what he wanted, but he should already know the answer. She'd given him six years to think about her reasons. Six years to come track her down himself instead of sending some damn henchmen. But the more people he sent after her, the more she wanted to run.

"Why did you leave?"

. . . . . . . . . . .
x
. . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Wow, two chapters! One day! Let me give myself a pat on the back. I can't believe I've already gotten a review and two follows! Thank you dears! :*