Chapter 1

The unwanted mission

It was a very hot day. The atmosphere was suffocating and the air barely breathable. The tension in the Hokage's office was almost palpable. But there had never been such a situation before.

Tsunade was looking frustrated at her apprentice. She didn't like the position she had been put into. She had an idea about what the young woman might have thought, but she preferred to ignore it. There was no other way. She, herself, analysed carefully the plan. In the first place, Tsunade wanted to tell the elders that she didn't give a damn about what they were saying; but all that they had said made sense. There was a big chance for the village. They could have used him to protect Konoha and improve their spying and fighting techniques – anyway, it wasn't going to be easy to convince him. He was one of the most powerful ninjas in the entire world. Only the Kages were a real match for him.

Still, now was not the case. That was the first aspect that the elders had mentioned. They believed that his moment of vulnerability could have helped them. He was badly injured and without proper medication and treatment, he could have never achieved again his full potential. Tsunade wasn't sure if she should have been concerned or relieved by that fact. But he was at their feet, forced to beg for mercy in order to survive – he was a haunted man so even if he had managed to survive somehow, nothing would change. Not that he would have asked willingly for help. Although he was conscious about his state, the pride had always taken over him.

But his arrogance alone could not help him.

Tsunade let a sigh escape from her throat. Sakura grew up beautifully. She is a very strong and responsible kunoichi. I know I can trust her and only her.

Well, it wasn't that Tsunade didn't believe Sakura could have handled that man. But she knew how much the girl hated him for all he had done. Unfortunately, she knew just one side of the story and the Hokage didn't know how many pieces of information could give without putting her in danger. She was very fond of the pink-haired girl.

`What do you mean that he is alive?` whispered Sakura, her fist clenching.

`I think it is pretty obvious.` Tsunade got up from her desk and went slowly to the window. She looked outside; the war had left so much damage. Even so, people still had faith. The sun was shining bright, promising a nice future. `Look, Sakura. I don't want you to ask any more questions. I have already decided that you should take care of him.`

`You can't be serious, can you? Tsunade-sama, he wanted to destroy the village. He wanted all of us dead. The fact that he is alive is alarming enough. Now you say you will help him regain his powers? The same that frightened even the best-prepared ninjas ?`

`You did not seem scared when you had to fight with him.` Tsunade pointed it in a calm voice.

`Even if I was, my will helped me overcome my fear. I will neither step back in front of the enemy nor will I ask for mercy from a murderer in my life.` After a few moment of silence, she spoke again. `That's what you have taught me.`

Tsunade turned to Sakura and studied her face. She was very angry; it could have been said without a doubt. She could not show any emotion. Being a Hokage was an immense responsibility and sometimes there were decisions that had to be taken. This was the case.

`We will no longer continue this discussion. Dismissed.`

Tsunade waited with her eyes closed to hear the door, but it didn't happen.

`Fine. Give strength to the man that would kill you without blinking. It seems like I cannot make you realize what a big mistake it is. But don't send me! I hate him so damn much that I would probably finish him off in a second.`

`You're the only one who can make it, Sakura. As you have stated before people are either terrified by him or don't possess the knowledge to help him. You are the student of the Hokage. Behave yourself! I did not ask you whether you want to do it or not. I ordered you to. Do you intend to break the rules?`

She didn't like to be so harsh with Sakura, but at times like this, it was a necessity.

I cannot believe it is really happening to me. What the hell is she thinking?! It is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. Thought Sakura. Kami, what's wrong with her?!

Sakura opened her mouth, prepared to attempt one more time to convince Tsunade that it was a terrible mistake. What happened next was so fast that she barely had time to breathe. Her teacher punched furiously a wall, making a hole into it. She narrowed her eyes and Sakura bowed her head.

Cha! You cannot accept this. Yelled Inner Sakura, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

`No more complaints. You are as good as me regarding medical requirements. That' s why this mission is yours.`

They were both staring at each other. None of them wanting to back off. Sakura resembled Tsunade so much that seemed to be her daughter. Her influence had proven to be very strong, making Sakura find her Will of Fire. They were both powerful, yet sensible. And they were both inhumanly stubborn.

But Tsunade was much older and wiser. She had a better control over her emotions. Sakura was bad tempered. In spite of her lovely and feminine look, she was not easy to be mastered. Her petite frame and intense green gaze made some wonder if she could ever be a good shinobi.

What a mistake!

From the moment Tsunade had seen her determination, she had been astonished. Tsunade made her go through hard training, but she gladly accepted it to grow stronger. The Hokage knew it was because she wanted to make her beloved come back – initially. After she had tasted the feeling of independence there had also been another motivation. She wanted to help, to save lives, to make something useful with her own life.

She was too kind for her own good!

Sakura wanted to growl. She wanted Tsunade-sama to be proud of her – she had been the only one that had believed in her. But the price… It was all overwhelming for her. The fact that she was into a dark period of her life didn't help either.

She lost many souls in the hospital daily, too many. It affected her more than it should have. There wasn't a chance for her to save them all. Some of the traumas were too severe. Sometimes she had woken up at night because of some nightmare. She had been dreaming that it was still war. The dreadful smell of blood was so real. She could have almost heard the sound of cracking bones, the voices covered in fear and the bombs that were exploding. It was like her brain hadn't perceived yet that the fight had finished. That there was no immediate danger.

And then, Naruto was acting very strange lately. He seemed somehow depressed. The death of Kakashi, the sensei of the once lost Team 7, jolted his nerves. He wasn't joking at all, not even smiling. You could usually see tears in his eyes. He was broken inside and she knew she couldn't help him. It almost broke her too. Naruto was one of her dearest friends – he had been there for her when she needed it the most, he tried to comfort her in his own unique way. Now, the blonde was unrecognisable. Not even a pale shadow could have been seen from his past self.

Let's not talk about Sasuke Uchiha who had left as soon as the war had finished. Nobody obliged him to. Even if he did lots of problems to the village, he would have been accepted. There had been too much hatred and pain already. Sakura thought that after he helped them, he would come back. But that had never been his plan – not that he had bother to tell anyone what his plans were anyway.

Sakura realised that he would most likely be the lone wolf all his life. He wished him luck in finding a woman capable of accepting his bitter poisoned love and restoring his clan – if it was still one of his purposes in life. She had plenty of time to think about her situation in all the lonely nights when sleep didn't come – she could have never been happy with him because he could have never truly love her with all his heart. There was a time when it would have been sufficient... but then she was just a little girl who didn't know how to rightly appreciate her value. It wasn't that she liked to think high of her, but she knew what she wanted. If it was to marry and love someone unconditionally, she would have demanded the same devotedness. Half of his heart and thoughts wouldn't have been enough.

But he left without even saying `goodbye`! As if all the people who stand by him in the fight were just a baggage that he had been delighted to get rid of.

She hated how he made her feel – respectively weak. He shouldn't have had so much power over her after all these years. She could have sworn that she had no more love left in her for him. Yet, she still cared for him a little bit more than just for a comrade. For her, it seemed that he could never be just `Sasuke`. At least, not in her heart. Her memories of him made her strong when it seemed impossible. His cold behaviour pushed her to reach her limits and go beyond them. He made her strive for progress and acknowledgement.

It seemed to be a curse at this point in her life when it appeared that he could still get a reaction from her.

That made her very furious over the past days and since he had left she found herself wanting to crush something, anything. She found herself feeding on anger, which was not quite healthy.

Fiercely, she looked at her mentor once more and then left silently.

The stillness was grave and horrifying.