Naruto, Naruto, Naruto...

That's all Sakura could think about as she made her way to the hospital. How cute he's become and so much more of a man he has become as well. "Well...He does still act like a child sometimes..." She thought as she walked into the hospital, but her thoughts were forced to the side from the annoying smell of sanitation. Sure it was a good thing for everything to be clean in the hospital, but the smell was irritable. She walked up to the front desk to check in. "Good Morning!" She said with a friendly wave to the nurse at the desk.

The nurse looked up at her with a smile. "It sure is nice to see your cheerful face in the morning Sakura." She said warmly. "I'll check you in dear. Tsunade-sama is down the hall and to the left, room 303." She told Sakura as she checked her in.

Sakura bowed. "Thank you!" She said cheerfully as she turned and made her way down the hall. "Another boring day of medical practices. I want to go on a mission sometime..." She blushed at the open comment. "That is so something Naruto would say." She thought to herself as she turned the corner and entered the room on the left side of the hall. She looked over to Tsunade who was reading medical books. "Good morning Hokage-sama." She said politely.

Tsunade drew away from the book and closed it on the table in front of her as she looked to Sakura. "And good morning to you Sakura. Are you ready for surgical practice?" She asked as she stood up and pulled out a box of surgical tools.

Sakura hated doing surgury even with being one of the top Chuunin medic nins, she couldn't stand slicing someone open and seeing all the blood, but she wanted to prove herself to everyone that she isn't weak. "Yes Hokage-sama." She said with confidence. Sakura had spent the last two years training under Tsunade in Taijutsu and medical treatment in the field. Sakura's strength has quad-drupled from two years before and her knowledge of the human anotomy made her a dangerous foe for some. She still yet lacked expericence in the field where if could mean life or death for a person if she didn't heal them correctly and under the pressure of being wounded or killed herself, but her will is strong and Tsunade admires that in Sakura.

"Well alright then!" Tsunade said cheerfully. "Today's situation will be a critical and very decisive one..." Tsunade's face turned serious to put pressure on Sakura. "You will have to figure out the injury of a fallen comrade, heal that injury, while fighting against an enemy." She noticed Sakura's facial expression turn serious. This was good concidering that most female medic nins would get nervous.

"Determine the injury, heal it properly, while fending off an enemy...this is going to be tough." She thought to herself. Two years ago she would have been screaming her head off hearing that she had to do something like this, but after watching Naruto...she seemed to pick up his habit of loving challenges. She sees why he loves challenges now. To beat something that seems more powerful or skilled that you are shows others that you aren't weak and worthless. Sakura clenched her fist and determination could be seen in her eyes. She wasn't about to lose this one.

XXXX

A little ways from the hospital, in the Hokage office, Shizune filed papers away while approving missions. She looked at Tsunade's desk and re-organized the messy papers that had been piling up for a week now. "It's been alittle over two years since Tsunade-sama was named Hokage and she still hasn't gotten the hang of organization!" Shizune thought to herself. She looked up as Kakashi appeared with Aoba and Genma.

Kakashi looked around trying to see if Tsunade was anywhere to be found. "I guess Tsunade-sama isn't in..." He said calmly as he looked to Shizune.

"No, she's at the hospital training Sakura again. Are you here to report your mission status Kakashi?" She asked as she looked at the three.

"Yes..." Kakashi said as he stepped forward pulling out a scroll and placing it on the desk. "Mission to protect Mr. Yanimina and his family complete without any problems." He put his hands in his pocket as he watched Shizune write some notes down and file them with the scroll.

"And..." Shizune pulled out 15,000 worth of money and set three stacks of 5,000 on the table infront of Kakashi. "5,000 per person for your mission well done." She turned and started filing more papers.

Aoba and Genma took their money as Genma looked at Kakashi. "Hey Kakashi, you wanna hang out tonight? Maybe head to the bar and kick back some?"He asked.

"Maybe...I'll try to make it." He replied without looking at him. Kakashi kept looking at the money on the desk.

"...Okay then...Later." Genma left out with Aoba, hearing them chatter as they left and faded away.

Kakashi then looked up to Shizune. "Shizune..." He said as shizune turned to him in question to why he was still there. "Are there anymore A rank missions or ANBU missions that I can do?'' Kakashi wanted more, he felt like he hasn't truely risked his life. In a sense questioning his path as a shinobi.

"Kakashi...we do, but I am not going to permit you to carry out anymore missions." She said with seriousness in her voice. Shizune was able to get to know Kakashi more for the time shes been in Konoha. She cared about him more than he knew and she had been seeing him jump headstrong into some of the most dangerous missions. "In the past month you have done ten Rank A Missions and seven ANBU Missions."

"And I have completed all of those missions and came back perfectly fine. Why are you stopping me now?" He asked. He didn't need to ask that question, because he already knew the answer. He took on some of the most dangerous missions almost a year ago after he found himself crying infront of the memorial stone. He wasted his life away thinking about the past and wanted to punish himself for not being able to save his friends.

"Because Kakashi...you need sometime to relax. You are like a ghost in this village now...You come and leave again on another mission. I understand that you are helping us with all the money you bring in from the missions, but I cannot let you destory yourself Kakashi." She looked into his visible eye. She could see his pain, even though Kakashi tried his best to hide it, she could still see it. "Please Kakashi...go home and relax. Look...I'll take you out on a date tonight. My treat!" She said perking up some.

"A date?" He looked at her confused. "When did Shizune start caring this much about me?" Kakashi thought to himself. "Well...alright..." He said hesitently. This is the first time he had ever really been on a date, but he could just see it as a friendly outting.

"Great! It's a date then!" Shizune felt happy that she could help out one of her best friends. She hasn't had many because of all the time she must spent with Tsunade, pushing her to do some work of her own and what not, but she wanted to make this a night that Kakashi would be happy about when he looks back on it. Hell, they both deserved a break.

XXXX

At the gates of the village, the unknown ninja arrived carrying one of his own on his back. "This is it...Konoha village." He rushed through the front gates, only to be stopped by two Jonin. The two Jonins were called Tetsu Konton and Mizu Kakou. Konton stood a towering 6'5 and had a bulky build to him. The ninja knew he was all power with the way his body was shaped. Konton wore his Jonin outfit with a Iron senbon in his mouth. Kakou stood at 5'10, slender and built for speed, he was wearing his normal Jonin outfit.

"What business do you have here? Do you have a pass?'' Konton demanded as he tried his best to see under the ninjas hood but the shadow covering the boys face was too dark to make out anything.

"I'm here to save my sister here." The ninja replied in a monotone voice. He didn't have time to waste, every second brought his sister close to her end. "And right now she needs treatment or else she'll..."

"It's forbidden to enter a hidden village without permission. I don't care if your sister is dying or not." Kakou ordered, cutting the ninja off. "You should know the ways of the hidden villages." People started to stop and gather to see the conflicting parties at the gate.

"I guess that I will have to use force then..." The unknown ninja said as he sat his sister down leaning her up against a telephone pole gently. He looked at her and saw that she didn't have much strength left in her body. "I will make this quick...I promise." He said to her as he rubbed her cheek, her hood still darkening her face.

"Force?" Konton questioned with a laugh. "Boy...I am a Konoha Jonin along with Kakou here...you'll be joining your sister if you face us!" He pulled out a ball of iron and forced his chakara into it. The iron ball melted and formed around his hands, making them solid iron fists.

Kakou pulled out his katana and stood in his ready stance. "You may want to reconsider this one, boy...you can't defeat us." His eyes are locked onto the ninja.

The ninja stood and turned to them. "Well then...let's see how two of Konoha's best face off against a Jonin from a hidden village that was claimed to be destoryed... " He pulled down his hood to reveal his face. He was a boy in his late teens with black spikey bangs and black shadowy eyes. He stood off against the two Jonins as the wind blew by them.

The battle was set to begin...