Over the next few weeks Sakura spent most of her days at the hospital. She had shown Naomi the plans she had come up with for the hospital, to which the girl responded with immediate enthusiasm. It had taken a week or so for the other hospital workers to accept Sakura into their environment and allow her to make the changes. Sakura could understand their hesitation; to the dedicated worker, the hospital would feel like a second home to which one put in their whole life and energy.

The event that changed their perception of her was when a small team of Jounin had come in from a mission with intermediate wounds. Sakura initially stood back and observed the workers, wanting to see how they handled the situation; she had yet to assess their skills. They had simply wrapped the wounds, only using medical chakra energy to take care of the minor cuts and scratches. 'They can't leave the hospital in that condition,' she had thought when the medics started to discharge them. At that point Sakura had walked over, ordering the ninja to lie down where they were. She had the Sound medics unwrap the wounds so Sakura could assess them for herself, determining which man needed medical attention first. It had only taken five minutes for her to heal the entire team, for which the three men thanked her before getting on their way.

"You did that so fast . . ." one of the male nurses commented, staring after the retreating ninja.

"Isn't she incredible?" Naomi said then, smiling broadly. The other medics around her nodded slowly, giving Sakura looks of awe. "And she is going to train us to do the same!"

It was almost instantaneous; the hospital workers started taking every direct order Sakura gave them, many going as far as volunteering extra hours to get more work done. So far they had repainted the walls on each floor, cleaned up the floor tiles, fixed the lights, and disinfected all of the operating rooms. The bed linens for patient rooms were rounded up to be washed and they had received donated medical instruments from a nearby town. A back room on the first floor was arranged to hold files for patients and all other medical records.

"You can really train us?" one of the older men had asked while helping to organize the medical files.

Sakura had given him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I've trained a couple people before, and I plan on training all of you as much as possible," had been her response.

It was a rough process, but each day that another task was accomplished gave Sakura more hope for the medical unit. She was starting to believe that she was could really do this; she was going to help these people to the best of her ability.

It was late in the evening when she and Naomi were wrapping up their task or organizing the files and folders in the records room, both mentally exhausted. Sakura doubled-checked their work before shutting off the lights and leading them out, locking the door behind her. "You know, you could have gone home hours ago; you've been here for over twelve hours each day," Sakura commented, looking at Naomi's lethargic figure.

The older woman in return just shook her head, smiling lightly. "I like being here, Sakura. It is a privilege to be a part of such a major project for the village. I'm honored to do all of this."

Sakura could only smile at this. Throughout all of the hours the two had spent working together, Sakura could feel herself growing attached to the other woman. They talked often, sharing opinions of the hospital and joking around when they had the downtime. Sakura was surprised by how much Naomi had opened up to her; she had been so shy when they first met. "I'm glad I have you here," she said in response. "Its good to have a friend to work with through all of this." Naomi could only smile at this, blushing from embarrassment.

"But, Lord Otokage is your friend, too," she stated, sounding so sure of this.

Sakura snorted disgracefully. "Oh yeah, he is such a pal," she said rolling her eyes.

"You don't think so?"

"You do?" Sakura asked incredulously.

Naomi shrugged, thinking first before responding. "Well, the two of you used to be on the same ninja squad when he resided in the Hidden Leaf Village," she started off. "So he must have liked you even a little bit; it is only natural to grow close with teammates. I don't know much about what happened after that when he started to train under Orochimaru, but anytime I see him talking with you he doesn't seem to mind your presence."

Sakura considered this and had to admit that Naomi wasn't necessarily wrong. Since coming to this village, Sakura was required to meet with Sasuke often to report the progress of her work and make sure he agreed with her plans. There had been a few times where she would interrupt an official meeting, often forgetting to knock before entering his office. The few times this happened, she wouldn't miss the look of pure irritation on his face. It was different than the expressions he usually had on his face whenever they met to discuss the progress of her mission. Sakura couldn't argue that he didn't seem as annoyed with her as he did with other village officials and deities from nearby lands. She wouldn't say that he was relaxed, but he definitely was not as tensed and strict around her.

"Perhaps," Sakura answered after a minute, not missing the way Naomi smiled.

After the two woman had parted ways Sakura headed to the Otokage Tower to give Sasuke the report for the day. She headed into the building, nodding at Suigetsu as she passed through the front doors and made her way up the stairs. Sakura was only halfway down the hall when her ears started to pick up the sounds of raised voices. She slowed her pace, wondering what was going on. She crept up on the office, being as quiet as possible and masking her chakra.

She knew she was eavesdropping, but Sakura honestly didn't care.

From what she could tell, there were only two voices. The first she recognized to be Sasuke's, the second was familiar but she couldn't place it. The large doors muffled the diction, preventing Sakura from being able to understand what was being said. However, from the volume of the voices it seemed as if Sasuke were trying to maintain composure while the guest continued to shout.

'What is going on?' she wondered right as a chakra signature spiked suddenly, alarming her. Sakura wasted no time in throwing open the doors, intent on stopping a possible fight. She couldn't fight the old instinct to protect him, even if they had barely seen each up until a few weeks ago. Upon seeing whom the raging guest was, Sakura froze in place, forcing herself to not get too involved.

"Lord Raikage!"

The large man heard her surprised shout and turned to face her, his face turning into one of slight surprise. After observing her for a second his eyes narrowed. "How dare you walk in on a Kage meeting?" he growled.

Sakura's fist clenched around the door handle, holding herself in place. Painfully slow, she pulled herself to kneel before him in a form of an apology without actually having to say it. "I heard yelling, and when I sensed someone's chakra spike I grew worried for Sa—Lord Otokage," she mumbled, mentally cursing herself for almost referring to him informally in front of another Kage.

The Raikage huffed, still glaring down at her. "Girl, do you have any idea who this man is?" he growled lowly, approaching her slowly. "If you knew of what he has done, you wouldn't be so quick to rush in and defend him."

Sakura had to pause to choose her words wisely. "I am well aware of what has done over the past few years," she said slowly. "But you must remember that he is one of the reasons we won the war."

The Raikage's face turned into one of shock and rage. He moved to stand over her. "He is a criminal, one of the reasons the war was started—"

Sakura jumped up out of her kneeling position and glared up at the larger man. "That war was spearheaded by a pair of men who wanted revenge against the Leaf Village and the world to harvest their sick idea of peace," she shot back. She could feel her clenched fists shaking as she restrained herself. "Lord Otokage was a pawn for them to use!"

"I fail to understand how you can stand before me and defend the damned Uchiha brat," he said slowly, eyes narrowing at Sakura.

Sasuke stood from his chair and gave the woman a stern glare. "Leave, Sakura. You are speaking and acting out of place." Sakura turned to him and met his eyes; he hoped that she could understand his hidden reasoning. The Raikage's shinobi had caused enough problems as it was; he didn't want to find out what the man would do to someone standing up to him in support of the Sound.

"I can handle him," Sakura said suddenly, before the larger man could make a sound. To the surprise of the other two, Sakura turned back and faced the brother of the Eight Tails, giving him a hard look. "I've heard plenty about you," she said to him. "Naruto informed me about the type of person you are. Frankly, I like your brother a little better."

"You know the Nine Tails?"

This time Sakura did fix him with a glare. "Yes, I know Naruto," she replied, hoping he caught the correction she had given him. "He is my teammate, like a brother to me."

Realization settled on the Raikage's face, glancing over his shoulder at Sasuke before walking closer to Sakura. Sasuke watched him carefully, incredibly tense. Sakura knew she was much shorter than the Raikage, but she had confidence in her ability. She also trusted the fact that he would not outright attack a Leaf Shinobi.

"You would betray your friend Naruto and join the Sound Village?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. "Excuse me?" She stepped forward boldly, holding his gaze. "I am here on a mission, as an ally between my village and the Sound Village. I am not betraying anyone," she seethed.

At this he laughed with dark amusement, stepping around Sakura and heading for the door. "Anyone who directly allies themselves with Sasuke Uchiha is a traitor to the rest of the Shinobi world—that includes you."

Sasuke moved so fast that Sakura didn't even register his movements until he was standing in front of her, blocking her from the Raikage's view. Sakura couldn't see his face, but the tone in his voice was enough to make her body grow cold in slight fear. "You will leave her out of this—this is between us, do not get anyone else involved," he demanded, sounding livid.

"Insolent brat!" the Raikage shouted. "Hypocrite! After you attacked my brother, attacked the Five Kage Summit, and you tell me not to involve others?"

Sakura glanced around Sasuke's shoulder to see the larger man bringing up a fist, chakra spinning madly about him. She didn't know what the other Kage was planning on doing, but frankly Sakura wasn't about to find out. She slid around Sasuke's form and brought her arm up to grip the raging man's wrist, effectively stopping whatever he had been about to do. "I understand that you are upset and severely displeased," she stated, taking on the calm tone Tsunade had taught her. "But this is not the time nor the place to settle personal disputes. Any violent action either of you initiate in this office would no doubt start another war," Sakura reminded him. "And I know that none of the villages can afford that at the moment. I don't know what the situation is between the two of you at the present time, but no positive solution will come if someone is approaching it with a hot head."

It was silent for a few moments before the Raikage stepped away from Sakura, pulling his hand back in the process. He gave her a calculating gaze. "You're very similar to that Naruto kid," he pondered. "Although maybe a bit more eloquent." Without another word or glance towards Sasuke, the Raikage stormed out of the office, door slamming as he exited.

Sakura turned around to look at Sasuke, wanting to make sure he was alright. However, she wasn't expecting to be met with a dark look that was laced with anger. "What's that look for?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

"Don't do that again, Sakura. Ever," he growled. "Do you understand?"

"What, you mean interrupting the meeting?" came her reply. "I'm sorry, but I sensed that something was wrong and I jumped in—ninja instincts, I couldn't help it—"

"Not that," he said, stepping towards her. Sakura stumbled back slightly until she fell back into one of the chairs. Sasuke leaned down, bracing his hands on both armrests, face level with her own in a stance that was meant to be intimidating. Sakura vaguely wondered if he practiced being intimidating. "What I mean is don't go jumping in front of an angry Kage trying to protect me, especially one that isn't fond of me."

Sakura's mind went numb and blank as she stared at the face that was less than a foot from her own. His eyes were narrowed, mouth set in a thin line, muscles tense. It had been a while since she had seen him this worked up, it was almost strange, like a distant memory that she couldn't quite grasp. With slight hesitation she placed a tender hand on his upper arm. "Sasuke, what's been going on?" she asked softly. "I know it isn't any of my business, but maybe I can help?" she offered. She had assisted Tsunade countless times with political problems that arose in the Hokage office; usually the blonde woman was too tired or angry to deal with it, leaving several tasks to Shizune and Sakura.

The Uchiha shifted his gaze to the side before straightening up. He walked over to the widow and gazed out over the sleeping village. The image of him standing there reminded Sakura of how Tsunade would look over the village after a long day in the office, and she wondered if Sasuke was as stressed as Tsunade always found herself to be. "Lately there have been an unusually high number of Sound Shinobi being injured while out on missions," he started slowly. "More than seventy percent of the mission reports have stated that our ninja are being attacked by Lightening Shinobi. I have ordered all of our shinobi to not fight back if they can help it. As far as I know, they haven't."

"So the Kumo ninja are targeting the Oto ninja," Sakura summarized. "But why is the Raikage so angry with you?"

"He does not forgive so easily. Because of that, neither will his village."

" 'The attitudes of a village usually are affected by the beliefs and actions of the current leader'; Tsunade said that once," Sakura recalled, thinking of her meeting with Tsunade barely a month ago. "The Raikage is still angry with your actions against himself and his brother, so his shinobi are acting out on his behalf." She thought back to the Jounin she had healed at the hospital not so long ago and wondered if they had been victims of the hatred coming from Kumokagure. "And I'm guessing he won't call off his shinobi."

Sasuke didn't respond, giving Sakura the impression that she had hit to target on the point. She was quickly remembering why she liked the Raikage's brother slightly more. Standing from the chair, Sakura walked over to the desk and put down the hospital report she had intended to drop off. "I wanted to discuss starting the training program soon, but it can wait," she said softly, observing his tense form. "Go home and get some rest, Sasuke."

Without another word Sakura excused herself from the large office. Sasuke continued standing by the window looking out over the buildings. Below there was a small beam of light as Sakura opened the main doors and started making he way down the street. Sasuke shook his head slowly, a smirk coming to his lips. He found it ironic that she was ordering him to get some sleep when he knew very well that she almost never slept. He saw the hours that were being logged in at the hospital; she was pulling shifts that were a minimum of fourteen hours. On top of that, she was making time for meetings in his office as well as planning outside of the hospital walls. They girl was practically a hypocrite. But as Sasuke looked at the stack of paperwork on his desk, mocking his desire to sleep, he knew that he would be up for at least another four hours. With a long sigh escaping his lips, the Otokage sat back down at his desk with the hopes that he would be out of his office by at least 2am.

Sakura sat at her kitchen table going over the list of people interested in medical ninjutsu training. Of the 102 people currently employed at the hospital, 83 had signed their names onto a paper Sakura had posted in their locker room and lounge. It was more than twice the amount of people Sakura was expecting. The idea of having such a large group excited her but also frightened her. There was so much to go over; she had no idea how much these medics knew. There were so many bases that needed to be covered before they could be trained. She would have to form tests to make sure they were up to date on medical knowledge, that they could perform basic procedures that didn't require any chakra, could name different parts of the internal systems of the human body.

It was everything Tsunade had done to prepare Sakura for her own medical ninjutsu training. Back then, Sakura knew very little and had to be taught just about everything from the basics, reading over old textbooks and medical journals. But Sakura was smart and had learned fast. As far as the medics in Sound, there were two things Sakura could hope for: that most of them already knew a good bit and needed refreshing, and that they could learn quickly and efficiently as she had done. Sakura knew that it was a lot of work, but each day she was gaining more hope and confidence in the people she was helping.

Vaguely Sakura wondered if Naomi had official files on the people employed at the hospital. She wondered what each staff member specialized in, what their background training included, and their hospital positions. Sakura still was amazed; it was a miracle the hospital ran at all with how run down it used to be and how alarmingly understaffed it was.

Sakura also desperately wanted access to the medical texts back in the Leaf Village. She hadn't grabbed much as far as material when leaving, assuming she would just be doing small bits of training, such as help with chakra control and which techniques to use with certain injuries. She didn't think about the possibility that she would have to fully train people. She pulled out a notebook and started making a rough lesson outline, struggling in her tired state to recall exactly how Tsunade had done it. Depending on the staff's average knowledge of medical information, she figured the most efficient way of teaching would be an open lecture, going off her own memory and knowledge. She hoped that they would be smart enough to take notes for themselves and study when the time was available.

After another hour Sakura sat back in her chair, running hands over her tired eyes. Glancing at the clock, she cursed herself for staying up so late—she had to be at the hospital in six hours.

Not bothering to put away the papers laying everywhere, Sakura made the quick decision to simply march to her bedroom, shut off the lights, and fall into a heap onto the mattress, forgoing the task of undressing.

What had she agreed to?

R&R if you'd like.