They had been driving only ten minutes, through narrow side-streets coated with slippery ice, before they reached their destination. Sakura had been relegated to the back seat while Naruto sat next to Sasuke in the front. She was forced to listen as the two bickered tirelessly about directions. However, there was no malice in the way they spoke to each other - they related to each other like siblings, Sakura noted with a smile.

"No, Teme, it's this way! This way is faster." Naruto was getting more and more irate, his voice raising to a hoarse yell as he gestured wildly.

Sasuke, who was driving, put his foot down on the accelerator, making a point of ignoring Naruto's directions. Sakura could see him smirking in the wing mirror. He drove fast, turning corners at a reckless speed which sent her on edge. Naruto also appeared uneasy, chiding Sasuke a few times throughout the journey. This only served to egg him on. And with a swerve, and a squeal of rubber tyres, the car, surprisingly in one piece, found itself parked in a snow-laden lot. The glare of the sun reflecting off the snow once again assaulted Sakura's eyes, as she, not for the first time, missed her sunglasses.

Both of her companions were attractive, she thought, as she exited the car outside a drab-looking, box-like building. Naruto was day, blonde, tanned and blue-eyed, and Sasuke, pale, dark-haired, with chiseled features, was night. Naruto was the outgoing jock type, Sasuke the quiet and mysterious. Too bad they argued like children, Sakura thought to herself, as she watched the two of them trudge through the thick snow which coated the earth like a blanket, both of them heading for the entrance of the grey building. Sasuke, stomping on ahead, reached the door first.

"Teme, hold open the door for us! It's what polite people do." Naruto had taken on a snarky tone. Sasuke ignored it, as he good as slammed the door in Naruto's face. "He wouldn't know polite if it introduced itself. Sorry you had to witness his behaviour, Sakura. After you." She had never expected to see Naruto play the gentleman, but she supposed even Atilla the Hun was in comparison to Sasuke.

The building was as unimpressive inside as it was out. It was one long, wide grey room with no decor. It smelt slightly damp, and Sakura could detect the prescence of mould around the windows that lined the walls. Despite its rundown state, the room was a hive of activity. People ran to and fro between desks, picking up phones, typing furiously at keyboards. In the centre of the room, amongst the bustling activity, a grey-haired man sat. He looked as if he was frozen in time as he sat unmoving, feet laced in combat boots resting lazily on his desk. The only action he performed was a small one - he shifted a cigarette to his mouth and then away as he blew out the grey wisps of smoke. It hit Sakura that she hadn't had a cigarette in a long while. The smell set her teeth on edge as they approached the smoking man. As he noticed their approach, he hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and pulled up a black scarf to cover the lower half of his face. A long red scar crossed one of his eyes, keeping it tightly closed.

"Well well, if it isn't Naruto and Sasuke." His mouth was covered but Sakura could sense his smirk from the way his eye sparkled. "And who is this?" He gestured to Sakura. "Have you finally brought home a girlfriend, Sasuke? I hate to say it, but right now isn't really a good time." His scarf shifted slightly as he gave Sasuke what she imagined to be a playful smile.

Sasuke grunted in frustration, and kicked the leg of the man's desk. It sent his whole body shuddering, but the smile in his visible eye never faded. "I'll take that as a no. But you could always just speak like a civilised person, Sasuke. Though I understand that has always been somewhat beyond your capabilities."

"Shut up, Kakashi." Sasuke sounded exasperated, Sakura thought, though the impassive expression on his pale face never changed. Bathed in the flourescent lighting of the warehouse, he still looked impossibly handsome. Too bad he had the communication skills of a three-year-old. She'd known him an hour now, but she had yet to witness him speak more than ten words at a given time. She had already resigned herself to the fact that hell would likely freeze over before this changed.

Naruto spoke. "This is Sakura, Kakashi. She's got us a lead on the Rogue Shinobi."

The man named Kakashi turned to her, the teasing glint in his eye fading somewhat. "So it's business, not pleasure? What a shame." He chuckled quietly. "Okay, Sakura. Lets go somewhere more private, okay?" He didn't wait for her to respond before standing and ascending a small, metal flight of stairs in the corner of the large room which led to a loft-like space above. Halfway up, he turned around and gestured for her to follow. "You two as well, Naruto and Sasuke. This is your lead after all."

Sakura and Sasuke followed Kakashi upstairs, Naruto bringing up the rear as he muttered to himself in frustration. Sakura couldn't help but smile at his childish transparency - he was annoyed that Sasuke was allowed in on the operation too, as she was the lead he'd worked for after all. In all honesty, Sakura didn't understand why Sasuke was involved either. Perhaps he was a high-ranking officer in the department? He didn't really seem like the type to Sakura - he looked a lot more like a common, if extremely good-looking thug. She continued to ponder this as as they reached the second storey, which was partitioned off into different interview cubicles. Kakashi entered the first, gesturing for Sakura to sit down opposite him as he reclined into a chair behind a long steel table which dwarfed the room. Sasuke and Naruto sat down on Kakashi's side of the table, giving Sakura the daunting feeling that she was being cross-examined. She jumped as a loud click sounded - a sound recorder behind Kakashi had jumped to life, making occasional quiet thuds as the tape inside the machine turned.

"No need to be nervous, Sakura." Kakashi's eyes were twinkling again, calming her somewhat. He exuded a fatherly aura that was difficult to resist. "Please state your name and address for the tape."

Sakura cleared her throat. "Sakura Haruno, 16 Seaside Cove, Konoha."

"And the purpose of this interview?"

Sakura coughed nervously before answering. "Information on the Rogue Shinobi."

Naruto spoke, still sounding somewhat put out at Sasuke's prescence in the room. "Okay, Sakura. Give us your testimony now."

Nerves wound a tight ball in the pit of Sakura's stomach. Her information was closely intertwined with her crime. There was no telling how Kakashi and Sasuke would react to hearing about her triple murder. The only thing she could do was try to separate the two and avoid the subject altogether. She desperately tried to rid her head of these thoughts - she needed a clear mind to try and gain Kakashi's trust.

She started speaking, trying to sound as confident as possible. Her voice tremored only slightly. "Until recently I worked at Sarutobi Incorporated, as the personal secretary for the advertising mogul Sarutobi Hiruzen. One day he asked me to work late, and we ended up at a nightclub. We were meeting a guy named Orochimaru. He was disgusting, actually," Sakura laughed nervously, looking down at her lap as she fiddled with her hem, "like a snake or something. Sarutobi, as it turns out, had been paying Orochimaru to get his business to the top of the advertising world. Orochimaru was a mob boss for hire, giving his services to the highest bidder. He then used the Rogue Shinobi to take out his employer's competition in the business world."

She looked up at the three men who were watching her intently, Naruto with a gaping wide mouth. "Did I say something wrong? Am I doing okay?"

"You're fine, Sakura. You're great." Kakashi's deep tone indicated he was deadly serious. "We're a government department charged with capturing contract killers. There is no contract killer more prolific than the Shinobi, and this branch is dedicated to tracking him. But we've never been able to determine who he works for, let alone what his motives are. This is the first time we've ever obtained a proper lead. You're suggesting he has a handler who takes instruction from many different people?"

"That's what Orochimaru was saying, yes. And Sarutobi had used his services many times so I'd assume it was true."

"Fantastic. That's amazing."

"And, and…" Sakura began, eager to provide more information in order to please Kakashi, whose enthusiasm was encouraging, "Orochimaru also said the Shinobi was a young guy, around my age."

Kakashi smiled through his thick scarf. "That's information we already have, Sakura. We've pinpointed his identity."

Sakura's stomach dropped, suddenly weighed down with lead.

"All we need is for you to tell us as much as you can about.."

She interrupted him. "Who is he? The Shinobi?"

"That's classified."

Sakura stood up, boiling fury soddenly coursing through her body, pulling her this way and that like a puppet. "Tell me, now!" She was shouting but she didn't care. She needed this information, and anyone who got in her way was an enemy. Wild rage possessed her, and she lashed out toward Kakashi. Her arm moved from her side to grip him by the scarf that covered his face, pulling his face close to hers. "Who is the Shinobi?" She demanded.

Instantly Sasuke was behind her, grappling her. Pinning her limbs behind her back before slamming her face into the cold metal of the table. It stung on her hot cheek, and she tasted blood as her lip split a little on impact.

"Ouch! Let me go! Fucker!" Sakura had completely lost her cool. She was aware of this, but she couldn't control herself. Not while the promise of that bastard Shinobi's identity was being dangled before her eyes. She writhed around on the table, trying to loosen herself from Sasuke's iron grip.

"Let her go, Sasuke!" Naruto's temper, like hers, was running on high.

"No, she's crazy." Hearing Sasuke's voice, drained of all emotion, vexed her enormously. How could he remain so calm when she was about to lose her mind? She wriggled hard in protest at his grip but he held firm.

Naruto continued to shout. "You don't understand, Sasuke!"

"What is there to understand except that this chick is batshit?" Sasuke was smirking slightly - Sakura could hear it in his voice. She hated him more every second.

"Everything, you asshole," Naruto sounded exasperated, "she's like you!"

Sasuke let go of Sakura instantly, as if her body suddenly burned red-hot. She wouldn't be surprised if it was - she absolutely radiated fury which was heating her to the core. Sweat dripped from her forehead, running down to sting the cut on her lip. She licked it to try and relieve the pain a little. Blood was now trickling quite steadily down her chin.

"Calm down, kids." Despite the heightened tension in the interview room which was threatening to become a free-for-all, Kakashi remained cool. His eye hadn't lost its teasing glint, much to Sakura's chagrin.

"What the hell have you got to smirk about?"

Sakura wanted to provoke a reaction from Kakashi. His calm, cool demeanour left her feeling like a little kid having a tantrum. She needed to see anger, annoyance, vexation. Anything else but the smiles and chuckles Kakashi had shown her up until now. But he simply let loose another playful laugh before speaking.

"Why don't we all sit down and talk about this as adults. Naruto, please explain what the hell is going on with this little wildcat. She's clearly no ordinary informant." He paused. "An ordinary informant doesn't usually tuck a revolver into the back of her jeans."

This remark was a cue for Sasuke to move again. Quick as a whip, he gripped both of her hands, pinning them behind her back again. His free hand, which was icy cold, reached down into the waistband of her trousers, sliding along her bare skin. The coolness of his hand, or perhaps the gentleness of his touch, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Suddenly aware of their physical closeness, she blushed as she felt his warm breath on the side of her face. Finding the revolver at the right side of her hip, he gripped it, pulling it out slowly. It had become a habit to carry the revolver everywhere with her, and the nakedness she felt without it was overwhelming. As Sasuke released her hands, she slumped down into her chair again, almost mourning the loss of her only source of courage and protection. The revolver was placed on the table in front of Kakashi, clunking against the metal surface.

"Thank you, Sasuke. Now, Naruto, what's going on here? What do you mean about Sakura being like Sasuke?" Kakashi lit up another cigarette, pulling his scarf down to take a long drag.

Naruto looked at her questioningly. "Sakura? You should tell them. You can trust them." He gave her a small smile and a nod, egging her on. His eyes, big and blue and smiling, gave her the will to trust him. She felt safe in his prescence. And she knew she needed Kakashi's trust.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her raging nerves. This was as far as she was going to only choice was to spill her guts now.

So she told them everything. Her parents, Sarutobi, Orochimaru and the two associates. The way Orochimaru had pleaded at the end. The way she had been in hiding for three months, trying desperately to find the Shinobi, before contacting Naruto. The fear and instability of not having a safe place to call home.

As she talked, she watched Sasuke, gaging his reaction. His expression didn't shift, but the look in his eyes did. They were downcast, shadows from the bright lights above creating deep dark lines on his face. He looked lost, like a little boy in the supermarket who had come away from his mother only to realise he couldn't find her again. This sudden show of vulnerability from an otherwise unshakable force of strength made a deep impact on her. It took all Sakura had not to wrap her arms around him. But then he saw her looking, caught her eye. And the poker face, the mask, slipped back on.

Kakashi, for the first time, seemed surprised. His smirk disappeared, replaced by a stony expression she hadn't seen. This rankled her nerves. She couldn't read him. She couldn't predict how he would react. She couldn't dispel the fear that he was very capable of picking up a phone and reporting her to the police. Or even the fear that he would pick up the revolver and shoot her where she sat. The organization he was involved with did hunt killers, after all, she remembered with horror, imagining her head jerking back with the impact of a silver bullet, her brains bursting out to splatter the white wall behind her, as she had seen with Orochimaru and his thugs. Finishing her story to a wall of deadly silence, she waited, eyes downcast, for Kakashi to draw his verdict. Breathing was the only sound to be heard in the interview room. Listening carefully, she could hear the bustle of activity downstairs, and the steady rumble of Naruto's stomach. When Kakashi finally spoke, his voice echoed through the room, causing Sakura to jump in fright.

"The information you've given us is valuable. And I can't help but think that you will continue to be of value to us." He paused, taking another long drag from his cigarette. Sakura wished he would cut to the chase. Her heart raced faster, blood pulsed harder, every second he kept her waiting. Naruto was chewing on his fingernails nervously, awaiting the verdict. Sasuke remained stoic as ever.

"Work with us for a month. Then we'll let you go." Kakashi blew out a large cloud of smoke. "I can't give you immunity from your crimes, though I personally think they're justified. But I can hide you for a month or so, have you help us out. And tell you the Shinobi's identitiy too. Then you're out, on your own again. Is that clear?"

"What? No!" Naruto stood up, pushing his chair against the wall in his haste. Fists clenched, he was the image of disappointment. "Can't we help her more permanently? Kakashi!"

Unlike Naruto, Sakura was pleased. She had expected Kakashi to have her incarcerated straight away, but he even went so far as to tell her he understood her motives, and promise her the Shinobi's name. This was more than she'd expected from him. She smiled, ignoring the pain that shot through her lip when she once again reopened the wound Sasuke had created earlier. "Naruto, it's okay. It's great, actually. Thank you so much, Kakashi. I'll try as hard as I can to help you out."

He smiled back for an instant. Before Naruto's fist connected to his face. The impact sent him flying off his chair into Sasuke, who sat stunned next to him. Naruto loomed over Kakashi, red with anger. "How dare you? How could you do something like this, Kakashi? Sakura's a lovely girl - and you tell her you'll use her for a month before you toss her away for the fucking pigs to take her? I never thought you were this ruthless." He kicked the interview table hard. One of the wooden legs cracked, causing the heavy table to topple over, crashing onto the ground with an almighty thud. Naruto looked at Kakashi with an expression of disgust, spitting at him before he crashed away down the stairs.

"Naruto!" Sakura called after him. But he stormed away, heading for the exit of the building. after a short pause, she heard the slam of the door, and then a car starting up in the parking lot outside. Kakashi stood, trying to straighten himself up. A boy with brown hair tied back in a ponytail strode up the metal stairs, into the interview room.

"Kakashi, what the hell happened here? Naruto has just left the building." The boy didn't seem too fazed by the state of the interview room - he was actually smirking slightly at Kakashi as he noticed the dark bruise quickly blossoming on the older man's face.

"Never you mind, Shikamaru. Nothing to see here." Kakashi was clearly eager to shoo Shikamaru away, as he appeared a little too amused by the man's bruised and battered appearance. Kakashi wiped spit from his woolen jersey before speaking, this time sounding slightly irate. "Get out."

Shikamaru complied, after shooting Sakura a cheeky wink which made her smile slightly. She was nervous about Naruto. Because he had run off, she was unable to communicate to him that she thought Kakashi's proposed arrangement was in fact a reasonable one. And she couldn't help but be touched by his reaction. He clearly truly cared for her. She was grateful for this, aware that she had found a true friend in him. Noting that she needed to thank him for this display of affection later, Sakura turned her attention back to Kakashi. "You should probably ice that."

He turned to her after once again covering his face with his dark scarf. "And if you want to keep the police off your case," he said, laughing a little, "you should probably do something about that shocking pink hair. Sasuke, can you help her out?"

Sasuke sighed, a long, frustrated sigh. "Fine." he replied, not bothering to disguise the obvious annoyance that came through in his voice.

"Don't worry about Naruto, Sakura." Kakashi said. "He's a little hot-headed - this isn't the first punch I've received from him. He'll be back in an hour or so with his tail between his legs. But I'm surprised - he's obviously quite taken with you."

"We were fast friends when we met yesterday." Sakura felt the need to explain herself in front of Sasuke, make it clear that she and Naruto were no more than good friends. But then she caught herself. Why did it even matter what Sasuke thought? He couldn't possibly care less about her, she thought, and she felt the same about him. His looks were the only appealing aspect of him, and she told herself that she was already becoming accustomed to the effect of his obsidian stare. She didn't like Sasuke one bit - the way he hid his vulnerability under a stony mask was quite repulsive to her. It reminded her of herself. The last three months were the only time she had ever felt free from the mask society demanded she wore to cover up the effect of her difficult childhood. Pretending to be okay when turmoil boiled away under the surface caused it to bubble over when she was least expecting it and the Shinobi was the trigger. Sasuke too was a time bomb waiting to go off when she least expected it. This set her on edge.

He spoke. "Come on. We'll fix you a new identity."

She followed him out of the interview room, not forgetting to thank Kakashi before she left. Apprehension filled her at the thought of taking on a new identity. Putting on a new mask. But this was a necessary step in carrying out her revenge. She followed Sasuke down the wide hallway.

hi lovely readers 3

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Finally the story can begin to unfold :) next chapter I will close off the past part where Sakura kills Orochimaru. But I felt like there was no natural break in this chapter so I didn't want to split it up! This is also the longest chapter I've ever written so I hope you all like it! Thanks to everyone who has been following this story as I'm really enjoying writing it. And thank you to the lovely few who have added me to their favourite author list! A tear or two spring to my eyes every time - it's really flattering especially as this is my first story. So this chapter is dedicated to you sweeties 3

please do review as feedback really fuels my inspiration and will to write!