Holy moly guys, I wanted to apologize for the wait! I've been extremely busy the first couple of weeks after publishing the last chapter, and been horribly lazy the last couple of weeks. I did throw some ideas around and I'm pretty sure about how the story's going to advance, but we'll have to see.
I'll place some random thoughts at the end of each chapter from now on.

I hope you'll all enjoy the new chapter. Don't forget to leave a review. Thanks!

Sadly, I still don't own Naruto.

Chapter four: Goodbyes and scrolls.

The library had always been amazingly peaceful, but tonight, there was a certain tension around the complex that Sakura had felt the moment they walked in. There was something amiss – the amount of guards proved that – and Kakashi was still in there, analysing every single move he could make. What is the quickest way to find the scrolls and finish the mission? What was the easiest way to get rid of the 14 guards in the building? Is this a trap?

Sakura had already left the complex, and was waiting for a sign from her teammate. She had left intentionally – the guards would be more relaxed with only one opponent to deal with, and she could take out the guards at the door, which were standing at the only clear exit.

The guards at the door were standing close together, whispering. Sakura couldn't make out what they said, but the topic of the conversation was clear – they were talking about Kakashi, and deciding if they needed to do something.

Suddenly, their conversation was cut short, due to a huge amount of noise coming from the library. Scrolls were clattering on the ground, falling from a bookcase that someone had toppled over. The sturdy bookcase croaked when it landed on the pile of scrolls, paper and books that had fallen out of the bookcase moments earlier.

Kakashi was caught up in the middle. He was buried under a bunch of scrolls, and some books had knocked his glasses off. He actually had gotten a scroll right next to his eye, which allowed him to keep it closed. He mumbled angrily, and looked just as surprised as the guards to see an enormous bulldog on the other side of the bookcase. The dog must have pushed over the bookcase, and it looked at the guards and Kakashi innocently.

The guards at the door weren't paying attention to her now. Sakura was on edge. Kakashi was one of the best ninja she knew, and he barely used such a huge diversion. He must have thought it was needed, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a mess. It was smart to hide one of his dogs in the library though – the huge bulldog looked extremely cute when he looked as innocent as he looked right now.

I need to strike now! This is my best shot, Sakura thought to herself as she made some hand signs.
"Doton: Inverted Earth Jutsu," she murmured, and the two guards at the door were knocked out instantly. She knew that the genjutsu she just used would knock them out long enough – two hours, forty-three minutes and fifty-two seconds, to be exact. She carried them away and hid both of them in a couple of bushes next to the library.

As she walked into the library, she saw that nobody had noticed that the two guards who were guarding the door had vanished. Two guards were helping Kakashi getting up, another two were looking for the dog that caused all the racket, and two more had started to put the bookcase back together again. She didn't see the last four guards, but they had to be somewhere in the complex.

She heard Kakashi complaining to the two guards about the horrible experience he had here, and almost grinned at his approach. "I was looking for a place to relax. I wanted to invest in this town, and all I got was a fucking bookcase thrown at me and a scroll in my eye! Is this how you treat businessmen around here?"

Sakura walked past them, hearing the excuses the guards made to Kakashi ("We didn't mean to, sir! It was that damn dog!"), and walked to the back of the library, where she found the two guards looking for the Bulldog.

"The dog should be inside! There's no way that he could have disappeared," one of the guards sighed. Before the other could reply though, Sakura had already made the hand signs for the next genjutsu she wanted to use.

"Katon: Burning World!" she murmured, and the two guards collapsed. They were having a dream about how the entire library went up in flames. But their easy disposal told her an important detail. The guards aren't ninja.

She walked back to Kakashi, who had just knocked out both of the guards who he was arguing with. Kakashi smiled, and said "I know where Tsunade's documents are. I'm going to retrieve them."

"I'll take care of the last guards on this level, then," Sakura responded. The guards were still trying to put the bookcase back together. They had been extremely focused, but when Sakura said "Hey" they finally looked up. Their boss would probably kick their asses for the mess in the library - but when they saw the two unconscious guards on the ground, they jumped up and grabbed their swords.

These guys aren't ninja, Sakura noted. One of the guards was holding his sword the wrong way, and the other looked extremely nervous.

Sakura jumped over both guards in one fluid movement, and knocked the nervous guard out in one blow. She had hit his head with her fist, just hard enough to knock the guard out and render him unconscious.

The other had better reflexes, and fighting him was a bit more intense. He had definetly practised with his sword, even though he still used it wrong. She tried to hit him with a kunai, but he reflected the kunai with his sword. She ran around him, looking for an opening, but she couldn't find any. He was fast, and saw an opportunity to strike.

The guard flicked his sword forward, but Sakura managed to catch the sword with a kunai. She saw that he just focused on the upper part of his body, and thought of an easy jutsu to defeat him.

"Fuuton: Slashing breeze!", Sakura murmured, and pointed the jutsu at the guard's legs and feet. The guard fell down, falling on his back on the wooden floor of the library. The jutsu had knocked his feet from under him.

Then Sakura did the same as she did with the other guard. She knocked him on the head, hard enough to knock him out.

As she looked around her to look for Kakashi, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Well done, Sakura," Kakashi said. "Let's get out of here."

As they both walked back to the camp – Kakashi clearly upset about something – she thought about the library and its crazy security. Was there something going on there? They probably would never know, because they were finally heading home.

The Kazekage, his brother and some other ninja had come out to say goodbye to him. Naruto was finally going home, even though Suna also felt like home, somehow. He was standing at the gate, talking to Gaara and Kankuro about their negotiations, and about their plans for the next couple of months.

"Thank you for your friendliness and the fantastic care, as always, Gaara," Naruto said, shaking the Kazekage's hand. "This village had always been warm, but for years it lacked a warm heart. I think the village found it. I know you'll keep it beating." Then he shook Kankuro's hand and said: "I'll see you later, bud. We should take a mission together sometimes! Well, time for me to go, dattebayo!"

"Thanks Naruto," Gaara smiled and raised his hand, as did the other ninja that came to see him off.

"Remember that you'll all be welcome in Konoha, dattebayo!" Naruto said enthousiastically. He waved to the ninja and bowed to them, turned around, and ran into the desert.

I'll be home very soon. I hope everything is alright with everyone, Naruto thought. And I shouldn't forget the plant I need to prank Sakura, dattebayo.

Tsunade was in a bad mood. She had finally got the courage to read one of Jiraiya's books, but sadly, she got a copy of Icha Icha Secrets, and she came to the same conclusion Kakashi came to.

This piece of shit book is autobiographical! If I see Jiraiya I'll kick his ass!

Even though she was very angry, and that she tended to listen to her feelings more then to reason, she managed to calm down and to pack her bags for her holiday with Shizune. They were leaving after Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were back in town.

Naruto would become the Hokage for the months that they were away. Tsunade and the council had talked about possible candidates, and even though the council wasn't ready to give the hyperactive ninja the position, Tsunade convinced them anyways.

"Kakashi is on a mission at this very moment, and will need his rest. He always tends to overdo it. Naruto will be hokage in a couple of years anyways. It's not a bad idea to give him the position now," she had said.

"Is he capable of the amounts of paperwork he needs to do, can he defend the village, and can he make the most difficult decisions concerning the village?" Koharu had asked.

"Maybe, he can, and the decisions he makes seem stupid, but always end up pretty good," Tsunade responded. "Kakashi will be his helping hand, together with Shikaku Nara."

"That reassures me," Koharu had answered.

And that was that, she thought. He can do it. He saved everyone in this village.

She was done packing, then. She had only packed two sets of clothing. Her and Shizune were going to the big gambling cities, and were going to travel light. They would stay in hotels along the way, and buy some necessities from the local shops.

A knock at her door interrupted her thinking. She walked towards the door.

The visitor knocked again, and Tsunade sighed.

That fool is actually courageous enough to come to my house.. I'm still pissed about that book, you know, she thought.

She had been right. Jiraiya had come to visit her before her travels. But that won't stop me from kicking his ass!

She opened the door, and immediately swung her fist right in his stomach, using a bit of chakra to teach him a lesson. She heard him say this greeting ("Tsunade, how a-aaahhhhh"), and grinned as she watched Jiraiya in a heap on the ground. While he got up, he groaned again. "Tsunade, you know I'm getting old," he sighed.

"I know, old man. You better explain to me what that book was all about, then."

She saw Jiraiya cringe. Is he really that stupid?! He didn't even think of the possible consequences!

"About that…" he began, patting the sand off his clothes. "I just wanted to write something about that hot body of yours." He grinned like a real pervert then. It reminded Tsunade of when they were younger. But then again, Jiraiya had never really grown up in that way.

Tsunade sighed. "Are you drunk?!"

"Maybe…" Jiraiya responded, grinning. "I've just gotten back from a tedious errand," he laughed. "Mount Myoboku is lovely, but their food… ugh.."

"Why are you here, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked. Drunk AND stupid.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow. Again. I know you are leaving Konoha for a couple of months as well."

Tsunade nodded. Jiraiya had always been quite sharp, even when drunk.

"Take care of yourself, Tsunade," Jiraiya hiccupped. "Enjoy, and have fun for a while. You need it, and deserve it."

"Thank you, Jiraiya," Tsunade murmured.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have some important research to do," Jiraiya winked at her, and walked away, singing a strange song.

"That idiot," Tsunade muttered. She looked at him while he sang, and as he disappeared around the corner, she sighed.

"I will, Jiraiya, I will."

Kakashi groaned as he read the scrolls for a third time that day. He and Sakura went through a lot of trouble. Not for some top-secret documents, some kinjutsu, or some confidential information, but for a fucking recipe?!

It sounded good, though. It was a recipe for Udon noodles, something he quite liked. It did mention a secret ingredient but other than that, it was a normal recipe.

The second scroll wasn't any better. It was a scroll concerning gambling and cheating. Tsunade was going on a trip in a couple of days after all, and she went to visit some gambling dens for sure. This was probably the most important scroll that they had to retrieve.

The third scroll was written in a simple code. It was probably written by a Konoha ninja who had been investigating some criminals in that part of the country. All three scrolls had a Konoha stamp on it, and the only one that was valuable was the third one.

They had been travelling for three days and four hours now,

He hadn't told Sakura yet. She didn't have to know, after all. He did know that she had done a great job knocking out the guards using Genjutsu. She had always had an affinity for it, and after she mastered most medical ninjutsu, she had tried to learn some genjutsu.

It didn't really work out, until Tsunade asked him to help her. He accepted, of course, having lost track of his students over the years. They were all under the tutelage of the three legendary sannin, and he had some work in ANBU to do, so he didn't really looked after his three old students anymore. He saw Naruto's rise to greatness, Sasuke's return and him changing to a better person, and he had seen Sakura grown, always trying to support the two men in her life who meant the world to her.

He knew she wasn't interested in the guys romantically – she had changed a great deal after Sasuke's return and his painful refusal. After that, she was embarrassed when she was around Sasuke, but when he wasn't near her, she had a spring in her step. He also noticed that she started to dress a little differently, that she would put on a little extra make-up, and that she smiled more and easier. Letting go of that obsession had allowed her to grow up.

Kakashi hadn't noticed anything about Naruto and Sasuke though, but the guys were better friends than ever. They trained together, worked together often, and hung out whenever they could. It was hard to imagine that Sasuke had once been training with Orochimaru.

He had been proud when all of his old students had been promoted to jōnin, but seeing the three of them as happy, functional adults made him even happier. Naruto was going to be the Hokage someday, Sasuke could join ANBU if he wanted to, and become a captain in no time, and Sakura had the potential to surpass Tsunade, even in the medical field.

They were heading home, and they had been running for a couple of hours now. They would be home any minute. He had been reading and running at the same time, a new skill that he tried to master to save some time. He didn't want to read Icha Icha while running yet – that might distract him from the running and he might trip or something. When he explained what he was trying to do, Sakura only rolled her eyes at him. They hadn't spoken along the way – he was focused on both running and reading, and she probably had nothing to talk about.

Until he heard her enthusiastic voice right next to his ear.

"Stop reading, Kakashi! We're home! Wait, what?! Is that a recipe?"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, we're here then. Let me walk you home."

"Kakashi! We went through all that trouble for a recipe?! Eh?!"

"You should calm down, Sakura," Kakashi grinned. "We are getting payed for this, remember?" He winked at her. "Besides.." Kakashi leaned towards her to whisper "Tsunade needs some luck, doesn't she?" He grabbed the second scroll and showed it to her.

Sakura grinned. "So THAT's what this was all about? That's a bit depressing. Still doesn't explain why the library was sprawling with guards."

"I know," Kakashi said. "Anyways, remember that we're supposed to meet in the Hokage office tomorrow. 9am sharp."

"So, 10:30 it is, Kakashi." Sakura winked at him, and walked towards her door. Kakashi hadn't even noticed that they were already there.

"See ya, Sakura," he said. He didn't know when she stopped calling him sensei, but he didn't really mind. She didn't seem to mind the missing honorific as well.

Kakashi walked around the corner, and waited until he knew she was asleep. He didn't know why, but he always did that after a mission with her. He leaned against a wall, and looked at the stars, monitoring her chakra.

It took a while, and the had already turned in the direction he wanted to go, but then he noticed that something was wrong. Sakura's chakra had disappeared, and when your chakra is completely drained, you might actually die.

He sprinted towards the house, knocking on the door, but she didn't open. He saw that she had left a window open on the second floor, and without thinking, he climbed in.

Sakura was on her bed, but she was barely breathing. She was wearing an old shirt that functioned as pajamas, and a pair of cute striped panties. Kakashi couldn't help but look.

He then noticed that she was almost out of chakra, and that he had to hurry. He quickly got rid of his flak jacket to cover her up, and lifted her up quickly. He didn't see any big wounds, only a small puncture wound in her finger. Was she stabbed? Injected with a needle? What happened?

But then he saw the small cactus on her nightstand, a drop of blood on one of the spikes. A damn cactus?

He had to hurry, so he jumped, with Sakura in his arms, out of the window.

This chapter was extremely hard to write. I wrote myself in some corners. The Kakashi/Sakura mission was quite hard to describe. I've had some trouble with this chapter in general as well. English is my second language, and sometimes it just doesn't work out the way I want to.

But a lot happened this time. We saw two completed missions, Jiraiya, and a bit of a cliffhanger!

I can promise this for the next chapter: It'll be updated sooner than this one :') Sorry, this one took ages, more Tsunade, more Sasuke, and we'll find out what happened with Sakura.

I loved writing the Kakashi part in this chapter. I feel like his thoughts are sweet and clumsy at the same time.

I hope you all enjoyed – don't forget to leave a review!