A/N: Well, I finally made another chapter. Once again, I apologize for the wait, and I still intend on finishing this story, but...I guess it might take a while. Anyway, thanks for those who sent PM's and reviews these last couple of months. You know who you are. You have inspired me to continue writing when I've felt particularly unmotivated.

Chapter 10

Yamanaka Ino leaned against the front desk of Konoha Hospital, drumming her fingers restlessly on its surface. The three-man cell known as Team 10 had arrived back from a week-long mission the previous afternoon. When they had first left, Sakura's body and Naruto were still missing. Ino had protested fiercely against the Hokage's orders, insisting that she continue with the search. But this mission, a B-rank, had come straight from the Daimyo, and there was no turning it down. When they finally returned, Shikamaru was immediately summoned to the Hokage's office, but Ino, being exhausted from the long week, had decided to go straight to bed. Only today, when she had first arrived at work, did she hear from Tsunade what had happened: Sakura was alive, but her memory had been lost.

The news had hit her in the most unexpected way. She was shocked at first, then ecstatic, then a wave of sadness set in. She had thought Sakura gone forever, and with that loss came many regrets. Now that she had miraculously come back, there was new opportunity to tell her things that had been left unsaid for far too long. However, this Sakura would have no recollection of their relationship, their rivalry, or the experiences they shared. In a way, since those regrets still lingered, it seem as though she hadn't come back at all.

After a few days in the hospital, Sakura had been allowed to return to her house. Although this did nothing to help her memory, her trust in others was starting to be restored. Tsunade suggested that she return to the hospital this afternoon, not as a patient, but in an attempt to reacquaint her with her former job. She also suggested Ino meet her at the door, since she had been a co-worker of Sakura's for the past year.

As Ino continued to wait anxiously in the lobby, she finally spotted a pink-haired figure wander through the double doors. The blonde kunoichi quickly walked over to her, grinning broadly.

"Forehe—I mean, Sakura! It's good to see you…again," she put her hands on her shoulders as though to embrace her, but she felt Sakura's muscles tense slightly. Reluctantly, Ino dropped her arms to her sides. "Er, sorry. I forgot that you don't know who I am. My name's Yamanaka Ino." She offered her hand this time, and Sakura took it, a smile slowly coming to her lips.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama told me we knew each other, and I've seen you in some of the pictures Naruto showed me," Sakura's head drooped slightly. "I suppose I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine," Ino waved her hand casually. "It just means we have a bit of catching up to do, right? Well, come on, let me show you around a little."

She led Sakura through all the hospital's main rooms on every floor, explaining their function and mentioning anything Sakura herself might have done there. The more Ino showed her, the more amazed Sakura became.

"So I was a medic, just like you?"

Ino nodded. "Actually, you were more experienced than me. A lot of the stuff I know I picked up from you."

"And I trained under one of the best medics ever?"

"Oh yes, probably the best ever. Tsunade-sama has built quite a reputation for herself."

Sakura's face lit up excitedly, but it slowly became downcast. "Wow…I've done so much in my life, but it still feels so…unfamiliar to me. I'm lucky I had friends like you, though."

Ino stopped walking and turned to her. "Sakura…" she began, as the pink-haired girl looked at her questionably. "I'm…sorry for the way it was. I know you don't remember, but we weren't always on the best of terms. We let too many things get in the way of being friends. I just felt like I needed to tell you this, because when you died…I couldn't ever tell you anything."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ino sighed before smiling sadly. "We were rivals more than we were friends. We were always competing over who was stronger, who could make the best flower arrangements, boys…well, mostly boys." She chuckled a bit. "They were silly things, and I was selfish to think that you couldn't be better than me in anything."

Sakura couldn't help but stare in confusion, but seeing the lament in the blonde's eyes, she smiled reassuringly. "It's ok…really, it is. I can't blame you for not being a good friend, especially if I don't remember you." Her smile faded as she slowly lifted her hand and rested it on Ino's shoulder. "But if you don't mind, could you promise me something?"

Ino nodded, a curious expression on her face.

"Don't forget who we once were. I mean, I'm sure I was just as much convinced I was better than you as you were than me."

Ino frowned. "But why wouldn't you want to forget? Those weren't exactly our best moments."

"I know," Sakura answered her, "but someone told me a few days ago, 'sometimes it's best not to forget certain things, even if they make you sad,' besides," she continued, her smile returning. "It couldn't have been all that bad, right? You're still talking to me, aren't you?"

Ino nodded, her smile also returning. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Good. And also…" Sakura's eyes fell. "I want someone to remember the old me, because I might not ever be that person again."

Ino shook her head. "Don't say that! Tsunade-sama will find a way to cure you. She always finds a way! Have you by chance met Rock Lee yet?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in thought.

Ino continued. "…black hair, thick eyebrows, disturbing fetish for the color green…?"

Sakura's expression lit up. "Oh yeah! I've met him."

"Well, he used to be seriously injured, and would never have been a ninja again, if Tsunade hadn't performed surgery on him."

"Really? Wow."

Ino nodded knowingly. "Damn right, wow. She isn't the best medic-nin around for nothing."

"Thanks for the compliment, Ino, but I'm afraid it won't let you leave early today."

Ino turned around, surprised to see the Hokage standing right behind her.

"Oh, Tsunade-sama! I didn't--"

The older woman laughed. "Just a joke, Ino." She turned to the other girl. "Sakura! It's nice to finally see you back here again, and not as a patient this time."

Sakura smiled politely. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I hope I'm not causing any distractions being here. People seem to be…staring at me a lot, not just here, but around the village too."

The Hokage shrugged. "That's just a normal reaction. It's not every day people see someone whose funeral was held just last week walking around as if nothing had happened."

The pink-hair girl nodded, a slight involuntary shudder passing over her. She hasn't fully gotten over her paranoia yet, it seems. I suppose I should talk about something a little more familiar.

"One thing I've been meaning to ask you," Tsunade continued, "is how the memory therapy with Naruto is going. Have you managed to make any progress?"

Sakura shook her head dolefully. "No. He's shown me pictures, told me stories, described people and places, but nothing seems to help. And being here with Ino this past hour…I can't say this place rings any bells, either."

"That's alright," the Hokage smiled warmly. "I just thought it'd be nice if you were at least familiarized with this place again, since you've spent much of the last couple of years working and training here. As far as your sessions with Naruto, we'll keep those going. If anything, it's helping you be more comfortable with your surroundings."

Sakura looked around her, taking in all of the sights and sounds produced by the environment. She tried to pick up on things that looked or sounded like she had sensed them before. Nothing. She shook her head and looked back at the Hokage, sadness in her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama…is my condition permanent? It's ok to be honest…I need to know."

Tsunade pursed her lips with uncertainty. "I really can't say for sure, Sakura. Out of the patients I've treated, there have been some that have recovered and some that haven't. It's pretty much just a case by case situation, and in your case, I can't even begin to guess, because the way you contracted it is so unique. Without more knowledge of the jutsu that resurrected you, we're left completely in the dark. All we can do right now is just slowly reintroduce you to your old life, and hope that something eventually triggers a memory."

Sakura regarded her words silently for a moment, then managed a smile. "Thank you for telling me, Tsunade-sama, and helping me with this process."

She nodded. "I'll do my best to help you in any way that I can. In fact, I'm about done here, so I can take over the tour for Ino. It'll just be a few minutes."

Both girls voiced their acknowledgement as Tsunade stepped into an adjacent room. Ino noticed the downcast expression on Sakura's face that she had kept from showing until the Hokage left. The news she had just heard was not exactly promising.

"Sakura…what I said earlier, I…"

"Don't worry about it. I know what you were trying to do," Sakura answered. "I have to take into account the possibility that I won't recover. Not thinking realistically will only make things worse in the long run."

Ino sighed, knowing that she was right. Looking up, she noticed a familiar blonde enter the hallway, accompanied by an ANBU member. "Hey, Naruto's here!"

Sakura turned, and upon seeing him, her demeanor changed entirely. Her eyes lit up and she smiled broadly, actions which did not go unnoticed by Ino.

"Naruto! What are you doing here? I thought you were still under…" Sakura hesitated to continue, fearing it was still a sensitive issue.

But Naruto smiled. "It's ok, you can say it. I am, but I came here to get a prescription refilled. How are things with you?"

Sakura inclined her head thoughtfully. "Well…they could be better, I guess."

"It'll get better, Sakura-chan," he replied, leveling his eyes with her own. "It just might take a little time, that's all."

She nodded, maintaining her smile. "Yeah. You're right…just a little time."

Ino sighed to herself. Hiding things again…not telling him what Tsunade-sama told you. Even without your memories, you're still the same person, Sakura.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade walked out of the room she was in. "Naruto. What brings you here?" her tone was not unkind, but it still carried a note of business-like curtness, matching her expressionless, unsmiling face.

"I ran out of the pills Shizune-san prescribed for my headaches. I was wondering if I could get them refilled."

The Hokage nodded. "Shizune is out today, so I'll go ahead and take a look at your chart while I have a free moment. Go to my office down on the first floor, I'll meet you and Sakura there shortly."

She stepped back into the room, as Ino turned to the others. "I guess I'll leave you two, er—three to your tasks," she corrected, glancing at the ANBU member at Naruto's side. "I've still got some training to finish up before I call it a day."

She waved goodbye as Naruto and Sakura started walking down the hall toward the elevator.

"So you're having headaches?" Sakura inquired of the blonde. "What do you think is causing them?"

"Y'know that stuff I told you about earlier? Chakra?"

She nodded.

"I think it has something to do with that."

"Oh." She frowned, turning to look at him. "Is that all you know right now?"

Naruto shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm an expert on these kinds of things…its not really one of my strong points…" he paused and looked back at Sakura, who was still listening intently. He sighed with a little half-smirk. "Okay, so it's a miracle I made it out of the ninja academy with how much I know, but I still manage."

The pink-haired girl giggled at that last statement. Naruto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as his smile broadened. "…what? You're laughing at me?"

She covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her grin. "I'm sorry, that was just…kinda funny, the way you put it."

They reached the elevator and entered the sliding doors, pushing the button for the first floor. Sakura glanced back and noticed Naruto was still smiling at her. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Oh, nothing…it's just that I've always liked hearing you laugh. You haven't laughed like that in a long time. Not since…well…"

He trailed off, and she knew from his face that he was remembering something painful. She rested her hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. You don't have to tell me until you want to."

"No, I do want to, it's just…hard to find the words right now."

They stood in silence as the numbers above the door continued to light up in descending order. They reached the first floor and the three walked out with Naruto in front, heading to the right.

"You seem to know your way around pretty well," Sakura noticed, trying to change the subject.

Naruto chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I've spent quite a few hours here. Many shinobi have, probably. It becomes really familiar after a while."

She pursed her lips, glancing at a passing patient on crutches wearing a Konoha headband. "So being a ninja can get pretty tough, huh?"

He paused a moment before answering. "It can be, but when I look back, I never really thought about it that way. I never had time to, I guess. The stress of the mission was always the main thing on my mind. Everything else just didn't seem as important."

Sakura brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes in silence. Naruto could tell that a lot was on her mind. The funny thing was, this was how she normally got when she was trying to sort out a confusing situation. He had seen it a few times during missions. She always seemed to be doing some idle activity when she was thinking, be it messing with her hair, chewing on her bottom lip, or tapping her fingers on the side of her leg.

Sometimes, she makes it seem so easy for me to forget she doesn't have her memories.

Turning the corner in the hallway, they arrived at the doorway of a small room marked "office." Just beyond was the front desk, and the entrance where Sakura had first come in. Naruto leaned against the wall, glancing at Sakura as she continued to observe the activity of the hospital.

"So, has seeing this place made you think about picking up on your medic-nin career again?" he asked.

She looked over at him and smiled vaguely. "I really don't know. I'd have to learn all over again how to be a ninja, that's for sure. It'd take forever before I'd be doing anything close to what I was probably doing before."

The blonde shook his head. "Naw. You'd pick up on it really fast. You're a natural at that kind of thing. You were the smartest in your class, y'know."

"Oh, you don't have to say that…"

"I'm serious! Just ask Iruka-sensei. He was the one who put all the teams together. The goal was to balance out the ones who were smarter and more skilled with the ones who weren't as much. So you can probably guess why I was on your team."

She giggled again, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. "There you go again. You don't give yourself enough credit. Were you always this hard on yourself?"

Naruto paused, but was saved from answering when the Hokage entered the hallway. She briefly nodded at them and stepped into the office. Stepping out a few seconds later, she regarded the clipboard she held in slight confusion.

"That's a little odd. The symptoms you were feeling are consistent with chakra withdrawal, but it only typically lasts for a few weeks at most. Your headaches should have subsided by now."

She flipped through a few pages, then shrugged, taking out a pen and scribbling on a small slip of paper. "You did lose access to a lot of chakra, though. Take this to the pharmacy down the hallway to your right. They'll give you a fresh bottle that should last you another few weeks."

Naruto took the paper and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I guess I'd better be heading back home, now."

Tsunade looked up from her clipboard and paused, raising an eyebrow. After a moment, she nodded, and stared at Naruto's back as he and the ANBU guard started back up the hallway toward the pharmacy.

Sakura glanced in the same direction, then looked back at the Hokage concernedly. "Tsunade-sama? Is something wrong?"

Tsunade blinked a few times and turned to face her former apprentice. "Oh no, it's nothing. Now, we were going to finish that tour, weren't we?"

A cloudy dusk settled over Fire Country. The last of the sunlight cast a pink glow in one corner of the sky, just as the last of the embers in the smoldering ruins of several small buildings slowly died out. A lone figure slowly made his way down a grassy path, lying between what was left of the structures. His long shadow passed over the destruction, and the bodies scattered along the ground. The smell of blood mingled with the pungent scent of burning ashes, but even the scavenger birds kept a quiet distance, in fear of the ominous aura still present amidst the village's remains, or perhaps in a grudging respect for the dead.

It didn't have to come to this. He only required information, nothing more. Several village officials were asked. Some had shown ignorance; others, defiance. The way they appeared to emulate the courage of Konoha ninja intrigued him; he had once thought this level of rashness and determination impossible for simple civilians. However, the possibility that they were withholding things from him was far too evident. They had to be dealt with.

He had proceeded to issue threats, then carried them out when their answers remained unchanged. His efforts in this regard proved fruitless, as did a search through various records and documents that he conducted on his own. Having already drawn too much attention to himself, he proceeded to eradicate all knowledge of his visit, by eradicating those who possessed that knowledge.

Which, given the small size of the village, happened to be everyone who lived there.

He was nondiscriminatory in his work. Neither women nor children were spared, and each was cut down with the same passionless, yet ruthless efficiency. Screams and pleads, as usual, fell on apathetic ears.

All the same…the way each faces death is said to be unique, but that is nothing but imaginative thinking. All face death in fear…fear of the unknown, of the pain, of the uselessness and incompleteness of the lives they leave behind…it's all the same.

Word would eventually spread of this deed, he knew; but by then, he would be well out of reach of any retaliation. True, he had reached a dead end for now in his search. The lengths he took to simply find this tiny village made it all the more disappointing. Fire Country was quite large, though. There were plenty more places to look, but time, and regrettably, his patience was running short.

Keeping something like this hidden for so long is quite an achievement, but then again, I wouldn't expect any less from him.

Approaching the edge of the village, he buttoned up his cloak from the inside and donned his straw hat. His red eyes briefly passed over an old, wooden sign with words etched into its surface: Welcome to Takigi no Sato: Birthplace of the Shodaime Hokage, Founder of Konohagakure.

He continued down the path as the glow of the sun faded, and the crescent moon rose to take its place. The night was silent, save for the soft chorus of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves from the light breeze. The cloaked figure suddenly stopped and quickly extended his arm outward, sending a shuriken into the bushes that ran alongside the path.

As the metal sank into the shrubbery, the leaves and branches started to shift around it, forming the shape of a human. The shape stepped out of the greenery it was surrounded by as the leaves began to morph, revealing blue hair, dark brown eyes, and a cloak identical to the figure's who had thrown the shuriken.

The woman looked at the back of her hand and frowned, removing the blood-covered metal. "Your sharingan is as impressive as ever, being able to notice me like that. Although, you sure have violent ways of getting people's attention, Itachi-san."

"I'm growing tired of things being kept hidden from me," the Uchiha replied, "especially people who are trying to spy."

Hantaisa suspended her other hand over the wound, enveloping it in a soft green glow. "What do you expect? Failing a mission, then going off on your own to wipe out a small tourist village for no known reason seems like odd behavior for an Akatsuki member, wouldn't you say?"

Itachi lowered his head and slowly removed his hat, running a hand through his jet black hair. "I suppose it was somewhat wise for the leader to keep watch on my every move. After all, trust among missing-nin is understandably short. In the end though, his efforts will not matter."

He raised his head back up and leveled his gaze at her. "He's probably expecting you to relay this information, and hoped you would do so undetected, is that right?"

Hantaisha hesitated, then nodded silently, though she did not meet his gaze.

"However," his brow furrowed as the red glow in his eyes became more vivid. "Since you have failed the latter part of your assignment, I probably shouldn't let you leave alive."

Unbuttoning his cloak once again, he slowly stepped toward her. Unnoticed by both of them, the sounds of the night had promptly ceased.