Being Bound Chapter 9: Missions, a naruto fanfic

Chapter Nine: Mission

It wasn't that every day was a content filled day, or that there was hardly any work to do so that when there was, when files seemed to be piled sky high and there was no way out, Tsunade had every reason to be frustrated. However being the hokage guaranteed paper work every day and all day long, it guaranteed work load after work load, and it guaranteed headaches the size of the moon. It was something that came with the job prescription and something that Tsunade had learned how to deal with over the years. She had had to if she wanted to keep Konoha safe and running.

"Tsunade-sama." called Shizune as she ran in through Tsunade's office doors. She was clearly out of breath, had several files in hand, Tonton behind her, and a small telegram in hand. Mentally Tsunade growled. The anxious look on her apprentice's face was most definitely not going to be because of the files or because, through some miracle, she no longer needed to do said paper work.

"What is it Shizune?" Tsunade said as she closed the file in front of her and pushed it away from her. The file had been on the assignment for the new genin teams, for those who would be graduating soon and their placement and sensei's. It could wait.

"We've just gotten word from the informant in the clinic Sakura had been undercover at." she said before pausing hesitantly. This was most definitely not good news. Tsunade knew it wasn't, after all she had instructed said informant not to risk contact unless it was urgent and dangerous to Konoha as a whole.

"What does Kari-chan have to report?" Tsunade asked as she stood and went for her "hidden" bottle of sake. She considered it to be hidden however Shizune, along with all of the other high ranking shinobi in Konoha, knew of the bottle and it's where abouts as well. After all Konoha's hokage was legendary for her interest in not only sake but for gambling, her temper and most of all her medical skills. To put it simply she was a renowned kunoichi, one of the legendary sanins and so the world would know of her good, and not so good, qualities regardless of the situation.

"Danzo is moving. He's been calling more and more medics to the ROOTs HQ every day. Kari-chan says she's not sure about what they're being taught but she knows it's for teaching purposes. They haven't send her in yet so she can't tell us more." Shizune said, her breathing back to normal but the worry and anxiety still in her eyes. It was all for good reason too, as Tsunade knew.

Danzo was moving, faster than what they had anticipated and without the scroll. This could only mean one of two things. One, he could give a rats ass about the technicalities, though for a jutsu that was so deadly his actions weren't all that bright, or two, he had already discovered what was written in the scroll and was simply in search for it so as to destroy it and keep anyone from being able to develop a counter technique.

"Get Uchiha Itachi in here ASAP." she demanded and with that Shizune ran out of the room in search of the first available messenger they had. She would have asked for Sakura as well but she had gotten word of the sick, and poisoned, shinobi at the hospital who's condition was worsening because the poison he'd been given seemed to have been altered. Sakura needed to stay focus, and she needed to save the shinobi before she and Itachi left. After all Konoha would need all of its finest to guard it when she send the best two squads she had out to the mortal plane and in search of Danzo while the other searched for more information on the scroll.

"That man..." Tsunade growled, taking a shot directly from the bottle. "He's going to get what's coming to him. He's messed with the wrong village." she swore before taking another shot. What was more was that now she owed Kari-chan a favor. She had been a born kunoich who had somehow was raised on the mortal plane and who had heard of her. Kari-chan had also gone off in search of her and found nothing on Tsunade until finally Tsunade went in search of her. She had been a persistent student, had learned everything she could despite the fact that she had never used chakra before and had since promised to be in Tsunade's debt.

"Looks like with this one I'll be in yours Kari-chan." Tsunade mumbled sadly as she took a third shot before putting the bottle back in its place. Sighing, and making a mental note to get a new bottle to replace the near empty one she'd just "hid", Tsunade took her seat back at her desk and sat waiting for Itachi to arrive. She knew that they hadn't cracked the code yet for as soon as they had Sakura would have been in her office screaming and revealing the contents of the scroll or would have asked for an absence of leave so as to take care of her Danzo on her own.

"Tsunade-sama, Itachi-san has arrived." called Shizune from the door, this time with Tonton in her arms.

"Let him in." she ordered. As soon as Itachi walked in Tsunade knew something was wrong with him. He looked more tense, more on edge and most definitely in a foul mood. Many thought that the Uchiha heir was always in a foul mood but Tsunade knew better. Even before he'd met Sakura it had simply been a mask so as to avoid others, keep his fan girls at bay, and so as to be left alone.

"Hokage-sama." Itachi greeted with a bow.

"Report, what have you and Sakura discovered so far?" Tsunade demanded, clearly catching Itachi off guard. If they were to report then why was Sakura missing? Smiling Tsunade shook her head.

"Sakura is busy saving the life of a poisoned shinobi." she informed Itachi. Nodding in understanding Itachi straightened out, took a second to gather his thoughts and then proceeded to explain.

Nodding Tsunade took in the information and puzzled over it for a minute. She knew that just because there was a medical code aspect to the code didn't mean that there was anything medical about it. Some ninja, the more intelligent and self reliant bunch, sometimes taught themselves a medical code so as to keep their developments truly hidden and confusing to others. Therefore what Danzo needed with medical teachings was still a blank.

"Go on." she finally instructed. Nodding Itachi complied.

"However Sakura has found signs of a medical procedure being explained within the code. The jutsu aspect has not been discovered, nor have we been able to find an insight to it, but Sakura has discovered the medical aspect of it to be some what surgical." Itachi spoke, noticing the hokage's puzzled look and further informing her what else they had found. It may have been small, probably nothing, but he knew that in the shinobi world even the smallest, simplest, or most unimportant seemingly things could be the deadliest.

"And what is that?"

"Sakura has told me, as her theory, that she believes the medical code is describing a procedure to which prepare or transformation to occur to the user of the jutsu."

"Anything else?"

"Iie. That is all that we have at the moment." Itachi finished. Nodding her head Tsunade turned to her door and watched as Neji Hyuuga walked in with mission reports in hand, covered in blood and ready to debrief her on his most recent mission.

"Leave the files and you don't worry about the debriefing. Just one thing before you can go though." Tsunade said as Neji had done what he had been told to do before getting ready to leave.

"Yes hokage-sama?"

"On you're way home get Sakura in here, tell her I have a mission briefing for her."

"Hai hokage-sama." and with that Neji walked out of the room. Itachi was well aware how the Hyuuga felt about him dating Sakura but he didn't really care what others thought. Sakura was his, he loved her, and as such he didn't, wouldn't allow himself to care what others thought. All that mattered was what Sakura felt, that she wanted to remain by his side just as he wanted to be by hers and nothing more.

~Sakura's POV~

As soon as I got home I let my self in and found my apartment as empty and as cold as I had been expecting it to be. Sighing I dumped my stuff on the couch, went to the kitchen and worked on looking for something to eat.

'Stupid damn Uchiha woman.' my inner grumbled when I'd found nothing to eat. I wanted to agree with her but a part of me couldn't blame her. Itachi was too kind, warm, strong and good looking of a man not to be noticed. Sighing I went to my room and reached for my robe. My struggles of life could wait a couple of hours, at least until I was well rested anyway. Still, checking in to see if Hikari had found anything was a good way of using up the last of my chakra.

"Mistress." she greeted me while bowing. Smiling I nodded and sat on my bed before I took in a deep breath. Not everything that Hikari had to share with me was good news, and considering the topic I was about to bring up wasn't a good topic to begin with I needed to prepare myself for the worse case scenario.

"Have you found anything on Sai's condition. How to break the seal?" I asked her, getting straight to the point.

"Iie, but I have found a couple of techniques that were used in the procedure. Masumi-san is assisting me and assures me that we will have a counter within the next 48 hours." she said confidently. Hope and joy swelled up in my chest so fast I had forgotten how tired I was. Then, before I could ask Hikari when we would be ready and wether or not she'd be willing to help me perform the procedure, there was a knock on my front door.

"Fuck me." I muttered as I dropped my robe, my nightgown, and picked up a kunai. Instantly Hikari was behind me, hiding in the shadows and waiting to act should the need call for it. To be honest I wasn't expecting company, hadn't been for a while and at the moment I really didn't want it. I just wanted to sleep. Upon opening the door I found a messenger, and not just a regular messenger but a Neji Hyuuga at that.

"Neji." I I greeted him. He was a friend, someone I trusted with my life when on the field and whom I could have intelligent conversations with. He had also been very opinionated when he'd found out who I was dating and had even asked Tenten to beg me to leave Itachi; but Tenten refused and I set Neji in his place. My love life was not only none of his business but it had nothing to do with the feud that was constantly at play between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha.

"You are to gather your team and meet the hokage in her office within an hour." he said. He'd just gotten back from a mission, there was dried blood on his sleeve, which I knew was not his, and he looked like he'd gone days without sleep.

"Hai. Are you injured?" I asked while turning to Hikari. "Stay. We're not done." I ordered. Neji noticed Hikari then. He looked over her body with his byakugan and I knew what he was seeing. She had her own chakra source, which was suppressed at the moment because I had not fully released her unlike other summoning animals that took chakra from the summoner she had her own to use and to sustain herself with.

"Iie. This is not my blood." Neji said after he was done looking over Hikari. Mentally I smiled. Bet he hadn't believed the rumors that went around once everyone had seen or heard of the new summoning animal I had acquired.

"Hikari this is captain Hyuuga Neji. Neji this is Hikari, one of my summoning animals." I introduced the two before leaving the two in the living room and heading for my bedroom. Hikari's growls told me Neji had tried following but had been stopped.

"Was there anything else Neji?" I called, grabbing my weapons pouch, strapping it to my thigh and grabbing my katana. Normally I didn't take the blade with me on missions but normally I knew when and what type of mission I'd be going on ahead of time.

"Iie. Not anything of importance." he answered as I walked back into the room and heading for the door before me. This was new. Normally he was more talkative, or at the very least honest. Sighing I turned to Hikari.

"If you don't mind can you get the boys, I'm going in for the briefing." I instructed. With a nod of her head Hikari ran off on the roof tops. Smiling I walked down the stairs of my apartment and toward the main street that would lead me straight to shishou's office.

"You are well I see." he noted.

"Hai. Though why everyone thinks I'm some sort of defect is beyond me. So I was cutting it close there for a bit, big deal. It's a part of the profession." I said with a taunting sort of tone. Neji was serious, almost or if not as much as what Itachi could be. He didn't say anything and when we approached the center of town Neji silently walked away toward his own compound. As soon as he was gone I sobered up, and before heading to shishou's once again went over the hand seals that would summon one of the large tigers to me. This time it was V who stood before me.

"I take it we'll be going off on a mission." she stated with a taunting tone. She knew we had a mission and she would love it, whatever it turned out to be. Nodding I sighed and looked up to the tower.

"I'm going in for the briefing. Catch up to Hikari and have her go to Itachi when she's done waking the boys. She's to stay by his side and help him with what he needs." I said cryptically. Understanding V ran off and I teleported into shishou's office. What had been surprising was finding Itachi already in the office and dressed in his own ANBU gear. Well I'd be damned.

"Nice of you to finally join us Sakura." Shishou called seriously.

"Sorry, needed to summon Hikari and V to wake the rest of my team." I answered truthfully before taking my place by her side.

'Of course he has, we were working at the hospital.' my inner thought, catching and feeling the tension in the room. This was definitely not going to end well.

"Hai." I answered, waiting for my own set of instructions. She had said Itachi, not you and Itachi. It was clear she had another mission for me and my team instead.

"You and team seven are to go back to that city where Sabutori-san sent you. I've gotten word from an informant at the clinic you worked for that they're being called in to Danzo's HQ for assistance more than usual. It isn't anything that's suspicious though, they're asking for information and medical teachings." shishou said. So we were right. I was right. The scroll, the jutsu itself wasn't just a jutsu but a medical procedure as well. What for or what it did was beyond me. There were endless possibilities. The jutsu could have a damaging effect on the user, the scroll could injure the person who was reading and or using it, or the jutsu itself was possibly life threatening.

"Hai. I'll slip into the clinic and find what I can. Even if the codes haven't changed I'm sure I can slip back in disguise and visit them as a friend." I said, already mentally making a list of the things I'd be needing and the wig I'd have to buy again. It wasn't that I didn't like recon missions, it was just the hassle of having to fix and slip into a disguise that annoyed the hell out of me.

"Good, both of you leave as soon as possible. Report as soon as you've gotten any information. I assume you know how to communicate with one another while on the field?" Tusnade-shishou taunted.

"Hai, I've already thought of a way shishou." I answered, gaining Itachi's attention. He was probably thinking about using chakra to communicate with one another the way we did with the hokage but if I left Hikari with him, so as to work as their medic and a communicator, and kept V summoned with me then in theory there wouldn't be any difficulties. I'd just need to talk to V and Hikari to see if distance was an issue.

"Good. Dismissed." she instructed. It didn't take long then to get out of her office and head for the market place. At this time of night everyone was home or asleep. There were those few who were out drinking but I didn't worry about them.

"How?" he asked seriously.

"I was going to have Hikari stay with you either way so it works out. V will be with me and so long as we're both physically touching them we can communicate with one another without having to use chakra. Not only am I going out on the mission low but you'll need yours. It's a long way to sand." I said seriously. Itachi simply nodded before turning to the shadows and finding Shino and Shisui standing at the ready. It was good to know that Itachi had someone, more than one person, he trusted with his life and knowing that one of them was Shino was not only comforting but reassuring to me as well.

"Hey guys." I greeted them with a smile. Neither one of them smiled though. They were focused with a mission at hand and were already in mission mode. Mentally I smiled as I felt relief wash over me. It was for this very reason that not only did I trust that Itachi was safe with them but that I'd come to trust them with my own life as well.

"Shino we need supplies, Shisui have you informed anyone at the compound of your absence?"

"How long will we be gone?" Shino asked.

"Two weeks."

"Hai." and with that Shino was gone. All the while Shisui waited for his answer and Itachi's response. The two really worked well together, were so synchronized I wonder who would win in a spar between Itachi and Shisui vs. Naruto and Sasuke. That thought, or experiment, was best suited for a later time though.

"Iie."

"Go back, inform them that we leave at dawn. I will reman with Haruno-san. We meet at the gates an hour before dawn."

"Hai taichou." Shisui said. That was interesting. Normally he'd want to leave as soon as possible for a mission. However before I could ask V and Hikari appeared behind me.

"The men are awake and preparing. They will be ready at dawn." Hikari informed me while V sat at my feet. Smiling I nodded before looking down at V.

"Did you tell Hikari?" I asked.

"Hai and before you ask no, distance is not an issue. However you will need to fully summon us with blood so as you're chakra is not effected." she said lazily. Truly she was just like a child.

"Hai then you're both dismissed. I'll summon you when we're about to leave. I need to build some chakra." I answered. With a nod both were instantly gone.

~Itachi's POV~

It'd been a long day yet for as tired as I was I still need to get one thing out of the way; a mission that needed to be started and completed. I needed to talk to Ka-san, with Otou-san's presence absence, and I needed to end this with Akiko-san. It wasn't that she wasn't a kind or unattractive woman. It was simply that I had what I wanted, what I had been looking for, before I realized what it was, and as such I had no intentions of giving it up. Sakura was mine and I would not release her of my hold unless she herself asked it of me.

Sighing I walked into the house and found Ka-san in the kitchen. It was clear she was working on dinner, was preparing for a family only dinner, but that she had something on her mind. It was easy to tell when she did. She simply did not call out to us when she sensed us in or by the house. She would continue with her task and leave our short conversations for a later time.

"Ka-san." I greeted her, forcing her attention to be directed at myself and her thoughts to pause.

"Oh, Itachi, I didn't hear you." she said with a distracted tone of voice. Looking her over with my sharingan I found nothing wrong with her. At least not in the physical sense and so wondered if perhaps she had had an argument with Otou-san recently.

"No we weren't arguing. I was just thinking." Ka-san answered. It may have seemed as if she had the ability to hear my thoughts at time but I'd learned as a child that that wasn't the case. She was my mother, my Ka-san, and as such had been the first and only person to have deciphered my facial expressions and the meaning behind them.

"Hn." was my only response before I walked into the room with her and assisted her with setting the table. It was quite and content for a while, it reminded me of the quiet times we used to have when Sasuke was still only a baby and I myself was still only a child.

"You came looking for me for a reason, what's on your mind Itachi." she called softly, a tone of taunting to her tone. It was never meant to mock, rather it was always to encourage. It didn't matter if it was Sasuke or I who was looking for her. She always knew what to say, then again I supposed all mothers knew what to say to their children.

"I would like to ask for your assistance in asking Akiko-san to deny the proposal Otou-san has offered her. I love Sakura and as such intend on marrying her." I said. Ka-san was accustomed to my bluntness, to the manner in which I choose to speak, therefore her reactions had ceased to surprise me.

"You didn't need to ask Itachi, I've been trying to do just that for a while now. To be honest your father wasn't this stubborn until I gave birth to you and Sasuke. Since then he's been worried about not being a good father." Ka-san answered warmly, sighing tauntingly and smiling. This reaction surprised me. Had she liked Sakura more than what I had assumed she would, more than what I had been expecting her to? It wasn't a surprise if she had. Anyone who met Sakura was sure to like her instantly. She was too warm, too caring and too much of an open hearted person not to have such an effect on people.

"Hn."

"Come now Itachi, you didn't think I wouldn't like her did you? She's adorable, and perfect for you." she said seriously, though the smile she had showed still hadn't left her face.

"Iie." I said while turning to face Ka-san. "When will you be telling Otou-san?"

"Tonight actually, it's why I made his favorite." Ka-san informed me with a small laugh. She knew how to reach Otou-san though even with his favorite dish I doubted that he'd be in a good mood once Ka-san began speaking her mind.

"Thank you."

"Don't need to, a mother does what needs to be done for her children." Ka-san said before smiling, stopping with what she was doing and locking her now sharingan bright eyes with mine.

"Never forget that I too am a fighter Itachi." she warned seriously before shaking her head. "Besides, I meant what I said. She's a good match for you. It's clear that you love her and even more so that she loves you." Ka-san explained. Nodding I moved away from the table and went for my room. It would be uncomfortable to eat in gear and even worse to sit at the table with weapons in hand during said discussion.

"Oh Itachi, can you..." but before Ka-san could finish there was a knock on the door and my eyes narrowed. Of all the times to finally get what I wanted, to be summoned for a mission they had to have chosen now? Upon opening the door a masked messenger took to a knee.

"The hokage is calling, she would like a word with you Captain Uchiha." he said before disappearing. Ka-san was just behind me, she'd move to listen and to watch. Softly I shut the door and began to reach for my shinobi sandals.

"Will you be back tonight?" Ka-san asked softly.

"I will send word if I am unable. Ka-san,..."

"Don't worry about it Itachi, you have your mission and I have mine. When you get back you'll be able to start planning." she assured me. Then, for the first time in years I turned and faced Ka-san with a smile on my face.

"Thank you Ka-san." and with that I was gone, running on top of the rooftops and heading for the hokage's office. It must have been a mission summoning.

Upon arriving at the hokage's tower the hokage and walking in I was met with a tense looking hokage. She had clearly just received unpleasant news.

"Hokage-sama." I greeted as calmly as I could. Had Sakura been injured or in trouble I would have been called upon sooner.

"Report, what have you and Sakura discovered so far?" Tsunade-sama demanded. Her demand was most certainly not something I had been expecting. Especially when a briefing of this level would normally be done by all parties involved so that all points of views would be able to be taken into consideration.

"Sakura is busy saving the life of a poisoned shinobi." the hokage informed. Had my thoughts, my emotions been so transparent that it had been written on my face? Iie, it was simply that the hokage was one of the few, Sakura being another, that had the ability to notice the change in my mood and my emotions. However none of that mattered, could matter. What needed to be done needed to be done, I was shinobi first when in the presence of the hokage and a man second.

"At the moment we have not been able to break the code. However we know that it is a mixture of a medical code and an old code that has gone out of date. It is a code that only the hokage's of the past would know, however the third passed before you're time therefore we are simply going on reference." I said, tone of voice calm and collected. She needed to understand, to know that what we were doing was difficult and despite knowing that we short on time and the few reference's we'd found, it was continuously difficult to do what she was asking with the short amount of time given.

While the hokage processed what information I'd given her I thought of Sakura. It seemed like we were running out of time, as if soon we'd once again be facing battle. A battle not only on the field but within Konoha as well. Ka-san would aid us, would assist us and make so that soon it would be safe to take Sakura's hand in marriage. However, before I could continue with my thoughts I noticed the hokage's confusion and proceeded with the mission briefing.

"Go on." she finally encouraged. I nodded before proceeding.

"However Sakura has found signs of a medical procedure being explained within the code. The jutsu aspect has not been discovered, nor have we been able to find an insight to it, but Sakura has discovered the medical aspect of it." What I said was true though despite our information and what we'd gathered only consisting of theories it was still a lot. The smallest of details, the most insignificant looking facts, for the most part, always proved to be the most deadliest of all. Especially in the shinobi world we lived in.

"And what is that?"

"Sakura has told me, as her theory, that she believes the medical code is describing a procedure to which prepare or transform the user of the jutsu."

"Anything else?"

"Iie. That is all that we have at the moment." Upon finishing with the report, what little Sakura and I had had to report, the hokage proceeded to nod her head. It wasn't until after a couple of minutes had passed by that the hokage turned her attention to the door and to where the chakra signature of a Hyuuga stood about to enter. It was none other than Neji Hyuuga who walked in. In his hand were mission reports, his ANBU vest was covered in blood, and his presence radiated how ready he was to debrief the hokage on his most recent mission.

"Leave the files and you don't worry about the debriefing. Just one thing before you can go though." the hokage instructed him before stopping him before he took his leave from our presence.

"Yes hokage-sama?"

"On you're way home get Sakura in here, tell her I have a mission briefing for her."

"Hai hokage-sama." and with that the Hyuuga was gone. He was a friend of Sakura, one whom had had no hesitation when it came to voicing his opinion on her choice of men and pertaining to the fact that she had decided to accept my courtship. None the less it didn't matter. He could speak his mind all that he wanted, it wouldn't change the fact that Sakura would remain by my side.

Sakura appeared in the middle of the hokage's office in no less than five minutes. The hokage had been tapping her fingers on the top of her desk, clearly impatient and anxiously waiting for Sakura's arrival. The silence I imagined was not a comfortable thing to her when she was anxious and without her sake.

"Nice of you to finally join us Sakura." the hokage spoke as soon as the smoke had cleared.

"Sorry, needed to summon Hikari and V to wake the rest of my team." Sakura answered before taking her place at the hokage's side. Clearly the hokage kept her in high regards, what was more was that Sakura was powerful enough to stand as her right hand.

"Doesn't matter. Itachi has filled me in on the progress you've made so far. I'm sending him to sand to talk to Garra, perhaps his village has more reference material or he himself will be able to give Itachi the answers needed." the hokage declared, for once catching me off guard. The mission she had secretly assigned Sakura and I was important, and to complete we would need to be in constant communication. Therefore why had she not addressed us both when giving mission?

"Hai." was all Sakura said as a response. Clearly she had understood what I had, and perhaps even faster than what I had. None the less, we would be parting, even if it was for a short period of time.

"You and team seven are to go back to that city where Sabutori-san sent you. I've gotten word from an informant at the clinic you worked for that they're being called in to Danzo's HQ for assistance more than usual. It isn't anything that's medical though, they're asking for information and medical teachings." As soon as the words left the hokage's lips understanding took place of the confusion. She would be sending Sakura to Danzo because not only did she have a feel for the city but she had already build a cover and would have a place in which she and her team would be safe.

What was more was that it meant that we had been correct in our theory, had seen the signs and amazedly Sakura had been accurate with her understanding of the procedure with such little information. She was an amazing creature, one whom would never cease to surprise me.

"Hai. I'll slip into the clinic and find what I can. Even if the codes haven't changed I'm sure I can slip back in disguise and visit them as a friend." The manner in which Sakura answered, how confident her tone of voice was upon responding only served to prove my assumptions correct. She already had a place in which she would be able to stay, a point at which to start and a plan in which to do it all.

"Good, both of you leave as soon as possible. Report as soon as you've gotten any information. I assume you know how to communicate with one another while on the field?" the hokage taunted. Clearly she felt better now that Sakura and I would be handling the situation, would be going into the field and attempting at stopping the threat to Konoha in its tracks.

"Hai, I've already thought of a way shishou." Sakura answered, not only gaining my attention but taunting her mentor in return. Perhaps Sakura had found a more effective way in which we would be able to communicate, beside the communication technique we had been taught as ANBU captains.

"Good. Dismissed." as soon as the orders had been given it didn't take long for either Sakura or I to leave the hokage's office. However it wasn't until we reached the outside of the tower that I questioned her as to how to keep in contact with one another without the risk of going into battle without chakra.

"How?" the tone I used to address her was serious, more so than what I had initially intended it to be but I'd asked and I would insist on an answer.

Simply nodding I turned to the shadows only to find Shino and Shisui. Both were standing at the ready, with gear in tact and weapons packed. It was for this very reason that my team, whenever I needed to travel in a team of sorts, had always been Shisui and Shino. Both were more than capable shinobi and one of the few with whom I trusted my life with.

"Hey guys." Sakura greeted them with a smile. However neither one of them responded in their normal manner, with their smiles or their taunting. They would not do so until the mission had been completed.

"Shino we need supplies, Shisui have you informed anyone at the compound of your absence?" I spoke, effortlessly slipping into my ANBU mask and taking control of the situation.

"How long will we be gone?" Shino asked.

"Two weeks."

"Hai." and with that Shino was gone. Shisui waited for his answer without complaints, as his usual, while Shino retrieved the information he needed before doing as was told.

"Iie." was Shisui's simply response upon Shino's departure.

"Go back, inform them that we leave at dawn. I will reman with Haruno-san. We meet at the gates an hour before dawn."

"Hai taichou." Shisui said and instantly taking at a run. For a long moment there was simply silence between us both, not tense but not comfortable. However before I could speak, request that she allow me some time so as to discuss Ka-san's and I conversation, V and Hikari appeared.

"The men are awake and preparing. They will be ready at dawn." Hikari informed Sakura while V sat at her feet. Both were protective of Sakura, and though while in our world would stay by her side on the field it would much more difficult once Sakura arrived on the mortal plane.

"Did you tell Hikari?" she asked with concern in her tone of voice.

"Hai and before you ask no, distance is not an issue. However you will need to fully summon us with blood so as you're chakra is not effected." she said lazily. V was much like a child, or so Sakura had described her and though at first I could not agree with her, it was now as she sat at Sakura's feet and in the manner she did so that proved Sakura's words to be true.

"Hai then you're both dismissed. I'll summon you when we're about to leave. I need to build some chakra." was all Sakura had to say before the two were gone. One before the other. It was interesting how they were able to dismiss themselves. Not many summoning animals that I knew of were capable of the task.

Thinking of the two large animals reminded me of the mission that would be separating us shortly, of the worry I undoubtedly felt whenever Sakura was send on a mission without me. In that moment all I wanted was to hold her, to have her in my arms and know for certain she was safe. Therefore without thinking I wrapped my arms around us and teleported us both to her apartment.