AN: May I recommend a soundtrack selection for the first part of the chapter, "The Avengers" theme from the new movie. That is all :D

Chapter 10

Eye of Fortune, Eye of Misfortune (Part I)

Sakura frowned as she looked at Naruto that morning. He had a huge smile on his face and ramen in his mouth, and his apartment was an absolute mess.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" He sing-songed.

"I thought you were going to get a haircut yesterday!" Sakura shook her head at him and picked up some of the clothes that lay strewn about his apartment as she forged her way into his abode. She dumped the clothes into the hamper, then approached him and grabbed his hair, pulling it lightly. Sakura sighed. "The hell, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled mysteriously at her, then got up and tied his hitae-ate around his head. She watched as he re-arranged his hair in the mirror, then turned around to look at her, his deep blue eyes steely, his face serious. He crossed his arms.

Sakura covered her mouth suddenly in recognition. "Holy... You look exactly like the Fourth!" She breathed.

Naruto's face broke into a wide smile. "I know, right? Except for the face marks." He rubbed his cheeks thoughtfully. "And I'm not as thin as he was..." Naruto walked around Sakura, pulling his shirt off and throwing it onto the floor. Sakura picked it up, irritated, and tossed it into the hamper with the rest of his laundry as he pulled on his jounin shirt, pants and vest. He clipped on his pouches and kunai holsters, and with a final tug he made sure his hitae-ate was tight. He stood in the open doorway and looked at Sakura over his shoulder, determination written all over his face.

"I'm ready, Sakura-chan."

They leapt across the rooftops together, there was already a huge crowd gathering in the streets in front of the Hokage tower. Naruto and Sakura jumped directly onto the roof of the Hokage tower where the old council, Kakashi, Shikaku, Shizune and Tsunade were waiting for them. Everyone's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Naruto's new look and Sakura thought she saw a tear form in Tsunade's eyes, but the Godaime blinked it away so quickly she couldn't be sure. A few more minutes went by and Kakashi glanced at his watch, nodding at Tsunade. She and Naruto stepped to the edge of the roof.

"People of Konoha. We have gathered you here so that you may witness the flame of the Fire Country pass onto the next generation of shinobi. After careful deliberation and evaluation of all possible candidates, the council, along with myself, the Fifth Hokage, have come to a unanimous decision."

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you swear to stand by this village and protect it with your life?"

"Yes I do!" Naruto called out his answer proudly.

"And do you swear to continue to carry on the Will of Fire and pass it onto the next generations of shinobi to come?"

"Yes, I do!"

Tsunade unfolded a white square that she had been carrying over her arm for the duration of the short ceremony. It turned out to be a white cloak with red flames adorning the hem, and emblazoned on the back in large red lettering were the words 'Roku-daime Hokage'. She placed it on Naruto's back and then, with a flourish, removed her hat.

"People of Fire Country! I present to you the Sixth Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto!"

A huge cheer erupted from the crowd as Naruto took the hat from her and briefly turned his back to the village, looking up toward the monument carved into the side of the mountain, the monument that his face would soon be a part of. He looked from Hokage to Hokage, smiling at his father's face the longest.

I made it, Dad.

With another small smile for the monument, Naruto brought the red and white hat up to his head and turned to face the village, beaming.

"I promise, I'll protect the village with everything I have!"

The townspeople's cheers got louder and everyone on the roof looked at Naruto with pride.

You made it, Naruto.

A month went quickly, and soon Sakura found herself standing in the Hokage's office. Bored, she shifted her weight to her other hip.

"What am I waiting for again?" She sighed.

Naruto pouted as he eyed the piles of paperwork stacked on his desk. He played with his pen for a bit, then scratched his head. "Maa, I didn't think there'd be this much paperwork..."

Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.

"Right, right. You're going on a mission. I have an extremely important message for you to deliver to Cloud."

Sakura's interest was piqued. "Sasuke?"

"Yeah." Naruto tossed his pen onto the desk, then got up and walked to one of the windows overlooking the village. He leaned against the jamb, crossing his arms. "Since I took office, we haven't heard anything at all about him."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Nothing at all?"

"I know, it concerns me."

Naruto had changed so much in one month. Sakura looked at him and realized he'd truly become a man, and in such a short amount of time... Well, he'd been steadily working toward his goal for his entire life. Sakura smiled. He'd changed, and she hadn't even noticed it. Sakura walked towards him and set a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, no news is good news, right?"

He turned his head to look at her. "I hope you're right. But I don't know..."

Sakura's hand dropped to her side. "You're that worried?"

Naruto nodded and walked back to his desk, taking a seat on a spot that was free of paper. "I want to see if the Raikage has any info on him. Right now, Sasuke is the biggest threat to the village. We've got good relations with Taka and most of the other countries. It's just Rain and a few outliers that I'm worried about, really. But Sasuke alone..." Naruto ran his fingers through his hair. "I wish we had known who the former leader of Rain was. After the war..." He cracked his neck. "I should have killed Tobi." He sounded so disappointed. Sakura leaned against the wall by the window, nodding in silent agreement. "If it was Tobi, then Sasuke may have the Rinnegan." He looked Sakura in the eye. "Of course, this stays between you, me and..."

"Yo."

Sakura pushed off from the wall in surprise. "You're so sneaky!"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Ninja."

"Right." Sakura's lips were pressed together in a thin line. "You know I've been here for almost forty-five minutes?"

"Sorry, sorry. See, I was on my way here when I saw this poster for a marathon showing of all three Icha Icha movies next month, and I couldn't help myself so-"

"Save it." Sakura was obviously in a bad mood.

Kakashi's face darkened momentarily, he had been just outside the window when Naruto had told Sakura about the news, rather the lack of news concerning Sasuke. "Well, no big deal, so what's the mission that you need two special jounin for?"

"I've got a message for you guys to deliver." Naruto pulled the scroll from within his cloak and handed it to Kakashi. "As you heard earlier, there's sensitive information in this scroll. I need you two to deliver it to the Raikage ASAP. It's too quiet. If they have anything on Sasuke at all, I'd like to know about it."

"Hai."

"When is the soonest you two can leave?"

Kakashi looked at Sakura, who nodded. The older jounin looked back at Naruto. "As soon as we grab our packs we can get moving."

Naruto nodded in acceptance. "Okay then, do that. Thanks. See you guys when you get back."

The pair saluted Naruto and fairly ejected from the office to their respective homes. Sakura threw on her ANBU uniform and strapped her mask to her hip, then pulled her pack on. Once again, she filled a coffee cup with water and poured it carefully into the pot where her plant was flourishing. Really need to get a bigger pot. I'll do it when I get back. With one last look around the apartment she closed the door and ran toward the village gates. A few moments after she began her run, she heard the tell-tale footsteps of someone running behind her, catching up to her. She let Kakashi pass her by and she followed him through the village gates and into the forest without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

They ran in total silence for nearly four hours. Sakura couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She had fully recovered from her injury, and it was only the beginning of October. It had been nine months since that first mission, and she was glad to say that with the exception of Sai, no one had died under her care, in the hospital nor in the field. She'd done well.

Kakashi jumped down from the branch in front of her and she followed him down.

"Four more hours to the border with Hot Water, then another day and a half of running to Kumo. You ok?"

Sakura finished her water bottle and nodded, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Yeah, I'm great. Ready to run."

"Okay, we'll take a meal break here, thirty minutes, then run for another four hours?"

Sakura nodded, already piling sticks together for a fire. Soon they were sitting next to the fire and stretching their legs while eating their ramen. Sakura rinsed the few dishes they carried with another bottle of water and stowed them while Kakashi checked the map and the scroll. "You can set the pace for the next run." As soon as they'd shouldered their packs and put out the fire, Sakura jumped back up into the trees and led the way.

I'm glad things between Kakashi and I have calmed down. Time really does heal all, I guess. She thought back to their recent mission in Taka with Naruto, and suddenly remembered his face. He really is good-looking. Doesn't look much older than me, really, I'd say he looks about thirty, thirty-two. She blinked. He still goes on these crazy missions with us kids too. He is in really great shape. Sakura ran on for awhile longer, not thinking about anything in particular. Running was relaxing to her, and it brought her a peace of mind that few other activities did. Between her high-stress job in the trauma ward at Konoha Hospital and the demanding ANBU missions she went on periodically, she found solace in running.

But Inner Sakura was still in there somewhere.

Out of nowhere, she heard the voice in her head speak. "So do you think there was more to the whole mask thing? The yogurt thing?"

Sakura's expression didn't change as she conversed with herself. I don't know. I mean, Kakashi is obviously comfortable hanging out with me, but do you really think he'd look at me like that? He said it himself, he's way too old for me.

"And what about Ino and Genma?"

That's a special case.

"Really, now?"

Inner Sakura didn't push her any further, but Sakura couldn't help but think about it now. And how do I feel about Kakashi, even if he is attracted to me? …It's probably just a physical thing. He thinks I'm cute. I'm young. He's not the first guy to think of me like that. And me... I like Kakashi. I trust Kakashi.

Her feet tapped quietly on each branch as she leapt through the treetops.

He's handsome, there's no doubt about it. He's got a great body. But attraction, love even?

Her mind was a quiet place for a little longer.

I don't even know what love is.

"But would you give it a chance?"

Sakura wasted some time intentionally ignoring Inner Sakura; checking on her chakra reserves, methodically remembering everything she'd packed for the mission, recalling the details of her apartment's layout and where she'd placed traps and where the silverware and the baking pans were organized.

I don't know.

Sakura chewed on her lower lip briefly.

Why am I even thinking about this?

With no little effort, she shifted her focus back to the mission, back to their surroundings and the life the forest teemed with, routinely checking for traps and genjutsu in their path.

Sakura jumped down from her branch as soon as she saw the tracks left by the border patrol. Kakashi was right behind her.

"I'll go get some water." Kakashi left and returned within five minutes with the water, which he poured into the waiting pot that Sakura had readied. He lit the fire, then he sat down next to her and started to stretch.

"It's pretty warm for fall."

Sakura nodded, reaching for her toes and bowing her head to her knees.

"But you brought a cloak, right?"

"Yeah, we're going to Cloud after all." Her voice was muffled thanks to her position. Sakura leaned back and strectched her side and back muscles, hooking one leg over the other and twisting her torso in the opposite direction. A few minutes went by and Sakura dropped the ramen packages into the pot as soon as the water came to a boil.

Kakashi pulled his mask down around his neck.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at the small rustling noise, and her mouth opened in surprise. "Again?"

"What?" This time Kakashi didn't smile, but he wasn't frowning either.

Sakura looked back to the ramen in the pot and stirred it briefly.

"You know, you don't look thirty-seven."

"Really? I don't get that compliment often."

She stole another glance at him. He looked fairly relaxed, he was doing neck circles. Kakashi stopped what he was doing and sent her an extra droopy-eyed look. "What with the grey hair and all. Thanks."

Sakura looked back to the ramen. "It's silver." She murmured.

A few seconds went by. "That it is." Kakashi spoke just as softly.

Sakura served up the ramen and took her seat next to her former teacher.

"You've got a weird tan line."

Kakashi chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I know."

"But you don't look too much like your dad." Sakura covered her mouth immediately after the comment slipped out. "Sorry." She spoke from under her hand.

Kakashi looked a little sad now. "It's okay. I've got my mom's chin." He absentmindedly stroked said chin. "But my nose is his. And if I worry too much I'm sure I'll get more lines under my eyes." He smiled at Sakura and she couldn't help but smile back, the bittersweet look on his face was so charming.

"I don't think so." Sakura grinned. "Your crows' feet will just get deeper."

"Ah, but those aren't from worrying." He hung his head and shook it, still smiling softly. "They're from smiling." He turned his head and grinned lopsidedly at her, boyishly, and the familiar eye-crinkle showed itself. Sakura had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "Well, at least I finally get the full effect." She giggled.

"Yeah." He agreed, his grin slowly fading. "You want to take the first watch?"

Sakura nodded. "You get up earlier than me anyway."

Kakashi stood and unstrapped his bedroll, spreading it across the ground near the fire. "Wake me up if you need anything."

Now that she could see his whole face she could see the faint concern that showed itself. "So that's why he wears the mask!" Inner Sakura pumped her fist up and down victoriously.

"No problem." Sakura picked up a stick and poked at the fire. "Goodnight, Kakashi." She saw a trace of a smile on his face as he pulled his mask back up.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

Kakashi took a deep breath as he settled down to sleep, and he drifted off with a contented smile on his face.

The brook at his feet swirled and babbled lazily, the water was clear and cool. Kakashi sat at the bank, barefoot, resting his unclothed chin against his knees. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair. Still he sat, watching the fish swim by slowly.

"Kakashi!"

He looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"You came!"

"Of course, silly!" Sakura pushed him playfully. She was wearing a white and purple two-piece bathing suit, the kind with a little skirt attatched. She smiled at him happily, as though she didn't have a care in the world. "Come on, let's swim! I want to cool off!" Her shoulders and face shone with a thin sheen of sweat.

Kakashi didn't say anything but he removed his shirt and set it down by the towels she had brought, following her into the water.

"Ooh, it's cold!" Sakura rubbed her arms. "Brr!"

Kakashi walked through the shallow water toward her and put his arms around her, pulling her close to his body. "Better?" He murmured into her sweet-smelling hair. He felt her nod against his chest.

Sakura looked up into his eyes. "But we're here to swim! If we swim we'll get warm too!" She gave him a peck on the lips and pushed away, jumping into the water with her whole body and swimming away, toward the waterfall.

Kakashi smirked after her and followed suit, staying just behind her. They surfaced near the waterfall. Sakura was gasping a little. "Woo!" She cried. "Still cold!" She laughed out loud, the sound ringing pleasantly in Kakashi's ears. Sakura splashed him, puckish now, and he grinned. "Two can play that game, Sakura!"

Sakura yelled as he tackled her there in the water and they wrestled for a while, Kakashi pulling her toward the waterfall. They came up again behind the wall of water and Sakura suddenly looked shy, her face ruddy and wet from a combination of their struggle in the water and the cold. Kakashi slowly tread the water in between them until he'd closed the distance, then put a hand on her waist under her bathing suit top. His other hand moved the wet tendrils of hair from her face and slid around the back of her neck.

The kiss started out gentle and sweet, he felt her cool lips caress his as he closed his eyes. He took her lower lip in between his and gently nipped at it. Sakura responded by pressing her face closer to his and running her tongue across those teeth. With another small smile, Kakashi opened his mouth to allow her entry, and locked his lips with hers, kissing her back passionately now as his hand moved up her side...

"Mm, Kakashi..." She moaned in between kisses.

"Sakura..."

"Kakashi."

"Kakashi." Sakura shook him gently awake and he turned to face her, suddenly embarassed. In his half-asleep haze he nearly reached up and pulled her close to him, to re-enact the happy scene in his dream. But he didn't.

"Oh, is it midnight already?"

Sakura nodded, then yawned. "You good?"

Kakashi thanked the stars that he hadn't been talking in his sleep as he became more alert. "Yeah, I'm great. I got this. Get some rest."

"Yeah..." Sakura stretched her arms over her head, popping her back, and as soon as Kakashi got up she took his place in the warm bedroll. "'Night."

"Goodnight, Sakura." Kakashi sat by the dying fire and threw a couple more sticks onto it.

Sakura...

The rest of the run to Cloud was uneventful, boring even. They weren't attacked or slowed down. The weather got progressively colder as they trekked northwards, but that was what cloaks were for. As they approached the Hidden Cloud village, the sentries recognized them and waved them through the gates and into the village.

"It sure has been awhile..." Sakura muttered. "Place looks different. Bigger."

There were definitely more people there than there had been the last time they'd visited, the village felt busier.

"Yeah." Kakashi agreed.

The pair made straight for the Raikage's headquarters, checking in at the desk and removing their masks.

Kakashi introduced them, "Hatake Kakashi and Sakura Haruno, here with an important delivery from Konoha."

The receptionist nodded after looking their paperwork over and sent them up the stairs. "He's not busy."

"Thanks." He took their passports from the woman and handed Sakura hers as they walked up the stairs. Kakashi knocked on the door and they heard the Raikage's assistant call back, asking them to enter.

"Raikage-sama." Kakashi and Sakura bowed to him. The Raikage turned from the window.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Message from the Hokage." Kakashi procured the scroll and gave it to the Raikage's assistant, who handed it off to the Raikage. With the same frown he usually wore, he tore the seal open and read it. His frown deepened and his eyes flashed with hatred. He grunted, then addressed the Konoha ninja in his gravelly voice.

"You know what's in here?"

Kakashi nodded curtly.

"Well I haven't heard anything about the brat. If I had, he'd be dead." The Raikage rolled the scroll back up and placed it on his desk. "If what this says is true, then your village is in for a world of hurt." The Raikage narrowed his eyes at the pair. "Your Hokage is too soft. It's his job to handle this."

Sakura and Kakashi were silent.

The Raikage walked around his desk and sat down, placing his one hand on its flat surface. "If I had things my way, I would destroy the Uchiha. But he's beyond powerful, no one person can take him on alone. His face hardened, his expression severe. "Though we are your allies I will not send my shinobi to certain death for the sake of your village. If that punk attacks your village it will be destroyed, the same as before, and everyone in it will die as well."

Sakura's heart clenched at his words and she bit her lip to keep from lashing out at the Cloud village's leader.

"There won't be anything we can do to help."

Sakura couldn't take it. "If we all get together and fight as a team, we can kill Sasuke. There's-"

"Sakura." Kakashi stopped her mid-sentence, his voice harsh but quiet.

The Raikage stood again. "Hatake is correct. You were there when we fought Madara's Edo Tensei, were you not, girl?"

Sakura frowned, taken aback. "Yes. Yes, I was." She realized what he was talking about. But Sasuke...

No. That had been Naruto's way of thinking. And look where they were now because of it. Suddenly Sakura felt hot, angry and upset, and she screwed her eyes shut to fight the tears that threatened to fall.

Damn it. Damn you, Sasuke.

"Rest here for today. You're welcome in my village. But I have nothing more to offer you."

Sakura composed herself. "Thank you, Raikage-sama." She echoed Kakashi.

Sasuke smiled through the darkness. He could feel the power surging behind his eyes, tempting him, overwhelming. He reached up and ran his fingers over the bandages gently. It's time. He stood as he unwrapped the strips of cloth from around his head, dropping them behind him as he walked out onto the ledge, into the rain. Finally he allowed the chakra to flow into his eyes and he grinned maliciously as a feeling of complete dominance overtook him. He opened them and looked up into the sky, extending his hand, and with a thought he controlled the rain. He felt every presence in the village, every animal and plant and person. A commanding urge to destroy something flowed through him and he clenched his fist and opened his hand, looking at it as though seeing it for the first time.

It's over.

Sasuke flipped a kunai out of the holster at his side and made a shallow cut in his thumb. He slid the kunai back into the holster, then wiped the blood on the palm of his hand.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Sasuke slammed his hand onto the ground and the coffin of his summon rose before him, opening with a creak, and Kabuto stepped out.

"My lord?" Kabuto smiled wickedly. "Ah." He acknowledged Sasuke's healing progress.

"These eyes are ready to use, aren't they? I can feel it."

Kabuto neared Sasuke and put a hand over the Uchiha's face. "Yes. Your vengeance is nearly complete. What would you have me do?" He lowered his hand to his side and bowed his head slightly.

Sasuke's lip curled upward in a feral grin and he chuckled, a deep, low rumbling sound escaping him. His eyes seemed to glow with the force of his intentions and the hate that radiated from him was almost palpable.

"Gather the troops."