I'm feeling kind of awkward about this chapter, something's not right about it… but something awesome is about to happen, so read trough XD

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Chapter 10

Kakashi stared unfathomable at her for a few seconds before smiling under the mask and tilted his head to one side.

"I need to be stronger, so I can take revenge for everything he did to me." Her voice was low and threatening, and she left no doubt about whom she was speaking of.

Kakashis faint smile withered away, and he relived the night she came to his apartment house, begging for entrance, cut up and abused in every aspect of the word. The desperate look in her eyes before she had fainted still haunted him when he looked at her. He remembered being so angry that he had wanted to kill the bastard, no one laid a hurting hand on any of his students. Though he had failed both Naruto and Sasuke on that part, with the Akatsuki almost killing Naruto, and Orochimaru taking Sasuke, but he had believed that he could save Sakura.

"I'll have to clear that up with the Hokage, I can't decide on such things on my own, Sakura, but I'll do my best to help you." He murmured before pushing himself out of the chair, and he met her eyes once more. They were smiling, a real smile for the first time in a very long while. He smiled back, one of those careless smiles he was so famous for, though it didn't show due to the mask covering his face, but Sakura could read his expressions only watching how his eye twitched.

When he was outside her door he leant against the wall and took a deep breath. Those feelings he had pushed aside only a few days before were back. That tickling feeling under his skin and the slight shivering he felt whenever her green orbs graced his own black orb with such innocence only Sakura could obtain. She had grown to be a beautiful woman, but that was the whole disturbing part of it all, he had watched her grow from a Sasuke-obsessed-twelve-year-old, to the strong kunoichi she was today. Seven years had he known her, and she probably knew only few things about him, while he knew almost all her habits, fails and flaws. Sakura was as talkative when she was a girl, as she was now, a grown woman. It was hard not to pick up something from her past and present.

She liked strawberries and cream, on hot summer evenings. Her dream date was a perfect sunset and a relaxing walk on a white beach. At her spare time she liked go shopping and peeking at Sasuke, as she had grown older that had changed to shopping, training and helping Ino in the flower shop.

Kakashi sighed, what was he really thinking? That in truth he wanted to ask her out? That he in truth wanted Sakura, and every aspect of her, all those cute habits?

Something as crazy as that could never happen, it should never happen. Both parts would be hurt. Kakashi was not a man you settled down with anyway, with his habits, his mood and strange attitude.

Everyone he had ever cared about had died. That had to mean something.

Maybe Kakashi wasn't supposed to feel happiness? Was he destined to kill for a living all his time?

He showed away from the wall and walked down the white hallway, a light shining at the end of the tunnel. Well that was familiar?

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Tsunade sat with her hands folded and staring out her window in her office. A pile of papers were resting peacefully on her desk, waiting for her signature and a stamp. Oh how she hated paperwork, but that wasn't something she was bothered by at the moment. She felt old, stretched out and fragile. She had had her moments in life, it was on time someone else could get the chance to show some skills. Well she wasn't that old really, but the paperwork was killing her, literally.

The reason she was Hokage at all was because she lost a fucking stupid bet. Well, anyone was a better Hokage than the old-man Jiraya anyway.

She had thought of so many candidates to fill her seat on the top, and she had found three fitting persons. All very young, but also very vice. She would have to have reconciliation, and she decided that all of Konohas villagers were welcome to vote, not only the council. Tsunade would have a double vote, well; she was the Godaime after all.

"Ready for your announcement?" Shizune came in with a tray of tea and smiled cheerfully at her. Tsunade sighed and leant her head back, letting out a steady breath.

"I've been ready for some time already." She murmured and smiled lazily.

"You have served Konoha well, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said and placed herself by the chair Tsunade sat in and together they stared out over Konoha as the sun settled down between two hills far off in the distance.

"Konoha gave me my life; it would be unfair if I did not give anything in return." The Hokage whispered. Shizune nodded and gave Tsunade a cup of steaming tea.

"I hope the next Hokage does a good job, or I'll bash his or her head in." Tsunade muttered.

And she meant it, there was no humour hidden in her voice. She would be the Godaime until the day she would finally wrap up and die, but that would not happen anytime soon.

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Shikamaru woke up in the middle of the night, not really knowing why he woke up at all. The troublesome woman had finally let him be, and had left to get some sleep of her own. The poison had not affected her body much, and she had just a few cuts and bruises, nothing too serious.

He liked thinking about the sand kunoichi when he was lying awake like this in the dark of the night. Her navy eyes and her sand blonde hair. And he liked thinking about if they maybe could have a future together. Shikamaru was ready to settle down, as young as he was, only nineteen, but he was definitely ready for something more than the flirt they had going on.

They had been speaking of it a few times already, but they hadn't decided anything, and the problem of her living in Suna and him living in Konoha. She had offered to move from Suna and live as a sand kunoichi in Konoha, if Tsunade would allow it. They had also mentioned it to the blonde Hokage, but back then Tsunade had given them a cold stare and rushed off, looking busy as always. They had taken that as a no, though they still had a slight hope that Temari didn't have to change alliance.

They still acted like friends among other people, not wanting anyone to think something else was going on between them, in case they had no future together.

A tired sigh escaped him and finally he noticed the presence of another person in the room. He located the person in the darkest corner, and as if being called out, the person stepped out of the shadows.

Kiba stood there, looking guilty for some reason, but not for something the dog-boy had done, no, he knew something he knew would affect Shikamaru. He forced out a smile, but Shikamaru did not return the gesture.

"What is it?" His voice was groggy after sleeping and his mind was still thinking of the blonde woman.

"It's about the kunoichi from the sand." Kiba murmured, and got Shikamarus attention right away. His eyes cleared and his senses were high wired.

"She left." Kiba almost shouted out, but Shikamaru took no notice of it.

"Why?" His voice was suddenly clear and every trace of sleep was gone.

"The council blew off her proposal of becoming a Konoha-Suna shinobi, so she refused to stay another day. She asked me to tell you that she would've loved to live with you, but if they could not accept her as she was, she would not have anything to do with Konoha." Kiba said and bowed his head, Shikamaru just stared at him in disbelief. They couldn't be serious. What was the fucking problem.

He jumped out of bed, not noticing the wounds ripping open, and the blood trickling down his boy. Kiba tried to follow him, but the shadow grabbed a hold of him and held him in place.

Shikamaru ran, and he ran like death followed in his footsteps. The few nurses that were working night shifts who saw him was shocked to the core, as the normally careless ninja flew by like his heart had been shattered in a thousand pieces.

His heart was racing as he thought the case over in his mind. If the council couldn't accept her as a double sided shinobi, how could they ever be together? He could move to Suna, but would they accept him as a double sided Shinobi?

He reached Tsunades office and stormed inside, he was just about to shout her skin full, but the office was empty. He stared frantically around the room, not being able to remain calm, so instead of waiting around for morning so he could talk to the Hokage, he ran out the door and all the way out of Konoha, not once looking back. Knowing that his future was just ahead of him.

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"Tsunade-sama, it's Shikamaru, he's run away." Shizune came running towards Tsunade when she came walking up the stairs in the Hokage building after her morning walk under the sunrise.

Tsunades steady gaze fell, and for a split second she looked stunned. If there was someone she'd least expect to run away, it must've been the lazy Nara boy. But she knew why he had run away right away though, as she remembered the denial Temari of the sand had received from the council the day before. Tsunade had been so angry with the grumpy old men afterwards that she had refused talking to them all day.

Now she stood unmoving and waiting for the question she knew Shizune would ask sooner or later. And quite right:

"Aren't you going to do something?" The younger woman asked and Tsunade let a small smile grace her features.

"No." She said and started walking towards her office; it was her last day in that room, her last day as Hokage at all. Shizune walked beside her and gave her odd glances.

"If they can't be together here because of the disgusting old men, let's hope they can be happy there." Tsunade murmured and sent her former student a bright smile, very un-Tsunade like.

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The coming day, a tense atmosphere covered all of Konoha, as the rumour had spread, and some had seen the posters all around Konoha: Tsunade was quitting, a new Hokage was to be voted for. The villagers would come to the several voting stations around the village, not knowing who the candidates were, and they would have maximum fifteen minutes to decide on a candidate. If they did not want any of them they would just deliver a blank vote, a vote which would be in a category of its own. If there was a majority of blank votes, they would have another try where the villagers would suggest candidates and they would have another go at it.

And Tsunade actually had a feeling that the villagers would not like her candidates, as the grumpy old men in the councils had given her a few chosen ones, which she had to pick three persons from.

She would not have voted for any of them, as many of the candidates were already in the council. They took every chance to try and get the power in Konoha, but Tsunade was smart, she was the Godaime after all. And she knew for sure that the villagers would want another election. As the day went by, and the villagers all voted, many shinobi got a d-class mission to sort the votes. Naruto had insisted on helping, as did Sakura even though she was still weak. Sasuke had to rest another few days until he could start walking again, and Kakashi had been chained to the bed as he tried to run away all the time. He had even gone as far as to seduce a nurse into unlocking the chains and knocking her out. They found him in his apartment.

Tsunade sat and watched the shinobi sort the votes into four different piles, one pile taller than all the other piles. She watched as Naruto paused and gritted his teeth in pain, he bowed his head so that the other shinobis wouldn't see the red tint in his eyes as the Kyuubi took over. He was in so much pain, his arm wouldn't grow at his normal speed, and it would take time for it to get completely well again, still he wanted to help.

Too bad he was still so young, as he would've made a perfect Hokage, but she knew that a Hokage had to have some life experience and the council would no way in hell accept Naruto as Konohas leader and most outstanding protector.

"The votes are counted and read Hokage-sama." Neji said, he bowed to her and held the paper with the result in front of him. Tsunade stared into his pearly eyes before taking the paper and reading it over, a evil smile crept upon her face as she saw just what she wanted to see.

"Listen shinobi of Konoha, spread the word, new candidates will be chosen. The village of Konoha will have two days to choose who they want as the next Hokage. The one person with the majority of votes will be the next Hokage." Tsunades voice boosted throughout the room and the shinobis cheered and ran out of the building, eager to spread the news.

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Sakura walked slowly trough the hallways at the hospital, she was still under recovery, but she was free to move around on her own, and now she wanted to pay her chained sensei a little visit. She knocked weakly on the door, in case he was sleeping, but she realised that he probably would be awake when he sensed her chakra. Kakashi always amazed her when it came to skills. He almost never slept soundly, or she had never seen him sleep heavily anyway. Whenever she had regarded his sleeping form on missions, he had opened his eye and stared at her, it always made her blush, feeling stupid and clumsy.

She turned the door handle and went inside. The room was dark and the curtains were closed in front of the window. He was awake, but could not move due to the chains, so only his eye followed her as she walked around the room.

Her gaze graced him now and then, but she had to look away just as fast as her eyes met his black eye. Even when he was chained down and hurt, he looked like a crouching tiger, ready to attack anytime. It frightened her and aroused her at the same time.

It was confusing, these thoughts, her reactions around him. She was so much more aware of him now, she noticed things she never noticed before. How his almost perfectly shaped muscles moved under his skin whenever he fought. She found it hard to concentrate around him as well, but she knew that she had to take that secret with her to the grave. He was her teacher, and he was so much older than her, even though age did not show on him.

She pushed her emotions away, but when she looked at him and tried to start a conversation, the words got stuck in her throat, and she just stood there opening and closing her mouth.

"Hello Kakashi-sensei." She finally said and moved closer to the bed, but Kakashi flinched and his eye flickered.

"Would you mind standing over there?" His voice sounded as if he just had been sleeping, it was deep and masculine, and it sent chills down Sakuras spine. Not understanding the reason, she took a few steps back while staring at her teacher. She didn't want to ask why she couldn't come closer, but most possibly it was a part of his feelings towards hospitals.

"How're you doing?" She asked slowly, not really knowing why she came here at all, and now she just felt awkward.

"I'm perfectly fine, but those devil nurses don't believe me." He muttered and nodded his head in the direction of the door, Sakura sighed at his childishness.

"Let me have a look at you, and let me decide if you're well or not." Sakura snapped, a little too enthusiastically, making Kakashi rise a quizzical eyebrow and she immediately regretted it.

"Just unlock the chains, I'm perfectly fine." He growled lowly and Sakura smiled knowingly at him. She moved up to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We don't have to unlock the chains to examine you." She said with a sweet smile.

"What, are you going to rape me?" He asked sarcastically, but Sakura stopped in mid motion as she was on her way to remove his hospital shirt.

Throwing a quick glance up at his face she shook her head and removed the shirt with ease.

What met her made her head spin and she felt like throwing up, the vision was almost too much for her to bear. Deep wounds were caked in green…something. It looked like the poison Tsunade had sucked out of her own body, though this looked like it was eating from his flesh.

Taking a quick sample of the green squishy thing, she started cleaning up his wounds. Luckily the green slime came off easily, and soon the wounds were clean. But she was still worried that Kakashi had this green slime inside his body, eating him from the inside. It seemed almost like a bacteria.

She let her eyes wander over his toned body, and his muscles chiselled from stone, running her fingertips lightly over one of his stomach muscles, his skin was soft and smooth.

Getting caught up in the moment she let her other hand travel over his well muscles, feeling the softness of his tan skin. She was like in a daze, but when she heard his low cough to get her attention, she snapped her hands away as if she had burned them.

She staggered away from the bed and avoided Kakashis studying look, she gathered her thoughts and suppressed the wild thoughts about Kakashi. Her calm returned to her finally and she smiled half heartedly at Kakashi. He looked disappointed.

Kakashi had wanted to believe that it had been something more than just a medical inspection of his muscles when she so fondly studied the bulks on his stomach, but when he saw her now he understood that it had been just a medical gesture.

Who was he fooling anyway, Sakura saw half naked men all the time working at the hospital, why would she think his body was something special?

Again these thoughts of her invaded his mind in the least appropriate ways. She was his student for crying out loud. It was against his moral.

He wouldn't allow himself to destroy her life by showing that kind of interest in her. Nothing good ever came with loving him, or with him loving anyone. Not that he loved her, it was more like physical attraction, well something like that anyway.

"See I'm fine, now let me go?" He asked impassively and stared at her with cold emotionless eyes. Sakura sighed and nodded.

"I healed your wounds, you can go." She muttered and unlocked the chains keeping him in bed, and in a flash he was gone. Leaving Sakura alone in the room, confused. Why did she suddenly feel so insecure around her teacher, was it because he seemed to have changed so much, and she felt like she didn't know him anymore?

Probably, and she didn't like it.

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Tsunade had many spies, many spies, both ninjas and civilians. And these two days she had good use of them. She was so curious about who the villagers would choose as their next Hokage that she summoned the giant slug and made her disperse into thousands of small slugs, sending them all over the village.

"Let's see who the next Hokage may be."

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Boojaaa, I hope you guys liked it, and reviews are always appreciated

Peace out.!