You get a fast update because I finished the last chapter (13), so there's no sense in leaving you guys hanging. Thank you so much for the enthusiastic responses. Enjoy.

Disclosure

"I had hoped you'd still be here," Tsunade said into the dark of her office. She surveyed the space with a sardonic glare, aimed primarily at Kakashi's form. He was leaned against one of the windows behind her desk, his arms crossed. She shut the door.

"How is she?" Kakashi's tone was distant.

"In the two years that I trained her, she never once curled up against me and sobbed." Tsunade cocked her head. "Whatever you did, you should feel terrible." She reached out and flicked on the light, revealing Kakashi as he hung his head.

"She didn't tell you?"

Tsunade considered his expectation—or it might have been hope—briefly, then dismissed it with a click of her teeth. "She insisted she wanted to talk to you first." Privately, she wished Sakura hadn't. She doubted, especially while the medic was still sobbing against her shoulder, that the young woman should continue trying to be considerate towards a masked man like Kakashi. Still, it was a pretty unfair judgment, she mused. Heaven forbid anyone look at a list of the men she had associated with in her life, and rate them on a scale of reasonable to not—she paused—yes, heaven forbid.

"She's too kind."

Annoyed with having to mediate her subordinate's relationship, and even though his words were hung out to dry with sarcasm, it was easy for Tsunade to pretend he was goading her on. "And you still did whatever you did to her."

Kakashi seemed surprised by the blunt words. He scratched at his cloth-covered cheek, but the effort was stiff. "Is that supposed to convince me to talk to her?"

"I know you won't," Tsunade scoffed.

Kakashi's eye hooded. "I was trying to cooperate."

"I bet you were." Tsunade's pale, tan tunic swayed against her legs as she crossed behind the desk. She approached Kakashi, holding up one, then two fingers as she listed his grievances. "Insubordination; followed by what I can only presume was harassment of one of my medics—any other confessions for your file before I close it up?"

He gently pushed aside her hand. "Wouldn't you like to know what happened before you pass judgment?" He offered her a nod that reminded her of the way ANBU visually signaled their backup. She wondered if it was habit.

"I don't get impressed when you tell me secrets, Kakashi. I know I'm the only person you're honest with, but I also know that's only when it's on paper." She brushed back strands of her blonde bangs. "Are you going to write me a report?"

At his silence, Tsunade made an irritated, "hmph." She pulled out her chair and slumped into it. "What was happening when you screwed up?"

Kakashi's hand twitched where it laid over his other arm. His resistance had been apparent when he had, upon arrival to Tsunade's office, insisted that the reason Sakura needed her was because she was "hurt", yet had also insisted he was too tired to make it back in time. "Go on without me," he had said between overly exaggerated gasps of air, "I had to run from a thief and he's still outside. I'll stay here to make sure he doesn't get your desk." He joked away things that stressed him. Sakura was "hurt" at the hospital, of all places. It annoyed her that he hadn't at least come up with something less pathetic.

Now he was all business with, "She was observing my sharingan," then he shifted into a posture full of obvious mortification.

Oh, so there was truth to be had, after all.

Tsunade leaned her head against the back of her chair with a long sigh. "You accidentally drew her into a genjutsu during the procedure, but surely that's not the whole story. She's not afraid of torture. I trained her better than that."

"Torture, no. She advised me to create a pleasant genjutsu." He shifted uncomfortably, pausing between the last few words.

Tsunade continued staring at Kakashi until her demeanor altered abruptly and she sat up straight. "Oh, gods-" She flung her face into her hands with a groan, rubbing it forcefully before pushing her fingers into the bangs on both sides to pull them out of her eyes. She looked up at him, begging him to contradict her reaction. He stared flatly, no longer directing his one eye to look in her direction. "Kakashi," Tsunade growled, "how long have you been hiding this?"

"There's nothing to hide. She had no idea."

"That's quite a way to tell a girl what you think of her, Kakashi." Tsunade searched him with a keen eye, and then grimaced. "While this paints your other recent actions in a more understandable light, I'm still baffled that you would allow yourself to act so rashly. Had I known about your," she paused uncomfortably, "feelings," she confirmed her word choice with a nod, "I wouldn't have given her this assignment." In reality, she knew she could have never guessed that the famed Copy Ninja would react with such polarity. She also felt a faint queasiness at the idea of a thirty year old lusting after her apprentice, though lusting was too judgmental of a word to use against a deeply introverted man like Kakashi. In any case, thankfully, he was no Jiraiya.

Kakashi's irritation was apparent as he scratched his forehead. He breathed out through his nose in a bullish snort, probably because he was gritting his teeth. "I figured you knew because you picked her."

"I would never put her in such a situation," Tsunade said indignantly. "Besides, I might have guessed it if you had insisted on protecting her yourself, but you put Naruto in her apartment with her like you were trying to set them up."

"I was—I am." As he corrected his first response, he touched his hand to his hitai-ate to adjust it over his sharingan. "He would be good for her."

"Because you would be a horrible option?" Tsunade smacked her lips dryly. "Well, don't answer that." She really meant that she didn't want to listen to him confirm all of the reasons he thought would be horrible, but she realized begrudgingly that it probably hadn't sounded that way. She waved away her words with both hands. "I don't know what's been holding you back, but if you like her, tell her. No need to give Naruto any running starts just because he's a brat. That's my advice."

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't need your advice-" He stopped himself, seeming to think better of his words. "Though it's appreciated; I need some time away from Konoha-"

Tsunade interrupted, banging her fist on her desk. "No, you don't, Kakashi. Don't think I'm going to do you any favors or help you run away." He was going to leave her apprentice holding the bag. That seemed to be typical for Team 7—and unacceptable for a man his age.

Kakashi straightened, his posture hardening. "She needs space. I need time to clear my head. I can't explain anything to her in this state of mind."

Tsunade wondered if Kakashi ever believed his own excuses. It seemed like he believed this particular slop. "If it turns out you're an old, perverted man having a fantasy, would you tell her?" Tsunade's tone was coy, but pointed. She knitted her hands over her stomach and leaned back to throw her feet up onto her desk. "If you can look at me with that face that says, 'maybe it's more,' then it probably is."

His eye hooding, Kakashi returned to leaning against the windowsill, his hands in his pockets. "I want a mission."

"How long?"

"Six months."

"No."

He grimaced. "Four months."

As they bantered, Tsunade noticed a coldness taking over Kakashi's voice. When she thought about her former apprentice trying to reason with him, while he was using that tone, she felt a nagging worry. Sakura was too bright of a spirit to get caught up in the shadows that trailed Kakashi. It was none of her business how he chose to handle his relationships, but she knew of a mission that would benefit from his skill set. She relented with a sigh. "Here's one for two months. Don't be late." She offered out a scroll, which Kakashi reached out to take, but she snatched it back with a frown. "Are you going to tell her you're leaving?" She eyed his silence.

Kakashi grunted under his breath. "I'll send a dog back with a letter."

Tsunade offered back out the scroll, refusing to immediately relinquish it once he grabbed hold of it. She narrowed her brown eyes at him. "If you like your privacy so much, why did you confess to me?"

"You're the Hokage. You have the responsibility of rearranging the teams if there's a conflict."

Tsunade surrendered the scroll. "You're a bastard, Kakashi. You better clean up your mess or I'll charge you with creating disorder in the ranks." She watched as he opened the mission and skimmed its contents. "And, for god's sake; stop making that face. It's pathetic."

—

Amidst the swirling, pink, eddies of wind, Sakura found herself taken aback by the beauty of her surroundings. Even as she looked for anything, or anyone, familiar to her, she admired the gently curving line of cherry blossom trees where they made a wall around the meadow of full, soft, long grasses. Between every blade, in every crevice, petals were dancing along in the breeze, bending in half over individual blades of grass when they would catch on them, eventually sinking and permeating into the dirt itself, like leaves sinking in water. Her bare feet tingled with the pillow-like sensation beneath them, the gentle caress on her feet sending nearly overwhelming echoes of happiness up into her legs.

As she passed out of the arc of trees towards the center, the circle seemed to deepen, the trees scattered throughout the center growing, their branches reaching up and out until she found herself in the shade of one bough, thick and gnarled. Her skin hummed as the breeze stroked it, the tree's flowers and twigs rattling gently in chorus. The glen was alive, though devoid of people or animals.

Her steps took her close to the trunk of the tree in whose shade she stood. The bark wrapping it was riddled with knots and imperfections, where branches had fallen away, the trunk itself bending like the back of an old woman, with newer branches springing out of its shoulders like wings. Its blossoms were dense, bowing the tree as if it were trying to greet passersby. Her fingers reached out and traced the dark grooves of the bark, the feeling of its roughness crawling into her shoulder and neck with an intensity that made her writhe away, nearly bringing her to her knees with the overwhelmingly jagged sensation. She gasped as she grabbed back her hand, surprised by the effect. Her head itched. The feeling made her shut her eyes and breathe deeply, her memories registering that she had not been in this place until these moments. She wasn't sure where she had been; she had been doing something.

Long fingers slipped into her hair, massaging her scalp until they fingered the edge of her hitai-ate. The cloth and metal symbol fell away, dropping into the petals and grass someplace at her feet. Before she could turn around, the fingers transitioned into palms as well, the hands mussing her hair and fingering clumps of it until they ran firmly down the sides of her head and onto her neck. She shivered as the thumbs drew lines down either side of her spine. They pulled away as the palms ran frontwards over the curves of her shoulders and clutched them, pulling her back into the other person's chest.

In the next moment, that other person's silver, askew hair cropped into her peripheral view as his mouth was pressed delicately to the curve of her neck, his nose brushing the side in an accidental caress. He inhaled as he retreated behind her ear, causing her to arch her head back reflexively with pleasure. Her heart pounded through her chest against the man's hands as they slid across her collarbones before plunging downward to cup her chest on both sides. The thumbs tweaked her, the sensitivity excruciating beyond anything she had ever experienced. Her legs weakened and she tumbled back against the man, his hands working to steady her until they were lowering in a smooth turn. He knelt with her, their slow fall disorienting her until her head landed on the soft ground and the branches overhead stopped spiraling. Sunlight flashed through the clumps of flowers, temporarily blinding her as the man laid over her, his face lost in the crevice between her neck and shoulder.

Sakura gasped. His hands were roaming inside the kimono she hadn't realized she was wearing. Though rough in places, the pads of his fingers were gentle, strumming across her breasts and ribcage in a tender dance. As he leaned onto one of his forearms and set to work untying the under-sash beneath her obi, she tried to turn her head to see his face, but his forehead was pressed firmly against the crux of her collarbone and shoulder, his chin tucked so that his eyes grazed across the peaks of her chest to oversee his efforts. She squirmed, uncertain and hazy as to her desire to submit to the persuasive attentions she was being offered. As the under-sash released its hold, and he was able to slip the layers of garb to each side until she was exposed—disregarding the obi that remained—she thought harder, gathering her wits until the world dimmed a little.

Oh. Genjutsu, was it? She suddenly remembered the hospital and being in a room with Kakashi.

As his hands gripped her waist and his mouth lapped over the sensitive parts of her chest, Sakura was again torn away from her consciousness by the intensity. He moved downward, his lips dragging kisses along her skin until he reached the edge of the obi. Her view of his face—as she made a repeated effort to confirm her suspicions—was blocked by his hair and her own chest. It seemed like his face didn't exist. She could clearly observe the rest of his body, the black and grey of his robes, his hair and even the sandals he had abandoned to the one side. She grabbed fretfully at his shoulders as he adjusted his robes below his waist. The next moment his head was level with hers, face still obscured beyond her periphery. He reached out, pressing the palm of a hand against one of hers and twining their fingers. The action was erotic and tender all at once, her breath becoming constricted as she became awash with ecstasy; he entered her in the same instant.

For the next perceivable minutes, Sakura accepted the experience as it came. She interchanged frequently between waves of overwhelming pleasure and being acutely aware of the genjutsu she was experiencing. At any given moment, she knew she had only to command a release and the enchanting world would drain away. Her hesitation was a commission of her fascination. The man had to be Kakashi as a projection would be unable to touch. There was a vague sense of bewilderment coupled with appreciation for what she was experiencing. A secret voice inside of her was excitedly whispering that it had always wondered what this side of him was like. She felt satisfaction at the way he was worshipping her body—though she had little to compare. The entire experience was magnified, she knew, by the affects of the sharingan, and she would no doubt face repercussions the longer she remained, yet she was loath to interrupt, her experience beginning to pique in a way that made her anxious for closure. She lifted her free hand to the back of his head and her fingers dove into the hair at the nape of his neck. He hastened his efforts.

She was beginning to misplace her tranquil attitude as it surrendered its place in favor of careful study of the scenario. She wondered briefly if he had intentionally created the experience or if it had been a daydream meant for someone else. The glen immediately dimmed with the realization. It was a curious sort of disappointment, one she felt almost guilty about having, that came with the possibility that he had unintentionally dragged her into a memory or a fantasy about another woman. She had no way of knowing if it had been meant for her or not. He hadn't created the genjutsu to pull her into it, only to show her the sharingan's function. She suddenly felt like she was invading his privacy. The clarity of the sensations she was feeling ebbed.

Even if it was about her, he had not intended for her to see it. He could have been making fun of her behind her back, though that seemed an unfair accusation considering the fervency with which he was executing the scenario. She would have thought, by now, he would have realized she was in the genjutsu. Wasn't he on top of her also experiencing everything? She pulled on the hair her fingers were tangled in, an attempt to pull back his head to see his face. He clung to her, squeezing her painfully as he continued the thrusting motions. The sensation began to rebuild, scattering her thoughts. It took a lot of struggling to retake the loss of awareness, an effort that exhausted her. She recognized, of that result, the danger she was placing herself in by remaining in the genjutsu; even pleasant ones produced sickly after affects. Flustered by a collective jumble of desire, intrigue, and fear—and apprehensive of what she would learn once able to speak directly to Kakashi—she scrambled to form the release command by reaching her arm around his back to connect with the other. Her fear pushed her close to regretting the experience altogether. She figured she couldn't expect anything except a swift rejection to come from Kakashi in the aftermath and it twice as unlikely the scenario had been about her.

Pausing to take one last look at the crisp flashes of sunlight peeking through the boughs of cherry blossoms, she tried to hold on to the memory of what his weight felt like over her. She had never expected to ever find herself in such a position with him; she had never thought it could be something she wanted. All of the desire she had been feeling to talk to him and to be around him in recent weeks seemed to converge with clarity. She had wanted him to become comfortable around her. They would need to be quite comfortable to replicate this scenario. Her hands clasped together shakily as, with a lump in her throat, she commanded the release. The captivating swirl of the cherry blossom world dissolved around her and Kakashi likewise vanished. As she returned in a blinding transition to the drab, grey room of the hospital, both her stomach and her pride strongly revolted as Kakashi's hands struggled to slow her disoriented spiral to the floor.

—

"Sakura-chan!" The knocking paused briefly. Naruto's voice called out to others approaching after him, his voice near a whine, and then went through another round of pounding that vibrated her door. "Sakura, we need your help!"

Help? She couldn't ignore them now. She wanted to. For the past two months, it had been easier to ignore most things—and people. She had religiously kept her daily routine, a hospital shift, training, and then dinner at home, unless Naruto forced her to go out with him to Ichiraku, but that had occurred less than a handful of times. It had seemed like he was avoiding the world too, but she hadn't been out in it enough to tell for certain. For all she knew, it was specifically her moodiness he was shunning.

On her days off, or when she ended up with a late hospital shift, she went out extra early to train, escaping most familiar faces except Lee, Guy, or the occasional Hyūga, but other than a cheerful greeting and enthusiastic encouragement from the first two, they focused diligently and didn't ask her questions.

Naruto, on the other hand—his fist struck the door with an effort that seemed final and conciliatory. "I know you're home!"

Today was her day off. She had returned from training an hour before, showered, and had been debating whether to take a nap or study a medical text about organ replacement. She could hear the voices arguing, Naruto's vibrant slang pulsing through her door like a saw.

She pulled it open, her face drawn with deep annoyance. "What do you want, idiot?"

"Tch." Shikamaru's face tensed with dismay. "She's as bad as Ino—troublesome."

Sakura's hand tightened around the doorknob. "What did you say?"

Naruto took a step back, both hands raised in surrender. "Don't piss her off more," he whispered out of the side of his mouth. He glanced anxiously in Shikamaru and Choji's direction. Choji looked as nervous, but Shikamaru's expression grew more irritated.

"What do you three knuckleheads want?" Sakura bit back the urge to slam the door in their faces.

"It's Ino," Choji exclaimed quickly, his forehead sweating. His eyes were earnest and genuine, pulling Sakura out of her rage just enough to listen without gritting her teeth. "Something is wrong, but she won't go to the hospital."

"It's probably a personal thing," Sakura snapped irritably. "Quit bothering her."

Shikamaru pushed his foot into the crack between the door and its frame before Sakura could shut it. "Tch. Quit being such a pain. We wouldn't bother you over some trivial thing."

Sakura glared at the offending foot then sorted its owner into an equally bitter, sweeping gaze. "Is invading my privacy really necessary? Ino isn't the only one with personal problems."

"It's more complicated than that," Choji started again, pushing Naruto out of his way to stand shoulder to shoulder with Shikamaru. "She's been throwing up, sitting out of missions, and crying, for the past three weeks. She stopped opening the door for us." He looked desperate and out of sort, his eyes reddening, though he looked too serious to shed tears. He clenched his fists and bowed, Shikamaru begrudgingly following suit. "You gotta talk to her. Please help us."

Sakura, stuck between their humility and her own self-pity, nodded a reluctant, half perceived acceptance. Maybe Ino really needed her.

Bewildered, Naruto looked on.

—

When Sakura found herself pounding on Ino's door after a brisk jog through town, she was almost amused with how easily she had agreed to help. "Ino, it's Sakura! I need to talk to you." She waited, listening for footsteps. The interior was dark. Ino was usually quick to flounce to the door and greet guests. She knocked again. "It's just me, pig! I sent the idiots away." She waited. Perhaps Ino's comrades were mistaken about her whereabouts? She could be on a secret mission, or at the store; it was ridiculous they had convinced her to run over here in a panic. As she was about to knock again, then maybe give up, the door slid open.

"Forehead." Ino greeted her somberly, her voice barely managing to be a hoarse whisper as she peeked out. Her appearance was terrible.

"Ino?" Sakura took her in with a sharp inhale.

Ino's hair was down, greasy like she was days beyond her last shower. Opposite to her usually preferred style, she was wearing baggy clothes, including a sweatshirt that engulfed her frame. She rubbed a loose fist against eyes underlined by dark bags as she turned away. "Pay money for the freak show, come in or get lost."

Sakura stepped in, briskly pushing the door shut behind her. "You look awful."

"Second to none, as always." Ino's pointer finger danced through the air as she trudged across the room to her couch. As if her looks weren't sour enough, her bitter mood curdled the distance between them. She crawled onto the cushions and lay sideways with a huff.

Sakura waited for the pause to feel long enough to proceed with her intentions, but she found herself standing awkwardly by the door, devoid of things to say.

Ino raised her arm behind her, towards Sakura, palm out. "Pay up, forehead. You're staring."

"Something is really wrong, isn't it?" She had meant to sound understanding. The demand pushed its way out through her teeth like a cough. "Let me examine you." She stepped forward with her determination.

"Don't start with me." Ino sounded on the verge of tears, or screaming. "I don't waltz into your house and demand you do whatever weird thing I want."

"It's not weird to worry about you. They told me you've been throwing up."

Ino pounded her fist into the back of her couch with a shriek. "Those jerks! They know better than to spy on a lady!"

"Choji was on the verge of tears and begged for my help on your behalf. Is it true you skipped out of their last few missions?"

Quiet, Ino laid still, her refusal to answer leaving Sakura hanging on the edge of her patience.

"Yes," she finally said.

Sakura stomped over to the blonde and grabbed her arm. "I didn't want to come any more than you want my help. I'm here because you need me. Fess up."

Ino shrugged the grip off, her hands attempting to wipe weariness out of the crevices of her face. "You'll hate me."

"I wont."

"I hate me. Shut up." She curled into a tighter ball. "Naruto has rubbed off on you."

Sakura shook off the accusation, barely able to keep a smile off of her face. "Lay still and I can examine you," she said in a lowered, insistent voice. Her hands lit up with a warm, green glow as she funneled chakra into them. Though Ino was quiet, signaling that she wasn't likely to protest further, she began trembling, tears dripping sideways down her face and onto the couch. Sakura felt a pang of worry curl and upend her gut. She wanted to ask, "Are you nauseas right now?" but it seemed unlikely that it would get an answer; more likely, it would throw the blonde into a rage. She knelt one leg on the edge of the couch as her hands sandwiched Ino's lower torso. She palpated back and forth for a time, but stopped as she passed below belly button level. The green faded from her hands. Her eyes widened.

"You're pregnant," Sakura said, but she barely got the statement out before Ino was clutching at her own hair and wailing. Sakura sat back onto her foot; the pressure that had been churning her gut was now in her throat. She slid down to the floor onto her knees, fingers tugging uselessly at the collar of her shirt. Ino had crumbled into sobs that sucked noisily for air—ugly, angry tears. Sakura reached up, pulling herself around on her knees until she could press her forehead against Ino's back, one arm draped over her friend's waist while the other sought a spot over the blonde's head. "I'm sorry."

They sat that way for a long while, Sakura's palm making comforting circles over Ino's head. Every so often Sakura would whisper, "I'm sorry," again, as if it was a mantra. With questions swirling in her mind, it was difficult to wait for a reprieve in Ino's anguish. As it finally dissipated and Ino pushed herself up on one arm, Sakura sat back on her feet.

"Forehead?" Ino's voice was hoarse.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." This came out even shakier.

Stupefied, Sakura shrugged and half swallowed a chuckle that was desperate to break the tension. "For what?" She smiled, hoping to look completely relaxed in case the other girl turned around.

It seemed like Ino had stopped breathing, her head drooping towards her chest as tears began again, dribbling onto her sweatshirt. With a half choked sob, she leaned her head against the back of the couch. "It's Sasuke's."

Sakura felt an electric volt of shock and fear knock the strength out of her legs. The smile she had held to help her friend vanished, replaced by a blank stare. Her mind would have been blank too, if it weren't for the rapidly repeating memories of Sasuke all but forcing himself on her in her own apartment.

"Please say something," Ino begged.

There was a delay between Sakura's ears and her response, making Ino repeat her demand frantically. Sakura licked her lips. "Did you know he visited my apartment?"

Ino seemed to freeze; she turned to sit properly on the couch in a perfunctory motion. "I found out later that he went to you first. Asuma told me."

"Does he know?"

"No. Oh, god." Ino's gray eyes squeezed shut painfully. She opened them as she grabbed a clump of her shirt. "I haven't told anyone. Asuma showed up the next morning, warning me to be careful."

Sakura struggled against the ache that was starting in her chest, which threatened to open the ducts in her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, one of her legs in the early stages of falling asleep. "Ino-"

The blonde didn't let her interrupt. "It was so devastating, you know? There I was, thinking I had won, that Sasuke had picked me. He went to you first. It made me regret everything." Ino's hands picked harshly at the fabric over her legs. She looked lost and childlike, her face wringing through a mix of regret and wry bitterness. "Did you really turn him down?"

"Yeah." Sakura felt guilty to admit it aloud.

"Damn." Ino snorted a laugh, her expression soon returning to its somber form. "I would have liked to see that."

"Maybe I wouldn't have in a different mindset," Sakura said trying to reassure Ino, but she regretted the empty sound of her words. "Naruto was there."

"Oh." Ino's face darkened. "Nothing distracts Sasuke quite like Naruto."

The pair of women went silent.

After a time, Sakura swallowed. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know what I can do," Ino muttered, forcibly emphasizing the word can. "I mean, once the village elders find out I'm carrying an Uchiha-" She bit her bottom lip as it quivered miserably.

It was quite the concept. Sakura struggled to wrap her head around the possibilities. "Shishou would never-"

"The Hokage doesn't have the benefit of caring about one person's feelings." Ino glared at her pink-haired friend with disgust. "This is leaf's chance to regain an asset that has been lost. She won't be able to protect me."

"She'd have the skill to make it look like a miscarriage." Sakura clambered to her feet, her impassioned voice ringing out with increasing positivity. "None of the medics dare oppose her."

"Sakura," Ino's tone admonished the other woman gently, "I don't even know what I want."

"Duty has nothing to do with it."

"I know that."

"Why would you put yourself through this?"

Ino sighed. "Lots of reasons." She stared wistfully in Sakura's direction, but it took a moment for her eyes to focus. "Don't tell me you wouldn't keep it."

The baby would be a piece of Sasuke. Sakura shuddered, suddenly and shamefully more appreciative that she had rejected her lifelong crush. "I would. But why would you?"

Ino ignored the question. "So, what are you going to tell stupid-is and stupid-does?"

"What do you want me to tell them? I'd rather go straight to Tsunade. That will give you at least a little control—and time—to make a decision."

Green eyes caught gray ones. Sakura nodded resolutely. Ino smirked.

"You really have a lot of faith in that old hag, huh, forehead?"

Sakura laughed, the tension in the room cracking. "I'll keep it to myself that you called her that."

Ino laughed too, more softly, her mouth twitching to avoid becoming a frown. "Tell Shika and Choji that I'm sorry."

"I'll take care of everything."

—

The Hokage's office was one of the few places in Konoha that still made Sakura nervous. Whenever she had to go alone to meet Tsunade for a lesson or bring her reports from the hospital, she had felt like she was taking up time she wasn't worthy of having. As her confidence grew, that feeling faded, but the flutter of excitement and nervousness that came as she entered the tower remained. It was no different this time, yet as she walked up the steps, she felt her determination to protect Ino steeling her against shaky legs that suggested someone else would have a better shot. Was she not the Hokage's apprentice? If she didn't understand Tsunade, who would? When she arrived at the top of the stairs, Shizune got up from her desk to greet her and when her question of, "what do you need, Sakura?" was ignored, she leaned over her desk to repeat her question. Sakura hurried her pace; passing the office doors before Shizune could register that the pink-haired kunoichi had no intention of acknowledging her. The assistant's protests were drowned out as Sakura shut the doors and dropped the lock. Tsunade glanced up, riled at the noise.

"You heard, Shizune. You need permission for an audience."

Sakura didn't miss a beat as she strode up to the desk. "What happened after Sasuke left my apartment?"

Tsunade sighed gruffly, her brow arching at Sakura's demand, as she rested her cheek on her fist. "I don't need to remind you that you're not privy to ANBU reports."

Sakura clenched her fists. "I have information that may not have been included in any reports."

Suddenly more interested, Tsunade leaned forward, her sizeable chest squeezing just over the top of the desk. "Did you purposely exclude it?"

"I just found out."

"Out with it then," Tsunade said, peeved.

Gathering her wits, Sakura steeled her self for her mentor's backlash. "Only if you tell me what happened after Sasuke left."

"I don't trade information with subordinates." Her voice already rising to a shout, Tsunade slammed her palms down on her desktop and shot to her feet. "I'm the Hokage, damnit!"

"Shishou," Sakura began again, calmly, "did Sasuke leave Konoha that night?" She was determined to outlast Tsunade's patience.

"I just told you that information is beyond your rank-"

"How long did he stay? A week? Two?" Sakura crossed her arms. "I have proof he didn't leave until at least the next day."

"Who told you? Naruto was sworn to discretion. He's going to be in big trouble if-"

"Why did Sasuke go to the southwest quadrant of Konoha?" As Tsunade's anger fell away, Sakura knew she had gotten the result she wanted. She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

Tsunade's regretful sigh delivered the sign of victory. "Alright." She shifted the papers she had been working on when Sakura arrived, pushing them into a pile on her left. "How did you find out?"

"From an eyewitness," Sakura said, internally cheering herself on for resisting the urge to fidget. "Did you know where he went?"

"He was seen a few places in Konoha over the following week. We pursued him to the border and we're certain he went back to sound."

Sakura wanted to ask if Kakashi had been sent on that mission, but she swallowed the question. She was afraid to admit that his absence had been plaguing her. The answer she had been given was also not what she had been looking for. "Did you know he went to the southwest specifically after visiting me?"

Tsunade frowned and looked uncomfortable. "No." She leaned back in her chair. "Are you going to tell me why?"

Sakura cheered inwardly at her success. "I need a guarantee from you first."

"For what?" Tsunade's irritated cry vibrated against the curving windows of her office.

"I want you to promise that you will protect the witness from the elders." Sakura lowered her chin, confident that she had firmly asserted the value of her leverage.

"If I refuse?"

"I think you'll protect them regardless, but the promise is necessary." Sakura crossed her arms over her red shirt. Tsunade's face had become a curious mix of amusement and annoyance, but as her fingers tapped on the desk, the annoyance peeled back into a grin.

"Your skills as a politician are getting better."

"You'll agree to my request?" Sakura had tried and failed to not sound hopeful.

"Why would I? I can throw you into ANBU interrogation." With a dismissive glance, Tsunade picked back up the paperwork she had abandoned. "I compliment you and you cave. Better, but you haven't mastered this yet."

Sakura felt her heartbeat quicken with concern, but she swallowed her anxiety. "I didn't learn this information while performing any official duties. I would be able to appeal to the courts."

"Hm. So you would. But would they take your case before I got the information out of you?"

Though she shrunk slightly at Tsunade's implication, Sakura forced herself to approach the desk and slam both palms onto it. "You know I would be able to last months. But that's not how you want to find out, Shishou. You'll know in four months or less, but you'll want to be the one with the ace of knowing first. The council will have no mercy when it comes to business concerning Uchihas."

Tsunade was listening now. She regarded her former apprentice with a thoughtful eye. "Four months?"

"It'll take about that long to become obvious, if other factors don't force it into the open before then." Sakura knew she was giving half of her secret away, but the need for the details of the situation would likely force Tsunade's decision. It worked better than she had hoped.

"Oh, Sakura." Tsunade dropped her forehead into her hand, her fingers attempting to draw the stress out of her temples. "Please tell me-"

"It's not me."

"You've developed a bad habit of interrupting." Tsunade sighed. "I can see why you were taking this so seriously." Her expression changed into one of compassion. "Are you ok? Must be a shock."

Sakura grimaced, it had been, but she was hardly the one bearing the responsibility. "I'm fine. She's not sure what she wants to do about it, but she's afraid of the elders. I convinced her to let you intercede on her behalf."

"You've got a lot of faith in me, Sakura."

She grinned. "That's what she said too."

Tsunade smiled, but it quickly faded as her mind began turning over the problem. She set aside the paperwork again with a click of her teeth. "I may need to get her out of Konoha until I can figure out how to sway the council in my favor, or until she decides to take the least politically demanding path." She glanced at her nearby calendar. "She hasn't got long to make up her mind." As she stood, her movement hesitant, Tsunade glanced out of the windows. "Her team is in town, yes?"

"Yes." Sakura pulled a face, suddenly confused. "You know who it is? But I didn't-"

Tsunade chuckled. "A woman who lives in the southwest, that you would keep tabs on? I'm not stupid. She's been refusing missions and now that makes sense."

With a wry smile, Sakura nodded. She was reminded of how lucky she had been to train with the sanin. A feeling of relief and appreciation mixed warmly in her chest. "Choji and Shikamaru guessed that something was wrong, and sought me out. They don't know the truth yet."

"I need you to fetch them. I have a mission for Team Asuma."

—

Sakura had found Choji and Shikamaru still hanging about her part of town with Naruto. She guessed they had been giving her time, but were anxious to intercept her as soon as possible, by the way all three faces lit up as she approached them. Shikamaru looked skeptical but relieved, Choji carried a worried hope, and Naruto gave her a wide, confident grin.

Shikamaru, with his bottom lip jutting out, was the first to shout across the distance as they closed it. "You don't look pissed. She must've let you in."

She offered a coy nod to the two male members of Team Asuma. "I spoke with her. She's not feeling well, but she's going to be ok."

"Thank, god! All that worrying was making me hungry." Choji beamed happily as he popped open a bag of chips.

They carried on for a moment, the pair going back and forth trying to pull the conversation to their interests. Shikamaru was trying to obtain details about Ino's condition, which Sakura was cheerfully evading with generic responses. Choji, bluntly dismissive of Shikamaru's inquiry, was enthusiastically thanking Sakura for checking up on their dear teammate and asking when they could visit. Sakura was beginning to feel exasperated as she tried to cut in with the summons from Tsunade, but was interrupted as the two men began to argue with each other in the midst of it all.

In the meanwhile, she noticed Naruto's face becoming more reserved, though the smile remained. He stood behind the other two, watching the interaction. Sakura caught his eyes, not meaning to look like she was pleading for his help, but her curiosity mixed with her frustration resulted in Naruto stepping forward and slapping his hands down on the pair's shoulders, startling them. "Sakura's amazing, right? Aren't you guys glad I convinced you to get her?"

Shikamaru shrugged off Naruto's friendly gesture. "Tch. I guess." Choji nodded emphatically.

It was the opening Sakura had been waiting for. "An official summons arrived while I was at Ino's. You guys were here so they're probably still looking for you in order to deliver yours. Anyway, she'll be at the Hokage Tower—and in better spirits."

Shikamaru and Choji looked at each other and back again. Choji paused his munching.

"What a pain." Shikamaru muttered, his shoulders slouching. He looked relieved, yet sounded more annoyed, all at once. "We knock on her door for a week straight and she won't even talk to us, but you go over there and suddenly she's interested in taking on a mission. Women are troublesome."

Choji looked like he was about to object, so Sakura began waving them away. "Go on, you two! She'll explain everything when you see her."

"Tch," Shikamaru made the noise with a grimace. "That's what I'm worried about." Morosely, he looked over at his teammate and sighed. "Let's go, Choji."

The husky, red-clad boy nodded and, with quick goodbyes, the pair headed off.

Sakura and Naruto stood together, watching them leave. Sakura glanced over at the blonde, curious about his quietness and recent overall pensiveness. She couldn't immediately read anything in his neutral expression, but his hands were squirming deep in his pockets. "Naruto?"

He turned his whiskered face and bright blue eyes towards her. "What?"

"Thanks for helping."

Naruto's face scrunched up, his eyes narrowing and lips pursing emphatically. "Say, what was wrong with Ino, anyway?"

She could tell he was trying to be lighthearted about the question and was probably trying to change the subject out of sheepishness. She smiled softly. "It's Ino's business, but maybe I'll explain it later." With slow steps, Sakura turned towards the road to her apartment. "She accepted a pretty long mission, so," she didn't finish the thought.

"Ah-" Naruto took a jerky step towards her, the arm that extended in objection ruffling its black sleeve. "There's something else I was hoping to ask you."

She turned back, her hands clasped behind her. "What's that?"

"Dinner tonight?" His arm drifted back to his side. "At seven."

"Ok." Sakura grinned. "See you at Ichi-"

"Not at Ichiraku. Yakiniku Q." Naruto's face had become serious, though it retained its warmth. "Kakashi said he'd come so we could have a team meeting."

She swallowed. "Oh." She could tell her voice sounded shaky. "I didn't know he was back." She tried to cover it with a smile.

Thankfully, Naruto seemed undisturbed by her uncertainty. His voice lowered. "Yeah. I'm gonna yell at him for leaving us behind and going solo." He paused, his head cocking to one side, hair falling over his hitai-ate. "So, you'll come right?"

Sakura chewed at her bottom lip. It was unlikely a conversation including Naruto would result in any significant discussion about what had happened during the examination. If she was going to convince Kakashi that she wasn't about to beat him to a pulp over what happened, this was her chance to start. "Yeah. I'll be there."