They stared at each other silently, sizing one another up. Tsunade was the first to attack. She jumped and spun in the air and kicked with a chakra infused leg but Sakura dodged easily and the boulder she was standing on shattered into shards. Tsunade looked around her not sensing Sakura at all, then out of nowhere she appeared in front of her. Her body was different though it seemed to shimmer almost. A CLONE! Tsunade grinned and dodged the shuriken that the clone throws at her. She makes the mistake of ignoring it as it keeps sailing past her, the shuriken becomes the real Sakura, and the real Sakura does a well-aimed jutsu that ends up tying Tsunade u with plant vines that are almost indestructible!

That was probably the quickest spar Tsunade had ever been in, and she knew she lost when she couldn't break the vines.

"Hpmh." Tsunade said. Sakura didn't say anything but she still helped the older woman up.

Tsunade dusted herself off and tucked a fly away hair behind her ear.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Sakura asked

"I think it best if we didn't tell the others your real identity."

"Too late. Ume already knows it's me." Sakura shrugged

"WHAT!? Since when?"

"Hmm." Sakura thinks with a finger on her chin "I think it was about three days after you arrived."

"Whatever. I think that we should just avoid each other. Just because we are allies doesn't mean we have to spend time with one another?" Sakura's heart felt as if it had been stomped all over, she could hear it in Tsunade's voice, she loathed her, even more than before her. Some people just don't understand that people can only take so much pain and suffering before they break. The only thing keeping Sakura from that point was her quick wit and the mask she let come over her face that guarded all of her feelings and emotions.

"I couldn't agree more." Sakura replied coolly, Tsunade nodded

They were walking away from each other and that was when Sakura finally let the first tear drop, it felt as if she had really, truly, lost another person and she hated Ume for it but she hated herself even more! No matter how she acted, what she said, what she did, how strong she became, how much she loved someone, she could never hold onto them, they always abandoned her! "I'm sorry." It came out as a hoarse whisper, but she still said it, too bad, no one was near enough to hear it.

Crying is a sign of weakness, Sakura reminded herself cruelly, she swiped at the tears, and cursed herself for being weak.

'I'm a SHINOBI! Shinobi don't cry! I don't cry! No matter what I go through I will always come back stronger!'

It was a harsh thing for Sakura to remind herself, but it was her self-defense against the tough and unforgivable world.

Sakura's demon convinced her that going out would do her some good, so Sakura decided she would go to the masked dance her people were throwing tonight.

Sakura made up her mind to wear her pick-up black ball gown, it was backless, strapless, and had a diamond beaded sweetheart top. Next Sakura slipped on her black ballroom dancing high heels, of course that was after painting her toenails pink. Then for the finale piece she placed on a lacer-cut metal and lace black masquerade mask. After letting down her long and luscious pink hair that fell in silky waves, she headed out with an elegant poise and her head held high.

EVERYONE stared at her indescribable beauty! And when she bit her bottom lip nervously, everybody went wild!

Alright, so I was/am really nervous about this chapter, I think I did a pretty good job but tell me what you think! I will be updating even more, even though I do have finals and state tests, because that means I have less homework! YAY!

XOXOXOXO