My eyes are open wide,
By the way, I made it through the day
I watched the world outside,
By the way, I'm leaving out today
I just saw Haley's Comet
She waved
Said why you always running in place
Even the man in the moon disappeared
Somewhere in the stratosphere
Second Chance – Shinedown

"Augh, can this day get any worse?"

"Tsunade-sama?"

The blonde-haired Hokage looked up, nodding in greeting to her assistant, Shizune. "What is it?"

"There are some new forms for you to sign, as well as yesterday's paperwork, and a couple newly handed in reports," Shizune announced, setting the stack of papers on the busty woman's desk.

Tsunade groaned, subconsciously reaching for her drawer where her stash of sake was normally kept.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune warned, fixing the woman with a glare.

"What? I can't get any work done sober," the woman protested, yanking the drawer open forcefully.

"Yes you can," Shizune countered, smiling a little. "You're the Hokage, remember?"

"Hokage-schmokage."

Shizune scowled. "Fine. But I will not be held accountable when you're drunk this afternoon, gambling away while the paperwork piles up into a replica of the Hokage monument on your desk, leaving you to deal with it in the morning, with a massive hangover."

Tsunade's gaze darkened. "Hm. Point taken." She closed the drawer.

"There, see? That wasn't so hard."

Tsunade glared daggers at the black-haired woman.

"Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade immediately stood, fixing the suddenly there ANBU with a business-like visage. "Any news?"

The ANBU, mask of a hawk, shook his head. "We've found no sign, nor trace of Sakura Haruno since our leave a few days ago."

Tsunade's hands clenched into fists as she kept her rage in check. Barely. "Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere within the Fire Country border. There was no sign of her whatsoever."

"DAMNIT!"

Both Shizune and the Hawk leapt out of the way as Tsunade slammed her fist against her desk.

"Then you aren't looking hard enough! Try again!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," said the ANBU, who bowed at the waist respectfully, before vanishing in a plume of smoke.

Tsunade was seething. "I will personally castrate that Uchiha bastard when I find him. He will ALWAYS REGRET HIS ACTIONS, NOW MORE THAN EVER!"

"Ah...Tsunade-sama?"

"WHAT!"

Shizune swallowed hard. "Why not send someone else to go searching? We both know of who would be capable."

Tsunade looked dumbfounded for a moment, before she finally clued in, and a light bulb moment passed in the office. "You mean Uzumaki?"

"Hai."

"Where is he?"

Shizune winced. "In the hospital. Still. Though I haven't heard any complaints as of late..."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she rounded the desk, walking with meaningful, confident strides toward the door, which she promptly opened to exit the room. Shizune followed at her heels.

It didn't take long for both women to exit the Hokage tower, and make their way for the hospital. As soon as they had come upon it, they quickened their stride, entering within mere minutes of leaving. Tsunade's direction led them to the floor where Naruto was being kept, and she immediately sought out the Kyuubi container's designated room. As they drew closer, however, a nurse exited with a blue folder, writing a few things down in the chart.

"How is he?" Tsunade asked, her voice commanding.

The nurse looked up, blinking with surprise. "Tsunade-sama!" She dipped her head, before passing over the chart. "His vitals are normal, the wounds are healing nicely, and he'll be back to work within the next couple hours."

The Hokage took the folder, looking over the files carefully. "Blood clotting...liver failure..." She froze.

"This isn't Naruto Uzumaki's folder...?" Shizune queried from Tsunade's side. She had been reading over her superior's shoulder.

The nurse shook her head. "Mr. Uzumaki checked out a few days ago."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously once more, and she slammed the folder closed between her fingers. "Who checked him out!"

"He did...er...he said you gave him the okay to leave," the nurse stammered in reply.

Tsunade whirled around, stomping off the way both she and Shizune came. The black haired assistant followed swiftly, leaving the baffled nurse to continue with her rounds.

"Where do you think he went?"

"Kami knows he left the village to find Sakura," Tsunade replied sharply.

"But...he was injured!"

"Never stopped him before."

"He couldn't have known about our efforts though...could he have?" Shizune asked as they started down the stairs.

"He's Naruto; that kid knows everything!"

"But he had to have had help...someone to make sure he knew what he was doing?"

Tsunade stopped at the door to the lobby, frozen in place as the cogs in her mind turned over and over again. "You're right..."

"There are quite a few candidates for that though, aren't there? There's the Hyuuga kids, Yamanaka's daughter, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, Team Gai, the rest of Team Seven..."

Tsunade clamped her hand over Shizune's mouth at the last mention. "Team Seven...Hatake Kakashi and Sai..."

Shizune would've said something if her mouth wasn't covered, but instead, she nodded.

"I'm a genius!" With that, the Hokage started off again, her pace quick as she made for the exit. "Return to the tower; I'll be back later!"

"But, Tsunade-sama-"

The blonde woman was already gone, leaving Shizune to do exactly what the Hokage had told her to. And, she grumbled, because that meant she would be left to deal with Tsunade's paperwork. Why did she work for her again?

~•~

Kakashi exhaled as he leaned against the tree's central trunk. It had been almost four days since Naruto left, and he was none too thrilled that the blonde shinobi had not yet returned. It left him impatient and wondering. Had he found them? Did he and Sasuke fight? Did either of them make it out alive? Is Sakura alright? Did the Uchiha violate her? That final thought made him clench his fists. If he did, he'd have another thing coming. No one messed around with Konoha's Cherry Blossom. Absolutely no one.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi?"

Hatake glanced over his shoulder and at the ground, a sigh exiting his mouth when he realized just who it was below him. "Hokage-sama."

"If I remember correctly, you were sent to the Academy to watch over the brats while Iruka ran an errand."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Sai's managing well enough."

Tsunade snorted, folding her arms across her ample bosom. She hated looking up at people. "Why are you here? There's enough guard keeping watch so you wouldn't be worrying over petty threats or anything of the sort."

The jonin exhaled, dropping to the ground to assume his usual hunched over position. "I just came here to think."

"About?"

"Things."

"What sort of things?"

"Thing things."

"You're being difficult, Hatake!"

"How perceptive of you."

"Kakashi! Why. Are. You. Here!"

The silver-haired man shifted uneasily as his gaze found the ground. He couldn't look at her when he admitted he defied her order. "I'm waiting."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed evermore, if that were even possible. "For...?"

"Shinobi."

"Which shinobi?"

"They're on a mission."

"Who are?"

"Friends."

Tsunade dug her nails into her arms. "Which friends, Kakashi?"

"Good ones."

"JUST FUCKING TELL ME YOU SENT HIM ALREADY!"

Kakashi's gaze whipped up to look at her, square in the eye. "You...know?"

"Tch. The entire village knows," scoffed the Hokage, shaking her head. Really, only she knew...now that he had told her. Shizune had only assumed and the rest of Konoha had no idea about any of this.

The Copy Nin's visible eye hardened as his lips formed a resolute line beneath the cotton mask. "Shortly after Naruto broke himself out of the hospital, Sai and I came across him at Ichiraku. It was then that the Sai told us he knew of Sakura's location, and so instead of wasting time coming back to tell you, I sent him off to locate her himself."

~•~

"Almost there..." Naruto announced, panting hard. They had run all night, and all morning as well, in hopes Sakura wouldn't get much worse. She had awoken once or twice, shivering violently, while hallucinations claimed her vision incessantly, almost as if they wouldn't stop. She was quickly thereafter unconscious once more, causing both men to worry, even though neither of them was humble enough to admit it.

The Uchiha carried her now, his Sharingan eyes darting back to her form every now and then, his muscles taut and worn from overuse. Yet, he didn't relinquish, and after a time, he didn't feel the pain anymore.

They had taken turns for the first leg of the journey, however, as they drew closer to Konoha, Sasuke had decided it was his duty to carry her the rest of the way. Now, as the gates were coming into view, both put on a burst of speed, even though they were still about an hour off.

"Scared?" Naruto called against the wind, smirking at the way the Uchiha's grip tightened around the pink-haired woman they both loved. His hair still dripped from the rain that they just finally escaped from, both glad for the dry reprieve.

Sasuke grunted with annoyance. "Never."

Naruto laughed wildly, running as swiftly as his stamina permitted. The Kyuubi container's demeanour became solemn once more as the full gravity of the situation grew heavy, like the thunder heads threatening to pursue the running nin.

"Be quiet, Dobe," Sasuke growled furiously. "The whole of Konoha will know you're coming before we even get there!"

"Isn't that the point?" inquired the blonde.

Sasuke just gave a fierce shake of his head, his wet hair clinging to his head, and losing some of its trademark spike. He mentally asked himself how the hell he managed to survive a whole...how long was it now?...with Naruto alone. Perhaps in Konoha he'd get a break.

~•~

Tsunade shook her head. "Hatake, you are a strong shinobi. You are smart, and you have finesse. What I don't understand, is why now of ALL TIMES you decide to go against my judgement! You know the penalties!"

Kakashi nodded. "Hai, I do."

"Then why did you do it?"

"For the same reasons you sent out that squad of ANBU. Only, my way is more reliable."

"Getting cocky in your old age?"

The Copy Nin just exhaled with exasperation. He thought he was finally free of that.

"When is he due to return?" Tsunade asked then.

"Soon, if I know him," Kakashi replied evenly.

"Did you even bother to give him a time frame?" Tsunade demanded, glaring.

Kakashi shrugged. "The mission was of utmost importance. He knew he was to come back as soon as he could."

"And what if he decides to go with them, hm? Hatake, did you even bother to think about that?"

The Copy Nin exhaled, shaking his head briefly. "I thought about it. I did. And it's entirely possible."

"It's also highly probable that he will coax the Uchiha into a battle, and then both will wind up dead! What will we do then? Sakura will either be taken by the rest of Team Hebi, or she'll return here, even worse than before! Are you prepared for that?" Her voice had raised a few decibels with the emotion behind her words. No one was ready for an emotionally unstable Sakura...even if she had gone completely surfaced since the Uchiha left her. Sometimes, the latter was worse than the former.

Kakashi, not actually able to formulate a reply, turned away. What could he say to that?

~•~

"Getting...closer..." Naruto acknowledged once more, sweat running rivers down his cheeks. He cast a glance over at where Sasuke still carried Sakura, finding his old friend lost in a distant gaze. "Hey! You okay, Teme?"

Sasuke shifted a glance – just his eyes – at his companion. "Aa."

"You sure?"

"Hn."

Naruto just blew out raggedly as he quickened, yet again.

"Dobe! Slow down!"

Naruto smirked. "What, can't keep up?"

Sasuke growled under his breath. "Baka; Sakura won't be the only one in the hospital when we get there!"

Realization dawned on the blonde as Sasuke's words sunk in. He pouted, slowing up just a tad. "If we don't hurry, Sakura-chan's going to be dead!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, choosing not to retort. There was no possible way that Sakura could die from this. Really. It was just a mild case of hypothermia or something. Yeah.

"We'll be there in ten minutes!" Naruto announced gleefully then, leaping up to a great height as he punched the air victoriously. When he came back down, he nearly slipped on a branch.

Sasuke smirked. "Nice going."

"Hehe, I know, right?"

~•~

"Kakashi Hatake, you have given me every right to imprison your sorry ass for the next eighteen months, you know that?"

Kakashi smiled, his eye crinkling a little. "You wouldn't do that to one of Konoha's best, now, would you?"

Tsunade looked quite unimpressed. "Wouldn't I?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not the Hokage."

"Exactly! So piss off!"

The Copy Nin chuckled. It was so easy to make her angry.

"TWO NINJA APPROACHING!"

Both Kakashi and Tsunade turned to the gates with wide eyes. Could it be Naruto and Sakura?

"CORRECTION; THREE!"

Both nin shared a look before making swiftly for the watch tower. They arrived at the top in a matter of moments, Kakashi staring out at the dust cloud forming in the distance.

"Tsunade-sama!"

The two jonin on duty bowed respectfully.

"Stop that! We have potentially enemy ninja on their way to our gate!" Tsunade snapped, now following Kakashi's lead by looking out to the road. The shinobi drew closer.

The silver-haired man reached up swiftly, pushing his hitae ate onto his forehead properly so he could activate the use of his Sharingan. His closed eye shot open, the red and black swirling in unison as he focused on the upcoming ninja.

"It's them!" He announced excitedly, unable to keep the emotion from his voice.

Tsunade sighed with blatant relief. "Naruto has Sakura?"

Kakashi nodded, frowning a little. "Wait a moment, no, not Naruto. Sasuke Uchiha has Sakura."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she came to stand at the Copy Nin's side. "He's with them?"

"Hai. Carrying Sakura...something's wrong. She's not moving."

Tsunade leapt down from the watch tower, landing softly on the ground below. She then folded her arms to wait for their approach.

Kakashi, once realized what the Hokage had done, followed suit until he was standing next to her, hitae ate back in place covering his Sharingan eye.

~•~

"Hey! I think I see Baa-chan! And..." Naruto grinned widely. "Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke flinched inwardly at the mention of his former sensei. What would he say when he saw him again? Would he yell? Would he be angry? All for Sakura, he thought to himself. All for Sakura.

He smirked then. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she realized he had come back with them.

"Come on!"

The raven-haired man glanced over at Naruto, just in time to see him move from running languidly, to a fierce sprint as he approached the gates. The Uchiha grunted, following suit as best as he could.

Sakura stirred lightly in his arms then, causing him to glance down for but a moment, just until she settled once more, before returning his gaze to the two awaiting shinobi.

"NARUTO," Kakashi called.

They were upon them within minutes, both men slowing until they were no more than walking toward Kakashi and Tsunade.

"Baa-chan! We need your help!" Naruto announced, motioning to Sakura.

The blonde woman was scowling considerably at the turn of events, though approached Sasuke anyway. The Uchiha glared, threatening with his Sharingan as she drew closer, but she levelled the glare evenly. "It is in her best interest that I see her, Sasuke."

Sasuke was unconvinced.

"Sasuke, Baa-chan will take care of her," Naruto insisted with a nod.

He still did not concede.

"Sasuke," Kakashi warned.

That did it. The Uchiha relinquished his protectiveness over Sakura, allowing Tsunade to see the limp konoichi in his arms. He admired the swift tenacity in which the unfamiliar blonde observed her body, before turning to look at Kakashi and giving him a nod. The silver-haired man approached, taking Sakura from Sasuke's hold before he could protest.

"Naruto," Tsunade called, and the blonde hurried to her side obediently.

"Hai, Tsunade-baa-chan?"

Tsunade grunted with annoyance at the honorific. "I'm taking Sakura to the hospital to run the usual tests. You will stand watch over the Uchiha; keep him here, and take him to my office. Don't leave until I tell you too, alright?"

Naruto groaned. "But why do I have to watch the Teme? Why can't bushy brows do it? Or lazy ass Shikamaru?"

Tsunade did not hesitate to back hand him. "Show some respect to your fellow shinobi, Naruto! And you'll do it, damnit, or no more ramen for a year! I'll make sure personally that Teuchi-san doesn't serve you!"

Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground – almost – in horror. "You wouldn't do that...would you baa-chan?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously. It was a miracle this woman hadn't grown tired of doing so yet. "Oh, I would."

Naruto pouted. "Fine, I'll watch him."

"Good." Tsunade returned to Kakashi, and the two swiftly made for the hospital.

Naruto exhaled, interlacing his fingers behind his head. He cast a glance over at Sasuke, who was smirking at him. "What?"

Sasuke just shook his head, momentarily surveying his new(er) surroundings. "A lot has changed."

Naruto nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Not just the village, though. The people too. Kurenai had a kid, can you believe that? And Asuma's the father!"

I knew something was going on with them, Sasuke thought with an inward grin at his perspective.

"Hinata doesn't stutter anymore, and Neji's not as much of a bastard as he use to be...Shikamaru is still as lazy as ever, but he's a total genius so Baa-chan keeps him going on a lot of missions. He's got a girlfriend now too, but we can't tell whether it's Temari or Ino. You remember them, right, Teme?"

"Hn."

Naruto started walking, motioning for Sasuke to follow.

The dark-haired man hesitated a moment, glancing back the way they came. He could leave now, and no one would be the wiser, save for the few who already saw him. But, what was there left for him? His team would've already left without him; he already made up his mind that he would stay. If not for himself, than for her. So, he followed Naruto quietly.

"Anyway, Choji's just as fat – don't tell him that to his face or he'll squash you like a tomato – and...wait, speaking of tomatoes, you like them, don't you, Teme?"

"Hn."

"Sakura-chan's garden grows lots of them. Kakashi-sensei and I have a bet going; I think she grows them because they remind her of you, but he thinks she's doing it because she just likes tomatoes. But, funny thing is, she doesn't ever use them much." Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke said nothing, simply pondering the words just spoken.

"What else...? Oh, yeah, your Uchiha place is still untouched, though it looks like a ninjutsu ran rampant through the grounds, Sakura's living on her own now, and I sometimes sleep over because we don't like being alone. Oh, and Tenten and Neji are now dating, and Kiba keeps trying to get Sakura-chan to go out with him, though she's never agreed to it."

Inuzuka going after Sakura? A surge of anger and jealousy ran the lengths of his body.

"Genma and Shizune have been getting it on for the last...eh...year, I think, and he won't stop announcing it to everyone he sees. He's really proud of her, you know? But I guess it's taken them long enough to actually get together. Also, Kakashi-sensei is still single, but he's back in ANBU and taking all the harder missions from everyone. Anyone I'm missing?"

"Hn."

"You're right. I'm missing Bushy Brows and his sensei, Gai. They're still going off around Konoha about youth and whothewhatnow, but we've all kinda learned to ignore it. Kakashi-sensei and Gai still compete over everything, but Sakura-chan stops things when they get too out of hand."

"What about Sakura?" Sasuke realized he hadn't heard much about how she had changed since he left. He knew she was strong and skilled with the medic end of things, but he wanted to hear from an every-day observer vantage point.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto blinked with surprise. "Eh, she's almost surpassed baa-chan in strength – though she's still not filled in as much as she could have, if you know what I'm saying," Naruto grinned cheekily.

I beg to differ. Sasuke grunted at his own revelation.

"She's smarter than Shikamaru, can beat the lazy ass to shogi (a/n: or is it shoji?) any day, and when it comes to healing, she's the best medic in all of Konoha! Maybe in all of Fire Country!" Naruto grinned, glancing at the sky as they turned down another road. "You know why she does it, ne?"

"Why?"

"Because she didn't want to be left behind anymore. After you left, I did too, with the pervy sage, Jiraiya-sensei, and so she was alone with Kakashi-sensei. When I came back, she beat my ass to a pulp. Easily. A damn turn on, if you ask me."

Sasuke glared at him.

"Nah, don't worry, Teme. I don't like Sakura-chan like that anymore. I love her, just not in that sense. She's like a sister to me. I wouldn't want to do anything like that with her." Naruto chuckled.

"I've noticed," Sasuke stated as he looked around. A wave of nostalgia hit him full on, and no matter what he did to try and suppress it, the feelings just wouldn't go.

Naruto continued to laugh. "She's got a lot'a guys trying to get her to go out with them, but for the most part, she does a good job of keeping them off her. When she needs help, Kakashi-sensei and I don't mind stepping in."

"Hello Dickless, Traitor."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the black-haired nin he had seen before.

"Hey, Sai," Naruto greeted, albeit with slight bitterness. "What are you doing here?"

"Hokage-sama sent me to help you keep an eye on this one," Sai replied, grinning that fake grin, as usual.

Naruto shook his head. "I can watch him myself."

"Ne, she does not think so."

Sasuke smirked. Maybe this guy wasn't half bad.

"Hey, if you saw Tsunade-sama, you saw Sakura-chan too, ne?" Naruto asked then, blinking slightly with surprise.

Sai nodded. "I did. Ugly is doing fine. She is recovering from mild hypothermia and chakra exhaustion."

Ugly? Can he possibly be referring to Sakura with such a name? Sasuke frowned. "She didn't use all that much."

Sai shrugged. "She was, otherwise she would not be so exhausted."

Sasuke just continued to scowl.

"When can we see her?"

"Tomorrow."

Naruto leapt for joy. "Yeah! Then tonight, we celebrate Teme's return!"

"No."

Naruto pouted. "Sasuke, we have to!"

"I. Said. No."

"Please?"

"No."

"We'll go to a bar."

"No."

"With hot girls?"

"No."

"You can finally get laid!"

Smack!

"Owww!" complained the blonde as he rubbed his head. He was now sitting on the hard ground.

"I'm going home." And with that, the Uchiha turned, starting for the familiar route that would lead him to the Uchiha compound.

"W-wait, Teme!" Naruto leapt up and darted after him, Sai following suit.

Sasuke paused, glancing over his shoulder with an inclined head. "What now, Dobe."

"We have to come!"

"No."

"Tsunade-baa-chan's orders," Naruto added.

"You do not have a choice, Traitor," Sai pitched in.

Sasuke exhaled, though continued walking, neither agreeing nor denying their following him. So, the three shinobi men walked peacefully toward the Uchiha compound, where they would spend a night as friends. Not comrades, nor enemies. Just, friends.

~•~

Her half-lidded, jade gaze was greeted by white, and all her senses felt depleted. She tried to move, but the mass amounts of sheets and blankets over her body felt obtrusive and constricting. A groan escaped her parted, chapped pink lips, making the man sitting beside her bed finally turn to acknowledge her awakened state.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake!"

Sakura winced a little at the pain in her head. She had a migraine, possibly from all the movement while she was unconscious. Her green eyes located the blonde next to her, albeit he was a little blurry, so she squinted. "Naruto?"

The Kyuubi container laughed a little. "Feeling better?"

Sakura groaned again, unsure of what would be classified as better. "Sort of?"

"Good. You really scared us."

Sakura blinked repeatedly until Naruto came into focus. "Where are we?"

"Back in Konoha."

"Nani? How?"

"We ran!"

"We?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer before the door burst open.

"SAKURA!"

Sakura frowned a little. "Ino...?"

The long-haired blonde beauty all but pounced on the pink-haired woman on the bed, snuggling her close. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Sakura winced. "Yeah...I missed you too."

"No more hypothermia?" Ino demanded, pulling away just enough so her baby blues could look her best friend over.

Sakura scowled. "I had hypothermia...?"

"Have."

All three people in the room turned to see Tsunade enter with a chart in her hand.

"I still have it?" Sakura asked curiously. She then hissed as the busty blonde shone a flashlight in her eyes without warning.

"Good. Your eye reaction's good."

"How long have I been out?" asked the pink-haired konoichi as she watched Ino prepare a syringe to put into the IV.

"A few days," Naruto replied. "Two, to be exact, I guess. You kind of woke up a few times, but other than that, you were unconscious the whole time."

"And you...carried me the whole way?"

Naruto grinned, but once more, was interrupted before he could speak.

"Sakura, you're being kept here for close monitoring for the next few days. Your body temperature is still not regulated enough to be safe for you to return home. Ino will look after you personally, as she is learning well, from what your reports tell me."

Ino beamed as Sakura glanced at her proudly.

"I'll leave Haruno in your careful hands, Yamanaka," Tsunade announced, handing over the folder with Sakura's files.

"You can count on me," Ino assured, saluting briefly.

Tsunade eyed her strangely, and started for the doorway. A few moments later, and she had vanished into the hall.

"Naruto...what were you going to say before?" Sakura inquired, yawning slightly into her hand.

Once again, Naruto was about to answer, when Ino shot him a glare. "She needs to rest, so no excitement. Got it, baka?"

Naruto scowled. "Yeah, yeah, bitch."

"What did you call me?"

He held up his hands defensively. "Nothing, nothing."

"Good." Ino glanced over Sakura's chart a moment before smirking. "Oh, and Hinata's looking for you."

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face as he immediately spun around and bolted from the room, exclaiming to the world how excited he was to see his girlfriend again. Even though they weren't officially together. Yet.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Ino. "Why did you want him to leave? I would've been fine with whatever 'excitement' he would've told me."

"Don't say that when you don't know what it is, Forehead," Ino chided. "Now, tell me how you feel."

"A little cold, I guess. My feet feel numb. Also, I have a major headache."

Ino laughed a little. "Aa, he wasn't very gentle carrying you back. Bastard. I'm gonna kick him all the way to Suna after the ordeal with the Elders." Her baby blues widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth.

Sakura blinked. "Who?"

"A-ahh...Kakashi-sensei," Ino lied, clenching her teeth.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "But...why...?."

"I-I..." Ino pursed her lips, reaching for another syringe carefully. She removed the cap, and fixed the needle into Sakura's IV. A moment later, the pink-haired woman had fallen unconscious. Ino breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry, but you can't know that he's staying, yet. That's for him to tell you."

And with that, she gathered her things and left the room to check up on other patients.

~•~

"Sasuke Uchiha, sole heir to the Uchiha Clan, you are hereby sentenced to four months in prison, followed by two years of probation, overseen by the Konoha council and its shinobi."

Those were the last words spoken before he had been dragged off to the Hokage's Office, by none other than the Hokage herself. He was forced into a chair, and fixed with a glare that would've made any lesser man, shit his pants upon impact.

"Your punishment should have been a lot worse," Tsunade snapped, her eyes flickering with hatred and spite.

"I know."

"Do you know why it was lessened in severity?"

Sasuke would have rolled his eyes. "Enlighten me."

"It's because of one Sakura Haruno," Tsunade replied sharply. "She made me promise, back when she first started her training, that you would be welcomed back with open arms. Of course, I couldn't give her the entirety of the deal, but this is as close as I could make it. I'd suggest you go and let her know that you're here, now. And Kami, make sure you thank her for it! You should be dead now!"

Sasuke smirked, he couldn't help it, and stood from the chair which he had been so rudely shoved into moments before. It was only then that he remembered something important, and with quick fingers, he reached into his pack to withdraw the scroll, followed by the artefact which had been so meticulously placed in his hold. "Here."

Tsunade blinked with surprise, taking both pieces swiftly. "From the exchange?"

"Hn."

The Hokage smirked as she stuffed the scroll in a drawer on her desk, followed by the curious observing of the artefact. "How you of all people came across this is simply beyond my knowledge."

"You don't want to know."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

Without another word, the busty blonde pulled open another drawer, withdrawing a hard-to-open bottle of sake, and using the artefact, she pried the stopper off carefully. A sly grin crossed her lips then. "You never cease to amaze, Uchiha."

"Hn."

"Now go on, get out of here. You owe that girl a lot."

Sasuke smirked once more. He turned then, strides confident as he crossed the room, opening the door. Two ANBU were waiting for him, and they each took an arm to escort the black-haired man on his way.

"Take him to the hospital," the Hokage commanded. The ANBU glanced at her, but said nothing more as they started on their way.

"I'd suggest you go and let her know that you're here, now. And Kami, make sure you thank her for it! You should be dead now!"

You bet I will, Sasuke thought to himself. After all, she's given me my second chance.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

One or (possibly) two chapters left, I figure. What did you guys think of this chapter?

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Cheers, Soleil, once again I thank you for your lovely comments. You guys are awesome, and some of my favorites to read!