Temari and Kankuro do not want to go anywhere near the hulking beast that is Gaara. When every time somebody sleeps they become a sand monster, most people are smart enough to get away from that situation. But teammates are supposed to stay together and siblings have unconditional love, blah blah blah. Either way, the two siblings realize that they are going to get an ass-whooping, and at least with this way they do not have to listen to Baki-sensei's nagging.

He is like an irate grandmother, and there have been nightmares involving him using a purse to violently bash an enemy's head in.

Kankuro has no clue as to what they are even doing, but he assumes that Temari has a plan. Because there is no way that they are going to distract Gaara until their sensei comes to the rescue.

"We just have to keep that Uzumaki kid from doing any permanent damage to Gaara." Kankuro is about to argue that there is no way the orange kid is going to do jackshit to their brother; he is almost undefeatable, and a Genin sure as hell can't take him-

And then a huge toad comes out of nowhere. And it poofs into smoke and becomes a giant nine-tailed fox. Well, shit.

.

"You can let go, you know." Sasuke is still clinging to the back of his (brother?) teammate. Sakura just deadpans back at him.

"It's faster this way. Besides, you exerted a lot of energy in the fight." He relents, and squeezes a little tighter.

.

"Who are you?" Kankuro is forced to stop by a girl who is carrying a boy on her back. He exchanges a glance with Temari, who nods. It doesn't seem like he will have much of a fight here, and his sister has long range attacks that will be more effective than his puppets against Gaara.

She rushes past the trio. Nobody notices somebody else following her.

.

"Are you, uh, gonna put him down?" The boy across from Sakura points to Sasuke and makes a 'dropping' motion. He also uses the motion to help conceal a quick switch with his puppet. Sakura adjusts Sasuke on her back, but does not put him down.

"Nope."

Flicker behind, tear open bandages, block attack and cast genjutsu. Burn puppet.

.

Kankuro is surprised when the girl bypasses Karasu, but he has his kunai and it's dipped in poison. He stabs at her as soon as she gets through the cloth wrapped around him.

((Her throat bubbles and blood pours out. Momentum keeps moving him forward, until he is almost kissing her.))

And then he isn't. His aim is just a bit off, less than an inch off, but it is enough for the weapon to just pass her ear without cutting it. She smiles, before hitting his temple with the handle end of a kunai.

.

There is the sound of crows flying off, and Sakura hums to herself. She is jumping from branch to branch, in pursuit of the oldest of the three Suna-nin. "Looks like I won."

The dirty-blonde girl just ahead of her must know that she is being followed by now. It is confirmed when she suddenly turns around and uses her fan to mold the wind into blades that try to slice at the pair.

"What did you do to Kankuro?!" Sakura can feel the protectiveness that only elder siblings have emanating from her; she is not so cruel as to let the other girl think that her brother is dead.

"The worst he has is a concussion, and even that is unlikely." The relief that the girl feels is revealed by the relaxation of her shoulders.

Sakura can empathize, in her past life whenever she thought that Sasuke was in danger it felt like her purpose in life was also. It makes sense, her brother was (and still is) what matters most to her.

She makes sure to catch Temari before she hits the ground.

.

"How do you do that?" Sasuke is leaning against a tree, finally allowed to be on his feet again. He points to the two unconscious bodies that Sakura has huddled together. "And why aren't you tying them up?"

"Genjutsu affects the mind, and teenagers are not known for their stability. It is fairly simple to put them under an illusion." He cannot help but look into her eyes, expecting them to be red as opposed to her jade green. They are as green as they have always been. "And I am not restraining them, because Gaara is going to need people there for him when this is over."

.

The both of them just awkwardly stand there until the rampaging stops and Naruto starts hugging Gaara. "Kai." As soon as it is spoken, both of the unconscious teens awaken. Before they can even attack, Sakura pins them with a certain glimmer in her eyes. "He needs you to help him keep his demon away."

She knows that demon is different than saying demons; the singular means that she knows about a certain one, instead of the several that the mind itself makes.

They move towards the mess of broken trees, and in the middle lie the two jinchuuriki. There is a nod of understanding before both parties leave.

.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead, and Sakura curses her lack of knowledge. She knows that the culprit is long gone by now, so she just holds onto her loved ones and hopes that they can piece the village back together again.

.

The need to find a new Hokage is urgent. Sakura knows that she can either stay in the village, or wriggle her way into the quest for the Godaime.

("You do not have enough hatred to ever defeat me."

She does not want him to abandon his home and become Orochimaru's plaything, nor for him to turn against his own home. But her wants do not change the fact that those words are the last straw that will break him.)

She stations her summons around Konoha, and goes to see if Jiraiya will take her along with them.

.

"It's so cool that Sakura-chan can come!" Naruto is cheering and hopping about like a madman. Sakura knows that the only reason she is being allowed on this mission is so that Jiraiya can keep an eye on her. The way he glances at her so clinically makes it no secret that he is suspicious of her and her intentions. If things go the way that they had before, she is sure that feeling will only increase; it is worth it, if she can make sure that the catalyst for the end does not happen.

.

Kakashi is Sasuke's watchdog now. He was honestly hoping that Sakura could assist him with the Uchiha, as the boy could be independent to the point of stupidity, but that is not going to happen now. She's off on a quest to help recruit the new Hokage.

Now Kakashi is in charge of the boy. And it is really hard to keep somebody safe when you are called as backup to fight his S-rank missing-nin brother.

.

Sasuke is glad that Kakashi is nowhere to be found, so he can finally have some time to deal with things on his own. Things such as the fact that his teammate may actually be his brother. And that, if she is, there is a whole lot of information that he is missing about everything. Especially his clan.

.

Kakashi may not have thought this out too thoroughly. But he had to do something before Itachi killed Asuma and Kurenai, and having a sharingan gave him an advantage that they do not have. He assumed that he could at least partially defend himself against the elder Uchiha's glare. He was wrong.

Which is why now he can only gasp out a question. "Why did you come here?"

The man speaks softly, and the tone is familiar. "…The kyuubi boy." He turns to the taller, and pauses as if waiting for something, before giving his command. "Do what you will with them."

.

...And then Might Gai appears, like a lone leaf flying against the wind. Or something poetic like that.

.

"We should go. This man will only make more trouble than we can afford, and fighting backup shinobi is counterproductive." It is spoken matter of factly, and the logic is sound. The large, blue man is about to complain a bit before leaving, but something screeches at him before he can even respond to Itachi's comment.

Black feathers fly as the thing calls more of its kind to make a scene and create a protective shield around the fallen Leaf nin. He looks over at his partner, wondering if this is some sort of strange tactic, but for once the stoic face is something other than calm and composed. Itachi looks genuinely confused.

"The nine tails is not here. We should leave." The 'right now' is only implied.

.

Sasuke hears that his teacher is in the hospital while trying to buy a whetstone from an ornery shopkeeper. The man tells him that he should be visiting 'that Hatake boy' at the hospital, and the sharpening tool is forgotten in his rush to see if his sensei is alright.

.

There are murmurs coming from inside the hospital room, and Sasuke eavesdrops from the hallway. He manages to catch phrases here and there, but not much else; what he does hear makes his blood feel ten times heavier, as if it will get caught in his veins and his heart.

"-Itachi-" "-almost killed Kaka-" "He's gotten scarier." "-fter Uzumaki-"

The first thoughts that flicker through his mind are of Sakura, and then ("He's gotten scarier.") how it could not have been her that attacked Kakashi; she isn't even in the village. If Itachi is here, then Sakura must be working for him. Sasuke thinks himself a fool for ever believing that she could ever be somebody who is still alive.

The cold burning that has been slowly dwindling in his heart comes roaring back. He will make sure that they realize what a bad idea it is to lie and deceive him. (And to get him to trust that his brother loved him again, before tearing that trust down.)

He will find them. He doesn't know exactly what he plans to do, but he cannot just sit and do nothing.