~Chapter 29~

~Sakura~

It was late in the day and she had already passed the Wind Country boarder hours ago. Typical travel time between Suna and Konoha was on average about three days but she knew with the extra chakra she was pushing into her legs and not having a need to rest she would reach the village by afternoon the following day, if she kept going through the night that was.

Of course she felt tired but she knew she could rest once she reached the village. She really just wanted to get there and be as far away from her tormenters as possible. Of course she felt slightly guilty about just abandoning them but she trusted Tsunade to do what she thought was right, which probably meant imprisoning Itachi but right now Sakura couldn't care less. Both Sasuke and Itachi had kept her in their own little prison for far too long and it was time to wash her hands of the whole mess.

She knew that Itachi would probably be set free, which was good for him but she just didn't want to deal with it anymore. She wanted both of them out of her life and she was determined once she returned to the village to either have Sai placed back on Team Kakashi and move Sasuke somewhere else or she would leave the team permanently and become a full time medic.

She would return to her life of healing others and then going to her quiet home, which no longer scared her as it once did. After having them live with her for the past few weeks she knew she would rejoice in the solitude.

She hated the fact that she had allowed herself to get so carried away with her emotions. She should have learned her lesson from Sasuke. Emotions were useless; at least the Uchiha's had that right.

When she returned she would tell Sasuke once and for all she wasn't interested and that she wanted him to leave her alone and if Itachi ever came around her, well she would just ignore him. After all he was just her patient.

Who knows, maybe she would finally take Lee up on his never ending requests for a date! It could be fun, right?

'Ok you have officially lost it! Lee? Really?'

'Who asked you?'

'You didn't have to ask me; clearly you are not in your right state of mind!'

Sakura just rolled her eyes as she continued on, her movements kicking up small dirt clouds in her wake. She had always hated passing through the desert on the way to Suna but she wouldn't complain about it right now. Each granule of sand that she passed was just a little more she put between her and Konoha.

Yes she knew she would have to return soon but she'd at least have some time to herself.

"And I can take a damn bath in privacy!" She said out loud as she continued on while a smile appeared on her face.

She wouldn't deny how free she actually felt at that moment. She never realized how suffocating her apartment was. It was so small, she needed more space. Suddenly the thought of her parent's house that she rented out after they had died came to mind. She remembered vaguely that the last tenants had moved out not too long ago so it was currently sitting empty. Maybe she would just move back into it and leave her apartment, along with its memories behind.

At least it was closer to the hospital which meant that she wouldn't have as much traveling time between work and home, thus meaning that the Uchiha's had less of a chance to see her. It was all too simple; she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it sooner.

As she continued on towards Suna she never caught onto the presence that was trailing her.

She would never reach Suna.

-:-

~Tsunade's Office~

Konoha's Godaime Hokage was still in her office, an empty bottle of Sake tipped over on her desk. As for the state of the Hokage, she was currently passed out, her face smashed against the wooden surface of her desk, arms dangling at her sides.

It had been a long day and now that the sun had set she had found it fit to drink herself into unconsciousness. That was exactly how the Legendary Toad Sage found her when he walked into her office.

For Jiraiya this was a normal sight but even he knew that her being careless enough to pass out in the middle of working was irresponsible. As he stood across from her, arms crossed over his chest he sighed slowly before stepping around the desk preparing himself for the tantrum that she would surely throw. He had known her ever since the start and knew firsthand how temperamental she could get.

With a sigh he reached over to the blonde woman, placed her hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. A slight groan came from the slumbering Hokage but she remained sound asleep, a paper noticeably stuck to her forehead. It took every bit of self-control for Jiraiya to not erupt into laughter, now was not the time to do so.

"Wake up Tsunade!" Jiraiya's voice boomed as he shook her a little harder trying to bring her out of her alcohol induced slumber. A disgruntled growl emanated from the blond but she still refused to wake. Jiraiya took a step back, crossing one arm over his chest, resting the elbow of his other arm on his hand, his chin propped up on his fist beneath his chin. She was clearly too deep to just wake up with a simple shake. No, this would take a little something extra.

A sinister smile spread across the Toad Sage's lips as he stepped close to Tsunade and bent over her. His left arm stretched out over the back of her chair, giving him leverage as he reached under her with his free right hand.

When he found what he was looking for, he began to fondle it, enjoying the action a little too much. As planned, this snapped the Godaime out of her drunken stupor. She sat bolt up straight in her chair and looked down at her chest, Jiraiya's hand groping at her breasts.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Tsunade growled dangerously low as she looked up at him, her honey colored eyes narrowing with her anger.

"Tsunade, my dear friend, I was trying to wake you up but alas you wouldn't so I had to resort to this method. It always works!" He smiled brightly as he released his hold on Tsunade's chest and took a step back, removing himself from within arm's reach of the ferocious blond.

"As much as I would love to pound you into the ground right now we have bigger issues to deal with. Since you are here I can assume you have received my message." She said after taking a deep breath and pushing her desires to pummel the Sannin.

"I did, you are correct, there is much to discuss." He replied, his face growing serious. He waited as Tsunade initiated a soundproof barrier around her office before she delved into what had been weighing on her mind the past few days.

-:-

~Naruto~

After leaving the underground prison Naruto went over to Kakashi's where he found the Copy Ninja just lazing about reading his book. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, or even could do but he knew he couldn't do anything about Sakura with Sasuke hovering over him and that left only one other place for the man who was still on probation to go.

He didn't tell Kakashi everything he knew but he promised that everything would be clear in time, he just had to wait but for now he had to keep an eye on Sasuke. Sure he felt bad about leaving Sasuke out of his plans but he was one of the main causes for this situation and he'd be damned if he allowed the Uchiha to hurt Sakura any more.

After Sasuke had abandoned the village he had watched as the pinkette slowly fell into the sorrow within her, thus pushing all of her friends away. She didn't socialize; all she did was focus on her training and missions.

Naruto did his best to be there for her even if she just rejected his company but he never gave up. He didn't like what Sakura had become and he made it his personal mission to fix it, and by doing so that meant returning the Uchiha to Konoha, if only for the sole reason to atone for what he had done. It was no longer a rescue mission, it was a way to try and bring back the Sakura he knew and loved.

Over the years as their efforts continued to fail when it involved returning Sasuke he slowly watched as Sakura's emotional detachment melted away but much to his dismay it was replaced with cold indifference.

As her strength grew so did her resolve to not trust anyone ever again, regardless of who they were. It hurt like hell to watch Sakura smile and joke but he knew it was just a façade. Her eyes never smiled like they used to. Even her temper that she was known for when they were younger had changed. She still got mad but it was like she just lost all her drive.

Sure she'd still whack him on the back of his head when he did or said something stupid but he realized it lacked anything behind it. That was what she had become. She reacted without reacting truly, almost as if she was just a mere shell of herself. Her body continued to move and do what she needed to do but her spirit was gone.

Sasuke had killed her spirit.

Even to this day she never fully recovered but when Sasuke returned a few months ago he had hoped that it would wake her up and she could finally let him go. Sure a small part of him wanted them to just kiss and make up, even he wouldn't deny they would look good together, but he knew it was a long shot.

When Sasuke came back and we went to inform Sakura, for the first time in many years he witnessed a true flicker of emotion within her eyes. It was fear. He never imagined that such an emotion would appear within her when it came to Sasuke. Sure he expected pain, heartbreak, anger, and maybe even hope but when he saw the fear, he knew that everything he had ever hoped for her was wrong.

Being who he was he kept a smile on his face and pretended to be happy about Sasuke's return but what really mattered to him was to protect the girl he had grown to love and watch over as if she were his little sister.

So he kept close watch on their interactions. He wasn't stupid, he knew that when Tsunade had finally released Sasuke he had gone in search of Sakura and ended up breaking into her apartment. He stayed outside the whole night just watching and waiting for something to happen and the following morning when she ran outside with a look mixing between anger and frustration he couldn't help but smile. Another part of the old Sakura had resurfaced.

Over the days that followed he watched as Sakura continued to try and avoid the Uchiha but he also couldn't help but notice how the life slowly returned to her, even if she was trying to hide.

During that time Sasuke resided with him and much to his surprise there were many changes to the Uchiha. He seemed generally calmer; much more so than when they were genin but he assumed that was because Itachi was finally dead. His goal had been completed.

Then came the day when Tsunade said that Sasuke requested to move out of Naruto's care and into Sakura's. He was taken aback by the claims but he didn't say anything, knowing that their forced contact day in and day out would only help in bringing Sakura back more.

It seemed to work, at least from what he could tell. Sakura's eyes would shine with determination, even if it was to rid herself of Sasuke, but it was still there.

Then Sakura disappeared for a full day. He watched as Sasuke nearly tore the village to pieces as he searched for her. That was then he began to realize how deeply the Uchiha's feelings ran for their pinkette teammate and friend.

That night she returned and she had visibly changed again. Her attitude was much more care-free and certain. She seemed genuinely happy, as if she was now complete, though he never knew why.

Only a few days later he received word from Tsunade that Sakura had Sasuke had caught a contagious virus and he was to leave them alone. Of course he was worried but he also knew it was a good chance for the two of them to just get to know each other more so he didn't push the issue. He continued on with his life and even took Hinata out on a date, which went very well but that's for another time.

Weeks passed and he had yet to hear from Sasuke or Sakura until that morning when Tsunade had burst into his apartment and told him to be ready to receive Sasuke again. He tried to question her but she didn't answer him, she just left.

He instantly wondered if something had happened between them and the sudden urge to beat Sasuke to a pulp ran through him. If Sasuke had hurt her again he would always blame himself for allowing them to get close.

When Sasuke was dropped off, he watched as Sasuke ranted about Sakura vanishing and how it was all some other guys fault. Confusion washed over him and he questioned Sasuke.

Soon after he learned that the other guy was Itachi who was in fact alive and had been living with them while Tsunade investigated things from the past.

He was angered and hurt that nobody told him but in the end he understood why, it was one of those situations that was better with less people knowing.

Then he learned how that Itachi and Sasuke had both developed feelings for Sakura but she only seemed to reciprocate one of theirs, which was Itachi's and he ended up breaking her heart. Now she had vanished.

With determination he had ran to see Itachi. He planned on yelling at him then telling him how badly he had hurt her but he didn't have to. He only said a small amount of what he actually wanted to but when Itachi admitted he was right, Naruto knew that he did love Sakura, he just had a terrible way of showing it.

So he developed a plan. First it was to find out where Sakura had gone, which he did. He learned she had fled to Suna and would be expected back within a week. He realized it was enough time to enact his plan before she returned, but he had one other obstacle and that was Sasuke.

And that's what led him to all but dragging the Uchiha to their former sensei's apartment and dropping him off before walking away. Now all he had to do was wait for Sakura to return.