A/N: Wow. It looks like Chapter 28 was a top favourite and I can't thank you all enough for the amazing reviews, PMs, and Tumblr messages! This is a challenging but exciting part of the story for me to write because the plot is thickening. Thanks for your patience and support and hope you enjoy this one. :)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the great Masashi Kishimoto.


Chapter 29: Cat and Mouse

"About my brother?" Sasuke repeated flatly, his dark eyes narrowing with disbelief. Sakura could feel his guard go up by the way his shoulder muscles tensed beneath her hands.

"Yes," she answered and averting her gaze to the ground, suddenly nervous. This might blow up in her face if she didn't tread carefully. But if there was even the smallest chance this confession might save Sasuke from his downward spiral of vengeance and madness, she felt it was worth the risk. Especially now that her time travel mission was on the brink of becoming a complete and utter failure.

And so Sakura sucked in a deep breath and prepared to divulge the secret that had been plaguing her since she discovered it in Danzo's letter.

But she was interrupted by a pulse and collapsed forward.


Sasuke disappeared and Sakura landed, bare knees slamming hard against a paved surface. Dual sensations flooded her body – an imploding, heavy pain that pierced every inch of her flesh, and a rush of rejuvenating energy seeping out through the Strength of a Hundred seal on her forehead, negating her discomfort.

She huddled on the ground, catching her breath while the conflicting sensations fought to take hold of her and her eyes swam in and out of focus.

Damn it! No! she cursed inwardly as she realized just what was happening.

There was no doubt she was suffering the effects of time travel, but how untimely this was, now that she'd finally built up the nerve to confide in Sasuke about the Uchiha massacre.

Thankfully her seal dampened the agonizing strain of being pulled to another time dimension, but the head-rush that accompanied the swell of her seal's chakra made the world spin.

"You went back?"

A voice on the left urged Sakura to spring to her feet. Her body was heavier, sturdier and surrounded by three monstrous chakra signatures.

Tsunade was standing beside her, facing forward to where Orochimaru and a much older and more fearsome version of the Sasuke she'd just been facing were standing. Their eyes were trained on her forehead.

"Yeah," she managed shakily, scanning the area to gauge what scenario she'd just stumbled into. There were Leaf and Sound ninjas clashing in the village streets, civilians scurrying about in search of shelter, buildings crumbling and smoke wafting overhead in the cool night air. Sasuke's sword was in hand and three kunai were splayed on the ground at his feet.

That's right… I just attacked him…

"And you finally unlocked it," Tsunade added while nodding briskly. "Good."

"How interesting," Orochimaru chimed in, his thin lips curling into a sneer. His beady, yellow eyes followed the length of Sakura's body with interest, lingering on the diamond in the center of her forehead. She bit back a cringe. "Like mentor. Like student."

"I could say the same," Tsunade scoffed, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder and balling her hands into fists. "This brat has become nearly as wretched and disgraceful as you."

Sasuke's chakra spiked warningly and the earth throbbed beneath their feet. In the blink of an eye, his sword was raised and poised to strike down the Hokage.

Before she could think better of it, Sakura flash-stepped between her mentor and the attackers while pulling out another fistful of poison-laced knives, her ninja instincts taking over.

"Out of my way," Sasuke growled, his voice deeper than she was used to and his face as beautiful as she remembered but hauntingly so. For a fleeting moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed his features when his eyes landed on hers.

But Sakura stood her ground, lowering to a defensive stance with the knives aimed at his throat. She knew she had no chance of defeating the Uchiha prodigy, but if he so much as lay a hand on her mentor, she would fight back with everything she had.

The moment broke and he lost patience, thrusting the sword down, intending to run both Sakura and Tsunade through with a single strike. But Sakura, who anticipated the motion, managed to evade the blade and catch his wrist before it descended, a feat she'd witnessed Sai perform when they ambushed one of Orochimaru's hideouts and encountered Sasuke for the first time after he defected.

She gripped his wrist firmly, pumping her seal's chakra to the area to strengthen her hold. He immediately threw his other fist at her collarbone in attempt to knock her backwards, but she caught it with her free gloved hand, her chakra swirling around them ominously. Sasuke was taller and faster than she was, but with her seal, their physical strength was on par, it seemed. And so she bravely returned his dangerous glare and squeezed his wrist tighter, manipulating her chakra to latch onto and tug at the sensitive bones and tendons in his forearm…

For a fraction of a second, Sasuke's eyes widened with panic as he realized what she was planning. Then, with lighting-speed, he shot his foot upwards, driving the heel into her chest, knocking the breath out of her and forcing his release.

Sakura stumbled backwards, gasping for air, pumping medical chakra through her windpipe, expanding it and maximizing the airflow to her lungs. Sasuke dropped his sword and leaped back to Orochimaru's side while staring at his wrist in bewilderment. The damage was done. Sakura had broken it.

She felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder, accompanied by a flutter of her soothing healing chakra – a gesture of support and acknowledgement. And Sakura felt a brief stab of pride. I broke Sasuke Uchiha's wrist with my bare hands. And forced him to drop his sword.

"Grown soft, have we?" Orochimaru muttered to his apprentice while surveying Sakura with a curious, hungry stare. The comment did not sit well with the young prodigy

"You—!" Sasuke spat, his irises bleeding crimson, his face contorting with anger and a primal need for vengeance. He peered at Sakura through his matted, black hair and coiled his body like a wild feline.

Shit.

Sakura temporarily froze with terror as Sasuke manifested into the face of her nightmares right before her eyes. But she didn't have much time to embrace her fears and let them paralyze her because she needed to run. I'll draw him away from Tsunade-sama, she thought as she leaped backwards, flash-stepped to the rooftops of abandoned office buildings and tore away from the scene as fast as her legs could carry her.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to catch up though. A blazing heat crept along the ground near her ankles soon after, confirming that he was on her tail. She flipped from side-to-side in a zig-zag pattern, hoping to evade his next Fire style attack, but then he intercepted her path, aiming a series of fluid, ruthless taijutsu sequences at her. Sakura didn't have a chance to prepare any counterstrikes, so instead focused her energy on dodging and blocking his swipes at the throat of her combat vest and kicks to her abdomen. And thankfully, as a result of the months she'd spent training with a younger version of Sasuke, she found it relatively second-nature to predict his footwork patterns, which gave her an upper hand in avoiding his attacks.

But even so, this Sasuke was exponentially faster. And stronger. And she knew that if they continued fighting at close-quarters, it was only a matter of time before he used a Lightning or Fire element technique to finish her off.

She caught a momentary gap between his strikes and used that opportunity to flip backwards, towards the edge of the building's roof, and drive a chakra-loaded fist into it when she landed. The empty, five-storey high building was demolished on impact, its frames unhinging, windows shattering, and the roof surface caving in on itself. Sakura, who had strategically positioned herself near roof's edge, sprang from it to a nearby, wooden electricity pole like a spider monkey, clinging to it with her hands and feet. Sasuke disappeared in the dust and rubble of the collapsing building, which, she prayed, would give her a brief window to strategize.

But it didn't. Sakura's heart sank as Sasuke emerged from the crumbling structure, hovering in the air and supported by gigantic wings sprouting from his back near his shoulder blades. She gazed on in disbelief at the nearly unrecognizable monster suspended in the air, his white shirt discarded and the exposed skin tinged a sickly grey, his hair long, flowing down his back in mane-like spikes, and the arms of a dark cross spanning along the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks. His Sharingan gleamed in the night sky and, worst of all, everything about him reeked of Orochimaru.

This is bad.

Without a moment's hesitation, and before Sasuke's eyes landed on her, Sakura leaped from the poll and crashed right through the fifth floor window of the neighbouring office building, barrel rolling inside and using her arms to shield herself from the shattered glass. Then she clambered to her feet, the heels of her boots sliding a little on the ceramic tile, and sprinted ahead down the deserted hallway, passing row upon row of doors leading to empty offices and conference rooms.

Sakura arrived at a flight of stairs and without wasting time to turn back and gauge Sasuke's location, whipped down two flights before springing back out into a hallway. He's too strong, she thought in a frenzy as she raced through the winding halls, hoping to put as much space as possible between herself and her pursuer to buy more time – until either she formulated a plan or until reinforcements arrived.

She sprinted pell-mell through hallways, masking her chakra signature to the best of her ability, and scouting out a sufficient temporary hiding spot where she could pause and catch her breath. After what could have been seconds or hours for all she knew, Sakura finally settled on a random office on the outer side of the hall.

She picked the lock effortlessly, searing the metal inner workings with a delicate stream of chakra. This was clearly only a civilian office complex, perhaps even where her father worked. Once inside, Sakura closed the door as quietly as she could and threw herself up against the wall beside it, listening attentively for any sign of Sasuke arriving on the premises.

Several minutes of silence passed, save her heavy breathing, and she glimpsed her reflection in the window on the opposite wall. Her forehead was lined with sweat despite the relatively cold temperature, her body trembling with fright. She was no match for Sasuke, especially in that demonic state.

I need backup.

But was Sasuke even following her anymore? Perhaps he encountered someone else, distracting him from the pursuit. It was only a matter of time before Naruto showed up, after all. Maybe he –

Bang.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat at the abrupt sound further down the hall. What was that?

Bang.

Bang.

Her heart drummed frantically as the rhythmic noises grew louder and louder. Closer and closer.

Bang.

Bang.

She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. Damn it. Someone was slamming open doors, one by one, along the very hallway Sakura's office hideout was located on.

Sasuke was coming.


Sakura's stomach lurched as she fell forward, her head colliding with someone's chest and she yelped with surprise, her mind and body disoriented and on high-alert. Her nerves spurred her to action, urging her to straighten and confront the stranger.

And as soon as she caught sight of the familiar dark eyes, the very face she'd been fleeing from only seconds prior, her body moved automatically. A gloved fist was flying towards Sasuke's head before she could think twice about it. He managed to block the fist with his forearms when it was mere inches away from breaking his nose.

"What the hell?!" he spluttered before snatching at her wrist and shoving Sakura away from him. But she couldn't find her words through the swell of emotions and panic. The Sasuke in front of her was wearing all black and was smaller, his chakra less potent, but had the same terrible, murderous expression as the Sasuke who stood beside Orochimaru.

When she failed to reply, Sasuke stepped closer, gripped the front of Sakura's black dress and pulled her towards him, until their faces were only a few inches apart. She whimpered with surprise, her body tensing in preparation to retaliate. "My brother?" he prompted, his tone harsh and stone cold.

Oh, right. She was about to tell him, finally… Before she went to the future…

"It was a ploy. Your revenge, the massacre… a ploy," she choked out, her prepared speech thrown out the window in this moment of desperation. Sasuke's expression was indifferent and he continued to glare, waiting for her to continue. "I-it sounds like your clan was plotting an uprising," she stammered, her eyes shifting up while she recalled the contents of Danzo's letter. "But your brother was faithful to the village. He… he carried out the homicide on Konoha's orders. To protect it. I… I think," she finished, vaguely wondering if she was making any sense at all. The letter was carefully memorized and safeguarded at the back of her mind, but even so, there were probably pieces of the story she was missing. Her sympathetic nervous system was screaming at her to either fight or flee, so speaking calmly and coherently felt unnatural.

"What makes you say this?" was Sasuke's blunt response after a long pause, his emotionless mask plastered on thick.

She released a breath, willing her body to calm down. "I found a letter in the Hokage's office before the Chūnin Exams. A letter of execution written by a member of Konoha's high council," she answered honestly, striving to come clean as fully and completely as possible.

Sasuke released her dress, shaking his head in bewilderment without averting his wide eyes from her. "Before the Chūnin Exams," he repeated.

She nodded and motioned to shorten the distance between them again. "It's probably hard to believe, but if you want, I could try to get my hands on –"

"Get away from me."

Sakura faltered and snapped her head up to Sasuke's face. His eyes were glazed over, his jaw set.

"W-what?" she sputtered in a trance, without halting her advance towards him. "Sasuke, I…"

But he snatched at her shoulder and pushed with such force that she stumbled. She even fell to her knees, overwhelmed by shock and the physical repercussions of time travel.

"You," Sasuke snarled, his Sharingan igniting, and, to her horror, black marks creeping up along the base of his neck. "Stay away from me."

And then he left.

And Sakura just sat there, numb with confusion, on the tree-lined path connecting the village core to the training grounds, wearing her black funeral dress.

Well. That sure didn't go well, she thought in a daze, too drained to absorb the situation on an emotional level.

Was he pissed off that she interrupted him? He was trying to tell her something before she so abruptly cut him off. Maybe he didn't believe her? Or perhaps he was offended she hadn't told him about the letter sooner? Before they discussed defecting the village as ANBU one day?

Her breathing hitched. Maybe that was it. He felt betrayed. And maybe even hurt. By her not fessing up when he proposed they merge their life goals. Maybe he felt used. Mislead.

Well, whatever he felt must be powerful because unless the fuuja houin seal was breaking, the only ways Orochimaru's curse could surface were if he deliberately chose to use its powers, if he lost control, or some combination of the two occurred.

It was funny how only now, after she had probably caused serious damage to their relationship, did Sakura truly grasp that Sasuke could indeed feel the way other people did. But who could blame her for forgetting? After the emotional beating she'd taken from him for years on end in her previous life, a beating that he generally refused to acknowledge, it was hard to fathom that she had the ability to, in fact, make him hurt.

In this world, at least. Certainly not in the future, where Sasuke was now a monster and she was on the verge of death by his hand. She couldn't hurt him there – he was no longer human and any shred of warmth he ever felt for her was shrouded by darkness and bloodthirst.

I need to get that damn scroll fixed, she thought in a daze. Because the next visit I pay the future just might be the last.


Sakura found herself at the hospital later that evening – a place she frequented when she sought comfort and distraction. She didn't want to face Sasuke just yet and highly doubted he wanted anything to do with her anyway.

She spent her time dropping in on long-term care patients, offering to help with the grunt work like filing and cleaning, and avoiding human interaction in general. After about an hour of this, she visited the quarantined wing, where the surviving victims of Orochimaru's disease were recovering. All of them, including Ino, were sleeping, except for a boy on the furthest bed from the entrance.

"Psst!" he hissed across the room when Sakura entered. She looked up with alarm to find he was beckoning for her to join him. After exchanging curious glances with the nurses surrounding his bed, she did as he asked, only then realizing that she knew who he was.

"You're the one from forest. The one we found by the stream," she said slowly, her heart fluttering a little. The boy looked so much better than he did when Team Seven encountered him in the Second Exam – there was colour in his face, the black splotches were fading, and his brown eyes were alert and vibrant. His hair looked much lighter now that it was dry – so blonde that it was nearly white, and he appeared to be in his mid-teenage years.

"Souta," he said, introducing himself when she reached the bedside, motioning to extend his hand before remembering his arm was hooked up to IVs, securing it in place.

"Sakura," she replied with a courteous bow, a real smile sprouting on her lips. He returned it.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving me back there. I'd be a goner if we hadn't crossed paths." He gestured for her to take the chair at his bedside.

"Glad I could help," she answered simply while settling herself down. "And thank you for, well… warning us. About him," she added, her eyebrows furrowing together as she recalled Souta's words after she'd healed him enough to speak.

Eyes of a snake… He told me to find you…

He nodded gravely, facial features hardening. "He was one creepy guy, I'll tell you that," Souta said in a quieter tone, chuckling darkly. "You didn't end up fighting him, did you?"

Sakura's stomach turned. "Yeah we did," she muttered, frowning.

"You're kidding," he whispered. "Did your whole team make it out okay?"

She shifted her gaze to the bed covers, hesitating, while fresh images of Sasuke's uncontrolled curse mark engulfed her thoughts. Now that he'd succumbed to the allure of the curse once, what did this mean for him?

Her throat clenched. He wouldn't go to Orochimaru now, would he? Defect the village earlier than he promised her?

But what reason does he have to hold his promise now? He doesn't trust me…

"They didn't die, did they?"

Sakura met Souta's wide, concerned stare. "No," she answered, feigning relief before rising to her feet again. "They're fine. Anyway, I'd better be off. It was great to see you again."

"Oh," he answered, visibly crest-fallen by her sudden departure. "You too, Sakura." And it seemed like he wanted to add something else but Sakura turned on her heel and made a beeline for the exit.

Sasuke… couldn't have left for Orochimaru, could he? Surely Sakura hadn't upset him that much. He'd only activated Orochimaru's seal once and by accident, as far as she could tell.

But it wouldn't hurt to check on him, I suppose…

She burst out of the quarantined chamber, tore around corners, and made a hysteric dash for the nearest exit, only to nearly collide, head-on, with Shikamaru.

"Um… yo," he said and flinching a little at her hasty movements.

"Hi," she answered breathlessly, fighting to calm her slew of emotions. Chill, Sakura. Act normal. "Here to visit Ino?"

"Yeah," he answered, while leisurely rubbing the back of his neck. "And as much as I'm happy she lived and all, I honestly hope she's sleeping this time."

Sakura forced a smile. "Well you're in luck," she said dismissively, hoping to slip away as soon as possible.

"By the way, your sensei came back, but you might have missed him on his way out again."

She blanched. "Wait, what?"

He shrugged, evidently not seeing what the huge deal was. "He returned from a mission but said he was leaving for a trip or something."

A trip?! Sakura put her head in her hands. Why the hell would Kakashi want to go on a trip now? Right after returning from a lengthy mission? She needed to tell him about Sasuke, about Kabuto, the disease, and the billions of other crises she couldn't face alone.

"Okay," she managed after a long pause. "Well, thanks. Good night."

"Night," he answered, cocking a lazy eyebrow as she pushed passed him. "And… nice diamond."

"Thanks," she responded instinctively without turning back.

But then it occurred to her that Shikamaru was there when they looked at the brain scans in Sasuke's flat, the brain scans Sakura claimed were taken on a patient of hers. The scans with regenerative chakra concentrated in the shape of a diamond…

"Wait, hold on a sec," Shikamaru interrupted, picking up one of the scans. "So either this patient is actually older and has some sort of neurodegenerative disease, or this patient really is twelve, and his brain's development is being accelerated in certain areas at an unnatural pace..."

She darted away as fast as her legs could take her, not wanting to speculate too much on how one of the most intelligent ninjas in the entire village just might be onto her.


Sasuke didn't answer when she hammered on the door of his flat in the wee hours of the morning. She checked all the windows, only to find most of the blinds pulled shut, so she projected all the sensory chakra she could muster onto the place, and confirmed that either Sasuke's was concealing his chakra signature impeccably, or his flat was vacant.

Next she searched the training grounds they normally met each other at, then the path leading to Konoha's front gates, her house, and even the hospital again, hoping beyond hope that this would wind up being like the last time she lost him – that he'd just turn up somewhere unexpectedly.

But he didn't. And so she returned to his flat just as dull sunbeams started poking up along the horizon and kicked in his front door.

Her action set off a series of connected traps positioned at different angles on the ceiling, and then about twenty senbon were flying at her. She flattened herself to the ground of his front hallway as fast as she could and rolled forward, knocking over an end-table in the process, and shielding her head with her arms. She managed to evade most of the weapons – only one lodged in her arm and another in her calf.

She ignored them and started exploring the place from top to bottom, but couldn't help feeling disheartened that he didn't appear after the commotion she caused, and how his long, black travelling cloak was not on the hook by the front door, where it usually was.

After about thirty minutes of fruitlessly searching every nook and cranny of his tiny flat, Sakura collapsed in a defeated heap on the floor of his sitting room, beside the couch she normally slept on. Sasuke isn't here, she thought while covering her face with her hands, admitting a fact that she'd refused to acknowledge up until that point.

Her head was pulsing with exhaustion and her body was far too heavy and exhausted to move.

What have I done? she thought as she curled into herself, leaning against the seat of Sasuke's couch, tears pooling in her tear ducts and her stomach knotting so tightly that she felt like she was going to be sick.


Sakura slept until midday, her exhausted body and mind refusing to rouse any earlier. Her green eyes fluttered open to rays of a bright afternoon sun pouring through an opening between the window's curtains and Sasuke's doorless entryway. She'd collapsed to the floor in her sleep, it seemed, and she was currently splayed out on the ground, half of her body beneath his coffee table. Her back was pretty sore after spending the night on a firm, wooden surface, but that wasn't the worst of her aches.

She tilted her head up to examine her body, which was still clothed in the black funeral dress. Damn it Sakura thought when she noticed the purple and yellow tinge to the skin around the senbon protruding from her limbs. The wounds she'd neglected to heal before she slept were getting infected.

Grief still weighed down on her, but it was muted slightly, now that she'd managed to rest and reenergize her body just enough to pull her up to a sitting position and out of her slumber. She proceeded to heal herself, discarding the bloody senbon on Sasuke's living room floor, and scanned the parameters for any sign of his return or a break-in of some sort. It was unwise to leave doors unlocked at night in a ninja village, let alone leave a gaping hole where a door should be, but aside from the wreckage she'd caused the previous night, it didn't seem like anyone else entered the place. It wasn't like Sasuke ever got visitors anyway. And she doubted anyone was looking for her, except for maybe her parents or Naruto. Although the latter probably purposefully left her alone to grieve.

Next, automatically, Sakura made herself breakfast in Sasuke's kitchen, used his shower and changed into the spare clothes she stored in his linen closet. Then she left without bothering to clean up her mess, lifting and sealing the door shut with chakra, and heading straight to the Hokage tower.


When she arrived and demanded she speak to the Hokage, Sakura was informed by the Jōnin guards that he was currently working at the mission assignment desk, and so that was where she went next.

She waited patiently in the hallway leading to the room, in line behind several other three-man teams of Genin and Chūnin waiting for their next mission assignments. She twiddled her fingers, ran her gloved hands through her hair, which was mostly dry now after her walk here in the afternoon sun, and ignored the curious looks from her fellow Konoha shinobi, particularly those directed at her forehead.

About twenty minutes later, Sakura reached the front of the line. "Next!" she heard Sarutobi's gruff voice call from behind the partly-open set of double-doors. She pushed on through, carefully shutting the doors behind her, before turning around to face the Third Hokage and Iruka, who were both seated at a long table on the opposite end of the room.

"Sakura…," Iruka said with surprise before exchanging a look with Sarutobi. "What are you here for?"

"You're a little young to be sent on a solo mission," the Hokage added, but she could tell, by the way he was surveying her, that he knew this visit wasn't about missions.

She bowed respectfully to her elders as she neared before taking a seat on the chair facing the table. "I think Sasuke Uchiha left the village last night," she said shortly, shifting her piercing gaze between the two of them, daring them not to believe her. She resolved to report Sasuke's potential absence as soon as possible, so he might be caught before reaching Orochimaru. His departure had been so sudden that clearly this was just some spur of the moment choice. He'd regret this if he wasn't stopped.

"That he did," the Hokage agreed with a curt nod.

Sakura rose to her feet and felt her jaw hang open. "What?"

"He left with Kakashi last night," Iruka piped in. "He demanded they spend the month training in the Land of Rivers in preparation for the Third Exam. They left immediately after."

She stood there, frozen in place, consumed by both relief and shock all at once. Sasuke didn't defect the village. And even though he probably still hated her, at least he was in good hands. But why did he drag Kakashi away so suddenly? And what was so special about the Land of Rivers anyway?

"Now, you understand that normally I can't disclose this sort of information to you, don't you Sakura?" Iruka added with a nervous chuckle while glancing over at his superior. "But since this retreat isn't exactly a mission, and since Kakashi is your sensei…"

"It's fine," Sarutobi said while waving a dismissive hand. "And I suppose, on that note, it sounds like Naruto will be busy in the near future as well. Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sanin, approached me this morning and asked to take your teammate under his wing for the month."

"Oh," Sakura answered while slumping back down onto her chair. She couldn't believe how many things happened over the last twenty-four hours. And although the fact that the boys were gone to train wasn't necessarily bad news, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of anxiousness. Her teammates now had personal instructors to help them prepare for the Third Exam, and she didn't even have a training partner, with Sasuke gone and Lee dead. Sure, she had a good shot at being promoted to Chūnin, but Kabuto certainly wouldn't be an easy opponent to defeat. Sakura was in dire need of rigorous physical training and perhaps a few more techniques at her disposal, but from whom would she learn them?

And not only were the Chūnin Exams a concern, but after everything she'd endured, Sakura didn't want to risk being in isolation to wallow in her grief and guilt for the entire month, while the broken time travel scroll tore her apart from the inside-out.

"Is there… something else you wanted to tell me?"

Sakura's eyes flicked back up to meet Sarutobi's calculating gaze. "Yes," she said. "I want extra security in place around my house, particularly at night. Two ANBU guards at minimum."

It was Iruka's turn to rise from his chair. "Why on earth would you need that?" he questioned with raised eyebrows. Sarutobi remained silent and watched her intently, perhaps because he had learned to take her claims seriously.

Sakura was so tempted to divulge the truth about Orochimaru and Kabuto stalking her, but she held her tongue, partly because she was afraid that the confession would open the door to a slew of questions she wasn't comfortable answering, and partly because she wasn't so sure how much she trusted them. She had no doubt Iruka was a great guy who usually had the best intentions, but she needed to be selective with the people she opened up to about her personal affairs. She also couldn't ignore the bitter taste in her mouth brought on by how she knew Danzo's letter was in the Hokage's office – Sarutobi knew the truth of the Uchiha massacre – yet he failed to tell Sasuke about it in both of her lives.

So instead she half-lied through her teeth. "Considering how there's an outbreak at the hospital that only I could find a remedy for, the health and safety of the villagers rest in my hands," she said bluntly. "That makes me a vulnerable target."

A brief silence followed, during which the Hokage clasped his hands and closed his eyes in concentration and Iruka returned to his seat. Sakura flattened the shirt of her training dress and pulled on the ties of her head protector, waiting attentively for his answer.

Finally, he spoke. "Understood. Anything else?" was all Sarutobi said.

She released a sigh of relief. "Oh, yes. Sasuke's door needs to be repaired. I kicked it in."

Iruka looked appalled but Sarutobi shook his head, his face relaxing slightly. "That can be arranged," he chuckled.

A small smile graced her lips. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said while motioning to get up. "I guess I'll be go-"

"Wait, Sakura. There's something I need to tell you about." She paused and the Hokage's expression hardened once more. "It's about Kakashi's recent mission."

Sakura held her breath. Now that was something she sure wanted to learn more about. Why the hell did Kakashi leave on such an untimely mission, right when she needed him most, in the first place?

But before the Hokage could elaborate, he was interrupted by the double doors slamming open. Sakura nearly toppled out of her seat with surprise.

"Where's the kid?" came a husky, female voice from the entrance behind her.

Sakura's stomach dropped. No way… It can't be…!

The sound of heeled shoes clicking against the polished, wooden floor met her ears and Sakura was so disabled with shock that she couldn't move.

"Why, speak of the devil," Sarutobi sneered while rolling his eyes. Iruka, once again, sprang up out of his chair.

Sakura felt the new presence standing immediately to her right and so she daringly shifted her gaze in that direction, her heart hammering in her chest.

"T-Tsunade-sama?"

"Don't tell me you're the brat?" was the answer she got, Tsunade's amber eyes narrowing and her body stooping down enough for Sakura to smell the alcohol on her breath.

But she didn't care. Tsunade was here, in all of her overwhelmingly powerful and beautiful glory. Sakura's mentor was in the village. Someone who might support her. Who she might be able to trust. She couldn't find the words to respond.

"Greetings, Tsunade," the Hokage said while raising his eyebrows. "I see you've rediscovered some of Konoha's finest, er… entertainment spots."

Tsunade pulled her eyes away from Sakura and hiccupped before striding confidently over to the Hokage's desk, swaying slightly, and with a wine bottle in hand. "Your men are smart, I'll give them that much. There's no way any of you Konoha rats could drag me here unless I was drunk off my ass." She slammed her free hand down on the desk when she arrived at it, cracking the surface from sheer force. The Hokage stood at attention and Iruka seemed to shrink into the background.

When no one answered her, Tsunade continued, adjusting the stooping neckline of her grey shirt. "That Kakashi fellow, or whatever his name was… I thought he was just some suave young gentleman, with how many drinks he got me at that bar in Kiri…" Her words slurred together slightly.

"Kakashi-sensei… he brought you here?" Sakura stammered while she stood up.

Tsunade turned back around, squaring up her future apprentice. "He did," she answered, a wicked grin sprouting on her lips. "I thought it was bullshit though, when he mentioned having a student with powers like mine. He insisted I meet you." She strutted back over to Sakura until she was towering over her, a drop of alcohol trailing down her chin, her eyes glazed over, and her enormous breasts on full display. "But I never imagined that you would have… stolen my technique." Her gaze lingered on Sakura's forehead.

"Are you here to train me?" she breathed.

"No, kid. To fight you."


A/N: Whew, that was a tricky chapter, probably because action and angst scenes take a little more effort for me. Although I've already mentioned this in a blog FAQ, I think I'll also add here that yes, this story is working towards a specific ending.

Thanks so much for the amazing feedback and support so far. It's so motivating and encouraging. :) Can't wait for your reviews and see you soon!