The only Japanese will be names and cuss words (unless I can't find them). And they still will have the asterisks (*) and translations in at the bottom. If they're not here, they're in a previous chapter. Unimportant names—like store names that are irrelevant to the story and there for visual's sake—will be in English.

JUST TWO MORE REVIEWS, PLEASE! GET ME TO AT LEAST 200!

Standard disclaimer applied.

Shizune raced into Tsunade's office. A scroll was in her hands, and her hands were shaking. The scroll had been unrolled, read, and rolled again in a rush. Now Shizune stormed into the cluttered room, her eyes wide ovals of frantic horror. "Tsunade! Tsunade!" she yelled, ignoring any suffix she might have added before. There was too much she was worried about to even bother with rank, let alone politeness. "Tsunade, there's been a hawk. A hawk, with a message labeled 'urgent' in big red letters!"

Tsunade rolled her hazel eyes, patting her pink pig's head. She waved a hand to the papers all around her. It wasn't just her desk that was covered in tedious papers; they were everywhere now. Over filing cabinets, on sofas, over chairs, piling on the floor even. Her waved hand covered over all of those papers. "Yeah?" she asked. Her voice was slurred, but not enough. Shizune knew Tsunade was acting, trying to lose herself in her Sake but failing so miserably she had to fake it to herself. "So were half of these, but they haven't really taken my attention."

Shizune stared at her boss and best friend, her wide eyes incredulous. If there ever was a time when she hated—loathed—Tsunade's horrid drinking problem, it was now. Where was the Tsunade that deserved the title Hokage? Where was the Tsunade that jumped to action once one of hers was in trouble?

TonTon squealed. She jumped out of the blonde's iron grip and trampled over the many papers scattered all over the floor. Her little hooved feet crumpled the papers as she shot out the door, her little pearls jangling.

Shizune twitched. Then she opened the scroll up with a decisive sweep. " 'Tsunade,' " she read. Her eyes pierced through the page; her voice was clipped and short as she read aloud the terrifying words that were written on the page. " 'We found Sasuke—our fears were rightly grounded, he has Sakura. She's perfectly fine and intact. She looks better than ever.' " This wasn't worrying. This was actually pretty reassuring. The worst was still to come. " 'He has her healthy and warm and, actually, she looks happy—gleeful, even. Because of her somehow changing his mind, Sasuke has offered us something. Something wonderful—something we'd trade the world for. Uchiha Sasuke has offered us to disband all things against Konoha, even the Akasuki. He even offered us his protection. All at the cost of one thing, one person, one of the most valuable people we have.' "

Tsunade sat at attention, watching, waiting, and listening. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. She didn't like it. When Shizune looked up, Tsunade swallowed and nodded.

Three simple words made up the last sentence. Shizune read it with a heavy heart. " 'He wants Sakura.' "

Tsunade's eyes stoned over and she stood, knocking the chair back with how quickly she got up. The offer was a good one; she'd have to admit. But there was no way in jigoku—even if the place froze over—that'd she'd hand over her Sakura, her student, her friend, her weapon.

Kakashi had been in a foul mood since talking to Sasuke; it made Sakura wonder what happened. Her old sensei sat on her bed, glaring off into the distance, picking at his forehead protector. He looked as if he was itching to take it off, something he often avoided as much as possible. His elbow was digging deep into his black pants, undoubtedly leaving a mark, while the palm of the same arm dug into his cheek. Meanwhile, Kiba lay down on the bed, poking Burūsu's nose and teasing him about his snake-eyes. Shikamaru sat at the desk that the barren room had and pulled black scrolls from the bookshelves with scarce choices. Naruto had gone chasing after Sasuke, eager to have his questions answered and his best friend back—even if he'd tried to kill him…repeatedly.

Kiba pressed his fingers to Burūsu's nose. "You can't hide that thing from me!" Kiba announced when the toddler attempted to hide his nose behind his tiny little pudgy hands. Burūsu dug himself deeper into Sakura's lap. The boy was on Sakura's, and Kiba's head was lying on Burūsu's lap. The tracker stuck his tongue out at his newly found little brother and chuckled at him. Kiba wouldn't go as far as to say he "loved" the kid yet—he'd met him half an hour ago, so of course he didn't love the kid yet. It was like being the youngest of your family, loving every second you were babied and spoiled, and suddenly being told your mother was pregnant. Suddenly you weren't the sweetest, cutest little baby ever; suddenly you were a grown boy and there was someone who needed you to take care of him. At first you weren't thrilled. But you eventually grew to it, putting your best foot forward at being the big brother. And it all started when you first saw your little sibling's cute little face. You grew soft until someone finally smacked sense into you and you saw that your baby brother was the cutest thing.

It didn't help that the child was the fruit of a drunken Christmas party. But it could be worse, Kiba knew; he could be Naruto—never having known his parents or hugged them, let alone ever being angry over their separation—or Sasuke—having known his parents and watched them die by the hands of his own brother—or Sakura, who's father was an abusive bastard and who's mother had left her in the same bastard's hands for fear.

Wow did ninjas have a lot of family problems. And that was just one team.

Burūsu giggled, reaching down to poke Kiba's nose. "I like my family, Nī-kun, Nee-sama!"

Kiba offered Burūsu an idiotically large smile. "Imaimashī right you do!" he shouted. "I'm in it!"

Sakura backhanded the sharp-toothed Inuzuka. "He's five, Kiba!"

"That's around the time I started cursing!" he defended himself.

Shikamaru opened a black scroll with what looked like an infinite amount of characters. He scowled. "Troublesome teammates," he muttered, staring down at the scroll with feigned interest. It wasn't fooling anyone; there was boredom in his eyes. "Kakashi." His voice hinted that another one of his catch phrases were on the way. "Where we going home?"

The emphasis on the "we" made Sakura wonder what "we" he meant—"we" as in Kakashi, Kiba, Naruto, and he, or "we" as in Kakashi, Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru and her, or as in Kakashi, Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, and her, and Sasuke. There were a countless quantity of "we" he could have meant. She didn't know how to feel about it if he was excluding her, and even less if he was including her. Sakura frowned.

"We can't go back to Konoha until we get Tsunade's okay," Kakashi reminded him, kneading harder into the skin of his cheek. His voice had lost the boring drag it always had. There was no trace of his "I got lost on the path of life" attitude. His tone was business and annoyance and anger. None of the ever-present laziness hid behind it. It was a scary tone. "And I imaimashī hope we don't get an okay," he muttered. It was almost unfathomable how Shikamaru could look so indifferent after hearing what he had, especially since Shikamaru was closer to Sakura than sometimes Kakashi was. Unfathomable. How could he not be on the very edge of boiling over? Shikamaru wasn't close to Sasuke, and probably never would be now. Kakashi, on the other hand, looked to the Uchiha as a son, just as he did Naruto and Sakura as a daughter. He'd said when he'd met them that he didn't like kids—and that hadn't changed. He still didn't like kids. Now he just liked three kids more than he used to.

Kakashi remembered saying to Sasuke, "No matter how far Orochimaru fell, he still loved him… Now I know how the Third Hokage felt." And he still understood how the God of Shinobi felt. How it felt to have one of your very own, one you've trained and had taken under your wing, turn. How it felt to see someone you taught and loved turn acidic. And Kakashi saw how much better Sasuke had gotten since the last time he'd seen him. His eyes weren't like pebbles anymore, hard and meaninglessly emotionless. No, now those black eyes shined like precious stones, tough and lasting and readable. Now Kakashi could see the emotions within the confines of those dark eyes, as he sometimes could when Sasuke was a kid.

And Kakashi knew it was all because of Sakura. Sakura. That was why he was asking for her now. The idiot had fallen in love. To jigoku with his "no bonds," the idiot had fallen in love. Uchiha Sasuke had fallen in love. That was the one reason for Sakura's part in the treaty. It wasn't because she was a Senshi Clan member, though he might try to convince Konoha it was because of that; that was if he even knew she was one of the last Senshi on Konoha's side. Kakashi wanted Sasuke on their side, back to Konoha. He wanted his team back more than Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke did. But having to sacrifice one of them to get that team back was unthinkable. If Sasuke came back, all would be well and the world would be right again. But giving up Sakura so that Sasuke became an ally, not one of them, was unthinkable. Not just because she was Sakura, Konoha's Cheery Blossom, medical ninja, last of the Senshi clan, but because she was Sakura, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi's ex-student, Uzumaki Naruto's best friend, Godaime Hokage Tsunade's student and friend.

Sakura hit Kakashi on the head. "Kakashi," she hissed a warning.

"Yeah, because the kid hasn't heard enough from Sasuke," the copy ninja growled. He was lost in thought, not paying attention anymore. That warranted him another backhand.

Sakura waved off her hand as if it had been a hot gun. "I'm going to Sasuke's room. Anyone coming with?" Naruto had most likely chased Sasuke into the huge room.

An immediate, synchronized "No" came from all three of them, while Burūsu was too distracted to even consider the words.

Suigetsu and Karin were playing Twenty Questions, oblivious to the on-goings of the outside world.

"We all know you've done it," Karin said, hugging her legs to her. Her back pressed to the cream wall of her room near the room. "I mean, you've paid girls for it—which is stupid, because I think you could do perfectly well at a bar on your own."

Sui raised an eyebrow. "You do, do you?" he asked. He was sitting on Karin's bed, back to the other wall—her bed was set in a corner of the room—one of his arms on his raised leg. "That is interesting information. I think I might use it against you one of these days."

"Do it and I'll kill you," Karin threatened. "Anything said, thought, or done within this game of Twenty Questions remains in this room. Got it?"

Sui gave a sarcastic salute. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Karin gave an ironic smile. "Down, solider," she ordered, a girlish giggle hidden behind the words. When Suigetsu grinned widely at her, she let the giggle out. "Back to the game," she said. "What, other than sex, have you done?"

"To be honest?" Suigetsu asked. Karin rolled her eyes and nodded. It was a game of Twenty Questions, of course he had to be honest! "I thought I had HIV once. And there was that one time I was so drunk I think a man okasa* me," he admitted. "I'm not sure though. I don't remember."

Karin's eyes knitted together. "You don't remember?"

Suigetsu put his hands up in defense. "I'm an irresponsible drinker—so sue me."

Karin looked stupefied. "How would that work? Like, where would it go in?"

Sui stared at her as if she were stupid. "You have a hole that men have too," he reminded her.

"You mean up the…" Karin gagged. "Oh, Kami."

Sui shrugged. "Don't knock it till you try it," he warned. "It actually feels awesome—I think. I don't remember. But I remember getting it, not giving it. When you're pounding in from behind, muscles around you everywhere, you don't really think about the fact that feces comes out of that hole."

He smiled as Karin gagged again, pulling her hands up to cover her ears. "I will never play Twenty Questions with you again."

"You've only asked me ten questions, though," Sui objected.

"Never," Karin emphasized. Her voice made Suigetsu laugh.

Sasuke held his head in both hands, eyes closed, as Naruto blathered on about Kami knows what. After then tenth "Dattebayo!" he'd stopped paying attention. This was part of the reason he'd left Konoha. Okay, so that was a lie, but still. The "Believe it!" was still as annoying as it had been five years ago. Another half hour of this, and Sasuke was sure he'd go insane.

"You're coming home! Believe it! And I know that because you haven't tried to punch me all day! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted. He hopped around the room opening black curtains and letting in the scant orange rays of sunshine into the large room. "We finally got you back, Sasuke-teme! You haven't even said anything against it! Sakura made you go soft, teme! She made you go soft and convinced you to come home!" Was everything he said a shout? "You're going to love being back! It's always so warm in Konoha, nothing like the Sound where it gets freezing cold! I thought the desert would be warmer in winter than it is anywhere else, but, Sasuke, the Sound is so messed up! Finally, you'll get to experience a proper Konoha Christmas with us all again!" Make it end! "Did Sakura-chan tell you she and Shikamaru are like best friends now? He goes with her everywhere, if she can help it! She says it's all about the extra arms, but I think she's finally getting close to other guy friends, not just me and Sai—and now you again! Dattebayo! And Sai and Ino are going out—though I don't think Sai likes Ino too much, no matter how much he calls her 'Beautiful;' I mean, he calls Sakura 'Ugly,' so he's got his tastes mixed up." Who the jigoku was Sai? And why in his right mind would he call Sakura Ugly? "Oh, wait! You haven't met Sai yet, not properly! Well now you'll get to, and you can help me and Sakura beat manners into him! Although you barely have any yourself, so…!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke growled. "Naruto, shut up." It almost sounded like a plea. "I am not going back—I am never going back."

Naruto froze; the heavy drape he was opening fell back into place. "But—"

Sasuke took a deep breath. Never being a man of many words, being around a wordy freak like Naruto was sometimes a relief when he was younger. It meant having something fill the emptiness inside his mind other than revengeful schemes. It meant rest from the loud silence of his quite thoughts. Now he needed words. "I will not return to Konoha. I am staying in the Sound." He took another breath; it was as if he was breathing all the breaths Naruto hadn't. "With Sakura," he added.

Naruto blinked, taking time to process this information. He opened his mouth thrice to say something, only to let out a wordless gust of air. Finally, he said, "What?" His eyes were scrunched up and his mouth was open in disbelief, his whisker birthmarks looking like wrinkles in his confusion. Being a ninja sucked youth right out of you.

"I'm getting your Hokage's say so," Sasuke continued. It looked like it physically pained him to say he was getting permission. "Konoha and the Sound are to become allies. Nothing more. I offer a truce and my protection in return for Sakura."

"In return…" Naruto repeated, "for Sakura…" His blue eyes turned livid. "She isn't an object!" he objected. "She won't want to stay, not if you force her! You should know by now she isn't the weak girl we both risked our lives to protect! She's going to fight you and she's going home! Tsuande won't let her stay!"

The had opened when Naruto had said "Tsuande." Sakura peaked through, a smile on her face as she walked to Sasuke's side, keeping a distance while taking the liberty to put her hand on his shoulder. "Won't let who stay?" she asked innocently.

Okasa—fucked

AT LEAST TWO MORE, PLEASE! PLEASE! If you got me to 210, or 220, 222, for just this one chapter, I'd probably faint, so—PLEASE! I figure you'd waited enough so I made this nice and short, but hopefully as good as the others. (Is it?) I got kicked out of Algebra, so I'll be updating more often. That is if my parents don't go to court. I'll be moving with my stepfather in the summer, so there's your warning.

R&R!