Before everyone knew it their three weeks of break were officially over and after spending an inordinate amount of time with everyone, Sakura, Kabuto, Shizune and Tsunade were ready to conduct their surgery on Itachi Uchiha.

"I'll go get him from the compound" Sakura offered while the others prepped the room and made sure they had full chakra reserves, it was going to put a drain on them and on the Uchiha Heir, but with all four of their skills, Itachi would be fine.

And in better condition than ever before, of course only after a month of rest and recuperation "Go on then Brat, it's time we got this over and done with so that we can focus on bigger and better things" Tsunade shooed her young apprentice off.

While Shizune looked worried and Kabuto was still pouring over the medical texts that documented the surgery "Don't forget to remind him of everything that will happen on the way back" Shizune warned.

"Also don't let Mikoto-san worry to much or she'll make herself sick" Kabuto said, it had happened on more than one occasion in the last three weeks, Mikoto had gotten sick from worrying over what was going to happen to her oldest son.

Despite the constant assurances from himself, Shizune, Tsunade, Sakura and many others, Sakura blew out a breath and hurried from the hospital with a small wave, a determined look in her lavender orbs.

She wouldn't allow this surgery to go south, she'd promised after all and she never broke her promises, twenty minutes later she was stood outside the Uchiha Main Family House and was knocking politely on the door.

The second Uchiha Heir was the one to answer "Is there a reason your here on a Sunday at only 8 in the morning Kaguya" Sasuke grumbled clearly in some kind of foul mood, tomorrow they'd all be getting sent out on missions again, it was going to be such a drag, not to copy Shikamaru or anything.

Sakura cleared her throat "Itachi-san's surgery is today, I've come to collect him and take him to the hospital" the pinkette stated simply shifting her weight to her right hip a hand on her left as she waited patiently for the boy to remember.

"Right totally forgot, I'll go get him, you'll tell us when it's over though right Kaguya and how he is" the raven haired teen paused in hurrying off and glanced straight into his friends eyes, knowing those lavender orbs always told him the truth.

The girl nodded "Yes Sasuke now hurry we can't dawdle for to much longer or Shishou is bound to get angry" she ushered him forward and he took off at a run, five minutes later Itachi, Shisui, Mikoto and Fugaku were stood before her.

Mikoto already crying rivers of tears "P..Please don..don't let anything happen to my I..Ita-chan I beg you Sakura-chan" the Uchiha Matriarch cried latching onto her young friend and soaking her sun colored yukata collar with a variety of different colored flowers as the pattern.

"Indeed we are putting our faith and his life in your, Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san and Yakushi-san's hands Sakura-san, don't let us down" Fugaku pried his wife away from the girl and let Mikoto latch onto him instead.

Shisui was tempted to do the same but that wouldn't be very dignified "Well see you soon Itachi-kun may the kami be with you during this surgery" Shisui nodded his head at his best friend and stood back allowing the young adult to step forward.

"I'm in your capable hands from this point on Sakura-san, shall we go" Itachi didn't waste another second in leading Sakura off down the streets of the compound, giving his family a farewell for now wave before they were out of sight and sound.

She took a deep breath "Not just mine, but Tsunade-shishou, Shizune-sempai and Kabuto-san's, do you remember what I told you three weeks ago" Sakura glanced up and into ebony eyes waiting for the mans answer.

"A little but not all, only that you'll be burning the disease out with your chakra on a molecular level and that the recuperation time was going to be extensive" the Uchiha Heir admitted feeling a little ashamed that he hadn't remembered everything.

Sakura smiled lightly "There's no worries Itachi-san, but your right, it's all on a molecular level, it will be draining on not just our chakra, but your body, that's where most of the healing time comes from" she rattled off with ease.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about the surgery that you haven't already or is burning the illness out the only thing that will be happening" Itachi inquired curiously, even though on the inside he was wincing at the thought of what was about to go down.

Not surprised that he'd have questions "That's it Itachi-san, you'll be given a medicine that will numb every nerve in your body, put in a medically induced coma and have your illness burned out by medical chakra for probably about 5-6 hours" Sakura ticked off her fingers.

"Before I forget it will take at least 2 to heal you properly, hook you up to an iv drip, you'll lose a few pints of blood and then 1 hour to wake you, you'll be given certain foods and in a month you'll be out and ready to take on missions again" she finished.

Itachi let out a small sigh "If I'm right basically what your saying is that this will be an all day procedure, nine hours in total and then I have to sit around in the hospital for a month" he grimaced, he didn't do sitting still very well after all.

"This is all for my sake, I guess I'll just have to get use to it right Sakura-san" the Uchiha Heir smiled lightly as they finally reached the hospital, Sakura nodded gently and then he was whisked away by the two women of the hospital.

He was given the numbing medicine, they had to wait at least twenty minutes before that took affect, then forty before he was fully asleep "Are you three ready" Tsunade glanced around at her team, the best medics in the entire world.

Shizune, Kabuto and Sakura nodded "Right then lets begin, I'll start with his chest" Shizune spoke next, sweat already beading on her forehead, this was a risky procedure and everything had to go exactly according to plan.

Or they screwed up and Itachi would possibly lose his life "You get his left arm Sakura-san, I'll go for his lower abdomen" Kabuto with already glowing green hands reached forward and placed them on bare flesh, sinking his awareness to a molecular level and finding the illness in the veins.

"Got it Kabuto-san, we can't afford to fail and I promised Mikoto-chan that Itachi-san would come out of this alright and better than ever" Sakura smiled brightly already hard at work like the others on Itachi.

And for five and a half hours straight, making it six and a half that they'd begun, the four of them took chakra restorative pills and began the process of healing the unintentional damage caused by their medical chakra burning away at the disease.

That took another hour and a half, so eight in total they'd spent working on the Uchiha, the sun had already gone down at that point and all that was left was hooking the blood bag up to Itachi and then waking him from his medically induced coma.

It was an hour later that Itachi roused from his unconscious state feeling extremely sore and as if he'd run a fifty mile marathon three times in the same day "Ugh I feel like I'm about to be sick" his head was throbbing in agony a migraine pounding away at his skull.

His stomach was rolling uncomfortable "Here take this, it will help with the headache" bless Sakura who chose that moment to walk in and see him awake, though groggy and looking like death warmed over.

Handed him a small glass of water and a pill that helped with migraines and settled ones stomach "Much thanks Sakura-san, so how did it go, were there any complications" Itachi, once he felt alert enough asked the main question that everyone wanted to know.

"No complications, it took nine hours as suspected, I just returned from letting your family know that they'll be alright to come visit tomorrow, Tsunade-shishou has left a list of what your allowed to eat with the nurses, and I'll be back tomorrow to check on you" the pinkette said.

Checking him over extremely carefully after the run in with their medical chakra, he'd be extra sensitive for awhile "Are you going home now to get some rest" the Uchiha glanced out the window, noticing the pitch blackness that blanketed the village.

She nodded quietly "Yes Itachi-san, Kabuto-san and Shizune-sempai have already done the same, and no doubt Tsunade-shishou won't be long, we've tried to make sure you were comfortable, so try to get some more rest" Sakura patted his hand gently.

Left another glass of water, the medicine she'd given him earlier and a note for the nurses on what to do if the Uchiha felt ill again, waved and hurried from the room, signing out of the hospital and returning to her cherry oak house to get some sleep.

Just as Sakura had promised him, she was back in the following morning when Mikoto was visiting him to check on him "Oh Sakura-chan thank you, thank you so much" the Uchiha Matriarch latched on like she had the other day and sobbed into her yukata collar.

This time a light pink with yellow daisies as the design "There, there Mikoto-chan, Itachi-san isn't going to be going anywhere for a good long while, Tsunade-shishou, Shizune-sempai, Kabuto-san and I made sure of that" she smiled gently patting the woman on the back.

Until the Uchiha Matriarch released her and returned to her eldest son's side perching herself in the chair situated there for visitors and humming a tune that made Itachi relax in his sleep, it was probably an old lullaby.

By the time she'd left Itachi was still resting like a good Uchiha, and she manned Kaguya Salubrity herself for the next three days, getting proper sleep and regaining all of her lost chakra until Mikoto and Kabuto joined her at the store again.

A week passed and Itachi began walking, slowly at first just around his room, by the second week, he could walk halfway down the hall, his third week, he could make it nearly around the entire hospital and by the fourth week marked the end of his recuperation period.

He was let on lower ranked missions for two weeks straight only, C-B, to build up energy and by the end of those two weeks, he felt he was ready to take on the world, not literally, but there was no more painful burning in his lungs that made it hard to breathe.

There was no more fatigue after missions, his motor skills were in good condition and he had a training session with Shisui every day while he wasn't on missions, "We truly thank you Sakura-san, for all you've done" Fugaku was more than grateful.

That his eldest son was now once again in good health and able to become the next head of the entire Uchiha Clan "Yeah no kidding Kaguya…Sakura, if it weren't for you we probably wouldn't have had much longer with Itachi-ni right" Sasuke nodded his head.

"Indeed and I'm just glad to have my best friend back in good health, no more ragged breathing and we're still taking it easy in our sparring sessions" Shisui jumped in, Mikoto absent for the time being as she was down at the market getting groceries with the very person they were talking about.

Sakura held up her hand "There's no need for thanks, Itachi-san is one of my precious people, I would defend him and probably the rest of the Uchiha's including you Fugaku-sama to the death as I would everyone else in this village" she explained her selfless reasoning.

It was her good heart that drew everyone to her despite her less than pleasant upbringing, the three of them thanked her once again and Sakura wandered home ready to take a nap on her couch that was in the basement until dinner and finally bed time.

For three more weeks her and just about everyone else's time was taken up by mission after mission trying to catch up for the time they'd been out of the village for two and a half years or two in the case of Sakura.

Until it was nearing the very end of those three weeks a very crazy individual popped up on everyone's radar and Minato called them into his office, all the Jonin, which included Sakura and Neji, Kisame wasn't happy in the least about it.

"As you've all been briefed this man is extremely unhinged probably even more so than Orochimaru or those Akatsuki members, excluding Kisame-san, I'm sending the lot of you to simply put it, end his life, don't allow him to live" Minato looked murderous himself.

Neji and Sakura shared a glance with one another from beside their respective sensei's, while Kakashi peered at his adopted daughter, Anko looked worried "I think Anko-san should be exempt" Sakura piped in suddenly.

The woman immediately relaxed "All available Jonin Sakura-san, that means even the special Jonin" the Hokage reprimanded not quite catching on, but Kurenai was slowly understanding what her former student was trying to say.

"And if said person is pregnant with a child are they exempt then" Neji helped out by activating his Byakugan and checking the woman's womb, Anko and Kakashi had the grace to look sheepish, this child would be different from the others because they hadn't waited.

Minato blinked in surprise and directed a look to his subordinate, he spread out his senses and felt the small underdeveloped chakra in Anko's womb, "Very well then, only because I know Kushina would bite my head off" the blonde nodded dismissing the purple haired woman.

He now had a daughter, Mukina Namikaze, she had his looks, except for the red hair and violet eyes, Kushina was extremely protective "I was going to tell you Hokage-sama" Anko announced sheepishly while exiting the office.

The blonde waved then split the remaining jonin into teams "Kisame, Kakashi, Gai, Genma, Shisui is one team, Asuma, Kurenai, Neji, Sakura and Itachi the other team, come up with a plan, you have your orders" Minato finished the meeting.

Sending the ten jonin scrambling from his office and of course Kisame was in a snit because the minute the plan was thought up, he realized that Sakura wouldn't be within his sight at all as the ten of them split into their two individual groups and went opposite directions.

"Is this your first A ranked mission as a Jonin Sakura" Kurenai questioned watching the now sixteen year old scan her surroundings for the seventh time in the two hours they'd left the Leaf Village behind to complete their mission.

Sakura nodded quietly "Yes Kurenai-sensei and I'm not going to fail it either, I have a reputation to uphold after all right Neji-kun" she giggled lightly before going back to that serious expression, she just had this gut feeling that something wasn't right.

What had the man done to warrant his execution by ten jonin class ninja, when the Hokage had said unhinged what had he meant, it was all so confusing "Relax Sakura, things will be alright you'll see" Asuma puffed away on a cigarette as they ran.

"Just feel as if there's something off and that we didn't get all the information" the pinkette rubbed her arms as a chill crawled up her spine, and to distract herself she unsealed Kubikiribocho and attached him to her back.

They were shocked "One of your gut feelings is that why you brought him out" Neji was confused, he knew she'd improved her kenjutsu skills enough to wield the giant blade properly but she didn't really need to use Kubikiribocho or bring him out.

So whatever it was that was bothering her wasn't good "You know I got the same feeling that we weren't being told all there was about this mission, what has the man done exactly that Hokage-sama decided to intervene before the situation got to out of hand" Itachi said.

From the rear, they were in a formation, Asuma at the front, Kurenai and Sakura a few paces behind him, Neji nearly at Sakura's side and the Uchiha Heir all the way in the very back "Guess we'll find out when we get there" Sakura sighed as they continued running.

Halfway through the night until Asuma called for a stop, Tsuno immediately swooped down and settled on his mistress's shoulder "Would you like me to recon with the other group Sakura-sama" the great horned owl inquired.

"Good idea Tsuno-sama, lets do our synchronization" she clapped her hands and after placing up a chakra blocking tag so that no one else in the immediate area figured out their position, raised her chakra until it swirled in the air.

Neji had seen this particular trick before and sure enough a moment later Tsuno's own blue chakra merged with Sakura's to create a cyan color, and a glint of emerald appeared in his blue irises, then the owl took to the skies.

Using his eye sight to find the other group of Jonin and the one he landed on was Kakashi "Tsuno what brings you here" the silver haired Jonin inquired looking curious, something was different about the owl.

"Recon Kakashi-san, we are synced through our chakra, right now Sakura-sama can see everything I do, letting her know that you five are alright" Tsuno ruffled his feathers as Shisui reached out and stroked his hand down his back.

In all it was a pretty nifty perk to having a contract with the owls "I didn't know Sakura-chan could do that with you at all, since when could she by the way" Shisui asked in surprise, he wasn't the only one, Kisame was literally gaping in shock.

"For a good long while now, since a little before the Jonin Exams and yes, if she were to add more owls to our contract she'd be able to do the same with them, using our eyes to see over the land" the owl explained.

Kisame's jaw dropped further while Genma looked genuinely confused "Sakura's that chick you adopted right Hatake, I thought for sure you'd teach her the Dog summons or something" Genma said around his senbon.

All saw the rising agitation in the owl "Now, now he wasn't trying to offend you Tsuno, just ask a question" Kisame hastily intervened, knowing it wasn't fun getting bit by the owl, he'd gotten pecked at a lot in the first few weeks of staying with Sakura before she went off with Tsunade.

"As for your question Shinobi-san, Sakura-sama tripped over me and even after I bit her healed me, thus I asked her to make a contract with me" Tsuno huffed out feeling the synchronization fading and with that the green glint faded from his eyes.

Then the owl took to the skies with a final farewell and returned to his mistress's side for the rest of the night until the sun rose over the landscape and both groups were heading in the direction they'd been told their target was in.

It took them five days and upon reaching the clearing all of them instantly knew what made the man so dangerous and Sakura's eyes widened in shock at the sight of them "Their real and not reanimations, he brought dead people back to life" she muttered going into shock.

Neji turned sharply and finally caught sight of what would cause his girlfriend to act like that "Kami this man must be working for Orochimaru" he cast another worried look to Sakura, who was pale with sweat pouring off of her.

The last time she'd faced these two it had nearly caused her to relapse, were they under the mans control, did they have free will, or were they merely puppets again to be used and then discarded when they were no longer useful.

"Asuma-san I don't think we should include her into the fight" Itachi saw the fear in those lavender orbs, her gut feeling had been right on target like usual and now they had to deal with the consequences of another madman's actions.

He wasn't quiet enough because Sakura chose that moment to snap to attention and clutch Kubikiribocho tightly in her grasp "Do you really think you'll be able to fight them and those two as well Sakura-san" Asuma pointed to the other four revived people.

Only two of them were recognizable, the first and second Hokage "I don't think they've noticed us yet, not only that but we have to wait for the other team to make the first move, can Tsuno and you do that synchronization in daylight" Kurenai frowned deeply.

A quiet whistle brought Tsuno to her side and with little effort both owl and ninja were synced to each other and then Tsuno was soaring over the landscape searching for the other team and finding them in position on the other side of the clearing.

Where their target was positioned, Shisui held out his arm for the owl to land on "How are things over there, we can't see from this place" Kakashi spoke quickly and quietly, keeping his lone onyx eye piped to their target.

"Not good Kakashi-san, they have I believe brought back a few people that are recognizable to Sakura-sama one of them reminds me greatly of you Kisame and the other has a cold chakra emanating from them" Tsuno ruffled his feathers as he spoke.

Just as Kisame's blood froze in his veins "See I told you this wasn't a good idea to bring her along especially if this crazy bastard has reanimated Zabuza and the boy she use to go around with a lot" the former Mist Nin grunted out in frustrated.

"Ahem Sakura-sama can hear you Kisame-san and doesn't appreciate you trying to treat her like a child and these are not reanimations, these are living beings, they are alive with blood rushing through their veins, but there are four other troublesome characters besides those two" Tsuno scolded.

Kisame had the grace to look apologetic knowing his friend could see "Does she recognize any of the others are they being controlled give us details" the only brunette in their midst demanded answers right away as they were bound to be caught eventually.

"For certain two of them are the First and Second Hokage's respectively, but there is another young boy in their midst and a pale blue haired male with dark blue eyes, they both sport like the former Kage Leaf Village Forehead Protectors" Tsuno said.

Task complete the synchronization faded and he returned to his rest and then they heard a battle cry from the other side of the clearing their signal and the five of them jumped out on the attack as well ready to get their mission over no matter how hard it was going to be.

Zabuza's brown eyes widened why is it that every time something happened like him and Haku being brought back they always encountered her and he had to wonder if the Hokage was one cruel person to send her here.

He wanted to tell her that they were alive this time but was unable to due to the mind control if the user was killed they'd be free "Forgive me Zabuza" Sakura looked as if she was about to break but there was a determined glint in her emerald green orbs.

There was nothing to forgive even as he ducked low under the powerful swing of Kubikiribocho, it nearly swept him off his feet 'Good Job Brat you've truly become his Mistress' Zabuza wanted so badly to praise her.

And then there was Haku there was a sad forlorn look in his doe irises as he fought against Neji for the second time "Do you see her Haku-san how beautiful she's become" the Hyuga caught a glint of pink from the corner of his eye.

Haku wished so badly to nod and say thank you for taking care of her, but his lips stayed sealed shut he wanted to scream and shout that life truly was unfair and that if they could just take down the mastermind the four of them would be free.

Meanwhile Itachi, Asuma and Kurenai tackled the revived Hokage's, and two more familiar people Dan Kato and Nawaki Senju, they were young, the fight was difficult and chaotic "Here let me help you Itachi-kun" and then Shisui was at Itachi's side.

Delivering a crushing blow to Dan's back and sending the man flying backwards "Much thanks Shisui-san" Itachi breathed heavily, so he wasn't quite back up to par as he thought he'd be, but he wasn't going to let his comrades deal with this insanity by themselves.

Ebony orbs narrowed in concern peered around and spotted the duo, Zabuza vs Sakura, the sixteen year old girl was a sight to behold on the battleground, she used caution and her size to her advantage to hide behind Kubikiribocho any chance she got.

"Don't get distracted Itachi-san" Kurenai scolded using a few kunai to halt Nawaki's approach the boy tried to stab the Uchiha Heir in the back with a sword that had flew from someones grip, this was crazy, why hadn't Minato told them this would be a possible outcome.

Asuma grit his teeth and ducked low under a swing of Tobirama's sword "Anyone got lightning style jutsu that's the only thing that's gonna take this guy down, sorry Lord Second" he flashed the Second Hokage an apologetic look while asking his comrades for help.

In the next second Sakura leaped to his side "Be careful, Zabuza-sama is pretty crafty when he wants to be and watch out for the ice senbon that Haku-kun regularly sends flying out, those suckers hurt and they always hit a nerve" she warned.

While attaching her sword to her back and cracking her knuckles, Tobirama wanted to say that a little girl would put up no fight against him until she launched herself forward and slammed her fist on the ground, he barely got out of the way of the ensuing destruction.

On the other side of the field fighting Hashirama was surprisingly Kisame, leaving Genma, Kakashi and Gai their target "This fight is the epitome of youth everyone is going full force and so must I" the bushy brow Jonin was laughing all the while.

Amusing the first Hokage who so dearly wished to laugh "No, no, no this isn't right I must retreat" the man was just as mad as Minato had told them he would be, and was thinking of fleeing, but Kakashi wasn't about to let that happen.

"For the crimes you have committed your sentence is death, you shouldn't have wandered into Fire Country" Kakashi scowled through his mask, chancing a glance to see his daughter facing off against, he nearly choked on his tongue, Tobirama Senju.

When the hell had that happened "That's right and we're gonna send you straight to your grave" Genma spit out his senbon and it shot at high speed into their targets left hand, it was just chaos all over the clearing.

To many things were going on destruction and lots of blood was spilled from everyone, Sakura got a few gashes from Tobirama's water and even she could see that her comrades were wearing down "Kisame cover me" Sakura called.

The only way to end this was to go straight to the source of the insanity and end it "You got it Pinky" Kisame brought up Samehada to cover his little friend as she dodged to the right and ran passed him, no longer were her eyes emerald, but the familiar Byakugan.

Going for a head on collision with their target, Kakashi pulled Genma out of the way and Gai jumped back as the girl reached them and launched into deadly maneuver "Eight Trigrams One Hundred and Twenty Eight Strikes, 2 strikes, 4 strikes, eight strikes, sixteen strikes, thirty two strikes, sixty four strikes, one hundred and twenty eight strikes" the pinkette called.

Byakugan already activated and leaping held long into their opponents back and quickly disabling him, he wasn't dead but he wouldn't be moving for a good long while "End it now Sakura" Kakashi nodded, this was her kill.

Her first A Rank Mission as a Jonin, her sword was brought down and drove straight through flesh, bone and heart, the mind control jutsu was released and Sakura slid to the ground exhausted "Glad that's over" she smiled feeling her heart breaking all over again.

"Look Sakura-chan" Kakashi patted his adopted daughter on the head and pointed at the approaching duo, she glanced up and was stunned "Are you free of whatever was used on you" he didn't want them to hurt her.

Both males nodded "Hatake we're clear, Uchiha over there made sure before letting us come over here now let us see the brat, you want to see us don't you Sakura" Zabuza was pleased that he was able to speak again unlike before.

"Yes we're well and truly alive this time not reanimated and we'll be coming back to the village with you no objections" Haku wasn't about to allow them to leave the two of them there in the middle of no where, and despite his appearance and age, he knew more than most let on.

Kakashi nodded and moved to the side and just like Neji and he thought she would Sakura didn't hesitate in throwing herself at Zabuza and knocking the man to the ground "It really is you" there was a twinkle in her lavender orbs.

The moment was hilarious as the former dead rogue grumbled under his breath "Whatever brat just get the hell off of me" Zabuza snapped, but only Sakura could hear the slight tenderness to the words he spoke.

"Make me Zabuza-sama that is if you can, see I'm much, much stronger now than I was before" Sakura let out infectious giggles as the man struggled to remove her from his person, only when he sighed did she let him up.

Before finally turning to Haku "Hello Sakura-chan you grew up, how much time has passed since you fought us as reanimations" the boy was waiting for her, a gentle look on his face, knowing that it would be difficult to adjust to his and Zabuza's presence again.

"Probably around three years now Haku, I'm sixteen now and your still the same age as before" the pinkette was hesitant to reach out and hug her first friend in the entire world and a quick glance to Neji gave her permission.

They were courting and he had to trust the male explicitly in order for them to touch her "Kami you really have gotten stronger" Haku wheezed at the bone crushing side hug, usually it was full on frontal, but he hadn't missed the look to the other male in the clearing.

Neji she'd called him "Okay so now what, we're living flesh, our bodies were reconstructed and our souls were called back from wherever, will you take us back to the village" Tobirama got tired of waiting around as the girl he'd faced had some stupid reunion with the Mist duo.

"Yeah and see if you can't get a hold of Tsuna-chan, after all we're her Grandfather and Great Uncle" Hashirama popped up on the other side of his brother a dorky grin on his face as he realized they now had another chance to live in the living world.

Dan and Nawaki were quiet "We'll get to see Sis right" the other young member of the now living group piped in a soft voice, not sure if they'd get to see the blonde or if the jutsu that had been used to make them a part of the living world again would fade in some odd months down the road.

"Tsunade-shishou of course you'll get to see her Nawaki-san and Dan-san to right, but first…." Sakura finally ended the extended side hug with her friend and glanced around feeling ashamed before going to each person and healing them from all the wounds they'd received during the fight.

Dan Kato was no fool "Master you call Tsunade your Master, did she teach you medical ninjutsu Sakura-san was it" Dan instantly caught on to the title the teenager had called his lover, kami how many years had it been since he'd died on that battlefield.

"No Tsunade-sama can't take all the credit for Sakura-chan, she's been performing the mystical palm since she was seven isn't that right Zabuza-kun" Shisui was down right euphoric for his friend, she finally had a missing piece of her back where it belonged.

Sakura flushed at the praise "Indeed and if you'd like proof those two have known her far longer than any of us" Neji pointed to the duo she'd been interacting with the minute their target had gone down courtesy of her hand.

"That's not to say we haven't gotten to know Sakura-san over the past several years, even if she did go on a training trip with Tsunade-sama" Kurenai teased when the girl came round to her and started healing all the wounds that littered her body.

Before moving to Itachi "Looks like I'll need more stamina training with Shisui isn't that right Sakura-san" the Uchiha Heir looked sheepish, Shisui had, had to leap to his side more than once during the fight and it was a blow to his pride.

"Correct Itachi-san and remember time is everything you don't have to be perfect right away and don't forget to rely on us, we're comrades" she soothed heading straight for Kisame, who was had been more reckless than her surprise, surprise.

Kisame laughed awkwardly "Hehehe looks like I need to learn how to rely on people as well huh Pinky, guess I kind of deserve this for not having any faith in your abilities, you aren't crazy reckless and insane anymore during a fight you changed" he grimaced.

Watching as green surrounded her hands and the medical chakra entered his system "Now you know Sharky, I learned a lot under Tsunade-shishou and the people we encountered on our two year training trip around the world" Sakura scolded lightly.

Heading for Gai "I am most youthful cherry blossom but our youthful comrade over there isn't doing so well" Gai held up his hand, he had the least amount of injuries, but despite his words Sakura wouldn't rest until everyone was healed.

"Even so Gai-sensei as a medic it's my duty to make sure the lot of you get home to our village in one piece" she said decisively going over to Genma, who was seated on the ground chewing absentmindedly on another senbon and bent to heal him as well.

Genma was surprised "So your the little girl that has the whole world in a buzz" so he'd heard a shit ton of rumors about Sakura, and he wondered how much was truth or how much was exaggerated, probably all of it.

She shrugged lightly "Don't know what you've heard, I'm just a hard working shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village now" Sakura stated walking a couple of feet and glancing up at Kakashi looking him over in concern and spotting a few wounds.

That were easily healed "Ah I can't wait to get home, we have a wedding to plan after all isn't that right Sakura-chan" Kakashi patted her head lightly as she finished up with him, smiled widely nodded and went straight for Asuma.

And completed her duty as medic "That's right and not to mention possibly tell Kimi-nii Tou-san that Anko-san is pregnant ahead of schedule" the pinkette snickered quietly taking one of her hand made chakra restorative pills and handing out one to everyone else.

Rearranged her pack then settled it on her shoulders and attached Kubikiribocho to her back once again "We should find somewhere to rest for the night, it will take five to six days to reach the Leaf Village anyway" Asuma jumped in realizing they were all exhausted.

None more so than Sakura, who'd probably been expecting to have to hide all of her feelings until they returned to Leaf again and lock away her hurt "Good idea" Dan nodded pressing his hands to Nawaki's shoulders and directing the boy forward.

"But what about Nee-chan how long do we have to go before seeing her" Nawaki pouted as they began their long time consuming trek, the sun was threatening to go down over the horizon and they needed to find a good place to rest until the next day.

Zabuza and Haku were quiet as they walked side by side watching Sakura as she literally attached herself to Neji's side leaving no speculations as to who the male was to her, Haku didn't want to admit it, but it kind of hurt.

How long after he died did it take her to fall for another guys charms "Don't be jealous Haku, you know it was inevitable that this would happen just be happy she's happy you two are friends, keep it that way and don't let your feelings interfere with her happiness over our revival" Zabuza said.

"I know, I know, but how long after we died did it take her to go to him for comfort, allow him to be what I had wanted to be for so long" Haku let out a sigh of depression, not to mention he was still in a twelve year old's body which was another downside to their situation.

Overhearing the conversation "They went through a lot to be with each other Haku-kun, Sakura-chan nearly died before Neji-kun realized he liked her and vice versa and that was when she was almost fourteen and he almost fifteen" Kakashi assured.

"And for a good long while she shied away from to much affection" Shisui piped in once again having been quiet like everyone else and watching his little friend get her happily ever after, not quite but it probably came close to that, what with having Zabuza and Haku back to stay.

Unknown to them Tobirama and Hashirama were eavesdropping on the conversation as well "Just where is that girl from, she's obviously a Hyuga, but I've never seen a Hyuga with pink hair before" Tobirama couldn't help but comment.

"That would be because she's only half Hyuga, her other heritage is that of a Kaguya and she has two kekkeigenkai the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku or Dead Bone Pulse" Kurenai explained having heard all this for quite a long while.

Both former Hokage blinked "Isn't that a little dangerous, does she sport the caged bird seal beneath her bangs" Hashirama frowned eyeing the pinkette carefully this was turning out to be quite the day.

"No, she's a deceased elders great granddaughter from the main branch of Hyuga, plus she has full permission from Hiashi-sama to bear the last name Kaguya" Asuma took over with the rest of that particular explanation.

As it was no one needed to know how much the girl had agonized over that situation until her fears were put to rest "You really adopted her" Zabuza swung his head around suddenly and pinned dark brown orbs on the copy ninja.

Kakashi nodded his head seriously "Her and her brother and I'm also going to be taking a wife and giving her another family member, I promised you after all to make sure she was happy after all" he glanced to Sakura.

Who by this point had linked hands with Neji and they whispered quietly back and forth soon they would be able to get engaged like they wanted and get married and have a family of their own, everything Sakura deserved and more now because of what has happened.

"How close is she to Tsunade-chan" Dan inquired suddenly getting the sense that there was some kind of bond between the two females and wanting to know if it would get in the way of hopefully rebuilding his own relationship with the blonde.

The silver haired nin sighed softly "Very close, Tsunade considers Sakura-chan the child she never got to have and Sakura a precious person who lost her loved ones like her, their bond is strong but I wouldn't worry, Sakura would just be happy that Tsunade's happy" Kakashi said.

"Really I find it hard that the girl is that selfless" the white haired former Hokage snorted softly and keeping his soft red eyes pinned to the sixteen year old girl, things were odd, though they didn't have the same assurances as everyone else.

Kisame snorted himself "She's not, she's insane obsessive with things that are hers and can be selfish, but most often than not she does things that benefit other people more than herself" that was something he could say with absolute certainty.

"Yeah her shop for one, it was started up on a whim and now people buy from it around the world using the carrier pigeon express to make orders" Shisui sniggered thoroughly enjoying the trek until they found a large enough clearing to fit everyone in.

Before splitting up tasks "Sakura you stay here with those six, Itachi-san, Shisui-san catch whatever you can, Asuma, Kurenai get a few fish for variety, Gai, Genma, sticks, rocks, dry leaves and grass, Kisame and I will get some herbs and berries, Neji water" Kakashi ordered.

Then the nine of them scattered to complete their tasks while Sakura dug a hole for the fire pit and pulled out what was needed to gut and debone whatever was brought back "Sakura-chan do you need any help" Haku was eager to help his first friend.

"Sure Haku, you can grind up the herb paste and pass around the berries to tide everyone over until dinner is ready" Sakura smiled brightly waiting patiently in the seiza position for the others to return and begin her task of cooking dinner.

Itachi and Shisui were back first slung over Shisui shoulders was a deer and in Itachi's hands were a couple of rabbits, Asuma, Kurenai and Neji came next, the Hyuga carrying several pails of water, while a string of fish were slung over Asuma and Kurenai's arm, just four fish.

With their dinner options Sakura buckled down and began removing the skin from the deer and rabbits, while Haku, scaled, gutted and removed all the bones from the fish, soon enough Gai and Genma were back with the sticks, rocks and dry grass.

Last but not least the berries and herbs were brought back by Kakashi and Kisame, Haku passed around the berries, ground up the herbs and then the rabbits, strips of deer meat and fish were slathered in the herbs, before being set up by the blazing fire that had been started courtesy of Sakura.

"You really know how to cook outdoors well Sakura-san" Dan gave his compliments to the teenage girl and wondered if the girls mother had taught her how to do this, it was the same question that everyone asked actually.

Poor Nawaki looked as if he was about to start salivating "I'm so hungry can we eat yet" he was impatient and after being controlled by a mind control jutsu for who knows how long he was literally starving for something to eat.

"Not yet or you'll be eating raw meat Nawaki-san and I'm sure that goes for everyone else to" the pinkette smiled gently at the boy who was her shishou's little brother, kami Tsunade was going to be shocked but hopefully ultimately happy in the end.

Zabuza was gobsmacked "Is it just me or have your cooking skills gotten better since you were twelve" he eyed the food and was just tempted to snatch a stick and eat it raw anyway, it looked so good and they hadn't eaten since being brought back.

She flashed him a knowing smile showing off rows of razor sharp teeth shocking him further, he'd thought she'd been kidding about that "Oh yes indeed they have because I cook nearly every day" Sakura responded smartly.

Then to bid her time pulled Kubikiribocho into her lap and began cleaning him "Guess our blades got a good work out huh Pinky" Kisame decided to do the same with his Samehada, taking extra special care because of the sharp spikes.

"Is the village in capable hands at least" Hashirama couldn't hold back on his question any longer and blurted it out minutes after their meal had been declared done and was ready to eat, they all attacked it like a pack of animals it wasn't a pretty picture.

Kakashi nodded "Our Fourth Hokage-sama is wise his name is Minato Namikaze and though he seems young, don't let that fool you, his nickname is the Yellow Flash and defeated a thousand enemy nin on the front line during the war with Stone" he announced.

"Danzo and Sarutobi how are those two what happened to the Third Hokage" Tobirama cut in impatiently when no more information was forthcoming, he had to know how his previous subordinates were.

Shisui, Itachi, Sakura and Kakashi all tensed "Danzo was a traitor Lord Second, he tried to betray us all and kill the entire Uchiha Clan, he was killing Uchiha with strong Sharingan and implanting the Sharingan into himself, for Lord Third, he's in retirement" Shisui looked murderous.

Remembering all the man had nearly gotten away with, it was quiet for a time as everyone focused on eating their dinner, then traps were set up and everyone crawled into a bed roll to get some shut eye, before eating the leftovers for breakfast the next morning and heading out.

In the direction of the Leaf Village "Sakura there are a few scratches on Kubikiribocho" Neji pointed out, now that there was sunlight to see the massive blade situated on his girlfriends back, and the scratches didn't look pretty.

"Guess I'll have to tend to him later he's mister picky like usual, I suppose he might have gotten spoiled while on the training trip with Tsunade-shishou and only being able to have my blood, so he's rejecting everyone else's hmmph" Sakura huffed with a glare at her sword.

Zabuza snorted quietly in response towards the back of the group with Kakashi "Does she do that regularly give him her blood" though he was curious, it took a lot of guts to give Kubikiribocho your own blood after all.

Unfortunately Kakashi nodded again "Yes she and her brother are the only ones who that sword allows to wield him I tried once but he rejected me, the sword bonded with her on an emotional level" the silver haired nin explained.

"So there's no chance I'll ever get him back, ah well so long as she's been taking care of him and all, that's all that matters" Zabuza sighed lightly watching his former apprentice, she'd never needed him or Haku to take care of her.

But she'd stuck with them for almost six years to the very end proving her loyalty "Where will we live though, I'd like to stay by Sakura-chan" Haku jumped in determinedly, he wouldn't be happy to be put elsewhere.

"Not to worry, not to worry, I'm sure Hokage-sama will give you a place with us in our home, though it will have to be expanded, hmm Sakura-chan come here for a minute" Kakashi called drawing his adopted daughter to his side.

Sakura paused allowed him to catch up and began walking again "What is it Tou-san has something happened, do you need to me to send Tsuno-sama ahead to the village" she rattled off a bunch of questions in a panic, while spreading out her senses for any danger that might be lurking.

"Relax Sakura-chan, I was just wondering, your little house is getting crowded, perhaps we could ask Tenzo-san to build us a new one and move from that one" he said carefully knowing how attached his daughter was to her house.

Her face twitched "Move out of the house that I bought to a newly built one mm" her brows creased, of course she'd be reluctant, that house was everything to her it was her first stable home, where she got her first roommate, found her brother, got a Dad, and gained much more.

"Just a thought, not only that but Sakura-chan you'd be able to make it into your dream house and choose all the colors and ideal spot where you want to live in the village" Kakashi chose his words carefully just waiting for it.

And like he thought her eyes lit up and flickered that emerald color that suited her ten times more than the lavender ones did but made her unique and mysterious "I'll have to start drawing when we get home" Sakura bounced along a skip in her step and hurried forward to talk to Neji again.

"What's so special about a house she bought, it's just a stinkin house" Zabuza frowned in confusion his former apprentice/successor had really changed into a very strange and confusing individual that he didn't understand, not that he ever did in the first place.

Kakashi blew out a breath "It's cherry oak and reminds one of being outdoors and a very lovely house, not to mention she's lived in that house since she first came to the Leaf Village, it's where everything has happened in that house" he explained.

Dark brown eyes widened of course Sakura had always loved being outside and wandering "She's like a butterfly stretching her wings and soaring above our heads to protect us" Haku commented quietly a fond look in his doe brown orbs.

"You got that right, she's like a mother bear protecting her cubs, it's never wise to seriously anger that girl" Asuma shuddered remembering the incident from the Chunin Exams the one she and Shikamaru had thought up.

The silver haired nin nodded his head sagely in remembrance of that time as well "By the way Sakura-san perhaps you should send Tsuno with a message to Hokage-sama about our special companions, so he's not horribly shocked" Kurenai called out suddenly.

"Got it Kurenai-sensei, when we stop again for lunch in a couple of hours" the pinkette waved letting the raven haired woman know that she'd heard the order, then resumed her conversation with Neji, most likely they were talking about the possible move to a new house.

Those two had been living in the cherry oak house long before anyone else and it was more Sakura and Neji's house than anyone else's if Kakashi was being honest "Tsuno who is Tsuno if I might ask" Dan was confused himself.

"Ah Sakura's owl summons, she forged a contract with that blasted feathery creature, just try not to insult him, he gets puffed up when you do and tries to bite" Kisame grimaced in remembrance, until that damn owl had gotten use to him.

It had been like an absolute nightmare "But don't owls sleep during the day and how do you know he's near" Tobirama pointed out bluntly, the Leaf Village had certainly changed and he wasn't sure what to think about the changes.

Shisui snorted "Trust me when I say this Lord Second, Tsuno will come at her call, he always does no matter where he or she is" he shrugged not sure what else to say beyond the fact that answering question after question about Sakura was getting tiresome.

Now he knew how she felt being drilled with the same questions for months on end it was annoying "I didn't even know there was an owl summons, hey do you think this owl will let me sign the contract to it sounds cool" Nawaki piped in wanting to speak.

Instead of staying quiet like he had this last hour or so, Kakashi wanted to say that there might be no chance of that happening ever but kept his mouth shut to avoid actively upsetting the boy off, "Where did she get the summons from" Hashirama was the only one to ask.

"Land of Iron, she was learning how to wield wind nature chakra and tripped in a pile of snow and landed on Tsuno, his wing was broken, he bit her, she healed him and thus a contract was forged, they've been inseparable since" Itachi explained.

With that there was finally a lull in the conversation, which meant there was a pause on all questions and less than thirty minutes after that they all stopped for lunch "Don't forget to call Tsuno" Neji reminded gently.

Sakura grinned and whistled in a patterned sequence waiting patiently and in a matter of minutes in all his white feathered glory the great horned owl landed on her shoulder, folding his wings to his body and rubbing his beak along her cheek in affection.

"Do you have need of me Sakura-sama, would you like me to scout ahead or possibly acquire a meal for you and your friends" like usual Tsuno was eager to please his contractor and waited for his orders without question.

A soft smile formed on her lips "Would you take this letter to Hokage-sama in Leaf and wait for a return message" Sakura held up a scroll which was quickly taken into his beak, then with a flap of his wings he was airborne and disappearing off into the distance.

"Never ceases to amaze me how you can command such a majestic creature like him" Genma commented lightly as lunch began sizzling away over the large portable fire pit the pink haired girl unsealed from one of her storage scrolls.

It seemed like Sakura always came prepared for any type of situation "Tsuno-sama is a precious companion Genma-san I adore him and he adores me" the pinkette explained humming a merry little tune as she waited for lunch to finish cooking.

Travel always made her hungrier than usual "Youthful as ever cherry blossom of the Leaf, how is your relationship with my youthful student going" Gai piped in obliviously, Sakura with a bright smile nodded not speaking and sparing Haku's feelings at the same time.

She and Neji had already decided not to flaunt their relationship in front of the now revived boy until he grew use to being alive and was able to move on, Haku was relieved and frustrated, there she went again doing the noble thing, protecting him.

Lunch finished without further conversation and then the lot of them were on the move again "By the way what's a Chunin doing on such a high class mission anyway" Tobirama spoke when it was nearing dinner time hours later.

Her head snapped around to meet his gaze with wide lavender eyes "I'm not a Chunin, I'm a Jonin like Neji and everyone else here" Sakura spoke politely and hoped that no more misunderstandings would happen where her rank was concerned.

That was a position she'd worked hard to achieve after all "Brat how the hell are you a….." Zabuza was massively confused how the hell did that happen, where did all the time go, Sakura was hardly recognizable anymore.

Sakura craned her neck and smiled "I took the Jonin Exams when I was thirteen with Neji, we both passed on the first go together as a team, but this was my first official A Rank Mission as a Jonin because I went on a training trip with Tsunade-shishou" she announced.

"For two years to get stronger in order to take on higher ranked missions, wasn't that the official reason after all" Neji knew all about the reasoning after all, because he'd been one of the first ones she'd told about the training trip.

A light nod was his answer "Hokage-sama could only keep the elders from pushing these kinds of missions off on me for so long after all, but that's okay, missions keep me busy, oh remind me to make a couple more products for Kaguya Salubrity when we get home to Neji" Sakura chattered.

"Of course Sakura are you going to take Kabuto-san along with you again to the lab you concoct your products" the Hyuga questioned, it had been decreed that Kabuto could go five miles outside the village to get him use to going outside the village again.

Hashirama was instantly intrigued, but Zabuza and Haku shared a concerned look, Kabuto was the one who'd reanimated them what was Sakura doing hanging around Orochimaru's subordinate "Excuse me Kaguya Salubrity" the First Hokage questioned.

"My store it's called Kaguya Salubrity, the slogan Promoting Good Health In All Shinobi and Civilian Alike, I sell medicine, herbs, poisons, antidotes, healing scrolls, creams, pastes, oils and anything else there, and the products are original cause I come up with them" the pinkette admitted happily.

Not to mention now that the procedure on Itachi was over and her first major mission back in the village was completed, that meant now she would have a chance to speak about her plan to create chain shops in each of the other Hidden Villages.

Just then an unexpected person popped up "Indeed, Sakura-san is so popular with her store that shinobi from all the other Hidden Villages buy from her" Minato smiled kindly as he appeared at her side, Tsuno perched carefully on his shoulder.

But at the sight of his contractor switched to hers as the blonde shifted his attention on the six revived people "First Hokage Hashirama-sama, Second Hokage Tobirama-sama, Dan-san, Nawaki-san, Zabuza-san and Haku-san" he nodded politely at each male.

Then gazed down at the young girl at his side "It's them I'm one hundred percent sure of it Hokage-sama" Sakura stated when she realized what he wanted, the last two more than the other four, she was the only one that knew their chakra inside and out.

"Good, now I've come to bring you back to the village instead of making you walk the rest of the way" Minato turned serious and placed his hand down on Sakura's free shoulder and everyone else arranged themselves to be comfortable.

In a matter of minutes the seventeen of them were back in the confines of the village "And don't worry about signing in, Izumo and Kotetsu have already been informed that this was the method of transportation we'd be using" the blonde warned.

Sitting down in his seat and sending his attendant to collect Tsunade and Shizune both women deserved to know about the miraculous revivals "I feel as if I sent you in without enough information and for that I apologize" the current Hokage winced.

"No worries Hokage-sama everything turned out just fine" the pink haired girl in the room waved off his apologies not angry in the least, she'd been a bit miffed at first for sure, but with Zabuza and Haku back she was on cloud nine and would be for a good long while.

Kakashi was tempted to laugh, he knew where his adopted daughters thoughts had gone, but didn't as Tsunade and Shizune flew into the office "Oh kami it's true, it really is you Dan, Nawaki" the honey eyed blonde rushed forward enveloping her former lover and little brother.

"It's not just them Tsunade-sama, Lord First and Second, and of course Zabuza-san and Haku-san I presume" Shizune patted Tsunade on the shoulder and greeted her Uncle, in all the atmosphere in the office was quite happy and carefree.

Until Minato managed to shoo most of them from his office, four revivals going with Tsunade, the last two remaining as did Sakura "You coming Pinky" Kisame paused when he realized that the girl wasn't following the rest of them.

"You go on Sharky, there's something I'd like to talk to Hokage-sama about first, you two go as well I'll catch up later" Sakura nudged Zabuza and Haku off after Kisame and waited patiently before the door closed.

The blonde was concerned until she sat down and opened her mouth "I'd like to create a series of chain shops in each of the other Lands for Kaguya Salubrity, only certain products will be sold in these shops, different prices have been considered would that be acceptable" she questioned.

Ocean blue eyes blinked at her in surprise "And just how long has that idea been festering in that brain of yours Sakura-san" Minato shook his head deciding to just roll with it, besides it would be a means to a stronger bond between the five great nations and wherever else the shops were created.

"For a good long while, since I first came back actually, Shino, Kiba and I have extensive talks about the subject and we've nearly completed the list of products for each village, the change in pricing, the rules and regulations as well" Sakura grinned.

Minato chuckled "Go for it Sakura-san but remember you must first ask permission from each of the lands Kage's and have a meeting with them before starting your chain shops" he warned shooing her from his office and she hurried home to have dinner and go to bed like the others.