Itachi was surprised when the familiar little hand held out a stick of dango to him. He knew the small appendage nearly as well as he knew his own if only because it had attacked him on so many occasions. This left him at a very odd crossroads where his sweet tooth was attempting to override his common sense. Their particular truce had not been on long enough for him to logically trust any food she was offering.

But it was his favorite kind with how the rice flour was packed and cooked perfectly. The sauce on it was impeccable and he doubted even his own mother could re-create it. Also it was in front of him as if tempting the young ninja after a long few months of missions. Following the arm up to the person holding the item Itachi was surprised to see the annoyed look on Sakura's face while she tapped her miniature foot. Briefly Itachi wondered if he had been doing something as undignified as drooling in front of her but brushed it aside. As if further frustrated at his lack of comprehension she stated, "Well they had extra and I was full after sweeping up after the lunch rush. You going to take it or should I give it to my dog friend?"

Itachi snapped it up sooner than he thought his reflexes could manage, the food halfway down his throat when the sudden situation hit him. The little pink monster was doing something nice for him, clearly his taste buds had won out over his logic and something horrible was about to occur. Cursing himself for acting impulsively and the logic that consistently failed him when Sakura was around, Itachi stopped mid chew. Further questioning his life choices Itachi asked, "Is it poisoned?"

Her foot stopped its maddening tap as she looked at him with skeptism in her eyes. Her petite pink eye brow rose as if daring him to swallow something that could be potentially lethal. Determination flared within him and he purposefully exaggerated his swallowing. As he did so Itachi mentally cataloged his anti-poison and venoms stored under the bed beneath his floorboard. He doubted she had access to anything needing that level of skill but she had taken a large interest in medical jutsu last he knew. Once he had finished Itachi stated, "Because I have built up a tolerance to all B categorized plant poisons so you are going to have to do better than that."

With a snort Sakura waved the comment away. "Fat chance of that, takes years of taking the small doses to overcome those."

Internally he smiled at her knowledge. She was picking up on medical work faster than he thought possible if after one Uchiha hammy down book she was memorizing the different plant species. Almost immediately he decided he would read more about the topics to make sure he had something appropriate to challenge her on later. Debating about taking another bite but going with his desire for something sweet Itachi continued to stand his ground with just a bit of bragging. The sudden urge to show off for her was something new but he dismissed it as a likely response to his recent sugar intake. That, and he had a strange feeling that she would appreciate it. "Was throwing up sick and hallucinating for the first three weeks the whole time."

Itachi watched as her face scrunched up as she imagined the body aches and fatigue on top of it all. She must have read how it was similar to alcohol or poppy withdrawal. He saw it though, the appreciation on her face for what he must have gone through. She did not ask further though, clearly determining that Itachi would not be telling her why someone so young wanted to go through that. Itachi was thankful that she did not ask, the last thing he wanted to explain was how he had watched one of his teammates die of poising's in front of him. He was aware that her personality would probably lead her straight into the ninja world but he hoped she never saw the things he had. He hoped both her and his brother chose something simpler for themselves.

She seemed to give his face a perusal until stating, "Next time then, I'll break into somewhere to try it and see if you really have that tolerance. If I'm really good I can maybe find the antidote in case you are totally making it up."

At that he smirked because trust her to outright tell him about the poisoning she was planning. As annoying as she could be the little brat had guts. Internally taking this as another challenge between them he immediately started planning to test himself with the poisons beforehand just to make sure he did not lose. He didn't know when it would happen which was all part of the game they played. But that was a future battle, the one in front of him was not yet complete and Itachi found himself drawn back into the land of the living as they spoke. His last mission had been brutally long and it was as if his father was volunteering him for everything possible outside of the city limits. Having just returned yesterday he was late for more clan meetings which he hated more than anything. It was odd to think of the little brat before him as something of a relief but he now understood that a bit more. She was outside all the life threating events, clan politics and cruelty. Briefly he remembered the men in the alleyway attacking her and the Inuzuka dog. With great effort he pushed it down though and recalled Kakashi's teaching. Stay alive and defend, even if you were defending an annoying table throwing beast who chucked mud at your face. "I see you haven't blown yourself up while I was away? Did you finally figure out how to fire proof your building?"

Almost instantaneously he got the reaction he wanted and the scowl indicated the ferocity of the attack. Within moments she had aimed a quick kick to his shin but he was prepared. Dodging faster than most people could see he had leaped to a nearby roof above her head. Drawing his energy in, because the child was prodigy level good at how well she detected chakra especially without any real training on the matter, Itachi spied from above.

When she realized that he was gone and no contact had been made Sakura put her foot down carefully. That is when he saw her glance around as if in question. With a heavy sigh the important detail he had missed came crashing into him. Another stick of dango was behind her back with the hand he had not noticed she was hiding. With a pout Sakura bit into the second treat and stated, "Stupid boys who run away are lame."

The immediate impulse to jump down and greet her again took over and he nearly felt his body lurch forward. He somehow stopped himself though as the situation hit him full force like a punch to the face. The shop would not give away two sticks for free; no matter how sweet she was to them or how many floors she swept up. The little girl had clearly bought him one out of her own earnings. She had given him a gift. Itachi easily remembered what his mother said about being nice to her and to see what happens. Was this what she meant? Itachi felt a little flutter in his chest as he thought about the orphan girl doing something nice solely for him. At anyone doing anything nice for him just because they wanted to and without any ulterior motive. A new instinct arose in him, one where he wanted to say thank you and tell her that she wasn't always annoying and he sometimes enjoyed talking with her. That she was more fun to spend time with than almost everyone else.

But he didn't. He didn't because that was strange and he did not want her thinking something silly or along the lines of him liking her. Because he did not and she was a bossy brat. Itachi Uchiha was not about to like a bossy brat.

Instead he did what he had been planning since he first saw her hand holding the delicious treat in front of his face. Itachi followed her home and ensured nothing hazardous got in her way. Mid way through he had proactively scared off one thug sitting in the alleyway near the orphanage intent on robbing anyone who passed by. After any potential dangers were clear and the area surveyed once more Itachi return to her side, but far enough away that she would be none the wiser. He stayed outside of her window until the orphanage doors were locked by the new caretaker and dinner was served.

And when he got home he was smacked across the face for missing a clan meeting. While he placed a patch of ice against his check that night even he couldn't stop the smile that took over as he brushed up on his B categorized plant poisons.

Sakura was proud of what she had accomplished in just a few short days. Under no circumstances did she think everything had been addressed or even that what she was implementing would make much of a difference. Still, it was worth a try. She had successfully created over 15 positions in the hospital for volunteer work and three paid assistant positions that would become available the following month pending approval from the Hokage. As they were still not known to the public Sakura would keep those in her back pocket for anyone she felt would truly appreciate it.

She had also roped the Hyuuga into volunteering to make sure her statement about other clans participating more in the village true. She had no doubt it would take time but already having these changes established would be incredibly helpful for anyone who wanted to try outside of the typical clan box. The village may have started as a clan centered community but things were different now. The village had evolved from that and she hoped more people would be willing to try something new.

Sakura had also spoken with multiple street vendors about a small celebration for when the Uchiha returned. In the recent years the Uchiha had started buying more produce and wares from the village vendors instead of remaining within their own complex walls. It was a noticeable financial hit they had all experienced when part of their cash flow disappeared behind stone walls without a word. Determined to draw more people in Sakura recruited her more boisterous friends to talk the vendors into some village unity as well. It only took a couple, of course Naruto convincing their infamous ramen stall and Ino bullying her parents, to decorate their space with lights and extra colors as if preparing for an impromptu festival. Other merchants had caught on quickly when their typical business was being directed towards the ones who looked to be setting up for a celebration.

As the final act she had gone over to the academy and convinced all the teachers to have a last minute field trip that just happened to be near the Uchiha gates. Sakura did not explain why and she did not say when to expect anything to happen, mainly because she was unsure herself, but mentioned that a class outside would be nice for the children and she knew a few ninja that would be happy to oversee them for a bit. With the classes combined and the teachers over worked it took almost no convincing on her end. It was a gamble but Sakura had to guess that guards stationed from the village that are armed to the teeth was a less welcoming greeting then a bunch of excited children.

The question became how long she would have to stall before Itachi opened those doors.

So that morning she was helping Naruto dress, mainly because she had let it slip that Sasuke would likely be leaving the district that day so in his excitement he kept putting his pants on backwards. The boy had returned the two nights before with his fists ready for a fight. It had been the only way to calm him down enough and encourage the fireball of energy to wait. Apparently Gaara had been to busy to fight with him and he was itching to beat up "some sniveling bastard". Naruto had been called for a diplomatic meeting that discussed water trade and said ninja was the guard to the negotiator. All she could think of was how well the two leaders played that one out to get him out of the village and away from attacking the Uchiha for "kidnapping" his friend. .

By the time Sakura had gotten Naruto out the door both were shocked to see Kakashi waiting at the end of the railing, book not even in hand. Determined to keep their relationship moving in the direction she wanted Sakura immediately went up and gave him a side hug, not even bothering to ask how he knew today would be the day the Uchiha returned. Her guess was that he still had the dogs reporting her every move to him. It saved her a trip though since she had planned on roping him in on their walk to the forest near the gate where the academy kids would be waiting.

So the three of them walked together and were prepared to wait all day for their former teammate to re-enter the village. When they arrived they saw that various academy teachers had set up field based classrooms for the different ages. The younger ones had stayed in the academy but it looked as if ages nine and up were learning about tracking, fire building and balance. One of the teachers had even knocked over a tree and was having the students practice standing on the trunk while he flicked rocks at them. Sakura giggled as she pictured Kakashi doing a very similar move had he ever been around children. In that same instance she realized that he had. Kakashi had been around Itachi and trained him. A part of her wondered just what the man had been like with someone so young.

Walking up to the crowed, and the village guards who had been placed about 20 feet away right by the main gates by order of the village counsel, Sakura offered assistance in managing the children. Smiling she pointed to Kakashi, "Totally great with kids this one, just make sure they are not likely to drown, are resistant to fire and are experts in various knots."

The surrounding children looked on as if terrified they may be killed. Kakashi sighed as he realized he was getting tricked into working. Grabbing a bunch of kids he directed them to the wall that separated the two very distinct parts of the village right now. "$50 to whoever can figure out how to walk up the wall."

Naruto quickly caught on, "You never paid us!" he yelled indignantly. Truly affronted he stated, "Totally unfair old man!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Don't be dumb Naruto, that is a genin skill. He isn't going to pay anyone anything and he knows it. He is keeping them busy so he can sit and do nothing."

Naruto turned back towards her with a renewed flame in his heart. "My class is going to be the best and walking up every wall imaginable. Give me some kids! I am teaching them everything!"

Without knowing what he was doing he grabbed some kid by the back of his collar and dragged the child away. His friends and classmates cautiously joined in once they reached another nearby outcropping. Sakura turned towards that teacher and smiled, "Oh he will defiantly teach them every prank he knows. I would stop that now if I were you."

With a sweat drop the man quickly jogged over to the group and started separating the kids from Naruto. Smiling to herself Sakura happily glanced around for another group to pay attention to. She had worn her standard ninja gear because she felt comfortable in it and knew anything else would look suspicious. Seeing a smaller group, most likely the year next set to take their academy exams, Sakura walked on over. She was assuming because they were older and had less children. The Uchiha usually enrolled their clan members in the later years and opted for home schooling until it was necessary. It was likely many of their classmates were behind these very walls.

When she reached them she clasped her hands together and spoke loudly, "So how is the field trip?"

A little girl glanced at the wall then at the multiple guards stationed at the sealed entrance. Sakura followed her gaze and shook her head. Moving in front of the girl so said guards could not read lips Sakura encouraged the girl to ask her question. With a few more moments of hesitation the question finally came out. "Are we going to war?"

The near accusation had been asked around her so many times within the last week or so that it was ridiculous. Repeatedly Sakura had attempted to stage off the fears and encourage others to do the same. The truth was though that fear was fear. Glancing around Sakura saw many of the other children expressing the same thoughts with their posture. Body slumped but tense, darting eyes and clenched hands. Instead of answering directly Sakura asked what she felt was a far more important question, "Do you want to go to war?"

Without looking at each other the children all gave a resounding no.

Smiling briefly she stated, "I think we should be fine then, because I do not think anyone else really wants to fight our friends either."

One of the boys in the group stepped forward and asked, "So what is happening then? They all just stopped showing up and our parents had meetings every night with all the other ninja's in the village."

A different girl rubbed her right arm, clearly a nervous habit. "My dad says that the Uchiha have always wanted war."

Sakura frowned but took the opportunity to teach. Instead she dragged the class over to the wall and tapped it with her hand. Drawing in their gazes she motioned back to the village, "Originally the Uchiha were known for being some of the fiercest ninja's in the land. The only clan that could rival them was the Senju and even their allies were dwindling. It was an era of war so they did what they were trained to do, they fought. When the village was constructed they had many enemies who were now supposed to be allies. Fearful of possible betrayal by someone out for revenge they built this wall to protect their families. When Madara defected multiple people retaliated by attacking them and blamed the clan for his choices. So they drew inward and this protection remained standing. Other clans changed and grew but when we are afraid it is instinct to stay with what you know. Prejudices built, stories were told and hate has a perfect breeding ground. But no one wants to be alone, not really."

The boy looked up at the wall and the towering thing before him. By the look on his face it was clear he had a friend in there, a friend he did not want to fight.

Sakura placed her whole palm against the wall and tried to convey a feeling she did not have words for. "So maybe it should be a generation of curiosity and friendship rather than speculation and mistrust? I think doing anything else when they eventually let us in would be pretty horrible on our end. We would not be any better than those that attacked them all those years ago."

She let that stew for a few minutes, wanting the class to feel the weight of her words. Whatever occurred from here on out would be carried though this generation and then the one after that. This was also a part of being a ninja, the growing pains of learning to trust when your job told you no one was safe.

That is when they all heard it, the creaking of heavy gate locks. It was a heavy lugging sound that immediately drew the attention of everyone present. Eyes snapped open and heads swiveled in the direction needed. Much to her frustration the ten or so guards that were stationed immediately went into battle ready positions and armed themselves. Weapons, hand signs and scrolls were suddenly being pulled out in preparation of a fight. To her surprise though, the boy who moments before had just been in front of her, darted past and towards the gate that was still about to be openned. In a move Sakura was sure no one expected he tackled the closest ninja in a bear move knocking the weapon out of the man's hands. Sakura was present an instant later as the boy was pulled from the shocked ninja, none of the men having expected an attack from that direction. Within moments the boy was practically spitting, "Those are my friends!"

A girl yelled, "Go away! You are big bullies!" to another ninja guard who was standing with a weapon pointed at the attacking boy who looked half rabid in her grip. It appeared loyalty and blind intervention was a thing in this particular class.

Holding said boy by his collar, his glare at the other ninja's was quite formittable, he all but attempted to swipe at anyone who attempted to look at the gate. Then Sakura heard a large pounding of feet behind her. Looking around Sakura saw the class she had been speaking too, along with Kakashi's and Naruto's surrounding the gates in a quick stampede. Seeing the children around Kakashi smiled as he walked up to the stationed ninja, "I believe your tactics have been out voted, put your weapons down and let's try this their way shall we?"

Naruto laughed with his full body while commenting as well, "Sucker punched by a kid, you sure that is a jounin vest you are wearing? I want this kid on my first genin team. Heck yes!"

The kids in his group laughed as he made the familiar gesture of punching his fist into the sky. Almost immediately the entire class joined him while laughing. The boy in her grip just continued to glare at the remaining armed men. As one they placed their weapons down and turned towards the still opening doors. Having been in a similar position herself she knew how much effort it took and probably required two or three men per door. It had been meant to stop nearly any attack sent its way which meant heavy ass doors.

Eventually the children settled down and the gates were fully open. Standing before them was the head family dead center, Itachi and Sasuke both standing forefront. Slowly lowering the kid to the ground Sakura maintained eye contact with both men as best she could with a sheepish smile. What surprised her though was when the same kid, who Naruto was probably going to adopt after this because it was pretty classic fox demon carrier behavior, darted forward past the gates and straight up to both brothers. Almost instantly another one, one of the girls, was behind him. Skidding to a stop and causing dust to fly everywhere both children clanked around the area.

Behind Itachi stood what looked to be the entire clan bottlenecked behind him. Looking again at Itachi the boy spoke, "Is Ryu here? He can come back now right? Cause we want to be on a team together and I don't trust anyone else to have my back and exams are in a month." As if catching himself and realizing that he was probably talking to someone important he quickly added a "Mr Uchiha…sir…lord."

Sakura face palmed herself while stating, "The village needs to take these kids on more field trips if this is how they interact with people."

The girl next to said boy, who had also ran up, elbowed her friend for his blatant idiocy. She muttered "You are so dumb," before dropping into the deepest bow ever seen and holding it until Mikoto of all people let loose a chuckle. Poor thing fell over after that, probably from the strain on her legs and abs. It was Itachi who leaned over and offered a hand to the small child. With a blush, and not so discretely brushing off the dirt from her face, she remained close to Itachi. Turning slightly he stated, "Ryu?"

It took a few seconds of pushing and elbowing but eventually a wide eyed kid was shoved out from the cluster of people. The kid looked around carefully, made eye contact with his friends and his obvious new clan head addressing them. Walking up slowly Itachi smirked, "I like your choice in friends, seems like a good team too. I will see about putting a word in with the Hokage about keeping you three together. If of course you keep up with your studies and pass your exams."

The kid smiled as the first boy took the cue to tackle his friend. The other kids around Sakura joined in, the classmates with the older ones immediately entering the compound without a thought in the world as they searched for familiar faces. Names were yelled out and kids laughed and joked about all the things they missed in lecture. Due to the classes being housed in the women's building both genders were in full attendance together. As people were running past Kakashi placed a hand on her head in the familiar gesture that left more than a few tears in her eyes. It was a move he had done with the team since she could remember. He stated a quiet, "Well done."

Next was Naruto who immediately pointed to Sasuke, "You done being a sissy and ready to fight me? You have no idea how bored I have been. No one in the villages uses the good jutsu's in practice."

Sasuke scoffed as he motioned to the clan, "Anytime any place dead last."

Mikoto stepped in and glared at both of them, "We have some people to meet with Sasuke, your battle will wait until after the conversation with the Hokage. Now be a good boy and help your cousins back out into the village."

Sasuke visibly pouted at the prospect of holding off a fight. Naruto laughed but was quickly silenced when he was directed to do the same. As people went rushing past her and kids happily introduced their friends to their parents Sakura weaved her way through the throng of people up to the main family. Eventually she reached Itachi and Fugaku, but both men were paying far more attention to the man on her right.

Glancing back she saw that Fugaku had Kakashi's full attention. "Dad-"

But he cut her off, "One day you are going to apologize to her, and on that day you will mean it. Until then you will avoid being in a room or speaking with her if anything less than two other people are around."

Fugaku's eyes didn't even narrow. After a few more seconds he glanced at the remaining son near his side then at Sakura. "Those are better conditions than Itachi gave me; I was to never speak in her presence again."

Kakashi smirked before turning to Sakura. With what could only be described as a confident smirk he stated, "Standards Sakura, it is all about standards."

She wanted to hit him, she really did, but the man was too fast and had teleported out before she could do anything more. The last thing she wanted right now was her father alluding to some love life she was in complete turmoil about in front of the person she was in complete turmoil about.

Itachi looked at her and then at the surrounding people. Some of the Uchiha were being led out of the area by excited kids who wanted to show them the celebratory festival decorations the vendors had put up just yesterday to welcome the Uchiha back. Others were taking some of the groups of kids to the nearby houses for freshwater and snacks. After a glance around again Sakura smiled, "Does this make you official head of the family now?"

He glanced around, "It was meant to have a transition period but things do appear to have a mind of their own."

Taking the lesson to heart she glanced around at the children running around. "What a day to have a field trip, history in the making here."

He smiled briefly as he also just noticed their convenient welcoming party, "Almost as if it was planned."

Sakura scoffed as she completely tuned out the glowering former head next to her. "Please, a brat like me cannot think that far ahead. I can't imagine being able to predict the different ways I could cause all sorts of trouble with a mind like that."

Itachi could not help it when he extended his arm to her, "Perhaps I could push you into a puddle on our walk to the Hokage office as a reprimand? I hear I can be quite mean so do be careful."

It was an odd sensation, this back and forth. It had felt so casual over messenger bird. Now that it was in person it became incredibly clear just how much flirting was behind it all. But now she knew it was something she was interested in pursuing. Instead of ruminating on it Sakura wrapped her arm around his and tried to ignore the growing fluttering throughout her body. "Only when someone takes your dango."

Itachi rolled his eyes at the familiar dig but did not comment. Instead they walked down the street together stopping briefly at the vendors who waved hello. Both ninja's clocked the multiple scouts that were around the village and undoubtedly reporting on the Uchiha's every move. By the time that they had made it to the Hokage tower the entire village was flooded with Uchiha. Sakura remained outside though with her grilled chicken from a street vendor as the main family spoke with their village leader.

It was about thirty five minutes later, after informing Naruto that he was not allowed to attack Sasuke mid discussion with Hokage because it could be considered treason even it is was the most unsuspecting time possible, when Mikoto stepped out of the building. She was flushed and appeared almost winded. Noticing the distress first Naruto all but ran up to her. He pulled a glass of water from a random stranger as said woman placed herself down on a bench.

It was rather adorable and she had to give the boy credit for his unwavering love of other people. Walking up just as quickly Sakura slid in as Mikoto gracefully accepted the drink. After a few more seconds she shook her head, "All is well, so many things have happened at once and the energy was off putting. My husband would burn the building down with his stare."

Sakura glanced up at the window as she imagined the various arguments that could be occurring. She also had no doubts that Itachi was advocating the hell out for his family and giving in on the things Fugaku had fought tooth and nail for in the past. She would not really want to be up there either.

Naruto, who had no concept of what was really going on up in that particular meeting room, stated, "Want me to bash in some heads?"

Mikoto smiled briefly at the boy, "Oh Naruto you have no need to-"

But was cut off by the fire in Naruto's eyes. He immediately stepped back in and stated, "No need? You are practically family! No one bullies my family? Come on Lady Uchiha you have known me since I was twelve. You are practically a mom to me. I would totally bust down that door and fight for you if you let me. Believe it!"

Before Sakura could stop him he turned to the door and stated a very clear as well as intentful, "Punching time!"

Kakashi and a few other jounin in the area heard him and all but her father charged for the door. Said man smiled briefly while continuing to lean up against a nearby wall, not a true care in the world. Knowing even from his vantage point that her father had the situation well in hand Sakura turned back to Mikoto. Instead of speaking though said woman was staring at Naruto with fresh tears in her eyes. After a few more seconds, as well as blinking them away, Mikoto turned to Sakura. "You know my clan hasn't exactly been nice to him yet here he is calling me family."

Sakura smiled at that. Trust her surrogate brother to melt anyone's heart. "That is Naruto, knuckleheaded and loyal to the core of it all. I think that boy could change the world if he had the opportunity."

Mikoto laughed cautiously before directing her attention to a new topic, "And you Sakura? Will you change the world?"

Completely caught off guard Sakura attempted a smile, "No, I think I will stick with what I have for now. I love my friends and my village; that is enough for me. Of course kicking out Danzo would make a great story. I think that should be Itachi's next life altering mission for himself. That walking mummy and I went at it again with some reforms I am attempting to make with the hospital."

Mikoto agreed immediately, "You should see how that man is handling everything up there; he is attempting to turn it all to a war negotiation. His last argument was that the Uchiha only came out because they realized Leaf would overwhelm their forces."

Sakura was drawn back to her mission with a particular Anbu team and wondered what had happened with that interrogation. Hopefully enough information had come out to rip Danzo from his seat of power and the village could have their own execution. While Leaf was not usually privy to that Sakura wanted one. That foul man had sent so many good shinobi to their death on impossible missions to make room for his own operatives in higher positions. It was disgusting.

But she did not respond and just stated, "Well trust in the village to protect its own. And despite what you all have been telling yourself you are members of this village and always have been."

Mikoto glanced up again at the room above, "Hard to feel that way with people like that in charge."

Sakura flashed back to her few interactions with Fugaku but did not share her opinions on the matter. Outwardly pointing out the similarities between the two individuals would hardly help the situation right now. Much to her surprise it was Kakashi who spoke. The moment she registered his voice Sakura glanced to where he had been previously slouching. In that spot now rested a group of girls, two of which were Uchiha, playing with dolls. He had apparently left that sinking ship for higher ground.

"Now Mikoto, trust your boy to handle it. He is better at politics than anyone wants to admit. He had a lot of practice with negotiations and fiery tempters when younger." Kakashi had slid in next to Sakura and closed his book before putting it in his back pocket. Sakura felt herself frown as she tried to assess what Kakashi was doing.

Much to Sakura's surprise Mikoto sighed dramatically, "Oh Kakashi you were always the logical one. Even as a young boy you would talk me down."

Sakura blinked rapidly before coming to the sudden conclusion that she was missing something. "Do you two know each other? From like, before the team formed?"

Mikoto smiled, "Yes, Obito my brother was on Kakashi's original genin team. We were all quite close that first year and were rather horrible in keeping in touch after my brother's death. Though it has been much better lately."

Sakura could have felt her eyes pop out of her own head. Her reaction was something she was completely unable to keep in because the universe just could not leave her alone, "You have got to be kidding me! Can't a girl catch a damn break?"

Kakashi gave her a sly grin at the reaction. The little gesture of his drove home even more of her overwhelmed state. Fucking family and their damn scheming was going to be the death of her, of this she was sure.

Just another link in the chain to people Kakashi cared about. What was this? Rubbing her temples and ignoring Mikoto's confused look Sakura waved the situation away from her. Standing up without a word to anyone Sakura became suddenly fixated with the idea of completely distracting herself from all needless thoughts. Nothing could quite help the situation in the same way.

Determining that her time had been appropriately spent Sakura walked through the throng of people and vendors that were far more packed than they usually were. When she reached the familiar flower shop Sakura all but jumped in to get away from her racing thoughts. In true Ino fashion said woman was sitting on the counter, legs crossed as she compared different flower arrangements to her nail polish of choice. Her family was attending to three other customers and looking at her with a familiar level of wariness. Knowing her friend as well as she did Sakura was positive the woman was saving her friendly services for any Uchiha's that might walk through the door rather than the familiar faces she had been seeing in town. With one glance up Ino jumped off and shouted "Billboard brow!"

With the familiar term of endearment Ino hugged her and shuffled them both off to the side of the building in case additional people showed. After a few more second Ino immediately launched into gossip mode, "It is all over the village, the Uchiha are back and they are talking with people. Is Sasuke one of them? I went home and change into my cleavage shirt in case he stops by."

Smiling because Ino would always be consistent, and winning her mental debate about why said friend was not talking with other customers, Sakura distracted herself for the rest of the day.

When she was finally ready to leave and had said hello and goodbye to everyone who stopped by for fresh flowers Sakura made sure to take the most public way home possible. Even if her heart was a mess and her life caving into itself she had a role to fill. This whole village isolation needed to be a thing of the past and nothing was stopping this growing movement.

When she finally did reach her building and climbed those steps tirelessly Sakura was not surprised to see an Uchiha at her doorstep. What did surprise her was which one. After a few moments of taking in the mission standard sleeping bag, overnight sack and the slumbering person by her door Sakura made the quick decision to wake him up.

She tapped him gently with her foot and nearly laughed when he snorted awake. The familiar goofy ninja scratched his head adoringly and smirked, "So Itachi has banned me from the grounds for being annoying and my girl may or may not be on mission which leaves her parents kicking me out. Got a couch I can use?"

Sakura glanced at Shisui and grimaced, "I don't know, and I going to be accused of marrying you as well if you do?"

The man just laughed as he stood up with a stretch. After popping his back in a few places and shrugging noncommittally, "No idea where those silly little things started but I assure you I am a taken man. The whole village knows it and me being here will probably just look like extra protection on our part since you have singlehandedly created us a festival of lights for existing."

She couldn't help the blush, had she really been that obvious. In her recruitment of others Sakura had felt the work looked evenly divided. Perhaps she had not imparted on her friends the importance of keeping her name out of all the planning. Then again, she was one of the few common factors between Naruto and Ino who were the main advocates in beautifying the city.

Still, Sakura digested his words. She instinctively felt like a lie was there but could not place where. It was a well known fact that he was a smitten man who had a reputation for needing cover from people he had wronged that week. It was a mystery Naruto and Shisui were not closer friends if she really thought about it. With a shrug she pointed at him accusingly, "Fair warning, you get blood on my couch and you will get dropped from the title of favorite."

Another laugh as she acknowledged another clear elephant in the room. Remembering their mission together as team Tsumo said man just grabbed his overnight pack and smiled, "Now Sakura, I backed you up on that one. My cousin needed a good ass kicking and he is far less likely to kill you. And that is only because you are far better at dodging than I am. Besides, the whole experience was great gossip among the team after the fact. You really brighten up all conversations, even boring ones like mission details."

Absolutely no part of her believed that particular team had sat around some campfire gossiping, but it was a nice image to store away. Still, Sakura focused on more hard core non heart racing thoughts. For instance, Shisui stating she was somehow better at dodging than she was. It was a blatant lie and they both knew it. Shisui was one of the fastest men in the village what with his flicker technique. But she took the compliment as she opened the door while motioning him inside. The man stepped in like he was a longtime friend, casually placing his items on the couch and kicked off his shoes. He spread out the sleeping bag to add even more cushioning to his accommodations. Within moments Sakura knew it was like feeding a stray, she was never going to get rid of him. With a sigh of defeat Sakura walked over to her kitchen and looked around for something of interest to make. Nothing grabbed her attention due to her cupboards were bare. Scrunching up her nose Sakura remembered her lack of food; she had been eating out pretty much every night.

Slamming it shut she smiled sweetly, "So no food in the house, I am thinking-"

Shisui immediately sprung up from the couch in almost impossible excitement. Like a dog who saw a bone he had leaped over the familiar obstacle and had her hands in his. "No food? What a shame? As a thank you I will pick us up something."

Before she could comment the man had his shoes back on and all but ran out the door. By the time she blinked the wind of his speedy retreat had shut the door. Blinking again Sakura glanced around the room to make sure his bag was indeed there and she had not hallucinated the entire bit. Deciding that he was the oddest Uchiha ever Sakura smirked to herself. Walking over to her own bedroom closet Sakura pulled out a few pillows and blankets for said man. Placing them neatly on the couch for him to organize however he wished, Sakura opted for a shower.

By the time she had finished and dressed for bed, lazy clothes were by far the most comfortable things known to man, she had made tea and cut up a few vegetables. Knowing her own boys as she did whatever Shisui brought back would most likely be meat or breaded. When she heard the door open and an enthusiastic greeting Sakura stepped out only to meet with at least five bags of takeout in the man's hands. In shock she raised an eyebrow and gestured to the living room where the items could be placed down. Unsure why he had obtained so much food for just the two of them Sakura grabbed the tea and left the sliced items to properly gauge what he bought. Sitting down gracefully Sakura noticed that one thing was an entire container of sake, another one of fresh sweets. "Where did you get all of this?"

The man smiled as he gave her some disposable chopsticks. Already opening up a box of beef, broccoli and rice Shisui happily conveyed his trip. "Oh all over, went to every place that I love. We really aren't permitted to much takeout on the compound so I am living it up."

Sakura smiled at that, the memory of Itachi sneak eating dango immediately crossing her mind. It seemed a whole new world would be opening up to the repressed clan. Still, with a warry gaze she looked around the table. "We will get sick from eating all this."

With what could only be described as a devious smirk he pushed a carton of food towards her, "Oh Sakura, do not worry. It's all going to be eaten and you are going to have a fantastic night. Though, I did leave your door unlocked to prevent any hinges from breaking. When riled my cousin can be quite the brute. Really, I do not see what you like about him. He can be such a stubborn shit when he wants to be."

The comment seemed odd in more ways than one. She could not imagine Sasuke coming here for any reason other than to avoid his family, and given recent events he probably wanted to stick around the Uchiha compound and monitor things. But she was to tired for questions, so Sakura let it go. Instead she talked openly with the man about some of his harder missions and perspective on how she may have participated if on the team. He was openly friendly and discussed his girlfriend on multiple occasions which further eased her fears about any rumors or misunderstandings. Shisui was oddly talkative about his desire to have children and both of them to live in the compound. He asked her questions related to this too; what her own hopes were for a family. Sakura was immediately relaxed in his presence, what with their natural banter, and by the time they opened the sake Sakura felt as if she knew him for most of her life. He had a similar quality to Naruto where his infectious nature was too powerful to pass up. Mid bite, and forming additional questions in her head about his views on childcare with parents who were active ninja's the door was kicked open. Turning abruptly Sakura saw none other than Itachi glaring at her house guest. With eyes solely intent on Shisui's death Itachi growled, "You promised cousin! Now I have teams of people with even more rumors barging into my office."

The man smiled and grabbed some sweets from the pack, "Dango?"

Itachi could have flashed stepped himself with how quickly he moved. It was the cool breeze of air that really indicated the action. That and how he had suddenly grabbed Shisui's shirt with both hands after striding into the apartment in said swift but graceful steps. Lifting him eye level Itachi growled, "You will go to every restaurant you attended and inform every passerby you spoke with that you were visiting Sakura for personal reasons. You were under no circumstances discussing the duties of a matriarch. You were not assessing her family history of fertility and you were not on any potential level convincing her to move into the compound. Do you even realize the target you are putting on her back?!"

With a wicked smile Shisui stated, "Feels like you need some sake more than a stick of dango. Don't worry I got that too. It is even your favorite kind, it was on sale because of the whole our clan being amazing thing so I grabbed it."

"Shisui!" yelled the man.

Placing his hands up in defeat the older of the two took the loss with practiced grace. "For starters I said none of those things, what they took from my implied discussions about staying with the head of the medical division to discuss inter clan relations and continued friendship development was their own doing."

Itachi dropped him with clear annoyance and disbelief, "So you did not tell the owner of my favorite dango shop, where three other Uchiha were shopping, that you were going to be discussing Sakura's views on children?"

The manipulation was completely apparent to her now, along with the reservations she had about some of his initial statements. Sakura outwardly gasped, "You brat! I thought that topic was strange!"

Seeing the growing battle Shisui smiled, "As you can see cousin, we did discuss her future goals regarding that particular topic. So no one can call me a liar. I kept to our bargain; it's not my fault someone took that as being related to children with you in particular. Notice how no one even thought of me or someone else being a potential suitor. Read the writing on the wall cousin."

Running his fingers through his hair Itachi glared, "Leave, now! And sleep outside the village walls so I do not kill you outright. I am to tired to deal with this. You made her not only gossip fodder but the target of every enemy who is upset we stepped outside of our compound."

Shisui just clicked his tongue in mock dramatic sympathy, "Your right, we should move her in for safe keeping."

Sakura immediately kicked the soft spot behind his knee after moving from around the table. The lurch forward on his part and accompanying glare on at the idea of others needing to protect her was clear. Said man was completely unfazed though. Instead he just stated with a wink while rubbing his leg, "And could you imagine the rumors that would spread if I was forced outside of the village? Someone might even say I stepped on your toes? That you do not enjoy sharing this lovely woman? Picture the gossip Itachi. No, you should stay with us for dinner and leave with a stack of hospital looking-ish papers. I am known for causing trouble but you know as well as I that a strong reaction from you will do far more damage."

Sakura suddenly knew where the lie in his earlier statement at the beginning of the night was. She was not sure why or how but this man had been the one to start the rumors of her being future Uchiha matriarch and Itachi had been attempting to calm the whole situation down on his own while the viper was still at his feet. Little fucker was a tiny bit better than she gave him credit for on the manipulation scale.

Without a moment's notice Sakura performed the familiar whistle. Reaching around the table to grab a scrap of paper and writing utensil the familiar hawk dove through the window. After being done Sakura did not even bother tying the thing, the bird taking the small rolled note directly in its beak. "Deliver this to Yamato please; I think we need a buffer for this whole situation."

The bird was gone in an instant. Turned back towards both men and placing her hands on her hips Sakura settled things quickly. "Yamato negates everything; he is not Uchiha and has no business with clan politics. He is a known friend to both of you though. This is a friendly dinner between allies after a trying couple of weeks. Shisui you will be attending a morning spar session with me first thing tomorrow morning so I can properly beat your ass. Itachi," she looked at him briefly with a smirk, "you of course are welcome to join."

Itachi glared further at his cousin, "You are taking advantage of my fatigue and distracted state to further your amusement."

Shisui looked properly insulted at this one. With a frown he stated, "I am holding to my word, you are the one that barged in here. I am permitted to have friends you know."

With a clear hint of fury Itachi gracefully sat down at the table. Looking at the large spread of food he came to the same conclusion Sakura had. Shisui had planned on it just being more than two attendees tonight. Rubbing his temples Itachi glanced at Sakura. Wanting to get this out of the way he shared, "I appreciate all that you have done, it is clear you took extra steps to assist in our return."

Blushing slightly Sakura portioned out some food for him, somehow remembering his favorites as she placed them nearby. After a few more seconds, and quickly pouring some sake, Sakura stated "Well we all needed it, I can't imagine the village without black haired dark eyed people glaring at me for daring to be so colorful."

Fully embracing the moment Shisui laughed at this one and sipped on his drink, handing his cousin another stick of dango. Itachi reluctantly took it as the jovial man stated, "You would stand out like a beacon. It has got to be disastrous on missions, no wonder you learned to change the color the way that you did."

Smiling Sakura started to launch into the tale of molecular transformation over jutsu. It did not last as her floor was suddenly covered in glass due to a human projectile coming through her window. Halfway through her talk a familiar man had crashed through said window and stood up, kunia in both hands. All three other ninja were on their feet as Yamato assessed the situation. Realizing that the other three were around a table with food he slowly placed the kunia further down. Seconds later the loving bird that was now a staple in the pinkette's life soared through the same demolished window and onto the couch. Smiling at the feathered thing Sakura walked over to pet it.

Yamato finally put his kunia away fully and brushed off the remaining shards of glass, "Itachi was under attack huh?"

Nuzzling the creature Sakura looked back at her new friends with a slight blush. Perhaps her frustration had gotten the better of her and she could have been a bit more descriptive, "He was, Shisui was being a pretty creative bully. You will be paying for that by the way. Don't worry, Itachi made a dent in my door so it can be a group project."

Itachi and Shisui both placed their own weapons down as they glanced at the broken window. Surprisingly it was Shisui who commented, "You cannot stay in this place with a broken window, it isn't safe."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Neither is being a ninja but I seem to do that okay. Just everyone sit down and get some food."

Yamato looked back at the damage and quickly noticed the blanket on the couch along with the familiar sleeping roll that was spread out. In a few short moments he had pinned the blanket over what remained of the window with his kunai to block out the colder air. After that was done he sat back on over near his friends. Seeing the dango he looked at Itachi, "Special occasion?"

Itachi smirked, "Yes, we are discussing party favorites for Shisui's wake. I am partial to the powdered ones."

Shisui actually pouted at this one, "You are even more of a kill joy since being clan head. I don't think I like it."

Yamato seemed to enjoy the conversation far more, "Mochi is the request I have. It is my favorite by far. We should make it a true celebration after all."

Shisui glared and turned to the last member of the group. Sakura knew this was different, that she already felt at home with these men. She was aware that the mediator in her should play fair and diffuse the situation. She was also aware that having Itachi this close to her in such an intimate setting was making her heart rate speed up to unhealthy proportions. His scent completely took over the previously overwhelming smell of takeout and concentrating on her familiar bird was the best she could do to appear normal. Because of this building anxiety she stated the first thing that came to her mind, "I am partial to daifuku."

It was unclear what caused the next round of laughter, her comment or Shisui immediately throwing himself on the couch in dismay.

Sakura found herself smiling the next morning as two of the three men who had been over the previous night slept drunkenly on her couch. With a cup of tea in her hands she watched as Yamato and Shisui's slept foot to face on opposite sides of the larger than average furniture. Due to Naruto and Sasuke doing much the same thing she was proud that her forethought had assisted in another budding group of friends. Itachi had left sometime around midnight claiming that he could not spend any more time there without further supervision would instigate additional rumors. He was right of course, which ended in all three remaining people glaring at the instigator of a cousin. Shisui had thrown his hands up in defense and repeatedly stated that he did not say anything that was not true and the village was just full of gossiping mongrels.

After Itachi had left the air around the them shifted and both men became somber, asking Sakura if she would ever consider joining the team permanently. It appeared as if both had recognized how much worse off they could have been had she not been stubborn and handled Itachi appropriately.

The discussion that followed had left her a little worse for wear. Mainly because they spent the rest of the evening identifying all the times Itachi had protected them and nearly gotten killed in the process. It ended with Shisui discussing all the ways it was reminiscent of the boy when he was young and determined to protect everyone without anyone being the wiser. She did not miss the pointed look directed her way after that.

Yamato, who had multiple questions related to Sakura and Itachi's previous relationship, could not have been more amused after hearing some of the stories. With instance after instance Sakura felt herself shrink a little. They really had been awful the whole way around. Her defense of being younger than him seemed to hold less weight the more that they spoke about it.

Eventually she filled them up with so much booze that neither could remember why they were pestering her. It seemed as if Yamato was used to taking care of the overly zealous friend and pulled him to the couch, tucked him in and told her that she was appreciated before falling asleep himself. It had taken two additional hours before she fell asleep in her own bed after thoroughly processing everything.

Staring across the living room she debated the best way to go about waking them, it wasn't until another familiar signature landed on her doorstep that she came to the perfect conclusion. Poking her head out of the makeshift curtain Sakura smiled at Sasuke. He was examining the broken window with concern and inquiry. Finally he stated, "You know you can't live in a house with a broken front window like this."

With a slight frown she stated, "Ninja, it's a profession where I kill people in violent acts for a living. Seriously, say it with me. Ninja."

He frowned again, "Itachi should fix this."

Suddenly debating with her internal plan to have Sasuke scare the crap out of his undoubtedly hung over cousin Sakura pulled her head back in the apartment and walked over the door. In an instant Sasuke was walking through and stopped mid step when he saw the two ninja's on the couch. Placing his foot back down on the ground he stated in an insulted manner, "That is my spot."

Completely giving up on every plan she had formulated Sakura walked over to the slumbering men. Grabbing a pillow from behind Shisui's head she then smacked him in the face with it. Instantly alert he kicked his comrade awake as he woke. Yamato, who seemed to have a never ending supply of weapons on him, was immediately on his feet and another kunai in hand. After a few second he dropped the weapon and grabbed his head, motioning that it was too bright in the room. Feeling sorry for him Sakura gently walked over and pulled him down on the couch. Sitting by his side she focused her healing chakra on the hangover he was undoubtedly experiencing. Asking Sasuke to get a couple glasses of water was all she could do while both men tried to contain their pain. After about ten minutes Yamato smiled thankfully at her. "Maybe I need to date a medic, that is the best healing I think I have ever had."

Smirking happily she stated, "See, hospitals are good. Injuries are bad."

Shisui leaned forward and placed his head against her shoulder, "Heal me too?"

She debated it, truly debated it. It was pretty clear that he instigated all of those rumors that now had her head spinning. He also purposefully lit another fire last night. Thinking about it further though he also ensured that her and Itachi spent some time together that was far less awkward than it could have been. Once again feeling as if she was now regularly feeding a stray dog she stated, "I feel like it would encourage bad behavior even more."

The smirk was confirmation.

Still, she appreciated his humor and ability to lighten a situation. Sighing dramatically she began working on his symptoms as well. Sasuke was not having it though as he crossed his arms and stated, "Hey fucker, you are still in my spot."

Mid healing Shisui turned towards his cousin, "Now now cousin, you will have to learn to share at some point. You kept her secret for to long for that to work."

Sasuke clenched his fists and glared. Sasuke had always been a possessive person and with all the upheaval Sakura was sure he wanted some form of normalcy. But she did not interfere in family matters. Not having a large one of her own to fall back on Saukra was not always sure when the arguing was considered normal. In true Sasuke fashion the boy walked over and growled at his cousin, "And why could you not stay at Itachi's little secret hide away? Seems like it would be more comfortable than a couch."

Shisui shrugged, "I get lonely and Sakura is such a good snuggler."

Having enough of it Sakura pushed the man away, his healing complete enough that she felt he would at least be able to defend himself in a spar. Looking at him pointedly she stated, "You have thirty minutes to meet me at training ground 7, prepare for a massive beat down."

The two older ninja stood and stretched, as if prolonging this little visit to annoy her friend. Well Shisui was doing it to annoy them, Yamato was doing it because he knew better than to leave before his teammate did. Who knew what things could be instigated within a 15 second window. As they walked out the door Yamato did turn towards her sheepishly, "I will talk with Itachi about repairing everything, it will all be done by tonight."

Briefly she wondered why everyone was insisting Itachi should take care of her broken apartment but let it pass. After turning towards Sasuke she stopped mid teasing statement. The look on his face was one of concern. Recognizing that something was wrong she asked, "What happened?"

With a surmounting amount of hatred building in his eyes he stated, "My contacts reached out to me this morning, it is Danzo. He wants a revolution and he is planning on killing you to start it."

Firevixen73- Just when you thought the two would have time for themselves and some type of normalcy! If there is one thing we know about the ninja world it is that nothing stays calm for long. Thank you so much to my amazing readers and hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned! Also please check out my new story, The Situation. I would love your input and will be posting a new chapter for that one within the next week or so! :)