It felt good to be on the road, Kakashi thought. Sitting still inside large walls was not something he enjoyed much. Caged and trapped... that's what he felt like ever since becoming the Hokage.

But then again, it also didn't feel good to be on the road. He missed Sakura much too much. Rather than heading toward a massive scolding, he would like to laze around in bed with her and attempt to make babies all day long.

But it wasn't about what he wanted these days.

Kakashi put his hands into his pockets, his trademark gesture that he knew made him appear far more nonchalant than he actually felt. He was tense, his hands balling into fists now that they were out of sight.

It was Rin.

Rin who shouldn't be here, next to them, barely keeping up with the fast pace he had set because she dragged her feet a little. More to the point, she shouldn't be here as if she had never died, as if people came back to life with their bodies intact after receiving a fatal blow to the heart.

His head swiveled in her direction, not for the first time on this day. There was no denying it - she was a weakness, maybe his most dangerous one. His heart pinched at the slightest sign of discomfort on her face, as if his guilt compelled him to be a fool against his better judgment.

Rin looked at him too, her lovely face hidden in the shadows of her hood, shielding her from the strong gusts of wind and infrequent drops of rain, making her expression unreadable.

The truth was, he couldn't stop himself from feeling protective of her. Even with a knife at his throat and her wielding it - he didn't think it would be any different.

Truly… a fool. No wonder everyone had kept spreading rumors about a dalliance between them. No wonder poor Sakura had believed he had moved on from her. Like he could ever. Didn't his pink headed sweetie know how deep his besottedness for her ran?

I should have told her, Kakashi thought, his stomach in a sudden knot. He didn't think he had, at least not recently and not clearly enough. He was a soldier, he knew one never left his lady love without making sure everything that needed to be said was out in the open and properly acknowledged. Their farewell had not been what it should have been.

"It's nice to be on the road with you," Rin said into his regretful thoughts.

Kakashi lifted his eyebrows.

"It feels… like the old days," she followed up with a little smile.

"Does it?" Kakashi didn't think it did, not in the least and his voice carried all his doubt and more.

"Oh," Rin said and threw Micha a measuring look, "I'm not saying he's like Obito…"

Kakashi nodded.

"... but you, me, in a team of three, walking through the forest… it feels to me like I'm transported back in time."

It did? To him, it was all wrong.

Obito's second, real death had allowed Kakashi to stop grieving for his friends. He would never be fully free of the guilt he felt for not being there for Obito when he had most needed him - but at the end of the war, it had seemed like the end of a chapter, no… the end of a story. He could finally accept Obito's sad fate, his terrible role in the history of Konoha, because despite of it all, his friend had died so peacefully, almost joyfully.

Because Obito had believed he would finally be reunited with the love of his life in the afterlife, all misdeeds forgiven. An eternity of happiness in exchange for a lifetime of misery.

Was Obito over there searching for Rin who wasn't there but here? Was he feeling sad, a ghost among ghosts, cheated out of what he deserved?

"I'm sorry my mother is so pushy," Rin said into the awkward silence between them. "She knows no other mode."

"Yeah," Kakashi pulled a face, "I've noticed."

"Do you hate her?"

The question surprised Kakashi. Hate? That emotion wasn't really in his repertoire.

"No," he replied, "I don't hate her. I don't think she is the enemy. Doesn't mean I like her though, she's a real pain in the ass."

It was a bit astonishing he felt no hate for her, even though she was making his life harder than it already was, with her attempts to order him around to do her bidding, her family's bidding. Showing no respect for him whatsoever, treating him like a dimwit. No, hate wasn't what he felt, only anger, but even that was measured.

Was he… feeling sorry for her? Hmmm, now that was an utterly strange and most certainly misplaced sentiment.

"You've never asked…" Rin faltered.

No, he had never asked.

Kakashi pressed his lips together. He was a fool and a coward when it came to Rin. He had never confronted her with the most obvious questions. He had never called her out for pretending to be someone she was not. Resurrected Rin was human, not a White Zetsu clone. Kakashi had made sure to touch her, to feel her flesh, her bones, to check for her chakra, for her life force, again and again. But he was also certain that her body wasn't the body he had held in his arms when she had died.

Kakashi took a shuddering breath. A different body, the same soul?

He had often surmised that this person walking next to him might not remember what had happened in the caves. Might not remember eating a berry from the God Tree as if that changed everything. He only did because he put in effort, every day, flicking through the pages of his notebook every evening and every morning, checking for knowledge gaps.

It was possible that she might not know what she was, that she believed in the pretense herself - it was what made the most sense even if it made no sense at all.

Sometimes she was just like the Rin he had known. Sometimes she was not. Sure, people changed with age and what had happened to her was no happy story. But it felt to him like... this back and forth… like… or maybe he was just going mad, was seeing things where there was nothing to see. Wasn't a woman allowed her strange moods? He had them too.

"What's your sister's grievance?" he asked one of the questions he had mulled over and over in his head, feeling compelled to ask at least something. "Do you know?"

"She hates mother," Rin answered simply. "She hates my family."

"Why?"

"Do we need special reasons to hate our parents and our family?" Rin asked.

"I wouldn't know," Kakashi answered, a little taken aback. Hating one's parents wasn't a notion he could even begin to understand.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rin said. "How insensitive of me."

"It's okay," Kakashi said. "I don't need to understand, but I should be told what she means to do if I'm to help at all."

"Kill her."

The answer came very quickly, spoken with no emotions whatsoever. Or was it a request? He pushed that thought far away. He might have thought himself capable of this when Rin had first reappeared, but he wasn't anymore. He couldn't. Not again.

"You're saying it is purely your mother she wants to go up against and not Konoha?"

He remembered her walking towards the tea house with her Oni masked soldiers last year. The Other Rin, that's what he called her. She had seemed determined, fierce and ready for everything.

"No," Rin said, "I'm not saying that. She is…," she stopped, but Kakashi knew exactly what she wanted to say.

Insane.

The unspoken word echoed strangely in Kakashi's head. In the Other Rin, the Uchiha rage was much more apparent. The same destructive desires he had seen in Madara and in Sasuke at his worst. It would explain why the Noharas had been eager for the cure even when they considered the Uchihas their arch enemies and needed soldiers like him to defend against them.

There was only one way to find out whether his theories about the two Rins were correct and that… his stomach clenched.

"I'm glad you're helping us," Rin said with fervor, "you're the only one I trust. You can make it right."

Make it right? Kakashi almost laughed out loud. What did she think he was? Ah, it was going to be hard… When he looked over at the doctor, Micha - who had obviously followed their exchange with interest - grinned at him like a wolf and lifted his thumb.

Kakashi let out air he had sucked in. He was very glad the doctor from far away was with him. Micha would not allow sentimentalities to get in the way. He would make sure they would follow through with their plan. To the very end. Because it had to end, one way or another.

###

They reached the Capital before nightfall, exactly as planned. It was a large, sprawling town that assaulted Kakashi's sensitive nose with the nauseating smell of too many perfumed people and made his ears twitch with too much noise. There were no guards at the open gates despite the busy road and nobody to greet them either even though he had dutifully sent a messenger bird ahead to announce their arrival.

Oh well, not that he had expected a warm welcome. Kakashi had been here only four times, and four times, he had sworn he would never return. Sadly, another promise he had not been able to keep.

Shizune had booked rooms for them in a plain but cozy guest house half an hour away from the city center. It was run by a couple who had lived in the Hidden Leaf Village before the husband's uncle had called him away to take over the family business. The owners insisted on taking a photo with the Rokudaime Hokage and despite his deep embarrassment to be treated like a special person, Kakashi humored them with his best pose and most friendly smile. After a tasty, light meal, Kakashi and Micha took leave from Rin who claimed to have a headache and strolled through the busy streets, conversing with hands, feet and the limited vocabulary they shared. Micha bought souvenirs and Kakashi a book - the second volume of that new romance series Sakura had read to Kakashi - conversed some more, laughed like lunatics when they had no clue what the other wanted to say, got very drunk on a trendy sparkling beverage and staggered back to the inn long past midnight supporting each other like old friends.

The night was much too short as a result but Kakashi frequently held meetings on less sleep, though admittedly with less of a hangover. Howbeit, he was determined to go through with this unwanted business quickly and be on the road again this afternoon at the latest. It meant walking through half the night but he didn't want to be away any longer than absolutely necessary.

He had duties. Like making babies.

The Fire Daimyo's residence squatted on a hilltop like it wanted to squash everything below. Once admitted by the unfriendly staff, Rin and Micha were told to wait outside while Kakashi was ushered into the Fire Daimyo's chambers alone. Kakashi saluted. Their leader looked somehow diminished since he had last seen him, shriveled up like an old lemon on his high chair on the dais.

"Hatake Kakashi," the Daimyo said in his haughty, high-pitched voice instead of a proper greeting, "I want you to meet my son, Sato Daisuke, our country's next leader!"

A young man stepped forward from the shadows, his eyes narrowed on Kakashi. Dislike was instantaneous and most likely mutual. The aristocrat was dressed in what seemed to be the latest fashion which looked absolutely ridiculous with all that frilly fabric. And his hair… why would anyone want that much pomade in it?

Kakashi sketched a bow, barely low enough but not quite insulting either. But careful… the illegitimate son that the Daimyo had positioned as his successor with the help of the Noharas was clearly not someone to trifle with, however foppish he looked. His eyes were hard and cruel and his pinched mouth with the deep lines around them was a clear sign of how ready he was to go after what he believed to be his by right.

Kakashi straightened his back and waited for his political leader to tell him why he had been summoned.

But apparently, the Fire Daimyo had already handed over the governance of the country to his son. He leaned back on his formal high chair and closed his eyes when his son stepped forward and walked down the few steps to where Kakashi stood.

"Rokudaime Hokage," Daisuke addressed him, his eyes sweeping over Kakashi's wrinkled uniform, lingering briefly on the red armband on his left bicep, "I am not quite sure what to do with you."

Kakashi lifted his eyebrows, a gesture that instantly darkened the next Daimyo's face with anger.

"Frankly, I am not sure what value the Shinobi system has nowadays," the young man said, his voice taking on a silky quality over the edge it carried.

Kakashi simply left his eyebrows where they were. This person couldn't really expect him to give an answer, could he? They looked at each other for a while and it was quite clear that the dislike they both felt deepened by the moment. This wasn't a battle he could win easily, Kakashi knew. The hierarchy was clear. The Village followed the Daimyo's rule. As a soldier, he had to obey. Which just meant he had to make sure the orders he received from the capital were in everyone's best interest.

"It's a new world," Daisuke finally said slowly. "I don't expect you to understand, living in that remote, secret village all your life. It's all about trade now, you see? War is a thing of the past. I need businessmen, not soldiers."

"Trade can only flourish when there is peace," Kakashi answered, keeping his voice neutral. "We only wage wars when it's necessary. When it's not, we keep the peace."

Daisuke looked at his father who smiled sleepily and then laughed. "You seriously believe this? The Hidden Villages are a constant provocation. Their mere existence threatens hostility, every day."

"You should visit us," Kakashi proposed, still keeping his voice low and even with a bit of an effort. "Konoha is like this city, just much smaller. People live their daily lives, enjoying the sun, cursing the rain. We are completely normal."

"Nothing about you is normal!" Daisuke exclaimed and spittle flew in Kakashi's direction, thankfully missing his face. "You're a war hero, no doubt! I know what you did, what you are capable of. But I do not want an armed bomb on the territory I rule, do you understand? The other Daimyos think just like I do."

They did? Kakashi narrowed his eyes and Daisuke's face turned a reddish hue. Oh boy, talk about armed bombs…

"Keeping Konoha running is costing us so much money, more and more every year. You are almost bankrupt, are you not?"

"It has been a very harsh winter, we could not go on many missions," Kakashi replied stiffly. Ah, but it was the truth and it embarrassed him. The village's finances were in an abysmal state.

"And before that? The number of missions - or should I say - the amount of money you made with missions has plummeted dramatically under your predecessor and has reached a new all-time low at the beginning of this year."

"I have plans. The hospital…"

"The hospital? It's small."

"But excellent. And the new Head…"

"Maybe you do not know that you have angered the one family who has continued to support Konoha financially despite your inability to turn those investments into profit?"

"I never asked for money," Kakashi replied stiffly. The Noharas could go straight to hell.

"But you took it."

"Why shouldn't I when it's offered? They frigging owe us."

"You think so?" Daisuke's eyes roamed over his face with a strange expression.

"Oh yes," Kakashi confirmed, "they like to use us like pawns for their family problems. You cannot only see profit when you look at these people!"

"I can't?" the next Daimyo chuckled. "You're wrong. I don't care about their family problems. But I do care about business alliances."

As if on cue to prove a point, the door behind Kakashi opened to admit several people: A tall, blonde man, bearded and bespectacled, wearing an elegant suit and very shiny black boots. His hair, his height and his eyes gave him away - he looked like an older, much more serious version of Micha. Behind him walked three women and two men of advanced age, their huge silver eyes giving them away as members of the Otsutsuki clan. Noharas. Kakashi felt a strong, instant revulsion that he fought hard to keep off his face. Behind the newcomers, Rin and Micha came running in and even further back, a scrawny man with thinning hair scrambled in.

"Almost too much family for me," Kakashi murmured.

"I wouldn't want to be you," Daisuke chuckled and turned away, back into the shadows.

The scrawny man with thinning hair was a translator as became apparent quickly - and the tall blonde man wasn't simply any relative of Micha's but his own father. The conversation between the two was harsh and heated and when it finally stopped, Micha let his head hang and his father turned ice-cold blue eyes on Kakashi.

"I apologize for any inconvenience my son has caused you," the translator conveyed his words, "I can compensate you for your troubles."

"No trouble," Kakashi replied politely, "the opposite. He has helped the village very much. And he is my friend."

His Excellency von Krafftheim-Hohenzollern frowned and asked his translator something. The explanation he received seemed only to puzzle him further. If only Sakura were here, Kakashi thought. Her he could trust to convey the right meaning.

"Michael had no permission to leave," he then explained to Kakashi. "He is the first born son and is needed in his home country."

"We owe him a lot," Kakashi said, feeling a lump in his throat. They meant to take Micha away? That would break many hearts. His included.

Micha began to speak rapidly with his father again who shook his head. "Nein," he said. And several times more "nein".

"Your island is of much interest to us," the translator then said, "and I understand you are capable of acts that are like magic. You should visit us so we can deepen our ties."

Micha talked again, very agitated but his father cut him off.

"You are unhappy about the guns?"

Kakashi nodded. "This country is all about balance. Those weapons will unbalance everything if they are allowed to spread."

Micha's father nodded.

"You cannot stop progress for long," he then said. "But we will stop selling weapons for a while."

That drew the Daimyo's son from the shadows.

"That one is not your negotiation partner!" he frowned at Micha's father. "I am!"

Those icy blue eyes focused on Daisuke who seemed to shrink and shrivel under the piercing gaze.

"I came here for my son," Micha's father was translated, "not for money. And I talk to whomever I want. He is the military leader and if you fail to have the military on your side, you fail entirely."

More rapid speech from Micha. It went on and on. The father frowned, bit his lip. Then, the two seemed to reach an agreement.

"I'll come back," Micha said to Kakashi in his strongly accented way, "I promise I will. I just need to take care of some business back home. I will be back."

"I understand," Kakashi nodded. And he did, fully. That making such promises was easy - but that keeping them was hard. That duty came before love, but actually shouldn't. That one had to be grateful for the good times as long as they lasted because they never lasted long. "I will miss you."

"We're not done," Micha whispered and turned his head to look at Rin.

Indeed, they were not.

Kakashi looked at the Noharas. Why had Mrs. Nohara sent Rin with him to the Capital?

The Nohara delegation had not stopped looking at him ever since they had entered. He could read nothing in their alien eyes. What did they see when they looked at him? A pawn? An experiment gone wrong? A nuisance?

Slowly, he walked towards them.

"Micha! Now!" He didn't even have to shout because the room had gone entirely quiet.

Micha threw the syringe in a perfect arc and Kakashi caught it with a perfect catch.

"I am very sorry," Kakashi said before plunging it deeply into Rin's arm and releasing the serum.

###

"Sakura! Good moooorning!"

Hinata waved at her enthusiastically from across the street, but Sakura only had eyes for Naruto's massive, glaring pout. What an idiot! Since Kakashi's departure a bit more than 24 hours ago, her mood had gotten more desolate by the second. After waking up on her narrow bunk bed at the hospital, she had barely resisted the urge to go to the Hokage Tower, put her head against Kakashi's pillow and cry her eyes out. She really had no energy to endure anyone's immature behavior!

"Hi," she addressed the pair after marching over the empty street briskly, the bag with the croissants she had bought swinging by her side, "out and about this early?"

"Yes," Hinata smiled, "we're on the way to the orphanage."

Hinata, her long hair turned into a bun at her nape, was wearing the most gorgeous light grey coat Sakura had ever seen, shimmering like liquid silver in the morning light, with buttons made from white bone and little flowers in dark grey and pink sewn along the seams. Sakura was about to express her admiration when Naruto grumbled something under his breath and pulled on Hinata's arm.

"Hey!" Hinata frowned at him and snatched her arm away, "do you mind?"

"Let's go!" Naruto snapped and swiveled around to stomp away.

"You stop where you are, mister!" Hinata said quietly, but with so much authority that Sakura straightened her shoulders even though the admonition wasn't directed at her at all.

"But Hinata…" Naruto whined.

"It's okay," Sakura said bitterly, "let him be angry with us, I don't care."

"But I do," Hinata's beautiful eyes narrowed to slits. "Naruto! If you want to be rude, you can spend the day by yourself."

"But we wanted to go and eat Ramen together after you volunteer!" Naruto's blue eyes grew round. Then he looked at Sakura again, another massive pout drawing the corners of his mouth downwards. "Look at what you did."

"Really?" Sakura almost laughed. "You want to blame me?!"

"Yes," Naruto said, "it's all your…"

"Enough!" Hinata glowered at him. "Get lost if you can't act your age!"

But Naruto didn't get lost. He walked behind them in sullen silence once they started moving. Sakura had nowhere to be until the afternoon and was glad for the company. Walking with Hinata took her mind off Kakashi's figure disappearing into the morning mist and the gnawing fear she felt ransacking her stomach ever since.

"Are you having a hard time?" Hinata asked her with sympathy.

They had never been close. Sakura felt like she didn't quite know the other woman, whose shyness and timidity had defined much of their interactions when they had been younger. And now that she was acting head of one of the most powerful clans of Konoha, she felt that the gulf between them had become even bigger. But the unexpected supportiveness she showed this morning made Sakura's bleak despair retreat a little.

"It's okay," Sakura answered with a smile, "most people seem to mind their own business and…"

"Oh," Hinata blushed, "I didn't mean that. I thought that it must be hard to… you know, be responsible of everyone's health and…"

"Ah," Sakura blushed as well, "hm, I think I'm getting used to it. Frankly, in the beginning… I didn't believe I could do it."

"I know what you're saying!" Hinata exclaimed, "I feel the same, every day. But somehow… somehow I can. Actually…" she dropped her voice, "Naruto helps me a lot. Just by believing in me. I know he gets a little intense and stuff but..."

"He always had an incredible amount of faith in everybody," Sakura smiled. "He's a great guy, I know that."

"I think that Kakashi Sensei…, I mean… Hokage-sama, he…"

"Yes," Sakura said, missing him terribly, "he always believed in me. He scolds me for my insecurities almost every day. With him by my side…"

Sakura caught Hinata's smile and blushed anew. How embarrassing to be gushing about Kakashi like this!

"You two deserve to be happy," Hinata said simply. "Naruto will get over it. He feels fiercely protective of Sasuke, which you know of course, but I keep telling him that it's none of his business what you two feel or don't feel for each other."

"Thank you," Sakura felt very grateful. It hurt that Naruto thought she and Kakashi were doing something horrible, but she didn't need people's blessing to know that she wanted to be by Kakashi's side, always. Even though everything she had ever known was here in the village, she would not hesitate to leave it with him if that was necessary.

She walked all the way to the orphanage with Hinata, talking about many things. She learned that Naruto and Hinata wanted to get married in May, a very large, traditional affair with countless guests. Hinata's eyes started shining when she talked about the many details she had to take care of and Sakura couldn't stop smiling to herself, this much enthusiasm was simply too contagious. Even Naruto forgot his grievances for a while and walked next to them, adding his unromantic masculine opinion about flowers and dresses and food and drinks, which made Sakura roll her eyes and Hinata giggle for minutes.

Once the orphanage came into view, Sakura gave one of the croissants to Naruto - of course, he was still always hungry - said her goodbyes to the couple and turned to the right, to return to the hospital. It was a considerable detour, this path through the forest, but she didn't have to be there until the afternoon anyway. Not that there wasn't any work waiting for her. The paperwork piling up in her office was the stuff of nightmares.

The gardens here at the orphanage had to be lovely in full bloom, Sakura thought as she munched on her buttery breakfast and walked along the neatly arranged patches to the right and left of the path. Now that all the snow had melted, the barren earth revealed its readiness to be the home for new life, some very early bloomers already poking tiny green heads out.

She would like to go on walks with Kakashi, Sakura thought. Leisurely walks, strolling around the village and its surroundings hand in hand, looking at flowers and birds and trees, not a worry in the world.

Unexpectedly, the path she was walking on ended. Sakura looked up and saw a little house that looked like it was leaning against the gigantic tree towering above it. It was a traditional house, with sliding doors and wooden engawa verandas. It looked dark and abandoned, with several items clattered everywhere, like somebody had left hastily without time to set his or her affairs in order.

Curious, Sakura stepped closer, walking over the grass towards the front steps. There was a Konoha headband hanging from a nail by the door. No… not Konoha. There was no leaf there. There was a single musical note.

Otogakure. This was Kabuto's house.

Sakura shivered suddenly in the cool morning air. How brazen to have the sign of his treason in plain sight like this, like a challenge, a sign of how little he cared whose walls provided protection for him. Kabuto had never stopped flaunting his disdain for them in their faces, knowing all too well just how valuable his medical skills were to the village.

Her heart suddenly beating very fast, Sakura walked up the short flight of stairs and onto the main veranda. Before she could think about what she was doing, she slid open the doors and entered the Genkan to take off her shoes. It was dark and gloomy inside so she switched on the lights, bright, naked light bulbs illuminating the entire interior like they were on a mission to chase out every inch of darkness and shadow.

She didn't know what she was looking for when she walked through the rooms.

Documents? Further proof of the experiments? Anything that would help Kakashi, that would prove to him that he wasn't guilty of treason.

Silly. Desperate. She was trespassing and what she saw of Kabuto's house made unease and guilt churn heavily in her stomach. Neatly arranged books. Pretty pictures of flowers and mountainous landscapes. Traditional, tasteful furniture. Clothes. Shoes.

Definitely not what she would expect a villains lair to look like.

In the bedroom, she paused at the sight of the rolled up futon, shaking her head at herself. She had to get out. This wasn't okay.

But when she turned, there was someone standing in the door, blocking her way.

"Mrs. Nohara!" Sakura exclaimed, feeling fear course through her… then nothing but resolve.

The woman just stood there, unblinking.

"What?" Sakura asked irritated. Was this Mrs. Nohara's property? It could well be.

No answer. Was the Warden really not blinking? Sakura took a step closer to check whether she was even real or some puppet installed to scare people away.

"You are a problem," Mrs. Nohara said quietly.

"You're not the first to tell me that today," Sakura retorted. "I'm not impressed by it."

"That such a bland, unartful woman like you has to wedge herself between them is unacceptable."

Wedge… wedge herself where?

"Are you… are you talking about Kakashi and me?" Sakura asked. And Rin, Sakura realized. This shriveled old hag was lamenting the fact that Kakashi had chosen her and not her daughter. Yeah, she didn't quite understand that either, but she had begun to accept it. Kakashi was hers. Nobody would take him away from her.

"Love! It is messing with everything," the old woman said, sounding so dramatic and silly that Sakura found it difficult not to laugh. "It's just hormones, it means nothing."

"Oh really?" Sakura snickered. "I'm glad you're such an expert, Mrs. Nohara. I thought it's the one thing that means and changes everything. Maybe you don't know because you never had any?"

She wasn't quite sure what strange mood took a hold of her all of a sudden. In defiance, she lifted her chin. She wasn't tall but Mrs. Nohara was shorter. If necessary, she would get physical with the warden, old woman or not.

"Despicable woman," Mrs. Nohara hissed. "You should have stayed away."

"I couldn't do that," Sakura snapped back, "Konoha needed my cure. And Kakashi needed me."

Apparently, Mrs. Nohara didn't agree with that, her lips went so thin they almost disappeared.

"We will succeed, we always do," she pressed out. "You are only another obstacle."

"Listen here," Sakura bristled, "your hostility is simply ridiculous. What do you even want? Doesn't your family already own everything? Just leave us alone, okay? We are just living our lives here. We don't need you."

"Oh, but you do," Mrs. Nohara's unblinking eyes gave Sakura the creeps. "We gave you chakra. We gave you bloodline traits. And what have you ever given us? Nothing but hatred and war. We are asking you to pay us back."

Did this woman expect her to understand what she was harping on about?

"You are stubborn and deceitful," Mrs. Nohara observed, her eyes narrowing. "We should have killed you a long time ago."

Sakura snorted. "You are threatening me?"

"The slug princess made it hard though," Mrs. Nohara rambled on, "her protection made you untouchable. Not long though. Not long."

"You are deranged," Sakura blurted out, "do you need the cure too?"

"How dare you!" Mrs. Nohara screamed and moved forward so quickly, Sakura barely had time to lift her fists. But her blood sang. She was itching for a fight so much! Finally, she would be able to pay back the insults. Hitting an old woman was wrong, but this one deserved it. For how she made Kakashi's life so much harder than it already was. For meddling. For plotting. For siding with Danzo. For allowing experiments. For… everything. Sakura collected her strength into her fist and drew back.

"Stop!" a demanding voice rang out from the entrance of the house.

And strangely, Mrs. Nohara froze in mid-movement, as if the newcomer held her by invisible puppet strings. Sakura let her fist sink and drew a shaky breath.

A woman appeared behind Mrs. Nohara. Sakura gasped. She wore an Oni mask.

"She is mine," said the woman and lifted up her mask.

Sakura gasped again.

No.

"We finally meet," Rin said with a sneer, her eyes hard and cruel, "and now I kill you."