The forest was alive with the chirps of birds and the footsteps of animals as a girl laid against the bark of the tree she was resting in. She had a destination to be at but was in no hurry to arrive there. Her pink hair swayed in the breeze as it spilled over the branch, her emerald eyes watched as a tiny sparrow hopped along the length of her leg up to her shoulder. A slender finger rubbed the top of its head as it chirped in content.

It had been seven years since Sakura had been a Konoha ninja and many things happened throughout it. She was able to find the place where she belonged in the end, and now the place she lived at wanted to start trading with the hidden villages. So she was sent to back to her old home to negotiate with them and the other kages as well. She had only gone back a handful of time before to visit her parents and Shishou with a small part of her hoping that many one of her old friends would see her and stop to talk, with no such luck.

Sighing, Sakura got up and set the sleepy sparrow on another branch as she stretched and went on her way. The sooner she finished this, the sooner she could visit her family and go back home. Her skills had improved while she was gone from Konoha and with the instruction she had received she might just be on par with the two powerhouses that she knew. (Maybe more if one of her sparring partners was correct). It took her 20 minutes to see the gate of the village come into view and, not wanting to deal with anything bothersome, used a jutsu to bend the light to make herself invisible. She signed her name on the sign-in book and headed straight for the Hokage's Tower.

Tsunade grumbled as she signed her name on more paperwork, annoyed at Shizune for taking away her Sake stash once again. Many things had changed in the village since the old rookie nine and Team Gai realized that Sakura had left the village so long ago without them even knowing it. They were still the way they were before, but it seemed as though they took more care to go visit and talk with all their friends. Making sure that they didn't forget anyone or make them feel as though they were left out of things like they did with Sakura.

Sasuke was still the same Uchiha that everyone knew, but he didn't really talk or hang out with anyone. The one person he still talked to was Naruto and Kakashi, but that was because the blonde wouldn't leave him alone and Kakashi had no clue what had been going on in the village since he was mostly out on ANBU missions. Not that he paid much mind to the Pinkette in the first place, but he still felt as though he failed her for not being there.

Naruto was his usual outgoing self, but it seemed more subdued somehow. Like he was still the Number One, Loud-mouthed, Knuckle-headed, Hyperactive ninja that everyone knew and loved, but he wasn't as loud as he sued to be. He finally came around to Hinata's feelings though, so they were currently taking it easy and slow to get to know one another.

Stopping to search the desk for the millionth time for some alcohol just in case Shizune missed something, Tsunade stopped at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Did Shizune hide your booze again, Tsuna-Chan?"

Her head shot up as she looked at the girl in front of her. Long pink hair fell down her back to her knees while her emerald eyes twinkled with laughter. She was wearing a black battle yukata with green swirls embroidered into it. Her bangs had been grown out and swept to the side to show the Purple Diamond she proudly displayed on her forehead.

"When doesn't she hide it?" Tsunade said as she got up to greet the girl. "Kami, Kura, it's good to see you again. Letters really don't show me if you're really doing good or not." While Sakura only visited a handful of times these last seven years, they still exchanged letters with each other, growing close enough to disregard the Master-Apprentice titles. "Are you here to visit your parents again?"

"No, not until later. Right now, I have business with you." Tsunade raised her brow when she noticed the Hitai-ate that was tied in the girl's hair. Every other time she visited she never had one on, always saying that she was on a mini vacation at the moment. Gesturing for her to continue, Sakura gave her a scroll and explained the contents while Tsunade read them.

"My village decided that they wanted to start trading with the other hidden villages to grow our marketplace and bring in new products. My Kage sent me out on this mission and Konoha is the last on my list. We are willing to trade our specialty products that are native to our village for the general goods of yours. Here is a sample of one of the items you can get."

Sakura pulled out a small bundle wrapped in red cloth with white designs. Tsunade took it from her and unwrapped the cloth to reveal two small white fruits shaped like a six-sided star. The skin was soft with a thin, almost unnoticeable amount of fuzz on the outside. Breaking it open revealed a pitch-black inside with tiny dots of color scattered on the inside, making it look like a miniature galaxy.

"The dots are the seeds and can be eaten along with the skin. The taste is similar to that of dango, but it's what it does when you eat it that makes it special." Curious, Tsunade took a bite out of one of the halves she broke, her eyes widening as she swallowed. It did have a taste of dango, but it was the flood of chakra that soon followed that had her in disbelief. Her eyes shot towards Sakura and saw a smile directed at her.

"Good, right? Not only can it be used as an ingredient for desserts, but used right, it can make an even better chakra pill than the ones you have now. You can try to cultivate here in Konoha, but I'll tell you right now that it won't grow anywhere else but my village."

"And if it can only grow in your village, you'll get a monopoly on this trade since we can only get it through trading. What about if the other villages decide to storm your village?" Tsunade asked in concern. Sakura's smiled even wider and let out a tiny bit of bloodlust into the air.

"I'd like to see them try and last against the ninja of my village, if they can even find it that is. The best thing about the hidden village that I live at, is that it's truly hidden. Only those that live there can ever find it." Nodding her, Tsunade went back to her desk and started to look over the scroll once more.

"Go visit your parents, Brat. I'll give you an answer tomorrow about this trade, although I'm sure you know my answer already." Giving a dramatic bow, Sakura disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossom petals. Grumbling about annoying apprentices, she set to work on the trading agreement to see if anything could be changed.

"MOM! DAD! I'M BACK!" Sakura yelled out as she appeared in her old home. Her parents changed the décor a bit throughout the years, but it still held the same warmth that it always did. Smiling, she walked into the kitchen to see her mother walking towards her with a bright smile on her face.

"Welcome back, Blossom! How was the trip here? Run into any danger while traveling?" Mebuki asked as she gave her daughter a tight hug. "Even if you are a strong independent woman, I still worry for your safety, you know."

"I know, Mom. The way here was nice and calm, no rouges in sight." Sakura giggled as she set to work making some tea for the both of them. "Where's Dad at?"

"He's off at the supermarket to buy some of your favorite sweets. He was so happy when we got your letter saying that you were coming back to the village for a while to talk trade. We can help with that if you want. We DO own and manage a trading company so I'm sure we have some experience in this kind of thing."

"Thanks Mom, but Kai wants me to do this on my own. I think it's some kind of test. Well, that or he just didn't feel like brokering this deal on his own."

Laughing, the two women talked about things going on in their lives until the door opened and the dark pink haired man walked into the kitchen. His smile widened on his face when he saw Sakura and pulled her into a big hug. He handed her the bag he was holding and went to grab her a spoon so that she could indulge in the favorite sweet.

"Anmitsu! Thanks Dad!" Sakura exclaimed as she grabbed the spoon from him and dug right into one of the many containers. "I missed this soooooo much!"

"That hard to come by in the village, huh?" Kizashi bellowed with a hearty laugh.

"Very. The Uchuu fruit is wonderful and all, but it doesn't hold a candle to this!"

"Maybe I should make anmitsu with the Uchuu and see how it turns out." Mebuki offered. Sakura immediately took her up on that with the promise to get the recipe once it was complete. She could spread her favorite dessert throughout her village and get them to see the wonder of anmitsu! "Alright, alright, I'll get started on it tomorrow then."

The small family talked well into the evening before they settled down in the living room to just enjoy each other's company and read. It was quiet for several minutes before Sakura decided to ask her father about the letters. She may not have visited very often these past seven years, but when she did this was always the one question that stay on her mind until it was asked. Her father stilled at the question for a bit before answering.

"The Uchiha finally came back to the village," he started, "With his return, he came asking for you with the Uzumaki on his trail. Soon after, the others came to ask for you as well, so all the letters have been delivered. It seems that when they realized that they had forgotten about you, they made an effort to make sure no one else felt left out of their lives. A little too late if you ask me."

"Dad," Sakura said gently, her eyes softened at his apparent anger at her old friends. "They all have their own lives and moved on with them. They went out, had fun, fell in love, and more. Just because I fell into a depression back then doesn't mean that they don't care. I wasn't in a good place back then, Dad, and it wasn't their fault."

"They still could have come to invite you places or just to see how you were doing! Instead, it took them seven long years to even come asking! They didn't have an excuse like the Uchiha, who went off on his 'redemption' journey for those years."

"But I don't blame them." Sakura said with a small smile as she grabbed his hands to calm him down. "I felt alone and unloved. I felt as though no one wanted to be around me and that they were secretly going around to talk about me behind my back. But that wasn't their fault, it was my mind that did that. I was in a very dark place and felt as though everything I did wasn't good enough. That I annoyed them with my very presence.

The thoughts going around my mind back then weren't good ones. I kept thinking the same things over and over again in different ways. Why did I say that? I'm a terrible friend. I'm a horrid daughter. They're hurting because of me. If only I was good enough. Why can't I get this right? This should be so easy! I'm horrible at everything I do! It was only when I got away from this village could I see my worth once more. I had to get away from that depressed state of mind and thanks to that, I found my place in this world!"

"…. I just want you to be happy, Blossom. I can't forgive them as easily as you can." He wiped the tears off her face as they spilled over. She had a small sincere smile on her face as she replied.

"But I am happy, Dad! I found a new home, friends, and even family. I can honestly say that this is the happiest that I've ever been. Also, I may have forgiven them, and myself, since it's not their fault that I was depressed, but seeing as how they didn't come to see me these seven years, I can safely say that they are no longer my friends. They are nothing more than acquaintances to me now. Although I may give Sasuke a chance if he wants to try and rebuild a friendship."

"He is cute." Mebuki piped in with a hum. She always thought that her daughter would have made a cute couple with the young Uchiha. Even now she still slightly rooted for that ship to set sail.

"Mebuki!"

"True, his Uchiha genes do make him look gorgeous, Mom."

"Sakura!"

"Oh, calm down, Dear. You know we're just teasing you." Mebuki giggled as she gave him a peck on the cheek. The two women laughed as Kizashi sulked in a corner, grumbling about how mean they were being to him. Sakura stood up with a stretch and bade them good night as she climbed the stairs to her old room. Her parents kept it the same since she left so it gave her the feeling of comfort as she laid in her bed that night. Her dreams filled memories of the past when she was child, not knowing that there was a pair of red eyes that peered in from the darkness of her window.

"How is the trading agreement, Tsunade-Sama?" Shizune asked when she entered the Hokage's office that morning. "Is there anything you can change to satisfy the elders?" Tsunade glared at the paper she looked over hundreds of times yesterday, eyebrow ticking at the mention of the elders. The old bags had been harping on her about this trade since it was delivered, someone must have told them about it without her knowing.

"That's the thing, Shizune, there is nothing is change. It's all a fair trade and it even stipulates that any changes will end in an immediate termination of the trading agreement."

"That's…. pretty harsh. Every trade usually goes through some changes."
"Usually, but they have the advantage of that fruit that we can't miss out on. Sakura already said that we were the last village that she visited so, assuming that all the other villages took the deal, we would be at an disadvantaged."

"Well said, Tsuna-Chan." Sakura said as she popped into view from the doorway. "The other Kages have already agreed to the trading agreement." Shizune jumped at the younger girl and gave her a huge hug. She had missed the girl and seeing her doing better always put her in a good mood.

"SAKURA! How have you been! I didn't get to see you the last time you visited." She had been busy with the hospital when Sakura was here last. By the time she was finished, the pinkette had left back to her new village. But either way, each time she saw the girl a bit more life was shining again in her emerald eyes.

"Tsuna-Chan told me how busy you were that time, so it couldn't be helped." Sakura chuckled. "So, ready to tell me your answer?"

"You know I can't turn down this trade."

"The elders being butts again?" Tsunade gave her a deadpan look causing Sakura to laugh. Tsunade always sent her letters through Katsuyu complaining about how annoying there were and how they kept trying to tell her how to do her job. "I was just asking~"

"Well, there is one thing that they want that I would like you to take into consideration." At her raised eyebrow, Tsunade continued, "They would like you to take a team of escorts back to your village to get to know more about Konoha's new trading partners."

"….. Hah?"

"They want to learn more about your village. Come on, Sakura, we don't even know the name of your home." Sakura was quiet for a bit before she sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa that was against the wall.

"Fine, I'll send a message to my Kage and see what he wants to do. Hold on real quick." Biting her thumb and slamming it on the ground, a puff of smoke appeared in front of her. Tsunade was surprised to see a small light purple fox instead of a slug. "Tell Kai that Konoha want to send some people with me to learn more about the village and wait for his reply before coming back." The small fox barked in reply before poofing out of sight.

"When did you get a fox summon? I thought you only had the slugs." Tsunade inquired.

"My cousin gave me the right to sign the fox scroll that had been in our family for generations."

"Cousin? So, you found some family in your village?" Shizune asked as she swiped the sake Tsunade had just pulled out of her desk. Sakura nodded and was about to reply when smoke appeared, and the small fox barked in greeting. "That was a fast trip."

"Yeah, Nora is the fastest fox I have when it comes to getting a message to someone. She doesn't take any nonsense from anyone. So, what did he say?"

"Sure, why not?" A slightly deep voice came from the mouth of the tiny purple fox, surprising both Tsunade and Shizune. "Bring a few people home, heck, I'm surprised the other villages didn't ask for this as well. Come home soon, kid. Grumpy is getting moody again." Once Nora was done talking, she bowed her head and popped out of sight.

"There you go! Permission has been granted, so who are you gonna send with me?" Tsunade and Shizune looked at each other. Sakura had a heavy feeling down in the pit of her stomach as the silence stretched on between the two of them. "Please tell me it's not Team Seven."

"Sakura, the elders have already stated that in the case that your Kage agreed, that it would be best to send your old team with you." Tsunade said with a frown. "They already didn't like the fact that you retired from being a Konoha ninja, so when you came back the first time as a ninja of another village…"

"It set them off down the road of disliking me?"

"Dislike is a pretty weak word compared to the complaints I had to deal with when they first found out about it. For some reason it seems to have hurt whatever pride they have about this village. Anyway, when do you want to head out?"

"Well, since I now have 'escorts' then as soon as possible. So, tell them to meet me at the gates in an hour." With a two-finger salute, Sakura vanished in a swirl of cherry blossoms leaving the two alone to call the remaining members of team Seven. Sighing, Tsunade sent Shizune to gather them and thought about whether or not she should tell them who they are 'escorting' for this mission.

"You called Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked ten minutes later. Himself, Sasuke, and Kakashi stood in front of her ready to see what mission they were getting themselves into. "What awesome mission are we going on today?"

"It's a simple escort mission." Tsunade started, leaning on her elbows as she got ready to tell them something that would change their current world. "I have decided to send your team on this mission because of the client and what it will entail."

"Who is the client, Tsunade-Sama?" Kakashi asked as he read his book, not caring about the mission at all.

"The client is someone you used to know well. I was my choice to send you three with her because of your history together."

"Her?" Sasuke asked, his expression growing even more serious than it usually is.

"….. It's Sakura." The three had very different reactions to the news that the missing pinkette was back in Konoha. Kakashi had dropped his beloved book with a shocked expression on his face. His lone eye wide as he asked it Tsunade was sure about it really being Sakura.

Sasuke was shocked as well, the gears in his brain had froze for a second before he turned to Naruto to see the blonde's reaction. Naruto had taken the news that Sakura had left the village the hardest out of all of them. For some reason, he always seemed to take things like this personally when it involved someone he knew.

"Naruto." The blonde looked over to his friend at the sound of his name. He didn't know how to react to the news that Sakura was back. Sure, he was happy that his friend was back, but he didn't know how to face her after all this time. He felt bad about how he didn't believe her confession back then and after she disappeared that feeling only got worse. He felt as though it was his fault that she left Konoha and her ninja career behind. Sure, he moved on after Tsunade made sure he knew that he couldn't galivant off and try to bring her back, and he was now dating Hinata, but that didn't mean that he didn't still think about her. He often wondered if she was doing well, eating well, or if she was even still alive!

"I'm fine, Teme. We should all be happy, Sakura-Chan is back!" Naruto said with a forced smile while Sasuke gave him a knowing look. "Is she back for good, Granny Tsunade?"

"I just told you brat, that you three are her escorts. Does that sound like she's back for good?" Tsunade sighed, thanking whatever god that was listening that none of them exploded with emotion. "Besides, she has a new home that she lives at. Now get out of my office, she said to meet her at the gates in an hour and we've already wasted twenty minutes of it."

It took them no time to pack what they needed and were at the gates before the time limit was up. Naruto was constantly looking around for a sign of pink in the general area, he was nervous to see her but wanted to see if she was healthy with his own eyes. He didn't have to look long when he saw her coming up the path, pink hair swaying in the wind.

She had grown a bit taller since he last saw her, her hair much longer with her bangs swept to the side. Her emerald eyes shined in the light of the day, but they didn't seem to show much emotion as she gazed back at them. He blames his time together with Pervy Sage, but he definitely noticed how much her figure had filled out. She didn't have the curves Hinata had, but the hour-glass figure was hard to ignore.

"Hello, boys, long time no see." Sakura said as she walked up next to them. "Ready to head out? We're going at my pace so if you can't keep up then it's best that you stay here." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, thinking she must have been kidding seeing as how much stronger they were compared to her.

"It's nice to see you again, Sakura." Kakashi said, giving her his usual smiley eye-crinkle. "How have you been?"

"Busy. My Kage has had me running all over the nations lately and I'm ready to get home."

"What for? Are you a representative or something?" Sasuke asked.

"That's part of the reason, another is to broker trading deals with all of the hidden villages. Konoha was the last one and my Kage gave the ok when Tsunade asked if she could send a few people to my village. Anyway, enough talking, let's go!" Sakura turned and headed out the gates, signing the check in/out sheet as she passed. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi looked at each other before following along behind her. They took it at a nice walking pace until they reached the part of the forest where the trees were getting denser. She stopped walking and looked back at the guys and said one thing before leaping up onto one of the trees.

"This is where the pace really begins."

She was off, speeding down the branches in a blur of pink, the boys scrambled after her, not expecting her to shoot off like that. They caught up in no time and traveled with Naruto and Sasuke slightly behind her on either side and Kakashi behind them, making sure to keep their senses open for any enemies that may come upon them.

Hours passed with nothing happening and the pace she set didn't slow down in the least. It was past lunch time when Naruto started to complain about hunger pains and about how they should stop to rest for a bit. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blonde but said nothing, knowing that his friend would still complain even when being told to shut up.

"I told you we were going at my pace, Naruto," Sakura said as she slowed down a bit to run beside him. "If you're hungry, eat this ration bar while you run. It'll not only give a boost in chakra, but also a burst of energy and make you fill full. Here's one for each of you." Once she handed out the ration bars to the boys, she picked up her speed until she was slightly ahead of them once more. Sad that they couldn't stop long enough for him to make his instant ramen for lunch, he bit into the white chocolate covered bar. The taste of dango filled his mouth with each chew his took, his energy that was waning before was back as though he hadn't been running for hours on end.

Kakashi and Sasuke had similar reactions to him when they tried the rations that she gave them. They looked at their former teammate and wondered where she could have gotten such an item in the first place. It tasted way better than the chakra pills that each ninja kept on their person and refilled it at an even higher percentage as well.

'In fact,' Kakashi thought, his lone uncovered eye staring at the back of his old female student's head, 'It even feels as thought my chakra regeneration speed has picked up a bit as well. Just what have you been up to this whole time, Sakura?' Although he knew he would have his answers when they reached her new village, it still didn't stop him from wondering what all she had been through.

They raced through the trees at a steady pace, not once stopping for a break even when they had to go to the bathroom. Sakura just told them to make it fast and catch back up if they could. When asked why she never stopped, she gave them an irritated look.

"I was trained to be a medical ninja by Tsunade, I can stop what ever bodily function I want for a certain amount of time. So, running all day is no problem for me now." She didn't anything else for the rest of the day, just focusing on reaching her destination as soon as possible. The thought of seeing her friends and family again filling her with joy.

'It's nice to see the old village again, but it's been so long now that it's awkward making conversation with any of them.' Sakura thought, feeling uneasy. 'Sasuke is my first crush, Naruto my second, and Kakashi…well, I wasn't very close to him in the first place. He only ever taught me tree climbing and never took an interest in me while I was his student.' Glancing back at the trio behind her, she quietly groaned, feeling that this was gonna be a trip.