There was always something Sakura loved about doing work that involved going undercover. Admittedly, it probably had to do with alternative tactics she'd been taught as a kunoichi in the academy; while many would rely on deceptive ninjutsu and genjutsu to conceal themselves, Sakura's methods were much simpler and just as effective in the situation she was in.
All it took was a simple backstory, opting out of cutting her long hair before a mission, a pair of glasses, and a lab coat with a casual outfit. So far, the villagers were none the wiser; as far as they were aware, Sakura was a doctor who'd recently moved from another land after losing her husband just days after their wedding. She completed the look with a simple ring she wore on her finger, crafting stories about his kindness and gentleness.
It wasn't hard to feign missing someone she cared about, after all. The man who truly had her heart had practically been dead to her for years, in a sense... and even though he was back to them psychologically, there was still distance between them. A distance that some days still hurt, just a little, because she missed him deeply.
Sakura was just finishing the setup of the clinic, ready to flip the sign when she could see someone outside. It was one of the female villagers, coming with a plate of what appeared to be freshly-baked cookies for her. She rushed to the door, adjusting the glasses on her face and flicking the lights on.
"Good morning," she greeted with a chuckle.
"Oh, good morning, Dr. Kobayashi," the woman greeted with a wave. "I do hope you're settling in all right. We're very glad to have you here in the village." The woman held out the box of cookies, and Sakura took them with a smile.
"Oh, please, you can call me Ume," she said with a chuckle. She'd of course picked a name that was close to her own in a manner; she herself had been named for her pink hair after the cherry blossoms, and ume was a close counterpart to that. "Perhaps if this were the city I might be inclined to go by such a formal title, but this isn't is it?" They were more welcoming than she expected. Or perhaps it was just a small group that was; the more cooperative the villagers were, the better. Only the daimyo of the land was aware of her true identity; not even the local lords had been informed, for the sake of investigation.
"Oh, of course, Miss Ume."
"Ms. Ume, actually. I'm... well, I was married," she said, feigning a sombre tone. "Sorry. Probably not an appropriate topic for a first meeting, really."
The woman laid a hand on Sakura's arm. "Oh, dearie, you needn't worry. Ms. Ume it is, then. I will be sure to let everyone else know as well. These are for you, by the way. My homemade chocolate cookies. If you need anything, I'm just up the road, and I run the tailoring and antique shop in the square." Tailoring and antiques, huh? That might be something Sakura would have to check out. Antiques from other villagers could hold interesting information if she could find out their origins. The more she could find out about what was going on, the better.
"An antique shop? I might have to stop by. I do still need a few more furnishings for this place." She gave the woman a bright smile. "Anyway, I'm likely to have a few people coming in soon, I believe. There were a few letters of people who'd requested appointments, so I was able to schedule a few."
"Of course! If it makes it easier, my son is the messenger boy, so you can stop by at the end of the day with your list of scheduled appointments for the next day, and he'll deliver the messages in the early morning for you. He should do rounds every two hours or so throughout the day, so if you have anything you need to send, you can send it through him." Well, that was convenient. She was used to messenger birds, but a messenger boy would be just as good. She'd have to learn their system quickly to ensure she could keep her clinic running efficiently. It was the front for her investigation, after all.
"Thanks, I appreciate it. Have a wonderful day!" She waved as the woman left the clinic, leaving her to finish getting the rest of her morning organized while she waited for patients. Her first patient was simple; a basic cold, nothing a simple herbal concoction couldn't take care of. She quickly got the medication ready for her patient and sent them on their way. She had to deal with very little; the occasional small injury from a farming or carpentry accident, a child who'd bumped their head, all things she could deal with in a short matter of moments. The worst was a broken arm she had to set and wrap using more conventional methods; she had to avoid using medical ninjutsu wherever she could to maintain her cover.
At the end of her day, she decided to go for a walk, wandering a bit behind the clinic. It was set in a beautiful spot; there was a small waterfall coming out of an outcrop in the cliff, bringing fresh, cool water into a small pond. It wasn't deep enough to swim in, but it was enough to wade in. It was also nicely secluded; it would be good for her to go for a swim on a hot day if she had the time. It was a beautiful night; she couldn't see anyone in the vicinity, which meant she had a few moments to herself.
That was, of course... until she saw something up on the cliff. No, not something; someone was up on the cliff. They wandered to the edge, half bent over, before falling clean over the edge to the ground. Sakura's instincts kicked in as she ran in the direction of the fallen male; whoever they were, they'd been banged up bad enough that they were barely recognizable. His clothing was torn, his dark hair matted and his face bloodied and bruised. She could tell his wounds were severe, and without immediate help, he would not make it.
"Don't you die on me," she said under her breath, lifting the man and sprinting back to her clinic. She was quick to open the door and get him into a bed, working rapidly as she tore at his clothes. One hand hovered over him to allow her medical ninjutsu to do its work; the other was doing its best to tear away at his clothing to make a better assessment of his injuries. His chest wounds were the most important to start; she made sure those were cleaned and closed before she began to work on his face.
The entire time, there was a sense of dread in her stomach. Something felt deeply familiar about this man, something she couldn't figure out; he was too bruised and bloodied for her to be able to tell his identity. As she worked on taking down the swelling on his face, she pulled out a small flashlight and checked the responsiveness of his right eye, followed by his left.
The left eye made her stop in her tracks. It made the pit in her stomach grow deeper, the sense of dread making her feel cold all over. His right eye was a shade of purplish-green with no iris, the colour covering even his sclera, with familiar rings that surrounded the pupil. Normally, there would have been six tomoe on the inner rings, but a lack of chakra had caused them to disappear.
Only one person in the world had a left eye like that. The moment she saw his left eye, the rest of his features made sense; the dark, messy hair, the pale alabaster skin, his lean but muscular frame, and the missing left arm from the elbow down. She hadn't even looked at the missing arm, but now she knew the arm wouldn't be an injury she had to worry about. Her breath had hitched in her throat, and she could feel tears welling in her eyes.
"Sasuke-kun, no," she whispered silently, wiping her eyes on her sleeve as she went back to working on his injuries. It was difficult to keep her tears at bay; it was taking every ounce of her willpower not to break down right there. Hours passed as she pushed herself to the brink of what energy she had, eventually taking the time to slowly wrap the remainder of his wounds, clean him up, and get him comfortably into a bed where he could rest. She pulled up a chair beside the bed, sitting there and watching him rest.
She was a mix of emotions. How had he managed to find his way out here? And more accurately, why was he out here? What would have brought him to this small town? She knew he'd been out in the world investigating and travelling, but here, of all places? Was it... fate, perhaps?
It had to be. She had to believe it was; if he'd been in the condition he was and she hadn't been here, he would be dead. His injuries had been severe; they weren't the kind of injuries that just any medical ninja could deal with easily. Luckily for Sasuke, she was not the average medical ninja. Sakura was leagues beyond that. Without her, he would be dead.
Reaching out her hand, she grasped his right hand in hers, sniffling and wiping away a few more tears. She didn't want to sleep, not until she knew he was okay. She knew she needed to relax at the very least; she laid her head down on the bed beside him, silently praying. Please be okay, she thought to herself. Please. I can't lose you. Not you. Anybody but you.