Mornings at the hospital were busy, but Sakura liked them. She loved helping people, both ninjas and civilians. When her team had joined the ANBU, she had specifically asked to be able to continue working at the hospital, even if it meant sacrificing a few hours of sleep.

What she didn't like so much was getting back to her office after a complicated operation and finding Sasuke waiting for her inside her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He and Naruto, with considerably more free time than her, had gotten used to sneak inside looking for her when they had nothing to do, constantly interrupting her. She had to tell Shizune not to let them in unless they were bleeding to death, she thought as she closed the door and left a pile of reports on her table.

"Someone better be dying."

"It is."

Sakura looked up at Sasuke instantly and analyzed his expression, searching for something to give him away, but he remained unmoved. She began to worry.

"Let me grab a couple of things and I'll follow you," she told him as she frantically searched for the supplies she needed. "Who is it?"

"Your chances with my brother, it seems."

Then there was silence in the room, five seconds to Sakura to recover, before she exploded.

"Idiot!" she exclaimed, releasing the air she was holding in her lungs. She grabbed a pen from her desk, concentrated chakra in her hand, and tossed it to his chest. "You scared me for a moment."

Sasuke laughed and backed away from the wall, dodging the projectile by a few inches. The pen stuck to the wall.

"Sorry, sorry. You should have seen your face."

Sakura dropped into the chair with a sigh and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away. She looked at him suspiciously.

"How much has he told you?"

"Enough," he replied, flashing a mocking smile. "Don't worry, nothing bad."

She sighed again and laid her head on the table. God, how she wanted to disappear. "Damn gossiping Uchihas."

Sasuke walked over and leaned on her desk, looking to her from above.

"Honestly Sakura, I don't know what you see in him."

"Ha! You, with this big brocon, are not precisely the more indicated to speak," she scoffed, raising her head and pointing at him. "You know very well what I see in him. He is handsome, kind, strong, practically perfect in everything he does ..."

"And the Hokage."

"And the damn Hokage," she repeated resignedly, and buried her head back in her desk. "It's okay. I knew from the beginning that I had no chance with him. I just have ... this big crush. I needed to get it off me."

Sasuke became serious again and Sakura could see how he clenched his hands tightly around the edge of the table. "If he had said anything hurtful..."

"What?" She couldn't help laughing. "Would you hit him? Your own brother?" She raised a hand and caressed his face lovingly, smiling. He and Naruto had always been overly protective of her, being the only girl on the team." Come on, you know how strong I am. I can defend myself."

He didn't answer, but he closed his eyes and let Sakura caress him at ease, enjoying her gesture. She raised her hand up to his hair and messed it up, knowing he hated that. He, for once, didn't complain.

It was true what Sakura had told Itachi the night before. She loved Sasuke, in the special way they had of loving each other as friends and caring for each other. The fact that Sasuke was willing to confront his older brother whom he adored so much, just for her, touched her.

"Did you just come to see how I was?" she asked, lowering her hand again.

He was silent for a second, before taking out a scroll from his vest and placing it in front of her.

"The next mission."

Sakura raised a curious eyebrow and picked it up, reading it over.

"Oh," she murmured, seeing what it was about. "This can be interesting."

Sasuke shrugged. Their idea of 'interesting' didn't match, but he could understand why she saw it that way.

"I have yet to tell Naruto," he said as he walked over to the window to get out of there, and Sakura wondered why he couldn't use the door like normal people. "Ah, I forgot. On Saturday we have team dinner with Kakashi." He turned one last time and smiled, sarcastic. "Try to keep your panties in his place."

Sakura sat up and looked at him without understanding. "What?"

"I know you've always found Kakashi attractive, and I heard you like a bit of age difference..."

She turned red and, embarrassed, ran towards him to hit him, but he was faster and went out the window. Sakura only had time to lean out behind him and yell into the air, as he walked away, "Tell that talkative idiot of your brother that I'm going to beat him up next time I see him!"

.

"Wow, Sakura-chan! It's rare for you to be late," Naruto exclaimed as she appeared at the village gate, where he and Sasuke were already waiting for her.

She paused beside him for a moment, catching her breath. "I am sorry. I've been operating since last night. I just finished, I came as fast as I could."

"I thought you weren't working last night," Sasuke observed, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"It didn't. But an ANBU team arrived in pretty bad shape, and Tsunade called me. It's not like I could refuse."

"Wait, the one on a mission in Iwagakure?" Naruto jumped instantly, with a slight suspicion. "Neji's team?"

"That one," she confirmed, and seeing the concern on her friend's face, she added, "He's fine. Just a few scratches. Mostly angry for his team."

"Geez, I can imagine. What happened?"

But before she could answer, Sasuke, who was a little further away from her, turned to them with an unfriendly face. "Hey, you two. If you want to talk, at least do it while we are moving."

Sakura clasped both hands in a gesture of forgiveness and began to walk, catching up with him. Naruto, on the other hand, ran up to him and put his arm around his shoulders.

"You are so cold, Sasuke. Aren't you worried about Neji?"

He brushed him off quickly. "You heard Sakura, he's fine. Do you know who is not going to be if you don't start to speed up?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and prepared to reply, but in the end he closed his mouth and started running towards the forest, alone. Then he heard Sakura's soft laugh next to him.

"Sometimes you are too harsh on him."

"He needs to mature a bit if he wants to become a Hokage," Sasuke replied automatically, as they had had that talk before. "By the way, are you going to be okay?"

She looked at him without understanding.

"The operation," he explained. "You haven't slept at all, have you?" His tone seemed neutral, as always, but Sakura knew how to detect the underlying tone of slight concern.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him. "I have enough chakra. I'll just need a good night's sleep when we get back."

Sasuke just nodded. "Hn. Just let me know if you need to rest at any time. "

They kept running in comfortable silence, but after a while Naruto came back to them, fed up with being alone. Then he and Sakura started a very heated discussion about who had been the best Hokage until then, not counting the current one. Naruto was of the opinion that Hashirama, while Sakura was a big fan of the Third.

"Shouldn't you choose the Fourth?" she asked, annoyed. "It was your father."

"Well yeah, and I've heard a lot about how cool he was," Naruto shrugged. "But I mean, the First? Have you heard what he was capable of? Besides, by that rule, shouldn't you choose Tsunade-baachan, having been her apprentice and all that?"

"Precisely because I'm her apprentice, I don't choose her. You would be surprised to know she worked. "

Sasuke cleared his throat, breaking into the conversation. "You two are talking nonsense."

Naruto whirled on him, outraged. "Oh yeah? Then tell us who is the best according to you, teme."

"Well, I'm not saying he was the best," he began. Of course, the best was his brother, but he was out of the competition. "But if I have to choose, my favorite is the Second."

Sakura looked at him in surprise. She didn't expect that. "Tobirama, Hashirama's brother? You know that he hated the Uchiha, right? "

"I know," he nodded. "But, even with that, I really like the way he viewed the village's relations. He was not an idealist, like the First. He knew what he had and how to work with it." Seeing that his two companions had fallen silent, looking at him, he added, "What?"

"You know, Sasuke," Sakura was the first to speak. "You just sounded just like your brother."

"Damn, you've even made me wonder what kind of Hokage I want to be," Naruto added, shaking his head. "That's it, I am going to hire you as my counselor."

"I thought you promised that position to Shikamaru," Sakura commented, with genuine curiosity.

"Shit, it's true. I had forgotten. Sorry, Sasuke. "

"I don't want the damn position. I'll be glad if you manage not to destroy the village the first week, you idiot. Come on, we still have a long way."

They continued their journey northward for another two hours, without stopping at any time, until they reached a clearing in the forest.

"Really? Here?" Naruto asked, feigning a chill. "It creeps me out to think that this guy had a base so close to Konoha."

Sakura looked around her, surveying her surroundings suspiciously. Naruto had read her mind. "Well, it makes sense if you think about it. After all, he was from here too." She turned to Sasuke and tilted her head inquisitively. "Should I do the honors?"

He nodded, but raised a hand and gestured for her to wait. He activated the sharingan and scanned the ground carefully, until he found what he was looking for. "Twenty feet from where you are, turn fifteen degrees to the left," he instructed her.

She followed his directions and stepped in front of the point he had marked for her. Without further delay, she charged a fist with chakra and slammed it to the ground, breaking and lifting the surface with little effort. Her two teammates, who had instinctively backed out, approached again, observing the entrance in the ground that had been exposed.

"Ah, Sasuke, your face!" Sakura exclaimed upon seeing him.

He immediately put his hand to his cheek, where he had a small cut with a little blood, as if he had just noticed it. "It must have been some rock from earlier," he murmured absently.

Sakura rushed over to him and cupped his face in her hands. Sasuke wanted to step aside and tell her that it was nothing, but he remained still. He knew that if he refused, she was capable of immobilizing him. It wouldn't have been the first time and it probably wouldn't be the last either.

She emanated some chakra and closed the wound cleanly, in just a few seconds. Then she pulled her hand away and looked at Sasuke closer, stepping aside with satisfaction when she was finished.

"There, like new. We don't want your pretty face to get damaged, do we?"

He touched her forehead the same way Itachi did to him. "Annoying."

Behind them, Naruto looked away, slightly uncomfortable. Although he was used to seeing such exchanges between them, there was a point where it became suffocating. And the worst thing is that they seemed not to realize the atmosphere they created. Nor is it that Naruto dared to say anything to them. He still remembered how Shikamaru had ended up once when he had told them to stop dancing in circles and just made out. Sakura had punched him so badly that she had sent him flying through a wall, breaking three of his ribs that at least she had bothered to heal, (a favor he didn't deserve, in Sasuke's opinion).

Well, Naruto had to admit that even though Shikamaru was a tactless brute, deep down he agreed with him. He might be a bit naive, but he clearly saw that Sasuke was madly in love with Sakura. He was so obvious in the way he looked at her, how they were always together, how he knew everything about her, that he wondered how she hadn't figured it out. He hadn't the right to speak, though, considering how long it had taken him to reciprocate Hinata. And although he couldn't be sure that Sakura felt the same way, it was clear that Sasuke was the most important person to her. And it seemed to be enough for him.

He sighed. Those two would have to figure things out sooner or later.

"Shouldn't we go inside?" he asked, bringing them back to reality.

The underground base was large, extending through several long corridors that led to all kinds of rooms, and it seemed long-abandoned. Sakura let out a frustrated sigh. It was going to take them the rest of the day to inspect it.

"Be careful. There may be traps still active," warned Sasuke, and at his signal they parted in different directions.

To Sakura's relief, the search didn't take as long as she had thought, and at least the light inside still worked. Most of the chambers were cells, which she assumed had belonged to test subjects. There were a couple of small labs and an infirmary, but most of the equipment was broken and there was nothing to salvage.

She continued down the central hallway to some descending stairs, and she went down without hesitation. There, at the back, was a larger laboratory, with an adjoining room that she assumed would be the office. Although also almost empty, the material there was better preserved. Test tubes, syringes, stretchers… The little that was left gave her a pretty good idea of what had been done there, and she couldn't suppress a shiver. Trying not to think about it, she entered the office, and found with satisfaction that it was almost intact. Someone had dropped a couple of folders and the papers had been scattered on the floor, but otherwise everything was in its place. So she took as many folders as she could, sat down on the floor, and started reading.

She was so immersed in the reading that she didn't hear Sasuke enter, until she had him in front of her.

"Something interesting?" he asked her, dropping on the floor and settling in next to her.

Sakura looked up from the paper and rolled her eyes. "If you want to call it that. Everything's here. From simple blood transfusions to embryo experiments. Orochimaru was a sadist, but also a genius. But I hoped there was something we could use, and it doesn't seem like that." She sighed and closed the folder, setting it down with the others she had already read. Then she saw Sasuke's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered instantly, but he looked a bit pale. More than usual. "It's just… I don't like this place. I can't explain why."

"It's okay," she said. She pressed herself against him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you want to come to my place tonight?"

"Hm, it depends. What are you having for dinner?"

"Nothing. I haven't had time to go shopping. "

She felt laughter vibrate in his chest before he spoke. "Then no. Let me know when you have the fridge full."

Sakura pinched his arm. "Opportunist."

"Says the one who comes to my house for dinner once a week," he answered back, and even though she didn't see his face she knew he was smiling.

She was about to reply when Naruto poked his head in the office, interrupting them. "Ah, here you are. I was looking for you." He entered the room and glanced around him, respectfully. "This place gives me the creeps. What do you think Orochimaru is up to now?"

"Is he even alive?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows. "I was sure that Itachi had killed him after what happened in the Forest of Death."

Instantly, Sasuke buried his face in his hands with a groan, but Naruto continued.

"Right? I thought the same. I mean, do you remember how quickly Itachi appeared as soon as Orochimaru wanted to get closer to Sasuke? Anyone would believe that he was dead from the beating Itachi gave him."

"I know. You could really feel Itachi's love for Sasuke back then," Sakura nodded with a smile, agreeing with him.

That was it. He couldn't take it anymore. "You two," Sasuke growled, and when he got up, Sakura saw that he had the tips of his ears red. "If you have finished, we are leaving." And without saying anything else, he walked out of there, leaving them behind.

Naruto and Sakura watched him go and then looked at each other, exchanging a mischievous smile. Ah, the sweet taste of revenge.

When they left the base it was starting to get dark, and Sakura realized how much time she had spent reading reports down there. She looked at the position of the sun and turned to Naruto.

"I think if we hurry we can get to Ichiraku before it closes."

"Don't say it twice!" Naruto said, before running into the forest.

She watched him with a smile and walked over to Sasuke, leaning over him. "You see? That's how you do it. Motivating him."

He shook his head, but managed a small smile in turn. "You spoil him too much."

"Well, I didn't have dinner plans anyway. My fridge will remain empty one more night," she replied, shrugging. "Come on, it's your turn to pay."

She turned and walked into the forest. Sasuke watched her for a few seconds before following her. As always.

There's something that Sasuke loves more than Sakura: teasing her. They're dating, they just don't know it yet.

God don't let me post a chapter when I'm tired. I read the last one the next morning and there were son many mistakes lol, mostly because of things I had to search the translation and they didn't even made sense. Everytime I read it again I saw more mistakes xdd Thankfully this time I'm a bit more awake.

I swear this is all going to somewhere, I just like to write a lot of dialogue. Like, is the only thing I know to write. The idea of this fic was originally based on dialogue scenes I had in my head so. I hope you like it anyway. Next chapter things start getting interesting I swear.