Dark eyes scanned through the branches of thick conifers, coming to rest on a single flash of color amongst the green.

The bird had yet to notice his presence. It let out a series of high pitched chirps, puffing out the red feathers on its chest as it did so. It bounced back and forth from branch to branch, across from a similar looking bird with far more modest colors.

He dipped his brush into the dark ink and let his brush fly across the page. In a series of several connected strokes, he had an outline, and from there some carefully placed detail-work began to bring the bird to life. Birds, he could do. It was almost like second nature, and even though these birds weren't native to Konoha, birds were genuinely built the same. Similar body types, similar pattern of how feathers lay across the animal...this little bird was easy to recreate. Effortless. Even with such a strange pose, he'd captured the detail perfectly.

Sai frowned.

He glanced downwards towards the forest floor. In the distance, a small mountain river flowed, a quiet babble against the wind and the birdcall that otherwise dominated. A shadow could be seen in the river, and after a moment a mess of pink hair burst forth from the water, taking in a gasping breath. The water was likely ice cold, but it didn't seem to phase the kunoichi. She swam in this river every day, starting at the base of the mountain at the crack of dawn and swimming as far as her body could take her. Up here, the river continued for about another hundred feet before reaching a series of caverns. Rainwater pooled from the mountain's peak and flowed into the river from its heights. Without going into the cavern, it was the furthest one could swim up the river. By Sai's calculation, Sakura had swam more than a mile.

She shook her head, sending cold water through the air as she continued to take gasping breaths. She would need a moment to catch her breath before coming to shore.

Sai stuck his brush into the ink, a look of genuine frustration on his face as he quickly began to paint.

Human forms were simple. He could do the outline of a head, of a body, of clothes...simple. He could, at this point, draw the curves of Sakura's building muscles in his sleep. If one looked through his notebook, they would find dozens upon dozens of his 'trials', from the very first week of his being in Iwa to now, months later. Sakura could have passed for a different person at this point. When she'd arrived here, she'd looked the part of a timid girl. Now, bursting forth from the river, she looked more the part of a warrior. Sai watched as a smile of relief passed over Sakura's face, and that was it, that was the part he just couldn't get, no matter how many times he tried.

Sai gritted his teeth as he put the tip of his brush to the paper. Why, after all this time, why couldn't he get a simple facial expression right?

He was supposed to be a gatherer of information. When he had been sent out from Konoha, Danzo had entrusted him to gather information about Sakura Haruno, about the Jinchuuriki Gaara, about Iwagakure, about anything he could get his hands on, but if he couldn't reproduce the face of one girl, what did that mean about him? If he could sketch a bird, but not the object of his investigation, could he really be considered a proper investigator at all?

But in an even stranger fashion, Sai liked not being able to get her face just right. He liked it, because whenever he couldn't get it right, he felt an angry heat in his chest, a tightness in his facial expression. Frustration. Anger.

Sai hadn't remembered feeling anger since he was a child.

So as much as the feeling irritated him, Sai had begun to crave it. So he continued to grit his teeth and he continued to put his brush to the page. He could see the expression in his mind, picture it, so why couldn't he put it to the page?

There was a flicker of movement below, and in a flurry of sand and earth, the Jinchuuriki appeared at the water's edge, brown coat billowing out beneath him. He clicked a small object in his hand and spoke aloud. "Twenty four minutes and eighteen seconds."

"Damn!" Sakura cursed, splashing angrily at the water. "Five seconds short of Lee's record. And he's wearing weights!"

"He's also not swimming at altitude." Gaara pointed out. "Konoha rivers are more flat."

"He wouldn't take that as an excuse and neither should I."

Sai watched a smile come to Gaara's face as he reached a hand out to help Sakura out of the water. When he'd first met the Jinchuuriki, he'd barely seen the boy make any expressions at all. Now, after all this time, smiling seemed to come to him as easy as breathing.

(Out of habit, Sai forced himself to smile, attempting to mimic Gaara's own. If he didn't practice, how could he appear believable?)

As Sakura knelt in the grass on the riverside, still panting from her swim, Gaara began to lay out a towel and dry clothes. The typical routine. Sai attempted once more to sketch the look on Sakura's face, the look of bold determination, frustration at not reaching the record, exhaustion, relief at Gaara's aid...so many emotions flickering across her face so rapidly.

The frustration returned, and this time Sai closed his book and stashed away his brush. Not this time. He wouldn't be able to get it this time.

But he wouldn't stop trying until he did. He wouldn't stop trying until he could replicate what it was about Sakura Haruno's emotions that drew him to want to break his own training and feel again.

"Sai! Get down here you lazy ass!"

That was his cue. Sai pushed himself off of his perch, landing on the ground below with the silence and grace of a true Root agent. By then, Sakura had already pulled on her clothes and begun to walk his way.

"So, have you changed your mind?"

Sai blinked. Changed his mind?

Ah, that was right. Iwa was holding a summer festival that evening. They'd been told that there would be performances, games, food, and all sorts of civilian activities that Sai had never participated in before. He hadn't needed to. Shinobi didn't get vacations. The defense and upkeep of the village was a constant duty. That shinobi took such time at all was illogical, and the only reason that Sai had thought about such a thing was because Sakura hadn't stopped badgering him about it since she'd heard of it a week ago.

"No." He answered simply. "I see no point in attending such an event. I will have reports to write for my superior before we leave Iwa tomorrow."

"Boring." Sakura frowned, reaching out to poke at his chest. "You could write a report about...I don't know, cultural practices in Iwa? Use it as an excuse to spy on all the shinobi that will be there? Or maybe even just spend some time with us?"

Sai couldn't meet Sakura's eyes with that. Even after all this time, weeks, months...Sakura was still insisting that they were friends.

He glanced downwards towards the book in his hands. In his mind he saw every drawing, every line he'd put to paper, every one of them of Sakura. He'd drawn a hundred expressions, but this one, the one she was giving him now...there was some sort of genuine plea in her eyes, and Sai still couldn't understand why she wanted him along.

But perhaps even more frustrating than that was the feeling Sai got in his chest whenever Sakura dragged him along on some training mission or evening activity or...insisted that he join her in attending this festival affair. A feeling that just wouldn't leave. A feeling that almost felt...pleasant.

"Alright." He finally said. "I suppose it would be beneficial to write some reports on...cultural practices in Iwa."

"Yes." Sakura pumped a fist into the air. "Now all we have to do is convince Kakashi. Come on, Gaara, he's probably reading that dumb book on a roof somewhere."

"I...promised to meet with Han and Roshi one last time before we left."

"Oh, right! I'll meet you for lunch, then?"

Sai watched as the two began to make their way back down the mountain towards the village. Gaara still had a smile as Sakura chatted, and Sakura was her usual cheerful self. And Sai...Sai felt something after all this. A sinking sensation in his stomach, a tightness in his chest…

Guilt, he realized. Guilt for letting himself be swayed by such indulgences. Guilt for getting distracted over a target. Guilt for...feeling.

He heard a small rustle, and felt a presence appear next to him. Sai immediately pocketed his book.

"Hello, Hatake."

"Sai."

The man known as Kakashi Hatake was, at times, as much of an enigma as Sakura, but he was a predictable enigma. Here was a man who had served in Anbu's general force, and even under Danzo in Root for a time. Kakashi had earned a reputation for being someone willing to put the safety of the village above the lives of even his own teammates. Him being sent here to retrieve a genin who had once served under him was logical. Him being ordered to stay here in Iwa by the Hokage so that he could ensure the neutrality agreement being written would be favorable to Konoha was also logical.

But what Sai couldn't explain was why Kakashi had taken it up to follow him everywhere.

They were both supposed to be working for the benefit of Konoha, and even if Kakashi was no longer a part of Root, surely he understood that, as a Root agent, Sai was helping ensure Konoha's survival? But Kakashi, at first, had seemed nothing but suspicious of Sai's behavior. The jounin, when he wasn't working with Sakura, had spent every waking hour trailing Sai wherever he went. Two entire weeks passed with Kakashi on his tail, to the point where Sai had even felt nervous sending his regular reports.

But then, out of nowhere, something shifted. Suddenly, Kakashi had stopped trailing him from afar and instead had started to spend time...closer. Sai would be writing down information and suddenly he'd notice Kakashi on a branch nearby, reading that strange book of his. Sai would be watching Sakura train from a rooftop and Kakashi would land next to him...reading that strange book of his. And the worst part about it was, whenever the two of them were alone, sometimes Kakashi would...talk.

At first, it was simple discussion about the current status of Root. Sai found himself initially suspicious of this, but Kakashi was a former Root member, and thus one of the only people he could talk about Root-related topics with. Sai still held his tongue, for the most part. He knew enough to know that the Hokage and Danzo didn't always agree, and it was possible Kakashi had been asked to find information on Root for the Hokage to use against Danzo. But eventually, the conversations began to shift. It was no longer questions about Root, but soon questions about Konoha, about the state of the village, about what he thought of Konoha. Sai had never had the privilege of being allowed an opinion before. It didn't matter what he thought of the village, all that mattered was doing his job. Sai allowed himself to give curt responses. Generic ones. Answers that couldn't be used against him or Root.

And then, the worst part came. Eventually Kakashi started asking him about himself.

The thing that Kakashi seemed to fail to understand was that there wasn't anything to talk about when it came to himself. Sai had no past, no future but that of the village. He didn't have likes or dislikes, he didn't have dreams or ambitions, and he didn't have hobbies.

And even if he did...feel something when it came to Sakura Haruno, he wasn't so stupid as to admit it in front of anyone.

"Sakura is looking for you."

"I know." Kakashi commented, his eye glancing over a page of his book as he talked. "But I wanted to talk to you. Has Danzo decided what your next assignment will be when you leave Iwa?"

"I will be following Sakura Haruno until she returns to Konoha. From there, I will take my next assignment."

"I see." Kakashi answered. "You know, despite my warnings, my precious student seems rather fond of you."

"Yes, I've noticed that oddity."

"And if I had to warrant a guess about you, I'd say, perhaps deep down, you might have gained a little fondness for her over the past few months."

Sai frowned. This again. "Sakura is merely a target. I feel nothing for her, as is proper."

"I just have to make sure, you know. Danzo might get worried that his agent is beginning to feel compromised."

Sai did his best to maintain the facade of an emotionless exterior. But he had to admit, Kakashi made it extremely difficult.

"I maintain that, as a proper Root agent, I feel nothing."

"How very interesting." Kakashi chuckled. "I just wanted to see what you had to say on the matter. But more importantly, when are you going to tell Sakura?"

"That I feel nothing?" Sai was baffled by the suggestion. "I believe she would punch me."

"No, not that." Kakashi countered. His book lowered, and the man looked up to meet Sai's gaze.

"When are you going to tell Sakura that Danzo ordered you to return to Konoha a month ago?"

Sai froze.

How had he found out?

He'd been certain that, at the very least, Danzo would have taken Sai's past month of silence as a sign that Sai couldn't return home without compromising...something. The mission, his position, information, something. He'd assumed, even if Danzo had taken his month of silence as subordination (perhaps correctly so), that Danzo would have kept this information private and within the ranks of Root. Sai had assumed Root agents would have been sent to question him.

So how had Kakashi learned the truth?

Years of Root training was the only reason that Sai managed to keep a straight face. He forced himself to smile, the only way he knew to keep the situation from going...sour.

"Foolish of you to assume that everything you hear is correct, Hatake. You know as well as anyone that Root is masterful at planting false information."

"So Root wanted the Hokage and I to believe that you were refusing to return home, is that what you're suggesting?" Kakashi went back to his book, chuckling again. "Not exactly certain why Danzo would want us to believe that, if not to see if I could find you and bring you home. If you really were planting that sort of information, wouldn't it be detrimental to your mission?"

Sai's smile faltered. Kakashi's logic was sound. And he absolutely could not let Kakashi know it.

"As I said, Root is masterful at planting false information. If you fully understood Danzo's plans, he would not be very good at his job, would he?"

"Ah, of course."

Sai turned to leave, not wanting to meet Kakashi's eyes any further. The man knew too much. The man knew. Even if Sai could try to argue his way around it, eventually the truth would come out.

In the months since he'd followed Sakura Haruno to Iwa, Sai had become compromised.

And he had no idea what he was going to do.

As Gaara caught sight of the small hut at the top of the hill, he braced himself.

His sand would automatically protect him, but Gaara had learned in his months of training that against a certain someone, it wasn't necessarily enough. Lee had been the first to be fast enough to break through his sand, but…

Roshi, on the other hand…

He felt the force of the Yonbi suddenly slam against his own as Roshi approached, a hurricane of power that his sand could only barely keep up with. Gaara decided, this time, to take a strategic approach. With a flare of chakra, he performed a substitution, leaving a sand clone in his place for Roshi to demolish. That would give him approximately three seconds to get closer to his goal.

Roshi believed that a shinobi should be prepared for anything. He believed that a Jinchuuriki, more so than anyone else, should be prepared for the worst. And when Roshi had finally decided to help Han in training Gaara, Roshi had implemented one single schedule to the program.

A training he liked to call: 'Danger Can Strike At Any Time and You'd Better Be Prepared'.

(The original name had a lot more cursing. Gaara had simplified it down in his mind to remember it better.)

The training usually took place as Gaara made his way up to their home. Today, Han had invited Gaara over for one final breakfast before he and Sakura left Iwa. Of course, that meant one final time that Roshi would try to break his defenses.

If he made it to the hut, he passed the training. If Roshi managed to land a single hit, then he failed the training. Gaara was used to playing an ultimate defender, but speed had never been his forte.

At least, it hadn't been.

Gaara concentrated, reaching out with his mind until he connected with Shukaku. There were no words spoken, but there was an understanding. Gaara needed to pass the training. And Shukaku was too prideful to lose to 'that horrid monkey'.

Shukaku's spite, it seemed, was a powerful motivator for their symbiosis.

Gaara felt Shukaku's energy begin to spiral within him. It was a warm sort of power, and he could manipulate it now as easily as breathing. He sent the power pushing towards his legs, and he pushed off the ground towards the door of the hut. The scenery seemed to fly by him, and Gaara reached for the doorknob. If he could just touch it…

Roshi appeared in front of him, and it took every bit of Gaara's reflexes to dodge the punch that was thrown his way. His sand, unfortunately, wasn't quite fast enough to keep up with his enhanced speed yet. It would be several seconds before the sand caught up, and that meant that he would have to rely on his own dodging ability until then.

He saw Roshi's hands flicker with movement, and paled slightly. Roshi was really going all out today.

The man's cheeks puffed up, and a flurry of molten rocks spewed forth from his mouth. Lava Release, Gaara had learned, which was the specialty of the Jinchuuriki of the Yonbi. If even one of the rocks hit him, it would melt through his sand armor and...well, that would be the end of that.

Gaara pushed himself backwards, skidding along the ground. He wasn't fast enough to dodge, but he was powerful enough to move more earth than just his sand. He slammed his hands to the ground, summoning up the earth beneath him into a thick wall, just in time to provide himself with cover against Roshi's rocks.

The wall crumbled slightly, but it held.

His sand caught up, and that gave him an immediate edge. As Roshi appeared behind him for yet another attack, his sand was able to provide cover. Gaara pushed more chakra to his legs and leaped over the wall he'd made, once again heading for the door.

But this was a diversion. He had to play it smart.

As he made it to the top of his wall, Gaara created another sand clone with a substitution jutsu. As predicted, Roshi was fast enough to catch up with his clone immediately, shattering it to dust with a single blow of his fist.

But it was just a clone, and Gaara had just the right amount of time he needed to reach the doorknob. He grabbed hold of it and pulled the door open, moving out of the way just in time as Roshi went flying into the hut.

Gaara winced as he heard Roshi slam into one of the cabinets inside. It happened frequently, but it still made him cringe every time. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the cabin, going to offer a hand to the grumbling Jinchuuriki.

"Damn those clones of yours." Roshi complained, though he took Gaara's hand regardless. "But I suppose you're starting to get a brain in that head of yours. I can't even tell the difference between your clones and your real body anymore."

"It probably helps having such a diligent teacher." Han's voice echoed out from the kitchen.

"I'm not sure if diligent is the word I would use." Gaara countered, by now used to the banter that tended to fill the hut.

"Ah, true. Most people would call Roshi insane."

"Han, you bastard, just give me a damn muffin." Roshi stomped into the kitchen, opening the oven and reaching directly into it, despite the protests from the other man. It had startled Gaara at first, seeing how casual Roshi was about reaching into fires and ovens and other things that would burn most people, but Shukaku had assured him that the day the Yonbi couldn't handle a bit of fire was the day the world would freeze over.

Gaara allowed himself to settle at the small table, giving Han a smile as a plate of fried eggs and bacon was deposited in front of him. It would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy mornings like these, though he would have preferred Sakura to be here as well, but there was something about the simple, domestic attitude of the Iwa Jinchuuriki that made him hopeful for the future. If the two of them could live here together, peacefully, then that meant that he could have a peaceful future of his own to look forward to. Once everything was said and done, once Akatsuki was defeated and the neutrality project was in full swing…

Gaara blushed slightly as he considered a small house of his own, hot breakfast on the table…

Sakura smiling at him from the other side.

"You'll be writing to us, I hope?" Han spoke up, sitting down in his chair with a small rumble. "I'm curious to hear how the other Jinchuuriki are faring. If they're not doing well…"

"No, Han, no more house guests!" Roshi argued. "It's bad enough having to watch your back every time we're out. No strays!"

"Send them our way." Han continued anyway. "You know we love company."

The breakfast was as calm as it could be with the couple's light banter, and as he ate Gaara let his mind wander to the festival he'd be attending tonight. There had occasionally been festivals in Suna, but he'd never felt any desire to go, back when he'd lived there. Even now, the concept of large crowds was a bit intimidating, but Sakura had been so excited to go that he couldn't help but want to go too.

"You need to wear something nice for the festival." Han told him as they ate. "Something a bit more formal than your shinobi-wear. Do you have a yukata?"

"No." Gaara admitted. He'd picked up clothes during his time at Iwa, but never anything formal.

He looked up just in time to see Han shooting a glance towards Roshi, who turned red and looked away.

"He's not having one of mine!"

"Roshi will let you borrow one." Han turned to Gaara with a smile. "It'll be a better experience if you can blend in with the crowd, I think. Plus, you might catch Sakura's eye if you dress up nice."

Gaara blushed again. He wasn't used to feeling so flustered at the thought of...anyone.

But despite Shukaku's retching noises in the back of his mind, it wasn't, Gaara realized, an unpleasant feeling. In fact, he was beginning to savor it.

There was one hour before the festival began, and it still wasn't enough time.

She'd managed to convince Kakashi to go, which had been step one of the day. Step two had been ensuring that she had the proper yukata for a festival. (Sakura wasn't sure she'd have a chance to glamour up in the future, and if she missed the opportunity now she knew she'd regret it.) She'd found a dark red one with pretty pink cherry blossoms sewn into the fabric, and perhaps it was a bit heavy-handed given her name, but she'd liked it and damn it all, it looked good on her.

Step three was the more difficult one. It had been a step three for days now, weeks even, whenever she'd had free time after a day of training or drafting the neutrality agreement. Step three...involved a library.

It was funny that she so often ended up in libraries. It had been a library that had started her journey away from Konoha, that had started all of this, and here she was, yet again, hitting the books. These were books she'd read before, a million times, but she kept scanning over them in case there was some hint, some sort of clue that she'd missed when reading them before.

"Looking up Madara Uchiha again, eh?"

Sakura looked up as Onoki's voice echoed in the small study room. She gave the old man a sheepish smile.

"You caught me, Onoki-sensei. I know you've told me everything you remember, but between that and the records you have...I don't know, it just doesn't seem like everything's here."

"Talk me through it."

Onoki sat across from her, his back cracking as he did so. Sakura winced, though in truth she'd gotten used to it.

"Alright." She agreed. Talking through it, it was. "So, I think I have everything about Madara during his prime. It's really his death that doesn't seem to add up."

"And why, pray tell, is my student interested in the death of Madara Uchiha?"

"I'll get there in a minute." Sakura promised. "Let's start with the Valley of the End and the battle between Madara and Hashirama Senju." Sakura pulled out a notebook, using her notes for a reference. "It's generally agreed that Madara, believing that Konoha would never be a place of peace for shinobi, abandoned the village and left for some time. When he returned, he did so intending to destroy the village, and he intended to do so using the Nine-Tailed Fox. The Kyuubi." Sakura pointed at her notes. "That right there is important. Madara didn't have the Kyuubi sealed inside of him. He wasn't a Jinchuuriki. The history says that Madara was able to control the Jinchuuriki using his Sharingan. If this was possible for all Sharingan users, then why haven't we seen anyone do it since?"

"I believe I can answer that." Onoki offered. "Madara's strength far surpassed that of his clan. It was well known that his Sharingan was different from that of normal Sharingan. There's even rumors that he took his dying brother's eyes in order to strengthen his own."

"I remember you mentioned that." Sakura nodded. "And that rumor specifically is really interesting. It could just be a tall tale, but...Kakashi-sensei has a transplanted Sharingan, we know eye transplants are possible. If the rumor has any truth to it at all, then it's an important detail. We could call it a Sharingan upgrade, and if it exists, we can assume it has the power to control a Tailed-Beast. So, we keep that in mind." She flipped through her notes again, coming to rest on a new page. "So, Madara brings the Kyuubi and attempts to destroy the village. Hashirama moves to defend the village. They fight. They fight and it's such a terrible fight that it levels mountains and landscapes to create the Valley of the End as we know it now. And in the end, Hashirama wins and Madara is defeated. No, not just defeated. Madara is killed." Sakura tapped her pen on her notebook, thinking. "From there, the Kyuubi is sealed into Hashirama's wife to make the first Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. The village is saved. Life moves on. So...what's wrong with this picture?"

"I'm sure you plan on telling me."

"What happened to Madara's body?"

Sakura chewed on the tip of her pen as she thought aloud. "There's no memorial for Madara Uchiha as far as I can remember, and I find that strange to begin with. Wouldn't the Uchiha want to honor their founding member? And even if they didn't, simply because of Madara's betrayal, then why didn't they recover the body for the sake of recovering Madara's eyes? Madara has the strongest Sharingan ever known, and they didn't think to transplant them onto another Uchiha? What if an enemy village got ahold of the body? I know for a fact that the Hyuuga go to extreme lengths to preserve their Byakugan, so why didn't the Uchiha do the same for Madara's upgraded Sharingan?"

"That...is a very good point." Onoki's face grew serious as he glanced over Sakura's notes. "Is it possible the body was recovered in secret?"

"I think whatever happened to the body was a secret, but one we haven't solved yet." Sakura agreed. "If the body had been recovered or returned to the Uchiha clan, then it's possible the body was just...entombed and the eyes left alone. I feel like that's an unlikely possibility, but it's one we can't leave out. I haven't been to the Uchiha compound, and the only way I could know for sure would be to search it myself, which...is probably out of the question. But we can definitely conclude that the Uchiha clan weren't actively using Madara's eyes, because it would have been village knowledge. It would have been impossible to hide that one of the Uchiha was just impossibly stronger than the rest. So, either Madara's body was laid to rest and never disturbed...or something else happened to the body."

"You think someone else recovered it?"

"I know someone else recovered it. Either that, or someone else managed to replicate Madara's eyes, and we have two mysteries on our hands. I present the incident of the Rampage of the Nine-Tailed Fox over a dozen years ago." Sakura turned her notes around so that Onoki can read. "It's public knowledge that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha around this time. What we have to ask ourselves is...how did the Kyuubi escape its container?"

"A poor seal?" Onoki suggested. "Though considering Mito Uzumaki held it for her entire life, that seems unlikely. Uzumaki seals are legendary."

"Precisely." Sakura agreed. "Mito Uzumaki survived childbirth without the seal breaking once. She cared the seal until her death. So what happened with Kushina Uzumaki, the next host, that caused the seal to break?"

"You're thinking sabotage."

"I am." Sakura nodded. "But of course, sabotaging the seal so that the Kyuubi could break free would take someone of considerable power to begin with. They'd not only have to breach village defenses, and whatever guard Kushina might have had with her, but they'd also have to overpower her and ensure that she wasn't capable of strengthening the seal as they tried to weaken it. I think that severely narrows down the list of shinobi who are capable of orchestrating such a thing. And on top of that...say the Kyuubi escapes, rampages, destroys the village like you hope...that still means it's free, and that means it could go rampage anywhere. It's a stupid idea that risks yourself...unless you have the means to control it."

"I see where you're going with this." Onoki frowned. "You think someone with Madara's eyes orchestrated the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. Someone that could control the Kyuubi once it was done destroying the place."

"I do. And, if that's the case...if that's true...then there's another, worse conclusion that such a thing leads to." Sakura chewed harder on her pen, grimacing as she did. "I think someone with Madara's eyes is leading Akatsuki. They need someone capable of controlling Tailed Beasts, someone strong enough to break the seals on Jinchuuriki and seal the beasts into other people. And if that's the case, Onoki-sensei…" Sakura swallowed. "I'm scared that Akatsuki might be unstoppable."

"Bah." Onoki rolled his eyes. "The Second Tsuchikage and I were able to handle Madara. If there is someone out there with his eyes, we'll be able to handle him too. You, in particular, have been studying under me extensively for the past few months. Do you think I've taught you nothing?"

"No, Onoki-sensei!" Sakura protested. "I've learned more here than in my entire first year of being a shinobi."

"Do you think you are not strong enough to take on an Uchiha?"

"...maybe."

"Then you are foolish." Onoki huffed. "Uchiha are as fallible as any other shinobi. Their eyes are strong, but they have their own weaknesses. Hashirama did not take down Madara because his eyes were stronger. He took down Madara because he was a strong and capable shinobi."

"He had Wood Release." Sakura argued. "Something nobody else has been able to use ever since him."

"Then you need to find something better than Wood Release. You need to find something that only Sakura Haruno will ever be able to use, and once you cultivate that, an Uchiha will be no problem. You're a smart girl. You'll figure something out." Onoki stood up in his chair, determined as he spoke. "I did not spend all this time training you, working with you on this damn project to hear you intimidated by the mere concept of an Uchiha warrior. I am insulted that you think so little of yourself. Look at all of these notes you've put together. You may have just insinuated more information about the leader of Akatsuki than anyone in any village has managed to put together, and you did so with nothing but your brain."

Sakura smiled. "Okay, you might have a point."

"If there is an Uchiha at the helm of Akatsuki, they will not last long. You are about to go on a journey to unite the shinobi world. Do you really think one Uchiha can stand against the united might of every shinobi village on the continent? A united Kage force? The united Jinchuuriki? Every powerful shinobi you've ever known, working in harmony?"

"I guess they'd have to be a pretty strong Uchiha, wouldn't they?" Sakura closed her notebook, letting herself sigh in relief. "Maybe I'm worrying too much."

"No. I wouldn't say that." Onoki's gaze softened. "To worry about such things...you'll need to, as the future develops. If Akatsuki is truly everything you claim, then it might just take a united shinobi front to stop them. And right now, you are the world's best chance. It's enough pressure to make most shinobi buckle."

"You're not wrong."

"But you won't. You are my student, and no student of mine gives up that easily. Isn't that right?"

"...yeah." Sakura nodded, standing up as well. "You're right, Onoki-sensei. I have to try. I have to do this."

"And you have less than an hour to get ready for the festival." Onoki pointed out. "If my student isn't there, it'll be quite the embarrassment for me, you know."

"I'll be there, I'll be there." Sakura giggled, gathering her things. "But the way you've been talking, it sounds like this festival is going to be different from the other ones. You're not planning anything extravagant, are you?"

Onoki gave her a small wink before laughing. "Me, plan something extravagant? Never in a million years."

Sakura knew better than to believe it.

Half an hour later, Sakura had changed into her yukata and pulled her hair up into a neat bun. It had started to get long again, and Sakura found herself torn between keeping it short for practicality's sake, or letting it grow long again for...well, it would be for aesthetic, she had to admit it to herself. She had initially let it grown long to impress Sasuke, but now she wasn't so sure. Kurotsuchi kept her hair short. In fact, most of the kunoichi in Iwa seemed to favor short styles. Harder for an opponent to grab, less likely to get in your eyes. But Tsunade had long hair, and she was a kage. Tsunade was strong to just ensure that no one grabbed her hair.

Sakura sighed. She liked to think she looked pretty either way. Maybe she would just see how things went in the future. If it got too bothersome, she could trim it again.

She heard a knock on her bedroom door, and she hastily went to open it. She paused as she realized who was on the other side.

Gaara was there, wearing a deep magenta yukata. It was slightly big on the boy, but it was the first time Sakura had ever seen him in such attire, and it was admittedly jarring. But Gaara looked nervous, and Sakura wasn't going to be so rude as to visibly look shocked at him wearing it. She put on her biggest grin.

"You look great!" She insisted. "Are you excited for the festival? I think Onoki's planning something big, but he won't tell me anything about it…"

She continued to talk as they exited the apartment. She knew her talking set Gaara at ease, and since this was his first time attending a festival, she figured it was her duty to make sure he had the time of his life.

It put her even more at ease when Sai hopped down from a tree to join them. He hadn't dressed up; even Sakura knew better than to expect Sai to wear anything other than his Anbu gear, but he'd still showed up, and after they'd found Kakashi…

It was as good a night as she could have wanted.

The festival spread out through the center of the village. Brightly colored lights lit up the streets, and dozens upon dozens of vendors could be seen every way Sakura turned. She dragged Gaara and Sai to the games first. They were usually rigged in such a way that shinobi couldn't get the edge, so it was hilarious to see both Gaara and Sai try (and fail) to win at dart throwing and ball tossing games.

(It was equally hilarious to see a frustrated Gaara use his sand to knock over the coconut shy stands when he realized that the coconuts were usually nailed to the stand.)

The dancers eventually drew Sakura's attention away from the games. The outfits and movements were far different from anything she'd seen in Konoha, and Iwa's choice of instruments constructed a unique melody that seemed to echo against the stone walls of the village. But more interestingly, Sai seemed far more interested in the dancing than she did. He stopped every time they came across a new group, an unreadable expression on his face as the music played and the dancers twirled.

Sakura wasn't sure how long Sai would be staying with them. At some point, he'd be called back to serve Konoha in a different way. But she figured the least she could do was give him a good time to remember while he was out of Root's influence.

(And maybe, if she played her cards right, she could use the neutrality project to ensure that no group like Root came into existence ever again. But that was a wish for the far future.)

It was almost midnight when a hush came upon the square, and Sakura noticed that a crowd had begun to gather. She took Gaara and Sai by the hand and led them deep into the crowd. Whatever was going on, whatever Onoki had planned...she wanted front row seats.

It turned out, of course, that she was getting far more 'front row' than she had planned. Onoki himself had set up a stage in the village square, and gathered with him were Kakashi and, to Sakura's surprise, Satomi from the Plains Village.

"People of the village of Iwagakure, as your Tsuchikage I have an announcement to make to all of you!" Onoki spoke, his loud voice echoing across the square. "Over the past few months, I have been working with several shinobi on a project that I have no doubt will revolutionize the shinobi world. The paperwork I hold in my hands is the draft for a treaty that I hope will formalize neutral relationships between the shinobi villages of the world, and help prevent the need for war in the coming years. This project is being spearheaded by none other than my recent student, Sakura Haruno, who leaves Iwa tomorrow to take this draft across the world to be signed. The project, however, will begin here with myself and two other villages. For the first time since this village's founding, Konoha and Iwa will formally be at peace!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she realized the spectacle Onoki had put together. This was no longer going to be a tight secret. In announcing this in such a public place, with so many people, the word was bound to get out. Everyone was going to know about the neutrality project. Everyone was going to know that she was coming with it.

And as Onoki pulled her up onto the stage, Sakura realized that this really was only the beginning. She'd have to get used to this sort of publicity if she wanted the project to succeed, and right here, right now, was the best time to do it. Not only that, she was witnessing history. Konoha and Iwa, putting aside the past, putting aside their differences to make way for a better future.

Even though she was terrified, she couldn't help but be excited too.

"As the chosen leader of Iwagakure, as your Tsuchikage, I hereby claim the right to be the first to sign this treaty of peace." Onoki announced. From there, he handed the pen and paper to Satomi.

"As the chosen leader of Plains, I, Satomi, announce my village's agreement to ally with the world under this treaty of peace."

From there, the pen passed to Kakashi, who somehow looked more nervous than Sakura did.

"As Konoha's ambassador, until such time as she can sign it herself, I sign this treaty of peace as proxy to the Hokage Tsunade."

Three signatures. Three villages who had already agreed to the draft that she had been working on for months now. Three down...probably another dozen to go.

But it was a start. It was a start for peace, and whether or not any other village joined in, she had already made a difference by helping Iwa and Konoha formally come to peace with each other. With the signatures on the draft, it helped put a bit of her mind at ease. Now all that was left was to enjoy the festival for the rest of the night, until she and Gaara departed for Waterfall the next day.

The future was coming, she told herself. A world of peace and happiness. A world without Akatsuki.

She could only hope this optimism would last.