47. Plotting or protecting, whichever you'd like to call it. Writing daily is really a tiring thing but I still couldn't help myself. This chapter leapt off my keyboard.


It's raining on the fine morning, the last day of March. Ino waves her into the store though it's not open for business yet, swishing away her wet umbrella and offering her a towel.

"Sakura-chan, so early. What flowers would you like this year?" her friend courteous but also sensitive, dispensing with the birthday wishes in exchange for a quiet admission.

Sakura touches the petal of a calla lily on display, feeling the smooth and waxy surface before turning back to look at Ino. "Hmm, something to tell them that I hope they are well. Also, that I am sorry."

Years ago, she got to skip flower language classes in exchange for dancing. Now, she leaves the actual choosing to Ino who is in her own element when it comes to covert messages. Maybe ghosts are real in this world. Perhaps they might come back if she were truly their devoted daughter.

The platinum blonde picks up a wicker basket, patting her on the shoulder when she moves towards the section with roses. This year like all the others, Ino knows that Sakura doesn't need to hear the condolences since she really doesn't remember her parents.

For all that Inoichi-sama tried, in the end, it was Ino who made two steps to becoming her psychiatrist. They have both come to the same conclusion that Sakura does not remember due to trauma. On her part, Sakura does not discourage this thought.

Quietly, she trails after her friend who makes a circle around the shop space, never doubling back and making her choices with confidence. To fill the silence, the expert florist tells her of the names and of the meanings of the flowers she's picking.

She pulls up a stem of bright sunflowers from the vase and sets it in the basket as the tallest flower to form the backdrop, "That they are set in a field of happiness." Then blue forget-me-nots, "A soft apology, a plea."

Ino picks a couple of white roses, a pair of red spider lilies, their orange powdery stamens dusting the vibrant petals. "Mourning flowers," she murmurs.

Sakura bobs her head and accepts the choices easily. Then Ino sets the basket down on the counter and tells her to, "Just a moment. I'll run to the back to get something a little extra!"

She looks at her curiously before Ino flicks her shoulder, "A surprise. Don't even think of paying and disappearing, Sakura-chan!"

A blush warms her cheeks – a reminder of how she had disappeared last year because Inoichi-sama had appeared. Ino-chan waited at her doorstep to apologise and assure her that she "chewed out" her dad, only to find out that he hadn't actually got around to assessing her psychological state before she fluttered out of the store.

"Of course, Ino-chan. I'll wait for you, I promise," she closes her eyes meaningfully. Ino giggles, throwing her a jaunty wave as she moves behind the heavy plastic curtain that leads to the cold rooms.


The old grandfather's clock on the shop counter chimes at the hour, while Ino is wrapping the bouquet in plain paper.

She steps back to the door just as Ino's pale blue eyes flick up to look at her. The fond look in the Yamanaka heir's eyes melds into her smile, "Yes please, Sakura-chan."

Without needing prompting, she knows to flip the door sign from "Closed" to "Open", and from which corner to pick up the little door chime to hang it on. Sakura can run the shop and wrap the flowers, she's just not great at picking them.

Ino-chan has gone on enough secret dates to have learnt that she really learnt none of the academy flower languages.

She winks and Sakura just rolls her eyes in good-natured humour, a shared joke that reminds them of how much of a daughter's daddy Inoichi-sama is. It's nice, Sakura can think.

Then Ino jerks her chin slightly to her right, Sakura sidesteps in time with the door that swings open for Yamanaka Flowers' first customer of the day.

Sakura picks up the green apron that is all but hers', for Ino says the colour doesn't match her own eyes and prefers the baby blue one.

"Good morning, welcome to Yamanaka Flowers! What sort of flowers are you looking for?" the bubbly girl is the perfect service staff. Sakura imagines she would make a great doctor with the best bedside manner a patient could hope for.

She follows the verbal directions easily, gathering up half a dozen red roses for a young man. With Ino's pretty smile and suave manner, she convinces the boy that his date will definitely appreciate different shades of pinks and whites. They add in a little variety with the champagne pink roses and the white ones, coming to a whole dozen.

Sakura supposes this is why Ino prefers using poisons to healing. Ino-chan is very good at redirection, which makes her poison mixology certifications many steps more advanced.

The early morning shower passes as the sun breaks through the thin cloud cover, soon the footfall on the main street increases and so do the number of customers.

She moves to handling the cashier once customers who come in have more varied and specific requests. Ino can multitask between different customers with different needs, Sakura might end up mixing up the flowers for grief with those for happiness.

She's done it before and it was not great. (Ino laughed.)

Then Shikaku-sama walks in whilst apologising – he must have seen her through the window. "Sorry, I'm late. Did you wait long?"

The wave of nostalgia crashes into her since he really sounds like Kakashi-sensei in that moment. Sakura also thinks back to how sensei looked at her in Suna, like she was dangerous, and her thoughts trail… off?

Ino-chan sweeps in to carry the conversation as she slowly shakes her head, "Jii-san! How can you make a pretty lady wait? How impolite!"

"Sensei, where is Shikaku-sama?"

She slides deftly off her perch on the high stool, Ino wanted to look taller, and takes her bouquet while hiding the payment under the waterproof mat of the counter.

Sakura hugs Ino before patting her on the shoulder, "Since he was late, I got to spend time with the lovely you, so no worries, Ino-chan. I'm off!"

Her friend's face scrunches up into the pleased delight that she loves to see, even though Ino calls after her that she's "such a flatterer!"


Sensei tugs her away with multiple shunshin, almost too fast for her to breathe. His henge dissolves somewhere along the way towards the Haruno family lands where she intended to bring Shikaku-sama.

"One Jonin Commander-sama, waiting for you in your family's gardens. He wanted me to pick you up instead because he was feeling lazy," he says bright and cheery, eyes creased into his patented eye smile.

Sakura snorts. "Sensei, he's here to recce out the place and find my secrets. What's in it for you that you would not ask me directly?"

His eye opens into a small slit before closing again, "Whatever exclusive thing you're telling him, of course. And Sasuke and I needed to speak to you in private, without anyone else's knowledge."

"Mhm, tell Sasuke-chan we can have a team dinner soon. I'll host, in my family lands."

"With Naruto?" he asks like it is a question, and Sakura smiles, "Yes, the future Hokage should know. Those are my terms."

He squeezes her shoulder gently, "Sakura, if you're doing something dangerous again…"

She smiles, "Sensei, I know what I am doing. But do you?"

Kakashi gives her a little nod, "I'll tell Sasuke and Naruto."

She can be a child, she reminds herself. Then she reaches a pinky finger out and tells him to, "Promise you won't be late this time," and the past, how it echoes.

The sorrow she digs up from inside him and her teacher hooks his gloved finger with hers. "I promise you."

Sakura leans in, pulling him in by the pinkie, murmuring under her breath that, "Sensei, you can stay."

He flashsteps away, leaves swirling in his absence. She trusts he will remain, keeping his distance. He wasn't an ANBU member for nothing.

And Shikaku-sama steps out from the shadow of one of Konan's trees, remarking, "You work quickly, Sakura."

She walks over to him, noting how he's already picked the simple lock on the metal gate, "The world is not like a game of Shogi or Go, Shikaku-sama. Some people, like sensei do not have loyalties that can be bought."

Sakura takes out a new lock to replace the one that's now defunct, locking the gate behind them, balancing her bouquet in the crook of her arm. The Lord Nara does not say anything to her.

She leads him down the path, over a wooden bridge, over a small stream. She looks at the flowing water, down to the bottom of pebbles she knows that Konan has crafted out of paper.

Noticeably, there are no fish. Still, realistic art, inclusive of lichen on trees and moss on the rocks by the banks.

She reaches a chain out, her 'Konan' chain to see if she can sense the Lady Angel of Rain.

"Well, seeing that you're early, Shikaku-sama, would you still like a tour of the grounds?" He stuffs his hands into his pockets, reflecting that he's somewhat frustrated, having not come upon his daily epiphany yet.

Konan sends a little butterfly to land on her shoulder, giving her a tap-tap on her chain. Good, she's been following him.

"I'll accompany you to pay your respects," he says without pretence and she feels the butterfly flutter off in surprise.

"It's more symbolic than anything. Since their bodies are not here. I've always thought it would be better if I paid my respects to the two teams who perished protecting them," she says mostly for Konan's benefit.

Shikaku walks with her as she leads him past the guest house, walking by the stream until they reach the small clearing where her parent's memorial stones are.

Sakura sets the flowers down for them before praying simply. "Tou-sama, Kaa-sama, Ino picked new flowers again this year. We hope you are well."

The male standing a way behind her murmurs blessings in tandem, though his eyes skip over the unmarked stones.

Other than the things in the house and some of the garden plants, these stones are the only things not made from paper. As Konan promised, the entire piece of land was converted into a massive collection of explosive tags.

It's been a whole half a year in the making, buying out all the stocks of explosive tags under various names, funnelling them to different shops through different merchants. And still, not all of the paper in the garden has been converted.

Still a beautiful piece of art. Sakura can't help but feel that Deidara-san would love to see it explode.

"Sakura, these other stones?"

"Ah, I am a sentimental person. Everyone whom I have killed." The Lord Nara hums before his shadows strengthen and crush one of her rocks, "As expected."

"Shikaku, these are mine," she says lightly, tone edging into a warning. He apologises swiftly, believing in his own righteousness.

"Someday, I would have destroyed them all on my own. You do not need to intervene out of compassion."

They leave the clearing, Konan following their steps in the trees. "They will go up in a blaze of glory, a funeral pyre of this garden and that would be dignity."

He watches her shrewdly when she smiles. They have walked to the heart of the garden, the rose bushes by a herb patch and cherry tomatoes growing on a trellis.

He has followed her into the centre of the trap she wants to show him, Sakura doesn't laugh. It's a good sign that Konan's plan will work on the orange-masked man.

"We are standing in the middle of a field of explosives, Shikaku-sama," she tells him in the big reveal, watching as his shoulders tense.

He looks around them, before stooping down to touch one of the tomatoes ripening on the vine. "In the ground, Sakura? How far? And… why?"

"Konan-hime," she calls out to her, in respect and in teasing. "What is your judgement?"

The purple-haired lady melts out of the willow overlooking the stream that feeds the vegetable patch. "I believe I have proven to Sakura-hime that my plan can work on Tobi."

Sakura smiles, "You have. My trust in you was not misplaced. I bring to you the Leaf's Chief Strategist, Nara Shikaku," and Konan sketches a bow, her navy-blue kimono and her flower-patterned obi creasing.

She's picture-perfect, Ame's resident ambassador to Konoha, so lovely her dance sensei, Suzuki-sensei, might have shed tears.

"Shikaku-sama, I reintroduce to you, Konan-hime, the Angel of Ame and member of Akatsuki." Sakura steps smoothly in front of her, as Shikaku draws back, stance tight.

Konan steps forward with her hands out, "Sakura-hime, there is nothing that can hurt me when I am in my element. If Shikaku-sama wishes for a battle, I promise to protect you on our sidelines."

Sakura laughs when Shikaku loosens his shoulders and gives her a look that speaks of volumes and volumes of "troublesome".

"No, we are not fighting. But there is a long story for Shikaku-sama to hear. Only then can we have his support in dealing with the remaining Akatsuki members. Let's go to the guest house. At least there are edible things in there."


"Nagato sent us some tea for your birthday, Sakura," the lady tells her casually as Shikaku looks around the dining area cautiously.

"Ah, he didn't have to. But let's have tea, then!" she speaks freely because she trusts and has no choice but to trust Konan.

The story comes out fluently even though they have never practised and by the end of the afternoon, Shikaku-sama is convinced even if shaken.

"Jiraiya-sama does not know?" he asks multiple times, and if she did not know better, Sakura would have thought he was purposefully trying to incite guilt in Konan.

But the Angel only drinks her tea and tells him in many ways that, "Jiraiya-sensei only thinks Nagato and I are peace fighters. In truth, that was what Akatsuki began as, and that is the purpose to which Nagato leads us."

Bluntly, he tells her while never taking his eyes off Konan and her hands, "Sakura-sama, are you confessing to being a traitor?"

Konan tenses, her lips tightening around the rim of the cup. Sakura laughs, tittering, "You mean Shikaku-sama did not already know this from the beginning? So, there are things our Jonin Commander does not know."

Shikaku is not watching her hands, Sakura rests a comforting palm on Konan's lap, a promise of 'you have nothing to fear'.

He is displeased, but that is nothing new. Within her estimations, he would have attempted to raise an alarm if he did not intend to hush this up.

"Sakura…" his voice trails off, eyes dark.

"Did you know that Tenkawa-san was part of a memory wiping experiment in Kumo? They have begun research into a technique that allows the complete wiping of someone's memory based on study of the brain and its neurones."

He frowns, the cogs in his head moving. "What you reported to Hokage-sama… was with this intent? You think this to be a precursor to war?"

"There are too many threats to the village. Now, by allying with Nagato and Konan, we can receive help from Akatsuki. Konan already has a plan to deal with a problem our village has caused, the rogue Uchiha. We lose nothing. I will not betray the village that Naruto wants to lead and Shika-chan wants to live in."

She knows how to soften the blow. If Shikaku-sama were the kind to bow to threats instead, she might have suggested she try recreating the Kumo tactic on him. They have known each other for more than ten years now, but over time, truly, they have both mellowed out.

Sakura from the hardness of suspicion, Shikaku from the ruthlessness of scheming.

"I do not want to hurt you," she thinks, now reaching across the table to lightly touch the hand clenched around the porcelain teacup.

"You do not intend to tell Hokage-sama, I assume." He does not pull his hand from her touch and she knows that he has accepted this plan.

"She will not be able to hide this from Jiraiya-sama. He will be heartbroken to find out. Perhaps someday in the future, when the village has gone back to peacetime."

Konan bows at this point, "Nagato and I have no wish to make things difficult for Jiraiya-sensei. Our organisation does not have a good reputation. Sensei will doubtlessly defend us because we are his students. If we are able to prove our goodwill, we will tell sensei ourselves."

Shikaku looks at the hand she has stretched out to his, looking away from Konan for the first time. "This is in the best interest of our village. But when I consider that you also convinced Lady Hokage to take Orochimaru back and organised the whole public relations campaign to welcome home not only him but Uchiha Itachi. Added to how you have helped them coordinate their stories with Lady Konan and Lord Nagato… Sakura, to anyone else this will look like a plot."

Sakura smiles slightly, looking into the pale gold tea in her own cup, fingertips drumming on his knuckles before retracting. "I do not mind looking like a villain if the end outcome is good. If this is a plot, then it is what it is, Shikaku-sama."

He rubs his temple, closing his eyes for a moment before he suddenly looks over his shoulder. "Who's there?"

When sensei drops down from the rafters, seemingly out of the dark, Konan reacts on instinct, paper shuriken flying out her sleeves with a flick of her fingers.

Sakura's chains manifest immediately as a wall, blocking projectiles and the responding kunai sensei has thrown. Shikaku-sama has snagged his shadow, allowing him to see sensei before barking out a pissed sounding, "Hatake!"

Kakashi-sensei is all apologies and fawning, acting clueless for the heck of it. Sakura rolls her eyes, "Kaka-sensei… I told you to stay out of sight."

His hand is warm on the top of her head, "I couldn't let my cute student get captured in front of my eyes, right?"

Shikaku's eyes are flashing, "Hatake, is this insubordination?"

Sakura frowns and stands from the table, gently nudging sensei behind her. "Shikaku-sama, then is this your rejection?"

Sensei wisely remains silent behind her.

"I was going to ask if you were willing to have Inoichi mindwalk both of you," he says shortly.

"And you were ready to use shadow binding if she declined?" sensei asks breezily.

Konan looks between them, uncertain, before she offers, "I have conditions, but I do not mind."

"You are familiar with the Yamanaka techniques, Konan-hime?" she asks curiously. Konan nods and does not elaborate.

Shikaku sags back into the chair, "You are actually serious. This is not some crazy plot to destroy the village."

Sensei ruffles her hair. "Sakura rarely jokes. If she wanted to destroy the village, she would have a long time ago."

She shakes her head at sensei's 'high praise'. "I'd be more comfortable if Ino-chan mindwalked us. Shikaku-sama is aware that I am not comfortable with Inoichi-sama."

With that, Konan takes out a necklace, an impossibly tiny origami lily encased in glass as a pendant. "Nara-sama, this is able to both activate and deactivate the papers of the garden. With this, any of us three can trigger the trap to take out Tobi, even when he activates his Kamui."

Sakura touches her pouch, feeling for Deidara's gift of clay, now enclosing a folded square of Konan's chakra paper.


Another chapter done. Hope you all enjoyed, let me know?

So, there's one big reveal also complete.

We'll be moving along again, to team seven discussions, a different sort of reveal, a different sort of illegal. More secrets shared and created. Things shaping up for a confrontation with Tobi.

Kayo