A/N: Here we are at the end. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it, but I managed to publish a chapter a week for 39 weeks without missing a week. Woohoo!

This definitely is not a flawless story. I am the most comfortable writing short fiction, and taking on a novel-length story like this was very difficult. I did my best to make everything have a reason, and tie up all the plot threads, but I'm sure there are things I forgot—so just remember, if anything doesn't make sense, the answer is that chakra did it.

I really appreciate all of the readers who supported me throughout this story, particularly those of you who were there with me every single week! The whole reason I write is because I enjoy sharing stories with people, so having so many people respond with such support and enthusiasm really just made it all worth it.

Finally, thank you to Nyxako, k_waifu, mummapaintstheblues, Mrssakurahatake, everybody in the Icha Icha server, and of course my husband for all of their support during the process of writing, editing, and publishing this. I appreciate you all putting up with me while I whined my way through it!

For my FFN readers: I think we all know that this site is on its last legs, and I for one have gotten tired of a site that won't let you moderate all of your comments. Because of those two things, I'm not sure yet if I'll be posting any future stories on this site. If you want to make sure you don't miss any of my upcoming writing, don't forget to find me on archiveofourown dot org, under the same name, and give me a follow.

It's been a blast everyone! Thanks for reading!

When Sakura woke up the next morning, it was early enough that only the faintest of grey morning light crept in around the curtains. She stretched, reaching beside her, but when she encountered nothing but an empty bed, that woke her up completely. She sat up, messy hair tumbling into her face.

Pushing it behind her ears, Sakura reached for a note that had been left on the nightstand. She had spent the night celebrating with Tenzo, Genma, and Kakashi. They'd all stayed up late enough that by the time that she and Kakashi had been ready to crash, Tenzo and Genma had just claimed the couches in Kakashi's new living room rather than stumble home.

Sakura had expected to still find Kakashi beside her when she woke up, and she frowned as she opened the note. All it said was 'Office', and she rolled her eyes—it was as if he was being charged by the word. She just ignored the part where his typically brief note made an inexplicable bolt of affection go through her. He really was such a dork—and she was definitely a dork for loving him so much.

As the rest of the evening before came back to her, Sakura's frown returned. As she began to get dressed, she thought about what she had decided last night—the thing she'd promised herself that she would do, as soon as Kakashi and the rest of Team Ro weren't there to stop her. When she was fully dressed, she crept from Kakashi's bedroom and into the living area of his quarters.

On the far couch across the room, Tenzo slept, softly snoring. But as Sakura crept past the nearer couch that Genma slept on, she was startled when Genma's hand shot out and caught her wrist in a loose grip.

Biting back a curse, she hissed, "You scared me!"

"Where are you going?" It wasn't a demand, and he looked half asleep still, but as he blinked himself awake, his grip on her wrist tightened. He kept his voice low as he added, "When you sneak around like that, I know you're about to get yourself in trouble."

Sakura thought about lying to him, but she ultimately just held his gaze with hers and said, "You know where I'm going."

His expression darkened. "Tsunade." It wasn't a question.

"Are you going to stop me?" she asked. Something shifted in her peripheral vision, and she could no longer hear snoring, letting her know that Tenzo was awake and watching them.

Genma snorted softly. "What happens to her isn't my problem anymore." The hurt was apparent both in his face and tone, and Sakura discovered she'd already forgiven him for his betrayal—forgiven him enough to be angry that Tsunade had hurt him, at least. What Genma had done was one thing. The fact that somebody had hurt her teammate was another thing entirely.

Sakura wanted answers.

Tenzo finally spoke up. "You know, she may not be Hokage anymore, but attacking her would still be a serious offense." When Sakura glared at him, he held up his hands. "Just saying."

"I won't attack her," Sakura said. For one thing, she wasn't super confident in her ability to win that fight. For another, she didn't think it would make Tsunade any more likely to tell the truth if she didn't want to. "Don't tell Kakashi where I went. I'll tell him myself when I come back."

"If he asks me, I'm not gonna lie," Genma said. Sakura gave him an exasperated look, and he protested, "Hey, I've learned my lesson about keeping stuff from you guys… and him in particular."

He sounded so miserably guilty that Sakura couldn't help herself, and she ruffled his hair despite knowing it would irritate him—or perhaps because of it. "Fine. But if he comes busting into Tsunade's place ready to break us up, I'm going to blame you."

Genma swatted her hand away and she smiled a bit, turning and leaving Kakashi's quarters without further discussion. Her earlier seriousness returned as she made her way to where Tsunade lived. It wasn't far from Kakashi's new place, and Sakura took her time getting there, trying to center herself. She knew there was no way she could stop herself from feeling the anger she felt—but she had to control it.

When she reached Tsunade's door, she paused, half expecting an ANBU agent to stop her. When nobody appeared, she lifted her hand to knock at the door. She only felt a little bad for the early hour, despite knowing Tsunade's reputation for not being a morning person—in fact, she felt a little glee at the possibility of making her lose sleep. After all, Sakura herself had lost a lot of sleep while staying in a damned cell, a bitter fact she was unlikely to forget soon.

The door flew open, and a messily robed Tsunade glowered at her. When she saw who it was, however, Tsunade's expression softened and then smoothed into emotionlessness. "Sakura," she said. There was a long pause while they looked at each other, and then Tsunade opened the door wider and said, "Come in."

"I hope I didn't wake you," Sakura said insincerely as she followed Tsunade into her quarters. The part of her that still recognized Tsunade as a Hokage felt bad about her pettiness—but a larger part of her didn't care.

Tsunade led the way into the kitchen, muttering, "I somehow doubt that." She took a pot of steaming black coffee and poured a mug for herself, and then another for Sakura. When Sakura ignored it, Tsunade sighed and took her own mug to her decently sized kitchen table, which was littered with several empty sake bottles. Taking a seat, she gestured to the one across from her and said, "I expected you here sooner."

Sakura stiffly sat in the other chair, unsure of how to handle the situation. She didn't know what she'd expected—that she herself would lose her temper and throw things, maybe, or Tsunade would berate her for the things she'd done. She hadn't expected this calm Tsunade that sat before her. It caught Sakura so off guard that she almost forgot why she came—but then she reminded herself of all the things Tsunade had done. Sakura's anger flared again, but Tsunade spoke before she could voice it.

"Before you say what I'm sure you need to say," Tsunade began, "there's something I need to say to you first." She took a long drink of her coffee, then set the mug down. Taking a breath, she locked her eyes with Sakura's and said, "I want to apologize to you."

Sakura's lips parted in surprise, and once again her anger was derailed by Tsunade's unpredictable behavior. Tsunade continued before Sakura could recover.

"I did what I did…" Tsunade trailed off for a moment, and Sakura saw what might be pain crossing her features before she seemed to shake it off. Looking up, Tsunade said, "I did what I did in order to get Kakashi out of ANBU and into the Hokage's seat. I did it for myself, yes. But I also did it because I thought—I think—that he is meant to do more than die a soldier's death in ANBU." She paused, searching Sakura's face. "I thought I could use you as a catalyst to make him leave."

Sakura frowned, finally finding her voice again. "And it worked, didn't it?"

Tsunade sighed. "It did, but not the way I intended. I put you both in much more danger than I ever should have, and it's only by the grace of your skill and talent that you and Kakashi are still alive."

Sakura squeezed her hands into fists. She'd wanted recognition from Tsunade for so long, but now that she was getting it, she didn't even know if she wanted it anymore. The whole situation was so confusing. She didn't even know how to process how she felt. "Lady Tsunade—"

"Sakura," Tsunade said softly, but her next words were louder—harder. "I think I failed you as a teacher. I underestimated you, while using you for my own needs. I should have been… better." She took another deep breath that was released in a weary sigh, and said, "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want you to know that I am sorry."

Sakura swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling thick. She hadn't expected this—she hadn't expected an apology, and she wasn't prepared for it. But she wasn't done yet, and she set her jaw before saying, "Genma."

It was Tsunade's turn to be surprised. "Genma?"

"It wasn't just Kakashi and me that you hurt. You hurt Genma, too," Sakura said.

"I know," Tsunade said as she turned her face to the side. "That was… unavoidable."

The use of that word, like it had all been destined, made Sakura so furious that if it had been even six months ago, she probably would have done her best to throw Tsunade's kitchen table through the window. As it was, she felt like she could breathe fire as she leaned forward and demanded, "Would you even take it back if you could?"

Tsunade looked slightly startled. "What?"

"If you could take it all back… Arresting me, manipulating Kakashi, using Genma… would you take it back?" Sakura asked, already knowing the answer.

Tsunade didn't think about it for long. "No." The expression on her face wasn't proud, but it was firm.

"Then I guess your apology doesn't really count for shit, does it?" Sakura bit out.

Tsunade lifted her chin slightly. "I did what I did for the good of the village." She held Sakura's gaze for a moment before dropping her head again, continuing in a quieter voice, "I did what I thought was best."

Maybe Sakura shouldn't have been mad at her. Maybe she should've been glad that Tsunade had managed to get Kakashi to leave ANBU before it killed him. But it was just too hard in that moment to forgive the sheer amount of manipulation Tsunade had put her through—put them all through. It made her head hurt… and her heart, too. Finally, she said, "I guess you really are a politician."

Tsunade winced, but her face smoothed out so quickly Sakura almost thought she had imagined it. "After all these years, I suppose I am." Meeting Sakura's eyes, she said, "I will say this: while I may have used Genma, my feelings for him were real."

Without pausing for thought, Sakura replied, "That almost makes it worse, doesn't it?"

"Maybe you're right. Either way, it's over." Tsunade paused and then cleared her throat, as if to clear the subject away, and continued, "There's one other thing I wanted to talk about. The Strength of a Hundred Seal."

Sakura set her jaw stubbornly, preparing herself for the lecture she assumed was going to follow. Instead, Tsunade only surprised her again.

"About one year ago, you visited my office to deliver something for the hospital. One of my ANBU guard who was present had the Byakugan kekkei genkai. She told me that she could see something strange about the way your chakra had been gathered into a spot in your forehead—a spot similar to my own seal." Tsunade was watching her carefully.

Sakura belatedly realized her mouth was open and snapped it shut. Finally, she said, "So, you knew?"

"When I initially told you I wouldn't teach you how to form the seal…" Tsunade sighed. "I had hoped you would learn to control yourself more, and then come back and ask me again. I had no thought that you would try to replicate it on your own. When I learned that you were, I thought you'd eventually fail and come to me—but you didn't. You succeeded."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that I had no right," Sakura said.

"I told Kakashi you had stolen proprietary information by reproducing my seal. I lied. You earned the right to that seal the moment you gained control of yourself enough to reproduce it." Her honey-colored eyes were sincere as she held Sakura's gaze. "I wanted you to know that you've impressed me greatly. I don't have the right… but I'm proud of you."

They were words Sakura would have killed to hear even six months ago. Now they just confused her. "You're right. You don't have any right to say that," Sakura said, settling for anger, as she often did. Then, in spite of herself, or maybe because of the calmer person she was slowly becoming, she relented a bit. "But… thank you."

The silence lingered between them for a long moment, but to Sakura it felt like something had been settled. Tsunade finally spoke again. "I'm going to be leaving the village soon… in the next couple hours."

"Where will you go?" Sakura asked.

"Anywhere but here," Tsunade muttered. Standing from her chair, she walked to Sakura and held out her hand.

Sakura stood and reluctantly offered her own hand in return. When Tsunade took it, Sakura said, "I won't forgive you for what you did to them."

Tsunade smiled slightly. "But not for what I did to you?" She squeezed Sakura's hand. "I'm glad you've found your family." Before Sakura could react, Tsunade continued, "Take care of both of them. Tenzo, too. And take care of yourself."

"I will, Lady Hokage," Sakura said, falling back on habitual formality. It was easier than trying to contemplate everything that had just happened.

Tsunade released Sakura's hand. "You've more than earned the right to just call me Tsunade."

There were a lot of things Sakura could've said. And part of her wanted to hold onto her anger over being manipulated, over seeing her friends hurt. But as she stood there and looked into Tsunade's eyes, she saw bone-deep weariness there, and she thought about what it must have been like—being Hokage all those years with no end in sight, watching her hoped-for replacement try to kill himself in the field. And Sakura thought that maybe this time, she could try to let her anger go, even if she would never forget. "Okay… Tsunade."

Tsunade led her to the door, and when Sakura passed through it, she paused and looked back, unsure of what to say. Tsunade locked eyes with her and said, "Don't let him work himself too hard. You know he'll work himself to death if you let him." She let that hang in the air for a moment and then added, "Now, get out of here." The catch in her voice took the bite out of her words.

Sakura turned and left, not wanting to show how much Tsunade's brief display of emotion had affected her. It was hard—Sakura had looked to Tsunade for approval for so long. Now she had finally attained it, but at the cost of learning that Tsunade wasn't the person she'd thought she was. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

To give herself time to process what had just happened, Sakura made a quick trip back to her apartment to shower and change into fresh clothes. But by the time she was heading back out, she felt no closer to settling her thoughts.

Sakura was back at Kakashi's door before she knew it, and when she let herself in, the only person left to greet her was Tenzo.

He gave her a wan smile and said, "Genma already left to meet Kakashi at the office. They wanted us to meet them at the main gates once you got back."

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"I visited Kisame at the hospital while you were at Tsunade's. He's being released and is about to leave the village," Tenzo explained. "We're going to see him off."

Thinking of Kisame made Sakura think of Itachi, and how little thought she'd spared toward him while she was in jail and fretting over what had happened to Kakashi. Seeing Itachi be so cruelly cut down by Sasuke had hurt Sakura to watch—she couldn't imagine what it had done to Tenzo.

"Tenzo," she began, stepping closer and reaching out to touch his shoulder. "I haven't even asked you how you're—I mean, of course you're not doing well—"

Sakura stopped talking when Tenzo put his hand over hers and lifted it off his shoulder, clasping it between his palms. He fixed her with a look that was carefully, calmly emotionless. "Please… not right now."

The note of pleading to his tone broke her heart, and she squeezed his hand. "Maybe after?"

"After," he agreed, and then he let go of her hand.

"Okay," Sakura said, turning away even though what she really wanted to do was hug him as hard as she could. Instead, she said over her shoulder, "Let's go."

Kakashi heaved a huge sigh. He sat in his new office, in front of his new desk, which was almost completely covered with stacks of files and piles of scrolls. As he took it all in, he could only think one thing—that he was in way over his head.

Movement out of the corner of Kakashi's eye caught his attention, and he looked up in time to see Genma ambling in through the open door. Sighing with a bit of relief over the welcome distraction from all the paperwork in front of him, Kakashi offered a simple, "Yo."

Genma came up to the desk, looked over the sheer amount of work represented by the piles of files and scrolls, and then lifted his brows and said, "Man, I really don't envy you."

Kakashi could feel the awkwardness between them. Even though Kakashi had accepted what had happened with Genma and Tsunade and moved on enough to invite him to lead Team Ro, that didn't change the fact that Genma had shaken their friendship. Kakashi wasn't sure what to do to fix that—or if he even should be the one to fix it.

But some things took more to break than a single instance of betrayal, and if there was one thing Kakashi could always fall back on, it was how much fun it was to mess with Genma. "You might want to hold on to that pity I hear, because a bunch of these are for you," Kakashi replied, taking special pleasure in the way Genma cringed.

"Why the hell are they for—whoa, who's she?" Genma interrupted himself, picking up one of the files in front of him and lifting it to inspect the picture that was clipped to the front of it.

"They're all possibilities for a new fourth member for Team Ro. And that is Yamanaka Ino," he said with a warning in his tone, which Genma responded to with a sheepish look. Kakashi was glad he didn't have to actually say that the last thing he currently wanted to hear about right then was Genma's taste in women. Attempting to move on, Kakashi said, "She doesn't quite have the fighting skill the rest of you have. But her other skills could be useful."

Genma hummed his agreement, then looked up at Kakashi again. "Who are the other options?"

"Take a look," Kakashi said. He tossed another two files in front of him. "Nara. Sarutobi."

Genma whistled as he flipped open the second one, scanning what was inside. "The Third's grandson? Sounds like a political appointment."

"It would be," Kakashi confirmed. "So would this one," he said, handing him the next file.

"'Sai,'" Genma read aloud. "No surname? And he's from ROOT?" A dark look passed over Genma's face. "Which politician wants that?"

"You don't want to know," Kakashi muttered. He'd been the Hokage for a day, and he already had a headache that seemed like it would never go away. "But I don't want to make this choice based on politics. That's why I need you to help me."

"Sure," Genma said easily. "Just have one of the many, many genin you are now responsible for drop the files off at my place," he said, grinning rather evilly at the sound of disgust that Kakashi made.

"You're really not as funny as you think you are," Kakashi said, glad his mask hid his slight smirk. "But I will have the files sent to you." Realizing there was probably another reason Genma had stopped by, Kakashi glanced at the clock on the wall and asked, "Is it time to go?"

"Yeah. Tenzo and Sakura are going to meet us at the gates," Genma answered.

"Right." Kakashi stood and stepped out from behind his desk, pausing as he considered whether to wear his robes, and then ultimately decided not to. "I already let my new aides know that I would be leaving for a bit. Let's go."

Once they were outside, Genma and Kakashi set up an easy pace as they headed toward the gates. At first there was silence between them—silence that allowed Kakashi to realize that, even in all their drinking and celebrating last night, there was one thing that he hadn't said to Genma. Glancing at him, Kakashi began, "By the way…"

Genma looked over at him, brows raised. "Hm?"

"Tsunade? Really?" If Kakashi had been a better man, he wouldn't have taken such enjoyment at the dismay that passed over Genma's face. He was not a better man.

"I had really hoped you were never going to mention that again," Genma said with a grimace.

"Oh, this is just the beginning," Kakashi said, letting some of that slightly wicked enjoyment bleed into his voice. When Genma just groaned, Kakashi grinned. And if he felt a little better, like maybe things between them would be able to get back to what they should be, well… he didn't need to mention that.

When Genma and Kakashi got to the gates, it was to the sight of Kisame, Sakura, and Tenzo all gathered there already. As they approached, Kakashi caught the tail end of what Kisame was saying.

"—so, I'm doing pretty good," Kisame said. "I heal pretty good on my own, but nothing compared to how they patched me up here." As Kakashi pulled up beside them, Kisame looked at him and said, "Your village has a pretty nice hospital."

"We'll agree to disagree," Kakashi said drily.

"Hey, you're Hokage now," Sakura said. "You can't just insult the hospital like that, no matter how much you hate going there."

Kakashi scowled a bit beneath the mask, but her reminder of his duties made him think of something else, and he said to Kisame, "Are you sure you don't want to stay? You've barely recovered, and you've earned yourself my support if you want to petition to join the village."

Kisame smiled a not entirely nice smile, revealing sharp teeth. "No thanks. Village life isn't my style." Then his expression became serious. He uncharacteristically hesitated for a moment, and then he said, "About the battle. Itachi and I shouldn't have gone alone. I thought… he deserved a chance to talk to his brother. I should've stopped him."

It wasn't an apology. There was a part of Kakashi that wanted to demand to know what they had been thinking—but that wouldn't change anything now. "What's done is done," Kakashi said instead. "I don't hold it against you."

Genma clapped Kisame on the shoulder and said, "I'm sorry about Itachi, man."

"Yeah," Sakura said quietly from beside Genma. "I wish I could have healed him, but I never could have gotten to him in time." Beside her, Tenzo said nothing, but Kakashi didn't miss the pained look on his face.

Kisame grunted, looking a bit embarrassed to be the focus of attention for once. "Well, you know, at least he was able to come back to the village. I think that probably made him happy, you know, before…" He trailed off, then cleared his throat and looked at Tenzo. "So anyway, I need a favor."

Tenzo looked a little surprised. "A favor?"

Kakashi watched as Kisame slung the pack he was wearing off his shoulders, and reached into it to pull out a clay vase—no, Kakashi corrected himself, an urn. With little ceremony, Kisame shoved it at Tenzo, who took it slowly.

"He deserves to be buried in his village," Kisame said, a thread of anger in his voice. Turning to Kakashi, he stared at him and said, "You'll make that happen, right?"

Kakashi nodded with little deliberation. The more he'd learned about Itachi, the more he'd thought that Itachi had been mistreated by Konoha, even though he had always been a loyal ninja to the village. Burying him with honor was the least Kakashi could do. "Consider it done."

Tenzo was looking at the urn in his hands with an unreadable expression on his face. Beside him, Sakura looked like she wanted to say something to him, but she was distracted when Kisame stepped toward her and said, "Sakura."

Turning fully toward Kisame, Sakura smiled a bit. "I think that's the first time you've used my name."

Kisame didn't return the smile, still serious. "I need to thank you."

Sakura held up her hands quickly, saying, "You don't need to thank me. All I did was bandage you up."

"Are you kidding?" Kisame said with a snort. "The medic nin in the hospital said that if you hadn't given me your spiders, I wouldn't have survived."

Kakashi blinked, and then narrowed his one open eye at Sakura. "You did what?"

"Shit," Sakura said under her breath, looking guilty.

With a smirk, Kisame said, "Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that." He looked and sounded completely unapologetic.

Without waiting for further reaction or for the conversation to change organically, Kisame instead turned back to Tenzo and said, "He really liked you, you know. He didn't let people in like that very much."

Tenzo didn't say anything, just lowered his head a bit and nodded. It hurt Kakashi to see; he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Tenzo happy with somebody like that, if it had ever happened. It was enough to make Kakashi temporarily forget about the spiders and focus instead on Tenzo. Kakashi knew that Tenzo had said he wasn't ready to talk about Itachi yet, but that didn't stop Kakashi from worrying about him—and considering the idea that maybe Kakashi wasn't the best person for him to talk to.

"As for the other thing—" Kisame said to Tenzo, "—don't blame yourself. He didn't want anyone to know how bad it was."

"Okay," was all Tenzo said in response, leaving Kakashi even more in the dark as to what was being talked about.

"Anyway," Kisame said pointedly, like he had come to the end of his ability to be anything approaching sensitive, "It's time for me to go." Grinning a bit, he offered his hand to Kakashi and said, "You never know when I'll come back for a visit, though, now I've got an in with a Hokage."

"The gates will be open to you," Kakashi said sincerely, clasping his hand.

As Kisame moved onto Genma and Tenzo, clasping hands and clapping their shoulders as well, Kakashi drew close to Sakura and murmured, "About Tenzo…"

"On it," Sakura said without missing a beat.

A wave of relief went through him, followed by another of endearment. He should've known Sakura would see what was going on and take action. He straightened as Kisame approached again, finally offering his hand to Sakura.

Sakura shook his hand, and Kisame said, "I owe you one. For the spiders."

"Keep calling me Sakura instead of Pinky, and we'll call it even," Sakura replied.

He grinned a dangerous grin and said, "We'll see."

A small, jealous part of Kakashi that he would never admit existed made his one open eye narrow slightly at the wink Kisame gave Sakura. Slightly embarrassed by his own reaction, Kakashi looked away, knowing Sakura would tease him mercilessly if she caught him glaring.

When he looked back, Kisame was slinging his pack on before lifting Samehada and letting it rest on his shoulder. With a nod he was off, moving through the gates and away from Konoha at a speed that a giant shark man should not be able to maintain. After a few moments, Kakashi looked away from Kisame's retreating figure toward everyone else.

Beside him, Genma slid a senbon between his teeth and ruefully said, "Gonna miss that sword." Meeting Kakashi's eyes, Genma made sure he had his attention and then slid his gaze pointedly toward Tenzo.

Kakashi nodded, knowing Genma was concerned like he and Sakura were. Speaking up, he said, "Genma and I still have work to do. But I thought we could all get together tonight."

"I was planning to go to Ibiki-sensei's for dinner," Sakura said. "But I bet he wouldn't mind some extras." Casually, she looped her arm through Tenzo's. "Tenzo and I are going to hang out until then."

Tenzo gave a pale imitation of a smile that Kakashi didn't believe in the slightest, and said, "Sounds like a plan to me."

Kakashi and Genma said their goodbyes and Tenzo and Sakura left, Sakura's arm still looped through his, and his shoulders slumped heavily, like the urn he carried was much heavier than it should naturally be. Kakashi watched them go for a moment before turning to Genma and saying, "Let's head back. I want to talk some more about what Team Ro's next move should be."

"Lead the way," Genma said, and they both flashstepped back toward the Hokage Tower.

On their way back to Tenzo's apartment, Sakura had Tenzo stop with her at Ibiki's long enough to leave a message on his door about the extra people she would be bringing to dinner. "He's been hounding me to bring friends over since I was a teenager," Sakura explained to Tenzo as she left a hastily written note stuck in Ibiki's door jamb. "I'm sure he'll be ecstatic."

After that, they both headed to Tenzo's apartment together. As Tenzo let her into his spacious flat, Sakura said, "You know, I just realized that I've seen Kakashi's place, and your place, but never Genma's."

Some thin amusement came through Tenzo's voice as he walked in front of her, setting Itachi's urn on his kitchen table. "That's because Genma's a slob and doesn't want anyone to see what a mess his apartment is."

Watching the way his eyes didn't leave the urn, Sakura patted his shoulder and said, "Sit. I'm going to make us some tea."

He didn't argue. Pulling out the chair that sat in front of the urn, he slid into it. When Sakura glanced at him while making the tea, his expression was a faraway one. She wondered what he was thinking about—but she didn't ask yet.

Sakura left him to his thoughts until the tea was ready, and then she brought two steaming cups to the table. Setting one in front of Tenzo, she asked, "Do you have any sugar? I know you don't take anything in yours."

Tenzo smiled slightly, maybe because she had remembered how he took his tea. "The sugar's in the cabinet to the right of the stove."

As Sakura retrieved the sugar and brought it to the seat across from Tenzo, sliding into the chair before she went about fixing her tea. As she stirred sugar into her cup, she thought about how Ibiki used to make tea for her and get her to talk to him when she was young and grieving over her teammates. Ibiki was the closest thing she'd had to family, or a listening ear, since she was a teenager. She planned to follow his example now, but she wasn't quite sure how to start.

Deciding not to beat around the bush any further, Sakura said, "Tenzo… I'm so sorry about what happened to Itachi."

At first, Tenzo only acknowledged her words with that same wan smile she'd seen him use ever since Itachi died. He took a careful sip of his tea before setting his cup back on the table, his eyes falling again on the urn. Finally, he said, "You don't have to be sorry. It's not like it was your fault—he chose to go after Sasuke. Chose not to fight."

"You're right, it wasn't my fault," Sakura said with a frown. "It was Sasuke's."

A matching frown passed over Tenzo's face, and his eyes met hers. "I don't care what Lady Tsunade wanted. I'm glad you killed him."

It surprised her a little to hear somebody as loyal as Tenzo express opinions contrary to the Hokage's. Thinking of Naruto and Anko in addition to Itachi—thinking of Kakashi falling in front of her—Sakura nodded. "So am I."

They both lapsed into quiet, and Tenzo's eyes fell back on the urn. They drank their tea in silence for several long minutes, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Just… sad.

"You know," Sakura spoke up again, quietly breaking the silence. "It might help if you talked about him."

Tenzo gave a soft, humorless laugh. "Help what?"

Reaching across the table, Sakura put her hand over his. "Help you feel better." She squeezed his fingers, hoping that her clumsy attempt to reach out to him would give him the support she knew he needed.

Tenzo was silent again for what felt like a long time, but he didn't take his hand away from hers. When he finally spoke again, his voice was weary. "It's not like…" He sighed, then started again. "It's not like we were together that long… or even really together at all. It's just…"

Sakura waited, giving him space to talk.

Tenzo tried again, and Sakura could see that his eyes were wet. "I swear… he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen," he said, his voice breaking. "I just… wanted more time." Tenzo lifted the hand that Sakura wasn't holding and covered his eyes, his mouth pressed into a hard line that held the faintest tremble.

Sakura wasn't always that good at emotions. But she was good at following her instincts, and in that moment, her instincts told her to do one thing. So, she slid out of her seat and crossed to the other side of the table, pulling Tenzo into her arms.

Tenzo let her pull him toward her, and after a long moment he snaked his arms around her waist, and they hugged each other tightly. Sakura could feel how much he was holding back, even though there were some shaky, wet sniffles that she could hear. Unable to stop herself, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head, rubbing his back. When he finally pulled back from her, his face was wet, and red with embarrassment. Sakura released him and returned to her side of the table, casually averting her eyes as Tenzo wiped his face.

"He was sick, you know," Tenzo said a few moments later, when he'd wiped the tear tracks from his face.

Sakura turned back to face him, surprised. "He didn't seem sick," she said, thinking about how well he had handled himself during all of their spars.

"That's why I didn't take it very seriously," Tenzo said, a mournful look on his face. "When I saw Kisame in the hospital, he told me how bad it was. He thinks it's part of the reason Itachi went to confront Sasuke peacefully—he was getting cold feet about his ability to fight." Tenzo met her eyes. "If I had known it was that serious, I would have told Kakashi. I swear I would have."

Sakura could tell from the way Tenzo talked that he was afraid Kakashi would be angry at him for withholding intel, and she was quick to respond, "You couldn't have predicted what Itachi would do. Kakashi will understand that."

Maybe that reassurance was enough to release whatever Tenzo had been holding onto, because his face crumpled slightly before he turned his face away. Sakura said nothing, letting him compose himself. "I feel so stupid," he finally said as he sat back in his chair. "With what we do… this shouldn't be hitting me so hard."

Sakura wanted to say that she hoped it would never stop hitting him hard, because she didn't want to see him close himself off from the world. But instead, she said, "You can't change the fact that you have a big heart, Tenzo. It's what we all love so much about you."

Tenzo gave her a brief, watery smile that still looked embarrassed around the edges. "Thanks for coming over. I… think I needed this."

Sakura smiled back. "Anytime."

Sakura spent the majority of the day at Tenzo's house. Sometimes they talked, and he talked about Itachi. Other times they simply enjoyed each other's company. Sakura was unsurprised to find that it was easy for her to enjoy the silence around Tenzo, and he had a pretty good selection of magazines and books for her to peruse.

By the time afternoon rolled around and they were both lounging in the golden light that came in through Tenzo's living room windows, Sakura was glad to see that Tenzo seemed to be in better spirits than before. She knew spending time with him hadn't made his grief go away, but she thought that it had been good for him. Thinking about how it should've happened earlier, she asked, "Did Genma or Kakashi even check in with you while I was in jail?" She didn't hide the disapproval in her voice.

"They did," Tenzo replied. "Well, they tried, but I wasn't ready to talk. And then Genma got me drunk." He gave a dry laugh.

Sakura laughed, too. "I mean, I guess that helps… kind of. Honestly, I'm surprised that either of them managed to do that much." Sighing, she affectionately added, "They really are both such idiots."

"They do their best." Tenzo's smile was looking a little stronger now as he looked at her and said, "This is why you're such a good addition to the team, you know."

Smiling back at him, Sakura loftily said, "We're going to have to make sure our new member doesn't mess up the team dynamic."

"Yeah," Tenzo deadpanned. "They could be really angry and disruptive, and constantly disobey orders."

"Hey!" Sakura said, reaching over to swat at his arm as he badly tried to hide another smile. It gladdened her to see it, even if it was at her expense. Deciding to change the subject anyway, she asked, "Do you have any plans before dinner tonight?"

"I was thinking of going to find Genma after he's done with Kakashi," Tenzo said. Hesitating slightly, he finally looked at her and said, "I think he's actually pretty broken up over Tsunade. Not that I think he regrets breaking things off with her… but I think, underneath it all, he's pretty upset about it." Tenzo shook his head. "I didn't even think he was the type to fall in love, and he goes and falls for the Hokage. I guess he never did do anything by half measures."

Sakura sighed as she stood again. The irritation she still felt with Genma over his betrayal was small in the face of her concern for him. Even ANBU agents weren't immune to a broken heart. Still, she knew she probably wasn't the one he wanted to talk to about it. "It'll probably do him some good to spend time with you, then. But make sure you both make it to dinner, okay?"

"Will do," Tenzo said, standing as well and following her to the door.

Sakura squeezed his shoulder and impulsively kissed his cheek before leaving for Ibiki's house. It didn't take her long to run there over the rooftops, but she enjoyed the late afternoon sun on her skin. The further she got in the day, the more she was enjoying it. Getting out of jail really had a way of making you appreciate things.

When she got to Ibiki's house she let herself in the front door, noting that the message she'd left him earlier was gone. "Ibiki-sensei?" she called as she removed her sandals in the entrance.

"I'm in here," she heard Ibiki call from the kitchen. When she joined him in the kitchen, she found him in the thick of preparing what looked like enough ingredients and tempura batter to feed an army.

"Tempura!" Sakura exclaimed, beaming at him, knowing he had made it because she liked it. Still full of affection for the people in her life, she hugged him, something that she didn't do very often.

Ibiki awkwardly patted the top of her head. "It's just tempura, don't get too excited."

Pulling away from him, she switched tactics and demanded, "Why didn't you come get me out of jail?"

Ibiki smirked, a twinkle in his eye. "Your boyfriend wanted to get you himself. I think he might be a little dramatic."

Sakura scoffed. "Like that means anything coming from a man with a giant kitty iron maiden as a summons." Ibiki responded with nothing more than the rough laugh that she was occasionally able to startle out of him.

Turning away from her, Ibiki returned to cooking and Sakura went to help him. Well, she tried to help him, and he kept swatting her away until she finally retreated, perching on the counter that was the furthest from the stove. As if he was rewarding her, Ibiki took a piece of uncooked carrot and tossed it at her, which she just barely managed to catch in her mouth. Ibiki's amused snort pleased her.

"So, I guess you're dating a Hokage now," Ibiki observed as he turned his attention back to cooking.

"Yep," Sakura said, crunching noisily on the carrot.

"There are going to be people demanding to know about the younger subordinate their new Hokage is involved with. Are you ready for that kind of scrutiny?" he asked.

"Nope," Sakura replied carelessly. She was in too good of a mood to let Ibiki's worrying get her down.

Ibiki gave her a look over his shoulder. "You had better get ready. Is Kakashi ready to be Hokage?"

Sakura tilted her head. "Probably not. He only learned he was going to be one about five minutes ago."

Ibiki stopped and faced her fully, looking exasperated. "You sound damned casual about this. I suppose none of it matters because you're in love, right?"

"Something like that," she said, giving him an admittedly dreamy smile.

Ibiki smirked. "You're hopeless," he said, tossing another piece of carrot at her.

Sakura caught that one in her mouth, too, and as she chewed, she grew a little more serious. She knew how much Kakashi had in front of him. He was going to need every friend he could get. "You're going to help him, right Ibiki-sensei?"

"I'll do what I can to help," Ibiki replied, his serious tone matching hers. "He's going to need it."

The way Ibiki was ready to be there for Kakashi, just as he had always been there for her, made Sakura feel warm inside. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but he'd already seemed so embarrassed by the hug that she thought it was best not to push it. Instead, she just said, "Thanks, Ibiki-sensei," and gave him a happy smile.

They passed the time in the kitchen that way, with Ibiki preparing dinner for all of Team Ro, and Sakura keeping him company while he cooked it. It was familiar and comfortable in a way that soothed Sakura's soul after her stint in jail.

When a knock at the door eventually heralded the others' arrival, Sakura slid off the counter and ran to answer it, letting in Genma and Tenzo. Still feeling full of love, Sakura grabbed one of them in each arm and squeezed, making Tenzo emit a light squeak and Genma a surprised laugh.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Genma asked.

"Shut up and hug me back," Sakura said, squeezing tighter.

And they did.

Kakashi got to Ibiki's house later than he intended, feeling like he hadn't slept in days. He had an idea that being Hokage was going to mean a lot of that—exhausting days that ran too long, with too much between him and what he'd rather be doing. It was enough to make him already miss the danger of being an ANBU captain. Sure, ANBU meant he was more likely to die, but at least he was also more likely to get a vacation.

Brushing his sulky thoughts from his mind, Kakashi knocked on the door. In moments he heard the sound of quick footsteps on the other side of the door, and as it was thrown wide, he braced himself. That ended up being a smart move, because Sakura launched herself through the doorway at him, and he staggered a bit as she collided with him, squeezing.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, and then began tugging him inside. "Good, now we can eat!"

Inside the house, he found Ibiki, Genma, and Tenzo already waiting at the table, and none too patiently. Kakashi's ass had barely hit his seat before Ibiki delivered a gruff "Serve yourselves!" and everyone dug in.

Kakashi had never been a huge fan of tempura, but he quickly learned how much Sakura loved it, and was more than amused to find out just how much she was able to consume. Tenzo and Genma also seemed to have brought their appetites, so it was good that Ibiki had made a lot of food.

Kakashi was glad to see that Tenzo seemed to be more engaged than he had been of late. Genma, too, seemed to be acting more like his old self. Kakashi knew that everything wasn't as good as it seemed—that all of them bore scars from the mission to bring in Uchiha Sasuke that, one way or another, they'd be dealing with for the foreseeable future. But in that moment, things felt like they were getting better, and Kakashi held onto that feeling tightly.

After dinner, Kakashi helped Genma and Tenzo clean off the table, while Ibiki and Sakura disappeared into the kitchen with the leftover tempura. When Kakashi ultimately walked a stack of plates into the kitchen, however, Ibiki was alone. Kakashi sent him a questioning look as he passed off the plates, and Ibiki said, "She wanted to go to pick up something for dessert. I didn't have anything sweet on hand."

"Ah," Kakashi said. Looking around the kitchen, which hadn't fully been cleaned from cooking the inhuman amount of tempura his team had just put away, he asked, "Can I help with cleaning the kitchen?" Gesturing behind him, he added, "Or order one of them to do it?"

Ibiki barked a short laugh, then shook his head. "I don't like it when other people clean my kitchen. They don't know where I like everything."

"Even Sakura?" Kakashi asked curiously.

Ibiki gave him a look and said, "If you were expecting a woman who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, you're going to be disappointed." His dour tone told Kakashi that Ibiki disapproved of this fact.

Letting out a huff of laughter, Kakashi said, "I'd rather have a woman who can keep me alive," knowing as he said it that it was much too true to be the joke he'd intended it to be.

Ibiki let it pass, nodding his head toward the side door that led to the exit. "If you head out now you can catch her." Frowning darkly, he added, "And you can talk to her. About the spiders."

Kakashi nodded. "So, you heard about that, too."

Ibiki scoffed derisively. "She chose to use them on some missing-nin instead of herself? You'd better kick her ass." Pausing, he gave Kakashi a beady look and added, "Not literally. Because I will kill you. Literally."

Kakashi held up his hands, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto his face beneath his mask. It was a little amusing to see someone with Ibiki's reputation be so protective. "Of course not." Letting his hands drop again, he said, "If there's nothing I can help with, then, I'll go find her."

Ibiki shooed him away, and Kakashi exited through the same side door he assumed Sakura had used.

Kakashi left the house on lighter feet than he'd entered it, and because he could, he flashstepped to the end of the block. He encountered Sakura on the second block, slowing down to meet her. She was strolling at a much more unhurried pace, holding a bakery box in her hands. Kakashi spared a moment to be glad that the streets by Ibiki's house were so empty, allowing him to have the conversation he was about to have.

Sakura smiled warmly at him as they both stopped, asking, "Were you looking for me?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, taking the box from her hands and falling into step beside her. Her smile finally faltered when he continued, "…about the spiders."

"I had a feeling that was going to come back to haunt me," Sakura muttered.

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask as they walked, considering how he wanted to handle the situation. A medic who willfully put herself in danger—in the past, he would have reprimanded her, maybe even set her up with some sort of punishment. But that didn't feel right now.

Finally, he sighed and said, "It was dangerous. You had no way of knowing that you were going to achieve the seal, and no way of knowing it would heal you from Sasuke's attacks and you wouldn't need the spiders."

"I know," Sakura said. "It was a split-second decision."

The excuse seemed flimsy to Kakashi, and it put some heat in his words. "Sakura, if you needlessly put yourself in danger like that again—"

"It wasn't needless!" she interrupted. "Kisame was dying!"

Kakashi halted in his tracks, staring at her incredulously. "I don't care about that! You're more important than he is! You were completely reckless."

He thought she would get riled up like he was getting, show him some of the fire that she was so known for. To his surprise, she stopped beside him and instead got quiet, looked up at him with those clear green eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Kakashi. I'm sorry that I worried you."

And just like that, the angry heat he'd felt was gone. Letting out a sigh that deflated him, he lowered his head until his forehead touched hers. "You always worry me."

Sakura reached up and caught his face in her hands, leaning toward him to press her lips to his through his mask. He was sure she would've preferred to pull it down, and he was glad she was considerate enough not to do that in the middle of the street, whether it was empty or not.

When she pulled away from him again, he held her gaze with his own, saying, "Promise me you won't needlessly put yourself in danger like that again."

Her eyes narrowed, and her mouth twisted into a sardonic smirk as she folded her arms and said, "You first."

That surprised a laugh out of him. "This isn't a negotiation."

The smirk turned into a small grin. "Is it an order, then?"

"If that's what it takes," he replied, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"Oh," she replied with faux solemnity, her eyes widening. "Well, you know I always follow orders."

Kakashi let out a groan and began to walk again, looking up at the sky as he ruefully said, "I think you are the worst behaved subordinate that I have ever had—will ever have." Still, he felt lighter, and when she caught up to him and tugged one of his hands away from the bakery box, he gave it to her, and they walked with their hands linked between them.

They walked together in comfortable silence for a moment, and then Sakura spoke again. "I mean it, you know. You're Hokage now, and you have to take better care of yourself. You have to let us protect you."

Scowling a bit, Kakashi said, "You know, this was about you putting yourself in danger."

She smiled up at him. "I tell you what. I'll promise not to put myself in danger without good reason, and you promise me that you'll do the same." Releasing his hand, she held her own up with her pinkie finger extended.

He looked at the proffered finger and then back at her, lifting a brow. "Really?"

"Really." The stubborn set of her jaw suggested to him that she was willing to wait there all night.

Letting out a sigh, he linked his finger with hers, even though it made him feel like he was about ten years old. "Fine. I promise."

She beamed at him. "I promise, too." The sheer happiness on her face forced a slight smile out of him, even if it was masked.

He knew that it wasn't going to be that simple. He had spent too long sacrificing himself for the mission to be able to lose the habit so easily. But with Sakura smiling at him with those big green eyes that a man could lose himself in, Kakashi knew that he was finally willing to try. For himself. For Genma and Tenzo, who had stood by him for so long. For Konoha.

And for her.

Because his chest felt full in a way that made him afraid he would start saying things that he was not okay with saying in the middle of the street, Kakashi released her pinkie and then took her hand again, resuming the walk to Ibiki's house. He'd promised himself he would be more open about his feelings with Sakura—but he certainly wasn't going to start in public.

More than ready to change the subject, he said, "Genma told me you went to see Tsunade."

The smile fell from her face, and her voice got quiet as she started to tell him about her visit with Tsunade. Kakashi was a little surprised when Sakura told him she managed to keep hold of her temper—and even more surprised to hear that Tsunade apologized. He could hear the confusion in Sakura's voice, and understood that she probably wasn't even sure how she felt about it.

"She said she's leaving," Sakura finally finished. "I guess that's for the best."

Kakashi hummed noncommittally, though inwardly he agreed. He may not have had Sakura's temper, but the things Tsunade had done in order to get him in the Hokage's seat had made him deeply angry. He knew he would forgive her in time—because he understood the kinds of decisions that leaders had to make—but for now, he was glad he would have some space from her.

"I talked to Tenzo, too," Sakura said, changing the subject. Her eyes got sad as she said, "He really liked Itachi. I think—I hope—he's going to be okay, though. You should probably talk to him so he knows you're not mad at him."

Kakashi's brow furrowed as he said, "What would I be mad at him for?"

"Itachi told Tenzo he was sick, but Tenzo didn't think it was anything serious. He learned from Kisame that it was worse than he thought." Frowning slightly, Sakura looked at him as she said, "Tenzo thinks he should've told you. That it might've been part of the reason Itachi decided not to fight."

Kakashi frowned as well, thinking about what she'd said, and reflecting on the fact that his mission to capture Sasuke seemed to have been doomed from the start. The truth was that part of him was a bit angry that Tenzo hadn't told him—it was intel that would have been useful to have, to say the least—but Kakashi also knew that nobody was more loyal than Tenzo, and he never would've endangered the mission on purpose. And he had certainly paid a steep price already. Kakashi didn't feel the need to punish him further.

"I'll talk to him," he said. Squeezing her hand lightly, he said, "I'm glad you got him to talk. Genma and I were worried about him."

"I was worried about him, too." They walked in silence for another moment before Sakura spoke again. "Tsunade said she was glad I'd found my family." Looking up at Kakashi, she asked, "Are we—all of us on Team Ro—a family?"

"Hmm." Kakashi tipped his head back to look up at the sky, considering—but he didn't really have to consider. He knew what the answer was. Even still, when he looked back down at her, he said, "I don't know. It's been a long time since I've been a part of one."

Sakura frowned disapprovingly at him, clearly not liking his answer. "You don't appreciate Genma and Tenzo enough." Sticking her nose in the air, she said, "It's a good thing I'm here to remind you to appreciate them."

"It's a good thing," he agreed, almost—but not quite—keeping the teasing note out of his voice. She gave him a narrow-eyed look for it and he chuckled to himself. Squeezing her hand, he said, "Family or not, you're sticking with me." It wasn't like he meant it to sound like an order. He just wasn't very good at these things.

If it did sound like an order, Sakura didn't seem to mind. "Sounds like a good idea to me," she said, swinging their hands lightly as they walked.

They finally reached Ibiki's house again, and passed through his gate into the small, semi-private front yard. On impulse, Kakashi stopped, tugging Sakura toward him. Releasing her hand, he pulled his mask down and then cupped her chin, tipping her face up. Capturing her lips with his, he let himself feel it—that moment in time, a sweet moment in which he had all of the things that he had never let himself want… the things he so desperately needed.

When they broke apart, she had that smile again, the one that Kakashi thought always made everything seem brighter. She took the bakery box from him and said, "Let's get this cake inside."

"Okay." Reaching past her to open the door, he held it open, and as she stepped past him into the house, he casually said, "By the way, what do you think about moving into the Hokage's quarters with me?" He managed to lift the box back out of her hands as she fumbled it, glad his mask hid his amusement at her surprise.

It wasn't the life he had planned—and he was so incredibly grateful for that.

That night, after everybody had enjoyed some cake and then left Ibiki's to go their separate ways, Sakura and Kakashi took their time walking to her apartment. She stayed there long enough just to grab some clothes and toiletries, and on their way to Kakashi's new quarters, Sakura asked him about what living together would look like. "I've never lived with a guy before," she admitted.

"It'll be a first for both of us, then," Kakashi said. "I never really thought it was something I would do, until now."

As they talked, Sakura considered it—being the Hokage's live-in girlfriend. Team Ro wouldn't be the only team assigned to watch Kakashi, and she knew that living with him meant signing up for being observed a lot more than she was comfortable with. But then she looked at Kakashi's profile in the evening light, the way he slouched comfortably when he didn't have to be professional, and a wave of affection went through her that let her know she was more than willing to put up with a few ANBU agents if it meant being with him.

Once they got to Kakashi's quarters, they were both ready to sleep. Kakashi admirably only raised his eyebrows at the oversized shirt that said SPIDER QUEEN on it that she'd made herself, keeping any commentary to himself when she gave him a challenging look. When he'd proceeded her into bed with nothing but a pair of loose pants hanging off of his hips, she scrambled after him, enjoying his dry amusement at the way she snuggled up to him. It wasn't long until they both fell asleep.

When she dreamt, she dreamt of Sasuke.

In the dream they crossed blades while the bodies of Naruto, Anko, Itachi, and Kakashi lay around them. When Sakura drove her sword through Sasuke's chest she gasped awake, heart pounding and tears in her eyes.

She trembled, waiting for the memories to fade. In that moment, all she could do was despair—that Sasuke would always be with her, that the dreams would never stop. She didn't even know Kakashi was awake until his warm hand was rubbing her back, pulling her toward him.

When she let him pull her into his arms, he whispered things into the dark. That she was okay. That she was home. That he loved her.

That was when she knew the difference. As her breathing calmed and her pulse slowed, she understood. Before, when she'd had the nightmares, she had always awakened feeling so desperately alone. But that was what had changed, what mattered—not that she had killed Sasuke, stopped him from hurting anyone else, but that she had this, this partnership that left her feeling whole in a way that she hadn't believed she could.

And there in the dark, with the man she loved with her, and the first light of dawn creeping in through the window, Sakura knew that she was ready for whatever came next.

She would never be able to bring back Naruto, or Anko, or Itachi. But with Kakashi warm and alive beside her, she could only be grateful that she'd at least done that—she'd saved him, saved her own heart. They had all lost things, but there was no fighting that.

There was only moving forward.