By the Clock

Setting: We now reenter Konoha where we last left off. Its misty and you take a right turn to the Ramen bar. There is a light, smoky silk cloth hanging from the roof and behind it you see three figures....

Sakura took her eating utensils and snapped it to two pieces using it as chopsticks. But before placing it in the hot, steaming Ramen, she unfolded a white napkin and placed it on her lap. Then the chopsticks reached into the bowl to capture a wet noodle, but stopped an inch away. She paused holding the chopsticks.

'I'm not hungry, I can't feel anything... Am I thinking that I'm hungry?' The chopsticks then continued on its destination and grabbed a spoonful of noodles. It was then reached in a upside down curved motion to her mouth. It touched her tongue and she chewed it slowly. Then a gulp was placed in her throat. How tasteful.... It tasted like nothing.

Naruto and Sasuke kept watchful eyes on this scene. It was longest time Naruto ever saw of a person eating Ramen slowly. It took her detail motion to eat the whole bowl.

"Psst...Sasuke... we need to talk," Naruto nudged at his right elbow. Sasuke nodded and they quietly went outside the bar. It was cold, but the two Jounin could withstand the air. They were positioned in a horizontal way and were a foot away from each other's bodies. Sasuke on the left and Naruto on the right. The air reached their strands of hair and blew with the rythym of the wind.

"Naruto, is it really...Sakura,"Sasuke questioned Naruto turning his to the left, staring at Sakura's backside.

"Yes, it is her,"Naruto answered looking at Sasuke face.

"When did she..?"

"I found her outside the gates of Konoha. If I didn't catch that kunai, she would have been killed by those stupid guards..."interrupted Naruto suddenly, eager to tell him the information he knew.

Sasuke fist's clenched and tightened. He spoke, "A kunai?"

"Yes, she could have easily dodge it, but she just stood there. It looked like she wanted death."

Sasuke's pointed to the ground while Naruto stared at Sasuke's head top.

"Where was she for four years?"

"I don't know, Tsunade-sama, told me to bring Sakura to her for examination. She doesn't believe its the real Sakura...."

"...It can't be her..."

"What do you mean Sasuke? It is her... It is her... I know it's her..." Naruto face was gripped with anger, questioning why people thought she wasn't the real Sakura.

"You always take things in hand, and don't try to find the true meanings. It could be her and it could not... There is a big possibility she's a spy in disguise. I have heard of justu that makes a person disguise as the most important person you want desire... Her body can have a different face to someone else's eyes...."Sasuke predicted.

"That may be so. But the guards saw her as the person we see right now. Does that mean Sakura was their most important person."

"I'm told you it was a possibility. You have to review the facts. Don't let your guard down. Her face might be the face of yesterday, but is it the face that gave us the tomorrow?" Sasuke said trying to reason with Naruto.

"...I won't let my guard down... I know its her though, even if she did change,"Naruto said softly back to Sasuke.

".......I'm leaving, that face will pain me, until I know the truth" Sasuke turned his body to a straight and disappeared into the mist.

'When you talked about that justu, does that mean Sakura was the person you desired to see the most?" thought Naruto. His face was stern the outside world was silenced...

"Naruto, what are we going to do next,"popped out Sakura who took 20 minutes to eat her Ramen. She was tall and in each of her hands were two shopping bags. A deep smile was on her face when told this to Naruto. Of course Naruto was startled for he was easily scared. But anger did not flow through him, just warmth. He simply smiled and said to her

"We're going to take a visit to the Hokage. She wishes to see you,"he said staring upon her emerald eyes as if she was his daughter.

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The ninja school seemed the same, with the symbol of the Leaf showing proudly off from the entrance. Naruto and Sakura walked by the tree with the little wooden swing and entered the building. Its halls streamed and Naruto approached a door. He slid it open and found Tsunade sitting on the floor; cross legged: Dressed in a creamy peach kimono. Her eyes were closed but opened. She stood up and approached the couple. She mentally examined Sakura.

"Naruto please go home now, I'll send someone to escort her to your house,"she said crossly, "Please go..."

"Hai,"he bowed and left shutting the sliding door. He stopped to go back in the room, but continued his way out.

Tsunade led Sakura to the center of the room.

"Please undress, and put on these clothes..."said Tsunade holding a white medical robe. Sakura read the lips and followed the order. As she undressed, Tsunade got a notebook and calligraphy pen. Sakura seemed more pale and depressed in the white robe. Tsunade circled Sakura counterclockwise and began with the examination.

As she walked around Sakura, she wrote.

'Tuesday 1:16 P.M Patient: Haruno Sakura

'Symptoms:.....'

She approached Sakura and took out her mini light. She flashed it in Sakura's eyes....

'Eye sight... blinks more than usual, closes eyes to see, possible blindness

Hearing, Reflexes....same as the "last examination".....Still signs of no pain..........'

Tsunade clapped her hands in front of Sakura's face. "Clap" No reaction.

3 hours later

"Sakura, you can't hear me, right? You can only lip read," said Tsunade filing the notebook in the back corner.

"....Yes..."replied Sakura who was not curious at all. 'Who am I? No one? Am I an animal'

"Well, you should redress back in your clothes, I'll send for your escort."

'No signs of memories of that day are in her head. She's really gone or is yet to be found. I wished she could have stayed here for another year or so. If she didn't disappeared from my office.... I wonder how she ended up in front of the gates. I wished I found her before Naruto did.... then this mess wouldn't have happened,' thought Tsunade who wish she could rewind time.

Tsunade then went to her dark mahogany desk and pressed a small button. It buzzed three times. Sakura dressed quickly back to her clothes. As she tied her headband on her neck, a figure entered the room. Her eyes watched the shadow move towards Tsunade. It passed her body suddenly but gave her a 'feeling.'

The backside of the figure was the opposite way of Sakura's back.

"Sasuke, you just came back from your mission. So I don't want to make thing complicated. This is a very simple, C class mission. I wish for you to escort your old teammate to Naruto's house." Tsunade looked at his eyes sternly. "Make sure no harm is done to her."

Sasuke bowed with hesitation. He passed Sakura's body and expected her to follow him. But she didn't. He turned his back and glared at her.

"Are you coming?!" he said coldly to her face.

Sakura gained a surprised look and nodded yes. She turned to Tsunade and bowed. She then followed Sasuke swiftly out...

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What a bad chapter!!!!!!!!! Bad grammar!!!!!!!!!!!! Bad everything! Sorry this is the only

way I can get through the story. If I have time I will rewrite the chapter.... but I have school coming up next week and its highschool.... :(Maybe I'll update during winter break.....just kidding about that....bye and thanks to all the people who reviewed. The next chapter will be better and longer....