Sakura made her way across the grassy field to the site of the shinobi memorial. It was a beautiful day; there wasn't a cloud in sight and the slight breeze swept her long hair across her face.

She knelt down at the front of the monument, as she did every morning she was in Konoha, and set the bouquet of flowers on the ground. Hands clasped together, she said a soft prayer. She liked to talk to him. Sometimes she asked for his advice, and even though he couldn't answer, she somehow felt safer. He had always made her feel safe, and now that he was gone, the reality of growing up and taking on the real responsibilities of a shinobi were weighing down on her.

Sakura shivered slightly. It seemed everyone important to her was gone. Naruto constantly away, Kakashi-sensei more permanently absent, and—Sasuke. No, the Sasuke she knew was gone a long time ago. Sometimes she wondered where he was, what he was doing, if he had finally killed Itachi, but then she reminded herself that she no longer knew him. Ever since he left Konoha and gave up everything to seek power, he had become a different person. Now he was an infamous S-class criminal in the bingo book, not unlike his brother Itachi. No one knew the true nature of his work, but so far, Konoha had not been on his radar. It's been 7 years, she reminded herself. Seven. She had changed, and he- well, who knew if he's still alive? In all honestly, the world would probably be better off without him, like all S-class criminals.

Still, it was hard to forget. Sometimes she'd go days without thinking about him, only to have some memory spring up in her so suddenly and intensely that she would find herself in tears, like the naïve, love-struck twelve-year old of the past.

Slowly, it's getting easier though. It's all getting easier.

Sakura stood up slowly from her kneeling position. The wind was blowing again. It was pleasant. She smoothed her hair and smiled slightly.

Why not be thankful for all you have, instead of complaining about all you've lost? She scolded herself. Naruto would probably be back soon and she would hear all about his mission and how he kicked everyone's ass (it always ended that way. That Naruto- never too tired to brag.)

And, of course, Lee. Sakura blushed slightly. He had been so patient and understanding all these years and only recently had Sakura opened her eyes to him as, maybe, something more than a friend. He was reliable, hardworking, caring, and respected in the village. He didn't drive her insane, he never pushed or teased her. Perhaps they would make a great team...

But first I have to complete this mission, Sakura reminded herself as she started walking back toward her apartment.
-------------------------------------------------

At 3 pm, Sakura met her assigned ANBU squad at their designated meeting place.

"We don't want you sticking out. You might get targeted that way," said a masked man in a white hooded cape. "We want you to put this on."

Folded neatly in his hands were the ANBU uniform and cape, in the cloth bag he also carried was all the armor and the mask.

Sakura, who thought the chuunin uniform wasn't very flattering, took the clothes with a slight twinge of excitement she tried to control. Even though she'd never be an ANBU, here was the chance at least to look like one.

She smiled coolly and said, "Fine."

The masked man asked, "So you read the mission, right?"

"Yes, of course," she lied.

"Because you are here, I assume it is okay with you?"

Why wouldn't it be okay? Sakura wondered.

She nodded, "My job is always the same."

True enough.

"I'm glad you feel that way," returned the captain.

He turned to the rest of his squad who were gathered, there were 6 in all counting Sakura.

"The journey to the site will take around three days. We will travel through the forest. Once we're there, we're to hunt him out, surround him, and kill him. It won't be easy."

One of the ANBU members sighed and said, "I was on this mission before. This guy just won't die. We had to retreat last time."

The captain said, "Regardless, we have to keep trying. He may be a danger to the Leaf. Hokage's orders."

Sakura listened and tried to piece together the nature mission as much as she could, but she knew ANBU never spoke directly about their tasks. The captain always assumed they've read the mission folder, so Sakura probably wasn't getting any more information.

So it's an assassination. Wonder who the unlucky bastard is. Five ANBU? He's going down this time for sure.

Even though she had done many missions before, she felt a surge of excitement as they dispatched. The possibility of death sharpened her senses as the group silently made their way to the target.
--------------------------------------------

On the morning of the third day, Sakura awoke in her tent and dressed in the ANBU uniform, pretty impressed with herself. The mask was kind of silly in her opinion, but when she put it on she immediately felt more protected and confident. Her hair was pinned back with some sticks to keep it out of the way. She must have looked very different. She bet no one in Konoha would be able to recognize her like this.

Too bad there's no mirror. She thought as she turned her head both ways to get a good look at herself.

Still, she wasn't an ANBU jounin and if the enemy looked hard enough, he would be able to tell. There was no tattoo on her arm, and she wore two pouches on her waist instead of one to carry her emergency medical supplies.

The plan was to strike at night, however, so the enemy wouldn't be able to see. If everything went smoothly, he won't even sense the attack, much less Sakura.

She got out of the tent and gathered with the rest of her unit. It was a chilly day, and all of them wore their cloaks as they knelt by a fire. The ANBU captain stated that they would leave their things here until the mission was complete. If the enemy saw tents too close to the headquarters he would get suspicious.

"We had some people spying on him a few days ago. They noted that he is always in by 12 am. We'll place this heat sensor on the building to locate him, then take him by surprise in his room. He won't even know he got killed."

"What if he's not there?" a female ANBU asked.

"We intercepted a note about a meeting in the building. It will be done by 11, and he won't go out later at night," the captian answered.

"But what if--?" the female continued.

"Just pray that he's where we expect him to be. We'll never be exactly sure. If he's not there, then all plans are shot and we have to rely on our instincts," the captain interrupted.

He paused, and then started again, "Listen up. From now on, we have no faces, no names, no feelings. There should be only one thing on your mind and that's the mission. Any weakness in our teamwork will get us killed. There's no reason for senseless death- if we find ourselves overpowered we retreat. If you have any questions, ask now because from here on out we'll stop talking about mission details."

No one made a sound.

"Good," the captain. "Get ready to move forward in 10 minutes."

The shinobi picked themselves up and prepared to start their mission.