A/N: If there are boys/men reading my fic, I apologize ahead of time for all this talk about dresses. Please be patient with all this "extra stuff." Sasuke will come back in the story soon!

Disjointed parts again. Just having a little fun with Naruto and Kiba. This fic is far too serious.

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Sakura used the time between her meeting with the Hokage and shopping with Ino to sit in her apartment and figure out how she was going to help Sasuke. There were a few obvious obstacles.

First, the antidotes to all the poisons were located in the basement of the government building, under the Hokage's office. As a medical ninja, she knew the combination to this room, but there was always at least one medically trained jounin there guarding the door in case. She would have to sign out which antidote she wanted and state what purpose it would be used for.

That would be the easy part. Then, Sakura would have to find an excuse to leave the village for an indefinite amount of time. Getting mysteriously "lost" on a mission wasn't an option either; it was not common for the Hokage to give out assignments right after the festival. She would also have to keep her plans secret from her best friends, who would definitely try to get the reason of her departure out of her if they saw her leave. Even if they didn't witness her departure, her friends would eventually find out. If she went missing long enough, she knew either Lee or Naruto or both would come after her.

Sakura sighed.

One part at a time.

How was she going to slip into the basement? Sakura decided that she would try during the night of the festival when everyone was distracted and out enjoying the celebration.

The Hokage wouldn't assign someone on duty the night of the festival...would she?

In reality, Sakura wasn't sure of the answer. There was a good chance that there might actually be a guard tomorrow night as well. If that was the case, she would have to talk and charm her way into getting the antidote. As a chuunin, she doubted she could get past the guard any other way. Even if she signed her purpose out on the form, surely they wouldn't verify the claim until she was long gone. What would happen if they found out?—Sakura didn't know, but she didn't care. That was far in the future and she had to concentrate on her current strategy.

Now how was she going to get past her friends? Sakura thought the best option was to slip out unnoticed during one of the many parties that night. Everyone party-hopped, and it was hard to keep track of people. Furthermore, she was sure all the shinobi would take advantage of this opportunity to get totally wasted. That would incapacitate them the rest of that night and the day after. To decrease the time she was wandering around away from the festival, she would leave immediately after she got the antidote. That would buy her some time, but that meant she couldn't bring much with her.

Food and drink during her journey? Change of clothes? She'd find a way to survive. Sakura cringed at the thought of leaving Konoha on her own mission in nothing but a short party dress.

Of course, her plans also depended on the assumption that Sasuke would be in his home in the forest. If, in fact, he wasn't there...

Sakura tried to shove that thought out of her mind.

He's going to be there. He has to be.

Suddenly she heard the doorbell ring. She remembered then that it was probably Ino. Sakura got up from her chair and opened the door. Sure enough, she met Ino's blue eyes.

"Ah, Sakura. You ready?"

Sakura smiled, and grabbed her purse that was lying on the couch nearby.

"Hi Ino. Yeah, let's go."

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Though Sakura's thoughts were preoccupied with her plan for tomorrow night, she forced herself to care about what she was going to wear to the festival. It was easier when she realized that this dress was probably going to be the only piece of clothing she would have on her journey. She had to consider her options carefully.

"Sakura!" Ino said, clutching to her friend's arm and pulling her into a store.

"Look at that!" she pointed at a purple, A-line satin strapless dress. The hem flared a little and Sakura noticed tulle under the dress.

"That's cute, Ino," Sakura remarked.

"Why don't you try it on?"

"Me? Why me?" Sakura asked, "I thought you liked it. And you like purple right?"

Ino sighed and rubbed the lower part of her neck. "I hate my shoulders, Sakura."

"What? They're perfect!" Sakura said.

This seemed to make Ino feel a little better, but then she said, "It's pretty but a little too fancy for the parties I guess. And plus all that tulle, I'll be rustling everywhere I go."

Sakura shrugged, but noted that those were the types of things she had to consider on her mission.

Ino pulled her to another section. "Ah, look at these!"

She started removing dresses from the rack and putting it against her, appraising herself in the mirror. Soon, Ino had a few selections resting over her arm and made her way to the dressing room. Sakura tried to share in the excitement with her friend and be supportive, but for obvious reasons she couldn't really give constructive advice.

Ino stood in one of her light blue dresses, hands on her hips, studying herself from all angles in the mirror.

"How is this one?"

"It's really great, Ino," Sakura said as she sat on a cushion watching her friend.

Ino paused and gave her a curious glance. "That's what you said about the last two, Sakura!"

Sakura decided flattery was the only way to get out of this. "You look pretty in everything! I don't see why you're so picky."

She was glad Ino was too into shopping to notice how distracted she was. Ino tilted her head and reassessed herself in the mirror.

"I'll put it in the maybe pile."

Sakura sighed quietly. "If you wanted to get something Shikamaru would like, you should have gone shopping with him."

Sakura immediately regretted her words when she sensed some bad chakra focused on her body.

Ino's eyebrow twitched. "I don't care what that loser thinks."

Clearly, she did, but Sakura didn't want to aggravate her more. Ino sure was scary sometimes.

Ino then shifted tones so suddenly that it surprised Sakura.

"Anyway," she began lightheartedly again, "you haven't picked anything!"

Sakura looked around. "Ummm..."

Ino finally noticed that her friend had been spacing out most of the afternoon. She seemed to be more concerned now and sat down next to her. "Sakura, what's wrong with you? We always have fun shopping together. You seem so distracted today."

"Sorry, Ino...I really don't know why. I guess, I'm a little tired," Sakura lied.

To relieve herself of Ino's suspicion, Sakura stood up and said, "Also, I have no idea what color suits me. What do you think?"

Ino's face melted into a grin as she pat Sakura's hand.

"I'll help you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura must have seemed picky to Ino as well, since everything she tried on was either too short, too tight, or too noisy. Ino grew frustrated, but Sakura was intent on picking the right outfit so that she could move as comfortably as possible through the forest. Also, she would need a weapons holster attached to her inner thigh and out of view, so the dress couldn't be too short or tight.

But of course, she thought with a blush, maybe this dress could help her throw off the jounin guarding the basement tomorrow night. She eventually settled on a green satin dress with black lace trim. The material was not thick, straps were thin, and the neckline fell dangerously low, but she thought all three worries would be remedied if she wore a jacket over it.

"Green huh? Trying to match someone we know?" Ino hinted.

"Uh...yeah." Sakura had actually planned to use it more as camouflage, but her response satisfied Ino.

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Sakura was too nervous and anxious to sleep well that night. In such a short time, she would be away from Konoha again, not knowing when she'd return.

The prospect of leaving on her own in search of an S-class criminal scared her, but her determination to heal Sasuke was stronger than her fear. Many uncertainties festered in her mind, but no matter what, she knew she had to make it work.

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The entire morning and afternoon of the day of the festival, Sakura felt apprehensive. She kept running through her plans, trying to imagine unforeseen challenges before actually running face first into them. Though she was scared, never for a moment was she uncertain.

She experienced a feeling of finality as she took a shower in the late afternoon. Before missions, she would always realize during this time that the next time she took a shower in her apartment would be when she returned, which was often an undetermined date in the future. Of course, there was also the possibility that she would never come back. That chance was higher than ever for this self-made mission.

For some reason, she was very meticulous about her physical appearance for the night. Sakura slipped on her dress slowly and smoothed it out, studying herself solemnly in the mirror. The brush dragged slowly through her hair and she was unusually intent on making sure every strand was in place. She only put on a minimal amount of make-up, enough to make sure Ino wouldn't freak out and volunteer to apply it herself.

Sakura sat on her couch, watching the clock on the wall. At six o clock, she would meet her friends for dinner. After that, they would check out the festival goodies on the streets and attend some parties. During past celebrations, Sakura would always find that time passed too quickly, but this time around she expected it to move painfully slowly. Her objective tonight was not to live it up with her best friends, but to get deep into the forest with the antidote. All that passed before then were just obstacles that she had to get through first.

She sighed and stared at the clock again.

Five thirty.

Her mission would start at 10:00pm tonight. Sakura decided to get to the restaurant early; she was anxious to get the night started. After grabbing her jacket and purse off of the couch, she took her time to put on her shoes. They were sneakers—Ino would yell at her for sure, but there was no way she'd travel through the forest in a pair of high heels. She stood up and opened the door. Before she left, she sighed and took a sad look around her apartment again.

Who knows when I'll be back...if ever...

Sakura tried to gather up her courage as she shut the door. The buzz of festivity on the street sounded foreign to her in her current mood as she made her way to the restaurant.

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The alcohol flowed generously throughout the dinner, but it was consumed mostly by Naruto and Kiba who wanted to get a "head-start" on the evening.

Sakura was tempted to numb her anxiety, but decided that would be counterproductive. She needed to keep her senses acute tonight.

They were eating in a big group including all the shinobi that had taken the chuunin exam about six years ago together save Shino, and of course, Sasuke. Luckily there was so much conversation and good spirits, Sakura didn't feel like her distraction would be noticed. Fortunately for her, both her neighbors, Rock Lee on her left and Hinata on her right, preferred to listen rather than draw attention to themselves and to her.

No one seemed to be aware that she poked thoughtlessly at her food during dinner and was unusually quiet. After finishing eating, her friends sat and talked awhile more, which made Sakura even more restless. But as she wrung her hands in her lap anxiously, Lee's hand suddenly rest over hers and gave them a reassuring squeeze. For a second then, she experienced her first feeling of doubt.

Finally after another hour or so, the shinobi exited the restaurant and browsed through the streets looking at the displays and games. Later that evening, they hit the parties.

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After testing out a few parties, Naruto and Ino, who were the most picky choosers, finally agreed on one boisterous gathering on the top floor of one of the buildings on the main street. Ino wanted plenty of room to dance, Naruto and Kiba wanted plenty of things to drink, Chouji wanted plenty of food, and this party offered enough of everything,

Sakura didn't really want to dance, but she observed her friends from the bar with Naruto, Chouji and Kiba. Ino was making a rather amusing scene when Shikamaru absolutely refused to dance and crossed his arms. She saw Ino try to strike up a dance with a reluctant Rock Lee in an attempt to make Shikamaru jealous, but Shikamaru just looked away, which got Ino even angrier.

"You want me to get you something Sakura?" Naruto offered as he handed the bartender some money.

"No...you guys go ahead." Sakura turned her body on the stool to face him and smiled weakly.

"Sure?"

"Yeah, I can't keep up with you anyways."

For some reason Naruto beamed proudly, which caused Kiba to mutter, "Psh, I bet I can."

"Is that a challenge?" Naruto's eyebrows cocked.

Kiba straightened up. He was feeling daring tonight. "Only if you promise not to cry like a girl when you lose," he said with a smug grin.

Naruto chuckled confidently and said, "Deal."

Then he turned to Chouji who was stuffing some chips in his face. "You want in?"

Chouji didn't pause from his munching and shook his head.

Sakura sighed as Naruto ordered the bartender to set up some shots for what she thought was a pointless drinking contest with Kiba. She just knew that both of them would spend tomorrow hunched over a toilet. Trying to block the sound of groans, gasps, slamming shot glasses from Naruto and Kiba and chewing noises from Chouji out of her head, Sakura turned away and began reviewing her plans for the night.

At 10:00, I'll slip outside. Chouji, Kiba and Naruto will definitely not notice. Ino will be too busy dancing, Shikamaru too busy avoiding her. Neji and Tenten...seemed to have gone off on their own somewhere. Hinata will be staring at Naruto...

But Lee...

Throwing Lee off would be a challenge. Sakura had nothing planned for this. She could only pray that he wouldn't notice...but what were the chances of that?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Kiba's voice.

"Hey this is a drinking contest! You can't eat!"

Kiba looked outraged at Naruto who was now stealing handfuls of chips from the bowl Chouji was hogging.

"Shut up, we didn't make that rule. Drinking makes me hungry," Naruto said with his mouth full.

Sakura, who found this competition completely inane, stood up and left without a word.

"If you keep that up you won't be able to fit into your uniform anymore," Kiba shot back.

Naruto stopped and glared at Kiba. After a few seconds, he stood up. Then he pulled out his shirt from his pants, unbuttoned the last few buttons and raised the cloth and the thin undershirt to reveal his perfectly defined stomach.

"You want a piece of this?" Naruto said patting his bare skin contently.

"Idiot, it's not like I don't have one." And, not to be shown up, Kiba also pulled up the bottom of his shirt.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and turned around to look for Sakura, but she wasn't there. His head felt a buzz from moving so fast.

"Eh? Sakura-chan?"

Then his eyes fell on Hinata, who was innocently making her way past the bar to get some water.

"Hey Hinata, come over here for a second would ya?" Naruto flashed a smile and beckoned her with his hand.

Hinata paused and had a wary look. "N...Naruto-kun..."

Nonetheless, if Naruto needed her for something she would be there for him. Hinata wondered what it could be as she walked over to where they were standing. Was he going to say something to her? Comment on the way she looked? Or ask her to dance?

Hinata blushed slightly and did the finger thing. She faced Kiba and Naruto and looked up into Naruto's eyes, which, she noted disappointedly, seemed a little dulled by the alcohol.

"Take a look," Naruto raised up his shirt again. He looked down at himself so he couldn't see Hinata's white eyes widen. "Don't you think my abs are much better than Kiba's?"

"Come on, Hinata. Naruto's got nothing on me," Kiba said while pulling up his own shirt for proof.

Hinata was speechless.

"Oh please," Naruto sighed, "Yours may seem impressive but I bet they're all flabby when you touch them. Mine, on the other hand, are rock hard." He slapped himself a few times to prove his point.

"Feel them," he said as he tried to grab Kiba's forearm.

"Are you kidding? I'm not touching you, idiot! Not that drunk yet!" Kiba withdrew his hands forcefully.

Naruto turned to Hinata. "Hinata, you'll have to settle this." He grabbed her hand before she could refuse and rubbed it on his lower stomach. Hinata nearly died.

"N...Naruto-kun..." She stammered, face bright red. She couldn't look him in the eye, even if he was a bit inebriated and wouldn't be able to remember this incident tomorrow.

Naruto grinned.

Hinata mumbled something incomprehensible while Kiba huffed. Suddenly Naruto dropped her hand.

"I love this song!" Naruto exclaimed. "Kiba, we'll have to pick this up later."

As he walked away skipping and sliding to the dance floor, he seemed to completely forget about the whole contest.

Sakura felt a sense of dread as Naruto started making his way toward her.

"Come on Sakura-chan!"

Sakura had no idea if he was drunk or not. She didn't put this kind of behavior beyond him. He attempted to pull her into his dance, but she pushed him off gently, refusing.

"You're doing fine by yourself!" She laughed.

He shrugged it off and danced awhile by himself. Sakura thought she was safe, but much to her embarrassment, she noticed him start to climb on to the table.

Before she knew it, Naruto was dancing enthusiastically on the tables and trying to convince someone else to come up with him. Sakura didn't really want to watch him make an ass of himself and wanted even less to accidentally catch his gaze and be forced to join him, so she took this time to slip out.

She opened the balcony door and closed it behind her. The music was practically inaudible now as she walked to the edge and observed the bustle of activity on the street below. She noticed a clock on a nearby tower. It was getting close to 10:00.

Her breath fogged up the night air as she rubbed her arms through the jacket. Suddenly she regretted that she had not just come to the party in a fleece sweatshirt and pants. It was freezing and she would have to travel through the woods later on tonight.

She heard the door slide open and shut again, but didn't turn around. Someone walked up to her from behind, put both hands on her shoulders and came around to her side. Sakura turned her head to meet him and smiled pleasantly.

"Hello," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.