Hello again, everyone, guess it's that time for a new update! New schedule has been driving me insane, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. But enough about me, let's get on with the story!

When agreeing to the mission, Sakura worried she would be completely out of sync with the others. For the most part, it seemed she was performing like she never left. Physically, she was keeping up with the others; if anything, she was holding back out of respect for the current team leader. She trained mainly to shed the pounds she gained from her pregnancy, but it seemed her hard work had also helped her back into her prime.

And mentally, she was focused on the mission, her past trauma not entering her mind. However, there was one thing on her mind: her fight with Naruto. So many things crossed her mind, like if she died before properly making up with him. What if they would keep fighting like this on future missions? She also thought about what if Naruto was called into action, and realized the thought terrified her. She would have begged him to stay, and realized what a hypocrite she was being. And even if this mission worked out, would this oath that bound them as ninjas ultimately break them apart as a couple?

Her foot touching the branch brought her out of those thoughts. She glanced around at her teammates, all masked up to their eyes. She had worked with strangers before, but something was off here. They were cold, colder than most veterans. It was completely unnerving.

However, that superseded the main reason she agreed to this mission: she didn't trust the Hokage. Anyone associated with Danzo, with the exception of Sai, was not to be trusted based on her experience. She was shocked that he even allowed Naruto back into the village. There may have been some truth to why he requested her to be on the mission, but there had to be more to it. She just couldn't figure out what, but she knew she had to find out why. What was really eating her though: why didn't she tell Naruto? Did she not trust him to stay out of it? Would he have done something rash? Sakura felt her heart sink as the realization that she had a lot more to apologize for than a shouting match.

The commanding jonin, who called himself Tsubame, held up his fist, halting the others. "Uzumaki," He said. For a quick moment Sakura was taken off guard, Haruno now being her maiden name."Pull your mask up. And pull up your hood too; your hair sticks out." He said. The commander sharply turned to address the team. "We may have a mutual alliance for this mission, but they are not to be trusted in the long term." Sakura pulled up her mask and pulled the hoodie up like she was told. They hopped down from the trees, and walked towards the meadow ahead.

A lone man with black hair stood in the field. He was wearing a standard ninja uniform, and covered his face with a Hann'ya mask.

The Konoha ninja approached him cautiously. "Nine Dragons." The captain said.

"Four Phoenix's."

"Father Sky."

"Allies."

Sakura noted this was some sort of password passed between them for verification.

"You found the target?" The captain asked.

"We are currently leading him here."

"Sounds unlikely. He was noted for being especially clever."

"True. But we have someone close to him." He walked up, whispering to him. "Very soon, it will be TWO people." Sakura noted their suspicious behavior, and wished she could hear them better.

"We will take him down together." The captain noted. "And after?"

"The agreement stands, provided payment is received."

"After, then." He signaled his comrades over. "How far?"

"Ten clicks away from here, last we checked." They heard a hawk suddenly screech above. The hawk then came down to the leader of the allied party's arm. "Ah, he's already half way here." He looked at the captain. "Take him alive, if you wish. But, with what we know, I believe it's not worth it."

"Yeah." One of the others spoke out of turn. "You should have seen the hostage. She gave us-"

The other clamped his mouth shut. "Quiet, you idiot!"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. It wasn't outside of the realm of possibility for this fugitive to have someone they loved, but most would rather abandon those close to them. And she didn't approve of this tactic. Even assuming the worst, they would have little to gain from a hostage.

She had a feeling this had something to do with her role on the team. And she feared there would be a nefarious reason behind it.

"Everyone, in position!"

The teams waited, being careful not to be seen in the open. Stakeouts were a tense ordeal; they were often boring, and it was easy to wander while waiting for the prey. But if that happened, they would lose focus on that important moment. This wasn't an issue for Sakura, the anxiety of the unknown keeping her alert.

Their senses all perked up once the target came over the horizon. He wore a brown cloak, so no details could be discerned. He was carrying a stick, no doubt a weapon. It wasn't impossible for a nukenin to carry a stick weapon; ninja were expected to be proficient in all manners of weaponry. But it seemed by the way he carried himself, he was going out of his way to avoid killing. This raised even more red flags for Sakura.

Everyone moved into their positions. Even up close, the target took great care to hide his face, his cloak only exposing his chin and feet, dressed in black sandals. Eventually, he stopped. For a moment, nothing happened. "I know you're there." He called. "And you're not what I'm after. Either you let me go on my way, or let's get this over with." One jumped out to attack, but the target bunted him with his stick. An electrical shock sent him flying after the initial stun.

The others attacked. Sakura, however, stood back. She would be inevitably be reprimanded, but she was confident none of them would be killed. For now, she would observe.

The man was a bojutsu expert, expertly parrying all their attacks. One summoned a hatchet, its blade likely to break through most wood. He charged, coming down…and the man sidestepped him, the blade leaving a slight crater (likely enhanced by a magnetic jutsu). The stranger immediately counter-attacked with a bunt to the throat and sent him on the ground with a magnificent flying kick. The captain seemed to have enough as he made hand signals. "Suiton! Gousuidan no Jutsu!" From his mouth a giant orb of water flew out. The impact would be little different from an actual boulder if it landed. Just when it reached its target, a wall of steam stopped it, vaporizing the water.

"Steam?" Sakura wondered. "Or fire?"

The captain suddenly began looking around. "Damn it, help me!" He commanded. Suddenly, a hand erupted from the ground, grabbing hold of his ankle. The captain was pulled under, while the stranger rose out like the ground was water.

The stranger gave him a whack across the skull with his stick, but did not knock him out. "Where is she?!" The stranger spoke. The captain looked up under his hood, noticing the red eyes. Not just any red eyes…He smirked. The stranger put his foot hard on his head, and pressed. "Where is she?"

"That wasn't my role in the operation. But if you'd like any answer…my comrade is on your eight."

The stranger's eyes widened, dodging a straight punch from her. He should have sensed her! And yet-! None of that was relevant at the moment, as he felt a massive shockwave coming. He jumped to his right, witnessing the ground raise with the force. Feeling something wet, he brought his hand up to his ear. Looking at his fingers, he saw blood. Nothing serious, but full contact from a punch just like that could prove critical. Likely worse. She raised her foot high and brought her heel down. The stranger got out of the way as he observed the ground undulate under their feet as if it was forming waves. The stranger had enough, attacking her with his bo.

With the Raiton jutsu, the speed was increased tenfold. In the hands of a master, the stick was capable of incredible speed. Enhanced by electricity, it was impossible to perceive with normal human eyes. Which made it all the more shocking when the woman dodged it perfectly, flipping into the air. She fired her kunai, which he blocked with his stick. Seeing the explosive tags, he flung them off. Out of his sleeve, he fired off wires. This got her by the legs, and he wasted no time in tipping her off-balance. He pulled, dragging her close. She had no weapons in her hands, yet with her bare hand she cut it. Even with the finest sword that would have been a hard task. Both played between offense and defense, one going for an opening while the other took the moment to evade. For a few minutes, they remained in a stale mate. "Get out of my way!" He said.

"Give up!" She shouted.

The stranger growled. "I have no time for this!" Out of his sleeve came what seemed to be a fan. Upon unfolding it, it turned into a Windmill shuriken. And in that moment, Sakura understood. The stranger threw it; even so close he could have hit her with deadly consequences. Sakura rolled out of the way, but the shuriken still scratched her hood. Even so, she managed to throw several shuriken. He spun, but it also ripped his hood.

The two could only stare at each other in shock as they each recognized their opponent, having not seen each other in years. "Sakura?!"

Sakura also could only stare in shock. "Sasuke!?"

And there you go! Sasuke and Sakura reunite! Perhaps I will use this opportunity to make my own version of Sarada…?

No. No I'm not.

But seriously, personal preferences aside, Sakura and Sasuke needed to reconcile in canon, and they're going to here. Both Naruto and Sasuke should still be very important people to Sakura regardless of who the author choses for her to marry. So, this is how it will go in this story.

Looking forward to your feedback!