AN: If it perks your curiosity, yes, this story was written once before; it's been revised.

I realize how young Sakura is. If you notice in anime cartoons usually in certain parts the protagonist is a teenager with a lot of skill, talent, and respect. I'm trying to apply that … so yeah. And, remember, Orochimaru's assassins have no connection to the agency; therefore everything they do outside is strictly their own business. They live lives; they don't just kill people all day.

Chapter 3: On the Mark

New York. Cherry Blossom Designs.

Her black heels clicked upon the tile as she walked down the long hallway. People waved and smiled as she went by, but moved out of the way, in respect, and slight fear. Her pink hair was pulled back in an elegant yet messy bun. Her lips glowed a pink similar to her hair, same with her cheeks. Her fine tailored pantsuit had no speck of lint on it anywhere. She massaged her temples. 'It's far too early in the morning…', or maybe it was just a hang over… Her green eyes scanned the area cautiously.

"Miss. Haruno." A panicking assistant came up beside her fumbling with a pile of documents. "Ma'am, you have a meeting at ten a.m. with you're uncle's attorney to discuss the will." Sakura continued to walk without giving so much as a glance to her assistant. She merely shrugged and nodded coolly. Her assistant handed her a cup of coffee. "Here, ma'am." She gulped nervously. "Anyway, after that, the meeting should only take about one and a half hours… Miss. Ino is stopping by she said, to invite you personally to a gala she's throwing in Vegas two weeks from now, along with her fiancée Nara Shikamaru. Also, she wants to see the new layouts and designs you might have. Though, she didn't mention the time. Next, a luncheon with Mr. Rock Lee."

Sakura inwardly groaned. She made it to her office and sat in her desk, motioning for her assistant to continue. "Keiko, wait. Cancel that luncheon with Mr. Lee." Her assistant looked up her with wide eyes.

"Miss, he's been trying to get a lunch date with you for months now and you've declined each request. He seemed so distraught, why do you avoid him like the plague? He's a famous athlete for goodness sake!" Keiko dropped the documents onto Sakura's desk.

"I'm not avoiding him, I just don't want to be around him." Keiko gave her a weird look. Sakura eyed her. "What else is there?"

Her assistant looked at the schedule. "It's eight a.m. Your meetings in two hours…" She calculated. "From two o'clock on to four you need to be at Markay's AN: It's just some random singer I made up She wants you to design her dress for the Music Video Awards, and I cleared the rest of your schedule." Keiko closed the planner.

"What?! Why'd you do that?" Sakura asked irritably and glared at her assistant.

"Miss. Yamanaka asked me to, and besides," she gulped. "You really didn't have anything else-…"

"Just leave Keiko." Sakura sighed. Keiko nodded and made her way out. "And make sure you cancel that luncheon with Rock Lee!" she yelled after her trembling assistant.

Sakura sighed and slumped in her chair. "Nine a.m." she whispered and reached for a document. She stared at it for a while. 'Work…' She couldn't do it. Her mind wandered toward her uncle. Her vision blurred. 'He was the only one I had left…'

She was seventeen, going on eighteen, and she had an entire designing empire under her feet, and known as one of the most successful women in the world. Her uncle gave her the push, noticing her talent when he happened to see a few of her drawings and then here she was. He was a successful businessman with his own chain of casinos and outlets around the country…

She was a new designer with possibilities and million dollar projects strapped around her waist, respected for the fact that she pulled off such a task without breaking a sweat and in so little time. It was all her uncle. He promoted her, gave her so much, she loved it all. Especially because when she and her mother were living together, they lived off of table scraps until he found them.

Sakura shook her head. Without him, she wouldn't have made it, or gotten this far. She worked hard for him, to prove she could do it, but when she was at the peak of her success, and was ready to show her uncle and make him proud of her, he slipped out of her grasp, assassinated. She suddenly felt the urge to hurl something.

That was, until her assistant peaked her head in through the door. Keiko gulped. "Miss. Haruno, Miss. Yamanaka is here to see you." Sakura blinked and wiped away the forming tears.

"I thought she wasn't coming until later."

"She never confirmed the time and-…" Keiko began, but Sakura cut her off.

"Just let her in." She commanded dryly.

"I would've gone in anyway, with or without your permission, you know that." A shrill voice rang her ears. Ino walked in with a large grin on her face, dragging a sulking Shikamaru behind her. Sakura looked at the two of them with amusement.

Ino was someone Sakura met a year ago at a party her uncle threw in honor of her attainment over his design company. Since then, she's been working with Sakura and has gotten really close to the girl

"I see you two are alive and well." Sakura stated as she dismissed Keiko from the room. "I wasn't expecting you this early, and you've caught me at a bad time." Her eyes trailed back down to the document she was holding.

"Well, what a way to greet an old friend. Ever since you've gotten this job of yours you've done nothing but work and turn into an old hag wasting her life away to make money." Ino sat on one of the chairs in the office. "Shika-kun, say hi." She nudged him with her elbow. Shikamaru glared at her.

"Sakura." He acknowledged briefly and sat down also. Sakura nodded. He then proceeded in looking away as if something else interested him.

"Well, Ino," Sakura started, "You're doing the same thing, so I don't see why-…" she trailed off.

"I've been in the business longer and I'm still not as cold as you." Ino sighed. "Sakura, pretty soon, you're not going to be a teenager anymore. Have fun and break rules!! Heck I'll take you out!" She yelled encouragingly.

"One, I was taught to follow the rules and work for everything I want, I have a goal to meet, and two, I do have fun and do not need your help thank you." Sakura still would not take her eyes off the document. Ino pouted.

"Sakura, today's a Friday, why not go out and have some fun for a change huh?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow; she scanned her head for excuses. "I'm not old enough. Teenagers can't do much remember?" Ino felt the urge to slap her.

"Since when was that an issue for any teenager at all? Hell, I know twelve year olds that party and flirt more than you and you think you're bounded?!"

Sakura wanted to question how Ino knew those kind of people but-"Hey, at least I have dignity. Those girls are asking for an early pregnancy and years of misery and regret ahead of them, that's all I have to say." She replied daintily and went back to studying the document. Ino ripped it out of her hands.

"You are hopeless Sakura." Ino pursed her lips. "How about… just this once. Please? Tonight? With me and maybe Tenten? She called earlier and said she was coming into town! We'll… go to a strip club!" Sakura's expression turned sour.. "Come on! Shikamaru will come too!" That got Shikamaru out of his reverie and his intense glare on his fiancée. She patted him on the cheek.

"Troublesome…" whatever else he said faded.

"Come on Sakura!!" Ino screeched. She knew that annoyed her, but this was a last resort, insults. Sakura cringed. "I'll treat you and your large forehead- to a very extravagant party! I bet you can't even dance." She muttered.

"I can so! And my forehead is average!" she argued. Ino laughed.

"I'd like to see you try, and you're forehead is-."

"I'm not going and that's final!" Sakura sighed. She hated people making fun of her forehead, and more than two comments about it would make her cry, more so than her uncle's death. She'd cry until next week, until her self-esteem was up again.

"What?!" Ino looked down at her pink haired friend, who was blinking quite rapidly to hold in her tears. "Sorry for those comments Sakura, it was the only way, but that didn't work either. Damn." she snapped her fingers.

"Find different ways." Sakura muttered unenthusiastically.

"Oh!" Ino smacked her forehead. "About my gala!" Sakura groaned and sank further into her chair. 'This is going to be a long day…'

L.A. California.

Sasuke awoke around 10:30 a.m. He groaned. His airplane flight was two hours ago. 'Shit.' He cursed and scanned the hotel room. With two beds, I might add 'Where the hell is Naruto?' Loud off pitch singing soon rang his ears. He winced. 'Found him.'

"Naruto! We missed our flight-." He began.

Naruto stepped out of the shower, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I rescheduled it for later this afternoon…you must have one nasty hang over my friend."

Realization dawned on Sasuke. He flinched and placed a hand over his head. He fell back onto the bed. 'Ow.' "Fuck." Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Such language." He said shockingly. "Ah well, whatever, we got a new order from Kabuto-sama. He said it was urgent, and that we should get back as soon as possible. Oh, and he wanted to speak with you after you've given the report."

"What could he want now? Are they giving me another mission?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his temple. "Took them long enough."

"Kabuto said not to worry about it until you got back, and guess how much we got paid for that last kill? Eh?" Naruto grinned at that.

Sasuke grunted. He desperately wanted an excuse to go back to Vegas as soon as possible. His apartment had all the best comforts to fit him; he missed that. "I don't really care." He let out a sigh. "When is the flight?"

"One o'clock." Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, you should really shower, man, you look like hell." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Idiot." he muttered and went to shower, but stumbled a bit getting there. Naruto gave him a weird look. Sasuke kept a hand at the wall to stay steady and walked into the small bathroom. He took one step in and-.

Naruto cringed. "Sasuke would you mind closing the door while you're vomiting your insides out? Damn, That sounds nasty… smells nasty too." He plugged his nose.

Naruto was used to this, after about four months. He knew Sasuke's problem, but never shared it with anyone. Sasuke would probably have his head if he did anyway. Sasuke was a drinker but failed to control it. He shrugged it off like it was nothing all the time, and he was only eighteen. How he got this problem started, Naruto could never figure out. It probably had something to do with his past, just like a lot of the other people that became assassins who had difficulties in theirs as well.

They were partners, until that Mr. Haruno incident came up and Naruto had to take up the mission. Since Naruto almost failed the last one, Orochimaru sent Sasuke to watch and make sure the plan was pulled off.

It was a success. Naruto frowned. The next target was Sasuke's to kill. That must mean, 'The target is all powerful and great.' Sasuke always got the ones that were hard to kill or people with a lot of power and money with high tech security. 'Lucky bastard.' Sasuke was still hurling. 'Guess I'll have to wait until he's done…'

Las Vegas, Nevada.

"Orochimaru-sama. The arrangements have been made. Haruno Sakura owns everything, as of today." Kabuto reported. Orochimaru banged his fist on the desk.

"Damn that little bitch. The sooner we get her out of the way the faster I get that money. I assume you assigned Sasuke to this, have you?"

"Yes," Kabuto adjusted his glasses, "He's the one that should get things done quickly. I've also assembled a team to go to New York consisting of: Hyuuga Neji, his wife, Hyuuga Tenten, Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chouji, and Nara Shikamaru is already present in the city. Uzumaki Naruto will accompany Sasuke there. I've sent a notice to Shikamaru to gather information. The others will be doing the same. That's it. The rest is their doing."

Orochimaru shook his head. "Replace Shino with Hyuuga Hinata. He didn't fail his last mission and rather have him here, in case someone… interferes with what I'm doing."

"But Orochimaru, sir, Hinata and Neji hardly get along-…"

"I'm testing her loyalty to us. She's edgy, and I don't trust her. Besides, they will need a medical specialist."

"Why do you say that sir?" Kabuto raised an eyebrow.

"Because Hatake Kakashi is a friend of Haruno Sakura… They'll need someone to treat those wounds."

Kabuto's eyes widened immensely. "You're saying- I mean, how did one of your former assassins escape? You didn't kill him Orochimaru?!"

Orochimaru let out a laugh. "No, unfortunately he escaped along with Uchiha Itachi. I had no idea where they were until now." He waved Sakura's file around. "I seemed to have over looked quite a lot about this girl. If the news reached across the country that Mr. Haruno was assassinated, Kakashi is smart enough to know it was my doing and he will stop at nothing to keep that girl's life out of danger."

Kabuto gulped. "So we have a problem then. If he still keeps contacts with Uchiha Itachi…"

"Correct." Orochimaru intervened, "Sasuke will have to deal with both his older brother and his former teacher. Kakashi made that Uchiha after all… I guess I was just lucky he joined the group right after Kakashi left. This is a test of skill for the boy."

Kabuto sighed. "I understand now. Sasuke joined us so he could find the two of them… So what? He will have to fight against the both of them now?" Orochimaru nodded. "He will not like this."

"He doesn't have to know. Kakashi keeps his face covered." Orochimaru smirked.

"I see…" Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. Still, he felt insecure about this procedure. 'Hatake Kakashi… Uchiha Itachi…'

TBC…

AN: If you're confused, I don't know. I'll answer your questions next time, I'm not even sure if this made sense. I hope it did. Everything will get started shortly… or perhaps… they already have? Bwahahaha, Just kidding. This hasn't been updated for a while and I know this chapter didn't exactly follow the format the story was going in bad who cares?! I'm in a rush, with a busy weekend. Hope you all enjoyed it, and Drowning in Blood will be updated shortly!!