Chapter XVII: Alone

Two weeks after he and Team Seven first settled in Yuko-san's restaurant, Shiro awoke to find the room empty. Any baggage that did not belong to him had disappeared, and everything had been impeccably cleaned up and put back into place.

Shiro slid the door open and peeked out to see Enoki, the eldest of the five siblings and the unspoken manager of the restaurant, coming up the stairwell.

"Oh, you're finally awake. You should wake up the others too."

"Wait, wait a sec." Shiro leaned further against the doorframe. "They're not downstairs?"

"Hm," Enoki mused as he lit up a cigarette. He took a slow drag and exhaled. "Well then, since they're gone, I should give you this."

"This…?" Shiro watched as Enoki pulled a scroll from his pant pocket and hand him the roll of paper. Once the letter was in Shiro's possession, Enoki stalked back down the stairs.

"If you have nowhere to go you can stay here for the time being," were the manager's last words before disappearing downstairs. Shiro didn't hear him as he read the collaborative letter.

Oi, Shiro!
Don't feel bad because we left you out, OK? Come to Konoha sometime (Just go south and you'll get there)! Well, I don't know what to write, so I'll leave the rest to Sasuke!
— Naruto

Despite Naruto's cheerful efforts to console the abandoned gunman, Shiro felt somewhat betrayed. Maybe reading Sasuke's message would clarify the situation and offer subtle comfort.

You're annoying.
— Sasuke

He hurried on to Sakura's message.

Shiro,
We found out that you didn't have enough money to go back home, so we bought you a ticket to the port nearest to your house.

Even though it doesn't seem like it, Sasuke probably trusts you the most out of all of us. Don't let his message get to you. I also got you some new clothes so that you wouldn't stand out so much. Travel safely.
— Sakura

Shiro felt warm and fuzzy. Sakura was such a nice person. Even though she was a bit tactless… a little loud… constantly ill-tempered…

Well, she was still a nice person. Better than Sasuke.

Kakashi's message was the most informative and gave him an uneasy feeling.

Shiro;
Get out of the country quickly. We can't guarantee that we won't kill you the next time you're hired from someone in this country. Also, burn this scroll as soon as possible.

I've written down the directions to the nearest port. I hope we can meet again in the future.
— Kakashi

Shiro leaned against the wall. What to do, what to do.

Life had become complicated.

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Infiltration of the Hidden Cloud Village would have to wait until dusk, and with two hours of meager light filtering through the sky, the team decided to spend an hour in a nearby settlement before entering the village. The plan was to regroup before breaking into headquarters.

For the sake of discretion, Kakashi divided the group in half. Sakura would go around with Naruto while he and Sasuke would move separately. Sakura drowned any emotions that threatened to emerge.

Kakashi wouldn't try to avoid me, she reasoned to herself. This was just strategy. Just strategy. Totally understandable.

Though she could understand it through a knowledgeable level, Sakura found that the problem with this reasoning was that she had to constantly remind herself how rational and reasonable Kakashi's actions were. Despite the fact that something inside her would not believe her rationale.

With luck, however, hanging out with Naruto proved to be entertaining and much more fun than any event that had happened since the mission began.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! What should I get Hinata?" Sakura laughed as she watched Naruto agonizing over gifts in front of a crowd of stuffed toys.

Sure, Naruto had Hinata. But the catch was that he still had not realized to what extent his feelings were toward the shy Hyuuga. No one had asked him about the issue, thus he had never thought about it.

So Sakura decided that she should be the first to ask.

"Naruto, what are your feelings toward Hinata?"

"Eh?" Naruto had wandered toward a crane game and was looking intensely at a suspiciously familiar doll of a stuffed pig before Sakura called him.

"My feelings…?" Slipping a coin into the slot, Naruto mused to himself while wielding the crane with ease. The pig was would require emptying his wallet. He'd settle for the rabbit. "I like her."

"Is it just 'like'?" Sakura pressed teasingly.

"Hum…" Naruto pressed down on a button that lowered the crane and thought a little longer. The doll thudded softly into the tray. Finding his answer, Naruto gave Sakura a wide, innocent smile that meant he still did not understand the question.

"I like her a lot!" Sakura had forgotten how subtly not only lost on Naruto, but was non-existent on these kinds of topics. She should get straight to the point.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Naruto blinked. Holding out his prize at arm's length, he stared at it in deep thought.

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"Girlfriend?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that?"

Kakashi twirled around his dango. For some reason, Sasuke had been staring at it intensely since he bought it. "Just from here and there. I was curious to know if Lady-Killer Sasuke really did settle down with a creature of the female race."

"… Don't have one."

"Hmm?" Kakashi dragged out his cynical hum a little longer than usual. The two men walked in silence before Sasuke decided he should do something about Kakashi's suspicions.

"What?"

"With your reputation, I can understand why you're hiding her…"

"I'm not hiding anyone."

"…but is it necessary to wait until she gets plastic surgery?"

Sasuke twitched. "She's not ugly."

"Hm."

Sasuke realized his blunder rather belatedly. Savagely gulping down the last of his coffee, Sasuke rammed the can into the nearest garbage disposal.

"Don't tell anyone," he mumbled.

"Hai, hai."

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"Eh…what qualifies as a girlfriend…" Sakura was stuck. Naruto had some good questions about girlfriend and boyfriend relationships. She already established love, but Naruto asked what the difference was between loving a girl as a friend as opposed to a girlfriend.

Then she asked about dating, but Naruto couldn't seem to see the difference between a friendly meeting with friends and an actual date. After awhile, Sakura couldn't tell the difference either.

She asked him if he felt like he would rather die than leave her, and Naruto made it clear that he did not send a shadow replication on this mission.

The two hadn't even held hands, so physical contact was not an issue.

"Sakura-chan, you've been married, right? You and Kakashi-sensei didn't act that different from any other time."

"We did not get married!" Sakura hollered a bit too defensively. Naruto chuckled nervously and held up both hands to appease her anger.

But she never thought about what would happen after the glamour wore away. Would everything become mundane and routine again? Where would this thing called 'love' fit in when the dust settled and the amour faded?

Sakura sighed. Back in her academy and pre-chuunin exam days, Sakura had often glorified and fantasized over weddings. The dresses, the atmosphere, the romance… Romance. What a tacky word.

"But sang-kyuu, Sakura-chan."

"Eh?" Back in reality, Sakura saw Naruto raising the stuffed rabbit he won into the darkening sky. After a few seconds, he broke into his trademark grin.

"I'll think about those things."

Sakura smiled ruefully. She needed to think about these things too.

"Ne ne, Sakura-chan? What are your feelings toward Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked right back at Sakura. It was an exasperating question, but it was expected. Sakura had so much to say on this topic, but most things Team Seven were already intimately acquainted with. She should start with something new and positive for once.

"He's like an older brother."

"Heh?" Naruto drawled, narrowing his eyes in doubt. "Not like a grandpa?"

"He's too strange and immature for me to think like that."

"Nya ha ha ha! That's true! You're always the one telling him off when he's trying to be cool." A look of curiosity came over Naruto's face. The 'older brother' thing didn't seem to fit Sakura's natural answer. "Does sensei think like that too?"

"Hm? Yeah, he even told me that I was like a little sister to him. It's nothing beyond feeling like a family."

"Um… Huh…" Naruto plopped the rabbit doll on his head pensively.

"But when you get married, don't you become a family? So wouldn't the family feeling be the same when you're married?" The answer shocked Sakura. She never thought of it that way. Naruto's naïveté was terrifyingly observant on some occasions.

"W-well, there are some differences… like you, Naruto! You're like a little brother to me, but I wouldn't marry a guy like you!" Sakura blurted out quickly. Naruto deflated, giving Sakura's brain time to flounder about the unexpectedly vast, uncharted waters of Naruto-Think.

Naruto never had a family, so it was natural for him to be confused over these kinds of relationships. But did Kakashi think this way too? How was she going to face him after hearing Naruto's observation? Was she thinking too much? But Kakashi was not the kind of person who would state these kinds of things so obviously… What would happen if Naruto's kind of logic was how Kakashi thought too?

Moreover, why couldn't Naruto grow up like an average guy who became uncomfortable on the topic of long-term relationships? Everything that happened up to the last time she and Kakashi talked in private on the roof of the restaurant could have been just a strange string of memories.

But now it was much more. Too much more. It was as if Kakashi-sensei harbored feels that extended beyond a leader and subordinate.

Sakura squeezed her eyes, attempting to short out the thousand thoughts invading her mind. It was strange to have him so close to her for those few short days they had pretended to be a couple.

Everything would have been so much more simplified if it was just a memory.

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A hunter-nin sat fiddling with his lightning bolt patterned mask on the steps of the main entrance. The hallways of the Hidden Cloud Village's headquarters were dimly lit by a row of hastily lighted lanterns. No one was allowed near the Raikage's office until his meeting was over.

His recent mission had baffled him. It went against all international policies to eliminate any ninja without confirming identification. While these issues were nothing abnormal during wartime or in discreet operations that took place outside of one's country, there was something wrong. Starting with the fact that he found evidence of heavy manipulation of lightning jutsus, and that witnesses advocated the fact that a huge blast of fire created the crater in the center of the plaza.

The hunter flipped open a small notebook. There was only one clan—or person, rather—who knew how to use such a powerful fire jutsu. According to rumor, the sole Uchiha survivor had double-crossed then returned to Konoha six years ago. Biting thoughtfully on the spine of the book, the hunter meditated on his facts a little longer.

Had the Uchiha become mutinous once again? But what was with the Raikage and his strange orders?

"Tsuru? I heard from my secretary that you were waiting for me."

Tsuru immediately jumped to his feet as his ultimate superior approached his way. "Raikage-sama, I apologize for questioning your orders, but I have something to ask about my mission."

A man behind the Raikage who was trailing several servants caught Tsuru's eye. The man looked familiar, but Tsuru had trouble matching a name or any kind of label to the face.

"Ah, let me introduce you to Doro-sama. He owns the second largest trading company in the Lightning country."

Grateful that Raikage-sama had filled in the blanks, Tsuru bowed to the man in recognition.

"Tsuru, I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now. There is something I need to confirm with Doro-san. However…" the Raikage gripped Tsuru's shoulders earnestly. "I'm in a situation where I need the trust of everyone in the village. Can I ask that you trust me at this time?"

Tsuru blinked and nodded dumbly in response. Satisfied with his response, his superior smiled and beckoned Doro-sama to follow.

Sighing, Tsuru scratched his head in frustration. A situation, eh… Tsuru had no idea what was going on, but even if he did, he had a feeling that nothing he would do could be of any impact at this point.

He would put his trust in the Raikage for now.

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The sun had set long ago and the time set for infiltration had come.

Kakashi untied the band that had served as a temporary eye patch. At this time, Sakura and Naruto would be breaking in through the Second Gate at the Southeast entrance. He and Sasuke would enter through the Fourth Gate at the Southeastern entrance.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi raised his head. Sasuke had been silent for the whole evening, and he had not expected him to engage in conversation before such a critical time.

"I think you and Sakura…are the same."

"Ha?" Kakashi replied swiftly. "Where did you get an idea like that?"

Sasuke did not reply. But what he thought was strange about Kakashi's tenacity to the concept of teamwork was that the man could only apply the concept in battle. Sakura was not as disproportionate, she was getting there.

Sasuke closed his eyes and smirked. Worrying about his team like this… Times had certainly changed.

Kakashi, unable to look through Sasuke's mind, took the latter's silence and smirk as a sign that the topic was dismissed for the time being.

Slowly opening his eyes, three dots spun experimentally around his red irises. He had not used the Sharingan for the last two weeks.

"Let's go."

Infiltration had begun.

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Author's Notes:
It's the Hidden Village of OC! But I can't help it. It's not like there were any notable characters from the Cloud country. However, I will attempt to give these new characters their own individual characteristics and make them believable.

I found that Shiro means either 'castle' or 'white' depending on the context. I believe 'shiroi' is an adjective.

I named the guy 'mud' on purpose, for those who know Japanese. I think it fits him.

And yes, late chapter. I know. I need a hiatus.

I trust that all you people enjoyed my last update, yes?

Fanartist

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