"Just a little longer."

Sakura begged to her body to hang on. She'd been leaping from tree to tree for about two weeks. She was given a mission to retrieve a scroll from the Cloud Country and it was supposed to be accomplished in one week, not that she's not that good at Class B mission but there's something wrong with the operation. She can tell it right after she accepted the mission. It was the scroll that the Cloud Country had kept for ages.

The outbreak of the news that some missing-nins wanted the scroll left an enigma to the whole village of the Cloud. That's why the hokage of the Cloud asked for help from Konoha.The hidden scroll only contained some information of healing techniques of damaged arms which added more confusing puzzle to Sakura.

It was one boring day when Sakura received a note from Shizune that Tsunade wants to see her. She was relieved when the old Hokage told her that she can do the mission with her abilities as a medic-nin, also pleased that Tsunade chose her for the mission.

She had passed the Chuunin Exam just two years ago and for these past five months she decided to train under Tsunade to become a medic-nin. Tsunade was proud of her when she passed the test. She had found a replica of herself. Much to her surprise when her sensei was overwhelmed from her accomplishment than Tsunade.

"That old hag with his pretentious antics."

She knew Kakashi didn't really mean what he said. She knew her old sensei very well. She had progressed alright, but that statement was her own opinion only. She knew that no matter how hard she would try, she still can not please everybody around her, except Tsunade at least for that matter. It was only the Hokage believed in her. Not her friends, not even her family.

-----

"At last."

She reached the Cloud country gate. After drawn out two weeks, her mission had finally come to an end. She scanned the area and noticed the man with the long black coat. He walked calmly towards her and nodded at her.

"Here. Keep it safe. Say thanks to Tsunade for me."She got the scroll with one swift move.

"Sorry I'm late."

The man grinned. "It's suspected."

"What do you mean?"

"We've got some information two days ago. The missing-nins started to move with their operation."

Sakura was not that surprised. She's right with her assumption. While she had been traveling, she'd been thinking why is her mission taking so long? And what about those explosive notes spread out everywhere in the forest?

"I see. You still couldn't guess who they are?"

"No. But we're working on it."

Sakura sighed. What's the big deal with the scroll? There is really something really wrong, she can feel it. But no matter how hard she try to analyze it, she couldn't pinpoint where the real know is.

"I should go."

The man nodded and with one poof, he was gone.

"Here I go again," as she leapt from tree to tree.

-----

Sakura reached Tsunade's office at the break of dawn. She wished that her report with the Fifth would be quick as a millisecond. She's damn exhausted and the only thing she wanted to do was to snuggle in her comfy duvet and sleep forever.

"You're mission was long overdue. What had you been doing?" What an annoying statement to be thrown at her early in the morning. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh.

"Gomen, Godaime. There had been so many explosive notes everywhere so I had to plan a strategic operation just to pass the border."

"Explosive notes? Sakura that's just an easy task to do! And clearly, that's not a good excuse for your mission to be late. We are all worried about you. You've been gone for almost a month!"

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh again, but a deep one. She had no strength to deal with this but she knows that the Fifth deserve some respect.

"Tsunade-sama, the explosive notes was not placed everywhere simply. It was technically planned. So I had to analyze the whole situation."

Tsunade gave her one long confusing look before she managed to reply. "Elaborate."

Sakura took a seat in front of the Hokage and collected her thoughts.

"Okay, we assumed the mission to be accomplished in just two weeks right? So, what I did was to take it as training. When I reached the last point to the Cloud, I noticed many explosive notes spread everywhere. At first I thought that detonating the notes is too easy to do. Immediately I performed hand seals to deactivate the explosives but to no avail. I tried two times but it was a failure. I scanned the area again and found out that there was a pattern."

Tsunade stood up from her seat and walked towards the window. She still couldn't understand it. What does the explosive notes doing down there at the forest? And who planned that ambush? She secretly thanked the roseate haired kunoichi with her analytical skills. She had a very bad feeling about this.

She looked at her student and she can tell that she's really tired. She could give her a little credit for doing her job neatly.

"Oh, before I forget, here's the scroll." Sakura handed her.

"Okay. I know you're very tired so go home now and take the rest all you need."

Sakura forced a small smile. "Thank you Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled back and watch her leave. 'She looked thinner.' She sighed. Her student had been quiet and distant for these past few months. Even though she kept her busy with her strenuous training, she can tell that the girl had some things in her mind.

She didn't know when she started to begin so detached with everything. She sighed again. She has to deal with the recent problem laid on her table first. What so important with this scroll?

-----

Sakura reached her apartment at exactly eight in the morning. Good thing because she did really want to sleep and in the mornings are her favorite time of the day to slumber in her comfortable bed. She unlocked the door of her apartment and walked towards her kitchen. A short cup of coffee would be enough to compensate her hungry appetite.

Her gaze turned to the picture frame that was on her sala table. An old photograph. An old memory. An old feeling. She stared at her biological parents with her in her early teens. Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.

"Can you see me now? I have progressed like you have always wanted."

She still could not get the pain out of her chest. The thought of her family not believing in her capabilities of being a kunoichi really tears her apart. Deciding to live on her own was no an easy problem to deal with but the anger in her heart forced her to do so.

They would always throw at her the same notion of her being a weakling in her team. She did everything; even put her life at risk in entering the Chuunin Exam. She knows the limitations of her body and she already had accepted the fact that she has a very low stamina but she had put them all aside just to please her parents. But all they answered to her was, "That's not enough."

She knew at that very moment that it was her last straw. She decided to run away from home, leaving a note that she would be back in time where they can never recognize her because she had become way over their expectations. Her pride had been the one that kept her strong in those fleeting moments.

What's the most hurtful part was, they actually let her go with no words of holding her back. That's what added up more pain in her heart. She swore since that day that she would become stronger not for them but for her because no one will ever believe in her but only herself.

She wiped her tears away; this is not the time to fret about her past. She's too tired to deal with her emotions right now. She finished her coffee and went to shower to freshen up before going to bed.

-----

Sakura woke up from the banging of her door. She gazed at her alarm clock just beside her bed. "Fifteen hundred hours. Shit, who could this be?"

"Sakura-chan! Okaerinasai!" The blonde haired ninja threw his arms at her and gave her a bear hug.

"Enough Naruto."

"Eh Sakura-chan, when did you came back?"

"Early this morning." Sakura examined his former teammate and friend. It's been a long time since Naruto visited her. He's been too caught up with too many missions. Being an ANBU is sure tough. Wonder how Hinata is dealing it.

"Why didn't you meet us at the bridge?"

"Gomen Naruto. I was too tired from the mission."

Naruto suddenly remembered what Hinata said to him two days ago. Sakura had been on a mission and was expected to be back early but she took it too long. They were worried about her especially him.

"About that, how did it go? Why did it take so long?"

"Sorry Naruto, I can't tell you. Remember, code of secrecy." Sakura winked at him.

"Hai, hai. Why don't you come with me? Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are eager to see you." Naruto grinned at her widely.

Sakura rolled her eyes. What an irritating lie. "Naruto, I know them well."

"Huh? What do you mean Sakura-chan?" Naruto threw her a wide saucer eyes.

"Nothing. Maybe tonight."

"Ok, ok. Meet us at the pub tonight."

Sakura let out a small smile. She never expected Naruto to be at her apartment; he's too busy. "Thanks for dropping by."

"It's ok. Ja ne!"

Sakura still thank that the mundane things are still in place at least she can be sure that the normalcy of her life is back again. Naruto has always been there for her. How could she not love that kind of guy? How could she sometimes take him for granted? Enough of her pathetic thoughts. She had to deal with her apartment. It's clearly wasted. She has to clean and shop for food before her time runs out in meeting her former team.

-----

Tsunade sat impatiently on her chair. She had ordered some ANBUs to gather some information about the scroll and today was their report about the said operation.

"Tsunade-sama."

"At last. What do you have?"

"Well, for only two days, we only got very few information about the scroll."

Tsunade looked at the designed masks of the three ANBUs and sighed. She couldn't get to understand why these ANBUs had passed the exam. At least they got something.

"Ok, begin."

"First, the scroll was said to be owned by the known clan of the Cloud. They are called Kenkoo Clan. The clan is well-known in their healing jutsus especially for damaged arms."

Tsunade gave them an irritated look. "We know that already right? Give me other information!"

The cat-faced ANBU apologized. "Gomen Godaime. There is more about the healing justu. It's a forbidden technique that's why the Cloud country kept it for many years and did not use it for their people."

"Why is it forbidden?"

"Base from the information we've got, the technique was forbidden because the one who would be doing the technique for the damaged arm of another person would be having a terrible consequence after."

Tsunade was startled from the news. "What kind of consequence is it?"

"An arm for an arm."

The second ANBU interrupted in. "We also found out that the healer should have an exceptional abilities. He should excel in analytical skills."

"Why? What does mind skills have to do with the scroll?"

"The clan was also known for their logical minds. The technique was made with too many patterns, so only logical persons can do the healing jutsu."

Tsunade could not believe what she was actually hearing. She had the information alright but she could not get the doubt out of her head that the information was not enough.

"Is that all?"

"Hai." The three ANBU chorused.

"Ok. Report again tomorrow with written reports."

She stood from her chair and walked back and forth in her spacious office. She couldn't focus on her thoughts. The same question kept on running in her mind.

The particular instance where Sakura found tons of explosive notes in the forest near the border of the Cloud made a perfect sense to her. Her assumption was that the explosive notes that were placed there were intended to prevent those people who want to have the scroll.

Tsunade also remembered what Sakura had said to her, that the arrangement of the explosives notes has a pattern. It only means that it was strategically planned by a logical person and only a logical person could break the code. 'Sakura…'

Tsunade now understood why Sakura had taken the mission too long. What she could not understand now was who could be the traitor in the country of the Cloud? And why did he want to have the scroll?

Her mind was being jumbled again. The questions seem s to be reproducing every after she found an answer to one question. Like a never-ending enigma. She's not that good at analyzing things but she is good at convincing people. Although she knew Sakura would be mad at her, she needed her in her office.

-----

Sakura had finished cleaning her apartment at five in the afternoon. She forgot to shop for food because she had done her laundry. She scanned her apartment again and sighed. She plopped down on her favorite pink couch and leaned her head back.

'I believe in you.' The vivid memory still lingered in her heart. Kakashi would always say that to her and honestly she hated the pitiful comment. It was one of many conversation they would always have every after mission. They had gotten very close since she had decided to live on her own.

She is not that comfortable with the newfound friendly relationship with Kakashi but she was glad that despite of him being an ass and insensitive sometimes, he'd always been there to be her comfort blanket.

But there are times she would wish he would not utter those irritating four words because she knew that it is not entirely true. Kakashi just says it to replace her feeling of being left out in her former team. She had accepted the reality that she can never reach the same fulfillment that Naruto and Sasuke had attained. They would always be ahead of her.

But she believed that she has her own strong points and she's contented with that. Was really she? Over and over again, she would feel the same self-pity whenever she's alone, that's why she would always go to the headquarters to ask for some mission to keep her busy and make her pathetic thoughts fade away.

She was suddenly startled when her phone rang. She was pulled out from her reverie. Thank God for small favors.

""Hello?"

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing?"

Sakura heard him screech and distanced the receiver from her ear. She could hear the irritated voice of Naruto from the other line. She wondered why.

"Naruto, what's with you?"

"It's already six in the evening. We're all waiting for you!"

Sakura gasped. 'I forgot I have to meet them up.' Sakura whispered as she glanced at the clock. She had been too caught up with her cleaning around her house. She vaguely remembered their usual meeting at the pub.

"Gomen, Naruto. Give me fifteen minutes. I'll be there." Sakura heard the ninja sighed.

"Ok, fifteen minutes?"

"Hai." Sakura let the handset down.

'I'll be seeing them again. It's been a long time.' She's not in the mood to deal with mushy meetings for a while but for a little respect for Naruto, she would go. She also wanted to poke Kakashi on the head as she would always do every time she come home form mission.

-----

"What did she say?" Sasuke asked the flaxen haired ninja.

"Just fifteen minutes, she'll be here." Naruto sighed and took his seat beside Kakashi.

"I assume she forgot about this." Kakshi said calmly.

"It seems." Sasuke grunted. She never knew Sakura to forget about things that is usually on top of her priority list.

"It's okay. At least she'll be coming. I missed her," as Naruto slurped his ramen.

"We all do." Sasuke whispered. He couldn't remember the last time Sakura had called him with an attachment of –kun in his name. Not that he cared and give a big deal about it but it is something that disturbed him. All of them noticed the sudden change Sakura had have since the time she had decided to be independent. Although that part made him proud of her, there will always be an instance that he feels that she's beginning to be distant from all the people that surrounds her.

Sasuke had matured enough to know how to be sensitive around his teammates. He had managed to see more of her, she had become somewhat of a friend to him. Not that he could admit it to anyone. Because for all those times he had been lulled by the darkness of his revenge, she had been continuously there to support him. That was what made him respect and care for her. He sighed.

Kakashi looked at the onyx eyed man in front of him. He was taken aback with the sudden comment Sasuke had given them. He never knew that guy could utter such concerning words. Much more for the girl he hated in his early childhood. Well, maybe things change.