Sakura woke up before dawn, sleep hadn't cured her of uneasiness. Getting ready was a matter of minutes, easy for a jounin with her abilities. Tying on her forehead protector she turned to leave, but found she was held back by some invisible force. She paused and then walked over to the sleeping form of her fiancee.She gazed down with shinobi eyes. Emotionless eyes that were necessary if she wanted to remain alive on a mission. Eyes she had first seen long ago when Kakashi-sensei battled Zabuza the errant ninja. Then those eyes were gone, and she was once again looking down on the man she had agreed to marry. "I love you," she softly whispered.

No, You Don't ! Sakura knew that voice. It was her alter-ego, who had a bad habit of showing up when she was least wanted, like right now.

Stop it, I've already made up my mind and I'm fine with the decision

Stop deluding yourself, how can you stand being so hypocritical?

enough. She didn't have time to listen to this. She had more important things to do.

Gosh Sakura why don't you just roll over and give up on life? Just like you gave up on Sasuke. Apparently commands still didn't work on this Sakura.

Stop it! This time it was said with a little less self-control.

Oh scared of the truth?

Stop It! No more, I've waited for him for seven years. Seven torturous fruitless years. I've sacrificed enough of my life for HIM, but no more. I may not be as madly in love with Hotaru as I was with Sasuke, but at least I can be happy with him. At least I can trust him not to break my heart. I'm not strong enough to keep waiting for someone who never showed me any love or affection. No one's that strong.

No one answered her this time. She gazed at Hotaru a second more, kissed his cheek, and left the house.

By the time Sakura reached Tsunade's office she had rid her mind of everything, except the mission ahead of her. It was the skilled jounin that entered the Hokage's office, not the friend and valued pupil of Tsunade-hime.

"Enter", with this command Sakura walked in, ready to receive her instructions. "I will give you quick instructions and then you will go. This mission is exactly what I told you, a reconosance mission. Your objective is to search the entire perimeter of Konoha for any spies of Orochimaru. If any operative of his is found, you are to return immediately. If attacked, defensive maneuvers are allowed to be used only for escape. You are forbidden to take any offensive action. While on this mission you will wear a standard Anbu mask. Removal of your mask on this mission, for any reason, is forbidden. If no enemy operatives are found around the perimeters then you will report back to me ASAP. Should you violate any of the instructions that I have just given you, you will be placed on trial for insubordination. Are there any questions?" Sakura remained at attention, for she didn't have any questions that needed answering. It was a simple mission that had enough risk to be labeled as "A-rank", nothing more. "Sakura if you do not return by noon a team will be sent out for you." Tsunade then walked over to Sakura and pulled her into a hug, "Good Luck".

Sakura soon found herself wearing a fox mask and speeding through the forest with two members of Anbu. All her senses were on full alert. This was the type of mission that could turn sour very quickly if she wasn't careful. By the time they had reached the halfway mark nothing had appeared. Suddenly she sensed two chakras three hundred feet in front of her. She immediately masked her chakra and gave a signal to the two Anbu to do the same. She quickly instructed them to return to Tsunade, and report that two Shinobi had been spotted. She would stay behind, long enough to identify where the shinobi had come from, and then return. After she gave the instructions the two Anbu headed back towards Konoha, while Sakura stealthily moved forward. At the point where she could hear them distinctly she stopped. In the shadow, of the tree she was perched in, she could make out the shapes of two men, deep in a heated debate.

"Kabuto how many times have I told you not to follow me." said a masculine voice softly, but threateningly. If voices had texture this one would bring to mind a pool of water, smooth and black, with ripples denoting change in expression. Sakura had never heard a voice like this before; it frightened and excited her at the same time.

So Kabuto is here. I don't know who the other one is, except for the fact that he's male. Sakura was about to return to Konoha, when suddenly her interest was piqued by the two men's conversation.

"I apologize Ainoko-sama" Kabuto replied sarcastically, "But Orochimaru-sama has instructed me to make sure that nothing harms your precious body. After all some would say it a crime for you to have a single scar upon you."

Half-blood? What a strange name. And it seems that, even though they're both working for Orochimaru, they dislike each other. Kabuto's voice was dripping with disdain when he said sama. All thought of returning to Konoha left her as she was sucked into the conversation going on below her. She suddenly noticed how quiet it had become, too much for her liking. She looked down only to have her insides freeze over. Both Kabuto and the mysterious nin were gone. Fuck! I lost track of them. I gotta get outta here before I'm found.

"Why, it looks as if we have a little wall flower hanging onto our conversation"

"Be quiet Kabuto and let me handle this"

Both men remained hidden. They were on either side of her and by the sound of it she would either have to fight both of them or make a run for it. Seeing as it would be two against one she chose the latter. Before anything else could be said, Sakura ran for it.

"I hate it when they run." Kabuto said with a sadistic smile.

Sakura didn't waste time looking over her shoulder as she sped towards her goal: Konoha. But before she could comprehend what happened she had charged straight into the anonymous shinobi, who has been made known to us as Ainoko-sama . What the hell? How could he have caught up so quickly?

"You're coming with us" he commanded, in a voice that expected obeisance, as he held her wrists above her.

Not a chance! With that Sakura took him by surprise and head butted him in the forehead. Being only second in strength to Tsunade, you can imagine how much that would hurt. It worked. Obviously this man had never suspected kunoichis of such power, or audacity. Sakura took her chance and continued towards Konoha. That was until she suddenly fell herself falling.

"Well it seems that Kabuto has to use his wit to save the day, yet again. Oh, and don't even think about trying to run away little kunoichi. Well, it doesn't matter, you couldn't run away even if you wanted to. The tendons in your ankles have just been severed, so there's no possible way for you to move."

Cut my ankle tendons? Ha ! Kabuto, if that's the worst you can do to me, then you're obviously not the medic-nin I thought you to be. She quickly formed the precise amount of chakra needed to heal herself and jumped into the trees, and out of sight.

"You didn't see that coming Kabuto-san. Maybe now you'll talk less on missions and give my ears a break" retorted the nameless nin, this time amusement entering his tone at his partner's failure to apprehend their target.

"So we finally find a shinobi that can actually spice up a chase. Well we shouldn't be rude Ainoko-sama. She has invited us to work harder at catching her and we must accept her invitation. We wouldn't want to be rude after all." He said this sarcastically, and with a hint of pleasure that didn't bode well for Sakura's fate.

Okay I'm almost there. Sakura could see the walls of Konoha village rising in front of her. At last she had made it to safety. Then her entire world went black.

"Well so much for fun. You always have to make everything so clean cut don't you Sasuke-kun?"