For a lack of time, again, there are no author's notes. The next chapter will have them for sure, I promise. Thank you for the feedback, please enjoy!
From what Sasuke gathered from his nearly hour long discussion with Tsunade, the fifty-five year old woman had it out for the White Suits for over three decades. Starting with her younger brother, Nawaki, Tsunade's hatred for Yamoori and his underground syndicate of degenerate monsters ignited the day Orochimaru informed her that Nawaki had been found dead in the basement holding cell of a white suit compound that he and a handful of his subordinates had raided.
Found chained to the bed frame, Orochimaru made sure to be vague on the details of what the White Suits had done to her twelve-year old brother. Having believed that Nawaki was sti at the ninja academy, Tsunade was devastated when she read the autopsy report stating that her little brother had been brutally raped and tortured for six hours straight, and it all happened because The Godfather's son of the White Suits was bored that day, and decided that her little brother looked like a fun way to spend his day.
Tsunade did everything in her power to try and push the Hokage at the time to send his Anbu ninjas out to annihilate the White Suits, but nothing ever came of it. It was only later revealed that the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been accepting bribes from the White Suits and was paid and threatened to look the other way.
The years after her younger brother's death were harsh on Tsunade, who had fallen into a deep state of depression and relied on alcohol to cope while hopelessly trying to figure out how she alone could stop an international crime ring. It was only when Jiraiya finally found her in the alleyway behind a tavern that kicked her out did she finally get the opportunity to pursue justice for her younger brother. Fueled by hood and vengeance, Tsunade had joined Jiraiya's 'crusade' in stopping the Akatsuki and Madara, who were all being funded and given resources from the White Suits.
However, even after Tsunade herself killed Nagato while the rest of their group of 'crusaders' had already defeated their highest ranking members, the White Suits continued to plague her life. After the Akatsuki were almost all wiped out, with the only surviving member, Konan, cutting off all communication with the White Suits after Nagato's death, Yamoori was out in charge of the gang, and his first order of business was to create a distraction to help buy Madara time to plan out the final steps in his plan to bring 'peace' into the world.
Having started his campaign of fear mongering early, since the moment his father first heard of Kushina being the conduit for the 'Nine-Tailed Fox' being reborn, Yamoori had his capos start spreading rumors amongst the ninjas of foreign villages. Painting the Uzumaki clan as 'demon-worshiping witches' who were planning on destroying the world to create a new 'God Tree', the White Suits finally incited a militia from all the hidden villages, except Konoha, to storm the Uzumaki compound while Kushina was bed-ridden with the sealed demon inside of her.
All but Kushina and Karin survived the massacre, and that was only because Kurama was unleashed just in time to protect his 'master' from being beheaded by a militia of fearful ninjas. The resources and manpower behind the 'Uzumaki annihilation' raid had cost the White Suits greatly, especially after the crusaders returned to the burnt-down compound to gather enough intel to hunt them down. Once they discovered the island location of the White Suit's main base within the Land of Fire, Minato and all his allies slaughtered everyone on the island base, including White Suit's Godfather.
Crippled financially and stripped from their political power in the aftermath of Madara and Nagato's second deaths, Yamoori sought vengeance against the crusaders for being responsible for causing so much damage to his deceased father's legacy. Unable to get the vengeance he wanted, due to his gang being compromised and too weak to go directly for the ones responsible for their downfall, Yamoori settled for what he could do.
The start of Yamoori's path of vengeance began with where it started, and that was with Tsunade. Knowing that there wasn't anything he could do directly to her, Yamoori had a hit on her boyfriend when she was only thirty-eight years old. Kato Dan, a young man who was ambitious enough to want to be the Hokage someday, was kidnapped after his entire time was wiped out by the White Suits. Given the same mal-treatment performed on her brother that was only three years earlier, Tsunade was once again spiraling deeper into another pit of depression that opened up the scars of her past.
As Tsunade described it to Sasuke, from the age of thirty-eight to forty, she couldn't remember what happened during that time gap of her life. For two years, she was going from bar-to-bar; spending her life savings on buying more alcohol, just so she could try and block out all the crippling sorrow and despair that made her just want to end it all every moment she was sober. It was only after her friends had an intervention with her once Jiraiya found her did her life start to change.
With Minato as the Hokage, and Fugaku as the Chief of the Military Police Force, the two of them pursued legal charges on Yamoori, after conducting the investigation that led him into facing a life-sentence. It was a trial that lasted over a decade, and within that decade Tsunade had become Konoha's Department Head of Medical-Nins, and oversaw the hospitals within the village— that was how she took Sakura under her wing, after Kakashi told her that his pink-haired student was ready for her to train.
Tsunade thought that she was finally able to move on with her life, and thought that the ghosts of the past had finally been put to rest. The cathartic peace that Tsunade thought she had all melted away the moment she heard the verdict of Yamoori's case being ruled out, after it was revealed that the only evidence of his crimes was obtained without a warrant.
After explaining what led her into repurposing the General Hospital's unused basement into her main headquarters, Tsunade explained to Sasuke that all of her 'agents' were either medical-nin in training, of ninjas who were the students of other instructors who taught at the academy who immediately supported her cause.
Tsunade admitted that her group, composed of young adults and instructors who followed her out of their sense of justice, weren't there to put Yamoori behind bars— they were there to figure out where the White Suit's secret base was, so that they could end their existence once and for all. Acknowledging that if either Minato or Fugaku ever found out about her shadowy operation that she would be sent to prison for what the law considered to be 'preemptive mass-murder', Tsunade asked Sasuke to keep their group a secret— telling him that not only would she take the fall, but so would everyone else involved, including Sakura and Kushina.
With all that she needed to explain to Sasuke, Tsunade told him that she was free to go, and told him that she trusted his judgment enough to know that he would make the right decision.
Her initial evaluation of Armin led Sakura to first believe that he had merely witnessed a traumatic experience that made him shell-shocked and distant after she woke him up when she finished her diagnosis. He had no physical wounds on his body, but Sakura quickly took note of how panicked he got when her hands were near his hips during her evaluation. Suspecting something tragic, Sakura gave Armin one of the weighted blankets that they had upstairs in the main hospital storage, before showing him to the break room, where he had access to a landline phone.
Being Tsunade's protege, Sakura was perceived as the most senior agent amongst their group of vigilantes, and thus she was given a heads up about Sasuke having been told of their group's purpose. Although she wanted to believe that Sasuke would be on their side, knowing the fact that he was the son of the Chief of Police made the kunoichi anxious.
Rushing up out of the basement and out the corridors of the hospital, Sakura was trying not to raise any suspicion as she jogged lightly out into the streets of Konoha, where she was able to see the back of Sasuke's head as he methodically walked down the sidewalk. Chasing after him without causing alarm, Sakura continually excused herself to every bystander in the crowds of pedestrians before finally catching up to him.
"S-Sasuke! Hey, wait up!" Sakura called out with a nervous smile on her face, and to her relief Sasuke had heard and recognized her voice from behind him almost immediately. Not wanting to talk in the middle of a busy sidewalk, Sakura motioned to the young man to duck out with her into the sanctity of a nearby coffee shop.
Wanting to be seen inconspicuous, once Sasuke was inside Sakura immediately asked the hostess to be seated at one of the booths. With the formal summer wear that Sasuke had on, save for the his holstered sword that was tucked into the black-scabbard on his hip, the hostess smiled at Sakura and asked if they were celebrating any sort of anniversary, to which both ninjas immediately interjected by clarifying that they were just friends.
Once they were seated and gave their order to their waiter, Sasuke gave Sakura a knowing glance— as if to convey to her that he already knew why she chased after him. "… You don't have to worry about me telling anyone about your 'friends', Haruno— just because I belong to the Uchiha clan, doesn't mean that I'm blind to how… Complicated the law can be," Sasuke said reassuringly, all while avoiding using any words that would tip off any possible spies or informants within their vicinity.
Appearing mildly relieved upon being assured by Sasuke that he wasn't going to relay what he learned about her organization to the police, Sakura let out an uneasy laugh while smiling back at him. "Oh, haha, I… I figured you weren't going to do that. I… I actually sort of want to double down on whatever Tsunade spoke to you about," Sakura admitted with a nervous look in her eyes, as Sakura arched a brow at her.
"… Whatever do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked, while already having an idea of what she wanted to speak to him about, but still on the fence about whether or not he was correct with his pre-notions.
Brushing her fingers through her short strands of chin-length pink hair, Sakura felt her heart fluttering in her chest as she felt extremely nervous about Sasuke's answer to the million-dollar question she had in mind for him. "Well… You're one of the most talented and strongest ninjas I know; that's sort of a Uchiha trademark, I guess… I mean, we're no slouches ourselves, but… My group of 'friends' are still small, and to have someone like you join us, well… I think that would really help out, you know?"
Appearing reluctant to answer at first, Sasuke opened his mouth momentarily before slowly closing it— his dark eyes scanning around the room at nowhere in particular, as he thought how best to phrase his answer. Pursing his lips before letting out a soft sigh, Sakura grinned uneasily at the worried expression on Sakura's face before shaking his head. "I'm afraid that'll jeopardize my future… I have faith in you and your 'friends', a-and don't get me wrong Sakura, I really do believe in what you're doing-"
"-Then why are you saying no? What purpose is upholding the law, if the law is what failed us?" Sakura immediately argued, while starting to get heated as Sasuke gave her a disapproving stare.
"… I'd advise that you keep your voice down, Haruno— loose lips, sink ships," Sasuke warned cautiously, which was enough to remind Sakura to speak carefully despite the emotion she had welling up inside of her heavy heart. "Besides, you're asking a lot out of someone who wants to be the Chief of Police one day— I'm already taking enough of a risk keeping your 'friends' a secret as is."
Keeping her voice down, Sakura leaned in over the table with her hands clamping down on the edge of the booth as she whispered to Sasuke, "Don't give me that bullshit excuse… That boy you saved was practically raped, Sasuke, and that girl you brought in…? Her name's Annie Leonhart, and she might not be able to have kids after whatever the hell happened to her cervix… There are good people putting themselves in danger, and the innocent are the ones who are suffering because of that monster… So don't you fuckin' dare tell me about your bullshit aspirations— you're guaranteed a successful future, Sasuke, and you goddamn know that…!"
After being scolded and judged harshly by Sakura, while being challenged once again after she reminded him of the condition of the two blond adults who he managed to save just a little too late for his comfort, Sasuke averted his gaze down at the table— an immense tidal wave of guilt washing over him. "… You're right, Haruno. I… I-I just… Tomorrow, I'll come back tomorrow and look more into what it means to be a part of your 'friends', okay? I just… Today's not a good day for that."
Satisfied in knowing that she was able to persuade Sasuke into stepping out of his comfort zone to take a leap of faith into Tsunade's organization, Sakura couldn't help but to feel concerned about why her friend seemed stressed about today. "… Why, what's important about today?" Sakura asked, while speaking to him in a far friendlier manner than how she sounded just moments ago.
Reaching into his inside pocket, Sasuke pulled out the iPod's white package before laying it down on the tabletop. "Unless there's anything else dire that gets in the way of my plans, I'm going to go to the Uzumaki residence to give this to Karin. She… She's really into music, and… And I think she's going to like this gift… Hopefully whatever happiness she gets out will help her to feel better about last night."
Unable to find what Sasuke had planned for Karin to be sweet, Sakura immediately smiled and stared proudly at her blushing friend while reaching over to take a gander at the iPod's package. "Nch…! Awww, Sasuke…! That's super sweet of you… Yeah, I think she'll appreciate the effort you probably went through getting this thing! I saw the line outside the store earlier, it must have been a real pain in the ass to get your hands on this, Sasuke!"
"It… It took a few hours, but it was nothing," Sasuke said with a soft smile on his face, as he took the package from Sakura once she was done reading it. Resting her elbow on the table and thanking the waiter as he served them their cups of coffee, Sakura continued to smile cutely at Sasuke as he tried taking a sip of his cappuccino, but found himself distracted by the look she was giving him. "… What's with the smile?"
"… You like her, don't you?" Sakura asked with an amorous voice— finding the idea of Sasuke being romantically involved with Karin to be absolutely adorable.
Blushing even harder while trying to maintain his composure, Sasuke focused his attention down into the white ceramic cup on his hands— staring down at the foamy art within the surface of the drink in his hand. "… Of course I like her, Haruno— I consider her and I to be really good friends."
Shaking her head while letting out a quiet chuckle, Sakura inhaled the aroma of her cup of coffee and cream, before raising it up to take a sip from it. "… Let's not beat around the bush here, Sasuke— you like her more than you're letting on, and she absolutely adores you," Sakura stated as she set her cup down on the table. "You don't have any reason to be nervous, Sasuke— Karin sees you as the only person she can relate to, she's told me about how much she actually loves you in private."
Too shocked to pretend to be disinterested in what Sakura had just revealed to him, Sasuke nearly dropped his cappuccino as he felt his heart fluttering inside of chest. "If that's true, why hasn't she told me anything yet?"
"She has Sasuke, it's just that she doesn't have the confidence to directly tell you that, and you don't know enough about social cues to pick up on all the hints she's been giving you throughout the years," Sakura said half-jokingly with a sweet smile on her face, as she reached her arm down to softly grab a hold of Sasuke's hand. "You'll be fine, trust me! Forget the iPod, Sasuke— you're what's going to make her happy, not some silly little overpriced gadget from Amegakure!"
Excited and anxious all at the same time, Sasuke continued to smile softly back at Sakura's reassuring grin. Letting out a content and slightly shaky sigh, Sasuke closed his eyes as Sakura gave him one last squeeze before letting go of his hand. Not wanting to let their coffee go to waste, the two friends proceeded to continue their chat.
Letting slip about how having taken the envelope that had fallen out of the failed marriage proposal, Sakura told Sasuke that she was planning on using that as an excuse for Naruto to come to her house later that night. Reassuring him that she wasn't playing favorites, Sakura told Sasuke how she was planning on telling her fiancé about how she wanted him to join Tsunade's group as well.
Elsewhere, Eren Yeager was standing wide-eyed with a look of rage in his turquoise eyes. Having punched a hole into the wall with his free hand, Eren felt his heart beating face and his teeth grinding against one another as he listened to Armin sobbing to him about what had happened to him. With the only thing keeping Eren at bay being that Armin's rapist had been killed and that his best friend was receiving medical care, the young man allowed for his best friend to vent to him before telling him that he was on his way to pick him.