Everything moved in slow motion. Gaara and ripped himself out of his seat as he saw Tōjūrō's hand raise. In a flash he was sliding across the table, his sand reaching to rip Tōjūrō away from Sakura. He wasn't going to make it in time.

There was a blur of orange and blue replacing Sakura's spot. Fox slit eyes burned into Tōjūrō who was now frozen in fear of who he had just made contact with.

Naruto. A very angry Naruto. Blonde haired stood in spikes an aura soaked the room.

Kurama. Sakura flinched as Jogi Hiko's presence invaded her brain.

Naruto stood with a hand lifted to block the smack. Making Tōjūrō's smack into a weak high-five of sorts. "What kind of high-five was that? I'll show you a high-five! Believe it!" And Naruto did just that. He pulled his arm back and fired the "high-five" straight into Tōjūrō's jaw. With a sucking sound, Tōjūrō whimpered sending his chair spinning.

"No one likes it when you say that doofus." An untouched Sakura stood right behind him arms crossed. "I could've handled it." She mumbled under her breath.

"Looks like I've saved another damsel in distress!" Naruto pumped his fists in the air beaming.

The counsel looked shocked. Watching this whole event play out. There was not only two women in the council room, but also two leaf ninja.

Tōjūrō stood gripping his jaw after finding his barrings, "Thus isa aer outraga! Are yoa going tor standsa fora thus, Gasta?!"

Gaara walked past Tōjūrō as if he didn't exist and clasped Naruto on the back snickering to himself as utter rage showed all over his face.

"Naruto! When did you get in?!"

"Who are you calling DAMSEL?!" Sakura fist came down hard of Naruto's head. Making Gaara wince in pain for the bright blonde. Naruto squinted in pain and rubbed his head.

"KAZEKAUGEA! Remova thus leafa ninja! Look whatas they done!"

Sakura and Naruto stopped there fussing over each other to glare at Tōjūrō. Sakura tapped her foot in annoyance.

"Remove them? Why? Because they have undoubtedly called out your lies and exposed them? You did not come to me with the idea of marriage nor did you come to Hakuto as the looks of it." His voice was sharp. "Sakura, do you have the alleged documents?"

His pink flower nodded her head and untucked a document from her pouch she had attached to her thigh. Bringing it forth. Gaara's eyes skimmed over the document handing it to Hakuto after he had read enough.

Hakuto's eyes glinted erratically over the document. Becoming quicker and quicker with frustration.

Tōjūrō had begun to sweat. "Hakuto. Thus isa aull a misunderstanding."

"I've been here for less than 5 minutes and I'm not misunderstanding any of this." Naruto pipped in. He turned to Sakura and asked "Are you misunderstanding any of this?"

"You we're selling me."

"Whatsa? No." Tōjūrō gripped at the edge of the table.

"You made an agreement to sell me as a bride to the Kazekage..."

"That's justa technnicala language."

Hakuto turned to Gaara. "I would like to testify against Tōjūrō. I have a list of treason he is committing."

Tōjūrō's mouth gapped open.

Gaara walked back to his desk at the front of the twelve council members, Hakuto, and the leaf ninja. "This meeting is going to take a little longer than normal."

Sakura sat with Naruto in a small ramen shop in the middle of Suna. She was so happy to see him. He was a light in this confusion. A resemblance of home. Of her family. She smiled softly. She had bet him he couldn't finish 3 bowls of ramen, if she lost she'd pay. He had slurped down two bowls and was headed for a third. Sakura was lucky for the past week she had been getting paid for her work at the hospital.

"What happened to waiting a month?" Sakura was wondering how he could fit all that ramen in his mouth and not choke.

"Well you know me!" Naruto hummed as he ate. Obviously preoccupied with the delicious meal. Or meals she should say.

"Nightmares?"

Naruto stopped mid slurp. Straightened his back he set his ramen down. The bubbly teen she had known was now a grown man that had gained 10 years in just a moment. "Sakura. You know how they are. I just. I couldn't." He paused for a moment. Taking a deep breath. "I kept seeing you die. Over and over. Every night. Hinata tried to calm me down, but I kept screaming your name in my sleep. Trust me, that does not look good in a relationship."

Sakura chuckled. If anyone would understand it would be Hinata. She had her own team and had witness so much. Her dreams couldn't be much better.

Naruto's serious eyes watched her for a moment. Then turned back into the careless boy she knew and loved dearly. Humming he returned back to his ramen munching away. After finishing in an impressive time he patted his stomach aggressively.

"Pay up!" He smiled so big that he lit up the room.

"Are you sure it's all gone?" Sakura knew she would lose this bet as soon as she made it. It wasn't to win the bet, it was to make him smile like that.

Sakura set the money on the counter for the store owner for their meals and one to go for Gaara. The meeting had not ended and the sun had set in the distance over the desert. They both started off towards the kazekage tower.

Kurama. Sakura gripped her forehead for a moment and almost let go of Gaara's take out.

"Sakura are you okay-" Naruto touched her arm gingerly and flew back away from her immediately in a defensive stance. Fangs and claws unnaturally protruding in attack mode. A light flashed above them.

"Naruto?"

"Who are you?" Naruto hissed. "What have you done with Sakura? Tell me or I will kill you."