A/N: Sakura hears news that changes the fate of the impending invasion... but for better or worse?


The shadows crept long across the marble floors as Shien stood, breathless and worried, in front of the king's chambers.

The guard had gone in already to announce her presence, the remaining one giving her a sympathetic look as she stood, trembling slightly.

"Don't worry yourself into the medical bay," the guard's soft voice startled her a little as she stared at the woman. Kind violet eyes smiled back at her, wrinkles creasing at the corners. "The king and queen do not normally call servants into their chambers to punish them. You must be getting great news."

"I don't know whatever for, if that's it," Shien laughed nervously, twisting a stray lock of hair around her finger.

The other guard stepped back out, beckoning her in. "Do not keep his highness waiting," he ordered.

She nodded and meekly followed him in, her heart pounding in her ears. Despite the guard's kind, consoling words, she couldn't help but envision the king demanding she be thrown out, some evidence of her double-crossing in his hands.

As soon as she reached the king's bedroom, she hesitated, but knocked softly.

"Bring her in," the king ordered from further inside.

The guard opened the door and gestured, sending her a wink and a mouthed 'good luck'.

She nodded, smiling shakily at him before strolling inside, trying her best to quell her fears and put on a confident front.

The king and queen were sitting on a sofa, and they looked up upon seeing her.

"Ah, Miss Hayashi. Welcome." The king greeted.

"We have been awaiting your arrival," the queen added with a sweet smile. "You are not punished, I assure you."

"Yes. Rather, we must congratulate you." Fugaku looked her up and down, seemingly searching her for something, before nodding. "You have pleased both of us with your work here."

"We have heard from Sasuke his feelings about you residing here, and we have decided to honor them and betroth you." The queen finished, clapping her hands together.

Time paused for a second as Shien sucked in a breath. Her brain went blank. All of her earlier trepidation flew out the window and was replaced with a blank, toneless What . All she could stammer was, "W- what ?"

"As you know, Sasuke is to take the throne on his nineteenth birthday this month." The king began explaining. "As is tradition, one that we can't budge on, he cannot ascend the throne without a wife. Seeing as he has shown no interest in other suitors and only seems to have eyes for you, we have discussed this at length. Thus, we have given our blessing to marry you. We have found you worthy to become his bride."

"You will be married three days before the coronation, on the twentieth." The queen said, standing up and gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "Dear, you look like you're going to faint. Do you need a chair?"

Shien faintly shook her head. "N- no, your highness, I will be fine. I'm just... processing."

"Do not fret, I felt like I was going to pass out when I learned of my betrothal," Mikoto giggled, guiding her to a sofa opposite theirs. "We must inform you, however, that as Riot has been silent following the... unfortunate destruction of Morino-"

When Shien's head snapped up and her eyes went wide in horror, she nodded and continued, "we must make certain that this goes on as planned. Thus, we will need to keep the wedding secret until the date."

Her eyes turned sharp as she beheld the shaky girl. "Understood? This must remain a secret for your own safety."

"Y- yes, of course," Shien nodded. "I will not tell a soul."

"Excellent." The king piped up, handing her a list. "This will be your schedule for next week. We must hurry to get everything ready, so you will have to do several things at once. Are you well enough?"

"Yes, your highness, I am." She nodded once more, gently taking the list and staring at it. The words hardly registered in her rapid thoughts.

"If you have no other questions," Mikoto encouraged.

"W- well, yes, just one." Shien gingerly folded the list and put it in a pocket. "Uh, are you certain that the date must be the twentieth?"

"We could move it up to the twenty-second, but it's a rather harsh time crunch," Mikoto explained. "If you wish, however, we will. That gives us more time to prepare for the ceremonial engagement duel between the two of you."

"Engagement duel?" She questioned.

"It's something every Uchiha prince - and on occasion, princess - has done since time immemorial," the king explained. "Both of you will put your best feet forward to impress the elders. It matters not who wins or loses - the most important part is that you show your skills."

"The more skilled, the better," Mikoto chimed in with a wink. "In fact, I was the first fiancee to defeat a prince in a hundred years. I'm certain you can at least keep my silly son on his toes."

"That… that is a lot to think of," she breathed. "I didn't know I would have to fight him."

"Not fight, dear. Duel." She soothed, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Moving the wedding date will give you more time to prepare. Is that truly what you want?"

"Please do," Shien implored. "Thank you for your time, my king, my queen. I must return to my chambers. I have... quite a bit to think of."

"Of course." The king seemed quite sympathetic. "Please, rest. You will need your energy."

"Thank you for meeting with us, Shien," Mikoto gave her another kind smile as she helped the girl up, leading her to the door. "I am certain that you will be very happy together. I know Sasuke will be most pleased."

"This is quite a bit to think about," Shien admitted with a shuddery sigh. "But I can't deny that I'm... happy."

"That's wonderful, dear girl. I'll be with you later to discuss the finer points of the engagement duel. For now, I bid you goodnight." Mikoto gave her a polite goodbye as she exited the chambers.

As soon as Sakura was out of sight of the king and queen's bedroom, she sagged against the wall, letting out a heaving breath.

Her eyes burned as she muffled a sob in her arm. Her mind was racing painfully, and all she could think of clearly was: "I need to warn Tsunade."


A letter was quickly penned and sent out after seeking out a shadowy, crimson-eyed man skulking about the palace grounds, and just after midnight he managed to reach Tsunade's camp with only a few words of warning before he disappeared in a flurry of crows.

Tsunade took the letter, rubbed her eyes wearily, and squinted at the page. When she read through Sakura's panicked scrawls, her eyes widened and she let out a swear that would've made Hidan shiver in delight.

"Hinoki!" She barked into the tent, and when the brunette shuffled out, she ordered, "Assemble my most trusted soldiers. The mission is in danger."

She took one look at the letter and nodded, thanking Itachi before disappearing.

He left soon after, and once everyone was assembled in Tsunade's tent did she speak.

"Change of plans," she opened, holding up the wrinkled letter. "The Uchihas have decided to marry Sakura to the prince on the twenty-second. We must invade no later than at dawn on the twenty-second, so that we can end this."

"Sakura's getting married?" Ino's eyes bugged. "To Sasuke?"

"That's what the letter says," Tsunade confirmed with a frown. "Shikamaru, Temari, you both need to attend to the court in order to find any weak spots in their defense. No doubt they will double or even triple security this week. Unfortunately, while you're there you must let your friends know they cannot join us at this time."

"Of course, ma'am." Temari nodded, and Shikamaru gave a two-finger salute.

Ino frowned, worrying her bottom lip in her teeth. "What of Morino?"

Tsunade hesitated. After a second, she frowned, slowly shaking her head. "We have not heard word yet from the village, though Jiraiya left after midnight last night in order to evacuate everyone. Once everyone is accounted for at Hokukawa, he'll give us word about the survivors."

"What of the Akatsuki?" One of the soldiers asked next. "Haven't some of their numbers been captured?"

"Yes, but we're in the process of helping them escape." Tsunade nodded. "Itachi and Sasori have already made a great amount of progress in detailing weak spots in their dungeons. We're expecting their official return from the capital any day now."

"But we don't have enough time left," another disagreed. "They need to do it now!"

"To the royal family, Uchiha Itachi has been all but dead for seven years. If they attempt a rescue now, there's no doubt he'd be discovered with the tightened security," Rin argued with a steely look. "You'll do well to remember that he's no fool. He will lead a rescue attempt when he feels the time is right."

"On that note, we, too, must prepare ourselves." Tsunade rested her hands on her hips. "Hinoki, I need you to relay to Hatake that we need reports every morning and evening from the capital."

"Hai." She nodded and left the tent.

"The rest of you? Keep alert for my orders." She frowned. "These are hasty days, I know, but we must remain calm and collected. Keep your wits about you, and you won't be caught off-kilter by any surprises."

"Hai!" The group chorused.