Ch: 11 Failure to Launch


"But—we passed," Sakura pleaded. "I kept my bell, Sasuke kept his, and we beat Naruto!"

"My answer is final," the Princess barked.

This was just a bad dream. It had to be. On paper, they'd passed with flying colors—she kept her bell and that satisfied the conditions to lead a team.

Or so she thought. It didn't feel real to have her leadership rescinded by none other than her own mentor. Worse, she already told Itachi that they would meet tomorrow.

"I know you were looking forward to being a team lead on this one," the Princess said, a little more softly. "But Sakura, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed."

In what? She'd executed what was expected of her—perfectly!

"I agree with Kakashi. Teamwork is important, and Team 7's is missing. He said you and Sasuke could have killed each other if he didn't intervene."

They weren't being allowed on the mission because of that?

"Sasuke has been unprofessional ever since he returned. I simply asked him to stop teasing me, and yet he continued."

It stretched the truth a little, but...

"Seriously, Sakura?!"

She flinched.

"Honestly—this isn't like you. You should know better than to abuse the skills I taught you by using them on a comrade. You're a grown woman for goodness sake!"

"It was a lapse in judgement," Sakura admitted quietly. The Uchiha brat was a conceited cockroach—she meant every word yesterday, and she was still angry, but right now she couldn't let it interfere with her mission. It was time to step up the acting.

"And that lapse in judgement could cost your lives in the battlefield," the Princess said. "I'll send Neji's team instead. You and Sasuke are benched."

Shit, she inwardly cursed.

A few moments passed, and the Princess waited for her to leave, but she didn't.

She couldn't.

She'd waited for so long already.

Just think. There had to be another way.

"What about Naruto?" she asked.

Technically, Itachi's plan didn't require Sakura to be there when the Jinchuuriki was captured. If the Princess allowed him to tag along with a different team, then she could still send Akatsuki their way...

The Princess gave her a hard look, like she said something wrong. "We're talking about teamwork aren't we? All three of you are staying in the village," she said flatly.

Then plan B was out the window.

Shit.

She had to think of something else—she couldn't just send Itachi a note that said "nevermind".

Why oh why did she have to lose her cool around the Uchiha brat yesterday? He was the entire reason why she was in this mess now.

"Is Jiraiya still scheduled to leave in two days?"

"Yes, he is. What of it?"

She still had time.

She could turn this around.

Sakura bit her lip and racked her brain for something. Anything.

"What if I apologize before then," she blurted.

The Princess snorted.

"That would be great, and I think you should anyway. But it goes deeper than that—on top of him being unpredictable at best, the issues between you two are clearly deep-seated," she said.

"But if we can find a way to cooperate before someone has to leave for Iwa, will you allow Team 7 to go as planned?"

The Princess sighed. "It's not like you to be so combative, Sakura."

"Please."

She was met with pensive golden brown eyes. On any other day, Sakura would be smart enough to back off.

But this was too important. She couldn't let it go.

Please, she thought for the fifth time as she held her breath, waiting for the Princess to respond.

Ten seconds felt like an eternity.

"Fine. On one condition."

"Yes shishou, what is it?"

"You only have until sunset today. I have to give Neji's team a bit of warning if they're to leave tomorrow."

Deal.

Now she only had to figure out her next step…

"Whether you succeed or fail, report back here at the end of the day. Six o'clock at the latest."

Done. She could do it. How hard could it be?

"Sakura—may I give you a word of advice?"

She looked up at the Princess, who now looked more amused than before.

"Men are like boys. They only tease you when they like you."


It would've been dumb luck if she found the Uchiha brat on her first try.

The government-provided building looked crowded though it had few tenants, and it stood older than its real age because of its poor construction and dingy paint. Sakura peered into the dusty window of the unit, careful not to press her hands against the glass in case it would leave an uncomfortable residue on her hands.

She saw no signs of life coming from inside.

"Sakura? What are you doing out here?"

A shirtless Jinchuriki poked his head from inside his apartment. She'd almost forgotten that they were neighbors.

"I'm looking for Sasuke. Have you seen him?"

"I saw him this morning but…" the blonde had to pause as he jogged his own memory. "Oh—he went that way," he said, gesturing with an odd-looking mop.

That way was literally the most generic and unhelpful answer, especially since it happened to be the direction she just came from.

"Can you be a little more descriptive please?" She felt an urge to call the blonde useless, but decided she had to be a little nicer to both her teammates if she was going to convince anybody.

"Right, sorry. He uhm…" Always unable to contain his boundless energy, he swung around the stick in his hand, forcing Sakura to duck her head in an ungraceful manner. "He had some business at the Hyuga mansion, I think."

"Will you quit it? What is that," Sakura demanded, glaring at the stick.

"Oh—this. Do you like it? I made it," he beamed, holding it up as if to show off his craftsmanship. "It's going to help me clean the apartment. All the little nooks and crannies."

Sakura struggled to find a compliment. "Sure, it's very... nice," she said. More like, random as hell. "Anyways. Hokage has a mission for us. Meet me in her office before six tonight."

That seemed to settle him down.

"I'll be there."

"Perfect. Anyways, I have to go. See you."

"Wait—Sakura, did you want to grab—"

She dashed off in the direction of the Hyuga's, ignoring his calls after her.


She was entering the quieter part of Konoha now, where the wealthy had the luxury to isolate themselves from the village's everyday chaos.

A few minutes later, the Hyuga's mansion emerged in view. She almost forgot how magnificent the property was—shocked, even, especially as it was so drastically opposite from the apartments she just came from. It was generously ornamented with neat yet luscious green foliage for miles around. And though the property was old, it was kept in pristine condition, with its exterior walls a bright white, looking almost as if they were lacquered.

Sakura found herself at the top of the steps directly before the grand entrance, and gently pulled on the suspended purple ribbon, which sent the bell ringing through the air.

It wasn't long before she heard the click of a latch as a green-haired kunoichi opened the heavy doors. Sakura recognized her immediately—one of the well-known caretakers of the main branch family.

"Sakura-san, good afternoon," she said with a kind and relaxed smile. "It has been a while since you've last visited us. Would you like to come in?"

Sakura bowed. "Good afternoon, Natsu. Sorry for the intrusion—I won't be staying long."

"Are you looking for Hinata? I can ask her to come if you're in a hurry," Natsu offered.

She was always so nice.

Sakura shook her head. "Actually, I'm looking for Sasuke—I heard he was visiting?"

"May I ask what business you have with Uchiha-san? I'm afraid he is quite busy."

Huh?

The Uchiha brat was her teammate. Of course she had business with him. Lots of business.

"If you are not looking for Hinata, I will have to bid you farewell, Sakura."

Something was different with Natsu now. While her features appeared to stay the same, Sakura knew that the caretaker was only mimicking a friendly expression. All her facial muscles were doing the work but there was no warmth, and it had to do with the fact that she asked about the Uchiha brat. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Natsu was being a bit… protective.

"Well as you know, Sasuke is my close teammate and dear friend. We routinely have matters involving the Hokage," Sakura said as she returned a hard smile.

The woman eyed her up and down, not at all subtly. "I see."

Why did it feel like she was having a silent war with Natsu over the Uchiha brat?

"It's about his standing in the village," Sakura semi-lied. "He is expected to take action promptly." A little urgency couldn't help, since the woman was apparently so concerned with the brat.

"He is with Hanabi exploring the town," Natsu said curtly.

Bingo.

"Thank you," Sakura said as she bowed again.

Natsu closed the door without a second glance, before Sakura could even lift her head.

Rude. And irritating.

On second thought, this whole thing was irritating. Since when did the Uchiha brat have such an active life in the village? Didn't he spend most of the time brooding by himself? It was much more difficult to find him than she anticipated.

But none of that mattered now—Sakura could see signs that the sun was preparing its descent, threatening six o'clock.

That man had better be downtown.


Okay. Now she was hungry and pissed.

She decided to give her tired feet a break, settling to patron a small desserts place downtown just a little ways from the Hokage's main office. She ordered her favorite syrup-coated anko dumplings with a fresh cup of steaming tea.

She'd lost count of how many times she ran up and down the crowded streets by now.

Where the hell could he possibly be?

The snack didn't help to calm her nerves—she still had yet to hear a peep about his whereabouts, let alone get him to vouch for her to lead the mission.

"They looked lovely together," she overheard an old woman say.

"But isn't she supposed to be younger than him by a few years at least?"

Ugh.

It was just her luck to be seated by old, loud gossiping women. They probably had nothing better to do than get into everybody's business—something that Sakura had little patience for. She couldn't think.

"She was chosen to be the heir by her family despite being the younger one. She is mature beyond her years," she said. "Besides, a five-year gap between two adults is hardly anything."

Sakura shoved the rest of her dumplings into her mouth and slammed a few bills on the table. Grannies could be so clueless about their surroundings sometimes.

Just outside, two giggling teenagers walked past.

"Did you see him earlier? She's so lucky to be seen walking beside someone so handsome."

"But she's beautiful too," the other girl sighed. "I wish I could look like that."

Seriously? Had Sakura missed a memo?

Everyone seemed to be talking about some feudal couple in Konoha today. Clearly, she missed the part where someone explained why she should give a shit. Sakura was just about to walk by the girls when—

"Or is it just a publicity stunt because he's the last of his clan?"

Nevermind—not some feudal couple.

It was the Uchiha brat. But why was he being talked about so much?

"Hey," Sakura called out to the two girls. "By any chance, are you talking about the Uchiha clan?"

The girls looked at each other and hesitated, probably embarrassed to have been caught.

Sakura skipped the pleasantries. "Where did he go?"

The first girl pointed in the direction of the training fields. "Around twenty minutes ago, he was walking that way," she said.

Sakura took off running.


She was so mad that she had to dig her nails into the pads of her thumbs to keep from screaming.

Sakura spotted Hanabi first. It was hard not to see her in that bright gown, sitting upright, mermaid-style, with perfect posture. It looked like she'd even taken an extra effort to be fancy; her long brown hair was braided and twisted to one side over her shoulder, and her cheeks were pink with a heavy coat of blush.

And there he was, casually sitting right next to Hanabi. Dressed in formal Uchiha attire—obviously fresh-pressed—sipping his tea under the shaded tree. On the fucking picnic blanket.

Meanwhile, Sakura was sweaty, tired, and running out of time.

"Sasuke, we need to talk."

She had one, maybe one and a half hours left before the Princess gave away her precious mission to Neji. The stakes were at an all-time high, yet her teammate was doing who knew what playing dress-up.

It was almost funny, really.

"Sakura-san," Hanabi said in greeting. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Sakura-san? Hanabi sure had nerve—she was their junior. And why was she acting so formal like she had a stick up her ass?

Shoving all of her pride and dignity aside, Sakura turned to the Uchiha brat and repeated herself. "Can I please get a word in private?"

"I believe you were asked a question," he said.

Fuck you Sasuke, is what she wanted to say. But Sakura bit her tongue, and he probably knew she was too. In fact, he also probably knew that she knew he knew she was biting her tongue, and the bastard was probably loving every minute of it.

"We have business involving Hokage-sama's orders," she lied for the second time that day.

"I'm sure Hokage-sama is capable of summoning me herself."

Sakura felt her cheeks get hot as she stood there awkwardly. Right. He had an ego the size of the moon.

They had an audience now, and he was trying to make her lose her cool and look stupid.

She had her ways too.

"It's about Itachi."

The Uchiha brat cursed and abruptly got up from where he was sitting, sending an apologetic look to Hanabi as he grabbed Sakura's wrist.

"Ow! Sasuke, let go of me," Sakura said.

He ignored her until he managed to drag her behind a far tree where they couldn't be overheard.

"Don't say his name."

The tension in his body told her that he was still angry at her for yesterday.

Well so was she.

"What are you doing?" Sakura hissed. "Why are you dressed like a hina doll? You look ridiculous."

"None of your business," he hit back. "What are you doing here? I'm busy."

How exactly was she supposed to do this?

Dare she say, she had to apologize.

"I came here to say sorry," Sakura started. She refrained from rolling her eyes because then he would know that she was being forced to do it.

He looked unmoved. "Apologize?"

"Let's call a truce," Sakura said, trying not to sound as sarcastic as she felt. "I shouldn't have said those things yesterday." Even though you deserved it, she added in her own head. The words just felt so unnatural coming from her mouth—it was like pulling teeth.

He didn't say anything for the first few moments. Instead, it was like he was studying her.

She stared back, refusing to cave.

...

"Tell me why you're really here."

"Sasuke, I'm serious. I'm sorry." She put her all into mimicking the most genuine expression on her face that she could handle. And the faster she could get this over with, the better—Akatsuki really didn't have time to be subjected to the arrogant shithead's pouty attitude.

He scoffed. "I can't believe that works on Naruto. Whatever it is you want, I'm not interested. Now get out of here before I do something we'll both regret," he said as he began to turn away.

For fuck's sake.

It was her hand that shot out to grab his wrist this time.

"Listen to me. You're working to repair your standing in the village right now aren't you?. Team 7 is a part of that."

"That's rich," he said with a haughty laugh. "Yesterday you made it very clear that it has nothing to do with you. So just fuck off, Sakura."

Don't respond to that, she thought at first. But Sakura already felt her blood begin to boil. The little Uchiha brat thought so damn highly of himself, telling her to leave when she came here to apologize.

"Oh yeah? Or you'll do what—kill me? Like you tried with Itachi? Because last time I checked you weren't very good at—"

Her back hit the tree faster than she could finish the sentence.

Next thing she knew, Sakura felt herself being pressed against the wood with her feet suspended in the air. She was being pinned at the neck, her assailant's forearm pressing heavily against her throat with the entire force of his leaning upper body.

By the time she tried to collect chakra in her hands, all she could feel was her body beginning to go limp.

She couldn't breathe.

"You don't know how fucking easy it would be to kill you right now," he snarled.

"S-sasuke—"

She forced a hoarse cry. Her throat felt like it was about to be crushed. Her back ached and throbbed at the site of the impact, but more importantly, she was losing oxygen so fast that her vision was cutting out.

He brought his face so close to hers that his bangs brushed against her cheek. With a low, almost deadly voice, he continued at barely a whisper. "Don't take my leniency for weakness."

This time there was no one who could see them—no one to come rescue her.

She needed her partner.

Itachi.

He was her comfort. If he had to be the last thing she ever thought about, so be it.

His little brother was always just the little Uchiha brat, and she always enjoyed calling him that humiliating nickname in her head. But now as she held on for dear life, at the mercy of just one of his arms, she'd been forced to realize the hard truth—it was the second day in a row that he'd prominently displayed their large gap in power.

She wouldn't call him that anymore. He was dangerous—and he could put his money where his mouth was.

"Final warning—don't disrespect me anymore."

Just when she felt the last bit of consciousness leaving her body, the grip on her was released, and instant relief swept through her being. Sasuke backed off, allowing her to collapse forward on her hands and knees. She gasped as she rapidly forced air back into her deprived lungs, almost choking on her spit in the process.

That was close. She was certain that if he wanted her dead, she would be.

He turned to leave.

"Sasuke wait—"

She had to get him on her side quickly, but it was now crystal clear that force wasn't going to work.

She'd have to do something crazy to get his attention.

Men are like boys. They only tease you when they like you.

She had one idea.

And it was definitely the surprise of the century when Hidan kissed her. Something like that would technically be the last thing Sasuke expected, wouldn't it?

Ha.

She settled for the next best thing.

"Sasuke—I know where Akatsuki is."

He stopped in his tracks, his back still turned.

For a moment, the world stilled.

"I thought I told you not to fuck with me."

Sakura stood cautiously, purposefully putting distance between the two of them just in case Sasuke had a change of heart and decided to kill her instead.

At least it seemed like she had his attention now—that was a start. She'd have to spin this as best as she could.

"Hokage-sama wanted to keep it secret. Team 7 was supposed to visit Iwa, but only because Akatsuki is rumored to be headquartered there. She's hiding it from you because she doesn't want to influence your behavior," she said.

"What's the catch?"

"It's us—you and me. We have to agree to cooperate with each other. That's why I came to apologize."

That wasn't half bad for something made up on-the-fly. Of course, bits and pieces of truth were woven in so that it sounded natural.

"No… I mean, why are you suddenly so interested in rebuilding Team 7? Just for the sake of a mission? What's your angle? Since when did you give two fucks about Akatsukui?"

Her breath hitched. She hoped he didn't notice.

"For Konoha. The village needs us."

She hadn't thought this far ahead.

"No," he said with even more suspicion now, as he stepped closer with his eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you want it to be you? I'm sure any other team could get the job done."

He'd poke holes in her lie if she wasn't careful. This wasn't like fooling the Jinchuriki—Sasuke naturally had his guard up and it was clear that he didn't trust people easily, especially if he sensed the possibility of an ulterior motive.

Did he sense an ulterior motive, though?

Her heart started to beat a little faster. She tried to control her pulse.

"I was offered to lead. That's not a chance anybody would pass up," she said. "It's win-win; you investigate Akatsuki, I get prestige. You just have to tell Hokage-sama that we've made peace."

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't intimidated. He looked so intense, all the darkness of his desire for revenge and hatred for her own partner swirling behind her reflection in his eyes.

He was tempted. She could see it.

She refrained from speaking, to not interrupt the fury of thoughts likely running in the back of his mind as he came to the decision.

He was leaning towards yes.

Just a little longer and he'd speak the words that would solidify Akatsuki's success. She just had to be patient.

"Sasuke-kun?!"

A high-pitched voice barged into their private discussion.

Sasuke's focus was pulled from Sakura and it seemed like he found his grounding again, all the intensity in his eyes fading away.

"It's nothing, Hanabi. I'm coming," he said.

Sakura had almost forgotten that the girl was kept waiting.

Fuck.

The moment was ruined. Sakura wasn't so sure that Sasuke would agree to it anymore.

It didn't slip past her notice that of course, with Hanabi, he was his most well-mannered and stoic self, the way that she would've preferred instead of the pestering version she'd been unfortunate enough to experience for weeks.

"Sakura-san, I'm sorry to be frank with you, but you're disturbing a private outing," Hanabi huffed.

Those words triggered a nerve.

"The adults are talking right now," Sakura replied disdainfully. "Go away, little girl."

And she should quit that stupid formal act in front of Sasuke while she was at it.

Hanabi's pale eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe Sakura had just given her the insult of her life. Served her right. What were they doing out here anyway? It was cold as hell and they were picnicking.

"Don't be such a killjoy," Hanabi said. "I wouldn't want to tell my big sis that I had to slap some manners into you, Sakura."

"Oh there you are Hanabi," Sakura said with falseness. "I was beginning to think we lost you under all that makeup."

"Sakura," Sasuke commanded in a warning tone.

Ugh—fine. She shouldn't push her luck. At this rate, she'd be considered lucky if Sasuke agreed to her truce.

He allowed Hanabi to lead him away quietly, as Sakura watched incredulously at their backs. It was weird, to say the least. She never thought Sasuke would be the type to date.

"Sasuke, just meet me in Hokage's office in an hour, okay?"

"I'll think about it," he called over his shoulder casually. "If I'm not busy."

Sakura fumed.


In the distance

There was someone with him, in his house.

The problem was that he lived alone.

He lay in his bed, under the covers, cold, black fear keeping him from making a sound that would bring the unwelcome presence closer, faster. He felt his clothes begin to stick to his body from perspiration, as if they were melting onto him.

The quiet was like the calm before a storm.

"Sometimes, dead is better."

He gasped.

A hand shot out and clamped over his mouth and nose. He thrashed and thrashed as he screamed inside his mouth, but a second pair of hands weighed his body down until his arms were forced by his sides.

"Don't worry—we're being paid a hefty sum to keep you alive."


"What is this for?" said Sakura, frowning as she examined the scroll in her hands.

It was some sort of dark medical scroll.

"Your protection. Not to be used unless it's a life or death situation. And you must keep that to yourself at all costs," warned the Princess.

"Protection from what?"

They were alone in Hokage's office. It was 5:50 in the evening. Sakura had no idea if Sasuke was going to show up, but she told the Princess that he would. The more momentum they could get towards this mission, the better.

"Sakura, I know you don't want to hear this. But I can't take the chance," she said with her fingers melodramatically laced in front of her face. "When Sasuke first came back, ANBU discovered that he had an injury. He doesn't know this, but I had them bind his body to that scroll as insurance," she said as she motioned to the object in Sakura's hands.

Insurance?

She didn't notice anything when she healed him a few weeks ago, the night of their reunion. And she had checked him thoroughly. What gives?

"There are some things I haven't taught you yet, and for good reason. If he turns on you and Naruto during the mission, or if he defects, use that scroll. You know how those things work. He will never be able to use ninjutsu again."

If she activated it, the area in his flank would activate a surge of foreign chakra. The surge would overflow his system, and while these things were a bit unpredictable, it wouldn't be pretty.

How unfortunate.

The Uchiha was seen as dispensable, whereas she, the real traitor, was not.

This was the harsh reality of shinobi.

Again, it was all the reason for Akatsuki to succeed, as Leader would say.

"I understand how this might look. Don't get me wrong—I want to believe in Team 7. But I'll be damned if the council turns out to be right and I allowed something to happen to you or Naruto because of my own naivety. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't abuse that power."

Wrong.

She'd be using it tonight. Itachi, Kisame, and Hidan had an entire day to travel thanks to her heads-up. They were close. A quick one-two punch and Sasuke would be dead. It was perfect.

"Thank you for looking out for me, shishou," Sakura said as she bowed.

She looked at the clock. 5:58.

Two more minutes.

Just then, she sensed a male presence.

Sasuke.

The door burst open.

"Baa-chan, you've been calling me into your office a lot lately. Is this your way of trying to spend time with me?"

"Shut up! Naruto, be professional," barked the exasperated Princess.

It wasn't Sasuke.

Sakura was getting nervous.

What if he didn't show?

"Anosa, anosa! Since Sasuke's back, I hope it's an A-ranked mission at least?"

"Idiot, tell me why you think I summoned you three?" The Hokage said with her fist in the air. "Where is Sasuke?!"

Shit.

"He's coming," Sakura assured.

She bit her lip and looked at the clock. 5:59.

Sasuke had thirty seconds. He'd better come.

"He's usually early," the Jinchuriki said.

"You two did come to an agreement, I presume?" the Princess asked suspiciously, almost as if she saw right through her apprentice. "You wouldn't have lied to me, right Sakura?"

Shit. Fuck. Shit.

The Jinchuriki looked curiously between the two women. "Agreement? What's baa-chan talking about?"

Fifteen more seconds.

"Oi, Sakura? Are you okay? Baa-chan, why's Sakura looking so pale?!"

Sasuke was always early. That meant he wasn't coming. Akatsuki lost its chance.

"Dobe, be quiet."

A figure walked in, and took a stand on Sakura's other side.

She looked at the clock. It read six o'clock on the dot. Holy fuck that was close.

Sasuke caught her glance and smirked.

And that's when Sakura truly realized what a conniving little shit he was—he knew she was eager for him to show up, and that's why he decided to drag it out as much as possible, arriving at the last second to make her feel antsy.

The Princess cleared her throat. "Looks like we can get started. This mission is A-ranked." She flipped open a file on her desk with a single piece of paper tucked into it.

Sakura could see that there was a small picture of someone, but couldn't make out the details from where she stood.

"Konoha is preparing for a war," she said. "Consider this your first diplomatic mission as Team 7. There's been a series of disappearances lately, some which include two members of Kiba's clan," the Princess said. "They were kidnapped or killed. We don't know which."

"Shit," The Jinchuriki said. "I had no idea... I should talk to Kiba."

"Naruto, don't get side-tracked. There's nothing you can do now except focus on the task at hand," the Princess reminded him. "We don't know who's behind it, but we think it could be Akatsuki. However, we also don't know for certain that it wasn't Iwa. Worst case, they're working together."

Sakura tensed. Had Akatsuki started getting a move on without her? Had she been left out of some plans?

"You're going to take this as a peace offering to Iwa," the Princess said, throwing something to Sasuke. "This is your official mission."

"What is that, baa-chan?"

"That's your cover—a list of common antidotes Konoha created," she said. "Iwa is lacking in medical knowledge and they will be grateful for it."

"Cover?" Sakura asked.

"On the surface, you'll be repairing relations between Iwa and Konoha. But at the same time, you should be looking into the surrounding areas to see if you can find any clues about their political loyalty," the Princess began. "Sasuke should know something about this."

Sasuke nodded. "If they're preparing for something offensive, we'll see a divide among the people, or disruptions to the local economy. There may be rumors or cash flow problems as fear spreads to the civilians."

The Jinchuriki nodded along. "Mhm... mhm... this all makes sense. So we clobber our enemies if we run into them, right?"

"You probably picked that up under Orochimaru," the Princess said to Sasuke. Then she sighed as she looked at the Jinchuriki. "In any case, we absolutely do not want it to be known that Leaf-nin are poking their heads for intel, especially if we are giving them a peace offering. Do not clobber anyone."

The Princess closed the file on her desk and motioned for Sakura to be the one to keep it.

"On your way to Iwa, be sure to visit Yukkao, which is a town of vice near Hidden Grass. I have a hunch there may be information regarding the disappearances there."

Sakura nodded.

"Travel along the mapped route here," the Princess continued. "We already sent a pigeon—they'll be expecting you in around one week. This is a simple mission with the end goal being a Suna-Iwa-Konoha alliance. Do not overcomplicate things," she said, giving the Jinchuriki a warning look.

"Wait—baa-chan, you gave the scroll to Sasuke and the mission papers to Sakura. What do I get?"

He began to smile as if he was expecting that she'd saved the best for last.

"Nothing."

The Jinchuriki's head dropped. "So cruel…"

"You three leave in one hour. And Naruto, you should know this—Jiraiya is scheduled to leave tomorrow or the day after for his own investigation. Both of you are expected to return in three weeks to report your findings. Sasuke—don't forget to stop by the Hyuga's property again to pay your respects."

Sakura looked curiously at her raven-haired teammate. What was he up to?

"Dismissed!" The Princess waved her hand as if to make them go away as soon as possible. "I have something important to do."


"Tsunade, I was caught off guard when you asked me to meet here, but I can't say that I'm disappointed!" Jiraiya cackled as he raised his shot glass in the air.

"Tch. Idiot," Tsunade muttered from beside him.

He knew it wouldn't be long before she could no longer hold back her grin. Like magic, there it appeared, just moments later.

The two threw their heads back and downed some of the village's finest sake, slamming their glasses on the table afterwards for effect. Both of their cheeks were pink with drunkenness as they sat side by side in the pub down the street from the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama! This round's on us," yelled the kitchen crew as a waitress came out, switching their empty sake for a fresh bottle.

"You are fine men. All of you!" Jiraiya yelled, cackling again as he refilled their shot glasses.

Although he appeared to have his guard down, Jiraiya was not as drunk as he seemed. He was fully aware of how close he was sitting to Tsunade, with his arm pressing against hers generously.

He never felt more at home than right now, with the woman who still held his heart after all this time. Many years ago, he tried to bury his feelings with strange towns and women, calling himself a hermit and traveling the world as a free spirit. But the feelings always came flying back.

Not that he would show it.

"This brings back memories," Jiraiya said as he sighed with content. "Don't you think so?"

He looked over at his childhood teammate who appeared to be deep in thought. Something was troubling her, but she probably wouldn't admit it if he asked directly. He suspected that their last-minute meeting time and location was somehow related to it.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "I can't remember the last time I was able to get away from the office."

Although she had considerably tamed her gambling and drinking antics since shouldering the burden of the honorific Hokage title, it was still in her nature to pull stunts every now and then.

"Poor suckers probably don't even know what hit them," Jiraiya jabbed, loudly laughing at the fact that she probably left mounds of unfinished paperwork with her bumbling assistants.

She scowled in her seat, probably feeling a little irresponsible. "Hey! I have official business here too," she said, huffing in the opposite direction with her arms crossed.

"Oh? Do tell, Tsunade..." he said comically into her ear.

x

She picked up on the way he said her name. Though he often tried to hide things with humor, Tsunade was aware of Jiraiya's feelings for her. He didn't know that she chose to turn a blind eye because she was afraid of what would happen if she really did love him.

Dan… Nawaki… They'd all left her in this world.

He was the only one left.

Anytime she ever found someone to love, they ended up dead. It was a curse. That's why she couldn't love Jiraiya.

Tsunade stared at the empty shot glass in front of her, deciding that there was no point in delaying the inevitable. "You plan to leave tonight, don't you?"

He went into his thinking mode, like he had to think of something to say now that he'd been found out.

Her question must've caught him off guard. Apparently she appeared more drunk than she actually was.

"Well I guess there's no point in hiding it now," he nodded in affirmation. "I didn't want to give you time to think it over. This is something I have to do, and god knows I'd stay if you asked me to."

Tsunade forced a faint chuckle. "Well I guess you'll be on your way tonight then," she said quietly.

In the middle of the afternoon, a strong urge to find Jiraiya had overcome her. Her guess was truly a shot in the dark, but here they were. And it turns out her gut instinct was right. He was going to slip away to Ame without saying goodbye.

"Come back alive." Her tone was pleading, unable to downplay her sadness. "If I was to lose you too, I would—"

"You'd cry for me? I'm so honored!" Jiraiya said playfully, trying to cheer her up. "Well, then let's have a gamble, shall we?"

"A gamble?"

"You should bet that I'm going to die."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Then, if I come back alive…" He paused for a dramatic effect. "You'll go out with me."

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" he assured her quickly, when he saw that she was horrified. "I'm really grateful to you, seriously."

"Stop trying to act so cool, you goof," she scoffed. "If anything happens, use your toads to communicate with me. I'll come—"

"There's no need for that. Stay in the village, where you're needed."

"They have Naruto," Tsunade countered.

"You're really sold on that kid huh? Training him reminds me of my days with Minato," said Jiraiya, reminiscing.

"He's really not the genius like his father was."

"It's true. But he looks so much like Minato."

They'd both watched Naruto grow into a fine shinobi and man, filling in as his caretakers when they needed to.

"Anyway, watch over him for me, will you?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded.

"I should get going. I have unfinished business before I leave." Jiraiya threw down a few hundred ryo. "Tell them to keep the change."

She rolled her eyes. He'd soon be spending another thousand ryo on alcohol in a different town.

"Ja ne!"

Jiraiya lifted the curtain of the pub's entrance, letting in the soft glow of the bustling night markets just outside. He made lingering eye contact with Tsunade as they exchanged a wordless dialogue.

With a final wave, he disappeared into the street.

Feeling his absence grow as he walked further and further away, Tsunade sat by herself for a bit longer at the table.

She was the village's leader. They trusted her to do right by her people. Jiraiya was going to confirm that Akatsuki was in Ame. His work was crucial to providing the evidence Konoha needed to present to the other kages for an alliance. Without the proof, they wouldn't be able to protect themselves against Akatsuki.

She had no choice but to let him go.

Yet she wished it would've been somebody else. He always got the short end of the stick.

You fool. I'll say yes if you come back.


"Hanabi, I hoped you would've made more progress than that."

It was all Haruno's fault.

"T-things were going well," she argued. "Our interactions had been pleasant the entire day… it was all according to plan."

That was, until she showed up.

It didn't matter how Hanabi tried… how pretty she looked, how polite she was. For the remainder of the hour, Sasuke was thinking about whatever it was Sakura said to him. And then, abruptly, he said he had business to take care of, and escorted her home without a kiss goodnight.

"Need I remind you what your alternative is?"

"I know, father. You don't have to tell me this. I have every intention of succeeding."

"Doriru is prepared to—"

"No. That won't be necessary."

They were cousins. It was a disgusting protocol—not to mention an outdated and ineffective one—for the head family heir to marry close just for the sake of keeping the bloodline pure.

"As the leader of the main branch, you are the protector of our ocular jutsu. Your only purpose in this life is to strengthen it where you can, and pass it along to the next Hyuga generation."

"I will not fail the clan."

Sasuke was her only way out of the would-be arranged marriage; the only thing better than passing down pure Byakugan was passing down a Byakugan-Sharingan combination.

And she could do a lot worse than Sasuke.

"I can assure you, father. He will be mine."


To be continued...