Chapter Three

The Scent of Truth

She felt like she was trapped in an old cartoon. Every time she thought she had lost him, he would appear right in front of her. As Sakura raced through the streets of Konoha, trying to figure out a way to shake herself of her tail, she thought of the one person she knew who would be able to help her – the one person who had never let her down.

Kakashi.

He was reliable. He was strong. He would help her for sure.

Quickly, she made her way to his apartment and began to bang on the door.

"Kakashi-sensei! Let me in!"

Sakura hit the door with a force akin to desperation. She looked around her, expecting Itachi to pop up at any moment. Knowing that wasn't going to be a pleasant scenario, she knocked harder on the door. She knew he was inside – he had to be inside. She also knew he recognized her chakra signature, and her voice.

So why wasn't he opening the door?

"Kaka-sensei! Please open the door!"

The door opened shortly after her second vocal plea, making an initial wave of relief wash over her.

But something was off.

His presence was suffocating. He seemed different somehow, almost...foreboding. But Sakura was too worried about Itachi to delve too deeply into it. So, instead of thinking about it, she simply slid into his apartment, pulled him in after her, and shut the door firmly behind her.

He stared at her as if she were a stranger.

"Kaka-sensei—"

"Why are you calling me that?"

His question stopped her abruptly.

The temperature in the room turned frigid at his words. Sakura looked at him, momentarily startled into forgetting what brought her to his apartment in the first place.

What?

She tried not to look too confused. "You're my sensei. I'm just showing you respect."

"I am not your sensei."

Well, that was true – he hadn't been her sensei for years now. But why was he even bothering with details? It wasn't even that important. A bit exasperated, Sakura simply waved her hand at his technicality.

"Don't bother me with details. I have more important things to discuss with you," she said, her voice taking on an urgent tone.

Kakashi didn't seem to pick this up. He merely crossed his arms over his chest, and stared down piercingly.

"Such as?"

"Such as Itachi Uchiha. He's chasing me and I—"

Her words turned to a surprised gape, as Kakashi didn't allow her the time to finish. Instead, he purposely strode to the door, his steps quick. Then he opened it.

"Get out. I have no time for your lover's spat."

What?

"Kaka-sensei—"

"Don't call me that!" he said harshly.

She was now truly puzzled. "Why are you acting like this?" she asked, the confusion showing now.

"I should be asking you the same question," he replied coolly.

"I need your help. Out of all people you're the one I'm closest to—"

Kakashi quickly pulled out a kunai, and aimed it at her throat. "Who are you and what have you done with Sakura?"

Kakashi blinked, surprised when he felt a kunai at his back, and heard an equally harsh voice reply.

"No, who are you and what have done with Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura snarled, glaring at the other.

"How did you…?" His voice trailed off, his mind lost in thought. He had never seen Sakura use a replacement jutsu like he did. It was a hold that he often used on Naruto, and Naruto in turn attempted to use it on him – but never successfully.

"How did I learn this? You taught me. Just like you taught me this." Without further ado, Sakura then proceeded to give him a thousand years of pain.

Hard.

The excruciating pain ran through Kakashi's body as Sakura sent him flying across his apartment. His bookcase toppled over, and several books fell off the shelf and on top of him. The irritation that Sakura was feeling was replaced by victory because she had finally put Kakashi on the receiving end of his own jutsu. Sure, he had never done it to her before – but Sakura always thought it was a nifty trick to have up her sleeve. Actually, Kakashi thought so as well. He taught it to her so she could use it to discourage unwanted suitors. It worked like a charm.

But this Kakashi, unfortunately, thought different.

Slowly, the silver-haired man picked himself up off the floor and stared at Sakura, almost malevolently. "I never taught you that."

"Then how do I know it?" Sakura demanded.

"You were trained by the Hokage."

"I was, but we train together, Kakashi-sensei. Since we've been on a team together—"

"We're not on a team together."

She blinked.

"Yes, we are."

"No, we're not."

"Yes, we are," she argued.

"You are an annoying little brat. I don't know what I ever saw—" Kakashi cut himself off, and shook his head. He sighed. "Sakura, I'm in ANBU. Unless you're in ANBU as well, then we couldn't possibly be on the same team."

Sakura folded her arms across her chest. "Prove it." Her chin rose stubbornly, still refusing to believe that things were different.

It was impossible.

Kakashi walked into his bedroom, leaving Sakura alone to take a look around. She had been in her sensei's apartment before, but for some reason it looked different. Something was missing. She walked towards his sofa, and trailed her finger across the back of the couch – it was the same black leather as before. She looked at the coffee table and immediately spotted the problem.

It was missing.

Kakashi strode back into the room with the ANBU mask in his hand, and confronted a distraught Sakura.

"Where did you put it?" she asked, her voice almost shaking.

Kakashi stared at her warily. "Put what?"

"Our picture."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Sakura? What picture?"

"The picture of Team seven. It has always sat here on your table. You never move it. Ever. Why would you move it now?" She was babbling. She knew she was babbling, but for the life of her, she couldn't seem to stop. She was panicking.

"I think you need to go to the hospital." He took a step forward to grab her arm, but she stepped out of his reach.

"No, I need you to tell me what's going on here. Why is Itachi Uchiha in this village? Why is he chasing me? Is he after the Nine Tails in Naruto?" she asked, voice laced with frustration.

Kakashi stared at her in shock.

"Wait – what did you just say?"

"I asked! Is he after the Nine-tailed fox in Naruto?"

Now he looked suspicious.

"Who told you about the Nine Tailed Fox?"

"Kakashi, I've known that for years. It's no big deal."

"You're not Sakura." Kakashi was certain this time.

"I am Sakura. I thought we've been through this."

"That's it. We're going to the see the Hokage now."

Kakashi moved to grab Sakura and she didn't dodge him this time. She allowed him to pick her up and toss her over his shoulder. She said nothing as he marched out of his apartment, and sprinted towards the Hokage tower, because she was just too confused to do anything else.

Maybe the answers would come soon.

The Hokage's office looked the same as usual, but Sakura wasn't able to observe further as Kakashi abruptly dropped her from her perch on his shoulder.

"Someone told her about the Nine Tailed Fox," Kakashi said without preamble.

Tsunade looked at her student. "Who revealed this to you, Sakura?"

"Why is it okay for you to know and not me?" Sakura fired back. At the reply, Tsunade's eyes narrowed almost dangerously.

"I will not tolerate your insolence, Sakura. Answer my question," she demanded authoratively.

"I know the same way I know that you have a bottle of sake hidden in your desk, under your desk, under your chair, sealed in the scroll by your right hand in some jutsu you invented, concealed in a genjutsu in that corner over there," Sakura said, gesturing behind her. "The same way I know that Kakashi-sensei has a dimple in his right cheek."

"No, I don't," Kakashi immediately protested.

"The other right cheek."

Sakura was sure if that mask wasn't covering his face right then, she would see him blushing. Her eyes weren't looking for that, though. She kept her focus on her Hokage, watching as the blond woman weighed her words as proof of her identity.

"Kakashi, do you have a dimple on your right…cheek?" Tsunade asked the copy ninja.

Silence.

"I've been told so," he finally replied stiffly.

"Has Sakura ever treated you at the hospital?"

"She has not." His tone was firm, and very sure.

She was the only person that ever treated Kakashi. Sakura opened her mouth to protest – but her master spoke before she had the opportunity.

"How is it that you know these things? You cannot possibly be Sakura."

"What do I have to say to prove to you people I am who I am?" Sakura cried out, near to glaring now. "Kakashi-sensei can use his Sharingan, and tell I'm not a henge. Hell, Kakashi knows my scent!"

Suddenly, realization dawned on Sakura.

There was a way to prove it. To finally prove it once and for all.

"That's it! Kakashi-sensei, summon Pakkun. He can tell who I am!"

Kakashi looked at Tsunade in askance. She gave him a slight nod of the head – so Kakashi quickly did as asked.

Pakkun appeared in a small puff of smoke.

"Yo," he said. His gaze quickly fell upon Sakura. "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

Sakura frowned. "What do you mean what am I doing here?"

Pakkun turned, and looked at Kakashi. "How did you end up with this Sakura?"

Tsunade leaned forward. "What do you mean this Sakura?"

"I mean this Sakura belongs in the other dimension. Why is she here?"

Sakura stared at him, stunned.

In fact, all the occupants of the room were a little dumbfounded.

"Another dimension?" Kakashi asked.

"How do you know that this Sakura doesn't belong here?" Tsunade asked simultaneously.

Pakkun sniffed. "This Sakura uses the same shampoo as I do, the other doesn't."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. The sheer enormity of the fact that she was in another dimension was temporarily forgotten. She couldn't even form a thought as to why if there were two of her, and two of everyone else...then why weren't there two Pakkuns? At the moment, all she could focus on was one fact. One single fact.

A dog used the same shampoo as she did.

Unbelievable

A/N: Thanks to cutecrazyice for beta-ing this story for me.