-Three Weeks Earlier-

-Land of Fire: Western Territories-

Haruno Sakura's breath came in deep, shuddering gasps. She had pushed herself far too hard for far too long, and she had never been sure if she was going to survive this. Never before in her life had she clung so close to death. Now she stood by a precipice that was at least three hundred feet deep and twice as wide. At the bottom of the chasm were razor-sharp rocks and roaring white-water rapids. There were no bridges for miles around.

Still breathing heavily, she smiled. Perfect.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a voice called from the tree-line fifty feet behind her.

"Well, now… Sakura…" said the woman, her tone only barely remaining civil, "Looks like this is the end for you."

As the woman spoke, Sakura twitched in a sudden and entirely reasonable fear. She'd known she was being outpaced by her pursuer but she'd hoped it hadn't been that bad. Pulling herself together, she slapped herself hard on both cheeks then turned to face her opponent.

"Master Tsunade," said Sakura, trying not to show her gasping weakness as she struggled to get her breath, "What a surprise… to see you here… so quickly."

"Oh, don't mind me," said the deceptively young-looking blonde woman leaning against a tree. "Feel free to keep piling on the pain. We already established that for every ache, bruise, and broken bone you get while running from me, I'm going to heal it and give it back to you again five times over."

Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, peer to Orochimaru and Jiraiya, laughed breezily as she spoke of torture. "Then I'm going to kill you!"

Sakura gulped, her throat thick from fear and overexertion. Sometime during the chase her teacher had sobered up. It wasn't yet clear if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

Several days ago, Sakura had been travelling back to the village with Tsunade to pay their respects to her fallen teacher, the Third Hokage, when one of Kakashi's hounds had delivered news that Naruto and Sasuke had run off. Tsunade, however, had refused to be hastened on that account. She would proceed home at her own pace, and her pupil would continue taking lessons whether she wanted to or not.

At the time it had seemed reasonable to Sakura disappear into the night when her master was drunk. Unfortunately, all that had come of this was being chased by a drunken Tsunade. Even more unfortunately, she was a violent drunk.

"You know, you really do have some guts," the lady said, not even out of breath from matching Sakura's desperate attempt to outpace her. "You approach me on false pretenses, you argue with me, you cajole me, you bribe me, and finally blackmail of all things, all so you can get me to train you. I told you I didn't want a student. I told you I couldn't take a student, but you forced the issue. And now you duck out on that training because you've got something more important to do?!"

Tsunade stepped forward, cracking her elegant knuckles. "There are some people who would kill to be taught by me, but I suppose we can try for the other way around, hmm?"

Slowly, Sakura backed away to the edge of the cliff-side. She had just about gained her breath back, which meant it was time for a daring escape.

"You're right, Master," she said, bowing her head slightly while not taking her eyes off of the dangerous woman. "Your training was invaluable. It changed my life, and I know I've hardly even begun. I hope you'll consider teaching me again, but even if you don't I'm afraid you won't be catching me here today."

Tsunade was so irate that her emotions wrapped around to the other side, and she caught herself smiling again. "You really think you can pull one over on me? I've taught you everything you know, you presumptuous little bitch."

"You've taught me so much, yes. But I can teach myself as well... and you didn't teach me this." Taking a wide stance, Sakura slammed one gloved fist into the earth.

[DOTON: SEKIHA JINYOU]
[EARTH RELEASE: STONE SHATTER BATTLE FORMATION]

Using the shockwave from her rock-pulverizing strike as a carrier for her chakra, the stone beneath her fist was instantly liberated from the surrounding earth. Like iron filings aligning with a magnetic field, the stones assembled in formation, jumping to do her bidding. In less time than it took to blink an eye, a column of rock ten-feet wide erupted from the earth beneath her, sending Sakura shooting into the air. The only thing that kept her knees from breaking immediately was an impeccably-timed surge of physical reinforcement chakra.

She flew across the six-hundred foot gap at incredible speed. The wind whipped at her eyes, but she couldn't shut them. She needed to be ready for the exact moment when she hit the ground. The roaring, spike-filled river could make for a fatal fall if she didn't clear the gap, but successfully landing the jump unprotected could be just as dangerous. A roll wouldn't help her here; she'd have to reinforce her legs with everything she had at the split-second she hit the ground.

If only she had had any time to practice this move before using it in combat. She was well aware she would definitely have yelled at Naruto or Sasuke for trying something this stupid untested.

Sakura hit the ground like a one-woman rockslide, tearing a trough into the earth. Her teeth rattled from the impact, and before she had completely stuck the landing she fell over, skidding and rolling across the ground.

Getting up, she spat out blood. With another surge of chakra she slammed her fist into the rocks on the other side of the cliff. This time nothing seemed to happen, but Sakura knew better. Satisfied, she spared one glance backward towards her far-off teacher then began running, activating the tiny fragment of chakra reserves she had stored in the seal on her forehead. Her legs would be almost useless in moments without it, and if there was ever a time to put some distance between her and danger then that time was now.

Healing her wounds and fatigue at a rapid pace, Haruno Sakura advanced through the forests toward Konoha.

Meanwhile, Tsunade had watched her petulant student's escape with an amused open-mouthed expression.

"That cocky little bitch," she said, impressed despite her anger, "She's been holding back on me..."

Still back behind the tree line, her previous apprentice Shizune spoke up, "Are we going to follow her? I'm sure you can cross that gap..."

Tsunade shook her head. "Yeah, but she's rigged that cliff to collapse, so I'd have to run below or go a ways away to cross now; not that it'd save her in the end. Still, I'm actually surprised… that Earth technique came out faster than anything I've ever seen out of a Chuunin, and I'm not sure how she did it. Besides all that, that jump was a perfect display of everything I taught her outside of the medical training, all at the same time."

Suddenly she laughed, genuine amusement reaching her voice, "I would have called it perfect training if I hadn't only been trying to tear her to pieces! It was everything I'd want out of a final exam!"

Shizune was shocked. "You want to recommend her for Jounin rank because she jumped across a chasm?!"

"I'm not gonna help her become a Jounin," Tsunade laughed. "I'm gonna kill her! But first I'm gonna get drunk and take a bath. Come on, Shizune, I saw another town a few miles back."

Slowly realizing her teacher had given up the chase, Sakura still made it back to Konoha in record time. She had a lot to do to get ready if she was going to go after Naruto and Sasuke. First things first, she returned to her family's home to a welcome reunion, a warm shower, and her first decent meal in ages. Then, hair still drying, she sat down in her old room to write a letter.

"Dearest Naruto and Sasuke," it started, "You must have a deathwish, because after what you've done I'm going to literally rip both of your heads off and leave them out for the carrion birds…"

In the end she only got about half-way through her letter before her anger forced a break, so she slipped into the routine and well-practiced art of gathering supplies for a long mission. She was naturally a well-organized person, but it didn't hurt that the Academy had taught classes on the subject.

It was when she was in the middle of this process that she ran right into her on-again-off-again best friend, Ino. In the blink of an eye they were eating lunch at a place that offered light fare.

"Oh my god, you cannot believe what a relief it is to not have to escort the guys to another goddamn meat hut!" the blonde girl exclaimed, once they had more or less finished.

Sakura laughed. "I'm just glad that I'm not cleaning up after my master's all-nighters again, or being chased through the wilderness for a few hundred miles, or being forced to-"

"Blah, blah, blah, I'm a big try-hard who got herself stuck training with the worst bitch on the planet," mocked Ino.

"Well, she's coming to Konoha soon, so you'd better watch yourself or I'll point her in your direction," said Sakura, pointing a threatening finger.

Ino shrugged, still smiling, "Yeah, well, unlike a certain someone here, I actually have a traditional style I'm learning from my family. I've got an excuse to bow out."

There was something about Ino's straightforward, light-hearted antagonism that made it really quite easy to fall back into the old patterns with her. Maybe that was why their friendship had been so successful even over long years spent apart.

Before Sakura could reply, Ino stepped up to the plate again. "Okay, so… Tell me what the big secret is. What's got you coming back in a hurry?"

"I really don't have to tell you that."

Ino flipped her hair back behind her. "Oh no, I thought we established the futility of trying to argue about this kind of thing years ago. I can harass you about this for ages, and unlike you I actually have some free time, so spit it out already!"

Sakura sighed. "It's about Naruto and Sasuke."

Ino just looked at her like she'd crawled out from under a rock somewhere. "Well, bluh! Come on! I do actually pay attention around here, so did you really think I wouldn't know about them going missing?" She sat back in her seat. "They're gone till they get back, and that's that. Too bad, so sad. Even if Sasuke is totally gorgeous-"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura unwillingly dove right back into her friend's delusions. As young girls, she and Ino had always considered Sasuke as just one half of the horrible duo that had terrorized Konoha. The two girls had both gone to great lengths to make it clear just how disgusting they found the two boys- a tune that had changed slightly when Sasuke had started to grow into his confident good-looks. Shortly after that, however, Sakura had had the misfortune of spending years with the two of them in close-quarters.

"Ino! He's like a brother to me. A stupid dickhead of a brother. I mean, he's been getting a little better recently, but do I have to remind you again about what complete and total ass-clowns he and Naruto are on a regular basis?"

"Fine, ruin my dreams, what do I care. What I wanna know is this- what are you going to be doing while they're gone?"

She shook her head. "I'm not waiting around, Ino. I'm going after them."

Ino stood up in shock for a moment, though Sakura was convinced it was just part of her friend's constant drama act. "Say what?! From what I've heard, they went off on a ship into the ocean of all things. You think you're going to be able to find them just like that?"

"Well, I have to try, don't I? What would you do if Shikamaru or Chouji-" Ino made a pained face, so Sakura quickly abandoned that line of conversation, "-okay, bad example. But those two are going to get themselves killed without me. You know it's true."

All of a sudden, Ino looked serious. "Sakura, listen to me. You haven't been here, so you don't know what's going on. It's been two weeks since the Third died, and no one's any closer to picking a successor, but that doesn't mean some things aren't being decided in the mean-time. The one thing everyone's sure of is that these ships coming from the outside world are bad news. Some of them wanna lock down the island so they avoid leaking any information, but some of them are saying the Daimyou is going to start looking to trade with everyone out there and we should start scouting missions right away. Either way, right now going after Naruto and Sasuke is absolutely forbidden."

Sakura eyed the girl across from her. "You going to stop me?"

"Hell no!"

"Then I don't see the problem. If no one's Hokage yet, then nothing's going to stick." She paused, taking a drink of her tea and relishing in her friend's frustration. "So, who's in the running?"

Apparently growing tired of her earlier dramatic stand, Ino sat down again and resumed sipping her drink as well. "Who isn't in the running, that's the real question. Ignoring the no-names who think they're the reincarnation of the Fourth or something, there's really three options being considered seriously. First, your teacher, Kakashi. Most of the Jounin stand behind him, even if he doesn't like it."

Sakura nodded. It made sense that they'd push him into the race. "Who else?"

"Second is Jiraiya, who returned to help out during the chaos."

Sakura couldn't help it. She laughed out loud. "Wait, who's pushing for Jiraiya of all people?"

"It's the village council," replied Ino, "Apparently he's threatening self-exile if they go through with it, but they still haven't taken it off the table. Now, I'm actually getting this info from my dad, but I get the feeling they don't want Jiraiya at all and they're just pushing for him 'cause they know he won't take the position, which lets them delay the nomination."

This caused no small amount of confusion for the pink-haired girl, brow furrowing as the noises of the restaurant continued around them.

"Wait… the only reason they would delay things is because they want to push a different candidate, right? But who else is there? I'm pretty sure there's nobody else who's as qualified as they are."

Ino grinned, revealing her juicy news as if she was personally responsible for it. "Okay, so, have you heard about the coastal raids? Well, I guess you wouldn't have if you just got back. So, for some reason, the eastern coasts of Fire are one of the places that ships from the outside are arriving, right? But Hidden Mist is attacking some of ships that would otherwise be reaching our ports, taking cargo, prisoners, and making us look kind of weak in the process."

"Okay… so they're not attacking us, but it's close… and no one's doing anything about it because we don't have a leader?" asked Sakura.

"No one's doing anything about it because everyone's got a different idea on what we should be doing! Take away the Mist attacks and suddenly these outsiders are landing at our ports left and right. Kakashi and Jiraiya think it's inevitable, and they're assuming the Daimyou's going to push for scouting missions and trade with the outside."

As Ino spoke, Sakura took a deep breath and sighed. "Ah… so the council wants someone who'll be against that. So they're looking for… what, a hardliner? An isolationist? I don't think there's anyone like that left in the running, right? All the really powerful Jounin looked up to the Third… wait, you said there was a third choice, didn't you?"

Now even Ino seemed a little uncomfortable. "Yeah… the third choice isn't even really a Hokage at all. I don't even know what they're thinking. The elders keep bringing up the idea of electing a triumvirate of well-respected Jounin as interim rulers. Sort of a 'Hokage Council.'"

Sakura blinked. That was just about the strangest idea she'd ever heard. "They're that desperate to keep out foreign influences? Who would they choose? Kakashi's obviously going to be on there…"

"Yeah, that's just the thing. As soon as they started pushing it, the Hyuuga clan leader Hiashi suddenly jumped in out of nowhere and started getting interested."

"Wait… wait, the Hyuuga?" asked Sakura. "Dont they, like, never get involved with politics outside of their clan?"

"I know, I know, I don't know why, but I'm just telling you what I heard. Frankly, I think Hiashi is exactly the kind of person the elders are looking for, but they also know no one would support him as Hokage without someone like Kakashi or Shikamaru's dad to work alongside him. Sakura, this place is crazy right now, and there's no way you're going to get support to go after your two wayward boys." Ino looked right into her eyes. "You need help, girl. I'm worried about you going out there on your own, alright?"

Sakura stared carefully across the table. "Is that you offering to come with me?"

"Oh, I'd love to come with you on your fool's errand across the ocean, but I just signed a lease on my new apartment, and I can't walk away from something like that. Finally away from my parents! Oh, yeah, so sweet!"

Sakura chuckled and shook her head as Ino's train of thought derailed the serious conversation. "Okay, fair enough, I didn't really expect-"

"Besides-" interrupted Ino, "I'm kinda sort of maybe dating a couple guys right now, and…" she paused for just a tiny moment. "Come on! Aren't you going to ask me about it?!"

"No," said Sakura.

Ino flicked her hair back. "Psh… whatever…" she paused, then seemed to remember something. "OH! You should ask Hinata!"

Sakura was stunned by the sudden and unexpected suggestion. "What? The Hyuuga girl in Team Eight? I barely know her, why would she say yes?"

Now Ino was incensed, her gaze intense to the point that flames seemed to be leaping from her eyes. "Because she's totally got the hots for Naruto and it's super pathetic! And cute! Patheticute!"

Sakura just stared blankly back at her friend. "You really think that's a good enough reason to ask her to leave the country with me?"

"Hey, don't diss the power of a woman's love, alright? Look, for what It's worth, I think she'll agree in a heartbeat. Not like anyone else would say yes. What with the Hokage situation being what it is and her normal family problems on top of that, I know she needs a vacation… Whether she knows it or not..."

As their conversation slowly wound to a close, Sakura agreed to give the idea of approaching Hinata some thought, which seemed to satisfy her friend's wishes. However, just before they parted, Ino turned around one last time with a twinkle in her eyes and a merry, musical tone to her voice.

"Oh! And Sakura! Don't forget that hot guys from out-of-town are perfect fling material!"

Sakura didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't say anything at all, just waving as she turned to leave.

Hyuuga Hinata sat in the forests of Konoha, watching the world change around her. Harnessing the power of the Byakugan, she could adjust her vision to see for miles in any direction, so long as she knew where to look. With a flick of her sight she could see to her family's compound, two miles away, where her younger sister, Hanabi, was training with Neji to become worthy of inheriting the clan.

With another adjustment of her sight, she could see her father heading in for another meeting at the Academy as he continued to push for a position on the Hokage Council. The meeting itself was being held in a room that was shielded from her sight, but she knew what would be happening in there. She had heard her father speak of it often enough.

"We can no longer afford to stay removed from the politics of Konoha. After the destruction of the Uchiha, we must reinforce our legacy in a manner that makes it clear to all just how integral the Hyuuga have been to the history of Konoha. For that, we must have a place at the bargaining table, and that requires strength."

He turned to her.

"We require a strong heir to guarantee that strength. Other powerful forces must know that if something were to happen to me, then power will quickly transfer to someone ruthless enough to punish the transgressors. That is why you will be assisting your younger sister in her training."

With another flick, she looked back to Neji and Hanabi. They had finished sparring, and her sister was breathing heavily, struggling to stand. Then, Neji turned, Byakugan active, to look at her. It wasn't actually necessary for him to turn, but clearly he wanted her to know that he could see her. Even two miles away, she felt a shiver run up her spine.

She had finally reached the zone. Every step was solid, every turn of her wrist perfect, and every one of Neji's feints were ignored. Finally, she created an opening in his defense. She had forced him to jump, and he would be landing just a half-second too late to stop her from taking advantage of the error. When his feet touched ground, she swept them out from under him, removing all leverage from the blow. He fell to the floor, and she was there, her palm flashing down to his-

She hesitated, and his hand shot out, grabbing her outstretched palm and pulling, planting his foot in her solar plexus as he did so. With a roll and a kick he sent her flying across the dojo where she barely avoided collapsing to her knees, fighting for a breath that wouldn't come. He would be punishing her for her mistake with a fierce attack-

Only, he hadn't. He had turned and was walking to the door.

"I can no longer train you," he said, slipping back into his indoor shoes.

"Wait!" she cried out, but she had no breath for anything else. Even that protest was weak.

Despite that, he did wait. He stopped, turning his head slightly.

"I'll never understand you," he said. "You had a chance to avoid my fate, but you threw it away. Not for a person, nor a principle, nor even a love, but just because you were afraid to push further."

For a moment, he seemed like he would say more, but then he shook his head and walked out the door.

In the forest, Hinata waited for Neji to adjust his gaze before she relaxed.

Neji didn't understand. Her father didn't understand. To hear them speak you would think she had never been out on a mission before. She'd been fighting for years. She'd hurt- and even killed- others in pursuit of victory and in defense of her teammates. Did they think she had just stayed out of every battle? Despite its name, the Gentle Fist style was anything but gentle to its victims, and its use could easily become fatal.

But how could she justify going all-out in fights against her friends and family?

As Hinata watched, something else came to her attention. Her gaze adjusted slightly. Naruto's team-member, Sakura, had returned to the village and was approaching the Hyuuga clan compound. The pink-haired girl had the look of almost unpleasant determination that meant she was on the war-path.

The two of them had never really interacted all that much, but it was always tough to talk around the other girl. Hinata even remembered a small period where she had been irrationally jealous of Sakura for being chosen as Naruto's team-mate.

Similarly, there had been a longer period when she had been angry at Sakura for being so demeaning to her team-mates, but maturity (and some time spent on the same team as Kiba) had made her realize that this was just Sakura's attempt to blend in, becoming one of the guys. Sakura seemed to care pretty deeply about the two of them.

It was still tough to talk with her without stepping on conversational land-mines, though.

Sakura stopped a Hyuuga Chuunin outside the gates and had a hurried conversation with him. The other Hyuuga listened, seeming to consider her words, and then activated his Byakugan. Moments later he pointed in Hinata's direction out in the forests and Sakura thanked him, already turning her way.

Hmm…

Landing lightly from the trees, Hinata decided to see what was going on.

Shortly after meeting the girl, Hinata was already regretting her decision.

"I'll be blunt," said Sakura, "I need to know if you're interested in Naruto."

Oh. It was going to be one of those conversations. Meeting her eyes, Hinata fought to contain a rising blush, but she found she couldn't quite speak.

"Alright," said Sakura, "I'll take that as a yes."

The Hyuuga girl struggled to deny and demur in a way that wasn't insulting, but Sakura interrupted her first.

"Frankly, I think that's a mistake," she said.

Huh?

"What… what are you saying?" asked Hinata.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at the blue-haired girl. "I'm saying that Naruto is a bad choice for someone like you. He's crass, he's immature, he's tactless, and he's generally irresponsible. If someone like you gets involved with him then he'll walk right over you unless you're willing to stand up for yourself, which, from what I hear, you aren't. Not to mention, you clearly don't know anything about him. Neither of you would work out for each other."

As Sakura continued to speak, Hinata's embarrassment slowly transformed into a growing irritation until she could feel the blood pumping through her veins. This was it. This was the last straw. She finally couldn't take this anymore. Her fists clenching and unclenching, she spoke without hesitation.

"How dare you! You come here and say these things without even knowing anything about me! I know what you've heard―I'm a fainting flower who backs down from any challenge, but that's wrong! You know what it takes to survive as a ninja, and I've fought for every second of my life!"

"Hinata, I'm-"

"No! You're being shallow! People see me give up something that they would take in a second and they think I'm just being weak, but none of them ever stop to consider that I might just want a different life! You think it's easier to just give up on the things my father wanted from me? My life would have been a hundred-times less painful if I had given in and become someone I didn't want to be!"

"Hinata, you don't-"

"And I'm sorry, but you're being unfair to your teammates as well! I know they're boys! I know they're immature and inconsiderate! But boys can grow into men, and there are things inside them that won't ever go away! I see something inside of Naruto and I think it's worth giving him a chance to nurture it! I won't tell you what to think of them, but I also won't stand for you coming up to me and-"

"HINATA! I'M SORRY!" shouted Sakura, breaking her out of her angry rant.

"You―what?"

Sakura had both hands raised in front of her, a grin on her face that very clearly said that she was trying not to laugh. Despite that, she bowed deeply, clapping her hands together in apology.

"I am so sorry! I didn't think I'd be touching a nerve, I just didn't know what kind of person you were, and I needed to know if your thing for Naruto was just a silly crush, or if there was something more to it. It was just a dumb test. I don't know you, and I'm so sorry for hitting on something that's clearly been bothering you in your life as well."

"So, then… you mean…?" The blush, which had earlier been replaced by irate fury, now began fighting back, her pale cheeks a battlefield rapidly filling with blood.

Sakura giggled, then stopped herself. "I'm-heh… I'm actually truly sorry about that. I went too far. I'll make it up to you, I swear! Naruto and Sasuke are really important to me, and I think I see some of the same things you do."

Now she laughed for real, failing to contain her amusement. "Though- apparently my eyes aren't as sharp as yours!"

Mentally reviewing what she had just said, Hinata suddenly felt like dying on the spot. Covering her face with her hands, she struggled to compose herself, irritation flooding back into her voice. "That's not fair! You can't just do that! I didn't even… " With a shocked breath, she removed her hands, staring right at the other girl, "You CAN'T tell him about this!"

Sakura collapsed back against a tree, laughing and laughing.

After things had calmed down a bit, Sakura was eager to explain what she wanted.

"When I talked to Naruto's master, Jiraiya, he said that the toads Naruto summons have been telling him some pretty disturbing things. I think Naruto and Sasuke are in danger out there, and I'm planning to go after them-"

"I'm going with you," interrupted Hinata, without thinking.

"I… I didn't actually invite you yet…"

Hinata shook her head, clearing it of all of the intrusive thoughts of responsibilities and consequences of her actions. Whatever happened to her, it would be happening to Team 7 as well. "I'm going with you."

"Alright then!" exclaimed Sakura, grinning at the sudden turn things had taken. "I guess that makes things simple! You'll be doing me a big favor here, so against my better judgement I'll help you with Naruto. Or maybe, help Naruto with you, I suppose."

"Wha- Really?"

"Of course I will," she said, a confident grin on her face. "There's just one condition."

"...Yes?"

Sakura chuckled. "I've seen how you act around him, and I can't afford to have you passing out from sparkling admiration whenever he speaks to you. I mean, can you imagine the two of you crammed into a boat or whatever for weeks at a time while we head back to the village? I can, and it kind of pisses me off thinking about it. That means it's going to be story-time."

"...story time?" she asked, desperately fighting the imagery in her head as she looked back at the other girl with a wary gaze.

"Exactly," said Sakura, turning to walk back toward the village, "I guess I've become something like a big sister to those two, and I take my responsibilities very seriously. In this case, that means knocking your crush off that pedestal you've put him on. Let's see if you can stay in awe of him after hearing about the time he got his tongue frozen to the rear end of the golden Buddha in Aomori…"

A long walk and a couple of laughter-strewn hours later, Sakura returned to her room to retrieve her gear. As she did, she made a few additions to her letter, ending it with:

PS.

Looks like I might have some help after all.

Then, after another thought, she added on a little something else to remind them of her.