Disclaimer : Still don't own Naruto, only this crazy, fluffy and overly dramatic plot.

E N D E A R - M E

5 9

The tension was palpable and thick in the atmosphere, making travelling extremely awkward and just as painful for Sakura to bear. No one spoke or made eye contact, save for the numerous besotted men glancing at the pink haired medic ever so often. Things seemed to be looking up despite the heavy silence that hung in the air. Although they were surrounded yet again by Konoha nin from all sides, Team Hebi and the nin formerly known and feared as the infamous Akatsuki, were not as hostile as before. This was mostly attributed to the fact that they all had struck somewhat of a peace treaty when it was made abundantly clear that at the moment, they were not a threat to the village. How could they be? Basically all of them were completely infatuated with Sakura Haruno, the pinkette with intense green eyes and equally fiery temper.

Obviously they couldn't simply walk through the village gates without arousing suspicion and causing an alarm so the groups of nin opted to use the trees as their entry to the village of leaf. The villagers below wouldn't notice anything save for the occasional leaf falling to the ground or the faint rustle of branches. As they used the trees for cover, thoughts swirled through everyone's minds. The only similar coherent thought they all shared was the question as to how the famous and well endowed hokage was going to take this rather complicated, odd group they made.

The time it took to arrive in front of her Shishou's door was much too short in Sakura's opinion. It loomed before her ominously as one of the ANBU knocked loudly, announcing their arrival.

Her heart was beating rapidly, nervousness clear on her face. Although she worried for her own status as a konoha nin and what others might say about her, what really scared her was the utter disappointment or anger in the Hokage's face. Rage, hateful or judgemental words from faceless enemies or even familiar villagers were one thing. But rejection from one of her teachers? From her own family? Sakura knew her heart would break.

"Enter!" The authoritative yell signalled the door to open and the pinkette steeled herself, preparing herself for whatever her sensei would say.

The familiar blonde hair and hazel eyes brought warmth to her chest, effectively reducing the cold grip of fear that had once settled there ever since the gates of konoha had come close.

But of course propriety cannot be forgotten, especially in a situation like this. She then stepped forward and bowed deeply before addressing her mentor.

"Shishou."

The blonde woman's face was a cold mask. Even Sakura couldn't tell what emotions or thoughts were racing behind it. Green eyes scanned the office quickly and found no empty sake bottles or alcohol.

Uh-oh.

This was serious.

"My dear apprentice."

Tsunade-sensei nodded.

"I see you still have the scrolls."

"Yes Shishou. I was unable to deliver them. I ran into some...complications."

"I can see that as well. Those complications are quite many and standing much too close to you for my liking." She tsked then addressed the ANBU in the vicinity.

"I will be debriefing Sakura regarding her mission alone. For now, lock those missing-nin behind bars. Reinforce the jail cells with chakra-"

"Wait!"

A blonde brow arched at the pink haired medic's sharp cry.

"Wait?" Her shishou repeated, slowly and filled with clear surprise.

Sakura swallowed at the vein that started to bulge in her mentor's forehead.

Shit.

Agreed. Inner murmured, willingly retreating into the deep recesses of Sakura's mind.

"Sakura, all I've been doing is waiting." This was said carefully and softly. However as she spoke, her voice got grew in volume and intensity.

"I've been waiting for you to complete your very simple mission for months. I've been waiting for any kind of news regarding you and your whereabouts. I've been waiting for a blonde idiot to come back with three other important shinobi the village needs for months because he was desperate to find you!" She stood up abruptly and slapped the table with both her hands, eliciting a few nervous reactions from the shinobi in the room.

"So please explain to me why exactly I should wait even more?"

The challenge was clear in her question and Sakura saw the warning in her hazel eyes. She had no intention of further angering her mentor but it simply wasn't fair for the men now following her, to be dragged and caged in a prison. Besides, they weren't an actual threat. She just needed her shishou to see that.

The pinkette swallowed her nervousness and fear then bowed low once more, her pink hair following the sudden movement.

"Shishou. I know I'm not in any position to make any requests. But please, I'm begging you, just give me a chance to explain, everything. About the scrolls, why I've been gone so long and-"

"Why you have a handful of missing nin following your every move and look just about ready to come into this room and say something that will most likely piss me off me even more?"

Sakura froze at that.

"...yes."

The pinkette wasn't sure what was happening behind her but she hoped that the men that had somehow made their way into her heart, weren't making things even more difficult by brandishing their weapons.

The silence that followed her short reply was deafening. It seemed like everyone in the room was holding their breath, waiting for the Hokage's decision.

Just when Sakura felt like giving up, her shoulders slightly slumping from the metaphorical weight on them, the blonde woman before her replied, crossing her arms under her ample chest and looking hard at the group of men behind her.

"All the missing nin, including Sasuke and his team are to wait in the Uchiha compound surrounded by ANBU. If any one of them disobeys or is perceived to be a threat then they will be dragged to the cell block where they will be dealt with accordingly." All the masked shinobi nodded at their orders. The former akatsuki and team hebi didn't appear pleased to be rounded up together, especially the brothers of the pack, however the empty clan house sounded much more appealing than a cold prison cell.

"Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji and Kiba wait outside these doors. No one leaves until I say so." All four boys remained in their positions, unmoving, waiting for what the night would bring and how Sakura planned to handle the situation.

As both teams left the vicinity, Sakura couldn't stop herself from glancing at them, her eyes filled with worry and uncertainty.

Deidara caught her gaze first. He gave her a small smile, effectively warming her heart and giving her the encouragement she needed.

Itachi followed suit. Well, she couldn't exactly call what he did smiling. It was more of a look, an intense yet vulnerable expression meant only for her.

Hidan gave her a saucy wink coupled with a roguish smirk, clearly not as troubled by the tension in the air. In fact, he seemed like the only one completely at ease. She almost rolled her eyes at his uncaring behaviour. But his familiar devil-may-care attitude gave her a little comfort.

Sasori was more reserved, choosing to spread his fingers over his left chest. Although he didn't say anything verbally, the mere action was more than enough for Sakura. He was holding his core, his heart which no longer held the character for scorpion but rather her name.

Kisame looked conflicted. It was evident on the mist nin's face he wasn't comfortable with the notion of leaving the pinkette alone. Yet he knew intervening now would only cause more damage than help the situation. Instead he settled for a quick sharp toothed grin, a smile reserved just for her.

Sasuke surprisingly locked gazes with her and narrowed his eyes. Heat and curiosity blazing inside those dark depths. But now, she had no inclination of showing him any sort of interest. So she mouthed "Leave me alone you ass." and looked away. This left the younger Uchiha fuming and just about everyone else chuckling softly or swallowing down their laughter.

Of course, the Hokage had noticed every single detail and exchange. To say she was shocked was a severe understatement. Did Sakura Haruno actually reject her childhood crush? Are the members of Akatsuki giving puppy dog looks and love sick expressions towards her apprentice?

Tsunade shook her head and sighed heavily.

This was going to be a long night.

The buxom woman laid her chin on her intertwined hands and stared long and hard at her apprentice.

"So Sakura-chan…"

The pink haired medic nodded.

"You're telling me that you were ambushed by a shinobi who wanted my jutsu, got into a brawl trying to defend said jutsu however ended up using the jutsu."

"Well...yes. That's basically what happened."

"But you didn't bother to read what exactly you were using before attacking him?"

"It was not my brightest moment I'll admit that." She admitted, hanging her head in shame.

"Clearly. But moving on, you ended up-"

"A child. Physically speaking of course."

"Alright. What about the other man? Did you kill him?" A blonde brow arched in curiosity.

"He was using a jutsu of his own. I woke up in the crater and didn't see him anywhere. I still had the scrolls so naturally I assumed he died. But turns out he suffered the same predicament as I did."

"And how would you know that?"

"He told us." Sakura left out the part where Hidan was using his weapon to extract information from the poor man. "After we captured him. He was tracking me in hopes to steal the jutsu and find a way to cure himself. Apparently he used an attack parasitic in nature. His intention was to eat up my chakra from the inside. But your age defying jutsu must have blocked it before both attacks mixed together, which I'm pretty sure is the reason why I ended up looking like a ten year old."

Despite the difficult situation they were in, Sakura could see interest swirling in those hazel eyes. The pinkette could see why. This was the first time her shishou's jutsu had produced these kinds of results and being the famed medic that she was, she looked curious and intruiged. The desire to dissect the details and understand everything was evident on her face.

"Hm...you're right. The clash of chakra and attacks must have melded somehow, resulting in both your chakra systems being affected. You're lucky you didn't simply die Sakura-chan. But I don't recall seeing a child in your group earlier."

"He was a man already. I noticed that I would switch forms. But it would happen only after chakra exhaustion."

"Most likely because there isn't any energy to sustain the jutsu. I use a constant flow of power to keep my appearance the way it is."

"I thought so. Right now he's being held captive because he tried another assassination attempt on me. Despite our efforts he still won't talk on which village he is affiliated with or his reason for trying to steal the scrolls."

Tsunade decided now was as good as time as any to find out just what exactly is going on between her apprentice and the Akatsuki.

"Him we can arrest and bring down to the cells." She began, a blank expression on her face.

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Oh? So you're alright with him being brought down to jail? No cries telling me to wait?"

The pinkette slowly shook her head and spoke, explaining why this didn't bother her at all.

"He's a criminal."

Oh really...well then.

"So are the Akatsuki." She countered.

"They're not."

Bingo

Those two syllables were said with such passion and defensiveness, the Hokage just knew.

Tsunade latched onto Sakura's quick and sure response.

"My goodness…this-they are why you've been away so long."

"Shishou-"

"Don't bother to deny it Sakura-chan. I see and hear how they act around you."

"It wasn't always like this. I didn't mean to-"

"I swear if I hear the word love. I desperately need a drink."

The statement was said in a joking manner. Tsunade even chuckled. But when the pinkette didn't disagree and kept silent, it felt as if the breath had been pushed out of her lungs.

"You..." She began, her voice bordering on hysteria. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Then I'd be lying to you shishou."

"Since when?! Do you realize what you're saying and the gravity of your words?"

"Yes, I do! It's been on my mind after I got captured." Sakura's brows knitted in frustration as she looked imploringly at her.

"So they imprisoned you?"

"Kisame and Itachi found me after I used your jutsu. They brought me to Pein and he ordered me to heal them, be their medic essentially."

"Let me get the straight." Tsunade sighed (she was losing count on how many times at this point) and pinched her nose with her forefinger and thumb.

"All this time we've been worrying about you, believing you might even be dead... you've been healing the enemy?"

"I was forced to. But..."

She paused suddenly, afraid of how her next words would sound.

"But love right?" The Hokage muttered dryly.

"I know it sounds insane. I didn't plan or want this in the first place. But every time I left, they'd find me and take me back to the base. Finally I managed to escape and bumped into Naruto and everyone."

At this the Hokage relaxed ever so slightly. So her apprentice wasn't completely brainwashed. At least she had the sense to find her way back at some point.

"Tch...fine. But that does not explain why they are here. In fact, their mere presence endangers everyone in the village. Although the way they've been acting, they seem like pathetic lovesick puppies instead of infamous missing nin."

Green eyes lit up at her last statement.

"Then you know they aren't a threat! They know I love this village and it's my home so-"

Tsunade bit back a groan at her student's hopeful expression.

"How do you know they aren't manipulating you?"

"I know they aren't Shishou."

Her hazel eyes widened in incruedelity.

"How?! They are criminals Sakura-chan. What if they've been plotting this whole scheme of getting close to you until you drop your guard so that they can strike?"

The Hokage's fingers itched to find a sake bottle and down its contents. This was not how she expected her reunion with her student to turn out.

"They had multiple chances to steal Naruto for Akatsuki but they haven't." She defended, her mouth set in a firm line.

The older woman grit her teeth in frustration.

"Maybe they wanted to gain access into the village? Did you ever once think of that?!"

But before Tsunade could break her table in half just to release some anger, Sakura spoke, her voice soft but held such finality that she couldn't help but listen.

"They aren't part of Akatsuki anymore."

It took a few moments to process her statement. But even then Tsunade had to ask her to repeat herself once more. She must have heard wrong.

"...come again?"

"They defected from their organization."

No.

There's no way.

It's too crazy to even imagine.

"Impossible."

The Hokage looked deep into her apprentice's face, hoping to find that this was all some elaborate ruse or a ridiculous joke.

"It's true. None of them have their rings or cloaks."

Now that she thought about it, they weren't wearing any of Akatsuki's colors or symbols.

But still...that would mean-

"Sakura-chan, you're saying that those men out there came to this village out of their own volition?"

The woman before her nodded resolutely.

"Why? Why would these infamous shinobi just cut their ties off with their leader and organization? Just like that?"

Sakura swallowed before speaking, her eyes glued to the floor.

"Because of me. I couldn't abandon my village, friends or family. So they followed me to where I needed to go, where I belonged."

A heavy silence hung in the air between them until finally, Tsunade asked the question Sakura had been dreading for the past few days.

"So who are they loyal to now?"

Green eyes looked back into her sensei's, clear and full of resolve.

"To me."

Waiting clearly waiting wasn't something the shinobi formerly known as Akatsuki, was good at.

At least, not when a certain pink haired medic was involved.

Sasuke was in the corner of the room, one of the largest where his family used to hold clan meetings, with the rest of his team, watching with interest and slight disgust at how these supposedly famous men were obsessed with his former teammate.

Granted, he wanted her as well.

But he wasn't some pathetic, crazed love sick idiot who would eye the doors every few minutes in hopes of hearing news or catching a glimpse of Sakura.

He rolled his eyes at the blonde one before glancing at his brother.

Itachi looked like he was asleep, leaning on the wall opposite of him with his arms crossed against his chest and his head slightly tipped towards the ceiling. Anyone looking at him would think he appeared relaxed. But Sasuke knew better. He could see the tension in his shoulders and the way his chakra would flare for the briefest of moments every time an ANBU would come near.

He tsked and decided to conserve his energy, opting to sit cross legged on the floor surrounded by his team.

Just when he was about to meditate (imagine ways on how to kill his brother and seduce Sakura) he heard the door unlock and felt the chakra on it slide off.

Everyone was instantly on their feet, alert and eager for news.

But evidently, the masked guards weren't here for any of the teams. Instead, two of them came in to grab the last person he expected to be dragged off.

"W-what the hell?! Get off me y-you bastards!"

Still both nin didn't reply. They merely tightened their hold on either arm of Roku, the shinobi who had attempted to kill Sakura a few days prior to their arrival in konoha.

"You're never gonna make me talk!" He barked, his eyes wide with arrogance and anger.

The ANBU then disappeared with the hysterical man. The doors were creeping shut when the Jashinist spoke, his voice as hard and his hand twitched. Sasuke supposed he was not accustomed to not wielding his weapon every moment of the day, especially when he felt threatened.

"Wait a fucking second!"

The masked guard froze.

"Why the hell are you taking that guy?! What about us?"

"...you want to be taken to jail?"

"Oh shit...well fuck no."

The door began creeping close again.

"Where's Sakura-chan?!"

This time it was the bomber who spoke, his one blue eye wide with concern.

It seemed like the ANBU expected this question. He tilted his face, as if scrutinizing all of them.

"Also in the jail cells."

It took a few seconds before everyone absorbed that bit of information.

"Impossible. She is a leaf nin. She came back." The red head of the group muttered, his wooden face a blank mask.

The konoha shinobi seemed like he was expecting this reply too.

"Yes. However she served another organization, willingly. She has betrayed us. It's clear her loyalties are no longer completely to the village."

"So what? She'll be fucking branded a missing nin and we can just leave right?" Hidan scowled, not liking where this conversation was going.

"No. She is the Hokage's apprentice. Therefore she knows too much important intel that may be valuable to other villages."

Itachi disappeared from the wall he was leaning on and materialized right in front of the masked man, deadly intent rolling off of him in waves.

"So what is the Hokage's verdict?"

Calculating eyes peered at him and the rest of the men in the group. It felt like an eternity before he replied, his voice clear and emotionless like his gaze.

"Sakura Haruno is to be branded a traitor and sentenced to a lifetime in prison."

AN : Yes! I finally updated! Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter, leave me a review and tell me whatchu guys think! Also I hope everyone is keeping safe and doing alright with the virus outbreak and all. Right now we're on lockdown, how bout you guys? Well, on the brighter side (quite few but hey I'm tryna be positive here hehe) I can write a lot and get this story up and moving again. Again, thank you so much to those faithful readers and reviewers who have stuck by this story despite my lack of updates.

Till next time! - MKSS

(Oh yes, I changed my name on fanfic. It used to be VoltaireZamora but I like MKSS better hehe)