Two years later….
The night before had been a nightmare, she had killed no less than 6 Sand nin that had tried to infiltrate Konoha. She had been out in the forest practicing her Water release jutsu and they hadn't sensed her but she had sensed them. It was an elite team, she suspected they were there to scout out weaknesses for the Chunin exams infiltration. She had killed two right away masking her chakra and catching them by surprise.
The next two had been more difficult, her body flicker had saved her from being stabbed through the heart. Dispatched with a kunai in each kidney they dropped like rocks and were unable to avoid her water bullets. Fortunately, she had managed to hit one of the last two with a water bullet and sent a flurry of poisoned senbon at them. The one protecting the other but both died.
Itachi had shown up shortly after in his Anbu mask and told her he would take care of them, to mask her chakra and to go home.
The next morning she woke to Itachi and Shisui at her door dragging her out of her parent's house for breakfast to explain because of her, they confronted and flushed out three more teams of six from the land of wind and eliminated them. Since they broke the treaty with Konoha they were no longer welcome to participate in the Chunin exams.
Good, she thought to herself and excused herself from the boys. She needed to think.
Sakura found herself alone in the forest two hours later practicing her Water release Jutsu, Raging waves. The chakra gathers to her mouth and she releases a strong massive stream of water from her mouth like a waterfall. She sits down on a rock and smiles, proud of herself.
"You are very gifted to have accomplished such a complicated jutsu at such a young age." A voice behind her spoke from the shadows.
"With the company you keep, I should expect nothing less." The low voice continued. "I have been watching you for quite some time now Sakura, you do not disappoint."
She hadn't felt his chakra she hadn't even known he was there. Unlike last time by the beach in the land of waves, there was no face to match with the voice, but she knew. It was Madara Uchiha. She flickered back to the village.
Madara would show up now and then in the form of a voice when she was alone, only when she was alone. She would be training or reading in a tree and he would speak to her. Sometimes he would ask her questions about herself, sometimes it was merely to compliment her newest accomplishment but always, it was from the shadows. She never saw his form, his face, only his voice, low and unyielding. It wasn't Obito, she was sure...it was always Madara. And she wondered why.
Another year later…
The summer festival was here and Sakura was very excited. She was meeting the Uchiha and Naruto by the ramen stand in the market and they were going to go together as a group. First, though she made a stop by the monument. She knew that none of her friends from her war were on it but she felt the need to come here to pay her respects none the less. Sometimes when the stress of her situation got to her she would just come and stand here looking at the cold stone, memories fading in and out of her mind. Faces, voices and pictures, some good some bad just wouldn't leave her head. When it was too much, when she couldn't hold it in any longer, she came.
She was dressed for the festival, in a dark blue kimono wrapper with little cherry blossoms embroidered along the collar and sash. She wore matching pants with it, cherry blossoms embroidered along the hem of the pants and down the sides. It had been a gift from Mikoto. Her hair was curled and drawn up over the crown of her head decorated with cherry blossoms to fall around her face. She looked quite lovely if she did say so herself.
"It feels odd to be here without all of you as I knew you. It must be my fault, I am the one who had changed. I never asked for this, and good has come of it, I just wish you could see it, feel it and know what is and what was, the difference in between. Is it bad to miss what happened, when I know all the sacrifices that were made, all the killing, the blood that came from it? The Uchiha are safe, Naruto is happy, Sasuke is still here. There is still so much I need to do. I am stronger now, I hope you can be proud of me. I promise I won't let you down." She removed a senbon from her waistband and pricked her finger, bending down she smeared the blood along the bottom of the stone and stood back up, tears in her eyes. She smiled then and wiped the tears away, bowed low once more and flickered away.
Red eyes faded into the trees.
The lights were bright and people were milling around everywhere, it was entertaining chaos. She smiled as she watched couples moving around the stands and the games. This was her favorite festival. Itachi spied her first and made his way over to her.
"Hi, Itachi!." Sakura smiled at him, he looked so handsome in his dark blue Hamakua, they almost matched. Had Mikoto planned this?
"Hn." He said and offered her his arm, which she took and they moved over to the rest of their friends by the ramen stand.
Kakashi was there talking with Naruto but when Naruto saw Sakura he bounded over to her smiling.
"Sakura! You look so beautiful all dressed up, so pretty. Will you dance with me later when the music starts?" The look in his eye was just so ...Naruto, she couldn't resist.
"Yes Naruto, I'll dance with you later." She smiled again.
Naruto pumped his fist in the air and yelled for joy.
As though not to be outdone Sasuke also complimented her on her looks and asked her to dance with him. She said yes of course and he smiled.
"I want to play some games, let's go!" She was already having a great time with her men.
Two hours later she had won three fish, two bracelets and a stuffed platypus. She sat down at a Dango stand and ate the Dango Itachi had gotten her. Shisui flopped down beside her and snagged at stick for himself. Itachi frowned at him but he laughed and threw down some money.
"I'll get the next round of Dango." Shisui smiled at them.
"Where did Naruto and Sasuke go? The music is starting." Sakura looked around but she didn't see them.
"They went to best one another at the frog shoot stand, Naruto said he could shoot more frogs than Sasuke and well, Sasuke wasn't going to let him get away with it, soooo." Shisui laughed.
"I'll dance with you Sakura." Itachi stood and offered his arm to her, she took it and they moved to the dancing couples already out in the square.
Itachi held her around her waist and she put her arms up over his shoulders and they swayed back and forth to the soft slow music. She was looking over his shoulder in slight embarrassment with a rose tint on her cheeks when he spoke.
"You look stunning tonight in the dark blue with the blossoms on the collar, it brings out your natural beauty. You really look wonderful in Uchiha colors Sakura." Itachi was looking at her with those dark coal eyes of his, his face comically blank. She knew when he did that he was hiding strong feelings, and it hit her then. Itachi liked her...romantically.
Sakura had always admired Itachi, always thought he was very attractive but, knowing he had some feelings for her was...surprising to her. She didn't quite know what to say.
"Uh, thank you, Itachi. I don't know what to say." She looked up at him blushing sweetly.
"My brother seems to think you belong to him because of a blood bond you two made." He wanted to know what it entailed, Shisui had told him it was a bond of friendship but he preferred to hear it from her.
"Not a romantic bond, I just, "She paused then, How could she explain this to him." Sasuke is very passionate and I could see him falling prey to um, dark desires of power. I made him promise me in blood to never abandon me, our bond of friendship. I was...trying to protect him." She looked away from him then as if a little embarrassed.
"I am glad my brother has such a loyal friend and teammate." Itachi smiled, she really was quite remarkable, he could fully understand why Sasuke wished to claim her, but by her own admission, she was not Sasuke's.
Itachi sighed internally as Shisui tapped him on his shoulder.
"Cutting in cuz, step back and let me show you how to dance with a lady." Shisui grinned at his cousin then at Sakura. She smiled and nodded.
Itachi smiled at Sakura and handed her off to his cousin.
Shisui grabbed her around the waist, picked her up and swung her in a tight circle, "You look really great my flower, hot!" He grinned at her. "How many more years till your legal only one right?" He gave her a wolfish grin and she smacked him lightly on the shoulder.
"Shush you flirt! I know for a fact you say that to all the pretty girls Shisui you player." She laughed into his smiling eyes.
"I wouldn't be the player with you my little enigma, you are worth so much more than any of them." He looked down at her more serious now.
She paused in her laughing to regard him with a focused eye. "You are being so serious now, are you feeling well?" She reached her hand up glowing green to feel his temperature.
"I'll always be hot for you my little blossom, now hurry up and get older." He took her hand in his and spun her around then tugged her back into his arms, "I can wait." He smiled at her and kissed her on the nose when the song ended and they walked back over to a frowning Itachi.
Kakashi came up to them then and handed a stuffed dog that looked a lot like Pakkun to Sakura. "I already have three." and walked away. She laughed and hugged the dog to her chest burying her nose in the soft stuffed fur.
"Hey, Sakura! Sakura! Come over here!" Ino waved at her obnoxiously from a little bar stand with cherry wine and other sweet liquors. Her mom stood behind the counter.
Itachi, Shisui and Sakura walked over to her admiring the small little colored bottles lining the shelves.
"Happy Summer Festival!" Ino yelled and fell on Sakura with an alcoholic hug that almost knocked her over.
"Ino, you're drunk!' Sakura giggled at her friend as she peeled her off of her chest.
"Observant as always Sakura, my mom had me help her sample the new mixes but I'm done in, here, drink this and tell my mom if it needs anything else." Ino pushed a small glass of something green into her hand.
Sakura sniffed it and recoiled, "I'm not a big drinker Ino, you know that." She tried to give it back to her but her friend was adamant. So she downed it and smacked her lips.
"Needs something sweet to balance the sour," Sakura told Ino's mom.
Ino's mom took out several bottles and mixed up another drink and handed it to Sakura, "try this one dear."
Itachi raised an eyebrow at Shisui who was grinning like a fiend.
Sakura downed it and handed the glass back to Ino's mom. "Oh, that was much better, very good," Sakura said quickly.
Four more drinks later Sakura fell back onto the grass looking up into the sky, admiring the stars that seemed to be swirling around in the night.
Shisui lay next to her and Itachi sat cross legged on her other side sighing. Just as Sakura was going to ask Itachi why he was sighing she felt Sasuke and Naruto moving in on their location.
"The Froggie twins are coming." She laughed at her own joke.
"I felt them too." Shisui laughs and rolls over to put his arm under her neck.
She turns her head and smiles at him, she is having such a wonderful night, she is so thankful for her boys.
Sasuke's and Naruto's heads come bobbing up over the slope of the hill they are on and Naruto calls out, "Hey Sakura I hope you saved a dance for me!"
She groans, she forgot, she can't dance now she can't even stand up.
"Sorry Naruto, Ino's mom had me taste test a bunch of her drinks, I'm in no condition to dance, come lay down though and watch the stars with me." She rolls over and sits up slowly.
"Are you drunk Sakura?" Sasuke glares at Shisui.
"What are you looking at me for, I didn't do anything, blame Ino!" He grinned.
"Yo." Kakashi greets them poofing into existence in front of them holding a mission scroll. We have a mission, we leave tomorrow, early."
Sakura groans and lifts chakra infused hands to her head and burns the alcohol out of her system. She sits up sober and frowns at the scroll in Kakashi's hand, "I was having such a good time being drunk for the first time too."
"Don't worry flower, I'll get you drunk again soon." Shisui laughs.
A masked figure drops down by Itachi and hands him a scroll then leaves.
"Looks like we have a mission too." Shisui groans.
Itachi unrolls the scroll, "We need to leave in the morning too, we are escorting a team." He raises a brow to Kakashi.
"Well team 7 let's head to bed, we will need all the rest we can get. We have a long walk to the textile town of Taka." Kakashi looks at Itachi.
"Looks like we will be escorting you." Itachi pokes Shisu, "Time for bed."
Everyone grumbled their goodbyes and went home only to meet at the gate a few hours later.
Both Sasuke and Sakura had their katanas and were chatting when three Anbu dropped down beside them. Sakura recognized Itachi and Shisui right away of course but not the third one, oh wait, his chakra signature, Neji Hyuuga. She nodded her greeting to them and they nodded back.
Kakashi and Naruto came up to them then with a taller white haired man that Sakura knew was Jiraiya. She was a little surprised to see him, was he joining them on their mission?
"Hey, who's the pretty flower Naruto?" Jiraiya winked at Sakura.
"I'm underaged you old pervert back off." She smiled sweetly at him.
She swore she heard Shisui and Sasuke stifle a laugh.
"I like a little fire baby, what do you say we." He didn't get to finish because Kakashi's Chidori could be heard to his right, Kakashi held the lightning in his hand and gave a stern look to Jiraiya.
"Ok ok, off limits I get it, calm down, just being friendly." The old man smiled at them.
"Don't you two need to get going, you came to say goodbye right?" Kakashi looked at Naruto.
"Goodbye? Sakura asked, oh, was Naruto going to go travel with the Pervy Sage?
"Yeah, I am going to go with this old guy here for a couple of years, he is one of the legendary Sannin Sakura! Isn't that great? He can teach me all sorts of new stuff ya know?" Naruto was really excited.
"I'm happy for you Naruto, be safe, okay?" Sakura hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Work hard to become stronger than you already are."
"I will Sakura!" Naruto smiled and the others came forth to say goodbye and he and Jiraiya set off out of the gates ahead of them.
"Two years, that's going to be awhile," Sasuke said. "I wonder how it will go?"
"I think it will be good for Naruto and I bet he will come back with an incredible new Jutsu." Sakura smiled, she was still watching the two walk away from Konoha but turned back to Sasuke and smiled when they disappeared behind the turn in the road.
"We should get going too." Kakashi leads them out of the village, the Anbu take to the trees and follow at a reasonable distance.
"What is this mission about, other than traveling to a small unheard of village, why are we going?" Sasuke asks Kakashi while they run through the trees.
"The whole village is dying from some unknown disease and they need a medical expert, the only one around is Sakura. It is a very important mission and they are paying us a lot of money. Sakura has made a name for herself, she is even in the Bingo book now, just like her Sensei." Kakashi eye crinkled her and she laughed.
Yes, over the last few years Sakura had made quite a name for herself since she decided not to hold back anymore. Kakashi wrote all their mission reports in detail and when they started doing more and more missions of higher ranks the Hokage had brought her in for some testing and had prompted her to Chunin on the spot.
He had been so impressed with her medical prowess the following year she was named a jounin medic-nin . Later that same year on a mission to the land of tea her super monstrous strength had come to their attention and she was named a jounin after being tested by two elite jounin and an Anbu captain, Itachi.
Sakura at age 15 was now a Jounin like Kakashi. Sasuke had made Chunin last year but Naruto was still a Genin.
Kakashi had wanted Sakura tested after the land of waves but the Hokage had denied the request.
They traveled for most of the day, stopping only once to eat, they made a good time and were halfway there by the end of the night. Kakashi called for a rest and set to making the campfire while Sakura and Sasuke went fishing.
Sakura manipulated the water and changed the current directing the fish into a small contained pool so all Sasuke need do was scoop them out. They came back to camp with enough for everyone to have two fish for dinner. Shisui gutted and hung them on wires over the campfire while everyone sat around to chat and wait for them to cook.
Normally the Anbu wouldn't join the team they were following but this was a bit different. Sakura had been offered a position three times now to join, Kakashi was a former Anbu captain, and Shisui and Itachi couldn't hide their identity from Sakura or their former Captain, not to mention a brother and cousin. Neji, Sakura knew his chakra signature already.
After dinner, Itachi and Shisui took the first watch while the others laid out their bedding and went to sleep.
Most of the team was tired having stayed up late for the festival the night before and fell asleep quickly. She felt bad for Itachi and Shisui, they had been up late with them at the festival but didn't get to rest yet. She gave it one last thought before falling asleep herself.
It had seemed like moments later Sakura was awake but it had to have been at least a few hours. The camp was silent, everyone was asleep but Itachi and Shisui. She could feel them close by each in a different lookout position. She sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes, what had woken her up?
He stood just outside of the fire's range watching her with his red eyes. Madara. She pushed back the covers of her bedding and stood up to face him. What did he want? Why hadn't Shisui or Itachi sensed him? She walked a few steps towards him and he turned and walked a few steps away. She paused then walked toward him some more and stopped at the edge of the light of the fire, should she follow him?
Madara walked on, not looking back and not stopping anymore, she followed. He led her away from the camp where her team slept, away from the fire to a cave by the river. Shadows stretched out across the waters, out of the mouth of the cave. Had that cave been there earlier when she and Sasuke had come to fish from the river? She couldn't recall it.
His shadowy figure stopped by the cave and waited. She walked up to him and he smiled. She could see him in greater detail than in the land of waves. He was about 25 in age and he was very handsome. She couldn't sense any chakra though, was he masking it? She could sense a strong powerful aura emanating from him, it was dangerous and exciting.
"Sakura." His voice was as deep as she remembered, low and sultry.
"Madara." She looked him in the eye, standing tall wondering why she was there, why her.
"There is something I wish to show you, my dear." He held out his hand to her and she raised her hand to take it but stopped drawing her fingers back.
He made no move to grasp her hand, just held his up, in place, waiting for her to put her hand in his.
"In the cave?" She asked.
"Yes. There is something I wish for you to see in the cave." He said smoothly, enticingly.
She stretched her fingers outward to take his hand when she felt Shisui close by and stopped.
"Now dear, you must come with me now," Madara said more forcefully and stepped toward her as if to grab her.
"Stop!" Sakura yelled and was pulled back and away from Madara by Shisui.
.