Please don't forget to visit my website at www. freewebs. com/ animemangafanatic or just go to my profile and click my website link. Naruto does not belong to me, only original characters and themes. Also, please give thanks to my beta frubaforever. She really pulled through this time. I thank you greatly! All beta positions for "Blood of the Cherry Blossom" are now filled. If you're interested in another position, please let me know.

Sakura watched as Tsunade continued to peel the apple in her hands. Slowly, she cut it into even pieces. Then, she handed the plate to her student. Nodding with thanks, Sakura gratefully took it. Her memory was still filled with that giant gap, but Tsunade reassured her that it would eventually fill itself in. She was already aware of that. Did she forget who her teacher was? Tsunade patted Sakura's head, feeling her agitation. Once she finished eating, she tossed the plate at the door, confusing her since. It connected with the head of Naruto, who had just opened the door. Shaking her head, Tsunade should have figured.

"Ow! Who the hell threw that?"

Sakura then hit him with her drinking glass. Naruto rubbed his head and turned on Sakura angry. Marching over to her, Naruto pointed a finger at her. She bent it back and kicked Naruto in the abdomen, sending him flying back. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Sakura laid down to get more sleep. Sasuke walked in and leaned against the wall. Kakashi came to stand by Tsunade.

"How are you feeling Sakura-chan?"

Sakura moved the blanket back as she sat back up. Looking at her former sensei unenthused, she answered him. He had the usual trademark smile in place.

"I'm fine. However, for some reason, my chakra seems low."

Sakura flexed her hand. She moved her head side to side, giving of a pop each time.

"Tsunade-shisou has informed me that she healed some minor wounds I had received."

Naruto rushed over.

"So, did any of your memories finally come back? Do you remember where it was that you were?"

Sakura sat in thought then shook her head. They all sighed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He wasn't convinced. However, Tsunade had did an examination and sure enough a barrier had been placed on her memories. Not even she, the Hokage, had the ability to break its jutsu. Kakashi and herself thought they would put off telling her the truth, or what they believed was the truth.

"When can I leave?"

They all looked to see Sakura focused on looking outside the window. Snow slowly fell down. Tsunade looked down. That was the other issue that Kakashi and her had discussed. She knew from past experience that she wasn't one to stay in the hospital bed, but they also didn't want to put her under ANBU watch. Sighing, she guessed there was no other way. Sharing a look with Kakashi, which Sasuke caught, they nodded in agreement. The Hokage smiled.

"Whenever you feel up to it."

Sakura nodded her head. Naruto cheered happily.

"Great, then I'll take you out to Ichiraku for ramen. It will be a welcome back thing."

Sakura turned and just stared at him Naruto had folded his arms, and was nodding with satisfaction.

"I'll go gather everyone!"

Naruto ran out the door before anyone could stop the blond, over-excited boy. Kakashi seemed pleased as Tsunade and Sasuke just sighed. Sakura seemed undisturbed as she turned back to the window. Clutching to her chest, Sakura moved over her heart. Ever since she had woken, a deep pain had embedded itself there. There was no physical wound, so that left only an emotional one. However, how could that have happened? Did it occur during the six months that she lost?

"What happened...?"

Itachi walked slowly through the compound to get to his room. He was now one person short, but it had been his decision. For the battles to come, Itachi needed to be in his up most form in power, and Sakura made him weak. Even thought she made him weak, that wasn't the real reason why he returned her. It had been growing for a while, his insecurities. His insecurities made him return her in a strange act of compassion. A really rare, extremely rare moment occurred, returning her to her home and loved ones. Her happiness would have died here. Stopping for a moment, he turned to Fujiwaru, who leaned against the wall.

"Where's the little girl?"

Itachi chose to ignore him and walked off.

"No matter how well you think you got her trained, she won't spy for you. Do we even need to place a spy in that weak village?"

He chose to continue to ignore him since that wasn't the reason why he sent Sakura away. Pushing the door open, Itachi stepped inside then locked the door once he closed it. Itachi did not want nor had the patience to deal with Fujiwaru right now. Walking over to the desk, he pulled out one of the artist's pads. Flipping to the desired page, Itachi stared down at it. Once he put it down, he went to take a shower.

Tsuki quietly and sadly walked in. She placed the new comforter on the bed. Deidara had informed her that Sakura would be returning to Konoha. It made her sad for a lot of reasons. Also, it was the first time she had someone to really talk to. The Akatsuki members weren't always the best conversationalists. Taking notice of the pad on the desktop, Tsuki frowned. Itachi must miss her more than what he gave off. His decision pained him greatly. She wondered when he drew this picture of Sakura sleeping.

Sakura stopped abruptly, making Sasuke and Kakashi look back at her. Kakashi was about to ask her what her problem was, but Sakura sneezed loudly then resumed walking. They all entered Ichiraku and were greeted with a loud cheer. All of Sakura's Konoha friends were there. Naruto and Konohamaru were laughing about something weird in the corner. Konohamaru's friends sat near them with Iruka. Sasuke made his way over there. Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, and Gai were at a table behind them. She watched Kakashi walk over to join them. On the other side, Neji and Shikamaru were playing a game of go. Tenten, Hinata, and Ino were sitting a table behind talking about something over tea. Beside Neji and Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Lee, and Chouji were joking about something. Everyone waved then returned to their previous actions. Her eyes faded pale and became voided as she debated on leaving. Instead she took a seat at the counter becoming put off.

"Ah Haruno-taichou, you've returned."

"Yeah..."

"The usual?"

"Please."

"Wait one minute!"

Naruto banged his hands on the counter. He addressed the cook.

"Is it true that she's a captain?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Haruno-taichou is the top ANBU captain or chief ANBU at only thirteen. She tied with that S-class criminal, Uchiha Itachi, who also became it at thirteen."

Kakashi and Sasuke both had focused on Sakura when his name was mentioned. However, she didn't even seem to register it. Sasuke spoke up.

"How do you feel being compared to that bastard?"

"Hm? What do I care? Aren't you the one that cares so much about that man?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously at her.

"Anyways, I don't even know him. I've never met the one Uchiha Itachi, in or outside the battlefield."

Seeing no give way to her expression, Kakashi was more than certain now that her memories truly were locked away. Would it be wise to tell her what had happened? Looking outside, he could see the carefully placed ANBU that was ordered to keep an eye on Sakura.

"Here you go one miso ramen!"

Sakura made no move to actually eat it. Naruto had been pulled into another conversation with Konohamaru and Iruka, with occasional vocal banter from Sasuke. It riled him up and it sent them into verbal battles. She didn't get why Naruto didn't just question her on that matter. Was she invisible, even to her own teammates? The door sliding open caught Sakura's attention. As the two people came in, Sakura's countenance fell away and she bolted out of her seat.

"Shin-kun! Yuu-chan! What are you two doing here?"

"Saku-chan!"

Yuu ran over and engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug. Shinrai smiled and saved her form permanent damage. The other two childhood friends bumped fists. Sakura felt peaceful for the first time since waking up. Neither of them looked at her with pity or doubt, just unbelievable happiness. She was reminded once again why she loved these two so much. Their pure emotions cleansed her from anxiety and pain she was feeling.

"So you do know Sakura-chan, Shin-san?"

Sakura scowled. He was ignoring her again. Shinrai knew what was going though Sakura's mind. It was no wonder. They were punishing Sakura for something she couldn't remember. How could she possibly understand this situation? Everyone ignoring her, in their own way, was only paining her. Taking her hand, Yuu put some money on the countertop, and they all left.

"Shin-kun? Yuu-chan?"

Both of them took one of her arms, basically dragging her through the snow.

"Guys?"

Shinrai smirked at her.

"Wouldn't you rather have Yuu's good homemade cooking?"

Sakura felt her blood drain. She quietly sent a word of prayer to God. Her death was in sight. Being led away, she wondered where they were going.

Back at Ichiraku, the atmosphere had become dark. Naruto and Iruka had sent Konohamaru and his friends off to do training. Now a dark cloud hung over all of them, knowing that sooner or later Sakura would have to be told. However, what they were afraid of was what kept them from telling her the truth.

"So you and the Fifth decided to put it off for now huh?"

Asuma lighted his cigarette. Kakashi just nodded at him.

"Yeah, for now we think its best."

"So we just keep lying to her?"

Neji placed a black stone and waited for Shikamaru to make his move.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But why?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto for his outburst. Basically it was telling him to sit down. Shikamaru came out of his thinking, and placed down a white stone. He took several of Neji's stones as prisoners, making Neji tisk in annoyance. It was his loss once again.

"You're afraid of her reaction. The Fifth and yourself are afraid she'll either run away or betray us again. Both of you believe that it will unlock her hidden memories. However, none of you believe that Sakura will remain faithful. Frankly, none of you believe in Sakura as a person."

Tsunade and Shizune had walked in just as Shikamaru finished. The guilt hung in the air. No one could deny it. They all had lost their faith in Sakura, their unwavering faith in their friend. Knowing how it felt to them, it must be worse for Sakura, who had no idea why it was happening. Shikamaru pushed back and left them to their thoughts.

"You have no faith in your friend."

Sakura felt her eyebrow twitching. Was this really her apartment? It was clean, her stuff wasn't scattered everywhere, and to make it even more impossible, there was furniture. Yuu was in the kitchen cooking, and Shinrai was looking through all her books for something. She had been standing there for a while in disbelief.

"Am I in an alternate universe?"

Shinrai burst out laughing.

"No, not at all. Yuu just went a little clean crazy. We were told you barely ever lived here."

"That's true. What are you looking for?"

"Well... something on the god's orbs."

"You won't find anything in there."

Shinrai looked up.

"Then all of this is just medical books and scrolls?"

Sakura nodded her head. Walking over to one of the walls in the den, Sakura pushed all the stuff out of the way. Quickly, she performed several hand seals, and Shinrai couldn't keep up with her. She placed her hands on the wall. Several symbols appeared all across the wall. Choosing only one of the signs, she pressed down on it. A drawer opened from the symbol, and Sakura pulled out all the materials. Pulling out a good bit, she handed all the scrolls to Shinrai.

"There."

"All this?"

Looking at his shocked expression, she smirked in satisfaction. Shinrai looked upset. He always did hate studying.

"Shin-kun! Saku-chan! Come eat!"

Both of them left the crowded den, and over to the new dining room table. Sakura would have to get used to the new furniture in her now clean apartment. Seeing all the food, Sakura silently prayed that Yuu's cooking had improved. She learned harshly that it may look okay, but the taste would be far from it. They all sat and said their thanks. Yuu and Shinrai immediately dug in. Cautiously, Sakura took her first bite and wished that her taste buds would die. Thinking wisely, Sakura didn't take another bite. Shinrai could only stand it because of the idiotic husband gene; like anything your wife makes, even if it sucks.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Ah, it seems my appetite still isn't back yet."

"Oh, okay."

Yuu easily bought into Sakura's lie. Sometimes, it was too easy to fool this princess. Sakura sipped her tea, knowing Yuu could never mess that up.

"I was thinking, now that you're back, maybe you can help with this god's orb training."

Sakura took another sip.

"How far along are you?"

"I can only summon it fully for fifteen seconds."

She placed her head on her hand, and looked out the window.

"In truth, I shouldn't. If I gave you shortcuts, it would do more harm than good. There's a reason why you go through this process."

She looked at Shinrai, dead in the eye.

"It's training so you can overpower your selective god."

"Overpower?"

"There will be times when your god will not obey. They are the only beings directly under Kami-sama. So to them, we are only one step above fallen gods or demons. Originally, they saw all humans are scum, until Kami-sama had them fall in love with a chosen human. The reason we are the selected ones is because..."

"Because?"

"We all contain god blood."

Shinrai felt the chopsticks drop from his hands. Yuu continued eating. She had already been through all this with Sakura before.

"That's why we must never be used. Never allow yourself to be compromised either."

Sakura scooted her chair back.

"Do not bring shame to your ancestor."

Sakura put her wallet back into her pocket as she took the grocery bag back to her apartment. When Yuu and Shinrai went to bed early to start the next day anew, Sakura slipped out for edible food. It was a good thing that there was an open stall at midnight. She knew most of them wouldn't turn in for a couple more hours. Also, the night places were beginning to open anyways. Tsunade had allowed just a few bars to open. Only so she could sneak out to them had been her and Shizune's thoughts. Unwrapping the bread, she looked up at the moon as she took her first bite. Instead of heading back, she made a u-turn for the Hokage tower. Waving to some regulars that recognized her, Sakura made it in fifteen minutes, taking her time. Opening the door, Sakura didn't bother knocking. Surprisingly enough, her old team was there with Tsunade and Shizune. Taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, Sakura defiantly faced the curious gazes.

"Hokage-same, explain to me why I, the top ANBU, has been assigned a shadow squad."

A shadow squad, or reconnaissance squad, was of course for spying or keeping track of something they didn't want to loose sight of.

"Sakura, I don't know what you're..."

"Tsunade-shisou, I'm not a fool. They've been on me since the hospital. Now explain to me why I'm being monitored. Unless something happened during my amnesia, there is no reason for the squad."

Tsunade sighed. She was tired. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she tried to calm the oncoming headache.

"You're right."

"Hokage-sama!"

She raised her hand to silence Kakashi and Shizune.

"Sakura is smart, plus she has access to all records. She could have easily went there first for the information. Instead, she is asking for courtesy. It's just time. I knew this wouldn't stay hidden. This is why I said not to monitor her. Being chief ANBU over everyone, Sakura knows all the tricks, and everyone's chakra signature."

Kakashi and Shizune looked defeated. Naruto was having trouble keeping up, and Sasuke clenched his teeth. His hands worked themselves into tight fists in his pockets.

"Sakura."

She gave her teacher her undivided attention.

"I gave you the mission of walking into rogue country to retrieve the red god's orb of Suzaku."

Sakura nodded her head remembering that part.

"If it had been a success, I don't know. However, from there you were also supposed to retiree one of the scroll of locations. I also don't know if that had been a success."

It had been. She remembered that too.

"I received the usual quick note of when you suspected to be back. However, when the time limit lapsed, I sent out ANBU to look for you. They only turned up a bloody mask and few eye witnesses. You had been taken by Akatsuki's Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame."

Sakura felt her eyes involuntarily widen in surprise. What? Just what was Tsunade trying to explain to her? She had been taken by the ruthless organization Akatsuki? Not only had that, but to come back barely injured. Wait, how did she get back?

"At first we couldn't prove that you were with the Akatsuki, but Uchiha-san has informed us that Uchiha Itachi confirmed that they had you. They followed the lead to a village in the sky called Oblivion."

Sakura had steeled her expression and behavior once she knew where it was going. She carefully kept her heart beats in rhythm, even when Tsunade said Oblivion. In truth, that would have been the last place she thought she be. Tsunade handed her the travel bag she always used.

"It was the only thing you had on you when you were found."

"Where?"

"A few miles before the border. An ANBU squad found you on the way back to the village."

Sakura accepted the bag. She looked at Tsunade waiting for more. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"This doesn't explain why I'm being monitored."

"Oh, right. We believe you may have willingly betrayed the village."

She clenched her fists in anger. What? You have got to be kidding her. There was no way, not after everything she sacrificed for this village. Tsunade saw her work her jaw and the anger in her eyes were being kept at bay.

"That's... just not possible."

Tsunade could see how hard this information was affecting her. Rounding the desk, Tsunade patted Sakura's head.

"I know that it's hard to believe. Maybe if the memories come back you can fully explain to us your decisions."

Sakura bowed her head so as to hide the shame she felt.

"I'm sorry Tsunade-shisou for the pain I caused."

Tsunade smiled, hiding her own sadness.

"I know."

As Sakura left, Kakashi turned to address the tired Hokage.

"Do we keep our eyes on her?"

"Yes, but not with the ANBU team."

"Are you sure about that decision?"

Tsuande turned to the passive Uchiha leaning on the wall.

"Yes, as long as we all keep out eyes on her, the ANBU team is unnecessary. Also, Sakura could easily shake them off. If no problems arise, I'll start sending her back on missions with you three."

"As watch dogs of course."

Kakashi was back to smiling.

"Of course. Truthfully, Sakura was proven to be the only one that the Sand council trusted with the sensitive documents that were going back and forth between us."

"Even with the betrayal in the air."

Tsunade folded her hands.

"We have no real proof if they were indeed visions or just dreams. With the blockade on her memories, we can't prove anything. As such, we both have agreed that if no danger poses itself, Sakura will resume her duties. It would be a waste of her abilities if we tied up her hands and feet."

"So just her wings."

"Yes, sadly, Sakura will no fly freely anymore."

Entering her apartment, Sakura turned on one of the side table lamps she knew was there. Collapsing into the plush couch, Sakura ran her hand through her hair. It was at least half shorter than she remembered. This must have happened during her absence with the Akatsuki. Why and how did they get their hands on her? She didn't' understand how it could happen. Not only that, but the very thought of her committing treason against the village laid a bad taste in her mouth.

Turning her head, she looked dolefully at her bag. Opening the bag, she emptied its contents to see what was inside. Her two black books, one textbook, three scrolls, and her gloves were inside. Sakura instantly knew that the scroll and all her weapons were missing. Even her chief ANBU katana was missing. Doing a double take, something was strange about her battle gloves. Picking them up and turning them over a few times, Sakura didn't see any scuff marks. Putting them on, they fit perfectly but could use broken in. The battle gloves were brand new. Did she buy them or did someone else...? They even had a faint cologne smell that didn't belong to her nor did she wear any.

Sakura took them off and put them back with the rest of her stuff. Who bought them, and who left her knocked out near the border. Rubbing her forehead with the heel of her hand, she silently cursed. Why was her memories locked up? Exactly what was the person trying to hide and why? Meditating on the issue, Sakura could see the seal that was blocking it all. It was ingenious, and it would take her quite a bit of time to do so.

"Saku-chan?"

She turned to see Shinrai sitting on the table across from her.

"You okay?"

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Putting on the gloves as she reopened her eyes, she adjusted them. They would definitely need breaking in.

"I'm fine."

When it most likely would come to it, she would kill Uchiha Itachi, for she recognized the family jutsu.

Itachi pulled out the chest that lay under the bed. Turning the key in the hole, he opened the top. He sat in the chair and stared at the two katanas that represented chief status; his and hers.