A/N: I can't promise that I will be able to update as quickly as I am now considering I have finals within the next two weeks, but I can promise to try. (:

Sakura watched him in her peripheral vision, her heels clicking soundly on the stark white tiles of Sound's hospital floors. She noted that Sasuke's footfalls were effortlessly noiseless as he walked beside her, hands shoved into the pockets of his tunic. "You know, it would've been much more convenient if Kabuto were here," she told him pointedly.

"Kabuto and I are colleagues. There isn't any information that he receives that isn't passed on to me."

She stopped walking to properly glare at him. "But surely it isn't you who frequents Sound's hospitals—"

Sasuke abruptly cornered the kunoichi until she was flush against the wall behind her. He slammed a closed fist into the plaster, mere inches away from her head. "Surely you aren't telling me that I don't know what's good for my own village."

Sakura flinched, but was quick to recover. "Do they give out evaluation forms here? Because I wouldn't think twice about giving you a negative number in rapport and protocol."

He swiftly backed away from her. "Sakura," he barked out in a laugh, "this… this is exactly why I couldn't allow Konoha to limit me. Rapport? Protocol? Surely these aren't the only things you're concerned about."

"You are representing a village in its infant stages, Sasuke. At least pretend to be courteous to the hand that helps you," the medic-nin hissed between clenched teeth.

He only shook his head, his lips tugging into a cold smile. "Trust me, Sakura. I really have no reason to impress you." Sasuke leaned forward in a mock bow, raising his eyebrows derisively. "The disease ward is the second to the last door on your left. Report everything you can to Kabuto, productive or no," he told her, an air of nonchalance about him.

And with that, Sakura watched him leave. She pressed her back against the wall, slowly counting to ten before making her way toward the disease ward. She entered through the two swinging doors, frowning as she came upon a dark laboratory. Four long tables were situated in the center of the room and stretched all the way across, glossy black tabletops completely barren. The pink-haired kunoichi remained alert as she covered the perimeter, her right hand skimming the wall for a light switch.

Across the room, directly in front of where she had entered, was a lone glass door. Sakura touched the handle with caution, glancing behind her before giving it an experimental tug. It was only until it was fully open did she notice a dim, pale blue light spilling across the floor, presumably being emitted from another closed door. She walked further down the hall to find that the light was coming from an office, and from the shadows that threw themselves across the floor and against the walls, she gathered that it certainly wasn't vacant.

Sakura held her breath, her left hand poised at her weapons pouch while the other gingerly knocked on the glass. The door opened to reveal a bespectacled, dark haired woman in a lab coat who peered at her warily.

"Are you lost, ma'am?" she inquired, taking off her glasses. She squinted at her as she wiped the lenses against the fabric of her coat.

"No, I was scheduled to meet with someone today from the disease ward? I'm Haruno Sakura, the director of Hidden Leaf's medical department," the kunoichi greeted her quietly.

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, forgive me!" She bowed deeply. "I am Sato Aya, the director of Sound's medicinal department – or, the notion of it, anyway…" she trailed off.

Sakura frowned. "Notion?"

Aya laughed nervously, sliding her glasses back on. "I really am just a stand-in director, you see. I've been Kabuto's apprentice for a number of years now, and he entrusted me the title because he knows that I am well-read." She glanced at Sakura. "I really expected you to be much older, but you're probably as old as I am…"

Sakura ran a hand through her hair, flustered. "Why are you the only one here? Where are the medic-nin and the doctors and the nurses?"

Aya glanced outside the glass door before stepping closer to the other woman, lowering her head. "Sakura-san, can I confide in you?" she asked softly.

"Er, yes, but—"

"Kabuto has not set foot inside this hospital – any hospital or clinic, in fact! – since the day Sound had been legally recognized as a village. I really am glad that they decided to send you here alone, because I'm afraid we wouldn't have much to discuss if Kabuto or Sasuke-sama were here." Aya whispered urgently.

Sakura pursed her lips, her eyes wide in shock. "Aya-san, this is a very pressing matter. Do the medic-nin at least know the basic procedures? Does Sound even have medic-nin? Where is everyone?"

"They're working. It's been very difficult since Kabuto disappeared from the scene, but we've managed to devote half their day here to their training while they clock in during the second half and go to work. Everyone works two shifts at some point, seeing as we have to stay on the ball." Aya sighed. "The second class should be arriving within forty-five minutes. Sakura-san, I really am sorry to lay this burden on you. I will be there to help, but I am often in and out of the room since I also supervise those who are working."

Sakura took a breath, exhaled it slowly. "Firstly, can you tell me why Kabuto hasn't been here? And secondly, how far behind are your classes?"

Aya shook her head. "Kabuto has been quite busy, although with what, he has not been at liberty to say. I have told him time and again what a pressing matter this is, but apparently his work with Orochimaru-sama is much more important than his work here. And… I'm afraid that I don't know how far behind the medic-nin are. If it is doable, Sakura-san, could you possibly extend your stay here?"

The pink-haired kunoichi worried her bottom lip. Between Tsunade-sama and Sasuke, her chances were at odds. Who knew how long it would actually take for the medic-nin to get into the swing of things, and just how long would Tsunade-sama permit her to stay? And depending on Sasuke's mood swings, she didn't know how long she would be on the receiving end of his impertinence, or how far he intended on pushing it. "I will address the Hokage about this matter immediately after our session today, and I will let you know as soon as possible."

Aya nodded, her eyes downcast. "I know that it is a lot to ask from one person, but if you could help… Orochimaru-sama – Sound – will owe you tremendously."

Sakura nodded, mostly to herself. She gritted her teeth. If Tsunade-sama denied the extended appeal, it would certainly be a heavy weight on Konoha's competence in regards to foreign relations and another addition to Sound's ineptitudes. It was a double benefactor, but in its shadow was a double-edged sword. There was absolutely no reason to back down, aside from the existing and now irrelevant doubts that Konoha and Sound had about one another. And aside from Konoha and Sound, the other villages were for the most part quite stable and at peace; there was no reason to expect any sort of hostility. And everyone who knew a thing or two about politics knew that as long as Sound needed support, they would have to remain as courteous and tightlipped as possible toward the villages that were willing to aid them.

It was not difficult to deduce that whoever had thought up this plan had weighed their options well, and thoroughly at that.

Sakura glanced back at Aya. "May I see any scrolls that anyone may have written in the past, or recently? This hospital exists, and that means that someone from Sound must've started off somewhere."

Aya nodded eagerly, exiting the office and walking back towards the darkened laboratory with Sakura in tow. She flipped on the lights and made her way towards one of the long tables, kneeling in order to open one of the cabinets. "These cabinets are filled with scrolls. I haven't had time to properly group them, but this particular cabinet is full of basic to intermediate procedures that the medic-nin have already learned or are in the process of learning. Feel free to read them, if you'd like."

Sakura was halfway through the scrolls when the swinging doors flew open, weary students flooding the laboratory. They took their seats, each of them mindfully taking notice of the flustered, pink-haired kunoichi situated on the floor.

--

Sakura sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. It had been a long time since she had had to expend so much energy that the weariness she felt was almost foreign to her.

It was already late in the evening by the time she had completed her session with the students. She had learned that they weren't as behind as she thought, but a lot of them required more attention and practice, especially. Sakura had taught them about four procedures within the span of seven hours, which wasn't too bad in and of itself. A select few refrained from participating in the lesson, instead documenting Sakura's instructions into scrolls so that they might be able to teach them to the others later on.

The exhausted kunoichi heaved another sigh as her stomach grumbled. The street vendors had packed up and left hours ago, and chances were she probably wouldn't be able to get a bite to eat until morning. A couple hours of rest would properly restore most of what she'd expended today, so the sooner she got to the hostel the better.

Except she suspected that that wouldn't be anytime soon, seeing as she had come to sense someone's chakra within her vicinity, and said chakra's levels were too high to be left unheeded. The medic-nin took in her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the dark, a kunai held at the ready.

"Who's there?" she demanded quietly.

A soft, high pitched laugh echoed through the empty streets. Sakura narrowed her eyes as a spot of red seemed to fade in and out of the shadows. And then suddenly she was face to face with a youthful redheaded woman. As Sakura took a cautious step back, the woman gave her a haughty smirk.

"Who are you?" Sakura demanded.

The redhead sized her up with a condescending gaze. "I think you should go home, little girl."

Sakura cocked her head. "Oh? And who are you to come to such a decision?"

The other woman gritted her teeth, taking a step closer. "The last thing Sound should be doing is taking advice from a weak village like Konoha." She glared at her. "I'd kill you in a second if you weren't so important to Orochimaru-sama."

Sakura's head hurt, to say the very least. "The last thing you should be doing is decrying another village when yours isn't doing too well to begin with. And exactly how big of a role am I playing in Orochimaru's plans here?"

"Nanako."

Both girls turned around to see an agitated Sasuke walking towards them.

The redhead straightened her posture. "Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke could've bore holes into Sakura with the intensity of his stare. "What do you think you're doing? Do you think your higher rank automatically gives you the right to belittle someone?"

Nanako looked pleased. Beside her, Sakura snorted.

"Really, Sasuke. You should practice what you preach," the medic-nin remarked.

Sasuke redirected his glare at Nanako. "And you know better. Why are you wasting your time on someone like her? Go home."

Nanako bowed deeply. "Please forgive my foolishness, Sasuke-sama," she murmured before she backed away, fading into the shadows.

"You really aren't in the position to do much of anything right now." Sakura warned him.

Sasuke smirked. "That's funny, because I could've told you the same thing."

His former teammate froze as the air got significantly heavier, causing her knees to buckle. From where she stood, she could see that Sasuke wasn't affected at all. In fact, his eyes were glowing a distinct red, and she could see the black pinwheels in his irises shifting as he fixed his gaze on her.

Sakura gasped as she was physically pulled to the ground, smacking her head against the pavement. She hissed in pain, her eyes snapping shut.

And when she opened them, all she could see was crimson red. Shit. Shit. Shit!

A/N: 12/07/06

I didn't realize Tayuya was dead, so I replaced her with an OC. It's a slight change, and doesn't really affect the chapter.