A/N: No waiting a month this time. Thanks to Raigon for catching some errors in the original.
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"Sakura, we need you in surgery!" shouted a nurse.
The pinkette rushed immediately to the operating room. A dark-haired man lay on the operating table, blood gushing from a wound on his stomach. Something was not right about the angle of the wound.
"It's self-inflicted," she muttered as she began to heal him, her hands glowing green. "We need a bag of O negative," she told a nurse. The woman snapped to attention.
"Yes, Haruno-sensei.
Tsunade had told her this type of incident happened often after after a war. The invisible scars shinobi brought home with them often hurt more than the physical injuries.
Post-traumatic stress was a part of shinobi life. War brought on several lifetimes of it. Soon Sakura finished healing the man. She wrote an order to send the man for a psych hold.
"Sakura Haruno report to the Hokage Tower."
Sakura took of her lab coat, revealing her navy skirt and a red top with her clan symbol. She grabbed a messenger bag from her locker. She walked the short distance to the Hokage Tower, squinting in the bright daylight.
"Morning already?"
Soon she reached Tsunade's office. The Hokage once again had a bottle of sake in hand.
"You've been working too hard at the hospital. I'm ordering you to take a break of no less than four days."
"I'm needed there. Ino and Hinata are on leave."
"You three aren't the only medics," said Tsunade. "I repeat I order you to take off."
"Yes Shishou," said Sakura. She started to yawn, but caught herself.
"I can't have my heir half-insane from exhaustion," she added with a wink.
"Your heir? What about Shizune?"
"Shizune wants to take over the research division. Even if she didn't, you surpassed her a long time ago."
"What about the Hokage role?"
"I'll decide that after we finish rebuilding," she said.
"But no buildings were destroyed," she said.
"I'm talking about the people," said Tsunade.
Sakura didn't know to respond.
"You weren't even born until after the third war so you don't remember. Sarutobi-sensei summoned me back because we'd lost so many medics. War breaks people."
"I treated a shinobi who tried to kill himself tonight."
"That's not uncommon," said Tsunade. "So go get some rest. I need you to be ready to train medics and treat patients next week."
Sakura left the office, but decided to stop by the Hokage's private library. She wanted a few medical texts. As she scanned the shelves, she saw a familiar figure reading a dusky old book in an armchair next to the shelf of medical texts. Sakura walked over and began to look at the books.
"Hello."
"Hn."
"I see Shishou allowed you into the library," commented Sakura.
She took a book from the shelf and put it into her bag. One down, five to go.
"All I can do other than sparring with Suigetsu," he replied.
"You may have helped us win, but you did defect, kill a Konoha elder and join the Akastuki in the process," she said. "One good task doesn't undo the past Sasuke."
"What happened to Sasuke-kun?" he asked.
There was a pause. Sakura took a second book off the shelf.
"He knocked me out and left me on a bench about five years ago," she replied, as she slipped a book into her bag.
Another silent pause aside of the soft sound of the third book being added to her stack. And then the fourth.
"No, he's here," he said. "You're still annoying."
"Why do you care? It's not like you ever called me anything other than Sakura."
"Hn."
"I see you agree."
"Hn."
Finally, she located the last book.
"I have the books I need now," she said. "Goodbye."
"Later Sakura-chan."
"Don't call me Sakura-chan!"
He smirked.
Sakura left the Hokage Tower. She needed to go home to drop off the books. She walked down the road. As she turned, she bumped into someone clad entirely in black.
'I'm sorry."
"You're living up to your nickname Ugly."
"I've been awake for two days at the hospital," she replied.
Sai didn't respond. He moved so fast she wasn't sure what he did. She was in his arms. Her bag was on his shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
"You're exhausted," said Sai. "I'll carry you instead of making you walk with all."
"I can take care of myself," she replied.
"I read in a book that everyone needs to be taken care of once in while," he retorted.
Sakura considered jumping from his arms and smacking him. Instead she lay her head against his shoulder.