DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 32: Code

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Sakura glanced up from the food she had been prodding with her chopsticks and met her mother's hazel gaze. "Shishou," she huffed.

Mrs. Haruno sighed. "I know you don't agree with Tsunade-sama's decision, but, Sakura, she is the Hokage—"

"So?" Sakura said incredulously, her pink brows furrowing. "Just because she's the Hokage doesn't mean she's right."

"No, but it does mean that she has to do what she believes is right." Mrs. Haruno met her daughter's fierce gaze with softness.

"But she doesn't believe it's the right thing to do. She's only doing it because the Council told her to."

"Sakura, the Council has many years of experience leading Konoha. In their eyes, they're taking care of the village."

She snorted. "So executing Sasuke will protect the village? He's done nothing against Konoha!" Anger filled her eyes. "They're just thinking about themselves."

Mrs. Haruno turned to her quiet husband for help. His emerald eyes flickered up from the meal he had been eagerly eating when he noticed his wife's burning glare. He swallowed his mouthful of food and, clearing his throat roughly, looked at his daughter.

"Sakura, I completely agree with you."

"Honey!" Mrs. Haruno gasped.

Sakura's eyes lit up, hope slowly returning to her.

Mr. Haruno looked at her intently. "I never liked the Council. They're just a bunch of power-hungry, old bats."

Sakura's lip twitched with the faintest of smiles.

Ignoring his wife's mutterings, Mr. Haruno continued. "You've got to wonder why the Council is so intent on keeping you from attending a public hearing."

"Well, I'm sure they're concerned about the effect it would have on a love-struck girl."

"Mom," Sakura moaned.

"I'm not saying you are a love-struck girl, but the Council probably thinks you are."

"I don't think that has anything to do with it," Mr. Haruno said thoughtfully. "I think…I think they're worried. They're afraid of something."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Of what?"

"You spent a good amount of time with Sasuke…maybe you know something they don't want you to know."

"Honey, she's got enough to worry about," Mrs. Haruno said sternly.

The blond man turned to his wife. "Our daughter is a kunoichi—have a little faith in her."

Sakura's brow furrowed as she thought. She sighed in frustration.

"Sakura."

She looked up at her father and saw a stern seriousness in his eyes and something akin to pride.

"I'm no shinobi. I can't help you with this." He reached across the table and took his daughter's hand in his firm grip. "So, as your client, I'm giving you an S-ranked mission to find out what the Council is hiding."

Sakura's eyes widened and it took her a moment to regain enough composure to speak. "I…Dad?"

"I'm not the only client. There are many other civilians who have expressed concerns to Tsunade-sama. She has approved of this mission and classified it as top secret and off the record, which is why I'm the one giving it to you and not her."

"I-I…I don't have the proper training for-for a mission of this level. How—"

"Sakura, you're going to have help."

Sakura bit her lip to keep it from trembling and she looked at her mother. Mrs. Haruno looked much less confident than her husband as she offered a hesitant smile. Sakura looked back at her father and swallowed down her anxiety.

"Who's on my team?"

"I don't know," Mr. Haruno replied honestly. "I was to inform only you of the mission details. From what I understand, the other trustworthy shinobi are being informed in a similar manner. In order to find out all the mission details and gain information, you'll have to do some sleuthing. Find the other clients and your mission teammates."

"How will I know?"

"A code." He looked over at his wife.

Reluctantly, Mrs. Haruno leaned toward her daughter and lowered her voice. "You will be given a new phrase by each client. When someone greets you, reply with, 'Did you hear about the sleeping ninja?' If they are on your team, they should say, 'I heard it was genjutsu.'"

Sakura nodded in understanding.

"Get going, Sakura," her father said. "You've a lot to do."

~.~.~

Sakura walked swiftly toward the Hokage Tower. Oddly, no one spoke a word to her as she traveled the crowded, afternoon streets, which made her more than a little nervous. Usually, she was greeted by a dozen or more people who recognized her from the hospital or as the Godaime's apprentice. It would make her search much more difficult if no one spoke to her. She gritted her teeth and focused instead on getting to the tower.

Reaching Tsunade's office, she knocked on the door lightly and waited for her shishou's reply.

"Come in," came the muffled answer.

Tsunade's chin was propped on her knuckles as she tore her gaze away from her work and saw Sakura before her.

"Ah, Sakura."

"Konnichiwa, Shishou."

"I hope you're not here to try to change my mind again."

"No," Sakura replied slowly. "Actually…I'm here to thank you." Her eyes were hard as she stressed her words.

Understanding twinkled in the blonde's eyes. "I see."

"I, uh…I thought about everything you said and…you were right. You are right." Sakura lifted her head confidently. "I'm sorry for my behavior."

"Good." Tsunade said bluntly. "Tell me, what are your thoughts about the trial?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed, but was certain Tsunade meant the mission. "I'm nervous."

"But you will do as you've been told?"

"I will."

Tsunade smirked. "Perfect."

Sakura looked away for a second as a thought came to her. "Um…are there…others who won't be attending the trial?"

"Of course. Someone has to watch the gates, silly girl." Tsunade frowned.

Sakura blushed lightly, embarrassed she hadn't thought before speaking. And then it clicked and she turned back to Tsunade.

"Of course," Sakura whispered.

Tsunade's frown turned into a smirk as she nodded.

Carefully restraining her sudden restlessness, Sakura spoke evenly. "I should be going. I have other business to take care of."

"Before you leave, Sakura, you should know that Uchiha is now being allowed visitors."

Sakura perked up. "Really?"

"I think a week is long enough to go without visitors. Go see him."

"I will. Thank you, Shishou."

She raced through the hallways. She was finally going to see Sasuke! When she was free of the Tower, she broke out into a full on sprint as she headed for the Interrogation Department.

She hoped that he hadn't been put through interrogations yet. Actually she hoped that everything would go all right at the trail and he wouldn't have to go through any—ever.

Rounding a corner, Sakura swerved as she nearly crashed into someone. She skidded to a halt to apologize. When she did, her eyes were met with a shock of blond hair. Oddly, Naruto wasn't dressed in his usual orange garb.

"Hey, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, sorry about almost killing you."

Naruto grinned. "You crazy? That wouldn't have killed me."

"So…what's up with your clothes?" she asked as she eyed him.

Naruto's grin faltered as confusion took over. He looked down at himself and, his eyes widening in horror, he yelped. "Where did these clothes even come from? I knew getting dressed half asleep was a bad idea!"

She smiled at his antics. And then, remembering the code, Sakura asked, "Hey, did you hear about the sleeping ninja?"

Naruto looked up and frowned. "No."

"Oh," Sakura muttered as her brow furrowed. She would have thought Naruto would be on the same mission. Then again, he wasn't the best at keeping secrets.

"Nobody told me about a sleeping ninja! What happened?" Naruto's obvious concern soon melted away to a grin. "Wait…is it a joke? Tell me the joke."

"It's not a joke. You know what, it's not important. Look, I've gotta go. I'll catch up with you later, Naruto."

"What do you mean you gotta go? You have a mission or something?"

"Uh…I actually have a few errands to run." She supposed it technically wasn't lying.

"Oh, that's no fun." Naruto frowned.

"Yeah. But, like I said, we'll catch up later. I promise."

"Ichiraku's?"

Sakura smiled. "Sure."

"Yes!" Nartuo pumped a fist into the air. He then crushed Sakura in a huge bear hug. "You're the best, Sakura-chan."

"Naru…to…you're crushing…me," she groaned.

Naruto released her and scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Eh, sorry."

Sakura gasped. "Forget it." She turned to leave. "I'll see ya later."

"What time?"

She looked over her shoulder. "How's six?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, six it is."

~.~.~

Escorted by a guard, Sakura was finally making her way through the prison hallway. She had been there a number of times before, and every time was worse than the previous visit.

Most of her visits had been purely for medical reasons. This prisoner was suffering from the flu, or that prisoner had developed cancer. She felt so terrible for those who were locked up. They shouldn't be in such unsanitary conditions.

All the unpleasant memories made her nauseous. What if Sasuke was sick? What if he was angry at her? She hadn't done a very good job at keeping him out of prison. He could be blaming her for his current situation.

She was afraid.

Her eyes flickered from side to side as they walked. She saw every prisoner and had to control her cringing when they reached out for her. Suddenly, the guard came to a stop and pointed to one of the cells. Sakura slowly crept forward, her hands clutched in front of her heart as she prepared herself for the worst.

She squinted into the darkness of the cell. Sasuke looked…very strange. It could have been his greasy, ratty hair, or the beginnings of a black beard on his face, or…the fact that he was smiling.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. He was smiling.

"Sasuke," she whispered.

He looked up from the piece of paper in his hands, the smile still on his face. When he saw her, his eyes widened.

"Sakura." His voice was very gravelly.

She walked forward and wrapped her fingers around the bars of his cell. "Are you all right?"

Sasuke stood and walked toward her, only stopping when they were a foot apart. "I'm fine," he said as his usual stoic mask appeared.

Sakura frowned as she noticed the shackles at his ankles and wrists.

Silence filled the air for a few moments as they simply stared at each other. Instinctively, her eyes searched him for any other signs of harm. His sores had gone unattended and if he had been abused in any way, she would certainly find out by whom. He wore only a pair of grey sweatpants. His bare feet were blackened with dirt, his fingernails were grubby, and his pale torso was shiny and streaked. She couldn't believe that his guards hadn't even allowed him a shower. Didn't they realize how unhealthy the conditions were?

It was so hard for Sakura to see him this way. Sasuke had never been so unkempt before. Yeah, he'd been battered and bruised, covered in dirt or blood, but he'd always had a very proud appearance. She wondered how he felt standing before her in such an undignified manner.

Seeing no other obvious signs of damage, Sakura met his eyes with sorrow in her own. And then, she glanced at his shoulder, just where the curse mark used to be. She'd noticed its absence before, but she'd never asked about it.

"What?" Sasuke asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're staring."

"Oh." Looking away briefly, she bit her lip, thoroughly embarrassed. A moment later, her eyes twinkled as they returned to his face. "I'm really happy to see you."

Sasuke glanced away and grunted incoherently.

"It's okay to say you missed me, you know," she said teasingly.

"Who said I—" Sasuke stopped short and faced her again, a heat rising to his cheeks. "It's, uh…good to see you."

Sakura smiled sadly. "I hope you haven't been too bored."

"Not at all. Sitting around is so exciting," he remarked sarcastically.

"I know." She frowned. "I'm trying to get Tsunade-shishou to announce the trial date, but…" she trailed off, her eyes turning downcast.

"What is it?"

She gripped her arms and sighed. Looking into Sasuke's dark, narrowed eyes, she admitted sadly, "I'm not going to be there."

Sasuke's lip twitched slightly or maybe it was the flickering torch light. Sakura couldn't tell.

"Why not?"

"It's my punishment."

Sasuke scowled. "I was hoping you would speak for me."

"I would have, but…" She glanced over her shoulder to see if the guard was listening, but he had already left the two of them alone. "I think that's why I'm not being allowed to attend."

"Who handed down the punishment? Tsunade?"

"No. She wouldn't do this. She didn't want to do this." Sakura stuck her face between the bars and whispered. "The Elders decided my punishment."

"Why am I not surprised," he muttered.

"My father thinks they're hiding something."

Sasuke took a step back and looked at her wearily.

"Sasuke…?"

His jaw visibly clenched for a moment and it seemed a struggle for him to relax enough to speak. "I'm sure they have secrets they don't want to lose."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Do…you know something?"

He looked away and Sakura's breath caught in her throat. He did know something…but he wasn't going to tell her.

"Please, Sasuke, tell me what you know."

Sasuke shook his head.

Slowly, she reached into his cell and gently grabbed his hand. His confused eyes shot up to meet her confident ones. Sending currents of chakra through her hand, she began to soothe the sores on his wrists and ankles. "Whatever it is….you can tell me."

"I know, just…" He took a steadying breath. "Not yet."

Sakura closed her eyes and let a small smile lift her lips. There was a promise in his quiet reply. There would come a time when he would tell her and knowing that was enough to ease her spirit. Years of hardship had made Sakura a very patient person.

"I'll wait."

"Thank you."

The flow of healing chakra instantly stopped as those familiar words resounded. Sakura looked up in awe, a blush igniting her cheeks. She remembered the last time he had thanked her and wondered if that's all he had wanted—for her to wait.

"You're welcome," she whispered.

They gazed at each other a moment longer until Sasuke's eyes shifted downward. She followed his gaze to their clasped hands. Surprised and embarrassed, she let go and took a step away from him. Her fingers tingled as his warmth vanished from her skin. She couldn't look at him; she didn't want to see how he was reacting.

"So, um…what were you reading when I got here?" she asked awkwardly in an attempt to switch the focus off of her.

"A letter," he replied simply.

Her heart stopped and her breath hitched. She slowly looked up, curiosity in her eyes. "A letter…?"

He nodded and a smug smirk pulled at his lips. "Yours."

She couldn't control the giddy smile that appeared on her face. "My letter made you smile?" she asked softly.

"It was amusing."

She glanced at her toes. "Somehow, I always thought you were ignoring my letters."

"I read every letter you sent," he replied as if offended.

His sharp reply made Sakura look up. "Really?"
His face softened. "I kept every single one."

Again, she was smiling. She was beaming. The warmth that had been in her fingers seemed to spread all the way up her arm and through her whole body. Bubbles were bursting inside her stomach and filling her chest. Her heart felt like it was beating so fast and joyously that it would jump right out of her chest.

For the longest time, she only dreamed that he was reading her letters. And here he was, admitting that he had not only read them, but kept them.

She watched a soft smile curve Sasuke's ever-serious mouth. Before that day, she couldn't recall the last time she had seen him smile. He had an amazing smile that filled her with such hope. She couldn't stand to see him smiling like that behind those bars. She wanted to see him smile like that outside while staring up at the stars, while enjoying a summer breeze, while…gazing into her eyes.

She took a step forward, toward him and placed her hands tightly around the bars. She could pull them right out of the wall and he would be free. And she would hug him. She couldn't let him go to that trial and possibly be sentenced to death. She wouldn't let it happen.

She loved him.

"You have two minutes!" A voice bellowed from down the hall, pulling her from her thoughts.

Sakura turned toward the sound and her shoulders slumped.

"I haven't seen you in a week! You'd think they'd give us an hour," she griped.

Sasuke said nothing for a moment and then spoke hesitantly. "Will you…visit tomorrow?"

She looked at him. "Yeah."

He nodded.

Her eyes scanned over him. "Looks like your scar's healed up quite nicely," she said referring to his chest injury. "How do your eyes feel?"

"I see fine, they don't hurt."

"Good." She looked back at the entrance and then at him again. "Before I go, I've been meaning to ask," she reached toward him and gently touched his neck. "What happened to your curse mark?"

Sasuke gently gripped her hand and pulled it away from his neck. "Some other time," he said quietly, almost sadly.

Someone was walking toward them from down the hall. Expecting just the guard, Sakura didn't pay any attention to him until he spoke.

"Yo."

She visibly jumped. Her head twisted to look at the new visitor.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"What's up guys?" His visible eye creased as he undoubtedly smiled. "Sasuke, it's been a while. Shame really, my favorite student locked up like some gorilla."

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered.

"Sensei, you told me I was your favorite," Sakura said with a frown.

Kakashi chuckled nervously. "Of course you are. You're all my favorites."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Has Naruto come to see you yet?" Kakashi looked at Sasuke.

"He doesn't know visitors are allowed," Sakura answered in Sasuke's stead.

"Don't tell him," Sasuke said warningly.

"Uh…too late," Kakashi replied as he scratched the back of his head.

Sakura smiled sheepishly as Sasuke groaned.

"Well, I'm here to escort Sakura out. We'll see ya later, Sasuke."

"Whatever."

"Bye, Sasuke," Sakura said and he nodded at her.

As the two were walking back through the halls, Sakura couldn't help but notice her sensei's gaze burning into the side of her head.

"Sensei?"

"Sakura." His voice was serious. "Did you hear about the sleeping ninja?"

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "I heard it was genjutsu."

A/N: Hey guys, hope ya'll had a good Memorial Day weekend! I have to admit that I was rather busy, which is both a good and a bad thing. Very difficult to get the creative juices flowing when you have no time to.

Well, I hope you like the new chapter, it's a little different, but I think it works. Now for the news: I'm going on vacation Sunday, so I won't be updating for a little while. My goal is to get the next one out for the week of the 25th. We'll see how things work out though. I'll definitely be back, so don't freak if it takes a while for the next chapter. I'm seeing this story through to the end. That's a promise!

As always, you are awesome for reviewing. And thank you, Sakura's Unicorn (formerly Sakura's Indecision), for being an awesome beta!

Until next time, peace!