It's been months, and I feel like this chapter is really short, ._. sorry.. reviews are a big help, though, they keep me motivated. There a soooo many errors, and I feel the quality of this just isn't that good. If someone could pm me and explain the whole beta reader thing I'd greatly appreciate that..

I don't own Naruto, be thankful for that, because if I did it would be shoujo.

The Hokage was kindhearted, but very annoying. Gaara gave his old friend an awkward smile. Naruto grinned back.

"I received your scroll that you sent, of course. To be blunt, I'd say such a thing would be impossible." Gaara said, immediately getting to business. Naruto got serious too.

"I know, but I am still asking for your permission. I know she's out there. She has to be." Naruto said while maintaining strong eye contact.

Gaara stood from his office chair. It's been one and a half years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. It's actually been two years since Haruno Sakura was missing though. He inwardly scowled. Earlier this afternoon he had something akin to a fantasy about Haruno. It was probably because of the Hokage's request to search for her here in Sunagakure. He wasn't going to allow Naruto to search for her here though. More than likely she was dead, and Naruto had to attend the duties of being leader to a great hidden village than to look for a long dead team mate.

"I'll allow you to stay here for seven days, Naruto. After seven days, promise me you will return to your duties." Gaara said walking towards the office door.

"Of course, Gaara." Naruto gave a little smile.

Gaara could not help but pity him, and admire his determination.

Gaara showed the Hokage around his village. It had improved greatly after the war with the help of Konohagakure. Unfortunately though, Konohagakure was still healing from the war.

"So, this is the village treatment center? In the middle of this flower field?" Naruto asked as Gaara lead him to the medical center, along with a handful of guards. Of course, the guards were just for precautions. Just in case something happened.

"This field is not for show. A majority of these are herbs that are organized according to which ailment they treat." Gaara explained, then he thought about the deceased Haruno Sakura. She would often speak about how the herbs that grew in Sunagakure were scarce, but very effective. He glanced over at his friend. Naruto was studying the field in a solemn way. He was thinking the same thing.

Surprisingly, after the war, Haruno Sakura was the only one who died out of the Konoha 11. But then again, it was no surprise. The life of a shinobi was fleeting. It was never fair. Gaara turned to his guards, waving them off, they nodded in understanding and headed toward the medical center.

"You came here to look for her." Gaara said. It was no question, but an obvious statement. Naruto turned to him a smiled halfheartedly.

"I've already looked all around, maybe she's here. Maybe she's just lost..." Naruto trailed off. They were walking into a forest at the edge of the field.

"I have had some special techniques done to search for her chakra essence, but..." Gaara stared at Naruto, urging him to continue.

"I was told it was completely gone." he finished, sapphire eyes dimming. Gaara kept his composure, though the information still shocked him somewhat. Such a thing was impossible. If they had an item of Haruno, then used the chakra essence searching technique, they'd be able to find her dead body, maybe even just her bones from anywhere on the planet. It took years, sometimes decades for a chakra essence to even fade.

"And you're still looking for her?" Gaara asked evenly. They continued walking deeper into the forest. As far as Gaara knew, there had been an explosion in the makeshift hospital Konoha had during the war, Haruno was believed to check on her patients when another explosion occurred. No one had even found her body.

"I have to..." Naruto whispered. Both village leaders stiffened, then immediately, or reflexively, heightened their senses. They felt four blank chakra approaching them. Within seconds they were partly surrounded by four shinobi, wearing baggy grey brown attire and a black sack over their heads.

Without hesitation, Gaara summoned his sand to encase the bodies of two of the mysterious shinobi.

One of the shinobi Gaara targeted pulled a glove off his right hand, then laid his bare hand against Gaara's sand, it turned into solid sand stone before it could surround them.

Naruto, completely oblivious to what had just occurred, underestimated the two other shinobi and pinned them to trees with kunai.

Gaara found it hard to believe what was happening, so he attempted summoning his sand again. He made a sand cage around the four shinobi then turn the sand into sandstone.

"Gaara," Naruto called out, "their chakras are blank..." Chakra is something like someone's voice. It's energy, but it's a particular someone's energy.

One of the shinobi who removed his glove, placed his bare -rather feminine Gaara noted- hand on the sandstone, then the sandstone turned into a fine powder within seconds.

"What?" Gaara muttered quietly.

Naruto skillfully threw some kunai at the shinobi's heads, pinning their sack like hoods to the trees behind them. Both Naruto and Gaara stared in shock at what was underneath those hoods.

Under the hoods were copies of Haruno Sakura's face. Same green eyes, thought they were terrified. Same pink hair, though it was unruly. Same fair skin, but it was covered with grime.

This all seemed like a sick joke.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered incredulously, then took a step towards the clone with one bare hand.

"Naruto!" Gaara hissed in a low voice.

Naruto came up to a clone, and reached for its bare hand.

The three other clones watched, Gaara noted. But he noticed they all, even the one Naruto was approaching, stared at him with a horrified expression. The moment Naruto touched the clone's bare hand, it began screaming in pure agony, as if the very touch of him burned.

"Yada! Yada! Yadaaa!" it cried out in pain. The clone began to turn into sand stone. Moments later, there stood a sand stone statue of Haruno Sakura with a look of pure agony on her face. The three other clones ran into the forest, after giving Naruto one last terrified glance.

This all had to be some sick twisted joke.