Authoress' Notes: It's a little dry, but we need to get through this. And yes I killed off Jiraiya. Gomennasai! I tried to think of a way Itachi's meddlesome awesomeness could influence Jiraiya's outcome but the only ways I could think to do it were just silly and didn't really work with the flow of the story.
Also, no one's commented on it yet, but I'm answering this in anticipation of the question: Why doesn't Sasuke seem all that affected by Itachi's death? The answer is simple: In my opinion, right after killing Itachi, Sasuke was pretty much an empty shell because the very thing he had lived for, for years and years, was done...and what else did he have left? Then the first thing he's thrown into is a world with an emotional Sakura and an optimistic Naruto (instead of an evil, manipulative Madara)? It only makes sense that the first emotions to come back to the surface are the ones relevant to his teammates...but that doesn't mean we won't have to deal with an angsty Sasuke later... Does that sound ominous? It really isn't meant to.
Chapter 5 - You be the Anchor
And honestly I have been begging for answers, that you and only you can give to me.
A voice crying loud, I've been crying for days now, and as I start to run, I stop to breathe.
(And I was nearly scared to death) And I was nearly scared to death,
(Of what you left in paragraphs) Of what you left in paragraphs,
(The words were nearly over us) The words were nearly over us,
You stop and turn and grab your bags.
And I'll be here by the ocean, just waiting for proof that there's sunsets and silhouette dreams.
All my sand castles fall like the ashes of cigarettes, and every wave drags me to sea.
- You be the Anchor that Keeps my Feet on the Ground; I'll be the Wings that Keep your Heart in the Clouds, Mayday Parade
"Huh?" Naruto voiced, looking confused. "Wh-what are you saying?"
Then Fukasaku proceeded to tell them the story of Jiraiya's final battle. And while the toad continued to explain what had happened, Sasuke watched from his place next to Sakura as Naruto seemed to be crumbling right before his eyes. Gone was the blond's happy smile, gone was his boisterous personality. He looked like nothing more than a shadow of himself. He looked utterly broken.
He looked like Sasuke had when his whole world had been turned upside down.
"Durin' his fight, Pain crushed poor Jiraiya-chan's throat. Before he fell fer the last time, he left one final message. An' here it is," the toad said, turning around and removing his cloak to reveal a bunch of numbers that looked almost as if they were carved into his back.
"A code..." Shizune whispered in the silence that fell upon the room.
Fukasaku fastened his cloak back around his shoulders and turned to face them again. "He did it so Pain wouldn't know what he was sayin'. This here's what Jiraiya-chan died for," the toad explained.
"Baa-chan...did you send him there?" Naruto suddenly asked, staring down at the ground. His voice was low and level, and even though Sasuke couldn't see Naruto's face, he knew all too well that if he could, he would see shock and pain there. Sasuke's own pain had dulled after many years, and the anger that had replaced it had also dulled now with no target to direct it at, but Sasuke could still vividly remember everything he had gone through.
"Yes," Tsunade answered him firmly.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Naruto yelled angrily, looking up to meet Tsunade's eyes. "You know how Ero-sennin got! Why did you let him go on such a risky–"
"Enough, Naruto," Kakashi cut Naruto off firmly. "You should understand exactly how the Godaime feels."
Sasuke watched as Naruto stared Kakashi down, before suddenly whirling around on his heel.
"Fuck this," he muttered, heading for the door.
"Naruto, where are you going?" Sakura called after him.
"If he'd been the Godaime, he'd never have made you go on that mission, Tsunade baa-chan," Naruto spoke quietly from the doorway, ignoring Sakura, with all of the shock, hurt, and anger he felt plain in his voice.
And then Naruto left, slamming the door behind him.
Sakura immediately made to go after him, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist.
"Let him be," he told her. He didn't know what kind of relationship Naruto and Jiraiya had had, but given what little Naruto had told him last night about his time with Jiraiya coupled with the pain Naruto seemed to be feeling right now, he could take a stab at how important the old man had been to Naruto. Naruto had just lost one of his most precious people forever, and Sasuke knew all too well what that felt like.
And it was a pain that Sakura didn't know.
"But he's hurting," Sakura insisted, pulling against his grasp, but her attempt was feeble.
"He needs some time alone to grieve," Sasuke replied firmly, not releasing his grip. He knew Sakura meant well, but she couldn't do anything for Naruto right now when the pain was still so raw and new. Naruto needed time to be angry at the world and sad in private first.
After a moment, Sakura sighed heavily and stopped struggling against him, and he let go of her.
"My apologies Fukasaku-sama," Kakashi then began, addressing the elderly toad, "Naruto just needs some time–"
"I understand," Fukasaku interrupted sadly, ducking his head.
A sad silence followed his statement, and Sasuke felt out of place. He hadn't known Jiraiya – only of him – so the news of his death left no deep wound to his heart. That wasn't to say that he felt absolutely nothing. It was there, he acknowledged, a little bit of sadness, but it came in the form of empathy for Naruto – who looked like he was going through hell.
"Sai," Tsunade's commanding voice broke the quiet atmosphere, "go tell Morino Ibiki to assemble his interrogation team outside of headquarters. If he's still not done with the interrogations of Suigetsu and Karin, tell him to put those on hold for now – this is more important. Shizune, go prepare an autopsy room and assemble your team – the body Jiraiya obtained for us will be brought to you. Kakashi, please go inform the village elders of Jiraiya's passing."
The three of them nodded their heads before disappearing from the room, presumably to complete their assigned tasks. Only Sakura, Sasuke, and the toads remained with Tsunade.
"Is there anything you need me to do, shishou?" Sakura asked.
"I know you were going to focus entirely on healing Juugo as soon as you had something to work with, but I'm going to have to ask you to take on a bigger workload at the hospital for a few days," Tsunade told Sakura, her voice having lost its dignified tone. Sasuke thought that instead she now sounded old.
"Of course, shishou," Sakura responded, nodding her head minutely.
And then Tsunade said nothing more as she turned her chair to look out the windows down onto Konoha.
While Tsunade stared down at the village, Sakura could only watch, her heart breaking at the sight before her. Her violent, strong, and loud teacher looked old. But it was understandable that the proud woman looked exhausted and aged. There was no way Tsunade wasn't suffering. Jiraiya's death was a fresh wound to her already scarred heart, and Sakura knew that the loss of yet another one of her important people was surely reminding Tsunade of all the loss she had experienced in her past.
Loss.
It was something that Sakura understood all too well even if she had never experienced its full effects. Its half ass attempts at crippling her had been more than enough for her to get a taste of the wild emotions it could bring: deep sorrow, extreme shock, and violent anger. No. She had never experienced loss as complete as Tsunade, or Sasuke, or now Naruto had, but she didn't need to. The knowledge of their hurt, and that she couldn't fix it, pained her more than enough.
Sakura walked over to Tsunade's desk where she pulled a camera out of one of the drawers. She felt Sasuke's eyes on her as she moved, but now was not the time to think of him. She had to take care of her shishou, and then she could deal with her own frustrating hurt. Everything to do with Sasuke had to be put on hold.
"Fukasaku-sama, I would greatly appreciate it if you would remove your cloak again so that I could take a picture of the code on your back," Sakura said as she turned to the toad who was watching her teacher, his wise old eyes sad and understanding.
"Of course," he told her before turning around and letting the garment pool on the ground.
Sakura snapped the picture and caught the photo as it printed out of the camera.
"Thank you, Fukasaku-sama," she murmured, placing the photo on Tsunade's desk and the camera back into its place while Fukasaku swung his cloak about his shoulders once again.
Tsunade seemed to snap back to attention at the sound of her desk drawer closing.
"Fukasaku-sama. I'm sorry for my lapse in attention. Is there anything more that we need to discuss? Do you need somewhere to stay? All you need to do is ask–" Tsunade began as she turned her chair back around to face the other occupants of the room.
"We toads have our own nooks an' crannies 'round hereabouts," Fukasaku interrupted her. "I thank you fer your hospitality but we'll be fine on our own. An' I'll come see you again tomorrow if that's alright, Tsunade-hime? What more I have to say can wait until then...an' Naruto should really be present. That being said, I'll make sure the toads carryin' the prisoner and the body make it to where they're supposed to fer you."
"Thank you Fukasaku-sama. And yes, another visit tomorrow is fine," Tsunade answered, biting her lip.
"Then until tomorrow," the old toad said before the entire group of toads poofed out of the room. Sakura imagined that the giant toads outside had just disappeared in a similar matter.
But this was good. Now Sakura wouldn't feel as awkward for what she was about to do with no one to watch – well almost no one. She half considered kicking Sasuke out of the room as well, but she figured Tsunade wouldn't mind all too much if he were to witness her next act.
So, Sakura walked to one of the bookshelves and pulled out what looked like an old medical tome. Opening it up revealed that it was in fact a box disguised as a book...a box that contained a full bottle of sake and a little glass. Sakura settled the book on a lower, emptier shelf, and pulled out the two items contained within it. In a practised motion, Sakura removed the bottle's cork and poured a full glass of the alcohol, which she promptly placed in front of her teacher.
"Drink," she ordered.
"Sakura," Tsunade uttered her name slowly, tiredly.
"You need some normalcy right now. So drink, please."
Tsunade stared Sakura down before smiling sadly, acknowledging her defeat and how well the pink haired girl knew her. Then she lifted the cup to her lips and downed its contents.
A knock on the door was perfectly timed with the bottom of the glass hitting the desk as Tsunade brought it down from her lips.
"Come in," the Hokage called, immediately sliding the glass into a drawer and straightening in her seat.
The door opened to reveal Shikamaru, clad in his chunin vest. He walked into the room, looking first past Sasuke to Sakura, and then rapidly shifting his eyes back to the dark-haired shinobi in a classic double take. Sakura watched as his eyes narrowed, and she could practically see the gears turning in his head. He was calculating...thinking...probably piecing together the story of Sasuke's return in his mind based on everything that he knew. He wouldn't be left to it for long though. Already Sakura knew the opportunity Tsunade would see in Shikamaru. She was not disappointed.
"Shikamaru. I have a job for you," the woman began, adopting her stern Hokage voice once again. "Jiraiya was killed in action on his last mission. He managed to leave us this," she continued, thrusting the photograph of the code that Sakura had taken into Shikamaru's hands. "I need you to set about its decoding. So, take that and get to work."
"You mean now?" Shikamaru asked, his disbelief and confusion evident in his voice, and Sasuke clearly temporarily forgotten. "The cryptology squads are all done for the day–"
"Tell them they've been drafted to work directly for the Hokage. Anyways, you're in charge now. Get it done," Tsunade said, using her desk to push herself up from her seat. Then she strolled around the table and started walking towards the door. Sakura recognized the look in her eyes – Tsunade was in pain, but she was also determined to not let Jiraiya's sacrifice be in vain.
"Huh? Wh-where're you going? I came here to talk about something completely different–" Shikamaru trailed off as Tsunade walked past him.
"Shikamaru," Sakura spoke, catching her friend's attention.
"But–" Shikamaru began to protest.
"Tsunade-sama's been working like crazy all day," Sakura told him as Tsunade pulled open the door and strode out of her office.
When the door clicked shut behind her teacher, Shikamaru started again.
"I've got stuff to do," he insisted.
"Please, Shikamaru."
Her face was set in the same expression she had shown him the night he left, Sasuke observed.
Right now, Sakura was pleading with Shikamaru the same way she had pleaded with him to stay with her in Konoha. And seeing her face like that was like a punch to Sasuke's gut. He had betrayed that face, and remembering that now when he was trying to settle back into life in Konoha, when his old relationships were being rebuilt around him, reminded him so much of how he didn't deserve any of it.
Damn Neji for making him think about all that in the first place.
"It's troublesome, but alright. I'll get to work, Sakura," Shikamaru finally answered her, apparently recognizing the quiet desperation and sorrow in her tone as well.
"Thank you, Shikamaru. Thank you," she murmured.
Shikamaru sighed, but pocketed the picture and walked out the door, stopping only once to take a final curious glance back at the pair, apparently understanding that what he was tasked to do was more important right now than Sasuke suddenly being back in Konoha.
It was when the lazy genius left that Sakura broke down.
He watched as she went to Tsunade's desk and pulled out the empty glass Tsunade had hidden in a drawer, all the while thinking that she was going to put it away. Sakura did carry it to where the bottle of sake sat, still open, but instead of putting it away like he thought she would, she grabbed the bottle and poured another full glass. Then she tossed the contents down her own throat.
That was not right. Not that drinking alcohol at their age was really that big a deal, especially for ninja – but this was Sakura. He might not have known her well, or even at all, after all this time, but even he knew this was wrong. This was not her. She had alway been the normal one in their team – the happy, naive, untainted one for all that she was a Konoha kunoichi. Even if she had grown up, even if she might no longer be naive or stainless, Sasuke knew that she wasn't supposed to be chugging back alcohol to drown out whatever was on her mind.
She poured another glass and lifted it to her lips, letting the liquid pass over them and down her throat. When she made to refill the glass a third time Sasuke walked to her side and grabbed her wrist before she could close her hand around the bottle.
"What are you doing, Sakura?" he asked her.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm having a drink," she answered softly, her eyes downcast.
"Why?" he pushed, his grip on her wrist not slackening in the least.
"Because I can't do anything else," she whispered harshly, looking up into his eyes and holding his gaze. "For Naruto, for Tsunade-shishou, for you. All I can do is stand by, knowing the loss hurts you and that there's nothing I can do to fix it...it'll always exist."
And then the tears flooded her eyes.
Sasuke didn't know what to do. Here she was, crying for her teacher and Naruto...and him. Even in this situation, he confirmed that whatever her reason for avoiding his eyes for most of the day and not talking to him with the cheery brightness she seemed to reserve for everyone else, it had nothing to do with how much she cared for him.
As the tears escaped her eyes and started their journey down her face, a wave of his old protectiveness crashed over him, completely unbidden but there nonetheless. Yes, this behaviour of her's was more normal than watching Sakura drink, but it still didn't feel right.
"Come on, Sakura. I'm taking you home," he told her.
That seemed to get her attention. She pulled herself out of his grip and quickly corked the sake bottle, shoving it back into the hollowed out book along with the dirty glass. Then she turned her attention back to Sasuke.
"No. You need clothes and food, and you're not supposed to walk around the village alone yet," she told him firmly, wiping furiously at her tears. "We'll go to your apartment, and then into the shopping district."
"Sakura–" he tried again, but she interrupted him before he could utter anymore than her name.
"Please, Sasuke-kun. I know you may not want to spend time with me but you have to get these errands done and you're not supposed to walk around the village alone for now, so humour me," she told him, her face steeling in resolve.
I know you may not want to spend time with me... She sounded so defeated, and as the words echoed in his mind they had the same effect as the flick of a switch as he suddenly remembered the conversation he had overheard last night.
What if he wants nothing to do with us? Sakura had asked Naruto that question. Did she really believe that? 'Yes,' he realized, 'she must.' In a moment of insight, he realized why she must have been acting so different with him – she thought he might not care for them...for her, and she was guarding herself by putting a barrier of distance between them. He was instantly reminded of the time before their chunin exam when she had mysteriously refused to meet his or Naruto's eyes and hadn't spoken with her usual vigour – until he had encouraged her...
But the reasoning behind her actions was wrong.
Because he had realized that his teammates did matter to him. They had kept hope, they had saved him, and they had given him the chance to start over. Of course they mattered. Naruto mattered, and Kakashi mattered, and she... She mattered to him. He didn't entirely understand his desire to alleviate her doubts, but he acted on it anyways.
"Sakura," he spoke, catching her attention, his eyes meeting her's and silently telling her not to interrupt, "Naruto would be too noisy if I went with home, and Kakashi would spend the entire time with his nose in that book. I would much rather be in your company."
"Don't you find me annoying?" she asked.
She threw the question out, like it was a casual thing. But it was a reminder of their past, and somehow, her question felt like his final test – a chance to prove to her that he was willing to let them into his life.
"Hn. You are annoying. But you're still better company than the other two," he answered her.
The sight that greeted him was a large genuine smile.
That was finally right.
Sakura walked down the street next to Sasuke, glancing at him every little while out of the corner of her eye. She was taking him down side streets again in an attempt to avoid the stares she knew people would shoot their way – stares they would be unable to avoid when they reached the shopping district. The two of them had already returned to Sasuke's apartment where Tsunade had sent the things from his old apartment as well as some money from the Uchiha account – both which had been maintained for Sasuke by Tsunade at her and Naruto's insistence. Sasuke had grabbed a sum large enough to help him purchase groceries and at least a few new outfits, and then they had set out again.
They walked in silence, but this time, Sakura was enjoying it because it felt normal...right even. Sasuke had been proving her doubts wrong all day, including when he had stopped her from drinking herself into a stupor. She couldn't even remember why she had thought alcohol would be a good solution. For Tsunade it was something normal, a grounding force, and something she could easily handle in small quantities like the glass Sakura had poured for her. For Sakura though, it was numbing, and she could easily drink too much and poison herself...exactly like the only other time she had turned to the toxic beverage...
But the most assuaging things he had done were comment on their teammates in a way he would have only in times past and call her annoying. A normal girl would be insulted, but for her it felt familiar, comforting and oh so right. The biggest thing though, was that given his actions and attitude, it seemed that he wasn't trying to push any of them away anymore. He was simply acting too much like the Sasuke in her memory, if not a little warmer, to be trying to sever their friendship.
In the back of her mind, she still worried for Tsunade and Naruto, but now that she had calmed down and distanced herself from the situation, she knew that Sasuke's words when she had tried to go after Naruto were right. They both needed time alone to grieve for the man they had lost. She would check on them both tomorrow though – that was as much time as she could give them.
She spared another glance at Sasuke and blushed when he caught her staring. She quickly turned away, focussing on the ground. It seemed that their eyes meeting was enough to prompt him into talking because suddenly he was asking her: "How did you take the chunin exam without a three man cell?"
If they had not ever so briefly discussed the topic already this morning, Sakura would have been completely baffled by the question. As it stood, she was only mildly surprised having recognized the subject. Still this particular question caused her a twinge of pain. It reminded her too much of Sasuke leaving, and it didn't seem to matter to the ache in her heart that right now he was back and spending time with her – even if it wasn't entirely by choice.
"You were...on your own. Naruto told me he was...away...as well," Sasuke elaborated hesitantly, and Sakura thought that maybe he had caught on to what had bothered her about his question and was trying to diffuse her tension. If so, that was a kindness she hadn't expected. Regardless, she answered him.
"Since Shikamaru passed his first chunin exam, Ino and Chouji needed a third and I needed a team. So I joined them," she replied simply.
"Was it the same as our exam?" he continued.
"Sort of," she smiled as memories of all that had transpired during that momentous second chunin exam flooded her thoughts. "The exam was once again held in Konoha to prove that we were stable and strong after the attack that followed the last exam, and the format was much the same. We had a written test, a survival test in the Forest of Death, and then the one on one bouts a month later. No preliminary matches though."
Sakura felt that this line of questioning was easy for Sasuke since he asked her yet another one as they turned into the market.
"Who else achieved chunin that exam?"
She turned to him and grinned brightly before answering.
"Everyone."
"Everyone?" Sasuke asked her, and she could detect a trace of well hidden disbelief in his voice.
She smiled even wider, if that was even possible, and headed for a clothing shop she knew would carry clothes Sasuke would approve of.
"Everyone," she confirmed. "My team, Team Kurenai, and Team Gai all made it through the survival test, as well as Temari, Kankurou, and their third – Gaara was already Kazekage at the time. Anyways, the twelve of us fought in the tournament and made history when we all were promoted to chunin upon its conclusion."
"Who won the tournament?" he probed after a moment's consideration.
"Neji did. The annoying idiot made it so that I had to forfeit – and in the finals of all things!" Sakura complained happily, remembering the match and how irritated she had been that Neji had made it so that the only smart choice she could make was forfeiting the match.
Sasuke stopped walking and she reflexively stopped and turned to face him.
"What is it?" she questioned him.
"You fought Neji in the finals of the chunin exam?" his voice sounded dumbfounded – or dumbfounded for Sasuke anyways.
"Yeah," she answered him, maybe just a little smugly, realizing the reason for his perceptible bafflement.
He didn't know how strong she actually was.
Though part of the reason she had fought Neji in the finals had a lot to do with the chance involved in drawing the initial matches. First she had fought Ino. Then Shino. And finally Neji. She was lucky that she hadn't come across any true long range fighters like Tenten, Kankuro, or Temari – the last two who had reached a draw when they had to fight each other, both knowing the other's techniques too well – or her chances of losing would have increased. She had had a difficult time fighting Shino as it was seeing as how she was a close range fighter for the most part and relied on chakra for many of her attacks nowadays.
She left her answer at that and headed into the clothing store which was right in front of them.
After another beat of silence, he followed her.
"Umm, I guess I'll just look around while I wait for you," Sakura told him. "Just find me when you're done."
Sasuke nodded and went off to the men's section to dig up some things to wear. Sakura meanwhile strode over to the women's section and let herself be immersed in her thoughts.
This was nice. She liked that spending time with Sasuke felt so natural now that she was more willing to trust in who he was. Still, she didn't really know what he was thinking. And he had admitted to trying to kill her only the morning before. She was ignoring that information now in favour of the happiness her ignorance brought her, but that couldn't last.
As she browsed through the store, she caught sight of a pretty red sun dress that would be wholly impractical for her to buy. Though she was employed as a kunoichi of the village and made a decent income off the missions she undertook and the time she spent working at the hospital, she didn't have the luxury of buying superficial things. Her money went towards the necessities – she was supporting herself after all.
She must have been staring at the dress longer than she had thought, because the next thing she knew, Sasuke was tapping her on the shoulder.
"I'm done," he told her. He carried two bags that seemed to be filled with dark blues and blacks. "Are you ready to go?" he continued, glancing for a moment at the dress her eyes were locked on.
"Yeah," she murmured, wrenching her eyes away from the dress. "Let's go."
As they exited the building, Sakura felt more pairs of eyes on them than before, and heard the beginnings of whispered conversations. It seemed that while they had been inside the clothing store, rumours about Sasuke had spread like wildfire through the populace and now everyone wanted to see the returned Uchiha for themselves.
"Well, no matter what else is true, he's definitely even better looking than he was before he left."
Sakura's head immediately turned in the direction of the comment where her eyes caught sight of
a civilian woman only a few years older than her. She had been whispering to her friend so loudly that the sounds had reached Sakura's trained ears easily, without any strain to hear on her part. The woman was also pointing at Sasuke unashamedly.
"Nosy busybodies," Sakura muttered under her breath, shooting a glare at the woman that she usually only reserved for Naruto or Konohamaru when she caught either of them using a perverted ninjutsu.
As far as the numerous comments she was hearing went, that one fell into the category of "harmless" along with others like it. Mostly though, she heard mutters of traitor, and also wild speculations as to what Sasuke had been up to while he was gone – and she meant wild. Half of what was said made no sense at all.
Still, even if that young woman's comment technically didn't qualify as hurtful, it did qualify as annoying in Sakura's books. This woman, and the rest like her, knew nothing at all about Sasuke. They had never known anything about him. They hadn't thought about him everyday he was gone. They hadn't fought to become stronger with everything they had so that they could chase after him. They hadn't kept hope for years. They were superficial...
Much like she had been once upon a time ago before her childish crush had turned into the genuine thing.
She noticed Sasuke looking down at her out of the corner of his eye with that trademark smirk of his that she wasn't used to seeing after so much time. It made it feel like nothing had ever changed, and she had to consciously remind herself that even if she was willing to believe that he wasn't trying to break all ties with her and everyone else, things weren't the same anymore.
After another minute, Sakura led them into one of the smaller grocery stores in town to make their shopping trip infinitely easier than it would be if they wandered through the specialty stores and the produce stands. Even if all the staring wasn't really directed at her, it was starting to irritate her anyways.
They didn't speak as they moved through the grocery store, Sakura trailing after Sasuke with his bags of clothes while he filled the large basket he had picked up upon entering the store with whatever he wanted. When Sakura saw Sasuke grab a whole lot of tomatoes, she couldn't stop the grin from erupting on her face. His love of tomatoes was another familiar sight and something else that had remained the same about him. Her heart started pounding.
And it was still beating irregularly even as he paid the elderly man behind the counter – one of her former patients who said farewell to her by name – and they exited the store.
"Come on," she muttered, directing Sasuke as soon as possible to an alleyway between two buildings and away from the main street. It exited onto another road, considerably less busy than the last one had been, and Sakura sighed a little in relief. There wouldn't be so many heavy stares here.
As they walked back in the direction of Sasuke's apartment, Sakura's arms pleasantly empty – Sasuke had taken back his bags when he was done in the grocery store – Sakura debated resuming the conversation that had died between them while Sasuke was under the scrutiny of what seemed like the entire population of the village. She didn't have a chance though.
A little redheaded child suddenly came barrelling down the street, and she stopped moving, waiting for the inevitable.
Sasuke stopped as well and turned to see what had held Sakura up. Then he saw the little boy, no older than seven, grab Sakura around the middle and bury his head into her stomach.
He watched as she smiled and then knelt down when the young boy's grip loosened so that she could meet the child's eyes.
"Hey, Yahiko-kun. Why are you running around here by yourself? Where's your okaa-san?" Sakura asked, her voice laced with concern as she smoothed the boy's hair.
The little boy – Yahiko – grinned and gestured vaguely behind him.
"Kaa-san and me were leaving my oba-san's house when I saw you and came to say hi," he told her proudly.
"You're supposed to say kaa-san and I," Sakura corrected Yahiko gently, peering over his head, presumably looking for his mother.
Sasuke easily caught sight of the woman. She was rushing towards them, her hair as red as her son's. She had a scowl on her face, as if she were unhappy to be made to run, but the scowl quickly disappeared when her eyes landed on Sakura.
When the woman reached them, she placed her hands on her thighs and bent over, taking a few deep breaths before straightening and schooling her face into a stern mask.
"Yahiko, you can't run away like that," she scolded, her eyes fixed on her little son, who had turned around to take in his mother. Sasuke saw that while his attention had been on the woman, the child had grabbed hold of one of Sakura's hands firmly in one of his own.
"I'm sorry kaa-san," Yahiko said sadly, dropping his gaze to the floor. The satisfied smile on the boy's face told Sasuke that he was anything but.
"Yes, well, don't do it again. You could get lost like that, Yahiko," the woman said, softening immediately. Seemingly, she was a big sucker for her kid's little sad voice. Then the woman turned her attention to Sakura, who had straightened from her crouch, her right hand still firmly in the child's left.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Sakura-san, but you left quite the impression on him at the hospital. He's always looking for your pink hair in the crowd now," the woman said with a huge smile as she affectionately ruffled her son's hair. "Sometimes he even tells me he wants to get sick again just so that he can visit you."
"It's because Sakura-hime's the best! She tells the best stories, and she's the nicest, and she's the prettiest, and she fixed me up just like that!" Yahiko proclaimed, letting go of Sakura's hand to snap his little fingers for emphasis.
Sakura laughed happily and smiled at Yahiko.
"It's no trouble, Chiba-san," Sakura began cordially, addressing the woman, presumably by her last name. Then she turned back to the boy. "And I'm flattered, Yahiko-kun, but you should never want to get sick," she told him seriously, though her eyes danced with her barely concealed amusement. "Getting sick is no fun. Then you can't play with your friends or run around outside."
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," Yahiko said, frowning thoughtfully.
His mother laughed and ruffled his hair again, offering Sakura a nod of the head before speaking: "Well it's time to say goodbye to Sakura-san, Yahiko. I'm sure she's busy, and you have homework to do before tomorrow."
Yahiko looked sad that he had to leave so soon, but then he put on a smile and waved energetically.
"Bye, Sakura-hime!" he cheered, dutifully following after his mother who had already turned away.
"Don't forget to stay healthy," Sakura called after him, still looking on the verge of laughter.
When the two were out of earshot, Sakura let out a small giggle and then resumed walking in the direction of his new home. Sasuke could only follow her, thinking cursorily about how the mother must not have recognized who he was to be so calm in his presence, and then more so about the assortment of people who had addressed Sakura with such familiarity throughout the day: from the young girl Moegi, to the nurse Reika, to their fellow shinobi, to the old man at the grocery store, and now this little boy and his mother.
"Do you know everyone in the village?" he asked her.
She just continued smiling.
"I'm a medic, Sasuke-kun, and I've spent a lot of time working at the hospital doing everything from emergency surgeries to routine checkups. I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of the people who live here, civilian and shinobi," she explained.
As if to prove her point, a young man with shaggy brown hair, no older than eighteen, who was strolling down the street, heading in the opposite direction as them, smiled brightly when he laid eyes on Sakura. He didn't even seem to notice Sasuke at her side when he raised his hand in greeting.
"Hey, Sakura-chan! You haven't come around the greenhouses lately," he called out, slowing down and making a beeline in her direction.
Sakura didn't stop walking this time though. Instead, her real smile faltered a bit before she settled her lips into the weak grin of her's. She gave a brief acknowledging nod before her pace noticeably picked up.
"Mmhmm. Well I've been busy, Madoka," she began, her tone curt. "Actually, I'm busy right now. I'm doing important work for the Hokage, so if you'll excuse me." And with that she was walking past the man, not bothering to spare him a second glance.
"Who was that?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask when they had left the dumbstruck Madoka behind.
Sakura stopped the mumbling she had commenced under her breath.
"His family manages Konoha's greenhouses. I used to spend a lot of time there until just before Naruto came back learning all about the plants and their medicinal properties. Madoka was just...around a lot," she concluded, frowning.
Sasuke didn't know what to make of that, but it wasn't his business to pry into something she obviously didn't want to talk about. Not that it lessened his newfound curiosity. Every new mystery Sakura presented him with, he found himself needing to solve it. Kakashi and Naruto matched the images he had of them for the most part, but he still needed to resolve this Sakura now with the young teammate in his memory.
When they reached his home without further distractions, him and Sakura stood outside his door, Sakura's lips now pursed into a thin line, as if she were thinking hard about something. Her gaze darted towards Naruto's door down the hall, and then he knew what she was thinking.
"Sakura," he warned.
She smiled feebly and shook her head.
"I was just wondering if he would be there," she insisted quietly. "I'll leave him alone...until tomorrow anyways."
After a few beats of silence, since Sasuke had nothing to say in response to Sakura, she spoke again: "Well...I guess I'll get going. I should probably try and get some training in tonight since I won't have much free time for the next few days. Until tomorrow morning, I guess...or is someone else going to escort you to the hospital?"
Sasuke had almost forgotten about his community service, but he knew it was ridiculous to think that it would suddenly not matter because a man wholly unrelated to his present circumstances had died. Now that he remembered his service, he also remembered all the rest of the conditions of his living in Konoha, and he realized that unless he wanted to risk getting caught walking around the town by himself before the Hokage gave him the okay (and thus potentially pissing off said Hokage), he would be on lock down in his small apartment until someone came to get him in the morning. He was almost sure that particular rule of Tsunade's had been made to ensure that his return did not cause any problems in the village rather than to keep him restricted to his apartment (because she was sure that he wouldn't leave the village with his chakra sealed as it was – and she was right), so it probably wouldn't really matter if he started walking around Konoha without one of his "guards", but even he could tell that now was not a time to bother Tsunade with anything.
And now that he realized he would be essentially confined there, the prospect of sitting in his apartment until tomorrow morning did not sound at all appealing. He supposed there were his old things to go through, but that wouldn't take too long. In fact, what he really wished to do was to go train. It didn't matter that he couldn't use chakra – that irritating fact had temporarily been dismissed from his mind until now, which was pretty surprising considering how much he had sought power in the past – he needed to at least keep his body in shape.
That would explain why he asked what he did.
"Do you want a sparring partner?"
She looked stunned. That was the only way he would be capable of describing the confused shock on her face.
And then she recovered.
"But you can't use chakra," she pointed out.
He held back the glare that wanted to break his normal countenance.
"Just basic taijutsu. I don't want to get out of shape," he told her.
She seemed to consider his answer before she gave her own reply.
"I guess that's fine," she said hesitantly. Then she motioned to his arms. "Why don't you put all that away first."
He didn't understand her hesitation. In the past, Sakura would have loved to spend time training with him.