Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

She found her.

Standing tall and beautiful in the fray, Tsunade was making an empact, both physically and visually. Already, the Sound nin had learned to attack from a distance. But even that wasn't safe, with Shizune beside her, firing at them with her stylized slingshot.

"Tsunade!" Sakura ran toward her. She palmed a kunai, gauged the distance. Threw, and hit one of the opposing ninja in the spine with enough force to leave him unable to move.

"Where's Naruto?" Tsunade asked, catching a kunai before it could hit her. Generously, she returned it.

For some reason, the Sound ninja didn't seem to want it anymore.

"Out there," Sakura answered, throwing another kunai. It was deflected by another, inadvertantly tearing the bag tied to it. Far from put off, she threw several more, littering the ground with explosive tags. Finally, she smiled, drew one last kunai. Threw it. "Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu."

No more Sound ninja.

Shizune threw a kunai at her.

Sakura dropped to the floor.

As did the person behind her. Only he was dead. For some reason.

"You tried to kill me!"

"No," Shizune denied. "I tried to kill him."

Sakura looked at the Sound nin. "Looks like you did a good job."

"Shikamaru's group is guarding the hospital," Tsunade interrupted. "I want you to provide assistance."

"You didn't evacuate them?"

"Some of the patients can't be moved."

Sakura nodded. "I'm on my way."

"Sakura," Tsunade called before she'd taken one step. She turned. "Be careful."

Sakura smiled. "Don't worry. I won't die."

Several blocks were devoid of any Sound ninja. She studied the empty area carefully, looking for traps. Instead, further down the street, she saw Team Gai. Rock Lee and Neji fighting on the ground while Tenten attacked from a rooftop.

That, she thought, explained everything.

As she moved further into the village, Sakura started to notice something. The Konoha ninja had formed ranks. Where the majority of the enemy was--including the giant snakes--there were ANBU. In the blocks around them, the Jounin also fought. Around that were the Chuunin, and still further back lay the Genin. It seemed that it was the Chuunin and Genin's job to guard certain areas, though some Chuunin specialized for combat joined in the outer branches of the Jounin.

Where Naruto was right now was anyone's guess.

She watched a painted tiger attack one of the Sound nin, and wondered where Sai might be hiding as well.

But then she remembered that she had a job to do, and this wasn't a game of Spot the Ninja. Besides, Sai was good at hiding, and would attack anyone--friend or foe--who found him when he didn't want to be. That she knew first-hand.

The hospital looked like it had been attacked by a giant spider who got lazy half-way into building its web, and recognized the handywork as Shikamaru's. Chances were, this was as far as he'd gotten in the preparations for war. Equally probable was that this were merely the icing on the cake and there were various other traps to keep any enemy ninja out.

Then she remembered what Tsunade had said. Shikamaru's group. Which meant that anybody who came close to the web was going to be a ninja pincushion.

This was a hospital. Who could they possibly need to protect that badly?

"Shikamaru takes his job so seriously sometimes." Wasn't this the same guy who thought that everything was troublesome?

Following that logic, chances were, he wasn't even here. Sakura made to turn around, then found out that she couldn't.

"You're right," he said boredly from behind her, "I do."

Kagemane no Jutsu. Damn it.

"Since you're using your signature technique, can I assume that you're not just using Henge no Jutsu?" The question had just a bit of bite to it.

"You can."

So generous.

"Since you're here, can I assume that the Hokage sent you?"

"Do you have any reason to think otherwise?"

"No," she heard a slight smile in his voice. "I knew you were Sakura from the start."

"Then why the jutsu?" Her voice rose several ocatives.

"To make sure," he suddenly released her from the jutsu, and she turned to see him standing practically on top of her. How could he get that close without her knowing? He turned and walked away, so lazily he may as well have been sleepwalking. "That perfume of yours is a dead giveaway."

"Maybe you are an imposter," she said at his back in annoyance, following him despite herself. She did, after all, have orders. "The Shikamaru I know wouldn't do something as troublesome as this."

"Since jumping up and down waving my arms didn't have any effect, I thought I'd try something more direct."

"Please. The day Nara Shikamaru jumps up and down is the day your friend Chouji runs a marathon and wins a ribbon."

Shikamaru looked at her over his shoulder, his hand on the handle of the door he'd led her to. "Funny you should mention that." The door opened, and Sakura gasped when she looked inside.

She found Hinata.

Leaning back against Chouji, looking paler than natural, her face drawn. Bleeding from more injuries Sakura could begin to count. She looked like she'd gotten into a fight with a dull, rusted shredder and only barely managed to get away.

"How...?"

"Kabuto. He was looking for something in the hospital. Hinata was defending the patients. We barely got there in time." Shikamaru sat down next to her. "Ino went out there to find you. Apparently, she didn't."

"I saw her," Sakura said. "But she didn't have time to tell me anything. What was Hinata doing in the hospital? Isn't her team out there?"

"Here father sent her. He thought it would be safe--and all arguments aside, she still is his firstborn." He looked at her. "Can you save her?"

Could she? Sakura nodded. "I'll try."

It wasn't because Hinata was her friend. In truth, they barely knew each other. It certainly wasn't because she was Hyuuga, one of their greatest houses. She didn't have anything to do with them, and they'd have nothing to do with her, a nobody. It wasn't because she wanted to see how good she was. These wounds would be tricky to heal even for Tsunade. It wasn't because it was Kabuto who'd done this. Though that information didn't hurt. It wasn't because of any form of kinship they might have, both being Konoha ninja.

She'd heal Hinata because they asked her to. And because Kiba and Shino were still looking for her.

And Hinata would not die.

Apparently, healing people made her feet hurt. This wasn't much of a surprise, since Sakura's feet had been throbbing since she left Alatsuki. Sending chakra flowing through her hands also made her fingers burn.

Inner Sakura was fluttering around in the back of her head, a reminder that she was still there to take over if the pain became unbearable, but she ignored the offer.

"I can't completely heal her," Sakura told Team Asuka quietly, Ino having reappeared only a short time ago. "Getting her out of danger is the best that I can do. It's our job to keep her there." Both boys looked at her as if this was something obvious, that they would do even if she hadn't told them to. Sakura found herself half amused by the look, and wondered at the "troublesome" rescue of the injured Hyuuga.

"The Hokage wants you outside again," Ino told her. She was the only one who hadn't become visibly relieved by Hinata's easier breathing. She was, certainly, but there was also irritation creasing her brow.

Her reason for the instruction stole Sakura's breath.

"Sasuke's out there."

Note: I realize that Shizune's weapon (that she uses in the anime, in any case, not sure about manga) isn't technically a slingshot. But that's the only way I could describe it. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I'm using a combination of anime and manga attacks. Mainly because some of the attacks in the anime are cool.

Omigod, and we have a slight ShikaSaku scene. Does this fic get any weirder?

Another thing, if you're interested, please go to my author's profile and check out my DevArt gallery. There is a picture for this fanfic there. Though unfortunately, it doesn't have Sakura in it--it's the scene with Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata and Ino. Appropriately titled Painful. Can't miss it.

By the way, so sorry this took so long. Life is busy. Next chapter's the last one. Hopefully. Though you can probably expect a few spin-off one-shots, extensions of scenes in this story. I want to write more Itachi, and the Shikamaru and Chouji saving Hinata scene.