Ch: 27 A Heart Changed

Sakura

Sakura woke to the smell of burnt wood in her fireplace, the flames long extinguished after shielding her from a night of frigid temperatures. Jun's jacket still draped over the back of her chair, a memento from the night before. She smiled lazily and curled her toes as she stretched, reveling her refreshed, chirpy mood, all a result of the best sleep she'd had in months. Spending time with Jun didn't feel like a bad thing. If he trusted her enough to tell her about the scroll, he might prove to be a powerful ally. And who could blame her for wanting a fun distraction? It was a win-win no matter how she looked at it. Naruto and Sasuke would come around, eventually.

"Good morning, Haruno-san," came a soft voice from outside her door. "I was told to inform you that the Tsuchikage would like to see you at the hour."

"Understood!" But as she'd done every night and day, as routine to her as brushing her teeth, there was something she needed to do before she could leave. Sakura reached into her pack and felt for two objects, only allowing herself to breathe relief when she could confirm it. Both of her secrets were still there; Itachi's communication scroll, and a second scroll that she'd sealed Leader's round artifact which was designed to subdue Naruto in some way. Sakura's awareness of them filled the room with a heavy, looming presence. Together, they were the burden she kept guarded.

Sakura eyed the fireplace imagining some version of their universe where she didn't have to, anymore. She eyed the fireplace, then moved to stack more tinder and logs inside of it. She lit a match. The heat built into a small flame and grew, forming a mouth that could swallow her problems if she chose to throw the objects into it and destroy them. A part of her feared that the mere thought of burning the scrolls would release some form of punishment, as it wasn't unlike Itachi to plant all sorts of contingencies ahead of time. But it was now or never to find out. One, two, three. In went the scrolls. There was guilt and there was shame, but mostly there was fear of the unknown. As much as she wanted to look away, Sakura needed to concentrate, needed to bear witness to the destruction with her own two eyes. She had to know that the ties between her and Akatsuki would be severed by the very act.

But as the fireplace roared, the scrolls lay there, absorbing the flames until there was nothing left in the pit except the cold. While Itachi may not have planted a trap inside of the scrolls, he must have done something wicked to make sure they stayed with her forever. She cursed herself for thinking it would have been that easy, even if the thoughts were fleeting, to break free simply by throwing the scrolls into the fire. Quickly, Sakura returned the objects to her backpack and hid them away. It was a problem she would have to deal with later.

Upon exiting her room, ordinarily, Sakura would have turned the other way to consult the operations board and report in for work. Sasuke and Naruto weren't in their rooms when she passed by, and she guessed it was because they had already gotten a start to their work day. She went in the opposite direction as they normally would to meet the Tsuchikage.

The entrance to his office was a large double-swing door. Sakura was about to knock when she heard a voice from inside.

"We should stop hiding. Show leadership. If we purport to be one of the strongest hidden villages, how do you think it looks if we have no face?"

"You know why this is the case, Jun," the unmistakable slow and grave voice of the Tsuchikage replied.

"Naming a successor will stop our dependencies on experimental medical procedures, re-allocate resources to where they need to be, and end the whispers once and for all."

"My granddaughter is not well. As it stands, there is no successor."

The conversation was obviously supposed to be private, but neither of them seemed to notice her, so Sakura crept closer.

"Maybe it's time to look outside the bloodline," Jun replied. "We have strong prospects. Prospects who are more than qualified to take the lead until she becomes well."

"And who might that be? You?" The Tsuchikage chuckled. He spoke with smug undertones as if he was mocking Jun.

"Would that be funny?"

The Tsuchikage did not reply.

"Much of my work is already in the public eye," Jun said, his voice lowered to barely above a whisper.

"Enough, now. This conversation has become tired."

"You'll never accept me, will you?"

"I have appointed you captain of Iwa's shinobi forces. The job suits you well, and you excel. But wanting power is dangerous, Jun. Those who want it only become thirstier once they get a taste."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"That is enough. You may be dismissed."

"You're out of touch," Jun pressed on, his voice growing louder and more agitated. "The longer Iwa's leadership isolates from the other forces, the weaker we become. There's even doubt that our Tsuchikage isn't who he says he is."

"Watch yourself, boy," the Tsuchikage growled. "Don't forget who you're speaking to. Be gone! I am growing bothered by your nonsense."

The doors burst open. Sakura jumped backward, narrowly missing the trajectories of the solid wood which would have smacked her right in the nose. She held her breath thinking that Jun might've seen her, but it seemed he was too upset to realize she was standing there, and he stormed past. After what would've been considered an unsuspicious amount of time, Sakura stepped into the Tsuchikage's office. "Reporting," she said, kneeling the way she'd seen the Iwa-nin do, but it felt silly because she couldn't actually see him.

"You may rise," the Tsuchikage's voice replied. It was calm and slow, showing no evidence of the upsetting meeting prior.

After exchanging pleasantries, Sakura began a basic rundown of her work so far. "The medical cabinets have been restocked, and the units for common antidotes and salves are in no short supply." If he nodded at this, she couldn't tell. "I've also documented my recipes so that they may be replicated for future use. Backtracking consumption over the past three months, I estimate the new batch of supplies should last Iwa at least two months more, even accounting for any unexpected spikes in the most common ailments."

"Very well. Our hospitals have been severely understaffed, and we have been consuming more medication than we have. We are grateful to your village for your service. You have been here a short time, but your work has not gone unnoticed."

"It is an honor to serve Iwa."

"So tell me, how has your team fared in a new country?"

"We are adjusting well to the work and have been making acquaintances in leisure. We understand that change may be harder for some than for others, but this is a stepping stone we cannot miss. We believe in our leaders, and therefore will put our best foot forward." This was a far better answer than Sakura expected herself to come up with, because the candid answer included some of the less professional acts like the recent hazing at the hands of Asuma or her date with Jun.

"I would expect nothing less of the apprentice of the Slug Princess," the Tsuchikage said. "I am pleased to know you realize how important your work is. In these trying times, all of the things we work towards can make or break the future way of shinobi."

Sakura got the impression that they weren't just talking about their official tasks now, but also the one she'd received off the books. "About that," Sakura began. "As requested, I'm working on a formula to reduce organ transplant failures. We're missing raw materials, but I will find and gather the proper substitutes from the lay of the land."

"Speak if I can ease your burden. Perhaps I can send someone to acquire what you seek."

"Thank you for the generous offer, but that won't be necessary," Sakura replied. "I have yet to confirm inventory as of today, but identifying which properties are needed will be my first task. It'll take some time, and I will have to make my way through the land, that's all."

"The land is yours to explore," the Tsuchikage assured her. "Do not be shy. Are you certain there is nothing you need? Surely some additional help can expedite your progress."

"Thank you," Sakura said again. She was grateful to have his explicit permission to explore, because the last thing she needed was an Iwa-nin giving her grief for trespassing. But she couldn't help that now he was being pushy, and indirectly asking her to work faster. It left her wondering — why did the Tsuchikage need this special formula in the first place, and why now?

X

As soon as she clocked in for her shift, Sakura consulted the medical inventory to create a priority list for the Tsuchikage's special task. Keeping him waiting on something that seemed urgent wouldn't be wise, and she hoped to finish early so she could hurry back to her room and find a way to dispose of the two scrolls tying her to Akatsuki.

"Haven't seen her all morning," said a voice in the hall.

Sakura looked up from her binder, knowing that they were probably talking about her. She was just about to call, 'in the back!' when a second voice replied. "Thank god."

Her stomach sank. The two voices were now closer, and they spoke as if they were the only ones in the building. "Did you hear about last night?"

"I heard Captain Yashin had already taken her to bed!"

"I heard Kahuko found his clothes in her room!"

"Are you talking about that kunoichi from Konoha?" came another voice. "Can you believe that Captain Yashin took an interest in her of all people?"

"Please," one of the voices scoffed. "He wouldn't have given her one second of his time if she wasn't an apprentice to the Hokage. Have you seen that kami-awful hair?"

Sakura stuffed her notes in her pocket and reached for her cloak and an empty basket. She had a life-saving elixir to make for the Tsuchikage, and she had heard enough. As soon as she exited the closet, she was directly in the line of sight of the Iwa kunoichi. Rather than shrink her shoulders and look to the floor, which is what she might've done in her teenage years, Sakura held her chin high and strode through the hall. The group of Iwa kunoichi, wide-eyed with mouths agape, moved aside to allow her to pass. Their looks of embarrassment were enough to tell Sakura they knew they were outranked and outskilled, and that they wouldn't dare insult her to her face.

But when Sakura turned the corner, she almost crashed head-first into Juns' teammate, Yui.

"S-sorry," Sakura stammered, bending over to pick up her things. "I was distracted—"

"Yes," Yui replied coolly. "You were."

"I—what?"

"You said you were distracted, which you were." Yui was quick to give Sakura the once-over that she always did, so natural to her personality as if it was a reflex she was born with. Then, Yui turned her head away and continued walking.

If it were any other day, Sakura wouldn't have belabored this point. Yui was far down the hall, but not outside of earshot. "Excuse me, but what the fuck is your problem?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You seem to be missing the sentiment of your captain, that we have something to offer. Why do you think so little of us?"

"I've known Jun for years," Yui replied. "Can't say I've once cared how he thought, or how he chose to waste his time."

Waste? That, Sakura knew, was deliberate. She strode towards Yui, who remained unintimidated by the sudden proximity of their faces. "And why would it be a waste of his time?"

"You think I think negatively of you?"

"You must think little."

"I think that's a fundamental mischaracterization. I don't think of you, period."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I understand that in Konoha, your medical abilities make you special somehow," Yui explained. "In Iwa, we don't have the luxury to specialize. I'm the sensory support keeping this village safe. I'm primary medical support. And you can bet when we fight, I'm on the frontlines too. Everyone has to be everything. How do you fare in this way?"

"So you do think you're better than me."

"No. You are simply not in my periphery," Yui said flatly. "It is less about me, and more about you utilizing your potential as a kunoichi. You wouldn't be the first. Even some of the greatest of us have fallen, so why you think you deserve special treatment for anything is beyond me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Sakura let Yui pass her, feeling more puzzled by the words than anything else. Despite Yui's condescending attitude, it seemed like everything she'd said was meant to be more factually correct than insulting. What did she mean by 'you wouldn't be the first'? But instead of standing around and spending any more time picking apart the words, Sakura decided that Yui simply had a stick up her ass. It was obvious she didn't want to be anyone's friend. Well, anyone besides Kurotsuchi, because that's the only person Yui seemed to respect. In fact, watching the way Yui interacted with others — always cold and factual — reminded Sakura of herself from a couple months ago.

Sakura stepped to the outdoors, where she thought she could finally catch a break. But that was before she saw Jun approaching her from a distance. He was carrying one of those large jugs of water again, and he was heading in her direction. She didn't know what it wa, but everyone was getting on her nerves. She pretended to stare straight ahead as she skirted the edge of the courtyard, marching as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself.

"Haruno!"

"Oh hey, I didn't see you there," Sakura replied with a twitching brow.

"Where you running off to?"

"Just a medical supply run, nothing too crazy."

"I'm just dropping this off." Jun tossed a head in the direction of the jug on his back. "What're you up to tonight?"

"Not sure." Sakura held up her empty basket. "Depends how long this'll take."

"Was thinking we could grab drinks again."

She paused to think for a response, some polite variation of 'stop speaking to me in public because people are going to start rumors'. She had never once invited strangers to scrutinize her life, and she didn't need them to, but ever since he made a show out of asking her out, any semblance of her privacy had dwindled.

"We can talk about it later," Jun grinned. "I'll come find you."

I hope not, Sakura thought in her head. While Jun was being friendly enough, she wasn't in any mood to socialize. She just wanted to keep her head down and finish her work for the day, so that she could retire to her room early and figure out what to do with the scrolls, the last evidence linking her to Akatsuki. But by the time Sakura formulated the words to politely decline his invitation, Jun was already outside of earshot.

X

On her way to the outskirts of town, Sakura remembered the slug wristwatch from the previous night and decided to make a detour to the merchant's shop. She found it easily, and when she stepped under the awning, was met face-to-face with a man who looked like he'd had the life beaten out of him. It was the same merchant from the previous night, except his right eyebrow had an open, gaping wound, which swelled so severely that his eye underneath was deformed. He carried no semblance of his performative demeanor.

When he saw Sakura, he staggered backwards. "It's y-you! G-get away, I don't want any trouble now!"

Sakura looked at him, slow to register that his fear was directed at her. "I'm not here to cause trouble," she said. "I just stopped by to buy that watch."

"What, t-this o-one?" the merchant looped a trembling finger under the metal ring where it was hooked onto the display. "Here, t-take it! T-take it and never come back!" He chucked it at Sakura, then dove under the stand, cowering.

"I'm a medic. I can take a look at your wounds. Maybe I can even help if you tell me what happened."

"Please leave!"

When it seemed like the merchant wouldn't calm down no matter how hard she tried, she relented. "Okay, okay," Sakura said, leaving a few bills from her wallet. "I'm leaving."

The merchant emerged from behind the display only long enough to collect Sakura's money and toss it into the street. "And you can t-take your money, I'll pay f-for your watch!" The papers floated to the ground pathetically. "Please just s-stay away, for my safety and my family's!"

"Yeesh, okay," she said, picking up the bills before fast-walking along her way. She didn't know what had come over him, if she resembled someone he was afraid of, or if it was a case of lunacy. What the hell was wrong with everyone today? Sakura checked her watch. It was still early in the day, but she really could use a drink before. She ducked into a small cafe, and the fact that she used to criticize Princess Tsunade for sneaking off in the middle of the day to drink did not escape her. Here she was, the epitome of hypocrisy.

Sakura did not hold back. When the waitress came by, she ordered a warm bottle of sake, hot tea, dango, and dish of Iwa's famed curry. While it was a lot of food, it hit the spot. Sakura nibbled happily, savoring every bite.

"Sakura Haruno, from Hidden Leaf?"

God damn it. Sakura turned around and met the eyes of a kunoichi looking to be about Chunin-level. "That's me."

"You don't know me," the kunoichi began, "but I'm Daruiko's older sister. He's been going through a really tough time in school, but thanks to Naruto, he's been coming home a lot happier. It would mean a lot if I could buy your meal as a way to say thank you."

A few thoughts ran through Sakura's head. She remembered Naruto mentioning someone named Daruiko before, and the girl seemed genuine enough. But Sakura had just ordered a lot of food, and she was embarrassed to have someone else pay for it.

"You are Naruto's captain, right?"

Sakura snapped out of her daze. "Oh, please, sit. I'm sorry, I've just been distracted."

The kunoichi nodded. "My name's Derenii." She was younger than Sakura, with shoulder-length black hair. She also had big, brown eyes that were just as inquisitive as they were mature.

"Naruto tends to make things better," Sakura said, smiling. "The truth is, he used to annoy me a lot. But now I can't imagine life without him." And while that was easy for most people to say, to Sakura, it meant much, much more. She couldn't help but think how differently things would have turned out if she was able to make contact with Itachi on their first night on the mission.

"Daruiko's been talking nonstop about the cool things Naruto's been showing him."

"Appropriate things, I hope," Sakura said. "But I'm glad Naruto found a way to occupy himself."

"The dango's great here," Darenii said, watching Sakura push her curry plate aside. She then eyed the entrance behind. "I'm not sure if this was intentional," she said, "but you happened to pick the most popular spot for lunch."

And as if right on cue, Sakura heard bustling. When she turned to look, she recognized a few of the Iwa-nin who poured in and scattered across the tables. She could feel many stares on her, assaulting her from all sides. She also spotted Yui walk in a few moments later, and quickly diverted her eyes back to Derenii.

"If you don't mind me saying, don't pay any mind to them. People talk, but it's just because they're nosy and miserable with their own lives."

"I don't know what you mean," Sakura replied coolly. She took a sip of her tea, trying to put on her best poker face as the bill was placed between them.

"That's her?" they heard a snide voice, loud although the person tried to be hush. "Captain Yashin likes her?"

"She's so… pink."

"Shut up, she can probably hear you."

Derenii looked at Sakura with raised eyebrows.

Sakura sighed. "It's been happening all day." To leave now would indicate they'd somehow gotten under her skin, so while Sakura was ready to leave, she decided to stay a few more minutes.

"I suppose the only person's whose opinion matters here would be Yui," Derenii explained. "But don't worry about her. She's like that with everyone. I don't blame her, though. She wasn't always. Being around Jun tends to have that effect on people."

Sakura gave no reply, but listened.

"When you're around Jun, people will hate you because they want to be you. Few will hate you because they hate him, just for your association. But it doesn't matter, because he can charm his way through anything to get what he wants."

And you're telling me this, why? Sakura wondered. Although she hated to admit it, hearing this did make Sakura think twice about if Jun had an ulterior motive for being so kind to her. He just seemed too perfect at times.

"That's how he managed to get so high up there with the Tsuchikage's family," Darenii continued.

The sudden mention of the Tsuchikage's family made Sakura perk up. This was the first time someone openly talked about the family, and she had to take the opportunity. "What do you mean?"

"How do you think he got to be the face of the Tsuchikage's family, their adviser, and captain of the whole Iwa force?" Darenii asked. "He wasn't born remotely close. As kids, we used to laugh at those types of people."

Sakura recalled her conversation with Jun when they were looking into the ocean. He never mentioned Darenii, and she found herself becoming suspicious of the Chunin in front of her.

"Then, things started changing," Darenii continued. "Him and the Tsuchikage's granddaughter got engaged, you know."

Sakura gulped down some of her scalding hot tea to prevent herself from reacting with shock.

"But I don't know. I guess I never could tell if Jun was cozying up to somebody because he liked them, or wanted to use them."

Sakura gave nothing away, but inside, she was reeling. Was that how Jun came to have such an influential role within Iwa? Being engaged to Kurotsuchi? And had they broken off the engagement when Kurotsuchi fell ill, or was Jun still engaged? Was the reason why she was getting so much hate because she was out and about all night with someone else's fiance, like some kind of whore?

"I gotta take off," Darenii said suddenly. She counted a few bills and placed them on the table. "We never had this conversation, you hear me?"

Sakura nodded, uncertain whether to say 'thank you' or not. Dareinii had just dumped this information onto her, completely unsolicited, and hadn't even given Sakura time to process it before having to leave. The girl seemed genuine enough, but was this one of those classic tales where someone pretended to be your friend and fed you false information all because they were secretly jealous and wanted to ruin something good in your life? After all, Dareinii had just shown up out of nowhere, and Sakura learned to be wary of free information. So as she watched Darenii hurry away, she slouched in her chair. She chugged the rest of her tea and set her cup on the table with a loud thud, as if she'd just completed a long day of work. It was still morning, and Sakura would just have to add this to her ever-growing list of things to figure out—a list that was turning out to be quite extensive.

X

Sakura took out her map and scanned the topography for where she'd most likely find Hozuki, the first plant with the properties she was looking for. Supposedly, this species was extremely hardy to well below-freezing temperatures and bloomed exclusively in the wintertime. This was good because this plant's properties were a liver-corrective function, which meant it played the main immunosuppressive role in her recipe. She journeyed to where the roads started to become less paved, the buildings further apart, and where lush weeds and foliage promised to reveal more than met the eye.

A few minutes through rocky terrain, Sakura spotted a burst of brilliant deep reds, where ripe Hozuki pods hung like ornaments from a nearby shrub. With her kunai, she snipped at the base of the plant's stems, careful to keep the vascular tissues intact. "Perfect," she said aloud as she filled a quarter of her basket with pods.

A rustle in the leaves came from behind, followed by high-pitched whining. "Woof! Woof!"

Sakura jumped. "Oh, it's just you."

It was a brown, floppy-eared dog with curly medium-length fur: the same dog she'd recognized numerous times throughout the city. The mutt habored a clear, personal dislike for her of all people, even though he so blithely liked to play fetch with her brooding asshole of a teammate, which Sakura took personally. But today, something was wrong.

"What is it, boy? What are you doing here?"

He had his tail tucked between his hind legs, and he held apprehension in his eyes. He looked as if contemplating whether she could be trusted, with a reluctant look in his eyes, like she would have never been his first choice under any other circumstance. He yelped and motioned for her to follow.

"Fine, even though I'm clearly your backup human," Sakura grumbled as she jogged after him. Ever so slightly, she became aware that the hair on the back of her neck had bristled. There was that feeling again like she was being watched at that exact moment. She looked around, sensing no one, only knowing that as she ran to where the dog showed her, the feeling grew stronger.

"Mmgh!" It sounded like some kind of animal. "Mmmmmmgh!" came another yowl, this time making it clear that it was an injured cry.

The medic within Sakura stirred in response as if the sound was a scratch she had to itch. She hurried her footsteps. The dog led her further from the perimeter of the village, deeper into dark, unchartered terrain. She guessed the dog was playing with a friend when it had gotten caught in something.

"Mmmgh! Mmmgh!"

As Sakura neared, the sound became clearer and clearer until her eyes located its source — something laying flat in the dirt. It wasn't an animal; it was a human. A man.

His arms were stretched wide and pinned to the ground. His bare skin was visible from the wrists upwards, but it looked like an earth-style rope had created two mounds of dirt where his hands would've been if they weren't buried underneath. A thick patch of tape muzzled him from speaking, but the desperation in his eyes was clear. He was a civilian.

Sakura sensed a trap immediately. She jumped backward and snatched a kunai from her holster.

His eyes went wide as soon as he saw Sakura. He began to shake his head feverishly, his torso left vulnerable to the open air as the rope holding him hostage had no give. "Mmgh! Mmmgh!"

A wire snapped. Three kunai spiraled at Sakura from behind. Without taking her eyes off the man, she stepped to the side and they plugged into the dirt by her feet, failing the obvious task of impaling her. Still, she didn't let her guard down, and she studied the situation carefully. On the surface, it appeared that the man had gotten himself into a trap set out for something, or someone else. But he didn't have anything with him, so he couldn't have been traveling through the area like how a merchant would've. What was he doing out here?

"Mmgh! Mmmgh!" The man screamed and flailed his legs helplessly.

Sakura studied his face suspiciously. He appeared well off, judging by his freshly ironed clothes. He was in a well-tailored, freshly-ironed suit, his medium-length curly hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Save for the dirt which had scuffed him in some areas, he seemed to be otherwise unharmed. He was decently good-looking, with tan skin.

There was one other thing. He looked familiar. As her mind searched for the answer, a memory was brought to her awareness. A memory from the day after they arrived in Iwa, in which Naruto had caused a scene in the middle of Iwa's road because of someone he saw. Sakura's eyes peeled up from the man's shoes, up his legs, up his torso, until they settled on the man's tear-stricken face. Same face, were the words that entered her mind. He had the same face.

This was the man that she'd seen get into a carriage with a woman and their baby two days ago. It was the same man that had stared them down as the carriage rode away, and he had the same face that had deformed into a grotesque, manic-like smile, which had rotted and decayed into crumbling ash before her very eyes. The man in that carriage was Dr. Jaaku, as Naruto said earlier. This meant the man before her was the person Dr. Jaaku was impersonating.

Sakura relaxed her stance, then holstered her kunai. She didn't like that she felt she was still being watched, but this man might have the answers she was looking for. Before making her approach to free him, she held her hands up in warning. "I'm going to come over and untie you," she said slowly.

Still, the man continued to scream into his mouth, twisting his torso as if to say 'no' with his whole body.

If Sakura didn't know any better, she would've thought he didn't want to be helped. It was similar to the way she tried to help the merchant earlier in the day, when he refused and told her to go away. Except for this time, she couldn't take no for an answer. So ignoring his unintelligible protests, Sakura reached over to remove the tape from his lips.

Something glinted in the light next to her hand.

She stopped. Tripwire. Its trail led to one of the mounds burying the man's hands. It must've been why he was screaming. If she accidentally set this off, he would've been toast.

"I'm a medic," Sakura explained as she studied the activation mechanism, making sure to use that same, calm, and casual tone she used to ease nervous patients. The trigger was intricate, more so than anything an amateur could throw together. "I also happen to be very good at puzzles like this," she said, hoping this information would keep him calm enough to not kill them both with any sudden movement. But as she talked, the question pressed in her mind — how could a civilian get himself involved with a shinobi trap like this one?

"All done," she said after a while.

Still, he didn't move and only continued to stare at her with wide, pleading eyes.

"You're in shock," Sakura said. "Sorry, but this might hurt a little." She bent over him to free his mouth from the tape.

As soon as a 'rip' sounded, he began to cry. But it wasn't the cry of relief she expected.

"Help! Get it out of me! Oh god please, Sakura, help," the man screamed, now sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hush—you're okay now." But as soon as she said the words, she knew something was amiss. She narrowed her eyes. "How do you know who I am?"

"He said it!" the man cried. "He knows your secret with Akatsuki and he's coming for you. Please, oh god, get it out of my body—"

Goosebumps exploded across the skin of her arms, a searing chill like she'd never felt before. Her secret. It was out.

"Help! Help me, please," he sobbed.

"Who?!" Sakura demanded. "Who said that? Who knows..." Sakura's voice trailed off when she looked at the man's mouth. She felt something attached to her hand, the same hand holding the tape she'd just removed from over his mouth. It was another trigger, except it was one that she'd never seen before. The man was rigged to explode.

Her body seemed to move without her. It knew to concentrate chakra into her fingertips and search his body for the connection to the explosive. With her other hand, Sakura pulled from the earth a human-sized piece of rock to shield the rest of her body from the pending explosion if she couldn't deactivate the rig in time. Doing this left her searching hand exposed, but it was a risk she would have to take. She needed answers, and she would have to try to save his life if she wanted to get them.

The man's tear-stricken eyes began to bulge. His mouth fell agape, and a bright light emitted from somewhere deep in his esophagus.

"No!" Sakura shouted. "Damn it—"

Something rammed into her sideways, forcing her to let go of both hands. Dirt and debris flung into the air, blinding her vision, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the skin on her shoulder being torn off from the explosion. Her body was thrown into a rapid tumble, and as the world spun, Sakura grimaced for impact, knowing that at that speed she'd easily break bones if she hit a tree or rock. A deafening ring throbbed in her left ear as pieces of the earth rained from all sides.

Eventually, her body lulled to a soft stop. As the world stabilized, her senses returned, and she could feel the blistering of the earth, the sounds of tree fragments crackling and splintering, and smell of burnt leaves and human flesh.

Sakura opened her eyes. She saw skin. Her nose was buried in a warm crevice, which she soon recognized was the area between someone's neck and shoulder. A firm hand cradled the back of her head, and she'd be lying if she said it wasn't comfortable. It became clear that she was laying atop what felt like another person's body, with her hair sprawled across their face.

The person underneath her gruffed and mumbled. When she realized who it was, anger and paranoia swept through her. "Sasuke?! What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same thing," replied an annoyed voice. "Want to get off? You aren't exactly light."

The annoyance she would've felt from Sasuke's remark was nothing compared to the swelling anger she felt from his sudden intrusion, or the sheer panic gnawing at every bone in her body at his appearance at the worst possible time. "Were you following me?!"

"Hell no," Sasuke said grudgingly. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. "I came when I heard voices, and it turned out to be you almost getting your head blown off."

"Why can't you just mind your own damn business, Sasuke?"

"Are you saying I should've let it happen?"

"Well why didn't you?!" Sakura was using anger and deflection and every manipulative tactic she knew to avert his attention away from something she couldn't ever let him find out: her secret.

"Maybe because," Sasuke began sarcastically, "if you die and I fail this mission, I'm not getting the Uchiha compound back from Tsunade. Sakura, don't be an idiot. Why else?"

His words might as well have fallen on deaf ears. She'd just been confronted, not by some blundering drug addict or mental case spouting nonsense, but by someone who knew her name and a piece of information that could end her new life. What did he mean by 'he's coming'? Who?

"Sakura," Sasuke said, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "What happened here?"

"I—I don't—I can't—" She had begun to hyperventilate.

"Damn it—" Two hands cupped her face. "Hey—it's okay. Sakura, look at me."

She didn't realize she was crying until she felt his thumb slick against her cheek, wiping away a tear. As they made eye contact, she was met with onyx eyes, and they were accompanied by an odd sensation that he was pulling her in, as if Sasuke could anchor her to him using just his calm voice.

"You're injured."

"It doesn't hurt."

Sasuke sighed and drew her into his chest, looping his arms around her, careful to avoid her injury. He rested his chin on the top of her head. She didn't know when she had snaked her arms around his waist, but the warmth of their hug radiated like a shield, and she wanted to stay enveloped in it.

"He looked like the man Naruto went after a couple of days ago," Sasuke murmured. It was like he was using the gentle sounds of his words to coax her out of a daze.

Her mind felt oddly comforted by it, and she tried to give in to the pull of his voice as best she could.

"What did he say to you, Sakura?"

Her heart, still pounding in her ears, felt like a fist had reached into her chest and twisted it. The truth was, she would have to lie, again. She needed to think of a story, fast, a red herring, something to distract Sasuke enough to buy time to destroy Itachi's scroll or Leader's artifact and bury the evidence until she could learn who the man was warning her about. Sakura uttered softly, so as to not disturb the earth with her blatant dishonesty. "He discovered the Tsuchikage is hiding something."

"Hiding what?"

"He just said… " Sakura continued, forming a fabrication that would lead to a hunt for information she knew didn't exist. "That we can find it in the castle."

"Did he say where?"

Sakura shook her head. "Only that… we'll know it when we find it."

At the first sign that she was becoming coherent again, Sasuke released her. He stepped backward and she felt a rush of icy wind pierce her bare arms. "Is that why that man was here?" he asked. "A death sentence, for finding something about the Tsuchikage?"

"Likely the case," she whispered.

Sasuke helped her to a nearby rock to sit down. "Iwa has some twisted ideas of punishment. It was sick, the way that rig was set up."

Sakura said nothing because she knew that it wasn't Iwa who set up the trap. It was the person who had been watching her. They were giving her a sign. A sign that they were watching and had been for quite some time, stalking her like the game a hunter would play before caving in. And this was a sign that they were done stalking. They were coming.

"There was nothing you could do to save him," Sasuke sighed. "He was rigged to explode either way. I could see it with my eyes."

He must've thought her silence was some form of guilt over the fact that she couldn't save the man. She was feeling guilty, alright. But not for the reason he thought. She began to brush the dirt off her clothes, doing her best to busy her trembling fingers.

"We should check it out," Sasuke declared. "Search the castle. Tonight. And it's probably best that we act like we hadn't seen it. We don't want them thinking that we're snooping around."

Sakura swallowed hard before replying. "Agreed. I-I'll find you tonight, after work."

Sasuke gave her a look as if he didn't want to go. "You're staying?"

"I-I need to find ingredients for a recipe I'm making." Her voice felt unstable like at any second it could flip and betray her trepidation. So as if to prove herself, Sakura walked to where her basket had tumbled and picked it up. She felt Sasuke's eyes on her back, but acting as if she couldn't, she proceeded to examine the object in her hands. It was scorched on the outside, and the plants that were inside had been burnt to smithereens. "Looks like I have to start over."

When she finally turned around, she saw that Sasuke's eyes had landed on her shoulder, to where she had injured herself. It just occurred to her that she hadn't healed it. Quickly, she brought a glowing green hand upwards. "Just go on without me," she insisted. "I'll be fine."

There was something behind his expression. His stare was boring into her, as if his eyes knew something as if she'd already given something away and he could see through her. But he didn't press on for once, and for that, Sakura was glad. "I'll meet you around midnight. Should be quiet by then."

Sakura nodded in response, biting her lip to stop herself from crying. "I-I've should get back to work."

He nodded, and then he was gone.

She held her breath for as long as she could. When she was certain that he was outside of earshot, she allowed her body to collapse forward so that she was brought onto her hands and knees. The adrenaline wore off, and her body began to equally give in to the emotions she'd buried on account of Sasuke's presence and the flurry of thoughts that came with them: someone knew she was Akatsuki, and they were here. If one person already knew her secret, who else did? Breathes from her mouth became haggard. Her hands tremored so much that they were practically convulsing now, and Sakura barely managed to muffle the cries that began to surface. With the ugly gnawing sensation eating away at her insides came the thoughts that she had tucked away in the back of her mind so she'd never have to say them out loud: that choice was an illusion. That there was only one way out.

Her future was tinder to a wildfire.

To be continued…