Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. The only characters I have made that are my own are Kirita, Ruyi, Kija, Hajime, and a few others who are obviously not apart of the Naruto universe.

Notes: Thank you for the reviews! I'm happy to keep NS lovers pleased with this story. There's never enough NS, even though... Naruto and Sakura haven't physically met yet but they will soon!

I love samurais and love the whole history and artistic meanings during the eras they thrived and since samurais are also in the world of Naruto, I was always curious how things would be if they were reversed, especially since there was a special drawing of them in samurai armor. Sakura was an onne-bugeisha, which she will become in this story.

Another thing I have to add, if anyone is curious why I go from Lady Mebuki to Mebuki-sama, they both mean the same. -sama can be used to say Lady/Lord as well. I don't use -dono, which roughly translates to Lord/Master because it is not used for nobles and is below sama in level of respect.. And the reason for Naruto's flucutation between -hime and -chan for Sakura is because he is being respectful of her status around others ( like his mother, father, and whoever that do not know Sakura personally that are adults ) but he uses -chan around people who know her, his and her peers, and as a sign of endearment practically telling everyone how much he cares about her ( which he also does in the manga ). Naruto doesn't use honorifics for anybody else, but he does so in this story out of respect ( when it is needed ) because his mama is around to make him wise up and be respectful.

I hope that isn't confusing. Also, if you see no honorifics that means disrespect or they are close to that person. Sakura would never use an honorific for Orochimaru because she hates him ( as well as many other people do ) and Sasuke is a male friend, but they aren't close ( which is canonically correct if I follow the manga before 699+ of their relationship ) and she doesn't use a suffix for Naruto at first because she is doing out if disrespect/tsundere nature until she eventually keeps doing so because she is close to him that there is no need for an honorific. Does that make sense? I'm terrible at explaining things.

I will not use honorifics all the time, but I will use them when they are to present a level of distance/closeness or out of respect.

Chapter Three

Wheels in Motion

"Am I listening right or did Naruto just ask me to team up with you guys?" Leaning against a wall, arms folded under her bust was a female of long, platinum blonde hair that was pulled in a high ponytail with a long bang that covered the right side of her face. Her blue-green eyes were staring straight at the Uzumaki, who seemed puzzled by her own confusion in his offer.

"Uh, well, you're a ninja." He pointed out.

"Duh." She said, smirking as she teased him.

A frown formed on his face, "But most of all, you're one of Sakura's best friends."

Her smirk dipped into a frown, her eyes averting and looking down at the floor. That part was true, Sakura was one of her best friends. The thought of her out there and having no protection did worry the Yamanaka to death.

"So, why wouldn't I ask you?" Naruto went on to say.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you forced me and Choiji along." said a young man, his hair pulled up in a spiky ponytail and narrowed eyes, who seemed already finished with the mission before it even started.

"We need a strategist." mentioned the robust boy on his right, who was already eating a few rice balls as they stood in the room.

Naruto nodded, agreeing with Choji. "Basically."

Sasuke stood in the corner, listening while wearing a bored expression. He nearly turned out everything since everything they were speaking about wasn't relatively important. "That's it? There's no more?" Ino asked, "Just us?"

"Uh, well, yeah. I didn't know who else to ask." Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto gave a sheepish grin. "Besides, this is more than enough, right?"

"What about your cousin, Karin-hime? She's a ninja, and a sensor type. Wouldn't she have been a more valuable asset to the team?" Sasuke mentioned, Naruto had then swiveled his head towards him.

"Tch, how could I have forgotten? I dunno. Karin seemed a bit hesitant when I mentioned the mission and I think 'kaa-san doesn't want her out here. She'll be worried. You know, Uzumaki are just a few of a dozen thanks to the Yamata clan."

Ino then chimed in upon realization, "So that's why you have your mother's name instead of your father's?"

"Uh yeah. Uzumaki is one of the four great clans. In order to keep the Uzumaki clan alive, they decided to name me after them so when I have children, they'll share that last name and keep the line going." He answered. "Karin-nee can't do that because she'll take her husband's name."

"Anyhow, we need to come up with a plan." Shikamaru spoke up, deciding to get this plan together so they didn't waste time talking about trivial things that did not have anything to do with saving Sakura. "Alright, so, Kishū province is pretty close. So, between here and there, Sakura should be within these fiefs." Shikamaru pointed at the map, all of them circling around the table.

"Do you think she would come here?" Naruto asked, "I mean, she would be safest in Kyoto. It's the capital and home of the Shogun."

"True, but how many of Orochimaru's men are from here to Ōta castle that are probably looking for her?" Shikamaru questioned, "If she did try to come here, she would have to be heavily disguised."

Sasuke then decided to speak, "It'll be difficult for her to disguise herself. She might just be the only person in the land with pink hair."

"Even so," The blonde-haired girl sighed, "nobody would suspect her to be out there in the open like that." Ino said rather matter-of-factly, "Now would they?"

"True, they might mistake her for someone else." Shikamaru rested his pointer finger against his temple. "I hope Sakura-hime is smart about this or else she'll get herself killed. We can't just rely on us being smart, we'll have to rely on her too."

"So, what do we do? Do we head towards Ōta castle or do we stay guarded around Kyoto?" asked Sasuke, unsure of what the plan is.

"If anything, Sakura is probably protected." Ino looked at the map, starting at the area where Ōta castle stood. "Her bodyguard, Kirita-san, is undoubtedly alive and probably taking care of her. Kirita-san is an excellent swordswoman. There's no way she wouldn't be attached to Sakura's side right now."

"Kirita" Naruto questioned, squinting his eyes as he tried to recall someone by that name. "I think I remember Sakura-chan mentioning her, but…?"

Rolling her eyes, the girl decided to speak. "Kirita-san is the daughter of former Damiyo, Katsurou Azai. Their clan was destroyed by Yamata during the Great War. Orochimaru gave away his sister to marry Katsurou, but Kirita-san was born a little before the second marriage. Katsurou had married Orochimaru's sister, Mariko-hime. Within six years of their marriage, she had two children but Orochimaru laid Siege to Odani castle, which is why their battle is noted by that name. The Hatake clan sent a relief force, but they were defeated, chased back into their lands and almost decimated. With no hopes of winning, Katsurou was killed during the battle and he sent Kirita-san away, her brothers and sisters were all slaughtered in the castle."

Naruto's heart grew heavy upon the story, his eyes looking downward. "Kirita-san became a rōnin. She served her father and since her father died, you know you're forced to either commit suicide or wander the land to bear the shame of not following your Lord into the afterlife. Sakura said Kirita-san saved her when she was young from a mercenary and taken her back to Mebuki-sama, and since then… Kizashi-sama and Mebuki-sama adopted Kirita-san into the Haruno clan by Sakura's request and out of gratitude. I've met Kirita-sana before and she very much cares for Sakura and the Haruno clan. She would kill for Sakura if it meant protecting her. So I can't imagine Kirita-san dying in battle to leave Sakura helpless and alone."

Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, and Naruto had stood in silence upon the end of Ino retelling of Kirita's story. All of them now mentally agreeing that Sakura did have one piece of protection. "Would Kirita know that Sakura-chan would be safest in Kyoto?" Naruto asked.

"That I don't know. As far as I know, I think Kirita-san has no idea what place is safe for Sakura right now."

Even though Sasuke wanted to lecture how they were going into this blindly, he kept his mouth a closed and in a thin line because he knew that Naruto wasn't going to change his mind. Naruto literally did not mind setting them up for a wild-goose chase in order to look for the last Haruno clan member.

"It should be easy enough, right?" There was uncertainty in his voice, Naruto beginning to think that maybe he was being a little too optimistic. He couldn't help but hope that Sakura was alive and in one piece.

Shikamaru sighed and nodded, "It's all we got. We can even split up and search before regrouping. We will not ask any of the villagers for her name, but we will just ask for her by her appearance; pink hair, a girl of sixteen of age, and green eyes."

"What about Kirita? She poses no threat, right?" Choji asked, finally speaking. "It wouldn't be harmful to ask about her by name, right?"

"Actually, it would." Shikamaru knitted his brows together, "Due to Ino's giving us Kirita's background, Orochimaru definitely knows who she is. He killed her father after all. We would be putting them at risk by doing that. Also, Kirita might be smart enough to give them aliases as well. So nobody would know who they were even if we asked based on their names alone..."

"This… This isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be." Naruto openly admitted. "I'm really glad I thought of you, Shikamaru."

"Without me, you would be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Meanwhile, I'm dealing with the stress of thinking of every side of this situation. Thanks a lot, Naruto." Although the Nara was just teasing, he really was irked that he couldn't rest on one of his few days of leisure.

Ino chuckled as Naruto released a bashful chuckle, "Don't worry, Naruto. Forehead is important to me too, so there's no way I'll have you scramblin' around looking for her by yourself. I'm just surprised you got Sasuke to tag along."

"I had nothing better to do. Besides, the idiot would get himself killed." Sasuke quickly replied, not ashamed or regretting what he said, which he knew ticked off the Uzumaki.

"Teme…" mumbled Naruto as he averted his gaze in an angry manner. Normally, he would've been ready to attack and yell across the room but now wasn't the time.

Choji plopped another rice ball into his mouth before dusting off his hands and armor, "Anyway, now that we're all set and stuff, we should start moving and not waste our time. Every minute counts now."

"You're right, Choji. Alright, let's find Sakura-chan and bring her to safety!"

"First," Sasuke said, "there's someone I have to see." And with that, the Uchiha turned to leave, which left Naruto and the others curious as to Sasuke was going to meet.

"Where do you think he's going?" Choji asked, glancing away from the door Sasuke had left from and towards Naruto.

"I have no idea. He's been acting strange since this morning." Naruto sighed, thinking that maybe Sasuke was still taking the news of his impending marriage hard.

Ino noticed Naruto's odd disposition and decided to prod into his business, "You know what's up, don't you, Uzumaki?"

"Huh? What?! N-No! I honestly have no idea!" It was obvious that he was lying now. He was about to break into a sweat as he raised his arms, holding them in front of him.

Naruto knew Ino as well as Sakura were both infatuated with Uchina, for reasons unknown to him, but he was pretty sure Ino's curiosity was out of self-interest than out of general concern for his best friend. "Spill it, Naruto!" She urged, taking a step into his direction, her blue-green eyes quite menacing as they locked onto him.

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Maa, girls are so annoying…" He mumbled, mostly to himself. "I heard Sasuke might get married. I can see that being the reason to drag him down. Can't say I blame him, marriage seems quite the headache."

"Married?! W-What?! Since when?!" Ino yelled, fists balled up as she turned to Shikamaru for answered. "And why didn't you tell me about it?!"

"I figured you would've known. Aren't you in the Sasuke fanclub?" Shikamaru replied as Naruto was relieved that heat was off him, but he wondered just how the Nara found out about it?

"How do you know about it, Shikamaru?" Ino had beat Naruto to the question.

The dark-haired boy shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly crossing his arms. "There's been talks about a big Uchiha alliance. Its only rumors but after Orochimaru took a big chunk of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans during the Battle of Konoha during the Great War, it's been said that both clans are trying their best to keep the clans from extinction."

The blond somberly nodded, thinking about his distant cousin, Karin, who had witnessed her village being destroyed, which held some of the remainder of Uzumaki. He also thought of his mother recalling the event where many Uzumaki died during the Battle of Konoha.

"So, who is she?" pressed the Yamanaka.

"That, Ino, I don't know." Frowning, she watched as Shikamaru sheathed his hands into his pockets, eyes closed as he let out a tired sigh. "I'm gonna take a nap. Hopefully, Sasuke will be back and we'll kick this plan into action."

::

Kirita was more than fine with walking, allowing Sakura to ride the horse as they walked along the dirt road. She took more comfort that in case something would happen, an attack per say, Sakura could hightail it out of there with Yumi. Despite Sakura arguing on why both of them should be on the horse, Kirita proved that she was more stubborn than what Sakura took her for.

"When will I start Kyūdō training, Kirita?" Sakura finally broke the silence.

"At night, when we camp. That way you can practice as much as you want." Kirita answered, "We'll start tonight, but first we need to get you a bow and quiver full of arrows."

That was also true. How could she begin training for a weapon she did not have? "That should be easy. The next town shouldn't be that far, and we can make it there before night fall."

"Also, we'll have to have different names."

The princess rose a brow, "Huh?"

Kirita's eyes glanced upward at her before looking back towards the road. "Even though Sakura is actually a common name, nearly everyone knows that a girl with cherry blossom colored hair named Sakura is the princess of the Haruno clan. Even if your people have never seen you, they'll immediately know it's you and the last thing we want is to draw attention."

Sakura nodded, "You have a point. So, that means… I can be anyone that I want, huh? A new name…"

"Yes, and I'll have to take on a new alias as well."

They continued with pensive silence, lost in thought of what they would call themselves temporarily. "How about Mio? No, Misaki! Oh, how about Hana?!"

"Your name has to mean something with a blossom, huh?" Even though she was teasing, she was wondering if these names were hitting a little too close to home. "But I do like Mio, its simple."

Smiling upon the approval, she gave a nod. "I still need to think about... If we ever have to disguise ourselves as men, I'd like the name Daichi."

"Alright, my name will be Yui and, should we ever have to pose as men then my name will be Ichirou."

"Ichirou?" Kirita smirked at the curiosity in Sakura's voice, "Why that name? Doesn't it mean 'First Son'."

"I was my Chichi-ue's first daughter. So, instead of his first daughter, I'll be his first son." Sakura ahhed at the cleverness, nodding as she understood Kirita's choice.

It was then she spoke up again, "Do you… Still think of your parents?"

"Every now and then." She answered softly, "Have you ever heard of Fuubutsushi?"

The pink-haired girl immediately shook her head, "No, never. What does it mean?"

"The things—feelings, scents or images—that evoke memories or anticipation of a particular season. My family and I would spend a lot of time during before the harvest season; summer holds a lot of my favorite memories." With a long, drawn-out sigh, Kirita closed her eyes for a few minutes. "So, whenever I see things that remind me of summer, I think of my parents."

"It could be how particularly warm the sun is when it usually isn't in this type of season, but how it is in the summer. When I hear cicadas or seeing bright, fresh stalks of grain that have been harvested. I have memories of my father, mother, and my small siblings that never really got to live a long life. I always found it unfair that I have lived to be twenty-one and they never made it past the age of ten. My older brothers were only just a few years older, but they left no children… Nothing."

The heavy atmosphere and Kirita's obvious sadness had made the princess regret asking her about her family. Kirita had a deeper wound, which still hadn't fully healed just yet and she felt guilty for reopening it. "Gomen, Kirita."

"Its fine, Sakura. You have lost your parents as well, so I'm only assuming you wanted comfort in how to deal with the sudden loss. Its not easy not having your parent around, especially while you're young."

Sakura was glad that Kirita was the understanding type or else she would've continued kicking herself for bringing such a sensitive subject up. "Kirita, I really don't know where I would be without you. You've done so much for me…"

"You gave me a new chance at life, so the best thing I can do is make sure you live yours to the fullest." The princess couldn't help but smile upon Kirita's words. "But I have to ask," Sakura glanced towards Kirita, "why do you want to see Naruto-san?"

Biting down on her bottom lip, her gaze drifted towards the villagers that were going on with their daily lives. "Naruto… He's Shogun-sama's son, so wouldn't it make sense? Naruto would be able to keep me safe. I was supposed to marry him, so it would make sense, doesn't it?"

"We don't know what's to happen to that marriage alliance now." said Kirita, "Naruto is under no obligation to marry you anymore. There's no more Haruno clan members except you..." She didn't want to limit Sakura, wanting the princess to always think she had many choices but in this world… Women had little choices. "You think people will follow you if you suddenly just announce yourself as alive? You think men would respect you? Just fight for you because you're alive and Kizashi-sama's daughter? You have yet to earn their respect. The only way you can do that is if you raise the Haruno clan from the ground up by yourself."

"What are you trying to say, Kirita?" She questioned.

Kirita stopped walking, pulling Yumi's reins to stop the horse from moving forward as well. Both their eyes locked, the purple eyes of the female warrior glowing with intensity. "If you're serious about avenging Kizashi and Mebuki-sama and taking back your home, your fiefs… You'll have to rise and gather an army of your own."

"How could I possibly do that?" Sakura questioned, "I can't… rule. I can't lead people. I don't even know how to shoot an arrow yet!"

"You'll have to learn. You have many followers in these lands, Sakura. But, in order for them to follow you and keep their faith in you, you have to prove that you can lead."

"So, you want me to become a Damiyo like my father?" There was an unwavering hesitance in her voice. It did strike her odd that Kirita believed in her this much yet she could trust that Kirita's faith in her amounted to something that was clearly incomprehensible to her. Maybe she saw something in Sakura that was good enough but Sakura could not just see it in herself just yet. "But I'm just one, single girl…"

"One, single girl can change the world if she wanted. She'll have to work twice as hard as any man or boy, but she can do it. Tsunade-heika is our first Empress, and is she someone you doubt?"

Sakura couldn't fight against that. She remembered the woman as clear as day. Tsunade was unshakable. The earth trembled upon her arrival and people bowed at the call of her name. The princess did want to be a force like her, but… she still was unsure if she could ever achieve such acknowledgement and strength.

"If you're serious about vengeance, about becoming strong than this is the path you must take. Otherwise, I suggest you live a quiet life and forget everything you've ever known."

::

It felt like hours since she stood out in the garden, resting under the cherry blossom tree that had bloomed so brightly over the past week. The petals would fall, one by one, which always felt odd to her since they just arrived. Cherry blossoms were quite the feeble thing, aren't they? Some withered too fast for her taste. Still, that was supposed to be the beauty of them; cherry blossom trees were so identical to humans.

"Hinata-hime."

Pale, white eyes had shifted away from the trees and towards the woman who called her name. "Oh, Ruyi-hime, you've come to visit?" Gathering herself to her feet, Hinata had adjusted her kimono so that she looked more presentable. She also bowed deeply but Ruyi shook her hands as if to dismiss the polite gesture, completely seeing it as unnecessary and far too formal

"Yeah, its business though." smiled the silver-haired girl, her azure eyes soaking in the Hyūga's warm smile. "How are you?"

"Chichi-ue has been pacing in the meeting chambers all day. He won't allow me in, so I'm worried. What did Tsunade-heika want to tell my father? It's… something important, isn't it? That's why you're here." Ruyi's smile had slowly faltered, giving Hinata suspicion that she was correct that there was something important that brought her here. "Did something happen?"

"Well, the Haruno clan was raided by Orochimaru six days ago." Unsure if the Hyūga princess heard the news or not, she decided to relay it to her. From the gasp and wide eyes filled with horror and shock, Ruyi could clearly see that Hinata had not heard the news after all.

"A-Are they… D-Did anyone…?" The questions couldn't even come out. The Hyūga was so flabbergasted by the news, she couldn't even barely speak.

"Well," Ruyi pressed her lips together in thought before prying her lips apart to speak again, "Kizashi nor Mebuki-sama were found alive, but Sakura-hime's body had not been found. So, there's hope that she may still be alive; my mother is counting on it."

Hinata was somewhat relieved by that, but she could not help but feel crestfallen upon the fact that Sakura's parents were killed. And no one had no idea if Sakura was alive or not. All of that information was enough to leave a person's heart heavy and their stomach tight with little hope.

"That's probably why… Chichi-ue seems so worried." Of course, she had no idea if that was the main reason why.

Even though the girl in front of her knew why Hiashi was actually in a state of fret, she couldn't bring herself to outright tell Hinata the truth. "I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you the news." Ruyi said, watching the girl shake her head as if telling her to not be sorry to relay such disheartening news.

"No, I'm glad you told me or else I would've never known. I'll keep Sakura-hime in my prayers. I hope she's alive and safe."

Ruyi smiled upon Hinata's kind words, "Hopefully the Gods will hear them. Oh, well, I better get going before I get in trouble. It was nice talking to you, Hinata-hime." With a slight bow, Hinata watched Ruyi whiz past her.

"Maybe I should talk to father… If he's worried about Orochimaru than I must help him." Despite her resolve, she couldn't find the courage to take a step forward and head into the direction of the meeting chambers. She was unsure what mood her father was in, and he liked for her to stay out of civil affairs as much as possible. In fact, the only person he would allow was…

"Onii-san!"

Upon the sight of her calm and calculating cousin, the princess moved forward. Running as quickly as her kimono would allow her through the grass and onto the pathway. "Hinata-hime?" He quickly turned to face her, watching her pant slightly. "What's the matter?"

Shaking her head, she greeted him with a smile. "Oh, I was wondering if you were going to see Chichi-ue... were you?"

"Yes, why? Do you need me to relay a message for you?" Neji asked, carefully observing her features. He knew Hinata had tendencies to hold back her worries, and Neji seemed more adamant to get to the bottom of her endless sea of uneasiness.

Unable to look her cousin directly in the eye, she shifted her pupil-less eyes towards the main house. "Uhm, well…" She trailed off, finding herself a bit in a pickle of wanting to ask him about Orochimaru and the Haruno clan and then if her father had anything he was stressing over. Should she be outright or should she slowly make her way there? Hinata was unsure. "Uh…"

"Is something bothering you, Hinata-hime?" Neji quickly asked.

"N-No! Its just—!" Fiddling with her thumbs, the princess shoulder's slowly drooped. "Chichi-ue seems stressed. I was hoping you could tell me why. Did… Did something bad happen?"

The black-haired male sighed in relief. He was almost worried that the princess felt sickly or much worse, but she had every right to be worried. "No, Hiashi-sama is just curious as to what will happen between Uzumaki and Haruno."

"Huh? What do you mean?" She questioned, revealing her genuine curisosity.

"Hiashi-sama wanted you to marry Naruto Uzumaki. Heh, not sure why. He's just a good for nothing loudmouth."

Her pale face had colored into a dark shade of red, her mouth agape in shock. "W-What?! Naruto-kun and I… m-married?!"

The boy was unsure why the news caused her to be so red in the face, but he understood her surprise. "But Shogun-sama decided that Naruto would marry Sakura-hime instead."

Even though Hinata was shocked by the news, it did make her heart flutter if only just a little. It made her smile as well, but the happiness she felt upon the news that Naruto was then supposed to marry Sakura had shrunk. "O-Oh…" She stuttered, disheartened.

"But we don't know what will happen now since Sakura-hime is nowhere to be found." He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "Hiashi might push the marriage between you and Naruto at this rate since what would be the point in marrying Sakura-hime regardless if she's alive? There's will be no clans to unite."

Hinata was unsure how to respond. A part of her wanted to find some light of the situation, "Well, that doesn't mean that Sakura-hime can't give him an h-heir right. She might not have a clan behind her but she can still give N-Naruto-kun a son and some of her followers, r-right?"

"True, but I don't know. The whole situation is a mess." Neji's lips were a thin line as he looked away in thought. "Anyway, I'll need to see Hiashi-sama. He'll probably want a meeting to discuss on what to do."

"O-Oh, okay then! See you later, Onii-san." She gave a nod, watching Neji bow and then take his leave. Hinata sighed, her hand slowly reaching to rub the center of her chest. This was a lot of news to soak in and she didn't know how to feel about any of it.

Her body stiffened suddenly, her body whipping around and her eyes searching for something. "Who's there?!" She asked before activating her byakugan, the veins around her eyes protruding as she searched the garden but she could not find the strange presence that she felt. "Someone was definitely here…"

::

"I am not some stupid bird that you guys can keep locked up in a cage!"

Crack. Snap. Shatter.

For the past hour, the redhead had been having a major tantrum. She was literally fuming, steam coming from the top of her head as she had tried to keep her anger under control but she couldn't keep a temperament even if it bit her in the rear. She was fed up with this. She was fed up of being treated like a docile child. If there was one thing Karin was not; it was a docile and a child.

She could heard the samurai guarding the door spoke of being relieved that she was inside and hadn't managed to get her way out. Boy, if they knew if she escaped then she was pretty sure they knew the whooping that was coming their way. "Yeah, you better be sighing out of fucking relief. If I get out, tch… You won't even see what's comin' to ya!" Just saying that had made her arm cock back, her fist ready to meet any mouth that was in her vicinity.

Just one mean hook.

Just one.

Oh, that would've made her day.

"Karin."

The voice was enough to hold her back, her arm falling limp as her eyes went from narrowing to wide in surprise. She immediately ran towards the door, that voice was coming from the other side. She hadn't even notice his chakra signature just then, she was so completely wrapped up in her anger. "Sasuke?!"

The redhead could hear him telling the samurai to open the door from him and they complied with hesitance and warning. Did they think she was going to hit Sasuke? She wouldn't. Even though there were many times she wanted to, Karin could never finding herself messing a hair on the Uchiha's head. Before the door opened, she took a step back and fixed her attire. She was sporting miko clothes, which meant they had taken her back the castle while she was on the job.

Sasuke entered the room, his eyes meeting Karin's briefly before she averted them out of defiance, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He simply said, watching the door behind him be closed shut. "Also, to figure out what you're up to."

"W-What?" Her hand immediately rose to her glasses, fixing them even though they weren't the slightest bit of crooked.

"You've been following me and other Uchiha members, haven't you?"

What was this? What she being…? "Sasuke, are you interrogating me?" She finally asks.

"Why shouldn't I? Why are you spying on me?" Even though he would have right to be angry, she couldn't see anywhere on his features that he was. In fact, she could barely tell what Sasuke was thinking at the moment. "What are you trying to find out?"

Of course Karin couldn't tell him. Instead, she tries to pretend that she didn't hear the question. "W-What?"

"Karin." His voice became stern, "I won't ask you again."

With a sigh, she folds her arms. "I heard you were getting married."

"So what?"

Karin's face flushes a beet red. She doesn't, not in the slightest, want to tell him why she was trying to figure out who he was going to marry. "That's it."

"That's it?" He echoed her question, remaining unsure of what she means. With a snort as they stood in silence, he watches her with mild amusement. "If you were so curious then why didn't you ask me? Why did you follow me?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't tell me." Oh no, she admitted to her own crime.

Caught.

So it was her. He only had a suspicions, but now he had all the proof he needed. "Its none of your business."

"I-I know! I was just… curious."

Silence fell between them, and it made Karin entirely uncomfortable. His onyx eyes were staring right at her and she tried her best to keep her eyes looking at everything that wasn't him. A part of her wanted to look at him, to soak in his features one final time before she would have to give him up yet she couldn't find it within herself to do it.

"Well then," He muses, "did you find out?"

Karin dares to look at him and then shakes her head. "I-I don't care anyway. Tch, why should i?"

"You cared enough to get caught and admit you were curious. Karin, now isn't the time to pretend."

The Uzumaki female felt completely chagrined by his cross examination. It was enough to infuriate her and enough to keep her at bay. "No." She answers quickly, "I didn't find out." Sasuke gives her a smirk before turning away from her and walking towards the door. "Wait! Don't let them keep me in here, Sasuke!"

"You'll be out soon enough." He looks over his shoulder, his arm resting on kusagani. "The Uchiha clan will be coming for you."

::

"Now you look like a traveling woman."

There was something in Kirita's voice that suggested that she was proud of her work. She looked at Sakura once over as the princess was adjusting her sleeve. Sakura's high-priced kimono was burned after the suggestion that they leave no traces of her behind. She was reluctant to do it, finding it more sensible to sell it but it would create suspicions as to how she would've gotten such expensive fabric as Kirita suggested. Now she stood there, wearing a short-sleeve, salmon-colored kimono known as a kosode. It had white, large, solid stripe designs with a thin red and pink striped obi. Above the kosode and obi was a skirt, mainly known as a mo-baka. It was a stem-shade of green and neatly tied with a simple bow at her back.

Mo-bokama were usually worn over thigh-length kosode, so Sakura's legs were covered by the wide skirt, and allowed her movement to not be so restricted too. At the bottom of it, it was the same pattern as the kosode to give off the layered appearance without actually having to wear several layers of clothes.. It was spring, so the season was warm, but sometimes the chilly days of rain would come. Kirita didn't want Sakura to be overheated or lack warmth. The outfit was truly the perfect balance of what she needed to fight and to withstand the weather.

On her feet were the standard zori sandals, but due to Sakura's hatred for socks. Kirita was stuck having to wear them herself. The warrior chose a simpler route, wearing a gray jacket-like robe and white, pleaded nagabakama pants. Due to the cords of her pants, her sword was held significantly at her right side, which was uncommon due to the fact most swords on their left. However, Kirita was not your traditional samurai in the aspect. On her feet were white tabi socks and traditional zori sandals.

"It feels weird." Sakura spoke up, looking down at her outfit with trepidation. "What if nobody buys this? I mean... "

"There are traveling women everywhere. And we got a bunch of herbal medicine we picked to make it not look suspicious." Kirita said, not seeing the flaw of this. "And now you've got your bow and arrow so we can practice. How can anyone suspect us?"

Sakura pursed her lips, thinking more about it. With a sigh and a slight shrug, "I don't have a better idea… So, let's go."

Kirita had helped Sakura climb onto of Yumi, the skirt making it quite difficult for her to sit on the saddle with bows legs and so she had to sit sideways instead. The horse went into a gentle trollop with Kirita keeping up pace at her side. "So, we're on our way to Kyoto, right? You wanted to see Naruto-san, didn't you?"

"But if we're going to start from the ground up with me reclaiming the Haruno clan with me as Damiyo, wouldn't it be best to avoid him?"

"What? What do you mean?" Kirita asked.

"Well, I want to blindside Orochimaru. I don't want him to know its me. Maybe in order to do this, I might have to disguise myself as a man. That way, I can build my army and then make a pact with Orochimaru, like an alliance. I pretend to help him while rounding up other clans in allegiance in secret. And boom, we all storm Ota castle and I take back my home. Doesn't that sound like a good plan?"

"So you've been thinking about this, huh?" Sakura nodded hurriedly, showing her eagerness about avenging her family. "It'll take some time before you'll be strong enough to do that. This is a long term plan, this isn't something we can just accomplish overnight."

"It's worth the risk."

Dictionary:

Sakura's traveler outfit is extremely similar to Sango's. She was the inspiration behind it.

Kirita's outfit is basically like a male's outfit, but I wanted it a bit more familiarized with Chizuru from Hakuouki.

Note: Next chapter will have some action, some Sakura action! We will be getting a fighting princess., who won't take no shit!