Sakura wondered if it was fate, coincidence, or if she was just really dense.
She had just been laughing in the next room about an assassination attempt on Gaara's life, and now here she stood in the same room as the man himself. He turned to look at her when she entered and then just as quickly turned away, uninterested in her. Was that a hint of contempt she caught in his glance?
She thought back to what she had been saying – how loud had she been talking? Had she just made a complete fool of herself? She looked at Tsunade, trying to gauge her reaction, but Tsunade was busy talking to Gaara.
"Sakura is one of the best medics in our city – most likely in our world. I would like her to hear this as well."
Gaara nodded. One of his aides opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again at a glance from Gaara. Sakura watched him and felt glad that Tsunade was her Hokage, even though most days she drove her insane.
"We'll do anything we can to help," Tsunade was saying, "but we'll need to know exactly what it is we're dealing with before we can promise anything for sure."
"Of course." Gaara answered. "What do you need to know?"
"I would like to examine you." Tsunade told him. "With Sakura's help of course."
Sakura started. She hadn't known what to expect when she walked into Tsunade's office, but she hadn't expected this. She opened her mouth to protest, but shut it before she could say anything. There was no point in protesting now – and no real reason to. After all, this was her job.