Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Kakashi would...oh man would he :)

Spoilers: AU. The truth has been twisted to meet my needs, as all truths should be!

Warnings: Same as before, No beta. Please excuse my mistakes :(

The town looked just as she had remembered it. Stone paved paths, open air shops, and friendly people walking around. Since it was a beautiful day everyone in town was out and about. During the day the town was great, but at night it changed. The casinos that lined the ends of the streets would turn on their lights. The open air shops would close and the bars would open. Slowly the street lights would come on, along with the red lights.

That is how the atmosphere in the town started its transformation. There were still people walking around and they were still friendly, just a little bit too friendly. Every now and then someone would get too rowdy and they would be thrown into the street, but that was not as regular an occurrence as the first time she visited the town.

Sakura quickened her pace as she spotted the inn they would be staying at. It didn't look as grand or flashy as some of the other places on the street, but the people who worked there were wonderful people and that is what kept the place from going broke. As she slid open the doors a small bell rang announcing their arrival.

"Welcome to – Sakura!"

The old man standing behind the counter gave the pair a huge smile as she walked around the counter and approached Sakura, offering her a hug.

"Ken-san it's so good to see you." As the older man approached her Sakura opened her arms and hugged him back. Ken was tall with no hair. He had wrinkles around his eyes and mouth that deepened when he smiled. It made him appear warm and welcoming. Sakura knew from experience that even in his old age Ken was not one to be trifled with. He still had a firm handshake and can use his size and voice to demand respect from anyone.

"How long as it been?"

"Too long." As Ken released Sakura he noticed Shin standing behind her, observing the interaction between the two with obvious curiosity. "Who is this?"

"My name is Shin." Shin stepped forward and bowed his head at Ken. The introduction made Ken turn and look at Sakura.

"He's my student." Sakura laughed when Ken's eye got wide. "Yes, I'm a sensei."

Ken laughed and clapped his hands together. "Well it's about time. You have a good teacher here. Listen to her."

Sakura smiled at Ken. He was always so kind to her. After the passing of her parents, Ken was the closest thing to a father she had. He would listen to her and not interrupt her as she spilled her heart to him. Thinking back on it now Sakura realized that most of the things she cried about with Ken were trivial, childish things.

Ken turned away from the pair and approached the counter once again. Once behind the counter he looked at the wall of keys behind him, each one labeled with a number.

"One room, two beds please."

"Of course." Ken grabbed one set of keys and gave it to Sakura. "Welcome back Sakura."

Sakura returned the smile Ken gave her as she took the keys from his hand.

The room was nice and the beds spacious. What more could Sakura want? Dropping her bag she sat on the edge of the bed and threw herself back. Oh god, and the bed was soft too. Sakura closed her eyes and relaxed. The only sounds she heard were those from outside and the sounds of Shin settling in. The noise from inside the room stopped when she heard the sound of bedsprings. Opening her eyes she noticed Shin was sitting on his bed looking at her.

"How do you know that man?"

Sakura closed her eyes. He was getting more and more direct with his questions and statements. Sai was rubbing off on him. Sakura sat up and moved to sit indian style on the bed.

"A few years back I came to this town and met Ken-san. I helped him deal with a problem and since then I have been a welcomed guest and I get free rooms."

"What kind of problem?"

Sakura pressed her lips together in thought. She wasn't sure if she should reveal the truth or not. After looking at Shin for a moment she decided to go with the truth.

"This town has a rather robust red light district. Do you know what that is?"

Shin nodded, which surprised Sakura. "Kakashi-san let me borrow one of his books. It explained what a red light district was."

"Did it now? Did you like the book?"

"I didn't like the graphic nature of the book." Sakura had to close her eyes and count to ten in order to remain calm. She made a mental note to punch Kakashi in the face and not heal his bloody lip or black eye.

"Anyway, when I first arrived here there was this group of men who were staying here and causing trouble. They would attack other guest and damage the rooms. They were also going to the red light district and hurting the girls there. People were getting hurt and losing money."

"So you got rid of them?"

Sakura didn't stop the menacing smile that slowly crept on her face. The memory of teaching those men a lesson was simply too good to forget. The satisfaction from it always made Sakura happy.

Shin stated at Sakura for a moment before clearing his throat and looking to his feet. Sakura let out a short laugh before sighing.

"Why did you leave the village?"

"That is a question for another day." Sakura quickly stood up and grabbed her shoes. "Let's go find a nice open field so I get teach you how to walk up trees."

Sakura walked down the paved path at a leisurely pace. Shin was still in the field trying to figure out how to walk up and down trees. Sakura knew that he probably wouldn't be coming home tonight. It took Sasuke and Naruto all night to figure it out.

As Sakura walked past one of the red light establishments a man standing in the doorway made an obscene gesture with his hand at her. Before she even had a chance to respond another man standing next to him slapped him on the back of the head.

"Idiot don't you know who that is?"

"Should I?"

"That's the Poisoned Flower of Konoha."

"Shit! You serious?"

Sakura continued walking as the men scurried inside and away from her. It had been sometime since someone had referred to her by that name. She remembered how mad she was the first time she heard someone call her that. But the name was catchy, mysterious and kind of sexy. With time she came to love the name. She loved seeing the look on people's faces when they realized she was the Poisoned Flower. She loved the way the name sounded when someone said it with fear in their voice. After coming to terms with the name she realized that she had somewhat of a sadistic streak.

Sakura stopped in front of one red light establishment called "Love Spell". She always thought the name was cheesy, but it was popular with the people who frequented the red light district. She rang the bell and waited for the doorman to look through the peep hole at her.

After a few moments the door opened and a large, jolly man with a stern face opened the door and motioned her in. As soon as the door was closed behind her Sakura smiled and hugged the man. The stern look on his face immediately changed to one that matched his jolly physique.

"Daisuke, how are you?"

"Good. How are you Sakura?"

As they spoke Daisuke led Sakura down the hallways of the establishment. They moved past rooms where the sounds of giggling men and women could be heard. "I've been great actually. I finally went back to Konoha. I have a student now."

"Really, wow. Konoha is lucky to have you back." At the end of a particularly long hallway Daisuke knocked on a door and waited a moment before a voice welcomed them in.

The room was just as Sakura remembered it; simple yet elegant. There was a small table with a few bonsai trees on it on one side of the room. In the middle of the room there were mats on the floor surrounding a tea set. At the back of the room was a woman kneeling in front of a desk with paperwork. She wore a solid colored kimono that faded into a flower pattern at the hems. Her hair blond hair was pulled back in an ornate bun. She wore little make-up, not that she needed it.

"Sakura-san, what a surprise. Please sit. Daisuke can you get the tea?"

Sakura smiled and moved to kneel on one of the mats while the woman got up and kneeled on the mat directly in front of Sakura. Daisuke served the tea and sat indian style on another mat.

"You look beautiful Riko-san."

"I have you to thank for that." Riko took a small sip of her tea and lowered the cup to her lap. Sakura couldn't help but think back to the first time she met Riko. Daisuke had sought Sakura out because he had heard she was a medic. When Sakura saw Riko she was on the verge of death. The previous owner of Love Spell had attacked Riko because she had complained about a customer being too aggressive. At that time Riko was covered in blood and dirt. Sakura healed her wounds and asked Daisuke to carry Riko to her room so that she could bathe her. A few days later Sakura returned to Love Spell with Daisuke and found out that the owner had abused some of the other girls. Needless to say the owner left after spending some alone time with Sakura.

"I assume you came here because you need some information." Sakura blushed in embarrassment at the statement. "No need to worry. We all have things we need to do and I don't mind helping you along the way."

"Thank you Riko-san." Sakura took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Have you heard if 'the three' have teamed up again?"

Sakura watched as Rika gave Daisuke a quick glance. He in turn stood up and checked the door before standing in front of it. Sakura knew, without looking, that he now had his hand on his waist where he kept his hidden blade.

"One of my girls spoke to a man the other day who said he had worked with two very interesting men a few days before. One could turn into water and the other would go crazy when he was angry."

"Did he mention anything else?"

"Only that he was hired to locate the family of an old man. They wanted the man's adopted son."

Sakura froze at the information. Somehow they knew about Shin. Sakura thought back to his file. The lab was found deep in Sound territory. She had assumed the old man was from that area as well. The old man had been allowed to return home once he was reassured that Kabuto and Orochimaru were dead. Had he talked? Should she pay him a visit?

They were clear on the other side of the Fire Country and she had hoped to stay as far away from Sound as possible. She would need to send word back to Tsunade about the possible leak in information.

"Do you know of the old man and his adopted son?"

"I believe I do."

"It goes without saying, but if you ever need a place to hide yourself or others I am always here to help you."

"I know. Thank you."

Sakura sat back in the chair on the balcony of her room as she waited for Shin to return. After leaving Love Spell the night before she made a quick stop to check on him. Sure enough he was still trying to walk up the tree. He was able to stick to the tree but only if he damaged the truck. It was now early morning and the warm sun felt good as it warmed her face.

She had thought long and hard about the information she heard from Rika. She knew she could trust the woman with anything. But the information was only as trustworthy as the man providing it. Sakura wanted nothing more than to interrogate the man herself, but he had left the town two days before her arrival. Sakura had sent word to Tsunade letting her know about the intel and the unsecure nature of the information. Tsunade could worry about the old man. For now Sakura had to focus on Shin and getting him ready to join a team so she could focus, once again, on gathering intel.

Locating the third member of Hawk has been especially difficult. No one had seen her since she escaped Konoha. Every now and then Sakura would hear a rumor about a red headed, red eyed girl but they never turned up anything. The other two were easier to locate, but hard to pin down. They traveled constantly. Sakura had only been keeping tabs on them, but about a year ago she noticed that they three of them were getting closer and closer in their travels. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it concerned her.

Sakura didn't turn when she heard the door to the room open, she knew it was Shin. He didn't say anything to her, just closed the door behind him and walked into the bathroom. A few moments later she heard the shower running. Sakura turned and looked at the clock on the wall above the beds. Room service should be arriving soon with breakfast. She smiled to herself on being right about when Shin would be back and ordering food.

By the time Shin got out to the bathroom Sakura had set up the food on the small table on the balcony. She was sipping some coffee when Shin sat down.

"So how did it go?"

"I'm able to walk up the tree with no issues."

"Show me."

Shin put down the piece of toast he was holding and looked at Sakura. She in turn nodded and motioned to the wall next to the Shin. Wordlessly Shin stood up and positioned himself in front of the wall. He walked up the wall without damaging the wall and with little effort.

"Perfect. Next we'll try walking on water."

Shin walked off the wall and sat back down in his chair. He picked up his piece of toast and started to butter it. "When will we start that?"

"Well after breakfast I think we should pack up and go to our next destination. Where do you want to visit next?"

(7 months later)

"It feels good to be home."

Sakura smiled as she looked down at the gates of Konoha. Both her and Shin were standing on a tree that looked down on the valley Konoha was located in. She estimated it would take them about an hour to reach the gates.

She raised her arms above her head and leaned back, causing her back to crack. Shin readjusted his pack and put his hands in his pockets. The first time he had done that Sakura almost yelled at him to stop. Now she had come to terms with the fact that Shin did things, without his knowledge, that reminded her of Sasuke. It was unfair to him if she were to 'correct' him.

Over the past several months he had improved by leaps and bounds. She knew Iruka would pass him and he would quickly rise to the position of chuunin before he turned 15. They had celebrated his 11th birthday while on their travels. Shin only had a month and year for his date of birth, so Sakura had asked him to close his eyes and say the first number that came to mind. With that missing piece they had decided on his birthdate. He protested quite a bit when Sakura said they would celebrate but she knew he had enjoyed himself. He even graced her with a smile; granted it wasn't big but she didn't complain.

After lowering her arms, Sakura turned to Shin. "Ready?"

He simply nodded in response. The pair jumped down to a lower branch and then proceeded to move toward Konoha. As they jumped and swung from branch to branch Sakura felt something tickle the back of her brain. Not taking any chances she stopped running and stood on the branch. Shin dropped down next to her.

"Something wrong Sensei?"

Sakura didn't answer right away. Instead she focused on their surroundings trying to seek out what had gotten her attention. When she felt it again she knew someone was out there because Shin turned his head in same direction as her. Silently she signaled for Shin to jump up higher in the tree and hide. He looked like he was about to protest, but Sakura just repeated the signal more aggressively. Shin nodded and obeyed the command, but Sakura knew he was pissed.

Sakura felt the presence getting closer and closer. When they were about 10 feet from her they stopped. Silently Sakura started moving through the trees toward the person. Anyone watching her would have noted that she moved like a cat through the trees. She didn't have to look above her to know Shin was following close behind.

As she got closer she saw a large tree and knew that the person was hiding behind it. She had to make sure if they friend or foe first before engaging them. As she moved to round the tree from a distance she felt the presence split into two. One was coming at her and the other was moving past her and up the trees. Before she had a chance to move towards Shin she watched as the man with orange hair released his curse seal and charged her.

Jugo swung a punch and missed Sakura, but the blow destroyed the branch she had been on. Sakura knew that when the seal was released Jugo was nearly unstoppable. She would not be able to reason with him, he was a man overtaken by brute strength and murderous intent. Sakura knew if Jugo was here then that meant Suigetsu was fighting Shin. Although she trusted Shin's intelligence and abilities, she knew he wouldn't survive against Suigetsu for long.

Sakura blocked and threw Jugo into a nearby tree. She could hear metal hitting metal from above. She could also hear Suigetsu trash talking Shin. She thanked her luck stars that Shin was not one to get riled up by trash talk. He remained calm and collective. But still Sakura had to even the playing field.

As Jugo charged at her again Sakura gathered her chakra and punched the ground. The impact sent out a small shockwave that leveled the trees around her and threw rocks and earth into the air. Jugo was momentarily buried in rocks and other debris. Not far to her right Sakura saw Suigetsu and Shin moving to position themselves again after falling from their perches and landing on top of toppled trees. As Suigetsu picked up his katana and rushed Shin, Sakura pulled out one of the senbons from her hair and threw it at him. Suigetsu had no choice but to stop running in order to avoid being hit. Sakura took advantage of this and jumped in front of Shin.

"You must be the Poisoned Flower of Konoha. I'm going to enjoy plucking your petals."

Sakura said nothing. Instead she quickly formed seals and blew out a huge cloud of green poisonous gas. Suigetsu jumped back to avoid the cloud, but Jugo was not so lucky. Sakura had seen Jugo running towards them and knew he would be unable to stop himself. As soon as he started coughing Shin set the gas on fire with a fireball.

The gas was still burning when Sakura quickly pulled out the katana she had hidden in the back of her dress and blocked Suigetsu's blade from above. Sakura dropped her weight a bit so that she would have better leverage to push back when Shin was thrown against her. The force of the impact resulted in both of them being colliding violently.

Sakura recovered first, while Shin groaned as he attempted to stand. Before Sakura had a chance to get into some kind of fighting stance Jugo hugged her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. Suigetsu held out his blade and pointed it at Shin.

"Don't move kid."

Sakura was doing all she could to keep from groaning. She didn't want to scare Shin, but Jugo was slowly squeezing her tighter and tighter.

"Jugo, don't kill her yet. Remember we have questions to ask."

Sakura was surprised when Jugo stopped squeezing her. It seemed that in the years since Sasuke's death he had learned some form of self-control. Although momentarily relieved, Sakura knew that that particular piece of information was not to her benefit.

Suigetsu approached Sakura, while still pointing his blade at Shin. With his free hand he grabbed a lose strand of hair from Sakura's bun.

"What is it with Sasuke and girls with weird hair." Shrugging more to himself than anyone else, Suigetsu quickly walked to Shin and grabbed Shin by his hair. He pulled Shin up and held his blade to Shin's throat. "Now, tell me where Sasuke's son is?"

Sakura couldn't stop herself from laughing. For all their information they were still missing a key piece of intel. When Suigetsu frowned at her, she laughed even louder. It was then Sakura noticed that Jugo relaxed his hold on her a bit. It wasn't a lot, by any means, but enough for Sakura to quickly formulate an escape plan.

"What's so funny?"

"Sasuke never had children. He has no son. Besides do you honestly think he would ever get that close to a woman? That he would allow himself to be that vulnerable?"

It was then Sakura felt the tickle in the back of her brain again, expect this time she knew who it was. She knew Suigetsu and Jugo felt it as well. Sakura threw her plan out the window and simply acted on instinct. Before Jugo could tighten his hold again, Sakura gathered chakra in her arms and shoulder and broke free of his hold. Pushing more chakra into her legs and feet she ran towards Shin. She wrapped her arms around him and continued to run. All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

Sakura had hoped she'd be fast enough to get some distance between them, but as she grabbed Shin, Suigetsu managed to cut Sakura along her back from shoulder to shoulder. She heard Shin yell her name, but she kept running. She knew by then that the presence she had felt was now in the clearing facing Jugo and Suigetsu. She almost smiled when she heard dogs growling and barking.

Once Sakura reached the trees again she located a large trunk and hid behind it. It was only then that she released Shin. He moved to go back towards the sound of fighting but Sakura grabbed him.

"Kakashi can handle them."

"But it's one against two."

"No it's not. Trust me."

Sakura heard a rustling from a nearby tree. She grabbed Shin and pushed him behind her. As the noise grew closer she pressed Shin into the trunk of the tree with her back. When Suigetsu appeared from behind a tree she ran her finger against the seal on her belt and grabbed the kunai that appeared.

"Sensei let me help."

"Don't move or I'll break your legs."

Sakura knew that the threat was empty and she knew Shin was aware of that fact. But she knew he understood the seriousness of the situation. Instead of waiting for Suigetsu to make the first move Sakura moved first and charged him. She was well aware that the cut on her back was bleeding and that the more she moved the more it bled, but she had to keep him away from Shin.

This time around Sakura was able to avoid his blade and was slowly getting the upper hand. She could tell he was getting frustrated, and that frustration finally resulted in an opening. Sakura quickly twirled the kunai in her hand and slashed at his chest. Just as the kunai was about to make contact Suigetsu's chest turned into water. The force of Sakura's swing resulted in her losing her balance momentarily. That moment was enough for Suigetsu to slash upwards at Sakura. His blade cut at her chest and one side of her chin, cheek and eyebrow.

As Sakura fell she heard the pounding of paws coming towards her. By the time she hit the ground Suigetsu was running with three dogs on his trail. Sakura pressed her hand to her eyebrow to try and keep blood from getting into her eye. She attempted to heal it, but was running low on chakra. Sakura turned to look at Shin. He was still standing by the tree and was unharmed. It was then Sakura noticed that he had his hands closed in fists and he was visibly shaking. He started running towards her, but as he got closer Sakura realized he was not coming to her but planned on running past her.

"Shin, no!"

As he ran past her, Sakura attempted to get up and grab him. But her movement was sloppy and she ended up tripping on her own feet and fell down again. When Sakura looked up again Shin had stopped running. He turned, walked towards her and kneeled. He had his head bowed.

"Why didn't you let me help?" When he raised his head and looked at Sakura she lost all ability to speak. Shin had activated his Sharingan. Sakura had started to have doubts if Shin even had the ability to begin with. It seemed that Kabuto truly was a genius and a monster.

"Close your eyes." Sakura watched as Shin pressed his eyebrows together, but didn't respond. Instead of waiting for Shin to close his eyes, Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. As Shin fell forward Sakura placed her free hand over his eyes. "Close your eyes."

Sakura told herself she was telling him to close his eyes for his protection, but part of her knew she was asking him to close them because of her. It had been 7 years since she'd seem those pair of eyes and she was actually surprised at how they made her feel like a weak teenage girl again.

"Sakura!"

The sound of Kakashi's voice brought her back to earth. When she removed her hands from Shin's eyes they were their normal black color again. She stared at him, trying to figure out if he even understood what had happened. He in turn just stared right back at her. She knew he was confused and she was sure her face had the same expression.

"Sensei, we need to get you to Konoha."

Shin stood up and grabbed Sakura's hands. He helped her up into a standing position. Once Sakura was standing she turned to Kakashi, who was in the process of removing the pack he was carrying. As Sakura watched Kakashi she was startled as Shin reached up and wiped away some of the blood around her eye and face. The action uncharacteristic of him and surprised Sakura.

"Shin, carry my pack and I'll carry Sakura."

Without saying a word Shin took the pack from Kakashi and waited until Kakashi kneeled in front of Sakura. Sakura cautiously lifted one leg but when she tried to wrap her arms around Kakashi's neck to lift her other leg she felt the cut on her back bleed more. When she attempted to pull her leg back Shin moved behind her and lifted her up by the waist onto Kakashi's back.

With her legs secured around Kakashi, Sakura grabbed a fistful of his shirt to keep her in position. Kakashi leaned forward and waited until Sakura gave word that she was ready.

"I'm good. Let's go."

Sakura wasn't sure when, but at some point she had fallen asleep on the way back to Konoha. When she woke up the sky looked dark outside her window. She estimated that she had lost at least 4 hours. As she looked around the room she saw Shin sitting in a chair next to her bed. He was slumped forward and breathing evenly. The book he was holding looked like it was slowly slipping from his fingers. Sakura was about to say his name when Kakashi and Tsunade walked in. The opening of the door woke Shin up.

"Sakura, how are you feeling?" Tsunade grabbed the chart that was hanging at the foot of the bed and started flipping through it.

"Okay I guess. Tired." It was then Sakura noticed that she had bandages on her face. A slight shift of her shoulders revealed that she also had bandages on her back and chest.

"Well your wounds, while bloody, didn't cut anything important. You should be able to go home tonight."

Tsunade put the chart back and turned to look at Kakashi. Sakura noticed the quick glance he gave Shin. Sakura was quick on the uptake and understood what they were trying to say.

"Shin, can you go home and bring me a change of clothes. Just pick any dress from my closet and a maybe a shaw or a wrap." Sakura smiled warmly at Shin. He in return just nodded as he closed his book and walked out of the room.

"How did you find us Kakashi?"

Kakashi took the chair that Shin emptied and places his hands on his knees. "I just happened to be returning from my own mission. It was pure luck."

"Sakura, I need you to tell us what happened?"

Sakura took a deep breath and sighed. "Obviously we were on our way back home. I sensed one person and went to investigate. Somehow I miscalculated and instead there were two people. Had I known that I would have hurried back."

"Did you know it was them?" Tsunade didn't have to say their names for Sakura to know who she was referring to.

"No. I've never actually encountered them before. Suigetsu asked for the location of Sasuke's son. How would they know about that?"

Tsunade looked quickly to Kakashi who just stated at Sakura. "They asked for Shin?"

"Basically, even if their information was wrong."

"And he heard this?"

"Yes."

This time Kakashi returned Tsunade's look. Tsunade cursed under her breath and walked to the window. Kakashi turned back to Sakura. As he looked at her Sakura could see something dawn on him.

"Is that why you covered his eyes?"

"He activated them for the first time. I didn't want them to find out." Sakura knew trying to hide the Sharingan was useless. Everyone would eventually find out. But she wasn't sure he was strong enough to protect himself from all the people who would want a piece of him.

Tsunade turned away from the window and moved back to her position at the foot of the bed. "This is what we'll do. Sakura get Kakashi up to speed on Shin's development. Kakashi talk to Shin about the Sharingan and what it can do and when you can teach him how to use it properly. By the end of the week I'll have Iruka re-evaluate him for placement. But before that, tomorrow morning I want to talk to him. I think it's time for him to get a history lesson."

Sakura felt panic start to rise up in her chest. She had wanted to be the one to tell Shin so that she could control the information. But with Tsunade telling him; she wasn't sure what she would say.

"Sakura, look at me." Sakura slowed her breathing and looked at Tsunade. "I wouldn't do that to you."

As Sakura calmed down she turned to Kakashi. She could see the questions forming in his head, and he may have asked her those questions if Shin hadn't walked in at that moment with a bag. Wordlessly he placed the bag on the bed and turned to walk out. He held the door open and stared at the back of Kakashi's head. Tsunade was the first to comment.

"Looks like he's the protective kind." Tsunade winked at Sakura as she approached Kakashi. She tapped on his shoulder and pointed at the door. The contact seemed to snap Kakashi back to reality.

"Oh, hai hai." Kakashi appeared embarrassed as he approached the door. "I'll see you tomorrow morning Sakura-chan."

After walking Shin to the Hokage Tower Sakura wandered town aimlessly. The cuts on her face had scabbed over. She knew with proper healing she could avoid any drastic looking scar on her face, although she was worried she might not be able to grow hair where he eyebrow had been cut.

Without even realizing it Sakura had ended up in front of Naruto's house. She debated going in since she was supposed to meet with Kakashi. But since he hadn't given her a time, or a location for that matter, she decided to knock on the door.

Once again Hinata opened the door, except this time she was very visibly pregnant and radiant. Pregnancy suited her well. Naruto quickly rounded a corner of the house. He had some paint on his face, but looked just as excited as Hinata.

Pair welcomed her in and quickly started asking about the wounds on her face. Sakura decided to tell them the truth. After coming home the night before Sakura could tell that Shin had questions, but he was not approaching her like he normally would. She had gained so much ground with him in terms of trust, but she felt she was quickly losing it. For a long time Sakura had only answered his questions with partial truths, or complete avoidance because she was 'protecting him'. It wasn't until Tsunade decided to talk to him that Sakura realized she wasn't protecting him, she was protecting herself. Her selfishness had resulted in her getting seriously hurt and Shin almost being found out. As she had laid in bed that night she decided that her days of 'protecting herself' were over. She needed to learn to trust others again, just as Shin had learned to trust her.

After telling Naruto and Hinata the whole thing she waited for a response. Naruto was the first to speak.

"He has the Sharingan. Sakura that must have really had an impact on you."

"You really have no idea."

"What do you think Tsunade-sama will tell him?"

Sakura had also thought about the same thing last night. "I think she's going to explain to him everything about the Uchiha's and Sasuke."

Sakura watched as Naruto turned and looked at Hinata. They were having some type of silent conversation that Sakura was unable to join or follow. Naruto nodded to Hinata and scooted his chair closer to Sakura.

"Why haven't you explained to him about Sasuke?" Sakura figured she must have had a hurtful look on her face by the way Naruto responded. "Sakura, I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"

"Don't apologize. You have a completely valid question and I don't have a good answer. I mean I have an answer, but it's selfish."

Sakura watched as Naruto leaned forward and took her hands in his own. The look on his face was one of comfort and understanding. At that very moment he looked more like a Hokage then at any other time.

"I left Konoha because of Sasuke. After he died I needed time to mourn and being here was not helping. Everyone kept saying how sorry they were and how we," Sakura gripped Naruto's hands a little tighter, "would eventually move on. The whole thing made me feel like I was useless, so I left. I got stronger, made a name for myself. I grew up."

"Yeah we all noticed."

"But that day you found me and told me about Shin it felt like all my hard work was for nothing. The moment I saw him I was that little girl again. I felt like I was getting better over time, but fuck Naruto. Every day I spent with him was a challenge. He has no idea how much like Sasuke he is, and that scares me. I didn't tell him about Sasuke because I wasn't ready."

Sakura was proud of herself for not crying. She was also happy that Naruto wasn't looking at her with pity in his eyes.

"Sakura, you of all people should know what not knowing you who are can do to a person. You've seen the effects."

"I know. He could have been killed yesterday and it would have been my fault."

There was a small knock on the door and Hinata waved at Sakura and Naruto to stay seated. As quickly as she could, Hinata stood up and walked to the front door. As she walked away Naruto leaned back in the chair. Sakura's hands felt cold when he let her go. When Hinata walked back in she was accompanied by Kakashi. Sakura noted that he had gotten really good at tracking her down.

"Well the atmosphere in here feels heavy. I take it Sakura was going over her recent missteps as a sensei."

Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. A much as the comment was below the belt she knew it was true.

"Kakashi that was harsh."

"Come now Naruto, don't tell me that you've never made a mistake with Konohamaru."

"Uh, well no…uh yes, but..."

"Everyone makes mistakes. I've made plenty, and you two know it. But you learn from those mistakes and you try to be a better sensei."

Sakura couldn't help but notice the quick stealing glance Kakashi threw her way. Although it was quick the look still made Sakura feel excited. She was glad that Naruto hadn't noticed the look since he happened to be looking at Hinata at just that moment.

"Well thank you Kakashi, that makes me feel a little better. We should go and so that I can update you."

As they got up Hinata reached out for Sakura. "Why don't you come by tonight for dinner? Bring Shin with you."

"You sure? You don't look like you should be spending too much time in the kitchen. I suspect you'll give birth before the end of the month."

"Really? They told me I was due next month."

Sakura placed her hand on Hinata's stomach and looked off in the distance in order to concentrate. She smiled when she turned back to Hinata.

"Trust me, you'll give birth this month. Have they told you the sex of the baby?"

Hinata glanced over at Naruto. "Actually we decided we want to wait."

"Okay, not a problem." Sakura remove her hand and straightened her dress. "Well then I'll see you tonight."

Sakura placed her hands on the fallen tree she was sitting on and pushed back her shoulders. The action made her chest stick out, something that she noticed Kakashi was aware of.

After leaving Naruto's house the pair walked to one of the training grounds that wasn't used as often for training as it was intended. The area was isolated and reasonably far from main roads. The wooded area was a particularly tricky area to navigate as trees had toppled over many years ago and new trees had grown around them. Since there were no paths all of the grass and shrubs were unusually tall. With all of the natural coverage at night the area would turn into a local make out spot.

Sakura thought back to the last time she was here. She had come with Sai and the area was empty of anyone else. She looked over to a nearby tree where she could still make out where she had warn away some tree bark with her hands.

Kakashi faked a cough that brought Sakura back to the present. He was leaning against the tree trunk Sakura was sitting on, but a few feet away. "So, Shin. It sounds like he'll pass Iruka's evaluation with no problems. And his chakra control is.."

"Good. He still has some room to improve in that area, but thinking back on it now his issues may have been because his eyes were trying to activate without his knowledge."

"What about his fighting demeanor?"

"Calm, cool and collective. He doesn't respond to trash talk, believe me I tried that one." Sakura ignored the raised eyebrow Kakashi gave her. "If he feels that he's getting over his head he takes a step back and re-evaluates. He's good at keeping his emotions in check."

"He looked pretty emotional when I found you two yesterday."

"He's never done that before."

Kakashi pushed himself off the tree and walked towards her. Sakura noted that his movements were like a predator stalking their prey. She vaguely wondered where their conversation about Shin took a turn down this path. Not that she minded.

When he reached her he stood about a foot in front of Sakura. "You do realize his eyes activated because of you."

"Is that how it works?" Sakura knew that the threat to her life was the reason. She knew enough about the Sharingan to understand that. She also knew Kakashi was aware of her level of knowledge on the matter.

"Yes that's how it works. I've also noticed that he seems very protective of you. I would say it was somewhere between a brother/sister relationship and mother/son relationship."

Somehow, Sakura wasn't sure when, Kakashi had closed the distance between them. He slowly leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of Sakura. Since he was leaning forward Sakura didn't have to open her knees to accommodate him.

"Don't call me a mother. It makes me feel old."

"Believe me when I say this." Kakashi leaned in closer and was just inches from Sakura's face. "You are not old."

Even in an actual forest Sakura noticed that Kakashi actually smelled better than the woods surrounding them. The sound of his voice was doing things to her that she hadn't experienced in a very long time. The low base on his tone made the muscles in her lower back tighten, which made her chest push out even more. Sakura moved her hands off the tree trunk and placed them on Kakashi's forearms.

"Then what am I-" Slowly Sakura moved her hands up Kakashi's arms until she reached his biceps. She stopped her hands and looked down at them. Slowly she squeezed a few times then started rubbing slow circles with her thumbs. "-Kakashi."

"Apparently a sadist." Sakura smiled and then lightly bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I know that. But what else."

Growing bolder with each moment Moved forward and stopped when his hips hit Sakura's knees. He gave her a look, but Sakura shook her head. She wasn't going to open her knees and let him get closer. Why would she do that when teasing him was so much more fun. Instead Kakashi placed his hands on Sakura's knees and slowly started to move them up her thighs.

"You are a woman." His hands continued their journey up, past her hips to her waist and ribs.

"Yes I am aware of that."

"And I only recently have become aware of that. I'm not even sure when it happened." When he reached her shoulders he let one hand fall back to her knee, while the other reached for her face. He lightly ran a finger along the line of her jaw, from her ear to her chin. "I only hope I am not too old for you."

"With age comes experience."

"I'm not used to hearing you say things like that."

Sakura sensed Shin approaching before she saw him. Kakashi was too distracted at the moment to notice his approach. Sakura estimated she had about a minute before Shin rounded a set of trees and spotted them.

"Well you should be used to hearing things like that thanks to those books you read." Sakura reached up and took Kakashi's hand from her face. She smiled sweetly at him before punching him in the face. "If you ever give Shin one of those books again you'll see how much of a sadist I can be."

Sakura timed her punch and outburst perfectly. She didn't want him to see her and Kakashi having an intimate moment. As Kakashi recovered he spotted Shin and looked over at Sakura as he held his lip. Sakura gave him an apologetic look before waving to Shin to come over. Once he was close enough Sakura patted the trunk next to. Shin ignored her and instead leaned against the trunk.

"So how was your talk?"

"Informative."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond was but she wasn't sure where to go with it. She turned to Kakashi, who was standing up now, for help.

"Anything you wish to share."

"You both know it all already."

Sakura lost her patience and smacked Shin on the shoulder. He reacted by rubbing his shoulder and giving her a puzzling look. "Enlighten us anyway."

Shin spoke as he continued to rub his shoulder. "He told me about Sasuke and his brother. About how you were on his team and Kakashi-san was your sensei. She told me all about his fight with Naruto and joining the sound."

Shin stopped rubbing his shoulder, but kept his hand in place. Slowly he turned and looked at Sakura. "She told me about how much you love—loved him and how he tried to kill you and Naruto."

Sakura didn't break eye contact with Shin as she spoke. "What do you think of all this new information."

"I think I understand you better. Why you were always so careful with me. You were protecting me."

Sakura broke eye contact and looked away from Shin and avoided looking at Kakashi. For a moment she felt unworthy of Shin and his trust in her. As quickly as the thought came Sakura blinked it away.

"Well enough of that. Today Kakashi will be teaching you all about the Sharingan."

Sakura almost laughed at the look Shin threw Kakashi. It was a lot like the look she gave him the first time she met him all those years ago. Kakashi must have thought the same thing because he smiled at her and Shin.

"Shin, do you remember how I told you to look underneath the underneath."

"Yes."

Kakashi reached up and raised his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. Sakura smiled at the reaction Shin gave upon seeing the eye. It was a rarity for someone to not know about the Copy Ninja.

"Well think of this as a continuation of that conversation."

Author's Note: It has been a really long time since I've written an action sequence. I tend to get lost and confused if too much detail is given, so I tend not to give a lot. Let the characters freely move in your mind as you follow along. With regards to the interaction between Kakashi and Sakura, I'm pretty happy with it. Nothing overly WAFF, which is not really my thing. The whole sadist thing, come on she's punching people left and right for very little. She totally enjoys it. :)