Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto Shippuuden.

Sakura shielded her eyes as she looked up at the sky to check the time. Having left the Leaf three or so hours ago, she scolded herself for being homesick already.

Earlier that day, she had had her pack ready for her mission with Captain Yamato, and had been busy all morning shuffling the hospital shift for her subordinates while she was gone. Because of this, Sakura had barely been able to talk to Sai for more than a couple of minutes. The former ROOT member was busy with preparations with his own mission as well, and had spent majority of the morning at the Hokage Tower for briefings with Kiba, Hinata and Team Ten.

Sakura knew she did not have the right to question the Fifth, but she was starting to wonder what Sai's mission was about. This was one of the very rare opportunities he was grouped with probably the most efficient tracking team in the village, and it made Sakura wonder what could have been so important as to send a group of their caliber.

She had decided that this was not the time to be too bothered with someone else's mission, as she too, had but a very long way to go before they reached their destination, having to reach the large cape to the south and take a boat to one of the smaller islands before they reached the mainland of the Country of Water. Sakura had been quite doubtful about this mission from the very beginning, as she didn't really know Tsunade had debts that concerned other countries.

"Are you sure she's been to the Water Country for two years?" she had asked her Captain many times within the week.

Yamato, who was already more than annoyed from having her ask about it and still not believe him, said, "For someone who wants to run away from a bloody past, you'd think she won't go as far as the boarder?"

That had shut Sakura up. She knew of her Master's past, as Shizune had been more than willing to share about juicy information about Tsunade when they were alone and getting drunk. She guessed if she lost everything in her village – her family, her lover – she would have wished to leave it all behind too…

And bury myself in a fifty million ryo debt in a foreign country? I don't think so…

But it was too late. The thought of Tsunade's lover made her think of her own. The only time she was able to say goodbye to him was the moment she had set off for the village gates, where Sai had intercepted her.

"These are for you," he had said and dumped into her hands a very, very heavy brown sack, which she discovered a few moments after to contain black ankle weights. She turned one over and winced when she saw the faintly written ''60 lbs' on each of it on the leather.

"For training your speed," he had explained unnecessarily, then leaned forward and kissed her lingeringly on the lips, not even caring the least that Yamato was watching them with curious eyes.

"Be safe," he had added before running back to the Hokage Tower.

And right now, as Sakura bent over and adjusted the ankle weights she had strapped to her shin guards, she suddenly felt a sudden desire to see Sai.

Yamato, who was sitting under a tree not too far from her, snapped the cap of his water bottle closed and turned to her. "Something on your mind?"

Sakura sat down on the rock near her and shook her head. "Aside from the utmost disbelief that my Master had lost fifty million ryo to gambling, nothing in particular."

Yamato had to laugh. "It makes you think that the Hidden Leaf's Legendary Three composed of nothing more than a drunk gambler, a porn-writing lecher, and a power-hungry necromancer."

That made Sakura laugh with him. "Good that their names exceed them."

Yamato stuffed his water bottle into his pouch. "I can't believe she actually pulled me out of ANBU to be your team's temporary leader, only to have Naruto spirited away to Myobokuzan. Now I'm stuck doing errands for the Lady Tsunade instead."

Sakura raised her eyebrows at the man. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were complaining, Captain."

He smiled at her ruefully. "Who am I to complain? If it's not Tsunade, It's Kakashi-senpai who abuses me. I haven't felt this overworked in years."

"Let's hope you get a raise."

"My chances of getting a raise flew out the window the moment the Fifth decided to pay her debts."

Sakura grinned at him sympathetically. "Did you like working behind the mask better?"

"It's no different than working without it. You just get to yawn freely when the mission gets boring, and no one can ever tell."

"Huh." Sakura took out her own canteen and took a swig of lukewarm water. "So tell me, Captain. What's the difference between the ANBU Black Ops and ROOT?"

Yamato swiped a finger over his brow and looked at her. "There really isn't much to tell you that you don't already know." He shrugged. "We Black Ops answer directly to the Hokage and do all the dirty work needed to protect the village; assassinations, interrogations, Rogue-nin retrievals, you name it."

Sakura chewed on the insides of her cheek. "Sounds like fun."

Yamato grinned darkly. "If you die, no one's going to give you a funeral, because no one would know who you are. It's your obligation to destroy your corpse if you ever get unlucky enough to croak."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "That sounds depressing. Now you're going to make me cry."

"Really?"

"Nope." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Tell me about ROOT."

"Shouldn't you be asking your boyfriend about that?"

Sakura gave him a pointed look.

Yamato scratched his head hopelessly. "Even the Black Ops know little about ROOT, because they don't take orders from the Fifth. What I do know is that they move beyond the lines of morality and humanity if it means benefiting the Village. Which – " Yamato got up to his feet and dusted his palms on his vest. " – makes you a very lucky girl for having a ROOT member who'd probably sacrifice the whole Village if it were for your sake."

Sakura was skeptical at this. "Really?" she asked dryly.

Yamato thought for a moment, then said, "Well, maybe not really. But he'd probably come close to hesitating a few seconds before he offers your life to save the Village if needed."

That made Sakura laugh loudly. "You're probably right." She, too, got to her feet, tested the ankle weights, then sighed. This needed a bit of getting used to.

"So tell me," Sakura started again. "We're not really expecting any ambushes awaiting us when we cross the ocean and enter foreign territory, right? This isn't a political mission, so we can pretty much waltz right in?"

Yamato gave her a dark look.

Sakura groaned. "They're on to us, aren't they?"

Her captain hitched the backpack where the scroll containing the money was sealed. "The Water Country isn't exactly known for it's wealth. A country that's almost always wracked in civil war could only get worse, never better. Tsunade's 'friend' could easily order a few ninja from the Hidden Mist to steal the money from us, and make Tsunade's debt still stand as unpaid for."

"Why would a friend stoop so low?"

"All businessmen stoop low when it comes to money. And fifty million is a lot of it."

"Good point."

They set off South-East, eating their early supper on the road.

It was not Sakura's first time to be alone with her Captain, and she could easily say that they were very efficient together, not to mention roughing it was really enjoyable, sleeping in warm wood cottages. Now, if only he opened up to her more…

By the time they reached the southern boarder, it was already dark and Yamato made the usual preparations for their camp. In a matter of minutes, they had put up their shelter, built a fire and both were sitting around it as they waited for their water to boil. They took this time to polish up on their disguises.

Or at least Sakura did.

"Do I really have to be your younger sister? Because we look nothing alike," she complained.

"You're a kunoichi. You were trained for deception."

"We can't deceive our way out of genetics. Can't I be your… like… distant cousin?"

"That doesn't make a difference at all."

"Fine," Sakura said. "I need something to hide my hair." She fumbled for her backpack to look for a bandanna and was surprised when she saw one dangling a few inches from her nose.

"It's not like you to space out on a simple mission like this. We've already planned this a week ago. Down to the tee." Yamato sat down across her. "Are you sure nothing's bothering you?"

Sakura rubbed her forehead, annoyed. Just as Yamato pointed out, something was bothering Sakura. The only thing that was stopping her from actually confiding in him was the fact that she did not quite understand what was eating at her to begin with. "It's nothing." Of course, there was definitely something…. Something…

Yamato frowned at her. This could be the first time in two years that he's pulled an unpleasant face on her. "Whatever it is, I suggest you put it on the backseat for the remainder of this mission. You know my rules, Sakura. You keep up, or you get left behind. And I don't want to leave you behind or there will be a lot of people who'd tan my hide if I do."

"I know, I know." Sakura did not need to be reminded of this. She snatched the scarf and sniffed it suspiciously. "This smells like a woman owned it." It reeked of some musky perfume Sakura had once smelled before in one of the night clubs at Otafuku Gai.

Red in the face, Yamato snatched it back. "If you're going to complain…"

Sakura grinned at him toothily and pulled at the scarf. "Not complaining, Captain. Just stating the obvious."

Yamato let go of the scarf and shrugged. "Get some rest. We leave for the Cape in four hours. And it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

She did not doubt him. With Sai's ankle weights that were already biting down on her skin painfully, she was facing a very, very tiring one week and four days.

The message they were expecting from Kakashi-sensei arrived as Tsunade had expected in the form of Pakkun, Kakashi's summoning familiar. And as ordered, Sai, Hinata and Kiba reported the moment they were called for. They were not surprised when they saw Team Ten also inside the Hokage's office.

With Pakkun explaining the coordinates of Kakashi's location, and the overall progress of the mission, the briefing took longer than Sai had expected. It seemed like the Hokage was starting to get really fed up with the number of failed missions that involved Sasuke Uchiha. Her frustration showed with the five bottles of shochuu sitting on her table, all of them empty. Shizune came back with a fresh one that very moment.

After Team Ten's report of the terrain of the temporary base they will be taking refuge in, which did not take but a good ten minutes, Tsunade finally spoke.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush with this mission. I want it done with. I don't care how long it takes, as long as you find him and be rid of this problem once and for all. I don't want to be bothered by it again AFTER this mission. Why? Because it gives me migraines and wrinkles and it makes me lose sleep."

Sai blinked at the Fifth and wondered if she was not kidding. By the looks on Hinata and Kiba's faces, she must be pretty damn serious.

"You are to track Sasuke Uchiha and drag him back here if it means cutting off his limbs. We will end this insanity that's been haunting us for over half a decade now." Her smile swam across her face like a goldfish in a bowl. "When you come home successful, we all go out for barbecue!"

Kiba leaned over to Sai. "Don't be fooled. It's the alcohol talking."

"Understood," Sai said seriously.

Shizune, who was more than used to this kind of behavior from her master, ignored Tsunade and handed Sai a scroll. "Give this to Kakashi when you meet. These are other instructions on what to do in case… you know…"

In case we fail…

It was always good to have a back up plan. Sai took the scroll and stuffed it in his backpack carefully.

In the span of two years that he had worked with Team Seven, there had been but two attempts to bring back Sasuke Uchiha back that he was able to participate in. And that was before Orochimaru's death – where Sasuke resisted out of his own free will, attempting to kill Naruto in the process – and after Orochimaru's death – Sasuke had killed his brother, and was taken away by Akatsuki. And no leads followed after that. It was as if the Uchiha had simply disappeared from the face of the earth and reappeared a few months ago, with news of sightings of his formed team, hopping from town to town, village to village, lining the boarders, as if he was trying to stay away but couldn't.

Sai frowned at nothing in particular as thoughts of Sakura and Naruto paraded in his head. Two years ago, he would have thought the Hokage to be making a great mistake by sending another team to take care of the Uchiha. This, he had once thought, was Team Seven's problem and Team Seven should deal with it personally.

But that was then. He would still be thinking like this, had he and Sakura Haruno not started dating each other.

Right now, things are changed.

He's changed. Everyone grew up eventually, but there were some ghosts that just did not fade much over time.

Sai was so lost in thought that he didn't even get to react when Tsunade suddenly leaped from her chair. Reflexes kicking in, he smoothly leaped when the Fifth tried to heel drop him. He landed on his knees and raised his eyes questioningly at the lady, wondering what he did wrong this time.

Tsunade was grinning at him eerily. "Sooooo…."

Sai waited for a full minute for her to add something to her comment.

She had both her hands resting on her hips and she was showing him a great amount of cleavage that no man but Sai could have resisted. Kiba was already shaking his head, daring not to look, as it seemed like the Hokage has already done this to him before. Hinata had her eyes cast down.

Team Ten decided that that was the perfect time to leave, and all three of them slipped out of the office with barely a sound. Pakkun, hoping to see how things were going to unfold, picked his proper corner and sat down as comfortably as he could.

"Aren't you the lucky devil? My apprentice actually chose to mate with you…"

Shizune groaned, saying something that sounded vaguely like, "Not again."

Hinata let out a whimper at the Hokage's choice of words, and she looked longingly at the door where Team Ten had disappeared. Kiba had already crouched down on his knees, as if expecting this to be a long talk.

And as always, Sai was keeping a straight face. "Does luck really have anything to do with it?"

Tsunade sneered. "Falling in love is like gambling, boy. You either win, or you strike out. And just when you think you've played your cards right, your luck runs out and all you have is a broken heart you can't mend and a debt you can't pay."

Sai calmly looked at her in the eye, and bared his teeth in the only reaction he could think of when he was unsure of what to feel. He smiled. "I don't believe in luck."

Her eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

Getting up slowly to his feet, he closed his eyes pleasantly. "If I based all my performances on luck alone, then I would have failed my missions majority of the time."

When he opened his eyes, Tsunade was eyeing him strangely. He would have thought it was the alcohol, had the people standing around him not been looking at him with such curiosity. He could feel Kiba and Hinata's glare at the back of his head, and Shizune was giving him an approving nod. Pakkun in the corner was wagging his tail excitedly.

Any man could have dissolved under those stares, had they not been Sai.

In another moment, one of Tsunade's arms was around his shoulders and she was poking his cheek with a sharp, jabbing finger. "You speak as if love is some sort of S-rank mission."

Sai did not like her poking his face too familiarly, but he held it in. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Tsunade's finger froze at mid-poke. "Eh?"

Sai gently pried himself away from her one-armed hold. "I'm pretty sure someone like the Hokage has been in love at least once or twice in her life?" He did not say this mockingly. But admittedly, he let the words slip by without even thinking about it. He wished Sakura was there to at least tell him if he was doing all right with this conversation.

Shizune's face changed and she looked as if she was about to interrupt, however, Tsunade raised her hand to stop her, somewhat looking interested.

"As a matter of fact," Tsunade started, hiccupping slightly, then straightened soberly. "I loved once. And that was the last time I ever loved a man." She cackled like crazy after that, then abruptly cut it off, a shocked expression creeping onto her face as she realized what she had just said so casually. Quite shaken, she returned to her desk and poured herself another drink. "But then you're never going to know about that."

Shizune placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder and the Fifth brushed it away. Shizune sighed in resignation, then stepped back.

Sai, not really sure of what just happened and why Tsunade was suddenly sitting on her desk after all that bravado, calmly looked at her. "If falling in love were a mission, we shouldn't base it on luck, but on our skills, correct? I don't accept failure, because it brings… very bad feelings. And I don't like bad feelings."

Tsunade stared at him from under her lashes. "What if you fail, then?"

It took Sai a moment before he could think of an answer. He shrugged. "Then perhaps it just wasn't meant to be?"

This earned him an even longer look from her before she drained her cup of shochuu. Slamming the cup on the table, she pointed at Sai with a shaky finger. "I'm assigning you as team leader on this mission until you have rallied with Kakashi."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Kiba and Hinata gave him more wide-eyed stares. No one questioned the Hokage when she was drunk. No one.

Sai, he soon discovered, was starting to get pretty annoyed. Danzo was never drunk when he gave out orders. It was easier to take orders from a sober man.

"Just accept the position and let's get this over with," Kiba hissed, whose animal instinct was telling him that staying too long in that office was just not safe.

Tsunade shrugged. "You had successfully infiltrated Orochimaru's hideout once before. I hold it in my judgment that you are the better-experienced of the three."

"I was able to infiltrate the hideout because I was playing double-agent then. I doubt I would be able to pull that again with Sasuke Uchiha since he already knows who I am."

Tsunade sneered. "You're still team leader."

"I'm not good at leading. I have always been a follower."

"Then. Follow. My. Damn. Orders. You're the leader."

Slightly taken aback by her insistence, Sai nodded. "Understood."

"Now get the hell out of here."

Sai blinked. "The mission briefing is over?" He felt like he got nothing out of this meeting at all. "Is there nothing more you have to say?"

Tsunade thought for a minute, brightened then said, "Now that you mentioned it, I do have something to say." She leaned forward on her desk, smiling like a cat. "If you get my apprentice impregnated before marrying her, I will personally cut off your penis and nail it to your forehead. Clear?"

Shizune let out an indignant squawk, Kiba, getting the idea that there was nothing about the mission that needed listening to, excused himself and slipped outside the office. Hinata, not knowing if she should follow Kiba or stay with the team leader, looked completely lost and red and very, very giddy.

Sai knew that what the Lady Tsunade said was a threat. But he could not help but smile at her creativity. "Understood, My Lady."

Shizune, finally getting fed up with the ample amount of time being wasted, decided to take control of the situation. "While we all are enjoying talking about the Lady Tsunade's philosophy on love and Sai's manhood, It think it would be better if we really wrap this mission briefing? You leave in three hours. Are you prepared?"

"We have been prepared four days ago," Sai pointed out.

Shizune nodded absentmindedly and she started giving out more directions that Sai knew was Tsunade's job. In a span of ten minutes, the briefing was over, and by that time, the Fifth was already snoring on her desk.

Shizune ushered Sai and Hinata out the door, Pakkun trailing silently behind them. Kiba was waiting for them outside the hall with Akamaru slumped on the floor whining. "Shikamaru's team left, but he said they'd meet us at the gate before we leave."

"I'm really sorry about that, everyone. Today is… not a good day for Lady Tsunade…" Shizune said.

Hinata looked up at her worriedly. "Is she all right?"

"I'm afraid not. Today is… " she hesitated, wondering if she should say it. She said it, anyway. "… my uncle Dan's death anniversary…"

Hinata let out a gasp, Kiba bowed his head and a growl rumbled in his chest.

But Sai did not understand. He did not understand why a – what was it? A death anniversary? – can make the strongest figure in the Leaf dissolve into hysterics? He made a point to ask Sakura about this when this mission was over. He frowned. He was starting to miss her again. He hoped this bad feeling did not affect his mission.

When Shizune closed the door behind her, the three and Akamaru and Pakkun were left on the corridor looking at each other.

When no one spoke, Pakkun raised his paw. "Meet at the main gate in two and a half hours. Bring biscuits." And he ran off down the hall, his tail wagging.

Sai followed him with his eyes, then turned to his team. He had never been a team leader before, and did not know what to do. He voiced this thought out loud. "What now?"

Kiba looked at him pitifully. "You don't have to take it too seriously, Sai. The Hokage probably said that to make you suffer is all. And she did say that it's until we meet up with Kakashi-sensei. You'll be fine."

Sai nodded, wanting to believe him. "You are right."

Hinata smiled shyly at him, and it occurred to Sai that he had not really been able to work with the Hyuuga for a while since the Mukagawa Ravine mission. "Let's do our best, all right?" she said.

Sai blinked, unable to respond quickly. He nodded. "Let's do our best."

Kiba threw his arms behind his head and stretched. "Do you think we'll be able to pull this off even if we 'do our best'? I remember having twice as much in number of us before when we tried to recover Sasuke. And we failed even then."

Hinata turned to her teammate, displeased, her long blue-black hair flailing behind her. "You shouldn't say that, Kiba. For the sake of Naruto and Sakura, we have to do this!"

Kiba smiled at her sadly, somewhat sheepish for making such a negative comment even before the mission began. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

Sai, he soon discovered, was becoming even more confused as Kiba and Hinata talked about their uncertainties about the mission. Not that the mission seemed hard to understand; in fact it was quite basic. Track, trap, capture/terminate. Yet, deep down, somewhere in his gut, he felt a slight tug-of-war. One part of him was directing him to follow the mission description per se; drag Sasuke Uchiha back to the village. Another part of him just wanted to tear his head off.

He had to smile at the latter. The bastard was probably too strong for him to bring down alone, but the thought still did not make him stop wishing he could.

He turned to his teammates. "Like Pakkun said. Meet at the main gate in two and a half."

They nodded at him and they split up when they descended the Hokage Tower. In Sai's head, he thought of Sakura, where she could be, and if she was using the weights he gave her. He smiled at the thought, but the smile instantly vanished when he thought of the mission lying before him, because here was the truth of the matter: He was afraid that if they were able to bring Sasuke back, Sakura would once again be ravaged with emotions even she could not control. And that thought made his chest hurt for some unexplainable reason.

He looked over his shoulder and called out to Kiba's disappearing form. "Hey Kiba?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't mind bringing biscuits for Pakkun, do you?"

"Oh, crap. Almost forgot about that. Got it."

Sai went home to get his things ready, making sure to slip in extra scrolls for painting, a sketchbook to pass the time if the mission had to drag on for too long, and for some reason, one of Sakura's handkerchiefs. He looked down at the small scrap of cloth, pressed it against his face and inhaled her scent of cherry blossoms. He started to miss her terribly again.

What he did not know, was that Sakura, six hours away from the Village, was sleeping in a wood cottage and dreaming of them being together, eating lumpy rice omelets and salty cake.

No fluff. Probably no fluff for a while. But expect drama. Bad, bad drama, for maybe two chapters or so. And for some Sai-Hinata conversations about love and hate and rice balls. XD