Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.

~Recap~

"Teme! You look better. Obito certainly did a number on you."

"Hm." Sakura wasn't around to greet him. Weird. Normally she was the first one to. "Where's Sakura?"

"She left."

"She left to go where?"

"You cannot tell anyone this." Naruto gestured to Sasuke to bring his ear closer. "Sakura went to go meet Obito. He requested her as his medic."

"Why would you let her go, you moron?"

"It was her decision." Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. Seriously, Sakura left on her own accord? That seemed out of character for her.

"I know you're worried for her, but she's going to be fine."

"Hmph."

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

~Recap End~

Sakura had only reached halfway to her destination before she was met by Zetsu. There standing before her was the white gangly creature or half of him; someone she had always loathed and never respected.

"Zetsu...here to meet me halfway? Obito couldn't trust me enough to get there on my own? Are you to be my escort there? For fuck's sake, is he afraid that I might spill the beans?"

"Sakura, you seem a bit feisty today. Tired are we?"

"Tired. T-I-R-E-D? I don't believe that's a world in my vocabulary. I'm running on four hours of sleep and look at me. Lively as can be. Now you've wasted two minutes, delayed me for what I can only describe as another boring lecture from Obito, and costed me meaningless conversations. Get me to Obito or I will slit your throat."

"My. How ironic are those words coming from a doctor's mouth. Settle do-?!"

Before Zetsu could let another word slip from his pale lips, Sakura had him in a choke hold with a kunai to his throat. A drop of sticky sweat formed at the start of his head and rolled until it reached the tip of his nose where it hesitated before giving itself the momentum to roll over the edge and onto Sakura's finger. Disgusted by Zetsu's apparent cowardice, her elbow flew upward and connected with Zetsu's nose. A sick, cracking sound resonated through the frosty atmosphere before Zetsu fell the his knees, clutching his nose. Blood seeped through his fingers, staining his once white appearance with a dark red. He kept his head lowered while Sakura had wiped the blood off her hands with a handkerchief. When he lifted his head higher, Sakura could see his nose twisted at an impossible angle; she threw her handkerchief at him. It floated to the ground; no one made a move to pick it up. Then after a heavy silence, Sakura whispered threateningly into the air.

"Pick up the handkerchief. Wipe your fucking nose. Then stand up and act accordingly. Remember your place before you speak. Remember who I am before you start patronizing me. Now let's go. I'll heal you when we get there. We can't keep Obito waiting. I wonder what that bastard wants with me…"

With that, Zetsu followed closely behind Sakura and never muttered a single word. They jumped from branch to branch, from tree to tree. Minutes turned to hours before they reached their final destination. A dazzling waterfall stood before them, thundering proudly into the pool below. So crystal clear that Sakura could see the little fish swimming about with so much freedom. So crystal clear that Sakura could see who she really was. Her reflection in the pool was not that of an innocent medic fighting for the lives of the shinobi. It was that of a young woman with immense power. The reflected eyes stared back at her, looking deep within her soul, looking for answers they so desperately sought. They were not clear, but clouded with convoluted feelings. Feelings that left Sakura's reeling. But before Sakura could organize her feelings, Obito appeared before them. An annoyed look adorned his features.

"Sakura, you've kept me waiting."

"No formalities, Obito? No 'hello' or 'it's been a while, Sakura'?" That garnered a raised eyebrow. "Heh fine. I'll admit that was long shot. Alright. Let's discuss the reason why I'm here. I know you don't want me to heal you." She gestured to his decently groomed appearance. "Why did you summon me? You know I don't like to be called upon. I've got patients that need healing at camp."

Obito sneered, teeth bared. "You've grown soft Sakura. How ordinary life in peace has changed you. Ten years you've been leading a double life. Where's that former fire?"

Sakura suddenly grabbed him by his shirt and yanked forward until his face was inches from hers. His face remained neutral, but fear was evident by the flicker in his eyes and the bob of Adam's apple.

"I'm only going to say what I'm about to say once so listen very carefully. Remember your place. Remember who I am. You'll do well to heed those words." When Obito didn't say anything, Sakura threw him to the side. He was on his hands and knees, coughing and yakking. Sakura gave him a once over. "Just how weak are you Obito? To let Naruto and Minato do such internal damage to you? How's the jubi doing by the way? Still having trouble fully controlling it?"

Obito's middle finger flew up, an insult directed at Sakura.

"Oh don't be a little bitch. Just face the fact that you'll never quite reach my level. Well if that's all you wanted, then I'll be going. No use wasting my time with dead-ends like you." But just before Sakura could run back, Obito had managed to crawl his way to her side and grab hold of her wrist firmly.

"You can't leave. I may not want to see you, but Madara has some things that he wants to discuss with you privately. He's where he is normally." Sakura's face scrunched into an inquisitive face, but quickly wiped the look from her face and briskly walked to Madara's room.

"I wonder what he wants. It's out of the norm for him to want to talk to me."

As Sakura walked through the lifeless hallways, the darkness beckoned for her to come back to where she truly belonged. Among the restless. Among the tainted. Among the dark. Once she longed to go back, but a taste of the light was enough to tempt her away. She didn't want to go back. Not to the place where death, sorrow, and misery reigned over love and happiness. Too many unpleasant memories were engraved in the walls as she walked lightly down the hallway. The ceiling was but a mere two feet above her head, a reminder to her that this place was very much like a prison. A prison that locks away all warm notions. Doors appeared then disappeared and from within those doors came moaning sounds. Sakura knew what went on behind those closed doors because she herself was once detained within those walls. Those sounds were the sounds of lonely souls begging for a companion. Madara always had his subordinates locked away to better control them. Before Sakura could recollect the horrors of her past, Madara's voice came from the end of the hallway.

"Sakura, come here now." Sakura gulped down any unease she felt and pushed the door to Madara's room open. There he sat in a red velvet chair with flickering candles above his head.

"What do you want Madara? If you need something for me, then just spit it out."

"Sakura, your words are just as blunt and caustic as usual. And talking to me like you're my equal. You've also kept your strong will and stubbornness. Did Obito come and get you?"

"Yes he did. His demeanor certainly hasn't changed."

"Sorry git doesn't understand why you're in charge of special ops and he isn't. Now to the point. Obito only bought us a short amount of time to regroup and recharge. I need you to train the...new people. I think that the Raikage and I can work out a way in which you're present in both camps. After all, you're still bound by the agreement."

"Is that all? I'll be sure to talk it over with Raikage then."

"No. You're going to be on a strict schedule where you divide your time between us. First you're going to stay with the shinobi. Especially that Naruto boy and Sasuke. They're pigs ready to be fattened. I can't trust Obito to kidnap them. He already caused enough trouble with the whole Sasuke/Itachi/Orochimaru debacle. I would do it by myself, but I just don't feel like wasting my time with those below me. My time with Hashirama is coming. The time of the Uchiha is finally going to shine through and reign all. Isn't that right Sakura?"

Sakura remained silent. "So he's going to keep me as his servant? Who does he think I am? How dare he imply for me to have such a lowly life!"

"Sakura, go. I want to contemplate the different methods in which I could go about instigating a fight with that passive bastard. A legendary fight is what it's going to be! I WILL BE THE ONE TO BRING DOWN THE MIGHT HASHIRAMA. Then the Uchiha will finally come out on top in the world's final moment. History will dictate that the Uchiha was the last to reign above all. But Obito still stands in my way. He thinks he's doing it to merely eradicate the sorrow and misery in the world. He can't be the next leader of the Uchiha."

"Then who do you want?"

"I want Sasuke. I want Fugaku's youngest son. He's grown and matured. From a revenge hungry teen to a wise yet ambitious young man. He's a good choice for the next heir."

"What is going to happen to Obito? He's going to be livid and go into another rage-fill quest to do yada yada yada."

"I want you to kill him. Make it look like a accident. Pin it a person you hate. If I recall, you were and still are a skilled assassin. Do it soon. I can't have him disturbing my plans. Now leave."

Sakura bobbed her head and left the room. She closed the door and along her walk back to the entrance, she encountered her recently announced target.

"Obito, have a nice one. I'll be going back. I've got some things to take care of back in camp. You'll be seeing me very soon. Try to keep yourself in check while I'm not here." Another middle finger was to be expected. "Well I'm off." And with that, Sakura disappeared. She landed among the trees and began her long trek back to camp.

"I have to kill Obito. Hm, how long ago since I killed someone? Blood. Oh sweet blood. Oh how I've missed my bloodlust."

Tree to tree Sakura jumped before she reached the camp. When she was let in the my guards, she went to visit the Raikage in the medic tent. She needed to talk to him about Madara's proposal. Everywhere she turned, the shinobi, despite being injured, talked to each other with a liveliness that Sakura admired. Something that she longed to replace the dark in Madara's hole. She reached the medic tent where the Raikage was being treated and went through the blood stained flaps.

"Sakura! Don't linger in hallway. Why is your face like that?"

"There is something I must speak to you privately about." She then turned to the attending doctors and shinobi within the tent. "Can you leave for a moment. I must speak to the Raikage about an urgent private matter." A moment had not passed before the tent was clear and Sakura was left alone with the Raikage.

"Has Madara given you new orders Sakura?"

"Yes I have to split my time with your troops and his. You have me the first half and he has me for the second. He gives word to use me wisely."

"What does he intend to do with you?"

"I am to train his new 'recruits'."

"Then you are to train the shinobi. We'll divide them by level of skill and I'll have you train the highest."

"Alright. When do we begin?"

"Tomorrow. Four the in the morning to be exact. I'll send word to have all the battle-ready shinobi ready and we'll have a little test to see where they fit best. We have to prepare for the final battle. After you leave, go straight to the tent where the edo tensei shinobi are resting. I want you to relay this information to them yourself so we can keep this matter on the low down. Then inform all my subordinates about the test, not giving anything away, so they can rally the troops by themselves. Now get some rest yourself. You've got a long month of hard training ahead of you."

"Yes." Sakura went back out and walked across camp, threading through the wounded and the weary, before stopping at a standstill of in front of the edo tensei tent. "Wow, I'm going to meet the historic Hashirama. Certainly didn't feel this way when I met Madara. If only he wasn't brought back to life for Madara and Obito's selfish purposes. Stand up straight and walk confidently. You probably have just as much power as he does." As she stepped through another pair of tent flaps. Both Hashirama brothers were sitting, heads bent over as their lips moved. Minato wasn't present at the moment. "He must be doing a little father soon bonding with Naruto. I'll get him later. It's Hashirama Senju that I need to talk to anyways." Sakura shuffled her feet, eliciting a sound and reaction from the Hashirama brothers.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sakura Haruno. I need to speak to the two of you about an urgent matter that involves of Uchiha Madara."

Kawarama, the younger of the two, stood up at the mention of Madara's name and stalked over to Sakura.

"Who ARE you?"

"I'm Sakura Haruno. I'm one of the Raikage's advisors. I am also a close confidante of Uchiha Madara."

"What does he want?"

"Madara's young colleague, Obito, has bought both sides a respite that will last two months. I am to split my time between training the shinobi and training Madara's new recruits. I'll spent the first month with the shinobi, but in the second, I am to report to Madara. This is the agreement that both parties have come to."

Hashirama, who had been quiet for quite some time, spoke. "Sakura, how did you come to entangle yourself in a difficult situation? A young and innocent girl like you isn't someone I would peg for to be involved with a man like Madara."

"As much as I would like to disclose my past with Madara, I cannot for complex reasons. My past is my past alone. On an semi-related note, the Raikage will be holding a sort of test or trial as to see the skill level of all the shinobi. They are to be put into groups with other shinobi of their level. He invites you to join him as a 'judge'. That's the end of the message. I must leave to inform some others about tomorrow. It was a absolute pleasure to finally get to meet the Leaf's first two hokages."

"Sakura, don't-"

Sakura didn't wait long enough to hear Hashirama calling for her. She went from tent to tent informing the necessary people. After an hour or so of being a messenger, Sakura went back to her tent to take a long, very long nap. "I don't feel like talking to anyone. It's been a very trying day. Naruto is only going to make my head ache more and Sasuke...that dumb prick will say the only word in his limited vocabulary. Yeah, I'm feeling antisocial. Stop thinking Sakura! You still have to take part in the test tomorrow. Some rest will do you some good." On that final note, Sakura finally shut her eyes and moments later was fast asleep. As she lay in her slumber, she could not see a pair of red eyes watching her from the opening of her tent.

"Sakura."

Whew! Another chapter done! Another cliffhanger to keep you on your toes! Expect a longer chapter next time! I'll admit that I was at the brink of another horrible writer's block. Thank God for English period dramas. The rich language and drama of those shows truly drives me to think and write at my best. I'm sorry that there hasn't been any major development with Sasuke and Sakura. Everyone's a little OC for now. I'm trying to development Sakura's character since the "picture" I have of her is a bit complicated. As for the point of view, it's been a little foggy as to who I'm writing as. I'm pretty sure that by chapter 6 or 7, I will do each chapter as either Sakura or Sasuke; don't expect any romantic development any time soon. May a little sexual tension in the air? Just enough to keep you guys interested? I have a feeling that this story is going to be a long one. So many ideas just floating around in my head yet so little time to write. I'll do my best to update this story for sure. School starts in four days so I'll be using the rest of my vacation wisely! And as always, reviews are appreciated!