Chapter 7

It was around noon when Kakashi, Sai, Naruto and Hinata arrived in the recon location they were assigned to investigate. It was an obvious place and anyone who can see the surrounding will assume that a battle did happen in there. The trees were all turned upside down, the ground was unearthed and there were craters dug up of which some were a few meters wide.

Kakashi signaled the team to take on their positions and look for any clues.

"Hinata, please scout the area with your byakugan. Sai, take the aerial surveillance," Kakashi commanded. The two nodded silently and proceeded. Hinata activated her byakugan, while Sai unrolled his scroll and started to ink a large bird. After releasing a jutsu, the bird was animated and Sai ride on it taking him in the air.

"What about me Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Hmmm," Kakashi said thoughtfully, putting a finger on his chin and looked up as if he was really thinking, "try to find anything that will tell us anything," he finally said.

"Like what?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"Anything," Kakashi said, as he turned away from him and went to busy himself looking and observing the ruined areas.

"Kakashi-sensei, what exactly are we looking here?" asked the baffled Naruto.

"Anything that could lead up to Sasuke's whereabouts and hideout, if we're lucky to find it here,"

Naruto nodded and began to check the surrounding areas. They scouted a wide range, being vigilant at the same time. He saw Kakashi jumped to a nearby branch and opened his sharingan eye for better assessment on the location he was looking. Kakashi was good on tracking. Meanwhile on his left, he eyed Hinata, with her byakugan activated, scanning a longer range. A shadow loomed in the sky and saw Sai's bird also circling the area.

They have been at it for awhile but luck was not with them. No trace of Sasuke or the man that ambushed the ANBU recon team.

SxS

Sasuke woke up with the smell of jasmine tea in the morning air. When he opened his eyes, he was alarmed with the unfamiliar surroundings and immediately stood up, but was welcomed with a woozy feeling. He clutched his head and steadied his self for awhile and tried to remember what happened the previous night.

He looked around him. He was on some kind of a small lab, he concluded, because of the bottles and vials and other medical stuff he saw on the table. There's also a shelf full of books and bottles. The room was small, with only one bed he had occupied and a stool sitting on the right side of the bed. To his right, was the green-colored curtain, gently dancing with the gale as it entered through the slightly opened window. He shifted his eye to the door located at the far-end to his left. Well, maybe a makeshift lab.

He winced. His head was throbbing. What had happened last night again? Ah, right. He was running from the Ame nins and didn't noticed that one of them had managed to poison him. He had been careless. After he sent the scroll he had managed to snatched to his summoned snake's mouth, he played with the nins, too engrossed and drunk with his own ego and power, that he failed to noticed that one of them had already stuck a sword on his gut. He grunted on that. What happened with his immunity with poisons then? Supposedly, his body would be tolerant to any poisons. That was Orochimaru had taught him long ago. Maybe, the poison was too strong and highly concentrated. He didn't know. If it wasn't because of Sakura—

Sakura!

He suddenly remembered her. She was here. Wait, where was she? He frowned. What was she doing here?

It's been two years since he last saw any of them. And when he say 'them', he was talking about his former team mates and the silver haired sensei. Of all people to meet, why her, and he thought, why not?

He vaguely remembered the events that took place last night. He sneaked inside the cabin, thinking it had been abandoned and thought no soul could be there at that time considering the place was remote and the nearest village below was a few miles away. Furthermore, with the nasty rain that had been pouring down, it was unlikely that anyone can be messing around the perimeter. They were in the mountains after all. So he entered what he thought was a temporary sanctuary to protect himself from the rain and to recuperate from his wounds. He was feeling his way around the house, too familiar with the darkness, that he found himself in a room unknown to him, was currently the room occupied by the pinkette. He didn't notice the bag lying around the corner of the bed for he was too focused on his wounds. It was giving him a jabbing sensation and the last he checked, he was out of chakra as well. The last thing he would think about was to noticed stuff out of the ordinary around him nor he care less about the things he considered were already there and occupying silently as long as there's no living soul around. He needs to stop his bleeding.

He then felt her presence. And that struck him, his ghastly face, whether it was the bleeding's fault or the realization that he's been familiar with the approaching chakra, he didn't know. So without thinking, he masked his own chakra, totally erasing his own presence. He knew he got the advantage. Years of experience deemed him superior when it comes from sensing chakra signature. He can sense them miles away but not as good as the high-level sensor types. But if he were to compare himself with Karin's ability when he was 15, back in the Taka days now, they were of the same level, if not better. All he have to do was stretched his sensing ability, more like extending a barrier around and that anyone who entered it would be detected, without them noticing it. So far, the familiar chakra signature didn't notice him nor sensed his presence in that house. On the other hand, he was feeling queasy, more like he will throw up anytime. He didn't like this feeling. He didn't want to meet her of all people for various reasons he didn't want to start to think about.

He knew, news about Konoha as well as the other shinobi nations had been looking for him. Don't mind the other nin out there, but Konoha had been on his tail for years. Not to mention the most persistent of them all, Uzumaki Naruto. The last they saw and faced each other was the last 4th Ninja War. They almost killed each other again. And he was surprised to know that Naruto had gained enormous power and strength, again. He was angry. He was envious. He was jealous. Why was it that everytime he had gained power, it seemed Naruto had taken another step ahead of him? They fought up to their last energy throwing ninjutsu after ninjutsu towards each other, as if they were on a contest of who could throw a better jutsu from the other, too overwhelming for an average shinobi to comprehend. Thinking back, they could have scarred the earth with that fight. It was just too great. Thankfully though, before they faced each other, they have already spent their chakra reserves to the limit, from fending off the lot that brought back by the fearsome Edo Tensei and battling together Tobi together. After that, they have decided to reach each other's throat though. Rivalry between them was just as fierce as the sun. There were many issues, many emotions to tackle, many painful memories to talk, but after the demonstrations of overwhelming power from both of them, they lie down silently. And he was gone again, leaving him a message that it's not over and that he'll have his revenge on Konoha. Again, they stood equal and gained one another's level of appreciation as a soldier, as a warrior, as a shinobi.

That was 3 years ago. And he knew that Konoha and Naruto were more relentless than ever. He was just too good to be caught. Years of knowledge he had adapted from Orochimaru. The guy can even be considered as non-existent during his time of hiding. He had no trace at all and no matter how good the Konoha had tracking experts at its disposal; they didn't even know where he was all those years. And to think his hideouts where scattered everywhere and was just right on their noses. And he was thankful he had learnt that from the former Snake Sannin. But he was not expecting to see Sakura here of all places.

So he stayed silently in the darkness of that wall, feeling her around. It was now or never. He caught her entering the room, and even though it looks like he's going to pass out anytime from blood loss and exhaustion, his breath caught from his throat. If there's anything he didn't expected from her, it was that she had greatly changed from the last time he saw her.

She was more…feminine?

He was on that train of thought when the door opened and a little girl of around twelve came inside with a tray on her hands. The tray had a plate of eggs and bread and a cup of tea. The girl had a curly long brown hair and chestnut-colored eyes that reminds him of a squirrel. The girl stopped when she saw him awake and looked up at him. Sasuke tried to control to roll his eyes. Like any other girls who saw him, the little girl was literally ogling at him. Well, who wouldn't when Sasuke was the epitome of every girl's dream of a man? He was sinfully gorgeous, with his exposed well-toned upper body; his beautiful face even though a smile has been avoiding it like a plague, has been an envy of every man, and almost worshipped by women? The poor girl was entranced by him.

He cleared his throat, which brought the little girl back to her senses. Sasuke though still wears that annoyed stoic face of his which brought people to get intimidated. He looked at the girl devoid of any emotion or recognition. Not that his interested to know her though. He was just that kind of boy—man.

"U-uhm…I'm Chisa. I brought you breakfast. Sakura-nee told me—"

"Sakura," he cut her off, "where is she?" he didn't mean to sound annoyed, but that was what came off from him. He blamed that maybe it was because his headache was persistent and he felt like a shit. Or that his throat hurts and was as dry as the desert ground. He just noticed that a bandage was wrapped around his torso and he felt the stinging sensation around it.

Chisa jumped a little when she heard his unfriendly tone. She walked towards the table and put down the tray, too aware that a pair of obsidian eyes was scrutinizing her every move. Sakura had warned her about him that she may find him like a shitty old man in terms of his attitude. But Sakura had failed to mention that her visitor was a god…a very dazzling, annoyed kind of god. "She's in the greenhouse, just outside this cabin,"

He didn't answer. He knows that there was a building aside from this cabin from what he had remembered last night the moment he sneaked inside. He didn't know that that was a greenhouse though because of the darkness. What was Sakura doing here? Maybe she's on a mission and if she did, then someone was probably with her. Konoha usually deploy their shinobis in teams of 4 as a standard procedure. The moment he thought that, he was so sure he would start to hear a loud squeal from someone he knew. But so far, there was none and he then realized that Sakura was probably on a solo mission. That actually relieved him so far, for he was not in the mood to meet anyone from Konoha, especially not Naruto.

…nor Sakura.

He was like a drunken man last night. He was not thinking straight. But it was a different story this morning. His head was clear albeit the throbbing.

"Sakura-nee said, you need to eat this. If you need anything, I'll just be outside," Chisa said as she threaded her way to the door. He didn't answer and just remained his focused on her until she was not on his sight anymore. The door closed gently behind Chisa.

The first thing he did was to look for his Kusanagi. He found it lying just beside the bed. At least Sakura didn't thought of confiscating or hiding it. His upper shirt, which was a dark kimono was missing, but he noticed a fresh white shirt and a pair of dark pants lying on the edge of the cot. He reached for it and checked it for a while before deciding to put it on. Maybe Sakura, or someone washed his soiled kimono and prepared the fresh one for his use. The garments fitted him perfectly.

He eyed the breakfast on the table, as if it was the first time he saw a perfectly cooked sunny-side up egg in his entire life. He analyzed the food for any poison being present on it.

"It's not poisoned,"

Sasuke furrowed his brows. He hadn't noticed her presence approaching the room. She had masked her chakra perfectly. Was he that engrossed with a staring war with the sunny-side up egg?

He turned to look at her, with his signature stoic expression. It was Sakura alright, he thought. With her annoying pink hair, who would've made a mistake? He chuckled inwardly at that. It amuses him though. When did he start making a joke like that? He looked at her and noticed she had somewhat really….changed. Her hair was longer now. And she's a bit taller too. His eyes traveled from her face to her body, and remembered last night's incident. She was wearing a long sleeveless maroon tunic that revealed her smooth pale arms. It's much like a cheongsam, but with the slit on both of her side a bit higher showing her black cycling shorts underneath. The hem had reached her mid-calf. It's conservative to a great extent from what he had saw last night but he knew the curves she had tried to hide beneath those baggy clothing. He smirked. He noticed she had carried a few leaves and twigs on her arms. And she just shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the longest table.

And that stunned him. But knowing him, being the walking block of ice, didn't fazed a bit. Outwardly that is. He was an Uchiha and it seemed like showing emotion was a grave sin and a blasphemous act. He was feeling it though.

"You better eat first before you take your medicine," she said as she busily arranged the stuff she had carried on the table, totally ignoring his deep scrutinizing look he had given her, "poison residue was still in your blood and it would take three days to wash it out of your body. You will feel groggy and disoriented for the next 24-hours, but you're already out of danger. By the way, your kimono was in the laundry. Chisa will bring them immediately,"

Sakura went to the shelf and reached 3 scrolls then went back to the table as if she was disregarding his presence and just proceeded to do whatever she's doing. She had turned her back on him. Sasuke just eyed her, mouth slightly agape, but it would kill him if he showed it obviously.

She was totally ignoring him!

And something inside him screamed and protested that it shouldn't be like that. Sakura wasn't supposed to be liked that at all! Sasuke's brows tied in a knot. She had changed. He was expecting the screaming, overly-fangirling attitude that she was when they were in still in the academy and in their Genin days. He was expecting her to lash out her feelings towards him, too emotional and clingy. She was still talkative. And she annoyed him. But, he wasn't expecting this. And somehow, he didn't like it. Was he that conceited? Was he expecting her to flaunt towards him just like before, screaming her heart out towards him? Or was it that he was just used to that old Sakura? No matter what it is, he won't have it.

Part of him was glad that she was acting this way. Maybe, she had grown out of him, and probably she had matured. Not just in the physical aspect but in the emotional side as well. Many things had happened between them and none of them are good. Well, maybe except when he was still in Team 7, and before everything spiraled out of control and pointed towards ugly memories many of them have shared, mainly because it was his fault and his fucked up revenge.

He snapped out of it. What if this was part of Konoha's plan? Did they managed to find him and used Sakura to lure him out? Was this some kind of emotional and psychological tactic they had laid before him? He clenched his fist and with sharingan activated, he approached Sakura behind.

So with controlled breathes, he grabbed her arms, and forced her to face him. She yelped in surprised.

"What's wrong with you!?" she yelled, her eyes wide with shock when she saw he had activated his sharingan. She had flinched. She was too aware of his hand holding her arm like that. Too aware about the heat he's giving off and too aware about the beatings of her own heart that was ready to leap out from her chest. He was too close. Too close that she could actually inhale his scent. Sakura felt the electrifying sensation that crept up her spine from that touched. It was not even considered a touch per se, but still she almost felt like her knees went jelly from that contact. This boy- no, man- has still that effect on her.

"Why?" he asked her with gritted teeth, "Why did you do it?"

"What do you mean why? I am a doctor, that's why!" she shouted. Sasuke was gripping her arms like a vice.

"Don't make me put words in your mouth Sakura,"

"What are you trying to imply here? That I did this because of my feelings? Dream on Uchiha! How many years had it been since you were out of your dingy hideout? Everything was out of consideration. I saw an injured person, I'll help. I'll do it even if it's not you. I'll do it to everyone who were injured or needs my help, coz' it's what I work all those years! Even though I'm a shinobi, the other half of me is a doctor! Things do change, people change. So as feelings, so at least appreciate that I was the one who was here and not just somebody else," she almost whispered that last part. And she was gritting her teeth, as if putting emphasis on those words.

Sasuke just stared at her jade orbs. She had changed alright, but who knows to what extent? He can't read her eyes, or the weight of her words, but he could tell that there was angst and pain on her eyes. Long gone was the innocent gaze he once knew she had possessed with those beautiful green orbs. That once with the dreamy look he had been used to recognized at all times back then, that gape at him with adoration and love. Instead, she was full of fortitude and willpower. She had that eyes of a girl-no, a woman—who had been to hell and back. A woman who had seen the cruelty of the world, that had managed to shaped her strength of mind.

"Will you let me go? I'm here on a solo mission and no one's coming. I'm not planning on anything and if I was, I would have done it last night when you were half-dead!" she shouted at him and yanked her arms off from his grip. It leaved a bruised on her skin. She heaved and shot him a glare, "I could have easily dragged your sorry ass to Konoha last night, but I didn't! Because my mission here was more important than you!"

Sasuke was still glaring at her, "What mission?" he said in his low-baritone voice. He had de-activated his sharingan.

"Why should I tell you?" she hissed, giving him an intense glare. She winced as she touched the bruise on her left arm now purplish in color. The guy had really gripped her hard! "Fuck it," she cursed. She had a fair skin where bruises were easily spotted. Despite being a ninja, she had a smooth, blemished-free skin, thanks to Tsunade's trainings on how to heal scars and wounds. Her belief was, even though she was a shinobi, she was still a woman after all, and women should take care of themselves. Wounds inflicted during missions and battles are inevitable. It's part of who they were. It was a decoration of some sort like a medal of honor to have a scar on your body. It reminds them that they have again managed to escape death from its claws, and it's another day to celebrate. But not her, not with the influenced of Konoha's most renowned figure, Ino, that she would let herself be covered with those ugly scars. Not when there was still that silly competition between them on almost everything. Yet, they were bestfriends. It was a weird situation but she had come to live by it day after day. They have a peculiar friendship.

That stunned Sasuke a bit. He stayed silent, just stared at her. It was the first time he had heard her to cuss. He saw her hands turned a green hue as she started to heal her bruise. He almost forgot that she was a medic. A formidable one. As much as he hated to received news from her former team mates, unintentionally though he have knowledge about them when he visited villages to stash supplies, gossips from merchants and vendors was the best medium of information around. And a beautiful pink-haired medic was heard to have made her achievements and a well-known reputation in terms of medical profession thus earning her name around. He would just often stare at the gossiping merchants or buyers who would pooled around talking about his former team mate. And it seemed she was not only good on medical field. Her immense strength was also recognized as well. Being the Legendary Sucker's apprentice earned her the strength her shishou had possessed. He had heard about her one-on-one showdown with the former master puppeteer, the Akatsuki Sasori of the Red Sand. And he too had acknowledged that maybe she had trained hard all those years. Akatsuki members were S-Class criminals with enormous strengths and abilities that even common sense won't work.

"I could send you to kingdom come you know, you ungrateful bastard! And the moment my punch connects to your face, you wouldn't even know it!" she hissed at him. Sasuke gave her a smirked. He knew that too well.

"Hn," he grunted as he turned and make his way to the table.

"And you can leave anytime!" she barked at him. He turned around and gave her a skeptic look, "what? Think I'll whine and stop you or something? "

Sakura gave off the smug look she could muster. 'Shanaroooo! C'mon girl, give him a piece of your mind!' was her Inner self. 'Shut up!' she scolded. She turned around and went to her table and continue to shuffle the stuff she was doing.

"I told you, I'm not someone who you used to know," she shrugged her shoulders, "so if you have no business in this village, I would suggest you leave immediately,"

'C'mon, tell him we can't forgive him. Tell him everything! I won't mind~' said her Inner self.

'Just-shut up will ya?'

'Don't tell me you still got hots for him? I couldn't blame you though. Look at him. God, look at him! I'm drooling, my mouth and down below, too' her Inner was literally squirming. She rolled her eyes. She can't believe she was thinking like that.

"Aa, so just like that then," Sasuke said. She had jumped a bit. There was something on his voice that she couldn't fathom what it was but she was afraid to turn and see.

Just then, they heard a knock on the door. It was Chisa, and she brought more of the herbs Sakura would use on the concoctions she's brewing. She had a puzzling look on her as she paused and eyed both of them, noticing the growing incredible tension creeping inside the room.

SxS

Sakura couldn't believe what had just happened. She knew she would have a hard time dealing with him, with all the tension between her and Sasuke.

Chisa had told her that her 'visitor' had woken up and that she had already brought him his breakfast. Sakura had just come from the greenhouse, gathering a bunch of herbs she's going to used for the cure against the viral disease. She asked Chisa then to gather more and gave her the list of the rest of the plants and roots she needs. Then she proceeded to the lab room where her 'visitor' was occupying. She masked her chakra, slowly opening the door and that's where she found him having a staring contest with the sunnyside-up eggs. She shook her head for she knew what he's implying with it. He was thinking that it might have been poisoned. Of course, as a shinobi, it was a natural approach especially on food. It was hard to trust a meal given by others. And as a shinobi, it was one of the basic training to determine if the food was poisoned just by looking at its color, and by its smell. Of course, newer and more sinister ways have been implemented when it comes to poison. Some will come even as odorless, colorless and tasteless which was very hard to detect.

She suppressed a smirk on her lips and finally told him that it was not poisoned. Then she proceeded intending to ignore him and his overwhelming presence in that room. She just never imagined that he would suddenly grab her arm and asked her why she had helped him.

Of course, she had memorized what she would have to answer to him. That it was her duty as a doctor. It was always the safe answer, without involving what she really feels. It was her shell of defense against him. But deep inside, she was so glad he was okay after all these years. That she terribly missed him. But their circumstances were different now. She was a Konoha nin, and he was a wanted criminal.

And they're poles apart.

By helping him last night, she had already broken a few rules. And that was it.

When he gripped her arm, she winced. He was holding it strongly, to think he was on his weakened state. What more if he was on his top condition?

She snapped at him, growling at him like a tigress. For her heart was beating so fast the moment he touched her. He had still that effect on her. And she felt afraid of that feeling.

What affected her most was the cryptic question he had thrown on her face. He seemed to doubt why she had helped him. Was it an accused? She retorted. Of course it was. That feeling was still all over her, and she had to deny that fact to him. It was to save her pride.

She already accepted the fact, that this man could never give her what she had wanted the most. And that was enough. All those years of waiting were enough. He had already a part of her that she could never get back, her childhood love and at least she would like to spare her pride as a shinobi.

When Chisa came, that was when the tension broke between them. But it was still there, and she knew, Chisa could feel her foul mood.

She sighed. This is getting troublesome. She eyed him once more. He was silently eating his breakfast. So he turned her attention to the pending work on the table. Staying in the same room with Uchiha Sasuke was the biggest mistake ever. She could feel the pressure of the tension getting heavier between them and she was suffocating. She needs to breathe or she'll die. She can't stand being with him and with all of his attention to her now. So with a sigh, she gathered her things and told Chisa to gather everything up in the table and brought them to the greenhouse. She's going to continue the research there and leave the lab room to Sasuke to recuperate.

He's going to leave soon anyway and she didn't like to know when he'll do it or either she like to be around that tiny room when he'll do it.

…Because it will probably hurt her again. And she had enough of him leaving her alone.

She stayed in the greenhouse the rest of that morning. She had already completed the cure which will save almost the entire village's population who had been infected with the virus. So far, she had prepared enough doses that were sufficient for the entire village for a week and was on her way to Minoru's abode to provide the needed shots to the couple. Chisa tagged along with her, too excited and overwhelmed that she had finally completed the cure and that her parents will be saved.

Upon reaching the edge into the village, she looked up to the mountain, where her cabin was located, where he was staying. And she only hoped that, when she returns, he'll be long gone.

…So that she can cry later with her heart's content

Now that the cure was completed, it was time to investigate the cause. But before that, she has to distribute and provide the cure to the sick villagers. She started with Chisa's parents, Toru-san and Hitomi-san. After she had given the medicine to the couple, she had waited for any signs that the medicine did actually worked. It was after 30 seconds later that both of them stirred and woke up from their sleep. Albeit still weak, Chisa's parent thanked her.

"Please rest. You can thank me later after you have regained your strength. I'm going to leave an instruction to Chisa," she said softly to the couple who had given their nod to her. The pinkette turned around to see Minoru just wiped off a stray tear from his eyes. He saw the relieved from his eyes and the tensions building up on his shoulders after all this time were visibly gone now. Chisa can't be contented with just crying happily seeing her parents finally awoke and getting their way of recuperating. She jumped and hugged the both of them, much to Minoru's horror. He scolded the little girl, but the couple gave a small and weak chuckle. Chisa was just happy that's all. So Sakura said to Chisa that her parents needed the rest so that they'll get stronger faster. That made Chisa sighed but she had no choice but to abide if she wants her parents to get back to their normal, healthy selves.

Sakura just smiled and scribbled something on the pad. "Chisa, here are the doses you have to give to Toru-san and Hitomi-san. Give it to them every 6 hours or three times a day after meal. Don't worry, they'll feel better in a few days and will be back to their feet before you knew it,"

"Thank you, nee-chan, don't worry I'll take care of them" Chisa said. Sakura gave her a warm smile then turned to Minoru.

"Minoru-san, I need to provide the cure to the rest of the villagers. I need all the help I could get. Please gather people who can do this job with me, those who're not sick. I'm going to give the instructions to them,"

"Okay, give me 30 minutes. We'll meet in front of the house then," said Minoru then turned and was gone to gather around the people to help administer the cure. Sakura followed him and prepared the medicines in batch in front of the house.

Sakura was scribbling something on her pad when Chisa poked her on the arm

"Nee-chan, uhm…I have been meaning to ask you, but…the guy in the cabin, you know him right?" Chisa said in her small voice, measuring her reaction. Despite her age, Chisa seemed to considerate things and was contemplating about the sensitivity of the subject. She had witnessed the heavy atmosphere and the crackling tension in the lab room early this morning. And she had maybe concluded based on what she saw that they probably knew each other despite the killing glares they gave off. She had just noticed that, Sakura seemed upbeat since she saw her this morning. Was that a smile plastered on her face?

Sakura smiled and turned her head towards Chisa, who had awaited her answer with the most innocent inquisitive eyes she had seen.

She sighed. "Yes, I know him," she said.

"Do you like him?" The med-nin looked at the little girl with her green eyes ready to pop-out of their socket. Was she that obvious that even a child could tell? She contemplated on telling her, but this was Sasuke. He was still a criminal and any information about him could jeopardize everything. One thing could lead to another and this village will no doubt be the center of it all. Of course, when the news had come out that Sasuke was last seen in this small and secluded village, it will became the target of bounty hunters and she didn't want that. Not to mention the ANBU specializing in the missing nin retrieval. And when it means retrieval, it would mean alive or dead. There could be a fight or a battle and it would be the last thing this village needs.

And what would she do if Konoha got a hold of this information? Naruto would fly here all the way from Konoha, no doubt about that. And there will be confrontations. She had witnessed herself the enormous power those two had possessed. And most of all, her loyalty will be questioned. What did she do knowing the fact that Sasuke was in her arm's reach?

Chisa sensed her uncertainties. "I promised I won't tell anyone," she said.

Sakura looked in her eyes. It's full of conviction, and her guts told her to trust her, "Alright, but promise this'll be between us okay? Or I won't give my recommendation to you to study med in Konoha," she eyed her, without blinking.

"I promise!"

"He's my…former team mate. I've known him since I was five. The last time I saw him was almost 3 years ago. So I was kinda happy and relieved to see him here, out of all places," she said, glancing at the mountain where the cabin was located. Her mind drifted off to him, thinking he might have been gone by now.

"Was he your boyfriend?" Chisa asked innocently.

'Still working around that!' her Inner shouted

"Hell, no!" Sakura abruptly replied. She was surprise she had shouted that and noted Chisa had jumped on her reply, "Uhm…sorry, but nope, he's not. We're just team mates…former team mates, that's all," she managed a small smile for her.

Chisa gazed at her with her round amber eyes. Then she smiled, "I think you two looked good together," then she run off inside the house after giving her the most assuring smile in a while.

Sakura was nailed where she stood. Then smiled and shook off her head. She was beginning to dream again so before it even starts she had to eradicate that glint of hope immediately and focused herself on the mission on hand. It was no time to dawdle on silly girly dreams like that but she too had been like Chisa then.

Dreamy, hoping and loving.

SxS

She had spent the rest of the day giving instruction to the villagers to help in the introduction of the medicine to the sick villagers. There were 9 of them and the village had 57 patients that needed the urgent cure. So she instructed them on how to administer the cure to the villagers. It was around sunset when they have finished the job and even though exhausted, she was happy. The village has been brought back to life. And she could get a glimpsed of hope from everyone's faces. If there's one thing she had thought was good about her profession aside from giving heal and cure to someone, it was the look on her patient's faces. It's all the reward she'd needed and felt proud about it. It was all worth it.

Tomorrow, she'll resume her duty to investigate the cause. For now, she needs to rest and replenish her chakra. She hadn't got the much needed sleep since last night, thanks to Sasuke. He had literally rocked her world. So after she bid her good nights to Minoru and the few villagers who had given her stuff like food as a form of gratitude, she threaded her way to the cabin. The long walk from the village to her temporary shelter made her appreciate the magnificence of Hotaru no Sato. The sun had begun to set on the horizon, giving the sky a deep pink to purplish and orange hues in the sky. It was like a colorful fire blazing with its glory behind the patches of grayish clouds drifting lazily. As her steps became higher, she got the view of the village below. It was really small, with patched of brown roofs in clusters of two or three. The roofs were made from dried strewn midriff of coconut leaves weave together. She could identify Minoru's house too visible with the large wheel just behind it and the stream flowing from the mountain, down to the fields in the village.

She smiled thinking that she had almost finished half of her mission in this village. She remembered she had to send a report back to Tsunade from time to time, detailing her progress on the mission. She set her pace quickly but halted once she had thought about Sasuke.

Did he already left?

Her question was answered when he saw him sitting on the tree looking down at her with those obsidian eyes.

A/N:

I'm sorry if you found a lot of errors in this chapter. I didn't checked them up and I just wanted to get this out coz' it's long overdue _. This chapter gave me the biggest headache of all. I have been writing this for over three weeks now and finally gotten around with it. I was intending to finish this around but I have to cut this here because if you hadn't noticed, it's getting longer. I have to split this into two parts.I'm not happy with this chapter too, because getting around with Sasuke was really hard.

Please R and R. I will love jOoo for that and Thank you in advance.