Hey guys! Hopefully you'll all read this. This is just me carrying out a request from a fellow reviewer~ I guess you all deserve an explanation to why Sakura wasn't able to come with the rest of Team 7 when Naruto and Sasuke left. So...here ya go. :)

Why Isn't She Coming?

xXx

Scene when Sakura was left at the gates (located in Chapter 1)

"Kakashi-sensei, are you sure we should be leaving Sakura-chan like this?" Naruto asked as they soared through the trees, on their way to the location of the mission. Sasuke cast his teacher a glance, the same question in his onyx eyes. The silver haired Jounin in question narrowed his eye at what Naruto was asking, almost wanting to turn around to take the pink kunoichi with them.

"...it's...better this way," He hesitantly replied as they grew further and further away from the village.

"How is this better? We're leaving her behind! She's gonna be all alone until we get back! She should be here. With us." Naruto persisted as he came up beside the elite Jounin, a wide look in his blue eyes.

"She's a part of Team 7 too," Sasuke chimed in quietly as he stuck to the back of the formation.

"She is. But she just couldn't come on this mission with us." He said as he met the Uzumaki's gaze seriously.

"But why!?" Naruto and Sasuke exclaimed at the same time. Kakashi winced at their desperate tone to know the reason. He stopped on a nearby branch and put his hand on the trunk to steady himself. The two shinobi stopped next to him, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Sakura...is trying to figure out how she's going to progress." Kakashi replied, trying to be as vague as possible.

"Huh?" Naruto drawled out as he raised an eyebrow at the silver haired Jounin. Awkward under the two ninja's burning gazes, he scratched the back of his head, letting out a chuckle.

"She'll be fine, Naruto, Sasuke. Don't worry about her. Now, come on. We need to go." He said as he took off again, the two having no choice but to follow.

What Naruto and Sasuke didn't know was the amount of guilt that was buried deep inside their teacher. Emotions like that never really bothered him but at that moment, the guilt grew inside him, making his stomach twist. If only he had noticed sooner...

He knew it was his fault. Even if Sakura said it wasn't, it actually was.

xXx

Scene that was not included in the story. (Deleted Scene xD)

"You're not letting her come? Why not? She's a part of Team 7, Hokage-sama." Kakashi retorted as he stood in front of the Hokage's desk, his eye trained on the elite kunoichi.

"I'm sorry but I cannot say the reasons to you. You'll have to ask Sakura yourself. She seems worried about something lately. Perhaps you haven't noticed?" Tsunade inquired as she quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms. Kakashi thought for a moment, different possibilities running through his head at that moment. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and bowed to his superior.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama." He quietly said before exiting the room. Walking down the hall, his quick mind centered around one or two possibilities now as now made it his top priority to find the pink haired kunoichi.

He was her teacher for goodness sake! He should've seen it sooner! He was too preoccupied with Naruto and Sasuke's training to even notice how Sakura felt about the situation. But now she's made her decision to not go, and it's all his fault.

It was nearing sunset and he still hadn't found the cheerful kunoichi. The streets were beginning to clear as the townspeople began heading back to their homes. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he strolled through the streets, gazing up at the sky when he caught something from the corner of his eye. Staring out at the old training grounds, he spotted a head of pink hair trying it out at the wooden posts.

Approaching her, he observed as she launched sidekicks and punches into the bag that was tied around the middle pole. Appearing on top of one of the wooden posts, he watched as she fell backwards at the sudden appearance. Gazing up at him, she gave him a bright smile as she picked herself up.

"Hello, Sakura," Kakashi greeted as he gave her a small wave. Now on her feet, Sakura nodded in greeting as the silver haired Jounin jumped off of the post.

"What's up, Kakashi-sensei?" She inquired as she gazed at him with curiosity.

"Well...I was talking to the Hokage and she..." He trailed off as he tried to figure out what to say. "What I mean is...is there anything wrong that you need to say out loud?" Kakashi let out after a few moments. There was a beat of silence before Sakura gave him a soft smile.

"Actually there is. I've decided...that I'm going to get stronger on my own." Sakura replied as she lowered her head, a shadow passing over her face. The silver haired Jounin widened his eye in astonishment, caught off guard by the news. He put a hand behind his head as he gazed down at his student who stood quietly in front of him.

"Sakura...what are you trying to say?" Kakashi quietly inquired as he kept his gaze on her. He noticed her grit her teeth as she tried to come up with a response.

"I'm...going to figure out my own style of fighting." She replied as she lifted her head and met his gaze seriously.

"You mean-you don't want me to train you?" He was surprised at her sudden decision to go off on her own. Sakura shook her head with a small smile as she clasped her hands in front of her.

"I know that you're busy helping Naruto and Sasuke out, so I want to try and find where my strength is."

"If you're upset about me spending too much time training them-"

"I'm not mad, Kakash-sensei. I've just realized." Sakura interrupted as she met his silver eye warmly. Kakashi remained silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh.

"So I take it that you're not going to come with us on the mission in a few days?" He softly inquired as Sakura closed her eyes for a moment.

"Nope. Sorry I can't come. I'm a part of Team 7 after all. I should go though, shouldn't I?"

"Based off of the contents of the mission...it seems like a pretty long journey. If you don't come, we could be gone a while." Sakura lowered her head as he said this, her clasped hands clenched tightly together. Kakashi noticed this, his gaze on her shaking hands.

"I want to..." She whispered in a longing voice, "...but I can't. However, I promise I'll be stronger by the time you get back. I'll promise you that so you'll know that leaving me behind wasn't the wrong decision." She finished as she unclenched her hands, letting them hang by her sides. Kakashi took her words to heart, as he let out another breath.

"...I see then. And you're sure about your decision to stay? Naruto and Sasuke will be torn."

"Yes, I'm sure. And I'm sure those two will be alright." Sakura replied as she flashed Kakashi a bright grin.

"Well then, why don't you meet us at the gates on the day of our mission? We can say our goodbyes then." He decided, he couldn't force her to come. That would be just wrong. And if she wanted it this way, then he would allow her to do it.

"Of course, Kakashi-sensei."

The only thing that caused Sakura's in the end sadness was the fact that the three of them had been gone for three years. She was unable to see them till they returned on their own. Not knowing if they would come back alive or not.

xXx

Hmm. How was that for a sort of recap? Does it make any sense at all? And the mission that Kakashi and the others are going on...I purposely didn't describe what it was so that you as a reader could imagine a mission yourself. :) I feel like the last few sentences didn't make exact sense. Guhhh. Hopefully this is enough to make an adequate explanation~ see you all in the sequel!