A month had passed since they had left the village of Kumo, and the temperature spoke volumes for the upcoming winter. Small clouds of mist would form when anyone breathed in the early mornings or late nights; the trees surrounding them were all but bare. Despite the slight nip in the air there had been no signs of snow, something that each of them was grateful for. However, with each passing day it grew more apparent that their trek through the forests surrounding the mountains would grow riskier by the time they left Oonoki's kingdom. To make matters worse, Sakura's medical rations were low after treating the wounded of Kumo, since after the attack the village did not have much to offer her in terms of replacements. However Sakura was not worried; she spoke often of how they would stop at a village before reaching Oonoki's kingdom to restock, a favorite resting point for her own clansmen when they would travel to visit their northern brethren.

"It's such a peaceful little village," Sakura chattered, smiling at the memories, "They've a bath house to wash up, the inns are warm, and it's only a few more days away from King Oonoki's mountain! Plus the apothecary…" She sighed dreamily. "It's run by a wonderful old woman, very knowledgeable in herbs; she even taught me a couple things, gave me books to read when I'd stop by. Of course, she always liked to pretend she was dead and scare us…"

"Sounds like she has vacated her mind," Sasuke muttered, earning a snort of agreement from Naruto. Sakura turned around to glare at Sasuke, grip tightening on the reins; Naruto paled.

"She is far from insane! She is the most brilliant woman I've ever met! She taught me how to make antidotes, treat wounds, and identify herbs throughout the lands! Without her, I'd just be wielding my axe while the two of you go gallivanting off to your deaths."

"You think she's still upset about Kumo," Naruto whispered to Sasuke; another glare was shot towards them, causing Naruto to flinch. "Not that you haven't a right to be upset," He said, trying to placate her, "After all, if you and Sasuke showed up all bedraggled and injured, I'd be pretty upset as well! Although, I'd be more upset about you two being injured and not actually be upset at you…."

"Súrë túla cendeletyallo," Sasuke muttered, cutting him off; Naruto looked at him in confusion as Sakura barked out a laugh. Sasuke smirked as he urged his horse forward to be beside Sakura's, ignoring Naruto's voice as he called after him.

"Wait, what does that mean? Oi, get back here and explain it to me, you bastard of elvish descent!" Naruto whined childishly, bouncing slightly on the back of his horse. He pouted as Sasuke and Sakura continued to ignore him, the two of them sharing a knowing look before turning their backs on him. He whined again, helplessly casting his gaze over to Kakashi. "Tell me what he said Kakashi!"

"He essentially called you a blowhard."

"Sasuke," Naruto whined, glaring at the elf's back; Sasuke's ear twitched slightly in annoyance. "I went through all that trouble to get the dragons to respect me, to believe in myself, and you're over here undermining my confidence!"

"What is your point, if there is one?"

"You should be respecting my authority and opinions!"

Sakura laughed at his statement, turning to offer Naruto an apologetic smile. "I've yet to meet or hear of an elf that has ever respected the opinion of anyone other than his clansmen. Just for Sasuke to acknowledge your existence is a step-up over everyone else."

"We act this way," Sasuke began, eyeing Sakura, "Because we wish to associate ourselves only with those capable of matching our skills and intellect."

Sakura snorted, rolling her eyes at his statement. "In layman's terms, the elves suffer from a horrible superiority complex."

"At least elves are flexible, unlike certain stubborn dwarves," Sasuke countered, narrowing his eyes at Sakura; she returned the gesture.

"Tch, certain elves show as much stubbornness as a mule."

"Coming from a certain dwarf that must be the highest compliment imaginable."

"As if! As a matter of fact…"

"They're doing that thing again," Naruto groaned; Kakashi raised his eyebrow as he looked over at Naruto.

"What thing?"

"That thing where I'm not sure if we should break them up or leave them by themselves somewhere."

"Ah, that thing," Kakashi said, nodding sagely. He looked over at Sasuke and Sakura; they continued to bicker, the remarks getting snider and more conspicuous with each trade. He shrugged, turning to look back over at Naruto. "They'll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, we'll give them plenty of space while placing wagers."

Naruto grinned. "Sounds reasonable!"

"Hn, irritating naugrim."

"Arrogant dekhel!"

"Sssso, Deidara hassssn't returned yet," A man spoke to the mirror, golden eyes staring at the apathetic face of Kaguya. She nodded, looking down at something out of the mirror's line of sight; he could only assume it was the dragon that perpetually lay at her feet.

"Itachi has returned, and he began his assault later than Deidara." She said, a slight frown marring her features. "I can only assume that he is dead."

"Sssuch a shame; I rather liked hissss piecccessss," He spoke, shaking his head in disappointment. The long black hair that flowed down his back moved with his head's movements, brushing against the tan robes that he wore.

"We've larger things to worry about than a lack of art. If Deidara is dead, then that means Kakashi's group is coming to Oonoki's mountain to speak with Son Goku."

"Which isssn't a problem, sssince he isss sssafe in your handsss."

"Yes, but what is a problem is having them continue on this journey. Already they have two dragons on their side; I cannot allow them to have anymore!"

"Ssso you wish for me to eliminate them?"

Kaguya smiled, hands folding delicately onto her lap. "While I wish to not burden you anymore than I have, they will be in your location. Especially once they hear of the trouble that has befallen Oonoki's clan."

"They shall be dealt with ssswiftly when the time arrivesss. Shall I alssso enlissst the final Uchiha into your ssservice asss well?"

"You know me quite well Orochimaru." She said in a pleasant tone. "I shall also leave Danzou's fate in your hands as well. He has proven himself to no longer be of use."

"But what of the ssspell that he cassst on Itachi?"

Kaguya scowled at the thought. "Itachi is within my realm now, meaning I can ensnare him more efficiently than that wretched abomination of a mage. He is useless to me now, and I wish to no longer see his presence. Do I make myself clear?"

"Cryssstal." Orochimaru hissed. Kaguya smirked, waving her hand over the mirror; instantly, she disappeared. Orochimaru stared into the reflective surface, smirking slightly at the idea of facing off against Kakashi's group. Fighting alongside Itachi had only made him desire a fight against an Uchiha elf, and here the option had been placed directly into his lap. With the added order of dealing with Danzou, the liberties that he could take with her orders almost made him giddy. With the thoughts of what he could revolving in his mind, Orochimaru retreated back into the dark, intent on discussing his plans with his underlings.

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the small village, the sunlight casting long shadows on the thatched roof houses. Smoke seemed to unfurl from every chimney, a sign that either wives were busy at work within the homes or they were working to keep the heat in. Off into the distance, as Sakura had said, was Oonoki's mountain standing tall and proud. None of the scenery seemed to matter to Sakura though as she bounced happily in her seat, her horse jovially trotting towards the apothecary that she had spoken of earlier. Behind her the others followed, lacking the enthusiasm that she was displaying for visiting her mentor.

"So what do you know of this woman," Kakashi asked, looking at Naruto. Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration as he searched his memory for any recollection of Sakura's mentor; despite his best efforts, his mind was pulling blanks.

"Um…I think her name is Chiko, or something along those lines…" Naruto mumbled. Sasuke merely snorted as Kakashi sighed. "It's not my fault," Naruto shouted, trying to salvage their opinion of him, "Sakura would always come back with these amazing stories about the dwarven feasts and stories…I guess the parts about her training just didn't stick out as much."

"So you're saying that one of your closest friend's accomplishments is of no importance to you?"

Naruto groaned as he glared at Sasuke. "I'm not saying that at all! Everything she talked about was far beyond my comprehension! And I'm sure you realize she wouldn't be excited about simple things; no, she was always excited about creating antidotes from these two plants, talking about the recipes and why she thought they worked that way! Don't tell me you would understand it any better than I did!"

"I'd at least show more than a passing interest," Sasuke said, calmly meeting his glare, "And certainly enough to remember the name of her mentor."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a whinny from Varak. The men looked up to see Sakura staring at them impatiently. "I didn't realize I was traveling with elderly gentlemen," Sakura teased, smirking slightly, "Don't worry though, I will be sure to tell Lady Chiyo to be gentle with her mockery of you."

Naruto pouted while Sasuke scoffed at the idea; Sakura laughed as she urged Varak forward. They continued onwards, shops and homes growing sparser as they headed towards the edge of the village. At the outskirts stood a small shop with a hitching post in front, the lettering of the weathered sign ineligible from a distance due to having faded so much. Despite its appearance Varak sped towards it, Sakura practically standing in her saddle as a large grin spread across her face. In those moments she was the happiest and most carefree, almost as if they hadn't been traveling for months and surviving grueling battles. In those moments, Sasuke was thrown for a loop as he quietly observed her due to not having previous experiences with this side of her as Naruto had. And as he watched her jump off Varak and jog beside him, hands still holding the reins, a part of him decided that he liked seeing this side of her.

Sakura slowed as she reached the hitching post, securing Varak. The red ribbon that she kept tied to the reins brushed against her hand slightly as she finished tying him up. She looked down at it, pausing as she seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. As the others approached and began to dismount she nodded and began to untie it from the reins. She unstrapped her helmet, placing it on the saddle as she quickly ran her fingers through her hair. Satisfied, she fashioned the ribbon to be a headband to continue keeping the hair out of her face, yet allowing to gently frame it.

"Hey, how come you'll nice for a granny and not for us," Naruto whined, pouting slightly. Sakura rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips as she turned to face him.

"Because I wish to show her something that I've gained from my travels. As glad as I am to introduce you to her, I do have my own stories to tell." She replied. She then turned away from him and entered the shop, the tinkling of a bell following as she opened the door. Silently Kakashi and Sasuke followed after her, Naruto grumbling incoherently about the unfairness of it all behind them.

As soon as they entered they halted at the entrance, eyes slightly wide as they took in the shop's interior. All along the walls were shelves, reaching as high as the ceiling of the building; along these shelves were jars of various sizes containing a wide variety of medicinal substances, each of them neatly labeled in a sloping script. Paired with the dizzying floral scent that was so heavy in the air one could taste the flowers, it was difficult for one to gather their bearings quickly. At the far end of the shop was a counter with cabinets proudly displaying more herbs and medicines, which blocked the entrance a storeroom; behind the counter was an elderly woman with her eyes closed, Sakura standing beside her.

The woman had deep wrinkles on her forehead despite the serene smile she wore on her face. Her gray hair was pulled up into a tight bun atop her head with hair framing her face, a brown headband keeping the rest of it in place. Two liver spots could be seen, one on her cheek and the other creeping towards her hairline. One could suspect she was merely sleeping at the counter, as their arrival or Sakura's movements seemed to awaken her. However, when Sakura frowned and began to be searching for something on her, it was clear that something was wrong.

"I…I can't find a pulse…" Sakura muttered, eyes going wide. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she turned to look at the others. "She's…she's…"

"Still alive," Crooned the old woman, head snapping up to look at Sakura. Sakura shrieked, jumping back slightly as the woman laughed with her head thrown back.

"Lady Chiyo," Sakura whined, stamping her foot on the ground. "I've told you to stop doing that! You're bound to give me a heart attack one day!"

"My dear Sakura, if your young heart can't stand that, then it doesn't deserve to be pumping!" Chiyo chided, a smile on her face. "Speaking of hearts, I'll have to mark that concoction I made earlier as a success! Slowed the heart rate enough that you couldn't find it; though I'll have to adjust the recipe some so that it doesn't accidentally kill someone."

"And you decided to try it on yourself?"

Chiyo shrugged. "I'm old, and I've written all my knowledge down. Plus Karin won't let me try anything fun with her, so I have to do it all myself."

"Don't try to blame me for your endeavors Chiyo," A voice sounded from the back, the sound of feet quickly hitting the floor accompanying it. A woman with long red hair that appeared spiked on the right side poked her head out of the back, red eyes glaring at the old woman from behind her glasses. "Unlike you, I haven't experienced the world, or even found a husband yet!"

"Always with the husband talk," Chiyo said, waving her hand. "You'll have plenty of time for that when you're older. Right now, you're my student, and at this exact moment we have guests."

Karin scowled, turning to glare at the men standing in the room. "I don't give a rat's ass about…" She suddenly trailed off as she caught sight of Sasuke staring up away from her. She blushed as she stepped out from behind the door, revealing her to be wearing a black dress that had a corset style top, with a long sleeved lilac blouse beneath it. She gathered her skirts in her hands and curtsied, looking up at Sasuke through her lashes.

"My apologies; I had no idea that I would be in the presence of such…nobility today," She said, pushing her chest out slightly as she leaned forward. Sasuke briefly looked at her, nodding his head as he went back to scanning the shelves, seemingly unaffected by her attempts to accentuate her body. "If I had known, I would've dressed in clothes far more suitable for your tastes." She quickly added, seeing Sasuke look away.

"And I would've told you to go home and change at once." Chiyo said, watching her with a smirk on her face. Karin immediately straightened up, turning to glare at the older woman; Chiyo merely responded with a cheeky smile. She stood from the stool, pulling her white shawl tighter around her shoulders. "Now be a dear and entertain these boys while I catch up with Sakura."

Sakura rolled her eyes, almost being able to hear the squeal of excitement that Karin wanted to make. She followed Chiyo into the storage room, smiling to herself as she saw that it hadn't changed since the last time she arrived. The room was small with candles scattered about to provide lighting, the same heady scent from the front of the shop being stronger. Tables and shelves lined the room, with various herbs and flowers scattered across it. In the far corner was a work table with a mortar and pestle; next to it, a small kettle and fire pit.

"You'll have to forgive Karin," Chiyo said as she bustled about, picking various herbs from the shelves, "She is in that stage where finding a husband takes a precedence over her work."

"I thought you despised taking girls like that under your wing." Sakura replied, going from each shelf to pick what she needed. While she could easily buy the supplies, there was something reassuring about creating her own medicines by hand.

Chiyo chuckled, arms loaded with herbs as she went to the table. "Yes well, after going through every female in the village who showed an interest and then kicking them out when they became distracted, she was the only option left. However, she has a knack for making perfumes as well as knowing what scents can help ease ailments. All the women come here now since it's cheaper than those imported goods; my shops never been more popular with the ladies!" Chiyo laughed as Sakura rolled her eyes at the behavior.

"At least you have an apprentice besides me." Sakura stated, "It eases my mind to know you'll have someone working with you once I'm married off."

Chiyo scoffed as she grabbed a knife. "I'll march straight into that old geezer's mountain to let you work for me if I have to. No crotchety dwarf shall separate me from my best apprentice yet!"

"I doubt Oonoki would appreciate you calling me a crotchety geezer."

"I didn't call him a crotchety geezer; I called him a geezer first, then crotchety. If you're going to quote me child, you should do it correctly."

"Well no matter what you call him, he won't let me work in your shop." Sakura replied, grabbing the mortar and pestle. "He's traditional and an isolationist at best; he'd rather I never work in a mine and take care of children than come out here."

Chiyo hummed. "Yes, and male humans tend to only want their wives to stay home…You should just marry an elf!"

Sakura paused in crushing the aloe vera leaves, a slight blush dusting across her cheeks. "I…H-Have you gone mad Lady Chiyo?"

"It is a reasonable conclusion. No matter which race you marry, you'll have an unfavorable outcome for your future. The elves, however, value medicine and working in tandem with nature; your skills would be valued highly in their clans. Perhaps an engagement to that companion of yours out there?"

Sakura's face flushed a darker shade of red at the thought, scowling at her. "As if father would arrange for such a thing! The elders would have his head on a pike before they'd allow for that to happen."

"But it's not their decision to make," Chiyo pointed out, "They can make suggestions all they like about who you should marry, but in the end your father just wants you to be happy. And if you being happy means sending you off with an elf, then I strongly believe he would do it."

Sakura stayed silent, averting her gaze down to the paste she had created. She had always resigned herself to a fate of marrying someone from Oonoki's clan, or even a human nobleman to strengthen their clan's alliances. While they were certainly strong, they were also small; if trouble were to befall them, they would need an ally's help. For her, the best outcome for the future had always been marrying Naruto because, despite not being romantically interested in him, he would certainly let her do as she pleased so that she would be happy. But this…not only did Chiyo's suggestion shock her, but so did the fleeting image of a future with Sasuke that passed through her mind at her words.

Chiyo noticed the distracted look on Sakura's face as well as the slight tension in the air. She smirked to herself as she began to speak, going back to her work. "I've also read that elves are very passionate lovers, what with all their stamina. He'll certainly make you happy in more ways than one I think."

Sakura's jaw hung open as she stared at Chiyo in disbelief. "Lady Chiyo! Why on earth would you say such a thing?"

"Oh don't act so innocent Sakura; I know you read more than my medical books when you'd come up to visit." Chiyo replied, smiling at her shocked face. "Now, why not tell me where you got that beautiful ribbon? It compliments your hair very nicely."

Naruto glared silently as Sasuke continued to seem oblivious to advances Karin made towards him. He had tried his best to garner her attention, complimenting her on the knowledge quips that she gave whenever Sasuke's eyes landed on a different jar. Each time he had though, she cast him a nasty glare and a scowl until he would shrink back into the background; she'd then continue following Sasuke around the shop. Now he resigned himself to staring longingly at the entrance to the back room, the sounds of Sakura and Chiyo's laughter sometimes floating outwards when it became too boisterous.

"Ooh, what an excellent choice," Karin said as Sasuke picked up a jar of purple liquid. "That's a perfume of my own design; it's meant to increase a woman's desirability by interacting with her own natural scent. Would you care for a demonstration?" She asked, voice dropping to a sensual purr as she gently caressed his shoulder. Sasuke merely glanced at her, shrugging her hand off his shoulder before continuing his perusal of the shop.

Sakura and Chiyo's voices increased in volume as they finally exited the room, both of them smiling widely. "Well it was a pleasure working with you again," Chiyo said, clasping Sakura's hands in her own. "And I hope you can one day bring that Yamanaka girl up here; she sounds far more focused than certain apprentices I can mention." She stated, staring pointedly at Karin; Karin merely huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I will be sure to mention you to her," Sakura laughed, "And you be far nicer to Karin; she seems to be quite promising despite your criticisms."

Chiyo scoffed, muttering about treating her however she pleased; Sakura laughed again, giving a final shake to the old woman's hands before turning to her companions. "Are you three ready to go?"

"Yes," Naruto groaned, already heading towards the door. "It was awful Sakura! That woman kept doting on Sasuke, and he didn't even appreciate it, the bastard!"

"Hmph, she was irritating."

"You think everyone is annoying," Naruto pointed out as they began to unhitch their horses. "But any guy would be happily accepting her help, elf or otherwise! And she wasn't even ugly, so the only reason why you'd refuse her help is because your bastard."

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes at Naruto's behavior. "I've better things to do with my time than woo any woman that throws herself at me."

Naruto grumbled at his reply, climbing up onto his horse, not content with the answer. Kakashi merely sighed, leading them off to one of the inns that Sakura had pointed out earlier when they first entered the village; a favorite of her clan, she had said. As he led them, Sakura mulled over what Chiyo had said, along with Sasuke had just said.

"It didn't take a genius to realize that," Sakura thought to herself, hands tightening on her reins slightly. "But…why does it feel like my heart has dropped into my stomach?"

She frowned, shaking her head slightly to rid herself of those thoughts. "Stupid Lady Chiyo, putting such thoughts into my head!"

So lost in her thoughts she was, that she missed the glance Sasuke sent back at her; after the excitement she had shown, she was uncharacteristically quiet. However, he held his tongue, knowing that if she wished to discuss it with them she would have already done so. So he turned his attention back to the front, keeping his observations to himself.

Súrë túla cendeletyallo: Wind is coming from your face.

A/N: This would have been up sooner, but Valentine's weekend visiting the boyfriend happened. And then I got sick with the nastiest of colds (I'm about 95% better), as well as having to prep for the GRE (I'm adequate by the way!). But hey, better late than never, eh?

Also second sap chapter is sap. Get yer pancakes ready ya'll.