The next morning Dan woke to the stares of three orphans and groaned, Konan giggled "Okay breakfast right" he sat up and rubbed his face tiredly before padding into the kitchen to get started on the morning meal.
"So what are we going to do today since Sakura-chan is in the hospital for who knows how long" Yahiko pointed his fork at the pale blue haired man sitting at the kitchen table alongside Nagato and Konan all of three of them sorely missing the pinkette who was the heart of their group.
Dan paused in flipping a pancake, probably not as fluffy as what Sakura could make, "Hmm, you still have to have a training session, maybe we'll go light today and work on just you're chakra control, no jutsu's and practice you're aim with kunai, shuriken and senbon" he suggested.
Liking the idea since it wouldn't take to much effort "Yeah that sounds okay Dan-san" Konan nodded in acceptance to the schedule Dan was going to have them on for probably the next few days, until Sakura was well enough to train with them again.
All eyes turned to Nagato when a cloud of depression leaked into the air "I miss Sakura-chan" he sniffled lowering his eyes to the table tears dripping to the floor splashing against the tile as he cried and Dan heaved a sigh.
'How the heck does Sakura-san do this' he grimaced inwardly trying to think of something "You can see her after you're training session, we'll even take her lunch" Dan offered and Nagato raised his head to peer at him with hope in those odd patterned eyes.
His lip wobbled before he pushed back his upset "Really Dan-san, it's okay if we go visit Sakura-chan" Nagato gave Dan a pleading look, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't a prank to make them do their best during their training session.
He smiled "Of course it is, there is such a thing as visiting hours, but remember you can't skip out on you're jobs no matter how appealing it might sound" Dan reminded, Nagato and Konan slumped their shoulders while Yahiko perked up.
"I don't have to worry since I don't work today" the orange haired boy grinned "So I'll make sure to take care of Sakura-chan" Yahiko thumped his chest and Konan sent him a grateful smile and Nagato nodded in acceptance.
Dan sighed in relief silently wondering how Sakura managed to calm down the three kids as easily as she could without to much effort, all while cracking a couple of eggs and cooking sunny side up, before cooking some sausage links.
Then breakfast was done and Nagato remembered something as he jumped from his chair "Chibi-kun" he hollered and the pup rolled out from beneath the couch shaking himself free of the dust before he was scooped in the red heads arms.
"Right I nearly forgot about him" Dan scratched his head plating up the food while Nagato let the pup out so he didn't go in the house, he wasn't the only one who had forgotten, Yahiko and Konan looked pretty guilty as well.
A few minutes later Nagato returned with Chibi in arms "We've been so worried about Sakura-chan" Konan lowered her eyes to the ground as they burned with another round of tears, if she kept crying it would only make the pinkette worry again.
He really wanted to sigh but Dan forced a smile on his face "Eat up you three, then we'll go out and train" he clapped his hands sitting down next to Konan and digging into his own breakfast, again it probably wasn't as good as something Sakura could make but at least he had tried.
Yahiko frowned "Usually before we head out to train, we all meditate do you think we could do that" he asked sheepishly, even if Sakura wasn't there with them, they still needed to keep up their meditation so that someday they might be able to achieve the same strength she had.
He blinked his dark green eyes, sensing how serious the boy was and that it was a very important question Dan found himself agreeing "Sure Yahiko-san, you may all three meditate, you can count that as part of you're morning training as well" he nodded in acquiesce.
"Thank you Dan-san" Nagato flashed the man a small smile he was happy they had such caring sensei's where as all the adults in the Rain Village ignored them or hated them because they were orphans "Really" his cheeks flared as he became even shyer than before.
A soft kind sounding chuckle filled the air "You're welcome Nagato-san" Dan felt his lips curving upwards as he watched the three orphans interact, even without Sakura they were still the best of friends relying on each other and everything else.
Soon enough breakfast was finished with no complaints, though he suspected they were just trying to keep his ego from taking to much of a beating, before they all moved into his living room again and sat down in a circle holding each others hands like last night.
An idea hit him "Do you mind if I join" Dan piped in before they could close their eyes, Nagato and Konan separated making a little room for him and he sat down crossing his legs and took their offered hands as they finally closed their eyes to meditate.
Dan immediately realized why exactly they did this as he sunk his awareness into his body reaching for his core and then suddenly it was like he could feel everything, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, even Chibi, his senses stretched outwards connecting him to the earth itself.
Before he knew what had happened, he was opening his eyes "Yeah it's always intense the first time" Yahiko sniggered patting Dan on the back as the man came back after his first meditation session, "But you get use to it after awhile" he grinned.
"No kidding, I don't think I've felt that connected to anything" Dan stretched his arms upwards feeling more relaxed than usual "Meditating sure is calming though" he smiled "But now it's time to train" he ushered the trio, plus puppy from his house and to the training grounds.
Once on the training grounds "Right so tree climbing first right Dan-san to work on chakra control, then what" Konan asked already gathering chakra into her feet as she stood before her chosen tree, it was the one Sakura usually trained on.
He scratched his chin in thought "Hmm how about we work on you're medical ninjutsu, before moving on to throwing weapons to practice" Dan offered, none of them disagreed and soon they were hard at work trying to get use to climbing a tree without their hands.
It was going to be awhile so Dan leaned against a tree to watch taking in all the differences as they tried harder than before at the exercise, Sakura really inspired them to be the strongest they could, and when the pinkette wasn't there with them, they all tried to be strong.
Twenty minutes into the session, Sakumo passed by the training grounds "Lord Hokage's looking for you Kato-san" he grimaced, apparently word had gotten out about his little spat with the kids and the Inuzuka Clan had ordered an immediate removal of Chibi from the orphans.
Dan cut his eyes to the right to peer at Sakumo "What have you done now" he growled, this was all getting extremely ridiculous, at the accusation Sakumo held up his hands in surrender, when there was no explanation forthcoming he raised a pale blue brow.
"Nothing and I don't think it was Tsume's fault either, but the Inuzuka Clan has put out the order to take that pup away from kids, if I hadn't interfered none of this would have happened" Sakumo lowered his head guilt eating at him from the inside.
He really wanted to strangle the teenager "Fine just watch them, catch them a fish, tell them I'll be back soon" Dan ordered body flickering to the center of the village to the Hokage Tower, flying up the steps to get to the man's office.
Hiruzen jumped in surprise when his office door was swung open "Ah Dan I thought you'd be with those kids" he frowned, hoping he hadn't left them alone, "Well now that you're here, sit we need to talk about something" Hiruzen gestured at the seat.
"Yes, it's about the pup those four brought with them, and what has happened since I was put in charge of them" Dan passed a hand through his pale blue hair in frustration as he sat down in the sole chair that was situated in front of the desk.
Glad that he hadn't had to do to much explaining Hiruzen nodded "Exactly, the Inuzuka's have put out an order, and you know that I can't interfere with Clan Laws, they said if they don't have that pup in one week, they will take him away forcefully from those kids" he stated.
Dan sighed "This isn't going to go well, isn't there some way to get them to relent, besides that pup didn't come from the Leaf Village..." he trailed off as realization hit him, Chibi wasn't from the Village, he was only there temporarily.
"I think I know of a way to prevent this from spiraling out of control" he stood nodded at the Hokage who let him go without any fuss, then he was flying down the streets of the village to the Inuzuka Compound, hoping beyond hope that he was able to stop this whole thing in it's tracks.
It wasn't long before he managed to get a meeting with the Clan Elders "Dan Kato what have you come here for" Tsume's father walked towards him and Dan felt a shudder roll down his spine as those onyx eyes pinned to his dark green.
But he steeled his nerves "I'm currently watching after those four orphans that you're trying to take the ninken pup away from" Dan started calmly and the man he was facing off against immediately bared his teeth and a growl rumbled from deep in his chest.
"Take, by all rights, all ninken in the village belong to the Inuzuka, so he is ours, and they better hand him over peacefully, it's not like we won't supply them with a new pup after all" he growled lowly under his breath not liking being questioned.
Dan took a deep breath "Ah but that's where you're wrong, Chibi isn't from the village, so technically you would be stealing him, see these orphans come from the Rain Village" he began keeping his tone even and un-challenging.
Obviously the elders hadn't expected that "What, Tsume didn't mention this at all" another approached clearly outraged they had been outsmarted and undermined, but if what the man said was the truth, then they had no choice but to give in.
Then a new voice cut into their conversation "And if push comes to shove I wouldn't hesitate making a bond with him" all eyes turned to the entrance of the hall where a small pinkette was seen walking slowly towards them.
"Sakura-san what are you doing out of the hospital, you're hurt" Dan frowned not liking the fact that she was up wandering around with those wounds on her, then he got a good look, "You're a clone" he accused and she nodded.
"You'd willingly bond with the pup to prevent him from being taken" Tsume's father inquired eyeing the tiny child, she was young, to young to understand and yet here she was trying to keep from losing the pup that had ninken blood flowing through his veins.
Sakura nodded decisively "Yes, I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for my friends, especially Nagato-kun, Chibi saved Nagato and me as well, and if I have to bond with Chibi-kun then so be it" her back was straight but she didn't make a move that would be considered threatening.
A high pitched whistle tore through the air "You got guts girly, I think you'd be excellent friends with our Tsume-chan" Tsume's mother appeared from somewhere to the right looking feral, her onyx eyes glittering with amusement and toothy grin on her face.
She felt her lips curving upwards "Thank you Inuzuka-sama, so is this whole matter resolved then" Sakura asked sheepishly feeling the jutsu about to wear off, the two Alpha's shared a look before nodding and with a pop the clone dispelled in the standard puff of smoke.
'Well that was kind of anti-climactic' Dan thought blinking his eyes "Sorry for disturbing you" he bowed properly like Sakura had just before the clone wore off, then left heading back to the training grounds, it was almost ten thirty.
When he got there, Sakumo was helping Konan on properly throwing a kunai, aim first, speed and power later, so Dan settled against a tree again to keep watch before they all went to get lunch and take it to Sakura before they headed off to their jobs.
Fifteen minutes later, Sakumo wandered over to him "Did everything get figured out" he asked trying to seem nonchalant but failing miserably as Dan snorted, he winced realizing the man had every right to be angry considering all he'd caused.
"Yes, not by my hands though, by Sakura-san's, that girl made a clone and basically told the Inuzuka's that if push came to shove she'd bond with Chibi, Tsume-san's parents liked her and the whole matter was resolved" Dan huffed in exasperation and in amusement.
Sakumo blinked "Why is that girl so determined to keep that pup, wouldn't it be better just to let him go" he asked in confusion, the pinkette was quite possibly the most confusing child he'd ever met and he wanted to figure her out.
Dan shrugged not really understanding Sakura's motives himself, then he remembered "For those three, Nagato especially" he pointed at the trio of orphans "She's trying to keep them from getting hurt" Dan sighed rubbing his temples as another headache formed.
"Quite self sacrificing isn't she" Sakumo grumbled under his breath remembering when the girl had jumped between him and Tsume to prevent him from getting hurt, it made him wonder how far she would go to keep people from undergoing any harm.
He felt his eye twitching "Tsunade-chan told me about how she met them, apparently an exploding tag landed between the four of them and Sakura-san grabbed Chibi to protect him, thus getting the worst of the ensuing blast" Dan started easily.
"And that when she, Master Jiraiya and Orochimaru-san came across them, Konan-san practically pleaded with them to save Sakura-san" he chuckled softly taking note of the time, eleven twenty-nine, one minute before the training session was over.
If Sakumo was surprised he didn't say anything "Right well I have some things to do so see you around Dan-san" he waved heading off to think more about all he'd witnessed so far, just because he was a jerk most of the time didn't mean he didn't like kids, even though they could be annoying.
Dan walked forward "Okay it's eleven thirty, I conclude this training session is over, so what do you think Sakura-san would like for lunch" he asked staring at the three orphans that he found himself getting extremely attached to, just like he was with Sakura.
Yahiko's brown eyes lit up "Tea, sweet potato curry with a side of rice and three sticks of dango" he announced proudly, glad that he knew the pinkette's favorite dish to eat from the shop they like to frequent now that the women had calmed down.
"Yeah she always eats that and I know Sakura-chan would appreciate having that while in the hospital" Konan snickered amber eyes sparkling with amusement, now that the fear of losing the pinkette was fading, even she could see the humor in it.
It was Nagato who didn't like the thought of being left out of the loop as he came forward carrying Chibi "Are the Inuzuka's going to take Chibi-kun away from us" he asked staring at Dan with intense eyes wanting to know and trying to put on a brave face if that's what was going to happen.
Realizing that it hadn't been such a good idea to pretend that nothing was going on Dan sighed "No they aren't, in fact the whole matter has been let go, Chibi is still you're pup" he patted Nagato on the head before leading them into the village towards the restaurant.
His odd patterned eyes lit up "Thank you Dan-san" Nagato burst out excitedly coming out of his shell once more and tightening his arms around Chibi as they walked leaving the training field behind for the day so they could focus on getting lunch.
Dan chose not to correct him, because he felt if he mentioned that it was Sakura who'd managed to fix the mess Sakumo had created, it would just upset each of them, "You're welcome Nagato-san" Dan smiled instead.
"You know I think we'll just wait out here" Konan grasped Yahiko's hand in her own as she spotted some of the women from that time Inoichi had pointed at Sakura and they had all gone crazy dragging her and the others into the whole thing as well.
Surprised at her reluctance to enter the shop, Dan turned but it was Yahiko who answered "We don't want to get coddled by a whole bunch of women" he grinned and Nagato nodded all three of them looking more serious than usual.
Deciding he didn't want to know, "Okay then I'll be out in a few" Dan turned around and headed in ordering five orders of rice and curry, one had sweet potatoes, fifteen sticks of dango, and five canteens of green tea before paying.
Once the food was sealed in a storage scroll, Dan led the three kids to the hospital and got a shock when they entered Sakura's room, crowded around and on the bed were Inoichi, Shikaku, Choza, Minato and Tsume Inuzuka.
"Oh I wondered when you guys would get here" Sakura lifted her head carefully with a wince pausing in the game of shogi, she wasn't trying very hard and flashed a smile at Yahiko, Konan and Nagato who all looked like they'd had a rough night.
Nagato walked forward and climbed onto the bed next to the pinkette "We went and got lunch for you Sakura-chan" he swiped his bangs to the side revealing his eyes so that he could see her better without the obstruction.
Her eyes lit up just as Yahiko stated "Yeah you're favorite from the dango shop, rice and sweet potato curry with three sticks of dango" the orange haired boy grinned taking the box sheepishly from Dan who smiled in amusement "Here you go Sakura-chan" Yahiko passed it over.
"What about you guys, have you eaten lunch yet" Konan was the only one who managed to keep thoughts from revolving around food as she stared at the others worriedly, she didn't like the thought they were skipping lunch.
Tsume raised her hand "We ate before we came here, I wanted to apologize again for causing all that trouble" she kept her onyx eyes glued to the thin blanket that was wrapped around Sakura, it was her fault that the pinkette was in the hospital.
Choza nodded "I had a few bowls of ramen, like these guys" he pointed at Minato, Inoichi and Shikaku "So don't worry about us, go ahead and eat, if I have to hear her stomach rumble again" he laughed and Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.
Inoichi felt his lips twitch "Now, now Choza, how were we supposed to know that Sakura-san hadn't eaten lunch yet" he tried to mediate between his friends and Sakura grinned in amusement while taking a bite of her rice and sweet potato curry.
Minato eyed it curiously "I didn't know they made that kind of curry, it really is strange what people come up with for different food combinations" he said when she raised a pink brow at him and his cheeks flared in embarrassment.
"Yeah no kidding, I just hope you get out of here before Sunday" Shikaku grumbled putting away the shogi board and all it's pieces since their game had been interrupted and it was unlikely they'd get to start again considering the others were there now.
Sakura sighed softly "It's not my fault that the medics in this hospital are extremely incompetent at healing scratch wounds" she passed a hand through her hair and shifted to try and get comfortable, it was impossible, but she still had to try.
It was then that an idea took root in Konan's mind and she was hesitant to speak up, but it wasn't her that spoke "Wh..what if we tried to heal you Sakura-chan, we've all been practicing really hard and we managed to heal the fish today" Nagato kept his eyes glued to the floor as he made his suggestion.
Dan's eyes widened and he wanted to tell them no, because he certainly didn't want Sakura getting hurt anymore and judging by her expression, she was very uncomfortable with the thought as well, but he knew that she wouldn't be able to say no either.
"Nagato-kun, Yahiko-kun, Konan-chan, as much as I loathe being stuck in bed, and I'm not doubting you're abilities, these scratches are very deep" Sakura bit her lip not wanting to hurt their feelings because it was to easy.
"Which would require a more experienced medical nin like Lady Tsunade to heal properly, you risk getting chakra exhaustion and exerting yourselves if you tried to heal me, and I won't have that on my hands if you guys get sick" she nodded stubbornly.
Seeing where she was coming from and remembering that horrible day where Sakura had done so much, their skin paled "I don't want chakra exhaustion" Konan shook her head relenting on the idea immediately.
Yahiko took a little more convincing though "Are you sure Sakura-chan, we'd risk it because it's you and we miss you" he pouted but unlike how she usually relented the pinkette shook her head, a pitying look in her emerald eyes.
"I'm sorry Yahiko-kun, chakra exhaustion is very serious, what I had was only mild that day" Sakura smiled sadly and patted his hand gently, his brown eyes held his worry but also understanding, so she took a deep breath and turned to Nagato.
Who was taking the refusal harder than the other two "I just want you to be okay Sakura-chan" Nagato sniffled wrapping his arms carefully around Sakura and hugging her gently, he just wanted her to be able to come home and keep them all together like usual.
A soft sigh and then she was patting him on the back "Everything will be okay Nagato-kun, and I'll be alright as much as I dislike being stuck in a bed" Sakura smiled pulling back to wipe his tears away even if her back smarted at the movements.
While this had gone on, Dan watched carefully taking in how the pinkette calmed down Yahiko, Nagato and Konan, it just made him even more confused at how easy it seemed to be to her to do it, like she was their mother.
"You're an old soul Sakura-san, wise beyond you're years" he finally spoke pausing in eating to do so and she flashed him a knowing smile, glad that he'd figured out some of the puzzle to the quartet of orphans, Dan returned to his own lunch.
Twenty minutes later when it was nearing twelve thirty, Inoichi sighed "If we don't want to be late we should go now" he pointed out, he didn't really want to go considering he wouldn't get to see her again that day since after the academy got out he had to help out at the shop.
Choza, Shikaku, and Minato stood "Well we hope you get better Sakura-san" Choza patted the pinkette on the top of the head and she smiled in gratitude "Just hope you get out of here before Sunday or Shikaku's going to be unmanageable" he teased.
Sakura broke down in soft giggles "Whatever Choza, just focus on healing Sakura-san, then we can worry about shogi again" Shikaku grumbled not admitting the fact he'd be seriously put out if the pinkette didn't get out of the hospital, in his eyes the entire situation was to troublesome.
"I promise Shikaku-san, it really is fun learning the game even if I suck horribly at it" she laughed making sure not to go overboard, she definitely didn't want the nurse coming in there again to change the bandages because she'd strained so hard that she'd made the scratches bleed again.
Inoichi smiled "Yeah please get better, my parents were very worried when they found out you were in the hospital" he peered into her emerald eyes and made the decision that it was better if they just remained friends, he'd taken an interest in a girl named Aiko anyway.
Wincing at that "Tell them I'm sorry and that I'll work extra hard when I get out of here" Sakura waved as the three boys headed towards the door, they paused however when they realized that neither Minato or Tsume had moved an inch from their previous spots.
"You should come to the academy some day, find out what school life is like" Minato avoided the pinkette's emerald eyed gaze as he spoke before quickly walking towards his friends, it was slightly embarrassing talking to a pretty girl sometimes.
Sakura blinked just as Tsume appeared in her line of sight "If you ever need any help Sakura, you can count on me" the Inuzuka heiress vowed pivoting on her heel Kuromaru situated atop her head and then all five children vanished down the hall.
"Well that was interesting" Dan chuckled thinking over Tsume's request "You know that's an idea though, what do you say to going to class with everyone" he started and Yahiko immediately started booing him at the thought of even going to the academy.
Konan and Yahiko looked excited though, it would be a great opportunity to make more friends and create bonds and Sakura, she just sat back mulling the information over in her head "Yeah, it could be considered training to" Sakura pointed out and Yahiko looked at her betrayed.
Though he was curious "What do you mean, we already know more about being a ninja than most of those kids do anyway" Yahiko shrugged trying to seem like he wasn't interested and failing, but no one called him out on it.
"Well it's not like we'd be going for the full day right Dan-san" Konan looked to the pale blue haired dark green eyed man who was looking after them until their real sensei's returned, Dan nodded, though he'd have to go to the Hokage again just to make sure it was alright.
Even Nagato couldn't help but join in "Yeah plus think about all the friends we could make if we went to the academy even if it's just for a few hours" he waved his arms odd patterned eyes bright for once and his face glowing with his excitement.
Beaten by his friends Yahiko finally jumped aboard the bandwagon "Okay say we do go to the academy, what exactly would we learn from it" he prodded wanting to get answers before they all came up with a plan on what to do.
For once Dan managed to explain "You'd get to learn more about this village, understand it and the lands that surround it, the Hokage, past and present, math, spar with you're classmates, and plenty more options" he grinned hoping to entice the four kids into agreeing to the idea.
"Spar what would that mean" Yahiko narrowed his brown eyes on Dan and the man realized why it was that Sakura was the one who usually explained things, because she was very good at it and she was the only one who could get the kids more interested.
Seeing the expectant look, Sakura rolled her eyes inwardly "Hand to hand combat Yahiko-kun, though it's to create deeper bonds with a person, never to harm, and to end the spar you'd make the shinobi unison sign" she held out her two fingers and locked them with Nagato's held out fingers.
His brown eyes lit up and she held back her snickers "That sounds cool, though I can't help but feel as if you're leaving something out" Konan pinned her amber irises on Dan who avoided her gaze, before realizing it wasn't working like he thought it would.
"You'd have to do homework along with the rest of the kids, even if you don't go all week" he finally admitted and Yahiko and Konan recoiled, no longer wanting any part of the idea of going to the academy until the only one who hadn't spoken, spoke up.
Nagato took a deep breath peering into Sakura's emerald eyes gaining the courage he needed "Homework sounds exciting and I doubt it would be to difficult, please Yahiko, Konan-chan" he pouted and they simply couldn't say no.
Dan bit the inside of his cheek to hold back his chuckles as the duo slumped their shoulders and relented "Now that, that's settled, we have to work around our job schedules" Sakura clapped her hands regaining their attention.
Konan and Yahiko hopped onto the bed, long finished with their lunches as were Sakura, Nagato and Dan, they had limited time before they had to go into work, well Konan and Nagato, so they had to come up with something quick.
It wasn't difficult to come up with a schedule for the academy, on Monday: Sakura, Yahiko and Nagato would go, Tuesday: Konan and Nagato, Wednesday: just Sakura, Thursday: Konan, Yahiko and Nagato, and Friday: Sakura and Yahiko.
For just the remaining time after lunch until 3:30, giving them plenty of time to get supper started before whoever had work that day trickled into the apartment, though it was an unanimous decision that none of them would start going until Sakura was out of the hospital.
"Okay Nagato-kun and I are off" Konan leaped to the floor carefully and a little more gracefully than before and Nagato reluctantly followed leaving Yahiko the only one left on the bed and Dan standing as the two of them scurried off to their individual jobs.
A couple minutes after they left "I'm going to go talk to Lord Hokage again to see if I can get you kids in the academy" Dan waved leaving Yahiko to watch after Sakura, the minute he was gone, the orange haired boy turned to the pinkette.
And with the widest grin she'd ever seen on his face "Are you allowed to walk around Sakura-chan" Yahiko asked eagerly wanting to get her out of this room for awhile, even if he had to carry her himself or wheel her around in a wheelchair.
Not sure what the boy was plotting, Sakura pressed a button on the bed and a medic came into the room "Am I allowed to leave this room, if I'm careful" she repeated Yahiko's question to the male medic who tapped his lip.
"I believe so, hang on let me go get you a wheelchair and we can all go to the garden" he nodded a moment later and the girls emerald eyes lit up, he smiled as he left all while thinking the pinkette must really like flowers if she didn't refuse the garden like most patients did.
Yahiko couldn't refuse her either, because they all knew how much Sakura loved flowers and growing them "If he had said there were no wheelchairs I would have carried you myself" he admitted sheepishly and Sakura flashed that beatific smile at him.
Both boys were unbelievably gentle with her and Konan "Aw thanks Yahiko-kun" Sakura couldn't stop smiling even if her cheeks were beginning to hurt, his admittance had just been so adorable and it made her more resolved to make sure Yahiko lived this time around.
Five minutes later the male medic returned with a wheelchair and lifted her carefully from the bed and into the seat, smiling in amusement as Yahiko took over "I'll do it, you just lead the way please" the boy exclaimed.
"Of course I'm Sakura-san's medic and it's my job to make sure she takes it easy, I'm Igaku" the medic introduced himself leading the boy down the halls to the garden that was basically empty considering how chilly it was.
The three of them seemed to realize this at the same time, the weather must have taken a turn "Here Sakura-chan" bless Yahiko for foresight as he tossed a thick blanket over Sakura's lap before tucking it around her shoulders carefully.
Igaku watched taking note of how caring he was being "Are you two siblings" it would explain how willing the boy was in watching after the pinkette, but when they shook their heads, he frowned "You seem awfully close though" Igaku questioned.
Sakura nodded sending Yahiko a pointed look and he pulled out another blanket from the scroll and wrapped it around his shoulders "We are but that's because we've known each other for about three months now, see we are orphans" she explained.
The man's soft brown eyes widened but he didn't apologize knowing that it wouldn't do any good to remind them of what they'd lost "Well it's good you have each other to rely on" Igaku said instead choosing to go a neutral route.
Yahiko grinned "It's not just Sakura-chan and I, we have Nagato and Konan-chan to, and together we consider each of us family to the other" he squeezed Sakura's hand beneath the blanket that was tucked around her shoulders as they relaxed in the garden.
"That's good" Igaku breathed just before another medic came running out a woman this time panicked and yelling about some kind of accident "Sorry kids, got to run" he saluted to Sakura and Yahiko before taking off after the woman to deal with whatever was going on.
Alone now "Do you want to go back in Sakura-chan" Yahiko asked feeling it get a little chillier as rain clouds moved in over the village signaling it was getting ready to rain, she craned her neck to the side to peer at him with tired eyes.
Before nodding "Yeah, though you'll have to help me up onto the bed" Sakura teased softly, the rain always made her sleepy, Yahiko grasped the handles of the wheelchair and wheeled her back inside just as the heavens unleashed and it started pouring down rain.
Ten minutes later, after getting lost momentarily, Yahiko managed to get back to the room Sakura had been assigned and helped the pinkette back onto the bed being careful not to hurt her, then feeling tired himself, he climbed onto the bed after her with a grin, taking off his sandals.
Sakura rolled her eyes "Dork" she snorted though it was said fondly, then burrowed beneath the blankets drifting into a healing sleep, Yahiko soon followed and so when Dan returned to give them the good news that their idea had been accepted his lips curved upwards in amusement.
'Silly children' he thought sitting in the only chair in the room not even attempting to bother them, one Sakura needed her rest, and two none of the orphans had probably gotten very good sleep the night before considering what had happened.
Despite acting like nothing was wrong and that they weren't all very worried, Yahiko, Konan and Nagato couldn't stand the fact that Sakura had once again gotten injured on someone else's behalf, but weren't wiling to upset the pinkette due to their own upset of her getting hurt.
Less than an hour later, Yahiko woke stretching his arms and sitting up on the bed feeling a little more rested, before spotting Dan "How long have you been there Dan-san" he yawned glancing to the side to make sure he hadn't woken Sakura up by being to loud.
With a small smile "About an hour, fifteen minutes shy of it actually, Lord Hokage has accepted you're request, congrats you, Nagato-san, Konan-san and Sakura-san are official academy students" Dan explained softly.
"That's good and all but you two boys need to scram, I have to wake little miss stubborn up and change those bandages" a woman medic entered the room not even bothering looking up from her clipboard as she shoes slapped loudly on the tile floor.
Yahiko scowled not liking that Sakura was about to be disturbed especially considering how tired she'd seemed, but left with Dan just as the woman ripped the blankets away from the pinkette and Sakura woke with a shout.
Dan grimaced "It's okay" he soothed though he'd definitely be telling Tsunade how the hospital was run during her absence, waking a sleeping patient like that, it was absolutely ridiculous "Why don't we go back to the house and make dinner for those two" he offered.
"Are we gonna stay at you're place until Sakura-chan gets out of the hospital Dan-san" Yahiko swiped a hand through his hair obviously disgruntled about what he'd seen, and the pale blue haired man nodded easily to his question.
Two hours later, fifteen minutes after five, Konan burst into his house soaking wet and Yahiko retrieved a towel for the bluenette "Kami it's really coming down hard" she dried herself off to the best of her abilities.
"Yeah no kidding, poor Nagato, the pet shop is a little further away" Yahiko frowned and Konan sighed, all in all it was a depressive moment as she changed into dryer warmer clothes in the bathroom unafraid that either of the two boys would peek.
Eighteen minutes later, Nagato entered the house shivering, Yahiko and Konan were waiting for him with towels and he quickly started trying to get dry "Sorry about making a mess Dan-san" he didn't like it that he was making a mess in someone else's house.
His apology was waved off "Can't help it, no one thought it was going to rain today" Dan smiled flipping a turkey burger, having decided that sandwiches were the best to have for dinner that night, though he was going to have to go shopping soon.
Glad that the man wasn't horribly angry, Nagato headed into the bathroom taking the clothes Konan held out to him "How's Sakura-chan" he called as he peeled off his sopping clothes and got dressed in a long sleeved light blue shirt, with a pair of brown pants.
"She's probably sleeping now" Yahiko was the one to answer, at least he hoped she was, otherwise he'd go there kicking up a fuss over how the pinkette was being treated, some medical ninja were awful and he didn't like how that woman had woken Sakura.
Hearing the anger, Konan sent the orange haired boy a look, but Yahiko shook his head "Well that's good, at least Sakura-chan's resting" she sighed feeling tired herself, they'd all kind of tossed and turned the night before and they were paying for it now.
Five minutes later Nagato stepped out of the bathroom, hair still damp, but his clothes were hung up over the edge of the bathtub alongside Konan's "We should invest in umbrella's and figure out a way to carry them with us so this doesn't happen again" he smiled sheepishly.
Yahiko and Konan nodded "Definitely, come on dinner should be ready by now" Konan took Nagato's hand and Yahiko took her other free hand as they walked into the kitchen just in time to see Dan plating up the sandwiches and their stomachs rumbled in hunger.
"Eat up you three, then meditate, baths, and finally bed" Dan chuckled planning out the next couple of hours as he dug into his burger, he knew it wouldn't be to hard to get them to go to bed considering how tired they all seemed.
And none of the kids argued about the demands being placed on them "Okay Dan-san" Konan yawned tiredly "Though we might skip out on meditating, sometimes we don't do it if we did it early in the day" she explained when he raised a questioning brow.
"Sakura-chan's the only one who does it morning, noon and night" Yahiko sniggered cutting his sandwich in half to make it easier to eat before biting into it "You know this isn't half bad, what is this called" he eyed the burger trying to see if he'd eaten it before.
More chuckles "A turkey burger, instead of beef it's made out of turkey and a hell of a lot healthier for you guys, no doubt with how often Sakura-san proclaims she wants to become the worlds best medical ninja, she already knows that little fact" Dan stated glancing at Nagato.
Feeling eyes on him Nagato lifted his head from where he was lazily eating his own dinner, he was exhausted and it hadn't helped he'd had to go in to work that day, thankfully watching over baby animals was very easy and it hadn't required to much effort other than feeding and watering them.
"That's good Sakura-chan probably does know" he smiled softly managing to take another bite before his stomach told him it was full, "I'm done" Nagato announced feeling guilty about only eating more than half of the sandwich.
Yahiko's eyes bulged and he frowned "Are you okay Nagato, usually you eat more than that considering how much effort you put into training..." he trailed off realizing that he was pretty full as well, which meant they hadn't used up nearly as much energy.
Konan sighed "We have to try harder tomorrow, remember our motto Share the Burden" she raised her fist as Yahiko and Nagato did the same and they all bumped knuckles with each other but in the end, not even she could finish off her entire burger.
Having expected that it might be to much for them, the paper plates were each marked with a name and set in the fridge "If you get hungry during the night, don't hesitate to come and raid my fridge" Dan teased finally drawing laughter from the three orphans.
"Okay Dan-san, Konan-chan, you go take you're bath first okay, then Nagato, and I'll go last" Yahiko took charge pushing a pair of pajamas into the bluenette's arms and ushering her down the hall to the bathroom to have her bath.
Realizing that none of them intended on meditating that night like they had the night before, Dan sat down on his couch next to Nagato "It won't be much longer before Tsunade is back" he said knowing how each of the orphans felt.
Nagato's eyes widened "I'm glad, though I'd really wished Sakura-chan would have let us help her, I'm sure if we'd all combined our medical ninjutsu we could have healed her" he pouted and Dan finally realized what the real problem was.
"Nagato-san, Sakura-san cares about you, Yahiko-san and Konan-san very much, she didn't want you guys getting hurt no matter how hard you've been practicing each of you are still new at using chakra, you run the risk of hurting her as well" Dan soothed.
He hoped that he hadn't ruined the good mood "I understand now, thanks Dan-san" Nagato sent him a small smile as Konan returned from the bathroom wearing a long yellow night shirt that went to her calf muscles and sat down on the couch rubbing her hair with a towel not wanting to go to bed with it wet.
Seeing as it was his turn Nagato jumped from the couch grabbing a pair of his own pajamas from his bag before heading into the bathroom, the tub was full and the water was warm and slipped into the tub to take his own bath.
Now that he'd managed to alleviate Nagato's upset Dan settled back onto the couch to rest for a bit "How much longer do you think Tsunade-shishou, Jiraiya-sensei and Orochimaru-sensei will be gone" Konan's soft voice interrupted his relaxation and he realized that Nagato wasn't the only one upset.
His lips quirked upwards "Not much longer, just focus on being strong okay Konan-san" Dan smiled kindly and the bluenette nodded with another yawn, it wouldn't be much longer until all three of the kids crashed in the bed in the spare bedroom.
Nagato returned fifteen minutes later looking a little more exhausted and Yahiko took his turn, soon enough all three of them were climbing beneath the covers of the bed in the spare bedroom like the night before, and falling asleep.
Dan took his chance to lock up for the night setting traps and whatnot before taking his own shower, all while thanking the kami for not making that day to difficult and he'd managed to get through it without having to exert to much energy.
Meanwhile in the hospital, Sakura was having her bandages changed for the fifth time last night this time by Igaku "I'm glad you're the one changing them, that nurse from earlier was awful" she quipped with a scowl on her lips.
Igaku grimaced having heard the rumor going around "I promise to talk to her, she's not even in charge of you I am and that was horribly rude of her" he stated winding the clean bandages around the pinkette's upper torso making sure they were tight, but not suffocating.
"Good, cause she has a long way to go, besides Lady Tsunade, you're the only other decent medic I've seen in this entire hospital" Sakura pointed out with a cheeky smile and got a pat on the head from the brown haired male.
He chuckled "Get on to bed now Sakura-san, don't want that boy to worry now do you" Igaku grinned and Sakura rolled her eyes inching her way beneath the covers and closing her eyes, he waited until her breathing evened out before flipping off the light and closing the door prepared to start his rounds.