Summary: After being conned into a mission by her former sensei, Sakura finds herself captive to a very hands-on interrogator. Will she be able to keep her secrets, or will the pressure be too much to hand-le?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, and make no profit from this fic. I do however reserve the right to make characters do naughty-naughty things to each other. Dattebayo!

Chapter Two: Threats of Fisticuffs and Bathroom Bluffs

The journey with the dignitary proved to be slow and exhausting, as it took nearly three days for Sakura and her team to reach the border of Rain Country. Despite making camp near a river each night, the rough conditions were taking a toll on Sakura, who had grown accustomed to the comforts of the hospital. What was supposed to be a vacation had turned into arduous work.

"This is hardly a vacation," Sakura thought to herself, feeling the ache in her muscles. Fortunately, tonight they would be staying at a local inn, finally returning to civilization.

The inn they found was reasonably priced and clean, allowing them to afford two separate rooms. Shikamaru, Shino, and the dignitary occupied one room, while Sakura and Kakashi took the other. Everyone eagerly sought a good night's sleep, dispersing to their respective rooms after ensuring the security measures were in place.

Determining the watch shifts, Shino took the first, followed by Shikamaru. Sakura was assigned the third shift, with Kakashi having the last shift. Inner Sakura couldn't help but grumble about Kakashi's lazy nature.

Entering their room, Sakura and Kakashi claimed their beds before both their gazes instinctively turned towards the bathroom door. Sakura flashed a sweet smile and swiftly made a dash for the door, while Kakashi countered by summoning shadow clones to restrain her while he attempted to reach the door. The clones couldn't hold Sakura for long; she managed to kick one and toss the other aside, just barely reaching the door before Kakashi. With a wink, she slammed the door shut, leaving Kakashi disappointed on the other side. Chuckling to herself, Sakura locked the door and giggled as she prepared to take a shower.

Peeling off her sweat-soaked clothes, Sakura caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Dirt marked her face, giving her a somewhat youthful appearance. Observing her travel-weary body, she noticed the changes that had occurred over the past few years. While her pink hair remained short, she had refused to grow it out since her battle with Ino. The most notable change was in her figure; her hips had gained a natural curve, and her breasts had finally filled out, surprising Sakura who had resigned herself to looking like a child forever. Dismissing thoughts of the past, she stepped into the glass cubicle of the shower.

The warm water cascaded over her, easing her tense muscles. Sakura briefly entertained the idea of using up all the hot water, but the memory of Kakashi's unpleasant revenge tactics made her think twice. As the spray washed away the grime from her body, she lathered up a bar of soap with a washcloth. Starting from her shoulders and working her way down, her mind wandered to memories of the past. She recalled her unwavering dedication to Sasuke, but that had changed as she began training with Tsunade. Sakura had learned to be self-sufficient, gaining confidence in herself and her abilities. She no longer yearned for the raven-haired boy from her youth; instead, she looked towards the future.

When the soapy cloth reached between her legs, Sakura paused for a moment, her musings taking an unexpected turn. She pondered why she couldn't find the passionate relationship that her friends had already experienced. Sakura had been on a few dates, both with civilians and ninjas, but none had sparked the intense desire described by her fellow kunoichi. Although the youthful fumblings were pleasant, none of the boys she had dated had convinced her to give up her virginity.

Shaking her head to keep focused on the task at hand, Sakura finished scrubbing the dirt from her body, her fatigued muscles protesting the exertion. She switched to shampooing her hair, squeezing the little bottle with just enough shampoo for her and Kakashi. As she vigorously rubbed her scalp, creating a rich lather, some suds slipped into her eyes, causing her to hiss in pain. Sakura scrunched her eyes tightly shut, attempting to rinse out the stinging bubbles.

"Sakura, what is taking so long?" she heard her former sensei sigh.

The sound seemed unnervingly close. Sakura thought, her heart pounding with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.

"Go away!" she yelled, her frustration evident in her voice. "I'm almost done."

"You didn't hear me when I asked from behind the door," Kakashi replied in a nonchalant tone, but Sakura could detect the hidden amusement in his voice. Underneath the underneath...

Sakura's brows furrowed in disbelief. "Kakashi...are you...in the bathroom?" she asked, struggling to maintain her composure.

"Well, you didn't hear me, did you?" Kakashi's tone remained calm, but Sakura knew he was enjoying the situation. She could almost picture the mischievous grin beneath his masked face.

"Kakashi, if I look out from behind this curtain and you are in this bathroom, I will personally make sure you never have children- ever!" she threatened with a scowl, her determination masking her embarrassment.

Silence hung in the air, and Sakura took the opportunity to thoroughly rinse her hair, ensuring not a trace of shampoo remained. With cautious anticipation, she opened her eyes and peeked around the shower curtain, relieved to find no sign that Kakashi had intruded upon her privacy. Satisfied, she nodded to herself.

HELL YEAH! Inner Sakura crowed triumphantly. He had better have taken us seriously!

With a final glance around the empty bathroom, Sakura decided it was safe to step out of the shower stall. She reached for the towel and wrapped it around herself, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.

"Don't you remember your training, Sakura-chan?" Kakashi's voice suddenly echoed in the steamy room, startling her. She spun around, expecting to see him, but there was nothing behind her. "You're supposed to look underneath the underneath. Although, in this case, you should really try looking up."

Before Sakura could react, Kakashi dropped from his cross-legged position on the ceiling, performing a neat flip to land on his feet in front of her. While his visible eye remained shut in his version of a grin, Sakura had no doubt that it had been open just a moment ago.

Sakura's cheeks flushed with mortification. He... He...saw... He saw me... N-N-NAKED! The thought raced through Sakura's mind uncontrollably.

PERVERT! Inner Sakura screamed. HE'S SO DEAD! SHANNARO~!

Driven by her anger and embarrassment, Sakura's body instinctively reacted before her common sense could intervene. With a shriek of wordless indignity, her chakra-less fist collided with Kakashi's abdomen, delivering a punch that, despite lacking chakra, still carried considerable force. Kakashi crumpled, gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of him.

With a huff, Sakura stepped over Kakashi's crumpled form, pausing at the doorway.

"Hope you enjoy your shower, sensei," she said sweetly, her tone laced with a mix of satisfaction and warning. "Because when you're done, I'm going to make you suffer worse than Naruto when I caught him rifling through my underwear drawer." With a dainty sniff, Sakura slammed the bathroom door shut behind her, causing the entire room to rattle ominously.

Mumbling dark threats under her breath, Sakura quickly got dressed, determined to avoid any further incidents. As she was toweling her hair dry, she sensed a strong group of unfamiliar chakra signatures rapidly approaching.

Before she could open her mouth to warn Kakashi, the bathroom door swung open, and Kakashi, already alert to the foreign signatures, stepped into the room, his playful demeanor replaced by seriousness. There was a succinct knock at the front door, which swung open to allow Shino, the dignitary, and Shikamaru to enter the room. Kakashi ushered them in and locked the door behind them.

They all knew their primary objective was to protect the dignitary and get them out of there as quickly as possible. Although they were uncertain about the identity of the approaching threat, their first priority was to ensure the dignitary's safety. Shikamaru assumed his thinking position, contemplating their limited options given their lack of information. After careful consideration, he devised a plan: Shikamaru and Kakashi would escort the dignitary to safety, while Sakura and Shino would stay behind to create a temporary diversion. Since it was likely that the unknown chakra users had sensed their presence as well, Sakura and Shino might need to engage them in combat. Once the dignitary was safely away, the diversion team would extract themselves and reunite with the rest of the group at a secure location.

Kakashi and Shikamaru swiftly concealed their chakra, with Kakashi using an additional jutsu to help mask the dignitary's weak signature. Kakashi paused at the doorway, his gaze meeting Sakura's. "Stay safe, Sakura," he said, a hint of concern in his voice.

Sakura nodded, her eyes reflecting determination as she pulled on her gloves and flexed her grip. "You too, Kakashi-senpai," she replied, her voice tinged with a sharp grin. "Just remember that I owe you a serious beat-down." The reminder of the shower incident hung in the air between them.

Kakashi chuckled and lifted his hand, making a peace sign before disappearing from view.

Shino and Sakura, now fully dressed and prepared for battle, made efforts to conceal the disappearance of Kakashi and Shikamaru's signatures. Shino summoned three bug clones to maintain the illusion. With nothing left to do but wait, they went down to the inn's common room, ordering dinner that they picked at absently while monitoring the steady progression of the approaching signatures. It was now evident that the signatures were directly aimed at their location.

Excitement surged within Sakura's stomach as the signatures finally reached the inn. A crash sounded from above, indicating that the bug clones left behind in one of the rooms had been discovered. Sakura couldn't help but wonder why they had taken a longer route to avoid trouble only to encounter someone anyway.

HELL YEAH! TIME TO KICK SOME ASS! Inner Sakura cheered with anticipation.

Nodding in agreement, Shino and Sakura silently slipped out of the inn through the back door, as if attempting to evade a confrontation. They dashed between buildings, swiftly maneuvering through the near-empty streets.

At the town's edge, Sakura and Shino found concealment in a patch of conveniently located trees. Both cloaked their chakra and watched the nearby streets for any signs of movement. Shino summoned two additional bug clones and sent them south to create a diversion. From her vantage point, Sakura could see the door of the inn they had just escaped from. She watched as the front door burst off its hinges, and a tall blonde figure clad in an Akatsuki cloak strutted out, oblivious to their true whereabouts.

Sakura's body tensed as she immediately recognized the blonde as Deidara, the former partner of Sasori. She silently observed as Deidara followed the false trail left by the bug clones, allowing a sense of relief to wash over her. She wasn't confident in her ability to take down such a formidable Akatsuki member, even with Shino's assistance. As the adrenaline started to fade, Sakura carefully leaned her forehead against the smooth bark of the tree, attempting to calm her racing thoughts.

Glancing over at Shino, she made the hand gesture for "leave." But to her surprise, Shino signaled back with a gesture for "wait." Confusion washed over Sakura. What were they waiting for? Then, it dawned on her—they had sensed two signatures. Akatsuki members always traveled in pairs. Sakura's gaze darted back to the empty doorway of the inn. She had nearly missed the departure of a second figure, also donning an Akatsuki cloak, but with an orange mask obscuring his face.

Sakura wracked her brain, trying to recall the name associated with the masked Akatsuki member, but it eluded her. After a brief moment of standing in the doorway, the masked figure left just as abruptly as his partner, following the same false trail as Deidara.

Once again, relief washed over Sakura. Triple-checking that no one else was emerging from the building, she and Shino dashed north as fast as their legs could carry them, silently navigating through the shadows and alleys.

As they put some distance between themselves and the town, Sakura's mind raced with questions. Who were those Akatsuki members, and what were they doing here? What were their intentions? The urgency to reunite with the rest of their team and ensure the safety of the dignitary fueled Sakura's determination.

"I won't let them succeed," Sakura muttered under her breath, her voice laced with determination. "We'll protect the dignitary and put an end to their plans."

Shino glanced at Sakura, a nod of agreement passing between them. They continued their swift journey, their resolve unwavering.