"Explain to us the situation, Sasuke." Shikamaru said as they flew.

Sasuke nodded. "According to legend, a demon saw a monk in the woods and fell in love. He was repulsed by her appearance and so she took the form of a beautiful woman and he allowed her to live in the temple with him. Sometime later, a Hidden Leaf Kunoichi arrived at the temple heavily injured from battle. The monk took her in as well and tended to her wounds. He fell in love with the Kunoichi during that time and when it was time for her to return to the village, he offered to follow her there. The demon became enraged feeling that she'd been betrayed and went on a rampage, gathering an army of women to attack the Leaf Village. However, the monk and his kunoichi lover managed to seal her away in a shrine near the temple where the three of them had once lived." He explained. "A boy who was drunk and provoked by his equally drunk friends went to the shrine and ripped off the sealing tag on a dare. The demon took possession of his body and then moved to the body of his female friend. The girl was found ten miles from the village in the middle of the road unconscious with her hand extended in the direction of the village."

"I see." Shikamaru said. "So this demon is moving from person to person like a parasite. Did she leave a part of her behind in the boy?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes. She left a piece in the girl as well. Kai was attacked by the part in the boy when he tried to enter his mind. I managed to save them both. The girl was similar." He turned to look at the pale ninja brooding next to him. "Sai, I need you to send a message to The Leaf. Tell them that this demon leaves a trace of itself in each person it possesses and that they need to clear the mind of whomever brought it to The Leaf. Kai Yamanacha was nearly overtaken by the demon as well so they need to use caution."

"Right." Sai said unrolling a scroll of paper.

"Who brought it to the village?" Shikamaru murmured touching his chin.

"I'm guessing that it was probably a patient brought to the hospital." Sasuke said using the pressure of his legs to change to path his bird was taking as Sakura's chakra signature changed direction.

"Why do you think that?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura is the hospital director and has Ino and Hinata help her out from time to time doesn't she?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "You're probably right. If a patient that wasn't from the village was unconscious, it would make sense that she'd bring in Ino to check her mental state and Hinata to see if something was wrong with their chakra network, but why was Temari with them?"

"Maybe they met by coincidence." Sai said sending his messenger bird into the sky. "Women tend to congregate and talk whenever they see one another no matter what they were originally doing."

"You're right." Shikamaru said touching his chin. "Temari had been training on the grounds near the Hokage Mountain. In order to get home, the fastest route would have taken her right past the hospital."

Naruto sighed and tugged at the red scarf around his neck. "Sasuke, you said you managed to free Kai and that kid from this demon's grasp. Do you think you can save the girls the same way?"

Sasuke sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "I don't know." He admitted. "What I freed Kai from was only a fragment of the demon and I used some heavy handed techniques to free him. If these girls are directly under the control of the demon instead of a fragment, that's going to make it extremely difficult."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Are you saying, you don't think you can save them?" he asked.

"I didn't say that!" Sasuke snapped pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I told you that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to save them using Genjutsu alone. I didn't even get a chance to try earlier because I was too busy fighting."

"It's true." Shikamaru said his brows knitting together. "We're not dealing with ordinary people. These are battle hardened shinobi who have survived battles against the strongest warriors our world has ever known. All of us know firsthand just how difficult they are to bring down. In addition, we're fighting to save them while they're fighting to kill us, even just that difference in intent puts us at a disadvantage." He sighed. "What a drag."

&#&

"There." Sasuke said motioning to the entrance of a cave. "They're inside that cave but I can't sense much more than that."

"We should have brought a Hyuga with us." Shikamaru muttered.

"We have Naruto." Sai reminded them as the birds descended.

"Yes, but they have Hinata." Shikamaru said landing lithely on the ground. "We're literally going up against the best Kuniochi in The Leaf, we can't be too cautious."

"Right." Sai and Naruto said in agreement as Sasuke nodded.

His mind and heart were a mess. He'd never imagined that he'd have to fight Sakura seriously. Even when she'd wanted to kill him, she'd loved him too much to follow through with it. That wasn't the case this time.

"Sasuke, we're going to save Sakura and the others. Don't worry." Naruto said touching his shoulder.

He glanced at his friend and nodded unwilling to say anything.

"Let's go."Shikimaru said walking towards the cave entrance. "The longer this takes, the longer the village is in danger."

Naruto led the way, his sage eyes easily picking up the girl's chakra trails in the dim cave.

Sasuke scanned the space with his enhanced sight noting symbols on the wall. They all seemed to be warnings to stay away.

"A lake demon." He murmured. "The creature is a demon that was spawned from a lake deep within this cave."

"How do you figure that?" Naruto asked.

"That's what the writing on the says." He replied.

"You can read that?" Shikamaru asked studying a symbol as he walked past.

"I haven't been able to find any writing that the rinnigan cannot decipher." He replied his gaze flickering to a passage up ahead, noting the flickering light indicating a lit torch.

"Quiet! They're just ahead." He hissed.

The men nodded and crept quietly along the stone walls and crouched at the end of the tunnel. Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Temari were all gathered around a glowing yellow stone near the edge of a lake that was as clear and smooth as glass. They watched as the girl's reached out and touched the stone the lines on their skin glowing yellow again as they crawled across their skin towards the stone.

"It reminds me of Sasuke's curse mark." Naruto whispered.

Sasuke nodded but didn't take his eyes off the scene as the light exploded and the demon appeared, pointed teeth and all. His eyes widened. The room with the lake was bigger than the arena where he'd fought Gaara during the Chunin exams but the creature still took up a fair amount of it. The thing was nearly as big as his usual Susanoo. Fighting it inside this enclosed space was going to be an absolute nightmare. As he watched the demon folded it's reptilian arms and then shrank and shifted taking the form of a beautiful woman with dark hair, yellow eyes, and crimson lips.

"What beautiful Leaf Shinobi." The woman purred reaching out to touch Temari's hand. "What remarkable strength." she reached out and touched Ino's temple. "Such a cunning mind." She touched the corner of Hinata's eyes. "What spectacular sight." She breathed before reaching out to touch Sakura's forehead. "And you… So much power." She sighed and pressed Sakura's faced to her chest as she gripped Hinata's hand Ino and Temari stepping forward to lean against the demon women. "All mine. You're all mine."

Sasuke's jaw clenched rage seething in his blood even as he reached out and grabbed Naruto's hand as he moved to step forward. If they charged in recklessly they would lose and the girls would never be freed. Even though he desperately wanted to tear the woman apart for touching Sakura, they had to wait.

"We'll destroy The Leaf and then the entire male population." The snake woman drawled. "You, my beautiful girls will lead the way." She stroked Hinata's hand. "Never again will you have to fear rejection by that pig headed blonde boy." She touched Temari's shoulder. "Never again will you have to worry about that lazy oaf keeping secrets from you." She stroked Ino's cheek. "Never again will you have to worry about if that cold fish loves you." She tipped Sakura's chin up. "Never again will that wicked man raise his hand against you. We'll live together in peace."

"Stop screwing around!" Naruto exploded leaping into the space as he flashed into his nine tails chakra mode.

"That idiot!" Shikimaru hissed even as he, Sasuke, and Sai followed him down.

"I can sense your malice, your hatred." The blonde growled. "You don't want peace. All you want is pain and suffering. Their souls are in agony right now and you're feeding off of it you sick twisted bitch!"

"Hmm… It looks like a group of pests have wandered into my sanctuary." The yellow eyed creature snarled. "Take care of them for me, my lovelies."

They women obeyed at once leaping forward to confront their lovers.

"Why are they targeting us this way?" Sai asked blocking one of Ino's blows. "It doesn't make sense!"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked sidestepping Hinata's gentle fist.

"Theoretically speaking, Ino, who's known me practically since birth and is familiar with the way I do battle should be fighting me. Temari's long and mid-range jutsu should be pitted against Sai's super beast scroll. The Byuakugan should be fighting the Sharringan and Sakura's strength should be fighting Naruto's ninjutsu heavy style." Shikamaru said sliding underneath a series of wind blades. "He's right. This isn't the best match up. There must be another reason for this."

"My my, what a clever one you are." The demon woman said from where she was watching perched on a stone ledge. "I must admit, I simply love watching lovers tear one another apart. Nothing is more satisfying." She purred. "It's what should have happened to that awful man and his shinobi harlot years ago."

"What a sick, messed up, bitch!" Shikamaru growled sweat beading on his forehead.

"That monk of yours, I'm fairly certain he never loved you." Sasuke said using his katana to block a flurry of shirken thrown by Sakura. "He probably took you in the way his duty as a monk dictated. Just another person he was supposed to care for until you were ready to move on." He smirked. "You weren't special. Just another face in the long line of faces he cared for over the years. You were the one that built it up to something else inside your head." He knew better than to rile up the enemy, but he was so angry. He just wanted her to hurt for a moment, wanted her to taste some of the suffering she was putting everyone else through.

"You! You arrogant, insolent, bastard!" the woman screeched. "Sakura! I want him dead! Bring me his head!"

Sakura reacted instantly coming at him faster and harder than ever before. He leapt out of the way of one of her attacks flipping in midair and focused on her eyes as he skidded to a stop. When her eyes met his he pushed with his chakra and forced his way into her mind.

He arrived in a bleak grey world instead of the bright one filled with green grass and cherry trees in full bloom that usually greeted him. His brow furrowed as he searched for his wife his feet carrying him towards a strange shaped structure in the distance. A smudge of pink encouraging his feet to move faster.

What he saw there shocked and horrified him. Just like his nightmare days before, Sakura was nude her body bound in thick, yellow tinged chains with her head bowed. Her arms were fully spread out to either side of her body, her feet bound together and hovering just a few inches from the floor. A pool of blood was forming at her feet, deep gashes forming beneath the links of chakra chains, proof of how hard she was fighting to free her mind.

"Sakura!" he called out as he approached her.

Her head slowly raised at the sound of his voice and a bead of blood dripped from her chin to the ground as jade eyes clouded with pain met his own. "Sasuke?" she rasped a single tear falling from her lashes. "Please… Help me." She begged tugging at the chains that held her prisoner and drawing more blood that ran like rivers over her pale skin.

"I will, I promise!" he assured her as he drew his katana and funneled his lightning chakra into the blade. "Just hang on!" He picked out the chain binding her neck and raised his blade ready to cut it down when he felt the chakra flow shift. "No. Damn it!" he hissed leaping for her even as he was forced from her mind.

"Sasuke! Look out!" Naruto exclaimed as he found himself back in reality.

He hissed in frustration and sheathed his katana and leapt up gripping the arm that was armed with a kunai and whipped around slamming her into a nearby boulder his soul shuddering when he felt the bones break under his hand. Sakura dropped the knife and leapt away from her clutching at the damaged limb.

"You brute!" the snake woman exclaimed even as the seal in Sakura's forehead began to glow and dark marks crawled over her skin. "You should handle your lover with more care. Then again, you have tried to kill her on more than one occasion so I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised." She drawled.

Sasuke's blood was boiling, his rage nearly out of control. Sakura was suffering, her soul tearing itself apart because of this demon's sick games. Because of her ridiculous vendetta that was more than likely just a case of psychotic unrequited love. How dare she use his wife like this? How dare she put his most precious person in such a state?

"Sasuke?" Naruto muttered softly seeming to sense the change in him.

"You'll pay for this." He snarled his tone so deadly that his fellow male companions flinched. "As soon as I save Sakura, I'll kill you!" he roared his violet aura erupting around him as the skeletal torso of his Susanoo flashed to life around him.

The yellow eyed woman blinked in surprise, a little bead of sweat forming on her brow even as she smirked. "Not if she kills you first." She replied as Sakura leapt through the air at him again slamming her fist into his giant's rib cage.

Sasuke leapt out of the way and shrunk the size of his giant until it was just the shoulder and arm around him, refusing to be heavy handed with her even with her seal released. He was not going to shorten her lifespan with his own hands.

"You're going easy on her?" the crimson lipped woman questioned as he used his giant's arm to keep Sakura away from his body while looking for another chance to use genjutsu on her. "Why go to such lengths? Isn't she the same woman whose heart you tried to rip out just a few short years ago?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched at the image that she forced to the surface of his mind with her words. It was one of the most painful ones he carried now. The knowledge that he'd nearly killed his precious wife with his own hands in a fit of madness.

"Shut the fuck up!" Naruto shouted. "Dragging up the past like that on purpose to hurt him while he has already has to fight his own wife. You know, that twisted personality of yours is the reason the monk choose the kunoichi instead. You know what they say, beauty is only skin deep but an ugly soul will always shine though."

The snake woman's eyes widened as she trembled with rage. "Silence!" she shirked. "He was mine!"

The lake began to bubble and writhe with the force of her anger.

"What now!?" Shikamaru exclaimed.

The lake exploded and the chamber rapidly began to fill with water.

"Now you've done it." Sai growled rolling up his scroll. "We've got to get out of here!"

"What about the girls?" Naruto asked.

"The demon woman isn't stupid enough to kill off the pieces she went to so much trouble to collect. They'll be fine but we won't now move it!" Shikamaru exclaimed shoving the blonde as he leapt back himself.

The four shinobi took off at top speed through the caves as the water chased after them using chakra to keep from slipping on the slimy rocks. They burst through the entrance and quickly scaled the cliff face knowing they'd never make the tree line in time and watched as water exploded from the mouth of the cave and filled the clearing.

"Damn, that was close." Naruto breathed wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Don't tell me you're afraid to get wet Naruto." Shikamaru muttered.

"No. What I'm afraid of are Sakura's fists, Sasuke's genjutsu, and Ichiraku selling out of pork right before I get in line." Naruto replied. "This demon woman though? She's seriously starting to piss me off."

"Should we try sealing her away?" Sai suggested. "This scroll is just big enough for me to use The Foundation's Sealing Formula."

"No." Sasuke replied. "She's implanted a significant portion of herself within Sakura. I imagine she's done the same to all of the women bearing her curse mark. Even if you sealed her main body again, she'd just use the women to unseal herself again. We've got to purge her from them and then destroy her completely."

Shikamaru studied him for a moment. "You used genjutsu on Sakura. What did you see?"

His hand flexed against the rock that he was using to perch on the cliff face, his face darkening. "Her soul has been bound." He replied.

"Chakra chains?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke glanced at him and nodded.

"Just like the tailed beasts were." He murmured. "I bet it's those curse marks. Obito used chakra rods to control the other jinchuiki in the same way. When I met with Son Goku inside his psychic plane, he was bound with chakra chains as well." His blue eyes met Sasuke's mismatched ones. "Try it again."

"Try it again?" Sasuke repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Put Sakura under genjutsu again but this time go deeper. As deep as you can into her psychic plane." Naruto replied.

"Do you have any idea how much damage that could cause?" Sasuke snapped. "Sakura isn't a tailed beast, she's a human being with limitations. Forcing myself that deep could put her in a coma or worse!"

"Hear me out." Naruto said touching his shoulder lightly. "Even when Son Goku's soul was bound, there was still a deeper part of him that was untouched by Obito's control, but in order to get to that place, I had to sink deeper into the tailed beast's psychic plane. I think the same thing will work here. I just know it! Then we can force this witch out of Sakura and the others and take down the scaly bitch once and for all."

Sasuke couldn't deny that Naruto's optimism was starting to wear down his defenses. The blond idiot had always had that power. Making you think that the impossible was possible and dragging you along with him to prove it. Even so, there was so much at stake here.

"Naruto, if this doesn't work, Sakura will be…" he couldn't even get the words out.

"Lady Tsunade isn't far from the village right now and she'd come back in a heartbeat for Sakura. We both know it." Naruto said gripping his shoulder tightly. "I swear to you, Sakura will not die here because of this stupid monster."

Sasuke took a deep breath as the women followed by their demonic mistress entered the clearing. "If this doesn't work, I'll make you pay for it." He muttered.

"I know you will." Naruto replied switching into nine tails chakra mode. "Let's go guys!"

"Right! Good luck Sasuke." Sai said riding an ink eagle towards the clearing.

"Watch out for those fists of hers." Shikamaru echoed before dropping down in front of his wife.

"I believe in you!" Naruto said dropping in front of Hinata.

Sasuke sighed and dropped down in front of his wife. "Alright then." He said watching her take an offensive stance. "Let's do this."

He armed himself with his katana and flipped it to use the back of the blade against his wife and used it to deflect a series of kunai aimed at him. Sakura leaped at him, her fists blazing with chakra and he back flipped out of range admiring how the earth cracked under her hands when she hit. She didn't give him long to admire her as she came after him again sweeping her long lean legs at him before arming herself with shuriken and letting them fly in his direction. His eyes widened when some of her shuriken knocked against one another throwing off their trajectories and he tucked and rolled to avoid them. He cursed when Sakura used the opportunity to attack again taking a brutal kick to the ribs that send him flying. A kunai came flying right after as he slammed into a boulder and he formed a Susanoo to block it. He staggered to his feet touching his ribs and winced as he realized that at least three of them were broken.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?!" Sai called out.

"Fine!" he called back as Sakura approached him again armed with a kunai in each hand. She was a far more formidable opponent than he'd ever given her credit for. He needed to get her under genjutsu before she put them both in danger.

She leapt at him pouring chakra into her foot and slammed against his Susanoo. The purple giant cracked and he grunted at the force before he leapt back landing on top of the boulder. He threw a kunai hoping to distract her and it worked. As she stepped back to block the blows, he leapt forward and knocked the two knives from her hand as he pinned her to the ground. A quick sigh of relief left his lips as he finally got her exactly where he wanted her. All it would take was a glance and he'd have her. Unfortunately, she'd noticed his momentary lapse of tension and used it to turn the tables, flipping him onto his back and armed herself with a kunai. She held it high above her head and the demon woman cackled.

"Yes! That's it! Kill him. Kill him!" she squealed clapping her hands together with delight.

Sasuke felt something wet hit is face and say tears streaming down Sakura's face, the hand holding the knife trembling, proof that she was fighting the power holding her hostage with everything she had.

"Just hold on a little longer." He whispered glancing at slab of rock laying a few feet away.

"What is it Uchiha!? Can't stand to watch your own wife stab you to death?" The demon sneered.

He pushed with his chakra and activated his rinnigan using his power to switch places with the slab of stone just as Sakura's hand plunged downward.

"What!?" The demon roared as Sakura's kunai hit stone instead of flesh.

Sakura glanced at where he stood and he nearly shouted in triumph when her eyes met his.

"Mangyko Sharringan!" he hissed pushing deeper into her psychic plane.

He stepped into the space that was coated in grey and watched as Sai stood in front of his wife who had tears streaming down her face.

"What you've done to Naruto, is no different than what was done to me. His promise to you, is like a curse mark." Sai said firmly. "This whole thing with Sasuke needs to come to an end."

"Sai! That's enough!" Shizune said as Sakura hunched over tears flowing like rivers, her hand covering her mouth to muffle her sobs as she fell on her knees to the ground, the Fifth Hokage's lifeless body behind her on a futon. "Sakura." The brunette called out softly reaching out to touch her back as the pink haired girl curled into a ball on the ground.

The scene shifted and he saw her sitting in a different tent, kunai lined up in front of her. She picked up one and pulled on a pair of gloves before dipping it into a jar of black liquid.

"I'm sorry Naruto." She murmured softly. "I should have released you from this burden years ago. I'll stop Sasuke with my own hands." Her hands balled into fists. "Even if that means I have to kill him myself." She bowed over the table trembling. "Sasuke." She whimpered. "Please forgive me."

He watched as she packed her bag and walked to where the Kanoha Eleven minus Naruto with the addition of Sai were gathered.

"I'm going after Sasuke." She said firmly.

"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed. "You ca-"

"Danzo has been named Hokage and Lady Tsunade isn't improving. He already sent an assassin after him without permission once before." She cut her friend off. "This needs to end. I'll try to bring him back, but if not I'll do what needs to be done."

The blonde paled and then nodded stepping back into the embrace of Hinata.

"We need to keep this between just those of us here. If any of the others catch wind of this, we'll be in trouble. I need to stop by to see Naruto too, to prepare him for the worst." She said looking around at her friends. "Kiba, you're the best tracker The Leaf has to offer, and Lee, your taijutsu and speed would be best against Sasuke's ninjutsu. Will you come with me?"

"I promise to protect you with my life." Lee said stepping up to stand next to her.

"Sure, but are you sure about this?" Kiba said dropping down beside her with Akamaru at his side.

"It has to be done." She replied.

"Sakura's right. Sasuke is one of us, if we can't bring him back, the least we can do is end it with our own hands." Shikamaru said. "You'll need at least one more person to go with you. Someone with long range jutsu." He said glancing around. "Maybe Cho-"

"I'll go." Sai said stepping forward.

Sakura flinched and her eyes narrowed. "Are those orders from Lord Danzo?" she asked her voice measured and controlled.

"It's my duty as a member of Team Seven." He replied.

"He's a good match and we don't have time to argue about this." Shikamaru said stepping closer. "Get going. We'll cover for you as long as we can."

Sakura nodded and turned away but froze when Hinata wrapped her arms around her waist. "Have faith." She whispered. "In Sasuke, in Naruto, and yourself."

"Thanks Hinata." Sakura replied touching the girl's hand before striding towards the gate with grim purpose in hers eyes.

Her team joined her moments later and with a nod, they were off swinging through the trees towards the cold Land of Iron.

They stopped for the night and Sakura huddled against a tree unable to sleep her finger stroking the hilt of her poisoned kunai.

"Sakura. It is time to switch. I will keep watch." Lee said stepping away from the fire and up to her.

"It's alright. You can sleep. I'm not tired." She said accepting the hand he offered her to stand up.

He ignored her and instead jerked her into his arms embracing her warmly. "This is not your burden alone to carry." He said softly. "Please rest."

She shuddered and then burst into tears her sobs muffled against his green jumpsuit.

"Why!?" she cried fisting her hands against the bush browed ninja's chest. "Why does it have to be like this!?"

Lee said nothing and simply stroked her hair gently holding her tightly against him.

When she fell asleep in his arms, he laid her down gently on his own sleeping space and leapt into a tree to scan the woods.

Sasuke watched her arrive at the inn where Naruto was staying with Kakashi and Yamato and confessed to him, holding the blonde gently in her arms. His heart stuttered in his chest as he watched the scene unfold. Though they all knew it was a ploy to keep Naruto in the dark about her true intentions, it was so difficult to watch.

She took off across the snow with her companions in tow towards the bridge where he was battling Danzo and eventually put them to sleep in order to confront him herself. He watched their initial confrontation, felt the chaos in her soul as she realized that even though he wasn't the same boy she'd been in love with, though she still loved him too much to kill him with the poisoned kunai in her hand. He watched himself try to kill her through her own eyes and felt a wave of relief when Naruto arrived sweeping her into his arms as Kakashi stopped his hand and kicked him away from his former teammate.

He watched her beg for him to stay with her. To undo the jutsu and leave his grudge with Naruto in the past confessing her feelings for him once again. Saw as he turned, called her annoying and placed her under a brutal genjutsu to keep her out of the death match that was sure to follow.

The scene changed again and she was a child standing near the gate begging him to stay in the village and then offering to come with him.

"Such suffering." A sultry voice drawled as the yellow eyed woman sauntered towards the crying girl who had awoken alone on a stone bench. "Let me free you from this." She murmured extending her hand. "I'll make you forget. Forget all about Sasuke Uchiha and the way he shattered your heart again and again. Come to me child. My precious Sakura." She cooed.

Sasuke's eye shifted and a tear of blood slipped from his eye. "Ameteratsu!" he exclaimed.

The serpent screamed and writhed in agony as she burned.

"You!" she screamed glaring at him.

"You cannot have her!" he snarled cutting off her arm with his sword. "Sakura is mine!"

"You bastard!" she wailed. "You damn male spawned by a Leaf Kunoichi bitch!"

"And proud of it." He sneered. "Now burn away!"

The monster shrieked a final time before turning to ash and vanishing on the wind.

"So that's how this works." He murmured as the world lightened. "She traps you in a world of your own memories, forcing you to relive the worst one associated with men and then takes control once you've been worn down enough." He clucked his tongue in disgust. "Well, at least I know how to break her control. Now to get us out of here." He muttered.

Sakura still knelt on the stone bench, her hands covering her eyes as she sobbed. "Sasuke." She whimpered. "Sasuke! Why did you go!? Why couldn't I stop you?"

His heart ached as he looked at the little girl that he'd hurt so deeply so long ago and stepped forward until he was standing right in front of the little genin. Slowly, he knelt down to her level and tapped her lightly in the middle of the forehead.

"Sakura." He called out softly.

She stiffened and then dropped her hands, puffy, blood shot eyes staring at him in shock. "S- Sasuke?" she questioned softly.

"I'm back." He said offering her a small smile. "I'm sorry it took me so long." He extended his gloved hand to her. "Let's go home, back to The Leaf."

She stared at him for a moment before flinging herself at him wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. "Sasuke!" she sobbed. "You came back to me?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her tightly. "I did."

As he held her, her form shifted, aging until she was her adult self that had been bound in chains, battered but now dressed in a red knee length sundress. Her psychic plane was once again back to the sunny spring day under the shade of a blooming cherry tree that it usually was.

"Sasuke." She breathed lifting her head from his shoulder to press her forehead to his. "You saved me. Thank you."

He pressed his lips to hers and reveled in the sensation. Her soul was free and her mind was clean. There were some wounds that still needed healing, but that would come with time. His mission was accomplished.

"I have to go." He said when they broke apart.

"I know." She said cupping the side of his face.

"When you wake, everything will be over." He promised her.

"That's no fun." She complained a little pout touching her lips.

He smirked and stood up poking the diamond in the middle of her forehead. "I'll see you next time." He said leaving her kneeling surrounded by cherry blossom petals in the shade of her tree with radiant smile on her lips.

"Release!" he exclaimed.

He sprinted to Sakura and caught her just before she hit the ground. The same smile was playing on her lips and he breathed out a sigh of relief as he watched the curse marks recede and her seal markings vanish except for the mark on her forehead. He checked her chakra network and found it pristine and clean. He'd done it, she was free.

The serpent woman shrieked, her glamor fading as she lost access to Sakura's massive reserves of power.

"Damn you!" she shrieked. "Why can't I control her?! What did you do!?"

"He did it!" Naruto exclaimed whopping loudly as he dodged Hinata's chakra tinged palms. "Way to go Sasuke! I knew you could do it!"

"She's free?" Shikamaru asked as Sasuke leapt with Sakura over his shoulder to a nearby outcropping of rock and leaned her limb body against a bounder.

"One of you watch over Sakura while I take care of the next one." He said draping his cloak over her.

"With pleasure." Shikamaru said leaping towards them. "I honestly can't hold out against her much longer." He confessed.

Sasuke nodded and leapt towards Temari as she whirled towards them and took control of her mind with a push of chakra quickly sinking deep into her mind and freeing her from a vicious cycle involving her aloof, power hungry father, her terrifying younger brother, and then Shikamaru who had a tendency to tell half-truths when it suited him.

When he was finished, he carried the wind wielding ninja to her husband's side and then moved on to Ino.

Like Sakura, a large measure of her curse induced cycle involved him and his aloofness. Towards the end however, Sai's struggles to express himself were at the crux of her suffering.

Sai immediately scooped her into his arms and leapt towards the other women and he shook his head. It was clear the painter had deep genuine feelings for the woman who had taken over communications once headquarters had been destroyed during the war. He doubted it would be much longer before Sai acted on them as well. Particularly with this event at the forefront of his mind.

Hinata was last and thankfully the easiest. She'd never been terribly insecure because she'd never truly expected her feelings to be returned, especially with the blonde's obvious crush on Sakura. She'd never doubted Naruto for a moment, it was simply the fact that the demon's power had overpowered her own.

"Is she alright?" Naruto asked as he laid his wife next to Sakura.

"Yes. They'll all need lots of rest but that's all I think." Sasuke assured them even as the demon woman roared.

"Good, then let's take care of this witch." Naruto said turning to slam his bandaged fist into his opposite palm. "I have a mountain and a half of payback I owe this bitch." He growled.

"We all do." Shikamaru replied stepping forward. "Who's going to look after the girls?"

"I've got it." Naruto said creating a shadow clone.

"Damn you!" the demon howled. "I'll get you all for this! They were mine! He was mine! MINE!" she roared taking on the form of a massive faceless monster with lizard legs and arms.

"Big and ugly? Just the way I like them." Naruto said flashing into nine tails mode again.

"Don't get stupid." Sasuke warned him. "She's got nothing to lose here. Her intent to kill is real and if we go down, she'll take the girls for sure."

"Right. Do you have a plan Shikamaru?" Naruto asked glancing at the shadow wielder.

"Immobilize that ugly thing and then kill it." He replied taking his hands out of his pockets.

"Give it Hell?" Sai offered.

"That works too." The brunette agreed. "Now let's go!"

Sai took to the sky and sent a barrage of beasts at the creature forcing her away from the prone girls.

Shikamaru stitched her in place with is shadows wincing at the weight. "This thing isn't weak or light. As much as I want this bitch to suffer, just end it so we can all go home!"

"Naruto! I'll get her with genjutsu, you take care of the rest!" Sasuke exclaimed his Susanoo flashing to life around him.

It was a bit heavy handed, but just in case, he wanted the giant to be able to be a buffer between the demon and the unconscious women.

He grabbed the creature and looked into her eyes seizing control with a push of chakra. It was as simple as taking control of the tailed beasts.

"Naruto! Now!" he shouted.

"Massive Rasenshuriken!" Naruto exclaimed throwing the ball of light and air at the beast.

She screamed in agony as the attack tore her apart but there was a smirk on her lips that had him wary. As she was disintegrating, his eyes widened as he felt chakra spike behind them.

"The curse marks." He hissed "Sai! Shikamaru! Watch out! She's going to use their curse marks to regenerate! Damn it."

The girls arched up and cried out as the snake woman burst out of their marks. Sakura's at the nape of her neck, Ino's on the back of her neck, Hinata's on her shoulder, and Temari's from her forearm pouring together to form one last demon. The men rushed to their lover's sides and checked their vitals before leaping away from the creature.

"Are they all ok?" Naruto demanded. "What the Hell happened?" he demanded.

"The same thing happened to me with Orochimaru's curse mark." Sasuke explained. "I should have known it was too easy."

"How the Hell do we get rid of it then?" Shikamaru demanded.

"Seal away the marks and destroy every trace of her." He replied. "Sai, can you do it? Seal the marks? They should fade away completely once we've taken her out, but we need to seal them so that she can't pull this again." His jaw clenched.

"Shit! This is just going to put more strain on their bodies that they don't need." Naruto growled his hands balled into fists.

"Worry about that later." Shikamaru snapped. "As long as they're alive we can work something out. Sai!"

"Right!" Sai said kneeling next to Ino with scroll in hand. "Sorry about this." He murmured as he drew a massive tiger.

She shrieked as the creature locked its jaws onto the back of her neck and ripped out the piece of the demon's soul that was attached to her dragging it onto the massive scroll of paper.

"Damn it!" Sai hissed a tear sliding from his eye as Ino went limp again, panting while blood dribbled from her ears.

"We'll make her pay for this." Naruto assured him clasping him on the shoulder. "But we've got to get this done or she'll keep using them this way." He glanced at the shadow wielder. "Sasuke and I will get no-face out of your hair. You two finish the sealing. When you're done, let us know and we'll end her once and for all."

"Right." Shikamaru said crouching protectively in front of the women grabbing Temari's hand when Sai began drawing the next seal.

"Let's go Sasuke!" Naruto growled. "I want to get a few good licks in before he finishes. For Hinata, Sakura, and the others."

Sasuke smirked. "The feeling is mutual." He said. "Now move it you loser!"

He leapt at the demon shuriken and kunai flying from his fingers with ease driving the demon back as he struck every target including one of her eyes and the space above her heart.

"Damn Sasuke! Even with only one arm you're a freakin' beast when it comes to shuriken jutsu." Naruto exclaimed driving the imbedded in her chest deeper with a well-placed kick.

Smirking at the praise, Sasuke grabbed his katana and blocked a swipe from a reptilian hand. He funneled electricity into the blade and sliced taking the arm off all together. Her other hand swung at him and he braced for impact taking the hit and flipping through the air even as Naruto flew past him with a rasengan in hand, blasting the demon woman away.

They worked together seamlessly alternating between taking and landing blows, buying time and drawing blood while Sai and Shikamaru tended to the women below.

"We're almost done!" Shikamaru called out. "Get ready! He just has to seal Sakura!"

The snake woman howled in rage and launched herself towards the downed kunoichi, determined to take control of her body before her mark could be sealed.

"No! She is mine!" she shrieked.

Sasuke read her intentions the same time Naruto did and he teleported to the space just a few paces in front of his fallen wife, trading places with a boulder and glared at the woman as he thrust his electrified blade through her heart. Naruto stepped up behind him using massive arms created by the nine tails chakra to hold the flailing demon in place.

"I already told you! You cannot have her!" The Uchiha snarled. "Amaterasu!" he snapped black flames erupting on the skin around his blade.

"Rasenshruiken!" Naruto exclaimed using the wind style attack to magnify his fire, burning the demon faster and hotter.

"Sai!" Shikamaru shouted. "Hurry!"

His hand clenched harder around the hilt of his sword refusing to move the blade from the demon's heart until Sakura was clear. Until there was no way this demon could use her again.

"Release me!" the monster cried.

His jaw clenched and he shifted the blade making her shriek in agony. "Never! You're dying here." He snarled.

His grip tightened to white knuckle levels as a scream of agony flew from Sakura's throat. One that was quickly echoed by the demon. He shifted his blade again determined to make the faceless monster pay for the agony she'd caused. When Sakura's screaming stopped, his gaze flickered back to where she laid limp in Shikamaru's arms.

"The seal is complete." The shadow wielder told him. "Do it!"

He nodded and slashed his sword up and then across decapitating the creature as his fire continued to burn both parts of it.

"Why?" the decapitated head wheezed. "Why didn't he love me?"

"You didn't love him." Naruto said moving to stand closer to the head and protect those behind him if she tried to lash out again. "Not enough, I don't think. My wife, she was alright with her love for me going unrequited her whole life as long as I was happy." He said a soft smile touching his face. "Temari looked past Village lines, and habitual laziness to be with Shikamaru. Ino is teaching Sai how to accept and express love. Sakura waited for that gloomy guy to come back to her even though he was a total jerk to everyone for years." He said jabbing a thumb in Sasuke's direction before he shrugged. "I just think you loved the idea of love. If you'd truly loved him then you would have been happy that he'd found a person that he loved that deeply."

"Perhaps, you're right." The demon rasped. "But why her?"

"Perhaps she was the one he needed." Sasuke replied his thoughts drifting to his wife.

The demon sighed. "Needed. I see." She murmured. "Maybe that's what I wanted. To be needed in this world." And with that, she vanished.

"Is she gone?" Shikamaru asked. "Gone for good?"

Sasuke reached out with his advanced sight looking for any traces of the demon's chakra and shook his head. "I can't see anything. Naruto?"

"I can't sense anything either." The blonde replied the light around him winking out as he left his nine tails chakra mode. "I think its best we get the girls back to where they can get medical treatment." Naruto said kneeling beside his wife.

Sasuke knelt beside Sakura and pressed his fingers to her throat confirming for himself that her pulse was there. It was weak, much weaker than it had ever been excluding the incident with Obito and he frowned.

"Let's move. Sakura's chakra and heartrate are distressingly low." He said.

"I'm on it." Sai said drawing up several birds.

"Thank you." Sasuke said looking the painter in the eyes. He wasn't thanking him just for the birds and Sai seemed to catch the double meaning.

"It was nothing." He replied a small smile touching his lips.

They rode back to the village in tense silence and touched down just outside the hospital.

Lady Tsunade and Shizune rushed out surprising the four men holding their precious cargo.

"How are they?" The former Hokage demanded pressing a green tinged hand to Sakura's forehead.

"Unconscious and unresponsive." Sasuke replied. "In order to free them from the Demon's hold I had to use very aggressive genjutsu, after that curse marks that were placed on them before they left the village were used to regenerate the Demon." He explained as a medic took Sakura from him and laid her on a stretcher. "We had to seal the marks away using The Foundation's Sealing jutsu." He winced as he took to the stairs, his broken ribs shifting uncomfortably.

"Did you take a hit?" The blonde Senju asked.

"Sakura's fist and feet are very powerful." He admitted touching the tender spot.

Lady Tsunade laughed. "Damn right they are!" she said her voice ringing with pride. "How many did she break?"

He sighed. "Three, I think. Maybe four."

She smirked. "She must have been holding back then."

"I'm sure she was." He agreed following the medic into a hospital room.

"I'll tend to Sakura, will you please tend to Sasuke?" Tsunade told the medic.

"Yes Lady Tsunade." The young man replied motioning for Sasuke to sit on the second bed in the room.

Sasuke's gaze was fixed on Sakura even as the medic other medic worked to mend his broken bones. She was pale, weak and he couldn't help but wish he'd hurt the demon more before killing it. The medic finished healing him as Lady Tsunade continued to work on Sakura, her brow furrowed.

"Lady Fifth," he said softly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Her brow cocked at that.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that." She admitted. "Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do. Though I've done what I can to ensure there won't be any problems long term, I'm afraid she's probably going to be out for a while."

"How long?" Sasuke asked.

"At least a month." The blonde replied with a sigh slipping her fingers thorough her bangs. "On top of the heavy handed genjutsu you used, this demon controlling her helped itself to a large portion of her chakra while pushing her body towards its limits." Her brown eyes flicked to his. "Did you make the monster pay for this?" she asked.

"As much as I could." He replied.

She nodded. "Excellent. I'm going to go check on the others. Feel free to come and go as you please. I know from experience, that having loved ones around tends to speed up a patient's healing process." She told him before striding out shutting the door behind her.

Sasuke sighed and moved from the bed where he was seated and grabbed a chair dragging it to Sakura's bedside and arranged it so that his back was to the window, facing the door. He took her cool hand in his own and lifted it until he could press his forehead against it.

"Sorry Sakura." He murmured softly his fingers tightening around hers as his eyes closed.

He knew there wasn't really anything he could have done differently. Given the circumstances, this was technically the best case scenario. Even so, seeing his sweet, strong, powerful wife laying in a hospital bed with her skin so pale it nearly matched the bleached sheets she laid in, was harder than he'd imagined it would be. His thumb stroked over the back of her hand and he wondered if this gnawing anxiety and sense of helplessness was what Sakura had felt when she'd kept him company all those years ago after the second round of the chunin exams and again after his run in with Itachi not long after that.

The next thing he knew, there was a hand on his shoulder shaking him gently. Instinctively, he drew a kunai and was about to strike, when a hand caught his wrist.

"Easy." Kakashi said gently. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Sorry." Sasuke muttered replacing the knife in his holster.

"Don't be. I understand." The Hokage said smiling gently behind his mask. "How is she?"

"The same." He replied looking at Sakura's face obscured a little now by oxygen tubing that ran under her nose that someone had placed while he was sleeping. "Lady Tsunade said she'd probably be like this for at least a month."

Kakashi nodded. "It appears she took the brunt of it. Whether that's because she was the first one the demon got her claws into or because she had the most power to draw on, we'll probably never know. Even so, the others will probably be out for at least two weeks."

"I see." Sasuke said reaching for her hand again. "Did you find out who brought it here?"

"A middle aged woman named Shima." Kakashi replied pulling up another chair. "She said that she noticed a young woman collapsed on the road about ten miles outside of Kozen when she went out to gather mushrooms. When she went to help her, she suddenly felt dizzy and woke up here in our hospital."

"Was her mind cleansed?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi nodded. "The interrogation core handled it. The shrine was destroyed as well. There's no trace of that demon left anywhere." He assured the Uchiha.

"Good." Sasuke said stroking his thumb over the top of her hand. "I suppose that means the mission was a success, even if it was a total disaster."

Kakashi chuckled. "Not bad for your first real mission out since returning to active duty." He said with a smirk. "You managed to lead a dangerous mission and complete it without any major casualties."

"Yeah. I just put my wife in the hospital." The young man muttered darkly.

"The demon is at fault here, not you." Kakashi said firmly. "She was saved because you managed to break the serpent's hold on her soul. Don't beat yourself up over things you couldn't control. Besides," he said looking at the pink haired woman. "Sakura is strong, you know that. She'll pull through this like a champ the way she always does."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment before glancing at the Hokage. "Why don't you tell me the real reason you're here." He said.

Kakashi sighed. "Can't I check on my precious former students without all of the accusations?" he asked innocently. When Sasuke only cocked a brow he sighed. "I need your mission report. Don't worry, you can do it in here." He assured him. "However, I'll need you to bring it to me in person when you're finished."

"Fine." Sasuke replied.

"Also, Lady Tsunade said that you could stay in here with Sakura for as long as you want to." Kakashi said rising to his feet as he motioned to the second be in the room. "Hang in there." He said squeezing his shoulder.

Sasuke nodded and watched Kakashi leave before sighing. Since Sakura wasn't waking up and he'd had a nap, he might as well find something to eat before starting his report. He gave her hand a squeeze and was about to stand when the door opened again.

"Hey Sasuke, want some ramen?" Naruto said holding a bowl in each hand. "They accidently gave me extra."

'Accidently my foot.' Sasuke thought as he caught a whiff. One was pork, the other beef. It was obvious the idiot had ordered with him in mind.

"Sure." He said getting ready to stand.

"Just stay there." Naruto said shutting the door with his foot. "I've got it." He insisted pushing a wheeled table towards him and setting the bowls on it. "How is she doing?" he asked handing him a pair of chop sticks.

"Stable but Lady Tsunade says she'll be out for a month or so." Sasuke replied.

"That's rough." Naruto said picking up a piece of pork from his bowl. "It seems like you two always get the short end of the stick."

Sasuke snorted at that as he picked up a piece of beef from his own. "So it seems." He muttered before taking a bite.

Naruto grinned. "It's just proof that Sakura was always meant to be an Uchiha. She'd be an insult to your bloodline if she didn't have a massive amount of angst in her life somewhere along the line."

The ink haired man cocked a brow at that. "Watch it." He grumbled.

The blonde shrugged and held one hand up in mock surrender while the other shoved food in his mouth. "You know it's true." He muttered around a mouthful of food. "Anyway, I wanted to say thanks."

"For what?" Sasuke replied.

"You saved Hinata, Sakura and the others." He replied. "I couldn't have done that on my own."

"I would've done it anyway." Sasuke replied picking up another bite.

"I know." Naruto replied. "That doesn't make me any less thankful to you." He glanced at Sakura again. "Wow, I haven't seen her that pale in a while." He admitted leaving his empty bowl on the table. He stood from his seat and reached out taking her hand in his; the speed at which the blonde haired idiot could eat never failed to astound and sicken Sasuke. "So cold." He muttered covering it with his second hand and rubbing gently. "We'll need to have Granny Tsunade get you some more blankets. You'll freeze. You've always been the most sensitive to the cold out of all of us." He said gently.

Sasuke felt a twinge of jealousy as he remembered Sakura's confession to Naruto he'd seen. When he looked at them like this, it wasn't hard to see why they'd been voted the Shinobi Allied Forces favorite battle couple. The deep affection in Naruto's eyes as he looked down at the unconscious Sakura was irrefutable.

"When was the last time she was like this?" Sasuke asked.

"On our mission to rescue Hinata and Hanabi from the Moon Ninja." He replied. "She spent three days and three nights infusing me with chakra. When she was finished, she couldn't move and passed out." He smiled warmly at the pink haired woman. "And she's always on my case for being reckless."

"Do you love her?" Sasuke suddenly blurted out.

His eyes widened in time with Naruto's as he mentally screamed at himself. What the hell was he asking that for!? He was married to Sakura and Naruto was married to Hinata. It didn't matter! Why did the blonde idiot always manage to make him say such stupid things?!

"Who? Sakura?" Naruto asked clearly as dumfounded as he was.

"Forget I said anything." Sasuke said quickly focusing on his bowl.

Naruto sighed and stroked Sakura's hand gently. "I love Sakura." He confessed.

Sasuke nearly choked on his noodles and had to down almost an entire bottle of water before he could speak again.

"What?!" he rasped completely mystified.

Naruto studied him for a moment before he burst out laughing clutching at his gut. "You should have seen your face!" he exclaimed as he hunched over. "Oh man! I've got black mail for years." he wheezed wiping a tear from his eye.

"You're two seconds away from getting a fist in the face." Sasuke growled.

"Sorry. Sorry, I couldn't resist." Naruto said with a grin before he turned back to Sakura. "It's true though. I do love her. Way more than I did when we were kids." He said picking up her hand again while his other bandaged one brushed some hair away from her face. "It's just a different kind of love compared to what I feel for Hinata, that's all. Sakura stuck by my side through everything. We worked hard pushing each other to our limits in order to bring you back some day. She's saved my life more times than I can count and helped me realize my feelings for Hinata. She's like a sister to me, even closer if that's possible." He turned his warm eyes to Sasuke. "Which means that if you hurt her, soul brother or not I will kick your ass all over The Valley of End again."

"Like you could." Sasuke said with a snort.

"You don't have to worry about me stealing her from you or anything." Naruto said with a smile. "And I'll look after her as much as I can whenever you have to leave The Village."

The ink haired man's eyes widened before they softened a little and he lowered his head a little. An acceptance of Naruto's offer and a thank you.

"I'll leave you two alone." He said picking up both his and Sasuke's empty ramen bowls. "I'm staying here with Hinata tonight so if anything happens, I won't be far away." He lifted his hand. "See you later Sasuke. Get some more sleep will ya? People are going to start confusing you with Sai if you get any paler."

"Get out of here you loser." He snarled halfheartedly shaking his head at the grin Naruto offered him before the blonde shut the door.

He glanced at Sakura's face before studying the machines that beeped next to her. He honestly didn't really know what most of them were saying but he watched the one that indicated her heart rate and was content to find that it was much more stable than it had been before. Glancing at the bed and taking inventory of his own aches and pains, he decided that his report to Kakashi could wait. He was tired, his wife was safe, and he wanted a decent night's sleep.

He unbuttoned his vest and hung it next to the cloak that had been left there by the medic that had brought Sakura in and then unbuttoned three buttons on his shirt before slipping into the empty bed in the room. Listening to the steady beeping of the monitor that indicated Sakura's heartbeat, he slipped into a solid, dreamless sleep.

%#%

"That was a little slower than I anticipated." Kakashi said when Sasuke walked into his office around two pm the next day with his report in hand.

"A blonde idiot showed up in Sakura's room last night and demanded I take a nap." He replied with a shrug.

"Well regardless," Kakashi said scanning over the hand written scroll. "It appears that everything is in order. Good job on your first official mission back."

Sasuke merely shrugged, his mind back with his still unresponsive wife near back in the hospital.

"How is she?" Kakashi asked studying the ink haired young man from behind his mask.

"The same." Sasuke replied. "Her heart rate dropped pretty drastically during the night but they managed to stabilize it fairly quickly. Lady Tsunade said that it's relatively normal for people recovering from genjutsu heavy trauma."

"I see." The silver haired ninja said laying the scroll on his desk. "Even if it's considered normal, that doesn't really take away the uneasiness particularly for those of us with little experience and even less skill when it comes to healing."

Sasuke nodded and ran his fingers through his bangs, tossing them away from his eye for a moment. "Is there anything else you need?" he asked.

Kakashi sighed. "I hate to ask, particularly while Sakura's in the hospital, but would you mind taking a quick B rank mission for me? As you can imagine, with the chunin exams coming up and my best kunoichi out of commission, we're stretched a bit thin as far as high ranking staffing goes."

Sasuke sighed. "What is it?" he asked.

"An escort mission. Omui and Karui are coming from the Land of Lightning to help with preparations for the chunin exams that will be held here in just over a month. I'd like for you to meet them at the port and escort them here." Kakashi explained.

The Uchiha cocked a brow at that, the journey there and back alone would take close to three and a half weeks. "I don't think I'd be the best choice." He replied. "They don't like me." And that was putting it lightly. "Additionally, isn't Omui a jonin? I seriously doubt they need any extra protection from me."

"An anti-ninja faction has been sneaking around attacking high ranking ninja in The Land of Fire lately." Kakashi replied lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them. "I don't think they really need your level of protection either, however, they are ambassadors from The Land of Lightning. If something happens to them within our territory, it could spark something bigger."

"Fine." Sasuke muttered in an exasperated tone. "When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." Kakashi replied. "Of course we'll be sure to send you daily updates on Sakura's condition and let you know the moment she wakes up if it comes to that." The silver haired ninja assured him.

"Alright. Tomorrow morning then." He said bowing slightly to his former teacher.

"Thank you Sasuke. I really appreciate it."

Sasuke nodded and turned around walking out of the door resisting the urge to slam it behind him. He was irritated and frustrated. He understood Kakashi's predicament. Not only were there fewer able bodied ninja at the moment, but he knew the masked man was still in the process of rebuilding the infamously corrupt ANBU that still had lingering traces of Danzo's warped ideals still floating among the members. That coupled with the fact that the skilled genin teams that likely could have handled such a mission were busy preparing for the exams left The Hokage with few options. He just wished that he was meeting with ambassadors for any other nation than The Land of Lighting. He was stressed out enough without having to hear constant jabs at his blood line and passive aggressive comments about what a murdering scum bag he was.

As he walked towards the Hospital, he stopped outside the Yamanacha flower shop his eyes scanning over the blooms. His brow furrowed as he looked over the large variety. Sakura had always left flowers for him and he wanted to do the same for her, especially since he had to leave, but what should he give her?

"Can I help you?" a familiar voice asked.

He straightened and Kai's eyes widened as he met his gaze.

"Sasuke!" he exclaimed. "I didn't realize it was you." He rubbed the back of his head. "Rather, I couldn't believe a man like you would stop at a flower shop, then again…" he cleared his throat nervously. "Sorry. I heard about Sakura. How is she doing?"

"She's stable." Sasuke replied. "I'm being sent on a mission tomorrow."

"So soon?" Kai said his eyes wide. "Damn, Lord Hokage can be such a hard ass sometimes. I take it you want to leave her something before you go? Is that why you stopped?" he asked.

"Something like that." Sasuke replied his gaze flickering down to the flowers again.

"Can I make a suggestion?" The blonde said stepping towards a container holding magenta colored blooms with five petals opened wide similar to a lily and picked up a small bunch. "Give her these."

"What are they?" Sasuke asked.

"Azaleas." Kai replied. "In the language of flowers they mean 'Take care of yourself for me'. Pretty appropriate I think, and the color is sure to brighten up that dreary hospital room of hers."

"Alright." Sasuke said reaching into his pocket for some money.

"No charge." Kai said thrusting the blooms into his hand. "You saved Ino and the rest of the village." He scratched his face nervously. "It's also my way of apologizing. You were right about everything and I shouldn't have given you such a hard time."

"Thank you." Sasuke said. "I appreciate it."

"No problem." Kai said waving him off. "Have a good day."

The ink haired Uchiha made his way briskly through the crowded streets back to the hospital and nodded to the receptionist, a man this time, thank goodness. And made his way to his wife's hospital room. As he walked in, he was startled to find her parents there, Mebuki sitting in his chair at the bedside while Kizashi standing next to his wife with his hand on her shoulder.

"Sasuke." Mebuki murmured. "I'm sorry, I took your seat." She said moving to stand.

"Don't worry about it." He said quickly. "I need to get these taken care of anyway." He said laying the flowers on the table at Sakura's bedside.

He walked to a cupboard at the back of the room and opened it knowing from watching Sakura grab them many times before when he was younger, that a collection of vases were kept there. He picked a clear, slender necked one and filled it with water from the sink. He then carried it to her bedside table and slipped the flowers inside shifting them a little until he thought they looked decent.

"We heard about what happened." Kizashi said walking over and clapping him roughly on the back. "You saved our baby girl. Thank you for that."

Sasuke shook his head. "It wasn't quite that simple but thank you."

"You had a meeting with The Hokage I presume?" Mebuki said glancing at him.

"Yes." Sasuke replied. "I'm being sent on another mission. I leave tomorrow morning." He looked over at Sakura's prone body. "I wasn't given much choice in the matter."

"We understand." Kizashi said with a small smile on his face. "We both did the ninja thing too back in our day. Duty calls, and shinobi answer."

"We'll look after her while you're gone." Mebuki assured him. "Just complete your mission and hurry back to her side."

"I will. Thank you." Sasuke said studying his in-laws. It was the first time he'd really been alone with them.

"Well dear, let's be off. We have things to take care of before tomorrow." Mebuki said standing from her seat. "See you later Sasuke dear." She said rounding the bed and pulling him into a bone popping hug. "Be safe out there."

"Right. I will." Sasuke said touching her back lightly.

"Let the boy go. You're crushing the life out of him." Kizashi said with a laugh.

"Oops. Sorry." Mebuki said releasing him with a grin. "I don't know my own strength."

"Yes you do. You just like a man who can handle it." The pink haired man said swatting her behind playfully. "We'll see you later kid. Don't stress out too much. We know our daughter and her taste for danger. Just keep taking care of her." He said before the couple left closing the door behind them.

Sasuke stood for a moment and then let out a long sigh. Sakura's parents were like a whirlwind. He had absolutely no idea what to expect and they always left him reeling from the shock.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading reviewing and all that stuff. I appreciate it. You guys are seriously the best motivation.