Several weeks after meeting with Taiki, while Sakura was neck deep in projects and her most usable battery was verging on the mass production stage (ish), and her radio was lagging behind, but her telegraph system (combined with a modified typewriter) was almost useable, Aiko waylaid her on the way to work.

"Sakura! Sakura! Yamanaka Sakura!"

"I have to get to work, Aiko."

"You have to help me first."

Sakura grinned. Aiko had always been a demander, and (as loathe as she was to admit it) every time she was reminded, again, of what hadn't changed, it made her walk a little more surely, feel a little more grounded. "With what?"

"I've been transferred to the Academy."

"Isn't that normal for chuunin administrators? And didn't you help grade when we were in the Academy?"

"Sakura. I don't like interacting with kids. They put me with the first years."

"As a teaching assistant?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, just follow the Sensei's lead."

"Sakura."

"Yes?"

Aiko growled. "I've tried that."

"Oh?"

Aiko growled again before jogging a few paces ahead and turning around so the two could walk and talk face-to-face. "They started winter semester last week, you know. And, and they're so little! And whiny! And not all of them even managed to get to the classroom! Like, it was only a couple sets of stairs, and they couldn't do it!"

"We were the same, you know."

Aiko grunted in frustration. "I know, but it's different on the other side. I thought they'd at least be trying to put some effort in, but no, they're just… weak, and sad, and they want to play, and they don't want to pay attention, and trying to juggle all of them is exhausting. Plus! Plus, we did the ritual—you know, the whole tossing-of-the-chairs out, to officially expel anyone who didn't make it to the classroom on time—and then this boy stumbled into the class—"

"Someone did that in my class, you know."

Aiko blinked. "Really? What did your sensei do?"

"Ignored him. At first, at least. And then the boy—Takashi—tried to throw Yasuo out of his seat so he could sit, and suddenly sensei was just there, and then Takashi wasn't."

That seemed to have taken the wind out of Aiko's sails. "Oh. Well, my student just sat on the floor and sensei let him and then he came back the next day and sat on the floor again, and so on through the week, and I just… it feels weird. To have him sitting on the floor, I mean."

"And?"

"And! And I don't know what to do about it, Sakura!" Aiko stopped. Sakura, glancing longingly at her workplace that was already in sight (and the sun, which told her she was all too likely to be late if she didn't hustle), stopped too. "I don't like children, and it's hard enough when they're all equally bad at something, but treating them all differently—there's dozens of them, and trying to make sure they're all on track… I don't know what to do."

"Ask for help then."

"From my boss?"

"If not him—her?—him, then maybe a fellow assistant. Or someone in your clan who used to teach. Or, really, anyone but me."

"Everyone's gone, in case you hadn't noticed, or too busy to help."

"And I'm not?"

"You are too, but you'll let me stop you." Aiko grinned.

Sakura stopped eyeing the research building. "Look, Aiko. You're smart, you're capable, and you're driven. You're going to figure it out. Really, you just wanted to vent, and that's cool, but also I'm going to be late, which isn't cool, so…" Sakura stepped around Aiko.

Aiko laughed. "Thanks for the compliments! And I expect suggestions when we have lunch together this Friday—I know for a fact that you used to tutor."

Sakura thought it prudent not to mention that, technically, she still was.

(It was nice, having friends.

It was even nice going to a job that she could be late to, that didn't come with the constant terror of failure.)

.

Sakura pulled her chair away from her desk exactly a minute after her workday was supposed to begin, sat, and immediately looked up.

"Deputy Head Uchiha."

"Yamanaka Sakura. You have been… competent. The Head has called for you."

Sakura nodded and exited. She hoped that the praise, however sparing, meant she was being shifted to a new department. It would be nice to work on some of her as-yet unsubmitted projects, but with Deputy Head Uchiha constantly monitoring all that went on below him, she'd had to make due solely with already submitted proposals—which weren't bad, of course, but… well, it had been a season of the same few ideas being tested over and over and over again, and Sakura was ready for a change.

She stepped into the head's office.

"Yamanaka Sakura."

"Yes, sir?"

"How quickly can the telegraph system be put into place?"

Sakura paused, then considered. "Two weeks, sir, to be completely finished; the actual construction won't take long, but the security is wholly necessary to maintain the advantage."

"Yes, that is what the reports say. And how effective would you rate the system as it is now?"

"It's quite… primitive. I think, actually, that it would be better for testing to continue until a more developed model is created, to make the best use of the advantage without giving anything away to the enemy."

Head Aburame—or at least his bugs—hummed. "Are you aware of Shimura Danzo?"

Sakura… answered. "Brigadier general of the first brigade. Genin teammate of the Hokage."

"And Uchiha Hono?"

Sakura was tempted to ask which Uchiha Hono, but she doubted now was the time for humor, and the context was sufficient. "General of the war. Most elite elder of the Uchiha."

"They are about to switch places."

Sakura blinked.

And swallowed.

As far as she could remember, from her many extensive history courses, no general of any war—be it samurai or shinobi—was removed without very good reason. Remaining as high as brigadier general was something, but the drop…

Her vision was nearly cut off from reality as images of the Uchiha massacre ran through her mind.

She jerked her chakra to clear them.

Stop thinking about that.

(About any of it, really. Arden's memories were off limits, now, even those already absorbed, and especially those about her own world. The sooner her brain realized it, the better.)

"And… Brigadier General Danzo wants to make use of my telegraph system?"

"Yes, but he's willing to wait if it's necessary. Do you believe you are contributing much to the project at this time?"

Sakura blinked. "No. My expertise has been… exhausted. The current drive for improvements is being led by several other researchers, including—"

"Where do you believe you will be most useful?"

Sakura's jaw snapped shut as she considered.

It wasn't…

That was a loaded question.

And not one Sakura had an easy answer to.

Technically, frankly, up until recently, there was a right answer—sensing.

Her 'meltdown' put a stop to that, at least.

So then it was using her training: Researching.

But there were five possible Research options: Communication and Detection Research, Human Research and Engineering, Efficiency Sciences, Survivability and Lethality Analysis, and Weapons and Materials Research.

Their conversation until now seemed to be an argument against her saying Communication. Materials she was already in, so that wasn't the right answer either. Efficiency and Survivability Sakura had the least proposals for.

Which left…

An image of a snake, mouth gaping in a clear effort to swallow up the body in front of it, overtook her brain.

"I believe I am making good progress in Weapons and Materials, sir." Sakura said. "I will, however, endeavor to benefit Konohagakure and the Land of Fire in any specialty."

The Head hummed.

"Head Aburame?"

"Dismissed, Sakura. My decision will be made next week."

"Yes, Head Aburame."

Sakura went back to her desk.

.

On Friday, Sakura met Aiko on the top of the Academy roof for lunch.

Below them, one of the older classes—Year Fives, it looked like—was going through a full day of sparring.

They were… on target, Sakura supposed.

"I still hate teaching." Aiko said.

"Still?" Said Sakura.

"Yep." Aiko picked at a burnt piece of her sandwich. "But… it's not as bad as I thought it was."

"Oh? I thought you'd be more put out." Sakura said. "What with Danzo's new changes." Danzo had taken to his promotion with vigor; his changing policies on the frontline were themselves backed by similarly new policies in Konoha itself, including longer school days, a tougher graduation test, and a new chuunin promotion policy that aimed to create certain specific techniques and experiences that could be used to graduate genin on a case-by-case basis without having to hold a full exam.

Sakura'd checked the regulations; according to them, she didn't have nearly enough battle experience to become a chuunin, though she met every other requirement. Lucky, then, that she'd already been promoted.

"No, no! That makes it better!" Aiko and Sakura both winced as one boy was knocked across the grounds by another. "Well, better than it used to be anyway.

"The long hours are… not great, but because of them we're teaching more outside the classroom, and that's the part that's better. It's fewer lectures and more real-life practice, and—for all that I'm very much a paperwork ninja—it's way more fun to teach kids when you're not just speaking at them for hours on end."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah, it's… they're still snot-nosed brats, but one day they'll be my comrades, you know, so I want them taught right. How about you?"

"How about me what?"

"Been transferred yet?"

Sakura swallowed another bite of her sandwich. "I have another meeting with the Head next Monday. I'm expecting the transfer then."

"Communications? I've heard the gossiping about your invention—the Yamanaka elders are all walking around with their noses in the air."

That made Sakura blush. She was personally very, very proud of her inventions, and amazed that they were as successful as they were, and all but in shock every time one of them worked as expected, and she knew that the Research Heads thought that her proposals were usually quite good, and their final(ish) versions even better (even if she'd gotten quite a bit of help with that part), but hearing that even outside Research her inventions were known, were whispered about…

"Yeah, um, I mean no. Not Communications—a couple of the older Researchers have more or less taken it over, and at this point I won't be much more help than anyone else. The Head wants me to focus on getting my other proposals up to that point instead."

"So Human Research, then?"

Again, the image of the giant snake nearly blinded her. Again, she pushed it to the side. "Yeah, probably."

"Wow. You'll be working under Orochimaru."

Sakura grinned. "I didn't know you were a fangirl of the Sannin."

Aiko rolled her eyes. "I had been planning to go into medicine, you know. You can't study that stuff for five minutes without learning about all of the improvements that Tsunade has brought to the discipline, and she's only what, twenty-five? And then there's Orochimaru—he's almost as revered as Tsunade! I mean, the instruments he's made, the devices he's invented—"

"Yes, I know. He has much the same reputation for those going into Research. It's the overlap—Tsunade's comparatively rarely mentioned, while Jiraiya's somewhere in the middle—he's got quite a bit of sealing talent, but he also hasn't dedicated himself to Research as much as Orochimaru has. He does submit a report or two every season, though."

"Oh, I didn't know that." Aiko said. "I wonder if he's doing anything medical too."

"Doubt it, doesn't seem that type."

"Still, working directly with Orochimaru…."

"He'll probably be on the frontlines most of the time." Sakura said. "If anything I'll barely see him more than I did as a genin."

"Can't I just be excited for you?"

Sakura grinned, but didn't respond.

Arden's memories attempted, once more, to force themselves to the forefront of her mind.

Sakura decided it was time for a change in topic.

"So, is teaching going well enough that you're changing your career path?"

Aiko snorted. "No. Hell no. It might be more interesting now, but it's still dealing with a bunch of whiny kids who treat every little 'owie' like it's the end of the world. No—I'm going to be a judge, and if this is what is necessary to get there then I will force my way through it."

"Cheery."

"Thanks!"

.

Saturday morning was reserved for trying new hobbies. She'd made a list, actually, and was slowly working her way through it—origami and knitting were both nos, as was cooking, but drawing was a maybe, and so was indoor gardening if only because she'd done it for so many years it had become meditative. Shogi, which was that day's attempt, was rather boring, but she resolved to give it another try next week—and preferably with someone other than her niece to play against.

.

Saturday evening, Sakura met Kohana's boyfriend for the first time.

Ken was… awkward. Cute, but Awkward. He also laughed when he was uncomfortable.

Kohana mooned over him, Himari thought he was cool because he worked in T&I like their mother, and Sakura thought he was way too polite but otherwise good for Kohana.

(He would not stop bowing to her. She was younger than Kohana!)

.

Sunday morning Kamui came over with a new recipe—heavily inspired by a Suna dish and as spicy as that implied—and Sakura had three servings with gusto when her sisters were unable to stop coughing enough to finish one. She'd tried enough Land of Wind food on the frontlines to get a taste for it, and she told Kamui his boss might have more luck marketing to returning shinobi.

.

Saturday evening was spent with Might Duy and Taiki. The session—which was held entirely outdoors despite the bite of the air because her sensei was a taskmaster and believed that the cold of winter was just an invitation to fight for warmth (literally)—was very, very painful, but she could already feel her instincts being honed, her body reacting half a second faster.

.

On Monday, Sakura went to work.

Danzo's policies may have affected the day-to-day lives of many of those in the village, but by all accounts, their effect was far greater on the front.

Sakura was very relieved that she'd been sent home before that.

It wasn't…

Actually, despite Sakura's… 'impression' of Danzo being less than positive, she rather agreed with his take on the war: he'd gone on the offensive, finally putting Konoha on the attack instead of constantly reacting to what was done with them.

That said, Sakura also knew that, in all likelihood, she wouldn't have been able to cope with the new pressure such a drastic strategy shift would place on the battalions.

Being home, having her family and friends around her, seeing little Ibiki, and being able to sleep in a bed that was all her own, that was…

She could help far more, here, than she ever could on the front.

She could work on her proposals, create inventions that directly led to more people surviving.

She stood, bowed to Head Aburame as he officially reassigned her to Human Research and Engineering, and walked out the door to make her way to the hospital.

She could make the world better, here. Make the world safer. Certainly, definitely more than she would have at the front, where the pressure and stress was far more consuming, especially with Danzo's changes.

It was just…

The images, Arden's memories, however much Sakura tried to ignore them, they made it all too clear.

Orochimaru?

He was more dangerous than a lifetime at the front could ever be.