Minato grinned at the double Research Heads as they entered, respectively warily and eagerly, into his office.

He'd made it a habit, over the past couple of months, to ask questions.

Many questions.

With no easy answers.

Sakura respected him for it, respected him for actually pushing change when she hadn't.

Hotaru just thought it was exhausting, and was wary of the sheer quantity of changes Minato seemed to desire.

(He was also perfectly aware that Sakura tended to agree with their Hokage, and had openly stated his intent to act as an obstacle to their plans, to make sure they were fully thought through before they could be put to fruition.

Sakura thought that was probably a good idea.)

"Hello Head Uchiha, Head Yamanaka." The Hokage said, gesturing to the space in front of his desk. "I have a new Research question for your Efficiency Sciences Subdepartment."

Hotaru sighed. "What's your question?"

"I was thinking—the current ranking system we have isn't nearly detailed enough, particularly with regard to jounin—a new jounin, after all, is a very different animal than one with five, ten years of experience."

"Yes, that's why we have S, A, B—"

"—I know, I know, but the bingo book defaults to B at the lowest for jounin, and that's still only three rankings. Same problem with chuunin, actually. I don't mind genin, necessarily, but I'd love for Konoha to have a more complicated ranking system that takes into account ability, specialty, and leadership. Can you get on that?"

Hotaru rubbed his forehead. Sakura knew it was an act—the man got headaches astonishingly rarely—but it conveyed the message the Uchiha intended it to. "With what resources, Hokage?"

Minato winced.

The Hokage was good at many, many things—

But he often forgot that they weren't running on infinite time, manpower, and materials.

"Do we have any…"

"Every Researcher is working, on some form, on at least eight projects. Those with the requisite experience are heading a minimum of three projects each. We have a voluntarily overtime policy running—you refused to enact mandatory overtime—and by Sakura's calculations it will be approximately four years until we are no longer overwhelmed, and that's assuming we consistently get more Research apprentices every year."

"How about Fire's University?"

That… was a new question.

"What about Fire's University?" Hotaru asked.

"Well, could they take some projects off your—"

"No."

Sakura shrugged and nodded. "The Capital is far easier to infiltrate, at least the part outside the Daimyo's private grounds, and the University doesn't even have a samurai's default operational security."

Minato frowned, then nodded. Research was currently one of Konoha's key war assets, and—no matter the increased speed—not worth risking. "Could we… recruit them?"

"The civilian Researchers?"

"Yes."

"…" Hotaru frowned. "It would be… tricky. Those who were not raised in Konoha express significant fear and apprehension over the idea of shinobi. In addition, civilian researchers—professors, I believe they are called—are generally entirely unskilled in any sort of fighting, and unwilling to learn. This would also present a security threat."

Sakura coughed. "There are many civilian researchers who are shunned by their peers, for a variety of reasons—a lack of social awareness, particularly unique theories, the wrong social class… those we may be able to more easily recruit.

…The security threat would still be an issue, though."

Minato frowned. "What if we… set up an additional Research center in Uzu—"

"Would take years," Hotaru said.

"I'll get Land Use on it first, then. They can create a Research Center for future use. Actually, how is my distance transport concept going?"

"Has not yet begun," Sakura said.

"Too many other projects."

Minato laughed. "Guess I have been overloading you. I just—have so many ideas, you know? And when you can change something for the better, why shouldn't you?"

Sakura's smile didn't freeze, but it was a very near thing.

"Anyway, anyway. I'll put this on the other Departments—maybe get Diplomacy working on a list of possible recruits. For now, focus on the current projects… but add new rankings to the bottom of the list, yeah?"

"Hai." The double heads responded, and then it was back to work.

.

Office 40 had, more or less, been moved entirely into Sakura's side office at the Research Department. She'd been given two rooms upon promotion—Former Head Aburame had told her she seemed the type to need it, and Hotaru was much more interested in working among the other Researchers anyway; he put his office, giant glass windows and all, just off the main entrance to the rebuilt Research Building, so that he could watch all of the desks set aside for those not working on uniquely sensitive information.

The side room—accessible from the outside, and the larger of the two she now worked in—contained the whole of the Office 40 works, which at this point was less the work of Sakura and her friends and more the work of people who didn't actually work in Research, either because of a lack of time, a greater interest in another focus, or any of a dozen other reasons.

Which was to say, Sakura wasn't particularly surprised when she opened the door to find an Inuzuka she'd never met before slumped over the table.

She wasn't particularly worried, either—Sakura knew for a fact (Minato had found it hilarious) that the ANBU used monitoring the Office as training for new recruits or the ANBU version of deskwork for injured shinobi.

On more than one occasion she'd found disturbingly detailed breakdowns of new Office 40 members on her desk without her even being aware there was a new member.

She was sure she would have an Inuzuka file on her desk the next morning.

"Hello." Sakura said.

The Inuzuka jolted, turned to look at their ninken—the dog was happily chewing on some sort of chew toy in the corner, and had clearly not even considered raising the alarm—then made a hasty, seated, bow.

"Hello, Inuzuka…"

"Oh! Inuzuka Sakura! Like, um, like your name, but Inuzuka!"

"Hello Inuzuka Sakura. Do you mind if I ask what you're working on?"

"Um, no, of course not! Just, just um—I had this idea, about, um, about how we train dogs… and whether it would work on people!"

Sakura glanced over the teenager's shoulder.

The girl was definitely onto something—the work was not an exact replica, but Inuzuka Sakura had come up with a lot of the same ideas that Pavlov had in Arden's.

"What are you planning—"

"Nothing! Nothing! I mean, obviously something, but, nothing! I just—just wondered, you know. Whether it would also work with people."

"Do you like getting awards? Getting out of crappy assignments? Do you dislike crappy assignments? Getting deprived of things you like? Humans definitely respond similarly, and we already use that in how we reward and punish—children, criminals, even just workers."

"Yeah, like you get a raise for doing something good!"

"Exactly."

"I guess… I guess I was wondering if it could also be used in, um, interrogation."

"Talk to… Yamanaka Ren. Tell him I sent you." Sakura said, perfectly aware that both positive and negative rewards and punishments were definitely in a Yamanaka interrogator's repertoire. "Are you in T&I already?"

"No. Um, only a genin right now… got a late start."

"That's fine," Sakura said. "Anyway, Ren's a good resource."

"Thank you!" Inuzuka Sakura shouted.

She probably hadn't meant to shout.

And then she was gone.

Sakura shrugged, filing the girl's notes—she'd left them—away under her name.

She glanced towards her own research, but she had seven requests for check-ins since that morning.

Another day.

The pit in Sakura's stomach grew larger.

.

The tension between the Uchiha and Hyuuga was now palpable.

Somehow, although it really wasn't that surprising, the Hyuuga had discovered that Yamanaka Rento was actually working with the Uchiha on the development of a clan seal.

Given the Yamanaka's refusal to work with them, the Hyuuga had not taken it well.

They couldn't go after the Yamanaka, though—still wanted the seal—so that left the largest clan in the village.

The bad blood was obvious, was everywhere, and even as spring fully came into being wasn't getting any better.

Sakura glared at Researcher Hyuuga and Researcher Uchiha, daring both of them to continue their argument in front of her.

They didn't seem to care.

"He—"

"He—"

Both wasted no time talking over each other, each absolutely convinced that they were in the right, that they should be listened to, that the other's opinion didn't and couldn't matter.

Given what the genin assistant had told her when she'd been summoned, this was blatantly untrue.

"Stop."

Both, at least, were still aware enough to listen to direct instruction.

"You." She turned to the Hyuuga first—no need to lend fire to the undercurrent that Yamanaka did not like Hyuuga, however true it might be on an individual basis. "What were you working on?"

Researcher Hyuuga—mouth already open to explain why he was right—froze.

"What? No answer? Researcher Uchiha, how about you explain it for me."

The Uchiha cleared his throat. "Well, you see, um…"

"Becaues, the interesting thing is, I have a list of all the assignments you, as chuunin, are supposed to be working on. And the very interesting thing is—none of them include human seals. Or, as the case may be, pig seals."

Both chuunin flinched, turning to look at the scribbles on the pig carcass behind them.

"It's his!" Both shouted at once.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it is. More importantly, I have—multiple—reports of the both of you fighting over the pig carcass and who has the 'right' to use it."

"There's nothing wrong with us researching our own projects!" Researcher Uchiha snapped.

"You're perfectly right. Can you go get your approved proposal?"

Silence.

"No? Well, perhaps you've applied for time off and you are just researching in your free time?"

Silence.

"So, please explain to me, Uchiha first, why, exactly, Konoha should be paying you for the time and energy you spent on this argument."

Both, predictably, began shouting over each other once more.

Sakura pinched her nose.

She, unlike Hotaru, could get headaches.

"Researcher Uchiha, you're Efficiency Sciences, yes?"

"Um, yes Head Yamanaka."

"And Researcher Hyuuga, you're Survivability and Lethality Analysis?"

"That is correct."

"Great. I'll talk to your deputies and ensure you are sufficiently punished. For the time being, take the rest of the day off. You are clearly planning on using the day for personal pursuits anyway."

Both chuunin began speaking over each other once more, each convinced that they, specifically, shouldn't be punished.

Sakura shunshined away.

She had a last-minute meeting with the Land Use Head to prepare for, and then she needed to spend at least an hour or two training before dinner.

.

Arato was just setting dinner on the table when Sakura came down from cleaning up.

"Looks good."

"Thank you. You don't."

"Gee, thanks."

"You look like death warmed over, Sakura. You've been steadily looking worse since Akina and I came home. What's going on with you?"

Sakura opened her mouth—to answer? To deflect? To lie? Even she didn't know—when the door opened and Ibiki and Akina burst through, followed shortly after by Sayuri and Juro.

"Aunt Sakura! Look at the knots that Aunt Akina taught me! She says she can teach me how to sail next time she stops by home if you guys give the okay!"

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Akina said, slumping into a chair. It was one of the mismatched recent additions, the one she'd picked out from one of the more eccentric Nara wood makers. "Leaving… day after tomorrow? Finally got my next assignment. This on has regular breaks, though. That'll be nice."

Arato grunted. "I've gotten my new assignment too. Two months until I leave, though."

"Can I learn to sail or not?"

Sakura shrugged, not seeing the harm. "Juro?"

"I'm cool with it."

"Yes!" Ibiki hugged both of them, then Akina, then the network of knots that he'd made in a couple strands of string.

"Take that, Asuma!"

Sakura grinned, and allowed herself to be carried away by the conversation.

As they were clearing the table, however, Juro pulled her aside. "Are you alright? You look… unwell."

"I'm fine."

She got two hours of sleep that night.

.

Nohara Lee frowned, glancing around the burning room with interest. After a minute he exited the hastily constructed establishment, nodding amiably at Sakura and the Nara project lead who were standing a much more sane distance away.

"The walls are definitely withstanding the fire a lot better. This is just from paint?"

"Yeah…" The Nara said. "It's… new."

Nohara Lee, head of Konoha's fire watch, snorted. "I'd hope so, or else it not being on every wall in Konoha would be a crime. You can get this out soon.

"No… Head Yamanaka is requiring… health testing."

"What, and I'm safe to risk?"

Sakura shrugged in faux-agreement, then smiled. "You're a Nohara! You can hold your breath for up to fifteen minutes!"

"…Useful, for this." Researcher Nara said.

"True enough." Nohara Lee shrugged. "I—"

"Head Yamanaka!" A genin assistant gasped, out of breath and undoubtedly having checked more than a few of the other testing fields before arriving at the right one. "Uchiha—Uchiha—Uchiha Shuji wants to see you!"

Sakura nodded, then turned to the other two special jounin. "I'm glad that the paint's working as intended, and the second Human Research approves it I promise we'll start manufacturing."

"Sounds good!"

"…Hai."

"If you'll excuse me."

Sakura wracked her brain, trying to remember the last time she'd talked to the mad genius Uchiha who'd invented computers.

Not including general meetings with whole subdepartments, it had been years—the man had squirreled himself away again, worked enough that Sakura made part of the genin assistants' job making sure that he went home at least sometimes.

His office was where it always was, which was good—she hadn't even considered that he might have moved until she'd already arrived—but the room looked almost unrecognizable.

"Sakura! Hello! Come here, come here, come see—wait. First, congratulations. Okay, now come see my new iteration."

"Your new… wow."

"Right?"

"Wow."

"Video capabilities, sound capabilities… very, very costly, but can record and transmit both. Computer's more efficient, too, and I even added in an updated and modified version of your typewriter prototype—see here?"

"Wow."

Uchiha Shuji grinned. "Nice, right?"

"This is… world changing." Sakura said.

When was the last time she'd invented something new?

"I'll talk to Minato today; this is… big."

What was the last time she'd done anything important?

Uchiha Shuji laughed. "I always knew it was possible, and now I have proof! Useful for so much outside of Research, too."

"That is very, very true." Sakura said. She turned, grinned, took in Shuji's sheer joy. "You're amazing."

"I am, aren't I?"