"Inner Sakura..."

"Sakura's thoughts..."

Memory...

"Dialogue..."

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Sakura sat at Naruto's bedside, just as she had with Sasuke only a few days before. Her lips pursed tightly as she stared at Naruto's sleeping form.

He was heavily bandaged. Her assessment of his broken ribs, wrist, concussion and electrical burns had been correct. Thankfully, she'd been wrong about a punctured lung…or maybe she'd been right at the time, but he'd already healed from it. Either way, it wasn't a problem and his life wasn't in danger, but it didn't stop her from blaming herself for his current bed ridden state.

"If only I could have done more…healed him more when we first found him, maybe he wouldn't be here now…if only I had been enough to stop Sasuke-kun from leaving, none of them would be here now…"

Medical ninjutsu…why didn't you ever try to learn it?

I did try…when mom got sick, it was the first thing I tried…If you do it wrong, you just end up killing or maiming whatever you try to heal faster…

A ten-year-old Sakura stood staring wide eyed at the bunny twitching in pain on the ground. She'd come upon the injured creature while trying to find some fo the herbs she'd read about from her scrolls in the woods.

"It's okay…it'll be okay." She told the bunny soothingly, as she knelt down next to it. She'd read up a lot on medical jutsu, and she'd need to practice first on something else before she tried it on her mom. This was the perfect opportunity.

She held her hands over the bunny's hurt leg, closed her eyes, and tried to focus her chakra the way she'd read about. She felt her hands tingling with her energy, but didn't let herself celebrate. She had to focus on sending her chakra into the bunny's cells and encourage them to divide and repair the injury. Her eyes snapped open when something warm and wet touch her hands. She heard the bunny give something of a gurgling squeal and looked down in horror to see blood oozing and spurting from every opening. It splashed on her hands and knees as she watched the bunny drown in its own blood. Sakura immediately cut off her chakra flow and stumbled back in horror, before turning around and vomiting in the roots of a nearby tree. She stood up shakily, quickly located the nearest stream and scrubbed at her hands for what felt like hours until the blood was off of them.

'Okay. So medical ninjutsu isn't an option. There's no way I'm trying that on mom!' Her thought process was calm and level headed, but her internal voice was a screaming sobbing mess at what had just happened.

Her hands shook just thinking about it. She pressed her face into her hands, letting the emotional weight of everything fall on her. Her dad had died. Her mom had died. And now, the boy she loved was gone, having left them to walk into the darkness. She hadn't been able to make him stay and had begged her teammate and dear friend to bring him back…and now that teammate and dear friend was unconscious in a hospital bed. Not just him either. Many of her peers were severely wounded…and all she had done was pace around an office…

"I need to get a grip! Naruto's gonna be a mess when he wakes up and he's gonna blame himself for it and feel all bad that he didn't keep his promise…being all sulky and sad will only make it harder for him!"

She set Sasuke's hitai-ate on the nightstand and quietly left for the bathroom to go splash some water on her face…she hadn't slept much in the past three days.

She returned to his door, her hand on the door handle when she stopped. There were voices coming from inside. Shikamaru and Naruto's.

"So he's up…I wonder…will seeing me make him feel worse or better?"

She pressed her ear to the door, to more clearly make out what was being said.

"So then…everyone survived. That's a relief." Naruto sounded…tired. And so so sad. It broke her heart a little, hearing her ever energetic teammate sound so defeated.

"Sasuke wouldn't…?" That was Shikamaru…his voice was also a bit strained.

"This was his first mission as a leader…he probably feels guilty."

"No. He's gone…" Wow did those words hurt to hear coming from Naruto.

She looked down sadly, her fingers twitching against the door.

"You just gonna stand there eaves dropping like a coward, or are you gonna go in and face him?"

Sakura jerked, and turned to face the Hokage, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She'd been the one to walk Shikamaru to Naruto's room, after Shikamaru nearly quit being a shinobi. Thankfully herself, his dad, and surprisingly, that Sand kunoichi—Temari, had snapped him out of it. She'd intended to check on Naruto, but when she saw he was awake, she decided to let Shikamaru have a moment to speak with him…now that Sakura was here, it seemed Naruto would be needing a much longer moment…Clearly he wasn't in any life threatening danger, so she could always look in on him later.

"Seeing me might make him feel worse…"

"Or better. You're the only teammate he's got left."

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before pushing the door open. Tsunade didn't follow her inside. Those two would need to talk, and she had other work to do.

Naruto's eyes widened, his brows drawing together, at the sight of Sakura, before dropping down sadly to Sasuke's hitai-ate, now resting in his lap. He'd failed her.

"Naruto…" Sakura's eyes saddened even more at his reaction.

Shikamaru stared down at the floor. He owed her an apology about what he said before…she probably could have figured out Tayuya's music based attacks with her dancer's ear. He'd only won because of Temari and her ridiculously powerful wind attacks…that troublesome woman reminded him that this is the reality of shinobi missions earlier, and helped snap him out of his resolve to resign. And he had to thank Sakura, too. The Hokage had told him that it had been Sakura's pitch to ask Suna for backup, as well as her suggestion to deploy medical squads for them…without Sakura's intervention, they'd all be dead. He may have been too harsh with his words, but ultimately, her staying behind and near the Hokage had saved their lives…

"Sakura, I'm…I'm sorry."

"Come on Sakura, smile. You can do this! If mom could act like she was alright while being super sick so you wouldn't worry, you can do the same for Naruto!"

"What are you apologizing for? And you always get in my face for apologizing too much." She said, with a fake smile on her lips. It would have been convincing if Naruto and Shikamaru didn't know her so well.

Naruto didn't say anything, his eyes still gazing sadly down.

"This is so wrong! He's always such an energetic sunshine, seeing him like this is just…wrong."

"And of course you went overboard like you always do. Man, you look like a mummy." She continued with false cheer, opening the curtain by the window to let some light in.

"I'm sorry…I…"

"Stop! Stop apologizing to me, damnit! I never should have dumped it all on you in the first place! That wasn't fair to you, so stop feeling like you owe me! Besides, I should be apologizing to you, I was the one who failed to stop him leaving…No! Stop it Sakura, don't let your thoughts go there! You have to be here for Naruto now!"

"You should really keep the curtain open. See how gorgeous it is out there? The hospital sure has a good view…"

Shikamaru glanced at her from the side. The cracks in her facade were only becoming more obvious the more she forced her cheer.

"Sakura-chan! I…I will keep my promise. It's…my promise of a lifetime. I meant what I said!" Naruto blurted with a pained, bordering on panicked look on his face.

"No. That shouldn't be a burden you have to bear alone. Not if it ends you up hurt like this."

"It's okay, Naruto. Forget it." Her voice lost all its forced cheer, sounding flat and dull.

"Cut him some slack Sakura, he's—" But Shikamaru cut himself off when Sakura turned and he saw her eyes. He'd misinterpreted her her flat tone for annoyance. He thought she was blaming Naruto for breaking his promise, but her eyes made it clear. She was deeply worried about Naruto getting more hurt than he already was.

"You remember, don't you, Sakura-chan? I never go back on my word. Cause that's my shinobi way!" He said, a pained but sunshiny grin making its way to his features.

Sakura stared back at him blankly. He was going to go through with this…her eyes roved over his bandaged face, down his bandaged neck, his shirt hiding his bandaged chest, all the way down to his bandaged hands, holding onto Sasuke's hitai-ate.

Medical ninjutsu…why didn't you ever try to learn it?

This'll be hard to hear, but at the moment, as you are right now, you're a greater liability than an asset.

Your medical and first aid knowledge far outweighs any of ours, but you only know how to execute basic manual first aid…not enough for if we sustain heavy injuries.

"Never again. I'm never going to be a greater liability than an asset again. I'm never going to just cry and cling to you, Naruto…I won't just dump all the responsibility on you, ever again!"

The image of the bunny drowning in its own blood flashed through her mind, and she practically felt the sticky warmth on her hands. Her fists clenched.

"Get over it. Since when have I given up on something so easily?! I didn't get it that time, but that won't happen again. This time, I'll do this right, shannaro! I'm not letting any of my friends sit on the brink of death again! Naruto, Sasuke-kun…I'll help them both."

She turned on her heel and walked for the door.

"Naruto…I'm sorry. You'll have to wait for me for a while, but next time, I'm coming with you!" She said, turning over her shoulder and giving him a real smile, before walking out the door, leaving a bewildered Naruto and Shikamaru behind her.

Sakura knocked on the big, heavy door and waited.

"Enter!" She heard the Hokage bark.

She pushed open the door and approached the desk, speaking without any preamble.

"I've come to ask a favor of you."

"Yes?" Tsuande asked, her hands folded under her chin, her eyes locked with Sakura's unwavering spring green gaze.

"Please take me as your apprentice!"

Tsunade regarded her carefully. She could practically see the faces of Naruto and Sasuke reflected in the girls irises, the same way Nowaki and Dan had always been reflected in her own. The poor girl truly was desperate.

Kakashi shifted his weight as he stood in front of her.

"Hokage-sama…I've thought this for a while now, but Sakura would make an excellent medical ninja. She already has a vast knowledge of the human body and medicinal herbs, she's incredibly intelligent and level headed, handles pressure well, and perseveres through impossible odds. You haven't taken an apprentice since Shizune, but would you consider training Sakura?"

Tsunade's eyes dropped back to Sakura's ID picture on her shinobi file.

"I've thought about it since I asked her about the tonic she'd been giving you and Sasuke in the hospital. But, no. I won't."

Kakashi's eye widened, but before he could protest, Tsunade continued.

"Not unless she comes to me herself, of her own volition, and asks. Being a medical ninja…it's not as easy as others dismiss it to be. I don't just mean in terms of skill and training, which are intensely difficult on their own. But mentally. Emotionally. Medical ninja see more death than anyone realizes. When a patient dies under your hands, under your care, on your watch…that hurts more than ending a life. And if that patient is someone you love, someone you care for so deeply, and you failed to save them…"

Kakashi's eye softened sadly. He wondered if Rin had ever taken that into consideration when she'd started training for medical ninjutsu…maybe not. Times had been different then. It may have just been enforced on her and she was too young and skilled to question it. But he could see the Hokage's point. He wouldn't wish what she'd described on anyone, least of all Sakura.

Tsunade's eyes closed briefly, Dan's face swimming in front of her.

"I will never draft someone into that line of work, nor implant the idea. They must make the choice to pursue this themselves. It's the only way they'll be able to see it through. If Sakura asks, I'll say yes in a heartbeat. But only if she asks."

"I understand."

She'd asked. And Tsunade didn't even have to think about her answer. Her lips quirked into a smirk.

"Haruno Sakura. It's obvious that you're levelheaded and can think analytically even in high pressure situations. And I've heard from Kakashi that you're able to persevere…I'll take you. But this is not going to be easy, you understand?"

"Yes Shishou!" Sakura answered, unfaltering, with a deep bow.

"Good. Then starting now, you're officially an intern at the hospital, and will be shadowing me or Shizune. When I dismiss you, you are to go back there and take the vitals of all of your friends, as well as write a report assessing their conditions, suggesting a treatment plan, and estimating their release dates under the assumption that they follow your plan. Return them to me by 5am tomorrow morning. Since you know a lot already, I'll be giving you a written exam to test the extent of your knowledge tomorrow. Then your training will really begin."

"Yes Ma'am."

Tsunade held out a slip of paper detailing Sakura's new status for the hospital staff.

"Take this with you. Remember: 5am tomorrow. Do not be late. Lateness means the loss of a patient that could have otherwise been saved. Dismissed!"

"Hai!" Sakura took the paper and bowed, running out the office door.

Sakura went to work immediately, making her rounds through her peers. She first checked up on Neji, not surprised to find Tenten visiting him, looking worried.

"Sakura! Hey I heard what happened! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Tenten questioned when she saw the pink haired girl. If there was one thing she understood deeply about Sakura, it was the love she had for her teammates.

"Um…no. Not really." She didn't see any use in lying.

"Yeah…I can imagine." Tenten murmured softly, her eyes dropping to Neji's battered, unconscious form.

Sakura shifted her gaze, looking the injured boy over before checking the medical chart she'd picked up from the nurses station. She listened to his heart and checked his pulse, watching the careful rise and fall of his chest, before reading over the surgical report. Tenten watched her in confusion as Sakura made her own notes on a clipboard.

"Um, Sakura? What are you doing?"

"Hokage-sama has agreed to take me on as her apprentice. She asked me to look over everyone injured on today's mission and write a health report on them." She said, her mind already drafting her report on Neji's condition for later. She looked up and met Tenten's awed gaze with a small smile. "He'll be alright Tenten. He should be cleared for release within two weeks and will probably need to refrain from strenuous training for at least a week after that, but he should make a full recovery."

"She…The legendary kunoichi Senju Tsunade, Godaime Hokage of Konoha, took you on as an apprentice?! Holy shit Sakura! That's amazing! She hasn't taken an apprentice since Shizune-san and that was years ago! And others have asked, but she's always turned them down…she really took you? That's incredible!"

"Oh…uh…I didn't realize…"

Tenten gave her a beaming smile. "Not that I blame her. If there's anyone meant to be a medical ninja, it's you. You've been looking after Lee's health for since the chunin exams."

"…Thank you…" Sakura murmured, not quite sure what else to say.

"I should be the one thanking you." She said with a glance down at Neji. "Shikamaru said you were the one who asked Hokage-sama to send out a medical retrieval team. He'd be dead without that. Thanks for looking out for my teammates, Sakura."

That brought up a sad smile to her lips as the image of her own broken team floated to her mind.

"Hey, Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking this for a little while now, but that move you did in the chunin exams, the Dancer's Barrage…what if you added weapons to it?"

"Added weapons?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to account for how that would work. She needed her hands and feet free, as the barrage stood now. She knew of ceremonial blade dances…dancing with something like a sword or a dagger wasn't unheard of, but those dances were never so…aerial as her dancer's barrage.

"Yeah, I know you modeled it somewhat off of the gentle fist, so I get that you need your hands and feet available and all, but if you somehow add weapons, it would increase your offensive and defensive capabilities within the attack." Tenten explained. "You know, deal more damage while creating less of an opening to counter."

"That's…a really good point…" Sakura murmured, her brows furrowed in thought as she attempted to create a simulation of what that might look like in her mind.

"Well think about it later," Tenten smiled, "you've got work to do right now."

"Oh! Right! Thanks for the suggestion!"

"Don't mention it!" Tenten waved her off as Sakura continued on with her assignment from Tsunade.

She continued assessing her peers conditions until she got to Gaara. She looked over his condition report only to find it completely blank. She glanced up, calling out to the nearest nurse.

"Excuse me! Why is Gaara-kun's report completely blank?"

The nurse gave a cooperative smile and looked over the report, ready to offer assistance and clarification to the Hokage's new apprentice, but her expression changed when she saw whose report it was.

"Don't worry about this one, Sakura-chan. Just check the rest of them."

"I'm supposed to check him too." Sakura insisted. "Why is his report blank?"

"Well…" The nurse hesitated, "you see…"

"We're not helping that monster!" A passing medic sneered. He'd overheard the whole conversation. "He attacked the Leaf only a few months ago! Who's to say he won't attack us again!"

"That's ridiculous! He just helped us! Saved one of our ninja at the risk of his own life! And you just left him there to suffer?!"

"That monster isn't a Konoha ninja. He's not our responsibility!"

"He's not a monster! Stop calling him that!"

"What if it was Naruto…? No, that's not it. It is Naruto. People look at him and see a monster too! It's not right!"

"Do you know how many people died in that attack?!"

"Yeah, my mom was one of them!" Sakura shot back viciously. The medic's mouth snapped shut.

"I know exactly how much damage that attack caused. But that wasn't Gaara-kun's fault. He's a ninja like the rest of us. He was just doing as he was ordered."

"His orders cost us lives."

"Then blame the one who gave them!" Sakura spat. "Right now, there's a boy in there, who just saved one of our own, and is hurt and needs help. You're a doctor, damnit! How can you just turn away from him!"

"Tch. I'm not wasting my chakra on a monster like him." The medic answered coldly.

Sakura glared the older, bigger, higher ranking medic down, unwaveringly, oblivious to the small crowd their heated argument had drawn.

Several nurses and medic stood watching the scene unfold, shifting uncomfortably…they saw Sakura's point, but it was hard to set their fear and anger aside, obviously, by the lack of care Gaara had received. Temari and Kankuro watched from a distance, Kankuro had even taken a step threateningly towards the medic at a few points, but Temari held him back, her sharp eyes on Sakura.

Sakura's knuckles were white around her clipboard, her jaw clenched tightly. Anxieties and frustrations she'd thought she'd lost with her mother were teaming through her. In her minds eye she watched a medic refusing care to her mother for not having the funds needed for treatment. Then the image switched and she watched a medic refuse to treat a dying Naruto because he housed the nine tailed fox in him. The image changed again, and she watched a medic walk right by an injured Sasuke, lying bloody on the ground, refusing to help a "traitor" to the village.

"Fine. If you're going to let pettiness and stupid grudges stop you from healing people in need, then I'll do it. And I'm going to become a better medic than you, and I'm going to outrank you. And once I do, I'm going to fire you, because you're unfit to hold the responsibility of peoples lives in your hands." And with that she turned on her heel and waltzed into Gaara's room, leaving a stunned crowd of medics and nurses, a smirking Temari and Kankuro, and farther behind them, a smiling Shizune, who'd overheard the whole thing…and she couldn't be more happy and supportive of Tsunade's new choice of apprentice.

Sakura slid the door shut, still seething in rage when she looked up to see Gaara's aquamarine eyes staring at her, wide and unblinking.

"You're awake!" A pang of sadness hit her…if he was awake, did that mean… "You heard all that, huh?"

Gaara didn't say anything, just continued to stare at her. He had heard everything. And he couldn't understand why Sakura would work so hard to defend him, especially if…

"Your mother died?"

"That wasn't your fault." She shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "Orochimaru was posing as the fourth Kazekage…so your father died too."

"I hated him." Gaara answered easily, his eyes never leaving her face.

"His eyes were so alone back then…and didn't he say his father attempted to have him assassinated?"

Sakura looked down at his blank condition report. These sorts of things were really supposed to be checked over with chakra…a task she didn't know how to do yet.

"I know I said I'd do it, but there's not really much I can do as I am…"

She walked forward and stopped in front of Gaara, before bowing low.

"I'm so sorry about them. And I'm sorry in advance. As of today, I'm the Godaime's apprentice, but I've only just started. Out there I said I'd heal you, but there's not very much I can do for you yet…you deserve better care than you're getting, especially after what you've done for us."

"There's nothing you have to apologize for. It's better this way." He'd nearly killed her, slowly crushing her to death. As far as he was concerned, she never had to apologize to him ever. Besides, Sakura with her loving, caring, concerned green eyes was far more preferable than a medic's hateful mistrust even as he healed him.

"Oh! Well, if you don't mind, then I'm going to have to ask you some questions, Gaara-kun. This'll probably be a bit…annoying…" She faltered, Sasuke with his head tilted slightly back towards her as he headed for the gate flashing through her mind.

You…really are annoying…

She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "Normally these things would be easily checked with chakra, but since I can't do that yet, I'm going to need you to answer my questions. And be honest."

Gaara hummed his assent, his eyes never leaving her face. He'd caught how her face had saddened…no that wasn't quite it, she'd walked in sad. And the look in her eyes at that clearing had been sad as well. And pained. And familiar.

"Okay. First, are you in any pain?"

"My body hurts."

"Is the pain sharp or generally achey?"

Gaara considered this for a second.

"I've only ever been in pain before when fighting Sasuke and Naruto. I don't know the difference."

"That makes this more difficult…"

"That's alright. Did the enemy land any hits on you?"

"No."

Sakura held the back of her hand against Gaara's cheek before placing her palm on his forehead. Gaara's eyes widened. This was the second time she'd touched him…he felt something fluttery in his insides, like sand in the wind.

"You have a fever. I'll need to get a thermometer from the nurses station…" She said removing her hand and making notes on Gaara's condition report. "Can you move?"

Gaara missed the contact as soon as she'd lifted her hand, much as he had earlier when she shared her chakra. It took him a second to focus back on her question.

"Not really." It was true. And highly frustrating. He could barely move his head to face towards the door.

"Headache?"

"Yes."

"Any trouble breathing?"

"No."

She placed two fingers firmly against his wrist, pulled out an old watch and began counting, staying like that for a full two minutes before stopping. His pulse was a little slow, but also consistent with what she'd read about for chakra exhaustion. She made note on his condition report.

"I think it's safe to say you're only suffering from chakra exhaustion. Body pain, headache, paralysis, and slower pulse are all common side effects. All you can really do for it is rest for a while. You used up almost all of your chakra in that battle before, right? Recovering it all will probably take at least two weeks."

"Can't you share your chakra again?"

"Tell me honestly. Did it hurt when I did?"

"It stung a little."

"Ah. You were low on chakra when we found you in that field, but you weren't this bad. The chakra I shared with you should have been enough to get you back to Konoha safely without tapping into anymore of your own, but I don't think my chakra sharing works well with people like you and Naruto. Naruto's body rejects it entirely. And I think it may have messed with your network or something and caused you to burn through it too quickly, forcing you to tap into what little you had left. It may slow your recovery too…I don't know if it did any damage or not."

"I see."

"The best thing would be to give you an IV and have you sleep it off. But you don't get much sleep, do you Gaara-kun?"

"No. When I sleep, I have night terrors…Shukaku is stronger when I sleep."

"That's gotta suck! Poor guy never gets to sleep without having nightmares?"

"We're not really ones to talk. When was the last time we actually slept?"

"That's different. I don't usually sleep deep enough to dream…I think Sasuke-kun got nightmares too…there were some nights I thought I heard…I really should have checked on him. I should have cared for him more. I should have told him how I felt sooner!"

"Sasuke-kun!" Her inner voice sobbed violently. She shook her head a little.

"I have to focus. Now isn't the time to be getting lost in my thoughts. I have a patient to look after."

"It'll take longer to recover if your body can't get proper rest. I'll see if there's anything I can do to suppress Shukaku's influence on you while you sleep."

"That…is that possible?"

"I don't know…It may not be possible at all, or if it is, it might not be something I can accomplish at my current level. But I'll look into it anyways. It is the best way to get you better after all."

"Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura…thank you…for everything…

"Shit, is this gonna be what happens whenever anyone thanks me for anything? Am I just automatically gonna remember him saying that?"

The words still raised questions in her. Why thank her? What did it mean? Sasuke's words often held deeper meanings, because he couldn't find the right words to explain fully how and what he was feeling. So what was Thank you for everything? Why had her name sounded so…intimate when he said it…like it was something for his lips alone…or was she just reading too much into it, trying to place an optimistic spin where it didn't belong?

She smiled tightly. "Of course, Gaara-kun. Try and relax for now, I'll be back soon to take you temperature and give you an IV." She turned to go but his voice stoped her.

"You seem…lonely." That was the look she had in her eyes. Loneliness. There was still all that love and care and warmth. But there was also a lonely look that she didn't have before, during the chunin exams.

"Oh. Do I?"

"…He'll come back." Gaara didn't understand how Sasuke could leave friends like Naruto and Sakura, but he was sure he'd return to them. After all, Naruto's friendship and Sakura's love had reached even him when he'd been so fully consumed by hate and darkness…and as far as Sakura went, he regrettably wasn't even the object of her love, and it still reached him…so there was no way Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't be saved by them, as Gaara had been.

Sakura gave him a small, but not tense, smile.

"Thanks, Gaara-kun." She slid open the door and left the room, getting the thermometer from the nurse and finishing her check on Gaara before steeling herself to go face her last check up. Naruto.

Sakura once again paused outside Naruto's door when she heard voices from inside the room…Naruto and that pervy sage, Jiraya. She was going to walk away and leave them to converse in private when she caught what Jiraya was saying.

"—I was researching Orochimaru's art of immortality, my sources brought to my attention some reliable information regarding the Akatsuki."

"That cult thing Itachi and that shark guy—Kisame—are a part of!" Sakura pushed her ear more firmly against the door.

"Information?"

"They won't be back for you for three or four more years."

"They'll leave Naruto alone for three or four years? Why? Why give him the time to get stronger?"

"Who cares about that?" Naruto demanded, making Sakura jolt.

"You should care, dummy! They want to abduct you and turn that fox spirit into a weapon—which can't be good for you!"

"It's so far away. I don't have time to be playing around with you in the meantime!"

"…Just what do you mean?" Jiraya asked, confused by the boys vehement rejection. He was all about training before…

"I gotta go after Sasuke! Orochimaru could kill him!" Naruto shouted.

"Hmph…it sounds like you know the real reason Orochimaru wants Sasuke."

"What?! Pervy sage, you mean…you do too?"

Jiraya sighed. "If you're gonna listen in at the door, you should really suppress your chakra. Well, you might as well come in!"

"Shit! Oh well…He has answers I want anyways."

Sakura slid open the door and stepped inside, the door snapping shut behind her.

"Huh? Sakura-chan? What are you—"

"As of today, I'm the Godaime's apprentice. She wanted me to make a report on the health and treatment for everyone injured during your mission."

"You are?! You're gonna train under Grandma?!"

"This is what I can do for you Naruto. For both of you. I already told you, I'm going with you next time."

Jiraya watched the girl intently with his arms folded across his chest. So Tsunade had really accepted her as an apprentice? She'd turned down so many…Tsunade must have seen something in her…

"And do you know what Orochimaru wants with Sasuke?" He asked her.

"Specifically, no. He wants Sasuke-kun's sharingan. I know that much. I'm guessing he wants more than that based on how he tested Sasuke-kun during the Chunin exams."

"He wants to possess Sasuke's body. His immortality jutsu requires the use of a vessel for the soul."

"So he wants Sasuke-kun as his vessel." Sakura growled, her hands clenching tightly, an icy feeling shooting through her chest.

"I've been researching Orochimaru's immortality jutsu, and I can't guarantee you 100 percent, but it appears we have more than three years before he can use Sasuke's body as his vessel."

"How do you know that?" Naruto asked.

"Don't underestimate my connections! The deal is, the immortality ninjutsu demands a buffer of at least three years before he can re-transfer his soul. He already transferred himself into a new body, so that gives us three years before he takes Sasuke. We have time."

"For…real? Three years at least?!" Naruto gasped. That was good! That meant he had time to train and get stronger! Sasuke had won last time, but he would make sure the bastard didn't win again! Next time, he'd be strong enough to bring him back! He'd make sure of it. He promised Sakura…the promise of a lifetime. But it was more than that. Sasuke was his best friend. His closest bond. The bastard even said as much. He may have been blind to his best friend's darkness before, but not now. Not ever again. He'd save him this time! Because that's what it meant to have a best friend…a brother.

Sakura let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Three years. She had three years to master medical ninjutsu, get functional control over her kekkei genkai, and actually learn some useful combat moves.

"Tall order, but there's no way in hell I'm backing down, Shannaro! This time we'll bring him back together!"

"Indeed." Jiraya murmured, his gaze locked on Naruto. "But listen."

Naruto looked up, surprised at the severe, serious, tone Jiraya had adopted.

"Forget about Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes shot wide, and Sakura jerked sharply, her gaze trained on the Sanin.

"Sasuke went to Orochimaru willingly. It doesn't matter what you do for him. He will not change."

I understand now. I am an avenger. On the path I walk, I have to do whatever it takes to gain power…even if it means selling my flesh to the devil.

Sakura…thank you…for everything…

"No…that's not true! That can't be true! He wouldn't have thanked me…wouldn't have left Naruto alive if…"

Naruto growled a little, his fists tightening around his blankets.

"I know this. I've seen shinobi come and go. And Sasuke and Orochimaru are cut from the same cloth."

Naruto's eyes darkened. Pervy sage didn't know what he was talking about! He didn't know Sasuke at all!

"That's not true! Sasuke-kun and Orochimaru are different! I have no idea what that snake wants, but Sasuke-kun is only after power to avenge his clan! He's doing it for justice, not to just meaninglessly destroy and kill!"

"Forget bringing him back. It is the tragic path of self-righteous fools."

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. "He may be nothing to you, pervy sage, but Sasuke is my friend!" He shouted.

"You call him a friend?! Look at what he's done to you!" Jiraya admonished.

"It's…It's…" Naruto's eyes dropped, colored with both hurt and frustration. Sakura hated seeing him so without hope.

"I don't know what happened between you and Orochimaru, Jiraya-san, but you two aren't Sasuke-kun and Naruto. Sasuke-kun cares for Naruto deeply, and I know that because Naruto told me himself. 'He can't kill me anymore than I could kill him.' I didn't believe him at the time, I thought he was wrong…That…that Sasuke-kun had too much darkness that Naruto wasn't aware of. When Kakashi-sensei and I found Naruto, I thought the worst had happened. But Naruto was right…because Sasuke-kun had the opportunity, and he didn't take it."

Naruto looked up at Sakura, and when her sage green eyes met his sky blue, she saw that gratitude and determination had replaced hopelessness and depression.

"That's right! I'm still here because that Bastard isn't gone! Not yet at least, so don't just write him off!"

Jiraya glared at Sakura and Naruto before his gaze dropped sadly to the ground. Kids wouldn't understand. He'd been through it. He'd seen it. He knew the pain. However hard he'd wished for it, there was no coming back for Orochimaru. For all his struggle, all he was left with was a sense of powerlessness and regret. He didn't want Naruto to tread the same path.

"If you're intent on chasing after Sasuke, then forget the training. I'll stick the Anbu black ops on you and you'll be forbidden to set foot outside Konoha."

Naruto's eyes widened. He nearly gasped out loud. Pervy sage was really not going to train him because of this?!

"You're no ordinary kid, Naruto. You have the nine-tailed fox spirit."

Sakura felt her temper on the rise. "He wants to put Naruto on house arrest and completely remove all of his choice in what he does with his life because of the damned fox spirit?! Naruto didn't ask for that! He didn't ask to not be an ordinary kid, so stop trying to make him pay for it like this was all his choice!"

"And this is serious business. If you disregard my words…if you're determined to do as you please, I have no choice. Someday you will face an enemy even greater than Orochimaru. You must forget Sasuke. Understand? He was destined to leave sooner or later…don't blame yourself, just forget him."

"What the hell does he know?! Shannaro! I don't care if he is a sage, he doesn't know anything!"

"To be a shinobi, you need more than strength and jutsu…you must learn to weigh your options and make the right decisions. If you want to live as shinobi, you must be smarter. This world…it's no place for a fool. That's the reality."

"I understand…" Naruto cut in sharply, making Jiraya turn to him and Sakura draw in her breath. Had Jiraya really swayed him?!

"If being smart means what you say…I'll remain a fool my entire life." Naruto declared seriously, glaring into Jiraya's eyes.

Naruto's serious look morphed into a determined smile. "Even if I've got to do it alone…I'm gonna spin some incredible jutsu, and I'm gonna rescue Sasuke, no matter what! And, and…I'm gonna smack down the Akastuki!"

Never underestimate me! I don't quit and I won't run! I'll accept your stupid question! Even if I risk ending up a rookie my whole life I'll still become Hokage, even if I only make it on pure stubbornness, I don't care!

Sakura smirked. "Just like the Chunin exams all over again."

She walked to Naruto's side, lightly tapping him on the head with her clip board.

"I don't know what all this alone business is…I already told you we're doing this together, didn't I?" She said, smiling down at him proudly.

Naruto grinned up at her, smile beaming. Sakura really was the best…she'd never let him go through anything alone. And after having been alone most his life, that meant everything to him.

Jiraya watched the exchange, his shoulders slumping sadly before turning away. Sakura would make a good medical ninja, given how much she cared about others. And Naruto…that kid…was such a good hearted idiot…he couldn't really leave him alone, could he?

"If you try this on your own…you will return with nothing, if you return at all." Jiraya leapt off the windowsill he'd been perched on, landing on the head of his awaiting giant toad.

Naruto's eyes widened. Was pervy sage serious? He was really just going to let him figure out everything himself? Was this the last he was going to see of the Sanin?

Jiraya stood on the head of the toad his back to the window as he sighed. No, he couldn't leave a good kid like that alone. "But you are a certain kind of fool…that is true. And a fool as great as you are may well be able to handle this…when you're discharged from the hospital, pack your bag and be ready, foolish one. All right then…"

"Okay!" Naruto said, saluting with an excited and determined grin on his face, while Sakura cheered.

The door to Naruto's room slid shut behind her, after she'd finished going over his chart and checking him over. She stood frozen in the empty hallway outside the door to his room, staring at the ground as the smile slipped off her face.

Pack your bag and be ready…

"So…Naruto's leaving too…my whole team is…leaving me behind, I'm…I'm gonna be alone…"

Just like the time right before the chunin exams, she felt cracks running all through her. She bit her lip hard, the tears burning her eyes as she quickly left the hospital.

She didn't process her surroundings at all until she pushed open the door to Sasuke's apartment and froze. It felt so empty…she'd never lived alone before…in fact, she was used to living with someone practically next to her. The tears were starting to blur her vision but she was still desperately holding them in…she'd cried enough…more in the past year than she had in her life.

"I'm home…" She whispered to no response as she stepped in, the door closing behind her. Then she did something she never did. She picked up her picture of team 7, pushed open the door to Sasuke's room, and stepped inside.

His room was huge. He had a queen sized bed along the middle of the wall, a nightstand with a lamp on the right next to it, and a bureau to the right of that, with a book and a small, neat, pile of scrolls on top. To the left of the bed, along the wall under the big three paneled window was book shelf, some drawers and a television. In the corner was an armchair with a small, low, circular table to its left, against the full glass slider to the balcony, which took up most of the wall…and despite the big bed and lots of furniture, there was still plenty of floor space. The right most wall where she'd come in through had a sliding door, which she assumed was a closet.

Sakura stared around the room for a minute…Ino's room was of a similar size, though hers was more crowded and messy, and there was less floor space, so it didn't feel as big as this. Sakura slowly crossed to his bed and curled up at the foot of it, almost catlike. She stared at her team's picture, before hugging the photo close to her, her other hand closing tightly around her necklace.

"…I have to write my reports for Shishou…she's testing me tomorrow…No wasting time crying about this, damnit! Naruto…he has to go! Jiraya-san is one of the Sanin! And with the Akatsuki after him, he needs to be strong enough to take them on. There's no better person to train him. And he has to go, staying here would make it too easy for the Akatsuki to find him…this is what's best for him, so no crying!"

But no matter what she told herself, her inner voice was fully curled up in a ball and sobbing…

Why haven't you cried yet?

…Because…If I do, I don't think I'll be able to stop.

So? It's alright in this situation.

"What about this situation, Sasuke-kun?" She whispered, one tear escaping. "Is it alright in this situation?" Another tear fell. And then another.

"I'll get the work done…but just for now…"

Just for now, she let herself fall to pieces.

Sasuke stood in his sparse, minimally furnished room he'd been given. This was fine. It had been explained that Orochimaru changed hideouts frequently, so they'd never be in one base long enough for his room to feel much like his anyways. He wasn't here for a home, he was here for power. He didn't need anything more than what was given.

He crossed the room and sat on the foot of his bed, unclipping his weapon pouch and taking inventory of what he had left. He sorted through his weapons until his fingers touched something that wasn't metal…he pulled it out and stared at the midnight blue crane with pink and gold cherry blossom designs. Since Sakura had given it to him, he'd taken to carrying it with him on any missions out of the village, incase it was a custom he was simply unfamiliar with. Incase it really did bring him something good…Everything happened so fast after the Land of Tea mission, he'd never unpacked it.

Soft pink hair and spring green eyes danced through his mind.

I'm so in love with you I can't even stand it! I don't know exactly when it started…I'd liked you since we were in the academy but after being on a team with you I just…at some point I…Stay with me and I'll never let you regret it! I'll help you find a new goal! You'll be happy! I'll make sure of it! I'll do anything for you Sasuke-kun!

A pang of…something shot through him. And it hurt. Unconsciously, Sasuke bit at his lip. Holding on to that precious bond wouldn't do him any good right now. It would only weaken him. He made his way over to the room's waste basket, and was about to drop the crane in, when he looked down at the paper bird one last time and his mother's smiling face filled his mind. He watched in his minds eye as she set paper cranes on the windowsills, placed them in flowers, set them in front of photos…and he watched as Itachi slashed her chest open in each of those scenes, the cranes getting decorated with her blood.

Intense anger and burning drive coursed through him so strongly his sharingan activated, replacing the aching pang he'd felt before. Maybe keeping this would be a useful motivator. A reminder of his mother, how much she'd loved her sons, and how Itachi had erased all that with one stroke of his sword.

He pulled his hand away from the waste basket and walked back to the bed to continue cataloging his weapons, setting the crane on his nightstand along the way.

The small piece of his heart that was holding tightly onto soft pink hair and spring green eyes let out a sigh of relief, but he didn't notice.

Author's note: Well that's the final leg of this arch. Next will be her training arch which I don't know if I'm gonna do as one really long chapter or if I break it into maybe like three sections. Happy SS month, let's talk about GaaSaku lol. Um, yeah so I don't think there's ever a time where Sakura's not in love with Sasuke, but I fully believe Gaara loves Sakura. The two don't interact much in the manga/anime and there's only like two pieces of canon evidence and Gaara Hiden, but I stand by him being in love with Sakura. In Gaara Hiden he even includes Sakura as one of the people who taught him what it meant to live, understand pain and love someone. In the manga/anime, Tsunade doesn't seek out Sakura, Sakura comes to her, and that always annoyed me because everyone wants to train Sasuke and Naruto but no one wants to train Sakura, she has to ask someone herself. There's no reason Tsunade wouldn't want to train this Sakura, and I don't want to change too much of the canon, so I went with justifying why Tsunade wouldn't seek Sakura out instead. I think Tsunade's reason is sound, given her background and what she tells Shikamaru about why finding and training medical ninja is so hard. I actually did end up showing Sakura's first attempt at medical ninjutsu, which was first referenced in the Land of Tea chapter. It's kinda graphic, sorry if you were grossed out...I feel like what goes wrong with the healing has a little to do with chakra natures, so in Boruto, Sarada is a fire type and when she tries healing, her fish dummy burns. Sakura's got earth and water release, and her water release is canonically tied to her medical ninjutsu, so I think what would go wrong with her healing would be related to that, and it would have been traumatizing enough for her to temporarily reject the idea of learning medical ninjutsu. But the situation helps her move past that fear. So, Sasuke...the way I see this, because he's got that whole curse of hatred, secretly being manipulated by Zetsu thing, Sasuke-genin Sasuke, who's cold but ultimately caring and loving towards those he holds dear, is always there but it's like he gets buried, or knocked out of control of his body. So that piece of Sasuke has small influence over himself, but he's not fully at the wheel anymore. And as shipuden goes on and he gets darker and more lost to darkness and hatred, his influence over himself lessens. So he doesn't really want to lose his bonds. In a way, I feel like him leaving his scratched headband with Naruto is both an affirmation of Naruto's skill, and sort of a deep seeded request to not forget him. Keeping the crane is a desire to hold on to his bond with Sakura but the darkness in him can't justify it so he warps the meaning of it in his head to allow himself to keep it. I hope that makes sense...

Thank you so much for all the reviews and feedback! Please keep them coming! Reviews keep me writing! Thanks so much for reading this far! :)