A/N

Hey guys..I bet you're going to enjoy this chapter.But I'm also worried about Sakura's part. This is my version of Sakura. It's canon, but I'll be justifying some points about Naruto and Sakura's relationship.

I hope you like that, and if you don't, please let me know in comments how to improve her character, as Sakura can be quite challenging to write. But another part you'll definitely like if you love Team 7.

"Sleeping time!" Ino shouted.

"Go away, Ino! I'm busy!" Sakura exclaimed in frustration.

"It's 3 o'clock. This is midnight, Sakura! You've been researching for 8 hours straight!"

"Yet, I found nothing." Sakura said in a low voice.

-"Are you listening to me, Sakura?"-

"Yes, Ino, but I can't sleep now. You know the situation, right?"Sakura replied.

"So if you don't sleep, you get the solution to the problem."

"I'm not just sitting here, Ino. I have to go through those seals. Besides, this isn't the first time I've worked at night. For three days, I've been working 18-20 hours a day in the hospital." Sakura said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"That's my point: you're not helping yourself by not sleeping, and yet you still do research after getting some rest."Ino shook her head angrily.

"Look, Ino. I appreciate your concern, but I have to look into this. I'm the only one here who knows Fuinjutsu better than basic. And this isn't any problem. This is about my sensei, Ino... You know this is a matter of life and death, so I just can't sit here and do nothing ... Besides, if you're disturbed, go to Sai's house."

"First of all, Sai is on a mission, and second, for Kami's sake, this is not about me. You have to rest now."Ino was clearly frustrated at this point.

"I don't want to live with you. Sometimes, I feel like I made a mistake sharing an apartment with you."

"What!! Are you even serious? I'm concerned about you, and you just.. I also don't want to live with you, but you are depressed as hell after your parents' death so..." Ino stopped herself and immediately regretted what she had said. She was about to say something, but Sakura beat her to it.

"I never thought you wanted to live with me because of this... I thought... Whatever, thanks Ino for telling me this early, but I don't need your pity. I'm not that four-year-old girl who would startle and cry if you left behind me. But you should know this: I can't wait to see my other precious people die." With this, she vanished from that room.

"Hey, Sakura! Look! I'm sorry... I didn't mean that...Sakura" Ino said but it was all in vain; Sakura had already gone.

Sakura walks down the narrow road at midnight. She doesn't keep track of time while working. This has been happening since six months ago after her parents died.

She started thinking about time with her parents. She really loved them when she was little, but as she started ninja academy, she started to grow distant from her parents.

It's kind of obvious because the ninja lifestyle is different from the civilian lifestyle. She remembers the first time she requested her parents to send her to a ninja academy. Her mom was opposed, thinking she wouldn't be good at it, but her dad gave her permission.

She really started hating her mom for that moment, but if only she knew the reason behind it.She really thought Ninja was like a game at that age, but her mother knew the hardships of being a ninja. She was worried about her.

Although she hated to say it, that was the truth.

She wasn't ready to be a ninja at that age.she realize what ninja life is after her mission at wave.She remembered having nightmares about weeks, but she didn't want to give up that easily.

She loved being part of that team.

Those times when they weren't so busy saving themselves from S-ranked organizations.Those times when they just wanted to see their sensei's faces.Those golden times were more precious than anything else...

She really likes the whole team, including Naruto. Even though her parents were civilian they never told her to stay away from Naruto, she has no reason to hate him. As a child, she had very few friends, and she knew that if she allowed herself to be friends with Naruto, her friends would never talk to her again. She just mindlessly followed her friends' lead. If their friends said Sasuke was cool, she also said yes. She was afraid of being alone, so she did what her friends said.

..It's all getting different after being part of the team. She loves to spend time with them. But it all went downhill after Sasuke defected from the village and became a missing-nin. Her team started cracking. Naruto also went with Jiraiya for training.

She was 100% sure she would be left behind. But then one day, newly formed Hokage Tsunade summoned her and told her that she would be tested for being her apprentice, but she also told her even if her sensei recommended her, she would test her. She was never expecting that she would get this chance. After all, she was just an ordinary civilian ninja whose chakra wasn't that great, but her sensei recommended her to 'Hokage' for apprenticeship. She decided then she wouldn't disappoint her sensei. She would train hard to be on par with her boys.

She wanted those moments back in her life with Team 7, so she trained hard but between those times she completely forgot about her parents.she even lived with Tsunade..she didn't want to go home because her parents would tell her to be relaxed and all. so it was like they didn't even talk with each other..after her apprenticeship was over she took missions back to back in order not to go home for too long. she took granted her parents.

After the war, Sasuke finally returned to the village. However, it was only a matter of time before he left again. This time, she understood him. But her heart ached for those moments she thought would come back after he returned, but they never did. Those moments were gone forever.

After war, she became famous, but she felt as if something were missing. Finally, she went back home, and when she saw her parents...All those years, she didn't even look at her parents carefully; they are getting old. She remembers every moment with her parents.Those moments were also special. She just ignored them, like Sasuke ignoring her. She felt pain in her heart; she told them all that she felt about Team 7 and also apologized for not being with them at times.

Her parents just smiled at her and forgave her. But she still felt guilty. So she started spending more time with them. She never loved cooking, but with her mother, she started learning how to cook, and with her father, she started playing the same games as she did when she was a child and it still felt enjoyable as before. In after all those years, finnaly she started feeling like a normal person, even though she still met with Naruto and Sensei. Naruto also came home sometimes, and it was the best time. Naruto and Dad's lame jokes and with Mother's extroverted personality, Naruto just fit into the family like an annoying little brother to her.

But everything goes wrong. when she embarks on a long-term mission for the first time after the war.She had to go to Kiri(mist village).

But her thoughts were cut short when someone held her hand, and she was brought back to reality. Suddenly, she noticed her surroundings and was shocked to find herself on a cliff. She took a step back and backed away even further, surprised to see that person.

"Kaka-sensei"

"What's wrong with you? How many times have I called you, but you didn't listen to me. Do you have a death wish? If I hadn't come, you would have fallen off that cliff." Kakashi said, his eyes sharp.

Sakura feels embarrassed. Even after all this time, she can't control her feelings. But she doesn't want to accept her fault to this version of his sensei. So she defends herself.

"It's not like that. I just wanted to enjoy a late-night walk. This place is my favorite, and I just want to enjoy the sky view". She laughed nervously.

For some moments, they just looked at each other. Finally, Kakashi broke the silence.

"I followed you here for 10 minutes. You're walking like a dead person. I stood in front of you, even waving my hands in front of your face, but there was no reaction. This isn't the best sky view. If you want to lie, at least control your expressions. I clearly feel distressed from your chakra. Haven't some people told you that you're a terrible liar? Now if you want to tell me the truth."

Sakura really wants to die at this moment. Oh, Kami! She messed up big time. A 19-year-old Kakashi is impressive in his detection skills. He easily senses everything. Now he's really think that she isn't capable of being a ninja. Lying is also an art in being a ninja. Damn it! She really wants to jump off a cliff and not give an answer to Kakashi.

As if Kakashi senses her uneasiness, he clears his throat and says, "Well, if you don't want to talk, that's fine. But just in case you do want to talk, I know you might not trust me yet, so just think about it at home so you won't feel pressured. You know what I mean?"

Sakura just stares at him, Oh Kami, why am I involved in this? What does she think of me now? I also told her that I was following her. And what happened to my talking skills? What the... I have to go from here; is this the right choice? Kakashi thought.

"So...ah.. I'm going. Take care, Sakura-san!" He was about to move, but stopped after listing this.

"Kakashi, it's not like I don't trust you; it's just that I'm feeling ashamed that I lose to my emotions and not feel what is going on around me. Now you think what kind of ninja I am, who doesn't even know their surroundings. Nothing is changed I'm still not capable of being good ninja.my own friend also wants to live with me because she fill pity.I hate this."Sakura said moist voice.

"Stop Sakura. It's normal you know. You don't feel ashamed about this. We are human. That's our nature to show emotions.I think your friend cares a lot about you. You think of yourself too lowly. Besides, I clearly see that you are a capable ninja." Kakashi stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

"How do you know that? You don't even know me. Just because I'm your student, you don't have to be nice to me." Sakura asked, not looking at Kakashi.

"Tch, no, it's the seal on your forehead that's the same as Tsunade-sama's. So, obviously, it's not something ordinary ninjas can achieve, which is why being a sensei was never my point, and I didn't even teach you, so there's no point in fake praise, and I'm not even like that.I still can't believe that I became sensei."

Sakura laughed, and Kakashi felt relieved to see her smile. But she stopped and looked at him intently before speaking.

"Wait a second, but what are you doing here? You were supposed to be in your apartment with Sasuke."

"Mahh Sakura-san,tell me one thing."Kakashi tried to change the subject but Sakura cut him

"Oh, I knew this tone very well, Kakashi-san. Don't even try to change the subject."Sakura shook her head angrily.

Kakashi hated being predictable. But he saw Sakura's expression just like Lady Tsunade's. He knew he was in trouble. Before any more questions could be asked, he decided to leave this place using Shunshin.

Sakura was about to ask again, but Kakashi had already left. She glared at the spot for a minute before standing up. After a moment, she also left the place.

It had been two days since the incident at the memorial stone. During that time, Kakashi and Sasuke had not spoken a word to each other, only meeting in the kitchen to prepare and eat meals in an infuriatingly awkward silence.

Kakashi's bedroom provided enough space for light exercise, but he felt like he was going a little stir crazy. Kakashi is a shinobi by nature. Kakashi is used to constant missions and physical activity, to the point of over-exertion. In his case, it has been four days since he last spoke.On the fourth day, at another uncomfortably silent breakfast, Kakashi finally spoke.

"I need to get out of here," he stated.

"Is that so?" Sasuke murmured, his eyes glued to a scroll he was reading.

"I'm serious." Kakashi said.

"Do you have any pressing appointments I don't know about?" Sasuke teased.

Kakashi almost rolled his eyes at the man's facetious banter. "I'm tired of sitting around here all day."

"I'm sorry, but 'cabin fever' isn't a good enough reason to risk you being seen by anyone in the village."Sasuke lowered his head to hide the smile.

Kakashi scowled at the other man. He could tell that Sasuke was being purposely difficult and found it far more amusing than it really was. Whether it was an attempt to get a rise out of him or to get him to open up more, he wasn't sure. He decided it was the latter.

"I'm calling a truce. Let's forget about the other night. Will you consider my request now?"Kakashi said in a calm voice.

"Are we desperate?" Sasuke smirked.Kakashi sent him yet another withering glare.Sasuke snapped the scroll shut and finally met Kakashi's eyes.

"Relax. I'll send a message to the Hokage, letting her know you're getting claustrophobic." He stood up to retrieve an empty scroll from his pouch in the living room. With a swift hand sign, a small hawk appeared and latched itself onto Sasuke's forearm. Sasuke secured the message and sent the hawk on its way, returning to the breakfast table.

" you summon birds?" Kakashi asked.

"Hawks, actually. Snakes too." Sasuke replied.

"What about Naruto?" Kakashi met Sasuke's eyes hesitantly.

"Toads."

Kakashi felt his heart swell. He remembered that both Minato and Jiraiya had the same summoning animal. It was only fitting that Naruto should have followed in their footsteps.

There was a sudden knock at the door as a voice called out. Kakashi thought that was quick.

"Hey! Baa-chan sent me to get you two. Hope you're decent; I'm coming in!"

Naruto barged through the door without a moment's hesitation.

"Dobe. Why would we be naked in the living room?" Sasuke asked, unfazed by the blonde's dramatic entrance.

"I don't know what you do in your own house", Naruto shrugged. "Hurry up. Baa-Chan got your message, and she wants to speak with all of us.Oooh!!Sasuke Let's portal there!"

"Portal?" Kakashi inquired.

"Don't worry about it. Naruto's just an idiot," Sasuke said, giving Naruto a warning look.

Within a few minutes, they were out the door, speeding over rooftops to the Hokage's tower.They climbed through the window to find Tsunade and Sakura waiting for them.

"Ah, there you are. I hear you're getting restless, Hatake," Tsunade said, crossing her arms across her chest.

No, Hokage-sama. I haven't trained in a while." Kakashi looked around the room to meet the knowing eyes of Team 7.

"I suppose so," Kakashi sighed in defeat.

"That's what I thought! And that's the reason why Shikamaru and I had discussed a plan for you to go about the village unrecognized," she explained.

"We have organized an access to a hidden ANBU training ground to be used by you and the rest of team 7 alone. This means, if you wish to have a sparring partner it will have to be either Naruto, Sasuke, or Sakura. Only taijutsu is allowed."

Kakashi felt relieved but uncertain. He was not familiar with the fighting styles of any of the team members. Few people were a challenge to him in a one-on-one fight, but with the calibre of the shinobi present, he felt that it could be a worth while challenge.

"As for being in the village, you'd need to be in disguise, without using the transformation technique, of course." Tsunade said, her golden eyes twinkling with mischief.

All eyes snapped to him, and he felt his mouth go dry. He knew exactly what Tsunade was referring to.

"Tsunade-sama, is that really the only way?"

"It seems like the only way, Hatake, since you can't use your chakra for another three days." She smiled with a false sense of innocence.

"Fine, so, brat! Go wherever you want; Kakashi will meet you there in disguise." She stated, clasping her hands together.

"Fine, let's meet at Ichiraku. We will eat together." Naruto exclaimed with joy.

The three remaining members of team 7 waited silently on the stools at the ramen stand.

"How does a sensei disguise himself without using transformations?" Sakura broke the silence.

Sasuke has been asking himself the same question.

"How long does it take to get in disguise, damn it!" Naruto burst out.

"How could he change his face without transform-" She started, but stopped dead in her tracks.

Sasuke locked eyes with Sakura.

"His face!" they said in unison.

"What? What do you mean? Wait."Naruto seemed to catch on to what they were saying.

"Are you telling me…we are going to see his face?!" He shouted.

"Idiot! Could you be any louder?" Sakurareprimanded.

"It makes perfect sense," Sasuke said in a daze.

"A man who wears a mask every day; all he'd have to do is take the mask off, change his hair, clothes, and eyes, and he would be completely unrecognizable to us."

The curtain at the entrance of the stage was flapping open, and a man with a mop of brown hair stepped inside.

"Can I get a large miso pork ramen with extra eggplant, please?" The newcomer said in a cheery voice. The man turned to face them.

"Hi there. Mind if I sit down? I'm going to be in town for the foreseeable future. Is there anything fun to do around here?" He asked the three of them.

"Guys, look! It's Sukea!!" Naruto said, grinning.

"Oh, have we met before? I'm sorry, but I'm terrible with faces." The man smiled at him.

Naruto looked back and forth between Sukea and his teammates, whose faces were gapping, before gasping audibly.

"But he was the one who did it last time! When we broke into the--to see Sensei's face? I think my brain is exploding." Naruto cried.

Sakura took the opportunity to drag Naruto out of the ramen stand, but it was difficult for her to tear her eyes away from man's face.

"What's with them?" Sukea asked, sending Sasuke a knowing smile. He really was too good at feigning innocence.

Sasuke felt overwhelmed. He had expected to see Kakashi's face. However, he didn't expect to have seen that face before. It was so like Kakashi to pull a stunt like that on some genin. And they never suspected a thing.

"I..I'm sorry. Did you say something?" Sasuke asked dazedly.

"I asked what was up with your friends over there." Sukea replied with a smile, the smile was too wide to be genuine.

"They're always like that," Sasuke replied, unable to invoke any of his usual wit in lieu of the situation.

"Oh, I see. They seem to think we've met before. Could you remind me of when that was?"

Sasuke could hear the man's voice shift to a more serious tone. They would have to have a talk later about the memories "Sukea" were supposed to have.

"About 6 or so years ago, you tried to help us figure out what our Sensei's face looked like because he always wore a mask. We couldn't manage it," Sasuke said.

Sukea'seyebrows knitted together before he burst out laughing. "Right, right. How could I forget?" he said, between spurtsof laughter.

Sasuke could tell that, underneath the disguise ofSukea, Kakashi was well and truly laughing at him.

He took the opportunity to study the man's face more carefully than he had before. The purple markings that ran vertically above his eyes and across his cheeks now made sense. It was more effective at covering his scar than any makeup. He had a small mole just under a pair of full, pink lips which parted to reveal perfectly straight, white teeth.

Hazel eyes (contact lenses, he noted) observed him in amusement and Sasuke realized he had been staring for far too long. He felt heat rising to his cheeks as he turned away in embarrassment.

It was at that moment that the other two decided to re-enter the place, sitting themselves on either side of Sasuke, sandwiching him in between them and their teammates.

"One miso pork ramen with an extra eggplant!" Teuchi called from behind the counter, placing the large bowl in front of the brunette.

"Thanks, man! Could we also get a bottle of sake with four dishes? These guys look like they really need it," Sukea requested, looking over to the stunned faces sitting beside him.

"No worries, it's on me," he added.

"Y..you are paying?for all four us"Sakura stammered.

"In exchange for letting me join you guys today," Sukea beamed.

Teuchi brought out the sake, along with four dishes, and began to fill them one by one.Naruto was the first to grab his, drinking it in one swift gulp.

Sukea raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Naruto, but he didn't notice because he was pouring himself another drink.

"He is processing," Sakura explained.

Once Naruto had finished pouring his third glass, Sukea raised his own glass in the air.

"To making new friends. I'm sure we'll get along splendidly," he called with a smirk.

By the time they had left Ichiraku's, the sun was hanging low in the sky, and the chill of evening had begun to settle into the air.

Sakura had already excused herself earlier in the afternoon, claiming to have a shift at the hospital, but Sasuke could tell she just needed some time to process Kakashi's newfound identity.

That left them with the remains of the sake and, somehow, one bottle had turned into two.

Soon Sukea and Sasuke found themselves heading back to the apartment, slightly tipsy, half-carrying a drunken Naruto as they walked.

"I can't believe this y'know. You're s'pose to be some kind of photographer or something. Like d'you even know how to take photos?" Naruto mumbled.

"How about we save the questions for a more private place. Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other," Sukea chuckled.

As they stepped inside, Sasuke dragged Naruto off to his bedroom and plopped him down on his bed while Sukea made his way to the sofa.

"Get some sleep. You've drunk too much," Sasuke said to the blond.

"Hmm. Sorry, but why are you so calm 'bout this, Sasuke?" Naruto slurred.

"Trust me, dobe, I'm just as confused as you are,"Sasuke replied.

When Sasuke entered the living room again, he stopped short.

His eyes met Kakashi's. Kakashi had now removed most of the disguise, except for the clothes. He was sitting bare-faced on the sofa.

It was almost impossible to avoid looking away. This was Kakashi. The real Kakashi. He was even more handsome than a god.

"It's alright," Kakashi said, sensing his shock. "Technically, you've seen my face already. And that wig and everything was getting pretty uncomfortable..."

Sasuke was speechless. He had only one question in his mind. The question had been bothering him since the day he had met the mysterious silver-haired ninja.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or the fact that Kakashi was staring at him with those piercing mismatched eyes, but he couldn't help the next words that slipped from his mouth.

"Why do you wear the mask?"

Kakashi let out a heavy sigh, but he must have been feeling the same way, so he actually gave an answer.

-"People used to say that I looked like my father."-

-"And you had a problem with that?"-

"My father was… he was a complicated man. He was an excellent shinobi, revered for his strength and skill with his blade. I always looked up to him. When I was six years old, he went out on a mission and was faced with the decision to either complete the mission and let his comrades die or save their lives and fail. He chose the latter. And was hated for it."

"Surely saving his comrades was the right decision in that situation. Why would the village hold it against him?" Sasuke enquired.

Kakashi straightened his back and his voice became detached, as if he were giving a mission report.

"In any other situation, it would have been the right choice. However, this mission had the potential to prevent the 3rd Great Shinobi War. Since it failed, the war started. Apparently, my father felt the weight of the village's hatred quite severely, as I found him in a puddle of his own blood in our home not a month later. He killed himself."

During his explanation, Kakashi's sharingan began to spin unconsciously at some point.

Sasuke remained still and watched the copy-nin with new eyes. He now knew that he and Kakashi were more alike than he had first thought. He was suddenly taken back to his childhood and the memory of his parents' dead bodies covered in blood.

"I didn't know…" Sasuke said weakly.

"There's no use in dwelling on it," Kakashi said as he closed his eyes.

A silence descended between them as they sat across from each other.

"We'd better get some sleep. I plan to train a bit in the morning," Kakashi said, standing up from where he was sitting.

When Sasuke looked up at him, he couldn't help but see a future version of the man.

"You're right. I still don't know how I'm going to get the dobe out of my bed. He passed out pretty much as soon as his head hit the pillow," Sasuke grimaced.

"Yeah, good luck with that. Good night, Sasuke." Kakashi said, closing his eyes in a smile. And this time, Sasuke was able to see how the raw, unobstructed expression lit up his features. So that's what he looks like when he smiles.

Sasuke allowed a small smile of his own. "Good night, Kakashi," he replied softly as the man walked away.