Ninety-six hours after Sakura had been taken into custody, she was released.

It was not without fanfare. They knocked her out so she couldn't memorise any of the pathways of where she'd been held, and by the time she came to, she was in the hospital.

The doctors treated her with clinical efficiency, resetting her thumb and reapplying gauze and bandages. The second they left the room, she allowed her body to hit the bed and passed out.

She didn't dream, for which she was grateful. The past week would no doubt show up in new nightmares, and the Mind Walk had only made things fresher in her memory.

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but for the first time in ages she felt well rested. Even the hospital beds were more comfortable than the cot she'd been using in the camp.

"Sakura!"

The familiar voice jolted her out of her thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see a flash of blonde hair, before she was smothered in a hug.

Sakura clutched Ino tightly, relief seeping into her bones.

When they finally pulled back, Ino scanned her head to toe, scrutinizing. "How are your injuries? They wouldn't tell me how bad they were but if you're still here they must have been nasty."

"They're fine." Sakura promised. "The worst of them have been healed, and I'm just under observation for 24 hours in case something goes wrong."

Ino pursed her lips. "Well, that doesn't mean you have to stay in bed the entire time, does it? There's got to be an outside courtyard or something. I'm already going crazy staring at these tasteless walls."

They managed to get directions from a nurse, and found themselves on an outdoor bench, shrouded by trees. It was a nice day, and Sakura enjoyed the wind on her skin after the countless hours she'd spend underground.

"Here," Ino said, handing her a rice ball. She'd brought a basket that was filled to the brim with food. "A gift from Chouji." She'd explained.

Sakura devoured everything put in front of her. She'd barely eaten on her trip back to Konoha and had been given ration bars during her stay in the cells. It made her feel human in a way that not even the shower and change of clothes had.

"My dad has been pretty tight lipped about the whole situation, but from what I can tell, you're basically in the clear." Ino informed her. "The Shimura clan might cause a hissy fit, but they can't do much. Just watch out for them as much as you can."

Sakura nodded, already preparing for the retaliation she might face. There wasn't much they could do to her at this point, was there? She didn't have a permanent place to live, or anything valuable to take. There was very little she had to lose beyond her title as a shinobi and her life.

"There's going to be an investigation into your files being messed with too." Ino continued. "Even if they don't find the culprit, you should be able to access your gear allotment from now on."

Sakura nearly dropped the onigiri she'd been holding. "I-what? I didn't-" Sure, she'd complained about it to Ino, but she hadn't mentioned anything to Inoichi or anyone who was like, in charge of anything.

"You didn't have nearly enough gear on the mission." Ino said matter-of-factly. "My dad figured it out from there. After the whole Ishino thing, he's been extra careful about stuff like that."

Oh. That was-huh.

"Have you heard anything about where I'm going to be assigned next?" She questioned. "I don't really have a team anymore…"

Ino shook her head. "I haven't heard anything. You'll probably be placed on another chuunin team, but…" She hesitated.

"What?" Sakura asked, gut churning.

"There have been a lot of…incidents surrounding you." Ino said delicately. "Not that any of that was your fault, but there have been a lot of ruffled feathers. You might be posted outside the village so you're out of the way. Something like border patrol."

Out of sight, out of mind, huh? Sakura mused bitterly. It would be a tidy little clean-up, and allow the clans to be pacified. At this point, she wouldn't doubt it.

"I'll mange either way." She said. "I've done it before, and I can do it again."

Ino looked grim. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

"-preposterous! Never in all my years-"

"-cannot seriously be considering going through with this. They'll-"

"-refuse to allow this to happen. You have gone too far-"

Tsunade allowed the shouting to wash over her, taking an idle sip of tea.

Then, she placed the cup gently on the table.

"Enough."

The room went silent.

"I have already made my decision." She said calmly. "Within two weeks, we will send an envoy to Kirigakure to begin talks for an alliance. I expect all of you to do your diligence and help make this a successful endeavor."

The Council looked like they wanted to protest again, but wisely kept their silence. Having a meeting with the Elders and all the Clan leaders was a headache at the best of times, much less when she was proposing something as dramatic as this.

"I will leave the appointment of head diplomat in the hands of the Elders." Tsunade continued, fighting to keep a grimace off her face. Compromise was necessary if she wanted anything done. "And I will leave the composition of the accompanying shinobi up to the Commanders."

At least she wouldn't have to worry about that aspect. The Rank Commanders were a lot less irritating than the Elders, and actually respected her.

"Are there any questions?" She asked.

There was no outburst this time, but the tension in the air lingered. Finally, Tsume broke it.

"We already have an alliance with Suna, even if it's on shaky ground. Why are we reaching out to Kiri?"

"It was actually Kiri who first approached us." She'd been keeping that tidbit to herself. It looked better from an international position this way. "And we need the allies, now more than ever. Kumo and Iwa have been pushing harder than ever since the Invasion, and Orochimaru is still a threat."

Last week's disastrous mission had more than proved that. Almost an entire chuunin squad gone and valuable resources wasted on the aftermath.

"Kiri is still weakened after its civil war, so they won't be able to bargain from a better position than us." Shikaku mused. "As far as potential allies with actual weight behind their name, they're the best option we have."

If nothing else, she could rely on the Nara to be logical. "It's very simple, in terms of practicality." She said. "We both have things to offer each other, and as long as neither of us are too blatant with our espionage, we can create a mutually beneficial relationship."

Koharu's words were spoken with deliberate neutrality. "There has not been an alliance with Kiri in all of Konoha's history. This is an unprecedented decision."

"As is Kiri reaching out for an alliance to begin with. These are unprecedented times." Tsunade smiled. "The question remains; will you change with them? Or be swept away by the tides."

When Ino and Sakura made their way back to her hospital room, there was already someone waiting there. Or, well, someones.

"-Hana said she'd be! You were literally standing next to me when she told us."

The following voice was dry. "Perhaps you navigated us poorly. It wouldn't be the first time you've gotten lost."

"First of all, fuck you, that was the middle of a marketplace and those places are nightmares for tracking, second, her scent is all over this room. She's been here recently so you can-"

"Let's not fight," A soft but firm voice interrupted.

After taking a quick glance at Sakura, Ino cleared her throat. "Can we help you?"

Team 8-or well, Team 8 and Shino, now that he was a chuunin-spun in unison. They looked surprised to see them in the doorway, and more than a little embarrassed.

As expected, Kiba took the first steps forward. "We heard you were here and wanted to check in on you." He said without preamble.

Sakura blinked, but quickly schooled her expression. "I'm doing better," She said vaguely. "Most of my injuries are healed."

"That's a relief," Hinata said, shoulders slumping in relief. "I'm sorry about your team."

Sakura's looked away. "Yeah, me too."

The other side of the room flinched.

Ino narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, positioning herself just the slightest bit in front of Sakura. This was probably the first time they'd seen each other since their…fight probably wasn't the right word, but it was something. A disagreement of sorts.

Sakura didn't need to deal with this right now, and if Ino had anything to say about it, she wouldn't.

"It was nice of you guys to drop by!" Ino said with false cheerfulness. "We should probably head out though, Sakura needs all the rest she can get, and I already talked her ear off."

From their expressions, they could tell she'd trapped them, but weren't able to get around it without starting something. If they insisted on talking to Sakura, they would look like they didn't care about her, and by lumping herself in with them, she removed any excuse they might have had to linger.

A very neat verbal victory, if she did say so herself. Her father would be proud.

"You are welcome to join us for training, when you are healed and available." Shino said quietly. "Why? Because your company is always pleasant."

"And we miss hanging out with you." Kiba tacked on, clearly much more comfortable with admitting and talking about emotions than his counterparts. "Don't be a stranger."

They all awkwardly shuffled around until Sakura was back onto her bed, and Team 8 was out the door.

Ino went last, sparing Sakura one last look. "Get better soon!" She said with enthusiasm she didn't feel.

Sakura's lips twisted into something almost amused.

Kakashi surveyed the pile of corpses clinically.

"They're all accounted for, plus a few extras." Gaku Inuzuka said grimly. "The scent trail leads back to Otogakure."

And they were in no way supposed to enter that territory without express permission from a Commander or the Hokage. Not with the tensions being what they were. They were already too close to the border as it was.

"I gathered the identifiers." Harika Aburame chimed in, rolling up her scroll. "Most of the teeth were intact, and I obtained a few blood samples as well."

At least they could give closure on the rest of Team 43's deaths. The apple orchard hadn't been pretty but without confirmation they couldn't be sure about any deaths.

Finally, he looked away. "Good. Head back to our meeting point and start doing a tear down. I'll remove our traces here."

Harika and Gaku nodded, and just like that they were off.

Kakashi cracked his neck and turned his back on the pile of corpses.

"You can reveal yourself now."

There was no rustle of leaves when Kabuto stepped out of the bushes, nor did the grass crunch beneath his feet.

"As expected of Kakashi of the Sharingan." He said, the light glinting off of his glasses. "Though I am surprised you sent your compatriots away."

"I'm more than enough to handle you." He said coolly, allowing his hands to drift near his pouches.

Kabuto chuckled. "I suppose you are. However, you must refrain from getting too excited. I am only present as a clone."

Kakashi had figured as much. "Why are you here at all?" He asked. "Shouldn't be you busy playing nursemaid with Orochimaru?"

The insult didn't make him so much as twitch. "He is perfectly capable of functioning without my full attention. A village doesn't run itself, you know."

So Kabuto wasn't just a valued spy, but actually had sway within the structure of Otogakure. Or was at least pretending to.

"As for why I'm here, well, I recently discovered that you were having a bit of trouble with some intelligence you gathered. Seeing as it would be in everyone's best interest to avoid another large-scale conflict, I've brought a gift."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How generous."

Kabuto pulled a scroll from his pouch and tossed it lightly. Kakashi caught it cautiously, using half his attention looking for traps on it, and the other half on Kabuto.

"It should provide proof to debunk the more serious false claims. Enough to avoid a war, if nothing else."

Kakashi tucked the scroll into one of his pouches. "And I suppose you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

"Sharing this isn't a zero-sum game for me. I get mine, and you get yours." He smiled. "Isn't it easier to get along?"

There was this easy amicability to him, and Kakashi could see how he'd functioned as a spy for so long.

And yet-

Four ANBU. An entire stadium asleep. A councilman in a coma.

"Don't expect our next meeting to be so peaceful." Kakashi said evenly. "You are still a traitor to Konoha."

Kabuto laughed. "Oh, but it was a traitor to me far before I became a turncoat. Loyalty is a two-way street, is it not?"

Before Kakashi could respond, Kabuto gave a mocking wave and released the technique. A puff of air was all that remained of the clone.

Well, shit.