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This time, when they met Sai, he hadn't attacked Naruto the day before. It was probably due to Naruto being at the compound all night. But everything else went about the same.

And though she knew Sai meant her nickname affectionately in time, hearing him say it bluntly as his first impression resulted in the same outrage it had in her old life. She thought she moved past most of her spurts of violence-- truly, she's much more mindful now-- but the honesty behind Sai's words sparked a rather violent outburst.

"What did you just say?" She shouted and Naruto hurriedly wrapped both hands around her waist to stop her from completely demolishing Sai. She continued to yell things about manners and how that wasn't something he just said to someone until Yamato cleared his throat.

She stopped fighting Naruto's hold and faced their new captain with a pure look of distaste on her face. It matched Naruto's and was the stark opposite of Sai's oblivious and rather fake expression. Her best friend kept a protective arm around her and pulled them back a step when Sai stepped forward.

Sai would become someone she cherished deeply. Sakura knew this.

Sai was currently not that someone and she was utterly irritated.

Yamato laughed nervously, taking in the obvious division between them and Sai. "We're heading out for a mission that should span a week. It could take up to two if things don't go well. Prepare your bags and meet at the gates in twenty minutes."

Sakura replied with a firm yes and nudged Naruto's side until he also mumbled an agreement. Sai nodded and disappeared.

"C'mon Naruto, we told Mikoto we'd see her before we left," Sakura told him, breaking herself away from his hold. She heard Yamato let out a breath of relief when they turned around. "We might be able to catch Sasuke-kun before he leaves for Tsunade's office."

"Can't believe I prefer Sasuke's brooding over whatever that guy is," Naruto said with a frown, looking over at her. "He's blind too, Sakura-chan. You're easily the prettiest person ever. Actually, wait-- okay, don't take this as an insult because I promise it's not. But remember Haku? He was like, insanely pretty. But he's dead, ya know? So, you're the prettiest alive person ever."

Sakura laughed at Naruto's ramble, feeling much better than before.

"You know, he sorta resembles Sasuke-kun," Sakura said and amended herself when she saw Naruto's incredulous expression. "The dark hair and eyes."

"I guess," He reluctantly agreed and made a face. "But Sasuke's a lot cooler than him."

When she leaned forward to see his face better, Naruto's eyes shot open in panic and he looked at her. "Wait, no! No, you can't tell teme I said that, Sakura-chan! Promise me!"

Sakura let him stew in anticipation for a bit before she giggled. "I won't tell him."

"Okay, good," Naruto said, locking his hands behind his head. "I mean, at least Sasuke has eyes. And he has some manners. Only some. He rarely uses them, ya know? But he has them."

"I'll be sure not to tell him that, too," Sakura joked in a light tone. "You two would probably get into another one of your screaming matches."

"We don't have that many fights," Naruto muttered and when she raised her eyebrows, he conceded. "Okay, we do but we were kids before! I'm so much more mature now!"

"Okay, Naruto," She said, nodding her head.

Naruto mumbled that she sucked at lying and she laughed at that. Sakura always did suck at lying, especially to her boys. It's why she always tried to tell the truth. In this life, she was guilty of lying by omission, but it was for the sake of her mission. Perhaps that was the only way she'd manage to lie.

"So what's up with the Uchiha elders wanting to talk to you?" Naruto asked after a few moments, glancing at her when she shrugged. "Sasuke gets really weird whenever it's brought up. Weirder than normal"

"Well, if he ever tells you, let me know," She requested, thinking about her last conversation with the elders. Of course, she didn't mind it, but she hated the way everyone in the Uchiha compound behaved when the last assessment came around.

"Sasuke-kun just tells me when they expect me to be there," Sakura told him truthfully. "I've gotten out of it so far because of missions or medical emergencies." She scrunched her nose and looked at her best friend. "Though, I'm not sure how much longer that'll work for me."

"Does Shisui-nii know?" Naruto asked. "He'll tell you anything if you want him to."

"He says that Sasuke should be the one to explain it to me," Sakura replied bitterly. "I already tried that whole guilt thing with him. He made Itachi-nii cover for him and disappeared on me."

Naruto whistled. "Yikes, Sakura-chan, that's how you know it's serious. Since Shisui-nii got Itachi-nii involved, ya know?"

"Once we find out who's targeting Sasuke-kun, I'll ask him," She said, turning to face him when he frowned. "What?"

"Teme tells you everything," Naruto stated bluntly as they turned into the Uchiha district. "I wonder what's got him all. . . ya know, secretive. There's like two things in the world that make Sasuke get all weird. Actual emotions and his inferiority complex."

Sakura stayed quiet for a minute before she breathed out a quiet, "Huh."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto agreed, nodding with her when they opened the doors to the head house. "Weird."

"Sakura-chan? Naruto-kun?" A voice called out and they both responded with that it was them.

"You didn't forget to see me," Mikoto said warmly, coming around the corner with two bags. "I was hoping these wouldn't go to waste."

"We always see you before a mission," Sakura responded, taking one of the out held bags while Naruto took the other. "We didn't miss Sasuke-kun, did we?"

"He's still in his room," Mikoto answered, before her eyes lit up as she looked at them both. "Oh, Naruto-kun, I completely forgot to give you something yesterday! I know it's rather late but you were meant to get it when you turned fifteen. You haven't been home long enough since you got back for me to give it to you. Come with me!"

He barely had time to take his shoes off when Mikoto placed a hand on his arm. Naruto stuffed his bento into Sakura's hands when Mikoto pulled him along, his confused expression particularly comical. She took off her shoes and made her way to Sasuke's room.

Sakura didn't even need to say anything, his door was open and she was sure he heard her and Naruto arrive. She leaned against the doorway and gave him an innocent smile when he looked up from his seated position on the floor. There were some weapons placed in a specific order on the ground. It was his pre-mission inventory check; a habit he picked up from Itachi. Though, it looked as though he had only just started.

"What are you carrying?" He asked, eyeing the bags in her arms. She looked down and maneuvered one of them until he could see the Uchiha crest. "My mother made you and Naruto bentos."

"It's not a surprise," She replied, standing straight when he got up. "She makes them whenever we go anywhere."

"But why are you carrying both?" He asked, coming over to take them from her hands and set them on his desk. "Naruto has hands, doesn't he?"

Sakura shrugged, moving past him to sit next to where he had just moments before.

"Don't you have a mission?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, but nonetheless sat next to her and resumed the process of taking his weapons out.

"We have about five minutes before we need to head to the gates," She answered and took the senbon he handed her. She placed it where she remembered he always did. "I thought we'd miss you for sure."

"How's my replacement?" He questioned, maneuvering his bag between them so they could both sort his weapons.

"Blunt," She said truthfully, glancing towards him when he raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't seem to know how to interact with actual people. And he doesn't have manners. Yet."

"Yet," Sasuke repeated, watching her as she nodded.

"I'm sure he'll come out of this mission slightly more attuned to the people around him," Sakura said knowingly, and handed him a weapon that belonged over on his side. "Know anything about the mission you're going on?"

"No," He told her in a bitter tone. "I was just told to show up with a bag packed for two weeks this morning."

As his frown seemingly etched itself into his features, Sakura bumped his shoulder lightly.

"It's not going to be that bad," She assured him and though his grimace didn't lighten, his narrowed eyes softened considerably when he met her gaze.

She felt herself melt a bit at the expression. Part of it reminded her of a very painful memory. But the other part, the other part made her face warm up and a familiar emotion bubble within her.

"I never said it would be," He defended and she laughed lightly. She missed the way his attention drifted for a moment at the sound.

"No," She agreed in a quiet voice, her gaze inevitably flickering downwards from his eyes before she looked back up. "You didn't. But that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"Oi, Sakura-chan, teme!" A voice yelled and Sakura giggled when she saw Sasuke's eyes narrow into a deadly glare. Naruto appeared in the doorway, holding something out to the both of them. "Isn't this neat?"

He held out a three pronged kunai, the handle wrapped in an inscription that she thought looked incredibly familiar. Had it been something she saw in one of her textbooks? Perhaps they covered it in the Academy?

"Mikoto says she got it from her best friend," Naruto continued, plopping himself on the other side of the weapons on the floor. "And that it would protect them should they ever need it to. Apparently, they talked about it one time and they, uhm, had this whole talk or whatever that, uhm, they hoped they wouldn't need it until all their kids were at least fifteen."

He scratched his head, looking down at the object with confusion. "I didn't really get everything Mikoto was saying; she was talking pretty fast. But she said because I was the baby of all of us, she wanted to give it to me!"

"It's a kunai," Sasuke stated dully, raising an eyebrow at the object in Naruto's hands.

"I swear I've seen that before," Sakura said with furrowed brows, staring at the weapon. "I just can't remember where. But Mikoto's best friend gave it to you?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically and held it up for them to see. "Yeah!"

Mikoto once revealed that her best friend was Naruto's mother. And she had been married to the Fourth Hokage. She knew Naruto saw his father during the Pain attack in her old life and his mother when he learned to work with Kurama. But other than that, she knew very little about his parents. Everything she knew was about his parent's love story-- not the way they battled or fought.

The Fourth Hokage was legendary, though. He was said to be the fastest shinobi alive in his time-- a fact Shisui said regularly over the years in a particularly wistful tone. Could this be a part of his signature move?

She eyed the inscriptions and saw the markings a bit better. Her eyes widened at the realization that this was definitely a kunai that once belonged to his father. There was no other explanation.

"Do you recognize it?" Sasuke asked and she only managed to contort her features once again, like she was attempting to still decipher its origins.

"A textbook," She answered, before she sighed and moved to get up. She grabbed both bentos from Sasuke's desk. "We should go, Naruto. Sai and Yamato-taichou are probably waiting for us."

"Ugh," Naruto groaned, getting up with her and took the bento she held out to him. "You should be happy you weren't there, teme. I think you might have murdered him."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked between the two, both of them irritated once again.

"He called me 'Dickless'," Naruto told him, nervously looking at her and continued when she pointedly stared out the door. "And Sakura-chan. . . 'Ugly'."

Sasuke wasn't caught off guard very easily, but Naruto's words obviously threw him off, if his surprised and confused look said anything. Of all things to say, he clearly didn't expect that to be their first encounter with Sai. She shook her head and muttered dark threats under her breath as she started for the door.

"Seriously?" She heard Sasuke question quietly.

"I know, teme," Naruto said behind her, and she heard him clap a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I know. He doesn't know he was talking to, like, the prettiest girl in the world."

Sasuke huffed behind her, and though she didn't see his face, a part of her believed he agreed with Naruto.

"You're leaving?" Mikoto inferred as they stopped to put their shoes back on. She gave them both a quick kiss on the cheek and held her hands together. "Be safe. I know you two will be successful."

"Hehe, of course we will!" Naruto said with a large grin, nudging her side to push her through the doors. "We gotta go! See ya, Sasuke! Don't miss us too much!"

She managed to halt Naruto's poking long enough to smile at Sasuke and Mikoto. "We'll miss you. Good luck on your mission, Sasuke-kun."

"Be careful," Mikoto said and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"Don't be stupid," He advised her and she laughed at his words before she swatted Naruto's hand away.

"I'll watch out for him," Sakura said, nodding towards Naruto and elbowed her best friend when his poking resumed. "Why are you all jittery? I thought traveling made you more mature."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, glaring at Sasuke when snorted.

Sasuke's amusement calmed down and he looked at the both of them with a very serious expression. "Have each other's backs."

"Always," She said with a smile and Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

"Promise!"

"Come in," Tsunade called after he knocked on the door. He made his way inside and stood silently until she looked up at him. "Oh, good. You have perfect timing."

"What's my mission?" Sasuke asked, watching as the Hokage sighed and waved her hand.

"You two can come in now," She said in a tired tone and suddenly, he was flanked by two others. He knew exactly who it was when an arm was thrown over his shoulder.

He shrugged it off immediately, glaring at the guilty party.

Shisui grinned. "Hey, squirt."

"My mission is with you two?" Sasuke asked, noting that both his brother and cousin were wearing their green vests, as opposed to the normal ANBU gear he saw them in.

"I've heard you're difficult to get along with if you don't trust your comrades," Tsunade said, drawing back his attention. He frowned but didn't refute the statement. "And this was the only way I could get the village elders and your clan to agree with giving you a mission that spanned more than a few days outside of the village."

"I'm being placed on a team with two other Uchiha," Sasuke said slowly. "And the Uchiha have been targeted numerous times over the past few years. This is safer than allowing me to go confront Sasori's spy?"

Tsunade merely shrugged. "Your cousin and brother both have a 'Flee on Sight' warning attached to them. Naruto is being pursued by the Akatsuki and Sakura, as my apprentice, has confidential knowledge of the Leaf Village. Quite frankly, Team 7 is more of a risk together than anything else. Your seamless teamwork with one another at this age has convinced the village elders not to disband you three."

"We're a weapon in their eyes," Sasuke stated bluntly and Tsunade frowned.

"To me, you three have potential," Tsunade told him truthfully, folding her hands together on the desk. "To be the greatest force the shinobi world will ever see. And you are no longer children. You are shinobi of the Leaf and it's time those old geezers found the ability to believe in Konoha's sprouts. They view each of you as a hidden weapon to use when war threatens to break out again. This was the only compromise on the table, kid. Take it or leave it."

Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we won't embarrass you too much."

"As if you could," Sasuke bit back, pushing his cousin's hand away.

"The mission?" Itachi asked, causing Sasuke to drop his glare on his cousin and look back towards Tsunade. The Hokage sighed and reached back and placed a hand on the wall. Sasuke felt the disruption of chakra and thought it blanketed the room, but he wasn't particularly sure.

She then turned back to her desk and opened a drawer.

"Thank you, Itachi," Tsunade said, throwing a scroll towards Sasuke. He caught it, looking at the item for a moment before he glanced back up. "You two know the drill. Scout them when you figure out where the latest place was and infiltrate if you deem it worthwhile, Itachi."

Shisui plucked the scroll from his hands, looking it over with a grim expression. "We're testing it, huh?"

"Shikamaru and Sakura have both approved its prototype," Tsunade replied, crossing her arms and not bothering to hide her displeasure. "Sakura said you'll be able to work it the best."

"She tailored it for me?" He asked doubtfully, a small smile forming when Tsunade nodded. "Sakura-chan did learn genjutsu from me, so I guess it's only natural that I'm the best candidate to test it."

"Are you concerned about it?" Itachi asked in a soft tone, watching the Hokage carefully.

"If it works, it'll become a forbidden jutsu," Tsunade said plainly. "You both understand its risks."

"If Sakura-chan thinks it's necessary, then you know it is," Shisui told her, looking over at them after he pocketed the scroll. "Time to go."

Sasuke only managed a nod, not sure at all about what just happened. He wasn't sure where they were going, what they were scouting or what the hell that scroll meant. And how Sakura was involved in making something that could become a forbidden jutsu? She barely remembered to eat during her packed schedule. When did she have time to create something of that level?

The three of them started for the door, both older Uchiha oblivious to his troubled expression. The entire exchange was odd.

"Sasuke," Tsunade called and he turned back. "Stay close to your brother and cousin. You're the best suited of Team 7 for stealth missions. Don't prove me wrong."

Sasuke nodded once before he walked out of the door Itachi was holding open for him.

"This is our first official mission together," Shisui commented, grinning at Itachi. "Can't say I expected this to ever happen."

"You requested that Sasuke come with us," Itachi pointed out and Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't expect them to actually listen to me," Shisui responded incredulously. "No one besides Sakura-chan does."

"What does Sakura have to do with that scroll?" Sasuke asked and both boys grew silent. His brother and cousin shared a knowing look before his brother decided to answer.

"We'll explain when the time comes," Itachi said in a low voice. Sasuke opened his mouth to question him about the secrecy, but his forehead was suddenly poked with two fingers. "Sorry, but not right now, Sasuke."

Shisui whistled, holding in laughter when Sasuke's cheeks became tinted with pink. "I haven't seen you do that in ages, Tachi."

Itachi smiled while Sasuke's frown deepened.

Sakura had been wrong. It was already that bad and he haven't even left the village yet.

"Whatever."