Kakashi was crouched above Konoha's gates before the hour was out; having successfully thwarted Tenzou's pestering tail with a strategically disobedient shadow clone. Now, if Naruto would just hurry up, he might manage to sneak out the village almost entirely unquestioned.
His jaw ticked as he adjusted the pack on his shoulders. I suppose I can appreciate how my tardiness might cause some irritation on occasion.
Kakashi didn't react as Naruto leapt up beside him similarly equipped and gaped, "Oi 'Kashi-sensei, you're early!"
Not wasting another moment, Kakashi levered himself off the side of the sandstone wall and landed in a graceful crouch, slowly stretching to his full height. The open road lay before him. His legs were seizing with the desire to run - he hadn't been this close to freedom in a long time. His fingers curled. He just never imagined the circumstances of his reprieve would be so... complicated. Feeling Naruto land next to him, Kakashi bit his thumb and summoned Pakkun, who appeared in a small swirl of smoke.
"Pakkun, I need to you track Sakura's scent outside the village for me." Ignoring canine's questioning look he continued, "If that fails, try Sasuke's."
"Yes Boss." Without a seconds' delay he sniffed the air and with a twitch offed out into the tree line.
"Kakashi what the hell is – "
"I'll explain on the way. Let's move out." He was gone before the words could land.
Naruto stood dumbfounded for a moment then pushed off after his vexingly vague former sensei, grumbling a string of curses towards the man in question.
They kept a steady pace bounding through the trees, attempting to investigate any signs of their missing teammates.
"So, you're telling me that Sasuke-bastard showed up in the middle of the night, requested you assign Sakura-chan over to him, and then just took her anyway?" Naruto reiterated between jumps. "The hell he's thinking?"
"That's just what I'm trying to figure out Naruto." Kakashi's voice was steady and calm. If Naruto didn't know better, he could almost chalk up his trivial tone as indifference, but he had long since learned to decipher his sensei's etymology.
Pakkun popped into view, striding alongside Kakashi, "We found something Boss."
"Lead the way Pak."
Naruto felt heat rise to his face, as he picked up the pace after them. "Hey Sensei. You think Sakura is okay?" he heard himself ask before he properly realised his irrationality. Sasuke would never intentionally hurt Sakura…not again.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure that once she realises what's happened, there will be a pretty trail of destruction to lead us to her." Kakashi sung back to him, presenting an almost-convincing eye crinkle.
Naruto shook his head free of the qualms that chewed at his mind and let himself laugh, "Do you think Sasuke knows she's going to put up a fight?"
Kakashi smiled at the thought, "I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough."
An array of orange, brown and white blurred into a clarity of treetops as Sakura came to consciousness. Her mind groggily attempting to piece together a stable reality, Sakura groaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position; acutely aware of the cold bite of snow making itself known on her skin, separately only by a vaguely familiar brown cloak wrapped around her.
"So you're awake."
Her senses sharpened to an almost painful awareness at the sound of his voice. Jumping to her feet, she ignored the scream of her muscles and onslaught of dizziness to face down her captor. Sasuke sat vexingly calm at the base of a tree, eyeing her with an impassive face that only succeeded in fanning the fire that was starting to burn with a vengeance within Sakura.
Not tearing her eyes off him for a second, she actively sent pulses of chakra through her body to detect any anomaly or injury that may have been inflicted during her comatose state. They may be friends now, but she was still a kunoichi, and he was still well… Sasuke. And he always had his own unconventional methods, especially when it came to his teammates. Relieved to find no evidence of injury she gritted her teeth and let her fury fly.
Snatching up his cloak from around her shoulders, she wound it up and aggressively hurled it at him. Stupid bastard will catch a cold standing there half-dressed. "What the hell Sasuke?!"
Her irritation swelled when he effortless caught the hurled material with nothing but an amused glance and slight smirk. Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch.
"I repeat. What the hell have you done Sasuke?" she ground out, fists clenching relentlessly at her side, waiting for him to give her a reason not to send him careening to the next village.
His stubborn, smirking silence soon outweighed her patience and Sakura channelled chakra to her fist and drove it into the ground, sending a shockwave of earth rippling towards Sasuke.
"I'm not in the mood for games Sasuke." She shouted fiercely, disappointed he was able to dodge her warning attack without a scratch. Although it did help to work out some frustration. 'Cathartic acts of violence', as her Shishou would say.
"I'm not trying to play any." Sasuke calmly defended, standing unmarred in the midst of the upturned earth and splintered trees; his smirk now gone, to her mild-satisfaction.
"Then tell me why I'm here."
"I didn't want to make you choose between me and Konoha. So, I chose for you."
Sakura blinked. What…? Just what?! What the hell was she supposed to do with that? Was he trying to be noble? Was he purposefully misunderstanding the phrase 'taking one for the team'?
An abundance of emotions surged within her and swinging a hand to palm her forehead in frustration, she muttered under her breath. "Of all the idiotic…!" This was the sort of behaviour she'd expect from Naruto, not stoic, absent Sasuke.
"I left a note. They won't blame you."
His words were becoming more incredulous. Sakura snapped her hand away to glare him down.
"I know they won't, because I'm taking you back with me and we're going to sort this mess out before it goes any further." This was ridiculous! She felt like she was disciplining a particularly troublesome genin.
"I can't let you do that."
"You can't stop me Sasuke." She bit back a dark laugh, daring him to try.
She saw Sasuke's head drop a fraction, releasing a small frustrated breath. "Sakura, Kakashi was never going to let you go." His voice held a vulnerability to it that Sakura would've once jumped to hear, but now it filled her with caution. What wasn't he telling her?
Her shoulders released from where they had been defensively set. Lowering her arms, she replied tentatively, "Sasuke, you don't know that. It's not too late though, we can go back and explain the misunderstanding –"
"I have no intention of returning. We don't have time for that." Sasuke was quick to cut her off, his voice hardened.
Her brows furrowed and she tried again a little firmer, "If we don't go back now, Kakashi will have no choice but to declare you rogue, and send a team after you, after me. You could lose Konoha; your home, your pardon, your friends… I don't think you want that."
"You don't seem to understand Sakura. I came to ask for your help, and I'm willing trade Konoha for it."
His revelation stunned her into an incapacitating silence. Her mind attempted to process the information again and again, but couldn't make sense of it. The hairs on her body stood to attention, and suddenly it was just her and him. A twisted irony of déjà vu washed over her as her mind floored her with memories of her failed plea to make him stay all those years ago. When she was willing to trade Konoha for him. What was going on?
Sasuke stood tall against the backdrop of destroyed earth, and yet she could see hints of his obvious fatigue and reticence. Prideful he was, it was an Uchiha genetic trait. But peeking through was that lost, twelve-year-old boy her genin self would've given anything to help. And looking at him now, perhaps she hadn't outgrown her adolescent quirks either – she still wanted to help him. A quiet sympathy took root in her heart for his clear desperation.
"Sasuke. With my absence they'll send someone after me. They'll track us down to stop us, stop you." Even if I wanted… hung in the air between them.
Sasuke's mouth twitched into a knowing smirk that put Sakura more on edge than she'd care to admit.
"I know. Why do you think we are stopped so close to the village?"
"Well I hope it is to say sorry for leaving such an uninspired goodbye note." Kakashi's signature drawl shattered their broken standoff.
"Shit, Sasuke! What are you doing trying to steal Sakura? Are you insane!?" a chaotic flash of orange came to stand between his two teammates, shooting murderous glares at his dark-haired rival. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto frantically grabbed her by the arms, inspecting her up and down.
"I'm fine Naruto, really." She reassured absently, flickering her eyes between Sasuke and Kakashi; the latter remained causally perched in a tree above them, maintaining his higher ground.
"Sasuke. I don't think you quite appreciate the headache you've caused me with your little stunt. Do you know the amount of grovelling and misdirection I had to employ to simply get out of the village?" Kakashi rubbed his temples in an exaggerated fashion before flipping himself off the tree to stroll towards his former pupils. Sasuke seemed to stand firm in his decision to invoke a vow of silence against the two newest arrivals.
Sakura untangled herself from Naruto and strode to meet Kakashi half way, "Kakashi, I know this must all look bad but – "
Kakashi cocked his head and smiled at her in a way which made her feel like a kid again. "Sakura, I'm glad you're alright. Please get behind me, I'm taking you home." His cheery tone punctuated his words with an eerie foreboding.
Sakura bit her lip and blocked his path. "Kakashi, wait." She held her ground against his perplexed stare and calculated her next words shrewdly. "We can fix this whole mess if you approve me for this mission. Let me accompany Sasuke, as per his request."
Kakashi challenged her resolve with his own. "I can't do that Sakura." There was no play behind his mask now.
"I realise you have your reservations Sensei, but I am willing to accept this mission, and it's risks."
"I am not."
He matched her stare with uncompromising eyes. Kakashi knew each of his students to be stubborn to a fault when they set their minds to something, and he was just praying that maybe this time, him putting his foot down could be enough. If not as their ex-sensei, then at least as their Hokage.
The forest now seemed devoid of all sound as they matched determination. Even Naruto with all his energy had become stilled by the unusual defiance of Sakura against Kakashi. Maybe if Kakashi was hiding some injury from her, Naruto could feel a bit better about the growing tension between them, as was so usually the case when Sakura was their medic. But he had no such luck here.
It was another long moment before Sakura spoke, "Kakashi. The first lesson you ever taught us was that those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash."
Kakashi stiffened. He already hated where this was going. Damnit Obito!
"Well Sasuke is asking for my help, and I will not abandon him." She continued with a fierceness to her that would rival Tsunade's. "But I would prefer to go with my Hokage's blessing." She added softly, her emerald eyes searching his for a glimmer of prospect.
Behind his mask, Kakashi's mouth twitched between pride and frustration that his own student was using his logic against him. An unfortunately expected move if he was being completely honest with himself. Of course such high morals would come back to bite him in the butt. That was just his luck, wasn't it? He took deep, steady breath in preparation for what he was about to do - this was not part of the plan.
"Very well. I will approve this mission on the condition that Naruto and I accompany you both as backup." He propositioned.
"Hell yeah! Team Seven reunited! Believe it!" Naruto burst with life at the mere mention, seeking approving reactions from his teammates.
"Kakashi?" Sakura breathed in protest at his absurd suggestion.
He held up a hand, stopping Naruto in his tracks. "That is, if Sasuke agrees." Kakashi turned all attention on the brooding fourth member. "What do you say Sasuke? Three for the price of one?"
Sakura didn't know who to look at. It was like she was living Naruto's fantasy – a long awaited reunion of Team Seven on a daring mission. But things were different now, had been for some time. It would never be as it once was, but maybe that was for the better? A small part of her felt almost... cautiously giddy at the notion, although it was hard not to with the way Naruto was practically vibrating beside her. However...
Sasuke stood silent for a long time, Naruto almost wondered if he'd even been listening. He watched him with expectant blue eyes, all but pleading him to agree. Don't screw this up for me Teme!
"Just don't get in my way."
That was good enough for Naruto as he bounded his way over to Sasuke and embraced his one-armed friend in a wholly unwanted hug. "So, what's this mission all about and why wasn't I invited, ya picky bastard?! Also, it's good to see you!"
Ignoring the commotion, Sakura turned her attention squarely on Kakashi and elbowed him swiftly in the stomach, taking satisfaction in the responding "oof".
"Kakashi!" she hissed, "What are you doing? You're the Hokage! You can't just leave the village unattended and without warning. You have a duty to Konoha. You can't just disappear! What will poor Yamato-taichou do? You know how he worries over you!"
Kakashi raised a hand to rub the back of his head as he continued to be scolded by his fiercest kunoichi. He offered a guilty smile. "And I cannot in good faith allow my best medic and precious teammate to go headfirst into a likely suicide mission without any backup."
Sakura gave him a particularly brutal huff and eyeroll she usually reserved for difficult patients – a club of which Kakashi was the undeclared president. At least he had the decency to act somewhat ashamed under her stare.
"But as for the Hokage part," Kakashi continued when he determined she wasn't going to hit him again, "I've got Tsunade covering both our jobs. She's remarkably well qualified for it, or so I hear."
Kakashi's dry charm disarmed her and she gave him a reluctant smile. "We'll need to buy her a bottle of sake each when we get back."
"Make that several." He craned his head back in anguish, just thinking about how he was going to break the news to Tsunade. Well, whatever she does to him in retribution, Sakura can theoretically undo but -
Sakura placed a hand on the length of Kakashi's arm and coaxed him to look down at her. "Thank you Kakashi."
Kakashi steeled himself against her grateful eyes. "Don't thank me yet, Sakura." He warned gently, "At the first sign that this is turning sour, I'm pulling you out. All of us out." He watched her face study his in reluctant acknowledgement, finally giving a slow nod.
Breaking her out of her out of her faint despondence he placed a large hand atop her head and smiled at her, "Think of me as your chaperone if you will." He said playfully.
Sakura predictably turned up her nose at his words, and tugged his hand off her head. "Kakashi, I am more than capable – " She began to lecture but he held up a hand and shrugged.
"Maah Sakura, it's not a question of your ability, merely the nature of the job." He offhanded causally.
Before she could say another word, a strong arm hooked across her shoulders and swung her around to face the offender.
"Sakura-chan can you believe it? We've finally got Team Seven back together again! And this time it didn't take a war; it just took you getting kidnapped!"
Caught in between Naruto's playful grip and his cheerful ramblings, Sakura couldn't help but accept the contagious optimism he exuded, and smiled along with him. Maybe for once things would play out as positively as Naruto always believed. It couldn't hurt to hope so anyway.
Kakashi loomed over Sasuke, as he sat grumpily readjusting his icy, twisted cloak from his earlier interaction with Naruto.
"Yo. A word, Sasuke?" his casual tone did little to hide the threatening undercurrents that swirled with dangerous certainty. "That was very clever of you. Pulling that little stunt and using Sakura to force my hand. Very cunning."
Sasuke rose to meet Kakashi's eyes. "I wasn't using her. I just needed to show her how far I am willing to go for this mission. She agreed of her own volition, no thanks to you."
Kakashi ignored his protest. "Abducting her outright would've caused too much commotion, and you couldn't afford to fight unwanted pursuits as well as her own inevitable return to Konoha." He tapped a finger on his chin, boring his eyes into Sasuke's.
"You knew I wouldn't send her alone with you, without proper details – which I will get out of you – even if you did both ask nicely. Having her there to witness that fact, well that might've been a pure stroke of luck. So, you stole her away, knowing I would be the one to follow, so as to avoid an uproar. And in the meantime, you somehow convinced her that the only way to save you from this mess was to force me to approve your very request."
Sasuke reacted with impassivity. "If I had planned this, do you really think you and the Dobe would be tagging along?"
Kakashi smiled. That was answer enough. "Oh, come now, you heard Naruto – it's a Team Seven reunion. Excitement all around." He waved a careless hand in the air. "After all these years, your teamwork skills have probably become a tad rusty."
Kakashi's smile reached his eyes as he saw Sasuke stiffen at his insinuation.
"Prove me wrong." He challenged, before tucking his hands behind his silver crop of hair and strolling after his team.