Sakura was pacing the room with a permanently furrowed brow as Naruto watched anxiously for stray punches, now reverted to his usual physique. The room was small, but functional; pretty much what he expected from the mediocre tavern. An ensuite, a tiny dining table and a sorry looking lamp. There was only one bed, and he just hoped that Sakura was going to work out her anger before they had to share it. She tended to aggressively hog the covers when she was upset.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" He ventured gently.

Emerald eyes shot to his and Sakura halted to a stop seeing Naruto's cautious concern. "I'm going to have a shower." She shot out with misplaced ire, turning sharply on her heel and closing the door with far more restraint than she had shown in the last 5 minutes.

Placing her hands firmly on the ceramic sink, she welcomed the cooling, solid feel. She cast her gaze over her reflection and seeing her creased brow and sharp eyes, let out a deep breath.

"Keep it professional, Haruno. Even if they can't." she grumbled to herself as she slipped off her cloak and tunic, ready for the therapy that only hot running water could give. "Bunch of dummies."

It wasn't long before Sakura stepped back into the bedroom, three times more relaxed and dressed in an oversized orange t-shirt which was undoubtedly once Naruto's. When she saw Naruto sitting on the floor with his back to the large bed, eating, she gave him a remorseful smile. He shook his head and shot her a tentative grin as she approached.

"Sorry about that Naruto." She said plopping herself down beside him.

"Don't worry about it. Kakashi-sensei dropped this off while you were in there." He handed her a bowl of surry identical to his own.

"Thanks."

They sat and ate in companionable silence and when the last of their bowls were cleared, Naruto knocked his shoulder against hers, raising his blond eyebrows.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Sakura regarded him with an appreciative smile and then scrunched up her face in frustration and dropped her head in defeat.

"I just don't get it." She breathed. "I have so many questions. Most pressingly, what exactly does Sasuke need from me? And why hasn't he just told us what this is all about? What's with all the secrecy? Does he not trust us or something? I'm trying not to be too upset with him, because he actually came back to us, and for help, no less. In a way I'm proud of him for doing that. I just wish he wasn't such an idiot in how he went about it."

Naruto snorted at that. "It somehow doesn't surprise me that Sasuke wouldn't know how to ask a girl out. To help I mean!" Naruto corrected hastily, but Sakura didn't even seem to notice.

"I mean, I'm happy to be here with him, with all of us together. But, I also would've been happy for him to come back not because he had to, but because he wanted to… But is that foolish and selfish of me?"

Naruto studied her, but remained silent.

"Maybe it's stupid, but before he left four years ago, he poked my forehead and told me I could come with him next time. And it felt different. Like a promise. Like something was starting, or maybe ending. But is this what he meant? He thought he was going to need my skills for something?" Her huff turned sombre for a moment and she caught Naruto's eyes, searching him for answers. "Before you and Kakashi-sensei showed up, he said he was ready to give up Konoha for me… Naruto, I don't… he can't… after everything?"

She dropped her head and stared at her lap in exhausted confusion. Rough fingers tentatively brushed against her chin, coaxing her to look at gentle, electric blue eyes. Naruto's heart caught as he saw the glistening of stubborn tears formed in Sakura's green eyes.

"Sasuke is a complicated guy." He began, barely louder than a whisper. "I don't want to speak for him, but he's always been one to fixate on one thing almost to the detriment of everything else. He doesn't know how to express himself in words, so his actions do the talking. And Sasuke doesn't do anything he doesn't mean… even if it hurts."

They shared a collective grimace, but Naruto continued after a moment. "I think it's important to talk to him after all this is over, get a clear answer out of him. You know Sasuke, he won't initiate unless it's challenged out of him. Sasuke loves to pretend he's always in control, but I actually think he's a little lost right now. But he came to you for help. Being around you might just help him find what is he's looking for." He finished softly.

Sakura forced back her tears and smiled at Naruto, searching for his hand and gripping it tenderly in her own. "You know, you can be pretty wise when you want to be."

Naruto laughed sheepishly, "Ne, Sakura-chan don't tell anybody or they won't let me get away with half the stuff I do."

"Your secret is safe with me, Naruto." Sakura dropped her head to rest on his shoulder, feeling a familiar contentment in his company. He was truly one of her dearest friends. She only wished she could've realised that when they were younger. How many years had she wasted pushing him away. If only she knew just how much their friendship would mean in her life. The place he would hold in her heart.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?"

"Mmm?"

"What's going on with you and Kaka-sensei?"

At his words Sakura's head shot up, narrowly avoiding giving Naruto a bloodied nose in the process.

"Wha-What do you mean?"

Naruto looked at her blankly. "Well, it's just that he's been acting kinda weird when it comes to you lately."

Sakura bit her lip. She wasn't even sure why she had such a reaction. There was nothing going on with her and Kakashi, except for a deep mutual respect, and a growing closeness of friendship. They had become closer over the years, with him becoming Hokage and her seeing him nearly every day for some reason or another. And they usually made a habit of non-work-related lunches every now and again, and surprising each other with much needed cups of coffee. And they'd certainly found kindred spirits in one another with their style of playful banter.

Maybe it was fair to say that most of the female medics were jealous that only she could perform his medical check-ups. But that's definitely not to say she was becoming increasing flustered by them over the years, especially when he brought their mischievous teasing play. It was just, Kakashi being Kakashi. And them having a harmless, platonic appreciation of one another. Right? Sakura gasped when she realised she hadn't replied and saw Naruto's calculating gaze. She didn't keep secrets from Naruto. But this wasn't a secret, because there was nothing going on.

Sakura shook her head clear of her disastrous train of thought. "There isn't anything going on Naruto." Was that disappointment in her tone? No, because there is nothing to be disappointed about. Kami, I'm a mess tonight! Sakura clenched her fists to stop from slapping her cheeks.

"We have a professional relationship." She stated. There was that word again. The only one that could keep her functioning at this rate.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you and Kakashi have history. You can't just throw that away because of his title as Hokage." Naruto complained, still trying to make sense of her strange reactions.

"I - I'm not. Of course, we have more than just a professional relationship. We are friends. Good friends. I'm just trying to say that we aren't any more than just good friends." She stumbled across her words the grace of a drowning genin.

"Alright, alright. I believe you. I just was curious." Despite his declaration of faith, Sakura didn't feel comforted.

Deciding that she'd had enough soul searching for one night she gave Naruto a light elbow and a challenging grin. "Okay, so how about you give me an update on you and Hinata? Last I heard you two were thinking of taking the next step." She teased with a playful smirk.

Much to her surprise and a little to her dismay, Naruto was all too pleased to divulge all the details and latest conquests of their relationship. Sakura couldn't help but blush at some parts and inwardly groan. Even Hinata is more decisive in her love life than me!

Kakashi stretched himself comfortably across the small queen bed, crossing one ankle over the other. His back rested lazily against the wooden headboard, and every so often his eyes would peek over his little turquoise book to stare at the rigid body stubbornly occupying the small dining table.

Sasuke had yet to say a word to him, aside from his brief thanks for the food. He simply remained there, tense and emulating one of his more iconic poses of 'mini avenger Sasuke' as Kakashi entertainingly dubbed him in his mind. This wasn't a particularly unusual scenario between the two of them, and Kakashi could almost take comfort in the familiarity of it. That is, if it wasn't for the fact that Sasuke had essentially made an attempted kidnapping of their own teammate and dragged them all blindly into an impromptu and potentially dangerous mission.

Kakashi let an audible sigh slip through his masked lips. Of course, he had long ago acknowledged the parallels between his old Team Seven and his new one. Naruto undoubtedly inherited Obito's optimism and exuberance. Sakura had Rin's compassion and heart written all over her (although he couldn't quite imagine Rin dolling out Sakura's ferocious brand of tough love). And that left him and Sasuke. The enigmatic, prideful, stick-up-the-ass teammate.

Except, Kakashi could say for certain he would never attempt to abduct Rin. He almost felt offended that Sasuke had attempted that with Sakura. He was making them look bad, damnit!

Kakashi flipped another unread page of his book. No, his kids weren't like him and his old team. They had all surpassed them. They were their own people, filled with their own strengths and flaws. Sasuke was not him. He'd learnt the difference between them long ago when Sasuke left… but that's water under the bridge now.

And Naruto is not Obito. Naruto could never be compared to anyone it would seem. He succeeds where everyone else would fail, Obito included. The kid was better than most, perhaps better than all of them. And then there is Sakura. Well, maybe in the beginning she reminded him of Rin. Soft, innocent, in need of protection. Perhaps once or twice in a moment of danger, Rin's face had eclipsed Sakura's and Kakashi felt a surge of panic so overbearing he could not help but later distance himself from her… them. But that was before, and this was now.

Now, Sakura held a very clear and firm space in his heart and mind. She was still soft, but it was in her gentle touch and smooth hands. She was not innocent; no ninja ever could be. But she achieved a level of purity in her ability to help and heal that not many could match. As for protection, well, she had used herself as a shield far more times than Kakashi was remotely comfortable with. She offered them all protection with her encompassing hands, her open heart, her strength. She was their home. If Naruto was the sun, and Sasuke was the moon. She was their sky.

And Kakashi was happy to just enjoy the view. Or at least he thought he was… He wasn't quite sure when that changed. Maybe when their weekly team dinners turned into monthly catch-ups, into 'whoever can make it'; and the only constant was Sakura, her too small apartment, and her increasingly palatable cooking.

Tenzou and Sai were often out being the best ANBU a Rokudaime could ask for. Naruto, swapping between wooing Hinata, being a diplomatic one-man-show and preparing for the Hokage hat. And Sasuke, initially a quiet, reluctant constant, what with his probation. But then he was free, and with his freedom came distance.

So, it was Him and his Sky. The Rokudaime and his Medic. Kakashi and Sakura. And wasn't that just poetic that once again they were the last two members of Team Seven left standing alone, together again. Like fate had better things to do than be creative. No matter, he was feeling nostalgic enough to wax poetic for the both of them at the moment. Call it sentimentality, or his Icha Icha influence, but he was feeling lyrical. His team. He was proud of them.

Naruto, the Sun. Bright, powerful, providing. But capable of such heat and intensity, he would surely burn you if you get too close to his radiance. Life-giving, and warm. He chooses to nurture when he could otherwise scorch. He is their gravitational pull to goodness.

Sasuke, of course, the Moon. Multifaceted, magnetic and mysterious. He reflects the Sun, as though he could never exist without him. He's unequivocally there, except when he disappears from your sight, swallowed by the dark, and you're left waiting (hoping) for his return. But he'll always be there, a quiet guardian, against the night.

Kakashi, himself is the Clouds – the Storm, the Lightning. A humble protector, until he's destructive and tumultuous and a force of nature on his own. Some days it's as though he does nothing, just a fixed playful company. A friend; distant but there. Other days he disappears completely; dried up, evaporated, absent. Until one day it's too late and he's become a rage of dark purpose, soaking the earth and scoring the sky.

Sai is the Wind. Quiet but present. Slipping in between the cracks, to observe and absorb the whispers, the shouts and carry them carefully on his breeze into silence. He rides out the storm, the heat, the cold. Or he rises to face them, join them, support them. He is a warm hand at your back, or a brisk blast to your face. You don't realise how much you miss him until he's not there, and the air is still. Stale.

Tenzou would always be the Earth. Solid, reliable, there to catch you when you fall. He takes the good with the bad. He swallows up the floods of rain and shoulders blistering sun, and then makes something beautiful out of it. He creates, where others destroy. He accepts, where others flee. He is as strong in his convictions as he is in his making. Stable and firm.

And Sakura, the Sky, holds them all together. She connects them all to one another. She weathers them and gives them a place to stay. She carries the Sun and his intensity, she cradles the Moon and his cycles. She stretches to meet the Earth and gives the Wind space to fly. And she embraces the Clouds, understands his duality. She helps them all work together to co-exist, to thrive.

Kakashi didn't realise how far he had disappeared into his musings, until he caught sight of Sasuke exiting the bathroom and towelling off his damp hair. Huh. Guess this time I really did get lost on the road to life.

Snapping his book shut, Kakashi decided it was time to get down to business. "So, are we ever going to discuss this mission, or should I tell the others just to be content that we have the honour of blindly tagging along?"

"Hn."

Such a typical Moon response. Kakashi could almost roll his eyes. "Look, Sasuke, we're here now. Whether or not you planned it, we're staying, so you might as well tell us what it is that's got you so worked up."

He saw the tension leave Sasuke's body in a huff. One onyx eye met his own and for a moment, things were still. Kakashi took the moment to note just how tired Sasuke looked. Perhaps this whole event was weighing more on him than Sasuke let on.

Sasuke was surprisingly docile in his response. "Your presence remains unwelcome. But seeing as you and the dobe are as stubborn as Sakura, I have no choice now."

Kakashi leaned forward, inviting him to continue. Sasuke turned to face him completely and rested casually against the dining table. Relaxed yet alert.

"I've been coming across rumours of a new threat rising in the north. A growing band of missing-nin preying on small civilian villages. I didn't think too much of it at first, they have their own shinobi counterparts to deal with those sorts of things. But then I heard a name being frequently linked to them. Orochimaru."

Kakashi's brows furrowed. "But, he's dead."

There was something in Kakashi's tone that caught Sasuke's eye, almost a question, almost a warning. Sasuke held his gaze for a moment, but then continued.

"Right. But these missing-nin, whoever they are, have been trying to find something of his. Something he apparently left behind in one of his hideouts. They seem to think it will grant them what they need to become unstoppable." Sasuke held back his bitter laugh.

"Do you believe Orochimaru had something like that?"

"We didn't exactly share everything with each other." He said darkly, "But I have no doubt that he died with a great deal of weapons and secrets left to be uncovered."

There was a pause. "I've found what they've been searching for."

Kakashi's ears pricked.

"I trailed a couple of them and came across it in one of Orochimaru's lesser known abandoned bases. There was nothing there except a seal. A complicated one."

"A seal? Sakura isn't a fuinjutsu expert. Why are you so adamant you need her? Do you anticipate the seal is guarding some sort of medical weapon?"

Sasuke didn't answer for a long moment, and Kakashi found himself growing increasingly restless.

"I believe this is a conversation that concerns Sakura."

"What are you hiding Sasuke?" Kakashi heard himself growl.

"We will discuss it tomorrow with Sakura." Sasuke spoke with finality.

Kakashi had tried not to dwell too deeply on Sasuke's sudden infatuation with Sakura, nor his own drastic reaction to it. For now, he would stand adamant that he was merely feeling protective of his pink-haired medic, as her former sensei, current Hokage and as her close friend. Kakashi didn't have it in him to delve any deeper than that right now. Couldn't. Wouldn't. Ugh, if Obito could see me now…

Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek, mulling over his options. "Well, seeing as you're being so secretive, you owe me another piece of information in leu."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you begin with why you're all but flaunting your identity in such a dangerous establishment? If you're putting us in danger, we need to know."

Kakashi could visibly see the frustration play across Sasuke's face as he debated on telling him. Eventually the last Uchiha seemed to come to a decision, although highly grudgingly.

"I don't know who, but I know someone has been keeping tabs on me. For what purpose, I am unsure. Only that they seem invested in me as an Uchiha. They have otherwise kept their distance. I've been selectively leaking my identity in order to track their spies and movements in turn."

"That sounds reckless Sasuke." Kakashi admonished, "And what if you've been attracting even more attention to yourself? Freely giving out information to any number of potential threats?"

"I am more than capable of handling myself. They will only know what I allow them to know. If I am able to flush out more threats by extension, then all the better."

"Except now you've dragged Naruto and Sakura into all this."

At this Sasuke's eyes seemed to flare short of the sharingan. "Why do you think I insisted you all wear a henge? Besides, it wasn't my idea for you and Naruto to be tagging along. I was trying to keep you out of it."

"This can't end well Sasuke." Kakashi quietened.

"I'm sure by that time you will have separated me from Sakura and Naruto, like you so plan."

Kakashi had to hide his shock at Sasuke sounding so openly bitter and defeated. Sure, he and Sasuke had been butting heads a little in the last 48 hours or so, but he hadn't intended to appear as though he was wanting to separating him from the team. He doesn't. He was just trying to watch out for… his team… Shit. I'm a terrible ex-sensei. Kami, where are my diplomacy skills now? Shikamaru would surely shake his head at him if he could see this. He wasn't sure if it was more for his own benefit or for Sasuke's that he tried to lighten the mood with a dash of levity.

"It's amusing you think they will still listen to me once they learn you are purposefully painting a target on your fanned back." Kakashi softly teased, easing back into his reclined position, despite keeping a keen eye on Sasuke.

Sasuke let out a defeated and knowing huff. "Then we must agree to keep this part between just the two of us."

He raised a single silver brow. "You want to lie to them?"

"No, I want to protect them… This part, it's not part of the mission, so it doesn't concern them. And that's how I want it to stay." Sasuke stumbled out uncomfortably, but there was no mistaking his determination.

So, the kid still defends his bonds… in his own convoluted way. The Moon loves his Sun and Sky. Geez, I'm getting carried away with this. Kakashi shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke seemed to be back on solid footing with his next command. "Will you swear to me you'll not tell them, Kakashi? I mean it. They'll be no stopping them if they decide to try and dissuade me from my quest, or worse help me." There was an exasperated sniff here. "They're already at threat by simply being my teammates. Anything more…" Sasuke stilled, tipping his chin and casting his eyes to the side. "I won't risk them anymore than I have to."

For a moment, Kakashi caught a glimpse of himself reflected in Sasuke. The shouldering of burdens that only those who truly know the shadows are familiar with. The impulse to protect by separation. That horrible, mistaken nobility. Oh, how he was familiar. And for once, he could understand Sasuke a little again. It hurt more than he anticipated it to.

"Fine. For their sake. Even though I don't agree, I will not be the one to tell them."

"Thank you… Kakashi."

Sasuke left it at that, turning his back and absently pulling a chair to lean against the wall. Kakashi observed as he bundled up his cloak to put behind his head and then closed his eyes. The Moon once again trying to hide its face from the world.

Kakashi let a small rueful smile cross his lips as he picked up a blanket from the bed and made his way towards his raven-haired teammate. Casually dropping the blanket in Sasuke's lap, Kakashi stopped to appreciate his startled response, before walking to the bathroom and closing the door.

Well, the beauty of Clouds is that they are not bound by day or night. They go where they want, they shield who they can. They're not afraid of the dark. So maybe Kakashi could spend a little time with the Moon. He, out of everyone knows how lonely it can get up there.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Finally, we get more of an idea of what Sasuke's deal is, but there is still more to come, rest assured. There might be a wait on the next few chapters, with life never stopping. But I will try my darndest to get them out as soon as I possibly can. Stay safe and happy reading everyone!