A meeting with the Regimental Commander right after an hour-long walk under a scorching hot sun was not what Shikamaru considered a good time even under the best of circumstances, but he had to go along with it, whether he liked it or not.
He should have anticipated that when he saw Baki waiting for him at the gate long before his arrival.
Baki walked with him to Gaara's tent even though Shikamaru knew exactly where it was, having been in charge of its placement after all. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the morale support, as well as having a witness to his last seen location in the event of his untimely demise. The jonin flared his chakra in front of the tent flap, then lifted it a few seconds later.
Gaara was at his table, his gaze lifted to meet the arriving shinobi's as he drew his attention away from the copy of Kakashi's mission report that he was previously reading and re-reading. Mini-Katsuyu was perched on the back of his chair - an oddly amicable position for the slug summon to be seen in, now that Shikamaru considered it.
"Thank you, Baki."
The jonin nodded politely, then walked backwards out of the tent, leaving Shikamaru alone with the Regimental Commander.
"Have a seat, Shikamaru," Gaara waved a hand towards the chair across the table.
That he had invited Shikamaru to take a seat meant that their discussion was to be a long one, and that made the Nara prodigy bite his lip in weariness.
Before the Kage's returned from their seclusion, Shikamaru had been running back and forth between the rebuilding encampment and the War Headquarters, sometimes more than once a day (generally at dawn and dusk, to avoid the heat of the midday sun); Secrets were not so easily stolen if they were only spoken face-to-face. That was how he was informed about Orochimaru's offer several days ago, and had spent hours conferring over the matter with his Hokage.
Gaara turned the scroll that he was perusing towards Shikamaru, then jabbed a finger at it, "Is there a good reason why we are not sending our men out to locate the Gedo Statue?"
"The same reason we never did anything to the tree that Yamato was imprisoned in: it simply cannot be destroyed."
"Suppose it can be found," Gaara steepled his hands as he pondered the possibilities aloud, "Even if we cannot destroy the Gedo Statue, surely there must be something else we can do with it. Can we not seal it away in another dimension?"
Ah. So the Kazekage was aware of the abilities that certain dojutsu kekkei genkai users held. That in itself was not a surprise, as Shikamaru had learnt over the past half a year as his second-in-command that Gaara was a consummate reader and acquirer of knowledge (Gaara was a close second behind Sakura's obsession with obtaining knowledge, though neither were a match for Orochimaru).
"If Obito did not walk among us, I would have said it was possible, and even suggested we do so," Shikamaru scrubbed a hand through his hair, annoyed at the foiling of his plan by Yet Another Uchiha, "Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan allows him to enter a separate dimension that he called 'Kamui', and since access of that dimension is unique to him, sealing the Gedo Statue away in there should have been the answer to all our problems.
"However, Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan was a gift from Obito, which means the now-alive Obito has access to that same dimension as well. And even if Obito was dead, we would have to destroy Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan for good, to ensure that no one would be able to access that dimension ever again."
"An eye for world peace sounds like a fair exchange to me, but I see your point." Gaara frowned, somehow knowing that his suggestion would come to nothing. "The only other dojutsu capable of accessing an alternate dimension would be the Rinnegan, of which we have no wielder of in our alliance. And once again, that is something Madara has access to as well."
"If it was so easy to resolve the situation with the Jyuubi, we wouldn't be having this discussion," agreed Shikamaru.
"So," Gaara folded his arms across his chest, scowling as he said, "We cannot destroy the Gedo Statue or the Jyuubi, neither can they be moved to a dimension so they cannot harm us anymore. And right now, Naruto and Killer Bee-san's hands are tied, because Madara and Obito have hidden the Jyuubi away for it to strengthen before he unleashes all hell upon us. Do I have everything correct?"
"Pretty much. Two Jinchuuriki against the amalgam of all nine Bijuu are not good odds. Especially if the Jyuubi has Madara and Obito as its backup."
"We are simply sitting on our hands, waiting for our deaths, then?"
Gaara's brows were knitted together as he spoke, the helplessness of their situation suddenly manifesting as an infinitely heavy burden on his shoulder.
"Forgive me, Kazekage-sama, but I would not think you'd be one to give up so easily," Shikamaru voiced in a low tone, unnerved by the aura of defeat that Gaara was giving off.
Gaara did not reply, and both men sat in a tense silence for what felt like oddly stretched hours.
Until Gaara suddenly lifted his head, jade-green eyes blinking in realisation as he asked, "A Jinchuuriki dies if the Bijuu is extracted from him, correct?"
Shikamaru nodded, not certain if it would be wise to point out to Gaara that the exact scenario he just mentioned had happened to him. Of course, the Fifth Kazekage's death was a temporary one; Still, he did perish when Shukaku was ripped from his physical vessel.
And just as suddenly, Shikamaru sat up straighter in his chair.
"Tsuki no Me can only be carried out if they wield the Jyuubi's powers, and there are two ways for them to do that - compel it through Wood Release, or absorb it to become a Jinchuuriki. If it is the former, Yamato-san or hopefully Hashirama-sama could try to counter it. If it is the latter scenario, and we waited until then to take the Jinchuuriki out, we could effectively kill its vessel, and the weakened Jyuubi can be sealed away if Orochimaru is able to get Hashirama-sama to use his powers on him."
"Of course, we would not want to wait for either scenario to occur if possible. Should the First Hokage is able to seal away the Jyuubi before a Jinchuuriki is created, all the better," Gaara nodded, then he turned to the side, brows furrowed once more as he muttered, "This all hinges on Orochimaru fulfilling his end of the bargain, doesn't it?"
"Yep, we are totally at his mercy," Shikamaru rubbed at his forehead, acknowledging the highly unfavourable situation that they had found themselves in.
The entire shinobi world was now banking on the ability of one treacherous Sannin to resurrect the dead, so that they would have a chance for peace.
In the end, the entire Allied Shinobi Forces was nothing more than canon fodder.
Both shinobi sat in silence, but eventually, the redhead's stoicism was too much even for Shikamaru to bear. They were in an extremely disadvantageous situation, their options very much limited.
"I will give this more thought, Kazekage-sama. I think it will be prudent to discuss this matter with my father, to see if he has a different view of things," Shikamaru rose from the chair, hand stuffed in his pocket to hide his restless fidgeting.
Gaara's reply was a quiet grunt of acknowledgement, and Shikamaru bowed before exiting the tent.
Once his Proxy Commander's presence faded away into the distance, Gaara leaned forward, hanging his head over the table as he clenched his fists.
"I have sent tens of thousands of our generation's finest to their deaths, for no reason other than to be chattel for Akatsuki to murder." An almost pathetic-sounding whimper punctuated the end of Gaara's beratement while he gritted his teeth, eyes squeezed shut in frustration in recognition of the lives he had condemned.
He was the Regimental Commander, and his officers never once challenged his orders to send shinobi out into the field.
He had, in effect, signed the death warrant of every single shinobi lost to this war. And all others to come.
So caught up in his self-flagellation he was, that Gaara had forgotten about the mini-Katsuyu moving above him. He definitely did not expect the slug summon to drop wetly onto the top of his head, a trail of slime trickling behind his ear as she wiggled about, tousling his hair as she did so. His Ultimate Defence must not have registered Katsuyu as a threat, as no sand stirred within the confines of the tent.
"Don't be foolish, Kazekage. Did you think the might of the Kage's and two Jinchuuriki's alone would be enough against Akatsuki's army of White Zetsus and the resurrected undead?" Katsuyu crept forward enough to peer down into Gaara's eyes, as he lifted his own gaze to the top of his head enough to catch a peek of crossly-waving tentacles.
"You who stand above all others in Sunagakure should know this better than anyone else - that the responsibility for peace rests not on any one man's shoulders. Everyone has a part to play in order to secure it, because unless all are aligned in the vision for it, the world would continue to exist in turmoil. You were chosen as the Regimental Commander, because the shinobi needed your optimism and unselfishness. We have no use for a commander from the older times when children were ordered out to die in the trenches. You have inspired all of us to keep fighting for the hope of a better tomorrow, and we are all grateful for it."
Gaara carefully shook his head to avoid dislodging the slug, muttering, "For months now, all I have done is send shinobi out to be slaughtered."
"So young, so innocent," there was mirth in Katsuyu's voice, "You have clearly forgotten that you are all shinobi, and your lives are at the command of your Kage's. In your case, Kazekage, your life is the Daimyo's to command.
"Is there a difference between sending out Suna-nin on missions, knowing that all it takes is the cruel hand of fate to have their corpses returned to you instead of their mission objective? The number of shinobi at your command is far greater than you'd ever know as a Kage in peace times, but the result of the act is still the same."
The slug summon slithered to the side of Gaara's hand and dropped onto his shoulder, and Gaara turned to face her.
He was not expecting her to lean towards his cheek and press against him in a motherly manner, and the unexpected tenderness of the contact made him freeze in place.
"I have seen every war this world had to offer, Kazekage. No war is pretty, but this is the first war that I feel a sense of hope for. For the first time ever, every shinobi is allied against a common enemy, fighting for a peace that everyone wants. Our councils and sometimes even the Kage's themselves will continue to scheme, but that is more out of human nature than true malice.
"In the end, we all desire what is best; Not for any one individual, but for the entire world. And we are all willing to die for it. So no, Kazekage, you never sent anyone out to die. We all walked willingly towards it for the greater good."
With nothing else to say to the Regimental Commander, Katsuyu stilled and sat quietly on his shoulder as he replayed her words in his head. The silence that hung between them was more amicable compared to when he spoke with Shikamaru, but it still took time to break.
"Thank you, Katsuyu-san," Gaara gave her a gentle smile, and started reaching up to her.
"Please don't pat me. My tentacles are sensitive," the slug arched away from his hand.
"Of course. My apologies."
Feeling the weight on his heart lifted somewhat, Gaara decided that it would be prudent to get some paperwork done while Sakura was away. The last thing he needed was for her to get wrapped up in helping him with village matters and sidetrack his plans for tonight.
Which was why a flare of chakra outside his tent made a spark of irritation run through him, until he placed the owner of said very familiar chakra.
Lifting the tent flap, he was greeted by the sight of his former student standing just a little too close, and he side-stepped to create a bubble of personal space for himself.
"Matsuri, it's been a while," Gaara greeted his former student cordially, reflecting back a hint of a smile towards her much wider one as he stepped out of his tent.
"Gaara-sama, you don't know how happy I am to see that you are well again." Matsuri looked ready to rush forward, and it was only when she took note of his guarded stance, arms crossed behind his back, that she shrunk back into herself.
"I won't lie to you. I was quite badly hurt, but Haruno-san performed her duties admirably, and I am back in fighting form once again."
The flicker of annoyance in her dark brown eyes at the mention of Sakura's name did not escape Gaara's notice.
"It pains me to even have to suggest this, but perhaps Haruno-san isn't quite up to the task? She did not appear to have helped you fortify your body against physical harm, thereby leading to your injuries."
That was a very strange thing to hear from the kunoichi; His personal sand provided his Ultimate Defence, and the only thing anyone could do to help him strengthen it was to aid him in building up his chakra reserves so he could engage in battle for an extended period, something which Sakura had been doing (much to his distaste).
"That's not how my sand works. There was no failure on her part when my defences were destroyed by Madara."
"I was referring to how she had drained you of your physical strength, Gaara-sama," and there was definitely a fierce blush on Matsuri's face all of a sudden, "While we understand that the Kazekage is entitled to keep a lover, she should at least be aware of his responsibilities, and not burden him with her lust."
And this was no way a topic that Gaara had ever hoped to be broached by a kunoichi, especially one that was his former student. The flush on his face made him appear embarrassed at being caught in a shameful act, but in reality the colour was due more to his inner rage.
"Matsuri," his tone became clipped, cold, "Do not speak of Haruno-san in such a manner ever again. She is the apprentice to the Hokage, and a respected kunoichi to whom I owe Kankurou's life to."
"Of course, Gaara-sama, I meant nothing ill against Haruno-san," Matsuri bowed low apologetically.
Gaara watched the kunoichi stay bowing, and he commanded her to straighten her stance when she did not seem ready to stop bowing anytime soon.
"This is unlike you," he commented, seeing her eyes dart away from him, and it made him feel guilty for reprimanding her, "Haruno-san is a very dear friend to Suna, and she has performed admirably as a medic-nin since the war began. I want her to feel welcomed amongst the Suna-nin, and not to feel like her every action towards me has to be scrutinised for shortcomings."
"Gaara-sama, I am so glad to see you're well!"
Gaara decided that this was to be the refrain for the remainder of the day, as a dark-haired kunoichi came up beside Matsuri. It would be something that he would have to get used to.
"Yukata," he nodded towards the newcomer.
"I was wondering, because Matsuri told me something and I just cannot make sense of it," Yukata brought a finger to her chin, "But isn't the Kazehime supposed to be a virgin? Like, she cannot even take part in the Trials if she isn't pure?"
Quite oblivious to Gaara's wide-eyed look of surprise at the change in topic, she continued, "You have been sleeping with Sakura-san, so that means she cannot become the Kazehime, right?"
He was going to personally beat both Obito and Madara to death with his bare fists, Gaara swore. The downtime his shinobi were experiencing had no doubt allowed their minds to wander into places they should not be focused on, and that especially included his tent and his matrimonial future.
"Of course, there is also the issue of her not being from Sunagakure, so that's two strikes against her, correct?" Yukata asked with genuine curiosity.
"What brought this on?" Gaara's question was voiced in a curt tone.
Before either kunoichi could answer, Katsuyu stood a little higher on Gaara's shoulder and tilted her head at them. Her action caused the kunoichi's to finally notice her, and Matsuri shrunk slightly in recognition of who the slug was.
"As far as I understand, the issue surrounding the requirement for the Kazehime to be a virgin dates back to older times, when the purity of the bloodline had to be absolute. The Kazekage did not need to be raising a bastard with a claim to the throne after all. Now that we have scientific means of discerning a child's paternity, I do not think that requirement has been taken seriously in at least a generation," Katsuyu then turned towards Gaara, waving her tentacles in a somewhat menacing manner, "Isn't that right, Kazekage?"
All three shinobi stared at the slug summon in stunned silence for a full minute at her sudden outburst of knowledge; Katsuyu no doubt heard from Tsunade about the problems that Sakura would face when she had to confront decades of traditions, and must have made the logical conclusion to some of Suna more outdated practices.
It was very good reasoning, to be fair, and Gaara found himself nodding to it.
"Yes, that is indeed true. The worth of a woman is not tied to her chastity, though she may choose to protect it in accordance with her own values. She does not need to answer to anyone whether she chooses to part with it or not," Gaara added, "Whether the Kazehime is pure of body, I don't consider that an important factor in her qualifications. There are more important duties a Kazehime has to perform, after all."
Even if there was a part of him that was absolutely screaming at him to take what Sakura had been offering as of late.
But the prospects of losing her, or accidentally impregnating her in the middle of a war stayed his own desires. Although the chance was slight, Gaara knew better than to bet against fate, especially if there were already others scheming against them both.
Yukata, finally realising who Katsuyu was, stepped forward to bow to her. "Namekuji-san, thank you for healing me on the battlefield the last time. My arm would still be in a cast if you didn't heal the break so quickly."
"You're welcome, but I cannot take the credit. It was Sakura who summoned me, and I syphoned off her chakra to heal everyone that day." Katsuyu was quick to reject the gratitude, and instead smoothly redirected it towards Sakura; Who was no doubt about to face an onslaught of hostility from Gaara's kunoichi fanclub, if she was reading the room correctly.
"In that case, I must thank Sakura-san personally later," Yukata smiled at the slug, completely oblivious to Matsuri's air of malice that openly clung to her.
"There is also the issue of Haruno-san being not Suna-born," Matsuri reminded everyone, her chest starting to heave under strained breaths.
"There is no such law," Gaara replied firmly, and a part of him warned that he was nudging Sakura's head closer and closer onto the chopping block with every word he spoke, "That the previous Kazehime's were Suna-nin was just by happenstance. We are part of the great shinobi world now, united as one. I will not let such small-mindedness limit my own happiness."
Yukata openly pressed both hands to her chest, her expression becoming serious as she said, "Gaara-sama, you deserve to find happiness no matter where it is. If you find it with a foreign kunoichi, that's wonderful. If you find happiness with a powerful shinobi like Uzumaki Naruto, that's just as wonderful, too!"
"I'm not sure Naruto would agree with that, but I appreciate your open-mindedness, Yukata," Gaara tried valiantly to shove away the image of Naruto in Sexy Jutsu which did nothing for him except to cause mental distress; The first time he saw it, he had been startled speechless. Naruto considered it a rare victory against the redhead when in reality, Gaara was simply too flabbergasted by the frivolous nature of his friend's jutsu. But then again, Naruto had an almost infinite supply of chakra at his command; He could afford to use it for a prank or two.
"Of course! Gaara-sama's happiness is our happiness, too!"
It was painfully obvious that only Yukata held that sentiment, as Matsuri's expression darkened the further the conversation went on.
"If there is nothing else, I must return to my work now. I hope you both will continue to dedicate yourselves to our joint cause, and give the Allied Shinobi Forces the same amount of effort as you would to Sunagakure." A quick reminder of where their loyalties laid, and what their minds should be focused on as Gaara drew away.
"Of course, Gaara-sama," Yukata bowed, and a moment later, so did Matsuri.
When Gaara re-entered the tent and the sound barrier fully enveloped them, Katsuyu said, "That kunoichi is going to be a problem."
"Yes, I know she feels something for me. I always knew ever since I took her on as a student that she held a deep admiration for me. I had wrongly assumed that it was merely that, and not an infatuation that eventually led to her becoming the president of my fanclub in Suna." If the slug summon had any eyebrows, they would surely have crawled up to the top of her head by now, and she waited patiently for Gaara to continue.
"However, if she has the time to spend fawning over a shinobi, she should instead be using it to better herself. After all, the title of Kazehime is conferred upon the most powerful and capable kunoichi to emerge from the Trials, and not simply bestowed through the Kazekage's favour."
Katsuyu nodded, and muttered with a foreboding edge to her voice, "The only village to deny the title of Kage to a woman, and the only village to test the worth of a kunoichi before she is deemed worthy of the Kage. We are going to have words about this after the war, Kazekage."
That sounded strangely like the Hokage was speaking through the slug summon, and all Gaara could do was to voice his agreement to the matter.
"Indeed."
Slouching over while dripping wet, naked, and stemming blood from a fresh cut that was dangerously close to slicing into her cervical vertebrae was not something that Sakura ever anticipated herself doing, but here she was doing it, anyway.
She was supposed to be heading to the medic base for work, when a tree suddenly toppled against one of the newly-erected guard towers. Rather than wait around for her fellow shinobi to break it apart to be hauled away, Sakura instead picked it up with both hands and hurled it away from the camp. It flew in a graceful arc over a distance of a little over a kilometre before crashing noisily into the forest.
It was nothing out of the ordinary for her to do, as she used to apply her superhuman strength towards assisting others back in Konohagakure. However, the reactions of those around her ranged from shock to outright stupefaction.
"H-Haruno-san! That was amazing!"
Her vocal admirer turned out to be a Suna-nin under Kankurou's Puppet Brigade wielding an outsized, four-armed armadillo puppet; And whoops, she realised - she just stole the man's work from right out under his nose.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…" Sakura held her hands up, an apology readied for stepping out of turn.
Instead, the puppeteer grinned and jabbed a thumb backwards and boldly asked, "If you're not too busy with anything right now, Haruno-san, can you help us with clearing a couple of trees away? We were hoping to set up a few more guard towers, and we don't need a repeat of this incident!"
"You idiot!" A brown-haired shinobi came up behind the puppeteer to tug on his collar, and he purposely whispered loud enough for Sakura to hear, "You are trying to rope the Regimental Commander's girlfriend into doing menial labour? Are you insane?! You're going to get us all killed! She's got better things to do with her time than to slum it out with us doing construction out here!"
For good measure, the brunet shinobi turned towards her and spoke in a clipped tone, "Haruno-san, forgive Ozuki's stupidity. We will not be wasting your time any further."
And there it was - the jealousy that she had feared her closeness with Gaara would inspire. In the eyes of some shinobi, they saw her as too good to be working among them, obviously thinking of her as little more than someone playing nurse and bedmate to the Regimental Commander. It also lent some credence to Shikaku's theory that there were those out there who resented her for supposedly distracting their Regimental Commander from his duties, and that she was the reason why they had yet to defeat Akatsuki.
"Oh no, it's no trouble at all. I have completed all my tasks for today, and was just going to put in some hours with the medic corps," Sakura plastered an overly-sweet smile on her face as she approached the two shinobi, posture slightly bowed to make herself appear smaller, "I will be more than happy to assist with removing some trees. After all, the Allied Shinobi Forces need to work together so we can achieve our common goal."
The brunet shinobi wrinkled his nose in confusion at the overwhelming politeness from Sakura, while his puppeteer friend Ozuki smiled as if there was nothing amiss.
"See, Arashi? Cute, kind, and hardworking!" Ozuki elbowed his friend in the ribs, then he turned his attention back to a blushing Sakura to give her a flourished bow, "If you'll be so kind as to follow me, Haruno-san."
That was how Sakura ended up spending the next two hours as she moved from one guard tower building location to the next, uprooting and hefting away overgrown trees and stumps that kept these towers from being erected. She had put on her most charming smile that she used on particularly grumpy patients, reassuring the surrounding shinobi that it was definitely no trouble at all for her to do this.
The presence of an adorable animal companion which came in the form of the sand-cat helped as well. Especially when it gathered up stray twigs and branches as it turned itself into a tiny sand cyclone, cleaning up the soon-to-be construction sites efficiently.
In the end, even Arashi had to shake her hand for a job well done without complaints, and she left to the sound of the cheering shinobi team for whom two hard days of work was effectively done for them.
"Kazekage-sama is so fortunate to have such a capable girlfriend!" One shinobi said a little too loudly, and that caused a group of nearby kunoichi to glare her way.
Which was not what she needed at that moment.
What she really needed was a proper shower, to wash the evidence of her exertions off her. Aside from sweat, trees tended to shed leaves and other debris that now clung to her like a second skin. If she wanted to take up Gaara's offer tonight, she would not present herself in this state of disarray.
The last time Gaara's hand had strayed and tried to acquaint him with the most secret part of her, she had jolted in pure surprise at the heat his touch had caused to spark in her veins. She had been too shy to bare herself completely to him, the translucent swimsuit a flimsy barrier between them, while he seemed at ease with the state of his physical form; Years of hearing how massive her forehead looked and how flat her chest appeared was giving her a sudden case of nerves once more.
Would he like what he was going to see?
And how far were they going to go, with the limited privacy that the camp offered? Was she willing to give herself to him among all their friends and family within spitting distance?
Perhaps that was why she had tried to coax him into joining with her during their brief respite in the Land of Waves. Cocooned in a world so removed from the war, they could give each other their full attention and did not have to worry about being spied on (Baki had promised that his ANBU understood discretion, no matter what Temari implied).
Still, she very much welcomed his touch, if she was being honest with herself.
And if he was open to reciprocity tonight, she would not mind familiarising herself with him as well.
With that highly inappropriate thought in her head, Sakura arrived back at their tent to retrieve a change of clothes. For a brief moment, she panicked over if she should flare her chakra to announce her presence, or if she should just dart into the tent and rush right back out with her things.
Sakura was all but certain that Gaara could see the very unladylike thoughts in her mind, just by looking at her.
In the end, all that fretting was for naught, as Gaara was not in the tent. He must be off attending to other matters, and the absence of mini-Katsuyu indicated that he had taken the slug summon with him as well. It all pointed to him being at a meeting with either the War Council or his officers. With the sand-cat settled to sleep on her pillow, she made for the shower facilities.
It was around the middle of dinnertime when she reached her destination, and there were only a handful of stragglers left in the showers. One learnt early on that if you did not want to be served the scraps from the bottom of the pot at mealtimes, you had better be among the first. So these kunoichi's must have resigned themselves to the fact that they would not be getting the choicest portions already.
She undressed herself, once again picking a storage cubicle that was not too close to any occupied ones to store her clothes in. Wrapped in a standard-issue towel, she picked a shower on a side that was not in use, and made sure that no one was looking her way before she took it off to hang it on a nearby hook.
The first blast of water from the shower was always frigid, no matter what time of the day it was. Combined with her desire for modesty, the cold water usually convinced her to clean herself quickly and efficiently before heading out.
However, Sakura was facing an overwhelming urge to make sure that she was extra clean today.
The less she analysed why she wanted to practically scrub her skin raw, the better.
While methodically digging out dirt from under her nails, she was seized by a sudden, unbidden thought:
What do I do when Sasuke returns?
There was never any doubt in her mind that someday, her wayward teammate would finally see sense and return to the village. Failing which, Naruto would make sure that he dragged the last Uchiha back, kicking and screaming and Susanoo-raising. In the past, whenever she envisioned Sasuke's return, she would always be standing at the gates of Konohagakure, arms behind her backs while her fingers twisted between themselves in nervous anticipation.
In those visions, never once was she involved in his retrieval or return - the last time she tried, Naruto paid the price for it. And when she was even younger and dreaming of Sasuke's homecoming, she had thought herself too weak to be included.
So always it was thus - Sakura standing at the gates, watching the shock of raven hair approach the village while flanked by Naruto and Kakashi.
In her most childish fantasies, she would rush headlong into Sasuke's arms, and he would enfold her into an embrace that would be wholly out of character for him.
In her fantasies after her failed attempt on his life, he would hold her at an arm's length, beg her for her forgiveness, and then fall to his knees asking for her hand.
As mentioned, those were fantasies.
Now?
The war saw to the end of her girlhood. As a medic-nin and a kunoichi, she had seen scenes more gruesome than any human had business of being confronted with, and more soberingly, she had to stitch those wounds back together with her bare, chakra-laced hands. She could not afford to have her mind clouded by emotions as she moved from one life to the next, her decision on who to treat and in what order sometimes having irreversible outcomes.
Lately though, her mind had been preoccupied very much by a certain red-haired shinobi. Never in a thousand years would she have thought of being the pursued instead of the pursuer, and yet here was this man - this Kage - courting her as he wooed her through flowing conversations and gentle smiles. He made her feel like a woman in the softness of his touches, and in the same breath, made her feel like a kunoichi with the way he discussed strategies and politics with her while entrusting her with missions.
Haruno Sakura had fallen head-over-heels in love with Sabaku no Gaara, Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure.
And that love had devoured all the place she had inside her heart for Sasuke, leaving only a spot for him inside of her as a cherished former teammate. Nothing more and nothing less.
When Sasuke returned, he would have to be content with a smile from her, and perhaps a well-deserved punch right in the kisser. But there would not be a lovesick Uchiha Sakura waiting for him anymore.
That was her last thought before everything went to heck.
Sakura barely felt the hint of killing intent in the shower before she instinctively swerved to one side, and there was a white-hot flare of pain that burst from under her skull as she did so.
Spinning around on the wet tiles, she crouched low to present a smaller target to her attacker, and her eyes widened at the sight before her.
Two kunoichi's were flanking her, both looking close to her age. The one who had struck her was holding a bloodied kunai, her short auburn hair almost black from the water that Sakura had accidentally flung at her. They had one enormous advantage over her in this situation immediately, being completely dressed and armed. So unless Sakura had a secret weapon stored somewhere on her naked flesh…
They both darted soundlessly towards her, the auburn-haired kunoichi readying for another strike while her blonde friend with a pigtail held a length of garrote taut between her hands. Sakura could make out a series of sharp spikes in the exposed portion of the wire stretched out that would slice and stick under her skin, and her adrenaline skyrocketed at realising she could very well face her death today.
Deciding that the garrote-wielder had to be neutralised first, Sakura raced for her towel. She barely managed to snag it with a finger before she was forced to slip out of the way of a swung kunai that barely missed her arm. Sending chakra into the soles of her feet to steady herself on the slippery tiles, she swept around behind both kunoichi's in an instant.
The blonde kunoichi tried following her movements, and that was the mistake Sakura needed her to make. With her grip on the garrote slackened by her turning arms, it gave Sakura the chance to complete the circle that she was making around both kunoichi's; The towel was tossed over the garrote, and she immediately clamped both hands over the now buffered wire to forcefully yank it away from the blonde.
But her blonde attacker still had her friend, and Sakura was forced to let go of both the towel and the garrote to dodge a series of strikes aimed at slicing her torso open. Her movements sent her clambering into a corner of the showers, leaving her trapped as she held a hand over the cut on the back of her neck.
That was how she had ended up in this position of helplessness, as the blonde kunoichi threw the shredded towel over her head and tightened her grip on her weapon.
"Not too bad a fighter, Haruno. I can see why you have caught the Regimental Commander's eyes," the blonde kunoichi tossed her head back, flipping her pigtail over her shoulder as she did so, "It certainly can't be your body that kept his attention."
Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes, her temper reaching a boiling point as she snapped, "Is this how it is always going to be? Are you attacking my physical appearance because you think that is all it takes to seduce a man?"
She dragged out the syllabus on that one word, and noted how both kunoichi's faces reflected a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Taking their moment of distraction, she quickly sent a pulse of her chakra outwards in the direction of her tent, hoping to alert either Kankurou or Temari. Her action did not go unnoticed, as the auburn-haired kunoichi suddenly flung a kunai at her, glancing across her deltoid and cutting a thin streak into her skin - a warning shot.
"Don't even think about summoning help, Haruno. We erected a barrier around the showers before we came in. No one is going to hear you, or sense your chakra."
She eyed the kunai that was embedded into the wall behind her, wondering if it was still sharp enough to use as a weapon before she returned her attention to the two kunoichi's.
"If you are going to kill me, at least give me your names and your reason."
It was one of the tenets of being a shinobi - that if you had to kill a fellow nin out in the open, that you would at least give them the courtesy of telling them the reason for ending them. There were superstitions surrounding the practice, mostly about not leaving confused souls to wander the earth, unsatisfied in never knowing why they had to die.
The blonde kunoichi made an impatient noise with her tongue, then gestured to her friend, "I am Sana, and this is Yaoki. I have no quarrel with you, but Yaoki here needs you dead for causing her to fail her mission. As her closest friend, I am duty-bound to help her with killing you."
Sakura quickly ran the faces of both kunoichi through her mental catalogue of patients that she had seen over the past half a year. She continued trying to send her chakra out against the barrier that she was now acutely aware of, probing it for a weak point that she could attempt to break through.
"I don't remember meeting either of you," Sakura admitted at last, "How can I have caused you to fail your mission if we've never crossed paths before?"
Yaoki placed one hand over her lower abdomen and curved her palm around herself, and that was when Sakura noticed that there was a slight bulge under her hand. The auburn-haired kunoichi was in peak fighting form, and she had no reason to be carrying excessive fats around her abdominal area, unless…
"You're pregnant," Emerald-green eyes widened slightly, then she narrowed them in confusion once more, "I still don't unde…"
"It was supposed to be a straightforward mission - sleep with a shinobi who possessed the Storm Release kekkei genkai and bring it back to Kirigakure. I already possess Water Release, so that greatly improves my chance of birthing a child who would eventually come to use Storm Release like his father would."
With every word that Yaoki spoke, Sakura could feel herself being seized and enveloped by a chilling sensation.
And it had nothing to do with her state of undressed wetness.
"I should have been able to slip away with my pregnancy undetected, but a certain whore just had to warm the Regimental Commander's cock a little too often, keeping him away from his responsibilities to our alliance. With my pregnancy now showing, I am given two choices - terminate the child, or sign my allegiance away to the Raikage instead."
Yaoki looked down at her womb, her eyes briefly downcast before she lifted a suddenly accusatory glare towards Sakura.
Just in time to see the sharp tip of the kunai burrow itself into her shoulder, Sakura's hands clasped around the grip and propelling its motion. The pink-haired kunoichi continued her forward momentum, and with an additional pump of chakra into her heels, drove Yaoki flat onto her back.
The kunai was now impacted into the tiles, pinning Yaoki to the ground like an insect specimen. She barely had time to scream in terrified pain before Sana snapped back to attention, and she lunged at Sakura with the garrote outstretched.
There was little Sakura could do except to snatch Yaoki's forehead protector off and hold it between her hands, and she met Sana's charge with her own chakra-reinforced sprint.
In blind panic, the blonde kunoichi flung her garrote out at Sakura. She only just managed to dodge it in time, nearly falling once again when the twist of her heel did not plant firmly enough against the tiles. Somehow, that slip saved her life, as the garrote ended up snagging several locks of her hair instead of winding around her neck. They severed painlessly from the side of her head as Sakura surged forward.
The speed at which they impacted against each other sent the physically weaker Sana flying backwards, but not before her garrote was caught against the twist of metal and fabric of the forehead protector. Sakura yanked it back, drawing the weapon out of the other kunoichi's reach and holding it down by her side. There was a sick-sounding crack as the kunoichi hit the opposite wall before sliding limply down, now unconscious and no longer a threat.
Sakura spared Yaoki a glance to make sure that she was not breaking free of the pinning kunai anytime soon, and as she did so, she felt the chakra barrier around them shudder and fall apart. Sana as her friend's backup must have been the one keeping it intact, and with her out cold, it simply ceased to exist.
She sent out a burst of chakra - violent and demanding.
Less than a minute later, footfalls could be heard entering the common area of the shower facilities.
Belatedly, Sakura realised that she was still sitting naked on the ground, her feet tucked under her to leave less of her in contact with the ice-cold tiles.
She was in too much shock to care.
Warmth. There was a sudden sensation of soft heat pressed against her, and when Sakura looked at herself, it was to see the sand-cat spreading itself like a blanket around her, purring as it did so. She touched her fingertips to the moving sheet of sand, the mild abrasiveness of the floating grains ghosting against her and reminding her that…
"Gaara," she called out, her voice muted and slightly shaky.
The Regimental Commander was standing before her, as were his siblings. They were all brandishing their weapons of choice as they burst onto the scene, and had lowered them at the sight in front of them. Sand tendrils continued to hover almost menacingly in the air as Gaara looked at the unconscious kunoichi and her friend groaning in pain, and he quickly manifested cuffs of sand to retrain both of them in place.
"What happened, Haruno-san?" Gaara bent to kneel in front of her, placing himself in a position that was unseemly for a Kage and a field commander as he resisted the overbearing urge to hug her. One of the kunoichi that Sakura had neutralised was still conscious, after all. So instead he settled for what proprietary dictated, and placed a hand on her shoulder while waiting for her to speak. The sand-cat-blanket quivered briefly under his fingers, and Gaara knew it would have moved to push him away had the cat's main concern not been about exposing its owner.
When she finally spoke, it was to utter the words that he knew always spelt disaster for the listener.
"We need to talk."