A/N: Dear readers on FFN, thank you for reading/commenting/following. I hope you are enjoying the story! I really like treatining Ino like Emma Frost from the Xmen in my stories.

Bonds Through Time, Chapter Forty-One

1000th Mission in Amegakure, Part II

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Sakura

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It was just out of habit that in her slumber her body automatically sought out the comfort of her bedmate. Over the years, she'd shared a bed with Naruto and Ino and they often ended up cuddling. Over the last several months, Sasuke often stayed over and they generally did more than cuddling. So when she started to rouse and found herself snuggled up against the Copy Ninja's firm and warm chest, she was a little mortified.

Realizing instead of the familiar cinnamon and cedar smell she associated with Sasuke, it was more the earthy smell of the forest after a fresh rain, she hesitantly opened her eyes. And found her nose buried against the attached silken black mask covering her team captain's neck from his sleeveless athletic shirt. Her hands were clenched into fists against his chest and surprisingly, his bare sinewy arms were banded around her.

"Ah, sorry about that," Sakura murmured gently extracting herself.

Kakashi released his arms from around her. "Mah, it's fine. I figured it was safer to hold you in place than let you continue to roll over me. My ninken are rather cuddly bedfellows, especially Bull." He sat up and reached for his toes, arching his muscular back. "I can make a pallet and sleep on the floor tonight."

"No way, this bed is big enough. Unless, you're uncomfortable. Then I can sleep on the floor. I'm the one that invaded your space," Sakura protested. She watched as Kakashi touched his toes and curled them back towards his body. With a sigh, she mimicked his stretch. He might not have been the most enthusiastic Jonin instructor back when she'd been a genin, but he had taught her and the boys how to stretch properly.

"You're the one that's going to be performing surgeries — you deserve a nice bed to rest on at the end of a long shift," Kakashi reasoned. "Sleeping on the floor in here will be no different than the forest floor like I'm used to on missions." He glanced over towards her. "You're fifteen, Sakura. I'm twenty-eight. I shouldn't be so casual with you."

"Oh whatever. The marriageable age for a woman in the Land of Fire is sixteen and Auntie Mikoto and Lord Fugaku are sixteen years apart in age," Sakura rambled and then realized she was talking marriage. The conversation was supposed to be about sharing space. "Look, if you're okay with some unconscious cuddling — I'm fine with it. There's nothing improper about it."

Kakashi chuckled. "I don't know. Sasuke might not be okay with you cuddling me for the next month, especially if you're talking about marriageable age and such."

Sakura groaned and cradled her head in her hands. "No, he's going to laugh himself silly when hears how awkward I made the situation. He once pulled a rib muscle laughing so hard when he heard about the time I shared a bed with Naruto and woke up to him have a very large erection poking me awake."

"Hm," Kakashi hummed. He swung his legs over side of the bed and headed for the bathroom. "That's a pretty normal reaction for a man. When that happens with me, I'd prefer if you kept it between us." He shut the door behind him.

Sakura stared at the closed door while her cheeks burned at the thought of Kakashi's erection. Maybe she wasn't completely over her little crush on the Copy Ninja. She sighed. Sasuke was going to tease her relentlessly about this.

She stood and continued her stretching routine. It was still early, but there was electricity within the cabin for a couple of lamps. There would be enough light to work. Kakashi was still in the bathroom — doing whatever he was doing half an hour later. Sakura had settled at the lone desk in the room and pulled out two journals. She'd worked with Sai to create the herbal field guides. Even the Kazekage had contributed to the knowledge within the pages — his Granny Chiyo sharing some of the medicinal knowledge for the greater good of shinobi society. There were blank pages in the back for adding future discoveries on flora that was local to Amegakure. One copy of the journal was for the Kage's library for preservation and the other for the Head medic of Rain.

It had been the very creation of this journal that had solidified Sakura's friendships with both Sai and Kazekage Sasori. She had hoped to meet Granny Chiyo in person and learn more of the woman's knowledge, but Master Tsunade had been adamantly against it. Sakura's hand settled worriedly to her lower belly. Now, there probably wouldn't be any chance of that depending on how her situation progressed.

So lost in thought, Sakura didn't notice when Kakashi was no longer in the bathroom and looming beside her until his hand settled on her shoulder. Startled, Sakura glanced up at him. They had wards around their cabin, so she'd let her guard down.

"Everything okay?" Kakashi asked, his visible eye dark with a trace of worry.

Sakura's thoughts were immediately relegated to the back of her mind as she observed Kakashi's flattened hair. "Maybe that should be my question," she said with a laugh. She gestured towards his head. "Is that what took you so long? Trying to figure out what to do with your hair?"

"Mah, don't make fun, Sakura-chan. You said you had a plan to help me." Kakashi gestured towards his uneven spiky hair that was falling into his eyes.

"Let's go," Sakura said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back to the bathroom. There was a large mirror on the wall over the vanity and she stood next to Kakashi and removed his hitai-ate. His hair fell even more into his eyes and his shoulders slumped more than usual. Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Then her fingers were on Kakashi's scalp, stimulating the hair follicles until his hair reached beyond his shoulders — soft, silver, and surprisingly straight. Unlike the gray hairs of the elderly, his hair was fine to touch and not wiry and coarse. Once she achieved the desired length, Sakura created a chakra scalpel and cut off the ends of the hair into an uniform layered rounded pattern. It was still fairly spiky in areas, but Ino could correct that.

"My father used to wear his hair long, but it was thick and unruly," Kakashi observed quietly. "This reminds me of my mother's hair. I don't remember much about her, she died when I was very young, but there was a portrait I found of myself with her as a toddler." He watched Sakura from the mirror with his charcoal gaze, his Sharingan eye closed tight.

Sakura smiled gently at the shared memory. "Thank goodness you don't have super thick hair, though it is thicker than mine. It's so pretty," she murmured with a sigh. He had better eyelashes too. It was so unfair when men didn't even appreciate such things. She picked up the brush she left on the vanity the night before and swiped it through Kakashi's locks efficiently, appreciating the shine. Then she swept his hair up into a high ponytail, but leaving his bangs to frame his face. He still had the classic spikes that defined him, but it certainly looked better on him than his flattened normal hair that couldn't defy gravity in the humid, rainy climate.

"I'm impressed," Kakashi admitted. "Though, I suppose this means I'll have to start brushing my hair in the morning," he added with a sigh.

Sakura laughed. "I will happily volunteer to brush your hair and fix it in the mornings, Captain. This was always my favorite part whenever I had a slumber party with Ino — doing each other's hair. She can fix the ends to be more even."

Kakashi ran his hand over the length of his new ponytail. "No, this is fine. Thank you, Sakura. And please, when it's just the two of us, call me Kakashi."

"Sure, Kakashi." She gripped his shoulders and then started to forcibly push him out of the bathroom. "Now, if you don't mind, it's my turn." Kakashi was still chuckling when Sakura shut the door in his face. She turned towards her own self in the mirror and noticed the pallor in her normally fair complexion. And then rushed to the toilet in time to fight off a wave of nausea.

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OoO

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Kakashi

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The Angel of Amegakure was certainly a woman equally beautiful as she was deadly. The stately kunoichi was probably about ten years older than Kakashi himself — around the age Minato would have been if he'd lived. The reminder was like a punch to the gut from Gai. There was something strange about the orange-haired shinobi that stood silently at her side, piercings across the bridge of his nose and scattered around the shell of his ears. For some reason his gravity defying hair seemed to be just fine in this damp village.

"I trust your accommodations were sufficient. Our village doesn't boast the medical prowess of Konoha," Konan stated without preamble. "Our Leader is wary of this experiment, but Lord Jiraiya convinced him to allow this trial." Her sapphire gaze focused on Sakura. "We were a little surprised that the Godaime has loaned out her precious Apprentice. We hear that you are considered like a daughter to Lady Senju."

Sakura smiled politely. "The cabins were quite comfortable, thank you. I wouldn't say that Master Tsunade and I are like family. Though, I do consider her a great mentor. It has been a great challenge to measure up to her standards and I try to grow as a person every day. Shall we get started? We passed a small settlement two days journey from here that had suffered after a mudslide. I left various medical salves for the villagers. I'd love to share my formulas with Rain's medics."

"I will take you to them," the orange haired man said, breaking his silence.

"Wonderful," Sakura answered. "May I know your name?"

He hesitated for a moment. "You may call me Yahiko." His gaze shifted past Sakura towards Sai briefly before landing on Ino. He'd been studiously ignoring Kakashi for a while aside from his initial observation when the meeting began. "You're a Yamanaka. Are you telepathically linked to your team even now?"

Ino smiled faintly. "I hardly need a telepathic link to these three to know what's happening in their heads. They are all work and no play this trio." She elbowed Sai playfully in the side. "While I'm not a prodigy like Sakura, I am a fully certified Medic as well. My knowledge in botany is also unparalleled."

Kakashi had a strange feeling about Yahiko and his scent. The piercings in his nose and ears had a faint electrical charge and were conductors. To where did they transmit?

"Is that so?" Yahiko asked, he shifted his cool gaze towards Konan.

"You may escort the Leaf visitors to the clinic just within the walls of the village." Konan looked over the Konoha shinobi one-by-one. "Do not venture unescorted. Go no further than the clinic. To trespass beyond the acceptable zone will be seen as a hostile act and will be treated as such."

"What a hard ass," Ino grumbled in their minds. "And what's up with all those piercings on Yahiko? Is it for some kind of jutsu?"

"Don't let down your guard," Kakashi warned, not answering her questions because he didn't know. He watched in slight shock as Konan dissolved before their eyes into tiny origami designs. She didn't seem to be a clone, but it had to be a substitution. He'd seen Itachi do the same thing with his crows.

They were led to a modest clinic where two medical shinobi — a man and a woman — were working on treating a few minor injuries — sprained joints, minor lacerations — typical training injuries. The woman finished her task and then left her counterpart to finish while she went to greet them.

"This is Ayane, our Head Medic," Yahiko introduced. He gestured towards the Konoha shinobi. "These are the visitors for Konoha."

Ayane's pale blue eyes widened when they landed on Sakura. Kakashi tried not to take offense at not being the most famous shinobi on his team. "The Godaime's Apprentice, Sakura Haruno! Wow, your hair really is pink," she mused.

Sakura pulled out the two journals she had tucked within her vest and handed one to Ayane. "This is a herbal field guide with knowledge from myself and Suna's top medics for various herbs, their medicinal properties, and the recipes for creating tonics, poultices and other remedies. There are pages in the back where we can add local medicines as well. I would image the fungi would be plentiful in this environment." Sakura gestured towards Sai. "My companion Sai drew all the illustrations."

Ayane accepted the offered journal and Sakura pulled out a second journal and extended it for Yahiko. "This one is for your Kage to preserve in the village archives. I'll give you the copy of the addendum we add with the knowledge of local medicinal plants and fungi."

Hesitating only a moment, the orange haired shinobi took the second journal, revealing more transmitters along the back of his hands. "That is generous," his deep voice responded solemnly. "There is a fine line between medicine and poison, is there not?" His almond-like eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Sakura nodded. "That's why this journal shouldn't be given to any lay person, but someone trained in medicine." She shifted her gaze between Yahiko and Ayane. "I've trained in the analysis of poisons as well and would be happy in helping you come up with antidotes for local venomous agents."

"There are these poisonous frogs and a few snakes in the area," Ayane murmured. "They have been notoriously difficult for our medics to treat." She clutched the journal tight against her chest and smiled shyly. "This will be a great boon to our village, Lady Sakura. The precision needed to wield chakra for medical purposes limits the amount of capable medics, but having medicine will make a big difference."

"I'm excited to see what kind of mushrooms grow in your village," Sakura added. She addressed the room at large, including the non-medics, like giving a lecture. "Fungi are great against bacterial infections, inflammation, and even help with concentration. There are some fungi that actually having anti-tumor properties and can help in the fight against cancer. Back in the forests of Konoha, we have quite a bit of trifold fronds — it grows near oaks and maples. It reduces glycemic levels in diabetes and lower blood pressure and cholesterol."

"We do have lion's mane, lingzhi and oyster mushrooms that grow plentifully in the area," Ayane interrupted with an eager smile.

"Ah, well lion's mane is good for concentration. Lingzhi has anti-viral and anti-cancer properties as well as anti-inflammatory in general." Sakura rubbed her fingers over her chin thoughtfully, catching Ino's eye. "I've generally steered clear of oyster mushrooms since there are so many poisonous mushrooms that look similar. Its level of niacin is good for cholesterol and heart health."

Ino groaned. "Okay, let's circle back to the fungi lesson another time."

"I am enjoying the lesson," Sai protested. "I look forward to drawing these mushrooms. I will definitely need to use color since there are so many poisonous mushrooms."

"Yes, yes, that will be vitally important," Sakura agreed, nodding her head. She smiled at Ayane and the Amegakure medic also had an eager light in her eyes.

Ino knocked her shoulder against Kakashi. "I forgot what a nerd Sai can be. This is going to be a special kind of torture."

"I've been tortured before," Kakashi argued in in the mental conversation. "I like learning new things. And honestly, it's nice hearing Sakura so passionate about something."

Ino scoffed in Kakashi's mind. "By the way, your hair is really flattering. How did Sakura manage to convince you to let her grow it out?"

Kakashi smiled through his mask and looked down at Ino. "She can be very convincing," he whispered aloud.

Yahiko started for the door. "Do not leave this clinic and the surrounding courtyard until I come for you. You do not have re-breathers and would be killed on sight by patrol."

"We'll stay in our assigned areas," Kakashi agreed for the team.

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OoO

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Itachi

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When Itachi volunteered for the mission in Tea, he thought it would be a great opportunity to indulge in his love for tea. He could hardly pass it up when it was his old genin teammate that had requested the mission. Shinko Inari was the owner of Itachi's favorite teashop back home in Konoha. He often took Izumi there for dates. He enjoyed starting his mornings there with a good book, sitting at one of the tables by the window, his back to the wall to minimize being caught unawares while he allowed himself to zone out. He would sip his tea, Shinko was good about refilling him even when he didn't ask, and he would read or people watch. It was pleasant, especially when he knew in a different life he would have been a rogue shinobi, working for a terrorist organization, with his family's blood staining his hands.

So there was no way he would turn down a personal request to travel to Tea, hand off the newest trade agreement for his friend's shop and enjoy the samples while he was there. He was also a tiny bit bored with his brother and cousin both out of the village training in the mountains. If he'd stayed home, Izumi would no doubt be pestering him about marriage plans. He hadn't technically proposed yet, he'd only floated the idea by her. He was probably going to propose in a few months or maybe a year or two. Itachi sipped his matcha green tea— he needed the caffeine boost for his journey back that afternoon.

This particular morning, the last day of his planned vacation mission, the teahouse had been rather crowded. A familiar couple walked in to the shop and looked around warily upon seeing no empty tables. However, the pink-haired husband's blue eyes grew wide in recognition and he started a bee-line towards the only table with a single occupant.

"Good morning, Itachi Uchiha correct? I'm Kizashi Haruno. I believe you know my daughter, Sakura? Would it be possible if my wife and I might join your table? I did not anticipate how crowded it would be this morning." The man smiled with such friendly eyes that Itachi found himself nodding.

"There is room at my table, Haruno-san," Itachi answered. He wouldn't be bothered by the slightly rude lack of honorifics the older man utilized. He was a civilian after all, had passed the Academy but never progressed beyond career genin. Perhaps he was the smart one, avoiding the dirty business it often was to be a shinobi.

Mebuki Haruno offered a tight smile, but remained standing with Kizashi pulled out a chair for her. The look in her dark green eyes as she looked indirectly at Itachi, careful to avoid his eyes, was a mixture of apprehension, fear, and dislike. "Dear, we can simply get our tea to go. We shouldn't bother Uchiha-san."

Kizashi stared at her in disbelief. "But, Dear, you know I love the fancy teacups here. They have that unique glaze at the bottom of each cup. You don't get that if you order to go."

"It is no bother. I consider your daughter a good friend. I would be honored to have you two join me," Itachi interjected. Why was the woman avoiding him? It was strange for civilians to be scared of the Uchiha any more than any other ninja. He gestured for the side of the table opposite him. "I should be happy to give you any news on Sakura if you would like to ask."

When Mebuki continued to stand, Kizashi pulled out the second chair and sat. Apparently, news on his daughter was worth an argument with his wife. "Yes, please. She writes us every month or two, but it's not the same." He chuckled self-depreciating. "She used to ask me to train her, but I'm simply not fit for such a role. I was always grateful that your clan members Shisui and Izumi took such a liking to her. Though, I was surprised when she attracted the attention of the Godaime." He shook his head, wild pink hair a bit dizzying. Itachi bit the inside of his lip to resist smiling. Good thing Sakura's hair wasn't quite so untamable. He wasn't sure his brother would have ever been able to take her seriously if it had been.

Resigned, Mebuki took the other seat and sat demurely, her arms crossed over one another defensively. "What brings you to Tea, Uchiha-san?"

"Ah, my friend owns a teashop back home," Itachi explained. "She requested that I come for her next supply run." He allowed himself to smile faintly, hoping it would put the woman at ease. "Honestly, I believe she was eager to offer me an excuse for a vacation. My fiancée has been hounding me non-stop with wedding ideas. At this point, I'm leaning towards elopement."

Kizashi laughed, loud and honest at that. He turned towards Mebuki with love shining in his bright eyes. "Sounds like you!" His wife's cheeks burned scarlet and Kizashi looked back at Itachi. "We ended up eloping as well. Our witnesses were my grandmother and Mebuki's cousin. By the way, just call me Kizashi and her Mebuki. You'll make us feel old otherwise."

Itachi waited until his new tablet mates were drinking their tea before asking his question. He placed a seal under the table to keep others from over-hearing their conversation. "Mebuki-san, why do you hate my clan?"

Mebuki's shoulders stiffened and she set her tea cup down with a clunk to the table. "No one has bothered to ask me that," she said quietly. "Your mother certainly didn't when she threatened me."

Kizashi blinked repeatedly and rubbed his index finger inside his ear canal. "I'm sorry, did I hear that right? The matriarch of the noble Uchiha clan threatened you?"

Itachi was surprised as well. "I was not aware my mother said cross words with you, Mebuki-san."

"I will tell you then, end your suspense, Uchiha-san," Mebuki snarled, narrowing her eyes. "One of your clan is the reason my cousin died and his son grew up an orphan."

"Who was your cousin?" Itachi asked quietly.

"It shouldn't matter who he was, but that an Uchiha is the one responsible," Mebuki insisted.

"Dear, you cannot hate an entire family for what a single person did," Kizashi reasoned. "That's not logical. And why do you think Minato was killed by an Uchiha?"

"Because everyone knows an Uchiha killed him and Kushina," Mebuki insisted.

Itachi refrained from reacting to the news that Mebuki was cousins with the Yondaime. Were they distant cousins or closely related? "I am truly sorry for your loss, Mebuki-san. The Yondaime was a great man."

"He's the only reason we moved to Konoha. I've been been completely fine settling with my people away from all the shinobi non-sense," Mebuki insisted.

"I will be frank with both of you. Your daughter is the apprentice of the Godaime. I believe you deserve to know the truth. While it was an Uchiha that instigated the attack on Lord Fourth and his wife, it was the village's leadership in his absence that put him in danger. It was known during the labor that his wife would be vulnerable and instead of allowing my father or some other loyal member of the village from my clan to be present as back up with the ability to mollify the tailed-beast they were barred making the two vulnerable. Danzo, the traitor whom tried to murder my entire clan to harvest our eyes, was the mastermind for that tragedy. And while it was an Uchiha that was behind that attack — he was a fourteen year old thought to be dead, taken as a child and manipulated by a greater evil. He has since been caught and incapacitated."

"He was caught? Why wasn't he killed?" Mebuki hissed.

"He may yet be, but the hope is to rehabilitate. It was the request at the one that actually is responsible for his capture. If he is beyond rehabilitation, he will be eliminated. There is hope to obtain more information about the one that manipulated him — the bigger threat," Itachi explained.

Mebuki closed her eyes. "And you wonder why I don't want my daughter associating with your clan, but it seems no matter what sense I tried to speak to her, she just keeps getting deeper and deeper tangled."

"Honestly, I think the Uchiha are better than the Hyuga. Their main house keeps the rest of their clan as slaves." Kizashi sipped at his tea calmly. "I like Shisui and Izumi and Sasuke." He slanted his eyes towards Itachi. "I like this kid too. And let's not forget that they have provided Naruto a stable home, something we weren't allowed to do."

"It doesn't change the fact that Minato was killed because of an Uchiha or that Mikoto threatened me and arranged for our rights as parents to be terminated in regards to our own daughter," Mebuki stared daggers at Itachi during her entire tirade.

Itachi was very surprised that his mother held such a confrontation with this woman. "Technically, the moment Sakura became a chunin she's a legal adult in the shinobi world." He forced a smile at them both. "I have enjoyed our conversation. Do you like living in Tea? If you wish to return to Konoha, I will ask my mother to not harass you."

"We're okay here," Kizashi answered. He looked towards his wife. "But, it would be nice to return home one day. I grew up in Konoha. Neither of us are from Tea. But the people here have been friendly and the tea is amazing."

"Indeed it is," Itachi agreed. He placed enough bills on the table to cover his order, the Harunos, and a generous tip. "My treat. You are allowed you anger, Mebuki-san. However, most atrocities and wars waged are because of past tragedies. The only way we will ever be able to move forward is someone has to forgive to end the cycle of hate." He dispelled the sound seal, stood, bowed briefly, and then left quietly.

He left behind a couple of crows to watch over the Harunos for a while yet. When he returned home, he would be speaking with his mother.

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OoO

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Sasuke

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The mountains were full of toads and it was fairly annoying. It was less creepy than the cave of snakes. He wondered if the forest of slugs was also eerie. He'd have to ask Sakura about that sometime. He was a little embarrassed that he'd never thought to ask before. They were usually too busy kissing to do much talking more often than not lately — not that he was complaining. He could feel the tips of his ears burn just thinking about Sakura that way.

Sasuke closed his eyes, counted backwards from ten, and refocused. He was supposed to be observing Naruto and Shisui's combined attack. Tenzo was watching from the other side also observing in case he needed to step in with his wood-release. The jonin was really superfluous. It was unlikely that Naruto would lose control of the tailed beast with two Sharingan users at his side, but better safe than sorry and it did help having an even number of ninja for spars.

Shisui had released his green susanoo — a partial skeletal figure that was supposed to be a samurai. Itachi's was more impressive — a vibrant orange in full armor along with a sword and shield. Sasuke wondered if he'd ever unlock a susanoo, but apparently, one had to undergo a massive trauma to unlock the power. If it would help him protect his precious people, he was all for going through a little trauma. How bad could it be?

The concept was brilliant, using the armor of the susanoo to cover the fox. Kurama was the tailed-beast's name. He and Naruto communicated somewhat in a tentative partnership. Apparently, Naruto had met a portion of his mother's spirit preserved within the seal that contained the nine-tails in his body. Since that time, he learned Kurama's name and they seemed to be tentatively friends. It was hard not to be friends with Naruto. His enthusiasm was infectious. He might have been annoying, but Sasuke would hate to live in a world without his best friend.

Watching Shisui's failed attempts to armor the nine-tails, Sasuke suspects that because of his close bond with Naruto that he'd have better success — one day. Eventually, the session was called to an end. Sasuke started for the waterfalls, looking forward to enjoying a dip in the cool waters in the lagoon. He stripped down to this boxers and waded in. He wasn't surprised with a few minutes later, Naruto barreled in after him naked as the day he was born.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, the blond had no shame.

"That was exhausting!" Naruto exclaimed, laying on his back and floating to the top of the lagoon, arms spread out wide to either side. He dipped just low enough beneath the water to not give Sasuke an eyeful.

"It's a good idea, but I don't think you and Shisui's chakras mesh well enough together. If I unlock the ability, I suspect we'll have better success," Sasuke said before dunking under the water to clean his hair.

When he resurfaced, Naruto was treading water in front of him. He actually looked serious for once. "I wanted to talk to you, Sasuke."

"We're talking," Sasuke answered bored.

"I—I care about you," Naruto sputtered, his cheeks crimson.

"Okay. Well I care about you too." Sasuke scrubbed his arms under the water.

"I mean — I think I love you," Naruto clarified. "Like romantically."

Sasuke looked up sharply. "What non-sense are you talking? We're brothers."

"Adopted," Naruto corrected him.

"I don't like men," Sasuke pointed out.

Before him Naruto transformed into a female with large breasts and long blond pig-tails. "I don't necessarily identify as male. If you prefer, I can look like this and be just as comfortable."

"Except for your back," Sasuke muttered, looking away from the massive breasts on display. "I love Sakura."

Naruto dropped his henge and returned to his normal form. "I love her too," Naruto said with a grimace. "But, Sasuke, I love you in a way I cannot even articulate. I feel like we are two halves of the same coin — I may be the sun, but you are the moon!" He clenched his hands into white-knuckled fists. "The only time I'm ever truly content and happy is when the two of us are sparring or fighting alongside each other."

"That's adrenaline," Sasuke countered. "And if you're the sun and I'm the moon, then Sakura is the sky."

Naruto looked away. "Never mind. Just, forget I said anything." He waved towards the lagoon around them. "I'll leave you in peace."

Sasuke frowned as he watched Naruto swim away. "I'm sorry for being harsh, Naruto. I don't want to give you the wrong impression. You're my best fired and I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm just confused, Sasuke. We'll just focus on our training." Naruto tilted his head up towards the sky for a moment. "I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking about Sakura. I just…I'm sorry."

Sasuke dived back under the water's surface again. Naruto wasn't the only one feeling confused. Why would he even think something like that?

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Kakashi

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They were in their fourth week in Amegakure. Aside from the medics, local healers, patients, Konan and Yahiko they didn't interact with anyone else. The quartet of Konoha shinobi never entered beyond their designated area just inside the Village Hidden in the Rain. Sai didn't use his ink mice to spy and snoop, Ino didn't delve into people's minds, Kakashi didn't send out his hounds. They were straight forward in their mission — good will and trust. The Godaime had been adamant that they not betray the hesitant trust being offered by the leaders of Amegakure.

Danzo uses subterfuge and frequent betrayal for his methods, Tsunade Senju would be the opposite — open, honest and sincere. Jiraiya had worked hard to broker the tentative meeting of some of Konoha's greatest talents into Rain. And while it was impossible to read Konan and Yahiko usually. There were the occasions where Konan's eyes seemed to soften after a child was healed. And Yahiko's presence felt less ominous and antagonistic.

Over all, the mission had felt to be a success. The added bonus was that Sakura and Ayana had discussed trade involving medical products between Konoha, Suna, and Rain. The fungi that grew in Rain were much more plentiful than in Konoha. And there were herbs that grew in Suna's dry climate that were impossible to grow in Rain. It bothered Kakashi a little that Sakura had apparently been given permission by not just their Hokage, but by the Kazekage as well to discuss the medical products and broker a tentative trade agreement. The kages would later hash out the final details, but Konan had surprised them saying that Hanzo was amendable to the deal. They'd not once seen the supposed kage of Rain. And the rumors that Kakashi heard were that Hanzo was either dead or a mere puppet. Konan and Yahiko seemed to be the true power of the village.

Sakura had seemed excessively tired, but Kakashi assumed it was related to chakra exhaustion and he kept hypervigilant to ensure her safety. While they still shared a bed, he usually slept sitting up with one knee drawn up to rest his arm. He'd had a very masculine reaction to her proximity on their third night together and didn't want Sakura waking up to find his body was attracted to her. It made him disgusted with himself. She was fifteen and he was twenty-eight. No. Just no. He didn't appreciate that her voice echoed through his mind reminding him that she would be considered a woman legally by sixteen.

He thought back to his own mental state at sixteen and thought was likely just an excuse for old, powerful men to steal away beautiful teens before they had the capacity to stand up for themselves. He cared about Sakura too much to see that happen to her. He felt a fierce protectiveness of her that had grown to almost obsessive levels during this mission. She reminded him of…someone. But it didn't matter if she reminded him of someone, she herself was important to him, his friends, and their teammates.

It had been interesting having a Yamanaka on the team. The ease of sharing thoughts with one another made him appreciate all three of his junior teammates. However, it had been Sakura's quick wit and analytical mind that had truly impressed Kakashi. She was a genius! It took one to recognize another. He wasn't well versed in her specialities, but he'd learned quite a bit during the last four weeks. He was even fairly confident in the basics of medical ninjutsu due to her teachings. Ino had been smug in their mind-link bragging about how Sakura taught Ino everything she knew about medical ninjutsu, but with the added bonus of not having every one of her bones crushed by the Godaime during the lessons.

Kakashi had been both appalled and impressed to learn just how strenuous Sakura's training under Tsunade Senju had been. If he ever doubted that he'd been to easy with his former students, he definitely realized that he'd coddled them. Though, he was glad to coddle rather than traumatize. He had wanted them to be kids for as long as possible.

Sakura stirred beside him, jade eyes darkened with sleep stared up at him. "That can't be comfortable, Kakashi."

"It's comfortable enough," Kakashi answered, looking down at her with his right eye. He opened his left for a moment, capturing the image with Obito's Sharingan. The vision in his left eye had started to diminish yet after Sakura had run a few treatment sessions, it was almost back to normal clarity. He still needed to use it minimally due to the chakra drain. "Sleep well?"

"No matter how much I sleep lately, I'm always tired," Sakura groaned sitting up. She blinked a few times and scanned the room. "Still dark outside?"

"A few more hours until daylight," Kakashi agreed.

"Too late to take a sleep aid," Sakura grumbled. She laid back and stared up at the ceiling and then over at Kakashi. "I'm not looking forward to the run back to Konoha."

"We don't need to keep the previous pace," Kakashi assured her. He didn't point out that he would have slowed the pace on their journey to Rain if she or Sai had struggled, but they hadn't. "Maybe let Ino carry her own weight this time. She's a chunin as well."

Sakura snorted. "I'm not actually worried about that. I'm worried about myself keeping up. I'm just so damn tired."

Kakashi frowned, knowing she wouldn't see under his mask. He'd been worried about her fatigue as well. "I'll carry you then. And once we get closer to Fire, Sai can uses his cartoon birds to fly us home."

She stared up at him again. "You don't have to carry me, Kakashi. I'm not weak."

"I haven't thought that in a long time, Sakura. And you were supposed to be weak fresh out of the Academy. Yet, even then, you were stronger than I anticipated. I feel I should apologize again for not giving you as much attention as the boys." He pursed his lips together. Having Ino linking their minds together for the last month for hours at a time made him want to be more open and honest. He was looking forward to returning home and keeping his thoughts to himself. "Your crush made me uneasy and it reminded me of the crush my genin teammate had on me."

"You were a chunin by the age of six," Sakura pointed out.

Kakashi laughed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck feeling embarrassed. "Does everyone know that? I may have been a chunin, but when I was twelve two of my former classmates were put on a team with me under Master Minato. Obito and Rin. Obito was loud and obnoxious like Naruto. He was an Uchiha, but he struggled with his shinobi skills. He had a good heart and was always distracted. He had a huge crush on Rin. She had trained as a medic. This was during the Third War, so even at twelve she had a decent skill set. I'd been fighting on the front lines since I'd been six."

"Six? That's insanity, Kakashi," Sakura protested. She reached for Kakashi's hand, pulling it away from his neck and he let her. "The whole reason Lord Second established the Academy was to ensure children didn't die on the front lines and allow them to have some childhood."

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Kakashi murmured, staring down to where Sakura held his hand. "Rin had a big crush on me. I guess I was sort of like the Sasuke of my generation — calm temperament, aloof personality, smart and good at everything."

"Ah, and devilishly handsome too then," Sakura mused. "There's something about a confident boy with dark, intense eyes."

"I guess." Kakashi gently extracted his hand. His lip twitched at the compliment. "Unfortunately, I wasn't interested in girls, or anyone. I was set to prove my loyalty to the village and a strict adherence to rules."

"That's understandable, after what your father went through," Sakura said quietly.

Kakashi was surprised she knew about his father, but then she had access to the Hokage's records during her apprenticeship and she was always a curious one. He cleared his throat. "Obito on the other hand had a huge crush on Rin. It made for an awkward team dynamic." Especially after that one time Obito's friend visited from the coast and Kakashi had shown interest. Rin had been almost intolerable in her attempts to nab his attention after that. He tapped under his left eye at the scar. "On my first mission leading as a jonin, Master Minato took one objective and I led the rest of the team on other objective. Rin was kidnapped. I was prepared to leave her behind, Obito was not, so I followed. I lost my eye protecting him and he lost his life later protecting me."

"And Rin transplanted his eye into you," Sakura reasoned. "It must have been so hard to lose your teammate and friend."

"Especially when it kept happening," Kakashi answered quietly. "Rin died within a year and Master Minato was gone within two years." He was surprised by how much he'd shared with Sakura. He hadn't opened up to anyone like this — ever. He did trust Sakura and maybe it was knowing her vulnerabilities, being linked with her over the last several weeks through Ino's technique definitely played a role. No wonder Shikamaru was always so irritable.

"Thank you, for sharing these thoughts with me, Kakashi," Sakura answered. She reached for his hand again and held it cradled between her own. "Ino and I share a dream to establish a mental health program as part of the hospital in Konoha, maybe across the ninja villages. There's been so much trauma to developing minds and seeing how the children from Root struggled integrating into society and people like you and Shisui." She released his hand. "There have been three wars in the last eighty years. The cause of the second war were injustices caused by the first, and the third was injustices caused by the second. It's a cycle of hatred and despair that needs to find a resolution. Having a leader like Master Tsunade I feel is a real chance for such a change. This mission in Rain is a step in the right direction."

"That's a lovely thought," Kakashi said quietly. The dark years he served in Anbu and the abuses he'd received and the attacks he'd inflicted on enemies were all part of that vicious cycle. "We leave day after tomorrow. As your captain, I order you inform me if you are tired on our return. I will carry you, Sakura. It's my job to protect you on this mission. You've done your part, let me do mine."

"Fine," Sakura agreed. She turned on her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. "I'm going to try to get more sleep," her muffled voice responded.

Kakashi snorted in amusement. He started to run his fingers through his hair and was startled once again by the length. He was looking forward to getting out of Amegakure and cutting his hair back to it's normal length.

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