The dull gray battlefield stood at a standstill as the remaining shinobi digested the events.

Defeating Kaguya seemed like the biggest hurdle they would have to jump over in this life, yet it seems that for both Sasuke and Naruto, they had one more score to settle.

"Sasuke is a fool." Itachi finally spoke. "Always has been." He left the words unsaid.

"Perhaps." Tamako responded. "But Naruto may rival his foolishness all the same."

Kakashi finally sat down, drained of energy and emotional wellbeing. "The two... understand each other in a far greater capacity." He turns to Sakura as the girl healed up the last few scrapes and injuries on Obito. She doesn't quite meet his gaze, but Tamako could feel strong emotions from her.

Anger.

Sorrow.

Fear.

Tamako could sympathize with Sakura, hell, even she was getting antsy. It wasn't her style to let things play, the feeling of helplessness was all too foreign and it was eating her alive. She wanted to watch the fight, to make sure things didn't escalate to a death she couldn't rewind.

Perhaps Itachi sensed her emotions. He held up a hand and grasped her shoulder with a firm squeeze. "I trust Naruto." He finally deactivated his Sharingan, his orbs turning back to onyx. "He knows Sasuke as well as I do."

She huffed at his works with mirth, her face pitching at the pull of her lungs and tightness in her chest. There was barely any chakra in her to fix herself up, and Sakura already dealt with the worst.

Tamako owes her life to Sakura.

And so does Sasuke.

She leans back against a large turned up rock, resting her weight and feeling a slight dampness on her back and ignores it. "Sakura." Tamako begins lightly. "I won't make any excuses for him." Her fingers twitch as she struggles to gather words. "My time with Sasuke has been... plentiful. I understand him in a way that's difficult to put into words, and he does the same for me." Tamako recalls every memory that beckoned her call. Before she left him and Karin at the South Base. Before he nearly killed Deidara.

Before Danzo.

Tamako puts a hand on her heart and catches Sakura's gaze. "Sasuke truly cares." She doesn't break eye-contact. "I know him too well, and even he can't hide his emotions from me." There's a small smirk on her face, airing out Sasuke's emotions was always something she wanted to do. "The moment before he placed that genjutsu on you..." She trails off with a small laugh. "Did you know he was nervous? The way he froze at your words..."

It was all too obvious to her.

"He was afraid that you would interrupt, just as you did all those years ago at the roof of the hospital." She turned her dark eyes to Sakura's bright green ones. "He doesn't want you to get hurt, let alone be injured with his feud against Naruto. And despite it all, he wants to be left alone. How bipolar of him."

Silence, then a laugh.

Obito covered his mouth with both hands, looking around at them before frowning. "What?"

Tamako rolls her eyes. "We were having a moment, you know? A true kunoichi to kunoichi. It's not like you men would understand."

Obito spluttered, "Excuse me? I'm just making fun of my emotionally constipated cousin!" What an ironic statement.

Sakura stands up suddenly, her fists balled up with fire in her eyes. "I'm going." She turns to the group. "If it's the Naruto and Sasuke that I know... they'll be at it 'till black and blue."

"Valley of the End." Kakashi supplies helpfully, grabbing the side of a boulder to get back on his feet. "As their sensei, well, I also have to ensure that our two Genin make it back well."

The group's former somber mood brightens just slightly.

"He is my brother." Itachi coolly adds, shrugging off his tattered black travelers cape. How it was somehow intact, Tamako would never know. "I should go as well. It's the duty of the older brother, after all."

Obito grumbles, throwing Kakashi's arm around his neck. "You think you can make it all the way to the Fire and Sound border? I may have white hair but—"

"—Then it's settled." Tamako interrupts, a vague smile on her face. "We'll all go. Someone has to watch the unruly Genin after all. Might as well be all of us."

There's a small smile on Sakura's face, who's eyes seem to whisper soft thank-yous at the taller girl. Tamako gives her a nod back before glancing at Itachi. "Would you be so kind and help me?" Her arms sprawl out like a babe asking a mother to be picked up.

Itachi ends up rolling her onto his back, securing the back of her thighs with his arms and her arms thrown over his shoulders. Still feeling a little woozy, Tamako rests her head on the back of his shoulder and the group heads out. Not exactly at a snail's pace, but definitely not at top speed.

Too many injured and the lack of chakra would do it. It's an even bigger miracle no one died in the fight. If it meant that Tamako was weaker than a newborn babe, then so be it.

She still had plans for Obito and judging the way Obito seemed to avoid her glance, he knew it too.

But the biggest thing she couldn't ignore, and even if she tried too, was the mass of chakra just west of them. It came in large blips, nearly the same power reading as the Juubi and had Sasuke's chakra all over it.

They barely powered through the massive dust cloud and wind that assaulted them, and each step closer to the louder, more flashy shows of ninjutsu could mean certain death if either side accidently sent one their way.

The updraft of one particular explosion was so potent that a whole thunderous tornado had formed, and Tamako could smell the scent of burnt cedar, clouds of black pooling into the sky. If Sasuke wanted to, he could summon Kirins' over and over.

That's if he had chakra.

After the final and largest explosion she'd ever seen, it was silent. Small spouts here and there. She couldn't access her network, not with such little chakra in her.

At the speed they were traveling, the size of the group and the distance they had to travel, they would get there by dawn.

How... fitting.

Akatsuki, a new era.

. . .

The aftermath was as expected from a war that lasted merely three days, wiping out nearly half the fighting force. Everyone lost someone, be it a child, a father, a cousin or a sister.

For Tamako?

She mourned the dead and savored the ones that lived. With misty eyes , she watched as Ino tearfully hugged her father, Shikamaru begrudgingly sharing one with his father and Neji conversing with Hinata and his team.

It was clear to everyone that the losses were heavy, nearly fifty percent of the entire eighty-thousand had perished and no one, not even the war-mongering Cloud, had any territorial ideas.

But someone had to be punished. The perpetrator was long dead, burnt into ash by Obito and it wasn't like Kakashi was about to oust his friend. Kaguya was sealed back so she was a no go as well.

Tamako sighed, walking up to the Kage's who were conveniently grouped together, talking amongst themselves. She handed the Mizukage, Mei, a scroll.

"It's an apology, from back then." She referred to the time she had put one too many gaping holes into the Kage. "Inside are five of the Great Swords of the Mist. I don't think Kisame's going to give his up anytime soon." Then she turned to Gaara and held up her wrists. "It's nigh time I serve my time."

In the end, despite reducing the casualties by twenty-five percent, Tamako was still a high-class international criminal. She'd murdered a, through brief, Hokage.

And she didn't regret it.

Tamako raised an eyebrow at Gaara's gaped look. "Well? Are you gonna enact your Kazekage duties?"

Kankuro dashed forward, launching a wooden mechanism at her wrists that wrapped around both hands and the majority of her wrist, leaving a large wooden orb. There were seals painted on the outside that had cut off her chakra, but while she couldn't manipulate it externally, she could still theoretically brute force it internally.

Perfect Chakra Control does that.

Behind her, she could faintly hear a gasp and a few tumbles. "Whaaat!? No no! Tamako's an ally, not some criminal! She helped us in the war! Help take down Madara and Kaguya!"

She deadpanned at Naruto. "In case you forgot, I'm an ex-member of the criminal group Akatsuki. By law, Suna has the right to prosecute me as I am a former Suna Shinobi." She turned away, ignoring the group. "Konoha has no rights in this jurisdiction, and I'm not running away from my crimes."

"She's right." Kankuro added, ignoring seething looks. "This falls under Suna court."

"That's..!" Sakura paused, clenching her fist. "Without her, the war wouldn't have—!"

And Sakura was right. Everyone had seen what she'd done.

Taking credit for the Edo Tensei of the Hokages', shielding the army, protecting the army—without her, the estimated death counts would have doubled, and that's assuming they'd win.

A stepped in, a frown on his face as he crossed his arms. "The girl has attacked Kumo." He took another step forward, his face into a sneer. "And Kirigakure also has transgressions for the girl. I demand an International Tried Court."

"Such a court doesn't exist."

"And this Five Elemental Alliance didn't exist until a few months ago." Mei placed a dainty hand on her hip and looked forward. "By now, we all recognize that International Criminals have affected more than one country. The girl has done damage to Suna, Konoha, Kumo and Kiri. It's only right."

Tamako narrowed her eyes. "Then by that logic, are you suggesting you'll hold a trial for all International Criminals?" At first, it seemed like Mei was taking her side. It was clear that Konoha Shinobi gave her the clear, so by putting Konoha in the equation, it would equate to having a pass at her crimes, if not a bit of redemption of sins. With a sharp grin, she added, "Then let's talk about Momochi Zabuza."

However, Suna at it's core (Gaara and his siblings) had mostly forgave their Missing-Nin, it wasn't like they were going to execute her. By throwing in the mix of Kumo and Kiri, getting executed was far more likely.

And that's not even touching the fact that the entirety of ex-Akatsuki, including Sasuke, would fall under this jurisdiction.

Mei threw the scroll at Ao with a grin. "That would open far too many holes, wouldn't it? I believe each village should keep their own Judicial Systems and not over-rely on one such as an International Trial." She pondered, "How about this? A case-to-case study, if one were to commit crimes in more than one country, an International Trial can be voted." She leaned forward, "How about that? That way, the majority gets their wishes."

A huffed, shaking his head. "This girl—"

"Konoha agrees." Tsunade cuts him off. Probably because she wanted to handle the whole Uchiha matters privately in the Village Circle.

"Suna agrees."

"Kiri agrees."

"Iwa abstains."

A grumbles more, stomping away. "This isn't over!"

Tamako sighed. That was a crisis averted, for now. "Well. This is it." She turns to Sasuke with a grin. "Suna elders don't really like me, so if I'm executed, you can have my stuff."

Sakura choked.

Without a pause, Tamako continues. "Itachi knows where everything is. Feel free to sort and divide my wealth, not that there's much material stuff but I'm sure you'll find some interesting seals. Could you also tell Karin that I'm sorry? In the case that they actually do execute me—"

"—Stop." Sasuke takes a step forward, his missing arm catching her attention. "Are you seriously letting this happen?"

Gaara sighs loudly, his eyebags the worst she's ever seen. "You aren't dying from the Elders." He tilts his head to his sister. "If it's anyone that's going to finish you, it'll be Temari."

Tamako almost forgot about her.

"Tamako..!"

Temari was quite scary when angry.

. . .

Life in prison was incredibly dull.

With her high-clearance, she only really got visits from Gaara and his siblings. The Elders were a little bit afraid of her and ended up putting her in one of those straightjackets covered in seals that had zero motor function above her head. To make matters worse, they even sealed her eyes.

Her hearing was being pushed and pushed since Suna's pretty much lost nearly all of their elite force, save a few scattered divisions. They were desperately rebuilding and repurposing a lot of the empty buildings. From what she's heard from Temari, Tamako's popularity took a turn, she wasn't internationally hated anymore, but rather her popularity...

...nearly rivals Naruto, and that was a scary thought.

Sure, many call her War Hero Tamako but an even more embarrassing title was The Guardian. It wasn't as cool as Sandaime Hokage's The Professor or Tobirame's The Technician, but it'll have to do.

At least Sasuke just got plain Susanoo no Sasuke since he wasn't quite The Last Uchiha anymore. Itachi still didn't get around changing his Kinslayer title just yet, it would probably need a little more time to wipe out that from the Bingo Books.

It was only three weeks later that she finally had her very very public hearing. Quite literally opened to the public, hell, even injured Naruto and Sasuke were here as witnesses! Itachi was somewhere in the back since he was still unknown with the vast majority of the public.

And her goddamn lawyer was the Sand Princess herself, Temari.

Well, Temari wasn't exactly her lawyer, but rather...

Honesty Tamako really didn't know what Temari was, she wasn't so in depth with all the legality stuff since she's spent a good chunk of her time fighting against the plot of god.

But in any case, from the list of people who travel to see her, which included the Mizukage, Naruto, the Hokage, and many high-ranking officials including the Wind Daimyo, her courtroom was jam packed with curious civilians, many supporters, a lot of haters and a couple of reporters.

"Suna no Tamako, do you plead guilty to the following charges?"

Oh boy.

"Conspiring against the Village, abandonment of the Village, manslaughter, conspiring with the enemy, providing material or intelligence to a terrorist organization, induction to a terrorist organization, third-degree Kage slaughter, attempted kidnapping, deforestation of protected Kiri Lands, bombing of protected Kiri Lands, invading the Gokage Summit, five charges of assault on Kage, assault on diplomats, first-degree Kage slaughter, declaring war on the Gokage, treason, stealing forbidden jutsus and reanimation of the dead." The elder breathed in deeply after listing her crimes before raising an eyebrow. "Did I miss any?"

"No sir." She replied back, twitching in her straightjacket.

"Council, may I ask permission to remove the blindfolds on Suna no Tamako?"

"Denied! The girl is able to control her Kekkei Genkai with sight alone."

"Overruled. She has chakra inhibitors on." Gaara stated calmly. "Remove them."

After two months of dark, the bright piercing light as well as the obnoxious flashing camera's assaulted her vision. In the corner of her eye, she could spot Naruto waving in wide strides. She blinked back, turning back to The Council.

The room was large and set in a way where the center was on the lowest floor and rose with each seat. At the very top was The Council, made up of Suna Elders and Gaara in the center. She cracked her neck, feeling another piece of cloth wrapped around her head, attaching to a machine that continuously spilled out paper. Another shinobi was behind her, dutifully folding the paper as they went.

What the hell was that?

"Then." One said, folding their arms and leaning forward. "Do you plead guilty to all charges?"

All things considered, she did do those things.

"Yes, I plead guilty to all charges."

A rumble of murmurs enveloped the courtroom, quickly silenced by the Council. In all honesty, this entire gimmick was a tourist attraction, not many people bothered to visit Suna due to its climate. The Council were probably making big bucks for making her proceedings to be public.

"Then, let us begin the prosecution."

They probably wanted to end her social life forever too.

"On August 18th of your third exam, you answered with secrets that, after verifying with Konoha and Kumo, were true. How did you get your hands on this information?"

Tamako raised an eyebrow, what did that have to do with all of this? So she answered truthfully. "The Sage of Six Paths has blessed my soul." That doesn't mean she'll answer entirely without flaws. There's only so much you can say that this was another life before people began to question your very being.

"Truth." The shinobi behind her spoke.

A lie detector?

Those weren't so accurate, let alone common.

The Council narrowed their eyes, silencing the loud crowd. "Then is it true that you gathered information to maliciously hurt the integrity of Suna?"

"No." She replied calmly. "My intent was to save the world."

"Truth."

"Then why did you not inform your Kage?"

Tamako took a deep breath and stared up. "As you know, Akasuna no Sasori had planted spies throughout the Village, far before the Yondaime Kazekage had solidified his position."

"Off topic, answer the question."

Gaara held up a hand. "Overruled, the story has relevance."

She smiled at the red-head and nodded. "As a member of the Akatsuki, he would be able to report back to pseudo-Madara and could spell doom for the Village. Case in point, the destruction of Konoha by sub-leader Pein." Tamako paused, gathering her words before meeting the Council by the eye. "The notion was set further after the death and infiltration of Orochimaru." She peered up. "Not even The Council had realized until it was too late. I could not trust such power if they were already compromised."

An ugly hue of red sprouted in each member, their faces warping into a snarl. "Girl, you cannot possibly understand let alone speak of such tragedies."

Tamako stared back defiantly. "Akatsuki had taken both Sandaime, Yondaime and eventually Godaime. Suna was compromised."

A slam into the desk and a bark of loud accusations. "Then, what of murder of Kazekage, Gaara-sama! This was intentional, planned by your group!"

"Objection." Temari spoke calmly, "Tamako had sent word of their intentions and arrivals. It was Suna who was unable to react accordingly." She tilted her head up. "She was an undercover spy."

The Council scoffed, "Undercover spy? Why, we of the Council do not remember giving such orders. A Shinobi must always follow orders, and Tamako created her own. This is treason!"

"Treason as it may, Tamako had left the Village because the Village was compromised. Her goal was not to hurt Suna, but rather, give us a fighting chance."

"You claim the girl was a spy, yet she willingly engaged in tasks within the terrorist group, Akatsuki. With her partner, Iwa no Deidara, the two had destroyed parts of Kiri's protected lands and stolen the Three-Tails." The Council seemed to smirk at their words. "What do you have in defense?"

Did she seriously have to explain the duty of a spy? Well, at least the people around here were deeply interested in her response. It's not always that a movie-like event occurred and aired out like this. This was one of the greatest upsets of the world. Even Sasuke seemed intrigued at her answer. She never shared much about herself, so this was the opportunity of a lifetime. "At that point of time, key members of Akatsuki were KIA. It was my only opportunity to dig deeper and closer to the mysterious leader of Akatsuki. A spy's duty is to gather information on the deepest levels without giving themselves up. I could not deny the responsibilities of the Akatsuki and inherited Akasuna no Sasori's assignment of the Sanbi."

Temari took a step forward and waved around a few documents as if they were damning. "We have eyewitnesses and reports that indicate that because of Tamako's formal induction, she was able to gain the trust of the pseudo-leader of Akatsuki and turn his members against him."

"Witnesses?" The Council questioned. "We do not take the accounts of former criminals."

"Then—" Temari finally smiles, as if she caught the council in her trap.

This was all very dramatic. Tamako could almost see it, her entire criminal life and court-case would be a movie within ten years. She could almost taste it.

"I call upon a notable key figure of Konoha, Yamanaka Ino, to take a stand."

So that's how Temari was going to plan this.

And it was clear that Shikamaru was onto it as well. Maybe they wanted to pay her back for saving their fathers, maybe they had a debt to resolve.

"In Konoha Law, the account of a Yamanaka is all but true, as their jutsu allows themselves to rift through the minds of an individual. Ino is an exemplary member of the Yamanaka and is a clear figure in winning the war. Her prowess and standing should not have any fault."

"That is Konoha Law, this is Suna Court. Their rulings have nothing to do with us."

Gaara leaned forward, crossing his legs. "The Yamanaka jutsu will further this investigation greatly. I allow it. As the heir of the Yamanaka, Ino will not lie."

The platinum blond girl stood up from the audience and walked down the stairs, placing a single palm on her forehead and closed her eyes. She could feel her rift through her mind, but Tamako had perfect control over her chakra. She contained Ino into a single room with the memories of her choosing.

The day that Deidara came barging in as her new partner. The fight against Isobu, and most importantly, gaining the trust of Pein and "Tobi". She briefly let Ino riffle through her memories of the fight between Deidara and Sasuke, cringing at the feeling of being stabbed before relinquishing her hold.

The room stood with bated breaths at her verdict.

Ino looked up and nodded. "By defeating the Three-Tails, she was able to gain the trust of the Akatsuki and Deidara, ultimately faking his death and recruiting him to fight against the Akatsuki." She bowed and took a seat closer to the court, no doubt in case she was called again, or because it was a better view.

Thankfully, Deidara did a perfect job providing arial support to the Alliance, an almost too perfect of a job to find fault.

So the Council moved on.

"While you may have some merit in deceiving both Suna and Akatsuki, by the Gokage Summit in Iron, the forces of such a group had withered to only four members, including yourself. Why did you not just leave and rejoin Suna then?"

The Gokage Summit was not fun. In the month where she had no control over her body, or vision, relying on sound and smell alone, all she had to keep her company was her memories, the Summit graced her thoughts many times.

Gokage Summit was probably one of the worst she's ever been mentally. The Fourth War was definitely number one, but the Summit broke her in a way she wasn't really expecting. She knew the Fourth War would be difficult and would have strife, but the Summit was supposed to be a come n' go, drop off and flee type of thing.

Not... that.

She stuttered out a sigh, bit her lip and gathered her thoughts.

"Well?" The Council probed.

"It was that time that the 'true' leader behind Akatsuki revealed himself. He had given me a task of great importance regarding the highly sensitive operation of Akatsuki." Then a sigh. "By then, I had already converted the former sub-leader Konan, Deidara, Itachi and Sasori. I needed a way to contact Hoshigaki Kisame and later..." She paused.

The Council raised their brows at her pause, gesturing at her. "Continue."

Tamako glared back. "I had to ensure that Uchiha Sasuke would not be manipulated by the Akatsuki."

"So you aided the Uchiha to assault the Gokage?"

She narrowed her eyes. "We were to flush out that traitorous Danzo. The fake Rokudaime. He planned to use stolen Uchiha Sharingan to plant himself as the leader of the Alliance, and no doubt if he could, the leader of this world." With a snarl, she stood up and stared headfast. "Kage-cide or not, Shimura Danzo is a blight on this world, orchestrating deeds that had not only damaged Suna, but Kumo, Kiri, Iwa and even Konaha. I dare say he damaged his motherland the most. He could not be sated. I plead guilty to the first-degree of Traitor Danzo."

The Council leaned forward, interest in their eyes yet distrustful. "You claim that Shimura Danzo, the former representee of Konoha during the Gokage Summit, is a traitor. He was lawfully appointed by the Fire Daimyo, yet you claim he is a traitor to his country?"

Tamako thinned her lips and nodded. "Yes."

"Then it is safe to say that you acted with self-justice to a claim you have yet to back up. Despite the highlighted reason, enacted self-justice is not the correct sequence of events. There are steps and laws."

"Danzo is a man who has coveted the power of the Hokage since Nidaime's time." She turned to the crowd, searching for his face.

"And? What is the relevance to this claim?"

Her eyes scanned the room, roaming through each inch of the seats, ignoring the flashes of cameras before stopping on familiar red eyes.

Itachi sat silently, arms and legs crossed as he regarded her calmly.

Will you give me permission?

She mouthed out those words so clearly that even a civilian could read her lips.

He nodded.

Tamako turned to the waiting Council, the entire room seemed to quieten at her gaze. "Shimura Danzo orchestrated the mass culling of the Uchiha Clan."

She shut her eyes at the horrified gasps, inching away from the flashes that came non-stop.

"And your proof?"

Her eyes twisted back to Temari, who began to sweat at her accusations. "I saw the Mizukage in the private booth above us. Call her down."

Temari whispered back furiously, "You want me to call down the Mizukage!? How do you know she won't throw you into a pit of fire!?"

Tamako smirked. "She won't, not if she wants to keep up the good feelings between us." She grinned back, "I have big things planned, Temari, and the Mizukage is the best opportunist of all the Kages."

Temari wiped sweat from her brow and glared back before turning to the Council. "I call Terumī Mei-sama, Mizukage of Kirigakure, to the stand."

Chattering enveloped the room, silenced when Mei walked down the steps. It was no secret how beautiful she was, nearly rivaling Konoha's Hokage. She waved at the crowd and took a stand while glancing at Tamako. "How bold, revealing Konoha secrets in your own fight for freedom. Daring, I say. Should I be afraid that Kiri will be caught in the crossfire?"

"Kiri has nothing to fear." Tamako met Mei's amber eyes. "Why, this is the dawn of a new age. Fights like these will only be in the past." She stared forward at the Council without fear. "From now on, Village disputes will be no more."

Mei chuckled. "And you think you'll be an important ally?"

"A time of peace between all Five Great Nations." Tamako shuffled in her straightjacket. "Surely you of all people know what this entails. A new beginning."

Mei smiled without creases to her eyes. "Yes, a new beginning." She turned to the Council and finally began to speak louder than a whisper. "Danzo revealed Uchiha Shisui's Sharingan after his attempt to usurp the role as the Leader of the Alliance."

Tamako continued without fail. "Shisui had mysteriously committed suicide just months prior to the Massacre. When I fought Danzo, he revealed several Sharingans implanted into his arm. How do you think he got them?"

"Truth." The gruff shinobi behind her responded.

"Do you truly need to ask anymore questions?"

It wasn't exactly a slam-dunk win, but she still came out a winner nonetheless. She had to serve time in the Village for at least six months, honestly a pretty damn good deal from all the stupid things she'd done in her youth. The first three months with restricted chakra, so by the time she's a free woman, it would be spring.

A perfect time, in all honesty.

"So?" Sasuke questioned, Naruto beaming to his right and Sakura's soft smile to his left. "What are you going to do now?"

Somehow, this bastard right here was able to get off scot-free thanks to his War Hero friends, Naruto and Sakura, who in their own right were incredibly popular, and his Hokage sensei, Kakashi.

This almost felt illegal in how easily he was pardoned and how he was let up and running so quickly, and his proceedings occurred literally a week after the war and the days leading up to her trial, he was off smucking off with Sakura at the hospital to recover!

She rolled her eyes. "Unlike you, I don't quite have so many people high up in the hierarchy. I'm sure you've heard it, but you're quite lucky that your best friend is the World's Savior, your Sensei the Rokudaime and your childhood sweetheart's shishou being the Godaime." She stared dead on, finally free of that stupid straightjacket. "Need I go on?"

Sakura turned into a whole blushing mess, waving her hands back and forth to deny Tamako's accusations as Naruto's face turned into a knowing smile as he threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulder.

The Uchiha had a deadpan face, but she could spot a hint of red to his ears.

What an absolute loser.

"I'll be pretty much stuck with community service for the next three months, after it? They'll prolly tell me to make some farmable land or something."

There was a quirk of a smile in the corners of Sasuke's mouth. "Work you like a mule?"

She nodded with a frown. "Yep, work me like a mule."

"You have to visit us in Konoha once you're free!" Sakura exclaimed, walking forward to grab her hands with a big smile. "Sasuke-kun would like that, and I'm sure Itachi-san would too! There's so much the girls back home would like to talk to you about!" She shyly added with a small blush. "The girls always wanted to talk when we were younger, but..." Sakura trailed off with a woeful smile. "The timing just didn't work out."

Tamako widens her eyes at the news. "Really?"

Sakura nodded furiously, "Really! You were really strong back in the Chunin Exams! Temari-san was a little scary back then, but you were..." She lightly grinned. "... really like a Kunoichi. I never thanked you back then."

Her gaze softened at the pinkette. "We kunoichi must stick together." She patted her head, brushing her soft locks. "Sasuke truly is too lucky."

Sasuke grabbed her arm, eye twitching.

"What?" She smugly shrugged off his hold and crossed her arms, leaning forward. "You better be nice to her, okay? And be nice to Naruto!"

"Yeah!" Naruto pointed at the Uchiha with an even bigger grin than Sakura. "What she said! Be nice to Naruto!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked off. "Whatever. Let's go dobe, Sakura." He tilted his head back and nodded back at her. "I'll see you."

"Bye-bye lover boy!" Tamako waved at their backs, grinning when Naruto occasionally turned back to swing his arms back and forth, only to be grabbed by Sasuke into a headlock. Her mirth quickly turned to shock when familiar steps headed towards her.

She turned around and grinned. "Itachi!"

He nodded at her, a soft smile on his face. "Tamako."

The Shouton User walked forward, arms behind her back as she leaned forward. "You're looking better, now that you've gotten some rest. Is Konoha giving you trouble?"

He shook his head. "Sasuke and Kakashi have been shielding me. After the scene you pulled, it will only be a matter of time that the Konoha Elders will be needing to answer questions of their own.."

"It's a new beginning, isn't it?"

"Yes." He mirrored her smile. "A new beginning."

. . .

The calmness of village-living was a feeling she'd almost forgotten.

Being stuck on the road, practically homeless, and sleeping every blue moon had pretty much forced her body into fight-mode for nearly five years. Her work in the first three months were quite dull, her community work being set up at the Kazekage tower signing autographs, boring paperwork and the occasional re-ranking of several missions.

All too many times journalists and novelists approached her, asking to publish her story. It was tempting since she was proud of what she'd accomplished, but she wasn't so comfortable in publishing soft secrets between her and the Akatsuki. Let alone Itachi.

She couldn't do that to him or Sasuke, it would be an insult to everything they worked together for.

What they fought for.

Though, not everyday was so calm. Without chakra, she was only able to channel a small part of it internally, and at most, she could ninja dash around and jump. Perhaps it was because being out of war dulled her senses, but she didn't feel a grab on her shoulder that tugged her into a nearby bar.

She found herself in a booth, its usual four-seat capacity was spilling out to nearly twenty people, many were wearing the Suna sigil and a few in civilian garbs.

But she recognized a few faces.

"Hello?" She whispered, squinting at their faces, the dull light of the bar did not help.

"Tamako!" The group exclaimed.

They clambered over themselves, trying to get closer. "Do you remember us? I was in your first year class!"

"We sat together everyday during Graduation year!"

The girl blinked, her arms crossed as her fingers stroked her chin. "Hmm."

They waited with bated breaths.

She held up a palm into stop motion. "Sorry, I don't recall."

They deadpanned at her words.

"Everyone, give her some space!" A feminine voice shouted and as if she parted the red sea herself, everyone stepped to the side to give Hoki Nanami some space. "You must have remembered me!"

Nanami had made a small name for herself. As a highly prized Iryō Ninja, her healing saved many lives in the Fourth Shinobi War. It's a shame though, if Sakura never took up the healing mantle, Nanami might've been the best rising Iryō Ninja.

"Hoki Nanami." Tamako remarked. "You used to follow me when we were in the Academy."

Nanami flushed at the roar of laughter behind her and pinched her brows. "Hey, that's rude! Friends." She stressed out. "We were friends."

Tamako easily agreed. "Sure."

Then, the brunette girl smirked. "You weren't lying when you said you'll become a bigger legend than Pakura-sama."

The Shouton User snickered, "I never lie."

Nanami clapped her shoulder and handed her a drink. "Then tell us of your galavant journeys, oh legendary one!"

Tamako glanced at the drink in hand, not sensing any malicious intent or tampering. She'd never had drunk before in this life, so this would be the first. She blinked up at their awaiting faces and drank the shot.

She got wasted.

. . .

At the 1.5 month mark, they let her around children.

"Well?" Temari questioned. "Put your talents to use! You're one of the strongest Shinobi that Suna has ever produced." Then more quietly. "Not that we did so much." Temari crossed her arms and smirked. "I'm leaving Suna to Konoha in a week's time for diplomacy. I don't know when I'll be back, so any problems you make are your problems to solve. I won't be here to clean up your mess."

Tamako teared up. "You set this up for me?"

Temari scoffed. "Hell no. A convenient Kage-level shinobi sitting around with nothing to do?" The blonde waved a piece of paper back and forth as if Tamako was a kitty misbehaving. "I'm putting you to work. Now, go on! Teach those kids!"

Temari shoved Tamako forward and into a classroom, wide eyes staring at her figure. With an awkward cough, the dark-haired girl took to the podium, grasping the cold sandstone and gripped the sheet of paper. "I'll be your Taijutsu instructor for the semester." She cleared her throat and attached the paper to a clipboard.

Oh, this damn clipboard.

"I'll be taking attendance now, then we'll move on to basic refresher to see where everyone stands."

Now she knew why her Sensei loved this clipboard so much.

She checked off each student who chirped at their name, their eyes widened and seemed like they watched her with adoration.

They were just so cute!

"Sensei! Sensei!" A girl walked up to her, blushing and twirling her hair. "Is—is it true?"

"What's true?" She knelt slightly to get a better look at her face. Her class was the graduation class, they were lagging a bit behind due to the war preparations, but nothing so serious she couldn't fix.

"That..." She flushed red. "That you and Kazekage-sama..."

Sensing what the girl was insinuating, she quickly shook her head. "Oh, no no no no. It's nothing like. He's my Kazekage, our leader."

The girl shuffled around in place. "Then.. why did you exchange secret messages with Kazekage-sama? Like what Temari-sama said at the trial?"

"Those.. those were notes of intelligence..."

The girl squealed. "It's okay sensei! I'll keep your secret!" She sprinted to her two friends giggling at each other before taking her seat.

Tamako resigned to her fate.

Though, teaching gave her reprieve in this life.

She'd always wanted to become a chunin academy teacher, it was a far off dream that she missed by a landslide but now? She could have a taste of it.

Her students quite liked her, often reaching out afterschool for additional practice that often ended up being just another class period. Perhaps they wanted to soak all the knowledge they could before the semester was up.

Tamako was not a slacker when it came to Taijutsu, her sealed chakra limited her, but not even Chunins could defeat her. Academy students were even easier.

She noted each student she had with their faults and strengths, rotating so that each student would fight another student around their level, then a stronger opponent, then a weaker opponent. This way, each student would have memories of victory, losing, close matches and most importantly, grow.

Although, she did have a mean streak.

"Kaiju, this is the sixth time you've only showed up to Taijutsu! You skipped History, Chakra Theory, Shuriken Practice and even Kata! How are you going to perform Taijutsu without Katas?" She berated the boy in front of the class, hands on her hips as she stared down disappointingly.

The boy sniffed, huffing to the side and avoided eye contact. "I don't need that kinda stuff! Taijutsu is where it's at! I don't need some—some history! Or-or theory! I've already got it!"

Tamako groaned into her hand. "Kaiju you ranked the lowest in class when it came to the Obstacle Course last exam, any lower and you'll have to repeat the semester! And don't get me started on your application of Bunshin!"

The class laughed loudly, hollering at Kaiju.

"Sensei..!" He whined, "When are we gonna learn practical jutsus then? Like, your Water Bullet, or something cool like Rasengan!"

She blanched.

"Water Bullet is a B-ranked Suiton Jutsu, not something an Academy student could pull off. And Rasengan is ninjutsu passed down by family. You don't have enough chakra, and you definitely don't have the control for it either! That's why you have to attend Chakra Theory!"

He grumbled, crossing his arms. "That's so uncool. You're just making excuses 'cuz you don't got chakra! That's why you aren't teaching us anything cool."

"I'm your Taijutsu instructor. Not Jutsu instructor, that's Minami-sensei's job."

"Beh!" He stuck out his tongue. "Everyone know's that you're the best Ninjutsu User out there! So teach us something cool!"

Tamako had exhausted all routes for this boy. Her one unruly student, one that several other sensei's had warned, and even begged to fix. There was only one more option left.

"You want to learn something cool?"

He perked up, nodding with fervor. "Yeah! Yeah!"

She smirked. "If you can land on one hit on me during my lesson, I'll teach you my strongest jutsu."

"No way!" The class chattered in shock, and even envy.

"But!" She emphasized, her finger pointing up. "If you lose..." Trailing off, Tamako gave him a small simper, "I'll kick you out of the Academy."

"!"

"That's not fair! Sensei, that's totally not fair!"

Tamako leaned on her podium with a closed-eye smile, "What do you mean it's not fair? It's my ultimate jutsu— one that made me rival a Kage. With this, you can also become Kage-leveled. Isn't that fair?"

There was no such jutsu.

The boy gulped, pointing back at her with wide eyes. "You're on!"

She was taking a page out of Ibiki's Chunin Exams. A threat coated with sweetness and vice. Tamako wasn't actually going to kick Kaiju out, but rather teach him a lesson.

The two found themselves in the underground training room, followed by her gaggle of students. She was supposed to bring them down here anyway for spars, but this'll only take a few minutes out of her lesson.

"Lesson 1: Taijutsu." She spread her feet a few more inches and relaxed into her stance. "What are you waiting for? Come here."

Kaiju let out a shout, charging towards her still figure and letting out a punch. Slowly, she twisted her heels and dodged the blow, dancing around the boy as he kicked and punched his way through.

"You're not going to land a hit if you keep it like that. Why don't you try something new?" She dodged his last sloppy low kick by jumping into the air, softly landing behind him. "Hmm, how about this? Lesson 2: Genjutsu. As this is your last semester as Academy students, you should know how to counter even the simplest of genjutsu."

She was no pro when it came to casting genjutsu, only knowing how to dispel the most difficult. But she knew the preprogrammed ones, the one that let her blend into the background. To her class, it looked like she slowly faded into a nearby rock, disappearing from their view.

Yet her voice still echoed within the training ground.

She noticed a few of her students successfully breaking the genjutsu and she gave them a shush motion. "Well? Kaiju, I'm waiting."

He growled in frustration, racking his head over and over as he desperately looked around. He said Kai a few times, but his build-up of chakra and release wasn't up to standard.

"Lesson 3: Ninjutsu."

She formed three normal clones and they came charging at Kaiju, dispelling from his kunai and right when he thought he had her last clone, she released her genjutsu, grabbing his shoulder from the behind and pulling out a kunai to his throat.

"It's over."

They stood there for a few more minutes before she finally put away the kunai. "In real combat, this would end in death. Due to the inability to dispel even the simplest of genjutsu, you fell for the simple Bunshin." She swerved on her feet and eyed his despaired look. "You are lucky that your only punishment is not death, but a sensei to student lesson."

He looked up, frustration and confusion swimming in his eyes. "So, you're not kicking me out of the Academy?"

Her eyes soften. "Kaiju-kun, all I want you to do is to succeed. But to do that, you need to attend class and learn." She faced her class with crossed arms, her fingers waving around. "True mastery of the Academy Three: Bunshin, Henge, and Kawarimi equates to a Chunin. Of course, you still need to master Sand Walking and other such skills."

Tamako clapped her hands, and her kids groaned. "Now, we all know why we are here. C'mon Kaiju, lined up with the rest of them. We still have today's spars to run through! Anzai-sensei was upset because we ended late!"

. . .

"So? What's so special about this crystal barrier you propose?"

"Shodaime Kazekage gave us the walls that protect us from the sand. Nidaime Kazekage gave us the protective cliffs that we thank today. I believe a dome of crystal could shield us from sand, sun and regulate the temperature enough where we could take advantage of the greenhouse effect."

Gaara perked his eyes away from his paperwork. "Greenhouse?"

"Mmm." She hummed back. "It's no secret that Sunagakure is the least habitable of all the Five Great Villages. Recreating the greenhouse effect on a larger scale would mean that we could start farms! We wouldn't have to rely on imports from Konoha or River. Plus, extra security." She glanced at her nails, picking at callus. "Anyone who wants it would have to bypass my sensor. Need I say more?"

Gaara leaned in with interest. "Then... Suna could finally..!"

"I could start terraforming the land around Sunagakure in a downward slope, that way we could have our own rice paddies! My Suiton is enough for irrigation to flow down, and it can be collected into a river that surrounds the village." She leaned forward, near sparkles in her eyes. "Can you see it Gaara? A green Sunagakure!"

"I'll lend you some shinobi then." He passed her stamp files of her proposal. Before she could turn away, he grabbed her wrist and tugged. "This is your final project for Suna, is it? Your last goodbye."

For some reason, Gaara understood her far too well.

She gave him a coy smile. "What gave it away?"

He released her wrist and sat back down. "You never liked staying in one place, not even as kids." Gaara reached over to his stamper. "You taught at the Academy for a bit, then went and repaired all the damaged buildings. This is your biggest project yet."

Tamako shrugged, "You've caught me. Will you deny my leave of absence?"

He shuffled his papers and set them aside, placing down the stamper and stared at her eyes. "I don't think anyone can stop you."

That was as much as a blessing she would get from someone like Gaara. "Thanks." With a twirl, she turned around and left his office, heading towards the main gate.

There, she spotted three shinobi standing by. They caught her attention with a quick bow. It was a small group for a massive project, but she doesn't really blame Gaara. He probably hoped that with such a small group, she would be stuck here a little longer. It also didn't help that since the past few months have been so quiet and peaceful, bandits were now up and running again, leaving their ranks a little thinned out.

"Tamako-sama! We've been ordered by Kazekage-sama to assist you in all things you require us for! Please give us orders."

She regarded the three, feeling for their chakra and humming in satisfaction. At least they were of Chunin-level, and had doton within their signature. Gaara was being reasonable.

Tamako handed them the papers, watching the three's eyes bulging. "W-w-we have such honors in rebuilding Suna to such heights!? We are so grateful for this opportunity but..." The girl, Toyama Saeki, as she introduced herself, trailed off, worry in her face. "With just the four of us, I'm afraid this project will take several years!"

"Don't fret." Tamako cracked her knuckles and faced the cliffs. "This part will be the easiest." Her fingers dug into the dirt, dry and warm from being baked by the sun. The grainy particles slightly scratched her fingers but she heeded them with no attention. With a huff, she began to pour her chakra, which had stayed dormant for nearly three months, and took the cliff as her own. It warped and shuttered under her hold, groaning and suddenly collapsing into the flat surface. Slowly, it began to level out in large step-like features, building down until it formed a large incomplete ring at the end, deep enough to hold a river.

Tamako sighed, wiping her brow with the pack of her palm. "That's a quarter done. You three, why don't you start with the more detailed parts? Make a few paths, and deepen where the grasslands are going. I'll start on the next quarter."

They gaped, jaws open before they quickly nodded. "Of course, Tamako-sama!"

She waved them off, "And make sure you create a connective pathway to Suna itself!" With the three scampering off for the finer details, she sat back and took a sip of her metal canteen. The last bit of Hagoromo chakra was successfully reabsorbed into her body, giving her a massive boost in chakra of her already generous reserves.

But in all honesty, she was a little greedy for more. Naruto had a lot more than he knew what to do with, and Sasuke was nothing to scoff at either. She wanted an extra battery, something she could take out when she was running low.

Something like the Byakugou Seal.

Now, she wasn't crazy enough to ask either Tsunade or Sakura to teach her, it's a forbidden jutsu passed down from mentor to student. Something incredibly private and sacred, it was a bond of family.

To Tsunade, Sakura was her most prized disciple. A genius that even Shizune couldn't match.

But Tamako wasn't so interested in Creation Rebirth, but rather the fact that the Byakugou Seal granted its user upon activation, enhanced strength, chakra, stamina and even more benefits. Three years of chakra equated to the chakra levels of a tailed beast.

What would it look like in ten years?

She would have to do more research on the topic.

Groaning, she stretched out her limbs and snapped her hands. "Guess I should finish this up and meet up with Karin."

It took her three days to repurpose the cliffs into farmable land. While her Chunin helpers were off detailing the rest of the land, she turned to the sky. A large Crystal Dome would turn Sunagakure into a massive greenhouse, the only problem with greenhouses was ventilation.

Build-up of carbon-dioxide was deadly, and she also needed a way to control the humidity and heat.

She needed a system that would constantly ventilate and control the heat during sun out, and keep the Village warm at night. Humidity could be solved with seals, water absorbing and depositing back into the flow of the river and the heat could be dealt with trees and other vegetation through evapotranspiration.

She would probably have to add an E-Rank mission for Fuuton Users to air out the carbon-dioxide build-up, there was nothing she could do about that. Some other genius will figure it out anyways.

Then, she got to work.

Under the watch of many shinobi gathered beneath her, she slowly raised her arms into the air, crystals forming at the ends of the Village before swimming in arcs, connecting at the center in one large orb.

Tamako purposely crafted each crystal to be hexagonal in nature, rather than just one smooth dome, hexagonal panels offered easier repairability, and was much more elegant.

"Tamako-sama! We've done it! It's almost unreal... to complete this project in just two and half months..!" Saeki wiped her tears. "The prosperity of Suna..."

"With this, we no longer have to rely on imports and the unpredictable rain." There was a massive smile on her face. "The last step is to turn the lever for the water."

With her Mokuton, Suna already had trees littered in every available corner Tamako could find, offering shade and occasionally fruit. There were new parks that almost resemble the ones in Konoha, all they had to do was to release the trigger for the water that would create a small waterfall down towards the fields, back into the moat surrounding the village in a large circle. She installed pipes below that would drain the moat into a large reservoir, and using water pressure, would rise back to the water to start the cycle all over again. Moisture and humidity was absorbed by the seals littered in specific wells that connected back to the large reservoir.

There was also a filtration system that was developed by civilian scientists to ensure the water was pure and drinkable.

She had already taught the Sealing Division to ensure proper upkeep. To Tamako, this was her final gift to Suna. Perhaps she owed more to the Village that had kept her alive in her youngest years, but she yearned to travel.

It called to her.

"What next, Tamako-sama?" Saeki asked, her face pulled into joy.

Below them were civilians and shinobi alike celebrating. Suna had changed, no longer a wasteland of the weak. It was an oasis of the desert. Thriving and green.

"Our work has changed history forever. This work has promoted me to Tokubetsu Jounin." She grinned, holding out a badge. "I specialize in the maintenance of the Village Proper, I even got a lease to rent one of the nicer houses you've designed yourself, Tamako-sama! The one with the garden on its roof by the Kazekage Tower in District Three!"

Tamako knows what house Saeki refers to. She had designed a few homes by the Kazekage Tower to increase the nearby property value. They all featured crystal-glass panes, wooden detail and some sort of garden.

"That's wonderful news, Saeki-chan. I'm sure you'll love it. I added an underground pool connected with the major pipes. You have to pay extra tax on it, but it's well worth it. There's seals that can heat or cool the water, but they'll have to be maintained every few months because of the humidity. Make sure you turn on the ceiling fan that connects to the outside every once-in-a-while so mold doesn't grow." She continued to ramble and ramble, almost afraid to stop, because then she would have to tell Saeki she would be leaving.

For how long?

Not even Tamako knew the answer.

"Tamako-sama, you sure are talkative today! Are you that happy that we've completed the Village-Wide Project?"

Her small team of four had grown to dozens after the mass had gotten ahold of copies of her plans. Saeki had grown into the role of Head Manager. Without her, Tamako probably would've never gotten the correct papers to work on the pipes, or reservoir. Without her, the project would have flopped and it would've been a big idea lost because of Tamako's lack of Village understanding.

Too many laws, honestly.

She turned to Saeki and clapped her shoulders with both hands. "Thank you, Saeki-chan. Truly." Tamako turned to the festive down below and smiled. "I haven't spent my better years in the Village, so I was clueless when it came to all the other work." Then, she finally broke the news. "In two weeks, I'm leaving Suna."

Saeki's jaw dropped. "W-what!? Tamako-sama, you can't be serious." She waved her clipboard. "We still have so many projects to fulfill! We need to draw up ideas to connect Konoha and Suna via transportation! I-i'm sure that Tamako-sama has something in mind..! A-and we still have to fulfill the Council's demands and format the new children's hospital down by District Four!"

"Saeki-chan, those are something completely within your ability to do." Tamako turned away and clenched her fist. "You already know what to do, don't you?"

Saeki's lips trembled. "But what about you, Tamako-sama? Where will you go? When will you come back?"

"Kaze no Kuni is small compared to the rest of the world. There's so much out there that I've yet to see. I don't know if I'll ever return."

"Then..!" Saeki grabbed her shoulders. "Please take care of yourself. You've done Suna a great service."

Tamako patted her hands, and grabbed them, holding them tight with a promise. "Of course."

. . .

"Are you sure?"

The Shouton User wrapped a tan cloak over her figure and pulled down the hood, glancing at Gaara and her entourage. "Of course." She adjusted her bandaged wraps one last time as her old teammates stepped forward.

She had shared a glass with them, during her class reunion. Raidon had grown into a combative Tokubetsu Jounin while she was gone, and Aneko was just about to take her Jounin Exams. Her graduation class was a success as many of them achieved Chunin or higher.

And they were all here to send her off.

"Must you go?" Matsuri whispered, fiddling with her fingers as a dark haired girl beside her sniffed.

Yukata wiped her eyes, her face pulled into a frown. "You just came back!" Her long black hair stuck to the back of her neck as she craned it forward. "Everyone forgave you already, so there's no need to leave!"

"This isn't a goodbye forever." Tamako replied back, sheathing a katana to her side. "If there's an emergency, I'll come running." She ruffled the girl's locks with a few pats before smoothing out her hair. "You're not a kid anymore, Yukata. Almost seventeen."

The girl pouted as Tamako's hand left her head, turning to the new Village Gate. She paused in her steps when someone coughed and grumbled into their palm. "What, no words for your old teammates?"

Gone are the days where she played four man-cell teams, running D-Rank missions and defeating the occasional bandits. There were no more welfare checks to run, no more water-wells to fill.

No more Kaito bossing her around.

"There's not much to say, is there?" Tamako glanced back, not exactly meeting their eyes. "It's been nearly five years since we were Genin."

"And you've returned as a hero." Raidon offered lightly, Aneko to his side as she gripped his arm tightly. He then added quietly, "Not even one last drink?"

She laughed, her voice soft and airy. "You were always the softest of us. I'm sure Aneko will take care of you."

The named girl took a step forward, hands on her heart and pinched brows. "Oh c'mon Tamako. You don't mean that. Stay."

Kankuro finally spoke, his arms crossed and leaning against the shadows of the Gate. "At least be like Temari. She at least writes back home."

"Home, huh." Tamako muttered back. "I... I think I'm still looking for home."

Gaara gave her a knowing look. "You will always find a place here, Whether it be a place of respite, or maybe a home in the future." He gave her the softest smile. "I will await your answer."

Tamako could feel Gaara's words that had a mix of understanding, longing and perhaps something even more. Something she couldn't yet provide, not yet. The two had only exchanged a few words in their entire lives, but Gaara was someone who could read the emotions of an individual on a deeper level than what many thought he could perceive. Perhaps it was because he grew up devoid of such feelings, and only began to grow and understand his own emotions, letting him have a keen insight on those with similar emotions of his past self.

Tamako loved deeply, and softly. She easily gave her love but did not expect it to be reciprocated. It's why she had trouble valuing herself over others, running herself to the mud and springing back up for others.

It's why... she wanted to journey once more.

Her last journey helped her understand the world and the responsibilities she had as someone who knew.

This one, would be all for herself.

"Goodbye, everyone." A step past the smooth pavement she had laid down herself, into the soft baked sand, a blow of hot air that stung her eyes. "Goodbye Gaara, and thank you."

She didn't look back.

. . .

Author Note:

Sorry for the lack of actual details, I didn't want this chapter to be way over 10k since this is just a quick summarization of 6 months.

See you guys in the next chapter!