Sakura thumbed through a few pairs of slacks before huffing in annoyance and stepping away from the rack.

"I'm bored, do you want to go to a different store?"

Temari looked up with surprise, glancing down at the five pairs of slouchy pants she'd tucked under her left arm. "Err, can I try these on first?"

"Yeah! Sorry, I just… Sorry. My mom used to bring me here and it doesn't feel the same anymore." Sakura hastily turned back to the racks after admitting that, unsure why she was opening up to a foreigner of all people.

"What's different— you or the store?" Temari asked, shoving a pair of jeans back onto the shelf next to her. She pulled another pair over top of them to cover her bad job folding the jeans.

Sakura hummed under her breath and picked up a kipao-style top that her mother would have worn. It was a velvety shade of fuschia. "Is everyone from Suna so direct?"

Temari studied the smile Sakura sported, weighing its genuineness before she responded. "Usually. Hard to beat around bushes that don't exist. Not to mention the sand— you learn pretty quick not to open your mouth more than you need to. Only the rich can afford to sit about and talk so leisurely."

"Were you not rich? Aren't you the Kazekage's daughter?" Sakura folded her arms awkwardly around herself.

"I was. The problems seemed to outweigh the benefits. And my dad was rich, not me. Here, come on, I need to see if these fit," the blonde said, turning on heel and expecting Sakura to follow. She did.

As she followed Temari to the dressing room, she spotted a frilly pink scarf. She frowned, knowing that her mother would have wrapped her up in it while laughing. She would have encouraged her to embrace her feminine side. Her mom was the reason she'd worn so much make-up when she was in school. Trying out the different glosses and mascaras had been so much fun and her mom had always gotten a kick out of how different Sakura looked in different colours.

Despite being a kunoichi, her mother had always found ways to embrace her womanly side. Sometimes, Sakura missed her more than her father. After all, her mother had been the one who pestered her everyday to get things done and who cooked for her. Her dad was the silly one, who wanted to always be laughing and who would invite her to work on silly projects around the house that often took far longer than they should have.

Temari snapped her fingers in front of Sakura's face, drawing her out of her thoughts. The pants she was trying on looked ridiculous— the soft orange colour and the way they ballooned out at the ankles made her look more like a clown than a fashion model.

Sakura bit back a bark of laughter, hiding her smile behind her hands. "I hope you're trying to cheer me up with a laugh, because those are ridiculous."

Temari puffed out her lips in faux-annoyance. "What? What's wrong with them? These could be all the rage in Suna for all you know."

Sakura giggled a little. "Maybe at a clown festival."

"I dunno, I kind of like it. Could be a good diversion tactic. Some people distract through seduction…. I could distract through… whatever you call this."

Temari pulled the fabric of the pants wide, flapping them like wings. "I wonder if I could manipulate wind chakra to hold me up in these. Use 'em like weird wings."

"Oh!" Sakura paused, tapping her finger against her lips. "I think it would be easier if you made something that kind of spread out like wings on your back. But that had a sturdy spine-like piece? Or maybe that your fan could connect to?"

Temari laughed and retreated back into the dressing room. "Maybe! I dunno, but I definitely don't think this store is gonna have anything I want. Take me to a weapons shop, Sakura—I hear there's good steel coming out of Konoha!"

Sakura smiled at the lack of honorific. "Alright. I'll take you to see my favorite place."

Naruto and the Sand Brothers were perched atop the heads of the past Hokage, surveying the village. It wasn't a place that most people were actually tempted to go, so there were no rules barring people from sitting up there.

They'd been sitting there in the quiet for a few moments when Gaara awkwardly began to speak. "Yesterday, I… I was so surprised that you forgave me—I didn't say everything I wanted to say."

Naruto looked to his left, where Gaara was sitting and studied the kid's face. Dark bags were under his eyes and there were some premature wrinkles forming from how often he squinted. The most striking thing was the splotch of red underneath his deep auburn hair. Every time the wind blew Naruto could catch a peak of the boy's tattoo.

"What did you wanna say?" Naruto asked. Something in his stomach felt a little sick, like this was a more serious conversation than he'd prepared for.

Gaara paused, tilting his head to the side. "I… I want to have bonds like you have. I thought that if I conquered and killed anything that was a threat to me that I was proving I was alive."

Naruto nodded, unsure of what to say. Gaara kept talking.

"Now I have realized that... I want a reason to enjoy my life. I enjoy being around you. I want to try to be your friend."

"We're already friends. I think. Aren't we?" Naruto asked, scratching his head. "I mean, I thought we were friends. You even bought me ramen."

Kankuro sat quietly, listening.

"Oh. Good." Gaara's lips curled up just a little bit.

Naruto thought it was a much more normal smile than the one he'd seen Gaara give to Sakura last night.

"Yeah! Anything else is in the past. Just don't try to hurt my friends like that again. They're precious to me. I'm sure you could even become precious to them, too. That's why I wanna be Hokage, you know."

Gaara looked at him, his tired eyes searching Naruto for answers to questions he hadn't asked yet. Naruto kept talking, feeling confident in what he had to say.

"I used to want to be Hokage so people would recognize and acknowledge me. I was treated really bad cuz of the fox in my stomach and all, but… I dunno. Now I think I ought to Hokage to fix the stuff I don't like and make sure people I love are okay. I don't care about everyone acknowledging me now that a few people have. I just want to do whatever I have to do to make sure they're okay. If that means being in charge, I'll be in charge. I'll take care of everyone. No one else is gonna die if I can avoid it."

"Do you have to be the Hokage to do that?" Gaara asked carefully. Sand was swirling around his hand in a spiral pattern.

"Seems the best way to make the most change," shrugged Naruto. "Besides— I've been telling people I'd be Hokage for as long as I can remember. I won't go back on my word, now!"

Gaara smiled and picked up a few leaves with his left hand. He dropped the leaves over his right hand and they swirled around with the sand. "Then I shall become Kazekage. We will have an alliance. Some day, I hope to return the favor and save you the way you saved me from myself. But, I pray you never need it."

Naruto looked away quickly, surprised by how quickly tears had sprung into his eyes. It might have been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. "Geez, Gaara, quit flinging sand around it's getting in my eyes."

He scrubbed at his eyes furiously. "Alright, alright. That sounds great and all but we gotta get stronger. Let's go spar!"

"We're not allowed, twerp," Kankuro interjected. Naruto laughed, realizing he'd forgotten the brunette was even there.

"Well then let's go get some flowers for Sasuke's room. Stupid Baachan and her stupid no-fighting rule."

"What's she doing here?" TenTen whispered, organizing the kunai holsters on the shelf in front of her as she flicked her eyes back and forth between her work and Temari. Temari was on the other side of the store, looking at the different kinds of kunai.

"I'm hoping to buy some of your weapons," Temari said without batting an eyelash . "Unless that's a problem, of course."

She looked up in time to see TenTen blush a similar shade to Sakura's top. TenTen's discomfort was rewarded with a disarming smile from Temari. "You know they talk about Konoha steel even out in the desert?"

The blush spread to TenTen's ears. "Yeah, actually, I did. I just didn't think you'd— I mean, come on, you're the daughter of—"

"I'm no one's daughter anymore," Temari interrupted quietly. TenTen brought her hands together in front of her, uncomfortable. Quiet recognition dawned on Sakura's face and she looked down at the floor as she thought.

Temari moved closer. The budding weapon's master tensed her body, preparing for a slap. "I fully intend to be your friend. This is why I am telling you how I feel. It was a bad matchup, our fight. But you earned my respect. Is this your family's store?"

TenTen's shoulders sagged. Sakura busied herself with looking at the tantos and katanas in the back of the store. The moment felt important somehow.

"It— that's complicated. I'm technically an orphan, but the shop owners consider me one of their own. They don't really have any kids and Kazuichi pretty much has… implied that if something happens to him, he wants me to take over the shop." TenTen looked sad for a moment. "But I'd rather a family than a business."

Temari gripped the brunette's shoulder briefly, squeezing softly. "I want to commission some weapons from you. I think my brother would as well."

"Oh, I didn't realize he—"

"The other one, Kankuro," Temari said with a laugh. "Gaara has never needed a weapon."

Sakura shuddered and picked up a tanto, gripping it in her palm. Could she kill Orochimaru with a sword? Or would she rather do it with her bare hands? She brought it over her head, pretending to slash with it.

She turned it over, studying the hilt. Then she pulled it out of its sheath, admiring the slant of the blade. It was new and shiny, so shiny she could see her reflection in it.

"Hey! That's sharp, don't play around with it. That particular one is meant for stealth killing," TenTen called out.

Sakura sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "I could be a stealth killer. You don't know!"

"You don't seem like the type, Sakura-chan," TenTen said, making her way over so she could resheath the weapon. "Besides, why would you wanna be a secret killer? You seem like the type to enjoy the scrap of a fight."

"What? I'm not petty."

TenTen was quiet for a moment, putting the tanto back on the display. "What is your fighting style?"

"I— I… I tend to be in more support roles, it seems." Sakura admitted. "But I don't want that! I want to have a more direct role."

"Why?" asked Temari, moving in closer. She had packages of kunai and paracord tucked under her arm, and was gripping forearm guards in her fingers. They looked heavy.

"I am going to kill Orochimaru some day," Sakura ground out.

"Interesting," mused Temari. "How?"

Sakura lifted her chin defiantly. "I will find a way."

"You sound like Sasuke," mumbled TenTen. "But I'll help you find a weapon. But you're gonna need to find a fighting style that works for you and weave a weapon in. I don't feel good about just selling you random weapons. You're more likely to hurt yourself that way,especially if I'm not there to help you."

"You'd do that?" Sakura asked, drawing back in on herself. The offer at help had evaporated her confidence, somehow.

"Duh. Besides. I hear your team is getting close with the Hokage and I fully expect you to give me the details on Tsunade-sama. I'm a big fan. She's my hero."

"Deal." Sakura extended her hand to TenTen and they shook on it.

"Alright, alright, can you ring me up? This stuff doesn't weigh nothing, ya know!" intercepted Temari, waddling away from them towards the counter. "And besides, if I like this stuff, I'll be ordering more from afar. My brother Kankuro is especially in need of good weaponry, so consider this the potential beginning of an enduring partnership."

TenTen nodded happily and scampered after Temari. "You got it!"

Sakura studied the mesh armor by the door as Temari checked out, enjoying the gentle sound of the beeps as TenTen wrung up each item.

"Oh," TenTen murmured. "Yeah, these are good. They won't come off unless you release the latch with your own chakra."

"I'll let you know how that goes," Temari said, eyeing the lighters on the counter.

Sakura looked to see what the two were talking about, but it appeared to just be some mesh stockings.

"Please do; us girls gotta stick together, ya know," TenTen said with a false chipperness that Sakura didn't understand.

Temari and TenTen exchanged a knowing look and Sakura felt left out, like she'd missed some sort of social cue. She shrugged the feeling off and studied the mesh armor behind the counter and wondered if this was where that proctor, Anko, bought all her stuff.

"Well, see ya," mumbled Sakura. "Let's go drop off your stuff, that's a lot to just carry around."

"Bye, ladies! Come back in a week or so, Sakura-chan, I'll help you find something good. We can start practicing with different stuff."

Sakura nodded and the two girls headed out the door. Sakura was quiet as they walked, wondering about what kind of weapon she could use. She imagined various different tools, how each of them would feel. The idea of a sledgehammer was so ridiculous that she imagined conking Orochimaru over the head with it, and his tongue flopping out of his month. In her mind, it rolled out like a red-carpet. At first it was funny, but then it just seemed kind of gross and she shook her head to get rid of the image.

"So, I have to admit, when we first met I didn't peg you as the murderous, revenge-seeking type," Temari said, hefting the bag up a little higher on her hip.

"Funny, I didn't think you were so soft when we first met, either," needled Sakura. "He killed my parents during the invasion."

Temari clicked her tongue loudly and nodded her head a few times. "That'll do it."

"Yeah. It did. Sometimes I imagine just—" Sakura mimed choking the life out of him with her hands and laughed. "How it will feel, ya know?"

Temari nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

They walked for a while, the hum of people laughing and moving about their day-to-day activities loud in their ears.

"He killed my dad." Temari said to with such finality that it caught Sakura off-guard. She tripped a little over a lose stone, but played it off easily.

"No kidding?"

"Yup. He'd been dead for weeks by the time we found out." Temari hoisted the bag up higher again. Sakura wondered if she should offer to carry it for a while but couldn't get the words out.

"But I suspected. I could tell something was different about him, even though nobody else could. Not even his 'trusted' advisors could tell the difference."

Sakura had the distinct feeling that this was something Temari had not shared with many people— maybe not anyone. "How could you tell?"

"He wasn't so… He started acting like he cared about us. Like he felt bad for … all that we were going through." Temari's face twisted into an expression that Sakura couldn't place, but she could feel the emotion rippling off the girl. "That's why I was so desperate to do everything that he said. I had hoped that my dad had changed and actually cared about us."

Sakura stayed quiet as they walked, unsure of what to say or how to comfort. She knew that she hated the awkward "I'm sorry" from everyone who gave it to her. They were both sorry, why say it?

Eventually, they came to the door of the guest house where the Sand Siblings were staying. "I have to admit," Temari said, struggling to fit the key in the lock with the weight of the bag in her arms. "I hate that I am glad he's gone. I wish that I could just mourn him. I am mourning the life I should have had and his death. But also celebrating it a little, because we're finally free. Ain't that fucked?"

Temari chuckled and then sighed in relief when the key slid all the way into the door. "But anyway, girl, seems like we're both orphans, now."

"You, me, and every other person in my immediate circle it seems. We should start a club," spat Sakura. Temari laughed loud and long at that.

Ino stared at Naruto and his strange friends, trying to piece together how they had gone from dangerous foes in the invasion to people wandering freely in Konoha.

She kept her shears in her hands, finding more and more flowers to cut and place in vases. She'd left her weapons pouch at home like an idiot.

Eventually, she worked up the courage to ask what they were doing. "Oi! Naruto, what are you and your… friends looking for?"

Naruto flinched like he'd been sworn at. "Ah, hi, Ino-chan!" He chuckled uncomfortably. "I-uh, I actually wanted to get some flowers for a friend who's in the hospital."

"Oh, well, okay. What brings your… friends to Konoha?" she asked, picking up some fern and tucking it into a fresh vase.

"Work," Kankuro said quickly. "We're here on the Hokage's orders, see?"

He held up a card which apparently Ino recognized easily. Naruto squinted at it, trying to see what it said. Kankuro put it away before he could read it.

"We're hoping to restore our relationship with Konoha," Kankuro said, leaning his weight against the counter. He leaned his face on his fist, studying her as she added baby's breath to the arrangement. "We were just following orders, you know how that is."

Ino rolled her eyes, smirking. "Get outta here. You attack my village and then think you can bat your eyes at me?"

"Is it working?" He asked, smiling a bit.

"You'll have to do better than that," Ino laughed. Naruto looked like he was taking notes. Gaara was so engrossed in staring at the flowers he didn't bother to chastise his brother.

Naruto watched as she added gardenias and some small sprigs of lavender. "Do the different flowers mean different things?" He asked abruptly, reaching out to gently poke at a sprig of lilac.

"Yeah, that's why it's best to have someone arrange it for you. If you're not careful, you can offend someone by bringing them funeral flowers. "

Naruto nodded vigorously, leaning against the counter with both hands as she cut the bottoms off of certain flowers and arranged them in the vase.

"What would you put together for me?" Kankuro asked.

"Hmm, maybe some periwinkle. No, golden dewdrops! Or… I know! Some laurel." Ino smiled wryly at him before looking back down at her arrangement. It was colorful and purposeful. "Those are beautiful ones.

"They're also poisonous," pouted Kankuro, folding his arms over his chest. "Message received, flower maiden. Message received."

"I'm only teasing you," she laughed. "And just Ino is fine."

Kankuro's mouth dropped open until he recovered his senses and flashed a lopsided grin. "Ino it is."

"Alright, Naruto. Is that all you need today?" She had wrapped the arrangement in a protective plastic covering that offered some protection for the flowers during the delivery. "Once you leave the shop, you'll want to deliver them quick, otherwise the flowers will overheat in there."

Naruto nodded shyly, stepping up to the register with his frog wallet clutched in his hands. Gaara was inspecting the flowers inside the plastic with fascination, though his hands only hovered above the plastic.

"Can you teach me more about flowers sometime?" He asked tentatively, forking over the cash. "I'll clean up around the shop or whatever you want, but I just… Please. I'll make it worth your while."

Ino paused at the cash register, surprised by his request. "S-sure. Come by the store and I'll leave a note for whoever's working to pass on to you about some good times for us to meet."

She handed him the receipt and was careful to not touch her hand while collecting it. "Thanks a bunch, Ino! But— please, don't tell any of the guys about this. I get hastled enough already."

He laughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly before picking up the flowers. She tilted her head thoughtfully and looked ready to say something else so Naruto squeezed out his parting. "Anyway— thanks!"

"Can I carry them?" Gaara asked suddenly, his hoarse voice making him sound dreadfully desperate.

Naruto paused and then nodded, happy for someone to share his interest. "Sure!" He opened the door for Gaara, standing next to it so the boy could walk through. Gaara held the flowers carefully in front of him, a foot away from his body.

"I'll have to come by for some flower lessons myself next time I'm in town," quipped Kankuro, tucking a plumeria leaf behind his right ear. As soon as he turned to leave, his hood caused the flower to fall.

"Somehow I don't feel like you need them," Ino laughed, clearing the extra clippings off the counter.

Gaara shuffled dumbly out the door that Naruto was holding open, transfixed by the flowers.

"Nope, just need to see you," Kankuro said, winking and ducking out the door after his brother.

"Wait! Naruto, who are the flowers for?" Ino asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Naruto paused for a second. "Sasuke."

He rushed out, not wanting to see the sympathetic look on her face. He couldn't ignore the way she gasped though. So he ran from it instead, jogged to catch up with his friends.

They walked for a few moments before Kankuro started punching his fists and laughing. "Man, am I smooth or what? She's so hot."

"She's also the only girl in Konoha who wears more makeup than you, so it's perfect," laughed Naruto.

"Wh—you little jerk come here!"

Naruto laughed and pranced away from him. "No touchy! Baachan's orders, remember?"

Naruto trotted away and then jumped up onto the top of a light pole where he perched for a moment, discerning the height of the sun in the sky. "Let's go to Granny's! I bet you Shizune will let us in to see Sasuke."

It took them a while to get to the Hokage's quarters from where they were and by the time they arrived, the sun was low in the sky. The whole way, Gaara had enjoyed the flowers and held them like he knew they would break if he didn't hold them 'just-so.'

When they arrived at Tsunade's, Shizune opened the door for them after Naruto beat on the door a few times yelling loudly enough for the whole village to hear.

"I wish you wouldn't knock like that," Shizune said with a sigh, accepting them into the house. She held out her hands to take the flowers from Gaara while he took off his ninja sandals.

"I wish you'd let me in faster," pouted Naruto, folding his arms across his chest. Then he decided he ought to take his shoes off so he could see Sasuke.

The entryway was narrow, but the room it opened up into was large and wide. There was a long meeting table, some comfortable chairs and a low to the ground sitting area around an ornate tea table.

"Consider yourselves lucky," Shizune said cordially, "it isn't often we let foreign dignitaries in this area. It's a bit unheard of, really. But you understand how delicate the situation is and I trust you to behave yourselves."

"You'll find us remarkably willing to behave," mumbled Kankuro bowing a little as they walked. "With everything that happened we're not intending to cause any undue ripples."

"I'll hold those for you," offered Gaara, using his sand to lift the flowers out of Shizune's grasp. She tutted in surprise and then chuckled to herself when she saw the fascination on his face.

"I guess you boys don't see a lot of flowers like this in Suna, huh?"

"We have a greenhouse, but we mostly grow things for work-related endeavors, not pleasure. Not enough water for that," Kankuro confessed.

They wandered back through some hallways — it was more than Naruto could remember there being in the first place, but he shrugged it off and chalked it up to his short attention span.

When they entered the room, Temari and Sakura were already in there. Jiraiya and Kakashi also happened to be in the room. When they both stood up, Naruto drew back, subconsciously bracing himself for more bad news.

"What's wrong? Why are you both here?" He asked suspiciously. It felt like his stomach had bottomed out.

"What? Kid, relax." Jiraiya held his hands up, pleading innocence. "Everything's fine. I was just here to check on things and get report from Kakashi. Besides, I've been hearing a bit from one of our closest allies about how we might be able to offer some aid to Suna."

"Aid? Aren't we rather ill-equipped to be accepting aid from you at a time like this when our village has been disgraced by my father's actions?" Temari asked incredulously. She was draped over an armchair in a rather undignified fashion and had to press her chin into her chest to put her eyes on the Sannin.

"Be that as it may…. I think that this will bring some stability to Suna and ease our minds as well," murmured Jiraiya. "Furthermore, we can't actually confirm when Orochimaru killed the Fourth, so you lot have some plausible deniability. I deal in information and— at times—protection." Jiraiya gestured to the flowers in Gaara's grasp. "Why don't you set those down, kid, and we'll step out of here and talk business?"

Sakura looked annoyed, with her hands folded in tight fists in her lap.

"Let me unwrap them please, they need to breathe," Gaara rasped, looking serene as he set them next to Sasuke. He drilled some sand into the plastic covering the flowers and then painstakingly peeled it away until the flowers were free.

He gently fluffed them with his hands before standing up and sighing. "Alright."

"Very well then," exhaled Kakashi. "Let's go somewhere more private."

The Sand siblings stood up together and departed, leaving Sakura and Naruto alone with Sasuke's unresponsive form. Shizune had also left with Jiraiya and Kakashi. It was quiet save for the beeping and wheezing of the machines.

Sakura was crossed legged in a comfortable looking chair next to Sasuke's bed. Naruto chose to sit at the foot of the bed, feeling suddenly awkward around her. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sakura anxiously ejected the words she'd been holding onto.

"I'm sorry I've been so angry lately."

Naruto looked up, surprised. "Huh?"

"You're uncomfortable. I can tell. I've been pretty mean to you lately. I'm sorry."

"Oh, I… Sakura-chan, I—" Naruto scratched at his neck, unsure what to do with himself.

"I'm just so angry, Naruto. Nothing is right. Everything keeps going wrong. And I know I'm not the only one hurting. I keep forgetting that you lost people, too." Sakura's chin wobbled as she screwed up her face with emotion.

"It's fine, Sakura-chan!" Naruto laughed and stood up, gesturing wide. "Everything is fine! You're safe, Sasuke-bastard is back, he's gonna get better—"

"It's not fine! Sarutobi-sama is dead, my parents are dead. That bastard is still alive. Nothing will be right until I scrub his existence off the face of this earth. The relationship between Suna and Konoha is in shambles! He killed their dad, too."

Naruto sat back down, feeling small and stupid.

"Aren't you sad? Aren't you angry?"

He hated the way she was looking at him, so full of despair tinged with accusation.

"Of course I am!" He said defensively. He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. "But I don't want to think about it. You and Sasuke are bent on revenge and … I'll die to see it happen if I have to. I'm so sad about losing the only person I had growing up, but…"

He braced himself for the worst. He took a deep breath. "I have you and Sasuke and even Kakashi-sensei. I'm not alone anymore. I've always been alone. Now I'm not."

He'd said it. He'd revealed his deepest sin. He was grateful. Everything sucked but he'd finally been accepted as part of something. How could he hate that? He was happy. Happier than he could remember being, even despite losing his beloved Jiji. Even today, he had two new friends— three, if you counted Ino, who was finally being nice to him.

Sakura stared at him with sullen, leaking eyes. "So you're okay?"

He smiled, laughing. "Of course I'm fine! I'm always fine, Sakura-chan!"

She smiled sadly at him then, her green eyes so much more vibrant with all the red of her cheeks and nose. "Okay, Naruto. Thank you, I'm sorry for being such a crappy friend."

"No, it's fine. Please, let's just worry about Sasuke. As long as we're all okay, I'm okay." He rolled over, tugging the clipboard off the foot of the bed. "Now what does this say? I bet Tsunade isn't actually telling us how sick he is."

"Shut up, give me that!" She squawked, trying to grab it from his hands.

He stood up quickly, stiff-arming her away from him while he tried to read it.

"Gimme that! What does it even say?" She asked, trying to grab it.

He looked at it for a moment longer before sighing in annoyance. "You're right, I have no idea what it says. But it's really messy handwriting!"

"Idiot," she whispered, snatching the clipboard from him. "Oh, yeah this… dammit, she's writing in a cypher. No wonder you can't read it."

Naruto shoved her off of him and loomed over Sasuke, pulling one of his eyelids open. "Wake up!"

"Would you shut up!" Tsunade barked, popping her head in through the door. "I can hear you, you know."

Sakura dropped the clipboard and tucked her hands behind her back with a nervous laugh. "Heh! So sorry."

"You." Tsunade pointed at Sakura. "I want you to start reading the books on the third shelf from the right over there. Tomorrow I'm going to quiz you on the contents over breakfast. You will come and cook me breakfast tomorrow."

"Listen lady, I don't know if you want her making breakfa—" Naruto grunted when Sakura punched him in the side of the head. "OW! Listen, I'm just trying to help—OW. Sakura!"

"You will bring breakfast tomorrow, Sakura, and we'll go over what you've managed to learn," amended Tsunade. "You, Naruto, will work with Shizune tomorrow. You didn't even notice that genjutsu she put on you on the way down here. Shameful demonstration— she's been working so hard with you on that!"

"Sorry, baachan. What do you want me to do right now? Sakura's busy so I'm going to be bored…"

"Hmm. I have a delivery for you. Come with me." Naruto nodded and followed her out of the room. When he looked back to wave bye to Sakura, she was drawing her hand across her throat in a cutting motion.

"You're dead," she mouthed. Naruto gulped and scampered after Tsunade.

A/N: Idk how I got this out so fast. You're welcome. I love you allllll.