The next morning, sunlight filtered through my window, casting soft shadows on the floor as I slowly opened my eyes. The house was quiet now—everyone had left late into the night, and I finally had the silence I craved. But something was different. The warmth from the surprise party lingered, but Kakashi's words echoed in my mind over and over: "Happy Birthday, Cherry Blossom." I wasn't sure why, but the way he said it stayed with me longer than I wanted it to.

Pushing myself out of bed, my body still felt stiff, my muscles not quite used to normal activity yet. Three months of being unconscious had taken more of a toll on me than I had anticipated, but I was determined to get back to my usual self. No amount of weakness was going to keep me down...not anymore.

I dressed quickly and decided a walk around the village might clear my head. The streets were buzzing with life, as they always were, but I felt lost in my own thoughts. Every person I passed greeted me with smiles and warm welcomes, but I could only manage small, polite responses in return. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

Kakashi hadn't come back after the party, and while I told myself it didn't bother me, a small part of me was disappointed. After all, he still hadn't explained what really happened during the ambush. I needed answers so I could understand why I had been so deeply affected, why my memories hadn't returned yet. And why Kakashi was being so different.

Just as I rounded the corner to my favorite tea shop, I saw him, standing against a tree, reading one of his usual novels. He hadn't noticed me yet, and for a moment, I considered turning around and avoiding the conversation I knew we needed to have. But I couldn't keep running from it.

"Kakashi," I called, my voice sounding more strained than I intended. He glanced up from his book, his usual lazy demeanor masking whatever he was thinking.

"Sakura," he responded, closing his book and tucking it into his pocket. "How are you feeling?"

I crossed my arms, leaning against the wooden railing of the tea shop. "Better. But that's not why I'm here."

He raised an eyebrow, already knowing where this conversation was headed. "You want to talk about the ambush."

"Of course I do," I said, frustration bubbling up inside me. "It's been weeks, Kakashi. I've had enough time to recover physically, but I still don't know what really happened. Everyone's been tiptoeing around the subject. Why?"

Kakashi's expression darkened for a moment before he sighed. "It's not that simple."

I frowned. "Make it simple then. I need to understand."

He pushed himself off the tree and stood in front of me, closer than I expected. "You were never the target, Sakura. It was... me." His voice was lower now, and there was a weight to his words that sent a chill down my spine.

"What?" I stared at him, trying to process what he had just said. "Why would someone be after you?"

"There are things in my past," he began, hesitating as if deciding how much to reveal. "Things that I've done... missions I've been involved in. Not everything is as straightforward as it seems."

I clenched my fists at my sides. "So I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "I never meant for you to get caught up in it. If I had known—"

"You should have told me sooner!" I cut him off, anger flaring in my chest. "Instead, I've spent weeks trying to figure out why this happened to me, why I can't remember anything, and all this time it wasn't even about me at all!"

"Sakura," he said softly, his voice a calm contrast to my frustration. "I didn't want to burden you with it while you were still recovering. I thought it would be easier."

"Easier?" I scoffed. "You're kidding, right? How is it easier to sit in the dark, not knowing why my life was turned upside down?"

He looked at me, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something in his eye...regret, guilt, maybe both. "You're right," he admitted. "I should have told you. But I couldn't. Not until I was sure..."

"Sure of what?" I demanded.

"That the man who attacked us is still out there. And he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants."

I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. "What does he want?"

Kakashi's eye narrowed, and for the first time, I saw a flash of real fear in him. "Me."

My breath caught in my throat, the weight of his words settling heavily between us. It wasn't over. Whatever danger had come for Kakashi—and inadvertently for me—was still looming, waiting for its moment. And I had been a casualty of it without even realizing.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Then we'll stop him."

Kakashi gave a small, sad smile. "It's not that simple, Sakura."

"It's never simple with you," I shot back, feeling my frustration rise again. "But I'm not going to sit around waiting for another ambush. If he's after you, then we need to deal with this."

Kakashi looked at me, his expression unreadable, before finally nodding. "You're right. We'll deal with it. But we need to be careful. He's not just any enemy."

I swallowed hard, feeling a surge of determination. I wasn't going to let this happen again, not to me, and not to Kakashi. Whatever it took, we were going to stop this man and finally put an end to the nightmare that had started after that ambush.

"Just promise me one thing," I said, meeting his gaze. "No more secrets. If we're going to face this, I need to know everything."

Kakashi hesitated, but after a moment, he nodded. "No more secrets."