DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto. This is purely Fanfiction and had been written for entertainment purposes only, without any intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: To those who might feel like they have read similar/exact same story somewhere, should know that I'd originally posted this story up in another of account of mine but had it deleted from there when I'd to abandon that account due to technical trouble. Thanks! Enjoy!

Desires of the Heart
Part I: Confliction

Chapter 1
The Trap

Sakura took in her surroundings. It was without a doubt a civilian village, small and situated just on the outskirts of Konoha, about some fifteen miles east of Konoha's gates.

The sentries at the village gates had cast her suspicious looks when she had checked in, adamant to find any reason whatsoever as to deny her entry. Even after showing the scroll as proof of her mission here, which bore the Hokage's own seal and not to mention the Damiyo's too, they had still refused to acknowledge it for the longest time and had simply feigned ignorance. It was just when Sakura's temper was on the verge of ticking, they, probably having sensed the alarming aura emitting from her, had stepped aside to let her pass through, however, not bothering to hide their hostility.

'It was reasonable,' she thought. Reflecting on the fact that shinobi were always running around, breaking havoc in the peaceful lives of the civilians in the small towns, just as much as the other shinobi countries, she couldn't really blame them for wanting a bit of peace for a change.

'I guess if I were a civilian, I would have wanted the same thing and distrusted shinobi just as much,' she mused.

Sakura laughed to herself as it occurred to her out of the blue how it would all have been if the Rookie Nine had indeed been civilians.

'Well, for one Naruto would always be Naruto, ninja or not,' it made her Inner-self snort. He probably would have been painting the Hokage Mountains as his notion of prank either way. She thought about herself and how differently she could have turned out to be.

'Definitely wouldn't have learned to grow a backbone,' the small voice at the back of her mind said tauntingly, 'Would be a damsel in distress through and through... Not that you are any better as a shinobi, of course.' The snide comment from Inner Sakura sparked her anger.

'Shut up unless you want me to shut you out like I've done for so many years before. Remember those days?' she threatened her Inner deviously.

'Fine. Fine. Keep your hair on, lady,' Inner grumbled, shutting up for now much to Sakura's relief.

In the peace of her mind, her thoughts began to drift. And how would have a civilian Sasuke been like...? Sakura closed her eyes and tried to stop her thoughts from trailing off to the young Uchiha boy before it was too late.

It had been five years that he had left them; left her lying on a cold bench. Since then they had turned over the entire five countries searching for him, wanting to bring him back with them, ready to welcome him back with open arms. But there was no sign of him anywhere. It made them question if he had ever even survived Orochimaru's evil intentions in the first place; it was no secret that Orochimaru wanted to take over the young Uchiha's body.

But he did survive; Sasori had told her where to find him as a reward for defeating him. And they had hurried across the nation, dreading that they would be too late. But no, Sasuke had been there, waiting for them. And a glimpse of him was all they caught before he had disappeared, again. But in that one glimpse of him, they also had an unfortunate glimpse of the new power he had achieved over the years, for which he had once chosen to desert them in the first place.

Sakura had taken in every minute detail. He was taller. He had let his hair grow out over the years so that it framed his face. His features were sharp as ever, chiseled to perfection. He had more muscles than she could remember him having, a sign of his progress, giving him an admirable physique. He looked as composed as ever, his face wiped off into a blank slate of impassiveness to the point of being the perfect shinobi tool, as Sakura had read countless times in some rulebook or another.

Not the slightest flicker of emotion crossed his features once as he gazed down at them. If he remembered them, or had the slightest regret about the path he had chosen, she couldn't tell as he didn't have any qualms about hiding it behind the cold exterior that he had carved under the tutelage of the snake Sanin.

But what alarmed her was the dawning that there was something darker, far more sinister lurking in his cold gaze than she could ever remember witnessing in those beautiful ebony orbs. And even before he had raised his katana against them, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she knew that the Sasuke they had once known had changed. The boy that she had fallen in love was gone. All that was left was this...

'Shell,' she hissed inwardly, her eyes narrowing as the unpleasant memory began to replay in her mind over and over again, much to her frustration.

This was why she didn't like to take a trip down memory lane; it kept haunting her, tormenting her over and over again to the point of destroying whatever effort she had given to forge a wall against the tide of emotions pent up in her heart.

And then of course, Sasuke had disappeared once again. And Sakura found herself wanting that he would disappear from her heart altogether; it hurt her just to think about him. And it hurt her more to think that there was very little she could do to save the boy from his erroneous ways. But it didn't mean for a second that she would stop trying. When they returned to Konoha, she had at once resumed her training to push herself to attain greater strength so that the next time she crossed paths with Sasuke, she could bring him back home for real, even if she had to drag him all the way over to Konoha.

But more and more time flew by and there was hardly any news about Sasuke. And by the passing time, Sakura found her faith to be wavering little by little each day. Maybe it was fated that they couldn't bring him back, maybe he was destined to lead the life of a rogue. For months she had teetered on the verge of indecision of whether to continue with their delusional wish to bring him back or to stop all this pointless nonsense and instead, concentrate on her own ambitions for a change.

And suddenly one day she had feebly made up her mind about moving on with her life, hoping that by each passing day would eventually wax the determination that she lacked. As to whether she had indeed achieved the willpower, she couldn't tell. But every time her heart tugged painfully in her chest when thinking of a lingering reminiscence of the dark-haired boy she had once sworn to love, it was a reminder that she had failed her resolve to move on miserably.

Sakura sighed, and raised her eyes from the ground that she had been eyeing for quite some time now; fearing that the tap to her eyes that she had been very cautious to keep shut could open up anytime now, even with the slightest temptation. Trying to pull together her inner turmoil, she looked about her.

It was still early in the morning. A very small number of people could be seen up and about getting ready for the start of another hectic day. There were a few merchants with carts loaded with goods talking business deals in hushed tones with the traders. Quite a few stalls were already open with the vendors calling out to the people that passed. It was very different in every way from the ever bustling Konoha that she was used to.

For example the air was undoubtedly unlike the one her lungs were used to. Sakura sniffed in the crispy, fresh air. It was a civilian village and therefore, the air was free of many the pollutions in the air of a shinobi village that she was familiar with. The change in the air was certainly a welcomed one, and closing her eyes, she inhaled a few more times. For some reason, it smelled of fresh jasmines.

And then another smell invaded her nose. Snapping open her eyes, she sniffed the air harder. A moment later she followed the faintly delicious scent that was wafting to her nose and was lead directly to a vendor selling...

'Dumplings!' Sakura exclaimed in delight. She rushed up to the stall, ignoring the disapproving look that a passing old woman threw her

The man behind the stall was calling out to the passerby while cooking the first batch of dumplings of the day. He was taken aback when the pink haired girl suddenly rushed up to him.

"Uh...welcome young lady. What can I get you this morning?" he asked, his face pulled into a wizened smile.

Sakura looked around to examine the different types of dumplings and ordered as soon as her eyes fell upon the syrup-coated anko dumplings. Smiling at the look of anticipation on the girl's face, the vendor quickly prepared her some.

Sakura dug in as soon as the vendor placed the plate in front of her. It has been a long time since she had had the chance to taste her favorite food. Hell, she was sure that the only flavor that she had had in her mouth was that of ramen in the last few months upon her buoyant teammate's insistence. Smacking her lips and savoring the very sweet taste it left on her lips, Sakura felt satisfied in a way that she had not been in a while. And it had also succeeded in distracting her from her previous dark thoughts.

"Ahhhh!" She licked her lips as she reached out for another but found her plate wiped clean. Broken from her bubble, she realized that she was done. As much as she wanted to order another plate, she recalled her mission a little huffily, and decided it was time to leave.

After making the payment, she rose and turned away only to realize it would be easier if she asked for directions first rather than roaming around the land like a stray. Directions made it much easier and were more efficient in time management. Turning back to the dumpling vendor, she asked politely, "Ano, Oji-san. Could you give me the direction towards the Damiyo's house?"

The man smiled good naturedly before pointing her to the general direction to the north,"It's the huge mansion. You can't miss it."

Thanking him, Sakura turned away and decided to walk casually instead of sprinting, lest she made the civilians uncomfortable since she figured they were not used to shinobi in the first place.

An hour later Sakura stood on the threshold of the gigantic mansion, veins popping out of her forehead as she desperately tried to keep her calm. For the last ten minutes she had been trying to persuade the thick headed guards that she had indeed been summoned by the Damiyo for a mission. But they wouldn't hear a word of it.

"I am telling you the Damiyo requested for me himself. I have the official documents," she said with a slight hint of annoyance to her voice as she struggled to maintain her professionalism.

"Miss, please leave the threshold or else we will be forced to remove you."

Sakura's eyes twitched in extreme annoyance, she would really love to see them try. Biting back her retort, she insisted, "I have the documents," and proceeded to take out the scroll from her small back-pack.

"What is all this commotion about, so early in the morning?" a gruff voice sounded. Sakura past the men to see a tall hairy man strolling up to them; he was undoubtedly the head of security. Before the pestering guards could start talking, Sakura bowed politely as the man came to a halt right before her, looking her over from head to toe warily.

"Kunoichi-san," he nodded at her in acknowledgement, "How can I help you?"

She introduced herself, "I am Haruno Sakura, the Godaime Hokage's apprentice from Konohagakure. My assistance was requested by your Damiyo."

The man frowned, and said at a length, "We are aware of no such requests."

"Pardon?" Sakura was now at a loss. What the hell? "I have the mission documents right here with me, if you would kindly take a look."

The pink haired kunoichi presented the scroll to the man whose eyes darted over the document in deliberation. At last he closed it and handed it back to her and shook his head, his eyes closed.

"You must have been misinformed, Haruno-san. How, I can't bring myself to fathom. The Damiyo is in perfect health, there has been no such request for any medical services."

Disbelief coursed through her, as she insisted in a voice rather high-pitched, "Excuse me? The details here clearly say otherwise. It even has the seal of your Damiyo. He even specifically asked for my assistance..."

The man cleared his throat and cut her off, "It is all a simple misunderstanding, I presume, Haruno-san." He said coolly.

"But take a look at the seal! It's the Damiyo's official seal isn't it?" Sakura exclaimed as she began to feel aggravation creep up into her system.

The man's eyes narrowed and he said in a tone of finality, "Please Haruno-san. We have not made any such requests. You have clearly made a mistake. Pray leave the threshold before we are forced to remove you off it."

Before the words even registered in her head, she found the towering iron doors slam shut on her face as she stood there blinking for a couple of seconds.

'What the hell?' her inner raged and Sakura herself felt the building desire to tear down some trees to burn the frustration coursing through her.

Deciding that it was not intelligent to linger around the threshold any longer, lest they changed their mind and captured her for interrogating, Sakura quickly moved away until she was in the town centre. Only then she slowed her pace and began thinking about the event that took place moments ago.

She distinctly recalled the memory of Tsunade assigning her to the mission.

-Flashback-

Sakura entered the cozily furnished Hokage Office, bowing to the blonde who looked up from the never-ending paper work.

"Tsunade-shishou," she greeted.

"Ah, Sakura," she nodded and shuffled some papers around before picking up a scroll and throwing it at her.

Sakura caught it effortlessly and eyed it for a moment. Tsunade explained, "It's a short mission in a civilian village just at the outskirts of Konoha. Apparently the Damiyo is suffering from ill-health and has requested for medical expertise."

Nodding in comprehension, the pink haired girl broke the seal and regarded the words, "He has specifically requested for me?" She couldn't help but be surprised.

Tsunade nodded, a smirk appearing on her painted lips, "Sakura, you give yourself far less credit than you deserve. You will notice that you have become quite the popular figure in the medical field these recent years."

Sakura bit her lips and smiled in appreciation, "All because of you, shishou."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, "Don't be ridiculous. You are a very talented kunoichi, I'm only glad to have found you."

Tsunade didn't have to tell her the importance of medics in the world where danger lurked at every corner. She just smiled and said, "Whatever you say, shishou."

Shuffling a few more papers, Tsunade said, "So you leave tonight and can be expected to arrive there by early tomorrow morning as the distance is not very stretched. This is a solo mission since the risks are very limited, nothing that you can't take care of, of course. However, you are to return as quickly as possible since your support in the hospital is crucial. Understood?"

Sakura nodded, "Hai."

She was just about to turn away when Tsunade called her, "Oh. And Sakura, I have arranged a delegation for a very rare herb. An acquaintance of mine, Junko, will be there with the package. She has been directed to expect you at the village center at noon of the day of your arrival. Please bring them back safely."

"Hai."

"And Sakura?" The pink haired woman looked as her mentor's features softened, "Be safe."

She smiled at her mentor and assured her, "I'll be fine, shishou."

The Godaime Hokage only sighed, "I hope so."

-End of Flashback-

So why on earth would the guards lie to her and deny her entrance? What did they have to prove by summoning her all these way only to slam the door on her face? They had claimed that the Damiyo was not sick at all, and they had definitely not requested her presence... And that she has been misinformed... But Sakura was sure as hell the document was authentic; it had the Damiyo's personal seal on it as proof, damnit! So why the hell would the guards insist otherwise?

Sakura's eyes widened, 'Of course!'

Unless, indeed the information has been tampered with! Now that Sakura thought about it, it did seem a little funny that the Damiyo living in a secluded civilian village would have heard of her and request for her specifically. Something sure smelled fishy.

Well, at least they could have assisted her digging further into this 'misinformation'. Surely it bothered them to see that someone had access to their official seal? Unless...

'...They too had a hand in it,' her eyes narrowed at the prospect and she felt the sudden urge to knock down their doors which they had been so rudely closed on her face and demand to know what exactly was going on.

She heaved a dark sigh, and took a few breathes to calm herself. Their uncooperative behavior could probably be explained by their distrust of shinobi in general. She had noticed how obviously wary the gate sentries were of her and how reluctant they had been to let her enter their territory.

So what exactly was going on here?

Sakura had just decided on sending a note back to Konoha immediately informing the Hokage of the circumstances, when she felt a presence behind her. Startled, she quickly whirled around, only to find a wispy elderly woman staring at her, giving her a calculating gaze.

'What's with her?' she frowned, feeling highly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the old woman's eyes.

'Perhaps this is the 'Junko' Tsunade was telling about,' her Inner suggested and suddenly it struck to her as the most reasonable explanation. She agreed rather crabbily with her inner, not impressed that she hadn't thought of it before her Inner.

"Junko-san?" Sakura asked uncertainly. The woman snapped her eyes back to meet her gaze and after sometime had passed, she nodded curtly.

Sakura sighed in relief. At least not the whole mission was a ruse. Smiling politely at the woman she introduced herself, "I am Haruno Sakura, Tsunade shishou's apprentice."

The woman only nodded. Sakura looked her over for any signs of the package, but found none. She asked then, "Uh...Junko-san, do you have everything shishou has requested for?"

Junko didn't say anything as she abruptly whirled around and began walking, motioning for her to follow. Sakura noticed that the woman's movements were a bit agile for a woman of her age. She must have been a kunoichi, she thought, and didn't bother to pay much heed to it.

They had been walking for quite some time now and it wasn't until Junko had led her away from the town center and into the forest that Sakura began to fidget. Glancing around the thick foliage, Sakura called out nervously, "Uh, Junko-san? Where exactly are we going?"

The woman made no reply.

Biting back her impatience at the woman's conduct and her lack of vocalizations, Sakura continued trailing after her while thinking of sending a message back to Konoha at the first chance she got. She wondered when the chance would present itself...

"Junko-san, how much further do we need to go?" This time Sakura couldn't help the impatience that seeped into her voice. The woman probably noted it too, because she suddenly came to a halt making Sakura bump right into her.

"Ano, gomen," she apologized to the elderly woman, rubbing her head sheepishly. But the woman made no move and instead, spoke for the first time.

"I see you are becoming impatient, kunoichi." There was an icy edge to the old woman's voice that, Sakura noted, sounded very wrong. She tensed visibly, her mind was sent racing.

"Well then, I will get to down to business."

Heart pounding wildly, Sakura's tried to push back the uncertainty working up to her mind as she tried to focus on the situation in hand. Taking a step back in apprehension, Sakura suddenly found herself pressed against something hard, with a huge sword pushed under her delicate throat. She resisted the urge to gulp, in fear that the slight movement could result to her neck being slit, as blood rushed to her pounding heart.

"Are you sure she is the one?" The presence behind her addressed the imposter; because there is no way in hell Sakura believed that her mentor associated with a possible rogue at any point of her life. 'Junko' merely nodded affirmatively. Her captor sniggered and didn't sound at all convinced; whatever he meant by it.

"Who are you?" She glared at the imposter who had finally turned around and was staring at her just as intensely.

"Impatient are we, Pinky?" The man behind her chuckled though Sakura could hardly find anything amusing about the situation, all the while trying to discern anything that would give her a hint of who these people actually were, and more importantly, what exactly was going on...

'Trouble, that's what!' her Inner snapped in frustration.

She growled both at the intended nickname and her Inner, but only glared at her restraints, "I asked who you are!"

There was a pause and then the man pressing the sword against her throat chuckled darkly as 'Junko' raised her finger to perform a simple seal and let her appearance falter. Sakura could only suck in a gasp. Because of all the things that she had expected, she never expected an Akatsuki to be standing there, eyeing her impassively; much less, Uchiha Itachi.

To be continued

A/N: I have this story all planned out in my head but have no idea how it will actually turn out, mostly because I tend to be hit by writer's block in the worst possible moments. But with a bit of luck, I'll be able to finish the story since I know how frustrating it feels to not have a story finished- both as an author and a reader.

I don't know if I have done enough but I hope you'll find it a good read. Feedback would be most appreciated, of course!