The Final Flame

Chapter 4: A Series of Foreshadowed Events

OoOoO

Ino was annoyed. In fact, thanks to Shikamaru, she hadn't not been annoyed in a long time. Today was supposed to be different—and, frustratingly, it was. Just not in the way she had envisioned when she finally convinced her mother to leave the store for two hours and update her wardrobe.

The truth of the matter was this: before Ino became annoyed, she was worried, and before she allowed herself to worry, she had been a sobbing mess. That first day after the fight, she had woken up with her mother curled up in bed next to her, a wet patch running on to her pillow, and it had broken her. It took one month for her mother to stand the thought of sleeping alone, and another month before Ino put her foot down and tried to clean up her father's office in the loft.

That hadn't gone so well.

It took many afternoons of cycling back and forth the stages of grief with Kurenai and Hinata while babysitting before Ino started feeling like her old self—or most of her old self. Because her old self had always been her daddy's little girl, and so much of him was irreplaceable that Ino never even hoped to move on the way Shikamaru did. She was simply content, knowing that was everything her father had wanted for her: simplicity. Ino liked to think that she and her father had always been on the same page.

Which meant that it was solely her mother's twisted idea to see her married before eighteen.

Ino glared from under a pile of hair clips. "I am never playing the good daughter ever again. And when you actually want to shop with someone who has good fashion sense, just remember that you betrayed her sacred trust for the thought of grandchildren."

Her mother tilted Ino's head with a firm hand, pinning a long blonde strand into a loop below her ear. "Trust me, honey; fashion sense won't save you when you're old and saggy. I'm just trying to ensure that you'll have someone who couldn't care less if you put on a potato sack. Is that really so bad?"

"Um, yes. Firstly, please don't ever say use the word 'saggy' in conversation with me; it makes me want to scrub off with rock salt for three hours. Secondly, I would never wear a potato sack."

The teashop her mother had lured her into was obviously in on the trap, judging by the intricately decorated mirror placed in their conspicuously private room. Don't get her wrong; Ino liked to look her best—and her mother had always been magical with foundation—but was now the best time for a blind date? She most definitely did not think so.

"Thirdly, this was supposed to be our day. You know, you and me, ten different shades of nail polish? Did you even look at the sales catalogue I gave you?"

"Of course. I also looked at your hand when you passed it to me. Once upon a time, my little girl couldn't even stand a hangnail. Now she's got hands like a lumberjack's."

That must be the sound of her teeth grinding. Ino reminded herself to take a breath. It was her day off and she was out with the most important person in her life—although the latter was arguable right now. It would be a waste to spend it sculpting frown lines on her brow.

"I've been training. Weren't you the one who kept nagging me to stop chasing after boys and learn how to throw a kunai? Now I can handle so much more than kunai. And the one day I want to take it easy, you set me up for a match?"

"Heisuke-kun comes from a wonderful shinobi family. You've met him before."

"At playgroup. When we were snotty brats in diapers."

"Actually, we toilet trained you at an early age. Heisuke, on the other hand…"

"Mom! I. Don't. Want. To. Get. Married."

With a sigh, her mother released her hold on Ino's hair. As much as she despised the horrid occasion, she'd let her mother do her hair because that was how it had always been. When her father wanted to drag her off to train, her mother would bide her time doing Ino's hair, telling her husband that she had nothing against raising a strong heiress—but a strong heiress with beauty to match was by far the deadlier combination.

She wished she'd spent more time training with her father. Now it was too late to make up.

Her mother's voice was light. "I'm not saying you have to marry Heisuke. You can love whomever you wish—hell, Inoichi always said he didn't want to give his princess away… but I just want you to remember there should be more to your life than risking it."

Their eyes met in the mirror. And Ino understood. The fight leeched out of her.

Behind her, her mother placed her hand on Ino's shoulder. "I had a bad dream last night. Your father was there, walking away and—" She broke off.

"Kaa-san," Ino began, turning around. But her mother shook her head and kept her hands on Ino's shoulders, facing forward.

"Ino. I want you to find happiness as soon as you can in case, one day, it gets taken away from you too early. Because that's the thing about life, sweetheart: it isn't always fair. And sometimes it just… runs out."

A flash of the battlefield came back to Ino—of loud explosions and agonised screams and, far away, her father's final words in her consciousness. And it was those very words that chased the shadows away, turning her painted lips up in a confident smile. Ino looked over her shoulder.

"Will you stop setting me up if I promised to give you grandchildren within the next ten years?"

A flicker of wryness crossed her mother's face. They had the same face shape; Ino's clear blue eyes came from her father. "It would put me in a very good mood. But you know that's not the point I'm making."

Finally, Ino figured it out, and her smile soured. "Isshin-oji-san; you're worried he'll marry me off to clear Eiji's path. If that two-faced bastard thinks he can force me to—"

"He does because you're not giving him reason to think otherwise," her mother pointed out sternly, shutting Ino up with a firm shoulder squeeze. "I told Inoichi I wouldn't be dragged into the clan's politics. But you were born into it, Ino. If you're not going to choose for yourself, Isshin will do it for you. You're smart enough to guess why the Hokage's assistant visited the other night, and why your uncle sent Eiji to meet her."

Of course she knew. An insensitive, stubborn, pineapple-headed jerk had made it impossible for her to ignore. "You promised you would respect my decision," Ino accused, causing her mother to roll her eyes in uncanny likeness.

"And I'll stand by it. But maybe I'm getting old; I don't see how beating up scarecrows all day is anything close to a decision."

"They're training mannequins, Mom."

"Which you've never exactly bonded with before, have you? And all this time you're spending with Morino Ibiki—he may be one of your father's oldest friends, but the man is unhealthy, sweetheart."

"You said that about Asuma-sensei and his cigarettes, too."

Her mother raised her hands and eyebrows in mock surrender. Sighing, Ino moved closer and rubbed her mother's knee. "I know what you're trying to say, Kaa-san. I know. But I can't help it. When I think about replacing him… bruising my knuckles on a mannequin hurts a lot less. Please don't push me any more."

Her mother's lips tightened as if to hold back tears. "If it makes you feel any better, Eiji-kun's jaw might be easier on your knuckles," she mused.

Ino blinked, and then snorted around the lump in her throat. "I could just aim lower."

"Tempting. But if word gets around, it will be a long wait for a son-in-law brave enough to come within three feet of you."

They looked at each other, and dissolved into giggles.

Clutching her side, Ino leaned into her mother, wishing the world would just let her be happy the way she was now. "If Dad was here, he'd wrestle Heisuke for my hand. He'd totally win."

"And I would remind him how his daughter dates. At the rate you go through boys, we have legitimate reason to worry about you growing old and lonely."

Ino sputtered indignantly, then froze when she sensed a change in the outer corridor. She and her mother turned in unison towards the door as a shadow fell upon the patterned rice paper. That had been an awfully sudden presence—was Heisuke at jounin level?

Her mother smiled apologetically. Humour your poor, well-intentioned parent, her expression said. Sometimes Ino wished she wasn't so good at reading people's thoughts.

She got up with a melodramatic sigh. "He'd better have good hands and nice lips… whoa."

"Is that a yes?" her mother called coyly from behind her.

Instead of replying, Ino stared at the white mask behind the door. Its wearer stood so still he might as well have been part of the wallpaper. Only his eyes shifted, and they were all Ino needed to recognise him.

She crossed her arms reflexively.

"Now what business do you have here, ANBU-san?"

There was a time in her life when Sakura would have considered stealth her forte. What else could a pink-haired genin have bragged about, teamed up with a loud jinchuuriki and a flashy, fire-spitting Uchiha? If Kakashi had trained Sakura in her original genjutsu strengths, she would have become a very different kunoichi. Someone who wrecked havoc behind the scenes instead of outright.

Fortunately, that wasn't how things turned out. Kakashi had done the smart thing and handed her tutelage to someone else, who taught her stealth should be a choice, never a resort. Now, as she watched her master stand casually in the centre of the field, skim-reading the contents of a thin binder, Sakura made her decision effortlessly.

Tsunade turned a page. With a spray of leaves, Sakura sprang up from the undergrowth.

Her foot whizzed past Tsunade's left ear, missing a blonde pigtail, and thundered into the ground. If Tsunade hadn't sidestepped, the kick would have snapped her spine clean in two. Undeterred, Sakura launched off her landing crouch with an uppercut. Tsunade leaned back and out, and Sakura just managed to block a knee to her kidneys, though the blow still sent her skidding backwards.

"What was the point of hiding in the first place if you were just going to crash back in like a buffalo two minutes later?" Tsunade asked without looking up from her reading.

Sakura's smile widened as she shook out her tingling fingers. "I didn't want to catch you in the middle of turning a page. I don't have time to rewrite any you might've ripped."

"Well. Luckily for you, I don't need both hands to fight a child."

"Really, Shishou? That's not what you said at my birthday dinner eight months ago."

"You weren't holding back that night."

"Well, you weren't reading that night."

"Excuses, Haruno. You'd better take advantage while I'm occupied. Your skull is meeting a tree once I finish."

Sakura didn't need the invitation. She wanted an outlet, and the half-hearted blows they had traded so far were anything but. No outlet meant nothing to shut up the annoying voice in her head.

They've always left you behind, it said smugly. Shame on you for not getting used to it.

Punch. Duck. They did not leave me behind.

Maybe not Naruto. But what else did you expect from him? You haven't learned anything from the past, have you?

She sped up. Sidestep. Backhand. Elbow thrust, push the offensive. The past can crawl in a cesspit.

"Spelling error," Tsunade called above the smack of fists.

Sakura's mind snapped back into her body. "No way. Where?"

Tsunade pivoted past her punch, ducked under another, then caught Sakura's ankle mid-sweep. Sakura twisted, realising too late that Tsunade had let go of the file at some point. Her strike was blocked effortlessly. Crap.

Tsunade smirked. "Page twenty-three," she said. Then the world spun.

Throwing out a hand to break her fall, Sakura flipped several paces back just to be safe. Sure enough, Tsunade's heel crashed down too close for comfort, sending up a spray of debris. Sakura landed lightly on a boulder. "You're playing dirty, Shishou," she called.

Tsunade barked a laugh as she laid a hand on her hip. "Should have stuck to betting, Haruno. My fist bites harder than my luck."

Sakura smacked a gloved fist into the other palm and smiled with teeth. "I was hoping your fist would give me a better workout. Have you finished reading? I'm open to feedback."

"No feedback. Just questions." Tsunade motioned with a flick of her head. Sakura eagerly obeyed, shooting off her perch. This time, she left Tsunade no time to evade and they clashed in a flurry of movement. "Why are you starting at the Academy? There's a larger target population in orphanages. You'd get quicker results there."

"That's exactly why I put them in phase two." Sakura blocked a jab at her waist and countered with a sharp instep, forcing Tsunade to give up ground. Sakura rapidly closed the gap with a roundhouse kick, which Tsunade wisely chose to duck rather than block. Sakura bounced on the balls of her feet, catching her breath.

"The orphanages are overcrowded and short-staffed. It's nearing a year since the fighting ended, and they are just beginning to reorganise their management. Trialling the first stages of the project there, when they don't even have a recognised leader, is too much for them to handle."

"And the Academy?" Tsunade tossed off her coat and cracked her knuckles. Most people would be terrified to see a Legendary Sannin getting serious. Sakura was over the moon.

"The Academy has—ouch, Shishou."

"Come on. That didn't even touch you… did it?"

"I'm just shocked you're coming at me with killing intent."

"Take it as a compliment," Tsunade said wickedly, splitting the ground with a stamp of her foot. "The Academy?"

Sakura somersaulted over the fissure and landed behind her master. Tsunade whipped around. "The Academy," Sakura answered between blows, "has recently finished reforming its curriculum. And the students there are a direct link to raising awareness in shinobi families, which bolsters preventative measures later on. The findings there will fine-tune our later approach at the orphanages."

"Clever. Explain this mentoring angle you mentioned on page…"

"Eleven."

"It's good on paper, but you won't gather enough shinobi willing to volunteer their days off to sit down with Academy students twice a week."

At this point, Sakura only had breath for one-word responses. Luckily, that one word was all she needed to answer this question. "Naruto."

"Clones?" Somehow the talking just seemed to make Tsunade move faster. Kami. Sakura couldn't imagine what the woman had been capable of in her prime.

"Personally—he wants to do it."

"Huh. I assume you're hoping his popularity will set an example for others?"

"Believe it or not, it was his idea."

"I guess the brat will make a politician yet," Tsunade chuckled. Sakura detected a hint of pride, which made her smile.

"So," she said in an upbeat tone as she stopped a blow with a cross block. "Will I need a third draft?"

"Do you have time for a third draft?" Tsunade asked back.

"Sure."

"Without cutting into your sleep hours, Sakura."

"Oh, in that case…" Sakura laughed. "I'm kidding. I can manage it if jounin instructors stop sending their students up the highest trees when they've barely learned to chakra-climb. I've had three concussions and one fractured clavicle just this week. I know we're still recovering instructor numbers—but Kakashi-sensei needs a psych evaluation for trusting Genma with a bunch of twelve year olds."

"I think Genma's the one who needs the psych. My bet is he would have staged an accident for their deaths by now if there wasn't a Hyuuga on his team." Tsunade withdrew her fist, flicked her pigtails over her shoulder, and picked up the discarded file in the grass. "Pen?"

Sakura blinked, and then her face lit up. "Does that mean no draft?" she asked hopefully, pulling a ballpoint from her pouch.

Tsunade hummed mysteriously around the pen cap and made a twirling motion. Sakura spun obediently. Using Sakura's back as she scrawled on the last page of the file, Tsunade commented, "Shizune told me the groundskeepers are amazed by the new lake that popped up in the Forest of Death overnight."

Sakura coughed. "That was Sasuke's fault. He didn't tell us Aoda knew Earth jutsu."

"Aha. So the ravines in the surrounding area must be…?"

"Naruto's fault. For dodging."

"All of them?"

"Oh, I sent him through a couple of trees. And punted Sasuke-kun into his lake at some point."

"Atta girl." Tsunade closed the file and tapped it against the back of Sakura's head. "Read over it one more time and send it up to Kakashi. He shouldn't have a problem with it. Job well done, Sakura."

Beaming, she hugged the file to her chest. "Thanks, Shishou!"

Three months of planning, and she finally had something to show for it. It wasn't the first proposal she had drawn up before—far from it—but this one was different. She could already imagine Ino's reaction when Sakura told her they'd been green lighted. Naruto would have hit the ceiling and spun her around in broad daylight and—

Sakura sighed as it came back to her.

"Oh boy." Tsunade shook her head. "There's that look again."

"What?"

"Your thirteen year old look. Is it bothering you that much, not knowing what they're doing without you?" Goddamn. A psychic Tsunade was somehow worse than a drunk one.

"I know what they're doing. Kakashi said it was a mission." She spat the word out bitterly, ripping her battle gloves off. Which decidedly did not help her mood.

Seeing Tsunade's pointed look, Sakura decided to hell with composure.

"I'm worried I'll get used to it again. That they'll forget I went through all this"—gesturing at the ravaged training ground—"just so I could catch up with them. I don't expect to follow them around everywhere but at the very least—"

"Sakura."

"—leave more than a note on the fridge before—"

"Sakura."

"Hai?"

"Did they look like they'd forgotten what you can do when you handed them their asses last night?"

"Sasuke-kun did look surprised when he pulled himself out of the water…" But the satisfied epiphany on Sakura's face said it all. Tsunade snorted at its glow.

"Exactly. You worry about being left behind when they let you. Now, if you don't mind, I've got a jackpot to win."

"There you are! Guess what? Tsunade-sama signed off our proposal for the children's mental health clinic! It's finally happening. We can—shit. Are you crying?"

In hindsight, she should have seen the warning signs; the biggest one being that she'd located Ino at all when she was supposed to be shopping with her mother. Then there was the fact that she was found sitting on a bench outside Konoha's finest teahouse. Yamanaka Ino was decidedly not the tea ceremony type of girl.

Forgetting her good news, Sakura knelt in front of Ino. There was something different in her friend's aura, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It could be the fine kimono she was wearing, or the blonde hair braided and decorated by half a dozen glimmering pins. Or it could just be that Ino was sitting uncharacteristically still and staring up at the sky like she was waiting for rain.

Sakura touched Ino's arm. "Pig? Are you okay?"

"I told you it'd be fine," Ino murmured, still searching the sky. "We worked so hard on that proposal; of course Tsunade-sama would approve it. Worrywart."

"Okay, now you're scaring me." Sakura sent her chakra down Ino's arm. "Right. You're not in shock or hyperventilating. Talk to me, Ino."

Ino seemed to come back to her body. She regarded Sakura, and then gestured to a scroll she was holding in her lap. "Have you seen this?"

She hadn't, but now it was impossible to ignore. Not with the chalk-white grip Ino was keeping on it. Sakura recognised the texture of the paper immediately. Whether she liked it or not, her boys were good at keeping her informed of their actions. Not knowing why Sai had given Ino one of his paintings worried her.

Apprehensively, Sakura unrolled the scroll—and almost dropped it as her throat clammed up. She understood Ino's red-rimmed eyes now.

"Don't you start crying too. I just managed to stop," Ino rebuked with a half-hearted scowl. That was one thing that hadn't changed about Ino since childhood; she always reacted to Sakura's tears.

"It looks just like him," Sakura murmured wondrously.

Ino nodded, lightly stroking the parchment. "That's why he asked those questions at the hospital. He wanted to draw him just right… the way I remember him. He must have gone to Shikamaru and Chouji instead. Because I walked out on him."

Sakura looked back down at the painting, still unable to believe how surreally lifelike the portrait of Yamanaka Inoichi was. If she tuned out the street behind her, she could easily believe that Ino's father was smiling at her from behind the flower shop's counter. Hey, Sakura-chan, here for Ino? She's upstairs with her mother—hair and dresses, you know. If we're lucky, they'll be finished by the end of the week. If only Ino was more like you… heh. Maybe not.

"Are you still making me a cake?" Ino asked suddenly.

"What?" Sakura said, blinking.

"I want alcohol and a dance floor, too. Oh, and a piñata."

It took Sakura a few moments to understand. "Hold on—now you want to throw a party? Ino, your birthday is tomorrow."

"Exactly! You have plenty of time." Ino stood up suddenly and stretched, her eyes bright. "All right. Let's do this."

Feeling like she'd missed a memo, Sakura stared up at her friend. "What are you planning to do now?"

"If we're going to start this children's clinic, we're going to do it properly. We can do so much more if I get the clan to sponsor and contribute funds to the development. Even better if my uncle tries to stop me." Ino grinned. "It's about time I reminded him I'm still my father's daughter."

Ah—that was what Sakura had felt earlier. Ino was smiling for herself again. Good. The part of Sakura that had worried about the walls her best friend had been building finally relaxed as she watched Ino start down the street.

A thought occurred to her. "Oi, Pig!"

"What?" Ino shouted back.

"Shikamaru's pretty handy with politics. Just saying."

"Where do you think I'm going?" Ino scoffed. "Don't forget, Forehead: cake, alcohol, dance floor. And piñata!"

Sakura shook her head fondly, leaning back against the brick wall. "And there she goes… you heard the lady. She likes strawberry shortcake and rum, by the way. Lots of rum."

Shadows shifted in the narrow alley to her left. A figure stepped forward just enough for the daylight to glance off its mask. Sakura never did figure out what animal it was supposed to depict; all that mattered was Sai's voice behind it. "She delegated planning of the party to you. It is irresponsible of you to pass it on to me, Sakura."

"That's what you get for losing a bet," she hummed.

Sai sounded confused. "What bet?"

"You said you don't know how to make people happy."

"… That was not a bet."

Sakura glanced at him, smiling. "But you were wrong, weren't you?"

Sai stared in the direction Ino had gone. Then his gaze shifted down to her (seriously, all the boys seemed to be hitting their zillionth growth spurt—there was no way it was natural). "I see," he said. "Then how do I make you happy, Sakura?"

She laughed bashfully, elbowing him. "Start by taking off your mask and helping me throw the best party Naruto has ever missed. Then we'll talk about happy."

Sasuke did not have a preference for many things. He ate whatever was available, slept without complaint, and did not feel anything more for kind villagers than he did for the naïve rogues who tried to assassinate him in his sleep. Going from being engulfed by hatred to being utterly drained of it had left his world in indistinguishable shades of grey, and surprisingly Sasuke was content with that.

That was, until a bunch of berries dropped from the canopy above and bounced off his head, reminding Sasuke that he was unfortunately close to the most colourful ninja of his generation.

"Teme! You were supposed to catch that!" Naruto hollered from overhead, followed by rustling leaves. "Oh hey, walnuts!

Sasuke sighed, feeling a familiar snap of irritation. "Are you just about done?"

More rustling. Then Naruto hung upside down from a tree, munching nuts. "What's the hurry? You still haven't told me what we're doing out here. I saw a bridge from up there. What's the deal with that?"

"Don't worry. We're not crossing it." Sasuke walked over and thrust his armful of berries back to their rightful owner. Naruto had been using him as a variety of inanimate objects since they left Konoha; first an unresponsive wall to deflect his soliloquy of inane chatter, and now as a snack basket.

"Oh good, because that's Grass Country. They've been buddy-buddy with us so far but I doubt their border patrols would be happy if we started a fight on their turf." Naruto flashed a grin when Sasuke glanced at him. "You didn't think I'd miss the dozen blokes on our tail, did you? That's just mean."

Sasuke looked away with a faint roll of his eyes. But he did allow his lean frame to rest against the trunk of the tree Naruto was dangling from. "You stopped to graze so often I mistook you for mindless cattle following the shepherd."

"It's called giving the poor guys time to catch up. I clocked them as soon as we crossed the Naka River—didn't you read my code?"

"What code? You started talking nonsense about eating four sticks of dango at six o'clock."

"That was the code! Three pieces of dango to a stick makes twelve! Twelve guys behind us!"

Sasuke didn't even deign to respond appropriately, instead fixing his companion with a flat stare. Naruto grumbled something about "Sakura-chan would've gotten it" and flipped upwards, landing on his feet next to Sasuke. He offered a handful of berries and walnuts, digging his elbow in Sasuke's ribs until the latter scowled and took some.

"It's thirteen."

"Mm?"

Sasuke sighed again. "Dango. Thirteen dango."

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to make you say it." Naruto ducked Sasuke's backhand with ease, though he did shuffle along the tree so they had the forest trail covered from all angles between them. Only Sasuke could tell the move had been deliberate.

Picking a piece of berry skin off his tongue, Naruto said conversationally, "So—thirteen. That still doesn't explain why you made me tag along with you. You even told Kakashi-sensei to mark me as out on a mission. What are you? My client? I'll have you know I'm a very expensive bodyguard."

Sasuke snorted as he cracked a walnut in his fist. "You're not worth a tenth of the bounty money I promised not to collect from Konoha, genin. I needed you to come. That's all."

Naruto settled down with a suspicious look, but didn't press it. He shrugged. "I don't get why we left Sakura behind. We're not even a day from the village. She must've been so mad when she finished work and found us missing."

"I'd already stayed too long in Konoha. I couldn't have them losing interest."

"So Sakura was right—you do trick them in to finish them off."

"Only recently." Sasuke's head came up. "Company."

Beside him, Naruto also straightened, wiping crumbs from his face. "About time. I thought my tripwire actually killed them."

"Only a child would fall for such an obvious trap," Sasuke pointed out.

"I don't know about that." Naruto smiled grimly and cracked his knuckles. "These guys clearly aren't that smart if they're going after you. So what's the plan? Rough them up or…?"

"Doesn't matter. Don't go after the one who doesn't attack. I need them alive."

"Roger that. Hey, no fireballs, yeah?"

Sasuke had already unbuttoned his cloak, which still cheerfully reeked of Sakura's detergent. "Fine."

"Or cheating with funny Sharingan tricks."

"Too late," Sasuke muttered.

The genjutsu he had threaded while Naruto picked berries snapped. In the distance a coarse voice cursed in surprise. Then the trees around them rained shuriken.

Drawing Kusanagi in a fluid motion, Sasuke deflected the first wave back into the canopy. A man tumbled out of the trees with a cry and was immediately silenced by Naruto's fist to his temple. "Two and counting," the idiot crowed, just as a crash of water descended upon the clearing.

Sasuke slashed upwards without looking and ducked as the water dragon exploded with a crackle of electricity. Suddenly the area stank of burned flesh. Dodging a Doton-user trying to pull him underground in a Kakashi-like move, Sasuke called out, "You didn't say no lightning."

Naruto answered with the unmistakeable whirl of the Rasengan, accompanied by the crash of toppling trees. Sore loser. Sasuke smirked to himself as he spun to meet the Doton-user's kunai. Kusanagi shredded the other blade right before an impressive granite wall rose up between them. Sasuke took a moment to admire it as he sheathed his sword and steadily filled the air with the sound of a thousand chirping birds.

"You're welcome," Naruto shouted. Then his sixth victim smashed into the wall and conveniently brought it down to reveal the Doton user on the other side, midway through weaving another jutsu.

The man's beard was soaked with sweat and he froze, eyes wide, at the sight of the Chidori in Sasuke's hand. Then those pupils jerked. Mouth open, the man struggled to refocus his gaze on Sasuke, who was now standing so close they could have embraced.

"They didn't pay you enough for this, did they?" Sasuke questioned calmly.

The man tried to laugh and instead gurgled on his own blood. Baring teeth, he whispered, "Enough… for a cripple." Then he finished his final hand seal and his eyes went blank as his entire body seized up in stone, trapping Sasuke's arm in his cold chest.

Sasuke heard Naruto laugh over ringing steel.

It was an annoying, whooping kind of laughter and one time too many that Sasuke had been on the receiving end of it. The moron had laughed himself to tears last night when Sasuke surfaced from the lake with a bruised jaw and ego, having been too surprised to catch himself with chakra before sinking into the water. Sakura had been waiting when he waded up to the shore, trying and failing to hide her sniggers, which broke free when Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, not sorry," she'd gasped, holding on to Naruto for support as they both collapsed in peals of laughter. Sasuke had stood over them, dripping wet, while he contemplated the very real possibility that he had underestimated his opponents.

Unfortunately for the men rushing his defenceless back, Uchiha Sasuke never made the same mistake twice.

Naruto whistled softly as he surveyed the damage. "I didn't think you'd be that pissed about the cripple crack. Didn't I say no Sharingan?"

"I ran out of patience. And you are not helping." Sasuke picked up his discarded cloak, brushing it off. Then he spoke to the smoking wasteland. "Have you seen enough to introduce yourself properly?"

Silence. Twelve charred bodies did not utter a sound between them.

"If I'm not mistaken, that was the first time Susanoo has made an appearance since the war."

Naruto seemed to be caught off guard by the new voice, which Sasuke noted with satisfaction. If this person's skill was such that both of them could only sense their presence but fail to pinpoint the position, then they had been worth Sasuke's time.

"You would know, wouldn't you? You've been shadowing me since the beginning of autumn." Sasuke turned around. He looked meaningfully at the slim figure as they stepped out from the damaged trees. A woman. Of course.

She appeared older than Kakashi, with a full face and short brown hair swept behind one ear. A fluid grace followed the way she walked and reminded Sasuke of Haku, the hunter-nin they had fought on their first C-rank mission. Unlike Haku, this woman did not appear in a kimono, although she certainly looked like she belonged in one. In fact, she gave the impression of someone who could wear anything and blend into any setting.

Promising.

The woman stopped a few feet away from them and bowed with perfect posture. Straightening, she continued to smile at Sasuke.

"Your organisation must have deep pockets to let you send rogues after me every week," he told her.

Naruto, whose jaw had dropped open at the sight of a woman, pulled back abruptly. "Wait, what? This pretty onee-chan been trying to kill you for three months?"

"I didn't say that, dobe."

"But you just said—"

The woman spoke up. "Rest assured, Naruto-chan. I only intended to test him. You'll be glad to hear he passed."

Naruto had heard something entirely different. Sasuke automatically grabbed the idiot's shoulder before he charged. "Naruto-chan?! I already thought you had some serious stealth, dango number thirteen—but turns out you also have a death wish. Oi, Sasuke! Lemme go! Don't tell me you're letting her off because she's, well, beautiful."

"I'm wounded," the woman sighed. "I took this assignment because I expected to meet you again. You don't remember me?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, but the woman looked genuinely disappointed. Naruto, on the other hand, remained in vehement denial. "Nope! No one calls me Naruto-chan except for Ma and Pa, and you don't look like a toad to me."

"Is that the reason? I did look a lot nicer when we met in Otafuku Gai…"

"No offense, onee-chan, but I'd definitely—wait a minute… Otafuku Gai?" Naruto frowned and stopped struggling long enough to squint at her.

"There are three sins a ninja must not commit," the woman recited lightly. "Alcohol, money, and—"

"… Women," Naruto finished. Sasuke watched understanding gradually dawn on his face and decided it was safe to let go. "Don't tell me… you were one of the ladies Ero-sennin kept flirting with when he was supposed to be training me?"

She nodded solemnly. "My name is Kimigiku. And Jiraiya was not merely flirting."

"What do you mean?"

It was Sasuke who answered. "She's one of Jiraiya's informants. And probably the reason his spy network didn't collapse after his death."

Kimigiku smiled modestly. "I'm impressed, Uchiha Sasuke. Few knew about Jiraiya's work, let alone noticed we were still operating. However, I can't take sole credit for that. We agents have always been estranged, common only in where our loyalties lay. When we heard that Jiraiya had… it seemed natural that we came together and waited for the day we could be useful to his only disciple."

Hearing this, Naruto came out of his sombre mood. "Wait. You—and everyone else who worked with Ero-sennin—you've been holding out for me?"

"A successful Hokage needs eyes and ears in places ANBU can't reach, no?"

Naruto started to nod, then stopped. "That doesn't make sense. If you're thinking like that, why have you been following Sasuke?"

Kimigiku's eyes flickered to Sasuke's despite the Sharingan still glowing red in his right eye. "You are not yet Hokage, Naruto-chan," she said evenly. "But our organisation needs direction right now… and as you are now, you are not the right leader to provide it."

Blinking, Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"She means they are losing morale without a goal. And you're not the espionage type. Why didn't you go to Kakashi?" Sasuke asked Kimigiku.

She lifted one shoulder. "Simple. Hatake Kakashi will not be Naruto-chan's right hand man in the future."

"What makes you think I would be?"

"What?" Naruto screeched. "Whaddya mean you're not gonna be my right hand man? Sasuke!"

Grimacing, Sasuke leaned away from the sheer volume. Kimigiku smiled with one eyebrow arched. "There we have it. I don't know you very well, Uchiha, but I can safely guess I wouldn't be alive if you weren't interested in my actions. Didn't you bring Naruto-chan out here to prove I could trust you?"

"Do you?"

Kimigiku spoke breezily. "Not particularly. But don't take it personally; it's not in my job description to be trusting."

Sasuke shook his head, and fell silent.

Kakashi was right when they had spoken at the tower. He had travelled alone for almost a year, been to places he wouldn't otherwise have set foot, and met people who surprised him more than he thought his emotions capable. Sasuke hadn't helped people in his path so much as entertained whims of the moment, or slaughtered assassins so much as defended himself where necessary.

Truth be told, Sasuke would have returned to Konoha at some point even if Naruto and Sakura's meddlesome ANBU hadn't interfered. He had breathed different airs from each corner of the world map and taken in all that he could. Without checking in with Naruto and Sakura, and being reminded of how difficult it was for him to stay in the village they loved, Sasuke would soon have questioned what it was he had set out to search for one year ago.

Now someone was telling him there was more of the world to see.

"Sasuke?" Naruto was watching him. He looked like he had processed what was happening now, which was just as well because Sasuke was tired of explaining.

Sasuke just returned his gaze, and Naruto nodded hesitantly. "Well, if that's what you've decided; I'll leave it in your hands… I guess."

Sasuke scanned the evening sky. "Get back to the village, dobe. You'll miss her."

"Sakura-chan? I already do."

"Naruto."

Naruto threw up his hands. "Fine. Kick the handsome boy away after he's handed you a spy network. No point keeping him around now that he's useless." Despite the grumbling, he held out a fist. Knowing he wouldn't let up otherwise, Sasuke bumped it. "Make sure you come home every now and then, all right? See ya, Kimi!"

Sasuke and Kimigiku watched as Naruto took out a yellow tag with a detailed seal pattern, licked it, and slapped it on his forehead. Then he saluted and flickered out of sight.

Kimigiku blinked. "I'm not sure what just happened. Was that the Yondaime Hokage's Hiraishin no Jutsu?"

"A bastardised, inefficient version of it, yes."

"Ah. So it still needs work. I was worried that was the final product." Kimigiku glanced at Sasuke. "We will be busy for some time. Was Naruto-chan the only one you needed to say goodbye to?"

Sasuke looked down at his cloak, draped over his arm. "I don't say goodbyes. They know that." He refastened the cloak around his neck. It flowed over a number of storage scrolls that hadn't been on his belt when he arrived in Konoha. Naruto had rattled off their contents; all Sasuke remembered were cup ramen, insect spray, and shampoo.

"Come on," he said to Kimigiku, walking away. "We have work to do."

"Of course, Uchiha-dono."

"Don't call me that."

"Very well, Sasuke-sama."

Seeing as it was the first time he had used the technique over such a large distance, Naruto didn't expect a good landing. Still, he didn't think it was too much to ask not to be teleported to a mid-air destination, five storeys from solid ground.

"Oh shit—" He just managed to grab the balcony railing before he plummeted. Dangling by an arm, Naruto ripped the fluttering tag off his face and scrunched it up. Stupid seal obviously needed work. He was, what, twenty metres from the tag he'd been aiming for? That could either end up being a total humiliation or a fatal mistake on the battlefield. "How the heck did Dad do it?" he muttered.

There was the sound of drawing curtains overhead, followed by a sliding door. Light shafted across the back of Naruto's arm. "Naruto-kun? Why are you suddenly here?"

He looked up and grinned at the familiar face. "Hey, Hinata! What are you doing here? Girls' night?"

Framed by light behind her, Hinata looked unsure whether to help him up or not. "We're baking a birthday cake for Ino but… P-Please come up, Naruto-kun. It's not safe."

"Sure. Step back, will you? I don't want to squash you." Naruto swung his lower body and vaulted over the rail. Sure enough, Sakura's balcony was so tiny he nearly crashed into Hinata as she reached out to steady him.

Naruto laughed and dusted his hands. "Phew! Get this, Hinata; I've been trying to figure out my dad's technique for months and tried it just then. I was supposed to pop out at Sakura's front door 'cause that's where I put the seal but whoop—almost went splat on the pavement. Which is sorta what Raidou told me would happen if I didn't prep enough, but hey, I'm still in one piece. So what kind of cake are you guys baking?"

That came out pretty rambling, even to Naruto's own ears. He couldn't help it. Unlike Sasuke, whose silence usually meant he was ignoring him, Hinata listened attentively to everything he said. "We are making strawberry shortcake," she replied softly. "It's Ino's favourite cake, but we are finding it is not as simple as the recipe suggested."

"Aw, it can't be that hard. I always thought you looked like a good cook, Hinata. Weren't you the one who taught Mirai-chan how to—"

"Hinata? Who are you talking to?" Tenten's voice called from inside.

Flushing, Hinata stepped through the door so Naruto could follow. Tenten waved a whisk at him from behind the counter. "Naruto, was that you just then? We thought it was Akamaru chasing another cat," she remarked, beating into a mixing bowl. "What were you doing out on the balcony?"

"Long story," Naruto said, winking at Hinata.

Sakura's kitchen had been transformed into a chaotic arrangement of baking trays and a fine dusting of flour covered most of the furniture. Sakura herself was on the couch with her legs folded beneath her, reading a file. She glanced up impassively when Naruto entered but was quickly drawn back to her reading.

Naruto blanched. Was Sakura so mad about being ditched that she was pretending not to be mad? Because that was not good.

Very casually, he inched towards the couch. "Did you say Akamaru is here?"

Tenten shook her head. "Not right now. He went out with Kiba to buy more baking paper. Sai had to leave for patrol."

"Sai I understand, but Kiba? Since when did Kiba join the sisterhood?" He lowered himself on the couch's arm, right next to Sakura. Still no reaction.

Hinata returned to the kitchen and immediately checked the preheating oven, where Naruto couldn't see her. "Kiba-kun was with me when Sakura asked me to help her plan Ino's party. He decided to come along."

"I see, I see," Naruto said meaningfully, nudging Sakura's shoulder. "And how come you're not helping with this cake, master chef?"

"Failed," Sakura answered without looking up. She was really interested in that file…

"Sakura tried to make the cake by herself before she came to us. Keyword tried." Tenten gave Naruto a 'you-know-what-I-mean' look.

"It was a good attempt," Hinata chimed in kindly. "Not all of it was burnt. The crust looked very… crispy."

Right. That explained the raw smell lingering in the apartment. Naruto futilely hoped it also explained why Sakura wasn't paying any attention to him—cleaning burnt kitchen equipment always put her in a tricky mood.

"Sakura-chan, are you mad?"

No answer. Oh dear.

Naruto started speaking very rapidly. "Before you hit me, I just want you to know that it wasn't my idea because I totally wanted you to tag along but it wasn't a big deal anyway because nothing happened—okay, that's a lie. This pretty lady showed up and Sasuke said she'd been stalking him for, like, ages and then they—"

"They what?" Tenten exclaimed, overhearing.

"… That sounded really bad. Forget it. What I meant was—"

"Naruto," Sakura said.

"Yes, ma'am!" Naruto clenched his eyes shut and prayed to Amaterasu for a punch that allowed him to keep all his teeth.

But instead of an unforgiving fist, Sakura pushed paper into his hand. "Read this for me. I need to make sure I'm not hallucinating."

Naruto cracked open an eye. "I'm not in trouble?" he asked.

Finally, Sakura looked at him. "You will be if you don't use the front door next time."

Whooping, Naruto wrapped his arm around her and squeezed. Rolling her eyes, Sakura flapped the file under his nose. "Page twenty-three. Go."

It was the last page of the file. Relieved to see only a short passage printed on it, Naruto made a show of clearing his voice and read aloud: "'This proposal has been reviewed and approved by the Director of Medical Services. It fulfils all ethical codes and responsibilities, and will be im… implack…'"

"Implemented," Sakura supplied impatiently.

"Aha! 'Will be im-ple-men-ted as outlined, subject to evaluation by the Lord Hokage.'" Naruto lowered the file. "So? I don't get it."

"Bottom of the page. Tell me what you see," Sakura said quietly. She leaned forward on her elbows and kneaded her temples. Her behaviour worried Naruto but he didn't dare put the file down. This must be important to Sakura somehow.

Vaguely aware than the kitchen had gone silent as Tenten and Hinata listened in, Naruto searched the lower half of page twenty-three. "It's just lines and signatures. Arrows, handwriting—hey, that's Baa-chan's writing, isn't it? God, it's worse than Kakashi's."

Naruto brought the page to his face as he tried to decipher the scribble. "A… Amendment? Senior Medical Consultant?" He recognised Tsunade's signature next to that line. But there was more below it; crossing out and words scribbled beneath another signature—Sakura's. Tsunade's penmanship was marginally neater here and Naruto read it without pause.

"'Director of Medical Services, Haruno Sakura.'"

Sakura groaned into her hands.

"What? What does it mean?" Naruto turned to Tenten and Hinata. They were staring wide-eyed at each other and didn't notice him.

"Naruto," Sakura said in a strange voice. She dropped her head back and gazed up at him with an expression of conflict and wonder. "I think I've been promoted."

"Eh?"

"Who's been promoted?" The balcony door slid open and Kiba ducked in holding a bag of groceries. Akamaru padded in after him. "Thanks for opening the door, guys. I was only knocking for ages. Hey, Naruto. Aren't you supposed to be out on a mission?"

Oblivious to the mood he had walked in on, Kiba set the bag down on the coffee table and flipped off his hood. "Oh yeah," he said, taking something out of his pocket. "Sakura. Shizune told me to give this to you. Looks like you're invited to the fancy meeting too, eh?"

Sakura frowned warily at the scroll he held out. "What meeting?" But Kiba had already turned to Naruto.

"You're back just in time, man. I heard something while I was at the shops: Izumo-san was getting snacks and he said there's a woman at the north gate asking to see you. How does it feel to be in demand?"

"Did they let her in?" Naruto was still distracted by Sakura's daze—but Kiba's next words pierced straight to his heart.

"Don't think so. The way Izumo described her, she's a piece of work. Bad temper and wouldn't take no for an answer, even when the guards told her you were out of the village. She said she knew you were back—lucky guess? There was something else, too… remember, Akamaru? Oh, that's right. Get this: apparently this chick says she's related to you, Naruto. That she's an Uzumaki. Isn't that crazy?"

A/N: Big cheer for the fastest update yet? Absolutely love love loved writing this chapter. So much so that I haven't touched any of the twenty reports I need to finish... worth it?

Sakura and Ino's mental health clinic comes from what I've read about Sakura Hiden, one of the light novels set after the end of the manga. Getting antsy waiting for the official translation. Just take my money!