[AN: Hi, so, it's been awhile... sorry about that! Life got a bit nutty this past year, but I'm excited to be back with the next installment of Secrets. I hope everyone is staying well out there! As usual, this chapter is rated M, I am very appreciative of any and all feedback/favorites/follows that you care to dole out, and I do not own Naruto! Now, without further ado...]

Chapter 45: The Growth of a Kunoichi

As she stood before the shurikenjutsu targets with which she was currently working, Sakura found her mind wandering back to the spar that had wrapped up about a half-hour ago.

Overall, she was relatively happy with her performance. It had been a nice mix of techniques both new and old, and she'd seemingly given Yamato a run for his money. Sure, she'd eventually lost, her genjutsu still proved itself a work in progress, and the significant drain that Itachi's speed technique had had upon her body reminded her somewhat frustratingly of her earliest days working with Tsunade-sama. But her stamina would improve with further application and time; she just had to be patient. Really, given her opponent's extensive jounin resume, the fact that she'd held her own for so much time was definitely something. As was the spark in Sasuke's eyes post-combat…

Sakura was doing her best to ignore the decidedly female part of her brain steadily insisting that her newest, oldest teammate had become an extremely attractive male specimen in the intervening years (not that he hadn't been to start). Fantasies aside, her days of fan-girling were well and fully behind her, and she had utterly no business complicating her new team's dynamic with a silly little crush that had no real hope of working out. Particularly given the seriousness of what her squad would soon be up against: Such foolishness could very well end up killing them all. That being said, despite knowing better, despite promising herself to treat Uchiha Sasuke as if he were any old teammate, the manner in which his dark gaze had raked over her features following the conclusion of her spar had sent an involuntary shiver up her spine, the knowledge that she had intrigued him - that he was acknowledging her performance - thrilling her more than she could say. Or, perhaps, she was misreading it all. Maybe, he was just wondering how she'd seemingly stolen his brother's jutsu.

Unfortunately, while Itachi's tutelage may have enhanced some of her abilities, her shurikenjutsu skills were another story. Sakura had never been the best in the class when it came to such arts, but she used to be halfway decent. Top third at the Academy, at least. But muscle memory only got one so far when it came to kunai. As the embarrassing results of her first twenty volleys illustrated - four targets missed completely, five more hitting the outer edge, and only one bullseye - she was sorely in need of practice. Which was pretty understandable given how little time she'd had for training over the course of the past six months, but less than ideal for her upcoming missions.

With a heavy sigh, Sakura prepared herself for her next attempt, visualizing the kunai embedding itself in the dead center of the target. This should be easy. She just had to focus. She let the weapon fly free, only to look away in disgust seconds later as it struck the far bottom edge, a solid foot away from where she'd been aiming.

Dammit. Not again.

Mind swirling with a sea of increasingly creative curse words that were most definitely Tsunade-sama's legacy, Sakura paused in her training at the vaguely awareness that Yamato was addressing their team. Something about wrapping up early and how good a first outing it had been, actually. Hm. Given that she was officially dismissed, it was pretty darn tempting to throw in the towel for the day...

No. She would stick it out for another fifty reps. For, as she'd learned long ago, the only surefire way to improve at anything in life, and least for nonprodigies such as herself, was practice. Besides, she'd been over an hour late. She'd had a legitimate excuse, of course, but she didn't want Sasuke - or Sai or Yamato either, for that matter - thinking that she couldn't pull her weight. And so, turning back to the targets, Sakura wet her lips, trying to ignore her mounting irritation with whichever shinobi forefather had first come up with the concept of shurikenjutsu.

It was no good. Another target airmailed. And, after that, another rimshot. The third kunai in the series was better… a bit too high, but within a respectable four inches of that elusive red center, the solid thunk of metal to wood music to her ears. Unfortunately, success was fleeting…. kunai #4 was similar to #2, while the fifth and final knife in the round ended up hitting the dead center of a target she wasn't even aiming for.

Her weapons pouch empty, Sakura took a step towards the targets, positively seething.

Kami, was she hopeless! She was exceedingly aware that frustration would get her no place, but staying positive in the face of such utter and complete suckage wasn't exactly easy. How had Naruto-kun done it for the first half decade of his ninja career?

Through infinite optimism and sheer, blissful dim-wittedness.

Although, all joking at her friend's expense aside, perhaps that was something to be said for channeling her inner Uzumaki. There was, after all, one silver lining: Judging from the silence that had fallen over her surroundings, the rest of her teammates had left by now. Which meant, very happily, that no one should have witnessed her incompetence in any sort of extended fashion.

Perking up a bit at that thought, Sakura directed her attention to the task at hand: Collecting the scattered knives that were currently the bane of her miserable existence. That was until a quiet "hn" from somewhere behind her several heartbeats later sent her spinning on her heel, her trudge across the training field brought to a full-on stop.

Uchiha Sasuke was leaning up against the trunk of the nearest tree, his muscled forearms crossed over his chest, his legs stretched casually out before him, his sheathed chokuto resting on the earth to his right, and his dark, contemplative eyes locked upon her. He was the picture of the poised, confident shinobi in repose and, for once in their lives, exactly the person she hadn't wanted to see. Well, so much for making a good impression earlier.

Sakura miserably met his gaze, cheeks aglow. "How long were you watching?"

Pale lips twitched as his thin lips turned the barest bit upwards in what she was more than a little horrified to recognize as the shadow of a smirk. Because, apparently, some things never changed.

"Long enough."

She nodded morosely as Sasuke silently rose to his feet, expression unreadable. Probably taking his leave now that she'd utterly humiliated herself.

Instead of turning towards the mouth of the training field, however, he came to stand by her side, pulling out a kunai of his own from the weapons pouch on his left hip with a dexterous flip of his long, slender fingers. "Sakura. You're releasing too late. You want to release closer to the top of the arc. Like this."

With a well-practiced, almost lazy motion, Sasuke tossed the knife towards the same target she'd been training on, hitting the dead center. Of course. Then, dark brow quirking upwards, he held out a second kunai in her direction. "Try it."

Wait. Was Uchiha Sasuke actually offering to help her?

Suppressing the sudden flurry of useless speculation that accompanied this revelation, Sakura nodded shortly as she reached out to take the offering. "Right."

His knife felt awkward and heavy in her right hand, his deep, dark eyes positively stifling as he silently surveyed her form. But there was no time to waste. With renewed focus, she lined up, eyes narrowing as she visualized Sasuke's textbook example.

"Widen your stance," he corrected, and she followed suit, positioning her feet an inch or so further apart, gaze never leaving the target that stood fifty feet away. Then, raising her elbow just a touch higher than during her previous attempts, she did her best to mimic the motion he'd demonstrated, willing the projectile not to make a fool of her this time.

The knife spun through the air, making its mark a respectable one-and-a-half inches from the center point. "Hn. Better," Sasuke observed shortly before flicking her another kunai. "Again."

Sakura quickly got back into position, not wishing to lose whatever bit of momentum she'd picked up on the previous throw. This time, the result was slightly further from the bullseye - a good three inches - but Sasuke diagnosed the issue easily.

"Don't rush it."

He passed her a third knife, the brush of his fingertips against her own sending her heart pounding in her chest.

They continued on in such a fashion for roughly fifteen or twenty minutes, the only words to escape Sasuke's lips a few more murmured tips about staying loose, adjusting her grip so that the knife lay more naturally in her hand, and making sure to keep her lower half still. His guidance was brief - little more than a spare sentence per suggestion - yet clear, precise, and effective. Indeed, his ability to convey so much instruction with so few words reminded her somewhat stirringly of the time she'd spent honing her genjutsu with Itachi on Toki.

Itachi. Oh, Itachi.

Since the morning she'd performed the extraction of his dojutsu, Sakura had done her best not to dwell on the man to whom her village, her current companion, and she herself owed so much. Her feelings were still a confused jumble of raw emotions, and the lack of any sort of closure didn't make matters any easier. Talking through her grief probably would have helped… according to modern medic-nin theory, it was an important part of the healing process, at least. But it wasn't like there were a wealth of people she could open up to about her feelings given the notoriety of the man she mourned. Tsunade-sama knew the truth, of course, but she was so busy with Konoha's affairs in the wake of Pein's destruction that the idea of running to her was laughable. Naruto, Shizune, and Ino, while dear friends, didn't really know a thing about who Itachi truly had been. Meanwhile, Kakashi quite obviously did, but he had had his own, complicated history with the man who had once been his ANBU report. And, of course, she was also rather reticent to put more of her own pressures upon her former sensei after what had transpired between them barely two weeks ago...

The sound of her name jostled Sakura from her thoughts. While she'd been off daydreaming, her companion had apparently been quite industrious, having collected all twenty kunai from her latest shurikenjutsu round himself. He stood before her now, dark eyes quietly expectant as he held out another projectile for her to take. It was an admittedly tempting proposition: The fact that Sasuke was willingly taking the time to help her improve was every bit of the acknowledgment that she had once craved, and she was enjoying their surprisingly easy (albeit, almost entirely nonverbal) rapport. That being said, a physical and emotional weariness coupled with the nagging awareness that it was presently all hands on deck at the hospital had her demurring with a shake of her pink head.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I should really be getting back to work." Sakura gave him a soft smile, trying to will away the vague sensation of guilt at what might have been the shadow of a frown. "Perhaps, we could do this again sometime? I've really appreciated your help… I think it's made a noticeable difference."

"Ah," the Uchiha confirmed shortly, tucking his kunai back into his shinobi pack.

"I suppose... I'll see you around. Or, well, tomorrow, actually. Now that we're teammates again, I mean."

With a slightly awkward nod, Sakura turned towards the training ground entrance. She had only taken five or six steps away, when an unexpected reply brought her to a complete stop.

"Wait. I'll walk back with you."

In four long strides, Sasuke had retrieved his chokuto from the shade and was back by her side, inclining his head towards the exit in a nonverbal invitation.

Oh. All right, then. Sakura could feel another one of her too-frequent blushes rising up into her cheeks, but she forced it away with a mental eye roll. He was probably just done training as well. There was no point reading into it.

They quickly fell into stride together, cutting a path back towards the village proper. Sasuke had never been much of a talker during their genin days, and it was clear that this hadn't changed during his time in Oto. As they passed by the lower-numbered training grounds, an isolated battle cry periodically ringing out in the distance, he was stoic as ever, his footsteps surprisingly light for his build, his gaze fully fixated on the road ahead, his expression neutral, and his shoulders straight. He appeared the epitome of the cool, calm, and collected shinobi… other than the shuriken he was steadily spinning with his right index finger.

"Is there something on your mind, Sasuke?" Sakura asked softly, unable to resist the sudden pang of curiosity about what for all intents and purposes appeared to be a nervous tic. While she'd previously intended to keep the Uchiha at an emotional arm's reach for the foreseeable future, the course of the afternoon coupled with the knowledge that Sasuke didn't exactly have an ocean of support behind him had somewhat weakened that resolve. Not to mention that it was what Itachi had wanted...

For a moment, there was silence, and Sakura found herself vacillating between the somewhat unlikely possibility that her companion hadn't heard her and the far more plausible explanation that he was either completely ignoring the question and/or didn't want to talk to her about it. She shouldn't have asked. It was none of her business. Glancing to her left, she shot him what was meant to be a furtive look, only to discover that his dark eyes were already upon her, strangely contemplative in their intensity.

He shrugged. Then: "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

So she'd been right about the look he'd given her after the spar. He had recognized Itachi's style.

It wasn't exactly a surprising development. After all, so had Kakashi following her return from Toki, and Sasuke was even more apt to make the connection given that the man in question was his brother.

She swallowed hard in an attempt to suppress the nervous knot in her throat. "Oh, you know, I picked up things here and there," she began, mimicking his shrug. "I worked with Tsunade-sama mostly. Shizune-san too; she's another one of Shishou's apprentices. Kakashi-sensei was… less involved." Ugh. She really didn't want to talk about Kakashi with Sasuke right now, either. "But he helped when he could. You know how busy he is. And there were others, as well…. I mean, Kami knows that I wasn't going to let you and Naruto-kun completely leave me in the dust."

Sakura gave her companion a tentative smile. Between his furrowed brow and his expression of thinly veiled skepticism, Sasuke appeared less than convinced by her decidedly selective summary. For once, however, it appeared that his dislike of conversation was working out in her favor. With a contemplative "hn," he fell silent, gaze returning to the road ahead as they continued their steady march towards the hospital.

"Thanks for walking back with me, Sasuke, I'll see you soon!"

"Ah."

With a chipper wave, his companion skipped her way up the road, pink hair rosy in the early afternoon sunlight. Sasuke watched her retreating figure for longer than he cared to admit, considering the white Haruno circle imprinted upon her back. The day's training session had raised far many more questions than it had answered, which was saying something given that he hadn't even known the identity of his new teammates when he'd left his apartment that morning.

One thing was clear. This new, adult version of Haruno Sakura was annoying, albeit in an extremely different way than the tittering twelve year old he remembered. She appeared to possess a dangerously impulsive streak, was far more difficult to read than she'd once been, and was just as appealing to his baser instincts as his treacherous mind had dreamed back in Oto (whatever Sai might say to the contrary). Worst of all, her seemingly unique ability to get underneath his skin, no matter how hard he tried to harden himself, remained wholly intact. And the Godaime knew it. She was using it against him.

In the face of his attraction - for that's what this was, much as he might try to deny it - the obvious answer was to keep his distance and minimize the temptation of succumbing to those pesky emotional ties. At least until Danzo was dealt with once and for all and his brother's death avenged. Yet, try as he might, he couldn't chase the memory of her parting smile out of his head. Nor his curiosity of where the skills she'd displayed that afternoon could have possibly come from.

Sakura's combat arsenal still had its flaws, of course. Her stamina needed work, her genjutsu refinement, and her shurikenjutsu a complete overhaul (although, true to his troublesome inability to keep his nose out of her business, they had made definite strides in correcting that). But the other skills she'd displayed that afternoon had been formidable.

The chakra-enhanced strength and taijutsu were expected, of course: the obvious legacy of her mentor, just as Orochimaru's snake-summoning abilities were his. That being said, Haruno Sakura had shown herself to be far more than a carbon copy of Senju Tsunade, and he suspected that there were even more secrets lurking behind those luminous green eyes.

The trick was figuring out how to crack them.

It had not escaped Sasuke's notice that his teammate had been quite vague about her training methods. For a girl he remembered as a dreadful chatterbox and emotional oversharer, her caginess had seemed rather out of character, bringing him to the somewhat surprising conclusion that Sakura was intentionally seeking to keep him in the dark. What didn't she want him to know? Why? And, most annoyingly of all, why did he have to care so damn much?

If Naruto were around, an investigative lunch at Ichiraku's would have probably been in order. But, alas, the dobe had departed on his senjutsu expedition for Kami-knew-how-long several days ago. A hawk could be sent….

Then again, conveying his curiosity in a letter seemed over the top, making a whole, complicated production out of a matter that shouldn't even have been one at all. Besides, Naruto had told him just last week that he didn't really know the details of everything Sakura had been through himself. He probably knew more than Sasuke, but that wasn't really saying much.

With a small sigh, Sasuke finally turned his attention away from the direction in which Sakura had vanished what had to have been at least five or six minutes ago, vaguely aware that his ANBU guardsmen were probably growing suspicious of his seeming fascination with the hospital front door. Willing his feet forward, he set off in the general direction of his apartment through the late lunchtime rush. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, of the construction of a new apartment complex going up to his left, and of passerby gossiping about this shinobi or that sale drifted over and around him, but he largely ignored the cacophony, considering his next move.

If he truly wanted to know how Sakura had become the kunoichi she was today, a conversation with the woman who had overseen that process was the obvious way forward. But an interview with Senju Tsunade wasn't exactly in the cards for one such as him. Even had he been an upstanding Konoha citizen, her very probably packed schedule left her with precious little time for trivialities. And given that he was who he was, the very idea that he could go waltzing into her office, demanding a private one-on-one conversation, was laughable. Not only was the Godaime less than fond of him, but it seemed highly unlikely that his ever-present ANBU guard would ever permit it.

The next-best option was someone else who had trained at Sakura's side, preferably from the beginning of her tenure as the Hokage's apprentice. Such as that other medic she had mentioned. At the very least, seeking her out shouldn't get him into hot water with ANBU. Then again, Sasuke didn't actually know the woman in question, and, given his reputation, tracking down a total stranger and asking her for personal details about someone she probably considered a close friend seemed liable to be... foolish.

Unfortunately, the same situation would probably hold true for pretty much any other Leaf shinobi not named Uzumaki Naruto or Haruno Sakura. While Sasuke had kept by-and-large to himself since his pardon, he could only assume that his former Academy peers, instructors, and other assorted acquaintances held less than fond sentiments towards him these days. Defecting over to one of Fire Country's most notorious missing nins, pledging allegiance to the Akatsuki, and actively working to destroy one's home village tended to have that sort of effect on one's reputation, after all.

Well, actually... there was one other person in Konoha who knew Sakura reasonably well and had shown a willingness to give him the time of day. It wouldn't exactly be a pleasant or comfortable exchange given how totally and completely he'd rejected said individual's advice in the past, but it wasn't like he had a wealth of options.

Slightly after nine in the evening saw a resigned Hatake Kakashi being frog-marched into the newly reopened Twisted Kunai, a disturbingly ebullient Gai to his right and an already tipsy, overly handsy Genma to his left. After the excitement of the past few months, he'd been really looking forward to a quiet night in for some rest, relaxation, and quality Icha Icha time. But, of course, as soon as his current companions had heard that his schedule was, for the first time since the night before Pein's attack, free of any evening Rokudaime-in-training sessions, all hopes of that had been sunk. On the spot, the jumpsuited maniac had challenged him to a "youthful drinking contest!" while the senbon user offered up a suggestive comment about finding some buxom civilian to help christen his new apartment followed by one of his trademark eyebrow wiggles.

As they crossed the threshold of the crowded bar, Kakashi's visible eye slowly adjusted to the dim lighting, affirming that the reconstructed space was the doppelganger of its predecessor. It was a simple unadorned venue: a long, roughly hewn bar running the length of the low-ceilinged room, accompanied by a collection of rickety, wooden stools and a motley spread of high top tables on which a few greasy candles flickered; the definition of a no-frills establishment. But it was familiar, and it served its purpose. For liquor was one way to dull the overactive mind.

Nodding vaguely as they passed by a decidedly tipsy Ebisu, right arm slung around the waist of a giggling, blue-eyed woman he vaguely recognized as one of his nurses from his last stay at the hospital, the Copy Ninja permitted himself to be escorted toward what appeared to be the last three empty stools in the establishment. They were situated at the far back of the room, next to a quartet of reveling kunoichi who were much, much too young for Genma to be undressing with his eyes like that. Then again, who was he to judge? The youngest of the women - a rather busty brunette whose purple dress was so tight that it almost appeared painted on - had to have a good three or four years on Sakura. And Kami knew how that had gone…

Now, Kakashi in no way, shape, or form regretted the fact that he had shared a bed with his pink-haired former student. The decision had been totally unorthodox, completely against the shinobi rules, and wildly inappropriate. He realized all that. But he had also long-ago learned the foolishness of allowing such matters as rigid rules and societal expectations to be his guiding compass. Sakura had needed him that night... had sought him out to be the one to chase away the darkness, if one wanted to get poetic about it. Going back and rationalizing or questioning what had transpired had little point to it. Besides, he couldn't deny that the experience hadn't been pleasurable…

That being said, given the role Tsunade intended him to play in Konoha going forward - the heavy responsibility of leading the village out of the chaos that was Pein's destruction, of keeping it safe from the threat of the Akatsuki, of providing whatever paltry stability he could in the wake of Danzo's disappearance - Kakashi could ill afford to permit the liaison to happen again or become public knowledge. He might not give a damn about his reputation, but Koharu and Homura would have a field day with such ammunition. And, of course, there was also Sakura's own standing in the village to think about. He'd been enough of a shit sensei as it was: Tarnishing her good name with more rumors after all she'd been through with Uchiha Itachi was not something he could permit himself to do.

With a tired sigh, Kakashi accepted a little glass of toxic-smelling brown liquid, tipping his head in thanks in Genma's direction. He hadn't really been paying attention to the man's order, but knowing Shirunai like he did, odds were high that it was the cheapest, strongest, most hangover-inducing brew that the Kunai offered. Well, his head would probably hate him later for it, but it would suffice. Dragging down his mask while Gai was occupied with enthusiastically waving down the bartender for a second round - Kami bless his liver - and Genma, ever the nosy bastard, was completely absorbed in people watching, Kakashi downed the beverage in one swallow, savoring the welcome, purifying burn of alcohol upon the back of his throat.

Back up went the mask with a well-practiced flick of the wrist, eyes watering slightly from the aftertaste. And not a moment too soon. For, just as Kakashi was setting down the now empty glass, Genma caught his attention with a rather aggressive jab to his right elbow. "Well, now. You know, Hatake, between his antisocial heritage and current level of infamy, I'd think your old student would want absolutely nothing to do with the Konoha social scene right now. All three of your cute little genin really are full of surprises, aren't they?"

"Hm?" Surely, Genma was seeing things. Kakashi hadn't exactly been keeping close tabs on Uchiha Sasuke since his release from captivity. There was a whole four-man ANBU squad tasked with that ridiculous assignment, after all. That being said, he'd paid enough attention to know that he had been more or less a recluse, other than that one Naruto-inspired Team 7 reunion lunch the morning of his release from captivity, an isolated supplies run here and there, and a team training session earlier that day.

(Okay, maybe he'd been paying more attention to Sasuke's movements around Konoha than he cared to admit. As his ex-sensei and an old... colleague of Itachi's, he couldn't help but feel a bit responsible. Besides, Pakkun could use the exercise.)

A double take in the direction of the door verified that Genma spoke the truth. The bar might be dark and dingy, but Sasuke's classically aristocratic features and full-blooded Uchiha attitude of total and complete disinterest were unmistakable, even without the dirty looks and whispers spreading like wildfire.

Based on the way his dark eyes scanned the environs, rather hawk-like in their intensity, Sasuke appeared to be searching for someone. And, when the Uchiha's gaze met Kakashi's own, the flicker of recognition made his target immediately apparent.

With a small nod of acknowledgment, the Copy Ninja turned back to his drinking companions. "Say, Genma, Gai. Do you think you could give me a few minutes? I appear to have an... unscheduled appointment."

With a resounding "Yosh!" and a thumbs-up to match, Gai leapt to his feet, winding his right arm much too tightly around Kakashi's shoulders. "Of course, my Eternal Rival!" the man boomed, teeth glinting bright white as he drew more than a few stares. "Never would I wish to come between the reunion of a sensei and his precious student! My heart rejoices for this Golden Opportunity! A true rebirth from the darkness of the snake's den! May the bonds of your Glorious Past and the Springtime of You-"

Very fortunately, Genma cut things off there, his timing perfected by decades of experience reigning in his old genin teammate's sheer enthusiasm for positively everything. "All right, Gai. I think Hatake gets the picture. Let's leave him to it. Besides, I fancied a smoke anyway."

The senbon wielder nodded his bandanna-d head vaguely in Kakashi's direction while simultaneously prying the taijutsu master's fingers from their exceedingly firm grip on his sleeve. "We'll catch up with you later, Kakashi. Enjoy that precious student of yours now."

Well, there was one thing to be gained from Gai's latest outburst. The majority of the Twisted Kunai's patrons were suddenly paying much less attention to the last living Uchiha.

Astute as ever, Sasuke quickly took advantage, sidling over to Gai's empty seat. While he arranged himself on the stool somewhat stiffly, in a manner that connoted a degree of wariness, he looked pretty good, all things considered. Certainly better than the last two times he'd graced Kakashi's presence. Which wasn't so surprising given that those occasions had been the immediate aftermath of Itachi's death and the half-hour after he'd learned of his pardon.

With a spare flick of the wrist, Kakashi signaled to the blue-haired bartender for a couple of beers. Some alcohol might not be a bad way of breaking the ice. And the tab was in Genma's name. Then, charcoal eye performing a quick scan of his new companion's perfectly neutral expression, he launched to business. "You know, Sasuke, I'm surprised to see you here tonight. I didn't really take you for the social type. But I suppose we all have our reasons for imbibing, neh?"

It was an open invitation for Sasuke to take the conversation in whichever direction he chose. Unsurprisingly, the Uchiha opted for brevity, offering up a small shrug and a "hn" of vague acknowledgment. It was worth a try.

The drinks arrived a couple of wordless minutes later, the bartender's thin lips tightening as he passed Sasuke his glass. If the Uchiha noticed the less-than-hospitable look, however, he didn't seem to care. Or, perhaps, he was just used to it. Instead, with a glance in Kakashi's direction that was presumably intended as a thanks and/or a sorry excuse for a kanpai, he raised the glass, taking a small sip of the light amber brew.

Kakashi followed suit, savoring the richness of the foam and the vague taste of citrus. Then, mask firmly affixed back in place, he dove in for another, very probably foolish, attempt at conversation. Sasuke had to be there for something. Surely, he hadn't sought his old sensei out just for free liquor. After all, he had never exactly been known as one for free handouts.

"I ran into Yamato-san earlier today. He tells me that your team's first training session went well."

The Uchiha proffered a curt nod and took another, longer draft of his beverage. Slowly setting the glass back down on the counter top, he met Kakashi's gaze, unable to entirely disguise the curiosity that burned in those deep, dark eyes. "Kakashi. During her training. Who did Sakura work with?"

Kakashi couldn't help but smile behind his mask. Sasuke had sought him out for a chat about... Haruno Sakura.

At face value, it was a decidedly surprising, somewhat ironic development. After all, as a boy, Uchiha Sasuke had done everything in his power to ignore, deter, and alienate the pink-haired kunoichi who stubbornly clung to him through thick and thin. He had put up a valiant fight, employing every bit of the aloof dismissiveness for which his clan had been so renowned. That being said, it had not escaped Kakashi's notice that the boy, even at his meanest, coldest, and most vindictive, had cared about his sole female teammate a great deal more than he had let on. And, when one combined that history with the fact that Sakura now possessed some decidedly Uchiha-like tools in her shinobi arsenal that she'd very likely deployed during their training session today, his seemingly sudden interest wasn't so remarkable, after all.

Kakashi could, of course, tell Sasuke everything he now knew. How Uchiha Itachi had been a loyal Konoha shinobi all along, a double agent for the Leaf who had spent the last decade of his life working from within to cripple the Akatsuki. How his concern for his beloved otouto had brought him to Sakura's apartment window one dark evening, had led him to whisk her away from the village and indoctrinate her in a series of Uchiha clan secrets that not even Sasuke himself knew. (And yes, also, to pass on a few bits of jutsu and become her first lover, while he was at it, because Uchiha Itachi had been nothing if not multi-talented.) How the couple had launched a plan to rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches while simultaneously ensuring that he never learned the truth behind his clan's downfall, intending to pave his way for a smooth and easy return to Konoha with the myth of Clan Killer Itachi fully, blissfully intact. And how Sasuke's seemingly unquenchable thirst for vengeance had almost compromised it all, coming perilously close to destroying not only Itachi himself but Sakura, as well.

On the other hand, serving up all that over cheap beer in a dingy bar seemed a bit distasteful. As a major proponent of looking underneath the underneath, it wasn't exactly Kakashi's style. And, while he was all for culpability and atoning for one's sins, he was also deeply aware from personal experience that certain truths were best learned over time, on that winding, rambling road of life. Not to mention that he, himself had his own, rather complicated histories with both Itachi and Sakura. And Sakura would very probably murder him in cold blood. Which was completely fair and reasonable. The story was, after all, hers.

So, with an expertly raised brow of feigned surprise, Kakashi did what he was very arguably best at, socially speaking. He stalled for time. "Sakura-chan? Ah, yes, she's become quite the impressive kunoichi… wouldn't you say?"

"Hn." The Uchiha's lips turned down the barest bit, a whisper of annoyance now detectable on his stoic visage. "She's the Hokage's apprentice…" he prompted meaningfully, coal-black eyes growing somehow even more intense as he stared Kakashi down.

With a look like that, if Sasuke ever managed to work his way back into Konoha's good graces, T&I might very well be interested in his services.

Kakashi nodded vaguely. "Tsunade-sama has indeed been Sakura's shishou for the past five years."

"Ah. And there have been others who worked with her as well."

Hm… exactly how much had Sakura-chan told him? The Copy Ninja offered up another nod, followed by a nonchalant sip of beer. "Of course. As Hokage, Tsunade naturally only had so much time in her day for instruction. Several other medic nins were involved in Sakura's training. I'm fuzzy on the specifics, but they tend to work quite... collaboratively in that field."

"She's more than a medic-nin, though. Her combat skills... they're not all exactly typical of a medic. Or the Hokage."

"That's true," Kakashi replied slowly, considering each and every word before he let it slip from his lips. "It's a wonder what can be accomplished with enough determination and aptitude for chakra control. Wouldn't you say?"

Sasuke's frown deepened. "Kakashi. The style that Sakura used today. Against Yamato-taichou. It... it was so similar to…" He broke off with a small shake of his head. "After I… left. Did you work with her?"

The Copy Ninja smiled behind his mask at that. While his former protege's guess was quite obviously incorrect, it wasn't a bad one by any measure. And, given all that the kunoichi in question had become, it was certainly flattering. "I wouldn't mind taking some of the credit for all that Sakura has achieved," he admitted somewhat ruefully. "But the fact of the matter is that I played an... exceedingly limited role. Tsunade's approach is quite hands on, and you know what they say about too many cooks…"

Dark brows clenched contemplatively. "Then, if not you... where did it come from? The genjutsu. The enhanced speed. You don't just…. she must have learned it from someone."

Despite the knowledge that he was dancing around a decidedly personal, deeply complicated subject, Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. That was, until his companion glared daggers at him from across the top of his half-finished beverage.

Yes, Uchiha Sasuke definitely belonged on the T&I hiring shortlist. And had probably also had enough teasing for one night.

"Mah, Sasuke. Don't tell me you've forgotten one of the first things I taught you. Look underneath the underneath, and I think you'll have your answer."

Ebony eyes rolled, and Kakashi's smile grew. Some things never changed.

"Or, if you don't want to take your old sensei's word for it, you could try asking Sakura-chan yourself. If you approach the matter in the correct way, I think you'll learn what you wish to know." He leaned back in his seat to stretch his tired back (the long hours he'd been spending in meetings lately did not agree with his constitution). "And, rather conveniently, it seems you'll have plenty of time to chat given that the two of you find yourself teammates once again."

At that, Sasuke's grip on his glass tightened almost imperceptibly. It was the smallest of tells, but to the trained eye, it was unmistakable. "Now, Sasuke. I'll admit that it wasn't always so, but she's become a perfectly capable kunoichi."

The Uchiha let out a grunt of acknowledgment. "I'm not questioning her capabilities," he replied softly. "I saw what she could do in her spar today. But the Akatsuki…. I've seen what shinobi of that ilk are capable of firsthand, Kakashi. She has no idea…"

He fell silent, the intensity behind those dark eyes communicating far more than words could say. Kakashi had seen that look before, staring back at him in the mirror… knew all too well the thoughts… the pain that the man before him was experiencing as he contemplated the prospect of losing more of what he loved. Never one for sentimentality, he found his heart go out to the Uchiha all the same. Perhaps, there was a thing or two about Sakura's past he should say, after all.

"You know, it's interesting that you say that," he began, lowering his voice to scarcely more than whisper. None of what they were discussing was actually classified business, of course, but it still wouldn't have looked great for an average shinobi passerby to hear Uchiha Sasuke discussing the Akatsuki so soon after his pardon. "While her exposures may not run as deeply as your own, Sakura is one of the few shinobi alive today who has successfully taken down one of their number."

The Uchiha's left eyebrow arched towards his tousled hair in disbelief. "I was there against Pein, Kakashi. Sakura died."

"That's true. But Pein was by no means Sakura's first encounter with the Akatsuki."

Sasuke's dark eyes were wide with surprise. "When? Who?"

It was admittedly somewhat tempting to break his own rules further and give the man beside him a deeper appreciation of exactly the woman that Haruno Sakura had become. But, true to form, Kakashi resisted the urge. It was really none of his business. Besides, everything would presumably be revealed in time.

And so, rising to his feet and pushing in his stool, he offered Sasuke a parting salute, visible eye crinkling into a small, yet genuine, smile. "I think that's probably enough for one evening, Sasuke. I should probably catch up with Gai and Genma before the former decides to challenge the latter to some exceedingly brainless, potentially lethal challenge. That being said, if there's anything else I can do for you, don't be a stranger."