Cherry Bridge

©EbonyEye

XxXxX

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just some of the OCs here.

Warning: Loads and loads of Spoilers!

Pairings: Mostly SasuSaku, but there's NaruHina, NejiTen, etc. too…

Info: This fic takes place after Team 7 sees Sasuke in the destroyed Sound base, Naruto just left to learn the Rasengan.

XxXxX

She never relied on any sort of kekkai genkai – it was just her and her fists.

Chapter 1

The early morning sun rose above the horizon, the clouds nearest to it flaming orange and crimson. Its rays of liquid gold spilled over the land, chasing away the last remnants of night.

And it was on this morning that her life veered sharply and changed drastically.

Haruno Sakura, second-best medic in the whole of the five nations, jogged out of apartment towards the Hokage tower. She had been summoned five minutes ago, and was curious to see what her shishou wanted to tell her about.

'Maybe I'm getting a mission?' she wondered.

As she walked through the slowly wakening village, she smiled and greeted people she knew. Something warm blossomed in her, something pleasing, when she saw all the respectful and grateful smiles of the Konoha people, shinobi and civilian alike. She had treated countless wounded, and she was pleased to know that her village loved her as much as she loved it.

Halfway up the stairs towards the Hokage office, Sakura met Shizune, who looked harried and nervous.

"Sempai, what is it?" Sakura inquired, alarmed.

"Oh, nothing… well, Tsunade-sama is a little… off, today…" the dark haired secretary mumbled, fidgeting.

Sakura's brow furrowed as she chewed over Shizune's words.

"Did she have anything to drink?" the pinkette asked.

"No. That's exactly what's so weird. She's so nervous; she's not even asking me for any sake." Shizune explained.

"Hm… thanks, sempai," Sakura smiled distractedly, turning to bound up the remaining steps.

Bursting into Tsunade's office, she blurted:

"Shishou, what's wrong?"

The scene in front of her took her by surprise.

Tsunade was not alone.

Maiha, a pale blue slug who was about three feet long, was sitting on the female Sannin's desk, conversing in a hushed and serious tone with her. Sakura knew Maiha; her shishou had summoned her often enough.

"Maiha-san, Tsunade-sama," Sakura greeted them, tilting her head, curiosity alight in her eyes.

The Godaime looked up, her face tight and worried. When she responded to Sakura's greeting, her voice came out in a low rasp.

"Sakura. Good. Come here and sit."

The pinkette quickly moved to do as she was told, her posture tense. What was going on?

Tsunade turned to the slug summon and said in a clipped, curt tone:

"Maiha, tell her."

The blue slug nodded and turned to Sakura.

"Sakura-san, there has been news from my brethren living in the forests near Konohagakure. Apparently, they tell me that somebody has been looking for you."

Sakura's spine snapped up, her entire body tensing. She stared at the slug with wide eyes and stammered:

"L… Looking for… me?"

"Hai, Sakura-san. I asked my brethren what the person looked like, but they are not summons and are color blind."

"They do have basic information, though," Tsunade broke in roughly. She was massaging her temples with her long fingers and continued:

"It's almost positively a shinobi, six feet two in height, with longish hair tied into four loose ponytails; two hang in front of his shoulders, two behind. The slugs say it's dark in color. He wasn't wearing any distinguishable marks from where he could come from."

Sakura stared at her mentor.

"Why would somebody be looking for me?" she mumbled, more to herself than to the other two in her room.

"I don't know, Sakura, but I don't like this. Maiha told me that he didn't seem hostile – he was very polite. He was in a village near the border between River Country and Fire Country. According to a common brown slug who happened to be there, he asked people in the village about a 'young kunoichi around the age of fifteen with unique pink hair and green eyes'. He seemed very desperate to find out."

"He'll be heading for Konoha, most likely," Sakura mused out loud. 'How strange,' she thought to herself, 'I know I've completed several difficult tasks, but I didn't think that I'd draw any specific attention to myself…'

Tsunade rubbed her temples thoughtfully before turning Maiha and saying:

"Well, thank you, Maiha. I'll make sure your warning is taken seriously."

"Hai, Tsunade-hime," the blue slug answered before poofing out of existence.

There was a beat of silence before Tsunade started again.

"So, we must assume that he'll be heading this way. I don't know what he wants of you, but I suggest that you don't stay at your usual apartment."

"Shishou," Sakura protested. "I can take care of myself."

A small smile turned the corners of Tsunade's lips up, but she shook her head and answered regretfully,

"Don't overestimate yourself, Sakura. Your own home is not safe if a killer is looking for you."

"But shishou—!"

"None of that. This is an order. You will stay at somebody else's place – Yamanaka, anybody… It's your decision, but I forbid you to live in your apartment until I say otherwise."

Sakura sighed, but nodded. The pinkette knew that, like her, her mentor was very stubborn. Especially in regards of safety for her.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," she gave in.

XxXxX

"Why, hello, forehead!"

"Good to see you too, Pig," Sakura grinned at her best friend.

Ino, as usual, was dressed to capture attention. Her skin tight mini dress, purple in color, had a low cut and the wide belt only accented her slender waist. Fishnets decorated her smooth thighs, and the four-inch stilettos completed her look.

The blonde pulled Sakura in for a tight hug and asked:

"Is there a specific reason you dropped by?"

"Actually, yes." In a low tone, Sakura recounted everything that Tsunade had told her about. Her voice was laced with worry, and Ino's fair brow crumpled as she took in the information.

"Hm…" Sakura's childhood buddy scrunched up her nose and asked:

"Do you know anything about this shinobi?"

"Other than what I told you, no."

"Oh, well… anyways, of course you're allowed to stay at my place! My mom's always happy to have you over, my dad never really cares 'cause he's working most of the time, and my grandpa likes you because you're the only one who listens to him when he talks."

Sakura laughed at that – it was true – and the two of them went to the pinkette's apartment to grab her stuff.

When they entered her living quarters, the first thing Ino did was sneeze as the dust tickled her nose.

"Phew, forehead! Is it just me, or do you live at the hospital and not here?"

Sakura blushed sheepishly and really looked around her apartment for the first time in months. Most of the time, she rushed in here, grabbed something small to eat – or nothing at all – and then crashed in her bed. She used the bathroom and bedroom the most; the kitchen and adjoining living room was covered in a layer of dust.

Ino shook her head, clucking her tongue, and the girls went to Sakura's bedroom to pack her clothes. There wasn't much, and Sakura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly when Ino glared at her over the pathetic bundle of clothes.

"Uh… hehe, I wash my clothes a lot, so I don't have that much," she laughed nervously.

Ino snorted and stuffed her bundle unceremoniously into a small pack.

"Really, Sakura! It's like you're locked into a tin can all by yourself! The first thing we're doing when we get to my place is going out to buy you new clothes. You'd think that you were dirt poor and scrounging for leftovers!"

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but her best friend overrode her, saying:

"And no arguing with me, billboard brow!"

Sighing, the pink haired medic just shook her head and packed her medic kit and toiletries, and then made her way to the door.

She paused at the exit, scanning her now very bare apartment, and said:

"Okay, let's go."

Ino babbled on and on about what kind of clothes Sakura should buy, not noticing that she wasn't really listening. Sakura nodded once in the while, but most of her attention was turned to her Inner.

'Ino really is right', Inner Sakura snickered before teasing, 'You should get a life.'

'Shut it', Sakura snapped. 'I'm happy with how things are.'

'Really? I was under the impression that you were very unhappy.'

'… I'm not going to waste time arguing with you.'

'Ha! Because you know that I'm right! Anyways, just let Ino-pig talk you into buying something hot and attractive. We want to presentable for the fellas in Konoha, ne?'

'Who are you and why the hell are you a part of me?'

Inner Sakura laughed and withdrew slightly, leaving Sakura to concentrate of her friend's ramblings.

"—namely a set of cute underwear too. Oh! I just remembered, there's a new shop in town we need to look at too, it sells really pretty kimonos, traditional and modern ones. You can even have them made special for you!"

Sakura blinked, returning to the present time and place from her talk with her Inner, and answered:

"Kimonos sound appealing, but I'm not so sure about the undies part…"

Ino laughed, waving a hand to brush away her statement, and said:

"Who cares what you're sure about and what not? I still get to drag you into shopping, and I know that you're so soft that you'll give in if I beg hard enough."

Sakura sighed but her lips twitched with amusement. The blonde knew her too well.

"Whatever," she smiled.

Ino grinned and glanced at the sun. It was already reaching the peak of its arc as it made its way along its daily path in the sky.

"It's almost midday, forehead, we should hurry. Oh! I know! Race you there!"

The next moment, Ino shot forwards – leaving a startled Sakura behind – and hollered:

"Last one at my place has to do the dishes after lunch!"

"Nani?! Masaka!" Sakura sprinted forwards, growling a curse as her pack slammed against her back uncomfortably. She dipped into her chakra for a bit of help and her speed increased dramatically.

Nearly flying over the ground, she had to dodge civilians until she decided to take to the top of the buildings. After all, Ino-pig hadn't said that you weren't allowed to roof-hop.

XxXxX

Somewhere outside of Konoha, Team Gai was returning from a mission in Suna, jumping through the trees. They could see the walls of Konoha in the far distance, and that boosted their spirits.

"Yoshi! We should make a youthful dash the rest of the way, so that we shall be there sooner!" Lee declared, looking at Gai.

The elder green beast of Konoha nodded and smiled, a blinding flash of light sparkling on his teeth as he exclaimed:

"What a youthful idea, Lee! You heard him team, whoever reaches the gates first receives a special prize from me!"

Tenten, an exasperate breath escaping her in the form of a sigh, asked:

"What kind of prize?"

"Now, Tenten, you should try to win even if you don't know the present. Winning is what makes the day bright and merry! But I shall humor you…"

With another blinding flash, he pulled out a black spandex suit with one hand, the other coming up with a thumbs-up gesture.

"YESSSS!" Lee cried, pumping his fist. "I will surely win the race and take the miraculous prize, Gai-sensei!"

"Lee, it gladdens me that you appreciate it so much!"

"Gai-sensei, I love you!"

"Lee, you amaze me!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

The pair of them leapt into action, disappearing faster than one can blink. And blink Neji and Tenten did.

The stoic Hyuuga sighed and glanced at Tenten, who smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, just let them have their fun," the kunoichi told her teammate. Neji grunted and stayed next to Tenten, leaping through the trees at her pace.

As the pair gradually approached Konoha, Neji's eyes strayed towards Tenten. He watched her from the corner of his eye, not wanted to get caught staring. For some reason, he found her leaping form fascinating, especially the way her breasts bounced as she landed on a branch and took off again.

Come to think of it, had he ever noticed how large her breasts had become? Not to mention her hips –

Neji caught himself, immediately terminating that particular train of thought. No, he had not just checked Tenten out! His gaze snapped forwards, a breath of pink creeping up his neck. He was glad his long hair partially hid the red tint.

Nonetheless, he continued to watch her – through the side of his head. He had activated his Byakugan silently, and was staring at her in a way that shouldn't actually be possible.

It was because of his activated dojutsu that he saw another chakra signature.

Pulling up sharply, he stopped as he landed on a branch, simultaneously calling out softly in warning:

"Tenten, there's somebody behind us."

At once, the weapon mistress halted as well, her hands automatically going to the scrolls she always carried.

"How many?" She asked, eyes darting around the woods.

"Only one. It's not a signature I recognize."

Tenten nodded and leapt higher into the branches, gaining the upper hand if the potential enemy passed under her. Neji followed her example and stationed himself towards her right, three trees away.

The chakra came nearer and nearer…

… And then a tall, dark haired shinobi leapt right between and under Tenten and Neji. His posture was relaxed, and Tenten briefly puzzled over it. It was possible that the fully grown man was a Genin – there had been cases of that – but something told her that he was stronger than that. Yet if that were so, then he should have noticed them by now…

Her musing was brought to an abrupt halt as he continued leaping, but turned his head slightly and called:

"Greetings, Konoha shinobi. I do not seek any quarrel with you; I wish to speak with the Hokage. Accompany me if you will, or not."

Both Tenten and Neji tensed and exchanged a glance before the kunoichi shrugged and dropped down several feet to land next to the stranger shinobi, her hands on her scrolls.

Neji's eyes narrowed and he landed gracefully on the stranger's other side. They kept pace with him, and Tenten inquired:

"What do you wish to tell Hokage-sama?"

The man turned his face towards her, giving her a full view of his features. She was quick to memorize it – shinobi instincts – and noted the long scar he sported that started at his hairline and ended at his chin, passing through one his eyes. The eye didn't seem harmed; only the eyelid showed the scar when he blinked. His hair was a dark red color, almost maroon, and tied into four loose ponytails. His eyes were a dark green.

"It's private, kunoichi." But something in his eyes flickered and he asked quietly:

"Although… it would help if you could answer a question. It will confirm if my trip was even necessary at all or not."

Neji answered instead of Tenten, saying:

"We can't promise anything."

"I understand. But can you tell me if there's a certain Haruno Sakura in Konoha? She has pink hair and green eyes."

Tenten froze, nearly missing the next branch she was leaping towards. Her voice was only very slightly strained as she asked:

"Why do you need to know?"

"I need to talk to her and the Hokage."

Tenten raised her gaze to look at Neji, finding him staring at her. Slowly, she blinked at him questioningly, asking his opinion, and he narrowed his gaze thoughtfully before giving a jerky nod in consent.

The kunoichi looked at the stranger and said:

"Aa, she's in Konoha."

The stranger seemed relieved and Tenten carefully asked:

"May we know your name?"

"I guess I owe you two," he answered, smiling wryly. "Very well, my name is Rokukan Takeshi."

"Pleased to meet you, Rokukan-san." Tenten replied. Neji just grunted and made no other noise.

The finally reached the gates and Tenten and Neji were greeted by a loud exclamation from Gai.

"That was a most un-youthful pace, Tenten, Neji! I could feel no motivation burning in your hearts or minds, and this was a most shameful defeat!"

Lee supplied his beloved Gai-sensei with his own shouts of:

"Now I have won, my youthful teammates, and you have nothing to hold your head high about!"

Gai paused as he realized that his two students weren't alone.

"Who's this, my lovely students? Did you capture him?"

"No, sensei," Tenten replied, sighing. "He wants to speak to Godaime-sama urgently. We bumped into him."

"Aha! He is trying to sneak in and silence our Hokage-sama!" Lee screamed, his teeth flashing in an imitation of Gai's.

"Excellent observation, Lee!" Gai boomed, giving him the thumb-up sign again.

The stranger, Takeshi, seemed amused and he said:

"Excuse me, Gai-san, was it? But I would like to speak to the Hokage. That's all."

Gai's eyes narrowed and he looked suspiciously at Takeshi, before drawing himself up with dignity and announcing:

"Team Gai, we will accompany this stranger through our beloved home village! Keep your eyes on him, stealthily and warily watch his every move, and be ready to make a youthful dash to catch him if he attempts to flee!"

Neji and Tenten groaned in sync, Takeshi fought a grin, and Lee beamed with renewed inspiration.

"Hai, Gai-sensei! I love you so much, Gai-sensei!"

And so it went on as the team led Takeshi into Konoha.

XxXxX

Sakura nearly moaned as Ino dragged her back and forth through Konoha's market and busiest streets where all the 'good' shops were. The blonde was very active, pulling the poor pinkette here and there, chattering away excitedly the whole time.

But that wasn't the reason for Sakura's groan.

The fact was… she was beginning to like it.

Ever since she started her tutelage under Tsunade, she never really had time to think much about her appearance. Sure, she was decent enough, but she dropped the whole 'Sasuke-kun fan club' thing. She had realized, after her teammate had betrayed the village, that skill was more important than looks, and had focused more on training.

But now, three years later, Ino was reintroducing her to shopping and other girly stuff, and she was settling right back into the action. And she liked it.

"Here, in here, Sakura!" Ino grinned and pulled her into a shop. Sakura's eyes flew wide with horror as she felt herself tugged into a store that sold nothing but sexy underwear and skimpy pieces.

"No! Not here, Pig!" She cried, struggling against Ino's grasp. Her so-called best friend just giggled madly and shoved Sakura into a clothes rack that held bras.

"Just look silly!" When the pink haired medic continued to just stand and stare blankly, Ino rolled her eyes and looked around. Her eyes lit on a set of lacy pink underwear, a bra and matching thong, and she snatched it up.

"Here," she told her friend, shoving it into her arms. Sakura woke from her trance then and groaned:

"I said no, Ino!"

"Aw, please? Just try?" Ino gave Sakura the puppy eyes. Fighting the wave of guilt, Sakura looked away, but that didn't help. She could still feel the blonde's pleading gaze.

"Fine! I'll try it on!" She snapped, jerking her furious gaze back to Ino.

"Ha!" The blonde crowed with victory and grabbed another set. They were strapless and black, with small lacy bows on the side.

"These… and these… oh, look at these… don't forget some red ones… and these too!"

And so it went on, with Sakura carrying the growing pile of 'try-on' pieces. She was trying to hide her blush by tilting her head forwards and letting her hair partially obscure her face, but the burning heat told her that it was there.

Finally, Ino had gone around the whole store once, and told Sakura to go and try on the stuff while she herself would take a last look around to see if she missed anything.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura entered a changing room and proceeded to try on a corset-style black and red top, along with a satiny red pair of shorts that toed the line between questionable and downright indecent.

She gazed at her reflection with something akin to shock.

Had she really lost track of her growth? Because she didn't remember her body being so… curvy.

'I guess I overdid it with only training and no appearance-caring', she thought numbly.

'I told you so! But noooo, you're all about skill over looks! Didn't you notice our body growing beautiful?'

Sakura blushed at her reflection and studied herself closer.

Her legs were toned and very long for her proportionally small body, her skin pale and smooth. Her flat stomach was decorated by many scars, and she discovered a small scar on her thumb where she once bit too deeply to summon something. She didn't have very big breasts, but just enough to be attractive. As for her face… she still had a slightly large forehead. Her green eyes peered back at her from the mirror from under long lashes, which weren't very visible since they were light pink.

'Now, if only we wore something this sexy, we'd have all the male population at our mercy', Inner Sakura gloated.

'Not really. I doubt I'm that attractive.'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever. You're just too embarrassed to admit it', her Inner waved her hand dismissively.

Sighing, Sakura slowly went through the steadily shrinking pile, picking out the stuff she liked more and setting the others aside. She blushed as she picked up a mesh shirt, chewed her bottom lip nervously as she examined herself in the mirror in a very, very thin white top, and giggled at a cute, red shirt that was shaped somewhat like a heart.

Finally, after what seemed to be eternity, she emerged to a grinning Ino, two separate piles in her hands.

"This is the stuff I like," she told her best friend. "The rest I'll go put back."

"Alright, forehead! This is some real progress for you!" the blonde laughed and helped Sakura return the unwanted stuff.

The girls spent about five hours shopping, and even stopped for a snack in the shopping district. That added another hour or so as Ino brought Sakura up to date with gossip.

"I'm sure you didn't hear of it," the Yamanaka said excitedly. "It's the funniest thing ever!"

"What is it?"

"Shino got together with a civilian girl!"

"What? Aw, that's so cute! What's her name?"

"Chikafuji Miyabi. She's a year younger than him, but she's a real outdoors' person. She doesn't mind Shino's bugs at all! Can you believe that?"

"… Wow. It's a perfect match then! But… She's a civilian. Doesn't Miyabi have anything against Shino's lifestyle as a shinobi?"

"Most likely not, she's got to be used to it since her father's a Jounin. As for Shino, he's not bored with her. Maybe not as exciting as dating a ninja, but he seems happy."

"Aha."

And so it went on as they simply enjoyed each other's company. But it was interrupted as a messenger suddenly poofed into existence right next to Sakura.

The pinkette jumped, about to ask what he wanted, when he said curtly:

"The Hokage wants to see you, Haruno-san. Please go there immediately."

Without wasting any more time, he vanished.

Sakura's eyes widened with worry before they narrowed.

"This is most likely about the stranger looking for me," she realized, standing up. Apologizing to Ino, who promised to bring the results of their shopping back to Sakura's room, the pinkette used a teleportation jutsu to the Hokage tower.

She paused for a moment outside of the office, masking her chakra as she listened to Tsunade saying:

"– but even if she is to accept, she has to be back soon, Rokukan-san."

"I understand. Still, she should take up her rightful position in the service. She's possibly one of the last of us."

Sakura frowned. She didn't recognize the second voice. It was a man's, deep and even. Who was it?

Settling her features into a blank plain, she knocked twice, briskly.

"Come in!"

As she entered, all her thoughts went down the drain as she saw who was sitting next to Tsunade.

A man with dark hair.

A man with dark hair tied into four pony tails, two in front, and two behind his shoulders.

Tsunade sensed Sakura's alarm and quickly said:

"It's ok, Sakura, calm down. Sit."

Numbly, she did, all the while with her eyes glued to the man's dark green eyes.

The Hokage coughed and said:

"Sakura, this is Rokukan Takeshi. Please don't overreact when I tell you exactly who he is."

"Hai."

Tsunade closed her hazel eyes and took a deep breath while the man, Takeshi, swallowed nervously.

"He's… your uncle."

Sakura froze. Her mind went blank for the second time even as her body screamed at her to snap out of it.

Tsunade started speaking again, but Takeshi cut her off, saying quietly:

"Sorry if this came a bit suddenly, but I haven't ever really seen you. Last time I saw you, you were just a baby."

Sakura finally remembered how to move her mouth and she managed to ask:

"Are you… my father's brother?" After all, her mother had had silver hair and dark brown eyes. She had never seen her father – he had left before she was even born. As a child, Sakura had often fantasized over what her father looked like, and invented reasons for his disappearance.

"Yes, I am."

Sucking in a breath, Sakura calmed herself with a bit of help from her Inner. Her voice came out slightly more even and she asked:

"Why are you here? Why did my father leave?"

There was an uncomfortable pause, and then Takeshi sighed and told her:

"I'll tell you everything I told the Hokage. I heard that you were her apprentice, and that you were close, so I don't think it should be a secret from her.

"Your mother and father met while he was under the disguise of a civilian. His name was Rokukan Yuya. Anyways, your mother was a civilian, and they fell in love. But then he revealed himself as a shinobi, and she was shocked and angry with him, sending him away.

"Shortly afterwards, you were born. He never got to see you, and it was I who brought your mother the news that he died five months after you were born. That's how I saw you."

Takeshi paused, looking at her with a serious gaze.

"Sakura… do you know the clan of Rokukan?"

"… No."

"It's a shinobi clan, but I'm not surprised you don't know it. It's kept very secret, because they – no, we – possess a very unique kekkai genkai."

Shock washed through Sakura. She had a bloodline limit?

"You probably know of the Temple of Fire, Sakura. But there is another sort of 'temple', call it what you like. It's made up out of the Rokukan, and only the Rokukan. Did you know that the Sage of the six paths was the one who gave us the bloodline ability?"

Takeshi took a deep breath before plunging on.

"To be blunt, I'll just tell you what the kekkai genkai is. The Rokukan are 'blessed by the gods'. They have the extreme control of every single kind of kekkai genkai. Bloodline limits are sorted into five categories: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. In the category of sight are the dojutsu, for example.

"Anyways, so the Rokukan know of all the other kekkai genkai. Their temple lies in the very south of Fire Country, nearly in Tea Country. All the records are there. In addition to the five senses ability, the Rokukan sometimes had a split mind."

Sakura flinched. Her Inner cackled evilly.

"Only a quarter of the Rokukan had this second mind, but those who did were a lot more powerful than the others. And if you had the second mind, and could tame it, then you were a step even further up.

"The Rokukan's greatest secret… was that with a tamed second mind, one could move into other beings' minds, even into those that weren't sentient creatures, for example animals. And if one could focus hard enough, there are recordings of some of the ancient Rokukan who told of the stars, moon and sun speaking to them.

"That is the ultimate ability of the Rokukan," Takeshi told Sakura.

She stared at him, the silence that followed her uncle's speech seeming heavy. Sakura couldn't move, couldn't think. She couldn't believe that she was really not a Haruno, even though she had accepted the fact since she was very small. After all, her name came from her mother, Haruno Kiyomi.

She felt as if she were submerged, Takeshi's voice coming from somewhere far away. She was just… stunned. And that was an understatement.

Tsunade and Takeshi waited anxiously for her to find her tongue again, which she did after a very long silence.

"I… And why are you telling me this?" Sakura managed to whisper.

"With the Hokage's permission, I want to take you to Rokukan Temple to train you."

Another stunned silence.

Tsunade broke the awkward stillness with a cough and said gently:

"Sakura… I know that you're reluctant to leave the village, but look at it this way: Naruto is also away training. You should get stronger too."

"Hai, shishou…" Sakura sighed. She knew that the Godaime was right. She wanted to become more powerful, even if it was for the sole purpose of catching up to him, the nuke nin Uchiha.

"So it's agreed?" Takeshi looked at Tsunade, who looked at Sakura, who closed her eyes.

"Yes," the pinkette said softly. "I'm going."

XxXxX

A/N

Yay, new fic started! Hope you like it, and hopefully it doesn't drift too far from the actual manga. I haven't read it for a while except for the most recent chapters that come out, so please forgive me if it doesn't quite follow the real plot.

The next chapter will be up in two weeks at the most.

Please leave a review behind!

EbonyEye

XxXxX

Sempai – Senior at work, older graduate

Shishou – Master, Teacher

Hai – Yes

Nani? – What?

Masaka! – No way!, Impossible!

Yoshi! – Alright!