A/N: Brand new Naruto story! Sakura-centric.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

For the shattered hearts of Team 7.

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Sasuke Uchiha. The missing teammate of Team 7. Last living person of the Uchiha clan. Defected from Konoha at age twelve, to exact revenge on his older brother, Itachi Uchiha. Successful in his revenge plot, and now returning home.

Naruto Uzamaki. Orphan. Beholder of the demon Nine-Tailed Fox. Loud mouthed, foolish. His only goal is to become Hokage. And bring his missing teammate back to their broken family. ANBU level ninja.

Sakura Haruno. The blossom of Konoha. The only female of Team 7. Once madly in love with Sasuke, and broken when he left. Now has surpassed Hokage Tsunade in medical jutsu and perfected monstrous inhuman strength. ANBU level ninja and co-ANBU captain. Once lively, and playful. Now cool, indifferent.

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Sasuke Uchiha, the missing piece of Team 7, had returned after six years of defection. He quietly walked up the path leading to Konoha, the same path he had left those years ago. His hands were in his pockets, his head tilted towards the dirt road. His purple sound belt discarded, his white t-shirt tight against his toned chest. His pants silently waving in the air.

ANBU forces told the Hokage of his return. Of how he was nonchalantly walking towards the village. Hokage Tsunade didn't panic, only smirked, as if she knew this would happen. She quietly dismissed the ninjas. Waiting oh so patiently for a certain blonde knuckle head.

Naruto, hearing big news throughout the village, sprinted to the Hokage tower, chakra enhancing his speed. He realized his mistake of traveling, and proceeded to make a flurry of hand signs. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke and appeared before Tsunade with a distinct 'poof' in the air.

"Baa-chan! Is it true?" Naruto urged, anxiety getting the best of him.

Tsunade nodded, which sent Naruto running for the gates, with his former sensei Kakashi, which had caught up with his ex student. As Tsunade watched from her office window, she could not help but sigh and feel pity for Team 7, the shattered remains of it. One of their own had returned after a long time. Only they had already lost another one of them. One that could not be replaced.

Sakura. She thought. Why?

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Naruto and Kakashi reached the gates, their breaths near silent as they waiting in anticipation. Their teammate. The one whom they had been waiting to return. As they saw Sasuke in the distance, they couldn't believe their eyes. He really was returning home. To Konoha. To where he should have never left.

Sasuke saw them in the distance. Right in front of the gates, with shocked expressions. He gave a small smirk at that. Some things never change. He saw Naruto and Kakashi, but wondered where the last piece of the team was? The blossom who was so annoying in their younger years. The stupid fan girl that just seemed to never leave him alone.

The Uchiha stopped in front of his two former teammates. "Sasuke." Kakashi's powerful, authoritative voice echoed through the air between them.

Sasuke just looked straight at them, indifferent from their meeting. His gaze found Naruto, who seemed speechless. "Naruto." Sasuke acknowledged.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said, beaming. His teammate- his brother- was back in his grasp.

Sasuke looked around, as if waiting for the rosette to appear. Naruto and Kakashi's happiness fell almost instantly. They knew who Sasuke was looking for. Only he wouldn't find her.

"She's gone." Naruto murmured, his voice a soft whisper. It was possible Sasuke didn't hear Naruto. It was so soft Kakashi almost missed it. But he heard.

Sasuke's eyes widened ever so slightly as he learned of this news. "…hn. Why?" he asked, his tone cold, even thought what he really thought was why would she do this? What pain could have made her leave?

"She was tired." Kakashi said, entering the conversation between his two former students. When Sasuke raised an eyebrow, he continued. "She was tired of everybody treating her as someone weak. She made co-ANBU captain but to everyone that didn't seem to matter. Not to any of the other Rookie Nine. Not to Ino, Ten-Ten, Hinata, or even Lee. All thought of her as fragile and incapable to do ninja things. And so, she left."

Sasuke merely stared at his ex-sensei, trying to process Sakura's disappearance. He took one look at Naruto, and seeing the blond's head down, fists balled, and tears dripping from his tightly shut eyes, he knew Kakashi was not joking.

Sakura had defected, just as he had six years previous. The Uchiha thought back to that night, to her confession, and he felt a slight tug of his heart. He didn't know how she felt that night, nor did he care at the time. But now, he realized how heartbroken she must have been afterwards. And now, she had done the same to him, only silently. She had defected, and it was almost a slap in the face for the Uchiha. He had always thought Sakura would always be there, waiting for the opportunity to help someone. But, he thought, that's exactly what made her leave. People thinking she would just sit and wait around until she was called. That she couldn't handle it.

And so, Sasuke turned on his heel and ran in the woods, from branch to branch. With his two teammates at his side. They all knew what they were doing, what mission they all had now. Team 7 would be reunited, no matter how shattered it had become before.

Their mission:

Retrieve the defected ninja Sakura Haruno.

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Tsunade was still in her office, sake bottle in her hand, as she sat in her desk chair. Her head resting on the wooden surface of the desk, headache in motion.

An ANBU personnel appeared in front of the near unconscious Hokage and reported. "Tsunade-sama. Uchiha Sasuke, along with Hatake and Uzamaki had left the village in search of the missing-nin Haruno Sakura."

Tsunade lifted her head from hearing the news, her headache the last of her worries. She gave a small smirk, and dismissed the ninja saying "Let them be."

The ninja disappeared and Tsunade looked out of her window.

Bring her home, boys. She thought as she gave a soft smile towards the outside of Konoha's gate, wishing Team 7 good luck in bring home the last piece

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Sakura Haruno had a mission. To be recognize for all her work and her strength. To not be seen as someone fragile and weak. That word was poison on her tongue. She hated that word. She detested it. Because it reminded her of darker times, where that was all she was. On how she was so annoying, and how she would always be nothing but weak.

It disgusted her how weak her younger self was. She was emotion driven, and a certain Uchiha was the cause of it. She hated him. She hated how he made her feel, how he was the cause of everything. He was why she could not be acknowledged.

But in her mind, it wasn't just Uchiha Sasuke's fault. It was her whole team, and all of her friends. It was their fault too.

She would always be the one left behind, no matter how strong she was. She was never up to the same standards as the rest of her team. She had far surpassed ninja and was the same level as her team, but no one cared. Not when her teammates were the "famous Kyuubi container" and the "Uchiha prodigy." Even Kakashi, who she had stopped calling him her sensei a long time ago since she had become his superior, was untouchable in the minds of others. The famous "Copy Nin" who held the Sharingan eye and amazing skills.

Even with her monstrous strength, professional medic justu, and ANBU captain candidate, no one would acknowledge her. No one cared about what she had accomplished and only focused on them.

Even her friends didn't care. Yamanaka Ino mercilessly made fun of her, believing it was all for fun. Hyuuga Hinata was too shy to even really talk to her. And when she did, it was only for courtesy. Ten-Ten didn't bother, they were never very close. But they were still friends. Rock Lee was too focused on how "youthful" she was and how beautiful she seemed. Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru didn't see behind her façade of being the same old cheerful Sakura. They were never very bright with anything besides tracking. Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Neji, and Nara Shikamaru were different. They knew she acted differently, how she seemed more unhappy from every passing day. Shikamaru had even confronted Sakura, him being the ANBU captain. But she didn't tell him anything.

And he didn't ask after trying a few times, going back to watching clouds float by.

He always was lazy. That was one thing she missed. Seeing him so relaxed. She used to even join him sometimes. But now she never would.

Because she had left that all behind. The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Konohagakure. The place where she grew up, and matured.

But it didn't seem to matter anymore to Sakura. Her mission was finished when she found the person she was looking for.

Suigetsu Hozuki.

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Suigetsu was surprised to see a Konohagakure ninja approach him. It wasn't just because her hiiate had a scratch through it; it was because she had pink hair, emerald eyes, and creamy skin. She seemed so innocent and pure to Suigetsu, it made him suspicious.

He looked for a few moments after she had stopped walking and he remembered who she was.

"Haruno Sakura." He acknowledged.

She nodded and said, "Suigetsu Hozuki." In return.

Suigetsu was itching to attack or ask for answers as to why she was here, but he settled on one question he knew she would want to know.

"Sasuke split up Team Taka. He went back to Konoha." Suigetsu said, thinking Sakura wanted to find his ex team leader.

To his surprise the rosette didn't seemed shocked. In fact, she smirked at the news. "Suigetsu, you really think I wanted to find that asshole after all these years? I was trying to bring him home for Naruto. I stopped caring years ago."

If Suigetsu wasn't so bright he would have never caught the flash of sadness that passed through Sakura's emerald eyes.

"You miss them." Suigetsu stated.

Sakura didn't answer, but merely stared at him. She didn't need to say anything. Suigtesu already knew. But it didn't matter to her. She had finally found the person that would help her.

"Suigetsu. Would you join me on my own mission? Or if you'd like, I would join you? Doesn't matter to me. I'll get what I want in the end."

Suigetsu's eyebrows raised in question. "What is your own mission?"

Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. "To find the Akatsuki."

Suigetsu thought about her mission. He had been a member of the Akatsuki when Sasuke joined, and with Itachi dead, the Akatsuki was starting to become weak. He wanted to help this girl- this ninja- but he needed to know one thing.

"What do you want to achieve by the end of this?"

She looked up to the sky and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "I wish for Konohagakure to be put into ruins."

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Suigetsu was confused. Even with joining the rosette he could not come up with a reason why she would want her home village to be destroyed. He remembered all the times Sakura had come with the loud mouth blonde with the mission to bring Sasuke home. She seemed so loyal back then. But it was over a year since he had last seen her. Many things could change in a year. He wondered what happened to her.

"Haruno." He said.

His new partner glanced at him. "What?"

He almost shivered at the piercing stare Sakura was giving him. Almost. But he was Suigetsu Hozuki, he didn't get scared. "Why do you want to destroy Konoha?"

She turned back forward and continued to jump between the branches of trees. Suigetsu allowed one more glance at his mysterious partner, and then he too turned forward. He almost didn't hear Sakura say her reason.

"Because I'm not weak." She whispered.

Suigestu didn't know what to make of this, but he knew Sakura was anything but weak.

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With their speed and precision, Sakura and Suigetsu arrived at the Akatsuki base in two days. The base was centered in the mountains, a giant boulder blocking the entrance. Suigetsu got ready to prepare the opening, but Sakura was not the patient type.

She waved Suigetsu back and cracked her knuckles. "Allow me." She said before her chakra infused fist made contact with the boulder.

A loud crack echoed through the mountain range, and the two watched as the massive boulder was converted into dust. Sakura gracefully walked through the now empty entrance, a wide eye Suigetsu following her.

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Pein knew who was approaching his office once he heard the entrance boulder shatter. He silently sat at his desk, hearing the footsteps getting louder. A second later the door flew open, revealing the pink haired ninja.

"Pein-sama." She greeted quietly.

Pein, although he didn't show, was shocked. This girl broke into his base, entered his office without his consent, then greeted him with respect? He didn't understand why she was here.

"Haruno Sakura." He greeted back, his cold, emotionless voice strong with power.

Just because he didn't capture her yet or didn't know why she was here didn't mean he couldn't try to intimidate her.

Too bad it didn't work.

"I wish for the Akatsuki's help. You have been planning this for a while and I intend to help you."

Pein raised his eyebrows this time, exactly the same that Suigetsu had done when Sakura had confronted him. "Exactly what plan could you have known of?"

"The destruction of Konohagakure." She said. Her eyes blazed dangerously, as if daring Pein to defy her.

Pein paid no heed to her malicious glare. He thought about this logically. Her hiiate said she had become a missing-nin. She had been put in the Bingo Book not too long ago and he knew of her power. With her by the Akatsuki's side, Itachi's death would no longer weaken the organization.

Pein's voice echoed in the small office. "Request accepted."