1000 Words

A/N: I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying my new fic. Thanks so much for the great reviews, and for putting up with my muse. Please enjoy this newest chapter.

~!~

Naruto snorted and turned over onto his back, before opening his eyes. Frowning, he could not help but feel as if he were being watched, and so, slowly turned his head to find Sakura watching him, a small smile upon her lips.

“SAKURA!” He yelled, not caring that now he had awoken the other three men. Jumping up, he ran over to her, and dropped down to his knees before placing his hand on her forehead, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

“You really had us worried.” He said, his tone slightly accusing. “Next time, don't push yourself so hard, ok?”

Her small smile widened and she nodded slowly. He was just as she remembered him, though younger. However, his looks were still as handsome as they had been when they were adults. She felt him pull his hand away and she looked up to find Kakashi standing over her, his eye crinkled in a fashion that let her know that he was smiling.

“I'm glad to see that you are feeling better, Sakura.” He said, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “But, I still think that we should return to the village, just to make sure that you really are back to normal.”

When the older man moved away, she fought hard not to pout. Damn it. She hated it, in her younger days, when he messed her hair up, and she found that she still hated it, even after he had been ripped away from her.

Sasuke silently regarded her, though didn't say a word to her. For that, she was glad. Time had taught her that sometimes, those we thought were important to us, turned out to be the biggest disappointments. Sasuke was a prime example.

Sai, however, didn't seem to have a problem in finding something to say to her. “You know, hag.” He began, “That was some fall you took yesterday. Perhaps one of us had better carry you, just in case you decide on a repeat performance.”

Naruto's bellow of outrage echoed throughout the woods, and soon, he and Sai began to bicker back and forth, leaving her to shake her hand and smile fondly at both of them. Their argument was finally settled when Kakashi appeared between them, and calmly said, “You can carry this discussion back at the village, but I think that we should get going. It's going to start raining soon, and I don't want to be caught in it.”

She looked up at the sky, and took in a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had smelled anything that didn't have the underlying scent of burning wood to it. It was funny to discover all of the little things you miss, especially when they are ripped away from you.

So, without another word to each other, they quickly packed their belongings, and began to make their way back to the village. Naruto continued to steal small glances at her, and though she was aware of them, she focused her attention on the surrounding woods.

In her time, it was no longer safe to walk through the woods, and so, she had forbidden any of the villagers and shinobi from venturing out from behind Konoha's walls without an armed escort. Their enemies knew just where to hit them, and though she had made great progress in pushing them back, they were still out there. Waiting.

It only took them a couple of hours, but when the gates to Konoha finally emerged, she found her breath caught in her throat as she looked upon her home. There were no damages, no signs of battle on the walls. In her time, the walls were smeared with the blood of those shinobi who had fought to protect Konoha, and fell.

Stopping in her tracks, she stared up at the five faces of the hokages, and was a little shaken not to see her own face, though she had known it would not be there. After all, in this time, she was Haruno Sakura, and not Uzumaki Sakura, the sixth hokage.

“Come on, Sakura.” Naruto urged, his tone laced with worry. “Let's get you to baa-chan, and she'll make sure that you get a full check up.”

He reached out and grasped her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as he led her through the gates. She looked around, her eyes taking in all of the villagers moving around, smiles upon their faces, and the children playing games, and laughing.

There was no laughter in her Konoha. All the laughter in her village died, long ago and were buried with her loved ones.

She allowed Naruto to pull her along, and shut out any comments about how Konoha's knuckle-headed shinobi was holding her hand. However, she simply savored the feeling of his touch, and would accept any other touch he gave to her.

Kakashi watched Sakura from the corner of his eye. She seemed....off. She was looking around, as if she had never seen Konoha before, and were trying to memorize every sight she came across. Now, he was worried. Sakura was definitely not acting like herself.

Besides, she'd never let Naruto hold her hand, so for her to allow him to touch her now, proved to him that something was wrong with her.

She soon found herself in front of her mentor, and watched as the woman examined her, in front of her teammates. When Tsunade-sensei stepped back, she shrugged.

“I don't know what happened,” She said, “But, Sakura is in good shape. I see no reason for her not to continue her training, unless you are done training for the day.”

Sighing, Kakashi nodded. “Yeah, we're done.” He murmured, though his eye was still locked onto Sakura's form. “I've got something to do, so I will see all of you, tomorrow.”

Sakura watched as her former sensei disappeared in a poof of smoke, and frowned. Damn it, she just knew that he suspected that something was up with her. She had not meant to make herself so damn obvious, but to see Konoha in all of its glory, well, it was unsettling to her.

Tsunade shrugged, and motioned for the younger shinobi to leave, but then said, “Sakura, I'd like to speak with you for a moment.”

When she nodded, Naruto grinned and said, “When you are done, come and meet me at the ramen shack. I'll treat you to lunch.”

Sasuke snorted and turned to leave, with Sai following him. The artist paused at the door, and shot Sakura one of his grins, only to have her return his forced grin with a genuine smile of her own. Blinking, Sai turned and left the room, wondering why she had not yelled at him for being creepy, or trying to spook her.

Tsunade sat down in her chair and felt Shizune move behind her. When Sakura was seated, Tsunade asked, “Do you want to tell me what happened to cause you to faint, Sakura?”

“I overdid it.” She replied, though even to her, the excuse sounded weak. She gave her sensei a weak smile only to have the woman narrow her eyes. “I don't believe that, Sakura. You are one of our fittest shinobi, so for you to pass out, just because of a few exercises, that tells me that something else is going on.”

Sakura bristled at the tone, but forced herself to calm down. Taking in a deep breath, she said, “I have not been sleeping well, for a while. I'm fine, now. Honest.”

Tsunade frowned and then nodded. “Alright, but if you pass out again, I'm going to haul you in and put you through extensive testing, understood?” She asked, her tone telling Sakura that she meant what she said.

Nodding quickly, Sakura smiled and said, “I understand. Thank you, Sensei.”

Motioning for Sakura to leave, Sakura stood up and moved to the door, only to have it thrown open and Genma rush in. Bowing low to the hokage, he said, “We've got a major problem.”

Sakura paused, but then nodded when Shizune said, “Please close the door on your way out, Sakura.”

Once the door was closed, Sakura leaned against the door and frowned. She thought back to this particular date, and the events that had occurred around this time, and what would cause such worry. After several minutes, she finally remembered.

This day had been the beginning of the nightmare. While it had been a minor loss, it had still hit her hard, and it was all because the hokage had not had the information to make a more informed decision.

As she walked away, she was almost positive that her old sensei was being told of shinobi from the land of thunder were attempting to invade their village. While it was true, what the hokage didn't know, was that those thunder shinobi were being helped by someone who knew the layout of their territory.

As she was about to walk down the stairs, the door to the hokage's office was yanked open and Shizune appeared. She looked frantic, and when she saw Sakura, she said, “Gather all of the shinobi that you come across. We are about to go after some shinobi who have dared to challenge us.”

Sakura's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. Turning on her heel, she mentally berated herself for not storming back into the hokage office and telling Tsunade-sensei all that she knew about this particular event, but.....she couldn't.

She could not tell them who she really was, nor could she tell them about the events that would occur. But, she could give a slight nudge, and perhaps, that would be enough. If she had to, she'd do more than nudge, but she'd do her best to be as discreet as possible.

Soon, all of the shinobi of Konoha were assembled, and were awaiting their hokage's orders. When Tsunade stepped out, her face was ashen.

“It would seem that shinobi from the land of thunder have decided to attack us, though we are unclear as to why.” She announced, her voice strained. “Because we only have a few number of jounin, I have decided to send chunnin and genin to handle this situation.”

Sakura watched with narrowed eyes as her sensei's shoulders wilted. It was clear to her that the woman knew that this would be an uphill battle. However, the next words out of Tsunade-sensei's mouth made her blood run cold.

“I have decided to send Shikamaru as leader of this mission, with Lee and Neji being his seconds in command.” She said, her honey-colored eyes moving over each of the men.

Sakura's stomach twisted violently. Shikamaru and Lee lost their lives in this mission, and Neji returned home, his hands so badly damaged that he could no longer function as a shinobi. Their enemy had used a very strong acid and managed to burn all three men, as they passed through the narrow path.

Tsunade continued her speech, telling all three men that they would be walking through a small path that was hidden within the neighboring mountain. She said that if they continued on that path, they would find their enemy.

Sakura watched as all three men nodded, and were cheered on by their fellow shinobi. No, she could not let this happen. She could not watch them die. Not again.

“Lady Tsunade, you can't send them through that path.” Sakura said, her tone strong. “They'd be walking right into an ambush.”

The crowd was silent, and Naruto violently tugged on her hand, though she ignored him. Her mentor's eyes narrowed, and she calmly said, “Sakura, that path is perfectly safe. Our enemy won't know about it, and will be surprised.”

“No.” Sakura said, her tone equally calm. “Our enemy will know about it, and will also know about the small ledges that are littered along the sides that make the perfect hiding places. They are far from stupid, and will have scouted the area before making themselves known. If you send our shinobi through that path, we will lose part of Konoha's strength. We can't afford to be reckless, not now, and never again.”

Neji snorted, and looked up at the hokage, whose eyes were still locked with Sakura's. For some reason, the older woman could not simply tell her student to sit down and be quiet. Sakura's eyes were hard, as if she knew that she were speaking the truth. It was odd to see Sakura so strong, and not afraid to speak her mind, but it was even more odd to see her speak with such authority.

After a few tense moments, Tsunade said, “Alright, Sakura. Do you have any better ideas?”

“We don't have to go through the mountain, but we can utilize the pathways the will take us around the mountain.” Sakura replied, as she crossed her arms. If memory served her, those pathways would take them right behind their enemy, thus surprising them.

“The thunder shinobi will be counting on a direct attack, but if their attention is focused on what is in front of them, then they won't be looking behind them, believing that we will take the bait and use the path. Going around the mountain will take longer, but we will have the element of surprise, and we are going to need it.”

Tsunade slowly nodded, but then looked at Shikamaru. “Alright, change in tactics.” She said. “You will follow the paths around the mountain. Under no circumstance are you to go through the mountain.”

Shikamaru sighed and glared at Sakura for making the job harder than it had to be. Walking over to her, in front of the other shinobi, he said, “Thanks for the faith in our abilities, Sakura. This is going to be such a drag.”

“You'll be thanking me later, Shikamaru.” She replied, her tone soft. “I have no doubt in your abilities, but I would hate to have to bury people that I consider to be friends, just because laziness.”

“Whatever.” Shikamaru muttered, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and he motioned to Lee and Neji. “Well, let's get this over with.”

Lee and Neji nodded, and followed their leader, and watched as some of the other chuunin began to follow them, and were soon out of sight.

Sakura turned to look at her sensei, whose eyes were blazing with anger. “I want to speak to you, Sakura. Right now, in my office.” She snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument. When her student nodded, she turned and stormed back into her office, slamming the doors behind her.

Sakura smiled slightly. She felt a large hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kakashi standing over her, his eye narrowed, telling her that he was very upset.

“What did you think that you were doing?” He demanded, angrier than she had ever heard him. Shrugging his hand off, she replied, “I did what I had to do to prevent unnecessary deaths. Tell me, what do you know of those mountains, and their paths? Have you ever had a reason to go and explore them?”

When he could not reply, she nodded. “Exactly.” She said. “You know nothing, and neither did the shinobi that left here. I, however, do know that the path that was suggested is nothing more than a deathtrap, and I won't be responsible for their deaths. So, that is what I was doing. Now, please excuse me. I have an ego to placate.”

Moving towards the hokage tower, and ignoring the stunned stares of her teammates. She quickly made her way to the office that she knew so well, and knocked.

When the door opened, a book flew at her head, but she caught it and sighed. “Well, that was uncalled for.” She muttered, and moved inside and closed the door. Shizune's mouth dropped open at the sight of her lady flinging a book at her star pupil, and even more shocking was the pupil catching the book and calmly closing the door without her own temper exploding.

“I should beat you to a bloody pulp.” Tsunade growled, her eyes narrowed in a glare. When Sakura shrugged, it only made her anger grow. “What in the hell is going on with you? Perhaps I should have given you a full physical, because you are not acting like yourself, at all.”

Sakura sat down in the chair that was directly across from her sensei and softly said, “I understand why you are angry, but please understand, I meant no disrespect. I know that particular mountain, and I know what is in that path. They would have been severely hurt, if not killed. Doesn't this attack seem a bit quick to you? Thunder would not attack us without a good reason, so why are they attacking and what do they have to gain?”

Tsunade frowned and sat down. Crossing her arms, she said, “We are still recovering from the loss of the third hokage and shinobi. Perhaps they are attacking while we recover. Besides, how do you know about the path in the mountain?”

“If we were really hurting from the loss, then we could go to Suna, and request aid, seeing as how they gave us an unconditional surrender.” Sakura replied. “The kazekage would send help immediately. And, I know about the mountain because I've hiked the paths some time ago, when I needed to be alone.”

That, actually, was the truth. When Naruto and the others had died, she had hiked that mountain, hoping to find somewhere that she could hide away, but instead, finally discovered how the thunder shinobi had gotten the drop on them. Of course, this was before she had become hokage, and before she had ordered her people to stay inside Konoha's walls. But, that particular hike had opened her eyes to several things, and had closed the door on many of her original beliefs.

She had been such a child in this time of her life, but in her young mind, she had thought herself a woman. The sad fact was, it had taken the loss of her loved ones, and friends, to make her grow up, and lose the childish ideals that she had struggled to keep for so long. Now she could understand Kakashi's need to have his books. They were his escape, and his only salvation from the life he could not leave. Those perverted books were his anchor. There was no such thing as an automatic happy ending. People made their own endings, and were responsible for how their lives turned out.

She would make sure that, this time, her life would be the one from her dreams, though they were the dreams of a woman, who loved a man more than her own life. She was no longer blinded by the good looks of a dark avenger, whose soul had been corrupted by his own hate, but rather her eyes were now upon a bright star, who could shine brighter than any other person she had ever known. He just didn't know how to quit, and that was what her Konoha needed. They needed a protector.

Both Shizune and Tsunade were quiet. Finally, Tsunade sighed. “From this point on, if you have a difference of opinion, take it up with me in private. Do not ever call me out in front of the others again, are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Sakura said, and stood up. She turned to leave, and then looked over her shoulder. “I know that you are embarrassed, right now. But, I'm sure you would feel a lot worse if our people returned in body bags. I don't have the time or patience to coddle prides. However, if I disagree with you, I will let you know it, quietly.”

When she was gone, Tsunade turned to Shizune. “Does she seem different to you?” She asked, curious. “I feel as if I am speaking to someone my own age and not to a teenager.”

“She does seem more focused, and does make several good points.” Shizune replied, and then grinned. “Maybe little Sakura is finally growing up.”

Laughing, Tsunade shook her head. “If this is just a taste of how she will be when she is an adult, then I have no worries that when I am gone, Konoha will be in good hands with her and Naruto around.”

~!~

She entered the bar, and wrinkled her nose. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and vomit hit her senses, and she now remembered why she had stopped coming her when she was in her mid-twenties. However, she spied the table with her friends and walked over, and took a seat beside Naruto.

The blonde immediately grinned at her. “So, did baa-chan let you have it?” He asked, curious. He and the others at the table grew quiet, and waited for her response.

Shrugging, Sakura ordered a drink and then said, “Not really. She just wanted to hear my reason for speaking up, and I told her.”

“She flung a book at you, didn't she?” Naruto asked, his eyes knowing. “Every time I piss her off, I get one flung at my head.”

“And, it always hits him.” Kiba snorted, and hugged Hinata to his side. The Hyuuga heiress blushed and timidly asked, “Are you all right, Sakura?”

“Well, yes she did throw a book at me, and no, she didn't hit me.” Sakura replied, grinning. “I caught it. And, yes I am all right, Hinata.”

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he was silent for the first time in a long time. Baa-chan actually missed. Ino moved next to her and she said, “Doesn't Sasuke look good tonight?”

Glancing down the table at the young man, Sakura shrugged and said, “He'd look at lot better if he quit his fucking moping.”

Ino's mouth dropped open, but then she asked, “So....does that mean that you are over Sasuke?”

Sakura's green eyes darted up to Ino's hopeful expression and she sighed. “He's all yours, Ino.” She said, waving the girl away. When the girl squealed, Sakura winced and lowered her eyes.

'Good lord, was that how I used to sound?' She thought. ' No wonder Sasuke used to tell me that I was annoying.'

As the large group continued to talk, the door to the bar burst open and Shizune stood in the entrance, her chest heaving. Her eyes moved over the occupants and finally rested on Sakura. Moving forward, the older woman stopped in front of the table and was about to speak to Sakura, but Kakashi interrupted her.

“Are you all right, Shizune?” He asked, his hands upon Sakura's shoulders. He had listened to his former students talking, and nearly laughed when he heard Sakura say that a book was flung at her, but she had caught it. Naruto was never that lucky, though he should know better by now, seeing as he is constantly getting hit in the head by the books.

Pointing at Sakura, she said, “You were right. They were hiding, and waiting to ambush our shinobi. Sakura, had they gone through that path, they would have had a very powerful acid thrown on them, and it would have disfigured them, if not killed them. Lady Tsunade wants to see you, now.”

She stood up, intent on following Shizune, but was stopped by Kakashi. “I'm going with Sakura.” He said, and then gave an eye crinkle. “Besides, she might need someone to protect her from flying books.”

Shizune gave the tall man a tired smile, but then motioned for them to follow her. Soon, they stood before the hokage, whose eyes were red and swollen, an indication that she had been crying.

“When I received the message from Shikamaru, I couldn't believe it.” She said, wiping her eyes. “When they went around the mountain, they found the thunder shinobi, and managed to take them by surprise. They also managed to discover that they were ordered to kill anyone who came through the path by using an acid that was stronger than normal acid. Because of you, our shinobi are coming home. Alive.”

Standing up, Tsunade moved around her desk and embraced her student. For the first time in a very long time, Tsunade didn't hold her tears at bay. Instead, she allowed them to roll down her cheeks, thankful that she did not have to have to carry around the deaths of shinobis that she led, on her shoulders.

Smiling, Sakura closed her eyes and said a simple prayer to her beloved.

'Did you hear that, dearest.' She thought. 'I'm making it all better. I won't let you go, not this time, and I'll make sure that our friends are by us when you become hokage and save us all. Believe it, Naruto.'

~!~

She faded back into the shadows and frowned. Damn that bitch. Had those foolish thunder shinobi actually succeeded, her job would have been easy. Now, because Sakura had butted in and prevented their deaths, she had no way of knowing if her plans would turn out as they should.

Walking towards her home, she began to think of ways to rectify this situation. Had Nara Shikamaru died, then Konoha would have lost a valuable tactical source. However, since he had been saved, she would have to alter her plans.

Perhaps she could convince the avenger that he would be better off on her side. It was true that he had abandoned Orochimaru, and it was also true that he was under the impression that he had killed the snake master. However, she knew that the old snake had survived, and if she could convince him to join her, then she could promise him the information that Sasuke would need to actually kill off the snake, and then finally take his revenge on his brother.

It was a very good idea, and one she would have to explore. However, her body was still a major hurdle. If she wanted to get ahead, she would have to find the necessary items to perform the jutsu that would enable her to change her body, and shape it to the form she needed.

But, even then, Sakura would still have the advantage. She had managed to create a jutsu that was so dangerous, it was nearly impossible to get near the woman, much less touch her. Of course, she could always use her beloved Naruto as a way to get the sixth hokage to fuck up, but she couldn't be sure that she would.

In the end, Sakura would do what was best for Konoha, just like her sensei, Lady Tsunade. Well, she had time, and she wasn't going to waste her time on worrying about the small details. All that mattered to her was seeing Sakura, on her knees, begging for mercy.

Oh, to see that high and mighty bitch beg. When that day came, she would finally have her revenge, and Naruto and Sakura would be no more.