Chapter 5: Beneath the Blossoming Cherry Tree

"Let's stop for a break," Asuma announced as he held out his arm, causing his team to stop.

"What, again?" Kurenai exclaimed impatiently, sighing heavily, "This is the third time since we've finished the mission. We should rest after we've informed the Hokage of the completion of the mission!"

Asuma cast a glance at her as he took out a cigarette from the package he always seemed to have on him. He hopped down to the ground and leaned leisurely up against a tree, "There's no hurry."

"Another cigarette?" Kurenai rolled her eyes despairingly, her shoulders sagged, "You know, you should really quit."

"Well, it didn't get in the way of our mission, did it?" Asuma replied, a lazy grin on his face as the cigarette hung from his mouth.

"No, but I would assume informing the Hokage of our success is more important that your nicotine addiction," Kurenai retorted, but only got a shrug from her teammate. She groaned loudly and looked over at Kakashi who had been silent during the ordeal, "A little support would be nice, Kakashi."

"Just relax, Kurenai," Kakashi commented, hanging from the bottom of a tree branch by his feet, "Enjoy yourself while Asuma smokes himself into an early grave. We have a lot of time to get back, we don't need to be hasty."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes suspiciously and peered at Kakashi in a distrustful manner, "I know you don't mind stopping—it gives you a chance to get a few more pages read from that stupid book."

Kakashi was holding said book in front of his nose. He gave a little shrug, "I'm just not putting the time of this break to waste, that's all."

Kurenai groaned in increasing frustration, appalled at her companions' laziness, "You know what, I'm going to go out an scout the area."

"Whatever for?" Kakashi inquired, looking up from his book and down at Kurenai, "Nobody's chasing us."

"I'm not putting the time of this break to waste, that's all," she retorted smugly, using Kakashi's own words. She leapt up to a branch in a tall tree before pausing and turning to her companions, "I'll contact you on the radio if anything happens to me."

"Like anything's going to happen," muttered Asuma to himself, as Kurenai left the vicinity.

"She should take up a hobby," Kakashi commented thoughtfully, "Like knitting. I've heard it calms the nerves. Honestly, scouting the area is such a waste of a lovely break."

Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette, nodding in mute agreement with Kakashi's statement.

Sakura walked home after another long day of work, wiping the sweat from her brows. She had met Ten Ten at lunchtime and spent her break chatting with her friend, asking how the ramen dinner was the previous night. Apparently they had all had a wonderful time, even though Naruto ended up spilling Hinata's tea all over the countertop. Sakura had smiled then, that was your typical Naruto—so clumsy.

Ten Ten had also said that it was too bad that Sakura couldn't make it and expressed concerns over whether they were working her too hard at the hospital. With a warm smile and a shake of the head Sakura replied that the workload wasn't too bad, and also said that she would come for ramen the next time they all went out. Truly she was touched by her friend's concern for her, and she felt a little guilty about using work as an excuse, seeing as she hadn't been kept late at all at that hospital yesterday at all.

Tsunade had actually let her out early in order for her to replenish her chakra—healing the Konoha ninja earlier the previous morning had drained her considerably. But despite her fatigue, she had not gone home to rest, but rather had wandered around town the rest of the evening, letting her depression envelop her. She found herself wandering to places where she had strong memories of Sasuke—where they had first fought Kakashi to become genin, the academy where she watched him practice throwing shuriken, and the path that led out of Konoha…the place where she had failed to stop him.

Despite her wanderings, she automatically avoided the ramen shop like the Black Plague, fearing that she may be spotted, and draw on unwanted company. Lost in thought, she found herself drawn to the Uchiha complex, where other residents had long moved in since the terrible massacre nine years previous. Only the Uchiha manor, where Sasuke's family had lived, and where he himself had lived alone after the tragedy, was left untouched by the changing neighborhood. Sakura had heard, though she could not remember where, that the building was to be sold if Sasuke failed to return and atone for his crimes within five years of his departure. Looking up at the beautiful building, she swore to herself that she would buy the house if need be; she would never let anyone else inhabit it—for that would confirm that he was gone forever.

Gloom had clouded her eyes as she looked up at the traditional architecture; three years had passed already since Sasuke left, and time had taken its toll as the fine-looking construction was falling into disrepair. Without even thinking about it, Sakura had waited until nobody was paying attention to her before slipping quietly around the side of the house, to find a back entrance. The reason behind her desire to enter the empty house eluded even her, as she clambered through the overgrown garden and onto the back porch.

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