Entwined Destiny

"What the hell is going on, Baa-chan?" Naruto yelled, clearly unable to hold himself in any longer.

"Shut it!" Sakura growled, aiming a hefty punch at his head, hoping it is punishment enough for the Hokage, as she seemed in the right type of mood to send him flying through the window.

If Sakura had been expecting an outburst from Tsunade, she was disappointed. The Hokage merely ignored Naruto and continued pacing with furrowed brows, biting her lip. She looked very preoccupied indeed.

"Sakura-chan, you really need to stop hitting me like this!" Naruto whined, clutching his head.

"I will when you stop doing and saying bonehead things!" Sakura intoned, still looking at Tsunade curiously.

After regarding her Shishou for a few more seconds, Sakura made her decision. Straightening her back in resolve, Sakura stepped towards the Hokage's desk from where she had been standing in line with her teammates. Once she reached the desk, she turned to her left, took one step forward. Gingerly tapping the wooden floor with her foot, a look of concentration on her face. Shaking her head, the Kunoichi took one more step forward and repeated her actions, shaking her head again. She continued in doing so until she reached the one shelf lined with books and scrolls against the wall, she tapped the spot in front of the bookcase and froze.

"Uh, Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, squinting at her questioningly. "What are you doing?"

Ignoring him as well as the curious looks from the others, Sakura crouched down on her haunches placing her hands on the floor. 'I'm sure it's here.' She thought to herself. Without hesitation, she focused a small amount of chakra in her right fist and brought it down onto the wooden floor, breaking clean through it with one punch.

"Sakura!" Tsunade shouted. "What is the meaning of–" but the Hokage's reprimand was cut off as soon as Sakura's hand reappeared from the whole she had just made, clutching a dusty bottle of sake. "How? Why, that little–" she growled as realization hit.

"Hm, it seems Shizune's hiding spot was rather convenient. Hokage-sama would never think to check her own floorboards." Kakashi mused his uncovered eye crinkling. "Good eye, Sakura."

"I'm going to strangle her!" Tsunade growled, taking a peek beneath the now loose floorboards. "This is my gift from the Feudal Lord. She hid it, telling me I had drank it all!"

"It seemed like you needed a drink, Shishou." Sakura said simply. "She knew to keep it a secret from me too, it seems. But I had my suspicions."

"This is why you're my favorite student, Sakura." Tsunade beamed, already rummaging in her drawers for a glass.

In no time at all, Tsunade was seated behind her desk throwing back a shot, humming appreciatively. Immediately, she poured herself another one and that, too, disappeared in a flash. The look of content on her face was worth it, Sakura thought, smiling.

"Hmm, that hit the spot." She hummed, after the fourth one had gone down. "Thank you, I needed that. And to answer your question, Naruto." Tsunade added heavily, turning her attention on him. "I will inform you of what has been going on as soon as Neji has arrived. I will have Neji's team taking the Suna escort mission–"

"No fair, Baa-chan!" Naruto yelled, outraged. "You can't take a mission away from us like that! That's–"

THUNK!

"Be quiet! Or I'll knock you into next week!" Sakura growled.

"Ow ow ow!" Naruto howled, clutching his head.

"Ugly," Sai muttered, "you need to be careful of hemorrhaging; we don't want him any more stupid. Konoha will surely suffer with a stupid Hokage."

"Do you also want another?" Sakura hissed, shaking her fist at him.

"Oh no thanks, I was just saying." Sai said quickly, his fake smile crossed his pale face, his hands up in the air in defensive mode in case she tried catching him off guard.

"Hey! What do you mean by more stupid?" Naruto shot at Sai, glaring.

"Enough!" Tsunade shouted, bringing her fist down on the desk. It shuddered beneath the force of it, as though it was trembling. "As I was saying, Neji's team will be given the escort mission because I have a different mission for you. And will be explained once I have briefed Neji's team. It's top secret."

To see Naruto's face change was something. It was like watching a child taste candy for the first time in their life. Sakura was pretty sure that was the reason Tsunade threw the words "top secret" into the mix, regardless of it being top secret or not. Although, judging from Tsunade's reaction to that scroll the ANBU brought to her, it was definitely a high security, top secret mission. Sakura felt excitement bubbling up inside her at the thought, also laced with some fear and apprehension. Whatever the mission was, it had Tsunade worried something awful.

At this point, Kakashi had already taken out his repulsive Icha Icha Novel and was reading as though no one else was present, seemingly unaware of the recurring argument that had broken out. "Ah to be able to shut oneself out like Kakashi-sensei does." Sakura found herself thinking enviously. "Nothing ever phases that man."

"Hmm, maybe you should start reading hentai." Inner Sakura remarked smugly. "I'm sure he will lend you a copy, he probably has more than one…you know." Inner added, winking. "In case he ruins one."

"Ugh, can you be any more vulgar!" Sakura complained. "Go away!"

"I was just saying what you were thinking; I am you, after all." Inner retorted. "As they say, 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it'." Inner Sakura gave a haughty giggle, which had Sakura mentally grumbling.

"What's the mission? Where are we going?" Naruto said excitedly. "Is it dangerous? Is it an S-ranked mission? Tell me, Baa-Chan!"

"Be quiet, Naruto!" Tsunade thundered. "Unless you want to go flying through my window!"

"There it is!" Inner Sakura chimed in excitedly! "Do it Tsunade-Sama! Shanaroo!"

At that, Naruto went back to looking like a little brat, stubbornly pouting with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yep, only Hinata-chan had the patience to deal with this." Sakura thought exasperatedly.

A second later, and not a moment too soon, in Sakura's opinion, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." Tsunade said.

The door opened and Hyuga Neji stepped through, followed by Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Yamanaka Ino. All of whom had a look of curiosity on their faces.

"Good. Team Kakashi, please wait outside for a few minutes until I call you back. After I have updated Neji's team on their mission, I have some preparing to do before I brief you." Tsunade said, waving them out.

"But-but–" Naruto spluttered, nonplussed. He was clearly disappointed to be kept waiting even longer to find out what his super-top-secret mission was going to be.

"Come on!" Sakura said, firmly grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and dragging him out of the office, while the remaining team members trailed after them, logically keeping a safe distance nonetheless.

"She will never find a man." Sai muttered to Kakashi. "They're all too scared of her."

"Hmm," The Copy-nin replied, eyeing his pink-haired teammate. "It's merely a front to hide any vulnerability she feels."

"Well, that 'front' hurts!" Sai said, lightly touching the bumps on his head, wincing slightly.

****

Half an hour later, they entered the Hokage's office once more. Tsunade was pacing again. Sakura noticed the bottle of sake was lying on its side, alongside a new one, which had already been opened.

"Oh boy." Sakura thought dejected, starting to regret her decision. "And Shishou wonders why Shizune hides her stash."

"Alright." Tsunade sighed, as Kakashi closed the door behind them and lined up in front of her desk, as before. "I suppose the best way to explain this is to start from the beginning." She turned around, facing them.

"Finally!" Naruto muttered, arms crossed.

Sakura glared at him but noticed he'd made sure to stand a measurable distance from her. In fact, Sai was doing the exact same. The only one brave enough to stand next to her was Kakashi-sensei, who seemed, as always, utterly relaxed and seemingly oblivious of everything around him.

Sakura couldn't help but smirk. "Typical." she mused.

Tsunade ignored Naruto again. Sighing, she seated herself behind her desk, her fingers interlaced. "About a month ago, a shinobi went missing during a routine survey of our border and it was reported to me at once." Tsunade began. "Naturally, this was cause for concern and a search team was dispatched to investigate immediately.

The Godaime spoke slowly, frowning as if choosing her words carefully.

"I am not…a superstitious person." Tsunade added. "When that scout disappeared, however, I just got this feeling of unease that I couldn't explain. My gut insisted that there was more to this than what meets the eye. My suspicions were confirmed when the search team did not return either."

The entire room was still with a shocked silence at Tsunade's words. If this was a month ago, then why wasn't anyone aware of it? So many possibilities littered Sakura's mind at that moment, it was making her head hurt. But she knew to remain silent and let the Hokage finish with her story before they questioned anything. By the silence from her comrades, they too had the same notion. Kakashi no longer looked disinterested, a faint frown could be seen on his masked face. Sai wasn't wearing that empty smile he had adopted. Even Naruto looked serious.

"I took this matter to the tactics and strategy division so we could try to figure out what could have happened and formulate some plan of action before we proceeded." The Godaime continued. "As it seemed too risky to send anyone else out to search."

"Hm, Shukaku-san would undoubtedly have thought of something. Even with limited information." Kakashi said.

"Indeed." Tsunade agreed. "A day later, however, the scout reappeared by the northern gate, seemingly unharmed."

"So it was a false alarm then?" Naruto inquired.

"If only that was the case." Tsunade replied bitterly. "But we still had a search team missing. And I said 'seemingly' unharmed. Physically, he looked fine. When he approached Kotetsu and Izumo at the entrance, he fell to his knees, claiming he had no memory of the past day. They apprehended him."

"But, he is a shinobi of Konoha! Why arrest him?" Naruto inquired incredulously.

"He could be the victim of some sort of trap set by an enemy wanting to invade the village." Kakashi said. "They could not take that risk."

"Thankfully, Kotetsu was quick to react" Tsunade continued, "and placed him in a coma-like sealing barrier."

"Coma-like sealing barrier?" Sakura repeated.

"There is a very specific reason why I placed Kotetsu at the gate. It is not because he is in any way inadequate. Quite the opposite, in fact. Kotetsu's clan has a hidden Kekkei Genkai, which is very rare. And only some members of his clan have the ability to release it. He recently came to obtain that ability after years of training." Tsunade said. "The jutsu is basically a way to ensure the safety of anyone threatened. In this case, the village. This jutsu nullifies all ninjutsu, robbing the target of all senses; thus cocooning the enemy, or victim in our case, within a special type of barrier.

"Which is the perfect way to ensure the safety of Konoha from being infiltrated by spies. He could easily have been controlled by Genjutsu or had his body littered with explosive tags. A reverse summoning jutsu could have been planted on him, only to activate when he was safely behind our gates for the enemy to release, endangering us all. The possibilities are endless. With this jutsu, all of those threats were neutralized."

"Dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. "Where was this jutsu years ago?"

"Indeed." Kakashi mused.

"Indeed." The Hokage repeated, looking serious with her chin resting on her interlaced hands. "Needless to say, once he was detained by Kotetsu, he was escorted to interrogation to be questioned. We have been keeping this top secret in order to avoid any unnecessary panic until we had all this figured out."

Tsunade sat back in her chair and regarded them all with a fierce stare. Sakura knew she was not imagining it this time, Tsunade definitely held her gaze a second or two longer than any of her teammates. It was as though she was trying to tell her something with her eyes. But Sakura had no idea what was even going on.

For a split second, Sakura even saw what seemed like a subtle apology flash across Tsunade's face before her eyes moved back to a scroll in front of her. Sakura wasn't sure how she knew this; it was just a feeling.

"Inoichi and the other interrogators found it very difficult to extract any information from the scout's lost memory." The Hokage continued in a low voice. "Inoichi had never seen memory loss quite to this extent. He explained regular memory loss like a broken mirror, his technique being able to piece the broken shards back together, slowly revealing the picture, piece by piece. The scout's memory, however, was completely fragmented. It was something they had never seen before. Thousands upon thousands of broken glass shards were almost shattered into dust; impossible to piece back together.

"No jutsu has the power to fracture someone's memory like this, not without killing that person." Tsunade sighed tiredly. "Well, none that we're aware of. Which is a worrying thought."

"So, his memory cannot be retrieved?" Sakura said, breathlessly.

"When I said it was impossible to piece back together, I actually meant impossible for most shinobi. Yamanaka Inoichi is no ordinary shinobi, as you all know. Despite the following week's events, he managed to extract some of the scout's memories." The Hokage replied, her eyes fixed on the red scroll in front of her.

"And the search team?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes." Tsunade replied, rubbing her temples. And as she spoke, she poured herself yet another glass of sake. "It seemed, a day after the scout was found, the search team also reappeared the same way, in the same condition. Interrogation has been working around the clock to extract any clues from the victims."

The Hokage drained her glass and smacked it down on the desk rather hard and sighed. "Naturally, they were also detained immediately and escorted to the interrogation facility. The black scroll that was delivered earlier contains the report detailing the fragments of the scout's memories. They've only just now managed to extract substantial evidence from the scout in particular. And thanks to Inoichi we were at least able to determine that it was not the work of spies. So it was safe to assume they did not harness anything that could endanger Konoha." It was supposed to be a good thing Sakura thought. But nothing about the Hokage's face implied that.

"What did Inoichi see in the scout's memories, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked with a look of rapt attention on his face.

Tsunade sighed once more, pouring yet another drink, almost nervously eyeing the black scroll the ANBU Agent had brought. "Before I answer you, Kakashi." She told the Copy Nin, reaching in her drawer and, to everyone's utter surprise, pulled out another glass and poured some sake into it. "Here." She added, holding out the glass to Sakura. "Have a drink Sakura."

"Shishou–" Sakura started, shocked.

"Take it!" Tsunade said in a no-nonsense voice.

Stunned, Sakura took the glass and emptied it in one go. The alcohol burned its way down her throat and to her stomach leaving a pleasant tinge in its wake. Having Tsunade as a teacher, Sakura was no stranger to alcohol. Tsunade was always a firm believer that a good Kunoichi should be able to handle her drink. Especially for seduction, undercover or intel-retrieval missions. It's the art of being able to blend in without getting drunk, keeping a cool head throughout the mission and not being caught off guard.

Oh, the 'extensive training' Sakura had to go through to get accustomed to alcohol. It was truly an indication that Tsunade was a sadistic one.

Once finished with the sake, Sakura handed Tsunade the glass, not at all surprised to be handed another full glass. She took that without a fuss. She was really starting to get nervous. What was so bad about this that Sakura needed a drink? And why was she the only one being offered a drink? Did her Shishou not think she could handle this?

"What the hell is going on?" Sakura screamed in her head.

"Alright, Sakura" Tsunade said. "I have a favor to ask of you before I show you four the mission report from Inoichi."

Sakura un-stuck her throat to swallow and replied in what she hoped was a firm, calm voice. "I am willing to help where I can, Shishou."

"Do you remember, about a month ago, you fell asleep during a routine physical check-up?" Tsunade said, sitting back in her chair, arms crossed. "I had to nudge you awake and I went off at you for not sleeping enough."

"Hai, Shishou. I remember." A faint blush was creeping up Sakura's neck but she kept eye contact with Tsunade.

"Then you told me about the dream you had. Now I'm asking you to relay that dream for us, please Sakura."

If Sakura had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to how her face flushed at that very moment. "Uh-I-uh." She spluttered.

"It's alright, girl." Tsunade said impatiently. "I would not have asked you if it hadn't been very important."

"Alright…" Sakura said after a deep breath. "I didn't realize that I fell asleep in the examination room. I thought I was still awake. I was still laying on the examining bed and Tsunade-sama had her back to me. Suddenly I felt this strange, warm presence. It's hard to explain exactly what it felt like, but it was inside my chest, sending off steady vibrations. Almost like a universal pull at my solar plexus." Sakura began. Her eyes closed and her hand had subconsciously traveled to her stomach as if she could feel the presence at that moment.

"The next thing I knew, I was being pulled up out of bed. It was so powerful, I couldn't even fight it. It was such a calming feeling, I didn't want to fight it. My mind was fuzzy so I just got up. Shishou didn't even turn around to yell at me when I got up, which was strange. And I walked right out of the door. I couldn't stop; I couldn't control it. Quite frankly, at that moment, I didn't want to.

"I was in the forest before I realized where I was. How I got past the gate, I did not know. How I had gotten from the clinic to the outreaches of the forest in the blink of an eye, I had no idea. Up ahead there was an old abandoned outhouse, and the vibration was leading me towards it. I could hear a faint humming in the distance. It was coming from inside me as well. In the back of my mind, I knew I should stop because it was close to the border and I was in a nightgown. But I just couldn't be bothered. It was the most peaceful I've ever felt and I didn't want it to go away." Sakura sighed as though the memory was hanging over her still, her hand placed on her abdomen.

"Before I reached the outhouse, I saw a man walking steadily towards it. I noticed he was a Chūnin of Konoha, so I called out to him. He didn't seem to hear me. He was also walking towards the abandoned building as I was. In the distance, close to the outhouse, I saw something floating in mid-air, it was where the humming was coming from. It was this beautiful sphere of pink light, a substance I had never come across in all my studies. It was neither liquid nor solid nor was it gas. It was too strange to be chakra. However, at that moment it was the closest thing I could compare it to.

"The man was closer to it than me, so he got to it first. I saw him approach it and try to touch the sphere. He was shot into the air and landed on the ground about twenty meters away from that entity, out cold or dead.

"I ran towards the man, ready to help him up and take him back to the clinic, but something caught my eye." Sakura swallowed unconsciously, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "I saw Sasuke standing there, near the pink ball of light." She almost whispered, as though it was too emotional to relay. "Uh…next thing I knew, he vanished in a blinding flash and I was being shaken awake by Tsunade-sama." Sakura concluded, opening her eyes, staring at the silent room, the blush still evident on her cheeks.

"Thank you, Sakura." The Hokage said.

"Hai." Sakura replied, mentally sighing in relief.

'You're lucky they didn't pick up that you were blushing so much.' Her inner whispered waspishly. 'If they knew the entire dream, what will they think of their innocent little Sakura-chan?'

'Give it a rest! There's no way in hell I will ever relay the entire dream to anyone!' Sakura shot back, the blush creeping up again.

'Oh, please do!' inner gushed, batting her proverbial eyelashes. 'I would love a good show!'

Sakura's blush grew, if possible, even darker at the thought. How could she possibly even begin to relay such a dream? When even the very thought of it made her blush and prompted a warmth pooling in her stomach.

Why she had been having dreams of her and Sasuke. Fleeting images of Sasuke doing the most unspeakable things to her body, making her writhe with pleasure. It was too much to bear because they were coming more frequently and in more detail. Painting lascivious pictures in her mind she was sure she could never wash out.

"Not that you want them washed out." Came the snide remark from her inner. "Secretly, you like it."

"Shut it!" Sakura screamed silently.

"The quicker you realize this, the happier you'll be. Stop lying to yourself." Her inner-self intoned haughtily.

"Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it." Sakura chanted silently, all too aware of her teammates and Shishou still looking at her and the blush on her pale cheeks felt like a flashing red light.

***

When she saw Sasuke standing there, the bottom of her stomach dropped and her knees almost buckled. Not because of the fact that she was seeing the person she had loved for most of her young life, or that he had been on her mind every day since he departed. No, none of those childish, cheesy reasons. What made her heart race against her chest and her knees feel like jelly was the look on the Uchiha's face.

The way he looked at her.

There was an almost hungry, longing expression gracing his strong features. When their eyes met, she could see his breath catch, as though the very sight of her made him stop. He looked frightfully vulnerable as though she had stripped him of all his defenses with one look.

It was the expression she had always wanted, dreamed, fantasized he would have on his face when looking at her. It was all too much to take in. The cold, stoic, emotionless Uchiha Sasuke…looking at her as though she had cast a spell on him. His eyes bore an intense longing. She couldn't explain it, she didn't want to.

Before she realized it, her legs started moving and she was walking towards him. She still had no control over her actions. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and, to her utter astonishment, he mirrored her movements, approaching her. He almost looked nervous, curious as he slowly walked towards her, his hungry eyes not breaking contact with hers.

The next moment she was in his embrace. Every inch of her skin which came in contact with his felt electrifying. He was so warm. Heat crept up from her neck and warmed her cheeks at the proximity of the Uchiha. He was taller and his muscles had filled out, well defined through years of training. She could feel his tense muscles through her very thin nightgown. The faint blush which was making its way up her cheeks darkened. Although his face had matured his dark eyes were alight with wonder, and it made him look so young.

His breathing was deep, almost labored. He was so close. His body pressing against Sakura's front, his strong arms holding her tightly.

"Sakura" he whispered.

His right hand, which was resting on her lower back, gently caressed its way up her back to her neck, finally resting on the back of her head, fingers tangled in her pink locks. The other hand gripping her hip found its way on her back in order to hold her even closer as he pressed her against him even more tightly. Her skin was tingling pleasantly where the warmth of his hands had touched.

He was so so close now, she could feel his heart beating.

She could his face in much detail, Sasuke's already aristocratic nose and distinct jaw which gave him such a strong, defined face had only matured throughout the years of development into adulthood. He was magnificent.

He pressed his forehead to hers his fingers tangling in her hair. Sakura stood frozen, completely overcome by his closeness and bold affection. She couldn't move even if she wanted to. His scent was making her slightly dizzy, it smelled so much like Sasuke, yet unfamiliar. Her heart was beating madly in her chest and her skin was on fire from his touch.

When he pressed his lips against hers, a jolt shot through her. It wasn't a chaste kiss either. His lips were soft as he kissed her deeply, desperately. She could feel his tongue running over her bottom lip as though coaxing her lips to part for access.

She obeyed, letting out a soft sigh as her arms went around his waist, gripping his shirt tightly with shaking fingers not daring to let go in case he disappeared. His energy was intoxicating. She was drowning in it as though she was drifting away from shore without an anchor.

His warm tongue was exploring her mouth freely and Sakura felt her body heat up. He pressed into her body even more as his strong arms held her tight, and if it wasn't for that, she would be floating away or falling to her knees. She wasn't sure which.

His kisses and touches grew bolder, more earnest. The full moon was illuminating everything around them and Sakura vaguely wondered how it could possibly be night-time. It had just been in the middle of the day a few moments ago.

Sasuke broke the kiss to look at her, his dark eyes were dilated. There was something stirring in them that Sakura couldn't place. She was having trouble producing any sound thought.

Before she could do anything, the Uchiha's hands made their way down her back, gripped her bottom picking her up. She let out a small 'eep' of surprise but her arms and legs wrapped around him, clinging to him. Immediately, Sasuke's lips latched onto her neck, sucking gently. This new sensation made Sakura's toes curl and she let out a soft moan. Every single sensation was overpowering her, she felt lightheaded, dizzy. Being pressed against this man so intimately, feeling his muscles with so little cloth separating them, it was driving her crazy.

"Sas-ke" she breathed.

"Hmm" he hummed against her throat, not bothering to speak as it will require him to stop what he was doing.

Sasuke just hoisted her up more and started walking, his tongue making little wet circles on the delicate skin of her neck while his fingers were squeezing her toned ass.

Sakura whimpered, wrapping her long legs around his torso more tightly. Sasuke's body tensed as she did that and a throaty groan escaped his lips. Sakura knew why; she could feel his urgent arousal pressing against her inner thigh. The friction between them was driving Sakura crazy with an unfamiliar need. It was something she had never felt before–

***

Kakashi's voice broke through her inner fantasy and it was with the greatest relief that she realized they hadn't the faintest inkling of what was going on in her head.

"Sakura's dream was similar to the scout's memories that were recovered?" He said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Not similar," Tsunade said, "identical. Right to the last detail. What I think," she added, tapping her bottom lip with her index finger, "and this is just conjecture, but it may be tied to Sakura's condition."

"It certainly is suspicious, but-" Kakashi began.

"There's more" Tsunade interjected, looking at Sakura.

There it was again, that apologetic look. It looked so foreign on the Godaime's face, which is probably why Sakura caught it so quick. This was why she was given two shots of sake, the very reason why the Hokage has been giving Sakura that look.

Not knowing what it could possibly be, Sakura mentally braced herself.

"Sakura, when would you say your symptoms started?"

"Uh-" Sakura stuttered, taken aback by the sudden question. It was the last thing she had been expecting but she answered immediately. "Around two months ago, Shishou."

"I see." Tsunade whispered. "It cannot be a coincidence...Uchiha Sasuke was sighted in the forest around two months ago-"

"WHAT?!" Sakura and Naruto exclaimed in unison.

"Baa-chan! Why didn't you say anything? Two months? He's probably long gone! How could you not tell us…"

As Naruto kept rambling on and on Sakura's heart skipped a beat at the Hokage's words. Sasuke? Here? So close to the village. Why? And many possibilities and theories cascaded through her mind at once, giving her a head rush.

"SILENCE!" Tsunade thundered, her fists colliding with the desk again. "LET ME FINISH!"

Naruto pouted but at least it put an end to his loud rambling.

"And you wonder why I didn't tell you." Tsunade growled. "It's because he vanished the moment he was sighted. Without a trace." she paused for a moment, looking at Sakura before adding. "In a flash of pink light."

What did this mean? How was she tied to all of this?

"I know what you're thinking, Sakura." Tsunade said, eyeing her apprentice carefully. "And I don't know how you are tangled up into this. This simply cannot be a coincidence having Uchiha Sasuke pass through the area in which he is being pursued the most. Allegedly wandering the forest in a trance-like state as though he has not a care in the world. Don't you think it's a little odd? In addition, he disappeared the day you got sick? Just know that you are – and I'm convinced that you are – the key to solving this matter. And you might also find the answers you seek."

Sakura stood there frozen in place, the weight of what was said was now hanging in the air like a thick, moist blanket. It was hard to breathe.

Her mind was reeling; it didn't know what to grab onto. This might be the answer she had been looking for all along. Medical Ninjutsu provided no answers; she had tried everything, researched every possibility, analyzed every resource at her disposal to no avail. Nothing could explain or determine the cause of her symptoms, why she fell ill, why her chakra was not replenishing as it should. This was all having a detrimental effect on her health, work and overall lifestyle.

The air of uncertainty was hanging over her like a black cloud, haunting her. Sakura did not like the feeling of 'not knowing'. She always made it her business to know as much of something as possible. Repeatedly failing to find an answer for her inexplicable symptoms were gnawing on her confidence she'd taken so long to build up. She dared not hope anymore. Whatever hope was left had now withered like a neglected flower.

And yet…this could be the answer.

She could not help but feel cautiously optimistic at the thought.

"Sakura." The Hokage said, snapping Sakura out of her reverie.

"Hai, Shishou."

"I need you to be perfectly honest with me now," Tsunade said fiercely with a piercing stare to match. "Have you had any other dreams like this? Of the search team who had gone missing, perhaps?"

"No, Shishou. That was the only dream I had regarding the missing shinobi." Sakura uttered the half-truth, her head bowed, heart hammering against her chest. She truly hoped she didn't have to relay her most intimate dreams to the room.

"I see." Tsunade sighed, as though this revealed something to her. "Again, this is just a guess, but I think this has more to do with the missing Uchiha than the other Nin."

Tsunade fixed Sakura with a piercing stare, as though trying to read her thoughts. It was like this woman knew there was something missing. Like she knew-

'No! No! No!' Sakura screamed in her head.

'Yess!' Inner Sakura jeered vehemently.

"Any other details would be useful, even when you think it's not." Tsunade continued.

'Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! She saw right through me!' Sakura screamed, inwardly panicking like a nutcase. Should she relay her dreams? She could not possibly! Not in front of her teammates! The horrific image of her three teammates taunting her flashed across her mind. Sai would probably pick out a worse nickname. Naruto would tease her to no end. And Kakashi…he would probably think of her as a fellow ecchi and start recommending Icha Icha to her!

'Ahhh!' She would die of shame! What should she do? 'Lie lie lie!' Sakura thought desperately.

'Hmph!' inner sneered. 'You honestly think you can fool Tsunade? Baka!'

"Sakura-chan," Naruto's concerned voice broke through her inner dispute, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Naruto." She replied, taking a deep breath.

What should she do? Fulfill her duty, be the professional Jōnin she is and just get it over with? Or lie through her teeth, hope they buy it and at least leave with some dignity.

It was the strangest thing. One second she was panicking and sweating under the scrutiny of her audience and the next moment Sakura felt an incredible serenity and clarity settle within her.

She vaguely noticed the humming in her chest, light and subtle vibrations caressing her from the inside, spreading warmth throughout her body to her fingers and toes. What was this feeling? It was as though her body was in perfect harmony with the entire universe. She felt lighter than she'd ever felt before. Everything seemed so far away. She felt lighter than she'd ever felt before.

She could no longer see the Hokage's office in front of her, only a bright pink light. A light so soft, it didn't hurt her eyes. She hadn't felt peace like this in a long time. It felt like she was a flower petal, slowly drifting down to earth, swaying gently.

Suddenly, Sakura gasped out in pain and before knew it, her vision went blurry and it all turned black. For a fleeting moment, she could have sworn she saw angry, blazing red eyes illuminated in darkness.

"Sakura!"

Someone was calling her.

"Sakura! Can you hear me?" Someone was holding her. It was warm, comfortable.

Jade eyes eased open and she found herself staring into the concerned blue eyes of Naruto. His arms were around her and they were on the floor. How did she end up on the floor?

"W-what happened?" Sakura whispered as she tried to sit up.

"You just passed out." Naruto said, helping her up.

"Sakura" A voice belonging to Tsunade said urgently. The Hokage was kneeling next to her, hands glowing green with healing chakra. "Did you see something?"

Sakura nodded, not surprised that her Shishou knew what had happened.

"I saw Sasuke." She said, suddenly shuddering. "He was angry. Very angry."

"What does this mean?" Naruto exclaimed. It was clear he was frustrated, his hands gripped her arms firmly but not enough to hurt her.

Sakura knew how he felt and she was frustrated too.

Tsunade seemed to be deep in thought as healing glow in her hands gently receded. She stood up and resumed pacing, her fingers tapping her chin.

"I'm fine now, thanks, Naruto." Sakura said as she slowly got up.

Naruto helped her up, a faint frown of worry still on his face.

"It would seem," she said after a while of pacing, turning to regard team Kakashi "that we are no closer to figuring this thing out."

Tsunade sighed, "The only thing we can do now is to have Sakura investigate the sphere. She seems to be connected to it on an energetic level. That is the only probable solution currently.

"I understand, Shishou" Sakura bowed her head. "I'm ready to do what is necessary to figure this out."

"You won't have to do it alone, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, his arms folded determinedly.

Sakura felt a sense of gratitude towards her blonde team-mate and she couldn't help but crack a smile.

"So everything is connected to Sakura and this strange ball of light" Kakashi said pensively.

"It seems that way," The Hokage concurred. "The Anbu team I sent to scout the area has established the assumed location of the sphere, they can't approach it and we have laid a parameter in the area where the anomaly is rumored to be found. This is to prevent anyone else from falling victim to it. Any shinobi with an ocular Kekkei Genkai had been dispatched to help with solving this puzzle…Kakashi, the reason I haven't involved you is simply due to the fact that we don't know how your specific type of Sharingan will react to it. With your Kamui technique, it may be risky and we needed more information. But I believe that it might be effective." Tsunade added.

This was good, Sakura thought, but again, the Hokage's expression said otherwise. Also, the way she stated it 'established the assumed location of the sphere' and 'where the anomaly is rumored to be found' suggests that they have not yet found it, it was just conjecture. On the other hand, Tsunade might be right about the whole Kamui theory.

The room was filled with a tense silence as though waiting for Tsunade give them good news.

"Did they find anything, Hokage-sama?" Sakura braved the question when the silence stretched too far.

"The efforts have been futile." Shishou said after a pause. "It seems…whatever this sphere is, not even the Byakugan can locate it. Which leads us back to Sakura, who was the only one who has seen it and not been affected, even though it had been through a dream."

Tsunade paused and sighed, "Regardless of how we look at this, it is still risky."

Team Kakashi exchanged tense glances.

Sakura knew this was a risk, but being a shinobi will always have a certain amount of risk. This is what they are trained for, to expect the unexpected. To face danger head on and adapt to it. Sakura is sick and tired of being afraid and not being able to do anything. Sick of uncertainty and hopelessness her condition had made her feel.

"Shishou." Sakura said firmly, "As a Kunoichi, a member of team Kakashi and as your Apprentice, I am ready to do what is necessary to solve this. I know the risk, but I refuse to live in fear of the unknown!"

There was that small, subtle smile again combined with a hint of pride on the Hokage's face. But Sakura knew she was the only one who saw it.

"Alright, now that everyone is prepared, you are dismissed." Tsunade barked. "Be ready to leave first thing in the morning."