"Ugh, the Land of Tea is so far."

"Why is it that you're always complaining? It's not like you had anything better to do and all you did back home was whine."

"Yeah, but this could've been a mission where we kick some ass and save the day- you know how long we've been stuck in the village- but now we're acting liaisons to a rich civilian family. This is practically chuunin level."

"Maybe it's practically chuunin because I'm a chuunin and I can't go solo? Ever think of that, Genma?"

"Give me a break, kid. We all know you do some sneaky stuff in your free time and I'm damn well sure you're not picking flowers while following the rules. This is out of our range of specialty, you know, because we're in T&I for a reason."

Sakura rolled her eyes and elbowed her sensei half-heartedly in the ribs. So the Godaime assigned them a job that had no link to their department whatsoever after stationing them within the village for a month straight. At least it was something.

Completely boring, but something nonetheless.

But she wasn't going to be one to complain about a change of scenery. Her part-time job wouldn't be exciting until she reached jounin status and the only thing she had going for her were stacks of paperwork and making sure Anko didn't go overboard with her interrogations. On the other hand, team training was nice with her unofficial spot and Kakashi's assistant and personal tyrant. Naruto needed to work around the kyuubi, Sasuke needed to take some anger management classes, and she...

She was content with being able to skip out on her therapy sessions. Inoichi's decision on slow exposure to Obito wasn't making as much progress as they all hoped, but she'd gotten to the point where she could engage in a short conversation without making eye contact.

That was something, right?

"Oi, kid. We've got a couple of things we need to talk about," Genma said. She glanced up at him.

"What's up?"

"I've seen you poking into things I'm not too sure I like you poking into. Like the other day when you set up an appointment to speak with Sarutobi-sama, or when Morino's telling me you're getting home later and later every day. Not that you're never not suspicious, but I'm getting concerned. Is something going on?" he questioned worriedly. Sakura exhaled quietly and turned her gaze ahead of her.

She hated it when Mama-Genma made an appearance. Whenever he did, it was always because he thought she'd get herself hurt. He'd nag and dote and coddle during such instances (i.e. the panic attack, the mental health examination, her near death in Wave...), and she always ended up feeling guilty for putting him in such a position.

If she lied to him, it would only make her feel worse.

"I got a tip from someone that Danzo formally announced he wanted me in ROOT," she admitted. His jaw set and a seething growl rumbled in his chest. "I asked Sarutobi-sama about it and he told me... um..."

Genma stopped walking and stepped in front of her to block her path. The senbon had gone from his lips and he stared her down with the stormiest expression she'd ever seen.

"He told you...?" he pressed. She stared- searching- into his eyes for a few moments before sighing and looking away.

"He told me Danzo intends on making me his successor."

She was met with utter silence.

Their surroundings kept normal like any other day; the birds were chirping, the breeze waved by, the air kept a warmth that brushed Sakura's skin. Genma's pained face and trembling lips was reason enough why she failed to mention that little detail back in Konoha, especially in Ibiki's company.

"I-It's not that bad."

"Not-- that's one of the worst things you could've told me!" he exclaimed. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes and started pacing. "Don't you know what that means for you?! Being wanted by ROOT was bad enough, but that man's successor? He'll never leave you alone!"

His tone quieted, his voice breaking down to a broken whisper.

"He'll never let you be a normal shinobi."

She bit her lip and tried her hardest not to chance a glance at him. To reiterate: she despised it when Mama-Genma came and poured out his worries. She didn't know what she did to make him care so much, but it hurt to see him so vexed over something she brought onto herself.

"I've... I've never really been a normal shinobi anyway, so it's alright," she tried, slipping by a forced chuckle. "Nothing I can't take care of."

"It's not whether you can take care of it or not! Y-Your future's at stake! Sakura- doesn't this bother you?"

Not really. But why didn't it? The thought that all this unfavorable attention was on her and no one she knew was feeling the brunt of it was relieving. She was fine being the magnet of bad intent as her goal had never once changed ever since she decided to take those first steps after coming back.

Everyone she loved would be happy no matter what happened to her.

No. Wait. 

She had to take better care of herself, right?

"Look, Genma," she said as she rubbed her neck. "It's not going to change anything if Danzo decides to coerce me into his spot once he retires. I'm going to say no regardless of what he does."

Hiruzen welcomed her into his home and sat her down in his tea room. His walls, of course, were sealed from wandering ears. A security protocol that came with having been a previous Kage. When given the chance, Sakura wasted no time in bringing up the topic she came her for.

"Is it true that Danzo-sama is the scapegoat of Konoha?"

The former Hokage exhaled a stream of smoke he'd taken in from his pipe.

"Yes."

He shook his head.

"You can't just say no to a man like him," he argued. "He'll blackmail you, haunt you, kill you if he ever thinks he doesn't need you anymore!"

True fear flashed over Genma's face as an image of Sakura getting hurt again clouded his mind.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek.

"I'm not sure what my old friend told you, but you possess dangerous knowledge," he started as he set down his cup of tea. "Thought if he's told you... Dear, I hope you understand the consequences of wandering down this path."

She looked down and Hiruzen continued.

"Consciously carrying a secret unknown to all but Utatane, Mitokado, Danzo, I, and a few select shinobi would make it so that you're no longer able to distance yourself from Konoha's core. If you reveal the this true nature to any one other person, I'm afraid you'll promptly be taken care of."

She didn't know why he didn't just say she'd be killed.

She knew Danzo wouldn't kill her, and if he remotely tried, he was aware she had her own power to defend herself against him. And even if he pushed a thread in her direction, both Genma and Ibiki made it clear they'd defend her to the bitter end. Then there was Sasori and Hidan she could always ask help from, but revealing her connection to them had a legitimate chance of making her an enemy against the country.

"He wouldn't do it."

"What makes you so sure about that? He-"

"Won't you think it's strange if I just suddenly disappeared?" she interrupted. At the startled look on the man's face, she apologized. "Sorry. But it'd be weird if one day I got cut off. People know who I am and they'll know when I'm 'taken care of'. I don't think Konoha could afford to have another stain like that on its reputation."

There was a reason Konoha was considered the softest of all the five shinobi nations. It prided itself on teamwork, spirit, and determination-- they wouldn't have someone like her permanently put out of commission because she found out things security couldn't keep under lock and key.

It was like moving Uchiha Itachi to front lines and telling him not to fight or allocating Hatake Kakashi to a desk job instead of on the battlefield. One couldn't get away with it without suspicion and scrutiny.

Sasori would know, Hidan would know. The Mizukage as well would know. 

Inoichi would too because he was her therapist. Both Genma and Ibiki would because they were her guardians, and additionally Kakashi and Anko because they were her teachers. Mari would know because of Iruka and Naruto, and a civilian treading onto shinobi matters drew attention and questions. Hiashi would because he had a keen interest in her, and Fugaku would because he knew what she meant to his youngest son.

If Haruno Sakura vanished without a trace, it wouldn't be quietly.

"If continue with this... Sakura, please pay heed to why I advise against it. The second you caught T&I's attention was the second you lost the only childhood a youth on the path of a shinobi could have. Initially, I was unaccepting it because I had seen what this life can do to a person. An old man thinking over his mistakes, if you will."

Hiruzen's eyes saddened.

"But then I was informed for an odd, painful reason that you were already too far gone. I still can't fathom how a five year old had come to give their life to the village so soon and without question," he said. She could tell he wasn't just talking about her. "But, it's done and there's not a thing to change that. If you chose to enter Konoha's darker side full of lies, deception, and isolation, know you'll never be allowed to return to who you once were."

Who she once was?

She couldn't go back to who she was no matter how hard she'd previously tried. No matter how much she hated to. 

Or how much she wanted to.

"You don't need to worry, Sarutobi-sama," Sakura replied quietly. Her eyes gave a dangerous glint. "Nothing you'll have me do I haven't done before."

Genma's stare drooped a bit as he shoulders slumped in defeat.

"You're willing to gamble your life on a risk like that?" he questioned. Sakura's lack of reply had him sigh and sling an arm across her shoulders as they restarted their trek back to their original destination. "Find, kid. But I don't want you going into this alone."

She wrapped an arm around his midsection, returning the gesture.

"Whatever you say."

::

The Wasabi Family had lived in the Land of Tea for over twenty years, founded and currently headed by a man named Jirocho. Along with their esteem came with their long standing feud with the Wagarashi Family- headed by Kyuroko- over who would gain control of Degarashi Port. 

Those who controlled the port controlled trade, and those who controlled trade controlled one of the country's main sources of profit.

Every four years the Todoroki Shrine Race was held for the two families to compete and decide who would gain ownership of the port until the next race. The Wasabi had managed their victory the last three races and if they won the one that took place next year, they'd win possession for life. Tea's Daimyou, particularly interested with the outcome that would take place in ten months, hired shinobi from a neighboring country to establish an unbiased report on both the Wagarashi and Wasabi to compile data to keep in his records.

Why Genma and her were assigned the task they had absolutely no idea, but Sakura felt a numb familiarity as she stopped next to her teacher when he knocked on the door of the Wasabi compound. She'd been here before; it was an escort mission with Sasuke, Naruto, and herself sometime after the chuunin exams. A mission that added incentive to Sasuke's breaking point.

She remembered saving him from falling off a cliff that day.

She remembered the hate in his eyes when Naruto defeated an opponent he couldn't.

Sakura snapped form her musings when the door opened and a face straight from her memories appeared: a boy a few years older than her with dark hair pulled back in a bind and equally dark eyes that searched them with distrust.

"Are you the two Daimyou-sama hired?" he asked. Genma plucked the senbon form his lips and nodded.

"That's us. We're here to meet with Wasabi Jirocho-san."

The boy stepped aside and let them in. Sakura pursed her lips in unnatural silence as she and Genma were led through the house. He cast her a curious looks at her lack of action.

"Something wrong?" he mouthed. She frowned.

"I've seen him in a picture with the old man before," she mouthed back. His forehead scrunched up in deep consideration all they way they until they were brought to the main sitting room. A lone man sat near the open shoji door that led to a well kept backyard. He was old and built with a bigger frame and sterner face than most.

"Thank you for coming, Konoha-nin," he greeted them. "I am Wasabi Jirocho."

"Shiranui Genma. And this is my student, Haruno Sakura," the tokubetsu jounin introduced. Sakura bowed her head in respect and allowed herself to be ushered to the cushioned seats in front of the family head. 

Jirocho motioned the strange boy forward to take a spot beside him.

"Come here, Idate. What we're going to discuss with Shiranui-san and Haruno-san is vital to your participation in the race next year."

It clicked.

Genma's eyes flickered first to Sakura, then to the young teen who settled down across from them. Of course he was familiar and of course Sakura recognized him from somewhere.

Idate.

The one who sat at Wasabi Jirocho's side alive and well was Ibiki's younger brother, a boy who was declared dead three years ago.

::

Temari had a neutral feeling towards her youngest brother. Father didn't like him, Kankuro stayed at least five meters away at all times, and Uncle actively tried to be the parental figure in his life. But she supposed she could understand why Yashamaru tried so hard.

There wasn't one place Gaara could go where he wasn't looked at with disgust and fear.

... Was he really that bad? Everyone always said to stay away from Gaara because he could lose control and kill someone, though the more she observed, the more she found he wasn't as dangerous he was made out to be. He would always be by himself, mostly in his room never losing sight of that pink stone shell and old puppet model.

Temari pressed her lips together and left her room with a new resolve. She was a decently strong shinobi (albeit still a genin) and she was the head of the household since her father was never home. No one could tell her what was right and what wasn't without her seeing to it herself.

She passed by Kankuro as she strode down the hall. He glanced at her, the small puppet prototype in his hands, then back at his big sister.

"Where are you going?"

"Gaara's room."

"W-What?! Tou-sama said never to-"

"Well Tou-sama's not here, is he?" she said. "And you better not say anything or you'll be my next training dummy, go it?"

He nodded quickly and hurried back to his workshop without question. No one ever argued with the Kazekage's eldest once her mind was set. Continuing on with her advance, she stopped in front of the door she avoided for years. The determination she had so much of before shook as she gazed at the old wood that was so rarely knocked on as she raised her knuckles.

It opened a crack before she could make the motion.

A pale face with dark rings around the eyes peered up at her with unadulterated curiosity.

"Why are you standing in front of my room?"

Temari gulped.

"I... I wanted to see how you were."

Maybe he would kill her- did she disturb him? No, he didn't look angry but he had to be, right? Father always said to be careful around him because he could go on a rampage at any given second no matter if he was upset or not.

Gaara blinked at her in surprise. After a pause and almost closing the door right in her face, he shuffled to the side and opened the door a little wider. Reluctantly, Temari let herself in and faced what horrors could await her in that room.

It...

... well, not horrors. Not really.

What she expected was dark and stuffy, like the way Father always described her baby brother. But the balcony doors had been pushed all the way to the side for the bright, hot sun to pour its rays into every crack and crevice of the cacti-covered room. There were cacti of all kinds on his desk, table, dresser, and window sills with some of them blooming the most beautiful flowers she'd never seen in the middle of the desert.

She turned to look at him.

"You like raising cacti?"

He nodded.

"It's my favorite thing to do," he answered quietly. She ventured further into the room to get a better look at his cultivations and realized that they were actually well taken care of. They were all healthy and looked like they were tended to every passing day. The one beside his bed had a large orange flower growing from the side, the pink stone shell sat next to the pot.

Gaara perked up.

"The girl who gave me that was sick," he explained as he walked up to his sister. "So I gave her my favorite cactus to try and make her feel better."

Temari cocked her head.

"Girl?"

"She lives somewhere else, but she visits sometimes. She's nice and I like hearing her stories."

A cute little smile grew on his face as he gazed down at the small shell, eliciting another dawning realization from Temari.

There was no monster.

::

Karura would be so disappointed in him if she knew that he failed to spend time with his own children, instead leaving that task to Yashamaru and Baki. If she was still alive, perhaps he'd spend more time with his family rather than burying himself in his Kage work like he was doing now.

But she wasn't here, was she?

As Rasa silently strode through the hallways of his home well into the night, he immediately noticed the door to his youngest's room was set slightly ajar. Light trickled out and it made him pause.

One, Gaara never had his door open. Never. That meant an invitation to enter if anyone pleased and he tried to keep himself away from any sort of human contact if he could help it. Two, Rasa swore he could hear a voice coming from that room. Her crept to the crack and peeked inside.

His shoulders went slack.

Sand hovered in the air, slowly swirling in the air to cast a scene of small squirrels and birds playing on an open field. Gaara had a wide small on his face as he went on and on about animals he met sometime before and Temari watched from the bed in wonder- speechless. In the midst of his story, he turned his head to meet the dark, stolid eyes of his father.

The sand hit the ground with a shush.

"I wasn't going to hurt her," was the first thing to leave his mouth. Gaara backed up as far away from the door as he could. "I wasn't. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Rasa pulled the door open, but that proved to be the wrong move.

The sand shot around Gaara's small body and disappeared out the open balcony, leaving nothing nothing but a few specs of dust. Temari got to her feet and angrily stalked over to her father.

"Why did you scare him off?!" she accused. Rasa blinked. She'd never spoken to him in that tone before. "Do you know how long it took for him to open up like that?! Now he'll be gone for days and-- ugh!"

She brushed past him.

The Kazekage stood, dumbfounded, as he stared into the room full of potted cacti and at the pink stone shell on the nightstand.

::

Before Idate didn't know about his brother until Team Seven came into the picture and led him on the path to discover it on his own. But how the circumstances had a taken a drastic change and Sakura had the choice to let him know now or wait for him to find out a little under a year later. Either way he'd find out-- but would it be better for them to know now?

Sakura kept silent for the most part as Jirocho spoke about the family history and plans they'd take if they took control of Degarashi Port and Genma documented verbatim. She noticed Idate had been displeased ever since they arrived.

"I don't understand," he announced suddenly. He grimaced as his gaze went between the two Konoha-nin. "We don't need shinobi in our business. This a problem that needs to be solved with us and the Daimyou. The middle party is useless."

Jirocho frowned.

"Idate, respect!"

"This was probably done to eliminate bias," Sakura intervened smoothly, speaking up for the first time since her arrival. "Whatever information you give us we can fact check on our own and we can tel the Daimyou about who's lying and who isn't."

"But it didn't need to be shinobi!" he hissed.

"Idate!"

He quickly excused himself and left the room with the slight slam of the door as Jirocho heaved a sigh and offered his guests an apology.

"He's not normally like this, but the mention of shinobi always strikes a chord within him. I take full responsibility for his actions, so please leave that issue to me," he said. Sakura glanced over her shoulder for a moment, then returned her attention back in front. This was no different from what she'd seen before. He was angry and bitter, but Team Seven would change him.

Though he still deserved to know because it wasn't even close to a secret that she had a right to keep.

So Sakura kept her mouth shut for the rest of the meeting and disappeared from Genma's side when they were dismissed.

::

"Do you hate our career in general, hate the village, or have we just done something to offend you?"

Idate nearly jumped out of his skin as he whipped around to find the source of the voice. It came from the roof of the compound where the pink-haired girl sat with her legs dangling over the edge. A slight smile curled at the edge of her lips, not necessarily happy but nice enough to be taken as such. He scowled.

"Does it matter? You'll just do your job and leave so what difference does it make?" he bit out. Idate turned back to whatever he was doing, making a point to ignore her lounging on the roof. Sakura grasped the ledge and leaned forward.

"True," she admitted. "But I didn't come here just for pleasantries. I came for, well... it's not our place, but we wanted to ask you something."

We?

Idate flinched. His eyes flickered up and landed on the other Konoha-nin that came. The man leaned against the bark of a tree with a senbon sticking out from the corner of his mouth and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Just one question if you don't mind," Genma said. Idate pursed his lips together as he held in the urge to deepen his scowl.

"What do you want?"

"How come you're not living with your brother, Morino Ibiki?"

A million different emotions clawed at Idate's face as he shot to his feet and slowly tried to back away from the watchful gazes of two complete strangers. His brother? They knew about his brother? It just had to be Konoha who'd bring back horrible memories of smoke, fire, burning-

"Idate-san?" Sakura called out carefully.

"My brother was killed years ago," he seethed. "I don't care who you are or how you know him, but don't bring him up ever again."

Genma and Sakura exchanged glances. The former pushed himself off the tree and took a cautious step forward with his arms held in front of him to signify he meant no harm.

"We didn't mean to upset you, but there's something you need to know."

"Why can't you just shut up and leave-"

"Ibiki's still alive, Idate-san," Genma interrupted.  He froze, allowing for the jounin to continue. "He's still the head of Torture and Interrogation and currently acts as my superior. You were the one in that house fire. They were never able to find your body and declared you K.I.A."

Sakura watched as Idate opened his mouth to try and deny what he just heard. He looked at her, then Genma, then back at her.

"He's... He's dead."

"It'll take a lot to kill an old man like him, you know."

Suddenly, she drew back when the choice he made was from from her expectations. Idate clenched his fists and twisted his head so that he wouldn't meet either of their eyes.

"That doesn't matter. I have a life here and I'm not going to give it up any time soon," he murmured. Sakura dropped down from her place on the roof to take a new place at Genma's side. Her teacher tilted his head and laid a reassuring hand on his student's shoulder.

"If that's what you want."

There was nothing more they could do now as a steady retreat back to their duties was the best course of action. But before they could leave, Idate finally faced them with the stare of a pleading man and made a simple request.

"Don't tell him that you found me."

::

Sometimes he wondered why humans had carved out a path to become shinobi instead of living normal, peaceful lives just as people, not machines wired to spilled blood. It wasn't like he could condemn it himself. He took the same path he was currently questioning without a single question.

But as Hiruzen stared at the spot Sakura had sat before him days ago, he wondered if it was right.

"You picked such a broken soul, old friend," he sighed. "Does it really have to be her?"

Danzo stepped into the room, a grave expression dug out on his face.

"If ROOT is going to have its reputation re-imagined into something that the people can trust, then we need someone who can be believed to will usurp me. Haruno Sakura is able to deny authority while having the power and support to do so."

He took a seat next to the former Hokage.

"You've seen what she can do, Hiruzen. ROOT will be reinvented under her or it won't be reinvented at all."

::

Here are some covers by four fantastic people!

lolaDawn !

AnotherWorldOfLife !

_TheWriter_206 !

potato_b1tches !