A female medical ninja, perhaps two years younger than Sakura, explained the papers Sakura held in her hands. "As I'm sure you can see, looking at the data in the documents I've handed out, the number of children complaining of mind-body issues has been reliably decreasing."
"So that means that in the year and a half since we introduced the program, there's been a nice improvement, hmm?" Sakura said.
"Yes, plenty of improvement." The medical ninja nodded. Her cheeks were a little red, maybe because of nerves. "In cases where the patient's condition continues with no improvement through talk therapy, we are working in cooperation with other departments in the hospital and taking measures such as prescribing medicine."
"So then there's no problem," Ino noted, sitting beside Sakura.
"I suppose so." Sakura nodded her agreement before adding, "But let's move forward very carefully with coordination with other departments. Just because there's no improvement after talk therapy doesn't mean we should immediately move to treat the patient with medication. The first thing is to listen very carefully to what the children have to say. That's why the children's therapy center was established in the first place, after all."
The presentation of the documents before them continued, future policies and plans were confirmed, and then the meeting was over.
Sakura and Ino left the Konoha Hospital conference room together.
"She was a little nervous, hmm?" Ino said, as they walked down the hallway.
"The girl giving the briefing? Maybe she's not used to it yet. Standing in front of people and talking, I mean."
"I'm sure that was part of it, but I wonder if it wasn't also because her beloved hero Sakura was right there in front of her."
"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, and Ino smiled playfully.
"You don't know?" she said. "You're super popular with the younger ranks. You're a medical ninja, but a strong fighter. And on top of that, you're great at your job and beautiful. All that, you're bound to be popular."
I want some of that too! Ino's smile shouted.
"Quit it," Sakura retorted, with a wry smile of her own.
They chatted in friend mode for a while before Ino brought the conversation back toward work. "But it feels like it's finally on track, doesn't it? The children's therapy center."
"It does, doesn't it?"
It had been nearly two years since Sakura proposed to the upper ranks the creation of a department at Konoha Hospital specializing in the care of children's hearts and minds. That had been about six months after the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, which brought together the shinobi of the world to stop the resurrection of Otsutsuki Kaguya.
In the face of such a powerful enemy, the shinobi had been pushed to the brink of despair any number of times, but the ninja alliance, centered on Naruto, had still fought, never once breaking or yielding, to shatter Kaguya's ambitions.
When peace came, the people rejoiced. The world was saved. Reconstruction eventually began, with repairs starting in regions and on structures damaged in the massive conflict.
As a medical ninja, Sakura had been busy treating the many injured shinobi. There were few with grave injuries, and the people who came for treatment all looked peaceful and content, thanks to a sense of security that came from the war finally being over.
What about the children?
That thought suddenly crossed her mind when she happened to see Kurenai cradling her baby in the hospital. The children, who hadn't taken part directly in the war, might have been uninjured physically. But what about their minds?
Wouldn't the fighting and its unforeseen end have placed a huge stress on their young minds? They saw their country in ruins around them, and they learned of the deaths of people close to them—wouldn't this have scarred their souls?
Sakura began collecting data on the people coming to the hospital and found that a large number of children who came in after the war complained of poor health, but nothing could be found physically wrong with them.
I can't just leave them like this.
Children were the village's treasures, as the third Hokage Hiruzen often used to say. Older ninja carved these words into their hearts as a kind of collective understanding.
Sakura first discussed the idea of setting up a specialized organization within the hospital and creating a structure to provide care for children's mental health with her mentor, Tsunade.
"I think it's a good idea," Tsunade had remarked. "Take the lead on this, Sakura, and move forward with it."
With her mentor at her back, Sakura started making the preparations: securing and training personnel for this new organization, cooperating with Konoha Hospital and laying the groundwork, and then developing a budget. There were far too many things for Sakura to do them all by herself, but her old classmate Yamanaka Ino brought help.
"You really have a surprisingly serious side. You try to carry it all on your own, and it's just sad when you pop."
With Ino's help and six months of preparation, Sakura managed to open the children's therapy center. They soon started to see steady and strong results. The presentation they had attended that day was the numerical representation of these results.
"It's all because of your help, Ino. Thanks."
"When you get your bonus, take me out for dinner," Ino said lightly. Sakura erupted into laughter.
"How about we get some tea?" Ino asked, once they were outside.
Sakura clapped her hands together apologetically in front of her face. "Sorry. I have some papers I want to sort through today. Next time, all right?"
"Got it," Ino said, but there was a hint of worry on her face. Her eyes were asking if Sakura wasn't working too hard.
Sakura pretended she hadn't seen this and waved her hand. "See you." She started down the market street by herself.
Although it was early in the afternoon, the town was bustling. The piled-up snow had completely melted away; all of a sudden, it was spring. The people hurrying to and fro were free of their heavy coats.
"Huh? Sakura?" Abruptly, she heard a voice from behind. A voice she knew well.
"Naruto! Hinata!" Turning around, she saw the two of them walking toward her, dressed in street clothes. "What's this? A date?"
"Yup. For once, we're both off duty," Naruto said.
"What about you, Sakura?" asked Hinata.
"A meeting with Ino at the hospital."
"I heard about that, y'know. Aah, that, whaddyacallit, children's… Um, something center?"
"The children's therapy center," she corrected him. "So where are you off to? Dinner?"
"Mm-hmm." Hinata nodded. "At Ichiraku."
"Hey." Naruto came over to whisper into Sakura's ear. "So, like, in the copy of An-An I borrowed from Sai, it said that the guy should pay for the date, but a full-course dinner's super expensive."
Sakura giggled at the slightly pale Naruto. "It's okay," she whispered back. "You don't have to try that hard."
"What are you talking about?" Hinata cocked her head to one side.
"Oh! No! It's nothing. Nothing at all!" Naruto grinned and rubbed his stomach with one hand. "Looking forward to ramen."
Perhaps because the gesture was ridiculous, Hinata burst out laughing. And as the two of them smiled at each other, Sakura felt a broad grin spread across her own lips.
It had been a few months since Naruto and Hinata became an official couple. Sakura had fretted more than a little at the new relationship between late bloomer Hinata and purehearted Naruto, since she was so close to them, but now that they were so happily joined even that fretting was a fond memory.
It was that winter when it had all started. The final Otsutsuki descendant living on the moon, Otsutsuki Toneri, kidnapped Hinata's little sister Hanabi, took her byakugan, and plotted to destroy the world. Naruto was severely wounded in the fight with Toneri, and Hinata was also carried off, but once he recovered from his injuries Naruto crushed Toneri, and the world escaped destruction.
Through that mission, had Naruto realized he couldn't imagine life without Hinata and told her how he felt. And so, Naruto saved the world and came back with Hinata as his girlfriend. The news spread like wildfire through the village. Their former classmates and the older ninja teased them for a while, but that period was over now.
The other day, she had gotten an invitation. Their wedding was not far off.
"Right. Why don't you come for ramen with us, Sakura?" Naruto asked, grinning broadly.
"Look, you." Sakura sighed. "What would happen with me there? You're both off duty together finally. Go and date yourselves silly." She stepped behind them and gave their backs a little push.
She watched as they walked off down the market street. Naruto made some joke and Hinata laughed. They looked so happy.
Lucky, she thought unconsciously. But she couldn't not think it. The feelings she couldn't share built up in her heart and turned into sighs. At times like this, her brain invariably turned to work. The papers she had to go through, the reports she should take a look at.
Noticing that she had slipped into work mode without even realizing it, she grinned wryly.
This is why Ino's worried…
***
"Sakura, Suna's gotten back to us about that matter we were discussing earlier." The sixth Hokage sat behind his desk, clad in the Hokage's hat and uniform. "They say they're ready whenever we are."
"Really?" Sakura's face shone.
Kakashi grinned. "How about you and Ino go? She's helped you out on this a fair bit, hasn't she?"
"All right, we'll do that!"
A week after she and Ino got the report on the results of the children's therapy center at Konoha Hospital, Sakura was called to the Hokage's office. She had previously asked Kakashi if they could talk to Sunagakure, a member of the alliance, about how things were going with the children's therapy center.
After all, there had to be children mentally scarred by the stress of the war in places other than Konoha. In which case, creating something along the lines of the therapy center that was getting results in Konoha would benefit other villages as well.
"Anything that turns out to be useful, we really need to share with everyone. Go and teach them everything you know."
"I will, Master Kakashi. You've really helped so much with this. And with the budget too—you've accommodated us in so many ways."
"Of course! When a former student works this hard, I want to do whatever I can to help. And, well… I understand how much of a burden mental scars like that can be." Kakashi nodded lightly. "You decide on the schedule for the trip to Suna. Go and do what you have to."
"Yes, sir!" Sakura left the Hokage's office.
It would take four days to reach Sunagakure. She would have to sort through all those papers one more time while she thought about the ninja tools and equipment they'd need. She exited the Hokage's Residence and was thinking about this and that as she walked along, when she spotted Sai a little way ahead of her, carrying a large scroll on his back.
"Sai!" she called out.
"Hey." He stopped and came over to her.
"You needed to see Master Kakashi, too?"
"Mmm, yeah," was his noncommittal reply. "What about you, Sakura? What'd you need with the Hokage?"
Sakura told Sai about the trip to Sunagakure.
"Huh. Suna. You'd better be careful about getting enough water, then. It's pretty dry over there."
Sakura nodded at Sai's warning. "I'll be okay. I'll bring moisturizer. I mean, I have at least that much femininity to me."
"You do, huh? You seem like you got more strength than femininity, though, so don't go crushing that jar," Sai said, grinning, and Sakura smiled along with him.
"Shall I use my strength to shut your mouth?" she asked.
"Ooh, scary!" he said, looking not the slightest bit scared, and started toward the Hokage's Residence.
Honestly. Sakura grinned
"You called for me?" Sai said, standing in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Sorry for the suddenness." Kakashi closed the file he held.
"It's fine. But a personal request for me… Is it a mission of some kind?"
"Mm. Well, it's like a mission, but not anything official."
Sai narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I want you to check into something for me. But I want you to move alone."
"Check into what?"
Kakashi nodded and continued. "The daimyo came last week to recuperate at the village onsen and was attacked. You know about this?"
"Yes. I heard a single kunai shoot out and hit very close to where the daimyo was sitting in the water."
"Well, there was basically zero damage. The daimyo was also uninjured. But the Anbu set up a strict watch around the onsen the daimyo went to that day. A single kunai—they should have easily taken care of that." Kakashi paused. "A few days before that, when the advisor Master Homura came to inspect the village maneuvering ground, he and the two ninja with him were assaulted by thugs."
"I didn't know that."
"Master Homura didn't want it to turn into a big production, so we didn't make it public."
"That's unsettling, men in the land's senior ranks being attacked like that."
"And in succession."
"So you want me to look into these two incidents?"
"Right. Well, I don't know if it stops at two, or if there's a third, or if the same person's responsible for both. Or maybe they're totally separate," Kakashi said. "At any rate, I want you to lump it all together into one investigation."
"What about the Anbu?" Sai asked. "You're not mobilizing them?"
"They're moving, of course. But I want to set a thread of investigation going personally. And that's you."
"I understand. I'll get moving right away."
"Thanks."
"You don't want me to work with Naruto and Sakura? The investigation would be more efficient that way… Actually, Naruto's not so great at this sort of thing."
"So you understand." Kakashi smiled. "He's not really suited to this kind of covert mission. And Sakura has other work she needs to be doing right now."
"That reminds me. I ran into her on my way over here. Said she's going on a work trip to Suna."
"That's right, she is. Which is why, for the time being at least, you move alone, Sai. And I think you'll be less conspicuous that way too."
"Understood."
"Be very careful." Kakashi frowned. "I have the feeling this is no simple prank or petty criminal."
"A master's intuition?"
"Mmm. It's right surprisingly often."
"I'll proceed with care. But you please take care as well."
"Me?"
"The top-level people in the country are being attacked. It wouldn't be at all strange if the Hokage were assaulted next."
"I guess you're right. I'll be careful." Even as he nodded, the thought flashed through Kakashi's mind: I wish they'd hurry up and target me already, then.
***
Sakura had met with Ino and gotten everything ready for their trip to Sunagakure the next day; they were all set. Just as she let out a contented sigh, Sakura was summoned by Tsunade to the bar where her mentor was a regular.
"I don't actually have anything particular I wanted to talk to you about. I heard you were off on a trip tomorrow, and, well, I suppose this is a bit of a send-off." Tsunade laughed. "The truth is, I just wanted to have a drink."
Sakura knew her mentor was trying to cultivate a light tone to keep Sakura from feeling any obligation to report in. And Tsunade also thought Sakura was working too hard lately, so she had likely decided to drag her out to let off some steam.
It had been Tsunade, after all, who pushed Sakura to set up the children's therapy center. Maybe she felt a bit responsible for how much Sakura was working now.
"But you've really turned out wonderfully, my little apprentice. I mean, setting up a therapy center for children. I can certainly hold my head high as your teacher." As she drained one cup of sake after another, a hint of red rose up on Tsunade's cheeks. She had hurried through dinner to start drinking at a brisk pace.
"But in the end, all I did was set up a contact point. The ones actually working with the children are specialists."
"No need to be so humble. A lot of children have mental issues that they can't really put into words. So it builds up and makes things hard for them in all kinds of ways. It's very reassuring at a time like that to have someone reaching out a helping hand. And you created a structure for that. There's plenty of meaning in that."
"Yes ma'am." Sakura felt rewarded and delighted by her teacher's praise.
"By the way, how are things with Naruto and Hinata?" Tsunade asked, once the work talk had reached a natural conclusion.
"Good. I ran into them the other day, just as they were on their way out for a date. It looks like things are going really well."
"And Hinata's no doubt the type to hold the reins unexpectedly tightly when it comes to that sort of thing."
"I think so. If he were in a relationship with someone more willful and determined, Naruto would probably be butting heads with her all the time. But I doubt anything like that will happen with Hinata."
"It might have been difficult with a woman like you," Tsunade said, flashing a grin.
"Ha ha!" Sakura laughed and scratched her head. That this smile soon turned into a sigh was almost certainly because her own romantic situation popped into her head once more.
I can't. I can't. Maybe a heart-to-heart conversation?
In a totally different tone, Sakura started speaking hurriedly, "Master, I'm just going to be totally honest and ask you. How do you get a guy to turn around and look at you?"
"Hmm… if you want a man to look at you…" Tsunade paused for a moment. "Breasts, I guess." She thrust her own chest out.
Breasts… The answer is breasts.
"Hmm. I knew it." Sakura slumped down in her seat. "Hinata's are pretty big, after all."
"Don't be silly. I was kidding," Tsunade was quick to add. "What makes a person turn around depends on the person."
"Oh. That's what I want to think…"
"Keep fighting, Sakura. I suppose this is the one thing I can't lend a hand with, hm?"
"In that case, please bet on me, Master," Sakura said.
"Bet on you?"
"That my love life won't go well. Your bets are often wrong, right? So."
Tsunade puffed up proudly and smiled. "Got it. I'll do that."
The next day, Sakura and Ino slipped through the big village gates and set out for Sunagakure.
The Land of Wind's Sunagakure was located to the west of the Land of Fire's Konohagakure. After leaving Konoha, travelers had to pass through the plains and dense woodlands to reach Sunagakure on the other side.
If Sakura and Ino pushed themselves they could arrive in three days, but this was no emergency. They had no intention of moving at high speeds. They had told their contact in Sunagakure that they planned to arrive four days later.
The weather was calm, and the trip was an easy one. Dressed in their mission uniforms, the two women chatted as they ran through the plains at a comfortable pace.
"Something's definitely going on between Temari and Shikamaru, right?" Ino said, when they had been running for about two hours.
Sakura looked over at her friend and saw a playful smile dancing on her lips. Her beautiful waist-length hair was tied back. "Going on?"
"Like maybe they're dating."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. I mean, they're definitely dating."
"So you're declaring it."
They were still running as they talked, but neither was the least out of breath.
"Seriously," Ino continued. "I mean, Temari sometimes comes to Konoha, right? For work."
"Well, she is in charge of diplomacy for Suna."
"So, like, I saw them the other day. Shikamaru and Temari walking together."
"Come on!" Sakura laughed. "That's nothing special. And they might have been talking about work."
Shikamaru also held an important position within the village and was in frequent contact with diplomats from other lands. Sakura herself had seen him walking around the village with Temari any number of times.
"Okay, I'll give you that. But it's just, they have this look like they're involved somehow. It's not like they're holding hands or anything. It's maybe the looks on their faces and just the general mood? When I saw them the other day, it was totally like that. Normally, I would've called out to them, but I dunno, I wasn't sure if I should. I didn't actually end up saying anything to them."
"Really? Temari and Shikamaru, huh?" But if she were being honest, Sakura wasn't particularly surprised by this combination.
Those two had some kind of connection. They had faced off as opponents during the chunin selection exams. And during the mission to recover Sasuke, Temari was the one who showed up to help Shikamaru as he fought Tayuya from Otogakure. Even after all that, they spent time together for various reasons, established as comrades from different villages. That their feelings might have shifted from simple friendship into something deeper through missions and work and the Great War wasn't at all strange.
"Maybe I'll ask Temari about it when we get there," Ino said, giggling.
"You'd better not. She'll beat you with that giant fan."
"Aha ha! She would too!"
Their easy conversation brought joy to Sakura's heart. "It's spring for everyone, I guess. But even if Shikamaru's involved with Temari, Choji at least is still more interested in eating than love, right?" Sakura asked.
"No, no, he's totally not!" Ino said, before continuing with a look on her face that let Sakura know she was imparting confidential information. "Karui from Kumogakure."
"No way!" This was unexpected. "That—how can I put this—that fierce girl?"
"Yup. Lately, right? Choji's been making up all kinds of excuses to go to Kumogakure. Which I thought was pretty suspicious. So I grilled him on it. And then he was all mumbling and stammering this stuff about how he had dinner plans with Karui. It was really just a matter of time." Ino nodded her agreement with herself.
"I guess so." Sakura nodded too. A thought suddenly struck her. "Anyway, what about you, Ino? What's going on in your love life lately?"
When they were little, Sakura and Ino had been out-and-out rivals in love, with both of them setting their sights on Sasuke, but as they grew older, it felt like Ino had dropped out of that race. Sakura wanted to know who Ino was crushing on now, or if she was even interested in anyone.
"Yeah… Well, there's someone," Ino replied, embarrassed.
"What? You have a boyfriend?"
"No. Not a boyfriend. But I have someone I think it'd be nice to be with."
"Wow!" Unconsciously, Sakura drew closer to Ino. "I had no idea. So what? Who? Tell me!"
"You're getting your teeth into this one, Sakura."
"But I'm curious now. Give me a hint. Just a hint."
"A hint?" Ino thought for a moment, and then said, with red cheeks, "Someone good at painting."
"Come on, that's not a hint, it's an answer!" Sakura retorted. "Huh, so that's it. Sai, huh?"
"But isn't it kind of unexpected?"
"I guess."
Ino had shown an interest in Sai right from the start, when he took Sasuke's place on Team Seven. She said he was cool and kind of looked like Sasuke.
"At first, it was like, well, yeah, I guess he's sort of hot, but then I don't know, these feelings. Now I'm completely swept away—wait, what?! I am saying the most embarrassing stuff. Aah! Eeep!"
"Calm down, relax." Sakura soothed Ino. "So, then…have you told him?"
"That, um, not yet…" Ino's voice grew quieter, a reaction Sakura hadn't expected. She had an image of Ino being relatively smooth with the opposite sex and acting decisively on her thoughts, but things were different this time.
"I can't decide…lavender or dogwood," Ino said.
"Lavender or dogwood?"
"Yeah. In the language of flowers, lavender means 'I'm waiting for you,' and dogwood is 'Accept my feelings.' I could create a kind of mood to make Sai receptive and wait for him, or I could just go and blurt out that I like him. I'm trying to decide which is better."
"Right." How like the daughter of a florist to explain in the language of flowers. "I think…you're more the dogwood type," Sakura remarked.
Ino nodded. "Right? Like, in terms of my personality. Aah, I can't decide." She placed a hand on her furrowed brow, which Sakura somehow found adorable.
If it were me, Sakura suddenly thought. Lavender maybe? That sounds right…
Even if she did try to tell him to accept her feelings, Sasuke was out there somewhere, far away, traveling. All she could do was wait.
But, she thought. How long do I have to wait…?
A man wearing a traveler's coat bearing a single sword stood face-to-face with a man in a black vest with a sharp glint in his eye. Behind the man in the vest were dozens of his companions, but the man in the coat was alone.
Several tents had been pitched nearby. A hideout, surrounded by rocky mountains and sand. The tents were the color of sand and would have been hard to spot from above.
"Are you serious when you say that? That you'll join up with us and commit acts of terrorism in Konohagakure?" the man in the vest asked.
The man in the coat nodded. "I am. Don't make me say it a million times."
"This is different from the story I heard. Didn't you give up your hatred of the village and actually fight for it?"
"People change," the man in the coat said, in an icy voice. "My hatred didn't disappear. I thought it had for a minute there, but I was wrong. I intend to move again to crush that place."
The man in the vest stared at him.
Today was the second time they had met. The first time, they had quickly chased him off. The story he had told them was simply too fishy. But the man didn't learn; he had come to see them again.
"Why d'you want to join up with us? Let's hear your reasons," the man in the vest demanded.
"I've heard the rumors about you," said the man in the coat, without any expression on his face. "That you'rea former Sunagakure ninja, that you're a group of masters. That you, the leader, in particular, are fairly good with Wind Style. I'm counting on that power."
"That doesn't exactly answer the question. Do you know what kind of organization we are?"
"I do. You're a terrorist group of rogue ninja from Suna who are dissatisfied with Suna's current structure." There was an echo of disdain in the way the man spoke, and the man in the vest was displeased.
"That's right. We do want to reform the current structure of Suna. And it's a fact that we're looking for strong ninja to that end. But we don't have any grudge against Konoha. Why should we join with you and attack them?"
"My power should be an advantage to your organization. With it, you'll have no trouble staging a coup d'état in Suna. And I'm saying that in exchange, you need to help me bring Konoha down. Once Konoha is destroyed, I'll lend my support to your terrorism in Suna."
The man in the vest snorted and shook his head. "We need to help you. You'll lend us your support. I think you might have the wrong idea here. Where do you get off talking down to us?"
"Because I'm obviously above you. Listen. You're the ones who have the wrong idea here. I'm not making you my comrades—you're my subordinates. That way's better for you too, so that's the way it should be."
The man in the vest closed his eyes—a deliberate blink to quiet his anger. He opened them again and said, "We have a breakdown in communication here. There's no talking to you. Just get out of here already."
"I see. Then I will indeed disappear. But…" He narrowed his eyes. "Now you know about my plan to destroy Konoha."
The man in the vest immediately waved signs with both hands.
Wind Style! Wind Slash!
The slicing wind trampled down his opponent and severed all four limbs from his body.
"Good reaction."
As the voice reached his ears, the man in the vest realized his own body had been pierced from behind by a sword. It had appeared as though he had struck the final blow with his Wind Style, but that had merely been a genjutsu show.
"Ngh!" Blood and an anguished voice spilled from his mouth. Ninja rushed in from all directions.
"No one move!"
The ninja charging in wore the masks of the Sunagakure Anbu.
The feeling of something foreign stuck in his stomach disappeared, and the man in the vest toppled over. His field of view now horizontal, he watched the man in the coat leap a great distance away from them.
"He's getting away!" someone in the Anbu shouted.
The crashing sound of angry roars and ninja tools—the Anbu were fighting.
Amid the sandstorm, the vision of the man in the vest grew dark.