QOTC:Consider it a race to see who finds him first, Tsunade-sama—Naruto, the other Nations, or Sakura.

- Shikamaru to Tsunade & Team Sakura

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Chapter 7: A Sinner and a Saint

"Hey you,"

"Hey babe."

Both lovers smiled in jollity. Now Shikamaru had been standing outside Gin's, watching the little kings of Konoha. Some stroll around holding their kytes, and it kind of reminded him of the old days considered so much better than present. "So, got any mission yet?" Temari asked, holding her phone more firmly. "Nooope." The Nara boy said lamely. "What are you doing?"

Temari held the white towel above her chest, wrapped and cocooned as a butterfly. "Well... Actually," she blushed, remembering one time they were on a hot spring and he'd caught her wearing the same outfit. "I'm off to take a shower but now that'll have to wait."

On the other side of the room, Gaara was passing by when he'd caught sight of her. His eyes widen of course, seemingly how his big sister was half-naked. He slapped an irritatable hand into his forehead, then Temari instantly signaled him within her fingers to shoo him away. "Shika? You still there?"

"Yeah I'm good," Shikamaru said, after his cheeks flashed a dash of red. "Just checking up on you you know," Temari giggled. "Well now that I'm okay, what do you want to tell me Mr. Casual Pervert?"

"Is it so troublesome just to tell someone you've missed them, that you badly wanted to come over and sleep next to that person? Because if there's no other way around, I want my money back."

"Come on, I know you're hiding something from me. And it won't be long before I find out what's troubling you because I won't be answering your calls."

"Hey, no fair."

"Kidding! Now are you gonna tell me or what??"

"Fine. I don't think I can do this."

"Do what?" She asked.

"Form a strategey." He pictured Tsunade giving him a list of the things he'd never achieved, which made his fingers shake through the phone. "I don't really think they'll agree with the idea I'm planning."

"Hey, listen to me okay? You are the most genius guy I've ever met. Take it from me Shika, you're smarter than any of them. Because if you aren't, you wouldn't have beaten me back at the exams and bailed me out all the way from Oto. Where in fact, I wouldn't even be here in my birthday suit to take a soothing cold shower."

"Naked." Shikamaru cocked his pinapple head. "I know the drill."

"Are you flirting with me?"

First Shikamaru checked in case anyone was listening. "Do you find that distracting?"

"Apparently yes." Temari bit her lip, hugging the cutie li'l teddy bear he got for her during her birthday. "And, since you're not around I'll just have to play with this cutie little thing. Right Shikabear??" She waved the stuff toy in front of him, where in Shikamaru sees it as a challenge. "Lucky." He nodded his head with a smirk. When he turned, Kiba was there, tapping his foot. He guessed he was a bit frightened because he wouldn't have jumped like a bipolar kangaroo. "Listen I gotta go, I'll call you when it's over kay?"

"Duty calls huh? I'll tell Gaara you said hi."

"Hey Temari, wait—"

"Do what you have to do babe, I'm hitting the showers. I love you."

"Right. I love you."

Shikamaru clamped his phone loudly when he turned to Kiba. "What?"

Kiba remembered that time when he got a first proportion on the severe Suna girl. It still clutters to him on how Sand's hottest chick could somehow develop a relish with Shikamaru of the Hidden Leaf, but he couldn't blame her for having a soft spot for lazy shinobi. "Shika smiles... Alert the Media!"

"Tell me you weren't eavesdropping."

"Oh I heard everything. The bathroom stuff and flirting part, what else did I miss?" Said the Inuzuka boy, pretending he wasn't getting on his nerves.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Tsunade-sama wants us to be at her office. Hate to break it to you buddy, let's not try to piss her off for a change."

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"So to make it clear, Sakura almost got herself killed and die of being backstabbed by a friend. Like, literally. The next thing I knew is that we're gonna watch her walk towards the enemy, like a soap opera, only boring and has no control over ratings."

"I see your point," Tsunade says without even thinking of glancing to Kiba. "Brilliant, but quite perilious. I want you Team Sakura to keep an eye on her wherever she goes. Search the whole village in signs of Uchiha Sasuke, because right now we are still clueless of his hidden ambitions. As much as possible spread the news that he's in town, and I need all kunoichis safe and unharmed by the time we're done. There will be curfews. Although consider this as your secret mission, not even a word to your parents nor anyone that could deliver word to the Feudal Lords. You can't trust anyone. Understood?"

"Hai!" The boys said numbly.

Tsunade sat back at her swiveling chair. Team Sakura, which came from the name itself, was a secret organization she'd assembled to provide safety warden for the pinkette. Nowadays she was putting herself on a lot of difficulty, considering every now and then she would watch after her village and catch Madara hiding in the shadows; remaining unseen. Holding the moon.

Sometimes she wanted to lay in her cushions, or doze into oblivion. One of these days she'll be needing a day-off and hit the casino. And win the lottery.

"And what if you fail me? If Sakura fails to deliver him back?" She asked.

"Academy it is," Shikamaru said.

Tsunade chuckled delicately. "What are you planning on doing with Naruto?"

"That's for us to solve the problem first," said the abdominable Kiba, "and for him to..dot dot dot."

Tsunade looked slightly infuriated, smiled but it was no longer that exquisite. It was like she was siding with him, giving them that look he's the mere hero of the Leaf and yet you're afraid he won't be figuring it out."But he's Naruto. He knows Sasuke in town and he won't stop until he get what he wants." She glared at him again, as if a warning.

Shikamaru chuckled: a bitter, angry sound. "Consider it a race to see who finds him first, Tsunade-sama—Naruto, the other Nations, or Sakura."

                         ⇥⇥⇥ THΣ ΠΣXT UCHIHΔ ⇤⇤⇤

                       CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR 

You would think as Konoha's Purple Kunoichi it wouldn't be that difficult to be spot on, truth was, Yamanaka Ino had been troubling over with her reputation. As she closed her store admiring the dark azure from above, the first thing she did was to put on her hoodie that obscured her milky blond hair—yes, it's one part of her she's always cushioned and well taken care of. Because if she hadn't worn anything that would conceal her identity, people would often headturn over her and realized that this was the famous Ino Yamanaka... Which Ino sometimes hated the deliberation. As much as she'd grown an addictive prestige among the boys, she really had no idea what to do with her personal life. Now that there was war soon to be broke, the last thing she ever needed was another humanbeing to get head-over-heels with.

It took her a few sticks within the elevator to get her to Room 12. Where in she's supposed to do what she was told and convince Sakura to do that charm to the Rogue-nin and that sort of stuff.. And it scares the crap out of her just to get a glimpse of her best friend having some random talkfest with Sasuke, as if he would easily knock off the way he did three years ago. She didn't even prepare a speech for herself! And so she paced nervously at the elevator, even so it didn't give her enough amount of time to get her brain to function. It was Uchiha Sasuke they're talking about. And one thing her experience taught her was how the Pinkette never managed to be stable around him.

Alright. Breathe Ino, breathe. She said inwardly as she twisted the door open.

Sakura didn't look overjoyed of seeing her, rather there was a bit of tension she'd seen in those emerald orbs when she first entered. "Hey forehead. " Sheacted naturally, because for everyone in the village being perfect was something she'd be best at. "Do you have a minute?"

"Y-yeah, sure." Though Ino noticed Sakura hadn't set off her eyes to the digital clock, and she was tapping her pen.

Platinum Blonde sat crossing her legs. Her words were accelerating to her that she didn't even know how to place them in order, and if she would splutter them out things would get so unpleasant. "We're best friends right? Which means we not only tell secrets to each other, but we also make two of the greatest liars on earth."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

Ino breathed hoping she would find anything relevant, then she realized she was wearing her black-and-violet varsity jacket Sakura had given her during Christmas. Revealing her bare stomach. "I'll be honest with you Sakura, I keep on seeing visions in my dream and you were always there."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing hilarious you would want to imagine." It was true though. Last night she's dreamt of Sakura's funeral where in everyone of them was gathered to pay for their respects, and it was the same thing that matched Sai's painting... The crumpled paper she found out under his bed the other night. Last week she swore she just had the craziest nightmare of watching Sakura summon a horde of Snakes, and that she was no longer wearing her headband. She was beginning to doubt her visual attainment of depicting the future that were drawn from her precious sleep—and it was getting stronger and she just didn't know how to control it anymore. "I'm scared."

Sakura smiled. "Everyone's afraid of anything."

"It's just—" She started... "Can I ask you something? Freakish little blonde psycho to supportive pinkette bestie?"

Sakura looked at the time. Twenty minutes sounded like hell, but Sasuke could sure give her that. "I'm listening."

"What would you do if you don't have much time left?" She asked.

"Get a boyfriend." She laughed.

Ino chuckled as she crossed her other leg and sat straight. Sakura had grown to be a very pretty woman, her cherry blossom hair now swaying down her waist. This was something the pinkette usually denied especially coming from her, because neither her supportive parents would have said that. She didn't even want to discuss much of her personal life, because the she indicated a long time ago she longed devoted herself to the art of medicine. And if there was to be a suiter, first thing they'll have to accomplish was to go under Naruto, her guy best friend. But the world is so corrupted that he had to get rid of those creeps, the bunch stalkers who were part of her fanclub..they'd sometimes end up on street passageways, bruised and beaten up much to Sakura's misknowledge. At first Ino predicted they were developing a fling, but Hinata was far too good for him to cheat on.

"Sakura—I need to tell you something." But she noticed the way Sakura shift, as if she wanted so much to dispatch her already. "What's wrong? You have anything you want to confess to me?"

Sakura interlaced her fingers and glared to Platinum Blonde. "Listen. I've never kept a very, huge secret of my life until this."

Ino squeaked, because last time she bragged to her the most embarassing moment of her teenage years was when she peed on the men's comfort room. "What? This time you took a bath at the men's wash room?"

"Ino?! Of course not! You're not gonna tell anyone about this right?"

Ino nodded her head in enthusiasm.

"I-I'm meeting Sasuke."

"What?!" Ino shrieked, her eyes wide. "...I knew it! Oh, oh... I mean, scratch that.. H-how??" Ino frantically asked her, "Kami, are you serious??" she laughed.

Sakura smiled seeing Ino getting freaked out at the same time smiling. She nodded to her best friend who was looking at her with sparkling baby blue eyes. Ino clamped her mouth with her right hand to surpress a squeal again.

"Oh my... oh my God forehead. Really?? Since when??" Ino asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Starting today," Sakura smiled.

"Oh shit Forehead, this is impossible I mean—" Ino paused and grabbed her shoulders, "...He didn't pay you so he could knock you up, right??"

"Hell, no, pig! Where did that come from??"

"Well, rumor says he's restoring his clan, blah blah blah, so I was thinking you'd be the first he'll come after!"

Sakura stared at her like she just told her the stupidest joke in the world. Sakura's mouth opened and closed but no words came out of it. Now why hadn't she thought of that?

She sighed. "It goes like this..."

And she told her everything, not leaving a single moment that transpired in that destined moment when Sasuke spilled her the details. She told her the things that happened during the very day he snuck into her door, when she hadn't shown up to their rendezvous, and when he told her he'd help her bring down Madara. She told her of the deal Sasuke offered. She also told the blonde girl about the details he insisted in which she had no escape.

"Okay, forehead let me breathe for a while!" Ino said, putting her hands on her face in an over-reacting manner, fanning her face, "so this deal—meaning you're going to betray Konoha by gathering every intel and officially work under Kabuto and Tobi—two of the most wanted criminal in the world?"

"Remember what Sasuke last told me? What he threatened me to get what he want?"

"Yeah I think you mentioned something like that," Her brows furrowed as she tried to recall everything she said earlier, "sorry I couldn't memorize the rules.. You were rapping and now shit goes on. What did he say again?"

"Sasuke told me that after Kabuto and Tobi finish the information they want with Konoha, they're going to leave migrate into another country to investigate. As well as the rest of the living Akatsuki members who were still alive... But he also mentioned that they're in need of a medic.. Someone who inherits that kind of potential and enormous human strength... But of course I would have declined it, if only he didn't tell me...that Konoha will be the price. And I already accepted it,"

"WHAT?!" Ino shrieked.

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7.26.13 BELATED HAPPY BDAY SASUKE ILOVEYOUU

edited 4.1.14 11:22 P.M, tues