Chapter Twenty Nine

Kakashi was walking back home with a grocery bag in his hand, he was lost in his thoughts staring mindlessly at his book wondering what to make for dinner tonight. He wanted to make something different, every time Sakura eats something she really enjoys her face lights up as she smiles.

"Kakashi!" Naruto waved, the masked shinobi turned his head and waved.

"Hello Naruto."

"What are you up too?" Naruto wondered looking at the bag.

"Just had to run to the store for a few things?"

"Oh?" Naruto nodded, "Where is Sakura?" He and that pink haired beauty were never apart.

"She was taking a nap." Kakashi said, "I didn't want to wake her."

"Oh..." Naruto muttered, "Her shoulder getting better?"

"Yes." Kakashi nodded, "She went to her doctor this morning."

"And?"

"She should be getting her full range of motion back soon."

"I see..." Naruto muttered, he was happy Sakura was getting better and all but when she did get better that would mean she would leave the leaf village. "S-So any plans for tonight?" Naruto tried to perk up,

"Hm nothing really." Kakashi smiled under his mask. It had been a few days since Christmas, Carver and Raiden still were not training the leaf shinobi until after the new year.

"You mind if I come over?" Naruto wondered.

"Sure." Kakashi shrugged as they walked off the elevator.

"Because I fucking said no!" Sakura's voice boomed, Kakashi and Naruto glanced at each other before running the rest of the way. Naruto saw Carver, Raiden and Sakura standing inside Kakashi's place all three soldiers looked extremely unpleased.

"Everything ok?" Kakashi questioned setting the bag on the table.

"Yes." Sakura said,

"No." Carver said at the same time causing Sakura and Carver to return glaring at one another.

"What is this about?" Naruto asked slowly seeing the thick tension.

"Nothing." Sakura stated never removing her eyes from Carver's.

"Why don't we ask them?" Carver thought out loud knowing it would piss her off.

"Because I fucking said no." Sakura repeated.

"Ask who what?" Naruto wondered getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Don't take any offence to this-" Carver turned to Naruto. "-but some of your comrades are not-"

"Carver!" Sakura called,

"-They are not improving fast enough." Carver went on anyway.

"Ok...?" Naruto said, "What does that have to do with this?" He wondered what had Sakura looking so pissed of.

"We want to send you guys to-"

"Don't make me warn you again." Sakura laughed, anger bubbling inside her.

"Why?" Carver snapped. "Why are we sheltering them!?"

"Drop it." Sakura ordered.

"Carver and I want to send a few of you who are not keeping up to the Waterfall's training grounds!" Raiden called out, facing Sakura. "There! It is out in the open!"

"You fucking-" Sakura glared into him.

"What is so bad about the waterfall's training grounds?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing." Carver softened his voice. "It is a helpful-"

"I am not sending anyone there." Sakura stated, "End of fucking conversation!"

"If we don't then we are going to be here for months, and yes I want to be here Naruto don't freak out-" Carver pointed to the blond, "-you know this is the right move, if we were in any other village this would be the move we would have made weeks ago!"

"We are not in another village." Sakura said taking a step closer to Carver, "So fucking drop it-"

"What is so bad about these training grounds!?" Naruto shouted, "Is it inside the village or-"

"No." Carver said staring into Sakura's blazing orbs.

"If it isn't inside the Waterfall Village then what is the issue?" Kakashi asked moving beside Sakura and touching her lower back in an attempt to calm her down.

"I said no-" Sakura said, "-there is no need to continue this conversation."

"Why is it up to you?" Raiden asked, "Why can't the leaf shinobi make their own decision?"

"Because I said no?" Sakura stated again.

"That's kind of fucked up." Carver laughed, "You can't baby them forever, and you damn sure can't keep sheltering them like we have been doing. It is tearing you apart-"

"You don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do." Sakura said getting in Carver's personal space. "Maybe I have been too relaxed around you two and you forgot your fucking place-"

"Sakura-" Raiden sighed. "No-"

"I think they are right." Naruto said, "If this is something Carver and Raiden believe will make us stronger why not try it?"

"See!" Carver said.

"No." Sakura said again. "Don't fucking ask me again." She directed towards her two comrades.

"We are not kids!" Naruto called clearly on Carver's side. "We can make our own choices Sakura, it's ok." Sakura looked back from Naruto to Carver and laughed.

"You're a fucking moron." Sakura glared into Naruto whose stomach turned sour seeing that anger on her face towards him. "Let them explain what my training grounds are to you and let's see if you have the balls to step into it." She spat as she turned as left the apartment.

"Sakura!" Naruto called but was stopped by Raiden as Carver stopped Kakashi from following.

"Nope." Carver shook his head, "She needs a second."

"She-" Kakashi was not going to stay here while Sakura was this upset!

"Trust me." Carver sighed, "Just hear us out and then you can go after her."

"Ok..." Naruto said looking from the two, "Explain just what exactly are these training grounds."

"They are what Sakura used to train Raiden and myself as well as her entire army." Carver sighed as he took a seat on the couch. "It's why half the Waterfall Village are trained killers and the other half are somewhat normal."

"I..." Kakashi shook his head. "I don't understand."

"The training grounds Sakura uses is not in this dimension." Raiden said,

"It's not...what now?" Naruto asked.

"It's in a different dimension." Carver repeated, "Best way to put it is...well...time passes differently there. It is a lot faster than how it moves here, when the Waterfall Village torn down and made into Purgatory Sakura needed an army and she needed one fast in order to end Purgatory because the Sand Village was ready to start an assault. The training grounds breaks apart the person's mind, it hurts like a motherfucker when you what you believed to be years shoved into your brain when in reality it was just weeks."

"That is how Sakura first discovered this place she was mindless jumping around because she was new with her eyes and didn't know how to control it." Carver said,

"Wow..." Naruto breathed.

"It is a lot." Carver nodded,

"And it's weird." Raiden muttered, "But I think it is what would be best for your village."

"Why doesn't Sakura want to send us there then?" Kakashi questioned.

"When you're inside that place...it honestly fucks with you it isn't easy to control the flow of time but Sakura can. So, when we start the training, we shatter that person's mind apart and if we don't put them back together right then well..."

"They are forever broken?" Kakashi said.

"Something like that." Carver nodded,

"Why is her army the way it is?" Naruto asked.

"When she first started training inside that place, she wasn't the person she is today." Carver said looking at the floor. "She was ruthless and she honestly terrified me..."

"When you break someone apart the way we would need to do you your shinobi something like an imprint is left inside that person and so...they are what they are..."

"I see." Naruto nodded to himself.

"You should talk to your friends-" Raiden said, "-tell them what we told you and we will give an announcement explaining further into what will happen."

"Yeah..." Naruto said,

"Think it over, take your time." Carver said, "This isn't something to be taken lightly."

"Ok." Naruto said standing. "I'm gonna head home-" Naruto said turning to Kakashi who nodded.

"We are going to-" Raiden said standing, "-you don't care." Raiden muttered, knowing they had pissed of his girlfriend taking any chance of having a good night away from him as they bailed moving to the apartment they had taken over from Sakura. Kakashi sighed grabbing his jacket and walking out of the apartment to go try and find her who he prayed was still inside the village. Tonight, was the night he wanted to discuss his choice to leave the leaf village and join the Sakura. He didn't care what that meant for him, joining the waterfall village or becoming what Raiden and Carver were as long as he had her Kakashi didn't care. He couldn't really bring this up now, could he?

As Kakashi moved away from his place to find Sakura she had other ideas, she went to his place. It was warm as she changed into shorts and one of Kakashi's shirts. She rolled the sleeves up as she grabbed her computer; she was already annoyed might as well do some work. Sakura bit her lip glancing at Kakashi's bed, she loved his bed. It was a king-sized mattress that hugged her body when she crawled in between the soft sheets, she could lay in it all day. She groaned moving to sit at Kakashi's table instead, she should get some type of work done today.

----

Kakashi opened his door spotting her pink hair instantly, he was annoyed. He ran all over the village searching for her when she had been here the entire time. He removed his jacket tossing it on the couch, he took in her attire loving when she wore his clothes.

"Are you ok?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Peachy." She said reading over the documents. Kakashi smiled down at her as he moved to change clothes. After a quick shower to warm up Kakashi grabbed the first book Sakura had gotten him for Christmas, grabbed two hot cups of tea and sat across from her. He opened it to the first page as he sipped the hot liquid.

Kakashi looked up, half way done with the book generally surprised how much he was enjoying the book. He gazed at Sakura who made faces at her computer, Kakashi was pretty sure she didn't know she did these small things. She made a face at the screen when she was annoyed by something.

"What?" She breathed to herself, Kakashi smiled pulling the book back to his eyes, he was right. He loved this...this simple moment of doing nothing he loved the most, he turned watching her call someone.

"Sakura-!" Dawn smiled on the other line of the phone.

"What the fuck am I looking at?" Sakura asked as her head begun to hurt.

"Huh?"

"The fucking-" Sakura went of ranting.

"Oh that!" Dawn laughed, "It's for a pool."

"What?" Sakura rubbed her face. "I think I just had my first fucking senior moment, what the fuck did you just say?"

"A pool!" Dawn yelled louder not getting Sakura was giving her a chance to change her answer.

"Why the fuck did you put in a request for a pool?" Sakura didn't understand.

"Because it is great for training-" Dawn went on to explain why they needed a large inground pool.

"It's a hole in the ground." Sakura stated, "It's a fucking hole in the ground with water in it." Kakashi smirked at her.

"Yeah...?" Dawn didn't understand.

"We are the Waterfall Village; I am sure you don't have to look far to find one!"

"That is not the same thing!" Dawn defended.

"I will buy you some fucking flamingo floaties, other than that your request is denied!"

"Sakura!"

"Bye!" Sakura hung up the phone with an annoyed huff, she was feeling tired and her head was hurting.

"Are you ready to go to bed?" Kakashi asked.

"I have this to finish." She motioned to the computer.

"I see." Kakashi nodded slowly standing. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah I have been putting it off for a while-" Sakura stopped talking watching as Kakashi slowly removed his shirt from his body. It took Sakura a moment to kick start her brain.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he closed the space between them,

"Kissing you goodnight." Kakashi breathed leaning down.

"You have to take your shirt off to do that?"

"When do I ever sleep in my clothes?" He wondered, "You always take them off me."

"I-I do not do that."

"Mhm." Kakashi hummed softly kissing her, as he did so he placed a hand on the side of her face. Sakura leaned into his touch as he slowly closed her laptop, she was coming to bed with him. He wrapped an arm around her lifting her off the chair. She breathed letting him steal her from her obligations feeling his lips on her jaw.

----

Kakashi woke up naked alone in his bed, he ran his fingers through his hair as he sat up looking around. He moved to get out of bed, tossing on baggy sweatpants. He entered the kitchen and stepped back covering his mouth and nose as a strong punch of garlic hit him.

"Sakura?" He called moving near her, she looked up from the oven hearing her name.

"Hey." She said,

"What um...what's going on?" Kakashi asked looking at the mess inside the kitchen.

"I'm cooking." Sakura answered turning back to painting pizza sauce she had made onto dough.

"You...cooked?" Kakashi said walking up behind her, placing his hands on her hips as he peeked over his shoulder.

"Yes." Sakura smiled feeling proud. "You always cook for me so I thought I could give it a try."

"I see..." Kakashi nodded,

"You might want to get dressed." Sakura commented to his bare chest and unmasked face.

"Why would I want to do that?" He smirked flipping her around and kissed her. "How about we work up an appetite?"

"I invited Naruto and-" Sakura cut herself off as someone walked into the front door falling backwards on the floor.

"Why the fuck is it locked!?" Raiden's voice yelled at it, Kakashi shook his head giving Sakura a kiss before returning to his bedroom. Sakura walked over unlocked and opened the solid wooden door. Raiden sat on his ass holding his nose.

"You know doors are solid objects, right?" Sakura asked,

"Ha-Ha-Ha!" Raiden stood, "Why is it locked?!"

"Because that is what doors do." Sakura smiled moving aside.

"Hey Sakura." Naruto smiled as Hinata waved.

"Hey." Sakura greeted waiting for the four to pile into the apartment, Sasuke was opening his apartment holding a bag of groceries. Sakura and Sasuke locked eyes, she blinked before closing and locking the door.

"So, what's up?" Naruto asked.

"I invited you all over for dinner." Sakura said moving towards the kitchen, she was still pissed at Carver and Raiden, but she was trying to hold that back to enjoy a nice night.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, "What is Kakashi cooking?!"

"Kakashi isn't cooking tonight." Sakura said.

"What takeout did you get?" Carver wondered.

"None." Sakura said, "I am cooking."

"Huh?" Raiden quickly turned to look at the pinkette.

"You cooked...food?" Carver said standing from the couch looking at Raiden.

"What else would I make?" Sakura muttered moving to check on the pizzas.

"We uh..." Carver trailed off as his stomach turned recalling the last time Sakura cooked a meal. Raiden felt himself turning green, he threw up for two days.

"Ah!" Raiden sighed, "We forgot to do the thing!" He said looking at Carver who quickly caught on.

"What thing?" Naruto asked.

"The uh..." Raiden smiled, "...reports on you guys!"

"Yeah, we have been putting it off since the holiday and what not, sorry Sakura!"

"Yeah and you wanted it yesterday, so we have been working on it all day to hurry and get it to you!" Raiden flashed a fake grin.

"It's fine." Sakura shrugged, "Get it to me when your-"

"No!" Raiden and Carver said together,

"I mean-" Carver chuckled, "-we can't start slacking now!"

"You already do?" Sakura muttered,

"We better-" Raiden said moving towards the door, "-we thought you needed us for like...something important but save us some food!"

"Yeah!" Carver agreed as they quickly opened the door, "Have a nice night!"

"Bye!" Raiden and Carver ran down the hall.

"Those guys are weird." Hinata giggled,

"They are something else." Sakura agreed. Kakashi walked out of the bedroom dressed in pants, a plain shirt and his famous mask.

"Hey Kakashi!" Naruto waved,

"Good evening Naruto." Kakashi smiled with his eye.

"So, what are you making?!" Naruto was excited,

"Pizza." Sakura answered,

"Yes!" Naruto loved pizza.

"It's almost done." Sakura waved everyone out of the kitchen, Kakashi stood beside her before he too got kicked out.

Sakura sat a platter of pizza; Naruto was so excited as he grabbed the biggest slice. Sakura turned to get the dipping sauces. Naruto took a bite freezing as his face turned a shade blue,

"Naruto?" Hinata wondered as Naruto remained frozen as the heavy taste of dirt and garlic burnt his throat.

"How is it?" Sakura asked returning.

"I-It's great!" Naruto laughed as his stomach already turned at the high amount of salt from just the first bite. Naruto glared at the door understanding why Raiden and Carver took off once they discovered who was cooking tonight. Hinata and Naruto watched Sakura with open mouths as she casually ate the pizza she made.

"How is she eating that?" Hinata whispered to Naruto,

"I-I honestly don't know." Naruto replied.

"What are you two whispering about?" Sakura took her attention off the TV screen.

"Er..." Hinata blushed.

"Uh-Uh...um drugs!" Naruto sputtered out.

"Drugs?" Sakura repeated raising an eyebrow.

"Ye-Yeah!" Naruto's voice was unnaturally high.

"Why?"

"Just...reminding Hinata that they are bad for you!" Sakura rolled her eyes at how innocent Naruto was, sitting beside him reminded her how stained and cracked she really was.

"Sa-Say Kakashi what are you doing in there!?" Hinata changed the conversation, Kakashi walked out from the kitchen into the living room holding a empty plate as he chewed his last bite.

"Nothing." He smiled with his eye.

"You-You ate that entire pizza!?" Naruto gasped, how the hell-?!

"Of course." Kakashi said, "Sakura made it for me." Sakura perked up hearing this, she turned to look at the masked shinobi.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes." He said sitting beside her, "It was very good." He smiled with his eye at her making her feel happy, while Naruto sat at the end of the couch with his eye twitching. He was lying to her! This food was terrible but then again...Naruto looked at Hinata who nibbled the pizza trying to keep her face natural.

If Hinata had cooked and it didn't turn out well, he would still eat it and smile because he loved her and wanted to make her feel good. Naruto smiled understanding Kakashi as he looked over at Sakura.

"Yeah-" Naruto agreed, "-this is really good, thanks Sakura!" He took another big bite mimicking a peloton as he swallowed the food whole, but failed. Naruto quickly grabbed the bottle of water as chugged half of it trying to get the solid mass down his throat. He gasped air in and blushed seeing everyone was watching him.

"You doing ok?" Sakura wondered,

"Ye-Yeah!" Naruto laughed awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

The things you do for love.

Naruto entered Kakashi's apartment, he was excited to head to the café and hangout. His smiled dropped through, seeing Sakura walk out of Kakashi's bedroom dressed in her uniform and gear from the waterfall village.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked as his stomach felt unsettled, he knew this moment would be coming but he hadn't prepared himself for it. "Where are you going?" Sakura looked up; she had tucked Kakashi's bracelet in her glove.

"I have to go." Her answers were always so vague.

"Go?" Naruto asked, he quickly looked around for Kakashi. Maybe he could get her to stay just a little longer. "Where is Kakashi?"

"He was pulled into a meeting with the other sensei." Sakura answered,

"Wait...he doesn't even know your leaving?!"

"He knows I could have to leave in a moments notice." Sakura said picking up her blade.

"But-But-"

"Naruto." Sakura turned to look at him, "I have been here for weeks."

"Yeah but-"

"It's time for me to get back to where I belong."

"You belong here-!" Naruto shouted over the wind as it wiggled its way inside the apartment. "-with Kakashi and me!"

"Naruto-" Sakura sighed as she began to transport herself out of the leaf village. "-I don't belong here."

"What-What does that mean!?" Naruto yelled as Sakura vanished out of sight. Tears pricked his eyes as he cursed the empty room.

"Yo." Raiden poked his head in. "Everything alright?"

"No." Naruto whispered,

"Huh?"

"Sakura left."

"I see that." Carver said coming into view looking around the apartment, "She stayed longer than I thought she would."

"She said she didn't belong here." Naruto breathed, turning to the only two other people who really knew her. "What did she mean by that?"

"Well..." Raiden sighed rubbing his neck,

"She is the Commander of another village." Carver muttered,

"Where is Kakashi?"

"In a meeting with Granny Tsunade." Naruto sighed,

"Oh..." Raiden knew Kakashi wasn't going to be happy when he gets home, Raiden smacked his lips together, "I wonder what's going on that she had to leave so suddenly."

"Who felt so suddenly?" Kakashi said standing behind Raiden and Carver. Raiden jumped forward a little startled by his sudden presence.

"Hey Kakashi!" Raiden laughed having hoped to not be here when he got home. Kakashi already knew the answer, he knew Sakura had left...he never got the chance to talk to her and now he had to wait to see if she returned to him or not.

----

It was New Year's, the leaf village was getting ready to celebrate it. As Naruto walked home with Hinata in hand, Kakashi gazed out his window. It had only been three simple days since she had been gone but he already missed her. He never got to say goodbye, he never got to hug her, and he never told her he wanted to leave the village in order to stay by her side. He hated this; he closed his eye feeling the sting of not being able to see your loved one during a special holiday. He wanted Sakura here with him, he wanted to count down the hours to the new year and he wanted to kiss her at midnight.

Kakashi walked through the day feeling like there was a piece of him missing. He spent time with Iruka and Guy, he ate lunch with Naruto and as the day grew into night and everyone collected at the café he felt as if he was just going through the emotions like he had been doing his entire life. Sakura woke him up, she showed him the bright colors of the world and to go back to white and black was impossible.

Kakashi stood from sitting in the café, Guy called out to him but Kakashi couldn't stay inside this building full of happy people watching the clock waiting until midnight. He didn't have her here with him, so he didn't want to count the minutes with everyone, and he didn't want to bring the room down, so he left. Kakashi walked through the darkened streets, his hands in his pockets and his head down staring at the sidewalk.

"Yeah-" A voice laughed, "-that's the face of a happy person." Kakashi spun around seeing her pink hair catching the moon light between its strands. He breathed out seeing her, his heart fluttered as he pushed himself to close the gap between them as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt himself let out a breath he had been holding since she felt. His chest loosened and he felt like he could breathe again.

"Your here."

"Well yeah-" Sakura smiled, "-there is someone I have to kiss at midnight." A smirked played on her lips as Kakashi pulled her back into his embrace just so happy to see her again. Three days was too long to be away from her.

"Sakura-" Kakashi said, "-I want to leave with-" He breathed but she pulled his mask down as the clock hit midnight, she kissed him. Kakashi closed his eye leaning into her warm kiss as he took over slipping his tongue into her mouth and cupped her face. It had been too long since he kissed her, he quickly broke the kiss. "-where did you go!?" Sakura laughed at his stern face. "Sakura."

"I had some things to take care of." She shrugged.

"What happened? You left so suddenly and-"

"I know, and I am sorry I didn't see you before I left."

"We had this conversation; you can't just vanish like this!"

"It's my job Kakashi." Sakura said, "I can do my best to keep in touch with you but sometimes I just can't do what you think I should."

"Sakura I-"

"I know." She said stepping into a hug. "I know..." She breathed closing her eyes, she had missed him while outside the village.

The next morning Sakura pulled Carver and Raiden aside and agreed to send the leaf shinobi to the waterfalls training grounds but on one condition; she picks who goes and who doesn't.

"What made you change your mind?" Carver asked as they made their way to the arena where the first training session was about to begin since vacation ended. It was the first of January and it was time to get back to work!

"Where did you go?" Raiden wondered as well.

"No?" Sakura sighed, "Can't just be happy I am giving you what you want? You have to twenty question me?"

"Yes." Raiden smiled, "That's why you love us!"

"I am questioning myself then." She said,

"Hey!" Raiden acted offended.

"So-" Carver said getting to the point, "-we collected everyone we would like to send to the grounds."

"Awesome." Sakura breathed still not fully happy about this as they walked into sight of the large crowd waiting around. "Nope." She said instantly.

"You just got here."

"You're not sending them." She said turning to her soldiers who groaned annoyed at her babying team seven.

"Naruto!" Sakura called, "Lee, Hinata, TenTen-" She continued as she scanned over the crowd. Her heart skipped seeing Kakashi standing in the crowd. "Really-?" She asked turning to Carver and Raiden.

"What?" Carver defended, "He was willing."

"Fuck off." She shook her head turning to the group. "If I call your name move behind me." Sakura ordered; the four shinobi she had called did as told. "Kakashi, Guy-" She shook her head feeling extremely annoyed.

"What?" Guy asked as he and Kakashi made their way to her, she ignored them as she scanned over the collection of people...she didn't care about them she nodded over towards Carver and Raiden who in return jogged towards the group.

"You're not letting us go." Hinata realized.

"What!?" Naruto went to argument, but he was too late Sakura as well as the large group in front of them were being wrapped inside wind. "Son of a bitch!" Naruto cursed seeing they had been left behind. Kakashi's jaw tightened, he couldn't understand why Sakura wouldn't want him going with her.

----

Sakura walked into Kakashi's apartment using the key he gave her, her mind was shattered to pieces returning from the training grounds, she only left due to the large amount of time that had passed her and the shinobi trapped inside the grounds. She had grown to miss Kakashi, a part of her knew it hadn't been the three years she was trying to currently absorb. She walked into his dark bedroom seeing he was asleep under the covers. Kakashi's favorite moments were sitting around with Sakura as they just enjoyed their company but for Sakura it was this part of her day. She stripped her clothing as she pulled on Kakashi's discarded shirt off the floor then crawled onto bed.

"Sakura?" Kakashi breathed being stirred awake by her moving around, he didn't question her presence he just opened his arms and felt her crawl into him. Her legs tangled with his as she buried her face in his neck.

Sakura had woken up early, crawled out of Kakashi's arms and quickly got dressed leaving his apartment without stirring him awake. She wanted to stay, eat breakfast have a long conversation with him but she needed to get back to Carver and Raiden, she couldn't be long. Sakura was already feeling annoyed with herself that she even left in the first place.

"Sakura." Kakashi called sending shivers down her spine, Sakura turned around seeing team seven standing before her. Apparently she hadn't been as slick as she thought.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked.

"We wanna tag along." Naruto smiled giving her a thumbs up.

"No." Sakura said.

"Those are our shinobi inside your training grounds!" Naruto shouted, "Why don't you want us there with you!? I thought you cared about us-"

"That is why you're not there!" Sakura snapped, she hated feeling guilty for doing the right thing, and when Kakashi was unpleased with her that feeling nagged at her and it was extremely annoying.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto whined, "It will be ok!" He smiled, "We promise, take us with you!" Sakura knew he wasn't going to drop this, and she knew if she left Kakashi would be left to question her motives and drawing up false conclusions.

"Fine." Sakura stated, as a portal opened behind her, "Get in." Team seven didn't questioned her, they quickly moved inside the black vortex. Naruto didn't question the scary looking portal because he knew it was Sakura's, she would never do anything to harm them.

Naruto felt cold, it wrapped around him like he had been dropped inside a snowbank. The frost reached through his skin, he felt it grip onto his bones tightly. Kakashi looked around a darkened area as long fingers tried to pry into his skull and worm its way into his brain. Naruto wanted to scream, to push that dark feeling away from him but he couldn't move or speak he could barely even think.

After a moment Sakura collected herself quickly wrapping a dark dome around her and team seven, shielding them from the effects of this dimension. She raised them off the ground, she didn't want team seven to be near any people or any of the creatures that crawled around this place.

Naruto opened his eyes, feeling a headache but he could control his thoughts now. He stood seeing the dome that flew them over a ruined city. Sasuke rubbed his arms, that coldness didn't completely go away it just dulled itself.

Stone buildings were everywhere but they were broken down and crumbling to pieces. It appeared as if no one had been here in years. Kakashi saw in the distance a haunted forest rested at the edge of the city. Where were they and what was this cities story?

Naruto smiled, seeing familiar faces below but his smile dropped as his face turned confused. "Sakura what is this place?" He asked.

"The Waterfall training grounds." Sakura answered, "This is where the waterfall village soldiers get trained."

"But..." Naruto muttered still confused as to what he was seeing.

"We are in a different dimension." Sakura reminded him, team seven looked down at the people below...they appeared almost holographic, splitting into different colors as each color moved differently as if they were glitching.

"You looked confused." Sakura smirked,

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, "What is wrong with them!"

"Nothing." Sakura shrugged,

"Oh, bullshit I have eyes I can see they look broken or something! Sakura fix them!"

"They are Naruto." Sakura sighed, "The longer you are in this place, the more you will break."

"Break?" Sasuke frowned.

"The more pieces of you break the more colors you split into, its different versions of yourself in different time zones. From what I can figure each color is a year."

"So...I can see three different colors so...?"

"So-" Sakura stepped in for Naruto. "-your shinobi down there believe they have been here three years."

"What happened when they go home?" Sasuke wondered,

"That is the hard part." Sakura said,

"They go back together, right?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Carver, Raiden and I will put them back together." Sakura flashed a smile.

"Why didn't you want us here?" Naruto asked,

"Because this place changes you." Sakura answered,

"I don't think it-"

"No-" Sakura cut Sasuke off, "-those people down there will be changed when they return home."

"What do you mean changed?"

"It varies from person to person; it could be a few small things or drastic like a favorite color or taste or it could be their whole personalities could be altered."

"That is why you didn't want us here?" Kakashi wondered.

"Yes." Sakura said with a nod looking at Kakashi. "I figured Carver and Raiden sugar coated it, but I didn't want this place changing you because your great as you already are." Kakashi wrapped an arm around her pulling her tight, he understood now.

Naruto saw domes floating their way to them, they morphed into the large dome they stood in, Carver and Raiden dropped from the ceiling.

"Hey guys!" Raiden smiled weakly.

"Hey." Carver waved.

"I cannot believe this is how you trained your army." Naruto breathed.

"Yeah." Carver sighed, "It is a lot to take in."

"You did not tell us this place was like this!" Naruto accused.

"We did so." Raiden said, "You just don't listen!"

"Look at them!" Naruto yelled pointing to the shinobi down below. "You did not say that would happen!"

"We told you this place rips apart their minds." Raiden said looking around, remembering his time here. "How is everything in the out?"

"Still standing." Sakura answered,

"We better get going." Carver said, "Can't leave them alone to long, it was nice seeing you guys." Naruto watched them leave in dark domes, he was sad they were already leaving, they had just gotten here.

"Does this place affect you guys too?" Sasuke wondered,

"Yes."

"So-" Naruto turned around, "-it has been three years in your head?"

"Yes." Sakura answered again taking in the feel of Kakashi's arms around her. The masked shinobi looked down at her, he hadn't realized that she too was affected, and time was altered for her. Three years...with seeing him or Naruto...

"Is that why you come back?" Naruto wondered, "Because it had been so long?"

"Yeah, I might have missed you." She smirked.

"Sakura." Sasuke called who was watching Carver and Raiden, who the hell would want to willingly be trapped in this place for years only training?

"Hm?" She hummed.

"How do you get that respect from them?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked,

"Carver and Raiden, they would die for you. Your guys bond is a lot stronger than anyone I have ever seen. Not just anyone would come here and train for you like they are doing." Sasuke asked looking at her.

"It is simple." She said.

"What?"

"What you see is not respect." Sakura said.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. Sakura closed her eyes and looked down at her feet for a moment.

"What you see is loyalty and fear." She said looking at team seven.

"Fear?" Naruto laughed a little, "Carver and Raiden do not fear you."

"Not on the surface." She said looking back down on them. "Carver and Raiden at first were both trained as a part of my army. I was never supposed to be a part of their team, they were never supposed to be more than soldiers to me." She explained. "When you tear apart the mind of a person and shove down their throat years inside just a few weeks you break them, I shattered who Carver and Raiden were as I will do with your leaf shinobi."

"I don't understand-" Sasuke shook his head.

"When their training here is complete, I will bring them home. In order to do that I need to build them all back together and when I do that, I brand them for the rest of their life. This method was one of the main keys in my training, to make the soldier only loyal to me, it was a failsafe switch incase anything were to happen with Kaguya."

"But why would they be scared of you?" Naruto wondered.

"The fear you three will never understand because I won't let you stay here long enough to be effected, but there are no words to explain how it feels to stay inside this place, there are no words to tell you how it feels to have your mind ripped apart and to have thousands of hours shoved into it and then to have your brain shoved back together and repaired with tape all in a few short weeks. The only word I can find is pain, when looking back on the training all you can remember is that cold pain..."

"If it hurts so bad, why do it here?" Naruto asked,

"At the time the Waterfall Village had no army and we needed one fast, I didn't have years to train people, so when I found this place...it was a tool for an instant army." Sakura said as truthfully as she could, she was not holding anything back. A bright light shined behind Naruto, he turned seeing a portal opening.

"Time to go." Sakura called.

"What? Why?" Naruto questioned

"Because this place will start to affect you." She answered.

"Oh." He said looking at the light. Sasuke stepped through without another word, he didn't like being here. Naruto and Kakashi turned seeing Sakura wasn't moving to follow.

"Are you not coming?" Naruto asked Kakashi's question.

"I have to stay here." Sakura said.

"For how long?"

"I don't know." Sakura shrugged, "That depends on your shinobi."

"But it has already been three years for you in this place..." Naruto shook his head, that concept was hard for him to understand.

"Yes." Sakura shook her head. She walked over and smiled at the blond-haired boy as she pushed him back, he fell through the portal.

"Sakura." Kakashi said,

"What?" She laughed, "You have a better way to get rid of him?" She wondered as she walked into his arm, quickly getting the mask out of the way and kissed him.

"Let me stay with you." He breathed,

"No." Sakura answered against his lips, Kakashi leaned back not liking that answer.

"I-"

"Carver, Raiden and I are in no place to rush over and defend the Leaf Village if needed. These shinobi will need weeks before they can function when I return them...I need to know your there protecting it because the Reapers still want something from your village."

"I want to stay with you." Kakashi breathed, cupping her face.

"Me too." She smiled; she has really missed him. Sakura grinned as she pulled his mask over his face.

"Sakura?" Kakashi was confused for a moment until the portal opened underneath his feet, he quickly looked back to her as he began to fall.

"I'll see you..." She watched the portal closed. "...in a few years..." She breathed as her heart clenched.

----

Naruto looked at Kakashi feeling nervous as Sakura's seals became activated inside the leaf village's arena. Kakashi's eye was hard as he waited for the wind to collect, bringing her to him after four long weeks.

"How long do you think it would have been for them?" Hinata wondered.

"Well..." Naruto muttered, "We did see them a month ago and that was like three years so..." Naruto's head hurt as he tried to do math.

"Seven." Kakashi answered, "It should be seven years their time since they have been gone."

"Wow..." Naruto breathed, "To think you have been gone for that long only to find that it's only been a month and a half would be..."

"Mind altering." Tsunade stepped beside Kakashi. The conversation fell flat as the dome of pressured air shattered leaving the large group in its place. Kakashi moved first, running to her side. His exposed eye widened as he caught her instead of embraced.

"Sakura!?" Kakashi kneeled beside her, feeling panicked.

"She is fine." Carver breathed dropping to his knees.

"Raiden?" Naruto asked touching his shoulder.

"He's fine too."

"What-"

"It took-" Carver breathed standing to his feet. "-a lot of chakra to get us back, that and with seven years of memories all forming together it tired her out."

"And Raiden?" Naruto asked,

"He is a lazy ass." Carver laughed, "He doesn't like doing work." Tsunade looked at all the stone faces of her shinobi. They all appeared stiff and jiggered looking around with wild eyes.

"They will mellow out." Sakura breathed opening her eyes.

"Sakura." Kakashi smiled under his mask, she looked at him and smiled. She reached out and touched his arm happy to hear his voice.

"Are you ok?" Hinata asked,

"Yeah." Sakura breathed, "We are just going to need to sleep for a few days." She half joked as she got to her feet.

Sakura sighed ready for a hot shower she felt so sweaty and grimy, a good meal because she was fucking starving and so tired of protein bars, and to be able to crawl into Kakashi's bed relax her tired body. Her head felt like it was splitting open, her bones felt sore and muscles felt like cold lunch meat. Training the leaf shinobi may have only been a little over a month but seven long years was scrambling inside her brain. It was like trying to fit a whale through your front door. Carver and Raiden were in the same boat as Sakura, they needed a day or two off to just adjust. Carver pulled his phone from his pocket feeling it ring. It had been so long since he played with this thing, he had to remember how to answer it.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Dawn's voice screamed through the line.

"Huh?" Carver was too tired to deal with her.

"Do you know where Sakura is? She isn't answering her phone."

"Yeah she is right next to me you're on speaker." Carver said thinking about getting takeout, the only question now was from where...?

"Sakura-" Dawn breathed,

"Yeah." Sakura called letting her commander know she was here.

"-the Reapers are attacking us-" Sakura snapped up hearing this.

"What!?" Raiden turned his attention to the phone.

"-We can handle this-" Dawn said ignoring Raiden, "-the Reapers have also launched a strike against the Sand Village, the River Village and the Mist Village." Carver, Raiden and Sakura all looked from one another as this sunk in. Naruto's mouth hung open as he turned to Tsunade who didn't know what to say. "Sakura?" Dawn called as an explosion went off in the background.

"We got it." Sakura finally snapped out of it, Carver hung up the phone as he and Raiden pulled out their swords. There was no time for any other words, no goodbyes or time to listen to Naruto and the others try to convince Sakura to take them with her. Sakura pulled her sword from her back as wind quickly wrapped around them.

"Sakura!" Kakashi's eye widened.

"Those shinobi need two weeks off to adjust." Sakura called as Carver and Raiden disappeared. "No training." Kakashi walked forward, needing to go with her but she needed him here. Sakura vanished with the strong force of the wind.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled but there was nothing he could do she was already being whipped into battle.