There had to be some mistake.

This... This really couldn't be happening right now. She was gone and had been for the longest time. It wasn't possible for someone to be automatically raised from the dead. Maybe there were one or two forbidden jutsu to work for things like this, but that was highly unlikely. Sakura looked real and alive—no genjutsu, no tricks, nothing.

Shikamaru's eyes trailed to her forehead and to the spring green diamond. That was probably a seal that worked just like Tsunade's, furthering the idea that it really was her.

"...What's... going on...?"

::

"I see you've been doing well for yourself," Gaara mused. "You've done a wonderful job with Otogakure."

Sakura beamed. "Thank you! I tried implementing the system you suggested and it worked out fantastically," she replied. He hummed and quietly observed her for a few moments. He was well-acquainted with her and associated with her on many occasions in the past, him thinking they were at the level of "friends". Even with him not knowing her as well as other might, he could see that she hadn't changed a bit.

Sakura appeared just like the first time they'd met since her "passing"—four years ago at a crossroads near Nadeshiko Village.

Gaara assured his older siblings that he could make this journey alone. It was a quick reconnaissance that required his, as the Kazekage's, involvement. Eventually, he got them to ease off and convinced them that it would be quicker as a one-man job. He was walking down a road back to the ports to get back to the mainland when he felt two faint chakra signatures heading his direction.

He paused and read the situation before popping the top off his gourd. Gaara waited a few heartbeats before forming his sand into two fists and sending it through the trees.

The signatures disappeared. Gaara waited, eyes wandering around him to pinpoint where they'd gone. Suddenly, something swung down from above him. It was large and white that practically broke through his shield.

Bandaged sword?

Hoshigaki Kisame.

Gaara saw his gilled cheekbones and wide pointed grin, making him grit his teeth. He'd already had enough with the Akatsuki. They ripped out his tailed beast and killed him once already—he wasn't about to let it happen a second time. Kisame swung his sword again and was about to make contact with the Kage's shoulder when a voice rang out over their heads.

"Stand down!"

Samehada stopped centimeters away from its target. Kisame sighed and withdrew his weapon as he turned around dejectedly. "But why?! Come on, this'll be my first real fight in weeks and you're not going to let me have it?"

Gaara kept his guard up but couldn't help but feel exceedingly confused at the abrupt ending to the fight. He weighed the option to keep attacking, decided to wait and see who could command Kisame with two short words. He watched as a woman strode out from the shadowed treeline with a chastising look on her face.

"He's the Kazekage. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking for a war with one of the Great Shinobi Nations."

His sand faltered. Haruno Sakura turned and offered an apologetic smile, not paying any mind to how Gaara's eyes widened a decent fraction. She was dead. Absolutely, positively dead. He even listened to Naruto talk about it on his first visit to Suna after her funeral. Her face had also been wiped from all bingo books and her name was removed from all possible rosters.

When she saw the realization finally sink into his features, she turned to Kisame. "Wait for me at the club in two hours?"

His eyes went to his almost opponent, then back to his leader. "Sure. The usual?"

"Like always," she grinned. As he took off, she spun back around. Gaara's face returned to its normal placid state. He stared her down coolly.

"You're truly Sakura-san?"

"Let's go somewhere private and I'll tell you what you want to know," she said. "Luckily for you, I know the perfect place."

He glanced to the side and saw the three looks of terror through the windows. He tilted his head in their direction.

"We can continue this another time. I can see that you have some things you need to handle on your own." Gaara remarked. Sakura followed his stare and balled one hand into a fist once she made eye-contact with her old sensei. She forced a smile onto her face when she told the Kazekage she'd talk to him later. Then, she walked towards the door and entered the hallway.

She was met with absolute silence.

::

Gaara slipped out of the conference room through another door and quietly made his way down the corridor. Never had he seen Shikamaru's face contorted in such a degree of pain, and he started to think about how rough Sakura's situation truly was. He still didn't know the real reason as to why she chose to leave her village, but he wasn't going to hold it against her. Sakura became a fully-fledged Kage from her own strength. Going as far as she did and accomplishing what she had, she didn't need to justify herself.

She made that point very clear back then.

Gaara never really took it upon himself to explore the countries he visited. He believed more in the 'get in, do your business, get out' approach for his diplomatic journeys, so he never really came to befriend locals or get to know the area. Sakura, as he had been observing, seemed out of place in this port city but still knew her way around. His incredulity of the whole situation heightened when they stopped in front of a hostess club.

"Don't look so scared, Gaara-san. The ladies here are very nice," Sakura informed, winking as she lead him inside. Their surroundings immediately darkened with bright yellow lights scarcely placed along the ceiling, bouncing playfully off the carmine-colored walls.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Sakura chirped. Gaara's jaw slackened when all the hostesses twirled towards their direction.

"Welcome back, Sakura-sama!" they chorused cheerily. A busty woman in a revealing corset-lingerie ensemble and bunny ears stood at the podium. She grinned.

"It's always a pleasure to have you visit us!" she exclaimed. "Kisame-kun isn't with you today?"

"Sorry, Mimi-chan," Sakura apologized. "This is more of a business visit than a casual one, if you know what I mean."

Mimi then noticed the red-haired man subtly shifting his weight from foot to foot as he looked down to his feet. Her grin grew wider. "Ah, I see! I'll show you over to one of our back booths then. If you'll follow me?"

She seated them at the far corner of the establishment, engaging in a small chat with Sakura before excusing herself and returning to the podium. Once she was out of sound's reach, Gaara pinned his entire attention on the person sat before him.

"Was it some jutsu?" he asked. Sakura crossed her legs and propped her elbow up on the seat behind her.

"Pardon?"

"Was it a jutsu that brought you back to life? Perhaps something similar to what Chiyo-baa-sama had performed on me, or a cruder version of the sort," he suggested. She shook her head, a bitter smile pulling on her lips.

"I never died. The corpse was a substitute created by an intricate jutsu involving my blood and a puppy body."

A new hostess came and set down two sake bottles on the low table along with two glass cups, filling each one. She turned to Sakura with a sweet smile and a light blush. "Would you like anything else, Sakura-sama?"

"No, this will be all for now. Thank you, Hotaru-chan."

Sakura leaned forward and took one of the cups. She swirled it around with her eyes still locked on the man slowly piecing the information together. She gestured him to continue asking his questions.

"So you left Konoha... for what purpose? What had laid ahead of you that was more important than saying in your home village?"

She sipped her alcohol as her stare slowly wandered towards the ceiling. Gaara waited patiently for her answer. He tensed when two hostesses walked past, glancing over to him then whispering and giggling to themselves.

"Let's put it this way."

He moved his gaze to her direction. Sakura set down her cup and gave him a chilling look, one he could most certainly see in the dim lighting. "You're in my position, correct? Just another of those faithful shinobi in one of the Great Nations. Another face in the crowd. So then you're given two choices. One, you could stay in said village and that's all you could ever achieve. Or two, you could leave that old life. Become a better person. Be part of someplace that needs you."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "You joined another village?"

She was completely honest with her reply. Short, sweet, and to the point. "I became the leader of one."

The first thing that popped into his head was Otogakure. It was a quickly developing village with its own powerful shinobi and dedicated clientele. Very recently had there been news of someone who stepped up to power in that old, run-down place. With their rise of power came the cloud of mystery that shrouded it. Shinobi of that village rarely came into contact with others, and if they did happen to stumble upon other villages, they wouldn't engage.

Then came to the odd ANBU that had only been seen a handful of times spanning from when they were first seen two years ago. They were clothed in dark gray armor with animal masks of equal color. the outfit worn under was stark black, giving them a full appearance of shadows with slits for eyes. They were quiet, seemingly dangerous, and made quite the reputation for themselves on their extraordinary genjutsu ability.

And last came the catalyst of it all—the one who reformed Otogakure in the first place. A figure that no one knew of and no native shinobi spoke about had somehow reared an entire population on its head.

That person was her?

"I don't have to explain myself, now do I?"

Gaara snapped out of his inner musings and met her stare. Her face was smiling but her eyes were not, holding an icy gleam that dared him to continue down his specific line of questioning. He shook his head. "You don't."

"Good," she said, "Now that we're here, let's make the most of it, eh? This is a hostess club, after all. Do you want me to call some of these lovely ladies for you?"

"No, thank you" he answered in a clipped tone. Sakura stifled her laugh and waved over some of the hostesses not preoccupied by other guests. Their faces lit up in glee as two of them walked over and took their seats on either side of her.

"Suit yourself, Gaara-san. Their company is quite nice. Pleasant talk with pretty women. Are you sure you don't want a hostess?"

"You do look a little tense~" another voice cooed. A woman leaned over Gaara's seat. Her dark purple hair was short and styled over to one side. Her bust was very impressive, but very much near his face. He really couldn't stop it this time.

A light blush crossed his cheeks.

"He's so cute!"

"Arisu-chan, leave him alone," Sakura laughed. "I think he's had enough of your teasing."

Arisu, the club owner, pouted and pushed herself off the seat. She strode around them and situated herself on Sakura's lap, the three women now talking amiably with her. Gaara stared disbelievingly at the display in front of him before turning to a more polite looking hostess that came to replace their bottles of sake.

"Does this happen often?" he asked. The hostess giggled.

"Sakura-sama has been very popular among all the hostesses ever since she and Kisame-kun taught us self defense, um, two years ago? She's so smart and pretty and strong..." The hostess squished her cheeks. "Ah, I'm going off on a rant, aren't I?"

Gaara digested the information as he finally took his cup from the table and drew in a sip. Sakura was certainly different from how she was years before, but she still had all her soft demeanor underlying her thick skin. He stood. "I think it's about time I left. My ship is set to depart in thirty minutes," he said. She glanced over at him from above the women's heads.

"Already? I guess it can't be helped. Maybe I'll see you soon, then."

He started walking out of the club.

"Oh, and Gaara-san."

He turned around.

"This never happened."

Gaara nodded and continued on his way. At the end of the corridor, the door swung open and Kisame crossed the threshold. Their shoulders brushed against each other's as they passed.

"Breathe a word of this and we'll finish that fight."

The Kazekage inclined his head. "Hm."

He could only hope that her presence didn't butcher any current or future relations between Oto and Konoha.

::

The silence was maddening, sending unbelievable uneasiness through the bloodstreams of those who stood in the hallway. Sakura herself looked perfectly calm despite the killing atmosphere they were being forced to partake in. She faced Kakashi first, staring straight into his beady, frightened eye.

"Kakashi-san," she greeted smoothly. He flinched. "I apologize for not introducing myself when we exchanged letters. I thought it would be more appropriate for formalities in person."

She held out her hand for him to take. He stared at it like it was some foreign substance that would hurt him if he touched it. Sakura quickly withdrew her hand. "I... imagined our reunion would be something like this," she sighed. Kakashi very slowly regained his bearings and took hold of her shoulders. He forced himself to really get a look at her, his eye clouding with hurt.

"This... whole time..." He grit his teeth. "This whole time, you were in Otogakure? And you never said a single word?"

Sakura raised her eyes fearlessly. "Yes. For eight years, I'd been the leader of the village. And I'm not planning on giving up my position anytime soon." she answered. The gears in his head starting to spin, Shikamaru took a step forward.

"B-But... your body..."

"The last member of the Rinha Clan is my Chief of Medicine. Her clan's abilities were very useful. That, and the genjutsu master I asked to check the body said that it seemed real enough."

"Genjutsu master?" Kurenai questioned, finally finding the voice to speak. Sakura nodded.

"Uchiha Itachi-san," she said. A shiver ran down their spines. "And his judgment was correct." She surveyed their faces before a thought struck up in her head. "Which reminds me, how's the Exchange Program going? Kabuto's reports were—"

"Hold on," Shikamaru interrupted. None of that made any sense! She faked her death, kept silent this entire time, all for what reason? What logical explanation could she possibly have of abandoning a place that treated her nothing but well?

"You wanted the world to believe you were dead? Sakura, we buried you—"

"—in the Nara Forest. I know," she replied quietly. "I was there."

"You were...?"

He stopped himself and took in a deep breath. This wasn't happening. This wasn't true. She couldn't have... this entire time? Every tear they cried and every thought they spared; when they had been miserable and full of self blame because they felt like they were the ones who made her leave. What of the horrid feeling in their hearts when they laid eyes on the still, lifeless, fake body they all wholeheartedly believed was the one and true Sakura they came to know and love?

...

It was a waste.

All of it.

...

Because it was meant for nothing.

...

Shikamaru tore his eyes away from her as he turned around and stalked out of the building. "I'm going to take a smoke."

Sakura exhaled through her nose and looked back at Kakashi. The hurt had finally settled into his eyes. Kurenai, who was standing slightly behind him, had her hand pressed to her mouth in shock.

"Sakura.." he whispered. "... Why?"

Her stare turned hard, every fiber of her being mustered up to grind the steel of her words. "I wonder."

::

He couldn't take his eyes off her at the conference. Not in the entire three hours they had been in session. Mei, Kurotsuchi, and A had subtle levels of surprise when they learned the identity of the Otokage. Having been apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, her name was relatively well known across the Great Shinobi Nations, which brought them to their first order of business.

"Does this mean you were closely associated to Konoha these past years?"

"No. I'd cut ties with them long ago and they had nothing to do with how or why Otogakure turned out the way it has."

Kakashi couldn't help but feel a stab of pain at that statement. Sakura. His student. The one he thought he'd failed had risen to heights he couldn't imagine. The other Kage had then turned to him for confirmation. He solemnly agreed on the basis that Konoha, as well as everyone else, had believed her to be dead. Mei brought up the next main point that needed discussion.

"I understand that the Akatsuki have been spotted among your shinobi," she said, "and no one has the full story on that. Would you mind enlightening us on that specific situation?"

"To keep a long story short, the Akatsuki have been disbanded."

An air of surprise filled the room.

"Their leader, Nagato-san, first came to me seven years ago with a proposition. The details are classified, but it all ended in the Akatsuki members hanging up their cloaks and reclaiming a position as legally operating shinobi," Sakura gestured to her left, "as you can see with Kakuzu-san's attendance. Nagato-san also agreed to return the tailed beasts to their respective villages after a... meeting... a year after our first one, he agreed to dissolve the organization and become a faithful ally to Oto."

It was hard to believe that the Akatsuki leader, someone that had ruthlessly taken the lives of shinobi and civilians alike, would concede everything after listening to Sakura. Kakashi's shoulders dipped slightly. No, he couldn't be thinking that way. He had no right to speak for Sakura like he knew her. If she had done this, he obviously didn't.

"They're still the Akatsuki. Their criminal record is extensive and they should repay for their crimes, should they not?" Kurotsuchi inputted. Kakashi moved his eyes up to Kakuzu. His face was blank, almost bored-like, and looked wholly unconcerned with the meeting at hand.

"It's... true that they've pushed through with many punishable acts in the past," Sakura said, carefully picking her words, "but they have not committed those acts under my authority, therefore it isn't my place to charge them for said acts. Once they've pledged their loyalty towards the village and have received the Otogakure hitai-ate, they're entered in the system as a blank slate. Their pasts meant nothing the moment they started following my orders."

"And if they act on any other heinous crimes in the future?" A demanded.

"Then it will be taken up with me and I'll handle it accordingly."

She held herself so professionally and in such a distinct way that Kakashi could've mistaken her for Tsunade if it weren't for her pink hair. His eyes softened as he watched her speak more on the terms of the Akatsuki as well as her other shinobi. How she'd grown... but how was he going to tell the rest of Konoha about this? Hell, how was he going to tell Naruto?

"I've noticed the expansion of Ta no Kuni quite unexpectedly six or seven years ago. I can understand the Daimyou's want for new land, but are there any other interests aside from this one?" Gaara questioned. Sakura shook her head.

"The only reason why the land was taken was because it has been unclaimed for a long time. With no one moving to take it, the Daimyou jumped at the chance. At my ANBU Director's suggestion and Kakuzu-san's backing of said suggestion, the inhabitants of the territory were convinced and the land was ours. Aside from that, we have no other interest but keep the economy stable and maintain the requests for our shinobi at the level it's at," she replied. Kakashi set his elbows on the table and looked down at the polished wood. Sakura had always been the smart one, even in her genin days. It shouldn't be this much of a shock that she had been able to sustain her village well.

"What about your established alliances?" A inquired. "Surely you haven't been able to build up the village from nothing. At least, not in the very beginning. Otogakure was in shambles before you came and brought it up to full capacity."

Sakura held up four fingers. "Nadeshiko, Takumi, Benisu, and Ame. Nadeshiko was able to help reform the education system. Some even stayed to teach classes the first one or two years of the reform. Takumi provided us weapons and medicinal supplies. Benisu allowed me to indulge in their herb populations, and Ame contributed by helping our monetary issues. The debts had all been paid at this point, of course," she said as her eyes slid to the side. "There was Jomae Village at one point in time, but we all know what happened to them."

There was only thing that popped into Kakashi's mind. He straightened. "You're the Spring Kunoichi," he stated with a startling crash of realization. He felt Shikamaru and Kurenai tense up at the accusation, then tense up even further when Sakura gave a bitter smile.

"Yes, I am."

"Spring Kunoichi?" Mei repeated, intrigued.

"There's a rumor that's been circling around Konoha," Kakashi informed quietly, "about the person at the helm of the Jomae Massacre. Word spread that the 'Spring Kunoichi' and her red-haired accomplice took down over two hundred upper ranked shinobi overnight. We never figured out if the rumor was true or not, but it seems that the mystery has just been solved."

All heads turned to her. She stared back unremorsefully.

"Jomae was just as faithful as everyone else, giving aid to us when we needed it most. We repaid their work with money and medical services, as well as offering a few weeks of medical education. But it wasn't enough. It didn't satisfy them. Their leader wanted all our information. I'd be a fool to give it to him, so I refused. In return, he kidnapped four civilian children," she explained.

"He demanded I come alone, and I did. He wanted a trade—four lives for priceless information. Maybe he thought I was an idiot and wouldn't have come with a plan or I would've done something completely stupid. He was right, because I fully intended to take him on myself. What I wasn't expecting were the two hundred or so shinobi he had as reinforcements. He wasn't going to let me leave alive anyways so I did what I had to do. Fight. Once my two back ups arrived, I ordered one of them to take the children back to Otogakure. The other stayed and fought with me until morning, and the rest is history."

Kakuzu and Kabuto shared a look. An astounded silence echoed in the room. They were impressed by her diligence and persistence, but there was something unsettling in her resemblance to both Tsunade and Uchiha Itachi. Kurotsuchi leaned forward curiously.

"Who was your red-haired companion?"

She answered without a second beat. "Akasuna no Sasori."

::

After the conference, the Kage had engaged in light chatter around the meeting room. Sakura was speaking with the Suna shinobi, elaborating further on what went on between her and Sasori.

"So he just came into your office one day, alive and just there?!" Kankuro exclaimed. "Bullshit! He got stabbed in the heart!"

He scratched the back of his head. Temari smacked the back of his head.

"Kankuro!" she hissed.

"What?"

Sakura cracked a grin. Fights like these reminded her of Kisame's and Kabuto's arguing most days, making her consider kicking them both out of her office on more than one occasion. The thought of it almost made her roll her eyes. She threw a quick glance at Kabuto and pouted before she crossed her arms as Kakashi nervously made his way towards her.

"Could I speak with you for a few minutes?"

She regarded him for a moment before waving to Gaara and his quietly feuding family members and walking away with her old sensei. Gaara nodded at her and looked at his older sibling. Three seconds passed before he drifted somewhere quieter. Sakura and Kakashi found a secluded corner where they could talk.

"How can I help you?"

"Konoha's going to find about this one way or another," he said. "How are you going to reveal yourself to everyone? If I say one word about you, I know Naruto's going straight to Otogakure regardless of what anyone else says, and that's just going to cause you some inconvenience."

"So Naruto hasn't changed a bit, hm? That's good to know," she smiled. She turned the thought over in her mind. "Well, how does a treaty between Oto and Konoha sound with you?"

He gave his signature eye crinkle. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. When do you want to discuss the details?"

"Next week. I'll come to the village myself and see how well it's been doing under your guidance," she answered. Kakashi's eye suddenly widened in alarm.

"You'll come...? Won't that...?"

"Don't worry about me, Kakashi-san. I've been taking care of myself for a long time now," Sakura said. His expression turned somber. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, so many things he wanted to know, but it seemed that he could only say one thing.

"I'll see you then."

He watched as she walked away, all his sorrows pulsing through his body. Obito and Sakura. Two important people in his life had come back to haunt his mistakes.

He hoped whatever sick God that played this trick on him was satisfied.

::

Sakura strode over to exit the conference room. Shikamaru was leaning against the doorway, playing with the flame of his silver lighter. He looked up when she made his way over to his direction, but closed his eyes and turned his head away when he saw who it was.

She said nothing to him as she left the area.

When he sure Sakura was out of his general vicinity, he pocketed the lighter and dropped his head. "...Troublesome woman," he muttered.

::

EDITED 2.21.18