I stand in front of the mirror,

Not recognizing my own reflection.

Who is this girl?

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

"Give me one good reason on why I should allow you to continue to be Team Seven's instructor. In fact, give me one good reason on why I shouldn't strip you of your rank right here, right now."

Kakashi can only recall seeing his mentor this angry three times before now. The first time comes for Team Minato's first C-Rank mission out of Konoha which involved Obito nearly losing his leg and Rin with several broken ribs. The second time comes from the combined deaths of Obito and Rin. Kakashi refuses to call forth the details of those deaths. The third time comes from the near destruction of Konoha 12 years previously when he was forced to watch his sensei seal half of the Kyuubi inside his newborn son.

And now, Kakashi feels faint. The aura around his sensei is barely above suffocation. The intense sensation of anger has already sent surrounding chunin and jounin high-tailing it out of the Hokage Tower as fast as they can. The ANBU, which is assigned to the Hokage, is nowhere to be seen and Kakashi has no doubt that those who are required to stay in the Tower are having trouble operating. Having been back for just a couple of days, Kakashi had hoped this meeting would be pushed off for a bit longer.

He chooses to not reply in the end. It's clear Minato has more to say.

"You return past the time frame given and one of your students arrived in such poor condition that she is currently being hospitalized for," he pauses to pick up a sheet of his desk, "battered hands, torn throat, and near strangulation! Explain yourself, Kakashi! Why did you not return when you realized your client lied?!"

There is something truly terrifying about witnessing Namikaze Minato yell.

"I believed my team had the capability to complete the mission,"Kakashi answers after a moment. "And I was right."

Stern blue eyes bore into his own, into his soul. "And you continued knowing full well what the consequences could have been?"

"Yes, sensei."

While maintaining eye contact, Minato opens the top drawer of his desk, pulls out a thin stack of paper stapled together, and grabs a pen. "This packet lists the possible jobs you may enter once paperwork for your discharge has been completed." He starts writing on the first page, circling things, and whatnot. "I trusted you to look out for them, Kakashi. I am so utterly disappointed."

Kakashi averts his gaze to the floor.

He hears the desk chair's wheels roll and papers shift. "And now I will accompany you to the hospital - where I'm sure your former team is gathered - so that you may announce your withdrawal as their sensei." Kakashi feels the subtle brush against his shoulder followed by the light squeak of the office door being opened. "We will walk."

Of course, we will.

The idea of having to follow five or so steps behind the Hokage, in public view, is telling of his disservice to his team. As the pupil of the Hokage, it will also showcase the Hokage's dissatisfaction with him. And really, he deserves this. The entire trip to the hospital, Kakashi remains behind the Hokage and keeps a stoic face when the villagers start glancing at him alarmed and start whispering amongst themselves. Occasionally, Kakashi's eyes flicker to his discharge paper gripped tightly in his mentor's hand.

I haven't been the talk of the village for a while.

Kakashi immediately senses several panicking chakras the moment they enter the hospital. He knows them to be his stud - the children of prestigious clans. Sakura's chakra, in particular, is spiking before dropping and then spiking again. A clear sign that she is in some sort of danger. Her chakra outweighs the combined chakra of Sasuke and Naruto and their mutual friend, Yamanaka Ino (the Yamanaka girl having been Sakura's companion for years now).

"What is going on?!"

"Patient 213, Haruno, has been - "

Kakashi tunes out the rest of the rushed reply, fighting the urge to simply go to his students - damn it! - and ease their worries. All thoughts of not disobeying silent orders fly right out of his head when Sakura's chakra heightens to such a degree, that he hears ringing in his ears. The hospital walls shake, they groan as if something is squeezing them. He throws caution to the wind and races for Sakura's room. Not even a second later, his sensei is running next to him, running past him.

The door to Sakura's room is thrown open seconds before he arrives and Kakashi freezes upon seeing the inside. Far too many clones of Naruto stand between a crying Sakura - whom an equally crying Ino and clearly distraught Sasuke are trying to calm down - and several hospital staff members.

"Sensei," Naruto - the real Naruto - turns to him; his relief reflecting Kakashi's relief of seeing Naruto defend his female teammate from what he clearly believes are enemies. "She's been asking for you over and over again. We couldn't leave her though!"

His relief vanishes when Sakura let lets out a choked sob.

"Let me through."

He doesn't say this to Naruto nor any of the staff. No. He says this while looking directly at his mentor who is torn in equal parts worry and anger. Worry for Sakura is as clear as the sky presently and anger could revolve around several things. Anger at him? Obviously. Anger towards Sakura's current state? Yes. Anger at the hospital staff? Highly likely.

"Sensei." Please.

"Back away from the hospital bed," Minato states, maintaining eye contact with Kakashi. "All of you." There is hesitation, obviously, but the many poofing sounds of Naruto's clones disappearing and the shuffling of feet, child or adult-wise, follow soon after. The silence of the room is broken by Sakura's dry heaving and choked sounds. "Go to her, Kakashi." Something he can't identify flickers across Minato's eyes.

Instead, Kakashi takes measured steps towards Sakura with his hands out in front of him in a nonhostile gesture. "Sakura." Her eyes shoot to his face, but Kakashi knows she doesn't really see him. "We're in Konoha. It's Friday, April 12th. The current time is," he briefly glances at the clock on the wall, "11:46 AM. You're home. You're safe."

Sakura sucks in a shaky breath. "Home?" There are still tears streaming down her face.

"Yes, Sakura. Home."

"Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Safe and sound. They're behind me with Ino."

"Ino?"

There's a soft, distressed sound. "I'm here, Sakura. I'm here with the boys and Kakashi-sensei and Naruto's dad."

Kakashi continues to approach her slowly until he's at her side. What happens next almost causes him to visibly startle. Sakura's hand, that has been gripping the bed sheets pooled at her waist, shoots out and grabs his pinky - his single pinky - and squeezes. Her grip it bordering on breakable tightness, but he makes no comment. The action, he knows, keeps her grounded.

"Safe?" Sakura asks again.

"Safe."

Reassured and completely exhausted, Sakura passes out all the while maintaining her stern grip on Kakashi's pinky.

"Why was she crying?" Kakashi asks while pulling a tissue from the box next to her bedside and gently wipes away the tear tracks under her eyes. "What could have possibly happened in the time span of two hours?" He visited Sakura with Naruto and Sasuke earlier this morning and only left when he was summoned to the Hokage's office for a verbal beatdown.

"I would like to know the answer to that as well."

One of the nurses stepped forward, stammering out a reply. "W-we came to g-give her - "

"Cut the shit, lady!" Naruto hisses.

"Naruto!"

But the sharp tone to his name didn't stop Naruto at all.

"You were holding her down!" Naruto cries softly, rage rolling off his body. "She kept telling you to let go, but you wouldn't listen!"

"Did you not read the paper we filled out?" This time, it is Sasuke who steps forward. His anger, Kakashi notes, is barely being rained in. "Kakashi-sensei specifically stated that Sakura should not be held down at all cost because of w-what happened to her, of what nearly happened to her!"

Kakashi balls the tissue in his hand tightly.

"Sakura-chan, what happened to you?" Naruto asked during dinner, soft and gentle. A private dinner, of course, and quickly granted upon Sakura's request to simply not leave the room provided for her to recover.

Having been provided paper to communicate, Sakura sets aside her spoon and picks up the pad of paper and pencil that came with it. For the next few minutes, Kakashi observes the way her hand trembles, how she hesitates several times, how she viciously scratches out details, and the area around her eyes steadily grow red; an indication that she may start crying.

When's she done, Sakura lays her pen down and simply stares at the paper blankly before handing the pad to Sasuke to either read silently or out loud. The moment it's out of her hands, Sakura immediately picks up her spoon again and resumes eating her soup.

"Do you want me to read out loud?" Sasuke asks, as softly as Naruto.

She shrugs.

Sasuke stares at her, eyes unreadable before he visibly swallows and starts reading out loud: "After the explosion, I was located by Gato's men and carried off unconscious. I awoke in a cellar with 10 or so other girls who have been kidnapped and were supposed to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, myself included - "

The hospital staff deliberately disobeyed me, Kakashi watches Naruto and Sasuke tag-team against the sputtering, red-faced nurse. But I put Sakura in this situation by continuing the mission.

"Calm down right now," Minato commands.

" - I killed them," Sasuke pauses after that, frowning at the paper.

At this point, Sakura's hands are shaking. She has wasn't holding her spoon anymore.

"Sakura-chan..."

Kakashi sees Sakura's barely-there flinch and knows Sasuke saw it too if the boy's subtle shift closer to her is anything to go by. "Continue, Sasuke." He keeps a calm face when Sasuke looks at him surprised.

"I was tackled from behind and blacked out for a moment. When I came too, one of the remaining men was on top of me. He started to touch me inappropriately -," Sasuke stops immediately and quickly reads the rest silently before practically throwing the pad at Naruto and abandoning dinner.

Naruto catches it, anxiety written all over his face, and reads the rest. He, too, drops the pad and abandons dinner. Kakashi knows what is written on the paper. He knows and feels disgusted. But still, he reaches over and picks up the paper and reads the words himself. He can see the result of Sakura's shaky handwriting and the dark marks crossing whole sentences out.

"How far did that man go, Sakura?"

"He did not take my virginity, sensei." Sakura lifts her head to stare him directly in the eyes. Her voice cracks terribly. "I r-refused to go down w-without a fight."

"He deserved the death he got, Sakura." Kakashi nods to the senbon needle holding her hair up. "Proof of your survival."

Sakura's shoulders slump. "Sasuke and Naruto - "

" - are not mad at you. They are mad at the situation. They feel powerless, Sakura, and I did not help the situation." She shakes her head as best she can but Kakashi raises his hand to stop her from speaking. "True, there was no lead to your location but that doesn't change how they felt, how they feel now." He hesitates. "Doesn't change my actions either."

She sighs, face adopting an irritated expression.

"Kakashi-sensei - "

"Kakashi-sensei?"

He blinks.

Bright lights.

White walls.

The steady sound of beeping machines.

The hospital.

"Forgive me," he replies without looking away from Sakura.

'Forgive me' can be taken in several different contexts, but he'll let each of them decide what he's asking forgiveness for. He hears shuffling until a smaller presence is standing next to him.

"She kept calling your name."

Yamanaka Ino.

"She did," Naruto insists. "Kept saying that you needed to be here. Said something along the lines of the team needs to be together or she won't heal properly."

Oh, Sakura. Kakashi blinks, an odd sensation building up in the back of his eyes. You kind child.

"Kakashi, a word?" It's a command above all else and the denial is barely refrained from slipping off his tongue. Guilt floods his veins when he forces Sakura to let go of his pinky but does find a little relief when Ino takes his place and soothes quickly furling pink brows.

"You'll be back soon, right?" Sasuke steps in his way. "If she wakes up and you're not here..."

Kakashi's pats his as a response and follows his sensei out of the room. He barely catches notice that none of the hospital staff are in the room either. Once he's out of the room, he waits to be handed the discharge papers - though impatient - and be dismissed; either ordered to leave at once or to say his final good-byes.

That doesn't happen, however, and Kakashi watches, with faintly wide eyes, as his discharge papers are ripped in half and pocketed in his sensei's white, fire Hokage jacket.

"Do not make me regret this, Kakashi," His sensei - no, Lord Fourth - states with a serious, almost chilly, tone. "I expect Team Seven in my office precisely at eight o'clock and we will discuss your continuation as their sensei with all of them present. I also want detailed accounts from all of them." He frowns.

"Sensei," he calls out as Minato is in mid-turn of walking away. "May I ask why you're giving me a second chance?"

"As a hailed genius, I'm sure you already know."

Kakashi bows to the fading back of his mentor. "Thank you, sensei."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Sasuke watches as Ino settles on one side of the large hospital bed, lithe body curling around Sakura's in a possessive manner, hair just barely brushing her exposed collarbone. He does feel a bit jealous but ultimately recognizes that Ino - of all people - should be allowed this time with Sakura, knowing full well the bond between the girls is far greater than what is seen.

"It's way past Sakura's birthday now," Naruto starts when Sasuke takes the available seat next to him next to the bed. "She's 13 now and we're still 12. We should have a party of some sort. My mom can bake a cake or maybe your mom can bake a cake or maybe Ino's mom can bake a cake - "

"Naruto, it's okay to still be upset about what we saw today."

Sasuke feels like a counselor of some sort.

"I've never seen her cry like that before." Sasuke glances down at Naruto's trembling hands, both gripping his knees. "I haven't heard her scream like that in so long. Not since the nightmares..."

And it's true. Sasuke can agree. Sakura's nightmares in the months following her parent's murder were terrible and constant. Whoever's house she was staying at was subjected to her screams. Sometimes, it was far worse if she was in her own home. Sasuke can recall seeing his mother rock Sakura back and forth in an attempt to soothe her cries. The night's they're at Naruto's place ended in much of the same manner.

Neither he nor Naruto slept over at Ino's house but he figures it ended the same way.

"We have to keep her safe, Sasuke." There's a desperate sort of look in Naruto's eye.

"I know - "

"You can't her safe forever."

Both their heads snap to the door. Kakashi is leaning against the door to Sakura's room. Neither heard him enter or close the door. Something like annoyance or anger sparks in Sasuke's chest.

"We can try."

"She'll do the same exact thing with you two. The same with Ino." Kakashi walks towards them. "It's the very nature of close teammates, but even more so considering your pre-assigned history. Sakura is just as protective."

Any anger, any snappish thoughts, drain out of Sasuke quickly. Kakashi is right. She would. They would. But how far will it be taken? How far is too far? Will she die for them? Them for her?

"Sakura's birthday passed, but I think you should still do some sort of celebration." Kakashi leans against the wall, by the only window in the room. "She will more than likely want to be close to those she loves."

"Yeah," Naruto mumbles. "I even bought her a gift a while back."

Sasuke nods. He, too, went shopping a while back for a gift for Sakura. His, most likely, is a lot more simplistic than Naruto.

"Monday, the three of us need to report to the Hokage's office. Be there no later than 8."

Naruto groans and rubs his face. "Dad said we'd be done for a while. Why so early?"

"He wants a recount of the events during our mission - "

"Isn't that your job?" Sasuke interrupts.

" - from you two. He will also have you three evaluate me as a sensei."

Sasuke freezes. He hasn't been subtle with his anger, his downright rude attitude, with their sensei. He places a good amount of blame for Sakura's condition on Kakashi - justifiably, in his opinion - but also owns up that some of the blame belongs to himself. Sasuke's gaze flickers to Sakura. The bruising around her neck has let up some - just barely - and she seems incredibly small in the large hospital bed. The red specs on her bandaged hands indicate that they will need to be changed soon.

Sakura trusts Kakashi-sensei. She trusted him to keep Naruto and I save. The question that remains, Sasuke glances at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, is if I trust him?

Kakashi keeps his eyes directly on Sakura's sleeping form. Yamanaka Ino, despite being asleep right along with her, is careful not to brush against Sakura's collarbone or neck when she shifts in her sleep. For a brief moment, he feels stuck in a past that he's desperately trying to escape. Sakura shares a resemblance to Rin. He'll be the first to admit it. Delicate features often mistook as weak seeming until one fight's back with a deadly intent. Rin also looked small in the hospital bed when he managed to get her back to Konoha.

That was two years after Obito's death.

A wound that was just barely healing was once against wide open, bleeding profusely. He remembers holding Rin's broken hand while yelling at the doctor's to - "You're not trying hard enough!" - fix her, to save her - "Please." - but they couldn't. Rin died in her hospital three days after Kakashi carried her through Konoha's gates. Much like Obito's funeral, Kakashi cried for the loss of a good friend, a great shinobi, and a tender love that never reached its final stage.

"Be honest when Lord Fourth asks you questions." Kakashi's fingers twitch, a sudden need to have his book out. "Especially if they relate to me."

"Sakura-chan likes you," Naruto replies immediately. "I don't know how I feel about you, but she explained why you choose to keep us from looking for her. Sakura-chan is really smart and I trust her judgment."

"And you?" Kakashi moves his gaze from Sakura to Sasuke. "What is your opinion of me, Sasuke?"

"Lower than it was before," Sasuke answers, dark gaze unrepentant. "I blame you for Sakura's condition." Kakashi's nods. It's something they agree on. "But..." He raises an eyebrow at Sasuke's hesitance. "Sakura has no regrets about continuing the mission and did a lot for the people of Wave. My opinion of you is low, but Sakura wants you to remain our sensei because she sees something in you that we -," Sasuke motions between himself and Naruto, "- don't and I want the chance to see it too."

Naruto nods. "I can't speak for Sasuke, but I don't think you're a bad guy, sensei. I did beg for us to have a mission outside of Konoha and it was given to us. I was happy we continued up until Sakura-chan went missing."

Sasuke, Kakashi notes silently, gives a jerky nod in agreement.

"We learned tree climbing too," Naruto continues. "That's a plus, right? And Sakura found her way back to us. Our mission was still a success."

Leave it to Naruto to try and be uplifting.

"S-Sakura has a high opinion of Kakashi-sensei." All eyes snapped to Sakura's hospital bed. Ino is sitting up, ponytail somewhat sloppy, and yawns. "She said Kakashi-sensei kept you two from being reckless and therefore kept you both save. In Sakura's book, that's the best thing you can do for her." Ino's eyes fall to Kakashi. "She'll speak in your defense in front of Lord Fourth."

Mission details are usually hushed, especially if it's B-Rank and above, but Kakashi knows the amount of trust Sakura has in her only female friend. But considering what he and the boys just openly discussed, Kakashi's inclined to simply trust her word. She knows Sakura better than him. They all do, in fact. And Yamanaka's, after all, are Konoha's greatest secret keepers.

It all boils down to what Sakura thinks?

"Interesting," Kakashi murmurs under his breath.

"I like you, sensei."

"If Rin likes you, I like you!" Obito yells while shooting their sensei a big thumbs up. "She has a good understanding of character!"

Rin blushes, eyes gazing intently at the forest floor. "Oh, Obito."

"You've given us no reason to dislike you yet, Minato-sensei, so I agree with Rin." And then, after an afterthought, "And the idiot."

"Hey!"

Kakashi stops himself from releasing a bitter chuckle.

It was like that for us too.

"The bandages on her hands will need to be changed soon," he hears Sasuke state quietly.

"Why aren't they healed?" Naruto demands in an equally quiet voice. "We've been back for two days!"

It's a good, fair question in Kakashi's unspoken opinion. Why aren't Sakura's hands healed by now? He doesn't know medical jutsu and mainly had to rely on changing the bandages on her hands when the blood soaks through too much and the bandages were limited between them. Sakura never complained through, but he chalks that up to ordering her not to speak unless she absolutely had to given the condition of her throat at the time.

"She wants them to scar over," Ino answers while gently stroking Sakura's messy pink hair. "She wouldn't tell me why, but I didn't push. A-After everything that's happened, I figured she's allowed to keep the reason to herself."

Kakashi automatically starts mentally listing reasons why Sakura would allow her hands to scar but remains silent. He knows a few other people with scarred hands that still do efficient work. Besides, torn hands can still hold a weapon and perform hand-to-hand combat and create signs. So, no. He won't voice his ideas. If anything, Sakura is giving him a great chance to do better as a sensei so remaining silent is paying in kind.

"I have a couple of guesses," and that's all Sasuke offers.

"We should plan her birthday party," Ino starts when the silence goes on too long. "I was thinking it can be green and white and involve lots of flowers."

"Sakura-chan does love her garden," Naruto throws out. "She makes me pull out weeds sometimes."

"At least you don't have to use the hose."

The way Sasuke says it indicates there's a story there. Kakashi plans to ask - "You looked like a drowning cat that one time!" - never mind. Naruto bumps shoulders with Sasuke. "It was seriously funny, Sasuke."

"It was your fault!"

"Keep being loud like that and I'll kick you both out!" Ino gets up, hands immediately going to her hips. "Complain on your own time."

Sasuke and Naruto avert their gazes to the floor, thoroughly reprimanded.

"We - "

"Keep safe." Everyone freezes on the spot. All eyes fall to Sakura who, with clenched fists and set jaw, seems to be stuck in some sort of nightmare. "Kakashi-sensei...keep t-...safe."

He moves to stand next to her bed, hand reaching out to stroke her messy hair. "I promise to keep them safe."

"Really?"

Sakura is awake now, Kakashi knows, but she doesn't open her eyes.

"Really."

She opens her eyes after that and locks them with Kakashi's. They're still clouded, he notes. Still tired and still dull. He will make the suggestion for her to speak to a counselor in a private moment. Especially if he wants her to be okay. Sakura, he considers, is a particular young girl but she's smart and strong and he fully believes she will overcome.

She'd make a good sensei, he briefly muses.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's there, shoving Kakashi aside without a care but Kakashi doesn't mind. He steps back some more for Sasuke to also be right up against her hospital bed and observes his team silently.

Sasuke doesn't like me, Naruto doesn't know how he feels about me, and Sakura wants me to remain their sensei. Minato-sensei will have them evaluate me in his presence and I could still very well be discharged from all services. If I remain their sensei, there will be no out-of-Konoha missions for a while. Months, even. There is the chunin exams which, in terms of skill, they are somewhat ready. Will Minato-sensei allow me to enter them in if I deem them ready? He watches Sasuke lean over and take Sakura's hand as gently as possible. A good, close-knit team has better chances of survival, but more to lose.

" - and there will be lots of cake!" Naruto cheers.

Kakashi blinks.

"We'll make sure there's a separate one for Naruto since he ate most of it last time," Ino replies instantly.

"Hey!"

"It's okay, Naruto." Sakura is smiling, although it's small. "You can eat all the cake you want."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

"We're going to discuss your mission," Minato begins when Team Seven is present and at attention. "I have read the report your sensei has provided but I want to hear firsthand of what you experienced after Sakura was separated from you. Sasuke, you may begin."

He sees Sakura's barely-there shift out of the corner of his eye and fights back a small smile when Naruto subtly grips her hand, her returning the grip with a fierce hold.

"The explosion that separated us knocked Naruto and I unconscious, injured Kakashi-sensei, and did not harm Tazuna-san nearly as much. Naruto woke up before me and demanded to go look for Sakura. When I woke up, I demanded the same." Sasuke hesitates. "Kakashi-sensei ordered us to remain at Tazuna-san's home because we were injured and had no leads to Sakura's whereabouts." He looks to Naruto for continuation.

"I was angry," Naruto starts immediately. "I wanted to look for Sakura-chan, but I wasn't allowed to leave. Sensei said we still had a mission to complete and it was our duty to carry it out."

Minato flickers his gaze to Kakashi who, upon being under it, averts his eyes to the floor. "Continue," he orders.

"Because we weren't allowed to leave, Sasuke and I sparred together. I said some...mean things and he was just as much of an asshole." Sasuke snorts quietly. Minato sighs at his son's language. "It took us a while to finally accept that Kakashi-sensei was right. If we randomly barged into an area demanding her return, she could have been killed." His free hand is clenched tightly, trembling.

"To compromise, I think," Sasuke takes over, looking at Kakashi, "Sensei taught us tree climbing. Wave is a highly forested island so the lessons would greatly benefit us."

Naruto nods. "I didn't get it right away and ended staying outside all night. I met a boy named Haku. Turns out he's a hunter-nin and he worked for the guy after our client. He healed a couple of scratches on my face with a healing balm and we talked about our precious people and I, ah, mentioned that Sakura-chan was missing and he told me that if he saw her, he'd let her know where we were."

This foolish child of mine, Minato thinks while shaking his head.

But what goes from there is the fight that involves Naruto, Sasuke, and this mysterious Haku (whom Kakashi could not give many details on and neither, apparently, can Naruto) and the brief thoughts of Kakashi's fight with Zabuza.

"I remember saying Sakura-chan's name before passing out. I r-remember crying when I saw the condition she was in after waking up in Tazuna-san's home."

And that's how Naruto ends his speech. Eyes staring at the ground, one hand gripping Sakura's and the other now gripping the bottom of Sasuke's shirt.

"It was hard to see her in such a state," Sasuke states. "I didn't know how to react. She could barely manage a few words and she couldn't turn her head more than an inch or so."

"And would you place blame on your sensei for her condition?" Minato knows he's being cruel, but disregards the bitter feelings in his stomach.

"He's part of the reason, yes."

Stapling his fingers together, he nods. Sakura is looking at Sasuke blankly. "Who else is to blame, Sasuke?"

"M- "

"Me," Naruto states. "I'm the one who asked for a mission outside of Konoha."

"But as your sensei, Kakashi should have returned you three back to the village when he realized our client lied."

Naruto shakes his head. "I'm the one that demanded we continue and I was happy that we did until Sakura-chan went missing."

"And who do you think should be blamed for the condition you returned in, Sakura?"

Without letting go of Naruto's hand, she locks eyes with him and states, in a soft but firm voice, "Gato and his men."

"You do not blame your sensei? You do not have to feel a sense of loyalty to him, Sakura. He was in the wr- "

"Forgive me," she interrupts. "It's not a matter of loyalty, Lord Fourth. In the grand scheme of things, his actions were wrong but that mainly falls on the fact that Naruto, Sasuke, and I are classified as genin. I prefer to think that the outcome of the mission has greater weight than simply continuing it." She pauses to take a shaky inhale. "The Land of Wave was liberated, a tyrant was dealt with, what would have been a child sex-trafficking ring was foiled - the men involved dead - and needless violence and death were stopped. If anything, I should be thanking Kakashi-sensei."

Now that had her teammates staring at her in open shock, Kakashi included.

"He kept Naruto and Sasuke safe. That's the most important thing to me, Lord Fourth. Even above our client's well-being." Sakura reaches down to grab Sasuke's hand and he takes it without hesitating. "Yes, I was hurt. Yes, I was almost," she pauses briefly, "raped - " Sasuke and Naruto flinch simultaneously, " - and yes, I was almost strangled to death, but I would go through it again if it meant Naruto and Sasuke were safe. Kakashi-sensei did that. How can I fault him for keeping my teammates safe?" Her voice takes on a softer tone. "I helped a group of young girls regain their free will. I would never take that back."

Minato watches as Sasuke turns towards her, face pulled into a frown but eyes filled with too many emotions.

"I won't speak for Sasuke and Naruto but I think we can learn a lot from him and he could learn a lot from us." She ends this with a determined glance at Kakashi.

Her words leave him conflicted and isn't it just like Sakura to speak like this? Fugaku didn't express any outward concern for Sasuke while Mikoto shifted her worry between her son and his teammates. He remembers seeing Mikoto and Kushina close to tears when he arrived at Sakura's hospital room the first time.

"Team Seven will stick to D-Rank missions for the rest of the month. A minimum of five a week. Reports will be filled out by a different person each time and will be delivered to me in person."

"And Team Seven's leader?" Sakura asks.

"Hatake Kakashi."

She bows deeply, still holding hands with her teammates, and smiles her thanks when she stands back up straight.

"Now, I believe there's a party you three don't want to miss. You better get going."

Naruto's eyes go wide. "Sakura-chan, you can't be late to your own birthday party! My mom will kill me!"

"Not unless my mom kills you first!" Sasuke snaps. "You pinky-promised her, idiot!"

Minato smiles. These kids...

"Dismissed. Kakashi, remain behind."

He watches as Kakashi waves off the concerned look on Sakura's face as she's being led out of the Hokage's office.

"I'm still disappointed," he begins. "I truly expected better of you, Kakashi. These kids are extraordinary in terms of skill and bond. You are to guide them on the right path. It is your duty as their mentor. Sakura regards you highly, it's clear Sasuke doesn't have a high opinion of you, and Naruto is...indifferent, to say the least. Those boys will follow Sakura to the end of the earth as you are now very aware." Kakashi nods. "She intends to follow you."

"I will do better in the future, sensei. I swear."

"I will hold you to that, Kakashi." Minato picks up a sheet of paper. "You may have noticed that I didn't have Sakura verbally recount the details during the separation. She provided this for me. The boys have read this?"

"Most of it. They aren't fully aware of what happened to Gato or his men. They could not bring themselves to finish reading it."

"I see. In your opinion, how do think they fair mentally?"

"Sasuke and Naruto are okay, I believe. Sasuke informed me that he spoke to his brother about the mission and I believed that helped. Naruto has a close bond with Umino Iruka at the Academy and also spoke to him. As for Sakura - "

"She will need to speak to someone. I do not, under any circumstances, want a repeat of what happened at the hospital."

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. "She has agreed to speak to Yamanaka Ino's father, Inoichi. When? I could not tell you. She may approach him at some point tonight since her birthday party will be held at the Yamanaka compound."

"You approached her about it?"

"No, sensei. She approached me. I merely made the suggestion."

Naruto is smearing frosting all over Sasuke's face when Sakura pulls him aside. She doesn't seem as tense as she was the last few nights, her eyes no longer glassy and personality no longer detached. They are inside Sakura's home, cake testing, and Ino's loud laughter covers the yelling between Sasuke and Naruto. When they've decided on a flavor, they are to inform Naruto's mom immediately.

"I have nightmares," she starts. "If I tell Naruto and Sasuke, they'll become even more overbearing. It's difficult, sometimes, to speak to them about this. I even have a hard time talking to Ino."

"They are sympathetic, but they cannot relate."

"I don't ever want them too." Her reply is snappish but she apologizes immediately after. "I think I need to talk to someone. Sometimes, I feel like I'm drowning."

Kakashi reaches out and puts her head. "The first step to receiving help is to recognize you need it." He sighs. "We can talk if you'd like but I might not be able to give you the help you need. A licensed counselor would be a better option, Sakura."

Naruto screams when Sasuke tackles him to the ground and rubs poorly frosted cake all over his face. Sakura bites her lip. "I don't know, sensei. I don't want to speak to someone new."

Ino starts yelling at the boys to knock it off and then an idea strikes him.

"Perhaps, you'd be willing to speak to Ino's father?"

"Iniochi-san is head of Konoha's Tactical Department."

"Yes, but he's also counseled plenty of shinobi who have experienced difficult times in their lives. He's legally required to keep all information to himself."

She shrugs. "He's a busy man."

"You're the best friend of his only child. He'll have time for you." Sakura turns away when Ino calls her over. "And Sakura," she pauses, "if not him, then try to see someone soon, okay? Holding off on this won't help you."

"I will speak to Inoichi-san."

"Promise?"

Her lips twitch into a barely-there smile. "I promise, sensei."

"I'm glad to hear that," Minato replies. "I worry for her - for them - and forcing her to speak to someone could have been disastrous." He blinks, vaguely recalling the time he tried to force Kakashi to speak to someone after - well, he won't go there. "Your D-Rank missions start tomorrow at 10 AM. Figure out a way to inform your students. Dismissed."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

As the party carried on, Sakura felt more and more anxious. Twice now, she's attempted to escape her friends to speak to Ino's dad privately and both times were foiled by Naruto insistence that she comments on the cake his mom baked her - it's lovely by all means and tastes wonderful - and Ino's need to have Sakura within her sight at all times. Sasuke doesn't recognize this, only rolling his eyes every so often at something Naruto says.

The only one who seems to sense her discomfort is Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, who is there to watch over his brother and to give Sakura a gift. He kindly excuses her from the small group before leading her into the hallway. In the room across from the one she and her friends are in, the adults are gathered. Sakura can hear them chat just as lively.

"Inoichi-san?" Itachi asks her. "He is the one you wish to speak to?"

"Ever perspective, Itachi-nii," she whispers in reply. "But I don't want to be a bother."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "The person of whom the party is for is unhappy. That is a problem."

"It can wait until another time," she replies. "Everyone else is happy."

"Tonight is about your happiness, Sakura-hime."

She can't help but smile easily at the title that slips through his lips. Years of being told stories by Sasuke's older brother, of being addressed as such, reminders of her parents.

"It makes sense," her dad says when she tells him. "You, your mom, and Lady Tsunade are descendants of Lord First and Lord Second. It's a fitting title, Sakura. Itachi-san is a clever boy."

"What did Sasuke tell you?"

"He did not disclose details pertaining to you if that is what's causing you worry."

Sakura bites her lower lip. "Can you please get Inoichi-san?"

"Of course." He pats her head affectionately before entering the room holding the adults. Cheerful greetings of "Itachi!" reach her ears as Sakura moves a little further down the hall hoping for a bit more privacy.

"Sakura-chan?" She turns around to see the concerned look face of Ino's dad. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry for taking up your time, Inoichi-san, but I have a problem." Damn, tears are already building behind her eyes. "P-Please."

"Of course, of course. Do you want to go to my office?"

She nods, not trusting herself to speak.

It's going to be a long night.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

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