The Windmill Turns Both Ways

Crash

The medic-nin seemed busier than anyone else. The rebuilt hospital wasn't their only place of operation: they had multiple tents set up at different points in the village for minor care, in order to save space in the hospital for only the most serious cases. They also had a warehouse currently being stocked with supplies and organized by genin helpers. At that moment, the work there was being overseen by a single medic.

"Put them all in the same place," Sakura said to a genin team that was pushing a huge wheeled cart full of wooden crates. "Tsunade-sama needs this inventory report today. Just there, and go get the next one. I'll unload these." They gratefully scampered off.

"Sakura," Sai called.

Sakura turned as they approached and her face brightened. "Oh hey, Sai! Did you come to help?"

"Nope, just came to say hello," Sai said cheerfully. Sakura grumbled and started unloading crates off the cart.

She was taller and more sinewy than Naruto remembered. She had kept the cropped hair from the Exam, tied with a red hitai-ate. The pink hair and striking green eyes were the same as ever, but for the first time, Naruto really felt as though time had passed. She wore tall boots with a dark navy skirt and a sleeveless red vest with a light-colored tee underneath it.

She was even taller than him than before. And there was something else there, too. An aura of confidence that he hadn't even realized until now that she had been lacking before.

"So, what are you doing?" Sai said.

Sakura put down another crate and straightened up, dusting off her hands. "Tsunade-sama wants an inventory of all our medicinal herbs, in order to determine if we need to go collect some more. What are you doing? It's not nice for people on their days off to come taunt those that have to work, you know."

"I am working. I've been assigned to guard this person," Sai motioned toward Naruto.

Sakura shifted her attention to him for the first time and Naruto blushed a bit as she appraised him. She looked puzzled. After all, he was still disguised. She glanced at Pakkun near his feet and then back at Naruto.

"Who is this?"

"It's Naruto!" Sai said cheerfully.

"Ack—! Sai!" Naruto tugged on his arm. "I thought Kakashi-sensei said we were supposed to be top secret right now!"

"It's alright," Sai said. "Because Kakashi-sensei enlisted me for this task, this is a Team Kakashi mission now. That is why he put me on this task, and why he suggested we go out. If he doesn't say it explicitly, he can't get in trouble for it later."

"In theory," Pakkun added.

"Naruto?" Sakura frowned, hand on her hip. "I thought you were being sent out to the Land of Lightning. Or was that just a decoy or something?"

"Ah... he was sent out," Sai said. "But this one suddenly showed up, and we might have two Narutos running around now."

Sakura unexpectedly narrowed her eyes at Naruto with a hard, sharp expression he never knew she could make. It wasn't the usual glare like when he did something stupid. It was the cold, professional look of a shinobi analyzing a potential threat.

"I was about to take a little bit of a break," she said lightly, a tone that didn't match her expression. "Let's go catch up some."

She turned on her heel and walked toward the back of the warehouse. The boys followed, Naruto apprehensive and Sai as blandly chipper as ever. They arrived in a small breakroom and Sakura closed the door behind them. Naruto and Sai sat down in mismatched chairs around a folding table, and Sakura poured herself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot on the counter.