The Heiress (UNDER REVISION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE)

Red Dawn

Orochimaru frowned as he read the scroll once more. 'CURED BY UCHIHA. ALPHA ALIVE.', it read. The snake sannin growled as he threw the scroll to the nearest wall.

"Impossible! My venoms are incurable by Konoha Medical ninjas!" His golden eyes narrowed with anger.

Exhaling, he managed to calm himself, "That Sakura continues to amaze me." He chuckled with a crazed look.

"Alright then, no more games!" He grinned.

---

"Don't you have your own hospital bed to be in?" Kakashi drawled out as he caught the pinkette by her hospital gown.

It was already near midnight, two weeks after Team Alpha's encounter with the Snake Sannin. Despite it being past visiting hours, Kakashi felt something in his chest that the idiot - genius prodigy was doing something again. Thus, he found himself scolding the still recovering pinkette.

"I'm just making sure that they're still alive." Sakura said as she kept her eyes on her unconscious team mates. "Orochimaru's venoms were difficult. If I hadn't found the Slug Sage's old books, I wouldn't have found a solution for them."

A lone onyx eye looked at her, the dejected and soft look didn't belong on the usually stoic and stern pinkette. "But you did. You're not a full - fledged medic but you managed to do the impossible. Ryuu and Takeshi will survive," he said before he dragged the pinkette out of the room, "You, on the other hand, won't last another minute out of your bed."

"Kakashi! I'm fine!" Sakura reasoned as he dragged her to her room by her wrist. 

"You used hiraishin from the edge of the border to the gate with two extra people. With no care for your own injuries, you hounded the entire library for Tsunade Senju's medical books and tomes and proceeded to copy one of her advanced techniques to remove Orochimaru's snake venoms on two people. After that, you promptly collapsed and were unconscious for four days." Kakashi drawled out as he opened her room and shoved her to the bed, "And you scold me for being a difficult patient?" He scoffed. 

"But Ryuu and Takeshi - "

"But nothing. Your family's worried sick and they'll visit you tomorrow morning. Get some sleep, idiot."

"Kakashi!" Sakura whined, "I'm. Fine." She grounded out, her eyebrows were pulled together and her mouth was set on a cute pout.

Kakashi looked at her before he sighed, "Are you really?" He asked, his voice soft for once. 

Sakura paused, her unusual emerald orbs blinked at him. For the first time, she saw the restlessness in his eye. His shoulders were tense and his ever - present slouch was nowhere to be found. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, which made sense since... wasn't he supposed to be on a mission?

"Aren't you supposed to be in Kiri?" She asked.

He snorted. "Imagine my surprise when little Itachi sent me a crow with an urgent letter telling me to get my ass back home. I don't even know how he managed to convince the Hokage to pull me out of my mission."

"But Kiri takes days to travel, Kashi."

"Wouldn't you like to know how I got here?" From under his mask, he smirked. "You're not the only one who can use hiraishin here and there."

Sakura blinked before she sighed in defeat, "Idiot."

"Correction: Your idiot."

The pinkette giggled, "I haven't said yes yet."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "You're just mean and making me wait. Even Fugaku - sama's not that mean."

The duo laughed softly and continued to talk, unconsciously spending hours just talking. Though Kakashi may not have said anything, he was scared shitless when he heard that Team Alpha engaged Orochimaru.

Even though it was their mission to search and disband the sannin's labs, Orochimaru was still one of the strongest shinobi produced by Konoha. Kakashi really hauled his ass to get home as soon as possible. 

---

[ Two days later ]

"Akatsuki?" Sakura asked, "We're actually investigating them now?"

Hiruzen nodded from his seat beside the hospital bed, "While you were on your mission, Jiraiya and I have been contacting back and forth with new information about them."

The pinkette frowned, "Orochimaru's joined the Akatsuki, that Zetsu clone has confirmed our suspicions." She sighed, suddenly feeling tired from everything that had happened for the past year.

"Yes," Hiruzen agreed, "Which is why I'm asking Team Alpha to do a reconnaissance mission for me when you're all ready and cleared from the hospital."

"Why us? Kakashi's squad can take the mission. They're just as qualified as we are."

"So it may be. But Hound's squad is still not solid. With the latest addition of your younger brother, their squad is still awkward when it comes to dealing sensitive missions."

"Shisui's?"

"I'm assigning them a different mission, but also connected to yours. Jiraiya has reason to believe that they are scouting Deidara of Iwa and Hoshigaki Kisame, they'll be sent to handle the Mizukage and Tsuchikage."

Sakura hummed, "How long will this mission be?" She asked, heart breaking a little at the thought of leaving her family indefinitely again.

"A month or two. In case of any suspicious activities, you'll go back here and we'll plan before doing any grave actions."

"What will we be looking for?" She asked, her emerald eyes gleamed with suspicion.

"The organization's goals, hierarchy, and if possible all the members involved as of the moment. You are to not engage or directly involve yourself with them."

Sakura sighed, "That's a lot for two months."

Hiruzen chuckled, "I live to run you to the ground, Sakura - chan."

---

Orochimaru let out a wry smile as he looked at the folder in front of him. "Her?" The familiar emerald eyes seemed to mock him even on paper.

Zetsu nodded, "It's not official, but Pein - sama seems determined to scout Uchiha Sakura to our ranks." His white half said. "But the bitch isn't the top priority as of the moment." The darker side scoffed. 

The sannin cocked his head to the side, "And who is the current priority, if you don't mind me asking?"

Zetsu grinned, "Kakuzu."