"It's all Gato's work." The old man mumbled, fingering his beer bottle.

Sakura's lips thinned. That's right. The guy who bankrupted the Land of the Waves.

"Gato?" asked Naruto, raising his eyebrows. Tazuna stared at Naruto for a few seconds before shifting his gaze onto Kakashi. When he noticed that the silver-haired man contained the same perplexed look, he frowned.

"Don't tell me you don't know who Gato is?" he semi-shouted in disbelief.

The man in charge of rowing the wooden boat was quick to hush Tazuna. "Quiet, Tazuna-san. We are nearby. You don't want them hearing you. It would be the end of us all!"

Kakashi muttered, "I'm afraid I don't, Tazuna-san. Please enlighten us."

The bridge builder frowned, and then, speaking in a subdued tone, he replied, "He's an extremely wealthy and powerful businessman in charge of shipping. He took over our country, and ruined our economy. The only way we can fix everything is by creating a bridge across. That's where you guys come in."

"Eh? Really?" asked Naruto. His head was cocked to the side.

"Are you sure this boy is a ninja?" said Tazuna, glaring at the blonde. "Anyway, he hired shinobi. And not just any old shinobi. Some of them..." he shuddered.

Haku and Zabuza...

Who're they?

Missing nin that would've wiped the old me out in a few seconds.

"So... please. Help me save my people." whispered the bridge builder, interrupting Sakura's thoughts.

Although the rosette was quite reluctant to go through this tribulation yet again, she wanted to prove herself this time.

"This place looks so boring." Naruto yawned, as if to prove his point.

"Now there, Naruto. We're on a mission. Stay on guard." Kakashi chided Naruto lightly. He was tense, Sakura could tell. Things were going very badly.

Their trek soon began to take a turn upward, as not a single ninja bothered them as they made their way through the neverending trails.

Of course, not for long - Naruto took a few steps ahead of the group, and then, staring left and right, randomly swung a kunai into a bush.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, but otherwise she was silent. Meanwhile, Tazuna had a much different reaction.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR YOU STUPID LITTLE MIDGET!"

Naruto, ignoring Tazuna, darted around, and found -

a rabbit.

"Naruto..." said Kakashi. He frowned, but did not continue.

Sakura was itching to pummel Naruto - in fact, he deserved it, until she noticed the way he was gently cradling the rabbit, apologizing as if he was talking to the Hokage.

Why don't I remember him being like that?

Huh? What're you talking about? Being like what?

...Nevermind.

She suddenly flinched. She felt a foreign chakra signature, and it reeked of power.

Could it be... already?

"LOOK OUT!"

Immediately, the entire group (Sakura included) ducked as a massive sword swirled past their heads, barely missing by inches.

Said sword then hit a tree, where it was held in place.

Barely seconds later, a man dressed in cow-patterned arm and leg warmers stood on the hilt of the sword.

Sakura gasped.

It was Zabuza, one of the Seven Great Swordsmen.

Sakura had fought - not to mention slain - many powerful ninja before. In fact, compared to some of her previous battles, Zabuza didn't pose a very large threat (considering the fact that even Kakashi was here to help).

Yet, she couldn't move. She stared, wide-eyed at the man she'd been afraid of before. It was as if re-experiencing one of her worst nightmares had unlocked all of her hidden fears.

She even managed to block out the males of Team 7's discussion on the Sharingan, instead keeping her gaze only on the man up above.

Memories flooded her mind - a near-dead Sasuke, a wounded Naruto, the mist -

the mist.

I have to do something before he unleashes the mist... I probably couldn't handle landing a hit on him - after all, I'm in bad shape. But if I manage to distract him long enough for Kakashi-sensei to figure something out we might be able to win.. right?

She flung two kunai towards Zabuza, producing no change in reaction when he simply dodged to the right.

"Sakura!" shouted Kakashi, clenching his jaw.

"Fight me first!" yelled Sakura as boldly as she could.

Sasuke and Tazuna gaped at her while Naruto muttered "I wanted to say that!"

"What the-?" muttered Kakashi, panicking as he stared at the kunoichi to his left. "What are you thinking, Sakura? Didn't you just hear me when I told you guys that this isn't any ordinary ninja?"

"Just trust me, Kakashi-sensei!"

"It seems like your students are quite disobedient... eh, Kakashi?" said Zabuza, pulling out his sword with ease and leaping to the ground with surprising grace for a man of his stature.

"Alright then... fight me, kunoichi."

Suddenly, Zabuza leapt onto a nearby river. He stood still, holding one hand in the air and one to his chest as water began to swirl around him. Traces of mist began to litter the air.

Oh no you don't!

The pinkette sprinted towards the man in front of her, gathering chakra in her fist (unfortunately, much less than she normally would have).

Zabuza merely continued on. He was not worried in the slightest - a mere punch, even one with a bit of chakra, would not affect him. Besides, he was almost ready...

Instead of receiving a so-called "weak" punch, however, the ground began to rumble. For a moment Zabuza contemplated opening his eyes - but changed his mind. The rumble dissapeared as soon as it came.

Sakura glared at the ground, clenching her fists.

Drat! I still haven't reached usual skill yet. I barely even broke through the ground!

Kakashi frowned. Just who exactly was this kunoichi? She had made a smart move, even though it had failed.

Maybe he could trust her.

The entire time, the remaining half of team seven obediently guarded Tazuna. Both of them, though, were becoming extremely curious and envious.

Sasuke stared at the rosette a few yards in front of him. He was relieved she was not so much of a nusiance as he thought she was, yet...

He was irritated.

Irritated that a girl who barely spent any time training AT ALL bested him, an Uchiha, who had spent every ounce of his energy dedicated to kill the one man that had ruined his life.

Calm down, he thought. I need to figure out how to beat this guy.

Suddenly, Zabuza dissapeared, causing everyone to tense.

"He vanished!" whispered Naruto, as Sakura immediately retreated towards Tazuna to aid in guarding him.

"This is the silent killing technique." muttered Kakashi, now in a guard stance. "It can kill you in an instant, without sound or warning of any kind. Even my sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard."

The three genin all pulled out a kunai, readying themselves.

"Well, if we fail, we only lose our lives," said Kakashi in a matter-of-fact tone.

Naruto gaped at Kakashi.

Sakura, however, knew it was Kakashi's way of trying to calm everyone - and possibly himself - down.

Now... Zabuza thought, staring at the five figures below him. Who to kill?

Getting rid of Kakashi would certainly be most advantageous... but the kunoichi is also something to consider...

Sasuke's eyes widened as panic clouded his thoughts. For the second time in his life he felt true fear.

"This madness... I can't take it anymore..." Shakily he gripped his kunai, aiming for his own body.

"Sasuke. Calm down," said Kakashi, his voice firm and steady. "I will not allow my comrades to die."

The Uchiha gaped at his sensei, his fear still written all over his face. Nonetheless, he was much calmer than before.

He felt a petite hand grip his wrist. Sasuke tensed, staring at Sakura with widened eyes.

"It's ok." She mouthed. "You'll be fine."

For a brief moment, Sasuke wondered why Sakura of all people was not afraid. Why was she -

"Got you." said a deep, low voice that chilled Sasuke to the core.

Zabuza had landed between the genin and the bridge builder.

Sakura was the first - besides Kakashi - to react. She spun around, flinging the kunai towards the nukenin. To her surprise, water spewed out like a tap.

No sooner had she stabbed the man - or, water clone - it had exploded into a massivie puddle of water.

Where'd he go?

"Sensei! Behind you!" yelled Naruto, although his input was completely unnecessary - Kakashi himself dispersed into water as he was "slain" by the swordsman.

Nice one, sensei... but I really need to remember what happened otherwise I'll lose my advantage!

Zabuza smirked. "So you've copied my water clone jutsu, eh...very skillfully executed. Unfortunately... " he, too, dissolved into water as the real Kakashi behind him stabbed the cow-patterned man in the back.

He's going to... he's going to... COME ON, SAKURA, REMEMBER THIS...

He's going to kick Kakashi-sensei from behind!

Sakura managed to land a kick on the Mist-nin's waist just before he did the same to Kakashi. Although the man did not fly into the air like Kakashi had during her memories, he frowned and stared at the pinkette.

"Remember?" said Sakura, slowly lacing her internal organs with chakra, "I said... you're fighting me first."

"Not so fast, little girl... I still haven't dealt with your teacher yet." With a speed that rivaled that of Rock Lee without weights, Zabuza flung the white-haired jounin and shouted, "Water Clone Prison jutsu!"

"Kakashi!" yelled Sakura, cursing herself for underestimating the swordsman. "Don't tell us to run. Naruto! Sasuke! Focus on getting Kakashi! I'll deal with the water clone!"

Naruto stared at her. Sasuke, who had already had enough of being surprised for one day, nodded.

It's time we worked as a team.

If I can sneak past the dude somehow... maybe... disguised as a second kunai or something!

"Teme," shouted Naruto, bobbing up and down like a child, "let's try throwing a huge kunai at him!"

"What would that do?" growled Sasuke, indignant that Naruto was being so childish. But then he paused. Naruto was acting like he normally did - immature and foolish - but there was a glint in his eyes that showed otherwose.

"...Aa."

Sakura, who had not missed the exchange between the two, smirked, before focusing on the task at hand.

Lets see... from what I remember, Zabuza was extremely skilled in ninjutsu and taijutsu... as for genjutsu...

What about it?

Well, he must have SOME sort of weakness, right? Besides, he's too preoccupied with Kakashi at the moment so his water clone will be an easy feat.

Shouldn't you attempt genjutsu on the real guy just in case it does work? Otherwise he'll find some sort of way to prevent himself from falling into another illusion!

Good point. But I still need to figure out a way to eliminate his water clone.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had thrown a large fuuma shuriken. It missed the water clone, aiming for the real Zabuza instead. Zabuza grinned as he caught the shuriken with his bare hand.

"You think that can stop me?"

What he did not notice, however, was that another shuriken had passed him, spiraling into the distance.

Until it poofed, revealing a grinning Naruto. "Yes I can!" he yelled, charging towards Zabuza, his previous fears momentarily forgotten.

The Zabuza clone tensed, ready to attack the blonde. Sakura took this as her cue to attack.

Shannaro!

She gathered as much chakra she could muster in her first, and this time punched the offending clone squarely in the back instead of the ground. Unlike her previous attempt, her punch produced more fruitful results - the water clone exploded.

Now that's more like it.

Naruto tackled the muscular man, effectively breaking his concentration and thus freeing Kakashi-sensei. Sakura smirked. It was all over now. She had nothing to worry about.

She glanced over at Sasuke, who looked considerably relieved. She felt a small pang as she stared at him. He looked so young, so innocent - not like someone who would become a heartless murderer.

As if the Uchiha could feel the kunoichi's stare, he glanced at the pinkette. She was not looking at him like how she normally did. It both comforted and scared him. She was an annoying (but rather intelligent), silly teammate who did very poorly in combat - or so he thought.

Yet here she was, certainly feeling more confident than him and even managing to land a hit on a water clone of the great Zabuza Momoichi.

Something was off. The Sakura from the Academy and this Sakura was totally different. He narrowed his eyes, causing her to flinch. She looked at him as if he was going to kill her.

It reminded him of... of the way he had looked at Itachi the night it happened.

"Sakura..."

She tensed, clenching her fists. Why, of all times, was images of Naruto's dead body and Sasuke's sadistic smirk flitting through her mind NOW? She had to calm down. It wasn't the same Sasuke.

Tsunade-sama looked at her student with loving but fierce eyes.

"Sakura, I need you to remember something."

"Hai, shishou!"

"Remember... if all else fails..." she paused.

"You may need to kill him."

Her eyes widened. She could kill him right there and then. It would be all over. Naruto wouldn't be dead!

But... it won't erase the years of pain he's caused us. And... I would never forgive myself for killing him, no matter how much I convince myself. She sighed.

"Rat, Dog, Snake, Boar..." a slow chant began to issue from the two elite ninja, forcing the two to momentarily forget that they were looking at each other.

The chanting grew faster and louder without hesitation.

Kakashi-sensei's using the sharingan!

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Two great masses of water surged up high into the air, much like Tenten's Rising Twin Dragons. As soon as they rose, however, both came plunging down like two great waterfalls. The ground rumbled, water splashing everywhere.

After what seemed like minutes, the water finally settled, leaving behind evident traces of a disaster. Only one figure stood.

Kakashi-sensei had outbeaten the swordsman at his own jutsu.

Silence overtook the air for a few minutes.

Finally, Naruto asked, "I-is he dead?"

Kakashi nodded solemnly.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. If she wasn't mistaken, the last time this happened, a 'hunter-nin' came and retrieved Zabuza, effectively reviving him. She had to prevent it from happening.

Suddenly, a slender, short figure leapt from amongst the trees to Zabuza's side.

"Thank you for eliminating this threat. I'll be disposing of him now."

"Who're you!" yelled Naruto, shocked by the sudden appearance of a stranger.

"I am a hunter-nin. It is my duty to hunt and dispose of criminals like these." The figure replied cooly. "I will show you." He (or she, the group couldn't tell) whipped out two needles from his pocket, and pricked them into the neck of an unmoving Zabuza. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke all seemed to be relieved from this action. One person, however, was not. Satisfied, the hunter-nin took hold of the limp limbs of the swordsman.

"Wait." said Sakura. Her tone was firm and unwavering.

"Yes?" said the masked figure, pausing in his actions.

"You -" she stopped. Suddenly, an image of a beautifully painted bridge with a statue of team 7 appaeared in her head.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" yelled an enthusiastic Naruto. "Can we stop by here for some ramen? Pleaseeee?"

"And some anmitsu!" chirped Sakura, giggling at the thought of her favourite dessert.

"Hai, hai..." sighed the white-haired jounin. "I swear, you two haven't aged at all..."

The group (including a silent Sai) walked leisurely across the gleaming white bridge that would bring them to the Land of Waves.

They all paused to look at a intricately carved marble statue. It bore faint signs of erosion, but it was still relatively new, gleaming under the rays of the sunlight.

Naruto said nothing, staring at the statue with his azure orbs for several moments.

Sakura, too, stared at the statue. She knew what Naruto was looking at. The stone white face of Sasuke Uchiha. Conflicting emotions welled up inside of her - pride for Naruto for earning recognition, and pain for yet another reminder that the Uchiha was not present.

Naruto was the first to recover. "Haha, I told you, neh, Sakura-chan! This is one step closer to becoming Hokage! They made a statue of me!"

"Ah..." she felt a little weak at the knees, but chose to ignore it. "Don't forget us, too, Naruto!"

"So that's what you looked like when you were younger... midget." said Sai, putting on one of his usual fake smiles.

"SAIII!" yelled Naruto, his eyebrow twitching.

"Nevermind." muttered Sakura.

Even if it means putting us in danger... Naruto still deserves that recognition!

The hunter-nin nodded, and left in a blur.

"Now..." said Kakashi, turning towards the pinkette. "Care to explain what that was all about?"

"I - I don't know what you're talking about!" said Sakura, looking away from her teacher's piercing eyes.

"Hn. Even I can tell something's different." muttered Sasuke, crossing his arms.

"Wait - what?" interrupted Naruto, darting his head towards all three. "What are we talking about?"

Everyone chose to ignore him.

"Er, speaking of which, Tazuna-san.." said Sakura, hoping to lighten the pressure that seemed to be cascading down on her.

Only then did Kakashi noticed a stunned Tazuna, who was still frozen on the spot. He gave a look towards Sakura that clearly said, 'I'm not done with you yet' before adressing the bridge-builder, "Ah, Tazuna-san, sorry for the wait. I assume we'll be heading towards your abode now?"

Startled, Tazuna could only mutter a "ah, yes" before leading them towards the dirt road.

Sakura sighed.

Did I do the right thing? I feel so lost. The world's counting on me, but what if I make mistakes that I can't fix?

Geez. You're even more of a worrywart than the old me!

Sakura ignored her inner. She was in no mood to deal with her now. I wish I could talk to Tsunade. She'd know what to do.

She paused, a grin adorning her features. I can! In fact, the scroll's right in my pouch!

That scroll of yours sure is nifty.

Of course. Tsunade-sama invented it herself.

Her absurd smiles and grins despite the serious situation did not go unnoticed by her teacher and stoic teammate.