The Flower and the Avenger

Chapter 8

Work, eat, work, eat, sleep. That was the daily routine that Sakura followed for the next three months.

Sasuke didn't make an appearance in any of those months, but Sakura was busy- Tsunade was definitely working her to the bone. Rushing around in the infirmary, shopping, dusting, doing odd jobs everywhere, that was the schedule that Sakura was ordered to do.

Until, one day, she finally came across that room again.

The room with the paintings.

She gazed inside the lone window, peering at the hundreds of paintings that was stored in the fourth room on the fifth floor, to the right of the Lady's office and the room directly below Uchiha's personal bedroom. At least, that was what Tsunade's map said- Sakura still couldn't believe she learned how to read it. Or how long she kept the piece of paper.

She eventually found her way around the massive fortress, not getting as lost and learned to balance her time between work, play, and chatting with her friends.

Sakura got to know Rin and Hinata much better, and she also continued her rivalry with Ino healthily- as healthy as a rivalry could be. Naruto was a pain, but she had yet to find out what his 'secret' was- everyone in the village avoided him, even to the point of shouting at him and throwing things at him.

Why would people hate the Uchiha that much? Or was it Naruto himself that they despised- Sakura never got physically injured, but Rin was kidnapped... why would these things happen?

All these thoughts ran through Sakura's head as she hurried down the hallways to the dining hall, where Tsunade was ticking off orders as usual.

"...Choji, make sure that the food is in stock and as much as I hate to say it, Naruto, you'll be supervising. Everyone else is busy and I've got to make sure that Choji doesn't eat through the food supply again. Obito, you'll do your daily rounds, and Kakashi- ah! Sakura!" she smiled, as Sakura quickly took her seat.

Damn. Late again, she thought as she eyed everyone there. "Good, good, did you sleep well?" said Tsunade distractedly. "Yes I did, thank you very much m'lady," she bowed respectfully. "All right, as I was saying, Kakashi, you'll be with Sakura today. Uchiha requested that a few books be purchased in the village today, so you two will be buying them. Feel free to purchase your own books, but with your own pension of course. All right? Scatter."

The sounds of scraping chairs were heard as multiple servants hurried off to do their daily jobs. Sakura glanced at the man beside her, the one named Kakashi. He's Rin's friend, she thought as she left the room, Kakashi right behind her.

The two grabbed horses and rode to the bookstore.

When Sakura took a peek at the book list, she couldn't believe that Uchiha read that many books. She'd definitely want to read some of them, but...

"Survival Of The Fittest... Chasing A Lone Wolf... what kind of books are these?" Sakura asked incredulously. Kakashi shrugged. "You do know the story, right?"

"What story?"

"About the Uchiha clan. They didn't explain it to you?" Ah, yes. That horrible tale about the eldest slaying his own blood. "He's that fixed on revenge?" Not the man I met. He was cool, strong, independant, and not to mention completely handsome...

"You don't know the half of it. Uchiha hates everybody- his brother, his servants, his castle, the village- everyone. Even himself." Sakura couldn't fathom that. "No, that can't be."

Kakashi sighed. "Do you know how long I've been working here, miss?" Sakura figured around the same time that Rin was working, but she never got the exact number...