Stumble [Rewrite]

Cornered

A/N: Estimated number of chapters until the epilogue: 4

::

Did you forget?

You weren't made for this.

Sakura stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. How many times did she have to break her bones because she was afraid the new world would turn into her old? How many times did she have to use concealer to hide the bags beneath her eyes to hide the fact that she forgot how to sleep and resorted to letting exhaustion decide when it was time to rest? How many times would she have to remember standing on the battlefield with Orochimaru as he unintentionally likened himself to the Obito that drained her soul through the tears on her throat?

How many times was she going to allow herself to keep living like this—in paranoia, in quiet, in fatigue?

Did you forget?

You weren't made for this.

She braced her weight against the porcelain sink and dropped her head into her hands.

"I'm tired," she whispered. "I'm so tired..."

She used a forbidden technique to transfer Orochimaru's life energy into Neji's. Mari-san was injured. Sasuke was in solitary confinement because she let things go too far. 

But hey, she was in ROOT like she planned all along. Wasn't that great? Wasn't that a cause for celebration?

Sakura's fist met her reflection, and shards of glass fell around her feet.

Did you forget?

You weren't made for this.

You're supposed to be dead.

::

Reconstruction wasn't a cheap process and it was currently Konoha's top priority. Funds needed to raised so every and all missions were being issued at any chance, especially with the high ranking ones that paid the most. Upper ranks jounin and above were sent out as much as possible, leaving Konoha at a greater risk than it already was to raise enough money to rebuild their defenses. It was a dicey move, but Kiri and Suna pledged their help if any other grievances came their way.

Kakashi and Itachi stood in attendance in the Hokage's Office dressed in their ANBU attire, their masks hanging loosely at their hips. While it was true the former was no longer listed under active services within the ranking, his assassination skills paired with Itachi's were required for the current A-ranking mission.

"Your third member has just been sent for," Dan told them from his seat at his cluttered desk. "An interrogator was requested to accompany this squad."

For reasons unknown to him, Kakashi suddenly felt a sense of foreboding cause an itch at the back of his head. He knew exactly were this was going as his luck had been treading lower than he liked in recent years. 

The office door was knocked on twice before it swung open and Sakura made an appearance in ANBU armor, a wine red undershirt, black pants, and a mongoose mask dangling from her fingers.

"Good morning, everyone!" she chirped. Kakashi's eye began to twitch.

"Good morning," Dan replied, equally as cheerful. Itachi inclined his head politely. "Now that everyone's here, I'll be going over the details of the mission."

The three in front of him straightened themselves out and stood at resolute attention.

"As you all understand, Iron Country has remained a neutral force in all shinobi affairs due to their unwillingness to intervene and their reliance on samurai," the Godaime explained. "Though recently, criminals have resided on their border and have been causing too much trouble for them to handle. Every time they have an issue for shinobi, they go to a different hidden nation every time to keep good graces and distance. Luckily, it's our turn."