Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would still have his left arm and common sense.

A/N I have two incomplete stories that I really should finish, but instead I'm going to start a new one.

Because I'm not a huge fan of the end of the manga (minus Sasusaku becoming canon) this is the universe in which I wish things had actually happened. So basically, Naruto and Sasuke weren't idiots and didn't blow off their arms in an overexaggerated pissing contest- said contest still happened but in a bit more friendly circumstances. Sasuke did a small amount of soul searching, but came back and stayed in the village after the war and became a shinobi for Konoha once more. Everything else will be explained.

Just so you know, the story jumps around timeline-wise, but it'll make sense as the story goes on.

This was originally supposed to be a long one-shot but I decided to make it an actual chaptered story, just cuz.

Enjoy!

There was so much blood.

Everywhere. On the floor, in her hair, smeared all over her body. It was soaking the floor, pooling in the uneven ground and filling the air with the sickly scent of death. There shouldn't be this much blood.

This mission was a complete and utter failure. Naruto was nowhere to be found, Sasuke was bleeding out on the floor, and Sakura couldn't feel her legs.

What exactly had gone wrong?

One year ago

Sasuke stared at Kakashi with shock. "ANBU?"

The Hokage nodded and slid the mask towards him. "With your loyalties to the village no longer in question, I had no doubts in asking you to join. You'd be a great addition."

Sasuke looked at the mask, instantly remembering the design as being the mask that belonged to Itachi. A sad frown pulled at his lips and he dared to look up at his former sensei. "But... I can't. I was already told by the council that my former criminal background would prohibit me from doing a lot of things for the village."

"Becoming ANBU wasn't one of them," Kakashi replied with a shrug. "Trust me when I say you are more than qualified to be a member. Not to mention you could bring a lot to the table when it comes to missions. Not that you don't know, but it's a lot harder to be recognized when you're wearing a mask. ANBU missions should come easily to you."

It was then that Sasuke's frown turned pensive, he ran his hand through his bangs, then back to where his short ponytail was fastened at the base of his neck. He sighed when he looked up to his former teacher again. "Am I the only one that's been chosen?"

He could tell Kakashi was smiling under his mask, based on the way his eyes crinkled at the edges. "Actually, no. After our meeting is adjourned, I will be asking Sakura and Naruto to become members, as well. There's no three people in the entire village that I think are more capable than Team 7."

Sasuke managed a snort, before he took the mask in his hands and stood. "Isn't that a little biased, Hokage?"

Kakashi didn't answer. "So are you accepting?"

Sasuke turned and headed towards the door. He said over his shoulder, "Let me know when I get the tattoo."

Sakura was waiting for him outside of the Hokage's tower and as soon as she spotted the mask in his hand, she pulled him into a fierce hug. He patted her on the shoulder, the ghost of a smile on his lips, and she pulled away with a grin wide enough for the both of them.

"I'm so proud of you, Sasuke-kun!" she beamed. "Being selected to be ANBU is an honor. You'll be amazing, I'm sure of it."

"Thank you," he murmured in reply, eyes never leaving her. "Though I think Kakashi is just playing favorites again."

"Pish posh," Sakura stated as she swatted at his arm. "You're more than qualified to do it. You're a terrific shinobi. Anyone would be blind if they didn't agree."

Sasuke felt the tips of his ears burn and he cleared his throat to get rid of any tightness he felt there. He wasn't used to the casual flattery his teammate would toss at him, not especially after his return. Back when they were children, it was normal. But now he felt undeserving of her praise, no matter how much he actually earned it.

"I'd hate to leave you hanging," she said, breaking him from his thoughts, "but I'm supposed to meet with Kakashi-sensei now that you're done. Why don't you go meet Naruto to give him the good news?"

Sasuke shook his head and looked down at the mask in his hands, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think I'll tell him later. I'd like to go home first."

A knowing look passed in Sakura's eyes when he glanced back up at her, and she bid him a fond farewell before climbing the stairs of the tower.

The walk to the Uchiha graveyard was a somber one, quiet and reflective as Sasuke debated what he would say to them today. The mound of dirt at Itachi's plot finally settled about a year ago, right around the time Sasuke returned to the village. The dirt at his parents's grave had settled long ago, before he even defected to Orochimaru. Once he reached their gravestones, he knelt with respect and stared at them with a melancholy smile on his face.

"Mother, father," he turned to his brother's grave to the left, "Itachi... I was invited to join ANBU today." He sighed and looked at the mask cradled in his hands. "I didn't expect this to happen," he snorted humorlessly, "not that I expected a lot of my life to turn out the way it did. I just didn't think I would be here, holding your mask, Itachi, and preparing to follow in your footsteps. I have been striving to protect the village since you showed me the truth, nii-san. And I know you would be proud of me, now that I'm here."

His fingers traced the lines of the mask and he looked at the gravestone that bore his parents's names. "I hope you're proud of me, too, regardless of what I've done in the past. All I want is to atone for my sins, and yours, as well. Maybe being ANBU is the way to do this, so I can protect the village and bring back the Uchiha's honor."

A breeze picked up and caressed his face, making him close his eyes and breathe in the crisp smell of spring. The sakura tree in the grove had bloomed, and the petals were starting to flutter away in the wind. A small smile pulled at his lips, and the answer he was looking for was whispered in his ears. With a small prayer and another bow, Sasuke stood and brushed off his knees.

"Thank you," he murmured, grip tightening on the mask before he made his way to the exit.

Present Day

"A mission?"

Kakashi nodded and handed Sakura the missive. According to him, it was a simple recon mission: slip in, get the intel, and get out. The hardest part would be keeping hidden while the ANBU team infiltrated the enemy base and getting the actual information. She wasn't specifically supposed to know exactly who was on her team for this mission, but the second that she saw Naruto's and Sasuke's code names in the scroll, she felt her mouth tug into a smile and she readily accepted the Hokage's request.

The next morning, the former Team 7 departed from the gates of Konoha, masks on and weapons ready.

The base was hidden in the mountains of northern Fire Country, near the tri-borders of Fire, Hot Water, and Sound. The shinobi hidden there were of rogue nature, former collaborators with Orochimaru. Since Sound no longer wanted anything to do with anyone else, these rogues were attempting small scale attacks on local farming villages nearby. Unfortunately, their numbers were starting to grow and the sacking of so many villages was starting to cause a ripple in the supply chain that sustained Konoha. This team's mission was to find intel on the rogue group, find out what they were up to, assess their numbers, and bring the information back to the Hokage so the problem could be dealt with swiftly. If the team deemed it absolutely necessary, they could strike at the time of infiltration and get rid of the problem at the source. This was all depending on the situation.

Sakura was team leader of this mission, mainly due to Sasuke's inability to keep Naruto in line and Naruto's knack for making risky decisions last minute when with Sakura and Sasuke. Not that they weren't qualified for the task, it was just a given whenever the three teammates were assigned to missions together they would have Sakura take the reins and get the two boys in line for those reasons alone.

On the first night of traveling, guard shifts were split up and Sakura ended up with first watch. She preferred it that way, seeing she wouldn't be tired after getting up earlier and her sleep wouldn't be interrupted from a middle shift. Sasuke actually preferred those, saying that he got up at weird intervals anyway and it made no difference to him. His sleep cycles were always choppy, even when they were genin.

Naruto, on the other hand, could fall asleep on command, making it easier for him to rest while Sakura took watch and get enough rest before his early morning watch. With anyone else, the watch shifts were usually switched around, but it seemed that this was the pattern Team 7 always kept, even after all this time.

Sakura was setting up her bedroll when Sasuke approached her, mask on the top of his head and a conflicted look on his face. She glanced up at him and frowned. "What's going on?"

His mismatched eyes flickered around the camp and then back to her. With a sigh, he knelt down next to her and started, "Don't you think it's strange that we're being sent in ANBU for a simple recon mission? We could have gone as a regular squad and done the job just the same."

Sakura had been thinking the same thing during the trip, but she simply shrugged and gave him her guessed answer, "I think it may be because the base is so hard to break into. Plus, they can't know who is trying to take their secrets. Even if they are in Fire Country, these rogues are from all different nations. They have a lot of different colored targets on their backs and they're going to take extra precautions."

Sasuke hummed and nodded as an answer. Yet, as he stood he still added warily, "I still think there's something up and it's going to bite us in our asses."

Sakura smiled at him when she stood, placing a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. "Always the worry-wort, Sasuke-kun."

He grumbled, but still Sakura saw the phantom of a smile on his perfect lips. As she watched him walk towards his own mat and lay down, she thought to herself with a confident grin, what's the worst that could happen?

tbc.

A/N Oh sweetie you don't even know.