Hi, I'm Winter Ashby, but you can call me Ash. :)

Title: Sakura's Home
Author: Winter Ashby (rosweldrmr)
Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto-sama. I don't own anything about Naruto, this is just for fun and if I did own Naruto I wouldn't have to right this, because I would have a team of very talented people turning this into a saga right now...
Rating: K+
Warning: this not only has spoilers until Manga 270ish, but it's kind of required for you to know what's going on. I use a lot of the Gaara mission, just made it AUish.
Summary: Sakura was kicked out of Konoha five years ago but now has been asked to return… She will meet old friends and be faced with the consequences of her actions. Future AU Sakura centric. No pairings, and you need to be up to date in the manga and series.
Authors Notes: This is a Sakura-centric story. There are NO pairings, sorry fangirls, I know, I know. But I wanted this to be about the story, not the pairing. I really enjoyed coming up with this plot so I hope to be done pretty soon... ehem that's a lie. This is a REVISION of the first chapter. I am going back through and editing out all of the Japanese words that are not essential, since I've gotten so many reviews that say they don't like it. I suppose I have to bend to the will of the readers. grumble, grumble

I dedicate this SpiritualEnergy.

Chapter 1 – Home?

Short, vibrant pink hair swayed in the rising moonlight. The silver light that shone from the moon gave the once-upon-a-time leaf an ethereal quality. The deep red of her shirt was in stark contrast to the deep green, almost black of the woods to her back in the night. But there was something new in the familiar jade-green eyes. There was a fear, yet to be discovered for a past too painful to forget.

She walked, alone with just the flapping of her worn brown coat to keep her company. Her tattered black boots pushed against the winding path that had been left un-traveled for five years, relying on memory to carry her back. They groaned and squeaked in protest as the metal shin protectors underneath the leather rubbed against the ties; and her black training shorts shown just slightly from under the tan of the feminine throw-away skirt that clung to her pale flesh. She was a strange figure, wandering through all too familiar scenery.

Sakura slowly approached the gates of the village that she left behind so many years ago. They were less menacing than she remembered them, but then again, the last time she'd seen them was when she was asked to leave Konoha and never return. Perhaps it was that memory, burned into her mind that made these large wooden doors appear just a little more ominous in her head. For now, in the soft autumn moonlight, they seemed to be proverbial, and inviting. Strange that such a powerful symbol of her home village's strength, a symbol that kept her away for five years was now comforting.

"Five years." She mused to herself in the dead of night as she sat, back sliding down the wall, and prepared herself to wait until morning. Even if they had sent a special representative of the hidden village to find her and request her return, she didn't want to just barge into the village in the middle of the night. She settled in, and began to control her breathing. It was so natural for her to meditate now that she almost immediately slipped into the thoughtless state of ready-alertness.

She'd learned in her travels that it was always better to expect the worst, even if she was in the shadow of a powerful hidden village. Her life had been threatened so many times, at this point; she was just waiting for someone to attack. It wasn't the easiest way to live, she could have given up on being a ninja a long time ago, but with her expert medical training, she'd been able to help countless people in her travels.

It seemed like no time had passed at all when the nostalgic sound of song birds in the distant tree invaded her senses, and she was jolted back to reality. It was nearly daybreak, and she stood, stretching her arms and legs. She felt refreshed, but still weary. But when you return back to a place that used to be your home, this is probably what it's supposed to feel like.

Gingerly, she stepped over the threshold into the village and breathed the air of sweet memories. It had been five years since she was kicked out, but even before that she'd taken to seclusion some distance from the village to train on exact chakra control, and the seal.

She swept a passing finger over the green tattoo that adorned her face. At first, it was small and almost unnoticeable. But over the years her chakra build-up increased exponentially. In addition to that, she devised a system of control that allowed her too use it without fear of shortening her own life, as opposed to Tsunade-sama's. But to do that, the mark became more like a brand than a seal.

Then entire right side of her face was covered in the green, winding seal. She'd gotten accustom to it over time, and now she couldn't picture herself without it. It reminded her of a vine, and that was perfectly fine, considering that the method that allowed her to use it without fear was the law of conservation of energy.

It was this law; she came to understand that ruled the world. When a shinobi created a seal, they used their own charka and thus the energy within themselves. This gives way to a limited amount of chakra, and every ninja's weak point; even for someone like Naruto, who had a seemingly infinite amount of chakra. But Sakura discovered that even though he was a Jinchuuriki and the famed demon that inhabited his body was nearly invincible, there was still a limit to what it was capable of, trapped inside the body of a human.

So, it with her medical training she discovered that every living thing had a flow of energy, not just ninjas. With only a limited amount of chakra, she perfected the ability to use the energy from the earth to heal, defend, and attack with; rather than her own. It was because of this that she was able to do so many miraculous things, like making Tsunade-sama's incredible strength look like a child's; and how she was able to heal people that were on the brink of death. She never lost power while she was healing, and she was never drained afterward. It was what made the strength of her genjutsu and taijutsu almost unrivaled.

But it was also because of this jutsu that she was cast out of her home village. It was considered a forbid ninjutsu; because of the massive power it granted its user and the possibility of using the method as an attack and draining not just the chakra, but the life from an opponent. It was deemed too dangerous and she was ordered to abandon it. But she refused, and because she wasn't able to control the jutsu then, she killed one of her comrades. It was then that she became a wanted criminal. But because it was unintentional, and she assumed that Tsunade-sama could not easily order the execution of her former apprentice, she was told to leave and never return.

It was also the reason that her life was targeted so often. If she was killed and her body studied, her precious ninjutsu could be stolen. She'd even encountered a few of Orochimaru's followers on her journeys. He'd love to get his hands on her corpse to study and steal her jutsu. The first time she realized he wanted her ability; she was overwhelmed with a sick kind of joy. When they had first met in the forest during her Chuunin exam, he didn't even give her a second glance. But now, he desired her for her power, and she was strangely satisfied with herself for that. Although the appeal of going along to find Sasuke was evident, ultimately she decided she would get him back on her own. She wouldn't sell her soul to a monster like Sasuke had done. She would do it on her own terms.

Sakura was in quiet contemplation when the sudden prick at the back of her neck alerted her senses of a powerful chakra moving toward her. There was something familiar about the palatable blue energy that seeped out of the ninja's skin. She stopped in her tracks and waited the fractions of a second it took for the person to appear behind her.

"Aburame Shino-san" she spoke quietly. Even after many years, she wasn't surprised that she still recognized the individual signatures of the shinobi she grew up with. There was a low chuckle from behind her and she turned, finding him much like he was the last time she'd seen him.

"Haruno Sakura." He stated simply as he stood six feet from her. Poised to attack at any moment. She recognized the features from so many battles she'd had in the past, as well as the fact that the last time she'd seen him it was in the same position he was now. "I thought the provisions of your banishment were made quite clear five years ago."

She could feel the bugs in his body begin to vibrate with energy as he prepared for a fight. She sighed lightly and bowed deeply in respect. "I'm truly sorry, Aburame-san..." she could feel the unrest of his hive begin to settle and she felt relieved herself. It was a long time since she'd battled a fellow Leaf ninja, and she wasn't eager to repeat the experience. "But, I was contacted by Pakkun and requested to immediately return for an urgent matter." She spoke sincerely of her encounter with her former sensei's summoning dog as she kept her eyes fixed on the ground in front of her. She bowed even lower as she felt his approach.

She lifted her head and reached into the inside breast flap of her outfit. She could feel the tension return to his posture in an instant. She slowly removed her hand, bringing with it the scroll, still sealed with symbol that Kakashi was known for. She dutifully handed it over to Shino and bowed once again.

He took it, and she could feel the energy building once more. As he opened it to read what the contents were she straightened herself out. It was then that she had a chance to really look at him. He was quite a bit taller than he was before, and his hair was longer now so that it fell over his eyes in the early morning sun. It wasn't until that moment that she noted the missing sunglasses. He looked strange without them; after all, she'd never seem him without them before. But instead, she noticed the white mask that was tied hap hazardously to his belt loop. It didn't surprise her one bit to see that he was now an ANBU member.

He rolled the scroll and handed it back to her. "I take it you are not aware of the situation?" he questioned, dangerously. She was taken aback by this, even though she'd been respectful, he was still hostile. She could feel the bug's vibration from where she stood, and she was painfully aware of the massive growth in his chakra output. She had become quite skilled at sensing an opponent's power level by the subtle vibrations that their chakra intensity released into the air around them. It was very closely related to the law of density and volume. The more powerful they were – the more air was displaced around their body by crackling energy.

She tried to ignore his clear aggression and focus on the question he'd asked. "No, Aburame-san. Pakkun just told me that it was urgent that I return." She stood, somewhat uncomfortably in his presence, and waited for an explanation that obviously wasn't going to come. After a few moments of silence and calculating her options, she finally spoke. "What's going on?"

"Uchiha Sasuke is dead, and Hatake Kakashi is near death."

Foot Notes:

Just to go on a little rant here about fan-Japanese. If you're not interested... skip ahead. This is totally irrelevant.

I just wanted to point out real fast, that anime-obsessed Americans aren't the only ones who try to emulate another language and often fail. Watch Bleach and see how often they try and use Spanish words, or even Naruto in the filler episode when Ino is so impressed that a filler character can speak 'American'. So before you go judging me for sucking at sounding out Japanese let me just say that I am a failure at learning languages, but that doesn't stop me from really appreciating the beauty of it. And just for fun, try watching the episode of Fullmetal Alchemist when Ed gets his certification, and pause it so you can read the certificate he gets. It's absolute nonsense. Just random English words with no meaning whatsoever. So... now that I've said that, I still stand by the Japanese that I had to take out, and whatever I left in I feel is completely essential.

That's it. I'm done.