Chapter 14: Reading Ahead of the Lines

--

Sakura surveyed the area from her perch in the forest canopy outside Konoha. Not for the first time, she wished she had Neji's Byakugan so that she could see her surroundings better.

Instead, she flipped the switch on the transmitter strapped against her throat. "What is your distance to the target?"

After a second of static, a voice replied, "Five meters. I'm ready anytime."

"So am I," added another voice.

"Me, too," said a third.

Sakura saw a flicker of movement in the bushes below and made her decision immediately. "Go!" she said, and the forest was filled with a poofing noise as fifty shadow clones of Naruto appeared out of nowhere.

Suppressing a groan, she could only wait and see how things turned out.

All fifty clones charged towards the target, who was making a fast break for a dense patch of briars. The forest was again filled with poofing noises as the clones threw themselves on the long, sharp thorns and disappeared. Finally, all that was left was one scratched and bloody Naruto with his clothing stuck in 10 different places.

Sakura was wondering how they could flush their target out of the bushes when a small horde of giant rats appeared and slipped through the holes between the thorny vines. Despite being made of ink, they were still able to snap and scratch at the target, who finally gave up hiding in the briar patch and ran back into the open.

Five feet from the bush, a scaley black and green snake wrapped itself around the target and finally immobilized it for Sakura's inspection. She leaped down to the ground and walked over to the writhing form.

"One cat with a ribbon on its right ear. Looks like Mission Rescue Tora is a success!" she announced cheerily. "Sasuke, make sure your snake doesn't eat the cat. Sai, let's get Naruto out of that bush."

Leading the way towards the bright orange figure fighting a losing battle with the briars, she assured her team, "Don't worry, we'll get Kakashi-sensei for this one."

--

"Sakura-nee-san! Sakura-nee-san!" a high-pitched voice called through the street crowd. "Sakura-nee-san, wait!"

Forcing her legs to stop walking, she braced herself for what she knew was coming. A small figure came screeching to a halt and beamed up at her with beautiful silver eyes.

"Good morning, Hanabi-chan," Sakura said kindly despite her internal struggle not to run away.

The gangly girl leaned over and put her hands on her knees as she tried to regain her breath. "Sakura-nee-san, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Guilt stabbed angrily at Sakura's stomach for avoiding this girl for weeks, but she still had a hard time being around her. Taking a deep breath, she kept her smile glued firmly to her face.

"I know you're busy training with your team," the youngest Hyuuga said, "but I was hoping you could help me practice my ninjutsu."

Training, again. A month ago, the girl had asked Sakura to help her train, and of course the Jounin consented. After only an hour, Sakura found herself somewhere between hating the world and collapsing into tears of depression. The girl fought just like Neji, which was to be expected, but it was a painfully accurate reminder of him. It didn't help that Hanabi was growing up to look more like Neji's sister than Hinata's.

After that sparring session, every time Sakura saw the girl, her silver eyes drove spikes into Sakura's chest.

"Sure, how does tomorrow sound?" Sakura suggested. She had to overcome this. She couldn't let her emotions dictate her life like this.

"Sounds great!" Hanabi beamed. Then her eyes grew more serious. "I know this is tough for you, Sakura-nee-chan. I miss Neji-nii-san, too. I don't want to make you even sadder, but Neji-nii-san said you were the best person to help me prepare for the Graduation Exam."

Sakura just stared with surprise at the young girl's insight.

Hanabi's expression grew bright again as she scampered back into the crowd. "See ya tomorrow!" the girl called over her shoulder.

Sakura exhaled slowly as she watched the girl's dark hair disappear into the throng of people. Hyuugas and their damnable eyes, she thought to herself.

--

"Oy, Sakura-chan, are you even paying attention? The big fight is next!" Sakura looked up to find a fox-faced Naruto shouting inches from her ear. Planting her palm squarely in his face, she sent him flying backwards a couple meters.

"Don't bother Buso-taichou when she's reading her love letters," Sai said from her other side. She sent him sprawling across the benches for good measure, too.

Taking one more glance at the last line of the letter from Neji, she rolled the scroll back up and tucked it into her pouch. He had written: I wish your team good luck at the exams, and I hope you will be there in top medical form to prevent any serious injuries from occurring with your three Genin.

Smirking, she turned to her three over-powered Genin teammates. Naruto was already back on his feet and beaming at the crowds gathered in Kirigakure's tournament stadium, and Sasuke sat on the bench quietly unwrapping the bandages around his wrists. As Sai sat back down next to her with a wary glance, she realized she probably shouldn't have punched him since she would need his help later. She wanted to send a letter to Neji after the exam was over, and she would need Sai's ink animals to deliver the message. Neji could mail his letters via regular post whenever he was in a city or village, but Sai was the only way she could send mail back since Neji's location constantly changed.

She had already devised a plan with her team to limit the chance of serious injury during the exam. She had known without a doubt that all three would make it to the semi-finals, which meant they would have to fight each other. Given their current strength, such a battle would be of epic proportions, not to mention completely inappropriate for a Chuunin Exam.

After waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, she decided she had to take action. Her nightmare had consisted of Naruto and Sasuke getting out of control and summoning Gamabunta and Manda, who promptly destroyed the testing facility. The next day, she broached the subject by pointing out that they didn't want to display any of their highest-level techniques because representatives from all the Hidden Villages would be watching. It'd be a shame if the Konoha shinobi gave away all their secret aces, right?

To ensure that things didn't get out of hand, she and her team spent the past month rehearsing fight scenes instead of actually training. They would show just enough skill to pass, but not the true level of their abilities. Sai hadn't cared much about winning or losing, so he agreed to lose to Sasuke in the semifinal. Sakura had rushed out into the arena as soon as the fight was over so that no one noticed that Sai was actually unhurt.

This final fight between Naruto and Sasuke had her a bit more concerned, and she scooted to the edge of her seat as the two teammates walked out into the center of the stadium. They had agreed that it would end in a draw with both of them knocking each other out much like Sakura and Ino did in the first exam. She was worried, however, that one or the other might try to 'wake up' at the last moment and spoil things. Stupid male pride.

She began to relax as the "fight" progressed largely as expected. She had been debating whether or not to tell Neji about the plan since it mirrored his own losing fight with Naruto. They started off with the "genius" beating up on the "drop-out", who then fought back after a long speech about becoming Hokage someday. After all, it wouldn't have been realistic without at least that.

Naruto and Sasuke had decided on their own that they wanted to finish things with Chidori and Rasengan, conveniently leaving out the fact that they both have developed those jutsu further. From the snippets she had heard about their battle at the Valley of the End, she worried that this would reawaken bad memories for the two teammates, but they seemed satisfied and a little amused by the whole charade.

As the finale drew near, she glanced around at all the spectators. Everyone seemed enthralled by this unexpectedly elite battle at the Chuunin Exams. Everyone except for Kakashi, that is, who was reading one of his books. A giant whooshing noise drew her attention back to the center of the arena where Naruto and Sasuke had finally met with their 'ultimate' techniques.

The arena exploded in a ball of crackling light that blinded Sakura. She waited impatiently as the dust slowly settled, and finally she could just barely see two bodies lying at the bottom of an enormous crater. "Sai, let's go!" Sakura said, nudging him in the ribs.

Trying to appear concerned, they rushed over to their teammates just as the mediator arrived. "Looks like they knocked each other out, huh?" Sakura asked a little too hopefully.

"Looks like it," the Mist Chuunin agreed hesitantly.

"Alrighty then, we'll make sure they get proper medical treatment," Sakura said firmly. She threw Naruto over her shoulder, and Sai likewise picked up Sasuke. They were halfway across the arena when the judge announced the draw, and everyone broke out in thunderous applause.

Sakura tensed because she knew if there was one thing Naruto could never resist, it was attention, but the blond remained completely motionless until they made it to the locker rooms and threw him on a table.

Sasuke pushed himself off of Sai's shoulder and muttered under his breath. "Sasuke, did you use genjutsu on Naruto?" Sakura asked as she examined Naruto's still body.

"Yeah, the idiot wanted to keep fighting, so I put him to sleep," Sasuke said with a hint of annoyance.

It was the same genjutsu that Sasuke had used during the Itachi mission, so Sakura had no problem dispelling it, and Naruto sat up with a groan. "You bastard! We agreed to fight to a draw!" he howled, pointing a finger at the Uchiha.

"You're the moron who wanted to keep going past the ending," Sasuke shot back with a scowl.

"Naruto, it did end in a draw," Sakura interjected before they had the real final battle in this cramped locker room.

"But he knocked me out!" Naruto protested with a pout.

"And then he faked being knocked out himself," Sakura explained. She was actually pretty stunned herself that Sasuke had willingly laid down on the ground after putting Naruto to sleep. That meant his relationship with Naruto was worth more than his pride in winning the competition.

Naruto was already voicing his next protest when her words sank in. "He… what? Really?" His blue eyes watered up as he turned towards his stoic teammate, but fortunately there was a knock at the door before the tears could really start flowing.

"You two act tired and hurt," Sakura hissed at them before opening the door.

"Hello!" Kakashi said merrily as he poked his head into the room. "I just wanted to let my adorable students know that they passed the exam and are now Chuunin."

Naruto and Sakura cheered loudly, followed belatedly by Sai who failed in his attempt to emulate them. Sasuke just nodded his acknowledgement of the fact. "I also want to thank you, Sakura-chan, for keeping these three under control. I know that it was your influence that prevented them from destroying the stadium, the village, and probably the country."

Sakura laughed and gave him a mock salute, and the four of them set about packing their belongings for the return to Konoha.

--

Sakura rushed up the stairs, gave Uzuki a quick wave as she dashed by, and burst into the Hokage's office. "Sorry I'm late! We had a patient check in just as I was getting ready to leave," she explained.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. I was just catching up on my reading," Kakashi said gesturing to the scrolls on his desk. She relaxed a little since no one else seemed to have arrived yet, either.

"Don't let him fool you," Uzuki commented from the door. "Those are Jiraiya-sama's unpublished manuscripts."

The two kunoichi exchanged eye rolls as Uzuki stepped into the room and took her position standing beside Kakashi. She was followed almost immediately by Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke.

"Sorry we're late!" Naruto blurted. "We were training and lost track of time."

Kakashi frowned at them. "Surely I taught you all better excuse than that," he sighed sadly. "Now the reason I called you all here is that I have received recent, reliable information on the locations of the remaining Akatsuki members. In particular, there was a woman associated with Pein who may take up his mantle."

"Is this our new mission?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Yes, I want you to look for these people with the woman as the top priority," Kakashi said, sliding a folder of files across the desk. "Your first lead on her is in Grass Country."

"When do we leave?" Sasuke asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We don't know how long she will stay in one place, so I need you to go immediately. If that lead doesn't work out, there are more places and people to contact in the mission details," Kakashi replied, tapping the yellow folder. "I want you in constant contact with the ANBU network so that information can flow in both directions." He glanced at Sai, who nodded his understanding.

"Umm… Kakashi-sensei… how long do you think we'll be gone for?" Sakura interjected. In his last letter, Neji had written that they were finally nearing the end of their list of contacts, and she really wanted to be there when he got back.

"This is an open-ended mission," Kakashi told them. "Until now, we've waited until we got a report on Akatsuki, investigated it, and then waited until we heard more. It's time we actively pursue them and find out exactly what they've been up to regardless of how much time it takes."

"Looks like we'll have to postpone your birthday party, Sakura-chan," Naruto said sadly. "But we'll make up for it in Grass Country!"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, and Sai said, "I've never planned a celebration before, but aren't surprise parties supposed to be a surprise for the person having the birthday?"

Naruto clapped his hand to his forehead, and Sasuke gave him a slap on the back of his head for good measure. "Idiot," he muttered at the blond.

Before Sakura could ask for more details, Kakashi interrupted them. "Actually, Sakura-chan, you won't be a part of this mission. I have something else for you."

"Wait, what?" she asked, shaking her head. She was still trying to imagine what kind of birthday party her three teammates could possible organize. The choices were ostentatious, boring, or misguided. "I won't be going?"

"No, this other mission was actually left specifically for you by the Godaime, but she wanted you to be 17 before I gave it to you," Kakashi explained. He glanced at the three boys and gave them a big smile. "You three leave at sunrise, so you better get going. Sakura-chan, you stay here a moment." He nodded to Uzuki, who herded the others out of the room.

Sakura stood rooted to the floor as she watched her teammates file through the door. They were going on an S-rank mission together, while she was left out? That was so unfair!

"Here are the details left by the Godaime," Kakashi told her, sliding another folder across the desk. "She wants you to visit all the surrounding countries and document their healing techniques. The instructions mention everything from medic-nin at other Hidden Villages to witch doctors and shaman in the backcountry towns and hamlets."

"Are you serious?" Sakura blurted out. "That's an enormous goal! That will take years!" She and Tsunade had often talked about how much forgotten and undiscovered information there was in the world, but she had never envisioned having the task handed to her. And to leave Konoha for so long… "Can't you send someone else? Maybe send out teams to get it done faster?" she suggested.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. This mission literally has your name on it. I can't spare any teams right now, either," Kakashi said apologetically.

"When do I leave? Maybe I can wait until Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai return so they can go with me," she asked hopefully. "Sasuke would be good for learning new jutsu and Sai would be good for archiving everything."

"Considering how long this mission will be, I thought it would be best for you leave as soon as possible," Kakashi explained gently. Damnit, what a lousy birthday present, she thought to her self.

"One other thing, however, is that you will need an escort for this mission," Kakashi said, holding up one finger.

"A what?!" Sakura screeched. Why were they sending her on this mission if they didn't trust her? Talk about adding insult to injury!

"We just got a hold of this," Kakashi said casually, holding up a small journal. "It's the latest copy of Amegakure's Bingo Book." He opened it casually and flipped through a few pages. "Ah, here I am. My, that's an outdated photo," he commented.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura said in exasperation. "What does…"

"Oh, and look at this. A new entry," he continued as if he hadn't heard her protest. Turning the book around, he tapped his finger on one of the pages. "That looks a lot like one of my precious students."

Sakura's mouth dropped open as she dove halfway across the desk to take a closer look. It was a terrible photo of her – it looked like it might have been taken while she was yelling at Naruto during the Chuunin Exam.

"So you see? I don't think you should be wandering around completely alone considering your new status in the shinobi world," Kakashi concluded with a smile.

Dragging her eyes away from the book, she got indignant again. "But doesn't this prove that I don't need a babysitter?" she fired back hotly.

Kakashi frowned and said, "Sadly things are different for kunoichi than they are for male shinobi. There will be many men who resent that you have been acknowledged as stronger than them, and they will have something to prove. Isn't that right, Yuugao?"

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Uzuki standing in the doorway again. "Unfortunately, he's right, Sakura," the older woman said with a sigh. "I've had plenty of men challenge me for the sole sake of determining who is stronger, and they don't always fight fair. Imagine Naruto, and then make him big, mean, and nasty."

Climbing back off the desk, Sakura couldn't help but shudder at the thought of walking down the street while a hundred Narutos pointed at her and shouted, 'RIVAL!'

"Anyway, Sakura-chan, your escort is here," Uzuki added kindly.

"Send him in," Kakashi told her.

Uzuki disappeared for a moment, and Sakura turned back around to make one more plea to the silver-haired Hokage. "Kakashi-sensei, it's pointless to assign someone weaker than me as my bodyguard, and it's a waste to send two Jounin on such a low-rank mission," she argued quickly, planting both hands on the desk to prevent them from clasping together and begging. Visions of spending months upon months with Ibiki or Anko gave her voice a hint of desperation.

"You sent for me, Hokage-sama?" came a smooth voice from behind her. Sakura froze. She didn't even notice her sensei's enormous smirk, which wasn't concealed in the least by his mask.

Whipping her head around, she met an equally surprised pair of silver eyes standing in the doorway. "Sakura…," he said almost to himself. He was wearing an ANBU uniform complete with kodachi, though everything looked a little worn and weathered from the travel.

"Neji!" she gasped. She looked at Kakashi and then back at Neji. Did that mean…? Uzuki poked her nose above Neji's shoulder so she could see into the room and gave Kakashi a triumphant thumbs up.

"Thanks for returning so quickly, Neji-kun," Kakashi said as if nothing unusual was going on. "I'm sorry to send you off on another mission again so soon. Did Yuugao outline the details for you?"

Neji's eyes snapped to the Rokudaime, and he said, "Yes, she said I was assigned to a long-term escort mission." His eyes trailed back to Sakura, who was still motionless with her hands on desk.

"Good, good. The details are in this folder, but your only task is to make sure Sakura-chan can safely carry out the goals of her mission. I'm sure you've gotten a good look at the rest of the world while you were gone, and I'm sure you have a good idea of all the things that can go wrong."

Neji nodded, but his eyes had wandered back to Sakura.

"Hokage-sama," Uzuki called from behind Neji. "Why don't you let these two go pack and prepare, and you can brief them tomorrow before they leave?"

Kakashi gave a dry chuckle and said, "Yuugao's right. I'll see you both tomorrow at noon. Happy Birthday, Sakura-chan!"

Neji gave a slight bow, and Sakura finally managed to push herself straight, though her head was still spinning. Suddenly she was hurtling out the window and up onto the roof of the building. "Neji!" she squawked from over his shoulder. She could faintly hear laughter coming from the open window as he landed lightly and sat her on top of one of the railings. "When did you…" she began, and then he was kissing her.

At first her mind refused to admit it was him, and she tried to push away so she could make sure it wasn't Naruto playing a prank. She would KILL him if this was a prank. But the hand on her lower back and the tongue tickling her lips convinced her quickly that this Neji was the real deal. No one else could kiss her so perfectly.

She had rehearsed this reunion in her head for months – she would meet him at the gate, and he would gush about how much he missed her, and she would cry with happiness as cherry blossoms fell from the trees. This was much better.

She was so absorbed in the feel of his lips on her throat that she didn't even hear when he spoke. "What?" she asked breathlessly.

"Are you parents home?" he asked again, nipping at her skin lightly.

"I don't know. Why does that matter?" she answered. Who cared what her parents were doing? She only saw them occasionally on weekends, anyway. Oh. Understanding dawned with a fresh delivery of blood to her cheeks. "I actually don't live with them anymore. Since I've been getting paid as a Jounin, I could afford my own apartment. It's half a block from where Naruto and Sasuke live," she explained

Sakura squeaked again as she was lifted off the railing and launched back into the air. Snuggling into his chest, she relaxed in his arms and watched the town fly by in a blur. "I think you've gotten faster, Neji-kun," she teased.

He spared her a glance without breaking stride and said, "I've never wanted to get somewhere as much as I do right now."

Blushing, she changed the subject. "Did you just get back?"

"Yeah, and I came straight to the Hokage's office like his instructions directed," he replied.

"Instructions?" Sakura asked.

"Four days ago I received an order to return to Konoha immediately and go straight to meet Hokage-sama. I had no idea what the summons was for."

"He planned all this without telling us," Sakura muttered to herself. What a conniving bastard-of-a-sensei. What an awesome best-sensei-in-the-world.

"Frankly, I don't care who planned what," Neji said. "I'm just glad to be back in Konoha. I was going to punch a hole in the wall when Uzuki told me I was being reassigned immediately. Which building?"

"The blue house with the white door. I'm the apartment on the left," she said. "To be honest, I was kind of worried that after traveling around so much, you wouldn't want to come back." She left out the part where she would wake up at night crying after dreaming that Neji had come back with a wife or never came back at all.

He landed on her front porch and set her back on her wobbly feet. As if to reply, he pinned her to the door with another kiss while he rattled the doorknob unsuccessfully.

"…have a ke…," she said into his mouth, but he didn't give her a chance to explain. Touching a fingertip to the lock, he used a thin strand of chakra to pick the lock and bust open the door.

"SURPRISE!!"

Neji froze with one foot through the door and Sakura clutched against his chest. Sakura just gawked at the small crowd stuffed in her tiny living room. It looked like all of her friends were present along with some of the staff from the hospital. Even Temari, who must have been visiting from Suna, was there.

"Uh…," she said stupidly as she extricated herself from Neji's arms. "Wow."

"Happy Birthday!" Sai cheered, though everyone else remained silent with embarrassment.

Sasuke coughed into his fist, and Tenten said, "Neji! We didn't know you were back…"

Ino smacked Naruto on the head. "Why didn't you tell us Neji was back? We wouldn't have scrambled to move the party to tonight!"

"This was our only chance since we're leaving tomorrow," Naruto whined. "And we didn't know Neji was back, either!"

"Uh, Sakura, I should visit the main house and repack my gear. I'll be back in an hour or two," Neji said, turning back towards the door.

"Wait," she said, latching onto his arm. "Don't go." A 12-year-old part of her thought that if he left now, he might never come back.

He kissed her forehead gently and glanced over her head at the embarrassed crowd. "Have fun with everyone tonight since we'll be leaving together tomorrow," he whispered to her. "I'll be back later."

"Sorry, Sakura," Ino said hastily as Neji slipped out and closed the door. "We'll all head home now."

"No!" Sakura said quickly. "No, actually, I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow so this is a good chance to say goodbye."

Tenten gave the door a skeptical look, so Sakura quickly explained the situation and her mission. Tenten and Ino hooted while Chouji and Temari unwrapped a tray of sandwiches. Everyone quickly relaxed into the usual chatter as Naruto jumped up to announce that he, Sasuke, and Sai were also going a long mission.

"You guys get all the good missions while I have to stay here and watch the shop," Ino complained, pouring herself a glass of iced tea. "It will be quiet without everyone," she pouted.

"Eh, we all knew this would happen eventually, right?" Shikamaru added. "It's in the job description."

"Still, I'm going to miss everyone," Sakura sighed. "I feel like we were all finally together, and now we're leaving each other again. "

"It was fun traveling with Ero-sennin," Naruto commented, suddenly serious, "But I really missed being a part of a team." He slapped Sasuke and Sai on the back. "I'm glad this time we'll be going together." Sai gave him a huge smile, Sasuke just shrugged, and Sakura was sad that she wouldn't get to spend more time with them. The past seven months had been almost perfect, except…

"Well think of it this way," Tenten said. "You got to spend time with all of us, so now you can spend time with Neji."

The reality of her new assignment hit her all over, and she must have turned completely red in the face because Ino laughed and threw a pillow at her. "Your forehead could pass for a stop sign right now!"

It was bittersweet seeing all the people she loved gathered in one place. Her friends from the hospital were excited about her new mission and demanded that she write them whenever she found something interesting. Surveying the cramped apartment, she wished she could freeze time and keep everyone together in Konoha for just a little bit longer.

Finally, there was a knock at the door, and Ino perked up immediately. She began shooing everyone towards the exit while Lee opened the door to let Neji in. Suddenly her apartment felt ten times smaller as she tried to hug everyone and say her goodbyes. Naruto and her teammates were last, and she clenched her jaw in a smile so that she wouldn't break down and cry like she always seemed to do.

"Keep in touch with me!" she said to Sai, who mimicked her hug perfectly. He even kicked up one heel girlishly.

"I will," he promised. "Just use that scroll I gave you."

Touching Sasuke still felt strange. He was definitely not the physical type, but he didn't complain when she gave him a quick hug. He even gave her a half-smile half-smirk when she said, "I'm glad you'll be there to keep these guys out of trouble." Over the months since he had returned, he had maintained the stoic, silent façade, however he seemed more and more responsive to those around him.

On cue, Naruto screwed his face up into a pout, and Sakura fought off another pang of nostalgia as she gave the loudest member of her team a hug as well. "Take care of yourself, Naruto," she chided gently. "Stay out of trouble and think before you go rushing into things."

"Aw, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined. "Why do you only yell at me?"

"If you ever need help, just send one of the slugs," Sasuke said quietly to the floor. "You know we will come as fast as we can."

At that moment, Tenten called out from the door where she and Lee had been talking to Neji. "Good luck, Sakura! Don't forget to write to us when you can!" Sakura was glad for the interruption because she was about to get weepy. That had been the single nicest thing Sasuke had ever said to her!

With a final smile and wave, the three Chuunin filed towards the door where Neji was now standing alone. Neji gave a polite bow that was mainly directed towards Naruto. Sakura wasn't sure if Neji ever got over Sasuke's betrayal and the failed mission to retrieve him, but she knew he held a lot of respect for Naruto, of all people.

Sai passed Neji with a cheery smile, followed by Sasuke who gave a slight nod. Naruto paused to face the Hyuuga and then glanced over his shoulder at Sakura, who was still by the couch. "Take good care of her," the blond said in a low voice.

"I will," Neji replied solemnly. "We will take care of each other."

Naruto studied him a moment more before nodding and following his best friends out into the night. The door clicked shut quietly, and Neji lowered his pack onto the floor. He was wearing plain black hakama with his black, sleeveless ANBU shirt. His dark gray obi was tied neatly and matched his thin headband.

Walking towards him, Sakura still couldn't believe that what she had been dreaming of for months was finally standing in her apartment. She stopped in front of him and tilted her head back to look at him closely. He was taller now – she had to stand on her toes as she reached up to kiss him gently, as if she was testing that he was real and their meeting earlier hadn't just been a delicious dream.

He pulled her tight against his body, and her hands roamed across his chest as their kiss deepened. He had filled out a little while he was gone, too – he felt more solid. Or perhaps that was just because she was comparing him to a memory.

Pushing away, she took his hand to lead him down the hallway towards her bedroom. She felt self-conscious as Neji carefully peeled off her clothes, but the darkness helped to hide her red cheeks. She tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it into the corner and then let out a tiny squeak as his body came into exquisite contact with her own bare skin.

His torso felt almost feverish, but his fingers were cool and light as they played across her shoulders. Stumbling backwards, they tumbled on her bed, and she shivered as his lips tickled over her neck. Suddenly, the skin under Neji's tongue grew hot and she felt a jolt that ran straight through her stomach heading south.

"Neji, what was…," she began, but he cut her off with a kiss. His tongue brushed against her's, and she felt another jolt that left her whimpering into his mouth. He was using his tongue to stimulate her own chakra! She could feel her whole body responding to the increased flow.

He broke the kiss and began trailing his lips down her collarbone and between her breasts, and her last coherent thought was that Hyuugas really could do amazing things with their chakra. This was going to be a phenomenal mission.

--

(AN) And with that, I've finish this side story, and I will return to writing for Reading Beneath (especially now that we have some real plot going on in the series). Thanks for bearing with me through this - it was much longer than I had expected! I'm glad to have some sort of closure, however, since Reading Beneath will always be open-ended by nature. I was going to add an epilogue to this fic, and I still might, but for now I want to leave it like this. Thank you everyone for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it

To everyone who reviewed this fic - I've really enjoyed being able to interact with everyone, even if they were only in short comments. I mentioned this in my Authors Notes in Reading Beneath, but I originally began writing this out of selfishness. I wanted to see Neji as a nice guy like in Shippuden, so I decided that I would just have to write it myself! I'm amazed, flattered, and thankful that others have enjoyed it as well! (/AN)

Da Cute Snowbunny: Thanks for sticking with this fic, even when I was too busy to update frequently!

Sugarplum-sweetheart: I would never do such a thing! :P

nejisakura: Sorry for making you wait!

Goatis: I hope you don't mind, but I threw in your idea about Sakura being in the Bingo Book. Brilliant! I love it!

Mistress DragonFlame: I really dragged this out, didn't I? I was determined to finish, though!

AngelWing1138: Thanks for always reading and giving me a good chuckle :)

Dakishimeru: I love you guys, too! Thanks for always reviewing. I enjoyed getting to know everyone a little.

pamellka: I hope it was worth the wait!

Jay95: Hell yeah I noticed! I should go find a screenshot for my desktop... :P

ElasticBobaTurtle: Wow, thank you for the compliment! This is my first big fic, so I'm glad you enjoyed it

BelleDayNight: You hit the nail on the head! I wanted Sakura to grow a little bit more before I ended the story, but they were definitely going to end up together ;)

relyss0: I'm so glad you enjoyed both stories! Please keep an eye on Reading Beneath the Lines because I will shift back to that now (Yay for plot advancement in the manga!).

seguha: Thanks for reading over all these months! Jeez, we're probably getting close to a couple years by now!

al2010: Oh ye of little faith! I am NejiSaku to the bones ;)

chriss101: I would never kill Neji! Let's hope Kishimoto-sensei feels the same way!