What does it all mean? The sun was only beginning to set as Tsunade Senju, Konohagakure's fifth Hokage, stood before the floor length window of her office. She peered out the window, observing civilians and shinobi, alike, who were busy shuffling about the streets. Tsunade sighed. Many civilians and shinobi were ignorant of the events which transpired during the past six months.

The first event occurring three weeks afore Christmas Eve; Sakura Haruno's mysterious disappearance during a medical mission. Tuesday evening Sakura had departed Konohagakure in favor of Noda, a village located in the far northeast of Fire Country. Thursday morning Sakura arrived in Noda. She spent four days aiding Lord Seiryu Yoshidada's wife, Kei. Monday morning Sakura departed Noda, and no one suspect it would be the last moment anyone would see the kunoichi. Sakura did not arrive in Konohagakure as expected nor did she communicate with Tsunade as necessitated. Thus, Tsunade had summoned her finest ANBU Team; Itachi Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, and Genma Shiranui. Nothing. Three weeks of search and seize disclosed nothing. No trail. No chakra. No evidence. No Sakura Haruno.

Christmas had been unspeakable.

The second event occurred nearly three months later; Council Elder Danzo Shimura's mysterious death within his office. Tsunade remembered the morning of discovery well. She had only been awake for an hour within the Hokage's assigned residence when Itachi Uchiha knocked upon the door. Tsunade, clearly annoyed, dressed quickly and followed Itachi to the scene of the crime; Danzo's home.

Careful to disturb as little as possible, Tsunade, walked along the tracks leading to the house. She noticed the house was already crawling with Konoha Military Police Force and some ANBU. Evidence were being collected; fingerprints, footprints, measurements, pictures. Evidence already collected had been bagged and tagged, as prerequisite. She walked into the kitchen, Itachi on her heels, where a bottle of sake was currently undergoing examination. A tray of ice, now water, sat beside the bottle.

Down a hallway and through an opened door, Tsunade found the scene of the crime– an office where a big mahogany desk rested toward the right facing the garden through the open doors to the left. On the floor, Danzo's body lay in a pool of blood. Meanwhile, shards of glass littered the floor and a letter rested near the body.

"Kami," Tsunade spoke whilst noticing Itachi's complexion had blanched, more so than his usual pale complexion.

Tsunade eyes swept the office once more. The wall behind the desk and chair revealed an open safe. On the floor, below the safe, a broken picture frame rested. Robbery?

Tsunade sniffed loudly as she looked towards Itachi. "Who reported this in?"

"Nozomi Sato."

"The mistress."

Swiftly, the door opened drawing Tsunade from the memory of the gruesome homicide. She turned around from the window to look upon the man standing in the doorway; Kakashi Hatake. He looked as exhausted as a father would after his daughter disappeared. Naturally, Tsunade would proclaim Sakura deceased. There had been an abundant lapse in time and a lack of indications of her whereabouts. Little to nothing. Tsunade, however, could not bring herself to decree her youngest apprentice deceased. To do so, would only shatter her already fractured heart. Not to mention the hearts of Kakashi, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki.

Though observing the silver haired shinobi before her, it would appear Kakashi's heart had already shattered.

"Fill me in." Tsunade asked, noticing the darken circle under Kakashi's lone visible eye. He was a well-known solitary shinobi, a man who sought resolutions next to the memorial stone, a man who battled his demons' day by day. Human.

"Dr. Kagewaki Hitomi of Otsuki– a small village within Stone Country. The same modus operandi as Danzo Shimura." Kakashi placed a file upon Tsunade's desk who quickly opened the file.

Tsunade leafed through the file. Irritation quickly marring her facial features. Nothing. There is absolutely nothing within the file implying Dr. Hitomi and Danzo identified with one another. The only evidence associating Dr. Hitomi and Danzo had been the letter found with Danzo's body. The letter insinuated Dr. Hitomi had been murdered first. The file which Kakashi gathered concurred. Damn.

"Villagers spoke highly of Dr. Hitomi," Kakashi added.

Tsunade's brow furrowed. Dr. Hitomi was well respected and eye-catching. A pale complexion with mysterious onyx eyes framed with purple eyeshadow and long black hair. He possessed a build many shinobi acquired from years of training and missions. Shinobi? The black rimmed circular glasses did little to deter his looks. How does Hitomi fit in with someone such as Danzo? It made little to no sense, really.

Tsunade sighed loudly as she dropped the file upon her desk.

"Do we know anything else?" Tsunade asked while taking a seat behind her desk.

"He's a foreigner of Otsuki. He voyaged from lands unknown five years ago. Despite his status as a foreigner, he won the villages' affection. He loved aiding the villagers and often worked for free, to help those who lacked financial means."

"He knows Medical Ninjutsu?" Tsunade questioned.

"He's a well-respected doctor," Kakashi reiterated.

"Medicine come in many forms, Hatake."

"Yeah." Kakashi didn't sound convinced.

Tsunade exhaled loudly. "The Uchiha Clan wonder how Danzo come to own the scrolls. The Elders and Head of the Clan claim the scrolls were well-hidden and insinuate a spy."

"Within the clan?" Kakashi asked.

"No." Tsunade replied with a clipped tone. "They speculate Sakura Haruno."

Tsunade ignored the flash of anger in Kakashi's lone eye and continued. "They believe Sakura's disappearance is a ruse. They reason to believe its veracity since she had befriended many Uchiha members and were the Uchiha Clan's chief medic–"

The sound of a knock upon the door interrupted Tsunade. She raised an eyebrow before commissioning the individual to enter.

"Hokage-sama," Fugaku Uchiha entered. "Haruno's office was clean. However, the Police Force found some journals within Haruno's apartment–"

"Sakura Haruno is a gifted Medical-nin, Uchiha-san. Journals are her habitual routine, so journals pertaining to the Uchiha Clan are understandable," Kakashi intoned.

Tsunade watched Fugaku tilt his head towards Kakashi, finally acknowledging the Jounin in the room. Kakashi appeared relaxed with a slouched demeanor and both hands stuffed in the pockets of his pants. However, Tsunade was well-aware Kakashi was anything but relaxed; annoyed and livid with the Head of the Uchiha Clan was more likely.

"Hatake-san," Fugaku began. "The Uchiha Clan understand Sakura Haruno is a well accomplished kunoichi, but Sakura Haruno has defected Konoha. Her disappearance is discernible. There was no evidence pertaining to her whereabouts and as an elite among ANBU, Haruno is well-aware of concealing herself. Unless, Haruno's fooled her way through the ranks– "

Tsunade gasped. Clearly, Fugaku was not insinuating Kakashi and Sakura were mutually sexually active and had been for years?! One, Kakashi had not been Sakura's sensei for seven years since she, then a thirteen-year-old Genin, sought her tutelage after said kunoichi's first Chunin Exams. Even after Team Seven reformed, Sakura remained Tsunade's apprentice. Two, Sakura had been, albeit secretly, seeing Fugaku's eldest son for sixteen months before she disappeared.

They had hoodwinked the Clan, and both, Itachi and Sakura's, friends. But, Tsunade had known the ANBU Captain and Medical-nin were lovers. Somethings people could not hide, and the affection and compassion between them voiced volumes. Of course, Tsunade had not been the only one to know. Kakashi Hatake and Mikoto Uchiha had also known.

"The Police Force discovered five journals with well written notes validating Sakura Haruno conspired with Danzo Shimura." Fugaku continued. "The Uchiha Clan will seek retribution."

Immediately, Tsunade stood simultaneously slamming her open palms atop her desk. Fugaku Uchiha was a blind man, even his Mangekyou Sharingan was ineffective. "Uchiha-san, Sakura Haruno is a well-accomplished and loyal kunoichi of the Leaf! If you have found questionable journals, I would advise you to pursue an second opinion before Sakura's name is defiled."

"Hokage-sama, Haruno had been your apprentice." Fugaku retorted.

Tsunade could feel her composed reactions slipping the longer the Clan Head remained in her office. "Uchiha-san, I am more than qualified to remain objective. I am the Fifth Hokage, after all. The village's safety, including the Uchiha Clans', is my top priority."

"Clearly." Fugaku spoke with an ireful tone. "Our decision is final."