Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto**. **Or Sakura. But I do like to mess with them.**

**Author Notes: In this story, I decided to see what I can do with Sakura's character. Tearing her down and making her the bad guy is really easy for me since I don't really see anything that's good in her to begin with. I have been told by more than one reviewer how unfair I really am to her since she is a much nicer girl in the Shippuden episodes but having watched many of them I know she is still an abusive bitch who is only ever nice to Naruto because she knows she needs him if she is to survive. She is not ever nice to him for any other reason. And when he gets punched because she got knocked out and he was sitting holding her head off the ground until she came to, I refuse to see her as having changed her opinion of him in the slightest little way. And yes people she did punch him for that very reason. When she is asked about it she says she cold cocked him because he was looking at her. That was her canon given response. He did nothing and said nothing but she punched him and screamed at him for trying to take care of her. **

**Anyway in this story I will try to see if I can redeem her once I finish ripping her a new one. But building her back up after I tear her to ribbons . . .well I just don't know if I can do a good job on it. So I decided to give it a try. This is not a hate Sakura fic though it may seem like it at first. It really isn't meant to be. But I will warn you, she will fall far from grace before I let her climb back up. One must hit bottom before being redeemed. And it really is a writer's exercise for me. To see if I can take a character I don't like and make them into someone worthwhile in some manner or another.**

**On a more troubling note, I am sorry to say I am having difficulty with the next installment of Stubborn. I just can not get the prank chapter up to my specifications and I know better than to publish something that is not up to snuff for me. It will eat at me and tear at me continuously until I figure out what is wrong with it and fix it so I might as well do it before I post it. Therefore since this story is ready to go, I am giving it to you to enjoy until I can get my prank loaded the way I want it. Hope you enjoy the story.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

"Naruto! Will you slow the frick down? Sheesh," yelled Sakura. The team was on their way home from another attempt to bring Sasuke back to Konoha and therefore back to his senses. Naruto was leading the team through the trees all his senses on high alert. They had already had three run-ins with Sasuke and his new team. But each time Sasuke had gotten away when his team had interfered and allowed him to escape them.

Naruto didn't bother to even show he had heard her. He just kept leaping through the trees trusting Kakashi and Yamato to keep the group moving along behind him as he turned his head from side to side using all his senses to watch for anyone that might be tracking their movement. He was almost hoping Sasuke's group would decide to attack them again. He was itching for a good fight after what Sakura had done to them that morning.

Sai was using his ink creations to keep a look-out to the right of the group and Yamato-Sensei, someone who had joined them as a permanent member when Naruto returned from his training trip with Jiraiya, was doing the same only using a wood clone instead of ink to their left.

Kakashi brought up the rear of the party and was keeping an eye on their back trail. He was also struggling to keep control over his temper. He also knew what Sakura had done to the group in the early hours of the morning. He wasn't as angry as Naruto was but then he also hadn't invested as much of his time and effort into the girl as Naruto had.

When Jiraiya had returned to the village with Naruto, he had gone straight to the council and told them all off for the way they were trying to manipulate and destroy Naruto and exactly what would happen should they ever succeed in their endeavors. Then he had laid out the changes that would be made in Naruto's living conditions that were only necessary because they were a bunch of ignorant fools who thought because they did not understand something that gave them the right to treat it as if it were insignificant. Yamato had joined team seven to aid Naruto in keeping the Kyuubi contained and Naruto had moved in with Kakashi since he needed the companionship the silver haired ninja would give him without judging him. Kakashi had always seen Naruto as himself and the demon as the demon. The two had never been one and the same to him and he knew Naruto did not wish to give in to the demon and his failing seal but the council had set so much shit up for him to deal with containing it was more difficult than anyone believed. But by believing in him and letting Naruto know he believed in him, Kakashi could help him contain it unless Naruto was fighting. And that was why Yamato was on the team. Yamato's bloodline allowed him to trap Naruto in his Kyuubi form until Naruto could force the demon back behind the seal.

Sakura was the only one of the team who did not understand the changes that had occurred in her team. She thought she was the important one to the team now and to the council as well. She did not understand the team was designed around what Naruto needed in a team. She knew Sai was a replacement for her precious Sasuke-kun and was not therefore a valid member of the team as he would leave as soon as Naruto kept his promise to her to return Sasuke to the village. But she honestly thought Yamato was only there because the council did not trust Naruto to defend her. As far as Naruto living in Kakashi's house, she honestly thought Tsunade and the council did not know the truth of the relationship between the two. In her mind, Kakashi was using Naruto because Naruto didn't know any better. To her, the only real reason Kakashi was using Naruto was to make sure Naruto did as he told him to do when they had a mission and remembered his promise to return Sasuke. She simply could not believe Naruto was actually important to Kakashi. She honestly believed Kakashi missed Sasuke as much as she did and wanted the drool worthy boy back safe and sound in the village the same way she did. Sasuke had been Kakashi's favored student before Naruto let him get that awlful bite on his neck and then just let him run off following the whispers of a deranged man. Sakura simply could not believe Kakashi did not want his protege back again.

Normally the team showed a great deal of patience with the pink haired girl since everyone else on the team knew Naruto protected her and anyone Naruto protected, it was a bad idea to mess with. A very bad idea. Even the Hokage and the council knew to leave alone anyone who had Naruto's protection.

But for now the team was leaping through the forest on their way home from a long drawn out mission. The only one not scouting her surroundings was Sakura and she would be the only one taken by surprise should the group have another confrontation with her would-be boyfriend. But she was also the only one who could not seem to understand Sasuke did not WANT to return to Konoha and would fight them every step of the way. All he wanted was to kill Naruto every time they encountered him. It was for this reason, that Sakura always traveled in the center of their formation. She never thought to scan her surroundings for trouble.

But for now all Naruto did was turn his head slightly without looking at her and reply, "Gomen, Sakura. I thought you would prefer to sleep in a real bed tonight and have a real bubble bath for a change. If we keep moving at this pace, we will reach Hi no Sato and that hotel with the scented beads for you. Ero-Sennin said they just got a new shipment of oils for the massage room too. I thought you'd like to have time to give it a try before we have to be back in the village." He turned his head in the other direction scanning his environment slowly as he did so.

"Oh. A new oil? That would be nice, Naruto, but sheesh. Can't we take a break?" she asked.

"Not if you want to buy the beads for your bath before the little shop closes," Naruto said. "I do know how much you like to relax in a full tub of sweet smelling bubbles after a long mission." He did try to hide the sneer in his voice but for anyone who knew him, the insult he had just given her was clear.

Yamato knew Naruto was angry with Sakura and he had picked up on the insult Naruto had given the girl but he didn't know why Naruto was angry with her. He started trying to think of things he could do to smooth things over and calm the angry blond down. An angry Naruto was one of the most fearsome sights anyone ever wanted to see. For allies, it always meant pranks from hell until the person he was angry at figured out what they did and either fixed it or apologized. Best off if you did both. For enemies, it meant you were gonna die horribly and painfully. Either way it wasn't a good thing.

Sai, for his part, took the words at face value. He knew Naruto was angry with Sakura by the simple fact that Naruto had not immediately dropped his speed for the girl and would not look at her at all. Like Yamato, he did not know why Naruto was angry with Sakura. Unlike Yamato, he knew Naruto was not the only person in the group who was angry with the pink girl. And that was a very strange conundrum since reading human emotions was not Sai's strong point. But none-the-less Sai knew Kakashi was almost as angry with Sakura as Naruto was, though he held his anger closer to the vest so to speak.

Ouch, Kakashi thought as he mentally sighed. Kakashi had known Naruto knew what Sakura had done during her watch, but he had hoped Naruto would let it slide as he had let so much else slide where she was concerned. Kakashi and Naruto shared a tent so he knew the teen was always awake during Sakura's watches, which had surprised him at first as he came to realize Naruto never let Sakura handle her own shift. He didn't trust her to keep awake during her shift, or aware, and with good reason it seemed. For that matter, there was very little Naruto did trust Sakura to do. He even went so far as to create shadow clones to gather herbs or firewood if that was the camp chore given to her knowing she would only come back with a handful of sticks and twigs or pretty flowers if left to do it on her own.

It was during these times, though, that Kakashi had grown to see what a good ninja and friend Naruto really was. Together they had sat up many a night, either discussing the plans for their present mission or discussing training methods, which with Naruto usually meant talking about a new jutsu he was working on, or reaffirming their vows as life partners in a chaste manner. Both were too professional to actually have sex in the field unless it was a part of the mission parameters. More than one ninja had met their death that way because they were caught off guard and defenseless. And their team did not take missions where having sex would be required. The council had tried to force it once but Jiraiya had caught wind of it and paid them another visit. Kakashi didn't know what he said, or did, to them but the subject was dropped and had never been brought up again.

But during those long quiet nighttime hours Kakashi had also learned why Naruto wore his bright orange suit and threw himself into the midst of every battle. It had surprised him to know he only did it because he knew, of everyone in the group, he was the one who could best withstand the physical onslaught of their enemies. So he did everything he could to make sure the enemy focused on him even if people like Sakura thought it made him stupid. At least she was alive to think so.

Naruto knew he could take punishing blows that would leave the rest of them fighting for their lives and unable to defend themselves and his ability to massively spam solid clones allowed him to engage multiple enemies all at the same time while his seemingly inexhaustible supply of chakra allowed him to keep the clones coming until the enemy was worn out. This allowed the rest of the group to surround their enemies in order to pick them off one by one. The only time a new strategy was needed was if the enemy got lucky and found the real McCoy. Then they would have to wade into the battle to free Naruto from the conflict until the enemy lost sight of him, which sounded really strange for a ninja in bright neon orange until you remembered his clones were also wearing bright neon orange. Battles involving Naruto often resembled nothing so much as an orange grove during a high wind storm with sound effects but he did keep his team alive and healthy enough to bitch at him the next day.

But last night Sakura had gone too far and it appeared Naruto was still very angry with her for it. Usually he was quick to forgive her no matter what she had done. All it took was a complaint from her and he would slow down and swallow his anger. But not this time. This time she needed to do a lot more than whine and complain if she wanted him to get over what she'd done. Not that she would, Kakashi sneered mentally. To do anything actually productive and conductive toward team harmony, she had to first be aware she was tearing the team apart because he was angry with her. Years of dealing with these two told Kakashi she would not realize it until someone, probably several someones, pointed it out to her. Then she would spend days denying he had any cause to be angry with her and trying to force him into realizing he was out of line before finally settling down and attempting to sweet talk him out of his anger. But it wouldn't be until after she found that would not work that she would actually think about what she'd done to tick him off and actually try to make it right. She would apologize then but Kakashi knew Naruto was well aware of why she would actually apologize and knew the blond knew she didn't actually mean a word she would say then. But he would let the anger go knowing she wouldn't make the same error again and yet she wouldn't actually ever learn from it either.

Granted none of them had Naruto's stamina or his true speed but he didn't normally try to kill his teammates with them either. However, Kakashi didn't feel stressed by their current speed. He didn't feel the least little bit strained, winded or tired. But then Yamato, Sai and he were all ex-Anbu. They were used to going fast when they traveled. Kakashi did a mental calculation. No, Naruto wasn't going all that fast right now. In fact, he seemed to be moving slower than normal. Even Sakura should have realized they weren't moving that quickly right now. What was she up to, Kakashi wondered. He pondered the situation for a few minutes before it came to him. She wanted to stop to give someone time to catch up to them. His eyes narrowed and his anger spiked as he realized who she thought would catch up to them. She actually thought that bastard would catch up to the team and Kakashi knew exactly why she would think so.

His spike of anger caught Sai and Yamato's attention and he signaled them to increase their watchfulness. Kakashi sent Naruto a signal to pick up the pace. Naruto nodded, noting both Sai and Yamato had caught the signal as well. If she had set them up, she would live just long enough to regret it, Kakashi vowed, as he increased his own awareness. She wouldn't be the first teammate he'd deliberately made disappear for such behavior. There was only one reason now why Sasuke would desire her to delay the team and damned if he was going try again to kill Naruto for his damned dojutsu. Once sure their trail was clean he let his thoughts go back to his partner.

But it wasn't Naruto's speed or his refusal to stop for a rest that told Kakashi how angry Naruto was over what Sakura had done. It was the fact that he had not looked at the girl once all day as well as the words he said to her. He also knew Sakura was not nearly as smart as everyone thought she was. After five years of being Naruto's teammate and four more years as his classmate plus the years they had known each other before the academy, you would think the girl would know the boy well enough to know when he was telling her she was a useless, traitorous bitch and a slut but she didn't.

The group traveled on with a constant stream of complaints coming from Sakura about the speed at which they were traveling and none of which Naruto or any of the guys listened to. Even when they took a short break for a cold lunch, Sakura did not cease her steady stream of complaints over the speed they were traveling. She tried to convince Kakashi, and then Yamato, to stop for the day and set up the tents claiming they could all use the break. In her eyes, they were the senior members of the team and Naruto was taking too much on himself in forcing them into keep traveling when she didn't see the need. Because she thought she was smarter than Naruto as well as more capable and important she just couldn't see how either Kakashi-Sensei or Yamato-Taichou could take his side over hers. She claimed they were ahead of schedule and could afford to take their time getting home so why not rest a little.

It didn't work and when Naruto hitched his pack a little higher on his back everyone, except Sakura, fell into place around him. They moved out. As the last of the group, Kakashi prodded her into movement while she griped at him for letting Naruto take charge like he was. He gave her a single warning in a very flat voice that held not an ounce of give, to get her butt in gear or he'd leave her behind. She moved, not trusting him not to do exactly as he said he would.

The rest of the afternoon passed in much the same manner as the morning had. Sakura kept trying to slow them down but everyone ignored her complaints and kept up the pace. She'd even tried to fake a twisted ankle to force them to stop for the day. Yamato just made a wood clone to carry her instead so she wouldn't hold them up. He told her, "I'll carry you so you can rest your ankle and when we get to the hotel you can have the masseuse massage it for you. You'll be able to walk on it by tomorrow. The guy is good with legs. By the time he's done, you'll feel so good you'll forget it was ever injured in the first place."

She simply muttered a, "No thanks," to him and walked on, showing no sign of injury as Yamato cancelled the clone. She didn't see anyone smirking as she walked on in her spot of the formation. Towards day's end, Kakashi had realized every single complaint was being met with a slight increase in Naruto's speed which the rest of them had unconsciously agreed to match and thereby forced her to meet as well. They were actually jogging now at a slow trot and Kakashi knew it would continue until either they reached Hi no Sato or Sakura grew too winded to complain.

They did reach Hi no Sato just after sunset and Sakura, who did little to work on her stamina, was sweaty and gasping for air as they checked in. But they all noticed she made a bee line for the little boutique with it's wide variety of scented lotions and oils all the while holding her side as if she were in serious pain. They had run the last mile at a full jog and all the guys felt good for being able to actually stretch their legs on the run. She didn't even wait to check in herself and get the key to her own room. Sai had to take it to her since Naruto handed it to him and inclined his head towards the shop.

Normally in a team like this the younger two men would share a room while the older two did also or got their own rooms. But Naruto had told Kakashi point blank he wouldn't even consider sharing a room with Sai, who was in his opinion, strange. Not that Kakashi had ever had any intention of sharing a room with Yamato nor Yamato with him. Both older men knew the other had a relationship with one of the younger pair. So Yamato shared with Sai instead which suited them just fine. Sakura got her own room. Not only would it be inappropriate for her to share with the guys when it wasn't necessary, none of them wanted to listen to her any longer than necessary and she found reasons to criticize all of them.

Whenever it wasn't possible for them to have separate rooms or when the danger or risk was too high, she would have to bunk in with one of the pairs of guys if there wasn't a large enough room for them to bunk together as a group. She usually chose to share with Sai and Yamato, claiming she didn't really need to see her Sensei molesting her teammate. That comment had both Kakashi and Yamato snickering behind her back. Sakura didn't know it, but Kakashi was the straight adult in their group while Yamato was involved in a semi-open relationship with Sai. But tonight it wasn't an issue since the hotel actually had three open rooms for them.

Naruto went straight to the room he would share with Kakashi. Kakashi followed as soon as he knew everyone was signed in and had their key. He dropped his pack once he had shut the door. He noticed Naruto had already taken off his jacket and shirt and laid down on the double wide bed. Kakashi walked over, divesting himself of his shirt, mask and vest as well.

Hi no Sato was a safe hotel for Konoha ninja and the manager had set up an alarm system to let any visiting ninja know of any problems they might need to be aware of. The manager tried to make sure Konoha ninja were well cared for within his establishment knowing their lives were often short and brutal but it was because of them, and the work they did, that men like him could live as well as they did in relative security.

So Kakashi resigned himself to the task of settling Naruto's anger down so it would not overwhelm the teen before they could reach the village. He opened the night stand and pulled out the massage oil the hotel provided for all their guests. He climbed on the bed and settled himself on Naruto's butt. He poured some on Naruto's back and set to work kneading the knots out of Naruto's muscles. Once he sensed Naruto had relaxed some, he said, "Relax, Naruto. You need to keep it cool until we get home."

"I know. She just. . .makes me so angry."

"Yeah well, at least she might get the rest she spent the day claiming she needs now. For sure, she'll visit the masseuse. Maybe he can take away her tension and frustration."

"You know he's really just a spy, Kashi. Why would you think that?"

"Because that's not all he is. Yamato is correct. He is good with his hands and he will give her what she is wanting."

Naruto lifted his head and peered back at Kakashi questioningly. "He's not just a spy Naruto. He's also a whore. He works in the information trade but he does so as a masseuse so he really does know how to give a good massage as well as anything else his clients need. His posting here is mainly to see what information he can pick up for Konoha and the manager knows that. So the Masseuse has his own quarters here in the inn. He still takes care of Konoha ninja when we stop in but anything we say while with him goes no further than his ears unless he feels the nin's lips are too loose. Then he will inform the Hokage what was said and by whom but that's all he'll tell." Kakashi leaning forward to massage Naruto's neck muscles. His groin rubbed against Naruto's rear and almost caused him to moan but he bit it back. It had been a long mission and he was really wanting to get back home now. Instead, he continued to work on Naruto's muscles until the teen fell asleep. Then Kakashi recapped the oil before putting it back in the drawer of the stand just in case Sakura did not take all the little bottles. The manager kept track of what types of oils and lotions the customers used so he would have the right and most popular choices on hand for them when they came again. Then he slid to Naruto's side and wrapped his arms around the blond. It had taken him some time to wrap his mind around sleeping this close to Naruto while knowing he was straight in his own preferences. But they'd been together for a long time now and he was used to it, he thought as he snuggled in to the teens warmth and drifted into sleep. One thing about sleeping next to Naruto. The boy was always warm and he would share that body heat with whoever was lying next to him so long as that person was not a threat to him.

After a night in Hi no Sato, where true to Naruto's taunts, Sakura got her scented bubble bath, the team left the small village with Sakura's complaints ringing in their ears. She wanted to stay and shop a little bit since they were not scheduled to return quite yet. Though both Naruto and Kakashi had lost some of their anger against the pinkette, she brought it all back with her steady stream of morning complaints. First, she complained of the hour she had been roused from her bed. Then she complained over the poor quality of the food that was served to her though the waitress had told her the fruit compote she wanted was preserved instead of fresh since it was currently out of season. Then she complained because Kakashi and Naruto as well as Sai and Yamato had already checked out of their rooms while she had lingered over her breakfast. Naruto and Sai had actually checked her out forcing her to finish and get her things packed before the maid went in to clean her room. Or worse, Sai did her packing for her.

Naruto headed straight for the village entrance and the road towards Konoha. By this time even Yamato had picked up on the fact that Kakashi was just as angry with the pinkette as Naruto was. Both Yamato and Sai were bemused as to just what the girl had done to tick the normally calm pair off since both Naruto and Kakashi were well known for their patience with her and their tolerance with her shrewish temper. But neither were inclined to hang around the small village either just because she wanted to shop. They knew she had taken the oils from their rooms as well as any other products left in the night stands of their rooms for the customers enjoyment. She had already commented on the fact that Kakashi had made use of the massage oil from his room. He'd just looked at her and said, "Are you sorry I didn't call you in to watch? Or is it that you think you can get a massage while on a mission but no one else is entitled to do the same?" He tapped the side of his nose daring her to deny she had gotten a massage as well.

While Yamato hid a grin, Sai pretended to be offended at not being called in to watch if Sakura was. She narrowed her eyes as a flush of anger stole it's way into her cheeks. She actually had the nerve to tell Kakashi, "Maybe I should show Shishui this bottle from your room. I doubt she'll believe either of you just gave the other a simple massage. Naruto may be an idiot but she cares about him and when she finds out how you are perverting him. . . . I want to go shopping here before we leave, Sensei, and if you want to keep your playtoy you will let me. Personally I don't care what you have to do to keep that Baka on the job but she does. And if I have to tell her you are perverting her so-called little brother, she won't be very happy with you. So go find a place to sit down and wait until I am done shopping." She started to walk off but stopped to look over her shoulder and say, "Oh and you might want to call him to heel since we both know we aren't going anywhere until I say we are."

Yamato and Sai followed Naruto not wanting to witness what Kakashi would do to the uppity girl. Sakura stood there smirking thinking she had won. She was therefore more than a touch frightened when he grabbed her arm and threw her towards the village entrance. He growled at her, "I lead. You follow. Now! Or I will write you up for dereliction of duty."

Within an hour of rising, they were on their way home. Yamato had told Sai in a whisper to do what he could to keep the pinkette from annoying either of the other two any more than she already had. Otherwise one of the two was likely to kill her before they got her home again. Kakashi kept his eye on Naruto all that day. He knew the idiotic comments she had made about the opened oil bottle had set his temper dangerously close to the flash point. And he knew Naruto had heard the comments. Naruto had not been that far ahead of the main body of the group when Sakura tried her little bit of blackmail and the boy had damn good ears. Hell, Kakashi's temper was dangerously close to that same point and he didn't care half as much about what happened to the girl as Naruto did. But Kakashi realized he needed to stomp down his anger if they didn't want things to blow up before they made it back to Konoha. He knew all too well that if anything were to happen, to the girl before they returned home and handed her over to Tsunade-sama, Naruto would get the blame for it no matter who actually did it or caused it.

When they stopped to make camp for the night, Sakura did as she usually did and sat near the center of the clearing, doing nothing to help set things up while Naruto erected her tent for her. Kakashi had once complained to Naruto about how he was always setting up her tent for her and Naruto had explained it was bad enough that her tent was bright pink but did Kakashi really want her to set it up herself given her feelings about dirt and the wild? Naruto had told Kakashi that he set it up for her because, although she didn't know how to set it up, she would place it in a spot guaranteed to be seen by anyone traveling through the area and that included enemies who were actually trying to find them. It was the same thing with the other chores involved with setting up or breaking down a ninja camp. She simply did not know or care to learn how to do it correctly.

As soon as he had it set up, she complained about where he had placed it but disappeared inside to freshen herself rather than be available for any of the dirtier camp chores. Not unusual behavior for her since she had gotten a swelled head as the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage and legendary medic-nin of the Sennin. She thought it appropriate, that since Naruto was the lowest ranked member of Team Seven, that he should wait on her hand and foot. And there was no way she would ever believe Naruto might actually outrank her both socially and shinobi-wise.

But everyone in Team Seven knew why Naruto did her share of the camp chores and Sai helped him whenever he could. The two older men refused to enable her uselessness but they did keep watch over the boys as they did the chores.

Naruto, with Sai's help, got a fire going and, being the best cook out of them all, fixed dinner for the group. Everyone noticed he did not either take a plate to Sakura or call her out to get her own. She, who couldn't so much as boil an egg without scorching it, would have eaten every bite while doing nothing but complain over the poor flavor and quality of his meal no matter what it was that he made so no one really missed her presence. They sat around the fire for a couple hours after the two teens took care of the after dinner chores and then Naruto disappeared into the tent he would share with Kakashi.

Kakashi told Yamato to divide the watch among the four guys and to make damn sure Sakura did not take a shift. He also told Yamato to keep an eye on her and if she tried to leave the camp for any reason to notify him so she could be followed. If she so much as left her tent he wanted to know about it. Kakashi said he would tell Naruto but he'd leave it to Yamato to tell Sai. Then he went into the tent he shared with Naruto to find the teen staring at the ceiling of the tent. He sighed and lay down beside his blond. He pulled Naruto to him and stroked his back, telling the teen, "Sleep, Naruto. It'll be over soon. Just get some sleep now." He stayed awake just long enough to be sure Naruto actually did go to sleep before he drifted off himself. He knew he could trust Yamato to make sure they were safe as they slept.

Yamato concealed his puzzlement, since always before Kakashi had insisted the pinkette take a watch shift as well as he told Sai they would take the first half of the night watch. Naruto and Kakashi would have the second half so Naruto could watch the sunrise. Watching that usually calmed the teen. But he knew both the older members of team seven were extremely angry with Sakura for some reason. Clues were dropping right and left though and he somehow had a feeling he really didn't want to know what she had done to upset the pair so much. Logic was telling him it had something to do with whatever had happened the last time she had taken a watch but for the life of him he did not know what that could have been. Nor was he inclined to ask. Asking could very well turn painful in a hurry for the one doing the asking. And he just wasn't that into pain. At about ten, Sakura did leave her tent to go for a walk along the perimeter of the campground. Yamato made a wood clone to follow her at a distance to make sure of what she was doing choosing not to awaken Kakashi until the pinkette actually did leave the camp. Luckily she chose not to leave the safety of the camp and made her way back to her tent.

The next day they were up before the sun. Naruto had been unable to settle and so he had stirred up the embers and fixed breakfast for everyone while Kakashi woke the others. Sai took down his tent and Sakura's while Yamato told Kakashi about Sakura's late night walk. Of course Sakura was complaining the whole time Sai was taking down her tent since she was still in it and refusing to come out but all of them were used to this from her and Sai just kept busting down the tent while she scrambled to get herself dressed and ready to move out. She complained about the early hour and the rush when it was unnecessary since they weren't due back yet but made sure she got some of the freshest of the food though Naruto glared at her for it. Kakashi just laid a hand on his leg and Naruto kept his mouth shut when Sakura sneered at them both.

"If you wanted to be perverted, Sensei, you could have left the tents up so the rest of us could get some decent sleep. Do your perverted crap in private. I don't want to watch it and I am sure neither Sai nor Yamato do either," she said. "Just because you're abnormal doesn't mean the rest of us are."

Kakashi scooted closer to Naruto as the boy tried to eat his meal. Naruto leaned his head on Kakashi's shoulder as he poked at his food with his chopsticks. That told the jounin the boy was getting really upset with her constant harping on them both. Kakashi narrowed his eyes. If she forced Naruto to abandon his food. . . "Maa, Sakura," said Kakashi a rough burr to the normally placid tones. "From where I'm sitting it appears you're the abnormal one."

"I am not perverted, Sensei. You forget I am engaged to marry Shino." An audible snap brought everyone's attention to Naruto. With that one comment Kakashi knew exactly why Naruto was so extremely ticked off with Sakura. Kakashi hadn't thought about the ramifications of Sakura's bad act upon the village but clearly Naruto had. And with his bugs Shino would know immediately what Sakura had done. Whether he would know who it had been with was not something Kakashi had any clue of but he also knew it wasn't important if the teen knew that information. Kakashi slipped the broken sticks out of Naruto's hand replacing them with his own.

Yamato grinned, hiding his fear, as he ate. The snapping of the chopsticks had told Yamato how close Sakura was to crossing a line that should never be crossed if one wanted to live. _Let's just break the camp and get going_, he prayed silently as he watched Naruto force some of the food down his throat. _This was a very bad situation_, he thought. Naruto was walking a very fine line right now and if Sakura kept her behavior up there wasn't going to be enough of her left to bury in a shoe box. If Naruto didn't snap and kill her, Sempai would. Especially if the pinkette kept taking digs at them the way she was. Yes, Naruto and Kakashi were close. But they did not behave in a perverted manner as she suggested. When in public they were more brotherly in their actions and body language. Family. To anyone but Sakura that was. To her, every touch between them, whether deliberate or accidental, was a sexual one and therefore deviant and twisted. He nudged Sai and saw the pale boy nod gravely. It was time to intervene before all hell broke loose on earth again.

Sai made his opinion clear by playing the game Naruto had taught him that he loosely called the _Annoy_ _Sakura_ _Game_. It was a game they all played to a degree whenever Sakura was too bitchy and someone was getting annoyed with her. Usually that person wasn't Naruto but just because it was now didn't mean they wouldn't drive the Pinkette crazy on his behalf. Hell, they'd drive her beyond crazy if he let them simply because he was the one annoyed with her this time. The guys all knew it was a game and she was the only one who didn't know she was playing. Sai's job was asking questions of a sexual nature which annoyed the hell out of Sakura as there was no way in hell she could believe he actually knew exactly what he was asking and referring to. No one would even try to answer for him knowing he really didn't need the questions answered since he was not half as innocent as she thought he was but by not answering it gave him room to play the affronted innocent who really was just trying to figure things out. Sakura kept trying to get Sai to shut up but every time she did Yamato would say something, or, behind her back, either Naruto or Kakashi would do something that would have Sai asking another question.

And so it went until they got back to the village late the following day. Anytime either Kakashi or Naruto would start glaring at nothing Sai would start the game and she'd forget about them to concentrate on him. It wasn't really all that easy for Sai but for Naruto he'd do it. Naruto had saved him from being a mindless drone and that was worth the annoyance of being harped at by a walking talking carnival treat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, Kakashi or even Sakura. I do own this idea though. It's all mine. So I take the blame, the shame and the fame. . . Not.**

**Author Note: I decided to post this because I am having so much trouble working in the payback prank on Stubborn and I wanted my readers to know I have not given up writing. This story has been finished for a bit now and really just needed some simple polishing as well as a final decision as to whether to publish it or not. Anyway, here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy it and remember, this is not an anti-Sakura piece. She will be torn down badly but in the end she will be recreated. You simply must keep reading to find out what I plan to do with her rules apply to the reviews of this story as applied to all my stories. I like reviews so the more of them that are helpful and point out what you like from what you don't, the better the story grows. No reviews or reviews that say only Update Soon don't really help me feel like writing. So please, do your part and lend the power of your brains to my efforts.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Two: Report

They reached Konoha and Naruto went straight towards the tower without needing any prompting from anyone in the group. Sakura tried to peel away and for the first time in three days Naruto looked directly at her. "No. You can have another pretty fest with your tub and mirror after we see the Godaime." There was nothing nice in his words and the amount of ice in his eyes would freeze the polar caps should they be in the process of thawing. Several people moving about the area froze as they heard his words and tone. In shock, those people stopped their current activities and turned to look wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the neo Team Seven. Everyone of them paled as they realized the jinchuuriki was blisteringly angry and eyes grew wider in pure terror as they realized he was angry with the girl of his team. Everyone made themselves scarce, gathering their precious people to them as they fled, not wanting to be anywhere in the neighborhood if things came to blows.

"You don't run this team Naruto and I am tired of following your orders as if you're actually in charge," she snapped.

"You will come with the team. For the first time since this mission began, you will do as you are supposed to," he said, anger making his voice vibrate in a cold burr.

Kakashi blinked but stepped in before Sakura could try to pummel Naruto. The mood he was in she would get hurt from the minute she swung the first fist. "He's right, Sakura. Report first. Bath second," said Kakashi, no longer trying to cover his own anger. He knew things had reached a point where he would hurt her as soon as she gave him a reason.

Sakura might have been dense as a granite stone but she did know her team captain and Naruto were beyond pissed. "But. . .All right I'll come but I don't see why it takes all of us to tell her we failed again. It's not like you even try to keep your boyfriend under control. If you'd teach him better, Sasuke-kun would be with us now," she groused. "Stupid damn Baka. One of these days you're gonna learn to listen to your betters and do as you're told. I told you to wait. I told you we didn't need to rush home. But would you listen. Hell no. You just had to rush us home. Kami damned idiot."

Sai looked at Yamato for explanation and Yamato just shrugged, as everyone fell into formation around Sakura. Both Sai and Yamato knew, without being told, there would be hell to pay if the pinkette slipped away before they reached the tower and Tsunade-sama's office. Kakashi was the senior officer but when it came to the triad of Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, Yamato knew not to get involved or all of them would turn on him. He also knew Naruto was the one that actually made the decisions regarding Sakura. Because she was one of his protected people, no one would move against her without checking with him first to be sure he understood why she was being disciplined or restricted.

The halls cleared in front of and around them as the people inside got a feel for the anger radiating off both Naruto and Kakashi. No one wanted anything to do with a pissed off jinchuuriki and most could not remember ever seeing the Copy-nin that pissed off. Sakura's complaints were an on-going drone like the buzzing of a horse fly in the background compared to the angry buzz of their rage. And it was rage. Pure unadultereated rage and nothing else coming from the Copy-nin and his housemate.

In her office, Tsunade took one look at the group and immediately knew something was wrong. She almost shivered from the chill emanating from them as she watched the group spread out. Sakura was angry and pouting but that was normal behavior for her when she was forced to report after a long mission in the wilds without being allowed to go bathe first. Sai stood near Yamato away from the triad of the others. She noted neither Kakashi nor Naruto were standing anywhere near Sakura either.

But it wasn't where everyone stood that told her something was dreadfully wrong here. It was the fact that Naruto, who normally had an emotional control to rival any Anbu, was clearly showing the fact that he was controlling his emotions. Naruto just didn't do that. Tsunade shared a look with Shizune and saw her assistant nod. She had picked up on it also. Both women gulped. Naruto was pissed and while that was definitely a bad thing; a very bad thing, it was only made worse by the obvious sign that Kakashi shared his anger.

She looked at Yamato and Sai again. If they could be said to be expressing any emotion it would be wariness and fear coupled with emotional exhaustion. That told Tsunade whatever was wrong had been escalating for a few days now and the two had been doing their best to diffuse the situation. Could it be that Naruto and Kakashi had suffered their first disagreement during a mission? Couples did argue and fight from time to time. Even ones as close as these two but then she looked at the known duo of the team and realized they weren't angry with each other. Kakashi was standing too close to Naruto for them to have been fighting with each other. So who were they angry with? She narrowed her eyes as she looked once more towards her pouting apprentice. If that girl was the reason her two best and most well known ninja wanted to kick some serious backsides. . . .She glared but kept her voice civil as she snapped out, "Report."

Sakura opened her mouth to tell her version of events but Naruto cut her off. "Sakura. Shut-up," he said in a voice of brittle ice, confirming Tsunade's thoughts. Shock had Sakura doing as she was told, as Tsunade looked once again at Shizune. A simple look told the apprentice and assistant to be ready to interfere should things get out of control here. Shizune nodded and slipped into her opening stance.

Naruto gave the report in a concise voice that held all emotion at bay. He did well until he came to the event that had crossed the line for both Kakashi and him. "We were one full day of travel from Hi no Sato when our group had one more encounter with Sasuke-Teme." At this point no matter how hard he tried he could not keep his anger from showing in his voice or posture. Ice dripped from his words with all the freezing ability of permafrost.

Kakashi stepped away from the wall and put one hand on Naruto's shoulder in as nonchalant a manner as possible. His little orange book was nowhere in sight. That fact alone told Tsunade this was the crux of the report.

Sai and Yamato both got an inkling of what had occurred now. The body language of their teammates confirmed this was what had been tearing the team apart for the last few days. The draining of color from Sakura's face as well as the ice in Naruto's voice and the tension in Kakashi's form added to the fact that they had no idea of this run-in at all made them both wonder why they had interfered at all instead of just letting the duo pound the shit out of her.

Without meaning to say anything, Yamato heard himself question the statement. "But we didn't have an encounter then, Naruto." He looked again at his teammates. Sai was looking slightly confused indicating he knew nothing of it either. Kakashi was looking sad and angry. Sakura was paper white and startled. But Naruto was coldly furious. "Did we?" he finished weakly.

"Hai. It was in the hour before dawn, and Sakura's watch, when Sasuke-teme entered the perimeter of our camp. I was getting ready to answer her alarm _but she never gave it._ I held myself ready to answer the alarm and defend her if necessary from whatever he tried but instead, she complied with his wishes. She endangered our team by doing as he wished her to."

Sakura got angry and snarled, "I did not endanger our team, Naruto."

"You did. You let the enemy just waltz up to you let him have his way."

"He's not our enemy," she screamed. "We're trying to rescue him so we can help him fight Orochimaru's control."

"Orochimaru is dead. Sasuke-teme is not under his control any longer if he ever was. But you did endanger your team. You didn't even spare a thought for where his team was or what they might be doing. All you cared about was getting his fully hard dick between your legs. Check her. She's pregnant. Sasuke left as soon as he had concluded his business with her and lucky for her, screwing her seems to have been the only reason he came to the camp. When breakfast was over I led the team back here as quickly as I could given her lack of stamina, endurance and speed so she could be tended to."

Weakly Sakura snarled, "I may have had relations with him but that doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to get pregnant."

Naruto turned blazing eyes on the girl. "You did not have relations you stupid girl. He used you for sex and not even really for that. Popping it in, pumping back and forth a few times is not having sex. It's being used as a bank. And your jutsu is not as strong as his. You are with child. His child. He will go face his brother in one month as he told me he will. That is why he chose to use the jutsu that he knew would result in a pregnancy on you. He knew you would be eager to risk the lives of your team to get his child. He was correct. It never entered your mind you could get what you wanted at the cost of our lives while you were taking your pants off for him to deliver his seed. And you did take off your own pants for him."

"I did not endanger the team!" she screamed.

Naruto walked over and slapped her. He hit her so hard she almost fell over and the force left her cheek red and swelling. "I told you to shut-up. You want to discount the value of my life, Sakura, that is nothing new and I am more than use to it. But you endangered, Sai and Yamato-Sensei as well. You had no call to do that just because Sasuke-Teme was lying to you and telling you what you've wanted to hear since you were nine. But he wasn't even doing that. He didn't say a Kami damned word to you. All he did was walk up to you with it poking out in front of him and you gave him access. But this time there is no going back, Sakura. You crossed the line when you gambled with Sensei's life, too. And let's not even go into your betrayal of our other comrade." He stepped away from her with a sneer and back to Kakashi's side. Kakashi wrapped an arm over his shoulders and waited as Sakura tried to defend herself.

"He wasn't lying to me," she screamed.

Tsunade closed her eyes for a second praying to Kami it wasn't true as she saw Shizune stepping closer to Sakura. She looked to Kakashi for back-up of Naruto's report, though, in their own way, Sakura's words had told her it was nothing but the truth.

Kakashi nodded and began his own report. "What Naruto says is true. She did engage in intercourse with Sasuke during her watch over the camp. Although I can't really call it intercourse since he seems to have done most of the work himself before he ever entered the camp. He did come solely with the intention of making a sperm donation though since he simply walked up to her with it all ready to go. She did take her own pants off and even spread her legs for him to enter the bank. He backed her up against the tree she'd chosen for her shift and pumped into her for a few minutes before pulling back out and using her shirt tail, which she is still wearing, to clean himself. Who knows which girl he was actually even thinking of as he made his deposit or even if he was thinking of a girl at all. When he was done, he left. He never even kissed her. There wasn't any noise or anything to indicate it was anything more than a deposit of his sperm in a willing repository."

He paused to try and regain control over himself knowing he had just shredded any hope of dignity she had but also knowing it was nothing more than the simple truth. Sasuke had done exactly as he said he had and she had let him. Finally he continued his report. "I think we would have understood and forgiven her if she'd thought to check on the camp after he left but she didn't. She fondled herself instead making enough noise in the process to let any ninja in the area know exactly where we were. Then she redressed herself without bothering to clean herself first. She's still wearing the same clothes even though we went to the inn at Hi no Sato to give her a chance to clean up and change. I know, as does Naruto, she took a bubble bath there and made full use of all the facilities the inn provides for nin who've been in the field for a long time. All of them except for the laundry machines. She assumed we would not know of it since we were supposed to be sleeping but Naruto is never asleep when she is on watch. And because he isn't, neither am I. However, even if we had been we would have known about it anyway."

She interrupted to snarl, "Yeah right. Like I'm supposed to believe that when you both engage in the same thing."

Kakashi turned a deadly cold look on her as he bit out, "As a matter of fact, Sakura, Naruto and I do not engage in sexual activities on a mission unless the mission calls for it. None of our missions as a team to date have so no, we don't. You are the only person on our team who has had sex during a mission and both he and I know you did. We can actually smell it on you as we could hear it when Sasuke entered your bank vault. You debased yourself at what could have been the cost of our lives." His scorn was clear as he turned his attention back to Tsunade, cutting himself off knowing if he said anything more he would only grow even more angry with her.

"When everyone was up and fed, we moved out with Naruto in the lead. She argued and tried to make us take a day of rest. She even went so far as to try and fake an injury to make us stop. I honestly believe she wanted us to stick around just in case Sasuke wanted to bring his team and fight us one more time. And she tried to blackmail me because I gave Naruto a massage in the hotel room at Hi no Sato to calm him down. Little bitch thinks every time I touch him I am molesting him and I'm tired of it. Even if I had been doing such a thing instead of trying to save her worthless life, she has no right to question what I choose to do let alone attempt to blackmail me with it."

"The night we left Hi no Sato I told Yamato not to give her a watch shift of her own as obviously we can not trust her with our rest. She did none of the camp chores including setting up her own tent. But at ten when the camp was settled and Yamato was on watch she went for a walk around the perimeter even though she has been told more than once that is not safe to do and that should she wish to do so she is to tell someone and get another to follow or at least accompany her. Given her skill level and lack of general awareness of her surroundings, she is unfit to defend herself. Though she has trained under you she refuses to practice and keep her skills sharp and both Naruto and I have extremely strong enemies who will not care she is a council woman's offspring. But she did neither since she believes herself stronger and more capable than Naruto. However even he would not go for a walk late at night alone around our perimeter where he knows the enemy can and will spot him if they are out there."

He had not looked at Sakura once as he tore her behavior and skills to ribbons. He looked Tsunade straight in the eye instead while still maintaining his physical contact with Naruto. "I want her off my team. I am tired of dealing with her crap and it has been a long time since I ever saw anything of worth in her. Naruto is the only reason I have not requested her removal before. No other team will have her as I have already gone looking more than once for a different placement for her so I am well aware this will mean her removal from the ninja forces. But Naruto is finally fed up with her and I do not wish to see her ever again. I have killed people for less than she did. We all have. Do not even think to make me keep her around us any longer."

Shizune discreetly finished her physical examination of Sakura. Before Tsunade could say anything she gave her the results in front of everyone. Like Kakashi she did not bother to try and spare Sakura's dignity or reputation. "Naruto is correct, Shishui. There is a jutsu in effect on her womb and she has recently engaged in intercourse. From the state of her vagina, it is clear she was not forced but it is also clear she was not prepared before being penetrated. Therefore, my conclusion is that the man who's stick she rode did indeed come prepared and found her willing and waiting. She was not raped. Scratches on her back are consistent with her complying while standing up against a tree or other rough surface. Their mission was a two week mission and no mention has been made of needing to enter a house of ill repute to track their quarry and since no one has denied it was Sasuke she engaged her body with, we must conclude she did in fact sell out the safety of her team to become his repository, since he is listed as a missing-nin in all the bingo books to date and has been for years now. She will be lucky if she is not labeled a traitor for this action as any other girl from the village would be."

Naruto looked Tsunade straight in the eye and said, "All the way home I kept waiting for her to realize what she did. I kept waiting for her to apologize or at least try to acknowledge she did something she should not have done. She not only never did but she compounded her own bad behavior by insulting the rest of the team and implying we are all guilty of her own behavior. None of us are. I withdraw my protection from her. Whoever this slut is, she is not the girl I knew in school and I will no longer offer her the shelter of my arm or reputation."

Everyone gasped except for Sakura who sneered. "Like I need your protection, Baka. I'm stronger than you are. I always have been. I'll beat the living shit out of you for even daring to imply I need your protection." She balled up her fists and marched towards him. Everyone wanted to grab her but a signal from Tsunade held them all in place. It was time Naruto showed her what everyone else already knew. She was not, and never had been, stronger than he was.

Naruto gave a feral grin as he watched Sakura appraoching him. She swung with her right fist. He caught it and held it as she lashed out with her left leg. Naruto used her own arm as a counter balance to avoid the leg spinning her in a tight circle. She swung with her left fist and he caught it as well. Holding both her fists and applying pressure he growled, "My turn, Bitch." With a carefully calculated blow he slammed his forehead into hers snapping her head back and letting go of her fists at the same time. The sudden release of her hands caused her to fall backwards onto her butt. Naruto didn't even bother to follow up on the headbutt. He simply turned his back on the fuming girl and stepped back to Kakashi and leaned on his chest. Kakashi wrapped his arms around the blond without even sparing a glance at Sakura.

"Like I said, I want her off my team. I don't care what happens to her any more. Naruto is through protecting her and doing her work for her. He's done covering for her and I was done with that crap when Sasuke left. But never again will I take that bitch into the field. If I do, do not expct her home again. She won't make it. I do not suffer traitors in my camp when I am sleeping or at my back when I am fighting."

"All right." Tsunade gave Sakura a look of such sadness it almost penetrated the fog of anger in Sakura's brain. Almost. "Sakura, I wish you had used your head this time." She summoned Anko from interrogations.

In the dead silence, Sakura's mumbled, "I was using my head. He went back to his camp to tell those freaks he was going home. If we had stayed where we were, he would be here with us now. But no. Naruto doesn't want my Sasuke-kun to come back so we had to rush out and leave him for them to find again. Those freaks have my Sasuke-kun now. I seduced him and I know he enjoyed himself so he was only going to tell them he was going with me. But I left him a trail so he can come home again. I know he'll be here in a few days. Then he'll break Baka's spell over Sensei and we'll be happy again. Baka will be back in his place as my Sasuke-kun's measuring stick and I will not have to worry about the trouble Baka attracts hurting me all the time. Sensei will train my Sasuke-kun so he can get stronger and live up to his true potential. We'll be happy when everything is the way it was."

No one said anything. There was no point in saying anything more. A few minutes passed and then Anko was there. "Take Sakura into custody. She is to be questioned as to what information if any she may have gained off of Uchiha Sasuke. Treat her with care as we do know he used a jutsu on her womb and indications are she will bear his child. I do not want the child lost. Keep her incommunicado and in a secure room but do periodic medical checks of her condition. We must know as soon as possible the reasoning behind the womb jutsu. Naruto says she is to have the Uchiha's child and I have no reason to disbelieve him."

Anko nodded her understanding of her orders and took Sakura away for questioning. The team finished their reports and left the tower. Yamato and Sai both fully understood just why what Sakura had done was so very bad. It would have been bad enough if she had not known Sasuke was running with a new group of missing nin but she did know. It only made it worse that the people she had endangered for that. . .action. . . were two of her oldest comrades and one of them someone she had known since her pre-academy days. For her to endanger them the way she had, was not something they would ever get over. They headed for the nearest bar and proceeded to get themselves totally shit-faced drunk as it now slammed home to them how very close they had courted death during all the missions she had been a part of their team. Both knew Kakashi and Naruto would have done everything in their power to keep them all alive but it just wasn't the point. The point was they should have been able to trust her with their rest but she hadn't been worthy of that trust and they could have awoken to find themselves face to face with the Shinigami instead. It was a sobering thought for both of them.

Silently, Tsunade ordered Kakashi to keep an eye on Naruto, which he had planned to do anyway. He followed Naruto to their dwelling and watched as the blond dropped his pack on the floor of their room.

**Author Note: Have I made Sakura's fall clear enough? If you think she wouldn't do this I am sorry for you but she would. So long as it was Sasuke, Sakura would indeed do this and, due to her larger than life ego, she would not believe she was endangering her team. All Sasuke would need to do is tell her he slipped away from them or ordered them to remain behind. Remember, she totally does not believe he is as real a missing-ninja as any other. To her, he is simply a Konoha ninja who needs to be rescued. Anyway, next chapter is background information on Naruto and Kakashi for those, like me, who love the pairing. Though they are not the main focus of this story it just wouldn't be one of my stories if they weren't in it somewhere. Just the way I write guys and gals. Remember to review please. Tell me what's good and what's not but keep in mind this is the tear her character down to the bare bones part of the fic and there's a long way to go yet. If you are a Sakura fan, then be patient. It will be a few chapters before her character truly hits rock bottom yet. But then I promise I will rebuild her and she will turn out much better than I see her in cannon and don't bother telling me I am reading her cannon personality wrong. I am not. She is a spoilt little girl who only is ever nice to Naruto when she needs something from him or when it costs her nothing to be nice. And even half the time then she isn't what I would call nice. In short people, Sakura is a user and that is in my opinion the worst kind of abuser.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura or anyone from the show, manga or any other venue. Totally wish I did though. Then I'd have a bigger house....a bigger mess. . .and a bevy of people to clean it up for me. Oh wow. Now that's a drool worthy dream!**

**Author Notes: Ok folks I'll admit I didn't expect this story to take off as well as the Kakashi/Naruto stories do for me or even as well as my angst driven stories but come on. If you don't review how am I supposed to know if it's worth continuing? Maybe I listed it wrong in the summary? Maybe it isn't any good? I just at this point don't know. Do you want the story to continue? You have to tell me folks. Reading minds may be a Yamanaka technique but I do believe one needs to be a blue-eyed ice blond to be a Yamanaka. I'm a black haired green eyed witch so I don't qualify.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Three: Background Information

"It's safe, Naruto. You can drop the henge now. No one is here," Kakashi said.

A sigh and a shimmer later and Naruto stood in her orange and black suit as much a female as everyone thought she was a male. "Thank Kami," she said as she ran her fingers over her head scratching the itches out from the way it had to be bound up while she was in the village in her henged form. She turned to where Kakashi was watching her stretch the kinks out. He loved watching her stretch every time they returned home.

Giving him a quirky smile, she asked, "Enjoying the show?"

"Always," he replied, taking his mask off. He didn't need it when it was just him and Naruto. He stripped her of her jacket at the same time he pulled his vest off. They fell onto the bed and enjoyed the fact that they were together and safe from harm. Well, as safe as Naruto could ever be. Now that they were home again, he could help her relax even more and maybe they would both lose a little of their anger with Sakura over her thoughtlessness. Stroking her body, he reveled in the sensation of finally being able to sate his desires.

One of the things they had found out when the Old Hokage died was that he had been powering a very strong henge on Naruto. The henge concealed from everyone, including her, that she was in fact a girl and not the boy she thought she was. Kakashi had wondered why, when he and several other jounin had gone to assist the Hokage, the old man had insisted Kakashi go to where Naruto was and prepare to shield the child against all observers. His confusion lasted only until the old man died and the henge fell. Then he understood immediately why he, rather than anyone else, had been sent to her side. Luckily, the only ones who had seen her were the team from Sand and they were so grateful for what she did for Gaara they would never reveal her secret to anyone. He got the exhausted Naruto to Jiraiya and as soon as the old lecher saw the girl he understood immediately what had occurred. They'd hidden Naruto at Kakashi's place and both went to make immediate plans for her protection.

At that point in time, there were only five people, other than the Sand Trio, who knew for certain Naruto was a girl and not the boy she had grown up as. Jiraiya, because it had fallen to him to take her away from Konoha and get her used to the big secret and why it was safer for her to be a boy. Tsunade knew, as did Shizune, because they took care of her medical needs and saw to it all her questions about being a female, that would have made Kakashi want to crawl out of his skin and die before answering and would have had Jiraiya answering incorrectly or pervertedly, were answered honestly. They also took care of purchasing those things girls need that no boy can ever get if he doesn't have a girl in his life. Not without taking a whole load of crap or starting a round of rumors they would never be free from anyway. Shizune had worked with the girl Naruto on her taijutsu and throwing so if ever the henge should drop in battle she would not be caught flatfooted. Jiraiya and Shizune had put her through more than one battle where Jiraiya had deliberately dropped her henge while she fought Shizune just to make sure she would think nothing of it and automatically adjust her throws, punches and kicks for the new form.

Once Jiraiya had returned Naruto to Konoha, and taken on the council over her welfare, Naruto had moved in with Kakashi for her own safety. Kakashi had cleaned out Naruto's old apartment of everything he thought Naruto would want and moved it into his place for safe keeping while the teen was gone. He didn't know if it would be a male Naruto, who returned to the village, or a female one, but he knew either way Naruto was no longer safe to live alone. Nor did he want Naruto to continue to live in that dump. Everyone in the village thought they were involved in a homosexual relationship which didn't bother either of them in the least since they knew they weren't and they each knew exactly why they couldn't tell anyone the truth.

The homosexual thing had come out when Kakashi got tired of the whispered comments of horny teenage girls and told them to go away. He flat out told the girls in no uncertain terms Naruto was taken and always had been. It was nothing more than the truth but the girls didn't know that. Kakashi had been engaged to Naruto in an arranged marriage on the day of her birth so that she would have a safe and stable relationship where she was not sought after like a prize on a shelf in a carnival booth for her inheritance. Her parents had set it up as soon as they knew they were to have a little girl, and knew she would be in great demand by guys and clans who wished to use her to improve their standing in the world. Those people would not care in the least about Naruto or what was in her best interest. All they would see was a possible way of improving their own clan or family. To them, the Demon in her seal might possibily be enough to grant her children a new bloodline allowing them to propel themselves from a mere family to clan status. Add to the mix the fact that she was the sole survivior of a Hokage and attaching her to an established family would bring prestige and honor not deserved to whichever family or clan managed the feat. Both Minato and Kushina had understood that but then they weren't impressionable children either. Both understood politics and human nature. So by choosing her husband themselves, they had at least protected her from being used in that manner.

When Naruto had returned and the girls had gotten a good look at him, they had formed a fan-club. The village girls had been at a loss when the Last Uchiha had taken off leaving one of their number in what could have been a very bad position. So when Naruto had returned they took another look at him. For the first time they actually saw the blond as he was and they liked what they saw. They liked it a lot. The fact that he was polite and always cheerful with the girls so long as they obeyed the boundaries he set did nothing to deter them. Those girls who breached his boundaries were set upon by the rest of the club and taught the error of their ways very quickly. Naruto himself had set the boundaries and treated the girls like people, never disrespecting them nor encouraging them in their pursuit of him. He listened to what they had to say and did his best to subtly encourage them to look elsewhere for a boyfriend. One by one he built the girls up and sent them off to pursue the life they really wanted for themselves as soon as he found out what it was they really wanted to do. Kakashi understood what Naruto was doing but it still pissed him off that he couldn't take Naruto anywhere without a horde of girls following them everywhere they went.

The only one that surprised him was Hinata. She not only followed Naruto everywhere, much like the fan-girls did, but she helped Kakashi get rid of the tail when he needed alone time with Naruto. However, she herself never made a move on him or requested anything from him outside the occasional spar or assistance with her jutsu. Kakashi had watched enough of those meetings to know what she asked for from Naruto was exactly what she wanted. She had no sexual interest in Naruto and it puzzled him as to why she would devote so much time to following him everywhere he went. A conversation with her revealed she had known since they were eight that Naruto wore a henge and it hadn't taken her long into her teenage years to realize what the henge was for or why Naruto would need it more than anyone else. She had decided then to make sure he always had willing help should help be needed. Hinata told Kakashi, it was just what a true friend did and she was Naruto's true friend.

But after Kakashi had finally gotten fed up with the fan-club and told them all to go find another idol, he had taken Naruto and Hinata, to Tsunade and growled at her to just perform the marriage ceremony for them as he was damn tired of waiting and wading through a mass of horny teenaged girls every time Naruto left the apartment. Hinata had laughed at him and agreed that the duo did need to be married before Kakashi killed someone for coming on to Naruto-kun. And so in a very private ceremony, witnessed by Jiraiya, as Naruto's godfather, and Hinata, as a member of the elite families of the village, and Shizune, Naruto and Kakashi were married by Tsunade. Naruto was thirteen then which was young but allowable since it was arranged by her parents at her birth and since she was a ninja.

No one in the village questioned their relationship. Ninja were known to take love and sex wherever they could get it so long as they were not on a mission though there were missions where having sex was part of the life. They worked hard and played even harder but they were never really relaxed or off guard from the moment they took to the field and that was as soon as they put on their headbands. So it was understood that whenever they were open about an affair they were involved in, it was worth your life to express disapproval over it. If the couple themselves didn't make you pay for it, then chances were good their friends would. Their lives were too short for normal rules and given the unique qualities that made them successful as ninja, children of established or acclaimed ninja were highly sought after even in large clans such as the Hyuuga. Even a child who claimed a missing-nin as a parent was not considered to be a bad thing so long as they were being raised carefully in a ninja village. After all, it did take some skill to get a listing in a bingo book and the higher the bingo book ranking the more welcomed the child was. Of course it went without saying the higher the rank of the criminal parent, the more watched the child would be but the child was still a welcome addition to a ninja village.

The only thing that surprised anyone about their relationship was that the Hokage had not made Kakashi leave a deposit of his seed at the fertility bank for a future generation of Hatake. No one was really surprised that she did not require it of Naruto. After all, everyone now knew of the demon behind Naruto's seal and no one knew how that demon might twist or manipulate the seed of the teen.

That was the one thing the council had done while Jiraiya and Naruto had been gone to get Tsunade and return her to the Hokage position that none of them had been happy over. The council had rescinded the old Hokage's law so the truth could be revealed and told the village they could now tell their children the truth of Naruto's existence. They were thinking they would gain the support of the younger generation in denouncing the teen. They had been shocked and surprised to find just the opposite had occurred as the kids Naruto's age had taken on their suppositions and blasted them for their ignorance seven ways from Sunday. The teens had pretty much called all of them stupid ignorant fools who did not deserve the sacrifice of the Yondaime let alone Naruto's sacrifice if they were that damn stupid. The teens had also taken the younger children to task when they heard them blindly parroting their parents and asking them to think things through. In each case, the teens had told the children how seals worked. Demonstrations of how storage seals worked rebounded around the village until all the children understood the concept. Glasses of water and pebbles finished the task of showing the stupid just how very stupid they were. And in the Academy storage scrolls became standard teaching material in the introduction to seals lectures.

Even Sakura blasted her Kaasan over the issue, pointing out her stupidity and telling her if she wanted to despise the blond for being stupid or loud that was one thing but to blame him because he was keeping a demon at bay, which he clearly was since the village was still standing and not one person had been killed by the demon in his lifetime, made her the idiot. Haruno Kiku had sat there blinking in shock as her normally compliant and gullible daughter called her an idiotic fool and very logically pointed out exactly why she was that same idiotic fool. Sakura was righter than she knew. After everything the council had done or authorized be done to the jinchuuriki they were damn lucky the village was still standing. And if Naruto were half the demon they claimed he was the place would not be. The council would be able to point to headstones of people killed in the last thirteen years due to the demon instead of missions or from breaking the Sandaime's law about the jinchuuriki. Kiku had over the next few months come to change her opinion on the blond boy.

And so by the time Naruto returned to the village with the new Hokage in tow, there was no doubt the younger generation knew Naruto was more important to their safety than Sasuke had ever been and exactly why he was more important, though Sakura did still believe Sasuke was more important than Naruto was since he had a dojutsu and, demon seal or not, Naruto didn't. The older generation still hated him but more were ashamed of themselves over their hatred due to the badgering of their children and grandchildren who never relented in their persecution of them. The sensei of the teens had just stood back smiling proudly as their genin and chunnin took on the stupidity of the village and beat everyone over the head with it until no one could deny it any more.

But all of this had been revealed in only a few weeks. Jiraiya and Naruto had only stayed in the village for a few weeks because Jiraiya didn't think Naruto was mature enough to be a proper wife for Kakashi and he also felt that the change in the village's perception of the teen was too drastic for the kid to handle well. So they left again as quickly as Jiraiya and Tsunade could set it up. Kakashi didn't like it but he did understand. Naruto needed time to grow up and fully accept the changes. The only thing that had been established between them was that Naruto, male form or female form, had no problem living with Kakashi. She had told the jounin even before the henge had dropped she had felt a connection to him that confused her but she wouldn't explain what she meant by that at all.

As for the villagers, their feelings towards the teen were fluctuating wildly due to the actions of Uchiha Sasuke. Part of them felt it was Naruto's fault the Uchiha had fled the village to take training under the Snake Sennin but yet there were others who felt the boy could not have known the thoughts in Sasuke's head and therefore was not in any way responsible for what he had done. Demon seal or not, he wasn't a Yamanaka, as Ino and Inoichi had pointed out more than once, and therefore, mind reading was not something he could do. They were also divided over whether or not Naruto had done his best to return the dark haired boy. All in all though it was sending Naruto a very confused message and the teen was slowly going bonkers trying to figure things out.

They were gone for close to three years because Jiraiya didn't want her to return until she was grown enough to be the woman Kakashi needed her to be. Married or not, Naruto was still a child in many ways and Kakashi needed a grown-up as his wife. He had taken her to Wave and had Tsunami continue her education in how to be a female and then he had taken her to Snow so Yuki could refine her behavior even more. He doubted Kakashi would ever let Naruto take an espionage mission where she would need to be herself but still he wanted his Goddaughter to know all the proper social behavior no matter the situation. he personally would beat the crap out of anyone foolish enough to demean his Goddaughter by sending her on an infiltration mission as herself but he knew as often as he was away from the village he more than likely would not learn of it until it had already taken place. That wouldn't save the fool who ordered it but still.

It had taken Kakashi a few months to figure out what the connection must have been that Naruto had mentioned but once he had, he'd been on cloud nine waiting for word of their return. It was a very happy Copy-nin who saw them re-enter the village. He had followed them to the tower wanting to hear about their adventure as well as making sure she came home as soon as she was released to do so. Jiraiya had simply smirked at them, knowing exactly why the Copy-nin was coming with them. That night, Kakashi had given Naruto a very private and heartfelt welcome back greeting of his own.

A routine had been established so that Naruto could be herself in the apartment and they could have a normal relationship without having to fear discovery by others. But outside of the apartment she continued to be the blond headed foxy boy everyone knew. Of their team, only Kakashi knew Naruto was not a boy which really said everything about how they felt about Sakura and her ability to not only keep a secret but her ability to understand why it might be necessary to keep such a secret. Even Yamato and Sai were not told the truth of Naruto. Neither Kakashi nor Naruto saw any reason to tell them since the henge was damn near impossible to break so long as both were present to keep it active. Even if one was distracted the other could keep an eye on it. Naruto wasn't henging due to any kind of real fear from the citizens of the village. It was more along the lines of what the world at large did not know, they did not need to know and so long as the Akatsuki was still active, and looking to capture him for his prisoner, there was more reason to keep whatever secrets he could keep from them for as long as possible.

But now Kakashi knew whatever Naruto might have said about Sakura's behavior on this last mission her betrayal of him had hurt. Of the entire team, only Kakashi could have hurt the blond more than her actions had.

"Naruto," said Kakashi after they were sated for the moment. "How angry are you with Sakura? I know you understand why she did what she did so I know you aren't really angry at her for giving in to her desires."

"You're right. It isn't that. She'd be less than human if she'd been able to refuse him what he wanted, given what he was telling her. I do wish she had shown more pride in herself and at least demanded to be treated as a human being but I do understand why she let him do that to her. I'm angry because she didn't even attempt to secure our safety and, while I can understand her disregard of my life, I can not, and will not, feel the same way about her disregard of everyone else. No matter how that is sliced or diced it is wrong. She didn't even try to check for the presence of his team. And though she said he told her he left his team behind he said no such thing. He didn't speak to her at all, Kashi. You know damn well he didn't. She had no idea where his team was or what they were doing and no matter how much she wants to deny it she does know full well they are his team, handpicked by him to aid him in achieving his goal. They are not people assigned to him by Orochimaru or anyone else. He chose them and she knows it."

"For all she knew, Sasuke was merely distracting her so the team could get to each of us as we were sleeping. I may forgive a lot of crap, Kashi, but someone endangering you like that for such a petty reason as that? No. I won't forgive her for that. She knows better. She could have come back to camp, to awaken us, only to find, while she was getting her fantasies answered, her team was dying. And we all know, because of Furball, while I would most likely have survived, I can not do medical jutsu on anyone no matter how much they mean to me. But even worse was the fact that even after he left her, she still didn't spare a thought for us. She sat there in the tree and got herself off since he hadn't bothered. Then continued her watch as if nothing had happened and said nothing of it. She had three days while we traveled back here to tell the truth of that watch but she didn't. I even let her know I did know by mentioning the bath beads Hi no Sato sells and still she played innocent. Those beads are designed to cover the scent of recent sexual activity and she knows I know it because I explained it to her once before when we were younger and Anko had told me about them. I doubt if it even entered her head what the true cost of her choice could have been until we were in front of Baa-chan."

"Actually I doubt if she understands that even now," admitted Kakashi. "She never really listens to you and none of the rest of us actually told her. For all her brains, we all know she doesn't exactly think things through very well. I know you said it pretty bluntly when you were talking with her in front of Tsunade-sama but Sakura can be very dense when she wants to be."

"Hai. I know but I don't want to go after Sasuke any more, Kashi. To tell the truth, I have only ever agreed to chase him for her. Well, except for the first time. Then it was for all of us but since then. . ." She shook her head and snuggled further into his side.

"Good. I don't want him back here either. I never did. I knew from the start it was his choice to take off. He wasn't being controlled by the seal. He had a choice and he made it. I only ran after you because the village sent you after him and I knew in his mindset of the time he would try to kill you if he could. I didn't think you were ready to kill him in order to live yourself. Not for this village, the Hokage you brought us or for me. Without you. . ." He shudderred and left the past behind again. "I know Tsunade has been carefully reminding the village of all the negative crap they had to deal with before he left because of the favoritism of the council towards him. She's been preparing the populace for the announcement that Sasuke is no more welcome to return than Itachi is and for much the same reasons."

"I figured you'd be a little more upset over me giving up on him," Naruto said looking up at her husband curiously.

"Not since he put a chidori through your chest. You, I value. I always have even when I wasn't showing it. I knew even then Sasuke was the risk, to not just our team but to the village so I poured all my effort into turning him around but I knew neither you nor Sakura were a risk. You are loyal and true to your friends and your special people. Sasuke will only ever be loyal and true to himself. He will never value another for all that he did give Sakura her child. He will never love her or care for her or the child he gave her. For that reason, she will not be allowed to raise the child either."

"Huh? Why not? It is her child also."

"Because she would use the child just the same as the council used Sasuke. The child will become just another stepping stone for her to a position of power and influence she hasn't really earned. She would spoil it just as the council spoilt him. And she would point to the child as proof of Sasuke's true feelings for her and the village, based on the fact that he chose her, never understanding exactly why he did choose to use the jutsu on her rather than another girl," Kakashi explained, nuzzling Naruto's neck.

"He never did see her as a viable ninja. And you're right. She'll never understand that. But she's also wrong if she thinks he'd ever marry her. He won't. She is neither a civilian nor a viable ninja in his opinion. He told me once, when we first began sparring together, that he would never choose a kunoichi as a wife but he didn't want to explain why. I think it embarrassed him. So I checked into it. Research showed me the only time a Uchiha male married a kunoichi was if she was a threat to their own prowess in battle. Example is Sasuke's parents. Mikoto was a fierce kunoichi and becoming well known for her ability with the dojutsu on the battlefield. Fugaku was being overshadowed as people started noticing her. Since he was the head of the clan, and supposed to be the best of them, the clan arranged the marriage. What Sakura doesn't get is once a kunoichi marries an Uchiha, they are no longer a ninja. It's in the bylaws. But back to the point. Sasuke would only use that jutsu on someone he had no respect for. He would not use it on Hinata, Ino, Tenten or any other kunoichi he valued in any way. Only Sakura did he perceive as weak and useless as a kunoichi." Naruto quirked her lips and added, "But the plus side is he wouldn't have used it on a civilian either. In his own way, he does have a sense of honor. He will not destroy a civilian girl like that or dishonor a serious kunoichi." Her hands were ghosting over Kakashi's skin and distracting him from what she was saying as were his nuzzling and questing hands.

Kakashi nodded. He hadn't known about the bylaws thing but it didn't surprise him to find Naruto did. The kid had spent more than a few hours at the tower during his early childhood. "You always did understand him better than anyone else in the village. As for her, it's really her own fault he couldn't see her as a serious kunoichi. She always acted like a love struck girl whenever he was around and failed to let him see her training and skill had increased over the years."

"True but now the council will make it clear they no longer need the Uchiha returned to the village since he gave her his child. Which does fulfill his obligations to the village since he used a jutsu to make sure she will bear the child. Since the dojutsu lives on in the child, even if the child does not gain the eyes itself, he has no need to return."

"How do you know so much about the jutsu?"

"Furball. He was laughing his butt off as soon as she came into camp the next morning. Used my eyes to look her over for any injuries that might not be readily apparent."

"Poor Sakura. She's in for a rude awakening." Kakashi wasn't really paying a lot of attention to the conversation any more. His hands were playing with his wife's body and he was seriously more interested in rekindling her inner fires than Sasuke and Sakura drama.

Naruto was aware of what he wanted and she was definitely getting interested as well. But there was more she wanted to say while she had him pinned down. She did part her legs for his wandering fingers though. He smirked as he noted the movement and obliged her by sending one hand there and dragging a groan from her before she whispered, "Very. She used Shino too, don't forget. His clan may not be openly perceived as being as noble as the Hyuuga or the Uchiha but they are still well known and, in their own way, every bit as noble as the dojutsu clans. What she did to him will come back to bite her in the backside as well." She moved her hips in time with his fingers, clutching his shoulders as desire coiled through her belly.

"Well, I know one thing this decision of yours frees us to do that I have wanted to do ever since Tsunade married us," Kakashi said, tilting her chin up and kissing her tenderly. It didn't stay tender for long as need drove them deeper, each looking for more contact and the fingers between her legs dove inside her body.

"What?" she asked, panting when they broke for air. She was writhing under him, small keening sounds mixing with her panting as his fingers drove her need to match his. He paused in his speaking to nuzzle at her breasts before sliding back up her body to her mouth.

"I want a baby, Naruto." She stilled as the words penetrated her mind. He stopped stroking her body to impress on her how very serious he was. "We've been married for four years. I want to see your belly swelling with my child. To know we will leave something of ourselves behind for those who will have to survive without us should we get a mission we can not triumph over. I want to know that everything we've worked for will go to someone we chose to leave it to." Before kissing her again as she wished him to he told her, "And now would be the best time."

Neither spoke again for the next half an hour or so as Naruto made her wish for less talk and more action very clear. But eventually the conversation was resumed. Kakashi wanted her to know he really did want her to have his child now.

"Since the village will be concentrating on Sakura, no one will notice if we tell everyone Naruto left on another field trip with Jiraiya. You don't have his whisker marks and though the eyes are the same, there's enough differences in your hair that, except for a few of the clans, no one will think twice about you. We take some of the most dangerous missions the village gets. The longer we wait to have our own child the more risk we take of leaving everything we've worked for to the council's tender mercies. I don't want that. I want to leave everything to our kids; to know my Otousan's life works as well as Minato-Sensei and Kushina-sama's will go to our kids instead of into the council's greedy hands. Plus, if we have kids they can't cover up your existence. We'll teach our children why they shouldn't let anyone disrespect you."

"Um. . .I think you are underestimating how my group will see you being involved with a girl while I am supposedly gone, Love. They will not take it well at all. And though you are correct about Kiba, Shino, Neji and Hinata knowing the truth, the others will not."

"So we get Tsunade-sama to tell them but swear them to secrecy. I want us to have a child, Naruto. Our child. And since Sakura will not be allowed to take missions until the new Uchiha is born, it will be believed easily by the village that Naruto left with Jiraiya for more training as his apprentice while you take the time off to have our baby."

She thought about it and finally said, "I'm not really ready to quit being a ninja yet and the Akatsuki is still after me but I have to admit I don't want to die without leaving something of us behind me. Nor do I want to face living without something of yours should you die on me but if I am taking time off so are you. I don't care what field you work in so long as it's in the village. I won't do this without you at my side. I need you here with me." She looked him in the eye. "And you have to get Tsunade-Baachan to agree. If she says no then no is the answer."

Kakashi grinned. He was overjoyed with her answer. He already knew Tsunade would agree. He'd already spoken to her about the issue and Jiraiya had already agreed to leave town until the baby was born just to provide the cover story for them. Both had been tickled pink with the idea. Truthfully it was something they'd wanted to mention themselves but the logisitcis of how to achieve it were mind-boggling and so long as it was something neither Kakashi nor Naruto had considered would be impossible to achieve. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he assured her seriously. "I would never be able to relax if I wasn't standing with you and that would be a disaster for everyone. I don't want to do any missions while you are not able to go with me." He kissed her deeply to seal the deal. "Besides, I've gotten too used to having you at my back whether we are here at home or in the field. It wouldn't feel right to be out there without you."

The next day he took Naruto to Tsunade's office and motioned for the privacy shield to be erected. Then holding Naruto so the teen wouldn't freak out on him and hurt him for talking to Tsunade before talking to her, he informed the grinning Hokage of the decision. Tsunade gave Naruto the shot that would deactivate the preventive Naruto used to keep from getting pregnant. Upon seeing the needle, Naruto turned to Kakashi, "You had this already planned out, didn't you?" He shrugged as she shook her head and Tsunade laughed.

They talked for a few more minutes while Naruto made it very clear to her Baa-chan that she was perfectly serious about Kakashi taking time off while she was confined to the village. She said, "With the Akatsuki still after me for Furball, I need him at my side and you know it. I won't be able to use my chakra as freely as I do once I do get pregnant so I have to rely on others to fight for me. No one will fight as fiercely as he will. So he takes time off too or I don't do this."

Looking at it from her point of view, Tsunade had to agree. Though both Jiraiya and Tsunade would fight tooth and nail for Naruto they had other duties as well. And the Rookie Nine would fight their hearts out to protect their orange wearing friend but they didn't know said friend was a girl and that could change everything for them. So, from Naruto's point of view, her need for Kakashi out weighed the village's need to have him doing missions. So she agreed almost laughing at Kakashi's disgusted look when she told him he could have his choice between working at the academy, here in the tower, or in the missions room. Naruto suggested he actually check with Intel instead. Tsunade looked startled and Kakashi grinned. "Baa-chan he is still the same genius he was when he was younger, you know. In Intel, decoding things and plotting strategies, is the best use of his innate intelligence. Plus, it's out of the mainstream and with everything that has occurred recently you know there'll be people who want to hold him responsible for at least some of it. In there, he won't have to deal with the fall-out or be available for the backlash."

When they left the office without even inquiring about Sakura, though mention of the situation had been made, it only made their opinion of her more than clear to the young looking Hokage. Tsunade watched them leave and softly said, "Sakura, you fool. You still have no idea just what you did or what it is going to cost you." She had hoped that they would cool off once they got some space from Sakura and continue to stand by her as they always had but Sakura had gone too far. They couldn't forgive her this time.

Tsunade was well aware of how the Aburame Clan would feel about her treatment of their Heir and she felt a sense of dread over how they would choose to handle the situation. She remembered how she had tried to tell Sakura not to get involved with the bug-boy knowing full well Sakura did not love the boy and that he deserved someone who did love him. She also had a sneaky suspicion Sakura would freak out the first time she saw him without his outer wear and realized his bugs would be partaking of the events of the wedding night but Sakura wouldn't listen. But then again she wasn't too sure Sakura had ever had any intention of actually consumating her union with Shino in the first place. It would be just like Sakura to believe she could wed someone and keep them at arm's length while controlling their every movement. For Sakura everything was a powerplay and people were mere tools that could be used to increase one's own true power or destroy someone else's.

So now Sakura was engaged to Shino and the fact that she had voluntarily had sex with another man behind his back was bad enough. He would lose face in the clan and the village over that but the fact that she was pregnant from the encounter only made it worse. That the infant was the child of a missing nin gotten on her while she was on a mission, and not through coercion or force, would force the Aburame to react in order to save Shino's honor. Not to do so would result in a loss of social position for the whole clan as it would be seen as accepting of her behavior. None of the clans would stand up for her against the retribution the Aburame's would demand as a salve to their pride and the honor she had besmirched their clan with. Ninja might be murderers and thieves at heart but they did live by a code of honor and that code would not tolerate promise breakers. A civilian might be forgiven for breaking a promise to a ninja. Doubtful but possible. But no ninja would ever be forgiven for doing so. And no matter what she said, Sakura could not deny she had broken faith with Shino.

Jiraiya poofed into her office having gotten wind of the events surrounding the return of the team from their last foray to return the Uchiha. Tsunade told him the fall-out of the mission and of Kakashi and Naruto's decision to use this event to have their own child. His reaction was joy on the decision of Naruto and Kakashi and a muttered, "Oh Dear," for the reasoning why it was being undertaken now. He told Tsunade, "I'll stick around and help you with as much of the fall-out as I can but you know Naruto and Kakashi come before that student of yours to me. You know what she did to them would have had both of them leaving anyone else who even tried it for dead in a ditch somewhere if Kakashi didn't just bury them in the ground as he did Rin so long ago when she pulled a similar stunt. And the person she betrayed her team to was actually telling her what she wanted to hear in a bonafide effort to get her to betray her team for him."

"I know. Sakura has no idea how very lucky she is to be alive. And I have no doubt the only reason she is, is because Yamato and Sai had no idea what she truly did to tick them off and Kakashi feared the council's reaction should she not make it home with the team. That and the fact that Sasuke did not make contact with the team again. I think if he had, even the council's reaction would not have saved her life after the walk she took around the perimeter of their camp the night they left Hi. Kakashi would have seen Sasuke catching up to them as her betraying the team a second time and he would have killed her for it."

"You know the council would not actually have blamed Naruto, Nade-Hime. They know what a slut Sakura is for the Uchiha. All it would have taken was Yamato confirming she had taken that walk alone and Kakashi's word that she had died in the ensuing battle. Naruto, himself, would have killed Sasuke for them and they would have claimed he killed the Uchiha for Sakura's death."

"Maybe but it was still a risk Kakashi didn't wish to take which is why she made it home."

**Author Notes: Ok this is the background I felt you had to have to understand the team dynamics of the swelled Team Seven in my merry little world of Kakashi and Naruto are a perfect pair. Don't even bother to point out to me that Naruto is really a boy. She's just fooling you. Anyway, next chapter is fully in the present time stream of the story. And don't forget to review. No reviews and bad things will happen to you. I mean it. I do have these boys of mine just itching for new territory to destroy. Either I get reviews or you guys and gals get visitors of the destructive nature. The teenager will deplete your refrigerators and cabinets while the other two wreak havoc in your main rooms.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Did you really think Kishimoto-san would ever sell me his characters? Puh leasee. Not in this lifetime. But maybe in the next. Yeah maybe then. Oh Kishimoto-san.....(runs off after the creator of the Naruto universe) Don't forget those reviews please. Oh and this is a graphic chapter people. It's short but it is graphic.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Four: Realizations

In Interrogations, Ibiki and Anko were observing their newest tenant. She was on a level of the cells by herself since the other tenants at the moment were males and Ibiki didn't believe in subjecting possibly innocent people to the crudeness of the incarcerated. It wasn't that he had a thing about separating males from females or any of that touchy feely stuff. They were in his cells for a reason and usually that reason was pretty extreme. He only worked on those who were politically important or who had truly crossed a line they never should have crossed. It was more a measure of his respect for who Sakura was and a token gesture to the possibility that she was truly innocent of any intentional wrong doing that had her the only occupant of her cellblock. Anko handled those who knew why they were in a cell assigned to his personal care more often than he did but there were a few cases where she only watched as he worked. This case was not one he would work. he would oversee the work but only when they had the proof from her own mouth and actions of her guilt would he present the evidence to the Hokage. If she then wished for him to handle her apprentice he would do so. But the proof of guilt would come first.

Anko had placed Sakura under a jutsu as soon as she'd brought her in for booking and questioning. The jutsu was a genjutsu of the compulsory type that would have Sakura telling and showing them everything they wanted to know of what had occurred during the mission and exactly what the girl had been thinking. Although Sakura had undergone genjutsu training with Kurenai, the girl was so used to having Naruto and Kakashi with her, or being respected as Tsunade-Hokage's apprentice, that she never bothered to think she might actually be under attack from a genjutsu until someone told her she was. Anko found it hilarious that Sakura always blamed Naruto when she got trapped by a genjutsu as if there was anything Naruto could have done about it. Naruto, everyone knew, had no skill in genjutsu which was why Sakura had undergone the training in the first place. Kakashi had told Tsunade Naruto could not learn the art and would never be able to prevent it or break himself free once he was caught by it. So Tsunade had sent Sakura to Kurenai for training in it for the express purpose of being able to prevent his capture through it and or breaking him free should he get caught by it. But Anko had known ever since that long ago chunnin exam Sakura was no friend or helpful teammate to Naruto. Sasuke hai. She was nothing but loyal to him and that, Anko realized, was the truth of why she was here now. Sakura had chosen the wrong teammate to give her loyalty to and now it had finally caught up with her.

In the holding cells, Sakura was beginning to realize something was very wrong. Her Mother had not been allowed in to see her and to her way of thinking, due to the jutsu, she had already been held here for three days. Nor had anyone else, except a doctor, come to see her. She was also not being fed as regularly as she should be and when she was fed the food was sub-standard. While it met the daily requirements it could hardly be called good food. She was the apprentice to the Hokage for Kami's sake. She wasn't a pedestrain commoner like Naruto. They were supposed to take care of her according to her social standing and that meant better accommodations and visitors she could get this mess straightened out through. This was, in her mind all Naruto's fault. That Baka had not listened to her again and now she was paying for it because he was an idiot. She was tired of paying for his stupidity but until Shishui and Kaka-Sensei finally began to see through his innocent little boy charm there was nothing she could do about it. She was just a normal human being. She didn't have a demon in her gut covering her every mistake with a sweet innocent smile and kitsune charm.

But her lack of visitors was really beginning to bother her. She'd thought at least Naruto would come to check on her but the Baka hadn't. And when she got out of here she'd make it very clear to the idiot that was not the way teammates treated each other. He'd wear bruises from the lesson for a long time to come even with that damned fox healing him up. She had already dismissed his clear anger with her behavior the last time they'd seen each other. In her mind, he just didn't know what she'd done was normal and natural for a kunoichi trying to seduce someone. Nor did he know it was the norm for men and women due to Kakashi-Sensei forcing him to live with his perverted touches.

The doctor she'd been forced to allow to examine her had been as embarrassing he possibly could be. She had tried to resist since she thought they should have at least given her privacy and a female examiner but the man had threatened to disrobe her himself if she didn't get to it. She had been forced to disrobe completely for him while he was openly commenting to his male nurse, who was looking on as he wrote particulars on the form he was filling out as to her physical condition. Every mark on her was noted down on the nurse's pad. She forgot Anko had already done this same physical exam before placing her in the cell to begin with. Anko had not done a pelvic exam to check her uterus but she had done the cavity search for hidden weapons. Sakura was a kunoichi and it was not unheard of to hide weapons in very natural and private places. Shinobi used every advantage Kami gave them and only a stupid interrogator forgot that. They usually never got a chance to learn from the mistake when they did. But Sakura was not a very good kunoichi and it had never entered her mind to use her natural body orifices to hide weapons on her person.

But in her jutsu induced mind this was her first examination and it was being done in the open by men. Her face was as red as her top as she stripped and tried to cover her private parts from the leering and curious catcalling men in the nearby cells only she could see or hear. She never even questioned where they had come from. Before the exam she had known she was alone on the level but now that she was to be examined she saw all the other cells full of dirty unwashed peasants. A pelvic examination revealed all her secrets for the men in the nearby cells as well as the two doing the examination. She'd gotten angry over their lack of tact or respect for her privacy. Neither man had even bothered to cover her lap with the standard sheet while they exposed her for everyone to see. When she voiced her disapproval over their examination methods, they adjusted their crotches, making it clear they could make the exam even more intrusive if she did not shut up, while telling her, "You're a prisoner of Ibiki and Anko. What makes you think for a single second you deserve to be treated as a normal person?"

She got the point and shut up, simply laying there with her legs spread and moisture dripping from her opening from the tools they had used to examine her uterus with. But the momentary anger had forced back the tears of humiliation. She imagined the men waited until she shut her eyes and then smirked as they stepped away from her, allowing the men in the nearby cells to have a good look at her. She heard the catcalls grow louder and the whistles and comments of the uncouth and could not stop herself from cowering and cringing away and in upon herself.

Since she was in holding for interrogations, she knew they knew what she was accused of and once the exam showed she really had not been forced they were a lot less professional than they would have been with a respectable kunoichi. They took liberties in the exam running their fingers over her body and letting her know they would gladly do more if she gave them reason to. When they thought the men of the nearby cells had enough fodder to torment her with, they told her they were finished and she snapped her legs together sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest, which she covered with her arms and her legs crossed at the ankle to protect and cover her core as she buried her face in her upraised knees.

In the booth with Ibiki, Anko was cackling with mirth at having watched the council woman's daughter pleasure herself on what she had to have known was an open camera feed. Ibiki reminded her that as far as Sakura was concerned she had done no such thing. She was under the effects of a jutsu that, while not disguising the fact that she was a prisoner of interrogations, forced her to carry out whatever scenario was in her mind in the hopes that she would tell them what she had done during the mission she had just returned from in a manner which did not physically harm her or the child she was carrying.

Anko said in perfect seriousness, "You're missing a relevant detail here, Biki-kun. Sakura knows full well every cell is monitored from the second a person is placed within it. She's helped me change the batteries and make sure each one is in top working order enough times to never forget they are there no matter what jutsu is used. The jutsu did not erase that information from her. So if she knows she's a prisoner of ours and in a cell, she does indeed know we have that footage. She may not realize she actually pleasured herself but she does know it was recorded."

Sakura imagined she was handed the standard clothes of the incarcerated, that Anko had left in the cell for her, and told she could dress herself. She knew she would never forget the humiliation of seeing the men all around her cell openly jacking themselves off from the sight of her examination. She was unaware of talking outloud as she vowed she would make damn sure Naruto paid in full for every second of this humiliation. She was the mother to be of the future Uchiha, student of the Hokage, Legendary Sennin and greatest medic-nin in the known world as well as the daughter of Haruno Kiku, upstanding council woman on the Council of Twelve and fiancée of the heir of the Aburame Clan. How dare these pieces of filth leer at her like this! How dare Naruto try and say what was right and what was wrong for her to do. The fact that she outranked him meant anything she chose to do was automatically right. But those doctors. . .and these men. . . They had made it very clear what they would like to do with her now that they knew candy pink was her natural color. With those words Sakura damned herself more fully than anything Naruto, Kakashi or anyone else could have said about her.

Over the next few days both Ibiki and Anko came to understand the jutsu was affecting Sakura's behavior drastically. They weren't sure exactly how but it was clear she would not normally behave the way she obviously was. They watched as she forcibly masturbated herself over and over again each time getting more and more brazen and less restrained in her activities. As a joke, Anko had delivered some sex toys to her cell just to see what Sakura would do with them. Though Ibiki had frowned over their delivery he hadn't told Anko to take them back out. Truth was, Sakura was providing him fodder for his encounters with Anko after hours. And since she was alone on her level he had no fear of anyone else seeing something they could hold against either her Mother or the Hokage. He also knew full well he could make the recordings disappear once Tsunade-sama made a decision regarding this girl's future.

During her period of incarceration, Sakura thought she was forced to undergo this type of examination three more times and each time it was performed by different men, some of them more bold then others but none of them in the least bit respectful of her. She found herself getting examined while being fondled and fingered into readiness just to have the examiners step aside and let the men of the nearby cells have a good look at her flushed face and taunt nipples as well as her dripping core. It was humiliating and embarrassing but she also knew there was nothing she could do about it. The lewd comments of her cellmates filled her ears as did the sound of slapping flesh as the men jacked themselves off while asking her to please show them her pretty pink hair again. What was the most embarrassing thing for her was she actually did so more than once, even going so far as to lay down on the floor next to the cell of the inmate who'd requested she show him her center. Through it all she was unaware she was talking outloud and letting Ibiki and Anko know exactly what she was experiencing.

But on the third day she reached a pinnacle even Anko was shocked by. Sakura was once again imagining herself being forced to undergo a perverted pelvic exam when one of the examiners had actually entered her back hole and surprised a cry of pleasure from her. She could see their erections straining at their pants as they had examined her though she did her best not to look. Her cry had led to the examiners telling her to lay on her stomach and spread her legs.

It was very odd for Anko and Ibiki to watch what happened next. Due to the compulsion Sakura told them exactly what she thought was happening to her but there was no one and nothing actually occurring. Odd and disturbing.

But for Sakura it was all very real. She felt everything her mental tormentors did to her. They snapped some restraints around her ankles and around her arms shackling her into position. The table she was laying on and the position of the arm restraints held her so her head was not supported by the table at all.

Then something entered her anus and she screamed in pain, understanding the reason for the restraints at last. Though she cried in pain, the men behind her did not stop what they were doing. She felt the movement as they prodded her rear and each twitch sent a wave of agony through her spine but perhaps the most embarrassing moment came when she realized she wasn't so much whimpering in pain as she was in anticipation. Or maybe it was when she realized she was actually thrusting against the person in an attempt to get the prodding to go faster and deeper. But maybe it was when a body fell across her back and a throaty, laughing voice whispered in her ear, "Cum for me, you little whore. Show me just why you thought your getting knocked up was more important than Naruto's life and sanity." Because that was when she knew what was actually in her backside. He had wiggled around some more and then dumped his load before pulling out.

The other man stepped up to take his place and told her the truth of her situation and their orders regarding her exams. They could do whatever they wished so long as they didn't leave a mark and giving the guys on her level a free show was not leaving a mark. The man who had whispered in her ear had moved around to her face and showed her what he had been shoving in her. Blood was clearly seen on him and she knew it was her blood as he rubbed it against her mouth telling her to clean it up. She tried to keep her mouth closed but the guy behind her was moving and she couldn't help the whimpering cries his movement was producing. She licked her dry lips out of reflex, actually sending her tongue over the head of the guy at her mouth. The guy laughed and whispered, "That's right. Lick me clean now. Do a good job and maybe I'll show you why you should have waited for a real man." Crying in anger, pain and shame she did as he requested since to her mind she really had no choice. He had his hands fisted in her hair and was thrusting himself against her face. He critiqued her as she tried to clean her own blood off him but eventually he was close enough and shot his second load into her face telling her next time she better get it right or he'd have to really educate her as to how it was done.

The guy behind her was really getting into what he was hearing and seeing, as he raped her but unlike the other guy he dumped his load on her instead of inside her. She was bleeding heavily by the time the guys were finished with her but they only undid the shackles and laughed at her when she asked for a cloth to clean herself. She was left, laying exposed to the men around her. She heard them all licking their lips as they watched her try to regain her feet and cover herself. The sound of men pleasuring themselves was a sound she was beginning to get used to but after an hour or so she did manage to slowly straighten up and get herself redressed. The sperm on her back had long since dried as had her tears and her bottom had finally quit bleeding but she was sore and stiff by the time dinner was served.

Ibiki called in Tsunade and told her what they'd been seeing and hearing. He expressed confusion and openly wondered how much of this was actually a viable part of the girl's normal behavior. "The jutsu is designed to tell us exactly what she was thinking during the mission and what she did that her team considers her to be a traitor now. So far she has done nothing but show herself being repeatedly molested and or anally raped. She does claim after every single event that it is all Naruto's fault and when she gets out then she is going to make him pay for every single time she has suffered under our care. She seems to believe Naruto should have come to see her and that he should have taken the blame for her actions while at the same time admitting she doesn't believe he truly is capable of understanding what she did or why. To her, the behavior she engaged in is normal kunoichi behavior when a kunoichi is trying to seduce a man into doing as she wishes him to and Naruto, being a boy living with a guy, has no understanding of what is normal sex between men and women. Therefore, since his big mouth landed her here, he deserves a pounding for getting her in trouble. However, her actions don't really match her words and in her case, I think the words are definitely closer to the truth of the situation. I'm just really confused as to why she is subjecting herself to this torture since the reports are clear that she was not raped or molested at all. So I'm not sure what is actually going on here or what you want me to do about it."

Tsunade had called for Jiraiya to observe the jutsu that was in place on Sakura's womb and see what he could determine. He'd begun laughing as he examined her and watched the video feed and tapes. "She is under a compulsion alright. A double one. There's the compulsion you put her under to tell and show you exactly what she was thinking which is what you are seeing. She really was as horny as she is showing you. Everything she shows you is something she would have gladly done or allowed the Uchiha to engage with her in. As for the truth of the situation, well her words are the truth as she sees it. To her this is Naruto's fault. If Naruto had done his job right she would not have needed to have sex with Sasuke to try and convince him to return to the village with her. It's only because Naruto is on the team that she felt her only option was having sex with the Uchiha. She feels the Uchiha is so disgusted and disturbed by Naruto's presence and his influence over Kakashi that the Uchiha won't return so long as Naruto is a part of Konoha unless the Uchiha is seduced into it. Because of that she really does feel Naruto had no call to go telling everyone she had sex with the Uchiha or in not listening to her when she told him what to do."

"The second compulsion is tied to the jutsu on her womb and much subtler but no less persistent. Nor does it conflict with her personality or desires in any way. She is being compelled to stimulate herself on a regular basis and I assume it has something to do with the manner in which the child was implanted into her womb. I would say whoever designed it wanted to keep the would be Mother's attention away from the fetus until it's too late to safely abort it. And yes, she is pregnant."

Ibiki created a new genjutsu to blind Sakura to Tsunade as the renown medic went to examine her protege. He turned the cameras off for the exam. Tsunade went in and did Sakura's real pelvic exam and confirmed the existence of the child in her womb. She did try to abort the child and hoped it would work but her hopes were small on that score. Part of her knew the village would want the child simply because of who it's father was but she felt her apprentice had undergone and would undergo enough humiliation from this experience as it was. When she came out of the cell Ibiki turned the cameras back on and ignored the tears streaming down Tsunade's face. He had heard the things Sakura was saying as Tsunade had examined her and knew exactly why the older woman was upset enough to cry. So did Jiraiya as he wrapped his old teammate in his strong arms and guided her from Interrogations. They would make a decision regarding Sakura later but for now Tsunade had heard and seen enough. She needed to go cry for the apprentice she knew to be a lost cause.

**Author Note: So am I done tearing her character down now? Has she sunk far enough to have hit bottom? Can you see where this story is going yet? Did you forget about Shino? Review with your ideas on how he should respond to her behavior and it's effect on his clan. Tell me should Kakashi get his own revenge for how her behavior hurt Naruto? Should he get revenge for how she endangered the team? Or should he just let it go? And just who do you really think Sakura thought was raping her anally? I am very interested in hearing your answers to that question. I know this is a short chapter compared to the first and third but there was onl so much I was willing to put her through at this point. And people please remember _none_ of the bad things Sakura imagined happening to her really did happen.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto got away from me. I don't own Naruto or any of his known associates. I own this idea and my name. Unfortunately I do have to claim my mess makers but they aren't as funny as the messes I can make with Kishimoto's messmakers. His are a lot more fun because I don't actually have to clean up after them. Nor do they really leave anything laying around for me to step on and hurt my feet. Legos at two in the morning HURT! So does the odd fork from someone eating somewhere they shouldn't have been. . . (3 Not Me's ring through the air) _Ok who didn't say not me. . . ._**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Five: The Word Spreads

Around the village, rumors began flying the day Team Seven returned. Sai had told their group what Naruto had said Sakura had done, while Yamato spread the word to his comrades who were also Kakashi's comrades. Though no one wanted to believe Sakura would betray her team that way, they all knew how obsessed the girl was with the Uchiha. The Rookies were also thinking about how she had betrayed and hurt Shino as well. They had each told their parents and Sensei about it. The Sensei had frowned but repeated the tale to their friends knowing there was going to be fall-out from this whether the rumors were true or false. The parents had spread the word as well and that was how Sakura's Mother had found out why her daughter had not yet checked in from her mission though she'd seen everyone else from the team around the village already. Well, except for Naruto and Kakashi but that wasn't unusual for them. Everyone knew the longer the mission, the longer the two of them would hide out at home when they returned.

The day after the team had returned, and she had heard the rumors, Haruno Kiku had immediately gone to the holding cells to see her daughter and to confirm the truth of the rumors. Luckily, she was not allowed to see Sakura since when she had arrived the girl was in the middle of pleasuring herself for the second time. Ibiki confirmed the rumors but told the council woman she was not allowed to see Sakura yet as the girl had not yet been debriefed as was standard in cases where one member of a team had private, unscheduled contact away from their teammates with an enemy. She was told her daughter's fate had yet to be determined, depending as it did upon the results of her examination, which had not at that time been conducted, as well as interrogation.

Ibiki told her he was awaiting the final results of Sakura's physical examinations. He knew she had already been examined for her physical health by Shizune in the office but he liked Naruto and he respected both Kakashi and Yamato and if Sakura had endangered them, as he'd been told she had, then he didn't care how often his cameras caught the girl embarrassing herself for his and Anko's enjoyment. Or how detailed or depraved the behavior was. As far as he was concerned, if she had done as they had said she did, then she had no call to complain if someone watched her now. If they were to be believed, she hadn't cared who saw her then so she had no call to care who saw her now.

After the cells, Kiku had gone straight to Tsunade to get the full story. She was hoping there was a way she could use her position to bail Sakura out of this mess before the girl's reputation was totally trashed and in the process her own life's work went down the toilet as well. Tsunade had sealed the office, not enjoying the thought of humiliating the woman to her peers she knew spied upon her office but knowing also there was no real way to shield her from the actions Sakura had undertaken.

Tsunade had informed the woman of exactly what not only Naruto but Kakashi had said had occurred during Sakura's watch shift and how her team felt about her betrayal of them. Tsunade had told her that while both Naruto and Kakashi understood why Sakura had lain with the Uchiha, neither would ever forgive her or be willing to take to the field with her again. Both felt that her careless disregard for their lives as well as the lives of their other two teammates was unforgivable. And once word got around of what she had done, which it would since it already was, no one else would be willing to take to the field with her either.

Kiku had tried to excuse her daughter by saying she would not have considered Naruto to be in any danger due to his prisoner but Tsunade pointed out Sasuke's team would not have simply targeted just Naruto. She pointed out the other three guys do not harbor a demon afraid of dying. Tsunade also reminded her that if the worst had occurred, Naruto would have been forced into watching as his team died because Sakura could not tell Sasuke no and mean it. She reminded Kiku that though Naruto knew medical jutsu, and would not die due to the Kyuubi, he could not use his medical jutsu to heal anyone else. And since he lived with Kakashi, just what did she think watching Kakashi die while Sakura got her jollies with Sasuke would do to Naruto?

She was very blunt when she informed Kiku of exactly how Naruto and Kakashi had said she had engaged in intercourse with the Uchiha. "You couldn't even say he's a five minute wonder in this case. He walked into the camp fully hardened and looking for her. He hadn't begged or even asked her if she was willing first. She took down her own pants, as soon as he approached her, and spread her own legs without even laying down first. He didn't hold her or kiss her or even fondle her. He just stuck it in and pumped a few times to empty his shaft. She thinks they made love but you and I both know that's not even really having sex let alone making love. She let him use her body for his seed and that's all there is to it." Tsunade had also told her what Kakashi said Sakura did once they left Hi no Sato and made camp that night. She told her, "Sakura totally believes she seduced Sasuke into coming back to be with her. She admitted here in the office she left markers on that walk she did not want her team to know she took so Sasuke would know where they went and that she at least is expecting him to return here. But Kiku in my mind what's worse is the fact that she honestly believed she had the right to blackmail her team leader of her cell. What would you have done had someone threatened you with blackmail for using a massage oil in the privacy of your hotel room when you were a team leader, Kiku? You led a team of genin through their chunnin years. And you know the inn in Hi no Sato. Especially when you know said individual did a hell of a lot more in said hotel than simply receive or give a massage?"

Kiku had to admit one of her team try to blackmail her over something like that and they'd be lucky to return to the village under their own steam. "So she's in interrogations now to see what if anything, he told her or might have done she isn't smart enough to have figured out yet?" Tsunade nodded. Kiku sighed. "You might want to have Ibiki call out Inner Sakura and ask her. Inner Sakura is her opposite. Kind of like a conscious that's more than an insinct."

Enlightment shone in Tsunade's eyes as an idea came to her. "Kiku would Inner Sakura punish Outer Sakura if she felt Outer Sakura crossed the line? Did something she couldn't accept?"

Kiku nodded. "If Sakura were to cross that kind of line, hai. Inner Sakura would have two choices. Punish Outer Sakura until Outer Sakura admitted the wrong doing or seek to leave her. That could only be done if there was a body for Inner Sakura to move into, a mentally comatose person for instance, or she could force Outer Sakura into the recesses of their shared brain and lock her up. But that would be the only options she has right now. Is Sakura acting out of character?"

Tsunade nodded and told her what Sakura was doing though she hadn't intended to. The two women discussed things a little longer but Kiku had to admit there was no way she could free her daughter from the mess she was in. Tsunade-sama was right. Their hands were tied because of what Sakura had chosen to do and the fact that Yamato and Sai had spread it around the village already. Any action they took to try and salvage her reputation would be seen as undue favoring of her because of who she was. By the time Kiku left the office she had no doubts as to how badly Sakura had screwed up. The girl had gone too far and this time there was no one else to blame for her actions. She could not make Naruto the scapegoat this time. If what Tsunade said was true, and Kiku had no reason to doubt her, even if Naruto had been awake and watching for trouble, which Kiku didn't know he had been, there wouldn't have been enough time to do anything to prevent her from doing as she did. Or for the team not to pay the price had Sasuke been merely using her to keep her out of the way while his team took care of her team. And Kiku knew the Uchiha had simply been using her daughter because he knew she would be amendable to be used in such a manner. It was no comfort to Kiku that Sakura would have survived the mission regardless of Sasuke's true intentions for the rest of her squad.

Always in the past, when Sakura had messed up, she had found a way to blame it, at least partially, on her teammate though Kiku had often wondered just how much of the blame Sakura had placed onto the blond was actually his to carry. She did know her daughter and she knew the girl had a blind eye when it came to the Uchiha boy. For that matter, she was blind as a bat when it came to the Uzumaki boy as well. Only she didn't have the radar bats used to find their direction so she wasn't even as useful as a bat was. She wished she'd fought harder to keep Sakura in the village but Tsunade had said she needed the field experience so she could finish growing up and realize her day dreams were just that. Day dreams. Sakura was a good medic but her position as second apprentice to the Legendary Slug Princess and the daughter of Councillor Haruno made her a vulnerable target in the field. On a normal team she would be a deteriment which was why they sent her out with Kakashi and Naruto. Two stronger ninja the village didn't have unless you counted the Sennin themselves and even Tsunade admitted Kakashi and Naruto might actually be stronger because they were in the field all the time while she and Jiraiya were both spent more time sitting than they did fighting.

But demon or no, Uzumaki would make any girl a good husband. Kiku had tried more than once to point the boys good qualities out to her daughter after the Uchiha had left the village, knowing that boy would never be welcomed to return the way Sakura thought he would be. Being a member of the Council, Kiku knew exactly what would happen to Uchiha Sasuke should Naruto ever be successful in returning the brat to Konoha. And she was well aware it would be Naruto who returned him to the village's control if he was ever to return at all. She knew the Uchiha would be incarcerated and held until at least five women of varying backgrounds and clans were successfully delivered of one or more of his offspring. He would not be allowed to die until there was enough offspring to repopulate his dying clan. But once it was done, she had no doubt he would die. Konoha did not forgive those who betrayed it.

But Sakura would not hear her. She would snort and call Naruto a chubby little Ramen obsessed Baka who had nothing any decent girl would want. Kiku knew she was totally wrong on that one. But then she remembered Minato and how many fan-girls he had acquired before he settled for his little red head. And she still remembered the horde of girls that had chased Naruto before Kakashi made it clear Naruto was with him. She still chuckled every time she remembered the silver haired man's frustration with the young girls who had found his boyfriend suitable potential mates.

Still she kept after Sakura. Naruto was kind and considerate as well as patient as a saint. He might be a little bit dense and stupid sometimes but he was loyal to a fault as well as supportive. He had always stood up for Sakura, defending her in their childhood from the bullies that had picked on her and tore down her self-esteem and guarding her until she could stand up straight again. He'd continued to do the same thing for her when they became teammates with the Uchiha under the leadership of Hatake. And while Kakashi had ignored the pair, Naruto had never let it get to him, doing his own thing with both his teammates, supporting both of them with an energy that was never-ending.

And Sakura had just thrown it all away. Actually Kiku knew Sakura took Naruto for granted. She knew her daughter assumed Naruto would always be there for her no matter what happened. But Kiku was also old enough to know that wasn't true. Everyone had a point of no return and Sakura had just found Naruto's. She knew if he was anything like his father, which she had a sinking feeling of dread he was more like Minato than anyone had ever known he was, Sakura was about to find that was one line she never should have crossed. Kiku vividly remembered what Minato did with and to those who crossed his personal line of no return. If the deaths of three hundred Iwa ninja who had harmed his cell resulting in the death of one of them had not been lesson enough there was the girl that had been a part of that team. She knew there was a reason no one spoke of her except to wonder what had become of her. She didn't know it was Kakashi who had gotten rid of the girl but she did know he did know what had happened to her.

While it was true that Naruto and Kakashi were living together and supposedly involved in a relationship, while Sakura was engaged to the Aburame heir, Kiku had never worried for her daughter knowing those two were on her team. She had been hoping Sakura would grow enough to realize she would not ever make the Aburame Heir happy nor he her and turn her attention to Minato's son or even Kakashi. Both were high born enough to give her daughter the position she claimed to want and Kiku knew both would do everything even remotely possible to protect her. But now. . .now Sakura would be lucky if the two even looked at her again.

She spent the rest of the day sitting in a comfortable chair looking through her picture album of her daughter growing up and remembering just how sweet and vulnerable she'd been then. Her mind also showed her how many times Naruto had been there helping Sakura stand with Ino at her side and for some strange reason Kakashi was always in the background. For the first time it occurred to Kiku that Kakashi had always watched over Naruto but now she understood. Naruto was Minato's son and Minato was Kakashi's sensei. So of course he would have watched over Naruto. Even when no one else wanted to admit who the boy was, Kakashi had known and guarded him as much as he could.

It was after her meeting with Kiku that Tsunade had gone to Interrogations to see what Ibiki had learned from Sakura. She had heard him out and called Jiraiya in. Jiraiya had done his observation without being perverted for a change and Tsunade had done the girl's real examination. When she'd left the cell, Jiraiya had stayed with her until she was composed again and they had discussed Sakura's future. Both knew she would need a new team or line of work once she recovered from this. Tsunade kept the knowledge of Inner Sakura to herself. She didn't think Ibiki or Anko would really give a flying tiff why Sakura was debasing herself and Jiraiya would simply find a way to work it into his next book.

**Author Note: Ok I know this seems like a filler chapter but if you've read my work you know better. I don't do fillers. They're boring. Time has to pass and people have to learn what has happened with the main characters. People who aren't central in canon or even in a lot of stories need development when they need to appear in any story of mine. So you'll just have to live with it. Kiku is important in this story. That said please don't forget to review. I do like reviews even if they say I messed up . . . well so long as they say **_**how**_** I messed up. Don't much care for the ones that don't tell me that. Now please excuse me. I really need to go figure out who left that fork on my living room floor last night. That hurt when I stepped on it in the dark.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto says I can't own Naruto. Not in this lifetime or the next one either. But I'm working on owning it in the one after that one. He did say I have to make it VERY clear to everyone that I do not own his Naruto in any way shape or form. I told him you all know I don't own it . . . yet. But he insisted. So is it clear yet, guys and gals? Anyone confused out there? If you are, then I think you need a Baka tattoo.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Six: Naruto Revealed

Three weeks later, Jiraiya left the village and Naruto disappeared from public view. The rookies plus three were called to a private meeting in Tsunade's office and told the full truth of Naruto's existence. She explained the only reason they were being told at all was that Kakashi and Naruto had decided to use the disruption caused by Sakura's behavior to have their own child but that the fact that Naruto was a girl was an S class secret they would be expected to not only keep but help both Kakashi and Naruto preserve as well.

Hinata asked the first relevant question when she asked what name Naruto would go by then since it was clear she would not be able to use Naruto. Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto all blinked at her. In all their plotting to make this event a reality, none of them had even thought of that but then they were all so used to Naruto's dual personalities and bodies it really shouldn't have surprised them to realize they had overlooked something as simple as a name change. Ino and Tenten had started laughing at their pole-axed looks. And the guys had smirked also.

Ino said, "Don't tell me. You didn't think about that, did you? The first time you call her by name in public someone is going to know everything there is to know. And you can't tell me you really didn't expect someone to ask for an introduction. You have to have thought about it at least once, you guys! Naruto just isn't that common of a name that two different people, both of a similar age and both attached to Kakashi-Sensei would have that as their name."

"Well, I can believe Naruto didn't, Ino," said Kiba snickering. "Naruto never really does think about things like that and it is his name." Naruto knew Kiba well enough to know he wasn't being insulting to her but the comments that came out his mouth often required thinking over _before_ responding to if they weren't to turn physically violent.

Hinata rolled her eyes, and slapped him upside the back of the head as Tenten said, "Kiba think first. Then open mouth."

Ino snickered before saying, "But it's more than just someone asking for her name you need to think about. There's all the people who know Naruto as a boy and are well aware the two of you live together in a one bedroom apartment. Not to mention there is the reaction of the guys in your age group to her. Every single one of them is going to think she's easy and they are all going to be hitting on her. How are you going to handle that? Can you handle that?"

Naruto had gone pale as the implications of having her reputation in the gutter slammed home to her and Kakashi stiffened behind her. She began shaking her head as she realized the girls were correct. The older guys would be hitting on her and not necessarily because they thought she was attractive. She knew it would be more because they thought she was available for that kind of thing than anything else. Kakashi was mentally seeing the same thing and anger was growing as he envisioned having to beat the shit out of his friends for hitting on his woman. No way would he deal well with his friends hitting on his Naru-chan.

As she thought it over, Kakashi tightened his arms around her and Tenten smirked, "From that reaction to the mere mention of it Ino-chan, I'd say the answer to the last question is a definite Nope."

Hinata nodded as Tenten added, "Might have to make sure they don't get their hands on any weapons before they go out in public anywhere."

"Uh," said Chouji. "They are weapons, Tenten. Both of them. They're even more deadly unarmed than they are armed."

"Oh yeah," she murmured, frowning as even Lee nodded to Chouji's statement.

Kakashi and Tsunade were blinking and smirking as the Rookies talked but Naruto was thinking. Finally, she tilted her head up and looked at Kakashi. Growling she said, "I am not Sakura. You even think for one second about making me deal with a grabby Gai or Asuma and I will personally feed you some equipment you definitely do not want for dinner. But not before I make you witness both of them losing that very same equipment and I don't give a rat's behind if only one is hitting on me or not. Both will lose it and you'll witness it. It will be a very long and drawn out process so you will never ever forget it too." Kakashi gulped as Tsunade grinned at him.

All the girls had decidedly wolfish grins on their faces as they began discussing recipes for preparing balls for a main course or a delicacy dish. They discussed the merits of delicacy versus main course and what was the best way to prepare them and still get their message across in a way no one would ever forget. The guys all groaned and backed away from the girls making sure to cover their jewels just in case the girls had any serious ideas of trying out those recipes. Even Lee and Sai got the distinct feeling they wanted no part of the girls right then.

"Even giving female Naruto a different name won't spare you from the guys, though Naruto," said Hinata, turning the conversation serious again now that the guys were all quaking puddles of goo who'd take a long time before stepping out of line with them again. "They will still hit on you and they will be grabby about it because of the known aspects of yours and Kakashi's relationship added to the fact that they believe you are out of the village with Jiraiya-sama right now. To them, it won't be just about getting something they didn't have before. It'll also be sticking it to Kakashi while defending Naruto. They respect you as the boy they know you as. As far as they'll be concerned, you'll be poaching on another's territory and doing so behind his back."

"You also need to keep in mind how all the ninja see Naruto. Not only is he a valued shinobi and comrade but he holds a demon that if he gets angry or upset enough might just destroy the village. No one will look kindly on Kakashi having an affair behind Naruto's back for that reason alone. So I would say you'll be getting hit on by a lot of guys you haven't ever exchanged more than a word or two with," said Shikamaru.

"And then there's the girls who will think Kakashi is finally getting tired of playing on his own side of the fence," said Shizune. "They'll be all over him hoping to show him why he should kick Naruto to the curb and let them become the new Hatake Matriarch."

"Not in my lifetime," Naruto growled with narrowed angry eyes.

"She's right, Naruto. Most those girls are tramps but the lure of having the position as his wife will draw them to him the first time they see the two of you in public," confirmed Tenten. "I know you don't really think about his position in society or anything but they do. He's just as well known as you are and very famous not only for the things he's done but also for who he was born and who his Sensei was. Face it, Girl. There's no aspect of your life that doesn't draw attention. And the first time he's seen with a girl, those attracted by power or prestige are going to notice."

"So what do we do? Baa-chan! We can't tell everyone Naruto is really a girl. My enemies will be after both me and the baby in no time flat," Naruto said a definite note of panic in her voice.

"Unfortunately, I don't see any other option, Naruto. You're already pregnant. We can't send you out of the village to a place where you'll be safe. Even if there was such a place, which we all know there isn't, I want to oversee your pregnancy and be the one that delivers your first child. If you aren't here, I won't be able to. Nor would I be able to quit worrying about you long enough to really pay attention to village business. And with this thing with Sakura, I have to be able to pay attention right now. But if we don't tell anyone in the village that you really are a girl, no one will accept the fact that Kakashi isn't cheating on you. So I don't really see any options here."

Naruto was frowning heavily and her eyes narrowed, "That reply was just a little too quick, Baa-chan. Why do I have this sneaky little feeling you wanted this to happen?"

Tsunade gave her such a false look of innocence, all doubts as to the truth of Naruto's question were wiped from everyone's mind. "Why, I don't know what you mean, Naruto," she said in a faked tone of hurt feelings. But she gave herself away by smirking. "We'll just have to increase your security detail until both you and the baby can protect yourselves better. It'll be years before the baby can protect itself but you're used to being shadowed everywhere you go. You've been watched over more days in your life than you haven't so it'll feel like old home week for you. That child is perhaps the most important thing in the village right now and I won't lose it just because a lot of people are going to be out for blood over it." As Naruto broke free of Kakashi and walked to a nearby wall to begin pounding her head on it, Tsunade turned to Naruto's friends, "So how do you guys feel about resigning as mission taking ninja and becoming bodyguards to an unborn child and it's Momma?" Kakashi walked to his wife and tried to get her to stop pounding her head before she gave herself a headache.

"No problem," said Ino, Tenten and Hinata as one. They were all slightly in awe of their Hokage. It wasn't often someone managed to pull something on Naruto without getting caught before it could catch him....her.

"We'll need as exact a list as we can get as to whom we need to watch out for," said Shikamaru, setting aside his awe for the moment. "Also will Sakura be getting free to try anything on her soon? It's almost a certainty she will hold Naruto responsible for everything no matter who's fault it really is. It is also well within her personality to try and harm the child just because it is their child. Sakura does not like to share the spotlight and she will see that child as competition for her effort to return the Uchiha."

"We'll also need to know who else will be part of this detail and any safe locations where we can take her should the danger level be too high," added Shino.

"She'll have safe harbor with the Hyuuga clan and with the Aburame and Inuzuka clans. Those have always been places of safety for Naruto during times when safety was a paramount concern. You should know that, Shino," said Kakashi. Naruto was now pounding her head on his chest rather than the wall and he was trying not to wince with every blow. He knew he'd have a bruised ribcage soon.

"Hai. I did know my clan will shelter her but right now my clan is very angry and, though they would not mean you two any harm, they are not feeling. . . kindly disposed to anyone from _her_ team." Shino tried to keep his emotions out of his voice but it was clear he was very angry and hurt by what Sakura had done. He did understand exactly what her behavior had done to his clans reputation via his relationship with her and he was angry more with himself for allowing himself to be involved with her even knowing as he did how she felt about the Uchiha.

Naruto stopped banging her head and looked first to Tsunade. "I will get you for this, Baa-chan. Payback is a bitch, you know."

Then, leaning on Kakashi, she turned her attention to Shino. "I'm sorry, Shino. I should have stopped her. I waited too long for her to stop him herself and sound the alarm and by the time I realized she wasn't going to, I was too angry. She endangered the whole team and I think if I had gone anywhere near either of them right then, I would have killed them both for what she was doing," said Naruto looking to the floor.

For the first time Shino looked at things from Naruto's point of view. Of course, Naruto would have known what Sakura was doing. He'd. . . _She'd _admitted in the past that she always kept watch over Sakura when she was on duty though she never knew it. To Naruto, Sakura was someone who needed protecting because she was innocent and unworldly. But Sakura was not as innocent or as unworldly as Naruto thought she was. She never had been really.

Shino nodded. "I understand, Naruto. I do not hold you responsible for her choice. My clan is angry but once the anger has been allowed to settle, they will not blame you either. Logic has always said that if she had the chance to be his woman she would do whatever she felt was necessary."

Tsunade knew Kakashi wanted to get Naruto out of her office and go deal with the enormity of the emotion she'd just referred to but she needed to make sure everyone was on the same wavelength first. "Ok so then it's agreed? You all consent to being village bound and part of the Naruto protection squad?"

"Hai," they responded as one.

"Ok then. Since I'd say you're safe for today why don't the two of you," she indicated Kakashi and Naruto, "get out of here and let us settle who will be doing what and who needs to be notified immediately as to who can wait to find out."

"Ok Baa-chan. Don't forget to send the message to Ero-Sennin. He'll get ticked if he finds he stayed away for nine months unnecessarily."

"Kuso. Do I have to tell him right away?" Naruto's merry laughter floated on the wind as Kakashi teleported them both back to his house.

Once back home they packed the boy things away knowing there was no way Naruto would ever need them again and discussed whether or not she should use another name. In the end they decided not to. As Naruto put it, "My name is really the only thing of my parents I have ever had and if I have to change it, then I lose everything they gave me the council could not take away before I knew it should have been mine. I don't want to lose my name."

"Well, you do have his technique and summoning contract but I agree. You shouldn't have to give up your name. Especially as you won't be able to take it back once the baby is born to become a boy again." He grinned at her. "Though I am glad you aren't going to be a boy again. It was getting hard to deal with the comments of the gay population and what's considered normal lifestyles for them in our lives. I swear one more guy asking me if I was ready to try something new or if I wanted to share and someone was gonna get hurt."

She giggled. "In a way I'm glad too. But. . .It'll be weird too. I'm so used to being a boy outside I think it'll be really strange for a bit. I do know I intend to practice until I can't anymore. Akatsuki isn't going away and the longer I can practice the less out of shape I'll get when walking is hard to do. I heard that the last few months it's hard to even stand up." She frowned thinking about that.

"You'll be fine. And I'll be here every step of the way." They fell to discussing the baby queitly and the ensuing months waiting for it's birth.

Outside their small bungalow Anbu were stationed in the trees and on the roofs of nearby homes to stand guard over the couple. All the guards knew the couple would not leave their dwelling again that night but they weren't watching for people to come out. They were watching for people trying to get in. There were people in the village who felt Naruto was trying to ruin Sakura's reputation over another failure to return the Uchiha. The number of Uchiha supporters grew smaller with every attempt Team Seven made to return him and now only one person out of every hundred really cared whether or not the Uchiha ever came home again and out of those most felt he should be locked away for serving another village as a ninja. The prevalent thought was that if Naruto should ever be successful in returning the Uchiha then Tsunade and the council should seal the chakra of the Uchiha and breed him as one did a stud bull. But those same people also felt Naruto would still do whatever he could to ruin Sakura because she was a good normal girl who had turned him down flat during his years when he was trying to pretend he was as normal as everyone else. None of these people were surprised when Naruto turned out to like his own sex more than he liked girls but all had been shocked when his own Sensei gave in and agreed to fill that need for him. No one had thought the Copy-Nin was gay until it was announced Naruto was moving into a bungalow with Kakashi. Sakura had told people that naruto needed a partner to help keep his seal intact and so Kakashi was sacrificing his own choice and preference for the good of the village. Because he was Naruto's sensei and it wasn't like Naruto would ever be able to hold onto a real partner any other way.

Naruto and Kakashi had gotten a good laugh off that when they heard it going around the village. But since Sakura didn't know her head from a hole in the ground where real loveor any other emotion was concerned neither let her silly supositions bother them. And then the girls of the village had decided to shake things up and show Naruto that even if Sakura wouldn't have him they sure would. Demon seal or not, those girls let both Kakashi and Naruto know they considered him to be prime meat.

**Author Note: Ok here's the next chapter of this story. Now where did I leave my notes for Stubborn. . .? . . ..No. . .those are for that unnamed one-shot. . ..Here?. . .let's see. . .Nope That's for the epic length girl Naruto and Kakashi. . .which I really need to work on. . .What was I looking for again? Oh . . .wait a minute. . .Ok guys to wrap this up please be kind and tell me what you think. I know the chapter is short. I'm working on chapter lengths really I am but I tend to write in scenes and with set characters for each chapter so when it's time to change days or characters I tend to go to a new chapter. And yes, to stave off the questions about the epic length story I actually have three of those I am working on right now and many other shorter length stories too. So sometimes my faithful readers need to remind me I haven't posted in a bit to get me off my word perfect and onto the site. I get too busy being creative on a new idea and forget to load ones I think (until I loadthem) are done.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Did you think I was joking last chapter? I don't own Naruto or any of the copy rights thereof.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Seven: The Village Reacts and Sakura's Punishment

Over the next few weeks, shock was the best word to describe the feeling in the air around Konoha. Naruto being revealed as a girl who had been hidden under a high level henge all her life was shock enough but then to find out that all the high level people had known she was female- Jiraiya, Tsunade-Sarutobi-Kakashi- it was just one more confusing issue surrounding Konoha's most surprising unpredictable ninja. Civilian villagers just threw their hands in the air and shook their heads muttering about how if they lived to a hundred they'd never know Naruto as well as they thought they did. The ninja snickered every time they heard the civilians muttering about how the Prankster had gotten them again.

But given Naruto's history of surprising people and the revelation of her gender the fact that she was already married to Kakashi should not have surprised anyone. Especially since she had been living with Kakashi from the time she turned thirteen but still there were a lot of single available guys crying in their sake the night that information came out.

When the news hit the village that she was expecting Kakashi's child the reaction was a mixture of joy and apprehension. The die-hards just couldn't believe the baby would be taint free no matter how many times they had been told she was not the demon. They simply could not wrap their mind around the fact that the demon was confined to the blasted seal on her belly. And since they didn't believe Naruto was taint free there just was no way they could believe her baby was either.

But for the majority of the ninja community the news was very welcome. They rejoiced, understanding now why Naruto had decided to reveal herself. They knew she could not be in a henge while she was pregnant. It would kill the child as she did not do the normal henge taught to every ninja wanna-be in the academy. Her henges were actually begun under the skin and totally changed her into the image she really wanted to become. Therefore, when she became a boy she lost the female equipment that made being pregnant possible.

The news of her identity and pregnancy overshadowed Sakura's betrayal and subsequent pregnancy but by no means did the pink haired girl walk away from her act unscathed. No one involved would have stood for that and, even though everyone was paying more attention to Naruto and Kakashi, they were waiting for news on Sakura as well. Some of the villagers didn't believe she'd really done what the rumors said she had. She was a council members only child and she'd been raised to know better. But there were a lot of people who knew the girl well enough to know she was more than capable of having done as the rumors attested to. Added to her most recent bad act though was the confusion in the commoners mind about how she could possibly have been around Naruto dang near daily sice they were seven year olds and not known the _boy_ was actually a girl. The fact that she was the one saying Naruto was gay and Kakashi had simply sacrificed his own happiness to help the Prankster maintain his seal was also heavy on the populace's minds. People were now questioning everything Sakura had ever told them in regard to her former team. Since they did have eyes in their head and could see Kakashi was devoted to Naruto, they were beginning to doubt the seal was in any danger of being broken and if Sakura had lied to them all about that what else had she lied to them about? Then there was the way the Aburame clan and her own Mother were acting to be considered also. The other rookies were clearly angry and showed it by walking away any time someone tried to express sympathy that Naruto had gotten the cherry haired girl into trouble. No matter how the topic was brought up the rookies and their Sensei all reacted the same way. They got tight angry expressions full of hate and walked away as fast as they could. The Aburame clan did the same thing while Councillor Haruno just pretended she couldn't hear what was being said. So after the shock of having once more been tricked by the Prankster King. . .erm Queen, the village came heavily down on the side of Naruto and against Sakura.

For Tsunade, it was both a time of remorse and rejoicing. Remorse for the loss of Sakura, as an upstanding and respectable ninja, and rejoicing for Naruto. Naruto was being accepted while Sakura would be scorned as soon as she publicly announced the truth of her behavior and it's consequences. She had tried a second time to abort the child Sakura carried and again it met with failure but she had confirmed Sakura was carrying twins.

The Aburame clan had to be appeased and they demanded that she be physically marked as well as shorn. They said as far as they were concerned not only had she betrayed her oath as a ninja of Konoha and her team but she'd proven herself to be lower than the most common of geisha girls and therefore a branding was appropriate. While Sakura was pregnant with the Uchiha's offspring she could not physically be harmed but in no way was she worthy of any honor either.

A tearful Sakura was brought from interrogations holding cells before the populace and set in a chair upon a stage in the public square. The whole village had turned out to hear the truth of things and to see what would happen as a result of whatever Tsunade had decided. On the stage a blacksmith was heating something in a portable forge. Two members of the Interrogation department stood one to a side of Sakura's chair. The girl had been given clean clothes to wear but no make-up or anything else that she would normally have on. Behind her a barber stood beside a table that held the tools of his trade.

Tsunade looked at Sakura sadly, as the tearful girl did her best to glare back in defiance. Tsunade cleared her throat and the crowd quieted expectantly. They knew they were finally going to hear the truth today. One way or another they would know by sunset who was to blame for the position the cherry haired girl was in. Tsunade addressed the crowd to pronounce her sentence. "A little more than four years ago now a very bad event took place in the village. My old teammate attacked us. He was trying to destroy us; to break us by taking what was most important to us. He took my Sensei's life and he took a member of team seven. The Pride of the Village went to his service because he promised quick power. But the team he served us with refused to give up on him. For four years now, they have chased their former comrade trying to bring him back to the village but always he tells them no. Always he fights them refusing to return. They've all taken injuries trying to convince the Uchiha to return to his oath of service here. You all know this story. You know it well. You've seen the team both before an attempt is made and after it fails. You've seen them full of hope that this time he'll listen; this time he'll be ready to come home. And you've seen them crushed when they return hurt and empty-handed. You've been part of the efforts to bolster them up again to keep trying. Always you've heard them telling themselves they'll succeed next time."

"But this time one of them threw the rules aside. This time one of them was so desparate to succeed she forgot to value her faithful companions. She endangered their lives because she wanted to succeed at their mission to recover their lost companion so badly. She crossed the line of what is honorable and left her own honor behind. For that, she sits before you today to receive her punishment." Tsunade took a deep breath and lowered her eyes sadly for a few seconds before proceeding to the next stage. She hid her own feelings deep inside and refused to let her eyes dampen but everyone could tell she was not enjoying herself as she performed this duty.

"Because my apprentice betrayed her oath of service to the village, by knowingly and willfully sleeping with a missing-ninja she was sent to retrieve while her team was sleeping in their tents unaware of his presence in their midst; a ninja her team had already had three separate run-ins with and that she knew to be running with three other missing-nin; she did thereby endanger, without thought or mercy, her entire team. For this blatant disregard of her team's safety and the will of this village, she is stripped of her rank and headband as a ninja of Konoha." The crowd murmured in surprise. Tsunade saw Naruto and Kakashi standing with Yamato and Sai off to one side and away from everyone else. None of them looked happy but their body language said they would stand their ground as her sentence was announced and carried out. She had been a member of their team and Team Seven did not abandon it's own. "While the taking of her headband and rank can in no way equal the loss Konoha would have suffered, should even one of her true and faithful companions have lost their life due to her actions, it is all I can offer them."

"But she did not just endanger her team with this action. No. Her choice went deeper than that. And hurt more people than just those of her team. Other people of our beautiful home have been affected by her decision as well. Though their lives are not on the line as her teams was, they feel the cost of her decision just as strongly." The crowd began to murmur knowing this was the part of the decision that would deal with the village itself. Tsunade gave them a few minutes to settle watching as Kakashi held Naruto close to him and she noticed neither of them would look in Sakura's direction. Clearly they were still very angry with her.

Tsunade continued speaking as the crowd quieted. "Because she was engaged to marry an upstanding ninja of this community, her actions brought dishonor onto his clan. The Aburame Clan may not be as well known as the Uchiha Clan but they are every bit as noble. Her actions have slandered their reputations and besmirched their honor. On behalf of their heir, to whom she was engaged and had promised to remain pure and true to, the clan has asked that she be shaven and remain shorn until after the birth of her child. Furthermore, they ask that she receive a brand appropriate to her betrayal for the manner in which she chose to dishonor them and of course the betrothal is broken." As the barber stepped forward and clipped Sakura's hair, she gasped in shock and the crowd was murmuring with their approval of this judgement. By the time the razor began to shave the already short hair from her scalp she was beyond shocked. Her expression was frozen in horror at the thought of being bald as an egg. The barber changed blades in his razor and smeared a shaving cream over her stubble before continuing her shaving. He had a bucket of water standing by to rinse her head after he was finished so he could apply a sun screen creme to keep her from getting a nasty sunburn. And once he was done with the razor she showed she had not been expecting the water by sputtering in outrage at the deluge. The water plastered her shirt to her chest and everyone could see she was not wearing a bra. They could also tell her nipples were extremely hard and tight. For the guys, that meant only one thing. She was excited by this attention. Her cell frowned at the murmurs they heard running through the crowd as they knew it didn't mean that at all. Even Sai didn't like what he was hearing from the crowd right also frowned and her frown quieted the crowd again.

"Because the act of her betrayal has led to the impending birth of a child, who through no fault of it's own, will be a burden upon this village until said child can care for itself she will spend the remainder of her days being shunned by one and all. No honorable work will be offered to her. Nor will anyone offer her food or shelter. Let her find both as best she can since she did not think enough of her teammates, her fiancé, his clan, this village, or the consequences of her actions to do things in the appropriate manner. Nor will she be allowed to leave the village to start a new life elsewhere. She does still possess the skills we taught her and I do not wish for her to simply take her betraying heart to another village to further betray those who succored and trained her."

Before she continued the smith indicated his branding iron was ready and she turned the mike over to Aburame Shibi, the head of Shino's clan and his Father. "For her despicable act against the honor of my clan, and my son and heir, we have been given the right to choose her brand as well as it's placement upon her body. We could have chosen a private location in the hopes that one day she would discover the falsity of her nature and take steps to correct it but we do not feel she will ever do that. She not only committed her act of betrayal in full view of any who wished to witness it but she has not once expressed any remorse for her actions. She has not considered how her behavior has effected anyone, choosing instead to try and blame her teammate for the position she now finds herself in. All of you have heard the rumors of how she claims this is all the fault of Young Naruto because he has not yet kept his old promise to her. All of you have heard the rumors of how she has said if he had not been there she could have returned the Uchiha to the village long ago. But she had the entire time Young Naruto was gone on her training trip in which to return the boy if that were the truth. I and my son both know she has said these things however and we know them to be false. Naruto and the other members of her cell did not tell her to sell them out. They did not tell her to besmirch her own honor or the honor of my clan while she was on watch. On watch for the arrival of the Uchiha and his new companions no less. She not only allowed the traitor to walk into the camp she was supposed to be guarding while her team slept she kept quiet about what she had done for at least three more days while the team made their way back here. Most likely she would still not have said anything had she not been confronted by her teammate over this bad act. But my Son would have known immediately what she did as did both her team Sensei and the only other original member of her team and the Uchiha is still a missing-nin."

He paused to rein in his emotions. He'd meant this to be a logical explanation of the clan's decision but she'd hurt Shino and he was finding it very hard to keep his emotions out of things. He took a deep breath and continued speaking in a calm voice that belied the strain he was under to keep it that way. "Nor do we wish another young man to get caught in her snare of lies and deceit as she has proven so skilled at over the years. So we have decided, as a clan, she should wear her brand on her face and it should be done in a manner she can not conceal with either chakra or make-up. We have chosen the letter F for fugiri to be placed upon her left cheek. **(Fugiri= dishonesty; injustice; dishonor; ingratitude)** The smith stepped forward as did the two interrogators. While the men held her face completely still the smith applied his iron to her cheek. The smell of scorched flesh overwhelmed the crowd and most the audience missed Tsunade performing the handsigns that would seal the brand as well as make it uncoverable. In the crowd Naruto turned into Kakashi's chest and cried for her friend. Even Sai was unhappy at the disfigurement the Aburame's had chosen for her. Sakura's screams of pain reverberated through the air as the brand was applied and most the Rookie Nine winced in sympathetic pain. Yet all of them knew she did indeed deserve the branding. No one did anything to lessen her pain knowing that it was a part of the sentence as well.

Sakura's Mother was there in the audience. With a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, she stepped forward. "I tried to warn you, Sakura-chan. I tried to tell you to get over the boy but you would not hear me. I even tried to tell you, you were not ready to marry another but again you would not hear me. You have left me no choice now. I must honor those who have gone before us and the sacrifices they made for our clan's honor and reputation." She turned to face the crowd and the Hokage, sadness apparent in her own green eyes that so clearly matched her daughter's. "I denounce this girl as my daughter and strip from her the Haruno name. She has disgraced the memory of her Otousan and should no longer be allowed to use the name he gave her. Let her be known as Daremo Sakura from this day forward." She stepped back into the waiting embrace of Koharu and Tsume, who held her while other council members closed ranks around her so none would ever be able to say they had seen a council member shed tears.** ( Daremo= no person; no name)**

And so Sakura was stripped of her name and her rank. She lost her job not only as a ninja but as Tsunade's apprentice and a member of the medical pool. She was given lodgings in the hospital until the birth of her child but due to her status as shunned, other than basic medical care and food she was ignored in every way possible.

**Author Note: Well, now she has received her punishment. Now it is time to begin the process of living a different life and finding her way back to normalcy and honor. . .if she can. Tell me what you think. Will she be able to climb out of the pit she landed herself in? . . .or rather I threw her into. **(glances to the side with an evil snicker)** By the way if you don't know what Daremo means it literally means not a person and though I am not positive I think a person called Daremo even would rate lower than a foreigner since they are still considered people. Just not 'The People' as most old world Japanese did consider themselves to be the only true people as so many races of the time did. But I could be wrong about that.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Just checked the mail. No copy rights so Kishimoto was serious. He's hanging onto them. I don't own Naruto or anything to do with him. But the good news is no lawsuits either. So that means he knows I did tell you I don't own his show or creations. Just my twist on them. Another short chapter here but this is another look into Sakura's mind and there's only so much you can write about what she thinks. At least only so much and keep your own sanity at the same time.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Eight: Pregnancy Survival

Within a few weeks it became very obvious the jutsu Sasuke used was not a typical one. Though she should have only been a few weeks further along than Naruto, Sakura was five months pregnant with twins instead of a single child by the time her brand had healed. And true to the request of the Aburame Clan she found it did not allow the use of covering make-up or jutsu to disguise it's presence on her cheek. It was there to stay. That had caused more than one bout of tears and temper tantrums but none of the staff showed her any sympathy over it.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, who had returned to the village as soon as Tsunade had sent him the message that Naruto wasn't going to hide who she was, figured the reason for the enhanced gestation was due to Tsunade's attempts to abort the children. Sakura had stopped the massive amount of masturbating of herself, which Jiraiya figured had to do more with the perversion of the person who'd created the jutsu than anything to do with the person who used it or the person it was placed onto. But the abortion attempts had activated a secondary effect of the jutsu Sasuke had used. It sped things up so the child developed more rapidly than it should have. Jiraiya identified the jutsu as the work of Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man and all around medic. He also told Tsunade the jutsu was responsible more than likely for the fact that there were two babies rather than one. Twins did not run in either the Uchiha Clan or the Haruno family on either family line. But he had pointed out it would not have been something Sasuke would have been opposed to if he had been told of it. In Jiraiya's opinion this was Sasuke's attempt to fulfill his secondary goal of restarting his clan and two babies were better than one for that purpose.

"Chances are, Hime, the Uchiha didn't even know of the masturbation side effect. Kabuto would have because honestly he's almost as good of a medic as you are. He just took a darker path with his medical discoveries and surgical studies. And the Uchiha was never one to hear anything he didn't consider important. So more than likely he went to Kabuto and told him what he planned to do and asked for a jutsu or aid that would have the desired effect and protect the child when it became clear to her he was not returning with her. Kabuto might have told him the whole truth or he might not have. But even if he had, I doubt Sasuke would have cared how she humiliated herself over it. He never did respect her."

"Yeah, I know. Both Kakashi and Naruto have pointed out to me and her Kaasan how many times since they've known the teen, he made it abundantly clear he not only didn't respect her but he didn't like her either. He used her a time or two but he never liked her. To him, she was always nothing more than a place to leave his seed when he needed to dump it somewhere. As an Uchiha spilling it on the ground would have been demeaning himself when a suitable female was nearby and willing to take it. But she never had gotten pregnant before so yeah I can see him asking Kabuto for a way to guarantee it this time and make sure she didn't abort it or allow anyone else to."

The infants were determined to be boys and all the higher up people of the village were pleased with that knowledge though Sakura was not told. Trying to protect a male child from a clan who had no living adult relatives was hard, as they had learned with Naruto and then had the lesson reinforced with Sasuke himself but no one wanted to even imagine how hard it would be to protect a little girl living that life. Let alone two little girls. They all knew a female in the same circumstances was much more difficult to shelter due to the special can of worms that were opened just because of the child's sex. And given Sakura's actions they knew the people would tarnish the children for the behavior of the Kaasan. For a little girl, that meant she would be used and abused if they failed to protect her well enough. Therefore, the council breathed loud sighs of relief upon hearing the infants were boys.

Tsunade estimated the children would be born within another month to two months if the jutsu kept speeding things along. She had tried more than once to break the jutsu but it refused to be broken leading her to believe it was solely for the purpose of making sure Sakura did indeed become pregnant and that she did not abort the child when she discovered her status. It was decided to best attempt to protect the unborn, Sakura would not be told there was more than one baby in her womb or that her pregnancy was progressing at an accelerated rate. No one wanted to deal with an hysterical hormonal girl, worried over the status of children she would not ever see. And everyone involved believed it was not in the children's best interest for Sakura to have any contact with them.

But Sakura was not yet repentant. She still did not see any real harm in her behavior since Sasuke had told her he ditched his team to come be with her. She mistakenly believed he had meant he was willing to return to Konoha with her and it was only because Naruto had refused to wait for him that he had not already returned. She dismissed Naruto's claim that Sasuke had told him he would be going to fight Itachi within the month. Even she did not believe that was a match Sasuke could win.

She knew Shino had lost some reputation due to her lying with Sasuke but that was the only thing she could in any way see as a cause for someone to be upset with her right now. Even that she discounted as being not worthy of any real consideration, since the Uchiha clan was higher socially than the Aburame clan could ever be. In her eyes, he was just jealous because she had chosen to bear Sasuke his child before they married. She had no doubt he would be upset for a while but then they would marry and he'd would get over it when she made him a very happy man on their wedding night seeing as how he now knew she had experience in matters of how to please a man. There was no way he had ever laid with a female so she didn't expect he would be able to satisfy her needs right away but under her guidance he would learn and eventually they'd be as happy as they could be. Plus there was the fact that, as the Mother of the new Uchiha Child, she would have a social position higher than his own. To her way of thinking, that meant his clan would receive a boost in their social status due to his claim to being the stepfather of the new Uchiha clan. So she didn't really understand his attitude right now. He was reaping nothing but benefit from her actions. He should be kissing her feet and bringing her trinkets for thinking of his clan's social rankings in this manner. Instead she never saw him at all. No gifts or offerrings were ever brought to her room for her to decide whether or not to keep or reject. Heck even her engagement token had not been delivered and even though she had heard Tsunade-sama say the engagement was broken she didn't believe it. Shino just had too much to gain by keeping to the agreement to break it over the baby.

She did not know the names of any of the men who she thought had raped her while she was being held and questioned by interrogations or any of the other men on her level who had fondled her through the bars of the cells. But she truly believed once the villagers saw her beautiful baby they would not allow her present treatment to continue. They would demand she be set free and name her as the matriarch of the new Uchiha clan. They would demand she be given access to everything pertaining to the Uchiha clan in order to protect her little one's future and they would back her when she insisted chakra be used to remove the disgusting brand from her face. After all, the new matriarch of the Uchiha clan could not be disfigured in such a low brow manner. How would her little one be able to hold his head up high if people were always asking about his Kaasan's ugly scar?

From there, she could get revenge for every second of humiliation she was going through now against every single person who had wronged her and the Aburame Clan was at the top of her list right under Naruto. To her, the Aburame Clan were the reason Shino was not here dancing attendance upon her person and telling her what a good wife she would be for him. And Naruto was the one responsible for everything she was being put through right now. For that, he would pay. He would pay dearly for every day of this torment. She bet every one of those _men_ from Interrogations had a female relative or two she could use to make them regret their behavior with her and as for the ones who had actually dared to enter her body against her will, well their females would be sold to slave rings once she was free of this mess.

And she would make Naruto watch as each one was forced to undergo her retribution. He was too soft for that not to affect him adn she would enjoy every bit of his discomfort as she watched him suffer at the debasement of every one of those women and girls. That, she knew, would upset him more than anything she could do to him personally. Of course, she'd seen Kakashi-Sensei in the crowd with the pretty little blond and once she saw Naruto again she would make it very clear to the Baka how he was being used. Of course it would take time to convince the idiot he was being played by their Sensei. He wasn't socially or sexually any smarter than he was in any other area. But once she got it through his head Sensei did not love him; did not care for him she had no doubt the Baka would break things off and quit letting Sensei use him like he had been. Then he'd beg her to take him back again. She'd marry Shino and shut him out. He'd beg her forgiveness but she wouldn't give it. He'd gone too far this time. He'd cost her too much. It would take her forever to rebuild her reputation over his stupid lies. The only reason her Sasuke-kun wasn't here was because of him and damned if she'd let him forget it. He was the only reason her baby, her precious baby, would have to make due with a less than adequate step-father rather than his own highly born and socially untouchable father. But she'd be a good Kaasan and she wouldn't let her baby be held back from claiming his true position in this village. She'd fight for his inheritance and position and protect it until her little boy was old enough to reclaim his true Otousan's glory.

Sakura knew she would have to marry Shino as she'd said she would since Sasuke wasn't here. Their society didn't care who the Otousan was reported to be if the Kaasan gave birth to the child without the benefit of being wed. Well, unless said Otousan died before the wedding could happen but nevertheless she would have to carry through on marrying someone to protect the baby's good name as well as her own. How she was going to do that since Tsunade-Hokage had made it clear, during the debacle on the platform, the engagement was over she didn't know but she knew she didn't believe Shino was really through with her. He was as weak as Naruto was, in her opinion, and just as much of an outcast. So of course he would defy his clan to wed her if she wanted him to. After all, it wasn't like he'd ever get any other girl to agree to lay with him willingly.

But in her mind, she still believed in Sasuke also. She still believed he would come home as soon as he knew she was to have his child. She simply would not let herself understand what he had done as her body swelled at a faster than normal rate with his child. She was a medical ninja. She knew the gestation periods of pregnancies. And she knew full well she had not been home nearly long enough to be as advanced in her pregnancy as she was but again this was something she shut her eyes and mind to. There was no way she would ever allow herself to see anything that might point out her Sasuke-kun had used her and thrown her away like a common whore.

And even though she had been shown the tapes of her time in the cells she would not believe she had not been raped and tormented. Tsunade had told her Ibiki had isolated her from the other prisoners to keep her from being tormented that way but she refused to believe her either. Her mind remembered their faces. She remembered the smell of their unwashed bodies and the stench of spilt semen as well as her own juices in the air. She remembered the exams and the fondling and the various means of penetration.

But even in her secured room, Sakura was not free of her torment. Since she had shown herself to be of a morally low class, and the fact that she had behaved in a high and mighty way toward the hospital staff when she was respectable, some of the workers took every advantage they could to slip into her room and get some payback against her. Well really only three of the workers did anything to her but they had each suffered more than once for her high-handed ways and temper. Each had been written up for petty minor things and had suffered pay cuts because she found fault with their uniform or the way they mopped a floor or folded a sheet. Sakura quickly discovered hospital restraints were just as conductive to rendering a person helpless as the shackles used in interrogations as she was tied in place and forced to take the three orderlies at the same time. Though the guys were carefully not to hurt the child she carried, they made their opinion of the would-be mother very clear. And this time there was nothing fake about it. This time, she really was raped.

She never said a word to anyone of the trio, figuring it was well known what they were doing. For those on the ward, it was known but to the regular medical staff who's job it was to take care of her room, it wasn't. The staff was not inclined to physically hurt her. Shun her, yes since that had been stated publically to be part of her punishment but not physically harm her. If she had said something, Tsunade would have made sure it stopped. Tsunade, Shizune and Naruto did not in fact know and all three would have been pissed beyond measure if they had.

**Author Note: Ok so she still has some falling to do. But she is reaching the bottom. Let's face it. There just isn't that much more she can convince herself isn't the way it is. She has to face facts sometime soon. But when I started this chapter I felt given her ability to hide from herself what she doesn't want to admit she would not have seen her punishment as being justified this soon. So this chapter was for the most part a look into her mind. Hope you found it enjoyable and remember except for the three orderlies NO One has raped or even touched her inappropriately.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Don't own Sakura. Kishimoto says after what I've done to her there is no way he would even consider letting me have her. He was shoving silver crosses at me while he was saying that too. What's that supposed to mean? She's a harlot not a vampire.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Nine: Those Who Stand By Us

All the love and attention Sakura had assumed she would receive as the expectant mother of the new Uchiha clan went instead to Naruto. Naruto received everyone's best wishes for her baby and the protection of the entire rookie nine. Even those old fools who were afraid of what the child she carried really was, looked on Naruto more kindly than they did Sakura. Whenever Sakura was mentioned, her name brought forth cold-eyed stares and turned backs or snickers of anticipation while Naruto received questions after her health and inquiries as to the well being of her baby. Not that many people asked after Sakura but it was clear that as far as the villagers were concerned she had gone from being a favored daughter to the lowest type of person imaginable and Naruto knew the people of Konoha had some of the most active and inventive imaginations around.

Shino also came into his own share of sympathy as the wronged fiance of Sakura. Everyone gave him the consideration of not mentioning her name in his presence and not talking about her situation or the unborn child when he was close enough to hear what they said. They didn't go overboard but the villagers did let the Aburame Clan know they saw no fault in them or the actions the clan took against Sakura for her betrayal.

Because no one was willing to go and visit with Sakura and because she was fragile mentally Naruto insisted on being allowed to visit with her until the babies were born and she was released from the hospital to begin her new life. It led to the first fight between her and Kakashi but in the end Kakashi understood it just wasn't in Naruto's nature to turn her back on someone she had spent so long befriending. To ask her to do so was just not something Naruto could live with herself over. But it didn't mean she had forgiven the cherry haired girl at all. She would never forgive her for endangering Kakashi but she could and did understand why Sakura had acted as she did. She did understand it really wouldn't have mattered what the circumstances were when Sasuke asked her to share her body with him. Naruto understood Sakura would have done it because she truly did believe herself to be in love with him and she believed if a woman did love a man she was supposed to give in to his desires in that way. So while everyone else shunned Sakura, Naruto went and spent time with her. Kakashi always waited in the hall for her to be done with the visit but he never let Sakura know he was there. He was not as open-minded about her betrayal as Naruto was. But then Kakashi would never be open-minded when it came to people who deliberately hurt Naruto. In their relationship Naruto was the forgiveness while he was the vengeance. Both of them knew it and neither of them had a problem with it.

Sakura was surprised the first time Naruto walked into her room. She immediately recognized the small blond who had stood within the circle of Kakashi's arms during her punishment and now she knew this small blond was Naruto as well. The first few visits didn't go very well as Sakura did her level best to blame the mess she found herself in on Naruto and force the blond into going to Tsunade and the council and admitting it was all her fault.

And while in a way it was partially Naruto's fault, since, as a boy, he had gone a long way to always making sure Sakura's needs were met within the parameters of the team, it was not her fault because not even as a boy had he ever enabled her to believe she was able to have sex with anyone. Nor was she ever given reason to think he approved of her being intimate with another person whether they were on a mission or not. Therefore Naruto did not see what she had done as her fault. And no matter how much Sakura wanted her to say it was she would not do it.

Instead they got into an arguement about it during the fourth visit. Sakura had immediately laid into Naruto as soon as the girl came into the room demanding Naruto go tell Tsunade it was all her fault and get the punishment lifted. "No, Sakura. I will not be lying to the Hokage and the village for you. This isn't a simple thing like you being too lazy to set up your tent properly or getting distracted by the wildflowers when you're supposed to be gathering herbs for the dinner meal."

"It's your fault Naruto. You need to admit it. This punishment goes too far for me. I won't cover for you this time. I don't want to cover for you this time," Sakura screamed at her.

"You aren't covering for me, Sakura. It was your watch shift. Not mine. You knew better than to have sex with anyone during a mission let alone during your watch when the rest of the team was counting on you to be aware of what was around us. But you chose to give him what he wanted. I didn't make you do that. You chose to."

"That isn't why I'm in trouble Naruto and you know it. You told them I tried to kill all of you and you know that isn't true. So you need to go tell Tsunade-Shishou the truth now."

"No, Sakura. You're in this mess because you endangered and betrayed the team. It was your duty to wake us all at the first sign of any enemy approaching our position and that included Sasuke. No matter how many times we've all told you he's not our friend until he walks through that gate and gets his ninja of the Leaf status re-instated, you have never listened to us about it."

"Sasuke isn't my enemy. He isn't any one from Konoha's enemy. Only you see him as an enemy and that just because you're jealous of him. He's strong and powerful and good looking and rich and all the girls like him. But he chose me. And you can't stand that. You don't want me to be happy because my happiness is at his side instead of yours."

"Sakura. That doesn't even make sense," Naruto said exasperated. "For one, I'm a girl the same as you are. Why would I want you at my side? For two, I have Kakashi. I have had him since I was thirteen. He's always been my guy so why would I care if you are with someone else? For three, what does you being with anyone have to do with the fact that Sasuke is a missing-nin? He is not a fellow Leaf nin, Sakura. He hasn't been since he ran away from here chasing the whispers of promised power. As for all the other things, he isn't rich. He threw his inheritance away when he ran from the village. He isn't an elite anymore either. He threw away his social position at the same time he threw the village away. As for the girls liking him, that is just so much bull. You need to open your eyes and your ears. You are the only girl in the whole village who is still chasing him and everyone from Tsunade and your Kaasan on down has told you to give it up. You made the bed you're lying in now because you didn't listen. I didn't ever tell you to have sex with anyone. Nor did I ever cover for you when you had the opportunity to do so. Putting up your tent and doing your share of the camp chores is not the same thing as saying you can do whatever you want and you know it. You need to face this Sakura. You need to admit what you did. You did endanger the team. You did endanger Kakashi's welfare and he has never been anything but supportive of you. He did not deserve to be stabbed in the back by you this way." The whole situation made Naruto so furious with the now bald girl she stormed out of the room and wouldn't go back for a week.

Still when she did go back Sakura was still trying to get her to admit the mess was Naruto's fault. But Naruto would not relent. Naruto repeatedly reminded Sakura not once had any of them said she had to sleep with the Uchiha to return him. Not once had anyone in the village said she needed to do that. It was her choice to do it. And every ninja in the village knew even if that had been in the orders you don't do it when your team is asleep and you are responsible for their safety. Naruto would not budge an inch and for the first time Sakura was coming to realize she had crossed a line that never should have been crossed though she still wasn't sure just which line it actually was and Naruto didn't tell her. Naruto knew better than to give an enemy ammunition with which to hurt her.

It was during her seventh visit to Sakura when Naruto had walked into the room to find a guy, in the white clothes of an orderly, getting himself ready to rape Sakura and she reacted immediately no questions asked. She grabbed the fool and threw him into the hall, stalking out the door behind the fool. She told Kakashi what she caught the guy doing and Kakashi took action. Being raped was not part of Sakura's sentence and damned if he'd stand by while some asshole did that to any girl regardless of who she was or what she had done. He took the guy to Interrogations and reported the incident to Tsunade. Though he knew or had a good idea exactly the job Sakura would end up doing as a shunned woman, he saw no reason for it to begin before she was ready to admit her change in circumstance.

Naruto meanwhile went back in to Sakura. Sakura was surprised when Naruto had reacted as she had to the guy. But it also broke something in her to have been seen by Naruto of all people so helpless and demeaned. Naruto spent the whole visit comforting Sakura not bothering to lie and tell her she'd never be raped because Naruto knew all too well it was likely she would be and it was only luck that had kept it from happening more than once already. Sakura did eventually dry her tears enough to tell Naruto of the other two orderlies. Naruto looked at her with her sorrow clear in her blue eyes. "I am sorry, Sakura. I wish I could say it will never happen again but we both know I can not. However, I never wanted this life for you. It's hard enough to live as an outcast boy no one knows is a girl but that won't be an option for you. Everyone already knows you're a girl so there's no way you can hide as a boy."

"That's what you did?" she choked out.

Naruto nodded. "I've been outcast all my life, Sakura. From the day of my birth. Living as a boy was the only way to stay alive to grow up since the council and the older generation did know of my seal and hated me because of it. Jijii loved me but he just was too much of a politician to ever risk making the opposition angry with him. He couldn't see that sometimes the needs of the one really do outweigh the needs of the many. It wasn't until I brought back Baa-chan and Ero-Sennin took on the council for their stupidity that anything changed, you know."

After that the visits changed in nature but Naruto never let down her guard knowing Sakura still did not understand how completely things had changed for her. Sakura still hadn't apologized or openly taken any blame for everything that had occurred. And some days it seemed as if she thought she would have the child and go right back to being the student of the Hokage and valued member of the famous team seven again. Other days she talked of becoming the wife of the heir of the Aburame Clan and taking over the Uchiha Council Seat until her baby was old enough to hold it himself or Sasuke returned. On those days she admitted one as important as she was could not be expected to remain as an active ninja so of course she had been retired now and though she was young and had hoped for a few more years she was sure she would be much too busy as a wife and a mother to worry about missions.

She did ask about the other rookies and why none had come to see her or sent anything to her room and Naruto had patiently explained they couldn't even if they wished to. She was a shunned person. Shunned people denounced by the Hokage and their own parents did not receive visitors. The only reason Naruto was allowed to visit her was because no one would ever consider telling her no but the other rookies did not have that luxury. They were not her former teammate or the mate of Hatake Kakashi or someone who called two legendary Sennin by nicknames.

That had made Sakura laugh some as she imagined someone from the council trying to tell Naruto she couldn't have visitors. If Naruto even acted as if she heard it, the neigh-sayer would have been treated to a first rate clueless blond routine that would have left them agreeing in the end and wondering just how the hell it had happened. Sakura didn't know it but that's exactly what had happened only not with the council. Both Kakashi and Tsunade had tried to talk Naruto into not visiting but the blond had insisted.

After the capture of the rapist orderly, Tsunade made a thorough sweep of the staff and made sure to rework the orderlies assigned to Sakura's room just to make damn sure everyone knew the girl was living there for her personal safety until the children were born. Not to be the entertainment value of their shift or their stand-in replacement for a girlfriend. She also made a more complete examination of Sakura because like Naruto she did not want Sakura to think she had stopped caring for her. Every time she came to examine her she would stay to visit and play cards or simply share a meal. Like Naruto, Tsunade knew what had led Sakura into the spot she now found herself in and, like Naruto, she knew there was nothing that could be done about it. It had been Sakura's choice and she had made the wrong one. Consequences had to be paid.

Shizune also came by for visits, though she was not as forgiving as Tsunade, she did stop by to bring Sakura new clothes or books to read. She would stay to discuss what was happening in the village as well as the books she had brought previously but her disapproval was clear as well. Sakura wanted to believe Shizune disapproved of the way the village was treating her but she knew it wasn't that. She just couldn't admit it yet.

Ino would seek Naruto out and ask her about Sakura after every visit and then cry over how far her friend had slipped. She was having a hard time with this punishment because Like naruto she had always tried to protect Sakura and be a true friend to her. But now she was being required to cut the cherry haired girl out of her life and forget about her. Inoichi had explained to her that if she didn't, her life might become the same as Sakura's would be after the child was born. Inoichi hadn't pulled any punches as he told his daughter exactly what kind of work Sakura would spend the rest of her life doing. he explained to Ino that when a person is publicly shunned anyone who befirends them had better either have extremely high levels of protection and a reputation beyond compare of their own or they'd better be prepared to live the same exact lifestyle as the shunned person they befriended. He told Ino Naruto had that reputation and protection but Ino did not. No one in their right mind would even think of taking Naruto to task for continuing to see and deal with Sakura. If the girl didn't prank the neighsayer back to the stone age, Kakashi would beat the tar out of the idiot. And then there was the vengeance the two remaining Sennin and Shizune would exact upon the fool and Iruka was nothing to sneer at either when it came to matters involving Naruto. So basically Ino came to understand when it came to Naruto, the girl could do pretty much anything she wished within reason. It was Ino who told Naruto Sakura liked music boxes when she gave her one to give Sakura the next time she went to visit with her.

**Author Notes: Ok I know you're all confused as to why Naruto would go visit Sakura after lambasting her and landing her in the mess of trouble the girl is in but it is in keeping with Naruto's character. Naruto has known Sakura since they were toddlers. Even in her henge Naruto has always looked out for and protected Sakura. One of the first fights Naruto ever voluntarily got into was over Sakura and her welfare. Kids were picking on her for her pink hair and wide forehead and making her cry. So I just couldn't see Naruto abandoning her now. Naruto knows Sakura will not see what she did as wrong unless someone makes her and leaving her alone, isolating her from everyone is not going to make her face herself. But given the sentence she received Naruto knows Sakura needs to at least face the possibility that she did wrong before the babies are born and she's released from protective care. And as for the rules of shunning, I didn't make those up folks. That is how things work when a person is shunned. Usually one person is appointed to monitor the person who is shunned but no one else is allowed to be around them or to interact with them in any way. In this case the persons allowed to interact and be around her is longer but that is only because she is pregnant and the pregnancy is not a normal one. As for Naruto visiting her, can you honestly tell me the name and identity of one person in the whole village that can stop Naruto from doing anything she wants to do?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: What? Do you think Kishimoto changed his mind? "Oh man. . . (grabs legal form and pen and runs out the door screaming) "Kishimoto you better not sell to anyone else. . . .**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Ten: Delivery and Recovery

No one ever discussed the baby with Sakura or even asked what she thought about it. Even the medical staff was under strict orders not to discuss the children with her or let her know there was more than one baby in her womb. Everyone was told she was to know as little as possible about the babies as it would only make things harder. They were to let her talk about it but none of them were to ever tell her anything they did not have to. Now that it was clear, in her mind, why Naruto was in her girl form, Sakura tried to make comparisons between her baby and Naruto's. To her mind, Sakura's baby was far more important than Naruto's was and when she was feeling bored, isolated or just plain out peckish she spent Naruto's visits sniping at the small blond for even daring to think she could take attention away from the soon to be born Uchiha heir. But then she honestly did think the village was eagerly anticipating the birth of Sasuke's child. She didn't know the village was far more concerned over how Naruto was than they ever would be over Sakura.

She had forgotten all about their earlier conversation revealing the truth that Naruto had always been a girl. But all her attempts to ridicule Naruto's child met with icy contempt from all three of her visitors. She tried to apologize for the fact that her baby's birth would overshadow the birth of Naruto's child but at the same time she would not pretend her child was less deserving of the attention it would receive as Sasuke's heir. Her little Uchiha was the most important child in the village and Naruto should have known better than to allow herself to get pregnant using that perverted jutsu of hers right now. Naruto would just shake her head and dismiss the blatant attempt of Sakura's to rebuild the world according to her own belief of how it should be.

Tsunade was not nearly as dismissive of her comments though. She not only reminded Sakura of how important Naruto was to Tsunade personally but she also reminded her Naruto was not using a jutsu at all. That the use of a jutsu would require the use of her chakra to maintain and with her seal that was just too much chakra being used for the child's safety. But Sakura didn't believe her. Everyone knew Naruto was a chakra powerhouse. Tsunade and Shizune believed Sakura was deep in a state of denial and when her baby was finally born, and subsequently taken from her, it was likely to send her into full-blown insanity, though Naruto denied it. She said Sakura was in a state of denial but that it was completely normal for her and she would not go insane as a result.

But Tsunade tried to get one of her psych-nin to agree to work with the pinkette anyway believing Sakura needed the help if she was ever going to face what she had done or be able to live with the consequences of her actions. All of them refused saying one such as she was not worth their time or effort in rearranging their patient load at this time. Maybe when Tsunade had more than a possible mental breakdown they would have an opening in their logs to work the girl in but they had real ninja to care for right now. It wouldn't be right or fair to ask them to stop treating a ninja, who did not betray the village or their comrades, to treat an ex-nin who had. Even Inoichi refused to work with her but he had more relevant and personal reasons for refusing.

"Hokage-sama, I know you're worried about her mental stability and I promise I will see to it one of my people has an opening for her should it really be needed but she's not as unable to handle her denial and it's consequences as you think she is. She has been dealing with two Sakura's in her head all of her life and Inner Sakura, as we call it, will help her when reality slams home to her but for right now asking a Yamanaka to help her is asking for trouble. Ino was her best friend and is my heir. They are all very angry with Sakura over this because Ino is upset. And that doesn't even count me being upset as well on the behalf of her Kaasan or teammates who must deal with her betrayal. Hatake-san has suffered far more than anyone has a right to ask of him and yet every attempt he made to get her off their team, we blocked because we didn't understand from his point of view. He knew this day was coming, though. He tried to warn us and we wouldn't let him protect either himself or Naruto. And yes, I am upset for Naruto too. That child has stood by both Ino and Sakura every day of their lives since before they began the academy, keeping people from picking on them and paying back those who did so anyway. Never once can I ever remember Naruto doing anything to hurt either Sakura or Ino and this is how Sakura repaid her? She can't even claim to be ignorant of the years worth of sacrifices Naruto made for her and Ino. She does know. She knows full well everything Naruto went through to protect them and get them payback when she felt it was deserved and that's not counting her knowledge of the seal and what it contains. All Yamanaka know if Naruto had been forced into watching as Kakashi dies because Sakura couldn't tell Uchiha no, Kyuubi would have killed everything in the world that stood between Naruto and Sakura. Then Naruto would have given up and all Konoha would have paid because without her mate Naruto has nothing to live for. No, Hokage-sama, Mindwalking Sakura right now would be a very bad idea and entirely too tempting if I were to agree to treat her at all."

Tsunade had to agree once he laid out his reasoning. So she did what she could to prepare Sakura for the truth without admitting anything she didn't think the girl would handle well. And she made sure to tell Naruto none of the Psych Docs would consent to seeing the girl.

Naruto was not surprised since none had ever thought she was worth the counseling either before Jiraiya had laid into the council. She continued her visits understanding now they were even more important to the mental health of the cherry haired girl than ever before. She ignored Sakura's comments on her own baby even though she couldn't help but feel offended for Kakashi. Sakura made it clear she didn't feel Kakashi had chosen the appropriate person to bear his child with so his child's birth being overshadowed by Sasuke's child really shouldn't come as a surprise to him. Maybe the next time he chose to have a child with someone he'd choose a real girl to birth it for him. She had gone so far as to say that, with Naruto's mental capacity, the baby would be a disappointment to Kakashi, as there was no way it would ever measure up to his intellect. But Naruto knew Sakura was not as close to the mental knife's edge as Tsunade wanted to believe she was. Naruto knew Sakura truly did believe Sasuke would come home to her and the baby and everything would turn out the way it did in her fantasy world. The way she was behaving and talking was true blue Sakura and she took the comments in stride only repeating them to Kakashi, Shizune or Tsunade when they forced her to.

Even Kakashi understood Sakura needed the visits if she was to remain sane since neither Tsunade or Shizune had a lot of time for social calls. Naruto's visits kept the pink haired girl from sliding too deeply into a depression that could have harmed her children but he made sure Naruto never let Sakura forget what she had chosen to do that landed her in this predicament at the same time and made it very clear to Naruto that the only reason he was letting her visit the cherry haired girl was because of the babies. And the comments over the choice he had made in choosing Naruto only made him laugh since he knew Naruto was smarter than either Sakura or her chosen boytoy. But truthfully his child or children's eventual intelligence was a hell of a lot less important to him than their health and happiness was. And he knew that no matter what he never would have considered having his children with someone who wasn't his Naru-chan.

Naruto didn't lie to Sakura when she was visiting the girl. She did do her best to try and make Sakura face the truth of her situation and what it would mean once she was released from the hospital but to Sakura that was only Naruto trying to take more digs at her and cause her more suffering. There was no way she would accept that she was not going to be allowed to simply go back home to the apartment she shared with her Kaasan. She had finally accepted she would not be marrying Shino as she had planned to but that was all she would admit the pregnancy had cost her. Well, that and her status as a ninja but she couldn't be a working ninja and a full time unwed Kaasan to a child as important as hers anyway so the loss of her headband, while unpleasant for her, was acceptable. She believed as soon as she was able to return to work she'd get her job back at the hospital and be able to support her child through the income she earned as a medic and the child's inheritance as an Uchiha. She knew they would do blood tests to prove the baby was Uchiha but since she knew it had been Sasuke she had slept with that didn't bother her at all. But Naruto kept telling her, "You're shunned now Sakura. You can't get honest work once you're able to work again. No one respectable will hire you. Why do you think I had no choice about becoming a ninja?"

While Tsunade did try to withhold facts she thought the girl couldn't handle, Naruto told the truth. She didn't pretend everything would work out or ever be okay again. She spoke to her honestly and it was from Naruto that Sakura finally came to understand she would not even be allowed to see her child, let alone raise it. But that was as far as even Naruto would go to tell her anything about the child in her womb. Sakura still did not seem to understand she was having more than one child or that her pregnancy was a lot farther along than it should have been. In her mind she was having one child and only about a month to a month and a half further along than Naruto was. Because it was twins her belly size actually did kind of support her belief from her angle of view. Since she was confined to her room and there were no reflective surfaces in the room of any kind she really had no clue what size her belly truly was. Even the barber that shaved her head once a week did not grant her access to a mirror.

It was Naruto who gave her the news of Sasuke's death in the fight against Itachi. Itachi had died also but neither of the brothers would ever return to Konoha. Neither would ever be there for the children or for Sakura. It took her about three solid weeks of talking to get the news through Sakura's head. The cherry haired girl just didn't want to believe it. She wanted Naruto to be lying and did her best to convince herself it was not true. Even as she went into labor she asked for Sasuke. She demanded that he be brought to the delivery room to witness the birth of his child. Tsunade had Sakura put to sleep for the delivery and cut the children from her body. Then she healed the incision using her chakra so there wouldn't be a scar and put her back in her room to recover.

After Sakura's children were born, while Naruto was only in her fifth month, she was still trying to warp things to where she retained some power over her own life as well as some of her former glory though reality was beginning to set in now. The fact that they never brought her baby to her for feeding had forced Sakura to admit Naruto had been right when the blond had said they would not allow her to raise her baby. Sakura tried to make sure Naruto and Kakashi would raise the child for her. In her mind, she was thinking that if they would agree then she would at least be assured the opportunity of seeing the child once in awhile even if she was not allowed to speak to or touch the boy at first. She didn't believe her teammates would keep her from her child. Not forever anyway. She believed they would while the village was watching the interactions but after a few mess-ups on Naruto's part Kakashi would force them to relent and let Sakura assist in the rearing of the boy since she was not only his Kaasan but also their more capable teammate. And no matter what she did believe Naruto was unfit for raising any child. Naruto would mess up and with Kakashi's well known adversion to anything having to do with actually interacting physically with anyone outside of a mission they would need her help to raise not only her child but also Kakashi's. No matter how stand-offish he was, she refused to believe he would allow his own child's upbringing to be handled by such a bungler as Naruto was. Kakashi's view on teamwork and always standing by and supporting your teammates would have him requesting she be allowed to help them in the raising of the children. She still refused to believe he thought she had betrayed the team because even she knew betrayal was the one thing Kakashi would never forgive and once he labelled someone a traitor they would forever be a traitor to him no matter what anyone said. Once labelled as such, said person would never have a place in Kakahsi's life again except on the sharp end of a blade held in his hand. He had told her more than once he viewed Sasuke as a traitor for abandoning the village and the team but yet he went with them on every single rescue attempt they made and not once had he tried to kill Sasuke so she didn't believe he truly saw Sasuke as a traitor. To her he was only ever saying that to appease Naruto and get Naruto to allow him liberties Naruto should have been saying no to.

But, she figured if she could get them, Naruto and Kakashi, to adopt her son, that would eventually allow her control over how her son was raised as Naruto would do what she told her to or get pounded into the ground for disobeying her. Not only that but with her to help in the child rearing, Kakashi-Sensei could relax knowing his own child would be raised right. There was no way she would believe two guys could raise a child without a female to help them. And she still firmly believed Naruto was the boy she had always known him as. Plus, she figured Kakashi-Sensei had already forgiven her for the baby she'd borne and it was only Naruto who was keeping her away from him so he could tell her himself. Therefore, she reasoned, he'd be grateful for her insistence on helping to raise his child and preventing Naruto from harming or corrupting the innocent thing. Of course her son would get the bulk of her attention and the better of the things all children need. But what else could they expect when her child was socially more important than their little jutsu created offspring.

But Naruto told her no every single time she brought the matter up. She told Sakura that would not be a good idea since Kakashi was still angry with her and they were due to have their own child in just a few more months. Sakura had tried to protest that Kakashi-Sensei was not so petty as to hold a grudge forever against her. Nor was he the type to hold it against innocent children.

Naruto had simply looked at her until her eyes fell. "You spent all these years around us, Sakura, and you still do not know us. Kashi doesn't forgive traitors. Ever. And in his eyes, you are every bit the traitor Sasuke was. Every bit as much of a traitor as Itachi and yes he worked with Itachi too. Your actions could have resulted in the death of our team. A team that includes me. The one person Kashi would never hurt or allow someone else to hurt if he could prevent it. Even when no one knew I was a girl, including me, he never allowed anyone to get away with hurting me knowingly. And you really think he could raise the child of traitors to his ideals?"

Sakura had begun to cry as Naruto had gone on to tell her a home had already been chosen for the child she had borne. Naruto did not tell her who would be given the raising of her children or who had decided how they would be raised though she did assure Sakura the children would be loved and well cared for but they would not be spoilt as she had been or as Sasuke had been. Nor would they go by either the Uchiha name or the Haruno name as both were well known now for the actions that had led to their births. She did not tell Sakura what their new name would be since it would make it too easy for Sakura to find the babies. The twins were given the name Uzumaki as Naruto had been given it when he was an infant. Naruto herself had requested that be the last name of the children. And Tsunade had even gone so far as to create an official document allowing the name Uzumaki, since it was believed to be without any blood carriers now with the death of Kushina, to become the official surname of orphans with well known parents needing the shelter of a generic name.

"But why? They are Sasuke's children. Why deny them their name?" Sakura had wailed.

"Because, as infants they are not safe with that name, Sakura. Stop and think. There will be ninja who come to capture the bloodline for their own villages. They are helpless children who can not defend themselves. Therefore, we will hide them in plain sight under a name not known as a bloodline name. They, after all, are truly innocent of any wrong doing and should not have to pay for the actions of their parents or the blood in their veins. They will be safer this way. But know this as truth, Sakura. They will be watched over just in case anything goes wrong and that includes you trying to see them. Don't do that no matter how tempting it is. Promise me you will leave them alone."

"But are you sure, Naruto?"

"Hai. I'm sure. Promise me you will leave them alone."

"What are their. . .I mean. . .What did they. . .name them. I know I'm not supposed to know, Naruto but. . .I'm going to think about them every day for the rest of my life. I know I will and I can't just call them Baby A and Baby B." She had picked up on the pronoun usage and correctly figured out there had been at least two babies and, to her mind, premature babies since even she knew she should not have delivered them this soon.

"I can't tell you that, Sakura. You know that. Don't ask me to break my oath. You aren't supposed to know for a reason. This way you can not claim them even if you choose to leave here someday and get the backing of others to come claim them. Promise me you will leave them alone, Sakura or I will have to set guards on you until we know the babies are safe. You don't want that. Trust me."

"But they are my children, Naruto. Mine and Sasuke's. He'll want to see them."

"He won't, Sakura. You need to stop lying to yourself. He's dead. I told you that a few months ago. He knew he would more than likely die when he went up against his brother. That's why he used that jutsu when he did. You know this. We've told you this before. You need to face it and admit it. Besides, there's one other thing we found out you need to know and face. The babies weren't Sasuke's seed. I'm not sure how he did it but they are Itachi's children. He always did love his brother more than he loved anyone else, Sakura. I told you that from the start." And it was true. Sakura thought she had given birth to Sasuke's children but he had found a way to change his sperm to his brothers and used it to impregnate her that night. Because he was using his brother's seed, they figured that was the reason he had used the jutsu Kabuto had created for him to ensure the pregnancy could not be aborted. How he had done it was a matter the ninjutsu department was driving themselves crazy over right now because if Sasuke could do that, then so could someone else, though why anyone would want to was something no one could figure out right now. But then again, no one had thought Sasuke would rather a girl birth his brother's offspring over his own either. Yet the twins clearly proved he had. They truly were Itachi's offspring rather than Sasuke's.

Sakura ignored that not able to believe she had been betrayed like that even if she could convince herself such a thing was even possible, which she couldn't. So instead she concentrated on who would be raising the babies. She was not as reassured as she would have been if her teammates had been raising the babies but it was better they were safe with parents of some sort then left to be raised as orphans. She did promise in the end to leave the babies alone but her heart cried as she gave the promise.

Her remaining two weeks in the hospital passed slowly with her crying herself to sleep whenever she could while Tsunade and Shizune tended to the process of convincing her body she had no children to feed and nurture. Sometimes she cried over the fact that Naruto said Sasuke had forced her to bear his brother's children and sometimes she cried for herself over losing them. Other times she cried for Sasuke and his belief that he should die childless to allow his brother to have his place. She tried to get everyone to tell her the infants given names but no one would. No one had even told her whether the children were boys, girls or one of each.

**Author Note: Ok I know this chapter was a long time coming but hopefully it makes sense and there aren't too many errors in it. Yes I know the twist of Sasuke using Itachi's seed to impregnate Sakura should not have been possible but so what? No one really has chakra either yet we all accept the ninja of Naruto's world use it to force the elements to do their bidding as well as other things. As for why Sasuke would use Itachi's seed instead of his own that goes back to my reading of Sasuke's character. Itachi truly is Sasuke's most important person. He is the one person Sasuke truly does both love and hate at one and the same time. Itachi was larger than life to Sasuke the whole time the younger Uchiha was growing up. When the clan was alive Itachi was held up to Sasuke as the ideal he should strive to become. After the massacre he was the target of Sasuke's training-the driving force behind all the training and practice Sasuke did. But even so, Sasuke could not abandon Konoha without knowing he broke his word and his bond to serve the village. He does know, even if Sakura refuses to admit it that he is a traitor to Konoha of his own choosing. Therefore, given the choice of having Sakura bring his child into the world or having her birth Itachi's child, he would choose Itachi's because he still believes his brother is the better of the two of them.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Daggumit. Kishimoto got away again. He still didn't sign the release either. So as always, Sakura Naruto and crew are not mine. But I can still torture them heeehheeheeee. . . . .. . . .. . . . .**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Eleven: A New Life

Since she had spurned Shino, by sleeping with Sasuke while betrothed to him, the placement of the children had been up to him to determine. Though he could have chosen to let the children be raised by his clan or by the Hyuuga clan as vassals, he had chosen to act in the best interest of the children and give them to Kiku to raise. He knew his clan would not necessarily raise the children to be ninja while the Hyuuga clan definitely would but they were not Hyuuga and they were not Aburame. In the Aburame Clan they would stand out for not having any of the clan's bugs in their bodies and Shino knew they could not present the bugs to the children to see if the bugs would accept them as carriers. The children were Uchiha and that was not acceptable. Having the bugs might do something to their dojutsu to make it ineffective and the Council would forbid it even if the Aburame Clan was willing to accept the children as Aburame through adoption. So no bugs for them. That would make them outcasts and create issues for them wherein they could grow resentful and bitter. And that, Shino admitted would more than likely lead to them growing up to be the same type of people Sasuke had grown up to become. That was a cycle he did not intend to renew.

The Hyuuga clan would isolate them also because they were Uchiha offspring. The fued between the two clans was great enough that, even if the Hyuuga didn't mean to, they would punish the children simply because of whom they were born. His rational mind knew Hiashi and Hinata and more than likely Neji as well, would do all they could to shelter the twins but there were too many Hyuuga that remembered being on the wrong side of Sasuke's tongue and attitude more than a few times to totally protect them. He also knew the Hyuuga would not do anything they saw as helping the twins unlock their dojutsu though they would push for them to become ninja in which case the twins would need their bloodline. But because the twins were Uchiha and not Hyuuga the clan would not teach them the Hyuuga style of fighting and did not have access to the Uchiha style of fighting. Even if they did gain access to the clan scrolls through which they could teach the twins it was unlikely they had anyone gifted in the style to teach the children and if they did said person was likely to be dismissive of it and talk trash about it while trying to teach it to them. So giving them to the Hyuuga clan for raising was out as well.

The only bonus Shino could see in having the twins raised by a clan was that they would be well protected should an outsider find out exactly who they were and attempt to kidnap them. Or should the village decide to treat them the way Naruto had been treated when he was younger. But that was not enough in his eyes to offset the negatives in this case. He had heard Sasuke had used his brother's seed for them and knew they were the children of Uchiha Itachi and not Uchiha Sasuke. Having been Sasuke's classmate and a good friend of Naruto's he knew from conversations and observations why Sasuke had chosen his brother to be the father of the twins and exactly what the unpoken message was in Sasuke's choice. He might not honor Sasuke personally but he would honor his wish in this regard. The children would be given every chance he could give them to turn the clan around just as he had tried to offer Sakura the redemption from her obsession with the Last Uchiha, as Sasuke was still known as by some of the more obsessed villagers.

His entire reason for choosing her as his bride had been because she needed the shelter and redemption a well-known and respectable clan could offer her and her intelligence was high enough he figured she would not drive him too crazy asking inane questions. He knew her attitude would need to be dealt with but the women of his clan had already been prepared to deal with that and he knew he could safely leave her instruction there in their hands. She was not a perfect choice for him but there really wasn't anyone in the village who was so his father had let it stand when he had told him why he was choosing her as a mate. Shino might not like what Sakura had done but as he had told Naruto all those months earlier he had known she would do whatever Sasuke asked of her given the chance short of actually betraying the village to accompany him in his outlaw lifestyle and even that was not a guaranteed thing in Shino's mind. If she thought traveling with him would give her the chance to talk him into returning then she might very well have chosen to do so convincing herself she was not betraying the village any more than she thought Sasuke had.

But Kiku was different. She was their grandmother and the only real family they had left except for Sakura. Kiku had been drifting into a depressed state without her daughter to care for any longer. Though Naruto visited her as often as she visited Sakura, the elder pink haired woman was having a hard time not taking all the blame for Sakura's bad act on herself. She had lost the focal point of her existence and no matter how long Naruto visited with her, or Ino or Koharu, her friend on the Council, Shino could see if she didn't find a new focus to live for her life would soon end. So Shino had thought, if he gave her grandchildren into her care, she would regain a purpose to her life. Not being a clan or having the protection of a clan there was risk involved in giving the children to her to raise. And she had raised Sakura but though Sakura had turned out to be less than suitable Shino felt Kiku was now aware of pitfalls she hadn't even known existed when she was raising Sakura alone. And besides, it wasn't like Kiku would be raising the twins alone. Alot of higher up important people would be watching everything she did in regard to their raising. And as for the clan thing he could request his clan be the protectors of the twins and Kiku to keep them safe from harm. But he truly felt she had a need of the children no one else did and would be the best person to raise them. So he chose her to raise the twins for them all, telling his clan and Tsunade simply, "She needs them and they need her. She is family to them and will love them for who they are. Not where they came from or who they came from. My clan will protect them until they no longer need protecting."

He was correct. The children did give her a new focus and she had already redone Sakura's room to make a home for them. Ino, Naruto and Koharu had all gone shopping with her to redo the room in a manner appropriate for boys rather than a young adult woman. Then they had all began buying things babies need and started making plans for their care and protection. Kiku threw herself into the preparations and was always sure to thank Shibi and Shino any time she saw them for giving her this second chance. And she did see it as a second chance. She had messed up in raising her daughter but she was determined not to mess up in raising the twins. She eagerly looked forward to the day when she would be told they were free to come home with her and from the minute they were born she was at the hospital to oversee their care and feed, clothe and hold them both in turn.

Nor did she have half as much trouble accepting them as everyone thought she would upon learning they were not Sasuke's children at all. Instead, she had greeted that news with an ecstatic smile of pure joy. The knowledge that only the Kaasan was a real traitor didn't displease her at all since that meant, to her mind, there was hope for the twins neither they nor she had so long as everyone believed the Otousan to be Sasuke. She knew, as did the rest of the Council, that Itachi had not in fact betrayed the village by slaughtering his clan. He had betrayed his clan but not the village. So, to her, the knowledge that the more noble of the two brothers, and clearly more intelligent of them, would live on in her grandsons was welcome news. She also knew Itachi had been the more peaceful of the two brothers. She remembered a young Itachi enjoying sitting quietly reading a book in the sunshine while a toddling Sasuke tried to run all over the place chasing the other toddlers. Sasuke had always been more belligerent than Itachi had been but she also knew there had been a deep bond between the two. But Itachi had been the one who could admit he loved his little brother while Sasuke had never been able to say the same about Itachi. So in her eyes, finding out the twins were Itachi's children was a bonus.

Koharu and Ino helped her take the babies home when word came they were being released from the hospital. She knew Sakura was still in the hospital but, though she glanced at the door to the stairwell that would lead to the floor her daughter was on with a sad glint in her eye, she did not attempt to go visit her. She had meant it when she disowned Sakura publicly. The girl had disgraced the memory of her father and herself and she would not allow that to be swept aside even if she forgave her for it. Honor was not a sometimes thing and Sakura knew better. She had always told Sakura no one lives or acts in a vacuum. Everything you do or say effects others and sometimes what you do and say effects those who have not been born yet or who have died already so that you might live. But her little girl had never really understood. She could see that now. She was determined the twins would understand it. This time she would not raise a child to think of social positions before they thought of the people those positions belonged to. This time she would see to it the children in her care understood people were people with good and bad in each and every one of them.

All the way through the pregnancy, Kiku had never asked for any information on Sakura but Ino and Naruto told her what they could of how she was adjusting knowing she wanted to know and understanding why she could not bring herself to ask. She would nod her head to show she had heard the comment but never gave any verbal indication of hearing them. Sometimes she would look to an object in the area and begin talking about it in a far off manner and make mention of a certain bright haired child in relation to said object but that was as close as she would come to letting them know Sakura liked or didn't like that type of thing. It was one of those comments that had led to Ino giving Naruto the first music box to comfort Sakura. It also led to Naruto mentioning to Tsunade and the hospital staff foods Sakura liked and would eat during the time when her gestation had been speeding up so much she was eating six times as much food as normal in any given day. Because the gestation was sped up to make the delivery of the twins faster, her body needed more vitamins and minerals to work with and the best way to get them was by eating more and since she was expecting twins she automatically needed better quality and more food than the normal hospital patient did anyway. But Sakura had always been a dieter. Well, ever since she had fixated on Sasuke anyway. So she resented being presented with meals every three to four hours. Hungry or not, delusional or not, she knew damn well it was not really mealtime every time the nurses had brought in a meal tray for her. So Kiku had told Naruto and Ino her favorite foods when they told her Sakura was refusing to eat when the hospital staff wanted her to. Their report to Tsunade and the staff had led to those foods being offered more often and Sakura had eaten more because they were her favorite foods and she couldn't resist them which pleased everyone since her not eating was hurting the children and no one wanted them to suffer. But standing in the hospital holding one of her grandsons in her arms while Koharu held the other, Kiku knew the days of being able to subtly help her daughter were over now and mentally she said her final goodbyes to her. Now she had to think about what was best for the twins and there was no way associating with their mother was in their best interest. Quietly the quintet left the hospital under heavy Anbu guard. They would be guarded as they made their way through the village just in case someone did not understand the babies were not shunned or dishonored for the act of their creation. The Aburame Clan had already chosen those members who would stand guard over the twins and Kiku until Tsunade and the Council knew the twins would not be targeted as once Naruto had been by the villagers or by outsiders who had heard who the twins were.

When Sakura was ready to be released from the hospital, several weeks later, Naruto came to show her where she was to call home and Sakura sighed when she realized where they were going. Kakashi and a squad of Anbu followed at a discreet distance. Kakashi was following to protect Naruto while the Anbu were assigned to Sakura just because Tsunade felt she would try at least once to find her children. It would be unnatural for her not to. Even though she had given her word to Naruto to leave the children alone and not try to find them, everyone knew she did not hold promises given in the same light Naruto did unless they were Naruto's promises to her specifically. Kakashi did not trust Sakura not to try and hurt Naruto once she realized she would be expected to live in Naruto's old apartment and he knew the stupid girl did not realize Naruto owned the building and would be her landlord as no one else wanted to rent a place to her. But if she even balled up her hand Kakashi would move to show her just how stupid it was to even think of hurting his Naru-chan now.

"It's not as bad as you might think, Sakura. I made some improvements when I lived here and I will show you all the hiding spots the place conceals. You will need them now," Naruto told her once she realized where they were going. The small blond was heavily pregnant now and though walking was good exercise for her, she tired far more easily than she used to. That made her grumpy because she didn't like it.

"Do I really have to live here though? This area is not exactly a . . .nice area of the village, you know," complained Sakura trying to hide her trepidation at the thought of living in this area of the village.

Seriously Naruto continued to speak to her former comrade as if she hadn't heard the comment. "You need to understand this, Sakura. Your life has changed irrevocably. You are no longer the treasured daughter of the council woman or the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage or the teammate of Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto. I don't mean to boast, but you need to get it through your head once and for all. It was all our names that protected you while you were a ninja and you need to face the fact that you do not have that anymore. You are not the protected of Uzumaki Naruto any more. You are not the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage or a member of the famed Team Seven. Your Kaasan disowned you and stripped your old name from you for the betrayal you subjected the village to. You are now just Daremo Sakura, branded woman of low repute. While you waited for the births, we sheltered you as best we could. I know bad things still happened. It could have been a lot worse but you were under guard then. You aren't now and there are more people who feel as that orderly did in the public sector. You need to face this and get prepared to defend yourself at all times. Listen to me, Sakura, and hear what I am telling you. Are you listening? Do I have your full attention?"

She waited for Sakura to nod before she continued. "There is no such time as I'm safe. I can relax now. Not for you. Not anymore." Sakura gulped remembering the trio of orderlies but she truly didn't understand what Naruto was trying to tell her. She had always had protection from the bad things in life. Even though she was a ninja Naruto was right in saying she had been sheltered and kept away from those bad things as much as possible. Naruto knew she couldn't explain it any more than she already had. Sakura would have to get through this as best she could.

"Now, I have stocked the apartment with food and supplies to get you through a few weeks and the rent is paid for three months." The truth was Naruto wasn't charging her rent for the first three months but Sakura didn't know Naruto was her landlord so there was no need to explain it to her. "I have permission to stock up for you four times a year. But only four times each year. I am going to do so once a season and I will try to make sure when I do that you have what you need to make it through each season but it does not include giving you money for rent or other bills and things. I can only purchase things for you when I stock the place. And I have to say it's only this year that I am allowed to help you at all. So you must find work to provide for yourself. I can not take care of you as I used to. Even if Kakashi would let me, Godaime would not. You made your choice. It was a bad one but it was your choice. And you can not claim you were not warned or that you didn't know there would be a price to be paid for it. You did know and you were warned. Everyone told you to give up on him. Everyone told you he did not love you and would not return for you. I told you more than once there was only ever one person Sasuke would ever love and it wasn't you or any other girl. I told you Itachi was the person he loved. I told you straight up that after that night when his clan died, Itachi was the only person Sasuke would ever love. He lost his ability to love anyone else that night when he saw all his family lying in pools of their own blood at his beloved brother's hand. No one can witness something like that without paying a heavy price for it. You did not listen because you didn't want to and now you must pay the price for your behavior. And remember your promise to me, Sakura. Leave them alone."

Naruto showed her the hiding spots and warned her about leaving her money or other valuables in the open. All her things from her former room in her family home were in the apartment as were the things from her room at the hospital so at least she did have some belongings. Naruto and Kakashi had gone shopping for her and gotten her clothing that would fit her and be appropriate for her new ranking in life. Naruto had told Kakashi that was something they needed to do because the stores would not allow her to shop for herself and her body would have changed proportions now that she had undergone childbirth. Her old clothing would not fit her any more and it was no longer appropriate for Sakura to wear clothing with the Haruno white circle on them as she was no longer a Haruno. So before she left the hospital all the clothes she had with that emblem had been removed from her bags as well as all the clothing that would no longer fit her body size. True to her words, Naruto had also provided her with food and supplies so she would be able to eat and take care of things but it wasn't until Naruto left to go home that the reality of her situation settled in on her. Sakura was and always had been a social butterfly but now there was no one to socialize with and she knew she couldn't just go out and look for someone to pass the time chitchatting with.

Her subconscious was still looking for her babies and her empty apartment slammed home to her that she would never hold them or even be allowed to talk with them in any way. She had half expected to see Naruto make herself comfortable on the couch or something when she was done showing her where everything was but all Naruto had done was remind her once again of her oath to leave the babies alone telling her, "Do not taint them with your reputation, Sakura. They did not ask for their conception and they do not deserve to pay for your bad act."

She had taken to keeping her pink hair boyishly short and dressing in anything that did not resembled her former feminine clothing or uniform. But now the silence of the apartment was closing in on her and she wished she had something to do. Naruto had bought her a silk screen needle point project but Sakura didn't know how to do needle point and the image on the front of the package was too much for her to handle right now. A music box open to show it was playing with little musical notes floating in the sir around it and a girl with pink hair dancing to it in a field of wildflowers was just heartbreaking. Sakura knew Naruto wasn't trying to be cruel in choosing that scene but it was cruel because Sakura knew she could have been that girl and had been a long time ago.

But now she was at a loss for what to do with herself. She had never taken up any kind of a hobby as she had been too busy between being a medic at the hospital and on team seven and being the apprentice of the Hokage to have time for a hobby. What spare time she did have had been spent meeting up with her friends and gossiping with Ino, Tenten and Hinata. But now she couldn't do that. Naruto had taken her place in those gatherings and somehow she just knew the gossip was not as vicious, with Naruto there, as it had been before the revelation that Naruto was a girl. The girls would have toned down their gossip because not only was Naruto not a vicious person but also because of what had happened with herself. All the girls would see what had happened to her could just as easily have happened to them. It never entered Sakura's head that it wouldn't have. None of the other girls would have done what she did and so her fate was never in the realm of possibility for any of them. Also she never realized the only reason the gossip had ever been cruel to begin with was because she had been a part of the circle.

Naruto had replaced the mattress on the bed knowing the one she had used when she had lived there would be highly uncomfortable for Sakura but also because it would raise questions she didn't want to answer from the cherry haired girl. Kakashi had growled when he saw the state of the old mattress and shot Naruto a glare that promised his wife was going to tell him about all the blood stains and cuts in the mattress as he carried it out to the dumpster behind the building. So when Sakura finally went to bed she did so on a new mattress. That night she cried herself to sleep again not really thinking about her own safety as she did so but she should have. Several drunks had gotten word of her release from the hospital and decided to pay her a visit. Unfortunately her mind slipped the faces she saw breaking into her apartment as some of the guys held in the other cells of Interrogations and she cringed anticipating what they would do instead of making any kind of move to protect herself. Her inner self was screaming at her to protect herself trying to remind her she didn't have her team around her to run to her rescue any more but she was frozen in terror and could no more move to protect herself now than she had ever even tried to protect herself when she had been part of a ninja team. All she could do was stare at them terrified of what they would do to her.

The only thing that saved her from being brutally raped that night was the fact that an Anbu was stationed nearby for just that reason. Naruto had argued with Tsunade and the council over it, reasoning that Sakura would need a few weeks to adjust to the reality of her life but she could not do it if she was dead or injured too severely to be able to find work. So she needed protection until she figured out her new station. Naruto had argued that Sakura had been counting on the birth of her babies to restore her back to her former position and therefore had not yet allowed herself to believe, branded or not, that her former life was truly over. It was with reluctance that they had conceded her point and even Shibi had agreed to make sure an Anbu patrol was assigned to her until she figured it all out. But it was also for that reason that they had all forbade Naruto from taking care of Sakura's needs more than four times a year and that those visits must last no longer than one year from the date of her release from the hospital. All of them pointed out to Naruto that if she continued to be there for Sakura the cherry haired girl would continue to resist facing the reality that was now her life. She would force Naruto into the role her Kaasan had filled for her before this she had become persona non grata to the community. Since Kakashi also wanted her to back out of Sakura's life and since she was due to have her own child in just a few short months Naruto reluctantly agreed to start backing off once Sakura left the hospital.

But Kakashi was more concerned about Naruto getting hurt because she was there then he was about Sakura. She had no desire to hang around her old home regardless of who lived there. As much as he didn't wish Sakura to get raped, he knew exactly what kind of work the pinkette would end up doing now and he didn't want any of the villagers who might attempt to point out Sakura's new status to her to think they could also target his wife for that kind of behavior. As far as he was concerned, Sakura had gotten off lightly for her betrayal and it was only the fact that she had not tried to follow Sasuke that allowed her to even remain within the safety of the village.

But Naruto pointed out to Kakashi it might have been better for Sakura had she been expelled as then, even with the brand, she could have started over somewhere else. Somewhere else she might have been able to get work as a medic or a librarian or something. They could have blocked her chakra to where she only had enough to live to prevent her from doing anything she had learned as a ninja of the village and a seal would have made sure she did not go spilling Leaf secrets to outsiders. Instead they had chosen to keep her in the village where her children would be raised and all her former friends lived. She would be forced to see them and even to a degree mix and mingle with them though none would or could acknowledge her presence any longer. In Naruto's eyes, the punishment Sakura had been given was a lot crueler than it needed to be. She told Kakashi, "She's a prisoner here now, Kashi-kun. But unlike other prisoners, she isn't in a cell or on a work farm where her needs will be met by the village so long as she obeys the rules. She won't have any real friends to mix and mingle with or be invited to any festive events. She'll be on the outside looking in and you have no idea what that feels like but I do. And I know just how cold her life will be now."

He tried to make Naruto feel better about it all but he knew nothing he could really say would change things. Naruto had a unique perspective on the situation. "She chose this, Koi. It was her choice not to listen to you when you told her not to trust Sasuke. It was her choice not to listen to me when I told her he was a traitor. It was her choice to build herself up with airs she was not entitled to. This is a fall for her. I know that too. But it is one she set herself up for. Yes I do know she'll be on the outside looking in for the rest of her life but she was warned to let him go. And even though her life won't reach the heights she once dreamed of reaching, she does still have the opportunity to make a few friends. She will still receive invitations to social gatherings with them. She does have the opportunity to have a real life. It's just different from the one she expected to get. She isn't you, Koi, and the life you were forced to have as a child will never be hers unless she chooses it. She does still have choices she can make for herself." He did go and make a few arrangements for Sakura though after hearing why Naruto was insisting on continuing to see and be near Sakura but he told no one of the arrangements he set up for her as was his wont. He figured it was no one's business how he tried to take care of her or anyone else he knew and had worked with over the years. And like it or not, he could not turn his back on Sakura any more than Naruto could without trying to make sure the girl had a chance.

It took Sakura a long time to figure out she would not be allowed to get any kind of respectable work. She had tried to get work at the hospital since she was a trained medic but they wouldn't even consider it. They knew she was a qualified medic. They just wouldn't hire her since tsunade had specifically said she could not work as a medic any more when she made her public announcement as to Sakura's punishment for her bad act. Sakura didn't remember a great deal of that day as she'd been in too much shock and denial for more than brief snatches of the event to register in her mind. The feeling of being shaven and branded she remembered. The betrayal she felt when first her mentor and then her Kaasan had both denounced her, she remembered but the actual words were lost to the fog of her shock. So she couldn't understand why she couldn't work as a medic now. They had told her point blank, "Being a medic is honorable work, Ms. Daremo. You are not honorable. We can not accept your application for employment. Please leave if you are not in need of medical attention." She had left wondering where she could find work now.

Then she had tried the public library and a local book seller but was told they did not have work for her kind. The Librarian was nice about it but the book seller wasn't. Both had told her basically the same thing the administrator at the hospital had though. She was no longer honorable and since they served those who had honor they could not employ her now. She did learn to swallow her pride enough to take food from the food bank set up for the poor and needy so they had less reason to steal it. Naruto and Kakashi had both been by the food bank to make sure the workers were aware of her need should she lower her pride enough to ask for help so the workers there were expecting her to come by. Being more compassionate people than most they tried to make the experience as non-humiliating as possible for the humbled girl. But she cried after she got home with the goods they had given her, over how low she had fallen. And slowly she was learning to like, fix and eat pedestrian food rather than the gourmet she had always insisted to her Kaasan was more appropriate for their station in life. Reality was setting in on her as bills came in demanding ryu for their continued services and her available cash to pay said bills was running low. Unknown to Kakashi or the Council Naruto had given her a stash of ryu knowing Sakura would not have any after several months in the hospital and that she had been a spend thrift before that last mission they had gone on. Naruto knew Sakura did not have any savings worth speaking of so she had taken her own mission money and left it in one of the hiding spots in the apartment for Sakura to tide her over until she found work.

But it was about three weeks before she finally succombed to the inevitable and went into a cat house to see if maybe she could work there. The Madam of the House took her to a room upstairs and told her to strip. She then made Sakura spread her legs and hold her arms straight out to her sides. She walked all around her and so became the most humiliating experience of Sakura's life to date. An hour later Sakura was handed an outfit to wear. She was told she would do for the night. If she didn't break down, and flee the establishment, than she had a job and she'd be given a schedule. Pay would be discuss later once they knew if she would stick to the job.

Sakura wiped her tears away and nursed her bruises silently as she pulled the pee-a-boo costume over her naked flesh knowing full well she needed the job no matter how degrading it was. And it was degrading but her bills needed paying and there was no place else willing to even give her a chance at working. A girl had come in to help her apply her make-up and explain the rules to her. The girl had been just as touchy feely as the Madam was but at least she had been spreading a salve over the bruises the madam had left behind. The girl told Sakura, "Madam will make sure a costume is provided for you every night for the first two weeks but after that you have to provide your own and the Madam won't care what excuse you offer for not having one to wear when that time is up. If you come to work without a costume, you'll walk the floor naked." Her tone of voice was cheery and disinterested as she explained things to Sakura but left no doubt in Sakura's mind what she said was nothing more than the truth. She also explained that the real money for the girls was in the tips the customers gave them so obliging the customer was always a good idea no matter what the customer asked for. "Some of them ask for really odd things but a few will only want you to sit with them and provide conversation while they eat dinner or have a few drinks. Some will feel you up and try to pleasure you while they eat. Be sure to act like they are doing a good job of plasuring you even if they aren't. They'll tip better if they see you squirm some and turn more fully towards them while trying to make it seem you're turning away. They like that because it feeds their fantasy that they are with an innocent girl rather than a girl who knows the game. Since you're new here, act innocent and like you're younger than you are. Most these guys want us young and innocent."

Sakura asked her if there was any tips to get used to this life and the girl had told her in a surprised tone of voice, "Honey, you already sold out your team to have sex with someone. And from what I understand it couldn't even be called a 'Wham Bam Thank you Ma'am' type encounter. Just an in and out I'm done now thing. This is nothing new for one like you. You'll see. It's business as usual for you." Sakura flushed in shame as she filtered the words into her brain. Clearly the girl knew who she was and why she had come here fo a job. Noterity might have it's benefits but it also had it's drawbacks, she concluded.

She re-entered the main room when another girl came to get her and went to work for her first shift as new meat in the human meat market. All night she had served drinks and men as they asked for her services. The other girls let her know what she was supposed to do and what certain terms meant and they made sure the men did tip her for her work as well. By the end of the night she had played the innocent so many times for so many different guys she was forcing herself to get aroused and she had given so many hand jobs and blow jobs she no longer flinched over having her hand grabbed and placed on an aroused penis or her head grabbed and directed towards someones groin. Her knees were raw and sore from spending so much time on them under the cover of a table but she had no doubt she could do this job if it staye this mild. She also understood why the outfit she had been given was a peek-a-boo type. The attention the guys wanted from her did not require her taking the outfit off or end up with the outfit being torn in some manner.

The Madam kept an eye on her, though Sakura was too inexperienced to know it. She might have been rougher with Sakura than she would have been with another girl but Sakura had betrayed two of the best ninja in the village and set two others up to be killed in their sleep. Bara, the Madam of this establishment, had serviced Kakashi more than once while he was waiting for Naruto to grow up and she had followed his career after she had met him the first time. As a result she knew exactly how fine a man he was. She'd been just another girl working on the fourth floor the first time he had come in with his captain from Anbu. The captain had paid her to see to his needs and teach him to be a man even if it took her all night. He had wanted Kakashi to leave the premises sated, relaxed and happy for a change. She did as requested and it had taken her all night to get him over his barriers. She had never expected to see him again since he had been so reticent about taking advantage of what she had to offer but she couldn't resist finding out more about the young Anbu officer.

But he had come back again and again over the years and she was always the one he went with when he did come by. Even if he came by tonight she knew she owuld be the one to service his need and she knew she would not allow his former teammate to know he was in the building. He had never given her any promises though or any reason to think he would take her away from her life in the village's underside. She had also known he was not available for anyone no matter who they were, since he had told her up front that first night he was promised to a child already and when she grew up he would marry her if she would have him. Surprisingly, that had been his biggest barrier to lying with her. It was only when she had told him he needed to be the experienced one if he wanted to really please his betrothed when she grew up and keep her happy that had let her reduce his stress. He had not wanted his child to see him as less than honorable or to have anything in his background that might come up to haunt him when she was old enough to claim. She had never been able to drag any more information from him as to who he was waiting for but that didn't matter. They had still forged a bond that Kakashi had called on once he knew this would be the only life open to his former teammate and that bond was the whole reason she hired Sakura. She knew Kakashi and she knew he would want the girl taken care of as best she could be in this new life of hers. And because of that, she made damn sure the men, who would have been too rough with the society girl, were handed off to another and the women, that would have shocked the girl out of her skin, found more willing partners as well.

But that did not mean Sakura had an easy time adjusting to her new life. She didn't. More than once she had run off the floor crying in shame until one of the other girls had come and helped her pull herself together again. The girls of the first floor were very supportive of new girls, knowing this was the end of the line for all of them and not one was any better than any of the others regardless of who they had been before they became the Flowers of the Madam.

And when the first week passed, one of the other girls took her shopping at the end of her shift to show her where they bought their outfits. The girl explained, "We can't just go shop any place we wish to. Most shopkeeps know how we make our living, since they do tend to be our customers from time to time, and they won't appreciate having us in their shop since a lot of their customers are also our customers and will recognize us as easily as they do. We've learned not to trouble them as they do know where we work and what floor we work on. They can make us pay for darkening their door much easier than we can make them pay for anything they ask of us. And, Cherry Girl, no matter what floor you work on, a guy can call you to a lower floor if he has enough money. You go ticking off the shopkeeps and they will call for you no matter where you are. But don't go thinking they won't know who you are yet either. They do. Because of what you did, everyone in the village knows who you are and because I'm standing here on the walkway with you, they now know where you work also. I've been a part of The Establishment long enough they all know me and that's why I was chosen to take you shopping today. It's Madam Bara's way of telling the village you're now one of her Flowers. Don't try to break the unwritten rules. It'll only get you hurt."

Her expression darkened in memory of the one time she had gone into a high priced shop that catered to the elite. She had gotten angry at the owners son for dumping her when he found out where she worked and decided to make him suffer. He and his father had paid her a visit that night and taken her together as the meat in a sandwich. Both she and the boy she was angry with had gotten a lesson in just how the game was really played but she had learned her lesson.

She broke free of the past and told Sakura, "But that's not just so you are known as one of the working girls. It's also so that you are recognized as a protected female. We do have some protection working for Madam Bara we wouldn't have if we were working the streets say. And we do have a few places in the village that actually cater to us. This is one of them and it's my favorite shop. The gal that runs it will actually come up with costumes that fit you and your coloring. She costs a bit more but she does take payments. She knows we have to support ourselves since we are what we are. She will treat you with respect so long as you treat her the same way but don't ever assume you are her equal. You aren't and she knows it."

None of the first floor girls would ever admit they were whores or anything of the kind but Sakura understood that. They couldn't if they wanted to be able to look themselves in the eye. She had discovered that all of her co-workers had done something similar to what she had done though she was the only one who had endangered someone else by doing so or gotten pregnant as a result of it. A few of the girls were ninja before they came to work at The Establishment and they had spread the word of who Sakura was and what she had done just in case the village grapevine had missed the House. The girls of the first floor had only sighed and asked her how many times, while she was waiting for the delivery of her child, she had been raped. That had surprised her since it was the first even halfway sympathetic question she'd ever been asked but they told her, "We live in a ninja village. Your act hurt and endangered two of the most well known ninja in the world. Not to mention the favored of the Hokage. Of course, we know and because of what we do for a living, we do know exactly how the ninja community would seek to pay you back for it."

Another girl told her just as bluntly, "But it isn't only the ninja who will try to make you suffer for hurting them. The civilians will also. Naruto's gained a lot of popularity. A lot of people respect her for the life she lead and crap she had to deal with that she never broke under. They aren't happy with you either. And then there's how everyone sees her husband. The villagers all remember how it was you telling them Naruto's seal was breaking and what a sacrifice he was making by agreeing to be Naruto's lover when everyone thought Naruto was a boy. You tried to ruin Kakashi's reputation by saying he was gay, Cherry Girl, when he wasn't. And now the village is abuzz with questions of just what else you lied to everyone about that they didn't see or understand. They're mad at you. Really mad and it's gonna be all Madam Bara can do to keep you from getting seriously hurt but she will because she's our caretaker. We are her Flowers but this is her garden."

Sakura had a hard time adjusting to her new life and she really didn't understand why anyone would be holding anything from the past over her head now. Sure she understood the ninja would seek payback for that night watch because Naruto had convinced everyone she had endangered the team. Once again she wished the blond had kept her mouth shut about that but her innate intelligence told her it really wouldn't have made any difference if she had. As soon as Sakura's pregnancy had been discovered it would have come out anyway and for the first time she admitted her pregnancy would have brought everything she had done into the open. She finally admitted to herself she could not have hidden her pregnancy from the village and, being the airhead she had been, she wouldn't even have tried to hide it never suspecting it would backfire on her as it did. And she was finally beginning to realize both Naruto and Kakashi were alot more well known than she had thought they were. She had always known Kakashi had a fearsome reputation but it had never entered her head that Naruto did as well. Nor had she ever considered that to most people Naruto was anything but an object of scorn or ridicule.

**Author Notes: And now we've reached the bottom of the pit I threw Sakura into. From here out we begin to seriously work to rebuild her into a semi-respectable person. And for those of you out there saying a whore can not be respectable I beg to differ. They are people too. Just because they work on their backs (or in other positions) does not mean they are without honor or morals.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Sakura. You really think Kishimoto would do this to her or sell her toon to someone who would? Besides he says I'm much too poor to buy his anime. :( This chapter is a little bit shorter than the previous chapter but it does cover a large time jump. I do hope everyone is enjoying the story. Don't forget to review please. You help me catch and hold onto any pesky little red threads of thought that might have tried to get away when you send me your reviews.**

Sakura's Downfall

Chapter Twelve: Flower of the Madam

True to her word, Naruto had stayed away from her old apartment as much to please her husband as because she did not appreciate dealing with the memories the place evoked. She now had her newborn son to care for also and that didn't leave her as much free time to go looking for Sakura or checking up on her life as she had before the little boy was born.

Naruto was still the only person, from her former life, Sakura saw on a regular basis though. They sometimes met up on the street and Naruto would beckon for Sakura to follow her to a nearby park so they could talk and visit. She was careful to keep their visits unobserved. They both were. Sakura had finally gotten it through her head that because of her status as shunned other people could get hurt if they acknowledged her presence and for the first time in her life she didn't want Naruto to get hurt over her. She finally admitted, to herself at least, there had been many times in the past when she had deliberately gone and stirred up trouble for Naruto because she felt the golden blond had wronged her in some manner and no one was doing anything about it. She also admitted, in the privacy of her own thoughts, Naruto had done no such thing and that was why no one she respected had done anything to rectify what she had seen as a wrong done to herself.

Sakura didn't go out of her way to look for any of her old friends or to try and see any of them anymore. She had come to a full realization of just what it meant to be shunned within only a few weeks of leaving the hospital but it took longer before she stopped expecting her old friends to see her or want to be around her. It hurt her feeling to see them turn away from her and walk out of stores or restaurants when she came in and she would complain about it to Naruto when she saw her. Naruto was patient with her, explaining each time it happened why it had happened and telling Sakura to leave the girls alone before the villagers got the wrong idea and hurt them over it.

When the day came that Sakura fully realized why what she had done had been seen so poorly, she had apologized to Naruto telling the blond she didn't know why Naruto still came around to see her after she'd betrayed her as she had. That same dazzling smile that rivaled the sun for power washed over the cherry haired woman as Naruto answered her honestly. "Everyone needs a friend who truly knows everything there is to know about them. Can you say I don't? We've known each other since we were three or so. I know just how far down you can sink, Sakura, and now, so do you. And we both know everything there is to know about how low my life was before Team Seven. We have a bond, Sakura-chan and we will always have that bond. Just because you aren't a ninja anymore does not mean we are not still Team Seven or friends. In fact, I would say our bond as friends is stronger than our bond as Team Seven. But because we both know all this, we also know the only way you can go now is up. Climbing up out of the pit is a lot harder than falling into it was. So I will be by your side helping you back to your honor and doing what I have always done for you because I am your friend."

Sakura had given Naruto a tremulous smile and with tears of gratitude in her eyes said, "Thank-you, Naruto. I don't deserve you in my life but I am so glad you are. I am so glad you always have been my friend."

Though Naruto never brought her son around or spoke of Sakura's children they both knew Naruto kept tabs on them for her. It was just how she was. And because Sakura knew Naruto was watching over her babies Sakura didn't worry about their well-being. She knew Naruto wouldn't let them get hurt because of what she had done. Naruto had gotten Tsunade to agree to giving Sakura a copy of the twins newborn pictures. Since both had their eyes closed and were securely wrapped against a stray chill all the image really showed was sleeping newborn infants. The blankets they were wrapped in were a neutral grey so she couldn't even use the blanket to tell her if they were boys or girls or one of each but she had given each child a name in her mind even knowing it was likely not what they were really named and she would never verbally call them by name to anyone else. But the picture had set her mind to rest about them and helped to remind her that not everything in life was bad. There were good things too.

Naruto had explained to Tsunade that if they didn't want her to look for the kids they needed to give her something. Besides, a picture of them would serve as a reminder of why she would never be allowed to rejoin her old life. Kakashi, when asked had agreed the picture was a good idea as Sakura was very good at forgetting what she didn't want to admit or didn't understand and in this case both reasons applied. She did not, at that time, understand and she definitely didn't want to admit she deserved her punishment. Sakura mentioned her children from time to time but she never asked Naruto to tell her who they were any more or where they had been placed. Now she mentioned them as people from her past and people who would forever serve in her memory as a reminder of how low she could sink. Nor did she ask to see Kakashi's child. She knew as a Flower of the Madam she would only taint the child if she was around him or her and Kakashi would beat the crap out of her if she were to taint his child with her touch.

Privately she laughed over how she had once thought Naruto was stupid and incapable of doing anything right without her there to hold her hand and show her how to do whatever it was they were supposed to be doing. She chuckled over how she had thought to browbeat Naruto into getting Kakashi to adopt her twins so that she could shove the little blond aside and raise all three of the kids herself. She had honestly thoght herself to be smarter than Naruto and had seen Kakashi being grateful she was willing to step in and raise his child for him that she wouldn't even admit at the time was as much a real child as her twins had been. She cringed at how she had assumed Kakashi and Naruto's child had been the jutsu created child when in truth it was her twins who were the jutsu creations. She admitted now Sasuke had used a jutsu every step of the way. Now she knew beyond any doubt there was no way Kakashi would ever have agreed to letting her raise his child. Smart, she might be but Naruto was her better in every regard and now that her blinders were off she could see it as clearly as she saw her own face in the mirror. And hindsight was showing her clearly how highly Kakashi had always regarded Naruto. He never had approved of her own behavior towards Naruto and he positively hated Sasuke. She could see that now where never before had she even considered the idea.

"Naruto," she said that day when she had apologized to her for all her bad behavior. "I know Kakashi-Sensei will never forgive me for betraying the team the way I did. But will you tell him I am sorry for treating you as a scapegoat all those years? I am not asking his forgiveness for the last thing I did. I know he won't give it even if I were to ask him to but maybe he'll forgive me for all the other things I did."

Naruto had considered it. She knew Sakura did need the forgiveness and she also knew Kakashi had already forgiven her for those things but she also knew Sakura didn't know he had since she was just now coming to realize what she had done and how she had behaved had been wrong to begin with. "I'll tell him, Sakura-chan, but don't expect him to seek you out. His reputation is too . . .big, I guess, for him to do so. But I will tell him you realize what you did now."

"That's all I ask," she smiled and stood up preparing to leave the park. "Thanks for sticking by me, Naruto. I'll see you next time." She left the park, being careful not to catch the eye of anyone as she strolled along. She did see the kids in the sandbox and idly wondered which of them would end up like Sasuke. Which one of them would end up like her? She hoped the answer was none of them but knew it was unlikely. This was a ninja town after all. At least half those kids would grow up to wear a headband and they would do so before they were old enough to really understand what life was all about. Now that she had fallen from grace and been isolated, she could see a lot of the reason she ended up where she was had been simple immaturity while believing herself too grown-up to need further guidance from the true adults in her life. She had shut them all out and it led to her making major mistakes that led to where she was now. She knew at least one little girl in the playground would do the same as she did and at least one little boy over there would turn out to be a traitor just as Sasuke had. But maybe they would get lucky and someone would save them before they fell as she and Sasuke both had.

Even in the silence of her thoughts, hearing herself admit Sasuke was a traitor had shocked her and she hung her head as she made her way back to the apartment. All throughout that day she thought about it and by the time the sun went down she knew it was true. She didn't have to work that night so as she crawled between her sheets, she let her tears fall for the stupid, foolish girl she had been for the last time. In her heart and mind she finally said good-bye to the foolish little girl who had idolized a traitor refusing to belive he was a traitor no matter how much proof she was given. And she admitted she had never truly loved Sasuke because she had never truly known him to love him. She had loved the idea of who he could be but she had not loved him. And so she said good-bye to him as well.

The next morning, when she woke refreshed from a full night's sleep, she vowed to face her new life without trying to figure out how to get her old life back anymore. She might never again be acknowledged or praised for having done something good or wonderful but she had not placed value in that praise and acknowledgement when it had been a part of her life. Now her rewards would come in the form of climbing the floors at The Establishment.

The months passed and Sakura got used to sleeping days and working nights on her knees or back though sometimes it was other positions. As she got used to the work, she began to smile again and take some pride in her appearance, knowing her livelihood depended more than ever now on her looks. She also learned how to dissuade those who would harm her outside The Establishment from doing so and how to defend her home from those too cheap to pay for what they wanted. Naruto sometimes left gifts for her in her apartment and she never questioned how Naruto had gotten in to do so or that it was Naruto leaving her the gifts. She accepted that Naruto was always watching over her. It was actually a comfort to her to know she did have one true friend for whom she was not just a body part. But she learned never to seek out any of her old friends. None of them would _see_ her even if she was standing in plain view. Though a part of her knew Naruto was telling her old circle about her new life and her adjustment to it if they wanted to know. She knew sometimes from items Naruto left in the apartment for her her old friends were thinking about her and did miss her but she also understood they could not acknowledge her now. To do so tainted them as well and if they were tainted then they would taint anyone they dealt with also.

She went to out of the way training grounds to practice her taijutsu to defend herself because Naruto had reminded her she was still a former ninja who could and would be recognized as such by anyone who knew of Team Seven. In the privacy of her apartment she worked on her chakra control doing simple exercises to build it back up and keep it within easy reach should she need to call on it in a moments notice. She didn't do so much that Anbu needed to report her for it but enough that they included mention of it in their reports. But since she had been a kunoichi on Team Seven, the higher-ups knew it was a good idea for her to keep those skills sharp. As a long-time member of that team, she did have enemies who might seek to go after her to get to Naruto and/or Kakashi. The Anbu were told to drop some shuriken and kunai off in her apartment where she would be sure to find them and maybe a few darts and senbon as well.

The next time she and Naruto met in the park Sakura mentioned the weapons and Naruto nodded. "I know but you need to realize Sakura-chan, you are still an old member of Team Seven. I know you always discounted how big a role we played in world events but you need to quit that. If I could, I'd send you to the tower to read the reports on our missions and to the different departments to figure out what the impact of our missions overall has been but I can't do that any more. Those weapons were dropped off for you so you can practice with them and have them on hand to defend yourself against anyone seeking to find me and/or Kakashi or just to get some payback on Team Seven. You can't use them on the village civilians but you can on outsiders and I expect you to do so. You need to defend yourself now, Sakura-chan, because I can't defend you for you anymore. The village won't let me even if Kashi-kun would. You need to keep some weapons on you at all times even though you aren't a kunoichi any more and never will be again."

She winced at hearing her blond friend baldly say that but it was the truth and she needed to get used to it. She knew she had subconsciously been waiting for the ninja to forgive her and ask her to rejoin the forces but after crying herself to sleep the day she had admitted Sasuke was a traitor she had never really known at all, she had determined to face her life as it was and quit lying to herself. "I just wanted to ask someone before I did. Civilians aren't supposed to use those kinds of weapons, you know and I am just a civilian now."

"But you're also a former ninja and member of a well known cell. So practice and stay in shape. Someone will take cre of making sure you have sharp fresh weapons when you need them. Trust the village Sakura-chan. Not everyone has forgotten you or is against you."

So Sakura added weapon work and running to her taijutsu practice. She slowly gained back the chakra she had lost during her months of inactivity and gained more muscle mass as well. It only enhanced her figure and made her glow with good health which made her even more attractive in her work at The Establishment. She wouldn't admit it but she was in better shape now than she had been before that last fateful mission Team Seven had undertaken.

When the weapons would get dull or damaged, she would leave some ryu on the table by them and someone would take them for repair, replacing what was too damaged to be fixed for her. Since she could not go into the weapon stores any more, Tsunade assigned someone to check her supply on a regular basis and replace what was necessary. Overall Tsunade was pleased with the recovery Sakura was making. Kakashi had told her he had paved the way for Sakura to get hired where she was working but he would not explain the statement to her. Tsunade didn't ask not really needing the explanation. Kakashi was a red-blooded male who had waited a hell of a long time for Naruto to grow up and in their line of work if he hadn't found some way of releasing the pressure he'd have self-destructed long before she had. So it wasn't too hard for Tsunade to figure out why Kakashi had chosen that place for Sakura or what he had used to pave the way for Sakura. She was just glad someone had foreseen the need to do something for the girl. She herself had been too hurt, and angry because she was hurt over everything, at the time to do anything to ease Sakura's new path. Kiku couldn't do anything for her because of the twins and the fact that she was a civilian Council woman. Tenzo hadn't felt the need and Jiraiya had been too conflicted to do anything. So when Kakashi had told her he took care of it she had been grateful and just sat back to keep an eye on Sakura from a distance. She gave orders to help her out to the ninja once in awhile but didn't do as much as she would have for a respectable ninja who had retired from the life.

Occasionally, while Sakura was practicing, someone would drop down out of the trees and correct her stance or spar for a few minutes with her before taking off again. They never said a word to her but Sakura got the message. She was still being watched over and the ninja of the village realized she was a weak point for both Naruto and Kakashi. So they would help her keep her defensive skills sharp. To a point. She knew they wouldn't provide her with new things to learn the way ninja in training were but they would help make sure she could defend herself adequately. She didn't know it was because Tsunade had told them to or that Naruto had backed up her order by beating the crap out of someone for protesting her continuing to practice in the training ground she had chosen to use while Kakashi and the Anbu Commander had both look on saying nothing about it.

As she grew more comfortable in her new role, the Anbu that had shadowed her disappeared and simply watched over her Mother and the twins though she didn't know that. Everyone who saw the twins said they were adorable. Russet colored locks framed chubby little faces with muddy green eyes and little pink lips but in her new life Sakura never heard the gossip about her babies. And in time some of the more specialized shinobi skills she had worked to gain fell into disuse from lack of practice at them. She lost her medic skills since she didn't need them any more since even if someone got hurt in front of her it would be a disgrace for her to be the one to heal them. She also lost the ability to sense the chakra of people around her as she quit trying to tell when others were around. It hurt to sense the ninja around her and know she was not now or ever would be again one of their number. But in her new line of work she didn't really need it. Her brand was still there on her left cheek but she had grown used to it and no longer even saw it when she was putting on her make-up.

Tsunade held a private meeting with Madam Bara and asked her for her assessment of Sakura. Madam Bara had told her the truth as she saw the girl. "Sakura is a beautiful flower. She could have gone far in the ninja world as a medic-nin had someone taken the time when she first graduated to break her fascination with that boy and made her realize the boy she was seeing did not and never had existed. She is settling into the life and beginning to remove the blinders she has worn for so long. A few of the Flowers in my garden see her as someone they would like to know better so she will grow well in time. Be assured the work she is doing now is really what she is most suited to do. I will move her up the floors as her fame diminishes. But until it does, I have to keep her on the first floor where the common people come."

"I see. When she is in the building, do you have people watching over her specifically?"

"I watch over all my flowers, Madam Hokage. Is there a particular reason why she might need a special watcher?"

"Team Seven is world renown. They have made many friends but they have also made many enemies. Then there are all the enemies of Naruto who know Sakura was once an important person to her. So yes I would say she does need a special watcher. She is regaining her skills and I am encouraging my ninja to help her sharpen them, but they are resistant to it considering what she did and her present status in the village. I would like to see her climbing the floors, as you say, to one day be able to count her as important in my life again. Even if I will never be able to openly acknowledge her as such. Once a shinob always a shinobi."

The Madam inclined her head in agreement. "I see. Yes, she is suitable for the highest of floors with a little refinement. In time, you will be able to count her as one of your important people again, Madam Hokage. But given what you have said of enemies, I would like to request roving pest repellents for my beautiful flowers. Should my garden be invaded to try and capture or destroy her, she will not be the only one of my flowers to get trampled."

Tsunade had nodded her agreement and added The Establishment to the Anbu's list of places to personally check on their rounds explaining to the Anbu Commander that Sakura worked there now and given who she had been they needed to make sure she was safe at all times from outside influences. So he gave his roving Anbu 'eyes on' orders regarding Sakura. They were to personally eyeball the young woman and whomever was with her making damn sure the girl was safe before vacating the premises wherever they found her when they were doing a patrol of the village. They were also to aid in honing and sharpening her skills.

Six months later she was brought into the Madam's office for a talk. The Madam had decided it was time for Sakura to move off the first floor to the second floor. The girl had settled into her life now and was beginning to bond with a few of the other girls. She was smiling more easily now and didn't seem to want to scream and cry by the end of her shift any more. She took care with her outfits and her appearance now and when she ws off duty Bara was not receiving reports of her trying to go places her flowers were not welcome. Alot of that had been simple ignorance of where she could go from where she could not but some of it had been old habits from her former life. It was a standard part of the adaptative process all the flowers had to go through. Even Bara herself had gone through it when she had been new to this life. Though Sakura never talked about what had brought her to this point in life, Bara could tell she did know and acknowledged it had been her own fault she was there. Nor was it common for the girls to ever openly admit what they had done to fall from grace in society's eyes. The first floor dealt with commoners. They were for the most part normal faces for the girls to see in the village but occasionally there would be someone from out of town here on business. Bara had never meant for Sakura to stay on the first floor.

But the second floor dealt with those who held titles or positions of authority in the world. They were higher class men and women and expected better breeding in the girls who serviced their base needs. Sakura was still expected to keep herself clean and disease free but she would need new costumes before she could work up there as the clients would not appreciate the low brow stuff she wore on the first floor. She would need gowns and costumes of a higher quality fabric. All that really changed between the floors though was the amount of money the girls made from the customers and the amount of discretion expected from the girls. They tended to tip big because they were trying to impress people with how large their bankrolls were to prove their importance in the world. But secrecy was important on the second floor. Never could Sakura mention a client of any floor above the first. First floor clients were common men and women and so mentioning them outside The Establishment was, while not approved, not openly discouraged either. The clients on the upper floors, however, had reputations to maintain and the cost for them could be disastrous should anyone in the world outside the doors of the building find out they visted The Establishment for entertainment purposes. So if Sakura wanted to move up in the business she would have to show she could keep her mouth shut.

Bara knew from Kakashi that keeping secrets was not a strong suit of the girl. Kakashi had stopped in about a week after she had hired Sakura to see how she was settling in and he had made it clear to Bara he was not there to be serviced though he did wish to speak with her. She had taken him into her office on the fifth floor where they had talked about the girl's qualities. "As much as I want to just cut her out of my life and be done with her, I can't. She was one of my genin and she is important to my wife. So I have to be sure she actually has a real life now even if it isn't one I would wish for her or anyone else who once wore the headband of the Leaf," he'd told her to explain why he had come by.

He had been brutally honest about Sakura and told Bara flat-out that if it hadn't been for his wife, Kakashi more than likely would not have bothered to ask her to hire the pink haired girl. He told her, "She hurt Naruto so much while she was on our team, I honestly have to say I personally hate the girl. If she wasn't bashing on her for little things than she was blaming her for everything that went wrong in the world. But Naruto was upset because, to her, there was another side of Sakura's punishment no one was seeing and no one could understand just how badly Sakura really was punished. It was tearing Naruto apart. I hate that even more than I hate Sakura so I came to you to see if you'd hire her."

Bara had been surprised to hear him mentioning his wife so openly to her as well as admitting how important Naruto was to him. She knew, once rumor had circulated that he had married Naruto, that Naruto had been the girl he had told her about on his first visit to her so long ago but he was generally closed lipped when it came to his life outside the walls of this place. Actually she had suspected Naruto was the child he had told her about when it was first rumored the thirteen year old boy known as Uzumaki Naruto was living with him but everyone thought Naruto was a boy back then so she had kept quiet and waited to see what would happen. Not once did she honestly believe the teenager that had shown such unwillingness to sleep with a whore because it was betraying his betrothed would willingly share his home and bed with someone else who was not that child. It amused her now to hear him admit what hurt his little wife guided his actions in this matter rather than his own nindo of not leaving a teammate behind did. But then she realized, in his eyes, Sakura wasn't really a teammate anymore since she had chosen to betray the team in a manner that could have led to their deaths. Even she had heard the rumors regarding his former teammate's disappearance and probable demise. She was one of the few people in the village that actually realized Kakashi himself was more than likely the one that had ended the girl's life if she was truly dead. Kakashi did not tolerate traitors and in his eyes that's exactly what both the Last Uchiha and Sakura were.

He had told her the truth of Sakura's gossiping nature too, telling her how when Naruto's henge had first fallen and they had realized it was the Sandaime who had kept her hidden under it, they had needed to make sure Sakura never found out or everyone in the land would know before the next dawn. She had chuckled over that even as she realized just how long the duo had put up with Sakura though clearly neither of them had trusted the girl. Ninja teams were supposed to have a trust in each other so deep that to hurt one of them hurt them all but clearly that had never been the case on Team Seven. From the very beginning Team Seven had had members they could not and did not trust. It made her sad to realize Kakashi had had to deal with that a second time in his ninja career. Finding out he had dealt with it when he had been younger, before he became the jounin-sensei of Team Seven had been bad enough. But to discover he had been forced to deal with it on his own team of chosen genin only made things worse. At least he had been able to place his trust in Naruto, she acknowledged. it made her determined to be sure of her new flower before she moved her up the floors but it also made her determined to keep the flower in her garden.

So now she made Sakura spend a few weeks on the first floor practicing keeping her client identities to herself before she let the girl move upstairs. The girl was truly a beauty and Bara knew she would be popular on the upper levels since her conditioning as a ninja and the birth of her children had given her a fuller and more toned body than most girls her age. Her pink hair, which she had finally begun to grow out as her sense of shame and anger disappeared, along with her lily white skin and emerald green eyes made her a shoo-in attraction for the big spenders. And with her upbringing, Sakura had the grace and poise the customers of the second floor were looking for. That and the training she had undergone as apprentice to the Hokage. She had both decorum and diplomacy to call upon when dealing with second floor customers.

When she was finally allowed to move upstairs, Sakura took to it like a fish to water. Her upbringing as the daughter of a council woman mixed with her first floor education standing her in good stead amongst perverts like Danzo. At first, she had been surprised to see him there but then she had recovered and when he beckoned her forward and whispered his wishes in her ear while pinching a breast she had been able to nod and lead him to a room. She had serviced him and he had tipped her generously for her work, telling her he would ask for her next time and she could show him just what a good whore the Uchiha's cast-off really was. It was a crude word for anyone on the second floor to use but Danzo had done it deliberately. He was a regular Bara called in whenever she moved a girl off the first floor to the second. Through him, she tested the girl's mettle and resolve to do as their new line of work dictated and he never said anything that was unnecessary though he would make sure the girls remembered what they truly were now and did not sugar coat their existence. This was to him just one more thing that was necessary to make sure the Leaf village was well able to take care of itself. Danzo did know the true value of working girls like the ones in this building and he was human enough to actually need some servicing himself from time to time though he was old enough not to require it constantly. But Sakura didn't know he was working for Madam Bara in this case. All she knew him as was as a comrade of her former Kaasan's and a client of the second floor.

For the first time in months, Sakura felt shame as she was forced to remember why she was working in such a place in the first place. Danzo had returned every night that week and he had always chose her for service. Each act was worse than the last but Sakura never complained no matter what he asked for from her. At the end of the week, Danzo had told Bara Sakura passed the test and would be a good addition to the second floor. He had not come again as far as Sakura noticed.

Sakura had come to accept that this was her life now and that she had brought it on herself by thinking she knew better than everyone else. She knew she had focused so totally on one person, and who she had thought they were, that she had closed her eyes and ears to anything that didn't fit with her image of him and what was really happening in the world.

She never mentioned her elevation to Naruto when they met in the park. She and Naruto had never spoken of the work Sakura had found though Sakura knew it was likely Naruto did know how she made her money now. It just wasn't a topic for polite conversation. Instead when they met they talked about the mistakes Sakura had made in the past as she came to see and finally acknowledge each one. Slowly she came to understand it wasn't just Naruto and her team she had hurt but every member of her old social group had come under her knife of disregard as well. Naruto didn't push her to see everyone she had hurt over the years she had been a ninja. It took time but Sakura did grow to see through their conversations just how her behavior had hurt the people closest to her and how everyone had tried to help her over the years but she had turned them all down believing they were just blind or jealous.

It was a full year after being moved to the second floor before she was led to the third floor where the customers were ninja only. And it was here that she knew she would suffer worse for her previous bad acts. But by this time she had worked up a rapport with Madam Bara and she confided her fear of working the third floor to the woman explaining that she knew now why her act had been seen so poorly but she was afraid of what the men and the women would do to her on this floor because of it. Madam Bara had assured her she would be watched over and if things looked to be getting out of hand, help would be given. So Sakura went to work on the third floor. This time she did not need a change in her costumes for the work. The outfits she had from the first two floors would meet the needs of this floor's clients.

Most the ninja she serviced were unknown to her but she was well known to all of them. She did recognize a few of the faces even though she didn't have names to attach to them. She asked Madam Bara about that and was told they were Anbu. They came here after a bad mission to forget or after a long boring mission to relax. Sometimes they came because they were inbetween lovers and needed relief. Sometimes their lover had died on a mission gone wrong and they just weren't ready to find a new one. Other times the lover had strayed or gone too far and they had broken up with them. Sometimes they were the one who had strayed or gone too far. But whatever brought them in the door and up the stairs, most were decent enough and normal in their needs. And so Sakura got used to working on the third floor of the establishment though often she went home with bruises and marks she had avoided getting on the lower two floors. Ninja worked hard and led brutal lives. They saw more of human depravity than the normal person did and it often took harsher forms of entertainment to relieve their stress and let them release their frustrations. So the work on the third floor was often more brutal than on the lower floors but Sakura knew this floor was probably the most important floor in the building simply because this was a ninja village and these customers were ninja. For the first time Sakura found herself using her basic medic techniques to heal injuries she and the other girls received in the line of their duty. She smiled as she realized she could still do something good for her comrades and the life she had led before this was not a total loss to her.

Luckily, Kakashi had let it be known he would not appreciate anyone taking revenge on Sakura for either him or Naruto as neither of them saw the need for it since she was already paying a much higher price than anyone outside Team Seven could really understand. Tenzo, also known as Yamato, had agreed with him, saying neither he nor Sai would appreciate hearing any of their fellows had done something in their name either. If they felt the need to get revenge, they were perfectly capable of getting it themselves. Between them, they discouraged anyone who might be feeling Sakura had not suffered enough for what she had done and so the needs she serviced were the normal needs of the ninja population. But again Sakura did not know she was still being watched over and sheltered by her old friends and protectors.

**Author Note: As I said this chapter is shorter than the last one but hopefully just as good. Since you have been so patiently waiting for it, I decided to go ahead and polish this chapter up as well today and give you two chapters at once. As you can see, Sakura is starting the long road to recovery now and I do think she is making good progress. But she isn't doing it over night and I have tried to show it isn't a smooth easy road for her. She does have slight relapses where she has to catch herself and realize what she's thinking. I do hope you were paying attention to the comments on time passage. It would upset me to hear I had her recovering too quickly or leaping through the floors too fast. Anyway, be kind and send in your reviews even if all you want to say is I'm moving her too smoothly through the recovery and wake up process.**


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Naruto, Adventure, Drama