The sun was setting over the stone faces of the Hokage Monument, casting long, crimson shadows across the village as Team Kakashi and Team Guy climbed the stairs to the Hokage's office. The air in the hallway was tense; the dust of the Land of Wind still clung to their cloaks, a physical reminder of the life-and-death struggle they had just survived.
Inside, Tsunade sat behind a desk piled high with scrolls, her sharp eyes scanning the mission reports with the practiced speed of a leader. Shizune stood by her side, while Sakura hovered near the window, her fingers twitching with an anxiety she couldn't quite mask.
"Guy, Lee, Tenten, Neji—you're dismissed. Get some rest," Tsunade barked. The four shinobi bowed and vanished, leaving the room feeling suddenly hollow.
Tsunade turned her gaze toward the remaining group. "First off, good work. I expected nothing less from a team of Jonin. Naruto," she looked at him, her expression softening into one of genuine pride. "You fought like a veteran, just as Kakashi's report described. You didn't make the team wait for you, and your leadership in the field was exemplary. Your rank is well-earned."
"Thanks," Naruto replied simply, his voice lacking the boisterousness of his youth.
"And Shizune," Tsunade continued, "I hope you haven't gone rusty out there."
Shizune smiled, adjusting her medical pouch. "Don't worry, Lady Tsunade. I got quite a bit of practice."
Kakashi stepped forward, closing his copy of Make-Out Tactics with a soft snap. "And before you ask, I'm not headed for the hospital this time. Because of Naruto's earlier warning about Deidara's clay, I kept my distance. A few precise lightning attacks were enough to ground him. I didn't need to overextend."
"Good," Tsunade grunted. Then, her eyes narrowed, a glint of mischief appearing in them. "Now that the professional part is over... Naruto, what is this I hear about a Suna Princess whispering in your ear? It's mentioned in the reports."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Sakura turned, her eyes flashing with a familiar, dangerous heat. She moved toward Naruto, her fist cocked back. "What did you do now, Naruto?! You idiot!"
Naruto didn't flinch. He didn't even move. He simply walked over to the office couch and slumped into it, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. "She just thanked me, Sakura. Can everyone stop hovering over my life for five minutes? It's creepy."
He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "If something happens between us in the future, you'll find out. It's not like I have a choice, considering I'm under 24/7 ANBU surveillance. Honestly, tell them to back off, Granny. I feel them watching me even when I'm in the bathroom. It's disturbing."
The women in the room—Tsunade, Shizune, and even Sakura—all felt a collective flush of embarrassment creep up their necks.
Naruto stood up, heading for the door. "If that's all, I'm going to my house to sleep until the world ends."
"Not so fast," Tsunade's voice cracked like a whip. "What did Sasori say to you? You left the details out of the written message."
Naruto stopped, his hand on the door handle. He turned back, his expression turning grim. The atmosphere shifted from lighthearted gossip to the cold reality of war. Kakashi and Shizune looked confused, sensing they had missed a crucial exchange during the heat of battle.
"I didn't write it down because I don't know if it's a trap," Naruto said, walking back to the couch and laying down flat on his back. "When I pulled my blade out of Sasori's heart, he gave me a lead. He told me he was supposed to meet a contact on Tenshi Bridge in ten days. A contact he has deep within Orochimaru's inner circle."
The name Orochimaru hit the room like a physical blow.
"The snake," Kakashi whispered, his eye narrowing.
Sakura clapped her hands together, her face lighting up with a desperate, sudden hope. "That's it! That's our chance! We can get information on Sasuke-kun and finally bring him home! We can bring Team 7 back together!"
She looked around, expecting cheers, but she was met with a heavy, uncomfortable silence. Kakashi looked at the floor, and Naruto didn't even move from his horizontal position on the couch.
"Why aren't you happy?" Sakura demanded, her voice rising. "Naruto! Kakashi-sensei! This is what we've been waiting for!"
"Honestly, Sakura," Naruto said, his voice muffled by the couch cushion, "I'm not in the mood to debate your fantasies. But if no one else is going to pop your bubble, I guess it has to be me."
He sat up, his blue eyes cold and sharp. "First, we don't know if this is a trap set by the Akatsuki to finish what they started in the Sand. Second, you can't 'bring back' someone who left of his own free will. He isn't a lost pet, Sakura. Third, Sasori was a puppet master who lived inside other people's skin—nothing he says can be taken at face value."
Naruto stood up, his presence filling the room. "And fourth... I've washed my hands of this 'Team 7' nonsense. I'm a Jonin. I don't have a permanent team. My loyalty is to the Hokage. If she sends me on a mission, I go. If she doesn't, I don't. Sasuke isn't my responsibility anymore."
Sakura's face contorted with hurt and rage. "How can you say that? What about the promise you made me? You swore you'd bring him back!"
"I went to fulfill that promise once," Naruto said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying growl. "And what did I get? I got a hole in my chest and my neck nearly snapped. It's a miracle I'm standing here. I'm still carrying the rage from that day, Sakura. If I see him again, I'm not bringing him home. I'm putting a Rasengan through his heart for what he tried to do to me."
The room went deathly silent. Naruto didn't wait for a rebuttal. He turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him with a finality that felt like a gavel.
Sakura turned to Tsunade, tears pricking her eyes. "Lady Tsunade, you can't let him talk like that! Sasuke was our teammate!"
Tsunade sighed, massaging her temples as if a massive headache had just taken root. She looked at Sakura, wondering for a brief moment if she had made a mistake in taking the girl as an apprentice. Sakura had the strength, but she lacked the cynical clarity that a shinobi needed to survive.
"Sakura, Naruto raised valid points," Tsunade said firmly. "We don't have confirmation. I've already sent a message to Jiraiya to scout the area and see if Orochimaru is even in the vicinity of Tenshi Bridge. Until we have intelligence, this mission is on hold."
She stood up, her gaze hardening into the iron resolve of a Hokage. "And let me be clear: this information does not leave this room. Not to friends, not to family, not to civilians. If I find out this leaked, my face will be the last thing the leaker ever sees."
She looked pointedly at Sakura, knowing Shizune and Kakashi were professionals.
"You're all dismissed. Shizune, Kakashi—take tomorrow off. You've earned it."
"Yes, Lady Hokage," they echoed.
As they filed out, the office felt colder. The "dream" of Team 7 was dead, replaced by the grim, jagged reality of a world that was moving much faster than Sakura was ready for.