The morning came with a chill.
Soft light crept in through the Estate's shoji windows, barely illuminating the wide wooden floors and silent hallways. The kitchen was untouched. The kettle never turned on. In the stillness, even the Mokuton vines that lined the beams seemed subdued—no longer curling playfully like they once did when Sakura passed under them.
Ino hadn't slept. She was still in the office, still sitting at the desk, her back to the door. Her chakra had long settled into a slow, aching thrum. She had written nothing all night.
And then—
A soft, rapid knock on the sliding door.
She didn't move at first. But then, the familiar tap of talons echoed just outside the porch.
Ino rose, slow, tense.
When she opened the door, a hawk stood on the railing, a scarlet scroll tied to its leg. Its feathers ruffled in the cool air.
She cursed under her breath and quickly untied the message.
The seal was from the Hokage.
Sakura had already risen from bed when she got her summons, pulling on her flak vest with practiced efficiency, even though her heart sank. The mood between them was still brittle, the space between still raw.
They arrived at the Hokage Tower together. The briefing room was tense with low voices and creased brows. Kakashi stood at the head of the table, Shikamaru, his Chief Strategist and advisor, handling more paperwork beside him. Maps were unrolled, red markers scattered across the borders near the Land of Cliffs.
"The border outpost near the Land of Rivers hasn't reported in over thirty-six hours. The area's weather relay system went offline first, followed by their last scheduled chakra pulse. Either it's a systems failure… or it's something worse."
The room darkened.
"Given its proximity to the southern ridge, we suspect either rogue infiltration or a foreign operation. Possibly testing our patrol integrity."
Sakura's brows furrowed. "Have scouts confirmed anything?"
Kakashi shook his head. "That's the problem. The backup team sent to investigate never checked in either."
Shikamaru finally muttered, "That's two squads... gone dark."
"We're sending an elite pair to assess and neutralize the threat," he added, eyes flickering between Ino and Sakura.
Before Ino could respond, one Council Elder stepped into the room, having heard the mission. "I advise against deploying Yamanaka Ino on this one. Her presence alone could escalate a potential skirmish into a full-blown territorial conflict. The Mokuton is too dangerous an asset to move lightly."
Ino's jaw tightened. "You're implying I can't control it?"
"We're saying the risk of provocation is too high," the Elder replied, evenly.
Sakura reached for Ino's arm before she could say more. She turned to Kakashi. "When do I leave?"
"Now," Kakashi said. "Move quietly, gather intel, and report back. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary."
"I'm going too," Ino interjected, tone sharp.
Kakashi met her eyes and for a moment, Ino swore he was going to relent. But then he sighed, probably finding it too annoying to fight with the Council.
"This isn't permanent. Just for this mission. We need subtlety, not overwhelming force."
Ino's anger simmered beneath her skin like hot coals. "So you're sending her alone?"
"She's not alone. Sai is more than capable." Kakashi looked back at his former student. "I'll have him meet you at the southern gate."
"Ino," Sakura said softly, her hand still on her arm. "I promise. Just this mission."
Her voice was gentle but steady. Her eyes locked with Ino's, pleading—but also resolute.
Sakura took a slow step forward.
Her hand reached out, brushing lightly against Ino's arm. Just enough to ground her. Just enough to remind her.
"Once I get back, we talk," she murmured. "Really talk. I want to fix this."
Ino's breath hitched. Her gaze searched Sakura's face. The same face that had once smiled at her from a sunlit kitchen. The same one she used to kiss between laughter and sighs and whispered promises in the dark.
"…Promise?" Ino asked, voice nearly cracking.
Sakura nodded. "Promise."
The borders near the Land of Rivers were quiet—too quiet.
The trees swayed, wind slipping through their branches like whispered warnings. Clouds loomed low and heavy over the forest path as Sakura and Sai moved carefully, the silence between them comfortable at first, until Sai broke it with his usual, oddly timed candor.
"You look tired, Sakura."
She blinked, glancing sideways at him. His face remained blank, but his words lacked the usual bite. That was how she knew he was being sincere.
"Gee, thanks," she muttered dryly, but then sighed. "I haven't been sleeping much."
"Because of diplomatic works? Hospital?"
Sakura hesitated. She could say yes. She could say it was the long days, the endless travel between border towns and war-scarred villages trying to reforge trust in a fragile peace. But she knew that wasn't the whole of it.
"Yeah… that, and… other things," she murmured.
Sai didn't press. Instead, he offered something of his own.
"I've been reassigned. ANBU Command. I'm overseeing a few active squads now. Most recon, sabotage, the usual. It's quiet work unless it isn't."
She smiled faintly. "You're good at that kind of thing. Shadow work."
He tilted his head. "Better than emotions. More paperwork though...and politics."
Sakura gave a short, amused breath. "You're doing fine right now."
"I never knew the Council can be..."
"Difficult? Ha!" Sakura scoffed. "They always want to have their way."
"I am glad your mother joined the Council. Her presence during meetings is needed, as the Elders can be...intense."
Sakura nodded. "Well, I basically convinced her, otherwise she'd always nag at me and Shizune-nee at home."
"But I heard you moved in with Ino. Some time ago. It was the topic of our friends during unofficial gatherings."
"I neither confirm nor deny. I know how much of a gossip you can be, Sai."
They both looked at each other, and laughed.
There was a beat of silence between them. Then Sai added, almost like an afterthought, "Ino must be worried."
Sakura felt her throat tighten. "Yeah," she looked ahead again, face carefully neutral. "We didn't exactly part on great terms this morning."
Sai nodded. "She called me handsome once. You got very red in the face. In anger."
Sakura groaned. "Oh god, you remember that?"
"She still calls me handsome sometimes."
"She doesn't mean it like that, Sai. You know that." Sakura almost gritted her teeth.
"I know," he said simply. "But you still get red sometimes."
Despite herself, Sakura chuckled. "You and your timing."
"I thought we were catching up," he said, turning his head on the side, blinking.
"We are," she replied, her voice softer now, sighing.
They walked a while longer in silence, the kind that only came between people who had been through hard times together. The forest path narrowed, and the trees began to grow denser.
The sky had darkened by the time they crossed into the border forests. Mist clung low to the ground, making every tree trunk look like a crouched shadow.
"Nothing yet," Sai murmured, eyes scanning the treeline. His ink birds flew high above, relaying nothing.
"I hate this," Sakura muttered. "It's too quiet. No birds. No insects."
"Like the forest's holding its breath."
She glanced at him. "You always had a way with words lately."
He smirked faintly. "I've been learning."
"Good! Perhaps you'd stop giving nicknames to people now."
"I'll still call you Ugly, every once in a while."
Sakura glared, punching him lightly at his shoulder. "Ino would beg to disagree."
"She seemed tense when I asked her about you earlier, before I met you at the Southern Gates."
"Yeah..."
Sai glanced at her sidelong. "You still love her?"
"With everything," she replied without hesitation.
Sai smiled.
"Awe, that's too bad."
She glared at him. "Sai."
The pale man chuckled. "It's what they call a joke in the books," he said, even raising his hands in surrender. "But you know Ino. She can be... forward, bold. And harsh, more so to herself. But I am certain she cares about you very much."
"That's the problem. We're both trying not to lose each other so badly we're strangling everything in the process."
"Hmm, you should talk."
"I plan to."
They passed the fractured remains of a wooden marker—half-buried in the moss, split diagonally like something had cleaved straight through it.
Sakura crouched beside it, brushing her fingers over the weather-worn surface. No signs of struggle. No blood.
Sai watched from a few feet away, one ink bird perching on his shoulder, its head twitching rapidly as if echoing his unease.
"The outpost's a half-kilometer up ahead," he said. "Elevation rises. We should have seen the chakra beacon by now."
Sakura nodded. Her fingers curled lightly against her palm.
Something was wrong.
And then—
A snap echoed from the treeline.
Her body reacted before thought: chakra to her legs, shifting her sideways in a blur.
The trap exploded—a concussive smoke blast, mixed with some kind of airborne irritant. Gas hissed through the trees, disorienting and acrid, blinding her instantly. Shouts rang out. A kunai clanged against her bracer.
"Sai—!"
"Back—! I've got—!"
Another explosion cracked nearby, followed by a sharp groan.
"Sai!"
"I'm hit. Shoulder—left." His voice was tight, pained, but controlled. "It's not deep. Just grazed the tendon."
Sakura dropped low to the ground, heart hammering. She activated her chakra pulse—but the gas was chakra-reactive. It scrambled the signal, distorting every shape.
They were surrounded.
More movement. Branches rustling. Silent figures weaving through the trees.
Sakura slammed a palm into the ground—
Boom!
A shockwave erupted outward, shattering branches, clearing some of the haze. A few masked attackers reeled back.
They're everywhere, and we can't sense them. Damn it.
She scanned the area, trying to spot Sai through the smoke. She could smell it laced with something, some kind of chemical. Her eyes were watering, her senses dulled.
A kunai embedded in the dirt beside her foot.
Another whistled through the air, barely missing her cheek.
She pivoted, chakra surging to her fists, punching the ground again, breaking open a defensive ring.
"Retreat into cover!" she shouted.
No response.
Her blood ran cold.
"Sai?!"
No answer.
She pushed through the haze, staggering slightly as her equilibrium faltered. The world tilted oddly—she hadn't realized the slope had steepened this much. The cliffside was just ahead.
And then—
Out of the clearing fog, she saw him.
Sai, crouched low against a tree trunk, hand pressed hard against his bleeding shoulder, a scroll unfurling beneath his palm as he drew a new beast in furious strokes. "Above—trees—ten o'clock," he gasped.
Sakura pivoted toward his direction—and that's when she saw them.
Five cloaked shinobi. All masked. Two crouched in the canopy, each holding an odd mechanism—some kind of launch tube aimed directly at her.
Her heart stopped.
"Move!" Sai shouted—
The senbon fired.
Dozens. Gleaming in the pale light.
Sakura raised her arm to shield her face, but her foot stepped on loose gravel.
The cliff edge gave way beneath her heel.
And then—
Another explosion, one kunai thrown on the tree beside her had an explosive tag.
Before she knew it, the ground beneath her caved in.
She was falling.
Air tore past her ears. She tried to activate chakra at her soles—but the disorienting agent was still in her system. Everything spun.
She crashed through brambles and branches—tumbling—grabbing—nothing.
Then—
Impact.
The world went dark.