Hello everybody!! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! I know I've been gone super long–I feel like I say this every time, but it's true–but seriously, school is a jerk (I'm going to refrain from using a worse word). Literally. The only reason I've been able to write this is because I'm on spring break right now, and I'm still swamped with homework. I just want to enjoy the beach!! TˆT But honestly, what really motivated me to write this chapter was your comments. Reading your comments about how much you like this story and how excited you guys are for the next chapter have made my day and reignited my love for this story. So thank you guys so much for your comments and likes. They really mean a lot to me. And thank you so much for 9.7K reads!!! Almost 10K! This is honestly unbelievable and I could not have done it without all of you, so thank you so much!!! Anyway, I commend you for even making it this far, and I'll let you guys read the chapter now, so here's chapter 28!

            Bone crunched satisfyingly beneath her fist as she sent yet another Zetsu flying. His body went sailing through several buildings before finally stopping, covered in rubble. She whipped around and did the same to the one that was attempting to approach her from behind. Her body seemed to hum, as if electricity was coursing through her veins, and the exhilaration of the battle sent all her senses into overdrive. Explosions, yells, and the clash of metal against metal sounded all around her.

            In front of her, the giant nine-tailed fox that was Naruto was clearing a path leading directly to the Hokage building. To her left, Sasuke was swinging his blade in deadly arcs through the air, bringing down Zetsu after Zetsu. His red eyes flashed in the darkness, predicting every move seconds before it happened. Every now and then, they would find themselves back to back, fighting off the unnaturally white bodies together. Fighting with a team that you knew had your back made the entire ordeal that much easier.

            Eventually, they made it to the large red building, and as expected, it was completely surrounded. Hordes of Zetsus were gathered around the edifice, barely held off by a group of shinobis that were slowly being overpowered. Those who got past this protection squad were climbing up the side of the building.

            "The Kage are probably in the conference room on the last floor," Sasuke yelled as he elbowed a Zetsu in the jaw before jamming his sword through its chest.

            "Got it!" Sakura yelled, delivering a kick straight into a Zetsu's gut.

            She fought her way through the horde, though it wasn't too hard with Naruto killing a dozen with a mere swipe of his claws. A portion of the wooden outer structure of the building was starting to crumble under the weight of the Zetsus climbing it, and Sakura saw her chance. She jumped up onto Naruto's furry back.

          "Give me a lift, will you, Naruto?"

            He roared in response, and she ran across his spine, launching herself upwards and onto the window ledge just above where the wooden paneling was detaching from the wall. She gripped onto the ledge and hung down from it, her feet inches above the first Zetsu's head. She rocked her body back and forth, gathering strength in her legs, before delivering a decisive blow to the wall. The entire building shook from the impact, and the wood groaned one final time before detaching from the building completely, bringing hundreds of Zetsus down with it. She smirked in victory and swung back up onto the ledge. Her gaze unconsciously sought Sasuke's, who was already looking at her. His red eyes shone with pride, and he flashed his sharp canines at her in a smile–the second she'd seen from him so far, and both had been directed at her. Exhilarated by this simple sign from her mate, she jumped up the remaining windows until the top floor. She swung inside and ducked just as a kick soared just above her head. Here hair whipped to the side from the sheer force of it, and she knew instantly who it was.

            "Sakura! I almost took off your head!" Tsunade exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips.

            "Glad to see you're safe, Tsunade-sama," she responded, smiling.

            Tsunade smirked, her hazel eyes shining. "Well, aren't you positively glowing? Figuratively and literally."

            "Hehe," she laughed, bringing her hands to her glowing eyes.

            She suddenly realized they were not alone in the room and looked at the four other individuals gathered there: the four other Kage. Of the four, only one was a woman, and she carried the same destructive aura Tsunade did. Her hair was bright red and spiky, trailing down almost to her feet. A lock of hair blocked her right eye from view, but her visible green eye stared down at Sakura, sizing her up. From what Sakura had learned from her independent studies, this woman had to be the Mizukage of the Village of the Hidden Mist. Standing to her left was who Sakura presumed was the Raikage by his distinctive bronze skin. He was all muscle as far as Sakura could see, and his white hair was gelled back tightly, his white whiskers ramrod straight. Somehow floating in the air next to him, was a small man that looked to be the oldest of them all. He had a large red eggplantish nose that took up most of his face, and wise beady eyes. What remained of his hair was pulled back in a bun atop his head, and he had a long mustache and beard that ended past his jaw. From the insignia on his shoulder, Sakura immediately identified him as the Tsuchikage. Which meant that the young man standing behind them all with a large gourd strapped to his back had to be the Kazekage.

            Sakura knew about him from Naruto, who was seemingly his best friend. Aside from the blonde's incessant rants about how upset he was that Gaara had managed to become a Kage before he did, she had learned that Gaara was also a Jinchuriki and as such, was immensely powerful, although he didn't quite look the part. His face was a mask was of impassiveness, his pale blue eyes accentuated by extremely thick and dark lashes were hard as steel. His bright red hair matched his clothes, as well as the strange red marking on his forehead. Looking at him now, Sakura couldn't imagine how a ball of energy like Naruto was friends with this statue-like person but seeing as he was friends with Sasuke–no offense to her mate– she was sure Naruto could be friends with anybody.

            She bent forward, bowing towards them. She didn't quite know what to say in this situation, so she merely stayed quiet. It didn't help matters that she was suddenly aware she was in a ripped party dress, had makeup on (which was probably coming off from the sweat), and was barefoot. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

            "You can look up now, Sakura. No need for formality in these conditions. What is the condition outside?"

            "Yes," she said, straightening. She'd never given a military type report before, but it seemed to come naturally to her. "From what I've seen, the enemy far outnumbers us, but we're holding them off for now. They seem to be using some sort of explosives, and thus caused quite a bit of damage to the city. Thankfully, the rescue teams seem to be evacuating the citizens as best as they can though. Also, the eastern portion of the wall has collapsed, but I saw teams 8 and 10 head off in that direction, so I'm sure they're handling it. And finally, as I'm sure you know, a horde of Zetsus are swarming this very building, but we've managed to hold them back–that is, Naruto, Sasuke, and I."

            "Hm, not surprising," the Tsuchikage commented, running a hand along his beard. "Their first objective would be to get to us as fast as possible to try to take us out."

            "And the sheer amount of creatures they brought this time around is clearly meant to overpower us, meaning they knew we were all gathering here," the Mizukage mused.

            "Which means what we thought all along," the Raikage boomed, slamming his fist into his hand.

            "That there is a spy amongst us," Gaara said calmly. Then he looked at the window, the corner of his lip twitching upwards ever so slightly. "It seems Naruto is here."

            On cue, orange fur blocked the window for a moment, two giant tails sticking into the room, before Naruto shrunk down to human form and popped in, grinning. Sasuke followed shortly after, though making a much more serious entrance.

            "Hey, everybody!" Naruto grinned, not an ounce of the respect and decorum generally owed to people of Kage rank in his demeanor. "How's it goin–ow! What the hell was that for, Sakura-chan?"

            Yes, Sakura had smacked him.

            "Show a little more respect!" she yelled.

            Sasuke–thank God for her mate–bowed, albeit curtly, to the Kage. Everyone in the room sweatdropped at the scene, except for Gaara, who actually smiled softly.

            "Naruto," he called, coming forward.

            "Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed before unceremoniously attacking the Kazekage with a hug.

            Sakura was mortified, but the Kazekage seemed quite happy.

            "It's good to see you, my friend," he said, patting the blonde idiot affectionately on the back.

            Sakura really wanted to slap her forehead. Only Naruto could do such things. As she was thinking this, a chest glued itself to her back. She leaned into it immediately, recognizing Sasuke almost unconsciously. Wow, the power of the mate bond is kind of unsettling.

            "You were amazing out there," he whispered, his hot breath tickling her ear.

            She swallowed, heat rising to her cheeks, but whispered back, "Well, I've been training."

            He hummed in response, sending vibrations up her spine. Ah, Sasuke-kun is really unfair! All she wanted was to kiss him right there in front of everybody, but a certain level of shame to do so in front of all five Kages held her still. Thankfully, Tsunade decided to call everyone back to order.

            "Alright! I know this is a reunion and all, but we have serious matters to attend to!" she said, clapping her hands together. As if to accentuate her point, the sound of an explosion echoed closely, and the building shook. Everyone immediately sobered up, even Naruto.

            "We need to push the Zetsus out of the Village walls, and then we can enact some barrier defenses," Tsunade said, looking pointedly at the Raikage.

            "My team will be ready as soon as we're able to drive them out," he nodded.

            "But we still need to overpower them," the Tsuchikage said.

            "Exactly. Although the Zetsu waited this long to attack in order to catch us all in one place, that also means that we have all our best shinobi in one place," Tsunade smirked, looking around at the Kage. "I'm sure you all brought your best as well?"

            "Of course," they all said in unison.

            "Plus, they're missing a small bit of information that will help us win this battle," she said, looking at Sakura. Everyone seemed confused, but Sakura knew exactly what Tsunade was talking about, and she realized now that Tsunade had to have predicted something like this, or else she wouldn't have asked that favor of Sakura only a few days ago.

A few days ago.

            "With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, I thought we were training today," Sakura said as she followed Tsunade down the white linoleum hallways of Konoha General.

            "Well, there's something else we need to do today," Tsunade said briskly.

            Something was off, Sakura knew that much, but what it was she had no idea. She could tell the Hokage was nervous from the way she was biting her lower lip and from her short answers, but she had given no clue so far as to what they were doing in the hospital.

            Tsunade led her down hallway after hallway, the halls getting narrower and narrower as they went, until they reached a door marked: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. Tsunade didn't hesitate in unlocking the door and pushing through. They were in a large white room. The left wall was lined entirely with cabinets and drawers and pushed against the wall just opposite them was a bed. Along the right wall was a cart where a slew of vials lay as well as two syringes to which tubes were attached. Sakura stood in the middle of the room, observing her simple surroundings, but did not say a word, waiting for the Hokage to state their business here. Tsunade wrung her hands a moment before she faced Sakura decidedly.

            "Sakura, I have to ask you a huge favor–one I would really prefer not to–but it is of the utmost importance in times to come, and–"

            Sakura interrupted her.

            "Forgive me, Tsunade-sama, but whatever it is you need from me, you can have it without giving me any explanation."

            Tsunade stared at her in shock. Sakura hastened to explain.

            "What I mean is that you've given me so much already in taking me in, training me, and making me your apprentice that I would be beyond happy to do anything for you in return! And I've known you long enough now to know that you wouldn't ask anything outrageous of me, or anything to hurt me, so I will comply with any request you make of me without hesitation."

            Tsunade blinked a few times, before smiling kindly at her.

            "I knew I liked you from the moment you walked into my office. My fondness of you has only grown since, and for good reason."

            Sakura flushed beneath the praise.

            "Now then, what I need from you, Sakura, is your blood," she said, her expression turning grave.

            Sakura glanced at the cart, and immediately understood. The cart had everything necessary for a blood draw.

            "Not a problem," she responded firmly, to which Tsunade only smirked in satisfaction, before beginning to prepare.

            Sakura didn't know exactly what she wanted her blood for, but knowing the particularity it possessed, she wasn't surprised that Tsunade would want it for a number of reasons. Evidently, it was, as she had been saying, of great importance, and she had no doubt as to that fact.

            Sakura grinned as she realized the full implications of Tsunade's actions. Her blood would be their secret weapon–she would be their weapon–and Sakura couldn't be happier about that fact. To be able in some way to protect the people she now called family, and the place she called home that–by manner of the headband she now wore–had accepted her in return, was all she could ask for.

            "Whatever do you mean?" roared the Raikage, ticked by the vagueness of the Hokage's statement.

            "We have recently acquired a way to counter the effects of the Zetsus' new anti-regeneration weapons, as well as a way to heal wounds without having to dispatch our scarce amount of healers," Tsunade said, then gestured in Sakura's direction. "All thanks to my excellent disciple."

            Sakura flushed under all the gazes now directed at her.

            "Your disciple?" Gaara echoed.

            "But you never take disciples!" The Mizukage exclaimed, looking from Sakura to Tsunade and back again.

            "Well I have," Tsunade said proudly. "Sakura merited being trained under me."

            "And how has this young girl apparently managed to give us such an amazing weapon?" the Tsuchikage asked, looking genuinely curious.

            "She doesn't mean..." Sasuke began, but his unfinished question was soon answered.

            "Simply by means of her blood," Tsunade said gravely.

            Murmurs erupted from all the Kages, and Sakura felt her mate stiffen against her back.

            "Everyone please quiet down," Gaara said calmly, his soothing voice somehow managing to command everyone's attention. "And let the Hokage explain."

            "Thank you," Tsunade said, nodding gratefully in the redhead's direction. "Now then. You may be wondering what her blood could possibly do with the things I mentioned before. Well, Sakura is a Healer, but a very peculiar one. Presumably because of a mutation, Sakura's blood also has healing properties."

            Now, Sakura knew that it really was due to a mutation, but one caused because of the experiments done on her mother that for some reason hadn't affected her, but her daughter.

            Again, the Kages began to whisper amongst themselves, but one look from Gaara, and they all quieted down again. It was amazing how such a young and quiet person held so much respect and power.

            "I have experienced the effects of ingesting her blood firsthand and can attest to its healing properties. However, I merely pricked my finger to test it. If you want to know its effects on larger, more serious wounds, you should ask these two: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto." She gestured to them.

            Naruto seemed a little uncomfortable, scratching the back of his head, but nevertheless said, "It's true. I–" he shivered. "drank a bit of her blood, and the gash on my abdomen glowed green after about five minutes, then healed up completely. There wasn't a scar or anything."

            The Kage looked at Sasuke next. His fist clenched at his side.

            "The same for me," he gritted out. "Would you excuse us for a moment?"

            And without another word, he grabbed Sakura by the shoulders and steered her past the Kage and out into the hallway before she could even squeak in protest. The door slammed behind them, causing the pinkette to flinch. Sakura had no idea why he was suddenly so upset, but she was sure about to find out.

            He whirled her around to face him.

            "Yes?" she asked a little nervously.

            He stared into her eyes, and if it weren't for the current war being waged outside, Sakura would have allowed herself to get lost in the now scarlet depths.

             "Are you okay with this?" he suddenly asked gruffly.

            "With what?" she asked, confused.

            "With being a blood bank for the entire army!" he said forcefully, his grip on her shoulders tightening.

            "Well, yeah," she replied frankly.

            He seemed shocked by her answer.

            "But you-you're not just an object to be used to heal everyone!" he objected. "I mean, that will completely drain you!"

            Ah. So that's what it was.

            "Look, first off, I am completely fine with it if my blood can help us turn the tide of this war," she said.

            He opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him, holding up her hand.

            "Don't tell me that you wouldn't put your life on the line if it meant you had a chance to end this war once and for all."

            He closed his mouth, scowling at her.

            "Exactly," she smiled. "And second, I will do everything in my power to help, but I will not allow myself to be 'drained'. I have to live to be with you, don't I?"

            He blinked at her, before pulling her to him and kissing her senseless. When he pulled away, her knees felt weak and her head was spinning, her body alight with sparks. Too many kisses in one day, and yet she couldn't get enough of it.

            "Okay, let's go," Sasuke said, his cheeks flushed.

            Cute.

            He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the room. Everyone's gaze fell on them, and Sakura realized just then that they had just walked out on five Kages. Heat rose to her face. She had blushed way too much in only one day. Thankfully, Sasuke took responsibility for it and immediately apologized for their sudden departure.

            "Alright then, I think it's about time to get moving now that everyone's on the same page," Tsunade said.

            "It seems that we may finally have a leg up on those damned Zetsus," the Mizukage smirked, licking her lips.

            All the Kages either smiled or had a twinkle in their eyes. Sakura gave Sasuke's hand a squeeze, which he returned.

            "Let's go beat their asses, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

            "YEAH!"

I hope you guys enjoyed! Because I really loved getting back into this story and writing this chapter. I also totally adore Naruto and Gaara's friendship, if you didn't notice. I just think their interactions are super cute, and Gaara is my child. Fight me. 

Anyway, tell me your predictions, your reactions to this chapter, and just overall what you thought of it. Thank you all so much again for your support. I cannot stop thanking you. And also, I wanted to know if any of you were interested in me doing a Q & A. Just a thought. If you are, let me know in the comments, and leave your questions. 

Anyway, thanks you again and see you next time! Ja ne!