I do NOT own Naruto

PROLOGUE:

"I…I know there's nothing much I can do to stop this…But I still love you! I never thought you'd turn out this way! I couldn't be there for you when you needed help…or even stop you from going down that path. All I could do was just sit here and cry. It's disgraceful, really! But…But, Sasuke-kun! If I still have a place in that heart of yours, even if it's just a little…please, don't go! If we're together again…I'm sure we'd be able to go back to those days."

Sasuke turned to her, "You're…such an annoyance."

He jammed his left hand straight through her heart, blood spurting out. Sakura fell onto the ground, unconscious and with a heavy heart.

"I guess that's it, then…" Inner Sakura said, sitting next to Sakura who was lying down.

"Sas-"

"He's gone." Sakura turned her head to face her Inner self. "You were placed under a genjutsu where he stabbed you. He said that he had no interest in your daydreams of love…and that he was never interested in you."

Sakura felt tears stream down her cheeks, turning her head back to lay on her side. Her body instinctively curled up, hugging herself tightly as her body trembled in agony.

Inner Sakura stood up, keeping her back to Sakura, "You're weak."

Sakura turned to her again, "…W…What?"

"You're weak. You're the weak link in Team 7. You've provided no substance."

Inner Sakura's arm was grabbed by Sakura, forcing them to lock eyes. "How have I provided nothing?! I've protected and fought and loved to the best of my ability!"

Inner Sakura fully turned to Sakura and rested her forehead against hers, "You cried and clung to Sasuke while ignoring Naruto's very existence. And once Sasuke left, you showered all your frustrations onto Naruto who only wanted for you to be happy. When Naruto left to retrieve him, you didn't shed an ounce of worry for his safety or anyone else's. All you cried about was for them to bring Sasuke back." Sakura stared eye-wide, unable to say anything. "When Naruto was found half-dead, you were only disappointed that Sasuke wasn't brought back as well. Two years later, you still cried about Sasuke, all the while begging Naruto to focus solely on him to meet your needs when he clearly had more important things to focus on. Suddenly, you claim you'll become Hokage in the midst of a war? A title you don't even deserve? In the fight against Kaguya, you did nothing but help teleport Sasuke to safety and deliver one punch to the enemy. Now, despite Sasuke still wanting death on all of you, all you did is cry and plead for his love. You're pathetic."

Sakura suddenly woke up, surprise on her face.

"You're awake." Kakashi said, watching over her as she sat slumped against a large slab of rock. Sakura looked up at the sky, ignoring her sensei's question.

"Is…it evening?" Then a realization hit her, "What about Sasuke-kun and Naruto?!" She immediately noticed how she said Sasuke's name before Naruto's.

"They're probably having their last fight…to finally settle all issues." Kakashi said grimly.

As Sakura helped Kakashi walk towards the Valley of the End, Sakura kept her gaze fixated to the ground. She was…conflicted.

In truth, she had long-repressed her anger and betrayal by Sasuke's actions deep inside her. She felt that if she kept holding on to their bond, he would one day come back. He would one day look at her the way she looked at him. She remembered many nights where she would wage wars with herself over choosing to let him go or continue to believe in him. But could she be blamed? Naruto was still holding onto Sasuke. Kakashi was also holding on as well. But then again...their bonds with Sasuke were stronger than hers.

Sakura's eyes widened as the realization hit her. Their bonds with Sasuke were stronger than hers. Their bond now was nonexistent. And while yes, she did know he was being sincere when he thanked her that night upon leaving the village, it all washed away during their time apart.

The string Sakura was holding onto so hard that it hurt, was in fact, no longer there. It had burned after he thanked her on that night. Because it wasn't merely a thank you, but a goodbye.

"Sakura, do not give up." Kakashi said, snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned to him, noticing his eyes were studying her.

"You could tell what I was thinking?" she mumbled.

"You're easy for me to read."

I'm easy for anyone to read…She thought bitterly.

She let out a fake smile, "I guess I'm just childish then. I haven't matured a bit."

"…," Kakashi winced at the pain in her voice, "That's not true. You've grown remarkably, Sakura. You've caught up with Naruto and Sasuke. You've made a name a for yourself."

Sakura let out a bitter laugh, "Thank you for your kind words. But there's no need to lie to me, Kakashi-sensei." She looked forward, "I'm still nowhere near their level. I'll never be."

"Saku-"

"Kakashi-sensei, please…stop."

"…"

Sakura and Kakashi walked to the edge of the valley, looking around to find their two other teammates. Sakura found the two of them lying on top of Madara and Hashirama's large concrete hands.

"There!" Sakura exclaimed. She let Kakashi sit on the ledge while she jumped down, landing in front of the two and noticing their missing arms.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, ignoring his situation. Sakura looked on at the two with sadness. She was about to step forward to begin healing them when a voice rang out in her head.

"So that's how it is, huh? You're just going to go right back to square one? Wow, you really are a child." Inner Sakura said mockingly.

Sakura looked down, a tear falling down her right cheek, No, I'm not...!

"Oh yeah? Prove it, then."

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto asked. Sakura avoided looking into his eyes and began healing their arms. "Thanks Sakura-chan!" He smiled.

"…Sakura…I…," Sasuke tried to say.

"Don't…I need to concentrate."

"I'm sorry…," he said to her.

Sakura let her tears once again slip out, meeting his eyes with the most pained expression. She didn't say anything. But from the looks in her eyes, both Naruto and Sasuke could tell what she was feeling.

She was hurt. She was hurting so much.

After the war, Konoha held a week-long funeral procession, not only honoring those within the village who had given the ultimate sacrifice, but those all over the world. Tsunade was working on Naruto and Sasuke's prosthetic arms, Kakashi had become the Rokudaime Hokage, Sasuke was pardoned of all his crimes, Itachi was now dubbed a hero of the village, Ino and Sakura had opened up a mental health clinic for all the children suffering from the stresses of war, and Naruto was now regarded as the world's hero. But there was still a lot of pain lingering in the air. Broken families were everywhere now and there were many more shinobi who needed medical care. Sakura, along with the other medical ninjas, were working around the clock 24/7. Sleep for them was a luxury they could no longer afford. As such, many of them carried heavy bags under their eyes, Sakura included.

After working nonstop for over two weeks, Sakura was finally allowed a day off. But instead of spending it by relaxing, Sakura was sitting in her room staring at her picture of Team 7. They had taken a new photo, but this time Captain Yamato and Sai were in it.

Ever since returning to the village, Sakura had isolated herself from everyone. The only ones who she spoke to nowadays were Ino and Tsunade. Of course, it wasn't like she was just lounging around her room. She busied herself day and night at the hospital, purposely avoiding Sasuke's room and occasionally peeking into Naruto's. Other than that, she didn't speak to either of them. Kakashi had once tried to talk to her about her recent behavior, but she had simply turned on her heel and left him to his devices, ending the attempt at conversation. As the days went by however, she was seeing even less of Naruto as Hinata would usually be in his room and knowing full well how much her feelings for him were, she would leave them be. Sakura had patients to care for anyway.

Sakura placed the picture back on her nightstand and laid down on her back on the bed. She stared at the ceiling with an unreadable expression with the dim lighting of the room making some things harder to make out. Her clock read 5:46 PM and she knew within 15 minutes, her mother would call her down for dinner. Sakura wasn't hungry though. In fact, she had noticed that since the war had ended, her appetite had been slowly decreasing as the days went on. Now, she would go a whole day without eating a thing and not even take notice.

Sakura's hands were folded atop her stomach with her legs bent. Her eyes moved towards her nightstand where her forehead protector was.

What did that forehead protector even mean to her now? Did she ever really wear it properly? All it took to get it was to successfully make a shadow clone. But it was one's actions and strengths that made wearing it actually mean something.

I guess it was just an accessory for me…

Sakura closed her eyes as she began reminiscing about her past, starting from the day Team 7 met Kakashi.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is…Well, the person I like is…And um…My dream for the future…um…?"

Sakura opened her eyes and turned onto her side, sighing in annoyance.

"Sakura! Dinner's ready!" Mebuki called from downstairs. Sakura slowly got up and walked downstairs. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't very hungry…

Sakura slung her pack across her shoulder and jumped out of her bedroom window. She landed softly on the ground, quickly making sure no one was around. It was the dead of night, the only people who would still be awake were the medical ninjas at the hospital. Sakura quickly leapt from rooftop to rooftop, making sure to increase her speed every few seconds. By the time she reaches the village exit, she is slightly out of breath. She decides to walk from here on out, wanting to linger in her home village for a little while longer. She then notices the bench and a painful memory hits her.

"This is where it all began. It was here, on a night similar to this one, that Team 7 went to hell."

Sakura grabbed her head in agony, "Shut up!"

"I'm you, dumbass. I'm what you're really feeling. What you really think. You're just being your weak self, denying the truth in front of you once again."

Sakura fell to her knees, still clutching her head, "I said shut up! You don't know anything about me!"

"You know what this is, right? You understand what's happening to you? It's a result of lack of sleep, food, and contact with the outside world."

Sakura looked forward, towards the village exit. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"You're having an anxiety attack. A big one, too. Add stress and an identity crisis on top of that, it's even worse."

Sakura grabbed her head again, groaning at the horrible migraine trying to split her head open. She suddenly found it harder to breathe and her heart was beating fast enough to break out of her chest.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Konoha…!"

"Do you know who you are?"

"Haruno Sakura!" She began to grind her teeth and her body started to shake.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura and I am a shinobi of Konoha!"

Silence…

Sakura wheezed as her body continued to tremble. Her vision was fading in and out. Somehow, she got back to her feet.

"…name…-noha…," She mumbled, continuing to walk forward. "…is…of…" Her body felt heavy and her hair was a mess. The bags under her eyes looked horrible, making her older than she really was. "My…-bi….-a…" She passed the village border and popped a chakra pill in her mouth, giving her much needed energy. She turned her head towards the village, a look of longing in her eyes. She now realized why she was doing this.

She would leave Konoha, and everything with it, behind. She would need to start a new chapter in her life, improving everything that she was. Even if it took months or years, she would not come back until she was truly ready.

"Who are you?"

Sakura turned away from the village and jumped into the trees.

"My name is Haruno Sakura."

(A/N: I was experiencing major Sakura feels and decided to write this. In case you're wondering, no this is not a SasuSaku fic. I don't ship it. Anyway, not sure if I'll be continuing this. I'm kind of just filling in time until I get my documents back for my AOT/Bleach crossover fic. Thank you for reading.)