So...I've never written a true "Sakura" story before. I've always written SasuNaru and maybe thrown her in here or there, but never focused something on her character. I've always imagined Sakura to be that girl who puts up one appearance when she is truly feeling something the exact opposite. She strikes me as much more..."human", than any other character in the Narutoverse. Here's some reasons why...

1.) She's not from an overpowered shinobi clan, with special blood-line techniques

2.) She doesn't get powerups every other chapter *cough*Naruto*cough*

3.) I don't mean to offend anyone who likes Hinata, but at least Sakura is more open with her affection for Sasuke (even though it is...annoying at times), and as I stated before, she isn't from a special blood-line. She poured everything she had into her work.

4.) Her character is easily relatable to many of the female fanbase believe it or not. Come on, admit it. How many of us would be able to withstand the emotional distraught of watching your village or home, whatever, crumble to the ground around you or having the love of your life try to kill you?

And finally, 5.) I dislike all of the hate on her. Yeah, she can be annoying, a bitch even, and she does cry a lot, but she is the most "human" person in the entire series and as such she dererves some respect and recgonition for her development over time. I mean, I hate it so much when the majority of the fanbase slams her for various reasons I don't feel like listing.

So without further adue, here's my Sakura tribute!


Haruno Sakura was not your typical sixteen year old.

She didn't straighten her hair or wear makeup. She didn't sneak out late at night against her parent's permission to go to her boyfriend's house. Hell, she didn't have a boyfriend. She, instead, chopped her hair short so it didn't interfer with her missions. She stayed out late at night at the hospital, nursing the wounds of the crippled and aiding surgeries. She was a medic-nin.

She also detested the fact that she was a medic-nin.

Medics were never found on the front lines of battle. They were at the back. They rarely fought or saw action. They were the last to die in a fight, constantly dependent on their teammates for protection from the enemy. She loathed that. She hated being weak, seemingly useless until a wounded shinobi came along for her to treat. It was a rare occurrence for Sakura to appear on the battlefield, and even then it was maybe to retrieve a fallen comrade or provide support in a fight.

At least, that's what it seemed like, until now...


The screams of the dying hung heavy in the air, the iron-like scent of blood filling Sakura's nose as she ran. The only thing she could see was him, his form twisting like a leaf in the air, falling to the ground. Falling, falling, never to get up again. This wasn't possible, she wanted so desperately to believe. He couldn't, he couldn't possibly...his name built up in her throat, waiting to burst from her lips in a horrified scream, but no sound could escape her in her horror.

Blades and jutsus flew around her, paper-bombs exploding and shrapnel pelting her exposed skin as she saw his back collide with the hard ground. She could hear the slight exhale of air come from his lips and the groan that followed. She saw the blood pouring from his chest and from his head. But she couldn't say anything. Her run was brought to a halt as a shinobi clad in black jumped into her path, gripping a kunai in his hand as he stared at her. Her emerald eyes flicked briefly to the weapon and she noticed it was coated in a light purple liquid. Poison.

Her eyes narrowed and a snarl curled her lips into a ferocious grimace as she poured her chakra into her right hand, running forward. She managed to find her mouth in the numb cavern of her mind as she shouted, "Get out of my way!" before she slammed her fist into the man's chest, sending him flying through the air, over his body and crashing to the earth, unmoving.

She continued sprinting.

Sakura saw a flash of blue and white out of the corner of her eye and saw his best friend fighting three opponents at once. A gash at the top of his forehead was pouring blood into his eyes but he continued fighting. His right arm hung useless by his side as he held three shruiken in his left, flinging them with precise aim at the enemies. A cut on his right calf had sliced through his clothing and flesh, exposing the red muscle and the dull white bone lying under his skin. His eyes connected with Sakura's panicked gaze.

She tore her eyes away and focused on him again. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. Another scream built in her throat but she quickly choked it off. She didn't want anyone else attacking her, or him...

She managed to skid to a halt at his side and fell to her knees, dust billowing as she landed. Her right hand flashed out and gently laid on his cheek, turning his head upward to face her slowly. His eyes were closed, his skin oddly cold and losing color...Sakura's eyes widened before she turned them to assess the damage that had fallen him. A slash ran from his right shoulder down to his left hip, exposing his lungs and his ribs, pulsing a faint red as his blood vessels tried to keep the blood that supported his organs flowing, killing him as the crimson instead pooled into the ground below him.

"No," Sakura whispered.

Her hands flew to his chest and she began to do what she was trained to; heal.

With the detached air that a medic was meant to possess, Sakura began to analyze the wound and list all of the arteries and organs she would heal, what to avoid. She couldn't afford to feel the pain of knowing who she was trying to save, who she could potentially fail in saving. But that calm mask broke, like shattering porcelain, when his eyes opened and a soft groan tumbled from his mouth.

Concentration broken, her chakra wavered as her own gaze darted to his. Blue connected with green, and Naruto smiled up at Sakura with a knowing gaze.

Sakura couldn't breathe. She could see his lips moving but she couldn't hear the words coming from his throat as her chakra flowed harder out of her. She could sense his heart failing and could sense the Kyuubi's pulsing, trying to heal the fatal wound only to have it rip open again, skin tearing apart again and again, caused by whatever evil poison that now coated Naruto's flesh.

Someone was behind her, but Sakura did not care to see if it was friend or foe. Naruto was dying, he was dying and she had to do something!

"I'll bring Sasuke back. It's a promise!"

Sakura looked up and saw the last remaining Uchiha kneeling across from her, staring at Naruto's face.

The gash in his forehead had ceased bleeding, but his right arm was charred, blackened by whatever fire had consumed it. His onyx eyes, having been so dull...so empty since his return to Konoha, were now filled with a panic that she hadn't thought him capable of. Sakura grit her teeth and pushed her chakra to the limit, trying to tell the demon that resided inside of Naruto without words that she was trying to help. Her energy wasn't being received by Naruto's body...!

Someone whispered, and the heartbeat under Sakura's hand slowly faded to stillness.

Sakura could have sworn the world had ceased spinning. The battle around her faded to a dull roar as her eyes went to Naruto's face, hoping, praying that what she felt was just a figment of her imagination. Naruto's lips were upturned into a small smile, ever so slightly that it was barely noticeable to her. His eyes were closed. Pouring all of her chakra to her right hand, Sakura held her left up to the blonde's nose to test if he was breathing. No air came from him..

Her eyes switched to Sasuke and she saw him staring at her...glaring...Condemning her.

She returned her focus back to the wound beneath her. Perhaps, if she could just start his heart again, she could still save him...


Hours passed, and not a sign of life could be found in Naruto.

Sakura refused to give up, kneeling next to her teammate long after the battle had ended and the sun had sunk over the horizon, with only the light of the moon and the green flow of her chakra to illuminate her work. Naruto's skin had grown paler, and the blood had stopped flowing, caking into a disgustingly black hue and hardening slowly over time as she continued to try and knit together the muscle and vessels that had been ripped to shreds.

Sasuke had not left Naruto's side either, simply staring at the blonde's face, his expression unreadable...

A hand brushed softly on Sakura's shoulder, and that was when she knew it was over.

The hand slowly tugged her stiff form back and she stumbled, falling backwards as her chakra stopped. Her eyes remained trained on Naruto's closed eyes as she was forced to stand by whoever was behind her, hands under her arms supporting her limp weight. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs felt like they were about to burst, her eyes were burning...she was turned to face away from Naruto and saw Sai staring at her in return. The boy's face was marred with cuts and scratches, and his left eye had a darkened ring of skin around it.

Sakura saw his mouth moving and could tell, without hearing, what he was saying.

"It's not your fault."

Sakura winced and ripped her shoulder out of Sai's grip, seeing Ino and Shikamaru approaching them from behind the boy's back. Ino's blue eyes widened as she quickened her pace to a jog, and Shikamaru's back stiffened until they were beside Sakura, staring down at Naruto's body. Ino let out a small wail before turning, burying her face in Shikamaru's shoulder. The Jonin in turn slowly placed his hand on the blonde's back, as if he were unsure of his actions.

Sakura turned again with Sai at her back and saw that Sasuke was kneeling in front of Naruto, staring blankly at the blonde's lifeless features before he reached out and brought his arms under Naruto's body. His wounded arm seemed to be forgotten as he lifted Naruto and stood, cradling the body close to his chest. His eyes left Naruto's face and drifted to Sakura's, and Sakura saw the accusations in those black irises, the unspoken blame that was being placed on her for his death.

This is your fault.


A week had passed.

Sakura laid on her side, staring across her bedroom at the calendar that was hanging on one nail by her door. A week since Naruto...Sakura refused to think of that. Her hair, once shiny and straight, was now in tangles and mats on her head as she laid on her side, her right arm curled under her head and her left dangling off of the edge of the bed. Blankets laid over her exposed back and legs, yet a shiver ran through her small frame as she exhaled, her breath shaking.

Her dull green eyes closed, darkness shielding her for a moment before the distant sound of someone knocking on wood had her looking at her bedroom door. "...Sakura, dear...are you alright?" Sakura didn't respond to her mother's question. A slight click sounded, the doorknob turned, and her mother then poked her head through the gap she had left by opening the door. "Oh, Sakura..." her mother whispered, stepping further into the room.

Sakura winced when she saw her mother dressed in the customary black attire of mourning.

Her mother's eyes stared at her sympathetically, yet she seemed to not dare step further into the room as Sakura lowered her gaze to the blue rug on the floor. "Dear...the ceremony starts in a few hours...shouldn't you be getting ready?" Sakura didn't move. "Sakura-"

"I'm not going."

Sakura heard her voice interrupt her mother's, cracking from disuse as her throat began to itch. Her mother's eyes widened slightly, before her expression became soft. "Sakura...honey, he was your teammate..you should go pay your respects..." her mother trailed off when Sakura showed no sign of responding. Sakura blinked when her mother turned towards the door.

"The Uchiha boy on your team...he's keeping vigil for three days. A clan tradition, I heard...perhaps you can go on your own time. I guess...going with the entire village won't be healthy after all.."

Sakura winced at the mention of Sasuke. In her head, she saw his accusing glare as he held Naruto, limp and lifeless, in his arms...

"Please close the door on your way out, Mom," Sakura whispered.

She didn't bother to look up as she heard the soft shutting in front of her.


Gray clouds rolled outside Sakura's window as she stared at the sky. She could hear the people outside of her home, the quiet murmurs that seemed so displaced in a place such as Konoha. A place meant to be vibrant and loud, just like him. Sakura swallowed painfully as she thought of...Naruto.

A small, electronic tick behind her sounded, breaking her from the nearly unavoidable emotional breakdown. She rolled to her right, twisting further into her blankets that did nothing to shield her from the coldness inside of her, emerald eyes landing on the alarm clock on the small table at the head of her bed. The neon green print on the black face read that is was quarter till eleven.

Sakura stared at the numbers, numbly noticing the small aloe plant behind the clock, along with the picture frame next to the potted foliage. The picture of Team Seven was mostly visible, except for the aloe leaf that draped in front of Naruto's image, blocking him out. Sakura's eyes trailed over to her desk, where she saw a small pile of black cloth sitting on the wooden chair. She assumed her mother must have brought it in while she had slept.

Almost as if it were an unconscious choice, Sakura's body slowly lifted up, discarding the red and white blankets from her body as she sat on the edge of her bed, still staring at the black mound on her desk chair, across the room. She stood uneasily, black dots swimming across her vision as her legs shook, attempting to bear her weight. Shuffling, she made her way across the cold wooden floorboards to her desk, before finally she stood before her chair.

Eying the pile of black in front of her, Sakura stood still as she continued to blankly stare at the seat of her chair. Then, as if she were forcing her trembling arm to move, she reached down and gently held the black cloth in her hand. A simple, black tee-shirt fell from her grasp and onto the floor, crumpling into a small pile while she continued to hold the pair of black slacks in her hand.

She bent down, retrieving the shirt, staring at each article of clothing in her hands as if she expected them to jump from her grasp. Her emerald eyes roamed over the shirt and slacks, minutes ticking by as she stood still, her gaze devoid of emotion. However, Sakura eventually brought the shirt up over her head, bringing it over her torso and covering the white tank-top she wore, then sliding her legs into the black pants, covering her red shorts.

She then, almost forcing herself, turned to her bedroom door, thus facing the full-length oval mirror set on the right of the wooden frame. Her eyes roamed over her disheveled form blankly, taking in her knotted hair, the black rings under her eyes, which had a haunted look to them. Her skin, normally a healthy pale hue, was almost chalky in complexion. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she were a spirit.

Bringing her hands up to her head, Sakura futilely attempted to smooth out the snarls and the tangles in her shoulder-length rosette hair before letting her arms flop to her sides.

It's your fault.

Sakura shook her head before shuffling to her bedroom door, placing her left hand on the dim gold handle and releasing a shaking breath, closing her eyes as she turned the knob and pulled the door inwards. The hallway in front of her was dim; scanning the space, she noticed her usual shinobi heels just outside her room, propped against the wall. No sound came from downstairs, nor her parents' bedroom; they were asleep.

Exiting her room was almost physically painful. Her breath hitched and her vision grew blurry as she shut the door behind herself, bending down to slide her sandals onto her feet before stumbling down the hall, trying to find the stairwell. She nearly fell down four stair-steps before she regained her composure, leveling her stance and clearing her eyes as she stared at the front door. Breathing deeply, Sakura strode slowly forward, before opening her front door and feeling a warm summer breeze brush across her cheeks.

Emerald eyes roaming, she saw no-one on the road in front of her. The entire street, deserted, as she turned her head to the left and right, checking for civilians who would comment on her haggard appearance, attempt to question her. Try to find out what had happened to their hero. Sakura grit her teeth as she nearly stomped away from her home. There was no turning back now; she had to do this. At least once, she had to see him, before he was gone forever...

Her legs seemed to move on their own as she roamed the silent streets of Konoha. The lights of the buildings around her were either dimmed or entirely off, creating a solemn air that chilled Sakura to the bone. The breeze slowly picked up to a howling wind, shrieking in her ears as she wrapped her arms around her torso, hunching over and keeping her eyes on the red roof that spired above the rest of the buildings in Konoha; Hokage Tower.

The road she stumbled on gradually widened until it connected with two other paths coming in from the left and the right, all three conjoining around a large, open area directly in front of the massive Tower. Bouquets of flowers were stacked atop each other, lining the perimeter of the circle, while lit and unlit candles alike seemed to form a path up to the black box in the center of the clearing.

Sakura's vision grew blurry once more as the wind rushed against her, drying her eyes, which then tried to wet themselves only to be irritated by the air once more. She tightened her arms around herself as she shivered despite the dense, warm summer air as she forced herself to move forward, assuring herself that it was okay. That she was okay. Her gaze remained locked on the black box in front of her. The wood seemed to glow in the dim light of the candles, and as she approached, her mind finally registered that the box was, in actuality, a coffin.

And inside that coffin, she saw the corpse that haunted her waking and sleeping thoughts.

Naruto's eyes were closed, just as Sakura last remembered. His skin was not as pale; most likely due to some sort of makeup or jutsu. The cuts and scratches on his face were gone, leaving only the mysterious scars on his cheeks. His head rested on a white pillow, largely blocked from view from his spiked blonde hair. He wore a black, button-up shirt with a white collar poking up from between the folds, his collarbone slightly visible. A white blanket shielded the rest of his body from view.

Sakura froze, a few feet from the coffin, as she stared at Naruto's unmoving form. She felt like laughing in that moment; a part of her hoped this was a nightmare, or some sort of prank, maybe. Naruto liked pranks. Perhaps this was one of his most convincing ones. He should have been leaping from that coffin, laughing. He should have been making fun of Sakura for believing he was dead.

A tear rolled down her cheek when she knew that wasn't the case.

Her eyes remained fixed on the coffin, her unwavering stare not noticing the shadowed figure standing at the head of the box, watching her. They both stood still for some time, Sakura meanwhile not noticing until the figure shifted, coming out of the shadows and stepping in front of the coffin. Her eyes widened as Sasuke's locked with hers.

Deep purple and black rings lined the underparts of his eyes. His skin seemed to hang off of his body like melted wax, barely clinging to his frame. A white, long-sleeved shirt looked as though he had slept in it for days; wrinkled, with dirt and seemingly blood smeared on the bottom edges of the shirt. He, like Sakura, wore black slacks, accompanied by shinobi sandals of the same color. His hair was in disarray as well; the typical soft spikes his hair formed at the back of his head were much more tousled and messy than usual.

Neither moved as they stared at each other. Sakura's gaze was transfixed on Sasuke's. All the while, she could almost hear the words Sasuke was obviously keeping himself from saying. The raven's jaw was clenching and unclenching as the thin line of his lips shifted by mere millimeters. The breeze brushed through her hair, which tickled the sides of her face as she broke her gaze from Sasuke and stared at the ground.

Her mouth opened slightly, and she found herself going over in her head what she planned to say. What she had been rehearsing to herself the entire trip here. What she planned to say to Sasuke, to try and compensate for her failure, to him as well as to herself. But when the moment was finally here, she found her mind drawing blank and the emotions she had held back breaking through her defenses like water from a dam. With her legs giving out, she crumpled to the ground and brought her hands to her face, warm tears stinging her skin.

"...I'm sorry," Sakura whispered, a sob causing her voice to crack. "I'm...I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." A short wail came from her lips before she clenched her teeth, groaning as she bit her tongue to hold back the shriek building in her throat. She heard nothing from Sasuke as she rocked on her knees, back and forth, digging her fingernails into her forehead. Then, through the blood pounding in her ears, she distantly heard footsteps approaching her.

The sound of bone cracking softly had her bringing her hands down from her face, her palms quickly growing cold as the wind blew over the dampness of her cheeks and hands, staring at Sasuke. He was kneeling in front of her, his face devoid of emotion. But his eyes...were different. His eyebrows were drawn close in a glare, his black irises almost blazing with anger and pain and sorrow; Sakura found herself choking back another sob at the sight of how broken Sasuke truly was.

The raven seemed to study her for a few moments before standing, turning his back on her. He stood there, facing Naruto's coffin, with nothing but the Uchiha fan embroidered on the back of his shirt facing Sakura. Until...

"Crying is not becoming of a shinobi."

Sakura sucked in a breath as she stared up at the back of Sasuke's head. He still did not move as he spoke once more. "And it won't make me forgive you, either." Then he stalked away, fading back into the shadows next to Naruto's body, leaving Sakura kneeling in the waving grass. She knew he was still there, however. His chakra was strong enough, vile enough, that it made her sick to her stomach to sense it. Yet she managed to stagger to her feet, shaking and whimpering under her breath as she wiped tears from her face and eyes.

She didn't approach the coffin any further; instead, she turned and shuffled back the way she came, her throat tight with the wails of grief she was holding back.


The next morning came as Sakura sat on her mattress. The black mourning clothes still hung on her body, which sat amongst scattered mounds of scrolls and books. Her tired eyes roamed over the kanji strewn in front of her, yellowed parchment blending with black ink lettering as she scanned for a very particular jutsu...one she had seen preformed once before, and one she had hoped she would never have to see again.

The transmigration jutsu.

She remembered it well; Lady Chiyo had explained it over the duration of the mission to rescue Kazekage Gaara from the Akatsuki. She had even watched Lady Chiyo preform it on Gaara. She had held Lady Chiyo's body once the Kazekage was brought back to life at the expense of her own.

Sakura knew very well the consequences of the technique. In exchange for renewing life, she was giving up her own. She was surprised at one small fact: she wasn't scared. She knew what she was doing, all she had to do was mold her chakra precisely and focus it all into her target's system. In this case, the deceased body of Naruto Uzumaki. She was thankful that Lady Tsunade had cast a body-preserving jutsu over the corpse for Sasuke's vigil; without that, she wasn't sure she could succeed with this.

She released a shaky breath as she rolled up a scroll and tossed it to the edge of her bed before reaching out, grasping a brown leather book in her hand and bringing it to her lap, flipping open the cover and scanning the pages, noting the anatomy described and distantly reading the words. However, her mind was somewhere else.

She had to plan this well. She knew that, after last night's encounter, Sasuke wouldn't let her near Naruto's body long enough for her to preform the jutsu. She would have to do it at night, so no-one could interfere before the technique was complete. And, the simple fact that this was her death. She would cease existing after this was over. That, Sakura thought, was the hardest thing for her to get over.

Her life was about to end so Naruto's could continue.

Three years ago, would she have given up her life for him? Definitely not. She would have laughed at the idea, even. But now? She was doing this without any hesitation. And that should have scared her...yet it didn't. With a small sigh, she set the book aside and turned her head to the left, looking out her window at the world outside. In less than a day, she would disappear from it. Her parents, her friends, they would all have to carry on without her.

Sakura's determination wavered slightly at the thought.

Naruto's life was coming at the expense of hers. Yes, it sounded like something from a fairy tale. It seemed fitting that she would save her best friend's life with the greatest sacrifice possible. But that sacrifice was coming with many consequences. However, she resolved herself as she thought of Naruto, alive and happy once more. Her eyes shifted away from her window, back to her textbooks and her scrolls. She had to study if she were to get this right.


The third and final night of Sasuke's vigil had Sakura in a quiet terror.

She had figured out that Sasuke left Naruto's coffin twenty minutes before midnight, whether it was to catch a few minutes of sleep, something to eat, it didn't matter. He always returned exactly at twelve, not a minute sooner or later. Meaning, she had exactly twenty minutes to get this right.

Even now, as she stood in front of her mirror with small, cream colored envelopes in her hand, she found herself vainly going over her hair, her typical red Chinese-style shirt and pink apron skirt, her wedged shinobi sandals. Everything had to appear normal, or else people would begin to question her. Closing her eyes, she sighed once more before turning to take in her bedroom, one last time. Before she could change her decision, though, she exited the room and shut the door behind her.

Going downstairs, she found neither of her parents at home; which made her task much easier. Raising her hand, Sakura's eyes skimmed over the envelopes until she found the one addressed to her parents, which she laid on the kitchen table, by a small glass vase with cherry blossom petals floating in crystal clear water. She then went to the front door, sighing as she went outside and swiftly stuffing the remaining envelopes in her weapons pouch that was tied to her waist, and proceeded down her street for the last time.


She had delivered each envelope to their respective recipients without issue, and Sakura found herself with ten minutes to go before Sasuke left his post. She had been sitting on a bench by the clearing, discreetly watching Sasuke as the boy stood where she had last seen him, at the head of the coffin. He didn't seem to notice her as she stared at the flickering candles, breathing in the scent of the flowers even from the distance she was from them.

Her senses seemed heightened to her; perhaps it was her body, knowing it was about to die, taking in everything it could before it ceased to function. She suddenly found herself wishing she could have eaten her favorite dish once more, argued with Ino or gone flower-picking with Hinata, hugged her parents one last time. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of all things she wished she could have done before now, all the things she hadn't done, everything she had yet to do. She wasn't ready to die yet!

Sakura's eyes trailed over to Naruto's coffin when she noticed that Sasuke was making to leave. The raven turned towards the Hokage Tower, striding towards it before opening the set of double doors and vanishing into the building. Sakura sucked in a deep breath, then stood, clenching her fists at her sides and gritting her teeth. She had to do this. She had to.

For Naruto.

Stepping forward, she began to slowly make her way towards the coffin. She could hear every step she took, smell everything that made Konoha what it was; fire and nature and life. Her vision was narrowed in on Naruto, every single step until she was finally in front of the coffin.

Sakura smiled as she looked down at Naruto's emotionless face, bringing her palms over her chest.

Her chakra blossomed slowly over her gloved hands, illuminating Naruto's face with a soft green glow as she laughed quietly. "...I remember when you used to get so mad when Sasuke-kun would beat you in the Academy," she murmured, as she pushed her chakra into Naruto's lifeless form. "You would storm out of class yelling, and come back the next day determined to beat him..." Sakura's vision began to dim as the distant beat of a heart began to throb under her fingertips.

"You chased me so damn relentlessly," she continued softly. "All those times you tried to ask me out and I said no...you know, I really should have said yes...at least once..." the heartbeat Sakura felt grew stronger, and she gasped slightly as she felt her own falter. It was as if water were filling her chest. Her body was growing heavier, limper, by the second. "Is this what it's like to die, Naruto?" Sakura asked, pushing her chakra harder. She smiled again.

"It isn't so bad I guess..."

She heard a pair of doors opening distantly in front of her, soon followed by a yell. Out of anger, shock, or both, Sakura couldn't tell. She exhaled once more, whispering as a pair of footsteps quickly approached...

"Live."

Sakura Haruno's body crumpled to the ground as Naruto Uzumaki's eyes blinked open, her life ending as his began once more...