That Should Be Me
That should be me.
That should be me holding your hand right now. That should be me on your side right now. Those words should belong to me and not to her. Not to her.
Amidst the ruined state of the land, amidst the pile of blood and tears, two people emerged with profound hope. All eyes locked on them as they held each others 'hands, never letting go. I saw it. I distinctly saw the spark in Naruto's eyes when Hinata gave him the biggest push he needed at this crucial moment of the war. I saw how Naruto's composure became firmer. Steadier. Braver. But most importantly I saw how tight. How secure. How gentle Naruto locked his hand around Hinata's. The scene was beautiful. The scene gave a sweet pleasant feeling. But for me, it was only a bitter realization. I could never be her. I'm useless.
All of my life, I've been in the sidelines. Kept behind the shadows of my great teammates and mentors. I could never shine as bright as they can. And even though I grew. And yes I did grew. I still felt that I'm always trying to catch-up. I know I have greatly improved but why am I stuck on the sideline. Not doing anything to help Naruto. Not being able to be by his side on this war. I'm here so far away from him. So useless. I looked at my hands, filled with wounds and blood. Useless hands. I could not stop Sasuke from leaving. I could not help Naruto. Weak. I am weak.
I looked around me. My allies are all badly-injured. My allies, some dead some barely-alive. They need medic attention. They need me. And then I realized,
No. I'm not weak. Yes I'm not as skillful as Sasuke is or as powerful as Naruto is. But I am Sakura Haruno, a medic nin. A well renowned medic nin of Konoha. And my job in this battlefield is to secure the lives of others, to treat the wounded, to give hope with every gleaming jutsu I have.
Flashback
"Sakura-chan you know why you are the best medic nin?" Naruto asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Because your smile is the best treatment ever".
I remembered how he flashed the biggest smile ever. And I recalled my pink face as he uttered those words.
"Arigato Naruto"
"Arigato Naruto" I repeated those words again as I stood up from my position. Covered in blood. Exhausted from the chakra-drain. But definitely with hope. With new determination. I rushed towards my wounded allies and healed them with all I can. And maybe someday, somehow, when I can prove to them, to others and to myself, I can be the girl by everyone's sides. That that should be me.