Sakura Haruno sat in the Hokage office, looking over the small mound of paperwork in front of her. Due to her diligence and work till your fingers bleed attitude, she never had a stack of papers as big as her predecessor. She internally smiled, fondly thinking of old Tsunade out drinking the poor jounin in the bars and causing a ruckus for her shinobi.
Currently, Sakura's jade eyes glossed over another trade agreement between Suna and Kumo, an agreement that she would indeed approve as she had all the others. After the fifteen long year Fourth Great Shinobi War no hidden village dared to spark up any issues with each other unless it was obviously warranted. So a minor piece of paper prompting for easier free trade was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
"Another trade agreement?" a lazed voiced droned.
The pink haired Hokage looked up from her desk at her second hand man and gave a small smile.
"Yup, Gaara is really pushing this one though," she answered, her voice now more mature and deeper than it had at eighteen years old during the war.
Shikamaru Nara took another drag from his cigarette. The puffs of smoke filled the room, reminding her of a particular jounin dear to the man who stood before her.
"So who pushed Kumo into this agreement? You or Gaara?" he asked. She raised a delicate eyebrow in his direction, prompting him to continue with that train of thought.
"What?" he shrugged. "You and Gaara are like a tag team these days, and no other village would even think about crossing either of you. So, because I don't remember discussing this with you I'm just going to guess that it was Gaara that put it on the table."
Sakura's heels clicked the ground below her and nodded. "Why do you even ask me questions when you already know the answers to them? Seems kind of like a drag doesn't it?"
He caught my little taunt and smirked. "Conversation's good, even if it is a little mindless."
"The you from fifteen years ago would never have said that," she countered while standing up and laying her papers gently onto a separate desk.
Sakura then turned behind her to look over at the village, her village. The sun was setting, creating a blistering red sky that hung over her people. Shikamaru took his place by her side and took another drag before answering in his gravelly voice.
"Yeah well, war changes people, I know you know it Sakura." Shikamaru's dark eyes glazed over a bit as he puffed out another bout of smoke.
As she watched the smoke tendrils twirl in the air, her eyes traveled over to the Hokage monument, gazing at it with a mixture of disgust and longing. Next to Tsunade's proud face was Sakura's, her hair long and cascading down the mountain with the same diamond seal etched into her forehead as her mentor. It was a pretty face sculpting, one that many villagers of Konoha and of the Land of Fire were proud of.
But not the woman whose dim eyes bore into it.
Sakura reached beside her and placed her strong hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.
"It's getting late, you should get home to Temari and Shikadai."
The top advisor let a smile curve his lips as he thought of his family. It made Sakura's heart melt every time she saw that gentle expression from her close friend. It was one that she would most likely never have, so her being able to elicit it from someone gave her a small selfish happiness.
Shikamaru tapped the Hokage's shoulder and turned around.
While walking away he chided her saying, "And you should go get some rest Hokage-sama."
Sakura only shook her head, her long pink locks swaying at her hips from the action. She crossed her arms as the door was shut behind her trusted advisor, thinking of how many times she told him to never call her by her title. While she had been Hokage for about five years now, taking up the office at the ripe age of thirty-three, she still felt like a place holder. It was a feeling she would most likely never shake.
Turning towards her desk, Sakura smacked her heel down on the floor board to the right of it, revealing a generous amount of full alcohol bottles. She bent and grabbed one while reaching with her other hand into a desk drawer, pulling out Tsunade's old drinking cup.
Sakura plopped herself down at her desk, pouring herself her first glass. When she first accepted the job of Hokage she promised herself she would never drink like Tsunade.
Boy was she dead wrong.
Now she drank more than her previous mentor, but due to years of training her body to heal on its own it was actually quite a difficult feat to get buzzed let alone drunk. And while she inherited Tsunade's office and drinking problem she most certainly did not inherit her clothing sense. This Hokage wore a high necked red top lined in white that split down the front. Under it she wore sensible black long leggings, an outfit that was both simple and easy to fight in, no need for anything that showed off her body.
Sakura took her drink in her hand and turned around in her chair to face the Hokage Monument once more, wishing that she could burn her face that stared back at her. While the rest of the village saw a powerful and kind face all she saw was a sham, put there because the person's whose face belonged there was no longer present to take the position.
She remembered how Tsunade convinced her to become the next Hokage. The war had just ended and the Allied villages, especially Konoha were in shambles.
.
"Sakura, please you have to understand."
"I'm sorry but I don't," Sakura huffed, too tired to show how truly upset she was. She was spent, run ragged, and she didn't have time for a meaningless conversation. What Sakura needed to do was get back to the hospital and heal people, not stand idle for a chat with her mentor.
Tsunade crossed her hands in front of her, her limbs shaking a bit from not completely recovering from the final battle with Madara and Ten Tails.
"Sakura, you are my chosen pupil. You have been with me as Hokage this entire time so you know how the system works. And to be honest, you will probably be better at it than me," she said, sighing at the last bit. Her caramel eyes just looked so done, the shine that had been there for Sakura's youth now forever stripped away.
"But I was never meant for to be Hokage, he was," Sakura whispered painfully.
Silence hung in the air for moment before Tsunade got up and walked over to her thirty three year old student. Without hesitation, she gathered Sakura into her arms and held her close, a moment of compassion meant for only Sakura's eyes.
Sakura felt the warmth of someone she considered to be a mother and held Tsunade close in return. She knew why Tsunade was asking this of her, it made sense but it still hurt to think about.
"You couldn't have done anything to save Naruto," Tsunade began. "He made his choice and it saved everyone…he would want someone he trusts to have the title he loved so very much."
Sakura swallowed deeply, trying to hold back the tears that had dried up years ago. She knew her beloved mentor was right, deep down she knew.
"It's a disgrace to his memory."
Tsunade squeezed her harder in response. "Would you rather make sure that Konoha never had a leader again Sakura?"
"No."
Tsunade pulled back and placed her arms on Sakura's shoulders, looking her dead straight in the eyes. "You have surpassed me terms of medical prowess and strength. You are loved by the people of this village. You are part of the team that saved the world from destruction. And you are smart Sakura, so I hope you can use that intelligence to make the right decision. Naruto wanted his home safe and happy, who's to say you can't make that dream of his true?"
Sakura's jaded eyes gazed at her mentor feeling the full weight of her words hang heavily on her. Naruto had always wanted peace, and he was the one who achieved it with his sacrifice. Now, she just had to maintain it for the years to come.
.
Reason had won out in that conversation, just as it always had with Sakura. She was a practical woman to her core and what Tsunade was asking made sense. Naruto would have wanted someone he trusted to be Hokage in his stead, and who better than the person he considered to be a dear sister to him.
Sakura downed her glass and poured another one while looking at the families below traversing the streets. It was a peaceful sight, one Naruto would have been happy to watch for hours. And since he was not here to do it himself she did it for him, her life was now a conduit for which she hoped Naruto was living through.
"You stupid idiot," she whispered under her breath. Whether it was to the wind or for herself she didn't know but she felt that it had to be said.
As she poured a third glass she reached into her drawer and got out another glass cup, sensing another presence approaching from the East Gate. She poured the dark liquid down it and waited for his arrival, already tracking his inhuman speed through the village.
He came in like the shadow he appeared as, all dressed in black save for the white shirt he worse beneath his ebony cloak. His hair stretched over one side of his face, covering the tell-tale rings of the rinnegan. Sakura gave him a once over and picked up the new glass handing it to him. he took it delicately, holding it with both of his hands.
"So, what's it this time?" Sakura asked out of sheer habit.
Sasuke Uchiha took a quick sip and looked out the large window with her at the darkening sky.
"Some rogue fractions are gathering in the North. I took care of most of them and captured one," he tapped the scroll on his side, "he didn't succumb to the sharingan so someone else is probably pulling the strings that gave him the immunity."
Sakura nodded. "Take the one you captured to Ino, she should be able to get something out of him." She took another sip before continuing, "Do we know what these rogue fractions want?"
"War," Sasuke said simply, his voice edged just a bit. "It's profitable to them."
Sakura understood, war was profitable for many especially those that were a weapon for hire. In times of peace those kinds of people could do nothing but sit on the sidelines and hope there was still a vengeful soul out there in need of their killing expertise. It sickened Sakura to no end, and they were getting bolder by the day.
"I'll relay the information to Gaara and see if he's had similar issues," she said. "You know, you can take a break for a bit. You've been running around for me for five years now, might as well stand still while things are calm for now. I can always send my ANBU out there to stifle any idiot rogues."
Sasuke stood silent for a minute before shaking his head subtly. "No, I'd rather keep doing what I'm doing."
"You still hate the village that much huh?" Sakura asked casually, not really wanting to hear the answer but trying her best not to show it.
"If I hated it why would I protect it Sakura?" the dark man asked bluntly.
"For Naruto," she answered, knowing Sasuke like the back of her hand.
He stiffened a bit and only took another swig of his drink. While Sasuke was plenty of things in his life he was always consistently two things, Naruto's brother and a member of Team 7. Even though he might hate the village for everything that it did to Itachi and his clan he could not ignore the wishes of his dear friends who pulled him out the suffocating darkness that he had been drowning in for years. He owed him at least this much.
"You know, it's coming up," Sakura huffed, "the day he died."
Sasuke snuck a look at his old teammate and now Hokage, the smallest amount of pity held in his eyes. He knew her pain, hell he felt it every day so instead of doing what he would have done when he was younger and run away he stayed. He stayed for her and for him.
"You still throwing that festival?" Sasuke asked calmly.
Sakura smiled, her eyes glittering at the thought of the coming days. "Yeah, everyone is already preparing and getting ready. The Kage are all coming this year to celebrate the five year anniversary of the end of war…and to celebrate that knuckle head teammate of ours."
Sasuke nodded, silently letting her know that he would be there to support her. Most of the time he would come back and report, leaving the next day. But this time he decided that he should stay for the festival that honored his friend, even if many still feared his presence.
"How's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, truly curious how their old father figure was doing.
Sakura sighed heavily. "Not well, he tries not to show it though. He's at the memorial stone every day longer than he ever was before."
She thought fondly of the old silver fox, remembering the days as his students. All the dumb pranks and close calls came to mind, it was the carefree days of their youth filled with Naruto's laughs, Sasuke's remarks, and Kakashi's warm smile beneath his mask. It was the days of her makeshift family when they just lived instead of fighting to live. Now Kakashi no longer smiled as widely as he once did. He was eternally grateful that not all his students had died, he would now do anything to protect Sasuke and Sakura from the same fate that befell Naruto. But when Naruto died, it was like a little bit of light had left his world colder and darker for the members of Team 7.
"Sasuke," she started before pausing.
He made a motion with his head, asking her continue.
"Do…do you have nightmares from that night?"
He remained silent, no longer looking at her but rather ahead at the now dark sky with its twinkling stars. Sakura took in the silence and shook her head, downing her drink.
"Forget I asked, I-"
"Yes."
Sakura stopped in her tracks slightly. Sasuke had become more open as they spent more time like this together, hell during their years fighting the war together they had all gotten closer. She just didn't expect him to answer so honestly about that horrifying night.
.
"NARUTO!"
It was all slow motion as he was stabbed multiple times through his body. Blood exploded from him as he was held in the air by Madara whose sick smile was etched into the evil Uchiha's face.
The blond haired man spat out blood and shouted, "Guys now!"
Sakura looked to her right and saw Sasuke beside her, just as bloody and beat up as her. He gritted his teeth and nodded her way, she did so timidly knowing the plan.
Sasuke and she darted forward and Naruto held onto the hand that was stabbed through his chest, extracting Kurama from him. Orange chakra was swirling around Madara and Naruto, encasing the both of them, Naruto's body was right in front of him which meant one thing.
He had a blind spot now.
Sasuke hit him with his signature lightning jutsu from the right and Sakura hit him with a chakra packed fist on the left. Both of their attacks were so immensely powerful that their arms went straight through him, it was close enough that she could feel Sasuke's sizzling arm through Madara's body.
The Uchiha gave out one last grunt of pain before his eyes bugged out and he died. It was an odd sight with Madara's hand still in Naruto's chest while Sasuke and Sakura held the enemy up with their own hands protruding from his body. It was a sickening sight to many who witnessed it. But it was a victory, right?
Sakura, seeing that the enemy was now dead along with the connection to the Ten Tails that was previously building up behind him, tugged her hand out and went to Naruto who was still sputtering.
She quickly but delicately pulled Madara's cold hand out of Naruto's body, holding her blond friend close to her chest. Immediately she put him down on the ground, focusing all of her seal's chakra into her hands and transferring her medical ninjutsu in Naruto's ravaged body. It was an absolute mess, with all his organs misplaced or now missing, reconstructing could take hours, days. It was time she didn't have.
Frustrated tears fell down her face as Sasuke joined at her side, looking down at his two teammates with solemn eyes.
"Naruto, I need you to stay with me damnit," Sakura whispered brokenly, the sleepless nights and constant pain now catching up with her now that the threat was gone.
Naruto's mouth spat out blood as he coughed out, "Eh S-Sakura-chan…i-it worked right?"
"He's dead," Sasuke answered for Sakura. "You did a good job playing distraction, now get to work on healing up dobe."
Sakura poured as much chakra as he could into her dear friend's body. But it wasn't working, it wasn't working. She couldn't keep this up for much longer, but she had to, she just had to.
Her body swayed, but her hands stayed steady. Her focus was so intense that she didn't hear the footsteps of Konoha and Allied shinobi alike start to surround them, or the quick and staggered footsteps of the fading Kakashi now standing behind his three students. No, she heard none of it, all she heard was Naruto's slowing breathes.
"Why isn't it working!" she almost shouted shrilly. "Naruto, come on you need to stay with me please."
He gave a gurgled laugh. "I-I don't feel Kurama anymore…that's n-not good is it Sakura-chan?"
Sasuke's eyes widened at the realization but before he could act Naruto weakly placed his hands on his two dearest people. It took all of his strength to the simple movement.
"Sasuke-teme, S-Sakura-chan…I don't think I'm going t-to make it," he stuttered, his once strong voice now fumbling to get the words out.
Sakura's tears now began to flow freely, falling down on the bloody mangled form of her best friend. "Shut up, you have to keep fighting. You have to be the Hokage remember? You promised us all you would do it so just live, please Naruto just live."
Sasuke clenched his jaw, wanting to look away but finding that he was unable to.
"Sasuke-t-teme take care of Sakura-chan for me."
No.
"Do that yourself dobe."
No.
"Sakura-c-chan can you smile j-just one last time?"
No. No.
She smiled through the tears, trying her best not to break down as she felt him slipping away.
No.
NO.
And just like that he was gone. The bright shining light that was Naruto was now no more, his life snuffed out as if it was nothing. Sakura felt the shock of losing him as what was left of her chakra snapped back to her, letting her know she failed, that had utterly failed. Her mind was whirling, thinking of every medical text she had ever read, of every strange encounter with medical ninjutsu that she had ever seen, of just anything. This couldn't be happening, not now, not like this.
Everyone was silent as she started to shake her dead friend's body, pleading for him to come back. Sasuke placed a shaking hand on her shoulder, trying in his own way to comfort not only her but himself. He felt the sting just as bad as her but his eyes had seen so much of what he has loved taken from him that he was now forever just a bystander from disaster to disaster in his life. It still crushed him though to hear Sakura's screams.
Her hopeless screeches.
Then she stilled, so quickly and suddenly that Sasuke's red and purple eyes snapped to her in worry. What the hell was wrong with her, what did she just think of?
Even though her reserves were low, she pulled from the seal on her head and once again her hands were a glowing green.
"There's one thing left, just one last thing," she whispered to herself over and over again.
Sasuke had no idea what was going on. Naruto was dead, there was no reversing that unless she performed an Edo Tensei, which she obviously was not doing. So what the hell was she doing?
"Sakura no! You can't!" a sharp cry sounded from Kakashi, who was trying to limp to his students.
"Sasuke stop her, now!"
Sasuke reached to pull her away, but her body was like a mountain that refused to be moved. It didn't help that he himself was so pathetically weak at this moment. His eyes studied her, trying to watch the flow of her chakra as it surrounded Naruto's half missing heart.
"Sakura, what are you doing?" he demanded.
"This is the only thing left," she said, completely ignoring her worried teammate.
Sasuke whipped around to Kakashi for answers. Kakashi's eyes were wide with fear as he looked Sasuke dead in the eye and shouted, "She's going to give her life for his!"
Sasuke now seeing the issue tried pulling her away again, but still she would not budge. Not. An. Inch.
Seeing no other way, Sasuke clasped both of her shoulders harshly and forced her to look at him.
"Sakura, Naruto would not want this and you know it. Take your hands off now-"
"Sasuke move, I have to focus I-"
"You have to step back now."
"He's more important than me. This is all I can do ri-"
"Shut up and let him go Sakura, now."
"But-"
"Sakura."
"I can do-"
"No. You. Can't. He would never forgive himself if you died in his place. Do you want to do that to him, to have him live with that guilt because of you?"
She stood silent for a moment, her jade eyes looking down. Her vision was blurred from all the tears mixed with dirt and blood. The hazy blond form of Naruto lied beneath her, unmoving and with gaping holes all within him. Sakura breathed deeply, her breath stuttering in her emotional state. But then she remembered Naruto alive, with his gleaming smile and personality that shun brighter than the sun. He gave his everything for those he loved, for peace. Why shouldn't she follow his example?
Because he would hate you.
He would feel guilt the rest of his life.
He would never be the bright sun he was again.
He wouldn't know what to do with the pain of living exchanged for her death.
He would feel responsible.
She cried out in pain and misery, pulling her hands away and crumpling into herself. Sasuke still had his hands on her to steady her, but he too was fading. Both were spent, almost dead themselves. And as this pure sense of pain and shock hit them both, they fell together and passed out next to their dead teammate.
The whole Alliance watched as the broken fragments of Team 7 curled onto each other. They were a bloodied and twisted mess, all three of them. As their silver haired mentor finally reached them, he looked down and felt the true weight of his failures come at full force. His teammates, his friends, his children were now shattered. So he allowed this moment for himself to cry, to feel sorry for himself, to feel the loss of Konoha's Number 1 Unpredictable Ninja: Naruto Uzumaki.
And he mourned for the two friends that boy left behind. The two who would now forever be connected by their pain and longing for that missing piece of their souls.
.
She remembered that night clear as day, and it never failed to haunt her. Sakura always wondered what would have happened if she had used Chiyo's jutsu, if she had given up her life for Naruto's. Sasuke was right that day of course, but that didn't mean she still didn't imagine the 'what ifs' or 'what could have been'.
"You know," Sasuke said, bringing her out of her thoughts. "The dobe would have wanted us to only have happy memories of him."
"We both know that's no longer possible," Sakura answered, her words hanging in the air like a dull knife.
Sasuke stood in silence with her for a moment before sighing and finishing his drink.
"Sakura, you still blame yourself don't you?"
"Don't you too?"
Silence.
They both knew they blamed themselves for what happened even though it had been Naruto who planned to take advantage of Madara's arrogance and blind spots. They still thought that they might as well have dealt the finishing blow that day.
Sakura allowed for a single tear to fall from her face, but before she could wipe it away Sasuke's quick fingers reached out and took away the offending liquid. She turned away in her weakness, unable to face her friend before her. While they shared the pain of losing Naruto, they dealt with it in different ways. Sakura poured herself into the work of what was supposed to be Naruto's, and Sasuke remained a lone informant leaving her behind once again.
"Stay."
"What?" he asked.
"Stay for longer than the festival, please Sasuke," she asked, trying to not sound like she was pleading with him.
He moved to stand in her line of sight and crossed his arms. "I have business to take care of out of the village, to keep it safe."
"You don't have to lug that burden on your own forever you know, I have other capable ninja to do that," she countered. "Just stay for a month and then you can go out again."
"Why?" he asked, not missing a beat.
She downed her glass and looked away. "Oh come on, don't make me say it."
He stayed silent, waiting for her reply to his question.
She caved of course.
"Because I need someone here who understands alright? If you want to keep leaving me in the dust fine, and I won't order you as Hokage, I'm just asking as a friend o-"
"Alright."
She was silent after he interrupted her. Honestly, she had been expecting him to wave her off like he had so many times before, dealing with his grief in his own manner. But this time was different for Sasuke, this time he felt that he should keep his promise to Naruto by protecting her from her side instead of afar for once. And if he was being honest with himself, he had missed her presence.
Sakura poured herself another glass and downed it, then she turned to Sasuke who was now illuminated in the moon's light. It gave him a ghostly glow.
"Seriously, you're okay with this?" she asked, not timidly but curiously.
He rolled his eyes and droned out, "I said I was didn't I? Now let's get going, you're exhausted and I need a bed."
She giggled quietly to herself and stashed away her booze. Sasuke, for all his cool demeanor and icy persona was actually a kind and observant man. It was something that had grown on her after all the years they fought the war together. Team 7 had truly become one during that time, so of course Sasuke was the only person who could really understand what if felt like to be dead yet still alive and breathing.
Both of them turned to walk out of the office together, Sasuke guiding her out by placing his hand on the small of her back. Normally she would swat him away, but right now she would allow it. Some closeness never hurt after all, especially if it was from someone who cared about her.
As the two lost souls walked out into the crisp night, they both swore that could feel a gentle warmth around both of their shoulders. Maybe it was the tiredness creeping up on them or maybe, just maybe, it was the greeting of an old beloved friend letting them know that he would forever be watching over them.
Author's Note:
I hoped you guys enjoyed this One-Shot! I was just sitting in bed when it came to me in the wee hours of the night so I thought why they hell not and just wrote it out. I've never written a One-Shot before but this was actually pretty fun to do so I might do it again.
Plus, I was feeling some Team 7 feels that I just need to write out for myself. And trust me I don't hate Naruto! I love that character to death but I just wondered what would happen if Team 7 had been to war for years and then just lost him so suddenly. Just an angsty thought.
Who knows, I might do some One-Shots of Team 7 during my version of the war, just an idea.
Review and let me know if I should keep these up!