ONESHOT*
Disclaimer: Born of Masashi Kishimoto's imagination and creativity is Naruto at its finest.
All the hate was gone.
Sakura held out her hand to touch his face – only to stop abruptly at moment's hesitation.
Her emerald eyes betrayed some fear; perhaps that her touch might disturb his peaceful countenance similar to how a mere leaf can cause a ripple in a pond. No, not when he was finally relieved of all the pain and anger and vengeance…
But she needed that feeling – the connection – which can only be satiated by human contact.
Resolutely, she gently brushed his raven hair aside then let her fingers lightly slide down his cold cheek. At once, she was reminded of why she wanted to become a medical ninja. Why she had strived to prove her strength. Why she had studied and trained tirelessly to do so. Why, even after achieving the goal at hand, she only sought to improve further. He was the reason.
To countless people, Uchiha Sasuke simply meant imminent death. To her, he was strength – not power, which he was so consumed by. She might be the brain of Team Seven and Naruto its determination, but he was its strength. Without strength, intellect is merely knowledge and determination is merely an attitude.
"I know the four of us have worked together. And for a while, I thought I could choose that path instead…but in the end…I've decided on revenge."
His words still rang in her mind as if they were only spoken not a moment ago. Even now, they stung. She could never forget his onyx eyes, flickering with such hatred that set his heart, mind, and soul ablaze. She would never be able to describe the trepidation –
Only Naruto seemed to be able to truly empathize with her.
Yet foolishly, she had clung to the little hope that he would return, be it before or after giving Itachi what he had initially thought was a justified revenge. Of course, the fact that Itachi had been ordered by the Konoha elders to massacre his entire clan, had been a shocking revelation to both Sasuke and Konoha, no thanks to Madara.
But it was this important disclosure that had urged Sakura to make a decision.
No more waiting.
No more hoping.
She had truly lost Sasuke…she had lost all strength to continue.
Sakura's attempt to withhold the bothersome tears proved to be futile and soon they were escaping faster than prisoners robbed of freedom, much to her chagrin. Tears – that itself confirmed her weakness. Where was the strength in being able to punch a building to its destruction when the mere mention of Sasuke could crush her heart?
I'm pathetic.
Sakura rid herself of tears and once again looked at Sasuke. She recognized the familiar throbbing in her heart and the warmth in her stomach which she deduced as indications of that feeling...
Love.
She laughed wearily. An image of a pink-haired Gennin glaring at her blonde 'nemesis' popped into her mind. Sure enough, her perception of what love was back then could be considered naïve. Even dense. The true sentiment of love – which had been barely nascent – gradually evolved during their years as Team Seven. Progressively, she transcended infatuation as she weathered through the tribulations caused by Sasuke's untamed ambition. I seem to have developed a penchant for martyrdom. However in the end, her dissatisfaction lay in the fact that after everything, it was a love unrequited.
In the end, all he gave her was a 'thank you'.
She supposed that for him, a concise 'thank you' conveyed the significance of a thousand redundant words.
"Sakura."
The sudden sound startled Sakura out of her reminiscence. All at once, she was brought back to the present and was rather astounded when she reached full awareness. She was crouching next to Sasuke's body amidst a field of rubble and ashes. What had been a forest nearby was now reduced into grimy stumps. There were traces of blood here and there, most which lead to the degraded bodies of the innocent. Nothing had survived the inferno.
Sakura mindlessly surveyed Konoha. Or what had been.
It seemed that its fate lay among the hands of the Uchiha.
Sasuke brought upon Konoha the destruction which Itachi had worked devotedly to prevent, even at the cost of his own family and clan.
It was irony defined.
Rays of light permeated the thick smoke that hovered as it slowly dispersed.
"Sakura," Kakashi repeated. "We should take his body back."
Sakura nodded in assent. She stood up and looked down one last time at Sasuke.
She never wanted it to come to this…to his death.
But if this was what it took…
As Sakura turned to leave, she finally let her face unveil the relief that she had been feeling.
It's over, Sasuke. You don't have to suffer anymore.
Everything was alright.
All the hate was gone.