This was inspired by 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell (a wonderful book), 'Witch Wars' by Richard Mathenson (all though really only because the idea came to me after I finished reading it, so I'm not sure how much it counts), and A.E. Strover's story 'The Wild Ones'.
Disclaimer: I'm not sure I'd want this version of her, or this strange world.
She sits, rocking in her self-imposed cell. Everyone has given up talking her out of it- this cell in Interrogations she locked herself in. She had to do it, didn't they see? She was hailed as a hero and no one would dare to think of punishing her for her actions but someone needed to and that was her. She had sensed that under all the lip service they were forced to pay her, her teachers were angry with her for her actions and wanted to be the ones that locked her away. They quickly stopped trying to talk her out of the cell, long before the civilians did. Or maybe they just realized it was useless before everyone else did. Her teachers would visit on occasion, when their duties let them. And, she thinks half guilty, half giddy, when they think that they can stand the sight of her. She thinks her first teacher especially loathes her for her actions, but cannot tell a soul about his feelings. If he really does loathe her- she has trouble telling, he's learned to hide his emotions well- she is pleased. Someone needs to realize she's a monster, not a saint. She pauses her rocking for a moment to snort- her "sister" had come to visit her for the first and last time recently and had reported the civilians were calling her a saint now, saying she was hiding because of modestly. She wants to laugh at that- there are far better ways to hide if she truly wanted to. She entertains the thought leaving, forcing someone to do the nasty work of killing her, but she quickly dismisses it. The backlash against her former friends and teachers would be horrifying and pandemonium would ensue. The old powers that be were fading as it was- the death of the mass's beloved "saint" would surely drive them over the edge and into rebellion. That was the last thing they needed. She hardly notices that she's started rocking again until he comes, floating into her cell. He's the only one that can get in anymore- she has always had the power to keep a simple door closed if she willed it- because he's a ghost. As she has done everytime he comes to visit her, she nods once at him and lays on her back, arms behind her head. She does this purposely, to show him that she is making herself completely vulnerable and open to whatever he wants to do to her, like he once did. As always, he just stands there, smiling. His smile says what she wishes desperately wasn't true. Eventually he leaves, and she resumes her rocking.
The next day finds her the same way, until one day it doesn't. This day finds her with a kunai in her throat and written on the floor in her own blood, 'I had to do it.'
Can you guess who he is? I flirted with a few different characters, even thinking at one point about making it Temari and Gaara, before quickly dispelling that notion. Sasuke and Naruto both would work, but I intended it to be Naruto since the beginning. Well, when I started writing this at least.
...What, you want an explanation of what was going through my head? OK, fine.
Basically, the civilians, and they will always outnumber the ninja, are afraid of Naruto because he's the Kyuubi's container and he's becoming very strong very quickly. They demand something is done, and Tsunade is forced to order Sakura to exploit his crush on her and kill him, lest the civilians rise up, kill Naruto anyway and take over the village. Sakura knows there is a shift in power coming soon and agrees to the mission to try to hold this shift off as long as she can. She then locks herself in a cell to atone for her crime, because legally no one will charge her.