Sasuke gripped onto the Hokage's hand. "Welcome back Bastard", Naruto said with a toothy grin. They shook hands and Naruto patted the Raven haired ninja on the back. Sasuke stared throughout Naruto's spacious office. "Hokage, huh?", Sasuke said trying to take it all in. "Yep," he said with a accomplish smile. "Believe it!" He gave him a thumbs up. "But, your still the same old Naruto!". The dark haired ninja said while grabbing him into a headlock and giving him a noogie. "Sasuke, Teme, stop!" Naruto cried out. He screamed when Sasuke rubbed his fist into Blond Hokage's scalp, and Sasuke suddenly busted out laughing. Finally, they both settled down, and everything went quiet. Naruto sighed, and Sasuke just stared onto the floor.

"So," The Uchiha said nonchalantly. "What's happened since.." he cleared his throat. "Since I've been gone?" "Other than you becoming Hokage."

Naruto stared blankly at the him. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "Well, let me think." he pondered. "Oh, I did ask Hinata chan to marry me." He winked and smiled. "Of course she said yes." "No one can deny the awesome power of the Hokage!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and half smiled. "You must feel like your on top of world," he said while sighing. "I guess you could say that." The blonde haired ninja said. "She really is something." Naruto suddenly blushed, at the thought of his beautiful fiancé. The Uchiha slapped him on the back. "Congrats dobe." "Thanks Teme." he said when his smile broadened.

Naruto went searching in his desk. "Ah! I found it!" he shouted. He pulled out a Polaroid and handed it to Sasuke. "It's Tentens' and Nejis' baby." he muttered. "Cute kid, looks just like his old man." the Uchiha said while handing him back the picture. "She's actually having a second child very soon." the blonde, spiky haired ninja said while grinning. "I never knew Neji had it in him." Sasuke snickered. The dark haired ninja glanced out the window, thinking to himself. He huffed, and then narrowed his glance towards Naruto "I've heard rumors." he mumbled from underneath his breathe. "About what exactly?," Naruto said confusion. "Is Kakashi really… Sasuke voice trailed off thinking that is was really a touchy subject to bring up. "You heard about that." Naruto spoke. "Yes, it's true." Naruto said while frowning. "But, it happened so quickly…" "That… I don't think it caused him any pain." Naruto's face went sour at the thought. "Ah, Naruto, I'm sorry." Sasuke said while feeling remorse. "It's Okay Sasuke, he was a lot closer to you anyways." The Uchiha felt guilty as soon as he said that. "The only reason why we were so close, is that we could both relate to each other." Sasuke thought to himself

"So, how is Sakura?" Sasuke said trying to brighten things up. Bad decision. Naruto stopped with his paper work and grimaced. "What?" The raven haired boy said worriedly. He took a breath, and paused. "She's…" "She's not exactly the same Sakura as you remember." "What do you mean." The Uchiha said in confusion. "Sasuke, she's not the bubbly, cheerful, pink haired girl anymore." "Ever since you left she hasn't been the same." "She's so isolated and violent." "Isolated and Violent?" The Uchiha thought to himself. "She's the head of Anbu now, and that's all she cares about." " She kills people without hesitation." "I've never seen her like that before. "But, I know she drinks to ease the pain, but she denies it." Naruto shook his head in disproval. " I smell alcohol on her all the time. "Sasuke's face went blank. "Sakura?" "Violent?" "Drinking?" None of it made sense to him.

***

Sakura clamped the empty flask in her gnarled knuckles. She examined it and made a face in disgust. She sat up in her bath tub and threw it against the wall. Everything went into slow motion, the shards of glass rain down onto the tiles.. Each piece mirrored her reflection. Her cheeks had a pasty and plastic like texture. Her eyes that were once a bright jade, were now a dull gray. Her body was now emaciated from the everyday drinking. Sakura pulled herself from the porcelain tub, and wrapped a towel around her frail body. She wobbled across the room, not bothering to pick up the shards. She fell against the toilet and dry heaved until actually letting her stomach contents fill the bowl.

"Bad habit, ain't it Okaasan?" Sakura slurred while staring at the ceiling.

After her parents being slaughter during an invasion, Tsunade took in Sakura. Tsunade was her mother… Until Tsunade died a 2 years ago. Now Sakura was alone.

Flashback.

One day when searching through her dead mother's belongings she found the alcohol Tsunade use to drink all the time. Being filled with grief, Sakura made her own habit of drinking. "Okaasan" she cried out. She opened the bottle and chugged it down. It burned her throat like acid.

***

Sasuke walked out of the Hokage office feeling like total shit. The bad news just keeps coming and coming. "What'd I expect, everything to be the same when I left Konoha?" he sighed and kept walking. He stopped when he was near Sakura's house. "Should I visit her?" The dark haired ninja thought to himself. "I don't think she will enjoy my company." Sasuke said frowning. " I didn't know that I would cause her so much pain." He glanced up to the sky. He took a breath, and shook his head.

"I have to tell her sooner or later." Sasuke said to himself. " I just have to."