Summary: After a long 7 month solo mission, Sakura comes home hearing news about a certain Uchiha who had returned to the village... she vows that things are going to be different from now on.
AN: Hi! First of all, I haven't written a story in sooo long and I just missed writing so much. So this time around, I chose Sakura as the protagonist and I made her strong. No more of that sissy, pansy stuff lol. A little support is all i need to keep up this story. So let's make a deal k? You review and I keep writing hahaha. Enjoy!
Never Too Late
She wiped the sweat off her brow and sighed with satisfaction at the scenery in front of her. The branch underneath her feet supported her petite figure and a nice warm breeze swept past her, brushing the fringes of her pink strands across her forehead. She stared off at the village before her; it had been too long. It was even bigger than she remembered it to be. 2 years ago, Konoha was struck by a deadly attack from Pain which left the entire village in rubble and debris, but now Konoha had blossomed into a bustling metropolis, bursting with power and prosperity.
She smiled wryly to herself, closing the space between her and her beloved village. Her feet hurdled from branch to branch until she gracefully landed on the dirt path leading up to the main gate.
It really had been too long.
There was no one to greet her at the gate. She maintained a quiet, stealthy return and remembered her duties to report back to Tsunade and then get checked up at the hospital.
Sakura, at the ripe age of 18, was now a stunning kunoichi who surpassed all expectations. She was the most saught after medical ninja and her name was known through out the village. Her emerald eyes sparkled under thick black lashes and her lips were a deep rosy pink. The pastel strands were now past her shoulders, gleaming in the sunlight has she hastily made her way to her master's office.
She was no longer the weak little who girl was was constantly protected by her teammates. She no longer let her tears get the better of her. That was a different time. It was different now. Everything about her was different.
Raising her fist to the mahogany-coloured door, Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at herself. Years of concentration and hardwork was reflected in her last mission. And when Tsunade would see her appear before her without a single scratch, it would really mean something.
The mission itself wasn't an easy one either. She spent the entire 7 months in a warzone, covered up to her neck in blood and sweat, healing the wounded and teaching all there was about medicine and healing. The battlefield had dyed her hands red for the first 4 months of her mission; it was a bloody, gorey experience.
knock, knock..
"Come in!" Came the immediate reply.
Sakura turned the handle and stepped in. "Tsunade-sama..."
There was silence for a good 4 seconds.
"Sakura..."
Sakura watched her master's surprised face shift to a confident smile.
"Welcome back."
Sakura closed her eyes for a second but fatigue came out victorious in her fight to stay conscious. When she awoke, the only thing heard was the soft beeping of the heart monitor. Hours before, the nurse had hooked her up to an IV and monitored her pulse to see if her body was in tip-top shape. And indeed, she was absolutely fine.
The sun was setting which casted the entire room in a soft orange glow.
It had been months since she'd seen Naruto and she missed him. At this point in her life, he was her home and she loved him dearly like a little brother. If something would have happened to him, if he was suddenly struck down, dead, she would probably just lay down beside him and wait for death to take her too. (But not until she tried reviving him first, of course.)
Sakura swung her legs over the side of the bed and pondered a little. When she reported back to Tsunade, she was informed that Naruto was out on a mission and that he would be back tonight. So Sakura made up her mind to go see him. Maybe they would go have some ramen at Ichiraku's or catch a late night movie. Anything. She just missed him so much. But there was something else that Tsunade hinted about and she couldn't quite understand what her master was talking about. She remembered that kind of cocky smile that Tsunade had, it danced on her conscience and she couldn't sit still thinking about it.
There was a knock at the door and without looking up she quietly said, "Come in," thinking that it was the nurse again.
She heard the door slide open and then shut again. "Sakura, you're finally back."
In a bit of a shock Sakura examined her visitor. He had dark, almost pitch black silky hair. His eyes reflected the same colour and his skin was pale.
"Sa-"
He smiled.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, eyes wide with curiousity.
"To check up on you, I just heard from the Hokage that you returned."
"Oh," she smiled, "thanks, Sai."
"Naruto just returned aswell and he's only in the next room getting treated for his injurie-"
"He's hurt?" Sakura stood up.
"Oh, he's fine. Just a few scratches here and there, but he's our Naruto. Nothing can stop him. By the way, have you heard about-"
She chuckled cutting him off mid-sentence, "Right. C'mon let's go surprise him."
Sakura had already left the room and left Sai standing, clutching a book in his hands. Suddenly, her pink head peeked in from the hallway.
"Um, which room is Naruto in? Heheh..."
"SAKURA!"
"Hey, take it easy. Don't stress yourself out, you've just gotten back."
His bright personality lit up the room in an instant.
"I've missed you so much Sakura!"
She sat down on the edge of his bed and smoothed his blonde hair back in a motherly gesture. "I've missed you too." And she planted a soft kiss on his forhead.
"Oi! Sakura, you've heard about it haven't you?" Naruto said, with a devilish grin.
"Heard about what-"
"Woo, he's such a prick, I swear, one more smug comment out of him and I would have kick his ass to the moon!"
"Naruto!" Sakura giggled, "Who are you talking about?"
The door slid open and the head nurse walked in. "Naruto~" She cooed, "time for your shot!"
Naruto froze and attempted to hide behind Sakura, "Nonononono! Ahhhh, Sakura save me!"
She laughed and stood up, "I'll come back and visit you tomorrow morning, okay? Bye-bye!" As she left and closed the door behind her, there were still muffled cries coming from the room and she just couldn't help but giggle.
Tsunade promised her an entire week off since she had just returned from a drawn out mission. And already her mind started conjuring up what to do in her free time.
"What to do, what to do..." She mumbled, walking down a quiet street with nothing but lamp posts to light her path. She kicked a pebble and watched it roll out of her way.
...And who was Naruto talking about?
R&R please!
So basically, this was just an introduction to the current team seven that i had set up, but of course that will change a bit later, so please bare with me! hehe...
thanks for reading, it will get interesting soon! promise!
