Okay, some of you are probably wondering why I'm starting a new story when I have a story that is still waiting to be continued. I'll tell you why, I've lost inspiration for 'Blurred', and honestly, I didn't really like it, and on top of that I forgot where I was going to take the story. How pathetic of me, right? I'm still considering on whether or not I'm going to be taking the fanfiction down. I might just leave it up and edit it and say I've discontinued it, but I don't know. I might find inspiration later on and continue it, who knows?
Anyway, this is a completely new fanfiction. I got the idea for it earlier today while reading a book outside in the rain; very relaxing I must say. Try it sometime.
This is going to be a SasuSaku fanfiction with slight hints of other couplings.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto'.
"Tsunade-sama I have more papers for you to look over–some are urgent." Shizune rolled into the Hokage's office making her way towards the only desk in the room, stacks of paper in hand.
Tsunade looked over the rim of her glass, eyes narrowing at the papers in Shizune's hand. One of the least favorite things of her lifetime was looking over the piles of paper that she received as her role of Hokage of Konoha. With benefits came responsibilities that she clearly didn't want.
Setting her saké glass down, she looked at Shizune once more. "Why can't you give them to Naruto? He is going to be Hokage in short time, is he not? He needs to get used to the heavy work load that's continually finding its way in here." Tsunade sighed. She had been spending more time with Naruto trying to get him ready for when he took her place. Surely he did not just expect to become Hokage and sit in a chair and do nothing; he needed to be ready beforehand for everything.
"Very well, I'll go get Naruto." Shizune turned on her heels and began walked towards the door of the office when Naruto had walked in.
"Ah, Tsunade baa-chan! I'm bored of just waiting around for the day when I get to become the most awesome Hokage Konoha has ever seen; you don't even send me on missions anymore I'm running out of ways to keep myself sane. The day I take your spot really needs to hurry up." Naruto huffed as he slouched himself into a chair that sat in front of Tsuande's desk.
Tsuande's eyes narrowed at Naruto as she poured saké into the small glass that was empty. "I can't believe I recommended such a brat to become the Rokudamie." Tsunade sighed to herself; leaning back in her chair while sipping her saké she looked back at the man in front of her.
She could no longer call him a child anymore; he had become quite the man. He had aged nicely; his face chiseled and eyes the piercing blue they had always been. His hair was still the same, sticking up wildly like he had just woke up out of a deep sleep and stumbled his way into the Hokage tower.
Exhaling deeply, Tsunade looked down at the glass she held. "Don't tell me you have nothing to do, Naruto. There's plenty for you to do," her eyes narrowed at him. "You could file through some of the paperwork that's in desperate need of attention."
"Ehh!? That's too boring and annoying, baa-chan. I think I might die if I look at another paper." Naruto looked at Tsuande sternly. Of course he had wanted to become Hokage ever since he was little and now he was finally completing his dream, he just didn't want to look at all the paperwork that came along with it, he kept telling Tsunade that he was going to hire someone to do that.
"Naruto you need to get used to it. Being Hokage isn't just some walk in the park, it's a lot more than that. The civilians and shinobi of Konoha depend on you, and it's up to you to make the right choices for Konohagakure." Tsunade huffed.
"I know that baa-chan, I've always known that. I just figured I was going to get myself an apprentice like you did. They could help me out with the work load and everything and in return I'd teach them my ways of a shinobi." Naruto grinned looking at Tsunade.
"Naruto, your apprentice won't work for you for forever. Take Sakura for example; she left to become ANBU. Now it's just me, Shizune spends most of her time at the hospital." Tsunade stood, turning to stare out at Konoha through the window.
Naruto jumped up, "Speaking of Sakura-chan, Tsunade baa-chan, when is she coming back from her mission? It was only supposed to be a couple days." He walked over to where Tsunade stood, mimicking Tsunade as she looked out the window. His gaze was worried; he didn't want anything to happen to Sakura.
"She should be arriving today; it was a rather simple ANBU mission." Tsunade shrugged turning to the man standing next to her. "Your birthday's coming up, is it not? You're turning twenty, surely you have something planned?" She smiled at the blond.
"Of course, baa-chan! Hinata-chan wants to take me out for dinner; I don't even have to pay! She's too nice to me sometimes." Naruto grinned not looking away from the window.
Tsunade chuckled, "Well someone's got to be nice to you, I'm sure as hell not going to."
"Baa-chan that was harsh, real harsh." Naruto smiled as he turned on his heels to face Tsunade.
Tsunade beamed, ruffling Naruto's hair she turned to sit back down in her chair. She let out a sigh as she relaxed back into the chair.
Naruto frowned as he walked back over to the chair that he sat in earlier. "Will you help me if I need it, baa-chan?"
"What?" She looked up from the saké she was pouring herself again.
"With everything that's going on between all of the shinobi nations, I was just wondering if you would help me if I really needed it."
Tsunade looked into crystal blue eyes and sighed, "Without a doubt, Naruto. You should know that."
Naruto smiled at the woman sitting behind the desk in front of him. "I know; I just wanted to make sure."
"Besides, when I'm not there to help you out I'm sure your friends will be there for you. They always are." Tsunade gave a hearty smile. She would help him out as much as she could. Tsunade sighed looking towards the pile of paper on the side of her desk.
"Speaking of helping out, why don't you help me out and look through those papers right there?" She nodded towards the overflowing paper on her desk.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the papers and was about to object, but then sighed, deciding against it. He slowly scooted his chair to the corner of the desk that papers were laying grimly.
The mission was simple enough, travel to Suna and obtain a scroll from the Kazekage. It was a simple chunin mission, why Tsunade had sent an ANBU team Sakura may never know. They hadn't run into any trouble on their way there and on their way back.
Sakura sighed looking up at the birds as they flew above her. She was making her way to the Hokage tower with Shikamaru by her side, both dressed in ANBU attire. The rest of their team had left back to their homes, she didn't care though. It was not her responsibility to keep track of them, Shikamaru was their captain.
She looked up as Shikamaru knocked on the Hokage's office door and grunted. He murmured something about how troublesome their mission had been as he opened the door. Sakura chuckled at him before she walked in after him.
"Ah, Shikamaru, Sakura." Tsunade had looked up and nodded her head to both of them. "How was the mission? Successful I presume?"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama." They said in unison as they both nodded back at the woman behind the desk.
"Sakura-chan! I'm so glad you're back!" Naruto stood from his seat and jumped at Sakura, picking her up in a giant hug.
"Ah, Naruto-kun. You're killing me." Sakura laughed as Naruto swung her around cheerfully.
Naruto chuckled setting Sakura down, "I can't kill you, you'd merely heal yourself as soon as I did any damage." He huffed, sitting back down in the chair.
Sakura smiled at him, he was always cheerful when they were together. They were family, brother and sister. Sure they weren't related by blood, but that meant nothing to them. They would treat each other like family no matter what. "You know me too well, Naruto."
"Troublesome." Shikmaru said blandly as he turned to Tsunade, setting down the scroll on her desk.
Sakura stood next to Shikamaru and looked down at the blond woman sitting in front of her, eyes questioning. "Tsunade-shishou, why did you send an ANBU team? A chunin team would have been perfectly capable of this mission." She sighed, flopping down into the only other chair that sat in front of Tsunade's desk.
Tsunade sighed, irritated. She narrowed her eyes down at the saké bottle sitting in front of her then softened her gazed as she looked at her former apprentice. She sat there taking in Sakura's appearance. Her hair was only slightly longer than her shoulders, and her jade eyes beamed the most radiant color. She sat there in her full ANBU uniform, her mask resting in her lap.
"Well I couldn't go sending chunin into a battle field if they ran into one. Some of the shinobi nations are becoming nervous and acting rashly because of current events. No one knows Akatsuki's next move and the lands that do know, aren't talking. I didn't want Konoha's chunin to be lost at something that was so easily avoidable. At least I know that ANBU can handle themselves." Tsunade sighed looking at Shikamaru and Sakura.
Shikamaru sighed deeply before turning around and walking towards the door, he waved his hand in the air which meant that he'll see them all later. "So fucking troublesome." He shut the door with a click.
Sakura looked to her former sensai, "Understandable." She nodded once and stood, making her way towards the window, watching the busy streets of Konoha buzz.
"Sakura-chan! It's been awhile since we went and got some ramen, let's go. My treat." Naruto grinned to the pink haired woman gazing out the window.
Sakura smiled and turned to the noisy blond that she considered her very own brother. "Alright." She shrugged, shuffling towards Naruto and ruffled his hair like he was a small child.
Naruto pouted as she ruffled his golden locks but then beamed as he jumped up and dragged her by the arm out of the office that would be his in short time, both laughing on their way out.
Tsunade watched them go; at least two members of team seven were still in good means with each other, which was good enough for her. Her eyes narrowed instantaneously as she looked to what Naruto had left behind for her. The papers he was supposed to be looking through were sprawled out, some folded into paper planes.
Sighing, she sipped her saké and leaned back in her chair. She wouldn't be bothered with paperwork for much longer, and she smiled at that thought.
"Two pork ramens, please." Naruto said as he held up two of his fingers, Sakura and himself sat down on two of the stools at Ichiraku.
"So the mission was simple, Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked to the woman next to him and smiled. He loved her, but it wasn't the same love he held when he was younger; it was different.
He remembered when he had confessed his love to her; she had laughed it off like it was nothing. He had tried to avoid her the next few weeks after that, but it was proving difficult since they were on the same team as each other. It was merely a crush though; he had gotten over it quickly when he learned that Sakura would never feel the same way he felt. It was a one-sided love and would forever be.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto looked up from the steaming bowl of ramen that he was engrossing himself in as he sat at Ichiraku. Sakura smiled as she slipped onto the stool next to him.
"Ah Naruto. Always stuffing your face, ne?" She laughed seeing Naruto turn to her with noodles hanging out from his mouth.
Naruto slurped up the remaining food in his mouth before he sighed. "Sakura-chan, I have something to tell you." He turned to face her completely, eyes stern.
Sakura looked up from the tea she ordered and currently drinking. She looked confused; she couldn't tell what was going through his mind, which was normally easy to her. "And what is that?" Her jade orbs questioning him.
"Sakura-chan," he began but quickly stopped, hesitating. His gaze softened as he looked down at the bowl in front of him then back to the pink haired woman, who was watching him with curiosity. "I like you Sakura-chan. I like the way you look at me, the way you talk to me, the way you laugh with me, the way you care for me," sighing he looked into her shining jade eyes. "And I like you more than just a friend."
Sakura sighed; she knew he had liked her more than just a friend for awhile now. She just wasn't one to call someone out because of it. Instead she just completely ignored all the hints he had been giving her, and just decided to continue on like friends would. She had wondered if she had the heart to tell him that she didn't feel the same way, she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to slam his heart into a wall like had happened to her, she knew how horrible it felt.
"Naruto, it's just a crush." She looked up to the blond, cracking half a smile. "Besides, I don't think it would work out, ne?" Sakura looked down to the glass on tea in her hand, she didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes that she knew was there.
Naruto sighed before looking into the his bowl, seeing the noodles float around. He chuckled, "You're probably right, Sakura-chan."
"Extremely easy, it reminded me of my genin and chunin days." Sakura smiled, glancing at him. "Too tell you the truth, the whole time I thought we were going to get ambushed any second. It was almost too good to be true, you know?"
Naruto looked to her, her voice taking him out of his trance. "Ah, I wish Tsunade baa-chan would send me on a mission. You have no idea how boring it is just sitting here all day, Sakura-chan. All I do is just look at paperwork with baa-chan." Naruto pouted, it had been awhile since he was sent on a mission of his own.
Sakura chuckled at her friend's innocence, "Well if it makes you feel any better, I had to do the same thing you're doing when I was Tsunade-shishou's apprentice. Besides, you should get used to it; you're going to be the next Hokage after all. Why would she send you on missions when you're next in line to be Hokage? She just wants you safe, we can't have you going off and dying anyway."
Naruto looked at her catching her smile and returning it. "Yeah, I know. It's great; I'm finally completing my dream that I've had ever since I was little. I'm glad you're going to be there by my side to help me out, Sakura-chan." Naruto looked down as both of their bowls were set in front of them, steaming hot.
"Well I can't just not help you, Naruto. You're my best friend; what kind of best friend doesn't help out?" Sakura took her chopsticks in her hand and started slurping down the contents in the steaming bowl.
"Yeah," Naruto chuckled before turning to Sakura. "Hey Sakura-chan, want to be my apprentice?" He grinned ear to ear.
Sakura choked on the ramen that she was chewing before she turned to Naruto. She coughed a couple of times in her hands. "What was that?"
"Do you want to be my apprentice? I mean, you've already been through it all. I'm pretty sure you're good with paperwork too, so I can leave that all to you. It would be great, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled before shoving more of the bowls contents in his mouth.
"Naruto," Sakura slowly turned to him.
"Hmm? Yeah, Sakura-chan?" He turned in the direction of Sakura with noodles hanging out of his mouth, eyes going wide at what was about to happen. Sakura lifted her hand and hit Naruto right on top of his head. "Ow, Sakura-chan! What was that for?!"
"It would be better if you asked someone younger and with less experience to be your apprentice, Naruto." Sakura turned back to her bowl and continued to eat.
Naruto sighed; it would have been so easy if she would've been his apprentice. She already knew all the ropes of everything. He wouldn't have to waste time explaining to someone on what to do. "Well you could've said no in a nicer way, Sakura-chan."
Sakura looked up and smiled, she could never hate him no matter what happened and she was sure of that. She sighed looking down at herself; she was still dressed in her ANBU attire. She'd have to go home and change soon.
"Naruto," she turned to him, eyes hard. "What are you going to do about Sasuke-kun once you're Hokage? It's not like you could just go out and leave one a rescue mission." She had been dreading this, she didn't want him to end up having to send an ANBU squad to assassinate him; she didn't want it to be her squad. Though even if her ANBU team was sent, she'd decline, she wouldn't be able to go through with it and she would just end up putting her team in danger, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if any of them got her because of a foolish mistake she did.
Naruto sighed; he didn't want to answer because he didn't even know what he was going to do. He knew it was his responsibility as Hokage to keep his village safe, and if that meant killing off possible threats then that's what had to be done, and Sasuke was one of those threats. He just couldn't go through with it; he knew he wouldn't be able to give his approval of having an ANBU squad go murder his childhood friend. The council will probably go behind his back and send someone anyway, despite what he says.
"I," he frowned down at the ground as he sat there in Sakura's gaze. "I don't know, Sakura-chan." Sighing, Naruto jumped of the stool, standing steadily on his feet. He nodded once to Sakura, taking his leave.
Sakura frowned, calling back after Naruto. "Hey! Where are you going?"
Naruto didn't even look back towards her as he started his way down the road to the Hokage tower. "Tsunade baa-chan wants me to do a couple of things." And with that said he turned the corner.
Sakura huffed; he hadn't even finished his ramen. She stood slowly, taking the money for both of her and Naruto's meal out of her pocket and placing it on the counter. "Baka, you were supposed to pay." She murmured before walking in the direction to her apartment, kicking a pebble near her feet.
Sakura sighed as she put the key to her apartment into the lock, clicking as she turned the doorknob and walked inside. Her home was nothing special to her, just a place to sleep and eat while not out on missions but it still gave her a sense of security, and she liked that. She needed someplace where she could feel at ease, this was her heaven.
Shuffling her way into her bedroom, she shut the door quietly behind her and leaned against it and sliding to the ground, Naruto's words replaying in her head.
"I don't know, Sakura-chan."
Surely he wasn't going to send someone after Sasuke, Naruto was never one to give up on his friends despite how much trouble they got themselves into. Naruto was always there, the friend that you never wanted to leave your side. His bright attitude and smile could make anyone's day; he was a savior for all of them.
Sakura huffed, "He'll do the right thing–I know he will." Grunting as she stood up from her sitting position, her muscles ached and her head throbbed. She sat at the edge of her bed, setting down the ANBU mask she had been holding. Moonlight peeked through the curtains covering her bedroom with a glow.
She fell back, the springs in her bed protesting as she bounced back up slightly. All she wanted was to sleep, that's all. Curling up on her bed and sighing she looked at the picture that was laid on the table next to her bed. It was the photo of team seven when they were genin, her favorite people in the world standing next to her. She kept it there, keeping herself humble.
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she looked at the Sasuke, who stared back at her. She still had feelings for him, no matter how many times she had told herself in the past that she didn't. She couldn't deny her feelings. She had tried getting over him by finally accepting to go on dates with some of the shinobi that had asked her out. None of it worked, no matter how many dates she went on, she was still falling for the boy who had betrayed her and her loved ones.
Scowling as she set the picture back where it had been laying she flipped over on her back, staring at the ceiling. "I should be a traitor just for falling for one."
"Sakura-chan, oh Sakura-chan!" Naruto chimed running throughout Sakura's apartment and stopping in front of her bedroom door.
"N-Naruto-kun, I think she's still sleeping. We should leave, w-we can come back later." Hinata walked after Naruto trying to persuade him to stop his parade.
"Nonsense, Hinata-chan! She will wake up because I am the wonderful Hokage and I demand her to get up." Naruto looked to Hinata sternly; his gaze slowly softened as he looked at her and smiled.
Hinata blushed, turning around and walking back towards the small kitchen mumbling softly as she went.
"Shut up, Naruto! You're not the Hokage yet, so I don't have to do anything you say." Sakura opened the door smirking. Her hair stuck up at random places; she had tossed and turned all night.
Naruto frowned as he looked at what she was wearing. "You have a mission today Sakura-chan?"
Sakura stared, confused at the sudden question. She followed his eyes seeing what he was looking at and frowned herself. She stood in her ANBU uniform; she must have fallen asleep in it last night. She was too engrossed in thinking when she should have changed out of it. Sighing she looked back up to the man in front of her and shrugged. "Let me go change."
"Okay." Naruto had turned around and started walking to the kitchen to find Hinata.
Yawning, Sakura shut the door with a soft click. She turned to the dresser sitting next to her bed and pulled out a suitable outfit and laid it out on the bed. It was simple, a red uwagi that had the Haruno clan symbol placed on the back and was held closed by a black slash, and black pants.
Sakura stripped herself of the uniform and slid on the uwagi, tying the slash so it would not come undone. She pulled on the pants and pushed up the bottoms of them higher above her calf, pulling the strings tight and tying them.
She sighed looking into a mirror hanging on the wall, "I look like a mess." Taking a brush, she brushed through her pink hair, gently pulling when she came to tangles in it.
"W-what do you think Sakura-chan wants for b-breakfast, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered as she closed a cabinet door and looked to Naruto.
Naruto sat at the small table that was in Sakura's kitchen, huffing. "Eh, I don't know Hinata-chan. There's barely anything here; I mean I know Sakura-chan goes on a lot of missions and everything, but she could at least keep her placed stocked!" He stood up and walked to the refrigerator, hoping to find a trace of food there.
"Why should I keep my apartment stocked with food if I'm not even going to be here to enjoy it, Naruto?" Sakura slouched into the chair next the table Naruto was sitting at previously. "Even if I did, it wouldn't be here when I returned. I would have to listen to how you miraculously found your way to my apartment and saw someone break in and steal all my food or that you accidently sleep walked here and ate all my food." She stared at him lazily with her elbow resting on the table having her hand hold her head up.
Hinata giggled knowing how much truth was in Sakura's words. "Why don't we just g-go to the market and p-pick something up there?"
"Ahh, Hinata-chan! Why didn't I think of that?!" Naruto shut the refrigerator door with a slam, empty bottles rattled against each other.
"Hey now, I'd appreciate it Naruto if you didn't break my fridge." Sakura stood walking towards the door leading out of her apartment, "Let's go before you decide to wreck anything of mine." She turned from the two and opened up the door, stepping outside.
"Come on, Hinata-chan." Naruto grabbed Hinata by her hand and ran after his pink haired friend.
"So how exactly did you get into my apartment, Naruto?" Sakura asked before she took another bite out of the apple she was holding.
Naruto looked up from the orange he was trying to peeling, "Oh, your door was unlocked."
Sakura sighed; of course she hadn't remembered to lock the door last night, she had too much on her mind. She looked up towards the clear blue sky, and closed her eyes as she listened to the busy talk of the people around her.
"S-sorry Sakura-chan." Hinata apologized as she took the orange from Naruto's hand and peeled it herself; he was having no luck with it.
Sakura cracked open her eyes and smiled at the Hyuuga. She was too polite, how Naruto got Hinata was beyond her. Complete opposites, Naruto was loud and Hinata was timid. But hey, after all, "Ah, don't worry about it Hinata-chan."
"Opposites attract." And Naruto and Hinata were a perfect example of that.
"Oh yeah Sakura-chan, Tsunade baa-chan wants to see us." The words slipped casually out of Naruto's mouth as he ate an orange slice, the juices leaking out of the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
"What, why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Sakura's eyes narrowed at the blond as she threw away the apple core.
Naruto stopped eating as he turned to look at Sakura with a grin on his face, "It didn't seem that important to me, Sakura-chan."
Sakura sighed as she grasping Naruto by the elbow and walking towards the Hokage tower. "See you later, Hinata-chan." She waved over to the girl as they left who smiled back at them and started off in the opposite direction.
Tsunade sighed as she leaned back in her chair, sipping her daily saké ration. She should've never sent Naruto to go get Sakura and expect them to arrive within short time; it had been over an hour since he had left.
"Ahh, Sakura-chan! Do you think you could loosen your grip on my arm?!"
Naruto's yells could be heard through the walls. Tsunade grunted as she brought her hands up and began messaging her temples in hopes of relieving the pain that was creeping its way into her head at the thought of Naruto being in her office.
The door slammed open as Sakura dragged Naruto into the room. "Sorry we're late, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura bowed in front of Tsunade's desk with an apologetic smile.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the man her student had a hold of. "That's the last time I send you to go get someone."
Naruto looked to Tsunade as she spoke with a sheepish grin plastered on his face. "I didn't think it was that important, baa-chan." The blond explained.
"How you could not think it was important, I told you it was before you left. Do you have short-term memory loss?!" Tsunade threw her head back as she downed a cup of saké.
Falling down into a chair, Naruto looked to Tsunade with a pout on his face. "If I do, will you fix it?"
"Oh, I'll fix it alright." Tsunade said; sarcasm drenched her words. She turned to her former student and sighed. "Anyway, I've brought you both in here to discuss something important," she looked to Naruto out of the corner of her eye before turning back to Sakura to continue, "With the two of you."
Sakura sighed as she sat down in the other chair, she wasn't going to just stand there and listen to all of this. If there was an opportunity to get comfortable, she was going to take it.
"As you know, it's recommended as Hokage to have at least one advisor." Tsunade turned towards Naruto, "And Naruto has told me that he would like you to be it. Do you accept?" She finished as she looked at Sakura.
Sakura stared out the window, the two of them have always told each other that they would be by each other's side until the end, but she just didn't think she'd be the Rokudaime's advisor helping him with all the important discussions that were just too big for one person to make. Sure it would have made more sense for Naruto to ask Tsunade to be his advisor since she had already been through it all. Sakura didn't care, however, she was happy. Happy that he had asked her take the roll of his advisor, it was an important job. And she knew that she would be good at it.
Sakura grinned as she looked at Tsunade and Naruto. "Of course."
"Ya, Sakura-chan! With you by my side, this village will be the best!" Naruto jumped up and exclaimed enthusiastically.
Tsunade smiled at Naruto's antics, and her smile grew even wider as she looked at Sakura, who was laughing at her blond friend. "Now that that's taken care of, there's another matter I would like to discuss." Tsunade knitted her fingers together looking at the two in front of her take their seats.
"What is it now, baa-chan?" Naruto huffed as his eyebrows knitted together.
"It's about the Uchiha Sasuke."
Sakura and Naruto went ridged in their seats, both taking in short breaths. Their eye's hardened just by the mention of their teammate's name.
Naruto looked at Tsunade, his gaze stern. "What about him, Tsunade baa-chan?"
"I think you should give up on ever bringing him back."
Sakura stared, her mouth hanging open at the words that just casually rolled off Tsunade's tongue. She wasn't really ready to give up, she still had hope and Naruto did too. They weren't ready to just sever their ties with him just yet.
"And why is that?" Naruto glared at the blond haired woman in front of him. If he was able to complete his goal at becoming Hokage then he sure as hell was able to bring Sasuke back.
"I just think that it's a hopeless effort now, you're both going to be staying in Konoha for quite some time now. Naruto, with you as Hokage you can't just go up and leave on one of your childhood adventures. And you Sakura, as the Hokage's advisor you won't be able to go on nearly as many missions as you do now, you'll have to stay with Naruto. Even if he did come back, team seven won't be the same like you seem to think it will. It's best if you two just give up." Tsunade sighed, pushing an empty saké bottle to the side.
"I can't believe you, baa-chan." Naruto stood with his arms tight against his side, hands clenched into fists. He looked down at Tsunade through narrowed eyes.
"Ahh, what's going on here?" The three hadn't even noticed as Kakashi walked into the room.
Naruto spun around towards Kakashi, "You hear this, Kakashi-sensai?! Tsunade baa-chan wants us to give up on Sasuke!" Naruto yelled; he was furious; no one was going to force him to give up on his friends.
Kakashi sighed, walking over and leaning against the wall near the Hokage's desk he looked at his two students. "I knew you two weren't going to like this."
Sakura stood looking at the grey haired man, "You mean you knew about this, Kakashi-sensai?" Her hands were in fists, but she didn't seem to be having as big as an emotional breakdown as Naruto was. Her jade orbs dug into Kakashi, eager to know the answer.
"Hai."
Sakura sighed hearing Kakashi's reply; she grabbed Naruto by the shoulder then firmly grasped his arm leading his out of the room before he could do anything he'd regret later.
Kakashi looked to Tsunade when his former students had left; he walked over to her desk and placed a scroll on it. "Tsunade-sam-"
"Do you think I made a mistake by telling them to give up?" Tsunade looked up at the man in front of her, eyes full of regret.
"Hai, Tsunade-sama."
"I can't believe her, Sakura-chan." Naruto said looking down at the bowl that was sitting in front of him. The steam coming out of the bowl made his eyes water, but he didn't care. "Why would she say that to us?"
Sakura sat there grimly, processing everything that just happened. She couldn't help thinking that there was truth in Tsunade's words. "Maybe we should just give up," It had been years since they had gotten any information on Sasuke; he could be dead for all they know. It would be pointless if they went on a rescue mission hoping to bring Sasuke back alive and all they came back with was a rotting body. They'd feel like fools.
"Naruto, maybe Tsunade-shishou was right. Maybe our effort is futile after all." Sakura looked at the man sitting next to her.
Naruto looked up at her, eyes hardened. "Don't talk like that, Sakura-chan. You know that's not true."
But she couldn't help thinking it was, after all these years Sasuke probably didn't even care one ounce for them anymore. Why waste energy trying to bring someone back who doesn't want to go?
"Forget about it Naruto, let's just look ahead. You're going to be the Hokage of Konoha tomorrow, ne?"
Naruto stared at her, eyes slowly softening at realization dawned on him. He was going to be the Hokage tomorrow and he had completely forgotten about it. He looked at Sakura's face; she looked like everything that just happened hadn't affected her at all. She looked completely at ease.
But she wasn't; inside she was stressed and worried about everything. She didn't want her friends to worry about how she felt so she merely hid behind a fake mask. She'd put on a happy face when around the people she loved and take it off when she was alone. She wanted her friends to be happy, even when she wasn't.
Naruto chuckled, "I feel so stupid, Sakura-chan. I forgot about it all." He sighed as he pushed his bowl away from him; his conscious was eating him away.
Sakura laughed at Naruto, "Maybe Tsunade-shishou should've fixed your memory, ne?"
"Why have her do it when you can do it better? You're medical skills surpass baa-chan's anyway." Naruto flashed a hearty smile.
Sakura looked at him with a soft smile; it was true her skills surpassed Tsunade's just she merely denied it. She would forever view Tsunade as her superior. Sighing, Sakura stood from the stool she sat at; bringing her arms up over her head stretching her sore muscles. "Where's Sai?" She looked at Naruto as she brought her arms down.
"He's on a mission, he's coming back later on tonight, Sakura-chan." Naruto glanced at her, "I told him he had to be here to see me become Hokage tomorrow."
"Ah, while I've got to go. I told Ino that'd I'd spend time with her today, she seems to think we don't spend enough time with each other anymore." She placed the small sum of money on the bar to pay for the tea she had drunk.
"No, I've got this one, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pushed her money back in her direction, "Besides, I didn't pay last night like I said I would; it's also the least I can do since you agreed to be my advisor."
Sighing, Sakura grabbed the money and slid it back into her pocket. "Alright then; anyway there better be some great benefits to being your advisor, Naruto." She turned on her heels and started her way out of Ichiraku.
"There is, Sakura-chan! There's a great dental plan!" Naruto yelled after her as she walked down the road.
"Welcome to Yamanaka flower shop." The blond haired woman behind the counter chimed as Sakura walked in. "Oh, it's just you." Ino huffed, letting her smile fad; her checks were already starting to hurt from working today. Putting on a fake smile could really be exhausting.
Sakura walked up to the counter and smiled at her friend's state. "Yes it's me, how's work?" She picked up a small flower that was lying down near the register, twirling and sniffing it.
Ino sighed as she took the small plant out of Sakura's hand, "It's very tiring, I should just quit. I don't think I'm cut out for all this flower stuff."
Sakura pouted as Ino stole the flower from her, setting it back down. "Hai, 'cause playing with flowers all day could exhaust anyone." She teased as Ino made a few adjustments to a small bouquet behind the counter.
Ino's eyes narrowed at the pink haired woman, "Besides distracting me from my work, what did you come in here for anyway?"
"Your memory is almost as bad as Naruto's," She sighed. "You wanted to spend time with me, remember?" She quirked one brow up at Ino.
Ino squeaked as realization came to her, "Okay, let me go tell my mom that I'm taking the rest of the day off." She said as she walked to a door in the back.
Sakura sighed as she looked around the shop, it was empty. Of course it was a weekday, and they were always slow those days. It was the weekends that brought in the real business. She walked over to a shelf that had a variety of different flowers on it and smiled as she picked up a flower. It was gorgeous; it had red at the base of it and faded to white near the middle of each petal.
"Do you like it?" Ino had walked back in shop and was taking off her apron.
Sakura jumped and stared at her, Ino had caught her off guard. "Hai."
Ino laughed at Sakura's stunned expression, "You know for Tsunade-sama's apprentice I would expect you to always be on guard." She teased as she walked to where Sakura was standing, glancing down at the flower she held, "It's a flaming spring green tulip, it just came in." She picked the flower out of Sakura's hands and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the shop. "Come on, forehead!"
"Where are we going, Ino-pig?!" Sakura yelled as she yanked her hand from the blond, rubbing it hoping to ease the pain.
The streets were buzzing, vendors setting up their shops for tomorrow's event, civilians having everyday conversations, and small children running around. The sun beamed down on Konoha's busy life; birds chirped as they landed on roofs and awnings.
"I can't believe Naruto is actually going to become Hokage; I never thought he could do it." Ino began walking, her eyes smiling as children ran by. She had always wanted children of her own one day; she just didn't think it'd be anytime soon, especially when she was still a kunoichi of Konoha.
"He never gives up easily; he's one of the most determined people I've ever met." Sakura smiled, she was glad Naruto was her friend; she didn't know where she would be without him. It was if they were connected at the hip at times.
Ino laughed, "You've got that right, forehead. I wonder who he chose as his advisor anyway, probably some old guy." She grinned up at the sky.
Sakura's eyes narrowed at Ino, "I'm not some old guy." She sighed, "Actually Ino-pig, Naruto chose me as his advisor." She combed her hand through her hair, smoothing it out.
Ino turned to her pink haired friend with a grin on her face, "Congradulations, forehead!" She grasped Sakura in a hug, "Don't tell Naruto anything stupid, okay. He'd probably go along with it and next thing you know Konoha's one of the most hated shinobi nations." She chuckled as she let go of Sakura.
Sighing, Sakura combed her hair down again. "I won't, and besides, Naruto won't be that foolish as to do anything like that, but if he tries to I'll be there to stop him." She grinned at Ino as she continued to walk.
"So I guess this means you're no longer ANBU?" Ino glanced at Sakura through the corner of her eye.
"I guess not." Sakura frowned; she really did like being an ANBU. It made her feel worth it, all the years she spent trying to become better so she could finally stand in the same ranks as Naruto were paid off. She was no longer looked at as the weak member of team seven; it made her smile every time she heard people whisper as she passed by them as they talked about how she had grown and improved in both her medical and physical skills.
Naruto and Sasuke had always had attention, they were born with it. Both were prodigies, she was nothing. Coming from an average clan, she wasn't born with any special kekkei genkai, honorable name or a jinchuuriki stored inside of her; she had felt like the outsider on her team. She would walk by people and they would gossip, saying how she shouldn't have been placed on team seven and how she was going to be nothing compared to what her teammates were going to be.
But she had proved them all wrong when Tsunade had taken her under her wing and taught her everything she knew now. Tsunade saw potential in her and she brought it out. She was now one of the most respected kunoichi's in Konohagakure. She hadn't just took on Tsunade's skills, she had also taken on the graceful features of her shishou; she no longer was a stick skin figure that looked like it could be destroyed with a poke. She had filled out, the curves that were envied she was blessed with. Her skills rivaled with the blond sannin's, she was not a disappointment any longer.
"That's a shame, isn't it? I know how happy you were they day you became ANBU, telling everyone you came in contact with." Ino shook her head, laughter escaping through her lips.
Sakura looked towards her friend whose voice had taken her out of her trance. "Hai." A small sigh crept its way out of her mouth, barely audible. She pushed her lips into a thin line, grimacing at the ground as they walked.
"But hey! You're moving on to bigger and better things now, no more will people refer to you as 'Haruno Sakura of Konoha ANBU', now it's 'Haruno Sakura, Rokudaime's advisor'." Ino giggled, throwing her fist in the air as she spoke. "Thanks to you, now I have all the inside links to what's going down. I will no longer be in the dark!"
Sakura laughed, she wasn't going to leak valuable information to her friend. "What even makes you think that I'll tell you anything, pig?"
Ino gaffed at her friend, "We're best friends–you love me! You don't want to keep your friends in the dark, do you?"
"I think I can afford to keep at least one friend in the dark." Sakura's eyes glistened devilishly at her baffled friend. She turned to a vendor they had stopped in front of, his stand had various candy's on it. Sakura smiled at the man behind the stand, he was old but humble. The man nodded with a small smile plastered on his face, his crow's feet making themselves more present than before. Sakura picked up a small hard candy that was green; her hand dug into the small pocket her pants had and brought out the small change and gave it to the man who said a small thank you in return.
Ino huffed as they began walked away from the vendor; she eyed the small candy as Sakura popped it into her mouth. "You know, you probably could've gotten that for free–being the Rokudaime's advisor all." She grinned as the last words slipped from her mouth.
"It's only a small candy; I was perfectly fine with paying for it." Sakura glanced at Ino as she sucked on the watermelon flavored candy. "I don't plan on taking advantage of my new job, pig. Though I know you would."
"Damn right I would!" Ino confessed, laughing. "It would be the best damn job I've ever had."
"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that until they fire you." Sakura laughed at her blond friend–nearly choking on the candy in her mouth.
"Whatever, forehead. Anyway, I've got to get back to the shop; I was only allowed a small break." Ino huffed–turning on her heels, she began walking in the opposite direction.
"But I thought you were going to try to get the rest of the day off?" Sakura said after her.
Ino looked back with an annoyed look, "My mom thinks we're going to be busy because of tomorrow and everything." She turned back towards the flower shop, leaving her imprint in the dirt as she walked. "By the way, shouldn't you be getting ready for tomorrow?" The woman called over her shoulder before she turned a corner–leaving Sakura to stand there alone.
"I suppose." Sakura murmured; she dug her heels into the dirt before turning towards the Hokage tower.
"Baa-chan if I have to make a speech, it's going to be short and sweet. I don't want to be up there forever talking about boring politics." Naruto whined, looking Tsunade in the eyes.
Tsunde coughed–slamming down her saké glass after she downed it, "Naruto, you better not mess anything up. You're going to be Hokage; this village deserves at least a nice speech from you."
Naruto sighed, "I should just let Sakura-chan handle all this; she's more into this stuff then I am." He slumped down into the chair, his head rolling side-to-side on the back of it.
"No, it's your responsibility. Not hers." Tsunade glared at the blond haired man, eyes digging into him.
"What's not my responsibility, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura walked in, shutting the door with a soft click behind her. "What are you two talking about?" She sat on the edge of Tsunade's desk, crossing her legs with a small smile.
Tsunade watched as her former student sat, a smile finding its way across her face but quickly fading away. "Now that I've got you both here, I would like to apologize for what I said earlier. It was a mistake," Her voice and gaze sincere as she looked at the two in front of her.
Sakura couldn't help but frown at Tsunade's apology, "No, it wasn't. You had every right to tell us that. We're the ones that are fooling ourselves and you were just trying to get us to see that." She wanted to say it, but she couldn't bring herself to it. Naruto would look at her like an idiot, as if she had just betrayed him for everything that he believed in. She wouldn't do that–not to him.
"Alright baa-chan! I never thought I'd hear an apology come from your mouth!" Naruto grinned; he was beyond relived by Tsunade's words. He hadn't wanted to give up on his best friend, even if everyone told him he should and how it was hopeless. He wouldn't listen to them; he'd just go on hoping that one day Sasuke would return. Ignorance was bliss.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed at Naruto, she had wanted to throw curses at him but refrained herself from doing so. "Shut up Naruto, either take the apology or not. I could care less whether you do or not." That was a lie; she wanted them both to accept it no matter what she told them even though it was better if they just gave up on their quest. "The sooner they give up on trying to bring Sasuke back, the better for them and Konoha." She sighed as she looked from Sakura to Naruto.
"Alight, alright." Naruto nodded in approval of the apology she had thrown at them.
Sakura smiled looking at her shishou, "Thank you." "For trying to get us to see the reality of the situation." She wanted to speak the last part of it, but couldn't as she looked at Naruto's cheerful face.
"Ah, anyway let's talk about how tomorrow's going to work." Tsunade nodded towards a robe that lay on the back of the free chair in front of her desk, "That robe is for you, you'll be standing next to Naruto tomorrow and I suggest you wear it."
Sakura hopped off the sitting position she was in on the desk and picked up the fabric. She slid her arms into the holes and smiled as she wrapped it closely to her body. The robe itself was red with the Konoha leaf symbol stitched on the back, the trimming was plain white.
"It looks nice on you Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollered grinning ear to ear. "I wish I could've said the same when I had one of my clones try it on earlier. I look a lot better in the Hokage robes in all honesty."
Laughing, Sakura slipped off the robe–laying it back over the chair and resuming her spot on the edge of the desk. "Thanks, Naruto."
Sighing, Tsunade looked towards both of them. "It's getting late, I suggest you both go get your rest and come back here tomorrow morning to get ready."
"At least you're kicking us out in a nice way, baa-chan." Naruto grumbled as he stood from his seat. "Hinata-chan's probably looking for me. I'll see you guys later." Stretching his back he turned towards the door, waving a 'goodbye' over his head.
Sakura sighed watching him go, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Tsunade-shishou." She nodded towards the woman seated behind the wooden desk as she jumped off from where she was seated. She began to lead herself out of the office when Tsunade's voice called after her.
"You're forgetting something."
Sakura looked back, her brows arched in questioning before she saw what Tsunade pointed to with her delicate finger. She let out a soft laugh as she picked up the robe and slung it over her shoulder. "Goodbye, shishou." Making barely audible steps to the door she walked out, shutting it quietly behind her.
"I need you and your team to capture the Kyuubi; I'm sure you're capable of that."
A voice broke out of the silence in the dark cavern. The rain could be heard pounding down from the outside of the cave where gloomy skies dominated. A cool breeze found its way in, making one of the shadows shiver but quickly regained their posture.
"After all–you are an Uchiha." One crimson eye bore into two of its equals, threatening.
A snort escaped one of the shadows, followed by a jab in the stomach by another shorter form and soft–yet vicious murmurs.
"Hn."
Yay, yay, yay! First chapter finally done! I've been working on this twenty-two page beauty for five days, which is awhile for me. I'm just glad I got this one over; I did a lot of introducing and development in this. Oh so tiring, haha.
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