"Don't mess this up, Sasuke Uchiha."
Saki's voice made Sasuke look up from his hand, the pendant held tight in his palm as he stared back at Saki with eyes that were quiet and hopeful. Saki gave Sakura a gentle look before, once again, turning her harsh gaze upon Sasuke. She then turned around and walked away, walking out of Sasuke's life as she had done when she was 7, all those years ago.
Sakura watched the older girl go. Saki was beautiful, she always had been. Sakura remembered seeing her for the first time, remembered the colour that flushed to her cheeks when violet eyes seemed to scan her very soul. She'd once wanted to be just like Saki, she wanted to have the same strength and the same heart, to have the same experiences and eyes that already appeared to know everything that needed to be known.
She now looked lost, stumbling as she walked. Saki held her head high despite that, because she was taught to always appear strong even if her body felt like falling in on itself.
Sasuke opened his palm slowly, his gaze now fixed on a small but dazzlingly blue pendant which held the Uchiha family crest. He then spared a looked at Sakura as he began walking down the road out of the village, wondering if he was going to mess everything up, but thinking at the same time that he didn't want to. Not again, not this time.
Saki walked into the village, her deep red kimono matching her equally as red hair, her violet eyes moving between the crowds, trying to find someone that she had spent too many of her years trying to avoid. A black leaf village head protector wrapped around her throat loosely, her forehead too cut up and bandaged to be home to the thing. Young children watched her as she walked, eyes sparkling as they caught a glimpse of the forehead protector. Saki wondered if any of them truly knew the trials of being a Ninja, surely they did by now but still, Saki had once wanted only strength, she knew the desire of power. Saki spared a few smiles, tight ones that the adults could see as fake but the children saw as recognition and praise.
A blonde head ran towards her, she could hear it before she saw it. Gasps flew around the street, people clapped and smiled brightly at the boy they once hated, the boy they once threw out onto the curb, the boy they would once kick over and over and laugh at.
Saki's tight smile softened as Naruto bounded up to her with a smile so genuine it blinded her sight for a moment.
He had just seen Sasuke, Saki knew that. She knew that smile and the hope that filled his eyes, it was the hope people got when they finally saved somebody they loved. It had been a long, long time since Saki had smiled such a smile.
"Naruto," Saki greeted.
Naruto only smiled, seemingly unaware of the amazed looks that were being thrown his way.
He took her hand in his and ran. Through the village and over homes, over places they'd both made memories in. Saki saw the playground in which Shisui would chase her in, telling her she needed to be faster than him to be a good Ninja. She had believed him. He had caught her every time.
Naruto finally stopped, a halting stop that that made Saki lose her famous balance and crash into his back with a grunt.
Saki felt Naruto's hand tighten around hers, she finally looked up, meeting Naruto's eyes and then followed where they looked next. His gaze settled on the Hokage Mountain. Naruto let go of Saki, lifted his hand up, palm facing towards the faces of those that had come before them. His palm now seemingly held the Fourth Hokage, his face not quite smiling but not frowning either. Naruto then closed his palm and grinned – like he had done the day he left the village, after Sasuke left the village before him for revenge.
It was a symbol, Saki realised, a symbol that meant he finally kept his promise. But when Naruto spoke, Saki saw that this little display wasn't just for the blonde.
"He's proud of us." Naruto said, his voice warm like the days before the war, the days after the war.
"He's proud of you." Saki said, as she never saw how those could be proud of her, after all she had done.
"He's proud of us." Naruto said again, Saki almost believed him.
"Foolish daughter! I've always been proud of you!"
"Then I'll give you a reason to be!"
Yes, Saki remembered saying that. Her back facing her father, her chakra raging and wild in her body. She ran toward the man who had destroyed her childhood, she ran faster than her father, she ran harder than she had done before, running towards the enemy almost made up for all the times she had ran away.
But then, mid-way, Saki saw a flick of red-hair, felt a hand on her shoulder and sped faster, she heard a soft but powerful voice tell her to never give up. Saki barely remembered her mother but she could never forget her voice, despite her face being a blurry image.
She still hadn't given her father a reason to be proud of her, she still hadn't given a lot of people a reason to be proud of her. Sure, she was strong but strength only goes so far, there are much more important things. Kindness, bravery, love, that of the unconditional kind, forgiveness – these were things that seemed more important than Saki's status as the most powerful Kunoichi of her generation.
She lifted her hand up, palm facing towards the faces of those that had come before them. Her palm now seemingly held the Fourth Hokage, his face not quite smiling but not frowning either. Saki then closed her palm and smiled – like she had done the day she held her brother for the first time as a grown up and let him cry on her shoulder.
Yes, kindness and love were things that held more value.
All those things, were things she had learnt from her little brother.
Saki turned her head, smiling at Naruto. He grinned back. Battle scars still plagued their bodies, their minds were still battlefields, but they were happy.
This is the story of the Hidden Leaf Village's Orange Hokage and the Red Demon of the Leaf Village. What did the Red-Hot Habanero and the Yellow Flash of the Leaf make when put together? Heroes, it seemed.