Her green eyes widen. It's an action that she hasn't resorted to in over five years.

In many ways she had become like her sensei from her genin days. He was always mysterious – his facial features hidden by a mask. Consequentially, it was always hard to determine his feelings about things. He couldn't be frightened easily either. In the time she had known him, it had always intrigued her, and she soon began to model herself after him. At first she suffered from rampant anger, a sharp tongue and ow tolerance levels. She started meditating whenever she wasn't doing anything. It relaxed her to a point where she could watch her team-mate's idiocies and smile dreamily rather than stop them with physical violence. The change was eerie for Naruto and Suauke. The change was so wild, so fast, that it was unnerving. She even started wearing a mask, much like Kakashi's. The only habit she refrained from copying was his liking of Icha Icha Paradise, claiming that it was far to brash for her tastes. Instead, she read Jiraya's next series – a series of small blue books. Much to her surprise, Kakashi had been right. Jirayua really did know how to spin a plot. It was deep and thrilling, paired with lovable, realistic characters – not that anyone believed her when she told them. Soon she was one of the best known and respected kunoichi of Konoha.

Despite their isolation from eachother in their genin years, Neji had become one of her closest friends – then her lover. They had been together for two years. Now Sakura stands beside his hospital bed and tears stream down her face, soaking her mask. Neji pulls her closer ans whispers in her ear, "Take it."

"What?"

"My Byukangen. Take it." That is when her eyes widen. Her hesitant look prompts him to speak again.

"I was a caged bird. You set me free. My body was a prison, but my sould is free. Take it and stay free Sakura. You would be helping me to rebel against that which kept us apart. Help me Sakura. Take it."

So she did. One eye was surgically implanted in her left socket. Neji died that night, but died with a smile on his face – a smile of triumph. No one knew about the eye except Tsunade – so She wore her headband like Kakashi's to cover it. She soon realised, however, that she needed help mastering it. Taking a chance, she revealed it to Hinata and pleaded for training. To her utmost surprise, Hinata accepted.

Time has passed since then and Sakura is now twenty. She is feared and revered wherever she goes. She killed Orochimaru. She killed Kabuto. She killed her chiledhood love interest – Sasuke. Most of her family and friends were murdered in an attempt to subdue her. She often visits the memorial stone (1) and remembers those who fell for her sake. No tears run down her face as she reads over the names:

Ino

Choji

Mr Haruno

Mrs Haruno

Neji

Tenten

Kiba

Lee

A heavy hand lands on her sholder and turns her around. Sakura looks up at the man before her. His white hair. His mask. His lopsided forehead protector. He roughly pulls her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," He whispers into her hair. "I am so sorry."

Sakura's eyes widen, shocked by his uncharacteristic behaviour, but she says nothing.

"For so long I should have seen it coming... I should have seen it... I should have seen it..." His voice trails off, carried away by the breeze. The minutes slowly dragged by, but Kakashi did not relinquish his hold on the woman.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi sighed.

"I should have seen it coming. The same patterns and habits open in front of me like a book that I already knew the ending to - but I missed it. I missed it Sakura-chan."

If Sakura was startled by the 'out-of-character' confession she was witnessing, she shows no sign of it.

"Missed what Kakashi? Spit it out. You're making no sense."

He just shakes his head and drags her across to the stream on training ground 3.

"Look Sakura. What do you see?"

"Me? My reflection? You? What is it you're wanting me to see?"

"Look at yourself."

She looks. Her pink hair falls in messy tresses over her jounin uniform. One green eye loos back at her placidly, the other covered by her forehead protector. The rest of her face is obscured by her mask.

"What about it? All I see is me."

Kakashi grabs her shoulders and shakes her lightly.

"That is not you. What happened to the fiery, strong-willed girl I trained? What happened to the young woman who wore her heart on her sleeve, was open and kind and shared her dreams with anyone who would listen? What happened to you Sakura?"

Sakura shakes him off emotionlessly.

"She grew up. That girl grew up and became who Sakura is today. Me. This is me Kakashi."

He shakes his head, rapidly becoming more distressed.

"No. This is not you. Don't you see? You're me Sakura. You're me."

Sakura raises an eyebrow at him and starts to walk away.

"You're being ridiculous."

"No I'm not. I have watched you closely. I watched you make every mistake I made. I saw you decide to throw away your open nature for mystique. I watched you hide your face and build a barrier between you and the world through wearing that mask. I watched you pick up even my most trivial of habits. Sakura, you have walked right along the path I had sought to barricade from you all when you were younger. I saw you hurting Sakura. Bottling up your emotion to maintain mystique, to maintain the detachment that you think, and I thought, would save me. I never wanted this for you. You were so promising, so different, so... unlike me – I really thought you would make it through without being affected as I was. But... you're the most like me."

He pulls her back into a hug again.

"You're the most like me Sakura. You're the only one who understands me. I think that's why..."

His voice trails off once more. The minutes stroll leisurely by until Sakura can't take it anymore.

"That's why what Kakashi?" She whispers.

"I think that's why... I love you."

Her green eyes widen. It's an action she hasn't resorted to in over five years. She reaches for his mask as he reaches for hers, slowly rolling them down – and they kiss. All the pain and suffering of being alone for many years seems to melt away for them as they stand there together, wrapped in each others' arms.

Naruto and Hinata watch from a treetop.

"Man," Naruto exclaims, "That took long enough. Saw that one coming from a mile off. They're the same person really. It's right that they're together now."

Hinata just looks at Naruto in shock. It still surprises her that he has such deep understanding of people, despite his explosive and seemingly clueless nature.

"You're right Naruto. They belong together."