So I was just feeling the need to let loose and write something way out of what I normally would. Why not have a Christmas Party story with the season right on top of us ^_^.

Warning: it follows no storyline whatsoever. You may be surprised at who all comes =P. It's also going to have a more American style Christmas since unfortunately that's all I know lol. Also this does not follow canon to make sure I'm clear. There was no Fourth Ninja War here, simply because Naruto prevented it from happening.

Sakura gazed in the mirror, beryl orbs shining just as brightly as her smile. She twirled slightly, enjoying the soft feel of her lengthening coral hair sliding softly between her shoulder blades. Her small hands ran down her sides, the satin feel of the black dress she was wearing coating her fingers. She had to say that even though Ino was a pain to shop with, she really did have good taste.

The twenty year old reached up and tied a necklace made of seashells around her neck. It had been a present from her mother a few years back before she passed from illness. Sakura felt a lump starting to form in her chest, but she quickly pushed it away knowing her mother wouldn't approve of her sadness. The young woman fingered the rough, off white shells before placing earrings in her ears that she had bought to match them. She went through the trouble of getting her ears pierced just to wear them with the necklace.

Ino came up behind her, blonde hair piled high on her head. A few strains hair framed her face, giving it a more angular appearance. There were also pearls in her ears. Crystal blue eyes met with Sakura's deep green ones in the mirror.

"My, my. You sure do clean up nice," she commented, giving her friend a teasing grin.

"Oh shut it," Sakura snapped before a smile crept across her lips as well.

Ino chuckled began heading towards the front door of her house. "Come on, let's get over to that party already. I could use a glass of sake."

Sakura shook her head before taking one last look in the mirror and adjusting the straps on her black sandals. A glass of sake actually did sound pretty nice right about now. Things had been so busy at the hospital and on her missions she hardly had time for herself. The holiday season made a perfect time to just relax and catch up with some of her friends. All of them were adults now and very successful ninja. It wasn't like when they were children anymore.

The two women headed out into the warm evening and made their way towards the Hokage's mansion. This get together was solely for the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf to thank them for all the hard work that they had put in throughout the year. It was being catered by some of the famous restaurants in town and from what Sakura heard, the menu would be amazing.

Luckily, it wasn't a far walk to the Hokage's mansion. Neither one of the females wanted to mess up their hair after hours of tedious work on it.

Ino looked over at her childhood friend. "Do you think Gaara will be there?"

Sakura gave the botanist a strange look. "Well he doesn't seem like the social type, but they are here in the village with some of the other sand ninja since they were invited. Why do you want to know?"

Ino's cheeks tinted, something that surprised Sakura. Never was this woman shy about someone of the opposite sex. She went for what she wanted and always got it.

"Well, he's not so bad," she said while reaching up to tug on her earring. "After working so closely with him I guess I just grew used to his company."

Sakura gave a wry smile. "Have a thing for mysterious men huh? I thought you said in your letter that he was boring."

"He was at first," she said honestly as they began walking up the flight of stairs into the mansion, "but he began to come around. Sometimes we'd go for a midnight stroll through the village and we'd talk. There's just something about him I never noticed before."

Sakura picked up on the dreamy expression on Ino's face and knew she was hooked. She had been on a mission in the Sand Village helping to interrogate a prisoner the Sand shinobi had captured. He had information on the Akatsuki and where they were residing at. It had taken a full month for her mind jutsu to be able to find the information he needed. Apparently a jutsu had been put on him so he wouldn't remember anything so she had to dig deep into his subconscious. Still, she succeeded in her mission and apparently had managed to crack Gaara's shell.

"We're here!" Ino squealed once they entered and headed towards the sound of music.

They opened the mahogany double doors and Sakura looked around, fully appreciating the extensive decoration and room set up. There were tables covered with red drapes, each having a bouquet of flowers on them. Lights hung from the ceiling and the smell of the meal was enough to make the pink-haired woman's stomach growl with anticipation.

"Sakura! Ino! Glad you could make it!"

The two turned to see a tall man walking towards them. Sakura's heart swelled with pride at the Hokage's drape that swung from his shoulders. His goofy grin had turned into a handsome smile and his hair had grown. He looked like a mirror image of the Fourth Hokage himself.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and hugged her best friend tightly. "Of course we wouldn't miss it Naruto. I mean Hokage-sama."

"Aww come on Sakura!" he exclaimed. "You know you don't have to call me that."

"We know that, but we're just so happy you made your dream a reality," Ino responded as she hugged him as well. "Why not bask in it a little?"

Naruto chuckled and placed a hand on the back of his head, one habit he hadn't grown out of. "Thanks guys. I couldn't have done it without you believing in me."

Soon his presence was requested elsewhere and he excused himself to handle the issue. The party was already pretty live. Many of their friends were there already. Sakura looked over in and was in awe of the large Christmas tree in the middle of the room. It had to be at least twelve feet in height and it was decorated with everything from lights to ornaments and candy canes. Underneath it was mountains of presents and she wondered what was in them.

Ino gasped and grabbed Sakura's arm. "There he is."

Sure enough the Kazekage was standing on the open balcony that was on the right of the room. He was in his usual attire, but it looked as if he had brushed his hair, probably from prodding his sister did.

As if Gaara heard Ino's voice, he turned and looked at her. He motioned a hand for her to come to him and she quickly turned to her friend. "How do I look?"

"Stunning," Sakura said honestly. "Look at you acting like a little girl with a crush."

"Shut your face," Ino huffed. A smile broke across her face. "Wish me luck."

Sakura watched with amusement as the blonde sauntered over to the sand shinobi and watched as they began to talk. When she saw Ino's smile widened, she figured everything must have been going great.

The young kunoichi walked over to a table and sat down, startled when a waiter who hadn't been standing there when she sat down spoke to her.

"Can I get you anything to drink ma'am?" he asked kindly giving her a warm smile.

Sakura blinked a few times before processing his question. "Sure could I have a glass of sa-"

"Sure thing!"

Within two seconds flat, a small glass of sake was sitting in front of her. Sakura was impressed at his speed. "Well, thank you very much."

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else."

With that, he was gone with a flash, leaving Sakura to still comprehend his sentence because of how fast he spoke. Chuckling to herself and crossing her legs delicately, Sakura took a sip of her sake.

"Hey Sakura, how's it going?"

She turned in her chair to see Tenten, Neji, Hinata, and Kiba standing behind her. She smiled at her friends before motioning for them to sit down. Sakura's eyes sparkled they sat down.

"Hinata your dress is absolutely beautiful. Yours too Tenten."

The Hyuuga princess blushed and starting fingering her wavy, navy blue hair. "Um, thank you Sakura. Kiba picked it out for me."

The male Inuzuka gave his famous fanged smirk. "Yeah I thought lavender would look good on her since it match her eyes."

"Good eye Kiba," Tenten said with a wink. "It was the other way around with Neji and I. I picked what I wanted him to wear. I even did his hair for him."

Sakura looked to see the Byakugan user's brown hair put in a large braid that was hanging from his right shoulder. Usually he just woke it in a loose ponytail, but it looked nice to see him try something different. Even Tenten had her chocolate tresses out of their usual buns and pulled into a high ponytail. Light make up made her face look eccentric.

They conversed for what seemed like hours, enjoying catching up and soon others joined them like Shino and Rock Lee. Even their former sensei had joined in on the party from Kakashi to Kurenai and her daughter Reiya. That little girl looked just like her father, and silently Sakura reminisced on the times before Asuma passed.

"Ooh! Tobi loves this song!"

The entire table turned and jumped to their feet. Sakura's mouth hung open in shock. There was the Akatsuki walking into their Christmas party like they weren't wanted criminals. As the man with the spiraled orange mask ran towards the dance floor, Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Deidara, the master of explosions walk in with the traitor Itachi and his partner Kisame Hoshigaki strolled in behind him.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

Tobi's movements were stopped when he was one foot away from the dance floor. He turned his head towards the Shadow Master who had halted his sprint to the wooden dance floor. He tried to struggle against the inky shadows, but it allowed him no movement.

"Hey!" Tobi exclaimed. "What you do that for? I just wanted to-"

"What the hell are you guys doing here?!" Sakura exclaimed, pulling a kunai from her sandal.

We she looked around, every other ninja was prepared for battle as well...except for Gaara and his two siblings. Temari had one hand cocked on her hip, smirk crossing her lips while Kankuro had his gloved hands locked over his chest with a similar smile on his face. Was there something they knew that everyone else didn't?

"Guys, I told ya to wait for me to walk in with you."

Confused shinobi turned to see the Hokage re-entering the room. With him was the leader of the Akatsuki Pein and his right hand Konan.

The orange haired man with dozens of piercings looked over at the over eager member who had rushed in. "My apologies Hokage. Tobi is just a bit...excited."

"There better be alcohol and gorgeous kunoichi here."

"Hidan. Shut. Up."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. Kakuzu and that sadist creep Hidan were here too? Just what the hell was going on? How was that even possible? Shikamaru blew him into a million pieces and buried him fifteen feet underground on the Nara lands.

As if he read her mind, Naruto spoke up. "Everyone, there something I need to tell you. I want you to meet our new allies, the Akatsuki."

"Allies?!" Tenten exclaimed. "But what about everything they've done?! They're S-ranked criminals! They can't just get away with all the slaughter!"

Sharp blue eyes turned on the woman who had spoken. "You're talking like you've never killed anyone."

Light brown eyes widened in surprise. "I have but that's because-"

"Because you were doing what you believe was the right thing to do," Gaara spoke up while taking a step forward. "Their ultimate goal was to control war in order to bring peace."

"That is correct," Pein spoke up while taking another step into the large room. "We had our own way of going about it, which most would not agree with and with the help of Naruto Uzumaki, we now understand his point of view. There are so many questions that cannot be answered at this moment, but understand that the Akatsuki move forward with this ideal of peace our Master Jiraiya entrusted us with."

Sakura walked over to Naruto, keeping weary eyes on Pein and Konan. Her best friend gazed down at her, an expression she knew well: he was counting on her to stand by his decision, but it was tough. These people had caused the Leaf Village so much grief. They already had seven of the nine Tailed Beasts so why change the plans when they were so close to their goal? She voiced this question and Konan was the one who responded.

"If the Beasts are sealed, no one can exploit their power for their own gain."

The woman had a point, but there were still so many "what ifs" to worry about. What if this all was just a plot in order to capture Naruto and extract the Nine Tails? What if they really wanted to destroy the Leaf Village? What if...

Naruto saw the turmoil moving over her face and he reached a hand up to stroke her cheek. "I need you to trust me Sakura. I know I've made the right decision."

Emerald eyes met ocean blue and she nodded with a small smile. She walked over to Pein and Konan. "Welcome to our village. Please, make yourselves at home."

Konan gave her a gentle smile with Pein's expression remained the same.

"Um, can you let Tobi go now?"

Shikamaru's gaze moved between the Hokage and the one who he still held captive in his jutsu. After taking a deep breath, he released his hold. Tobi crossed his arms over his chest.

"Now my favorite song is over!"

Deidara rolled his single visible eye. "Shut up Tobi."

At first it was still a bit awkward, but soon people began to venture up to the Akatsuki and invited them to eat with them since the meal was almost finished being prepared and would be served soon. Sakura brought Kakuzu and Hidan to her table, despite the look Hidan was giving her was freaking her out...Kakuzu too at when she thought about it.

All of the Akatsuki members had on their robes, but Hidan's was slightly open, exposing his chiseled chest and a necklace. Sakura gazed at it and when Hidan noticed her staring, he smirked and said, "Like what you see?"

Sakura blushed and frowned. "I was just looking at your necklace. It's nice."

"You bet your sweet ass it is," was his response. "Lord Jashin personally left me this rosary, a sure sign of him granting me immortality and showing that he trusts in my loyalty."

Hidan gave her a sultry smile and she was amazed at his amethyst colored eyes that seemed to stand out when compared with his silvery, slicked down hair.

"Ya know," he said in a flirting tone while propping his elbows on the table and leaning in her direction. "You have some pretty eyes little kunoichi."

Sakura raised a pink eyebrow at him. "Thanks?"

"And you've got a nice set of tits. They're kind of small but-"

"You pervert!" Sakura raged, jumping to her feet and hauling the religious man up his by his robe.

She threw him hard into a wall that was about thirty feet away and he smashed against it face first, a sickening crunch echoing through the room. Kakuzu strangely colored eyes gazed at the young ninja who was glaring at Hidan before turning to look at his partner.

"You're an idiot Hidan," he said simply. "That is not how you get a woman to like, or in your case, tolerate you."

"Thank you Kakuzu," Sakura said before taking her seat again with a huff.

She took another swing of her sake before asking Kakuzu if he would like something to drink. He declined and mentioned that none should be given the Hidan. Sakura laughed and as the two began to converse along with Kiba and Tenten. A few moments later, Hidan stormed over and Sakura gave him a lazy look as she looked at the gash across his forward and broken nose.

Hmm, did a pretty good job. Serves him right.

"Was that really called for?!" he exclaimed angrily, wiping at the blood that was seeping from his crooked nose. "You're a medical ninja right? Well fix me!"

Sakura clenched her fists at her sides. "Oh I'll fix you alright. Come here!"

She grasped Hidan by his robe once more and yanked him into a laying position on his back her lap. She hooked one leg over his waist and used her monstrous strength to hold his head still. She got a firm grip on his nose despite his attempts to break free.

"Wait! Wait Sakumo or whatever your name is! I ju-ahhh ahhh oowwww!"

The kunoichi forcefully yanked on his nose, putting it back in its rightful position. "Stop being such a baby, and the name is Sakura you idiot."

She afterward channeled some chakra into his nose to help edge off his pain. He was lucky she was feeling nice because otherwise he would have been left to fix his own damn nose. Stupid bastard.

Sakura released the Jashinist and he scrambled to his feet, bright purple eyes glittering with amusement. Why the heck was he looking at her like that? It was creeping her out a bit and the easily angered woman was about to let him have it once again.

"You like causing people pain when they piss you off huh?" Hidan said as he returned to his seat next to her and began using the napkins on the table to wipe the blood that was drizzling down his neck. "I think you and me can have a mutual understanding right?"

Sakura just rolled her eyes. Despite the fact that she had just been on attack mode when the Akatsuki had first walked in, it seemed to be...edging off. She was still on high alert, but after gazing around the room and seeing Pein and Konan talking with Naruto, Kisame making a group of people laugh while Itachi sat quietly next to him, Tobi trying not to be seen as he inched closer to the dessert section, and Deidara dancing out on the...wait what?

"He's something else isn't he?" Tenten chuckled while linking her slender fingers together and placing her elbows on the table.

A song that Sakura had never heard before was playing. As she listened started to bob her head slightly. The song was pretty catchy and when she looked back towards the Explosionist, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The kunoichi were gathering around him and squealing like little girls as Deidara lowered his stance, rolling his hips seductively. A cocky smirk graced his thin lips, long golden hair ghosting across his shoulders and lower back as he danced.

When he started to unzip his Akatsuki robe, Sakura thought these women saw him as a celebrity with how loud they got. What the hell? Was it really that easy to just trust that the Akatsuki would behave like Naruto believed they would? Sakura turned to see the Sixth Hokage laughing while sitting with Gaara, Ino, Pein, and Konan. Even that serious woman had a gentle smile on her face. Could they seriously be willing to put their plans aside in order to follow Naruto's way of creating peace?

Letting those thoughts escape her mind, she refocused her gaze on Deidara. He had taken his Akatsuki robe off, revealing his grey cut off sleeve shirt with a black mesh shirt underneath that stopped at his wrists. The blonde lowered his stance and leaned back, placing one hand behind his head and seductively pushing the top of his pants down to reveal a glimpse of his toned stomach and his hips with the other.

"Keh, stupid brat," Hidan mumbled.

"Hey! I want to dance too Deidara-sempai!"

Deidara lost his concentration for a moment and he stood up, glaring at the happy-go-lucky ninja. "I'm busy you idiot!"

Tobi adjusted his mask as he ran to stand next to Deidara. Sakura tried hard to stifle her laughter as the shinobi, lifted the bottom of his Akatsuki robe and started kicking each foot out like a girl in a chorus line. He did a few more wacky looking moves before Deidra's face turned beet red with anger.

"He is pretty silly," Hinata said with a soft smile on her lips.

"He's an idiot," Kakuzu corrected.

Soon the music was lowered and dinner was served. Sakura was thoroughly impressed with how delicious the food was. Her table continued to converse different things and the young woman's guard slowly began to fall...not completely, but just a little.

"Hey everyone," Naruto said while standing at the front of the room. The shinobi turned to look at their leader. "I'm so glad all of you could come, including our new friends. The New Year is coming up fast, and this year we will move towards peace. It'll be hard and dangerous road at first, but I believe that you all will fight so there will be no more wars. Merry Christmas!"

The crowd cheered at his simple speech and Sakura smiled at her best friend. When he caught her looking at him, he gave her his signature thumbs up and goofy grin in return. That boy had really grown up on her. No longer was he that knuckle head amateur ninja. He had been able to save many lives from being lost in war. Sakura was so very proud of him. He meant more to her than she ever thought he would.

Soon dinner was underway. The food had been so spectacular, she wasn't even sure what all she ate. All she knew was that she had a full stomach. She rubbed her stomach, listening to the idle conversation that was going on at the table. Itachi and Kisame had joined Gai sensei's table. She began to giggle a little when she heard Kisame shout, "How in the world do you not remember me?! We had a run in twice!"

That sounded just like Gai Sensei to forget something as serious as a battle. Sakura still remembered how battled Kakashi was when he returned to Konoha. Itachi hadn't even physically touched him, but the world of the Sharingan was nothing to take lightly, especially someone who was as skilled as Itachi was. Still, at least they were on their side now. Sakura had her doubts, she honestly did, but for some reason, Pein's words seemed sincere. She was going to have to trust her Hokage.

Deciding she wanted to get some fresh air, Sakura excused herself and went out on to the balcony. Leaning against the railing, the medic closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the cool air teasing her cheeks. Goosebumps rose on her arms, but she welcomed them. Despite the fact that it was winter, Konoha hadn't gotten very cold that year. Maybe this was a sign that snow was soon to come.

She opened her eyes when she sensed someone's presence behind her. She was surprised to see that goofy guy named Tobi standing next to her. He was looking off over the thick forest of trees that were below them. His left eye was the only thing that was visible. She took a closer look and gasped.

"You're an Uch-"

"Shh," he said gently. "In due time my dear."

Sakura blinked. He was talking like a normal person. Before, he was very giddy and talked in third person. Now his voice had a deeper edge to it. Did he have multiple personality disorder or something? Beryl orbs continued to stare at the man next to her, unsure of what to say. If he was an Uchiha, who exactly was he? She voiced this question as quietly as she could.

"My name," he began slowly. "Is Obito Uchiha."

The color drained from the woman's face. That was Kakashi sensei's teammate that supposedly died on a mission. He was the one who gave the Jounin his Sharingan in the first place. That would make Kakashi the happiest person in the world, and that was an understatement. Sakura knew that the older man blamed himself for the death of Obito as well as his other teammate Rin, even though it wasn't his fault. But Obito was alive, in the same room as Kakashi and he didn't even know.

Sakura moved closed to Obito, making sure to continue looking out towards the brightly lit sky. "Why are you keeping it a secret? You've been alive all this time? Why didn't you come back?"

"I strayed from the path that shinobi are supposed to take," he admitted. "No one could have changed my mind, but somehow, Naruto was able to do that. He was able to change my way of thinking."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, the wind starting to chill her body. "So do you ever plan on revealing who you are?"

"One day," he answered, "but first, I must come to terms with the pain and hatred I've held in my heart for so long. I trust you to keep my secret Sakura."

The pinkette remained silent for a moment. She was unsure why Obito had come to her in the first place, but she would keep his secret. She wanted to be there the moment that Kakashi was reunited with Obito, but perhaps that was a reunion that was best left to the two of them.

"What's going on out here?"

Obito immediately threw his arms around Sakura's shoulders, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. "Tobi just likes being around Sakura-chan! She's so nice to me!"

"Let go of her you idiot!" Deidara yelled, grasping Obito by his Akatsuki robe.

"Okay, okay Deidara-sempai!" he wailed. "Tobi will be good! I promise!"

As he was hauled away, her green eyes locked with his red one, just as it faded to black. Naruto came up to her laughing, blue orbs sparkling with amusement. "I guess he likes you."

Sakura chuckled as well. "I guess he does!"

The blonde crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Why didn't you hit him for hugging you? You always hit me!"

That was a good question. Maybe because "Tobi" had a very innocent personality. Who knew? Sakura voiced this and Naruto stood next to her, gazing down at the shorter woman. His smile was starting to spread over his face again. His smile was contagious and caused her to grin in return. She studied his features and realized that he really wasn't a child anymore. He'd lost his boyish charm for a very handsome and suave appearance. Blonde hair touched his back, still in soft spikes. His face was more angular and now he had blonde stubble on his chin.

"Well it's only fair I get to hug you," he said quietly.

For some reason, that made her heart speed up and when he did wrap his powerful arms around her, she melted into his embrace, her head laying against his chest. This man had been there since she was a child, an ignorant love struck child. She wanted to smack herself when she got older and realized just what she put him through. Despite that, he always stuck by her side and she could honestly say she didn't know where she would be without him.

Naruto pulled her to arm's length. The way he was staring at her with those deep pools of blue had her hypnotized. Sakura realized something: she was an idiot. She was an idiot because it took her eight years to realize just how special Naruto was. Finally she was giving in to him and it felt amazing. The two were startled when they heard cheers and whistling. They turned to see the entire crowd had been watching their encounter. Sakura's cheeks tinted red with embarrassment and Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Does this mean you guys are dating?" Ino shouted.

The two looked at each other. Sakura gave her childhood friend a smile. "Well, are we dating Naruto?"

Naruto linked his fingers in hers. "Definitely."

More shouts echoed through the hall as well as "you finally got her!" from some of their friends. Sakura's blush had yet to subside with all the attention she was getting. Naruto held their linked hands up in the air causing even more uproar from the crowd. She'd better get used to it if she was going to be dating the Hokage. Looking over, the medic realized that even some of the Akatsuki such as Konan and Pein were clapping for them as well. This Christmas had brought about a lot of changes, but she was ready for them. There was peace throughout the land and her love life was starting to move forward. There couldn't have been a more perfect end to the final chapter of this year.

Suddenly the large double doors began to open slowly. Everyone turned to look at who was entering. When Sakura saw who it was, she gasped, her hand moving over her mouth and expression changing to one of shock. The male entered the room confidently and made his way towards Naruto once he saw him.

"I have returned," Sasuke spoke.

Aww! I really enjoyed writing the rest of this. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review!