::ThaTReadeR signs in::
THIS IS A REWRITE OF THE STORY.
Life, whether you like it or not.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
This story is AU where Sasuke never turned bad. All that happened after his betrayal never happened. This starts out NarutoxSakura. Thing's happens. It's life. People move on. Right?
Summary: It was supposed to be her best day ever. Instead she finds herself away and gone from the place she calls home for five years. Now returning back to Konoha with her "husband", she finds her old life dead and gone. Expecting to see everything still the same, she'll find out that life in Konoha has moved on without her in it.
This story will be seen mostly through Sakura's point of view.
Prologue:
-Beep Beep Beep-
The woman groaned into her pillow as she reached for the alarm clock. She yawned as she rolled over. Opening her emerald green eyes expecting to see her blonde lover, instead she found herself facing a sleeping man with raven hair. An instant frown appeared, on her face, as she remembered the best but worst day ever.
Flashback
Sakura Haruno was a light sleeper, especially, compared to her lover, Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze was currently sound asleep and lightly snoring. He had falling asleep facing her back as she was facing the window. She could feel his arms suddenly tightening around her waist. When she opened her eyes, she immediately shut them again.
'We must've forgotten to shut the blinds last night.' She frowned.
She reopened her eyes slowly. Blinking a few times until her eyes were adjusted to the light, she noticed the alarm clock by her side of the bed said 7:59 AM. She slowly moved her body around so that she could face Naruto. She frowned when she noticed his forehead had a small crease showing up.
'What could he possibly be dreaming about that could upset him like this..?' she thought.
She was about to reach over and touch his forehead but stopped when he started to talk.
"No, back off Ino, she's mine for today. You can go do your girly stuff with her some other day."
Sakura felt Naruto pull her closer to him. She smiled to herself.
"Why can't you and Sai go do something together?"
"Hmph"
Sakura chuckled as she heard him muttering. He was pouting in his sleep. However, as much as she wanted to lay in bed with him all day, she'd rather be spending it with him while they were both awake. She leaned in closer to leave a peck on his lips. She pulled away only to capture his lips again. This time she placed them there, lingering a bit longer. It didn't take long for the blonde to wake up and respond back. The kiss lasted a few seconds more before both pulled away for air.
She gazed into his cerulean eyes and smiled.
"Morning."
He returned the smile with his foxy grin.
"Morning."
"What do you have in mind for today?"
"You and me don't get day offs often so as long as I'm with you, I'm happy."
"Haha, how about we start off with some breakfast?"
"Alright, you can shower first, I'll cook."
With a quick peck on the lips, both got out of bed. Naruto, only in his boxers, grabbed a shirt and heading out of the bedroom door.
Sakura went to the dresser to grab some clothes. She reached for a skirt and a top but only found one skirt.
"Hmm I guess it's time to do laundry, I'll just grab one of Naruto's shirts for now."
Over the years, Sakura and Ino had gotten Naruto to wear a variety of more shirts and colors. No more was it the hideous orange and black jumpsuit but actual clothes. She went through the shirts trying to find a specific shirt when she noticed a box. Sakura's eyes nearly bulged out of her eye sockets. There, hidden, on the bottom back right corner of the dresser was a little pink box. That only meant one thing.
'Oh my gosh! There has to be a ring in there! No way could a necklace fit in that. Wait, technically it could but that has to be a ring!' She thought happily.
She quickly grabbed a white shirt and went off to shower. When she finished her shower, she got dressed. She approached the kitchen to find not just one blonde but two.
"Morning forehead." Ino Yamanaka spoke in a sing song voice.
"Morning Ino-pig, as much as I looove seeing your oh so beautiful face in the morning, what are you doing here?" Sakura managed to say with a smile.
"I know huh? You just love seeing my beautiful face in the morning. It beats that blonde one over there any day. Hehe, anyways, I just came to tell you two that there will be a party at Choji's new restaurant tomorrow at 7 pm. I would've been on my way but Naruto invited me in for breakfast. Who could say no to that?" said Ino.
"Hey hey! Sakura, she's lying. She let herself in when she noticed the pancake batter I was stirring." Naruto piped in.
"What! Who's the liar now?" Ino argued.
Naruto and Ino used to be a couple. Sakura hadn't found out until Naruto and her were talking about their past one night. He wouldn't mention to her why they had broken up, though. She tried to ask Ino once but Ino changed the subject. She remembered they seemed really close at one point but she always brushed it off because they were always arguing. Even now, they still argue a lot. They never cried and screamed at each other though. It was only disagreements on every single little thing.
After Naruto had told her about Ino and him, Sakura started to notice more things. Aside from their bickering, they were really close. Whenever something was wrong with Ino, she would always turn to them both but mostly to Naruto.
'What really happened between the two?' Sakura brushed off the question when she heard a knock from the door. She looked up. Naruto and Ino were busy arguing over breakfast and who made it better that they didn't hear the knock.
She walked towards the door and opened it. Waiting on the porch was Sasuke Uchiha.
"Morning Sasuke."
"Hn. Morning."
"Would you like to come in? Naruto is cooking breakfast right now with Ino."
"Ino is here? Hn, I guess what I heard was true." Sasuke said quietly.
"Naruto! Can you make a bit more? Sasuke is here too!" Sakura pretended not to hear that as she yelled to Naruto.
"Alright!"
"Hn. How lovely. Well I guess I have time for breakfast. After we eat though, you and I need to meet with Tsunade-sama."
"Wait, are you sure we don't need to go now? What's going on?"
"I don't know. Kakashi-sensei stopped by and said that the Hokage has requested both of our presences but we could come in any time today before noon."
"Alright, we'll go after breakfast then."
Sakura and Sasuke walked into the kitchen to find a huge load of pancakes and scrambled eggs set on the table.
"Morning Sasuke." Both blondes said before stuffing their mouths with pancakes.
"Hn. Morning."
Sakura grabbed an extra plate and handed it to Sasuke. Soon after, all four were sitting down and eating.
"Oh, Sasuke, Choji's throwing a party tomorrow at his new restaurant. It's going to start at 7 pm. Think you can make it?" Ino asked.
"It depends. Hokage-sama has requested that Sakura and I go see her for something." Sasuke replied.
"Wait what? Sakura I thought you had the day off." Naruto spoke staring up at Sakura.
"I do have today off. This must be important then." Sakura replied.
There was a knock again on the door. Sakura got up to go see who it was.
She appeared back with Sai following her.
"Hey guys, guess who else has come to join us. Hungry, Sai?" Sakura said.
"Uh, actually no thanks. I can't stay. I just came to tell you both that Tsunade-sama has requested you both to come now. She says it is urgent that you both now come. Now if you don't mind, I'll be leaving now." Sai turned and left.
"I'll go get ready real fast then. Be right back." Sakura scurried off.
Sakura returned to the kitchen to find all the plates had cleared and that Ino was washing the dishes as Naruto and Sasuke were in a discussion about a new justu.
"Ino-pig, you didn't have to do the dishes." Sakura said as she walked back into the kitchen.
"Oh, don't worry about it, it's the least I can do for the free meal." Ino replied.
"Hmph what a moocher." Naruto muttered.
"I HEARD that!" Ino yelled.
"Naruto, be nice. She's still a guest in the house. Hm, we shouldn't be gone too long. Ready Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, let's get going now. Hn. Naruto, we're not finished with this conversation. I still believe that the jutsu is real." Sasuke spoke before heading out the door.
"We'll see about that!" Naruto yelled.
Sakura walked over and pecked Naruto on the lips.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye love." Sakura whispered into Naruto's ear.
"Mmm...Don't take too long. I love you." Naruto whispered back.
"I love you too. Bye Ino-pig. Try not to kill each other while we're gone." With that said, Sakura was out the door.
Flashback Ends
Sakura smiled at that memory. She looked to see Sasuke still lying there sound asleep. She frowned again when it hit her. No longer could she wake up in bed with Naruto. No longer did she have the chance to become Sakura Haruno Uzumaki-Namikaze. No longer was her outer appearance Sakura Haruno. Why? Because Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha were found dead during a mission on their way to the Land of Sound. Sakura remembered how it was at the Hokage tower when she first found out.
Flashback
"I checked with Tsunade-sama, you two may enter now." Shizune said.
Sakura and Sasuke walked into the Tsunade's office.
"Ahh, Sakura and Sasuke, there you two are. Good good. I need you two for a very important S class mission. I couldn't pick just anyone. Trust me this was a very hard decision to make. However, it's your two skills that stand out from the rest. Sakura, trained under me, you have surpassed me when it comes to medical skills and you also have the chakra fist that puts you at an advantage. Sasuke, your sharingan eyes and fighting ability is also at a high advantage compared to most." Tsunade spoke.
"Hn."
"Continue Tsunade-sama. Please ignore him."
"I need you two to go the Land of Sound. An Anbu has reported back that the sound village is secretly planning something but can't get close enough. I have a very old friend down at the village that seems to know a bit. Please go to her and escort her back here to Konoha.
"Tsunade-sama, if our only mission is to just go down to the Land of Sound, what does our skill have to do with this mission, if you don't mind me asking?" Sakura asked.
Tsunade let out a sigh that didn't go unnoticed by the two.
"The reason why it must be you two is because of your skill level. All the other villages already know about your skill levels. You, Sasuke, especially for being the last Uchiha that the world knows about. Sasuke, Sakura, you two, might not return back to Konoha. If so, you two won't be the same. "
Both stared wide eyed at the Hokage after hearing what she had to say.
"It seems Zuzu is heavily guarded secretly. I believe when you two meet her. Getting to her may be easy but getting her out won't be easy. If sound ninjas at all attack you two, I need you two to muster a fight all the way. Fight with all the skills and strength that you have. Then you two are going to run. Turn it into a cat and mouse game. Have them follow you. Anbu will be hidden around to get Zuzu out safely."
"So basically we're going to die for this woman to get to Konoha." Sasuke said.
"No." Tsunade sighed again. "You two are going to fake your deaths. No longer will there be a Sakura Haruno or a Sasuke Uchiha. You need to perform it so that a body isn't left and that there's no reason for them to continue hunting you. A secret alias name will be created for the both of you. The only thing is that, you'll only need to perform this jutsu, if they attack you. If they don't attack and you three can make it back to Konoha without a trace. Then this mission will only be an escort mission with s rank pay. You two, get as much rest as possible. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning at six am. You cannot tell anyone of this mission. To everyone outside this room, it's just an escort mission. Good luck to you both. Dismissed." Tsunade said with a wave.
"Tsunade-sama, will we ever be able to come back if something does go wrong?" Sakura stuttered sadly.
"After the time is right, but it won't be until after awhile. I'm sorry." Tsunade replied.
Sasuke decided he would escort Sakura back to Naruto's before going back home to pack for their suicide mission. They both remained silent the whole trip back. Once outside the house, Sasuke waved bye then was gone.
Sakura frowned. She didn't know what was worse, the suicidal mission, lying to Naruto, or having to say goodbye to him.
Flashback Ends
Sakura laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her life from when she was a genin to now. Back in her genin days, if she had known, she'd be sharing a bed with Sasuke, she'd probably had died of happiness on the spot. Now though, she'd do anything to be back in Naruto's arms. How she missed her knucklehead. It's been five years now since she's seen him. Five long dreaded years she's been living in Otagakure. She remembered how he reacted when she had to tell him of her escort mission. They were supposed to be spending time together. Instead she had to spend most of it packing. To him it was just a mission. To her it was her life. What hurt was she knew who's shoulder he'd be crying on the moment she left his arms.
Flashback
"Naruto! I'm home"
There was no response. Sakura walked around the house checking for Naruto. No sign of him at all. She walked into the bedroom. She lost her thought and started daydreaming at the sight of their bed. Oh how she loved that bed. All those good memories of just him and her.
A pair of arms laced around her waist. Sakura didn't overreact. She didn't jump. She didn't scream. She simply stood there and let the man hold her. She took in his smell. He smelled like soap. He must've been showering when she called. He must've come out as she was staring at their bed. Lost in thought was probably why she didn't hear him open the door. She leaned her back into his chest. They stood like that together for a while before she was first to speak.
"Naruto...I'm going on a mission tomorrow morning with Sasuke."
Sakura wasn't facing Naruto so she didn't see him frown. He simply stayed quiet.
"We don't know how long it's going to take. It's supposed to be him and me escorting this woman to here from Otagakure."
Naruto, having been quiet the whole time, spoke in a low voice, "Why don't you go pack for your mission, shower when you're done, and I'll meet you out in the kitchen?"
Before Naruto walked out of the room, Sakura nodded and pecked him on the lips before turning to go pack.
After packing for her lifelong mission, she went for a shower. When she finished she glimpsed at the clock. It read five forty-six pm. Time to see what Naruto was up to. She left the bedroom.
Outside the bedroom, there were red and white rose petals on the floor.
She followed the trail into the kitchen where she found him lighting the candles on the table.
"Oh wow. Naruto" Sakura was speechless.
"I just wanted you to remember us together before your mission with Sasuke. I just wanted it to be special."
Sakura was ready to cry. Naruto was clearly jealous and scared that she might leave him for Sasuke. However he managed to cover it up in a cute way with a romantic dinner. She walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely.
Naruto was first to pull away chuckling.
"Come let's eat dinner first. I made your favorite."
Naruto and Sakura sat down to eat. They chatted along the way of course. Telling and reminiscing old memories of them.
Sakura was first to yawn.
"Come on, let's get you to bed."
Naruto put all the dishes in the sink. Then he picked up Sakura bridal style and led them into the bedroom. The moment they made it to the bedroom, Sakura chose to start kissing him on the neck. Not wanting to drop her, he placed her gently on the bed before attacking her lips.
She kissed back with as much force.
When they pulled away for air, breathing heavily, he whispered, "I love you." to her multiple times.
She whispered back, "I love you more, Naruto."
She laid in his arms happily before they both fell asleep.
Unknown to him, this would be the very last time they would be in each other's arms like this.
The next morning, she had woken up early, unable to wake him up and say goodbye. She sat down and wrote him a letter saying goodbye and that she was off to her mission. She felt pathetic for not being able to face him. She was about to walk into a suicidal mission and she couldn't even say goodbye to her boyfriend. She finished it off with an "I love you." Placing the letter in a place she knew he would see, she walked over to him. She placed a kiss on his lips and pulled away. She laughed as she saw him grab for the pillow thinking it was her.
Checking to make sure she had everything, Sakura Haruno walked out of their apartment.
Flashback ends
"Sakura..sakura…sakura" Sasuke had awoken and was calling out to Sakura.
Sakura opened her eyes to find Sasuke nudging at her.
"Come on, there's a man here. Do you remember your name?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes yes. My name is Haruko Sasaki and you are my husband Jiro Sasaki."
"Hn. Good, just checking."
"It has been five years now Sasuke."
Sasuke stayed quiet as he got up to get the door.
Sasuke opened the door of their small place. Sakura watched from afar, listening closely.
"Hello, are you Mr. Sasaki?"
"Yes, may I help you?"
"Yes, the Daimyo would like a word with you. Please bring your wife and follow me."
"Hn. One moment please. Haruko-hime, someone at the door here says our presences are needed at the Daimyo's office."
"Oh. Alright, just let me grab my coat." Sakura grabbed her coat but not before looking through the mirror first. Her once pink hair was no longer there. Instead it was dyed blonde with red highlights to cover up her identity. With a quick hair check, she was out the door alongside Sasuke and the man.
When they approached the office, Sasuke and Sakura saw another man talking with the Daimyo.
"Ahh Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki, wonderful that you both could make it." Said the Daimyo.
"Hello sir." Sasuke and Sakura both said.
"Now Mr. Sasaki, this man here is from Konoha, he wishes to offer you a new job." The Daimyo continued.
"Here take this contract and look at it before you make any decisions. I asked your wife to come over so you could agree together. The Daimyo and I will wait outside until you are ready." The man and the Daimyo left the room.
Sasuke and Sakura both looked at the piece of papers. On the last page, what should've been blank after the last paragraph was someone's handwriting in red. It said "Just say yes, we'll figure everything else out later. –Tsunade."
Both stared at each other. This was it. Their one way back to Konoha, back to their home had finally come. With that Sasuke, immediately, called out to the men outside and said he agreed to take the job in Konoha.
After shaking hands, Sasuke and Sakura were on their way to their home to pack. Both excited to know, they could finally return home. When they approached their home, the same man at the office was outside their place.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki, I'm glad you agreed the offer, however the only catch to saying yes is, when the both of you return. Your old identities will be considered dead to everyone in Konoha and it'll remain dead when you return. Jobs have been set up so that both of you can semi-recover your main lives. I'm sorry to say but it won't be the same.
I wish you a safe trip home." With that said, the man vanished in a blink of an eye.
Sakura and Sasuke left the next morning after packing; they traded their house for some money and were off.
Sakura's final thought before concentrating on the road, "How different could Konoha be after five years? Naruto, are you still the same?"
Better than the original chapter, yes?
Just small minor changes.
To be honest, I reread the story and couldn't recognize that I wrote it. ;
::ThaTReadeR signs off::