Pein's destructive attack on Konoha was followed by a large rebuilding effort by the people of the village. To Sakura, things had seemed to be looking up; Naruto had finally gained the support of the villagers, and Sakura had saved many lives during and after the battle. She was happy, but little did she know that it wouldn't last. Nothing good lasted.
She had since then learned her lesson.
Danzo had been appointed temporary-Hokage after Tsunade fell into a coma due to using nearly all her chakra in battle. However, Tsunade had disappeared despite being under constant watch by Shizune, so the counsel agreed to allow Danzo's position to become permanent, and he became the official Rokudaime. Three weeks later the counsel members were found dead in their homes.
Naruto had known what would happened to him had he stayed in Konoha. But due to the urgings of the Rookie-Nine and the help of their jounin senseis, Naruto had escaped. He would periodically check-in with Sakura and Kakashi on a monthly basis, but those had stopped, and Sakura couldn't help but wonder if the yellow-haired boy had died.
Major reform had followed since Danzo had taken his post. Kunoichi began to receive fewer missions, and girls were turned away when enrolling for the academy. Evidently, Danzo's dream of a militaristic Konoha did not involve women working as shinobi. This misogynistic view manifested into a law that stated: that the kunoichi who wished to remain a part of the shinobi forces would only be allowed to take seduction missions, and those who chose to do proper work for a women would be compensated for their contributions to Konoha they made while working as shinobi. Sakura had chosen the latter of the two choices. The compensation she received was a position as the Hokage's assistant; it was great honor she was told. And Sakura begrudgingly accepted. She had hopes that she could possibly spy on the tyrant but it was to no avail, as Danzo hardly let her handle any sensitive documents. But she listened, and every now and then, Sakura could glean an important piece of information, which she dutifully reported to the underground.
In the past, a small number of factions had tried to throw a rebellion, but they were unsuccessful, only able to decrease Root's numbers, but only nominally. Most of the rebels were caught and publically punished for their actions. Danzo had said that he was making an example of them and was trying to teach the populace of Konoha a lesson. Konoha had learned, and thus the underground was founded. The underground consisted mostly of what was left of the Konoha-Eleven, many of whom had died in previous rebellions. They couldn't do much without attracting suspicion, so most of the effort made by the underground was to help the civilians, who had suffered most from Danzo's rule.
The streets of Konoha had changed immensely from when Sakura was a young girl. The civilian districts that were once bustling streets, filled with the din of bargaining merchants and the smell of fried foods, were now barren and quiet. Shops were boarded-up and the merchants no longer traveled to Konoha to sell their wares. Sakura used to appreciate the trips she would make from her home, here in the civilian districts, to the training grounds; but now at twenty-two, all she could do was stare with somber eyes at what Konoha had become.
As she made her way to her workplace, Sakura passed the Root sentries that were posted at street corners and on the rooftops of buildings. They saw and heard everything; it was their purpose after all. Danzo had maintained that the guards were there for the purpose of keeping the villagers safe, but it was obvious that what he was saying was untrue. Most people suspected that Danzo was trying to prevent another overthrow attempt. But it served another purpose: to keep fear in the village. Nobody would think to try anything with emotionless-ninja, who did not hesitate to kill, watching them.
Sakura stepped into the Hokage Tower and shed her coat. Winter was approaching in Konoha, and the temperature was steadily dropping. It was her favorite season, despite what people assumed from her appearance and namesake. As a child, she liked how the winter season would transform Konoha. The green that she was accustomed to seeing would change to white as the leaves would fall and a blanket of snow would cover them. A new slate, she thought. The same feeling didn't occur anymore, but she still liked winter nonetheless.
Sakura walked up the stairs to the Hokage's offices, politely greeting the ninja that were posted in the halls. It was expected of her. "Good morning, Danzo-sama," Sakura bowed upon entering the large room. He grunted in response. Danzo never deigned her a reply and today was no different.
The Hokage's office had changed since Danzo had taken charge. The trinkets and baubles that once adorned the shelves and desk were now gone, and the medical texts that previously lined the shelves had been replaced with books on strategy. The room was no longer the welcoming place where dignitaries once sat or where the daimyo had tea. It was a wartime room.
Sakura sat her assistant's desk and started to work on the paperwork that was laid out in front of her. She worked on the same mundane paperwork everyday, usually filling out mission rosters for C and D-ranks, and organizing paychecks for completed missions. Sakura often wondered if she had made the right choice when deciding to quit being a ninja. Was the monotony of her job actually worse than doing seduction missions? She thought so.
A knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts, as a very familiar ninja walked through and into the office.
"Hello Kakashi-sensei," Sakura croaked, her throat dry from misuse.
He just nodded to her. Gone was the sensei from her past who would greet her with a wave and one of his signature eye-crinkle which would indicate that he was smiling under his mask. But the Kakashi today didn't smile much anymore.
Danzo had Kakashi reinstated into ANBU, forcing the copy-nin to take numerous missions a week, with no breaks in-between. The constant missions had taken a toll on her ex-sensei, which was apparent to anyone that knew him. His shoulders were no longer slumped and he didn't walk with his casual lazy gait. Kakashi was in a constant state of alert. But those were the small things. Anyone could notice that Kakashi was never late anymore, and his near constant companion, Icha Icha, had all but disappeared from his life.
Sakura knew that when she would go to her apartment, she would find Kakashi there. This was a routine for them. After he returned from a mission, he would be at Sakura's apartment by the time she arrived back, and Sakura would heal his wounds. No words were exchanged during these meetings and he would never thank her, but she could see that he appreciated what she did for him. And he could see that she needed to take her of someone as much as he needed someone to take care of him. And as Sakura stared at his retreating form, she felt a little bit of hope for the future.
A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfic, and I've learned that I'm an indecisive writer. My plot changed a lot while writing this. I actually re-posted this, since my first time was so horrible, and very very short. I really hope this one was better. Send me suggestions and criticisms in comments (especially about grammar, not my best suit). Thanks for reading.