The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky when Naruto peeked through his thin curtains to check that his clock was right. The temporary dorm housing units provided to the Konoha shinobi during reconstruction were drafty and small, but still a noticeable upgrade from the small apartment granted to him by the city as an orphan. He had volunteered to take one so that the other residents with families and shops could take priority for the nicer units available. The creaky floorboards were constantly covered in dirt and dust from construction, but it home.
Or, at least, a home.
Naruto's backup alarm went off with his second reminder to get up and get going. That alarm also meant that he had maybe an hour before Sai returned from the night patrol and needed the bed space. The recent influx of returning shinobi meant that hot bunking was the most efficient way of making the small space work for as many as possible. Sai had been the one to suggest the arrangement, noting that it would be the perfect balance of living with another person and never seeing them. Sai had been slowly warming up to relationships with other people, but still lacked any desire to regularly interact with another in his own home. Meanwhile, Naruto was only interested in focusing his mind and time to training. To both boys, the shared shabby sad box with only enough room for one futon at a time perfectly met their needs.
With the speed that develops only after years of practicing the same routine, Naurto quickly washed up using the basin of fresh water he brought in the previous evening and slipped into his gear. His 'job,' assigned to him by Tsunade, was to train and get used to his regrown appendage. A combination of jutsus from Tsunade and Orochimaru had succeeded in regenerating the limb over the course of several weeks, but the healing process would likely take several years.
Naruto thought back to the fight that caused the injury and sighed. So much had changed since that time, and so little. Sasuke had admitted defeat and come home. In a sense. He still aligned himself as an outsider to Konoha and refused to work in a team. What had he been fighting for to save? What good did losing his arm do?
Kurama was quiet in Naruto's mind since using up most of his chakra, giving the young shinobi some mental calm to reflect on the previous few years. Without the bijuu's aggressive and snarky voice intensifying his emotions, he found that they were less intense and his concentration on training and chakra focus easier.
The promise to Sakura had been fulfilled, and yet it hadn't felt like anything had changed. Even to Naruto, it was clear that her heart hadn't resolved the gaping differences between its wishes and reality.
Tsunade had insisted that Naruto and Sakura continue training together to maintain their teamwork skills but also for more practical reasons. Naruto needed a medical ninja available in case something went wrong with his arm, and Sakura needed someone closer to her fighting level to get in more serious training. Even with his weak arm, Naruto was still one of the only people she could unleash her full strength on.
Naruto did a final check of his gear before silently exiting his room and locking up. The communal kitchen on the first floor had a strange but welcoming smell of breakfast and dinner options in an attempt to serve those just getting up and just getting home. He filed into line and gratefully accepted the extra helpings of food from the kitchen staff. Everyone worked so hard that he felt bad for not doing enough to directly contribute back to their rebuilding community. These were the moments when Kurama's voice was important. He would remind his young host that having shinobi who are able to provide protection and training were as important as field workers and carpenters. But Naruto couldn't get the images of the farmers desperately trying to get their fields in order before growing season started up again.
Good breakfast companions were vital to starting one's day off right, Naruto had concluded long ago. Most days he didn't feel like talking and just wanted to get started with training. He was in an emotional rut, but he didn't mind it so much. Having a quiet span of time to reflect on the events and losses seemed appropriate. Thus, most mornings he sought out the quiet companionship of Shikamaru.
Nearing the end of their meal, Naruto decided to make a few pleasantries. "Ne, Shikamaru..." Naruto began. "How's Temari?"
Shikamaru shrugged without looking up from the last few grains of his rice. "She doesn't like the lodging, but she's also happy we don't have to worry about keeping up a bigger place."
Naruto let himself grin a little at his friend's odd way of displaying happiness. Shikamaru and Temari had quietly decided to room together when the shinobi dorm opened up. Neither had made a fuss about it, as was their way, and the relationship seemed only natural to the villages of Konoha. Temari had decided to stay in Konoha for the time being to aid in the rebuilding efforts and provide additional defense, and neither had minded that it would keep them closer together.
Naruto and Shikamaru went about their separate ways for the day after cleaning up their dishes. Naruto was liking this quiet life.
Stepping out of the dorm, Naruto paused and glanced over to the spot that Sakura normally waited for him. As expected, she began strolling over when they made eye contact. "Why do you wait like that every day? Come in and have breakfast with us," Naruto suggested.
Sakura shook her head as they began to walk through town to the training grounds. "Because I just happen to be walking by at this time of day and happen to wait for you. It's not like we plan to meet up like this, so I already have breakfast before I leave the hospital."
Naruto was naturally confused, but had long ago learned to let Sakura have her own form of emotional logic. He knew that just a few years ago he would have been on top of the world at the idea of training alone with Sakura every day, but adulthood and wars had a way of brining perspective to childhood crushes. Sakura was learning that in desperately hard strokes, and Naruto found himself happy to be there in any way that let him see her regularly. "What did you want to work on today?"
Sakura paused for a moment and stared up at the Hokage cliff, meeting the eyes of her former master. "I was thinking of teaching you some of the basic medical jutsu."
"Really?" Naruto perked up at the thought. She had never mentioned it before, and he had never considered himself a candidate to learn that class of jutsus.
Nodding, Sakura explained. "With Kurama's chakra suppressed right now it is a good time to practice your chakra control. It would be good for you to know some jutsus other than attacks and harems." They laughed together, and Sakura showed a rare smile that Naruto drank in. "You have such a massive reserve of chakra that I think we can put it to use at the hospital for more lengthy procedures, and there are so few medical-nin that can safely be on the front lines. I don't know, I just thought we could give it a try and see where it went."
Naruto's eyes squinted shut with a huge grin as he nodded, "Nn, nn!"
They spent the day on the training grounds near a fishing pond so Naruto would have plenty of access to practice subjects for his beginner medical ninjutsu. Sakura found herself surprised at how much more control Naruto had over his chakra now than when they were in genin training. Taming Kurama and coming being accepted by the community had helped him mature mentally, which allowed him to focus and regulate his emptions in a more productive way. Sakura could tell he would never reach her level of skill, but even knowing the basic healing techniques could save a life of a comrade and help keep the other medical-nin stay in protected zones. After taking stock of the current population of academy students, Sakura knew that it would be several years before any would be ready to be on a serious battlefield.
The sun was beginning to set as they sat down against a tree to eat their bentou dinners. "Ne, Sakura-chan, how did I do?" Naruto asked.
Sakura pondered for a moment on how to translate her mental notes about his progress. "Quite well! Your chakra skills have grown, and I think you'll be able to master some of the more basic techniques. Eventually you'll be able to take care of your arm if you can't get to me in time. I'm glad you were open to trying this out."
Naruto grinned back at her while attempting to chew and floundered, making Sakura laugh. The young shinobis continued to sit next to the tree, each lost in their own thoughts but glad to be around a friend. Sakura turned over to Naruto and saw that he had fallen asleep against her shoulder.
She had been waiting for Naruto to renew his confession of love for her once Sasuke had backed down and rejoined allegiances with Konoha, but never had. Was he giving her more time or did he no longer feel that way? Sakura had barely even thought about seeking out a romantic relationship with anyone, even Sasuke, since the final battle. Naruto, she thought, was likely much in the same mental place, so she eventually stopped worrying about it.
Flashbacks of their youth came back to her and Sakura found herself smiling at the memories when Naruto would constantly ask her out. She had been thinking back to those days a lot and tried to remember she was so in love with Sasuke.
The emotional filters of youth appeared to be the main culprit, she thought. She wanted to love someone who seemed strong and capable, so her heart went out to Sasuke at that moment because everyone saw him as that person without really knowing him. She had foolishly fallen in love with the man she wanted Sasuke to be rather than truly understanding who he was. The battles and destruction that she had seen in the year since had helped change that perspective.
Why had she never given Naruto a second thought?
"Nnn, Sakura-chan..." Naruto began to mumble, and Sakura had to bit her lip to keep from laughing. She had long learned to recognize when Naruto was talking in his sleep by the boyish voice that only came out in those moments. "I want our daughter to be as beautiful as you..."
Sakura felt her eyes widen and her heart begin to pump. He was dreaming about her? And their children? Thoughts she had never considered before entered her mind. Sakura was new to adulthood and knew she had never thought through what a relationship with Sasuke would mean. What would he have been like as a husband? A father? She had to suppress her body from shuddering at the thought. He was selfish and petty without any empathy or love.
Naruto, though. She had watched him recently working with the younger academy classes on their shuriken drills. He loved children and they followed him without question. She could clearly see him as a father. Weeping over his newborn child at the hospital. Fussing over the first day of school. Passing down Minato's rasengan and Jiraya's toad summoning. His natural belief in unconditional love and protection of comrades so naturally translated into being a father and partner, and Sakura felt a stab in her chest at the thought that he may never get the chance.
But Naruto as a husband? Naruto as her husband? He shifted and began mumbling again. "You'll be such a good mom...they'll be smart like you..."
Sakura searched deep inside herself to reflect on what she wanted in life. She tried picturing herself in the scene that Naruto was dreaming about. Had they just found out the sex of their baby? Had she just told him she was pregnant? Were they deciding to start having children? Her chest tightened when she felt perfect contentment at being in this dream. He wanted the same life that she did, and she wanted that life with him. The realization hit her harder than one of Tsunade's punches to the gut.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she considered what to do. Before she knew it, her hand was running through Naruto's blonde hair and he slowly stirred back into consciousness.
He woke up and contently pushed his head into her shoulder as he yawned. Finally realizing what he was doing, he stood up with a shock. "Sakura-chan! Sorry! Wait," he looked closer at her face. "You're crying! What happened?" He scanned the area around the tree looking for signs of an attack or intruder, but found none.
Sakura was overwhelmed by the emotions that just a few unconscious statements could bring up, and wasn't sure where to even start. She leaned forward, and wrapped Naruto in a tight hug and began to cry into his chest.
Naruto, realizing that she wasn't hurt or in danger, didn't question her actions any further. He had cried in the same way with Iruka after finally realizing the extent of his physical injuries and how many shinobi were lost in the final battle. Naruto held her close, happy that she was finally reaching out and grieving. While waiting for her to finish, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander back from the wonderful dream he had been having. Sakura to come home to every night. Sakura pregnant their children. Sakura helping him teach the next generation how to find their way. She was the woman that he wanted to have by his side for the rest of his life. Naruto desperately wanted to confess all his feelings, but he knew her heart was torn and was content with it just being a dream for the time being.
Sakura felt Naruto's hand softly brush her hair away from her wet cheeks and then a soft kiss on the top of her head. Gentle, loving, accepting. She cried for the friends she lost, the bodies she cleaned off the battlefield, their lost village, and her lost childhood love. At some point she realized that her crying had turned into tears of happiness at the thought of what the future could look like. A future of creating and protecting life instead of wars and death. A future with the strong man holding and supporting her now without a question.
She pulled back from his embrace enough to search his eyes. He still said nothing, but met her gaze and stuck there waiting for her to make a move. "Your dream..." Sakura began.
Naruto looked confused for a moment and then his eyes widened. "How...?" he asked.
Sakura started to wipe her face off, "Baka, you talk in your sleep."
His trademark dopey smile returned and he reached back to nervously scratch the back of his head. "Sorry, Sakura-chan..."
"I want that, too." She said softly.
His hand stopped abruptly and slowly fell down to her side. "Are you...sure?" he stammered.
"Do you still love me?" she asked him.
"Always," he answered without hesitation.