A Startling Conclusion

Chapter 0 – One shot Naru/Saku

Key:

OoOoOoOoO – Opening/Ending

XxXxXxXxX – Story jumps

ST – Split time (different areas same time)

"Normal speech"

'Normal thoughts'

"Demon speech"

'Demon thoughts'

OoOoOoOoO

I still remember it clearly, my first time that is, it wasn't long after Sasuke had left the village. I found myself needing release, but nothing I did seemed to quell it, after a full week I finally decided that the only way I would probably be able to solve it was by having sex. I thought carefully about who to do it with, I didn't want to just do it with anyone after all. I considered Shikamaru and Choji, Shino, Kiba, Neji and even Lee as well as several civilian boys I'd known at the academy and still saw occasionally.

But every time my thoughts came back to 1 person; Naruto. He'd saved me and the rest of team 7 a number of times, I can still remember Sasuke telling me about his fight with Sunas jinchuuriki, Gaara and how he fought to save me. In the end I realised that he was the only person I could really trust to take it at my pace.

So I went and spoke to him, I told him simply that it wasn't for him that I was doing this, that it was because I needed it. I told him then that if Sasuke was still in the village it was him I'd be doing it with, he accept that, he would accept anything or do anything for me, I was so foolish not to see it back then.

It hurt, I knew it would, like most kunoichi I'd torn my hymen years ago training but it was still my first time. But Naruto was just as I'd hoped he'd be, he took it slow, let me set the pace and gradually I gave him every part of my first time.

It was only a few weeks later that he left with Jiriaya on his training trip. The first 6 months flew by, I was so buried in my training with Tsunade that I didn't even notice, but after that... After that I began getting smaller jobs at the hospital along with my training, most of the jobs where monotonous and I started thinking about the 2 quarters of my genin team that weren't in the village.

Slowly I came to a startling conclusion, I was finally able to see the Uchiha Sasuke that I'd been blinded too. He was cold and virtually uncaring, hardly staying around the team longer than he had too before leaving, most likely to train on his own. I also realised something else that I would never have imagined before.

Everything that I thought Sasuke was, the kind prince charming that would come to my rescue, someone who would cheer me up when I was down, someone who was strong and brave, who would put his life on the line to save mine. Even the thought of a lonely orphan fighting to make his way in the world just looking for someone to comfort him. EVERY good quality that I thought Sasuke possessed was already present in Naruto.

Yes he was a goof, but his pranks where funny, yes he annoyed me by asking me out on dates, but I suddenly realised that other than a few occasions the only times he'd ever really asked me out was right after Sasuke had said no to me. I'd always been so sad when he said no and then moments later I'd completely forget about it when Naruto asked me for a date.

It took a full 6 months for me to come to terms with the realisation. After that I was surprised more and more when I thought about Naruto. I could remember us walking through the village as a team, usually he would stay a few steps behind us, I'd never really given it any thought before but now...

I remembered the few times that he had walked along side us, the glares that I could feel coming from around me, at the time I'd wondered why they where glaring at me and Sasuke, then I'd slowly come to the realisation that they where glaring at Naruto. I remember thinking at the time that it was just because of all the pranks he pulled, but with the time on my hands that I had during the quiet times in my hospital shifts and when I still had to do the occasional monotonous job, or during my time off when I had nothing to do, it wasn't because of that, they genuinely hated him for some reason.

I think it was about then that I realised that unlike my idolised version of Sasuke, Naruto REALLY WAS an orphan fighting to make his way in the world. I guess it was around that time that my feelings for the 2 really started to change, I still liked Sasuke, but after his treatment of me I no longer felt drawn to him. Naruto however, I suddenly realised that that single event with him had been far better than I'd ever imagined it being with Sasuke.

I started to realise that I actually LIKED Naruto and slowly the feeling started to grow. I think it was about the same time I thought about the Kyuubi attack, it was that time of year after all, the festival was only a week or so away then. I thought about Gaara, I already knew he was a jinchuuriki and that he contained the Ichibi no Shukaku, the weakest of the bijuu. I suppose that's what got me thinking, if all of Suna couldn't defeat the Ichibi then how could a single man, even a man as powerful as the Yondaime had been, defeat and kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest of them.

So I started thinking about what might've happened to it and the smiling WHISKERED face of Uzumaki Naruto popped into my mind. I used my privileges as the Godaimes apprentice and a member of the hospital staff to get into the birth records. I searched back 13 years to October 10th and found only 1 birth certificate for that day. It was Narutos. I found the name of a woman on it, Uzumaki Kushina, I guessed that was his mother.

The name of the father had been scratched out though, and heavily too. Someone obviously didn't want anyone finding out who Narutos father was, so I began looking. Naruto had done so much for me that I figured the least I could do for him was find out who his parents where. So I began digging in the library archives, searching for any mention of Uzumaki Kushina that may link back to give an idea as to who Narutos father was.

Of course through all of this I'd come to a startling conclusion that only made my feelings of hatred for how I'd treat him intensify, he was the child Yondaime had used to save the village, the Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto. I found myself hating the village to a small extent, Naruto was a hero, he'd had no choice and now he was the prison for the greatest demon to ever walk the elemental nations.

It took me another 6 months before I began to get anywhere. I finally found mention of her in a passage about the Yondaime, my heart skipped a beat, I had a hunch and I dared not think about my feelings towards the village if my hunch was proved right.

I finally found a passage in an old book written before the Kyuubi attacked, what was worse for me was that along with the passage there was a picture of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. The passage coupled with the picture brought a fresh wave of dislike of the villagers and dislike towards myself to me. It was bad enough that the passage stated that at the end of the Third Great Shinobi War Uzumaki Kushina had been Namikaze Minatos girlfriend.

But it was worse, when I looked at the image of Namikaze Minato my minds eye overlaid whiskers onto his cheeks, and there he was, Uzumaki Naruto was without a doubt Namikaze Naruto, the only child of the Yondaime Hokage. I remember thinking that the Yondaime must be turning in his grave with how the village as treated his only heir. Even then I could scarcely imagine what the village would do once they learned that the boy they had mistreated so long, the boy the Yondaime used to save the village, was the mans only child.

I took my findings and spoke to Tsunade and she confirmed it, Uzumaki Naruto was in fact Namikaze Naruto, son of the Yondaime. She also informed me of the Sandaimes law that prevented anyone from telling the younger generation. After that I realised that my own family had turned me against him without telling me why, so I disowned them. I couldn't stand to hear a bad word said against him anymore and more than a few people met with a swift death by my own hand after calling him a demon.

I suppose if I'd been anyone else then I would've been treated the same as he was, but since I was the Godaimes apprentice I was treated with either respect or neutrality. I couldn't wait to see what happened when they learned he was the son of the Yondaime. 4 months after my discovery and I realised that Naruto had been gone a full 2 years, he was due back in 6 months and I found myself starting to count the days till his return.

Work at the hospital and training helped me pass the time, but I was slowly coming to a realisation I wasn't quite sure I wanted to admit. The months passed and finally Narutos due date came... and went. For the first couple of weeks Tsunade would send me to the gate to pick up the days traffic report, but after that I kept going even though she hadn't sent me, it took me a full 2 months to realise why; I'd fallen in love with Naruto and my heart was aching for his return so that I could tell him.

It was during those months that I was waiting for Naruto to return that we captured an Oto-nin and learned that Orochimaru had been killed, the nin said that the 2 rumours in Otogakure where that either Akatsuki had finally caught up with him and taken him out for leaving the group, or Uchiha Sasuke had killed him.

It was another 6 months after he was supposed to return, 3 years since he left, that he finally showed up at the village gates alone, just as I was collecting the traffic report, but he didn't quite seem to be the same Naruto that left. It was strange to see him so subdued but still I walked in silence with him to Tsunades office, just basking happily in the fact that he was back. His clothing was the most obvious change, the bright orange replace by black and the navy blue replaced by a deep but vibrant red.

The story he told in the Hokages office was quite something. About a year and a half after they'd left Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame had managed to track them down, Naruto had managed to progress far enough that he was able to stall the Uchiha long enough for Jiriaya to take down Kisame, the Uchiha quickly fled after that. It was a couple of months before they'd been due to come back when they'd caught wind of Itachi and another on their trail so they began moving away from Konoha again to try and buy some time.

It was just a few weeks before Naruto had returned, while he and Jiriaya where south-west of Ame that the pair had finally caught up with them or rather the 7, the other opponent was apparently the leader of Akatsuki. Naruto once again took on the Uchiha genius while Jiriaya took on the leader. It turned out Jiriaya had once taught the person leading the group and he put up a valiant fight with aid from Naruto as he drew his fight with Itachi in and out of the battle between Jiriaya and the leaders 6 bodies.

Jiriaya suddenly took a severe wound while Naruto watched, according to Naruto he remembered landing a solid punch on Itachi and watching as he passed out on the floor. Beyond that he couldn't remember anything until nightfall, when he awoke to see the Uchiha still out cold and the remains of the 6 bodies, most torn to shreds. Quickly moving over to Jiriaya Naruto said his sensei had been alive, but just barely.

Naruto said that according to Jiriaya his skill with seals had surpassed that of even the Yondaime. He then pulled out a scroll from his jacket and placed it on the desk in front of Tsunade. He'd created the seal within it just the day before the attack and hadn't had a chance to test it, apparently it was designed to be a trail stasis seal, just to see if it would be possible to make to be able to transport ready cooked food around.

In an act of desperation Naruto had sealed Jiriaya into the scroll before leaving as quickly as possible and making a b-line towards Iwa before turning off as he got near the border and heading north through Kusa and half way through Taki before moving west again and cutting back into Hi no Kuni just before reaching the border of Taki. Once back in Hi no Kuni he'd made a b-line for Konoha before slowing down this morning, resting through lunch and then walking the rest of the way.

In moments we were on our way to the hospital and no sooner had we arrived than Naruto had unsealed Jiriaya onto a bed. The man was in rough shape, but he was still alive and Tsunade immediately rushed him into surgery with Shizune, I was expecting to have to go in as well, but Tsunade told me to wait with Naruto because she wasn't sure she could save him and Naruto would need my support while he waited to find out.

So I sat outside the room, waiting with Naruto, holding his hand and telling him the Tsunade was doing everything she could to save Jiriaya and that I was sure he'd be back on his feet, peeping in the hot springs in no time. It was a full 3 hours later when Tsunade finally emerged, she looked exhausted. She told us that it was still touch and go but complimented Naruto saying that it was only thanks to him that Jiriaya even had a chance, she said then that if it had been even 15 minutes later he wouldn't have had a chance.

That seemed to ease Naruto somewhat and he thanked Tsunade before we stood and left. He didn't realise until we were already out on the street that I was still holding his hand, he asked me if there was any reason why I was still holding his hand, I can still remember the conversation we had now.

"Well, yes, I was kind of hoping we could go out on a date." I replied with a slight blush, he turned and looked me in the eye.

"Sakura-chan..." He started before exhaling heavily through his nose, I felt my heart start to crack.

"Don't tell me you don't love me anymore!" I pleaded, I really didn't know what I'd do if he said he didn't.

"I'll never say that, it's just..." He exhaled heavily again. "...you belong with Sasuke." He said simply, he turned and went to walk away, but I reached out and grabbed his wrist, he looked back at me in confusion.

"You're wrong Naruto-kun, I've had time to think while you've been gone and I realised that everything I thought about Sasuke wasn't true, but everything I thought about Sasuke was true for you." He stood there looking at me with the most adorable expression I'd ever seen on his face, somewhere between gobsmacked, confusion and disbelief.

"Sakura-chan what are you saying?" He finally asked, I smiled warmly and pulled him around to face me before stepping forwards and wrapping my arms around him.

"I'm saying I love you, you baka."

After that things just took off between us and I'd never felt happier. My family got in touch with me several months after that and I asked them if they could accept me being with Naruto, when thy said no I told them simply that until such time as they could accept him for who he was, regardless of anything else, they were dead to me because if I'd listened to them to begin with I would've made the biggest mistake of my life.

Eventually we made an attempt to bring back Sasuke, it didn't work out and in the end we had to kill him, it was either that or he was going to kill Kakashi and we decided that losing a friend that left us was better than losing a sensei that didn't. After that we progressed into a series of battles consisting of about 1 every month, Jiriaya made a recovery but it wasn't full and over the course of around 6 to 8 months we battled the remaining members of Akatsuki.

We lost a few good ninja in the battles, Kakashi, Gai, Neji, Kiba and Akamaru, Choji and Jiriaya all died to bring down the fearsome organisation. That was a little over 2 years ago now, after the battles where over Tsunade announced Narutos true heritage to the village, as well as her nominations for Rokudaime Hokage, myself and Naruto. In the end the council couldn't do anything despite a number of the civilian side still being against him the ninja population made it clear that unless Naruto became Rokudaime most would turn on whoever the council put in place instead, since none of them were willing to take the position.

Naruto took the position 3 months later, a week after we got married and now I lie here in a hospital bed, my wonderful husband by my side as we look at our first born child, our daughter Hikari, who I'm cradling in my arms.

OoOoOoOoO