-1Fipp: I just had to this otherwise it would plague my mind until I wrote it. I did this all in one day too!

Final Meeting

The 7th Hokage climbed up the cliff, to the massive flat ground at the top. This was it, the three most powerful Superpowers in the world, Konoha, Oto, and Akatsuki, after years of warfare had agreed to send their leaders here to finally end their conflict, years of blood and death spilled. Though this was a major reason for the Hokage to be here, there was another reason.

Haruno Sakura, the 6th Hokage of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was here to release her fiends from their own eternal hells.

Sakura made it to the top, made a quick adjustment to her robes and looked across the plains. She could see already in the middle, the Otokage, and the Amekage. Though both were unofficial titles, they were just as powerful as any real kage.

The Otokage, in his grey robes, purple sash around his waist with his sword tied at the back. Dark red eyes with star-shaped pupils, and the Uchiha clan symbol on his back. This was her former teammate, Uchiha Sasuke.

The Amekage, the standard Akatsuki robes, ring on his right thumb, where Pain once wore his. Wild red-blonde hair, sharpened teeth, nails, the whisker marks on his cheeks heavily marked, blood-red eyes with vertical pupils. This was her former teammate, Uzumaki Naruto.

Sakura was saddened at this meeting, this was the first time in over thirty years that Team 7 had met. She could still remember how it led to this.

Flashback. . .

It had started as simple escort mission, her, Naruto, Sai, Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou had just returned from dropping the escort off at an embassy and were on their way home.


That's when they attacked, the Akatsuki members she learned later went by the name Pein and Konan, to take Naruto away.

And they did, leaving the other four members of the party half-dead, but luckily Sakura was able to heal all of them. Kakashi then summoned one of his dogs to go back to the village, to send rainforests while they looked for Naruto.

They were able to find him, the extraction process was only hours away from completion. Pein used that body switch Jutsu to make copies of Akatsuki members appear. She remembered who she fought to well.

Sasuke. Sasuke was helping them kill Naruto. At first she was unable to accept this, but it was true. The same person they had spent the last three years training, sweating bleeding for, even Naruto was willing to give his humanity up for when he used the fox's power, was helping the Akatsuki kill him.

He said he need the Kyuubi's the avenge his clan, that Konoha was responsible for Itachi's actions, that Konoha needed to pay! But this was muffled by what Sakura was hearing in her head: Sasuke is killing Naruto.

So she did the only thing she could, she attacked. The team had managed to save Naruto in time before it extraction was complete and were able to escape, leaving the Uchiha seething.

Naruto spent the next month or so in a coma, but when he woke up he was different. He was more distant then normal, even when he found out Jiriaya died, his temper had also shortened, and he was more violent in battle, weather it was a mission or just practice. Sakura had never been more worried about him.

Several months later, Akatsuki made another attempt at Naruto. They had managed to separate Naruto from the others, when they found him he was surrounded in red chakra, six tails, though he still remained human, each one piercing a Path of Pein, one of which was the former Sannin Jiriaya. A mutilated Konan lay near and so was a half-dead member, who she later learned was Uchiha Madara. Sakura still remembered his words.

"I knew it," He said as he coughed up blood. "Since the extraction was interrupted so far in, the Kyuubi is now infecting the boy, slowly making Naruto in a human incarnation of the fox. His hate, his darkness, they'll rule over him until either the seal is remade, or he dies." Those were the final words of the first Uchiha.

The Pein bodies were then thrown aside like rag dolls, Naruto then turned to her and the rest of the Konoha 11. Blood red eyes set on killing.

"I'd better get going," Naruto snarled. "A lot to accomplish." Red Chakra wrapped around him and he was gone.

Over the years, they had heard about Naruto, but none were to good. In each one he was a demonic killing machine. Tsunade, who later died in battle against Oto and appointed Kakashi the 6th, looked though many books and scrolls on seals had confirmed what Madara had said was true: that slowly Naruto was becoming a human-Kyuubi. Since then they had been looking for some way to repair the seal and save him.

Ten years later Sakura had met up again with Sasuke, who had meet with Sasuke again on a stone bridge that spanned a raging river with no one else around for miles, what they talked about had truly shaken her.

"Why are you in charge of Oto Sasuke?" Sakura asked, venom lining her voice. "I thought you'd still be working with Akatsuki!"

"That's rather impossible Sakura," Sasuke replied. "The Akatsuki has been remade, I'm lucky my team was able to get out alive. The new leader isn't too found of me."

"Who's the new leader?"

Sasuke paused. "Naruto."

Sakura was sure she could hear her heart shatter. "W-What?"

"Naruto did a total change of Akatsuki, he kept Kisame and Zetsu, and was able to bring the members back up to ten, with himself as the leader. The Naruto I saw wasn't the same one I know."

"And it's your fault Sasuke!" She yelled, she knew what was Naruto's problem. "If you hadn't help extract the Kyuubi, he would be like this! He'd still be the same ramen-eating, determined, next-in-line-for-Hokage he was!" Hate and rage boiled over through Sakura.

"Had you only let us finish the process-" Sasuke started.

"NO! That's just an excuse!" Sakura could feel tears building up, pouring down her cheeks. Naruto was right, she always cried too easily. "Sasuke, what exactly is the point of revenge now? No one can benefit from it. All that will happen from now on is death. You were a Konoha shinobi, you were supposed to protect the village, those you cared about. This is not what your family would have wanted."

"Don't you bring them up." Sasuke said, his voice like ice. "You have no idea-"

"What it's like to loose people precious to me? I lost you, I lost Naruto, I lost Tsunade. I know what it's like."

Sasuke only looked at her. "It's like I said many years ago, your annoying." Sasuke drew his sword.

Sakura had given hope on Sasuke forever, like she should have done as a child. Kakashi had told her of the seal he placed to lock up Orochmaru's seal. It would work as long as Sasuke wanted it to work. Sasuke chose his path, he was lost when he decided to leave the village.

Their battle was large and impressive, the ten years after Naruto left gave her time to train under everyone, and from Gai she learned to look at a Sharingan user's feet in battle. Sadly it still was in his favor, thankfully Yamato and Team 8 arrived to save her. Sasuke, knowing he would have trouble, activated the Curse Seal he was able to reactivate and fly away.

The next ten years were even more brutal, Konoha, Oto and Ame fought ruthlessly. Sakura trained even harder, she was even able to invent her own version of Naruto's Rasengan, or Sasuke's Chidori. She never bothered naming the attack, a sphere in her and that when came in contact with something, would explode in thousands of razor-sharp sakura petals.

She thought she could beat anyone, until she met up with Naruto twenty years after they last met.

The mission was to find Intel on Akatsuki, the teams consisted of teams 8, 10, Gai, Sai, herself, led by Yamato, though he became separated. Along the way they had met with two new members of Akatsuki.

These members were powerful, more so then the members they met two decades ago. The ninja from Hidden Star could turn his body metal and shift his limbs into blades. The ninja from Hidden Cloud could 'manipulate' a person, by giving them suggestions that they would unknowingly follow.

The battle was lengthy and almost killed everyone until they had managed to kill the Akatsuki members. Sakura was the only one who could continue on, due to her injuries being minimal.

She ran through the old temple's halls until she heard a voice.

"Sorry about this taichou," she knew that voice. "It's nothing personal, I just can't have you around. I don't want to be seal up." Sakura ran as fast as she could until she came to a large empty room.

There she saw Yamato in a pool of blood, Naruto, dressed in Akatsuki garbs, standing over him.

"N-Naruto. . ." She whispered.

"Oh, hey Sakura-chan," he said turning towards her, his smile more devious then happy, his tone of voice the same.

"Please," she said. "Let us help you. We almost found away to seal it back up, we can save you,"

"Then what?" His voice now more serious. "Go back to being unappreciated like before? Unacknowledged for my accomplishments!"

"Naruto that's not true, you-"

"Yes, yes I was talked about a lot. I was known, but not well respected with the exception of a few. I strived to be known, yet all people talked about my failed missions, about the Kyuubi, even you."

"No Naruto, I did appreciate you." She pleaded.

"You never said thank you." Naruto said. "When I left to look for Tsunade and brought her back to heal Sasuke, you ran over to him while I ignored. I'm sure Tsunade told you about what happened."

Sakura hung her head low. It was true, Tsunade told her about how Naruto convinced her to become Hokage, to put meaning into her life. She felt ashamed that she never ignored all of the times Naruto said 'no need to thank me,' for he was just being modest and wanted, needed to see appreciation for how he risked his life more times then she could count.

"I'm sorry," she rasped out. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry too," he said. "But it's too late now."

And so they fought. She was amazed at how their battle had taken them to the temple, to a lake five miles away. When it was over, both were badly injured, laying on the shore.

"Naruto-sama!" Sakura turned her head to see a kunichi in an Akatsuki robe run toward him, he headband told her she was an Ex-Snow nin.

The woman slit open her palm and the blood flowed out and onto Naruto. The blood then was absorbed into his skin, several minutes later he was up again.

"That was though," Naruto said. "And I was only using a third of my power." This was like a punch in the gut to Sakura. The fight pushed Sakura to her limit, yet Naruto only used a third of his power.

"Should I finish her off Naruto-sama?" His partner asked.

"No, we should leave now."

"Hai." His partner then vanished in a wisp of smoke. Naruto, instead, approached her. He reached behind his neck and undid the necklace Tsunade had given him many years ago.

"I don't deserve this," He knelt down and placed it in her hand, closing the palm. "You'll need this more." Naruto was then gone.

Five years later, Kakashi was killed by a member of Akatsuki from Hidden Stone, and she was appointed Hokage.

Five years later she found herself here.

Flashback end. . .

Sakura sighed as she looked up at Naruto and Sasuke with pity.

Pity for Sasuke for letting his own hatred eat away at his soul, throwing away his life in the name of revenge. At first he was unwilling to kill those who had nothing to do with it, but thought the years he became more reckless, killing too many to count. Despite this pity, she hated him. He chose this path without thinking of what would come out of it, and for that he threw away his soul.

Pity for Naruto for never standing a chance, from birth to now he was cursed unintentionally by his father, who must be weeping his grave, for being born when he was. Naruto's need for bonds pushed him further then even a shinobi should be pushed. Sakura put much blame on herself, for not giving attention when he needed it the most. Now the Kyuubi, which he vowed to never let escape, was poisoning him into something unrecognizable.

They had found away to fix the seal shortly before she became Hokage, but doing that would shattering Naruto. If they brought the old Naruto back, knowing what the new one did would destroy him, she didn't even want to think about what the old Naruto would do.

She had spent the last ten years mastering every technique she could, even ones that Tsunade had mastered, she knew even more techniques then the 3rd. She was much more powerful then she was years ago, but so were they.

Sakura was here not only to fight for Konoha, but to save Naruto and Sasuke. Both men cursed from birth, both men she loved, one a childish crush, the other true unspoken love that she regrets not voicing when she had time, both men damned to the darkness.

She was here to save them, by releasing them with death, for it was the only way.

Sakura smiled a bitter smile, this was the last time Team 7 would meet, because only one would walk away alive.

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Mrfipp