"Understanding"


A cool breeze flew the air, rustling the leaves of a village hidden. A blond haired boy sat with his knees to his chest and wondered about the events of his past and how they were going affect his future. The events of the past few years had taken their toll on his mind and he had taken time to reflect on what he had accomplished. Naruto Uzumaki had become savoir of the shinobi world, hell, the entire world. He had become a legend, he had become renowned, he had gotten the recognition he had always wanted. But there wasn't any way to forget about the events that hurt him throughout his life.

His childhood had been filled with strife from the day he was born. He was cast as a social outcast, an outsider looking, and a scape goat for the villagers to blame. The Nine-Tails, or what his real name was, Kurama, had been imprisoned inside of him. His father and mother had made the ultimate sacrifice for him and the village and never had gotten to see their son grow into the man that he was now. Of course his parentage had been revealed to the villagers after the war was over and naturally they felt guilt and regret for treating with such evil, then again, he had done that after he had saved them all from the clutches of Pein.

But it did little to help his wondering mind about the hurt he had experience all his life. He was a forgiving soul, he always looked to the brighter side of things, he always believed in second chances. But sometimes his naïve nature got the better of him. He couldn't see the other side of things, or rather didn't want to. When Sasuke had left, no abandoned the village he had felt the ultimate betrayal. His best friend had left him for power and revenge, and despite what he told people and believed in, he somehow always knew that he was probably lost. But he always kept faith in people, no matter how much he had been deceived. People had lied to him before and regardless of how he may act to others with such happiness, he couldn't help but always feel in the back of his mind that they weren't always telling him the truth. There were a few instances that he could tell when someone was lying and he tried to not revisit one particular memory in the snow. That happened a little over a year ago.

Sakura Haruno had always been the eye of his affections, even as a little child. Everyone at one point or another had asked him how he could have feelings for someone so violent and temperamental. He always told them that there was something about her. Something that he couldn't explain that always attracted him to her. It wasn't the hair, or her eyes, or her figure. It was something about her personality that drew him to her. Hell, when he had met his mother he had seen some of the resemblances of her in Sakura. Perhaps the old saying of 'Like father, like son' rang true. Naruto could only laugh at such things but had admitted that it was eerily familiar.

And while he had the affections of half the village's women clamoring to him, including Hinata who had confessed her own feelings for him, he just couldn't say yes to any of them. He explained to the Hyuuga that while he held her close to his heart, he just couldn't replicate the same feelings. He wanted to, but something in his soul told him it would be like living a lie and that she deserved someone that would give those feelings back to her equally. She cried in his arms, understanding what he meant and that she couldn't force him to love her the way she did. She had accepted the fact that things would never be like that, but that she would always be by his side to help him, even if it was just as a friend. Naruto thanked her for that and promised that he would love her as his friend and protect her. Soon enough, Hinata had realized what she saw as love was more affection and inspiration, similar to that of what Sakura had once felt.

That same affection that Sakura felt for Sasuke had vanished as well as the war drew to a close. In fact she had admitted to herself that it had left her for a long time. But she still felt confusion over what her feelings were for anyone. She wondered if she had lied to herself for years, or if it was genuine. Those thoughts still ran through her mind as she watched from a far in the trees at the blond sitting in the training fields. She remembered the conversation that she had with Naruto after the war what Sasuke had said to her on that part bench.

"You have such a charming forehead, makes me want to kiss it."

Naruto remorsefully and heart filled with guilt revealed the dark truth of that day. Sakura's world had crumbled. All her understanding of romance and love had been crushed. Naruto didn't even try to explain himself as he left her to thoughts.

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me for a while. I'll be waiting for my beating though when you gather your thoughts."

And he did wait, for three months he waited while on missions to help restore the lines of trade and communication with the other villages. He waited while he helped rebuild the shinobi world and begin his own journey to the title of Sixth Hokage. He would wait forever if that's what it took.

Sakura waited too though. She had thought day and night for three months of what this meant to her. Her world of what she thought Sasuke was to her had been thrown out the window. Any feelings that she may have had for him, any genuine feelings were based off a lie by the blond baka. For weeks, she felt anger towards him and didn't regret what she had done to him in the Land of Iron. An eye for an eye was the old saying she told herself.

But as the weeks passed and his absence was felt, she began to weep, missing him deeply. She couldn't hold it against him, he had always wanted her attention and she never gave it to him. Using his smart and yet stupid mind, he did the only thing he could think of. To know that he would go that far was flattering to her. She felt that what she had done was much worse and she knew she was right. They had grown older, closer and stronger together since he had returned. The lines of friendship and feelings had begun to thin out and what she had done was the ultimate betrayal in her book, worse than that of Sasuke.

Then she remembered the day the war ended, he was on his dying on the field, she felt her world begin to crash. She didn't care if she lost Sasuke. She realized that if she lost Naruto, her world would be just Tsunade's. She didn't want that. She cried for days in her bed at those thoughts. He didn't come back for another month, so she had to live with the tears and sadness. She had to live with everything he had ever done for her and the worst part of it all was that moment in time, that lie in the snow wasn't as much of a lie as she thought it was. Those words had held meaning to them.

The moment he returned though, she was there waiting for him and embraced him with all her care and love. She hadn't figured out what she was going to say, she just wanted her best friend back. Naruto felt awkward at the gesture, but he was happy that she had seemed to forgive for what he did to her. They didn't know how to respond to each other in terms of what their relationship was, especially with recoveries still on going and everything they had been through. So the best course of action in their minds was to take things back to some normalcy. Just laughing, training, being together as friends was good for their bond. They didn't even notice the movements that their friends saw showing their affection for each other, but their friends, even Ino, decided to leave it alone and let things settle on their own.

Slowly, things returned to normal, or as normal things could be for these two with everything that had happened. Their bond had grown stronger, despite not discussing things that they didn't want to. The pair decided to wait until the time was right to think about such things. Everything that had transpired would have driven a lesser man away from this woman, but Naruto wasn't any man of the world. He was the one that every man should inspire to be. He didn't want to lose what he had with Sakura, even though it had come close to being wrecked. Despite it all, Naruto was a forgiving person has he had been reminded many times. He wanted to protect them all during the war, some more than others, and she was one of them.

Sakura wasn't the same person she used to be either. Tsunade had shown her what it meant to be aggressive, to be assertive, and to be a strong woman. She felt at times that her training had worked and others like it hadn't. But as the months passed by into a full year and her relationship with Naruto had turned into something personal to her heart, she began to understand what Tsunade had trained her for. It wasn't the strength of combat that was necessary in her training, but it was her mental will to go on that mattered. Tsunade had lost three of the closest people to her heart, her brother; her lover and someone that she would know always wonder what could have been. Sakura saw a lot of herself in Tsunade and vice versa. The outcome could have been just the same for her. Naruto could be dead now along with Sasuke and she would have neither. She had lost one to revenge and damn it all she wasn't going to lose another without finding out what her heart held.

Now she understood the training was not just to make her useful to others like she wanted, but it was meant to make her stronger emotionally. Sakura had realized that Tsunade had seen this coming, and she thanked her for that. For both, they knew there was just one final thing that needed to be settled between them.

Sakura walked away from the trees and slowly crossed over the plain of grass to where Naruto sat by the small cliff overlooking other training grounds. Naruto didn't make any motion to show he knew that she was here, but he could sense her presence and was happy to have her presence here. She took at seat next to him bringing her knees to her chest as well. The two sat silently for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company as they overlooked the pleasant silence holding on the grounds.

"What are you doing out here?" Sakura asked him quietly to break the silence scooting closer to him.

"I'm just thinking, just pondering things, relaxing." Naruto replied with a small smile.

"Well that's a nice and random answer." Sakura smiled back as she stared at the blowing leaves.

"Would you expect any less from me?" Naruto replied back with a chuckle.

"No, I suppose that I shouldn't. It's what makes you." Sakura retorted back with sarcasm.

"Come on now, do you really need to go to the sarcastic comments already?" Naruto turned to face her, watching her hair blow in the wind.

"It's what makes me, well me. Should you expect anything less?" Sakura turned back and smirked at him. Naruto chuckled in response.

"No, no I shouldn't. Some things will never change between us I guess." Naruto added in.

"I wouldn't say that. We've come a long way since our Academy days." Sakura answered back.

"Yeah, but you'll always have the fiery personality." Naruto reminded her running his hand through his hair.

"And you'll always have your naïve and immature ways, your point?" Sakura smirked again.

"Now I wouldn't say that. I've matured in the last two years, especially this last one." Naruto defended himself.

"Then I'll say I've controlled my temper. An eye for an eye between us I believe." Sakura answered back as she began to win the battle of wits.

"And what about the rest of it Sakura, do you think our bond has grown stronger since everything ended?" Naruto asked her with a serious look in his eyes.

"Of course I do Naruto. Even though there are some things we haven't discussed, the fact that we've been able to grow stronger together shows what we've overcome. Do you think our bond has grown stronger?" Sakura asked him back as her jade eyes turned serious as well.

"Yes Sakura, despite avoiding the things we don't want to speak of, our bond has never been stronger." Naruto replied back and looked at the decent waterfall.

"I know Naruto, I know." Sakura turned away and looked at the same waterfall. Silence fell upon the pair again as they thought about whom should say what next. It was a conversation that was needed between the two, and almost had occurred on a few occasions, but they decided to not force the issue. The timing had to be right as the two had said on those occasions. Both had discussed it with their friends a few times separately, trying to get the best advice on the matter.

Naruto could remember each conversation he had with Kakashi, Shikamaru, Iruka and Hinata, each providing good advice, but not the answer he needed. He was actually desperate enough to talk to Ino about the conversation but it turned out that she basically would force them together if that's what it came down to. Not exactly what he had in mind. Sakura had similar results. Each left to their own devices, they thought about what needed to be said, how to break the ice about this. But the two just couldn't find the right time. There had been moments in Ichiraku, local ice cream parlors, dango stands, the training fields, and the nights where they would stay in each other's company at his or her home. Even Sakura's own mother could see the tension but decided it was best they sort it out themselves. However, for whatever reason she could see, she felt that now was the right time.

"Naruto, do you forgive me?" Sakura quietly asked as she turned to him. Naruto turned and face her slowly.

"Forgive you for what?" Naruto asked innocently, not wanting to start this conversation.

"You know what Naruto. I need to know, do you forgive me for that day? Do you forgive me for all the days that I hurt you growing up, for everything?" Sakura asked bluntly, her eyes showing determination as did her voice.

Naruto didn't respond right away though. He closed his eyes and turned back to the waterfall before opening them again. Sakura was slightly worried of what his answer would be. Silence fell on the two again as the wind died down momentarily.

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered to him.

"Growing up, I always had an innate sense of understanding that I didn't know of. I look back on my childhood and wonder how I didn't up like Sasuke or Gaara and I see what it is." Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

"What did you see?" Sakura asked him.

"I saw that while it was easier to give up and fall to the darkness, it was more worthwhile to show them that I was a soul worth saving. I've only told a few people this, but there was a time where I almost did become Gaara. Something though kept my sanity, I'm not sure of what it was. It almost felt like a voice in my head telling me that I shouldn't fall into revenge. So I didn't fall into it, and when I was told what I contained, I understood why I was hated, why I was so alone. I don't need to tell you what I did to try and gain attention." Naruto explained Sakura, who had tears running down her eyes.

"This world doesn't deserve someone like you." Sakura wiped away the betraying tears.

"Everyone makes a mistake or two, that's just life. It's the reason why I give people extra chances, because it's a chance to redeem them. It's the same chance I gave Sasuke that chance, because he was affected by Orchimaru and I thought I could save him. In the end, I did. Some don't deserve those chances though; ones that have true evil inside them. But I haven't encountered many like that in my life despite what mission reports may say. True evil is what describes Orchimaru and Kabuto." Naruto explained further.

"And what about me? After all the lies, all the hurt and mistrust, can you forgive me for all that?" Sakura asked him, scooting closer to him. Naruto turned and faced her as a smile appeared on his face.

"Sakura, despite what you may have said in the Land of Iron, I can always forgive you." Naruto replied. Sakura however shook her head.

"That's not enough Naruto; I need to know if I can be forgiven for everything I've ever done." Sakura asked him as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Naruto saw the desperation in her eyes and knew that she wouldn't be able to accept his previous answer.

"Sakura, I already made a mistake of lying to you and giving you false feelings for Sasuke in the first place. If I hadn't done that, none of this may have happened in the first place. I need to know if you can forgive me for what I did." Naruto replied back.

Sakura was taken aback at his response. She should have expected this from him, it was nature. But to still hear it from, to see him in what she could only think was his weakest state, his most vulnerable was something that she rarely saw. She had seen it on a few occasions, but the worst it had been was on his hospital bed after the war. He looked dejected, sad, depressed, everything you could imagine in a person who lost his best friend. Worse, he looked like he had finally realized everything that he had lost to lead him to this point. She didn't want to see that again.

"Naruto, of course I can forgive you for that. What you did was probably the sweetest thing you could have done to get my attention. Everything you've done for me trumps that and I don't think I would change it for the bond we have now." Sakura smiled with a few tears rolling down her eyes. Naruto smiled back and nodded as he wiped away her tears.

"Thank you Sakura." He replied quietly. Sakura wanted to take it a bit further though.

"Naruto, do you know what I felt like when I saw you on that hospital bed?" Sakura asked him. Naruto shook his head.

"I thought that I was going to lose you. I felt my heart breaking into a million pieces. What was I going to do if you were gone? How could I even go on in this life? I wouldn't have been able to Naruto. That's how much you mean to me." Sakura felt new tears roll down her face. Naruto wiped away her tears again, but felt his own tears form but was able to hold them back.

"That means a lot to me Sakura." Naruto smiled as he pulled his hand back.

Sakura's smile grew as his hand pulled away. She decided that she needed to be closer to him and leaned herself against him, something that just a few years she would have detested. Now, she couldn't resist it. He was aura was warm, and it soothed her beating heart. She began to relive the events of their lives together, everything that had brought them to this point. What was the point of ignoring all the signs, all the blushes, all the awkward moments and feelings of warmth? She couldn't see the point in it. They were so close to turning eighteen, old already in terms of a shinobi's life. She didn't see the point in crying anymore, of being alone anymore. She didn't know when she had fallen for him, but she didn't care about that. Three words were all she needed to say.

"I love you."

Naruto's ears perked up, but his eyes remained lidded somehow expecting it. Still, it was a surprise to hear her say that. But somehow he knew that it was building up to this point, but he held his doubts in check and wanted her to say it first.

"I love you too."

Sakura felt all the anguish of her heart disappear and replaced with warmth and joy. This was what she was wanting all along, for so many years it had been in front of her. She wanted to show him what he meant to her so she simply leaned up and pressed her lips to his before pulling away. A smile adorned her lips as Naruto's eyes were now wide from the sweet sensation of her lips. In the moments that passed, Naruto remembered something that Jiraiya had told him on their journey together during one of his many 'research' sessions.

"Come on you pervert, let's get to training already and stop staring at these women. You're lucky I have busted you out yet."

"Oh quit your griping, you may actually relieve some stress if you took a peek at them."

"Sorry, I don't go looking at women like you do. Besides, I already have one that I want and I intend to show it to her someday."

Jiraiya put away his telescope and notepad, hopping down from his vantage point with a smile on his face. He really was Minato's son.

"Kid, you may be the most naïve piece of work I've seen when it comes to the ladies, but damn it, you have the biggest heart of any man on this earth. I'm sure that girl you like will eventually see it as well. Just for being so loyal, let's go ahead and train for today."

Naruto smiled as he felt time return to normal and focused his attention onto Sakura's eyes that held such lust in them. She was trying to keep herself in control, as was he.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked him. Naruto smiled and shook his in response.

"Nothing, just something that Jiraiya told me a long time ago." Naruto responded. Sakura was suspicious of what he heard, but knew that for once it wasn't something perverted and let it go. Naruto fell back onto the grass and gently pulled Sakura down with him so that she rested on his chest. The couple fell silent as Sakura snuggled into him, resting her head under his head and taking in his alluring scent. Their heart beats began to meld into one as the unison of their souls took place, or at least that's what they thought. Who cared? They were together, after years of trials, they were together.

"So is this what you thought about when I told you I love you?" Sakura whispered as she kissed his jawline gently.

"Something like that, but just for the sake of it, can you say it again? I just want to make sure it's not a dream this time." Naruto asked. Sakura smiled as she gently leaned up and kissed him again.

"I love you." The words rolled off her tongue like honey. Naruto's smile grew as they looked into each other's souls again before she placed her body gently on top of his again, placing her cheek against his and nuzzled her body against him.

And so the wind picked up again, blowing the leaves, the branches, the grass, and the water. It was as though each individual life in the forest celebrated in the shared love of two who shared trials and heartbreaks through war and misunderstanding to finally realize a truth that had been there all along.


A/N: This something that just came to mind and I had to put down. I find that it's actually easier to put more detail in one shots than in multiple chapter stories. Now that being said, I was hoping that this would come out a bit longer, but I like it as it is for now. Depending on how well I can think it out, I may make a second update of it and make it lead up to the end of this story. The problem I had is that I didn't want to include all the dialogue of everyone and wanted it about Naruto and Sakura. We'll see what happens, but I can see an update happening at some point.

-Mr. Shadow2700