Standing on her favorite spot on top of the giant stone head of her father, the fourth Hokage, her long blonde hair flowing in the morning breeze Naruko looked out over her village. Far towards the outskirts she could see a house being built where the Uchiha district used to stand. For the first time she wished she had a sharingan, or byakugan, she desperately wanted to see the tiny black figure moving around outside it in the faint morning light. She sighed and sat down on the giant head, pulling her knees to her chin. She hadn't seen or heard from Sasuke since that day in the Hokage's office. Kakashi had returned to her in the hospital to tell her Sasuke was staying, but after that nothing. No word at all. Rumors had spread around the village of the last Uchiha, the one who helped save the world then attacked his own village, building a house where the slaughtered Uchiha clan used to live. He was even more of an outcast than she had been as a jinchuriki. What had she been fighting for all this time? She hadn't gone through all that effort that brought him home for him to be treated like that. Not that Sasuke ever really cared about what other people thought of him, but it bothered her. There she is. Right on time, a tiny pink dot approached the black one by the half-built house. Sakura loved Sasuke. She made him all his meals and brought them to him every morning. That was what love was supposed to be right? Making him food, crying when he's gone, that was love. She had told Sasuke she loved him, but did she really mean it? I mean I was dying at the time, and on his sword. Hopefully he's already forgotten about it. She shook her head out of all the gloomy thoughts and headed back down to the village.
Sasuke watched as Naruko stood up and left her spot on the Hokage head. Sakura was talking animatedly about meetings with the Hokage, about the aftermath of the war and about what happened to each and every person in the whole village in the 4 years he was gone. He let his mind wander as he ate breakfast on the steps to his half-built house. That girl up there had chased him, and chased him, and fought for her life against him more than once even. The first time he had the opportunity to kill her she was just laying there in the rain and instead he had almost apologized. It had become more and more infuriating her coming after him like that, there was nothing more he had wanted in the world but to kill her, watch her die. But in their final fight she had hesitated and he knew he couldn't do it, so he put her in a temporary death state instead. He had asked her the question that was always on his mind, why she was doing all this for him, but that last time her answer had changed from the one on the bridge. "Because you're my friend" had now become "because I love you." He heard those words from Sakura all the time but this had felt different than that, this had been more like when Itachi had said them. Like she really meant it. Is that why in all his opportunities he had never killed her? Is that why she infuriated him? Is that why he wanted to break their bond? Did he love her? Only now did he realize Sakura was staring at him she repeated herself by saying "So...so will you?" he had no idea what she was asking so he replied "What?" "Will you go out with me, like to dinner tonight?" his mind still wandering he accidentally responded with what was on his mind, "Have you seen Naruko lately?" "Uhhh, yeah actually there is going to be some big news about that tomorrow. we'll talk about it at dinner tonight ok? Meet you here at like 6?" she waved and skipped off. Big news huh he thought to himself completely unaware of the fact he had just made a date with Sakura that evening.
Naruko had barely got her sandals off after her morning hike up to the Hokage's monument when someone was knocking on her door. Bright pink hair and a huge smile greeted her on the other side of the door. "Hey Sakura!" "Hey Naruko! Mi'lady Hokage would like to see you this morning." "Granny Tsunade? Yeah just a sec." she said putting her sandals back on. So far it had not been the happiest of mornings. She sighed. Hearing her sigh Sakura asked "What's wrong Naruko? Haven't you been recovering well?" she said as they set out together. "Oh...Yeah I've been recovering well, thanks to your care Sakura" She made a large fake smile. "It's just a lot of damage was done in that fight that will take a while to recover from." "I'm not stupid or anything you know" she know's? No way, I only said it out loud that once. wait there's no way she could know not noticing Naruko's inner turmoil Sakura continued, "I know you and Sasuke haven't talked since...since..." "Since we both literally killed each other" Sakura gave a nervous laugh at the statement, "Yeah it's just, he has decided to stay and try to change the village in a more...uh...traditional method" "More traditional than trying to destroy it and rebuild it with himself as the Hokage?" Inner Sakura got the best of her at this point and she hit the despondent blonde in the face knocking her to the ground. "YOU IDIOT! You chase him around for how many years, despite all the pain he put you through in order to protect your bond and the MINUTE you get him to come home YOU break off all contact and break it yourself! After everything you did you're just going to give up now?" Naruko rubbed her cheek as she thought about what Sakura said but she had thought then the bond she was protecting was friendship, not love. Now it was like if he didn't love her back she may as well have died in the attempt. "I never thought about it like that" "You said team 7 was going to be together again, laughing together like before, and I thought you never went back on your word." The girl knows how to make a good point doesn't she? Naruko thought as she accepted the hand Sakura had offered her to help her up. "Fine I'll talk to him" she finally conceded. The rest of the walk passed as Sakura further emphasized her point by talking about how her and Sasuke were getting along again and about a date they were going on tonight. She didn't have time to think about this new development because they had already arrived at the Hokage's door which had been brilliantly mended sometime in the last few weeks.
"We just received word from the feudal lord, who has been very interested in your recent actions" Tsunade started, "It seems from the thousands of reports and testimonies of the war and your battle with Sasuke as well as what happened in this office immediately after, the lord has found you to be disobedient, impulsive, and weak. Qualities not respectable by a shinobi." oh today is going really well, Naruko thought as the Hokage continued "You let your emotions rule you! You hesitate to kill. You cry when comrades die. You only do what you want to regardless of your orders or mission! You are not a true shinobi and therefore..." Tsunade took a deep breath while Naruko considered what life would be like if she could no longer be a ninja. Would she stay in the village? Would it be to painful to know she'd never be Hokage? Tsunade's smile snapped her out of her thoughts "Therefore the feudal lord has decided to make you the next Hokage." "What! but you just said!" "You are not like the previous Hokage and yet you have all of their good qualities and the feudal lord believes your differences may just be what the shinobi world needs right now." She just stared at the Hokage, her mouth open in complete shock. "However, since you are so young we will share the responsibilities for awhile until I am certain you can handle it. The public announcement will be tomorrow, if you accept?" She continued to stare until she heard Kakashi-sensei's voice behind her saying "I think she may be in shock" then he proceeded to hit her on the head with his book. "HEY! What'd ya do that for! That's not very nice Kakashi-sensei!" "Naruko the Hokage just asked you a question." "You mean the PREVIOUS Hokage just asked me a question." She said smiling so brightly she could have lit up the whole city. Guess it wasn't such a bad day so far, though she had been hit an awful lot for being the sixth Hokage.