A/N(2): revised – I'm much happier with this one.
-Rhys
Sakura's Age: 21
Year of Reign: 5
Genre: Drama
Vocab:
-Gokuni – the Five Countries
-Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki – the human sacrifice of the Nine-Tails
I Cannot Hold This Home
Sakura stood quietly before the window, looking out at the village she loved so much, and her heart ached. Her advisors and teammates were silent behind her, anxiously waiting, and she could feel the relief radiating from them that this decision was ultimately hers to make.
She never wanted to be Hokage – that was Naruto's dream. In the five years following her appointment, she and her village had endured more turmoil than in the reigns of all three of her most recent predecessors combined. The entirety of Gokuni was war-torn, and no end was in sight. Yet for all their sacrifice, her people were content, and she had come to love serving them as their Hokage.
It was times like these that reminded her why she'd never wanted the cursed job in the first place.
She had been silent long enough for Naruto to have begun shifting impatiently. Finally, she turned back to her desk, sat, and announced the decision that would forever define her reign.
"Begin the evacuation; civilians first in caravans of two hundred, each with an escort of thirty-eight shinobi. The Tower records are to be included in the first caravans, as are the hospital patients and records. The elderly leave in the last caravans. No dawdling – grab only what can be carried, and focus on the food and medical supplies. I want the last caravans packed and pulling out by dawn on the third day. Send them to Suna."
Her advisors gaped at her, and Kakashi seemed frozen. "Evacuate?" he finally repeated, voice tight and emotionless. Never a good sign. "Abandon Konoha, after all you just did to put her back together?"
"Abandon the trees and buildings and walls, yes," Sakura confirmed. His face was unreadable, but she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't happy with her decision. It didn't much matter – he'd left it in her hands the moment he'd sworn loyalty to her as Hokage. That didn't mean he couldn't make things difficult. She ground her teeth in exasperation. They didn't have time for this!
"God dammit, Kakashi, look at the numbers! Ten thousand shinobi, ninety-one percent of them of unknown origin, moving fast enough that they'll be here in three days, yet quietly enough that the only reason we found them was because you quite literally stumbled over their outlying scouts.
"I have exactly two thousand and eleven shinobi, most of whose training was rushed, in addition to nearly ten and a half thousand civilians to defend. They may not be as defenseless as they were before the Siege, but that doesn't mean what training they may have will help them against a force we essentially know nothing about. It's not enough. I cannot hold this village, and I'm not going to waist precious lives trying to hang on to a hopeless cause!
"My duty it to my people, first and foremost, and that's not just the people of Konoha. I'm sworn to serve and defend Hi no Kuni in the service of the daimyo, and if I let my shinobi be wiped out, I'll have no way to discharge my duty to my liege lord. I cannot hold this home, but I can save its heart."
She ground her teeth, frustrated and angry that Kakashi didn't seem to understand it was as hard for her to order it as it was for him to obey. "I will get my people out, and I will blow this city to hell before I let them keep what I must let them take from me."
Her advisors and her sensei looked startled, but the former for a far more valid and suspicious reason. They probably knew she was planning, and realized that she had meant her words literally. Naruto, on the other hand, looked utterly betrayed, and she drew in a deep, steadying breath as she prepared to argue her point yet again.
It was therefore to her complete surprise that he also drew a steadying breath, visibly stilled himself, and then dipped into a deep, formal bow more suited to greeting a foreign daimyo, only ever used in Konoha when the Hokage was delivering judgment on one of his or her own. "You are Rokudaime," he said tersely, his voice strained, his language formal. "You are the pillar of this village. In your judgment I placed my trust when I swore fealty to you, and I never break a vow. If, in your considered judgment, you think we cannot remain here and live, I will abide by your decision. Only tell me what I must do to ensure the safety of our people."
The kunoichi doubted she was the only one utterly by Naruto'words. A knot of tension in her gut undid itself, and she felt her alter ego grinning tiredly as she realized that even a mere three months of marriage to Hyuuga (now Uzumaki) Hinata had wrought such a change in his maturity. Yet another, greater knot eased as any doubt she'd had about the suitability of the Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki as her successor faded. Her people would be in good hands with him to lead and guard them – likely better than hers.
Until her death or the end of the wars, however, Sakura was their guide and guard, and she drew strength from Naruto's unwavering faith as she prepared to discharge her duties.
Afterwards, she slumped in her seat as her advisors, teammate, and former sensei filed out of the office to carry out her orders, and prayed she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.
-owari-
