CHAPTER CORRECTED THANKS TO BLACK CURSE 11 FOR BETA READING IT

Dany Ketchum: Thank you! I will certainly write more in the future. But I may go back to my first language. I can't touch the english reader with my actual level in english. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story anyway.

Tiffanycr: I hope you will enjoy the chapter. Sorry if I have make you feel pressured. I just love to interact with my reader. Silence is certainly one of the worst echo when you have lay your work for people to read it. It is just my feeling and unfortunately it is a common feeling for many writer even as a hobby writer.

The 7th demon of razgriz: I am so glad you liked it! :)

Guest: Thank you for your support! I will write this story to a proper end. May be shorter of what it was suppose to be as I am loosing my motivation to write. But an end anyway :)

Aqua rules: Yeah unrequited love is tough and being conscious of hurting someone is painful as well. Naruto is a very compassionate person, so he will share Hinata pain understanding too well her situation. But yeah, I can't imagine Hinata not being gracious with Naruto. She is not the type to be mean. I have lost once someone that i loved and I smiled for him while he was breaking my heart. Just to not make him feel guilty or uncomfortable. I think Hinata is the type to sacrifice herself for Naruto sake.

CHAP 11

Sakura didn't try to see Naruto before his departure. She closed herself up in her room, turning the orange hat fiddling in her hand . She felt strange... empty... isolated. Alone. She didn't want to see any of her friends. Nobody is able to make her smile like Naruto did. She has to get back on her feet by herself this time. She lost him. He is with Hinata now. Sakura should be happy for him, the girl loves him deeply and he deserves it. He deserves to be happy. She would try to move on, keeping safe their precious bond of friendship .

Few days passed. He must have arrived to Sand by now, Sakura mused. She scolded herself for thinking about him again. A knock on her door made her stop her internal battle. Hikaru came in dropping a scroll on her desk. The young medic took a closer look at her.

"You seem tired lately, Haruno-san," he commented, concerned. His deep, black eyes fixed on her. "Have you eaten properly lately? Would you come with me to eat?" Hikaru offered, trying his luck.

Her eyes met his. This was not a professional lunch. The head medic remembered Ino's suggestion to find a boyfriend. Sakura remembered the thousands of times she had turned down Naruto, before realizing that he was too important to her. Now Naruto was in a relationship. She shouldn't do the same mistake twice. She wasn't much in the mood, but still accepted her co-worker's offer.

They went for a lunch and as expected, Hikaru took it as positive step. The man came again the next day and without much fuss, Sakura accepted again. They talked about everything, anything, and nothing. It was easy, she could speak with him about work related stuff and the man understood. Hikaru was polite and intelligent, sometimes too reserved. The moment they shared wasn't unpleasant. They went for lunch few more times before he dared to invite her for dinner; the work at the hospital was calm and she had nothing better to do, so Sakura accepted.

The evening had been nice, they went to a small restaurant, and Hikaru walked her back to her house. Arriving at her door, they stayed a immobile momentarily, both not sure about what to do next. The dark-haired man hesitated, but took her hand softly and held it as if fragile. His fingers felt warm against her skin, she was acutely aware of herself being filled with strange, but not unwelcome, emotion.

"Can I call you Sakura-chan?" he asked politely.

She winced at the name... It reminds her too much of him, and it was only the blond who could call her like that. "You can call me Sakura," she offered with a smile.

"Sakura..." Hikaru made her name roll on his tongue, happy at the newfound closeness.

A light blush crept on his cheeks, the man came closer until just an inch from her as to ask for permission. Sakura was surprised. She shouldn't have but she was anyway. She had always known that kissing was highly expected in a relationship, but she never thought it would apply to Hiraku-san. The pinkette didn't move, so the young man closed up the distance between them.

His lips felt warm and soft against hers. It was a curious feeling, a light tingling in her belly. Hikaru insisted sliding his tongue between her lips. The sensation was foreign. It was soft, reserved... so different from the kiss she had shared with Naruto. She felt secure, in control. She wasn't overwhelmed. Sakura wasn't drowning like when she was under the passionate embrace of the blond. Maybe it was better for her heart, safer. The black-haired man smiled with a discreet hue of pink on his cheeks. He wished her goodnight and left. Sakura entered her room, Hikaru was a nice person, it was simple and safe. This relationship could work.

Every day, Sakura would meet him for lunch, for dinner, or to walk back home together. She felt proud of herself, she was back on her two feet by herself and not doing the same mistakes done in the past. It was the first time in her life that the head medic got herself a boyfriend. She wasn't yet in love, but she was comfortable. Now that Team 7 was nearly disbanded, Sasuke being away, Naruto training to becoming Hokage, and Sai back to his ANBU activities, the pinkette was left full time at the hospital as the head medic. With the reconstruction of Konoha and everything becoming more peaceful around her, it was like having a civilian life.

XXX

Naruto arrived back in Konoha at the end of the afternoon with Shikamaru in the middle of January. The festivity in the Sand have been great, he'd been really glad to see Gaara and spend time with him. The former Sand Jinchuuriki held their friendship dear and placed Naruto as the guest of honor for the celebration. But, even with all the kindness Gaara was showing him, his stay there had been exhausting. The blond was on constant guard when speaking to politicians and merchants alike.

His position as the guest of honor and Konoha's official representative was putting Naruto under the spotlight. The Hokage candidate didn't yet understand all the playing pieces in the game of politics, he's always been a man of action. He hadn't been comfortable sitting around a table only listening to hours of nonsense. The blond was somewhat lost in the field that wasn't his major strength. It's why he had been happy when Shikamaru had been there to assist him avoiding making major mistakes, even while knowing that the lazy genius came along mostly for his hidden agenda with Gaara's sister. It was one of his first solo mission where Tsunade or Kakashi weren't with him and Naruto had wanted to make it a success.

It had been three weeks and a long road to come back. The two men, after leaving the Hokage tower, agreed on going at the bathhouse to relax. They undressed and entered the steamed room where a few heads were recognizable. They washed their bodies clean and joined their friends in the big bath. Naruto greeted Sai, Choji, and had briefly glanced at Kiba. The blond was very worried about Hinata since his departure, he needed to know if she was alright. Naruto tried to look as detached as possible to not hint at anything that happened between them.

"Good to see you guys! Did you come back from a mission?" Naruto asked.

Sai nodded without explaining any further, everybody knowing that ANBU missions were mostly S-rank missions. Kiba told him that he just come back from an easy scouting mission on a nearby border with his team, that was the opportunity Naruto waited to bring on the subject of Hinata.

The blond inquired, "Is Hinata here too?" Hopeful to be able to meet with her eventually.

Kiba, as usual, jumped at the blond man's throat, "Don't even think of peeping on her!" He threatened

Naruto fought back, pushing Kiba away, "I wasn't thinking of peeping, I'm not a kid anymore to do this kind of prank. I was just wondered how she was doing" he explained, soothing his throat.

Kiba stood up before him with an intense glare, "Don't think of chasing after my teammate just because your teammate isn't available anymore!"

Sai's and Shikamaru's eyes were wide open and turned a concerned look towards Naruto. The blond man was still very calm. Could he have known about it?

Naruto stood up and stared hard into the Inuzuka's eyes. "What did you say about my teammate?" His tone low, threatening, and too quiet to be coming from the usually exuberant Naruto.

"Tch! You didn't even know that Sakura is dating someone from her hospital...Hika... Hikaru, I think," Kiba blurted.

A wave of raw chakra burst out, knocking down everything and splashing all the water. Naruto looked around, locking eyes with his other teammate, the artist seemed whiter than usual as if he had known and predicted the outcome. The animal force that was radiating from the blond ninja was threatening. Then, the blond jumped out of the bath, landing on the wet floor like a feline.

Shikamaru tried to stop him with a jutsu possession, but the blond jumped to the side, avoiding the attack. The strategist could only yell after him to calm down and not do anything stupid. But Naruto was a man that was carrying his heart on his sleeve for the best and the worst. Shikamaru, followed by Sai, ran after the blond. The idiot left the place in just his underwear, jumping from rooftop to rooftop while dressing up.

Naruto was fast, however, they weren't so far behind him with the help of the ink beast bird that Sai designed. They landed just after him in the front gate of the hospital and ran after him inside. Naruto was familiar enough with the hospital to have stolen thousands of times Sakura's plans. It wasn't difficult to find the planning board and searched for the name. Sai, knowing his teammate's new boyfriend, went directly to find the man with Shikamaru in tow. They arrived just in time before Naruto could do anything to the innocent victim and together sent a possession jutsu, and a sacred ink snake to immobilize the blond.

Naruto threw them a glare, his chakra was so powerful that he could overcome their jutsu at any moment. His deep blue eyes landed on the name of the medic and lifted his eyes to study the guy, black hair, black eyes, a little air of Sasuke. Naruto felt his heart get torn in pieces. The level of chakra became more intense and the two jutsu melted under. The blond freed himself and dissipated his excess chakra to a normal level again before walking calmly towards the man.

Hikaru had heard stories about the Hero of Konoha, but he'd never met him before. He had heard his girlfriend praise him for his kindness or his courage. However, at that moment, the only feeling that the blond man was inspiring to him was fear. Even without being a combatant type, the medic was able to feel the oppressing power that was emanating from the blond. Hikaru swallowed with difficulty what was stuck in his throat. He was feeling like a small animal that would get ripped apart by a dangerous predator.

The tall blond stopped in front of him and approached his mouth to his ears. "If you make her cry or disrespect her... I will personally take care of your case," he whispered, his voice not much higher than a breath and a tone as cold as a kunai blade. The medic turned a shade whiter. The blond straightened up and the glare he bore on Hikaru told him he could have killed him here and now.

Sakura had felt the sudden strong chakra and got alarmed. Only one person could possess such amount of chakra. She jumped down the stairs and turned the last corner before arriving at a white, long corridor. Naruto was there, his back towards her, Hikaru as white as a sheet in front of him. The blond turned around and Sakura saw his eyes, they were like a tormented ocean ready to destroy anything in his way. Naruto walked towards her, his face morphing into neutrality. The blond ninja passed her, without a glance, without a greeting. His heart was too much in a turmoil, and he wasn't sure that he maintain composure. The pinkette gritted her teeth. Her idiot just came, made a scene in her hospital, put her life upside-down and left.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura growled menacingly.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, ready to explode like a volcano. His blue eyes were caught with Shikamaru mouthing 'Stay quiet!' and hand signing him to leave. The blond was fixed on him, debating with himself on what to do. All the long hours of training with Tsunade finally paid off. Naruto turned around to face Sakura and achieved a polite composure of the highest level he should be doing in politics.

"I was paying a visit to your boyfriend," Naruto stated, his voice devoid of all emotion.

"Don't come messing up my life! Leave him alone, it has nothing to do with you!" Her jade eyes were flashing with rage as they met shattered blue ones. Naruto didn't say anything more and just walked away, followed by Sai and Shikamaru.

Naruto sent a sideways glare to his two friends walking beside him. Shikamaru, hands in his pockets, commented, "I should be praising you... I really would've thought that you'd cut him in pieces... but you acted quite civilly there."

The blond smirked he'd thought the same until he realized... there was no point to it. It was just so evident. No matter how much he loved her, no matter how close they have become throughout all those years, no matter how much he became stronger, or how many years he was waiting for her to notice him. He'd simply never been her type in the first place. Naruto nearly laughed out loud at his own stupidity. People have told him that he was too dense, besides that he was stubborn. The reality was that he had never wanted to accept it.

Naruto stopped, his eyes dropping to the ground. "Can you leave me alone? I think I need some time by myself."

Shikamaru put an arm around his shoulder. "What about we grab something to drink and go to your place instead?" He gave a little tug to make Naruto start walking again. "Don't be more troublesome that you already are!" the strategist joked, earning a small smile from the blond.

It was good to have friends, but Naruto didn't know how to share his pain. The blond shook his head in refusal. "I'm fine" he quietly said, and moved away silently.

Naruto found himself at the top of the Hokage monument and gazed at the village for some long hours. He was very familiar with the pain in his chest, it wasn't new that his love was unrequited. It was that he would have to accept it was Sasuke. He was ready to let her be happy with his best friend. The blond had made a fool of himself by letting his emotion take control by the shock of the information. He was still highly impulsive. That was one of his biggest mistakes, his teacher had always told him. He was still unfit to become a Hokage.

XXX

Naruto was back in Konoha but it was as if he wasn't there for her anymore. He never visited at the hospital and Sakura didn't dared to drop by at his apartment. The joyous time when they would chat after training, eat ramen together for a lunch break, or simply cheerfully greeting each other was long over. Something had broken their friendship and the pinkette didn't know how to repair it. She had seen him eating with Hinata at Ichiraku, but the head medic cowardly changed direction. Too many emotions were still fighting inside her. But, Sakura missed him. She missed him more than when he left for his training with Jiraiya-sensei.

Five months passed without the blond's presence, he'd left on a special training by himself up a mountain from the gossip going on in the village. But, Ino told her that the blond met Sasuke by chance on one of his mission and had decided to train with the Uchiha afterward on some remote place. The mention of Sasuke could've hurt her, however, Sakura was now just feeling jealous of their bond. Naruto and Sasuke were friends, they were rivals, and that put her position with them in a doubt. What was she to them? She felt excluded of their bond. She felt alone without Naruto.

The pinkette was surprised when she saw the blond sleeping under a tree in Training Ground 4. She hadn't known at all that he was back. She wasn't prepared at all, but she walked towards him. His back was leaning on the rough surface of the trunk with head bent down slightly to the side, and an ice cream stick held in between his closed lips. The leaf's shadows danced on him as a small breeze passed by, his face completely relaxed and serene. Sakura stood, looking at the blond a few moments, the rise of his chest in rhythm with his slow, deep breathing. Her contemplation was interrupted as she heard a voice coming towards them. The kunoichi jumped up the tree and hid within the leaves, suppressing her chakra.

A group of three genin made their way closer and spotted the blond man. They ran towards him with excitement. Naruto cracked an eye open and a smile crept on his face. She loved that smile. All three young shinobi looked up at him in admiration. He was their hero, the Hero of Konoha.

"Hello guys, you are here for training?" Naruto asked as he woke up.

The kids happily nodded. The tall blond dusted his pants. The genin were so small compared to him. Naruto had grown a lot lately, changing both physically and mentally.

"Well then, I should leave you to train." The blond stretched his arms above his head. His sleeves fell down at the gesture, revealing the beginning marks of an ugly burn. Naruto ruffled a kid's hair and casually walked away. Sakura hid her chakra as much as possible, jumping from tree to tree. Her best friend was heading toward the road, and if she managed well, she could catch up undetected.

Naruto appeared in front of her once on the road, and from his surprised look, he hadn't noticed her. He composed his face.

"Hello Naruto..." Sakura greeted him apprehensively.

He averted his gaze, suddenly fascinated by a stone on the ground. "Hello Sakura-chan..." the blond greeted her, not as cheerfully as he used to be, not sure how he was supposed to act around her anymore.

"Did you return today?" the pinkette asked, he simply nodded in response. "How's Sasuke? I suppose the training had been difficult." she inquired, knowing that she would receive some sort of reaction from it.

At the mention of Sasuke, his blue eyes shot up meeting her. She didn't seem hurt, nor sad... or actually a little sad. "Sasuke is fine." Naruto replied, automatically knowing that she must have been worried about the bastard.

"And you?" she continued.

He didn't understand where that was coming from. "Fine!" he lied.

She took a step toward him and as naturally as she could be, lifted his sleeves to reveal the burning mark. "You follow me!" Sakura ordered, "I can't leave you alone without you getting hurt!" she commented, falling back into the pattern of scolding him. The blond smiled gratefully. It was their way of making peace, their way of overcoming their awkwardness from the past few months.

The head medic then led him to the hospital and had him sit on an examining table. She asked him to take off his shirt for her to inspect the damage. Her best friend complied as his usual self, quite happy at the normalcy. Sakura felt safe, this was the usual medical procedure. She felt they were back on familiar ground.

The burn on his arm was a small part of the damage. Naruto had patched himself as he could, quite clumsily in her point of view. She took off the bandages carefully as to not make the still-fresh scar bleed. Sakura studied the burns, the bruises, and the deepest scars. He was already healing on some smaller cuts, but she could still help him with the bigger tissue damage.

Sakura activated her healing chakra and let the green flow repair the skin. She realized that he hadn't been sleeping so soundly under the tree after training, he'd been recuperating on his way back home. Naruto had been completely vulnerable, and anyone could have come after his life at that moment.

"You should be more careful, you're the next Hokage..." Sakura lectured the blond. She didn't want to say any more as to not reveal that she had been spying on him while he'd been asleep.

"Nah, it's fine... it's just that our last jutsu turned out badly. I think we were too exhausted to have full control of our chakra," the blond dismissed her, thinking she was still scolding him for his training.

"And what was this jutsu about?" the medic asked curiously as she continued healing the damage.

"We were trying to combined our chakra using my Nine-Tails form and his Susanoo, and mix my Tailed-Beast Bomb with his Amaterasu." Naruto excitedly explained.

"Haa... I understand this mess now..." Sakura commented caustically. It was good to interact normally again. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. She had missed him so much.

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