AN: I'd like to thank people like Archer and pdorn1 for their… vehemence where this story is concerned, but the long and short is that this story is what it is and that's not going to change.

Thanks for reading and hope you all enjoy!


Epilogue: Cherry Blossom

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Kakashi asked. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching Naruto pace back and forth in the dimly lit lavender room. "Once you start, there's no turning back."

"Positive," said the blonde, not looking his teacher in the eye, as he made his laps between the dresser and a small backpack lying open on the bed. With each trip, the pile of clothes beside the backpack, mostly orange jackets and pants, grew steadily larger. "Besides," he continued somberly, "the old pervert and I can always turn around and come back if there's trouble." There was no humor in his voice.

"Are you sure you're ready to leave then?" asked the Jounin. "I'm sure we could find some way to make you useful here."

Naruto paused and glanced between Kakashi and the backpack.

"Sensei," he said, "I've got to get away from here for a while. I need to see more of the world, meet new people and learn new things. You know what I'm saying." The suppressed enthusiasm in Naruto's voice was almost convincing. Naruto even went so far as to try and sound like he was holding his anxiety back, but Kakashi had no trouble seeing through the rouse.

The copy nin waited as Naruto looked over his wardrobe. The blonde seemed to be struggling with what exactly he should pack and what he should simply abandon, as the silver haired Jounin pulled a small box wrapped in packing paper out from behind his back.

"If I can't convince you to stay," said the copy nin, "then the least I can do is to give you something useful for the road." He opened the lid of the box, revealing a black interior laden with a three pairs of pants, and three shirts. Each set of clothes was identical to the ANBU suit Naruto had worn up until a few days ago, when it was ruined in the valley.

"Sensei," said Naruto, accepting the box as Kakashi offered, "you shouldn't have. These are expensive."

Kakashi raised a hand as if he were offended. "Absolutely not," scoffed the Jounin, "They're nothing but hand-me-downs; the uniforms I wore back in my ANBU career. You'll be getting nothing more than that from me."

A flicker of a smile crossed Naruto's lips as he thanked his mentor… it almost looked genuine.

"What can I say?" asked Kakashi, raising one shoulder to the rhetorical question, "I figured you could use something like this. Each suit is bi-weave, so you'll wear out before the dye or the seams, plus I reinforced the joints myself. Another perk is that they're super easy to clean and you can wear each one for a week before it starts to stink."

Naruto thanked Kakashi again as he packed the ANBU suits into his backpack and zipped up the main compartment. He kept the grey t-shirt, black pants, and brown jacket he had on, and set the pack aside as he opened the drawer that held his more dangerous equipment, and began to set out an array of kunai and shuriken. His amber sword was set delicately and ceremoniously across the top of the chest of drawers.

"So you leave tomorrow morning," Kakashi said. It was not really a question, and there was a hint of sadness in the Jounin's voice.

"Yep," Naruto nodded.

"Just like that?" Kakashi probed. "No goodbyes or farewells?"

"I hadn't really planned on making a big deal out of it," Naruto shrugged.

"Tsunade-Sama might be a little disappointed," said the Jounin after a brief pause. "After she went to all the trouble of coming back on such short notice with Jiraiya to heal you, the least you could do is say goodbye."

"She'll understand," said Naruto flatly. "She's going to be neck deep in paperwork seeing as how she agreed to be Hokage. She won't even notice I'm gone, plus I'll be back anyway."

"In three years," Kakashi muttered, his feigned happiness finally receding. "Naruto, there are people here who are going to miss you. Some of those people will be very hurt if they don't get to see you before you leave. Some of them might even be crushed."

"Is this about Sakura?" Naruto asked without looking up from his collection of weapons.

Kakashi didn't answer right away. He was instead trying to read Naruto's face, but in the seven days following the valley of the end, Naruto had become a stone wall. Depending on the situation he could fake an appropriate emotion, and most people were readily fooled by his act. To most people he seemed to have made a full recovery, both physically and spiritually. There were however a few who could see through him. Kakashi was one.

Sakura was another.

"She didn't leave your side once during the operation," said Kakashi. "While Tsunade-Sama was working to repair your heart, Sakura refused to be shown away. She cried the time when the operation went bad and you almost died, but she was overjoyed when Tsunade brought you back."

Naruto hesitated. It was barely anything, but the slight twitch in his moves and the infinitesimally brief pause thereafter as he went to put his kunai away was the first time in a week Naruto's façade had so much as waivered, and Kakashi didn't fail to notice.

"How's she doing anyway?" Naruto asked, rebuilding his wall quickly.

Kakashi shrugged. "Alright I suppose. She doesn't really want to go through with it, but she did after all agree to be Hokage when Jiraiya adamantly refused. I guess you could say she's adjusting well, despite how Jiraiya suddenly appeared in front of her on the road and basically dragged her back here for you."

"No," Naruto said quietly, "I meant, how is Sakura doing?" His voice was measured, but faulted when he mentioned Sakura.

Kakashi suppressed grinned beneath his mask. He had known exactly what the young blonde meant, but he wanted him to say her name, hoping beyond reason that it would somehow get through to him.

"She's worried. I spoke with her today" Kakashi mentioned casually, "she still doesn't know you're leaving yet and thinks you're just trying to avoid her."

The zipper nearly snapped off in Naruto's fingers as he stammered, trying to pull the pack open. Naruto faltered for a second before he pulled the backpack into a sitting position and began to pack a random assortment of small items into the rear pockets. Naruto's hands weren't trembling and his breathing was measured but Kakashi sensed there was something going on behind the perfect face.

The Jounin sat on the bed next to the pack, making it more difficult for Naruto to avoid looking at him. The blonde however, kept working until without any apparent reason, he just stopped and stared at the pack.

"I've run out of things I should take," Naruto murmured. "The clothes are neatly in place, the weapons are secured to the suits and the smaller compartments, and the assorted gear is all accounted for."

Kakashi didn't hesitate, leaping on the opportunity, but maintaining his poise. "She's still staying at her house off Main Street, and her father is gone on business for the next two days," said the copy nin in a nonchalant tone. "And seeing as how you're done here, there's nothing stopping you."

"I wouldn't want to drop in unannounced," said Naruto, his face unaffected but his voice a little higher than before.

"I don't think she'd mind the visit at all," said the Jounin. "In fact, I'll guarantee that she'll be happy to see you when you go."

"I really should get some sleep though," Naruto countered.

Kakashi shook his head. "You don't have to stay the night. You could just drop in, say goodbye, talk for a bit, then leave. There's no harm in that is there?"

"I suppose not," Naruto said, turning for the door, and walking past Kakashi.

"Naruto," the Jounin called after him.

"Yes Sensei?" asked the blonde, stopping and turning around. There was a brief pause between them as Kakashi stared at Naruto with his visible eye. The blonde couldn't tell what his master was looking for, but finally Kakashi relented and smiled.

"Nah, never mind," said the copy nin.

Naruto forced a grin, and turned around, leaving the bedroom and walking down the stairs into the living room. He didn't glance at all of the white sheets that had been thrown over the furniture and decorations as he strode across the room and opened the front door, letting in a rush of the unusually chilly night air.

"Nice weather out here at least," Naruto muttered.

He walked slowly, for a ninja at least, down the street with his hands in his pockets, passing no one on the road. The wind was blowing just enough to ruffle his golden hair, giving it an almost wild appearance, but not enough to cut through his jacket and cause him to shiver. He walked the long road without hesitation, not by memory but simply by knowing where he needed to go, and turned onto a little residential path.

He meandered through the neighborhood, navigating by the evenly placed street signs, and seeing by the light of the crescent moon, as there were no lamps to light this street and most of the residents had turned in shortly before. Naruto was likely the only waking soul in the area.

He turned onto another, smaller residential road and stopped to look around. He knew where he was, but still didn't know what he was going to do.

The street was lined with small, uniform houses. They were nothing like the larger homes and apartments that made up the bulk of the houses in the Yamanaka's district of town, but they looked comfortable and warm if nothing else. Every fourth or so house, and a few in-between, displayed lit windows and Naruto counted the houses on the left side of the road to Sakura's home. Hers was one with the lights off.

With a sigh the Uzumaki started to turn around as if he was going to return to his house, but he paused and waited at the intersection. He stared down the east path of the crossroad and thought for a moment. There were no lights that way. He turned and looked down the road leading to the west. There were no lights that way either. Everyone must have decided to go to bed. It was, after all, almost midnight.

Naruto turned around and looked back down the street as a sudden lack of light caught his attention. Another two houses had turned off their lights, leaving the road a little darker.

"What am I doing?" he groaned to himself as he turned almost involuntarily towards the eighth house on the left side of the street and walked along the sidewalk. He turned onto the house's approach and stepped silently up the three stairs onto the weather-battered porch.

Naruto took a deep breath, suddenly needing to steady himself. He couldn't explain exactly why it was so difficult, but so necessary to reach up and knock four times on the door, but he did. He didn't know why he found himself unable to turn and leave, but he stayed firmly rooted to the porch.

After a moment he heard footsteps in the room behind the door, and the light in the curtained window flipped on. The light from the peephole in the door was momentarily obscured as someone peered through it, but no one answered yet. There was a long pause as Naruto waited for the door to open or to be told to leave.

"J-j-just a second," came the almost timid voice from beyond the door.

Naruto waited patiently as someone bustled about on the other side, apparently tidying up the room, until the door's handle rattled and the entrance slowly opened up.

"Naruto," said Sakura, the surprise still in her voice as she stood in the doorway. "What are you doing up this late?"

Naruto stood quietly for a minute, not sure exactly what he should say, but shook his head and stammered. "I was in the neighborhood and decided I might drop in for a visit. We haven't spoken in a while and I figured we should catch up." His words were unduly cheery, but Naruto stopped when he could tell by the puzzled look on Sakura's face that she knew there was more than what he was telling her.

"Would you like to come in?" asked the girl, smiling and stepping forward onto the porch to make room for Naruto to move by her.

"I don't think I should," said the blonde, noting that Sakura was standing before him in nothing more than a red silk bathrobe. He guessed there was little or nothing beneath the garment. "It might not be quite… appropriate, seeing as how it's after midnight."

Sakura's grin faded for just a second, before she immediately smiled again. "Well," she said, "I guess you won't get any of the tea I just put on the stove. It's cherry." Her smile widened just a little.

"Sakura," he said quietly, not wanting to make this any more complicated than it already was, "I just dropped by to tell you that, …" he hesitated. The whole way here he'd been trying to come up with the best way to let her know that he was leaving, but he just now realized that he hadn't thought of anything. "I wanted… thought you should know that I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a trip with Jiraiya."

Maybe I should just be direct. He thought to himself.

"Oh," said the girl, curiosity in her voice. "Where are you two going?"

Again, Naruto couldn't quite find the words. "All over the place," he stammered. "We'll be going everywhere from Suna to some country way up north. From there Jiraiya hasn't decided where to go next, but I think he's leaning towards going to the Mist."

Panic streaked across Sakura's face and she instinctively took a step closer to him.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked in a quivering voice.

"Three years."

The panic on the girl's face rushed to her eyes as Naruto's words sunk in fully. She didn't answer, but stayed standing still, her hands clutched up in front of her. Naruto didn't move either. He really hadn't wanted this.

"I realize it's kind of late notice," said the blonde, "but I still wanted to say goodbye."

Sakura nodded and looked up into his eyes. She hesitated for a long while before finally saying anything, but there was genuine compassion in her voice. "Is there any chance you'll need a companion for the road?" she asked.

Naruto was almost dumbstruck. He had been expecting her to get angry or sad or both that he was just up and leaving, almost without saying a thing. But the first words out of her mouth are an offer to come with him?

"I don't think," said the boy, "That Jiraiya really had that in mind when he planned this. It's supposed to be some kind of training journey."

"I could train with you," Sakura said, her voice still wavering but more calm than before. "After all, I need to get stronger too if we're going to get Sasuke back."

Naruto shook his head. "It's not that simple," he said. "This could be dangerous. Not everywhere we'd be going would be too friendly to ninja from Konoha. Trouble isn't just a possibility; it's a probability where we're going, and if things go from bad to worse… I don't want you getting caught up in all of it."

"So?" said Sakura, stepping out fully onto the porch in her bare feet. "That's just part of being a ninja. Taking risks is just what we do and being a ninja means you're willing putting your life in harm's way. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm just going to sit on the sideline and watch while you do all the really dangerous work. I want to be there to help you get through the bad parts, and fight to get you out of the worst."

"What about your family?" asked Naruto. "They're not just going to let you go are they?"

"What family?" Sakura countered, becoming more vigorous. "Mother died a while ago. I don't have any brothers or sisters, and no extended family that I know of anywhere. I have about as little reason to stay here as you do."

"Sakura," Naruto groaned, both stung and annoyed by her words, "What about your father? If you disappeared-"

"He wouldn't even notice," Sakura cut him off, frowning and clutching the edges of her robe. "He's never cared or … all he wants is for me to stay out of his way. If anything he'd be glad you took me with you."

Naruto turned around. He could see he wasn't getting anywhere with this, but he didn't want to just tell her to stay.

"Why can't you just let me come with you?" asked Sakura. "Honestly, I really want to and I could have anything I needed to take ready in an hour or two at the most. I wouldn't be a burden, I promise. If you wanted I could be so quiet you wouldn't even know I was there."

Naruto didn't answer. He just turned and watched as the crescent moon fell behind a thick cover of clouds, banishing almost all of the remaining light on the street from sight.

"Or," Sakura hesitated, her voice was quiet and shaking again, "you could at least tell me the real reason you want me to stay behind."

Again, Naruto was silent. A million excuses began racing through his mind. He could tell her that he didn't want her to get hurt, or that if something happened to her it would destroy him. For an instant he considered telling her it was so he could come back to her as a hero, but that one seemed to melodramatic. Those were some of the nicer answers; the ones that he didn't think would crush her spirit.

He also considered telling her that he simply wanted nothing to do with her, or that he couldn't stand being around her for a few minutes, much less years. He could always tell her that she meant absolutely nothing to him so she could come if she really wanted to, but that would probably just egg her on to follow him.

It was a dilemma. Naruto was grasping at every answer that invaded his mind, clutching and hoping that he might find something viable. They were all the same however, the excuses. They were all lies and each one was just an attempt to hide the more painful and far more pathetic truth.

"How long are you going to keep making yourself miserable?" asked Sakura, stepping up directly behind him and resting her cheek on his shoulder.

Naruto's face waivered for a minute between pain, fury, and relief that she'd seen through his act. He closed his eyes and tried to speak, but as seemed to be happening more and more often, he was lost for words.

Silently, and with barely any movement at all, Sakura slid her arms around his neck and embraced Naruto from behind, still holding her face against his shoulder. "I don't want to see you unhappy Naruto," she whispered, "and it's killing me that you are. The only thing worse is that there's this wall around you that's keeping out anyone who could help…"

"What more do I have?" asked Naruto, his voice perfectly measured. "If I let the good through then that means that just as much bad is going to flood in too."

"It doesn't have to be that way," she said quietly. "You don't have to have neither or both. Just because you let me in doesn't mean I'm going to hurt you."

Naruto flinched. She'd guessed it. He'd known she would, but that doesn't alleviate the unease of having your defenses surmounted.

"Sakura?" asked Naruto, his voice more human that she'd ever heard it before. "I'm going to ask you a question, but before you answer, think about how I'm answering it right now."

"Alright," Sakura nodded.

Naruto took a deep breath. His voice was slow and somber, but at the same time somehow pained. "Is it better to be heartless, or heartbroken?"

Sakura didn't answer at first. She mulled the question over in her head, knowing exactly what he was really asking.

"I think," began Naruto, "That it's better to feel nothing at all."

Now Sakura shook her head. "You don't really believe that," said the girl. "If you did then you wouldn't be here right now."

Naruto didn't speak, but Sakura let go and moved to stand in front of him. A chill wind blew down the street and buffeted them both.

"I'm not going to win here, am I?" asked Sakura.

"You're not going with me," Naruto said conclusively.

Sakura closed her eyes, but leaned forward and put her head on his chest. "Fine then," she said, her voice calm but warm.

"I'm glad we've got that worked out then."

She smiled, and looked up into his eyes, tears just barely beginning to form in the corners of her own. "But I'm going to be waiting right here when you get back."

The tops of the trees rustled as the wind began to pick up. It was surprisingly cold for this time of year, especially in Konoha, and that coupled with her thin robe, was enough to make Sakura shiver. Without a second thought, Naruto shook out of his jacket and draped it lightly over her shoulders, stepping just close enough that Sakura could reach up and hold his arms around her.

"See," said the girl, "Is this really so bad?"

Naruto shook his head, "You're cold and need to go inside." He said flatly.

"I'm fine right here," Sakura responded. "Besides, it's nice to know that you care."

"I-" He stammered. "Why are you being so difficult?"

Sakura's smile faded as she looked back into his eyes. "Because I care too," she said. "Naruto… I know it hasn't been very long since… you know, but you're not helping yourself by sealing yourself away from everyone. I want to help. Please, how can I make you see that?"

Naruto looked up and away from her. "I know you want to but I don't think you can," he muttered, dropping his arms. Sakura almost protested, but Naruto raised his hand and put it on her back, turning her towards the door.

"I'm going to try," Sakura whispered to him.

A very small, but very real smile spread across Naruto's lips for just an instant before he caught himself and replaced his façade, but Sakura noticed, and she could tell that he hadn't faked that one.

"I really don't need any pity," said Naruto, "or patronizing as far as that goes."

Sakura grinned a little, and stepped to the side again, gesturing for him to walk through the open door and in out of the quickly cooling air. "You'll get none from me," said the girl, "now please, I'd be insulted if you didn't join me for breakfast."

"Fine, fine," Naruto said, his voice only slightly exasperated as he stepped over the threshold, "but only if it will get you to stop pestering me to come in."

"It will," Sakura promised, "for now."

SC

There was no crowd gathered at the East Gate the next morning. No fanfare announced the two figures sitting silently against the stone pillars of a decorative overhang. None of the lights in the houses were on yet, as it was still almost an hour before daybreak and no one was up yet. The whole village seemed to be quiet and at peace as Kakashi and Jiraiya awaited the new day to dawn, and for Naruto to arrive.

The Uzumaki boy however was still several minutes away from the gate. Both he and Sakura meandered one slow pace at a time towards the Eastern Entrance, silently. They walked with about two feet of distance between them, neither one really looking where they were going. Naruto was staring off towards the faint light just beginning to show atop the wall, while Sakura was glancing between the ground and the buildings they passed as the time ticked by.

Both genin stopped short of entering the square and glanced around, finally seeing each other. Sakura smiled weakly and stepped closer to him. The blonde waited for a second, before clearing his throat and shifting around.

"Well," he stammered.

"Well?" Sakura responded, the tired smile still on her face.

"I guess this is it."

The pink haired girl nodded. "I guess so."

Naruto turned around and took a step into the square, but stopped. Sakura remained where she was and looked over his form in the twilight.

"I'm coming back," Naruto said, turning his head to look at her again. His voice was soft and collected, but also strangely warm.

"I'll be waiting," was all she could manage to say. The lump in Sakura's throat fell into her heart as she realized all over again that he very well may not be coming back, and that if he did he may not be Naruto anymore.

Naruto's face betrayed nothing, but he turned back around and strode into the square, shifting the pack across his back a little higher as Kakashi and Jiraiya got up to meet him. The three ninja spoke for a bit, but Sakura couldn't make out what they were saying. Naruto and Jiraiya had their backs to her and Kakashi's mask didn't allow for much lip-reading.

Soon though, after maybe four or five minutes of fighting back the tears, Sakura watched as the blonde and the Sanin walked towards the big wooden gate and Kakashi disappeared in-between the unlit houses. Her heart skipped a beat as Jiraiya opened a small side door, and she stopped breathing as both ninja walked outside the village and passed beyond her line of sight.

The door closed silently and Naruto was gone.

"Goodbye," Sakura whispered. Her voice was low, and level, but the tears she had fought so hard against while Naruto was here finally broke free and streamed down her face. Sakura stared wide-eyed at the gate as the tears flowed. She didn't know what else to do. This seemed like the end.

"Goodbye," she mumbled again, her voice breaking on the word this time.

Sakura turned around and took a few steps, but tripped over her own feet and fell into the dirt. She shifted around and sat her back against the wall of a shop, but didn't get up. Instead she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her face as she did.

Footsteps wafted by on the breeze just before someone turned the corner and walked up, stopping in front of Sakura. She didn't look up to see who it was.

"So, he just up and left?" said the woman's voice.

Sakura recognized the loud but fluid voice from the operating room a few days ago. It was Tsunade's.

"Well," continued the Hokage as Sakura looked up, catching the woman's eye, "I suppose there's no cure for this."

"For what?" asked Sakura, wiping her eyes.

Tsunade made a quick hissing noise and put her hands on her hips. "For what you're going through. There's nothing anyone can do to fix that."

Sakura looked back towards the gate. "One person could," she whispered.

The Hokage reached down, picked Sakura's hand off her knee and stood the girl up in one quick motion. The pink haired girl stared at the woman for just a second, before asking what that was for.

"He's going to be back," said the Hokage, "Jiraiya will make sure no harm comes to him. But until then, moping isn't going to do you any good. You need to actually get around and do things."

Sakura nodded slowly, thinking it ironic that Tsunade was giving her similar advice to what she'd told Naruto last night.

"I suppose." Sakura said.

Tsunade crossed her arms. "I thought you might be like this," she said. "Given the way you were hanging on his every breath in the operating room I guessed it'd be bad for you when he left. I see I've got no choice."

Sakura looked over at Tsunade with a curious glance as the Sanin stared her in the eye.

"Haruno Sakura," said the woman, "What would you say if I offered you a position as my apprentice?"

Sakura stammered for a moment. Despite a restful night's sleep, she suddenly felt heavy with fatigue.

"I realize this all may be a bit much for you to process, given everything that's happened lately," said Tsunade, "but what I'm offering you is a chance to study medical jutsu and Ninjutsu under my watch. You don't have to answer right now, just think it over for a bit."

"Right," said Sakura. "I'll give it some thought, but right now I just really need to go to bed…"

Tsunade smiled and uncrossed her arms. "Go home then. Just drop by my office when you come up with your answer. I'll be there all day… for the next several days."

Sakura nodded and bowed respectfully, then turned and began to walk down the street as Tsunade watched. The Hokage rolled her shoulders and glanced around from her place by the entrance to the alley next to the shop.

"You really think this will be good for her?" Tsunade said under her breath after Sakura turned a corner and disappeared.

"Definitely," said Kakashi, stepping out of the shadows of the alley and standing next to the Hokage. "She needs to get her mind off things, and what better way to do that than by engaging her mind on something challenging."

Tsunade nodded. "You said that she'd make a great apprentice but I have to warn you that I won't go easy on her just because she's a little broken up. If anything I'm going to make it harder so she toughens up a bit."

"By all means," said the copy nin. "She really does need the challenge to keep her focused. And I told you earlier that she'll be able to handle anything you can throw at her."

"I hope so," said the Hokage.

"Trust me," Kakashi said in a confident voice. "There's something about the genin of Team 7. Something tells me we haven't but scratched the surface of their potential."

The End


AN: Well well, I see we've finally arrived at the end of The Gambit. It feels like it's been forever since I started, but oh well. It's finally done and I'm sure most of you are glad for that at least. At any rate, this is the point where you can either stop reading this storyline entirely if I've turned out nothing but drivel, or, if you like, continue on to Book Two, Shadowdawning, which should be hitting the site sometime within two weeks to a month. Check my profile for it sometime soon. Anyway, Sayonara for now and thanks again for reading!