Author's Note: I wanted you guys to be aware of a one-shot that I will be putting out shortly. I will try to get one more chapter uploaded before the end of October 2020. But I also want to push out some more of my one-shots. I'm not sure if it'll be a NaruSasu one-shot or not (I do write for other animes, games, couples, etc.). If you're interested, feel free to read it. If not, be on the lookout for another chapter coming soon! Until then, enjoy this chapter and I'll see you NaruSasu lovers soon!

Reviewer Shoutout :

Inaaa999 : Je suis désolé, mon amour. Mais, je ne parle pas bien le français. Cependant, je peux le comprendre un peu, donc j'ai eu la majorité de votre avis. Merci pour votre amour et votre soutien. J'espère avoir de vos nouvelles bientôt.

I-Love-Trunks1: Thank you for the constant support and reviews! Love ya!

Chapter 64: A Shy Bunny's New Shell: Part 2

Sakura's P.O.V.

"Sakura-chan! You're here!" Naruto shouts as I walk into the room.

Sasuke-Kun reaches up and hits Naruto over the head with his fists and a frown, "You're too loud, dobe,"

"Sasu, why do you have to hit me so hard?" the blond fox whines while rubbing his head.

"Because your head is too hard and you wouldn't have felt it if I didn't,"

"Ok, but how did you know where my head was?"

"Hn. I don't need my sight to sense that hard head of yours. Being a great shinobi is knowing how to rely on all your senses, especially when you lose one of them,"

"He's right ya know, Naruto. I hate to say it, but you could stand to learn a few things from the Uchiha brat," Lady Tsunade says with a smirk as she sits in a chair nearby.

I giggle behind my hand as Naruto grumbles about perfect Uchihas and comparing their superiority, "I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting,"

"It's alright. I'm only glad you're finally here so we can get this over with. The sooner I get these two knuckleheads out of my hospital, the better," she says before standing and walking towards the bed, "Now Sasuke, we're going to remove your bandages and evaluate your sight. If you do well, we'll release you. If not, we're going to have to keep you here for more observation,"

"Trust me, I want out of here as soon as possible. I won't fail," he says coolly, making my heart tremble.

"Good, then let's get started. Sakura, if you would, please,"

"Yes, Milady," I nod before walking over to Sasuke-Kun and removing his bandages.

Cautiously and gently, I reach towards him, trying not to scare him. My breath hitches as my fingertips touch his soft raven hair and smooth skin. In all the years that I have been around or known Sasuke-Kun. I have always dreamed of this type of intimacy. Sure, I have examined him before, but to feel his long, soft locks grace my slender fingers. It makes me want to run my fingers through it. I lean in a little closer, undoing the bandages from around his head. The closer I get; I inhale his natural scent of strawberries. It's so intoxicating. My senses are on high alert. I can even feel his breath against the small openings between my tank top and sweater. It sends tingles all over my body. I feel my breathing hitching as I remove his bandages. Time seems to freezes when his hands grip my wrists.

My emerald eyes grow wide as his eyelids slowly open to reveal onyx irises staring back at me. I'm as still as a statue while his pupils focus on me. It seems as if we're in an empty void where the only sounds are my racing heart and shallow breathing. His strawberry scent leading me further into a drunken stupor. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that we would be this close to each other without being in a dangerous situation. Nothing could compare to this. The feelings of my teenage love race through my veins.

"I feel like I'm going to pass out. Oh, gods, he's staring at me. What do I do? What do I say? Oh, gods, he's waiting on me to do something. Come on Sakura, you can do it! Stop being an idiot and say something! Do something! Anything would be better than looking like an idiot in front of Sasuke-Kun of all people,"

I take a deep, calming breath before swallowing the lump in my dry throat, "Sasuke-Kun… Can you see me?"

He doesn't say anything for a few moments before I sense movement. I fight my fight or flight instincts when one of his hands releases my wrist to touch the top of my head. I close my eyes at the quick feeling of his fingers in my hair. After his fingers are out of my hair, I slowly open them to see him holding a piece of lint between us. Confused, I look into his captivating eyes and try to ask a question, but my words fail me.

"Relax your ears, Sakura. You just had some lint in your hair," Is all he says.

Embarrassment heats my entire face to the tips of my white ears, "Why me?"

"You have peripheral vision and can focus on objects and people directly in front of you. That's a good start," Lady Tsunade says from behind me. The feeling of embarrassment spreading further through my body as I sigh and move to the edge of the bed, "Alright, now let's test the strength of your vision,"

Deciding that I wasn't needed, I went to sit outside the room while Lady Tsunade continues with her examination. Suddenly, I jump when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I quickly look over to see Naruto staring at me with worry, "You alright, Sakura-chan?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I ask, my trembling voice betraying my displayed confidence.

"Your ears are still on alert,"

Embarrassed, I reach up to bend them downwards, "I'm just happy that Sasuke-Kun has his sight back," He looks at me in disbelief, "What? I'm serious?!"

"Alright, alright. I believe you. I was just worried about you,"

Seeing him back down and the fact that he's sincere makes me calm down. I sigh deeply, trying to let out my anxiety, "I just… have a lot of pressure on me. Lady Tsunade expects so much from me… and I'm afraid that I'm going to fail. And now with Sasuke-Kun fighting with us, I should be happy to have Team 7 back together. But~"

"Things aren't the same, huh?" he finishes, causing me to nod, "I know what you mean. Things do feel different. You're not the only one who thinks that. I may not have the same anxieties as you, but I can definitely understand what you mean,"

"I don't think you do. Naruto, I have always stood in your shadows. Sasuke-Kun is an Uchiha with his Sharingan and practically being a perfect Shinobi, skill-wise anyway. And you, you have the fucking Nine-Tails power on top of your own. You were always seen as weak, but you constantly worked, trained, and fought your way to be as powerful as you are now. Plus, your strength is nowhere near close to its fullest. You have what, eight tails now? One more and you'll be one of the most powerful shinobi in the village, hell the world, at the rate you're going. And Sasuke-Kun is not that far behind, if not the same level as you. I don't have any special ability to rival either of you. You don't know how hard it is to know that no matter how far you've come, you'll always be looking at the backs of your teammates. I'm no one special,"

"Sakura-chan, you can't seriously mean that"

"See, I knew you wouldn't get it," I sigh while staring at him with a sadden expression. With little effort, I push off the wall to leave, "I'm sure that Sasuke-Kun will be released today. I'll… catch up with you guys later,"

I get ready to leave when I feel his hand grips my wrist, "Wait. Just hear me out for a moment," I turn to look at him without removing my wrist, "I may not know exactly what you're feeling, but I really do understand. It wasn't too long ago that I was looking at both Sasuke and your back too. Sasuke was always more powerful and popular than me, especially with the girls and you. I hated him at first because he had all your attention is the cool guy. Every time I tried to get your attention, you had your back to me and staring at Sasuke. Sasuke used to call me a loser because of how superior he was to me. You are so smart, Sakura-chan. In fact, you could probably beat Shikamaru in a game of Shogi. But you're also one of the hardest working kunoichis I know. Why else would Lady Tsunade choose you as her student? Trust me, that's not an easy accomplishment. You may not have any special abilities, but that's what makes you special. You don't have a cursed power to fall back on. You just have your monstrous strength and medical knowledge. And to me, that's better than any Sharingan or demonic powers. You've done well for yourself. And yeah, you may not be where you want to be, but you're further than where you started. And, before you know it, you'll be standing with Sasuke and me. We'll be looking for you to have our backs during the war. Stop selling yourself short,"

My eyes widen with admiration as he smiles. Suddenly, I start laughing to myself, "What happened to that knucklehead ninja? I guess he's really all grown up,"

"What's so funny?" he asks. I keep laughing, "Awe come on, Sakura-chan. I wanna know the joke too," he whines.

I keep laughing until it dies down. When I'm calm enough to speak, I reach up to gently scratch behind his ears, causing his leg to shake like a dog, "It's nothing, Naruto. Nothing at all. Thank you though. I appreciate the pep talk," I continue to scratch behind his ears for a moment before stopping, causing him to pout, "Down boy. Now, can you please tell Lady Tsunade that I'll be waiting for her out here when she's done?"

"Can do!" he salutes before going back into the room.

I shake my head with a bright smile at his antics, "He's still a knucklehead; just an older knucklehead,"

After a while, Lady Tsunade finally leaves the room with parting words to my teammates, "Sasuke, you're released on a clean bill. But if either of you ends up back in this hospital, I swear I'll send both of you to an early grave? Got it?" I jump a little bit as she slams the door close, "Tsk. Those two are the reason I drink sometimes. Thank the gods you're not a knucklehead as them,"

"But I don't think we would rather have it any other way, right Milady?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. They may be some knuckleheads, but they're our knuckleheads." She sighs with a gentle smile on her red lipstick-stained lips, "Anyway, I'm glad we finally have a chance to talk. There's something I've wanted to discuss with you,"

We start walking through the hospital towards the exit, "What is it?"

"First, I wanted to congratulate you on how far you've come from the weak little girl who begged me to take her on as a student. I don't know if you know this, but you have even surpassed Shizune. Although she was my first and most faithful student, she has never reached the skill level as you. I'm proud of you, kid,"

Her words shock me. Yes, other people have told me how much stronger I've gotten. But to hear it from my sensei, it really puts everything into reality for me, "Thank you, Milady. It's an honor to be your student. Despite how things started, you have been an amazing sensei to me. I would not be where I am without your guidance,"

She shakes her head, "No, Sakura. You got here because of you. I have had many girls and women seek my guidance, but you were the only one that stuck it out and succeeded at every turn you take. I may have guided you, but you are at a stage where you may even surpass me,"

"Lady Tsunade! You can't be serious!"

"But I am. That is why I wanted to talk to you about the Strength of a Hundred Seal. It's my most powerful jutsu that only I have created. No one, not even Shizune can obtain it because of the stress and strain it puts on both the body and chakra reserves. However, I can see that you may be close to obtaining it. That's why I want to drive you to keep at it.

You know how important this war is. I will most likely be on the front lines against our powerful enemies. Since you're focusing on obtaining the seal, I ask that you continue to do what you're doing and stay out of the war as much as possible,"

But Lady Tsunade~"

"Sakura listen to me. I know how much you want to help your teammates. But this is more important than risking your life. You CANNOT fight with your full strength or risk severe damage to your body and your chakra channels. I know this seems impossible to ask of you, but the benefits of obtaining the seal will outweigh any problems that will come if you don't help,"

"But… what if I don't get the seal before the war?" I ask, biting my bottom lip.

"It could happen. But it is not the end of the world. I'm more worried if you try to fight before the seal does appear," Suddenly, she puts her hands on my shoulders. The pressure from her grip equals that of my current anxieties, "I'm counting on you Sakura. You could be one of the deciding factors that will help us win. The enemies we're facing are nothing like what you think they are. They are stronger than anyone you will ever face. However, if you can help us defeat them, then you will be a hero,"

"A hero? Me? I don't know~"

"Sakura! You need to keep your confidence. You cannot win if you keep doubting yourself. Hold your head up and recognize your own abilities. I believe in you. You need to too,"

I stare into her determined hazel eyes. Something about her stare fills me with confidence and excitement. Taking a deep breath, I give a determined stare of my own, "I will not fail you,"

She gives me a bright smile as she nods and removes her hands, "That's my girl. Now, for the next few weeks, I want you to focus more on the seal instead of the hospital. I have already talked to all the girls, and they have agreed to handle your shifts at the hospital. I think this time off will do your body and mind some good,"

"What if it doesn't activate during that time?"

"Then come back to me when you're ready. I don't expect you to activate it, but if you can then great. If not, it will at least bring you one more step closer to activating it. Now go, relax, and clear your head,"

"Yes Milady," I nod as we finally head to the hospital's entrance.

We say our goodbyes before she exits through the doors. I sigh, trying to relieve some of the pressure from my body. Looking at the wall clock, it reads 2:46 pm.

"A little over 4 ½ hours before I have to meet Lee for dinner. Guess I better go home and kill some time,"

Feeling the weight of my heavy footstep drag along the ground, I make my way towards my apartment for a hot bath and a nap before I have dinner with Lee. Trying to focus on other things helps speed up the time, and before I know it, I'm home. I put my keys into the lock and push the door open. Without looking, I hang my keys up, peel off my heels, and drag myself to the bathtub. I sit on the side and wait for it to fill up with hot water and bubbles from my coconut oil bath soap. When the water fills up to the desired level, I pour some muscle relaxation epsom salt into the water before removing my clothes, wrapping up my hair, and sinking in. Sighing in relaxation, focusing on the sensations feeling my body, I allow myself to fall into my thoughts. The events of today play in my head, including the pressure of Lady Tsunade's demands weight heavy against my mind. With my eyes closed, I sink further into the calming water and bubbles, allowing my stress and anxieties to melt away. Sometime after that, I ended up relaxing too much and my water started to cool.

Not wanted to say in any longer, I use my towels to clean my body before hopping out. Using another towel, I dry myself off and wrap the towel around me. I flop onto my bed with tiredness taking over. I look over to see my clock reading at 3:58 pm.

"I'll just take a short, 3-hour nap before meeting Lee. That's all I need," I say to myself while yawning. But, before I can set my alarm clock, my tired eyes drift off and next thing I know, I'm in dreamland. The strangest thing I remember before officially falling asleep was the sound of a cool, deep voice calling my name…

"Sakura…"

To Be Continued…