Haruno Sakura
It's been months since the recent War that shook the Shinobi world and left scars that might never heal. The deaths of comrades, young and old, were traumatic for everyone who had been involved in the war against Madara and his plans to change the Shinobi world.
Peace was hard-won.
But at what cost? Sakura thought to herself as she looked out the window of her office.
She had busied herself right after the war ended, and took it upon herself to be responsible for the healing and recovery of two of the most important boys in her life. War heroes, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
Boys, huh? She briefly smiled at the thought. They were no longer boys. They were men who fought bravely during the war. Even their last fight in the Valley of the End made it clear to her that they have changed a lot from the time they were still Genin.
Time sure flies fast. Blink and you'll miss it. Sakura smiled and continued to look out the window overlooking the old training ground of their team. Flashbacks of their genin days flitted across her mind.
"Teme… I'll get you this time!" came Naruto's stubborn retort.
"The hell you will, Dobe…", came Sasuke's cool reply.
"Naruto, just quit it already. Sasuke-kun, Shanaroo, you're so cool!" Sakura's younger self always took Sasuke's side.
"Eh… Sakura-chan, wadyamean cool?! Teme's a bastard and I'll beat him with my super, strong jutsu!" Naruto would complain.
"Baka…" Kakashi-sensei just arrived, his voice a bit bored. "You need some more training to do before you can even master a strong jutsu and go against Sasuke."
"That's right!" Sakura seconded proudly.
"Same goes for both of you, Sakura, Sasuke. You three need more training or you'll remain Genins for the rest of your Shinobi life."
"Ehhh?!", was all Sakura could say.
"G-genin…for life…" Naruto depressingly muttered.
"Tch." Sasuke's brows were furrowed in annoyance.
"Sakura-san!" Azusa, one of the medic-nin on duty called, breaking Sakura's reverie.
"Shh…", Sakura shushed the young medic-nin. "Azusa-san, I told you to keep it down. You'll wake up my patient."
Both girls turned to look at the sole recuperating patient at the far corner of Sakura's office. A man in his early 30's with silvery hair and mask stirred a bit on the hospital bed.
Hatake Kakashi. Another war hero. He was their team's sensei and father figure. And in all honesty, during the war, Sakura was worried about losing him. They already lost so many friends and teachers along the way leading up to the last war. She didn't want another loved one lost at the hands of evil.
Famed as Kakashi of the Sharingan and Copycat Ninja, he was also the only son of Konoha's White Fang and the apprentice of the Fourth Hokage. He was one of the best shinobi's in the Fire country, and quite possibly beyond as well.
But he's not an immortal. He's human just like the rest of us. Sakura thought to herself. She was just as frightened for her sensei's life in the war, just as she was scared to death about Sasuke and Naruto actually dying at one point against Madara.
"I'm sorry, Sakura-san." Azusa apologized softly while smiling sheepishly. "The rest of us are about to take a quick break and I'm heading out to the tea shop to get some snacks. I was wondering if you wanted something to eat?"
Sakura smiled gratefully. "Thanks Azusa-san, but I'm not hungry. You and the others have some rest and enjoy your break."
"Are you sure?" Azusa asked, seemingly unconvinced.
"Yes, I'm alright. Don't worry." Sakura replied with a grin.
"Okay, then…I'll be back in an hour for my next shift, Sakura-san." Azusa bowed and left the room.
Sakura knew that her medical team had been hovering over her since the aftermath of the war. During the first week, everyone in the village tended to the funerals of the fallen and cared for those who were sick and injured. Sakura, along with Lady Tsunade, Shizune, Ino, and even Hinata and Tenten were among the front liners for the medical team. They pulled all-nighters just to tend to those who were seriously injured and needed immediate operations. It was as if the hardship of the war were still ongoing for the medical group.
Sakura, being the only other medic-nin besides the Fifth Hokage who was able to use the 100 Healings Jutsu, was working almost 24/7. Despite Lady Tsunade's nagging about taking a break once in a while, Sakura couldn't make herself rest long enough. She was constantly on edge and wanted to keep tending to the wounded. In the end, Tsunade gave up convincing Sakura and concluded that it was her way of keeping her mind occupied from the emotional trauma brought by the recent battle. Hoping that she will feel a lot better in the next weeks to come, Tsunade and the others allowed Sakura to focus on her duties as a medic-nin and left her to her devices.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. It has been three and a half weeks since the war, but Sakura was still overworking herself. She opted to sleep in her office at the hospital instead of going home to her parents or her own apartment. Sensing that her emotional condition was still not back to normal, Lady Tsunade gave her approval.
Her friends, Ino and the other girls were also worried about her so they kept visiting her office every now and then for lunch. Ino, her best friend, made a point to visit her more often than the others. This, Sakura did not mind at all. She knew Ino was also still in pain because she just lost her sensei a few months ago, and during the war, she also lost her father. The regular visits from Ino were, in a way, their time for healing and consoling each other. Her medical team, on the other hand, bothered her a bit because they were constantly eyeing her as if she was going to collapse anytime soon from fatigue. She did appreciate the concern but at the same time, wished they didn't hover too much.
Sakura sighed and went to the nearest cabinet to pull out her medical files. She took a file labeled "Hashirama cells project: Prosthetic Arms", and studied the contents. Naruto and Sasuke were still in and out these past weeks. One moment, they seem to have regained their strength, the next day they were back to suffering from Chakra loss and their serious injuries that haven't healed yet.
"Did you sleep at all today?"
She turned towards the voice. She saw Kakashi-sensei sitting up and massaging his left arm.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, I keep telling my team to be quiet when coming in but…"
"Don't worry, it's fine. I shouldn't sleep to long, anyway. Too much sleep gives me a headache sometimes." The Jounin replied with his usual eye-smile.
Sakura sat on the chair next to Kakashi-sensei's bed and raised her palms over his left arm. "Is it still hurting?"
"A bit. But I'm sure it will be fine soon enough." Kakashi replied.
Sakura's palms began emitting a green glow and started healing his arm.
"How are they?" He whispered.
Sakura didn't look up but answered gravely, "They've used up massive amounts of chakra and energy. Sometimes they're awake long enough for a short conversation. But most of the time they're out. They still have a few weeks to go before they can even regain 50% of their actual strength."
Kakashi nodded. "I see."
"Hinata's been visiting Naruto often." Sakura smiled. "I think he senses her presence because that's the time when he usually regains consciousness."
Kakashi nodded. "I expected as much for Hinata to frequently visit him. She has, after all, been watching over him all these years."
Sakura chuckled softly. "You're right about that, Sensei." The glow from her healing technique subsided and she let down her palms, folding them on her lap. "All done!"
"At least it's mending now, Kakashi-sensei. You took a lot from the battle but you'll be out of this room in less than a week." Sakura beamed happily.
"Best news I've heard since the end of the war." Kakashi sighed.
Sakura's smile faltered.
"Hey, don't." Kakashi looked at her straight in the eye. "We'll all get through this."
Sakura stared back. "How, sensei?"
Kakashi ruffled his student's pink hair. "As team 7." And then continued, "As a family."
Family. Sakura's eyes welled up at the mention of that word. Knowing that it took years to finally get it back together. She should be happy. But somehow, she felt the same sadness she's known over the past years.
"Did you speak with him at all?"
Sakura stood up to place her file back inside the cabinet drawer. "Yes. I am his and Naruto's doctor, after all, apart from Lady Tsunade." She fiddled with the papers piled high in her in-tray files. "He's not given the same amenities of course, but, medical-wise, I've been giving him equal treatment. I have to say though, it's kinda eerie treating him down in that dark bunker. It's a long way off from when I'm treating Naruto here in the hospital," Sakura's voice broke off at her last words, "…all bright and sunny."
"I'll see what I can do about it." Kakashi answered.
Sakura turned to him, forcing a smile. "Arigatou, Sensei."
"Don't thank me yet." He waved his hand. "Let me get back to my question you just avoided. Have you spoken to him at all?"
"I already answered you, Kakashi-sensei. I have been visi – "
"Yeah, yeah… you spoke with him medical-wise." He said, quickly cutting her off. "Apart from that, I mean."
It took a minute before Sakura could find her voice again.
…You're still annoying as ever.
"He refused to talk about things other than his recovery progress." Sakura forced a smile. "Nothing's changed, huh, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Sakura – "
"Sakura-san! I'm back early for my shift!" came Azusa's hyper voice.
"Eh? What's up, Azusa? Why are you guys back early? It's only been a few minutes." Sakura replied, glad for the sudden intervention from her subordinate. In truth, she wasn't ready to recount her past encounters with the former avenger. Especially to her mentor who perfectly knew about her feelings for the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan.