Prompt: Hokage AU
Tumbrl Ita/Saku Week 2021 🌸🍡
Rating: M (meintions PTSD, suicidal thoughts, major character death)
Shizune and Sakura wept silently at the loss of a brilliant teacher, friend and Hokage, as Tsunade had succumbed to her injuries.
Naruto had saved them all when team 7 blasted Kaguya into another dimension space and sealed her away for a time but unfortunately, she had managed to fire off one last attack before she was sealed and fatally injured Naruto… who too passed away that morning.
The Hidden Leaf was in chaos, they were still rebuilding from just before the war and now they were Hokage and hero less.
Sasuke took Naruto's death personally, and his brother was currently comforting him.
Sasuke had killed Itachi initially but when he was brought back by Kabuto, Naruto had managed to somehow undo the Resurrection jutsu, making him alive again with a new body for his soul.
There was no time to be mad for the abrupt end to death, for they were in the middle of a war but afterward, Itachi had a few words to say about how the afterlife was peaceful and he didn't ask to be brought back. Sasuke was secretly overjoyed to have him back though and he was reinstalled as a Konoha shinobi, with Naruto telling the world of the truth and him just being a spy the whole time.
Gathering those who survived, and those who had perished, it was time to rebuild once more.
Comrades from all villages were lost, friends from their core school group. Choji, Tenten, and Kiba all lost their lives protecting those they loved.
Internal meetings were held with the highest standing members left in the village to discuss who would become a candidate for the 6th Hokage.
High ranking Jonin, special ANBU members, Kakashi, and Uchiha Itachi representing the Uchiha clan and the remaining elders were all present.
Sakura was invited to sit in as Tsunade's last apprentice and a high-ranking Jonin in her own right. She had been promoted after their first Akatsuki mission and took down Sasori almost single-handedly.
"So this meeting is to discuss who we vote on becoming the next Hokage. It was going to be of course Uzumaki Naruto, we were thinking of saving the seventh seat for him, due to his young age… there was a minor pause of silence following that statement.
"I think Hatake-san would be an excellent candidate," said one of the ANBU.
A few murmurs of agreement followed.
"Anyone else want to make a nomination?" asked Homura
"Haruno Sakura" Itachi nominated.
A few gasps, what an unexpected name…
Sakura waved at him in a no fashion but he ignored her discomfort.
"Uchiha-san, what qualities does Haruno Sakura have to nominate her as our next Hokage? Her genin sensei certainly has more experience and years…" disputed Koharu.
"She is just as, if not more gifted than the late 5th, younger yes but she was on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto and I can guarantee has Hokage values and wisdom, if it would help her appointment, I even offer my name as her personal advisor" he argued calmly.
A silence followed and they looked to Kakashi to see what he had to say on the matter.
"Sakura is more resourceful and powerful than Tsunade-sama and I give her my blessing to take on the role if she is willing?" he responded then looking at a shocked-looking Sakura.
There were some murmurs of quiet discussion while Sakura mulled over her answer… could she take up the mantle of her late teacher and best friend? Would they even want her too? What could she offer Konoha in times of uncertainty?
"I accept Shihou's mantle and the position of the 6th Hokage" she finally replied a bit breathless.
Silence followed before everyone was in agreement with Itachi's nomination.
There was lots of work to do still in rebuilding, since the end of the war, the civilians had only gotten the main downtown part of the village rebuilt, the essential shops and services, they were prioritizing homes for everyone in the western district and rebuilt the beginnings of the Hokage tower which was just a tent base for now.
It was decided it was best to promote her as soon as possible, in case any serious issues arose or someone decided to attack them. She had one week off to grieve and prepare her belongings, the carpenters had just finished what would become the Hokage's residence.
She liked the design, Tsunade had requested a more traditional design with shoji doors, two floors and a green and blue colour scheme. It was surrounded by elegant walls like what the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans had.
After the meetings were over and she had free time, she decided to head to her parents and start packing up her belongings to move to her new home.
She was okay while packing her mission tools, gear, her regular civilian's clothes and work uniforms but when she came across her old Genin team squad commemorative photo she got a bit overwhelmed with grief for she couldn't look at a picture of Naruto without crying.
His goofy grin and overconfidence oozed from the picture and she felt like she was betraying him by becoming his goal in life.
Sakura didn't come down for dinner, her mother Mebuki grew worried and climbed to the second story to her daughter's room where she found Sakura curled up on the floor, picture frame long forgotten.
"Sakura!" she exclaimed with worry rushing over to her.
She had fallen asleep, exhausted from all of her crying.
Gingerly, Mebuki lifted her up and tucked her into bed. It would be a long time before Sakura may be alright after all the loss and being forced to see the realities of war and the life of being a shinobi on the front lines, but she would be and it was okay to take it one day at a time.
Sakura successfully moved out of her parents and into her new home and though she had the week to settle in and do whatever she needed to do, she had constant visitors congratulating her and friends stopping by to help set up her house.
Ino was a constant presence for she didn't want to dwell on losing Choji, Shikamaru had Temari to lean on and Ino was determined to make Sakura's house the fanciest Hokage's home the village had ever seen.
Sakura smiled a little, knowing this was a good distraction for her friend, something to work towards and less stressful for her for she didn't have as unique a taste as her.
She browsed the boxes of items Ino had brought and found a lovely green vase that Gaara had sent over once he heard of her new appointment. She thought it would make a pleasant centrepiece to her entranceway table and shelves.
On the third day after the announcement of her succeeding Tsunade as Hokage, Uchiha Itachi stopped in wanting to discuss how their future operations would work.
"Sakura-sama, I have prepared a list of items you need to be aware of and beginning the transition of power over to you" Itachi explained over breakfast he offered to make her as she seemed distracted and aloof.
"Uchiha-san, I appreciate you looking after me but do we need to address me so formally?" she complained, focusing back on the task at hand.
"Yes… you will be the Rokudaime by next week, and well you already know that everyone addressed Tsunade-sama the same way as I am with you?" he questioned the odd complaint.
Sakura flicked her wrist at him in a dismissing way before sipping more coffee before motioning him to continue his list.
Itachi noticed throughout the meeting that Sakura was quite indifferent and silent most of the time, letting him just talk and she responded when needed. He already knew that normally she was more attentive and opinionated but understood that this would be an ongoing process. The loss was something shinobi went through often but war was more real and off-putting.
He was already looking after Sasuke, who seemed to be lost, he had no drive for power anymore and being in the village pained him deeply. Itachi was a bit worried that he would never recover. When he left the house that morning to come to see Sakura. Sasuke was still passed out in the kitchen after a drinking binge last night, he was sullen, irritable and almost comatose some days since.
"Before I go… were… you planning on visiting Sasuke?" Itachi dared to ask her, expecting to lash out in anger, cry or just ignore him.
Instead, realization dawned in her eyes, Naruto was gone, but Sasuke had survived him, he was still with her.
"Where is he?" she asked for determination in her eyes.
"He is currently living with me at the moment" Itachi rescinded, almost relieved. If anyone could help it was Sakura.
Sasuke almost didn't recognize her when she entered the two brother's apartment but she walked up to him and used some healing chakra and he fell asleep in her arms.
"What did you do?" Itachi asked, startled.
"He has PTSD… the brain's chemistry is interrupted by all the things he saw, particularly when Naruto was down… I merely forced his body to rest to allow the brain to calm. It will take time but if he is willing we can treat it and he can regain some normalcy…. Survivors' guilt can be hard but they will need a strong support system. Itachi-san please keep a close eye on him, he will act irregularly and could be suicidal…" Sakura told him somberly.
He grimaced at the diagnosis, suspected as much but he would make sure Sasuke would be okay.
Turning his attention to her.
"You must be in shock and disbelief about Naruto-san, as he was your teammate too Sakura-sama," Itachi asked gently.
"I'm adjusting, but yes he was my best friend… I'm still wondering if he would be proud of me taking on the village in his stead or if he would have preferred someone else…" she admitted slowly.
"It's not that if you become Hokage everyone will acknowledge you… it is the ones who are acknowledged that can become Hokage" Itachi repeated what he had told Naruto.
Sakura waited to see if he would say something else.
"You didn't plan on this path but it is those who are acknowledged by others as great that have the potential, yet most people were expecting Kakashi-san or myself to inherit the Hokage title but I think that we may have the obvious talent but you are more well rounded in everything than one particular field, you are able to see things differently than us. You will do well in the future and if you are still unsure then ask, Kakashi-san and I are here to support you… Hokage-sama"
Itachi finished bowing to her.
Tears crept forth but Sakura held them back. Itachi was right, the Hokage had to think above themselves and what was in the best interest of the village, they had to be knowledgeable about multiple different veneers and be powerful shinobi but also have a level of compassion. She didn't choose this path but she would do her best in Naruto's memory. He may not be proud of her right now but he would be.
The week passed without incident, Sakura and Itachi established a means of communication and how she would like him to operate while being her personal assistant. She used her free time to visit Sasuke and begin a treatment to which he agreed to.
They begin appreciating each other more, for they too had a strong bond since they were kids but Sasuke had always pushed her away seeking the darkness of revenge and the mission Itachi had set his sights on since the end of their clan.
Sakura had spent her first week as Hokage mostly in the office, trying to figure out how Tsunade had managed to pile up so much paperwork there was literally no room to work.
Itachi entered not long after 9am to find her sitting amongst some scrolls reading, for she also wanted to be caught up on latest reports if something came up.
"Sakura-sama?" he asked, chuckling seeing her peruse scrolls like it was an art form.
"Uchiha-san, are these the latest reports? Or?" she mumbled trying to readjust her focus.
"No those are from before deployment of the war, Shikamaru-san already briefed me on what was in here and how to pack it up and send it to the intelligence department to categorize in the Hokage's library and elsewhere if needed." he explained to her.
Sakura dropped the scroll and as gracefully as she could muster, got up from the floor and walked back to her clean desk because she had already rearranged it first.
Itachi handed her today's reports and briefed her on some meetings he had planned out with some village officials. There was some housecleaning amongst the clans to deal with as their day started.
Months began to pass and Sakura was slowly healing, and regaining her confidence in herself, her abilities and her trust that Naruto would be proud to see how the village was doing at the present time.
She had maintained good relations with the other 4 great nations, creating the way for some relative peace in the ninja world. She had hosted a Chunin exam and it was successful, no interruptions or invasions from other villages, the business hub of the village was booming with clients and the village's economy was intact, home's were completed for citizens in a timely manner and the ninja academy were resuming classes with the school being rebuilt.
Shikamaru offered to serve as the village's liaison between Sand and them and would take on and off trips between the two villages.
Sasuke has been successful in his treatments and was in a better place with his mental health. With Itachi's blessing, he became the next Uchiha to become clan leader as he should have to begin with as Itachi had technically died and didn't feel like he was in a position to take it on properly.
Sasuke was reinstated as a ninja gaining Chunin level at the moment, having participated in the latest exam.
He was technically at Sannin level with his skills but officially only a Genin in ranking terms and Sakura had paired him with two member Genin squad that had lost their third member in the Akatsuki invasion.
Intimidated, the two teens were caught off guard once the legendary Uchiha appeared at the Hokage's office for reassignment.
"Fukiwa-san and Levino-san, this is Uchiha Sasuke… yes my old teammate as well as the late Uzumaki Naruto's teammate. He needs the exam to achieve the next level of ninja as I cannot grant him a promotion as it would be seen as a favor from the Hokage which would be looked down upon. This assignment is just a formality as you know he will beat everyone with no effort. His assignment is really just to help you two and rework on his teammate skills. Please excuse his business-like manner. It comes from his age difference and his personality, he means well even if it doesn't seem like it." she asked the two Genin in front of her.
"Sakura…" Sasuke complained in his gruff manner.
"That's Hokage-sama, Uchiha-sama," Itachi reminded him standing off Sakura's left.
Sasuke grimaced, still not quite used to using the super formal titles, but it was required in the Hokage's office.
"We accept this assignment, Hokage-sama," responded Fukiwa on behalf of both of them.
Sakura stared at Sasuke, awaiting his response.
"I also accept this assignment… Hokage-sama" Sasuke replied in a more neutral tone.
"Good luck team 12" she said, dismissing them happily.
Sakura smiled at the memory of Sasuke agreeing to work with Genin again.
Itachi entered the office, and she resumed work once more.
He had been her pillar from the beginning when he told her that he believed she could make a difference and she took it to heart as someone who didn't know her as well as Sasuke or Kakashi for instance.
They had grown close in the months she had been Hokage and today was the first day of her well deserved holiday. She took the weekend off to revitalize and was going to visit Konoha's hot springs.
"Itachi, as my personal assistant I hereby order you to take a well needed break while I am away" she commended him, getting ready to leave the office.
"I'm sorry I cannot, someone has to take command of the village operations in your absence Sakura-sama" he resisted.
"Yes, I've assigned that to Kakashi and Shikamaru, who returned this week from Suna," she countered.
Itachi stilled in his response, she got him there.
"Very well Hokage-sama" he submitted reluctantly.
"Itachi, as I am now off duty and not your Hokage, I would like you to accommodate me in coming to the hot springs as my weekend date" she announced leaving ahead of him.
Itachi's mouth dropped in shock behind her as she left before being replaced with a grin. So she had noticed that he had been flirting with her on their late nights working and catching up on late reports and complaining about the old folk who needed to retire.
"Very well Sakura" he said aloud to the empty office, hurrying after her.
~*~FIN
A/N: Happy Tuesday. For the different prompts I tried using different genres of writing, trying to expand on my style as I usually default to romance and fluff, which some is coming this week but today's theme was grief and loss and friendships. with a tidbit of budding romance at the end. Hope you enjoyed this one-shot and as always feel free to leave comments, kudos, favorites, follows, bookmarks, on whichever platform you are on.