She knew it wasn't the right way to confess to the blond, but she felt like she had to do anything to keep him from going after their raven-haired teammate when he just joined the organization that wants the blond dead for whatever awful reasons they're planning. She feels terrible for even thinking this, but she has to stop her boys from killing each other even if they hate her for it. Someone has to tell them that fighting all the damn time won't make their trauma disappear, and she's here for them regardless of the fact she hasn't experienced what they have gone through. She wants them to have a support system—someone that won't use them for their gain by pretending to be on their side.
If she has to stay and do awful things to make them realize this, then she has to force herself to put her in situations where they could likely get angry at her as Naruto did. She didn't expect him to figure it out so damn quickly she's trying to stop him from going after Sasuke, but she wasn't lying to him about the love confession. The pinkette has slowly developed feelings for him, but there is still part of her that loves Sasuke. She couldn't help this because Sasuke is her first love—her first crush even! Naruto's words still hurt her, but she deserved it.
Sakura knows she does and hearing Kiba and even Lee telling her off about the love confession in the background further confirms it. She is trying so hard to tune them out, but she can't anymore. She turns around to catch the pure disgust from Kiba's expression and the disappointment from Lee's, and it guts her emotionally. "It was wrong for me to do that" she attempts to explain, but Kiba rudely cuts her off with a laugh.
"Yeah, no shit. Sakura, I'm not even fucking surprise you would do this to Naruto after that promise years back nearly got us killed. You're such a bitch, and I'm glad that Naruto finally figured it out," Kiba spits out, furious and cruel.
Sakura clenches her fists tightly at his words and decides not to explain this with any dignity intact before saying sharply, "You want to blame me all you want for that mission. Go right ahead! I already do that nearly all night when I'm not working a night shift at the hospital! I was emotional when I made that promise, dammit! Sasuke was going to Orochimaru after everything that happened in the Chunin Exams! I didn't know that Otogakure would do that to anyone of you, and I'm so glad that Gaara and his siblings came to help. I never thought you would be so close to death on that mission. If I expected it—I would have told Naruto to give up the search…. I'm so sorry, dammit."
The tears are blurring her eyesight, so she isn't able to see the two's reaction to her apology about the promise she made without thinking of the consequences. "I just wanted to tell Naruto I love him too, but I said it wrong. I don't want to lose them and if they had to hate me, then they can as long they're alive."
"So, it wasn't fake" Kiba drawls out voice unreadable, but the pinkette doesn't mind because she only wants them to know that she loves Naruto despite what previously happened. "You love him, but you still love Sasuke, is that right?"
"Yes," Sakura confesses before the pinkette continues, saying, "He was my first crush that turned into love. You know you can't just remove that from my heart because I do still care about him. I don't want him dead but if I have to kill him so Naruto doesn't die with him, then I will. I want to stop Sasuke from making chaos among the nations even if that means killing him. It will break Naruto if he kills someone that's like his brother he never got to have."
"Okay" Kiba's acceptance makes her look at him sharply, relieve that her tears finally stop to see the brunet and the raven-haired males staring at her like they completely understand what she tried to do earlier. "I get it now-we get it now. Do you want us to help you get there so you can stop them?"
Sakura stares at him silently before she shakes her head carefully before explaining, "I think it's best if they see me alone while you two stay here, just in case. This situation we are in is dangerous and unpredictable, so I won't risk your lives."
Kiba and Lee glance at each other for a long moment before they grudgingly accepted her reasoning.
- xxx -
It is complete chaos once she reaches the Summit an hour later after her conversation with Kiba and Lee and she wants to curse herself for taking too long, but that conversation had to happen. They had to understand why Sakura went to Naruto and say that to him. She's being careful not to gain attention even with her hood up to cover her hair to make it easier because she needs to find Sasuke first to take care of him. She knows the kunai inside her pouch is poisonous even if there's a slight scratch on the person's body and hopes that's enough.
The pinkette's presence didn't attract attention since they seem to fight an Akatsuki member that looks like a changed plant and she doesn't even stop to observe it-she just walks away following Sasuke's chakra and it upsets her because it's so dark. She eventually finds him next to the dead body of Danzo and his teammate bleeding out from her stomach. Sakura swallows at the sight, but she forces herself to carry on till she's a decent way from Sasuke, who turns to look at her sharply. "Hello, Sasuke" she whispers because she doesn't know what else to say.
"What are you doing here, Sakura? Is Naruto going to appear and tell me to come back to Konoha? It's stupid if you think I'm going to back to that fucking place after what they put my family through" Sasuke spits out cruelly and the pinkette doesn't even flinch when he appears in front of her. The raven-haired male is glaring at her with such anger that makes the pinkette take a slight step back. He notices this and smirks downwards at her before continuing, "Did Naruto let you come here alone?"
Sakura finds her voice when she says "He doesn't know I'm here, Sasuke. I came here to find you." The pinkette grabs the kunai from her pouch when Sasuke grabs her collar and jerks her upwards, which results in her hood falling to expose her hair. "I just want you to stop," she confesses firmly, even when her heart is beating too fast that the medic inside her worried.
"Stop what?" Sasuke questions curious despite himself and the pinkette needs to take advantage of this, but any word could make him use the Sharingan on her and she doesn't want to see what's going on in his head or she will break down and he could... "Stop what, Sakura?" He demands when the pinkette didn't answer fast enough.
"I want you to stop you from killing off Naruto" Sakura answers firmly and doesn't even flinch when he grabs her throat, glaring. The pinkette tries to stab him with the kunai and is quickly slam into the ground but she only dodges his sword when it came down. She quickly uses the hand that's not holding the kunai to grab Sasuke's wrist-with a flick of her chakra she numbs his entire arm. She only watches him let out a pained grunt from the pain with narrow eyes. "Why do you have to kill him? What did you mean by what Konoha did to your clan?"
She quickly blocks his sword with the kunai and uses her other hand to numb that arm, too. She quickly grabs his sword when it falls from his hand and points it at Sasuke's neck, who tenses staring at her like he never her before. "Answer me, dammit," she hisses out.
"Danzo fucking order my brother to kill the clan," Sasuke hisses out in the pinkette's surprised face. He doesn't even wait for her to do anything before continuing the horrible truth of Itachi Uchiha and she is only numbly thinking why his chakra is dark like this. "Hiruzen didn't even do anything to stop Danzo and the other two insane council members. He just exiles my brother. So, tell me again why you want me to stop this?"
Sakura merely drops the sword to the ground, but she steps on it with chakra; in case Sasuke figures out how to work to reverse the damage she put through his arms. "You're right about Konoha having corruption like any other nation," she begins and only holds eye contact stubbornly with the stunned raven-hair male. "I love my village, but Kakashi-sensei taught us to look underneath, and not every mission is morally right. Tsunade-shishou further explains why even Konoha hasn't always been good with decisions with all the scrolls she gave me to read when politics came to involve with my training."
"I can't blame you for hating Konoha and killing off Danzo, but you have to understand something for me, Sasuke. I will only ask you this because I have a feeling someone told you this for their benefit," Sakura adds seriously gesturing to his cloak which made Sasuke narrow his eyes but he says nothing to listen to her. "Did this person who told about your brother ever told you that this organization already wiped out Konoha?" She doesn't look surprised to see Sasuke's shocked expression. "Their leader only bought back the deceased because Naruto told him that the way he wants to give the world peace isn't correct. It just furthers the violence in the long run. That is why I want you to not kill Naruto, please. You two can spread what corruption is like by explaining your stories. Call it a revolution in communication. It's probably why Gaara is making more allies in Suna. A nation with long experience in corruption."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice makes Sasuke and Sakura quickly look in his direction to see him racing to him with a worried expression. The blonde shouts at her, "Don't kill him off, please! Remember the promise we made years back!"
"You were going to kill me off?" Sasuke questions her quietly. He watches how Sakura stares at him silently before she nods. He doesn't know what to make of this but after everything, she just said told him she's correct. How could he forget she loved to read everything? How could he have forgotten that she didn't even need to cheat on their written exams years ago? "I will follow your request," he whispers firmly.
Sakura only looks relieved before Naruto, who got into her face saying "Don't kill him" he repeatedly quickly grabbed her. The pinkette only shoves the kunai inside her pouch before the blond stabs himself with it by accident. "I'm not killing him off," she finally answers.
"We can take him back to Konoha, Sakura-chan! Here's our chance to follow our promise about Sasuke-teme! You're not even going to fight us about it, Sasuke! You're coming with us back home no matter what!" Naruto practically shouts in the raven-hair male face who only stares.
"... Are you sure that's okay?" Sakura questions him with difficulty, and she doesn't flinch when Naruto grabs her cloak to shake her in disbelief and anger. The pinkette could only stare at the blond's furious look in response.
"Danzo placed a kill on sight order on Sasuke, Naruto. Konoha shinobi will only attack him if we bring him back" Sakura whispers quietly and only watches how Naruto numbly lets go of her collar to look at Sasuke quickly, who only nods. The pinkette could only step away from her teammates to head towards the pale redhead who looks at her sharply, wary. "I'm just going to heal you. I'm a combat medical kunoichi taught by Tsunade Senju. My name is Sakura Haruno, what's your name?"
The redhead woman only glares at her response, but she grudgingly allows the pinkette to heal her wound. The redhead pushes Sakura roughly away from her when she's no longer in critical condition. "You wanted to kill Sasuke-kun" she hisses out.
"To stop another war from happening, and to stop him from killing my best friend over there" Sakura answers honestly because she has no reason to deny or even lie to Sasuke's new teammate.
"Do you still want to kill Sasuke-kun?" The redhead kunoichi questions the pinkette.
"You shouldn't involve yourself in that situation, Sakura. Sai informed me earlier that Shikamaru and the others pressured you to kill Sasuke, or they will regardless of your and Naruto's feelings on the matter," Kakashi comments seriously and he only holds the pinkette's surprise stare.
"... What!? They told you that, Sakura-chan? Why didn't you tell me that instead of that fake love confession earlier!? I would have understood you!" Naruto's voice makes the pinkette stare at the blond and the silent raven-hair next to him who looks at him surprised by the blond's words.
"It wasn't fake" Sakura corrects firmly.
"I…. what?" Naruto replies, stun staring at her with his mouth gaping. The blond looks at Sasuke who raises a brow at him before turning sharply to the pinkette and shouting "You love him! You don't love me! It's him you love!"
"There is still a part of me that loves him, Naruto. You don't get to tell me who I love or not, either. You've been there for me when you shouldn't be after everything I put you through. I made your life hell, not just Sasuke, and I'm sorry about that. You deserve better than us," Sakura tells him completely seriously.
"No, you're wrong! You don't even seem to understand how you two didn't put me through hell! Our relationships gave me the strength to carry on when I wanted to give up; you guys have no clue how much you mean to me, dammit! You shouldn't tell me you love me because I can't believe that you will move on from Sasuke-teme," Naruto shouts at the pinkette who got up from the ground and towards the blond in quick angry steps.
The pinkette takes everyone by surprise when she grabs Naruto's collar and smashes their lips together roughly before pulling away to stare at the shocking blond. "I" she kisses him quickly, "love you, you stubborn bastard."
Naruto could only stare at her wide-eyed.
- xxx -
Ino doesn't even blink for a long time. She just bursts out laughing so hard before she calms down while she fans herself with her hand. She just smiles so widely at Sakura, who only blinks owlishly in her direction.
"Are you telling me you kissed Naruto to prove you love him and he hasn't talked to you since you guys have gotten back?" Ino finally questions in excited disbelief after watching the pinkette laying on her tent for a long moment.
"Yes," the pinkette whispers miserably because she should have known that action would stop the blond from talking to her but his denial pissed her off and she couldn't help it. "Yes, there is a part of me that still loves Sasuke, but I love Naruto more. Why is that so damn hard for him to believe?!"
"Hinata confessed her love to him when she tried to save him from Pein's attack," Ino confesses quietly and the pinkette's heart just stops beating for a moment. The blonde watches her best friend look at her with tears appearing, and she hates herself for making Sakura cry. Because after everything happening recently she knows her best friend is going through so many punches that she feels helpless watching Sakura cry so silently like that.
"She's a significant person for him," Sakura replies finally with a smile. The pinkette nods to herself at her own words before continuing, "I told him he deserves better. I want him happy, okay. That's all I want for him."
"He never answered her back," Ino points out, furious at the pinkette despite herself. The blond merely rolls an eye at Sakura's wide eyes and says "You're just going to accept Naruto is going to choose her over you after everything?! You kissed him to prove him wrong, and I bet he's still processing that while visiting Sasuke's jail cell! We both love Hinata, but Naruto is going to need a woman that will call him out on his shit and still love him. Which is something Hinata is not yet ready for, considering what's going on with her clan and her shy personality. That's you, Forehead. So get your ass out of my tent and find your dumbass," she finishes firmly.
Sakura didn't need to be told twice.
Ino smiles in response.
- xxx -
"You've been avoiding her because she kissed you in front of everyone watching and it's getting annoying, idiot," Sasuke finally responds after hearing Naruto's whining about the pinkette, annoyed. "You love her, or do you love that Hinata girl? Make your choice already," he points out, remembering how Ino, of all people, came to his jail cell and talked to him an hour before Naruto shown up.
"I love Sakura-chan, but I don't want to make Hinata feel bad for saying something so brave in front of Pein, okay!" Naruto hisses out with flushed cheeks.
"She will get over it" Sasuke reply uncaring.
"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouts in shock.
Sasuke rolls his eyes and points out bluntly, "I don't care about many people in this damn village, idiot. Only you, Sakura, and even Kakashi are the only reasons I'm not trying to escape from this fucking building."
Naruto stares at him silently, but he nods. "I just… She kissed me, not you. How the hell am I going to face her without wanting to run away like a damn coward? I may act so emotional, but if someone shows me they care about me, I am going to hide out somewhere because I'm too stunned."
"... I'm not above chasing you down" Sakura's voice nearly makes Naruto jump from his chair in fright and for Sasuke to say it's about time under his breath. The pinkette merely walks up to the blond who stares at her wide-eyed. "Why are you avoiding me? I will understand if you love Hinata. I just want you to be happy and have someone there for you, dammit."
It's clear to the blond and the raven-haired males that pinkette only came to hear the ending and not the entire conversation, much to Naruto's relief and Sasuke's annoyance. "I love you too, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispers back.
"Then explain to me why are you avoiding me, please" Sakura pleads to the blond with flushed cheeks from Sasuke, observing them like they are idiots.
"You kissed me" Naruto blurts out and immediately wants to punch himself across the face. He isn't even mad for Sasuke to rub his face in response this time.
"You didn't avoid Sasuke when you two kissed" Sakura snaps despite herself not bringing that up, and she wonders why she even said that. "So how the hell am I am different, Naruto?" Someone should say something, so she can shut the hell up.
"Because you're the one I wanted to share my first kiss with, not this fucking bastard," Naruto shouts at her because bringing that up just made him confess why he's been avoiding her. The blond with bright red cheeks continues. "I wanted to kiss you for a long time, maybe since I've met you the first time. When you kissed me to prove that you loved me just… I always thought a guy should kiss the girl first or whatever."
No one says anything for a long moment.
Sasuke is looking at the blushing pinkette and finally says something "I think that's your cue to drag him away to further prove your point."
Sakura doesn't need to be told twice when she grabs Naruto's collar and drags him away with her, who couldn't help looking too excited.
Sasuke rolls his eyes, but there's a small smile on his face. He's glad how they only seem to have changed little while he was away from them.
— xxx -
Maybe Ino's on to something about Naruto needing someone like her in his life like this while she's kissing Naruto who, this time, is eagerly returning the kiss while he has his arms wrapped tight around her waist to hold her there. Sakura doesn't mind because she has a tight hold on his jacket's collar to keep him in place. Sakura doesn't even care that they're in the small cabin that Yamato built for Team Seven, and their teammates could stop inside at any moment. She only pushes the blond down onto the chair and sits on his lap in response. She couldn't help the smile when Naruto makes a noise of approval in response ether.
It's finally clear to Naruto that she loves him back, and she's glad. She's glad that despite all her teammates is safe for the time being even considering that the shinobi nations are planning to fight alongside each other than against each other because of the Akatsuki. Right now she's just going to keep showing Naruto that she loves him back.
- xxx xxx -
slowly edits this while crying at how complicated the English grammar is.