The story is basically a multisaku, being heavily inspired by "Sakura Haruno and the Routes to True Love by ScrappyAsFrick" fic, so definitely check out that:
/works/24547516/chapters/59276212
The idea behind this is for me to explore the various Sakura ships, as well as see Naruto's funny reactions towards them.
I would like to say, that I'm not sure how will it be.
I'm not a fan of every possible Sakura ship, some are really unknown to me, so if you have good advice, it's really welcome
Chapter begins:
Naruto was annoyed at the new study subjects he got. Stupid jounin test! Why couldn't he be made Hokage right from the get go?
He just sighted again, and put it away, feeling his brain exploding.
He recently started to date Hinata, which was awesome, but, according of his friends, it made him a wannabe matchmaker, which they didn't appreciate one bit.
He started to run out, thoroughly panicking of being late from his team's dinner plans at the BBQ house. He hasn't seen them in a long time, Sasuke just got back to the village, Sakura was always so busy, Kakashi-sensei was the new Hokage, and so he was even more busy, Sai was enjoying dating Ino, and Yamato was off on some mission. So it was really rare for all of them to be around and to finally have a dinner together.
When he arrived at the entrance of the restaurant he saw that the team was at a table already inside
Taking a deep breath, he walked in
"Hi! Sorry!" he shouted, and sat next to the frowning Sasuke.
"The last one pays?" asked Sai, who was sitting between Sakura and Yamato.
"Nuh-uh!" replied back Naruto, and they started to talk about everything that happened to them lately. Naruto recited his latest nerve-wracking problems with the head of the Hyuga clan, a.k.a, Hinata's dad, to which he got some sympathetic nods. Sai related, since Ino's mom was also scary. Kakashi talked about his recent trip to Suna, and how Gaara is saying hi to Naruto. Yamato recounted his latest mission on the land of Lighting, and how someone stole a scroll, but it wasn't the actual scroll the person was looking for, but Icha Icha paradise. That information made the whole group laugh, even Sasuke smirked for a moment.
When everyone calmed down, Naruto looked at his two teammates, waiting for their part, and then he saw how stoic their faces looked, and he could instantly tell something was wrong.
"Guys, what's the matter?" he asked, looking between them.
"It's nothing" said Sasuke, looking down on the table.
Naruto almost shoot his best friend, to not try to lie to him, but he chose a different strategy, and turned to the pinkette.
"Sakura-chan, what happened?" he asked
"Come out with me" she said, and got up, Naruto eagerly followed, until they were outside in the pouring rain. Sakura went to the side pass way, next the restaurant, and pressed her back at the wall, maybe trying to shield herself a bit, with folded arms while looking at Naruto
"Sasuke-kun and I decided to not date" she said, and Naruto felt his mouth hang open
"What?" he half screamed "Sakura-chan! That's what you always wanted!" he said, and saw her shiver around the shoulders
"That's true...but it will not work." she said, looking at the dark street instead. Naruto felt truly betrayed, and he looked at her, like she was not his teammate, but a stranger.
"What changed?" he asked in an accusatory tone
"Naruto..." she said, snapping back at him "Since the war ended, I had a medical condition" she murmured, and Naruto almost didn't hear
"What medical condition? What are you talking about?" he asked, and couldn't mask the anger in his voice
"It's called P.T.S.D" she said, and seeing Naruto raised brow, she continued "It's when memories from the past haunt you, and you can develop an immense anxiety"
"I don't get it, we all had traumatic things in our life" he said, feeling his fists tighten
"True, but do you actually start a relationship with someone who causes it?" she said more sharply "Hinata-chan didn't try to kill you! Sai is not getting married with Danzo! And Sasuke-kun isn't living together with Itachi!" she screamed and Naruto was left without words for a second
Sakura just kneeled down, facing the ground and taking in and letting out deep breaths.
When she got up, her face was calm again, but it missed some of the happiness from her eyes.
"Look, I tried to make it work. I was not really triggered until I was put there to be close to him. When he left, I really thought that we are gonna be together." she said with a soothing voice
But Naruto felt too angry to register that, and shouted back at her
"I think this is bullshit!" he said, and saw how her eyes change to a pained one "I think you just wanted the coolest guy from Konoha, and since his status is strange, and the villagers are afraid of him, you don't want him anymore" he spitted, and spoke again, before her anger was out "Probably you would rather date me! Now that I will be the next Hokage!" he shouted at her
"Naruto, do you even know me?" she asked with a cold tone, and he almost snorted
"I don't know, do I? Because the Sakura-chan a knew was always head over heels for Sasuke, and wouldn't refuse him, at any circumstance!" he said, and ignored Kurama's questions of his anger
"I'm more than my feeling for Sasuke-kun" she shouted back
"Really?" he asked mockingly and she stormed off
Naruto didn't go back to the restaurant either, instead went to the training grounds to let out the steam
But when he got to sleep, his anger was still there, falling a sleep with fisted hands.
Suddenly he was in the middle of a darkness, and couldn't see anything, then felt a pull on his stomach and found himself on the top of the Hokage mountain, looking down on his village, shinning in the sun.
Did he just fall a sleep outside? No, definitely not. He remembers going home, and even showering! There is no way he's fallen a sleep outside.
So how did he get here?
"Naruto" he heard a familiar voice and big grin appeared on his face, while turning, only to be shocked of a 16 year old Hinata. What?
His girlfriend definitely looked different two days ago, there's no way she could change back like that!
"Hinata-chan, what...?" he asked, and saw something on her face, that was just so strange, Hinata smiled confidentially.
"I'm sure you have questions, but we'll have to hurry" she said, and after grabbing his hand, started dragging him after her. He was so surprised by the brute force that almost stumbled over his own feet.
"Wait! What's going on?" he asked, trying to pull away his hand
"You need to see everything" she said
"Huh? What everything?" he raised his voice, and she finally stopped to look at him
"You made someone kill themselves one hour ago, so now you have a chance of seeing everything, and hopefully choosing a different outcome"
"What? Who?" he asked, but before he could continue, she snapped her fingers, and they were in Naruto's tiny apartment, kneeling at the table, two hot teas were already placed in front of them
"Isn't nicer like this?" she asked, and sipped from her warm beverage
"What the...? How'dyoudothat?" he asked, almost spilling the tea on his table
"Easy, calm down and I answer all of your questions" she said, and took another sip.
He tried to control himself, but needed maybe 10 minutes to fully feel calm.
"Okay. So what's going on?" he asked, placing his palm on the table
"One hour and 15 minutes ago Haruno Sakura ended her life" she replied and Naruto felt out of breath
"How? Why?" he almost screamed again, but somehow got a hold of himself. If he wanted more answers, he needed to stay put together
"Your conversation triggered her, and she chose to gulp down all the medicine that was at her home" she replied and took another sip
"No, you are lying, Sakura-chan would never do somethin' like that" he said, folding together his arms
"Didn't you tell her, you don't know her anymore?" she asked, and he felt a pain in his chest "You have a chance to save her" she said, and he saw a really hinata-like smile on her, which almost made him forget about all of this
"How can I save her?" he asked
"I will present you with romantic option for her, including the ones from alternate universes, you'll see the beginnings, the middle and the futures, so you can decide which one makes her the happiest, and you can give her that." she said
"So, I'll be able to save her like this?" he asked, and she nodded
"But there will be a price for every choice" she replied back "If you chose someone, who is already dead or where she either needs to travel in time, or just be born elsewhere" Naurto needed a few minutes to process this information
"What is the price?" he asked, dreading the answer
"Someone, of your choice would be gone" she said "Someone dear to you"
"Hinata-chan" he murmured and almost jumped up "Why do you look like Hinata-chan?!" he demanded
"Ohh" she looked at herself, as if she realized something "I chose your girlfriend's look to make this easier, you'll be here for a while, so I thought her appearance could calm you down" she said
Naruto just looked away
"Shall we begin?" she asked with a big grin, getting up and pulling him with her.
Before he could even protest, they were on the street again, and a giant screen was blocking his view
"This object will chose which potential couple we'll see, I'll give you every information you'll need of every scenario" she said with a thumbs up, which made him freak out even more. Hinata just looked so weird like this.
He went closer, the black screen turned on, and he saw photos. The main photo was about Sakura, but there were others as well, many of them he knew, but it seemed they were in a random order. Suddenly something came to his mind
"Wait. Am I in this too?" he asked, pointing at the screen
"Of course. Every important person from this world is there, who is of age" she said, and smiled at him
The thought that he will see himself with Sakura was too strange, but at the same time, he was curious, since he had a long crush on her, although it really died down over time.
"But wait, are there gross combinations?" he asked, his mind already going to bad places
"Gross combination? Like?"
"I dunno, Ero-sennin? Orochimaru? Or worse, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Ohh yeah, they are definitely in there." answered the smiling girl
"Huh?No no no no no" said Naruto with his head covered by hands, in a try to shut out everything "Can't I exclude them now? I KNOW I wouldn't chose them!" he asked with desperation on his tone
"I'm afraid no. You need to see every relationship to know which one to chose" she said with a calming voice that did not help at all
"But...but I know I wouldn't sacrifice anyone, so any alternate universe or time travel is off the table" he said looking up at her face
"That's why you need to see all, to form a coherent decision" she said still smiling "And technically Kakashi and Orochimaru are still alive and in close proximity to her"
"Uhh don't say it like that" he said, putting up his palm at her "I just don't want to see Sakura-chan with any weird old man"
"Understandable, but they'll probably be in an alternate universe with closer age"
"With Orochimaru, that's not much help" he said, but then something else came to his mind "Are there girls in that too?" he asked, pointing at the screen
"No, since Haruno Sakura's sexual orientation is straight"
"How do you know that?"
"It's based on her feeling for Uchiha Sasuke, finding Sai sexy and never looking at women in the onsen"
"But, if she likes man, doesn't Sasuke or Sai's look say somethin' about her likes too?" he asked, feeling even more confused
"You wouldn't guess how many man on there share something in common with Uchiha Sasuke, so don't worry, her type in men is considered" she replied again with an annoying smile
"How do I or Ero-sennin share anything in common in personality with Sasuke?"
"Well, that's where the problem lies"
"Huh? What problem?" he asked, and she sighted, as if she was tired
"Normally, people are placed in two categories, either being open to the outside world or more closed off, this can manifest in many ways. Haruno Sakura showed clear attraction to the more closed off personality, so she will likely be happier with a partner from that category, although it's not 100% sure"
"So what you're sayin' basically every guy on there is either like me or like Sasuke, and maybe she'll grow unhappy with my type?" he asked, pointing at himself
"That's the general calculation of it, it can still change, but sexual orientation doesn't change as often as a person's type changes" replied the Hinata look alike with a patient smile
Naruto let out a sigh, and just looked at the screen, feeling weirdly tired
"Okay, just please try to make it less gross than it already is" he said and she just replied with an understanding nod
He walked up to the screen, looking at the photo of Sakura, it was from waist up, doing to peace sign with a smile.
""Do I chose?" he asked, but she just shook her head
"No, I already prepared an order, to help you get used to it, are you ready?" she asked, holding out her hand, he reluctantly grabbed it, and waited for the screen to chose a photo and name next to Sakura's.