After Sakura was satisfied, she pulled back and gave Naruto a soft smile. Naruto watched with concern as she went to retrieve her bag and started putting her clothes back on, her eyes still red from her crying.
"So... Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" he asked.
The pinkette looked up at him and smiled weakly.
"Yeah, I'm fine... Hey, are you going to study at the Hokage office today?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded. He started putting on his clothes as well.
"Yeah..."
"Is it okay if I meet you there in a few hours? I told Ino that I would have breakfast with her today. I could call it off, but..."
After pulling his shirt on, Naruto shook his head.
"No, that's okay. You should go spend time with her. I don't want to take up all your time, Sakura-chan."
Sakura grinned.
"But... I like being monopolized by you."
Naruto laughed.
"Well, I can do that later."
Sakura smirked flirtatiously as Naruto was putting on his jacket.
"Okay. You'd better. I'm going to hold you to that."
He looked at her with seriousness.
"Sakura-chan... I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way."
They both laughed.
/
When they had finished getting dressed, they exited the apartment via the front door. Sakura gave Naruto a brief hug, kissing him on the cheek before she pulled back. Naruto watched her with concern.
"Okay, Naruto... I'll see you later, then. Please don't forget that I love you."
His eyes widened with worry as she started to walk away.
"Sakura-chan, wait."
She turned to look at him with a curious expression.
"What's wrong, Naruto?"
The blonde gazed down at his shoes in contemplation.
"... You know I would never leave you, right? I could never... I love you way too much. It doesn't matter what you do to me. I'll only leave you if you tell me to."
Sakura's green eyes widened. She felt like her heart was being compressed again. She didn't think she would ever feel like she deserved this kind of devotion.
"Naruto... I never want to do anything that would give you a reason. It would hurt me more than it would hurt you if I did. But if you say I don't have to worry, then I'll try not to."
Naruto smiled softly.
"Okay. As long as you know that. I'll see you later, Sakura-chan."
She smiled and nodded.
"Okay. Bye, Naruto."
The pinkette turned to leave. Naruto watched wistfully as she walked away.
/
After having gone home to freshen up and change her clothes, Sakura went to the coffee shop to meet Ino. She found her sitting at the one of the smaller tables with some pastries in front of her. The elegant blonde woman waved at her energetically. Sakura walked up and sat down across from her.
"Hey, Forehead! It's so good to see you. The danishes here are great. You'd better eat some of them, or I'm going to get fat," Ino said.
"Thanks, Ino-pig."
The pinkette reached out and took one, putting it on a plate that Ino had laid out. The blonde waved at one of the people working there and the server walked over. They ordered their coffee. The man nodded and walked away. Ino grinned at Sakura, who was acting a bit more reserved than usual.
"So, Forehead, how's it going?"
Sakura's infamous brow wrinkled in thought.
"I don't really know. I spent the night with Naruto last night. It's gotten really intense between us."
Ino's eyes widened.
"Wow, really? I didn't expect that... Did you at least use protection?"
Sakura frowned at her.
"That's not what I meant. And besides, I have a jutsu for that."
Ino raised an eyebrow.
"I've been told that there is no good jutsu for that, though."
Sakura opened her mouth to respond as the server walked up and brought their coffee. Both women blushed at being interrupted while having such a conversation.
"Thank you," Ino said, glancing at the man awkwardly.
The server simply nodded and walked off. They both sipped their coffees. Sakura looked at Ino again.
"Shishou taught me one. It's a medical jutsu. I'm not sure where it came from."
Ino's pale eyes narrowed in understanding.
"I see. Maybe I could learn it. I may not be at your level, but I'm a medical ninja too, you know."
Sakura tilted her head at her.
"I don't know. You probably could. Why do you need it, though? Are you seeing someone?"
Ino grinned amusedly.
"Well, Sasuke-kun is going to come back eventually. It doesn't hurt to be prepared, Forehead."
The pinkette laughed with great mirth.
"Hahaha! Seriously? Never change, Ino. I wish you the best of luck with that. You're going to need it."
Ino stared at her blankly.
"Wow, you've really changed, Forehead. I remember a time when you would've tried to tear my hair out for saying something like that."
Sakura casually took a bite out of her danish before responding.
"I just don't feel that way about him anymore. I'm not even sure that the way I felt about him was actually love. The way I feel about Naruto is totally different. I was obsessed with getting Sasuke-kun to look at me. With Naruto, I don't need him to do anything. I just love him."
Ino leaned in a little closer.
"That reminds me. If that wasn't what you meant, then what did you mean when you said it was getting intense with him?"
Sakura frowned lightly.
"It's just that I've hurt him so much. I don't understand why he even wants to be around me, much less be in a relationship with me."
"You mean, because of the way you used to feel about Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura frowned more deeply.
"That isn't even really the reason, and it's definitely no excuse. I just didn't think about his feelings when he was practically my best friend. It was horrible of me."
Ino looked at her with curiosity.
"Well, if he loves you, then what you did way back then obviously doesn't bother him anymore, if it ever did. So what's the problem?"
Sakura sighed.
"It just bothers me. And I'm sure it does still bother him some that I didn't care about his feelings back then. And there's nothing I can ever do to change what happened. That's the problem."
Ino grinned conspiratorially.
"Well, you can make it up to him. You even have a jutsu to make it easier."
The pinkette glared at her.
"Ino-pig... I'm going to regret telling you about that, aren't I?"
Ino nodded, still grinning.
"Yup."
/
After she had finished with Ino, Sakura headed towards the Hokage office. She noticed that a few villagers gave her dirty looks. She knew that the Hyuga, and as a result Hinata, were very popular among the civilians for their economical support of the village. When Naruto had been with Hinata, the couple were often talked about in happy tones. People had been excited that the Yondaime's son was involved with the Hyuga heiress. And now he wasn't, and it was because of her.
In the eyes of normal people, there was nothing special about her. And the things that did stand out weren't generally positive. Sasuke was far from popular, and the way she had felt about him in the past was hardly a secret. And Kiba had only made things worse on that front. She wasn't sure if some people would ever view her in a good light. Her heart sank thinking about how bad it would make Naruto feel to learn about this.
When she arrived, she saw Kakashi sitting behind the desk while Naruto was facing away from her, studying some documents scattered on a table. She nodded at Kakashi and proceeded to sneak up on the blonde, giving him a comforting rub between the shoulder blades. His head swiveled to look and he smiled when he saw her. She grinned back.
"Hey there, Naruto. Are you doing good?" Sakura asked.
"Well, sort of. But I'm doing better now that you're here, Sakura-chan," he replied.
Sakura chuckled.
"Haha. Give me a second to talk to Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto nodded.
"Okay."
She walked over to where her sensei was sitting. His head rose from his book to acknowledge her.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. Can you tell me more about this mission? Naruto just told me that it's a diplomatic mission. But I'd like to know more about it."
The white-haired man nodded.
"It's a mission to the Fire Country capital. A representative from Konoha just needs to be present for some official talks. I don't think he will even have to say anything, but someone needs to be there. You would technically be there as his bodyguard, so even less would be expected of you," the Rokudaime explained.
Sakura smiled.
"Okay. That's a relief. I was worried that we might need to do something to prepare for it."
Kakashi eye-smiled.
"No, the two of you can just have fun doing whatever you want. Just be sure to report all activities to me in the mission report. I'll have to issue a pay cut if you aren't sufficiently thorough."
The pinkette frowned deeply.
"You can be sure that I'll report on all of our conduct. But only as it pertains to the mission."
Kakashi shook his head.
"No, I'm making it an additional stipulation that you give a detailed report on any actions taken when the two of you are together as the designated mission team. This applies for the entire duration. To ensure that Konoha's assets are being used properly, oversight is necessary. As the Hokage, I am obligated to see to that. So it'll be your responsibility, Sakura. Don't let me down."
Sakura's eye twitched. She turned and walked off to assist Naruto with his studies without saying another word to Kakashi, who laughed and went back to reading his book.
/
Rock Lee was training by himself in the training field that Team Gai had always used. Tenten wasn't there because she had to renovate her family's weapons shop, so she couldn't train with him today. Even when she was there, things just weren't the same as they were. Life was so much more lonely for the Beautiful Green Beast these days.
His best friend Neji was gone. His master, Gai, the man who had always been like a father to him, could never be a shinobi again. So they could no longer do most of the things that they used to do together. No more training, sparring, or running laps around Konoha. Though he still spent a lot of time with the man, Lee simply had to accept that things had changed. His youth, though still blazing bright, had changed its meaning forever. Since his youth had changed, the ways in which he expressed that youth would have to change also.
For instance, though he had never been optimistic, he had now truly lost all hope when it came to Sakura ever returning his feelings. He had seen her a number of times since she started seeing Naruto. And she had been with Naruto a couple of those times. Lee had observed something then.
Lee knew Haruno Sakura's facial expressions very well. He had seen her gazing moon-eyed at Sasuke a few times in the distant past. But the way she looked at Naruto was even stronger than that. There was some uncontrollable emotion behind it. It was as if she was going to run up and hug him at any moment.
So the green-clad shinobi knew he didn't have a chance anymore. He had known that for a while. But why, then, had he stuck his foot in his mouth when he was with Naruto and Tenten? What had been his reason for saying that? He certainly didn't actually believe what he had said. So why had he chosen to alienate his friend? He knew he had felt something that prompted him to say that, but he didn't understand what that feeling was.
Lee pondered this. Certainly, he knew that relationships were entirely different from the ninja arts. No amount of hard work could ever make Sakura stop looking at Naruto that way. He had never had difficulty understanding that concept. But why did he struggle so much with understanding the emotion he had felt? He knew that Naruto had something that he didn't. And it was something unique. It couldn't be replicated, and he couldn't hope to gain it or to match it through other means no matter how hard he tried. That knowledge had provoked the feeling that he didn't understand. An unfamiliar expression had provoked an unfamiliar emotion in Gai's student.
He continued to think on this while he danced about and struck the different training dummies. He would have to do some investigation. He knew he needed to apologize to Naruto, but it wouldn't do to apologize without being able to provide an explanation. He could ask Tenten. She was fairly understanding when it came to emotions. Or he could ask his master Gai, the only man whose youth exceeded his own. His advice had always been invaluable.
Lee was committed to finding an answer.
/
The few days that remained until the day of the mission passed uneventfully. Sakura and Naruto continued their typical routines, seeing each other on occasion. Sakura took time to familiarize herself with the effects of the jutsu that Tsunade had taught her. The first time she used it, she had stopped feeling any peripheral effects after a few hours. She tried using it again the next day and the effects had stopped being noticable after a matter of seconds. The day after that, she had felt nothing at all when she used it. She was quite happy with this as she had found it very distracting, though it wasn't unpleasant.
She met up with Naruto in front of the village gates, bringing enough provisions for two days of travel. She gave him a quick hug when she saw him, her hands on his shoulders as she pulled away with a friendly smile. He gazed warmly back at her.
"Ready to go?"
The blonde nodded.
"Yeah... Let's go, Sakura-chan."
They walked off side by side.
/
The pair made small talk for hours as they walked. There was some nervousness, but their destination was close enough that they wouldn't need to make camp. They could rest in the capital. Naruto turned to look at Sakura.
"You know, this reminds me of that journey we went on to visit Teme. My life has changed so much since then. I'm so appreciative of your care for me, Sakura-chan... You never gave up on me... Thank you so much," he said emotionally.
Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.
"Of course I didn't, Naruto... I'm sorry that I didn't try harder to show you how important you were to me before. You mean everything to me, and I should have told you that. I shouldn't have let you think for even one second that I was willing to let go of you so that I could be with Sasuke-kun. It was my fault. I'm sorry," she replied.
Naruto shook his head.
"Don't think anything of it. It doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm happy. I wouldn't change any of it. As long as I have you, I'll be happy, Sakura-chan. You don't even have to do anything special. As long as you're there, everything is great."
Sakura finally smiled.
"Well, Naruto, I love you, so it's not hard for me to spend time with you. If you want me to keep doing it, then I will."
The blonde smiled back at her.
"I love you too, Sakura-chan. And I always will. I'm completely sure of that, now. I could never be happy with Hinata or anyone else. Now that I'm with you, I have no doubt of that anymore. I need you. It's as simple as that."
Sakura blushed lightly.
"Naruto... I need you too."
Naruto blushed as well.
"Then... I'll be there. Forever."
They walked on in silence. But it wasn't at all awkward or uncomfortable. They had gotten to the point where they understood each other so well that they were just content to be in each other's presence without either of them needing to say a word.
/
They arrived at the Fire Country capital. The mission really did end up being as uneventful as Kakashi said it would be. Naruto spent about an hour in a room with many nobles and delegates, talking of political affairs. He was never called upon to say a word. He was approached in an unofficial capacity by many people who knew him from his actions in the war and wanted to shake his hand. Some would ask the beautiful kunoichi at his side to give her name, though they didn't ask what her relation to him was. It would be a silly question. It seemed all too obvious from how they carried themselves.
This became more evident when they arrived at the hotel. They were standing in front of the counter, and Naruto told the owner that they were the ninja from Konoha and provided his identification.
"Okay, we have two rooms for you. It's number 403 and 404. Here are the keys," the concierge said.
Naruto didn't take the keys right away, glancing over at Sakura. She nodded at him.
"Uh... We're only going to need one room," Naruto replied.
The concierge simply nodded, not really caring.
"Just take the one for 403, then. Have a nice night."
Naruto took the key and they went upstairs to the room. It was quite nice, though the bed was a bit small, not quite queen size. The both of them could still fit comfortably lying side by side, though. Sakura glanced over at him a bit shyly as he took off his jacket and shoes.
"So... Are you tired, Naruto?" she asked.
Naruto looked back at her neutrally.
"Yeah, I guess I am. I'm not exhausted, but it took a while to get here. You want to just turn in?" he asked.
Sakura nodded.
"Yeah, I'm ready to sleep."
She sat on the bed and removed her shoes, then casually stripped until she was only wearing her white undershirt and underwear. The blonde blushed deeply and glanced away. After putting her clothes in her backpack, Sakura looked over at the blushing Naruto.
"Naruto, we've been over this. I'm your girlfriend. All of those people could tell that I was. Why are you still so surprised?" she asked.
He looked down with a thoughtful expression.
"It's not that I'm really surprised... It's just that you have an effect on me when you do that."
The pinkette cocked her head at him.
"What kind of effect?"
Naruto blushed more deeply.
"Well... I find it really... Exciting, I guess."
Sakura smiled coyly. She didn't expect to need it, but she had used the jutsu a while ago.
"Isn't that a good thing? We're eventually going to do stuff like that, Naruto. And I'm not opposed to doing those things with you. I love you, which means I'm attracted to you, too."
Naruto finally looked up at her.
"I'm happy that you feel that way... I'm really happy just to be with you, Sakura-chan. I don't expect anything from you. But you can drive me crazy by doing the simplest things sometimes."
Sakura grinned conspiratorially. She went to lie down and pulled the blanket over herself before looking at Naruto in a sultry way.
"Well, if I can do that much with something simple, imagine what I could do to you if I really put my mind to it."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"But, Sakura-chan... You..."
Sakura laughed.
"Haha. I'm not going to do anything right now, Naruto. You don't have to be scared of me. But seriously, take your pants off and get in the bed already, you silly dope."
Naruto hurriedly followed her command, still blushing as he did so. He laid on his side under the blanket, facing away from the pinkette. A few moments later, he heard her speak in a soft voice.
"Don't do that," she said.
He turned over to face her with a curious expression. She was frowning.
"Don't do what, Sakura-chan?"
"Don't turn away from me. I want to be able to see you. Naruto, why do you think I wanted to sleep over at your apartment to begin with? It wasn't because I wanted to do anything physical with you. It's because your safety and happiness are so important to me. It makes me so happy to sleep in the same bed with you, because I can be there when you go to sleep. Then when I wake up, I'll be able to see how you are right away. I'll know you're still safe and happy. That's what I want."
Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. Her expression softened into a shy smile.
"Naruto... It means everything to me," she finished.
His features softened with emotion. He felt close to tears from her heartfelt words.
"Sakura-chan... Thank you... I don't know what I did to deserve you caring about me so much, but I'm so happy that you do."
Sakura smiled wider.
"Naruto, you did do something to deserve it. You're Naruto. You deserve it by being you. And I would do anything to make sure that you keep being that amazing person that I love. So when you needed me back then, that was an easy choice for me. Because I have to protect that person. I'll never let him be sad. I'll never let anything bad happen to him. For him, I'll do everything that I can. You can be sure of that, because I remember how that baka did everything for me, too. He's my hero and I'll always love him. And I won't ever let him forget it."
The pinkette moved her head forward to give him a soft kiss on the lips.
"Sleep well, Naruto," she whispered.
She turned to lay on her back, gazing at the ceiling contentedly. Naruto watched her from his position lying on his side. He wondered how he could have gotten so lucky as to become her precious person. He knew that if he had to do everything over, he'd take the pain of Sasuke's jutsu a thousand times if it meant he could meet her again.
