The capital city had been in an uproar ever since the royal family had been overthrown.

Shortly after Orochimaru had retreated, the guard stationed in the dungeon with Mikoto reported that she instantly dropped dead the second her seal disappeared. It raised more questions than answers, but after a team discovered Obito's tower above the chapel, they found that she'd already been dead since before dawn.

Fugaku, of course, had been beheaded - and once they gave the couple a burial in the clan's sacred burial ground at the outskirts of the city, Tsunade declared herself a temporary ruler while they figured out just what the hell to do with the now-monarchless country. She named Jiraiya her chief advisor and quickly appointed several of her most trusted friends to be her council, headed by Shikamaru.

Needless to say, the remaining Uchiha clan members were not happy with that. They attempted not once, but twice to usurp, but one threat to Sasuke's life was enough to quell the uprising. The Hyuuga clan dutifully protected the former rebels as Tsunade attempted to assure the citizens that things were under control.

Konoha was already in an uproar when the castle was attacked, and they weren't quite swayed when the same attackers tried to reassure them that things would be better - and the first days of the new kingdom of Fire were proving to be unsure and tumultuous.

Rin immediately got to work at the hospital, hiring Sakura and Karin to assist her. Sakura had begun giving Ino lessons, and Karin quickly took to a bickering friendship with one of their injured, one Suigetsu, as he and another had been left behind when Orochimaru retreated. Adding to the number was Tsunade's estranged niece Shizune, who was quickly scooped up by the woman so that they could catch up for lost time. When it was discovered that she had medical prowess, she was tested by Rin before being put in one of the higher positions at the hospital.

Daitan and the people of Morino were given temporary lodgings while the new council tried to figure out where to put them. Some would go into the workforce using the skills they had, others would have to simply be content to be civilians. Daitan herself was among the youngest on the council.

Tsunade had been persuaded to allow Sasuke to live (despite her worries about his eyes) by several on her council (the nail in the coffin was, of course, Itachi's persuasive essay - ten pages long, complete with pictures in color - on why he of all people should be spared), instead relegating him to the hospital to recover from his injuries, and so that the staff could run some tests about his new Mangekyou. He didn't seem too displeased about this, only objecting to being poked and prodded with needles. Naruto was sent to the same ward, in the same room, so that he could heal up as well. Tsunade made sure to visit them every so often, and if she couldn't, she sent Karin.

The reunion between Naruto and Karin was emotional. He cried when she walked in, demanding answers as to why she would willingly hurt them. It didn't take long for her to start crying too, still sensitive from Hideki's passing. By the time Rin made time to come down and check on them, Karin was holed up at the end of Naruto's bed, telling them about some stories from her time at Morino, her eyes still red from the tears.


It was late in the evening as Sakura crept into the boys' hospital room with a flat cake in her arms. As per Sasuke's tastes, it wasn't sweet, but rather a savory cake with icing spelling out 'Happy birthday' atop it.

Naruto was snoring loudly and Sasuke was lying on his back in a deep sleep.

Her eyes softened and she smiled sadly at the noiret, gazing at his bandages and stitches. The machines beeped softly in the room and the sounds of crickets seeped in from the slightly-open window, an ambience that broke the noise of her thoughts.

"Happy birthday to you," she sang in a near-whisper, brushing the bangs out of Sasuke's face. Her lip trembled. "Happy birthday to you."

She took a shuddering breath as Sasuke's head shifted on the pillow. "Happy birthday… dear Sasuke…"

She tried to continue the verse, but her words trailed off as her voice cracked. "Happy birthday…"

She wiped her eyes and set the cake down on the table. She stared down at his hands as they lay at his sides, and reached for his hand.

At the last second, however, he shifted again in his sleep and she pulled back.

Shaking her head, she turned to Naruto's bed and gently clasped her hands over his.

His snoring only paused for a moment, and he murmured a happy sigh of "Sakura-chan…"

Huffing a laugh, she pressed her hand to his cheek before leaving as quietly as she'd come.


The air was cool as she walked through the back gardens of the castle. Since the battle, it had been mostly abandoned and most of the former rebel group was free to walk through the ruins of the first floor.

The grass was marred by debris from above and most of the flowers had either been trampled or removed by gardeners. Even though much of the garden had been ravaged, the gravestones nestled in the far corner still remained.

Sakura stood silently above one of them, her eyes searching out a familiar name etched into the stone surface. Brushing her fingers across it, she dusted it off and wryly smiled at her own name reflected back at her.

"We did it," she told the stone as tears blurred her vision. "It's over. We did it."

Sinking to her knees before the gravestone, she rested her hands atop the name and bowed her head as the tears began to fall. Her shoulders shook as they dripped down onto the ground and the few blooms still planted there slowly raised their closed buds upwards towards her.