A/N: A collection of vignettes focusing on what life and love in Konoha would look like if no major tragedies had occurred (namely, no Kyuubi attack and no Uchiha massacre). I started this in 2015 and finished it today, six years later, for some reason. Please enjoy!
"Love calls—everywhere and always. We're sky-bound. Are you coming?" — Rumi
"Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Sakura Haruno, and Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. Not only was he on a team with one of the girls who never left him alone, but he also had to be with the Fourth Hokage's moronic son. Sure, the kid might be the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, but he was also an idiot who barely passed the last exam. Sasuke suspected that the Yondaime had been involved in throwing the test so that Naruto would graduate on time. Frankly, he should have been held back. He still couldn't do a proper transformation jutsu.
"Sasuke!" the loudmouthed blonde yelled, right in the Uchiha's ear.
"What do you want, dobe?"
"We're on a team now, so you'd better not hold me back! I hope you're planning to train hard, because my dad and I have been working extra hours—"
"Shut up, idiot," Sasuke snapped. "You're the one who's dead weight for the team, even more than Haruno."
That's when he made the mistake of glancing at the pink-haired girl sitting next to him, who squealed loudly when he accidentally met her eyes.
"Sasuke-kun! So dreamy! Tell Naruto how it is!" And then she just sat there, elbows on her desk and hands propping up her cheeks, staring at him.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Didn't she hear him insult her? Better go over it again, to be safe. "Don't act like you're so much better than him, Haruno. You're no use either. You'd better start to train hard if you want to be an asset to the team."
Sakura's face fell, and her eyes became glassy, as though the waterworks would start soon. Sasuke worried that he had gone too far. When Sakura cried, she was loud. Iruka would definitely come over to see what the problem was, then scold him, then call his father. But then she blinked the tears away, and her cheeky grin was back, as quickly as it had disappeared.
"I'm going to be the best teammate you've ever had, Sasuke-kun!"
"Me too, Sasuke! Believe it!"
When Sasuke arrived at home, he was pleasantly surprised to see Itachi already sitting at the table with an onigiri snack. "Nii-san, you're back early!"
"The mission was finished sooner than expected, Sasuke," the elder Uchiha said, smiling placidly at his younger brother. Sasuke grabbed a rice ball from the plate and began to nibble on it.
"Who said those were for you?"
Sasuke laughed, his face untainted by worry. In his seven short years, he was well versed in contentment at life's simple pleasures, like stealing food from an older brother who had purposely prepared extra, knowing his baby brother's growing appetite.
"Nii-san, les' train!" he exclaimed, mouth full of food.
"Sasuke, don't speak with your mouth full," Itachi admonished. "I don't have time right now, okay? When I get back from my mission, you can tell me all about your new team. Until then, ask dad to train. He can show you that shuriken technique. After all, he was the one who taught it to me in the first place."
"No fair! You promised!"
And with his signature forehead poke and a "Sorry, Sasuke, maybe next time," Itachi left to prepare for his next mission—a real mission, a B-rank to deal with a troublesome missing-nin from Suna who had somehow made his way to Fire Country and was robbing people for supplies along the way. Nothing sinister or complicated that lurked in the depths of Konoha's secrets, of course, just an assignment to protect the civilian shops where business suffered. "Next time" would be within a few days, depending on how many stops Itachi took on his way back. And thinking of his baby brother waiting to play, he knew he would hurry home.
Stuffing the last of the food in his face, Sasuke ran off to ask his father to help him with shuriken and to complain about the Hokage's idiot son.
Fugaku knew exactly what was going on when his younger son was assigned to the same team as the Hokage's brat. He announced his presence by throwing open the door to the Hokage's office and storming in.
"Explain yourself, Namikaze! I know you put your son with mine to slow Sasuke down."
The Yondaime, many years Fugaku's junior, blinked at him with a rather vacant expression.
"You know it's traditional to pair the teams so they are balanced, Fugaku-san," he said.
"So you admit it?" Fugaku asked, baiting him. "You admit that my son is so far superior to the rest of his class that you're hoping he will drag yours up to his level?"
Namikaze Minato blinked again. "Think about what you're saying, Fugaku-san. These are genin we're talking about. They're 12. There is no need to bully children." With each sentence, the voice of the usually chipper Hokage got lower and darker. "Don't speak of my son that way again. They will all have opportunities to learn from and teach each other."
Fugaku blustered, "Well, Minato, they won't be children anymore after burying their first blade between an enemy's shoulders." But the slight stammer in his voice gave him away—he knew he had been rightly shamed.
Minato, ever the gracious friend, tried to ease the tension by clapping the Uchiha patriarch on the back. "Don't worry, Fugaku-san. They'll be well prepared before that point. You've done a wonderful job with Sasuke."
Five years earlier:
With no coup d'état to force his eldest son to help plan, Fugaku had much more time and energy to spend with the younger one.
"Build up the chakra inside your chest, Sasuke, and expel through your mouth. The chakra control you've been learning in the Academy is all well and good, but most Katon are about force and power, not delicacy. Feel the heat within you, let it swell."
Sasuke performed the required hand signs. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" he shouted, releasing a fireball over the lake, his feet firmly planted on the edge of the dock where so many Uchiha before him performed their first real jutsu. A fireball about the size of Fugaku's head shot out, hot enough to warp the view around it. The Uchiha patriarch, stony-faced as ever, did not even nod in approval.
"Try again, Sasuke," he said. Sasuke's expression wilted in hurt for a fleeting moment but was quickly replaced by the standard look of determination. "I know you are capable of more," Fugaku added, his stern look softening slightly. Itachi managed to engulf almost the entire lake within his very first session, he thought. He knew his younger son was constantly chasing the older one. There were miles between them, the kind of distance hard work couldn't cover. One had to be born with a talent like Itachi's. Nonetheless, Sasuke was doing an adequate job.
Sasuke gave his father a curt nod and tried again. Then again, and again, and again, until his chakra ran out and his knees buckled. Fugaku caught him before his head hit the warped wood of the dock.
"That's enough for now, Sasuke," Fugaku said, a bare hint of a smile on his otherwise passive face. It was clear from the plaintive look in his eyes that Sasuke had been hoping for something like praise, but Uchiha Fugaku was in the business of ruling a clan, not of being affectionate. "We'll go again the day after tomorrow. I'm going to cancel the clan meeting so that we can train at sunset."
Despite his exhaustion, Sasuke's eyes lit up, and he pulled himself to his feet. Uchiha Fugaku canceling a clan meeting just to spend time with his (younger, less talented) son? It was unheard of. This kind of opportunity was not to be wasted. He resolved to practice so much in the meantime that his father would be quite literally blown away by the improvement.
Still, he was just a boy.
"Does this mean I can use this jutsu to roast the Namikaze idiot?"
Fugaku smirked, just for a second, but the damage was already done: Sasuke had seen it and was now grinning in a self-satisfied way.
"No, Sasuke. That is the son of the esteemed Fourth Hokage. You'd better listen to your genin instructor, work hard, and respect your teammate." He pasted a frown on his face, trying to act stern. His twinkling eyes gave him away anyway.
At 14 years old, Haruno Sakura was undoubtedly the Namikaze sweetheart. With Naruto being a handful on his own, Minato and Kushina never had another child, let alone a girl, and Sakura was the perfect surrogate daughter. Since her own parents were civilians, she tended to spend a lot of time at Naruto's house picking up jutsu tips from the Yondaime himself. Of course, Kushina absolutely doted on the young kunoichi, finding her unusually colored hair and quick temper to be oddly reminiscent of a certain someone. And when Sakura wasn't nagging Naruto about his poor manners one way or another, she spent her time taking care of him: teaching him chakra control techniques, bringing him ramen with hidden vegetables when he complained of being sick, healing various cuts and scrapes when they returned from a mission.
She was starting to study medical jutsu with Tsunade, who had recently returned from her travels, although "dragged back by a perverted sage" was more accurate. And even though Tsunade claimed she would only be in Konoha for a little while, "just to gamble, drink, and have a bit of fun before I leave again," there was already a soft spot in her heart for young Sakura. Clever, sweet, determined Sakura, always chasing after the boys on her team who were born with more than what she had.
Kushina used to wonder if Sakura and her son would date, and she and Minato secretly laughed about their interactions. Just about everyone knew Naruto used to have a crush on her, perhaps still did. But the day the genin teams were announced, the Namikazes invited them to their house. Over dinner, usually serious Sasuke cracked a joke that was hardly even funny, and Sakura laughed so hard she snorted. It was impossible to miss the way she looked at Sasuke like he hung the stars in the sky.
It's so funny the way teenagers think they're being subtle, Kushina thought, filing away her hopes of someday having a brilliant pink-haired daughter.
Sakura was pretty sure Sasuke wouldn't even give her the time of day if they weren't teammates. After all, he was the number one rookie of their year, son of a clan leader, and universally chased after by every girl his age. And her? She was some no-name kunoichi who possessed book smarts and not much else. She had fought for her pride in the only arena she stood a chance—on paper, in a classroom. Long nights studying gave way to consistent top scores. She hadn't gotten a grade lower than a 99 her entire time in the academy. But it was all for nothing; she got no respect, no recognition without a bloodline.
Kakashi hadn't given them an assignment today, citing that this was the release date for the latest Icha Icha and he would be spending the day reading. "You're too old to be clinging to your sensei," he said when they protested. "Go away."
Sakura woke up early anyway and sought her boys out for sparring. She tried Naruto's house first, since Sasuke's father scared the living daylights out of her.
"Sorry Sakura-chan, Naruto left about an hour ago," Minato said, yawning.
An hour? Naruto, up before the sun? "Do you have any idea where he went?"
"No, sorry."
So it would have to be Sasuke's house, and even worse, she'd have to go alone, without Naruto to soak up Uchiha Fugaku's ire if he woke up grumpy, which he always did. She made her to the Uchiha complex on the other side of town and knocked gingerly on the enormous front door. No answer. Perhaps she had knocked too softly. As she raised her hand to knock again, the doors swung open, revealing Fugaku's glare.
"Hi Uchiha-san, I was just looking for Sasuke." She gulped.
"He's not here. Have a nice morning, Sakura," he said, and closed the doors before she could get another word out.
Sakura felt the blood rush to her face. Both gone. Now she knew where they were, and she'd been schlepping around town looking for them, hoping for a morning full of training and an afternoon full of ramen. All the while, they hadn't been thinking of her at all. Again. She stomped the entire way to Training Ground #9, where Sasuke had Naruto pinned and begging for dear life.
"Hello, teammates," she called out, voice full of venom. Both boys snapped their heads around to look at her. "Surprised to see me?" Sasuke at least had the decency to look guilty.
"H-hi, Sakura-chan," Naruto stammered. "We were just training."
"I can see that." Sakura gestured at the torn-up field before her. "So, when did it occur to you to invite me this time? About two seconds after you realized I was here?"
"I'm sorry!" Naruto shifts his weight from one foot to the other, over and over, not meeting her eyes. "It's just that— well— I wanted to practice the rasengan. And Sasuke mentioned that he wanted to practice chidori also. So, we just, you know—"
Clearing her throat, Sakura cut him off. "So, you just forgot about me again? You wanted to use the techniques you inherited from your daddies, and I got conveniently left out? Because I'm just your weak little teammate who's holding you back?"
"No!" Naruto shouted. "No, it's not like that. We didn't mean to, Sakura. It just happened."
"It just happened," she repeated slowly. "I understand." And without another reproachful word or headshake, she turned and leapt away, leaving the two boys dumbfounded at her sudden departure.
Sasuke didn't realize she hadn't addressed him at all well after her silhouette had disappeared into the distance.
He excused himself early at dinner and spent the rest of his night absentmindedly twirling a shuriken in his bed. When the sun set and the last vestiges of orange were gone from the sky, he snuck out through the window and ran across Konoha, past the Hokage tower, past the civilian quarters, toward a lone bench at the outskirts of the city. And there she was, the smartest young kunoichi with the hottest temper, all her possessions in a knapsack hanging from her shoulder.
Sakura, sensing his chakra but not hearing his featherlight footsteps, froze but did not turn to look at him.
"How did you know I was here?" she said.
"This is the only way out of the village."
A long, meaningful pause.
Sasuke had heard the rumors that Tsunade was planning to return to whatever hellhole she came from, but that wasn't supposed to be for another month at least. Sakura must have convinced her to leave tonight.
"I know you're learning her signature jutsu," Sasuke said.
"What?" Sakura asked, sure she must have misheard him.
"You're mastering the chakra-enhanced strength. Maybe already mastered it. And I know what that seal is for, the one that appeared on your forehead last week. You're gathering chakra, hundreds of lives' worth, and storing it for when you need it." Sasuke waited for her to reply, and when she didn't, he felt panic rise in his chest. "I'm sorry we forgot to ask you to join us again this morning, Sakura. It was stupid." The words kept tumbling out of him. This was the most he'd said in one sitting, perhaps ever. "I swear, I didn't mean anything by it. It has nothing to do with your genes. I can tell you're getting stronger, by a lot. Soon you'll surpass all the other rookies."
"All of them except the two of you, you mean," she said, with none of her usual bite. If anything, she sounded defeated.
Sasuke made a small, half-hearted noise of protest, but fell silent. Sakura scoffed. "I knew it. Always third best on my team."
"Please, Sakura, don't go," Sasuke persisted.
"And why shouldn't I?"
"Because I— I— I— …"
Sakura waited expectantly for a beat, two beats, but nothing. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said sarcastically, and continued walking past the last guard tower that marked the border of Konohagakure. Sasuke stood by the bench, open mouth illuminated by only moonlight, with the words to make her stay frozen inside.
"Ready, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, eyes bright despite the ungodly early hour.
"Shut up, you're going to wake Naruto up," Sasuke whispered, stepping outside and closing the door gently behind him.
Sakura knew she should feel bad for leaving Naruto out, but ever since she'd gotten back from three years of training with Tsunade, she and Sasuke had fallen into a routine: Sunday morning sparring, before the village arose, comfortable silence punctuated only by the few hits that landed. She didn't want to give up that time alone with him. Besides, Naruto had been extra whiny during their last mission, and Sakura frankly welcomed the reprieve from his bellyaching. She could tell Sasuke felt the same way; ever since Naruto's lease ran up and he elected to stay at the Uchiha complex rather than move back home or go apartment hunting, Sasuke had been on edge. Probably because of the lack of sleep—Naruto snored.
Unlike Sasuke, Sakura had managed to get a restful nine hours. Yesterday she had managed to create an antidote to a new poison, saving the lives of two ANBU squads who had gotten ambushed on their way to the Sand. Lady Tsunade herself admitted she couldn't have done it that quickly, and sent Sakura home from the hospital early. Sakura was feeling confident and strong, still high on her accomplishment, and she could tell that today she was going to beat Sasuke.
Just then, Sasuke called up a wall of water between them, probably some jutsu he had just learned from Kakashi. Impressive, Sakura thought, we aren't even near a body of water. He must be drawing it up out of the ground, or maybe condensing the vapor in the air. The valuable seconds she spent being surprised cost her, though, as Sasuke disappeared. Looking around the training ground, Sakura couldn't see him anywhere. This was dangerous—if she couldn't figure out where he was before his next move, it would be over for her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a slight shimmer in the air: the telltale sign of a rookie genjutsu. For someone with a genjutsu-related bloodline limit, he really hadn't developed the skill much. Sakura quickly dispelled it with a burst of chakra, and in the same instant, masked it so he wouldn't sense any disruption. Sasuke was crouched near where the shimmer had been, assessing her to find the weak point where he would surely attack. Still pretending she couldn't see him, Sakura whipped her head around wildly, as if searching, and he jumped forward, aiming for her blind spot, kunai in hand.
Milliseconds before he would have made contact, the earth beneath him suddenly exploded. Huge chunks of dirt lifted and battered him. She didn't even move was his last thought before he passed out.
When he came to minutes later, Sakura was sitting cross-legged next to him, absentmindedly picking at her cuticles. Evidently she'd restored the training ground as well, because the grass was looking almost as good as new, like they'd gotten into nothing worse than a light scuffle.
"How thoughtful of you," Sasuke groaned.
"Huh?" she said.
"Training ground. Fixed." God, his ribcage was killing him. It felt like he had landed directly on a boulder. Even breathing was laborious.
"Oh yeah," Sakura laughed. "Thanks. Yamato got really mad at me last time. I tried to tell him I was just creating jobs for the genin, but he still told me off. So now I do this. I can show you, if you want."
Sasuke tried to chuckle, but it turned into a low groan of pain.
"Here, let me fix you up." She lifted his shirt and grimaced. "Wow, that bitch is really bruised." Green glowing chakra radiated from her hands, mending what was injured. In a matter of seconds, Sasuke could take a full breath again.
"Thanks, Sakura," he said. She mmhmmed in response. "When did you learn to do that chakra-enhanced earth punch without actually … making contact with the ground?"
"Oh, I've known that technique for a while," she said, grinning smugly. "I was just saving it for the right moment. Turn over for me."
Maybe it was her mischievous smile, meant only for him after beating him handily, or maybe it was her bossy, know-it-all tone as she healed him expertly, but Sasuke felt his heart leap into his throat. They made eye contact, and her eyebrows shot up when she saw his focused look: hot, dark, and intense, like she'd never seen before. She was no stranger to Sasuke's gaze, but this was something different entirely, so openly filled with desire, and it made her choke up. They stared at each other until Sakura found her voice again.
"S-Sasuke-kun. I'm worried you landed on your kidneys. I need to check."
Instead of responding, Sasuke pulled her to the ground so they were laying side-by-side, and in the same smooth motion placed a hand on her cheek.
"I think I love you, Sakura," he said.
Sakura gaped at him, stunned speechless for once.
"That's not funny," she finally managed.
"I'm not joking." Another long pause.
"How long?"
"Since the first time you walked up that tree and stuck your tongue out at me," Sasuke replied without hesitation. His face broke into a smile, not a smirk, but a real, full smile, and Sakura found herself grinning back at him. By instinct, she closed her eyes, and soon felt Sasuke's lips meet hers. His hand cupped her chin, tilting her face closer toward him, deepening the kiss before pulling away. His cheeks were flushed, eyelids heavy, mouth still slightly parted, and in that moment, he looked so beautiful, Sakura couldn't help but kiss him again. Just a peck this time, soft and sweet.
"Wow," she said breathlessly.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"You have grass in your hair," they said at the same time, and laughed, before standing up and brushing each other off. Sakura checked over his lower back, and deeming him to be achy but perfectly healthy, they left the training ground together, hand in shy hand.
"Do you think we should tell Naruto at lunch?"
"No, let's see how long it takes him to figure it out."