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Around 7:00 am in the morning, the rest of the leaf squad were standing near the main entrance gates. They were preparing themselves to hold up a huge sign banner, whereas the others were holding confetti poppers and balloons as they were talking casually.

"Honestly, I've been making some new weapons lately and finding a way to start my own business," Tenten sighed tiredly with a yawn.

"I've been wandering around the neighbourhood if there's anyone who I could spar with and beat them up to the extent," Kiba said snorting arrogantly.

"Jeez. That seems to be aberrant. I doubt that people would approve to go practice training with you if you are just going to harass them. Seriously? How thick can you get?" Ino remarked with a shook of her head.

"I've been eating so many junk food and I almost got constipated in my bowels. I tried not to fart so loud in my bedroom as much as possible. It was too horrible," Choji said unpleasantly.

"Gross. You are a nasty fu-" Kiba was laughing until he got shoved harshly on the shoulder.

"Okay. That's enough. Look, Choji. You really need to avoid those junkies if you don't want to upset your stomach. Try eating more vegetables and lean meat," Ino advised him carefully.

"I totally agree with you. After all, Guy-sensei had encouraged me to balance my diet daily. That is why I've become stronger and stronger," Lee pointed out as he flexed his muscles out in demonstration.

"Hm. I was more into meditation lately," Neji spoke out coolly with his arms crossed.

"That's great. How about you, Hinata? What have you been doing these days?" Ino asked curiously.

"Practicing my ninjutsu and developing new techniques," she answered softly.

"Ah… I see, you're trying to get ahead of everything, eh? Or are you trying to impress a certain boy in our group-" Ino teased, but got interrupted.

"N-n-no! I just want to be better than I was before," Hinata protested as she tried to prevent her cheeks from blushing in embarrassment.

"Lady Tsunade, I was wondering if there are other specific type of books that I can borrow from the library? My pet bugs have been acting funny lately," Shino asked inquisitively.

"Is that so? I can help you with that some other time. Feel free to come by to my office," the fifth Hokage answered.

"No, I can't. I have to be at home to do some tasks for my parents," Shino said.

"Alright, then. Again, come by anytime," Tsunade said with a curt nod.

"How about you, Lee? Do you know?" Shino asked beside him.

"Sorry. I don't, but you can ask Sakura once she gets back here in a minute or so," Lee noted.

"Wait! Is that them?!" Kiba questioned out loud in excitement.

The group glanced around to look at the three figures walking towards them with their bags being carried on their shoulders.

"Hey! Sakura! Naruto! Shikamaru!" Ino called out cheerfully.

Then, the leaf squad pulled out the huge banner as a Welcome Back sign in front of them and burst out the confetti poppers in the air, much to the Team 7's astonishment.

"Surprise!" They announced harmoniously.

Team 7, on the other hand, smiled warmly at them, whereas Sakura started to run towards the girls to hug and greet them, including her mentor.

Naruto and Shikamaru were both walking towards the boys as they were all talking about the successful mission that they've completed a few days ago.

"Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and Lady Tsunade!" The pink-haired kunoichi said happily.

"Hey, girl. How have you been?" Ino asked giddily.

"Tired, but I had fun," Sakura answered softly.

"Hm. You don't suppose you find the mission too difficult, do you?" The legendary sanin queered with a smirk.

"Well… It is. Luckily, I had a help of my friends. We almost tried to capture the Akatsuki, but they escaped," the pink-haired kunoichi explained with a frown and continued on to smile.

"Damn. Tell us all about it. You must've dealt with more tasks in the hospital," Tenten said grinning widely in eagerness.

They all were walking around and continued to discuss about the events that had happened a while back, especially Sakura's interpersonal problems.

Later on, the pink-haired kunoichi arrived back home and greeted her mom and dad politely in the kitchen.

"Oh, Sakura. My dear, how are you doing these past few weeks?" Mebuki asked surprisingly while she was cooking lunch meals.

"Did you get an A+ on the mission to the Hidden Sand? Was it too much difficulty? Are you hurt?" Kizashi interrogated briskly.

"Honey! Calm down. You're stressing our daughter with all the questions you're rambling about. Come on, dear. I'm making you a nice Japanese bento with lemon honey tea," Mebuki said smiling gladly at her.

Sakura nodded in silence and said with a warm smile. "Thanks, mom. And yes, dad… The mission was absolutely intricate, but Naruto, Shikamaru, and I managed to fought the enemies there. So, it wasn't too much problematic."

"Ah, I see. Well, your mom and I are both relieved that you are home safe. We are mostly worried sick about you when you left the village," Kizashi said.

"I'm alright, mom and dad. Thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it. Anyway, I'll be back as soon as I unpack my stuff," Sakura noted, then she began to walk upstairs and head inside her bedroom.

She looked around to see her belongings being displayed in two of her tables between her bed and placed her bag on the corner as she sighed in exhaustion.

At that moment, she began to sat down on the sofa chair near her open window, sighing in relief as she was having second thoughts. She caressed her sand bracelet gently through the tip of her fingers.

She closed her eyes for a moment not to cry at the memory of Gaara and Katsumi being together.

FLASHBACK:

"Sakura. Nice to see you again," Gaara smiled gladly in relief and introduces the girl on the right. "This is my long time friend, Katsumi."

"Hi, are you guys dating?" The dark brunette girl asked grinning.

Naruto and Sakura chuckled ridiculously at that statement.

"That's funny, we never dated," the blonde-haired ninja said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, to think we will," the pink-haired kunoichi remarked calmly.

"I see. Well, just to let you know that Gaara and I are on a date," Katsumi replied with a giggle.

"A Date?" Sakura asked frowning while staring at the red-haired Kazekage.

"Obviously, but isn't that more of a discussion, just like what Kankuro and Temari mentioned?" Naruto questioned further at his friend.

END OF FLASHBACK

ANOTHER FLASHBACK:

"Gaara... Boo!" The brunette was running towards the group and she quickly wrapped her arms around him and giggled in delight.

The red-haired Kazekage reciprocated as he embraced her, much to the others' surprise. "I'm glad you showed up." He then turns around to look at his friends and declare. "Everyone... I have news... Katsumi and I are in a relationship."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he dropped his jaw in awe, saying. "Ehh?! That's... That's great, Gaara! Congratulations!"

"Woah. That's it. I'm happy for you, man," Shikamaru said smirking with a nod.

Kankuro and Temari looked at each other in the corner of their eyes as their smiles were beginning to falter.

"Yeah...! That is wonderful news!" The purple-faced ninja said, clenching his teeth in annoyance. Then, he got elbowed by Temari, who was giving him a warning look.

"Anyway, yeah. That's great. Congratulations, Gaara," the ponytail-haired kunoichi said genuinely.

"Yay! Ahh," Katsumi jumped a little for joy and hugged the red-haired Kazekage adoringly as she kissed him on the right cheek.

Sakura, on the other hand, was staring at the couple holding hands together, which made her heart drop a little. Her eyes were glistening wistfully but still managed to smile, saying. "Congratulations... Gaara and Katsumi."

"Thank you," the red-haired Kazekage nodded happily towards her as he was holding Katsumi's hand while they were having a moment with each other.

"Anyway, guys. I got to go now. I've been exhausted, so I need a lot of rest... Goodnight," the pink-haired kunoichi said firmly with a wave as she turned around, not looking back at them.

END OF THE SECOND FLASHBACK

FINAL FLASHBACK

"Right. That's a good idea. What about celebrating parties around the streets or like hosting different kinds of booths?" Katsumi suggested in excitement.

"Sure. That will be an amazing idea. I'll inform Lady Tsunade about this since we agreed to this plan," Shikamaru noted at that.

The red-haired Kazekage gazed at Katsumi on his right side, saying with a genuine smile. "I'm impressed. You have a creative vision, I see."

"Hehe. Really?! Thanks, boo," Katsumi hugged him in a tight squeeze delightfully.

Sakura, on the other hand, stared at them blankly as she tries not to react about their affection towards each other. She only smiled at them and laughed along with Naruto and Shikamaru.

END OF THE FINAL FLASHBACK

Back in the present time, Sakura still remembers her feelings towards Sasuke. She couldn't help but think about the days where she went on the same missions with him. Her eyes were glistening in desolation as she was staring off into space while tapping her fingers lightly on the edge of window sill.

"How long are you going to be gone…? Naruto and I missed you so much," she said desperately in mind. "Please, come home."

"Don't worry… He will be," inner Sakura reminded with a hopeful smile and continued on. "I know. It still hurts. But you can't keep waiting for him forever and I know that moving on is not easy. But it will take a lot of time and effort to do so. You can do this, Sakura. I have faith in you and I know that somebody else will eventually come into your life."

"Yeah, you're right… That is why I admire you. I admire your encouragement and support for me. Thank you for returning. I'm grateful for that. Without you, my life would be meaningless," the pink-haired kunoichi said genuinely with tears running down from her cheeks.

"You're welcome. I'll be here… Always," her inner said with a smile.

Later on at night, she was walking down on the streets of her hometown and decided to stop by at the bridge to pluck out the white lily petals and drop them gently upon the rivers of water.

All at once, Naruto began to show up beside her with a small acknowledgement.

"So, I guess this is place for you to refresh your mind, eh…?" The blonde-haired ninja asked with a smile.

Sakura glanced at her right shoulder to look at him and said with a nod. "Yeah. I just need… time to reflect on some things…"

"Does it bother you?" Naruto frowned.

The pink-haired kunoichi breathes out, saying with reassurance. "I can't lie to you about that. Though, I'm perfectly fine."

"Sakura… I know you very well… I know how you act, I know how you say things, but I don't know how you are thinking. So tell me, I'm all ears," Naruto said, leaning forward to look at her as he folded his hands while resting his arms on the wooden bridge railing.

"I miss… him, you know," the pink-haired kunoichi said quietly and continued on. "It's been two years since he left all of us. I've kept wondering to myself when will he come back… Yet, I'm pushing myself forward to move on from him as much as possible. Throughout those months, I became lost with myself. I was trying to connect with my inner self and I've noticed that deep within me… I've lost my other voice. I've forgotten who I was until we went on a mission together at the hidden sand village… That's where I've finally get the chance to meet her again and to come back to me. Not just to fill that emptiness in my heart, but to fill the both of us with more love… That's when I've realized that I was looking for something in the wrong person. I've realized that I should be looking something more inside myself… That is her. That is me… I still don't know the answer as to why I'm still in love with Sasuke… Why am I still holding onto him if he never really cared about me in the first place?"

Naruto was staring at her intensely and muttered. "I don't know, Sakura… I'm sorry. But I can help you get through this… I promise." He then gently holds her right hand with comfort and continued on to describe a few things. "Sasuke is already fallen into darkness and it doesn't stop us from reaching out to him because he is still our friend… If Itachi didn't kill his own entire family, then Sasuke wouldn't have chosen to this kind of path that he's in."

Sakura was holding her tears back and sniffed out, saying. "Yeah. Like the others said, everything happens for a reason."

"But we will know what that reason is… So, let's make a promise together that no matter how life is going to turn out, we stick together, and-" the blonde-haired ninja said firmly.

"We fight together," the pink-haired kunoichi stated.

"As long as we protect each other," they both concluded in unison as they stood in silence.

They both know that they are going to be having a lot of new challenges, new faces coming along in their way. However, Sakura and Naruto would never believe to themselves to surrender. They will still keep believing in the hopes of seeing their long time friend again. And for some reason, Sakura is starting to think about Gaara without even knowing that she is harboring new feelings.

TO BE CONTINUED...