The next morning, they continued on their journey to Mist Country. They walked down the road side by side. Sakura turned to look at Naruto with a thoughtful expression.
"Hey, Naruto? I have a question."
He turned to look her in the eyes.
"Okay, Sakura-chan. Shoot."
"Why do you have such a hard time believing that people care about you? I understand that because of being the jinchuuriki for Kurama, you didn't think highly of yourself. But that shouldn't mean that after you gain real friends, and are even the hero of the entire village, you still can't believe that you mean something to them."
"I don't know. I guess when I was growing up, people would do cruel things. They would pretend like they wanted to help me or be my friend, but at the last moment they'd run off laughing, or do something even worse. The only person who I could really trust was the Sandaime. I guess even now, I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop."
Sakura's eyes softened at this.
"That's awful... I'm really sorry. I wish I could have been there for you. I really do."
"I believe you. Thanks, Sakura-chan."
"But do you really? You seemed to think that I would want to be with Sasuke-kun no matter how much it would hurt you."
Naruto frowned.
"Well, you always loved him. It's not your fault that it would hurt me, Sakura-chan. And you wouldn't be obligated to do anything about it. That's the part I don't understand, I guess."
"Thinking about it now, it is a little strange. But when I think about trying to ignore it, it hurts me to even consider it, Naruto. It hurts so much to think about you suffering because of me. Especially if I could do something about it."
"Okay, but don't you think you would eventually get over it?"
Sakura shook her head. She looked at him resolutely.
"No. Even if you got over it, I never would. I would never be able to come to terms with the fact that you were suffering, you were slipping away from me, and I chose to do nothing about it because there was something I wanted. I would never be able to forgive myself for that."
Naruto stared blankly at her.
"Really? Wow..."
"I think you'll find that this isn't the craziest thing I've ever done for you, Naruto."
Sakura stopped walking. She pulled up the sleeve on her tunic, revealing some faint marks on her arm. Naruto's eyes widened when he stopped to take a look.
"Remember how this happened?" she asked.
"Yes, but... I don't understand. That was my fault. I hurt you... I've never forgiven myself for it."
"Naruto... I thought Yamato-taichou told you what really happened."
Naruto eyed the marks angrily.
"He did! It wasn't Orochimaru, it was me! I attacked you... What else is there?"
The pinkette sighed and rubbed her arm self-consciously.
"Naruto... I was safe. I was far away from you when you were like that, but... When I saw that you were suffering, and that it was in part because of the promise that I had you make... I couldn't stand by and do nothing. I ran towards you to try to tell you that I'd save Sasuke-kun for you. That it was okay. That you didn't have to worry about that promise. But you didn't hear me and I got hurt. It was really my fault that it happened."
"But why would you do that, Sakura-chan?! You could've been killed! You knew I wasn't in control anymore! So why...?"
Naruto had a confused and desperate expression on his face as Sakura gazed at him unflinchingly.
"Because, Naruto... You were in pain, and I had to try to do something to help you. I couldn't stand by and watch you suffer. And this situation is no different. You're suffering because you're in love with me. Because I didn't see that you needed me to return your feelings. And because of how I felt about Sasuke-kun. You're hurt, and it's because of me. That is the worst feeling in the world for me. I can't stand by when you're being hurt. I have to do something to help you, and this is the only thing that I can do."
She exhaled thoughtfully.
"... So I'm going to return your love the best that I can. I'll be there for you as much as I can. I'll give you as much of my heart as I can. I'll show you as much love as I possibly can. From now on, I'll be yours, okay?" she prompted.
The blonde only blinked. Sakura nodded as if that had been an answer.
"I'll love you even though it means I have to stop loving Sasuke-kun. Because to do anything less would mean letting you be hurt, and I could never do that. I could never abandon you when you need me the most. It's okay if you can't understand why I feel this way. Just know that I do. And because I do, I can't stand by and let this hurt you. Because it's you, Naruto. When it comes to you, I refuse to just stand by. I'd rather die."
Naruto stared at her wide-eyed, blinking a few more times in disbelief. His eyes darted between her face and the marks on her arm.
"Sakura-chan, I... I don't know what to say," he said quietly.
Sakura took a small step closer to him. The blonde blinked once more.
"You don't have to say anything. But I need you to understand at least this much. Don't feel guilty or feel like you'd be selfish to accept this. If anyone's being selfish, it's me. I'm doing this for me. I can't stand to lose you or to watch you be unhappy. It would have completely destroyed me to know that I was the cause of that. I'm so glad you finally told me what was wrong. To choose between your happiness and my fantasy of being with Sasuke-kun isn't a choice at all for me, Naruto. I've always felt strongly about him. But I could never bring myself to hurt you for him or for anyone else. Please try to understand."
Sakura watched Naruto with concern for a few moments. He finally nodded.
"... Okay, Sakura-chan... I think I understand."
Sakura gave him a smile of reassurance before resuming her walk down the road. Naruto was still too stunned to do much more than gaze at her back as she walked away. After some time, he was finally able to recover. He ran to catch up with her.
/
They had traveled through the morning and most of the afternoon before finally arriving in Mist Country. Naruto looked over at Sakura and smiled at the thought that they were close to their destination.
"We should be able to get there before sunset. In a few hours, Team 7 will be reunited again."
Sakura smiled back at him.
"Okay. I'm glad that you're feeling better about this, Naruto. I didn't want to give you any more reason to feel sad about me."
Naruto nodded.
"Well, I've had a chance to think about it more. And I realized that if our positions were reversed, I would have done the exact same thing. I'd never be able to abandon you either, Sakura-chan. Not for Hinata, Teme, or anyone. And it makes me really happy that you care about me so much. That's all, I guess."
Sakura had a downcast expression on her face at hearing this, but Naruto hadn't seen it. They continued walking for some time until Sakura spoke up nervously.
"Naruto..."
Naruto stopped walking and looked at her with concern. She stopped and turned to look at him.
"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"
"Naruto, I'm worried. Do you really want to do this? If you want, we can leave."
"I thought this was what we decided to do. Now you're saying you want to go back to Konoha?"
Sakura fixed the blonde with a determined gaze.
"No, not back to Konoha. We could just go somewhere and find a place for the two of us. We could get married and start a family away from the world of ninja. I'm sure we would be happy, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
"But... Why, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura stared at him. Her eyes were starting to water. She looked away and blinked a few times in succession before locking eyes with him desperately.
"I thought I was sure about all this. But I've been thinking. What if I'm wrong? I've acted so helpless around Sasuke-kun. What if I really am hopelessly in love with him? You know I can't bear to hurt you. If I never see him again, I know that we'd always be happy like this. I wouldn't think about him anymore. But if we keep going... Well, I'm really scared, Naruto."
Naruto had a tranquil expression on his face as he listened to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan... It's fine. Don't worry about me."
"But, Naruto... This is your chance to be selfish for once. We could be happy together. Please at least consider it. I need to be able to live with myself. I'd hate myself if I hurt you again. I'd hate it if I couldn't love you like you deserve. I couldn't bear it if I destroyed your confidence in me. I just don't want to risk it. It's been wonderful traveling with you. I finally feel like we're close again. It's just like the way things used to be. I never want us to become distant again. Sasuke-kun won't be able to be what you are to me, I'm sure of that now. We could-"
"Sakura-chan, you don't have to worry. I'll be okay with whatever happens."
The pinkette looked at him blankly.
"But... How can you say that?"
Naruto gave her a warm smile.
"Because... Knowing that you'd do that for me makes me happier than you could ever imagine. The look in your eyes when you said that... I think that's what I've been dreaming of for a long time. That's what I fell in love with. You finally showed it to me. And it was just for me. Nothing could have made me happier. No matter what happens, I don't think I could ever forget it."
Sakura smiled back and nodded.
"... Okay. Let's keep going."
/
A small town was visible on the horizon. They would arrive soon. Sakura looked over at Naruto.
"Naruto, how do you feel?"
"Fine, I guess."
"Aren't you worried about what I was talking about before?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess I am. But I never really believed that I would ever get to be with you. I never thought I had any chance to win you over from him. So this is already like a dream for me. Even if you ended up changing your mind, I'd still be happy that you thought I was worth all this."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at this. She stopped walking. Naruto stopped and turned to look at her.
"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"
"Naruto, I want to tell you a story. Do we have time to take a break?"
"Yeah, it should be fine. It doesn't really matter when we arrive."
"Okay. This is a story about me from when I was taking the Chunin Exams."
Sakura had a serious expression on her face. Naruto grinned excitedly.
"You mean, your second one, when you made Chunin? That sounds great. I never really got to hear what happened. I'm sure you blew everyone else away."
Sakura chuckled.
"Sure, my second one. Anyway, don't interrupt me until I'm done."
"Okay, I won't."
The blonde watched her with interest as she began to recount the tale.
"I was taking the written portion with my team. It was easy for me since I've studied so much, so I solved all the problems easily. But I was concerned about my team members. If any of us failed, it would mean we'd all get kicked out. One of them was-"
"Who was on your team for the second exam? Sorry, I know you've told me before, but I forgot."
"Naruto! I told you not to interrupt. It's really not important."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Sorry."
"Anyway, I was worried about my team members being able to solve the problems. Then, the proctor announced that anyone who got a certain problem wrong would not only fail, they'd never be able to take the exams again and would be a Genin forever. They said that anyone who didn't want to take that risk should raise their hand, which would fail their entire team."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt this time.
"And I was really worried, because one of my teammates really needed to be able to take the exams. He had a dream that he needed to rise in rank to achieve. He really wasn't good at things like tests. And I knew he would never raise his hand. I was so scared for him. I thought about it, and I realized that I cared more about him being able to achieve his dream than I did about any of us passing the exam. So I decided to raise my hand. To save him."
Gears were turning in Naruto's head as Sakura continued.
"I remember thinking that I couldn't bear to see the look on his face if he couldn't achieve his dream. I couldn't bear to see him crushed. To see him miserable to know that his dream would never be a reality. And in that moment, I would have done anything to save him from that. His happiness had become more important to me than anything else."
The pinkette took a deep breath. She was gazing off into the distance as she reflected on the memory.
"I wanted to protect his dream, no matter what. But he wasn't like me. He wasn't worried. He was a man of real courage. He was a true shinobi who lived his life with no doubt in his heart. So before I could raise my hand, he stood up and challenged the proctor. He said he would never run away. And that even if he had to be a Genin forever, he would still achieve his dream. No matter what happened in that room... He would become Hokage."
Sakura turned her head to look at Naruto, who was gaping at her with wide eyes.
"I know what you're thinking. Yes, Naruto... It was you."
"But... I never would have thought... That was so long ago... Weren't you worried about Teme?" Naruto asked.
"I did worry about him a lot, later on. But at the time, I didn't think about him at all. All I could think about was how hurt you would be if you could never have your dream. I wanted to save you from that. For me, protecting your happiness was more important than anything else. And it still is."
"But Teme... He really wanted to fight Gaara and the other strong guys... Didn't you think about how he might get mad at you if you raised your hand?"
"At that time, no. Not until I told Ino about it... But then, I got really confused."
"How so?"
The pinkette had a small smile on her face.
"When I told Ino that I was ready to do that for you, she said the same thing to me that you just did. And then she got angry at me. She said that would have been a stupid thing to do. She said I didn't deserve to be on Sasuke-kun's team if I was going to look out for an idiot like you instead of him. The thing is, I agreed with her. If I was in her place, I would probably have said the same thing. So that didn't bother me. I told her that she had a point and that I wasn't sure what was going through my head at the time. But then she said something else. She said that someone like you could never become Hokage anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. And that... did make me angry. I started yelling at her. I told her that she had no right to say that. I told her that you would be a great Hokage. She was really surprised."
Both Sakura and Naruto grinned at this.
"Back then, I couldn't understand why I got so angry. But today, as we're standing here like this... I can understand," Sakura continued.
Naruto looked at her curiously. She gazed out at the town for a few moments before speaking up again.
"It was because... You're very special to me, Naruto."
She smiled softly at him and started to walk towards their destination. Naruto walked alongside her in thought. After some time, he spoke.
"What... do you mean by special?"
"You mean the world to me. I always want the best for you. I'm always worrying about you because I need to know that you'll be alright. And I never want you to go far away from me. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I couldn't look after you anymore. The thought of being with Sasuke-kun in a world where you're lost to me... It's horrible, Naruto. I could never live like that. I could never live without you. You're far too precious to me."
Sakura suddenly stepped in front of Naruto and surprised him by pulling him into a gentle hug. He recovered after a moment and tentatively returned the embrace. Then the pinkette spoke again, more softly than before.
"I really mean it. Back then, I already felt that way. But it's gotten much stronger over time. Now you're so important to me that I don't think I even have a choice in the matter anymore. I won't be able to rest easy unless I can see that you're happy."
Sakura tilted her head to look up at Naruto and they made eye contact. His eyes widened as her voice grew even quieter, though it didn't quite reach the level of a whisper.
"Naruto... From now on... Can't you stay with me so that I can take care of you?"
Naruto just gazed at her in wonderment. The pinkette blushed and slowly pulled away from him.
"... Of course, Sakura-chan. Nothing could make me as happy as you do."
Sakura only smiled in response.
/
They arrived at the small town. The sun was setting over the horizon. It was mostly desolate but for a few people walking around who paid little notice to the two ninja.
"Kakashi-sensei said he's been staying here for the past few weeks. I don't think he's going to know we're coming, so it'll be a surprise."
"But how are we going to find him?"
"Let's just look around. There aren't many places he could possibly be."
They eventually made it to a tavern in the center of town. It was significantly larger than the other buildings. The pair walked inside.
They looked around. It wasn't very crowded and most tables were empty. In a dark corner, Naruto saw a familiar face sitting next to a tall white-haired man who was a member of the Houzuki clan. There was a large sword resting on the table. Sasuke's cloak was hanging off of the chair he was sitting in.
Naruto tapped Sakura on the shoulder and pointed Sasuke out to her. He started walking over to him. Sakura hesitated before following after him with tentative steps. When they got closer, Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed them. The Houzuki glanced at them dismissively.
"Hey, Teme," Naruto said.
"Dobe. Sakura. What are you two doing here?" Sasuke replied with some apprehension.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Can we talk?"
"This is your team?" the man asked Sasuke.
"Hn. They are. Leave, Suigetsu."
The man glared at him, picked up the sword and stomped off. Naruto and Sakura sat down across from Sasuke.
"So, what do you guys want?" Sasuke said.
"Um, I'm not sure what we need from you exactly. But we had to come see you," Naruto replied.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sakura, who was looking down at the table.
"I don't get it."
"Sakura-chan can probably explain it better than I can."
Sakura raised her head to look at Sasuke. She didn't know how to explain it either.
"Well... I'm not sure what to say... I guess for starters, Sasuke-kun, what do you think of me?" the pinkette said.
Sasuke looked at her strangely.
"I'm not sure what you mean. You're an important friend to me."
"I mean, are you interested in me? Do you want to be with me?"
"I haven't really thought about that, yet. I guess so. I guess I was going to try. Both of you did everything that you could for me, and that dedication saved my life. So I'm willing to give it the best shot that I can."
Sakura frowned.
"So you'd be with me out of gratitude, then? Not love?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"I guess that's accurate. I'm sorry."
Sakura's eye twitched. She looked a little angry.
"But, how could you do that?!"
Sasuke looked back at her with wide eyes.
"Look, it's the best I can really do. I'm not familiar with that kind of love."
The pinkette was actually glaring at him now. Naruto watched the exchange nervously.
"No, Sasuke-kun, how could you do that to Naruto?! He risked so much trying to save you! You would be dead if he didn't care about you so much! But now you're just going to be with me when you don't even love me?!"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto before looking back at Sakura. The blonde had a sheepish expression on his face.
"I don't understand. What does Naruto have to do with all this?"
In frustration, Sakura slammed her fist on the table. The two male members of Team 7 flinched.
"He loves me! He really loves me with all his heart! He's been hurting for a long time over my feelings for you. I don't know if he can ever be happy without me. And now you're just going to take me away for the hell of it?! How could you? Ooh, I can't believe that you'd try to do that! What's wrong with you, Sasuke-kun?! I really expected better from you! Well, I'm never going to-"
Sasuke raised a hand to interrupt her and glanced at Naruto again.
"Hold on. I did ask him about you, and he never said anything like that. Actually, he said I needed to give you a chance."
"What?!"
Sakura also looked at Naruto, but in a much less casual way than Sasuke had done.
"Oh. I get it. I'm supposed to be happy with him, right?" she said.
Naruto just shrugged. Sasuke looked at him with a deadpan expression.
"You. Stupid. Dobe."
Sakura sighed.
"Well, that settles that. Sasuke-kun, I release you from trying to return my feelings."
"Hn."
The pinkette examined Sasuke quizzically.
"There's something I don't understand, though. This all started because Naruto told me that I was special to him. But I thought I was special to you, too. I thought so ever since that day we became a team."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"I don't remember doing anything special back then."
"You... you don't? But I remember it like it was yesterday. You said you liked my forehead. And I nearly kissed you."
Naruto tried to sink further into his chair.
"That... doesn't sound familiar. I don't know what you remember, but it certainly wasn't me."
"But it was you... Why deny it?"
Sasuke glanced at the sinking Naruto and smirked.
"I remember one thing about that day, though. Some idiot managed to defeat me and tie me up with ropes. It took a while for me to get out of them."
"You're saying that... It was Naruto...?"
Naruto just grinned sheepishly. Sakura was staring down at the table with a blank expression.
"I'm sorry... I should have said something... I don't know why I didn't," Naruto said.
"Because. You. Are. A. Stupid. Dobe." Sasuke said.
Sakura stood up and glared at Naruto murderously.
"Naruto... We are returning to Konoha now. Goodbye, Sasuke-kun."
The pinkette grabbed Naruto by his collar and started to drag him out.
"Teme... Help..." Naruto muttered weakly.
"See you in a few years, Sakura and Dobe," Sasuke said.
A smirk was still present on his face.
/
They were on the road heading back to Konoha. Sakura was walking far ahead of Naruto. She finally stopped and let him catch up, but didn't turn to look at him.
"I can't believe you did that. Do you know how significant that was for me? And you never told me! You seriously never told me! I really can't believe this."
"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin it for you."
"If you were going to let me be happy being with whoever you're going to let me be with, you could have at least given me all of the information."
"I'm really sorry. I'll never do it again."
"You'd better not! Do you have any idea how much would have changed if I had known that? I thought that he secretly liked me and he was just too shy to say anything. But he was actually never interested in me. Now I feel like a complete fool."
"You're not, Sakura-chan... It was my fault."
"You're damn right it was your fault. And it's your fault we had to go on this trip. We wouldn't have had to do this if you hadn't done that back then."
Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura finally turned to glare at him properly.
"We wouldn't have had to...? Sakura-chan, does that mean...?"
Sakura had a faint blush on her face though she was still glaring at him. Naruto just smiled hopefully. After a few moments, the pinkette finally relaxed into a wide, toothy grin.
"Yes... Don't worry about me giving anything up. It was you, Naruto. It was always you. You're everything to me. I love you!"
"I love you too, Sakura-chan... I'm so relieved. Is it okay if I kiss you?"
Sakura cleared her throat before regarding him with a serious expression. Naruto watched her with the same hopeful smile.
"You may... On one condition."
"What is it?"
The pinkette smiled warmly at him. Naruto's eyes widened in awe of how beautiful her smile was.
"Don't ever stop calling me Sakura-chan."