Hey guys, thesaiyanjedi again. Wow! Two chapters in one night!

As promised, this chapter will delve into Sakura's perspective on things, be prepared for some angsty drama.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and I'll see you for the next one!

Chapter 2: I Don't Deserve You

Sakura Haruno was at her home, in her bedroom straightening up her room. It was her day off from the hospital today and she really didn't have any plans.

'Hmm...maybe I should go find Ino and ask her how her date with Sai went?'

She still could not believe it when her best friend had confided in her that she had developed a crush on her pale-skinned teammate. Sure, she remembered her clearly being into him when they first met, but she just assumed that she saw him as superficially as she did every other guy. Besides, she said herself that he reminded her of Sasuke.

'Sasuke...'

That name always stirred a wave of conflicted emotion inside Sakura's heart, but especially now. Not because of what they had been through, but because of the last thing he said to her before he left her yet again...

"So, this is your final decision then?" Kakashi asked.

"It is," Sasuke answered.

The newly-appointed Sixth Hokage sighed before conceding, "Very well, just don't loose sight on how lucky you are Sasuke."

"How lucky I am?"

"Well, to be honest, under any normal circumstances, you would have been locked away, imprisoned for life. The only reason your wishes are being entertained and all of your actions are now pardoned is because your aid was instrumental in dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Of course, even that wouldn't have gotten you off the hook by itself, this is mainly thanks to the support from the hero and central force in ending the war, Naruto and myself as Hokage. Make sure you keep that in mind. So try to keep yourself under control, yeah...? Cause it'll be my ass on the line this time."

"Yeah...sorry," Sasuke said sincerely but without frowning.

Sakura looked to the young man in nervous distress, "You're really going to leave? Lady Tsunade is just about finished crafting you artificial arm out of Hashirama's cells."

Sasuke looked at her, "Right now, I need to see this world for myself. I must know what kind of state this world is in. I feel like I'm finally able to see all the things that I've overlooked and messed up until now, and if I don't seize this opportunity, I might miss my chance to see with this kind of clarity again. On top of that, there's a few things that have been on my mind."

Sakura took in what he said, before a blush graced her face and she was unable to make eye contact at what she was about to say. "Well...what if...I asked you...to take me with you?"

"No Sakura," Sasuke said firmly, causing her to look back at him. "This is a journey of redemption for me, my sins have nothing to do with you."

Sakura hung her head in shame as she heard that, "Nothing to do...with me...?" she said lost. Kakashi looked at her in pity.

"Besides..." Sasuke continued, bringing her back to attention. "You need to find you own path Sakura. You need to look deep inside yourself and figure out what it is you really want."

Sakura was taken aback by what he had just said. What did he mean 'what she really wanted?' She wanted him! She had wanted him her whole life! They were perfect for each weren't they...? Weren't they...?

There were a million and one questions flashing through the poor girl's mind in that moment, and she wanted to ask all of them right then and there...But she never got to. The next thing she knew Sasuke had tapped her broad forehead with his fingers, right where her recently formed Strength of a Hundred Seal adorned it.

"I'll be back soon...and thank you."

Sakura was speechless. His words were friendly, polite, sincere and grateful, all emotions that even she had to admit she so rarely saw from Sasuke. In the past she would have taken this action as romantic...So why didn't she?

Oh yes, she was deep in thought all right, but it wasn't about what he just did to her. She was still processing what he told her earlier.

But she put it to rest as she and Kakashi watched their old teammate walk off towards his new destiny...only to be stopped by Naruto.

'Naruto,' Sakura thought to herself upon seeing him. 'I didn't think he would even be here today...What am I thinking, of course he'd be here.'

She looked on as the two most important boys—no, men—in her life exchanged their last words. They were so far off in the distance that she couldn't make out what was happening, but it looked like Naruto was handing over...

'No way!' Sakura gasped. Tears never fell from her eyes, but they were gathering as the blonde handed his best friend back his old Leaf Village headband. The scene was...well, it was beautiful. It was like the good old days of Team 7 made new again. Finally the three of them were together again, things were back the way they should be...

"Who am I kidding?" Sakura said aloud to herself. "Too much has changed. I've changed, Sasuke's changed, Naruto's changed...Face it girl, we may be together again, but that Team 7 is in the past."

And indeed it was true, she could see it so clearly now for the first time. The Sasuke she knew, that cool, lonely boy who she always imagined spending the rest of her life with...that Sasuke was gone.

For too long now that boy has been a primary driving force for everything she did. She wanted to become a kunoichi. Why? To get close to Sasuke. She wanted to get stronger. Why? To help bring Sasuke back home.

...At least, those were the initial reasons. She got into this life for a boy, yes, but she stayed in it for herself! She became Tsunade's apprentice not just to get strong enough to bring back Sasuke but to help Naruto in that goal, yes. But the more she learned, the more she trained, the more she realized her natural gift and potential as a medical ninja, the more she wanted that life! Really wanted it!

'Just like Naruto always wanted to be Hokage.' Sakura smiled to herself as the thought that.

She went over to her dresser and picked up an old framed photo, one taken back on their first day together as Team 7. The three of them were so innocent back then, everything was so much simpler. She was still just a starry-eyed girl with a big brain and a big heart, but little real ambition. Meanwhile Sasuke was still that cool loner, top of his class, danamic, good looking, everything an impressionable girl his age wanted...

And then there was him...Her other teammate. The blonde knucklehead in the hideous orange jumpsuit. The boy she had spent her entire childhood berating and beating and belittling for everything he did, most of all his longstanding dream of becoming the next Hokage. Everyone knew that was just some silly fantasy. It was impossible. He was a nobody, dead last, an idiotic loser with no potential to ever amount to anything! Sakura knew it, she believed it, just like everybody else, especially with someone as awesome as Sasuke right there!

...But you know what? She was wrong. Everyone was wrong. He spent his whole life proving it! He defied the odds and, with the help and support of his friends, he'd spent the last five years of his life growing from the village's monster into the most famous shinobi in the world, and he was only seventeen!

The blonde-haired doofus she used to chastise all the time was now a living legend, and he deserved all of it! He worked for everything, everything he's gained. Sure, he may be the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, but that was just a horrible burden that he needed to saddle and overcome his whole life. Sure, he may be the son of Fourth Hokage, but he didn't know that until Pain attacked the village, nobody did...If they had, things surely would have been a lot different for him. But you know what, as horrible as it may sound, it was better that he didn't know until so late! Why? Because it made him not lazy! Because it allowed him to forge his own path, not ride his father's coattails all his life like Sasuke got to do as the last of the Uchiha clan.

Naruto Uzumaki may be a total buffoon...but he was also the strongest, bravest, most compassionate and selfless human being she'd ever known. She couldn't even keep couldn't of how many people's lives have been changed for the better just because of his influence.

Oh yeah, Sakura was wrong about him all right...and she couldn't be happier that she was!

...Of course, that only served to make it all the more painful whenever she thought back on their relationship. All the verbal yells and putdowns, all the beatings and rejections, that stuff was bad enough. But what really did her in were all the times she'd taken his friendship for granted. When Sasuke left the village to join Orochimaru, she'd begged for Naruto to bring him home because she was too damned weak to stop him herself! He could have said no, he could have told her off right there, but instead he made a selfless promise of a lifetime to bring him back, just to make her happy.

And because of that he had to endure years of torturous failure, heartbreak, disappointment, all for her sake! Yes, she trained with Tsunade to get stronger so that she would be able to help him next time, so that she would stop being a burden...but she always was anyway! No mater what happened, there was never anything she could do for him but small, insignificant things that anyone could do! He nearly died to keep that stupid promise! And she HATED herself for that!

That's why she lied to him that day in the Land of Iron. It wasn't to exploit him, or to make a fool of him, it was the save him! Sasuke needed to be dealt with, soon! And she needed to say something before the idiot got himself killed! Of course, that's saying nothing about the mess her actions caused in the wake of all that—

"AAAGGGHHHH!" Sakura grabbed her own head in anger the more she thought about all of this. Soon there was a knock on her door.

"Sakura, sweetie? Is everything alright?" Mebuki asked through the door.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine mom. Thanks."

"Oh, okay. Just let me know if you need anything okay?"

"Okay."

Knowing that her mother was gone, she picked up the old photo of Team 7 again, here eyes zeroing not on her childhood crush, but on the orange clad ninja who was driving her totally crazy.

'...Naruto...'

He looked so young and goofy back then, his annoyed expression almost laughable to her now. She never admitted it, but that boy always had a knack for making her smile. Hell, for all the stern lecturing she used to give him back at the Academy, Inner Sakura found his practical jokes to be pretty funny.

She looked at the photo of the young Naruto and found herself comparing it to the young man she knew now. His sterner face, his fit built, those ripped muscles—yeah, her mind was wandering!

But the point was that the more she thought about it, the more something became clear. Whatever her feelings for her best friend were...she didn't deserve him.

'What are you thinking Sakura?! He may be the biggest doofus on the planet, and as lazy as a sloth, and he may be the loudest, most annoying boy you've ever met in you're life...but he's also the best friend you've ever had. And anybody whose gone through so much and worked so hard deserves all the happiness in the world...'

She placed her hand on the photo of Team 7, as a single tear ran down her face.

'Naruto...you deserve to be with someone who can make you happy...and that isn't me.'

Sakura set the photo down on her bed and more tears fell and landed on it. The poor girl cried herself to sleep for the rest of the night...

Yep! Sakura's got one heck of a guilt complex at this point. Given the events of the series it seems the most logical progression to me, and the number one thing that would keep her back from maybe giving her and Naruto a chance. We'll see what the resolution of this will be later.

Once again, major credit to JTZ29's story "Take Good Care of Her" for providing me some direct motivation for the flashback to 699.

I think that's all I've got to say. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope you're looking forward to next time. So, until next time, see ya!