||Three
Naruto was probably the first one to notice that the Sakura they all knew and loved was fading. She didn't go out with friends anymore and there were rare occasions when he found her somewhere other than the children hospital which Sakura had opened under the guidance of Tsunade baa-chan. Naruto wasn't objected to the fact that she was working hard and doing something good for all the children of Konoha, he was just sad because he saw that underneath all the good deeds and working hard in her profession, Sakura was still not completely happy. She might throw around a few smiles here and there every day, but Naruto knew better.
It was just a façade.
An excuse for keeping herself busy.
And the knowledge of this truth broke his heart.
Regardless, he knew that he could do nothing but watch from afar as Sakura hid her feelings from the world. He knew for a fact that she was strong, and independent, but he also knew how she was slowly killing herself as she waited for Sasuke to come back.
Sakura was surprised when Naruto had shown up in her clinic and demanded—stubbornly—that she went out to Ichiraku's with him.
Naruto didn't take no for an answer, so Sakura agreed, feeling like she needed a small break herself.
Sakura talked with Naruto as they enjoyed the ramen and told him all about the clinic's success. Naruto listened happily with enthusiasm as he ordered his fifth bowl of ramen.
He wanted to tell her to move on at some point of their conversation. No matter how close he had been to Sasuke and understood him in a way that nobody else could, he still felt like telling Sakura that she should stop waiting for Sasuke altogether.
He hadn't meant to think this way, but it had been so long…it had been ten years. How far would Sakura have to wait? He just thought that it wasn't fair for her. Why was she always subjected to hurt and heartbreak? It just didn't seem fair anymore…
Sakura probably noticed the slumping of Naruto's shoulders as he grew silent, his face sad as he got lost in his own thoughts. Sakura smiled sadly as she ruffled his hair, causing him to look up.
"Don't you worry about me, Naruto." She had told him reassuringly as she squeezed his hand gently and gave him a big smile. "My love is not so weak that it would just fade away with the wind." Sakura said as she got up to leave. Naruto stood there—dumbfounded as he thought about the right words to say.
The greatest loudmouth in Konoha, the hero who had stolen hearts of many with his mere usage of words, the talkative hero—was speechless. He smiled to himself, Sasuke was a lucky teme, but he better not push his luck or else he would break his face.
He could not wait for his friend to be back.