AN - Important note - When I started this story, Naruto (The manga) was half way through the war. Since I can't see into the future there are two differences in the characters from chapter 699 to this story.

Eg, Naruto and Sasuke did not lose their arms and Kakashi still has the sharingan.

Another Note- I forgot to mention that since this story starts 3 years after chapter 699, I imagined the characters in the Leaf village as themselves portrayed in The Last - Naruto The Movie, except Naruto has long hair, so I ask of you to do the same.

Konoha

Finishing her long shift at the hospital, an exhausted Sakura entered her home with only food, sleep and still, Naruto on her mind.

She shut her doors and prepared to remove her shoes. But a loud, rushed knocking on her door prevented her from doing so.

A little surprised by the aggressive knocking, Sakura opened her doors only to see her blond best friend panting, desperately trying to refill air in her lungs.

"Ino? What's the emergency? Why are you so out of breath?"

The blond spoke between breaths. "I… just heard… the news… about Naruto."

Sakura's expression saddened. "Oh, Naruto… you've only heard about it now? Tsunade-sama made the announcement a week ago."

Ino regained her breath. "Well it's not my fault I was away with my genin team painting houses and fixing fences for the entire week, I just got back and when I heard the news, I came here as fast as I could."

Leaving the door open, Sakura turned, changed her shoes and walked to her living room. "And wait, let me guess, miss gossip of Konoha wants to talk about it?"

Ino entered, closed the door, removed her shoes and followed her friend. "Of course I'm going to talk about it, Sakura! Your teammate's a missing nin, how the hell did this happen?"

Sakura grimaced at Naruto's new shinobi status. She led Ino to her large, beautifully decorated bedroom to change into her pink nightwear.

"It's not how it sounds, Ino." Sakura removed her shirt, showing off her defined but feminine physique and light blue bra. She then wore a loose fit pink T shirt laying on top of her bed.

"Oh? It's not? Then please enlighten me because I am so confused right now."

Sakura slid her trousers down exposing her smooth, flawless legs and light blue underwear. She grabbed her pyjama bottoms and look at Ino. "It's a long and complicated story."

"Then uncomplicated it!" Ino persisted as Sakura stepped into her pyjama bottoms. "I am not leaving here until you tell me everything." Ino paused as a thought sprung to her head.

"Wait a minute, is this why Naruto missed your birthday and why you've been acting so antisocial recently?"

Wanting to avoid the question, Sakura moaned and rolled her eyes. "Alright fine, jeez, if you want to know that badly I'll tell you everything."

Ino smirked victoriously until Sakura gave her a peculiar look.

"What?" Ino asked.

"Get changed then?" Sakura pointed to her wardrobe where she keeps Ino's spare pyjamas. "You're planning to stay the night aren't you?"

Ino smiled guiltily. "I swear forehead, you know me far too well for your own good."

As Ino changed into her night wear, Sakura sat on her bed and explained it all. Naruto's rejection, his dismissive behaviour after the rejection, the details and what occurred in the mission prior to Naruto's disappearance, how the Hokage deemed the contents of that mission classified until Naruto was announced as a missing nin and yes, how she's been antisocial post the disappearance of Naruto.

The story was indeed a long and complicated one, so long in fact, the girls relocated to Sakura's sofa.

"Okay I think I'm beginning to understand what happened." Ino started. "Naruto was depressed or angry because you said you only loved him as a friend-"

Sakura winced at the comment.

"And in a blind rage, Naruto engaged with some weird crack in the sky?"

Sakura nodded.

"Then all of a sudden he just disappeared?" Ino questioned sceptically.

Sakura sunk her head. "Yeah."

"And Tsunade-sama listed him in the bingo books for that?!" Ino raised her voice by a decimal. "That doesn't make any sense? Wouldn't listing him as MIA be more appropriate? Either way, Naruto would never leave the village on purpose? Everyone loves him and we all knew he was the next in line to become Hokage? Why would he give all that up because of a rejection?"

Sakura brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs. "You wasn't there, Ino. You didn't see his face when I said no to him. I've never seen anyone so heartbroken before in my life… and I made that happen."

Ino nervously remained quiet.

Sakura sighed deeply. "Why would he give up being Hokage because of a rejection?" She asked herself. "I've been asking myself that exact question for a whole month now." She tightened her hold around her knees. "I just don't understand it all, the more I think about that night the more confused I get. Sometimes I think he could have left on purpose and other times I could swear that crack had something to do with it-"Her tone of voice described hopelessness. "Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if he's still alive."

Ino's eyes expanded as she shot up from her seat to grab her friend by the shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself, Sakura! Are you even listening to yourself?-"

Sakura blinked at Ino's sudden explosion.

"This is Naruto we're talking about, you know the loud mouthed idiot we all love? Did you forget that he defeat pain all on his own and help saved the entire shinobi world. Do you really think he would allow a strange thing in the air to kill him so easily?" Ino kept her grip on her shoulders. "I understand that this whole thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense but you of all people can't give up on him. Whether or not he wanted to leave or that thing did something that force him to leave, you can't lose faith in him, you've got to trust that Naruto's still alive and wherever he is, he'll find a way to get back to the village."

Sakura was absorbed in Ino's determined eyes. She nodded in agreement as she wondered why she ever questioned Naruto's health.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Ino. I don't know what I was thinking."

The blond released her grip and returned to her seat. She paused for a moment to stare at her thoughtful friend before asking. "Have you talked to Tsunade-sama about it? How does she feel about all this?"

"She would never show or admit it but she's probably the most affected by this whole thing. She loves Naruto like he's one of her own, of course it's going to hit her hard."

Ino sympathised for the Fifth. "I know that, so why has she signed him as a rogue nin in the first place? No one is fully certain what Naruto's intentions were or if he ever wanted to betray the Leaf?"

Sakura adjusted in her seat. "Believe me, I wanted to know the answer to that question more than anyone. That's why I had a talk with her after my birthday to try to make her reconsider. I begged and I begged for her to change her mind but she wouldn't listen to me. But when she told me the real reason behind her plan, she reminded me that she is the Hokage for a reason."

"What real reason?" Ino questioned dubiously.

A tiny hopeful smile graced Sakura's mouth.

FLASHBACK

"Come in."

Tsunade looked up from her desk to view her visitor.

"Oh? Hello again, Sakura. How was your birthday celebrations?"

Sakura clenched her fist and her eyes hardened. "Tsunade-sama, I beg of you to reconsider your decision about making Naruto a missing nin."

The Hokage was taken aback, she thought this issue was handled already. But Sakura's unwavering voice silenced Tsunade as she waited to hear her apprentice's plea.

"I don't think it's fair for us to give him that status, Tsunade-sama. No other shinobi in the village has suffered, trained or sacrificed more than Naruto. He's shed blood, worked his hardest and saved our lives on more than one occasion. Naruto is the Hero of the Leaf, and this is how we pay him back? Have shinobi from every nation try kill him on first sight? You know more than anyone that Naruto would never betray the Leaf!"

Tsunade formed a small sneer and shock her head.

Sakura took a step closer as her tone saddened and head hung low. "Why can't you do what you did to Sasuke for Naruto? Sasuke wasn't signed as a rogue nin for three years after he left, so why won't you do the same for Naruto?"

The Hokage stood from her seat, approached the distressed young lady and held her by the shoulders. "Sakura-"Tsunade spoke softly.

"You already know the difference between Sasuke's and Naruto's situation. The reason why I never signed Sasuke as a rogue shinobi for all those years was because of Naruto, he was the one who helped me overcome my haemophobia and persuaded me to take my position as Hokage, I owe my whole life to that kid. So the day I heard of Sasuke's betrayal I initially thought of Naruto, and in the end, I couldn't go through with it. After everything he done for me, I would repay him back by listing his best friend and teammate as a missing nin? I just didn't have it in me to do that to him." Tsunade paused allowing Sakura to internalise her reasons.

"But the main reason why I didn't sign those papers was because I knew Naruto, I knew how much he wanted to bring Sasuke back and I knew he wasn't going to allow anything to stop him in his way. But most importantly Sakura, I did what I did because I believed in him. At that point in time I truly believed that Naruto would be the only shinobi capable of defeating Orochimaru and take Sasuke back to the Leaf."

Sakura lifted her head to meet Tsunade in the eye.

The Hokage gave her a reassuring smile. "And I also believe you may have overlooked why I'm making Naruto a missing nin."

Tsunade's cheerful tone confused the younger women.

"You see, Sakura, when I inform the other nations of Naruto's new shinobi status, I will make sure that if their shinobi spots Naruto first, wherever the hell he may be, their orders will be to avoid engaging him at all costs, retreat and inform the Leaf immediately. That way, the entire shinobi world will be on the lookout for Naruto and not just the Leaf."

A spark of hope flickered within Sakura from Tsunade's genius.

"That's brilliant Tsunade-sama! But… how can you be sure that the other nations will agree to this?"

Tsunade released the girl's shoulders, returned to her chair, leaned back and smirked. "Well, number one, because of the treaty. The relationship between the great nations is somewhat stable so a small request such as this shouldn't be a problem. And number two, none of them would be stupid enough to order their shinobi to engage with Naruto in the first place, if they are that idiotic to try kill him just because he's technically a missing nin or if they have any other ulterior motive to harm him, no matter who they send, it wouldn't matter in the slightest, it would be like a lamb to a slaughter against Naruto, a member of the Leaf's famous team seven that ended the fourth Great Shinobi War."

END OF FLASHBACK

"So that was her plan all along, now it's starting to make more sense." An impressed Ino declared.

Still hugging her knees, Sakura nodded sadly in confirmation.

The atmosphere in the air was gradually becoming gloomier by the second. Seeing Sakura so distraught, so unimaginably distressed was a difficult thing to watch for Ino. In fact, when Ino thought about it, she'd never seen Sakura so upset in her life.

"So um, what about Sasuke? How does he feel about everything?" Ino asked from the top of her head, a failed attempt to lighten the mood.

Sakura's concerned, thoughtful face hardly shifted. "He's barely said a word about it, not to me or Kakashi-sensei. I know he isn't the best at expressing his feelings but he could at least try to look affected by Naruto's disappearance. So what if he's busy with his work at the police station, he walks around every day like he doesn't even care about Naruto, he's getting on my last nerves."

Sakura knew she wasn't being honest with herself, she knew that somewhere within Sasuke's heart he's deeply concerned about Naruto, even if he fails to show it. But the Uchiha's relaxed exterior somewhat bothered and annoyed Sakura, however she couldn't tell as to why.

Something about Sakura's tone of voice caused Ino's curiosity to peak. 'I've never heard Sakura talk so dismissive about Sasuke before? And the way she talks about Naruto, her strange behaviours from the moment he disappeared, she's way more upset now than when Sasuke left the village. Something's going on with her, is she feeling responsible about this whole thing? It's either that or she… No… No? She couldn't be?'

Ino adjusted in her seat to square her shoulders to the pinkette. "I think we're all aware of how Sasuke deals with his feelings, Sakura. So how about you? What do you feel? Because feelings are sometimes complicated and unpredictable, you know, you can feel one thing now, but later on develop completely different feelings about the same thing, and sometimes you can experience a change of feelings and don't even realise it."

Sakura lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at Ino's vagueness. "My feelings? Change? What are you blabbering on about now?"

The blond shut her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. "Jeez, you really are clueless, Forehead." Ino paused to scoot closer. "Can I ask you something? It may sound strange at first but hear me out okay?"

"Okay?"

"I'm just going ahead and say it alright, but don't freak out or become overly defensive like you'll probably do, I'm simply asking this because it's a very important question, a question you would never ask yourself because you're just so damn clueless, As a friend I believe it's really important that you answer this question. I want you to really think about it okay and-"

Sakura's patience snapped. "When you said you're going ahead and say it-"

"Are you in love with Naruto?"

Konoha Police Station

Standing behind his office desk, neatly organising two stacks of documents, Sasuke Uchiha looked up through his office windows to scan the station floor. Konoha's police officers were busy working hard and all were in high spirit. It was another peaceful, drama-less day in the Leaf and everyone's shift was soon to be over.

A small group of chatting officers spotted Sasuke's attention and all gave their captain a big smile and wave. Sasuke returned a small wave and nodded before returning back to work.

Finding a minute of peace, Sasuke revisited a recent memory that's consumed his thoughts for nearly a fortnight.

FLASHBACK

One and a half weeks ago. Sakura's Birthday

"In light of Naruto's new shinobi status, I've been made to reconsider who I want my next successor to be. So therefore, when I'm announcing my retirement a few months from now, I'll also be announcing Sasuke as the next Hokage."

Ever pair of eyes in Sakura's apartment widened.

"Wh- Ho- huh?!" Sakura rushed to her feet. "Let's take a step back here for a second. Tsunade-sama, you're retiring?"

"That's right." The Fifth replied somewhat happily. "As much as I love my village and being its Hokage, I don't think I can handle the stress of this job any longer, I'm starting to feel my real age catching up to me and I'm not as energetic as I once was. I believe it is time for this old lady to step down and enjoy her last remaining years sitting back and drinking tea."

'Don't you mean sake?' Sakura mentally rolled her eyes.

Likewise, Kakashi stood from his seat. "Are you sure about this Lady Tsunade? I don't mean to question your judgement but considering Sasuke's history with the Leaf, certain citizens and shinobi alike may not like the idea of someone who was once an enemy and traitor of the village to be its leader." Kakashi looked at the Uchiha. "No offense, Sasuke."

The younger male shrugged. "None taken."

Tsunade stepped forward. "I'm sure certain people will but unfortunately, I'm not spoilt with a long list of potential Hokage candidates, and since the person I originally selected for the position isn't here, I have to choose the person who I believe is second best for the job."

All eyes focused on Sasuke as the Uchiha stood from his seat. "And you landed on me?" He asked respectfully.

"I did consider Kakashi for the position but we all know what he's like, you're probably relieved that I didn't recommend you for Hokage aren't you, Kakashi?"

The jounin scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly. "You're right Lady Tsunade, I'm just not the Hokage type."

"I thought as much, I heard you were having difficulties accepting the position after Sasuke here took down Danzou." Tsunade focused on the Uchiha. "After I retire, what this village will need is a young Hokage who will lead the Leaf to many years of constant peace."

Sasuke placed his hands in his pocket. "I appreciate your vote of confidence but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer, lady Tsunade."

A moment of uncertain silenced passed. The Uchiha stared deeply at Tsunade's unmoving eyes.

"In my last fight with Naruto in the Valley of the End, all I wanted was to become and redefine the meaning of Hokage, it was Naruto who finally made me see the flaws of my ways. His meaning and philosophy of Hokage was one of the main reasons why I decided to come back, I chose to trust in him and his beliefs. That's why I have to decline your offer, Naruto is the Hokage this village deserves, not me."

Sakura sadly watched her teammate. "Sasuke." She whispered.

"Besides-" He continued. "I am the captain of Konoha's police force, I have other duties I need to fulfil." Sasuke voiced proudly.

Tsunade paused to stare intensely at the last Uchiha.

"Sasuke, we both know that you and I have never been able to meet eye to eye, but something as superficial as that isn't going to stop me from doing what's right for this village."

"But I already told you, I'm not what's right for the village." The Sharingan holder countered calmly.

Tsunade sighed heavily. "Take a seat, Sasuke."

All beings in the room sat simultaneously.

Tsunade sat and redirected her eye sights to youngest male in the room. "Tell me something, captain of Konoha's police force. How long has it been since you became captain?"

Team seven scrunched their eyebrows at the random change of subject.

"Over three years, I started two months after the war. You should know since you were the one who assigned me the position in the first place." Sasuke answered sceptically.

"Do you enjoy your job?" The Hokage asked.

Sasuke's eye brows narrowed. "Yes… I guess?"

"What about your subordinates and colleagues, are you close with them?" Tsunade quizzed again.

"I keep it as professional as I can at the station but outside of work, they're all nice people?"

"And what was your first day like as captain of the police force?" Tsunade questioned further. "In fact, what was the first few months like in your new work place?"

Sakura leaned forward. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama but what are all these questions about Sasuke's work have to do with anything?"

The Hokage raised a hand. "Patients Sakura, it will make sense soon enough I promise." She focused on Sasuke. "You were saying?" Tsunade spoke with unusual confidence.

Sasuke stopped to rationalise why and where she was heading with all these questions. But failing to generate a reasonable answer, he opted to answer truthfully.

He smirked and released a single ironic chuckle before he spoke. "They all despised me. Nobody listened to a word I said and they ignored all of my orders. They worked how they pleased and no one took me seriously. I was treated more like a substitute teacher than a captain. Every single person working in that building couldn't stand the fact that they had to take orders from a former traitor. But at that time, I couldn't have care less how they thought about me, all I wanted to do was perform my job and show everyone that I've changed and I will forever be loyal and protect the Hidden Leaf village… just like Itachi."

Tsunade folded her arms, nodded and hummed. "I know, I heard from several reports that things didn't turn out as smoothly as I hoped. But nevertheless, what did you do even with all that hate you experienced on a daily basis?" She asked somewhat rhetorically.

Sasuke remained silent, allowing the Hokage to answer.

"You persevered. It may have been a long and bumpy process but in the last three years you've earn the respect and forgiveness of your subordinates, fellow shinobi and the citizens of this village. All the while doing a brilliant job at what you do. I've read the reports and seen the statistics Sasuke, thanks to your leadership, the Konoha police force is responsible for the lowest crime rates the Leaf has seen in the past fifty years. The streets are cleaner than ever, the neighbourhoods are safer and the citizen and officer satisfaction rates are off the charts."

Tsunade stood once again to make her leave. "My point is this, I want- no, I need you to take the position of Hokage, not only because you're the strongest shinobi currently within the village but because you possess the qualities of a great Hokage. You have the Will of Fire and the strength to protect our home, you know how to handle yourself and persevere through tough situations, that's an attribute any good Hokage must have. But most importantly, you are a natural born leader, Sasuke. People like Naruto, they become great leaders through hard work and experience, but you have a natural talent for guiding others. Combining that innate ability with Naruto's philosophy of Hokage, your leadership skills can be the key to years of stability and prosperity for this village, and that is something the Leaf truly needs."

The Fifth approached the exit as team seven internalised her reasons.

"Oh, there's another thing you need to know. If you accept my offer then the remaining two years of your probation will be negated immediately. You will be able to resume your training, you'll be reenlisted in our shinobi ranks once again and you'll no longer have an ANBU squad following your ever move. But of course, I'm not going to force you to take the position of Hokage, think about it carefully, you have two weeks to give me your final decision."

END OF FLASHBACK

Sasuke took a hard look at the handwritten document in his hand and after some deep contemplation, he placed the sheet of paper on top of the left pile of documents faced down.

His trail of thought was broken when a certain individual entered through his office doors.

"Yo Sasuke, you called for me?"

The Uchiha sighed. "I've told you before to address me correctly in the office, Officer Kiba Izunuka." He said calmly as he continued to organise files of documents.

Kiba fought the urged to roll his eyes. "Hai, hai. So what could I do for you, Taichou?"

Sasuke ignored his playful sarcasm. "I need you to run a couple of errands." He focused on the two piles of documents on his desk "The pile on my right are the monthly village status reports, deliver them to the council meeting room."

Kiba approached the desk and grabbed the stack of papers. "And these?" He pointed to the stack on Sasuke's left.

"Those need to be delivered to the Hokage, they require her seal of approval as soon as possible."

"Alright" Kiba replied compliantly as he took the remaining pile in his free hand.

Finished with giving orders, silence enveloped the room and the Inuzuka observed the working Uchiha. Being informed of the tragic news of Naruto, Kiba felt immensely sympathetic for his friend. He and Sasuke have become close friends over the years since he decided to join the police force and even with the superior-subordinate relationship they have at working hours.

Kiba himself took the news of Naruto pretty hard so he couldn't even imagine how Sasuke must feel, well, in the inside, Sasuke has yet to show a hint of despondent emotions towards the news. But everyone's fully aware of Sasuke's difficulties to express outward emotions.

The dog master took a step closer to approach the busy captain.

"Sasuke, you wanna grab a drink after work or something? I know this new place that just opened up nearby and they have the best sake I've ever had, and plus, they have so many hot waitresses working there. How about it? After work let's go pick up some chicks? " Kiba grinned happily.

Sasuke failed to even look up as he continued to work. "I'll pass thanks, I have plenty of work to do with no time to do it in." he replied with barely any attention.

"Oh come on man, you always say that. You're such a workaholic. Look, we all appreciate how much you take your job seriously and you've done a great job of it for all these years but everyone deserves to have some fun every now and then right?" Kiba persisted then spoke in a teasing tone. "Come on, Sasuke. I don't think you're fully comprehending how hot these waitresses are? A man in your position should more enthused about meeting cute girls."

"And what position is that exactly?" Sasuke asked with only a smidge of interest.

"You are the last living Uchiha aren't you? And you're more than old enough to, you know… don't you think it's time for you to find a decent girl and restore your clan?"

Sasuke flinched minutely but quickly resumed organising papers. "I'll restore the Uchiha clan when I believe the time is right, all I care about for now is the safety and wellbeing of the village."

Just as Kiba as about to protest further, a beautiful, petite women with long, light, brown hair wearing the standard police uniform gracefully walked into the office. With light red cheeks and flirtatious eyes, she offered a single document to Sasuke.

"The reports of today's activities, taichou." She whispered seductively while her teasing eyes locked on to Sasuke's.

"Thank you, Lisara." Sasuke reached and received the document.

Kiba straighten his postured as his body tensed.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, taichou?" The busty Lisara asked with lust lingering in her voice.

Sasuke easily ignored her tone. "No, that will be all, thank you."

"Okay, well, if you need anything." The girl turned and swayed her hips as she made her way out the room. But before she left, Kiba, with a brilliant idea spoke up.

"Hey, Lisara. Want to go get a drink with us after work?"

The women stopped to look at Kiba then at Sasuke.

"Will taichou be there?" She sexily bit her bottom lip.

Kiba shrugged his shoulders. "I'm working on that."

Sasuke lowered and shook his head in defeat.

"If taichou is coming then you can count me in." She whispered with a playful wink and finally left the room.

Kiba faced his friend with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "Did you see that? The hottest girl in the whole station is so into you bro! You're going to have to come out with me now?"

Sasuke sighed heavily as his mind was plastered by the colour purple. "I've told you before, pursuing a significant other to rebuild my clan isn't my main priority right now." He argued somewhat half-heartedly.

Sakura's apartment

"I-in lo-love with Naruto?" A stunned Sakura stuttered.

Ino kept her serious stare.

"What are you- how could you even ask me something like that?" Sakura leaned away in a hurry.

"How could I not?" the blond girl countered. "The way you've been talking about Naruto is… it's different than usual? Like there's something more in your voice you know, I can't explain it. But what gives you away is the way you've been acting lately? The last time I've seen you even remotely close to this was when Sasuke left the village."

Shocked and confused, Sakura stood to pretend to walk to her kitchen, but truly she really needed some space.

"And speaking of Sasuke-" Ino continued, immobilising Sakura where she stood. "The way you talk about him is different as well, I've never heard you talk so dismissive about him before?"

Listening to her friends reasons caused Sakura's fists to clench. "Well of course I'm going to act like this, Ino. Naruto is missing, how else would you expect me to behave? But that doesn't mean I've fallen in love with him? And with Sasuke, I… I haven't-" Sakura insisted but couldn't find the words. To her, Ino's question was outrageous, but somehow she felt overly defensive about the topic.

The sitting Ino looked up to her standing, bewildered friend. "Sakura, stop freaking out okay I was just curious that's all. You and Naruto have been so close recently and I just thought, well, we all thought that it was just a matter of time until you two got together."

Sakura blinked. "We?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah?" Ino replied bluntly. "Shikamaru, Choji, Kakashi-sensei, Lady Tsunade, everyone. I think even Hinata was thinking along the same lines? To be honest with you I was actually a little surprised when you told me you rejected him."

Surprised to hear the new piece of news, wide eyed Sakura responded. "What? You all thought me and… well you're all wrong okay. Obviously I care for Naruto and obviously I do love him but not like that? I… I've always been in love with Sasuke." Sakura said unconvincingly. Her last sentence almost sounded more of a question than a statement. Truthfully speaking, Sakura had barely thought about Sasuke for the past month, but what's more shocking was that somehow she really didn't care.

The uncertainty in her voice was something Ino recognised easily.

"Alright fine, if you say so? But let me ask you one more question and I promise I'll stop asking about you and Naruto."

Miss Haruno remained silent to allow her friend the lead.

"Why do you love Sasuke?" the blond questioned seriously and her eyes locked onto Sakura's.

The female member of team seven was taken aback, the question took her by surprised as she thought of an answer. She opened her mouth but no words escaped. Horrifically, the more she thought about the question the harder it was to create a truthful answer.

Standing like a statue with a face that described complete shock, Sakura involuntarily revisited her memories from the past three years.

The first and only thing that came to her head were all the memories of her, Naruto and Sasuke happily spending time with one another. She thought about how she felt during those times and how she felt for Sasuke. It was clear to Sakura that her feelings towards the Uchiha were no longer the same and definitely no longer as intense as when she was a 12 year old genin, but she always thought that was because she'd matured and outgrown her fan girl like behaviour.

Sakura then compared how she felt when she spent time with Naruto and Sasuke individually. With Sasuke, she'd always remember being a little tense around him, the conversations together were mostly about shinobi matters or the village and he would constantly avoid any topic related to feelings, emotions, or personal life. But for the worst part, for the life of her, Sakura could not remember a single moment when Sasuke made her laugh.

Letting the moment slide, the medic thought about Naruto. Revisiting her memories with him brought forth a whole new set of feelings, the exact opposite of what she felt for Sasuke to be precise.

Remembering her times with her blond friend was a joyous experience for Sakura. Her mind travelled to all the times they would have lunch together, how he would always do something idiotic to piss her off but actually find his antics entertaining. No matter how upset she was from a bad day at work, Naruto would always be first to console her, tell her everything's going to be alright and somehow, somehow find a way to make her smile and laugh. She also remembers how they would sometimes train with one another, and after those training sessions, Naruto and her would grab some dinner, relax at either one of their homes and talk about anything and everything. The conversations varied from something as simple as what flavoured ramen is the best to expressing their deepest feelings and worries about the future.

However, no matter what they talked about, Sakura always felt safe and secure.

This thought caused her eyes widened from a sudden realisation, a crucial, life changing realisation.

'Naruto's the one who's always made me happy.'

As the jinchuuriki's goofy but heart-warming smile ingrained into Sakura's heart, she couldn't help see him in a different light. It was as if she'd opened her eyes and saw his face for the very first time. This new, wonderful sensation running through her veins was almost indescribable, it was like Sakura had unlocked a new wave of emotions that's been dormant within her heart for so many years.

Then the revelation struck her, all her happiness was exchanged by a gut-wrenching sensation that shocked Sakura's system as she begun to question what it is that makes her love Sasuke in the first place. It wasn't his laid back personality and it definitely wasn't how he made her feel. so what was it?

'Could everything I felt towards Sasuke was all because of his looks? But Naruto's become just as good looking as Sasuke so how come I haven't noticed him sooner? Am I really that shallow to ignore Naruto's feelings for me because of some 12 year old infatuation for Sasuke?'

Ino continued to observe the thoughtful Sakura wrestling with what her mind was thinking and what her heart desired most. However, Ino was relieved that Sakura was finally seeing what the rest of their close friends have seen for years. 'Just one more nudge in the right direction….'

"I take it from your silence that you're not entirely sure why you love Sasuke?" Ino stood from her seat. "Let me ask you one more question that should help you with your little problem, Sakura. How would you feel if somehow Sasuke was no longer in your life? Then I want you to imagine your life as it is right now but without Naruto, forever. How would you feel then?"

The pink haired medic was speechless once again. The idea of losing either one of them was inconceivable to Sakura. In one way or another she loves them both dearly from the bottom of her heart. However, as she begun to contemplate a life without either of them, the girl couldn't deny an instant, distinct difference between the two hypothetical worlds.

The idea of losing Sasuke was an unpleasant and uncomfortable thing to imagine. Although her relationship with him has always been intense and complicated from the start, he is still one of her oldest and dearest friends. Losing him again in her life would be tragic.

On the other hand, imagining her life without Naruto was absolutely heart breaking. Just the idea of not having that one constant in her life, the one who she could always rely on, the one who's always done everything he could just to make her smile, the idea felt as if someone had crushed her soul.

Sakura snapped out of her time of reflection only to run to her bedroom at full speed shocking Ino in the process.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" The blond yelled out in confusion.

Sakura arrived in her room in seconds then frantically searched inside her wardrobe.

The rushing team seven member, now wearing one of her jackets ran out of her room, dashed passed Ino to run towards her shoes.

Ino followed the wild pink head as Sakura slid into her footwear. "What are you doing, Sakura? And where do you plan on going wearing that?"

Sakura ignored the fact she was in her nightwear with only a puffy jacket. "I have to see Sasuke, I need to know if I made a really big mistake." The girl rushed as she placed one of her sandals on.

Understanding what's happening, Ino almost leaked a victorious smirk, but instead, she decided a little teasing was in order. "I'm happy to see you've finally realised your feelings but, now that Naruto's gone you've finally realised that you've been in love with him all this time? This whole thing sounds like an overused plot from a crappy fanfiction, you know that right?"

Equipped with both her sandals, Sakura reached for the door. "I don't know if I'm in love with Naruto yet and I don't care what it sounds like, I just need to know exactly how I feel."

Konoha Police Station

"Are you sure there's nothing I can say or do to persuade you to come out tonight?" Kiba persisted harder.

"Like I've told you for the last ten minutes, Kiba. I can't do it, I'm too busy." Sasuke replied with finally some hint of irritation.

Kiba sighed in sad acceptancy. "Suit yourself, more cute waitresses for me. But you're the ones who's going to have to tell Lisara the bad news."

Just as the Inuzuka was about to leave, his and every other officers attentions was stolen by the pink tornado that smashed her way inside the room.

"Sakura?" Kiba questioned sceptically. He begun to question why she was so out of breath and her choice of attire.

The girl in all pink darted and locked her eyes on to Sasuke who was just as confused as everyone else in the room.

Sakura marched across the room towards the Uchiha with poise. She ignored the police officers surrounding her as if she and Sasuke were the only two people in the world.

Sasuke walked around his desk to confront the girl as Kiba questioned. "Hey, Sakura, what are you doing here dressed like-"Sakura ignored and brushed past the Inuzuka thus cutting his question short.

Confused and Apprehensive, Sasuke stepped forward. "Are you alright? What's goin-"

Sakura aggressively wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down and smashed their lips together for one big, unexpected kiss.

Sasuke's eyes popped open as his body froze from shock. His hands laid still in the air whilst Sakura continued to connect their lips together. Kiba's own eyes and mouth were just as wide. Witnessing the bizarre turn of events, the dog lover could only stuttered incoherent words.

Sasuke knew there was something odd about this kiss, Sakura isn't the type to randomly kiss guys so this sudden act of affection must have a good reason. Thus, instead of ending the kiss prematurely, he opted to allow Sakura the lead and wait.

Sakura eventually pulled away and unwrapped her arms around the stoic captain. The stillness and the deafening sound of silence only enhanced the tension in the room. Sakura's emotionless eyes stared deeply into Sasuke's.

That's the moment she felt it, or the lack of it to be precise.

Their kiss hadn't caused her heart to race, Sakura wasn't bursting with passion or excitement from achieving what she believed to be one of her greatest fantasies. But most importantly, the lack of butterflies in her stomach finally told her the truth.

She does not love Sasuke.

Her expression shifted and without another word, Sakura turned and made the long march back to the buildings exit.

It took several uncertain moments of silence before all the officers in the room resumed their work.

Finally recovering from the impulsive kiss, Sasuke watched the exit doors and form a little smirk of happiness. 'So you've finally figured it out, it took you long enough.'

Sakura's Apartment.

Hearing the opening and closing of the front door, Ino gasped and immediately dropped the magazine in her hands. Arriving at the scene in a matter of seconds, Ino found an overly emotional Sakura leaning her back against the wooden door. Pools of tears accumulated in her eyes as Ino attempted to read her friends current emotional status.

"Sakura, what happened? Did you see Sasuke? How do you feel?" The girl asked frantically.

Tearful Sakura smiled but her expression displayed sadness as well as joy. The girl was completely torn apart from the fact she wasted her time lying to herself by 'loving' someone with no legitimate reason and also from the devastating realisation that over a month ago, she had made the biggest mistake of her life. However, the truth. The root of her overwhelming bliss was the undeniable truth.

"I'm in love with Naruto."

AN - Here comes the flaming.

People will have mixed reviews about this chapter I know, but please stay patient as the entire story so far isn't even a quarter of the way through yet. There is a lot more to come, I promise you that.

I know this chapter is short but the next chapter is coming out sooner than usual. Maybe by the end of this week, maybe.