Chapter 7

It had been four months since Sakura had returned to Konoha. She had completed her community service hours after a month and still had to live with Sasuke, not that she minded.

Sakura was used to her life in Konoha by now. The village had seen her in a new light and actually said good things to her. Things were so different that Sakura was uneasy but she did her best to forget and forgive them. Eventually, she did and her outings weren't as uncomfortable as they were.

Team 7 was finally back together after being disbanded for so long. They broke apart due to each member's aspirations to become stronger, leading to their own special training. They had trained together the last couple of months and even went on missions together. Sakura knew that Kakashi was grateful that she had returned and the two talked about what happened during the 'Akatsuki Arc' as Naruto called it. They told each other of stories that had happened, like the time Naruto used his sexy jutsu on Sasuke but with her figure and the time that Takeshi almost kissed Konan when he ingested some sort of chemical. Whenever they trained, Kakashi and Sakura would spend the time talking and it was only recently that Sakura admitted to him that he was more of a father than her own. Kakashi also confessed that he felt like she was the daughter he never had and Sakura jokingly said that he would have to marry Tsunade. His eye showed great distaste before letting out a chuckle of his own. As the weeks passed, Team 7's bond grew stronger than ever.

At present time, Sakura walked around with Ino because she needed an ANBU to guard her at all times. The two talked about the latest gossip and fashion until they were interrupted in front of the ANBU Interrogation Headquarters.

"Haruno." Ibiki called out. The two girls looked at each other with a curious face before walking over to him.

"Yes sir?" Sakura asked. Even as an ex-Akatsuki member, she was a bit intimidated by him.

"We need you in here. I know that Tsunade would probably make you skip the exams and just make you ANBU. I also know that your torture methods were very effective." He started. Ino's eyes widened in disbelief. She knew that it was very rare for Ibiki to compliment someone.

"Er, sure. But I think I would probably be the head doctor at the hospital if anything and my ANBU missions would take up quite some time. I can extract information every now and then." Sakura replied and gave him a smile. Ibiki agreed to that and rhe two walked away before Ino squealed.

"Oh my god! That was so awesome. Sakura, he complimented your skill and that's the rarest thing ever!" Sakura laughed it off and looked at her watch. She frowned and Ino asked what was wrong.

"I gotta go to the Uchiha compound soon. Sasuke insisted we stay there for dinner and I need to get ready."

Ino gave a knowing smirk and Sakura inwardly groaned. She was in her teasing mode.

"So, Sakura. How's life with the Uchiha? Is a ravager or a gentle one?" Sakura blushed and smacked her arm.

"We've only dated for like four months!"

"Yeah, but you're perverted. I see the way you look at him when you guys train." Ino stuck her tongue out and Sakura chased her all the way back to the flat she lived in.

Sasuke looked out his window and sweatdropped. Outside was Sakura chasing Ino in circles, yelling incomprehensibly. He sighed and thought it was one of the many consequences of Ino's teasing.

"UCHIHA! KEEP YOUR GIRL ON A LEASH PLEASE!" Ino screamed.

"I'M NOT A DOG!"

He sighed again and went outside.

"Sakura, babe, you need to get ready for dinner. Come in already."

Sakura gave Ino one last glare before jogging up to Sasuke. He gave her a chaste kiss and the two went inside.

After dinner, the two went home. Sakura was closer to Sasuke's family than her own. Though she and Mikoto talked to each other most of the time, she and Fugaku also talked but of strategies and techniques. Sakura also teased Itachi about Saki and joked around during dinner. Sakura did her best to avoid her parents and was successful. They realized that they were also at fault and decided to leave their relationship as it was.

Sakura curled up next to Sasuke on their bed. He wrapped an arm around her and she giggled.

"What is it?"

"Well, there's another hangout tomorrowand I want to go."

She heard a groan and giggled again. Usually, Konoha 11 and Sakura's friends hung out every week at either a bar or Ichiraku's. This time, they were going to a bar.

"No."

"Please?"

"Hn."

"Baby…" Sakura gave him puppy eyes and Sasuke sighed, giving in.

"Whatever."

"Also, Ibiki wants me to work in the Interrogation unit but I already have a spot at the hospital and ANBU. I agreed to do a couple every now and then."

Sasuke opened his eyes and Sakura waited, hoping he wasn't angry. He surprisingly gave her a soft smirk and a kiss.

"As long as you don't tire yourself out. Go to sleep."

With that, the two slept in each other's arms.

Sakura was laughing at the scene in front of her. Lee was once again drunk and showing his youth. There was a circle forming around him as he did the worm and other crazy dance moves. Sakura sipped her drink before feeling a kiss on her neck.

Sasuke gave her a smirk and she gave him a smile. The two kissed but Sasuke felt something hit his head.

"Oy! Teme! No making out, we're supposed to talk!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke gave him a glare and he stuck his tongue out.

"Too loud to talk." he muttered before drinking his shot. Sakura laughed at him before talking with the girls.

"Say Tenten, do you know you strip sometimes when you're drunk?"

Tenten blushed in shock.

"I do? Oh my god, that's horrible!"

"Not as bad as Ino-pig. She gets all flirty and touchy but I don't think Shikamaru minds." Sakura laughed when Ino glared at her.

"Says the one who turns into a child!"

"I do not!"

"Ano, Sakura-chan. You did ask for a unicorn for your birthday last week."

Sakura sweatdropped.

"I did? What the heck."

All the girls laughed and took some more shots. Kiba was busy hitting on girls and Shino was nursing a vodka bottle. Chouji was eating, which was not surprising, and talking to Shikamaru. Saki and Itachi were busy somewhere else and Sakura did not want to know where she was. Yuki and Takeshi were having a drinking contest and Sakura sighed, knowing that she would have to drag them back to their house.

After a couple minutes of talking, each girl took her respective man out on the dance floor. Sakrua draped her arms behind her, resting them around Sasuke's neck as he snaked his arms around her waist. They moved to the beat of the song, both close to each other. Sasuke, from behind Sakura, kissed her neck and she giggled lightly. She felt his smirk from behind her and she let out one of her own. She pushed her hips against his pelvis and he tensed. Sakura laughed at this and dug deeper. Sasuke let out a growl before putting his hands on her waist and grinded against her. Sakura moaned and turned her head to kiss him. The two grinded while kissing and Naruto looked at them from the bar. He and Hinata went back down after a few dances and talked to each other. He shot them a disgusted look, which they didn't see at all.

"Ne, teme's never done that before. It's sorta nasty."

"Naruto-kun, leave them alone. They finally got what they wanted." Hinata replied and he gave her a smile.

"I'm happy I have you. Man, that teme better make me the best man." Naruto grumbled and Hinata let out a laugh.

"Of course he will."

"Now an even more disgusting sight is Neji and Tenten. God, look at them! They're practically having sex with clothes on."

"But Naruto, so is everyone else." chimed in Chouji who was still eating.

"But its Neji! That's weird!" Naruto said and Chouji agreed.

"True."

"Ano, can we not talk about Neji-nii-san? It's weird." Hinata said a bit red. Naruto laughed before the two went back to talking about their day and such.

After hours of dancing/grinding, the rest went back to the bar to drink a bit more. For some crazy reason, Ino challenged Hinata to a drinking contest and she surprisingly accepted. The result was that Hinata unexpectedly won. After the contest, the liquor kicked in and Ino was heatedly making out with Shikamaru and Hinata was shamelessly flirting with Naruto. Sakura and Tenten were howling in laughter and took pictures as blackmail. They also found Yuki trying to talk to Takeshi but was actually talking to a stool. Takeshi was on the floor sleeping soundly even with the music blaring in the heated club. Neji decided to call it a night due to the fact that his cousin was the complete opposite of herself and that Naruto loved every minute of it. They bed each other goodbye and once again took their drunken counterparts home.

LINR BREAKE THINGY

Sakura and Sasuke came back home a bit tipsy. She was laughing and he gave her a small smirk as he opened the door and the two went inside.

When they got inside, Sakura knelt on the floor laughing her ass off. Sasuke chuckled a bit before closing the door behind them.

"They-they," Sakura started. "Oh my god Ino kissed Neji thinking that he was Shikamaru with his hair down and Tenten was so angry! Unbelieveable."

"I have it on film." Sasuke stated with a smirk. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"No way. Oh my god, make multiple copies."

Sasuke chuckled at that and he helped her up. Sakura gave him a kiss and the two got ready for bed except this time would be different. Sakura took a shower and put on one of Sasuke's large shirts before getting on the bed. He lay there with nothing on but boxers. Sakura looked at his body lustily; he had a very toned Sasuke looked up from his book only to see Sakura wearing his favorite shirt. She crawled over and went on top of him.

"Do you know how sexy you look?" Sasuke asked roughly and pulled her down to kiss him but she stopped him.

"That's what I was aiming for." Sakura said before whispering in his ear. "By the way, I'm not wearing any underwear."

That was enough for Sasuke to get hard. He smashed his lips to hers and the two joined in a passionate lip lock. Sakura let her hands touch his toned chest and six pack. He growled when he felt her hand slip under his boxers only to move back up to caress his abs. He flipped her over and sucked on her neck, making her moan. He let his hands roam over her body while she craned her neck further, giving him more access. He gently massaged her breasts and she moaned once more. It was then known that from that night forward, suspicious sounds were heard from the Uchiha's house from anyone who walked by. People say it was haunted, but their group of friends knew better.

After a year, Sakura and her friends finally reached ANBU status. Although Sakura worked as head doctor in the hospital, she worked on ANBU missions every now and then. True to her word, she would stop by the Interrogation Headquarters when they needed her and was successful every time. It seems like being an ex-Akatsuki member had its perks.

She usually worked at the hospital but she was called out on S-ranked missions that either needed a medic or some sort of poisoning. As such, she was usually on assassination or infiltration missions. With her skill and smarts, she never failed any mission. For her interrogation missions, she used the same methods she had used long ago. She would beat her opponents to an inch of their death before healing them and repeating the process. She never did like doing any of these missions but it was good for both the village and her. She was able to let out her anger and her sadistic side. Though she was warm and nice, she still had the vicious side of her, which she only let out during missions. That year Tsunade gave her in Akatsuki was good because she trained herself to control her emotions.

Not only that, she and Sasuke were closer than ever and the two still lived with each other even after her house arrest was done. The two would be seen walking together with Sakura laughing and Sasuke smirking. The usual places they were found at were either at the hospital, marketplace, Ichiraku's, and the training grounds. Sakura was always teased by Ino and Tenten because of the noises they heard at night. Sakura denied everything but the hickies on her neck were proof of what had happened.

Sakura wasn't known as a deadly Akatsuki member anymore. She wasn't known as the one who killed with no emotions though they still remembered at times. Now, Sakura was known as one of the most formidable ANBU, as one of the most talented doctors, and as one of Konoha's most loyal kunoichi. She was not only known for her combat and torture techniques but also of her medical skills. Sakura was known from being warm and friendly, always there to help others.

She, Naruto, and Sasuke grew up to take in the footsteps of the Legendary Sanin. They were often sent on S-ranked missions together and always came back successful. They were unstoppable together and everyone knew it. With both Sasuke and Sakura's quick thinking and Naruto's endless limits, they proved to be an unstoppable trio.

Takeshi and Yuki were known as one of the happiest and easygoing couples in Konoha. Although both were taken, they still had plenty of admirers. Takeshi had dark green eyes and a nice build while Yuki had long black hair and slender figure. Her hazel eyes attracted more guys and Takeshi loved it. She would leave him in the clutches of his fangirls and so would he. They were known for their humorous banters. Takeshi was the comical one while Yuki was more serious. Despite their actions, they were also known as one of the most formidable duos. They worked extremely well together and knew each other's actions and moves. They were usually sent on spy missions and if not, they were seen fooling around somewhere at Konoha. Everyone knew that with their addition to Konoha, things would be more entertaining.

Today, Sakura came back from shopping at the marketplace. Everyone couldn't help but forget that she was once cold and distant, that she had once killed innocent lives. But people change and Sakura changed for the better. She was laughing because Takeshi and Yuki. Takeshi was once again surrounded by fangirls and Yuki stood off to the side laughing her ass off. Takeshi then yelled out that he had a used shirt of hers and her fanboys came running towards her. The two were surrounded by their fans and were glaring each other's faces off. It was only with Sakura's interferance that the fans ran off and the two were forced to reconcile. A few minutes after that, the two went back to their happy couple status and picked out food together. The people surrounding them either sweatdropped or looked at them with amused faces.

And so, Sakura lived her new life, grateful for the chance she was given. She went to hangouts every week and spent time with Sasuke and his family. She went on missions and worked at the hospital. She lived her life to the fullest knowing that she wouldn't have done any of this if it weren't for Tsunade's interferance. She was happy and content and everyone knew it.

Finally, everything came back to place. Life in Konoha was finally as normal as it could be.

10 years later

It would be known that after Sasuke and Sakura got married, they would bring new children to the village of Konoha. They brought Konoha three boys and two girls. The eldest looked exactly like his father and acted like him. The second had his father's hair but his mother's eyes and personality. The third was a girl who was the splitting image of her mother but with the behavior of her father. The last two were twins. The boy had the Uchiha's dominant traits but his hair was flat like Sakura. He was the one who was interested in the medical field while his sister, who also had the dominant traits of an Uchiha, went for the combat field. It was looked down upon because usually girls went worked towards the medical field and boys strove for the shinobi path. However, both had inherited Sakura's happy personality and they both talked too much for their own good. The people of Konoha were surprised that they were the children of the two Sannin; they talked enough to be confused as one of Naruto's kids.

The village knew now not to do what they had done with Sakura. They knew not to focus attention on one only to forget the other. They encouraged the twins but not out of fear. They did it out of genuine kindness and because they realized their mistake all those years ago, that once a child was surrounded by darkness they would be consumed by it.

And so Sakura was out of the shadows. It was thanks to all of her friends and mentors because they were the one thing that brought her out of the darkness.

They were the rays of guidance that brought her to the light.

AN: Okay guys. Honestly, I think I could have done better so I might probably edit this a bit later. Review if you wanted the real angsty ending. I'm the type of Sasusaku fan that would cry if one of them died or be unhappy if something bad happened between them so knowing me, I made the ending happy. However, the real ending, the original one, included something far worse than any of this. So just review if you're curious and I'll start on it! Or you can just review and criticize about my style, I'm fine with it. Criticism and reviews are happily accepted :)