Tsunade hobbled to Sasuke's funeral, firmly grasping her crutches. Her wounds were almost healed and they were quite tender. She groaned as she tried to put all her weight on her leg. She arrived right on time and stood beside Naruto when the service started. Hinata was standing in front of him with Sakura on his other side.
Kakashi talked about their missions together as Team 7. Nobody questioned him leaving many years alone as he traveled through Sasuke's life. Everyone gave him their full attention as he talked about the man that Sasuke had become; kind but gruff, devoted, remorseful, loving, and strong. Tsunade draped an arm over Naruto's shoulder, ignoring the pain in her leg.
She watched as his emotions triggered the rinnegan. She thought about how painful it must be, having his best friend's eyes. She squeezed his shoulder gently and he looked at her, his eyes hard. This shocked her and he looked forward, his grasp on his wife firm. She wondered how many people the poor man would have to lose.
She chanced a glance at Sakura and saw something that disturbed her. The young woman was staring straight forward, with no expression. Her face is completely blank, Tsunade thought, her heart strings tugging. She looked down at the ground and listened through the remainder of the service.
Sakura stared ahead, allowing herself to feel nothing. When the service ended, she went back to work. She healed a few minor injuries and was happy about the lack of reminders, until a little boy with a broken finger appeared on one of her charts. That was when realization finally struck her.
I wanted to have his children, she thought, now no one ever will. This thought froze her, her hand on the doorknob. The Uchiha were gone now, completely. She looked down to realize that she had crushed the doorknob. She jerked her hand away and looked down at it as if it were a foreign protrusion that didn't belong there. She calmly walked to the front desk and handed the head nurse her chart.
"I'm sorry," she said with her best fake smile, "I forgot something important today."
The nurses said nothing as she hung up her coat and left. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She didn't want to realize that there would never be another Uchiha. She didn't want to think about having not even a small piece of the man she loved left to her. She didn't want to know that he was never coming home.
Tsunade walked through the hospital, preparing for her final healing session. She was almost to her old friend's office when something shining in her peripheral vision caught her attention. It was light glinting off of a crushed doorknob. She started to run after Sakura and quickly fell to the ground.
Shit, she thought, I can't chase her until Shizune heals this damn leg of mine. She growled and grabbed her crutches, forcing herself upright. She walked to her office as quickly as she could, where her dearest friend was already waiting. When Tsunade told her to hurry, she didn't even question it.
Sakura barely made it to her spot in the woods. She grabbed the sides of her head and screamed to the heavens. Once she was completely exerted, she walked back to the village. When she arrived home, she found Tsunade waiting on her doorstep. She quickly shut herself down and approached her teacher.
"Hello, Tsunade-sama. I see your crutches are gone. That's good," She said, plastering on her fake smile.
"Who do you think you're fooling, Sakura? Surely you don't think I'd fall for that," Tsunade said, cocking her head to one side menacingly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said without falter.
The older woman grabbed her shoulders and looked her square in the eye. Sakura could tell she was forcing herself not to say what was on her mind. This is odd even for her, she thought, still not letting herself feel.
"You don't have to die with him, you stupid girl," Tsunade practically spat in her face.
"Well, of course not. I'm right here with you," she said, still not cracking.
"No, you're not. You may pretend to be. Some people may even believe you. But I never will. I know you," she answered, getting angry.
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Sakura responded, feeling her wall crack.
"God damn it, Sakura, stop it. This isn't you!" Tsunade shouted, feeling tears in her eyes.
"Tsunade-sama, are you alright? You look like you're about to cry," she said, having to focus to maintain her façade.
"No, I'm not fucking alright! You're acting like a god damned automaton! You should be crying! Shouting! Doing some form of grieving! You shouldn't be running around pretending you're okay!" She said furiously through gritted teeth.
"Okay, you've lost me," she responded with a sigh.
Tsunade growled at the young woman before shoving her backwards, causing her to stumble. When Sakura didn't even flinch, she got even angrier. She clenched her fists at her sides and glared at Sakura, one tear escaping from her eye. Not even the slightest reaction could be seen. Tsunade turned to walk away.
"When you're ready to stop pretending, I'll be here. Until then, stay away from me. I won't be around you if you aren't you. I don't even care if you're sobbing uncontrollably. At least that's human," Tsunade said over her shoulder, not even looking back before walking away.
Sakura stood there, stunned, until Tsunade was long out of sight. I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, she thought, I won't let myself hurt anyone else. She clutched her hands over her heart before walking in her front door, her resolve hardening. Never again.