Sakura knelt down on one knee when they'd finally destroyed the last of the projectiles. Her breathing was heavy and everybody looked exhausted. They were all wondering what was next when they showed up. They were a group of ninja she'd never seen.

"You must be Naruto," The one in the front shouted at everyone's favorite blonde ninja as his emotions caused his eyes to flare.

Sakura tried to count them but lost track at one hundred and fifty. She stopped counting and focused on the leader. She knew it wasn't going to be like fighting the Zetsu. They were all experienced nin. She looked to Naruto for a cue.

"Well, in that case we'll be taking those eyes back. You see we've been trying to get them since the end of the war. Don't worry, we'll be real nice to them once we rip them out of your skull," he said with a guttural laugh.

Sakura clenched her fists and thought through her plan of attack. She wouldn't wait for her cue. She would use the remainder of her reserved Chakra to give Naruto an opening. She looked at the knucklehead and saw that he was about to jump.

"Naruto!" She shouted, stopping him in his tracks.

Sakura nodded at him before launching herself into the air. She focused all of her reserved Chakra into her first and, as the enemy braced for attack, slammed her fist right into the ground. The ground crumbled all around the enemy and Naruto summoned clones. Everyone attacked the enemy at once while they were distracted. Naruto, along with three of his clones, headed for the leader.

Meanwhile, underground, Tsunade held a screaming baby boy in her hands. She clipped the umbilical cord and cut right above the clip. She regretted that Naruto wasn't there for the birth of his first born but there were more pressing matters at hand.

"I'm sorry buddy. Your daddy is up there fighting for us all. He'll come see you when this is all done," she said before handing him to a nurse to be cleaned.

Tsunade focused her attention on Hinata now that she knew the baby was safe. The new mother was already unconscious from blood loss. She told her father, Hiashi, that she would need blood for a transfusion. He immediately offered her his arm and one of the nurses stuck the needle in his vein.

She focused her Chakra into her hands and began healing the internal damage. The Hyuuga clan leader bled fast and they had two bags filled by the time the damage was healed. She quickly transfused the blood to the sickeningly pale young woman.

Sakura was exhausted. She'd already used up her reserve and most of her normal Chakra. She was panting and kneeling in her crater. When a kunai was launched at her, she barely had the energy to deflect it.

Her weakness irritated her and she stood on sheer willpower. When an enemy charged at her she focused the last of her Chakra into her hand, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater within a crater. She was about to faint when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. A familiar warm power surged through her body.

"Don't overexert yourself, Sakura," Naruto said as he looked down at her with the eyes of the man she loved.

Sakura felt a pang in her heart but nodded her head. She wondered how Hinata was doing as she stood. She reminded herself to thank Kurama later for the temporary use of his power.

Tsunade sat back on her haunches, relieved. Hinata was going to be fine. She smiled as she watched the color return to the woman's cheeks. She glanced over at the healthy baby boy and felt overjoyed for Naruto. Naruto! She thought, jumping to her feet. She instructed one of Katsuyu's segments to watch over Hinata and the baby.

Once back above ground, her eyes immediately found Sakura. She was surrounded by a warm glow that Tsunade knew well. She breathed a sigh of relief and searched out Naruto. The battle was raging on in, what looked like, a canyon. She thought about Sakura's obvious advancement as she ran to the battlefield. Sakura turned to look at her. In the moment it took her to turn around, Tsunade watched a blade strike Sakura in the back and come out of her chest.

Tsunade screamed and rushed to the battlefield. She grabbed the man that had stabbed Sakura and snapped his neck in one swift movement. She knelt beside Sakura, removed the blade, and moved the woman's hands off her own chest, and tried healing the wound. She quickly learned that her Chakra was doing nothing. Frustrated, she pulled Sakura's emergency medical kit off the young woman's hip and was fortunate to find a needle and horse hair for stitching.

Sakura looked up at Tsunade, the pain in her chest searing. I don't want to die, she thought, looking at the older woman. She coughed and felt the warm liquid trickle down her cheek. Was Sasuke's death painful? She wondered.

"I know you miss him and want to be with him Sakura but, please, not yet," Tsunade said, pouring alcohol onto the wound to disinfect it.

Sakura felt the sting of the alcohol and had to grit her teeth to hold in the scream. She thought about what Tsunade had said. If she died on the battlefield, she could be with him again. She realized, however, that she didn't want that.

"…..wrong," Sakura forced out.

"What? Stop trying to talk, you idiot," Tsunade said, tears streaming down her face.

"You're…wrong," Sakura said.

She forced herself to raise a bloodied hand to her teacher's cheek. She realized she didn't want to die yet because she wanted to stay with the woman who was so intent on helping her. She watched Tsunade's eyes go wide. Tsunade stared at her for few short moments before returning her attention to Sakura's injuries.

She realized it then, the reason everything seemed to be falling into place as she was dying. While she had been training with Tsunade, spending every waking moment with her, helping her through Jiraiya's death, and through her binges, Sakura had fallen in love with the woman. Her two loves were completely different from one another so she didn't even notice.

Sakura thought about all the times she should have known and mentally slapped herself. Sasuke, I'm sorry. I love you and part of my heart will always belong to you. I know you haven't been gone very long but I'm going to entrust the rest of it to Tsunade. I know she'll take care of it as you would have. Something tells me you understand. Then she felt a cool breeze of understanding wash over her. She smiled her first real smile since Sasuke's death as she fell into unconsciousness.

Tsunade watched as Sakura's lips parted in a smile, revealing her blood-coated teeth. Her heart both warmed and throbbed at the sight. Don't let this be her last smile, she begged, Please, powers that be, let her live to smile another day.

Just then, Naruto appeared behind her, his palm tingling. He saw Sakura's Chakra center fading. He placed his hand over her heart and reignited the flame. He smiled as her entire Chakra network lit up. He patted Tsunade on the shoulder, silently conveying his message that she'd be alright and stood to walk away.

Tsunade stared at Naruto, wide eyed, as he walked calmly back toward the leader of the enemy. Knowing he'd make quick work of him, she focused her attention back on the woman she loved. He's become quite a remarkable man. Her pulse is stronger than ever, she thought, Thank heavens for hearing my prayer.