Hello. Thank you for being here. This is my first attempt at writing for Naruto and, of course, NaruSaku. This is my take on a revised, NaruSaku-oriented version of the second to last manga chapter, because I felt that a lot of things were really rushed. This is a one-shot, but I don't exclude future updates with extra parts of the story. There is also a very early SasuKarin in the making. I think I'll stop talking now. Please enjoy the read.

Sakura entered the hospital room, and almost did a double take. It felt so unreal to see them both, there, asleep, and peaceful. Her teammates. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Both wearing bandages and band-aids, and Sasuke with a seal covering his eyes, which reminded her that the last Uchiha was technically a prisoner, for all the crimes he committed while rogue.

"Sakura..." The deep, raspy voice of the dark haired boy shook her.

"You're awake." She said, in the most professional tone she could muster.

"I was hoping we could talk... While Naruto is still asleep."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Talk about what?"

"I feel the need to explain myself to you. A big part of what I did is unforgivable, and I know that. But... I know that you and this loser, over here, never gave up on me. I also owe you an explanation for my... change of sides. The loser already knows most of the story." He used his arm to help himself sit up.

Sakura delicately sat on Naruto's bed, careful not to wake the blond up. "I'll listen then." She curtly said. "You better make it good, for all the suffering you caused to him... to us."

Sasuke merely nodded. "When I was seven, my entire clan was murdered." He started. "At the hands of my brother, Itachi."

"I know that." the medic ninja cut in. "I was hoping that after you had killed him... You'd come back."

Sasuke nodded meekly. "That was my plan. But... When I woke up after his death, I discovered Itachi's deepest secret. His actions, all of them, were made on Konoha's order. Specifically, Danzo's."

Sakura's eyes widened, as her jaw fell. "You mean..." She started.

"The Uchiha were planning to overthrow the Hokage. Itachi disagreed with them, and worked as a double agent for Konoha, and, before the Third could talk some sense into them, Danzo gave him the order to proceed. He agreed, but he bargained something for it... My survival. I had to survive, in his shadow, hating him, to be strong enough to kill him, to punish him for his actions. Yet I still failed."

Sakura's head was spinning. Everything she knew about Itachi... About the Uchiha clan... All of it, was a lie.

"When I found out about that, I swore revenge on Konoha. They condemned my clan to oblivion, and my brother to die as a traitor, when he was one of the biggest heroes that the village had ever seen. I wanted to make Konoha suffer what Itachi had suffered. And... Obito, right? Obito used that to his advantage. He told me he could help me get my revenge, but I had to do something for him. So, while Pain attacked Konoha, I moved with my team to capture Killer B. He almost took all of us out, and he managed to trick me anyway. Then I found out Danzo was made Hokage, so I went to kill him. After that we met... When we tried to kill each other." He finished with a grim smile. "I was drunk on power... Blinded by my revenge on Konoha. I was so sure to be right... Then I met Itachi again."

"How..." Sakura started, struggling to keep the tears in her eyes from falling, having been reminded of the most painful part of her life.

"He was revived as an Edo Tensei. He met Naruto and B first, and had managed to break out of Kabuto's control. Together, we managed to trap Kabuto in a genjutsu, and we made him release the Edo Tensei. Itachi was also responsible for Kabuto's change of heart."

Pieces of the puzzle got together in Sakura's mind: the unknown hero who stopped Edo Tensei was one that Kohoha deemed as a traitor, a cold-blooded murderer.

"During our fight with Kabuto, Itachi kept repeating that he was doing that as Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf, as a last service to the place he loved the most... and to Naruto." Sasuke continued, oblivious to Sakura's widening eyes. "Hearing that, I went to talk to the Hokages... I wanted to know everything about the shinobis, hoping to have better understanding my brother's actions, and the reason behind them. And I reached a conclusion. I wanted to embrace all the hatred, all the rage of every single shinobi in the world, on myself. I wanted to keep the Nations united by giving them a common enemy. I'm sorry for the genjutsu, by the way. I didn't want to you to die, it was between me and him."

Sakura looked to the slumbering hero on her right, and smiled weakly.

"A while before you and Kakashi came to us, I asked him what was the meaning of the friendship he kept insisting bonded us. He said that looking at me, taking all the hatred on myself, suffering for it, he felt some pain, too. And I saw all my life in a different way. I understood our bond. And I felt his pain, too. So, I'm really sorry, Sakura. For all the suffering I caused to you, both. For all the pain. If I don't get executed for my crimes, I'll do my best to atone. Whatever it takes." He concluded.

"I'll forgive you... One day." Sakura said, almost choking on her words. She had a much clearer vision of Sasuke's life, now, but she didn't find it in her heart to let everything go right now.

"It's all I can wish for. Thank you. And... I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll ever return your feelings."

"It's ok. I... I grew out of it. Do you have someone in mind?" Sakura instinctively looked at the blond on her side.

"I have you to thank for that, again... Karin, her name is. I stabbed her to kill Danzo... Yet she was still ready to help me when I needed it... And I know that you healed her. So, thank you, for cleaning up my mess." Sasuke gave a rare smile, turning to her.

"Treat her well... idiot." The medic answered, getting up and gently shoving his shoulder, before activating her healing chakra and making sure all the bleeding from the arm was stopped. "Naruto was right though... Once you can't move your mouth makes up for it." She teased. "This was the most I've ever heard you talk."

"I want to try and... Open up. You are the second one I've ever seen as a friend, and the first one keeps bugging me about asking you for forgiveness whenever he's awake."

Sakura let out a chuckle. That was her Naruto all right. She left Sasuke's side and went back to the blond's, to perform the same examination. "Did you really have to blow up your arms?" She muttered.

"Sorry... Sakura... chan." Naruto's sleepy voice responded, and a moment later he lazily opened his eyes, the left one still quite swollen. Their eyes met, and for a moment Sakura forgot what she was doing, as she remembered how close she got to losing him. Twice. After he rejected her love confession. Well, she did confess only to stop him from going after Sasuke. And look how that turned out. A war and a death battle.

Speaking of the war, learning Naruto's lineage surprised her. Son of the Fourth Hokage, who would have told? Yet, the resemblance was actually uncanny. She chuckled internally, remembering the first thing Minato-sama asked her.

Are you... Are you perhaps Naruto's girlfriend?

Naruto nodded, and Sakura, out of reflex, headbutted him.

That idiot. Rejecting her feelings like that but calling her his girlfriend in front of his parent.

She stopped the chakra flow, and walked back to the door. "You two are perfectly fine. Sasuke-kun, as you might imagine, there are a couple on ANBUs ready to escort you to our prison. You'll wait your trial there.

The last part seemed to completely get Naruto rid of his sleepy state. "What? Why would they throw him in prison? He's ok now!" The boy sat up in a hurry.

"It's alright. They are right. I... I did a lot of mistakes." Sasuke cut him off. "I'll get a trial, which is way more that I could ask for. I thought I would have been executed right after the Raikage woke up from the Tsukuyomi."

"I'd never let them do it, believe it." Naruto's look was the same he gave Sakura when he promised to bring the Uchiha back.

Said Uchiha nodded solemnly and got on his feet. "I know. Lead the way, Sakura."

The pink-haired medic exited the room with Sasuke in tow, and she was greeted by the expressionless masks of two ANBUs.

"Thanks, Haruno-san. Uchiha Sasuke, you'll come with us, but before that, please put out your arm." Sakura recognized the ANBU's voice as Sai's, and watched with a hint of pain as Sasuke was forced to wear a straitjacket and was led away. She forced herself to turn away from the scene and went back to her duties.

When she got back into his hospital room, she found Naruto struggling to reverse a sleeve of his shirt. He turned when he heard her. "Hey, Sakura-chan…"

The pink haired girl smiled unconsciously, and moved to help her friend. "Raring to go, it seems." She helped him put the shirt on. "I'll be done with my shift in an hour, could you wait for me?"

The blond smiled brightly, and held out his hand giving her the thumbs up. "Okay, Sakura-chan! I was going to get some ramen, would you like to join me?"

Sakura's smile extended. "You know, you are recovering from some heavy injuries. You might want to eat healthier." She teased. "I'll come. See you later." She walked out, feeling a bit lighter, only to find Hinata in the hallway. Memories of her actions during Pain's attack and of how she talked some sense into Naruto during the battle with Obito and Madara caused her smile to vanish, but she quickly replaced it with a gentle, business one.

"Hey Hinata." She greeted.

"Hello, Sakura-san." The Hyuga heiress fidgeted. "How's Naruto-kun?"

"Up and almost running. How are you doing?" She genuinely hoped that the gentle girl wasn't too down for Neji's death, but she wouldn't blame her if she was. Sakura herself had no idea of what she would do if Naruto died, sacrificing himself to protect her. She shuddered at the thought.

"It's not… it's not easy. I came here to distract myself, mostly. Otherwise, I'd still be crying my eyes out, with Hanabi, Mother and Aunt Hima. Can I see him?" Hinata explained, and Sakura noticed how exhausted she looked.

"Of course." She said, making way for the Hyuga. "I'll come back later with his discharge papers. I have to finish the check-ups. See you later, Hinata."

Sakura washed her hands, to clean them from the remnants of the medicines and other treatments that she just finished using, then checked herself out in the mirror. Her gaze, inevitably, fell on the green-blue diamond that sat dead in the centre of her forehead, making it stand out even more. She frowned, and tried to rearrange her hair to cover it up as best as she could. She always hated her forehead, too often it was used to make fun of her. Now it was like wearing a board that said 'look at my huge forehead'. Grumbling, she made one final adjustment at her hair and headed towards Naruto's room. When she knocked, instead of him calling her in, the door opened, revealing the smiling blond, ready to go.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, I'm starving." He declared, grabbing her hand and pulling her along, eliciting a discreet smile from her.

"Naruto, where's Hinata?" She finally asked as they stopped by the reception to deliver the discharging forms.

"Oh, Hinata stayed for about half an hour, then another Hyuga came in and told her Hiashi-san needed her, so she left." Naruto explained casually.

Sakura looked at the ground. "I see." She muttered. She couldn't find it in herself to be sad at the news, but she didn't have time to dwell on that, as her teammate grabbed her hand and led her into the streets of Konoha, and Sakura found out that she didn't mind. She let herself be engulfed back into normalcy, as in Naruto being loud and friendly to everyone. In that moment, the war seemed something that finished a long time ago, not just ten days. Her heart warmed at this. The last few months were hectic to say the least, and she just realized how much the boy was important in her life. Then she smelled the familiar scent of Ichiraku's restaurant, and she had genuinely to make a double take to realize that she had missed that, too. And in that moment, her stomach growled, making her friend turn and grin at her.

She fought hard not to blush at the situation. And not to lose herself in his blue eyes. When did they become so deep and alluring, anyway?

"Oh! Naruto! Welcome back, it's been a while!" Teuchi's boisterous voice shook her from her thoughts, and she noticed that all the shop's customers were looking at them. A second later, hell came loose. Everyone, from the kids to fellow shinobis, wanted either Naruto's autograph or an handshake from the hero. Said boy let go of her hand to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment, and she felt cold.

"Sorry guys, as you can see I can't really sign or shake anything right now. I promise that when I'll be able to write with my other hand, I'll sign every autograph you want, believe it!" Naruto apologized, moving his stump around the sleeve to prove his point. After that, it all seemed to go back to normal. Someone still patted his shoulders and congratulated themselves, but they were mostly left alone.

"I see you brought Sakura with you today. What can I make you, young lady?" The cook asked.

"Vegetarian miso ramen, please." She answered kindly.

"Hey old man... Can you make me one too? Instead of one of the two miso ramen with extra pork." Naruto chimed in. "My doctor told me to eat healthier." He gestured towards Sakura with his head, grinning teasingly, and the girl promptly widened her eyes.

"Two vegetarian ramen and one miso with extra pork on the way!" Teuchi announced.

Meanwhile Sakura was still frozen. Did he actually follow her advice? Warmth spread inside of her. She was glad that she finally got Naruto to listen to her. He really was the most unpredictable ninja ever. She shook her head and sat on one of the stools, willing for her blush to go away.

"So, Sakura-chan, did Sasuke manage to talk to you?" Naruto asked, while waiting for his order.

The girl nodded, glad that he could distract her from her thoughts. "Yes. We talked earlier, before you woke up. He said he's sorry. He told me about Itachi."

Naruto became serious. "Itachi... I hoped to talk to him some more. He taught me a lesson I'll never forget. To never try and do things on my own." He smiled a sad smile. "It's a shame the village will never know he's a hero."

Sakura covered his hand with hers. "I'm sure that, when you will become Hokage, you'll find a way to honor him." She stated.

For a moment, hie eyes widened, then he nodded vigorously. "I'll find a way, believe it."

"No doubt." She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Ah, by the way." She started, turning back serious. "Tsunade-shishou has started working on a replacement arm for you, made with Shodai-sama's cells." She informed him with a smile. "We both have to report to her office tomorrow morning."

"I... I could have a new arm? Baa-chan is the best!" Naruto cheered lightly. "But... What about Sasuke's? He lost an arm too."

"We'll see about that after his trial. We still don't know whether or not he'll be let out of jail in the foreseeable future."

"Of course he will! If people call me hero, they should call him that too! He repented, and accepted everything they did to him when, if he didn't want to, he could have escaped whenever he wanted. And I'll make damn sure that he'll get out. We still have our rivalry to settle." Naruto defended their friend, heated, and Sakura punched him lightly.

"You better not lose another arm to it... Idiot."

In that moment, Ayame arrived with two steaming bowls of ramen, and Sakura, without thinking, reached over for Naruto's chopsticks and split them.

"Uhm... Sakura-chan... those are my chopsticks..." Naruto tried, unsure of her actions.

She locked eyes with him. "You couldn't sign those autographs earlier, could you? Nor you could eat when I casted your arm after you created the Rasenshuriken. So, I'll help you." She offered, in a tone that didn't leave room for arguements. Naruto blushed a bright shade of red, and nodded.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan..."

She fed him his first bowl, the vegetarian one, and ate hers. Then his second bowl came, and she helped him with that as well. She found herself disappointed that they had finished so quickly. She liked feeding him.

They chatted for a while after they finished their meals, then Sakura yawned.

"It got dark already, Sakura-chan. Come on, I'll walk you home." Naruto offered, jumping off of his stool. "Old man, I don't have any money with me. I'll pay you next time, ok?" He asked loudly at the owner of the shop.

Teuchi came out from the back of the shop. "Tonight's on the house, boy. Everyone here owes you their lives. Don't sweat for a couple of bowls of ramen."

The blond thanked him, and Sakura followed him out of the shop. "Being a hero has its advantages." He joked. "So, how was your day at the hospital?"

She ended up telling him about the surgery she performed on a civilian who got injured after waking from the Tsukuyomi on the roof of his house and fell down on the street, she ended up telling him about how her parents held her for literally an hour after she came back, sobbing and telling her how proud and happy they were. She also told him she was glad that he finally managed to meet his father, even though for a short time. Overall, the walk felt... nice. Refreshing. Repeatable.

When they finally got to her home, she noticed that he had been staring at her for the last minute.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned. He was frowning.

Then he reached out and reset her hair the way she always wore them, uncovering her forehead.

"Why did you cover it?"

Sakura just stared at him, blushing, eyes as wide as saucers. She started to formulate an answer, but he cut her off. "Your forehead is so charming, Sakura-chan. That diamond makes it even better, it makes me want to kiss it. Please, don't cover it anymore." Then he leaned in and planted a kiss in the center, as memories flooded her whole being, and her heart skipped several beats. As suddenly as it happened, the kiss ended, and Naruto took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, I... I don't know what happened to me. I'll.. I'll be going now. Goodnight" He stammered, and promptly departed through the rooftops.

Sakura stood there, stunned, grinning like an idiot, passing an head over the point he kissed, which was tingling like crazy. Then, she quickly entered her house, ran to her room, threw herself onto the bed and squealed in the pillow.

She thought back to the day she was assigned to Team 7, when she met Sasuke outside of the academy. She thought of him saying those words, being the first and only one to ever compliment her most hated trait. She remembered how close they got to kiss, before Sasuke suddenly got up and walked away. She remembered how the Uchiha came back a few moments later, and refused to talk about what just happened. Actually, he seemed to have no idea of what he had just done. She never understood what happened to him that day. Until now. The first one was never Sasuke. It was Naruto, for sure. Transformed into the Uchiha. She remembered telling him that he was annoying, that he was always in the way... Yet he never resented her for it. Not one day. Instead, he worked hard, as always, and made his way into her heart.

"You are an idiot, Naruto..." was her last coherent thought, before she fell asleep, still dressed, with a stupid smile on her face.

The morning after, Sakura woke up and touched her forehead, and groaned. She couldn't believe she was such a fool!

"Naruto…" she muttered, her voice still heavy with sleepiness. "Idiot."

Still, she could feel herself smiling.

She cursed under her breath when she realised that she didn't change into her pajamas, and moved to the bathroom to take a shower, but she stopped to the mirror first. Her eyes moved towards her forehead.

Why is her forehead so big?

Your forehead is weird.

Your forehead is so charming, Sakura-chan… it makes me want to kiss it.

It all made sense. Everything. Her whole life. All those times she looked at Naruto and felt something strange in her gut, the time when she hoped he would acknowledge her growth after he came back from his training. The sense of pure dread that she felt whenever she saw the red mantle of the Kyuubi cover his skin. How she always felt calmer whenever he was around and he wasn't doing anything reckless. The sense of discomfort towards Hinata's presence by his side.

"I'm in love with Naruto." She declared, looking her reflection straight in the eyes.

It felt… So right. So deep. She looked back at whatever she had for Sasuke. It was like comparing a matchstick to a burning forest.

Then she remembered her confession in the Land of Iron, and suddenly she wanted to punch herself. Hard. In the face. That Sakura had no idea of what loving that idiot would really do to her.

Dread pooled into her heart. He had rejected her back then. Why would now be different? Would he understand the difference between the two confessions? Sai said that he loved her, but… was he right about that? It didn't seem that way last time. Then she remembered. She was supposed to report at Tsunade's office with him in about an hour! What would she do? How was she supposed to act after his pull last night? She needed to see Ino. But she was busy... She lost her father in the war, surely she needed her time to grieve.

The pinkette stepped into the shower, hoping that the warm water would help her organize her thoughts.

As soon as she stepped out of her house, exhaling to calm her heart, she heard a screech from her side, and a familiar voice saying "YOU!" Sakura turned towards the source of the sounds, and saw Ino stomping towards her, an almost offended scowl on her face. The medic tried to open her mouth, but the blonde cut her off straight away. "I was told from a reliable source that you went on a date with Naruto, yesterday! I demand to know why you didn't tell me straight after that and how did it go."

Sakura blushed deeply. Was yesterday's a date? Well, he did ask her to go out with him, he held her hand basically the whole time, they had dinner, they chatted, they laughed and... and he kissed her good night. Oh...

"I went on a date with Naruto." She said in realization.

"You didn't know?" Ino stared at her, incredulous.

"What are you doing here, anyway, Ino-pig? I thought you were busy with your family."

"I was, but then I heard the rumours. You are my best friend, billboard brow, I always have time for you, especially if you have important news like this!" The blonde chided.

"I'm going to the Hokage office. I can tell you about that on the way. I need your advice anyway." Sakura offered, wondering what had she done right in her past life, to deserve such good friends.

The Yamanaka heiress seemed to calm down at the offer. "Sure." She conceded, and the girls started walking at a leisure pace. "So, spill, billboard brow ."

"I'm in love with Naruto." She dropped the biggest bomb first. It marvelled her how right it felt to say it out loud, to Ino. Lost in the sensation, she walked a few more steps before noticing her friend had stopped in her tracks and was gaping at her.

"WHAT! How can you say that so casually? Like it's the most natural thing in the world!" Ino started to recover from the shock, then she looked at her with a serious face. "Details. Now."

Sakura felt her idiotic grin make its way back to her face. "Remember when I told you I had almost kissed Sasuke-kun, the day of the team assignment?"

"Yes. I was so jealous, how could I forget the day I almost lost against you?"

"I'm not completely sure about that, but there's a fairly good chance that the one I almost kissed was Naruto, transformed into Sasuke-kun."

"Ok, you are losing me here." Ino gave her a weirded out look.

" 'Sasuke-kun' that day said something that I have never heard anyone else saying. He said 'Your forehead is so charming, it makes me want to kiss it' " The pinkette explained. "I don't need to tell you how that made me feel, do I?"

"All warm inside and happy?" Ino guessed. "You have always been insecure about that part of your body. Having your crush compliment that must be amazing."

"Correct." Sakura smiled. "But then Sasuke-kun seemed to not even remember what happened. And I forgot about it myself, until yesterday. You see…" the girl told Ino what happened the previous night, the blonde's face growing more amazed as the tale went on.

"I can't believe it! Naruto did that?" Ino gasped at the end.

"I know, right? That idiot… it made me look at all the times we spent together under a new light. All the feelings I didn't understand, all the times I felt jealous of him and didn't know why… Ino, it feels so right, but..."

Ino frowned. "But what, billboard brow ? You love the most popular person in this village, go get him before someone else does!"

Hinata's face made its way in Sakura's mind, and she frowned. "I don't even know if he likes me or not!" She protested.

At that, Sakura expected Ino to counter with something like 'You are beautiful, of course he will!' or 'You won't know until you tell him'. Surely, she didn't expect her best friend to burst out laughing. People started giving weird looks at the two girls.

"Thanks, billboard brow. I really needed a good laugh..." Ino slowly turned back serious, if not slightly gloomy for her recent loss.

"What are you laughing at, Ino-pig? Is my love life that funny?" Sakura pouted.

"Sorry, sorry. Do you really think than Naruto could not love you? I mean, The boy liked you since the academy! You spent whole afternoons ranting about how much he annoyed you! Come on, you know he only says what's in his heart!" The blonde encouraged, making Sakura blush and look away.

"Please don't remind me how stupid I was..." she groaned. "He rejected my love confession less than a month ago though..."

Ino looked shocked. "He did what? When did you confess in the first place? Didn't you understand your feelings only last night?" She shot the questions rapidly.

Sakura looked even more ashamed. "I told him I loved him in the Land of Iron, right after we approved the order to kill Sasuke-kun on sight. I didn't really know my feelings back then. It was just to stop him from going after Sasuke-kun. He told me to stop lying to myself and sent me away. I then went and tried to kill Sasuke-kun myself... Obviously, I failed. And Naruto had to save my life." she summarized. "I didn't know he could manage such a cold look, Ino..."

"Billboard brow , you have no idea how happy I am that you realized your feelings. I always had a feeling that you two could have had a future. I'm sure that if you tell him now, he'll understand that you are truthful. His heart isn't changed, I'm sure of it." Ino gently explained, and Sakura realized they were in front of the Hokage tower.

"I'll think about it. Thanks, Ino-pig. You really helped me." Sakura gave her a quick hug, and headed towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Ino gave a small smile. "Sure. I'll be at the shop. Good luck, billboard brow."

While she approached the entrance, she noticed a small crowd gathered in front of it. Upon looking better, she found Naruto in the middle of it, apologising left and right because he wasn't able to sign autographs and shake hands. Her smile widened.

"Naruto!" She called. He turned to her, his eyes widened and he blushed. He quickly excused himself, saying that he had an important meeting, and made his way inside the red tower, Sakura in tow.

Once they were away from the crowd, he let her reach him. "Hey, Sakura-chan... Good morning. Listen, about last night..."

Sakura smiled and put a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. "We'll talk later, ok?" His blush darkened, and he nodded, gulping. "Good morning, Naruto." She said, in a polite but slightly teasing tone.

They knocked at the Hokage's door, and, once inside, they saw that, other than Tsunade and Shizune, Kakashi-sensei was waiting for them as well. It felt strange to Sakura to see both his eyes, outside of a battle.

"Kakashi-sensei, you are here, too!" Naruto greeted the older shinobi with his usual cheer, while Sakura politely greeted her teacher and the sannin's helper. After the etiquette was taken care of, Tsunade went down to business.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She called, sternly. The blond jumped to attention. "Yes, Tsunade baa-chan?"

"I hope that Sakura told you about my work on replacing your right arm." She said, shooting a pointed look to her student, who nodded.

"Uh... yeah. She told me about it yesterday, at dinner. You are amazing, baa-chan!" He grinned happily.

"Good. Now, because of your, frankly, amazing services in the war, I, the fifth Hokage, grant you the rank of Chuunin." She announced, extracting a green jacket from under her desk. "I'd promote you to Jounin, as well, but the Jounin promotion requires a lot of theoretical work that you clearly lack." She finished.

Sakura observed how Naruto's face morphed to curiosity, to sheer happiness, to disappointment. She always liked how he wore his emotions on a sleeve, because she never had to guess his mood, unlike with a certain Uchiha. His expression finally became the determined one she loved to see.

"I'll do what I must, baa-chan." He declared.

"Good. If you ever need help, you know where to find me." The older woman smiled, then turned to Sakura. "What about you? Will you try to become a Jounin with your teammate?"

The pinkette suddenly found herself in the spotlight. "I mean... Uh... Sure, Shishou." She stuttered, surprised. A promotion wasn't something she expected. That doesn't mean she wouldn't grasp the opportunity, though.

Tsunade nodded. "Now, to talk about serious matters. The Raikage, the Tsuchikage, the Mizukage and the Kazekage will all convene to Konoha in the next week, along with Mifuune-sama, in representation of the Samurais."

"For Sasuke's trial." Naruto finished, looking down.

Tsunade put her elbows on her desk and rested her chin on her joined hands. "Correct. Sasuke has already appealed to be held sole responsible, and I decided to listen to him. He'll be the only one on trial. I'm sure you can guess that the two of you will be called as witnesses. Konoha is one of the main prosecutors, because he killed Danzo, as you well know. I can firmly say that I never liked the man, and Kakashi here informed me of Sasuke's reasons, Uchiha Itachi's true purpose and so on. But we are not going to mention any of that to the other nations. Instead, we'll say that Sasuke defeated Kabuto alone, and, using a genjutsu, he made him release the Edo Tensei. Sasuke's reasons for your last battle must remain a secret, too, as well as the fact that he possesses the Rinnegan. During the next week, you three will work on a credible story to tell at the process. Questions?"

"Why can't people understand he changed?" Naruto asked, his voice hard and firm, his fists clenched, and Sakura moved to gently grip his left sleeve, shaking her head slightly to tell him that it wasn't worth it. Their eyes met, and soon a light blush dusted their cheeks.

"I'll do what I must." the blond repeated, deflating and letting the argument go.

Tsunade nodded. "Lastly, after Sasuke's trial, I'll step down from my position as Hokage."

The two Team 7 members were in shock.

"Shishou... why? After all the hard work you put in to get back in charge when Danzo..." Sakura protested.

"The village needs a younger guide, and even though I may look young, I'm getting old. Plus, working with Grandpa's cells for your replacement arm will take a lot of time. I have the intention of throwing myself in medical research after that. I'll also leave my position as Head-medic at the hospital, when you are old enough, Sakura. Meanwhile, Kakashi here will be the one to take over the office." the Sannin explained.

Sakura's head was spinning. Today was a roller coaster. Her feelings for Naruto, her teacher retiring... Wait, did she... "Shishou, did you say I'll be the next Head-medic at the hospital?"

"In a few years. You are, by far, the best medic-nin already, Sakura. There are only a few things I have yet to teach you. I can't think of a better candidate for it." The fondness in the Hokage's voice was evident.

"As expected, Sakura-chan is amazing..." Naruto muttered beside her, and, when she looked at him, she saw so much fondness in his gaze, she loved the sensation. It felt good to be appreciated by the one you loved.

"You aren't too bad yourself, Naruto." Kakashi chimed in. "In a few years, if you'll still feel like it, that desk will be yours." He said, with an eye-smile.

Pure elation invaded the blond's face. "I'll always want to become Hokage, Kakashi-sensei! Believe it!" Sakura smiled fondly. He was so close to realizing his dream.

A moment later, a knock came from the door.

"Come in!" Tsunade called, and the Team 7 members stepped aside to make room for the newcomer.

The door opened, and Karin stepped in. She took in the people that were in the room, confused.

"Uhm, sorry. I didn't sense any of you from outside. I can come back later." She said, but Tsunade stopped her from going back out.

"Stay. We were just in a... private meeting. I asked Shizune and Kakashi to put a barrier around the room." the Hokage revealed. "What did you need?"

The Redhead looked at the two jounins and nodded, then gave Sakura a pointed look.

"I request to be enrolled as a kunoichi in Konoha." She declared. Sakura grinned.

After Sasuke was escorted away by his replacement, Sakura then took off in direction of Konoha's jail. There, she greeted the guards and asked to see someone. A few moments later, Karin entered the room they got assigned, wearing an annoyed scowl.

"What do you want?" She asked, curtly.

"Just a few words. Please sit." Sakura smiled reassuringly, gesturing to the chair on the other side of the table, and Karin obeyed, although eyeing the pinkette with suspicion.

"Do you like him?" Asked Sakura.

Karin blushed slightly, then straightened her glasses. "Like who?"

"You know who. Sasuke-kun."

"Why do you care?" Karin asked, trying hard not to smile at the name.

"Because you are here because of him, and he talked about you in the hospital. He thanked me for saving your life." Sakura revealed.

"That idiot… he stabbed me, you know? And he left me there, with you and your friend… the one with the warm chakra. Naruto." Karin started to ramble.

"Are you one of Orochimaru's experiments?"

Karin stopped talking, and looked at Sakura with weary eyes. She rolled up her pajamas sleeves, revealing an enormous amount of bite marks all over her arms.

"Whoever bites me can heal and replenish their chakra with mine."

Sakura gaped. This girl was a walking medical ninjutsu! "I don't know whether that's a good ability or not." She commented, then went back to the main topic."When did you know you liked him?"

Karin smiled sweetly at the memory. "The Chuunin exams. I was there with my team, from Kuso, but I had lost sight of them when a bear attacked me. Sasuke defeated the bear, looked at my scroll and walked away, smiling at me. I'm still hoping to see that smile again."

"You were at the Chuunin exams with us? Wow, I really didn't notice you. You know… I was like you."

Karin's expression turned from dreamy back to annoyed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Back then… I liked Sasuke-kun. He was strong, cool, handsome. I crushed on him from the academy to a few months ago."

"What happened?"

"I… I suppose I grew out of it. Or maybe I wasn't really into it from the start." Sakura confessed. "I don't know. What I wanted to tell you, is to stick around, when you get out of here. Sasuke-kun might want to talk to you." She finished with a wink.

"Mi-mi-might want to ta-ta-talk to me? Well, I suppose, if that's the case…" Karin stuttered, fixing her glasses over her bright red cheeks.

It seemed that her advice served a purpose.

"You were with Orochimaru, right?" The sannin asked, clearly knowing the answer already. "Why didn't you flee with him and the other two?"

"I wanted to stay around in case Sasuke needed medical attention. Then, I got thrown in jail." The red-haired explained.

"Very well. I suppose that you are aware of Sasuke's appeal for your freedom. I'm not opposed to it, of course. Did you ever attend an academy?"

Karin blushed. "I-I know that Sasuke-kun was the one who got me free... I'll have to wait to thank him properly, I gu-guess..." Her eyes darted around the room. "Oh! And... Yeah, I was from Kuso! A genin from Kuso! Before Orochimaru took me in..." She fidgeted.

"We'll have some paperwork to do with Kusogakure then. Did you have any relatives there?"

"No, ma'am. My mother died when I was a kid. She's the one who taught me medical ninjutsu."

Tsunade nodded, then prepared a brush. "Your full name, please."

"Uzumaki Karin."

Everyone in the room gaped.

"Are you... are you sure you are an Uzumaki?" Naruto was the first to ask.

Karin seemed to realize just then. "Oh! Yeah, I'm sure, are you?" She asked, with suspicion. "Uzumakis have typically bright red hair, like mine."

Naruto ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. It would have been nice to inherit my mother's hair. I got my father's, though. And it's nice as well, believe it! Wait, does it mean we are related?"

Karin gave a friendly smile. "Maybe so. I mean, probably, but I'm not sure how close."

"I have a blood relative." Naruto said, in wonder. "I hope you'll manage to transfer here, Karin. We are at peace, so it shouldn't be a problem, right, baa-chan?" He turned the attention to Tsunade, who sighed.

"Hopefully not. I'll let you know, Karin-san. Thank you... for everything."

Karin nodded. "Thank you. I'll do my best for the village."

"Very well. You three are dismissed." The Hokage communicated. "Naruto, Sakura. You'll meet this evening with Kakashi to start working on your assignment. Kakashi, Shizune will come with you to the former Root headquarters. You know what to do there."

The five shinobis saluted. "Yes, Hokage-sama/Shishou/Baa-chan."

While walking out, Sakura tugged at Naruto's arm. "Can we talk... Somewhere with privacy?" She asked, slightly fidgeting. The boy's eyes widened, but he quickly recovered.

"Follow me." He said, and jumped out of the nearest window, the pinkette in tow.

She followed him towards the Hokage monument, where he stopped on top of the fourth head.

"I used to come here as a kid, when I wanted to be alone and sulk.." Naruto lost himself in watching the village, and Sakura sat on the rock, him joining her when he noticed. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Sakura locked eyes with him, barely managing not to lose herself into his deep pools. "Last night... Among other things."

A panicked expression formed on Naruto's face. "What... What about last night?"

"I wanted to know why did you say those things about my forehead." She did her best to conceal the hope in her voice.

"Uhm... Because... It's the truth?" He stuttered.

Of course it is. He never lies. Sakura blushed. "You know... You made me remember something that happened a long time ago. You know... the day we got assigned in the same team I met Sasuke-kun outside of the academy, and he said the exact same words." She smiled as Naruto blanched. "I remember going close to kissing him, when he suddenly gets up and hastily walks away. Then, not a minute later, he comes back, and he seems a completely different person. He refused to acknowledge what just happened, so I let it go."

Naruto let out a fake, embarrassed laugh. "Hehe... what a coincidence." He scratched his neck.

"Are you sure?" she gives him a pointed look, and he deflated.

"I'm... I'm sorry Sakura-chan. I... I wanted to know what did you think of me... And I figured you wouldn't have told me if I was... well, myself." He defended himself. "And..."

"And?" the girl prompted.

"And I really liked you back then, and I wanted to kiss you... I'm sorry that I tried to steal your first kiss, Sakura-chan!" He raised his hand to defend himself from her wrath, then looked confused when Sakura didn't make a move to hit him.

Instead, Sakura looked down. "And what about last night?"

"What about last night?" Naruto parroted, still confused.

"Why did you say those things... and kiss me there...?" She didn't look up, put she passed a hand on her forehead.

"Because... I don't know. Sorry, Sakura-chan."

"Do you really like my forehead?"

"Uhm..." Naruto clearly tried to think of another excuse.

"Please be honest. I won't hurt you." She chided, and he exhaled.

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because... It's you, Sakura-chan. It's one of the things that make you unique, like your hair and your strenght. And, since your Byakugou is there, too, it's also a symbol of your power, of how amazing you are in your ninjutsu and medical skills." He explained, turning red and looking away.

Sakura felt like her heart was bursting through her chest. How was he so amazing? She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I see." She said. "I'm sorry, too."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What for?"

"The land of Iron."

"It's ok. I got your point. It just wasn't... necessary. I... I've always liked you." He confessed.

"I know." She smiled kindly. "That's why I'm sorry that I've tried to use your feelings that way. I promise that I'll never do it again." Then she realized his words. "Does... Does that mean you haven't stopped?"

He didn't say anything.

"Naruto." She called. "Look at me."

He obliged, and she scooted closer to him. "Last night, when you said those... amazing words, I was so happy. Then I thought at what happened with Sasuke-kun, and I realized it was probably you. It felt... good. No, it felt amazing. Did you know I used to hate my forehead?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Everyone made fun of me for it in kindergarten. Then Ino helped me conceal it, but it always remained a weary topic for me. Even more so when I activated my Byakugou. But, Naruto, your words... There is something I decided I'll tell only to those who compliment my forehead."

"What is it, Sakura-chan?"

"I love you." She looked in his eyes, hoping he would understand that this time was different.

His eyes widened. "Are you... Are you sure? But... You love..."

"You. Only you. Sasuke-kun... it was kind of your fault that I was so much into him... For saying those words... as him And it's in the past. I love you, Naruto. And it's different from everything, it's... it burns me inside." She confessed, trying her best con convey her feelings.

He didn't say anything but he leaned closer to her, cupping her cheek with his hand, and slowly brought their lips together. Sakura felt everything: a jolt of electricity ran through her entire body, and she was actually glad to be sitting down as her legs suddenly felt weak. His lips were soft and slightly dry, but amazing nonetheless. She felt complete.

A long moment later, Naruto moved away.

"I love you, too. I always have. Since the academy. I saw you smile... and that was it. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It still is."

She lost it. She threw herself at him, enveloping his neck in her arms, and crashed her lips into his, kissing him deeply. Was she dreaming? Did they actually lose the war and was this all Madara's Tsukuyomi? What did she do right in her past life to deserve someone like him?

After the kiss ended, and they were both panting for air, she smiled at him. "You know, Naruto... You have been the reason for almost all of my smiles, in the last few years."

He grinned his stupid grin, and she felt weak once again. "Does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

She let out a chuckle. Was this the meaning to be 'happy in love'? "Yes."

He kissed her again.

And... This was it. As I said, there might be an Omake coming out sooner or later. Or two. It all depends. Reviews are appreciated, constructive criticism is, too, flame will be banned. If you liked it, please let me know with a favourite or a comment, and if you didn't, please tell me why. Jack36 Out.