#narutofic

Akami laid awake for hours, it had been almost three weeks since she’d last seen Kakashi at the spring festival. Presumably he was on a mission, so she couldn’t hold it against him. She wanted to know where they stood. Forced time away gave her time to think, too much time. 

She tried to keep busy by fixing the house; painting, cleaning, unpacking. It’d been months since Sasuke first came to live with her. Months since he lost everything. He was getting used to their routine and started sleeping on his own for the most part. Sasuke spent most of the day at the Academy, did his homework and trained in the yard. She helped him when he accepted it. Akami could barely recall the last time she trained herself. She felt more like a housewife than a ninja, cooking and cleaning all day; she needed something to do. 

She didn’t trust the Hokage or Council enough to leave Sasuke alone in the Village, so returning to active duty was out of the question. She couldn’t see herself teaching brats or taking on genin. Sasuke was plenty enough on that front. And the thought of D-rank missions inside the Village disgusted her too, but she needed to figure something out before she lost her mind.

Akami sighed rolling on to her back, she just wanted to sleep and think about it all tomorrow. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration and her thoughts lingered back to Kakashi. She didn’t want to think about him, but it was easier than trying to figure out every other aspect of her life. 

First and foremost he was her friend, her best friend and Akami didn’t want to do anything to lose that. She hoped that something as trivial as sex wouldn’t be enough to alter the nature of their friendship. But at first it was weird, though maybe that was because she kept playing that night over and over in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about it, about him.

God that insufferable prick just has to be good (so very good) at everything. She directed her next sigh at the ceiling, now free of paint chips. Yet somehow it still held that same sardonic cruelty...perhaps due to the aptly named shade of white. If she knew a paint color could be labeled something as ridiculous as 'on cloud nine’ she would have picked a different color entirely. 

Akami glared at the ceiling one last time before turning away in mild defeat. In regards to Kakashi she decided that she would do nothing, pretend as though nothing happened. If they hooked up again they hooked up again, if they didn't well then they didn't. What she needed right now was a friend.

**

A few hours after finally succumbing to sleep she was alerted by a noise, like the squeaking of a door.

She kept a kunai near her bed and she was staring right at its hidden presence. The noise she now registered more clearly as her window. She wanted to wait, see what the intruder would do but then she thought of Sasuke sleeping in the next room. Akami grabbed the kunai and whipped it at the intruder. The man dodged just in time, she threw herself across the room and made for the katana hanging on the wall. She turned to face him in the dark but was met with the single red glow of a sharingan. 

“Kakashi?” She whispered, lowering her blade. 

“Are you trying to kill me?” He asked nonchalantly, staring at the knife lodged in the wall where his head had been a moment ago. 

“What the fuck, I didn’t know you were back! Why didn’t you use the front door!” She yelled at him though it was more of a whisper. 

“Old habits,” he shrugged. Though the act hurt and he grunted. 

She sheathed the unnecessary blade and flicked on the light to find Kakashi was still dressed in his anbu gear, armor and all. Blood and dirt clinging to him like a second skin.

He pulled down his hitai-ate and clutched his side. ''I was hoping you could stitch me up. You still owe me for helping you move,” he said, straining to laugh. 

‘’What is that?’’ She questioned. Sarada was a very curious girl, always asking questions. Just like her mother, she loved to learn about everything and anything. 

He picked her up and carried  her to the window. ‘’Look at the sky Sarada, do you see the dark clouds?’’ She nodded. ‘’Those puffy clouds have ice and water inside and when they bump into each other, electricity builds up inside the cloud and it creates lightning.’’

‘’And why makes a big noise papa? I don’t like it’’

Sasuke continued. ‘’The lightning is so hot that it heats up, it’s like a very big waterfall of electricity and it goes boom, that’s what you hear.’’

‘’Ligh..’’ She struggled to pronounce the word. ‘’lightnings are scary.’’ 

‘’They can be.’’ He agreed. ‘’ But you don’t need to be afraid, your papa is here with you, do you wanna know something interesting?

‘’Yes,’’ She cheered excitedly. 

‘’Your papa can make lightning.’’ 

‘’Can you show me?’’ She pleaded, clapping her hands with excitement.

‘’Not now, but if you are a good girl and go back to sleep I can show you tomorrow.’’

‘’Can you sleep with me tonight papa?’’ She asked him wearily as she plopped down onto the bed. 

‘’Your mama won’t be very happy’’ Sasuke responded already laying down and covering her with a blanket, he could never say no to her.

‘’Papa, can my eyes glow like yours?’’ She asked mesmerized by his glowing red eyes, she was at the age where she found everything incredible and amazing. She knew both of her parents were powerful shinobi but she never really had the chance to see them in action. 

‘’Yes, someday they will, but now it's time to go to sleep Sarada.’’

‘Goodnight Papa.’’

And that's how Sakura found them the next morning. All snuggled up in Sarada’s way too small for an adult bed.

“Fine.” Was all she said, as she stormed off into her room and threw her mission and medic items into her bag, grabbing a few extra weapons and body-guards just in case.

When she returned to her living room, Kakashi was standing ready to leave, her potted plants tidied and moved aside, and her window locked.

“How do we even-” Sakura questioned bitterly, but Kakashi interrupted her.

“Follow me.”

In the next day or so the pair did nothing but travel in absolute silence. Sakura, though wanting to bridge the uncomfortable gap, struggled to squash her hurt pride at Kakashi’s lack of trusting her with information. Eventually though, the silence grew too much, and just as Sakura had resolved to break it with some inane topic, her words morphed into a scream as she plunged from the height of the tree that had been her footfall, her shoes - unsuitable for this terrain - how was she to know! - squealing against the wet bark as she slipped.

Strong fingers wrapped around her wrist, catching her mid-fall. Though he had been a good few trees ahead of her Kakashi had got to her quick. Silently he pulled her up, sliding a hand around her back and pulling her up by the waist once she was close enough.

The bark was thin and covered in wet moss. Kakashi held absolutely still to prevent them tumbling over the edge. Grabbing onto his vest to steady herself, her eyes met with Kakashi’s for the first time that night.

There was a sadness she wished to soothe away, her fingers twitching in response. Kakashi too, did not pull away like usual, he held on a beat longer than he normally would have.

Then, in the blink of an eye the walls were up again, and instead of the inches between them there was a chasm.

In one step he had turned away and leaped to the next branch, leading the way, but not before a few unexpected words of reassurance slipped out, “We’re almost there”.

Sure enough, half a mile or so later, Kakashi slowed down before dropping silently to the ground below. The ground was wet and mossy, little light filtered through the thick canopy of trees overhead.

Kakashi led them to a large overgrown fern, twice Sakura’s height. He reached in and peeled apart the two walls of leaves which camouflaged some kind of entrance. They stepped inside to a dark, eerily silent space. Sakura couldn’t tell if it was a cave or a hollowed out tree.

Kakashi stopped wordlessly at the far end of the circular space, placing his hand gently onto what looking like a sort of ledge. Sakura walked slowly closer till she was by his side, her footsteps squelching in the wet mud. As she passed around the broad cover of Kakashi’s back her eyes laid upon what wasn’t a ledge but some sort of glass coffin.

The gasp got caught in her throat as she realised it wasn’t glass but some kind of membrane. She reached out her fingers to touch it, but a hand clamped down on her wrist stopping her fingers just before they touched.

“It’ll break.”

“W-who set this up?”

“I don’t know.”

“But you are going to make it work.” There was a long pause after which he turned around and walked out the small space, announcing in a low voice, “I’m going to get firewood, get started.”

Sakura stared at the coffin in disbelief, sending chakra to her fingers to feel it out. She shuddered on first contact, immediately understanding who and what was inside.

She turned around and sprinted out the enclosure, panting like she couldn’t breathe. Once outside she used her chakra to get some indication as to how far Kakashi had gone and took off running in the opposite direction.

She barely made it three miles before she skidded to a stop, almost colliding face-first with an anbu mask. She hesitated confused, not sure in their eyes which side she was on.

“Are you here for me? Can you help?” Sakura asked in a shaky voice.

The woman paused, caught off-guard by the Godaime’s apprentices’ words.

“Haruno-sama, you left the village without permission early this morning. Was this against your will?”

It was Sakura’s turn to pause. Would this be selling Kakashi out?

“Well...”

She didn’t have time to debate her principles because Kakashi appeared behind the woman, slick as a shadow and with a speedy chop she was at their feet like a sack of potatoes.

When Sakura met Kakashi’s eyes there was a darkness she couldn’t quite make out.

“Okay, okay.” Laughing nervously, Sakura held up her hands in resignation. “I’ll come help heal your friend, just... just don’t hurt anyone else.”

Kakashi was silent but Sakura couldn’t take his stony exterior and turned away, walking stiffly back the way she had come.

A few paces in they froze as another anbu member appeared from the trees and Sakura opened her mouth to explain holding her hands up placatingly, but before she had a chance the man’s eyes went wide and foam from his mouth escaped the bottom of his mask, before he hit the ground with a thud.

Sakura shuddered as the thick, oppressive wave of a genjustu passed over her.

Kakashi without his Sharingan was just as powerful and terrifying as he was with.

But the fear lasted only a few second as she regained courage and spun around, slamming her fists on her teacher’s chest.

And from Sakura that shit actually hurt.

“You promised you wouldn’t hurt anyone!”

“I promised no such thing.” He hissed in a low voice.

Sakura turned away angrily, realising he was correct, but that only fuelled her anger at him. Because she had expected the answer to her earlier request to be a given.

“Huh, that’s funny,” she scoffed mirthlessly, “I guess I mistook you for the Kakashi that actually gave a fuck and didn’t even need to be asked.”

Launching into a sprint, Sakura was back at the enclosure in a few minutes, her extra speed fuelled by anger and frustration. Kakashi silently kept up with her, wordless as he entered behind her.

Glowing with a deep green like the colour of her eyes, Sakura drew her hands across the top of the coffin, breathing deeply as she tried to concentrate and calm her emotions.

It could have been hours or mere minutes that Sakura stood there pulling her chakra across the vessel and exploring deep inside with Kakashi a silent protective or restrictive - whichever way you looked at it - presence behind her.

After analysing the structure Sakura began to prod, slipping beneath the skin and using her energy to pull the tissue together and stitch the seams.

A firm hand on her shoulder shocked Sakura out of concentration, and she extricated herself from the inner view of the tissue she hand been focusing on and looked over her shoulder.

Kakashi was watching her with a concerned look on his face. The same Kakashi as always. Only then did she realise the sweat dripping down her face and soaking the small of her back. The breath seemed to leave her the second she stopped the flow of chakra to her hands, and she slumped forward, body heading for the ground.

Kakashi caught her against himself, holding her still while she caught her breath. Eventually when it became apparent Sakura wouldn’t be moving any further, he slipped his arms around her waist and hauled her up, moving her to the other side of the enclosure where he had at some point, laid out tarp and blankets as a makeshift bed. It was clear he had visited here more than once, and over a long period of time too.

It carried on like a routine, for several days Sakura pushed herself to the absolute brink of exhaustion whilst she healed. Kakashi said nothing, he knew her well enough to know when Sakura became determined like this there was no stopping her. All he could contribute in his silence, was support in the way of catching her when she fell and putting her to rest, waking her after a few hours and guiding her half asleep to eat, before she fell asleep, woke up and repeated the cycle again.

Guilt clawed at his heart like a cancer and the longer it went on, the deeper their silence became.

Till one night, Sakura who had aside from that first experience, been stopping of her own volition, fainted and Kakashi who had been nearby just barely made it to catch her. He gently laid her down onto the bedding but was surprised as his fingers brushed her skin. She was burning up. Ripping his gloves off and pushing her hair from her face, he pressed the back of his palm against her forehead, cursing under his breath at the heat of her skin.

Her body convulsed slightly, and he noticed she was shivering, sweat had been pouring out of her skin and now her wet clothes were sticking to her body, causing her to tremble from the cold. Hesitating he pulled back the cover, and carefully lifted her soaked shirt over her head, rapidly pulling off his flack jacket and long sleeve shirt. Taking great care not to jostle her too much, he pulled his long sleeve top over her, aching at how the fabric drowned her small frame.

His hands stopped at her exposed legs, fingers lingering at the waist band to her skirt and shorts. With light touches he could feel their dampness but was battling with himself on what to do. Eventually he withdrew his hands, rummaging instead for the cloak they had worn during their travels and wrapping it around her body tightly.

Appraising her still shivering form, Kakashi clad only in his sleeveless mask-attached under-top, climbed under the thin blanket, and settled next to his student. Awkward at first, he agonised over how to position himself, before eventually he managed to shift her onto her side and he his, turning over to envelop her, resting her head against his chest, and his legs tangled with hers.

He thought he would never sleep that night. From the worry, the stress and mostly the guilt.

Surprisingly however he was out like a light. It seemed with Sakura firmly tucked in his arms, he finally had the mental peace to close his eyes and enter a state of deep sleep for the first time in days.

---------

Sakura awoke to a persistent thudding against her ear. Thinking she had slept too heavily on one side, she shifted to try roll over, only to find her body pinned in place. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find her view blocked, that combined with the familiar scent of rain which she associated with her Sensei, Sakura looked up in surprise to find it was Kakashi who was pinning her.

Craning her neck upwards, her surprise quickly dissipated when she saw the look on Kakashi’s face. For days he had slept beside her, and while she had been borderline comatose most of the time, whenever she had woken briefly in the night, the look on Kakashi’s face always bothered on her.

Now was different. He seemed almost peaceful. His breathing steady and even, his eyebrows relaxed, his mouth...

Without thinking twice Sakura’s fingers crept up, carefully pinching the edge of the mask.

Slowly she inched the material down, anticipating some form of horrific revelation or divine retribution as she carried out what felt like borderline sacrilege. Instead, she was incredibly surprised at the completely normal soft, pink, top lip that appeared, contrasted by the dark of the mask as it cinched in the gap between his lips.

Sakura’s heart thudded in her chest, not quite wanting to admit to herself why her current view made her feel this way.

Glancing surreptitiously up at Kakashi before she made the final tug to reveal the rest of his no doubt completely normal and annoyingly handsome face, Sakura startled when her eyes met slate grey ones, half covered by long lashes.

Frozen like a delinquent caught in the middle of a crime, Kakashi moved so quick she didn’t have a chance to worry about being reprimanded. His eyes were wide with sudden awareness and swiftly he switched their positions, rolling Sakura onto her back so he could assess her with wide eyes.

Sakura could hardly breathe when, pushing his forehead protector and fringe out of the way, Kakashi leaned over and pressed his forehead against hers, checking her temperature.

She felt his warm breath across her cheeks as he sighed deeply in relief, realising belatedly she only felt it because she had pulled his mask half-off. Distracted by the fact, and with his face in better view on top of her, Sakura couldn’t stop herself reaching up and slipping her finger back into the edge.

Long fingers curled around her wrist stopped her, and she found her hand pinned above her head before she knew it. A smirk found its way onto her face. There were many things she couldn’t keep up with her teammates on, but competitiveness was not one of them. She stretched up across the short distance between them, tilting her head and daringly grabbing the edge of the mask between her teeth.

Even Kakashi didn’t know how to react, frozen as he was.

Pinching and pulling the material, she stopped when her lips brushed against his warm ones, the gravity of their closeness finally sinking in. Her teeth parted and the material slipped from between them, her lips still barely against his.

She didn’t know who started it. If she bridged that hairsbreadth gap or if he pushed down first, their slightly parted lips finally pressed together. It was gentle at first, his eyes closed as he seemed to sigh in almost relief, before the life returned to his eyes. Kakashi was back. The same Kakashi that was fire and fangs and cutting intelligence on the battlefield was viciously moving his lips against hers, heavy breaths barely escaping in between, before his hand not pinning her wrist grabbed her jaw and held it tight, coaxing it open. His tongue slipped in, hot and wet and then he froze. Almost as if he remembered what he was and who he was with.

He pulled back, his lips not wanting to separate from her swollen ones, but he only made it a handspan away from her before he found himself thrown sideways, flipped onto his back and pinned down by his student.

Sakura smirked darkly, she recognised his reaction, knew what he would do, and knew she wouldn’t let it happen. He wasn’t allowed to retreat now and act like nothing had happened. Not after that.

Pressing her lithe body against his, she leaned down and gently brushed her lips against his, parting them only to draw her tongue across his lower lip before she pressed down in a fierce kiss. He resisted valiantly for all of ten seconds, before his lips parted, his mouth opened, and he gasped as he let her in. Strong hands grasped the thighs straddling his wait, squeezing the soft flesh as his mouth was ravaged. Unable to take inactivity anymore, one hand reached up and around her back, threading his fingers in her soft hair and tilting her head to the side whilst he moved his mouth down, biting her bottom lip, nipping along her jaw, drawing a wet trail down to her neck where his teeth pinched sharply before sucking on the reddened skin.

It seemed to be a weak spot for Sakura as a shaky exhale mixed with a soft moan escaped her. She craned her neck further to the side to give him better access, whilst her body naturally melded closer against his, her hips rubbing against his and oh sweet heavens did she just grind against her sensei’s-

Sakura’s thought process was interrupted as her body lilted to the side and was overtaken with a numbness and tingling that was most definitely not pleasure.

“Kaka-” Sakura gasped; the light-headed sensation combined with Kakashi assaulting her neck was proving too much to think around.

Clumsily she managed to extricate one hand from his chest and slide it up to her neck where she all but slapped it across his face. For a moment Kakashi hadn’t caught up and his tongue slid against her hand and between her fingers and oh my god that’s way sexier than it has any right to be and maybe it’ll be ok if I let him keep going and pass out like this...

But it was too late, Kakashi had caught up and awareness was bright in his eyes though understandably not yet down below. He leaned up on his elbows, his hands immediately circling her face, tilting her head towards him so he could assess her.

“M’ok,” Sakura mumbled, dropping her head against the palms holding her cheeks. “Just a bit faint,” she sighed breathlessly.

“Sakura.” His voice was thick with emotion and rough around the edges in a way she had never heard it before. “I’m so-”

Sakura interrupted him, fingers covering his mouth as she rested her head more fully on his shoulder, her voice muffled by his body, “Don’t. It was me too.”

He was silent as he manoeuvred her body to be more comfortable on him, but Sakura could practically hear his guilt and worry.

“Just... help feed me some water.” Kakashi sat them both carefully up, bringing the canteen to her lips and guiding her to drink. Sakura couldn’t help but marvel at the strangeness of it, they had gone from anger on her part and silence on his end, to passionately making out, with no discussions or resolution of conflict in between. The weirdest thing of all was how natural it had been. And how much she hadn’t wanted it to end. Sakura had no idea she had such inclinations towards Kakashi till now. Sure, there had been the odd thought here and there, but it had never been something manifestable in reality. Judging from the deep, bewildered concentration on Kakashi’s face, it seemed he felt the same way. Behind his upfront concern for her, it seemed he too was contemplating what had just happened and why they had reacted the way they had.

Granted, she was still very much cradled in his lap with her head resting on his shoulder, so maybe now really wasn’t the time for such musings.

Sakura didn’t move till she felt truly stable and ready and Kakashi didn’t hurry her either. A part of her feared the distance he would put between them the second she was on her feet, and so she revelled in the attention as he carefully helped her sip water and supported her sluggish body against his own. After the last week of painful awkwardness and distance between them, this was a welcome excuse for closeness, and Sakura enjoyed it so much she had to hold herself back from snuggling against his neck and chest.

Eventually she felt stable enough to raise her head, and she did so tentatively, pausing for a moment whilst the ringing in her ears passed. Nodding to herself once, she looked up at Kakashi who had been watching her intently.

“Help me up.”

Wordlessly he slipped his hands around her slim waist as he crouched and gradually brought himself into a standing position, carefully bringing her with him.

Once up, she leaned heavily against him as the blood rushed through her body, and while she waited for the sensation to settle Sakura was reminded of Kakashi’s tall, lean form as she pressed against him. Clad only in his undershirt, his muscles stood out through the thin material, his naked arms even more so.

Since when did Kakashi get so hot? Or more like why has it taken me so long to notice!

Sakura sighed at the blindness of her youth, wasted away on trivial teenage boys that never returned her affection or valued her abilities.

And yet here was someone who valued her enough to kidnap her and use her for a top-secret project which he had asked of no one else. To Sakura, who had always been kept in the dark, always the last to know, she felt almost honoured by the inclusion, if it hadn’t been shrouded in such secrecy.

Returning to the matter at hand, Sakura slowly stepped away from Kakashi and towards the chrysalis, her fingers gently stretching out. A firm hand around her wrist stopped her and Sakura looked up at Kakashi who bore an angered, agonised expression.

“That’s enough!” He bit out between clenched teeth, and Sakura could tell he was angrier at himself for making her do this than he was with her for wanting to continue.

Sakura smiled softly, turning her wrist around and slipping her hand into his. Gently she turned his hand over so her palm lay atop his.

“It is.” Sakura began in a quiet voice. “It’s enough. This is the best I can do; the rest is down to nature and him to finish the process.” Sakura looked at Kakashi meaningfully, spreading the glow of chakra through both their hands so he could see what she saw too.

“I’m sure you knew this already when you bought him to such a place, but this chrysalis heals at its own rate, we cannot control it. I’ve repaired the structural damage to the organic form of the capsule and connected his body to it, so it should start to work now.”

Kakashi’s eyes were tight as she continued, glistening from the reflected light of her chakra. “It could take months, years or even decades for it to draw from nature all the energy it needs and naturally heal his body. Now there is nothing more we can do.”

“I know.” As Sakura had thought Kakashi did understand the workings of the chrysalis, and if it wasn’t Kakashi then she would be surprised he was willing to wait and even miss the revival of his friend. As it were, she knew all it really matter to him was that he lived eventually, be it now or in many years, that one day he would get to live the normal life they had, and that he had missed out on.

Kakashi’s voice was quiet as he spoke, withdrawing his hand from beneath hers.

“Thank you, Sakura.” His head was low and he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Sakura placed her fingertips on the edge of his jaw, the dim light casting shadows on his handsome, distraught face.

“If you had just asked, I would have done it. If you had just told me from the start.”

“I know.” Kakashi replied, voice low.

A slow smile spread across her face as she drew closer to him, speaking his true intentions aloud, “But you didn’t ask because if we were caught, you didn’t want me to be held accountable.”

“Oh Kakashi.”

Kakashi looked away, swallowing thickly, he replied, “I’m sorry Sakura. For everything.”

Slipping her hands around his waist, she hugged him tightly until he put his arms around her. Drawing back slightly she touched his face delicately, her expression one of deep empathy.

“I am so sorry for you Kakashi, for everything you went through, and for dealing with this alone.”

It was the first time anyone had ever acknowledged Kakashi’s losses, even months after the war was finished and over, due to his laidback disposition no one ever realised how much he had suffered, how much he had lost.

With a fierceness she wasn’t expecting, Kakashi returned her hug tightly, burying his face in her hair, his tall form trembling. Sakura rubbed his back soothingly, returning the embrace with as much strength as she could muster, feeling like it was only her arms holding the pieces of this man together.

Eventually he pulled back, pressing his forehead against Sakura’s, he whispered a thanks against her lips before he drew away.

Placing a hand on the chrysalis Kakashi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and uttered, “Goodbye Obito,” before turning away.

Within minutes they were packing their stuff and clearing away their bedding, ready to leave.

Suddenly Sakura froze, a very obvious realisation dawning.

“Did-did you change me?”

Kakashi rolled his eyes at her, “That’s what your worried about?”

Considering this for a moment, Sakura conceded with a shrug, “fair point,” and returned to packing.

The journey back to Konoha was far less stressful and they took it at a relaxed, sedate pace; though a knot of anxiety did sit in the pit of Sakura’s stomach at what would happen upon their return.

“Hokage-sama!”

Sakura snapped her neck around at the sound, searching for the voice and its direction which seemed to be them?

“Hokage!?” Sakura turned incredulously towards Kakashi.

It all made sense. He wanted to square of all his debts before taking on the heavy title of hokage, which had been his teammates dream.

Sakura smiled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief, as she went over to the desk to sign her name in for leaving and returning, then quietly snuck away leaving Kakashi to deal with Shikamaru’s badgering. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Kakashi, head slightly bowed as he sheepishly apologised and offered a half-hearted explanation.

She made it only a block away before she was pulled into a secluded area between buildings, and before she could yelp in surprise Kakashi’s familiar face came into view. She opened her mouth to protest, a million questions on her lips, but closed it, knowing Kakashi would explain when he was ready or knowing him probably never.

As she stared silently at him for those few seconds, she struggled to decipher his expression. It was… soft almost?

Kakashi’s gloved hands circled her face, the warm tips of his fingers brushing her cheekbones. Her eyes fell to his lips, though she could not see them as he leaned close and whispered in low voice, slightly rough around the edges, “Thank you”.

She felt the gentle press of his warm lips against her forehead, lingering only for a moment extra, before she looked up and he was gone in a swirl of leaves.

Sakura chuckled to herself, the madness of the past few days starting to settle in as was the now glaring fact that she apparently had a massive crush on not only her Sensei, but also her village’s hokage.