Chapter Ten

P.O.V Sakura Haruno

My two-story house blew into my view as the air surrounding me shattered. I glanced around at the clear sky, feeling the warm tempered day and peaceful forest that edged around my property.

"Thanks Sakura!" Annistyn giggled beside me, I turned to look at her bright smile. "I had so much fun!"

"No problem-" I smiled looking into her forest green eyes, "-but we had a deal. We get back a day late you have to rush off to school."

"Yeah-Yeah!" She waved off but laughed quickly hugging me before walking away in the direction of her school with a light bounce in her step." I smiled to myself again, shaking my head before turning to the house.

"Well look whose back!" Diem's voice greeted me right as I opened the front door. He was propped up on the couch watching television, a bowl of what smelt like oatmeal rested in his hand.

"Nice to see you too." I commented shutting the door.

"Itachi came for you again." Dawn said coming from the kitchen, I sighed slipping my bag off my back.

"I told him I would be a day late getting back here." I said moving to sit on the soft couch.

"I see you're getting better control over your eyes and seal." Diem muffled out with a mouthful of mush.

"I am." I nodded in agreement; I had spent the last week inside the river village with Annistyn.

"Where is everyone?" I wondered hearing how empty the house was.

"If you're talking about the Nine, then they are still out on the town causing trouble." Dawn muttered sipping on her morning coffee. I laughed hearing how my old team was still the same in so many ways, my phone buzzed causing me to pull it out of my pocket.

"Who is that?" Diem wondered, "Who is texting you so early?"

"Why are you even awake this early?" Dawn asked a better question.

"Annistyn had class this morning." I answered texting on the phone.

"Hello?" Diem said tapping me with his foot, annoyed I was ignoring his question.

"Tsunade." I answered swatting him to stop touching me.

"Tsunade-?" Dawn repeated sounding baffled, "-from the Leaf Village?"

"That would be the one." I smirked looking from the screen to her.

"Why are you texting her again?" Dawn's voice was scrunched up, altering her pretty complexion.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because I thought we weren't talking to the leaf?" Diem butted into the conversation. "I mean we rushed over there to save them from the Sky Village strike over like, a month ago and we rushed out the very next morning and hadn't been back since so..."

"Who cares about that-!?" Dawn snapped setting her coffee mug down. "-why are you on a texting basis with the Hokage of the Leaf Village!?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I questioned, "I am allowed to have friends-"

"Friends!?" Dawn sneered, "You woke up from the dead, freed from being grounded under the Reapers and that woman had the balls to try and shove down her Hokage position down your throat while you were confused and disoriented!"

"I know-" I said, "-I was there."

"Then tell me why you're talking to her!"

"Last time I checked I don't have to do a damn thing-" I narrowed my eyes feeling the fight gearing up in the air around us.

"Are you fucking with me right now?!" Dawn stood from her chair, "You selfishly died to protect those people who weren't even a part of your own village-"

"I died in order to stop the Reapers." I felt my voice sharpened as I sat up.

"You left Annistyn here alone, she had no one else to-"

"No, she did-!" I said standing as well. "-she had you, and Diem and the Nine to watch over her!"

"No-" Diem chirped up. "-that little girl didn't want us, she needed you to be there for her and you ran off, played house inside a village you despised for years and then ended up getting yourself killed over them leaving behind an entire village to run with only one piece of paper which by the way, such a dick move, to guide us."

"Why is all of this bring brought up?" I asked with a shake of my head, "I don't-"

"We gave you time-" Dawn stepped forward, "-we waited for you to recover, for you to get control over your eyes and you had your fun. You traveled around seeing all your friends which is great, but now it's time you take back the title of Commander of the Waterfall Village."

"What?" I breathed with a light laugh mixed into my voice. "Your-"

"I am not meant to be the Commander of this village-" Dawn cut me off, "-you are."

"Dawn, no-" I shook my head. "I-I'm not-"

"Are you going to accept Tsunade's offer then?" Dawn accused me.

"What?" I found myself laughing. "No."

"Then why are you texting everyone from there, I know you have been hanging out with Itachi, Naruto and that blue haired girl. Why?" Dawn breathed, "You already gave your life for them-"

"They are my friends." I stated, "I can see them if I want-"

"You can't!" Dawn snapped, "You can't because that isn't who you are, you're going to feel entitled to help them, you're going to want to protect them again and you're going to end up burning for that village!"

"True-" A voice scribbled its way into my head, I groaned seeing she had stirred awake. "-but fire doesn't always mean to destroy-"

"Shut up." I muttered not in the mood to deal with her foreign cookie advice.

"Sakura-!" Dawn snipped at me, seeing I wasn't paying attention to her. "-when are you going to take over-" Dawn's mouth closed as a portal opened feet away from us.

"All that portal opening, and closing can't be good for our health." Diem yawned watching as Itachi stepped into the living room.

"Ugh!" Dawn groaned as Naruto followed through before the portal closed.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear seeing me, I smiled back.

"Hey." I nodded before turning to look at Itachi. "I told you I would pick him up."

"As pleased as I am that your able to use your eyes again-" Itachi half lectured me. "-I don't think you should be jumping village to village just yet. You don't want to get burnt out to soon."

"I know." I sighed brushing off his unneeded concern. I pulled my lips into a thin line seeing Dawn's ever-growing displeased expression on her face, she was pissed our delightful conversation had been interrupted. "Let's go outside." I said, grabbing Naruto's arm and dragging him along.

"Sakura!" Dawn called after me, but I ignored her as I quickly got from the porch and onto the path that leads back into the waterfall village.

"Does she seem-" Itachi muttered after a quiet moment. "-angrier than usual."

"Nah-" I shrugged. "-that's just Dawn's face."

Itachi, Naruto and I walked down the dirt path in low conversation until Itachi's phone began to sing a light jingle. I watched his face go from lightly relaxed to dark as he read whatever was messaged to him, Naruto and I glanced at one another waiting to be let in on what the situation was.

"Uh..." Naruto muttered. "Who is it?"

"Tsunade." Itachi answered.

"Oh!" I laughed, "Just Tsunade huh? No lady now?" I teased.

"We uh...are friends." Itachi trailed off quickly texting on his phone.

"Everything alright?" I questioned,

"Yes." Itachi quickly crammed his phone into his back pocket as he plastered a fake smile onto his lips.

"Really?" I gave him a second chance to switch up his answer.

"Of course." Itachi nodded, "But Tsunade needs me really quick-"

"Why?" I asked.

"Nothing to important." Itachi lied through his teeth as his eyes flickered purple and a portal opened behind him. "I will pick you up later Naruto, alright?" What was Itachi hiding and why was he covering up whatever was going on from Tsunade?

"Uh, ok?" Naruto turned to me looking so unsure of himself as Itachi turned and practically ran through the portal without so much as a goodbye.

"Did you buy that?" I turned to Naruto.

"Nope." Naruto lightly smiled, "You?"

"Not a damn chance." I said,

"So-" Naruto changed the subject, "-why is Dawn mad?" I smiled at his question feeling the urge to almost laugh. "What?" Naruto read my face,

"Well-" I chuckled; "-she is angry because she wants me to take over being Commander of the Waterfall Village again."

"Wh-What!?" Naruto gasped, his mouth making a perfect 'O' with his lips, "But she-she is the Commander!"

"I know." I nodded,

"Why does she want you to take over again!?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, "You and Itachi showed up in the middle of our conversation."

"I am assuming she is mad because you said...no...?"

"You are correct." I nodded,

"I-I" Naruto stumbled, "I'm sorry." His answer stunned me, I expected him to fight for me to return to the leaf with him and take over the Hokage title.

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes." Naruto nodded, "You shouldn't be forced into doing anything that you don't want to do."

"Well..." I looked at the forest path that gradually began to turn into solid stone the closer we got into town. "...I made a name for myself; I shouldn't have expected that I could just walk away from that."

"But you died-" Naruto argued, "-Dawn took over because it was her job!"

"I know, but now I am alive, and I guess she and Diem don't like leading the Waterfall Village, it is a lot of work." I chuckled, "Kaguya doesn't help much-"

"Kaguya." Naruto realized she was still alive and kicking around the village.

"Yes." I nodded, "She is still pissed at me for locking her away inside one of my seals, she doesn't talk to me much, which honestly is kind of nice."

"I heard you have been at the River Village?" Naruto asked,

"Yes." I answered, "I was there for about a week."

"Before then you were hanging out with Gaara?" Naruto went on.

"Have you been keeping tabs on me?" I joked lightly pushing him on his shoulder.

"No." Naruto chuckled, "Nothing like that it's just...I--we miss you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like...Carver and Raiden, Hinata we all really miss you..."

"I miss you guys too." I smiled.

"Then why are you never around anymore?" Naruto gushed like a fruit snack, "You're getting a better grip on your seal now, you can pop in and out of villages like you use to so how come you haven't swung by and seen any of us in the last month!?"

"I...I can't..." I answered looking ahead at the path before us.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, "Why not!? You can travel to the freaking Sand and River villages then why can't you-" Naruto's eyes widened, and his mouth snapped shut after he took one look at my face. "-it's because of him...?"

"Yeah."

"Because of Kakashi?" Naruto questioned, but just the sound of his name felt like my raw heart was being electrocuted. "Why don't you try talking to him!?" Naruto's eyes lit up at this new idea, "Maybe if you're around Kakashi, and you talk to him a little more maybe he will start to-"

"No." I shook my head.

"Huh?" Naruto furrowed his brows, "Why not? Why don't you at least try to talk-"

"You didn't see the way he walked away from me-" I breathed, Kakashi strolling away with Hanare on his arm instead of me as they went off into the sunset to start the leaf village clean up echoed clear as a bell through my mind. "-he..." I licked my lips as I turned to Naruto, "...Kakashi is better off without me in his life."

"Wh-What?!" Naruto laughed, "No-!" He began shaking his head.

"He is happy, right?" I questioned,

"Well..."

"I already know Itachi has hung out with Hanare, he got to know her and as irritating as it may sound, she is good for him."

"No." Naruto was stubborn as always, "You are good-"

"I am a mess." I cut in, "I break everything I touch, and the people that hang around me always end up dead."

"Sakura-"

"I am toxic-" I raised my voice over his, "-that's why I am staying away from you and your village."

"Sakura you're not-"

"I am built for war-" I breathed looking into his crystal blue eyes, "-not much else."

"That isn't true!" Naruto said cupping the sides of my face. "You are warm, and the most caring person I have ever met! Your stubborn and hardheaded but your funny and your courageous. You're the most reliable person I know, I can always count on you to have my back and it doesn't matter if I am in the right or wrong because you always put your family and friends first, no matter what!"

"Naruto-"

"You are not just a war machine like Kaguya trained you to be." Naruto's voice was stern, "Your Sakura Haruno, you're my best friend and you're the woman who Kakashi fell in love with not once, but twice! I won't lie I was a little weirded out at first but looking at the two of you when your together, no two people were made for each other like you and Kakashi, your meant to be together I just know it!"

"You didn't see the way he walked away." I breathed as water pooled into my eyes, Naruto lightly gasped seeing the tears in my eyes. I wanted to kick myself, I smiled pulling away from his grasp on my face as the tears spilled over. Here I was again, letting myself unravel what is wrong with me!?

Naruto did something I was not expecting though, he pulled my arm turning me quickly around and quickly engulfed me into a tight hug.

"I am sorry." He breathed, "I don't know what is going on inside his head, but I am here. Hinata, Carver, Raiden, Itachi and Granny we are all still here if you need us." I sucked in a deep breath as my eyes betrayed me and refilled with salty tears, I wrapped my arms around him as I shoved my face into his shoulder. How could I have left Naruto and the others behind the way I did?

I truly didn't deserve them in my life.

...Beep...Beep...Beep...

I felt my cell phone going off in my pocket, I sniffed as I pulled away from Naruto, I wiped my eyes before looking at the screen. I tilted my head reading Tsunade's name.

"Granny?" Naruto muttered, "What does she want?"

"Don't know." I said hitting the green button and pulling the phone to my ear.

"Sakura!?"

"Yeah?"

"Sakura, I need a favor!" Tsunade's voice was panicked through the phone, I glanced over at Naruto's confused face as he waited patiently to be told what was going on.

"Where's the fire?" I questioned feeling my eyes shifting into their familiar Christmas Wreaths.

To Be Continued...