Chapter Text
Prologue
The streets of Konoha are buzzing with the chatter of civilians and shinobi, all eager to lend a hand in rebuilding the village. It’s been 6 months since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, and though not all wounds have healed, there is an aura of resilience that lingers in the atmosphere that surrounds the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It is the kindling embers that many veteran shinobi can recognize as the WIll of Fire.
Sakura walks through the familiar path that leads her to the village gates. Her pink hair is hidden by the hood of her cloak and her usual attire has been swapped for a pair of standard-issue pants and a black long sleeve shirt.
She adjusts the pack hanging off her left shoulder and she pulls her hood back over her head, just in time to see a rather large crowd of people huddled in front of the gates.
Her initial instinct is to turn the other way and Sakura recalls the time when Sasuke left in the dead of the night, shrouded by darkness with no one to witness his departure.
Maybe she should have stolen some tips from the last remaining Uchiha on how to leave the village undetected and undisturbed. The thought almost makes her laugh, but she suppresses it when the tear-stained cheeks and runny noses of both Ino and Naruto come into view.
Sakura’s departure wasn’t meant to be public information, but she finds herself surrounded by friends, coworkers, and families of the patients she’s healed. Despite her initial reaction to flee on sight, it’s a pleasant surprise even if it makes leaving that much more difficult. She swallows back her emotions and tilts her chin up, resolute in her decision to leave.
‘ It’s for the best,’ she thinks.
One by one they offer their farewells. The families of her patients are grateful for her and they shower her with gifts they presume will be useful in her travels. It’s a touching gesture, even if she’ll have to leave most of the gifts because she’s already overpacked as it is.
The Konoha Twelve is all that’s left when the villagers trickle home. Sakura’s resolve wavers. There’s a mix of emotions amongst the group. Admiration, sadness, regret.
Unsurprisingly, Lee is the first one to step forward.
“Sakura-san! Your dedication to bettering yourself is truly admirable! I will celebrate your youth by completing five thousand laps around Konoha, and if I cannot complete them then I shall do ten thousand push-ups!”
Sakura swears she can see a rising sun behind him as he beams with the power of one, all for her. Knowing that a compliment like that is one few receive from the Mini Green-Beast, she tugs Lee towards her in a hug and murmurs her thanks.
Tenten has to pull him off of her but she doesn’t mind.
There are more hugs from Kiba, Hinata, and Chouji. More tears from Ino. Even Shikamaru wraps an arm around her shoulders in an awkward attempt of a one-armed hug. He smells like nicotine but still, she leans into him and laughs when he presses her close muttering an exasperated “Troublesome” against the crown of her head.
By the time Sakura’s friends have cleared out only she and her teammates remain under the unrelenting heat of the Sun. Sweat builds above her brow, and she shifts from one foot to the other, unsure of how to say goodbye.
She feels a hand on her shoulder and Sakura glances to the right, following the gloved hand up to a masked face and crinkled eyes. Kakashi is smiling but there is a sadness that has settled in the creases of his eyes, and she can’t help but think that maybe he might be a little sad to see her go. She doesn’t know what to do with that bit of information so she doesn’t dwell on it and offers a small smile in return.
He steps back and fumbles in his back pocket for a moment. She watches curiously, a warmth blooming in her chest at the thought that Kakashi of all people would think to gift her anything. The feeling is short-lived and her hand twitches at her side when he pulls out a very familiar-looking orange book.
It’s worn around the edges and she knows that it’s one of his original copies. The sentiment is just enough to keep her from pummeling him, but then he leans in close to her ear and whispers, low enough that her teammates don’t hear, “To keep you company on those lonely nights, Sakura-chan.”
He has just enough time to dodge the punch that’s aimed at his head, thankful for the years of dodge practice. Sakura glares at him, but she packs the book away anyways, just in case.
A loud sniffle brings her attention back to Naruto as he wipes away the snot on his face with the sleeve of his orange jacket. He’s pouting and glowering at the ground as if it’s at fault for Sakura leaving. Sai stands next to him, impassive as always but she can see the small pinch in his brow that indicates he’s unhappy.
She wraps an arm around each of them and yanks her two boys to her body. Naruto wastes no time in wrapping his arms around her waist and Sai gives her back a small robotic pat.
“I promise, I wouldn’t be going if this wasn’t important to me. Please, understand.” Her statement is directed more towards Naruto and it’s all she can say without choking on her words so she hopes that he really does understand.
Naruto pulls away to fix her with a toothy grin that shuts his already swollen eyes.
“Ah, I know, Sakura-chan … I’ll just miss you.” He rubs the back of his head sheepishly and takes a step back as if he’s waiting for her to deck him on the back of his head for his confession.
Instead, the tears that have collected in the corner of Sakura’s eyes finally fall and she swipes furiously at her face to stop the tears.
“Dickless will be harder to tolerate with you around, ugly.”
The statement makes Sakura choke back a laugh because Sai is so absurd in his manner of speaking but a part of her will miss it anyways.
Her eyes look for her remaining teammate, and she finds him standing a few feet away with his hands in his pockets. He’s looking at her, but his face is hard to read.
She didn’t expect him to see her off. They haven’t spoken since he was pardoned from his criminal offenses. It isn’t purposefully but Sakura has been busy tying up loose ends before her departure, and Sasuke has never been the one to initiate a conversation. Their relationship is tentative at best, nonexistent at worst, and she debates whether she should approach him or just make her leave.
The decision is made for her when he pushes off the tree and makes his way towards her. He seems to be mulling over something in his mind, eyes sweeping over her frame briefly before settling on her face.
Sasuke stops a few feet from her, his brows furrow slightly and his mouth opens and closes as if he’s struggling to say something.. It’s not an expression she’s used to seeing on him and so she waits, patiently, for him to speak first. He eyes the other 3 males of Team 7 and surprisingly it’s Kakashi that catches on first.
“Mah, some ramen sure sounds good right about now.”
Naruto’s ears perk up and in a blur of orange he’s racing toward Ichiraku without as much as a glance back. Sai and Kakashi follow at a much more leisurely pace but the lack of onlookers seems to melt the tension away from Sasuke’s shoulder.
His mismatched eyes lock with hers and just as Sakura is about to speak, the timber of his voice makes her still.
“If me being here makes you... uncomfortable,” Sasuke frowns, “I can go. You shouldn’t have to feel forced out of your home.”
It takes a few seconds for the weight of his words to fully settle, but when they do her eyes widen in surprise. It’s not an idea she has thought of before, but hearing him voice his concerns makes her realize how it must look.
Sakura shakes her head, ignoring the small amount of irritation she feels toward him for thinking her reasons for leaving had anything to do with him but she shouldn’t be surprised, not really. Up until then, all her actions had been influenced by him one way or another.
“Sasuke-kun, that’s not why I’m leaving.” She pauses, scrutinizing her next words carefully before continuing.
“Maybe it sounds silly, but I’ve spent so much time chasing you across the world and training to be able to stand next to you and Naruto as an equal. Now that I’ve achieved those goals, it’s hard to picture what comes next.”
Sakura tilts her head up, watching as a bird breaks from its flock and flies in the opposite direction. “I want to see the world and what it has to offer without the fear of failure and the pressure of not being good enough.”
Her eyes find his again and she’s startled at the softness in his eyes. It’s another expression that she isn’t familiar with but this one makes her feel breathless and hopeful all at the same time.
Sasuke seems to accept her explanation because in the next second he’s stepping forward, closing the gap between the two. Sakura doesn’t know what to expect from him and her eyes widen when he raises two fingers and presses them against her temple.
The corner of his lips lift ever-so-slightly as he whispers, “Until next time.”