A/N: Boy, a new chapter in less than a week? I spoil you guys way too much. This is my longest chapter yet! :) Thank you guys for all your support!

Italics = Character's Thoughts/emphasis

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, things would be a lot different.

Chapter 10: And the Drama Begins

Riku was a modest man in his mid-40s, a traveling historian that craved adventure. He left Konoha often, months at a time. He wrote of his journeys, recording the current situations in each village - their status, their leader, the resources available to them. He tried to be as factual as possible, and wherever he went or no matter how far, he would always return home to Konoha. His parents had lived there, and his grandparents before that. While he was a civilian, his two siblings were shinobi that had unfortunately passed away in the Fourth Great Shinobi War. As adventurous as he was, he couldn't bear tearing himself from his roots.

Returning from a three month trip to Suna, he walks past the gate and enters his home that is near the popular marketing area. "It looks especially busy today. I wonder what's going on?" he ponders. Setting his hat and travel bags down, he ventures out of his home, his inner curiosity getting the better of him. He strolls down the street and immediately notices the urgency in which all the vendors are grouping together and speaking, or rather gossiping.

"Just what happened while I was gone?" He's bewildered by the odd behavior. The customers are not buying anything but are distractedly picking objects up and then setting them back down, seemingly interested in the group of salesman, jittering and whispering amongst themselves. All along the the street there are huddles of people with shoppers leaning their ears toward the groups, listening for something. He just doesn't know what.

The hustle and bustle are all for show. It's as if a large conspiracy is happening on the wall street of Konoha.

He goes up to one of the jewelry shops. Close family friends, he and Masami get lunch together often. Walking into the store, he notices that she seems to be reorganizing her rings and putting them up in the front display. She's wearing a simple outfit with a blue blouse and black knee-length skirt with a dark green apron.

He taps her on the shoulder. "Hey, Masami-san." She turns and squeals, giving him a big hug. "Riku-san, you're back!" Pointing his thumb outside, he asks, "Yeah I am! What is going on?"

She jumps up and down and squeals again. "So much has happened! You have to write it in those books of yours. I can't believe it! I just can't!"

He puts his hands on her shoulders. "Whoa. Calm down." He chuckles lightly. "What exactly happened?"

"The Hokage is engaged! She announced the news yesterday!" Her face is so joyous. Masami is only one of many villagers that hold enormous pride and admiration for their Hokage.

"Wow! That's great to who?" His eyes lighting up, Riku runs his hand through his hair. What a joyous occasion! A historical milestone is happening during my lifetime!

"That's not even the best part, Riku-san!" She ushers him into the back of the store and grabs two chairs for them to sit on near a small table, and he follows suit. "Sit. Sit. So, it had started out as a normal announcement from the Hokage building. She told us we have an evacuation drill tomorrow. Blah. Blah." She waves her hand in the air casually.

"But then! Sakura-sama announced her engagement to the Daimyo's son! It was completely out of the blue. I mean the Daimyo has barely visited Konoha, and now his son is engaged to our Hokage? It makes no sense." She begins to shake her head vigorously, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of it all.

"Plus, we haven't seen Sakura-sama with a man in years! But, all is well. The villagers are not worried because we all don't think the engagement is going to last." She ends on a vague tone, raising her eyes mysteriously. She gets up to get some tea and sets down two steaming cups.

Riku knows what she wants and, playing along, he eagerly asks. "Why? Why don't you think the engagement is going to last?"

"Well I'm glad you asked!" She pours her tea, taking a quick sip. "Well for one, she didn't seem that excited about this engagement at all. It was all rather formal," Scrunching her brow, she pauses in thought. "...and while Sakura-sama is more of the serious type, we all know she's a romantic. The announcement would never be made in such a dull way, and she would have been beaming. I only saw a small polite smile, and I could hear the angry murmurs from the crowd that our beautiful Hokage appeared to be in an arranged marriage. Such a thing wouldn't do." She makes a point to lean in.

"Now here's the unbelievable part."

"The Savior is alive! Uzumaki-sama is alive!" She drops the bomb, sipping her tea giddily, her legs bouncing up and down under the table.

Eyes wide, spraying his tea across the table, Riku quickly wipes his mouth with his sleeve, spluttering out. "I'm sorry, Masami-san! But that's not funny! Uzumaki-san died ten years ago. That's impossible!"

"That's what we all thought too! Yet, after the announcements, a mysterious ninja with blonde hair suddenly appeared on the roof next to Sakura-sama. He had a mask on, and we didn't know who he was. This masked man bowed, yanked off his mask, and yelled, "Hi Konoha! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm alive!" Sakura-sama looked shocked and even took him aside for bit, but she confirmed to us that he was Uzumaki-sama. The crowd exploded and yelled, 'Welcome home! Our hero!' Sakura-sama says we'll have a formal celebration soon."

Clapping excitedly, Masami sighs. "He looked just like the pictures, Riku-san. He's so handsome and dreamy! It's a shame he isn't older." She giggles like a young schoolgirl.

"Masami-san, you're incorrigible. So, wait, what does Uzumaki-sama's existence have to do with engagement?"

She slaps him on the arm. "What kind of historian are you? Everyone knows that Sakura-sama has been in love with Uzumaki-sama since the end of the war. The engagement isn't going to last because Sakura-sama and Uzumaki-sama are having an affair!"

Putting his hands up, Riku protests. "Woah woah. Those are big accusations to make of our Hokage, Masami-san. How do you even know all of this?"

"Don't be such a worrywart. All of the village is fine with it. I only know this because we've all been compiling information for the past day, gossiping and such. It's a time for a celebration! This is a fairy tale in the making! It is obvious that those two are having an affair because when he arrived on the roof, she was only a little fazed to see him. Only once he opened his mouth and announced his identity, all of us saw that she was clearly surprised. Don't you understand? She's known he's been here!" Smug, Masami looks fairly proud of her deductive skills. Women are so sly and clever these days. Riku thinks. It's quite scary.

She puts the back of her hand on her forehead, swooning a little. "Can you imagine how romantic their reunion was, Riku-san? It must have been magical."

"So, that's what's going on outside." A look of understanding dawns on Riku's face.

"There are multiple betting pools all over Konoha on when Uzumaki-sama and Sakura-sama will get married and when the other engagement will be canceled. I say that the engagement will be canceled in two month's time, just before the wedding."

She laughs, slamming her hand on the table. "Oooh, everyone also wants to see Uzumaki-sama, but he can't be found. People have been stalking that Ichiraku Ramen place two streets over. Those poor souls. He's probably spending time with the Hokage, no doubt." She raises her eyebrows suggestively.

Finishing off his tea and drumming his fingers across the table, Riku is in awe. "Wow. Uzumaki-sama is back from the dead. Wow." He's silent for bit and then speaks up, something occurring to him. "Say? Where has he been all this time?"

"Yes! That's the other mystery, and no one knows." She shrugs. This is the most excitement she has gotten in years. Sipping on her tea, she thinks that it's so difficult to find things to discuss in such a peaceful era.

Knocking once again on the door, the pinkette sighs.

"Kazuki, please. Open the door?" There's no answer.

"Can we talk? I know you're in there. I can sense your chakra." She leans her shoulder against the door. "I'm sorry. I know that I really screwed up, and you have every right to be furious with me. But, please open the door so I can apologize to your face and explain." She fiddles the sleeves on her robe.

Ever since the village announcement, he's been avoiding her and giving her the silent treatment. He won't let her utter two words to him before he disappears, and she hasn't seen a strand of his blonde head in practically 10 hours. The fact that he is so angry with her is slowly killing her inside. Sakura didn't mean for everything to turn to crap. She curses herself for thinking everything would go so smoothly.

She looks at the clock. It's almost time for her emergency meeting with the Konoha shinobi.

"Kazuki. I- " She hesitates. Every fiber of her being wants to stay. She wants to fix things, but she knows she needs to attend this meeting and explain everything to her shinobi. She owes them that much with all these secrets. "Kazuki, I have to go." Sighing again, she drags her hand down her face. "I have this emergency meeting to attend. Trust me that I'd rather stay here with you." Peeking through her fingers at the door, she mumbles. "Even with this door between us, I still want to stay."

"I don't want to go, Kazuki. I want to stay and talk about this, but I have to do this for the village - as the Hokage, okay? Please understand."

She pauses, waiting for an answer. She hears the sounds of a bed spring. He's rolling over. She thinks, frowning.

"Maybe we can talk when I get back?" She takes a deep breath, whispering gently. "I miss you." She quickly disappears in a puff of smoke to the main meeting room.

Appearing smoothly on stage, she walks up to the center. All Konoha shinobi except for a select number of guards and those on active missions are in this room. They are talking among themselves, their voices echoing throughout the room.

Sighing quietly, she rubs her temple with her right hand for a few seconds and then crosses her arms across her chest. She clears her throat, and there's silence throughout the room.

"I have few issues to bring up with this meeting. First, we possibly have a threat to our village in the next month or so. Let me repeat that a threat is coming to our village, and I know since three of our ninja returned from a scouting mission seriously injured. It is some leftover Akatsuki supporters, but we do not know the total number of their forces. A complete list of what we know and the ninja's capabilities has been compiled and will be sent out to levels Chunin and above. Jounin share what is necessary with your team. Our love for our home, those precious to us and future generations is the foundation of our strength. Please prepare and train hard to protect our home and the Will of Fire. "

Nods and looks of determination wave throughout the room. She has their attention. One of the genin is even taking notes. Well, that's cute.

"Second of all, I have assigned some of you to help fortify Konoha's defenses - walls, seals, and such. We will be having a practice evacuation drill. Do not panic the civilians please, and let's do this drill in an orderly manner. Review the procedures please, especially the genin." She levels a stare at the genin and notices that all of them stiffen. She laughs inwardly.

"Are there any questions?" The shinobi look at each other, but no questions are asked. The Hokage nods.

"Good. Last, as you all know, yes, Naruto has returned. I can confirm that it is really him." She smiles gently, but it's a genuine smile. The whole room explodes in a cheer, fists pumping in the air and whistles echoing off the walls. Her smile easily grows with the sense of celebration.

"Okay. Okay" She tries to quiet them down. "I'm sorry for not announcing his arrival earlier. I've had my hands full with him." A few quiet murmurs and suggestive eyebrows, and realizing her words, she coughs, stammering. "That's not what I meant. He had injuries! I had to interrogate him. He was resting at my house!" She groans because she's not making the situation any better as the racy comments increase with her excuses.

Leveling another stare, she yells, "Quiet!" They shut up.

"There were complications, but he's okay as you all saw yesterday. He's healthy and is the real deal. Please don't overwhelm him with autographs and praises. He's still getting use to being back. More details about his current status and his past whereabouts are of jonin-level clearance for the sake of the village's safety and with Akatsuki wandering around. Sorry. Chunin and Genin, get out."

Groans filled the room as the less experienced shinobi file out of the room, and the adults left in the room look expectantly at their Hokage.

Pulling up a chair and sitting down, she crosses her legs and folds her Hokage robe over. Leaning with her elbows on her thighs, she addresses her shinobi in a less formal manner.

"Okay, I can't answer all of your questions because I don't honestly know the answer as of yet. Nothing about Naruto's status leaves this room, and no sharing with your genin teams. The village is gossiping enough as it is." She makes eye contact with her shinobi, ensuring no hesitation is in the crowd, continuing.

"Naruto has amnesia. He can't remember anything and simply knows his real identity through pictures. As for where he's been, for the past eight years he's been in the secluded woods and traveling as a mercenary with only chunin to jonin level techniques. He only stumbled into Konoha about a week ago. I believe that all of you understand the repercussions if someone outside of Konoha found out Naruto's current status. Questions, go."

"How do we know he's not been compromised? Mind control?" One of the jonin pipes up in the middle of the crowd.

"The Yamanakas have examined him for such jutsus and did not find that his mind has been tampered with. We still have a few tests to perform, but I am positive that he is not a threat to the village."

"Is the Kyuubi secure?" One of the ANBU leaning against the wall speaks up. She knows who that ANBU is, and it is so unlike of him to be concerned about the Kyuubi.

Frowning, she grits out. "Once again, Naruto is now and has never been a threat to this village. The Kyuubi is secure within him, and it will stay that way."

"You said eight years. Where was he during the other 2 years?" An injured Hatake Kakashi leaned on a crutch, asking the easy question, his hand in his other pocket. He gave her a tired but comforting smile. It was nice to have some Team 7 support in the room.

"As of right now, neither he nor I know where he was during those two years. It is very possible that during this time that he sustained some damage and began to suffer from amnesia."

Her white-haired sensei follows up another question. "He has chunin to jounin level techniques. Where did he learn them?"

"He seems to have done a few favors for retired ninja here and there and learned a few things on his travels. He said that since his aptitude for ninja techniques was so high, many of them agreed to teach him."

Ino shouts out. "Why is he staying with you?" She has the gall to smirk as well.

Sakura sighs. "He seems to remember bits and pieces of his memory pertaining to me, so he is most comfortable in my home."

The blonde continues, speaking obnoxiously loud and unable to keep the grin off her face. "So, what have you two been up to, huh? You were standing pretty clo-"

The Hokage cuts her off, speaking loudly. "Are there any more questions?"

The Jonin and ANBU shake their heads. "Good. If there are any suggestions on how we prepare for the upcoming threat or other questions, please approach me. You are dismissed."

Ino runs up to Sakura. "Hey Forehead-sama. Are you going to answer my question?"

"Not the time, Ino-pig." Ensuring that no one was approaching with any concerns, she disappears in a puff of smoke, rushing back to Naruto.

Walking away with Shikamaru, she turns to him. "Well, she was in a hurry to get back to the idiot. Want to go spy on them, Shikamaru?"

"How troublesome. Just leave them be, Ino. Let's just go get dinner." He grabs her hand and drags her in the direction of the food stands.

"How you ruin my fun all the time is troublesome." The blonde mumbles.

As the two walk out of the main room, two ANBU are left straggling behind. Performing a security sweep, the ANBU with a dog mask that had spoken up before says, "All clear in here. There were no bugs or anything left behind."

His partner walks up to him. "Can we talk? You've been hostile about Naruto since we both brought him to the Hokage office."

"It's nothing." He grumbles.

"It's not nothing with all this attitude." She crosses her arms.

"Just lay off. Will you?" He glares at her from underneath his mask.

"Damn it! Talk to me!" Done speaking quietly, tired of him shutting her out for two days, she stomps her foot, yelling. " I can't read your mind. I'm not Akamaru!"

He blurts out. "Why are you so concerned about Naruto?!"

"What? I just want to make sure he's okay. He's our friend." Her eyebrows lift behind her mask, but then she has a spark of realization. "You're jealous." Scoffing, she shakes her head, her purple hair waving. "This is ridiculous. You're jealous! This explains everything."

"Well? Should I be? You followed him around until 8 years ago! You only stopped loving him because he died! I'm second place! Always will be!"

A well-placed slap knocks the dog mask to the floor.

"I haven't done anything to deserve this, and you know it. Beyond dropping him off with Sakura-san, I haven't seen him or talked to him." She takes a deep breath, speaking normally.

"I chose you a long time ago, not because I had to settle for you since Naruto died but because we fell in love." She walks toward the window, readying herself to jump out.

"Come talk to me when you remember that. I'll be at my parents' house." She leaves.

Bending down and swiping his mask up from the ground, he puts it back on and storms out of the room. He is going to patrol Konoha a few more times.

Rolled on his side, his back facing the door, Kazuki waits for the sound of smoke to know that she's really gone.

He sits up, his feet touching the floor, rubbing his hands up and down his face. How did things just fall apart? He contemplates ironically that life was simpler in the woods with Hana.

Shaking his head, he decides to get up for a walk to clear his head.

36 hours ago:

"Ok tattoos, yay or nay?" The blond has his back against a tree with the pinkette's head leaning against this shoulder, their hands intertwined, this thumb winding lazy circles on her hand. They've been asking random questions now and then, enjoying each other's company, sitting in the shade of a tree while the sun is close to setting. Besides some occasional paperwork for the Hokage, they had been inseparable since the swing incident two days ago, learning new things about each other, and the blond found himself falling harder every moment. Since he found out that Sakura was his dream girl, how could he not?

He takes a moment to lean his head on hers for a bit, careful not to put too much weight, sneakily inhaling a bit of that strawberry scent from her hair.

She laughs. "I actually have a tattoo on my arm. It's from ANBU."

Sitting up, his lights shining mischievously like a child with a new toy, he asks. "Oooh, can I see it?"

Raising an eyebrow, she replies. "You can, but you're going to have to earn it."

"Uh huh and what's the price?" He plays along.

"What do you think?" She blushes slightly, not used to being so coy.

He pulls her into his lap and, guiding her chin closer to his face, whispers, "I hope this will do."

Their lips meet, her arms wrapping around his neck as his hand cradles her neck and caresses the top of her thigh. The kiss is slow, and they're in no rush. He bites her lower lip gently, causing her to gasp as he slips in his tongue. He teases her tongue with a touch or two, and she reciprocates, both of them taking turns exploring each other's mouths. He pulls her in closer, and she starts running her hands through the back of his hair. She seems to like my hair a lot. He thinks, amused. He starts smiling, and she can feel it, slowly opening her eyes.

She leans back slightly, pouting slightly. "What is so funny?"

He pecks her on the mouth. "Nothing. So, can I see your tattoo?" He moves his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

"I guess your payment meets my expectations." Sticking her tongue out, she surrenders, pulling her Hokage robe down between them, revealing the signature ANBU swirls on her left arm. He leans in closer to inspect it, his thumb brushing against the design.

"Beautiful." He thinks. The feel of her skin is better than he thought. "Kami, get a grip. It's just her arm." The blond is still staring at her arm, and she reaches out, her palm lying against his cheek, patting him gently.

"Kazuki? Hey, come back to me." He turns to face her with the same awestruck look on his face, causing the Hokage to blush. "I hope my face is just as impressive as my arm." She says wryly.

"I-uh." He trails off, unable to save himself from the fact that he was staring.

Pulling her robe back up, she hums pleasantly. "You're cute." She replaces her hand on his cheek with her lips, tucking her head under his chin, her ear against his chest. While he may has some weird fetish with her arm, she still can't get over the sound of his heartbeat.

Clearing his throat, knowing he's in the clear, he asks, "So, you did ANBU for a bit. How long?"

In a comfortable position, she answers absently. "6 or 7 years."

"Is that how long most people are in it?"

She hesitates. "It depends...on why they entered in the first place."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he asks. "Meaning?"

She sighs. "There are three types in ANBU. The first batch is the usual ninjas, who want to improve their skillset. These people are in ANBU for only 2 or 3 years because they can't handle it - the bloodshed, the pressure, and second group are the complete opposite. They live for this type of job and love it for whatever reason." She can feel him nod in understanding.

"And the third?"

She smiles bitterly, but he can't see it. This is her. "These people enter ANBU and stay because they're running from something - denial, anger, guilt. You name it. Standard jonin missions aren't enough to distract them, so they join ANBU. Or they figure, 'what the hell? My life is screwed up, and I might as well be useful.' Then, like any dream, or I guess a nightmare in this case, they wake up. Soon enough they face whatever they're running from or get tired of running, and ANBU has one less member." She ends her description casually, trying not to attract attention to herself.

Kazuki is no fool. He knows which category she fits in, but he doesn't pry. The blond has a good feeling on what exactly she was running from, so he holds her a little tighter. The comfort and pressure of the hug seems to squeeze a few silent tears from Sakura's eyes.

Those years were so dark in her memories. During her ANBU years she began to understand the darkness inside Sasuke to an extent because she was living it. Back then the pinkette never wanted to be in Konoha because she saw his blond ghost everywhere, and she kept telling herself that he was alive. She needed to find that idiot. She was a different person then, desperate, calculating, and angry.

Sensing she's in a whole different time period, he kisses her hair, his nose nuzzling into his her pink hair. "Sakura-chan, it's your turn to come back to me." He kisses her head once more. "Sakura-chan."

Coming out of the darker part of her mind, she automatically burrows deeper into his chest. "Sorry."

He mumbles into her hair. "It's my fault. Do you have question for me?"

Pausing, she trails her fingers along the zipper of his jacket. "Where did you live before your travels as a mercenary?"

Leaning his head back onto the tree, determining how much he should share, he replies. "Well, I lived in the woods. It's sort of near the borders of Fire country and the Hidden Rain Village. I lived with this incredibly nice old healer and her apprentice." He smiles, thinking of the memories. "We lived simply. I helped them with the garden, fixed stuff, and carried the injured into the house. The apprentice's name is Hana, and she has green eyes like you but has black hair."

"It sounds like you and Hana were close." She mutters.

He laughs. "Yeah, we had some great times together. She has a mean right hook when she gets angry with me."

She doesn't know why she suddenly has a flare of jealousy toward this Hana girl. It's ridiculous when she knows that nothing happened between them from Ino's report. The insecurity from her genin days wraps around her heart, planting doubt. She has a sudden desire to hear the truth from him.

"Kazuki, uh." She tucks some hair behind her ear nervously. "Did you and Hana um-" She trails off, unable to finish the sentence.

At first he's confused at the question. Did Hana and I do what? Then he understands. "We were never together, Sakura-chan. After living together for three or so years, we did kiss once, but it just wasn't right." He pecks her head once more. "She is a dear friend, a sister really. Nothing more."

"I'm sorry for being so nosy." She accepts his answer, feeling more reassured. The insecurity fading away.

"Since we touched on my lack of a love life, how about yours? Anyone in your past?" He hums curiously.

Here was her chance. She had to tell him now. The engagement announcement is tomorrow. Instead she says. "I've had a few dates. Some men are more persistent than others." She thinks of a certain green beast. "...but I think some of the male shinobi are scared of me, being Hokage and all."

The blond chuckles. "Well they're crazy not to take the risk."

"You know, getting punched in the gut would make most guys run for the hills." She lifts an eyebrow curiously.

He leans in, his forehead touching hers. "Well I'm tougher than I look." She closes the gap between them, lips parted. Before they get too intense, she leans back, pushing against his chest, her conscience pushing at the brink of her mind.

"Kazuki, I need to tell you something." She gets off his lap, standing up, and he follows suit.

"Okay. You're all nervous. What's wrong?" Concerned, he grabs her forearms to still her. "I know we've only known each other for five days, but I'd like to think you can tell me anything, Sakura-chan."

She cringes. Beyond what she has to tell him now, she owes him his identity as well. Just like ten years ago, she's treating him so unfairly. "Kazuki, I should have told you days ago, especially since we've been getting so close." Hesitating, she avoids his gaze. "I'm engaged."

He lets go of her arms and backs away. He was not expecting that. She was supposed to tell him his real identity, and he would be completely cool with it. He had the whole scene played out in his head, but this is not what he expected. Wasn't she supposed to be in love with him or at least the old him?

"You're what?" A confused look on his face, he continues back away from her, his hands behind his head, pulling at his hairs. "I can't believe this. You're engaged? To who?" His confusion turns into a pained expression. Feeling so betrayed, he had fallen for an engaged woman. What a fool he was.

She watches him back away from her, and she pleads in her mind, "No. Don't leave me."

She stammers out. "To the Daimyo's son. It's an arranged marriage that I never agreed to. The council members forced me into it. I had no control over this." She starts to approach him slowly. "Believe me when I say that I didn't mean to hurt you. That's the last thing I wanted to do. I'm sorry."

All her words sound like excuses to him. He puts his hands out to stop her from getting any closer. "Stop! You're engaged, Sakura-chan! That's something you tell people! I trusted you…" His brow furrowing, he gestures between them. "This isn't something I start easily. What did you expect to come from this, huh? Is this all a game to you?"

"I'm not going to follow through with the engagement, Kazuki. I never intended to! You have to believe me." She pleads with him, and the more hardened and shinobi part of her hates the weakness in her voice.

"Sakura-chan, don't be foolish. You think the council members and the Daimyo are going to let you off that easily? Your engagement affects Konoha. I'm not dumb. I deserve more than being some fling on the side before you get married."

"I never said you were!" She grows defensive. "You think I haven't thought of all the repercussions of my decision? I always think of the village!" She crosses her arms and huffs. "Arranged marriage wasn't in the Hokage job description, okay? Trust me, I never would have accepted if I knew. I'm going to get out of the engagement."

"And if you don't get out of it? I'm dumped off to the side in...I'm sorry." He asks sarcastically. "When do you get married?"

She mumbles back. "2 months."

"Just great. Yeah, you'd dump me in two months." He crosses his arms, clenching his fists.

She sighs, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "If I had told you, we never would have gotten this close." She continues in her head, "I was also being selfish and wanted us to be this close."

He scoffs. "It doesn't change the fact that you deliberately hid this from me."

She bites back. "Why are you being so sensitive about this? We've only known each other for five days!" Kami, she didn't mean that. It's been five days, but it feels like they've been together for longer than that. She knows he feels the same way.

In anger, the blond blurts out. "Well guess what? I fell in love with you in five days!" He's surprised at his own words, but his expression quickly hardens. Grunting, he starts walking away, his back turned to her. Kami, he was such a fool.

He waves her off. "I'll see you when I see you, Hokage-sama. Let me know if you'd like to share anymore secrets." He disappears in a screen of smoke.

Sakura stands there in shock, not bothering to follow him. Her mind is reeling with the happiness that the blond idiot loves her, but the joy filters out once the reality crashes down. She had screwed up. It was all her fault that things were this way, and the pinkette is beyond frustrated with herself. She concludes that how she manages to ruin everything good in her life must be a talent of hers.

With chakra-enhanced fists and a bitter yell, she falls on to her knees and slams her hands into the ground, a wave of rocks and debris flying everywhere, her body racked with tears. It was dark now. The sun had left for the day when Kazuki disappeared, leaving the Hokage alone in the isolated training field.

She wakes the next day, reluctantly climbing out her bed. The first thing she does is scan for his presence. He's still not here. Her mood already dampened, she starts getting ready for her engagement announcement this morning. Dressing in her formal robes and grabbing her Hokage hat, she descends downstairs.

Trailing her hand along the wall, she can't help but peek into his room. The emptiness and untouched sheets are especially depressing. She rushes to her office, eager to distract herself.

She stands on the roof, overlooking the crowds. Twin white banners with the Konoha symbol stand on either side of her, signaling the presence of the Hokage. The village is cheering for her, waving and shouting their love. As Hokage, the village has always been her family, and she straightens up to happily greet them, shoving away her somber mood.

"Hello Konoha!" She waves to the crowds. "It has been a prosperous year for our wonderful village, and I can't be more proud of you all and of course our shinobi. I want to express my thanks for all of your hard work. Konoha's rate of exports is at an all-time high! Everyone wants our food and Konoha-made products!" The crowd cheers once more.

"On a more serious note, I would like to announce that we have an evacuation drill tomorrow. There's no reason to worry, but it's simply a drill for the safety of Konoha. It is no surprise that our grand village is growing everyday." She smiles at the whistles and hoorahs.

"Finally, I have an important announcement." She takes a deep breath, mentally encouraging herself that she could do this. This announcement wasn't permanent. Everything was going to be okay.

"I am engaged." A polite smile on her face, she pauses as the crowds gasp and roar in a large cheer. Hats are thrown in the air. She waits for them to settle before continuing. "As your Rokudaime, I have agreed to marry Okado Akihiko, son of the Fire Daimyo." There are a few cheers, but it is clear that this announcement is not as well received.

With his mask on Kazuki body flickers 5 feet from her on the roof. ANBU immediately move forward, but Sakura turns to them and says, "Halt. He's one of ours." The crowd below notices the blond ninja, murmuring amongst themselves.

Her hand on his shoulder, she walks toward him and whispers, "Kazuki. What are you doing here?"

Walking forward toward the crowd, he brushes her off and retorts. "Follow my lead."

He yanks down his mask, revealing his trademark whiskers, and the ANBU nearby draw in a sharp breath. They were old enough to recognize the face of an old friend.

The blond waves to the crowds, smiling. "Yo Konoha! Hi there! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm alive!" There's a silent pause of bewilderment among the crowd.

The Hokage's jaw drops, eyes widening. Her Inner Sakura screams - He knows? How? What the hell?

Kazuki turns toward her and pulls her forward. "The Hokage can confirm it, right?" He whispers. "Follow along. C'mon." He sees her hesitation, cutting her off. "Now is not the time for questions."

She frowns and mumbles, "Fine." She turns to the crowds. "It is indeed Uzumaki Naruto. My teammate and the Fourth Great Shinobi War hero is alive and has come home!" She grabs his hand, holding it in the air. Once the fact is confirmed, the crowd explodes. Villagers and shinobi alike hug one another out of pure joy, and there are shouts of "Welcome home!" and "Uzumaki-sama the hero!" Hats are scattered throughout the air.

On the roof of a nearby building the ANBU commander pulls out a drawing pad, quickly sketching the scene of his two friends holding hands in front of the village. Fully aware of what has gone on the past two days, he smirks thinking, "They'll want this little scene someday."

She lowers their hands and quickly lets go, shouting. "We will have a formal celebration to welcome him home soon! Get ready! Thank you all!" She waves at the crowd once more and backs away from sight, dragging the blond with her by the sleeve.

"How do you know? What were you thinking?" Aware of the shinobi around them, she stands close to him, whispering angrily.

"I was thinking that now we're even in terms of secrets." He turns away from her and jumps off the roof.

She puts her hand up to stop the ANBU's pursuit. "Let him go. He's not a threat." She sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Sai." He appears, and she murmurs her orders. "Spread the word that we have an emergency shinobi meeting tonight. I want everyone there."

"Of course." He bows and disappears with a layer of ink.

"Everyone go back to their stations." Barking out orders, she heads toward the roof door to go back into her office. Once in the safety of her desk, she takes out her sake.

She mutters. "Damn, he knows. He knows I've been hiding something else. Kami, he probably hates me." Taking a long sip, she groans, slamming her forehead onto her desk.

Her head throbbing, she decides to catch up on some paperwork since she's been playing hooky the past five days. Before she knows it, there's only an hour or two before the 7PM emergency meeting. Damn it. She didn't mean to work that long, but at least she was completely caught up.

She had a few things to prepare since Gaara was arriving in two days to check on his injured ninja and discuss the Akatsuki threat. She also needed to stop by the hospital to start on those vaccines. The Hokage sighed. There was simply too much to do.

She concludes to stop by the hospital for a quick visit before trying to apologize to Kazuki at the mansion. That is if he's even there.

Just a quick visit then I'll grovel in front of Naruto. She tells herself, jogging into the hospital.

A/N: I was really excited for this chapter since it was my first time doing this backwards and forwards thing. I hope everything makes sense. :) Go NaruSaku! Let me know what you guys think!