A/N: Hey, look, this is my second attempt at a Naruto fanfic, and the first failed miserably. LOL. So yeah, this might be an oneshot if you want it to be. If you find it interesting, review and tell me so, and I'll continue, simple as that. Takes place when Sasuke is rescued and agreed to return to Konohagakure. Akatsuki is still lurking somewhere, yet not active and Orochimaru has been killed by Naruto.

Major Pairings are Naruto x Sakura, Shikamaru x Ino

Don't like it, too bad.

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto, k? Simple as that. And stop pestering me about it.

I Do

Chapter 1: I Never Told You

"He's back!"

"Oh my god! Get Tsunade-sama this instant!"

"Hai!"

Footsteps rushing all over the place. Haruno Sakura could not believe what she's hearing. Naruto had actually succeeded in bringing Sasuke back. She had nearly given up hope after all these years. She couldn't control herself. The feelings she felt that very moment, as she saw a blood-covered Naruto and a slightly-injured Sasuke walk right through that door, to tell you the truth, it was mixed.

She had no idea whether she was worried about Naruto or happy because Sasuke's back. Two years ago, she would not have hesitated to accept Sasuke's return with utmost glee and happiness, yet now……after all that Naruto has done for her, it seemed somewhat cruel to just ignore him.

Yet, she brushed it aside. There was no time for such trivial thoughts, both of them are injured! She immediately shouted orders at the rest of the medical ninjas and she herself proceeded to check Sasuke's condition, meanwhile, Naruto was standing by her side, grinning. However, the grin that he sported this time was somewhat different, it was genuine. Sakura could tell straight away.

Sasuke looked up at her and smiled weakly, "Hey, Sakura……I'm back. I……" Sakura merely told him to hush as she checked for any major damage to his limbs etc. When she was finally satisfied, she took a good look at Naruto. And it was then that she actually saw what he had been hiding.

"Naruto! Why? Stop blocking those injuries and let me see them this instant! This is foolish!" Sakura gasped, for what she saw wasn't a pleasant sight. Naruto's abdomen was slashed at least twenty times, his arms were bleeding profusely and the cause was not yet found. His legs seem ready to crumble any second, and all he said before he fell unconscious, was "Ha. Sakura-chan, I kept my promise." And with that, not hearing Sakura's cries, he fell into the darkness.

'Hey kid.'

'………'

'Wake up. Look, I do not intend to let you sleep on your lazy ass forever you know. Now wake up!'

'……kyuubi?'

'Why did this happen?'

'What are you talking about?'

'You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. Why did you let that Uchiha attack you without retaliating?'

'Shut up. I promised Sakura-chan I would rescue Sasuke, but it'll be pointless if he was fatally injured.'

'Oh, so you're saying that it's okay that you get killed, and watch as the two of them get all lovey-dovey. Is that what you want? Look, I don't really care, but getting the crap beat out of me without retaliating, believe it or not, it's downright embarrassing.'

'Embarrassing or not, I got the job done. Sasuke's back……so Sakura-chan should be happy now……I guess.'

'Hmph, you're pathetic. Giving your own girl to your enemy. That's just downright stupid. I assure you, all Uchihas got something up their sleeves, and it definitely ain't as simple as just giving in to you. Don't you find it weird that he gave up his pride too easily?'

'Enough! Sasuke's not like that. And tell me, why am I able to converse with you this frequently now. Where exactly am I?'

'Ignorant brat! If you want to tap into my power, obviously you are infiltrating the seal! Why else would you be here?! And why are you changing the subject?'

'Look, Kyuubi, I've had enough. Just forget about me being the jinchuuriki and you the bijuu, forget it. I'll make a deal with you. When in need, you lend me your power, and I can assure you I won't die. In return, I'll let you voice your opinions whenever you want by further infiltrating the seal. How's that sound?'

'Hmph. Interesting. I suppose I could oblige. But I'm telling you kiddo, that Uchiha's bad news.'

'All right. Now shut up, and send me back.'

'Do it yourself. I'm recuperating. Taking all those hits for you isn't really a pleasure you know. And kid, I demand that you rest. I have no intentions of letting my host let his stress add up and therefore make a nuisance of himself on the battlefield. It's only been seconds in the real world. Rest up.'

Naruto then began to feel the surroundings fade in and out of focus once more, and this time, he truly fell into a deep slumber, leaving all his worries behind.

Naruto slowly began to stir and surprisingly, what caught his attention first was a bunch of long white spiky hair by the window……"Ero……ero-sennin? What……are you doing here?" asked Naruto as he slowly tried to get up.

Jiraiya looked at him and smiled gently, "I see you're awake. That's a good sign; looks like Tsunade haven't lost her touch yet."

Naruto rubbed his eyes and realized that the sun was already setting. "What time is it?"

Jiraiya's back was still facing him, "6.30pm. Tell me, Naruto. Why?"

His expression immediately became grave, and Naruto could tell that this time, he was serious. "Why did you not retaliate?"

Naruto sighed, and just as he was about to give him the same answer as he gave the kyuubi, he stopped.

Jiraiya continued to observe him and ruffled his hair, "You would do anything for her won't you?"

Naruto pretended not to hear it and replied, "It's a promise. I always keep my promises! If I say I'll accomplish something, I'll do it. That's my way of ninja. You know that."

Jiraiya laughed, "Looks like you're really different from me! So loyal to you Sakura-chan aren't you?" And with that, he teasingly squeezed Naruto's cheeks.

"Itai-tai-tai-tai! That hurts!"

"Ha, would I do that if it doesn't hurt?"

"Baka yaro……"

"Woah, vocabulary there. What can I say; looks like you've been learning more than jutsus from me Naruto."

"You……forget it. You're not worth it."

And just then, he saw Tsunade come in, "Baa-chan, what's up?"

The vein throbbed dangerously on the Godaime Hokage's forehead, "I'll let you off this time because you're really injured……" She clenched and unclenched her fists to allow herself to calm down.

Naruto grinned, "Hai, hai. Ne, Baa-chan, how's Sasuke doing?"

"He's fine. Sakura is with him at the moment. I came here to check up on you, seeing that you decided to let him pummel you to the death."

"Look, I'm fine! And don't ask me why I did it. It's a PROMISE. Get the picture?"

Tsunade gazed lovingly at the blonde teenager, she always treated Naruto as her little kid brother. And she can't help but feel biased this time, even if she is Hokage, she felt that Sasuke went way overboard this time. She wasn't going to forget this anytime soon.

Naruto noticed the change in her expression and immediately muttered, "Look, Tsunade-baachan, don't go too hard on Sasuke. It was really my fault for not stopping him in time……"

Jiraiya immediately smacked him on the head, "Idiot. Stop blaming everything on yourself. His betrayal has nothing to do with you. He merely wants power, he was consumed by hate. He knows nothing by revenge. It's a miracle that he even agreed to return."

Tsunade sighed, and bent down and hugged the boy, "Look, Naruto. Just stay in bed and rest for today okay? That's all I ask from you. Tomorrow, you'll be released and you can move around as much as you want, but just for today. Try to behave to allow your injuries to heal. Please."

Naruto noticed the dark circles around her eyes and the increasing number of wrinkles on her face, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the stress due to the recent string of events were taking its toll on her.

He simply nodded, yet, he seemed to have changed his idea, "Ano, Baa-chan, just let me stroll for a couple of minutes, will ya? I want to see Sasuke……" And without waiting for an answer, he hopped out of bed and walked out of the room.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows, "Look's like that boy is about to witness pain."

Tsunade looked at him, confused, "What do you mean?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes, "You'll see. I pray to god that Naruto's going to be okay after this ordeal. I know, I've had this feeling before. In fact……I still do."

And like his old usual self, he left the room quietly, leaving Tsunade to ponder about what exactly he was talking about.

"Sakura, are you mad at me?"

"Hm……oh, no, why would I be, Sasuke-kun?"

"It's just that, I betrayed the entire village and even hurt Naruto in the process, I'm afraid that my reputation isn't worth anything anymore. I just want to ask you, would you still love me?"

If it was two years ago, without hesitation, the answer would be "yes".

Now……

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto and I never gave up hope in getting you back on our side. We never even so much as disliked you. You shall always remain in our hearts. And regarding that question……I………"

Unexpectedly, Sasuke leaned forward and kissed Sakura directly on the lips. Sakura was caught off guard and had no idea what to do. A part of her wanted to stop, another wanted to just let him go on because she felt that he needed some form of affection after all these years. So she let him kiss her.

The kiss went on for ten seconds, before she began to pull away. She wasn't enjoying it at all. It didn't feel right. Sasuke let her pull away, before embracing her once more. Sakura hugged him back, yet……something didn't feel quite right.

The thing was, she didn't feel it. She didn't feel the joy and excitement that a girl should feel when kissed by the boy she liked. She was actually doing this out of pity. All she could pray was that no one, especially Naruto, would come in this moment.

What she didn't know was, Naruto witnessed the whole scene, and without a word, he left quietly, knowing that what he was afraid of most came true. Sakura had indeed fallen in love with Sasuke again……

However, what both of them missed was the sinister smile on Sasuke's lips that very moment, for he knew, part one of his plan was well on its way.

He slowly walked back to his room, glad to find that no one was in it. He slowly proceeded to his bed and sat down slowly, the images of Sakura kissing Sasuke replaying in his mind, over and over again.

He knew it. He knew this was going to happen. Yet, for the sake of Sakura, he did it. He went and rescued Sasuke. He had finally developed a good relationship with Sakura, yet now, he was sure that Sasuke would replace him thoroughly. But to him, it was worth it. If bringing Sasuke back meant that Sakura would be happy, fine. To hell with his happiness, all he wanted was just to see her smile on her face, bright as sun, lovely as the petals of sakura.

But still, he can't help but let his tears drop slowly on to the sheets. He had loved Sakura since he was small. It wasn't just some ordinary crush. No, he really cared for her. He wanted to be the one to protect her. Like Kakashi-sensei had said, no one would let their precious nakama be harmed.

And he expressed his concern for Sakura more than anything else in the world. Why else would he risk his life just to save her during multiple missions during the years? He would most likely have gotten killed if not for Kyuubi's special regenerative powers.

He laughed, but it was a bitter laugh. To tell you the truth, when he was a small child, he hated his life. Why? Why was he born to be a vessel for the vicious Kyuubi? Why was he destined to be despised by the adults of Konohagakure? Why did he not have parents to love him? Why is he always alone? Why is he so weak? And most importantly, why can't I have the girl I love?

The infinite whys he kept asking himself all brought him no answers. And slowly, he began to develop a sense of optimism in most cases, never relenting no matter how big the obstacle was, which was why he wanted to become Hokage. He wanted to prove to everyone that he would do it, no matter how much they put him down, yell at him, throw stuff at him, he would succeed. Whatever he wants to do or say, he does it. That's his way of ninja.

And it has worked for so long too. But now, Naruto found it really hard to be optimistic. What is it that he's really living for? Simply to become Hokage? No, that's not it. Sure, he wanted to prove his worth, but that was not the main reason. He wanted warmth, a family, someone to be by his side forever.

He had friends, for that he was thankful. Yet, that wasn't enough. He wanted to experience the true meaning of 'taisetsuna."

He does not regret saving Sasuke. No, he does not. But he knew, that by this decision, he has decided his own life. No one would be by his side. His heart had died at that particular moment. He loved Sakura. Honest to god, he loved her. But now, he knew, that she has never loved him back at all, because by kissing Sasuke, it meant that Sasuke was everything to her.

Naruto shook his head, trying to shake away these thoughts, not wanting to think about it anymore. For he knew, some things, if left unsaid, can have a huge impact on your life. Which was why, before he finally fell asleep, he whispered to no one in particular, the following words: "You have no idea how much I love you Sakura-chan." And with his usual goofy grin, he fell asleep.

Anyone that looked at him now would can tell that he was hiding his pain. This is common knowledge, yet nobody actually realized that Naruto can only take in so much pain before giving up hope, and be lost in the darkness, which shall eventually lead him to his own doom if not careful.

Jiraiya knew it. He experienced it. And he swore to himself that he would not let Naruto repeat the same mistake that he did. He glanced at the boy once more, before leaving through the window, ready to embark on another journey to once more, gather information about Akatsuki……