Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Song.

Thinking of You – Epilogue

[Inspired by: Thinking of You by Katy Perry]

Thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed this story. I am glad that it was enjoyed! Here is the final installment of this story. Soon, i hope to start work on my next story, A Hokage's Path: The Fall of Evil. (It's a working title... it might be changed.) Anywho... Thanks again!

Shout out to my reviewer... Lucky Naruto08.

As always, enjoy. -laydee kai-

The days passed turning into weeks and then months. Sakura and Kakashi used the time to become closer to each other. The time that they had spent away from each other only drove them to realize that they couldn't not have the other in their lives. The life of a ninja is not something that is a guarantee. They had to make each moment count as best as they could.

Sakura seemed to suffer no long term effects from being subjected to the Tsukuyomi. Her attitude and behavior after the fact only showed that she wasn't the same girl she was when the Uchiha had known her. She was a tough woman—she was a Konohan kunoichi—and no one was going to prove her other wise.

The hardest thing that she had to face was the fact that Uchiha still breathed. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what the so called council was thinking when they fought for him to live.

Sakura sat in Tsunade's office a few weeks after her release from the hospital. She patently sat there silently as her teacher finished up a few remaining pieces of paper work. Sakura could tell that Tsunade would have gladly pushed it to the side when she appeared, but thanks to Shizune's watchful eye, she begrudgingly finished. With a satisfied grunt, she handed the completed papers to her first apprentice and waited for her to leave.

"So, Sakura, how have you been feeling?" the Hokage asked as she rubbed her eyes with a little of her own healing chakra.

"I am feeling quite well, Shishou. I can no longer feel the effects of the Sharingan, let alone the Tsukuyomi."

"Do you feel as if you are ready to return to active duty?"

"I don't understand why you are asking me, however, I am ready whenever you need me."

"I am asking because I learned my lesson last time for not listening to you. You were right about many things and I didn't listen to you then when I should have. I should have known then that you would not question orders unless you had a valid reason."

"And yet the bastard is allowed to live?" Sakura asked with spite.

Tsunade sighed deeply. "You know there is more to it than me just executing him."

"I don't think I understand that either."

"I know you don't. And don't think that I like it, because I don't."

"Then do something about it Shishou! You are the Hokage for crying out loud! They are a bunch of old geezers with no real power to do anything. Why do you let them run you?"

Tsunade growled lowly at Sakura's words and tone. "Sakura." She warned.

"No, Shishou. I will not hold my tongue any longer. I mean you no disrespect but why do you let him breathe? Answer me that."

"Out of spite." The blonde snapped.

"Spite?" Sakura echoed.

"Yes. He has had his precious bloodline taken from him and now he isn't what he thought he was. And I take a little bit of satisfaction in knowing that he has to live with that. That the pompous ass doesn't have an excuse for greatness anymore."

Sakura guffawed at her answer. Tsunade's eye narrowed into a glare as she looked at Sakura's reaction.

"Excuse me?" She said slowly.

"You think his bloodline has been taken from him? That's ridiculous! You as well as I know that his ability to use it is the only thing that is gone. He still has the ability to pass it on."

Sakura's mouth fell and hung slack. Her eyes widened at her own words as the pieces fell into place.

"That's the reason they fight for his life isn't it? The council doesn't want to loose the Uchiha's Sharingan!"

"Precisely."

"And you will let him spawn more little unbalance Uchihas?" She demanded.

Her teachers silence seemed to answer many questions all at once.

"Shishou! You can't be serious? So far all I have seen that has been bred by that clan is an unstable superiority complex that seems to multiply when that damn eye becomes active."

Tsunade sucked in a deep breath, she knew where this was going and what would happen as soon as she said what she was thinking. "They all weren't like that."

"Yeah, it seems that Obito was the exception to the Uchiha rule… and look what that got him. Ridicule from his family… from his clan."

"There were others besides him."

"That may be true, but the powerful ones were and still are deadly. Look at what's left! We have one sitting in our cells and another one running rampant with one of the most lethal organizations our combined nations have ever seen!" Sakura exclaimed.

Tsunade's eyes glazed over as she looked at her student fuming. She blinked rapidly and her eyes softened into a plea.

"There are things about Itachi that you don't know… that I never knew until I took this position. Don't be so eager to lump him in with the bad when in actuality his burden was and still is the greatest."

Sakura faltered in her rage. "What are you talking about?"

"I am not allowed to tell you. If you want to know, then become Hokage." She said in a tone that Sakura knew not to question.

So Sakura had her answer. The council wanted him alive to bread him. They wanted more of him. Here was a man who had proven himself time and time again to be evil, disloyal and highly deceitful. The man had given no reason for them to prolong his life. It was another problem just waiting to happen as long as his heart continued beating. But yet they clung to the idea of revive the Uchiha clan.

Sakura had tried her hardest to not thinking about the Uchiha or his brother. She didn't know if she was correct in her assumptions about the eldest brother because Tsunade would neither confirm nor deny anything. For the most part she figured he did what he did for some other reason that pure madness. There must have been some underlying reason for him to extinguish his clan. However, she would never know. Or would she? She could always ask Itachi's little brother who was conveniently within walking distance. But would he know?

Sakura mulled over the thoughts for many nights. She had to know. It was driving her insane. But how would she ask? She couldn't just walk in there and ask the Uchiha why his big brother had slaughtered the whole clan. Plus there was the fact that she didn't know if she could face him without killing him. She would need help.

She took a deep breath and turned to face Kakashi one night during dinner.

"I want to talk to him," She stated.

"Talk to who?" Kakashi asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"The Uchiha."

Kakashi spewed water all over the table. "What? Why?"

"Because… he might know something about his brother."

"Itachi? What do you want to know about him?" he asked her.

"What made him do what he did to his clan?"

"We all know why he did that, Sakura-chan. There is no reason to subject yourself to Sasuke for information on that."

Sakura sighed as she looked into Kakashi's lone onyx eye. After the events that took place months ago, he was even more cautious about showing his Sharingan to Sakura.

"I don't know, Kakashi-kun. Shishou said something to me once that made me curious, but then told me that if I wanted to know everything about it that I needed to become Hokage."

"What did she tell you?"

"She said that his burden was and still is the greatest. She made it sound like he didn't just wipe out the Uchiha clan because he was crazy or to prove something. She made it seem like there was another reason."

"She told you that?" he asked raising his voice in shock.

"Yes. A few weeks ago. Why?"

Kakashi cleared his throat and tried to school himself again. "Um, no reason."

"For such a talented Shinobi, once your tells are known you are a horrible liar." Sakura accused.

"I don't know what you mean Sakura-chan." He stated coolly.

"Don't you dare lie to me Kakashi Hatake."

She took his sigh as a sign of defeat on his part. He never could deny her anything she wanted and this is something that she sought desperately. So much so that she was willing to ask Sasuke Uchiha.

"You can't say anything… I am not supposed to know about this."

"I won't say anything."

"There were rumors around the time of the massacre—long before it happened. Itachi was in my unit and he seemed troubled and he trusted me. I haven't told a soul this since he told me," Kakashi paused. He raked a hand over his face and through his hair. "There were those in the Uchiha clan that weren't very happy with the way things were being run.

"They didn't like it that Sarutobi was Hokage again after what happened to Minato-sensei. They figured that since he had passed the title on that he had no claim to it anymore and shouldn't be the Hokage. They planned to over take him and place someone else in the position. They knew that it most likely meant killing the old man.

"As you know, the ANBU are fiercely loyal to their Hokage. Itachi didn't like what he was hearing so he reported it to the Third. He volunteered to keep an eye on them and take the necessary actions to prevent anything from happening. When it was all said and done, he hoped that Sasuke would be to young to remember the perversions that his clansmen spoke and that he would be a great man. Itachi wanted Sasuke to bring honor back to his clan by killing the black sheep of the family, himself.

"I think that's part of the reason why the Third put Sasuke with me. Because I knew the real Itachi, not the so called demon that people painted him to be. But in the end, Sasuke was to tainted by the hate that affected his people… and he became what Itachi feared."

Kakashi looked at Sakura as she took in all of what he said. It was a lot of information and it was very emotional. Her heart broke for Itachi—a man who was loyal to his home and leader—being painted in the way that he was. In the instant that she felt pity for the eldest brother her rage grew for the youngest.

"Sasuke it that much more a bastard." She said through her locked teeth.

"I agree." Kakashi nodded. "It was hard to watch him grow into that. But I didn't teach him like I should have. I thought I was giving him the tools to help achieve what his brother would have wanted in the end. All I did was help make a monster."

Sakura's hand gently found it's way to Kakashi's cheek. He looked into her eyes. Her hand lightly brushed his scar and smiled as he opened his eye.

"You are no more a monster than Itachi is. You did what you thought was right. No one can fault you for that. Naru and I turned out alright after all."

"Heh, thanks to Tsunade and Jiriaya."

Sakura got up from her chair and moved to his side. She sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

"Stop." She commanded softly.

Her lips found his as soon as he tried to protest. She pulled back and looked at him again.

"So you weren't the best teacher… but you had your good points," she joked. "You taught us many things that were just as important as the things that Tsunade and Jiriaya taught us. So quit feeling sorry for yourself."

"I just…" he started again.

"Oh, shut up!" She laughed. "We have to meet Naruto and Yugao tonight for drinks. And I promised them that we won't be late this time!"

[End of Story]