“Wow” Naruto said, and Sakura nodded. Sasuke walked in between them silently as the three of them made their way through the streets of Konoha. “I can’t believe that this is really happening.”

“I know” Sakura agreed, feeling the tears well up in her already red eyes. She had cried all morning, and her nose and lips were chapped, completely dry. “I mean… I never would have thought that this would happen. I mean… all three of us… leaving Konoha… forever.”

Sasuke listened in, but didn’t speak. His thoughts were driving him insane. After all, he had just returned from escaping Orochimaru. And now… at this rate, he’d never be able to accomplish his second goal. The revival of his clan. Why? Because the only one who he was willing to let have his children was none other than Sakura Haruno, though he’d never admit it.

“So, what do you guys think you’ll be doing ten years from now?” Naruto asked.

Sakura slowed down, considering it.

“Well, I guess, by then, I’ll be a regular villager of Suna. I’ll be a citizen of the Village Hidden in the Sand” She was sad about it. Of course, she had partially volunteered, but when Tsuande told her about it, she forgot to mention that Sakura would no longer be a citizen of The Village Hidden in The Leaves. She never expected that she would have to leave this place. The place that she had been born and raised in. And the thought of never seeing Naruto, Sasuke, or any of her friends killed her inside. “What about you Sasuke?”

“By then… hopefully I’ll have found and beaten Itachi… Hopefully” In all honesty, he didn’t really want to go. The whole thing was more like a mission. Tsunade had called him in one day, telling him that he must find and destroy his brother before he became an even more serious threat to the world. “And then… well, I don’t know what I’ll do after that. Naruto?”

“I want to train for a long time and hopefully return and become the sixth Hokage…” He didn’t have much to say. He knew that talking about being able to return to Konoha would upset Sakura even more.

Surprisingly, she smiled and returned to focusing her gaze in front of her.

“Good luck” she said softly.

“Thanks” he said. He rest of the way they walked in silence, eachone saying their silent goodbyes to the village they had grown so accustomed to.

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same

Sakura’s POV

I can’t believe it. I really can’t. For the last three years… I’ve been telling myself how perfect everything would be when Sasuke returned, and Naruto. But now… why so soon? Sasuke had barely arrived back less than a month ago, after all.

I think back on the day that we became Genin. I remember… that… even though Sasuke ignored me...and Naruto sometimes got on my nerves… Looking back now, I wouldn’t trade the days we spent together for anything in the entire world.

And now… we’re all leaving.

And as much as I hate to admit it, it can’t be denied. The chance that even one of us, including Naruto, returns… is little more than, if not less than zero.

After tonight… I won’t see any of them again. Sasuke… Naruto… Shizune… Ino… Kakashi-sensi… None of them.

Regular POV (Third Person)

It was hard to know that she was going to have to say goodbye to them after all of these years. Imagining her life without the rookie nine and team Gai, not to mention Tsunade and Shizune… it was enough to make her pull her hair out.

She keeps looking at Sasuke, and Sasuke can barely bring himself to the occasional meeting of their eyes.

There’s something he needs to tell her, just three simple words. But those three words are the hardest ones that he has ever known.

He knows that if he doesn’t tell her soon, he’ll miss his chance. Suddenly, he slows down, and Sakura stops. Naruto, seeing what’s going on, decides to keep walking.

They stare at each other for a moment, emerald eyes staring into the dark, black, unreadable ones.

Finally, Sasuke takes a deep breath, and tries to say the words, the words that he wants so desperately to say. But, when they don’t come, he says “we should go”, and felling a new batch of let down tears spring to her eyes, she follows as he starts walking again.

But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Sakura’s POV

It seems like I’m stuck in slow motion while the world around me is spinning at triple speed. And no matter what, I can’t stop it. My only hope is to hang on tightly for dear life.

The memories were repeating themselves through her mind, over and over.

The first day of Squad 7. How she had chased after Sasuke and been a total jerk to Naruto.

Their first A-Ranked Mission… the fear she had felt… the pain that shot through her when Sasuke was lying unconscious on the bridge, bruised and battered.

The day in the hospital… where Tsunade had healed Sasuke, and then later that day, he and Naruto had almost killed each other on the roof of the hospital.

The night that Sasuke left…

And then, that warm summers day, when Sasuke mysteriously showed back up after almost three years of training under the Snake Saanin, Orochimaru.

And then, her favorite memory of all (pretend that it was Sasuke, not Naruto, on this day).

The same day that they became Genin… Sasuke and her had sat on the stone bench together, and then, when he was sitting barely inches away from her, she had realized that she felt something towards him… Something that Ino had always suspected her of feeling, though she didn’t until that day.

The feeling was great… but she knew that it had come way too early for her usual liking.

Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon

The next day, after their meeting on the stone bench, they had both been filled with sadness, because they both knew that they could never be together. She knew that he was too dead set on revenge, and he knew that if ever he should leave (which he knew he would), searching for Itachi, she would be miserable.

But still, they saw each other in the park later that week. That day, she made him feel. Sadness, joy, surprise, happiness, and love.

Feelings that he hadn’t known since Itachi had murdered his clan, and feelings that he kept secret.

She told him that day that it was wrong, that it wasn’t fair… that they had to be so different and had to walk such different paths. She herself was feeling all of the emotions that he was, and she didn’t bother so much keeping them locked up inside of herself.

And there was me and you
And we got so blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
We'd get so excited, we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels

And now, standing here today, she knew that she would miss him so much. Him and everyone else, even Naruto.

Naruto and Sasuke… they had made her happy… they had made her stronger… and both of them had had their equal share of saving her from getting herself killed.

And even though there were constant arguments and silent fury exchanged from each of the three of them, they always stayed together. From the day that they became Squad 7 until the day that Sasuke left. And even then, Sakura and Naruto had stuck together, swearing to bring him back if it was the last thing that they ever did.

No matter what, they stayed side by side as Squad 7.

And each one of them knew that, no matter how far away they all were, the bond that had formed between the three of them would always exist.


As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

And now, the possibilities were huge, and there were too many to be counted.

What if Sakura became attached to Suna?

What if Sasuke could never find Itachi?

And what if Naruto wound up in some other Village, and became the leader of that country instead of Konoha.
Would their be any happiness in their lives? Any at all? And the bad thing was, even if one of them returned to Konoha, which was still highly unlikely, the other two certainly wouldn’t be there.

And the only thing they could do was live with it.

After all… what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger, right? And once you hit the bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up… unless you just stay down.

Years from now, when they grew apart and accustomed to different lives, would they still believe in the same things? Would they all mature so much that the signs of the people they were now would disappear?


So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?

Will they learn different things and completely forget everything that they had been accustomed to? Would they still be the same three trouble makers that they always were?

Like that time, when Sasuke was gone, Sakura and Naruto had tried to spy on Tsunade for some reason. They had been caught sitting outside of her window, and were both forced to ‘work’ (keep the village spotless and do extra D-Ranked missions) for months on end.

And that time they had tried to find out what was underneath Kakashi’s mask? Man, Kakashi had made the three of them train extremely hard for the remainder of the week, and Tsunade had loaded them up with long scrolls of ‘chores’, one for each person. They almost never finished all of the work.

It was hard to think about how much their friends would change while they were gone.

Would Konohamru live up to be the seventh Hokage?

Would Shikamaru stop being a lazy bum?

Would Ino and Shikamaru finally stop being so hardheaded and admit that they were in love with each other?

Would Hinata stop being so shy?

Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?

Sakura’s POV

I keep trying to tell myself that this is a good thing… An experience that will make us grow and develop.

At least, that’s what my head is telling me… But my heart… my heart is telling me that we’ll never get over this… that this is going to break us down, one by one.

I don’t want to believe it… but this is goodbye. Tonight may be the last night that we ever see each other again.

I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels

Normal POV

No matter what, the three of them know that they will never forget each other, even if they live out the remainder of their lives thousands and thousands of miles apart.

As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever
We will still be friends forever

Sakura is sobbing silently, and Naruto’s choking on unshed tears. Sasuke keeps his head down, his eyes shadowed so that the tears in his own eyes aren’t noticeable.

He can’t believe that these words are so hard to say. He’s terrified that he’s about to let the greatest thing in his life walk away, without letting her know how he feels about her. Without thanking her for making him into the man he is today.

And he also can’t believe that he’s so angry right now. He’s finally given permission to hunt Itachi down… but he’s finally realized that she was right…

Revenge won’t make anyone happy.

And now he doesn’t know what to think. Now that he knows he has to get revenge, like it or not, will victory still be sweet? Will he finally be happy, or will he hurt because he lost Sakura… because he lost everything.

Looking forward now, none of them could think of a way that they were going to make it out there, all alone in this great wide world. None of them can believe that they’re going to have to say goodbye to each other and be forced to move on with their lives.

In a way, this is a competition for all of them. This situation is putting them all to a test. A test to see who’s strong enough to survive the biggest emotional blow that they can imagine.

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?

Sakura’s POV

I’ve learned to live my life with both of them there to keep me hanging on. But now… what happens now, when they aren’t standing there, holding out their hands to help me up when I’m knocked down.

I never thought that this would happen. I was enjoying our time together so much that I didn’t worry about this. To me, the possibility of having to say goodbye to both of them again was slim, barely existent.

And what about the memories? Will they continue to haunt us in our sleep at night? Will they continue sticking in our minds during the days?

Or will we all forget each other? That’s my worst fear. When we walk through these gates and go our separate ways, will all of our past mean absolutely nothing to us? Will we just continue walking and never look back on the days that made us into the people we are today?

I keep denying it. This can’t be the end of it… of us… Am I really going to let him walk away without telling him that I love him?

Right now… it seems that the only thing we can do is keep walking, holding our heads up strong… just to survive… just to make it out alive.

I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

Naruto’s POV

I can’t believe it… I don’t want to believe it. Saying goodbye to them is going to be the hardest thing in the world.

Because they’re the ones who kept me hanging in there when I didn’t even want to be alive. When I thought that hanging on would only make me suffer more, they were there to pick me back up off of the cold, hard floor.

And what about Sakura? Will she be OK if Sasuke doesn’t tell her how he feels?

As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

Sakura’s POV

I can’t do this… I’d rather die than say goodbye to them. In fact… if I do say goodbye, then I might as well just keel over dead. There’s no way I’m going to be able to survive without them… especially knowing that I couldn’t bring myself to tell him how I really feel about him.

I mean, they’ve always been there for me. And now… they won’t ever be again.

As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

Sasuke’s POV

Those two are the only ones who I’ve let myself care about since Itachi murdered my clan… without them, am I going to go back to being alone? Am I going to once again become the unemotional person who cares about nobody but himself and is afraid to let anyone else in in fear that they’ll turn around and stab me in the back?

And once again… am I really going to let her walk away without telling her how much she means to me?

Gulping, I come to a halt as we reach the three-way fork in the road.
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

Normal POV

Naruto stands still, not wanting to move. I mean, after all… if he walks… he’ll be all alone, and Squad 7 will be no more.

He gulps, praying that Sasuke will tell her, that one of them will make a move before it’s too late.

Finally, Sasuke speaks up, cutting through the thick atmosphere of silence that has formed around them.

“Well… I guess… that this is it…”

“I guess so” Naruto said, in unison with Sakura, who is trying hard to fight back the tears. Naruto looks over at Sasuke, who returns the stare.

Smiling, Naruto nods.

“Well… I better go” he says, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders. Sakura looks up, and throws her arms around him, terrified.

Throwing an expectant glance at Sasuke over her head, he hugs her back, and they both draw away.

“Goodbye guys, catch you later” he said, though they all knew he hadn’t meant it. Sasuke nodded to him, and bid him farewell as he started walking.

He fought hard, but couldn’t keep himself from looking back. He sighed when he noticed that Sasuke still hadn’t made a move, and Sakura was hugging herself tightly, crying still.

Feeling his eyes upon her, she looks up, forces as smile and waves.

Returning the smile, he waves back, and just like that, he’s gone… he disappears into the depths of the forest, head bent down.

“Well… I guess that I better get going, too” she said, her voice shaking with sobs. Sasuke watches as she walks past him, staring down at her feet, her tears falling onto the dirt beneath her feet.

He no longer tries to hide the tears as he runs forward, and she flinches slightly when she feels his hand on her arm. She turns around and stares into his eyes, getting lost in the dark pool of black, mixed in with the salty tears running down his face.

Suddenly, he gulps, his heart thumping so loudly in his chest that he wouldn’t be surprised if she heard it beating. Closing his eyes, he pulls her close, and she falls into his arms, eyes wide as he embraces her.

“Sasuke…”

He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he puts a hand under her chin and pulls it up so that they’re staring into each others eyes.

And then, he leans forward, and she is taken slightly aback as his lips press against hers. Her eyes widen, but slowly, she allows them to sink closed, and kisses him back as the sun sinks, casting an orange glow upon the world around them.

“Sasuke” she says, when they finally draw away. She wraps her arms around him, tears once again rolling down her cheeks. He holds her tightly, rocking her back and forth.

“Sakura… I… I think I… “ the next words he speaks are soft, and she asks him to repeat himself.

“I... I… I love you” he says, and she shrinks back, smiling.

Suddenly, she jumps up and throws her arms around his neck, and they share another kiss as the sun rises higher still.

She wants the moment to last forever, but oh too soon they draw back, and she says “I love you too, Sasuke.”

Holding each other close for a few minutes, they stand as a whirlwind of cherry blossoms dance up around them.

Finally, they let go of each other, and, smiling, she turns to leave.

“Goodbye Sasuke” she says, though the words eat away at her heart like fleas in a pile of wood.

“Goodbye, Sakura…”

Naruto watches from behind a tree, smiling as they walk their separate ways.