Chapter Text
While all the ninjas in the five great shinobi nations were mobilized for the war against Madara and Obito, most of the renegades and traitorous shinobi took that time to create all the chaos they desired without any interference. Because of that, after the war ended, Konoha, aside from continuing to rebuild the village after Pain's attack, still had plenty of work for its remaining healthy shinobi.
The mission description was simple. Some of these rogue ninjas had found a notebook that once belonged to Akasuna no Sasori, containing several formulas for his poisons, and they were using them to threaten and kill those from small villages that didn’t comply with their demands. Their job was simple: stop the ninjas, heal anyone affected by the poison, burn the notebook, and return home.
The first task was the easiest, these rogues were a pathetic bunch who saw the book as the perfect way to intimidate others, but their combat skills were nonexistent. The second task was also easy, at least for Kakashi, since Sakura handled most of the hard work. In his defense, he could say she made it look easy, identifying the ingredients and their antidote effortlessly, then preparing and administering it within minutes of her diagnosis.
Since she was busy with that, Kakashi used his time to help the village elders with their tasks. Since the rogues had targeted the younger villagers, many tasks were too taxing for the elders at their advanced age.
The third task turned out to be the most difficult for completely unexpected reasons. After tracking a couple of the surviving rogues and discovering their base, Kakashi and Sakura realized this cowardly group didn’t stop at attacking innocent people, they were experimenting with every poison from the notebook on young children, even infants.
The sight was a vision of hell. They had to fight the urge to vomit on the spot. Most of the victims had already perished, but they managed to find a couple who were still alive, though gravely ill. Sakura managed to heal them, holding back her tears.
On any other occasion, Kakashi might have shaken his head at her open display of emotion, but even the toughest shinobi would be unprepared to face such horror, something beyond what most of the world would call evil and despicable.
Unfortunately, most of the children were too young to leave any clue about where they came from. Neither Kakashi nor Sakura found any clues, tags, or documents with their names, addresses, or family information.
This meant they couldn’t return the bodies to their parents, nor could they reunite the surviving children with their families. They had no choice but to bring them to the nearest orphanage, hoping they might one day find their way back to their families. Sakura was especially heartbroken by the outcome of their mission.
Even back when she was young and he was still her teacher, Sakura had always shown a soft spot for younger children, treating them with utmost care and patience, unlike with anyone else. So, seeing her cradle a baby against her chest shouldn’t have taken his breath away.
At first, he tried to rationalize it, they were the only adults in the midst of a nightmarish situation. Watching her care for the baby, soothing and comforting it, made it perfectly natural to be drawn to her figure and her display of love. Just as she tried to shield the older child from the surrounding horrors, she was a beacon in the darkness amid such a violent, death-filled environment.
It was only natural, especially since he wasn’t sure how to interact with the baby and the child. He could only admire how effortlessly she managed everything and let her take the lead.
Yet, once they returned home, with the mission behind them, his mind kept conjuring the image of her holding the baby in her arms. The way she cooed at the baby with affection, lifting it close to her heart while softly singing a lullaby to lull them to sleep, safe in her embrace.
The warmth of her protective presence, Sakura, was so much like Mother Nature. Able to nurture the most delicate creature back to health with a touch of her fingertips, yet just as capable of delivering a gruesome death to those she chose to destroy with those very same hands. That vision cast her in a new light.
Long gone was the pretty yet scrawny girl who once squeaked after Sasuke, so easily impressed despite her intellect, their own little light, whose innocence they fought so hard to preserve, even if it meant relegating her to the role of a damsel in distress. Long gone was the blossoming teenager, filled with fierce determination, one who drowned her sadness in hours of training and dedicated herself to helping others, hoping their hearts would never know the ache of the losses etched into hers.
Gone was the girl whose relentless work saved countless lives in war, the chakra prodigy who mastered the Byakugou Seal in the heart of battle. Gone was the selflessness that allowed her to pull Sasuke back from another dimension. Gone was the girl who punched a goddess in the head because she dared to overlook her for her normalcy, never knowing how deeply Sakura understood the weight of her own effort.
Gone, too, was the hopeless girl in love. Though her love didn’t die, it simply transformed, shifting from romantic to familiar. She was still more than willing to knock out a few teeth if necessary to reaffirm that, regardless of no longer loving Sasuke in that way, she wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect toward him, not after what Konoha had done to his family. But she was also ready to do the same for every member of Team Seven.
Present Sakura is a young woman, a beauty like no other, with a nice body and curves in all the right places. She’s undoubtedly wiser than her younger self, and though the role of the damsel in distress is long forgotten, she still knows when to let them guard her back if needed. But she remains careful never to be pushed into the background again, helpless and consumed with worry for them.
Her infamous temper remains, though now it’s far better concealed. The poor soul who stumbles upon it never realizes they’ve walked straight into her trap,until it’s too late. The mirth in her laughter, the twinkle in her eyes, and the depth of her care have all endured the trials of time.
Night after night, the memory transforms into something else, the baby exchanges its brown hair for silver or pink-colored tresses. The dark hideout, heavy with the stench of death, now shifts into his bedroom or living room, bathed in the golden hour's glow against her form. Her red dress and black combat shorts morph into a flowing red sleeping robe.
The baby, once pressed against her trembling body, shaking with fury after saving it, now peacefully suckles at her breast as she is overcome with joy. Now the baby is no longer a nameless, kidnapped child but their baby, safe and sound within the walls of their home, resting against her embrace.
This vision of her, which shifts from his nights to his daydreams, has made Kakashi hyper-aware of her—of her relaxed posture next to him at team dinners, the way she bites her lip when deciding what to eat or when she’s nervous, how petite she looks beside him, the conspiratorial glance she shares with him when Naruto remains oblivious to Hinata’s feelings. And how, despite the fourteen years between them, she likely doesn’t see him in the same way.
Yet, he finds no shame or guilt when he imagines lazy mornings with sunlight kissing her body in his arms. When he wonders about her reaction to his bare face, the feel of her lips against his in a heated kiss, the touch of her flushed skin beneath his, the sound of his name on her voice, thick with pleasure, or how lust might cloud her gaze. Or even the thought of milk filling her breasts, making them fuller.
It’s all in his head, and even if, by some miracle, the same thoughts occupied hers and actions followed, she is old enough to be with whomever she chooses. Their union would be uncommon, but not forbidden. There is no shame in him, but neither is there hope, for he knows these are nothing more than fantasies.
Kakashi is appointed as Hokage, and at first, the job serves as a distraction from his own wishes and desires, too busy to focus his mind on anything else, too exhausted to remember his dreams each night. But once he settles into his new routine and the threatening towers of papers demanding his attention feel less oppressive, enough that he can excuse himself for arriving late to work again, the vision of her returns to him with full force.
And with it, the longing for her company, the sound of her laughter, the feel of her smaller hand closing around his larger one, the scent of her hair lingering on his pillows morning and night, the heat of her body in an intimate embrace. Kakashi longs for many things, things he has never known but desperately wishes he did.
It’s only when Naruto finally leaves them at Ichiraku, after experiencing his own revelation about his feelings for Hinata, with no one else around, that he feels it. Her head resting on his shoulder, an amused smile playing on her lips. As she moves her hand to grasp his, he finally lets go of the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
And for the first time, he believes the vision might become reality as he gently squeezes her hand in return.