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If you'd have asked Sakura if she thought this would have happened 10 years ago she wouldn't have said no. It's not like it was completely unexpected it just wasn't meant to be this soon.
She feared she'd end up like Tsunade, in her 50s practically retired when some advisor would be sitting across from her saying that Naruto had got himself in a mess that he finally couldn't get himself out and she'd be called for duty. It would make sense she was the student of two previous hokages, had experience leading, had the villagers respect and was one of the strongest kunoichi of her generation. She imagined being in the hokages tower and politely declining while spilling some speech how it's a new generation and giving someone younger the role would help guide the village to the future and whatnot.
But that didn't happen. She was not anywhere near 50, she'd not even reached 35 yet nor was she retired, she still lead the hospital and had a teenage daughter. Oh...that was another mess, she still hadn't fully let it hit her that sasuke had abandoned the village again. She was alone.She didn't want to admit it but 33 was turning out to be a crappy year.
Everything about this situation was a mess. She was a mess. She wasn't doing well, she'd been drinking alot more. After that day even Sarada had been keeping mainly to herself, she still talked to Mitsuki of course but her and Kawaki had fallen out. It was sad, he really needed his friends right now. She'd told Sarada as much and Sarada grumbled and refused to speak anymore on the subject so she'd dropped it. They were both hurting right now and honestly she was worried they'd make each other worse the state they were both in.
It was not at the hokages tower when she was asked, it was at a bar 2 days after Naruto and Hinatas funeral.
When Shikamaru walked in the bar he looked almost worse then she did. He was tired, the past 2 weeks she knew he had started doing all the backlog of Hokage work that Naruto had left and now he was about to try to dump it on her. He sat down on the table next her, she didn't even look him in the eye before she just stated "No,"
He did not respond back, he got back up went to the bar and ordered them both a beer. It was 1 and a half drinks later before either of them said anything.
"Sakura Haruno the village elders have named you the 8th Hokage do you accept?"
"I refuse"
"What a drag."
They had another 2 drinks.
"Was it you who recommended me" she finally broke the silence
"Tsunade actually"
She laughed at that. She was not in a position to lead the village at all, she'd thought Tsunade knew that, would understand that as someone who she thought was once in a similar position.
She thought about Sarada again. Her 12 year old daughter whose dream this actually was, currently at home, her father had just left her (and Sakura but she had decided to worry about her daughter instead) and her Uncle and Aunt (two of her own best friends) had just died. Her mother wasn't there for her right now, she was instead drinking in a bar on a Wednesday night refusing an offer which her daughter would do anything for.
It wasn't like leaving her alone to go drink was often, she reassured herself. She'd known she needed to be drunk for this conversation and she needed it to be where Sarada couldn't hear. She'd found out yesterday that they were going to ask her. Ino had called her due to her name being mention in the meeting of all the heads of the major clans. She had been waiting for Shikamaru to find her, she had come straight after work so she wouldn't be ambished at home. It took him an hour before he finally did find her.
"Did nobody bring up your name," She asked
"It would be too much work for me." Shikamaru, who still wasn't saying much, answered
"You would be better at it" She admitted
"Not likely"
"It would look better at the very least, for the village I mean. Someone who was a personal advisor for 2 hokage, married to a princess from Suna, is from a respected clan, politically you are more stable then a civilian born woman whose husband is a formerly reformed traitor of the village." She was trying not to think to hard about that last part.
"A student of two previous Hokage and someone who has lead the medical devision for years. You were the first name brought up"
"First not only."
"Yes but you're the one being asked"
" I already gave my answer, twice infact, so why don't you go back and deal with the consequences of my answer which judging from your face means you are the unlucky bastard that was the second name" Okay maybe getting drunk wasn't the best idea maybe she should've handled this with a little more tact. Oh well she had said what she knew shikamaru was trying to avoid. No taking that back now.
"It would be too much work for me." He repeated
"Suck it up and deal with it, Lord 8th"
The silence returned again and she knew she'd won.
"I don't see why Kakashi couldn't have taken up the role again" He grumbled after a minute, finally resigning himself to his fate.
"Do you want to try asking him to"
He rolled his eyes at her, she almost burst out laughing at the image of them both stumbling their way to the former Hokages house at who knows what time it was. She probably would smash the door in and then whilst Kakashi was still trying to figure out who would wake him in such a manner, they would both start pleading with him to give up his happy retirement, because neither of them wanted to deal with the hassle of being Hokage. He would try to kill them if they did.
She must have looked lost in thought, since Shikamaru decided then to go for a smoke break.
"Oh are you actually going to ask him then?" she joked when he got up with a pack of cigarettes.
"I'm tired not suicidal" He rolled his eyes at her again as he left
It was several minutes before he returned and she had gotten herself another drink, what was that now her 6th?
"It's way too soon" He said while going to sit down. " I expected if it did ever come to this I would be older and there'd be at least another candidate Naruto would have considered passing it to"
"Did he have anyone else lined up?"
"He was thinking that Konohamaru kid but it was so early into his tenure that he never really thought to seriously about it, he would've started letting him intern otherwise like Kakashi did for him but there was always some new event needing planning or an Otsutsuki mystery to solve or something, plus Konohamaru just got a new batch of students who needed his support as I'm sure you are aware."
Sarada would have been pleased with her sensei becoming hokage, like her own and Naruto's had. She probably would have thought it would help her get closer to her goal.
"He's too young though" He stated.
"He's the same age Kakashi was," She argued "but you're right he's not at all experienced enough for it. I've met him a few times with Sarada and I couldn't imagine him holding that much responsibility right now. If it helps I do think you'll be a wonderful Hokage. I'm not just saying that because i don't want to do it myself"
"Never said I agreed yet, I could continue to try to convince you to do it" He slightly smiled
"You're to lazy to argue with me for how long that would take,"
"But not too lazy to be Hokage apparently"
"Exactly you get it, " She downed the rest of her drink now she was sure she wasn't going to be the next Hokage and got up to leave. "Good luck Lord 8th! " she said on her way out