440Title: Consequences of Saving a Life
Summary: At the end of the war, Neji is revived by Sakura. She has saved his life, now she is responsible for it. The Hyuga clan leader covets the power and talent two upstanding shinobi, Naruto and Sakura, could bring to his clan. Can they survive the politics of the strongest clan? Will love bloom or disaster erupt?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Itachi would be alive and well and Sakura wouldn't cry as much if I owned it!
Chapter One: Come Back!
It was the most exhilarating and terrifying day of Sakura Haruno's entire seventeen years of life. Naruto, her closest friend and inspiration, had almost died in her arms. She'd managed to stay off that terrible end by using rudimentary medical skills that involved pumping his heart and breathing for him while her chakra levels were dangerously low. Sasuke had also laid in a puddle of his own blood dying until fate intervened. Then, things managed to work out. Madara was defeated and the Fourth Great Ninja War had drawn to a conclusion.
It would have been a happy conclusion, but not everyone had survived. Sakura kneeled by Neji's rapidly cooling body. His skin was ashen, his dark hair fanned out behind his head, his lavender eyes stared blankly at the sky. She closed his eyes and then felt for a pulse that didn't exist. He'd been impaled by Obito's attack that had been meant for Naruto and Hinata. In death, his cursed tattoo across his forehead had vanished. He seemed at peace, but it was too soon to lose such a prominent shinobi from their ranks.
The Leaf needed Neji Hyuga. Sakura took a deep breath to clear her head of distractions and thought back to her first encounter with the Akatsuki where she and Granny Chiyo had defeated Sasori. She learned a great deal from the great Sand elder, including a certain forbidden technique. Sakura had always been book smart and had an excellent mind for memorizing. She performed the hand seals she remembered from Granny Chiyo and started to infuse Neji's body with blue chakra.
"Sakura? What are you doing?" Naruto asked. He was breathing heavily as he came to stand behind her. "Stop it!" he said, forcibly grabbing her hands and drawing them away from Neji's corpse. He was there when Chiyo had revived Gaara. Naruto knew exactly what she was attempting. She hadn't shared enough of her life force. She needed more time. "You'll get yourself killed, Sakura-chan! Stop it!"
"He shouldn't have died," Sakura whispered. Naruto drew Sakura up to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. She could see both Hinata and Sasuke approaching them. Sai hovered nearby on an ink bird. "I can save him."
"And you'll exchange your life for his in the process. Do you think he would want that?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes flashed in anger. "Look, use my chakra and take from both of us. Neji wouldn't want to live at the expense of someone else."
"Okay," Sakura agreed.
"Wait," Sasuke called out. He stepped near them. His dark brows were furrowed in deep thought. "I want to help." Sakura couldn't help but be a bit distrustful of the last Uchiha. This would make twice today that he showed up to help others without any personal gain to be achieved.
Hinata stood nearby nervously tugging on her hands. She dropped them to her side abruptly. "Me too," she said with a determined thinning of her lips.
"I will gather the others from your group of friends," Sai said. "If you take the cumulative life forces of so many no one's life will be substantially shortened," he said. He took off on his ink bird.
Sakura kneeled at Neji's side again. Naruto stood behind her with his hand secured on her shoulder protectively.
"What exactly are you doing?" Sasuke asked. He crouched across from Sakura on Neji's other side. It was strange to be so close to Sasuke after years of chasing ineffectively. Instead of threatening to impale her with a chidori he was offering to sacrifice a portion of his life to save a man he hardly knew. An Uchiha saving a Hyuga was a situation ripe with irony. Madara must have been rolling in his grave.
"I'm about to utilize a jutsu that exchanges the life of the user for the life of the recently deceased," Sakura explained. "I learned it from Granny Chiyo when she revived me when I was dying and Gaara after he had died."
"You were close to death?" Sasuke asked, his eyes were crimson and his Sharingan was activated. Was he planning to memorize her technique? It hardly mattered, he didn't have the chakra control necessary to pull it off.
"You weren't the only one to try and kill me over the years," Sakura huffed. Naruto squeezed her shoulder at her words. She would have been dead the last time Sasuke tried to kill her if the loud-mouthed blonde hadn't saved her in the nick of time. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She pressed her hand to Neji's bare forehead. What would he do when he returned to life? Would he be angry at them for taking away his noble sacrifice?
"You fought well today," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura nodded, but she didn't respond. They all fought to the best of their ability. Sasuke's presence in the battle helped, especially with him having brought the resurrected hokages. However, she wasn't going to sing his praises anytime soon.
Sai returned shortly with their entire group of friends from the Rookie Nine and Neji's teammates from Team Gai. Lee and Tenten had eyes swollen with tears, but Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji appeared too emotionally drained for tears. Kiba and Shino flanked Hinata, not touching her but offering support in their presence.
Naruto kept one hand on Sakura's shoulder and held his other hand out to Hinata. With only a slight hesitation, she took it. "Let's hold hands to connect and give Sakura our life force chakra," Naruto said authoritatively. Sai placed his hand on Sakura's other shoulder. Soon, a chain was formed amongst the Rookie Nine. Sasuke kept his place across from Sakura, his eyes never leaving her even when Tenten and Hinata took his hands.
Sakura bit down on her lip in concentration and performed the appropriate hand signals once more. A blue glow enveloped all her friends and she was able to channel the life force energy into Neji.
OoO
Free.
For the first time since he could remember, Neji was freed of his responsibilities to his demanding clan. He'd made the ultimate sacrifice to save Hinata and Naruto. His father would have been proud that he'd filled his noble shoes. Saving the life of the Hyuga heiress and the hero of Konoha was a fitting end.
He thought that by now he'd be reunited with his father. He thought he'd be floating in some white fluffy clouds and enjoying the sunlight in a way never quite appreciated by his bloodline limit.
All around him was a gray misty darkness. Was he in limbo?
Then, he felt cold.
"That's enough, Sakura!" Naruto's worried voice broke into the silence around him.
Naruto? Sakura? What were they doing there? Had Naruto followed him into the afterlife in spite of his sacrifice.
He felt a coldness against his forehead.
Neji opened his eyes. He hadn't realized they were closed. His vision was blurry, but he could make out a bright shock of pink and yellow. Sakura and Naruto were leaning over him – no one else had as distinct features as those two. The coldness had moved to his throat.
"He has a pulse," Sakura said in a choked voice. "We did it." There were warm tears falling onto Neji's exposed flesh.
Then there was a fierce hug. "Neji!" Hinata cried holding him tight and pressing her cheek against his chest.
"What?" Neji croaked, his throat dry and his voice hoarse. He couldn't think to elaborate beyond that one question. What was going on? What happened to his peaceful afterlife? What were Sakura and Naruto doing hovering over him? What was happening in the battle?
"Sakura brought you back!" Hinata said quietly.
"My eternal rival!" Lee shouted. He slid his strong arms around Neji's back and helped (forced) him into a sitting position. Neji immediately stiffened having seen the renegade Sasuke Uchiha next to him. "Do not worry, my rival! Sasuke has returned to the Leaf to offer Naruto competition for the role of future Hokage!"
"I see," Neji said. He swept his eyes around the small group assembled around him. His vision was clearing and he could see that Naruto and Sakura were keeping each other on their feet. They both looked exhausted and different. She had a diamond marking on her forehead and Naruto's eyes had fox-like pupils. He'd been healed by Sakura before, but this time it was different. He had not been merely unconscious. He had perished. He was sure of it. He thought back to the first mission Team Guy had teamed up with Team Kakashi after his Jounin promotion. He remembered clearly the forbidden jutsu Granny Chiyo performed to revive Gaara. Sakura had a very good memory. "Sakura, you shouldn't have sacrificed so much for me."
"She didn't," Sasuke growled. "We did."
Neji flicked his eyes in the direction of the disgruntled Uchiha. Why was he there? Why wasn't he in chains for being the run-away shinobi that he was?
"We all offered a piece of our life force for you, Neji," TenTen said. "Sakura channeled it into you. So now you hold a piece of all of us," she said with a watery smile. She glanced over toward Sakura with nothing but extreme gratitude in her chocolate brown eyes. "Now I'm not stuck with the workout twins by myself."
"Thank you," Neji said looking around the entire group and including them all in his gratitude. He pushed Lee away from him and rose to his feet on his own. Not only had Sakura brought him back from the dead, but she'd heeled his injuries as well. Neji reflexively felt his fingers over his forehead. The cursed tattoo was gone.
"It disappeared when you died protecting Hinata," Naruto said.
Neji turned to Hinata meeting her lavender eyes that matched the shade of his own. "What does that mean?"
"It means, you are no longer a slave to the head family," Hinata said with solemn smile. "You have done your duty. No one will brand you again. Ever."
Free. He was still free. And now he was alive.
Neji's uncle, the head of the Hyuga clan rushed over and embraced Neji in a bone-crushing hug. Neji accepted the unusual show of affection from the stoic leader. He could see over his uncle's shoulder that Team Seven walked away – Naruto and Sakura helped each other walk with arms around each other's shoulders, Sai walked alongside them drawing something onto his scroll, while Sasuke stood on Naruto's other side. He couldn't help but think that they were a remarkable team and without them not only would he still be dead, but Madara would have been the victorious party.
OoO
"Do you even realize how reckless you were being?" Tsunade demanded. She was pacing in her office, waving around a jug of sake. Shizune and Tonton stood beside her desk cringing every time the alcohol threatened to spill over the top of the jug.
"Master Tsunade, I had the ability to make a difference. So I took it," Sakura answered. The entire Team Seven: Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke had all been in the room with her a few minutes ago being praised for their heroic efforts. Tsunade had asked Sakura to stay a little longer.
"Now, Naruto I expect him to almost get himself killed. He doesn't think things through. But you, you're supposed to be the smart one! You could have died, Sakura!" Tsunade yelled. She slammed the sake jug on the edge of her desk. It would have fallen if Shizune hadn't reacted quick enough to catch it and set it in the middle of the desk. "You're my apprentice!" Tsunade marched her way toward Sakura and poked her in the forehead in the diamond marking her Strength of a Hundred Seal. "If Naruto hadn't intervened you'd have exchanged your life for that Hyuga boy!"
"Neji is important," Sakura answered stubbornly. She realized now that she should have thought about Naruto's plan on her own. She was just so tired from their battle and low on chakra. She couldn't think of an alternate solution.
"You are important!" Tsunade said. She wrapped her arms around Sakura and pulled her into a tight hug. Sakura could feel a few of her ribs breaking under her teacher's impressive strength. She'd have to heal that later. "You and Naruto," she said shaking her head. "So stubborn, stupid, and lucky!"
Sakura tried to let the stupid comment slide. She knew she was smart. She had the highest markings in academics during their academy days and that was in spite of a ridiculous crush on a certain Uchiha. "You realize that when Naruto is the Hokage he's going to need you to assist him?" Tsunade asked, releasing Sakura.
Sakura nodded, her ribs had already healed subconsciously. "And you also realize that the Hyuga clan is going to be eternally grateful to you for restoring their prodigy," Tsunade added. Sakura hadn't really thought about that. "Bring me the request," Tsunade said holding her hand out to Shizune and stepping back from Sakura. She opened a scroll. "This came from Hiashi Hyuga – the head of the Hyuga Clan," Tsunade said. "Godaime Hokage, I humbly request that your apprentice Sakura Haruno be allowed to serve as the official medic of the Hyuga Clan main family. Furthermore, I would like to solicit her services in training the medics of the Hyuga Clan. I will have a room readied for her to take residence within the compound. Money is not an issue. Respectfully, Hiashi Hyuga."
Sakura didn't think his request sounded humble at all. "He seems to be grateful about Neji," Sakura said after some time had passed and Tsunade glared at her expectedly while tapping her manicured nails against her thigh.
"He adopted Neji as his son. Neji is no longer considered part of the Branch extension of the Hyugas," Shizune explained. She held up a second scroll. "He also has requested the presence of one Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the Yondaime Hokage."
"He wants Naruto too?" Sakura asked. Was this about Hinata's declaration of love for her blonde friend?
Tsunade scoffed. She whirled on her high heels, grabbed the alcohol from her desk, and took another generous sip from her sake jug. She shoved it at Sakura. "Most likely, the high and mighty Hyuga clan leader wants to marry off his daughter and adopted son to the two most famous and heroic ninja in all of the Leaf!"
Sakura took the jug and helped herself to a long drink. Surely, Tsunade was wrong. Sakura wasn't anything special. Her father was a low-ranking shinobi and her mother a civilian. Sure, her teachers were the talented Tsunade and the infamous Copy Ninja Kakashi. And her best friend was Naruto – the hope of Konoha. She was just….Sakura.
"You're so humble it makes me sick sometimes," Tsunade said yanking the sake from Sakura and drinking more herself. She shoved the jug at Shizune and then took Sakura by the shoulders. "You are amazing, Sakura. Even with the demise of the Uchiha Clan, Hiashi Hyuga wants to ensure that his clan is without doubt the strongest. Rarely, do they allow fresh blood into their precious bloodline, but he wants what you and Naruto have."
"That doesn't make sense," Sakura said frowning.
"It makes perfect sense. Think about it, Sakura," Shizune said. "Sasuke is back and one of his life goals was what?"
"Reviving the Uchiha Clan," Sakura said quietly. She remembered his compliment to her over Neji's body, how he had smirked at her display of power during the battle, and how he had fought at her side as an equal. Did that mean he had chosen her to be his baby momma? If so, that boy had a lot to learn.
"Exactly, so Hyuga wants to make sure the future Uchihas don't have Sakura Haruno as their ancestor," Tsunade said.
"What was your answer?" Sakura asked.
Tsunade grinned, a mischievous twinkle in her honey-golden eyes. "I told him you and Naruto would be there by eight tomorrow morning."
Sakura blinked several times as she tried to let the words soak in to her brain. Technically, since she was only seventeen her parents would have to give consent for a marriage consideration, assuming that was Hiashi's goal. However, with Sakura being the apprentice of the village leader and a higher ranked shinobi than her father, Tsunade's decision was the ultimate decision.
"Oh, by the way, congratulations," Tsunade said.
"On what?" Sakura choked out. There was a phrase she'd read in a fiction book that said once you saved a life you're responsible for it. Did her saving Neji mean that she was responsible for him now?
"You are now officially a jounin," Shizune said with a big smile. Tonton squeaked in excitement in her arms.
"You're dismissed. Go eat some terribly unhealthy ramen with your teammates to celebrate. You have the next two weeks off from hospital duty," Tsunade added.
Sakura bowed respectfully to her master and fought to keep from crying as a combination of joy and pride began to well-up in her chest. For so many years she'd tried to keep up with Naruto and Sasuke. Now, she had technically surpassed them both.
OoO
A/N: This is a little slice of life story. I wanted to spend more time in Konoha after the war when things were settled. I always wanted to write a Neji x Sakura and I always enjoy when Sakura and Naruto are best friends and have to deal with situations together. In cannon, I can't decide if I want Sakura with Naruto or Sasuke. I can live with Naruto and Hinata. But I'm of the opinion that if Sasuke doesn't end up with Sakura he should just die heroically! I'm terrible…I know. I'm just upset that Neji was killed off. I'm still hoping they do some sort of Xmen cartoon rendition like I did here with everyone offering a piece of their life to save his, like the Xmen did in the Dark Phoenix Saga.