Whispers of the Heart

Chapter 3

As the days passed, each sunrise was a testament to a love that deepened with every heartbeat. Days passed and Sasuke and Sakura's feelings seemed to grow stronger.

Training, training, training.

That was what Team 7 knew for 4 months straight, they were preparing for the chunin exam. Fatigue, sleeplessness, wounds, but not only that, it seemed that between these things, a part of their time was occupied by love. An innocent little love that was blooming so beautifully.

It all started with seemingly small things for others, but for both of them, these things were very significant. Sasuke would walk Sakura home every day after training. Sakura would always bring something for Sasuke to eat for lunch, and he would buy her her favorite dessert for dinner. Every evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, their laughter mingled with the sounds of the village, an unspoken promise hanging in the air.

They succeeded in the exams, and all three were now Chunin. A wave of pride washed over them, but it was especially evident in Sasuke. He couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth as he watched the joy radiate from Sakura's face, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

At that moment, it was as if the world around them faded away, leaving just the two of them. The happiness she exuded wrapped around him like a comforting embrace, and he felt a flutter in his chest, a soft realization that her smile lit up more than just the day—it illuminated his heart. As their eyes met, he knew this was a moment they would always cherish, forever binding their paths together in a way that felt both exhilarating and intimate.

And as the months passed, the responsibilities increased, and these responsibilities made team 7 not see each other that often. Of course, they met every day, but there were no long meetings from morning to dinner. The weight of new responsibilities pressed down on them, and both Sasuke and Sakura found themselves pulled in different directions, a shift that left a quiet ache in their hearts.

As their bond grew stronger, the world around them shifted, with new responsibilities looming on the horizon. Because of his absence in his son's life, Minato ended his career as a 'Hokage'. It was time for a change and everyone proposed Kakashi as a new Hokage, but he abstained. According to him, he needed several years of study and training for this job, but always according to him.

Everyone knew that Kakashi didn't want to start this job at this young age, he wanted to enjoy life a bit until he was locked in an office with a ton of documents in front of him, so until he was ready for a while Tsunade would took the place of Hokage.

Tsunade Senju was the one who immediately caught Sakura's attention. Sakura had endlessly read her medical books and dreamed of being trained by her, and who wouldn't want to be trained by a Sannin? She didn't know how, but she filled Tsunade's mind with the idea of becoming her apprentice. 

Sakura began her training with Tsunade which did not seem to be an easy journey. Sakura's dedication to her training sparked a newfound confidence, making her wonder if Sasuke saw her as more than just his teammate. Did he notice the way she carried herself now?

Sasuke saw everything, every day he would leave his training for a bit to see how Sakura was doing in her training. Tsunade was very hard when it came to training and in his eyes, it looked like she was torturing Sakura. Even though many of Sakura's bones may have been broken she stood there, healing her wounds with a defiant look, confident in what she was doing.

He felt a flutter of something he couldn't quite name—a mix of pride and a hint of vulnerability. 'Does she know how incredible she is?'  he thought. Sasuke felt that he should tell her more about how wonderful she was, she should know his thoughts on her. Although he was not good at expressing his feelings, he would dare.