Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Life Without Her
Naruto woke up that morning, at first wanting to just lie in bed all day. This lasted all of half an hour before he realized he really didn't want to be at home. So he ate a quick breakfast, then went out to wander around town for the day. He hopped on the nearest train just go on sight-seeing.
Despite his efforts to keep his mind occupied, his thoughts drifted toward the one subject he tried not to think about. He recalled the minutes that went by after his and Sakura's wedding. A car had pulled up without warning, and a group of men came out after the newlyweds. Despite Naruto's efforts, he couldn't stop them from grabbing Sakura and dragging her away with them. As angry and scared as he was, he couldn't help being amazed at how they managed to stuff her gown into their car so quickly. As they were driving off, she was able to take one last look at him. He could tell she was crying.
Even now, he found it hard to keep his composure when he thought of that moment. That was largely why he decided to take the train. He knew that visiting the places where they used to date would make it easier to focus on their happier moments. Also, he would be away from from his coworkers so if he lost it he could avoid being pitied, or worse, judged.
About the only people who could truly understand what he was going through were Kakashi and Anko, and that was because they'd been through it at one point. Anko was eventually rescued, but to this day she bore the mental scars from her ordeal. They also made it clear they didn't want anyone telling their daughters about any of it. Naruto could see where they were coming from; the girls wouldn't benefit any from knowing what had happened to their mother.
He also realized he hadn't seen her in a while. Of course, she had no real reason to come to the office, and Kakashi never invited him to their home, no doubt wishing to maintain a professional relationship. He decided to keep an eye out for Anko, and to talk to her if he had the chance. He probably wouldn't have anything to talk about, but he could always make something up.
The train came to a halt, and Naruto got off. He felt like taking a walk around this area. It was about noon, and he decided to have lunch. He saw a ramen shop and couldn't resist.
"I'd like one ramen," he said. "I don't care what flavor it is."
"In a minute," said the manager, who sounded rather bored.
Naruto was somewhat unimpressed with both the ramen and the service, but at least he wasn't hungry anymore. He then kept walking until he came across the tree where he and Sakura promised to save themselves for marriage. At the time, not having premarial sex sounded like a great idea, but now it was one of the few things he regretted. Still, she'd no doubt insist on them doing it all over again if they had to.
He went back and got on the train again. He'd already had enough, and was heading home. On the way back, he took some time to really pay attention to what was going by. He saw the buildings, the people, and everything else, and realized just how easy it was to take it all for granted. To just assume it would always be there. Finally, the train reached his stop, and he got off. As he walked home, he wanted nothing more than to avoid running into anyone he knew. Right now, all he wanted was to be left alone. He eventually made it inside his home without incident.
Once inside, he looked at the wedding picture. "Well, Sakura," he said. "It's been five years." He then went back to trying not to notice the picture. He then had an idea. He picked up the phone to call Anko.
"Hello," said Kakashi, on the other end. "this is the Hatake residence. There's no one around to take your call. Please leave your message after the tone."
Naruto then heard a beep. "Hi," he said. "This is Naruto. I was just hoping I could talk to Anko. If possible, could she call me back? Thanks." He then hung up.
With nothing else to do, he turned on the TV. This mostly served as a distraction for him with the exception of a news update asking for info "leading to Sakura Uzumaki's safe return". Thankfully there was no further mention of it. After watching some game shows, he turned off the TV.
Several hours later, it was time for bed. He was tempted to stay up late, but he knew that sticking to his schedule would make it easier when he went back to work. In truth, he was looking forward to it. Not having anything to do was both boring and annoying. In any case, he'd wait until morning before deciding what he would do that day. Naruto got into his bed and fell asleep, satisfied with having gotten through this day.
Despite his efforts to keep his mind occupied, his thoughts drifted toward the one subject he tried not to think about. He recalled the minutes that went by after his and Sakura's wedding. A car had pulled up without warning, and a group of men came out after the newlyweds. Despite Naruto's efforts, he couldn't stop them from grabbing Sakura and dragging her away with them. As angry and scared as he was, he couldn't help being amazed at how they managed to stuff her gown into their car so quickly. As they were driving off, she was able to take one last look at him. He could tell she was crying.
Even now, he found it hard to keep his composure when he thought of that moment. That was largely why he decided to take the train. He knew that visiting the places where they used to date would make it easier to focus on their happier moments. Also, he would be away from from his coworkers so if he lost it he could avoid being pitied, or worse, judged.
About the only people who could truly understand what he was going through were Kakashi and Anko, and that was because they'd been through it at one point. Anko was eventually rescued, but to this day she bore the mental scars from her ordeal. They also made it clear they didn't want anyone telling their daughters about any of it. Naruto could see where they were coming from; the girls wouldn't benefit any from knowing what had happened to their mother.
He also realized he hadn't seen her in a while. Of course, she had no real reason to come to the office, and Kakashi never invited him to their home, no doubt wishing to maintain a professional relationship. He decided to keep an eye out for Anko, and to talk to her if he had the chance. He probably wouldn't have anything to talk about, but he could always make something up.
The train came to a halt, and Naruto got off. He felt like taking a walk around this area. It was about noon, and he decided to have lunch. He saw a ramen shop and couldn't resist.
"I'd like one ramen," he said. "I don't care what flavor it is."
"In a minute," said the manager, who sounded rather bored.
Naruto was somewhat unimpressed with both the ramen and the service, but at least he wasn't hungry anymore. He then kept walking until he came across the tree where he and Sakura promised to save themselves for marriage. At the time, not having premarial sex sounded like a great idea, but now it was one of the few things he regretted. Still, she'd no doubt insist on them doing it all over again if they had to.
He went back and got on the train again. He'd already had enough, and was heading home. On the way back, he took some time to really pay attention to what was going by. He saw the buildings, the people, and everything else, and realized just how easy it was to take it all for granted. To just assume it would always be there. Finally, the train reached his stop, and he got off. As he walked home, he wanted nothing more than to avoid running into anyone he knew. Right now, all he wanted was to be left alone. He eventually made it inside his home without incident.
Once inside, he looked at the wedding picture. "Well, Sakura," he said. "It's been five years." He then went back to trying not to notice the picture. He then had an idea. He picked up the phone to call Anko.
"Hello," said Kakashi, on the other end. "this is the Hatake residence. There's no one around to take your call. Please leave your message after the tone."
Naruto then heard a beep. "Hi," he said. "This is Naruto. I was just hoping I could talk to Anko. If possible, could she call me back? Thanks." He then hung up.
With nothing else to do, he turned on the TV. This mostly served as a distraction for him with the exception of a news update asking for info "leading to Sakura Uzumaki's safe return". Thankfully there was no further mention of it. After watching some game shows, he turned off the TV.
Several hours later, it was time for bed. He was tempted to stay up late, but he knew that sticking to his schedule would make it easier when he went back to work. In truth, he was looking forward to it. Not having anything to do was both boring and annoying. In any case, he'd wait until morning before deciding what he would do that day. Naruto got into his bed and fell asleep, satisfied with having gotten through this day.
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