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Naruto should've been happy; he was on his way to reaching his goal.

"Congratulations on your promotion!" said Iruka. "There's no doubt now you'll be head of this company one day!"

"Thanks," said Naruto, doing his best to smile. "That means a lot, coming from you."

Naruto would've been happy, if Sakura was around to hear the good news. In fact, she was part of the reason he worked so hard in the first place. He knew he would need to be financially secure if they wanted have a family. Now that it seemed this might never happen, he wasn't quite as motivated anymore. Still, he kept up his work in order to avoid unwanted attention. The last thing he wanted was pity.

Just then Kakashi walked in.

"I see you have some unused vacation time," he said. "Also, you performance seems to be slipping ever-so-slightly. I suggest you take a few days off."

"I think I can make that decision on my own," Naruto replied.

"Fair enough. I just figured you could use the rest. After all, you got your promotion too soon to lose it through a careless mistake."

Naruto couldn't argue with Kakashi's logic. He was starting to feel the strain from all that overtime. Plus, there was a good chance he'd be in no mood for work tomorrow. In the end, he got permission to use as many of his days off as he needed.

In a way, he was relieved to be leaving his workplace, but he also dreaded being alone at home. Being there always reminded him of the life he should be living. Still, he realized he couldn't just pretend Sakura didn't exist. That wouldn't be right.

On his way out, he ran into Sasuke. He didn't need this right now.

"What's the deal, Naruto?" he said. "You finally got fired?"

"Yeah, right!" Naruto replied. "I'm just using my vacation time. You should try earning some!"

"I have. I'm just saving it for something important."

"Just make sure you don't let everything fall apart while I'm gone!" Naruto got into his car and drove off before Sasuke could respond. He would've asked how Ino was doing, but he didn't feel like discussing anything related to marriage. He finally got home, and just wanted to lie down for a while. He had just about reached his bed when he suddenly got hungry. Or, more accurately, he'd been hungry for some time. He had skipped lunch without thinking.

Normally, he went to a ramen shop for lunch, but right now he didn't feel like leaving home. So, he got one of the instant ramen cups from the kitchen. On the way there, he noticed his and Sakura's wedding photo. She looked so beautiful in that white ballgown. It was easy to forget this was one of the few pictures he had of them after they were married. That is, he sometimes wanted to forget. He certainly didn't want to think about what might be happening to her at the moment.

By the time the ramen was ready there was no doubt Kakashi had made the right call in giving Naruto time off. The next day was going to be hard on him. It would certain bring up memories. Naruto hated himself for it, but sometimes he coudn't help thinking it might've been better if Sakura had just died that day. At least then he could have some closure. Naturally, he kept this to himself.

Several hours later, Naruto got ready for bed. Once he was done, he got into his bed and noticed the clock. Midnight - as of that moment, it was their fifth wedding anniversary. Five years since his reason for being was taken from him. He picked up a picture of Sakura in her wedding dress and just looked at it.

"Sakura, I swear," said Naruto. "If I ever find out where you are, I'll get you back from those bastards for sure." He put the picture back down. "And I'll make them pay!"

He then turned the light off and did his best to go to sleep. He just hoped he wouldn't remember any of his dreams.