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Chapter Text

Naruto waited impatiently for Rokudaime's return inside the Hokage's office. At the moment, he was alone. Shikamaru had gone out for another round of cigarettes, a habit his friend had picked up from the late sensei Asuma. The blond was already accustomed to the room, spending most of his day there, studying and learning for the position of Hokage that he himself would occupy in the future. 

For the fifth time in the last hour, he picked up the framed portrait of his old Team 7, which sat under Kakashi's desk. He stared once more at those faces, so young and still so innocent of the ninja world, and sighed, remembering everything they had been through up to that point.

He awoke from his reverie and looked at the door once more. The delay of his always-late sensei made him more apprehensive today.

He knews that meetings with the Feudal Lord usually took a long time, 一 he had already attended dozens since becoming an apprentice 一 because they always dealt with bureaucratic and tedious matters that made the nine-tailed Jinchūrik sleepy. But this time, he knew it was something serious, because the lord had summoned only the Hokage and his close advisors, in a hurry, not in the usual monthly meeting. 

Naruto felt in his gut that it wasn't good news that the Hokage would bring.

Kurama inside him agreed.

He considered going out in search of a pot of instant ramen when Kakashi and Nara entered the office. Both with their usual bored expressions.

Naruto looked at his former sensei and noticed that he was no longer wearing the typical Hokage cloak and hat, which meant that he had already gone somewhere else while the blond waited for him, which made the young man even more uncomfortable. 

Shikamaru leaned casually against the door, and Kakashi walked over to his desk and greeted his former student. If he noticed that Naruto seemed more anxious and impatient than usual, he didn't show it.

“Good evening, Naruto. Sorry for the delay, I had to take care of something first.” 

“Good evening, my foot! I'm hungry, tired, and almost dying of boredom. Hinata-chan must have already made dinner, and I won't be there to join her!” whined the blond. “But what happened, Kakashi-sensei? Why this sudden emergency meeting? Is it bad news?” 

Kakashi settled himself more comfortably in his chair and looked seriously at Naruto before beginning.

“Very bad news, Naruto. We have been summoned to discuss a marriage that must take place between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. We are here to discuss the bride who will represent our country in this arranged marriage.” 

Naruto relaxed at his teacher's brief explanation. All this commotion over a wedding? He couldn't believe he would miss a nice dinner with his wife because of a marriage.

"Kakashi-sensei, I thought it would be a real problem! Since when is a wedding such a serious thing? Although an arranged marriage is sad, isn't it?"Naruto reflected as he scratched his head "Poor bride and groom, they can't marry the ones they love," he added with a passionate smile. "I don't even know what I would do if I couldn't marry my Hinata." 

"It's serious since the bride in question, Naruto, will be Sakura."

Naruto choked on his own breath at the teacher's response.

“W-WHAT? You can't be serious! How? Why her?” The blond now paced agitatedly around the Hokage's room, waving his arms anxiously. “I know, Sakura-chan, she won't accept this. I'm sure of it!”

The Jinchūriki concluded, stopping in his tracks and smiling at the Rokudaime with conviction.

"Naruto, she already accepted."

Chapter Text

"Without further ado..." the Daimyo's personal assistant spoke, seeking to get the full attention of the small council gathered. "We have called this meeting to discuss the new marriage alliance that will be formed between the future lord of the Land of Wind and a lady from our country."

The reason for the meeting was explained by the presence of Gaara, the Kazekage of the Land of Wind, his brother Kankurou, and several other men who appeared to serve the ruler of the other country at the meeting. This was a question that Rokudaime had been pondering since the moment he arrived and greeted them.

“As everyone must know, our honorable lord here,” he said, pointing to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, who was at the head of the rectangular table and nodded wearily, "has not produced an heiress to carry out the union we are discussing here today. Therefore, it is necessary to find a young woman to betroth to the only son of the Lord of the Wind. Consequently, it is our lord's wish that you nominate a respectable, unmarried young woman to represent the Lord of Fire in this marriage." 

The assistant's explanation was met with murmurs from some of those present, and even Kakashi, who could think of no one who could take on such a difficult task, became pensive at the request.

“Couldn't it be one of your beloved nieces and cousins, honorable sir? Perhaps Naho, I heard that she has recently blossomed and become a beautiful lady in your court,” suggested an old lady, whom Kakashi remembered as Akiko.

“My relatives are all frivolous and boring!” scoffed the Daimyo as he waved his fan carelessly. “None of them do I consider worthy of representing me. Besides, I don't want other relatives coveting my position by marrying their stupid daughters to another feudal lord.”

Said the most vain and boring man I know, thought Kakashi as he rolled his eyes discreetly.

He hated attending these kinds of meetings.

“Well, if you don't want one of your relatives, we are left with the respectable Shinobi Clans.” Commented another old man, with hair as white as the Hokage's.

Kakashi didn't like the direction the conversation was taking, as he didn't want any girl from the village he considered his family to have to take on the task.

“Most clans have men in leadership positions and do not yet have daughters, as they have only recently taken up their posts due to the recent war. And those who do have girls in the main line, such as the Yamanaka, Inuzuka, and Hyūga clans, are already married or engaged,” pointed out the Hokage with a smile hidden under his mask. He was pleased that Hinata was already married to Naruto and that Ino was engaged to Sai, as he could relieve them of this responsibility and put an end to the advisors' scrutiny of the girls of Konoha.

“Of the Hyūga, we still have Hanabi Hyūga, from the main line.” Another person reminded him, seemingly desperate to please the lord at the head of the table.

"She is very young and heir to the Clan, as is Mirai Sarutobi, both of whom are out of the question." Kakashi refuted casually, "As I said, there are no girls in the Clans who meet the desired requirements.

"Sakura Haruno", said a voice unknown to the Hokage.

Upon hearing the name of his former student mentioned, Kakashi needed all the calm he possessed to keep from fidgeting in his chair.

"Sakura Haruno, according to the information we have, is still a single girl and available in her village, Rokudaime," reinforced the voice that Kakashi now recognized, where it was coming from. 

On the left side of the table, the place designated for guests from the Land of Wind, a man no older than him, with dark eyes and thin eyebrows, with deep dark circles parallel to his nose, spoke. Kakashi recognized the man as Koji Tatsuo, the notorious assistant to the Lord of Wind himself.

Tatsuo wore a beige tunic, the standard attire worn by Sunagakure's advisors, along with a turban. Rumors spread throughout the five great nations that he was the one who always had the most cunning and cruel suggestions within the Wind Lord's council, and for that reason, Kakashi knew that this was a man he should be wary of.

Realizing that the Rokudaime was carefully evaluating him, Tatsuo seemed to feel even more confident in continuing his argument, turning his torso toward the Daimyō.

Honorable Lord of Fire, I, Koji Tatsuo, on behalf of our admirable Daimyō of the Land of Wind, propose a marriage commitment to the Kunoichi of Konohagakure, Sakura Haruno. She is a pupil of Godaime and also a student of Rokudaime, who is here today. The kunoichi is very famous and respected by the five great countries, whether for her performance in the last Great War or as an accomplished medical ninja. In addition, of course, she is of rare and remarkable beauty, commented on by many, which would certainly please my future Feudal Lord. He laughed mischievously at the last point he made.

Silence filled the room; the entire audience seemed to absorb and reflect on the advisor's words. 

"She's not even from a major clan." Kakashi retorted, seeking to remove his student's name from the list of options." Her lineage is from an insignificant civilian clan in the village; her surname carries no weight in representing a feudal lord.

The Hokage noticed that his last statement seemed to affect other advisors from the Land of Fire, who nodded in agreement.

"And who needs a relevant ancestry with great achievements, right?" The man from the sand seemed unshaken by the defense of the suggestion. "The girl Haruno, in addition to what I have already mentioned, played an important role in sealing the Rabbit Goddess herself, a report we received from you yourself, Rokudaime." Her title came out of Koji's mouth with a subtle tone of contempt. "A witness to the event. She is a true war hero, a jewel of Fire, much more precious than anyone with lineage."

Silence filled the room.

Kakashi couldn't disagree with his words, as he himself thought that about Sakura, if not more, but he couldn't allow his girl to be offered up like that. 

He looked at Gaara of the Sand on the opposite side of the table, and from the exchange of glances between the Kages, he realized that his colleague already knew about the acolyte's suggestion. He felt enormous distrust of the man's interest in Sakura. What did he really want from his priceless student?

“We cannot base our choice of future Feudal Lady on her past achievements. That does not prove that she will perform well in a role she has never been taught,” Gaara commented calmly, seeking to help his friend, who had already done so much for him.

“You're absolutely right, Kazekage,” Tatsuo said, after casting an angry glance at the other son of the sand. "Then let's talk about her current achievements, which you have proudly reported in some scrolls addressed to the Lord of the Wind. It is common knowledge within the Land of Wind that she founded and runs a Children's Mental Health Clinic at Konoha Hospital. So altruistic, isn't she?" flatters her before continuing, "And she also contributed to the construction of our own, built to the same standards, with your authorization and financed by our court. It is also common knowledge that she helped rescue you from the hands of the now-defunct and feared Akatsuki group. She also prevented the death of your beloved brother from a poison created by Sasori, a poison for which only she herself had an antidote."

Now, everyone in the room, who minutes before had supported Kakashi's statements, now nodded vigorously in agreement with the Sand advisor. The spiky-haired ninja knew he was losing the argument, and that if he didn't take control once and for all, the Daimyō of Fire would be easily influenced in his decisions by outside forces and would agree to it to get the matter over with, because when situations demanded quick and important decisions, it was his custom to let his advisors do all the work: whoever convinced the majority was the winner. 

“Even if we decide that she is the potential candidate,” Kakashi tried one last stroke of luck, “we cannot force her to accept such a task, can we? We have no slaves in our country.” He turned his masked face toward the feudal lord, trying to convey as much emotion as he could, hoping that his words would touch him. "And I am convinced that my student will not accept the offer since Konoha is her home, and being an elite medical kunoichi, she would be an irreplaceable loss to our troops. Her participation is essential to all the villagers and shinobi of Konoha, as she already has strong ties both inside and outside the village. She cannot go against the will of the Fire."

Kakashi had no more arguments. And even though he had no faith, he prayed to whoever would listen that his words would be absorbed and accepted by all.

The Rokudaime had his eyes fixed on the Lord of Fire, who seemed to agree with his subject's speech. The lord was about to speak when he was interrupted by Tatsuo.

“Beautiful words, Kakashi Hatake. Even more so when you remind us that she is a shinobi. I'll take that cue and also remind everyone of the rules that we all, even civilians, have learned about what it means to be a shinobi.” He raised his left hand in front of everyone with his fingers spread, and lowered it as he quoted the Rules of Shinobi Conduct:

1- A shinobi must always put the mission first.

2- A shinobi must never show emotion.

3- A shinobi must always understand the secrecy between the lines to maintain secrecy.

4- A shinobi must never question orders from above.

5- A shinobi must always be prepared for anything.

When his hand closed completely, he continued.

"I am sure that Miss Haruno accepted all the precepts I have mentioned here when she became a kunoichi. And that she also understands that her loyalty belongs to her village, and that if necessary, her life will be put on the line to save the Village. She must never refuse missions or even contradict them. Her importance to the Village and her status as an honorable shinobi will depend on it." He raised his previously outstretched hands as if searching for something. "So, with the right arguments, I am sure she will see and accept this marriage as an important mission not only for the village she loves and protects, but as an honor for her country and for what she will do as a link. And I have the right arguments for her here, coming directly from my lord." He concluded, as he took from his pocket a scroll sealed with the seal of the Lord of the Wind himself.

It was when he stared at that scroll unassumingly extended toward him that Hatake knew he had lost the debate. He slowly stretched his arm toward the advisor, fearing that his anger would overcome his calm and that he would invoke a Purple Lightning on the man who was trying to define the future of his pupil. 

As he grabbed the document, he felt that Tatsuo took a little longer than usual to let go of it. Looking at him, he almost lost his famous indifference with the arrogant smile of victory on his face. Now, Kakashi was sure that the man had something in mind, something that involved Sakura.

After receiving the scroll from Rokudaime, the Daimyō said what he intended before being interrupted.

“Is it a majority decision that the shinobi of Konoha, Sakura Haruno, will represent me as the bride to the future Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind in the commercial marriage?”

Except for Kakashi and Gaara, the others said yes in unison.

"Then I, Lord of the Land of Fire, declare at this meeting that, IF Miss Haruno accepts," the Daimyō looked directly at Kakashi as he delivered his decision. "She will represent me as the Bride of Fire in this marriage, honoring our country in a great trade agreement and maintaining good relations with the Land of Wind." Dismissed.

And with that final justification, the Lord of the Land of Fire sealed the fate of the ninja doctor before the public.At least, until Rokudaime spoke with his team, and together, they thought of a way to cancel that catastrophic event.