Naruto Headcanon (p2)
(Check out part 1 here)
(Warning: Sakura centric. Very slight and neutral NaruHina. They have a good reason though. Sasusaku is just angst. Don't like? Don't read.)
Neji cropped his hair short to forsake his hyuga status. By doing that, he essentially became free.
Sasuke never returned to Konoha and instead continued Orochimaru's legacy. He rebuilt Oto from the shambles it was in and became Otokage. It became a haven for missing nins and people who wanted to start anew.
Kiba joined Anbu and was placed in one of the top tracking teams. Unfortunately for him, Shino was his Anbu captain. Shino used this opportunity to whip Kiba into his place to make up for all the times he was forgotten by his teammate.
(I love the running gag in which Shino is invisible)
Neji and Tenten marriage was unconventional and Gai insisted they switched roles in their marriage. Tenten waited for her husband on the altar while Neji walked down the aisle. It took a lot of convincing on Naruto's and Lee's part to make Neji agree to this. Regardless to say, it was the most memorable marriage.
(Check out the first part of headcanon series to make sense of this arrangement.)
Hinata abolished the Hyuga branch system and took her heiress position with all seriousness to make up for the lost time. Hanabi fell in love with a man outside clan (his name starts with K), leaving Hinata to take up the mantle.
Her heir status and her job as the academy teacher didn't clash at all. She easily made time for all her responsibilities.
She married Kiba who changed his name to Hyuga. They married out of convenience but fell in love soon enough.
(Kiba wasn't heir so he is a free man. He could marry into other clan if he so wished. Besides, his clan is female dominant so he was easily casted out. Also because Tsume adored Hinata.)
Naruto didn't marry Hinata because she wished to guide her clan to a better future and Naruto wanted to rebuild his own clan.
Hinata and Naruto dated for a while but it didn't work. Hinata realised what she felt for Naruto was just admiration of his dominant character and merely desired to always support him. Naruto found her quiet and accepting persona not fit for his challenging personality. They parted on good terms.
Sakura moved on from Sasuke when he joined Akatsuki. She lost all her hopes of ever seeing that Sasuke she saw when she was a child. But she still wanted to help him find peace.
Naruto desperately held onto his hopes because no one else but team 7 believed in Sasuke or Naruto's conviction in Sasuke anymore. Sai didn't believe in Sasuke but he believed in his teammates.
(Sasuke wasn't close to any of the rookies. There's a limit to any obligation that other teams would have felt for Sasuke. They may be (hardly) friends or allies, but no one stands up for you more than family. Team 7 is one big family.)
Sasuke rejected Sakura vocally under the assumption she still loved him when Team 7 reunited. He earned a punch from Sakura that left him passed out for 3 days. He again got punched when he asked for reason why he got punched. This time he was out for a week. He didn't dare talk back to Sakura again.
Karin moved in with Naruto after the war. She wanted to live with her family and Naruto couldn't be happier. They grew close and remained so even after Naruto moved out to live in Hokage household. Suigetsu and Juugo moved in with Karin after that.
It took 9 years after the war for karin to finally accept her feelings for Suigetsu. He jumped her the moment she confessed. They had kids first and married next.
Orochimaru is dead. Period. Tsunade never woke from her coma; 5 years into the coma she died. Sakura was devastated. She left the village on her personal mission. Naruto didn't stop her.
(What mission? See part 1.)
It was spring when finally, at the age of 26, Naruto is given the hat. During the crowning ceremony, Naruto publicly declared his engagement with Sakura. He earned a punch of course, but he wasn't refused. Sakura left for her mission again.
(A Hokage should have more than just talk-no-jutsu and power. Naruto is not a Hokage material (face it!!) but that doesn't mean he couldn't be properly trained to become one.)
(Sakura loved Sasuke despite every his crimes and dismissals, Hinata loved Naruto despite his obliviousness towards her existence, so god how can Naruto who 'never gives up' gave up on his love for Sakura, for merely her rejection? Please keep your 'rivalry to Sasuke bs' to yourself. Manga has more than enough reference of her showing deep concern and care for Naruto. Sp can burn.)
It was in the next spring that Sakura returned from her personal mission to settle back for an indefinite time.
(Guess for what?)
Lee was both Neji and Tenten's first kiss. Lee's was Sakura. Sakura's was Naruto. Naruto's was Sasuke. Sasuke's was Itachi. Legend has it has ghost of Itachi still feels traumatised by that memory.
Sakura and Mei grew close when Sakura helped Kiri grow their medical force. Mei wanted to adopt Sakura at one point and prepared papers without consent, Kakashi, who was the Hokage at that time, personally came to Kiri to drag Sakura back to Konoha.
(I love Kiri!Sakura AU)