Naruto woke to pain.
And Sakura's voice.
"—stupid, reckless, self-sacrificing idiot—"
He smiled weakly. "Hey… Sakura-chan…"
She froze.
Slowly, like her body didn't trust the sound, she looked down at him.
And then she broke.
She grabbed his face with trembling hands, tears spilling freely, her composure shattering completely. "You scared me," she sobbed. "You scared me so badly I couldn't breathe."
"I'm here," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
She pressed her forehead to his, crying openly now. "You don't get to be sorry. You get to stay."
Naruto lifted his hand—weak, heavy—and wiped her tears with his thumb.
"I stayed because of you," he said softly. "Because every time it hurt, I thought… if I make it back to Sakura, it'll be worth it."
Her breath hitched.
"You're not allowed to measure your life like that," she said. "Your life is worth something even when you're not saving anyone."
He looked at her then—not as Hokage, not as hero—but as the boy who had once been alone.
"Teach me," he whispered.
She kissed him. Not desperate. Not hungry. Just full of everything unsaid.
"I already am."