Sakura feels the feeling of guilt and shame somewhat easing as she hears Naruto’s acceptance of her apologies. After all, there is nothing else she can do except to own up to her mistakes and do things better moving forward.
“ Thank you, Naruto, “ she smiles weakly, finding it hard to meet her teammate’s gaze albeit knowing his sincerity he holds no grudges towards her. It is such a shame to be one of the reasons why the Jinchuuriki suffered in silence this long. He could’ve chosen the path of hatred and vengeance – something he has all rights to after living a life of misery caused by the discrimination of this village, of her. But he didn’t. Instead, choosing to save lives at the expense of his safety, “ I’ll try. Ne, I want you to count on me, alright? I promise. I will work as hard, if not harder than you…if that’s even possible… “
I will heal all your injuries, I will train harder under Tsunade-sama, I will be the best medic nin, I won’t let you die…. – she wants to tell him. But chooses to remain silent and keep the vow planted deep inside her heart.
“ Heh..I did not know you have this side to you, “ she giggles; teasing Naruto some more after hearing him speaking such words of maturity. But then again, maybe this is the real Naruto; and it is only her ( prior ) bias towards him causing her not to see such things.
“ M-mou, what’s that smile for? “ averting her eyes to the side, seeing his all-familiar smirk going her direction, “ W-well, I don’t really have a concrete plan how to do it.. “
…except fulfilling all the vows ( in my heart ) in the best way I know how.
“ Well, I can grant you three wishes, “ arms crossed in front of her chest, Sakura closes her eyes but the blush on her face a brighter shade of red. It is childish doing it this way. But she knows she has to find a way to ease the heavy air around them, “ ..like a genie. But! Don’t dare think of silly things, mou! “
Naruto grinned when he was offered three wishes. “Hmmm,” he hums pensively. “Three wishes, ne? Like a genie?” Playfully, he adds, “I think I deserve more, but I’ll take what I can get!” He taps his chin in mock thought, although he already knows what he wants to ask for first.
If he’s being honest, he craves the simple things. He wants quality time with his friends, to be closer to them, to be able to rely on them in times of great need and also in times when he’s feeling silly. He wants to fortify his bonds so that even when he’s not the bright, cheerful guy he’s worked so hard to be, they’ll still want him around. For now...
“I wish to have a nice dinner with you and all of our friends!” he decides. “You can pick the place, doesn’t have to be ramen, but...” He purses his lips and gives her a significant look that silently screams, ‘Pick ramen, please!’ Then, “And afterward we can just watch the stars and make up our own constellations!” He sighs softly, smiles. “I guess I just want a big friend date! Sounds fun, ne? Think that’s something you can make happen?” With everyone doing their own thing these days, it might be hard to get them all together at once for a whole evening, but he’s hoping Sakura will come through. “It’s a wish, though, an official one, so you have to make it happen,” he teases.