Full Summary:

At 17, Sakura and the Rookie 9 find themselves responsible for the rebuilding of a nation. Wrought with grief, Sakura throws herself into her work, and seems to successfully keep her demons at bay. After three years, her defenses are wearing thin, and she must finally cope with the reality of her trauma.

This story follows Sakura as she searches for relief, desperate to paint the color of passion back into her barren landscapes. It started as thinly-veiled smut, but has grown into a full-fledged story. It's still a work in progress and exists only thanks to the amazing reviews left on the original version, Medical Relief, so please left me know how you want to see it grow!

Warnings:

Smut, cussing, drug-use, bad humor, 'adult-themes' whatever the hell that means

Disclaimer:

I don't own Naruto :'^(

Cross-posted on ArchieveofourOwn under the same name!

SPOILERS

This is based on both the post-war shinden arc, and The Last movie stuff, so please don't ruin this amazing work of fiction for yourself!

A/N::

Hello lovelies!

This is still my first and only fanfiction, but under revision 3 years later! I'm actually investing in a career as a freelance writer, so I figured building up my confidence with some pet projects(more accurately, writing p*rn on the internet for strangers) would be a great use of my time! I hope you enjoy this new version of Medical Relief, now renamed Medical Breakthrough. I've taken some... artistic liberties. Both in smut and lore history - we weren't given a lot to work with following the end of the series, so don't expect some of this shit to be on the wiki or something.

The Post-War Rapid Expansion Period is what historians were calling it, starting the day Kaguya Otsutsuki was vanquished.

Before the remnants of a once sprawling city broke through the trees, Sakura could hear cheering. Nestled like a pimple in the crevice of one's nose, rickshaw shacks and campfires of the village marred the otherwise seamless expanse of trees. Civilians and young genin burst forward to accept the survivors of war. Though the damages from Pein were atrocious, it seemed a no better time to rebuild from the ground up. Fireside stories told of the creation of the great Village Hidden in the Leaves, and the parallels, the squalor were uncanny to the most minute details.

At a time like this, community was all the Leaf had. Leadership turned over, and our new heroes of war found themselves too bound by responsibility to stumble. Though she had entered the fray of battle with her heart still, it appeared even Naruto was at his breaking-point by the third funeral. She suddenly understood why, as a young girl, nothing more than a civilians child out past her bedtime, she could always find the jonin meandering in groups outside bars and restaurants once the sun fell below the horizon - community is the only tool to escape the grief wrought by the life of a ninja.

Before she could fight, she could think. Yet now, at a time when she was needed most, her thoughts flowed like sewage through her brain, unfocused and uncaring. Mustering the last two brain cells she had left, Sakura devised a simple, repeatable daily routine. Each day was strategically planned to hide from the depths of her psyche with administrative work or surrounded by conversation. She worked herself to the bone, so overrun with exhaustion that she could even hide from herself when alone, falling into a dreamless unconsciousness that some may have the luxury of calling sleep.

This was not the adulthood Sakura was expecting. Her former, lazy-ass sensei sits in the Hokage's chair. Lady Tsunade is doing fuck-all as she relaxes away in retirement, acting as a 'consultant' for the new hospital and medic programs. And Sakura, confused and determined, barely 17 like the rest of the Rookie 9, but suddenly saddled with the task of building a community from the ground up.

Sakura wasn't sure if she relished or despised the stress of her post-war life. Nothing seemed certain, despite the long standing issue of Sasuke Uchiha being resolved. She channeled her heartbreak into her personal project - The Children's Hospital. Sakura wasn't blind to the long-standing trauma of her life as a ninja, and how, inadvertently, the trauma of Sasuke almost resulted in the demise of the village. It was easy to throw herself into promising the program's success. It was easy to set goals, treat adorable children, and to keep a training regime on the side.

It wasn't easy when she stagnated.

It was no longer enough to train with Ino or Naruto. Previously backbreaking volunteer shifts in the ER passed like molasses, and Sakura's once pleasantly numb consciousness was again flooded with waste. Sakura was proud of her accomplishments. Proud of the smiling faces that once only knew sorrow, of the positive effect that extended to the nurses, hell, she was proud anyone had bothered to listen to her. Yet still, she awoke each morning unsatisfied, and ended each evening emptier than the last.

Soon, even her most trusted resources for distraction found their own centers - both Naruto and Ino had taken on serious leadership roles, but also… love. At 13, Sakura eliminated her femininity to survive. She fought daily to erase the weak, crying child of her past and build herself into a woman who can make mountains crumble. Going into her 20's, she had reconstructed some relatively toxic thought patterns thanks to the help of Ino and Lady Tsunade, but at the end of the day, any romantic relationship was wasted if it wasn't Sasuke. There was no more fawning over the paths his footsteps walked, and her heart had been broken too many times to count. Yet, she remains patient. Just as she waits for him, Sakura knows Sasuke is waiting for her.

The reflection staring back at her is not who she wants Sasuke to wait for. Glassy eyes rimmed with smudged black liner begin to water. They blink, flitting up to trace the rose gold halo of frizz that glows under the warm bathroom light. The Sakura staring back at her is a hot mess. Color drains from her fingertips as she grips the sink tighter, it's pipes squealing as they strain under her strength.

This is not the adulthood Sakura dreamed of.

She bites her lip and dabs her eyes with towels from a rusting dispenser. She can hear her inner's taunting jibes over the sound of the celebrating crowd that seeps under the greasy door leading to the bar.

"Get back out there Forehead! This day is not about you so GET. IT. TO. GETHER!"

If Naruto notices the fresh scars across her knuckles as she gives the new couple her best wishes and good night, or the added charge of 'Damaged Property-Bathroom Mirror' to his bill, he doesn't say anything.

The only thing rapidly expanding in Sakura's life at the moment is her blood alcohol level and temper.

A/N::

So, a whole new take and outline on the original story! I'd like to better illustrate Sakura's mental state, and my style has varied greatly from when I first started, but I'm happy with the outcome! This chapter was really for world building, so we'll get into some of that good, good plot next time!

PLEASE let me know what you think on the revise! I'll be taking all the original reviews into account :^)

Love always, and stay strong y'all.