Haruno

Chapter 1

Kizashi Haruno was itching to return home. He distinctly remembers that he had left a kunai on top of the kitchen island in his haste to leave the house for a mission. His precious little one was too short to reach for it but knowing his daughter, he wouldn't be surprised to find out if she'd managed to climb on top of it to get her hands on the shiny steel. Sakura had always a fascination for his 'shinobi things' and had a terrifying magnetic pull for all things sharp and pointy.

He absentmindedly stabbed a kunai into a missing nin's throat and when he pulled it out, he stared at the blood coated steel. What if Sakura had nicked herself with it and bled? What would he do then? Mebuki would ambush him in the afterlife and kill him there. Oh, how he misses his wife. She had died an early death just after Sakura had turned two. Now, he was left alone as a single hopeless parent of a daughter who plans to make a career out of mischief making.

After securing his white mask, which had come loose while he was fighting, he moved towards his subordinate who had just finished sealing a bunch of severed heads into a scroll. A casual glance around the area told him that all the opponents had been taken care of.

"Are we done?" his teammate asked as he watched Kizashi pulled out a black book and crossed several names out. This hideout sure was a jackpot.

"Yes, let's move out."

Despite his calm order, he ran a large calloused hand over his peculiar dull pink hair. Seeing the hint of aggravation in Kizashi's stance, his teammate laughed.

"Left your daughter alone again, Captain?"

Kizashi had half the mind to scold his teammate for mentioning his private life on field. As an ANBU, personal matters should never be discussed while on duty for fear of identification. Kizashi was a humble man but he knew that his name had been recorded in various versions of the bingo book. He had enemies he knew and did not know of that would love to kill him and possibly target the people he cherishes. There had been zero attempts so far but he had promised Mebuki to never let any harm befall their only child. Besides, he hated to risk Sakura like that.

However, the only other person in the area was their other teammates who had come to regroup. He ignored his sparrow masked teammate's question and started to issue orders to them. The team of four had left the missing nin's hideout immediately. They didn't camp out for the night as they usually did and had travelled back to Konoha at full speed without rest. They were normally talkative but Kizashi's agitated chakra cloaks heavily around them. His subordinates glared at each other trying to figure out who had managed to piss off their captain, and a certain member inconspicuously tried to shrink away from their attention.

As they reached Konoha, they slowed down. They were extremely tired after the two days non-stop travel and felt instantly relieved upon seeing the familiar gates of Konoha. Kizashi, however, had immediately hopped onto the ninja highway forcing the others to follow suit. He could hear the audible groans and complaints but the faster he reported to the Hokage, the sooner he could go see his daughter. It was already midnight and the village was cloaked in darkness. Minato Namikaze would still be in the office working late to finish off the days' paperwork. And if their Hokage had returned home, Kizashi would have them debriefed in his house. He did not want to delay his meeting with Sakura or spend the following day having to do overdue work when he could spend the whole day with his most beautiful child. Kizashi is not shameful to admit that he misses his daughter too much that he felt sad from being separated for too long.

"Kizashi!" Minato exclaimed, surprised that the team had arrived a day earlier than expected. Sparrow had sent forward a notice a few days ago that they were returning but he didn't expect them to return so soon.

Even though he would much prefer to debrief the team later, since it was very late at night and he was just about to return home, he quickly wrapped their mission up. He received the scrolls containing the bounty heads, concluded their report and dismissed the others. Much to Kizashi's dismay, the blond haired Hokage requested that he stayed behind. Minato shuffled through some document unhurriedly. Behind his mask, Kizashi stared impatiently at Minato and considered bolting before he finally speaks.

"Sakura is fine. I had one of Naruto's babysitter take care of her while you were gone."

The Namikaze Hokage was a close friend of his despite being several years younger. They had even competed for the title of the fourth Hokage but unfortunately, Kizashi wasn't the most favorable candidate. Nevertheless, he was happy and supportive of his friend. Minato was fond of his daughter he knew and he was grateful that Minato had somehow taken care of Sakura while he was gone. Still, Kizashi misses his daughter terribly. Minato sighed watching his friend and subordinate stand restlessly while waiting for him to speak.

"There was a situation that I needed you to look into. I know you are still tired from your travel and I will let you rest soon, but you will need to leave for Kirigakure tomorrow."

Kizashi was about to argue but Minato held up his hand and continued, "This is a follow up mission of your previous one, the one involving the Daimyo. It is very time sensitive."

Kizashi clenched his jaw. He relied severely on the mask to hide his facial expression. Minato was a good friend but he was also the leader of the village, one that Kizashi respected and dutifully obeyed. However, it was times like this he wished he had adopted a civilian life instead of pursuing this clandestine career. He would make a perfectly boring civilian and a wonderful father. But as a shinobi, he was loyal, fearsome and deadly.

Minato sighed heavily. While there were many high performers like Kizashi Haruno, there weren't that many that was as talented. Minato knew that Kizashi had been planning to spend the week off with his daughter but very rarely do ANBU get to stay off duty for that long. He was sure that very soon, he would receive a resignation letter on his table. In fact, he had been exhausting the Haruno before he finally did resign. His talent was rare and incredibly useful for sensitive missions. Minato could only see a great loss for the Konoha shinobi force once Kizashi retires to a civilian life. But at the same time, he respected Kizashi's wish to spend time with his daughter, the only family he had left. Thinking about his own son, Minato could only wish that he could sacrifice as much for his family. But he knew that they were very much loved and cared for.

"It will be a solo mission," Minato continued, "I expect it will take up a week at most."

Whatever the pink haired man was thinking, he simply ended it with a curt nod. Minato really hated having to do this but he had no other choice. The Daimyo had refused to have anyone else execute this mission and if he was declined, Konoha would be greatly affected politically and financially. The Fire Daimyo had threatened to withdraw their funding and political assistance so it was very fitting to say that Konoha's fate rested on Kizashi's performance. He handed the mission scroll and finally allowed the man to return home.

Kizashi was already half way out of the door when Minato called out his name.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Have a great day with Sakura."

"Thank you… Minato-sama."

Kizashi left the office faster than the eye could see. He leaped through the rooftops with ease and noted that it was still well before dawn. The villagers were still fast asleep and embraced with the cool embrace of the night. The sky was filled with little specks of light and had he not been in a rush, he would've spent some time admiring them. Night time in Konoha was peaceful. He reached the housing district and recognized the roof to his house immediately. It was a small and humble home for the two of them. Not even bothering to use the door, he entered his house through his bedroom window. He could feel the small peaceful chakra in the next room and felt his heart expand greatly at the familiar comforting presence. It felt like a chunk of weight was lifted from his shoulders. He was finally home.

He quickly removed his mask, went for a thorough but quick shower and traded his spoiled clothes with new fresh ones. He never greets Sakura nor let her see any of his ANBU uniform. It was just to keep up with the rules and secrecy. ANBU always kept their identity hidden for safety reasons. And it was a part of his life that he was not willing to let young Sakura know about. There was something about politics, gore and blood that he wished to shield Sakura from despite knowing that one day, she would be exposed to it. He never intends to lead her to a civilian life but he also couldn't imagine his daughter leading the same life. Certainly, he was very proud of being a shinobi especially considering his civilian background but… he sighed. He didn't quite know what to feel about it. He simply pushed the thought away and figured he could deal with it later. For now, he just wanted to spend his limited time with his daughter.

He gently pushed the door to Sakura's bedroom and went inside. There was soft small lump at the centre of a large queen-sized bed. He smiled as he gazed at the face of a small pink haired child, breathing softly as she sleeps. He missed her round cherubic face, how she seems to smile while she dreams. He missed her large green eyes, closed for now and no doubt excited to witness the adventure of tomorrow. He missed her especially, when she would call his name. He sat on her bed and pushed away strands of hair from her face and lightly pinched her cheeks as to not wake her up.

"I missed you so much, blossom." Kizashi whispered and kissed her forehead.

Feeling suddenly tired, he yawned and gently laid down next to his daughter, careful not to wake her up. Finally, the toll of the intense travel was felt on his body. He was surprised he didn't collapse on the floor upon returning home. Shifting the blankets so that it would cover them both, he closed his eyes and his breathing fell into rhythm with Sakura.

He couldn't wait to spend the day with Sakura tomorrow.