Sometimes life takes turns we don't think about. Sometimes people turn onto different paths, and the paths never unite again. As much as we don't want to believe it, things change, emotions change. It is life, and thus it is natural. Everything must change in life.
But what's deep down in us, and makes us up, never changes. That too is life, and thus is also natural. To love and return love, even from a distance, is a natural part of life. And even if our paths never cross again, we will always be bonded.
Always.
Sasuke sighed. It was another long and dull day back in Konoha.
He had been back three years now, and at the age of nineteen he was accepted back as one of the great shinobi. It was a shock to know that Naruto, who he became best friends with again, was the hokage, and the original team was nominated for Sannin status.
However, they thought they needed Sakura for that.
"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Ino asked, looking at her companion as they walked down a random street in the water village Team Kakashi had visited when they met Zabuza. He and Ino, as two ANBU, were asked to watch the village for any Akatsuki in the area.
"Hn. I'm fine," he replied, shifting away to look at the bridge. Naruto's bridge. He smirked. The boy had empowered a nation and saved Sasuke's life. Sakura had even sobbed for him, against all rational thought. It went so against Shinobi Code that Sasuke was silently thankful.
It was what he needed at the time, and Sakura unwittingly gave it. Sometimes love was funny that way--it worked subconsciously, and gave itself to its soul-mate without being aware.
"Shikamaru always tells me what's wrong," Ino complained, pouting. "So, how are you doing with your search for Red October?"
"Who?" he asked.
"Itachi, silly!" she replied, smiling. "He was born in October, right? So Red October."
"He was born in June," he replied, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh."
There was silence for a moment until Sasuke broke it, asking Ino about her relationship with Shikamaru. And then he got no reprieve from her. It was more than enough for him to know about his friends.
"Sasuke? Why don't you get a girlfriend?" Ino asked.
Damn. It was a topic he was more than a little sour about. His only reason was because no one was Sakura, but no one would accept that.
She was dead to Konoha.
"No reason. I just haven't found anyone yet," Sasuke replied, looking away from the street and up to the rooftops. Did he just see someone? He scanned every roof in the area and shrugged. No one there. "Why do you want to know?"
"Everyone feels bad for you. You don't have anyone to share special stuff with. I know, you'd swear you spend it with Naruto and Shika-kun, but really. Who did you celebrate ANBU status with? The guys. Who did you spend your first free night in Konoha with? No one."
"So? Are you saying you want me to start sleeping around? I'm not a manwhore," he told her. "I don't mind being alone. It's nice. I never needed anyone before."
"But you had people anyways. You had Kakashi and Naruto and Saku--" She stopped herself from finishing the name, tears already swelling. "You didn't need people, but you had them. And now...all you have is Naruto."
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" he asked as they rounded the corner to a park filled ironically with sakura. It was strange how he knew this place was here, but it was the first time he had been to the park.
"Promise. What do you do when your alone?" Ino asked, excited. This was it! The secret reason why Sasuke Uchiha was still single.
"I think about the Haruno, and what happened," he answered seriously. When he saw Ino look dubious, he elaborated. "Think about it. They seemed so...boring. It was a boring family--mother a medic-nin, father a chuunin that couldn't pass his jounin test. Boy who did extremely well, but was always outshone and so he never got recognition."
Ino knew the story of the Haruno well. After Tenchi failed to become a jounin for the fifth time, he retired and became a weapons-expert and manufactured and designed many of the weapons still in use by the ninja. Ayame didn't go very far, and was the average medic-nin.
Then there was Tachi Haruno. He was up there in skill--a little younger than Itachi, but graduated to be an ANBU just two years after him at the same age Itachi had been. Tachi was a demon, but he was partnered with older men that were so experienced he couldn't be expected to do well enough to shine like he should.
He had been in the war of Konoha many years ago, and Tachi barely escaped with his life. As it was, he was killed almost seven years later by Orochimaru. His team hadn't cared or showed remorse. He was dead. That was all there was to it.
"What about the Haruno?" Ino asked, thinking back to her friend.
Sakura, the pesky little girl, was so contagious--one moment you were trying to forget her, and the next you were trying to remember every detail there was about her. But Ino had to admit, she'd rather remember the girl than forget a moment of her. Even through all the bad times, they were the best moments of her life, being with Sakura.
"It was odd to me. That they replaced their son with Sakura. It wasn't the right age, or the right gender, or the right skill. Their son was strong, and then they got Sakura. It didn't make sense," he replied, watching the godforsaken blossoms fall from the trees with every breath of wind.
Again, Ino sighed. The man still knew so little of the world--of Sakura. How could he have not got searching through old records to figure it out? She had spent days and days after Sakura was gone just skimming through all the old records and accounts from childhood.
Sakura was not biologically a Haruno. She biologically, was a mystery as to her parenting. No one claimed paternity of the girl, and so it was marked she was an orphan, and was set to adoption. After almost two years in the orphanage, she was adopted into the family of Tenchi and Ayame Haruno. From there she was given the Haruno last name, and she finally belonged.
No one figured it out for several years. When they did, all the clues flashed and they felt like idiots for not knowing sooner. Her parents both had black and brunette hair, and early in pre-school Sakura had not attended. It was so clear, as well, to the people that had known the Haruno.
Tachi was their only child. Ayame had already had several miscarriages, and three more after Tachi before she was deemed infertile.
"You do realize Sakura wasn't replacing Tachi, right?" she asked. "Tachi and she lived together a good five years before he died."
Sasuke hadn't known that. As he thought over the new information, he thought back to his genin days with Sakura. She had been so happy in an odd way. It was almost transparent that she was faking all of her happiness. And he had yet to understand why she was so fake. And why he had overlooked it.
"Shinobi!" a messenger yelled, running towards them. He was short and a bit plump. He had unruly dark hair, and reminded Ino of an out-of-shape Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father. "Word has come from your hokage. There's been an attack in Konoha--he asks for you back immediately."
"What's wrong?" Ino asked.
"'She's back--the Akatsuki and she are attacking.' Your hokage would tell me no more than that. He said you would both know," he replied. "Also, he said to call one of you a teme."
"Sasuke, let's go!" Ino yelled running back as fast as she could.
Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. If there was a chance to stop her, then he wasn't going to wait by idle in another nation. It had been a ploy to send them away. But she'd be helpless now.
So, Sasuke thought. Sakura's finally back to show her face.
Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but time cannot heal all the scars. And often we find that it is better to live with the scars than to live without the memories of getting them. Each one serves as a lesson, and experiences that are both good and bad.
Sometimes, however, not all scars are noticeable. There are always the scars of out hearts, and the pain of loss. But as long as we fight to keep the scars away, to never earn another, we have succeeded in life's most trivial fights.
Not always are we to stay unscarred. Not always are we meant to be, or should we be. But forever we will be brought together by our scars, and forever the scars of our memories will bring us back to each other, even if our paths never cross.
Forever
As another ninja bit the dirt, he felt the rush of a warm metallic liquid pool into his mouth and shut his eyes at the pain of biting his tongue so hard. Damn that had hurt!
"A nice welcoming party," Sakura remarked, looking around Konoha with a trained look of indifference. It had been years since Tsunade sent her away on the most important S-ranked mission of her life. She only hoped it wouldn't fail now, after getting so close to completing it. Because it's success meant her life. "All I get is a little strategist."
"And a whole lotta boom!" Konohamaru yelled, jumping up in the air with something long and circular, just like the firework logs she and Tachi would light off every New Year.
She dodged the flaming ball easily and it turn set off one of her own from the palm of her hand. A small and paltry trick, but enough to seem like it would kill the young jounin. As it was, he'd be unconscious for awhile to come.
"Sakura, stop goofing off and find the kyuubi!" Deidara scolded, going to slice through a ninja.
Quickly Sakura sent a crack through the earth by stomping her foot and made Deidara fall in. It would seem temperamental, but really it was because she didn't want to harm any of Konoha's people. She quickly sent them a death-glare and they froze in place before tipping over like a board.
"Deidara, I know what I'm doing," she replied, her anger strategically oozed into her voice. "Don't tell me how I should be acting. I grew up in Konoha."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go get the kyuubi!" he muttered from the rut.
"Sakura-chan?" Chouji asked, looking at her in awe. She had changed so much over the course of half a decade. She grew another few inches, and there wasn't an ounce of fat left on her body. "Why?"
"Why what?" she asked back, walking over calmly. Chouji Amichi. How could she forget him? "Who are you anyways?"
"Chouji. You remember me. I was always the fat kid," he replied, smiling as he thought back to everything. Some things needed to be forgotten, but they were a part of the Rookie Nine--he'd rather remember the bad times than forget a single second of them. Especially the ones while Sakura was in Konoha. "Remember me? Shikamaru and Ino's teammate?"
"Another weakling I left behind," she agreed, shooting off her eyes again. In an instant Chouji was as heavy as a mountain, and moved just as easily.
Had no one known she had this power? Why was it that only Tsunade and Jiraiya knew she could do all this? Her parents had to have been amazing--to have passed on such power. The power Sasuke had only craved.
It was amazing how she did. Her chakra control was so precise, she didn't even think about it. Her attacks were fatal, and ranged through all the elements. When she remembered when Yamato told her that she'd never control an element, it only made her laugh. Look at her now.
Her eyes had been the truly amazing marvel--they hid a power that mimicked both Sharingan and Byaakugan. They created genjutsu for her, crafted paralyzing attacks for her, did everything her body couldn't. When she couldn't fight physically, she was able to fight mentally.
As she walked carelessly through Konoha, training her look not to betray the amaze she held at all the changes, she laughed deeply at the Hokage Mountain. It was odd how she couldn't laugh right, but she needed it to seem evil in case any of the Akatsuki were around.
Naruto Uzumaki, number-one hyperactive ninja and the Rokudaime of Konoha, Sakura thought, looking at her friend's somber face in the mountain where she risked her life to save him.
There had been a storm, and it was too dangerous to retrieve him. The mountain was sleeted over, the flood below was battering the town to the point every medic-nin and apprentice was needed on call, and the snow was so severe if it fell from a tree branch onto a person they would be suffocated in a matter of a few seconds. Sakura had gone anyways, to save Naruto from his small perch on the Yodaime's lip.
Remembering, she faintly registered that two forces of chakra were barreling towards her. One of the forces of chakra was as fast, if not faster than Itachi Uchiha, the brother of Sasuke Uchiha. Almost five years ago, Sasuke had gone after Itachi again, and was defeated when he made the mistake of looking at Sakura with the Akatsuki member.
It was the last time Sakura had seen Sasuke, but at least he knew. She was considered a Missing-Nin of Konoha at present.
Feeling the chakra of a punch before it came, Sakura side-stepped as she turned and caught the fist, only to see a depressed Uchiha attached to the fist. She nodded as stoically as he would, and took her free fist to punch him into the dirt.
His face skidded, and he winced at the pain a rock caused his cheek, and a jagged piece of glass cut his temple. It would be nothing if it weren't for the fact Sakura was the one who caused it. Sakura, of all people, had been able to do what many had failed to do.
Injure Sasuke Uchiha.
She had always been weak as a child, but when he came back and Tsunade pulled him to the side about Sakura's mission, he finally started to understand how serious it all was, and how powerful she was. She was hidden under spells and seal-binds with special power to keep hers from rising.
Now she was released from them. She didn't have to be weak anymore. And she certainly wasn't. She had already taken it to the first step, joining the Akatsuki. The next step for her was to find her biological parents. But what would happen once she did?
"Hello, Sasuke. I suppose Ino is here now as well?" she asked, her trained voice so emotionless Sasuke could swear she was trying to be him. "Of course she would be. She must be back with her beloved then."
But before Ino's fist made contact, Sakura had disappeared into thin air and appeared behind Ino and chopped her neck in a pressure point. The girl dropped in an instant and for the first time in almost three years Sasuke felt fear.
There shouldn't be fear about whether or not he'd live with the girl he'd been so infatuated with for years. Sasuke still refused to say the word loved. As much as he knew it, even in his thoughts he skirted around the word.
Because she was gone to Konoha. As far as they were concerned, she was dead, and he couldn't love a dead girl. That just wasn't heard of.
"Well, this meeting's been fun," she started walking away. "Now on to better things. Sorry, Sasuke-kun, but you're under my league."
"Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked, crossing her path next. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a missing-nin--it's suicide to come back here. Go, before I have to say you're here," she warned, scared for the girl.
"Sakura!" Kisame yelled, almost making the girl jump. "Hurry up! We need the kyuubi and we need your parents. Come on!"
The kunoichi rolled her eyes and brushed past the Hyuuga, startling Hinata and Sasuke both. She was listening to her friend? She was really gone. The Sakura they had known was no longer in there.
"Wait up, you gaki," Kisame ordered, catching up and leaving the two alone. "Are you dense? I said to wait. Never leave me with losers like your old ninja. I am your mentor, not your inferior."
He missed Sakura's sigh of relief, but Sasuke noticed with his Sharingan eyes. So maybe she wasn't lost yet.
"I'm sorry, Kisame-san," she replied. Now to find the time for Itachi and she to kill the straggling members of the Akatsuki. "What's wrong?"
"What do you remember about your parents?"
"The Haruno were nice people. They treated me like family and I was sad when their son Tachi died in the war. They died when I was thirteen during the same war that killed the Sandaime, and I buried them near a sakura with my name engraved in it."
Kisame rolled his eyes. "Not the fake-family! Your real parents! What do you remember about them?"
The two were silent. Sakura couldn't remember anything. She had been alone until the Haruno family adopted her, as far as she knew. Tachi had told her Itachi's team had found her during a patrol, and Itachi saved her from the men thinking to kill her right then.
Ever since, Itachi had been like a brother, protective and visiting often to make sure she was okay. He even helped her mission by getting her into the Akatsuki. In a sense, she was helping his mission--to destroy the Akatsuki and find Sakura's parents.
Sakura's mission, she supposed, was to assist him, since Tsunade was reluctant to tell her all of the missions details. All she knew was that she was perfect for the mission because of what she was.
All she had to do was eradicate the shinobi in Konoha working for the enemy, and to assimilate into the Akatsuki to get new information on missing-nin, weapons, illegal actions and dealings, anything she could get her hands on Konoha wanted.
"My parents refused me, and I was left to either die or be brought up by someone else's kindness. And I was lucky enough to get it. I don't know where they are buried, or where they live. We'd have to go to records to get either information, I suppose," Sakura replied.
Itachi heard their phrase, and went into action from a high tree. He sliced off Kisame's head at an angle and ran fast around to find Deidara. When both were killed, the two looked at each other and nodded.
"Only a few more loose ends, and we can come back forever," Itachi told her.
"If only I could come back now. Those records would be the answer. I'd finally know about myself and my family--I know it," Sakura agreed, sensing an oncoming person and stepping to the side as Sasuke lunged towards Itachi.
"Sasuke, this isn't the time," Itachi scolded, pushing the boy's head back to keep himself just out of Sasuke's reach. Sakura sighed and looked annoyed. "Hey, don't give me lip! I'm trying to keep my ass off the line!" Itachi whined. "Sakura-chan, make your boyfriend stop!"
"Sasuke-kun, stop trying to kill you broth--you're brother is not my boyfriend!" Sakura yelled, making Itachi drop Sasuke and both Uchiha cover their ears. Then Sasuke went back to trying to kill Itachi, and Sakura sighed again. "Sasuke, cut it out!"
"Why would I listen to a missing-nin?" Sasuke retorted.
"Because I know how to castrate you from here?" she shot back, scaring Sasuke into hiding behind Itachi. "Now quit playing around, Itachi, and let's go find Tsunade and Jiraiya before anyone else catches on. I don't want to have to kill anyone yet."
"God, all you medic-nin with your hero-complexes," Itachi muttered, making Sasuke choke back a laugh. "Coming, coming. Let's go before Sasori or someone finds Kisame or Deidara. Why did we--"
"Sakura-chan, why are you with the Akatsuki?" Sasuke asked, thinking back to her.
"The same reason Itachi is. Tsunade said to meet around where again? Please say we're not lost," Sakura said, looking around. "Sasuke, since when are you allowed back in Konoha?"
"Since I stopped being a missing-nin. You didn't kill your clan, Sakura, so you can't be there for the same reason. I don't understand. And I'm not letting you get Tsunade," he replied, taking a defensive stance.
"Fine, don't. Itachi-niichan, can we bring Sasuke with us?" she asked, going off down a path.
Shrugging, Itachi picked his brother up and hauled him over his shoulder as he followed Sakura. Sasuke was much too focused on getting his question answered and then finding out why Sakura called Itachi her brother to care.
"Sakura-chan? Did you kill the Haruno?" Sasuke asked.
"No. And Itachi didn't kill your family either. We were sent on missions. We were just supposed to wait until there was no family left. Dishonorable to be a missing-nin, you know? But we aren't really missing. The Sandaime sent Itachi, and the Godaime sent me. We just need it to look authentic."
"Sakura, why are we telling Sasuke?" Itachi asked.
An evil smile crossed her face. "Because in another twelve minutes, there'll be an explosion back in the lair that will kill any stragglers. And when we meet up with Tsunade, it'll only be about another half-hour before the rest of them die."
Suddenly a blur cut their path and before Itachi or Sasuke's Sharingan could catch what happened, it was a heap on the ground. Sakura bent down and frowned. "I wanted to leave Pein for last."
Itachi rolled his eyes. "God, Sakura. Sometimes I don't know if I should treat you like a kid or the serious ninja you are."
It took a second for Sasuke to realize Sakura had killed him. she got so fast--he never thought she could get so fast. It was quicker than his Sharingan could detect and that scared him.
As they walked on, Sakura turned her head to the side and smiled. "Jiraiya!" she yelled, running off to where she saw him.
There, swinging by a rope, was a gored ero-sannin. Sasuke felt he was going to be sick, but Sakura glared at it for a second before punching the figure. A wheezing cough erupted and a poof of smoke engulfed the figure.
"Sakura-chan! How are you? Is everything okay?" the sannin asked, straightening his clothes and smiling. She grew so beautiful, so graceful. It almost ached to see her now and know she'd never truly see him. "How many dead?" He turned to Itachi and his face paled. "Sasuke?"
"Is feeling a bit ridiculous," the boy finished, whacking his brother's neck before squirming out of his grasp. "I want answers, Jiraiya, wherever you little perverted sannin went."
"Enough already, Sasuke. Jiraiya, I want to see Tsunade," Sakura ordered, looking the sannin straight in the eye. "Zetsu, Tobi, Kakuzu, Hidan, Konan and the leader are all back at the lair. It'll blow in another three minutes. And we killed Kisame, Deidara and Pein already. I want to see Tsunade to tell her the traitors."
Jiraiya nodded. "She's with Naruto right now. She was talking to him about the onslaught today. Do you need any assistance?"
"No. We're good," Sasuke replied, brushing himself off. "Come on, Sakura-chan. I'm going to stay with you from now on."
She rolled her eyes and took his hand, walking down another trail with him and Itachi as Jaraiya put up a new genjutsu. They looked briefly at each other and blushed, but didn't look away. Instead Sasuke brought her closer to his body and hugged her to his side.
"My siblings are in love. How weird is that," Itachi commented, smirking.
As Sakura sent a block of earth up to trip Itachi, Sasori crossed their path. Sakura merely had to look at him and he became slate. She kept walking, tugging at Sasuke to keep walking before she punched him into oblivion in one simple punch. In the distance a blast was heard, so loud it shook the gravel that was Sasori.
"Yo! Itachi! We're free!" Sakura yelled, smiling. Everyone connected to the Akatsuki was gone. She and Itachi were free. "Sasuke, I'm free! I can come back to Konoha! I can come back!" she cheered, smiling as she jumped around and hugged Sasuke.
The sudden friction of her jumping against him started to drive Sasuke mad. He stopped her and smiled. She looked so beautiful when she was happy. He kissed her wrapped his arms around her to keep her from budging away. When he stopped to catch his breath, Sakura smiled and he kissed her again.
"Hey, lovebirds! Cut it out!" Naruto yelled, ruining the moment. "Sakura, follow me to my chambers. Itachi and Sasuke too please."
Sometimes we expect things to be different. We dream of what would happen if our paths never cross again, and we dream of what the memories we swear we will never forget. But sometimes dreams are never as good as reality is.
Dreams are never as good as reality. In reality, we will always meet again, so long as we fight for our dreams. Dreams are only hopes, and the difference is that we can make our hopes in reality true, while dreams we wake up from and our hopes our shattered.
But no matter what, we know we will always be together, so long as we never forget where we come from. Our paths can always cross again. Because it is part of us, and human nature, to see each other again.
"Sakura!" Tsunade gushed, seeing the pink-haired girl walk into the hokage chambers. Against protocol, she ran up to the girl and hugged her. "Sakura, are you okay? Hurt? Here, let me take a look at you. I haven't seen you in years now."
"I'm fine. Don't worry," she replied, smiling. Every time she was around Tsunade, she couldn't help but get a fuzzy and warm feeling that she was cared for amazingly well.
"Are you sure? Right. So, how's the mission?" Tsunade asked, gaining her composure again. Sakura was not her daughter, and she couldn't treat Sakura as such.
"Flawless," Itachi replied, clapping the girl's back. "She killed everyone but Kisame, Orochimaru and Deidara. Those were Uchiha kills. I can't believe you guys ever thought to put those binds on her. The girl's powers were invaluable to us in retrieving all of their scrolls and destroying all of their agents and shinobi."
"Itachi," Tsunade greeted. "Your mission went well?"
"Hn. Including finding Sak's parents," he replied, staring at her pointedly.
"That's great, Itachi. Now time for the punishments!" Naruto declared, rubbing his hands together and smiling maliciously. "Sakura, for your missing--"
"Naruto, I have a mission-scroll for you saying that I was missing only as a disguise to work for Konoha," Sakura replied, motioning for Tsunade.
"We already went over this, Naruto," Tsunade replied, handing him Itachi's scrolls and Sakura's. "They were never missing-nin, nor did Itachi kill his clan. We just needed covers for them to get them into the Akastuki."
"You mean I can't punish Sakura?" Naruto whined. "How else am I going to get Sasuke and Sakura together? Her punishment was to be his wife. Now what?"
"Let me ask her, dobe," Sasuke replied, turning to Sakura. "Will you marry me and bear my children?"
"Would you still ask me if I was fat?" Sakura asked. He looked at her as if she had five heads. "Know right now if you want me to marry you, 'cause there's no escape when I'm pregnant and I'm a cow."
"I'm sure," he replied, smiling as he kissed her hand and each cheek. "Besides, you'd always still be Sakura. The girl that infatuated me and drove me crazy to the point it annoyed me. I'd...I'd...I'd love you no matter what you looked like, because I love you."
There. He said it. He admitted he was in love with Sakura. Now if she would say yes. Sasuke wanted so bad for her to say yes. Then he could pull her right out of Naruto's office and start impregnating her.
That would be the joy of his life.
"I wish my parents were here," she thought, looking depressed. "Everyone else had their fiancé's ask their parents for their hand in marriage."
"Fine," Itachi said, shrugging. "I know who they are and where they are. Does the mother count?"
"Whatever counts. If you know where my family is, there's nothing I'd rather know. My entire life I just wanted to know my family. The Haruno were great, and having you was great, but that's not a real family."
Tsunade choked back a sob. The girl grew so fast. "What if he life didn't seem right to your parents, and they wanted you to have more?"
The girl gave a half-smile. "Less is more. I didn't need the world. I still don't. Even if they were weak, I'm strong. Nothing would phase me."
Itachi smiled, turning Sakura to him and crouching down to her height. "Sakura, I know your dad's not here, but your mom is. And since Jiraiya would probably rip off anyone's head if they ask for your hand, I think--"
Sakura gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth, tears silently leaking quickly from her eyes. All this time, right there. She turned to Tsunade, the only other female in the room, and started to sob as Tsunade smiled softly and nodded her head. All this time, they were there.
Sasuke smiled as Sakura ran to hug Tsunade, getting a warm feeling as the two cried together. He could Sakura felt she finally, for the first time in her life, knew who she was.
"Sasuke?" Tsunade asked, her voice cracked from crying. He looked up and she smiled shakily. "Be good to her, okay?"
"Hn."
"Itachi-niichan?" Sakura asked. "Arigatou. You keep doing all these nice things for me. Saving me, finding my family, being there. How did you always do it? You didn't even know me."
"I found a picture of Jiraiya when he was a kid. He had pink hair before he bleached it white in the academy. And I started to think, who else would put those binds on you but a capable medic-nin? Besides." He smirked. "Sasuke always liked you. Even before he knew you as a Haruno."
Naruto started to gag. "I just realized something. Jiraiya-sensei trained my dad as a chuunin. Sakura's my age. That's pretty old to be having a kid."
"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura warned, hugging her mother again before running back to Sasuke and jumping into his arms.
He smiled and kissed her, spinning her around as the room laughed and smiled, Itachi and Naruto fighting over who got to be the first baby's namesake. Kakashi and Jiraiya popped in, and Sakura hugged her father as well.
Then the members of Team Kakashi, Itachi, and Sakura's parents went out to celebrate, getting the Rookie Nine and Gai's Team along the way.