"Ugh, this is so boring, ya know!", whined the blond as he laid back on the floor. He closed his eyes, trying to think of something that needed to be done around the house, some training he needed to do, anything to occupy his mind. His racing thoughts were interrupted when he felt a pair of tiny hairs on his face, opening his blue eyes to see his tiny son staring at him curiously before he started crawling over him. "Hmm, what do you want to do Bolt? We have plenty of time to kill before your mom gets back from her scouting mission with Tenten and Kiba.", sighed Naruto as he lifted the boy over his head, smiling slightly as he watched Bolt giggle in delight at his new position. Why'd Kakashi-sensei have to send Hinata out on the mission, there are plenty of Hyuuga that could of taken her place if he wanted someone with the Byakugan to go., he thought irritably. I bet this is how Sakura feels with Sasuke being gone all the time. "Wait!", he yelled, startling Bolt as he jumped to his feet, playfully tossing the boy up in the air in excitement before bringing him close to his chest. "How'd you feel about getting to go to Auntie Sakura's place and playing with Sarada, buddy?"
"Sara?", asked the little blond curiously, turning his pale blue orbs up to his father's as Naruto made his way to the door, grabbing the light gray diaper bag off the counter as he walked by.
"Yep, it's been awhile since you two got to play together, so I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, unless..." Images of his teammates' matching angry scowls floated through his mind making the back of his head throb at the memory of all the smacks he received from the couple over the years. Hopefully, Sara-chan doesn't inherit Sasuke's jerkiness or Sakura's temper.
Naruto cradled Bolt against his chest as he easily leaped from rooftop to rooftop, following his usual route to the Uchihas' home. I hope Sakura-chan is home right now and not at the hospital or children's center working. "Ugh, what are we gonna do if she's not home? Shikamaru, Sai, and Choji are all busy with their clan duties and their families. Sasuke and Hinata aren't in the village right now, and Kakashi-sensei is caught up in his Hokage work. Even Shino's diving into his work at the academy and Konohamaru and his team are occupied with their new Jonin responsibilities." Spotting the familiar home of his former team, the jinchurichi leaped into the fenced-in yard before gently sliding the door open. "Hey, Sakura, you home?", he called, making his way into the home's center. "Sakura-chan."
"Would you mind telling me why you're in my house without bothering to knock like a decent human being, Naruto?", came a sickly calm voice behind him.
He recognized the woman's voice immediately, years of working together on Squad Seven and then Team Kakashi made it easy to identify the feisty pink-haired ninja's voice and what her current tone meant. He froze at the familiar note of irritation that normally signaled the beating he was about to receive as he tried to come up with a reply. Naruto turned around quickly, handing his son over to the pink-haired woman before rushing out an answer, hoping he had thought this through. "I thought Bolt and Sara could have a play date since they haven't had a chance to see each other all week.", answered the blond nervously.
"And you decided to just walk in here without asking?", questioned Sakura more gently. Having the cute Uzumaki baby in her arms was the only thing constraining her irritation at her friend's usual inconsiderate stupidity. If she didn't have such a soft spot for children the wannabe Hokage would have already been sporting a serious knot on his head.
"I knocked last time and you punched me in the face for waking Sarada up.", said Naruto "Make up your mind."
"That's because you pounded on the door and practically busted the entire wall down, Moron!", shouted the kunoichi before checking herself and lowering her voice.
"Geez, you can be really complicated, Sakura-chan. Do you want me to knock or not?", huffed the blond as he took Bolt back and plopped down on the nearby couch. "Where's Sarada anyway?"
"Right here.", called Sakura as she walked around the corner, Sarada snuggling against her chest as she toweled off her moist hair. "I was finishing her bath when I heard your obnoxious yelling, so I made a shadow clone to come greet you.", said the mother as the other her disappeared in a puff of smoke. "So why'd you come over here anyway, Naruto?"
"I told you so our kids could play together. The future Squad Seven should get acquainted, ya know, hehe?", laughed the man, looking down at the boy in his arms and gently rubbing his head.
"How long has it been?", asked Sakura gently, taking a seat near him on the couch.
"Huh, what are you talking about?"
"Oh shut up, Idiot. I think I've known you long enough to tell when you're upset, you're eyes always give it away even when you force a smile like that.", she answered, giving him a knowing smile.
"Sa-kura.", he breathed in shock. "I..."
"It's hard, having to sit and wait when all you want to do is run after them."
"Three days.", he whispered. I've cleaned the house so much it's practically shining, I've taken Bolt out to play until he collapses, and then I train and do paperwork that Kakashi-sensei asked me to take on until my mind's so tired I can crash into bed without even thinking about. It's not like before though, I'm not lonely, I have tons of friends and Bolt to spend time with, but..."
"It's not the same.", finished Sakura sadly, bringing Sarada up to her face and planting a kiss on the little girl's forehead. "No matter how many things you try to distract yourself with, it doesn't even come close when you compare them, right?"
"How do you deal with it?", asked Naruto quietly.
Sakura was silent for several beats, making him think that maybe she hadn't heard him before her gentle voice came out. "Because I know that it's not forever now. No matter how long I have to wait, I know that he's coming home and now that I have Sarada, a piece of him is always here with me. It's funny, how when we were growing up people always said you go insane after having kids, you're always cranky, never get any sleep, but they're so wrong.", said the pink-haired ninja with a smile. "Sarada's what keeps me going, knowing that she needs me, and having her in my arms makes falling asleep so much easier. It feels almost like he's here with me when I'm with her."
Sasuke, can you feel that? How much faith she has in you. And how much she misses you. After all this time she's never doubted the promises you've made, she'll keep waiting no matter., thought Naruto sadly as he watched his friend rock her daughter back and forth. You better not be gone for too long this time or I'll beat the crap out of you for hurting Sakura-chan and Sarada when you come home, you big jerk.
"...you hear me, Naruto?"
"Huh, oh sorry, Sakura, I must have spaced out for a moment. What did ya say?"
"Geez, you could at least pay attention when someone's trying to be nice to you.", sighed the kunoichi. "I was saying that we should take the kids out for awhile, it's a beautiful day out and we're both free right now. It might help us not sit here and mope, and like you said it will be good for the kids."
"Really, that sounds great! We can stop at Ichiraku for lunch too, my treat!", exclaimed the excited man.
"Here just let me get Sarada's bag and my sandals and we can go."
"Great, I'll take Bolt and wait on the porch for you guys!", said Naruto, grasping is bag and throwing open the front door. Hinata, Sasuke, come home soon, we miss you.
A/N: First Naruto fic, all the Boruto:The Movie news made want to write this.