Warning: This will not be a very happy story. Based off the first chapter of Naruto Gaiden. Infidelity. No main pairing (for now). Written in short segments of mainly Naruto and Sakura's pov.
This is the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
It is peaceful and prospering fifteen years after the Fourth Shinobi World War. It is a safe place filled with happy loving families, low crime and average death rates. It's home to the always burning will of fire.
Yes, this is peace in Konoha.
And this is also all a lie.
Naruto Uzumaki knows this peace will be short lived. He knows his time is running out. The villagers couldn't be more oblivious to what was about to hit them in their cozy little town. Their smiles were so carefree as if this fifteen years of peace and prosperity had relived them of all their burdens and worries but they had no clue of what was waiting in the shadows.
Despite his and his comrades efforts years ago, it was inevitable that there was another war coming soon. He, the rest of the Kages and a handful of elite shinobi were the only ones with this knowledge. But not for long.
This is why he must remain strong, he would tell himself. This is why he must remain powerful. This is why he must remain the perfect figure as a leader, showing off strength and mortality. If he showed even one little sign of imperfection, it could crush everything they stand on and chaos would surely ensue.
Naruto slowly comes out of his heavy thoughts and back to his senses as he remembers where he is. Tsunade, the former Hokage is speaking at the podium in front of hundreds as he stands a little behind her beside the other ANBU. He had just given a very empowering speech, something he did every so often so the good citizens of Konoha would not lose faith in him. Not that they were but he knew he couldn't risk it.
There were hundreds of smiling faces in the crowd looking up at him, forever grateful that he has bought them to the peace that they longed for. But he never would have imagined the road to peace would be such a harsh one.
Of all the swarm of faces, there is one in particular that he is actively trying to avoid. He looks away from the gleeful crowd and tries his best to focus on Tsunade. Briefly, he glances from the corner of his eye to his wife of thirteen years. She's absolutely beautiful, as she watches Tsunsade, standing with their two lovely children, her shiny blue hair blowing in the wind. Her eyes light up with pride and devotion as Tsunade praises Naruto for being such a excellent Hokage. She is perfect, Naruto thinks. He often asks himself what in the world did he ever do to deserve her. His lover. His wife. The mother of his children.
And yet...
And yet...
And yet...
Suddenly the guilt hits him like a bus.
Involuntarily, his gaze flickers to the center of the crowd. As fate would have it, he spots her immediately among the hundreds of faces. Sakura-chan. Still as beautiful as ever. His Sakura-chan. Sunlight reflects off her skin and she's practically glowing. She watches the proceedings with a serene expression gracing her features. Her short pink hair being held out of her face with a small hair clip, making him very reminiscent of his own Mother. As usual, she is simply happy that he is happy. That will always be enough for her.
Unable to help himself, his gaze drifts lower.
Her hands...
Gently, she cradles her swelling belly, barely perceivable beneath her shirt.
Suddenly his heart aches.
Sakura Haruno Uchiha is almost nine months pregnant. And so far, it seems like she's displayed every symptom of pregnancy. From the nasuea to the constant cravings and now her swollen feet. She'd been granted maternity leave but no one to take care of her except for her daughter, sometimes Ino. She had to fend for herself but she was used quite used to it by now.
She lies on her recliner in her home, watching some uninteresting soap opera on her tv. The window is open, she hears children laughing and a breeze rolls in from outside. She's reminded of Sarada who is at the academy and is graduating this year. She is also reminded of the unborn child in her womb. Slowly, she rubs her hands over her bump, resembling a beach ball now.
No one know's who's child she is carrying and not many people ask, surprisingly. Sakura doesn't like it, because they tell each other everything but she's even refused to tell her daughter, much to her annoyance.
For Sarada, this just adds to the lists of her frustrations with her Mother. Like the secrets Sakura keeps hidden about her Father who left the village twelve years ago, when Sarada was only two months old.
It had been twelve years since she has last seen or heard of Sasuke Uchiha and the thought strikes her cold every time. He'd be "back from the mission in three days" he said. She still remembers it as if it were yesterday and how she stupidly believed him. After he never came back a tracking squad was sent out to find him, but found nothing suspicious. Sasuke was one of the two most powerful shinobi in the world so it was deemed he he left on his own will, and presumed missing-nin.
He loved her, he'd said but he has yet to write to her, yet to visit, yet to inquire about his family's whereabouts. It is as if he has forgotten about her and their daughter. Though she hides it well, the knowledge that she has been abandoned breaks her heart every second of everyday.
Now she is somewhat able to distract herself from the pain with her new child. She has never anticipated and at the same time been so frightened of something. Because she knows when this child comes, what it will look like. Especially certain noticeable traits. She knows what will happen once people set eyes on her child.
Her child would be called a bastard.
Her child would disappoint people.
He child would break ties and ruin lives.
But.
But.
It was no one's fault but hers in the end. She had picked this path. She knew what she was doing on that summer night when she and Naruto first kissed, ignoring that they had already taken vows to another. It was a moment of weakness. She was being selfish and he was being greedy. They both knew that nothing good would come of it, because what would the world think of a Hokage who whould be willing to betray his wife? That a deceitful man would lead to a equally deceitful country, that's what they would think.
Neither of them could bear to scar their home in that way.
It was a "one time mistake", he had told her that night as he shrugged his shirt back over his head. And she had agreed, clutching the sheets to her chest as she watched him quickly go.
Except that same mistake kept happening over and over again. Always in the dead of night. Hot breaths against bare skin. Bruise marks on her thighs, scratches on his back.
Seasons passed and their affair continued. That is until Sakura became pregnant after two years of their affair. By that point, Naruto was already pushed to his breaking point. He was obsessed, paranoid even with his Hokage image and he was so afraid of shattering it. When she revealed she was pregnant that was the final straw that ended their relationship.
She was tired. All of it left her mentally and physically drained.
Numbly, Sakura wonders if she will ever be good for anyone. She wonders why is she always disposable. She allows the dark thoughts to cloud her mind as her eyelids began to flutter close.