Author's Note/s;

Hi again! Here is Endless Path as I promised! The names I gave early on would sometimes pop up but just ignore them! Hope you enjoy this version of Endless Path. I've been juggling lots of stuff lately, and hopefully I'll be able to keep this on a usual routine!

Thanks for your help guys! You're my inspiration!

Love JunsuiFushichou

Endless Path

Chapter 1

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TWELVE YEARS AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF SAKURA…

"So… you want to work here?" The lady spun around in her leather chair. Sasuke nodded slowly and slipped the note he held in his pocket.

"He said… you could help." Bellatrics took the piece and read it, processing the words into her mind. She sighed and threw it in the bin. She turned back to the man and answered.

"Very well. Welcome to Yearning Blood." Sasuke nodded, staring around the room. Katanas hung along the walls as well as photos. His onyx eyes paused at one of the pictures who had Bellatrics and a man closely resembling his older brother. As he advanced towards the frame, the woman jumped up and blocked the picture. She stared coldly at him. "You do not have any more business here; please leave." Sasuke paused out of his trance and nodded, silently leaving the woman by herself. He shut the door quietly, before leaning against it, sighing heavily.

I'm going to find you Sakura…I promise.

---

"Kiyuri-san!" The woman stumbled into the dojo, slipping off her black heels. The sensei placed his hand on one hip and sighed annoyingly. "Kiyuri-san! Shiro-kun has been waiting for ages! He's in the training room; he has done very well today." Kiyuri bowed to the older man and rushed past, her brown hair swaying side to side. The day was getting colder and she wanted to get home as soon as possible.

"Shiro! Okaa-san's here!" A boy of 12 years turned around and grinned weakly at his parent. The obsidian hair shone brightly in the dojo lights and his sea green eyes sparkled happily. He bowed down to his opponent and ran to his mother, grabbing her into a hug. She embraced him back and smiled at his opponent, Hyuuga Neji.

"Okaa-san!" The boy cried. "Look, Hyuuga-san gave me my final piece!" He held up his black belt, indicating to the last few golden strips that were now sewed onto the thick piece of fabric. "I'm now a fully qualified black belt!" Kiyuri smiled at her son before smiling back at the Hyuuga.

"Thank you, Hyuuga-san. How is Tenten-san? I heard it's another boy." Neji nodded silently. This was one of his wife's trusted friends; one that she had met just a couple of years ago. "Well, we better get going now. Say goodbye to your teacher Shiro." The boy bowed down to his sensei and bade goodbye, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. They both left in the silver car parked outside. Neji stared as the woman went by with her child. What was this aura he felt around her; an aura of familiarity?

"Okaa-san, why do you pretend? Why do you bother wearing that wig? Ne?" Shiro asked, watching as his mother stopped at the red light of the intersection. "Can't you just wear your hair normally?" Kiyuri pulled off the wig to reveal bubble-gum pink hair, shaking out the long bangs from the end of the bronze wig. She blinked a couple of times to take the amethyst contacts out and blinked a couple of times more, to unveil the hidden jade orbs.

---

Hinata sighed as she placed the coffee cups back onto the silver platter. She stared out at the disappearing horizon that bathed Tokyo city in a brilliant orange. All of her friends had moved to Tokyo in order to find a great job. Shikamaru and Ino had married, merging their companies together to form a larger one. Neji and Tenten had opened a dojo in the centre of the town, taking in children from as little as three. Naruto, on the other hand, had taken the route of university after receiving a large amount of money from the hidden account his parents had formed for him before their deaths.

She, Hinata, instead, opened a coffee shop, a place where all of them ended up going to every time they had day off or time to waste. They rarely had Shikamaru with them since he was busy with the main situations of the corporation. Ino had lots of spare time, allowing her father to direct her employees. She usually taught children how to arrange flowers.

The bell to the door rung. Hinata turned around, without looking up and said. "Sorry we're clos-" She was cut off by a pair of lips planting on hers. She blinked plenty of times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Naruto backed away, grinning. His bag was slung over his shoulder and he looked exhausted. "N-n-n-Naruto-kun!"

"Hey Hinata-chan! Hope I didn't scare ya." He planted another kiss on her forehead before peeking behind her. "Everyone went home already?" She nodded shyly. They had just been going out for a couple of months, and he came by to pick her up from work everyday. Naruto collapsed in a chair and Hinata sat beside him, cleaning her hands on the French apron she wore. Ino and Tenten had helped her pick out the uniforms.

"How was it? The test, I mean." She asked, holding in her blush so he couldn't see. He leant back on his seat, obviously oblivious.

"It was alright; a bit tricky though. A doctor is a pretty hard job." She nodded in agreement, yet only one thing was on her mind. Naruto leant in, staring deep into her lavender orbs. She jumped back in shock. "Still remembering her?" Hinata nodded once more, a silver tear trickling down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb before cupping one of his hands behind her cheek.

"Kiyuri-san came in before; she just wanted a coffee before heading back to pick up her son. Why is it, that she makes me feel…"

"As though Sakura's back." Naruto finished off her sentence, standing up. He turned to the window. He turned back, a happy grin over his face now. "Come on Hinata-chan! Are we gonna have a sleepover here or what?" She jumped up once again and scurried to the change rooms. He grinned. Sakura-chan… where can you be?

---

Tenten lay back on the couch, rubbing her stomach happily. She groaned as she stood up, placing her swollen feet on the floor. Neji had specifically told her not to move an inch across the floor but she couldn't resist. She went into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge.

"Melon, strawberries, cheese… cake, curry…" She squeaked when arms wrapped around her. Tenten looked down to find a small brown haired boy staring up at her. She sighed with relief and closed the fridge door once more.

"Masa! Since when did you wake up?" Little Masahiko grinned widely, letting go of his mother's waist.

"Just 10 minutes ago okaa-san. Is everything okay? Otou-san told you not to walk around too much." He answered, a scowl plastered over his face as he ushered her into a seat. Tenten smiled gently, obliging to his antics.

"But Masa! I'm still so hungry! Don't you know how hungry your otouto could be? What if you starve him to death?" She said, rubbing her stomach to show how famished she was. The four year old still had the same scowl, unchanging.

"Don't worry; otou-san will come back soon! And then you can have dinner! You too Yuki!" He told his unborn brother. Tenten sighed and stared out the window. It was almost 6 o'clock; clearly, the curfew to cook food was 7. And Neji was hopeless in the kitchen. It was great that Hinata lived in the same house as them.

A knock entered the quiet bustling of Masahiko's. He scrambled to the door and grinned widely.

"Naruto-jii! Hinata-baa!" He hugged her tightly and Naruto came into view. He beamed at Tenten.

"What's up, Tenten? Yuki going alright there?" Tenten nodded and looked back at her son. He was telling Hinata about his wonderful adventures at kindergarten.

If only you were here Sakura… if you could experience the happiness that I now have…

---

Ino sighed wistfully as she stared out her office window. The office job was so boring; she'd rather be an ikebana teacher, being around the happy faces of the children. A knock came onto the door and she looked back up, straightening her business skirt.

"Come in." She fixed her hair in the window once more and her sight came to her husband walking through, holding a folder full of paper.

"Here Ino. Your father wants you to sign these; something about a deal with some flower shop-" He was cut off when she jumped into his arms. Tears trailed down her cheeks and her choked sobs were muffled on his shoulder.

"Shika. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, for ruining this…for you…" Shikamaru held her tightly, dropping the files onto the floor. He buried his face into her long blonde hair, taking in the sweet scent of the one thing he loved.

"Ino, it's alright. I don't want anything in this world other than you. If you asked me to choose you or life, I would choose you, because you are my life and my future." Ino chuckled gently; he was always one to say lovable sayings. She let go of him, wiping away her tears with her wrist.

"Thank you. But, all these years… you could've made your dream come true. But, it's my entire fault. I'm so sorry." He held her cheek and placed a kiss on her lips.

"…It's not yours. I promise you."

---

"Shiro, you need to know, that it's a matter of my past. Nothing you need to worry of." Sakura grinned at him before grabbing the wheel again and swerving into a corner. "How about some take-away tonight?" Shiro nodded once again, his face forlorn. Why won't okaa-san tell me… It's as though she's keeping a hidden secret. He reached out to turn the radio on, before stopping at the station both he and his mother enjoyed. Buzzing sounds came before a loud voice could be heard.

Instant news, coming in by the minute. This minute's report, it seems that the Uchiha heir, Uchiha Sasuke, has returned from the United States after his long disappearance. He will regain control of the corporation after his older brother's absence. The Uchiha Corporation shall now return back to normal.

Sakura paused, halting completely. Shiro was thrown forwards, but luckily his seatbelt held him in place. He stared in confusion at his mother.

"Okaa-san! What's wrong?" Her jade eyes gazed directly in front of her. The only thing that escaped her lips was one single word.

"Sasuke."

The man that had stopped abruptly in front of their car stood in front, with wide eyes, as though he had been struck by lightning. His onyx eyes could not be mistaken, and the spiky raven hair was now strangely neat. Shiro gazed at the man, watching his lips move. Soon, he could tell what the man was whispering;

"Haruno…Sakura."

-

Author's Note/s;

Wow that was a great chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!

At the moment, my friend and I are in the process of calling agents and bugging the hell out of them. It's not cool; it's not good talking over the phone with a stranger, even if you're just leaving them a message. -.- I never want to go through this AGAIN!

Sorry for the long updates! I've been too exhausted to type and ideas aren't popping into my head like the old days.

Well, see ya!

JunsuiFushichou