Hi everyone! First of all I would like to apologize for the long delay. I'm really sorry but last week had been hell in between the exams and computer problems I went all crazy with my stuff. Believe it or not I always study in my computer, my notebooks are full of comic strips and randomness and my books are full of dust. As much as I will like to understand Bill Gates' MS Windows fully, I'm afraid I know just as much as the rest of you. Twice in one week 'Painfully Bittersweet' chapter 4 had been deleted of my files just because. And believe me I didn't have the will to do it all over again a third time, I almost quit on the story, but rest assured that I won't. I'm fully back on my feet again. I got myself an old Laptop, with hardly any connection to Internet so as not to procrastinate and to not fill it with viruses and all the bullshit that comes along with it. I got it for the sole purpose of writing, and I can tell you it works as a good motivator. I found this 1999 Laptop in between my dad's stuff, it had Windows 97 when I turned it on, can you believe it? Well anyway way after a little pimping I installed two hard disks of 40 GB each, DVD player, high speed USB ports, and everything else; so now this baby is all mine to do as I please. Hahaha, (laughs evilly).

Well anyways, talking about randomness. Here you go, on with the story.

Thank u so much for waiting!

Hope you enjoy it!


"Okay people we're moving on. Raidou you and Moegi-chan can take the back door. Udon-kun you go on the left, Konohamaru-kun you take the right side. Genma you're my wing-man" Hatake Kakashi instructed to the team.

"Hai!" With that said, each of the team members jumped onto their designed posts.

It had been a simple B-ranked mission to Tea country. They were supposed to escort the city's Daimyou to an important meeting with the Yakuza clan leader of the neighbor village. The leader was quite the temperamental type of person who didn't spare a single thought into anything. Currently the problem was that their inability to think was causing trouble in the borders. The yakuza were raising wild horses on the borders, which unfortunately for the Tea country, were ruining their plantations like a plague. The Daimyou thought it best to propose a deal that could hopefully leave each party rather content. He knew firsthand how hard it was to deal with the Leader's ape-like attitude and it was no piece of cake. That's why Kakashi's assistance was required, if chaos broke loose with the yakuza, then the Daimyou's life would be protected and the finances secured. In synthesis they were only hired muscle to take out thugs with katanas that they didn't even know how to wield properly.

It was quite the easy mission with a good paycheck. Kakashi could give good use to that money, that's basically why he took up on the offer anyway. Is not precisely like he needed the money, but it was a comfortable method though. It was a short two week mission, risk-free roundtrip; besides he didn't want to be away from home long. For some reason he felt homesick every now and then while away, a foreign feeling settled in his heart. It was completely uncommon of him to feel like that, but then again he had some reasons behind the uncertainty. He was already looking forward to returning, and that was a week away still. He brought Icha Icha tough, hoping it would be enough; luckily it was.

He couldn't help but wonder lately how much his life had changed in the last year and a half; more like in the past five years actually.

Ever since they brought Sasuke back, the dynamics in his team have changed radically, and so had his life. Sasuke came back almost willingly and adapted quite fast to the new dynamics on team Kakashi. They had been eighteen back then. It was almost like in the old days, almost. Tsunade granted back Sasuke his citizenship, his shinobi status though had been taken. He was to spend the following two years under regular surveillance, counsel meetings, and psychological evaluations. However his request to practice with Team Kakashi had been approved. The new six member team would normally be seen training each early morning, after a couple of hours though Sakura and Sakuse would retreat to go to work. Sakura had hospital duties each day, sometimes she could be there from eight to four in the afternoon, and sometimes from dusk to dawn literally. Since Sasuke wasn't allowed to enroll into any type of missions he was forced to find a suitable job that could cover his basic necessities. He was hired by the Inuzuka clan to help Kiba's mother and sister in the dog's compound. He would clean, feed, and take the dogs out for exercise. Every now and then the family would teach him about the dog's training as a sign of confidence towards the reformed avenger. Life was quite good, but not that good.

Somewhere, sometime after the Uchiha's comeback something happened; something he didn't notice. The normally cheerful female member of their team began to feel like a boiling pot, at least that's what she said after a particularly nasty fight with the emotionless Sai. They had argued, at least she had, about something he hadn't had a chance at listening; it ended quickly right after there was one less tree standing in the forest because of a Sai induced punch. She left then. Kakashi thought it wouldn't do any good to have a pissed of emotionally unstable kunoichi right before a mission, so he sought her out to straighten the unresolved matters; he didn't think it would be healthy for her or Sai for that matter. He found her a few minutes latter in front the door of her apartment banging her head and murmuring to herself in something akin to remorse, or maybe insanity, he wasn't sure.

He approached the woman cautiously in order to avoid a misdirected anger on her behalf, after all he could clearly see that she still had a lot of steam to let loose. After a humble 'Yo' when the woman stopped banging her head on the door, he leant on the doorframe by her side. He could clearly see the inner struggle the woman was going through to keep her anger in check. After another minute or so, the pink-haired kunoichi finally turned his way to acknowledge his presence; and with a quiet 'Hi there' as well, she implicitly told him that she was fine now. However Kakashi ever the skeptical thinker, saw in her eyes the untruthfulness behind her words. He was about to question her, until reality came back.

"Kakashi my friend, you've standin' there for the past five minutes without even blinkin'. Man, what's wrong?" The always perceptible Genma self proclaimed Konoha's number one ladies man and his best friend, shook him out of his reverie.

"Oh" It was his clever comeback. "Sorry, I was just thinking"

"That's obvious you know. Really tell me, something's been eating at you lately. You aren't normally this distracted. Problems at home, is that it?" Genma inquired suggestively.

"Genma, later. Now focus on the mission." The Copy-nin cut him off shortly, but effectively.

"Says the guy who has been standing like a statue in the same place for the past five minutes. I swear any more and we would be having a new Kakashi-like home for pigeons." Genma couldn't resist mocking his always stoic friend. It was like a game to him, to try and see if he could get a rise out of the Sharingan user. His attempts have proven to be futile so far, he had never gotten anything more of the man that the same you would get if you pick a rock with a stick for two hours straight; nothing. A good shinobi was not a quitter though, as Gai would so eloquently proclaim; so he never stopped doing it, it was fun anyway.

"Genma" That was it, he was all about business now and that meant being prepared for action.

Chaos broke loose then, well not so much as chaos but at least some resemblance of it. Evidently and regretfully for Kakashi, Katsuo the Yakuza's leader apparently took the Damiyou's intent the wrong way. Kakashi ever the efficiently elite ninja he was known to be, despite his constant tendency of being late to everything, was by the Daimyou's side not two seconds after. Genma came in behind him taking thugs right and left on his way. Raidou came in by the back door securing a safe exit for their employer. Udon was outside scaring the yakuza's horses away so there wouldn't be a chance on them following later. Moegi was outside as well, preparing the horses for their escape. It wasn't a cowardly act, she told herself. As much as she would love to fight them and take the much needed practice, their customer's safety came first and foremost; besides there were way too many thugs to reinsure anybody's safety. Then out of the blue the unforeseen happened.

Heavy amounts of smoke filled the large room quickly, accompanied by the unmistakable sounds of firecrackers, bells and snappers, and there in the middle of the commotion there he was. With a performance particularly attributed to Konoha's number one loudmouth knucklehead blond ninja, that wasn't Ino, Konohamaru made his big entrance. Then with a pose that would put Gai to shame and green out of envy (as if he wasn't already green all over), he finished his 'dynamic entry' with a phrase that could reduce Lee to tears in three seconds flat.

"Fear for your lives, you lame excuses of samurai wannabes. Sarutobi Konohamaru is here to kick your sorry asses into the next world. Remember the name, for I'll be the one to take you there myself" With a wink and a large grin, that frankly went unnoticed because of the smoke, he finished his big entrance.

Half of the people in the room dropped to the floor right then with a common 'plop' to emphasize the reaction. Unfortunately that included one Shiranui Genma who was currently sporting a major sweat drop beside his right eyebrow.

"Naruto must be so proud of you right now" He said, but by no means was it intended to be a compliment, it was far from it actually.

"I know he replied cheerfully" Apparently not only his loudness and obnoxiousness were passed by Naruto, but also some of his blondeness as well.

Somewhere in Konoha, one Uzumaki Naruto was suffering from a left ear major overheating, and he didn't know why.

Kakashi however took advantage of the distraction and escorted their customer outside and onto the horses. He, Moegi, and Raidou left with the Daimyou to safer territories, while the rest of team with Genma leading, were chasing after the fugitive Katsuo who had took advantage of Konohamaru's ninja ways as well.

As much as the Copy-nin wanted to engage and dispose of the Yakuza's leader so as to go home earlier, his client was more opposed to such methods; he strongly avoided all types of violence if it could be helped. Kakashi had however frankly suggested that in his position it would always be more frequent than not, and in order to preserve his life then he would have to agree to their terms. After doing some reconnaissance the team had informed their client that Katsuo was regardless of the outcome of their meeting after his head, and so the Daimyou gave them full permission to do whatever was necessary to end the problems. So now the simple escort and protect had become a search and destroy, at least the paycheck was good enough.

"What about Genma-san, Konohamaru-kun and Udon-kun?" A sweet voice came from behind.

"Don't worry Moegi-chan, they'll be following us soon enough. Genma's leading so they'll be safe" Kakashi insured the only female member of their team. After all they were not to engage, just to follow and find his hideout. As much as a good tracker as the Senbon master was soon enough he lost the trail, and there was an unsettling feeling to it. He wasn't sure why, but somehow in his opinion Katsuo wasn't the simple man they thought him to be, there was more to him than they knew apparently. Anyway they all returned to their stations out for much needed planning. The unsettling feeling had become a persistent nudge in the ribs now because Genma had finally confirmed what Kakashi had thought from the very beginning. The so called Katsuo man, leader of the Yakuza gang was indeed a ninja, however they could only know so much about him. They knew nothing about his rank, status, origins, techniques, fighting styles or methods. They would have to appeal to research and observation once more, this accompanied with a letter to Tsunade asking for information and permission for any type of procedures. Then they would have to follow and engage if needed, trying not to kill the subject, so as to be taken to Konoha for further interrogation. If he wasn't a missing-nin this could bring Konoha a lot of problems with the other nations. Taking hostages and engaging ninjas of other nations for no apparent reason was heavily frowned upon. With some luck Kakashi and his team would be back home before a month was up.

And so the silver-haired man decided to split the team in two once again. Genma, Konohamaru and Moegi stayed by the Daimyou's side to insure his safety, while Kakashi, Raidou and Undon went after Katsuo to find his current whereabouts. It is not like the ex-ANBU team leader didn't trust Genma's tracking abilities, is just that he believed himself to be more efficient and right now efficiency had become his ultimate priority. Besides Kakashi wanted to make sure to cut all of the Yakuza bonds he might still hold over those men who ran away, he didn't want to give him a chance to regroup to come back and do big scale damage on the city. And then was the fact that they had to find him as soon as possible so he wouldn't have the chance to run too far away where they weren't allowed to follow; they were in foreign territory after all.

After several hours of running nonstop, they found the place where Genma lost the trails, so Kakashi summoned his dogs and asked them to follow and tell him on the paths the man went through.

"Kakashi, we're having some troubles finding his particular scent. Something doesn't smell good in my nose; I can tell there's more about this man than simplicity. Even if he were a ninja we didn't find any particular signatures of chakra either. I guess it will take us the night, so you might as well prepare camp and wait until tomorrow early morning and we'll be back." Pakkun said, speaking even better than some particular blonds and blond's followers Kakashi knew of.

"Okay, we'll see each other in the morning then my friend. Take care and please tell Bull not to eat anything he finds in the ground that has more than a week dead or is more solid than his teeth." Kakashi reminded the rest of the dogs' leader.

"And the rest of us…" He said addressing the other two members of his team. "We'll start preparing a campsite for the night."

All said and done they we to sleep taking turns to cover the night shift guard.


Seven full hours and eight bottles of sake later, Sakura finally got her way out of Tsunades office. Don't get her wrong, she loved the woman maybe even more than her own mother, but after the third bottle she had become just too much to take on. And so finally out of her clutches, she decided it was time to visit the person number two in her list, after all the pink-haired woman was more than desperate to know about Naruto's goings. If he wasn't injured, what was he doing in the hospital anyway?

She went straight through the doors hoping against hope not to be recognized by any of the staff members. There was a new receptionist she could tell since she didn't know the brunette sitting in her old assistant's desk.

"Miss, could you please tell me where can I find Uzumaki Naruto?" She asked politely.

"And who may you be Miss? Don't get me wrong is just hospital protocol, only family members are allowed in the waiting rooms" The woman replied politely as well.

"If that's the case, then I would be his sister" The brunette searched her all over to find any resemblance with the blond man, fruitlessly finding none. "We're brothers of different parents" Sakura explained with just the right touch of humor to her statement.

"Oh. Okay, you may go in Miss. He's in the room 208 in the intense therapy wing. You seem to be a nice person after all, I can only hope you're a really close friend of him otherwise Shizune-san will be mad at me for letting a stranger in. They told that the last time something similar happened the second right hand of Tsunade-sama went all crazy on the staff members for letting people visit 'her men'. I heard the great Copy-nin, Uzumaki Naruto and the last Uchiha came after a mission half dead and she brought them back to earth. I think her name was Sakura…. Sakura… Oh shoot, I can't remember her last name…"

"Haruno. Haruno Sakura" Sakura said introducing herself, but apparently it went unnoticed on the receptionist.

"Yep. That's the one. I've heard other nurses talking about her endlessly, but personally I haven't met the woman yet. I heard she's away somewhere in Suna working with the Kazekage himself. I guess she must be someone important after all." The brunette said thoughtfully.

"I guess…" Sakura replied. "May I go in now?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry for delaying you. Do please go in. The second hallway to the right, take the first elevator and onto the third floor" The nameless receptionist indicated.

"I think I'll find the place. Thank you very much" Sakura then left with a smile on her face, thinking on what people talked about her, it was nice to know that she was quite the renown caretaker. At least she was remembered by the hospital staff, and that was a good feeling.

Approaching slowly and noiselessly to the orange clad ninja sleeping half drooling all over his chest in front of the candies machine, Sakura stood right at his side looking at the face of a friend she hadn't seen in five long years. She almost cried right then, but choose to laugh heartedly instead.

"Naruto, you baka. Only you can make me laugh when I want to cry so badly, you idiot. WAKE UP!" She screamed the last part in his strangely boiling red left ear.

"Ahhhh!!! Oi, you bastard come here I'll break your eardrums as well…" He said while looking aimlessly since he still couldn't very well open his eyes. "You…" He said pointing in the general direction Sakura was currently occupying. Rubbing his eyes more emphatically now, he tried to call on what his eyes saw, but what his mind couldn't process. "I must be dreaming still, I guess. My Sakura-chan doesn't have brown hair…"

"I guess I do now Naruto, you baka. Is just hair dye and I'm not your Sakura-chan. You damn well know I'm noboahhh…" She didn't get to finish that sentence for lack of air and constricting pressure on her thorax. Damn not even a boa couldn't kill its prey this fast.

"Narutoh… Airh… I… need… to… breathe…" Sakura said in between huffs of air that left her body as she pronounced each word more difficultly than the last one, because with each word the pressure increased.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! I can't believe you're back" Naruto said with tears flowing freely now down on his face.

"Please don't cry, because then you'll make me cry too. And do keep your voice down; you know there are people here trying to get some much needed sleep…" Sakura admonished his loud friend.

"I can't believe my eyes. Only Kami knows how much I've missed you… Sakura… How have you been?" He asked trying to quell his tears.

"I've been just fine, but we can talk about that later, we have time. Now tell me, because ever since I arrived I've been dying to know why the heck you're in this hospital uninjured, and believe me nobody would tell me a thing" Sakura inquired much like Ino would for the latest gossip in town.

"Ah, haha… well you see…" The blond started fidgeting looking around at anything but her, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly, and now sporting a major full face flush that could only rival Hinata's. "Emm… Remember the last few letters we send each other…" Sakura nodded. "Remember I told you about Hinata and I dating and all that stuff…" Sakura nodded again. "Remember when I told how serious and committed our relationship was turning into…" Again she nodded. "Do you remember what my last letter said, about me proposing…" Sakura lost it then.

"Naruto of course I remember all of that. That was like five months ago, however I still fail to understand how any of this is related to you being on the hospital" Sakura enlightened the blond.

"Well… Umm… I guess so… Well anyways… the thing is Sakura-chan… do you know how take care of kids? Because I don't, and believe me, I need to learn how to and fast!"

"Sakura… Sakura… Please wake up! I need your help…" For the first time ever one Haruno Sakura fainted.

A while after, already seated in a chair Sakura was left completely awestruck. The news was meant to shock anyone out of their skins.

"Naruto are you trying to tell me I'm going to be an aunt?" Now Naruto was the one nodding fervently. "Aunt as in 'Auntie Sakuraaaa'?" Again he nodded. "Aunt as in 'I get to spoil my niece or nephew rotten'?" He nodded for the third time. "Aunt as in 'I'll save you from your parents whenever you misbehave'?" Naruto cut her off then.

"Sakura I fail to see how any of this is helping me being a better father" He said imitating her previous words.

His words tough didn't produced the desired effect, as if struck by a light Sakura looked pale as a paper sheet with worry written all over her face.

"How can I be so dumb? Look underneath the underneath. Shit! This isn't about you being a father, this is about Hinata-chan. Naruto what happened to her? Why is she here in the intensive care wing?" Sakura said so fast that Naruto didn't have the time to answer any of the questions; besides she was already moving to the door room 208 were Hinata was.

Upon entering tough Sakura saw something she never saw before. There in between the white sheets lay one Uzumaki Hinata, breathing slowly unaware anything outside her dreams. Her long purplish hair fell delicately framing her peaceful face and falling on her shoulders. Her hands were lightly resting upon the cutest swollen belly she had ever seen. She was just breathtaking.

"She always does that to me, you know. As if I didn't loved her enough already; when she told men the news I thought I died and gone to heaven. And now that you're back I have everything a man could ever wish for. I finally have the family I've always wanted, I still can't believe it. And if this is just a dream then I don't want to ever wake up" Naruto said never taking his eyes off the woman who was the mother of their unborn child.

"Naruto…" Two different women spoke at the same time.

"Hinata…" Naruto exclaimed with nothing love laced in his words. "Hinata look who came back to finally be an aunt…" He said approaching the bed while pointing to the woman who was currently trying to flee, feeling like she didn't belong in the picture Sakura almost made it to the door when her sweet little voice reached her.

"Sakura-san is that you? Oh Kami. You don't know how much we've been waiting for you to come back. No wonder Naruto is about to burst over in happiness, is just like when I told him he was going to be a father" She finished with a big yawn. Obviously the pregnant woman was tired and she was more than interrupting.

"I'm really sorry for interrupting. I can come back later to visit, you probably need to rest" Sakura said again trying to flee out the door.

"Oh, no Sakura-san. Don't worry is no trouble at all. I've been sleeping for the past ten hours and I'm more than tired of this bed." Apparently she wasn't that shy anymore, probably because of Naruto's influence; but she was as polite as always tough. She attempted to get off the bed when Naruto's hand pushed her back to it.

"You're going nowhere miss. The doctor explicitly told you to rest as much as you can. Remember?" Naruto exclaimed with intent of authority.

"But Naruto-kun, I can't rest anymore than I already have. If I rest anymore it'll be considered an induced coma already" Apparently her sense of humor had been developed as well.

"Then let's ask for a second opinion. Now that Sakura-chan is back maybe we can get Tsunade obaa-chan to designate her as your personal medic."

"I would be more than glad to do so Hinata-chan, if you want me to of course" Sakura offered eagerly.

"I would like nobody else to deliver our baby, that is if you want to Sakura-san" The pearly eyed heiress spoke truthfully.

"It would be an honor Hinata. And please call me Sakura, you don't need to be so formal with me, we've known each other for so long." Sakura said joyfully at the prospect of being the first one to see Naruto and Hinata's baby.

But as any other woman would Sakura switched personalities as fast as Naruto could perform a Sexy-no jutsu. Picking up the chart at the end of bed she turned into medic mode, reading, analyzing and concluding on the woman's diagnosis.

"You've got to be kidding me Naruto. You've brought her here because of a common flu. You big knucklehead! As your medic I order you to immediately take her home, and feed her…" Naruto's face lightened up. "anything but ramen. A good tasteful and complete hot chicken soup should do just fine, lots of water and orange juice as well. You baka!" She said while smiling from ear to ear at her friend's normal display of idiotness.

Definitely some things remained the same, and some changed for the best. So far it was good to be back.


This is my longest chapter so far. I really hope you're enjoying this as much as I do.

For the next chapter I promise there would finally be some Kakasaku interaction again. More plot would be developed, and I can promise you that I'll leave you completely shocked with the development of the story.

Okay then, I'll leave you with the intrigue and see you next week for another update.

Please feel free to drop any comments you may want to share as far as the story goes. They're greatly appreciated.

Oh, and if you go to my profile there you can see my latest update on future projects that I'll be posting soon enough. Please tell me what you think.

Thank u very much for reading.

TheChu