A/N: As a person who dreads getting older every day, this prompt was somewhat scary for me. Hahaha… Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Kishi-sensei.

Summary: Sasuke worries he might be getting old too fast.

Day 21: Midlife Crisis

Sasuke woke up to the sound of his wife flitting around the bedroom, getting ready to prepare breakfast for the family before heading to work. Sasuke stayed in bed a little longer before he got up too with a weary sigh. Silently, he thought to himself as he stretched the kinks out his back that he was never this slow getting out of bed when he was younger. Was this the result of him hitting the big 40 just a few months ago? As he brushed his teeth in, he stared back at his own reflection, noting the shallow wrinkles. He frowned slightly, really, was time truly that merciless? Rinsing his mouth, he spat the water out and proceeded head towards the kitchen.

Sakura was bustling around the kitchen, humming to herself as she cooked. Even though she was the same age as him (she's older by a few months), she doesn't look a day over 35 (Sasuke suspects that she might have asked her Shishou to the secret of the Transformation Technique but he couldn't be sure and he was afraid to ask her). He walked up to her back, and with a rare display of affection, he wrapped his right arm around Sakura's waist and rested is chin on her left shoulder. Sakura turned slightly to face him, placing a kiss on his lips before returning her attention back to the egg she was frying,

"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well last night?" Sakura questioned good naturedly. Sasuke nodded his head and pressed his face into her pink hair, inhaling the scent of cherry blossoms that were unique to Sakura. Sakura giggled,

"What's wrong with you today, darling? You are never this affectionate" she started, before adding, "Not that I complain, dear." Sasuke shrugged, not knowing the reason as well though he did pull away from her just as a grown up Sarada entered the kitchen with a 'good morning' and proceeded to set the dining table. Sasuke placed the finish dishes on the table and took his seat at the table with Sarada sitting beside him. Sakura came over with the rice and took her seat opposite them. A chorus of 'Itadakimasu' filled the room before they started digging in. Sarada looked up from her meal towards her dad,

"Papa, you did promise to help me with Susanoo today, right? I need to refine it before I enter the ANBU examinations." She looked at him excitedly. Sasuke agreed,

"We'll leave for the training grounds in an hour or so." He offered. At age 20, Sarada still maintained her cheeriness and beamed at him.

Inwardly, Sasuke sighed as he took in the sight of his daughter. Sarada was now a Jounin for Konoha with dreams to become Hokage; she had a slim figure with waist long hair; she had also lost almost all of her baby fat in her face, making it much sharper. Sarada was a shinobi to be reckoned with, armed with her mother's perfect chakra control, her father's Sharingan, her father's speed, her mother's agility and the combined intellect of a Haruno and an Uchiha; it was no wonder that she was ranked amongst the best of the best of the shinobis that served Konoha. Sasuke wondered how his daughter had grown up so fast.

It was just before dinner when Sasuke came back home, without Sarada in sight. He headed straight towards the kitchen where he knew his wife was busy preparing dinner.

"Darling?" Sakura called out in surprise. Sasuke 'hn'ed and proceeded to wash his hands before he helped with setting the table.

"Darling, did Sara-chan not come home with you?" Sakura continued. Sasuke shook his head,

"She is out having dinner with some friends." Sasuke told his wife, placing the last of the dishes on the table while Sakura cleaned the kitchen area. Sakura clicked her tongue softly,

"Really, that girl could have sent me a notice that she wouldn't be back for dinner. I needn't cook her portion then." Sakura muttered before taking a seat facing her husband. With soft 'thanks', the started eating. Sakura glanced at her husband, as she always do whenever he comes back from a mission or training, her critical medic eye analysing every single detail about him; the way he sat, the way he angled his body, the way he moved, the scratches and cuts that he might have accumulated, down to the way he breathed. Today, she noticed that he was moving slightly slower, that he had a very minute shake in his movements. Feeling the weight of his wife's stare, Sasuke gave up the act. Placing his chopsticks down, he started,

"I… might have overexerted myself today." He explained. Sakura only stared at him, urging him silently to elaborate further. Sasuke looked away, unable to meet her green eyes (only towards his wife, he thinks),

"Sarada was really excited for the ANBU examinations and she wanted to perfect the technique as soon as possible. I… I couldn't let her down, could I?" He asked. Sakura closed her eyes with a small smile, content with her husband's excuse (he was such a tsundere),

"I'll heal you after dinner." She told him.

"Thank you." He replied, grateful that Sakura was calmer than she was in her youth (he had seen the way she pulverized the current Hokage when they were just kids).

Sasuke had just exited the shower and he now stood in front of the full-length mirror in his and Sakura's bedroom, feeling better after Sakura had loosen the tiredness of his muscle with her chakra. Sasuke stared at himself, noting the way that his once toned muscles were not as toned anymore. Now, Sasuke was by no means vain, but he had to keep fit in order to perfectly carry out the duties and mission his Hokage sent him on. To him, having a weaker body was just increasing the chance of failure. Suddenly, hands snaked around his waist from behind him. Sakura, who had just came out of the shower was clad in a towel,

"What's on your mind, Sasuke-kun?" She muttered as she peppered his back with kisses as Sasuke held on to her small hands in his larger one. When he stayed silent, Sakura peeked around him to catch his gaze in the mirror. He looked at her for a while more before giving in (he could never win a staring contest with her),

"I am growing old." He stated bluntly. Sakura was shocked for a while before she smiled softly,

"We're all getting old, Sasuke-kun. No one can escape time. Not even Orochimaru, that's why he has to change bodies every few decades." Sakura comforted him.

"If you ask me, that snake has overstayed his welcome in this world." Sasuke supplied, to which Sakura giggled. Sasuke sighed and turned his wife around, so that she was facing him. Holding her hand, he stroke the back of it with the pad of his thumb,

"Growing older means that missions wouldn't be completed efficiently; growing older means that I can only train with Sarada for half a day and not a full day like I could have easily done when I was younger." He voiced his concerns. Sakura cupped the side of his face, gently stroking him,

"Sasuke-kun, we will all have out prime condition. But once that passes, we can only leave the future in the hands of the next generation. That is why, we have to do our best to guide them and protect them until it is their turn to take the lead. After that, we have to step down and allow the younger ones to take reign and only guide and support them from behind." Sakura tells him.

"And don't worry, Sara-chan has almost perfected her Susanoo, she just wants to spend more time with you. If she needed any more practice, she could always practice with her friends and teammates, just like us when we were young." Sakura mentioned. She sighed as she saw Sasuke staring at his muscles in his reflection,

"You're not flabby, Sasuke-kun." Green eyes stared back at him.

"…Huh?" He was caught off guard.

"You're worried at how you look as well, aren't you?" She teased him.

"…" He looked away.

"…" Her grin widened.

"…No." He sulked.

"You are!" Her eyes shone brightly.

"Tch." He pursed his lips.

"Darling, you look great! Trust me; I've seen many bodies younger than you that don't compare to yours." She comforted him.

"What?!" His eyes widened.

"Yeah, they're so-mmph!" He silenced her with a kiss. They broke apart soon after with her grinning like an idiot.

"Someone's jealous." She teased.

"I'm not." He glared. She only laughed it off, unaffected by it. She pulled his head so close to hers that their foreheads touched and she placed a kiss on his nose,

"I love you, darling."

~Up next, Day 22~