I'm so sorry it has taken me soooooo long to update again... I am trying to make it up with a long one though. Enjoy.
Kazekage Office. Hidden Sand Village.
"So, next point, people going berserk and killing others in different places all over the world, you said you had someone working on it, Kakashi" Onoki, the Tsuchikage, spoke through a TV. Kakashi, who was in the Sand village, and Gaara were the only ones actually present in the room, the other 3 Kage communicating via camera.
"Correct" Kakashi nodded "I have had Sasuke investigating this for over a year now, and he's going to explain it to us"
"The Uchiha? He's itinerant again?" Mei Terumi asked. Kakashi nodded again in response.
"You're giving that boy far too much freedom, we would still have him serving punishment in the Cloud" Ay huffed "but well, to each their own ways"
"Anyway" Onoki coughed "let him tell us"
"Send him in" Gaara instructed to his assistant. He opened the door and Sasuke Uchiha walked in "Thank you for coming in, Sasuke" he greeted as they shook hands.
"No problem" Sasuke answered. Kakashi nudged him, he sighed "My lords" he greeted them with respect, something that was far more weird for him than the people he was addressing.
"My my, don't be so nice to me, I could take it the wrong way..." the Mizukage purred. Sasuke simple looked away in discomfort. Mei always hit on him every time she saw him, it had to be some kind of harassment.
"Lord Mizukage..." Gaara rolled his eyes, he understood Sasuke perfectly as he also took some of her compliments from time to time.
"I can't help myself" Mei smirked.
"Can we please get to the point already" Onoki sighed.
"Just tell them, Uchiha" the Raikage ordered.
"Go ahead, Sasuke" Kakashi reassured.
"Right" Sasuke started "so the reason random people are going on murderous rampages is because they are undergoing a special kind of sage transformation"
"Sage tranformation?" Onoki asked.
"Yes, they unconsciously absorb nature energy and become... monsters, it works like Orochimaru's curse mark, if you're familiar with it"
"So someone is giving people curse marks all around the world?" Mei asked.
"Not exactly"
"Then what is it?"
"About a year ago, a scientist in the Land Of Lightning captured Jugo, the source of these transformations, and took samples of his DNA, much like Orochimaru did back then, he managed to develop a formula that had the same effect as a curse mark, but in a more subtle and direct way. He doesn't need to give someone a curse mark, he just needs to make his victims ingest his toxin and people will undergo the same transformation as Jugo, which makes them lose all their reasoning and turns them into vicious monsters that just want to kill everything in sight. To others, this man was researching a way to make regular people as strong as shinobi, but it turns out that he's a mad scientist that enjoys doing this kind of thing to others"
"This madman has already been apprehended by the Hidden Cloud and will be punished accordingly" the Raikage interrupted.
"But that doesn't explain what happened" Onoki said.
"We've been studying cases all over the world and all the cases have the same trigger" Sasuke answered "the scientist somehow managed to poison random units of Thunder Water products. People who drink these poisoned bottles will transform"
"Are you serious!? That's the biggest international company of bottled water!" Onoki yelled.
"We know... only you can contain the spread of this. We have to stop people drinking Thunder Water until it's controlled"
"But why would he do such a thing?" Gaara asked.
"Psychopaths don't need a reason that makes sense us good people to justify their twisted ways" the Raikage answered.
"What's important right now is preventing people from drinking those poisoned bottles of water" Kakashi spoke up.
"We have to get the feudal lords and our respective governments involved, it's not that easy" Mei explained.
"We know, that's why we called this conference" Kakashi interjected "we have to stop this or more people will die"
"Shouldn't we just make this information public?" Mei asked.
"No" Gaara shook his head "that could create mass hysteria"
"And what about the people that become infected? Isn't there a cure or antidote?"
"There is an antidote to reverse the transformation, but that's not very helpful. 95% of people who become infected will inevitably die, even after transforming because Jugo's DNA is not compatible with them" Sasuke replied.
"We have to stop this from the source" Ay spoke up "Thunder Water has already stopped it's supply, but we can't stop the infected units that have already been shipped, that's up to each individual country, we are already doing everything we can in Lightning, and we recommend all of you to follow the same steps"
"Dear Lord... this is one hell of a task I have to do before my retirement" Onoki complained.
"Anyway, thank you Sasuke, leave the rest to us" Gaara told him.
"You're welcome" Sasuke nodded as he exited the room.
"Sasuke" he heard a familiar voice as he closed the door after him.
"Hinata Hyuga" he observed as he saw his best friend's wife looking at him with a small smile "what are you doing here?"
"I'm in Lord 6th's guard team for this trip" she explained.
"I will not hear this from all of you! All of your villages had rogue ninja that formed the Akatsuki! The Hidden Cloud will not be lectured by you!" they heard Ay, who was yelling that loudly, through the door "The Hidden Cloud prides itself in being the most honorable village! This scientist acted far away from our village and under the radar, we couldn't have possibly prevented it before it happened! You Leaf and Mist allow shinobi who worked under the Akatsuki roam freely!"they could hear Kakashi mumble something about how said shinobi fixed the Lightning's mess.
"I'm afraid I can't let you 2 overhear too much" a Sand nin told them. They both nodded as they walked away.
"I'm not offended by his words, you know" Sasuke spoke up as he saw Hinata's face, which he learned that it meant that something was troubling her, but wouldn't speak up because she was too kind for that.
"That's not it..." she answered "it's just that... I don't think that Cloud has any right to act superior like that... they have their dark secrets too..."
"Oh..." Sasuke nodded, knowing where she was getting to.
"Neji lost his father because of them... and I'm not even supposed to talk about it, but it upsets me... I think you understand"
"Yeah..." Sasuke nodded. It would be a surprise for most, but Sasuke and Hinata had become very close in the years he was back in the Leaf, after all, they were their respective best friends' spouses, so they developed a bond, one big enough for Hinata to be in Sasuke's small circle of confidants that knew the truth about the Uchiha clan, and Hinata herself sharing some secrets of the Hyuga clan with Sasuke. Hinata wasn't as shy as she could be around Sasuke, and was almost a completely different person, the same thing could be said for him. Both of them understood each other perfectly in being two different people to the public and your loved ones, as they were very much alike because of their introverted nature.
"I am aware if was just some of them, and that they were times of war... but they could at least come clean about their questionable actions in the past, like all of us other villages have" Hinata continued.
"I understand perfectly... I've always had a grudge on the Hidden Cloud for this" Sasuke replied. Hinata looked at him, waiting for his explanation "the whole reason they have an entire organization to eliminate rogue ninja, is because they can't allow said ninja to reveal their secrets. It's shady and hypocritical behavior... I learned this fact back in my... darker days"
"Are you saying this is why you attacked the Hidden Cloud back then?" Hinata caught on.
"Exactly" Sasuke nodded "they not only had one jinchuriki, but two, for every person like Naruto or Gaara around the world, the Cloud had two of them. Thanks to Bee I've learned that it wasn't quite the same. But back then... I thought I was punishing the Cloud for their two faced nature, as well as doing a favor to the jinchuriki that endured a life of marginalization... it just made sense back then"
"I understand" Hinata nodded "it makes sense that you had a reason to do that... don't feel too bad about it, it means that you always had a sense of justice, even in your worst days" she smiled.
"Thanks..." Sasuke said, truly appreciating her words "it will never cease to amaze me how we can talk about such things so... naturally"
"Yeah..." Hinata smiled again "it's weird for me too when I think about it. But I missed having these conversations with you... my husband will just try to make me understand the other side, he just doesn't get that one simply needs to let it out every now and then, you understand that"
"I guess I do" Sasuke smirked.
"And speaking of... what about your wife? Didn't she come here with you?"
"She did... I don't know where she is right now, she went do something else while I was here, but she's here in the village"
"I see..." Hinata pondered "Sasuke, would you mind watching over things here for me while I look for her? I just want to say hi, I won't just abandon my position"
"Just don't take too long" Sasuke sighed.
"Thank you very much" Hinata said with the biggest smile she showed so far.
Hidden Sand Cemetery
Sakura Uchiha stood silent in front of a grave. She was just there, paying her respects, after having an inwards conversation with a deceased shinobi that meant a lot to her. She couldn't believe it had been almost a decade since her passing, she remembered her vividly, like her time with her had been just a couple of days ago. A presence around her broke her spiritual moment.
"Hinata?" she said as she saw someone she was not expecting to see there, of all places.
"Sakura" Hinata smiled as they hugged each other.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"I'm in Kakashi's guard, I saw Sasuke so I figured you'd be here too, he's filling in for me so don't worry"
"You got Sasuke to do that for you?" Sakura asked in disbelief, Hinata just nodded in response "you might just be the only woman that he does such things for, and this is coming from his wife" she said before both laughed.
"So this must be Chiyo..." Hinata said as she looked at the grave Sakura was standing in front of, paying her respects as well.
"Yeah..." Sakura nodded as her smile changed to a more melancholic one.
"I figured you'd be here, since you were nowhere to be found in the village"
"Yeah... I had much to tell her... I guess I lost track of time"
"She really means a lot to you doesn't she?"
"In a way she has an influence on me just as big as Lady Tsunade, she really was an amazing woman you know..." Sakura smiled again "back then I had no idea I would eventually had to go through something similar as she did... only now I realize just how heartbreaking it must have been for her to see Sasori fall so low... and having to kill her own grandson... I feel so blessed that I have a happy ending with Sasuke..." Hinata just placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder for comfort, she just knew Sakura needed to let her thoughts out, they were practically sisters, she just needed her to listen "and after seeing him die with my own eyes, after all these years, I guess I understand Sasori... why he ended up like that. It makes me wonder, if he could have been saved... but maybe he was too far gone, he was not even human anymore. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that all this time with Sasuke, it has made me see things differently. I see what we would call evil differently now. I don't feel the disgust I felt towards such people, not even Orochimaru" she let out. Hinata nodded. Sakura had changed since she last saw her a year ago, she was different. More mature, even more compassionate. Hinata saw that this would be her eventual evolution, starting when she started dating Sasuke. But still, she was surprised with Sakura's views, having nothing more than respect for them "I'm still trying to figure it out. The difference between those who can be redeemed and those who can't. And how to deal with those who can't. My husband sees it. But I can't. Not yet"
"This must be because I'm my husband's wife..." Hinata finally spoke up "but I believe that there's no such thing as someone who's too far gone. Everyone has a reason to fall, and everyone can be rescued from it"
"I do understand that... but I think there is a limit Hinata... I've been observing lately, and I've seen things that challenge that pure vision of the world. This must be because I am my husband's wife, but I just know that some people deserve redemption, while others only deserve punishment" Hinata just knew who Sakura was thinking of... the Hidden Leaf elders. She noticed she was wearing the Uchiha clan crest on her back, but only now she realized that it meant much more. Sakura was an Uchiha. She felt what happened to them just as deeply as her husband "I apologize for the rant..." Sakura shyly smiled "I just had too many thoughts and I had to share them out loud. You made me think of the new generation... and the world we're leaving to them. Congratulations, by the way!"
"How did you...?" Hinata furiously blushed.
"I'm a medical ninja Hinata, I see all the signs as clear as day... I could see you a mile from here and I would still be able to tell that you're pregnant" she smiled.
"Well I guess that cat's out of the bag..."
"I am so happy for you though!" Sakura hugged her again "I wish I could be the godmother.."
"We did think of you Sakura... and we wanted you. But given your current... absence... we decided that my sister would make more sense"
"Don't be silly Hinata, of course Hanabi is the best choice!" Sakura beamed, showing she took no offense at all. Hinata gladly smiled.
"It was great to be able to see you Sakura, and I told you, or rather you found out, what I had to tell you... but I really should get back to my position now, your husband must be becoming impatient by now"
"Yeah" Sakura laughed "likewise" she said as she hugged her yet again "tell Sasuke I'll be waiting by the gate okay? We're leaving towards Rain soon" Hinata nodded as they said their goodbyes and walked in opposite directions.
Sakura smiled as she walked towards the Hidden Sand gate. She was so happy for Hinata. And Ino, who sent her a letter telling her she was pregnant herself a couple of weeks before. Her best friends were already going to be mothers. She couldn't help it. She started thinking about motherhood. She couldn't wait to have children herself. But it was more... complicated, for her. Bringing a new Uchiha to the world, after the clan's practical extinction, was a much bigger deal. Unlike her husband, she was sure that the Hidden Leaf would be completely safe for the next generation of the Uchiha clan. But she needed more time. She felt almost ready. The current elders' time was drawing near, and Kakashi was the Hokage, a new government that she could trust made her feel more at peace with the Hidden Leaf. But when it came to her husband... different story. They never talked too much about it. From what Sakura could tell, Sasuke simply wasn't ready yet. She had to warm him up to it, just a little bit more. That time was so close to her, and she wished it could come as fast as possible. But not yet. Just as her mind was thinking about that... her body told her she couldn't wait. The time was coming, regardless of her being ready or not. All of a sudden, she felt sick. She had to stop walking. And she felt it coming. She ran towards the nearest trash can and emptied her breakfast in the form of vomit through her mouth in it. When she finished, she just stood there in the middle of the street, some people staring, but she couldn't care less about that then. There was just no way. It couldn't be.
Days later. Hidden Rain
Sasuke and Sakura arrived to the Hidden Rain after 3 days of traveling. Sasuke as very worried about his wife. She appeared to be sick. She did her best to hide it, but Sasuke was fully aware that she threw up behind his back one morning. Apart from that, she appeared to be fine and she could keep up with the physical demands of traveling shinobi style. But something was off with her. She was just out of it. Acting strangely. Of course, he brought the subject up, only to be met with Sakura waving him off and insisting that she was fine and there was no reason to worry. But Sasuke knew better. That stubborn wife of his refused to admit that she was sick. He was glad they finally made it to a village. He was going to force her to take it easy for a while. They were heading to a motel to meet with the rest of team Taka, who went there ahead of them, and she was going to rest there and let Karin cure her while the rest did the work.
On the other side, Sakura was terrified. She just couldn't bring herself to tell Sasuke what the real issue was. And of course, she couldn't keep him in the dark for much longer. She would rather be the one herself to tell him that he knocked her up. She just couldn't understand how. She was on birth control. It had never failed in 5 years, but it somehow did. Anyway, obsessing about that was meaningless, the fact was, she was pregnant. And she was so afraid of how Sasuke would react. If she didn't feel ready, then Sasuke was far less than that. She replayed the scene over and over on her head. Hey honey remember how you said you want the world to have a better impression of the Uchiha before we have kids? Well... you'd better hope it does by now because your little swimmers found a way past my birth control. The timing was just awful. They were on an important mission, helping the Hidden Rain rebuild. After the death of Pain, the Hidden Rain became a chaotic village where rogue ninja would battle to claim it for years now. Some would see it as the Hidden Leaf interfering, but it really wasn't. Sasuke and his companions were there to fight off invading rogue ninja and to ensure that the Hidden Rain was rebuilt by and for the Hidden Rain. They were back up, and there because they wanted to, not because of Hidden Leaf orders, well sort of, but it was more their decision than the 6th Hokage's. It was the Uchiha and the Rinnegan that turned the Hidden Rain into the Akatsuki's base of operations, Sasuke felt it was right that this time, they should do the opposite and use those to give the Rain the power to rule over their own village, and not take it from them. A "mission" that could last at least a year. A terrible time for Sakura to be pregnant, to say the least.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up!" Suigetsu teased as he saw Sasuke and Sakura enter the house they would be staying at "you'd better settle in quick because the Rain jonin you met up with are starting to get a little impatient"
"My wife will take care of that, you, Jugo and me will go there in a moment" Sasuke answered "Karin, Sakura is sick, so please take care of her, she just won't admit it, you know her" Sakura angrily glared at him.
"What happened?" Karin asked as she looked at Sakura. She checked her chakra to see what was wrong with her. And she felt it. It would be so much easier if she was just sick. Oh shit... she thought. Things were about to change, forever.
"For the fucking last time Sasuke..." Sakura barked " I. Am not. Sick"
"I am not having this, Sakura. Since you don't worry about yourself, it's my job to do it. You are going to rest and get better. Even if I have to make you do that" Sasuke stubbornly countered.
"I feel fine. There's nothing wrong with me. And I am the medical ninja, not you! So if I say I'm fine, I'm fine! Stop making a big deal out of this!" she yelled.
"Why the hell do you have to be like this!?" Sasuke yelled back "I know something's wrong with you, and I will do something about it, even if you refuse to tell me!"
"You want me to tell you? Fine!" she yelled as she turned back to look at the others, there was no other option. She just had to tell him, the fight could get so much worse if she kept it hidden from him "can we get some privacy?" she asked. They nodded and went upstairs to their rooms, knowing how nasty these fights between the marriage could get. Especially Karin, who gave Sakura a look that wished her good luck, not knowing what to expect from Sasuke herself. Sakura nodded, reading Karin loud and clear, knowing she could have figured out her pregnancy by detecting a different chakra emitting from her body.
"So what is it?" Sasuke asked.
"I..." Sakura mumbled. She just couldn't find the right way to say it. Sakura's radical change in behavior, expecting her to yell even more instead of being afraid, made Sasuke get even more worried than anticipated.
"It's serious isn't it..." Sasuke gulped as he looked at his wife.
"I guess it is serious..." she looked down "but I insist, there is nothing wrong with me..."
"Sakura I know you've been throwing up, in spite of you hiding it from me..."
"That's just..." Sakura gulped "morning sickness..." she decided to let Sasuke figure it out, not finding the right way to say it herself.
"It doesn't matter if it's just in the mornings Sakura" Sasuke said. Sakura sighed. Why did her husband had to be so fucking dense when it came to such situations?
"Sasuke... it's normal for a woman to get morning sickness when she's..." she had to sit down.
"Sick" he finished. Sasuke was not dumb. He knew where she was going. He just couldn't say it, or think about it. It was just not possible.
"No you idiot!" she yelled, finally losing her patience "when she's pregnant!" she finally said it. She finally let the word out. There was no going back now. Sasuke's eyes widened. He knew it was coming, but he still wasn't ready for it. Hearing his wife say that, it shattered his world... there was this feeling he had these days that told him that just maybe, he had impreganted her. It made perfect sense now that he knew the fact. The mood swings, the way she acted these days... she was genuinely terrified of telling him she was pregnant. Sakura was pregnant. She was carrying an Uchiha insider her. He always knew this day would come eventually, but he was not ready to actually know this was happening. He had to sit down.
"How..." was all he could say while he ran his hand through his hair.
"I don't know!" Sakura said after seeing Sasuke devastated. The seconds where she saw his eyes widen, a million thoughts run through his head, having to sit down, and waiting for him to just say something were easily the longest seconds in her entire life. She was right to be afraid. Sasuke was not ready to be a father, she had never seen him lose his cool like this "the birth control has been working for years! I have no idea how this happened! I'm so sorry!" she yelled while tears fell down her face. Sasuke turned to look at her. She was sad. That was all he could think about at the moment. The fear his wife had to live with these days.
"...Sorry?" he spoke up after a while, in which only Sakura's sobs could be heard "why are you sorry?" he asked.
"I know this is a bad time! I know you're not ready to be a father! I'm so sorry!" she insisted.
"You're right" he said as he stood up, walked to her, knelt in front of her and took her hand "I'm not ready to be a father..." he sighed "but come to think of it, I don't think I was ever going to be..."
"Huh?" Sakura looked up, surprised at the tenderness of his voice, even more surprised to see Sasuke smile, one of those rare smiles she had only seen as much as the fingers on one of her hands.
"Don't be sad..." he answered "this is good news" he reassured.
"You mean..." Sakura mumbled, dumbfounded "you're actually... happy?"
"Yes..." he nodded "I don't know how or why, but I am happy" he confessed "having a child with you... it makes me happy"
"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled as she hugged her husband "If I had known you'd be so accepting of this... I was so afraid of your reaction..." she confessed.
"I am the one who's sorry for making you feel that way..." he whispered into her ear. Sakura let out a sob of happiness "but to be fair, being afraid of me is just common sense" he smirked. Sakura smacked him for making a stupid joke in a situation like that, but she smiled and gave him a kiss after that.
"We're having a baby..." she said. Not believing Sasuke was fully on board with it, and that she could do what she had been wanted to do for a long time now with his total support.
"We are" he nodded.
"But what about the mission? What are we going to do now?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. You need to be somewhere safe, not on a mission with me. Even so, I'll be with you more often than not. If you thought I have been overprotective so far... be ready. Because there's two of you now"
"I;m looking forward to it" she smiled. This was happening, and yes, they might not have been ready for it, but they were going to deal with it anyway. The Uchiha clan was going to have a new true blood member, and he or she could not get there soon enough. Sasuke and Sakura simply hugged each other and smiled. No words needed. They were the happiest they had ever been in their entire lives.
Later that night
"So I talked to the guys" Suigetsu said as he opened the door and entered the living room where the rest of team Taka was "no problem, they are happy to sub in for us a while, while you guys get things... arranged"
"That's great news" Jugo nodded.
"Are they strong enough?" Sasuke asked.
"They don't have divine powers like you, but they are strong enough to handle a couple of rogue ninja" Suigetsu sighed.
"And they'll tag in for us just like that, no problem whatsoever" Sakura stated, not believing that things could be solved so easily.
"Yeah! You know we are something like heroes to them, since we freed them from Orochimaru" Suigetsu grinned.
"We?" Karin teased.
"I actually freed them, so yeah, we" Suigestu glared.
"That fucking ego of yours..." Karin scoffed.
"So you're a hero to Orochimaru's prisoners huh..." Sakura teased Sasuke "you never told me that" Sasuke simply grunted in response "you punish yourself for all the bad things you did, yet even then, you did good for people Sasuke, it's like you refuse to see you were never truly evil. As a matter of fact, all of you guys. You are working for Orochimaru for the greater good, keeping him in check and doing noble things deep down. As far as I'm concerned, you are heroes, you don't deserve the rep you have" Sakura said.
"You give us far too much credit..." Jugo modestly answered.
"No, you guys are good people, and you have to admit it to yourselves, instead of torturing yourselves for a handful of bad things you did in the past. I have been with you guys for over a year now, and we've become a family, looking out not only for each other, but for other people who need it. You guys are good people and I will make sure to remember you of that fact often" Sakura insisted.
"I can take that compliment, but you considering me family, that I can't accept" Karin answered.
"You are Karin, you're taking me in in your hideout while I'm pregnant, I can't thank you enough for that"
"It's the least I could do..." Karin shrugged "Sasuke freed me from prison after being released when he didn't have to, I'll gladly repay that debt ensuring the well being of his future child"
"I specifically told you that you wouldn't owe me anything for that" Sasuke sighed.
"And I said that I am responsible for the actions that got me in there, not you, and I was repaying you that favor anyway" Karin snapped back. Sasuke simply sighed knowing there was no use in arguing further.
"You never did tell me about how you bailed them out back then" Sakura teased, knowing this made Sasuke uncomfortable and taking pleasure in it.
"Well my case and Karin's weren't that hard. He just had to convince our lands we weren't a threat anymore, and they agreed, so we were freed" Jugo explained.
"And Suigetsu?" Sakura asked. Suigetsu sweat dropped.
"Do tell her, I'll fact check" Karin smirked.
"The appropriate version, I heard he got out, asked him from the Mist if he could help a friend out, he did, end of story" Suigetsu explained.
"You're missing out quite an important detail"
"Look it's not something Sakura should know about" he said. Both Sasuke and Jugo looked at him questioningly. Karin and Suigetsu were plotting something.
"She should" Karin smirked.
"She shouldn't, right Sasuke?"
"I don't see why not..." Sasuke hesitantly answered.
"Dude she's your wife, she won't like that"
"She won't like what? I don't know what you guys are talking about"
"Yeah right..."
"Okay what the hell happened?" Sakura demanded.
"I'll tell you" Karin spoke up.
"Don't" Suigetsu warned.
"Suigetsu pimped your husband out to the 5th Mizukage to buy his freedom" she explained anyway.
"He what!?"
"Look Mist prison sucks okay? I heard Sasuke got out of the Leaf's, and people inside told me that the Mizukage is some kind of cougar and had the hots for Sasuke, so I asked for his help"
"You did not..." Sakura gasped at her husband.
"Of course not! Where the hell did you get that from, you morons? The terms of your freedom say something very different!" Sasuke barked at Suigetsu. Who was smirking. Sakura's face was turning red, with anger and jealousy "This is not true Sakura, I swear" he explained to her. Karin erupted into laughter.
"Relax Sakura we're just messing with you guys" she explained "just wanted to prove to you that you're just as jealous as Sasuke is, that's all" she stuck her tongue out.
"That's not funny!" Sakura yelled, while Karin and Suigetsu laughed even more "I know the Mizukage hits on Sasuke, I've seen it myself, and I must admit she's pretty hot, I totally fell for it!"
"It is pretty weird you never took her up on her offers, though" Suigetsu told Sasuke "I mean she was so hot. Literally"
"If you say so..." Sasuke dismissed.
"You don't have to act like she's not attractive just because I'm here" Sakura interrupted "I mean, I admitted to you that I found Madara pretty hot, I won't be mad at you for liking a good looking woman" she shrugged.
"Madara?" Jugo asked. Sakura nodded.
"I second that. Uchihas are just irresistible" Karin winked. Sakura simply laughed "A bit too dead for my taste though. But I'll admit the dude was hot. So Sasuke, stop acting all cool and admit the truth for a living woman, I mean she must be near her 50's and she still looks pretty good, that woman is a goddess of beauty"
"Nah age has caught up with her, she's not that hot anymore and going worse. But she was those days" Suigetsu spoke up.
"Just admit it" Sakura insisted.
"Fine, she was hot. I'm a man after all. But I wouldn't have done anything with her" Sasuke confessed.
"Why?" Karin asked him.
"Because I was in love with Sakura" Sasuke simply answered.
"Yeah right... you used to have balls dude" Suigetsu mocked while Karin laughed with him. Sakura just blushed. Because she knew he was being absolutely honest. That was one of the reasons she loved him so much.
"Enough about that" Sakura said "what was the real reason you got bailed though?" she asked Suigetsu.
"Oh. The using Sasuke to my advantage because of the Mizukage part is true" he answered "but the reason she agreed to free me was in exchange for me retrieving and handing back the 7 Mist swords that were lost in the war, in return" Sakura nodded "speaking of which..." he said "I just have 2 left. I heard the Thunderswords have recently been spotted, so if it's cool with you guys, I'll split for a while and finish my job, I just have 2 years left or it's back to prison"
"I understand" Sasuke nodded.
"Thanks, man" Suigetsu smiled.
"Suigetsu, a word" Karin stood up and left the room. Suigetsu sighed and followed her "what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"What do you mean?" he tilted his head.
"Sakura's pregnant and Sasuke will handle the Rain business, and you're going to leave him all alone?"
"What about Jugo?"
"Jugo said he was splitting a long time ago to research about his clan, way before we found out about Sakura. He has the priority, you should stay"
"He has the fucking Rinnegan, he'll be fine" Suigetsu shrugged.
"That's not the point! Besides, you're going to leave me all alone to answer to Orochimaru!?" she raised her voice.
"Scared of the big bad snake?" he teased.
"You're a fucking douchebag!"
"Here we go..."
"Here we go with what!?"
"The bitching"
"Suigetsu Hozuki!" she yelled before punching him and him turning into water.
Back in the living room...
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why they fight so much..." Sasuke sighed.
"Agreed" Jugo nodded.
"You guys can't be that clueless" Sakura sighed.
"What do you mean?" Jugo asked her.
"It's obvious"
"What's obvious?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow.
"Come on honey doesn't it look familiar? Their fights are the spitting image of Shikamaru's and Temari's. Or ours, for that matter" Sakura explained like if she was talking to children.
"You don't seriously mean..." Jugo started.
"Yeah, there is obviously love behind all that fighting"
"As if..." Sasuke snorted.
"I have to agree" Jugo added.
"Something would have happened by now if that's the case" Sasuke continued.
"It will happen eventually... Wanna bet?" Sakura defended herself.
"Sure" Sasuke smirked "easiest money ever. 1000 ryo"
"You're on. But I'll only pay up if they haven't gotten together when we're old, like really old. These things can take a long time"
"Sure" Sasuke shrugged, confident about his odds.
"Anyway look at the time, I should start making dinner" Sakura got up and left the men sitting on the couch.
"That's my wife. Seeing such things everywhere..." Sasuke sighed.
"Yeah" Jugo chuckled.
"What about you though" Sasuke changed the subject "do you think you'll ever find love? Do you want to find it?"
"Maybe... if she doesn't want to or can't have children you know?" Jugo replied.
"Your mind hasn't changed huh..."
"No" he shook his head "I can't bring more people like me into this world Sasuke... this curse has to die with me"
"I used to think just like that. But the right woman changed my mind. Never say never"
"It's not the same..."
"I know, but what if we find a definitive cure?"
"I don't know... this is why I'm going to investigate about my clan. I guess I'll think about it if I get answers" Jugo explained. Sasuke nodded.
"Whatever makes you happy..." Sasuke spoke up after a brief silence "I'm just saying, as my friend, I want you to be happy as well" he said as he got up.
"I know Sasuke, and thank you" Jugo smiled. Sasuke nodded in response before both chugged their beers.
To be continued...
We will be coming back to the present next chapter!