"I can't believe I just did thaaaaaat!" Sakura cried, her head on the table next to a bottle and saucer of sake. Mebuki sighed sympathetically, simultaneously rubbing Sakura's back. "I didn't mean to be such a horrible person, I just wanted to get Sasuke to stay a little longer!"
"It's okay, it's okay," Mebuki cooed. It has to be said, Mebuki didn't mind re-bonding with Sakura after a decade-long falling out. Even when she was going through a very emotionally stressful time after such an equally emotional moment in her life, but that's what a mother is for. She was also thankful that Kizashi was performing his usual doting grandfather role with Sarada. They were playing shogi in Sakura's old room, now converted into a guest room, but it was mainly for Sarada. "Do you know… why you did it?"
"Noooooo!" Sakura cried again. "It just came over me! I feel like I'm living one of your soap operas!"
"That's not fair!" Mebuki grumbled, a vein popping on her forehead. "Just… run this by me again. What made you yell at him?"
Sakura re-recapped her day, starting with the interview, her sudden, inexplicable doubt about her relationship that the hostess probably unintentionally caused with her questions, then finally her confrontation with Sasuke, and how 12 years of frustration finally caused her to punch Sasuke. Mebuki did have to admit that it was like a bunch of contrivances soap opera writers pull out of their asses for shock value, but she was just happy that Sakura finally punched him.
"What was I thinking!?" Sakura whined, a true picture of elegance. "I should go back and apologize and make up, I can't—"
"Sakura, calm down, dear," Mebuki interrupted.
"I'm a horrible person!"
"No, you're not, you're human."
"Yes, I am!"
"Good, you've admitted you're human," Mebuki teased.
"MOM!"
"You know what I think?" Mebuki asked. "Do not give way to heedlessness, or to intimacy with sensual delight—For a mindful person attains an abundance of ease."
"Did you just quote the Buddha?" Sakura asked incredulously.
"Pain in is inevitable in life, but suffering is optional," Mebuki continued.
"Okay, but the Buddha didn't say that," Sakura grumbled.
"No, but I read it in a book recently, and I liked it."
Sakura groaned.
"No, you're not a horrible person," Mebuki continued. "Where did you get this idea, anyway?"
"I always thought that a girl's heart can never—"
"You're a woman now, not a girl," Mebuki interrupted.
"MOM!"
"Sorry. Continue, please."
"Well, when I was a girl, I thought when a girl falls in love, her heart can't be changed," Sakura said.
"Well, that's nonsense," said Mebuki. "I've known plenty of girls and women who've changed after falling in love."
"Like who?"
"You!"
"Yuu?"
"No, you just did!" Mebuki laughed.
"Sakura, sometimes what you want isn't what you need," said Mebuki.
"Well, what do you think?" Sakura asked.
"You practically stopped talking to me because I told you Sasuke was bad for you!" Mebuki laughed, indignant. "You want my input now? After you admitted I was right?"
"Just tell me!"
"Okay, fine! He was bad for you!"
"Ugh, I knew you'd say that!"
"You asked me for my opinion, and now you're mad!?" Mebuki laughed, frustrated.
"Okay, fine! Tell me why you think he was bad for me!"
"That's better!" Mebuki replied. "But you'll be happy, because, I'm not going to lecture you. I'm just going to ask you some questions. Did Sasuke ever, before he mi-rac-you-lus-ly returned your feelings, ever genuinely smile at you?"
"Maybe."
Mebuki sighed. No way Sakura was going to remember everything. This was folly.
"Okay, fine. How many times did he tell you he hated you?"
"… Five times?"
"Five times?" Mebuki laughed. "Knowing him, he meant it. I can't understand why he would suddenly fall for you, either."
"Are you insulting me?"
"No," Mebuki replied. Her expression changed, now saddened that her daughter would say that. Sakura sighed, leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling.
"No, you were right, mom," she admitted. Mebuki blinked, surprised. "I don't know why he suddenly said he loved me, either! We just had sex, then he left, I had Sarada, and then Sarada asked if Karin Uzumaki was her real mother… what went wrong!?"
"Didn't you always used to complain that I kept butting in, telling you exactly how you should do it?"
"Just say it!"
"You were young, naïve, and you never grew out of that silly schoolgirl crush on Sasuke," said Mebuki. "What? It's true!"
"Mom!"
"As much as it pains me to say this, though," Mebuki said, taking a deep breath, "I... respected your decision to marry Sasuke. I just didn't like it." Sakura stared, wide-eyed and mouth, at her mother. Her jaw moved on occasion, as if she was looking for something to say, but nothing came out. "And yes, I know what you're wondering; why didn't I do more to break you and Sasuke up? You're my daughter, Sakura. I love you too much to see you unhappy. That being said, I did try on occasion. Lot of good that did. And... I admit, cutting you off after you stopped talking to was also wrong. I'm just glad you may have come to this realization on your own."
"Well, you got what you wanted," Sakura huffed. "Are you happy now?"
"Yes and no," said Mebuki. "Yes, because you finally left him. No, because... you're not happy. I saw how you acted around him. You were never yourself. You were more like a doormat for him. Changing who you are, pretending to be weaker, because of someone, isn't healthy.
"But you've been through a lot today," Mebuki continued. "Let's talk about something else for now."
"Okay. The Hokage's also getting divorced."
It was Mebuki's turn to stare, wide-eyed, and wide-mouthed. "That is... quite the coincidence that you're both getting divorced right now."
"And that's all it is!" Sakura declared. "I already know what people are going to think! 'Oh, he and you got divorced around the same time, that means you two were always in love and finally decided to get married!' or something like that.:
"You make that sound like a bad thing," Mebuki remarked. She paused, thinking about it. "Actually, that does sound bad. Like something out of a bad drama."
"I asked him if he was crazy, he said he wasn't," Sakura continued. "And this, right after Boruto got injured."
"Bad timing," Mebuki remarked. "The tabloids would have a field day over that."
"That's why we have to keep it secret until he decides to reveal it," said Sakura.
"And you? Are you telling anyone?"
"I'm not the Hokage," said Sakura. "So I don't have that problem. Although my slimy boss will suddenly take me back once he finds out. Just more evidence for my discrimination lawsuit, though."
"How's that going?"
"My lawyer told me that we're still building the case based on my recording of him," Sakura answered.
"That's what I wanted to hear," said Mebuki. "I'm genuinely proud of you, by the way."
Sakura smiled, sheepishly. "Thanks, mom." She looked away, considering her next question. "Did I really love Sasuke?"
"The fact that you're asking that tells me you never did," Mebuki answered. "As for why you did what you did… I think you let your desires overcome your need for happiness, and you suffered because of it. But you made your choice."
"And?"
"And it was the wrong choice, in the end. Desire isn't inherently bad, but it can be. I think your desire for Sasuke was unhealthy, which is bad."
"So, I still have to figure out what I saw in him?" Sakura asked.
"That's something you need to figure out for yourself," said Mebuki. "But, if there's a good thing to all of this, it's that you can finally move on from Sasuke. And I got a wonderful, adorable granddaughter out of it."
"Moooommmm," Sakura groaned.
Someone knocked at the door. Mebuki stood from the table and left the kitchen. Sakura waited, pouring some more sake. Expecting someone random, like one of her mother's friends, Sakura wasn't prepared when her mother entered the kitchen, her arms crossed, just like her mood. At first, Sakura shrank from her mother, but seeing that Mebuki wasn't glaring at her, more to her, she came to the right conclusion, that a certain someone had come to her house. Sighing, she stood up and began to go to the door, but Mebuki put a hand on her shoulder.
"Please, Sakura, I don't want to see you get hurt or disappointed again," she said. "You two are not right for each other. And yes, that's my opinion, and you agreed with me. Take from it what you will, but I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Make the right decision."
Sakura nodded, but her expression betrayed her conflicted feelings.
Sasuke was waiting in the main foyer. He hadn't even taken his shoes off. He was looking away when he heard Sakura's footsteps. He turned, his arm out wide, but stopped. She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Just get to the point," she said.
"Sakura, I'm sorry," he said. "I was being foolish for those 12 years, and I should have—"
"Why didn't you try to contact me?" she interrupted.
"Because of the mission," he answered.
"Uh-huh," she said. "But could you find a way to do it without revealing big secrets?"
"I, uh…" Sasuke paused, making Sakura roll her eyes again. His eyes darted all around, until they landed on Mebuki, standing behind her daughter, giving him a look that would have killed him a thousand times over. He knew Mrs. Haruno hated him. He once overheard her saying that she didn't care that his family was slaughtered, because of how he became a villain. And there was the fact that he tried to kill her daughter on multiple occasions. He didn't care, although he should have.
He'd forgotten that he was talking to Sakura, not Mebuki, so he was startled when the former barked, "Well!?"
"I… didn't think of any," he said. He knew he said something utterly awful. But he was determined to get her back. "Sakura, I'm sorry. I was selfish for those twelve years, and I regret it. But could you please—"
"Will you stay longer than a day?" she asked. "Will you find a way to keep in touch?"
"I… can't guarantee that," he said. She laid her head back and sighed.
"You know, I can understand why you have to keep some distance, Curse of Hatred, you're a convicted criminal, and what not… but did you once bother to think about how I felt?"
"I do now," he said, pointing at his red, swollen cheek.
"Good," she said. "I'm glad you regret your actions. But I still don't know why I should go back to you. What did we see in each other, Sasuke?"
"To be honest, I don't know, either," he said. "Maybe we weren't good for each other after all. I felt like you were a parasite at times. And before you get angry, I understand that's wrong."
"But you tried to kill me several times, belittled me and left me behind with our daughter," said Sakura. "I get that neither of us is the good guy here. But you're worse."
Mebuki was pleased with her daughter for finally standing up to Sasuke, but she stayed out of the conversation. This was between Sasuke and Sakura. She'd already said her peace and could only waint and see what happened next. She narrowed her eyes at Sasuke again, not to intimidate him—well, yes, she was trying to intimidate him, but only so he would remain honest.
Sakura clenched and unclenched her fist several times, then looked behind her at her mother. Mebuki backed off just enough, and Sakura released the breath she was holding. "Sorry. My mother thinks we should give this up."
"I know what your mother thinks."
"But getting back to you; why should I take you back, when I don't have to?"
"I don't know," he said.
"Be honest, Sasuke," she said. "Do you love me? I mean, to the extent your family's Curse allows you to?"
Sasuke took a deep breath, sighed, and said, "No."
Sakura sighed, relieved. "Then we're finished, Sasuke. I don't know what I ever saw in you, just that you seemed so cool. And no, I don't love you anymore, either. It's for the best. We'll file the papers tomorrow. I'll allow you to see Sarada."
"Thank you," he said, turned and left.
Sakura stood there for a few more seconds. Then, overwhelmed, she collapsed onto her backside.
Mebuki motioned towards her. "Sakura, are you okay?" she asked.
"No," Sakura answered, her voice breaking. Afraid Sakura was in despair, she ran over to her, knelt and tried to comfort her, but when Sakura turned around, she saw that she was smiling a huge smile of relief. "I did it… I did it for myself, but I… I'm scared, mom."
"Oh, Sakura," Mebuki said, holding her arms out so her daughter could collapse into them and cry until she was too tired to cry. "It's okay, dear. You've had a long, long day." She understood that Sakura was still conflicted about the whole thing and would need some more time to really figure everything out, but she would be there with her as much as she could.
The Mebuki guestroom had two beds, and Sarada sat on top of one of them, legs crossed, playing with dolls with her grandpa, when she heard her mother crying, and sighed. "Great," she remarked. "Guess dad's never coming home again."
"Sorry, what?" Kizashi asked, looking up from the doll he held in his hand.
"Ah, forget it," Sarada sighed. "Now I'll never hear the end of it from Boruto."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, he was teasing me about my mom and dad getting divorced, and now they are!" she huffed. "Man! Stupid Boruto!"
"It's okay," said Kizashi. "If he's a problem, then Grandpa Kizashi will be there for ya!" He tackled her, pulling her into his lap while she screamed and laughed.
"Grandpaaaaa!"
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Returning to work was rarely a relief, but Naruto felt that way the next morning. As soon as he entered the Hokage office building, the strong relief swept over him, making him straighten his posture. He didn't even know he'd been slouching. He'd also been thinking a lot about his upcoming divorce and how he'd break the news to Boruto, but those thoughts disappeared, again, after he entered the office building. But, then, Boruto won't be happy to hear that his dad really like going to work and not being around him. Another reason to hate his dad!
A passing ninja brought him back to the real world. He was only able to see the ninja stopping and bowing to him out of the corner of his eye, before he forgot about them. He didn't even see their face. Oh, well.
"Good morning, Lord Hokage," one staffer remarked, walking past. It was over just as quickly as it happened. It was another little vignette in his life that was becoming an ongoing series of scenes and vignettes that had very little meaning and had no end in sight.
He sat at the desk, sighing. An aide dropped a hot cup of tea right next to him, along with a large stack of papers. Naruto's eyes widened, then squinted as he examined the stack of papers. Groaning, he fell back against the chair.
He looked up right as an aide entered his office.
"Lord Hokage?" the aide asked.
"Nothing, just cursing my lot," Naruto answered. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Oh, there's going to be an impromptu meeting of the Five Kages this afternoon... a video meeting! Not an in-person meeting!"
Naruto's heart sank like his body in the chair. "What is it about?"
"Oh, I spoke to an aide for Lord Gaara, says it's just a minor... routine meeting to discuss policy."
"Oh," said Naruto. They had one last month. The most heated discussion was about where to host the Chunin Exams, and...
Another idea came to Naruto, and he scribbled a little note, a reminder in case the subject came up, which it was almost certainly going to, a way to change things. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out two pieces of paper; A letter from Fjordland military officers, expressing interest in helping the Land of Fire change its military practices. A passage was highlighted. It expressed surprise over the minimum age to enter the Ninja Academy. The other was from Konoha, furiously accosting Naruto for how her son was treated in the Chunin Exams. She was furious that he'd been deceived about the Exams. Naruto was sure the Academy students did know beforehand about the nature of the Chunin Exams, but judging by this letter, that was not the case, in this specific example.
But were the chunin exams even necessary anymore? He had a shadow clone think it over, writing down the pros and cons of keeping the chunin exams as they were, while he and two other shadow clones did the usual paperwork for the day.
Before he knew it, he heard his video conference app on his computer ringing, making him jump. Wasn't it supposed to be in the afternoon? Looking up at the clock, his question was answered. He'd worked all morning, only getting up to use the restroom, then returning to work. His stomach rumbled, too. He sighed, remembering what Boruto had said about his work habits numerous times previously. He kept the shadow clones going, but turned his attention to his computer screen.
The four other kages appeared on screen. Top left was Gaara. Top right was 6th Mizukage, Chojuro. Fourth Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi was on the bottom left, and Fifth Raikage Darui, on the bottom right.
"Good afternoon, everyone," said Naruto.
"What do you mean?" asked Darui.
"Ugh, let's not get into semantics," Naruto groaned.
"Good, because I don't want to, either," said Darui. "In case you haven't figured out, I'm chairing this meeting today." The kages all voiced their agreement. Naruto sat back in his chair to listen to the kages speak until it was his turn, where he gave an update on the events of the past month, omitting his personal drama. For it's unnecessary during a meeting like this. The meeting's substance itself was primarily based around trade between the villages; mostly boring details that Naruto had almost literally heard hundreds of times before, right down to the growing trade deficit Sunagakure had with Kirigakure.
But before he knew it, the conversation took a different turn; the topic of the Chunin Exams eventually came up on the docket, as Darui pointed out while reading said docket. Naruto waited for an opportunity, then pulled out the sheet of paper that he'd written down his objections to the Chunin Exams on.
But before he knew it, Darui was wrapping up. "So, unless there are any objections, I suggest we keep the Chunin Exams format as is-"
"Do we really need to keep the Chunin Exams as is?" Naruto asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we're living in what's supposed to be a peaceful time. Haven't the Chunin Exams served their purpose?"
"Oh, boy, HERE WE GO," Chojuro groaned. "Naruto's about to use his Talking Jutsu-"
"I'm not!"
"Not objecting?" Chojuro inquired.
"No, I'm not using Talk Jutsu, or whatever you just called it."
"What are your objections?" Darui asked.
"Let's start with the format," Naruto began. "We pit these kids against each other, so we can assess their progress, and decide who becomes a chunin..."
"Stop speaking the obvious!" Chojuro barked.
"I'm not finished!" Naruto barked back. "Anyway, we had one winner not too long ago, we passed him over for promotion, for what? A whim? The kid had high scores and everything! But the Tsuchikage hated him, so he wasn't promoted. How's that fair?"
"He was a petulant buffoon!" Kurotsuchi groaned.
"And you never told him why he wasn't promoted," Naruto finished.
"Why should I? It's tradition!"
"Some traditions have to end," said Naruto. "Like the gambling involved. We're gambling on kids!"
"And we make a lot of money off of betting!" said Kurotsuchi.
"On kids as young as 5!" Naruto objected. "Say there was a kendo tournament for kids, and they find out people are betting on something they're supposed to be doing for fun."
"That has nothing to do with the Chunin Exams, Lord Hokage, please get to your point," said Darui.
"My point is, betting on this competition is immoral, and opens the door to corruption."
"And yet, you never objected about it until now," said Kuro. "What happened? Have you been hanging out with those Fjordlanders?"
"Is that a bad thing?" Darui asked.
"... No."
"These kids already have enough pressures on them because of the exams," said Naruto. "We don't need them learning about betting to make it worse. And YES, yes, I know some kids already know, that's not the point!"
"Why don't you drop the gambling argument for now and focus on something else?" Gaara asked. Naruto glanced at his friend on the screen, suspecting that the Kazekage might be open to supporting his objections.
With renewed confidence, Naruto continued. "Most importantly, these exams downplay the viciousness and horrors of actual war, something we've been trying to move away from. I should've realized that after Boruto was caught cheating last time."
"So, what do you propose?" Dauri asked.
"We end the Chunin Exams as is," Naruto said, "Obviously. But if you absolutely need something to keep the tradition going, there might be a solution. Obviously, no more tournaments as exams for promotion, that should be handled by each village. What would replace it, I'm not sure." Then he remembered the hypothetical kendo tournament he mentioned earlier. "How about athletic competitions?"
"Athletic competitions?" Darui asked, "Like what those outsiders have?"
"Exactly!" Naruto exclaimed. "We have a friendly athletic competition to promote peace and understanding between the villages and the Five Lands."
"Are you sure?" Gaara asked.
"Gaara, please," Naruto hissed through his teeth, under his breath, pleadingly. "Back me up here!"
Naruto's suspicions that Gaara supported his ideas were confirmed when he said, "I agree with the Hokage. It is about time we really made an effort to change our martial cultures."
"You, too!?" Kuro sputtered.
"Do you have any objections to the Hokage's proposal?" Darui asked.
"Well, no, but... perhaps we should do more to study the Chunin Exam's downsides."
"Lord Mizukage?" Darui asked.
"I like the idea of an athletic festival," said Chojuro. "However, I too think we need to study the downsides of the Chunin Exams."
"I second the Hokage's proposal to end the Chunin Exams," Gaara confirmed.
"I didn't call a vote, but it seems we have already have a majority in favor," said Darui. "No need for procedure! But, just for the record, I'll call a formal vote. All in favor of ending the Chunin Exams, replacing them with a friendly athletic competition and forming a committee on the manner, say 'hai'."
"Hai!"
"Hai!"
"Hai!"
"Hai..."
"Hai! Wow! It's unanimous!"
Naruto sighed, surprised that it had been easier than he expected, just like his conversation with Hisashi.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Lord Hokage," said Kuro. "If you're just making this up as you go..."
"I know Naruto better than all of you," said Gaara, a sly smile on his lips, "He's definitely making this up as he goes."
Naruto groaned and sank back into his chair. "Ooohhhh, Gaaaaaraaaaaa, why'd you have to rat me out like thaaaat?"
:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Holy schnikes, I actually finished this chapter.
Thanks for your patience, everyone, and I apologize for taking so long. I don't have excuses, except that Life Happens. And in my case, a lot of life happened. I also had some second thoughts about this fic, but it's 18 chapters in, now, and it's important to finish this. But also, please don't ask, anonymously, if the fic is dead, in the reviews. I find that super rude, especially if you conclude that it's dead. It just means you're impatient and feel entitled to my content. So please, if you have questions about the progress, please ask me in my private messages. It's actually polite.
I appreciate the reviews, as long as they're constructive. If I've made any mistakes surrounding the lore and characters, please tell me. Hopefully I didn't fuck up too badly.
