Hello, and I hope everyone's been safe. Here's hoping we will all adapt to this pandemic in due time, and this chapter does something to alleviate your boredom!

Naruto quickly gulped down the sandwich Sakura made for him impromptu upon his arrival. Shinachiku and Hanami just stared in disbelief, while Sakura did the same, but lovingly. "This is really good." Naruto finally said. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." Sakura smiled. "It isn't much..."

"It's delicious." Naruto reaffirmed. "Besides, I haven't eaten normal food in forever!"

Sakura just chuckled. "I still can't believe it...you're really home..."

"I can't believe I'm here either..." Naruto reached to touch her hand. This motion did not go unnoticed by their children. They couldn't put their finger on it...but they knew it was significant. "There's so much we need to do...I don't know where to start!"

"Me neither!" Sakura squeezed his hand back. Sakura then looked to their children. "Why don't we just spend time together? As a family, I mean." She then looked to her children happily. "Kids? Would you like to get to know daddy?"

"I'd love to!" Naruto exclaimed before they could answer. He then went and suddenly picked up Shinachiku. "So, what would you like to do, little Shina?"

The toddler only burst out screaming "AHH!"

Before Naruto could attempt to comfort him, Hanami threw her juice into Naruto's eyes. "You leave Shina alone!" She shouted.

Before it could escalate anymore, Sakura quickly scooped up Shinachiku onto her shoulder. "Hanami!" She shouted as she tried to bounce him. "Everything's okay! Apologize to your father!"

"No!" Hanami pouted, turning away and crossing her arms.

Sakura sighed as she took a cloth with her free hand to wipe down Naruto's face. "I'm sorry, sweetie! Shina's very sensitive...and Hanami is very protective of him."

Before anymore could be said, someone knocked rapidly on their door. "Sakura!" Ino shouted. "I heard Naruto's back!"

"Naruto!" This time it was Kiba who spoke. "Where ya been!?"

"Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted. "It is a glorious day! We should be celebrating your youthful return!"

Naruto was stunned, and looked back to Sakura, who just nodded. Naruto carefully opened the door...and their friends poured in without warning. "So good to see you again!" Lee strongly shook his hand.

Naruto nearly fell over when Chouji slapped him across the back. "Glad you're back, man!"

Naruto nervously looked back to Sakura, who just smiled. Naruto tried to be happy, he felt he SHOULD be...but truthfully, he just wanted to spend time with Sakura and the family.

Later into the night, a last minute party was underway at the cabin, and two jonin decided to take the time to contribute to it. "Well, that escalated quickly." Yuji noted as he and Iori approached the cabin. The lights were on, and the house was packed to the rim with people. They weren't sure if the couple was ready for such a thing at the last minute. Thankfully, Iori came balancing the pizza boxes in her hands, while Yuji carried several packs of soda; they weren't sure Sakura would approve of alcohol with both kids and possibly Lee around .

"Everyone's just glad to see him back." Iori said. "Can you blame them?"

"I guess not." Yuji sighed. "But I feel we'll only add to this mess."

"Yuji, we're bringing food and drinks." Iori reminded him. "If anything, we're helping."

Shinachiku and Hanami were familiar with many of the adults their mommy called friends. It was a bit scary and overwhelming for them, as the adults paid them little heed and didn't bring their own kids for them to play with. They'd often come for holidays or birthdays, but they didn't understand why now, for the stranger who had just entered their life. They were told he was there Daddy; their mom would often tell them what a strong and good person he was. His life as their mother told it were their fairy tales. But upon meeting him...they didn't know what to think. He looked so normal, and was so goofy. Nothing like the hero they envisioned.

"Hey everyone!" A familiar voice yelled through the house. "You can stop mooching over the reunited lovebirds! We brought food!"

The twins ran between all the adults' legs, recognizing the voices. "Yuji-nichan! Iori-onechan!" They called.

"Hey, you little devils!" Yuji smiled as he put down the drinks. Opening his arms, he gathered the two toddlers. "Ugh!" Yuji faked struggling to pick them up. "Has your mom been overfeeding you again?"

"No!" Hanami chuckled.

"We eat good!" Shinachiku insisted.

"I need a second opinion!" Yuji handed Hanami over to Iori.

"Ugh!" Iori pretended to sway. "I think I could bowl with this little girl!"

"You two are so mean!" Hanami chuckled.

"Hey." Naruto walked over. "Thanks for coming over. I-"

"Yeah, we get it." Yuji answered as he got a better grip on the boy. "We were actually hoping we wouldn't HAVE to come here, but we figured you could use the help."

"I'm so glad you came!" Sakura walked up to them smiling. "These two haven't seen you for a while!"

"A while?" Naruto asked.

"We help Sakura out when we can with these little ones." Iori answered. "We're good friends, aren't we Han-chan!" Iori nuzzled her, causing her to giggle.

"Uh uh, she's Professor Beryl!" Shinachiku said.

"Professor Beryl?" Naruto asked, completely lost.

"That was last game, Shina." Yuji said. "Hey, I got play-doh. Let's go upstairs and make some Adolescent Demon Shinobi Lizards?"

"Yeah!" The toddlers shouted.

"I wanna make Hokusai! He's my favorite!" Shinachiku announced

"Okay then, let's get to it!" Yuji smiled.

The two brought the toddlers upstairs while Naruto looked on. This did not go unnoticed by Sakura. "What's wrong?"

Naruto sighed. "My kids hate me."

Sakura looked hurt. "They don't hate you," Sakura told him. "They just don't know you."

"Either way, I can't blame them." Naruto put his hands in his pockets as he looked down on the floor. "What do I do?"

"You keep trying," Sakura said, taking him by the arm. "One day at a time." Sakura pulled him towards the other room. "Come on, why don't we sit? I know this is not what you had in mind, but you coming back IS worth celebrating."

Eventually, Naruto settled down a bit. His frustration at not having alone time with his family was soon outweighed by his genuine joy at seeing his friends again. He was currently seated with Sakura, Lee, Kakashi, Ino, Hinata and Kiba.

Shikamaru also returned with Temari, though he insisted he'd rather not bother with the party after seeing him at the council. Shikamaru never had been a good liar.

He just took the sight in of just about everyone he knew, and he was reminded that no matter the odds stacked against him, they all had his back. It really had been a while since he was reminded of that.

"So, there wasn't much physical training?" Lee asked as they all asked the details about the training.

"Not really, no." Naruto answered. "It was mostly spiritual, though the training does augment my physicality."

"I see," Lee nodded. "We must spar!" He shouted as he raised his arms.

Kiba nearly spat his soda. "Idiot!"

"I didn't mean now!" Lee insisted.

"Uhh," Naruto hummed. "I'd be glad to spar with you, Bushy Brows. I...I just want time to settle."

"Ah, I understand," Lee said. "It took me time to settle with my new wife."

Naruto leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, I can imagine..." This time, Naruto's eyes widened as he spat out his drink. "Wait a minute, YOU'RE MARRIED?!"

"Indeed!" Lee saluted. He then fished a photo out of his jacket. "Behold, our wedding!" Naruto saw Lee and and a cute redhead in traditional clothing. "I apologize that she couldn't come; there was a family matter she needed to attend to."

"Wow, congratulations!" Naruto sputtered. "Sorry I missed it!"

"He got married nearly after a year you left." Ino sighed. "She's such a sweetie too. Lee wanted to wait for you, and after hearing stories of you together, she wanted to meet you too and was willing to postpone." Ino then began to finger her glass. "Um...the truth is..."

"Ino," Naruto held up his hand. "It's okay. I get it. None of you knew when I was coming back. Neither did I."

"There was no timetable?" Hinata asked.

"No." Naruto sighed. "In fact, thinking about it made me rush the process and hinder my progress. I just had to take my time and let everything fall into place when they were ready to." Naruto scratched his head and smiled. "To be honest, I was initially relieved that I came back as soon as I did. But...seeing how much Shinachiku and Hanami grown, I can't comprehend how much I actually missed."

"I'm sure you'll adjust to everything, Naruto." Hinata said. "Shinachiku and Hanami are sweet children. Once they realize the kind of person you really are, they'll love you as much as they do Sakura."

"It'll work out." Sakura reaffirmed, clasping Naruto's hand. "I'm sure of it."

"Well, at least you'll be here in time for Sakura's birthday." Ino said.

"Yeah," Naruto froze again before he could finish that sentence. "Wait, WHAT?!"

"Sakura-san's birthday is exactly one week from now!" Lee exclaimed. "It is such miraculous timing!"

"Aw, shit." Naruto breathed. He then looked to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, I'm sorry! I honestly last track of time! I-"

Sakura planted a finger on his lips. "Naruto, you have nothing to apologize for. You're here. That in itself is an early birthday present for me." She then placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"See?" Kiba smirked. "You're going to be fine." The adults clinked their glasses together.

Eventually, the party wound down, and everyone said their goodbyes. "We'll do this again next week!" Ino shouted as she left, the last one to leave.

"See you then!" Sakura waved back. Quickly, she closed the door and leaned against it. "Whew!" She sweated. "As fun as that was, I wasn't ready for that!"

"Me neither!" Naruto sighed. "But I guess we had to get that over with!"

Stretching, Sakura said "Come. It's way past the kids' bedtime."

The couple made their way upstairs as he heard the noises coming from the room. "This is it, you lizards!" Yuji said in an over the top villainous voice.

"Never, Grate-Head!" Shinachiku shouted back.

"Lizard Power!" Hanami shouted.

They all made various battle noises as the two entered. Naruto saw his students and children playing with what seemed to be clay figures. Shinachiku and Hanami were already dressed in their pajamas, Shinachiku in blue and Hanami in red. "Did you two have fun?" Sakura asked.

"Yup!" Hanami replied.

"Wanna play, mommy?" Shinachiku asked, holding a crudely made figure.

"Maybe some other time. It's way past your bedtime." She said.

"Awww..." the toddlers moaned.

"It's past my bedtime as well." Yuji said as he stretched.

"Yuji, your bedtime is 6 in the morning if I'm not there to shoo you into your room." Iori muttered.

Yuji just smiled back sheepishly. "So many otaku things to do, so little time."

"I wanna stay up all night too!" Shinachiku suddenly announced.

"Uh-uh!" Sakura said as she picked them up. "If you two want to grow up, you need your rest!" As the two pouted, Sakura said "I'll read to you again, okay?"

"Okay..." they groaned.

"But first, you two need to brush your teeth!"

As the kids ran down the hall and Sakura thanked the two jonin, Naruto began feeling like something of the odd wheel of the group. Sakura went to the bathroom to make sure the kids were okay, while Naruto sighed. "A bit overwhelming?" Iori asked.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "It is." He looked at them with the utmost sincerity. "Listen, thank you. You helped Sakura-chan take such good care of them when I couldn't."

"It wasn't just us," Yuji said. "Sakura's mom comes by to help as well."

"Her mom?" Naruto asked. "They haven't spoken in years."

"Not when you were here." Iori explained. "Shortly after you left, she came to make amends. It took time, but she was a godsend for Sakura during their infancy."

Naruto looked away, stunned. "I really have missed out on a lot."

"Well," Yuji interrupted. "We should get going. Time for you to get familiar with your family."

Naruto just watched as Sakura read them their story. The story itself was quite simplistic, but Naruto observed as the kids looked up at her with the utmost attention. Slowly, they leaned back into their pillows, and closed their eyes.

When it looked like they were fast asleep, Sakura turned off the main light, leaving their night light on. "You liked the story?" Sakura asked as she approached him.

"I guess." Naruto shrugged. "I just liked watching you."

"Reading?"

"Being a mother." Sakura smiled in surprise, while Naruto looked around nervously. "So...what now?"

Sakura stretched upwards. "I think we should go to bed too." She gently brushed his shoulder, as she headed down to the bedroom.

"Yeah..." Naruto gulped. "The bedroom..."

Sakura's bedroom was simple and clean. As she rinsed her face in her own bathroom, Naruto sat at the edge of the bed. He didn't think about what they were going to do about intimacy upon his return. He didn't know if Sakura even wanted to be intimate with him, given her trauma before their children's' birth. Not to mention he was out of practice...

"Is everything okay, Naruto?"

Naruto turned around to see Sakura in a pink shirt and pajama pants. She was still cute, but he was thankful at the moment her sleepwear was modest compared to years back. "Uh, y-yeah..." he stuttered.

"Don't you want to get more, you know, comfortable?"

Naruto turned around for a moment to make sure she didn't catch his gulp. "Uh, sure..." Naruto quickly stripped down to his boxers. Naruto was in the prime of his life (his late twenties) but still, after being away for so long, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Naruto thought it was best to just get it out of the way. "Sakura...are you sure you're okay with this?"

Sakura blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, it's been so long, so-"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sakura interrupted him. "Naruto, I know it's been a long time. I'm not asking for full intimacy just yet. I," Sakura turned away. Even in the dim light, Naruto could see her blush. "I just need time. But I still want you close. That helped out a lot back then."

"Of course, Sakura-chan." Naruto answered. Sakura turned the light off, and the two crawled into the bed on their respective sides. "Sakura," Naruto asked. "Would it be okay if I held you at least?"

Sakura brought his arms over to her. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Sakura fell fast asleep, while Naruto remained wide awake. This was just so much to take in. Back home, with a family he ultimately didn't know. Not to mention Sakura's touch and scent drove him crazy, but he wouldn't dare get frisky with her. Not right now.

Eventually, Naruto gave up on forcing himself asleep, and just lying there wasn't doing either of them any good. Carefully, he got out of the hug and walked out. Donning his pants, he quietly wandered the halls. His first instinct was to peek in on the kids, but decided against it. He didn't want to risk disturbing them.

He couldn't figure out why he was so antsy as he looked around. He then noticed a drawstring above his head, leading to a trap door. "The attic?" Figuring he had nothing better to do, he pulled on it and the steps silently unfolded. Making his way up, he then pulled on the light switch inside. As he allowed his eyes to adjust, he noticed it was mostly empty save for a few boxes. Many of their belongings in their old apartment were destroyed, but they did manage to save a few of their things. As he looked around, he noticed a box with a piece of paper taped to it saying "Naruto". The jinchuriki remembered they agreed to sort out their belongings as theirs, hers and his.

That was when Naruto's eyes widened. "Could it still be there?" Naruto rushed to it and opened it up, rummaging through the chest with haste. Eventually, he found the ring box he bought all those years ago. Cautiously, he reached in and opened it. He could barely contain his smile as he saw it. The ring with the pink and yellow diamond! It was still here! And Naruto knew the perfect use for it. "Sakura's birthday is one week from now..."

"Naruto?"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin as he spun to face Sakura. "Sakura-chan!" What's wrong?" He made sure to keep his hands behind him.

"I woke up and saw you weren't in bed." Sakura explained. Upon closer inspection, Naruto noticed tear marks down her cheeks. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto came to hug her, cleverly dropping the ring box back into the chest. "I just couldn't sleep. Guess I was feeling a bit nostalgic."

"I know this is all new for you Naruto. Just, just take your time, okay?"

"I promise you, I'm not going to need much more."

With that, they reset the stairs in the attic. Naruto began to sleep easier as the plan formed in his mind. "We still love each other." He thought as he looked up at the roof. He couldn't contain the smile. "I'm not letting this chance slip by me again!"

"So, this goes here?" Naruto asked as he placed the red block on top of the green one.

"Uh uh." Shinachiku nodded. He took it, and attached it to the bottom. "It goes here. It's going to be a toe."

The week had passed, and Naruto used the time to bond with his children. While they were still a bit wary of him and would come running to Sakura when she appeared, they were beginning to accept him as a part of their lives.

Shinachiku in particular was warming up to him, showing him how to play with his toys. One that amazed Naruto were these building blocks. "Legos", Shinachiku called them. They seemed simple enough, but seeing what Shinachiku could build, especially his dinosaurs, he was amazed at what simple blocks could make.

Meanwhile, Hanami watched as she sat next to her brother. Naruto noticed that she seemed to be protective of Shinachiku, and acted like his body guard when with strangers.

"Naruto?" Sakura called from the hall.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"Could you come to the kitchen? I need your help with something!"

"I'll be right there!" Naruto got up and said "Mom needs me. I'll be back in a few!"

When Naruto got there, he noticed Sakura working at the stove wearing an apron atop a nice red dress she chose for today. For a moment, he was filled with dread. But nothing was on fire, and nothing spilled over. It seemed she had everything under control. "I'm busy with the vegetables. Could you put some mitts on and get the ribs out of the oven?" She asked him.

Naruto donned the gloves and pulled them out. Taking a sniff, he concluded they were cooked perfectly. "Sakura...this is amazing."

"Huh?" Sakura responded as she pulled the veggies out of the steamer.

"You cooked these perfectly." Naruto realized what he implied, but he couldn't lie. "I meant no offense."

"Naruto," Sakura giggled. "I WAS bad at cooking. I don't deny that." Sakura then reached into a cupboard and grabbed some noodles. "But we have two children now. I HAD to learn."

"Okay," Naruto nodded. "HOW did you learn?"

"My mother helped me." She answered as she threw the noodles into the pot.

As Naruto pulled out some utensils for her, he said "Yuji mentioned that. I remember back then-"

"We had our problems in the past." Sakura interrupted. "But upon hearing I had children, she came to me, wanting to help me. It took time, but we're family again."

Naruto nodded. "And she knows I'm the father?"

Sakura began to look a little bit disappointed. "She knows. She loves the kids, though she did not approve that they were conceived out of wedlock. As for you personally…it's hard to get a read on her." Sakura put the lid on the pot as she thought about their past conversations. "I have talked to her about all you went through, how well you treated me. She doesn't freak out or admonish me. She just…listens."

Naruto sighed. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't be talking about this on your birthday."

"But we have to."

"It can wait." Naruto assured her. "She's coming?"

"Of course she is." Sakura confirmed.

"I don't know how it's going to go, but I promise I'll be on my best behavior." Naruto assured her.

Sakura stared at him for a moment. "You seem to be looking more forward to my birthday than I am."

"Why wouldn't I? It's your special day. And our first of your birthdays in three years we celebrated together." Naruto told her, kissing her forehead.

Later, the party was in full swing, this time with Naruto and Sakura fully prepared for the company. Everyone who came for Naruto's last minute homecoming party last week was there, and this time, many brought their children over as well.

Naruto became the server as he brought snacks and drinks to everyone, while he made note of the kids. Some were from people he didn't recognize; it seemed Sakura made some new friends through their children.

He did recognize Hinata's son, Setsuna. He had grown a full mop of hair, and seemed to have a Byakugan on his left eye, and a red eye, somewhat similar to a sharingan. "Enjoying the party?" He asked him as handed him a plastic cup of lychee juice. Setsuna only nodded, and bowed as he accepted the cup. "Shy. Just like his mother." Setsuna then ran off to Hanami, to whom he offered the cup. Hanami, being oblivious to his affections, thanked him and took the cup. Naruto had to smile. "Yup. Just like Hinata."

"YAHH!"

Naruto nearly fell over as two toddlers with red and black hair ran past him. "Yes!" Lee shouted at his children as he chased them. "Feel the youth!"

"ROCK!" His wife, Chun, bashed him over the head with a skillet (where she got it, Naruto had no idea). "Don't encourage the kids to run indoors!"

"Sorry, dear!" Lee kneeled as he brought his hands together in apology.

"Wow, that's certainly familiar." Naruto noted.

"Naruto."

Naruto turned to see Tsunade behind him, her face impassive. "Ba-chan. What's up?"

"I think it's about time we brought out the cake." The two had collaborated together for the cake earlier in the week. They both knew what Sakura liked, but hiding it in the house would have been impossible, so Tsunade carried it in a bag on her sleeve.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Naruto put down the tray as he took the cake.

"Naruto." Tsunade said.

"Something wrong?"

"I couldn't help but notice that you haven't spent much time with Sakura today." Tsunade inquired.

"Just making sure everyone is having a good time." Naruto answered.

"You look nervous." She responded.

Naruto's eyes widened. That was it EXACTLY. He was so nervous about his planned proposal, he used the excuse of serving to quell it. It was working until she brought it up. "We better hurry!"

As he made his way back towards the living room, Tsunade's brow quirked. "Naruto, what are you planning?"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAKURA!"

Sakura was overjoyed with the cake, and everyone helped themselves to a slice. Again, Naruto passed out pieces to everyone.

The only hurdle was that he eventually came face to face with Sakura's mother. The two just stared at each other, her face as unreadable as Sakura said it would be. To save face, Naruto handed her a piece of cake, which she accepted and bowed in return.

"Hm!" Sakura squealed as she had her piece. "Delicious! Naruto, Shishio! Thank you!"

Next, everyone brought out their gifts. Most of them brought simple things: hairpins, bracelets, other feminine things. Hanami and Shinachiku brought out a drawing of Sakura with the two of them. Thr drawing consisted mainly of stick figures that were only identifiable by their colors and sizes, but both he and Sakura could not help but to treasure it. "Thank you!" Sakura said as she wrapped them up in a big bear hug and kissed them.

The crowd predictably went "Aww…" in response

Ino then came up with her gift. Sakura, however, gave her a sour look "Ino-pig, this better not be something that can't be seen in front of children again…"

"Hey!" Ino snapped as blood vessel popped. "What do you take me for!? Besides, they don't even remember last year!"

Sakura sighed, figuring some time was needed to lessen the tension. "Listen, I need to use the restroom. I'll be back." Sakura stood up to take her leave.

As she made her way upstairs, Naruto thought "Now's my chance!" "Ugh!" Naruto pretended to squeeze his legs in discomfort. "I…I gotta pee too!" His nervousness rose; it may as well have been true.

Kiba, annoyed by his antics, sighed. 'Go then!"

"Off to the 2nd bathroom!" he said as he turned right in the hallway.

Naruto made his way to the broom closet down the hall. Making sure no one was around, he stepped in and pulled out the ring-box. As he looked straight at the wall, he did his best to imagine Sakura right in front of him. He only had a few minutes to get this right. "Sakura…I know I just got back, but we're ready!" Naruto cringed. "Ugh, that's terrible."

Naruto cleared his throat. "I'm just going to say this and plainly as I can: Marry me right now, baby!" Naruto groaned. "If I'm going to risk getting clobbered, I should at least try to make sure the certainty is less than 100%."

Naruto breathed deeply, calming his nerves. "Okay, let's try this again…"

"Sorry, everyone." Sakura said as she returned to the party. "Okay, Ino. Let's see what-" Sakura stopped as she looked around. "Hey, where's Naruto?"

"He had to go too." Kiba said. "He's down the other bathroom that way." He thumbed behind him

Sakura blinked. "The only other bathrooms are upstairs…"

She went down the hall, and everyone followed after her.

"Sakura. I know I haven't been back for very long, but my feelings for you haven't changed. And more importantly, I realize neither have yours. We've been through a lot together, and through all of those challenges, we supported one another, we made each other strong…I just can't imagine doing ANYTHING without you being apart of it all in someway." Naruto took another deep breath before he continued. "I wanted to do this a long time ago. But due to events that were out of our control, I felt the time wasn't right, and I held off on it. One thing led to another, and here we are now. And for that, I'm sorry. But, as the saying goes, better late than never. We already have a family, and if you will still have me, I want to make it complete." He opened the box and pushed the ring into view of the wall as he got down on one knee. "Sakura, will you marry me?"

Naruto's heart thumped like crazy, so much so that he was wondering if he was actually having a heart attack. And this was just a rehearsal! "Aw man, I still don't know if this will work…but this is the best I've got. And I'm out of time."

Naruto closed the ring-box and turned around as he prepared to rejoin the party. It was then that he came face to face with Sakura, with everyone else right behind her. Everyone was dead silent as they tried to contemplate what just happened. It was then Sakura's twitching brow activated, as did her temper, quickly grabbing Naruto by the collar. "NARUTO, YOU DUNDER-HEAD!" She shook him. "What kind of prank are you trying to pull on me!?"

"I'm not trying to pull anything!" Naruto cried out defensively.

"You're proposing to a damn wall, moron!"

"It's called practicing!"

"Why couldn't you just ask!?"

"Because you can't 'just ask!'"

"You had to practice now!?"

"I didn't have time to elsewhere! And why are we even arguing!?" Naruto seemed to have finally gotten through to Sakura, as she gently let him down in stunned silence.

Naruto took a deep breath, and calmed down. "Well, you probably heard every word I said, so I suppose there's no point in repeating myself." He then opened the ring-box and showed her the ring. "But if I may make an amendment to my proposal, if there is one thing that I admire about you, it's your drive. Not only to get what you want, but to achieve something that's better for everyone. In that we are the same, that's what links our yin and yang. And since one side can't exist without the other, let's truly become one." He gently took her wrist as he kneeled down. "So, how 'bout it?" Finally, he opened the box, showing her the pink and yellow ring.

Sakura's eyes watered as she looked at Naruto and the beautiful ring. She seemed to struggle with words as she tried to get them out. "…yes."

"Huh?"

"Yes, yes, I will!" She cried out as she kneeled to his level and embraced him, while their friends cheered wildly.

That will be all for now. Next time will be the wedding!

Initially, this was going to be the typical perfect proposal. But that just didn't feel right. It had to be something comedic, something needed to go wrong. But it couldn't have gone so wrong that Naruto would wind up embarrassing himself and Sakura to the point where saying yes would be absurd.

Then, I watched Creed II, where Adonis proposed to Bianca. When he felt he got it, he said the words behind her, not realizing her hearing aid was off. And the reaction was such comedic gold (albeit a bit sad) where she was so shocked and slammed the door on him. And Adonis was able to recover and get her to say yes.

I hope I was able to portray a similar feel with this scene. Let me know if you thought it was both funny and sweet...or just dumb.