Kakashi sighed. "Listen Tsunade-sama. I get why you would want me to aid the kids in finding the Olo Cat, but I'm pretty busy here, and I'm sure they won't need me anyways. Those kids have gotten really strong." Tsunade raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "First of all, it's Oko Cat. And you seem to be under the impression that this was up for debate."
"This isn't some random C-rank mission to retrieve some animals. It's dangerous, and those so-called 'kids' will need your help. At the very least, it's an A-rank mission. I need you to give me continuous reports and keep that Boruto kid on track. I don't trust him, no matter how much Naruto seems to. Besides, I hardly warrant harassing a certain brunette teacher as being 'busy', Hatake."
Deciding to ignore the comment on Iruka, Kakashi frowned under his mask. "If this is an A-rank mission, why would you decide to send a random nin on it? Team 7 may be strong, but we have no idea of this random boy's abilities. He could be a rogue nin plotting to take Konoha down."
The Hokage grabbed a bottle of sake from under her desk, pointedly avoiding Kakashi's skeptical gaze. "Listen, I don't like it either. I don't trust that kid as far I could throw him. However, I have a feeling that he's somehow connected to this whole situation. I may not like it, but that kid is probably the key to all these sketchy circumstances."
"Hokage-sama, I think you're underestimating your strength. Do you remember that time you threw Naruto over 5 miles into the forest because he stole your sak-"
Tsunade threw a stack of papers at him, effectively cutting him off. "You damn brat, I know my strength. It's a figure of speech." Kakashi huffed, turning his gaze upwards. This was going to be a troublesome mission.
The sun was shining bright, the grass glowing a brilliant color beneath it. The birds were chirping, and the cool breeze was gently caressing a content tan face. Boruto grinned. Today really was a beautiful day. Currently, he was sitting criss-cross in a small patch of grass, waiting for the rest of his team members to show up.
Boruto still couldn't believe it. Back at home, no matter how much he begged, his father refused to let him take on a mission that went outside of the village. And now, just a couple of months after he arrived in the past, he was being sent on a real mission, with super powerful shinobi!
A light kick to his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he gazed straight into eyes shaped like black orbs. Startled, the blonde leaned back, blinking at Sasuke. Said raven scowled at him. "Kakashi never told us you would be coming with us."
"A-ah. Well to be fair I didn't think the hokage would let me come along either." Nervously, Boruto scratched the back of his head, sheepishly keeping his eyes on the floor.
"Neh, Sasuke-kun, don't pick on him. I'm sure there's a reason Tsunade put him on this mission with us." A pink haired girl came out of the shadows, smiling at him. Scoffing, the Uchiha looked away, opting to sit down next to a tree. Shocked, the blonde watched as Sasuke lazily closed his eyes.
"Eh? He's just going to go to sleep like that? What about the mission?" Sakura gave the blonde a blank gaze. "Sasuke doesn't sleep around strangers. He's just resting. Besides, it'll probably be another good couple of hours before Kakashi-sensei arrives anyway."
Boruto blanched. "A couple of hours?! But the meeting time was an hour ago!" Giggling, Sakura patted his head, as if he were a child. "You'll have to get used to it. Kakashi-sensei is never on time. Us students of his have learned not to arrive at the designated meeting area until at least an hour after the set time."
Confused, Boruto just shook his head. "Hours… What kind of a sensei did you guys have?" Grinning, Sakura poked the blonde's cheek, before heading over to Sasuke.
Nervous, she gave the raven a soft smile. "Hey Sasuke. I wanted to talk to you for a second." Sasuke opened one eye, prepared to reject her when he saw the serious expression on her face. Hesitantly, he gave a slight nod, standing up and motioning for her to follow him.
In the safe coverage of the forest, Sakura checked their surroundings, making sure neither Boruto or anyone else was listening in. Once the coast was clear, she turned back towards Sasuke, taking in a deep breath.
"I would like to talk to you… about the reason I broke up with you." Sasuke showed no other reaction than raising a slim eyebrow, urging her to go on. Unable to meet the raven's eyes, the girl averted her gaze, staring intently at the tree behind him.
"Listen Sasuke, I know you don't love me. And I know that the reason you were dating me was so you could revive your clan. I knew that and let you use me anyways. I feel like I was so blinded by my parents' hopes for my life and all the expectations pushed upon me that I didn't realize I didn't love you either. At least, not in a way a wife is supposed to love her husband."
"Sasuke, you are my dear friend, and practically a brother to me at this point. But a relationship between us could only end in disaster. And, especially if we were to have a child like you desire, we would both be trapped in an unhappy marriage for the rest of our lives. Someone helped me realize that I should carve out my own path instead of going the familiar route, especially if that route will hurt people I care about."
The pinkette took another breath, having finished her monologue. Skittishly, the girl forced herself to look up into Sasuke's eyes, disappointed when he showed no emotion. Well, it's not like I expected him to care anyways.
Pushing down her disappointment, Sakura turned around to leave. Before she could, a strong arm gripped her shoulders, turning her around and pulling her into a deep hug. "I'm sorry." The deep voice sounded broken, and Sakura was once again reminded of what she had learned during all those years of pain.
Sasuke was nothing more than a human, just like her and Naruto. And no matter how much he's been hurt, and how much he's been hardened from war, he still cares for them. Comforted by the reminder, Sakura hugged back, tightly clinging onto the boy she once thought she loved.