Kei-Kei Yuki: Okay, you guys so I might be getting in touch with a commission soon and which pic you'll like to see, married Sasuke and Naruko (like from the Boruto era), Sasuke and Naruko posing with Daisuke, a pic featuring Daisuke and Hinako, or a pic featuring Satsuki and Ryustuki? I can't do the whole family in one pic as I believe the artist only does three characters a picture and I'm only paying for one. So let me know what you think!

Naruko: Hey, don't forget about the surprise pic of me and the teme featuring us from: The Last-commission pic you paid for earlier last month!

Kei-Kei Yuki: Naru-chan that was supposed to be a surprise...

Naruko: Oops, sorry~! Enjoy the chapter everyone!

Beta: Ana-DaughterofHades

Unpacking

Eyes pointed at the window, staring down at the village she now governed and swore to protect, Tsunade recalled Naruko, who moments ago just left her office. She had handed over the set of apartment keys that once belonged to Naruko's ex-rival, the boy she swore that she viewed only as a friend. During the three months, Naruko had stayed in the village, before leaving to train with Jiraiya, the blonde requested to change her apartment. Something which Tsunade had no problem with until she learned the blonde had wanted to move into Uchiha Sasuke's old apartment.

Tsunade had wanted to question the blonde on her decision but decided against it. Sensing something more than just plain rivalry when it came to the Uchiha kid and her little blonde brat, but whatever it was, Naruko wanted to keep it private between the two of them.

Right before she left, the little spitfire had kindly requested that Tsunade send someone to keep the apartment clean while she was away. Which Tsunade honored even if this just created more curious questions of why Naruko felt so attached to Uchiha Sasuke's apartment. Upon seeing the girl again, the same little spitfire who the sanin held close to her heart, Tsunade sensed the girl had matured during some of those two and a half years away, but sadly she was still obsessed with the Uchiha brat. Reaching into her drawer, Tsunade placed the set of keys on her desk, and asked,

"Brat, why do you do this to yourself? Is the Uchiha kid worth all the mopping and heartache he put you through? What's with you and that kid's apartment anyway?" Tsunade could spot the scars of what Sasuke's defection had done to the little spitfire who had saved her from drowning in the misery and loneliness of those she so tragically lost.

Naruko may have tried to hide it with a smile and a brave front, but her eyes were a different story. During the Sasuke Retrieval mission, the little knucklehead had given it her all trying to bring back her rival/teammate, but in the end, nothing could stop Sasuke just like Orochimaru in the past. Tsunade did not like seeing the girl hurting from the Uchiha brat's decision to follow through with his quest for vengeance.

Naurko aimed a smile that didn't reach her eyes, a sad type of smile that made Tsunade want to pummel that lousy Uchiha brat six feet into the ground. "You know, I hate it when others pity me, granny. That place holds special memories for the both of us." Naruko recalled the first time she sought out Sasuke and invaded his kitchen. Sasuke had probably found her actions straight-up weird and out of character, but it was Naruko's way of not just wanting to be his rival but his friend.

"What can I say? I love hurting myself. Besides, someone has to be there to keep the place warm when I finally bring that teme back!" With that said, Naruko hurried and grabbed the keys sitting on top of Tsunade's desk and left the room.

In the present, Tsunade sighed, feeling the urge to drown herself on some good quality sake.

"Young love can be quite tragic," uttered the slug sanin before a chunin burst into her office with an urgent report concerning Sunagakure Kazekage.

Sakura stood across from Naruko, eyes looking around the room that once belonged to their ex-teammate. Even though she had never stepped foot inside the place, she knew this was where Sasuke once lived. Noticing how Naruko had invited her to unpack, the apartment had been vacant for two and a half years but looked spotless and clean. Meaning someone had been cleaning the place during the owner's absence.

Staring down at the old photo that displayed Team 7 right after it was formed, Sakura felt an aching in her chest. Even though the memories they all shared were short, they did forge a couple of good happy memories together. In the beginning, Sakura's crush on Sasuke was her obsession. Rather than training, the only thing she wanted was a date from the handsome Uchiha heir.

Even now, as she stared at the picture in her hands, eyes glued to those cold onyx eyes and that cute handsome face of his marred with a scowl, her heart skipped a beat but not as passionately as if once did in the past. Those romance fantasies that once filled her head were now far behind her. 'Maybe my springtime of love has finally come to an end.' A sense of nostalgia filled Sakura's eyes. Staring at her past-self in the picture, Sakura felt as if she was finally saying goodbye to her past.

Setting the frame back on the desk, Sakura was in the middle of packing Naruko's clothes in the dresser when she came upon a strange small object. It was soft and oddly reminded Sakura of a plushie. Staring at the plushie, she noticed how it had beaded black eyes, its hair reminding her of a certain someone, only to confirm her guess after she turned the plushie over and saw the familiar clan fan symbol on the back of its shirt.

"Naru-chan~! Mind explaining this!" Hearing Sakura call out to her, Naruko turned around after storing her sealing scrolls away. Only to blush up a storm once she saw the object Sakura was waving in her hands. A delicate pink eyebrow lifted upwards, curious as to why the blonde had such a strange object that oddly resembled their rogue ex-teammate Uchiha Sasuke.

Rushing over, Naruko almost tripped over her own two feet as she rashly reached out and seized the plushie. Holding it to her chest, it was as if she was trying to hide it out of sight, but it was too late since Sakura already found it. "Come on, tell me. I promise I won't make fun of you," Sakura reassured the cute blushing blonde, who hesitantly let down her guard.

"Well, while traveling on the road with the old pervy-sage, we stopped at this small little town, and there I met a lady who taught me how to sew. When I first picked up the hobby, it was to keep the woman company. She tragically lost her son five years ago and had just recently lost her grandson. Seeing her so lonely and sad, I decided to stick around for her."

There was a fond smile on Naruko's face as she recalled old-lady Funko. The woman was sweet to the blonde, and whenever Naruko came over for a visit, she always treated the blonde to a home-cooked meal and sweets. At first, Naruko didn't understand a single thing about sewing, but old-lady Funko had taught her the basics and after that just told Naruko to follow her instincts.

Listening to what the woman instructed, Naruko blindly followed her instincts, but somehow the more she became invested in her creation, it started to resemble Sasuke. When old-lady Funko saw Naruko's creation, the woman calmly told the blonde, "The heart never lies, my dear. This person must be very special to you?" To which Naruko narrated her relationship with Sasuke, speaking of their rivalry and somewhat friendship. Throughout the whole story, the woman silently listened, and only towards the end did she smile but said nothing.

If she had come to some realization concerning Naruko's story about a boy named Uchiha Sasuke, the woman did not share her thoughts with the younger girl.

After listening to Naruko's story, watching how the blonde sheepishly stared down at her weird Sasuke plushie she held in her arms, Naruko was surprised when Sakura reached out and grasped Naruko's small tan hands. "Don't worry, Naruko, we'll bring Sasuke-kun back this time," Sakura reassured the blonde. Those emerald eyes lit with determination had erased whatever feeling of embarrassment Naruko felt.

A soft smile overcame Naruko's face, happy to have a friend like Sakura by her side. "Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Sakura happily returned the smile and Naruko's smile only grew. The girl's bonding moment was sadly interrupted once they learned of the kidnapping of Sunagakure Kazekage.

End of Unpacking