AN: First, I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking so long to finish! The Gaiden chapter kind of threw me off a bit (your reviews, favs, and alerts are what kept me going, though). Thank you soooo much! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying my story so far! I hope you will continue to enjoy it! There will be spoilers from the recent chapter, also, so be warned.

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Chapter 2

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Sakura couldn't believe what was going on, and such timing, too. This had to be the worst time this could have happened.

Naruto was so adamant on this, yet it was impossible for his suspicions to be true. He was being unbearable right now.

Things weren't going well with her husband, either. Her faith was fading in her marriage, but she knew she had to stay strong. She had to stay strong for Sarada. She told herself long ago that her child would come first. She would focus on being the best mother she could, because she knew she was all Sarada really had.

Ever since she was rescued from the men with Sharingan eyes decorating their body, she saw exactly how Sarada and Sasuke were not on speaking terms.

Sasuke didn't even give Sarada a reason for her to forgive him. Sarada's attitude towards her father became even more acrimonious when he left them again. He had to gather more information after the shocking revelation of this new enemy. This did not help his relationship with his daughter, however.

Sarada's attitude towards Sakura, at first, was not the best, either.

Sakura, however, was having none of that. She protested against Sarada's words, baffled that Sarada would say such cruel things to her when they met up again.

She was definitely Sasuke's child.

But Sarada, no matter whose DNA matched any test results, was her daughter. She raised her, and she was the one who cared for her all this time.

Sarada was still upset at the fact that everyone lied to her, but she was slowly easing up again towards her, which relieved quite a few of her worries. She wasn't sure what would happen if Sarada continued to resent her. There was still a feeling of doubt in her, however.

She knew Sarada would want to seek out Karin.

It was only a matter of time.

Sakura and Sasuke weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment as well. She couldn't help but wonder when they ever were. But she still tried to keep things together. She still tried to reach out to him, but he was too enwrapped in his mission. She understood. She understood that he wanted to protect the village. She was being as logical as she could, because her emotions would steer her towards resentment for her husband. Any more antipathy and bitterness in the family would surely tear them apart.

Sakura grimaced.

Naruto came to her with this ridiculous nonsense at a time like this.

She was just getting back in the swing of things. With Sarada becoming a genin and on more missions, along with training with Naruto during the chuunin exams, Sakura was not only able to finally get back to the hospital, but pay off the debt for the Uchiha mansion.

If things seemed bleak before, Sakura was finally able to see a sliver of light in the dark abyss that was her life. Things were starting to finally look up.

After finding Sarada, Naruto, and Sasuke, she couldn't help but feel rather disappointed.

Sarada was still angry at her father, but she didn't blame her. She hoped that that would soon dissipate, but alas, she still felt harsh feelings towards him. She was trying so hard to keep it together, to pretend that everything was okay, for Sarada, but it was difficult. She still couldn't have a real conversation with Sarada anymore, after everything she found out.

She couldn't even have a true conversation with Sasuke when they met, because he was already off again.

She hated it. She knew it was for a mission, but at the same time, he should have been able to stop by and meet his daughter once.

She was supposed to remain faithful, but she doubted.

"You have the worst timing, Naruto."

"What?"

"You talk about this when Sarada is finally getting back to normal. After meeting her father, and finding out about Karin, she has been resentful towards me and Sasuke," Sakura confessed, and Naruto nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry-"

"Naruto, please. Just don't…don't apologize. I'm sure you already know, but my family isn't exactly rainbows and sunshine. Something getting out like this, even if it's only an accusation and it's not true, would tear us apart completely. Sarada is not fond of her father. She still looks at me with disappointment," she bit back bitterly, and Naruto knew what she meant. He held off on his urge to console her, because he knew there was nothing he could say to make it better at the moment.

Silence permeated the atmosphere, with a tension that perturbed him, but he understood. He learned when he should just listen.

He thought back to a conversation he had with Sarada while he was training her for the chuunin exams.

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"I hate my father," Sarada spat one training session. She was heaving after attempting to master the Rasengan, her chakra depleting from all her efforts. Her fingernails dug into the ground. "You said I need to focus on the task at hand, but I can't get over what my family has done. I don't understand my mother at all, either. I don't understand how she could allow him to treat us like we're simply an afterthought. I had to hear from Boruto that he was in the village again. He's training him. He didn't bother to tell either of us."

"Sarada-chan, please, your father loves you," he started, but Sarada interjected.

"Lies! Don't lie to me again. I'm tired of your lies," she snapped, upset with the Hokage lying to her. She was upset that everyone was lying to her. She exhaled, remembering she was still talking to the Hokage. "I'm sorry, I just don't even understand how my Mama and Papa got together, let alone got married. It's stupid. Sakura isn't even my real mother, yet she still..." she trailed off, averting her eyes to the ground, disappointed in her family, in her expectations. "If this is what a marriage is supposed to be like, then I never want to get married."

"Sarada-chan," he began, about to continue his thought, but Sarada interrupted again.

"I know what you're going to say, but my mind is made up. If what you said before was true, then Sakura is the only family I have. Neither my biological mother nor father were there for me. He didn't want to be there for me and continues to not be the father figure I need in my life. I still haven't met my real mother. My mother said that being a parent is more than just passing on genes. She tried to justify that she was there instead of my actual mother. But I asked her, if that's true, then what does that say about Papa? He just passed on his genes, but didn't bother to even come once to see me for twelve years. Twelve years," Sarada yelled, her words harsh. Naruto could sense the pain in her voice, too. Sarada sardonically laughed, "Mama couldn't say anything after I brought up Papa, because she knew I was right. She just said that Papa loves me. Just like you keep trying to tell me. But I don't care anymore, I can't believe that when he hasn't proven it to me. Actions speak louder than words. And Papa doesn't even have words for me." Naruto could only frown.

"Sarada-chan, I hope someday you will be able to understand. Sometimes, ninja have a duty, and have to sacrifice-"

"That's so stupid, though! Why even have a family in the first place? If he cared, he wouldn't have brushed me off to the side. I see now why Mama never talked about him or even knew if he had glasses. I would envy the kids who had fathers, upset that they wouldn't appreciate them, but now I understand why."

"Being a parent is hard work, Sarada-chan."

"Something my father skipped out on," she mentioned, and Naruto sighed, not sure what to say anymore. "I'm sorry, I've just been upset thinking how even on a mission, he still didn't have the decency to even see me once. Or my mom, she couldn't tell me anything about him. But I guess I see why she knows nothing about him," Sarada said. Naruto frowned, placing his palm over his forehead in thought.

She did have a lot to deal with. He figured she just needed to vent for now.

"Your mother worked really hard for you, you know. She sacrificed a lot to try to keep your family together. I'm sorry, Sarada-chan, that things turned out this way. But I know your mom is really trying hard. She's trying to be strong for you," he defended. And Sarada scoffed.

"I don't need her trying to be strong for me. I wish she could see how many problems we actually have. She probably does but just doesn't want to admit it. She pretends like everything is okay, but I know, it's not. I hear her cry at night all the time. I just don't say anything." Naruto frowned at this, feeling more upset than he should at the thought.

"Sasuke…." Naruto thought, clenching his fist. He remembered when they first found out that Sarada's true mother was Karin. He remembered it clearly. He was outraged at the thought, his chest rising higher and his eyes sharp and filled with rage. He didn't understand how this could happen, but he knew he wanted to hurt Sasuke for his foolishness.

Instead of focusing on his anger, however, he remained calm and scrutinized Sarada. He had no time to be upset himself. He saw Sarada's pain, and saw her hatred towards him, Sasuke, Sakura – everyone. She harbored strong feelings after everything she went through, and she had a right to. After her words filled with venom, Naruto looked at her with wise eyes. He did not sputter, he did not turn away from her, but he explained the importance of parenting.

He admitted to both Sasuke and himself being lousy parents. However, he had to defend Sasuke, mention that her father is a true asset to the village, someone that is so powerful, that he had to set him out on missions.

"All that anger should really be on me, Sarada-chan," he even said. He failed to mention how Sasuke sought out the mission himself. But he hoped to diffuse some of her hatred for her father.

He knew how it felt to be hated by his child, after all.

But he understood, why she hated Sasuke at the moment nonetheless.

But Sakura… Sarada was lucky to have Sakura's love. She was lucky, and should be grateful that Sakura loved Sarada as though she was her own. Even if she was upset, she needed to remember that Sakura was the one that was there.

Just like back then, Naruto looked up at Sarada with thoughtful eyes.

"Sarada-chan, no matter what, you should know that even if it doesn't seem like it, your father still loves you. You don't have to trust me right now, but someday you will see for yourself and understand. I'm sure he'll come around," he advised, and Sarada sighed. He grinned, one with genuine warmth. "If he doesn't, I'll kick his ass for both of you. And no matter what, you will still have your mother. And I'm always here too, if you need me," he added, happy to see the thankful look on her face.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said, truly grateful.

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"I'm still not convinced you understand how creating a child works, Naruto," Sakura teased, and Naruto chuckled a bit as he grinned at her. They were now walking towards the interrogation room where Akane was held.

"Well, I do have two of my own, you know," he disputed, and Sakura nodded, a sly smile forming.

"And yet you still think it's possible we have a child together," she chided, and Naruto frowned.

"We've already had this discussion. You don't have to believe me. I'm still a bit skeptical myself. But there's some things that won't lie. She said she didn't have any recollection until one night, when it came to her all at once. She said an energy surrounded her. Either way, as the Hokage, I have to get to the bottom of this and at least look into what she has to say. This is the first step," he announced, and Sakura nodded. His mind was made up, and she knew that no matter what, he would still have to look into this girl and her background, anyways.

There was no getting around this.

As they made it to the room, Sakura was hesitant about going in.

"I'm going to watch from the window, it'll be easier to check if she is bluffing from there. Go in and talk to her for a bit. See how much information you receive from her, and then get whatever you need to run the tests," he ordered, and she nodded, opening the door finally and making her way inside. Naruto moved to the glass window, watching intently.

When Sakura walked through the door, he noticed the hint of surprise that ran through the Iwagakure ninja's face.

Then she smiled – genuinely happy. It was easy for him to tell.

He beamed.

Whether Sakura liked it or not, Akane believed she was reuniting with her mother.

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"It's nice to meet you, Uzake-san," Sakura greeted. She scrutinized the girl, the first thing she noticed was actually her striking blue eyes that shined with cheerfulness. She bit her lips, understanding what Naruto meant by her reminding him of them. She saw Naruto in those eyes. She noticed her bright pink hair, but quickly dismissed that though, thinking that there are other's with pink hair as hers.

She wouldn't allow herself to believe something that wasn't logical.

"It's very nice to meet you…. Um, Haruno-san," Akane said sheepishly, a bit flustered. Sakura took a seat across from her, folding her arms on the table as she tried to be as casual as possible.

"I've been told that I should meet you. And I can see why."

"I'm glad that you did. You're very beautiful," Akane complimented, and Sakura blushed.

"Thank you. I'm just here to have a small chat and do a buccal test," Sakura informed.

"Aah, I see. Hokage-sama told you," she assumed, and Sakura nodded.

"Yes. You do realize what you're implying, don't you? The Hokage and I... Well, it's not possible for us to be your parents, you know."

"I know you two aren't my parents here. However, there is a place where you two are my parents. It came to me in my dreams. I was with you two, and we were happy." Sakura eyed the girl strangely.

"Please, tell me more about this place, and your parents."

"The place I lived, is exactly like Konoha. I know almost every corner. I know where everything is. When I came here with my team, they wondered how I knew so much. I couldn't give them a straight answer. But I knew that the moment I walked through those gates... Konoha is – was my home," she elaborated. "The first thing I did when I got here, was to find Ichiraku's. Even more memories came back," she giggled. "Papa loves that place a lot. I went to the academy and knew I spent quite a lot of time there, too. The Konoha Park, the Yamanaka Flower Shop, the hospital, even the Hokage Tower, Papa's office. It was all so familiar."

Akane smiled brightly at the fond memories she most desperately wanted back. She fought the urge to cry, however. She was better than that.

"My mama and papa were amazing. They were the strongest people I know. They were amazing parents to me. My mother was the greatest medical ninja ever. She worked in the hospital, but let me watch sometimes. You wanted me to be a medical ninja, too. I would spend a lot of time at the Hokage Tower, though, with Papa. I always wanted to be Hokage. He would show me all the cool jutsu sometimes, too. You always got mad at Papa for that, though." Akane paused, her lips pursing at the expression Sakura gave her. "I'm sorry, Ma-Haruno-san," she corrected. She recognized that look. Sakura was in deep thought, wondering what she were to do with this new information. Akane knew she would always look like that when given a problem at the hospital to solve, or dealing with her father at times. "I-I shouldn't be saying these things," she stammered. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I would like for you to continue. Let me just get the Hokage," she reassured, slipping out as quickly as she could.

Before she left, Akane spoke.

"To be honest, my memory is still a bit blurry to me of how I got here exactly. But I guess it was a jutsu Papa was working on. Well, with a lot of help... Uncle Sasuke was working hard with Papa, too. But Papa knew all kinds of jutsu. He decided just because he would be Hokage, doesn't mean he will not practice and train to protect his precious people. He always said that. He would leave every morning and train so he didn't get rusty. He learned all kinds of jutsu. I wanted to learn them all, too, but the only ones he taught me were Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Rasengan. Mama wasn't happy about that," she giggled at the thought. "There were times Papa got really busy, though. But… he would always come back to us. Always. He said, that he wanted to spend every second with us, and he tried his best. He was Hokage, and the Hokage has a lot of responsibilities, but we both helped him realize that he shouldn't miss out on us…" Akane trailed off, realizing she was rambling a lot again. She looked at Sakura and watched her process all this.

"So then are you implying you are from a different world?" she asked skeptically. And Akane gave her a toothy grin.

"If I outright said yes, you would think I'm delusional, wouldn't you?" Akane knew she needed more than just words to erase the doubt in her eyes. Akane still wasn't sure how she got here, but she knew she had to be from a different place.

She may seem crazy, but she felt so strongly about this, so sure.

"I'll go get the Hokage," Sakura merely said, before making her way out.

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"Well she sure has your mouth, Naruto." She shook her head, shivering a bit as her arms moved across biceps.

"So you believe me? You believe her?" he presumed in awe. She shook her head.

"No, of course not. There has to be a logical explanation for this. The DNA results will prove it."

"But what if she's right? You know different dimensions are possible. What if it's true? She even knew about Ichiraku's!"

"Naruto, the whole world knows about Ichiraku's because of you," she reprimanded, shaking her head and crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

"Sakura-chan, but still… What if there was a world where we were together? Where we were happy? Truly happy? I'm not talking about here, where I'm trying to bury all my regrets. I'm talking about a world where we were together, and we had a child, that had your pink hair, and my blue eyes? Where we continued to do what we loved and still be together?"

"Naruto... don't."

"But what if there was? What if there was a world where we were happier together?"

"Naruto… that world… it doesn't exist. Not here," she said in between a whimper. "It can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I already have enough regret! I-I don't need anymore. I told you, I need to focus on the family I have." Her heart ached too much already. She didn't want to be put through any more pain. Not anymore. The family she has is already broken. She's been trying so hard to keep it together, knowing it was broken.

"I'm broken," she thought. Her eyes brimming with tears.

"Sakura-chan…" At that moment, he wished he could mend her heart. She was broken. She was put through so much, and she was shattered by all the impacts life seem to hit her with.

She was convinced, that this was her reality that she had to live with. There was no going back, but moving forward and settling for what was given.

He couldn't help but think, that somewhere else, she wouldn't be crying like this. She would be smiling, with him by her side, and their daughter in his arms.

Somewhere else, he hugged her, kissed her, and protected her, like he always wanted. Where he could say I love you, with her adoringly saying those words back. Where she would give him the same look that he always imagined she would.

He longed for this, because he now knew, she would be happy with him.

It had to all be a sign. He wasn't sure if it was a gift or a curse, because he wasn't sure if all this would just reveal to him the mistakes he made.

More regrets. More pain.

"I've made enough mistakes in my life, Sakura-chan."

"I have as well."

"That's why I want to know."

"Why so much wishful thinking?"

"Because, what if it's a gift? A chance at happiness?" Naruto asked, excitement brimming in his eyes. She looked at him with tear stained eyes, feeling like a teenager again, feeling the same energy he did once more.

She turned away from him.

He had a way of doing that, she presumed.

"I have enough problems to deal with, Naruto. I'm sorry. I'll do the DNA test, for you, but that's it," she said.

"That's all I ask. Thank you." He embraced her, truly grateful. "You don't know how much this means to me." When he released her, she smiled tenderly at him, even when a troubled feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach. Her heart raced at his words - at his touch, but she dismissed it, burying this feeling just like she did all those years ago.

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Both Naruto and Sakura came into the interrogation room this time, and Akane grinned cheerfully at seeing them together.

Sakura did what she said she would do. She would do a buccal test, get the DNA of all three of them, and finally prepare the samples to analyze their DNA.

"I need to go take this down to the lab. It was nice meeting you, Akane-san. I'll see you later, Hokage-sama," she said before making her departure. Naruto frowned.

"She's being so serious," Akane noticed, pouting. She wasn't used to this. She knew her mother was the rational one of the two, but she never saw her like this. It made her wonder what was wrong, the sensation of false politeness in her voice as she talked with Akane.

"She'll come around, Akane-chan."

"As a ninja, I figured you two wouldn't believe me. That makes sense," she chuckled half-heartedly. "But, you believe me, don't you," she stated more than questioned. Her eyes were glimmering with hope.

"Well, as the Hokage, it's easy for me to tell, you know. I'm the best at reading people," Naruto gloated with a cheeky smile, and Akane couldn't help but roll her eyes. Some things would never change.

But she was still happy. She was excited that he understood.

"Thank you," she exclaimed. She hugged him, her heart leaping at the feeling. This felt normal. This felt like her father.

Before, she felt like this feeling would only be a distant memory. She missed this feeling.

She was at peace.

However, she quickly snapped out of her stupor, stepping back and bowing her head in apology.

Just because he didn't think she was lying, didn't mean he'd easily take her in and show her affection. He barely knew her, after all.

"I'm sorry, Pa-um, uh, I mean, Hokage-sama," she spluttered, her cheeks painted red in embarrassment at the mistake. She knew better than to call them what she used to. She was too excited to control herself this time, unfortunately.

Naruto chuckled, "It's alright. I understand. It must be hard," he concluded, and she nodded, her face down casted.

"By the way, what's going to happen to me now? Am I stuck here for the night, because if so, I have a few complaints," she began, crossing her arms. "It's not right to just lock me up here, you know. I have responsibilities, a team, too. Also, since you're the Hokage, you should know the results of the Chuunin Exams, don't you? Did I become a chuunin?"

Naruto's eyebrow furrowed at all the questions she had. As Sakura put it, she definitely had his mouth, which made him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her eyebrows perched together in confusion.

"It's nothing. I just didn't think you'd be thinking of the chuunin exams after all this. But that's up to the Tsuchikage. You're right. You shouldn't be locked up in here all day and night. But someone needs to keep a close eye on you," Naruto said.

"Don't tell me you're going to place ANBU on me?" she deadpanned. If they were anything like the previous ANBU, they'd be really intolerable.

"I still have to think about that. Maybe after we talk over Ichiraku's-"

"Really?" she asked, her face brightening. Naruto shot a toothy grin, wondering more and more, how she couldn't be their daughter.

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Sakura made her way into the research lab, familiarizing herself with it once more. It had been a while since she was here. The last time she remembered being here was when she worked here for a bit, helping understand new regeneration techniques after Naruto and Sasuke lost their arms in battle. The memory still gave her an odd feeling. Those were the days where things were easier, she realized.

Raising a child by yourself was a lot of work, after all.

"Sakura-san?" a researcher questioned. "It's unexpected to have you here! Welcome!" He bowed. Sakura smiled.

"Hello, I just need to use the lab, and more specifically, the PCR machine. Is it in use?" she asked

"Not at the moment, but I believe someone else was going to-"

"This is urgent," she cut in. "I have orders from the Hokage himself to use the lab."

"Oh, I see. My apologies," he said, although a bit peeved that his time would be wasted waiting when he had important work to do. Although, this was the famous Haruno Sakura, who had direct orders from the Hokage himself. He could do nothing but accept the inevitable.

He left the lab, and Sakura got to work, preparing the samples to run DNA analysis on.

She was determined to prove Naruto wrong. She did admit, that the Akane girl did resemble her, and acted so much like Naruto it hurt. But she had to be the practical one here.

Naruto was obviously out of his mind at the moment. He was being a fool.

She was faced with the hard reality that nothing could be changed. The only thing she herself could do right now, was attempt to reconcile her family's qualms, and make the best of what she had now.

There was no setting back the clock.

She desperately hoped, that running these test would prove to Naruto that anything he believed about this girl, any possibilities he had of her being their daughter, was just wishful thinking.

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AN: Hope y'all like the second chapter! I'll probably edit this tomorrow. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for too long (or another WTF moment to happen in the manga haha). Sorry I went off with the Sarada flashback, haha. This fic might be longer than I expected. I'm writing so much for each chapter, because I feel like there's a lot I need to explain, and a lot I want to happen. Sorry if it's going too slow, but yeah, thought this was the appropriate pace. Hopefully it doesn't get longer than 10 chapters, haha.

And I'm sorry, but DNA test taking a few seconds by just plopping it on a platform, like in Gaiden, is not accurate lol. As a biochem major, I didn't have the heart to BS that like Kishi did, lol.

Also, thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I didn't expect this fic garner much attention, but I really appreciate it and was shocked that it has! Honestly, with everything happening in Gaiden, everyone's reviews were uplifting and what kept me writing when I'd get frustrated, haha. So thank you from the apex of my heart! Let me know what you think of this chapter! If there's any questions or theories, please don't hesitate to ask/let me know! I love hearing them!