Disclaimer : I do not own any characters or the story of Naruto or Boruto.

A/N : This is going to be a relatively short story, maybe a few chapters. This is a SasuHina story but in a twisted way. This will be canon compliant for the most part and takes place a few years before the first Boruto movie. Boruto and his friends are somewhere around 8/9 years old. Please read and review. From the next chapter, I will be responding to reviews (if I manage to get any, haha) at the end of the chapter. Thanks!


Chapter 1

Sasuke stopped in the middle of a clearing in the forest he was trekking through. He could sense a strong chakra source coming directly towards him at a speed which only a few ninjas alive could manage. This chakra source was alone and maybe a few miles away from him when he sensed he was being followed. At first, he thought maybe he was being spied on. But this entity just kept coming closer and closer such that any possibility other than an attack was highly unlikely. So, here he was, getting ready to defend himself. He couldn't think of any village or organisation that would be dumb enough to attack him head on like so. However, it was never in his nature to back down from a fight. 'This ought to be fun', he thought.

He slid his sword in his right hand and lowered it, standing in a relaxed stance that he preferred, waiting for this chakra source that was so determined to confront him. A few seconds passed as a gentle breeze blew through the clearing, blowing through his bangs which hid the Rinnegan of his left eye. If there was one thing that he had learnt in his journey for redemption, it was to be patient and calm even in the face of danger. He had nothing to be worried about, really. He was one of the two strongest people alive and with very little to lose at this point in his life.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at one end of the clearing. Sasuke knew this is the enemy nin that was following him, however looking at the small shadowed figure, he could tell this person seemed like a child or was really short. He readied his stance to attack as the figure leapt out of the shadows to land only a few yards away from him. But as soon as he got a good look at the person emanating the strong chakra signature, he froze and could only stare. He was right, it was a child maybe 12 or 13 years old. The child had a huge grin on her face. A face that was so foreign yet so familiar. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Otou-san!" exclaimed the child as she leapt out again, this time towards Sasuke with her arms open without any hesitation or fear. Hardly had her exclamation registered in his mind, he could feel his jaw dropping and his mind blanking as the small body crashed into his larger one, scattering his sword a few yards away frrom them. The girl hugged him tight and he could feel her body trembling with excitement and joy. Sasuke knew he should push her away, pick up his sword and demand an explanation. He just stood there numbly trying to process what was happening.

A few moments later, the girl let go of him and moved a few steps away from him. Further surprising him, she bowed down low in front of him. "I apologize for my outburst, Otou-sama. I was relieved to be able to find you so quickly. I still haven't been able to properly execute the dimensional teleportation jutsu. Please forgive me. I cannot get home by myself." said the girl. Sasuke felt his face contorting into a frown in his confusing from everything he had heard so far. He took this opportunity, as she waited for his reply, to properly survey the child in front of him that keeps claiming she was his daughter.

She has long dark midnight hair with spiky bangs that framed her face. Her skin was a shade lighter than his own and her soft facial features reminded him of a certain someone whose image he immediately pushed to the back of his mind, refusing to even acknowledge that thought. The most striking observation was her eyes though. It was like looking into a mirror as he stared back at the dark eyes, exactly like his, staring back at him. He couldn't help but notice the short sword tied to her back as she smiled gently up at him with admiration and adoration. Whoever this child was, she was a skilled ninja, that much he was sure of.

'Could this be a genjutsu? A trick?', he thought. No, that couldn't be, surely. If anything, he was the master of the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. His eyes were trained to spot any deception from miles away. No, this was really happening.

"Who are you?", he asked.

The girl's eyebrows drew closer as she looked confused and hurt. "I'm Mikato, Otou-sama", she said. Sasuke continued to stare at her. For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that this could be Sarada. Even though she looked nothing like the infant he last saw a few years ago. This girl seemed much older than Sarada should be now, she doesn't wear glasses either and he knew for sure, being her mother's daughter, Sarada would never call him 'Otou-sama'. The name this girl gave him just confirmed his instinct though. The familiarity of this name was not lost on him. He knows who must have named her.

Sasuke found himself unable to think clearly and he knew that was bad. He knew he couldn't really rule out this as an ambush. Specially with him having a hard time controlling his emotions. He needed someone else to do the thinking for him and he knew just the person for the job. Naruto.

With his mind made up now, he forced his face to blank out any expression. He flits off in less than a second and materializes behind the girl without giving her time to put her guard up. He hits the back of her neck, although being much more gentle than he would have been if it were anyone else, hitting the pressure point that causes her to black out. He swiftly picks her up with his arm and races off towards Konoha.

Back in Konoha, the seventh Hokage was in his office, tiredly going through the mountains of paperwork on his desk, sighing every few minutes. Naruto looked out the window and saw that the sun was going to set in an hour or so and his work for the day was nowhere near done. He took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, realising yet again that he won't be going home. Shikamaru looked up at him from the other corner of the room. He noticed the dark circles under Naruto's eyes, the lines of stress on his face which used to hold an ever present smile he rarely gets to see these days. "Maybe you should leave the rest for tomorrow, Naruto", he suggested. Naruto looked up at his most trusted advisor and gave a weak smile. "I can't. There is too much to be done. You should go home, Shikamaru." Shikamaru let out a little chuckle at that. "Can't really leave you alone with paperwork, can I? I'll have to sort through it again tomorrow then. It's too troublesome," he replied. Both men couldn't help but laugh at that.

Naruto felt the ping of a familiar chakra signature nearby which brought a genuine smile and happiness to his face. A second later, Sasuke materializes in front of the pair, standing in the middle of the Hokage's office. Shikamaru's sharp eyes were the first to notice the small bundle that Sasuke was carrying in his arms which made him wary of what news Sasuke has brought this time. 'Kami knows it's never good news,' he thought.

"Good to see you back, teme!" exclaimed Naruto, standing up to greet his best friend. Its been a long time since he has seen Sasuke, specially in Konoha. "You should visit home often, you know. Sarada is growing up fast", Naruto said with a kind smile. Sasuke nodded at him in reply and then at Shikamaru, acknowledging his presence. "We have a situation. You need to ask Sakura and your wife to get here as soon as possible." Sasuke was never one to beat around the bush as he got straight to the point.

Naruto was surprised by this strange, sudden request but he knew enough not to question Sasuke when he looked this serious. He looked at Shikamaru who promptly walked out of the office to make the necessary notifications with ANBU on stand by.

Sasuke walked towards the couch on one side of the office and gently laid down the unconscious girl in his arms as Naruto addressed him. "What's going on Sasuke? And what's this got to do with Hinata-chan? She is no longer on active duty, dattebayo." Sasuke deadpanned at him, giving nothing away as he said, " I know and you'll see." Shikamaru walked back into the office stood at one corner, patiently waiting for an explanation on this bizarre situation.

Sasuke readied himself for the awkward conversation that is sure to follow, as he tries his best to explain the situation to the Hokage.

"I found this girl a few tens of miles away from here. Actually, she found me. She says her name is Mikato and claims that I am her father." He paused a moment for this to information to settle in. He continued after the brief intermission. "It's certainly not possible that this is my child. I don't know where she came from or what she wants. But she is a very strong and capable ninja despite her age. She could be a threat to Konoha, so I brought her here. I haven't interrogated her yet. I leave that in your capable hands." He sighed deep after the long monologue.

Both the Hokage and his advisors had twin expressions of shock on their faces at the information just relayed to them. Neither spoke up for a few moments as they processed it. Shikamaru was the first to break the silence. "Why did you ask for Sakura and Hinata to come here for this?" Sasuke looked at the advisor as he spoke, "I knocked her out to bring her here. Sakura needs to check her out to see if she is alright." "And Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Sasuke paused a moment thinking about how much of his hunch he should reveal to Naruto. Finally, he decided that it would be too suspicious to be completely honest with him so he instead replied, "We need her Byakugan abilities to make sure this girl is real and not a clone or transformation."

Naruto frowned and enquired, " You could have just told me that. I would have asked Hanabi-chan to come in. She is a jounin now, she is more than capable to handle this." Sasuke internally sighed. 'He isn't that dumb anymore. I have to try something else', he thought. He quickly revised his approach and explained, "Since this situation directly involves me personally, I would prefer only few trusted people know about it. She is the Hokage's wife, so I trust her to be discreet." Naruto wasn't about to give up the argument when it concerned his wife. He didn't like this one bit. He argued on, "But Hanabi-chan is trained to be discreet. She would have been com.."

There was a loud angry knock at the door before Naruto could finish and the office door opened slightly as a pink head with angry eyes looked into the room, zooming in on the Hokage. "Naruto! Do you know what time it is? I have patients waiting at the hospital.." she complained as her eyes finally took in the rest of the occupants in her room and settled at her husband. She was shocked into silence at seeing him and her feet automatically walked her into the room till she was standing in front of the love of her life. "Sasuke-kun, you're back.." she whispered, unable to believe her eyes as a deep blush made its way upto her cheeks. "Hn" was all Sasuke said to acknowledge her presence.

Naruto looked at the couple in front of him, in the middle of a long awaited reunion and smiled sadly at the picture they painted. His former teammates' personal lives have been complicated, to say the least. But there were more important matters at hand to take care of. He started, "I am sorry, Sakura-chan but we needed your help with a matter of urgency." He pointed at the still unconscious body on his office sofa as he continued, "That child needs medical attention to make sure she is doing alright." This seemed to snap Sakura out of her Sasuke-induced nostalgic reverie and she snapped her head towards the direction Naruto pointed at. "Who is she?" she asked as she knelt down in front of the sofa and started her examination. "Her name is Mikato. Sasuke found her and we need to make sure she is okay before we start our questioning." Naruto explained, intentionally leaving out certain parts that were bound to cause further friction that he wanted to avoid at the moment. Sasuke found himself to be thankful for Naruto's tact and nodded at him to show his approval.

A few minutes passed by as Sakura finished her examination and stood up. "She is doing fine. Just passed out. She should be waking up any moment now", she said. She looked around the room noticing the somber expressions on the three faces around her and sighed. "I presume I have to be discreet about this", she said and looked to Naruto. Naruto nodded at her and gave her a smile as thanks. She then turned towards her husband and said, "Sasuke-kun, I hope you will visit home this time. Sarada would love to spend some time with you." Sasuke looked at her pleading face and felt the familiar coils of guilt tugging at his heart but he kept his face blank and grunted in order to be vague. Years of experience had taught Sakura to not keep nagging at Sasuke when he was deliberately being vague like this, so she accepted this answer and kept quiet.

A few awkward moments passed by as Naruto glared at Sasuke, Sakura stared at her feet sheepishly and Sasuke ignored them looking anywhere but at his wife and best friend. A soft knock at the door saved the day, as the door swung open slightly and a dark head with curious light lilac eyes surveyed the room before entering. She held a soft smile on her face as she acknowledged, in her soothing voice, the four people in front of her, " Good evening, mina-san. Naruto-kun, you asked for me?" A big cheery grin spread across Naruto's face as he looked at her beautiful face looking at him expectantly with all the love in the world. "Ah! Hinata-chan! It's good to see you. Is everything okay at home? I am sorry I couldn't come home the last few days", he said with an apologetic smile. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I know you have been very busy with work lately. Please don't worry about Boruto and Himawari. They are well and asleep at home now. How can I help?" Hinata asked her husband.

Sakura looked longingly at the Hokage and his wife. She couldn't help but feel envious of their relationship. She looked at Sasuke and found him staring out the window with a straight face. 'If only he would look at me like Naruto looks at Hinata', she thought sadly. In the meanwhile, Sasuke couldn't stop his heart from beating rapidly at the new developments his surroundings had taken. He could not bring himself to look at the new person joining the room so he stared out the window giving himself another pep talk for the umpteenth time to keep himself steady and not do something he would later regret.

"We need you to examine the girl there with your Byakugan, Hinata-chan. Please let us know if you find anything abnormal in her chakra network", Naruto told his wife. Hinata nodded at this and at once turned towards the sofa, activating her bloodlimit to survey the young girl. There was something vaguely familiar about this child that she couldn't quite place in her mind but she decided to think nothing of it. Once done with her examination, she turned towards her husband and said, " I couldn't find anything abnormal in her chakra network. She seems to be a completely normal girl to me. Although, her networks are very developed for someone her age, specially around her eyes. It wouldn't be too far fetched to assume she has a powerful dojutsu, similar to the Byakugan or the Sharingan. But its not either or them, I haven't seen tenketsu networks like these before around the eyes", she explained softly giving as many details as she could. She wanted desperately to be helpful.

Four confused pairs of eyes turned towards her as they seemed to digest her findings. Shikamaru spoke up shortly after, "What do you mean its neither the Byakugan or the Sharingan, Hinata-san?" Hinata looked at him and softly replied, "Inheritors of either of the dojutsu have chakra network around the eyes that are well developed. The pattern of the network around the eyes corresponds to the type of dojutsu the person wields. I have seen the chakra patterns around the eyes of members of my family. They look similar. I am also familiar with the chakra pattern around the eyes of a person with the Sharingan", she turned her eyes towards Sasuke who was listening intently, as he felt his heart skip a beat. Ignorant to the whirlpool of emotions in Sasuke's mind, Hinata continued, "From Sasuke-kun, ofcourse. This child however doesn't have a pattern that I can recognise but it's the closest match to the Sharingan." As she finished her explanation, she looked around the room finding four curious eyes looking directly at her. Not used to this kind of attention, a light blushed dusted across her cheeks as she looked down self consciously. "I am not completely sure of this, ofcourse..", she added lamely.

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts at the dejected expression on his wife's face and smiled at her. "You did very well, Hinata-chan. Thank you", he said. This cheered Hinata up as she quickly look up at him with a happy smile. The sweet exchange between husband and wife was interrupted as a rustle was heard from the sofa. All five conscious occupants of the room turned towards the source of the noise. They saw the girl, Mikato, rub her eyes as she sat up on the sofa. She finally opened her eyes and blinked several times, looking at everyone standing around her staring at her.

The stares of so many people she recognised, all looking at her with unfamiliarity like she was a stranger, unnerved Mikato. She quickly stood up from the sofa and looked at Sasuke. "Otou-sama, what's going on?", she asked, confused. Then, her eyes turned towards another loved face she recognised. She looked at Hinata who had concern etched on her face. "Okaa-san?", she asked her mother, hoping to get some answers. 'Mother and father are here. I shouldn't be worried', she thought. There was pin-drop silence in the Hokage's office as everyone stared at the young girl.

Sasuke felt his heart skip several beats as Mikato referred to Hinata as her mother. This confirmed all the suspicions he has had so far about her. He didn't know what to think or say as his mind completely blanked out once again, so he just stood there blankly observing the room and others in it from the corner of his eyes. His attention was pulled every few seconds on the woman he had been trying to ignore unsuccessfully since she walked in.

Naruto, on the other hand, felt rage burning through his veins at the implications of Mikato's words as they finally registered in his mind. He ground his teeth as angry words spilled out of him. "What did you just say?"

Mikato looked at the enraged face of the Hokage and felt a chill run down her spine. 'Why does uncle Naruto look so angry?' she thought, disturbed. A horrific thought passed through her mind as she scanned the faces of everyone else in the room. Uncle Shikamaru looked at her, analysing her with a calculating gleam in his eyes. Auntie Sakura stared at her with hatred and venom, with her fists clenched at her sides, which matched uncle Naruto's face. Okaa-san looked confused as she gazed upon her with concern-filled sad eyes. But the most disturbing of all was her father's gaze. He looked at her with a strange apathy which she had never witnessed before. Her father would never look at her that way. 'Otou-sama loves me and would never just stand by doing nothing if I was ever in danger' she thought. That's when she finally realised that none of these people knew her and she definitely didn't know either of them. They looked like the people she knew but she was practically among strangers.

Finally comprehending the danger she was in, she quickly got up and assumed a defensive stance, ready for any attacks as her eyes bled red and chakra veins popped out of the sides of her face, pumping chakra into her eyes. At this, she heard several loud gasps around the room as the proof of her being an Uchiha by blood was out in the open for all to see. Her gentle fist fighting stance and the veins around her eyes left little doubt about the Hyuuga traits she has inherited from her mother.

Looking at the red Sharingan eyes of the dark haired girl in front of him did nothing to calm down Naruto's rage. In fact, the transition had only further solidified the truth of her words earlier. She was indeed an Uchiha born to a Hyuuga mother. He was thankful when Shikamaru spoke up to address the new situation in front of them. Kami knows, he couldn't even begin to figure out what's going on.

"Who are you? What is your purpose being here?" Shikamaru asked the girl who looked ready to defend herself. He knew that an outright attack would be foolish in this case trying to detain the girl. Even if two of the strongest shinobi in the world are present in the same room, this girl was a complete wild card. 'Only Kami knows what her eyes can do. It looks like a Sharingan but Hinata said its not exactly that. We need more information', he thought as his mind raced at lightening speed to figure out the outcome of hundreds of scenarios this could go down.

Mikato looked straight into the advisor's eyes with serene determination as she spoke, "I'm Uchiha Mikato, daughter of Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Hinata, one of the few wielders of the Tenketsu Sharingan." She gestured towards the sleeves of her dark blue shirt which held the small symbols of her clan sewed lovingly by her mother. When she felt she had given enough time for everyone to finish surveying her clothing, she continued, "My intentions were not to come here. I am from a different timeline to this. I don't know where I am, exactly. I stumbled upon this timeline when I was training my dojutsu. I just want to go back home to the Uchiha district, to my family. But I can't do that right away."

Hearing this Sakura felt her body fill with outrage. "The Uchiha district?" she enquired in a deceptively calm tone. Mikato looked at her aunt Sakura as she answered, "Yes, my parents and siblings live there." This answer did nothing to calm the anger and envy Sakura felt down to her bones, in her blood. "Your siblings?" she asked in the same deceptively quiet tone. "Yes, my brothers and sisters", Mikato replied, not understanding where this line of questioning was going. "How many siblings?" Sakura heard herself ask. She felt herself being cocooned in her rage where rational thoughts no longer reached her. "We are five siblings", Mikato answered simply.

Sakura could no longer hold back her emotions. She slipped off the gloves on her hands and pumped chakra to her fists. As she got ready to deliver the first blow, in a flash Hinata appeared in front of Mikato, her arms stretched on both sides, shielding her. This dead-stopped Sakura on her tracks. "Sakura-chan, please calm down. She is just a child and cannot help the circumstances of her birth. She says she is from a different timeline which has nothing to do with this timeline", Hinata pleaded in her soft, calming voice. Hearing Hinata snapped Sakura out of her rage-fuelled daze. She stared at the duo in front of her as regret filled her being and she quickly averted her eyes downwards. 'What am I doing? I was about to attack a child over my personal feelings', she thought. She felt the familiar sting behind her eyes as her emerald orbs shone with unshed tears.

She turned her eyes to Naruto and said, "I-I apologize for my behavior, Hokage-sama. I shouldn't be here any longer. If there isn't anything else I can help you with, then I should go." Naruto looked at his former teammate and felt nothing but empathetic towards her. He completely understood what she was going through. He felt exactly the same way. To put his friend out of her misery, he nodded at her and watched her quickly leave out the door. He himself wanted to leave right behind her but he knew he couldn't. It was his responsibility as Hokage to deal with all issues in this village and he refused to run away from it regardless of how painful it might be for him. He took in a deep breath and turned his eyes towards Shikamaru for advice.

Shikamaru got his cue from Naruto and asked the girl, "What did you mean when you said you cannot go home right away?" Mikato looked at her uncle and answered, "I need to build up my chakra in order to open portals to other timelines. Right now I don't have any excess chakra stored in my seal." She raised her hand to show him the faded grey diamond seal on her palm. "My chakra reserves are not as vast as Otou-sama so this is the only way to get enough chakra to activate my dojutsu", she further explained. Shikamaru thought about it for a few seconds and enquired further, "How long will it take for you to store enough chakra to get back to your own timeline?" Mikato answered without stopping for a beat to think, "I can do it within a couple of days but I will need to be in a safe environment without disturbances. I will need my full concentration to achieve it." This surprised Shikamaru as he couldn't understand what was so special about storing chakra in a seal. So he asked her. Since the girl wasn't refusing information, he thought he should drink while the stream is still flowing.

"Like I said, my chakra reserves are not as much as my father's. This technique requires a lot of chakra and experience. I am still not very adept at using it efficiently so I need a large reserve to offset any waste. I store nature chakra after absorbing it into my seal. Once I have enough, I can release it", she explained.

Naruto felt his eyes widen at this explanation. He couldn't stop the question from slipping out of him. "Where did you learn to do that?" Mikato look at him, giving him a shy smile as she spoke, "From my uncle Naruto and aunt Sakura. It was their gift to me for my tenth birthday." Naruto felt his heartbeat quicken at that answer. "Are Sakura-chan and I married in your timeline?" he heard himself ask. Mikato frowned at that, thinking hard how to explain it to him. Even she did not completely understand their relationship. The best answer she has ever gotten from her mother was 'It's complicated'. "No, but you have a son together. He is best friends with my brother", she answered hesitantly, unsure of the reaction she would get.

Naruto looked at Hinata at once to gauge her reaction to this information. But he was happy to note she only had a delicate frown on her face with her eyes filled with concern as she looked at the young girl beside her. She turned to him feeling his eyes on her and remarked, "Naruto-kun, we need to help her get back home. I am sure her loved ones are worried about her well being. Is it okay if she stays at our home for a couple of days till she is ready?" The imploring look on her face is the same one he can never say no to. His kind and gentle wife has had very few wants and requests from him over the years anyway. He could never say no to her when she looks at him like that. With that look he felt some of his anguish over the situation drain away from his being. His wife really is an angel.

He gave his wife a soft smile and said, "Ofcourse, Hinata-chan. As long as it isn't too much trouble for you. You should take her home now." He then turned towards Shikamaru with a hard look in his eyes and said, "Make the necessary arrangements, please." Shikamaru nodded at the Hokage, understanding perfectly what was expected of him as he quietly left the office. Hinata and Naruto exchanged a few final goodbyes as she too walked out of the office holding hands with the young girl who was the reason for all the tension caused that day.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and sat down at his desk, rubbing his temples with his fingers which does nothing to ease the throbbing in his veins. He opened his eyes to look at his best friend who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange. Way too quiet. He narrowed his eyes at the man clad in all black, who was blankly staring at the spot Hinata and Mikato were standing at a few minutes ago. He felt his anger rise back up. "You've hardly said anything. What the fuck is going on Sasuke?" he asked angrily.

Sasuke turned towards his best friend. He eyed him warily, wondering what type of emotional roller coaster he has to force himself to go through now. He wondered whether he could just run away from this. This situation seemed like under control. He was hardly needed for anything else at this point. However, one glance at the determined look in Naruto's eyes let him know that escape wouldn't come easy. His best friend was not ready to let this go any time soon. He sighed quietly and spoke up, "I know nothing more about this than you. In a couple of days it wouldn't even matter, hopefully."

This attempt at side-stepping the issue went unappreciated by the Hokage. He scowled at the Uchiha in front of him ready to chew him out. "You know something that you aren't telling me, you bastard! What the fuck is going on between you and my wife?" he shouted in anger. At hearing the question come so bluntly from Naruto, Sasuke was taken aback. He thought maybe the Hokage would employ a bit more tact questioning his wife's faithfulness, with his best friend no less. However the look Naruto was directing towards him made it plenty clear, it wasn't his wife's intentions that he was questioning. Sasuke sighed again as he considered once more how much he should reveal to Naruto. As a last ditch attempt, he feigned ignorance. "What do you even mean by that?" he asked. At this pathetic attempt, Naruto's face hardened. "You know what I am asking, Sasuke", he said in a low pitched tone which sounded uncharacteristically threatening in his gravelly voice.

Sasuke realised, this was it. The secret he has been carrying in his heart for decades, the one which he planned on taking to his grave one day, was going to finally be out in the open to the one person he did not want to reveal it to. He felt dread coil in his stomach at the prospect but also a sliver of relief at finally being able to let those heavy words out that he had not spoken in his entire life. He looked straight into Naruto's sky blue eyes, with all the sincerity he could muster in his being, as his entire body tensed in anticipation of the reaction he would no doubt get when those words left his mouth, he quietly answered his best friend.

"I love her."