AN: Okay guys... I can explain. I know I know... it's been... 10 months. Almost a year, oh my goodness! I have been really busy and also, not gonna lie, been lacking of inspiration to write this story even though I am dying to finish it. I have the ending in mind, but the flow towards it always seems to get stuck. Do you guys feel me?

LET ME APOLOGISE ONCE AGAIN FOR THE REALLY LONG UPDATE. I try (can't promise) to update as frequent as I can, especially during the December month where I will be less busy! How have you all been anyways! i hope the current pandemic situation are easing out on you guys too! Much loves and do review to let me know how you guys feel towards this chapter and also, perhaps some inspiration suggestion? HEHE

.::.

"Kaa-chan?"

Sakura blinked, feeling the water running against her hand as she washed the vegetables that was in the basket. She turned to face her daughter and blinked, "Yes?"

"You've been staring into space for almost 5 minutes. Are the vegetables very dirty?" Sarada questioned, taking a few step closer to her mother. She knew something was in her head, "Are you thinking of tou-san?"

Panicking a little, Sakura instantly turned the water off and her mind drifted a little off as she thought about the water bill for the month, "Ah… I was just… distracted," she forced out a laughter and drained the water in the basket.

Sarada sighed and held onto her mother's elbow, "Was it because tou-san is back and instead of coming home, he just sent his usual crow and went straight to Boruto's grandfather estate?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura chuckled, "I'm fine!"

"Ever since the appearance of Yuu, kaa-chan been so off lately."

Sakura could not deny it but she knew she had to conceal everything. Ever since Yuu came to Konoha, from returning home once every five years to almost five times in a month. She understood that her husband had to clear multiple situation with regards to his synthetic child but idea of how her husband was never there during the Sarada's enrolment but instead, for Yuu, constantly ached her.

And now, the first place her husband visited was the Hyuuga's estate. It wasn't like their home was the first place he visit every single time he returned back to Konoha. Most of the times was the Hokage tower but at least, he could have stop by and greet them first before greeting his… second family.

Sakura knew her feelings were not justifiable but she just could not control it, "I'm fine. Are you hungry already?" She asked, smiling as she turned the fire on, "Just a little longer okay? I will stir this up real quick."

"Are you cooking a share for tou-san?" Sarada asked, leaning against the counter and sighed, "I just wish he would come home for dinner, at least."

Sakura sighed internally but still held onto the smile, "I will. I can leave some for him when he comes back."

.::.

"The food's nice."

Hinata stuffed a morsel of rice in her mouth and attempted to smile at the very sudden comment coming from the stoic male amidst the silence.

"Of course it's nice!" Himawari cheered, "Kaa-chan cooked it!"

"Hey, I contributed," Hanabi added in.

"Thought it could be better," Boruto chimed in, chuckling to himself knowing that his aunt would be annoyed at that comment.

"Shall I take the food away from you then?" A mini frown marred the brunette's face as she stretched her hand passed Hinata, attempting to snatch the bowl of rice away from Boruto.

"No! That's my dinner!"

"Hanabi," The head of the Hyuga estate finally spoke, eyes closed as he chewed onto his food slowly. "Let the kids enjoy the food."

"Ne, you're always bias against the grandchildren," sticking her tongue out, she returned back to her seat and stuffed a sliced potato into her mouth.

"I believe Boruto is kidding, am I right?" Hinata asked with a smile that sent instant chills down the three kids spine.

Yuu thought this could be the intimidating side of his mother. He looked around his surrounding quickly, noticing how everyone around the table was finally talking and laughing while eating after his father decided to start the conversation by mentioning how great the food was. Yuu thought he liked this particular kind of atmosphere. Warm, lively and close.

"Do you like the food?"

Yuu perked up, turning to face his father who was sitting on his right. He nodded his head and smiled, "Yes!"

"Your mum's a good cook. I guess so is your aunt," Sasuke said, grabbing the slice of potato and placed in his son's bowl.

"Have you not eaten kaa-chan's food before?" Yuu quizzed, tilting his head a little.

Though he knew that the relationship between his father and mother was slightly different from the rest of his friend's parents, there were times he was still curious on how close they were as friends, something his mother always mentioned.

"Ah, not really," Sasuke replied. "We don't get to interact often previously. But I heard from Naruto that she's a very good cook."

The boy nodded slowly, a little confuse and curiosity towards their relationship grew a little strong, "Will you be staying with us tonight?"

"No, I will be returning back home to Sarada," Sasuke said, flashing a hint of smile.

"I see. She must be waiting for you!" Mitsuki said.

.::.

Naruto sat by the engawa, feeling his shoulders relaxed as he listened to the little sounds of koi fishes swimming in the pond a few feet away from him. The night was cooling, despite it being summer. It had been a while since the last time he felt so relaxed. He closed his eyes, taking in the breeze as he heard the sliding door opened and footsteps making their way towards him.

He knew who it was, after all he had been chasing him for years.

"How's dinner?" Naruto asked, eyes still closed as he leaned against the pillar.

"It's good," Sasuke replied, sitting next to him.

"You are back again. What's the issue this time?"

Sasuke titled his head towards the sky and rested his weight backwards on both his palm, "I had a bad feeling about the Chunin exam. Someone may know about Yuu."

"Why would you say that? Orochimaru said this was just his personal creation to curb his curiosity, he didn't let anyone know other than Jugo and the rest," Naruto quizzed calmly.

"I don't know, intuition I guess."

"Since when you became a female?" Naruto chuckled and took a breath in, "No worries, I will up the security during the Chunin exams. After all, many of important status are visiting. It's a great time for anyone to infiltrate."

Sasuke nodded. He knew Naruto's decision to increase the security was to ease the worry he was feeling. After all, the previous Chunin exams had no changes with the security system. He smiled inwardly. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Father things," Naruto said, shrugging and breathing out a sigh. "How's Sakura, by the way?"

"She seems good."

Naruto kept mum for a moment. After all the years of working together, he thought it was pretty easy to see through any hidden emotions of the members of Team seven. Naruto had noticed that Sakura had not been herself lately, mostly zoning off during her times in the hospital. It was not a surprise that Sakura shook it off whenever he questioned, mentioning about how she was just worried about Sarada entering the Chunin exams.

Perhaps it was about Yuu. Even he himself, had a tough time trying to get use to the idea of his wife having a new kid. It was obvious at the sudden increase in the amount of times Sasuke returned back to Konoha and it would be easy to just link it with the appearance of Yuui. How could anyone blame Sakura if she was to ever think how her husband was prioritising his new son?

Naruto thought he could do Sakura a favour. "You should check up on her."

"Has she not been doing good?"

"Nothing, she's just been zoning out lately. Could be that she's tired. No harm checking up on her, bet she would appreciate it, Sasuke," Naruto said, flashing a weak smile.

"I will, thanks," Sasuke responded. "Thank you for looking over her for the times I have not been around."

"You have been returning quite often lately," The blonde decided to pop the question.

"I'm just worried for Yuu. His existence is honestly… a threat to this world of ours. I do not want anyone to use him for anything. I do not want your wife to handle this burden alone."

Naruto thought his heart felt a little pinch. He never really notice this side of the Uchiha. The stoical male had never thought how hard it would have been for Sakura for all the years he was not there for them. Why only now he decided to put up a good father figure? And it was not even for the daughter that had been existing since the beginning. "What about Sarada?"

"Yuu's abilities may be bigger than anything, or anyone we have come across. He possessed both Hinata and my bloodline limit. Who knows what the world thinks of him, or at least, his capabilities."

Indeed, the vast possibilities of how great of a power Yuu possessed from having both the genes of an Uchiha and Hyuga, was infinite. "Yuu… so much power and there he is, innocently playing with Boruto and Himawari," Naruto chuckled. "He definitely got the innocence from Hinata."

"I just hope he doesn't land under anyone's hand. Hinata's seems like the best caregiver for him, not because she is his mother but because of her composition. She's the opposition of war."

The way Sasuke described the blue head sent a wave of tingling sensation to Naruto's stomach. He never once heard his best friend describing his own wife in such a manner so why was it that Hinata had gotten such special treatment?

"Sasuke, do you think co-parenting works for you?"

"I try to be present."

"I just wish for no boundaries to be cross."

"What do you mean?" The Uchiha quizzed.

"Ahh… nothing," Naruto replied, eyes locked at the starless sky as he tried to ease the uneasiness within him.

.::.

"Tou-san, do you think there will be a day where I can get to see what's out there? With you?" Yuu questioned as he gently dropped a pebble into the river.

Sasuke thought he could spend some time with his son at the place where he detested the most when he was young. The dock by Konoha's river. The moon was a little brighter tonight as it lit up the entire river through its reflection. He thought he could take some time to understand the character and personality of his son, deep down in hope that Yuu, being a possessor of the Uchiha's blood, would not be consume by the Uchiha' Cursed of Hatred but instead, got the genes of his mother's purity.

"You seem really curious of the outside world. Why didn't you explore when you're with Orochimaru? He didn't seem to be forbidding you to do that," Sasuke replied, turning his head slightly to face the miniature version of… Itachi and Neji.

"I never thought of it. Nothing intrigue me at that moment… not till I saw Sarada and you," Yuu finished with a beam. "Now I want to see everything with you and kaa-chan!"

"What do you want to see?"

He bit his lips and rolled his pupils to the corner as he gave the question a serious thought, "Perhaps…," his mind drifted to this mother, the relationship between his parents and eventually landing on a particular female that he met a couple of days ago: Sumire.

"Hm?"

"I want to protect people. If tou-san is going out to protect this village, I want to see what's out there for me to learn to protect the people I… love?" Yuu ended his sentence with a question, slightly confuse at the usage of word.

"That's a strong word," Sasuke chuckled a little. "Did you mum teach you that?"

"She uses it often," Yuu replied, nodding his head as a small smile adorned his face. "She told me she loves me. So I guess I love her too."

Maybe Yuu's love within and around him, or Hinata's teaching would prevent the kid from dwelling into the curse Sasuke once failed to avoid. "Your mum's a very loving person."

"Is she?"

Taking a deep breath in, Sasuke shrugged lightly, "I didn't get to interact with her a lot, other than the fact that when we are young, our households were pretty close."

"Where's your house then?"

"Ah…" Sasuke smiled, "It's gone. They took it down when… I was… young. It's a long story, maybe we can find a day and I will tell you about it."

Yuu shifted himself completely to face his father, face filled with curiosity and yearn for his stories, "So why didn't you and kaa-chan talk?"

"We just didn't," Sasuke said, mentally pondering to himself the reason too. "I heard from many, including Naruto and Sarada's mother, Sakura that she is one of the most loving person on earth. I can see where they are coming from now."

"Really?" The kid was full of questions.

"Just the way she's is. Her heart is pure, and I am glad you're being taken care by her. Her love will bring you peace and happiness, Yuu."

His eyes softened a little as the memory of his mother flashed across his mind. For some reason, the blue head's composition reminded him of his mother, someone who was so loving to his dad despite his fierce and demanding character. He wondered did his mother stop his father from falling into the curse trap. "She reminded me of my mother," Sasuke finished.

"You mean… grandma?"

"Yea," Sasuke nodded. "They are both very loving."

The sound of footsteps could be heard, leading to both of them turning their vision towards the direction where a female, dressed in a dark blue top and mid-length skirt, quickly paced her way towards them. She waved, and it was clear as the moon that she was the shy blue head the males were just talking about.

"Ah! You guys are still here!" Hinata said, her voice a little louder as she tried to reach them.

"Kaa-chan!" Yuu returned the wave with a wide grin. Sasuke instantly knew how important Hinata was to his son.

Each step taken caused the old wood to creak as the female Hyuuga made her way across the dock .She stopped in front of them, hands on her chest as she slowed her breathing down. "Aren't you guys cold? It's almost autumn."

Sasuke thought he could almost let out a laugh when he saw how frantic she was for a brief moment when she realized upon the cold weather. "It's fine. We are about to go off too," instead, he replied stoically.

Her pale eyes turned to look at him, meeting his duo coloured eyes, "Are you staying in Konoha tonight?"

"Yes, I told Sakura I will be back home."

Her eyes smiled as she lit up, "Sakura-san must be so happy."

"Sarada too!" Yuu added in.

"Ah!" Hinata exclaimed softly, "I almost forgot to hand you this earlier on," pushing a book that seemed old and tattered, she continued, "A week ago I learn from you that… cooking isn't your forte," she said, trying her best to sugar coat her words in case the Uchiha decide to put her into an illusion and torture her.

"Is this kaa-chan's old recipe book?" Yuu titled his head a little as he stared at the book, "It seems very old."

"It dated back when I was… a genin," she giggled as the memories of the rookie nine played in her head. "I would write down my own formula, with reference to my mum's as I experienced with her recipe. I thought you can use this to help Sakura with the cooking."

Sasuke always wanted to be a good husband and a good father. Protecting the village only made him a remarkable hero and with all the time spent away from home, he thought he could really just make it up by stirring some simple meals at time. Other than his usual tofu miso soup, which also happened to be something Hinata briefly taught him.

"Thanks, Hinata," he stretched his hand out and took the recipe book, attempting not to grab it too harshly or tightly in case the seemingly tenuous book just disintegrate in his hand. "I will keep this safe too."

"You can just keep it at home," she laughed. "Sakura can learn a few things from there too! You two can spend time together cooking!"

"Can tou-san cook with us some day too?" Yuu jumped, "I want make onigiri with him, and okonomiyaki!"

Hinata turned to face her son as she teased, "that seemed a little too advance for him… don't you think?"

"Right, tou-san can't cook," Yuu decided to join in the bully.

Sasuke merely smirked as he noticed the two's intention, "We should head back home now."

"Right," Hinata nodded. "It's getting cold."

Agreeing, Yuu took the lead and started skipping his way back to the main pathway, humming a tune of his own as he left both his parents behind. The night was getting colder indeed, a representation that it was getting later. Hinata was glad that Naruto had decided to bring the children back home first as she cleared the dishes, giving her some time alone with her sister and father.

Been a while since the last time the three of them spent time together, even though they only ended up drinking tea and most of the time, Hinata and Hiashi listening to Hanabi talking about her life. She still enjoyed it a lot. Noticing that the moon was shining brighter than before, she decided to take the river route home, wanting to appreciate the glistening reflection of the water. She just did not expect to bump into the two new male that recently got immersed into her life.

"I thought you're bringing him for a walk," Hinata said, watching as Yuu continued skipping ahead and occasionally stopped to look at the tiny flowers on the ground.

"I did. Stopped by here and thought we can have a conversation. I want to know his personality."

"So what did you find out?"

"He's a nice kid. Doesn't seem to bore any form of hate," Sasuke said, feeling a sense of relief.

"The era now that we are in… almost seems like we are free from war and hatred, don't you think?" Hinata asked. "It seems so different as how we use to be."

"Hate doesn't seem to align with you," Sasuke replied.

"Hm?"

"I feel safe that Yuu's under your care. I just don't wish he would dwell into the curse of hatred because he has my blood," The stoic male explained.

Hinata stopped in her tracks, causing Sasuke to follow. "I got you, Uchiha-san," she assured. "He's my child too."

"Thank you, once again."

"You don't have to," Hinata said, taking a quick breath before continuing to walk. "What else did you guys talk about?"

"Nothing much," Sasuke stared at Yuu from a distant. "He just reminded me of my brother and your cousin."

"Ah… I thought I was the only one," she chuckled.

"Seems nice to… have their presence here again."

"I agree."