Naruto and Sakura's five year mission

by Cmartin-Panda Productions

After several months of recovering from being taken hostage by the Borg, Starfleet want's Picard to have a pair of bodyguards on hand at all times. What he didn't expect, was getting those two bodyguards from a pre-warp planet full of Humans. The two 20 year old ANBU veterans, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, embark on a new adventure across the stars.

17. Chapter 17: Uzumaki

Hay all, cmartin here. Sorry for us being away for so long. Life has been getting in the way. With me recently, my aunt died and my grandma ain't too far behind.

Anyway, I thought I'd take this time to address some recent reviews.

Habu2010: Glad you are enjoying it! It's good to hear our readers enjoy our fics.

Hanmac: Go for it, man. But just to remind you, Andorian's are not slugs but hey...good way to think outside the box.

thedarkpokemaster: You'll just have to wait and see ;)

Czar Joseph: Yea, as I said...life has been busy.

Kyranus: The Biju will remain native to Element.

Dreaw Mac: Well...it won't be quite like that, but we do promise action in Chapter 18.

Shigure Toshiro: One fresh chapter coming up! It will be ready in a few days.

chuck17: I get where you're coming from, but all of this needed to be established for future chapters. Trust me, while chapters 17 and 18 will be relatively more filler, 19 will be action packed.

guest: Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but yours was like a fart in church. Sakura is a strong-willed woman and in a lot of ways, my girlfriend (soon to be fiancé) has a lot of Sakura's characteristics and I love her with all my heart. Saying what you've just said is basically an insult to all strong-willed women by calling them nasty. That aint cool.

Samuraipanda85: If I could just jump right in here. Guest, I am flattered that you like our style of writing. That said, if you're looking for a Naruto story of ours that isn't narusaku, you're going to have to look elsewhere. I love Sakura and I love the narusaku pairing. So any Naruto stories that I will be involved with will contain narusaku. Me and cmartin have thrown around the idea of a Gohan x Sakura story with Naruto x Videl or Ino. But as of right now, we have only narusaku stories being written or sitting on the back burner. So all I can tell you is to either keep an open mind or find stories that meet your criteria. I'm not being critical either, there are plenty of great authors out there for all pairings. We wish you the best in finding them and we wish those other authors all the best.

And chuck17, I can also see where you are coming from. I like to think that everything we put down has value to the story, but many times that can just be that we added it because we thought it would be a fun thing to add. That's honestly the thinking behind how we write chapters and how we write stories in general. Because we think it would be a fun thing to read. That doesn't undermine your criticism, but what I'm trying to say is that we do read your review and we do take them with a grain of salt. So thank you.

cmartin: So, yea. We take everyone's suggestions and critiques to heart and we will do our best to respond properly.

Panda: Some other reviews that were written after we wrote the above responses.

Drekk: So glad you enjoyed it. And thank you, I think I got most of it out.

SageModeSasuke: It's our pleasure. We are just flattered that we could inspire you and others to write your own Naruto/Star Trek stories. For those of you that like our story concept but secretly loath our narusaku pairing, SageMode over here made his own Naruto/Star Trek crossover with the canon couples. Check it out if you're into that sort of thing.

dragonic raptor: That's some high praise you have bestowed upon us. Praise we are gracious to accept. Also, good eye. We've been more or less aware of that flaw in our earlier chapter for a while but it never seemed to bother anybody so of course we left it alone to work on other chapters. But now that you have pointed it out we don't have an excuse anymore. Plus, the fact that I drew further attention to it in this review reply.

---

The next few moments were a blur as Sakura stampeded into the hospital and assaulted the front desk clerk with questions.

After showing her Starfleet ID, Sakura was let into the emergency care ward where the boy with the stab wounds was being treated. She stopped upon entering the boy's room. He was asleep, just out of surgery, and his vitals looked weak but stable.

Before Sakura could do anything another woman came running into the room from behind her and started fussing over the boy's unconscious body. Evidently this was the boy's mother, whom Sakura managed to calm down just in time from Hajime to arrive with his father and best friend.

"Man... you're fast..." Hajime gasped.

"You kidding? I feel like a beached whale I'm so slow." Sakura said, reminiscing about a few months back when she could have made it to the hospital in half the time.

"Y-you...call that slow?" Hajime said in awe.

"As a medical kunoichi, yes, I do call that slow." Sakura said seriously.

"Astounding..." Satoshi gasped.

"Katoru?!" The mother exclaimed, her brown hair all messy from her ordeal. "What are you doing here? And why is Dr. Haruno with you?"

"Which one? They're both doctors." Katoru said as he pointed to both Satoshi and Sakura.

"Well I don't see what more they can do? My poor baby is already out of surgery so I don't need any more of you poking him full of needles!" The distraught mother snapped.

"That wouldn't be necessary." Sakura informed. "He seems stable now."

"Yes, so please just leave...us...alone..." The woman blubbered as she broke down in tears.

Sakura nodded sadly before she turned to leave the room.

"Sakura, wait." Satoshi instructed as he went up and hugged the woman, who graciously accepted him like a lifeline.

"Oh Satoshi...how could they do this? Why would they do this to my baby boy?!" The mother wailed.

"I don't know...but this has to stop..." Satoshi said softly.

He helped seat the woman in her chair as he took the seat next to her.

The young adults still in the room just looked at their feet, feeling useless.

"Bro, what even happened," Hajime asked Katoru, placing his hand on the guy's shoulder.

Katoru took one look at his mom and signaled for both Hajime and Sakura to follow him out of the room.

"Some of Kailua's friends came to us and said that Kailua got dragged off by some of those Uzumaki fucks." Katoru spat. "When we found him he was laying behind the convenience store slumped up against the wall. A bunch of older kids held him down and shanked him over and over with a screwdriver...I know because the fucking tool was left stuck in between his ribs."

"Maybe there's something I can do." Sakura offered.

"What could you do that the doctors haven't already done?" Katoru said more harshly than he intended.

"Aside from that. There really isn't much more I can do except to check if they missed anything. I was referring to getting some justice for this incident."

"And how can you do that?"

"She's a genuine ninja." Hajime informed.

"How is sneaking going to help this situation?" Katoru asks.

"I'm not your typical ninja of Earth's past. I'm a Shinobi from Planet Element. We're far more skilled and powerful than the Ninjas of old." Sakura clarified.

"Look it doesn't matter. My boys got vengeance for my brother already." Katoru said simply.

"You did?" Sakura asked.

"I did." Katoru smirked a grin Sakura had never seen on stable man.

---

Meanwhile, over 5,000 miles away, Naruto could be found inside the head of the academy barracks. He was splashing water in his face to calm himself done.

'Come on, I've got to relax. It's fine. I just need to be patient with them...' Naruto thought to himself.

He took a nearby towel and dried his face. This was proving to be a lot more difficult than he thought.

'Gotta focus. These guys came to you to learn chakra. You can't let them down!' Naruto slapped his cheeks, his confidence reinvigorated.

Naruto made his way out of the rest room where he heard the quiet cries of a girl in one of the bunks.

'The Hell?' Naruto thought as he stopped and fully opened the doors to the barracks. Inside was none other than April Uzumaki laying on her bunk. She was cursing and struggling with herself.

"April?" Naruto asked, making said girl look up, her face stained with tears.

"Sir?!" She exclaimed as she stood up and snapped to attention.

"At ease...what's wrong?"

"Nothing sir! A personal matter. Nothing that would impact my training, sir." She replied automatically.

"Speak freely, Ensign. Despite my one on one speech with you earlier, I care about all the men serving under me. If you have a problem I would have it addressed in case I could help you, rather than leaving it to fester. You read me?" Naruto asked.

April only had to look into her commanding officer's eyes to know that he was being sincere. He truly did have trustworthy eyes that made you want to believe in this man no matter what the cost.

April started tearing up as she remembered the conversation she had with her mother.

"M-my...brothers are in the...hospital...they're both in critical condition and...t-they... don't know if..." April sobbed.

Naruto had to steel himself. How many times had he heard those cries coming from the field hospital after the war? Even with everything he and his friends had done to eradicate evil from their planet it would not go quietly into the night. Injuries from the battle against the 10 Tails still resulted in deaths even months after the war. Bandits and thugs were no less common. No matter what anyone did, they just couldn't save them all. And the families were always left to suffer.

"I'll deal with the paperwork to get you some time off to be with your family." Naruto stated. "This won't negatively impact your training."

"Sir?" April sniffed.

"You heard me trainee. Now where exactly do you live? I'm probably going to have to mention that in the report." Naruto said without skipping a beat.

"N-Nagawa Japan..."

Now that made Naruto do a double take. "Nagawa, Japan? Holy crap, no way!" Naruto exclaimed, completely shattering April's perception of him as a kind but hardened military man.

"My girlfriend is there right now finding out about the relationship between our two planets. I can teleport you over to the city right now."

"Wha-but sir! What about your duties here?" April exclaimed.

"I'll have a Shadow Clone take over. No worries." Naruto said as he created one Shadow Clone.

"You really don't have to do this, sir..." April choked out.

"Nonsense. We might have gotten on the wrong foot earlier. While I don't intend to give you any special treatment, if you are related to me like my girlfriend thinks (and she's usually right) then I want to get to know my long lost family." Naruto smiled.

That did it. April spilled fresh tears before throwing herself into Naruto's chest, hugging him tightly as she sobbed hard.

"T-thank you..."

"No worries. Just make sure not to hug me around the other trainees. Can't play favorites, remember?" Naruto chuckled.

April realized what she did and pulled away quickly. "S-sorry, sir..."

"No worries. Grab what you need and we'll leave shortly." Naruto ordered.

"I'm...good to go now actually."

"Well then never mind. You know what to do, right?" Naruto asked his clone.

"Got it, boss." His clone replied.

"Alright then. Grab my shoulder." He instructed April. 'Sakura is gonna be so surprised.' He thought giddily.

April was hesitant at first, but complied ad put her hand on his shoulder.

Because they were about to attempt a distance Naruto had never tried before, he made doubly sure that he got the hand signs all in order.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!" Naruto shouted before the two security officers vanished in an orange blur of light.

---

Five thousand miles away, as Sakura and the rest of the Haruno sat inside the little boy's sick bed, the air in front of Sakura shimmered with a flash of light and out appeared a familiar looking blonde man and a short red headed woman.

"BAAH!" The mother shouted as everyone backed up at the sudden appearance of the two Starfleet security officers.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura stammered in sudden shock.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled. "Surprised to see-Why are you at a hospital?" He asked.

"Uzumaki!" The mother shrieked. For a second, Naruto thought that she was talking about him, but it soon became clear that she was referring to April.

"I don't care what business Starfleet has in here, GET OUT!" She cried.

"Naruto, you best get her out of here. There's been a serious incident between my clan and the Uzumaki's." Sakura said.

"Serious incident? What are you..." Naruto tried to say before again seeing the stink eyes that all the other men in the room were directing at April, who in turn didn't flinch under their gaze, as if she was used to it.

"It's fine, I was just leaving!" April said loudly and spitefully. "Thank you, Sensei." She said before turning her back and storming out of the room.

"Sensei?" Satoshi wondered aloud before glaring at Naruto. "You're training an Uzumaki!?"

'Oooh...shit...' Sakura thought.

"What's wrong with that?! I'll train whomever I damn well please! Who are you to tell me otherwise?" Naruto snapped, making Satoshi fume.

"Sakura, I realize that your boyfriend would not know any better. But he should know not to trust any Uzumaki in these parts." Satoshi stated.

"You got a problem with Uzumakis?!" Naruto demanded to know. His rage a most being subsided when he noticed the two other mops of pink hair in the room. Including on the man he was yelling at.

'Naruto...shut up...' Sakura thought, it was a shame he couldn't hear her.

"As a matter of fact, we do!" Katoru snapped as he tried to size up Naruto. "And by the way you're acting so brash, I'd say that you're starting to remind me of one."

"Well good work, genius, cause I am an Uzumaki! What do you say to that?!" Naruto snapped, making the hospital room turn dead silent.

"Naruto...you're an idiot..." Sakura deadpanned.

All eyes turned back to Sakura, with Satoshi's looking absolutely hate filled.

"You are dating an Uzumaki?" He slurred out as of the words themselves tasted foul in his mouth. His eyes gazed down upon Sakura's belly with disgust.

Sakura sighed. "Yes...however, I wasn't lying when I said he's a Namikaze. His father was Minato Namikaze, our 4th Hokage. What I didn't tell you is who his mother was."

Satoshi whipped his hear to glare at his son. "You knew about this, didn't you?" He growled.

Sakura growled. "So what if he is a Uzumaki?! Naruto is the very definition of a hero! He practically single-handedly saved our entire WORLD and thousands more while being out in space! Name a single Haruno who has done that! Not even I could measure up to that!" She bellowed.

Yet Sakura's words would not reach the enraged Haruno leader, who had long since made up his mind on the Uzumaki clan. "You should both go." He said firmly.

Sakura felt hurt by her cousin's words, but she would not show that to him.

"Fine...be that way. Let's go, Naruto." Sakura huffed before shoving her way past Satoshi and out of the room. Naruto followed close behind.

As soon as the couple left, Satoshi's rage turned upon his own son. "As for you! How could you keep this secret from me? How could you that...that-that-that traitor come into our house and eat our food?!"

"Dad, she's not a traitor! She's not even from our actual clan! She's from a whole other planet and you were getting along with her just fine before you learned that she was screwing someone half Uzumaki!" Hajime stated.

"Even a drop is too much!" Katoru spat. "Come on, Hajee, you're the head of our gang. You fight Uzumaki, you know what they're like."

"I fight against the violence. To stop shit like THIS-" He pointed at Katoru's younger brother. "-from happening!"

Hajime glared at his friend and father. "Yet everyone lets their hate of what the Uzumaki's did well over a thousand years ago dictate who they are now...this was never our way and you know it!"

"A thousand years ago?! No one gives a crap about that! What about the shit they pull now?! Attacking our little brothers and sisters out on the streets. Showing up our cousins out in medical school, forcing our uncles to sell their businesses to them! Those fuckers are a pain in the ass now without that stupid fairy tale!" Katoru snapped.

"Forget it, I fucking knew that you wouldn't understand." Hajime said as he stood up to leave. Only turning back once to look at his father.

"I don't know why I expected better from you. Maybe because you're a freaking doctor. But I just assumed that you of all people would want an end to this stupid feud." Hajime said before slamming the door shut.

'I need some fucking air.' He thought.

Back with Naruto and Sakura, they had found themselves sitting in the waiting room as far away from the Haruno clan as they could get.

"You just had to open your mouth..." Sakura sighed.

"What did I do? Those guys were the ones acting like assholes!" Naruto exclaimed.

"And I told you that the Harunos and Uzumakis were on bad terms and to use your father's name. Once again, you don't listen to me." Kurama stated.

"Kurama? Where are you?" Naruto asked. He couldn't see his demon companion anywhere.

"I'm over here." Kurama said as he emerged from underneath the top of Sakura's hair. Naruto didn't know how, but Kurama had shrunk himself down to the size of a cricket and hid in Sakura's hair.

"H-how...did you..."

"Never mind that."

"The nurse wouldn't let a dog in and my fib that he was my service dog fell through. So we improvised." Sakura quickly explained.

"Oh...makes sense."

"Yes, now back to the matter at hand..." Sakura said before slapping him in the back of the head. "Baka! Now I'M an outcast of my own damn family!"

"Hey! They're not actually your family! And why do you care? You wanna be related to assholes who hate me because of my last name?!" He defended himself.

"I AM related to them actually!" Sakura snapped as she showed him the DNA results on her tricorder. "THAT means you're related to both the Namikazes and Uzumakis here..."

"Wait...really? You mean...you were actually able to..."

"Prove Lady Tsunade's and Captain Picard's theory? Yup." Sakura smirked.

"Well shit, that's great. Sorry I got you kicked out of your family. I didn't mean to do that." Naruto apologized.

Sakura just sighed. "It's fine. Although maybe my theory really is flawed. I mean, how exactly am I related to them!" Sakura gestured over at the Haruno's sick room somewhere on the other side of the hospital.

"I know what you mean. You and your parents would never act like that to guys you've never met. It's bullshit." Naruto said.

"Yeah, same with how there is no way you are related to the Uzumakis here on Earth." Sakura said.

"Personality differences aside...the DNA shows that you have the same blood. Meaning that you have the key to propelling our world into the next era." Kurama interjected.

"Hold on a minute, Kurama. Personality differences, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"Well it seems that the Uzumaki here are all a bunch of thugs and bullies. You should have heard what they did to the Haruno clan a thousand years ago."

Naruto stared blankly at her, trying to process what he just heard.

"I'm sorry, what?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. A thousand years ago, or whenever, your ancestors from this planet left my ancestors to get killed by some army that was after them, the Uzumakis, so that they could escape." Sakura stated.

"That's the gist of it, yes." Kurama said.

"What? That's ridiculous. No family members of mine would ever do something like that." Naruto stated firmly.

"I don't know what to tell you, Naruto. That's what the head of the Haruno told me." Sakura said.

"Well I want a second opinion." Naruto decided.

"One of them pulled a knife on her when we got here." Kurama informed.

"And I'll go beat the shit out of him later. Right now I still want that second opinion." Naruto said, repressing his urges to go kill whomever dared to pull a knife on his Sakura-chan.

"Okay fine, and just how do you plan to do that?" Sakura asked skeptically.

"Simple. We go and talk to my family." Naruto said.

---

On the other side of the hospital, April Uzumaki was busy praying with her mother as they sat in between April's twin brothers; Arata and Sakana. Well technically April wasn't praying, her mother was, but April wasn't the most religious 19-year-old security officer. Mostly she just sat there to support her mother and her half-brothers. April looked up when she heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, Mom." April whispered before she stood up to answer the door.

She opened the door to see Naruto and Sakura standing behind it.

"Hey...how you holding up?" Naruto asked.

"Fine, thanks again for bringing me here." April said as her eyes inevitably focused on Sakura's hair and her expression hardened.

"Anything I can do to help?" Sakura asked sincerely.

"You and your clan can leave mine alone forever if that's not too much to ask." April said harshly.

"Ensign...that is my girlfriend you're talking to like that." Naruto scolded.

"Naruto...it's okay. If she doesn't want my help, I understand." Sakura said calmly.

"April, if they want to come in, then let them." A woman's voice spoke. It took the two shinobi a moment to realize that it was the Uzumaki mother with the extra-long red hair talking.

April sighed. "Okay mom." April said before stepping aside to let the both of them in (plus one teeny tiny Kurama).

Sakura let Naruto take the lead, she understandably felt like more of an unwanted guest. They both bowed towards the grieving mother.

"Hello, ma'am. I don't know if your daughter has had the chance to mention me yet, but my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am a ninja from another planet and your daughter's drill instructor."

"Ah yes, I believe my daughter has mentioned you in a few of her emails." The mother said as she looked up to face the pair and Naruto froze like he had seen a ghost.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Although I wish it could have been under better circumstances." The woman spoke, baring a striking resemblance to another Uzumaki woman that Naruto knew.

"My name is Karin." She said as she adjusted her glasses.

'Kit, she looks just like...'

'Like my mother wearing glasses.' Naruto finished his thought.

"Wait a minute...Karin...where have I heard that before..." Sakura mused.

"You don't remember Sasuke's female teammate from Taka?" Naruto whispered to her. "We captured her at that bridge in the Land of Iron."

A light bulb went off in Sakura's head and she snapped her fingers. "That's it! Your cousin Karin! How could I forget?"

"Um, excuse me?" Earth Karin asked.

"Oh...sorry. It's just that Naruto has a cousin named Karin back on Element." Sakura said sheepishly.

"Is that so? Well the name is fairly traditional in my clan. Although I suppose it is technically our clan." She corrected herself.

"But what is more surprising is that you look exactly like dead mother." Naruto said bluntly. Making Sakura go wide eyed at his proclamation. Mostly because even after Naruto had shared his story about meeting his mother with all their friends, they had never been able to unmask a single photo of her. Her likeness having been wiped from the history of the Leaf village after the Kyuubi Incident. Naruto had always described her as beautiful and now Sakura could see for herself that he had not exaggerated in the slightest.

"Naruto...is this really what your mother looked like?" Sakura breathed out in awe.

Naruto gulped. "Yeah...I mean I think so. I'm actually scared to ask her to take off her glasses for a second to make sure. I think I'd uncontrollably run up and hug her then."

"Um, I'm still right here." Karin said.

"Heh...sorry about that." Naruto said sheepishly as Sakura got to work on scanning the two unconscious boys.

"Hmm...medically induced coma and severed spinal cords...ugh..." Sakura groaned. "You mean to tell me that medical science of this caliber can't fix that?" She asked no one in particular.

"I don't know who you think you are, but this is one of the top-ranking hospitals in the entire Federation." April declared.

"And Sakura-chan is the best medic Ninja on Element who has proven to be better than this technology time and time again." Naruto countered.

Sakura cracked her neck. "Yup. Just give me a few moments and they'll be as good as new."

"Except you can't use any chakra since you're pregnant." Kurama reminded them.

"My seal has more than enough to fix this." Sakura reminded.

"And if you tap into it, the baby will just syphon it off too until you're using your own chakra and then collapse like all the other times." Kurama said.

"The baby isn't going to suck up that much chakra, now hush."

"No Sakura, you're not listening to me. You're handicapped. You can't help these little kits with your chakra. Get over it." Kurama stated firmly.

"Because you-"

"Um...who is that talking?" Karin asked.

The three Elementians looked over at Karin, just now realizing that their conversation wasn't private.

"Um...would you freak out if I said a miniature 9 tailed demon fox that lives in my girlfriend's hair?" Naruto asked.

Karin looked at Naruto like he had 3 heads. "Uhhh...what?" Karin asked.

"He's a being from our planet. Just think of him as a talking fox that can change his size at will." Naruto explained.

"Uh huh..." Karin said, wondering if this guy was dropped on his head as a baby.

"So I believe I also overheard you saying that you can heal my boys, or was that another fairy tale?" She asked.

"No, it's true. It's just that these two are being worry warts..." Sakura grumbled.

"Sakura, I know it sounds like a shifty thing to do, but maybe Kurama has a point." Naruto said.

"Of course I've got a flipping point! You want to perform spinal surgery when your chakra network is completely allocated to giving birth to your kit. I've listened to enough of your lectures that Kit here ignored to know that your master would never allow you to do this in your condition." Kurama stated firmly.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?! My clan did this, I should be the one to fix it!"

"You suck up the fact that shit happens and it's out of your control! But never mind that, it's not why we are here." Kurama stated.

"Yes, what are you here?" Karin said impatiently.

"We want to know the Uzumaki's side of the story in regards to the feud between you and the Haruno's." Sakura informed.

That threw April for a loop. "I'm sorry...what now?"

"You know...the Harunos had the first ever medical school in Japan, in a temple. Your ancestors took advantage of their kindness. The Harunos treated them, and then the Uzumaki left them to die at the hands of an army." Sakura briefly explained, making April raise an eyebrow.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" She asked.

"Oh come on, you must know..." Sakura insisted.

"I know." Karin spoke up. "Figures that the Haruno would hold grudges like that."

"Wait...so, it is true?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, although I'm certain that the Harunos have exaggerated their side of the story for centuries. It's what my father did." Karin said.

"So, what really happened?" Naruto asked.

Karin looked down at her two boys, their breathing so shallow.

"Where to begin? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start by saying that our clan's earliest known records have us as a family of warriors back in Ancient Rome."

"I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with that place." Sakura said.

"It was one of the greatest empires in Earth's history. Located in what is now Italy which is south of France. Its territory expanded around the Mediterranean Sea at the height of its power. The entire empire lasted nearly 5 centuries." Naruto said.

"How do you...?" Sakura asked.

"That book on war that Picard gave us. It mentions Rome a lot. Many of the most famous battles in Earth's history were fought by the Romans. But the Roman Empire fell nearly 2000 years ago and their influence never spread farther than the middle east. How did your ancestors get to Japan?" Naruto asked, sounding unusually academic for him.

"Okay...who are you and what have you done with my baka of a boyfriend?"

"Hey, I can be smart when it comes to things that interest me. It's just all the other stuff that bores me so I drone it out." Naruto said.

"It's a rather embarrassing story actually." Karin said sheepishly, eerily reminding Naruto of his mother even more.

"Rome in those days fought in large army divisions known as Legions. Back then, military service was very honorable. People used military service and honors won in battle to elevate their status in society. Our family was no different. At the time of our story, our entire male line was serving in the same Legion. Said Legion fought in the battle of Carrhae against the Parthians and lost badly. 10,000 Roman soldiers, including our ancestors were captured and forced to march eastward to Margiana. Where they fought for the Xiongnu chief Zhizhi against the Han dynasty and we're captured again. This time taking them even further east into modern day China. There they founded the village known as Liqian, or Legion..." Karin paused to take a breath.

"Our story doesn't end there though. After the survivors of the Legion settled in China, our ancestors did not stay content with living half a world away from their homes. They sought to travel their way back to Rome and ended up heading in the other direction until they ended up in Japan."

The trio from Element blinked three times.

"That is just... abysmal navigating..." Kurama stated. Seems that the apple truly didn't fall far from the tree.

"Yes. In any case, once our ancestors had reached Japan, they had integrated with the locals and we're content with blending into the Japanese population. They found a calling in mercenary work in Japan. They would travel from town to town, defending anyone who could pay. They even came under the employment of local lords from time to time. But always fighting and always on the move..." Karin said sadly.

"Okay, that matches up so far." Sakura mused.

"Yes. According to the tales and poems passed down from our ancestors, our clan usually took on the highest paying clients just to feed their clan for the year. Times back then we're peaceful and the men of the clan were not yet skilled in anything but war." Karin said. "This all changed when one poor Daimyo managed to win over the sympathy of our clan leader. The Daimyo had opposed the tyrannical rule of a neighboring kingdom. The Daimyo of that evil kingdom demanded tribute in lands and subjects, but the poor Daimyo would not subject his people to such turmoil. The evil Daimyo sent his armies to annex the poor kingdom. The Daimyo had so few soldiers at his disposal as it was. Our clan was asked to supply the bulk of his army."

"The men all fought valiantly, but unfortunately for the small and noble Daimyo, the realities of war clashed and his army folded after prolonged conflict." Karin said. "Our clan was forced to flee for their lives after the last climactic battle. Which led them into the arms of the 'oh so noble' Haruno clan and their temple."

"Which resulted in them getting slaughtered..." Sakura said.

"Yes, but it's not as the Haruno say. After they healed us and we partied for days, the evil army had surrounded the temple and meant to slaughter every man, woman, and child in that temple. Regardless if they fought against them or not. They were all citizens of the Daimyo who had opposed them." Karin said.

"I have no doubt that my ancestors sought to hold off the invading army as long as they could. Perhaps bleed then dry so that they would withdraw from a pointless siege." Karin added.

"Unfortunately, after a day and night of battle, it became clear that the army would not retreat and was ready to bear their losses if it meant wiping out their enemies for good. So the morning after the battle, we sent one of the Haruno out to seek help from a neighboring village. He promised to come back with help. So we continued to hold the temple." Karin said.

"Now this is the part where Satoshi said that the Uzumakis fled and left the Harunos for dead." Sakura said.

"Fled?" Karin exclaimed. "We tried to stay and fight to the last. It was the Haruno that begged us to flee and leave them behind. They claimed that they would appease the army with their medical skills. Say that the we fled like cowards and the army would have mercy on the Harunos still left in the temple. Our clan leader begged them to let them take the Haruno women and children with them, but the Haruno men would not risk it." Karin said. "My ancestors fled to the nearest village and when word came to them that the Harunos had been slaughtered in their temple, they wept for them. They held a party that very night in the local tavern to honor the Harunos as they would any of their fallen brothers. Yet the surviving Haruno clansmen thought this to be an act of disrespect on our part and never forgave us. From that day forward, whenever my clansmen fought to preserve the lands that the Haruno lived in, they would not even treat our wounded or comfort our dying."

"So... that means..." Sakura said in realization.

"It means nothing." Karin said firmly. "It is just one other version of a story that has stood between two ancient houses for thousands of years. Who knows which version is more accurate or even if either of them are remotely close to the truth." Karin stated.

Sakura nodded. Now she had a better idea of what was going on.

"So tell me. Does the curse of our two houses extend to your planet?" Karin asked.

"As far as I'm aware. No. The Uzumaki Clan was unfortunately wiped out long before I was born. Naruto and his cousin Karin are the only two survivors that I know of. Myself and my parents are the only Harunos I know of that still live."

Karin gasped in horror. "Oh my...I'm so sorry to hear that..."

"It's fine. We were never known as a large clan so far as I knew. We were practically a civilian clan until my parents decided to let me join the Academy." Sakura said.

"The Uzumaki on the other hand were widely known for their skill and prowess with sealing techniques as well as a special ability where in some cases, their chakra has healing properties if an injured person bites said Uzumaki with said ability. Also, a unique Kekkei Genkai where they can fire chains made of chakra out of their bodies to subdue or even kill an opponent." Sakura added.

"Wow, no way." April said as she tried to flick her hand and shoot chains out of her wrist like heavy metal Spider-Man.

Sakura saw this and couldn't help but smile. She reminded her of Naruto a little bit.

"Some Uzumaki are also naturally gifted as a sensory type. Meaning that you can sense the presence of people around or near you." Sakura added.

"Fascinating. Do you posse all these powers, Naruto?" Karin asked.

"Um...no, I don't think so. I only got the Uzumaki life force." He said with disappointment.

"That you know of." Sakura said.

"Kit, you might not have realized this, but when you took control of my chakra you gained your clan's sensor abilities. You just never think about them so you don't use them."

"Wait, seriously?" Naruto asked.

"Seriously. Just pretend that you're in your Golden Sage mode or whatever and try to sense life energy."

"Um...okay." Naruto said before doing exactly that. In an instant if felt like Naruto had taken off his gloves. He could "feel" every presence in the hospital. All those tiny flames of light, some burning bright, others just barely flickering, and even more embers that would one day grow strong. Then he felt Sakura, April and Karin. While Sakura's was definitely larger out of the 3, the other two were nothing to scoff at.

"Well I'll be damned..." Naruto said in awe.

"What?" April asked.

"You both have a higher than normal chakra level. You're both civilians, yet you have the chakra levels of a Chunin or a Jounin." Naruto exclaimed.

Both Uzumaki women looked at Naruto like he had 3 heads.

"Uhhh...come again?" Karin asked.

"Heh. Yet another Uzumaki trait. Above normal chakra levels." Sakura smirked.

"So... what does that mean?" April asked.

"Simply put, follow Naruto's training to the letter." Sakura said firmly. "If you wanna be strong like him and be a modern day shinobi, he is the man you need to learn from."

Naruto put on a fake smile to hide the fact that he had no flipping idea on how to unlock April's or any other trainee's chakra for that matter.

"But...how?" April asked. "How do I use chakra? I have no idea."

"Meditation is the best way. Focus on finding your physical and mental energies. Learn where they come from, how to channel them, and how to combine them. That is how you mold Chakra."

"We've been doing that for four hours and haven't achieved anything." April complained.

"It doesn't happen overnight. I wish it did, but it takes a lot longer than that. And complaining about how long it takes isn't going to get you anywhere. I had to teach my own Genin this. Patience, focus, dedication." Sakura listed off. "Those are the keys to your training."

"Didn't you get that little kit to walk on trees the first time you met her?" Kurama spoke up.

"Who? Oh you mean Sally. That was only because I channeled my chakra into her. Children are easy to teach when it comes to chakra. Adults are more difficult." Sakura said.

"Yea, you're telling me..." Naruto grumbled, making April look down in shame.

Naruto saw this and felt bad. "Still...it couldn't hurt to try."

Then a lightbulb went off in Sakura's head. "Naruto. Channel some chakra into her. She will get an idea of what it feels like and she can then learn to find hers on her own from there."

"You sure I can't take her outside to run up the hospital walls? Cause that sounded like more fun." Naruto said.

"That too, sure. Same concept." Sakura shrugged.

"Um, I have a fear of heights. Could you just channel your chakra through me?" April requested.

"Why not have her walk on water?" Sakura suggested.

"Where are we supposed to find a lake at this time of night?" Naruto asked.

"I know where." April said.

"Okay, lead the way." Naruto said before remembering where they were. "Hey, you don't mind, right, Mrs. Uzumaki?"

"No, not at all." Karin smiled.

Sakura coughed. "Well, then...I suppose I should-"

"Wait, Sakura...I want to talk to you." Karin requested, stopping the medic from leaving.

"Um...sure." Sakura said a little hesitant about what the elder Uzumaki wanted as Naruto and April left.

"You're unlike any of the Harunos I've known, Sakura. I can see in you the kind and caring nature that the Harunos of old used to have. It brings me hope that one day, our two clans will live in harmony." Karin said.

"Thank you...coming from you, that means a lot." Sakura smiled.

"Yes, which brings me to another question. You said that my boys suffered damage to their spinal cords. Could you tell me exactly what that means for them?" Karin asked seriously.

Sakura sighed. "If not treated properly, they could become paraplegic. Meaning they can't walk anymore."

"And you gave the impression that you could prevent that?" Karin asked.

"If I had access to my chakra yes. I could fix everything with no negative side effects."

"And you said you didn't have access because of your pregnancy?"

"Correct..." Sakura sighed.

"And if we were to wait until the end of your pregnancy, could you still heal my boys?" Karin asked.

"I... don't know. I still have another 8 months to go."

Then Sakura remembered something. "Kurama, can't you use your chakra to heal them?"

"Me? I'm not sure. I've never used my chakra on anyone besides Kit. And I'm pretty sure I never healed a broken spine..." Kurama said.

"Could you please just try?" Karin begged.

Kurama sighed. "Alright...I'll give it a shot..." He then jumped off Sakura's head and returned to the size of a dog, his nine tails easily visible now.

Karin jumped back at the sudden appearance of the orange fox with nine swishing tails.

"You're a nine tailed fox?" Karin exclaimed, believing them to just be ancient myths and legends.

"Yes, but don't be alarmed. Since she can't use her chakra, I'm going to try and heal them myself."

"I know, I heard you. I just didn't know you were a demon fox. I thought you were just some tiny alien." Karin said.

"Naruto is my Jinchuriki. Normally, I live inside him." Kurama informed.

"What the heck is a Jinchuriki?" Karin asked, thinking that she recognized the word, but couldn't place it.

"Oh dear..." Sakura sighed. "A Jinchuriki is a host body to a tailed beast, such as Kurama here. Back in the day, Jinchurikis were used as tools of war because they could use the power of their tailed beast to cause mass destruction. But now, thanks to Naruto, there will be no more Jinchuriki..."

"That sounds fantastical. Like living nuclear weapons." Karin said.

"It made Naruto's life a living hell..."

"How?" Karin asked. Sakura was about to answer her when Kurama interrupted her.

"Yeah, no need to open up that can of worms again. So, I'm just going to try to make your kids walk again." Kurama said as he stood in between the beds of the boys, still knocked out cold by the morphine. He took two of this tails and placed them over the foreheads of the boys and began channeling his chakra through them.

Sakura meanwhile was scanning the whole scene unfolding with her tricorder to make sure everything was going smoothly.

And it was.

"Stats are improving, Kurama. I'm seeing electrical activity in the lower half of their bodies again." Sakura informed.

"Great, tell me when to stop..." Kurama said with his eyes closed, making sure not to overextend his channeling. Inside the boys' bodies their spinal cords and their vertebrae or getting back together to the way they were before. Shattered bone was knitted back in place, nerves were knitted back together, neural Electro activity was restored.

"Slow it down now." Sakura instructed.

Kurama did just that and could hear the little boys sighing as the pain washed away.

"Okay, that looks good. You can stop now."

Kurama removed his tails and Karin gasped with joy at seeing her two angels sleeping peacefully in their beds. Sakura smiled when she saw this, it was the best part of her job.

"They should wake up in a few hours, but I would let them rest until morning." Sakura instructed. "Other than that, they should be completely fine."

"T-thank you...so much..." Karin cried happily.

"No problem."

"It's my job." Sakura replied.

"What is this?!" They heard a male voice shout from the doorway.

Sakura turned to see an angry red headed man in a business suit enter the room.

"What the hell is a filthy HARUNO doing here?!" He bellowed.

"Kazuo Uzumaki, you stop right there!" Karin bellowed. "This Haruno just saved both our boys from a life in a wheelchair!"

"Yea, I bet she did. I'm willing to bet she's the one who put them here." Kazuo snapped back

"Are you an idiot?! She's pregnant! You just got done filling out the police report, didn't you?! Do you think a pregnant girl grabbed both of our boys and beat them to a bloody pulp?!" Karin exclaimed, her eyes filled with tears.

"Whoever did it, they were associated with the Haruno and I won't have them anywhere near my family!" Kazuo shouted.

"You know what?! It's fine! I'm leaving!" Sakura snapped a she jumped up and made a beeline for the door.

"Sakura! Wait!" Karin called out. But it was too late. Sakura left the room and was quickly followed by Kurama, who closed the door behind him with his tail.

Out in the hall, Kurama pounced on Sakura's head while shrinking himself in midair. He landed on her hair as light as a cricket and crawled his way to her bangs where he wouldn't be spotted by any of the hospital staff.

"Well that worked out well." Kurama said.

"Whatever. I save two kids life's and I get the business end of a prejudice rant." Sakura huffed.

"Exactly. You saved the lives of two kits. Well I did, but you pointed me in the right direction. The point is that one asshole shouldn't matter." Kurama stated.

"Well, it does matter. To me at least."

"Oh come on. You only care because that guy is supposed to be your family." Kurama said, getting to the meat of the issue.

"He's an Uzumaki. How is he related to me?"

"Don't you consider Kit to be your family? Or does it not count between you humans without some piece of paper?" Kurama asked sarcastically.

Sakura looked down shamefully. "No... I just forgot about it for a moment..."

"Don't be ashamed. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just curious. I figured that with everything that has happened you would just assume it automatically." Kurama said.

"Well I've still got to propose, right?" Naruto asked as he snuck up behind Sakura and hugged her.

Sakura jumped. "Sweet sage...where did you come from?"

"Behind you." He teased as he nuzzled her neck before turning her around to face him.

"Haha..." Sakura said humorlessly.

"Yeah, couldn't resist. No, I was on my way back to the room when I saw you walking down the hall and I did what felt natural." Naruto explained.

"So, where's April?" Sakura asked.

"Well your training method worked beautifully Sakura-chan. We found a tub of hot water in the rehab room that no one was using and I used my chakra to help April walk on water. After that she could activate her own chakra with ease. I sent a message to my clone back at the Academy and he sent one back that it was working with the other trainees too." Naruto smiled proudly.

"Well, that's good to hear." Sakura replied happily.

"But what happened to April?"

"Oh she went back to the room. I thought you would have seen her." Naruto said.

"No... I didn't see her. I did see her asshole father though." Sakura said sourly.

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked, not liking the look on Sakura's face.

"I'll tell you in a moment, let's not open that can of worms right now."

"Why? What did he say? Did he give Sakura crap for being a Haruno?" Naruto growled.

"That's a nice way of putting it."

Naruto's eyes flashed into slits. "I'm gonna go give this guy a piece of my mind."

"No you won't, Naruto. Just leave it alone." Sakura said firmly.

"No Sakura, I don't care who this guy is. He doesn't get to treat you like that." Naruto growled.

"Naruto please..." Sakura begged as her eyes became misty. "Please, no..."

Instantly Naruto's rage subsided and Sakura fell into his hug. The night's events finally catching up with her.

"There there..." Naruto soothed as he patted her hair. The two of them just rocked back and forth in each other's arms.

"What is wrong with these people?" Naruto asked aloud.

"I don't know..." Sakura sniffed. "Maybe we would just be better off telling Picard of our discovery and leaving these idiots to stew in their feud."

"Come on, Sakura-chan. You don't mean that..." Naruto said.

"Don't I? They both hate each other. They have for centuries. We've got no more in common with them than their names and their hair colors. So let's just leave them to rot." Sakura cried.

"Come on, I'm sure that if the two of us worked together we could help these two clans find common ground." Naruto suggested.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Sakura cried into Naruto's chest.

The man thought about that for a few seconds.

"I don't know..." He admitted. Naruto felt the eyes of the nurses staring at them and decided to relocate them both somewhere private. He chose the first empty sick room he could find and led Sakura inside there. Upon entering however, something seemed off. It wasn't until he flicked on the lights that he realized that the strange noises were coming from the couple making out on the bed.

"Oh shit! Sorry!" Naruto called out to the couple with the red and pink hair.

'Wait, what?' Naruto did a double take as the couple untangled themselves quickly as soon as they noticed that they had been found out. Naruto got a good look at them and almost couldn't believe his eyes.

"April and..." Naruto exclaimed before getting stuck on the guy's name.

"Hajime?" Sakura said for him after she looked up and saw the secret couple for herself. Said couple broke apart like they had both been shocked when they noticed they had been found out. The two couples just stared at each other for a few seconds, with looks of horror on all of their faces.

"Uhhhh...h-hey..." Hajime stammered, hoping to break the tension, but Sakura had her eyes fixed on the other woman in the room. Sakura saw red as she glared at April.

"You mean after all the BS you gave me about being a Haruno and we catch you with your tongue down his throat?!" She snapped.

April just blushed and looked away shamefully, afraid to look at her.

"Wait a minute, Sakura-chan. This could be a good thing." Naruto said.

"How is this a good thing?!" Sakura snapped, feeling so frustrated at the moment.

"This could help unify the two clans. Think about it."

Sakura did think about it and the gears started turning. Her eyes went wide.

"This could be the common ground we were looking for." She said.

"Ummm...we're still here, ya know." Hajime interjected.

The other cross clan couple snapped out of their excited daze and looked at their friends sheepishly.

"Whoops, sorry about that. But I think you two have some explaining to do." Naruto said as he shut the door behind them.

"Yea, I thought you said you were dating a Nara." Sakura said.

"Oh that was a front relationship. A double front one actually. This way her parents don't get wise to her dating an Inuzuka." Hajime explained.

"Huh...Uzumaki and Haruno love must be a universal thing in some cases." Sakura mused. "But anyway, how long has this been going on?"

"First off, it absolutely isn't a universal thing. I don't know if you have noticed, but nobody has been exaggerating how much they hate each other." April said. "Second...it's been going on for...holy crap, was this our 3-year anniversary?" She asked Hajime.

"4th, actually." Hajime corrected.

"Woah...that blows ours away. We've only been dating for 2 months." Naruto said.

"4 years?! Where did the extra year come from?!" April exclaimed.

"We started when we were 15, remember?"

"Well I think I'd remember and extra year of secret dating." April said.

"Yes, except you served on the Enterprise for a year. We were apart for that time, but I counted it."

"Moving right along. How did this happen?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, we met in Starfleet Academy together when we were 14. At first we hated each other because of our clan rivalry, but after several months of living together in a Cadet dormitory, we kinda grew on one another." April said fondly.

"Yeah, I always used to show her up on exams while she beat my records on the obstacle course and pulled pranks on me." Hajime said.

"You pulled pranks on me first." April huffed.

"It was an innocent panty raid. And a complete coincidence that I picked your drawers." Hajime defended.

"Yea, I bet. You were always a perv." April scoffed.

"You were the one that stole my boxers as revenge." Hajime countered. "And then wore them in front of me."

April blushed. "I...uh...I d-dont know what you're talking about."

"Don't you? Because I distinctly remember seeing you sit down in front of me during advanced Astro-chemistry and seeing my boxers stick out of your pants."

April's cheeks were beet red.

"If anyone's the pervert here, you are. I may have taken your panties, but I didn't wear them." Hajime smirked.

"You already stole my panties and I needed something clean to wear. And WHY were you looking at my ass anyway, huh?!" April countered.

"You haven't complained about it lately." Hajime stated.

"And you have since worn my panties!" April snapped.

"Okay, we need to get this back on track here." Sakura said, her face also beet red.

"Please." Kurama said, his ears pointed down so he wouldn't have to hear anymore.

"Look. We eventually started hanging out and then dating because the forbidden element made it really hot. A few years went by, April got assigned as a security officer on the Enterprise and I stayed back on Earth to finish my medical degree so that I could join her on the same ship. We would work together for a few more years, see where things go, and then maybe settle down on a Federation colony as far away from Earth as possible." Hajime said.

"Well, our world has plenty of room." Naruto offered.

"I thought your world was a non-warp world?" Hajime asked.

"For now." Sakura replied. "With the evidence of our two worlds being linked, the Prime Directive won't exist for our world."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean that your world will instantly be welcomed into the Federation. The government will have to form a committee to review your findings and confirm it themselves. Then they review your species and their value in joining the Federation. For a non-warp planet, this takes years. And that is not including the trickle down policy when it comes to letting the populous know about the existence of life on other planets. It could be a decade before the first...what did you call them...Elementians besides yourselves leave the planet and other species like us are allowed to settle on Element." Hajime said.

"That would be true, if our world wasn't already secretly contracted by the Federation to provide Shinobi in exchange for technology." Sakura countered.

"Wait, seriously?" April asked.

"That would definitely speed up the process. Although I can't be sure. This has never happened before in the Federation's history." Hajime said.

"Right, so moving along. I believe you said you two have been dating for two months?" April asked.

"Well it's closer to 3 now." Sakura replied.

"Anyone before you two?"

Sakura sighed. "Yes...I used to date an Uchiha and Naruto a Hyuuga."

"An Uchiha and Hyuga? Are those two clans both stuck up pricks on your world like they are on ours?" Hajime asked.

"Big time..." Naruto and Sakura groaned.

"And are they as close as our versions are?"

"No, not particularly. The Uchiha clan was wiped out maybe 13 years ago down to a handful. The Hyuga is still thriving, but both sides will tell you that they are the strongest clan. As far as I can tell they have always been like that." Naruto said.

"Oh, because the ones we have on Earth might as well be one clan. You always hear about the Uchiha pairing up with the Hyuga and vice versa. How they managed to stay two separate clans I will never know." April said.

"Yea, that's a sharp contrast to the ones on our world. Although, the way you described the Nara Clan, Hajime, they sound like carbon copies of our Nara Clan." Sakura stated.

"Why, are they lazy butts too?" April asked.

"Yes, they are very much so, but super smart."

"Same. I think it's to compensate for their overly athletic buddies the Akimichi." Hajime mused.

"Wait...overly athletic?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Yeah. Their clan philosophy is sound body, sound spirit. Or something like that. Now you can never watch the Olympics without seeing a few Akimichi represent Japan." April shrugged.

Sakura and Naruto just blinked.

"Ooookay...that's another sharp contrast." Sakura commented

"This is starting to get comical." Kurama said, making the two Earthlings jump.

"Who...who said that?" Hajime asked.

"That was me." Kurama said as he pushed aside the bangs atop Sakura's head.

"Holy shit. I thought you were Naruto talking in a deep voice." Hajime stammered.

"Oh hey its Kurama!" April said happily. "He's the one I told you about that slaughtered a bunch of Tolmeekians on that Klingon Outpost."

"Hey April." Kurama waved.

"B-but you said he was big enough to eclipse the sky. This little guy looks like he could fit in your pocket!" Hajime stammered.

"I can change my size at will." Kurama stated.

"I see...I assume that is because of chakra?" Hajime asked.

"Basically yes."

"He's made purely of Chakra." Naruto informed.

"But he can walk and talk. I thought chakra was energy." Hajime said.

"It is energy. Energy that can create life. Hence Kurama." Naruto explained.

"Oh...huh..." Hajime mused.

"Does that mean that I will be able to create a being like Kurama?" April asked excitedly.

"With a summoning Jutsu." Sakura said.

"Huh?" April asked.

"Naruto? Could you do the honors?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded. He bit his thumb enough to draw blood, making sure to let April get a good view of the summoning ritual. He then flashed through the hand signs Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram before slamming his palm down on the hospital floor.

"Summoning Jutsu!" He cried as runes spread out across the floor and a cloud of smoke exploded outward. When the smoke cleared, a tiny little orange and pink toad appeared.

"Yo, wazzup?" The little frog with a black vest asked.

"Woah! Cool!" April said in awe.

"Um, I'm sorry, I don't recognize you." Naruto admitted.

"Of course you wouldn't recognize me. I'm Chief Gamakichi's daughter Gamachiro." The toadette ribbited.

"Aw, no kidding?! Sweet! How's your dad doing anyway?" Naruto asked.

"He's good. Leading all the Toads is really stressful, but Uncle Gamatatsu is helping out where he can." Gamachiro said.

"Okay, this is really fascinating and all, but it's not at all what I meant when I asked if I could create life. I meant a new being completely of my own design." April said.

"No, you can't." Sakura said. "This is as close to that as you're going to get."

"Well..." Naruto interjected. "You can...but it is way too advanced for a beginner. Some shinobi train their entire lives and can never achieve that level."

"Can you?" April asked.

"Maybe at one time, but I can't now." Naruto said vaguely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hajime asked.

"It means that Kit here once reached the peak of the powers of chakra. And like all peaks everything afterwards was downhill. But trust me when I say that he is still head and shoulders above every other shinobi living on Element." Kurama said.

"Woah..." Hajime breathed out in awe.

"Right...now then...how are we going to explain this to the clan heads?" Sakura asked.

"Explain? We aren't going to explain anything. Didn't you see how our parents reacted when they learned you two were going out? They don't even know you two. They'll kill us." April said.

"Would you rather they find out about it later?" Sakura asked, completely serious. "If there is one thing that I've learned is that parents will eventually find out where their children have been running off to. And when that happens, it will be a lot worse than you telling them what's going on."

"That was why we came up with the brilliant plan to date in secret and disappear forever if it ever gets serious." April explained.

"And how is that going to work?"

"Like I said. We would go live on a Federation planet as far away from Earth as we could. I would work at a hospital." Hajime said.

"And I would be the drop dead trophy wife/soccer mom who would occasionally get bored of how routine life gets and would go on a tour of duty as a security officer for Starfleet." April added.

"So it's that simple to you, is it?"

"What do you want us to do? Our families don't just hate each other; they love hating each other. They have been doing it for two thousand fucking years!" Hajime exclaimed. "It's not like we can just throw a dinner party between the two families and smooth our tensions once and for all."

Naruto and Sakura just smirked.

April gulped. "Y-you're not seriously thinking that-"

"Oh yea." Sakura confirmed.

"That's seriously crazy, you guys." Hajime exclaimed.

"That's a part of being a ninja. Diving head long into crazy shit." Naruto smirked. Sakura nodded to confirm what Naruto said.

"Guys...it's impossible..." April stammered, making the two shinobi laugh.

"Do you have any idea how many times someone told us something was impossible?" Naruto chuckled.

"Oh man...if I had a Ryo for every time I heard that." Sakura snickered.

"Well I don't know how you plan on convincing them to break bread with each other. Both our parents hate you, remember?" Hajime said.

"We could always try the old bait and switch." Naruto suggested.

"Oh yes! We haven't done that one in a while." Sakura grinned a grin that could rival Naruto's.

April gulped. "What is the bait and switch, dare I ask?"

"Well it's like when me and Sakura-chan were on an ANBU mission together. It was flu season, so we got assigned a double mission. There was a crime family out in the mountains that requested the assassination of the head of their rival crime family's head. It just so happens that at the same time, the other crime family ordered an assassination of their rival's clan head. So we had to assassinate two crime lords at once. Rather than sneak into both their houses at night and get the job done in two days, we hatched an elaborate plan to get both families to attend the same dinner together. We sent them both a letter that said...was it that the other clan wanted to make peace, or was it that they were invited by the mayor of their village?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"Oh man...that was...what, a year ago now? Um... think we said it was a dinner invitation by the Mayor."

"Right. So obvious it wasn't, we got both heads of the clan and a sizable number of their family members inside a rented out ballroom. We even had them think it was a masked dinner so neither of them knew they were interacting with their sworn enemies. Sakura-chan then slipped a slow acting poison into both their drinks. We locked the doors, turned on the lights, both gangs freak out and start fighting one another while their bosses slip into comas and died. By morning, the local police force arrested the surviving gang members still trapped in the ballroom and charged them with destruction of private property. The reward money from the mayor for helping rid the mountains of those crime families helped make up for the loss after the surviving family members refused to pay the Leaf for our services." Naruto finished.

Both Hajime and April went blue in the face.

"Oh, but don't worry. we won't be using any poison." Sakura quickly clarified.

"I mean unless it comes to that." Naruto teased.

Sakura smacked him upside the head. "Zip it, Baka."

"Ow...alright, kidding." Naruto laughed.

"Yea, lets...not kill anyone, please." Hajime sweat dropped.

"I usually try not to. But those crime jerks had it coming." Naruto said.

"That they did, but this is a lot more sensitive." Sakura stated.

"Cause I literally saw one of them kick a puppy." Naruto muttered to himself.

"Yea well...that's not as bad as what I saw one of them do to a toddler."

"Oh was it when one of them spat on a baby? Because I remember you telling me that and I can't remember who was hold who back from killing that asshole in the street."

"No... the other one...the one who threw the kid into the river..." Sakura grumbled at the memory.

"Oh yeah...those were some really fucked up individuals." Naruto mused.

"Yea...they were..."

"Ahem..." April cleared her throat.

"Oh right, we keep getting off track. So do you guys think that we should try invite from the mayor or the other clan wants to bury the hatchet?" Naruto asked.

"Uh...well if you guys think this will work then I would go for an invite from the mayor...if we had one." Hajime said.

"Hmm...yea that is a problem..." Sakura mused, then she had an idea. "Who is the highest ranking Starfleet officer here?"

"What here? In Japan?" Hajime asked.

"No, in this village." Sakura corrected.

"Uh, that would be Admiral Sulu." April informed.

Sakura went wide eyed. "Y-you mean...THE Icaru Sulu?! The one who served under Captain Kirk?!" She exclaimed.

"Who is Sulu?" Naruto asked.

"He was the famous helm officer who served on the Enterprise under Captain Kirk and later became captain of the USS Excelsior! He's a legend!"

"So what? Do we call him and ask for help or will we just use his name to set this whole thing up?" Hajime asked.

"I can call in a favor. He's actually my great uncle." April stated.

"Yea...yeah I'm sure he is..." Sakura sighed.

"No seriously. He married an Uzumaki 70 years ago."

"Well damn if that isn't...wait, wouldn't the Harunos hate him of he married an Uzumaki?" Naruto asked.

"No, simply because he helped rejuvenate the village." April informed.

"That's kind of counter-intuitive to everything we have seen so far." Sakura said.

"Maybe, but he's a local hero to the village so every clan looks up to him. The Haruno's were a little at odds as to why he chose an Uzumaki as a bride but even they look past that simply because of what hes done for us and the Federation."

"If that's the case, then there is hope after all." Naruto smiled.

"Just let me give him a call. Mind you, he's 149 years old so he's not as spry as he used to be." April said before pulling out her communicator.

---

3 days later, the preparations were all set up. The town's ballroom had been rented out, Naruto's Shadow Clones had set up the decorations, and Admiral Sulu had agreed to send both families a letter offering them a dinner on behalf of Starfleet to honor April Uzumaki and Hajime Haruno respectively for their deeds in the Academy and in serving aboard the Enterprise. He had even mentioned that it was a masked ball just to spice up the evening.

Now Sakura and Naruto stood on the catwalk overlooking the dining tables arranged around the ballroom dancefloor. They were each dressed in their Starfleet dress uniforms with their masks handing off the sides of their heads.

"Looks like everything is prepared." Naruto said.

"Looks like it. Good thinking using our ANBU masks." Sakura said.

"Might give us away during the mingling, but I figure we wouldn't get another chance to break out our masks for some time." Naruto smirked.

"True. Hence why I agreed to it."

Sakura slipped on her mask and Naruto noticed a distinct change in the style.

"Uh, Sakura-chan? Wasn't your ANBU mask a pink cat?"

"Yes, but that was back when I was dating Sasuke. He liked cats I believe you'll remember." Sakura smirked from behind her mask.

"And now you have a pink...fox?" Naruto asked, getting a little excited.

"Vixen actually." Sakura smirked.

"Awesome..."

"I thought you might like it." She smiled.

"I love you..."

"I love you too...my big strong fox..." Sakura purred.

"Oh man..." Naruto said in a low growl. "K-keep it dry until later..."

"No promises."

The two embraced each other before dimming the lights and waiting for the guests to arrive.

---

At 9 PM on the dot, the first guests began arriving. The Haruno entered through the west gate while the Uzumaki entered through the east gate. Both parties were wearing their masks as was instructed and Naruto had placed transformed Shadow Clones into the ballroom to look like early birds, helping the two flavors of clansmen to mingle with one another without asking any questions. The ballroom was so dark and the lights colored a certain way so that no one could tell another person's hair color from their own.

By 9:30, the clan heads had arrived and took a seat next to Sulu up on the front table with his wife. Naruto and Sakura could only smile as they saw the two clan heads talking animatedly about whatever it was they talked about while the Tenchi duo stood and watched from the dance floor.

"You guys, I think it's working..." April smiled as she came up on the Tenchi couple. She was wearing her owl mask.

Hajime came up from the other side and was wearing a monkey mask.

"I hope so." Naruto said as the music played and people mingled.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. Do you wanna dance before the big reveal?" Naruto asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Don't have to tell me twice. Let's show them how a pair of Ninjas cut a rug." Sakura replied.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto cheered as he pulled Sakura onto the dance floor by the hand.

The song playing was something Hajime and April called Electric Swing. Neither shinobi knew if it was there thing, but it was certainly catchy as fuck.

Naruto followed the example of all the other couples on the dance floor and twirled Sakura around by her hand. They both laughed as they kicked their legs out one after another, dipping and twirling and generally not knowing what the Hell they were doing. But it was certainly fun as all get out.

"Hey, they're not bad." April commented.

"Yeah, you're right..." Hajime said as he looked down at April's hand then back over at their parents sitting at the head tables looking out at the dance floor.

'Fuck it.'

"Hey...wanna dance?" Hajime asked.

April was taken aback at first, but then smiled behind her mask. "Playing dangerously, huh?"

"More like I'm privately telling our parents to go fuck themselves. I wanna dance with my girlfriend." Hajime said in a husky voice.

"Same...let's go."

At the Admiral's table, there was an elder Uzumaki and Haruno that liked at the ANBU masked couple and realized something.

"I've seen those masks before..." One of them spoke.

"Same, but who are they?" The other asked.

"Judging by their uniforms, I believe they are Starfleet Officers." Sulu spoke.

"Do you know who?" One of the elders asked.

"No... but that is the fun behind this party, is it not?" Sulu smirked.

"I suppose..." The Haruno elder said warily.

"Forgive me if I seem skeptical." The Uzumaki elder said.

Sulu just sighed as he sipped his Captain Morgan. He knew who those two really were thanks to his niece, but he had to wait until it was time for the unveil.

"More to the point. You didn't tell me that we would be celebrating with another family, Sulu. Not to be rude, but I don't make a habit of dining with strangers." The Haruno elder said.

"Neither have I... the first time I met a Klingon was a troublesome time for myself and my crew, but I always kept an open mind." Sulu replied fondly.

"What is that supposed to mean, sir?" The Uzumaki elder asked.

"It means that, despite being so different from one another, regardless of what one's past is like, open mindedness and forgiveness forges bonds stronger than any force that man or otherwise can create." Sulu wisely stated.

The two elders looked at the aging admiral in awe. Such wisdom from a man such as his stature was almost unheard of. In truth, they were contemplating deeply about his words and letting them sink in.

Sulu looked at both gentleman and smiled. His phase was completed.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." Sulu said politely as he stood up and left the two men to their own devices. He made his way towards the bathrooms and out of sight from the clan heads.

"Papa Zulu to Ten and Chi. The seeds have been sowed. I repeat, the seeds have been sowed." Sulu whispered into his combadge.

Naruto and Sakura meanwhile heard him while they were finishing a 3 and 1/2 midair twist.

"Acknowledged." Sakura whispered back as Naruto caught her and set her back on the floor. Then she signaled to April and Hajime that it was time to put their plan into action.

The Earthling couple made their way over to their positions while Naruto and Sakura finished up their last dance and headed for the stage situated behind the head table.

Naruto signaled for the DJ to tone it down and he spoke into the microphone.

"HEY ALL YOU PARTY PEOPLE! YOU HAVING A GOOD TIME?!" His voice echoing all throughout the dancehall.

The crowed of partiers cheered in response.

"ALL MY LADIES SAY YEEEAAAHHH!"

"YEEEAAAAHHHH!" The girls cheered.

"ALL MY FELLAS SAY OH YEEEAAAHHH!"

"OH YEEEAAAAHHHH!"

"Hey that's great, because we have an announcement!" Naruto cheered. Everyone quieted down to hear what that announcement was.

"Everyone, we've all had a great time, tonight right? Had some good food, danced with some strangers we turned into friends. All good stuff." Naruto said, earning a plethora of agreeing mutters.

"Well now we get to learn who those friends are. On the count of three, everyone take off their masks."

Everyone nodded and reached for their masks, albeit hesitantly

"In 3...2...1!" Naruto shouted as he and Sakura pulled off their masks along with all the other guests. As they were doing this, Hajime and April hit the house lights, flooding the ballroom with light. The guests all looked up from their masks one by one and looked around. Girls saw the guys they were dancing with. Guys saw the others they were drinking with. The Uzumaki clan leader and the Haruno clan leader looked over at the friend they were eating with and discovered that he was his sworn enemy.

"What the hell...?" Went a collective gasp. That was when they all spotted Hajime and April, in very close proximity to one another and holding hands.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Satoshi bellowed in rage.

"APRIL! YOU GET AWAY FROM HIM THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY!" April's father shouted.

"No dad! I will not! I love him with all my heart!" April snapped defiantly.

"That's right! You all got along with your so called rival clansmen. Without your different names, different shades of hair color, and stupid clan rivalry all that you have left is friends you haven't met yet!" Naruto lectured as his speech was completely overshadowed by April and Hajime's announcement.

"Same with me, dad! I'm the heir to the Haruno clan and I love April Uzumaki with all of my heart!" Hajime bellowed.

Satoshi could only see red. "You...you ungrateful, shameless little PUNK! How DARE you betray your family!" He growled.

"I didn't betray anyone! I still love my family! The only difference is that my love extends to April now! It has since I was 15!" Hajime argued.

"What..." Satoshi seethed with rage.

"That's right! Ever since we were in the Academy together! We hung out through mutual friends and I learned that she was really cool! She wasn't just the bitch who led the Uzumaki gang, she was a tomboy who loved tiny little animals, whose cheeks got all puffy when she missed out on fresh toast for breakfast or lost a sports game! I looked past her beautiful red hair and the deeds done by her family and got to know a woman I want to spend the rest of my life with!"

Satoshi just snarled.

That was when Kazuo stood up. "April...is this really the path you are choosing?"

"It is." April said firmly.

Kazuo sighed heavily. "Then I have no choice...you are banished from the Uzumaki house..."

"What?! You can't do that!" A younger clansman shouted at the Uzumaki head.

"The Hell he can't! She's a traitor!" Another clansman shouted.

"What? Cause she's the first Uzumaki to ever have good taste in men?!"

"A slut can find a good man the same way a broken clock is right twice a day!"

"You son of a bitch! All of you!"

The arguing went back and forth before the first punch was thrown and the flood gates opened. Clansmen and women from both sides turned on each other. Men threw punches at other men. Some grabbed their attackers by their ties and kicked their shins. Women pulled on each other's hair and spin kicked each other in the face. In the distance, Sakura saw the old Haruno woman she met when she first arrived hitting one of the Uzumaki gang members with a chair. It was pandemonium.

"Kill the lights!" Naruto shouted.

Miraculously, someone obeyed and the ballroom fell into darkness. The sounds of a riot could still be heard through the pitch black, coming from every direction.

"Naruto?! This isn't working out like we'd hoped!" Sakura called out.

"Don't worry, this is plan B!" Naruto shouted next to her as he intercepted a crazy party goer coming after her with a silver tray. Naruto quickly used his sensing of the man's malicious intent to block the man's elbow mid swing and sent him back into the moss pit with a swift kick to the rear.

"Naruto we don't have a plan B!" Sakura said as she caught a wine glass and chair being thrown at Naruto's head.

"I just thought of it! Don't worry, it'll work!" Naruto called out as he stopped a little kid from stabbing his knees with a spoon.

"And if it doesn't?!" April shouted as she hung off the back of grizzly sized Uzumaki man that was attacking Hajime.

"Well we cross Japan off the list of places to visit!" Naruto shouted as he stopped himself from punching a waiter that was just trying to scurry under the head table.

One guy attempted to punch Sakura in the gut, but she was quick to catch the man's arm and delivered a knockout blow that sent him straight through the crowd of brawlers and into a wall.

"Woah...nice shot..." April said in awe, only having barely seen the act.

"Gotta love brutal physical training." Sakura gloated before kicking another man in the stomach.

"Amen, sister." April said as she judo flipped the man attacking her hubby. Letting Hajime help pull an old bag off of Naruto who was hitting him with her bag.

All around them mini skirmishes filled the dance floor.

Katoru had teamed up with his buddies after the fighting broke out. They clashed with another Uzumaki gang that Sakura had met when she first arrived. As soon as the lights went out, he lost track of his buddies. He quickly found himself surrounded by Uzumaki thugs on all sides. One would punch him in the back of the head and as soon as he turned around he was attacked by someone else from behind. Until finally he found a buddy and put himself back to back.

"I got your six, fam!" Katoru shouted at the man behind him.

"Same here!" The other thug shouted back.

Across the dance floor, an older man was struggling to find his mother-in-law to keep her safe. He pushed past two clusters of teens going at each other before finally finding an older woman of similar build.

"I've got you, Abigale!" He shouted as he led the woman over to the corners of the room where the fighting was the most scarce.

Back with the four instigators, Naruto had seen enough.

"Alright...this has gone on long enough." Naruto said seriously.

Naruto jumped across the room and over the brawlers to the light controls. He moved the slider on the panel up until the room was completely lit.

Almost immediately, everyone stopped fighting, looking at the people they were fighting and fighting alongside with. The majority saw that Uzumaki's and Haruno's were working together instead of fighting.

"Do you now see the folly of your feud?" Sulu spoke out. "I didn't spend 100 years of my life out in space fighting to protect our world just so closed minded fools such as yourselves continue your petty thousand-year squabble like a bunch of nitwits. Our planet is supposed to symbolize peace in its truest form. Holding grudges almost as old as time itself is ridiculous and childish. We are supposed to be better than this." Sulu lectured.

The Uzumaki's and Haruno's all looked down in shame.

"What happened in the past shouldn't be allowed to remain in the present. The past should remain in the past, buried by time as we continue to progress towards the future." Sulu finished.

"But...what about what they did to us?" One Haruno woman spoke up.

"Did Japan hold a grudge against the United States when they dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima during World War 2 after they bombed Pearl Harbor? No... with the help of the United States we rebuilt and flourished and each side forgave the other with honor. How do you think your squabble would look like to your ancestors if they knew their clans were still fighting one another centuries later when your ancestors fought side by side in battle for their country?"

"You see guys..." Sakura started. "Even in the heat of a battle, you forget who your rivals or enemies are when you're both fighting a common enemy."

The clansmen looked down and saw that many of them had in fact been fighting their own family members with the help of their rivals. Men, women, and even children lay injured on the ground.

Katoru looked behind him and saw that he had been fighting back to back with the same Uzumaki gang leader he had helped chase off a few days ago.

The older man looked again and saw that he hadn't saved his mother-in-law, but in fact an older Haruno woman.

He looked around to find his mother-in-law only to see her in the protective arms of a Haruno woman.

"You see? You all have the ability to get along with one another, you just have to have the will." Naruto said.

While no one verbally agreed with Naruto, all over the ballroom everyone was beginning to take the hint. Uzumakis looked on at Harunos and could no longer summon the anger they were raised to feel.

One by one those left standing began to help the injured up. Doctors and nurses from both the Haruno and Uzumaki clan began seeing to the more seriously injured. Children were brought back in front of their parents, their faces all stained with tears. Many clansmen simply kept out of their rival clansman's way, but whenever there was a rowdy Uzumaki or a bitter Haruno with some fight left in them, their fellow clan members held them back from starting any more fights.

As the two clans picked up the pieces, their respective leaders and their wives walked up to the two ninjas looking very peeved.

"May we speak to you outside? Please?" Satoshi Haruno asked through gritted teeth.

"You and our children." Karin Uzumaki added on behalf of her husband.

Sakura sighed. "Sure..."

The two young couples were led outside to the parking lot where the sounds of sirens could be heard approaching from the distance. Both couples were nervous, especially Hajime and April, about what was going to happen.

Kazuo and Karin stopped by the door while Satoshi paced back and forth alongside the parking lot. His wife stood off to the side to give her husband some space. The four young adults just stood there, expecting a major reading of the riot act.

Finally, Satoshi turned back to the four young adults with his hair tangled into a stressed-out mess.

"So I'm betting you four feel really proud of yourselves right about now?"

"It's not about how we feel. It's about you guys burying the hatchet and moving on." Naruto said.

"I don't remember asking you to interfere with our business." Satoshi snapped. "God knows how many of our clansmen will be hospitalized for the night. It's a miracle that nobody was killed."

"Yea well, ask me if I care about you wanting to keep things the same. From my point of view, you guys were only a few steps away from having an all-out war." Naruto stated seriously.

"And what do you call that?!" Satoshi snapped as he pointed towards the door leading back into the ballroom.

"Hardly anything at all compared to what we've seen." Sakura stated.

"Well this isn't your world I'll have you remember!"

"Oh would you knock it off, Satoshi!" Karin snapped. "These kids are right! Both of our clans have been snapping at each other's throats for generations. This was night was long overdue!"

"You're right, it's not. But that's not what I was referring to." Sakura said. "We've had close encounters with the Borg, fought off an army of Tolmeekians from destroying a Klingon Outpost, dealing with tough negotiations, terrorist attacks and Romulan Strike Forces. This was nothing more than a drunken bar fight in comparison."

"Sakura, please, that has nothing to do with the current situation." Karin said before turning back to Satoshi.

"We are at a crossroads here, Satoshi. We can either let tonight turn into one more story to tell our great grandchildren about the evils of the Haruno or the Uzumaki clan, or we can each take the high road and learn to live with each other." Karin proposed, addressing Satoshi by his first name and not his last.

"Satoshi..." Kazuo started. "Karin is right...lets end this nonsense."

"You honestly think that our two families can just put aside their differences and be friends? Just like that?" Satoshi growled. As much as he might want to, tonight would surely spark new rivalries between the individual members of each clan. For as many clan members fought their families, many others fought their rival clans as they always had.

"I think that change is slow, but it can only start with the individual." Kazuo said as he held out his hand for Satoshi.

Naruto and Sakura both smiled at Kazuo's gesture.

"I mean, if our two clans can be at peace with one another on another world, why can't ours?" Kazuo added.

"Daddy..." April said in awe at her father's proposal.

Satoshi looked at Kazuo's gesture and let his proposal sink in. Then he sighed deeply.

"Very well...I just hope I won't regret this..."

"Same here." Kazuo said as he and Satoshi shook hands.

---

2 months later...

Naruto was returning back to his apartment with Sakura after a week of training with his soldiers. They had all been coming along very nicely these past few months, yet they weren't quite meeting the bench marks he had imagined they would.

In any case, Naruto was exiting his apartment's elevator when he got a call on his PAD from none other than Hajime. The orange ninja quickly answered him.

"Hey what's up man?" Hajime greeted.

"Hey, Haji, how's it hanging?" Naruto asked as he lingered towards his apartment door.

"Thanks to you, our clans are slowly growing closer to one another. While my dad won't admit it, he owes you a great deal."

"Hey no problem. Sorry again that I had to punch your grandmother." Naruto said sheepishly, remembering that night in the ballroom.

"Eh...it's okay." Hajime waved off. "Anyway, what you up to?"

"Oh nothing. Just came back from the Academy. Now I'm standing outside my apartment. Talkin' to my buddy. Ya know, the usual." Naruto said.

"Really? Nothing else? Because I got a nice surprise for April when she gets home. Speaking of which, how's her training going?"

"Oh she's doing great. One of my top students. Plus, she has the largest chakra supply out of all of the trainees."

"Wow...really? Well, you did say the Uzumakis have a large Chakra supply."

"Yup. You should be proud."

"Very...I'll have to step up her surprise later."

"Ooh, what's the surprise?" Naruto smirked.

"Oh nothing...just a little something like..." Hajime paused as he took out a small black box.

"Oh, you too, huh?" Naruto asked before taking out his own.

"Really? after...how many months?" Hajime asked.

"4 now, I think. What about you? Aren't you a little young to get married?"

"We're 19, that's not a bad age. Besides, you're not that much older than me."

"Now you listen to your elders there, Sunny Jim. You're too young to be rushing into commitments like that." Naruto said in an old man's voice.

"Ha ha... very funny you knucklehead." Hajime deadpanned. "Plus, we've been dating for 4 years now. 4 months seems like a sudden jump, don't you think?"

"I most certainly do think so. But then I think about the years we've gotten to know each other. Being on the same team through thick and thin. Working together to save our teammate Sasuke. The two years we spent working side by side in ANBU. And now with our baby girl on the way... I honestly can't think of anyone else I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. Someone I want to dedicate myself to if only to see that smile on her face. And I know that no matter what happens to me in the future, I'll always have regretted not marrying Sakura-chan. I don't ever want to live with that regret." Naruto stated firmly.

Hajime shrugged. "Fair enough man. Good luck to you."

"Same to you. You gonna graduate by the time we ship out?"

"Hopefully. I'm hoping to get assigned to the Enterprise Medical staff."

"Here is hoping. See ya." Naruto said before hanging up. He looked down at the tiny black box he had in his hand and steadied his nerves for what might be the most important question of his life. He exhaled and opened the apartment door where Sakura was sitting on the couch waiting for him.

---

Author's Note from Panda: Yeah you probably can tell what happens next. For those of you who don't have such a clever imagination (or you're reading this before the next chapter comes out) you can check out Sakura's trip with Q. Which ties together with this chapter and a whole bunch of our other stories. Just for shits and giggles.

Now before we go we have a few more announcements to make. For starters, this story just reached over 200 favorites. (fires a confetti gun away from my laptop this time)

In even more important news… (what could be more important than 200 favorites you ask?)
Cmartin is getting married! (fires the confetti cannon)

His fiancé Amber said yes and I couldn't be happier for the guy. I hope you will join me in wishing him and his future wife all the best in the years to come.
To everyone else in the USA, have a happy Thanksgiving this week. To the rest of the world, hope you have a pleasant day this coming Thursday.