~Some fifteen years later~

"Where are Dad and Grandpa going? Why are they going now? They could miss the ceremony! And why is Aunt Sakura going with them?!"

Sasuke measured his eldest grandson with his all-seeing eyes. Sato often made him think of himself during his younger years, since Boruto and Sarada's firstborn looked like a true Uchiha with straight black hair and dark eyes, but his attitude was all Uzumaki. Well, not exactly Uzumaki, but Boruto in particular. Thankfully, Sato didn't turn out to be a troublemaker as his father, but he was furiously protective of his twin sisters and younger brother, who was a carbon copy of Boruto with blond bangs, azure eyes and a mind of a prankster.

"Sato, your mother is going to become the next hokage in a week, as you very well know. Naruto and your father went to a secure place to transfer the Tailed beast into Boruto, so he could take his place beside the new hokage to help her protect the nation. Sakura went with them just in case there will be a need for medical assistance. Which is highly doubtful," Sasuke added, seeing pure panic on the boy's face.

Boruto and Sarada's wedding was conducted with the appropriate pompousness for a wedding in the hokage's family, but three days prior to the festivities was performed the ceremony of the clans' unification, witnessed and grudgingly accepted by the leaders of the four nations, the Council of Konoha, Feudal Lords and other officials, who were invited to the wedding. Naruto was well-versed in politics, so the only way for the union to function was for it to be as public as possible so there would be no rumors of corruption or blackmail.

One part of the ceremony was the removal of the clan crest from the heads of the clans, in this case, from Naruto and Sasuke by their wives and adorning them with the new unified crests. It came out already during the ceremony that Sasuke, the only remaining original Uchiha, did not have any clothes with the Uchiha crest on them since, ironically, he had not worn his clan's colors for close to twenty-five years. Thus during the ceremony, Sakura took off his dark cape to exchange it for a night blue one. Hinata did the same, although Naruto's cape remained orange. It escaped nobody's attention that the Seventh Hokage left his bionic arm at home in a gesture of equality to his new brother. After the traditional sake was drunk, it was the turn of the children to accept the new crest from their mothers. It was also the time for the world to know the true size of the now former Uchiha family. The younger triplets did not understand much of the going ons, but the older ones were told that their favorite nii-san and nee-san would now truly become their siblings.

If the other hokage were surprised by the discovery of six additional Uchiha boys, it was a mild surprise compared to the shock of seeing the older triplets barreling Boruto down after the ceremony with ecstatic cries, "Nii-san! Nii-san!" and their eyes becoming Sharingans right in front of the assembly.

The appearance of the three new Sharingan users was much talked about during the celebrations after the wedding ceremony, almost as much as about Mitsuki, who would never be again accused of having an imaginary girlfriend since the eerily gorgeous woman on his arm almost put the bride to shame. But Sarada did not mind for as long as her friend was happy with his chosen partner.

After the wedding, Sarada continued to care for her brothers until becoming pregnant herself, which she continued to be for the next four years. Their friends had a running gag that since Boruto and Sarada had been restraining themselves for years, they now couldn't keep their hands from each other. Which was not exactly wrong. While Boruto continued with the Police shinobi, Sarada taught theoretical courses at the Academy during the times her pregnancies allowed it. Some even teased that instead of the hokage, she would just become a housewife, and all her previous training and struggles to gain strength would go down the drain.

What nobody knew, however, was that Sarada continued harnessing strength without traditional training. With every pregnancy her Susanoo grew into the fully formed warrior to protect her growing family. Everybody more or less forgot about her ambition to become the hokage, even when she was taken as Lord Seventh's aide after Sato turned eight.

The unrest among the small villages had been growing for years. Various actions and mitigations were performed to pacify the inhabitants of the far-off lands, going as far as forming several more nations. It was during one of such negotiations, when the building where the hokage summit was conducted, was almost buried under a rock avalanche, clearly triggered by people and not nature. Everybody present at the summit heard the rumble of the stones, but when the attendants looked out of the windows to ascertain the situation, they only saw a white wall from which the rocks bounced off, the wall that not only encircled the whole building, but also the roof.

Only Naruto knew where the wall of white came from, but when he looked at his daughter-in-law, he saw a serene picture of his aide, who was protocolling the proceedings without paying any attention to the commotion outside. The avalanche soon ended and the wall disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. The hokage meeting continued, but it ended on another unexpected note, when Naruto officially proclaimed Sarada Uzumaki-Uchiha his successor.

In three days was Sarada's inauguration ceremony and her son seemed to be frantic with worry. For her? For his father? Or for change? Sasuke prided himself on gathering a considerable amount of knowledge about how to deal with children while actually being present during the childhoods of his sons and grandchildren, but he felt particularly close to Sato and not because the boy was a born swordsman. Sasuke saw too much of himself in the boy, but even if he did brood a lot, Sato did not grow bitter from his parents dividing their attention between his three siblings. Both Boruto and Sarada made everything not to commit their fathers' mistakes and devoted all their free time to their children. Which was difficult at times, but they persevered.

"Sato, your mother has been dreaming of becoming Hokage since she was younger than you. And your father promised to protect her and the nation she will be caring for after assuming the post. What is the real question you want to ask me?"

"Will there be war?"

Sasuke was taken aback by the raised topic, but the fear in Sato's eyes was genuine. "Why would you think so?"

"The skirmishes have been going on for years! And everybody knows the new, young hokage is chosen to lead the war effort, because the said war is imminent. I don't want war! I don't want Mangekyo Sharingan like everybody expects me to have, I don't want to lose anybody I love! Like the triplets…"

They were generally known in the village as the elder triplets and younger triplets, it was just too difficult to discern them by name. When the elder triplets entered the Academy, the staff and the student body were abuzz with gossip and expectations. There was no way of distinguishing them from each other, if only for the hairstyles, but they had hair of the same length, so it was easy for them to assume the style of another. When it came to forming teams, they insisted on joining different ones. When the staff protested on the grounds that they could sabotage missions by constantly rotating between unassuming teammates, the triplets had tattooed their names on the sides of their necks. They wanted to add the family crest too, but Sasuke warned them of the danger of being recognized as owners of Sharingan eyes.

One day, two of the elder triplets rushed into a training session Sasuke was asked to observe to beg him to take them to their brother, who they sensed was in great danger. Sasuke didn't ask any questions or doubted them since the link between the triplets was extremely strong as it usually is in such cases. Five minutes later, he, Sakura and the brothers were stepping out of the portal to a place of carnage.

The houses were on fire, shinobi were helping civilians to escape the burning buildings, livestock was stampeding in panic… It was complete and utter chaos. But even within that chaos, the brothers managed to locate their third one under a collapsed building. He had a major head injury, eternal bleeding and half of his left leg was missing, probably blown off during an explosion. Sakura did all she could, but Sasuke understood without words, that the probability of them losing their son, before he even turned sixteen, was closer to reality than Sasuke would have liked. Thus Sasuke had no choice, but to make a deal with the devil.

When they appeared at the Orochimaru's hideout, they were met by the master who was grinning so widely that all his pointy teeth were visible, he was not only hopping in glee at Sasuke's predicament. The negotiations were swift. Sasuke refused to part with the Rinnegan even to save his son's life, because it would be a pointless endeavor. There is no point to live in a world where Orochimaru has the Rinnegan, the world will just cease to exist. So Orochimaru demanded of the brothers to sacrifice tissue and anything else he asks to help restore their sibling. They agreed without question.

Sasuke and Sakura remained at the hideout, Sakura to assist with the healing process and Sasuke – to control that Orochimaru did not mess with his sons. It took three grueling months for the elder triplets to become a threesome again. Sasuke, and he knew, Orochimaru, did not find it astounding that the brothers' reunion was marked with them awakening their Mangekyo Sharingan. Orochimaru's demand for his services was the opportunity to transplant the triplets' eyes a year later. Sasuke insisted on only one eye replanted for each boy first to ensure his sons' survival and having at least one operating eye if the transplanting does not work. Orochimaru snarled at such insulting disbelief in his competence, but had to agree. Two years later, with both eyes successfully transplanted, the triplets were close to becoming the strongest shinobi of their generation, but deep in their hearts, they remembered the feelings of losing their third brother like he was a part of their bodies and did everything for nobody else to experience such tragedy.

The younger triplets were to enter the Academy upon the elders' graduation, but they didn't reach it. Only days before the entrance ceremony, Sasuke entered the kitchen to tell Sakura, who was in the middle of dinner preparations, "Sai wants them." Sakura could only nod, because she had long suspected her younger boys' fate. They started training very early, following their older brothers, whom their father started to train at the age of five. They have been developing extremely quickly, so Sai's invitation for them to join the Anbu was just a matter of time. And since Sasuke had been training the Anbu recruits since his return to the village, Sakura had faith in her boys being in good hands before they are released into a world full of danger.

"Let's go outside, Sato, where we can talk without interruptions."

"You mean, where nobody else can hear us?"

Sasuke did not acknowledge the boy's dig with a response, just stepped out of Boruto and Sarada's new house that they bought after the birth of their youngest son. It took a great effort to purchase a house big enough for four kids on a Police shinobi salary, but Sasuke suspected that his sons started helping their favorite nii-san after becoming full-fledged shinobi.

"You are now a grown-up, Sato, so I will not sugarcoat what is really going on."

"You never do, Grandpa, that's why I like you so much."

"Yes, the unrest is growing and getting out of control. On the positive side, there is no powerful shinobi among the rebels to pose a real threat, but what they don't have in power, they have in numbers and that can be as dangerous as one powerful opponent since there are multiple uncontrollable threats that lead to numerous innocent victims of this conflict. It is now the turn of your parents and maybe even yours to return the balance and peace into this world. They, as well as you, are ready to face this calamity.

"As far as the expectations about you awakening Mangekyo Sharingan go… I don't know about your parents, siblings or friends, but I don't have any. And that is not because of any deficit on your part. As you know, not even all Uchiha can awaken Sharingan. Your double sword technique is already close to perfection and will continue to develop over the years. You've already mastered your father's modified Rasengan, have a full Sharingan and you are only fourteen.

"If you want my opinion, I believe your sisters will be the ones to develop their Sharingan further, and not because it is convenient for them to exchange eyes. They have better chakra control and their strength is ninjutsu and yours - kenjutsu. You are different in your very core, so your techniques also vary. For example, Naruto decided to take your little brother under his wing, because he sensed Sora's potential to master Sage jutsu and I am inclined to agree with him. I also believe that Sora will never awaken his Sharingan.

"If you are so worried about the upcoming war, help your parents to prevent it. By not rushing into danger, of course. I will give you the same advice, I gave your father when he was your age, even if I doubt you will heed it: complete all your missions well, and your skills will develop with time. Also… nobody wants to lose people they love. Be thankful that you have them in the first place."

"And that there is no Curse of Hatred?"

"Indeed."

"They did marvelous work, didn't they? What are the chances that our rascal will draw glasses on it by tomorrow?"

Sarada also eyed her depiction on the Hokage Mountain and had to agree with her husband that the carvers flattered her considerably. She, unfortunately, also had to agree with his prediction about Sora. "If not tomorrow, then at a later date."

"Did we spoil him? Why is he acting out like that? We were both at his Entrance ceremony at the Academy, this is more than I've ever gotten from my old man, whom he respects for some reason and thinks I am a lazy bum for being in the Police Force instead of doing some heroic deeds as he did. How twisted is that, Sarada?"

"He does take after you a lot, Boruto. He will grow to understand. And how did you think Lord Seventh felt, when you were running after my father instead of him?"

"Yeah… that's a bummer. Speaking of heroic deeds… The tunnel that is being cleared up right now for the railway… I think, as a newly appointed Hokage you should speed up the process since you have resources at your disposal. For the benefit of your people."

"What resources?!"

"You do remember that I promised to take down a mountain for you? It's a perfect opportunity for Kurama to stretch out his legs."

"You want to send a Giant Rasengan to clean up a tunnel?!"

"Yeah, why not?"

"To use the Great Tailed Beast for manual labor?!"

"He wants some action, you have a tunnel to clean and some good points to gain with the public. Great power is not only to be used during wars. That railway is an essential improvement for the town, right?"

"Are you now doing my work for me, Boruto?"

"It is my job to support you, so I am just doing what I promised to do. So are we going to that tunnel or not?"

Sarada shook her head at her husband's cockiness even if she still found it endearing. It wasn't about computer games anymore though. About the benefit of the whole town and beyond. Something he hated to think about before, during his father's run as Hokage. But he indeed promised and he was going full throttle with his usual intensity.

"The workers must've cleared by now, so if you mess up, at least nobody will get hurt. Or see you fail."

They rushed to the tunnel's location with Sarada still not fully believing in the success of Boruto's enterprise. She knew exactly how deep the tunnel was planned to be and she couldn't fathom how could one man, even with Kurama's chakra, accomplish the complete clearance of solid mountain rock.

Sarada shouldn't have doubted Uzumaki-Uchiha Boruto. The Giant Rasengan melted an ideal round hole through the whole mountain as if it was chocolate ice cream. Only then came a belated realization that she was married to the strongest shinobi of their generation. Who could've easily held the mantel of the greatest shinobi, but instead became a great husband and father. Sarada thought, she couldn't love her long-life partner more but at that moment…

"So the kids are at Hyuga's tonight?" she asked, dusting off Boruto's jacket.

"Yeah, why do you- Oh, I get it…"Boruto's naughty smirk told Sarada that he didn't only get it, but already draw detailed pictures in his head. "Speaking of kids… Sato asked me today what will happen if Sharingan user and Byakugan user have a kid. Imagine that…"

"But how can it even be possible? Hanabi-san did manage to continue the Hyuga line, but she has twin boys, who we are not directly, but are still related to. And then-"

"Maybe Sato knows something we don't, like something about one of your brothers robbing the cradle."

The cradle Boruto was referring to were Himawari's daughters, who were twelve and ten at the time. Himawari was a special case among the Konoha shinobi, since she did not become one despite her inherited talents and married a train engineer. However her daughters chose to follow traditional Hyuga path with the older girl already possessing the white eyes of the clan. The younger triplets were sixteen, which technically was not that much of an age gap… In the long run…

"You object, Boruto?" Sarada asked, instinctively defending her brothers she was very protective and proud of.

"You know those boys have been brothers to me from day one and I trust them, but if that child is born and it manages to have both Kekkei Genkai, we are in for some fun times. That's all I am saying… And you promised me some fun time tonight, so let's go home."

Uzumaki-Uchiha Sarada had no objection to that.

A/N: The initial plan was to end the story here, but my ambitious self really wanted to stake claim on one plot point that seemed to fall through the cracks. I saw only one fic that talks about it. So I went on and, as always, things got crazy, especially since I've gotten onto Karin/Suigetsu wagon. So hold on for a bit more, please.