Hello Everyone! I hope everyone is doing great!
First, I apologise for changing the rating to M. Still, I can assure the readers who strictly are K to T can enjoy this chapter as well. The M rating is just to be on the safe side due to mention of some intimacy later in the chapter.
Episode 171 was really something! My inner fangirl was so satisfied after seeing Sasuke smiling. OMG! Beside that, the match between Sakura and Sarada was something! Anyway, here is the chapter.
A big thanks to CherryBerry12 for taking time out to go through the chapter.
"What's with you exhausting me like this?" Sarada complained while Sakura healed injuries earlier from that day.
"Are you already tired of training with your mama?" Sakura teased her daughter as her green healing chakra seeped through Sarada's skin.
"No, it's not that," Sarada retorted. "The transition from mama-bear to Tsunade-sama was too sharp. And what's with you and Papa teaming up together?" Sarada pouted.
Sakura giggled. "Isn't this good? The three of us, spending time in a different way," Sakura said as she beamed with joy, still focused on looking for cuts and scratches to fix them.
Sarada nodded happily. Her training had started with a good note - her father agreeing to train her and keeping track of every little improvement she had made. As it continued, she tried hard to do better, but she wasn't seeing the results that she expected, and her mother worrying too much vexed her. With Sakura offering to help her improve her chakra control, things had taken a sharp turn in the training session. Sarada thought her mother would be easy on her, but she realized it had been harder than training with her father.
This form of Sakura was unknown to her, although she had seen her mother crushing enemies before .Sakura had given her a basic idea of how to make punches deadly with chakra control during her academy days, but she didn't know her mother could get this serious in terms of training. She had primarily admired her mother as an important figure in the hospital medic department. Sarada had looked to her father's amazing skills as a ninja from the day she met him after a long absence, but now she knew her mother's determination and hard work were also remarkable.
I thought mama misunderstood. She didn't fight me to break my resolve, but to make me realize what I was lacking. Mama, you're really amazing, Sarada thought.
Although Sarada always wanted to do things in her own way, she was not ashamed that, this time, her parents understood what exactly she needed to do better than she did. With her resolve getting stronger every day, she was glad that her mother assisted her in finding the right way to channel her energy into a fruitful training. Thanks to her mother's effort, she realized what she had been missing.
Sakura was almost done with healing Sarada when her eyes fell on Sarada's bruised knuckles. She held Sarada's hand, looking at her dark purplish colouration that had resulted from their combat. Although she was determined now to teach Sarada precise chakra control, it saddened her a little to know Sarada would be getting more injuries like these. Sakura brushed the bruises lightly with a little soreness in her heart. It always had hurt to see even a minor scratch on her precious daughter, and thinking that she herself would impart these in the course of training dimmed her spirits.
Still holding Sarada's hand with one of her hands, she brought another hand that glowed with healing chakra that slowly knitted the abrasions in Sarada's skin. This reminded her of when Sarada had been learning to walk, her chubby legs wobbling when she struggled to get balance. She smiled, eyes glistening with tears, looking at the same hand that she had held when Sarada took her baby steps, encouraging her little daughter to walk more. The feeling of now helping her daughter to be independent in other ways washed away her blues. Her daughter wanting to get stronger didn't scare her now. Instead, she was now proud that she could help her achieve that dream.
"Ne, mama?"
"Hm?"
"How did you get your resolve?"
"My resolve?" Sakura sighed as she remembered Sasuke's retreating figure from so many years ago, but she blushed the next moment.
The sharp change in Sakura's expression made Sarada more curious. Her mother's blushing had given her a clue that Sakura's resolve had something to do with her father. Sarada couldn't hold herself from blurting, "Tell me about me about the incident that forged your resolve."
"I will tell you," Sakura playfully said. She patted Sarada's hand gently, as she finished healing her knuckles and added, "but next time."
All the excitement in Sarada's eyes vanished and she whined, "You are becoming like Papa."
Sakura laughed. "Get some good rest. I am not going to be easy on you from tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am."
As she walked out of Sarada's room, Sakura realized that her resolve, like her daughter's, also started from a hospital cabin, from the promise that she made to Naruto to join him next time he tried to bring Sasuke back.
As Sakura walked inside her bedroom, she saw Sasuke reading something from a scroll. Sasuke was back! Sasuke was there with her!
She sat beside Sasuke, who was too busy to acknowledge her presence, concentrating on reading the scroll. Sakura looked towards Sasuke, smiling. He had been the reason she'd been so determined to get stronger, the reason she worked hard all the years when he had been absent.
"Happy after snatching the opportunity to train Sarada from me?" Sasuke smirked, his eyes still on the scroll.
Sakura was surprised by Sasuke's sudden words, but she replied excitedly, "Very. I am going to put all my effort into this and train her until she gets a good grasp of her chakra control. Shannaro!"
Sasuke's smirk widened. He wasn't amazed when he heard Sakura had already chalked out time for training amidst her shifts at the hospital and had planned out phases of training. As Sakura went on explaining things step by step, he realised that the sight looked similar - Sakura pausing in between her explanations to look at him for his affirmative nod. He knew that when it came to Sarada, Sakura had a habit of planning everything beforehand with unparalleled excitement, like she had done when they were expecting Sarada on their journey.
"I think I just have to hold myself back while training," Sakura said as she scratched her neck.
"And someone was saying I was tough on Sarada," Sasuke teased her as he rolled the scroll.
Sakura's face flushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean that way."
"Aah, I get it. Don't worry," Sasuke spoke as he passed her an assuring smile.
Sakura moved closer to Sasuke, closing the distance between them, and rested her head on Sasuke's shoulders.
"Our daughter has grown up," Sakura sighed, placing her hand on Sasuke's chest.
"Aah." Sasuke rested his head over her head as he wrapped Sakura in his arm. It had been a while since he had spent some time like this with his wife. He remembered how Sakura would quietly invade his personal space just like this during their traveling days. Sasuke couldn't deny that her warmth was always annoyingly comfortable.
Sasuke's desire ignited as his senses were flooded by the sweet scent of her hair. Sasuke's palm trailed over Sakura's hand to hold her fingers as they drew patterns over Sasuke's chest.
"Sakura."
Sakura lifted her head and looked intimately in Sasuke's eyes. Slowly, Sakura reached for his lips and kissed him, reciprocating Sasuke's unspoken desire that had been left unattended a few nights before. Sasuke pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. It was a tiring day for both of them, but with the heat fanning between them, all their tiredness got lost within the sheets.
.
.
Sasuke nuzzled on Sakura's neck, still pinning Sakura beneath him. Both embraced the moment of bliss in silence, until Sakura asked, "Will you be leaving again?"
Sasuke raised himself on his stump to look at Sakura and answered, "No. I can monitor Sarada's training when you are at hospital."
Sakura's face brightened up. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
"Sleep now. You need rest," Sasuke said, reaching over to poke her forehead.
"No, I'm not… tired. Let's go for a second round," Sakura yawned, her eyelids getting heavy.
Sasuke raised his eyes in amusement as he rolled on his back, getting off from Sakura.
Sakura scrunched her nose, wailing from loss of heat. Sakura rolled sideways, gripping the sheets closer to her body, grumbling.
Sasuke's smirk turned into a smile. Sasuke spooned Sakura from behind, and his hand again found all the way to Sakura's hand, threading with her.
He noticed little scratches on her knuckles, figuring those are remnants of training earlier that day. He brushed them gently with his thumb, realising these hands were not only the testament of the number of lives she had saved. These hands had raised the future of his clan - his daughter. It pricked his heart, thinking Sakura had to do everything alone.
Sasuke rested his chin on her head and sighed, being grateful for everything Sakura had done for him and glad that neither he had to share the story of cursed fate of the Uchiha clan to Sarada nor Sakura had to take care of Sarada alone now. Being a wandering shinobi, he quite never understood or felt the dynamics of marriage. Perhaps training Sarada now with Sakura would give him an idea of what it was like to raise a child together.
A sad frown marred his face, but he was happy when it crossed his mind that though it was coming late, Sarada would get what he had wanted from his father and brother.
"Sakura?"
He wanted to verbalize his gratefulness to her - for giving his daughter what was snatched from him in his childhood. Without getting a response from Sakura - proof that she was in deep slumber - Sasuke closed his eyes, soothed by Sakura's pacifying breaths.
And by this, I conclude this fic here. But, I have been getting a faint idea for next chapter, though I am not still sure if I would pen them down.
I hope everyone enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave reviews. The wonderful reviews I have been getting is really motivating me to write during my exam time.
Everyone, thank you for your support! :)