Author's Note: I'll be lying if I said I'm not sad this fanfic is coming to an end. But it's because of everyone's support that I made it this far! Thanks a lot for the beautiful reviews and suggestions, truly appreciate everyone's love for this fanfic. To all readers and followers, this happy writer hereby presents this fanfic's last chapter. Hope you'll like it!

Chapter 21: Family


Itachi's POV

"Itachi Oji-chan, do you think my parents have forgotten about my birthday?"

"Don't be silly, Sarada. Your parents love you too much to forget such an important day."

I carried Sarada, my foolish younger brother and Sakura's only daughter, and threw her high up into the air before gracefully catching her into my arms. The adorable six years old girl would always smile whenever I did that.

It felt like it was only yesterday when Sasuke and Sakura finally tied the knot, after dating each other for over eight years.

Flashback to 8 years ago

"Can you calm down, Sasuke? This room is filled with your screwed up tension!"

"Shut up, dope."

I smirked upon hearing Naruto's much too accurate comment. Sasuke and Sakura's wedding ceremony was about to start and I was inside Sasuke's waiting room along with his closest male friends.

I swore I had never seen my younger brother looking so nervous, forehead covered with an obvious layer of sweat and palms clenched into fists.

Neji and Shikamaru didn't even bother to hide their amusement while Naruto just went on and on about Sasuke being a coward.

Just when Sasuke was about to snap and murder Naruto, Ino barged into the room filled with obvious anticipation and literally squealed as she spoke.

"The wedding ceremony is going to start in 15 minutes. I hope everyone is ready by now!"

I chuckled when I heard Sasuke took in a sharp breath, which didn't go unnoticed by everyone else in the room. Ino had to hold onto Shikamaru, who was her fiancée at that time, as she roared into laughter.

"You're as nervous as Sakura and I can't help but find it really funny!" Ino obviously didn't care about the glare Sasuke sent towards her and continued laughing hysterically. Naruto and Kiba joined as well, not even considering the fact that the groom was on the verge of starting a killing spree.

Seeing that I still had some time to spare, I left the room and decided to check on Sakura. Judging from Ino's words, she might not be doing very well.

My guess was proven to be right when I opened the door to the room where Sakura was.

Her face reflected severe nervousness and Hinata's comforting wasn't enough to calm her down. The pink-haired bride looked stunning in his white lacy wedding gown but that didn't seem to help her gain enough confidence to stay composed.

I walked over to my soon-to-be sister-in-law and greeted her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped a little in her seat when she heard my voice.

"You can do this, Sakura. Just relax." I leaned against a nearby wall with my arms crossed in front of me as I smiled at the nervous bride, who had been sighing every now and then.

"I'm scared that I'll somehow make a fool out of myself and end up embarrassing Sasuke." Sakura sighed yet again and I could see that Hinata and Tenten gave each other worried looks.

I placed a hand over Sakura's shoulder and my next words weren't said to comfort her, but they were the truth I believed in.

"I have watched you grow up into the successful woman you are today, Sakura. Trust me; you'll be perfect out there."

Ever since Sakura released her blog post about Sasuke years ago, she became famous in the cyber world. She gained the respect of many, including Sasuke's fans that used to despise her. As years passed by, her blog had become a platform for her to share her knowledge on the medical field, which had helped people in various ways. Sometimes, she would share her personal life experiences, which were always written beautifully.

And needless to say, in the real world, she had become a well-known doctor in Japan. It was Sakura I was talking about so I must say her success was not a huge surprise to me. After all, I had always known that she had great potential and she would always work hard towards her goals.

My younger brother was lucky to have Sakura as his wife and that was for sure.

"Thank you, Itachi."

I was relieved when I saw that Sakura had managed to let go of the tension inside of her. With one last smile, I left the room and head over to the venue of the wedding ceremony, which was on the beach of the resort we were in.

Sasuke was one of the most famous celebrities in Japan at that time, who had even gained fame overseas through his movies and TV dramas. However, Sasuke and Sakura wanted to keep their wedding simple so they only invited relatives and friends. Of course, the paparazzi found out about the location of the wedding but the staffs of the resort helped us made sure that none of them would enter.

I walked through the well-decorated venue and took in the wonderful scent of the fresh flowers surrounding the place. The whole place brought out a peaceful and elegant aura, making things even more special than it already was.

I took a seat beside my parents, who were obviously excited for the ceremony to start.

As for me, I had an indescribable sort of happiness inside me when I watched Sasuke and Sakura made their vows in front of everyone. They had definitely come a long way to reach where they were and from the way they looked into each other's eyes, anyone could see that their feelings were genuine.

And when they kissed, a statement just appeared in my mind.

Sasuke and Sakura would definitely be happy together for the rest of their lives.

End of Flashback

Sarada was holding onto the teddy bear I bought for her as I carried her from the garden to the living room, where my parents were watching TV. Once I placed Sarada back onto the floor, she rushed towards her grandparents and gave them the biggest bear hug she could manage.

My mother sewed a light pink scarf for Sarada while my father bought her a necklace made of white gold. There was a pendant in the shape of our family's crest hanging on the necklace, which looked perfect on Sarada.

With a much too adorable addition to our family, the atmosphere became more harmonious and livelier as well. And seeing all this made me consider forming a family of my own.

"Yes, maybe I should."

A smile formed on my face at the very much unexpected thought in my mind.


Sakura's POV

"Sakura, are you ready to go? I'm already in front of the hospital."

"I just finished a surgery, I'll be right there in five minutes."

I hung up my phone call with Sasuke as I rushed to my office. I took off my white coat and hung it around my chair before packing my stuff into my handbag.

Today was our daughter's birthday and as always, Sasuke and I were just so busy with our respective careers. But every year on this very special day, the two of us would always make sure we could spend time with Sarada.

Despite the well-known fact that my husband and I were workaholics, our love for our precious daughter was so strong that we promised to spend as much time with her as possible.

I left the room after quickly changing into a light blue blouse and a black pencil skirt. I bid goodbye to my colleagues whom I met as I walked through different hallways to get to the lobby, where Sasuke was waiting for me.

Today had been an exhausting day so I couldn't help but pull Sasuke into a tight hug when I saw him leaning against his shiny black car.

"Rough day today?" Sasuke stroked my long pink hair with one hand while the other was wrapped around my waist. Even though we were already in our early 30s, I would sometimes feel like a teenager all over again whenever Sasuke showed his sweet side. It sounded silly but none of us minded that anyway.

"Kind of." And as much as I enjoyed staying in Sasuke's embrace, I pulled away and urged him to get into the car. "It's already 6 PM, let's go!"

I rushed into the car and Sasuke did the same. It was obvious that the two of us couldn't wait to see our daughter.


Sasuke's POV

"Happy birthday, Sarada."

Seeing your daughter running to you for a hug after a long day at work was more than enough to make a father forget how tired he was. Once I stepped into the living room, Sarada came over to me and I carried her into my arms.

Sakura reached towards our daughter and kissed her on the cheek and I did the same to the other side.

"Happy birthday, Sarada!" Sakura ruffled Sarada's dark hair, which made the little girl in my arms giggled.

"I thought the two of you forgot about my birthday." Sarada's smile was overflowing with happiness as she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, planting a soft kiss on my cheek before giving another to Sakura.

"We will never forget such a special day." Sakura said as she playfully pinched our daughter's cheek.

Most people knew that I wasn't the smiling type. Even those closest to me didn't see me smile or laugh often. I felt like I had softened much more ever since I realized I had fallen in love with Sakura. But once Sarada came into our lives, I found myself smiling even more often than I thought was possible.

Our daughter was definitely one of the best presents Sakura and I could ever have.

"I'll carry Sarada back to her room. The two of you had a long day so you better go take a shower and rest for the night."

Itachi, being the considerate older brother as always, offered to bring Sarada back to her room so Sakura and I could take a much needed shower. My parents, Itachi, Sakura and I were chatting at the living room after dinner when we realized that the birthday girl had fallen asleep on the sofa. She must be tired from talking so much during dinner.

Sakura and I thanked Itachi before heading back to our room. I received an unexpected call from Naruto while Sakura was in the bathroom.

The first thing I heard when I picked up the call was Naruto shrieking my name at the top of his lungs.

"You don't need to break my eardrums, dope." I figured that there were some things that just wouldn't change no matter how many years had passed. Naruto was still that annoying and loud friend whom I couldn't ignore no matter how much I wanted.

"Are you free tomorrow, teme?" And as usual, Naruto didn't bother to listen whenever someone asked him to keep his voice down. He still spoke louder than necessary and I rolled my eyes, knowing that there was nothing I could do to change that part of that blonde friend of mine.

"I am. What do you want?" It was rare for me to have a day off on a Sunday and I was hoping Naruto didn't have a plan that could ruin my holiday.

"There's going to be a reunion party at our old school tomorrow. I've wanted to inform you and Sakura about this for some time already but the two of you had been so busy and neither of you picked up my calls! Anyways, most of the alumni will be there."

I thought for a while and was about to agree to the plan when Naruto said something that made me change my mind.

"Bring Sarada as well! Boruto has been missing her a lot and is bugging me to bring him to your house. He'll be so happy if he knows Sarada is going tomorrow too! The other kids will be there as well, by the way."

I wasn't an overprotective father and I would be very happy if my daughter could make many friends. However, Naruto and Hinata's son, Boruto Uzumaki, was a different story. It simply pissed me off whenever he tried to get close to Sarada. And no, even though Sakura kept on insisting that I was being overprotective, I definitely was not.

Just when I was going to say I wasn't going tomorrow, Sakura came out from the shower in her light pink robe and was using a towel to dry her hair. She walked over to me and asked me who I was calling.

"It's the dope."

Knowing that it was Naruto, Sakura took the phone from me and spoke to our loud friend.

"There's a reunion party tomorrow? That sounds fun! It's not every time that Sasuke and I are free on the weekend."

I groaned as Sakura spoke enthusiastically with Naruto about our plans for tomorrow. Images of Boruto chasing Sarada around annoyed me to no end.

And for the thousandth time, it wasn't because I was an overprotective father. Being overprotective was just so unlike my personality.

"We'll meet at the Konoha Academy at 10 AM tomorrow then. I'll definitely bring Sarada along. See you tomorrow, Naruto!"

"We're not going." I spoke right after Sakura hung up and placed my phone on the nightstand. She raised an eyebrow at me and placed both hands on either side of her hips. She narrowed her eyes at me as she questioned my decision.

"What is it this time, Sasuke?"

"Boruto is going to be there tomorrow."

My answer made Sakura slap her forehead while grunting in annoyance. She looked like she had a strong urge to beat me up or punch me on the gut but instead; she took a deep breath before walking towards me.

Once she was close enough, she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

"Stop being so overprotective, will you?"

"I am not being overprotective, Sakura."

Sakura rolled her eyes, let go of me and resumed drying her hair. She spoke as she walked towards the bed.

"You can continue denying that for as long as you want. But Boruto is such an adorable child. He is like the mini version of Naruto!"

"And that is exactly why I don't want him getting close to our daughter. Can you imagine what she will grow up into if a mini version of Naruto sticks around her?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, you grew up with the actual Naruto."

And with that said, my lovely wife had left me speechless and defeated.


Sakura's POV

It had been forever since everyone had gathered together.

Everyone had been too busy living their respective lives and with new additions to their families, the free time in their hands became lesser than it already was.

Naruto and Hinata were happily married with two children, Boruto and Himawari. Naruto was as loud as ever but I guessed that was something that would never change. Hinata, on the other hand, had grown to be a more confident woman.

As for Ino and Shikamaru, they settled a few months after Sasuke and I got married. They had a son, Daiki Nara, who was just two weeks older than Sarada. A few weeks ago, I received a call from Ino while I was in the hospital and I literally squealed when she told me that she was expecting their second child.

And there was Tenten, who was spoiled endlessly by the Hyuuga prodigy. I would never have expected the stoic Neji to be quite the romantic lover.

I guessed having a child of their own would eventually melt the hearts of expressionless prodigies.

Lee had become a well-known martial artist while Kiba was living a perfect life with the veterinary hospital he owned with his older sister. I wasn't very close to Chouji and Shino, but I heard they were doing great too. Everyone was happily married and had little kids running around in their house.

The best part was, all of our children were attending the same school, which was no other than our alma mater; Konoha Academy.

Years worth of memories came flooding in once I stepped inside Konoha Academy together with Sasuke and Sarada. Itachi was an alumnus as well but he left the house earlier with his old classmates.

Every classroom and corner I passed would remind me of something from the past, making me smile or giggle in a silly way. Sasuke seemed to be reminiscing our school days as well, while holding tightly onto Sarada's hand.

The reunion party was held at the school's garden, which was already packed with familiar faces when we got there. I felt excited almost instantly when I caught sight of people whom I used to meet almost every day back in my school days. Being in the midst of all my old schoolmates definitely made me miss my life when I was younger. But when I looked at the adorable little girl I was holding onto and the man I loved unconditionally, I had never been so glad I was living in the present.

"Sarada!"

Boruto's voice was loud, which was an exact copy of his father's. I couldn't help but laughed when I saw Sasuke tensing up upon hearing the voice of his little 'enemy'. Things became funnier when I noticed that Sasuke had tightened his grip around Sarada's tiny hand.

Thinking back to my impression on Sasuke in the past, I would never imagine that he could turn out to be such an overprotective father.

When Sasuke was busy trying to make sure Boruto didn't get too close to his baby daughter, our friends had noticed us and were heading over.

Ino screamed in that infamous high pitched voice of hers as she squeezed me in one of her bear hugs. Such a reaction from Ino was to be expected though because we didn't meet for over a month, which was a very long time considering the fact that we used to hang out at least twice a week before. Tenten and Hinata excitedly joined the hug, turning it into a group hug which brought some tears in my eyes.

Being preoccupied with my tight schedule, I never realized that I had missed my friends very badly. And having them with me at that time reminded me of how happy I was whenever they were around.

"I feel like it has been forever since the four of us hung out!" Ino stated with a frown as we broke the hug to catch some breath.

"Let's all try to hang out more often from now on." I said enthusiastically as I began to think of places the four of us should go soon.

"Says the busiest one of us all." Ino pouted, making Hinata and Tenten tease her for acting like a child.

"Sorry." I scratched the back of my head, feeling guilty for not sparing enough time for my friends. I quickly made a promise before I would further annoy my pregnant friend. "I will definitely make sure I will have more time to hang out!"

Ino was going to complain again but Shikamaru came to her and placed his hand around his wife's waist. He reminded her not to over-exert herself so she wouldn't be too tired by the end of the day. What Shikamaru did was simple and yet, it was such a lovely sight to witness.

I left Ino to openly flirt with her husband and chatted idly with Tenten. Hinata was in the middle of comforting Himawari, who had scalded her tongue because her father fed her hot ramen. I didn't even want to begin to wonder why Naruto brought ramen to our reunion party in the first place.

He just appeared out of nowhere in a very panicky state while carrying his crying daughter in his arms. And it definitely was very rare to see Hinata frown and scolding Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Hinata! Don't be mad at me!"

Tenten and I laughed when Naruto was begging Hinata for forgiveness with teary eyes. I even caught a glimpse of Neji smirking as he watched the scene between his cousin and Naruto.

Neji and Tenten's son, Haruto Hyuuga, was sitting on his father's shoulders. He was the same age as Boruto and Sarada but was considered much calmer than the two of them. That was to be expected from Neji's son though.

After a short conversation with Neji and Tenten, I left to look for Sasuke. He seemed to have successfully asked Boruto to stay away from Sarada because I saw the blonde little boy playing with Kiba and Lee's sons instead. I even spotted Daiki among the children and also Chouji and Shino's daughters but there was no sign of Sarada.

I walked around the garden and smiled when I saw Sasuke and Sarada by the fountain, which wasn't there when I was still in high school.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Sasuke turned around when he heard my voice. Sarada seemed very comfortable being carried by her father and didn't look like she had any plans on getting down any time soon.

"Boruto was shouting too much so I brought Sarada here to rest her eardrums."

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to take Sasuke's reason literally or not but I ended up laughing at how ridiculous it sounded.

"The three of you look like a really happy family."

The familiar sound behind us made my heart beat in anticipation and excitement. I turned around hurriedly and smiled brightly when I saw it was whom I thought it was; Kakashi-sensei.

The last time I saw him was during mine and Sasuke's wedding. I was really glad and touched when I found out that Kakashi-sensei was actually on time that day. I thanked him after the ceremony was over for breaking his habit of being tardy for our ceremony.

I remembered shedding a tear or two when he said he was proud of us. It meant a lot more than he thought so.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi-sensei!" I was so happy to see my old teacher again that I didn't care if I looked silly with my wide smiles.

"Time sure flies fast." I could see Kakashi-sensei's smile behind his mask as he spoke. "Look at how much your daughter has grown."

Sasuke walked closer to Kakashi-sensei so Sarada could introduce herself.

"Hello. My name is Sarada Uchiha. Nice to meet you." Sarada reached out her hand for a handshake with a smile on her face.

"Hello there, Sarada. I am Kakashi Hatake, a teacher from Konoha Academy. You attend this school, right?"

Sarada nodded in response to Kakashi-sensei's question. Our old homeroom teacher smiled before speaking again, "I'm looking forward to become your teacher in the future."

"I hope you're looking forward to have Naruto's son as your student as well." Sasuke's words made me giggle again, which didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"Is he a potential troublemaker?" Kakashi-sensei asked with apparent curiosity and slight excitement.

"He is like the carbon copy of Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke didn't directly answer Kakashi-sensei's question but his words were clear enough.

The three of us just laughed about it while Sarada looked at us in confusion. Kakashi-sensei sighed contently before looking at us with his usual unreadable gaze.

"It felt like it was only yesterday when Sakura refused to bring handouts to Sasuke. A lot had changed from that day, hadn't it?"

Kakashi-sensei's words made me remember how much I used to despise Sasuke. Much had changed drastically but it was definitely for the better. With one last smile, Kakashi-sensei left us and walked to where the other teachers were gathered.

Sarada was giggling to herself as Sasuke and I silently expressed our love to each other while smiling with pure happiness. I recently found out Itachi had told Sarada how Sasuke and I got together. Our little girl pulled Sasuke and I into a hug and the two of us kissed her on each side of her cheeks. After another round of giggles, Sarada said the exact same thing we had in our minds.

"Who would have known a single visit led to great changes?"


THE END


Author's Note: It really ended! (cries in the corner) I really hope everyone loves this chapter and this fanfic as a whole. I still have ongoing Sasuke/Sakura fanfics right now and I will be very happy if you will check it out as well. Please review and add this fanfic as your favorite. It will make this writer super duper happy! Thank you so much for supporting Guilty Pleasures and see you on my other fanfics!