Chapter 7:
Karin was in her lab, mixing together different flowers to try and create a perfume that could stop an enemy in his tracks, making him instantly enamored. Suigetsu had left the hideout earlier that day with the intention of visiting Juugo, leaving Karin and Orochimaru in the Land of Fire. Orochimaru was working in his own private lab, researching how to make small clones of himself. Karin had snorted at the thought of Orochimaru wanting to be a father, but she dared not say anything to her boss concerning that. Karin raised her hand to scratch her head, and smiled when she felt the side of her hair. She had recently decided to shave part of it, giving her an edgier look.
While mixing together orchid with lavender, Karin suddenly detected two chakras coming closer to the hideout. After focusing in on the two chakras, Karin recognized them and gasped aloud. Sasuke and Sakura were quickly getting closer and closer to the entrance of the hideout. She immediately dropped the vial she was holding and darted out of the lab. She felt Orochimaru doing the same.
"What are they doing here?" Karin thought, her hair flying behind her. "They should be in Konoha by now!" As Karin approached the front entrance, her eyes caught the sight of Sasuke supporting a very pregnant Sakura, who was holding her stomach in pain.
"Sakura!" Karin shrieked, running straight to the girl.
"Ah, Karin," Sakura tried to smile through the pain. "I'm so glad you're here."
"My wife is in labor," Sasuke told her, his face contorted in pain and worry. "We were travelling back from Suna when her water broke an hour ago. This was closer than Konoha."
Orochimaru appeared then, his face serious for once. "Ah, Sasuke. So this is your lovely wife." Sasuke glared at him.
"Come, Sakura, let's lay you down." Karin helped Sasuke support her and they walked her to a room down the hall. Sakura lay on the bed, her head supported by a pillow.
Sakura began barking orders at the two men. "You two! We need towels, hot water, medical scissors, a tray, and another pillow for support." The two men immediately left to get her what she needed.
"Sakura, how far apart are your contractions?" Karin asked. She knew the process of giving birth, having studied it intensely, but never having actually helped deliver a baby herself.
"Seven minutes," was the pink-woman's reply. "Karin, have you ever delivered a baby?" Sakura's large green eyes looked at her, expectant.
"No, but I know the process," Karin said with a grim smile.
"Okay, well I'll help walk you through it," Sakura replied. She thought for a moment and smiled. "I didn't think I'd get to see you again so soon. Especially not like this." Sakura threw her head back and laughed. "Tsunade-sama will never forgive me for not letting her deliver the baby." She reached and squeezed Karin's hand. "But I'm glad you'll be delivering the child. Now, you'll have a special bond with them." Karin felt tears form in her eyes at the realization.
Sasuke and Orochimaru walked in carrying towels, hot water, and a pillow. Sasuke had removed his cloak and eagerly moved towards his wife, helping her get more comfortable with the pillow.
"Do you two have any clothes or blankets for the child?" Karin asked, fixing everything how she needed it to be.
"Sasuke, the blanket should be in my bag. We have a two sets of clothes. One's for a boy, one's for a girl." Sakura gasped then. "Sasuke-kun, we haven't decided on names! The baby can't be born without a name."
"We'll wait until he or she is born, and then decide when we see it." Sasuke retorted decisively. He got out the two small sets of clothing and put them on a table for Karin. At that moment, Sakura had another contraction. Sasuke tried to hold her hand, but she moved it away.
"Ne, Sasuke, I'll end up breaking your hand again." Sakura gasped. "Shannaroo!"
Sasuke let out a sigh before wrapping his one arm around Sakura's shoulder. He was in for a long night.
It was 6 o'clock in the morning when Sasuke was kicked out of his wife's delivery room. Karin had made him leave the room as his constant pacing had put Sakura on edge.
"You can come back in for the delivery" Karin had told him. He grit his teeth together, and continued to pace the hallway. Orochimaru had gone to bed after declaring that he was glad he did not have to deal with labor. Sasuke was alone, and had been for over an hour. He was about to barge back in the room when he heard Karin calling his name.
"Sasuke!" she shrieked. "It's time!" Sasuke ran back into the room and walked straight to Sakura, who was sweating and panting. Karin was at the foot of the bed, ready to deliver the baby. Sakura walked her through the process very carefully. When both women were ready, Karin told Sakura to push.
Sasuke wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders. Her fists were clenched and she screamed "Shannaroo" more than once. Sooner than he anticipated, Sakura gave her final push, and the room was entirely silent. With one arm, Karin was holding the baby Uchiha in a towel. With her free hand, she cut the baby's umbilical cord. For a few moments, the entire room was silent, before a cry pierced through the air.
"Congratulations," Karin told them, beaming. "You have a daughter."
Sakura felt tears pouring out of her eyes. "A little girl, huh?" she thought to herself.
Sasuke was numb with shock. He was a father to a very, very tiny female. As Karin brought the baby closer, the Uchiha saw a tuft of black hair on her head. "So no pink," he thought, before his heart swelled with pride. "That's fine. My mother had black hair." He watched as Karin handed Sakura the small human.
"Hello, child," his wife cooed to their little girl. Upon being placed in her mother's gentle embrace, the girl had stopped crying. "Welcome to the world." Karin moved and began cleaning up after the delivery as Sasuke bent down to look at his child's face. Sure enough, staring up at the ceiling not really seeing much were two Onyx eyes. Sakura turned to look at him "She definitely got the Uchiha genes, anata." She turned back to the baby. "You look just like your papa, little one."
Papa. Hearing himself referred to with that word gave Sasuke chills. He was a father. It reaffirmed the fact that Sasuke would never be alone in the world. He had a family now.
"What will we call her?" Sakura murmured to Sasuke.
"Sarada," Sasuke said without hesitation. Sasuke didn't know where the name came from, but it just felt right. It was strong and beautiful, just like their daughter would be.
"Hm," Sakura said, thinking. "Sarada. Uchiha Sarada." Sakura beamed at her husband. "It's perfect."
Karin, feeling very awkward but knowing what needed to be done, interrupted the couple. "Would you like me to clean the child up?" She asked, knowing the baby would get sick otherwise. "After, I can help you clean up too, Sakura, if you can heal yourself."
"Ah, yes," Sakura replied, blushing. Karin took the baby from her and left to bathe, dress, and swaddle the child in a blanket. Sakura immediately began channeling chakra to heal herself.
"Sakura?" Sasuke murmured.
"Aa?" Sakura turned to look at him.
"Thank you," he smiled at her, poking her forehead with two fingers. Sakura smiled, grabbed her husband's shirt, and pulled him in for a kiss.
"You're welcome," she told him with a smirk after their lips parted. Their gazes met, and Sakura could see all the unspoken words in Sasuke's eyes. She raised her hand to his face and held his cheek in her hand. With her free hand, Sakura raised two fingers and poked Sasuke in the forehead.
Whether it was a trick of the light or her own exhaustion, Sakura could have sworn she saw tears forming in her husband's eyes.
Sakura was awoken later that day by the sound of loud cries coming from her offspring. "Shannaroo," the new mother said. "It seems you got your temper from me." Sasuke, who had been holding their daughter while they slept, awoke, instantly on edge. "She's probably just hungry," Sakura told him, taking Sarada. "Go back to sleep."
The couple had moved into a larger room with a bed they could share. Having been up the entire night and most of the morning, the new family had desired nothing more than sleep. At his wife's instruction, Sasuke had closed his eyes again, immediately falling back to sleep. Sakura sat up, most of her soreness gone from healing herself. Sakura lifted her shirt up and allowed Sarada to attach herself to her breast. The baby eagerly began to eat.
"It looks like you got your appetite from me as well," Sakura laughed quietly. "Well, lucky for you, I'm an excellent cook. When you get older, I'll be able to make you whatever foods you like. I hope you have a wide palate, unlike your Uncle Naruto. His diet consists mainly of Ramen." Sakura continued chattering away to her child who didn't understand a word of what she was saying.
"You're going to make so many friends, I just know it. You'll be a wonderful shinobi, and a kind person, just like your Papa." Sakura smiled at her little girl in her sweet pink dress.
Sakura had hoped for a family with Sasuke since she was a child. She had fanciful thoughts of Sasuke sweeping her off her feet, and having plenty of little babies with him. As she had grown, however, Sakura's reality had changed. After getting to know Sasuke, she had developed a genuine love for the Uchiha. When he left, Sakura let go of these dreams. She still hoped that one day Sasuke could reciprocate her love, but she would have been happy knowing that he was happy, and that her love had changed him for the better. More than anything, Sakura had wanted to bring Sasuke back from the darkness and into the light where he could shine. After the war, when Sasuke returned to Konoha, a small part of her began to hope for a family again. When he departed again, this time with a forehead poke and a promise to see her again, the hope had only grown. While he was away, her health had suffered, and her future was up in the air. She did not know what Sasuke felt for her. After the situation with Kido, when Sasuke had come to rescue her when she didn't need rescuing, her hope for a future together had grown again. Then, one day, Sasuke had come back to the village. She had been waiting with open arms, and their love had quickly blossomed. Sasuke had proposed before long, and the young couple had been inseparable. During their time together, Sakura hadn't given a family too much thought. She wanted children with Sasuke, it was true. However, she didn't want to pressure him or move to fast, and so she had been content with being happily married to the man of her dreams.
It wasn't until she found out she was pregnant that Sakura realized how much she had wanted this child. Now, holding Sarada in her arms, all of Sakura's dreams had come true. She felt tears forming in her eyes. In that moment, nothing could have made the Uchiha matriarch happier.
The Uchiha couple stayed for a week in Orochimaru's hideout before departing for Konoha. After making sure that Sarada was bundled up tightly and Sakura was feeling fully recovered to make the trip, the couple said their goodbye's to Karin.
"Thank you again for everything," Sakura said, smiling sincerely. Sasuke was holding Sarada protectively in his arm, watching the two women. "Without you, I don't know what we would have done." Sakura held out a small glass box to Karin. Curious, the red head looked in. "It's Sarada's umbilical cord," Sakura explained as Karin gasped. "We want you to have it. You've been through so much with us. It's physical proof of our bond."
Karin felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Surprising Sakura, Karin threw her arms around her. "Thank you for being my friend," Karin murmured. Sakura returned the embrace, smiling. When the women parted, Sasuke had a small smile on his face. Only his wife could make the temperamental Uzumaki cry tears of happiness.
"Goodbye, Sarada," Karin said to the small child who was sleeping soundly. "She may have Sasuke's coloring, but she looks just like you." Karin told Sakura. Sakura giggled. "Goodbye, Sasuke." Karin told the dark-haired Uchiha man. A pang in her heart at the sight of his face told Karin she still loved him, but she was finally okay with it.
"Thank you, Karin. For everything," Sasuke told her sincerely, a very serious look on his face.
As the couple moved to leave, Karin called out after them. "Feel free to write to me, Sakura!"
Sakura turned her head and smiled at Karin before waving and disappearing into the trees with her husband and child.
Karin clutched the small glass box tighter. As she made her way inside, she walked to her desk and set the small box gently inside her bottom drawer. She would keep it by her side always.
"TEME" a loud voice greeted the Uchiha family as they walked through the gates of Konoha. Sasuke sighed and handed Sarada to Sakura, certain that Naruto would plummet into and hurt his child otherwise. The sunny blonde attacked his best friend, causing Sasuke to jump backwards to dodge getting hit. "Where the hell have you been? Raido and Aoba returned months ago! Dattebayo!"
"Naruto, shut the hell up, you're going to wake my child." Sasuke seethed.
"I don't care if I…WHAT?!" Naruto screamed. "A child?!" Naruto turned to look at Sakura, his mouth hanging open. Sure enough in Sakura's arms was a very small, dark-haired Uchiha.
"I will knock your lights out if you hurt my child or husband. Baka!" Sakura told him, her green eyes flashing.
A gasp sounded in front of them, and when Sakura turned, she saw Hinata standing there, carrying a small, very blonde child of around 3 months. If possible, Hinata had grown even lovelier in the absence of the Uchiha couple.
"Sa-sakura-chan!" She gasped, staring straight to the small bundle in Sakura's arms. "Sasuke!"
Naruto recovered somewhat at his wife's gasp, and began glaring at the two as he moved towards his wife. "What the hell happened?"
"Well, you see, when a man and a woman are married, it's customary-" Sasuke began sarcastically.
"I chased after Sasuke on his mission, and I went into labor on our way back to Konoha. Our daughter was born on March 31st." Sakura told them, cutting Sasuke off. The story was too long and confusing for her at the moment, especially when she really just wanted to get home.
Surprisingly, Hinata was the first one to move closer to see the baby. "She's beautiful." Hinata smiled, making Sakura remember how much she loved the Hyuga-turned-Uzumaki. "What's her name?"
"Sarada," Sakura beamed.
"Uchiha Sarada," Hinata giggled. "It's perfect. This is Boruto." Hinata gestured to the little boy who was currently playing with her long black hair.
"Hello, Boruto." Sakura chirped. "I'm your Aunt Sakura."
"You couldn't have even sent a messenger hawk?" Naruto pouted.
"Well, at first we couldn't due to the mission, and then we just forgot about it." Sakura apologized, a sheepish look on her face.
"You just forgot about us?" Naruto almost yelled, a comical expression on his face.
"You're going to wake my daughter, dobe." Sasuke muttered. "And don't yell at my wife."
"What did you say, teme? Dattebayo!" Naruto raised his fist at Sasuke.
"Come on, Naruto!" Sakura pleaded. "We're sorry! Shannaroo! Don't you want to meet your niece?" At that, Naruto calmed down, and slowly turned towards the tiny Uchiha.
"She looks just like you two," the blonde haired jinchuriki said after a few moments. Tears formed in his eyes. "The next generation looks bright." Even Sasuke cracked a small smile at that. "Wait until Kakashi sensei sees you! He'll be crying like a baby."
"Have you told Ino?" Hinata asked Sakura in her soothing voice. Sakura grimaced and shook her head no. She was not looking forward to that interaction.
"I'll tell her later," Sakura huffed. "We're very tired, and I'm not exactly ready to be berated right now. Well, any more than I already have." She turned to glare at Naruto before turning to her husband. "We have so much to do. We need clothes, shoes, blankets, and we don't even have a crib."
"Hn," Sasuke replied. "We'll have to go later."
"Hinata-chan and I will take care of it!" Naruto whooped. "We'll go buy a bunch of girl's stuff, and a crib too."
Sakura began "Naruto, that's really not-" but Naruto cut her off.
"It's not a problem! We'll be over in a few hours!" He took his son from Hinata, grabbed her hand, and began to pull her towards the marketplace. Hinata threw a reassuring look over her shoulder that said Sakura didn't need to worry: her baby wouldn't be receiving any orange jumpsuits.
Sakura chuckled slightly at her goofball best friend before turning to her husband. "Do you need to visit the Hokage?" It was customary for ninja to report to the Hokage following a mission.
"No," Sasuke told her. "I'll send him a note. Knowing Naruto, though, he'll be bringing the entirety of Konoha, including the Hokage, to our front door later today."
Groaning, Sakura held onto Sarada more tightly. Sasuke began walking towards their house, wife and daughter in tow. Located at the front edge of the Uchiha district sat their small home. It looked warm and inviting, despite being empty for several months. It seemed as though Ino and Hinata had been keeping the house clean, knowing Sakura would do the same for them. As the couple walked through the front door and locked it behind them, Sakura sighed contentedly. They were finally home.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked him as they walked into their main living area. "Could you go get me a basket and a thick blanket?"
When he came back with the basket and blanket, Sakura laid the thick blanket into the small basket before placing their baby inside of it. Sarada stretched and yawned before becoming more comfortable and falling back into a deep slumber. She felt Sasuke wrap his arm around her as she watched her daughter, and turned around to kiss him full on the mouth.
"Thank you, Sasuke," Sakura told him, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Aa," was all Sasuke could say. The little coupled relaxed with their daughter for a few minutes before Sakura got up to make lunch and inspect her flower garden. Sasuke checked around the house to make sure everything was in its place, and then proceeded to watch Sarada carefully, taking note of her every move and sound. The little house was full of warmth and peace for a few hours, making Sakura and Sasuke very content.
Of course, that peace was shattered the moment Naruto showed up with his wife and child. Four clones were carrying bags of baby things and a crib, while Hinata held Boruto and a bag of groceries. As Sasuke and Naruto began bickering, Sakura ordered them to go set up the nursery, giving precise instructions so that they wouldn't mess it up. Then, adding to the chaos, Kakashi, Ino, and Sai wound up on the doorstep of the Uchiha house. Sai was holding their small son, Inojin, so that Ino could give Sakura a good scolding before embracing her best friend and busting into tears.
"You could have at least written to me, forehead!" Ino told her. "You look so different! Even your hair is longer."
For the first time, Sakura realized her hair had indeed been growing. "I never even noticed. Maybe I'll grow it out. What do you think, Ino-pig?" Ino smiled at her, and threw her head back in laughter. Sai introduced Sakura to his son with a genuine smile on his face.
"This is Inojin," he declared, his quiet voice full of happiness.
Kakashi sat back in a chair for most of the afternoon, holding either Sarada or Boruto or Inojin at any given time, looking as content as possible. He enjoyed the same peacefulness the babies did, and enjoyed thinking they would one day grow up to be like their parents.
Sakura smiled as she watched all of her friends and their children in her home. There were so many established bonds between them that would only grow as their children did. She caught Sasuke's eyes a few times as he moved around the house, arranging things for Sarada while Naruto talked their ears off about how amazing Boruto was. While he would never admit it, Sasuke was very happy with the chaos ensuing in his own home.
For the first time in months, Sakura was finally back in Konoha. This time, things were different. This time, she had two new bonds. One with her child, and one with the woman who had delivered her. Sakura made a mental note; she had to write to Karin the next day and let her know they had arrived home safely.
After all of her friends left, the house was back to its peaceful and welcoming state. The pink-haired kunoichi held her child tightly that night, her heart swelled with contentment, and her husband's presence making her feel whole. Sakura and Sasuke both had the family they never expected to get, and for that, they were grateful beyond belief.