(A/N): Wow… the final chapter you've all been waiting for. I didn't forget about you all, don't worry. Love you all so much. Thanks for sticking through with my first ever story. I originally wanted to post this on November 10th as the second anniversary of the Naruto manga's official end but then the American election happened and all my motivation for anything in life just like faded away lol (tbh America would've been screwed with either major party candidate, but I'll keep politics away from this website, which is a safe haven for those who wish to escape the real world hehe)
Seriously though, only you readers have given me the will to complete this, because I know you've all been waiting so patiently. Love you so much.
Swish. Swoop, swish.
Sasuke's sword effortlessly sliced through the air as he ran through his early morning kata in a remote area in the outskirts of the village. The stream flowed with a peaceful rhythm behind him. Integrating elaborate legwork into his form, he executed each move with precision and perfection only he could achieve without so much as breaking a sweat or breathing heavily. His dark grey training pants ever so slightly fluttered as he kicked into the empty air with his bare foot. He liked the feeling of the damp dew between his toes as he trained.
He had been at this longer than usual—a thirty minute exercise turning into a couple of hours.
After the whole Hotaru fiasco, Sasuke had been in the hospital for a good two weeks to recuperate from chakra exhaustion. He had been ordered bed rest for the whole two weeks by Tsunade (no exceptions) and was even threatened to be restrained to the hospital bed if he didn't comply. It didn't help that he was in a physical state where he could have easily been be overpowered by Tsunade, although Sasuke insisted that that wasn't true but was just following orders because Tsunade would be "annoying to deal with" otherwise. Overall, however, peace had been restored to the village and everybody fell back into the rhythm of the norm once more.
Finally being discharged from that dreadfully boring place with terrible food (seriously, how could Sakura stand working there all day every day?), Sasuke felt obligated to make up for lost training time. For the past week, he had been waking and rising with the sun around five in the morning and training until dusk.
Sakura caught him on multiple occasions and berated him for not stopping for proper meals or breaks. "You're just going to land yourself in the hospital again for the same exact reason you were just there for!
He knew she was right, like she usually was, so he began to heed her words first by stopping for lunch breaks at Ichiraku and then with simple food he packed for himself from his apartment. Sometimes, Sakura would drop by when she wasn't busy with her own basket of homemade food items and provide her company. They wouldn't talk much, just sit in each other's presence, quietly munching on food and enjoying the nature around them. They continued to live like this for a month.
After Sasuke and spent that night together at the hospital, it was somehow difficult for either him or her to bring it up again in conversation so they haven't mentioned it since. Their displays of affection, if anyone would call it that, stagnated to keeping each other company. It was a good routine to him, really. He wasn't used to physical affection, and Sakura was giving him the time and space he needed to sort out his feelings once and for all.
However, it looked like her company would be missed today as Sasuke abruptly came to a halt. He thrusted his sword and stopped it just a millimeter away from the throat of a generic, unrecognizable ANBU.
"Uchiha. You have been summoned to the Lord Sixth's office." The ANBU vanished as quickly as he appeared with a one-handed seal and flicker.
Lowering his sword, Sasuke let out a short breath of annoyance at being interrupted. He too flickered out of the clearing and toward the heart of Konoha. He entered the Hokage tower, a wave of nostalgia suffusing through his body as memories of every time he passed under the same entranceway to take on a mission as a twelve-year-old, young and inexperienced.
Two knocks.
"Enter."
Sasuke gracefully opened the door and stepped into the office with all the Uchiha regality and impeccable posture that have been instilled into him as a child. He stopped in front of Kakashi's desk and stuffed his hands in his dark pants' pockets, and stared at the Sixth Hokage expectantly. Kakashi rested his elbows on his desk, laced his fingers together, and slid his chin into the crevice made by his hands.
"Well?" Sasuke inquired, as if to say, you called for me?
"Well... Sasuke, I'm sorry to have to say this when you've been back for not even a month, but I might have to send you out of Konoha once more."
Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together in suspicion. Was there something wrong? Another threat?
Kakshi elaborated, "There have been slight unusual disturbances and blips in the magnetic field in the very north, near the borders of the Land of Earth and the Land of Iron. My intuition tells me it's interference from inter-dimensional activities. And you're the only one alive who can investigate this right now."
Sasuke's expression hardened and his hand clenched. Activities from other dimensions?
"The Gokage are convening in Konoha in three days time to discuss these recent events. I'll give you until then to think about and research what might be going on and relay the news to Naruto and Sakura."
Sasuke nodded once.
"You will leave the day after the summit. You are dismissed."
Sakura let out a shaky breath. For the past few days, Sakura felt queasy and nauseous in the mornings, to the point where she hurled the previous night's meal into the toilet. Only this morning did she finally examine herself and found with a diagnostic chakra-enhanced hand a faint life force just below her stomach.
Her other hand had been holding the toilet bowl as she kneeled in front of it. Feeling an uncomfortable urge surge from the pits of her stomach to the base of her throat, Sakura bowed to the toilet and gagged once more.
Letting out a slow, pained groan, Sakura lifted her head and her stomach churned again. But this time it wasn't from the growing life inside of her. It was from apprehension. Six weeks. It had been six weeks since she and Sasuke spent that night together. Her period had always been irregular because of her life as a kunoichi and constantly exercising and keeping in shape, so she didn't really think much of it when she missed her last two cycles. Six weeks was just around the time where morning sickness and other pregnancy symptoms started appearing after conception. She blanched.
"Oh god, what do I tell Sasuke?"
She carefully picked herself up from the floor of her bathroom and washed out the acidic taste in her mouth, and made her way to her bed and plopped down. She was still in disbelief.
A life. A human life. Growing inside of her. This fetus will eventually turn into a baby; her baby. Her child. Sasuke's child.
She couldn't help it as a sob escaped her throat. It's not that she didn't want this baby; of course she would love any child of hers with all of her heart and soul. But would Sasuke? They couldn't even have a proper relationship and suddenly she's pregnant? What if he didn't even want to be with her in the end? She gave him space after they acted on their fleeting desires. She waited for him to come to her on his own terms. But he had done nothing except accepting her presence.
Sakura thought about keeping her pregnancy silent from him. She couldn't burden him with this responsibility if he didn't want it, if he wasn't ready for it. Not to mention, he could hit the road any moment too.
She retracted those thoughts as soon as they came into her head. No, she had to tell him. He had the right to know. But Sakura also didn't want to ruin whatever relationship she thought they had.
She fiercely wiped her tears. If it was for the sake of her child, their child, she had to be brave and ready to face any trial. Even if it meant raising their child alone.
Sakura gathered herself and took three deep breaths. She glanced at the clock and realized she was late for work but oddly didn't feel any rush. Her stomach churned, not because of the morning sickness, but because of what she would do from here on out. What and how would she tell Sasuke?
She quickly changed into her casual clothes and left her apartment.
When she reached the hospital, Sakura clocked into her shift a little late. She sunk into her chair at her desk in her office, still a little dazed.
The little square intercom on her desk beeped once, sharp and high pitched. Sakura jumped. She would never get used to all of this technology...
Pressing the flashing button, she cleared her throat and spoke into the speakers, "Yes?"
"Haruno-sensei, Uzumaki-san is ready for her check-up." Ah, right. She was supposed to see Hinata today.
"I'll come get her."
The first thing Sasuke did when he left Kakashi's office was to go find Naruto. He decided to go to Naruto first because Naruto was so predictable in his reactions. And if anyone, Naruto was the one person who deserved to hear first if Sasuke was going to leave the village. He spent the whole way to the Uzumaki residence in contemplation of how he would bring this up.
In front of the Uzumaki's door, he paused right before he was about to knock as the door flung open.
"Oh, hey Sasuke! What's up?"
"Naruto. Going somewhere?" Sasuke had always cursed Naruto's terrible timing, and this seemed to be exactly one of those times.
"Yeah, gonna go meet up with Iruka-sensei to talk about politics, dattebayo!" Naruto marched past him.
"... I will never get use to hearing you say things like this," Sasuke muttered.
Naruto turned around. "Huh? You say somethin'?"
"I said, the Five Kage Summit will occur in Konoha in three days time. I need to tell you... and Sakura something there."
"What? What is it?" Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Sasuke's eyes hardened, "About why I need to leave again for the sake of the village."
"Oh, sure! I'll be the- wait, what did you just say?"
"I... I need to leave the village again."
"... WHAT?!"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"But, but WHY, you JUST got back!"
"You know it wasn't for forever."
"I know, but still, ugh, why does it have to be you who has to leave?"
"I'm the only one who has the ability—"
"—To investigate this, yeah I understand. Man, I'm still bummed though. How long will you be gone for this time?"
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I'll be gone for a very, very long time."
"Well, you better be here when my kid is born! I mean considering you already missed my wedding of all things, I think the least you could do for me is to be here when your godchild is born!" Naruto flashed a thumbs-up.
"My what."
"Godchild! Better thank me to have this honor!"
Sasuke sighed, but a small smile still slipped onto his visage. "Alright, sure. Have you seen Sakura?"
"Actually, Hinata's at the hospital getting a check-up on the baby with Sakura right now!"
So Sakura was at work.
"Wait, I'm really late for my meeting! Gotta run Sasuke, your explanation better be damn good or else I'm grabbing you by the ear and forcing you to stay in the village!" Naruto took off onto the nearest roof and hopped away in a blur of orange and yellow.
Sasuke scratched the back of his head and the corner of his mouth snaked upwards. Not the first time, he was thankful for a friend like Naruto, who treasured their friendship and brotherhood as one of the most important things he ever came to possess.
If he couldn't see Sakura for now, it was time for him to do some extensive research in the Uchiha archives. The Naka Shrine. Although the upper level of the shrine itself was destroyed in Pain's attack and never rebuilt, the secrets of the Uchiha still remained hidden below. He too deftly jumped onto the rooftop of Naruto's house and took off toward the deserted Uchiha district.
"Sakura-san, I have a favor to ask of you."
Sakura glanced up from her glowing green hand on Hinata's belly.
"Anything for you, Hinata."
Hinata smiled gratefully, "Well, it's just that I would like you to deliver my baby. I know all of Konoha's medics are more than capable, but I think I would feel most reassured if you do it."
Sakura let out a small noise of surprise, "Of course I'd love to, Hinata! It'd be an honor!"
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
"It's really not a problem, don't over-exaggerate!"
Hinata's eyes softened. "No really, thank you. Because I know you will be well into your own pregnancy when I go into labor."
Sakura pulled back her hand from Hinata's stomach and squeaked.
"Wh-what? How did you—!"
"I think people forget that Hyuuga eyes can see everything," Hinata huffed. Well, almost everything, she amended in her head.
"Can you please keep this a secret? I would like to tell people myself. Especially Sasuke," Sakura pleaded.
"Ah, so he doesn't know yet."
"Nope, I just found out myself this morning," Sakura sighed.
"When are you going to tell him?"
"As soon as we see each other again."
"I will be rooting for you Sakura-san. I've always been."
And suddenly, Sakura's stormy nerves calmed. She wasn't alone; she never had been. She nodded. Suddenly, she felt lighter, like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. She laughed light-heartedly, like she wasn't worrying her brains out not even an hour before.
"Your baby is doing very well. It's too early to be able to tell the gender, though. I'll be able to tell in about a month or two, when the fetus's genitals have formed. Keep following your current diet and keep getting a lot of rest! I'll see you next month for your next appointment."
Hinata rose to leave. Halfway out the door she paused and gracefully turned around, hand gently on the door frame.
"Sakura-san!"
"Hm?"
"Sometimes, I felt as if Naruto-kun never noticed me even though I was trying my absolute best. At the time it might have been true. Yet without giving up, he did come to realize and recognize every single little effort I put in for myself, for him, and for us. Do your best! Although it might seem like Sasuke-kun doesn't see your effort, he definitely doesn't not see it. And above all, I've seen you grow faith in yourself over these years. Don't lose it." With a wink, Hinata exited the room.
Hinata was right. What was Sakura doing? She worked so hard to become strong for herself. Not for anybody else. She could and would take on anything.
When Sakura came back to her apartment at night and flicked on her kitchen lights, she screamed when she saw Sasuke sitting at her kitchen table with his arm sitting neatly on his lap. He was in casual clothes, dark grey training pants and a simple black long sleeve shirt.
"What in the world! Why are you sitting at my table with all the lights off?!"
Sasuke ignored her and frowned. "You should really lock your door."
"A-ah, haha," Sakura sheepishly laughed, "I forget to do that, sometimes."
Forgetting she was just standing there with her stuff, Sakura put down her bag and loosened her forehead protector. She shuffled over to the stove.
"Care for a cup of tea?"
"Hn."
"Okay." She put the kettle on the stove and turned the dial to maximum heat. Sakura slid into the chair across from Sasuke. Sasuke stared at her while her eyes darted everywhere but his face and she fidgeted. After a moment of silence, Sakura blurted as Sasuke spoke.
"I need to tell you something!" and "I have to talk to you."
"O-oh! You go ahead," Sakura quickly offered. Sasuke raised his eyebrow.
"Sakura."
"Y-yes!" Her voice climbed two octaves higher and she sat straighter in her chair.
This time his eyebrows knitted together. She was acting strange.
"Come to the Gokage summit in three days. I... I'm going to leave the village again and I will tell you and Naruto the reason why in the presence of the Gokage, as they need to hear this too."
Sakura's jaw dropped.
"For... for how long?" She asked in a small voice.
"... Long."
Her fears were coming true in her head. She could already picture her child growing up without a father around. She could already see her little boy or girl asking why he or she didn't have a papa like other children.
"O-oh."
Again, silence.
"Sakura, did you have something to say?"
Sakura gulped and both of her fists tightened in her lap. "Actually, I... I'm, I'm," she squeezed her eyes shut, "pr—!"
The kettle whistled, like a high-pitched scream demanding attention. Sakura couldn't really hear the kettle though because she also basically screamed out the word and momentarily became deaf as her heart pounded within her chest and her ears rang.
When she opened her eyes, Sasuke was standing, hand hanging limp at his side, mouth slightly ajar, and visible eye wide.
They stayed like that for a minute, the tea kettle blaring in the background.
Slowly, Sasuke's countenance changed to normal and he made is way to the stove and turned it off.
"Is... is it mine?"
Sakura suddenly huffed irritably, "Of course it's yours. Who do you take me for?"
"Sorry."
"Damn straight."
"My... child." Sasuke needed to sit back down.
He was going to be a father. Him, of all people. Just like Naruto.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" He asked curiously.
"Well, I won't know until I'm about five months into the pregancy—hey, wait. You're taking this a lot more calmly than I thought."
Sasuke tilted his head in question.
"You're not mad?"
"Sakura, why the hell would I be mad?
"Look, I completely understand if you don't want to... you know, be in a relationship with me. And if it's for this baby, I will do anything in my power to raise him or her to be a good, kind-hearted, righteous person even if I have to do it alone. So I'm okay with you leaving, even though I'm not really okay, but I'm okay, I mean, I'll be okay, at least I think so—"
"Sakura, you're babbling."
"Right, sorry. It's just, um, I know we haven't talked about um, that night when we, um, y'know. But seeing as the result of that night is this, this baby I think now would be a better time to address um, whatever's going on between us rather than later and—"
"Sakura." Exasperation. "Is that what you've been worried about this whole time?"
Sakura gave a tiny nod.
Sasuke took a deep breath, stood, and walked over to where Sakura sat. He looked down at her.
"I know I'm inexperienced in matters concerning... love, but what I feel is genuine. That night at the hospital, the night of the festival when I gave you that flower, when I poked your forehead before I left on my journey of redemption, those were all confessions." By now, Sasuke was crouching to Sakura's sitting level.
"Confessions?"
"Sakura, I find it easier to show it than say it. But I'll say this for you now, once."
"Say... what?" Sakura finally looked into Sasuke's eye. It laid unwavering into hers.
"Sakura," he took hold of her left shoulder and leaned in, "I love you."
Gaara, the fifth Kazekage. Chōjūrō, the sixth Mizukage. Darui, the fifth Raikage. Kurotsuchi, the fourth Tsuchikage. The four kages and their respective advisors were sitting in a semicircle, gathered together before the official Gokage summit. Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were in the slightly dilapidated room as well. Shikamaru as Kakashi's interim advisor.
"Wheres the Hokage?" Kurotsuchi asked out loud.
"Hokage-sama had an emergency matter to attend to with the Fire Daimyo. Something about finding the daimyo's daughter a husband before Hokage-sama is forced to marry her himself. Such a pain," Shikamaru yawned.
"That sounds... unfortunate," Gaara remarked. The Fire Daimyo's daughter was notoriously spoiled and bratty. Not to mention, she was only fourteen.
"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei asked me to stand in for him. Not that it mattered, I was going to be here anyway." Naruto grinned.
"Speaking of which, that is because Sasuke-san had something to announce to all of us, correct?" Chōjūrō questioned.
Sasuke nodded, "Naruto, hear me out. Remember back when we sealed Kaguya together, and that talk about forming a White Zetsu army for war... despite not needing to go to that extent? It had been bothering me this whole time so I took the liberty of doing my own research about it."
Naruto perked up.
Sasuke continued, "What I found was that the army was formed even earlier than we thought it was."
"What are you saying?" Darui spoke up.
Sasuke closed his eyes. "This is only a hypothesis but, I have proof that points to this direction. It's possible that something far more dreadful than Kaguya has appeared in this area."
Sakura gasped in alarm, "So you're saying something similar to Kaguya is still around us?"
Sasuke looked at her. "It isn't unthinkable in the least."
"How are we supposed to explain something like this to the people who haven't even recovered from the previous war?!" Chōjūrō demanded. "And an enemy like that to top it off..."
"Well, it's only a hypothesis, so there's no need to cause unrest among the people," Kurotsuchi reassured. "Let's keep this a secret among the five of us for the time being."
"Good idea," Gaara agreed.
Naruto let out a breath, "Sasuke, I'll go with—"
"You stay in the village and protect it, as future Hokage. I'm the only one who can track Kaguya's traces with my Sharingan anyway. You deal with the things you have to do, and I'll do what I have to do. Isn't this the 'cooperation' you wanted?"
"..."
"Please, keep my movements a secret from everyone except those here. Make this a top-secret mission, if you will," Sasuke addressed the group. "A bright future is always better... don't you think?"
Once again, Sakura found herself at the gates of Konoha. This time with both Naruto and Kakashi. Once again, she was seeing Sasuke off with a heavy heart.
Except this time, she was sure of Sasuke's feelings as well as her own. Sasuke was leaving the village as Sakura Haruno's husband. Or should she say, Sakura Uchiha's husband?
The previous day, right after the Five Kage Summit, Sasuke had asked her to marry him. It wasn't a grand affair; he didn't propose on one knee with an extravagant ring like Sakura dreamed of when she was twelve. He had expressed his wish for their child to grow up with the Uchiha name. To never forget who his or her father was. To always remember his or her heritage and the legacy he or she would carry. Sakura agreed. And that very morning, the pair went to the city hall to obtain a marriage certificate with Naruto and Hinata as their witnesses.
Sakura Uchiha. Sakura Uchiha. Sakura Uchiha. Mrs. Uchiha.
Sakura flushed. She didn't know if she would ever get used to this.
She gazed longingly at Sasuke's retreating back. It was obvious Sakura wanted a hug or kiss goodbye, but other people were present. It was just like him to strictly save physical displays of affection for private.
But he did poke her head once more. Sakura laughed a little. That was such a Sasuke thing to do.
Six Months Later
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Hinata let loose a bloodcurdling shriek as sweat drenched her whole body, soaking her comfortable dress.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Naruto also yelled, but only because Hinata's grip on his hand became even tighter than he thought was humanely possible. His hand had gone purple.
"Alright Hinata, one more big push and it'll be over! Come on, you can do it!" Sakura urged the sobbing woman.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" She cried.
Then, "WAAAAHH! WAAAAHH! WAAAH!" The wails of a newborn infant filled the hospital room. Sakura held the baby in her arms and quickly followed protocol, ensuring that everything was healthy and proper and proceeded to cut the umbilical cord. Finally, she wrapped the baby snug in a blanket and held him to his mother, who lovingly cradled him in her arms.
"Congratulations! A very healthy baby boy!"
"He's, he's beautiful!" Hinata sobbed through teary eyes, exhausted from eight hours of labor. Naruto peered over her shoulder in awe.
"... Wow," he breathed in amazement. The infant quieted and opened his eyes, staring back at his parents.
"His eyes... they're so blue," Hinata breathed. So he hadn't inherited her clan's bloodline. She didn't care though, she loved her son just the way he was.
"Do you have a name for him?" Ino questioned, interrupting the Uzumaki family moment as the original Konoha Twelve filed into the room.
"Pig! Timing!" Sakura reprimanded.
"What? I'm just wondering!"
"Man look at the lil' guy, looks like a tough nut," Kiba grinned.
"Maybe I shall be the one to teach him in his academy years," Shino suggested.
"Maybe..." Hinata absentmindedly said as she continued to coo and stare with glassy eyes at her baby.
"But really though, I'm with Ino. What's his name?" Tenten spoke up.
"Boruto," Hinata softly uttered.
"BORUTO! THAT IS A MOST... interesting name... I am unsure if it is a youthful name or not," Lee admitted, confused.
Hinata smiled, "He is named after both his late Uncle Neji and his late grandfather Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. Like a bolt, he will keep Konoha in place as it is; we hope he will cherish the village just as much as his father does, if not more. Like a lightning bolt, he will be fast and mighty."
"I RECANT MY PREVIOUS STATEMENT! THAT IS A MOST YOUTHFUL NAME, THAT IT IS!" Lee proclaimed, and ran out of the room crying into the sleeve of his arm. Everybody cringed at Lee's typical antics.
"Man I can't believe that bastard didn't come even though I told him to," Naruto voiced, disappointed.
The door to the hospital room knocked twice and a nondescript nurse poked her head into the room.
"Um, Uzumaki-sama, someone dropped this off at the front desk for you just a few minutes ago. The nurse handed Naruto a small envelope. He opened it and a little necklace in the shape of a shiny silver bolt slipped out. Out with it came a small card that said, Congratulations.
"Wait, miss, did you see the person's face?" Naruto asked the nurse. She shook her head.
"No, he was in a cloak and the hood covered his face. I was creeped out if I say so myself."
"But I didn't tell anyone of Boruto's name. Except one person... wait don't tell me it's—!"
"—Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed and she herself bolted out of the room.
Sprinting down the hall as fast as she could with a pregnant belly, Sakura jammed the elevator button about ten times before the button cracked. After what seemed like an eternity, the doors finally opened and she repeatedly pressed the first floor button.
Please still be here, please still be here, please still be here!
When the doors finally opened, Sakura sprinted out of the lobby outside. The sun was shining and the weather was nice, but Sakura only cared about the man who was standing right where she was not a few moments ago.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto tumbled out of the hospital right beside her. He took the stairs. Slightly out of breath, he exclaimed, "I just felt Sasuke's chakra signature leave the village!"
"What?! I'm going after him!"
"But Sakura-chan, your baby!"
"I've had it, I want him to be there when our child is born and he will be there when our child is born!"
"I think you need to calm down."
"Me?! Calm down?! I AM calm!"
"I beg to differ," Naruto muttered.
"Excuse me?!"
"I said, 'of course you are, Sakura-chan!' But... if you're serious about chasing after Sasuke, then you're going to need a really good sensor with you," Naruto reasoned, "and since I really can't leave Hinata's side right now, I propose you take Karin with you."
"Say what."
Sakura didn't question Karin's abilities. She just wasn't on good terms with the woman. Sakura felt like no matter how friendly she tried to be towards Karin, the other woman just didn't reciprocate amicably. She had the suspicion it probably had something to do with Sasuke no longer being required to be with Karin as a teammate anymore.
"I'm just saying, because she's in the village right now, and she's the only sensor good enough to track Sasuke down as quickly as possible. Don't worry about telling Kakashi-sensei, I'll just tell him you've finally lost it."
"... Alright. Damn it, Naruto, did I ever tell you how I hate it when you're right?"
"All the time, Sakura-chan!"
Sasuke stopped in in his tracks when he felt two very familiar chakra signatures enter his sensing range. After receiving a message by a messenger hawk about a week ago from Naruto saying that Hinata would be due any day now, he thought he could return to the village, drop off his gift, and leave quietly while suppressing his chakra. But he underestimated Naruto's sennin abilities.
Sakura was coming for him. Karin was with her. He supposed the only person besides Naruto who would be able to track him down was Karin, which was why she was with Sakura in the first place. But why was Sakura so keen on finding him?
He wanted to test how serious she was in coming after him, so he leapt forward, starting to run away from the pair of girls.
The chakra signatures spiked in alarm as they noticed he was fleeing from them.
He let them chase after him for a few hours through the Land of Fire, before he deemed that Sakura really intended to not let him go.
Abruptly stopping in the middle of a clearing in a forest, he turned around and waited for them to catch up. He assumed they were slower than usual because Sakura had to carry the weight of their child with her.
When Sakura stopped before him, she was out of breath, sweating, and looked ready to collapse. He started forward, intending to catch her in his arm. Instead, she grabbed him by his collar and jerked him down to her height.
"Are you trying to kill this baby?!"
"Sakura. Why are you—"
"Because I've had it with your lone wolf tendencies! There are only a couple months left before I push out a human baby from my body, and I am going to travel with you until this child is born, whether you like it or not! You will be there as this baby's father, so I am not leaving your side until I give birth, understand? And just, my hormones are going crazy but I swear to god Sasuke, if you make me go through this alone, I won't forgive you! And—"
"Come with me," Sasuke interrupted.
"I will not be going back to Konoha right now!"
"I said, come with me."
"Of course I'm coming with you! ... Oh, I'm coming with you?"
"That's what you want, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but I, I just thought you would but up more of a fight."
Sasuke raised his brow. "Would you rather me tell you to go back to Konoha right now?"
"N-no! No. Thank you, Sasuke-kun. I... missed you."
The corner of Sasuke's lip lifted.
"Excuse me, I'm still here y'know," Karin huffed.
"Right, thank you for helping me find Sasuke, Karin," Sakura smiled. She had learned that Karin had a good heart after all, under a cold pretense. They had bonded just a little, a heart-to-heart as women, as Sakura saw the genuine concern Karin possessed when Sakura was about to collapse from exhaustion due to overexertion from running around while pregnant.
"Hmph. Well it seems as if I'm not needed here anymore. Goodbye, I guess." Karin turned around to leave, but Sakura stopped her.
"If you would like to travel with us, you are more than welcome to! I'm very thankful that you helped me," Sakura called.
Karin waved a hand as she retreated, "Nah, I'll pass on the third-wheeling. But if you need anything else, I'll be at Orochimaru's old hideout doing some research. Sasuke knows which one I'm talking about."
Two Months Later
After traveling with Sasuke, Sakura's eyes opened up to the world. She discovered and learned about so many new things, new medicines, new plants, new peoples, new foods, new cultures, new religions, and much more. She got to spend a lot of time with not only her traveling companion, but her husband. It seemed as if these past two months all but flew by as she learned something new every single day, all with her husband at her side.
There was one particular moment that stood out to her, an encounter between a merchant from the far west, even further west than the Land of Wind. This merchant had stumbled into what he said were uncharted lands and territory and was keen on learning about shinobi. He told her and Sasuke of the gods and goddesses his people worshipped. She loved listening to these tales, whether she believed in them or not. She recalled, Brahma is the god of creation. Vishnu, the god of preservation. Shiva, the god of protection and destruction. When the merchant had first laid his eyes on Sakura, he mentioned how the goddess of fertility Parvati had gifted her with the child she carried. He also drew parallels between her as Parvati and Sasuke as Shiva, as Parvati was also known as the goddess of love and devotion and the two were husband and wife. Sakura happily listened to the stories of this foreign man's religion and would never forget one particular goddess he mentioned: Saraswati Devi, also known as Sarada, the goddess of wisdom and learning, art and music.
Which brought her to her current situation at hand.
Sakura had gone into labor, coincidentally when she and Sasuke were near the hideout that Karin was residing in. They had quickly sought her help and enlisted her to bring Sasuke and Sakura's child into the world.
Sakura had given birth without any complications to an absolutely gorgeous baby girl.
This little one had Sasuke's coloring, but Sakura's shapes and features. However, when Sakura quickly performed health checks on her newborn girl, she had found the infant had a little trouble seeing; she was nearsighted. Karin had offered her an old pair of her glasses as a gift. Sakura gratefully accepted them as a token of truce between the two. She would give them to her daughter when she could fit into them.
"Sarada," Sakura declared while Sasuke was uncomfortably caressing his daughter in one arm. The baby girl was finally sleeping peacefully after having wailed for her first hour of life on Earth. He and Karin looked to her in confusion.
"Her name. Her name is Sarada," Sakura repeated. Sasuke, recognizing the origin of the name, let out a small smile. A good choice, he thought.
"Ah."
Karin, still confused, shrugged. But no matter, no need to care for semantics when she had Sarada's umbilical cord in her possession that she could possibly use for future research!
After recovering for about two weeks in Orochimaru's old hideout, Sakura and Sasuke mutually decided it was best for Sakura to return to Konoha in order to raise their daughter properly.
She returned and was warmly welcomed back by family and friends, and thus propelled her and Sasuke into a new chapter in their lives.
All was well.
For now.
Fin.
Author's Note:
Omg. After stopping and coming back to this chapter so many times, this story is finally done. Did you like all of my references to Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring? By the way, this was written before Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise was translated so I have no idea where Sasuke Shinden would fit into this story :/
Maybe I'll come back in the future to revise this whole story.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Look out for a new story sometime in the future! Like I said, my next story will focus on quality of the writing and the content of the chapter, rather than length.