A/N - Review responses will always be at the end of a chapter. I feel like I made a lot of mistakes while posting this, so please don't judge too harshly. This chapter was a nightmare to produce, and I think I need to some time gather my thoughts. Hope you enjoy.
"So, what's it feel like?"
"What do you mean, 'what does it feel like?'… He doesn't have an arm."
"That's what I mean, Ino!"
Sakura had quietly entered inside to find that Naruto was not alone. Jugo mentioning too many guests to one room had made much more sense now – not only was the bed-ridden Naruto here, but the majority of their friends, too. Tucked in a corner very similar to Sasuke, the hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War was sitting upward appearing quite satisfied at the spectacle in front of him. With a majority of the backs turned to her, Sakura had gone unnoticed. Leaning her back against the doorway, she waited for an opportunity to announce herself. For now she was content seeing Naruto doing well, if you looked past the numerous bandages that stretched across his body and the stump that once had a fully functioning arm, that is.
"If he has no arm then what's it supposed to feel like? And besides that, it's a little insensitive to be asking something like that so soon." Ino, in spite of her recent loss, appeared to be returning to her normal self. With the conclusion of the war, everyone had returned to civilian outfits. Some bruises remained and scars still needed time to heal, but for the most part the medical teams had accomplished the job of keeping everyone healthy. Judging from Ino's dauntless posture and attitude, it seemed that most of them – if not all – were nearing their full health once again. "Did you even consider how Naruto might feel?"
"Yeah, right," Kiba's tone took a sarcastic turn, eyes wandering towards Naruto, "the guy who saved the world is suddenly too sensitive for any one of us to ask about his new handicap. Am I going too far, Naruto?"
The attention moved to Naruto who smiled wide enough that baring his teeth was unavoidable. From this distance, between the backs of Ino and Kiba, Sakura could see the aura of joy radiating from that roughed up face of his. The evidence of his battle with Sasuke were still noticeably present, but the swelling had gone down considerably since then. Being the jinchuuriki of "Kurama", as she had come to know of the Nine-Tailed Fox's true name, definitely had its perks.
"It's just something I'll need to get used to for the time being. But it's definitely strange," his eyes wandered to his stump now, a physical memento of his final battle, "waking up and seeing this …it just serves as a reminder that—"
Something caught his eye. How he hadn't seen it before, that familiar, beautiful girl nestled away near the door was unknown to him. His senses might have been a little dulled due to his recovery process, yet the reaction was always the same. Sakura was here, and looking right back at him. For a brief moment he was stunned, only because he hadn't managed to hear her come in, or even see her. The entertainment value of Kiba and Ino was underestimated.
"Sakura-chan, you're back!" He finally spoke again, resulting in everyone within the room to look towards her, either over the shoulders or directly forward again. Everyone had voiced their greetings, even Akamaru with a sharp bark.
Sakura smiled either out of genuine joy or embarrassment at all the attention coming to her now. Ino reacted before anyone else could, moving to hug Sakura tightly.
"Sakura, why didn't you say you were here?" Ino had asked first.
A decision hadn't been made. Seeing Sasuke like that hadn't helped her come to a decision about what to do, and it hung over her head to the point where she'd rather be anywhere but here. Just a couple hours ago she was beside Naruto and Sasuke both, believing that everything they had all suffered for was in the past. Starting over wasn't a dream. Here she was standing now, in the face of Ino, Naruto and the rest of their friends just struggling to keep it together. They had no idea what was going on, leaving Sakura to become envious of that ignorance.
"Well …you and Kiba were having so much fun that I didn't have the heart to interrupt." Sakura half-lied. If she were being honest, it was a small yet welcome change of pace to focus more on the bickering of a couple friends than her own decisions.
"Perhaps Kiba might have smelled your approach, were he not so preoccupied with Naruto's condition. Why?" Shino had blended well in the background, and had been so silent that he had noticeably startled Tenten once he actually began to interact. "Because—"
"Who asked you, Shino?" Kiba scowled, glancing down at Akamaru who rested beside him. "Akamaru and I don't just sniff for people all day, and it's not like it's a surprise to find her here to begin with. Back to my original point—"
"So," Ino pulled Sakura aside, choosing to abandon the discussion with Kiba and instead focus on other matters, "call me crazy, but I think that guy next door was checking me out earlier."
"What guy?" Sakura lowered her voice with Ino's, thankful that Kiba's desire to be heard had made it nearly impossible for anyone else to pick up on it. With Ino she could abandon her anxiousness about her new knowledge. It wasn't as if she could have a comfortable situation with Naruto as of now anyway, and from the corner of her eye she could tell that he was enjoying the company of everyone else to begin with.
"The guy with the sword, what was his name again? Sangotsu?"
"Suigetsu."
"Yeah, that!" Ino snapped her fingers with a loud pop. "Before we were asked to move, I felt his eyes on me. So I looked at him, and he looked right back without even flinching. Talk about hot!"
Confidence was always a trait Ino could appreciate, especially when it came to someone she saw herself being with. Whether she was attractive to Suigetsu's physical body or just his attitude went unanswered. Asking wasn't any trouble, but there was a part of Ino that Sakura remembered her losing. Beneath her enthusiasm she had begun to wonder about how she might really be feeling underneath all the enthusiasm.
"Ino, how are you?"
Ino was caught off guard at Sakura's question. "Hm? I'm fine."
"No, I mean, how are you really? Not just in front of me, and everyone else." Sakura eased into this as carefully as possible, hoping not to trigger an emotional outburst of any kind. Ino was strong, stronger than most, but with the loss she had to endure recently it wasn't strange of her to begin asking this question.
Three days had passed since they had moved from the battlefield. Wounded still being tended to, but the easier cases such as everyone in here were easily dismissed to nothing more than bed rest and limited physical activity for the next several days if they could manage it. Much time had been spent with Naruto and Sasuke. After personally requesting she be one of the few to oversee their recovery, there had been little time outside of this building other than to head home and sleep. What this meant was that Ino had to be without her for a little while. As pleasant as it had been to see that Ino appeared to be her normal, flirtatious self, Sakura feared it was just a front.
"It's only been three days. The fact that everyone is up and walking again after that level of physical stress is incredible enough, but I know that some wounds are …are going to take so much longer to heal." Ino's expression fell, and Sakura almost regret bringing it up, "I want you to know that I'm here for you. If you need to talk, or cry, anything at all, then you come to me and I'll be there for you. And I'd just like to say that I'm sorry that—"
"Sakura, don't," Ino held up a hand to silence her, managing a smile even in the middle of a conversation such as this, "I'm doing better. Shikamaru and I …we're getting ourselves through it together. The worst thing is trying to console mom, but it gets a little easier each day. You're a medic and a lot more people need you than I do right now, namely our own hero over there."
Ino looked to Naruto, and Sakura's eyes had followed. The conversation of the main group had progressed from Kiba's interest in Naruto's stump, to what sounded like dinner plans. Choji was adamant about barbecue, while Shikamaru had insisted that no particular place mattered as long as the bill was evenly split. Hinata had politely requested that they go to somewhere with more options for a balanced meal, and Naruto had recommended Ichiraku's.
"You and your ramen, Naruto. There's more to life than that!" Kiba argued. "Besides, barbecue isn't that bad, and we all need to come to a decision that we all benefit from. If Hinata doesn't prefer barbecue, then we need a place that offers a little of what we all want."
"I agree!" Lee nodded. "On the subject of a nice meal out, I suggest we earn it. How about—"
"No." Tenten interrupted curtly.
Lee looked at her, puzzled. "But I haven't even explained my idea yet."
The eyes of the weapon specialist narrowed. She had known Lee well enough to expect what was going to come next. Earning meals, earning luxuries, it all came with hard-work and sweat. The war was over, but her muscles were still screaming at her day in and day out. Lee was different from the rest of them; she was a part of the hard-working regime of Gai, which meant she was the voice of reason. Letting him down easy was the intention.
"Fine, Lee, but if it has anything to do with exercising then I suggest you rethink it. We could all use a year-long vacation after everything…"
Overcoming his physical limitations time and time again was in his nature, but Tenten's words held some wisdom. While he might have recovered to an acceptable level of physical health, he wasn't taking into account how everyone else might have felt. "You are right, Tenten." Lee agreed. "Maybe it is for the best that we all take it easy, at least for the time being."
"Give me some time, bushy-brows, and I'll join you." Naruto responded to Lee, but his eyes had wandered towards Sakura in the back, "If Sakura-chan's in charge of me, then I shouldn't be here for much longer. It's thanks to her and the other medical staff that we're all doing as well as we are."
Sakura was temporarily stunned, not just because of his compliment but how he looked at her when he said it. His injuries didn't hinder his ability to make her feel appreciated for her efforts. She and the staff worked around the clock both during the war and at its very conclusion. It was good to be recognized for the blood, sweat and tears that came from this job. A thank you was in order, but a certain big-boned friend had decided to voice his confusion.
"Has anyone seen my fruit basket?" Choji cut in, scratching his head as he looked around. "I swear I had it ten minutes ago…"
It was funny how a matter as simple as a trading dispute could hang over one's head. A disagreement turned into an open conflict, and from that conflict came destruction of goods. Yesterday, neither party had won because of it. The world was peaceful, but incidents as insignificant as that were a reminder of how quickly people could turn on one another.
As Kazekage, Gaara had a great deal of pride in the people of Suna, and it was because of that that he could not believe that something so embarrassing could happen with some of his own. The situation was resolved swiftly, but staring blankly at the screen of his laptop he had let his thoughts become rooted to that moment in time. Kankuro had told him to put it behind him, and it was time to do so, but the role of Kage often meant you look back to moments like this to prevent further incident. He loved his brother without question, yet Kankuro was likely unable to grasp what this meant. A tranquil world where all five great villages were working together was here, disturbed now by a small ripple. All it took was one ripple to disturb an entire mass, and the consequences could be considerable if they were not careful. The only people that were able to completely understand that now were Kage.
A couple knocks at the door had shifted his gaze beyond his laptop.
"Come in," Gaara responded, unsurprised to find that it was his elder brother at the door. Dressed in his usual attire, the Kazekage was surprised that there were no items of importance on him.
"Hey, it's just about lunch time. If I were you, I wouldn't keep Matsuri waiting." Kankuro crossed his arms, "Are you sitting here looking gloomy again?"
"I was just thinking about something insignificant."
"Not the trade fiasco again." Kankuro scoffed, "Gaara, I told you, these things are going to happen. The world isn't going to go to war over the petty squabble of a couple of tradesman. There's no use in worrying about it."
Gaara stood up from his seat slowly, hands firmly planted on the desk, "It's my job to worry about every possible outcome. I worry so no one else has to, you know that just as Matsuri does."
"It's been handled. Normally I condone your paranoia, but it's becoming a little ridiculous." The elder brother shrugged his shoulders. Gaara was a capable leader who had won the heart of his people, not to mention their loyalty. The traders have moved on; the discipline was dealt, the merchandise recovered, and the only one worried about it now was him. "Have some lunch and you'll forget about it. Just keep your fears in the office, I can't really deal with the tension in the room when both of you are moping."
Matsuri, his wife, had always found herself closely bonded to him. If he was angry, she often became angry as well. If he was sad, she too became sad. It was a connection found a couple years after the war, after the events of a great battle that nearly demanded the moon be destroyed. She was a good woman and a reliable shinobi. The last thing he wanted to do was make her concerned over something like this.
"Naruto and I have worked very hard, so for something like this to happen between our villages is embarrassing to say the least. I know it seems foolish, but I haven't gotten this far as Kazekage by being careless."
Before Kankuro would respond, a loud notification had rang from Gaara's laptop. Peering downward, a rectangular box had appeared which read, 'Incoming call from – Naruto Uzumaki'.
"Naruto is calling. Tell Matsuri I'll be right down, and that I apologize."
"Like she'll complain. We'll wait." Kankuro had left, closing the door behind him.
Leaving Gaara once again alone in his office, he had sat back down and accepted the call. What came through his speakers wasn't the pleasant greeting of an old friend, but instead the sounds of scolding by a familiar medic.
"Naruto, he could be busy, hang it up!"
"You're sounding like Shikamaru, Sakura-chan!"
"Because Shikamaru is responsible, and I'm the most responsible between us, aren't I?"
"Hey, I'm not as irresponsible as I used to be!"
"You just called him without any warning – didn't you just tell me that this was for emergencies?"
"Yeah, but its Gaara, he won't get mad!"
Sakura scoffed, inwardly smiling at Naruto's impulsive behavior, being reminded all too well of how he rarely looked before he leapt when they were just kids.
A few hours had passed since the embracing of one another. What they could conclude was that they needed to adjust to one another again. Time had been spent just working up the ability to speak again, hitting it off almost immediately once topics were shifted. From pain, to work, to friends, to how good it was to finally be able to try to move on. Naruto didn't ask many questions and respected her desire to reveal everything when the time was most appropriate for her. Sakura's admission of guilt had been a start, but she was a long ways away from the absolute finish. This burden was something she'd need to bear a little while longer. This was the process she might be bold enough to call healing, giving time for the wound to heal.
Given the kind of man Naruto had always been, the medical expert knew that he would want to be the one that cleaned the wound and bandaged it as well.
Naruto left Sakura to wait just a moment, making certain that Gaara had accepted his call before trying to speak.
"Hey, Gaara, are you there?"
"I'm here. Is that Sakura with you?"
Sakura was still impressed with how far advancements in appliances and overall technology had come. Gaara's voice was coming through the laptop similarly to a phone, quality unhindered by long-distance.
"Y-yeah, it's me. It's good to hear from you Gaara." Okay, she could admit that this was pretty neat, but what Naruto had bragged about earlier had yet to be displayed. "I actually expected an image of you, since knucklehead over here kept talking about me being able to see you."
"One moment," Naruto's screen had flickered black for a moment, but quickly returned with the full screen image of the Kazekage himself, appearing quite pleased with himself, "is that better?"
"Hey, yeah, that's pretty neat!" Sakura responded, enthralled.
"Sakura didn't believe me when I said I could reach you at the press of a button. She doesn't even know all the features of her phone yet."
Naruto's bravado had quickly cost him. Gaara had noticed first that her eyes had narrowed towards him in a playful, yet dangerous fashion. Then had come the reaching towards his left cheek, followed by a sharp pinch that forced Naruto to yelp in pain.
"Don't start showing off in front of him, and it's not my fault that they come out with updated models every few months, is it?" Sakura grumbled, her grip on Naruto as powerful as she was frightening.
"S-S-S-Sakura-chan, that's painful—"
"Is it, Naruto!?" Sakura repeated, tugging his cheek harder and stretching his face to a comical, realistic limit.
"N-no, of course not!"
"Good!" Sakura released him, patting his cheek twice before Naruto had quickly favored it with his palm, eyes watery. "Besides, I bet Gaara can hardly keep up with all the new releases anyway, even if he is Kazekage. Am I right?" Sakura looked to Gaara's face, finding him staring at the colorful pair before his eyes. "Gaara?"
"Oh, man! Tell me this thing didn't freeze!" Naruto sighed in annoyance, waving his hand in front of it and expecting the laptop to suddenly unfreeze itself.
"Sorry, it's just…it's been quite a long time since I've managed to see you two together. Not since the wedding, I believe. I'm feeling nostalgic." Gaara's voice was quiet. Instead of worries about merchant squabbles and the well-being of those in Suna, he was brought back to a time when he once called Naruto an enemy, a time where once Sakura stood to defend a comrade, and a time where they both had worked to save his life from the threat of Akatsuki. "It's something, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but …minus a couple differences, I always knew I'd end up here." Naruto scratched his cheek – the one that wasn't on fire, anyway.
"I never had any doubt about that. I hate to cut our conversation short, but my wife and brother are waiting to get some lunch with me. Give your family my best regards, Naruto."
"Of course, tell the others the same!"
Gaara nodded, "And Sakura, it's good to see you after so long."
"Yeah, you too Gaara."
Gaara had ended the call between them, prompting Naruto to stand up and stretch. Sakura was left to head for the door, with Naruto closing his laptop and walking after her. A plan to grab lunch was already made an hour ago, but Naruto had insisted they give Gaara a hello first. As the pair of them left the office together and exchanged pleasant words about Gaara, something related to that discussion was still hanging in her head.
"What did you mean, when you said that there were a couple of differences about your position?" Sakura asked as they both took to the streets, towards Ichiraku.
"Hm? Oh …it's Bolt." Naruto's enthusiastic demeanor had taken a sharp turn to one of sullenness, which didn't go unnoticed by his companion. "I never thought I'd have a son who resented me so much. Ever since I've become Hokage, I've had less time to dedicate to him and Himawari."
Sakura was relating to Naruto's issues, but unfortunately couldn't pretend she fully understood the position. Sarada never expected Sakura to be anything but busy for most activities, yet Sakura never got the impression that Sarada hated her for it.
"Himawari," Sakura directed the conversation to Naruto and Hinata's precious little girl, "how does she feel about the whole situation?"
"She's understanding. Hinata helped put it together for her that what I do involves me taking care of a lot more people now, and even though I might be busy it wouldn't change the fact that I'll always be there when she needs me."
"But Bolt doesn't agree?"
"He doesn't believe me, that's the problem." Naruto brought his hands behind his head, eyes raised towards the sky. "I get upset when he acts out for me, because I know what it's like to want someone to acknowledge you. Himawari doesn't resent me for it, but Bolt isn't Himawari, and I can't expect them to feel the same way about it. So, instead of being my son's hero, I'm just a 'shitty father' to him now."
Sakura's immediate questions went towards Hinata, but she chose to hesitate on that. Hinata was likely doing the best she could, and it was Naruto that was being hurt, just as Bolt was. "But …Naruto, wait a second. You can create clones. Doesn't that solve the feeling of neglect?"
Naruto looked to Sakura, "I've tried it, and it's not good enough for him. It's always felt uncomfortable knowing that while I'm working, he's playing with a clone."
Sakura could identify the pain in Naruto's tone, having become familiar with it just a couple hours prior to now.
"Sarada's been asking about Sasuke more and more," Sakura didn't mean to place priority on her own problems, but instead let Naruto know that his son and her daughter were more alike than he might know, "and I'm running out of excuses to tell her. If I have to face her again without being able to tell her where he is and what he's doing, I'm not sure what I'll do. I can't keep lying to her like this." She smiled, but it was one of unmistakable sadness, "She's always been so intelligent for her age, so I shouldn't be this surprised. The bluntness of her father."
Naruto hadn't see Sarada in some time, but from what he remembered of her personally she was impressionable. The complete opposite of Bolt, Sarada had never come off as quite so arrogant, but when it came to her parentage no one could really blame her for it. Sakura had her share of concerns for Sarada, and he had his own with Bolt to worry about.
"For a couple friends that haven't talked together in such a long time, we manage to have the same problems." Naruto laughed a little. Maybe it was irony at work, but while things were pressing between them as parents he could not help but be a little thrilled at what could come. A second chance not only with Sakura, but maybe Sarada on top of that. "Sakura-chan, let's take her with us!"
"Hm? Are you sure?" Sakura wasn't opposed to having lunch with Sarada. Naruto still had some responsibilities at the office, holding him up wasn't going to be something she'd like to be responsible for. "We can swing by my parents and pick her up. Did you want to go grab Bolt, too?"
"He's with his friends today, so I doubt he'd want to leave just for me. There's always another time to bring him along."
Naruto appeared to be more than willing to do this, leaving Sakura unable to argue. "Okay then, but I'm going to warn you now …mom and dad have this habit of holding people up."
"It's no problem. I haven't seen them in a while, so we'll make the best of it!"
Sarada peered up from her book, looking towards her grandfather at the far end of the table. He had been scribbling down notes as grandmother worked on their lunch. The purpose was always the same: Make her laugh. Despite what other kids might have thought at the academy, she had a good sense of humor. Her grandfather knew that she could be made to laugh, yet as time passed and his granddaughter grew older, so did the challenge of making her clutch her sides in hysterical joy. It was becoming harder to enjoy the story knowing he was plotting just across from her, and when she was about to resume her reading she had been startled by her grandfather snapping his fingers.
"Okay, I've got a couple new ones!" Kizashi Haruno brimmed with confidence. "So sweetheart, what time did the shinobi go to the dentist?"
Tooth-hurty.
Sarada wasn't a stranger to her grandfather's jokes, but the amount of effort he was putting into this was making her cringe. Her mother always said to just let him win, but that was impossible for her. He wouldn't work harder unless he was challenged, and if she kept challenging him he wouldn't stop working. No matter how much her shoulders grew tense and her face flushed at these corny jokes, she couldn't just let herself lose.
"…Grandpa—"
"It's okay if you don't know, I won't look down on you! We all need to admit defeat sometime." Kizashi was proud of himself for this one, yet he triggered Sarada's competitive side, sealing his fate.
"Tooth-hurty." Sarada finally said, closing her book and setting it down in triumph.
"Oooh! That was a good one honey!" Mebuki Haruno – grandmother to Sarada – praised from the kitchen. It encouraged Kizashi, but he was still staring down the greatest opponent he had ever faced.
"Thanks sweetheart, but I need to beat Sarada! She's too good!" Kizashi responded.
"Well of course she is, she's our granddaughter, and intellect runs in the family!" Mebuki had entered the dining room carrying a couple plates of curry. Her husband had found a worthy foe in his grandchild, providing both entertainment and cuteness out of the competition between them. Setting down a plate in front of Kizashi, Mebuki set the second down and placed her hands firmly on her hips. Kizashi wasn't sure what to admire most: Was it the delicious curry his wife had created with unrivaled experience and care, or the fact that even in an apron she still looked amazing after all these years?
Age had come, but it didn't wear down the spirits of the Haruno family. Sarada may have had her reservations about her grandparents' nature, yet it was refreshing compared to how quiet home usually was.
"It smells great – I bet you could knock the Akimichi off their feet with their own recipe, honey!"
"Oh, stop buttering me up and try it!"
"Well, I would …but I need to earn it first!" Kizashi leaned in closer towards Sarada across the table, careful to avoid staining his clothes and notes with his wife's meal. "Now then: What did one plate say to the other?"
Sarada resisted cringing, managing to recover by shrugging her shoulders.
"So you give up?" Kizashi's eyes sparkled, hoping for victory.
"Well, it's about lunchtime …grandma made lunch," Sarada glanced upward, expression thoughtful, "I guess the answer is, "Lunch is on me" …right?" She peered back down as Kizashi's joyful expression turned to one of comedic defeat, head hanging.
"You see? She doesn't even need to try!" Kizashi whimpered. Mebuki chuckled and gently massaged her husband's shoulder.
The sound of the front door opening had caught their attention, and Sarada left her seat. Quickly brushing her skirt, she went to the front door to find her mother and -
"Lord Hokage?" Sarada recognized Naruto easily. If not for the fact he was obviously wearing the cloak of the Hokage mantle, it was that she had seen him before in the past, but only briefly. Kizashi and Mebuki had soon joined Sarada, equally surprised to find that Naruto was here.
"Hey, it's nice to see you all!" Naruto's greeting was genuinely pleasant. He had always liked Sakura's parents in spite of hardly ever being able to see them anymore, but it was hard to take his eyes off of Sarada. He couldn't help but put a younger version of Sakura beside her, working to make some comparisons. It wouldn't be the first time someone had done it to him when it had come to Bolt.
"Naruto!" Mebuki spoke first, admiring his physique and overall presence. He was always a joy to have in the rare times he had come over. Only now was she realizing just how long it had been since she had last been able to welcome him here. "It's been ages! How are you doing? How's the family?"
"I'm doing really well, and so is my family, thanks for asking."
Sakura quietly shut the door as small talk was made. The enthusiasm of her parents was contagious, something Naruto was already abundant with. Sarada stood quietly as the adults conversed, with the topic eventually going to the aroma of curry that was all over the house.
"Mom, you make curry?" Sakura sounded surprised, which surprised Naruto too.
"I borrowed the recipe from Choza Akimichi; I made a bet with his wife, that if I mastered the dish that they'd offer me further recipes." Mebuki appeared quite proud of the aroma. As thick as it was, her culinary abilities hadn't declined with age, and Sarada never held any complaints about lunch or dinnertime. "But what brings you here after such a long time?"
"I was hoping I could take Sarada out for some ramen." Naruto's face flushed with embarrassment, knowing that the timing could have been a lot better. "And believe me, what you cooked smells great. I know it's selfish of me to do this without warning, but it would mean a lot to me if I could take her out. Would it… be okay?"
It was ultimately Sakura's decision, but the respect he was giving to Mebuki and Kizashi was considerable, something Sakura was greatly appreciating. She would even go so far as to say that she was blown away with the courtesy. Mebuki and Kizashi exchanged looks, already knowing their answers. They looked back at Naruto.
"I don't see why not." Kizashi pointed a finger towards Naruto's chest. "However, I cannot let you leave in good faith without having you answer a very simple question."
Sakura and Sarada both winced, all too familiar with the games that Kizashi liked to play.
"A question? Okay, sure!" Naruto welcomed anything Kizashi had to ask.
"What does a cat say when he likes something?" Kizashi had sent his challenge, and immediately Sarada and Sakura sank a little in shame.
Purrfect, Sarada knew it already and she was willing to bet that her mother did too. Her grandfather was usually a little cleverer than this, but not by much. She quickly and quietly put her shoes on, and Sakura reached back to open the door before Kizashi could try to start a chain of D-rank jokes.
"Hmm…" Naruto was thinking hard to himself, unaccustomed to humor on this level. This was a tough one. "I think it's …mice? You know, because cats chase mice and it rhymes with nice."
Sarada reached out for Sakura's hand, the weight of such a horrible answer bearing down on her small shoulders. Sakura too was reeling inside, not only at Naruto's answer, but at how easy the real answer was.
"Ha, an excellent guess, but you're wrong: Purrfect was the answer all along!"
'Obviously!' Sarada and Sakura were slowly inching out the door together, mutual expressions of shame growing worse on their faces. To their surprise Naruto had laughed at the joke.
"Wow, that's a really good one!" Naruto complimented Kizashi, who was grinning with pride alongside Mebuki.
"That's nothing, try this one—"
"Okay then!" Sakura took Naruto by the shoulder with her free hand and tugged him backwards. "The Hokage is a busy man, so we should really esca—get going, now. I'll drop Sarada off when we're done!"
In an act of mother-daughter teamwork, Sarada had shut the door before Mebuki and Kizashi could argue once Naruto was dragged out the door. Left alone, Kizashi still appeared full of pride.
"Now, how many men do you know that could outwit our very own Hokage with a joke like that!?"
"Not many, sweetheart."
"It's time to get back to work! Hehehehe!" Renewed by Naruto's visit, Kizashi and Mebuki returned to the dining room to eat and work on new material together.
Ichiraku's wasn't busy today, which was fortunate for the trio that had just arrived. Seating themselves, Sarada was between Naruto and Sakura, the former on her right, the latter on her left. Teuchi had greeted the group, and with a little small talk between old friends he then took the orders needed. Luckily for him, he already knew the bowl Naruto loved, which had been dubbed 'the usual' between the pair. Sarada had what Naruto had, and Sakura had done the same.
"I still can't believe you didn't get that one, it was so easy." Sarada looked to her right, expression skeptical. "Are you really the Hokage?"
"Sarada, be nice!" Sakura chided. Her expression quickly softened though, mimicking her daughter. "But I have to admit, Naruto …that was easy."
There was nothing to do but laugh at his own foolishness while their bowls were being prepared. "Well, I'm not exposed to that humor like you two are. It's been a long time since I've heard a good joke."
"Not that dad's always that corny, but I'm surprised you of all people didn't get that. Then again, all your humor was usually directed into pranks, not jokes."
"You guys should be happy that Kizashi's so upbeat. The difference between him and Hinata's father is like night and day," Naruto mused.
"Well, the Hyuga have their pride. Do you and Hiashi have a problem?"
"Problem? No." Naruto's attention moved to Sakura, "It's just …he's never been easy to talk to. It isn't a real problem, only that he's always been tense. Almost intimidating."
Sarada's face tightened, her eyes focusing on Naruto's expression intensely. A leader had to be fearless and strong, so it was strange to discover that the man who was known as a war hero and their beloved leader actually feared something. The aroma of the ramen was beginning to make her mouth water, yet her appetite was not solely on food. She hungered to know more while she had the chance.
"You're the Hokage, what could possibly make you feel that way that isn't just another Kage?" The young Uchiha asked, but she'd treat it as rhetorical, "Who is this Hiashi person? Bolt's grandfather?"
Naruto nodded to confirm her suspicion, going on to answer her first question without missing a beat. "Hiashi Hyuga is – well, was – the leader of the Hyuga Clan.
he's the father of my wife, who is Bolt's mother. You've seen her before, haven't you?"
Sarada shook her head, "Not often, I leave from the academy to finish my work before anything else. I'm not top of my class for nothing."
Naruto had beamed at her for her ability at first, but soon began to notice that Sarada's tone didn't express the confidence he had expected it to. Just from this short conversation he could see that she was really intelligent for her age. There was pride in her voice, yet it was simply how she spoke of her position at the top of her class that had tipped him off. His eyes wandered up to Sakura, who had met his with hers. Knowing looks were exchanged; Sakura had mentioned that Sarada didn't have many friends on the way to grab her, and even before that they had managed to talk a little about her performance at the academy.
"Hey," Naruto lowered his head and leaned in a little closer to her, "what about your friends? Don't you have people to play with after class?"
"No…well, actually," Sarada thought back to at least one person who was constantly asking her for help on assignments. Her eyes turned upward as her mind wandered to all instances related to that person. "There's this girl – ChouChou is her name. She likes to talk to me sometimes, but I think it's just because I'm the smartest in class. Probably just to ask for my work so she can copy."
"How do you know for sure? Have you spoken to her?" Naruto was familiar with Choji's daughter. Choji wasn't a cheater, and from what little he knew of Karui that didn't involve her fists against his face, she wouldn't condone it either. "It's not nice to judge people before you know them."
"…Maybe she isn't like that, but I don't see why else she'd talk to me. Not like anyone else does."
Naruto could see it on her face and hear it in her voice. The evidence was there, but she kept it buried somewhere inside of her. Sakura may have understood it too.
"Doesn't it get lonely?"
Sarada's thoughtful expression had sunk to one of surprise. Her dark eyes roamed to the Hokage, yet hadn't stayed for very long. Turning her head to face her mother, Sarada wondered if it was okay to speak. Sakura's nod of encouragement was received, prompting the Uchiha to scratch the surface of feelings she had rarely been able to openly speak of before.
"Sometimes. I get used to it …the feeling that no one could really understand me." Naruto's lip quivered, Sarada was quick to continue in order to prevent interruption. "Besides Mama, I mean. But …I thought maybe someone could understand what it was like …to be different."
She was sitting beside someone who was once an outcast. Hated for a reason he couldn't understand. Sarada was experiencing some level of being an outcast. An amusing lunch was turning out to be a little more complicated than Naruto had expected, and for Sakura herself she was glad to hear Sarada speak her mind knowing full well that she needed someone to hear her. Naruto always had a way with people's hearts. If anyone could have helped her talk some good sense into her daughter, it was him.
"People used to hate me, you know." Naruto slowly began, "I had no real friends of my own for a long time, and I had to cause trouble just so people would acknowledge me. Even if I was getting yelled that, they were noticing me, they had to with all the ruckus I made."
'Naruto…' Sakura bit her lip, knowing all too well how his story went. She, too, was one of the people who didn't like him, and wanted nothing more than for him to go away. She never knew if Naruto had completely resolved the feelings of the past. His smile was sad, but at the same time there was some peace to it. Naruto didn't appear to be pained by his recollection, and Sarada was hooked. She was knowing a side of the Hokage that few other children may ever have known about him, directly from his lips.
"It's a long and complicated story. The only point I want to make to you now is that you're your mother's daughter, and she's one of a kind. It's hard not to be a little different when you're the daughter of someone so great."
Naruto looked to Sakura, causing Sakura's heart to skip a beat. Reminiscing in the past may have brought a fond memory or two deep inside himself. Sakura wasn't sure what it was that Naruto was thinking at that exact moment. She was inwardly elated, yet on the outside showing mild surprise. It had been a long time since someone had looked to her with such pride and joy. The heat in her cheeks had come quickly, a smile wasn't forced but given to Naruto. Naruto was smiling already, but with her acknowledging him like that it had widened to the limit. When his eyes moved back to Sarada, Sakura could not put her emotions into words.
The tenderness of his smile and gaze combined had already done a number on her heart, but for Sarada who had no father figure around to count on the effect was likely doubled. Naruto was looking at Sarada as if she was his own child.
"You've got her genius, and that may intimidate people at first, but so what? They just need to get to know the real Sarada, not just the Sarada that can get perfect scores on all her tests. If they don't like you because you're smart, well, that's too bad for them!" Naruto raised up his left hand and balled it into a fist, patting it with his right hand. "Sometimes you may need to knock the block off of someone who won't understand that, and that's okay. Your mom had to be the one to knock some sense into me when I was younger. I'm grateful for it, and I think I'm better because of that …even if the bruises were pretty bad sometimes."
Naruto and Sarada laughed together. Sakura was forced to close her eyes, preventing Naruto from seeing her tear up a little. Regardless of Sarada's possible indifference in the beginning, warming up to Naruto had taken no time at all. With Teuchi completing their bowls, Naruto and Sakura watched Sarada together as she took her first initial dives into the wonderful taste of Ichiraku ramen. Her face lit up so quickly that Sakura had regret not having her phone on her person. The apprehension she had earlier of facing Naruto again this morning had made her forgetful, but it was Naruto proving how reliable he was by retrieving his own. The sharpness of Sarada's grin when she took that first bite was snapped quickly with his phone, much to the girl's embarrassment. Several more had been taken to mark the occasion, each featuring a little goofiness from Naruto and some of Sakura's own brand of playful aggression when he wasn't settling down so they could eat.
It had just been the three of them – from now, to the next twenty minutes. Naruto had asked Sarada questions to challenge her intellect. Sarada recited the names of each major village and the Kage that represented them, as well as the previous Kage that had come before. When it had come to the official shinobi rules, Naruto had to surrender once she had gotten the first twenty seven correct. Sakura wasn't surprised, but Sarada was eager to keep being tested. It wasn't every day you got to impress the leader of your home, and she felt undeniably good.
"Did you eat your fill?" Naruto asked once Teuchi was paid and thanked for the meal.
Sarada placed a hand to her stomach, content and stuffed beyond measure with an expression of bliss on her face. "Yeah. I can't believe I could eat so much, but I managed it somehow."
"It's normal. Ichiraku's has the best ramen in the world. Just wait until you get cravings for it, your mother's really gonna hate me!"
"As long as she wants it in moderation. Not all of us can live off of ramen alone, Naruto." Sakura quipped.
Sarada frowned, knowing that with the meal finished their time was coming to an end. "Do you really have to go?" she asked.
Naruto left his seat, as did Sarada and Sakura. All three had a great time, but with Naruto's workday still needing to be completed he would need to return to his office shortly. The man in question had knelt in front of Sarada and placed both hands on her shoulders, offering her the same smile and charm that had brought Sakura's own heart to a momentary standstill.
"Just for now, I have a lot to get done. We can do this again sometime soon, I promise."
"Do you mean it?" Sarada asked, bewildered.
"Of course. I don't go back on my word, your mother knows that too!"
Sarada looked to her mother expectantly, eased by her small nod of confirmation. Her hands had come down to rest atop Naruto's and squeeze firmly. Between the two of them, Sarada felt uplifted in a way she hadn't felt since her papa had been in the village. It was in the middle of his assurance that Naruto shrugged his shoulders, a small laugh escaping him.
"I'll walk with you." Naruto stood back up, and when Sakura's hands left his, he took them from Sarada's shoulders. "Your mother and I actually need to talk anyway."
Sakura didn't oppose it, even if Naruto was supposed to be one of the busiest people in the village. With a joyful Sarada both full and curious, Naruto and Sakura exchanged brief but amused glances at one another once Sarada had begun thinking about what she'd try the next time they could go to Ichiraku's again. Sakura was in a position to give Naruto a classic case of 'I told you so', but she resisted that urge. She had never taken Sarada to Ichiraku's because she had the greatest risk of running into Naruto there. Because of her apprehension her daughter had missed out on quite an experience, an experience with someone she should have been able to call 'uncle' instead of Lord Seventh. They shared several minutes involving the different combinations of ramen, and to Sakura's surprise she was actually engaged in the conversation at hand in spite of not being as big a ramen nut as Naruto beside her. They returned to Sakura's parents and stood outside the front door, and before Sarada entered she would turn back to Naruto.
"Thank you, Lord Seventh. And I'll remember what you said, especially this," Sarada mimicked Naruto's earlier motion, patting a balled fist with a look of confidence on her face.
"Hopefully it won't come to that …and Sarada, you can just call me Naruto, you know. Lord Seventh and Lord Hokage are nice, but what's nicer is having you recognize me for being your friend, rather than your leader."
It could be called humility. Sakura saw it as a true sign that he intended to become closer to Sarada; he wouldn't go back on his word about taking her out again, and it was something the medical specialist was excited for regardless of her participation or not.
"Okay …'Naruto'." It felt odd on the tongue, almost like it didn't belong. The truth was she wasn't used to addressing someone this important – and really great – with such a casual term. It would take getting used to, and if he kept his word as he prided himself on, she could get used to it. "Bye!"
"See you!" Naruto watched Sarada depart, and didn't turn to Sakura until he heard the shuffling of her feet fade away.
They were left alone now, with Sakura choosing to begin first.
"Naruto, I can't even tell you how much this meant to her …and to me, too. That's the most she's smiled in a long time – and what was with the whole 'beat them up' part of your conversation?" Sakura placed her hands on her hips, amused.
"Hehe, well, you're strong Sakura-chan. Sarada has your genius, so it wouldn't be too hard to believe she has your strength, too!"
"My strength? I … don't really know about that. To be honest she's probably more like her father in strength than me. I can't imagine how much she's got bottled up inside …speaking of her father," Sakura had grown quite curious in a short amount of time. Through the entire conversation he shared with Sarada, Sasuke was missing. "You never brought Sasuke-kun up to her …not even to me. Why is that?"
"One step at a time, Sakura-chan. This is just the new beginning of something great, and who knows, maybe I can get Bolt to hang out with her sometime!" The thought of their kids being close friends was always a dream of his. Ever since Hinata was pregnant with Bolt and he knew of Sakura's pregnancy, he had imagined the two playing together. "You'll want the pictures we took, right?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, definitely." She could use a new wallpaper on her phone anyway.
"I'll send them to you tonight, then."
"Great!" The pictures were of importance, but a straight answer was owed to him. Today's events had confirmed for her that she could do this. Naruto was willing to move on, and it was on her now to prepare to do the exact same thing. Years of emotional turmoil and self-disgust were the obstacles, and right in front of her was the tool to overcome it all. Maybe, just maybe, she could change with him.
She might be able to take her life back for herself.
"About the speech …I'm definitely willing to do it with you. We can go over what we'll discuss sometime when you aren't busy, so you better make some time. Got it?" Playfulness wasn't completely lost on her. Naruto had returned old parts of her that she thought she had lost.
"Yeah, you bet I will. Train hard, and I'll see you later!" Naruto had turned to leave after one last good look at her, but didn't get far.
"Wait …what do you mean 'train hard'?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder. "The combat exercise after the speech, to spice things up. I figured we could maybe add it to the tradition – kids these days like action more than words, so if you're already doing the speech with me then we could spar." His head tilted. "Is that okay?"
Here stood Sakura Haruno – out of shape ninja who hadn't seen combat in years, much less trained anymore, with the spotlight shining directly on her.
"You never said anything about that before, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, knowing for a fact it was true.
"I didn't? Hm," Naruto thought back, having believed the exact opposite. "Well, I probably won't do it for a month or so, that should give you enough time to make room in your schedule, right? I can work around you."
"That isn't the point! Couldn't you get Lee to do that part?"
"I …guess I could get bushy brows." Naruto turned around, eyebrow raised keenly. "But I wanted it to be you. If you don't want to do it at all, I'll—"
"No! I'll make time."
Sakura's response had been quick and certain. Her insecurities had been the one thing keeping her from agreeing in the first place. To go from a simple addition to a speech and suddenly be thrust into a sparring match with Naruto so the kids had something else to remember the occasion by was a significant jump, and inwardly she was beating Naruto upside the head for completely forgetting to mention that he was considered an event like that. It was a good idea and one that would likely be the talk among the kids Sarada's age for a while, and the last thing she wanted to do was show just how out of shape she had become since the events of the Otsutsuki crisis. Pushing that segment onto someone else was justified, Lee was one of the few people in the village that could still give Naruto a run for his money. The reason her mind changed wasn't that she had suddenly found confidence in herself, it was that Naruto had the confidence in her to do this.
Naruto wanted it to be her.
"Oh, great!" Naruto had been a little worried, but Sakura's change of heart had stopped his spirits from drifting downward after the upward spiral it had been in for the last few hours. "I'll see you later then!"
"Bye!" Sakura waved, and Naruto had waved back. She was nervous, but on the surface she looked calm and ready.
Locked deeply into a mental playback of how she could perform against Naruto who had not been slacking these past several years in the fitness department, Sakura was completely ignorant of a pair of piercing blue eyes staring disapproving at her from a distance. They had come to rest on the back of the departing Hokage and intensified, dissatisfaction and curiosity completely overwhelming any sense of joy they might have held ten minutes prior. This young man, with an exact likeness to the Hokage in his younger years, sprinted after him.
There's no way he'd let his shitty old man get away with this.
A/N - Next chapter will fully debut Naruto's family, and as the last line implies there should be a confrontation between father and son! I didn't really like this chapter and felt like I could have done better in a lot of areas, but if I kept lingering on it I was never going to post it. Hopefully some of you liked it, cause I don't. Thanks for reading. A bit of a heads up to those fans of Hinata who may be following, I have a story just for her in the works, stay tuned :D!
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HelloNaruto - I considered taking challenges but I'm far too busy to dedicate as much time on any of them as I do this story. You can pm me your ideas if you'd like, it's not the first time someone's come to me about ideas. Dragonball I might be able to write, but I'd need a good plot, and other than fighting I really don't see the potential in it besides alternate realities being explored, some smut, or just making OC's to challenge the Z fighters. Unfamiliar with Sekirei. I gave up on Bleach before the Fullbringer arc ended, I got bored and from what a friend tells me Bleach isn't getting any better. Pokemon cross with Naruto? Not for me I'm afraid ^^'. Thank you very much for your compliments, I hope to have your support as time goes on!
RedGoddessEclipse, Lord Poncho, November Ember, Starcalista, MissVenita, Cielfairy - Thank you very much for the words of praise folks, you don't know how much it means to me to look back at them and know that I could make some readers happy/excited/anxious about what they read. I really do hope you'll enjoy the chapters as they come, even if I struggle with my own approval of them.
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