Author's Note: Hey everyone, happy 2021! I'm here with a long one so I hope you're all ready to read. I appreciate all the follows, and reviews that you all have given me. Please continue to keep up the support, it really motivates me to keep churning out the chapters, anyway please enjoy!
Given the circumstances, Sakura thought that her talk with Naruto had gone incredibly well. They had talked for a good amount of time before he headed upstairs to talk to Arashi. However, that didn't stop Sakura from becoming nervous. Yet, Naruto simply explained he was going to tell his son that his mother had amnesia. It was the easiest and most logical course of action, and on some level it really couldn't be classified as a lie.
Sakura was very hesitant to go down that road, she didn't want the boy to feel upset. Naruto however insisted that even though Arashi was young he could still handle difficult news. That was all fine and dandy still, Sakura was starting to get a little bit nervous about the whole thing. Naruto had been up there for a good amount of time and the pinkett started to speculate what it was he was up to.
She took this time to absentmindedly look around the room. Unlike her parents house Naruto's was filled to the brim with pictures. The pinkett stood up and made her way to a long shelf with an array of family photos. She studied the different pictures closely observing the smiling faces.
Her eyes eventually locked on the picture of Naruto and the family posing for what Sakura could only assume was his Hokage inauguration. She assumed it was his inauguration because they all sported the white ceremonial robes.
Sakura was holding who she could only think was baby Arashi. Opposite to her was Naruto who sported a white robe with the Hokage's hat on. Down by his side was who she assumed to be a much younger Hanami, and on the other side of the photo was the child they had talked about earlier. Her oldest son, "Shinachiku," The pinkett said to herself.
Once again she was surprised to find out that this child inherited her emerald eyes as well. It seemed that was about the only thing they had in common though. The boy in the photo looked to be a spitting image of Naruto.
However, from the quick conversation Naruto and herself had on the boy he was described as anything but the latter. The young Hokage described Shinachiku as an even keeled lighthearted boy with a personality similar to Sakura's own.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asked with a soft smile. The blonde had come back down the stairs undetected.
"You all look so happy in this photo," Sakura softly spoke as she lightly touched the picture frame. The gravity of her situation began to dawn on the pinkett.
She could never replace their true mother, she didn't have the memories or the familiarity. She couldn't be Naruto's wife, hell in her timeline she couldn't even speak to him face-to-face.
There was something in the air that Naruto could sense and he knowingly walked over and put a caring hand on Sakura's shoulder.
"Trust me we are happy, Sakura-chan," The blonde smiled as he placed both his hands on Sakura shoulders, now facing her completely. She didn't understand why but his touch ran a chill down her spine.
"Look, don't have any expectations, just be yourself," Sakura was snapped out of her mounting fear by the blonde's reassurance.
She looked him in the eye as if she were searching for something before firmly nodding her head. No, she wasn't their Sakura, but she would do her best and try to help where she could while she was in this time.
Naruto gestured towards the stairs. "I told him the basic rundown on the situation, he knows his mother doesn't remember everything she should,"
Sakura only nodded as she slowly made her way towards the stairs.
"It's the first door on your right hand side when you get to the top," Naruto added as he watched Sakura slowly ascend up the staircase.
When she got to the top of the stairs she immediately cut right as Naruto instructed. Quickly she faced a brown wooden door that was closed. She noticed a lot of drawings taped to the outside of the door. The drawings looked to be of random ninja however, there were a few drawings dedicated to family members. Sakura inwardly smiled as she observed the half decent drawings. She couldn't help but find the drawings cute in nature.
Slowly she gained the courage to knock on the door. However, she felt her courage fleeing her as she knocked. She didn't know why but she felt so incredibly nervous about the whole situation. She didn't know what type of expectations he would have in regards to his mother. "
"Come in!" A voice happily yelled from behind the door disrupting her thoughts.
Sakura brought her hand to the knob of the door and twisted it. She slowly took a deep breath before gently pushing the door open and stepping past the threshold. Instantly she located the red head boy sitting on the bed with an array of pictures encircling him. Sakura couldn't help the tug on her heart strings. Arashi looked so eager to show off his new photo collection.
"Mom!" The boy greeted Sakura loudly with a bright smile.
Sakura noticed that her sudden appearance caused the boy to shift on his bed in excitement. His movement caused a few of the photos he sorted to fall off the bed. Sakura swiftly moved to pick up the loose photos however Arashi waved his mother off.
"I got it mom, dad told me you have some memory loss because of your last mission. I don't want you to work to hard,"
The redhead smiled at Sakura before quickly going to task picking up the loose pictures. While Arashi was busy Sakura took the time to examine his room.
She quickly noticed that the boy was well off, he had a very nice sized room with action figures, toy kunai knives and many other knickknacks.
Sakura could only assume Naruto and herself were well-off given their respective positions in the village. This monetary abundance translated to their children receiving everything they needed and more.
Arashi quickly put the pictures back into their specific order and then triumphantly smiled at his mother. He then motioned Sakura to a small computer desk that was right next to his bed. There was a small chair that went with the desk, Sakura found the chair a bit small for her however, she slowly sat down. When the pinkett was comfortable she smiled softly and nodded at Arashi.
The boy observed her for a long time before giving her a bright smile.
"So you don't remember anything?" Arashi asked, getting straight to the point. Sakura noticed he sported a disappointed look the medic couldn't help but find cute.
Sakura softly shook her head "I'm afraid not, the last 14 or so years are a blur to me," She smiled sadly at the fact that she wasn't Arashi's real mother.
Arashi deserved better than this she thought to herself. Sakura didn't have a single solitary memory of this time.
Just to add to the fun Naruto and herself weren't even together in the time she originated from. Sakura felt like this whole reality was a lie. It was just so utterly complicated for her to grasp how Naruto and herself got together, let alone the fact they had children together.
She couldn't help but think she was doing the boy a disservice. Yet, at the same time she knew it had to be this way. After all there was a reality where her and Naruto had gotten together, and she was living in it.
Sakura was quickly snapped out of her train of thought by Arashi. "That's ok, dad said we need to reteach you about our family and the village. I know that we can definitely help you remember mom!" the boy confidently smiled at her.
Sakura realized she had only spent a few minutes with the boy, but in those few minutes he reminded her so much of Naruto. However, Arashi was a much more reserved version of the older male.
The redhead went on to show Sakura pictures of his Elementary graduation. He was so proud of the photos, it dawned on Sakura that she had missed his big achievement. Sakura once again felt bad she wasn't in any of the photos.
The future Sakura was on a diplomatic trip to the Sunagakure, and was supposed to make it back in time for the graduation. However, she went missing in that time span. Leaving Naruto, Arashi and siblings attending the ceremony minus their mother.
Sakura took her time to examine each picture individually. After her inspection she could definitely say the Uzumaki family was an attractive bunch. All three children had qualities of both Naruto and herself. Even though she wasn't dating Naruto in her timeline she had to admit to herself he was handsome, and the picture was yet another example of that.
Then there were the two boys that took so much after their father, one had red hair the other had blonde.
Hanami on the other hand was the spitting image of her mother which was a pleasant surprise to Sakura. However, she did have her fathers eyes, and her skin was much more tan than her mothers. Sakura quickly decided that the girl had gotten the best of both worlds and the looks department.
This made the medic think about how pale she was, as she self-consciously rubbed her bare arm. Sakura quickly noticed Hanami sported Naruto's smile as well, so much so it ran a chill down her spine.
She noticed as she focused more on the picture Arashi had the look of disappointment. The boy was good at hiding it but after years of being a ninja she could tell when someone wasn't using all the muscles in their face to smile. Sakura quickly came to the conclusion that Arashi missed his mother's presents at the ceremony.
"I...I'm sorry I wasn't there Arashi," Sakura felt horrible about this whole ordeal. She could feel the love this child had for her, and it seemed to be a running theme of Sakura feeling completely helpless today. She knew she wasn't directly responsible for her older self's absence but somehow she still felt guilty.
Arashi shook his head and softly smiled at his mother as he put another photo in her hand. It was a picture of Sakura holding him as a newborn. The look Sakura was giving the newborn in the picture was enough to take her breath away. She looked so in love with her newborn baby boy.
"It's ok mom," The redhead slowly placed his hand over his heart.
"You told me a long time ago that if you keep a love for a person in your heart their always with you,"
The pinkett began to feel a tear fall from her eye at the boy's words. Her father had told her those exact words when she was a little girl. Sakura always wanted to go to the bakery with her father instead of going to elementary school. However, her father's saying was always a reassurance that pushed her to get to school.
It was funny to her, she hadn't known this boy for more than 4 hours yet, she could already say she cared for him deeply. Maybe she was crazy to think that way or maybe it was some deep maternal instinct, she really wasn't sure.
To make matters even more complicated Arashi was so likable. He was so kind and gentle but he was also warm like the sun. With all the similarities Sakura couldn't help but think the redhead was definitely Naruto's son.
"Are you ok mom? I...I didn't mean to make you cry," Sakura however cut him off as she enveloped him in a tight hug.
"The tears are because I'm happy silly. I'm not mad at you, I promise," Sakura softly reassured the boy.
"Th...That's fine mom-b-but you're crushing me!" Arashi yelped as he tried to catch his breath.
Sakura quickly let her son go and put some space in between them. The pinkett rubbed the back of her head embarrassed by her actions. She didn't know what had come over her, she was just so taken by emotion.
Arashi let a blush creep to his face as he softly smiled at his mother. The redhead then looked Sakura directly in the eyes.
"Mom I'm eight now, you promised you would stop with all that mushy stuff," Arashi pretended to pout and Sakura couldn't help but giggle.
"Did I now? Hopefully you can make an exception just this once?" Sakura teased knowing the boy was embarrassed.
There was a part of Sakura that enjoyed the fact that she could now make her child embarrassed. Her parents had been doing that to her for years, free of charge.
"Fine, you're my mom after all ya know," Arashi grinned as he quit his pouting act.
Arashi's words quickly hit Sakura like a ton of bricks. "I'm his mother" She thought to herself. She slowly looked back at the picture of an infant Arashi and herself.
Her eyes lingered on the photo until she heard a noise at the room's entrance. The medic's head quickly snapped towards the entrance to the room.
Standing in the doorway was the blonde Hokage. He had a knowing smile on his face as he looked at the two.
"I'm guessing the both of you had a good chat?" The Hokage questioned.
"The best! I've been showing mom all of my graduation pictures. I think I helped her remember a little bit too," Arashi said with hope as he looked to his mother.
Sakura bit her lip not wanting to disappoint the boy yet, she knew lying would get her nowhere. The pinkett almost instantly decided on the truth.
Sakura brought her hand up to Arashi's arm and gave him a playful flick as a smirk graced her lips.
"Ouch!" The boy yelped in pain.
Sakura gently smiled at the redhead. "I can't say I remember anything," This made the boy feel disappointed with his efforts however, Sakura continued speaking.
"Though It did remind me of how much I love you," Sakura gave the boy her warmest smile, and Naruto couldn't help but grin at the sight.
Arashi blushed and smiled at his mother happy with the results from his efforts.
"Well I was just about to start dinner, so I hope you two are hungry," Naruto smiled as Sakura finally noticed he had an apron on.
The pink haired medic couldn't help but giggle at the site before her eyes. She had never known Naruto to cook anything other than instant Ramen. Yet now he cooked meals for his whole family? The future just kept getting weirder and weirder she thought to herself.
"You're not cooking instant Ramen and calling it dinner are you?" Sakura questioned as she looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto jokingly put a hand over his heart and slouched down a little with his back against the wall.
"You know that hurts Sakura-chan, I like to think I'm an admirable cook," The blonde teased.
Sakura looked to Arashi with a raised eyebrow. "I know I have some memory loss, but can your father really cook?"
"I guess he can cook a little bit...Dad's barbecue pork belly isn't bad, but you always make him cook a lot of vegetables with his meals," The redhead now looked like he wanted to gag thinking about eating his veggies.
Sakura observed the boy's disgusted expression. "Like father like son," Sakura said with narrowed eyes aimed at the blonde.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he left the room and retreated back down the stairs.
"Sakura why don't you give me a hand in the kitchen?" The blonde yelled as his voice got fainter.
The pink haired medic looked a little surprised by the blonde's request. It amazed her how quickly Naruto and herself could pick up their friendship where they left off. It had been 14 years in Sakura's book since they talked. The natural rapport they have with each other was something to behold.
"Go mom, you should probably make sure dad doesn't burn down the house," The redhead snickered.
This earned a giggle from Sakura as she stood up and proceeded to trail her blonde friend down the stairs.
"I heard that!" Naruto replied from the base of the stairs.
The mother and son began to giggle again as Sakura winked at the boy before retreating towards his father.
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"I've got to say Naruto I am thoroughly impressed with this meal," Sakura said as she gazed upon the now empty plate in front of her.
They had roast yuzu chicken with slaw, and Sakura could honestly say she had very little to do with the cooking. She helped make the slaw but everything else was Naruto's handiwork. Sakura had to admit she enjoyed their cooking time. They talked about their three children and how their friends had grown over the years.
Sakura had to keep reminding herself to stop staring at Naruto. The way he was acting was so familiar yet so foreign to her. She could really see that he had matured into a great husband and father.
"He's my husband,"she thought to herself, Sakura was silently shaken by her train of thought. This however didn't last long as Naruto's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Well I try my best," the blonde chuckled while washing dishes at the kitchen sink. Arashi sat next to Sakura reading a manga that had captivated his attention.
"Arashi I think it's time for you to go read over your Academy text, you know you start at the beginning of the week," Naruto said, glancing over to the boy as he put dishes back into their respective cabinets.
The redhead looked a little bit bummed that he couldn't finish his manga. However, he slowly pulled himself from the table and begrudgingly nodded at his father.
"Good, remember lights out at nine," Naruto offhandedly said with his back to the boy. If Arashi hated anything more than vegetables it was his bedtime. He was starting the ninja Academy at the beginning of the week. In his eyes that meant he should be able to stay up as long as he wanted.
Yet, whenever he conveyed these facts to his mother and father he was always shot down. His father would always counter his reasoning with: "I wish somebody made me go to bed when I was your age,"
Instead of begging his father to stay up later Arashi only sighed in defeat . The boy had observed his mother was acting a bit different. It seemed strange to him but he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his mother in her current condition. The redhead began to walk towards the staircase when he quickly swiveled around on his foot.
"Mom, you're staying with us right? You're not going to leave again are you?" The boy asked as his emerald eyes pierced Sakura's.
This new line of questioning had taken Sakura by surprise. She had been enjoying herself so much she failed to realize that the night eventually had to come to an end. Furthermore, she really wasn't sure how to answer the young boy's question.
"That's not something we've discussed yet kiddo, give your mom some time to decompress and get back to her old self," Naruto smiled knowingly at Arashi as he set a dishrag on the kitchen counter.
Naruto knew his son might ask this exact question. Arashi was after all a bit of a mama's boy. The Hokage knew that Sakura needed time, he also knew that this would be hard on all of his children. Honestly if he were fully open about everything he'd have to admit he missed Sakura as well.
Even so, he knew he had to teach his children how to endure as Shinobi, yet it seemed lately he had to re-teach himself that. He missed his wife and best friend dearly, her absence had been hard on him. Her laugh, her smell and her touch were things he longed for.
Nonetheless, all those things were seemingly right in front of him and Arashi. Yet he knew restraint was necessary and key, this was not their Sakura. She was from a different timeline where the two of them were never a thing, and Naruto was determined to respect that.
"Fine, But you'll still be at my entrance ceremony for the academy right?" This time the boy posed the question directly to Sakura.
"I will definitely be there, I wouldn't miss it for the world," Sakura nodded confidently at the boy reassuring him.
Arashi smiled and nodded at his mother before running up the stairs to his room.
Once Arashi was out of earshot Naruto began to speak. "Sorry about all that, the kid doesn't always have the best timing, I'm pretty sure he inherited that from me," Naruto chuckled as he hung up his apron and went to sit down on the couch in the living room.
Sakura joined him sitting in the armchair closest to him. However there was something awkward in the air now, without Arashi's presence it solely put the focus on the two of them. The boy's question only seemed to amplify the already awkward situation.
Sakura had to admit the question had definitely thrown her for a loop, she had been enjoying herself so much she never thought she would receive that particular question. Still, the matter was now out in the open and she couldn't help but put it at the forefront of her thoughts.
"That's ok, he's quite the remarkable kid. I'm really glad I got to meet him," Sakura smiled thinking about the boy.
"I knew you would love him, he's ours after all," The blonde offhandedly commented with a sleepish grin.
Instinctively as soon as he said what he said he regretted it. He felt like he was putting too much of an emphasis on things that were theirs. Their children, their house, and their marriage were all things that he had offhandedly mentioned without even thinking about it.
"Our kid huh?" Sakura said out loud to herself. However, she quickly realized her outward contemplation. She was so embarrassed that she promptly proceeded to avoid all of Naruto's eye contact.
Yet, this didn't slip by the blonde ninja who could only smirk at Sakura's antics. He knew he shouldn't be enjoying Sakura acting like this but a sneaky part of him couldn't help but find it amusing.
I know you're not from this timeline and furthermore, you're with Sasuke. Even so, take the Hokage's advice and relax," The blonde ninja chuckled as he looked at an embarrassed Sakura.
"That's easy for you to say, in my time we aren't even dating, and just to add to the fun you're with Hinata. Plus, we've been promptly avoiding each other for 6 plus months. I don't think I made things easier for our friendship, I mean for god sake I left the village with Sasuke without even telling you," Sakura groaned out as she let her head fall back in frustration.
She didn't know why but saying all this gave her a sense of relief. So much so that she let out a deep breath she didn't know she had in her. Yet, now she was thinking she had weirded out the future version of Naruto. Sakura then used her brilliant deductive reasoning to conclude the blonde would never want to talk to her again.
"Hmm so I'm really dating Hinata in your time?"
Naruto questioned, holding his chin in thought.
"I just told you all that in the only thing you can think about is you dating Hinata!?" Sakura yelled now extremely irritated with the blonde.
Naruto nervously laughed and put his hands up in defense of his actions.
"I only questioned it because I never thought of her like that. Don't get me wrong she's beautiful, intelligent and kind,"
Sakura was now properly jealous and didn't want to talk about the matter anymore. She crossed her arms and promptly looked away. At first she was irritated yet she slowly became saddened by the whole ordeal.
"I've never been as good as her," the pink haired medic thought to herself.
"If you think all of those things then why in this time are we married and you two not together?" She spoke so softly Naruto could barely hear it.
Naruto didn't know what had come over him, over the years he had learned restraint and discipline. However, right now all of his teachings went right out the window.
"Because i've only ever had eyes for you," Naruto spoke softly, his voice was laced with love and emotion Sakura didn't know he carried in him.
She quickly snapped her head back towards the blonde. Her eyes were big and her mouth was open a bit. What he had just said truly shocked her to the bone. How did he feel about her in her own time she thought? Was she really that oblivious to Naruto's feelings in her time?
Sakura thought about The matter for a short time before coming to a narrow minded conclusion. If Naruto really felt any type of way about her he would've said so.
The last time she tried to express how she felt about him he called her a liar. Maybe in a way she was lying, but at the same time her statement wasn't a lie. It was driving her to madness that she couldn't figure out how this timeline differed from her own. What were the key differences that got her and Naruto together she thought.
She forcefully pushed those thoughts from her mind. Sakura refused to cry over spilled milk. What's done is done and nothing was going to change that she thought to herself. She wanted to stand strong in her resolution but she faltered as soon as she looked at him.
She saw something in his ocean blue orbs, something primal, something so raw. This thoroughly frightened her but she also couldn't fight the ting of excitement in her stomach. Whatever this was she was having trouble resisting it. She had quickly become utterly paralyzed by his gaze.
The tension in the room became palpable as both ninja remained completely still and silent. Naruto somehow managed to quickly snap himself out of the trance he was under.
"I think it's about time I take you home," Naruto said quickly standing up and dusting himself off. The blonde couldn't quite recall the last time he had been in a situation so awkward, let alone one with his own wife.
Sakura realized she must've had a stupid look on her face. She was so embarrassed she once again refused to look Naruto's way.
They slowly and silently exited the home and walked back to her parents house. The walk was silent and chilling, neither dared to say a word. Sakura was far too embarrassed, and Naruto felt like he would say something wrong again.
After a good amount of walking they arrived at her parents front door. The pair stood there in silence facing each other for what seemed like an eternity.
"Thank you for the great night, I really enjoyed both of your company," Sakura smiled softly, still avoiding the blonde's eyes.
"I promise we enjoyed it more, I'm really happy you got to meet him. He's missed his mother very much lately... I mean we all have. The Hokage softly smiled as he spoke. Somehow it didn't take long for their eyes to lock in a seemingly magnetic fashion.
Naruto had decided on their walk back he wouldn't hide how much he cared for Sakura. It was just a basic fact about who he was. He was Uzumaki Naruto, he was the Hokage and a father of three, and he loved Sakura, his wife and best friend.
Plus he kept reminding himself that if everything went according to plan they could return her with no recollection of these events.
He knew that it was somewhat selfish way of thinking however, facts were facts, he missed his wife. There was so much he wanted to say to her yet, he decided to just stare into her emerald eyes. He recognized he was the Hokage, he didn't have time to think freely and act selfishly.
However, on this occasion, just this once, he wanted to act selfishly. Still, he was a principled person through and through, he would refrain himself from any physical touching. Instead he just decided to stare and convey a silent message through eye contact. To him words were not needed everything he needed to say was in his eyes.
Sakura was at a loss for what the connection was between them. However, she did know his eyes were speaking silently. This moment with Naruto took Sakura back to the time she saw the blonde in the busy street with Hinata. It wasn't long after that she left to travel with Sasuke. It began to dawned on her that she didn't have the courage to speak then and she didn't have it now.
Did Naruto somehow know what she was feeling? There was just so much emotion in his blue eyes back then and even more now.
It then dawned on her that the two were standing on the same doorstep where Sasuke and her shared their first kiss. Still, she had never felt like this when Sasuke stared at her. Yes there was emotion but it was more of a school girl nervousness.
On the contrary this emotion with Naruto was just so raw and wanting. The moment was enough to take her breath away. She couldn't remember a time when Naruto rendered her useless like this.
This was scary, she was far too vulnerable under his gaze, she figured eventually she'd just melt into a pool of pink mush. Sakura knew she needed to snap herself out of this spell he had her in. She bit her lip hoping the pain would awaken her senses back to normal.
Yet, she could immediately tell this only intrigued her blonde friend more as his eyes drifted to her lips. This was bad, Sakura was quickly falling into whatever energy this was between them.
Without even knowing it her body moved of its own accord and stepped forward. She was in a trance and the energy between them was pulling her into him. Being so close to him made his eyes that much more accessible. She examined how his blue orb shined that much more from the street lights of Konoha.
She took another step forward, once again subconsciously not realizing she did so. The pinkett could now smell his scent. Sakura didn't know what had come over her but she suddenly really liked the way he smelled.
Then again she never took the time to actually smell Naruto. Yet, now that she had a whiff of him it was as if she couldn't get enough.
Then there was his hair, it was so much longer then the last time she had seen him. The blonde locs drifted into his eyes at times hiding his ocean blue orbs. Sakura began to ponder how it would feel to run her fingers through his hair.
She knew she shouldn't be thinking this way. Yet, she couldn't help it, he was just so different. However, somehow he was still the same Naruto, just more mature than she remembered. Sakura figured this was a lust between them, she had felt something similar to this with Sasuke.
However, looking back on it her encounters with the Uchiha were more so a physical desire. The pair hadn't had sex yet but they did have make out sessions occasionally. She knew they were taking their time with things. Still, she calculated one day it would end in something much more physical.
Even so, this was different; there was lust, even more lust then she felt with Sasuke. Yet other emotions were strongly involved as well. It was these emotions that were quickly overwhelming her whole thought process.
His demeanor didn't help anything, he was so calm and collected with his hands in his pockets. Sakura didn't know why but the fire inside her stomach grew watching his in control attitude. A part of her kept trying to figure out what exactly was running through his head.
She did however know one thing, he was in control of the situation and she liked it. The pinkett quickly realized she liked that aspect way too much. He hadn't even moved towards her yet and she was already a nervous wreck.
She knew whatever this was between them needed to be stopped immediately. She was better than this, she would never let anyone completely render her useless like this. She couldn't recall a man that had this type of affect on her, not even Sasuke. If she didn't know better she could swear she was under a cruel genjutsu.
No, this was something she would fight, Naruto was not allowed to make her feel like this. She had to think and think fast. Her breath hitched as she tightly clenched her fists and mustard all the courage and strength she had left…
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"Wait so you did what?" Ino smirked thoroughly, enjoying her friend's recollection of her events from the other night.
"I know!" Sakura moaned as she slouched over the counter of the yamanaka's family flower shop.
"Well I mean subconsciously you had to be thinking it since you yelled it outloud. Overall I would say this is a good thing for you two," Ino calculated as she tied a bow around a bouquet of flowers.
"I don't know if this is good or not. The look he was giving me was so, so… primal. Naruto has never looked at me like that, I just panicked!" Sakura whined as she recalled her last encounter with Naruto.
"Honestly for the life of me I don't know what part of you two have three kids you didn't understand," Ino smirked knowing she had pushed one of Sakura's buttons.
Sakura turned redder than the bouquet of roses Ino had just tied together.
"You never help the situation!" Sakura cried as she threw her face into her hands in frustration. The pink haired medic knew that her friend found her whole situation oh so entertaining.
"Listen, you have the entrance ceremony coming up tomorrow, just tell him you feel differently then," Ino shrugged as she took the now vased roses to a refrigerated display close to the shop entrance.
Sakura now fully defeated was slouched over the counter of the flour prep station in the shop. She rested her head between her arms and she refused to look up. The events of two days ago were still too fresh in her mind. She kept contemplating what Naruto must be thinking of her.
"I hate to admit it but I think you're right," Sakura said, finally lifting her head up to the bright lights at the shop.
"Problem solved! Now get over here and help me with these orders! If we're going to be talking then we might as well be working while we're at it," Ino winked at her friend as she threw an apron over the pinkett's head.
"I still can't believe I told him I should move in with him," Sakura sighed, tying the apron around her waist.
Ino let out an annoyed breath, she silently hoped whenever she had a problem she wasn't this repetitive when talking to Sakura.
"It's easy, when you see him just say you had second thoughts," Ino suggested while she went back to trimming flowers.
The shop was eerily quiet as Sakura didn't reply to Ino's suggestion.
This caused the blonde to stop what she was doing and look at Sakura who had a conflicted expression on her face.
"I….I just don't know," Sakura was once again back to sulking.
"Oh god on some level you want this, I'll warn you now, if you move in with him say hello to your fourth child!" Ino joked quickly imagining her timelines Sakura coming back with a pregnant belly. The blonde quickly calculated that the eighth Hokage would need to be named because Sakura would definitely kill Naruto.
Sakura quickly shot her friend a death glare. Ino was having such fun and Sakura was so pissed off the two didn't notice Sai enter the flower shop. However, he took one look at Sakura and Ino and promptly walked right back out.
Sai was particularly proud of the social progress he had made over the years. That meant knowing people's emotions and when to just butt out. His new insight made it an easy choice. Sai didn't know what was going on however, he immediately knew he wanted no part of whatever made Sakura angry.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Well this place sure has changed a lot," Sakura observed as she and her parents approached the ninja academy entrance. The building was three times as big as Sakura remembered. She knew they had rebuilt it but it looked like they long since done other additions to the structure. The academy looked like it had many different sections to it now.
They quickly made their way into the Academy. There was a main auditorium where people were all trying to find a seat. The three quickly made their way into the auditorium and scanned for any familiar faces.
They quickly found Arashi among the other academy students lined up in different classes. The boy saw his mother out of the corner of his eye and beamed with pride. Sakura warmly smiled back at the boy as she took a seat with her parents.
Down in front of the large podium were a slew of Academy teachers along with the Academy principal Iruka Umino. Sakura watched as the older looking Iruka stepped up and gave a lovely speech to the crowd.
It didn't take very long for Iruka to finish his speech and gesture to the academy teachers. The teachers quickly moved into action standing in front of the new batch of students, each one taking their place with a specific class.
Sakura quickly spotted Naruto making his way to the podium. He was fully dressed for the occasion in his Hokage attire. The pinkett began to feel nervous about the situation. She knew after the ceremony was over she was going to have to talk to Naruto.
She quickly recalled how she rehearsed what she would say before she saw him again. The pink haired medic was determined to remain resolute in her decision. The smooth operating Hokage was not going to make her falter and turn into a bumbling school girl this time.
Naruto began to announce the class formations with applause from the audience. The classes quickly filtered out of the auditorium to training ground number one right outside of the Academy. The training ground was The perfect place for the students to gather and take pictures with their respective families.
Sakura quickly realized that all the families wanted a picture with Naruto and their child in it. She found the site quite funny, every time he tried to get over to Arashi he was stopped by another group of proud parents.
It was only natural that Sakura and her parents reached Arashi first.
"Oh I'm so happy! Look at you, such a big boy now! I told myself I wouldn't cry!" Sakura's mother effectively snatched up Arashi and smothered him in a suffocating hug.
Sakura quickly noticed her father was not helping the situation. While her youngest son was getting his oxygen supply cut off by his grandmother her father was only taking pictures at different angles while smiling. The site was funny to Sakura; it made her happy to see that she wasn't the only one her parents embarrassed.
"Obachan pl-please!" Arashi cried as he quickly looked to his mother for help however, Sakura put her hands up defensively.
"The sooner you get this over with the better, I'm afraid I cannot get involved," Sakura laughed as she continued to marvel in the site before her.
"Trader!" Arashi yelped as his grandfather Had replaced his grandmother when it came to squeezing the life out of him. Sakura didn't know when it happened but somehow her mother and father had switched places with Sakura mother now operating the camera. The proud grandparents couldn't seem to contain their love for the boy.
"The poor kid was stuck between a rock and a hard place,"
Sakura quickly looked over her shoulder, and was taken by surprise. Somehow the blonde Hokage had managed to sneak away from the prying crowd to his own family.
Sakura blushed a little bit, she was surprised how Naruto snuck up on them. Even so, she quickly shook off her surprise and smiled at her friend.
"Yeah, but it builds character for the kid. If he can endure this assault then being a ninja should be a breeze," Sakura joked, earning a laugh from Naruto.
The two peacefully laughed while they watched the interaction between their son and grandparents. Yet, the two's laughter was quickly interrupted by Mebuki.
"Naruto-kun, Sakura, get over here and take a picture with your child," The older woman ordered.
Naruto quickly rubbed the back of his head and grinned while sakura huffed and now had a similar pout to Arashi. The two quickly walked over and got multiple pictures taken with their youngest child.
Sakura's mother hastily called over the father from another family, and convinced the man to snap a dozen photos or so.
Before they knew it the ceremony was coming to an end, the new Academy students were scheduled to start class the next day. However, tonight was the time of celebration. Sakura didn't even know that her parents and Naruto had planned a surprise for Arashi back at blonde Hokage's house.
They were just about ready to leave when they were stopped a black blur headed their way.
A young black haired girl quickly ran up to Arashi. Sakura couldn't help but think this child somehow looked familiar. The young girl seemed to be about Arashi's age. The two children began talking and joking around as sakura observed the interaction.
The young girl had on gray shorts and a yellow tank top that showed off just a little bit of her waist. However she wore a fishnet like shirt underneath her tank top which helped cover up her midsection.
On each of her arms she wore short maroon compression sleeves. The sleeves went from her wrist all the way down to cover her elbows. The girl had short black hair that didn't quite reach her shoulders and her eyes, well her eyes were unmistakably red.
"Finally we found you," a long redhead woman breathed out as woman approached them. It took Sakura a minute but she quickly remembered the woman. This was Sasuke's old teammate from before the war, Karin.
The woman was dressed in a White collared shirt that was buttoned up to the collar. Around the collar she wore a fashionable purple bowtie. Below that she wore Black shorts combined with long black boots. However the boots also doubled as heels upon Sakura's inspection. The long red haired woman still wore her trademark glasses behind which were her unmistakably red eyes.
It didn't take Sakura long to draw the connection, that the young girl was her child. Slowly and quietly a child of about five or six years old peeked his head from behind the redhead woman. The boy had on a dark purple shirt with tan baggy shorts. He had long black hair that almost went to his shoulders and deep obsidian eyes.
Sakura couldn't help but think this boy and girl looked familiar. The pink haired medic naturally assumed both these children belong to Karin. However, "who was their father," she thought to herself.
It was at that point Sakura noticed the Uchiha clan's crest on the back of the young dark haired girl's shirt.
It's impossible she thought to herself, they couldn't really be Sasuke's children. She looked between their new arrivals and then her eyes immediately shot to Naruto's blue orbs.
The blonde Hokage must have saw the conflict in her eyes because he knowingly nodded and gave Sakura a small smile.
"Their his kids, Sakura-chan," The blonde said nonchalantly as he studied Sakura's face. Naruto figured at this point Sakura would be pretty numb to anything surprising. The Hokage also trusted that she would react in the right way if she was surprised.
Sakura looked between the newcomers not really knowing how to react. Part of her was happy that Sasuke had somebody in this time. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. Sakura always knew that the redhead woman had feelings for Sasuke.
However, call her foolish, she never thought those feelings would result in children. The time she had met the redhead back in her time the woman only gave her glares. Sasuke never really seem to give her the appropriate attention anyway, he was always so nonchalant about things.
The Pinkett always thought that she was just one of Sasuke's many fangirls. Yet, if Karin was a fan girl what in the hell was Sakura to the dark haired man?
Sakura quickly decided now was not the time to contemplate all of these things. She would set aside time later to analyze the matter. For now she had to accept that this reality was just different.
"Risu had to see her friend before we departed," Karin smiled at both Uzumaki's though Sakura noticed the woman's eyes linger longer on her.
"So Sakura, how's your memory doing?" The redhead curiously asked, getting straight to the point.
Karin had heard about Sakura's memory loss and was curious to see exactly how functional the pinkett was.
"I'm doing ok I guess, I still can't remember the last 14 years of my life," Sakura truthfully answered.
The tension between the two was thick, it was almost as if Karin could since the turbulence and Sakura heart.
Karin pushed her glasses higher up on the bridge of her nose before answering. "Well I'm sorry to hear about that, I hope things turn around soon," karin said genuinely concerned.
While at first Sakura and Karin's relationship had been a bit tumultuous in the past. Both women eventually found common ground in the future. However, the pleasantries only started after Karin was sure Sakura didn't want Sasuke anymore.
There was a mutual respect both women had for one another, both were mothers, wives and working women. When you truly got down to the basics they were very similar and those similarities pushed them to become friends.
"Thank you karin, I hope so too," Sakura replied with a soft smile. Sakura still didn't know how to feel about the redheads' relationship with Sasuke. However, she could definitely feel there was a friendship between the two in this timeline.
"Would you all care to join us for cake?" Naruto asked Karin offhandedly glancing at her.
"I am afraid not, it's been a long day plus we have celebratory food waiting for us at home," Karin explained as she gave Naruto an apologetic smile.
"That's ok I'm sure Risu will be over to play with Arashi soon. With his brother and sister out of the house he's been pretty bored lately," Naruto explained as he glanced over at his youngest child.
"They can play as long as it's not a school night Hokage-sama," Karin teased the blonde.
"Can I come to Ojisan-Naruto?" The dark haired boy softly asked as he stood right by Karin's leg.
"I'm sure they'd love to have you join them," Naruto grinned as he gave the boy a playful wink. The young Uchiha gleefully smiled at the Hokage.
Sakura observed the situation with a small smile tugging at her lips. It seemed like Naruto was everybody's Family in the village, which made since he was the Hokage. She noticed the smiles and bows he had gotten from different people during the ceremony.
He received these acknowledgments in the past however now the actions seem to be more endearing. Sakura could truly say she was proud of her friend. He had grown into a wonderful person and an even better Hokage.
"Well I think it's time we get going," Karin smiled at the two Uzumaki's before telling her daughter it was time to go.
"Bye Arashi-kun! Make sure you study hard or I will have better grades then you!" The young Uchiha teased as she ran back to her mother.
Arashi looked taken back by the girl's words for a moment. "Dream on, there's no way i'll lose!" The redhead countered as he pumped his fist in the air.
Sakura smirked and couldn't help but think the boy's actions were extremely Naruto-like.
"We'll see you all soon," Karin smiled as the family departed.
Sakura in Naruto both watch as the Uchiha's filter out of the training ground.
Naruto quietly leaned over and whispered into Sakura's ear. "We should probably get out of here before someone else asked me to take another picture,"
The pinkett quickly noticed the proximity between her and the blonde. However, she forced herself to ignore their closeness. Plus she did have to admit to herself that his nervousness about an extended photo opp with the parents was entertaining.
There was also the fact that she had to pretend she was Naruto's wife. It was absolutely imperative that she kept up a good facade with Naruto out in public. The pinkett wasn't in her timeline yet, she still selflessly cared for her friends and family all the same.
Sakura nodded to the blonde giggling but nonetheless affirming his worry.
"Mom, Dad I think it's time we get out of here," Sakura said to her parents. The older couple had long since went back to torturing Arashi with hugs, kisses and their amateur photography.
Sakura's voice halted her parents actions as they reluctantly acknowledged their Daughter. The family made their way out of the training grounds and their way back to the Uzumaki household.
When they got back to the house Naruto and her parents slowed down so Arashi was the first one to enter the home. At first Sakura was skeptical as to what they had planned. Even so, as soon as they entered the house they were greeted with a nicely sized cake and candles on the dining room table.
Arashi gleefully smiled as he ran over to the cake which read congratulations in big letters. Sakura looked at Naruto wondering how he pulled off the little surprise.
"Shadow clones Sakura-chan," The blonde winked as they all went and sat at the table.
She had to admit she was impressed with the little surprise and Arashi seemed to be pretty excited about it himself. They all got comfortable while Mebuki cut the cake and distributed the pieces. It was a simple white frosting cake with strawberries around the edges.
"Thank you Obachan! Strawberry cake is my favorite," Arashi brightly smiled at his grandmother.
"Hey I helped make it you know," Kizashi Haruno pretended to act hurt by his grandson's comments.
"Thank you too, ojiisan!" Arashi sported a big grin as he respectively bowed at his grandfather.
Sakura noticed how her father smiled at Arashi, she thought it was one of the brightest smiles she'd ever seen. She could tell her parents truly adored their grandkids.
The family spent the next couple of hours catching up. Sakura became both equally amused and annoyed by her father's antics. He had succeeded yet failed on balancing a piece of cake off his nose. Naruto and Arashi were thoroughly amused by the older man's actions, yet Sakura and her mother were highly annoyed.
Sakura watched how seamlessly Naruto fit in when it came to interacting with her parents. He called them mother and father with no hesitation in his voice. Both Haruno's looked as if they couldn't be happier with their son-in-law. Naruto and her parents had got along well in the past. Yet now their love of the blonde seemed to be threefold in the future.
Seeing this interaction made Sakura think of Sasuke. Her parents had never been too fond of the raven haired man. Even so, Sakura was hopeful that if the roles were reversed her parents would embrace the Uchiha man.
She couldn't help but think of a time where her parents were extremely fond of Sasuke yet shared a distaste for Naruto. She never thought her parents hated the blonde like the rest of the village. Still, she keenly remembered they were never too fond of her being around the blonde at the playground.
The pinkett found it funny how roles could simultaneously reverse overtime. One minute she was dating Sasuke and the next now she's married to Naruto. Life was currently throwing a lot her way and given the circumstances she wasn't doing pretty bad.
Sakura was shaking out of her train of thought by her mother clearing her throat. Sakura looked to her mother before her eyes set on Arashi. The boy looked to be half-asleep and full off at least four pieces of cake.
This was something Naruto caught as well, he smiled softly before slowly getting up and going over to his son. He picked the boy up and smiled at him.
"Dad I swear I can walk," Arashi said sheepishly. Sakura smiled at how the boy didn't put up much of a fight, she figured he secretly liked the attention he was getting.
"Well I'm already carrying you so it seems like a lot of effort to put you down," The blonde airily said as he headed for the stairs.
Yet now Arashi was somewhat comedically passed out in his fathers arms.
Sakura couldn't help but think to herself: "My parents got my kid cake drunk,"
As the two Uzumaki men rounded up the stairs Mebuki began to speak again.
"He's getting so old, yet he's still my little guy," The older woman sighed out.
"Pretty soon he'll grow out of being carried up the stairs," Sakura's father added with the sound of disappointment present in his voice.
"Oh don't say that, he'll always be a grandma's boy," The older woman shot back annoyed by her husband's truthful words.
They began to quietly bicker back-and-forth. Sakura watched the two and couldn't help but think to herself some things never change no matter the time.
Before any of them knew it Naruto was back down the stairs giving them all a soft smile.
"It still surprises me after all these years, how much strawberry cake that kid can put down," He chuckled as he resumed his place at the table.
They all began to reminisce on Arashi's third birthday party. Apparently the boy had snuck off and got into his birthday cake earlier than expected. They also recounted how the three-year-old made a mess of his birthday outfit that sakura had picked out for him.
Sakura felt like she didn't deserve to be part of the conversation. The facts were she wasn't there, although the way they told the story made her laugh. Though she wasn't there when Arashi was three. The pinkett still played the birthday scene out in her head and giggled.
They continue to talk and joke for a while longer. The pink haired medic slowly came to see this was truly family. The way they got along, the way they talked, the way they laughed were all the symptoms of a happy family.
She watched how Naruto smoothly and effortlessly interacted with her parents. She found it amazing that one minute he could take her breath away, and the next minute be totally casual in front of her mother and father.
For the life of her she didn't recognize who this blonde in front of her was. In an instance, he was so unbelievably Naruto, and the next he was a complete mystery and all business.
Sakura was once again ripped away from her thoughts by the sound of her mother and father standing up.
"Well it's getting late we should really get going," Sakura's mother sighed. The older lady yawned and stretched out as she and her husband slowly started towards the front door.
"Sakura are you coming?" The older blonde woman absentmindedly asked.
That's then Sakura realized she had been set up by her mother. Her father may or may not have been aware of the situation. She had given her mother the parental guidance version of the moment between Naruto and herself.
The pink haired medic should have known her mother would try to weasel her way into the situation. Sakura was kicking herself inside her mind for walking right into her mothers trap. Granted Sakura was enjoying herself so much the problems between Naruto and herself were virtually nonexistent.
That was until her mother had oh so painfully brought it back to the forefront of her mind. Mebuki was forcing her daughter to make a choice and Sakura knew it. Either she would stay and talk to her husband or she would go home with her parents. The older woman knew her daughter well enough to know she would choose the latter.
Sakura glared at her mother before quickly regaining her composure.
"I think I'll stay for a little bit mom, I want to talk to Naruto about some things," The medic said before she looked at the blonde haired Hokage.
The blonde nodded before walking his in-laws to the door. Sakura's mother's smile was unconventionally bright as she prepared to exit the house. Mebuki and Kizashi shared a knowing look before bidding their daughter and son-in-law a good night.
Naruto shut the door and walked back towards the table. Once again they picked up where they left off at Sakura's parents doorstep. However, now the setting was their dining room table.
The blonde Hokage gave Sakura a smile that made her melt a little bit inside.
"How about some tea?" The spiky haired man asked softly.
"Sure," Sakura replied, quickly questioning if she should have said more than just. "sure,"
It hadn't even been two minutes yet and she was already overthinking her actions. The young Hokage quickly moved into the kitchen and turned on the electric teapot. He was soon back with two cups of tea on two separate small saucers. He sat the tea down in front of Sakura and seated himself across from her at the table.
Sakura cupped the tea and smelled it breathing in the wonderful fragrance. She couldn't help but think the tea smelled amazing. She slowly took a cautious sip of it not wanting to burn her tongue. She was instantly surprised to find out this was the best tea she ever had.
She looked up to see Naruto already smiling expectedly at her. "Looks like you like the tea,"
Sakura couldn't help but blush a little bit. She still felt squirmish under his gaze, whether it was a smile or a serious look on his face.
"Yeah it's actually really good, thanks for making it," Sakura replied softly.
"Well even though you're not from this time I'm still glad you still like your favorite tea," Naruto grinned as he rubbed the back of his head.
Sakura couldn't help the chuckle that came out of her. Naruto observed his wife's actions and smiled. He felt proud of himself for getting her to giggle. They shifted into a much more comfortable silence as they quietly sipped their tea.
"Look, I am really sorry about last night, I was being selfish. I just can't help missing you," he shook his head softly in frustration, not grasping the words to convey how he felt.
"I...I mean, I miss my Sakura-chan and I let that get the best of me," The blonde gently sat his tea cup down and gave Sakura an apologetic look.
Still, Sakura couldn't get past the fact that he said: "His Sakura-chan," She didn't know why, and at the moment she couldn't hope to conceive of the answer. However, those two small words brought butterflies to her stomach. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she failed to realize Naruto was eyeing her with a worried face.
She blushed realizing she hadn't responded to his apology yet. "It's fine, I think we were just both caught up in the moment,"
The pink haired medic then took a deep breath before looking her friend in the eyes again. This time she was much more determined to say what she had been practicing. She didn't spend two days going over this in Ino's flower shop for nothing.
However, she was cut off by the blonde haired ninja who for once looked as flustered as Sakura.
"I'm really sorry, I don't know what got a hold of me. I shouldn't have acted like that. I just felt like I would be doing you a disservice to hide how I felt about you. The blonde said, dragging a hand through his blonde locs.
Sakura took this time to examine Naruto's face, he for once looked so stressed out. It seemed like only now he had let himself be vulnerable in front of her. She could've been wrong but she felt like he didn't show this side of himself to anyone but her.
To be honest, if she hadn't seen it herself she wouldn't have believed it was in him. He was the bright ray of sunshine on everybody's day in the village. He was also regarded as the fearsome, mighty Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves. Not to mention to that he was a husband and father as well.
His family was the village and he made sure he was strong for them. However she thought to herself: "in the moments when he faltered, or didn't feel up to par, who did he go to? Who kept him going so he could keep others going?" Sakura bit her lip in worry for the blonde.
Then it dawned on her that their relationship had always been based on one of trust, respect, and comfort. Whenever he was stressed or needed advice about something he would always come to her in the past. Sakura could only think this was amplified as she was now his wife.
Maybe in a way even though he was the great and Mighty Nanadaime Hokage he still needed his wife and friend. It sounded crazy to her but she thought maybe she needed him to. These thoughts led her to think she had really dropped the ball with Naruto in her time.
Selfishly or not, they both came to depend on the other for support and encouragement. She couldn't help but think to herself maybe Naruto needed her in the past and she wasn't there for him. She had done nothing but avoid him for over half a year.
This thinking made her sink further into the pit of despair she was already stuck in. She felt guilty and the more she thought about it the more it the worse she felt.
"Don't feel bad, I hate it when you look like that. It's not your fault and there's nothing you can do about it, I promise you I'm fine," Naruto said with a soft smile.
Sakura instantly looked him in the eyes and knew he was lying. He was the Hokage which was arguably the hardest job in the village. Yet, on top of that he was a full-time father in her absence. Not to mention he was most likely worried sick about his Sakura's well being.
Sakura wanted to act, she wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. Instead she just sat there in silence failing to find the words to express herself.
Naruto could see the turbulence written on her face. He slowly stood up from the table and grabbed the two tea cups.
"I'm going to put this stuff up, i'll be right back," The blonde smiled as he walked over to the kitchen.
Naruto quietly opened his dishwasher and sat the dirty dishes in the machine. When he was done he went over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. While rinsing his hands off he couldn't help but think to himself this was more difficult when he thought it would be.
The blonde took a deep breath before turning off the water. He was just about to reach for a towel when he was suddenly stopped by a pair of arms around him.
Sakura was now fully embracing Naruto in a hug from behind. He was surprised he hadn't sensed her come into the kitchen. However, It was almost as if time stood still during their embrace.
"I can't remember how many times I've told you that it's ok to be ok,"
Naruto was taken back by Sakura's actions. Back when he was a teenager Sakura would comfort him with this same embrace on occasion. This was a theme that continued into their marriage and only grew. Whenever the two needed one another they were always there for the other.
In their past she had been there when he cried to her about his father being the Yondaime Hokage, she had also been there when his sensei died. Whenever he was hurt, beaten down or just upset, she had been there.
Naruto upset was not something Sakura was willing to let fester. Regardless of anything he was her best friend and though she hadn't been there lately she would make sure she was there now.
Even so, she didn't know what had come over her, she didn't know how to respond to what he said. All she could do was act, Sakura's body just moved on its own. She couldn't fight it, she didn't want to fight it truthfully. The moment felt utterly right to her, this was the most peaceful and grounded she'd felt since she arrived in this timeline.
The couple stayed in that exact position harmoniously enjoying each other's company. However, both of them knew it had to end. So slowly and almost begrudgingly sakura let her arms fall to her side as she took a few steps back. Naruto slowly turned around and faced her with a look she couldn't quite read.
He softly smiled at her and gave her a look that reassured her. "Thank you, Sakura-chan," The blonde said quietly.
Sakura only nodded affirming his words.
"Look Naruto, a part of me is afraid to get comfortable here. I'm scared that I like all this way too much, I don't wanna get attached to anything. Yet, I feel like I need to do this, so I won't fight this yearning. I know you're not my husband in my time, but you are here. I also know I don't have children in my time, but I do here,"
Sakura shifted a little on both of her feet starting to feel her courage flee her. However, she continued on with what she had to say.
"What i'm saying is I want to move in with you here with you and the kids!," Sakura just blurted it out. She felt like she could barely breathe as she continued to talk.
"I want you to understand my decision wasn't affected by what you said, or how you looked at me. I want to do this because I truly want to do it. The only thing I ask is that we lay down some ground rules,"
Naruto studied her for a long time. The blonde was about to reply when he was cut off.
"Also I'm gonna need a separate bedroom! This house is big enough I'm sure you've got somewhere I can sleep," The pinkett said as her face lit up as pink as her hair. Sakura felt embarrassed but she figured she should clarify their living arrangement.
Naruto had when he heard a knock coming from the front door. He looked a bit disappointed that his time with Sakura had been interrupted. Yet, he quickly shook it off and walked to the door. Sakura observed how he went from looking vulnerable one second, to looking like the stoned faced leader the next.
Naruto opened the door to reveal a smoking Shikamaru.
The blonde let out a large sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. "What's the situation?" The blonde asked his chief advisor.
Shikamaru looked over Naruto's shoulder and saw Sakura looking at the front door.
The Nara took another drag of his cigarette before speaking. "what a pain, looks like I interrupted something," The Nara said looking between Sakura and Naruto
Naruto quickly shook his head disregarding his friend's concern. "If it's important, it's important, the village comes first,"
Sakura heard this and it rang true for her as well. As a Konoha Shinobi her loyalty was first in foremost to the village. Their talk could wait until after Naruto did his duty. Sakura estimated that it had to be something pretty important for the lazy man to come over at this time in the evening.
Shikamaru silently nodded at the two. "Right, you'll need to head to the hospital, apparently Hanami has gotten herself into some trouble,"
To be continued….
Ending Authors Note: OK you guys that's another chapter down!I I tried to get this out last week before Christmas but it didn't work out. I'm thinking about upping the rating later down the line for obvious reasons.(i'll let you all guess why) Let me know what you all think about a rating change. As always please follow and review! Anyway I hope all of you have an awesome New Years!