Authors note: Hi everyone, I'm really sorry but this one took a long time. It wasn't the most exciting chapter to write and I kept taking out parts and putting in other parts. Overall I would say it's a transition chapter that was needed. I know exactly what I want to do for the next chapter so the wait won't be nearly as long. Anyway remember to subscribe and as always leave me your comments!
Everything became a blur as the two Uzumaki's moved into action. Sakura observed a sense of urgency, yet a subtle calmness over Naruto. Both Ninja slipped their shoes on and headed towards the hospital. Shikamaru reassured both Naruto and Sakura Hanami wasn't in any grave danger. However, Naruto still went to the rooftops for quicker travel.
Shikamaru and Sakura pursued the blonde Hokage. Sakura couldn't help but think this was the first point she felt like a ninja in a while.
It had been a while since she molded chakra. Despite that, her abilities came back. She was proud of herself; she hadn't lost a step. Shikamaru just sighed as he trailed the two. The pinkett figured the Nara man preferred to walk. Still, the three reached the emergency room in no time at all. They arrived outside the hospital and Sakura couldn't grasp why she felt so uneasy.
Hanami was her daughter yet, she had had no true interaction with the girl. Well, excluding when Sakura fainted in front of her. The pinkett chalked her worry up to a pure maternal instinct. She continued to sort through the thoughts in her head as they entered the hospital's main entrance.
The three ninja walked over to a group of elevators determined to take the first available one. All three enjoyed how quiet it was in the institution. It was later in the evening, so there weren't as many hospital staff around. Which meant less greeting and conversations for all three of them.
The few Konoha Hospital employees they saw stopped what they were doing to nod and bow at the Hokage and company. All three commanded a lot of respect around the village. Sakura was the head medic, and Shikamaru was the top advisor for the Hokage.
Waiting for the elevators seemed like an eternity when in all actuality it was less than twenty seconds.
"Which floor?" Naruto asked Shikamaru as they boarded an elevator.
"Fifth floor, room 523," Shikamaru replied.
Sakura distinctly remembered that the fifth floor in her time was for an assortment of ailments. She recounted nothing too serious was ever on that level of the hospital. The medic Figured that had not changed because of Shikamaru's and Naruto's demeanor.
"What went on?" Sakura asked, she didn't feel it was her place to pose the question, but she felt compelled to know.
Naruto perked up as well, wanting to hear what had happened to their daughter. They exited the elevator and walked down the hall towards Hanami's room.
"Her class was traveling on the thunder train back to Konoha when it was hijacked by chunin level bandits. They somehow got the best of the guards on the train. The bandit's plan was to hold everybody hostage for ransom. However, Hanami and a few others spoiled their plans,"
Naruto couldn't help but let out a deep breath as they closed in on the room they were looking for. His daughter's adventurous attitude always worried him. Hanami was a firecracker, and there was no way of telling when she would go off.
"I told her to behave herself while she was gone," The Hokage rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. However, Sakura could see a sense of relief grace his face. Sakura remembered seeing that same look on her parents whenever she returned home from a mission.
As a medical professional, she couldn't help but grabbed clipboard on the door outside Hanami's room. She scanned over review of the girl's condition.
"Chakra exhaustion, a fractured collarbone, and a puncture wound to the stomach. It's rough for someone her age yet, it looks like there's nothing serious here," As Sakura read off the chart Naruto could only shake his head. He always wanted to act calm and collected, after all he was the Hokage. Still, with his family, he couldn't stop his emotions from leaking out.
Shikamaru cleared his throat, snapping Naruto out of his worried trance. "I should add that her and a few of her classmates helped thwart the hijacking attempt. Plus, we have all the bandits in custody. So overall I think the kid did pretty well," The Nara clan head chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
Naruto crossed his arms. For some reason the blonde felt like he wasn't getting the complete story. Sakura observed his actions with a puzzled expression. She didn't understand why Naruto was still questioning Shikamaru's word.
"But there's more to the tale," Naruto sighed, shaking his head.
"Well, some students disregarded the order of the train security forces to stay put in their seats. I should add that Hanami led the little insurrection. The information was already drafted and placed on your desk. I also emailed it to you," Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk while telling the story of Hanami's antics.
"I don't understand what she did wrong. She's a ninja. She protected her comrades and innocent civilians," Sakura sported a puzzled look on her face.
She felt so helpless at the moment. Yes, her alternate timeline daughter was in the hospital, and yes, she was worried about her. Still, for the life of her, she couldn't grasp if she should feel this way. Maybe she should cry and or calm about the whole thing? She observed Naruto was dealing with the situation well. Did her reaction make her a terrible mother, also what the hell was an email the pinkett yelled to herself.
Thoughts kept swirling around in her head, driving her crazy. Somehow Naruto noticed her deep contemplation and put a knowing hand on Sakura's shoulder. The blonde then cleared his throat, getting the pinkett's attention.
Naruto had a comical expression on his face as he spoke. "Our daughter is not a person who likes to adhere to the rules. I figured if the academy students didn't accept directions, it was her doing. For the life of me I don't know who she inherits this stuff from,"
Naruto shrugged and chuckled with facetiousness plastered all over his face.
"I've got a sneaky suspicion of where she gets it from," Shikamaru smirked. Sakura couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. Leave it to Naruto to lighten the mood.
Naruto smirked and winked at the two. "Also, she's not a Ninja yet Sakura-Chan. Hanami is still in the academy for about two more years.
"But isn't she almost twelve? How does she have two more years?" Sakura frowned, not understanding her husband.
Then she thought her offspring might be on the slower side. Maybe Hanami took after Naruto a bit too much, she thought to herself. Still, Naruto wasn't held back 2 whole years in the academy. Plus, Sakura couldn't imagine her future self would just let her daughter fail the academy.
Naruto gave her a curious expression before narrowing his eyes. "You're thinking something bad about me, aren't you?"
The sudden accusation caused Sakura to jumped in surprise. She found it strange how much Naruto could read her.
"I... I was not!" Sakura fired back in a voice that sounded way too childish for her liking.
The pinkett crossed her arms and frown at her blonde friend while Naruto looked nervous under the medic's gaze. He waved his hands, trying to calm her temper.
"Ju...just kidding Sakura-Chan. Children in this time don't graduate from the academy until they're fourteen. It was a policy I implemented back when I first became Hokage. We also try to ensure that they don't leave the land of fire on B-ranked missions or higher until their past the age of sixteen,"
Shikamaru shook his head and let out a deep breath. "That rule your husband implemented caused me a lot of trouble and paperwork. I had the other Kage's offices calling me nonstop trying to implement the right treaties," The Nara man rubbed his temples as he reminisced about all the work he put in.
"You did all of that?" Sakura questioned with surprise in her voice.
Naruto blushed as he grinned at Sakura. "Well, you were a big help and getting all of my agenda pushed through," Naruto quickly looked over to Shikamaru who was giving him an annoyed look.
"I mean you, Shikamaru and a bunch of others worked very hard to make sure that my vision became a reality. Kids graduate from the Academy at 14 and they can't take the Chunin exams until their 16," Sakura looked at the blonde Hokage with a sense of awe in her eyes. She always knew he would become Hokage but she never grasped how influential his reach would be.
Shikamaru smirked at Sakura, then glanced back at Naruto. "That's not all, because of the rules Naruto implemented. Life expectancy for a ninja has gone up during his tenure. Also, as a whole, the five great nations united to build a train transportation system. That move combined with people becoming more cultured through travel has caused the birthing age to fall back to the late 20s,"
The Nara man recognized that Sakura was not from their time but that didn't stop him from bragging about his friend. Naruto had tried so hard to achieve peace and prosperity for the village. He also knew that the blonde worked just as hard to build a beautiful life with Sakura. The genius man knew every once in a while the blonde deserved a little recognition.
Sakura didn't know what to say, however, she felt proud of the goals her blonde haired friend had achieved. That was the quality she realized she overlooked the most. Take what you think Naruto would do and multiply it by ten.
"We've all worked hard to achieve the dreams of our forefathers. As the Hokage I'm just doing my part to continue to strengthen those dreams and make them a reality. Still, enough talk about the village let's go check on our little rebel," Naruto smiled and nodded at Sakura as he pushed open the door to the hospital room.
The soft lights of the area flooded Sakura's vision as they entered. Sakura located the youthful girl laying in the hospital bed. Her breath hitched at the back of her throat at the sight of the young Uzumaki girl.
This was the first real time Sakura had ever gotten a good look at her child in person. It was scary how much she resembled her. She had tan skin and blue eyes identical to her fathers, but everything else about the adolescent was a complete match to her mom. Hanami was essentially a clone of Sakura's younger academy student self. Except Hanami sported much shorter hair than her parent at that age. It only went down to her shoulders.
To Sakura's surprise, the young woman seemed to be doing just fine. In fact, it was roughly as if nothing had happened to her at all besides a few scrapes and cuts that were noticeable on her body. She also noticed the young girl had bandaged hands.
Still, the bandages didn't stop her from playing with what Sakura could only assume to be a handheld gaming device. In fact, the child was so into the game at first she didn't realize that company had entered the room.
"Dang it!" Hanami yelled out loud to herself as she lost the game and was bounced back to the start of the match. She took a deep breath, brushing her frustration aside as she once again went at it. She had been stuck on the level for a week, and she was determined to get past it.
However, Naruto nonchalantly walked by and pulled the gaming device out of her hands. The blonde smiled as he slipped the handheld device into his pocket.
"You're supposed to be resting if I'm correct?"
The girl shot her head up in surprise. "Papa!" The pink haired girl yelled as she jumped up and tackled him into a hug. The momentum caused the blond to stumble backwards a bit.
"I've heard you've had quite the little adventure in the past couple of weeks," Naruto hummed as he held his daughter in his arms.
Hanami mumbled out a reply which was muffled because her face was buried in Naruto's shirt. They stood like that for a while before they broke apart. The blonde placed his large calloused hand on top of the girl's head.
"I'm glad to see you're doing alright squirt, you had me worried," Naruto sighed as he put his hands on his hips and gave his daughter a once over.
"Well considering all your wounds you don't look like you're doing too bad," Naruto smiled. The blonde then looked to Sakura who was still at the entrance to the room and motioned her to come in.
Sakura didn't know why, but she hesitated at first before accepting the invitation. Shikamaru didn't follow any further as he leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. He sported a small smile as he watched the family's interaction.
Hanami didn't notice Sakura, but after she observed Naruto's gesture towards the exit she snapped her head in the medic's direction. The pink haired girl's eyes met Sakura Emerald green ones.
There was no immediate movement as the two just stared at each other. Shikamaru and Naruto did not dare make a sound as the two watched the interaction between the two. The situation was less than ideal, and Sakura felt like she was under a large microscope. However, the pinkett managed a small smile.
"Mom!" Hanami finally yelled out as she ran and leapt into Sakura's arms.
This interaction at first caught Sakura by surprise until she remembered the initial time she met Arashi. The pinkett figured that the Uzumaki's were just a hugging family. Well, that and she was their mother after all.
Hanami continued to shed tears into Sakura's shirt as she sobbed.
"I'm so sorry mom, I thought I had hurt you," Hanami cried as she looked up at her mom.
Sakura placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair. "It's ok, I'm fine. I've got some memory trouble, but I'm ok,"
Hanami wiped her face and let out a small sigh as she stepped back to see her mother.
"Still?" Hanami asked with a surprised and confused expression.
"Things like memory loss just doesn't fix themselves overnight kid. Your mom needs time to recuperate and gain her memories back," Naruto chimed in, smiling at his daughter.
"Well, yeah, I know that's true for normal people, but this is mom we're talking about! She's the best medic in all the five great nations. She's even better than bachan!" Hanami argued. The girl wasn't stupid, she figured any medical problem that her mother had would've been solved by now.
Sakura felt so uncomfortable under this new found spotlight.
"Hanami, things are not always that simple," Shikamaru sighed as he gave the adolescent a soft smile.
"It's a perplexing injury that we're still trying to understand and analyze," Naruto added, giving Hanami a cheerful look.
Hanami gave all three adults an extremely skeptical expression. She could sense the upsurge in Sakura's chakra network. The young girl narrowed her eyes and pointed at Sakura.
"I'm not buying it! I just felt mom's chakra jump! Something is up here, and you all aren't telling me!" Hanami pointed an accusatory finger at her mother.
Sakura was shocked at the girl's perception.
"I can't believe that she can sense the natural flow of someone's chakra at such a young age," Sakura thought to herself in disbelief. Naruto and Shikamaru both gave each other shakey looks.
"Did you ever think to yourself that you're making her feel uneasy about this whole thing? That would quickly explain the jump in her chakra," Shikamaru countered, trying to salvage the situation.
This caused Hanami to settle down a bit. However a suspicious look remained plastered on her face.
"You need to give your mother time to heal up. I've always told you being a ninja requires one to have patients," Naruto lectured the young girl.
"Fine…" Hanami pouted as she looked down onto the floor.
"Hmm…. come to think of it, I believe your mom was supposed to start your chakra control training before she left. So, I'm guessing the root of your problem is you want to train with your mom?" Naruto questioned as he smiled at his daughter.
Hanami only shifted on her feet and grumbled, her eyes were still focused on the floor. However, everyone could notice the red hue on her cheeks.
"While your mom might have some memory loss, I nevertheless feel she can teach you," Naruto said, cupping his chin in a playful contemplation.
"Will you really!?" Hanami asked as her blue orbs shot up to look Sakura in the eyes.
"Damn those eyes!" Sakura cursed to herself.
The look her daughter was giving her was one she often saw from Naruto. Whenever that face was broken out, it was always hard to resist.
"Sure," Sakura said, surprised. It amazed her how her daughter's attitude could switch. One minute she was questioning her identity in the next she wanted to train.
"Great! We'll start tomorrow, if I can beat you then something is definitely going on with you," Hanami beamed with excitement and determination.
"Tomorrow?" Sakura asked skeptically, thinking a day wasn't a realistic timeline for the young Uzumaki to heal up.
"The nurses said I was ready in the morning. So training starts tomorrow?" Hanami asked, not taking into consideration her trainer's schedule.
Naruto let out a deep breath, stopping his daughter before she could say more. "Because Hanami is a Uzumaki, she inherited some very interesting abilities. One being that she has an extremely fast recovery rate. Number two is she has a chakra similar to my late mother's. Plus, she has an abundance of chakra, however she has difficulty using it efficiently," Naruto explained to Sakura.
Sakura looked from Hanami to Naruto and then back to Hanami. She thought about it for a bit, weighing her options. A part of her felt like the two Uzumakis were tag teaming her in a fight. Yet she knew there were more pros than cons to training Hanami.
"Fine, we will train tomorrow. I may have amnesia but I'll show you I'm still your mom," Sakura pumped her fist and Hanami nodded with a serious look.
After they set the plans for the next day, Shikamaru made his way home. Naruto and Sakura, however, spent a couple of more hours at the hospital before they left. They got to hear about Hanami's adventures outside the . Naruto and Hanami did most of the talking, while Sakura only contributed during certain parts. More so, Sakura just sat and observed the interaction between Naruto and Hanami.
The young adolescent may have looked like Sakura, however, personality wise she was almost all Naruto. Except She had a very keen perception of people, Sakura could tell the girl was smart. Many facts would just go over Naruto's head at Hanami's age.
The pinkett noticed Hanami was holding a thorough conversation while analyzing her mother every chance she got. It made Sakura a bit uneasy that the girl could sense something different about her. She didn't expect this young eleven-year-aged schoolgirl to be so suspicious of her.
Naruto began yawning and stood up from his chair that was next to Hanami's bed. "I think it's time for us to get going, it's close to midnight. Plus, your old man has a lot of boring meetings in the morning,"
"Papa you're not going to be there for my training tomorrow?" Hanami asked in a bummed tone.
"I can't make every training you have kid, after all I am the Hokage," Naruto winked as he retreated towards the door with Sakura in toe.
The mention of Naruto being the Hokage caused Hanami to beam with pride. "Right! You do your best and I'll do my best papa,"
Sakura observed how much Hanami adored her dad, it was all clear in her eyes. When she looked at Naruto, there was a twinkle in her blue orbs. The medic could sense a strong will of fire in Hanami. She exuded the same aura as her father at that age. There was no doubting that the adolescent would achieve great things in her life.
Sakura spun on her heels and walked back over to Hanami's bed. The young girl silently questioned her mother's spontaneous action.
Sakura studied the young woman with a hard look. It was as if she were searching for something in the girl's eyes. Naruto Observed Sakura and Hanami from the door with a small grin.
It took a while, but Sakura changed her face to a much more gentle one.
Then out of nowhere the pink-haired ninja flicked her daughter on the arm, leaving a red mark.
"Ouch!" The young aspiring ninja yelped in pain as she rubbed the spot on her arm that her mother had flicked. Her mother's actions put a confused look on Hanami's face.
Sakura didn't know it at the time, but in this future the original Sakura would do the same action to show affection to her children.
"Be ready in the morning," The pinkett said before turning around to follow Naruto out of the room.
Hanami stared at her mother's back as she and her father exited the room for the night. However, her thoughts lingered on the affectionate flick she received from her mom. Hanami had to admit during that moment her mom seemed pretty much normal. Still, she knew something was up, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Just as they were about to close the hospital room door, Hanami yelled out to her parents.
"Can I have my game back now? It took me forever to get to that level," The young girl asked with hope in her tone.
"Sorry, kiddo, but you're going to have to wait forever and a day or two before you get it back. Now get some rest and prepare yourself for your training tomorrow," Naruto replied with amusement in his voice.
Sakura and Naruto could hear Hanami's head hitting the pillow followed by her exuding a rather loud grumbling sound. Sakura couldn't help but giggle as they walked away towards the hospital elevators.
"Don't encourage her," Naruto grinned as they boarded the elevator.
"If she thinks she's funny, that will be the end for everyone in the village," The blonde continued as he pressed the button to the first floor lobby.
Once again they received acknowledgement from random villagers and hospital staff as they exited the building. They walked the dimly lit streets of Konoha in a peaceful silence.
"I'm sorry I volunteered you like that Sakura-Chan. I just thought it would be an enjoyable experience for you and her to get to know each other," Naruto explained as they continue to walk.
Sakura noticed he was looking downward, yet he still wore a soft smile. Sakura didn't immediately reply as she took in everything that had happened in just the past few hours. It was already a lot being in the future, but to have Hanami read her like that threw her off kilter.
"I can't say I was expecting her to be a sensory type that could study my Chakra flow. You and or Shikamaru could have warned me about that, ya know?" Sakura answered as she gave Naruto a frown with no genuine anger behind it.
"I really do apologize about that, I was so focused on getting to the hospital to check on her, I forgot to fill you in on that little detail," The blonde chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervous.
Seeing Naruto's reaction made Sakura blush. However, it was at that moment that the blonde looked up from the ground at Sakura, only to see her sporting a soft pink blush. This caused the Hokage's eyes to get big before looking away and focusing on anything else.
Once again, it seemed the awkward tension between the two was back in full force.
"Regardless of how you volunteered me, I have to say I am thankful you did it," Naruto looked up at her with surprise in his face, her words surprised him.
She's quite the exuberant young lady, and the whole time I was in that hospital room a part of me was thinking of how I could get to know her. I know I'm not her real mother, and I'm not seeking to be," Sakura paused, trying to grasp the right words to say.
I... I just want to help you and the kids to the best of my abilities. Furthermore, I refuse to let you all down because I realize the Sakura of this time wouldn't!" She summarized her feelings the best she could.
Naruto quietly took in her remarks and then smiled sadly. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets as they walked. The blonde Hokage was now back to looking at the ground. Sakura observed her friend's actions and silently thought she had said or done something wrong.
"Ya know I never had parents, so when you first had Shina I was quite unsure of myself with the whole, Dad thing. Yet, you constantly had my back and reassured me when I doubted myself. You made me a better dad and a better man, Sakura-Chan. Even now there are times when I'm not really sure if I'm doing the right stuff for the kids and life in general. You see I never had a father, so these concepts were foreign to me. Still, you were always there to support me when it was good or rough. Even now you're doing it, and I'm not even certain you realize that fact,"
Sakura was genuinely shocked to hear all this come from Naruto's mouth. Since she arrived in this time, she often questioned what Naruto was actually thinking.
"I really miss her, ya know? She's the person who's always been there for me, and now I'm just so worried about her. I don't know where she's at or if she's ok, and it's killing me. Sure, the experts say she's OK, but that's nothing but speculation. I absolutely hate that I have to wait until Sasuke comes back to see her. However, I need to thank you because if you weren't here, I don't know what I would do. I realize it's not the most ideal situation, but I truly am thankful for you,"
Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks and bowed to Sakura. He wanted to show how grateful he was.
"I realize we've both been having trouble with words tonight, but what I'm trying to say is thank you, for just being you."
Sakura didn't know what to do, truth be told, Naruto's words quite shocked her. So instead of saying anything, her legs just moved on their own, and she embraced him in the tightest hug she could. Naruto was a bit surprised by the Pinkett's actions at first, however he reciprocated the hug.
They stayed like that for what seemed like forever before eventually letting go of one another. They both smiled at each other and no more words were needed. They both continued walking in a comfortable silence until they arrived at Sakura's parents' house. It was ironic that once again they were standing outside the front door in silence. Sakura figured that was just a running theme for her in the men in her life.
"So I'm trusting you to pick her up from the hospital tomorrow?," Naruto asked as he smiled. As the streetlights around them put a soft glow on the blonde's face.
"Right! Also, I'll be bringing my stuff over tomorrow... if that's alright with you?" Sakura said, not daring to look up at the blonde Hokage.
Sakura didn't know why, but she felt embarrassed asking him about the moving situation.
"Sure, I'm looking forward to it. Also, I should be home by five, so hopefully I'll have supper completed by the time you arrive," Naruto calculated as he looked up at the dark night sky.
"I thought you said you were in meetings all day?" Sakura curiously asked.
"I am in meetings all time, but we made a promise a long time ago that I would try to be home for every dinner. So, often I'll stop working at the office, come home and eat, and then I'll work from my home office. Yet, there are times when I don't make the supper at all. Even so, I always work my hardest for you as the kid to be home for dinner,"
Sakura sported a soft smile as she nodded in confirmation at his words. The blonde grinned and saluted before he spun on his heels and began walking away.
She stood in place while she watched him fade into the distance. Her mind was swirling with a thousand thoughts. However, sleep was a pressing issue at the moment. So, She let out a deep breath before going inside to bed. She knew tomorrow would bring many new experiences, which excited her more than she thought it would.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I'm surprised that you are tagging along for a simple training," Sakura commented as she walked with Ino and Hanami to training ground 13.
The trip to the hospital to pick up Hanami had been particularly rudimentary. The girl decided it was best to meet her mother outside of the hospital. However, the hospital staff weren't big fans of that.
Also, Ino decided to travel along with them today. The blonde figured it would be solid entertainment and watching Hanami train. She was especially bored since Inojin was still out of the village. Sakura filled Ino in on everything that had happened at the hospital the night before.
Needless to say she wasn't surprised by Hanami's actions. The girl was always a wild one, Ino thought. Ino silently recounted the time she babysat Hanami when she was three years old. The toddler had gotten into Sai's painting materials. The blonde giggled, remembering how cute she looked with paint all over her clothes and face.
"Hanami you look pretty high-strung right now, are you nervous about fighting your mother?" Ino questioned watching how silent the girl was as she equipped herself with the proper ninja gear.
Hanami took this opportunity to answer. She had been quiet all day, but Sakura had already readied herself and was waiting in a clearing not too far away.
"I don't care what any of you say, something is just not right with her," so I'm going to beat her in this match and that will show all of you she is someone different," Hanami said with a determined expression while punching her hands together.
Hanami Sported her usual look, she had on a tan shirt, with a maroon collared zip up vest over it. She had on black compression shorts that went a bit past her knees. Over the compression pants she sported maroon shorts. On her feet she wore maroon boot sandals to match. She also had her short hair parted with a Violet flower petal barrette. Hanami always hated when her bangs got in her line of sight. Her pink hair was tied off into two small ponytails with two white ponytail holders.
She equipped all her usual ninja tools, with her kuhni knives present on her leg. Plus, she had a tan pouch on her waist behind her. Hanami slowly and seriously walked out into the open clearing, ready for battle.
Sakura on the other hand was dressed in her day-to-day clothing with her arms crossed. She smirked at how serious her daughter was about training. Yet somehow Sakura knew the girl was taking it more seriously than just a simple training exercise.
Sakura thought back to earlier in the morning before she left her parent's house. A young Chunin had dropped off a file sent from Naruto's office. In the file it had all the information that the academy had gained on Hanami. Her test scores were almost perfect however her attitude was less than reputable.
Apparently, there were many times when she would cut class and the academy staff would have to go looking for her. Usually, when she cut class it was to train on her own. Well, it was that, or she was off eating at ichiraku ramen.
Once the two were ready, they faced off in the clearing of the training grounds while Ino watched from afar. There was an unbelievable silence between them before Sakura pointed to her head.
"Ok, since I have amnesia, I need to see your fighting techniques. This will help me determine what your skill set is. So, that being said, I want you to come with the intention to kill,"
Hanami simply nodded, not saying a word. The young pinkett put her fingers together, making her father's signature hand sign. Instantly there were 30 shadow clones facing Sakura who simply smirked.
"Your dad's technique, really original," Sakura chuckled.
Hanami frowned hard at her mother's teasing before launching her assault.
Ten of her clones circled around the perimeter while another ten went charging straight ahead, the remaining copies disappeared into the trees.
Sakura effortlessly took out the clones one by one. Simple dodges, kicks and punches dismantled the outward attack. The smoke cleared from the disappeared clones and Hanami was nowhere to be seen. However, a storm of clones busted up from the ground launching a taijutsu attack. Sakura immediately jumped about fifteen meters into the air to dodge the surprise strike.
Simultaneously, a shower of Shuriken and kunai knives launched from the forests in all directions. They struck sakura from multiple angles all at once. A lot of the kunai knives had explosive tags, which made for a rather gigantic explosion. The real Hanami watched from the woods and thought she won until she saw her mom had used a substitution jutsu. She saw the smoking tree log fall to the ground with a thunk and immediately tried to think where her mom was.
Then a second later Hanami felt a tap on the shoulder. The pink-haired medic was crouching down behind the young girl like Kakashi had done during Sakura's childhood years ago. The older pinkett sported a friendly smile as she said "Hi," with a slight wave. Hanami startled by her mother's actions pumped chakra into her legs and pushed off the tree into the air. While mid-air she grabbed two kunai knives, with one in each hand she cock back and threw them, sending the knives at Sakura with blazing speed.
Sakura simply let the blades hit her as it was revealed she too was a clone.
The young Uzumaki then landed in the clearing, not seeing anything. She felt overwhelmed by the amount of calmness in the air. Her mother was playing around with her, and she was determined to be taken seriously. The girl gritted her teeth together before realizing she needed to calm down. She put her hands together, summoning her vast volume of chakra. The young pinkett sensed around and instantly felt her mother's chakra.
Hanami silently yelled at herself for not noticing it sooner. Her genuine mother was leaning against a tree talking to her aunt Ino Super casually. This needless to say really pissed Hanami off.
"Are you ever going to take me seriously? You don't play these games with oniisan-Shinachiku!" Hanami yelled, frowning at her mother's actions.
"Now you've done it," Ino teased her friend, observing how upset Hanami was.
"Do you believe I'm your mother yet?" Sakura questioned ignoring her blonde haired companion.
"No!" The young girl yelled.
"Beat me first, that's the only way you'll ever get my acknowledgment!" Hanami finished with a frown.
"Fine, be a glutton for punishment," Sakura shrugged as she once again walked into the clearing.
"Show me every single thing you've got, don't hold back!" Sakura yelled to the young woman.
At that instance Hanami created two hundred shadow clones that all came rushing at her at once. Within seconds a fiercely one-sided taijutsu battle commenced. Smoke was everywhere as Sakura took down the clones one by one.
The adolescent then performed a series of complicated hand signs. "Ninja art earth stone dragon!" A giant stone dragon lurched out of the ground towards Sakura at a blistering speed.
Sakura smirked and cocked her arm back, balling up her fist. The Stone dragon met the medic head on, but Sakura simply punched right through it. She split the stone dragon apart like a hot knife going through butter.
Still, the strike was enough to leave her susceptible to an onward taijutsu attack. Hanami smiled as she finally got to connect actual blows with her mother. However, none of her attacks were landing a hit as the older woman simply dodged everything Hanami through at her.
Sakura was impressed with the young girl's abilities. The medic figured she was probably stronger than Naruto and Sasuke at the same age. However, Sakura quickly noticed throughout the battle that Hanami was pouring too much chakra into her taijutsu. Her chakra control was sloppy and the timing of using it was horrible.
"She has been wasting almost all her chakra because she can't use it efficiently," Sakura thought to herself.
The battle raged on like that for a few more minutes, with the young Uzumaki throwing everything at her, she could. Punches, kicks, jutsu and weapons were all evaded. Just when Sakura thought the girl was nearing her limit, more of her clones popped out of the ground. They randomly started to attack from different spots while Sakura still had to avoid the frontward assault.
Still, not one punch landed and Hanami was getting tired. Sakura pushed off the ground and jumped twenty meters into the air. Hanami questioned her mother's motives for a split second before she realized what was about to happen. The young girl desperately tried to retreat to a safe distance. She knew if she got caught in the impact zone she was done for.
Sakura fell out of the air and brought her fist down onto the training ground destroying everything in sight. All of Hanami's clones that were above and below ground perished instantly. Rocks and Debris went flying everywhere as Hanami did her best to dodge them.
Just when the girl thought she was in the clear, a fist connected hard with her stomach, sending her off her feet with the impact. Before she could touch the ground, she received a roundhouse kick that sent her soaring into a nearby tree. The impact knocked all the air out of her lungs and she realized she couldn't move anymore.
She calculated that her mother struck her with a debilitating punch of medical ninjutsu. The blow rendered her useless as her body went numb. She wanted to move, but her body wouldn't let her.
She noticed her mother approaching her with a frown she only wore when her, one of her siblings or her dad, did something mischievous. If Hanami was honest with herself, the look intimidated her. She tried to stay conscious however she failed, as she closed her eyes in exhaustion. The last thing Hanami saw was her mom standing over her, blocking out the sun above.
"Don't you think you were a little too hard on her?" Ino asked as she nonchalantly walked over to the mother and daughter.
"Not at all, I wanted to test her capabilities," Sakura replied as she sat down next to the unconscious Hanami. The medic crossed her feet together, leaned over and began to heal her offspring.
"I'm impressed that she's so strong. It also looks like she has a bit of a rivalry with her relative," Sakura added.
"She's always wanted to be just like her brother," Ino recounted with a sheepish smile.
Sakura looked up at her friend and grinned "She's well on her way to becoming an outstanding ninja,"
Ino only nodded and smiled at the two. A few minutes later Sakura was done healing Hanami. She stared at the girl for a while before flicking the side of her arm. This action made the girls stir from her slumber. She grabbed her arm where her mother inflicted the pain.
"Ouch mom!" Hanami whined.
"Oh, I'm Mom now, am I?" Sakura asked with an amused tone. She had to admit, maybe she had a little too much fun beating up her daughter.
"I don't know, something about you is just different. I recognize one thing, you're my mom. Yet, I can also tell something is off. I just want you to get better mama," Hanami was now teary-eyed as she lurched forward and hugged her mother.
Sakura smiled as she squeezed the adolescent in her arms. Sakura couldn't quite describe the feeling that she was having at the moment. It was so warm and gentle she felt so much affection for this young woman who she barely knew. Hanami was her baby, and that was clear to her. She could feel the love she had for the young girl.
They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's presence before Sakura spoke up.
"How about we get up and go grab some lunch? I was thinking ramen sounded pretty good for once. I remember your father saying that you both had the same favorite food?" Sakura mischievously asked her daughter, already knowing her answer.
"Yes, please!" Hanami shouted as she jumped up with a new pep in her step.
Ino looked amused and annoyed at how fast Hanami recovered. "Oh, to be young," the blonde woman said.
Sakura noticed Hanami's quick recovery rate as well. Sakura shrugged her shoulders and glanced at Ino. Both women's eyes met, and they both started giggling. Hanami on the other hand got what they were giggling about yet, was only concerned with Ramen.
"So we are going to go get food now, right?" The young girl asked with annoyance in her voice. The young Academy student didn't like how lightly both women were taking her love for Ramen.
Both Ino and Sakura looked up at Hanami and cracked up laughing.
The three made their way out of the training grounds and into the village. It was at that time Ino decided it was best to split up. She explained she had many things to do at the flower shop and had procrastinated long enough. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
It amazed Sakura at how much ichiraku ramen had changed. Gone was the quaint outdoor stand and replacing it was a indoor rather grand restaurant. Sakura squinted her eyes comically when they entered the restaurant's entrance. Right smack dab at the beginning of the restaurant was a very large picture of their best customer. Who was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. The picture looked to be from around Sakura's timeline in the past. He was giving a big goofy thumbs up with his trademark smile.
"Oh boy, sometimes it's hard to believe I married that," the older pinkett muttered under her breath.
Sakuras muttered tone did not go unheard by Hanami. The girl giggled at her mother's words.
"You always hated that picture," Hanami informed Sakura as they sat down.
"Well, I'm glad to see some things don't change," Sakura smiled brightly and winked at her daughter.
Ayame came over and greeted the two afterwards she took the mom and daughter's orders. The older pinkett noticed Ayame's husband had replaced old man Teuchi in the kitchen, however, Sakura recognized that the meal still tasted the same.
The two had a great time just talking about things Hanami thought her mom should know. Whether that be facts about the village, Sakura's own position at the hospital or their family. After they ate and paid for the meal they thanked Ayame for the wonderful meal.
"Mom, how did you fall in love with papa?"
Hanami asked as they walked out of the restaurant.
This question caused Sakura to almost trip over her own two feet. She knew the question shouldn't shock her. This was something the medic had asked her mother a thousand times growing up.
"You can't tell me you haven't asked that question before," Sakura said, knowing every child asked their parents that question when they were young.
"Well yes I understand that, but I figured I'd ask again to see if you still remember. I mean you do have the memories of when you were still young, right? That means I can get a more accurate depiction of your story.
Sakura thought about the question diligently. A part of her wanted to lecture Hanami about calling her old. Plus, another part of her didn't want to breach the subject at all. However, she swallowed her pride and decided the best thing to do was to be truthful.
"Well…. from what I can remember me and your father aren't together. In fact, my most recent memories are of us not speaking," Sakura softly spoke.
"Why weren't you guys talking?" The girl questioned.
Sakura had to think about that question long and hard. Naruto and her were best friends. Still, Sakura was determined not to undermine the blonde's newfound relationship. Hinata and he deserved to be happy, and she didn't want to impede that. Plus, she had a long sense given up on having any romantic feelings for Naruto.
Maybe it was silly, but she never could give up on Sasuke. She had to admit it seemed amazing when the raven haired man finally reciprocated her feelings. The fillings which she held on to dearly for so many years. She couldn't shake the fact that when she was with Sasuke something seemed off.
"Come to think of it, I'm not sure why I wasn't speaking to him," Sakura answered her daughter. Looking back on it, not talking to her friend seemed rather trivial. No matter what, she was still his friend and would always be there for him.
"You don't remember why? Because you have always taught me to work out my differences with others and not hold back how I feel," Hanami asked, curious about her parents' relationship.
Sakura let out a deep breath and sighed. A part of her thought that her daughter would have an excellent career in the Konoha interrogation unit. Still, a bigger part of her felt incredibly stupid. An 11-year-old just solved the problem that she and Naruto had been having for almost a year.
"Your father was with a different girl, so I thought I shouldn't talk to him and interfere," Sakura blurted out louder than she realized. A few people on the street turn their heads and stared at the medic before resuming their normal lives.
Hanami was about to ask another uncomfortable question when Sakura took a detour to her parents' house. She told Hanami she needed to gather the rest of her things so that she could officially move in with the family. While she went and collected her things, Hanami was lectured by her grandmother for having dirty clothes. Sakura had to admit it surprised her to see her mother home from the bakery. However, her mother informed her she wanted to be here in person to see Sakura off.
Hanami at first was surprised that Sakura wasn't staying at their house. Yet after her mom and grandmother explained it to her, she understood. The women took a bit of time to clean up and change into some better clothes. It wasn't long before they were saying their goodbyes to Mebuki and thanking her for the hospitality.
"OK, let's take the stuff back to your father's house," Sakura said as she walked.
"Ya know mom, it's your house too," Hanami said, looking at Sakura with a soft smile.
Hanami had to admit that it was weird having a mom with amnesia. However, she concluded it was sort of fun showing her around the village.
"Honestly mom you kicked my butt pretty good. Do you think we take the rail system instead, it's a great way to see the village?" Hanami asked, hoping her parent would say yes.
Sakura mulled it over before answering. "That's fine, but I don't have any knowledge of a rail system, so you'll have to show me the way," Sakura replied knowing Hanami was excited. The young girl squeaked before dragging her mom to the closest rail stop.
Sakura had to admit that riding the rail system wasn't the worst thing in the world. Hanami explained that the leaf Village had become the capital for the land of fire. She elaborated that the village had all but doubled in size over the past few years.
"The growth in population plus the new-found fame of being the capital of the land of fire made the rail system a simple decision to build," The young Academy student broke down to her mother.
Sakura loved the fact that her daughter was like a little encyclopedia for the village. She too had to admit Hanami was again right about the scenery. The rail system was up higher, so the view was spectacular. It was a beautiful day and there wasn't a cloud in sight.
Before they knew it, they were at their stop. The two started their way to the Uzumaki residence fairly quickly. When the two arrived, Hanami insisted on taking Sakura's bags and putting them up until later that night. However, when they got in the house they were surprised to see Arashi had arrived home early from the Academy.
Sakura knew that Naruto had established plans to cook supper tonight, but she decided to help in his absence.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Well, dinner is going to be late tonight," Naruto sighed. He looked at the clock in his office and saw it was half-past six. He stood up from his desk and stretched his arms out yawning as he did.
He exited the Hokage tower and slowly made his way home. While he walked, he thought about meals he could make quickly. He knew Arashi had school and that Hanami's class started back at the beginning of the week. He wanted to make sure his youngest kid was in bed on time and his middle child was on a proper routine.
The blonde calculated a quick chicken fried rice would suffice. He remembered he had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator, so dinner would all work out. It was 10 minutes till seven when he finally reached his front door. He fiddled with the key for a minute before walking inside. It was at that moment the aroma of a home cooked meal hit him.
The blonde was shocked by the smell. In the past few months unless he did the cooking it just never got done. He glanced around the kitchen and saw Sakura and Hanami putting the finishing touches on dinner while Arashi studied for an exam on the couch.
Simultaneously, all three Uzumaki's looked up at him and smiled. The blonde didn't know why, but seeing this site made him a bit emotional on the inside.
"Welcome home!" His family or greeted him together.
The blonde was a bit more than shocked. For a split second, Naruto felt like everything had gone back to normal.
"You cooked dinner?" The Hokage asked, confused?
"Well, I estimated you've been working so hard taking care of the kids and all that you deserve a break. Plus you were running late, so I figured I could help out," Sakura smiled at the blonde as she gestured for him to sit at the dining room table.
Slowly and almost awkwardly, Naruto complied. He sat down at the dinner table and soon enough Arashi joined him.
"Did you help with dinner too?" Naruto asked, wondering if his son pitched in as well.
"Well, I set the rice in the rice cooker for mom, but after that, she told me to go study, so I did," Arashi recalled.
Naruto gave his youngest child a comical look. "They invariably did listen to her better than they listen to me," Naruto thought.
There was just something about Sakura that placed a touch of fear in the children. They would always listen to him and yes, things would get done. But with their mother, she had a special authority over them. It seems no matter which version of Sakura it was, the control was still there.
Naruto shrugged it off. "Mom the word tonight then,"
Sakura and Hanami came over and set up the table and soon afterwards they were eating a rather good Curry Doria. The dinner was simple and easy to make. It also helped that the cook time was only about a half hour.
The rest of the supper went on without a hitch, Arashi talked about a boring day in the Academy. While Hanami talked about the training, they had earlier this morning.
"I'm glad you got to train a bit, it's good to hone your skills a bit before you start back at the Academy on Monday,"
"We're not even done yet, dad! Mom said she's going to teach me how to hone my chakra control. After I do that, I'll be unstoppable!" Hanami boosted while Arashi admired her training. The younger sibling stated he wanted to be strong and train like his older brother and sister.
"You'll get there one day, enjoy your childhood while you can because it goes fast," Sakura assured the redhead boy.
After the family was done eating, Naruto started picking up the dishes and taking them to the kitchen. The blonde took his time loading up the dishwasher, thinking of the damage Hanami could do with better chakra control. On one hand, he was proud of his daughter for working so hard, but on the other hand he thought of the mischief she could cause.
"God save us all," The blonde Hokage said under his breath as he closed the dishwasher up and started it.
Sakura heard her friend's contemplation and couldn't help herself from giggling.
"Don't worry, I won't teach her anything too obscene," The pinkett smiled.
That kid is way too overpowered, as it is already. She wants me to teach her the rasengan so badly, but I told her it would have to wait until after the Academy," Naruto explained as Sakura nodded her head in agreement.
"Well, I have to agree she's strong for her age," The pinkett added, thinking about their training earlier in the day.
"It's funny, the both of us have regularly had to draw a fine line between what they need to know for defense and what's too much for their age, especially in these changing times. We have consistently wanted them to be able to defend themselves. Yet we still want them to be children. I swear parenting is so tricky," The blonde sighed as he plopped down on the chair in their living room.
Sakura joined him in the chair that was next to the chair. The children had long since gone upstairs, Arashi had decided to go read before bed while Hanami Took a very much needed and earned shower.
"I've got to say I can see what you're talking about," The medic exhaled sinking into the furniture a bit more as she continued to talk.
"I'm going to see how much Hanami can learn before she goes back to the Academy on Monday,"
"Look at you getting all invested in our kids," Naruto teased with a tired grin on his face.
"Oh shut up," Sakura smiled
"Don't underestimate her, she'll surprise you," Naruto said with a chuckle.
"I'm betting on that, she reminds me of her father," Sakura said, looking Naruto's way.
"Is that a good or bad thing?" The blonde countered with a bigger smirk on his face.
"Mostly a good thing," The pinkett replied.
They both locked eyes and busted into a fit of laughter. They talked for a little while before they decided it was time to call it a night.
"Well, we should get to bed, I've got a lot of boring paperwork to do tomorrow," Naruto said standing up.
Sakura had a rather large blush on her face when she asked the question she didn't want to ask. "So where am I sleeping?"
Naruto observed his best friend for a minute. He could see the embarrassment on her face and a part of him enjoyed that. "Well, first where is all your stuff?"
"Hanami took it and put it up," Sakura replied, also rising to her feet.
"Well, let's go see where she placed it," the blonde said as he headed towards the stairs with Sakura right behind him.
When they got to the top of the stairs they headed down the hallway to Hanami's room.
Naruto softly knocked on the door before he heard his daughter say: "come in!"
The blonde opened the door and instantly both parents were flooded with pastel colors of pink and red with some white mixed in. The area was similar to Arashi's room. Yet, the young woman had many stuffed animals stack on top of her dresser. There was a desk with a newish looking computer on it. Adjacent to the desk was a nice size bed with a bunch of comfortable looking pillows on it. The medic noticed that the adolescent also had a rather sizeable amount of cute clothes in her closet.
Both parents located the young girl sitting with her legs crossed reading a book on her bed. Hanami's hair was still damp from her shower earlier. The young pinkett was sporting white and pink pajamas that had a funny little cartoon depiction of Gamakichi on them.
"What did you do with all of your mother's stuff?" The blonde asked his daughter with a small yawn.
Hanami turned the page in her book and looked up at her parents. "Oh yeah, I just put the bags in your guises room," The young girl offhandedly replied, still reading her book.
"Oh ok, thanks kiddo and don't stay up too late," Naruto said as he turned around and closed the door.
"No problem," The pink hair girl said as she went back to immersing herself in the book.
"Our room?" Sakura thought out loud to herself. It was after a couple of seconds later she realized she stated that out loud.
The blonde chuckled as he saw the embarrassment on his wife's face. However, he walked past her and down the hallway to their room. Sakura on the other hand stood motionless for a bit before deciding to follow Naruto. She was screaming at herself in her head that she was making this much more difficult than it needed to be.
She noticed Naruto head up a pair of stairs that must have led up to their bedroom. Likewise, she followed him up the stairs and was met with a smaller corridor. She observed Naruto took a left and went to the room at the end of the hallway. He opened up the door and turned on a light. Sakura slowly followed after him.
There was a rather gigantic bed with a green comforter and sheets against the wall in the center of the room. On the side of the bed there was a matching pair of bamboo nightstands. On both nightstands were a mate of matching lamps along with different looking alarm clocks. The pinkett also recognized an assortment of different framed pictures of the family. In the front of their bed was a small comfortable looking couch.
The medic noticed that the area was rather large. The room had to take up a good portion of the third floor of the house. There was a restroom in the right-hand corner of the room and there were two large dressers, a long one and a tall one. Right next to the bathroom was a pretty large walk-in closet.
A part of Sakura wanted to explore her future wardrobe and room. Yet, she realized this wasn't the place or time to do so. She was sleepy, and she knew Hanami would wake her up early to train.
Sakura looked around the room and noticed her bags sitting on the couch in front of the bed. After she got over observing the room she let the awkwardness sink back in.
She continued staring at the bed, and in her head she enjoyed thinking about how she and Naruto had sex in that bed. She didn't know what was wrong with her. The pinkett just couldn't break her perverted train of thought.
"So um...where am I sleeping?" The pink haired woman spoke with a large blush on her face. She did not dare look at Naruto as she didn't want to embarrass herself anymore.
"Haha in here, of course," Naruto said with a small grin.
"What?!" Sakura asked rather abruptly. She imagined her face had to have the complexion of a tomato at this point.
"There is absolutely no way that is happening! We can't share a room you pervert!" Sakura said, crossing her arms and turning her nose up at her friend's insinuation.
Naruto studied her for a while to the point that she got uncomfortable. He then busted out laughing. Sakura snapped her head back at him in shock.
"What's so funny?" Sakura questioned, now irritated with the blonde Hokage. She knew he was enjoying this way too much.
Naruto put his hands up before explaining himself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you'll sleep in here, and I'll sleep in our guest bedroom downstairs. You didn't think I was suggesting that we sleep with one another, were you?" Naruto asked with amusement. Knowing he already had the answer to his question.
Naruto's reply quieted Sakura down, however, she still wasn't satisfied with the answer.
"Absolutely not. This is your home and your family first. I'll be sleeping in the guestroom, and you can sleep up here," Sakura told him, shaking her head as she did so. There was no way that she was going to kick her friend out of his room when she was the guest in his household.
Naruto wanted to argue about it, but he knew he would never win the argument. He stared at her for a minute before letting out a small sigh. He nodded in confirmation, submitting to what his wife demanded.
Sakura nodded with her arms crossed. "Good," she said as she watched Naruto pick up the bags. She again protested saying that she could carry her own thing's. That was where Naruto drew his line in the sand. He was going to carry her bags, and he needed no fuss about that.
That didn't stop Sakura from protesting until she saw the look her friend was giving her. She just let out a defeated sigh and followed him back down the stairs. They went to the left when they got down the stairs, and they began to once again walk down the hallway. However, they quickly reached the guest bedroom.
The room was revealed to be a nice size. There was a decent sized bed that could fit two adults along with a small nightstand and lamp. There was a dresser in the room along with a few adjacent pictures of art.
The area felt comfortable and Sakura was satisfied with it.
"Well here we are," The blonde said, setting her bags down on the bed.
The bathrooms down the hallway on your left. If you want to wear anything special, all of your clothes are upstairs in our room," Naruto caught himself when he said "OUR ROOM," Yet he shrugged it off and continued to talk.
"When you wake up in the morning, I'll probably already be gone, so here," Sakura watched Naruto dig through his pocket before he took out a scrap of paper and handed it to her. Sakura observed there were some numbers jotted down on it.
"It's my office phone number, so if you call for me, I'm not too far away. If I don't pick up one of the secretaries will, and I'll hear about it pretty quickly,"
Sakura looked at the piece of paper for a while before nodding her head in confirmation.
Naruto walked past her to exit the room. "If you need anything, I'm just up the stairs,'' The blonde softly smiled before he left her to her own devices.
Sakura decided that she needed to shower. She smelled like a combination of sweat, dirt and curry. She cringed as she thought about Naruto getting a whiff of her. Still, she pushed the image to the back of her head as she unpacked her bags and headed to the bathroom. She took a long hot shower, and she had to admit it was very enjoyable. It didn't take her long for her to dry off and change into her night clothes. She walked back into her room, drying her hair as she did so only to see Hanami sitting in anticipation on her bed when she entered the room.
"Well Hello, what can I help you with?" Sakura said, a bit surprised by her daughter's presents.
"I want to know more about why you and Dad aren't together yet," Hanami explained with curiosity.
Sakura let out a deep breath "I already told you he was with another girl," Sakura shot back. She was tired and didn't wish to be put under a microscope this late at night.
"But you never said who or described the situation, furthermore I never even heard you talk about this before. So, I mean ya gotta tell me!" Hanami insisted.
"Aren't you the inquisitive one," Sakura commented as she sat down on the bed.
"We'll come on, dish!" Hanami eagerly encouraged her mother.
"Maybe you hang around you Aunt Ino too much," Sakura jokingly said as Hanami quickly shook her head and encouraged her mother to talk.
"I'll tell you what, go to sleep tonight and prepare for our training in the morning. If you can meet my expectations with the chakra control training then I'll tell you the story ok?" Sakura negotiated hoping this would suffice for now.
Hanami thought about the proposition in a deep and contemplation for a while before nodding her head.
"Fine, I'll wait till tomorrow after I beat your training!" The young pinkett said.
"Good now please go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning," Sakura smiled.
Once her offspring was gone, Sakura fell back on the bed in exhaustion. She knew the next few days would be both tough and enjoyable for her and her daughter. There was one thing that was certain, Sakura was excited to discover what her girl could do.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ok here's the objective," Sakura said, gesturing towards a large boulder.
"Break this rock with your hand!" Sakura yelled.
Hanami stared at the rock, questioning her mother's motives.
"I thought we were going to learn a cool new Jutsu?" The girl whined. Hanami was thinking she woke up early for nothing at all.
"Just do as I say," Sakura sighed, crossing her arms.
Hanami huffed, looking at the Boulder with distain in her eyes.
The young girl channeled chakra to her legs and moved into action. She surveyed the stone boulder was about four and a half meters high and wide. With decent speed and strength, she assessed the rock should break. The young pinkett charged forward with all the momentum she could muster before cocking her fist back, prepared to strike.
"Chaaaa!" The young girl yelled.
She made contact with the rock but nothing happened, not even a small crack. She took a deep breath before sending a barrage of punches at the bolder. Yet, the Academy student couldn't see any progress, and it was a frustrating situation for her.
Sakura watched her daughter go at it with the boulder for about an hour before she fell to her butt in exhaustion.
Sakura observed her daughter's hands were bleeding quite a bit and decided it was best to take a rest.
"I think you need time to recoup, let me heal your hands?" Sakura asked lightly as she walked over to Hanami.
"Fine," the pink haired girl grumbled in irritation.
They sat in silence as Hanami watched her mother's hands admit a green glow over hers.
"I don't understand why Can't I break that stupid bolder," Hanami said in frustration, shaking her head.
"You're not timing your chakra efficiently enough to do any significant damage to the rock. This stone is from the Hokage mountain, which is known for its special mineral make up. Meaning rock is much stronger than any ordinary one," Sakura said as she finished healing her daughter's hands.
"Then all I need to do is work on my control and timing?" Hanami clarified, standing to her feet once more.
"Correct, you have one week to master control before school starts back," Sakura replied with a bright smile.
"Fine, let's do it!" The young girl yelled, punching her fist together in determination.
Ending Authors note: Well that was a long one for sure! I hope you guys all enjoyed it, remember to subscribe and leave me a review! You guys should see the next chapter in about 2 to 3 weeks. As always thank you guys for the support and I'm sorry this took so long!