Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 7: On Shaky Ground

He turned off the tap and put the last plate on the rack. He wiped his hands on the towel dangling from his shoulder. He turned away from the window, giving his eyes a break from scanning the view. It appeared that they would have to wait longer.

Naruto was drawing away at the dinner table. He looked up on occasion to tell Minato a detail about his day. So far the highlight was definitely the puppies. He was not too pleased to learn that Kiba and Naruto had tried dog food. A fact that he decided that Sakura did not need to know.

"When's Mama coming home?" Naruto asked for the third time.

"Soon," Minato assured him. Some days time got away from Sakura. He figured today was one of those days. He knew what he was getting himself into. She was a workaholic. There were days that the only time she sat down for more than a few minutes was when they read together to Naruto. Her go-getter tendencies were what kept the house running so smoothly. He did not have to worry about the upkeep of things. It was because she ran the house that he was able to focus on running the village.

But this particular quality was not without faults. He was concerned that she was going to run herself into the ground. Especially now. He would share his concerns, he just had to be careful with his word choice despite his good intentions. He looked at the covered plate on the table.

"Is it soon now?" Naruto asked him, growing impatient. "I want to tell Mama about the puppies!"

Minato walked to stand behind his chair. "Is that what you're drawing?" He looked at the blond figure holding what looked like a round blob of brown.

Naruto nodded. "This is Meeko! And that's Kuromaru," he pointed to the much larger black and white blob. "He's Meeko's dada."

Minato tilted his head. "Looks just like him. You even got his eyepatch."

Naruto grinned. "He's funny. He put a puppy in his mouth!"

"That does sound funny." Minato put his hand on Naruto's head and ruffled his hair. The younger blond pouted but his eye sparkled with mirth.

"Tsume-san said it was because dogs don't have hands." Naruto shared the groundbreaking tidbit. "So they have to carry their puppies with their mouths."

"Makes sense to me," he studied Naruto. "But since we have hands, we'll use them to carry things okay?"

Naruto made a face. "But that's boring."

"There's nothing wrong with borning, Naruto. It's a matter of perspective." He looked out the window again. He could use some borning right about now.

The key twisted in the lock. The pair turned their heads. The door knob jiggled and the door opened. Sakura slipped out of her shoes and put them neatly on the rack. "I'm home." She called out as she took off her coat and put it on the coat rack that stood by the door. She made her way to the kitchen.

"Hi, Baby." She kissed the crown of Naruto's head. "Hi, husband." She kissed Minato's cheek. She wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed up against him. "Sorry, I missed dinner. With the late start, I didn't hit my groove until after lunch. And when I did, I didn't want to stop until I finished getting all the appointments scheduled and inventory double-checked. We should be good to go tomorrow for the first of the ANBU checkups. Didn't want to disappoint my Hokage." She winked at him.

"You seem to be feeling better," Minato noted with a smile. He tried to ignore the pang of guilt that he felt. In truth, the physicals would still take place for all of them but it still felt wrong to hide the real reason for the pushup of the date by nearly three months. His arm came to rest across her shoulders.

"I am." She was riding a productive high. Also, she was a firm believer in the fake it until you make it mentality. The promise of a home-cooked meal also did not hurt.

"What's for dinner? I'm starving!" She reached for the covered plate once Naruto was finally done narrating his day to her.

"Not ramen." Naruto lamented.

Sakura and Minato exchanged a look. She pulled the seat and sat down. Minato looked at Naruto. "Bath time, buddy." Naruto got out of his seat and grumbled under his breath, about how dogs only bathed once a month if that, all the way to the bathroom.

Sakura reached out to grab Minato's hand. She smiled at the look of surprise in his cobalt eyes. "We should tell him today. Before he hears from anyone else."

"So much for the twelve-week rule." His eyes crinkled as he smiled. She felt him squeeze her fingers.

"We held out as long as we could." She rested her head in her hand. The way she looked at him made his heart skip a beat. There was so much swimming in her eyes. It made his mouth go dry. Her voice was lower than usual when she spoke. "Minato, I -"

"Dada! I'm waiting!" Naruto's voice called out in impatience.

Minato turned back to Sakura. She shook her head. Her green irises were back to normal. "Go." She smiled softly at him. "Before he takes bath time into his own hands and floods the house."

"Dada!" The growl in his voice forced a reluctant Minato to turn his back on Sakura and head toward his son.

"No way." Naruto's darted between their faces. There was a look of disbelief on his face. He moved against her shoulder, looking at her stomach in wonder. "There's a baby in there?"

"Believe it." Sakura could not help but take extreme pleasure in the moment. His little lips moved silently as his brain struggled to process the information.

She felt Minato's hand against her hip. It was a tight fit, the three of them on Naruto's twin bed. But they were making it work. Minato unfortunately drew the short straw. He was on his side pinned between the nightstand and Naruto. She was certain he was only staying on the bed through sheer will.

"You're going to be a big brother, Naruto." Minato smiled softly at Naruto.

They watched as the expression on his face changed; from confusion to blank and finally settling on excitement.

"Like Itachi-oniichan?!"

"Yes." Sakura nodded. "What's wrong, Naruto?" She asked him when she noticed that his face fell. He became very still.

"When the new baby comes will you forget about me?" Naruto asked them fresh tears swimming in his eyes. Her heart panged.

"Never." Sakura hugged him tighter. Minato squeezed his hand. "We will never ever forget about you. You are our heart."

"We will never stop loving you, Naruto. No matter what." Minato kissed the top of his head. "Besides, being a big brother is going to be the best. You will help teach the baby everything. You'll always have a friend to play with."

"Really?" Naruto asked them. The excitement returned to his face.

"Really," Sakura assured him. "The baby is going to love you so much."

"When will the baby come?"

"Three weeks after your birthday." Sakura held up three fingers.

"I want my birthday to come really fast!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We just have to be patient, Naruto." Minato reminded him gently.

"I want to be a big brother now!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura held up her hands to her lips. "Use your indoor voice, Naruto."

"Can the baby hear me?" Naruto said in a whisper as he covered his mouth with his hands.

"Maybe," Sakura answered.

Minato and Sakura watched as Naruto leaned closer to her stomach and said in a loud whisper. "Hi, baby. I'm your big brother Naruto. I love you." He punctuated his sentence by kissing her belly. Minato and Sakura exchanged looks. Their hearts were full.

Poor Naruto did not stand a chance against his parents' coordinated kiss attack. He laughed until his belly hurt as he withstood their onslaught of affection.

"Just who does he think he is?" She grumbled under her breath. "Next time I won't let him off so easy. I'll be ready." She strained to reach for a box on the top shelf. She clenched her teeth. "Just a little more." She grabbed the side of the storage rack for balance as she got up on tiptoes. Her fingers were just inches away. "No good." She let out a frustrated sigh. Even with the step stool, she was not tall enough. "Mako!" She called over her shoulder.

The twins were heavy sleepers. They could sleep through a storm. She was not worried about waking them up. The little terrors were the personification of play hard, rest harder. "Mako!" She snapped. She let out a low growl. Kushina jumped off the stool. "Honestly where is that girl's head?" She asked herself in exasperation. "I wonder when's the last time she had her ears checked."

Sure. She had to admit she was not the most pleasant person to be around right now but that was no excuse for ignoring her. Kushina was sure the kids at the academy could hear her hollering. She clicked her tongue. Kushina turned on her heel. Her hair whipped behind her dramatically.

The sight she walked into froze her in her tracks. There was Mako leaning against the reception counter. Her chin rested in the palm of her hand. She had a dazed look on her face and the biggest smile on her lips. But that was not what made her stomach churn in anger. No, it was the object of Mako's attention and her fury.

Joben.

The man was as perfect as ever. Half turned. His elbow was on the counter. Talking easily with Mako with a stupid smile on his stupid face. She crossed her arms.

"What are you doing here?" The venom in her voice was a tad much but she was already fully committed to being churlish.

Two pairs of eyes snapped to her at her question. A pair of raven eyes regarded her with amusement. It only added to her anger. Mako's brown eyes widened. She practically jumped away from the counter.

"I had some time. So I thought that I would stop by and see if I could help around here. Seeing how you're so busy." The airiness in which he spoke only weighed her down.

"I don't need your help." She snapped. Her eyes stubbornly trained on Mako. "You are a different story."

"Kushina-chan. Did you need something?" She asked her nervously. Her cheeks were still flushed red.

"You didn't hear me calling your name?" She pointedly ignored the look the samurai was giving her.

Mako looked at the ground. "No, I didn't. Sorry."

Kushina's brow shot up. She was not known for being hard to miss, or even hard to hear. "I find that hard to believe."

"I didn't hear anything either, Kushina. Sorry, we must have been too engrossed in our conversation." Joben cut in.

His voice amplified the fury she felt inside of her. She had not been sleeping well. This was the last thing she needed. She had real work to do. She did not have time for flaky people with their pretty faces and even faker smiles.

"I needed your help, Mako. I called your name, Mako. I could have been dying, Mako. I could have been wasting away underneath a pile of boxes, Mako." Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were hard.

"Well were you?" Joben asked her jokingly. "Dying?" The man had no self or situational awareness.

She ignored him and continued speaking as if he never spoke. "I needed you and you weren't there. You didn't listen. You were out here talking. Always talking." She paused. "It's not all bad," Her tone shifted. "I'm so glad that your conversation was interesting enough to keep you from hearing." Sarcasm dripped off every word. Deep down she knew she was being ridiculous but she did not care. After the events of the past couple of days, she wanted to lash out. It felt good.

"I'm so sorry, Kushina-chan." Mako looked positively chastised.

"Whatever. I don't want to keep you two from your chat any more than I already have."

Joben furrowed his brow. All traces of the smile were gone. "Kushina, we apologize. We can help you now. Or at the very least Mako-san can, if you don't want mine." Joben's voice lost all of its lightheartedness.

"It's fine. I'll manage on my own. Like always." Mako's face fell even more at Kushina's words.

"Kushina." Something in Joben's tone compelled her to look at him. Maybe it was the prospect of unleashing more of her anger. His eyes were steely. His were cold while hers were blazing. "I don't know what this is about. I don't know what you're going through right now. But I do know that Mako-san is not the one you're really angry at. She does not deserve to be treated this way."

Mako shrank. The brunette looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. She avoided both their eyes, not that it mattered. They were too busy holding each other's angry gazes in a battle of will. She contemplated slinking away. She did not want to be collateral in what surely would be an explosion. They probably would not notice her absence. It would give Kushina time to cool off.

Kushina pounded his words. The mask of fury was slowly starting to turn into something else. She was angry. She was very angry. Not angry enough to lose sight of what was in front of her. His words cut through her fog of anger. She looked at her aid. She was close to tears. That completely doused the fire in her belly.

Kushina realized that she had messed up badly. Now was the time to walk it back, grovel if she had to. The work they did was far more important than her ego. Guilt welled up inside of her.

"I'm so sorry Mako-chan. I got carried away. I could not manage without you. Please forgive me." She looked at her with mournful eyes. She felt awful for an entirely different reason.

"It's okay, Kushina-chan. We all have bad days." Mako offered her a small smile, it came across as unnatural and forced. It only added to Kushina's unease.

"I really am sorry," Kushina wanted to work to make it right. "I was being unfair to you."

Mako nodded her head. It was abundantly clear that the woman wanted to leave the situation. "I forgive you," she said as she walked by the redhead. "I should go check on the twins." She said to no one in particular.

Kushina waited until Mako's footsteps were no longer audible to address the man. She looked past his shoulder. She could not bring herself to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry."

The raven-haired man took in her defeated posture. His lip twitched downwards. His stance softened. "I'm not the one you need to talk to."

She considered his words. She let out a sigh. He was right. And she was pitifully transparent.

Flashback

Mikoto watched as the pinkette conducted her exam. She was meticulous and gentle. She moved with purposeful movements. She was in her element. It was very impressive to watch. There was no duality. Sakura was confident and sure. She was incredibly skilled at her job.

"Everything looks great, Mikoto. With both of you." She smiled at the Uchiha matriarch. Sasuke was sleeping soundly in his mother's arms, utterly unbothered by the exam Sakura had just performed on him.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. You'll have your arms full soon enough." Mikoto smiled tiredly at her friend.

"Any day now." Sakura brought a hand to rest on her large stomach. She looked happy but there was fatigue in her eyes. It would only grow from here.

"Working up until the day, are we?" Mikoto reached for the diaper bag. She was already mentally compiling the list of things she had to do when she got back to the compound. She hoped that Sasuke continued to be cooperative while she did her chores.

"That's the plan. I'm going to go stir-crazy in that house otherwise." She sighed. She looked at the clock. "Can you hold on a minute?" She put a hand on Mikoto's knee to stop the woman from getting up.

Mikoto spared her doctor a look of concern. She did not like the expression on Sakura's face. It lacked familiarity. It was Medic Face. It was grim and determined. There was a soft, singular knock on the door.

"Come in, Rin." Sakura rolled to the desk that was in the room. She put Sasuke's file on it.

Mikoto watched with a slack jaw as Sakura's apprentice walked through the door. The teenager bowed at the Uchiha. Mikoto brought her eyes back to Sakura. She tried to keep her face in check. She did not know what was happening.

"Sakura?" She asked tentatively, barely recognizing her own voice.

Sakura looked at Mikoto grimly. "I have something to tell you and I need you to do your best to listen, okay? It won't be easy." She squeezed her knee in what was meant to be a reassuring gesture. Mikoto barely registered it.

Fear filled her. She sat up straight. She became hyper-aware of her own heartbeat. Mikoto looked down at Sasuke. She watched the fall and rise of his chest. It grounded her.

She took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Do you remember a few years back when we all were invited to a dinner at the Uchiha compound?" Sakura began. Rin was settled in a chair next to her.

Mikoto nodded her head. She recalled that dinner. She focused on Sakura's face to keep from her thoughts going rampant. She needed to listen. To focus.

"We were invited there on false pretenses. Fugaku tried to pressure me into marrying into the clan." Sakura paused. Mikoto's face was blank. It betrayed nothing but internally she was shocked.

"I had no idea, Sakura." Mikoto began. She had found it odd that Fugaku had declared that they would be hosting Team Minato for dinner but in her eagerness to prepare for the event she had put her reservations aside rather quickly. She had jumped at the chance to host the future Hokage and head medic. She should have asked more questions.

Sakura smiled at her to indicate that she held no malice in her heart. "The only way I was able to get out of the situation was because of Itachi."

This time surprise did slip onto her face. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes wide. Sasuke cooed in his sleep. Rin crossed her ankles. Her brown eyes were measured as she digested the information for the first time. Sakura had asked her to come to the room because she wanted Rin to come up to speed with a new patient so that she could help while Sakura was on leave. She had not expected to walk into whatever this was.

"Itachi?" Mikoto asked her incredulously. "How?"

"He gave Minato some documents. A lineage of the Uchiha line, your family's line." Sakura said slowly. She knew the gravity of what she had just shared. It was enough to brand Itachi a traitor to his clan.

Mikoto's insides froze. She was completely shocked. If what Sakura said was true, and she had no reason to lie, Itachi had committed the ultimate betrayal. He shared clan secrets with outsiders. The punishment was disownment at best and death at worst. Sakura was right. This was not easy to hear. She did not want to believe it.

"Why would he do such a thing?"

Sakura shrugged. "That I can't answer. And that's also not the focus of why we're all here right now." She heard Rin move in her seat. Sakura waited for Mikoto to indicate she was ready for Sakura to continue. "Because of that, I was able to look into the untimely deaths of a few names I saw on there."

Mikoto's heart started to beat faster. She wanted Sakura to stop talking. She wanted to pick up Sasuke and leave the room. But neither happened. Mikoto steeled herself for what Sakura was about to say. In her heart, she already knew. Nothing good could follow a sentence that mentioned both 'untimely' and 'death.'

"I went through old autopsy records, autospies are standard for suspicious, premature shinobi deaths." Deaths that did not happen out on missions or on the field. Clan rules did not apply then. The corpses when they reached the morgue did not have their eyes but Mikoto was spared that detail. "And I found that there is an autoimmune disease that seems to affect Uchiha men disproportionately. A second cousin and a great-uncle died from it. Couple others. There is no cure." Sakura finished gently.

Mikoto's stomach lurched. For a horrifying second she thought that she would vomit all over Sasuke and Sakura. Her ears began to ring. Sakura's mouth was moving but she heard nothing.

"Why? Why now?" Mikoto found herself asking. It felt as if something had taken over her body and she was watching everything unfold as a spectator. No, she refused to believe it. She would not accept where this was going.

"I wanted to be sure that I knew for certain what the disease was before coming to you," Sakura admitted. There was no diagnosis on the reports. Not enough was known at the time. But she used what was there and what she knew about Sasuke's symptoms to fill in the gaps. There was also the timing of it. She did not want to stress Mikoto during her pregnancy so she had to wait.

"No," Mikoto said firmly. "You're wrong." She looked Sakura dead in the eye. "You're wrong."

"Mikoto," Sakura grounded her with firmness in her tone. "I need you to listen to me. This is a good thing."

Mikoto laughed. It was bitter and broken. It took everything for Rin not to cringe. She was a professional. She gave patients bad news more often than should care to admit. She knew how to slip into a blank mask. While it was personal for the patient, she as a medical professional could not take the reactions personally.

"It's a good thing," Sakura repeated even more firmly. "We know what it is. We know what to look for. Your boys could have long, meaningful lives. Until they are gray and wrinkly."

"You said there was no cure." Mikoto's expression was cold. She was holding onto her sanity. The ground beneath her feet was unstable. She had to keep herself together. For her sons. For her boys. It was her job as their mother.

"When detected early, it can be managed." She ignored the painful kick she felt. Naruto was getting restless. "They can even continue to be shinobi if they so choose but we have to get out in front of this."

Mikoto looked at her. It was risky for Sakura to be telling her any of this. She knew too much about the clan. If this got out she could have a target on her back.

"I need your permission, Mikoto. To run tests every six months on Itachi. It's early. It is extremely unlikely that he has already developed it. If we can have a baseline it would help immensely. Rin," she looked to her apprentice "and I can help. We just need your go-ahead."

Mikoto looked at Sasuke. Her heart was breaking in her chest. She wished she could take their pain. She wished that she could be the one that was potentially affected. She would gladly take it on to spare them. She had a duty to her children. But she also had a duty to her clan. If she did as Sakura was suggesting and if anyone found out, especially Fugaku, it would be unpleasant. She would be right there with Itachi at the mercy of the clan. She was putting her reputation, rank, and husband in a horrible position.

"I am an Uchiha, Sakura." Mikoto began. The pink-haired medic regarded her with an unreadable expression. There was a fierceness in her eyes. Mikoto knew it mirrored her own. "I have a duty to my clan. But above all else, I am a mother. I have a duty to my children. What do you need from me?"

Sakura nodded at her visibly relieved at Mikoto's answer. "I need you to bring Itachi every six months. You can bring him along for Sasuke's exams and Itachi has his yearly physical like the rest. It would also give us a timeline of when we need to start monitoring Sasuke. No one needs to know." She followed Mikoto's eyes which were now fixed on Rin. "I trust Rin, Mikoto. I'm not going to be around forever. We need someone to continue the procedure when I can't."

Rin stiffened. She did not want to think about a time when that was the reality. Having Rin be her secondary was also a benefit. Unlike Tsunade, Rin did not hail from a prominent clan. She was like Sakura from a lesser clan that had no official sway in the Council. It made trusting her a little easier for Mikoto. But in truth she trusted Sakura. So by extension, she had to put her trust in Rin.

The Uchiha Matriarch nodded. "What of medical records?" This could not get out. It would be catastrophic. "How will I tell Fugaku?"

"Rin is the only one that understands my shorthand. I'll write in code. No one will know." Sakura assured her. "And as for Fugaku, I can't answer that but hopefully we won't have to worry about symptom management for decades to come. If luck is on our side, maybe he never has to find out." Oh, how she hoped for that scenario.

Mikoto looked at Sasuke again. Slowly it felt like she could breathe again. The crushing weight was lifted just a fraction from her chest. She had something new to worry about. Something that was not even on her radar. Something she could not protect them from.

"Look after my boys, Sakura." Her eyes were pleading. It was the first time Mikoto begged in her life.

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat. Her heart was heavy. It had not been easy keeping herself together to tell Mikoto. She loved Sasuke for so much of her life. It was not hard to love Itachi. He was just a child. And yet he had to bear the brunt of so much. It broke her heart. She brought a hand to her heart.

"Like they're my own." She promised fiercely.

End of Flashback

She waited for the last vile of blood to fill before she took out the needle and placed a piece of gauze on the entry wound. "I'll look at the bloodwork later today but for now I think I have everything I need." She smiled at Itachi. She was confident that she would not find anything amiss in his results. The results from the x-rays and chakra scan both looked good. She also had to look at the urine sample as well.

"Great." Itachi got up from the seat. His face did not betray anything. "Can we skip this for next time?" His tone, like his eyes, was flat.

"You can try." Sakura smiled brightly at him. "But I promise you that you won't like it if I have to hunt you down." She knew full well she was threatening a child. It was not her best moment but over the years Itachi was becoming less and less receptive to the arrangement she had with his mother.

He rolled his eyes at her. "You look tired." He said dryly.

Sakura sighed. "Thanks, Itachi-kun. You always know just what to say." She responded back in the same tone.

He frowned. "Should you be working this hard?"

Sakura's eyes softened. "Thank you for the concern but let's remember who the doctor is here." She jotted some things down and handed Rin the file. Rin held it to her chest. Sakura looked at him as if she just remembered something. "At your next appointment, in six months, Rin will be doing the chakra scan. I won't be able to manage it. So be on your best behavior for her, yeah?"

Itachi said nothing. He regarded the woman. She, like all other sessions, had worked diligently and silently. She was careful and meticulous. She had good qualities. It was not hard to understand why Obito was so enamored with her.

"Well you're free to go, kiddo." She held out an offering and looked at him expectably. "Take it. It's a huge hit with the kids."

Itachi's dark brow rose. He did not understand why she insisted on doing this every time. "I'm not a little kid." Itachi was fully aware that his voice did make him sound just like a little kid. It was not quite as developed as his brain.

"Oh, but you are, Itachi-kun. Humor me. It's okay to act like a kid every once in a while." She encouraged him to take the lollipop. "It's cherry." She added as if that meant anything to him.

He slowly took it from her hands. He removed the wrapper and put it into his mouth. Her grin grew. She looked absolutely pleased with herself.

"Atta boy." She patted him on the shoulder. She looked at Rin. "I need to go give a tour soon. Will you please put his files away?"

Rin nodded. "Leave it to me, Sakura-sensei."

"And that is all there's to it." She finished the tour with a flourish of her hands. Being in greenhouses lifted her mood. Plant therapy was a real thing and it was an added bonus that all the plants were incredibly useful. "Due to the timing of your arrival, you missed our Restock Day but the next one is coming up next week. You'll be able to see how we turn these herbs and plants into antidotes, antitoxins, and medicine. Along with how we process and store them for maximum shelf life. Having a fully stocked hospital can really be the difference between life and death in circumstances where time is of the essence."

Joben's eyes took in the large greenhouse. He recognized several plants but others were completely foreign to him. The ones he did recognize were not native to the Land of Fire. "Impressive. It seems to be similar to the one in Suna. Just on a larger scale." He commented nonchalantly.

Sakura blinked in surprise. "You've been to Suna?" She asked him with curiosity etched in every word.

Joben nodded. "I've been around here and there. I travel most of the days out of the year. I'm quite fortunate."

Sakura looked down at the leafy foliage in front of her. "That sounds a little lonely. Always being on the move." She had seen her share of the Five Nations, mostly with Naruto. Missions took her far and wide. She remembered how exciting and wonderful it was. That was then. Now she could not picture being away from the village for more than a few days at a time. She had too much to miss back home.

Joben ran a hand through his hair. His eyes became slightly glazed. "It can be." He felt her eyes on him again. A smile stretched slowly across his face. "But it keeps me away from the snow so I don't mind too much."

Sakura chuckled slightly at his admission. "If you've seen the greenhouses in Suna, why the interest in the ones here? I'm not an expert but I'd imagine they are more or less the same." Sakura studied him critically, watching for any signs or tells that might help point to his motives.

Joben seemed to be weighing his words. He scratched his cheek before speaking. "There's always something to learn. The one's in Suna were sparse. They do not have such a variety of plants that span across such a range of temperatures either. The use of vertical space is something different too. It seems like something that could benefit my country. This has been really helpful. Thank you, Haruno-san."

She nodded. "The engineers of the greenhouse can give you all the specifics you may need so that this can be replicated back home. And the poison workshops will definitely be useful."

Joben clasped his arms behind his back. He rocked steadily on his feet. "Konoha certainly is lucky to have such subject matter experts. Maybe one day the samurai will not have to rely on gas masks and can be immunized to combat poisons. There is potential to save many lives."

Sakura rubbed her forehead. She ignored the sudden wave of fatigue that rocked her. She had not accounted for being on her feet for so long. "They call Tsunade-sama the Slug Princess for a very good reason. Her student Shizune is also incredibly knowledgeable in this area."

"You seem to be forgetting about yourself, Haruno-san." He grinned. The shinobi world was no stranger to the feats of Haruno Sakura no matter how much she tried to downplay them.

"I hold my own." She replied with a strained smile. She leaned against the metal table in the back. It was a workstation for workers who maintained the plants.

"Are you alright, Haruno-san?" Concern slipped into his tone.

"I'm alright, Amo-san." Sakura brushed some wayward strands from her eyes. "Can I ask you something Amo-san?" She was a little too eager to change the subject from herself. He nodded at her. "You talk very formally about the Land of Iron. I do not get the impression of familiarity or warmth. Am I wrong in surmising that?" She knew it was a loaded question but it bothered her. He spoke of where he was from with a sense of detachment, which was coming across as a red flag to her. What was more usual, was that there was a presence of slight fondness in his eyes when he mentioned Suna. But nothing for the place he represented.

Joben closed his eyes. A wry smile donned his lips. "You're quite the observant one, Haruno-san." He reached out to touch a vibrant emerald leaf. He appeared to be deep in thought. "I was raised there, I grew up there, and I live there. It is a part of who I am. I have a deep sense of gratitude and attachment to it. There's just this feeling I've never been able to shake, this feeling of not truly belonging. Despite everything."

Sakura looked at him with a guarded expression. A myriad of emotions flashed through her eyes. "Never mind. I'm not making much sense." Joben shook his head. He chuckled softly.

Sakura crossed her arms out of reflex more than anything. She looked at the plant. "Like you've been there all your life but it never truly felt like home?" Her voice was soft and distant. She felt his eyes on her. Her skin pricked at the scrutiny of his gaze. She turned to look at him. "Yeah, I think I understand what you mean."

He turned his attention back to the leaf in his hands. It was large, bigger than Sakura's hand. "I've found that home isn't really a place. It's the roots you set down. The people you surround yourself with. The connections you build. Home isn't a place, Amo-san. It's a feeling."

She did not know what compelled her to open up to him. Maybe it was the look in his eyes. He was lost. She was all too familiar with that look. It was the only look in her eyes years ago. When she watched people she loved leave her, time and time again. For five long years, she too had felt like a woman without a home. Even if the war had ended in her world, Konoha would never have been the same. It would be without so many faces, so many voices. The gravemarker would be overflowing with the names of her loved ones: Ino, Choji, Lee, Neji, Kakashi, Sasuke, Tsunade, and the list would only go on.

She had been shown kindness and she slowly built herself back up. It was not much but maybe she could help save him some of the time. Share what she had come to learn. For the most part, places remained, it was the people that came and went. A place that was home yesterday might not be how today or tomorrow. And that fact had nothing to do with the landscape.

Joben listened intently like he was hanging onto each word. He said nothing.

"We should head back." Sakura pushed off the table. He followed her out of the greenhouse as she led him down the corridor. The pair joined the Hokage who was waiting for them just outside Sakura's office. The pinkette kept the surprise from her face when she saw that he was not alone. Shizune and Rin were standing next to him. She exchanged a silent look with Rin. The brunette shrugged subtly. She did not know why she was there either.

"How was the tour?" Minato asked Joben. His eyes barely flickered to Sakura.

Joben rubbed the back of his neck. "Insightful." There was a genuine look of reflection on his face. It did not take long for the dimples to make an appearance. "This is not in my usual domain so I am really out of my depth but even I can see that there is much to be gained from this program. It is going to change the Land of Iron for the better."

"Good. Amo-san, this is Kato Shizune and Nohara Rin. They will be running the training program." Minato avoided any of the medics' gazes. He kept his eyes on Joben. The man looked at Sakura. The Haruno's face was a blank mask. Only the rigid set of her shoulders gave an indication of how she felt about the statement. Shizune and Rin exchanged glances. They kept their faces schooled just as they had been taught.

Sakura paid no mind to the three sets of eyes on her. She chose instead to bore a hole in the wall in the spot past Minato's shoulder. Her hands shook ever so slightly as she tried to keep a white-knuckle grip on her emotions. She would be nothing short of the epitome of professionalism.

"I look forward to hearing more about the lesson plans." Joben pressed through the awkward air. He was not going to be the one to bring anything up. He knew a live wire topic when he saw one.

"Of course, Amo-san. We are just putting together the final touches. We should be ready to walk you through the rotational program on a high level by early next week." Rin's eyes kept darting to Sakura as she addressed Joben.

"Excellent. I've taken up enough of your time for the day. Haruno-san," he half turned to address the head medic. "Thank you for your time." He bowed.

Sakura mimicked the gesture. "It was my pleasure Amo-san." The mask was unbelievably good. He almost bought it. Had it not been for the slight unease in the air he would have gone as far as to say that Sakura was the picture of satisfaction. "You're in very capable hands. Rin and Shizune are the most promising medics of their generation." She added. The two medics perked at her words. The praise was genuine.

The raven-haired man nodded. "Hokage-sama." He bowed goodbye. Minato dipped his head in response. "Nohara-san, Kato-san," he dipped his head in their direction. The medics bowed.

Sakura waited until Joben turned the corner. She kept her gaze fixed on the spot over his shoulder as she took a step toward her office. "Hokage-sama may I please have a word?" She held open the door.

Rin shot him a sympathetic look before Minato wordlessly walked into the office. Sakura followed after him and closed the door behind her. Shizune and Rin exchanged looks. They did not know who they felt more sorry for.

She found him staring out of the windows by the time she turned from the door. She found it fitting. It felt like she was always two steps behind him lately. They had not been in lock step for quite some time and she was tired of it. It was one thing to not share information with her. She could tolerate that to an extent. What she could not tolerate was him deliberately sabotaging her. This was where she drew the line.

She dragged the chair loudly from the small table she had in the room. The sound of the metal scraping against the tiled floor was not pleasant to the ears, not even slightly. Minato half turned to watch her. She brought the chair to come to rest directly in front of him.

"Please sit."

He was not fooled by the extreme politeness. It was a demand, not a request. It was in his best interest not to argue or disobey. He sat down wordlessly. He watched her round back to the table and repeat the process. Like the chair, she was dragging it out. Making a show of things. Maybe it was to give him more time to think of all the different ways to explain himself. Or maybe it was just to draw out his misery. Either way. He did not utter a word as she brought the other chair to sit directly in front of the one he was currently occupying.

She sat down and crossed her legs. There was instant relief now that she was not on her feet anymore. The small of her back ached, dully. She did not register any of it. Her wrath was all-consuming. It was the only thing she felt.

'Breathe, Flower-chan.'

Akemi's advice was unheeded.

"If you're going to demote me, Hokage-sama, I would at least like the curiosity of being told to my face." Her voice was cold, completely devoid of anything.

The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Sakura, despite having a short fuse, rarely got to this point. She was several steps past angry. He kept his expression neutral.

"I do not know what you are talking about."

Sakura ran her tongue along the bottom row of her teeth. He was digging his grave faster than even his Flying Thunder God technique. If that was how he wanted to play it, that was fine by her.

"Delegation of tasks and assignments are to be done by the head medic. And since I, the head medic of this hospital, did not delegate the task of the training program to Rin and Shizune it could only mean one of two things. Option one: I am no longer the head medic of this hospital. Or option two: you, Hokage-sama, are overstepping your bounds. I just want to know what I'm looking at."

Minato ignored the part of his brain that wanted to do anything but have this conversion. The part of him that wanted nothing more than to comfort his clearly upset wife. He wanted to lead with that side of him but he was not here as her husband. He was here in his official capacity. So he had to act as such. There was no place for his heart or feelings in this matter.

"Neither."

She recognized his official work voice the second she heard it. She waited for him to explain. She could be patient when she wanted to be. It was hard to outlast her. Minato hated wasting time. He prioritized reaching a resolution as quickly as possible. He was always the one to blink first. It was just in his nature when it came to arguments and disagreements.

"Delegation of the training course to Rin and Shizune was the clear call. They are both apprentices of the best medics Konoha has to offer. They were students themselves not too long ago. They are familiar with both Tsunade's and your teaching methods. The two of them can really draw out the full potential of the lesson plan. And they can consistently teach the program through its first year." He laid out his points.

"A lesson plan that I wrote." Sakura pointed out his first fallacy.

"My belief is you worked with Tsunade, Shizune, and Rin. Is that incorrect?" The shade of blue his eyes donned was cold and distant.

Her eyes narrowed. "I didn't realize that pillow talk was admissible."

"You're not on trial." He said flatly.

"I feel the need to defend myself seeing as how you're doing my job for me." She retorted.

"It is well within my purview to delegate tasks. A program like this is setting the precedent. Having two of Konoha's best upcoming medics is the best way to prove that the training works. It worked in the past and it will work in the future." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"That is not your call to make." She dared him to pull rank on her. He may be the Hokage that did not mean much in this building, it was her domain.

"It is a clear choice. You will be on leave when this program is underway. Having the same figureheads at the helm from beginning to end could be instrumental to the success."

She scoffed. Being pregnant was only a temporary situation and one that would not be a roadblock again. If Minato was under any other impression, he was sorely mistaken.

"The nature of the rotations is exactly what makes it such a perfect fit. The samurai are not interested in using chakra for medical jutsus. And who better to demonstrate procedure than someone who first-hand knows what it is like not to be able to use chakra?" In her mind, it made her all the more qualified.

"This initiative will give Rin and Shizune all the more confidence. It will be theirs. Inspiring the next generation is also part of it." Reason. He needed her to see reason. None of this was personal. It was a strategic decision. They all knew Sakura was more than capable of running yet another program. It was time to see what the younger medics could gain from leading it themselves.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. His words only added kindling to the cold inferno that was spinning inside of her. Maybe she could admit that some of his points were valid. Maybe she could even see his side. The way he went about it, that was something that could not be brushed aside so easily.

"You've clearly thought this through Hokage-sama." She crossed her ankles. She leaned forward slightly. "Care to enlighten me on how you thought springing this on everyone was the best way to go about it?"

"I do admit I could have handled it better." He ignored the scoff that originated from Sakura. "The circumstance just presented itself and I thought it was best to make the most of it. Save time for everyone."

"How considerate of you." Every word was laced with sarcasm. "It seems like you've taken everyone's feelings and needs into account. Clearly, I was thinking just of myself. I guess there is nothing more to discuss."

He sighed. "Sakura." He could sense that the conversation was going to go nowhere fast. Her body language had become closed off.

She ignored him. "We're entering an uncertain time. With the attack, the new treaty, the new circumstances." Her lip curled into a smile that could be described as cruel. "But one thing hasn't changed." Minato watched silently as she held out her hands, palms facing down. Fifteen seconds must have passed. Both of them stared at her hands. "They are steady as ever." She got up. "If you'll excuse me, I have patients I need to see."

The door closed. She was gone. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the blond locks. He sighed deeply and covered his face with his hands. It was a no-win situation. Even that knowledge did not keep the doubt from creeping in. His intentions had been good. He wanted to keep more from her shoulders. He did not want to dump another responsibility onto her.

He had no reservations about the quality of work she would do. He knew that she, like all the other things she did, would excel. She would add another notch to her belt. She would be all that more impressive. He knew that. He believed that. Sakura did not do anything half-heartedly. When she committed to something she threw herself into it. Being a medic, being Tsuande's apprentice, being their savior, being the head medic, being a mentor, and being a mother. She did it all.

He truly saw this as an opportunity for Rin and Shizune. He knew they too could excel and come into their own with this new responsibility. He had had every intention of sitting her down and explaining his thought process to her. But when he saw the medics in the hallway completely by chance he decided that ultimately maybe it was easier to give them the role and explain later. It eliminated the chance for Sakura to wear him down. It gave her less opportunity to discuss it with him after the decision was already made.

He knew that she would not air her grievances publicly with the decision. Her respect for the position as well as for him would not allow for that. And she had remained silent. She did not fight it. In a way he had gotten exactly what he wanted.

But the cost had been steep. He saw the way she looked at him. He recognized the betrayal in her eyes. His only solace was that she would cool off, think about it more and ultimately come to see his side. It was what was best for Konoha even if it did not feel like it was what was best for them.