"Ugh what a pain…" Naruto groaned and shoved the last bag into the dumpster. "I'm so glad this is my last shift for the week" He smiled and scratched the back of his neck. Hopefully, with this next check, he'll be able to get him and Menma their own place. He's been saving up for a long time. Just enough for an apartment and he'd be able to hold his own with the rent for at least two years.

"Naruto! Boss is calling you!" He heard Ten-Ten yell from the back door. He said a quick 'K' and ran towards the door.

Five minutes later he was here in his boss's office. "Look, Naruto…. We have been really slow on customers lately...so money's been really short. We can't have extra employment, so we checked the board to see who had the least amount of work, plus missed days, and it turned out to be you"

Naruto looked at his boss confused "and then what…?' Naruto watched as his boss sighed.

"We have to let you go Naruto" His eyes widened and his mouth fell slack in disbelief.

"I've given so many years to this job...and you fire me because you're low on money ?!" The boss looked at the ground in shame. "What if I did a fundraiser or something to bring in new customers and money! Could I keep my job then? Come on old man I'm so close to my goal!"

Naruto smiled as the boss sighed and agreed. "Naruto you don't need to do this- you'll tire yourself out again and then-"

"Don't worry, I won't this time. I'll raise so much money that we'll be known all around the world!" He jumped and ran out of the office.

Sasuke watched as Naruto handed Sarada and Menma their sandwiches and allowed them to continue playing. "Is something wrong dobe?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto sat back comfortably and looked back at Sasuke.

"Nevermind" Sasuke shook it off and looked back at the kids.

"Say teme, do you mind giving me Itachi's number?" Naruto added a smile to it, knowing Sasuke was probably going to say no either way but with a smile, there's a chance he'd say yes.

"Why." Sasuke frowned and rolled his eyes. He's hoping his brother isn't doing anything with Naruto behind his back.

"Well uh...a friend of mine wanted to work at his company" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Which friend?"

"Uh…." Naruto whispered, "Gaara.."

"What? Speak louder dobe"

"Gaara!" Naruto accidentally shouted louder than he intended.

"Gaara? No." Naruto rolled his eyes and started shaking Sasuke.

"Why not?! Aren't you guys friends? Help a friend out! Come on Sasuke!" Sasuke replied with a 'hn' and grabbed one of his tomatoes to eat. "Seriously? After the little stunt, you pulled two days ago, I deserve this!"

"It's no 'stunt' if you enjoyed it Naruto" Sasuke smirked and bit into the fruit and Naruto gaped, stuttering over whatever words tried to come out of his mouth after that.

"Is your mom okay Menma?" Sarada put down her sandwich and looked at how weird Naruto was acting.

"Well I dunno...he kept screaming two days ago while I was trying to sleep and he was whaling in the bathroom." Menma took a huge chomp and smiled gleefully.

Sarada looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Whaling? Was he in pain or something?"

"I don't think so.."

"You didn't even get up did you?" Sarada rolls her eyes. Boys are so annoying.

"Uh…."

Sasuke sure as hell noticed that wasn't what was bugging Naruto. He doubted that would be the issue since he answered so fast. He'd find out what it was. He always would.

Naruto clicked the 'answer' button on his car screen, answering Gaara's call. "Hello!"

"Hello Naruto" Gaara sounded like he was alone, in a quiet space and Naruto was currently in the car with Menma napping in the backseat.

"So how's house-hunting going?"

"Great. I was able to find a home that fit my standards. Though the lack of sand is kind of unnerving." Naruto laughed, of course, Gaara would miss the monstrous amount of sand they had in Suna. he grew up in the place, of course, if it were Naruto, he'd be glad!

"That's so cool Gaara!"

"How have you been?" Gaara sounded as he always did. Uninterested, but Naruto understood he was interested or he wouldn't have asked.

"Ah well...things are going on at work…" Naruto sounded sheepish and a little bit ashamed, he knew it was embarrassing to talk about issues like this to a friend but he couldn't help it. He's been stressing so much about finding new people to come to the restaurant and nothing has been working, it also seems the numbers have been going down more than they were before. Then again, he made an oath that he'd help and he was going to do it on his own.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah it's nothing Gaara, never mind...Uhm I'm almost at home" Naruto was lying, he was nowhere near Kiba's apartment, but he didn't know if Gaara was going to keep pushing or not.

"So?"

"So, I need to get Menma out and make dinner for him...so I can't talk"

"Okay..I'll talk to you later Naruto. Bye" Gaara sat there for a moment in thought. Why had Naruto been so distressed about work?

"I'm really sorry to ask you this, Sasuke, but can you please watch and pick up Menma for me. I uh have to work an extra shift tonight for a friend and Kiba is out tonight" Naruto was talking to Sasuke over the phone. It was almost time for Menma to be picked up and he's been working all morning, and he won't be able to leave until late at night.

"Hn, sure" "but you're lying Naruto, what's the real reason?" Naruto froze in his place wondering how the hell Sasuke was able to figure it out.

"N-No I'm not.."

"Whatever, you'll tell me when you get off tomorrow Naruto" he hung up not leaving any time for Naruto to reply. Damn it. If he told Sasuke he'd feel so embarrassed. Maybe Sasuke will forget. Yeah, he'll forget.

Menma waited patiently with Sarada for his mom to come to pick him up. He had such a fun day today, Sarada actually allowed him to hang out with her and her friends at lunch! Her friends weren't the nicest people...but that's probably only because they just met.

He was just happy that she was finally recognizing him as a friend rather than someone who is easy to bully.

After about 10 minutes Mr. Sasuke pulled up and motioned his hand for both of them to come to the car. Menma looked confused but walked to the car anyway. "I'm taking both of you today, Naruto isn't able to pick you up Menma." Menma instantly smiled big. This meant he got to go back to their house!

"Why is he in the hospital or something?" Sarada asked while hopping into the car first.

"No. He's not." Sasuke waited for Menma to get in and drove off.

"Okay.." Sarada looked at her lap in sadness. Menma kind of had an idea why.

A little earlier

"Why don't you and your dad hang out a lot like me and my mom?" Menma asked and Sarada instantly frowned at being asked such a personal question. She didn't want to answer but she couldn't avoid the stupid happy-go-lucky smile Menma wore when he asked.

"I don't really know...he's not around much. He's usually too busy with work or something else, it was the same at home. He never had any time for me or my mom. Then again my mom wasn't around much either so I doubt she had any problem with it, but she was around a lot more than my dad"

Present time

He had thought for a long time after that and came up with the perfect plan, and it all had to do with the unnecessarily huge pool at Sasuke's house "Uh Mr. Sasuke? Do you think we could go swimming when we get to your house?"

"Sure"

"But I can't swim" Sarada rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Sasuke can teach you, right?" Sasuke's eyes widened and replied with a confused Hn. Sarada was also confused, she didn't think her dad would agree. Menma shot her a quick wink and thumbs up before he went back to counting the trees that they pass by. Sarada mentally thanked the boy and smiled like an idiot. She'd finally get to spend time with her father.

When Sasuke pulled into his driveway Menma noticed a pink-haired woman sitting on their doorstep with another man with black hair and very pale skin. Menma had no idea who the guy was, but he saw the woman in one of the pictures in Sarada's room. Sasuke noticed him too and frowned wondering what the hell she was doing there with that man-whore she calls a 'friend' he had rolled his eyes then when she told him that obvious lie. He knew she was cheating on him with that guy.

He just never said anything and stayed with Sakura for Sarada's sake. That and he didn't want to be forced to marry some other woman now. He's planning to divorce Sakura soon now that he's been around Naruto again. Sarada was just going to have to understand. "Sakura, what are you doing here, and with him?"

"Oh Sasuke no need to be jealous, Sai only wanted to say hi to Sarada" She tried to make her lips look pouty. Something Sasuke realized she thought she looked cute doing.

"Tch. As if I'd ever be jealous"

"Sarada wait up!" Menma helplessly ran after a sprinting Sarada who was very happy to see her mom.

Sakura put on a smile and hugged Sarada when she jumped into her arms "are you staying tonight!?"

"Of course I am" Sakura looked at Menma. "Oh, who is this? Boyfriend?"

Sarada blushed "ew no!" Menma was just confused as the next person and Sasuke was groaning internally. He did not want to be around Sakura tonight.

"Hello Sarada" Sai said and Sarada instantly felt uncomfortable, she always hated Sai. His voice sounded like he was some kind of pedophile or something and he was always around her mom.

"Uhm...hello.." When she said that Sai stared at her with that creepy fake smile he always wore. He was being unusually more creepy than he usually was.

"I'm going inside" Sasuke announced and Menma happily trailed right after him. "And I can't swim, I have work." And with that, he disappeared into his office. Menma sighed and looked at the sad Sarada then at the pink-haired woman. He knew she had something to do with Sasuke's sudden change in mood. It had nothing to do with his work.

"Uno way out!" Menma slammed his last card out and smiled proudly. "Hn!"

"Oh come on! How could a loser like you win every round?!" Sarada threw her cards at Menma in defeat.

"It's called smarts."

"Smarts my a-"

"Hello, Sarada." Sai was standing at her room doorway. He had that stupid smile on his face again. "Would you like to go out for ice cream?" Sai read somewhere in a book that children liked sweets and things like ice cream and candy.

"Uh..n-no thank you, I'm good" She smiled shyly and shook her head.

"Well okay then. Would you perhaps like to swim?" He tried again, the smile never faltering.

"Sorry sir, I and Sarada are in the middle of an Uno game right now. Maybe we could all go somewhere later?" Menma didn't smile, however. He kept a straight face throughout all of it. Then again, he did get hit in the eye with the corner of a card and he's in pain right now.

Sai looked at the book and nodded. "Of course then" he went on his way and Sarada shivered.

"Who even is that?" Menma asked and finally rubbed his poor aching eye.

"One of my mom's friends...he's been around even before I was born" He nodded and went paused in thought.

"Say Sarada? Did your mom ask you if I was your boyfriend?"