Call me Sofu

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"I'm all for it!" Naruto agreed. "Could Boruto attend too?"

"You're not hospital staff," Kakashi pointed out. "And Hinata has asked to be off the active roster. After her kidnapping incident, she wanted to stay in the village, focus on leading the Hyuga clan, and bond with her children."

"Let's just start with the hospital staff and shinobi families with both parents working," Sakura suggested. "We can expand the program later, maybe include like a Mother's (or Father's) Day Out."

"I think it's a great idea, as well," Kakashi said. "Present and future Hokage both give this daycare/ childcare idea our blessing. I especially like the idea of having vetted personnel for weekend care or overnight care in case of missions. Not everyone has grandparents. You'll need to get the approval of the counsel as well though. Just a majority - it doesn't need to be unanimous. And as the head of the hospital, I assume you'll vote in favor."

"So that's three of the needed six votes," Sakura murmured. "Okay, I'll work up the statistics and have my argument ready for it at next month's meeting. I'll ask Master Tsunade to attend as well, she's still a voting member and I'll talk to some of the civilian members of the counsel in the meantime. Having civilian parents comes in handy on these occasions."

"Are you still thinking of being Hokage?" Naruto asked. He held up his hands, showing a plethora of tiny paper cuts. "It's not quite what I expected."

Sakura reached over, with a green glow radiating from her hands, healed the tiny lacerations. "Maybe one day, if you're tired of it and if I'm not too busy," Sakura teased.

"And that's why Sakura is my favorite student," Kakashi declared, the corners of his eyes both crinkled in amusement. "How are your parents?"

Sakura was caught off guard by the question. It was rare for Kakashi or Naruto for that matter to show any interest in her parents. As the only non-orphan on their Team 7, she never brought them up, not wanting to make the others sad. "Dad retired from the factory earlier this year. He has always been more domestic than Mom, so he's been helping Sasuke with Sarada. Mom and Ino's mother have started working together at the Yamanaka Flower Shop and we've contracted them for the hospital patients. It's been really uplifting for morale whenever someone is hospitalized to have a cheery bouquet to brighten up their day."

"Yeah! We've been signing off on a lot of genin missions for flower delivery," Naruto said with a nod.

"And the occasional Jonin delivers," Kakashi added. "That Konohamaru is going to need to do something more with his days."

"I'm sure you'll assign him some genin before too long," Sakura said.

"Nah, not for at least ten years. He'll teach them terrible habits in the meantime," Kakashi argued.

"You're one to talk. You were the worst teacher!" Naruto complained. "You abandoned both me and Sakura. You only ever took time for Sasuke and he still ditched us!"

"I would have been happy to continue as an Anbu operative," Kakashi protested, his dark eyes glaring back at Naruto. "The Third Hokage wanted me to babysit the prodigy, my old teacher's kid, and some smart girl whom was too boy crazy to do anything but giggle."

Sakura groaned. "We were pretty bad back then." She had the top grades in their class when it came to any kind of rote memorization or didactics. Sasuke was the one whom aced every skill set. Naruto was so desperate for attention he turned to ridiculous practical jokes. She stood behind Naruto and placed her hand over his shoulder in support. "However, we didn't have to be. You did keep us alive, but Guy was given a similar team to us and he trained all three."

"Frankly, keeping the three of you alive was a chore in and of itself," Kakashi said.

"And yet, you know over a thousand jutsu and didn't bother to teach us any?" Sakura asked, arching her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I had to learn everything from Pervy Sage," Naruto chimed in. "And Sakura learned from Granny Tsunade."

"Though, I suppose with your untreated PTSD, you were pretty ill suited to be a teacher. However, I do think you're a great teammate and village leader. You're just terrible when it comes to teaching skills to others. I learned three things under you — you must save your teammates, I have amazing chakra control, and I make a good weight for someone wanted to do pushups."

"Not sure about that latter one," Naruto said. He craned back his head and met her gaze with eyes that danced in amusement. "You're significantly heavier now than you were ten years ago."

Sakura tightened her grip on his shoulder and only eased up when Naruto grimaced.

"You were meant to train under the legendary Sannin," Kakashi said. "It was my many shortcomings that helped you look past their character faults. Jiraiya was a pervert. Tsunade is an alcoholic. Orochimaru is insane." He held his hand over his heart. "I am only somewhat perverted, drunk and insane."

The clock on the far end of the room struck the hour. "I need to head back. I want you both to eat a healthy lunch in a few hours and drink at least two liters of water today."

"Sure thing Director Uchiha," Naruto agreed with an amiable smile.

Sakura sent a wave of healing chakra into his shoulder to heal any bruises she might have inflicted.

Kakashi's dark eyes crinkled at the corners in a smile again. "This conversation has been inspiring. I'll make sure to put Konohamaru in charge of your kids as his first genin team - Boruto, Sarada, and some unlucky third child!"

"I believe the decision will be Naruto's to make. You'll be long retired by that time, Kakashi," Sakura pointed out.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head, feet on his desk. "I sure hope so. Give me a nice cabin by the river with plenty of fish up in some mountains with my Icha Icha collection."

"Don't you want to settle down? Have a family?" Sakura asked, genuinely surprised Kakashi's ideal life was one of solitude.

"Nah, all the pretty women are married now." He brought his feet back to the floor. "Though, in ten years, one of them might be divorced or widowed." He shrugged. "I'm good with being a step-dad or a fun uncle."

Sakura felt the back of her neck burn at Kakashi's statement. Hopefully, her face didn't show her blush. She used a small amount of her miotic regeneration to keep her capillaries from dilating in her cheeks. Naruto had a confused look on his face. Kakashi had basically said the only women he was interested in were married and it sure made it seem like he was talking about her, and maybe Ino or Hinata. Or maybe he was just teasing. That damned mask made it very difficult to tell.

"Right, well, I'll keep on the look out for a woman who might be willing to put up with you," Sakura promised.

Naruto laughed. "Good luck with that! Only you and Granny Tsunade will put up with his non-sense."

"I think Shizune has tolerated him well enough," Sakura pointed out. She was gratified to see Kakashi's posture stiffen slightly. She smirked. "And Anko and Kurenai are both lovely and age appropriate. And I don't mean to be small-minded, Guy is also a great guy and I know the two of you are close."

"You're dismissed Sakura." Kakashi's humor had left his eyes. "Why don't you go home?"

"Yes, sir, Hokage," Sakura answered ruefully. "I need to start the morning rounds at the hospital anyway. I'm sorry, if I offended you, Kakashi. You know I care about you."

Kakashi sighed. "I know. Don't worry about it. I already told you, I'm just fine being the fun uncle."

"Bye, Sakura!" Naruto called out, oblivious. "Don't forget dinner tonight at our place. Hinata will be cooking all afternoon!"

"I won't forget and we're bringing dessert," Sakura promised. She paused at the door. "Kakashi, there's some left over pasta and a salad in the refrigerator in your office that you can have for dinner."

Naruto laughed. "You better eat it too, or she'll nag you about not getting enough vegetables in your diet!"

"Oh I know. I hear the same lecture every time I go in for a physical," Kakashi admitted.

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OoO

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Kazashi Haruno- with the same cherry blossom colored hair as his daughter— arrived while Sasuke and Sarada had just finished their breakfast. After a quick hug to Sarada, the retired grandfather busied himself washing the dishes. It was challenging washing dishes one handed, but Sasuke could manage it. His father-in-law always went straight for the sink after greeting Sarada. Today was no different.

"Good morning, Mr Haruno," Sasuke greeted. He used a washcloth to wipe down Sarada and then helped her down from the chair.

"I told you, call me, Dad," Kazashi scolded. "And good morning, Sasuke."

"You know I cannot call you that," Sasuke said quietly. "Though I sincerely appreciate the offer."

"Fine, call me like Sarada does - Sofu!" Kizashi finished drying the dishes and then scooped Sarada into a lift high above his head.

Sarada giggled hysterically, repeating, "Sofu! Sofu! Sofu higher!"

"I can do that, Sofu." Sasuke watched the two of them for a moment- mesmerized. And not for the first time, regretted fighting Naruto after the last war and destroying each other's dominant arms.

"Well, Princess Sarada and I are good here. Why don't you go and do your ninja thing, son?" Kizashi called him son like it was no big deal.

It was very nice.

"Alright, Sofu. You two have fun," Sasuke said, and started for the back door. "I'll be back later this afternoon. We're having dinner with the Uzumakis."

It was a sunny morning, the sixth of June, seven weeks before Sasuke's 21st birthday. The birds were singing in the nearby trees, a rabbit hopped across the lawn, and a squirrel raced across the fence. It was a peaceful day all things considered, especially since he was about to use an ancient power to hopefully visit his dead brother's spirit in the afterlife. All the while, his wife was at work and his daughter played with her grandfather.

He really hoped he didn't end up on another Ice or Fire realm. He took a deep, calming breath and then used the powers of his Rinnegan.

Reality swirled around him melting away from his serene backyard to darkness with starlight and then settling into another grassy field with a small copse of trees nearby. They were century trees, wide trunks and bows reaching far towards the sky, so that craning his neck he could not see the tops. The leaves were a blend of green, red, gold — like when summer edged towards autumn.

"Itachi? Are you here?" Sasuke walked cautiously towards the trees. He kept his senses aware. His brother could be only a few meters away, or a herd of dinosaurs might race towards him ready to devour the foolish human walking towards their den. He really hoped it would be the former.

"Sasuke?" a familiar voice, one not heard in nearly six years answered. His nails were pink, no longer black. His long, raven hair loose about his shoulders. The deep lines of trauma and stress no longer marred his face. His skin was smooth and his eyes, onyx, no crimson Mangekyo Sharingan in his irises. "The Rinnegan? How is this possible?"

"A gift from the Sage of the Six Paths," Sasuke explained. "Happy birthday."

"Oh? How old am I today?" Itachi asked, smirking in amusement.

"Twenty-seven," Sasuke said.

"How did you find me?" Itachi asked.

"Trial and error. Are you trapped here? I'd hoped you'd be in the Purelands. But I suspected the resurrection jutsu might have gotten you lost," Sasuke answered.

"Not lost. Just in limbo," Itachi explained. "I was worried about you, so I stayed here." He shook his head. "I'm not sure why. I didn't realize you had the Rinnegan and could actually find me. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I want you to come back with me," Sasuke said.

"I have no body," Itachi protested. "I'm just a spirit."

Sasuke tapped under his eyes. "These are your eyes. That's why I was able to find you. Unfortunately, brother, you won't be able to rest in the Purelands until after I'm dead too and these eyes are no longer living."

"Ah," Itachi said. "That makes sense. Though, I'm not sure how much help I'd be in the world of the living." He reached out and touched Sasuke's empty left sleeve. "Life has not been kind you."

"On the contrary. I am helping my best friend become the Hokage," Sasuke explained. "I'm married to the only person that could possibly put up with me and I have a daughter. She's fifteen months old. She should be able to see you for a while yet with her innocence. "

Itachi smirked again. "I have a niece and a sister-in-law. Is it the pink-haired one? The smart girl from your class?"

"Yes. Do you remember her?"

"I remember when you were about five. You fell and scraped your knee outside of the school playing in the nearby field. I was on my way to pick you up. There were tears in your eyes, but they didn't fall. And this one shy, pink-haired girl with these sea-green eyes took the ribbon from her hair and tied it over your injury. She was too shy to say anything and you quickly forgot about her when I showed up, but her eyes followed after you. She and I exchanged a smile. Unlike father, I kept up with your grades. You were always number two, behind Sakura Haruno."

"Hn." Sasuke had no memory what-so-ever of the hair bow tied over a scraped knee. He'd have to ask Sakura about it later.

"So, when do we go?" Itachi asked. "I'm looking forward to meeting this niece of mine. Does she have the dark eyes of the Uchiha or did she inherit those lovely sea-green eyes?"

"I always thought her eyes were more jade," Sasuke said. "And Sarada has the same onyx colored irises as us."

"Shame," Itachi murmured.

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Ino had come over during her lunch break and she and Sakura had run the pregnancy confirmation tests. Everything seemed fine so far, the fetus was at 11 weeks gestation and seemed to be doing as expected.

"So will you finally tell Sasuke?" Ino asked, as she ran the ultrasound wand over Sakura's still mostly flat belly.

"I'm going to wait two more weeks, that way it's unlikely to you know—," Sakura said, avoiding saying the word she feared.

"Unlikely to have a miscarriage," Ino said. "It's a fear we all have, but I think you should tell your partner. If it does happen, you don't want to go through that loss alone."

"I think I'd rather go through something like that alone, rather than put Sasuke through another trauma," Sakura explained.

"He doesn't need you to protect him. He needs you to trust him," Ino said. She looked back at the monitor. "Well, your due date is December 15th- a Sagittarius."

"Sasuke will be gone by then," Sakura murmured. "It's already going to be hard for him to leave Sarada behind."

"It will give him more motivation to be careful, knowing who he's leaving behind and wants to return to," Ino argued.

Sakura wiped off the jelly from her belly and pulled down her shirt. "I appreciate your concern. We both need to return back to our jobs though."

"I want to know how you're not having nausea," Ino asked. "Maybe you're having a boy!"

"It's a fifty-fifty chance. Nausea happens regardless of the baby's gender." Sakura tapped her Strength of a Hundred seal on her forehead. "I'm also the strongest medical ninja in the Five Ninja Nations."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I think you're having a boy."

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The Uzumaki household was within the Hyuga compound, but near enough to the rest of the village to feel approachable. Hinata's father hadn't been too happy about her not being in residence next door to the family home, but since her husband was the strongest known shinobi, he agreed. Though, there were two Hyuga clansmen guarding the entrance and another two prowling the backyard.

"Now I feel like I need to hire guards to watch over you and Sarada after I leave," Sasuke whispered. Sarada was strapped across his chest in her baby carrier facing outwards, eyes wide taking in their surroundings as well as settling her gaze often towards her left. "I can't have Naruto thinking he loves his wife and child more than I love mine."

Sakura snorted in amusement. "Naruto has nothing to do with these guards other than allowing his father-in-law peace of mind." Sakura slid her fingers through Sasuke's and the trio made their way towards Naruto's front door. "Besides, we won't even be home most of the day after you're on your mission again."

The bright yellow door swung open and Naruto stood, sunny smile beaming across his face, Boruto bouncing in his arms. The little blond-mini-me stared towards Sarada's left for a long moment before starting to play with his dad's whiskers. "Great! I'm starved! Come on in!"

"Thank you for having us over," Sakura said. She placed the desert dish she brought on the kitchen bar and settled at the table where Hinata directed.

"Of course! It's a pleasure to have visitors," Hinata said. "All I ever see is family, so it's a nice change to see friends."

A five course meal was in display on the long, formal table. "You've outdone yourself, Hinata," Sasuke commented. He forced a smile. "I'm sure it is delicious." He unstrapped Sarada and handed her to Sakura.

Naruto got out a second highchair and set the two toddlers between their parents, across from each other. "Hopefully, we don't all end up with food in our hair from these two."

"Sarada doesn't throw her food," Sasuke protested. No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, then his daughter had seemingly discovered how to throw food. Sasuke cast an annoyed looked between Sakura and Boruto. "He's already teaching her bad manners."

Sakura laughed, brushed the food off Sasuke's cheek and gently chided their daughter. "It goes in the mouth, my love. Auntie Hinata worked hard for this meal. Let us be respectful."

As if understanding her mother's words, Sarada settled into her hair chair obediently and glared at Boruto before pointing a finger accusingly at the little boy.

Naruto and Sakura both burst out laughing while Hinata smiled softly and Sasuke glowered.

"So, Sakura, what's up with you and Ino?" Naruto asked. "She was late for a security meeting and said it was because she had an emergency meeting with you at the hospital. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. We sorted out the situation," Sakura said evasively. "Is there an issue with security that we need to know about?"

"Oh, nothing too worrisome," Naruto said. He pointed his chopsticks towards Sasuke. "You're still planning to be the Shadow Hokage to my Hokage right?"

"Shadow Hokage?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto protects the village from within, keeping his glowing golden boy persona. I'll protect from the shadows," Sasuke explained.

"With his brooding, sour disposition," Naruto added. "I know you and Orochimaru aren't exactly best buddies, but I think you get along somewhat. We're going to need an update about him. He won't talk to anyone else."

"We do not get along, but there is respect," Sasuke said. "Aoda ensures that there is peace."

"It's really amazing that the three of you went separate ways and yet all ended up training under the Sannin," Hinata pointed out.

"Here, here to the the mad scientist, the pervert, and the drunk," Naruto said, holding up a cup of sake. His teammates clinked their cups to his.

"Speaking of Team 7, I heard Sai is adjusting to being Head of Anbu," Sakura said.

"I don't consider him part of Team 7," Sasuke grumbled.

Sakura pat his shoulder gently. "Too bad, because he is. And he makes Ino happy, so be nice."

Both Sarada and Boruto began to giggle.

"What are they laughing at?" Hinata asked, her brows creased in puzzlement. "You'd think they were watching some silly puppet show or something."

"Very odd," Sasuke murmured, dropping his gaze to his plate. He knew exactly who they were laughing at. He couldn't see Itachi, but he knew his spirit was there. If he activated his Rinnegan, he'd be able to see him, but his friends and wife would be rather suspect. Who needed to hire guards when he had the greatest Uchiha warrior he knew watching over his family?

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