Sasuke is jealous of a ghost

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Twelve hours after her near-death experience, Sakura was on guard duty with her husband. The rain continued to fall, but the wind and rate of precipitation had both slowed. Since she'd awakened, there had been no further sightings of her brother-in-law's ghostly form. Itachi Uchiha didn't seem a likely person for her conjure up in her imagination. She didn't interact with him when he was alive. Naruto told her stories about him and of course Sasuke had shared some of his complicated relationship. There was no logical explanation.

Sasuke stood near the entrance/exit of the cliff dwelling and scanned the horizon. Apparently satisfied by whatever he saw, he walked over to join Sakura. "Are you sure, you're okay?" he asked, sitting next to her and dropping his arm around her back and pulling her close. The babes stirred within her womb, excited by the sound of their father's voice.

"It's just surreal. I've grown so much stronger and then I'm knocked out cold by a rock." Sakura shook her head. She couldn't quite figure out the likelihood that a stone would hit her at just the right angle with just the right force to render her unconscious. She suspected it had to do with her chakra flow during pregnancy. The increased vascularity of her body applied to her chakra circulation as well as her blood. She must have sensed the emergent nature and instinctively redirected her chakra into protecting her unborn sons.

"It's one of many reasons why pregnant women shouldn't go on dangerous missions," Sasuke pointed out. "We were lucky with Sarada."

"I don't plan to have our children in Sunagakure," Sakura cautioned. "I will wait for the rainy season to be over though."

"It was hard traveling far with Sarada," Sasuke agreed. "And I won't be able to share baby-carrying duties with you." They were silent for several minutes, enjoying their shared space as they both stared out towards the rain, senses keen to notice anything amiss. "I hope you know, I'm frustrated."

Sakura angled her face to look up at him. His dark hair covered his left eye, his right eye was onyx — the Sharingan was deactivated — and stared straight ahead. "Sometimes, i wonder, if you hadn't been so stubborn and followed after me last time, I would never have mustered the courage to commit a real relationship with you. I didn't think I was worth you, I still don't." He looked down at her, meeting her gaze. "I know you'll protest that I'm worthy and that your love for me is true and deep. That doesn't change my feelings of self-worth. I have done so many bad things, Sakura — really, really bad things. I got a clean slate thanks for my efforts at the end of the Fourth Great War, but you, Naruto, and Kakashi are the only ones that know the whole story."

"And yet, you said you were sorry and you meant it. The three of us know you better than you know yourself it seems. You were a lost little boy and needed better guidance than what you received. I'm still not sure why the Third thought another couple of lost and emotionally scarred orphan boys were going to help enough. You're not a man of many words, and when you speak, it's with sincerity. That's why we vouched for you. You repented and truly re-evaluated," Sakura said.

Sasuke was silent and let his gaze drift back towards the exit, his arm still tightly wound around Sakura's smaller frame. In his mind, he'd understood the Third's reasoning. Team Seven did have three emotionally scarred and traumatized boys, but it also had a wholesome caring and overly optimistic girl with a temper that he, Naruto, and Kakashi all needed in their lives. He'd told Sakura this before, so it didn't bear repeating. She never appreciated her role in their team. When they needed someone to protect she served that purpose. She didn't have the street smarts at first, but she had all the possible book smarts. She passed the written section of the Chunin Exam without any issue. His and Naruto's strengths and rivalry and Kakashi's subsequent abandonment motived her to train. Her fierce protective nature of him and Naruto caused her to never give up. And later when they needed someone to fight alongside in the Fourth War, she finally showed up 100%. Sasuke had barely acknowledged her when they met up again, but when her Strength of a Hundred seal materialized and her accumulated power was revealed, he'd finally seen her as a comrade and not someone to protect. It became clear as he fought alongside his old teammates that Naruto and Kakashi had seen her in that same light for years. Those two still always took her side against him. And of course, at the end of the battle he'd managed to lock Sakura into a genjutsu (an extremely hard feat given her natural resistance, but he'd created a very powerful one just for her) so he could do a villainous thing (which he didn't think was villainous at the time) and Naruto could stop him, placing each other on death's doorstop.

"He never told me what exactly he did at the end of the War," Itachi said. He materialized behind Sasuke, his form translucent, yet distinct. "I'm not sure if he told you about how I defeated Kabuto and his Edo Tensei. I trapped him inside a special genjutsu, only he could free himself after he re-evaluated his life and changed his ways." He gestured towards Sasuke. "I'm real. He cannot see me right now."

"Itachi—before he died— again, and I worked together to defeat Kabuto after he cast the Edo Tensei," Sasuke explained. He hadn't heard Itachi, but apparently the brothers had been thinking along the same path. "He'd brought to mind a time when as boys we had defeated a large boar that raided our clan's fields. I had repressed my positive memories of being with Itachi for so long, but it all came back. I loved my brother so much and that's why I hated him so strongly for so long. Itachi didn't defeat Kabuto through death, he found a way to cause Kabuto to reflect and decide to change his path. I would have died at the start of that last battle if Kabuto hadn't showed up on the battlefield."

Sakura tried to avoid looking at Itachi, unnerved by the fact that she was indeed seeing a ghost. She didn't want to say anything in case any of their fellow shinobi were listening. She'd have to wait until she was somewhere private with her husband. "I didn't realize how close you had been to dying at that time," she admitted.

"You were busy," Sasuke said. He pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "If I remember the battle report correctly, you were busy pumping Naruto's heart in your hands and breathing air into his mouth. None of us had more than the smallest fractions of our chakra at the time."

"If my chakra control wasn't as precise, I couldn't have done it," Sakura said. She shivered, thinking back to the terror she felt, thinking Naruto would die and that it would be because she couldn't save him. "Gaara was right there with me. We raced to Minato's Edo Tensei with the hope that Kurama's other half would help."

Sasuke hugged Sakura one last time then released his arm from around her. "Yeah, I guess we do kind of owe the Kazekage for that." He stood and moved back towards the entranceway and began to pace.

Itachi paced alongside him. "He's still upset that his match with Gaara at the Chunin exam was disrupted," Itachi explained. He glanced over towards Sakura, his dark eyes twinkled in amusement. "It bruises his ego that he's still technically a Genin, as is Naruto, while you've been a Jonin for years."

"Maybe you can ask Gaara for a rematch?" Sakura shifted her gaze towards Itachi briefly, before settling on her husband's pacing profile. "If I remember correctly, and of course I do, because I was obsessed with you when we were kids, you defeated him in the Chunin Exams. If it hadn't been for Orochimaru's untimely interruption you'd have been promoted at that time. Shikamaru and Neji both technically lost their matches and were promoted."

"I don't care about rank," Sasuke muttered.

"My apologies for interrupting," Sai said, stirring from his cot and moving to sit next to Sakura. "Technically, this year, the Chunin exams are in Sand. Their rules are a little different than in Konoha."

"That's true," Temari said. She shoved aside her sleeping bag and started stretching alongside her cot. "If you have two jonin from two separate villages, unrelated to you, that sponsor you and then you challenge someone of a higher rank and defeat them, you then may claim their rank."

"So if Temari and I sponsored Sasuke and then he challenged someone of higher rank and defeated them, he would then become that rank," Sai said.

Sasuke turned his back towards the rain, a very faint smile crossed his lips as he turned his attention between Sai and Temari. "So you would sponsor me if I challenge Gaara? Finish our match from ten years ago?"

"You won that match," Temari admitted. "Gaara would love a rematch!"

"It would be nice to be a higher rank than Naruto," Sasuke mused.

Sakura burst into laughter. "I can just imagine, Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage of Konoha — Genin!"

"Even in Konoha,the Chunin Exams can be passed alone. I did it myself when I was ten," Itachi pointed out. "I rarely had a team for anything."

"Your brother passed the exams when he was ten— without a team," Sakura added. "I'm not sure it's a great idea you and Gaara challenging each other."

Sasuke stared at her a moment, seemingly caught off guard about her reference to his brother. "Are you worried about all the healing you'll have to do after we go all out?" he asked.

"That's definitely part of it," Sakura said. She wandered back to her cot and slipped under her covers. "Since my watch is over, I'll be over here, sleeping."

It wasn't long after that Sasuke pulled his cot next to hers and settled beside her, looking directly at her face. "It would be fun to challenge Gaara. When I win would that make me Kaze rank?"

"You're already Kaze level, Sage ranked, this is all just a technicality. I know you don't care about your rank necessarily, but I want stories to tell Sarada and the boys about you. We lost a lot of time and I feel our memories are only a precious few," Sakura whispered.

"This would be an unorthodox and fun way to earn a rank promotion," Sasuke said. "I didn't realize you knew so much about Itachi."

Sakura shrugged. "It's amazing what sorts of things you pick up when you just listen and read."

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OoO

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Naruto sneezed and absently rubbed his nose across the sleeve of his inner elbow. "I feel like someone is talking trash about me."

"You're just being superstitious," Kakashi said. He stacked another sheath of papers and set them in the outbox. "I think we can call it a wrap for the day."

"Do you think they made it to Sand yet?" Naruto asked. He popped his neck to either side, loosening the stiff ligaments. "I definitely want to be Hokage, but it does stink that you can't leave the village much in the role."

"It's definitely a downside," Kakashi admitted.

There was a brisk knock at the door. Shikamaru entered and saw the stacks of signed documents and his baseline scowl softened. Standing just behind him was Yugao Uzuki, an Anbu level Jonin that had started spending more time at the hospital since peace had descended at the end of the Fourth war. Kakashi knew her from his days in Anbu, she'd taken over Itachi's place on Team Ro. She'd been the one on his team that discovered Sasuke as a child, the lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre.

The death of her lover, Hayate Gekko, and subsequent being resurrected by Kabuto and having to fight him, had caused her to fall into a deep depression and she was only just recently starting to recover some of her former luster.

"I hope you're not bringing more work. We were just about to head home," Kakashi said. Naruto had just started to rise from his chair but sat back down heavily, stared at the two new shinobi in exhaustion. "His wife has been begging him for a date night and his sister-in-law agreed to watch Boruto."

"I just received the weather report, a very bad rain would have impacted our team. I'm still waiting for confirmation when they reach Sand," Shikamaru explained. Since his wife was on the mission, he was just as invested as Naruto and Kakashi.

"I'm just here to report the hospital is functioning fine. Sakura really has created an easy to follow algorithm for keeping things tidy," Yugao said.

"I'm surprised you're the one running the hospital while Sakura-chan is away, no offense," Naruto quickly added.

"None taken," Yugao assured him. "I was surprised when she and Sai approached me with the position. She didn't want anyone person to be burdened with the role, so it's being shared pretty even between me and Shizune. Today starts my week in charge. Lady Tsunade was quite clear that she was retired." She set a paper bag on Kakashi's desk. "It's from the hospital cafeteria, Lord Hokage. Sakura also has included in the algorithm that you are to be brought a healthy meal at least four times per week, though once per day is preferred."

"Wow, that's really thoughtful. But nobody brought him anything last week," Naruto pointed out.

Yugao chuckled. "That's because Shizune was in charge last week and Lord Hatake said something that pissed her off. Though this rule isn't specific for Kakashi, it's specific for whomever the Hokage or Hokage assistant is."

Naruto smiled. "That's my Sakura-chan! Always thinking about others!"

"Indeed," Shikamaru mused. "Enjoy your dinner date with Hinata, Naruto. I just need to speak with Kakashi a moment."

Naruto didn't move. "I'll stay a while longer. I'd like to hear more about the rain."

"I'm heading home now," Yugao said. "Caio guys!" Her long, violet hair flowed behind her as she left, closing the door securely.

"She's nice. Why don't you ask her out, Kakashi?" Naruto asked. He opened the paper bag and took out a nice, warm butter roll.

Kakashi snatched the roll from Naruto's grasp. "Mine. You're having dinner with your wife. And Yugao is Hayate's girl."

"Hayate's been dead for a while," Shikamaru pointed out. "Unless you're planning to tie the knot with Guy, which there's nothing wrong with that, your choices are becoming limited to a very few amount of women that would be willing to put up with you and most of them are widows. Kurenai's a nice woman too."

"How late are they?" Naruto asked, circling back to their friends en route for Sand.

"So far, they're only a day late," Shikamaru admitted. "I'd suggest we give them until the end of day tomorrow. If they're not there then, it might be good to send a secondary team after them."

"That's not necessary," Kakashi protested. "We're talking about two-thirds of Team Seven, six Jonin. They'll be fine."

"Technically five Jonin and one Genin whom happens to be S level," Shikamaru argued.

Naruto's nose wrinkled as he was reminded of his lowly rank as a Genin. He really should do something about that one day. "I'll send two clones out in the morning." He looked towards Kakashi. "Does that work for you?"

"That works for me," Kakashi agreed. He bit into the roll and hummed in delight. "Now, go see your wife."

There was a timid knock on the office door. Kakashi opened the door himself. Yugao smiled at him briefly and then held a second paper bag of food that she shoved towards Shikamaru. "I forgot you'd be needing dinner too with Temari on a mission. There's enough for you and your son—just in case." She bowed briefly and then left again.

Shikamaru took out a roll and bit into it. "I like her."

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