Sakura's Great great Grandfather

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After Sasuke left, Sakura tried to ignore the sadness that started growing in her heart. It felt like she'd spent most of her life missing Sasuke, but that was an exaggeration. They were twenty-one years old, and of that time four and a half years he'd spent away from the village. So percentage wise, it wasn't that bad. She should not be greedy. Her husband was committed to her and their family, but he had talents and was the only one that could discover threats to Konoha outside of the border. Naruto's old Master Jiraiya did the same as had Itachi Uchiha. Konoha always had someone working outside the borders keeping the village safe — it was just harder when that someone was your husband.

It had been a few years since Sakura last toured the hospital in Sand — shortly before she and Sasuke reunited. In that time, the facilities had greatly expanded and the mental health clinic had only been an idea. Now she stood in the lobby, tears in her eyes as she stared at a life-size statue of herself with a a miniature slug of Katsuya on her shoulder with a plaque naming her as founder.

"It's before hours," Gaara explained. "Normally, there are children posing by the statue and taking snap shot photographs."

"Snap shot photographs?" Sakura asked. "What do you mean?"

Gaara looked over at her in silence as he processed her question. "Do you not have photographs in Konoha?"

"Of course we do, but you have to stand still for several minutes while the photo is captured," Sakura explained.

Gaara nodded. "I see. That is old technology."

"Sakura-chan, we have snap shot photos too," Naruto's clone protested. "It's just expensive. Sasuke had a picture of him and Itachi in his locker when we were kids. And at my wedding? You remember that person walking around pausing at people with a bright flash?"

"The interviewer?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, him. He was taking snap shot photos," Naruto explained. "And there was another time, after the war, before Sasuke left? Remember when we were all at that picnic and Sai was walking about pausing by everyone, telling them to smile? He was taking snap shots."

"I didn't realize….," Sakura trailed off. She felt pretty stupid for not realizing there was a device to take non-formal photos.

"Sasuke took a picture of the two of you with him when he left the village after the war," Naruto added.

"He did?" Sakura was surprised. She shook her head and tried to focus on the tour. "I'll work with the hospital director here and see what exactly they need from me," Sakura said, turning back to Gaara. "I brought some papers about the techniques I've had success with and will be happy to share them with the clinicians here."

"That would be great." Gaara led them inside the clinic to tour the first floor. The walls and floors had a calming color pallet and there were plenty of rooms for one on one therapy sessions as well as group therapy. There was even a space for yoga and meditation. "Um, this room we have goat therapy."

"Goat?" Sakura asked. "The little goats? You tried it!"

Gaara nodded. "It sounded like an interesting idea when you pointed it out last time. The miniature goats wander around the participants and bring an added measure of calm."

"This place is really incredible, Gaara. I'm impressed with what you've accomplished," Sakura said.

He gestured towards her pregnant belly. "Would you like to meet my son?"

"You're married!?" Naruto's clone exclaimed.

"No. I adopted Shinki," Gaara explained. "He's five. Perhaps one day I will marry, but I have not found a partner as of yet." He looked back at Sakura. "Not all of us were blessed with a devoted childhood love. Your husband is a lucky man. I can still remember flashes of our battle in the last Chunin exams. His focus on making sure you were protected was beyond that a concerned teammate even then."

"Hmph, well you could have fooled me and Sakura then. Sasuke has always been hard to read," Naruto complained.

"Sasuke has very strong feelings for very few people," Sakura explained. "He struggles to express those feelings with words, but his fierce protective nature is generally the easiest way to tell."

"So, basically he only cares about you and Naruto?" Gaara asked.

"And his daughter and sometimes Master Kakashi," Sakura added. "And sometimes his old Hawk teammates. "

"That is very sad," Gaara said. "Come, my son should be doing his daily stretching this morning. We should join in, but first, I wanted to show you the Genealogy lab."

"The what?" Naruto's clone asked.

"Genealogy, it's where you can trace your ancestors," Sakura explained. "Like if you did one, or well, the original Naruto, we'd find evidence of the Namikazi and Uzamaki clans within your blood. You can use mitochondrial DNA and go back really far — thousands of years even, but that's only on a maternal side because that always comes from the X gene from your mother. You father gives you a Y gene if you're a boy and an X if you're a girl."

"That's certainly a simplified explanation," Gaara said.

"This is Naruto, he prefers simple." Sakura hooked her arm through the Shadow Clone of her best friend's crook of the elbow.

"Careful, with that monster strength of yours, you'll pop me out of existence," the clone warned.

"Sakura, I am curious. Do you know if your heritage includes any ancient bloodlines?" Gaara asked. "I've been impressed with your growth over the years. It actually inspired me to train more. You and Rock Lee without any prominent family both growing leaps and bounds between the Chunin exams when we first met and when you came along to help my family against the Akatsuki."

"My father is a Genin and my mother is a civilian," Sakura said. "As far as I know, there's nothing unique. I just trained under the legendary Lady Tsunade Senju."

"I see. And yet your strength is on par with the Fifth Hokage and you're a Slug Sage. Shikkotsu Forest is a foreboding place." Gaara gestured towards the seal on her forehead. "Your Mitotic Regeneration has been fascinating to several of the scientists here. It is not unique to you and your master, but it hasn't been used in a few thousand years either." He pursed his lips. "I think there is more to your blood than you know."

Sakura gestured towards Naruto's Shadow Clone. "It is intimidating that Sasuke can trace his lineage all the way back to the Sage of Six Path's eldest son Ishura and the Uzumaki clan goes all the way back to the younger son, Ashura. My surname, Haruno, means Spring. There's nothing intimating about Spring."

"If you are willing, I'd like to take a sample of your blood. We have machines that can see any DNA markers that have been linked to any other predominant clans — not just the ones from the Leaf," Gaara explained. "There's been immigration between the Ninja lands for as long as there have been people. My genealogists could have an answer for you within a week's time."

"I think you should do it, Sakura-chan," Naruto's clone said.

"Alright," Sakura agreed. It might be fun for her children to know if their mom had any interesting ancestors. She still felt insignificant compared to others. Sasuke had been burdened by his family name. She knew there were whispers about her when people see her pregnant with more of Sasuke's brood. She might have a good reputation as a kunoichi, but plenty shinobi didn't feel she was worthy of being the Uchiha matriarch. She didn't have the impressive chakra reserves as an Uzumaki like Karin nor the nobility of a Hyuga like Hinabi.

Sasuke didn't like eating in public, because he could hear when people gossiped and didn't like being the source of debate. He'd assured her that his love for Sakura had nothing to do with whom her family was — but how much she'd done for him. She'd always been there to support him — a rock to build a foundation, not the fickle sand that crumbles when a home is built. She was his home.

"I can see your mind is churning," Gaara observed.

Sakura blushed. "Yeah, just thinking about the times Sasuke tried to assure me that it didn't matter who my ancestors were. It was me that he needed, not some overrated bloodline."

"Let's get to the DNA thing over with. I want to see the goats!" Naruto's clone enthused.

"The lab isn't far from here," Gaara said.

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OoO

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A week had passed, one of Naruto's Shadow clones was dispelled by an errant mini-goat's horns, but the others still remained. It was really impressive that he could sustain his clones for such a long duration. Sakura had spent most of her time at the hospital, observing and organizing. She assisted in a few surgeries — showing techniques she learned and making sure other's could perform them. Sand's progress in the past four years was truly astounding.

Medicine, unlike other talents, was meant to be shared. She didn't want to hoard her knowledge, but share it with anyone that could learn it. Those feelings of usefulness went a long way to quell the complex she'd developed in her Genin days. No matter how much she trained and grew, she'd still have flashbacks to those times.

Gaara and his top Genealogist wanted to meet with her to go over the DNA test. They'd found something interesting. Kakashi and his delegation would be arriving that afternoon. The various guests for the Chunin exams had already started arriving. Naruto and Shizune were back home running the Hokage office and hospital, while Shikamaru also managed to be joining Kakashi. His wife, Temari, had been insistent that he come.

Sakura sat in a plush leather chair inside Gaara's personal library. There were maps framed along the wall of the continent and beyond. Her gaze locked on the map showing the distant land where the Nakayama lived where Sasuke was traveling. On a map, it didn't seem that far away, but in reality it was a great journey.

Gaara and the Genealogist entered, the latter wore a long white coat and round glasses, her hair was a spiky white blond and there were purple paint lines on her cheeks. "Dr Haruno, meet Dr Kesseki- she's my brother's fiancé," Gaara explained.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Haruno!" Kesseki said, clutching a folder tight against her chest. "You're a hero to Sand! Thank you for all you have done! Thank you for saving Kankaru's life!"

"It's nice to meet you, Dr Kesseki." Sakura said, standing and gesturing towards the folder. "Does this mean you found something interesting?"

Gaara and Kesseki exchanged looks.

"You're going to want to sit down for this," Gaara recommended.

Sakura did as suggested.

"I thought we would just get a generic hit, see if there was trace of one of the renown bloodlines in the shinobi world," Kesseki explained. "We have a pretty large database that our Shinobi have collected over the various wars. Bloody kunai usually being the predominant source." She looked over at Gaara and he gestured for her to continue.

"Okay," Sakura said. "I know Sand and Leaf had several skirmishes over the generations."

"There is a lot of non-shinobi blood in your DNA, but there is also evidence of a very strong bloodline coming from your great great grandfather," Kesseki said.

"So someone during the time of Konoha's founding?" Sakura said. "Before that time, our village was mostly just neighboring clans — no real cohesive identify."

"Tobirama Senju," Gaara interrupted. "From your mother's side."

"Whaaaaa?" Sakura's mind raced. "The Second Hokage? He didn't have children. He never married." And he hated the Uchiha.

"Well, he didn't marry, that is true. There's no reason to assume he never fathered any children. Could be the mother found out she was pregnant after he died," Kesseki said. "The science is clear. I know this is personal, but I wanted to know if you perhaps had any difficulties conceiving with your husband. You being married to an Uchiha is a fascinating development considering the history between the two clans."

"We suffered two miscarriages," Sakura admitted. "After our daughter, we lost two in the fourth month."

Kesseki nodded and wrote something on the inside of the report. "That makes sense. There were several markers of conflict between the Uchiha and Senju bloodlines. Any offspring that survived would be insanely powerful."

"So that's why I could master the Mitotic Regeneration and Shizune couldn't?" Sakura wondered. "I should probably talk to Katsuya about this."

Kesseki gestured towards Sakura's midsection. "We could do further testing about your children if you'd like. See how much Uchiha and how much Senju DNA they have."

Sakura's hand fell protectively over her belly. "No thanks. DNA is interesting, but I still believe hard work is more important than any bloodline."

"Agreed," Gaara said.

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OoO

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It had been a week since he left his family. Sasuke trudged onward towards the distant land of Nakayama. He'd created a flute using his earth chakra and every afternoon he spent about thirty minutes trying to play the song his mother would sing to him about Spring. It had been many years since he played the instrument — Sakura and Naruto had no idea he could play, no one living did. Though, even when he'd been alive, his father hadn't even known. It had been a secret between Sasuke and his mother and his grandmother.

His maternal grandmother had been a musician in her younger days and she taught both his mother and him how to play the flute. It was impossible to play with only one hand, but with his renewed attempt with the prosthetic it was possible. It would be nice to teach his daughter how to play, or at the very least not piss off the Otsutsuki he'd be meeting in a few weeks. He only used his Rinnegan once about three days ago. He would use it to skip over great distances, but he couldn't exactly travel halfway across the world.

His mind flashed back to the battle with Kaguya. He'd been separated from Naruto, discarded into a desert wasteland of a world when in the distance he'd seen Sakura and Obito. The kunoichi was too far away while he ran towards her the portal had been closing and so he'd did an old trick Kakashi had taught them — substitution. He'd changed places with her flak jacket. It had been the first time he had touched Sakura in years. She'd done the impossible. She'd grown into the most powerful kunoichi of their time and traveled between worlds with a former enemy and found him in the abyss. He remembered the look they shared — an unspoken love, stronger than any proclamations.

It didn't matter if there was a woman more beautiful that Sakura. He wasn't with his wife for her looks. Though, he thought she was quite pretty. No one had done more to save Sasuke than Sakura. The kindness and determination within her heart was incomparable. His relationship with Naruto was a yang-yang of opposite powers, but with Sakura — it was magnetic. No matter how far he traveled, they were always drawn back together. She was his home and the only time he truly felt at peace was in her embrace.

"You know, you really shouldn't fall asleep in the middle of the forest," Itachi chided.

Sasuke looked up blearily. He was still sitting in the forest, legs stretched out, flute across his lap, the residual of his lunch siting beside him. "Am I asleep then?" Sasuke asked, meeting his brother's dark eyes.

Itachi nodded. "Day dreaming about your wife apparently."

Even in his dream, Sasuke could feel his cheeks warm.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "You've been married for three years! You're still going to blush?"

"What do you want?" Sasuke barked. "I set up a chakra perimeter. I do have to sleep occasionally." He stood in his dream. "Is everything okay with Sakura and Sarada?"

"Sarada is asking for both you and Sakura. She actually awoke a tome and incinerated the family photo at the house," Itachi explained.

"What? She's not even three!" He looked around, willing himself to see home, but there was just the dreamscape of a forest. "Is she okay?"

Itachi shrugged. "Minor burns, Shizune treated her. No evidence of the injury. Though, it was decided that she needs to stay with a shinobi and not her civilian grandparents. Kakashi is going to send Sakura back early."

"Where is she now?" Sasuke demanded. "Maybe I can backtrack until Sakura gets home."

"You won't have time," Itachi argued. "Sakura will be on her way. For now, Sarada is being watched by Naruto and Hinata."

Sasuke relaxed. Naruto and Hinata were a good option. But without that family photo, all Sarada will have is the old team Taka photo of Sasuke. Would she remember him when he did get to return home? "Did, um, Mom ever sing you a song about Spring? Like before bed?"

"Ah, yes, it was a sweet melody," Itachi recalled. "When I was on the battlefield back at four years old, I would often hum it while killing enemies."

"That's very disturbing," Sasuke said.

Itachi shrugged. "So is a four year old being sent to battle." He hopped onto the lowest hanging branch of the nearby tree and swung his legs back and forth. "Why do you ask about the song?"

"I'm trying to remember how to play the melody on the flute," Sasuke confessed. "I need some kind of unique offering for my meeting."

"Ah, so you're relearning the flute? You were really good as a kid. Dad and I often talked about your talent," Itachi said.

"Dad knew too?"

"Seven year olds aren't very good at keeping secrets, Sasuke," Itachi pointed out. "You're fine to keep sleeping. No living souls around for at least fifty kilometers in any direction. You've chosen a hard life, little brother."

"It was more this life chose me, big brother," Sasuke said. "Before you go, do you know the origin of the song? Did grandmother make it up?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, it's older than that. Supposedly, it originated shortly before the founding of Konohamaru. Apparently, after the death of their youngest brother, Tobirama Senju had approached a soothsayer. She'd told him that the Uchiha would be the end of the Senju. Come Spring, the Senju would be no more and the Uchiha would prevail."

"That's what the song is about?" Sasuke asked. "That's ridiculous."

"The song was written as a cheap shot," Itachi explained. "It's a pretty melody, but the subtext is basically trolling Tobirama."

"Weird," Sasuke murmured.

"Agreed." Itachi stared off into the distance. The dreamscape's sky shifted from daylight to night, stars glittering in the velvety darkness. Itachi started humming the melody and then added the words.

Sasuke settled back against the tree and listened to Itachi's quiet singing. It was a pretty song about Springtime. It didn't make sense that it was some sort of insult against the Second Hokage.

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