"Are you going to kill me?"
Apparently, she failed to keep her thoughts to herself and blurted out her worries. But still, this was a reaction she did not expect. Madara was laughing. There was a somewhat mischievous glint in the elder's eyes as he looked at her once again.
"Is that how you see me? That I will go as far as orchestrating a murder?" The Uchiha patriarch was clearly amused, studying the pinkette's every move.
Sakura did not respond, choosing to avert her eyes instead. The carpet looked to be interesting at that point. And certainly, this was a conversation she was not ready for.
"Let me clear things for you, Haruno-san. You surely don't want the money and power Sasuke has. You're a renowned doctor yourself. So, I'm under the impression that you want nothing but to be with your child. And I am not going to take away that. I'm not that heartless." Sakura's eyes slightly widened at that, choosing to ignore the fact that he basically judged her. But of course, things could not be that simple with the Uchihas.
"However, the minute you overstep that boundary, I can't say there won't be any consequences." Madara's voice was deep, sending chills to her entire body. "Haruno-san, I might not be a murderer, but there's a reason why people fear me. I am powerful; I go way back. I started Uchiha Enterprise by myself, and I even turned my back on my best friend to protect it. You surely understand why I'm doing this." He looked at her pointedly. All the amusement from the elder's face disappeared and he paused to study Sakura's reaction.
When Sakura remained silent, Madara took that as a sign to continue. "You're aware that our family upheld our traditions and practices highly. And that we preserve our pure lineage. You must know by now where I'm getting at."
At that point, Sakura did not bother to say anything, but her mind was in a mess. Her thoughts kept on spiraling; she wished nothing but for this conversation to be over.
"Again, I may not be a murderer, but there are things I can do. Your hospital? You might not get to work there anymore. Or your license? It can easily be revoked. You worked hard for it, right?"
This time, Sakura raised her head, and bravely looked at the elder.
"Is that a threat?" Her emerald eyes throwing daggers at him.
Madara chuckled once again, ignoring her outburst. "No. I'm just stating facts." He shrugged before continuing to explain the process of changing Sarada's surname to Uchiha, and that she would also be enrolled in a special academy to ensure that she will get the best education out there. Soon, they will also announce her existence in the world. But she should not worry too much because they will protect her and Sarada.
Sakura fought the urge to punch the man. He already decided everything, and he was just informing her. And to make matters worse, he proceeded to tell her why he did not get too mad when he found out about Sarada. "To Fugaku, yes. I was livid. But to Sasuke? No. Sasuke was young. 19 was the age you make a lot of mistakes. He's still an Uchiha. One of the best and talented in our clan."
Insinuating that what happened between her and Sasuke was nothing but a mistake was like a slap on her face. She clenched her fists tightly, counting one to ten to calm herself. Fortunately, she did not have to wait that long because Sarada was already asking for her mother.
"Go ahead. Just think about what I said." Madara instructed.
Sakura stood up from her seat and politely bowed her head although she was fuming inside. She left the room and never looked back.
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With Madara overseeing the company again, Sasuke was mostly caught up with work in the office. It's only been a few days since Sarada's birthday, and he hadn't had time yet to discuss everything with Sakura. He put a hand on his temple to massage the area. He felt like so many things were happening at the same time, and he couldn't control anything.
He could not help but wonder about what Madara told Sakura. And when he asked her, she wouldn't tell him anything. It was frustrating, to say the least because he was doing his best to figure out everything, to keep her and Sarada safe. But he couldn't do it when she was acting like this.
Moreover, they had an internal meeting with a few of the shareholders in the morning, and Madara wants to have the Hyuugas sell their shares to the Uchihas. Madara was firm in his decision, but Sasuke knew the Hyuugas were valuable partners. It was stressful and hectic, to put it mildly.
On top of these, he was barely getting any sleep. Every night around midnight, he would go home with Sarada already fast asleep. He would watch her for a few minutes, adjusting her blanket, making sure she was comfortable. He would kiss her temple and leave. Only then, he would go to his room, check his emails once again before preparing to go to bed. He would wake up before sunset and go to his office.
It became a routine. He wasn't even sure if he's eating at the right time. Tons of documents to sign, files needed to review, meetings after meetings. He's exhausted.
His mother and brother were worried. And they would tell him how Sarada often asks for him and Sakura. But he couldn't do anything about it. Madara kept on moving up the deadlines for everyone, and Sasuke would make sure everything will not fall apart.
His secretary knocked on his door lightly, interrupting his musings. "Mr. Uchiha, I'm sorry, but there's an urgent meeting with the suppliers this afternoon. Madara-sama arranged it." Karin carefully placed the documents on his desk.
Sasuke groaned in response and sighed. "Fine. You may go now."
He glanced at the time on his laptop and got even more irritated knowing he'll have to skip lunch once again to prepare everything. He promised Sarada to go home earlier today. How many promises will he have to break before his daughter gets used to this?
He quickly called his mother to tell the bad news.
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Sarada's smile turned into a frown upon hearing her Papa not being able to go home earlier. She felt the tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them.
Her Grandma was looking at her sadly. "Sarada-chan, Papa and Uncle Itachi were just busy. This weekend, okay?"
Mikoto was trying to cheer her up the past few days. They got busy cooking and playing together, but her granddaughter was getting lonelier every day.
"Grandma, I miss Mama and Papa. I miss Uncle Itachi. I miss Aunt Ino. Do they not love me anymore?" Sarada whined, not used to the fact that both of her parents were not around for a long time.
"No, of course not, dear. Why would you say that?" Mikoto hugged the little girl. "Let's do something different today, okay? How about reading your storybooks? Your Mama gave them to you, right?"
Sarada shook her head. Mikoto continued to suggest almost everything. Even the maids tried to cheer the girl up.
"I want Mama and Papa."
Mikoto sighed. That's when the idea occurred to her. Mikoto, herself, always wanted to do this, but hiding Sarada stopped her from doing so. But now that they will reveal Sarada's existence soon, she saw no harm in doing so. She made a mental note to make a few calls in advance to make sure though.
"How about shopping with Grandma? We can buy lots of cute dresses, toys, whatever you like and we'll eat ice cream. I won't tell your Mama. We're going to have so much fun together!" Mikoto announced loudly. "Is Grandma not enough, Sarada? Do you really want your Papa?" For a final push, Mikoto pouted dramatically.
It worked instantly. Sarada reassured her grandmother how she loves spending time with her. And of course, the ice cream part did the trick as well.
And that's how Mikoto and Sarada found themselves in the mall, entering different shops, buying the latest blouses, skirts, dresses, and even hair clips. Mikoto also took pictures while Sarada was fitting everything. Her granddaughter really is the cutest girl ever. She would make sure to send these pictures to Sasuke and Sakura.
Three guards were shadowing them, but it didn't bother Mikoto that much. They were not taking any chances in case someone took pictures of her and Sarada, after all.
Sarada held her grandmother's hand firmly, smiling at her. And Mikoto smiled back.
It was not the first time she thanked the heavens for her granddaughter. But is it too much to have Sakura part of the family too?
She honestly loved Sakura. She'd seen how she grew up and blossomed. She is very kind, smart, and beautiful, too. No wonder her youngest fell for her.
Oh, of course, Mikoto knew. She is his mother, after all. There is nothing her children can hide from her. It was times like these she wished she could do something for them. Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada deserved better than this. She wanted them to finally be happy.
She shook her head, shifting back her attention to Sarada. For now, she would support them in any way she can. Mikoto found herself smiling contentedly seeing Sarada back to her cheerful self.
The day turned out to be better than fun.
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Sakura stretched her arms and yawned widely. She took a nap in her office and now her back ached. She stood up from her seat and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes. She couldn't say she was surprised.
Kiba had also been pushy the past few days; she was really flattered. However, it only added to her stress. That was the reason why she asked Tsunade for more patients to look after. Tsunade, of course, reminded her again to be careful, but Sakura assured her mentor that she was fine.
The hospital had also become her home for the past few days. She missed her daughter more than anything, so she poured her time and devotion into her second love: healing.
She tried not to think back to what happened on Sarada's birthday. Worrying will not solve anything. For now, she would perform surgeries, mend bones, and attend to all her patients.
Finding her new resolve, she fixed her hair and dialed her secretary's phone number.
After a few rings, a soft voice greeted Sakura. "Dr. Haruno? I was just about to call you, but I know you were having your break."
Frowning, the pink-haired medic asked the young woman. "Why? Is there something wrong? Am I needed for an emergency?"
The secretary laughed lightly. "No, not to that extent. A patient is waiting for you outside. But I said you were still on break."
"What?! You should've woken me up! Send the patient over! For how long they've been waiting? Send the medical records to me now."
It didn't take long before a knock on her office alerted Sakura. "Come in."
A middle-aged man with spiky silver hair and dark grey eyes greeted her. Kakashi Hatake waved his hand, his eyes gleaming. "Yo! Sakura! How is my adorable student?" Sakura knew her old teacher was smiling behind his mask.
"Eh? Kakashi-sensei?! Are you the patient?"
"Yes. Sorry, for the trouble. My eyes had been bothering me the past few days."
Sakura smiled widely in return. "You know I'm a pediatrician. And well, you're not a kid anymore." She teased her old teacher knowingly. "But fine, it's been a while since you visited. Take a seat."
She proceeded to ask routine questions as she examined his eyes. "Looks like you've been exerting them lately. Do you still read that novel until dawn?" Sakura frowned, to which Kakashi only chuckled nervously.
"You should take it easy, Kakashi-sensei. You're not getting any younger. You may even need to wear glasses if you do not take care of your eyes from now on."
Sakura scribbled down some notes to his medical chart before Kakashi chose to break the silence.
"So, how is Sarada? It's been so long since I'd seen her."
Sakura smiled. "She's growing up fast. It feels like it was just yesterday when I gave birth to her. Now, she can already do a lot of things on her own. But of course, she's still clingy."
Kakashi nodded. "Time indeed flies fast. Just look at you, Naruto, and Sasuke. You're all successful now. I couldn't be prouder."
"I still have a long way to go, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura replied politely.
"How about you and Sasuke?"
Sakura's smile vanished instantly. "What do you mean? It's the same."
Kakashi sighed. "That kid. He really is stubborn and clueless. Even more so than Naruto."
Sakura chose not to respond and instructed him to buy some medicine prescriptions in the pharmacy on the ground floor. "For now, you need this specific type of eye drops. If the pain worsens, I will ask Shizune-san to check up on you. She's more experienced than I am when it comes to this."
"Thank you, Sakura. It's nice to see you."
"Any time, Kakashi-sensei. Just be more careful, okay?"
As soon as Kakashi left the room, Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. If you only knew, Kakashi-sensei. What a pain in the ass loving your favorite student.
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A/N: Yaaas! We finally got into 200+ followers, everyone! Thank you all so much!
A short chapter, yes. But I assure you, a big one is coming next chapter! Thanks again for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated.