Chapter 3 : Price of Doubt

"Sakura-chan, Marry me," Hak's deep blue eyes sent shiver to her spine. The faces of her husband and her daughter came into her mind. But, the idea of having a husband who's mostly present and being a lady was really alluring for her.

"Hak, are you crazy? I'm a married woman with a daughter," Sakura replied him while standing up from the bed and walked to the bathroom.

"Sakura-chan, you know i'm a crazy man," Hak quickly caught her and hugged her from the back, Sakura could feel his warm body pressing behind her and his big arms on her chest. Why does something so forbidden feel so good? She thought.

"You can just divorce that ninja who neglects you and your daughter all these years and you can take your daughter to Kouka, and we'll live happily there," Hak talked to her. The word divorce echoed in her mind. She stayed quiet with her fingers touching the tall man's arms.

"Take your time, Sakura-chan, it must be hard for you, i'm still here for a pretty long time," Hak let go of his hug.

"And you have to know that i'll always be there for you," Hak whispered to her ear before letting her go to the bathroom.

Winter was the time when Sakura parents would visit their daughter's house. Kizashi and Mebuki went inside the Uchiha house and put their coats on. The dinner was already served by Sakura and Sarada.

"Itadakimasu!" Said Sarada, while picking her chopsticks to eat the foods. The others picked the chopsticks and ate their foods as well. It was quiet until Mebuki opened the conversation "Sarada, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Though lately it's kind of boring because the i've been helping nanadaime with his paperwork, i actually have to go back to his office to finish some of the paper works after this dinner" Sarada answered, while munching her foods. Her grandparents could only smile to her.

It was really quiet afterwards. They did not talk at all. Kizashi and Mebuki realized that there was something wrong with their daughter. Sakura usually would talk even when she was extremely exhausted. They knew that there was something wrong about their daughter.

"Thank you for the foods, i'll be going now," Sarada stood up, picked up the foods and washed the plates and glass before she left.

Once there were only three of them, Kizashi and Mebuki started talking.

"You're having problem with that rogue ninja, right?" Kizashi opened the conversation. Sakura did not even have any guts to look at her father's eyes.

"You're always a dumb girl. Choosing to marry that rogue ninja who left you all alone with his daughter," Mebuki added, Sakura was so used to her parents complaining about her choices, especially her choice of man.

"I heard he came back for the joint training but let me guess ... he left again right? For maybe another year before he showed up only for one or two night," Kizashi said before taking another sip of the green tea.

"Papa, could you please stop slandering my man?" Sakura talked back to her father, with her angry green orbs staring at her father.

"You never realize how dumb you are, right? Raising an Uchiha child alone this far! I wouldn't have let you marry him if you weren't pregnant with his child that time!" Kizashi's tone was high, he shouted to his daughter. "The only thing good from that Uchiha man was the Uchiha money, which meant nothing because you're actually a head director of hospital now," Mebuki scoffed, causing Sakura to burst in emotion.

"Yes!i'm a dumb woman! Are you satisfied now?" Sakura shouted back at her father. Tears came out of her eyes.

"Sakura, wipe your tears! What's done is done! Even if you divorce that rogue ninja, you won't be able to marry anymore, you will be an almost 40 years old widow, no one's going to marry you," Mebuki took out the tissue from tissue box and gave it to her.

"There's another guy who proposed to me," Sakura surprisingly told her parents. Both of them were shocked when they heard that.

"What do you mean?" Kizashi asked his daughter with confusion in his face.

"My marriage with Sasuke's falling apart for at least a year already, i cheated on him and he doesn't know it and the guy whom i cheated with told me that he loved me and he wanted to marry me," Sakura explained, with tears rolling from her eyes.

"Who is this guy again?" Kizashi asked Sakura, with confusion in his face.

"He's Son Hak from Kouka, general of wind tribe," Sakura replied her parents. Their chopsticks were falling on their plates.

"You'll be a lady of Kouka! Oh my God! You should just divorce that useless husband of yours and marry that general from Kouka!" Mebuki's eyes were sparkling, she was speaking with so much spirit in her tone.

"We'll take Sarada with us if she doesn't want to come with you to Kouka!" Kizashi told her daughter. She was shocked at how much they hated Sasuke.

She felt her burden just grew even heavier. She still looked sad, she stayed quiet. Sakura felt guilt wrapping her whole body. She had just fornicated in the Uchiha household, in their bedroom. She loved Sasuke, she did not want to just throw away 16 years of marriage.

"I don't know," Sakura replied her parents. Her fingers were grappling the edge of her top.

"You really are a dumb woman. You're always a dumb woman. Do you not realize what your "love" had done to you? He left for years, leaving you when Sarada was still a very young child, do you not remember when you asked me to come to your house to help you to take care of Sarada because you could not juggle working and taking care of a child? He only showed up whenever he wanted to! Left whenever he wanted to! Do you realize what kind of marriage you have?" Her mother was shouting at her, Mebuki did not like Sasuke not only because he's a rogue ninja but also because on how he treated her. Sakura became a married "single" mother and nothing made sense to her. Husband and wife should stay together and a loving husband wouldn't leave his wife alone with his child most of the time.

"He was on missions! He had to do it to protect Konoha!" Sakura replied, defending her husband with fury. "Do you really believe that reason? The war is over and deep in your heart you know that he did not have to do it that often, that he could have come home much longer before another mission," Mebuki added, the words were like a slap to Sakura, she once thought that way too but she kept on denying it.

"Sakura, you wouldn't have cheated on him if you had a happy marriage with Sasuke," Kizashi's voice was cold and stern when he replied his daughter.

"We'll rest at the guest room. We know this is a hard matter for you. But, i hope you'll think about it," Kizashi held his wife's hand and pulled her to the guest room with him.

"Strike!" "Halt!" "Strike!"

The joint training featuring Kakashi, Sai, Hak and Jaeha as the supervisors of the training had to end earlier because of the blizzard that day.

Hak and Jaeha spent their evening eating ramen at Ichiraku. When those two handsome men entered the

restaurant, all the women's eyes were on them. When they walked to the counter, even the woman who was at the counter blushed when Jaeha's eyes met hers.

"Is ... is there anything you want to order, mister?" Ayame, the Ichiraku ramen's owner's daughter was blushing like crazy. Jaeha looked around to see the menu, his sight stumbled into the Hokage's face eating the ramen and there's also the picture of his wife eating the ramen.

"I believe that a pretty lady like you knows what's the best ramen for a tourist like me," Jaeha said to Ayame, causing her to blush even redder.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience that's caused by my friend, we're just gonna order what the Hokage usually orders, just make it two bowls please," Hak interrupted Jaeha's and Ayame's conversation while pointing to the hokage poster at the ramen restaurant. Ayame could only nod and processed the purchase.

Both Jaeha and Hak sat facing each other. While they were waiting for the ramen, Hak scolded Jaeha "Can you not flirt with any girl in front of you?"

"Can't help it. I adore beautiful woman," Jaeha replied with his flamboyant manner, Hak could only sigh with the reply from his friend.

"These are your ramen, mister, hope you'll enjoy it" Ayame herself gave out the bowls to Jaeha and Hak. Both of them could see that there were extra cutlets at their bowls. "See? Flirting has its own benefit," Jaeha boasted while taking the extra cutlet with his chopstick.

They were busy eating and enjoying the ramen until out of nowhere Jaeha opened a conversation with something "You're still fucking Sakura, right?" Jaeha's words almost caused Hak to choke. He had to take his glass right away and drank the water.

"Can you not talk it out loud?" Hak replied the green haired man. "Guess it's a yes," Jaeha said in relaxed manner. "You smell like her most of the time, you should be grateful that her husband's not around," Jaeha said to Hak while continuing eating his ramen.

"I'm going to marry her," Hak said while taking another ramen noodle from the bowl with his chopstick.

"Are you nuts?" Jaeha almost choked. "Her husband is one of the country's assets, and he is a very powerful ninja who is very close to the hokage!" Jaeha was bewildered at Hak's unchanging facial expression.

"More like a dickhead who neglected his wife and daughter for years and only comes home when it's convenient for him," Hak added, while adding more chilli powder on his ramen.

"You could have severed Kouka's and Fire Country's alliance if either you or Sakura's husband is dead. You know Queen Yona favored you so much and she would definitely be really angry if you're dead in the hands of Fire Country's Official Shinobi and vice versa for the Hokage and Sakura's husband," Jaeha explained, while eating another cutlet. Hak suddenly stopped eating. His blue orbs met Jaeha's purple eyes. "Don't worry about it. I'm not as stupid as you thought i'd be," Hak said sternly. Jaeha could only sighed at how insane Hak was.

With Sarada being extra-busy and Sasuke being out of the town, Hak and Sakura met up for almost everyday. It felt like honeymoon phase again for Sakura. They fulfilled their carnal desire like two rabbits on heat.

At one moment, they agreed to go to the expensive private onsen together, with each room having their own mini onsen.

Sakura had 3 days off and Sarada was out of the town for a mission with Naruto and Shikamaru while Sasuke was somewhere she did not know.

Hak also took 3 days leave from the joint training, leaving his group to Jaeha to take care the soldiers.

Sakura was incredibly relaxed and happy during that moment. The couple booked a private dining room with bottles of sake and soju. Sakura was wearing soft pink kimono and leaning on Hak's shoulder. She was wearing nothing underneath her pink kimono, Hak could peek inside her kimono to see her soft skin of hers.

"I've never felt this happy for long," Sakura was drunk, her face flushed and her words were slurred. She uncontrollably turned her position around, she faced Hak's face and had his waist berween her legs, then she kissed him with so much lust, with her tongue intertwined with his. Hak agreed with the kissing but when Sakura tried to touch his crotch, he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Haaaak, are you not aroused by me? Why are you becoming Sasuke? I don't like it when a man rejects my invitation to make love," Sakura slurred her words, she was so drunk that she couldn't control her behavior.

"Sakura, we're in public place, let's go to our room if you really want to make love so badly," Hak then pushed her and carried her bridal style. He then opened the sliding door using his foot.

When he got out of the private dining room, he saw a familiar face who was looking at him and Sakura, a young boy with spiky blonde hair came out from another room, with a girl with purple straight hair. They were wearing their regular working outfit. Not slouchy kimono like Hak's and Sakura's. Indicating that they were on missions together, not on some sexual trips.

Shit. It's the Hokage's son.

Hak quickly turned his back and walked away from them. He wanted to avoid unnecessary drama.

"Auntie Sakura!Uncle Sasuke!" Boruto shouted, while waving his hand to the air. Fortunately for Hak that Sakura only hummed, she was completely drunk that night. He quickly ran to their bedroom with her in his arms.

Hak then lied down beside her after making love to her inside their bedroom, putting her head on his arm and hugged her. Hak could see tears came out of her eyes. "Sa ... suke ...," The man's name exasperated Hak when she slurred it. "Why ... did ... you ... leave ... i ... love ... you," In her drunken post orgasmic state, she was weeping for her husband while she was naked in the arm of another man. Hak felt even more irritated when he heard her husband's name, he put a blanket on top of her and then washed his body in the bathroom.

The warm shower calmed him and the solitude made him questioned his affair with Sakura. Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. Was he only her replacement for her dickhead husband? He hated every time anyone said Sasuke, especially when Sakura said it. Why did Sakura even stay with such man? He neglected his wife and daughter for years, he probably only used the word "mission" only as an excuse not to do his responsibility as a husband and father. She even said that she loved him.

Remembering the man's smug face made Hak wanted to just punch that face of his. But, he remembered what Jaeha said and he knew that it'd stupid to risk an alliance just for a fist fight.

Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sumire were tasked to do a mission regarding to the illegal substances in involved in the onsen business of Konoha. They were investigating few onsen resorts. One of the suspected ones was the luxurious onsen that's located near the mountain. It's proven that that luxurious onsen was not involved in the illegal substances business. But, Boruto still looked like he's wondering about something in their way home.

"Why would Uncle Sasuke and Aunt Sakura run away from me?" Boruto was walking with his hands behind his head.

"Boruto, i don't think it's Sasuke-san," Sumire commented with her hands fiddling on her hair.

"It's one of the Kouka generals," Mitsuki commented. He remembered because he was at the Kouka Joint Practice and Orochimaru often said at how strong that "man with raven hair" would be if he took the chakra seal.

"What are they doing here?" Boruto questioned his friends. "Boruto, isn't it obvious?" Sumire replied to Boruto, she felt amused at his naivety. "What's obvious?" Boruto asked back. "They were wearing the onsen's kimono, he was carrying her bridal style and both of them were drunk, and he walked really fast to get away from us, they're having an affair," Mitsuki said, calmly, in flat tone. Leaving Boruto surprised and shouting "What?!" in disbelief.

Note :

One part, Sakura still loves Sasuke(she spent her life chasing after him, and then she got him as her husband and the father of her child) while another part of her yearns for what Sasuke can't give her, his presence and Hak definitely could give her that.