Sakura sat outside on the patio of Konnie's apartment. She had hoped to be in there with Naruto but neither expected for Konnie to have a fit, saying Sakura looked too much like Kura. It made the situation all the more difficult for Sakura to process and soon found herself overcome with guilt. It just wasn't sinking in...she was the same as Kura yet completely different and each time she thought about it, Ino would always make her way into Sakura's head.

She shook her head once more, her eyes down casted and her hands behind her back in a modest position. That's what Kura would do, blame Ino. Kura wanted Ino so bad, like it was his life and maybe it was Sakura not coming to terms with the reality of her feelings. But she had tried...she had tried but Ino was rejecting her-there she went again: blaming Ino.

Her eyes rolled and she sighed. To her, maybe it was time to go to the west. Naruto was focused on the incident that took place between Boruto and Kawaki, Boruto being that of an Ostuski now and well, Kawaki being his revengeful self still. Then she thought about Sarada. Something was happening with Sarada...Sarada and her eyes. She was training hard and getting powerful, using and truly utilizing the sharigan. There was so much Sakura didn't know about the history of the Uchiha but she was aware of the blindness...

Sasuke was able to lock into the most powerful eyes of his clan, a circulation that combined the Uchiha and the Hyuga...Sarada could surely be just as powerful and maybe heal herself from any blindness she may face-

Sakura turned around, thinking of such things made her even more depressed. She looked at the closed door of the apartment, wondering what the two were speaking of. Wondering if Konnie knew just how sorry she was.

Karuma was nice enough to lend his power to heal Konnie, not needing to do much because Sakura did most of it, but the look of Kura made Konnie anxious and Naruto politely asked Sakura to leave.

The tea was nice and warm, a bit sweet, but he showed his gratitude to her as the two of them sat across from one another.

"How did you two meet?" Naruto asked.

Konnie blushed, still in awe the Hokage was in her home.

"My job. He would come in a lot and order the same food."

Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgement then, Konnie witnessed his eyes become somewhat sad...sorrowful even.

"I can tell you really love him...but..." he cupped the tea in his hands, first looking at it but then held up his head firmly and met her eyes. "Just because you love someone, doesn't mean you should be with them." Naruto began to talk from experience.
He loved his wife and family and yet, "I've seen it so many times: a woman marries a man out of honor. A man marries a woman out of obligation." Konnie listened, feeling every word the Hokage told her, but his words ended with that. "Do you like ramen? I know a place hiring and I think you'd be a good fit!" His smile wide and eyes closed, he wanted to get Konnie away from Kura. He wanted to get everyone, every woman away from Kura...but he would fail at this makeshift mission he gave himself, and he knew he would. He wanted to focus on Kura and help Sakura contain him like he had to contain, befriend Karuma but there was just so much he needed to put his power and strength in: Ostuski, Kawaki, and even more so, Boruto.

Sakura and Naruto walked in silence, destination, they hadn't any clue...they simply walked. And with the falling of the sun and rising of the moon, they finally came to a stop under a street lamp. Both focused on the moths flying near the bulb, listening to the insects hit the object with a strong desire to be with the light source brought some what of a tranquility to the their silence.

"...Sakura..."

"..."

"I...I don't think I'm going to be here for long." He kept his eyes on the bulb, not wanting to meet the emotion going through her eyes. "I received a report from Orochimaru's lab and those pills have the same power running through Boruto."

Sakura digested those words. Naruto was saying that along side the chemical compound of the pills that were being implanted in the west, and trafficked to the east, and with confirmation-Ostuski was behind the pills, it meant they had someone or many in the west hiding and living amongst the population.

"Why do you say that...?" Sakura asked her best friend.

He was silent for a moment, as if trying to put his own words together but as the sadness swept over his eyes, Sakura knew he was serious. And...and she didn't want to talk about it any longer. It was a conversation they didn't need to have at that moment. She wanted to say one thing though.

"I have dreams sometimes and in them Boruto is wielding Sasuke's sword and his cloth. Where you are...Sasuke is...and with Sarada's blindness..."

"We don't know if she's going to become blind-"

"I don't want her to lose him so soon. She just met him this year. He was gone for a whole 12 years of her life!" Their eyes finally meeting and Sakura hated it. She hated her eyes were becoming water filled, and she was getting upset. Sasuke was gone for the first twelve years of Sarada's life and to think he was to leave once more, and for good? It was too much. "I need to play basketball."

She was about to perform the jutsu when Naruto stopped her.

"We need to talk about that soon. It's time for you and Temari to depart to the west."

"Hinata is strong as Nata. I can feel her chakra." Sakura said.

Naruto shook his head. "She has two kids, one who is now an Ostuski. And...and Nata is only powerful when Tenten is around. She's infatuated with her when she's Nata."

"Tenten likes Nata...and she doesn't know it's Hinata yet...does she?"

Naruto blushed, a small smile came to his face. He closed his eyes and lower his head. "I want her to be happy since I don't know how much longer I have he-"

Naruto slammed against the wall of a nearby store, one that was closed and in which he'd have to write a tax off for. He slowly rose to his feet, completely understanding why the pink haired woman glared at him, her fist closed and in her fighting stance. She simply wanted him to stop talking so silly. For that moment, he would comply, placing his prosthetic hand on his inflating cheek.

There were numerous duties each party had to prepare for and complete prior to departure to the west. Each with their own checklist that mostly consisted of the mothers interacting with their children. Sakura with Sarada and Temari with Shikadai. For Temari, her relationships were of norm of any mother in Konoha, but Sakura was plagued with so many wonders when she trained with Sarada. Sarada preferred to train with Kura and Sasuke. Saying Kura was stronger and faster in a diplomatic way that wouldn't offend Sakura, it was true...Kura was all that more powerful.

Then something strange happened. Sakura and Temari had been playing basketball that night as Kura and Mari, and with Rock Lee. They would split up into teams of one on two, practicing for about two hours until all three decided to call it quits. As of yet, Rock Lee hadn't received any notice of what teams Kura and Mari would be drafted to, but he was sure Naruto would relay the news to him within the coming days. Rock Lee was still unaware Kura and Mari were Sakura and Temari, at least as far as they were aware. They've gotten better at the sex transformation jutsu, being able to withstand it for several hours at a time due to their high chakra amount. Still, after Mari and Rock Lee had left the basketball court, Kura saw Nata walking to him.

"Sakura..."

"Uh..."

She had caught on, Sakura didn't ask how Hinata found out, she only listened to what she was going to say.

"I'm too embarrassed to ask this as Hinata..I wouldn't dare ask this as Hinata." Hinata was feeling froggy and she was going to jump.

"Yes," Sakura said putting the basketball under her armpit.

Without hesitation, "...I need you to terminate Tenten's baby."

The ball dropped to the ground, bounced a few times and rolled away. That was what took place that night after Temari and Rock Lee had left for the evening.

Sakura thought back to those words as she stood alone on the basketball courts further in the night, Hinata had since left some time ago. In just a few short weeks, she was to go to the Hokage's office and get ready to depart with Mari and two kunochi, hitch a train, a ship and then to the west.

Sakura made a deal with Hinata, one she wasn't proud of. She told Hinata, she would find a way to terminate Tenten's baby if Hinata persuaded Naruto to assign Ino as one of the kunochi; thereby, dismissing the restraining order placed on Sakura.

She never asked Hinata when her and Tenten were intimate, well when Nata and Tenten were intimate. She didn't ask if Naruto was aware. She just knew Hinata wanted it gone and she was willing to do what she could to see to it. And that meant doing Sakura's bidding so as she could see Ino-be with Ino...

The ball struck the rim, missing and landing onto the black asphalt before bouncing onto the grass.

What was Sakura doing? She was going to terminate a baby without the mother's permission just to be with Ino, just to have Ino on that mission with her!

Her eyes adjusted to the night, her stomach growling, telling her it was time for her after practice burger at the burger joint where Konnie no longer worked. She was curious to know whether her brother was still a fan of Kura. With time, would tell. All that was on her mind was seeing Ino...Ino...Ino...Ino.

xxxx

AUTHOR's NOTE: Next chapter, May 2023.