A/N: I decided to come full circle and end this story on the one year anniversary of when I first shared it. This final chapter is pretty long, but wraps up everything with a nice bow and I kinda like ending on chapter fifty. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Enjoy! i appreciate all the comments/reviews/likes/favorites.

Chapter Fifty: Discovering Family

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Sakura

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With a heavy heart, Sakura hugged Sarada close to her. The whole family had woken up early for a big breakfast. Her daughter smiled up at her, dark eyes big and affectionate.

Sarada patted Sakura's cheek. "It's okay, Mama. Papa says you have an important mission. I'll be okay!"

Then suddenly Sasuke was crouched behind Sakura, pulling her and Sarada into his warm embrace. He'd grown in the months she'd been missing and easily held her and Sarada both against his larger frame. "We'll be here when you return," he whispered quietly into her ear.

"Please, talk to Naruto," Sakura said turning her face towards his, meeting his onyx and lavender eyes.

"Okay," Sasuke agreed. "And you do the same with Kakashi. He —really cares about you." He pressed his forehead against hers. "No matter what happens, we'll always be family." He leaned back a bit and his eyes flickered between her and their daughter. "I still want to marry you."

"I can't make any promises," Sakura said quietly.

He nodded and released her and Sarada. Their daughter brushed a kiss to Sakura's cheek and then flung herself at Sasuke's knee and clung to him like a barnacle. Sarada smiled wide at Sakura. "Bye, Mama!"

Not trusting herself to speak, Sakura nodded. A moment later, Naruto flung himself at her and hugged her in a bone-bruising embrace. He walked her to the door and she secured her travel pack over her shoulder and headed to the Hokage tower.

A short while later, Sakura stood in the Godaime's office with Kakashi and Shizune. Master Tsunade had gone over their mission parameters, given Sakura the sealed Rinnegan eye for the xenotransplant, and special visas for Amegakure. They had an hour before they had to head out. As they were dismissed, Kakashi waited until they were in the hallway to speak to Sakura.

"Are you packed and ready to go?" Kakashi adjusted his gloves absently, avoiding Sakura's eyes. He seemed nervous compared to his usual cavalier attitude. Maybe Takashi took after his father in more ways than just good looks.

"Yes, I just have to pick up my pack and I'll be set to meet you at the gate," Sakura agreed, wringing her own hands. She was feeling all out of sorts, just returned home and sent on a mission with her apparent future husband when they'd not even had a first date.

"You should take a detour to the civilian market," Kakashi suggested, meeting her eyes with his visible dark thunderstorm grey, his hitai-ate covering Obito's Sharingan. "I owe you that birthday date." He extended his hand towards her, fist closed. "Hold out your hand."

Curious, Sakura did so and felt Kakashi drop a heavy bag of ryo in her hands. "Find something for a fancy restaurant that's comfortable enough for dancing. My treat. Happy seventeenth birthday."

Sakura weighed the bag of currency. For such a notorious tightwad, this was very generous. "I'm eighteen."

He leaned close, his lips brushing over the shell of her ear, the nerves she sensed earlier completely gone as Kakashi oozed confidence. "I have something different in mind to celebrate your eighteenth." And then he flash-stepped away, leaving the smell of ozone in his wake.

Sakura shivered in anticipation. With a smile on her lips, she used her water chakra nature to mimic the mist body flicker and find an outfit for their date night. Given her time crunch, she went to Ino's place first and together they would find something that would knock Kakashi's flat on his back — hopefully — in a good way.

"You came to the right place," Ino said, opening her door and ushering Sakura inside.

"We really need to hurry, Ino. I have less than forty minutes before I need to meet Kakashi at the gate," Sakura explained. "I need a pretty dress — something that will make me look gorgeous and make him realize I'm not a little girl, but a mature woman."

Ino snorted. "You could wear Naruto's old hideous orange tracksuit and look gorgeous." She grabbed Sakura's hand and hauled her towards her bedroom. "And there's no need to go shopping." She opened her closet and pulled out a pink glittery gift bag with pale green tissue paper poking out the top. "Here. Happy birthday!"

Feeling overwhelmed by Ino's thoughtfulness, Sakura dug into the gift bag. There were several items inside. The dress was perfect for spring. It was white and lacy with a sleeveless bodice and and a skirt that would fall just above her knees. "It's beautiful," Sakura murmured, rubbing the soft material between her thumb and index finger.

"Keep digging, there's more," Ino explained. "There's shoes and very sexy underwear— it's all white. You'll have to get jewelry from one of your boyfriends though." She tossed back her long, blond hair imperiously. "I love you, but I'm not made of money."

Sakura started to reach for the pouch of currency Kakashi had given her. There was still some time to run to the market. "I should get something for Kakashi."

"Do you honestly think you can find something for him in thirty minutes?"

"Hmmm." Sakura studied the white, lacy underwear. "Why white?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Because you're the oldest virgin in the group. All those years wasted on Sasuke — that boy hasn't shown even the remotest interest in anyone." She huffed out a puff of air. "Though, he and Kakashi both were very hot and bothered when we were looking for you those first few months. I honestly thought they were going to kill each other. Sasuke's like a little brother, right?"

Sakura gaped at her closest girlfriend. Did she really think Sakura was a virgin? She'd had a baby! With Sasuke! She was actually pretty damn good at sex. Though, she'd only been with one person, considering how competitive that person was — they'd been really good at it. It might have been a while — but still. "What about you? So you and Sai finally?"

"Oh, ages ago. We were together back around that trip to Rain," Ino explained dismissively. "Honestly, I thought maybe you and Kakashi would have gotten together then, but I guess the age difference probably scared him off. Which is ridiculous, my father is twelve years older than my mother." She flipped her hair again. "Seriously, the two of you have been dancing around each other for years. It was super inconvenient you getting kidnapped."

"Yes, very inconvenient and inconsiderate of me," Sakura scowled. She carefully folded the dress back into the bag, trying to avoid getting glitter everywhere. She was failing miserably. How do you catch a ninja trying to be stealthy? Use glitter. "This is really beautiful," Sakura said indicating the dress and trying to tamp down on her feelings of irritation. Ino was helping her, she didn't need to snap at her. "Though, I'm not a virgin, Ino."

"You and Kakashi?" Ino's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"No!" Sakura's cheeks burned. "Not yet," she corrected, more calmly. "It doesn't matter." She closed her eyes, she didn't have time to defend whether or not she had experience to Ino.

"You have got to tell me everything!" Ino gushed, grabbing Sakura's wrists and pulling her close. She narrowed her eyes. "Or I'll go into that brain of yours and pull out the details."

"As if you could," Sakura scoffed. Ino had tried to root around in Sakura's head before, but she'd had a mental barrier to the intrusion of the Yamanaka's technique. Ino was only getting in her head if she let her. "I missed Kakashi's birthday too while I was gone." He didn't care about materialistic things, other than his precious books. "I need a new pair of gloves," she murmured. "I can get him a new pair too."

"You should buy a nightgown he'll appreciate," Ino advised. "That will be present enough for him." Her eyes lit up. "Oh! I bought this for Tenten's bachelorette party — she and Neji are getting married this summer. I suppose you missed that announcement. But I can get her something else." Ino reached into the back recesses of her closet and shoved another bag at Sakura. This one was an electric blue glittery bag. "You're lucky those boobs of yours finally grew. Otherwise, this gown would just fall right off that old flat chest of yours."

Sakura inhaled sharply through her teeth, she was not going to react to the off-hand insult. She looked past the tissue paper and found a pale lilac nightgown that left little to the imagination. "Here, take some of this and get her a new one from the both of us." She dumped several of the coins into Ino's hand.

"Go get your gloves and meet your man at the gate. I expect you to tell me everything when you get back home, you understand?" Ino started to usher Sakura out of her house. "And I mean it, Forehead. I expect to hear all the details of your prior experience and this trip! Everyone knows Kakashi Hatake is a beast in the sheets. Half the village would kill for a night with him. I bet you didn't even have any sexy underwear. You're lucky you have me." Ino continued to frog-march Sakura out of her house. "I can't believe you've been holding out on me!" She covered her mouth and her eyes grew wide. "Does Naruto know? Did you tell him and not me? Was it him? Did you sleep with sunshine boy? You two were always suspiciously close."

Sakura stored the clothing into her storage scroll and tucked it away inside her pack. She was careful to not make any promises to Ino. "You, Naruto and Sasuke are my best friends," Sakura said, careful to not say whom might know more than others. "It's not a competition."

Ino's eyes narrowed.

"Just because you can read minds, doesn't mean you should know everything about everyone," Sakura continued. "It doesn't mean I don't love you. It just means that some things are for me to know and not you." She hugged Ino to her. "We don't have to know every single detail about each other's lives, okay? It doesn't mean we're holding secrets, just that we're being private — and that's okay. Boundaries are healthy."

"Yeah, I guess," Ino agreed with a frown.

"I'll see you when I get back," Sakura promised. Then she made haste and visited the weapons' shop Tenten often worked at with her grandfather. She would get a new pair of gloves for both herself and Kakashi. Since they had their sizes on file, it didn't take but a couple of minutes to acquire and gave her a chance to congratulate Tenten on her engagement. The brunette beamed and gushed about how Neji had proposed and how Hinata had convinced her father to allow Neji to marry outside of the clan. Hinata and her sister Hanabi had worked together to make Hiashi Hyuga promise to stop placing the Caged Bird Seal on the branch members. Apparently, Hinata's new girlfriend had been a very positive influence on the Hyuga clan.

With five minutes to spare, Sakura waited at the village gates and chatted with the on duty guards— Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee. It was good to chat with them both and she congratulated Neji on his impending nuptials. He'd surprised her, lifting the leather band under his hitai-ate to show her his seal-less forehead. She'd been so happy for him, she'd surprised him with a hug.

Sakura's heart felt heavy, leaving so soon after returning. So much had changed in the village while she'd been accompanying Obito for the past many months. However, she felt confident that Sarada was in good hands and was looking forward to this mission with Kakashi. And she knew that Obito would start to get the help he needed and would at the very least be kept secure under Anbu.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted, appearing at her side. His relaxed stance and casual posture so normal, that it almost made Sakura weep for joy.

"Hi," Sakura answered, tucking her hair behind her ear and feeling ridiculously shy considering she'd been standing right beside him just an hour ago. Though, that was before Ino had given her the underwear and nightgown.

Kakashi gave her a curious look and cleared his throat. "Ready?"

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back home," Sakura reasoned.

"True," Kakashi agreed. He studied her a moment longer and then brushed his thumb over her cheek. "You have glitter on you."

A thrill of electricity shot through Sakura at his touch— warm, gentle, strong all at once. "Yeah, Ino gave me my belated birthday present. The gift bag was very glittery."

He nodded. "Let's head out." Then he took off. Sakura followed closely behind him, determined to be every bit the jonin she was now classified as and keep up.

Four hours passed before they took their lunch break. It had been surprisingly easy to match each other's pace. She handed out the bento boxes Sasuke had packed for them that morning. He was a surprisingly good cook and when he was nervous, was often in the kitchen.

Kakashi laughed as he looked over the meal. "So, Sasuke made this, huh?" Kakashi asked, letting his mask fall to his throat and taking his time in eating for once. "He sure likes to include a lot of tomatoes."

Sakura stared at him, chewing her wrap carefully, studying his face. It was unusual to see him so unguarded, especially without a great tragedy having just occurred. They felt relatively safe, his ninken were patrolling during their break. "Yeah, he wanted to make sure we were well fed. Though, I think he was just feeling anxious and irritated. He cooks when he's feeling upset. It calms him."

"It's good," Kakashi murmured, popping the last morsel into his mouth and grinning at Sakura with his mouth full, lips pressed together, and cheeks slightly puffed out. He definitely still had those dimples. A moment later, his mask was secured back in its usual position and he stared off into the distance. "So, did you find a nice outfit for tonight?"

"I did." Sakura gave him a sideways glance and smiled at the intensity of his gaze. "You'll have to wait and see it."

"Hmm." Kakashi hummed and did one of his familiar eye-smiles. "I have a feeling there's going to be more glitter. So what did Naruto want to talk about? He hasn't been talking to me much lately."

"Oh, um, mostly his feelings for Sasuke and how he wants to have children," Sakura said. She didn't think Naruto would mind if she told Kakashi, but she wasn't going to proclaim his thoughts to everyone.

Kakashi tapped his long fingers over his right knee, drawn up to his chest while he stretched his left one out in front of him. "I see. After meeting Sarada and Takashi, I can understand why such things would be on his mind."

"Hinata and Karin asked him to help them father a child," Sakura explained. She reached over and covered Kakashi's hand with hers.

Kakashi's hand stilled under her touch. "That sounds awkward." He flipped his hand over and pressed their palms together, entwining their fingers tentatively squeezing their hands together. "These gloves are new," he observed.

"My old ones are several hundred years in the past. And I've got an alternative," Sakura explained. "For Hinata and Karin."

"Okay, so what's the alternative?" Kakashi asked squeezing her hand gently.

"Pain. The amber-haired man is an avatar. He's actually a powerful red-haired man who's been gravely injured and mostly immobile. He's an Uzumaki. I saw him when Obito took one of his Rinnegan eyes. I'm going to ask him," Sakura explained. "Ask, that's all."

Kakashi nodded. "Alright, but then how does that help Naruto have kids?"

"Well, Sasori and I worked together on IVF techniques. It's not uncommon in Suna. Naruto could take on his feminine form, I could harvest an egg, Sasuke could donate his portion and then a woman would act as surrogate, like Karin did for Mitsuki," Sakura explained.

"You know Sasuke would only let one person carry his child," Kakashi pointed out.

Sakura shrugged. "If my partner was okay with that, I wouldn't mind volunteering." She swallowed. She'd enjoyed the feeling of nurturing a life within her womb. The hard part of being a surrogate would be disconnected from the child after birth, but that wouldn't happen if the child was Sasuke and Naruto's — she'd still be a part of their life.

Kakashi raised her hand, bringing her knuckles to his mask-covered lips. "So long as it's after we've got ourselves all settled. I'd be okay with that."

Sakura nodded. "Takashi didn't mention anyone other than the twins, but that doesn't mean there isn't anyone else. Sarada was better at keeping things secret about the future."

Kakashi grinned, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles idly. "Takashi is such a great kid."

"He really is." Sakura smiled, studying their joined hands, counting all the fine white lines of Kakashi's countless scars. She wanted to know each every one and the story behind them.

"Incredibly handsome and smart," Kakashi added.

"He takes after his father," Sakura murmured.

"Damn straight," Kakashi agreed. "And his brilliant, kind-hearted mother."

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OoO

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Sasuke

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It was early afternoon and Sarada was taking her nap along with the son of Itachi and Izumi. Sasuke had the next couple of weeks off from any sort of mission— there was a rule that at least one parent would be in the village when a child was less than three years old. The Godaime had decided to enact the rule now that Sakura was sent on a mission to Rain and officially recognize Sarada as Sakura and Sasuke's daughter.

During the mission to track down Sakura, the rule didn't apply because it was assumed that Sarada was the child of Itachi and Izumi.

Sasuke had to admit, Tsunade Senju was a shrewd woman. He hadn't been particularly eager to take up an Anbu mission so soon after finding Sarada's mother. Sarada did need one of her parents.

It was incredibly frustrating to have the mother of his child returned, only to have her sent off on another mission. Was it too much to ask that she could stay for at least a week or two and catch up with her daughter and her exboyfriend/baby-daddy?

So much had changed since he last saw Sakura. He had the powers of a god! He and Naruto could control the entire ninja world if they were to fight side by side with the powers of the original Sage of Six Paths. Their daughter was amazing and he could see the fascinating blend of both himself and Sakura within Sarada's looks and personality.

He had wanted to talk to Sakura, see what it would be like to be around her, now that they'd had time apart. He missed her. He missed her so. Much! Then, Sasuke saw that boy with the unmistakable blend of silver and pink hair.

Sasuke did not like Takashi Hatake. He didn't understand how such a person could exist. He would be eighteen in just two months and he could finally marry like he had intended. And now Sakura was going to be gone for at least two to three weeks on a mission with Kakashi Hatake. And at some point, the two of them had a child together.

Well, if Sasuke had any questions about how such a person existed, he suspected a mission with just the two of them could certainly play a role. And he also had to deal with Naruto. He was pissed that Naruto stayed over with Sakura last night. Sasuke already had to deal with Kakashi stealing away his daughter's mother, but now he had to deal with Naruto as well?

He raised his hand in front of his eyes and watched as purple lightning flickered to life. It was a pretty cool technique, even if he had to learn it from that arrogant, overly excitable boy from the future. "Fucking Takashi," he mumbled.

"Hey, why are you scowling?" Naruto asked, sitting beside Sasuke on the dock.

"I'm just worried. Sakura should have been given more time to recover," Sasuke pointed out. "It's not fair to Sarada."

"She'll be back," Naruto assured him. "And she was promoted to jonin. We should be glad for her to have this opportunity. There's a huge bump in pay between chunin and jonin missions."

"This is simply an opportunity for that porn-reading asshole to get her into his bed," Sasuke growled. "That Senju woman hates me and is determined to keep us apart." He turned towards Naruto, his eyes flashing in anger. "Did we ever tell you about the time we literally stumbled upon that promiscuous pervert and some random woman having sex in an alley?"

"Well, maybe he was overcome with passion," Naruto suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. "Didn't you and Sakura-chan get together that night? Maybe you shouldn't judge. Kakashi didn't exactly have a rosy, perfect childhood like you did. He's been through a lot of trauma."

"Yeah, Sakura has always been hell-bent on trying to fix broken people." Sasuke sighed and let the purple lighting flicker and then sputter out over his hand. "But this is different. I actually care about Sakura," Sasuke glowered. He elbowed Naruto in the ribs, smirking when Naruto whined in pain. "What about you and Hinata?"

"I'm not interested in Hinata," Naruto said quietly, frowning. "And she's got a girlfriend now, so…."

"Hn," Sasuke huffed, not really caring one way or another about the Hyuga girl. He didn't care for anyone in that pretentious clan. "Good. You shouldn't associate with a slave-holder." He turned back towards Naruto and studied his best friend. Why did he look so nervous? "What?"

"They're getting away from that practice," Naruto explained. He raised his right hand and formed a small ball of wind and let it twirl absently into a mini-tornado before he closed his fist and dispersed the air. "I had a long conversation with Hinata about it. I think she got through to her dad. That's why Neji and Tenten were able to get engaged."

"Ah, yes, your powerful talk-no-jutsu," Sasuke teased.

Naruto sighed. "The thing is, we both know that there's something going on between Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei."

"I'm the one that shares a daughter with Sakura," Sasuke pointed out. "We're connected — forever."

"No one is arguing that you aren't," Naruto growled in frustration. He grabbed hold of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him close snarling in his face, his eyes flashed amber from his inner fox spirit. "You and I are also connected."

"Why did you sleep with Sakura last night?" Sasuke demanded. "She's mine."

"She doesn't belong to you. And we slept, okay? She's my best friend too and we're blood -related, so she's family," Naruto explained. He shook Sasuke's shirt, rattling him so hard his teeth chattered. "We talked about you and us and all of us. I don't know why you're denying it. We've all seen the future — it works. We work. Why are you fighting this?"

"Maybe because we grew up together? You're my brother," Sasuke hissed, knocking Naruto's hands away.

"Adopted. And I didn't feel this way about you until more recently, when we were living separate." Naruto leaned forward. "Besides, Uchiha are known for marrying their second and third cousins. We aren't related by blood, but our souls are connected, Sasuke."

He didn't care for all the talk of reincarnation, destiny, and connected souls. "Whatever."

"Is it because I'm male? Because, I don't really identify as totally male," Naruto confessed quietly. Then a moment later, he transformed into his feminine henge. It wasn't a perverted form, but wearing his same shinobi black mesh shirt and black and orange jacket, though now the dark pants were a bit baggy on him. Naruto cupped their breasts. "I like when I'm in this form." They turned towards Sasuke.

"Huh," Sasuke murmured. He did have to admit that female form Naruto was rather pretty. And he would never admit it to Sakura, but possibly a little prettier than her. He watched as Naruto shifted back into his more familiar male form. Male Naruto was also a very good looking person.

"Is it because you're worried about how two men have sex together?" Naruto asked, turning to face him fully, face creased in concern. "It happens all the time. Most of Anbu is male and most have been assigned a seduction mission. I know Kakashi-sensei has done more than most. Honestly, he's probably a sex addict since he'd been assigned those kinds of missions from a young age. That's probably why you caught him in the alley that time."

Sasuke frowned. He didn't want Naruto making him feel sorry for the man that was stealing his future wife. "I hadn't thought about that."

"And he's not gay," Naruto added.

"I don't care if someone is gay or not," Sasuke argued thoughtfully. "This life is hard, people should find love wherever they can." He gestured between them. "We are from powerful bloodlines. Don't you think it would be a waste if we didn't partner with people we could procreate with?"

"You already have a daughter and Sakura-chan said science offers lots of options." Naruto tilted his head to the side.

"You and Sakura are cousins," Sasuke added. He didn't like that Naruto was countering all his objections. He might start to actually see his best friend in the light he was proposing.

"We are more distantly related than Itachi and Izumi are," Naruto argued. He laid his hands — rough and calloused — on either side of Sasuke's face and pulled him towards him for a kiss.

Sasuke could have stopped him, but part of him was curious. His previous kisses — a face plant on Naruto when he'd tripped on him when they were at the Academy, Sakura — many times, and cheek kisses with his mother and daughter. It wasn't bad. Sasuke shoved him away. "Get off me."

Naruto grinned at him with a dopey expression and eyes shimmering. "You felt it, didn't you? The chemistry."

"Like fire and water, we clash, just like our chakra natures," Sasuke protested.

"You mean like wind and fire, my wind feeds your flames, Sasuke," Naruto whispered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he could admit that the tips of his ears heated up. It was a sweet sentiment. "I'll think about it, Idiot." Then he shoved Naruto into the lake, except he hadn't expected Naruto to create an army shadow clones to manifest as he was falling.

The clones attempted to shove Sasuke into the lake. He managed to destroy all but one of the clones before the final one managed to knock him into the water before dissolving. Before long, Naruto and Sasuke were soaking wet and laughing together.

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OoO

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Kakashi

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He held his hand up to signal for Sakura to stop. He waited until she joined him on his branch, overlooking the valley. "The village is about a thirty minute walk from here. We'll stop for the night." He looked over at her, noticing the very fine sheen of perspiration on her forehead. "We kept up a brutal pace today, so we can take it easy tonight."

Sakura looked up at him, a playful smile on her lips. "I wasn't planning to take it easy tonight."

Kakashi felt his mouth go dry at the implication. "Right, well," he started, clearing his throat. "Let's check in at the inn and go have that dinner."

"Sure," Sakura agreed. She leapt from the branch to the ground.

Kakashi took a minute to appreciate the view of Sakura's backside before he followed after her. Then he wondered had she been doing the same to him? "So, you didn't seem to mind being in the rear guard."

"Why would I?" Sakura glanced up at him. "You usually lead. That nose of yours is better than the Hyuga Byukugan at detecting obstacles."

"Oh, right," Kakashi murmured, grateful his mask hid the embarrassed flush to his cheeks.

"And," Sakura said, bumping her shoulder against his playfully. "I have always enjoyed the view when you're in the lead. Everyone agrees, Kakashi Hatake has the best ass in the entire village."

Kakashi's cheeks burned even hotter and he laughed. "Good to know," he said, rubbing the back of his heated neck.

"I'm pretty sure that's universal for any of your subordinates you've led," Sakura added. "You are one fine specimen of a man."

"Specimen, huh?" Kakashi wasn't sure what to think of that. He liked Sakura teasing him, but he was starting to feel a bit objectified.

Sakura laughed. "Well, when you spend as much time with Sasori, you tend to pick up some bad habits." Amusement danced in her jade eyes. "Like thinking of people like specimens."

They fell into silence, the sounds of the forest around them— wind rustling leaves, birds, crickets, bees— the only noise with their silent footfalls. There was no one around to listen in to their conversation. "What was he like?" Kakashi asked.

"Sasori? Well, he's a little prickly. I think he prefers puppets to people if I'm being honest," Sakura explained.

"No. Not Sasori. Obito. What's he like?" Kakashi asked. His mind was so confused when it came to his old teammate. He remembered the jealous boy that was chronically late, but always helping less fortunate people. Absently, Kakashi rubbed under his left eye. He remembered that terrible day in the cave when the rocks buried Obito and Rin replaced his ruined eye with Obito's newly awakened Sharingan. He also remembered when Obito tried to slaughter the Uchiha clan and the anger he felt at Fugaku's death and Sakura's kidnapping.

Sakura sighed and paused, staring up at the sky with her hands behind her back, lips pursed thoughtfully. Kakashi stopped next to her. "He needs you — his friend. We found Rin. She was re-incarnated as one of the daimyo's daughters. That day when I found you after Rin died, you both activated the Mangekyo Sharingan at the same time. The whole event was orchestrated by Madara, who was manipulated by that zetsu thing." She met Kakashi's gaze, her expression sad. "Do you think if she had lived, that the two of you…," she trailed off.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. I never saw her that way." He smiled faintly. "At first, I thought it could have been the age difference, she was three years older than me. But then this older woman with pink hair and green eyes showed up and comforted me on that terrible day. I was hopelessly enamored, so the age difference apparently wasn't the problem."

"Yeah, that was, intense," Sakura murmured, smiling shyly. "You were so heart-broken, yet so beautiful." She looked over at him. "I'm glad to see you still have those dimples."

"Yeah, I guess," Kakashi snorted. "So, you traveled to different times?"

"It took Obito a while to learn how to control his powers," Sakura answered. "At one point, we traveled thousands of years into the past. I was worried I'd be lost to time. That's how I lost my gloves." She released a shuddering breath. "I thought I would never see any of my loved ones again." She met his eyes briefly. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Kakashi pulled her towards him then and hugged her tight. "I was never going to give up on finding you." He buried his nose in her hair and breathed deep. Even through his mask, her scent was potent and calmed him like no other smell could.

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OoO

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Sakura

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They settled into the luxury suite at the inn. It was massive and certainly much more than whatever budget the village had set aside for their mission. There was a spacious den, a kitchenette with bar, that master bath was large with garden tub and a huge shower that could comfortably fit six people and there was a smaller bathroom with a more utilitarian shower and toilet. The bedroom had a massive king-sized bed with more pillows than Sakura had ever seen in one place.

"What is this?" Sakura asked, tracing her fingers across the feather-filled duvet, pulling it back and feeling the satin sheets. "This seems a little extravagant for a mission lodging."

Kakashi was suddenly behind her, large warm hands gentle on her shoulders pressing his fingertips into her muscles in a way that eased her tension. His silken feel of his masked cheek caressed the side of her face. "I may have reserved this room from my own funds. I wouldn't dare misappropriate village funds. I know you wouldn't approve."

Sakura would have been upset if he'd used the village's funds for something frivolous— even if she would enjoy it personally. As the Godaime's apprentice, she'd spent many hours of her life sitting through torturous village financial meetings.

"I've never been in as luxurious room as this," Sakura admitted. "Thank you."

Kakashi turned her to face him, his dark gaze searching as he brushed his lips across hers. "For you, I would move mountains, Sakura." He straightened and smiled at her affably, his familiar half-crescent eye smile in place. "I'll let you get ready. I'll be in the smaller bathroom getting dressed." And like the elite shinobi he was, he'd left her alone in the bedroom.

Sakura dropped her pack onto the room's desk and unfurled the scroll with her clothing. She dressed carefully and then focused on applying some basic make-up. She'd never been much of a make-up person, but this definitely felt like the time to try and make an effort. She curled her hair into soft waves.

She smoothed the skirt of her white sundress nervously. Was it too much? Did she look like some sacrificial virgin? Ino's comments had taken up residence in her head and wouldn't clear. Kakashi had significantly more experience than her, what if he lost interest? What if? What if she actually was boring?

The bathroom door opened and Kakashi stepped out, his dark mask was in place and he seemed as nervous as her. He didn't wear his hitai-ate, but kept his left eye closed. His hair was a gorgeous silver that made her think of the moon in the midst of winter, a bit more tame than his usual style. His dark slate slacks fit his toned, muscular legs like a second skin and his button up green shirt was such a good color on him and showed off the impressive physique of his chest and arms. And his hands — without the gloves — she hadn't realized just how massive they were.

"You clean up nice," Sakura murmured, smiling tentatively at him.

"So do you." Kakashi held out a box towards her. "This is for you."

"Is this part of my present?" Sakura asked accepting the silver wrapped gift.

"No, it's something else." Kakashi cleared his throat. "No glitter though."

"Thank goodness for that." She carefully unwound the ribbon and then ripped open the fancy paper. It was a mahogany wood jewelry box with a cherry blossom tree carved into the front with a tiny wolf resting at the trunk. "It's beautiful." She traced her fingers over the carving.

"Tenzo and Sai helped me craft it. Open it." Kakashi gestured. "There's more inside."

Sakura opened the jewelry box and found a pair of silver bangles inside. They were intricately engraved and beautifully crafted. "Wow," she whispered, lifting one and marveling at the perfect weight of it. Earth chakra was one of Sakura's affinities and she could tell this was a fine piece of work.

"They were my mother's," Kakashi explained. "I want you to have them." He stepped forward and slid them onto her wrist. He nodded. "Perfect."

"This is too much, Kakashi," Sakura protested with a shaky voice. She looked up into his intense eyes. "This is just our first date."

"We both know better than that," Kakashi countered. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and then cradled the side of her face. "Let's go. I made a reservation and we don't want to lose our spot." He took her hand and together, they walked to the restaurant a block from the inn.

Their table was in the private section over-looking the valley they'd walked through earlier. From on high, the colorful wildflowers carpeting the landscape made a beautiful background, but Sakura hardly noticed as she found herself captivated by the man sitting across from her. They talked and talked about everything and anything. She told him about the medical breakthroughs she'd made with Master Tsunade, Shizune, and the Kazekage.

He told her about their search for her. How Shisui had unlocked his memories. He talked about his parents and the Yondaime. He pointed out how they'd both been apprenticed under Hokages. He talked about when he and Shisui escorted her parents back to Konoha. They talked about Physics and Botany and Astrology.

"You know Aries and Virgo can be very compatible," Sakura pointed out, thinking back to past conversations with Ino when they'd been teenagers and studied the signs of their crushes compared to their own. "Aries tend to be impulsive and like to challenge themselves. Virgos are practical, stable and cautious. Both signs have a tendency towards hero complexes."

"Are you looking for stability, Sakura?" Kakashi asked quietly. "I think we balance each other." He finished off his glass of wine and gestured towards Sakura's empty glass. "Are you ready to turn in or do you want another drink?"

Sakura smiled at him, feeling relaxed and excited at the same time. "I think I'm ready to go back to our room."

They were back in their room within a few minutes, kicking off their shoes at the door when Kakashi's hands settled upon Sakura's waist. She pushed his back against the door.

Kakashi looked down at her, his eyes intently focused upon her as he raised his right hand and removed his familiar black mask. He shoved it into the pocket of his slacks before returning his hand back to her hip.

Sakura clutched onto the front of his silk button-up shirt. The top three buttons were unfastened, giving her a tantalizing view of Kakashi's toned chest. She noticed the slightest hint of color on his pale skin.

"What?" She pulled his shirt aside and revealed a tattoo of a cherry blossom branch branded over Kakashi's heart. "You—," she trailed off looking from the tattoo up towards his exposed face and back again, her mouth slightly agape in shock.

"I got it for your birthday," Kakashi said quietly, his hands tight around her waist, possessive.

"You have a pink cherry blossom branch tattooed over your chest," Sakura murmured, tears springing to her eyes. "You—."

"I have a tattoo that reminds me of the woman I love," Kakashi said. "All the times I was at my lowest — you showed up and brought hope. I know you don't remember, because for you it's not happened."

"I saw you — after Rin died," Sakura interrupted. She cradled his face in her hand, brushed her thumb over that dimple, the strong line of his jaw. "I kissed you that day."

Kakashi smiled faintly, sadly. "One of the worse moments of my life, followed by my first kiss with my first crush. In my mind, we'd met about a year and a half prior. You were the first person I had any sort of romantic feelings for and then when I was twenty, you showed up — same age as me— from the future." His breath stuttered when Sakura's thumb swept over his bottom lip.

"I know I'm messed up, Sakura. I've done terrible things. I'm broken inside and outside. My body and soul are scarred," Kakashi explained. "But, being with you, I feel hope and joy and peace." He leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes half-lidded. "Give me a chance to make you fall in love with me."

"You're an idiot," Sakura whispered. She kissed a trail along his jaw, down his neck and paused to press a firm kiss over the tattoo on his chest. "I cannot fall in love with you. I'm already in love with you."

Kakashi's hands slipped down to cup her ass and lifted Sakura to his waist, her legs wrapped around his hips as he started to walk them towards the bed. "I fucking love you too, Sakura Haruno Namikaze Hatake." Kakashi's lips crashed against hers and Sakura's hands tangled into his soft, silver hair.

They fell onto the bed with a laugh. "Hatake? That's a little presumptuous," Sakura sighed, shifting to balance her weight on her elbows while Kakashi loomed over the bed and unbuttoned his shirt fully, revealing his tattoo in all it's heart-melting glory.

"You met our kid. We're inevitable, Sakura." He tossed his shirt to the floor and crawled over the bed, caging Sakura between his arms as he began to trail kisses from under her ears, down her throat, to the swell of her breasts where her dress dipped down. His deft fingers unzipped the side of her dress and Sakura shrugged out of it. "Be my family."

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OoO

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Kakashi

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The trip to Rain was a success. Sakura returned the eye Obito "borrowed" to Nagato Uzumaki. Having solidified the alliance between Konoha and Amegakure, they started on their way back to Konoha — taking their time. In his various missions over the years, Kakashi had learned of all the hot springs in the area as well as the best fishing spots. They forwent the inns and spent their nights making love under the stars, snuggled up in their sleeping bag with his ninken patrolling.

"I like sleeping outside," Sakura admitted, tracing her finger along Kakashi's chest, over his tattoo. She seemed to really like doing that.

Kakashi slipped his arms over her back and shifted so that Sakura settled on top of him. "I like sleeping with you. We should do this every night."

"As comfortable as you are, Kakashi," Sakura said pecking his lips coyly. "I do enjoy sleeping on a mattress."

A slow smile spread across lips. "How would you feel moving into my family estate? It's big, lots of room for a growing family. Sarada can have her own room and there's an east and west wing. We can take the east and Sasuke and Naruto can have the west."

"It's a good thing I like dogs," Sakura mused. "Sarada too. She adores Bull. She told me he's her best friend."

Kakashi nodded. "Those dogs got me through a lot of hard times." He hugged Sakura close, thumbs rubbing idle circles into her soft flesh, enjoying the way his swelling cock rubbed against the warm juncture between her legs. She made that adorable mewling sound he liked when he brought his hand down to tease her clit. "You know, I appreciated the lingerie, but I prefer you like this — skin against skin."

"I have a certain appreciation for you without the layers myself," Sakura whispered, before kissing him.

Kakashi kept his thumb busy while he slipped his fingers, one at a time into her welcoming folds. Then Sakura grabbed his hand, entwined their fingers, the cold metal of the bangle on her wrist sending a shiver where it touched his forearm. She took his length into her inch by inch until he was buried completely into her warmth, their bodies flushed together.

"Insatiable," Kakashi teased, trying to smile, but growing distracted when she started to ride him.

"Only for you," Sakura whispered, kissing him again.

They found glitter in the most random places later.

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The Double Wedding

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Ino double checked Sakura's bridal blue and pink hydrangeas symbolized love and family, yellow lilies for happiness, and purple iris for peace. "This really isn't fair," Ino whispered heatedly. "Just because you're the former Hokage's apprentice and besties with the Kazekage and saved the world a time or two, you're really getting special exception here. I cannot believe the council agreed to this— wedding of yours."

"We were going to do this wedding with or without their approval," Sakura answered. She raised the bouquet to her nose and breathed in the fragrant aroma. "It helps that the Rokudaime has final say."

"He's the groom," Ino pointed out.

"One of them," Sakura agreed.

"Let's not forget that your best friend is the most talented florist in the entire Land of Fire, so you got a major discount on your decor." Ino smiled at her, pale blue eyes brimming with joyful tears. "You lucky, bitch. I'll go send Shisui in. I'd ask for details of the honeymoon, but we both know you save all the good stuff for yourself."

Sakura snorted a laugh of amusement as Ino retreated. She'd be sitting next to her parents and Sarada with Sai and Shin. Sasuke and NAruto's clan took up most of the 'grooms' side and Sakura and Kakashi's guests ensured a packed house overall.

"You ready, Sakura?" Shisui asked, opening the door a crack and peering inside. He would be escorting her down the aisle. Her father had been okay with the honor boing to her surrogate big brother. Kizashi was glad to sit next to Mebuki in the front row helping to keep an eye on Sarada after she finished with her important flower pedal tossing duties.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sakura answered, smiling brightly.

Shisui returned the smile and lifted his hand gently towards her hair, wrapping one of the curls around his finger. "Cute." He offered his arm and together they marched down the aisle. Kakashi's truest friend, Pakkun, trotted faithfully at Sakura's heel. The pug leader of Kakashi's ninken pack carried around his neck a red ribbon with four wedding bands.

Her white dress was simple, yet flattering. The music was sweet and lovely, provided by several of the daimyo's personal musicians. And at the end of the aisle Master Tsunade stood ready to officiate the wedding. They'd decided on Western style clothing instead of the traditional kimonos considering the unorthodox wedding they had in mind. Waiting for the bride was Naruto in his orange suit, Sasuke in his purple suit, and Kakashi in his green suit. They all looked absolutely stunning, but Sakura had a hard time appreciating anyone other than Kakashi Hatake. She knew she was blessed to be forming a family with such incredible partners. And while Kakashi wore a black silk mask during the ceremony, he promised to remove it for a formal picture of the four of them with his clone Sukea taking a photograph afterwards in private.

"Don't trip now," Shisui warned in a teasing whisper. The muscles of his arm tensed, holding her steady when she missed a step, unused to all the tulle. "And welcome to the family officially."

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In the Third Year of the Rokudaime's Rule

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Sakura

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She smiled as she flipped through the leather bound wedding album. Takashi snuggled up next to her on the right and Himawari was asleep on her shoulder. She paused on the photo of the two couples standing side by side looking dashing in their formal wedding wear.

"So pretty," Takashi murmured, tracing his pudgy finger over Sakura's face in the photo.

"No question," Kakashi agreed, stepping into the den. Takashi immediately jumped from the couch and ran to his father, still in his Hokage robes. Kakashi laughed, catching his son and lifting him into his arms. He grimaced when Himawari started to stir from her nap. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Naruto will be here soon to take her," Sakura assured him.

Kakashi sat next to her, with Takashi in his arms. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips before wiggling out of his robe and tossing it onto the nearby armchair.

The young boy with his silver and pink hair, squirmed out of Kakashi's arms and flipped the page in the album to a photo of Sarada as the flower girl. "Sister," he said authoritatively. "Sarada."

"Yes, that's your sister," Kakashi agreed. "How are you feeling?" He asked, nuzzling Sakura's neck and making her smile.

"Good. Ready to head back to work tomorrow. Shizune informed me that I have six surgeries scheduled. They don't plan to ease me back into it."

"Ah, well, when you're the best people are eager for you help them," Kakashi said, his voice tinged with pride, his dark thunderstorm grey eyes warm with his love for her and their family.

The sound of the front door opening, drew their attention, but neither bothered to look up. Sasuke and Sarada entered the den. Sarada ran to Kakashi for a hug and Sasuke stooped to press a kiss to Sakura's forehead. "Guess who is number one in her class?"

"Congratulations," Kakashi said, ruffling Sarada's dark hair. She tried to duck away from him and settled next to her mom on the couch. "Where's Naruto?"

"That's great, sweetheart," Sakura said with a smile.

"He should be here soon," Sasuke said stretching his neck and rubbing the back of his head. "I feel like Shisui targeted me specifically today. I've not been this sore in a long time."

"Want me to do something about it?" Sakura asked.

"That would be amazing," Sasuke answered.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Naruto rushed in. He smiled sheepishly at the group. Upon hearing his voice, Himawari began to wail. He picked her up and started to bounce her, calming his daughter immediately.

"Idiot," Sasuke grouched affectionately before settling on the floor in front of Sakura. She laid her hands upon his neck and used her mystical hands technique to relief the tension headache. He visibly relaxed. He looked over his shoulder as she finished. "Thanks."

Then he gestured for Sarada and Takashi. "Come on kids, let us head to the backyard." He rose to his full height and rolled back his shoulders.

"The swings are calling our names," Naruto added.

"Papa? Will you be cooking dinner tonight?" Sarada asked jumping onto Sasuke's back while Takashi took his hand.

"That's up to your Mama," Sasuke said with a soft, affectionate smile. "What do you want to eat, Wife? You're the one that just grew another human."

Kakashi's arm looped around Sakura's shoulders and drew her close against him. "Are you still having that craving for tonkotsu ramen?"

Sasuke groaned. "Naruto is going to love that." He shifted Sarada's weight. "Did you know, the first time I ever had ramen — it was tonkotsu? Your mama helped me order it. It was the start of a beautiful relationship." He started for the kitchen. "Why don't you two help me prepare the dinner later, Sarada and Takashi?"

"Wait? What? Ramen?" Naruto asked focusing on the other adults. "Really? I love ramen!"

"Yes, we know," Sakura said with a laugh. "I was craving it earlier."

"Okay, okay," Sarada agreed, looping her arms around Sasuke's neck and looking back at Sakura with her bottom lip protruding in a pout. "Papa Kashi?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi asked, starting to nuzzle the side of Sakura's neck.

"Can you tell me the story of the White Fang at bedtime?" Sarada asked.

"Sure," Kakashi answered.

Sarada beamed at him and tugged at her father's hair. "And Papa, I want to know more about Grandpapa Fugaku please. Why was he called the Wicked Eye? And how come Grandmama is married to Great Uncle Taki? And why does Mama have two husbands and you have a husband and a wife and does that make you and Papa Kashi married too?"

Sakura resisted the urge to laugh when Sasuke's dark eyes met hers briefly. He patted Sarada's shoulder. "I'll tell you when you're older. Let's focus on the swings and then dinner, okay?"

"Nobody tells me anything," Sarada grumbled, burying her face between Sasuke's shoulder blades.

Takashi laughed. "That's because you ask too many questions!"

"I do not!" Sarada argued.

"Do too!" Takashi tugged on Sasuke's hand and grabbed hold of the hem of Naruto's shirt. "You're so annoying!"

"Am not!" Sarada cried out.

Himawari cried out, startled at the older children's raised voices.

"Settle down," Naruto tried reasoning. "Inside voices, please!"

Then they disappeared into the kitchen with the door swinging shut behind them.

"I'm glad you were able to take this evening off," Sakura murmured, pressing a kiss to Kakashi's cheek. "Itachi didn't mind stepping in again?"

"I just have to remind him, he'd be an international criminal or dead if it wasn't for me. He's pretty quick to agree," Kakashi explained. He lifted her hand to his mouth and began to kiss her individual fingers, finally landing on her left hand and toying with her wedding band. The silver bangles on her wrists reflecting the light of the fire in the hearth.

"How's Obito? Did you have brunch with him and his wife this morning?" Sakura asked, shivering when Kakashi began to suck on her index finger. She watched mesmerized as he worked his tongue around her finger.

He released her finger with a pop and grinned. "He's good. Rin wants to know when we'll be joining them on that couples' vacation to the hot springs."

"Maybe in a few months. I want to completely ween Himawari before we do something like that," Sakura said, leaning against Kakashi's shoulder.

Kakashi gestured towards the wedding album. "Revisiting old memories? How's your head? I still get headaches sometimes with the different timelines."

"I think we all do, but it's good to understand what all happened," Sakura murmured, closing her eyes and relaxing against Kakashi's strong body. "We're lucky. All those lives that would have been lost in the massacre, the war, all avoided. I just, regret more couldn't have been done for you."

"I'm happy now. That's all I care about." Kakashi resumed nuzzling her neck again. "Which first kiss was your favorite?"

"Honestly, probably fourteen year old you," Sakura said quietly. "It was sweet and you weren't trying to get into my pants."

Kakashi chuckled, the sound vibrating against her flesh where he continued to kiss her throat. "Oh," he said, nipping at her skin between his teeth teasingly. "I definitely still wanted in your pants — probably since I was twelve to be honest. I hadn't been interested in girls until that Bell test with Master Minato when Obito showed up with the most ridiculous pink-haired girl."

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Fifteen Years Later…..

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Kakashi

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He waited, arms folded over his chest, for the moment his eldest kids would be returning to their time. Sakura stood next to him, Pakkun's youngest puppy curled up in her arms. Itachi had told him everything and of course, he remembered — he knew. Though, the memories didn't sync until closer to when the kids returned since Itachi had apparently locked away the memories. He was getting tired of having his memories tampered with by his supposed Uchiha friends. He felt kind of bad for blaming the Yamanaka for so many years when he should have been annoyed with his dark-haired, red-eyed friends a little closer to home.

Shisui had been quick to point out that he wasn't the one to mess with the retired Rokudaime's memories this time.

No sooner had Sarada's portal manifested, Takashi flung himself at Kakashi into a bear hug. "Dad!" Takashi squeezed his father with steel-like arms, having mastered his mother's monstrous strength. He released Kakashi and met his gaze, they were almost the same height now. "Every time I go back and see Mom, I understand why you couldn't resist." He smiled from ear to ear. "Maybe I'm biased, but she's the most beautiful woman in the world!"

"I'll be sure to tell Himawari you said that," Sarada murmured.

"Go ahead! Nobody's girlfriend is going to be mad that they think the woman that brought them into this world and kept them alive through the worse fevers and illnesses is the most beautiful. I'm sure she feels the same way about her dads," Takashi argued. "And well, Mom too actually."

"I think that's an argument you want to avoid," Kakashi advised, reaching over and ruffling Takashi's silvery hair. He couldn't stay mad at his kids. "Are you two finally done playing with the timeline."

Sarada rolled her eyes. "We were hardly playing, Papa Kashi. I was making sure the time stream didn't collapse and trap us in an infinite loop." She wagged her finger at him. "You're welcome!"

Kakashi shrugged and squeezed Sakura close against him. "I'm retired, I don't have to worry about such things."

The sound of the twins chasing each other and whatever Ninja cats Itachi had likely given them a mission to track down — filled the yard with unmistakable laughter. It had been a long time since he'd been the last Hatake and he was now much older than his father Sakumo had been when he passed. Who'd have thought a shinobi that had been fighting since the age of five would have survived past fifty?

"You okay?" Sakura asked, setting the puppy on the ground for it to scamper off. She turned towards him and gently caressed his cheek.

He looked down and met her jade gaze. "I'm more than okay, Sakura."

She stood on tip toes and kissed him softly. "Good."

"Don't be surprised if we end up with another sibling," Sarada whispered loudly to Takashi.

"I always wanted a big family," Sakura teased, kissing Kakashi again for good measure.

"I'm up for it if you are," Kakashi agreed. He took her hand in his and with fingers entwined, they strolled around the grounds of their family home while an assortment of ninja dogs and ninja cats wound around their ankles.

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