Sakura blushed at the question knowing full well that her story was not going to be anywhere near the tale as the other two's. "Well back then I thought that I did not have what it took as a shinobi, I don't know. I guess it was a combination of what my genin squad was and the fact that after the academy I kind of was lost on what to do." She paused to run her hand through her hair. "But I guess life is all about trial and error right? A little over two years later I found a job at the general hospital when the Rokudaime was still working there and she took me under her wing after she saw me heal some of the injured from the incident with Pain. It was funny she recognized me as a classmate of Naruto's and gave me a chance as a student because I was in his year. After that, I started working there as a nurse and…." She paused thinking about her reunion with Ino, who had shrugged her off, and with Kiba whom she had a connection. "Where I found my place in the worl-"

Before her sentence could be finished the café's door rang and a medium-sized husky entered, flanked by Hinata and Satsuki's former teammate Inuzuka Kiba. The dog bound straight to their table right towards Sakura, nearly knocking her out of her chair, licking her face while she suppressed a smile. Kiba followed behind the dog, noticing Hinata and Satsuki in the process. "Satsuki? Hinata? What are you two doing here?" The man spoke nervously.

"What a question to ask Kiba." A menacing grin crossed Hinata's face, getting the dog to stop what he was doing, moving, and cowering behind Satsuki who pet his head much to Sakura's chagrin. "Last time I checked this Café is open to the public, unless you have a problem with us being here?"

Kiba looked put out by the situation, deciding that it was best to explain what he was doing there with his answer, looking at the pinkette nervously. "No, I was just surprised, seeing you two together like this is one thing. But… the fact that you are here with Sakura is another…." He looked at Sakura as if confirming something before continuing. Their relationship wasn't exactly a secret, but he at least hoped to properly introduce the girl to his family beforehand, not that he didn't want the pair to find out, their friendship with Ino and him seeing them as family gave him pause. "Look I have not brought her up even to my family yet. I see a future with Sakura and... You and them rejecting her is my worst nightmare at the moment."

"Wow." Satsuki was the first to vocalize her reaction. "Please tell me I am invited to the wedding." She continued watching Sakura's blushing face.

Embarrassed, Sakura was the next to speak, aiming a glare. "Ki!" She said in a muted shout.

"You didn't tell them?" Kiba looked at Sakura's face, now twisted to one of shock.

"No..." Sakura replied sternly, Kiba realizing that he put his foot firmly into his mouth.

'Why am I always attracted to trouble?' Kiba thought as Hinata grinned at him. It was always off-putting when she did that and this time was no different. Her smile had hidden meaning to it, it always had in these situations. He had learned long ago to roll with the punches when these two are involved.

"To be fair, I already knew." Hinata injected herself.

"You did?'

"Of course you did."

Hinata laughed at their simultaneous response, apparently amused at their combined exaggerated faces. "You are not that subtle Inuzuka. I bet your mother and sister already suspect that something is going on." Hinata spoke nonchalantly.

Kiba looked at Sakura silently apologizing as she stared between him and Hinata. He had learned that there was only one man who could handle these two, one man who seemed to have these two as decile as they could be around him, a man he wished was here at this moment, a man he knew as Senju Naruto. 'I wish you were here Naruto.' He put the absent blonde in his thoughts praying that he was somewhere near.

(...)

Naruto, now in Ino's office, sneezed as he read through a scroll with an intense look on his face. "Please tell me that you are getting sick so I can take care of you like old times." Naruto paused mid-word looking up at Ino who had said that statement while leaning on her desk watching him read through the documents that she had provided him.

"I am just going to ignore you saying that." Naruto then continued his reading. After about half a minute later Naruto looked seriously at Ino. "What do you want me to do with this, I am kind of out of my depth here."

"You are the only person left in Konoha that would understand that man, not counting Satsuki that is." Ino spoke calmly as if anyone would be upset if she found out about a certain little boy who calls the village of Sound home. "Unless you want me to wake up Anko-san." The woman looked into Naruto's eyes to gauge the young father's response.

"Ino..."

"What are you afraid of Naru, I don't get it. You know with my family's jutsu we can rehab her." Ino said, closing the distance between them, kneeling in front of him. "The person that messed with her head is gone, you took care of that yourself. And it is not the fact I will be using my jutsu because I have been up here..." She made her point by tapping Naruto's forehead. "And nothing was more terrifying."

"I just don't want anyone to continue to mess with her head Ino." Naruto spoke softly.

"Come on Naru." She took his head in her hands so he would not look away. "She couldn't be in safer hands than mine. I am not promising anything with how the human brain works, but I am ready and willing to try. If it wasn't for her you wouldn't be the person you are now, and if you weren't Gods knows where I would have been without Team Eight. So let me try and make things right."

Naruto thought it over for a moment before he opened his mouth. "Fine but I want Taka in on this. Then and only then will we go ahead with Anko-nee's treatment the way you want it." Naruto said, waving the scroll at her.

"So you want me to convince the Mizukage to borrow Kiri's Jinchūriki, you want a team with two S-ranked criminals on it, and you want your wife, who keep in mind I said to not tell on the same team. Am I getting that straight?" Ino asked deadpan, getting a nod and hum from her former teammate. She sighed knowing that he was not going to barge on this. "Fine, you are going to owe me for this, since when did I start sticking my neck for you like this?"

"Well, you can put it on my tab."

"Like that means much now." She looked at him with upturned eyes. "Unless..."

"No. In that case, I would sooner leave Konoha with Izumi, who knows maybe she will like living in Suna." Naruto said with a sad smile.

"You didn't even let me speak." She paused to think. "Let's see if it's a not-so-blank check, in that case, what if I..."

"That might work but are you really ready to share with the Kazekage of all people?"

"It would be worth it, plus it would stop Dad from nagging me about it." She got up and stretched. "Okay! I will take care of the negotiations for Karin with Haku-sama, you can find Tayuya in Otogakure, she'll help you with Jugo and Hozuki. But I have a catch, Naru."

"And that is?"

"Noguchi Naoko, bring her with you." Naruto gave Ino an exasperated look as she finished the sentence. "What is that look for? You are going to need someone else who can use nature chakra if Jugo goes on a rampage, and I am not putting Hanabi in danger."

Naruto let out a deep sigh before conceding. "Fine, but I am taking no responsibility for when she tries to 'teach' Jugo again. Or if someone finds out she is a leaf Anbu."

"My people are the best, and Oto is basically a part of Konoha at this point." She said, smiling clearly proud.

"Yeah, whatever."

(...)

Meanwhile, Hanabi was walking with Izumi in a park that the shinobi of Konoha would frequent to exit on their missions, or at least the ones she knew before the Kono-Kiri-Suna Tripartite pact announcing an alliance between the three villages and later the rain and sound. Lately, the world has had the longest period of growth and peace it has had for a while, and many shinobi have retired or slowed their workload. In any regard, she was in the slowed workload camp which was okay in her books. If she was completely serious the last seven years have been interesting for her but she would not trade them for the world, all but days like today. The little girl that she considered to be like a niece was currently upset. She had hoped a walk would help to brighten her mood where all else failed, but that wasn't the case. "Are you still upset?" Hanabi asked the girl attached to her hand, getting a shake of the head in response. "Are you tired?" This time she got three quick nods. Stopping at a familiar park bench she made sure that Izumi was situated before sitting next to her and looking up at the sky.

Izumi looked at the twenty-one-year-old curiously, before looking down with a frown. "Aunt Hana?"

Hanabi hummed looking down at her, cocking her head. "What is it?"

"Am I a bad girl?"

Hanabi had to stop herself from sweeping the tiny girl in a hug and squeezing her tight at how cute she was. "What brought this on?"

The little girl played with her hand as she tried to formulate her response. "When Mama is home she is working or with Papa but..."

"She doesn't spend time with just the two of you?" Hanabi finished the little girl's sentence.

"Mmhmm." Izumi continued. "Did I do a bad thing? Does Mama hate me?"

'You poor thing.' Hanabi thought to herself before taking the six-year-old in an embrace. "Of course, you didn't Izumi-chan, and of course, your mom does not hate you, in fact, Satsuki loves you a whole lot." She felt the girl grab onto her as she spoke. "Both your mom and dad are trying to make everything better so you three can live together." Hanabi continued to speak to Izumi softly.

"Then... Then..."

"Hey, you have nothing to worry about." Hanabi loosened the hug to look Izumi in her onyx eyes. "How about I tell you a story from when I was a little older than you about your mom and dad." She pulled out the first Hokage's necklace from her white and red hanbok, showing it to Izumi.