Back To The Village

April 410:36 a.m.

———Sasuke and Sakura decided to stay in Orochimaru's hideout for a few days while Sakura recovered and Sarada got used to the outside world.

It's been a few days since Sarada was born but Sakura could already tell that she'd be a little angel. She really cried but whenever she did, it didn't take much to calm her down.

However, unlike Sakura, Sasuke wasn't as great at taking care of her. He struggled to ease her and felt somewhat uncomfortable when it came to holding and changing her. Despite not being good with kids, Sasuke wanted to do his best to care for Sarada....

Sakura was sitting on their bed, breastfeeding Sarada, when Sasuke walked into the room. When he saw her, he immediately looked down and began blushing. Every time he caught Sakura breastfeeding, he couldn't help but feel flustered.

"Don't be shy, Sasuke. You've seen me before." she giggled. "What did you need?"

Sasuke nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, still avoiding looking at Sakura. "I wanted to tell you my plans for when we leave." he said.

"Oh ok. What do you have in mind?" Sakura didn't like that they were getting closer and closer to the day when Sasuke leaves her and Sarada but she came to terms with it for the most part.

"We'll leave in a few days. Once we're in the village, we can get married. I'll stay for a couple of days after that...but then I'll be leaving for a while..." he said.

Feeling sad from the thought of him leaving again, Sakura sighed. "Well...you better make our honeymoon special." Sakura chuckled lightly, trying to make herself feel better.

Sasuke shyly but sadly looked at her and nodded. "I will." he said before getting up and exiting the room.

Sakura smiled softly as he left the room.

—

For the next week, Sasuke and Sakura would take care of Sarada in the hideout with the help of Karin and occasionally Jugo. But once Karin determined that Sakura was in the right conditions to start traveling again, the two packed their things as well as some things for Sarada and left.

Luckily for them, Konoha wasn't too far from the hideout where they stayed in. It only took them a few days to reach the village. And thanks to Konoha being the home of the ninjas who ended the war, many criminals and bandits were deterred from the area. This created a safe and easy journey back home.

—April 166:19 p.m.—

The two were approaching the village and Sakura started to get excited. They'd been gone for over a year so she really missed this place. "What do you think we should do when we're back?" Sakura said excitedly, "I kind of want to go see Naruto and his son."

As annoying as Naruto was, Sasuke also kind of wanted to see how he was doing. "Maybe tomorrow." he said.

"Sure." she said. But before she started speaking again, she paused to think...then she remembered her parents. "Hey Sasuke? How would you feel about meeting my parents?" she asked.

Sasuke's jaw tightened as he sighed. Meeting Sakura's parents would've been awkward given that they probably know about his troubled past. And not only that but he'd gotten engaged to and impregnated their daughter without having their approval.

Sakura noticed how uncomfortable Sasuke looked. "You don't have to if you don't want to. But I promise you, they won't care about anything that you're worried about." she said sweetly.

"How do you know..?" he asked nervously.

"I think I know my parents enough to tell how they'd react to you." Sakura giggled, "My mom might be a bit tough on you at first but she'll warm up to you pretty easily."

"Hn..." Sasuke wasn't completely convinced that this would go very well but he was willing to do it for Sakura....

—April 167:00 p.m.—

After arriving to Sakura's apartment, Sakura gave Sarada to Sasuke while she unpacked their things. While he held Sarada in his arm, he began to feel a bit sad as he thought about how he'll miss out on watching Sarada grow up. But he knew that it wouldn't be possible for him to stay if he wanted to protect the village, protect Sakura, and most importantly...protect Sarada....

When Sakura finished unpacking, she returned to Sasuke and Sarada. "My parents live nearby so I'm going to go say 'hi' to them. If you want, you can come with me and meet them now. Unless you want to wait for tomorrow?" Sakura said.

It probably would've been best to meet Sakura's parents now to get it over with but Sasuke thought that it would've been nice to have some alone time with Sarada while he still had the chance. "I'll wait for tomorrow. I can stay here with Sarada." he said.

"You sure? I wouldn't be gone for long but she might be too difficult for you on your own..." she said, concerned. It's not that she didn't trust Sasuke but dealing with Sarada by himself was always a struggle for him.

Sasuke nodded. "I'm sure, Sakura. Don't worry about us."

"If you say so..." Sakura leaned over to Sasuke and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back soon." she said before leaving....

For the next hour and a half, Sasuke would watch Sarada as she slept in his arm. This was the first time she'd ever fallen asleep while he held her. It warmed his heart to see that she was starting to be comfortable with him now. But at the same time, it broke his heart knowing that when she's older, she wouldn't even remember him...or worse: she could end up hating him...

On the other hand, Sakura went over to her parents house to catch up with them. She told them about her engagement and how they now have a grandchild. They were both extremely shocked to hear this. After the initial shock of the news, Sakura's dad was happy for her and was excited to meet Sasuke and Sarada.

Her mom, however, was more concerned than anything. A few years ago, Sasuke was a criminal and even had a bounty on his head...and now her daughter was starting a family with him? She was highly disappointed in Sakura for her choice in men but after a while of begging and explaining her feelings for him, Sakura was able to convince her mom to give him a chance.

—April 179:25 a.m.—

Today, Sakura planned on visiting a couple of people to meet Sarada. The first people on her list were her parents. When Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada arrived, they were very welcoming.

Sakura's mom was originally ready to threaten Sasuke to treat Sakura right, but the moment she laid eyes on Sarada, she'd forgotten about Sasuke.

Both of Sakura's parents immediately surrounded Sakura to admire Sarada. They almost instantly fell in love. But after a long while of playing with Sarada, they shifted their attention to Sasuke who was standing by the front door awkwardly.

Sakura's dad called him over to join in on their conversation. Sakura's parents questioned Sasuke and got to know him a bit better. And while Sasuke did answer some of their questions, Sakura did most of the talking for him.

Although he was quiet and awkward, Sakura's mom warmed up to Sasuke. Whereas her dad could tell how compatible they were. Just like Sakura predicted, they accepted Sasuke.

Sasuke and Sakura ended up staying at her parents house for a little longer than they intended but they all had a good time. Even Sasuke...despite how uncomfortable he felt with being in a social situation.

—April 1711:37 a.m.—

Next on Sakura's list was Ino. Despite their past rivalry due to their crush on Sasuke, the two have gotten over it. Especially after Sakura had written letters to Ino about the engagement and pregnancy.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada entered Ino's flower shop and waited at the front desk for her. Once Ino came out from the back room of the shop, her eyes widened and she gasped as she went over to Sakura and Sarada. "Is that the baby?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yea, her name is Sarada. I just had her a few weeks ago." Sakura said happily as she showed off Sarada.

Sasuke remained silent, not wanting to get involved. Ino was way too hyper for him to handle.

Ino came from behind the front desk and stood in front of Sakura. "Can I hold her?" she asked.

"Sure, just be careful with her." Sakura said as she handed Sarada to Ino.

Just as Sakura did this, Sai came out from the back room. "I didn't know you were back already." he said before looking at Sarada. "Congratulations, Sakura."

Not expecting Sai to be so kind and welcoming on his own, Sakura looked at him confused. "Thank you...I guess??" she said nervously.

"While you were gone I've been teaching him some manners." Ino chuckled as she cradled Sarada.

"Ahh that makes sense." Sakura said as she focused back on Ino and Sarada....

As Ino and Sakura mingled Sasuke would occasionally glance over at Sai. And whenever Sai noticed this, he'd grin at Sasuke. For some reason, Sasuke was a bit weirded out by Sai so he decided that it was time for them to leave.

"Sakura, we're leaving now. Come on." he said said before heading outside of the store.

Ino and Sakura watched him leave before looking at each other again and shaking their heads. "Nice to see that he's still as demanding as always." Ino said sarcastically before giggling.

Sakura laughed at her comment and rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, yea." she said as she took Sarada back.

Ino put her hands on her hips and sighed as she looked at Sarada one last time. "I already know that she's going to have her mother's tough spirit and her father's good looks." Ino winked before going back behind the front desk, next to Sai.

"That's inappropriate to say when I'm right here." Sai said, referring to Ino's comment about Sasuke's good looks.

Ino rolled her eyes playfully. "You know what I meant." she said as she nudged Sai's arm before focusing on Sakura again. "I'll see you later, Sakura."

"Alright. Bye Ino...bye Sai." Sakura said as she began to exit the shop and all waved 'goodbye'.

—April 171:10 p.m.—

The last people on Sakura's visit list was Naruto and Hinata. They too had a child recently and both Sasuke and Sakura wanted to meet him.

When they'd arrived to Naruto's place, Hinata greeted them at the door and let them in. "Boruto is sleeping right now, so be very quiet please." Hinata said as she brought them into the living room.

Sasuke and Sakura went to look at Boruto who was sleeping in a little cot next to a couch. "He's super cute, Hinata. Congratulations." Sakura said quietly as Hinata stood next to her.

"Thank you, Sakura. And congratulations to you. Sarada is very adorable." Hinata said sweetly as she she shyly observed Sarada. "I hope they can be friends one day."

"Me too." Sakura said, "Hopefully better friends than Naruto and Sasuke were."

Hinata chuckled and nodded her head. "That would be nice."

While the girls conversed with each other about their pregnancies and the babies, Sasuke watched Boruto sleep. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that Boruto would be a troublemaker one day just like his dad...if not worse....

A little after Hinata let the two know that Naruto was with Kakashi in his office, they said their goodbyes to her and headed to the Hokage's office.

—April 172:13 p.m.—

Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada went to the Hokage's office to find Naruto and Kakashi. When they walked in, Naruto instantly ran up to them and stood in between them, putting his arms around their shoulders. "You guys are finally back! I can't believe you guys left me here alone." Naruto said jokingly.

Sasuke physically and mentally cringed when Naruto put his arm over his shoulder. He moved Naruto's arm off of him and took a small step away from him.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and was about to make a big deal out of him moving away from the embrace but then Kakashi walked up to them to meet Sarada. "She looks a lot like Sasuke." Kakashi said, "She'll probably be rebellious like him too."

"I can't tell if that's a compliment or not, Kakashi-Sensei..." Sakura laughed nervously.

Sasuke felt a little offended by Kakashi's comment. He was clearly implying that Sarada might be a handful. In attempts to ignore Kakashi had said, Sasuke looked to the side and tuned them out.

"I'll leave that up for you to decide, Sakura." Kakashi smiled before returning to his desk. "Oh, and congratulations."

"Thank you, Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura said with a smile, but still unsure of how to interpret what he'd said previously.

No longer paying attention to Sasuke or Sakura, Naruto felt the urge to softly poke Sarada's cheek, causing her to cry and startling everyone in the room, including himself.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted as she hit his arm before stepping away from him, "What'd you do that for?!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto, waiting for an answer while Kakashi sat back in his chair and watched everything unfold.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Naruto said nervously, "My intrusive thoughts got to me! I didn't think she'd cry!"

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "When are you going to stop being so immature?" he asked, annoyed.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, confused. "How was that immature?! All I did was barely even poke her! I do it to Boruto all the time and he never cried!" Naruto shouted.

"Well not all babies are the same." Sakura sighed, "You can't just poke random babies when you feel like it, Naruto."

"But Sakura!" Naruto said as he looked at her frantically...

Sasuke and Sakura would continue to gang up on Naruto while Kakashi silently enjoyed the show. Even though Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were becoming adults and having families, they still continued to find dumb things to argue over like when they were kids.

But as always, they eventually got over it, allowing them to catch up with each other after being separated for over a year.———

This is the end of the chapter! I hope you enjoyed!