Sakura Uchiha is eight months into her second pregnancy when the new house is finally finished.

Given the unpredictable nature of her – and her daughter's – temper, finding a place to live has been an effort. Most landlords and bankers make a run for it when they see the Uchiha coming, and in the end the best solution is simply to build anew.

The new house is much larger and much more structurally sound than the last one, Sakura saw to that.

Not herself, of course.

With Baby Number Two on the way, Sasuke has been uncharacteristically vocal about her not stressing herself unnecessarily. Considering she looks and feels like a whale this time around, and has the turning radius of one, she has half-heartedly given in to his demands.

Still, to ensure the building was properly reinforced, she sweet-talked Yamato-sensei (or rather, bribed him with her mother's baking) into being involved with the building process. Thanks to his wood-style mastery, the house's foundations reach deep enough underground that they can (probably) withstand any impromptu temper tantrums on Sakura's part.

The new place is also far more modern than the last, much to Sarada's joy and Sasuke's protest.

"We don't need a whole room just for eating," he pointed out when he saw the design plans. "It's a waste of space."

"Next you'll be telling me an extra room for the baby is a waste and he should just sleep with us until he's ten," Sakura rolled her eyes. Upon seeing her husband open his mouth to probably say just that, she cut him off, "Baby or not, I get emergency calls to the hospital at night. I will not disrupt his sleep if I have to go out, it won't be good for his development." When Sasuke again opened his mouth to protest, she went on, "And don't suggest he sleep in Sarada's room, because she has missions to go on. I want her rested, not sleep deprived from a colicky baby."

"You don't know if he'll be colicky," Sasuke reminded her, a minor note of sulk in his voice. "Sarada never had colic."

"And all babies are different. We could end up with one who screams for three years just for the fun of it."

"If we do, those would be the genes from your side of the family."

"And if he walks around with a permanently constipated look on his face, that'll be a trait from your side of the family."

Sasuke made a face, but didn't bring up another argument, and that was the end of the conversation.

It's a mark of how far they've come that comments like that no longer send him into a furious rage. Those years he spent in search of himself have given him at least some insight into his own past. He's been very firm about not repeating many of the practices from before the Uchiha massacre because of them.

Apparently that doesn't cross over into being comfortable in the Leaf's more modern setting, however.

Sakura privately thinks technology makes her husband nervous, but she'll never say as much out loud.

Sasuke grew up in a much more traditional, Spartan home than Sakura did. The vast majority of his youth was spent either in underground caves or wandering the wide world without contemporary conveniences. Their daughter, however, was raised with as many modern comforts as Sakura remembers having, and as many of the new technology as she can afford to have.

Sasuke mostly does a good job of affecting detachment; unless Sarada throws a fit because her internet speed isn't as fast as she needs it to be. Then, he'll either beat a hasty retreat or grouse that any information she needs could just as easily be found at a library.

Or, you know, by talking to people.

The irony of the later argument is entirely lost on him, and he can never figure out why Sakura laughs so hard when he says it.

Glancing across the kitchen table as her husband silently drinks his tea, Sakura can't help grinning even now.

If it weren't for the strapping, youthful package he was wrapped in, Sasuke Uchiha would be the epitome of a grumpy old man.

She giggles a little at that image.

"What's so funny?" Sarada asks from her spot between them, chopsticks pausing an inch or so away from her mouth.

Sasuke glances up as well, eyebrow quirked ever so slightly in curiosity.

It's a rare phenomenon these days for all of them to be present for a family meal. Sakura is often called into the hospital, as she insists on working up until the last minute ( "I'm pregnant, not dead, shannaro!"), and Sasuke spends a lot of his time lately in secret meetings with Naruto ( "If I told you what they were about, that would defeat the purpose of 'secret'," he maintains whenever Sakura asks about it.). As for Sarada, she is away on more and more C- and B- rank missions beyond the borders of the Leaf these days.

"It's nothing," Sakura assures them both warmly. "I just thought of something funny."

Sasuke sniffs, as if he suspects she was thinking something about him, and takes another sip of tea.

"Yeah, right," their daughter scoffs, rolling her eyes. She finishes off her salmon nigiri and narrows her eyes at her mother in suspicion. "I bet you were thinking something dirty again..."

Sakura sputters at this. Sasuke chokes into his tea.

"Hey! I was not!" she cries, her cheeks flooding with warmth more out of habit than any real guilt. "How come you always accuse me of stuff like that?"

Sarada looks very pointedly at her mother's bulging stomach, smirks, and goes back to her food. "No reason whatsoever."

Sakura frowns, and upon noticing that her husband has not only recovered from his choking fit but also appears to be wearing a subtler version of that same smirk, glares.

"That's it," she declares. "You two are not allowed to hang out together anymore. The teaming-up thing is so not cool."

The older she gets, the more Sarada's attitude resembles her father's at the same age. Sakura isn't sure if that's a natural progression, or her daughter's innate need to share something with the man who was absent for much of her life.

Either way, while it was once endearing, lately it's more annoying than anything else.

"Just think about how outnumbered you'll be once the next one learns how to talk," Sarada points out nonchalantly.

"No, no, no!" Sakura insists. "I won't let that happen. I'm having someone on my side, whether he likes it or not. This one will be his mama's little boy, aren't you, sweetie?"

She rubs her belly affectionately, and Sasuke shoots her a look of mild exasperation. She's not certain if it's because she's suggested he's not on her side, or because she reverted to besotted baby talk in the end.

うちは

Sasuke is of the resolute opinion that parents should never speak "baby talk" to their children, and should have them learn proper language from their earliest moments. It used to drive him crazy when Sarada was a baby and Sakura would fuss and murmur over their daughter.

"You can't help talk baby talk to a baby. It just rolls off the tongue before you can stop yourself," she had argued, holding Sarada more closely to her and pressing a kiss on her downy forehead. "Besides, my parents did it with me, and I turned out fine, didn't I? And be careful how you answer that one..."

While Sasuke agrees that yes, of their former genin squad Sakura is the most well-adjusted, he doubts her parents use of inarticulate clucking had anything to do with it.

He also never expected the half-hearted argument to become an issue again for a very long time. At least until it came time for Sarada to have children.

Even so many months in, Sakura's pregnancy still occasionally makes him blink in surprise.

Once the last of the Ootsutsuki threat had been dealt with, Sasuke had allowed himself to finally entertain the idea of a future. A dream that had tempted him for years while he wandered away from the Leaf. In it, he and Sakura would watch their daughter blossom into adulthood and eventually leave their home to pursue her own destiny. Then they could catch up on the time he had selfishly wasted when they were young.

Instead, they are planning to welcome another child and the next eighteen odd years loom before them with a startling uncertainty.

Surprise or not, it is a welcome reality.

When Sakura provided him with a sonogram picture and the news that they would be having a boy, Sasuke burned the stir-fry he was making for dinner. Along with the sleeve of his shirt and a dish-towel that Sarada had to rescue while he pulled her mother into a desperate hug.

Sakura always wanted more children, and he's dreamed of the possibility since he was a kid himself.

That doesn't ease the terror that continues to plague him occasionally.

Sasuke had – and believes he still has – no idea how to be a father, let alone a good one. It's not like he had any excellent examples in his life.

As much as he loved and respected the man, Sasuke is aware enough to understand that Fugaku Uchiha was not the model of what a father should be. He was a hard man to please and clearly favoured his elder son.

Fugaku praised everything about Itachi because he was the first born and the one who would follow in his footsteps. He trained with him, encouraged his successes, attended every meeting that concerned him. Meanwhile, Sasuke grew up in his brother's shadow, and while he worshipped the ground his older brother walked in, he was also consumed by a gnawing jealousy.

Sasuke remembers wanting nothing more than his father's approval, a hint of him having the same pride in him as he did for Itachi.

Not that Sasuke begrudges his brother this; not then nor now that he knows the truth about him. Itachi was the kind of selfless human being that rarely comes along, the kind willing to sacrifice every modicum of his own happiness for that of others.

There are some days still when Sasuke believes he should have been the one to die in the days of the war. That Itachi should have been the one given a second chance at his life.

And then Sasuke will look at his daughter, and his wife. And he will be filled with such an overwhelming joyful gratitude that those thoughts end up buried again until his next sleepless night.

It happens with an ease he should find shameful, considering everything he has done.

It's the same unthinkable ease he gives in to every day, trying to make up for every moment he missed with Sakura.

Years later, and he still has trouble wrapping his brain around how long she has waited.

Sometimes, he gets angry about it, because she deserves so much better than anything he has ever done or will do for her.

"I do," she replied matter-of-factly the one time he voiced that sentiment. The days of sugar-coating the truth or trying to spare his feelings were past. His wife long ago embraced the bluntness he suspects she always had but was too self-conscious to express. "But no one controls who they love. You experienced that yourself with Itachi. You only hated him because of how strongly you loved him."

That was the last time they talked about it, the closest they came to fighting. Because they don't fight – not really. The occasional teasing argument or sarcastic quip, yes, but he refuses to waste anymore of their life together fighting.

There are worse ways to spend a life, he has learned. He knows now that for some unfathomable reason, his presence makes Sakura happy. In the past months he has finally reached the point where he has started to believe he might even deserve some of that happiness too.

That doesn't necessarily mean I should get complacent, he muses as he considers the two women in his life.

Sarada pokes at her dinner distractedly while Sakura eyes her with worry. Both a subtle kind of tension; the same kind that has hung over the little family for a while now. He's not sure if the source is regular teenage angst or something to do with their changing family circumstance.

Sasuke wouldn't go out of his way to say his daughter is unhappy about the upcoming addition of a brother to her life, but she's far from enthusiastic. Still, despite his suspicions he isn't sure how to broach the subject with her. If she's anything like he was at that age (and every day he suspects more and more that she is), she won't take well to being confronted directly.

Yet so far, subtle inquiries don't seem to be very effective either, if Sakura's daily efforts are anything to go by.

"Did you have fun at Kakashi-sensei's last night?" she asks now, her tone cheery. He's learned to be wary of that tone.

"Mm-hm."

"Did Manako make her famous call for takeout, or did she make Kakashi cook?"

"Yeah, she ordered out," Sarada answers quietly, still picking at her supper.

"Was it at least the good stuff?"

"Mm-hm."

"What about the boys, how are they doing?"

"The twins were off on a mission, but Obito was there."

"That sounds like a nice quiet evening."

"Yeah. We ate, then Obito and I hung out in his room a bit –" Sasuke straightens up at this and narrows his eyes. "– and he showed me his collection of first edition Princess Gale comics. And then Kakashi brought me home."

Sasuke relaxes again, deciding that nothing inappropriate has occurred which requires him to break bones. Though he makes a mental note to have a talk with Kakashi about how to properly chaperone impressionable teenagers.

Sakura is not quite so satisfied.

"Oh. Is that all?"

"Well, we were planning to run off and become international criminals, but that's so last decade," Sarada replies flatly.

Both her parents stare at her, unsure how exactly to respond to that. They haven't exactly hidden their past from Sarada, and even though the Leaf is no longer a close-knit village, gossip still travels pretty quickly. Still, it's jarring to have her hint towards her own knowledge of things. It provides a stark reminder to Sasuke that the time is approaching where he will have to sit her down and tell her everything.

Sakura meets his gaze, jerking her head meaningfully at Sarada, and he nods.

He had planned to do this as soon as he sorted out the formalities and details with Naruto, but maybe now is the best time.

He opens his mouth to suggest Sarada accompany him on a walk to the old Uchiha compound when Sakura suddenly inhales sharply.

"Are you all right?" he asks quickly, already on his feet and reaching for her. She's been experiencing false labour contractions on and off for two weeks now. While everyone assures him it's normal, he doesn't want to be taken unawares by her labour a second time.

"It's fine," Sakura waves him away with a grimace. "He's doing somersaults in there." She grins and Sasuke relaxes. "Maybe he's inherited his father's love of thrilling acrobatics."

Sasuke offers a smug smile at that and reaches out his hand to rest on Sakura's stomach, his fingers reverberating with the movements of his unborn child. An overwhelming sense of warmth and comfort washes over him – until his daughter suddenly asks, "Was I a mistake?"*

Both of Sasuke and Sakura still. The silence that fills the kitchen is no longer warm or comfortable.

うちは

Immediately, Sarada wishes she could take back her outburst.

This is the first family meal they've had in a while, and Sarada didn't want to be the one who ruined it. Especially since in a month or two, they'll never be just the three of them ever again.

But then they were hunched together just now, in a way that made Sarada wonder how she could have once thought they didn't love each other. The picture they presented was the quintessential happy family, excited and expectant over their child to be born.

Utterly oblivious of the one they already had.

It made her throat ache, and before she could stop herself, she said it.

As far as timing goes, she seems to have inherited the worst. And there's no one to blame for it but herself, really. She should have brought it up before. Ages ago – right away when they told her about the baby.

Sarada didn't want her parents to think she was being whiny or selfish in the face of their happiness.

Since learning of her impending status as a big sister, she did what she had always done when she was younger: kept her feelings under wraps. She smiled for the sake of her mother and father, politely assured every annoying stranger who asked that she was happy, and hoped that the situation would work itself out.

The more time went on, however, the more Sarada noticed certain facts about how her parents are preparing for the baby's arrival. And how they couldn't possibly have acted when she was born.

"Sweetheart, why would you even think that?" Sakura whispers, looking stricken.

"I-I-I... I don't... never mind," Sarada babbles, staring down at the table. "I mean, of course I wasn't a mistake. Grandpa Kakashi and Lord Seventh told me you always wanted to have kids, so yeah. I just... well... you guys didn't do all this when I was born, right? The planning?" She forces a laugh. "Heh, of course not. You were on the road. Forgot that for a minute. That'd be pretty bad planning if you tried to get pregnant while you were travelling. Guess that answers my own question –"

"Sarada."

Her father has always been able to silence her with a word, and she winces. Peeking up at him through her bangs, she notes that her parents are no longer leaning into each other affectionately. Her father regards her with the slightest frown on his face.

"You were a surprise," he tells her plainly. "But not a mistake. In the same way that this child is a surprise."

"We wouldn't trade you – either of you – for anything," Sakura insists.

"Even if I had been a boy?" Sarada challenges. "Someone who can carry on the Uchiha name, like he can?"

She nods to her mother's stomach.

"Sarada!" Sakura looks like she's been punched, and Sarada feels a bit guilty about the whole thing, really. But what else is she supposed to think with the fuss they've been making?

Within the span of months, the family was living in a newer house, equidistant from the hospital and Hokage Tower. Sakura painted the nursery every other week, obsessing about the colour and trying to get Sasuke to give an opinion, while he pretended not to be interested. More often than not, he was poring over some child psychology or parenting book, with the same focus and determination Sarada has seen him use with mission scrolls. Then Ino, whose own pregnancy was at least three months behind Sakura's, introduced the topic of daycare.

For the first time Sarada can remember, her parents bickered.

"Uchiha," Sasuke stated firmly, "don't attend daycare."

"Well, that's probably because Uchiha women never had jobs outside of the house," Sakura shot back.

"Sarada never went to daycare."

"We were kind of homeless for the first six months, remember? And then when we got back, I took some time off work."

"I fail to see the problem."

"I can't stay at home for the next six years, you know that I'm needed at the hospital. You're going to be busy with your own work that you won't tell any of us about. And Sarada will be away more often as she gets older."

"Then I'll take him with me."

"You," Sakura repeated flatly. "You're going to walk around all day with a baby strapped to you?"

"I don't see why not."

"As adorable as you'd look wearing a baby-carrier, exactly what do you plan to do if some other evil, otherworldly menace attacks you while you're wiping vomit off your shirt? Are you going to transcend dimensions carrying an infant on your back? And don't even get me started on changing diapers because the last time –"

"Fine," Sasuke made a face. "Daycare. But don't even think about enrolling him in the program at the Leaf's orphanage."

A decision Sakura didn't fight him on.

Sarada sometimes sees her father pass by fridge where the baby's sonogram picture is taped, pick it up and study it with a small smile. Before the Chūnin Exam, she couldn't count on one hand the amount of times he smiled, least of all at her. But her brother isn't even here yet and already he has her father captivated.

"Why would you think such a thing would matter?" Sasuke now inquires, in the toneless manner he uses when he's not sure how to react.

"Because obviously it does!" Sarada cries. "You were away for all those years – you get back here – and the first thing you do is go take Boruto on as your apprentice. I'm your daughter and you never even showed any interest –"

"I was under the impression you intended to walk a different path – that you intended to become Hokage. Or is that no longer true?"

Sarada pauses and blinks. "How do you...?"

"Give us some credit for knowing our own daughter's dreams," Sakura says lightly.

"And Boruto won't shut up about it."

"That's... that's not the point! You never even bothered to ask me!"

"I assumed if it was something you wanted, you would have spoken to me about it," Sasuke sighs. "You've never had trouble expressing yourself in the past."

"What your father's trying to say," Sakura interjects, shooting him a warning look, "is why don't you just tell us what's really upsetting you? Then we can address it together."

"Right, yeah, because the last few months have been all about being together," Sarada snaps. "I felt more connected to this family when Dad was away all the time, but now everything's different and it's like you guys don't even notice!"

Her parents exchange glances, and that incenses her further. She gets the sense they're humouring her.

"Just – just look out how our lives have already changed, and the baby isn't even here yet!" she cries. "What's it going to be like when there actually is a tiny human living here? Have you guys even figured that out? Because, I mean, we've got a new house and all this baby clothes and books... and... stuff... but is this what it's going to be? Mom and Dad, hanging out at home all day, raising him? All the first steps and first words and... you're both going to be here for all of that, right?"

Sakura's expression is flummoxed. "Of course we are."

Sarada's stomach clenches at that.

"Then... why couldn't you both have been there for all of that with me?" she whispers.

Sakura looks close to tears now, and Sasuke's expression has become one of careful blankness she's seen only when he is facing an enemy. That makes the pit in her stomach grow worse.

"Sarada, we were there for all those things with you," Sakura protests. "Your first words, your first steps –"

"First day at the Academy?" Sarada challenges. "Because I'm pretty sure that was just you, Mom. And even then, you had to run to the hospital, so you didn't even have time to meet the other parents."

"But I grew up with most of the other parents!"

"That's not the point! You're supposed to show up for these things. Like graduation ceremonies and birthdays, because that's what parents do," Sarada shouts in frustration. "And what about teaching me about our family's abilities? I had to find out from a classmate that Uchiha specialise in fire-style jutsu, and then I had to learn it from a book. But I guess it's all right this time around, because Dad will be here to teach my little brother personally. And he'll be there for every event, and... and... it's not fair!"

"Do you want me to leave?"

This time it's Sakura and Sarada who freeze, staring at Sasuke's grim expression with horror.

うちは

"What?"

Sasuke meets his daughter's stare with a level gaze of his own. Uncertainty and confusion have replaced the anger in her tone.

"Is that what you want me to do?" he reiterates quietly. "Leave?"

Twin spots of angry red appear on Sarada's face.

"No! Of course not –"

"If that's what it takes to make you happy, I will do it. If you believe it's fair your brother grows up with an absent father as well –"

"That's not what I said! That's not what I –"

"– it's a simple matter of asking for a long-term mission from Naruto," he finishes, the words tasting like dust in his mouth even as he suggests them.

"Sasuke!" Sakura has gone white, and she is clutching at her stomach as though it is an anchor. He reaches out a hand to steady her, trying to convey that he doesn't intend to upset her.

"No! Stop it!" Sarada yells, jumping to her feet. Her Sharingan blaze at his with the desperation of a trapped animal. "Why would you even say something like that?"

"To illustrate a point," he replies, trying to keep his tone level. "The past cannot be changed, no matter how much we sometimes want it to. And making the same mistakes over and over again in some misguided search for what is fair is useless. I learned that lesson the hard way, and it's one I hope you never have to learn."

"That's not what I... I'm just saying..."

"You deserved to grow up with a supportive father by your side," Sasuke maintains. "I won't deny it or excuse it. I am an inadequate father."

"Sasuke, stop it!"

"Sakura, just let me say this," he entreats, waiting until she forces herself to relax before going on. "Sarada, when you were born, your mother knew everything about you. What you needed and wanted, and what was best. The only thing I ever could do for you make sure the world you grew up in was protected."

"So you left," Sarada says. She has heard this part of the story already.

"Yes. And if the decision were to made to day, I would do it again," he tells her, earning a look of surprise and a bit of hurt. "Because as your father, it's my responsibility to ensure your safety."

"But it's also your responsibility to not abandon your kid!"

"I know. But in a way, it's the best thing I could have done," he goes on, a set in his jaw bordering on frustration. "Without me around, you grew up in the Leaf, surrounded by people you love and who love you in return. They all see you as one of their own and are protective of you. It's not something that I or any of my family experienced when I was young. You are far more part of this village than I ever was, or ever can be."

"That's not true," Sakura interjects. "Most people in the village accept you now, and more and more the longer you're here."

"But there will always be doubt," Sasuke replies. "And that's all right. I deserve it, and you know it."

Sakura purses her lips because she can't argue with that. He returns his focus to their daughter.

"There's a reason people look at you oddly sometimes. It has nothing to do with you, or your mother. I did a lot of things when I was young that I'm not proud of. I carried out actions that hurt the people that are most precious to me, and the people of this village."

"But you were a hero after that," Sarada protests weakly. "Everyone says it."

"Out loud and in the hearing of the Hokage, perhaps," Sasuke says, a grim twist to his mouth. "But some deeds are not easily forgotten and people have long memories. As you get older, I'll tell you some of what happened." Sakura clears her throat, and he nods in afterthought. "Not all of it, because some things you shouldn't be burdened with. But until then, you need to understand – and you will need to explain to your brother – that none of it has to do with you."

"What's he going to care what I have to say? He'll have the two of you."

"As the elder sibling, there's a responsibility to protect your younger siblings from anything in the world that could hurt them," Sakura says. "Sometimes, that even means your own parents."

"How would you know? You don't have any brothers or sisters."

"No, I don't. But I once learned of a man who went to great, horrible lengths just to save his brother from one hard truth," she says seriously. "Your Uncle Itachi is also a hero, despite the deeds he was forced to carry out."

Sasuke startles when he senses her fingers squeeze his; he hadn't even noticed her reach out for him, so intent is he on his daughter's shifting mood.

"Don't just blame your father," Sakura continues. "I should have told you more. And I should have been more aware of your feelings this whole time."

Even though she couldn't have. They discussed it before Sasuke left. It was better for the people of the Leaf to think he had abandoned his family to wander than for anyone to realise he was searching the world for answers. If the enemy found out his real motives, the mission would have been in danger – and in turn, the world.

He knows Sakura did everything she could to make up for his absence, but nothing could ever give them back those years.

"Sarada, even if you can't forgive us for not... for not doing this right with you," Sakura goes on, "please don't resent your brother for it. He never asked to come here. And he'll have his own issues with us, I'm sure. All children do."

Sarada sniffs and looks away, but Sasuke sees her eyes before she does; the Sharingan has faded.

"Our having another child doesn't mean we care for you any less, or that we don't think you're important," Sasuke concludes.

Sakura nods. "You are, and always will be, our firstborn. And like this child, you were conceived in love."

"Ugh, Mom, I really don't need to hear that much," Sarada complains, although it sounds more out of habit than actual genuine disgust. "I've already accepted the fact that you guys have had sex, but I don't need the details."

Sakura lets out a startled laugh. Then she spontaneously reaches out with her free hand and grabs hold of Sarada, squeezing her tightly to her. Before Sasuke can move, she's yanked him over as well, and suddenly they are hugging very uncomfortably over the kitchen table.

"Ack! Mom, you're crushing me!" Sarada complains. "And the baby's kicking me, too."

"Don't fight with your brother, he's not even born yet," Sakura replies blithely, although she lets them go. Sasuke shakes out his hand, pretty sure that she may have sprained some of his fingers. "And from now on, young lady, you tell us when there's something bothering you. I've lived through the brooding once, and I'm telling you right now, I'm not a fan. No more secrets between us. Any of us. Deal?"

"Deal," Sarada promises.

"On that note," Sasuke speaks up, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you both. I've been looking into it since I returned."

"Are you finally going to tell us what all those secret meetings with Naruto have been about?" Sakura wants to know. "Because he wouldn't even tell me when I threatened to beat it out of him. Something about ancient laws and legal stuff that he couldn't mess with."

"Yes. And I'm sorry for that," Sasuke bows his head in apology. "The fact is, the Uchiha clan has been absent from official business in the Leaf for too long. It needs representation in city affairs, or the past might repeat itself. I have been discussing the legalities of this with Naruto and Shikamaru, and they've found the loopholes to allow for it."

"What are you talking about?" Sarada asks, glancing at her mother, who looks as nonplussed as she is.

"Normally there would be a nomination by a council of twelve and a formal ceremony," her father goes on. "But given the circumstances, we will have to be a little more informal." His mouth twists itself into a small, wry smirk. "And to be honest, I always hated the ceremonies."

"Darling, you're being cryptic," Sakura complains, rubbing nervous circles on her stomach. "It's giving me heartburn."

"Hm." Sasuke nods in something like apology and meets his daughter's gaze head-on. "Sarada, you are the only true Uchiha of the Leaf right now. There are those – even in positions of power – who don't trust me. And your mother is, in their eyes, only Uchiha by marriage."

"So...?"

"So, I have decided, effective immediately, that you will be the head of the Uchiha clan."

For a moment, the kitchen is utterly silent.

"What?!" his wife and daughter chorus, mirroring each other's shock.

うちは

Sakura's husband has said and done some pretty shocking things in their time together. And while most of them are far more surprising than this latest development, Sakura can't help feeling a little wrong-footed.

This is the last thing she expected they would end up discussing today.

"You will take part in all the official business. That means interacting with the other heads of the clans, and making the decisions that are best for the future of all Uchiha," Sasuke finishes, matter-of-fact.

"Are you... are you crazy?" Sarada cries. "I... I can't lead a clan now, I'm only thirteen!"

"Age has no bearing on ability."

"Your... your uncle Itachi was ANBU captain at thirteen," Sakura points out, trying to work beyond her surprise to support her husband's decision. Going through his reasons herself, she can see his logic, but still... it's big news. "And... and Gaara was Kazekage by the time he was fifteen."

"And your mother mastered Lady Tsunade's Strength of A Hundred Seal by the time she was seventeen," Sasuke concludes.

Sakura fights back the temptation to preen. "You can do this, sweetheart."

"Your mother and I will always be here to advise you on matters should you need it," Sasuke goes on. "But you should be the liaison between the Leaf and its clans right now. You are best suited. And it will give you the practice you need to become Hokage."

Sarada looks stunned.

"I will teach you what you need to know – what I remember my father teaching my brother. And you in turn will decide whether those lessons deserve to be passed on to the next leader. Whether that ends up being your brother or one of you own future children, is entirely up to you. Also," Sasuke suddenly looks unsure of himself. "We will have to spend a lot of time preparing you. If you accept."

"I-I-I... but aren't you training Boruto?"

"Not every hour of the day. And besides, this is clan business, it takes precedence."

"Really?" Sarada asks, and something like delight shines across her face. Sakura experiences a pang of guilt because it's so rare that she sees that in her daughter. She knows it's primarily because for once she's being treated as someone's priority in a way that she understands.

We'll do better, she promises silently, wrapping her arms protectively around her belly. I promise, you and Sarada won't ever feel insignificant if I can help it.

"The Chūnin Exam is still a few months away, so I know you'll be busy with training for that. But once you're finished –"

"You're coming, right?" Sarada interrupts. "To watch the exam? Because we're going to pass this time, I'm sure of it and – um – I've been working on something I really want you to see."

Now it's Sasuke's turn to appear surprised, although he recovers quickly.

"I will be there," he vows.

"Great! I mean – um, cool," Sarada corrects, trying to mimic her father's aloofness, and then completely giving up on that by throwing herself into Sasuke's arms. "Thank you so much! This is – I mean, this it absolutely shannaro!" She squeezes him hard enough that Sakura hears her husband's bones creak before she pulls away. "Is it okay if I'm excused? I have to go find out from Konohamaru-sensei what days we don't have training, so you and me can start right away. Okay?"

"Go ahead, honey," Sakura tells her, noting that Sasuke seems struck silent.

"Thanks, Mom!"

In a flash of pink and black, their daughter bounds from the table and tromps to her room. Sakura and Sasuke stare at the spot where she just was for several quiet moments before Sakura breaks the silence.

"So did I imagine it, or did she just crack some of your ribs?"

"You didn't imagine it," Sasuke replies tightly.

"That's my girl," Sakura sighs happily, reaching out a glowing green hand and pressing it against her husband's back.

Chakra flows freely from her fingers, mending the minor damage.

"Sasuke, honey?" she says.

"Hm?"

"That right there? Full marks for parenting effort."

"Hm."

"But if you ever – ever – again go behind my back and discuss something to do with our children's future without consulting me, I will rip off every functioning appendage on your body and stuff it down your throat," Sakura promises, her tone as sharp as a kunai. "And no, that's not the hormones making me talk."

Sasuke's brows draw together. "Sakura –"

"No," she cuts him off. "I understand that in this case, there are certain protocols you had to follow and a bunch of legal stuff to do with the clan. I get that. But this is my clan now, too. Has been for almost fourteen years. And while your mother – gods protect her soul – might not have asked questions when your father made decisions, I will. As should any other future woman or wife that's part of this family."

"I don't disagree on any number of those points."

"Good. Because while you're still devilishly sexy with just one arm, I don't think I'd have quite the same attraction to you if you were a bloody torso."

"I apologise for not discussing it with you before bringing it up. Or at all."

"Yes, well, we haven't had to deal with this sort of thing before because you haven't been around. And no, I don't blame you for that," she is quick to reassure him. "But you're right, the times are changing, and if we're building a new Uchiha clan from scratch, some stuff will change. Especially since you've decided to nominate our thirteen-year-old daughter to deal with the bunch of decrepit, stodgy old men that make up the other clan heads."

"I have every confidence in her. She's your daughter. And you're the most stubborn person I know."

"I thought that was Naruto?"

"Naruto didn't talk me into marrying him," Sasuke says, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Good thing, too, or I'd have been in trouble."

Sasuke pauses. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She giggles. "Nothing."

Sasuke pulls away from her, a scowl on his face reminiscent of his twelve-year-old self. "No, really, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know what?" Sakura pretends to yawn. "This whole thing has me exhausted. I need a nap..."

"Sakura..."

"You don't mind cleaning up the kitchen, do you, darling?" she inquires in a would-be innocent way, speeding from the kitchen as fast as her waddling body will allow. "Thanks!"

"Sakura!"

TSU