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The Tenacity of Her Heart

An Epilogue in the Form of Drabbles

Equal

"When we get married," Kakashi started as he lounged on the couch with Sakura one evening, "Can I walk down the aisle with you?"

She sat up slowly and gave him a confused look.

"Why do you want to do that?"

"I thought it would be more appropriate. Having your father hand you off to me seems...not like you. You don't belong to anyone and you're the most fiercely independent woman I've ever known. You're my equal."

Sakura blushed. In truth she was torn. Part of her wanted that moment with her father, but part of her was flattered by Kakashi's statement. She liked the symbolism behind the action. After a few contemplative minutes, she made her decision.

"Okay, but on one condition." She paused for dramatic effect. "You don't wear your mask at the wedding."

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. Stand in front of all those people, all their family and friends, and give away his most closely guarded secret to them all at once?

He decided that Sakura was also the most conniving kunoichi he had ever met. He would always fall prey to her schemes.

Fault

"I'm blaming you for this, you know," Sakura fumed as she walked down the street with Kakashi.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because twins don't run in my family, that's why!"

"Well they don't run in my family either," Kakashi replied with a smirk.

"Yes, but you're a Hatake, and god knows you never do anything in halves! And in this case you went for double!"

"Well technically you're a Hatake now too..."

Sakura replied only with a swat to the back of his head, which he ducked easily. Kakashi, however, couldn't wipe the stupid grin off his face.

Scars

It was nearing three in the morning, and far later than he had anticipated returning home from his two-week long mission. Thankfully, Kakashi wasn't wounded and wouldn't have to wake Sakura. After slipping off his outer gear, he silently made his way down the hall to join her for a well-needed night of sleep in an actual bed.

It was only a slight surprise that he found Sakura sound asleep on top of the covers, a book open across her lap and the bedside light still on. He smiled softly as he realized she had tried to wait up for him.

Gently so as not to wake her, Kakashi laid the book on her nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, taking in the serene face he had missed with a tangible ache while he was away. His fingers tenderly brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead, and still she slept on. He knew she was exhausted; taking care of three small children had that effect, and she'd been mostly on her own for two weeks.

He looked forward to his turn to stay home and have their children to himself, when Sakura next took a mission. They tried to take turns, and when they could persuade Ino or Hinata to babysit for a length of time they would take missions together.

That was less likely to happen now that there were three of them, though; Tsutsuji and Ajisai had been born three months ago. Remembering, Kakashi traced the scar on Sakura's belly from the cesarean surgery. That had been worse than the night Obito was born. The surgery was an emergency, and Kakashi could barely follow Tsunade's hurried explanation as they wheeled Sakura away from him. He hadn't even been allowed in the room. But after all that, the twins were healthy, and now all that remained was this scar.

His thoughts jumped to another night, around two years ago, when he had last studied the scars on Sakura's body. That night had been much more pleasant. Kakashi broke into a grin, remembering their sake-induced competition to see who had better stories behind the marks on their bodies. Predictably, Kakashi won easily.

Now, though, Kakashi thought Sakura was the winner. The story behind this scar was the one that brought two small miracles into their lives, and he could never compete with that.

Not even caring that he was still wearing his shirt and pants, Kakashi turned off the light and crawled onto the bed next to Sakura, pulling her against him for warmth. She murmured with the shifting position, but didn't wake. They would be up soon enough; it was only a matter of time before Tsutsuji woke up. She was always first, but not to be outdone, her sister Ajisai followed within seconds. Kakashi smiled at his good fortune as he breathed in the familiar scent of home and finally fell asleep.

Live with Me

Kakashi watched in true terror like he had never felt before. Sakura was falling to the ground, a gaping wound in her side. The rogue nin that had surrounded their four-man team were nearly defeated, but his focus was not on the remaining enemies. His world narrowed to Sakura as he watched her crumple and lay still.

"Sakura!"

In an instant he was by her side, rolling her onto her back. She was still conscious, but barely. Her eyes were wide and her hands moved feebly over her wound.

"Kakashi…" she whispered, "I can't…not enough chakra…"

No. No, no, no. This was not acceptable. She couldn't die right here. They were only a few hours from Konoha. No!

"Come on Sakura, stay with me…"

He pressed his hands on top of hers, trying to lend her his chakra. But she was too weak, she couldn't use it.

"Kakashi…" Looking up to her face he saw her eyes well with tears, reading behind them the things he knew she wanted to say. I love you. I love our children. Tell them I love them. I'm sorry.

Why couldn't he do something? Why was he so helpless? He didn't know any medical jutsu, and cursed his stupidity. Making a vow, he swore to himself that he would have Sakura teach him some basics when they got home. Because they were going home, together. He refused to let this end any other way.

Taking a rash chance, Kakashi did the only thing he could think of. He summoned his lightning chakra, which came most naturally to him, to both palms. If he could just change the form of it from bolts of electricity to encompassing heat…

There! His hands felt like they were being stabbed with tiny needles as he directed the electricity inward in order to produce a smoother outer layer of chakra around his hands. This wasn't going to be pretty, but it was his only option.

As gently as he could, he pressed both glowing hands to Sakura's side. She screamed at the contact of the blistering heat. It twisted the fear in his heart to hear her in such agony.

"Sakura! Sakura I'm sorry! You have to make it. You have to live with me, Sakura…"

The lump in his throat prevented him from saying any more. His hands burned with the effort, the ring on his finger scalding hot with the prolonged exposure to his chakra.

But he could feel it working.

Slowly, he was cauterizing her wound. The blood was slowing. She had lost a lot, but he hoped that he would be able to stop the bleeding quickly enough that she would survive.

After maybe five minutes, he was forced to stop. He was no medic-nin; he did not have the endurance to mold his chakra in such a way for any length of time. Slowly he removed his shaking hands from her body, and with a cry of relief saw that the wound was now closed.

An ugly, dark burn sprawled across her torso where his hands had been, far bigger than the original wound, and he knew there was still internal damage he had not been able to do anything about. She was not in the clear yet, but he held out hope that he had been able to save her.

She had lost consciousness at some point, and her pulse was faint but steady. If he could get her back to Konoha quickly, she could still live. With practiced efficiency he summoned two of his ninken.

"Uhei, take a message back to Konoha as quickly as you can. We need a medic to meet us as soon as possible. Pakkun, stay here with Genma and Shikamaru. Let them know I had to get Sakura back now."

The two dogs bobbed their heads in understanding before taking off in opposite directions. Kakashi gathered Sakura in his arms and sped off after Uhei.

"Sakura, you're going to live with me."

Precious

Obito was twelve.

So far, Kakashi had managed to get the Council to mind their own business, but Obito was going to be graduating from the Academy in two short months. For his son's safety, Kakashi had to find a way to get the Sharingan to manifest soon and avoid the meddling of the Council. They had started dropping hints to he and Sakura early in the year that they expected great things from their son upon his graduation. Three days ago, Tsunade had bluntly told him that she could only keep a leash on the dogs for so much longer, though she was now a begrudging Council member herself.

So on a warm sunny evening, Obito sat side by side with Kakashi on a grassy slope overlooking the river. The pair had always been comfortable with silence, but Obito fidgeted. Kakashi was trying to find the way to bring up a difficult subject, and Obito knew it.

Kakashi thought this was worse than the "birds and the bees" talk that Sakura forced him to give Obito last year.

In looking at his son's profile, Kakashi could see traces of both the boy's genetic father and his namesake. His hair was definitely pink, but it had darkened over time to a deep sort of mauve color, and had a habit of sticking up in the back. His eyes reminded Kakashi of his childhood friend—warm and with an excitement that was rarely hidden. Now, the rich warmth of Obito's gaze slid to the side.

"Obito," Kakashi spoke quietly.

The boy drew his knees up and turned towards his father, an attentive expression on his face.

"Your mother and I have told you that by blood, I am not the man who gave you life."

Obito nodded solemnly. They had not tried to hide the fact from him, knowing that it was unrealistic to think Obito would never find out. Especially because he would be the only ninja of his generation with the Sharingan.

"What do you know about your family history, Obito?"

Kakashi could see the thoughts as they went through the boy's head, trying to work out what he should say.

"I know that man was from a powerful clan. I've heard rumors at school…"

Kakashi was hardly surprised. In the same way the children of Naruto's class had heard things from their parents and whispered to each other in the halls, so had the children of Obito's class.

"You know that you are a descendant of the Uchiha clan by blood."

"Yes, but I'm a Hatake, not an Uchiha!"

Kakashi was proud of such a loyal proclamation coming from Obito, and couldn't suppress a small smile. He was glad for it, too, because it eased some of the tension he felt.

"And do you know the story of how I received my eye from my friend, the one for whom you are named?"

Another nod.

"Yes, Dad. The Sharingan eye."

Obito's voice was hushed and full of awe, as if speaking of a legend, or a secret that he wasn't supposed to know.

Kakashi paused again, not really sure how to proceed. There were another few moments of silence, and Kakashi was grateful that for all of his excitability, Obito had not inherited his mother's impatience.

"You know then, Obito, that you have the potential to awaken the Sharingan."

The boy paused before answering, not sure if he was supposed to have figured that much out so far.

"No…yes…I mean I kinda had a feeling, but I wasn't sure. I tried to do some research in the library but there is almost nothing there on the Uchiha or the Sharingan. I only know what they tell us in school."

Also not a surprise to Kakashi.

"Obito, the Sharingan is a powerful weapon, and can be dangerous if you cannot control it. Which is why I am going to teach you. We are going to draw out your Sharingan."

"Draw it out? What does that mean?"

Obito sounded incredulous, and so much like Sakura that Kakashi gave a small chuckle at the memory of the same words from her mouth so many years ago.

"It means that I am going to help you awaken your Sharingan, so that you may learn to use it properly. This will both make you a formidable shinobi and help keep you safe."

The excitement was back in Obito's wide brown eyes, shining and eager. The boy's body bounced with his desire to spring to his feet and get started this very instant.

"How are we going to do that?"

At least this part, Kakashi had already thought through. He didn't know if it would work, but it was a good starting point, and Sakura supported his theory.

"There is something you need to understand, first, Obito. The Uchiha clan was motivated by power, as I'm sure you know from your lessons."

An excited, bobbing nod, but Obito remained silent.

"That thirst for power was the primary source of strife among the clan, to the point that it became a weakness," He paused again before changing the line of conversation. "Have you listened to the Hokage's lectures at school?"

"Yes, Naruto-sensei always has the best stories!"

"I'm sure, then, that you've heard about Naruto's first opponent as a Genin—a boy named Haku?"

Obito contained his excitement again, remembering the seriousness of their conversation.

"Of course!"

"And what did Naruto tell you that he learned from Haku?"

"Haku taught Naruto-sensei that a strong shinobi must have something to protect, something that is precious to them."

Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. What is precious to you, Obito?"

"Well as shinobi we are supposed to put Konoha above everything…"

Kakashi shook his head. That was a lesson for another conversation, though not entirely different than the one they were having now.

"No, not your duty as a shinobi. I want to know what is most precious to you, Obito, in here," he explained with a gentle tap to the boy's chest, just above his heart.

Obito was silent for a minute, and turned his gaze towards the slowly drifting river.

"I guess…I guess Tsutsuji and Ajisai. And you and Mom. And my friends."

"And these people that are precious to you—would you give your life to protect them?"

There was no hesitation in Obito's answer.

"Of course! That's what it means to be a shinobi—we protect people with our lives!"

Kakashi gave a small smile at his son's enthusiasm, as innocent as it was. He would find out soon enough the darker side of the ninja world.

"Yes. But even when you are protecting a stranger, you must always keep those who are precious to you in your thoughts. You must remember that not only do you fight to protect Konoha, but you fight to protect them. And that is what you must remember when using your Sharingan. You must not let the power of such a weapon rule you. It is only a tool, and without it you must still be able to protect those who are precious to you. If you let the power make you overconfident, you will not be able to protect those people precious to you."

Kakashi watched as different expressions flitted across Obito's face. Confusion at first, then slowly understanding came over him as he processed this long speech from his father. His expression was once again one of awe when he next met Kakashi's eyes.

"So you're saying I have to use my Sharingan for good and not evil?"

Kakashi smiled. A shinobi he was, but he was also still a boy.

"Yes, Obito. You must always use it for good, and never for evil."

It was Kakashi's hope that with this philosophy, they could force the strong need to protect that often triggered the Sharingan, without the danger of an enemy bearing down on them. It would still be a difficult and emotional experience, but Kakashi certainly wanted to start there. Only time would tell if it would be enough to avoid the prying hands of the Council.

History

Sakura had kept a private journal since shortly after Obito's birth. For the last twelve years, she had written letters in it, addressed to her son. As she perched one fine spring morning on the edge of her bed, she leafed through the pages. Some entries leapt out at her, and she found that she could still vividly see each memory. Each page was leathery with the press of the fine-tipped pen, each word carefully considered and recorded for Obito.

She had struggled for many months with how to tell Sasuke's story to her son. At first she had started writing because Obito was too small to understand or remember the words she would have spoken about his true parentage. Later it was because she didn't know what to say whenever she tried to speak to him in person.

This journal was her gift to him on the day of his graduation from the Academy.

Obito had grown up knowing that Kakashi wasn't his father by blood, but they had kept a lot of the details from him. He knew of course that he had Uchiha blood, and Kakashi had managed, after several exasperating and emotional days, to help Obito activate the Sharingan. He was a smart kid, and Sakura was sure he knew more than he would ever let on to Kakashi and Sakura.

The journal detailed Sasuke's tragic story, and although she glossed over the details, it explained what happened to him, and why he was not a part of Obito's life. Some entries were more personal, as Sakura had sometimes poured her heart onto the pages in the hope that Obito would understand the choices she made and what she wanted for her son's future.

She had written the final entry this morning. It simply said that she was proud of him, she loved him, and that he should choose his own path in life but that she hoped it would be one that he would be proud of as well.

Now was the time for everything to come to light. As a full-fledged shinobi, Obito had the right to understand his past, and understand his future. He was traveling the same path that they all started on, but it was his choices that would determine the kind of shinobi he became.

Bonds

"Aji."

Tsutsuji's slightly younger twin sister only snored and rolled away from her. It was late, well after midnight, and she couldn't sleep. Who knew how much time they had left together! So Tsuji had crossed their bedroom to her sister's bed, crawling under the sheet and pulling it up over their heads as they had done when they were little. She poked Aji hard under her shoulder blade this time.

"Aji!" she spoke in a harsh whisper. "Wake up!"

Aji rolled back and squirmed uncomfortably in reaction.

"What did you do that for?"

"Because you wouldn't wake up!"

"Well I'm awake now…what is it?"

Aji was only slightly agitated; the two rarely had real fights and Tsuji knew Aji just wanted to slip back into sleep.

"Aji…they're going to split us up."

The younger twin frowned at this, and seemed more awake now.

"Yeah I know. We'll be put on different teams."

Their graduation from the Academy was in just a few days. Over the last few weeks it had become increasingly clear that Iruka-sensei intended to put them on different Genin teams. He had been forcing them to pair up with different kids for training exercises, much to both girls' dismay.

"What are we going to do?"

Aji snorted derisively.

"There's nothing we can do. Mom and Dad think it's good for us."

"We won't be the same anymore," Tsuji observed. "Whoever we get teamed up with, and our sensei's, they're going to change us in different ways."

Both girls were quiet for a few minutes as they contemplated Tsuji's statement.

"Maybe…maybe that won't be so bad," Aji admitted hesitantly. She received an incredulous look from her sister, who felt a mild betrayal at such a statement.

"Let me explain. If we learn different techniques from our teams, we could always teach them to each other, right? So then we would have twice the number of skills and jutsus as the other Genin!" Aji's voice rose in volume as she spoke, becoming more excited at the possibilities. "We'll move up the ranks in no time!"

"But Aji…we're never going to go on missions together! We're always going to be on different schedules!"

"Well yeah, but we're different than other people. We're twins. We'll always be together when we aren't on missions, and we think the same way, so we can teach stuff to each other in no time!"

Tsuji was skeptical, but the idea of learning from each other was too great to dismiss. If they trained hard, they would even be able to hold their own against Obito and his Sharingan.

"I guess…" Tsuji agreed reluctantly. "It's not like other ninja don't find time to have friends. We can make it work."

"Of course we can!" Aji confirmed with a wide grin. "Now get out of my bed before I pay you back for poking me too hard!"

Trouble

Kakashi was highly suspicious.

There was entirely too much giggling coming from the shared bedroom of his teenage twin daughters. This meant they were up to something; the giggling was what always gave them away. They were masters of verbal deception and misdirection and Kakashi had learned long ago that he had to be wary of their tricks—especially when they were together.

He decided to wait patiently in the living room, in his favorite armchair where he had a good view of both the staircase and the front door. He opened a well-read novel (though regrettably not Icha Icha), and made himself appear busy while listening for changes in their voices or other sounds that would indicate they were on the move.

When Sakura walked in from the kitchen a few minutes later, she only smirked at him.

"You're not fooling anyone, you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied with feigned innocence. Just then his ears perked up at the sound of a door opening, and a telling sudden lack of giggling.

Ajisai skipped down the stairs first, with a bright smile on her face, her sister following closely behind.

"Daddy!" she greeted, before coming to give him a kiss on the temple.

Kakashi purposefully gave her an eye crinkle and nodded, before glancing back down at his book to continue observing while seeming to be disinterested. He wasn't yet sure what their game was, but Tsutsuji tagged in then.

"Daddy can I get you anything? Water? Tea?"

Oh, so they were buttering him up. This was child's play and far below what they were capable of, so they couldn't be up to anything too devious.

"No, thank you, Tsuji," he replied nonchalantly.

"Okay, well we're meeting some friends, we'll see you later!"

"Bye!"

Kakashi looked at them more fully for the first time as they made a beeline for the door.

"Hold it!"

Both girls were wearing dresses far shorter than he'd ever known they owned, and their sleek silver hair hung in waves that Kakashi guessed must have taken them a good forty-five minutes to perfect. They looked at him expectantly with innocent jade eyes.

The pieces clicked into place in Kakashi's mind. There was only one reason they would be dressed like this on a Saturday evening.

They had dates.

"Who are they? And what are you wearing?" he demanded. To his surprise, Sakura jumped to their defense first.

"Kakashi!" she admonished with a swat to his head, "The girls are Chunin. I'm sure they can take care of themselves on a date."

"Of course!" chimed Tsutsuji, "Besides, I don't think anybody's going to go near Aji after she threatened Tomiichi last week with a kunai to his—ouch!"

Ajisai had pointedly elbowed her sister in the side, and the two exchanged mild glares before uniting again for their cause. Kakashi decided he really didn't want to know.

"And we wear less clothes that this when we're training, Daddy, jeeze!"

This was a losing battle. He could tell from Sakura's pointed gaze at the side of his head that she was on their side. He huffed a sigh.

"Names and rank?"

"Daddy!"

"Oh come on!"

"Names. And. Rank."

He made eye contact with Tsutsuji and held it; he knew she usually broke more easily. She shifted her weight to her other foot and Kakashi could tell she was close to giving up the names, but their gaze was broken when Ajisai nudged her sister.

In a glance that couldn't have lasted more than half a second, they had communicated something that Kakashi couldn't follow. He resigned himself to be subjected to their uncanny ability to seemingly read each other's minds, and reminded himself again that this was a highly useful skill for the two kunoichi when they went on missions. It was then that they spoke quickly and simultaneously, a move perfectly executed down to the intonation and relative volume of their voices.

"Yukimura Kosuke, Chunin."

"Hisakawa Tatsuya, Jonin."

Oh, good…Wait, what?

Jonin?

"Aji…" he said warningly.

"He just passed the exams last month!" she assured him, "He's only a year older than me!"

"And now you know for sure that Tatsuya will be able to protect us, Daddy," Tsutsuji chimed in a singsong tone.

Her twist on his earlier protests to the date in general was not lost on him. Kakashi knew he'd been had, and huffed again.

"Fine, have fun, girls..." he said with a begrudging wave of his hand.

They squealed in delight and bent to kiss him on each temple in thanks before running for the door.

"Just make sure they know your father is the Copy Ninja!" he called after them. The only response he received was another fit of giggles as they raced down the street and away from the house.

That, and another swat to his head from Sakura.

Fight

Obito stood alert in a defensive stance, waiting and listening for any sounds or other signs of movement. The tomoe of his Sharingan spun slowly as he stepped in a circle, trying to spot the chakra of his two opponents.

He'd already dispelled the genjutsu that Tsutsuji had trapped him in. It only took him about thirty seconds to recognize it, but with his Sharingan he was impressed that she had trapped him at all. Tsutsuji was more proficient with genjutsu than Ajisai, whose preferred techniques tended to be more brutal and less elegant. She took after their mother that way.

Those thirty seconds had cost him dearly, as they had used it as cover to hide their locations, and Obito was pleased that they masked their chakra as well.

The slight tremble of the earth in a fraction of a second was the only warning he had before it crumbled at his feet. He jumped and whirled to face Aji, who had sprung out of the ground in a perfect imitation of one of their father's favorite moves. As he turned and aimed a kick at one twin, he could sense Tsuji coming at him from above. There was no time to dodge as he had leapt straight into her path, and he took a punch to his left shoulder that hurt, but didn't dislocate it.

"Come on Tsuji, I know you can hit harder than that…" he goaded after landing a few feet away.

"You're right, I can!"

Shadow clone!

Obito had left himself open to Aji, and didn't have time to doge the second hit from both her and Tsuji to his shoulder, which did manage to dislocate it. Damn, he underestimated them. That was his dominant arm, and even after popping it back into place it would still be weak.

They allowed him a moment to fix his shoulder, which was their mistake. In an instant he had managed to trap them in a genjutsu of his own, and although Tsuji managed to break it almost immediately, Aji struggled against the power of the Sharingan. Tsuji took a hit to her back and Aji a kick to her leg as Tsuji helped Aji out of the illusion.

After that, not one of the three hesitated or held back any more. Only another two minutes passed before kunai and shuriken were being launched in all directions, and another seven minutes before Aji finally broke out some of her more impressive jutsu. Over an hour passed as they sparred in the familiar terrain of the training grounds.

Obito maintained the upper hand for the first half of the fight, but it was when he realized Tsuji had managed to trap him in another genjutsu that he realized he might actually lose. While under the illusion Aji had managed to give him two cracked ribs, which made movement that much more difficult. He reminded himself that he had suffered worse in fights with real enemies, and ignored the pain.

It was not long, however, that the girls began to use their eerie twinness to confuse him. There was no other word for it, and Obito had never seen anything like it. Sure, they dressed the same for their spars—a strategy meant to confuse opponents who could not tell them apart—but he was their brother. He would always be able to tell them apart. But suddenly there seemed to be too many of them—they were using shadow clones, sure, but they spoke to each other in such a way that left Obito disoriented. It was like another language.

"Left!" he heard Tsuji shout from his right side, causing him to look left on instinct although he knew it left him vulnerable to her. But the hit didn't come from right or left, it came from behind, where Aji landed a kick to the back of his knee with a maniacal giggle.

"Up!" was Aji's reply, and Tsuji hit him from the left.

Were they using code? Did they have a system worked out? Obito went on the defensive again as he listened to their commands and tried to find the pattern, but there was none that he could decipher. He began to think it was just gibberish.

They were moving too fast, and confusing him with their clones and misdirection. He was losing focus and leaving too many openings. It was only a matter of time before—

Yep, there it was.

He felt his arms jerked backwards by two clones and saw the glint of a kunai in front of him, before looking forward to see Aji standing in front of him with a very satisfied smirk on her pretty face. Or was it Tsuji? He was disoriented and couldn't tell anymore.

Obito sighed in defeat as Tsuji—this time he was sure by her even, graceful steps—walked around him to stand beside her sister. At least he had been right that Aji held the kunai.

"Looks like we win, brother!"

It was mildly humiliating to be defeated by your two younger sisters, but Obito smiled anyway. He couldn't help the pride swelling in his chest.

"Yeah, yeah. You win."

"Yes!" Aji cheered as she spun the kunai back into the holster at her thigh. "We're sure to pass the Jonin exams now!"

Obito smirked.

"You'll pass, but you've still got a lot of work to do. Tsuji, you leave too long of an opening after performing a jutsu, and Aji, you need to work on escaping my genjutsu. Neither of you are shoo-ins until you can beat Dad."

The shocked and horrified looks on Aji's and Tsuji's faces were payback enough for his defeat.

Pass the Torch

Sakura smiled as she climbed into bed with Kakashi after the party. Naruto had insisted they have one to celebrate. With a service record easily twice the length of the average shinobi, Kakashi was retiring from active duty in the same month that Tsutsuji and Ajisai had passed their Jonin exams at age eighteen.

"Our kids are pretty amazing," Kakashi mused, one hand tucked behind his head and his eyes closed in contentment.

"Mmhmm. I can't believe they're all Jonin now," Sakura replied sleepily, and not for the first time.

"I can't believe I'm retired. I'm old."

"You've been calling yourself old since I as a Genin," she teased.

"Fair point, but now it's true," he countered with a grin.

They were quiet for a few moments, but before they drifted off to sleep, Sakura made one final observation.

"We've got a good life."

The End.

Thank you so much for reading!