Kakashi laughed at the small girl's clear distaste for the fruit. It was a running joke between him and Naruto to occasionally something that included tomatoes in it to Sarada. It was funny to see Sasuke's own daughter reject one of the few favorite foods that her father enjoyed. "Just kidding. I'm making tonkatsu with your favorite side dishes." He held up a package of meat as proof.

"Anything is better than tomato soup," Sarada mumbled. Even instant ramen would serve as a better meal. And most of the time, it was much too salty for her. She mentally gagged at the memory of her attempting to gorge herself with Ichiraku's All You Can Eat Special in order to see why the Hokage was so enamored by the dish.

It wasn't her proudest of moments.

"That's not true. Tomatoes can be very healthy." Kakashi laughed at her childishness. The little Uchiha prided herself to be so mature for her age, and yet she acted exactly how a normal kid would when confronted with their least favorite meal.

Sarada watched with mild interest as he went on to rinsing off the meat and prepping the batter. "I eat plenty of other healthy stuff." she insisted.

"That's because your mother's a doctor, it's a given." He snorted. During her Genin days, Sakura had an unhealthy habit of dieting in order to keep her slim figure. Then, once she realized that it was counterproductive to her training, she started bulking up with protein. It only got worse as she advanced in her medical career too, with all her new "nutritious recipes" filled with an unappealing mix of herbs, plants, and various animal organs. Shaking off the faint sense of nausea, Kakashi pulled out a thin knife from the island drawer and handed it to the small girl. "Now, take this and start chopping up the vegetables."

"You know," Sarada stared unenthusiastically at the cutlery. "it's not too late to forgo this whole thing and head to the backyard so that you can teach me how to throw a Fūma Shuriken." They could always get some takeout afterward. No dishes, just a well-deserved lesson to enhance her superior skills.

But of course, her Uncle refused to see things her way. He simply shrugged at her offer, not even bothering to look up from the bowl he was currently mixing with a whisk. "Pretend its a Kunai if you start to lose interest."

A couple of hours later, dinner was ready and the table efficiently set thanks to their "teamwork" if you will.

The young girl quickly seated herself down, despite her earlier objections, she was actually quite hungry. "Thanks for the food!" she said before reaching for her chopsticks. Although, just as she was about to take a bite of her rice, she felt a familiar and very welcomed energy approaching the house. It was in the same breath that the sound of the door opening and keys jangling appeared.

"I'm home!" Sakura announced joyfully before walking into the open kitchen area.

Sarada did not waste any time to greet her mother, hopping out of her chair to give her mother a hug. "Mama, you're back early!"

"Welcome home." Kakashi also addressed her warmly before getting up to fetch her a plate. "I take it the hospital is back on its feet?"

"Yes, luckily I was able to get everything back into order without throttling any of the staff." Sakura laughed and pulled up a chair next to her daughter. Dealing with the mix up with their pharmaceutical shipment and a few minor surgeries went smoother than she thought it would. And just in time for dinner too, it seems. Her eyes lit up as she gazed at the main course and side dishes around her. "Smells good."

Her former teacher chuckled as he sat across from her. "Well, not to toot my own horn but I've certainly come a long way from soldier pills and campfire fish."

"Ah, the good ol' days." The pink haired women faked a dreamy sigh. "Yummy!" She squealed after taking a bite of the fried pork cutlet, already moving to pick up another piece.

"Mama! Don't eat so fast or you'll choke!

The Seventh Hokage sat in his office, surrounded by unfiled paperwork, unsigned bills, and one too many scrolls. If anyone had told him as a kid that this is what he would be doing once he had reached his ultimate goal- well, it wouldn't have made that much of a difference to him, but he would probably not have "believed it". Somewhere along the line, his visualizations for the future had turned into almost completely different reality. Becoming the hero of the world and the most awesome Hokage, beloved by all in Kohona? Check.

But that was really it. He didn't go on badass missions too often and he studied a lot during his 20's instead of fooling around. Not to mention that instead of marrying his childhood crush Haruno Sakura, he married the shy but loving Hyuuga Hinata. Although, in some ways, he always knew that if Sasuke had redeemed himself, his two best friends would end up together eventually.

Not many understood his support of the former traitor. Even after the war, a good portion of the village and his friends did not trust him in the slightest. Always fearing that his unreachable amount of power and only remaining Sharingan eyes would give him the edge he needed, should he ever choose to rebel again. Till this day, people still had a tough time comprehending why they were even together. Hell, apparently even his own son had some suspicion.

Groaning, Naruto recounted the news he had heard from Shikamaru, who had heard from his son about the incident at the restaurant. That idiot, Boruto... he was a good kid but sometimes he could also be selfish and rude to a fault. That brat was gonna get a stern talking to when he got home.

He would personally go to check on poor Sarada and apologize to his friends later. She had heard enough of that crap growing up, just because people couldn't let go of the past.

But that was alright, nobody had to have the same amount of faith in his friend as he did. All he wanted for Sasuke was to have the family and happiness that they were both robbed of as young children. The only way he was ever going to achieve that, was with Sakura.

And of course, he was right.

He chuckled, one could only imagine his excitement when the raven-haired wanderer had admitted his affection for their female teammate.

"Thank God! For a minute there I thought that Sai was right about you all along!" Naruto burst out laughing. There in their old spot, deep within the training fields, no one would hear their conversation. Especially not when it had gotten to be this late.

Sasuke growled and attempted to punch the annoying blonde right in the face. Sadly, he was pretty sure that his only arm had been dislocated during their fight. He winced and rubbed the throbbing appendage. "Shut up, idiot."

"Hey, I'm just kidding!" Naruto chuckled. Boy, this was certainly not what he expected to happen when the asshole offered to kick his teeth in before he left on his next journey. The pain in his ribs and face were totally worth it! Suddenly, the hero remembered an important piece of information and his face fell into a confused frown. "Wait, aren't you guys already dating though?"

"I'm courting her." He corrected the other man.

"Huh?"

"The Uchiha do not necessarily date," Sasuke sighed. Did he have to explain everything to this dope? "The men of the main branch are raised to only seek out one partner in which they intend to marry. Anything else is considered scandalous or fickle." His clan was very cautious of outsiders, so many rules were enforced to make sure that their 'seed' was secured within the community. In addition to the fact their line of duty often resulted in causalities, so it was beneficial to make sure that the bride would be taken care of by her in-laws should such a tragedy befall on her. It was all very traditional.

Despite these customs becoming void once his whole clan was murdered, he still preferred this method. It was one of the last things his mother wished for him. He would not sully his name and shame her in death any more than he already has, especially not for a simple release.

Naruto let his words sink in for a moment, somewhat understanding. They did say that the Uchiha loved harder than any other clan. It would make sense that they took relationships so serious- WAIT.

Did he say marry?!

"You're gonna propose to Sakura-chan?!" The future Hokage screamed as he grabbed his rival's collar, shaking him insistently. "You guys are gonna get hitched?! Spill it, you bastard!"

The former avenger scowled. "I would if you would let me go, dumbass!" A second later he slammed his foot into the gabbing wound in the Uzumaki's stomach. Which resulted in his favor, as the blonde quickly released him to clench the bleeding gash.

"OW!" Naruto howelled in pain. Holy hell did that hurt! "Fuck you!" he coughed out.

"Hmph," Sasuke grunted in irritation. "serves you right."

"Well excuse me for getting a little excited!" Naruto sneered. However, his anger quickly faded once he remembered the big confession that was just made. A big grin spread across his face, swelling his cheeks up all the more. His best friends, his family, the people he loved most in this world! Married! He couldn't believe it! "So, when are you gonna ask her? Or how? Oh, let me help!" he asked in an almost giddy fashion.

The last Uchiha rolled his mismatched eyes at his friend. He was already regretting telling the loud mouth. Now all he needed was for him to go running his trap to Sakura in excitement. "Soon." That was all he could disclose, more or less because that was the only detail he was certain of. Not that she was the type of woman who would not settle for anything less than an all-out romantic scenario. No, even if she had such frivolous fantasies during their youth, she was nowhere as cliche now. If anything she seemed to shine more in his eyes when they were enjoying each other's company in silence. Maybe he should consider bringing her to a secluded scenery for the occasion. Ah, there was too much to plan already, but all of this was meaningless without the answer he needed from Sakura.

With that in mind, there was an important subject that had yet to be addressed. It was the main reason for him bringing the dope here. And so, Sasuke took one deep breath before turning to face his best friend. "But there is something I wanted to tell you..."

Sorry for the late update! There's definitely more to come. Enjoy and please review!