AN: Okay, here we go! :D This was my favorite chapter to write, actually (took way too long and I'm sorry). Also the hardest! X_X Brace yourself, it's going to be a heavy chapter. Some angst, but also some lightheartedness. I'm so sorry it's been over a year and so long that I don't even watch Boruto or read it anymore, so I have no idea what's going on with that so this is why there's fanfiction it's completely diverging. I'm kinda scared to post this up after so long, but here goes nothing. Hope you like!

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Chapter 8

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"You want to know the truth? The truth is, after the war, a part of me was waiting for Naruto, too. Even if I tried to deny it, those feelings still existed, they couldn't just go away – the feeling I was making a mistake. But I never let it show, of course. There was always a little voice in my head, wondering what if…"

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A part of her was still haunted by the truth she spoke about the feelings that resurfaced so easily. She thought they were buried much deeper than that, but the little effort it took to exhume such emotions made her question herself, made her question everything.

She could tell herself she was happy all she wants.

But her heart... Her heart could not lie.

Here she was, revealing her deepest feelings. And the heaviness in her heart somehow felt lighter, like speaking her truth liberated her restricted heart.

Something felt right, but so wrong about speaking so honestly.

It felt like she hadn't done so in years.

Her mind traveled to the past, somewhere she told herself she would never stray for too long, never yearn for too much, hiding her deepest desires away.

It used to work. It used to work so well.

But all that work unraveled, little by little, until there no more knots left, nothing. Her hands clenched her white pants, feeling the overwhelming sensation of dread that was consuming her at the revelation. She took a deep breath in before abruptly standing up from her seated position, the truth being way too profuse. She needed to leave. She needed some fresh air to gather her thoughts and emotions.

"I should go," she decided. Akane frowned but nodded, perceptive to Sakura's feelings. The look on Sakura's face said it all.

Akane wondered if she went too far. She shouldn't have pushed so much. She really shouldn't have.

Akane just desperately wanted them to be happy. But she realized this may not have been helping.

She wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish - if she was trying to turn them into her parents or not - because at least her parents were happy with genuine smiles. She may have subconsciously tried to believe this was the case. She knew it wasn't possible but that's what she strove for. She stood up as well, trying to make sure Sakura knew this.

"Sakura-san? Please don't forget that you should have happiness as well," she said which surprised Sakura for a moment before she sadly smiled.

She didn't have anything to say to her. She just nodded.

"Thank you. Take care of yourself, Akane."

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Other World Flashback. Hokage's Office.

Naruto yawned before shaking off sleep. He stretched before concentrating once more on the needed documents that required his approval. Before he had the chance to sign one particular document, Sakura stormed in, completely frustrated.

"Naruto!" she called out. He didn't look up from his work, his eyes still scanning the crucial document.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" he asked, half-listening.

"It's Akane," she said.

"Did she do something again?" he asked, his eyes not looking away from the document. Sakura's eyebrow twitched, growing exasperated.

"It's serious," Sakura urged. He still didn't look up.

"We can't talk about this when I get home? I'll talk to her if it's-" His eyes widened, when he felt hands grab his chin, demanding his attention. She gave him a stern look.

"This is our daughter, and it's important. I just need 5 minutes," she said sternly. Naruto put down the documents before turning to Sakura and looking her in the eye. He shut up and listened, nodding and giving her his full attention.

"Remember what we talked about? I'm trying my best here, but I think it'd help if you talked to her." Naruto nodded. "This is the last straw for many of the teachers now. She keeps skipping class."

"How about Akane-chan stay with me for a while after her class tomorrow, I'll talk to her about it." Sakura raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"Are you sure? I know you're busy." Naruto nodded, offering her a grin.

"I don't have any more meetings after noon tomorrow." Sakura nodded, before making her way to his desk, right in front of him now.

"Right now Ino offered to take her to eat," Sakura smiled. "But I'd really appreciate it if we can both talk to her later. Remember, we both have to be on the same page this time," she reminded. Naruto nodded, knowing he was always so easy when it came to Akane. It was hard not to be, but they needed to stand together on this.

"It's a promise. Was there anything else we needed to talk about," he asked, before wrapping his arms around her waist, his head resting in the crook of her neck.

Sakura shook her head before brushing her fingers through his hair.

"I was just going to surprise you with dinner, but since you're so busy and only agreed to 5 minutes-" When she revealed the takeout she had, Naruto's eyes instantly gleamed.

"Ichiraku's?"

"Where else?" Sakura asked knowingly, a smug look appearing because she knew he was just overworking himself at this point. "I was hoping we'd have dinner together since Akane-chan is with Ino. But it looks like you have important work that can't wait 20 minutes," Sakura said shaking her head and shrugging. Naruto pouted, knowing what she was trying to, successfully, do.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'm sorry about earlier, Sakura-chan. I was just a little stressed," Naruto apologized, having Sakura sit on his lap now while she untied the bag.

"I figured, you only get like that when you're burnt out," she said knowingly. "That's when a dinner break is needed." Sakura beamed, handing him his ramen.

"You're the best," Naruto said before scarfing down his noodles. "That should hold me over for the rest of the night!"

"Let's hope so," Sakura laughed before she took noodles in too. She sat on his desk, slurping noodles too. Naruto couldn't help but smirk at how fast she herself was devouring the ramen.

"After all these years, I like seeing you slurp up noodles like that."

Sakura growled.

"I'm hungry," she argued in between the slurps. "Give me a break." Naruto chuckled, noticing she was hungrier than he was. It made sense, he supposed.

"You're still hungry? Here." Naruto grabbed some noddles with his chopsticks before moving it close to Sakura's mouth. Sakura raised a questionable brow.

"You're trying to feed me now? That's a change." Naruto smirked, moving the noddles away, making Sakura pout.

"You're hungrier than I am," he laughed. He brought his chopsticks with noodles to her mouth before she gladly took some.

"Can you blame me?" Sakura shrugged. "But you should finish your food. Stop feeding me."

"Must be nice," a clone grumbled from the other side of the office. Sakura looked over before giggling. All his clones watched for a second whilst glaring at the scene. They were definitely grumpy at this point.

"Pretty mean making them do work while watching us," Sakura said slyly. Naruto scoffed.

"They're just jealous, but it's fine, they won't care anyways," Naruto reassured.

"Speak for yourself," one clone grumbled. They both laughed.

"Anyways, we still need to talk about Akane-chan. She's keeps sneaking out of class."

"Right." Naruto smiled. "Do they know where she goes?" Sakura sighed.

"They usually find her in the training grounds, or trying to disrupt ninja's missions," she explained.

"She's probably just trying to get more practice in," Naruto tried to reassure. "I bet she's just trying to help out."

"She pulls pranks on some of the Anbu," Sakura explained. Naruto couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He remembered when jounin would chase after him all the time after pulling pranks and having to run away. Certainly help improve his hiding tactics and skills. But he knew, yes, this was a problem. What could have possessed her to do this, he did not know, but it definitely needed to stop.

"She wants to go on missions like Shina-kun. She's tired of school already. Naruto… she's just like you."

"That can't be... too bad," he said that albeit furtively. Sakura smirked knowingly.

"Even you know that's not good. I don't remember Shina being like this at all." Sakura sighed. "He was so well-behaved and always went to his classes."

"He takes more after you." Sakura nodded at Naruto's claim. "Quieter though."

"I was quiet when I was a kid," Sakura reminded.

"Never saw that side of you," he joked, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well, I bet Shina must be having a blast with Sasuke." Naruto laughed.

"True. Sasuke is probably thankful Shina is less like me. I don't know what he'd do if he had to take on Akane-chan as his student, he probably couldn't handle another me." Both laughed.

"He'd probably hate us," Sakura joked. "Either way, I hope Shina is alright. I get worried," Sakura admitted. Naruto's hands moved to her shoulders in hopes to qualm her fears.

"I know, but like I said he is more than capable now, plus he has Sasuke with him. And Sasuke knows he has to take care of him," Naruto reminded.

"If he doesn't, he's a dead man," Sakura said, fire in her eyes. Naruto gulped. A mother's protectiveness killer and scary.

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On the other side of the Hokage office door, Ino desperately tried to listen in, her ear to the door, while Akane watched.

"Aunt Ino," Akane whined quietly. "What are we doing like this?" she asked, referring to Ino on her knees, listening in on her parents. Ino masked both their chakras, hoping she could hear something juicy and gossipy from her best friend.

"Shh," Ino said. "I thought you wanted to listen in too," Akane thought for a moment before smirking. Listening in with Ino - yes, she wants to know what her parents have to say. She knew her mother was going to bring her up - since she sneaked out of class for 3 days in a row. She had to know if she was in trouble.

It was then that Shikamaru walked up to the scene, raising a brow.

"Again?" he questioned. Ino "hmphfed" before going back to the task at hand.

"Hey, we're just having a little fun, and Akane needs to know how much trouble she's in," Ino explained. Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. Of course. The things he had to deal with.

"What are they saying?" Akane asked. Ino sighed, knowing she had to wrap this up since Shikamaru needed to speak with Naruto.

"Well, it looks like your in big trouble, Missy." Akane gulped.

"R-really?" Ino nodded.

"Yes, and they're talking all about your punishment. They're saying you're going to have to clean up the training grounds for 2 weeks, help with my flower shop for a month, clean all the school toilets AND no ramen," Ino declared, and Akane gasped, before opening the door with newfound desperation.

"Mama, Papa! Please please please don't make me do all that! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to skip class and pull all those pranks! I was just testing them so we have better shinobi, of course! It was all for a noble purpose, I swear! I was trying to help them. Yeah, that's it! I was helping them keep their skills on top notch shape! They have to be prepared for anything out on missions! They will be thanking me someday for all the surprise attacks and all the - really good - pranks they fell for!" Akane tried to reason. "I'll stop doing that stuff, but please please please don't take away Ichiraku's or make me have to clean all the school toilets! Please!" she cried, hoping her pleas would spare her.

Silence.

Both Naruto and Sakura raised an eyebrow, before bursting out laughing. Ino snickered herself.

"I guess Ino saved you from lecturing her," Sakura said between laughs.

"Ino is evil," Naruto chortled out. Akane pouted, embarrassed, and raising an accusing finger at her aunt.

"Y-you tricked me!" Ino shrugged.

"It was too good for me not to," Ino said, a mischievous expression all across her face. Akane turned, before her eyes watered again at the empty ramen takeout.

"Also, Mama and Papa ate without me!" Akane pouted.

"Remember? No ramen," Sakura giggled.

"Mama!" Akane sniffled. "I said I was sorry and I'll never do it again!" Sakura eyed her, with that, "are you sure you want to make that statement" kind of look. She happily sighed, inwardly laughing at the whole situation.

"Don't worry," Sakura began, getting up to make sure she fixed Akane's bangs. "Ino was kidding about those punishments, although they're really good ideas..." Sakura giggled at Akane's pout. "But she was kidding. There's still a little bit of ramen left from my bowl. Even though Ino said you two were eating together today." Sakura looked to Ino. Ino shrugged with a smug smirk.

"We did. Not my fault your daughter not only ate too fast but has an appetite that can match her fathers." Ino remarked back.

Shikamaru sighed. He was just relieved they weren't in a compromising position… like the last time he walked in, not knowing they were not saying anything for a different reason.

He always had to prepare for the unpredictable.

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Present, Current World.

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When Sakura left Akane's apartment, she made her way straight to the Hokage's office, still having time to contemplate her last conversation and everything she learned.

It felt far too odd. Too unbelievable. Too surreal. Her heart pounded harder with each step she took to the Hokage's office.

When she reached the office door, she took a deep breath. She didn't feel comfortable at all discussing this with him, talking to him about any of this anymore.

It was far too in the past, but she knew it was necessary. There were things about Akane she needed to discuss, but she hoped her feelings or the past wouldn't be brought up too. But a question kept springing up in her mind, hoping to find some kind of answer - some kind of resolution.

So she knocked.

"Come in," She heard him say. Sakura opened the door and was greeted by the man who was plaguing her mind. He was busy, his eyes distracted as he got through paperwork.

"Sakura. Did you learn anything important?" Naruto asked, his eyes still on his paperwork. Sakura peered at Naruto, his attention somewhere else.

"We should discuss Akane when you have more time." Naruto laughed.

"Sorry, this is probably the best time. I just need to finish reading through this, I need to get this to Shikamaru by tonight," Naruto said, and Sakura nodded.

Sakura grinned, thinking back to her day after a bit.

"Akane-chan can be manipulative when she wants to be, you know," Sakura began. Naruto looked up to her from his papers, and grinned, stopping for a moment.

"I'm glad you two were able to hang out. She's pretty funny," Naruto interjected. Sakura laughed.

"Yeah, she couldn't stop grinning. She has a smile that can match yours, you know." It was true. Her energy reminded her of Naruto but in her own unique way.

"Yeah. I love her," Naruto declared, his resolve as immense as his grin. Sakura's lips pursed at this.

"You barely know her," Sakura reminded.

"I don't have to. She's my child," he said matter of factly. He was so sure.

"She's a child from a different world. I know it feels like she's ours. But remember, she has completely different parents in a completely different time… completely different memories that we don't have," she corrected.

"Not all different. But still my child… our child," he added, smirking. Sakura remained silent, contemplating. She felt blood rush to her cheeks at the idea. Maybe not in this world, but in a different life... They would have been much closer than she could even imagine now.

She took in a breath before shaking out of her stupor.

"Yeah, but we don't have the same memories. Her parents are us, but with completely different memories of our time together, or hers with them," she quickly corrected. "I mean, she must be happy to see us, replicas of her parents, but… we're not her real parents. I'm sure she's noticed big differences between us and her real parents," Sakura continued, her mind reeling.

"You're right. But it doesn't change the fact that she is still my child, regardless of the dimension, she is still Uzumaki..." he paused. "And Haruno," he added. She knew he was trying to tease her now. She glared, the heat on her face not dissipating. He responded with a chuckle.

"Truthfully, your lack of concern worries me. What about your other children?" Naruto pouted.

"I'm sorry, I was just having a little fun right now. I love them too of course. That goes without saying. Just because I love her doesn't mean I love Boruto and Himawari any less. They're all still my children." He was met with silence, Sakura not having a response for this. He continued, "Sakura-chan, you're overthinking it. For now, just relax, and spend some more time with her for the time being. Hokage's orders," he said, attempting to brush off her concern. Sakura wasn't having any of this.

"Just relax? Are you serious? How are you this calm?" Naruto frowned, lacing his fingers together. "How are you not worried?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. I just meant to take a break. You've been so stressed, it can't be healthy."

"But Naruto, we're going to have to think about what we're going to do next. Thinking about it, Sasuke-kun would understand, don't you think? His mission, after all," Sakura reminded. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. But Sasuke will be busy."

"But why? Don't tell me…" Sakura closed her eyes, feeling stupid even asking such a question.

She already knew.

Naruto paused, his lips pursed.

She averted her gaze now, not able to look him in the eye.

"We should still tell him."

"He hasn't left yet. You can still ask him. In the meantime, I'm denying your request to disclose information on Akane. Not yet, anyways. In due time," he said formally. Sakura took a step back, not sure what to do with Naruto's change in behavior. The teasing seized.

"Right…" she trailed off, biting back words. She was consumed with anger. She wasn't one to hold back her anger, especially with Naruto. But things were different now. Instead, she merely said, "May I ask, if this is for personal reasons?" He took a moment to look back at her, noticing her constricting and tense muscles. He frowned, almost wishing it was like old times where she'd pinch his cheek or do something. Now she was just holding back her feelings, something Naruto was never used to growing up. She always felt comfortable enough to say what she wanted with him. Now, not so much.

He blamed it on their busy schedules.

"Relax, Sakura-chan. I told you, everything's going to be okay." He gave her his same smile he always gave her to reassure her. Admittedly, it did put her at ease, dispelling some fear.

But she noticed, that he purposely decided not to answer her question.

No matter how much he changed, she knew what his words meant.

He was always such a bad liar.

"And what about Akane?"

"Don't worry. I will take care of her from now on," he reassured. "This is stressing you out a lot, Sakura-chan. I'll take care of it," he said to try to make her feel better, to remove some of the burden off her chest. It didn't occur to him that he misread this whole situation. Her fist clenched, offended by the idea.

"I'm sorry, but I can't just not worry. She's my daughter too, damn it," she lashed out, finally, her fist shaking. It was the last straw, and she couldn't tolerate any more of Naruto's nonchalant dismissiveness. Naruto stared at her, confusion glazed over before he grinned towards her like he used to. Her anger subsided as she stared at the familiar, sheepish expression. He looked almost embarrassed.

"You're right, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry," he apologized, and he smiled goofily once more, baring himself to her in a way - his Hokage demeanor was completely gone now, and he looked at her differently. She was taken aback by his expression, bringing her to the past for a second. "From now on, I'll tell you everything when it comes to Akane-chan and her future here. We'll deal with this together."

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head.

"She grew on you too, huh?" he gave a small laugh. A small smile rose up on her face. Sakura averted her eyes, trying her best to not give off any form of endearment.

"Yeah, you can say that," she confessed.

Naruto took a moment to gaze out the window to his village.

"Anyways… Sasuke, most likely already knows. I'm pretty sure he was there during the chuunin exams, unless he skipped out on her fight." This was just a guess, of course. If Sasuke knew, he didn't mention it to him. He must have assumed Naruto would come out and talk to him about it first, which was true. He will, when the time is right.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not that she's our kid, I'm sure. But that she's different," he elaborated. "Although he hasn't come to me about that yet, so it might just be speculation."

"So then why would you say that?"

"It's just a guess," he said honestly. She tried to read him, tried to read his words by the tone of his voice and his demeanor, but he became unrecognizable again, his hard exterior back.

"So... you didn't tell Sasuke-kun about Akane? You didn't tell him that she is here from a different dimension? That his work could be more useful here, in the village?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, I didn't. He will know when the time is right. However she got here, it wasn't from our village. It had to be in Iwagakure," he reasoned. That at least made sense to Sakura. But still, Sasuke might have useful information by questioning Akane. His eyes may be able to bring out other memories needed to understand the truth. Sakura's eyes turned hard, frustrated with his decisions.

"When the time is right? Or when you please…" Naruto paused, his face not faltering. She wondered how he did that. Sakura continued.

"You don't want her to go to her rightful home, do you? You think she's your daughter. That's why you let her call you Papa now, right?" Sakura asked bitterly.

He remained silent.

"Sakura..." He turned away from her, instead looking out to the village once more. She could see his reflection from the window. His eyes looked onward, almost lost. "Do you think the other Kage's have skeletons in their closet? Do you think the Third, had some skeletons?..."

"What does this have anything to do with..." she stopped herself, already having a good idea of the words he could not say - the words she did not want to hear - otherwise everything would fall apart.

"Can I ask you something..." she decided to change the subject, instead hoping to find answers she desperately wanted.

"Of course..."

"Why didn't you ever say anything, if you want her to be our child so much... if you wanted to be with me. If you wanted us to have a family together... why didn't you say so? I thought... that if you really did... you would have let me known... That you wouldn't want to live a life of regret either." Sakura felt a pang in her heart, when she saw him bite his lip, bite back the truth they used to desperately run away from.

"Sakura-chan... I... I don't regret being with Hinata. I love her, I truly do. We have two beautiful children together and she's given me some of my happiest times and my dream became reality... I'm the Hokage now... " Naruto said, but it felt like something he's had to say to himself like a mantra, like a prayer he had to continuously say for it to be true. He was stating mindless facts at this point, but facts that were genuine and sincere nonetheless - at least he believed so.

She remembered the old Naruto, she remembered the one who looked at here with hard eyes as the snow continued to fall, who looked her straight in the eye, and said how much he hated people who lie to themselves.

Naruto has come a long way, but he's also lost so much as well. He lost a part of him, a spark, the childlike innocence that would never accept his fate, who would have faced reality and realized the truth.

She felt the truth in her heart. And she knew he felt it too.

But they were adults. She knew he would lose a lot of himself, but she didn't realize this much. At first, she thought he was just tired, and although he was, but he was sad now. He was cowardly. He didn't care for an inner truth or integrity in saying how he truly felt.

She shouldn't have been too hard on him, of course. They both had too much to lose at this point.

Things are different when you're younger and you have nothing to lose. Now he has everything to lose. Of course he'd be more cautious now. The risk of loosing what he already has is too high a risk to take to gain something that is not even certain.

"Sakura-chan. It's not that I'm lying to myself. It's that I came to a decision. Still... I wonder... I wonder what our skeletons will look like," Naruto said. Sakura frowned, wondering what he meant by that.

"I know you're lying to yourself... because you can say that... but your actions... you haven't told Sasuke-kun... you haven't told Hinata, and as much as you don't want to admit it... you can tie it with excuses... but you don't want Akane to leave. You're clinging to her." He was clinging to her like how he was clinging to that what if. He could only offer a defeated smile. Because he couldn't hide away from that fact. He couldn't say she was wrong.

"You're right. I won't lie about that, I've been telling you how thankful I am to have her with us... Sakura-chan. She reminds me of me and you.. And... this is the most we've talked in ages. It was..."

"You can't have both, Naruto." She cut him off. "She's going to have to go eventually. And you're going to have to say something about it."

"I understand that. Once she's gone, everything will go back to normal." This was why, just delving into this fantasy for a little longer didn't seem so bad. It will all be over and he will be happy to go back to reality once again. He was sure of that.

Sakura nodded.

"I hope so." Naruto frowned.

"Do you really hope so?" he asked her. Sakura looked away from his intense gaze, never feeling this intimidated from Naruto. Those feelings buried deep kept getting brought to the surface over and over again. She wasn't sure how much she could keep this up.

"Sakura-chan… If I did tell you back then… if I would have told you how I felt, what would you have said? Would it have made a difference?" he decided to ask. His eyes felt as if they were pleading for an answer, to finally know how she truly felt. Sakura's eyes felt tense, biting her bottom lip.

"It's been decades. I… I don't know what I would have said anymore… You should… you should try asking Akane, I'm sure she would know." Naruto's arms fell to his side. She didn't see him, but she could feel the frown emanating from his features. She could tell, that one must have hurt. It stung her too. She frowned, her eyes filled with regret too. He chuckled, but it sounded so strained, so forgone.

"I guess you're right. I guess she would know what could have happened had different outcomes occurred." His tone changed. The easy going demeanor that started to remind her of the old Naruto, was gone. He chuckled bitterly. He was stern, unforgiving, unreadable now. Sakura looked to her feet, not dare try to look up and try to gauge his reaction.

Instead, she bowed.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."

And she turned away, ready to leave.

"I'm thankful for what I have. And I don't want to lose anything. But… I feel like I'm failing." In a moment of vulnerability, he admitted his insecurity to her. Sakura turned back. His back was still turned to her.

"I said that I would bring peace to all the nations – but what would that entail? Completely dismantling the entire ninja system. There's so many things going on, that I know about, that I can't even say to you – about Orochimaru, about his research, about all kinds of things going on behind the scenes. But systems are there for a reason. The ninja system is there for a reason. There's so much I wanted to change. But I was a fool. I didn't know any of this stuff as a kid. I didn't know what it meant to be Hokage, I didn't realize that protecting the villagers would mean sacrificing others… sacrificing some of my beliefs. Because it's for the good of the village, for the nation.

I don't know how many times I've had to bite my tongue, hold my temper, keep village secrets… for the sake of the country. For the sake of my people. There's too much to lose at this point."

"I've had to change and did what I was told for the village, but a part of me still feels like I failed them."

"You haven't failed anyone. You put them over yourself. They love you."

"Yes they do. Everyone says I'm doing a great jobs," he agreed.

"You are. You really are."

"I don't have many skeletons. Not really. There's nothing as big as the fourth hokage sealing the Kyuubi in me or maybe the other Kage's. But this… I just want this… this one thing." Sakura gulped.

"It's a nice desire. But at some point something like this won't be hidden for long. Eventually, the truth will come out, like it always does," Sakura reminded.

It was then… she realized that Naruto had changed so much, so much to the point he was unrecognizable. She took a step back, realizing what he has become, realizing the little boy, the boy who would give her that big grin, the one who would make big promises and keep them, wasn't only gone.

He might as well have been dead.

But she wanted him back.

"Naruto... everything done, was for the good of the village. At the very least, no matter the skeletons, they truly believed this. Previous Hokage's had to sacrifice a lot, too, but they had to do what they thought was right with the knowledge they had. But not saying anything - that will sacrifice a lot of people's happiness, especially Akane's. Your parents gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect you. I think... we should do the same for Akane's sake." Sakura explained. Naruto smiled knowingling, understanding.

He sighed, "You're right. I was... foolish to not say anything. It was a moment of weakness, I guess. I was being dumb. But you're right, you're right. You can let him know."

"No denial of my request?" He shook his head.

"Go ahead and say something. If you happen to see him, tell him I need to talk to him before he goes off on his mission too. I'm sorry about all this, everything." She shook her head.

"It's fine. I get it. You're doing a good job, no matter what you think. There's a time and place for everything. You're doing a good job with the hand you're given. There's nothing wrong with thinking things through and preparing first. You'll figure something out, like you always do." Naruto nodded, determination in his eyes.

"Thank you. I know I will, I was just... I get worried sometimes too," he explained.

"You don't have to put everyone's stresses on your shoulders."

"I do. I'm Hokage." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well you certainly don't have to put my worries on your shoulders, then," she corrected. Naruto couldn't help but offer her a grin.

Sakura smiled, feeling more at ease. This was the Naruto she knew.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, feeling sheepish. Kami, why was he acting like a little kid all of a sudden? Sakura shook her head, getting away from her thoughts.

"Sorry. I'm just glad you came to your senses," she couldn't help but grin. She felt her heart strings tug a bit, reminded of the little boy that would scream of being Hokage no matter the odds, fully prepared to beat said odds.

There was always a little voice in my head, wondering what if...

"I'll let him know," Sakura said, before quickly turning away to leave. He nodded, dismissing her.

Naruto exhaled, falling into his Hokage chair. He stared up to the ceiling before closing his eyes, gathering his thoughts. His lips curled up in a tired smile.

What a long day.

.

Naruto's clone sat there as Akane slept, lost in thoughts, wondering why Akane was so desperate to have a clone here. Was her dreams that scary? Maybe it was a clue. He thought back to the day she asked him to watch over her in the night so she could sleep, and at the time, he just mistook it as her missing her dad. But it seemed to be something else. Either way, Naruto continued because it seemed like this may lead to clues, more memories coming to her through her dreams. She was so vague, though, but he knew he'd tell her when the time was right. She hadn't had any bad dreams since then, it looked like. The last few days, she slept soundly.

It made him think that the dreams she had stopped.

He leaned against the wall, tired himself.

But still, her dreams seemed to have passed. He decided maybe he should just go, since she hasn't been having bad dreams lately. However, he saw Akane shift, whimpering. Naruto frowned, waiting to see if it escalated to a night terror, the room grew silent. He figured whatever was troubling her, passed.

"Papa," she called out, wondering if he was still there. "Are you sleeping?" she asked.

"Nope. Did you have a bad dream?" he wondered. She stood up from her bed and turned on her light, smiling.

"No, it's nothing like that. I just had a dream about my brother."

"Your brother?" Akane nodded.

"You see, Shina-kun is my older brother and always so better than me in almost everything. He's probably getting stronger, I don't know if I can beat him with my strength now. I was always so jealous because he has such great chakra control and is really smart. He's good with strategy when I just mess up. He used to always have to help me." She paused, feeling down. "Even here, Boruto-kun seems strong, too. Even here, I'm still kinda jealous," she admitted, wrapping her arms around her legs, her chin resting in between her knees.

"You know, my brother saved me in my dream. It makes me think it's actually a forgotten memory. I remember before he became a genin, he'd always do that whenever I got in trouble. He was a good big brother, but it made me mad that I wasn't strong enough. It makes me wonder sometimes... why I was the one who is here, and not him. He would have surely known what to do by now, and probably would have known what's going on. He would have been smart enough to know what to do, and- and-" tears began to form in her eyes, trying her best to stay strong.

She wasn't sure why she was the one who was here.

Naruto hugged her, frowning.

"Hey. I have no idea who your brother is, but it sounds like each of you had your own strengths. If you're here with us, it had to be for a reason, right? It couldn't have just been some accident," Naruto reassured. "Either way, it makes me happy I am able to meet you, Akane-chan. Because you're just as special and strong in your own way," Naruto said.

"Papa," she cried, sobbing. Even if he was just a clone, even if it wasn't exactly her dad, it felt nice, knowing he was still here to comfort her and make her feel better.

.

Sakura left the Hokage's office understanding Naruto a little more. When she finally made it home, she couldn't help but notice movement from upstairs.

"You're back," she said, sounding relieved, attempting to hide the strain in her voice. The idea of Akane is at the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him… but she stopped. He was in the shadows as he packed his bag - always in the shadows.

She needed to be honest with herself first.

She kept this skeleton in the closet for now. For him. Instead of talking about Akane, about everything she's learned and everything Naruto was too afraid to say, Sakura instead said something she herself didn't expect to have the courage to say.

"Maybe… we need a break." Her words actually halted his movements. She was surprised, until he continued to pack some scrolls.

"Sakura, we're married. It's too late for breaks. Where is this coming from?" he asked. This was something new but he figured she just missed him, it probably wasn't something too serious. He didn't want to believe it.

"If you were here more you would know." He stopped packing, this time turning to meet her gaze. Serious, always serious. His dark eyes not shrouded with any emotions, it felt like. It was still hard to tell. But he made a point to face her, so at least now he knew she was being serious. When she was serious with him, her eyes would look determined, unrelenting.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. You know it's because of my mission." For Sasuke, Sakura was almost always easy to read. It was never difficult for him. Now, even his all seeing eyes couldn't understand her movements, her feelings. This was one of the few times he's seen her like this. They haven't been this close after a long time, and yet this is the most distance he felt between her.

It was new and strange and he didn't think he enjoyed this feeling at all.

"Because you feel like you can find yourself out there… That's what it's always been. Every time you leave, you feel like you can find a little more of yourself," Sakura stated. Because somewhere other than home is always calling to him. Even after the war, the village not feeling so familiar to him as it used to, never being the same as before he left.

"Yes, I know. I always know you have your missions and I always smile and understand because I always do that. I try not to be selfish but just this once can you stay?" Sakura asked. She asked one more time, but she asked this way too many times in her life. Too many for her heart that ached so much at the moment, that wasn't to mend and heal from so much pain - but every time he came back, and every time he declined, that feeling would come back. She leaned against the wall, wanting to avert her eyes from his stare, away from his eyes that tried to read her thoughts.

It wasn't going to work this time.

"Sakura you know I can't. I want to."

"Do you actually want to?" she questioned, interrupting his words. She was so used to those words it didn't have the impact it usually did. She supposed that meant she was the one who changed. She was the one who was tired, who had enough.

"You're not being fair. How could you ask me that? Of course I want to stay with you and Sarada. What's wrong?" he asked utterly confused, even hurt. This was new, of course. He walked closer to her, but she leaned back, still avoiding his eyes, before she mustered up to the courage to walk towards him, tears beginning to fall, a sad smile forming.

"I know I'm not being fair. I always have to be okay with you leaving. But I miss you. Too much. I understand that you need to do this. But that's why I need to do this. I need to take a break and I need you to be okay with it like I'm always okay with you leaving us." Sasuke frowned. She was different and he didn't know why. It irked him, wondering what changed. It wasn't fair to her to say no, so he didn't. He didn't fight this, knowing he wasn't being fair to either of them. He felt bad, leaving them behind, so he felt he had no room to talk. Immense guilt consumed him.

"You've changed, I want to know why, but okay. Okay. We'll talk about this when I get back," he relented. He was put in a position where he couldn't ask her, when he had asked for so much as it is.

He was concerned. Truly concerned. He wasn't someone who showed it but she could tell. A part of her resolve fell at this thought, but she knew she had to stay strong if she were going to feel any kind of solace within herself.

"Sakura..." he said her name with endearment, with the affections she craved. He kept his eyes on her, silent, before he walked over to her, so close, watching her and curious. His hand briefly touched her jaw.

There was so much he wanted to say. He wanted to say something that will convince her that she meant more to him than he showed. At this point, he felt he was being the fool, even though deep in his mind he knew someday, something like this could happen. It scared him, because she was the one thing he could count on to remain consistent.

But he didn't say anything. His guilt told him not to. He would finally give her something she asked for, even if it was something he was reluctant to do.

"I'm sorry," he said, hoping she could understand. But she understood. She understood completely. She always understood.

Even if I tried to deny it, those feelings still existed.

Even now, her own words haunted her. She took a step back.

They were real, sang in the back of her mind.

They couldn't just go away. She gulped, feeling her stomach churn.

She turned around, not planning to turn back now. She fought back tears.

But I never let it show.

"I know, and I'm sorry too."

.

AN: Sakura was the one always trying to fight her feelings in this, even convincing Naruto. But at this point, she just couldn't. Welp, some stuff happened. So, we've gotten to the eighth chapter (like I said I would), but yeah, still not even finished with this wtffffff. xD Okay, I think there will at least be 2-3 more chapters for this if I stay on track. Please let me know what you think or if I need to edit something! I'd really appreciate the feedback! Thanks!