Book II

Chapter 12: The Key

"Insanity destroys reason, but not wit." - Nathanael Emmons.

Sakura lethargically laid on top of white cotton sheets while staring through the spotted haze of mosquito netting heavily draped around the four poster bed. She watched the rhythmic sway of palm trees dance with the ocean breeze through an open window and listened to the distant sounds of the crashing waves.

It was... kind of nice. Relaxing, even. Enough to lull regular sane people to sleep. But alas, she wasn't quite sane and she doing something she was really, really good at. She was tortur- thinking.

Why did she have to be like this? Why?

It was almost as if she ran through Earth country, fell victim to some magical spell, crossed an ice tundra, hiked through a jungle, fought an army, and landed herself in some strange village after having the best sex of her life with her sensei/captain/comrade/best friend with whom she just realized she was in love with. Whew, that was a lot to take in.

Oh, and did she mention swimming before the gates of the Pure Land? Oh, oh, and most importantly resurrecting from the dead. It was almost as if all that happened.

Hold on a minute. Did she say if? Ha, 'cause that's exactly what happened.

Cue moment of deranged laughter.

A shrill sound that didn't sound exactly human emanated from her growing like a tiny bubble inside the labyrinth of her complicated mind.

"Ahem." she placed a hand on her chest in attempts to compose herself, but the silent bubble of giggles grew. She inhaled. And grew. She exhaled. And fucking grew.

Sakura laughed her ass off in half disbelief and in half utter horror.

As if her life wasn't already complicated enough. Wiping the unhinged tears that licked down her flushed cheeks, she paused for a moment to wiggle those same fingers in front of her face before letting out another manic cackle.

To top it all off, this was driving her batty. This. The weird tingling coursing through her veins would not stop. What was this?!

The other side of the bed dipped and she found herself surrounded by the scent that belonged to him – earth, sweet almonds and spice.

"Do I need to ask?" Kakashi asked in concern as he spooned her from behind, wrapping himself around her insanity.

She sighed. His arms were pure sorcery, they were. The last bit of her giggle fit died out as she scooted herself closer to him bathing in the natural comfort he gave her.

His lips brush her shoulder as his cloudy obsidian regarded her carefully.

"We need to talk."

"About the kid?" he asked strategically.

"I'll give you two more guesses."

"The civilians here?"

She shook her head.

"Us?"

"Maybe some other time."

"Hmm." he shifted her in his arms so she could face him and she readily complied. His dark and unsure eyes looked down to see furrowed pink brows and a slight scowl on his kunoichi's face, "I suppose I just have to hope for the best."

Typical Kakashi response. She tried to fight off a smile, "I suppose you might."

Kakashi already assumed from the get go that she probably wanted to talk about their relationship. Because he did. And like most people would after sex. But to his surprise, she unpredictably took his free hand in both of hers. She was caressing him but it wasn't in an affectionate way. Kakashi could not mask his intrigue of her overly intent eyes as she dragged a padded index across the spine of his finger.

Ah, he knew exactly what this was all about now. Sakura was a true scholar and like the inquisitive little genius she was, she was just simply lost in research. And he knew exactly what she was curious about, because it was something that both interested and disturbed him.

Throughout the pathways of his chakra, there was a different electric current pulsating. Unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Initially, he tried to brush it off as adrenaline combined with the aftermath of using so much healing chakra, because this felt... oddly similar. But there wasn't an excuse now. He was in a rather calm state, showered and as safe as he could be, and he could still feel it. Even more so than with his emotions at high and there was no mistaking it now.

Another power had taken lodgings inside him moving naturally like the steady flow of blood coursing through his veins. And it was interesting. It didn't feel like two separate energies thrumming within him. No.

This new power felt like his to begin with, perfectly harmonizing to his chakra like an orchestra forming one sound and that sound belonged to him.

And with Sakura now nestled in his arms, he could feel something else equally as baffling.

Where their bodies connected, he could feel something between them. Though he couldn't exactly put a name to it - there was a definite physical pull. But it was miniscule. Hardly noticeable. Thin as thread. But it was there - and if he didn't know any better, it was as if his charka wanted to merge with hers.

"You feel it too, don't you?"

All he could offer her was a slow nod. Yes, he could definitely feel it.

"I have to tell you-" she began, ready to purge all of what had happened between them in this world and the next.

But before she could even begin, a soft knock rapt at the door. "If you two are-" he cleared his throat, "ready, I'll be in the guest room to discuss the mission. And it's almost time for dinner." Gaara called through the door.

Oh, no. "He cooked?"

She'd rather starve.

"Don't be silly. He knows better than that."

Correction. They'd both rather starve.

Kakashi nonchalantly scanned his new lodgings as he downed the last few sips of a tall glass of water. Well, the place was much more accommodating than he was use to on mission and was moderately... hmm... pleasant to look at.

Minimal, oil painted works of nature adorned the cream walls. Colorful jungle plants in bronze ceramic pots hung by thick chain from the ceiling. The room was of odd design; circular with the kitchen, dining area, and living room fused as one. Simple, light-colored bamboo floors with dark, plush rugs in the family room.

The appliances seemed rather fun, quite honestly. Much more modern than he was use to and he probably needed a little how-to from Gaara. What he found to be quite nice were the windows. He did always like windows best and he was surprised to see the entire front of the home comprised of clear, one-way glass. Even without his keen vision, he was sure anyone could see the clear ocean waves past the outskirts of this peculiar village from anywhere in the house.

Placing his glass in the stainless steel kitchen sink, he moved towards the guest room with the intent on joining Gaara and Sakura, but out through the windows he enjoyed, he saw something that bothered him more than necessary.

In the far distance of the vast front yard, he saw a ridiculous, oversized, orange beanie poking out of tall green wildlife. The boy was was sitting alone staring straight into the blistering sun. His neck was craned so far back Kakashi could see little rolls of skin creased behind his neck. The kid was very obviously desperate to see something, but it wasn't too good for the eyes to be staring directly into the sun for that long. Or for his skin.

Hn. The creased eleven wrinkles on his forehead spasmed to smooth and back, stuck between a concerned and neutral expression. The flashback of the chubby guy running up to them with unnaturally reddened cheeks came to mind and it had moderately bothered him then. Just as it bothered him now. But he decided to push this image from his mind. After all, there were other pressing matters at hand.

Kakashi turned his body to the guest room once more, but his feet were already walking towards the large front door. Damnit. And he found himself turning the door knob before he could convince himself otherwise. He did tell Sakura he'd only be five minutes and it was already bordering on fifteen...

With a deep sigh that spoke of his defeat to himself, Kakashi walked outside into the humidity, climbed down the iron stairs of their modernized hut and strolled casually towards the boy with hands in pockets.

"Yo." Hiruko greeted without turning.

'That's my line.' the older gentleman thought to himself, but he wasn't about to retort. So he copied and pasted his signature eye-crinkled smile, pulled out a small tube of sun screen from the inside his pack and crouched down behind the boy.

"While I do vouch for outdoor activities, you should put some of this stuff on before you go outside and play." he tapped the kid's rounded shoulder with the lotion tube.

The boy finally turned around, and Kakashi's lazy eyes widened an unnoticeable fraction upon seeing how bad the child's sun burns were. His skin was so singed, it was blistering. He clearly was not made for this sunny environment.

"Am I in trouble?" the little guy asked warily as he fully spun on his bottom to face him.

"Why would you say that?"

"'Cuz you look mad." he gave him a deep pensive look, "... or sleepy."

"Which do you prefer?"

"Sleepy, of course!" he exasperatedly emphasized with both hands.

"Well, then-"

"But your eyes did this." he mimicked a pinch with his pudgy fingers, and opened them repeatedly like a snapping crab over his impossibly green eyes.

"Hmm. I suppose they did." he reluctantly agreed, "I do believe you are in some sort of trouble."

Hiruko made a small noise of fear that made Kakashi smile.

"If we don't heal those burns, I suspect they're going to hurt pretty bad come morning." he motioned with his two fingers for the kid to come closer.

"You know how to heal?!" he exclaimed in admiration as he excitedly scooted forward on his knees, "Like really, really?"

"Really." he summoned glowing energy into his hands.

"Healing is the coolest thing ever!"

"It is." he replied for the sake of replying.

"You can do so many things with it! I never get to meet anyone who-"

As the vibrant chakra graced his flushed cherub skin, the boy fell silent. His silver brows knit together and the child began to intently watch him. But it wasn't like the eyes of an innocent toddler. No. It felt much... older. Wiser. Almost omniscient. His emerald eyes seemed to glow flecks of color like the solar system reflecting off green glass.

And it made Kakashi apprehensive.

"Ta da." he apathetically announced as he finished, but before he could stand and create some distance between them, the boy strained a little arm forward and placed a hand on the older man's chest. With precision and frightening speed.

"Hmm." the child hummed as he looked downward in deep thought.

And there wasn't anything Kakashi could do. He was paralyzed. Unable to lift a finger against a boy no bigger than a sack of rice and it wasn't his arm holding him in place.

Who was this child? And why in that moment did he not seem quite... human. Now healed, his onyx eyes scanned all over Hiruko in attempts to piece together the clues. His skin was like untouched new-fallen snow, white hair, mystical green eyes that seemed eons older than what this child was... Kakashi blinked. And blinked, again.

This couldn't be... He snatched the loose beanie off the child's head quick as lightning and there he saw it; two small bone-like horns poking out of icy waves.

"You're different, too." Hiruko finally spoke with a smile on his face and joy in his voice.

"So you two?"

"Us two?"

"When did it all start?"

"To be honest, I don't really know."

"Oh."

Sakura exhaled as she ran a hand through her recently washed hair, "I- well- How should I start? I could say for a while now, but to be practical, probably a little over a week?"

"Those answers aren't remotely close."

"They aren't, are they?"

"You all visited a couple months ago and there weren't any... new developments." the redhead stated the facts as if he were reading aloud, "Although I have to admit, I always knew-"

"We'd be together?" she finished for him, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"I owe Karin money now."

She scoffed, "You two made a bet?" Of course they did.

"Of course we did."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"She convinced me it was pertinent."

"You mean, she made you."

He softly nodded, "Karin said it was what people did for fun. She said I lacked fun."

"You do." she chimed.

He silently ignored her by subtly throwing shade, "She bet by the end of this year, but I informed her that you two would only escape your denial when he becomes biologically incapable to engage in s-"

"Don't make me hit you."

"-exual activities."

With a wheezing whoosh, a small rounded throw pillow came flying across the room at top speed. In an instant, a thin veil of sand effortlessly protected the red-headed victim and shoved the arguably harmless item out of the way into the awaiting gloved hands of a man who successfully snuck his way inside through the bedroom window.

"Consider yourself lucky," said this man, "She doesn't usually give out warnings."

"Glad you could join us." Gaara monotonously greeted.

"Five minutes?" Sakura half-snorted.

Kakashi gave her a dimpled, eye-crinkled smile, "Give or take."

"An hour."

"Ah, you see, there was a kitten with a singed nose-"

"Now that I've got you both here," the Kazekage made his first attempt to shift the conversation like he was taught, "we can discuss the mission."

Kakashi paused. "You don't want to hear about the kitten?"

The ginger sat there appraising the question hanging in the air with seriousness. "Not particularly, but if you wish to-"

"So the little guy was sitting out in the sun-" Kakashi began with an elusive, satisfied, almost giddy expression.

"Oh, you really do find it necessary to share."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Start from the beginning, Gaara-sama." she took charge, taking the initiative in handling the situation that was Hatake Kakashi.

The Kazekage gave her the most appreciative smile. He then watched almost warily as the the white-haired man took his seat on the bed, and to his surprise, complacently waited for instruction. Though he did look quite smug. And that was okay. It was alright to start.

"For the next month and a half till the harvest moon, you three will pose as a family in this village and live inconspicuously amongst the people."

"There is one clan here." the apathetic one nonchalantly gestured towards his female companion, "And she has pink hair."

"You're not exactly inconspicuous yourself." she huffily pointed out as he replied with a simple shrug.

"There is much more than just one clan here." Gaara sighed, "And, of course, there is an alibi. What it is, I'm not too sure of, but you will be informed in due time."

"Comforting."

"Your guide will be here in the morning. She will help accommodate, and most importantly, take you to the one pulling the strings. I can only offer you the tasks in which you're responsible of. That is all."

"The one pulling the strings..." Sakura echoed questioningly, "So it isn't Konoha and Suna taking lead."

He reluctantly nodded. "A person that goes by The Elder besought my aid. I reached out to Konoha, and in turn Tsunade-sama contacted the remaining leaders of the Five Great Nations. But essentially, yes, we are all awaiting the orders from him."

"This all started because of one person... Are you sure about him, Gaara-sama?" Sakura approached guardly, "Can he be trusted?"

"I'm sure." Gaara affirmed in confidence, "But I cannot disclose anything else. The Elder wishes to explain to you himself."

"Alright, then." Kakashi accepted a little too fast because this was information he'd soon receive anyway. There was one thing taking priority in his mind and he doubted the Kazekage would offer that up freely, "I have concerns about the boy."

Sea foam eyes shifted sharply, "What concerns?"

"First of all, who is he?"

The Sand leader paused as he thought carefully on what to say, "His name is Uchiyama Hiruko."

"That's not what I'm asking."

"Then what are you trying to ask?"

"I have a feeling you know exactly what I'm asking."

Both men stared one another down completely immovable for two very different, but oddly similar reasons.

And after several terse moments Kakashi was the first to break the silence, "We need to be informed."

The Kazekage remained silent.

"We need to be informed so we can properly protect him." the other man explained further.

Protect him? Was that really what he heard? Gaara gave him a quizzical, unbelieving look. They did. But was it the right time? Would there be repercussions? ... would they want to protect that child after knowing everything?

Inwardly, he felt defeated. What choice did he have at this point? "I will give you your mission and then I'll explain."

The silver-headed man sat motionless until he latently offered a subtle nod.

"There are two missions to complete. One – to protect the child, which you both are already aware of. And the second..." he trailed, "The second will be a feat in itself – to learn a forbidden jutsu from this village."

"Okay... so find an in to their classified information and master the jutsu while inconspicuously living amongst these people." Sakura deduced doubtfully.

"Precisely. And the people here are very quick to catch on if there are spikes in chakra nearby so that may pose as quite a predicament."

"Great. So we have three options, Sensei. The wide open beach, far into sea or back into death jungle." Sakura nonchalantly reasoned with an air of sarcasm.

But Kakashi chose to be more optimistic for the sake of moving the conversation along, "What does the jutsu entail?"

"It's a type of Fūninjutsu. One far intricate and more ancient than what we've seen."

"But Sensei has practically learned all the sealing techniques the Five Nations have to offer."

"Yes, but has he learned all the techniques this world has to offer?"

The white-haired man ears perked. Of course, there had to be more than their part of the world. Of course. With just one sentence everything he once knew suddenly seemed so small.

"From what the Elder suggests, the Chibaku Tensei pales in comparison." Gaara informed heavily, "It is a tremendous power to learn. I originally hoped that either one of you would be chosen for this mission given our time restraint. Each of your innate abilities will be needed to grasp this new jutsu in a month and a half time. If you don't succeed, great war will be inevitable."

"Another war." Sakura breathed out. "Most villages are still recovering and don't have the man power for another war."

"If we enter another war, whether we succeed or fail, most villages will become extinct. You're right. Most do not have the numbers, and combined, the Five Nations don't have the resources. As far as I know, the Kages have already found thousands in the past few weeks who've turned. I have yet to return and aid in the search which is why I must return tonight."

"Alright. We protect the kid and learn the technique." Kakashi stated, "What guarantees if we succeed our mission Hanran still won't fight?"

The Kazekage exhaled carefully, "The boy is the key. He has the ability to change the tides of this war."

"Which brings me to my original question." Kakashi drawled, "Who is he?"

Gaara hesitated before stoically stating the basic facts, "He is the son of a refugee who registered herself in my village five years ago shortly after the war ended."

A moment passed, "Why didn't you report this to the alliance?"

"I did not know."

Kakashi fought the urge to raise a questioning brow. If he found out in less than an hour with the boy, the Kazekage would have surely felt the child's presence in the village at some point during the past five years, "You should have reported it."

"I only found out recently."

"You should have reported it."

"He is a bright child. He does not mean any harm-"

Kakashi shook his head, "You should have reported it." he repeated again, his voice raised a hairline fraction.

"Can someone fill me in?" Sakura finally interrupted, eyes darting back and forth between the two.

But both ignored her question, "With the state the world was in, they would have had them locked away or worse."

Kakashi sat pensive as he crossed his arms to his front. "They would have."

"And they wouldn't have had a chance." Gaara concluded.

The other man agreed, "They wouldn't."

"Okay, someone needs to tell me what's going on!" Sakura's outburst finally caught their attention.

Kakashi apathetically turned towards her and casually stated, "The child is an Ōtsutsuki. He is a descendent of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."

Her emerald eyes widened. An Otsutsuki... A being so powerful their world had just barely risen from being in shambles after five years.

"He is the son of Uchiyama Tsukiko and my village's apothecary Uchiyama Isamu. He's a four year old child who is not defined by his ancestry." Gaara defended more emotionally than his usual stone-like nature.

"And the council will not see it as such." Sakura reasoned.

If he could look surprised, he would've, "Just like Hanran, even we would use the child-"

"As a tool." Kakashi finished, "And if it was brought to light, the boy would be treated like the Jinchuuriki. Possibly worse."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good." Sakura agreed turning to Kakashi and nodding.

"Not good at all." he mimicked her nod.

"So safe to say this secret remains with us? No reporting?" she looked between the both of them.

Gaara was floored.

"Apologies," Kakashi lifted an atoned hand, "once a rule follower, always a pain in the ass." he smiled at Gaara who was increasingly becoming more confused.

Sakura scoffed, "You mean, pain in the-"

Kakashi clasped his hands together, "Okay, now that we've confirmed who the kid is, is there anything else we need to know? Allergies or... hmm, any sensitives? Aside from the sun, of course." he asked simply.

Holding his hands to his front as if to physically pause whatever these people were saying to him, the ginger stood absolutely struck. He hardly said anything defensive within the past thirty seconds and they were suddenly fine with hiding a child who could become the world's most dangerous threat?

"What?" Kakashi cocked his head to the side.

"That's all?"

Sakura clicked her tongue thrice, "I'm disappointed in you, Gaara-sama. You think we'd blame that little boy for what his great-great-great-greeeaaaat-grandmother did? I know given your past you'd be wary. But, come on now!"

'Well, honestly...' his thought began.

"We raised Naruto. Sure, we've done and said things at first. But we raised him. And we love the both of you."

"That's a little strong." Kakashi grimaced.

"We love them." she reiterated determinedly causing both men to shift uncomfortably, "So yes, what Kakashi said. Allergies?"

"Bees. Peaches." Gaara was perturbed. Yes... perturbed was correct. And an uncertain, somewhat good feeling, "And he hates olives."'

"Even the fun green ones?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and held up her hand to physically stop him for the sake of her sanity.

"Got it." Kakashi grinned almost gleefully, "So, can you tell us now about the clan? Why are they here?"

And again, the red-head found himself in an awkward situation. That was until a gentle knock rapt at the door. All three turned to expect their little guest.

"Come in." Gaara called out in half-relief.

The door opened slowly by a hesitant hand, "Hi." the tiny being shyly greeted with half-moon eyes and a soft smile.

"What brings you by, kid?" Kakashi apathetically waved with two fingers.

"I'm kinda hungry." the little one shyly announced as he held his slightly protruding belly with careful hands, "Any of you wanna eat, too?"

Kakashi looked outside to see the sun curved over the west horizon and knew it was already boarding night, "I could eat."

The red-head looked nervous as he locked eyes with his comrade, "You're the only one that cooks."

Yes. Yes, he knew this. Sakura... was a hopeless case. And Gaara was even worse if that were possible. He had no idea how the man could make everything so... gritty.

"And you're the only one with childcare credentials." the female chipped in.

"That's not entirely true."

"The boys." they deadpanned together.

"You're a medic. And you're the leader of many children." he motioned with his head to each of them.

"Which means nothing. I've never been around kids. Tsunade-sama only has me working on hard cases, which thankfully, hasn't included kiddos yet."

"Children dislike me."

Kakashi scoffed, "Don't be silly. There's quite a difference between dislike and fear."

"Yes, they fear me!" he said more excitedly than he intended with his clear tone, "Which is why you're more better suited."

"I like you." the little boy quipped, but his sweet confession went unnoticed by the silently battling adults.

Onyx stared down between three pairs of different green eyes, but they met his unwavering challenge, standing their ground with equal stubbornness for different reasons.

So he began to weigh his options. Not cooking meant a relaxing evening. A relaxing, starving evening. And the little boy's livelihood currently depended on him.

Wordlessly, he got up from his comfort zone. And the little boy unsurely looked at the rosy haired adults next to him.

"Go ahead, Hiruko-kun." Sakura smiled encouragingly, "The nice man will make you whatever you want to eat."

"Whatever I want?"

The nice man deeply sighed.

"You're..." the boy looked around him cautiously before whispering, "the Hatake Kakashi, aren't you?"

"That's my name."

"Whoa."

"Yeah."

"You're a general."

"Retired." he clarified.

"You're a hero!"

"I wouldn't exactly put it like-"

"Otou-san told me all about you and Team Seven and how the world almost ended, but you guys saved it!"

"With the help of several other-"

"Man, you saw real zombies."

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak. Then decided not to. Then decided – what the hey, why not?

"Yes. Yes, I did."

Hiruko grinned a wide, toothy smile, his deep dimples ever apparent, "Cool."

He didn't know why, but he felt mildly proud. "Are you done setting the table?" Kakashi redirected the conversation feeling rather accomplished.

"Yup." he said proudly as he climbed onto a chair ready to eat.

"Giving him a hard time?" Sakura entered the kitchen and smiled at both males.

"I hardly think a child could really-" Kakashi began as he set dishes down onto the table.

But she slyly interrupted like the minx she was, "I was talking to you."

"No, he's been a good boy." Hiruko nonchalantly praised.

Sakura snickered.

"And you're Haruno Sakura, the best healer in all the villages."

"Now, I wouldn't really say the best-"

"Okaa-san said you could bring people back from the dead!" his face scrunched up in a smile filled with so much excitement, the child looked menacing.

"Um, that's quite complic-"

"You're my idol!" he gushed with his hands in the air with an increasingly manic expression, "I want to be you when I grow big!"

Sakura smiled. That was definitely quite the statement she hadn't heard before.

Gaara finally entered the kitchen, "What can I help you with?"

"Nothing!" Sakura and Hiruko exclaimed in unison.

"You can set the table with the kid." Kakashi offered.

"But it's already set?" Hiruko was confused.

"He's saying I should do nothing." Gaara sighed.

"Precisely."

Kakashi laid with legs casually crossed on a cream colored hammock on the front porch with his trusted orange book in hand. Though the outside world would view his expression as relaxed and this habit of his common – this was his time to study. Onyx eyes were strategic and sharp as the letters on the page shifted with speed in his brilliant mind. These letters drew up codes, images – essentially pieces to one large puzzle. The mission.

And piece by piece, he placed the puzzle together.

Protect the kid. Learn the jutsu. Look up information on the harvest moon. The prevention pieces.

Find work. How to appear as a real family. Remain inconspicuous.The obvious pieces.

Learn about the clan. Why were they... here? What was their connection to the boy? Find out what was wrong with his chakra. What other jutsus are available here. The agenda of The Elder. The personal pieces.

What to do if the child gets captured. How to prepare for another war. How to handle the aftermath of war. The possible pieces.

The endless possible pieces.

"Have you thought of everything already? Down to the exact sequence of your underwear the next month and a half?"

He gave her a sly smile, "You mean, down to the exact sequence of your und-"

"Watch it, perv." Sakura snorted as she slipped herself into the hammock beside his feet, "Captain, my captain, you should rest. We've already heard what we needed to know for today."

"We've only got a little over a month left."

"Oh, thank goodness! We still have a little over a month left!" she exaggerated with a hand to her chest and a playful smile.

Kakashi smirked, "Well, when you put it like that."

She chuckled as she placed his barefoot on her stomach, kneading his curve with her thumb, "At least it's not a week or a couple hours like we usually get."

"I suppose you're right." he groaned in relief from her magic hands, "But we should at least split up the tasks."

"You cook. I'll clean. Sometimes." and she spoke no further.

He scoffed through his nose as his smirk widened into a knowing smile, "There's a lot more to discuss than that."

"Of course, there is. When it comes down to the kid, well, we'll share the responsibilities. As for the rest-"

"We need to adjust our story."

"And tomorrow is another day."

"Tomorrow can't-"

"It absolutely can-"

"If we simply plan out our-"

"Tomorrow, Kakashi." she hesitantly spoke his name without honorific, "We still have tomorrow. We've had a really long day." she said more surely.

His eyes hazed over darkly. It didn't go unnoticed that what she called him by fluctuated. And he couldn't explain it – the hunger in him intensifying every time she said his name. Moving as if it were a reflex, he nudged the back of her arm up with his foot, took her hand in his and pulled.

Sakura let out a squeak as she flew forward onto his wide chest. She caught herself with her hands which were now pressed firmly against his hard abs as he cradled her small form to him with strong, steady arms. Calloused fingers traced the hem of her shirt before languidly drawing small shapes on the satin skin of her lower back. She shivered and closed her eyes for a moment as she let her him override her senses. His sweet, spicy scent engulfing her, the quickening rhythm of his heart beating against her own chest despite how calm he seemed, and the delicious feel of every hard line and plane of his perfectly sculpted body beneath her fingertips. A body she just recently got to know and wanted to learn more of.

Her eyes snapped open and cheeks flushed at the thought. No, Sakura. It was not the time for this. Not now. Tomorrow. Why tomorrow? She hadn't a single clue! But not now. So she decidedly fixed her gaze on her hands. The same hands that were actively trying their best to not squeeze and travel his toned, sleek body. Gods, her heart was beating so hard from head to toe she was sure he could feel it.

The knuckle of his pointer and middle finger lifted her chin and she had no choice but to let him see her eyes. Her open-book, lust-filled, embarrassed eyes. He was smirking crookedly and to the left, both dimples ever apparent. Silver hair in strategic disarray as it fell over his amused yet... deeply intense hooded gaze. It really wasn't fair.

Those eyes... Sakura's teeth nervously caught her bottom lip and something momentarily flashed behind those eyes of his. Before she knew it, he had kissed her. Gentle, soft. And she couldn't help but drown. She kissed him back, meeting each wet push and pull from his full, soft lips. The warm hands at her back snaked under her shirt and gripped the softest areas of her bare hips causing her to inhale with a hiss against his mouth.

Her own fixed hands travelled up his nape, drawing him closer into her as she deepened the slow kiss. But before she could taste him, he pulled away. Her own hooded gaze looked at him in confusion as he placed one more full kiss to her lips and guided her head to rest on his shoulder. With her head now cradled in the crook of his neck, she felt his warm lips grace her hairline and she could feel him smiling against her skin.

"Well then, at the very least, we can talk about us." he casually professed much to her surprise.

Knocked from her daze, Sakura nervously craned her head back only to see him smiling down at her. The butterflies in her stomach were swarming. Was he really the one to initiate the talk?

"I don't know if this is the right time." stupid defense mechanism, she cursed to herself, "Perhaps tomorrow will be-" Here was that tomorrow word, again.

"Perhaps tonight-"

"Can we just-"

"We could. But-"

"Let's just wait till-"

"Tonight," his tenor voice emphasized. "I want to talk about us."

The way his voice reverberated sent sharp tingles under her skin like specks of heat. Yes, he definitely wanted to have the talk.

He intimately traced her cheek with the length of his nose nuzzling against her soft skin like a cat as he breathed her scent in. "Nothing will go wrong."

Was that why she was hesitant? How did he know that before she did? "You won't let it." she stated, knowing at the very least, she could trust him.

"There's that." he brought his head back as he regarded her, "You won't let it."

She wouldn't. He was right. And the realization overwhelmed her. With one sentence he reminded her of her confidence, and at the very least, that she could trust herself. She learned late that a man who gave her confidence should be avoided, but a man who simply reminded her of what she already possessed?

The man in her arms right now was someone she'd not only fight but win wars for. Sakura cupped his coarse cheek with her hands and touched her lips against his feather soft in silent declaration to his statement.

Bang!

A loud crash rumbled in the front of their yard. The moment was lost. They moved to their feet lightning fast and lowered into a defensive stance, scanning their dimmed surroundings in scrutiny and in utter, profound and deep disappointment that they just got royally cock-blocked.

"Hello, invaders! Welcome to the Hidden Village Beyond the Mountain!" a loud, raspy voice bellowed from the foot of the iron steps leading to the porch.

'What the hell?' Sakura's inner demon screeched.

"Invaders and welcome are not synonymous." a calm yet somewhat annoyed voice called out from the front door. "And I've already explained. They are guests of The Elder."

"Yeah, yeah. Guests, invaders. Same difference." the source of the voice took a proud step onto the porch.

And there they saw it. A woman. A relatively tall woman dressed in an unusually yellow, long-sleeved jump suit, with long, flowing, pigtailed, flaming red hair. She stood proudly with one hand holding up a torch and the other placed confidently on her hip.

Kakashi and Sakura starred wide eyed and mouth agape. She was the spitting image of-

"You're not suppose to be here till the morning." Gaara scolded.

"It's never too early for introductions!" The ginger took wide steps to the couple and gestured to herself with an obnoxious thumb, "Name's Uzumaki Kinoko, and don't you forget it!"

A/N:

Hiruko – god of the morning sun.

Kinoko – mushroom.

Tsukiko – moon child.

Uchiyama – inner mountain.

Check mark giving Naruto a large family and an opportunity to learn part of his history not from books he wouldn't read. :) Instead of telling Naruto about his parents or heritage, they gave a measly budget to a baby and kept him in the dark? Pfft. Kishi, come on. I can't even blame Sarutobi for this one, because Kishi, if you just kept to the professor-like character you introduced during Chunin then it wouldn't have happened. Period. Here you go Naruto. Your side of the wedding will be just as full as Hyuuga and you can take your children to your very own family gatherings/traditions filled with gingers now. As you've deserved. And I'm going to do more for you.

Hi, everyone! I know, I'm absolute shit. A terrible human being.

I think I was kakasaku burned out. Everywhere I turned it was kakasaku, and while I love this pairing... I suppose you can say I forgot why I was writing this; to fill the emotional plot holes that I needed from Naruto's ending lol. The weekly updates were a real strain given how long these chapters are... Imagine having to write a 15-25 page paper every week. I can do a chapter every couple weeks. That's enough time for me to be a good person to my family, friends and to all of you. And to keep the quality in my chapters up to what I deem okay to post without feeling rushed lol. I have a maddening method when writing. I read and read and read the chapter till I can read through the entire chapter without altering anything. Which means a thousand times. I died. I think I caught my second wind, so I'll do my best this time to keep on.

Well, I don't know. What do you guys think? Shorten my chapters to keep the flow faster for everyone? Or keep it the same?

Psh, I see ya'll are thinking I slipped a KS baby in there! I know I've hit most of the popular tropes out there, but time travel is a bit too complicated to add to this particular story. I've thought about it. I truly have, but my original plot is just too interesting to me still. I kinda had Hiruko take after Otsutsuki Toneri, but I see how even he could look like a kakasaku baby in the last chapter so I added a bit more description.