#sasusaku fic

[jyacira1]

he was a punk and she did ballet #sasusaku

#sasusaku #sasusaku fic #sasusaku art #ss fic #haruno sakura #sasuke x sakura #uchiha sasuke #ss 2022 #ss fic rec #inspiredbyoncemorewithfeelingfromjinnyskeans

[southsidestory]

The Valley of the End: Ch 21 Sneak Peek

When Sasuke was four years old, a thunderstorm hit Konoha. He’d only seen rain, never lightning, and the bright, branching flashes outside his window terrified him. Father would be angry if he found out. Even as a little boy, Sasuke knew that much.

He also knew that his mother was the safest place in the whole, wide world (a small world, actually, but he didn’t understand that yet).

Sasuke woke her in the middle of the night with a silent tug on her nightgown sleeve. Father was out of town on some important Hokage business, so he didn’t have to worry about getting caught.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her question blurred with sleep.

“The storm. It’s…” 

“Scary?” 

He nodded.

Sometimes when Father was away and Sasuke had a nightmare, she let him sleep in the big bed, but this time she said no. 

“Bad dreams can’t hurt you when you’re awake, but storms are real. When you’re scared of something real, you shouldn’t run from it. Running will only make you more afraid.”

That didn’t make sense to Sasuke, but she taught him in the best way he could learn: by taking him outside to see the storm.

A porch wrapped around the back half of their house like protective arms. That’s where she took him that night, where she picked him up and held him on her hip, telling stories about lightning and fire.

“You’re a son of the Uchiha,” she said. “This is who you are, Sasuke. Never fear that.”

He nodded, but the next jolt of lightning still made him flinch.

His mother hugged him tighter through the rolling thunder, then sat on the porch swing with him curled up in her lap.

“As long as I’m here, I’ll never let anything hurt you.”

That wasn’t true. She tried her best, but there was only so much a wife could do from within a cold-hearted Hokage’s shadow.

Maybe she hadn’t realized that on the night she held him in her arms, teaching him that not only was she the safest place in the world, she would shape his world to be safe for him. 

She killed his fear of storms that night. As rain played music on the roof and lightning burned the skies, Sasuke discovered a love for something as beautiful as it was deadly.

Looking back, that should have been a warning sign, a lesson in and of itself. When he feels loved enough, he can look past a pretty lie. He can trust for the sake of comfort, even if real danger is barely hidden overhead.

~ ~ ~

AN: I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of Chapter 21! Fingers crossed that I'll have a full update to share soon.

#sasusaku #ssfanfiction #ss fanfiction #sasusaku fic #TVOTE #the valley of the end #my fanfiction #sneak peek

[nikkichama]

Naruto Fic Rec

Fic that I read more than once,twice, thrice or more.

HashiMada:

Sugar on your lips (I'm addicted) by chidoried E Canon divergent/Founder's era/Fix-it/Hashirama is whipped Bottom Madara/One Shot Madara placed the sweet dango between his lips, not biting into it, just holding it between his lips and teeth, looking at Hashirama expectantly. The Senju swallowed thickly, leaning in and taking a bite, their lips brushing momentarily and causing a spark to run through his body. In which Madara has a sweet tooth and loves eating dangos and Hashirama might be a little too in love.

Alkahest by misbehavingvigilante M Canon Divergence/Angst with Happy Ending/Sibling Love/Izuna Lives/ TobiIzu/One Shot In which, Madara doesn't refuse Hashirama's offer after all and Izuna lives because of it.

Lost & Found series by Makkoska E and M Modern Setting/Past Drug Use/Past Alcohol Abuse/Self-harm tendencies/Social Anxiety/Smoking/Coming Out/Divorced Parents/Past Hashirama x Mito Madara starts a new life in a quiet little village with the help of an old flame

Breathless by PaddyChan E ♥♥♥♥♥ Founders Era/Canon Divergence/Slow Burn/Protective Hashirama/Izuna Lives/ 63 chapters Forced to abandon their friendship due to the endless war raging between Senju and Uchiha, Hashirama and Madara are now facing each other on the battlefield as leaders of their clans. In one reality Madara has to mourn his last remaining brother, before being ultimately defeated by the Senju leader and losing the trust of his people. In another one, the odds are even worse. However, when Madara faints on the battlefield, Hashirama finds himself unable to kill the man he once considered his best friend. With Madara on the verge of dying, Hashirama decides to take matters into his own hands. And maybe, a single change is enough to steer fate into a different direction.

Adore by midnightfeast T Modern Setting/Pre-Relationship/One Shot “I don’t even know about your first kiss. How have I never asked you this before? Was she pretty?” Oh, he had asked countless of times, but Madara had been skilled enough to deceive his efforts.  For some reason, tonight was different. Tonight, Hashirama would not let him get away with deception. Maybe it was the alcohol, probably the raw emotions of a hurting and bleeding breakup that had Hashirama turn onto all-fours and crawl towards Madara with piercing eyes and under that intense gaze, Madara heart started to race. “Or was it a man? You know I don’t care.” Or: Closing in on thirty, Madara is convinced that he'll live the rest of his life as an unkissed virgin, because there is only one person he wants. After another break-up, Hashirama finds himself on Madara's carpet, drunk and curious.

Out of Time by Mari_Kel M ♥♥♥ (WIP) 57 Chapters Time Travel/Genin Era/Team Yamato-Freeform/Fluff and Angst/Friends to Lovers/Uchiha Madara-centric/Senju Hashirama-centric/Canon Divergence/PTSD/Team as Family/Found Family/Not Canon Compliant/Mental Health Issues Sarutobi Hiruzen was a smart man. He was the third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, star pupil of Senju Tobirama, hailed as the second God of Shinobi, and master of ten thousand jutsu. But, as he stares down at the result of the latest botched space-time jutsu, one taken from the Nidaime’s Forbidden Archive and modified by Hiruzen himself, he wonders how smart he really is to have something backfire this badly. Because there is a tiny, angry, twelve-year-old Uchiha Madara with only one-tomoe sharingan, yelling and brandishing a kunai at him. And clinging to Madara’s arm is an equally tiny Senju Hashirama, shaking and alarmingly pale. Hiruzen closes his eyes and sighs. Truly a smart man. OR: The one where Yamato gets his own rather unique genin team comprised of a ghost, a god, and an assassin, and the timeline will never be the same.

TobiIzu:

Keep You by midnightfeast E ♥♥♥ Modern Setting/Friends with Benefits To Lovers/Smut/One Shot Unfortunate really, that Tobirama just had to go and be sweet and kind to Izuna’s cat, because then Izuna had to develop feelings for the man that was meant to be nothing more than his booty call. (I saw a reddit post or tumblr post similar to this ages ago and couldn't stop thinking about it, so I had to write a story for it. Unfortunately, I can't link the source of inspiration, because I can't find it. If you see it, please tell me.)

Don't leave me hanging by AlismaeGullran G There was only one bed/Getting Together/Pining/Canon Divergence There was only one bed, which makes room for confessions.

My rival, My friend by AlismaeGullran T/G Series 7 Work ♥♥♥ Founders Era/Fluff/Sick Fic/Past Child Abuse/Mention of Child Abuse/Hurt-Comfort/Angst with Happy Ending This is my collection of TobiIzu stories. These are all set in the same AU.

Seducing Tobirama by Phlebas T/M/E Series 6 Work Pre-Slash/Warring States Period/Mutual Pining/Uchiha Izuna Lives/Discussion of Canonical Child Death/Smut/Bottom Izuna Seducing Tobirama is harder than Izuna thought it would be. Loosely linked short fics in the same AU, all of which are inspired by the art of Junsui

A Soft Green Glow by Sharkseye M 47 ♥♥♥ Altered Mental States-due to blood loss/Pre-Slash/Canon Divergence/Pre-canon Returning from an ambush that killed his entire team and near fatally wounded him, Izuna finds himself followed by an enemy far more dangerous than the ones he left behind. Even if he makes it back to Uchiha lands, he'll be killed long before help can arrive. That is, if the blood loss doesn't get him first. ~*~ The title of my notes on this is 'Tobirama Escorts Izuna Home'. That's it, that's the story. Due to popular demand, there is now a second chapter!

My Nemesis my only Friend by Eisengrave, Maelikki, selwyn E 47 chapters ♥♥♥

Warring States Period/Fix-it/Somebodylives-somebody not/Slow Build/Pining/Uchiha Izuna lives/TobiIzu centric Hashirama saved Izuna and Madara agreed to peace. Konoha is standing on its new foundation, resting on the shoulders of two giants. But where does that leave their loyal shadows? The little brothers that swore themselves to the way of war? What good are their sharp edges when the world wants to learn to be soft? Who would understand that it's not so easy to let go of living your life in ever-present readiness to fight, to kill? [despite this vague summary this is actually very much a fix-it for the Founder's era. Izuna lives. The Shinobi Wars sort of don't happen. Sort of. Everyone lives. Hashimada is canon. Couple of OCs kicking around to fill the background.]

Curious affections by taedislumina T ♥♥♥ Modern setting/Slight NSFW/One-shot "what made you fall in love with me?" in which Izuna begs a daunting question at 2AM, Tobirama opts to humour him, and both are entirely captivated with eachother.

Mission accomplished by obitoforpresident E Friends to Lovers/Alcohol/Smut/Fluff and Smut/Dubious pinching of cheeks/One-shot But seriously- how many nights was he laying wide awake on his tatami mat because he was dreaming of the white-haired Senju? He dreamt of holding his strong hands in his, of being in his arms, cuddling and most importantly - kissing. It were too many years of suppressed feelings, but Izuna didn't have the guts to say something to the other man.

Masks I wear by Kamaleen E 3 chapters Alternative Universe- Werewolf/Alpha Beta Omega/Sexual Content/Mpreg “Good afternoon,” Tobirama replied. The white-haired alpha then turned halfway, gesturing toward the manor. “It’s a pleasure to have you here.” Izuna tried to smile back at the sentence that sounded like it was forced. He knew he shouldn’t take this to heart, but he did, and it hurt.

ObiKaka

Cause we mermaid for each other by obitoforpresident E ♥♥ One-shot/Modern setting/Getting Together/Fluff and Smut/Porn with feelings/Bikers “Hi,” a deep voice rumbled directly into his ear and Kakashi leaned sideways. “Wanna get a drink back at my place?” Kakashi raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his beer before answering. “Why should I? We’re already at a bar.” The man beside him sputtered and curiosity go the best of Kakashi. He turned his head, his gaze roaming over the broad form beside him. Messy black hair, broad shoulders clad in an Akatsuki leather jacket, and full lips were pulled into an adorable pout.

A night to remember by Anonymous E One-shot/Alpha Beta Omega/Alpa Uchiha Obito/Omega Hatake Kakashi/Dirty Talk/Camboys In which Kakashi had a one night stand and realized a week later why the guy seemed familiar.

Steal me with a kiss by strangelights E Modern Setting/Morning After/One-shot/Identity Reveal/Childhood Friends/Friends to Lovers/Idiots to Lovers KakaObi Week Day 6: Indigo | Reunited | Enemies to Lovers

Falling Stars by MareNubium E 25 chapters ♥♥♥♥♥ I read this like five times minimum and I still crying while reading it. Beautiful,masterpiece. If I read it again in the near future you would catch me still crying over it. It's chef kiss.

Modern Setting/Angst/Self-Harm/Minor Violence/Recreational Drug Use/Friends To Lovers Obito only has one goal, to graduate and then leave the god forsaken town for good. All those faces, the judgmental eyes, the laughter, the ridicule, years of pretending they don’t affect him, he’s absolutely sick of it all. He wants nothing more than to leave that miserable place controlling his every will. That is until he meets Kakashi, a boy whose world is more than meets the eye.

Turn The Page by ASchwartz33 T 3 chapters ♥♥ Canon divergence/Hatake Kakashi needs a hug/Kid Hatake Kakashi/Adoption/Found Family/Jiraiya adopts Kakashi/ Uchiha Obito Lives A gift for @AdolescentLycan for The Flying Thunder God's secret Santa exchange on discord! Jiraiya finds out that Kakashi has been left alone, and intervenes to change the course of Kakashi's life forever.

Your Scent by Primerose_Wool M One-shot/Romance/Fluff/Minor character death/Getting Together/Fluff and Angst/Canon divergence In which Kakashi loves Obito’s scent and will not stop sniffing him throughout the years.

The world, through your eyes by kyasuu 5 chapters (WIP)♥♥ Hurt-Comfort/Dimensional Travel/Unhealthy Coping Mechanism/Unhealthy Relationships/PTSD/Implied-Referenced Suicide/Suicidal Ideation In one world, Uchiha Obito died saving Hatake Kakashi during the Kannabi Bridge mission, and came back as a vengeful specter decades later. In another, he was a second too slow. In both worlds, Team Minato came home one crucial member short. Kakashi finds himself in another world where his team is alive, Konoha remains undestroyed, and the shinobi world approaches tentative peace with Minato spearheading the effort as the Yondaime Hokage. It's in that moment that he knows for certain: it should've been him under that boulder. But no world is perfect. Kakashi might think this is as close as it gets, but, assuming this is reality and not the Infinite Tsukuyomi, there's always a catch. And he's right. (Or: Kakashi loses to Obito during their fight in the Kamui dimension. He wakes up in a world that's too perfect to be his own.)

The red means i love you by khalas E ♥♥ All work of Khalas is a masterpiece! Angels&Demons AU/One-shot/Fallen!Angel Kakashi/Serial Killer!Obito/The lines between worship and obsession are blurred/Dark/Obito victim's are implied to be human sacrifices “Tobi,” the man’s voice breaks as he struggles to speak through a mouthful of blood and loose teeth. “You’re Tobi.” Tobi. His daughter’s imaginary friend. Not quite imaginary, no, not with those leather-clad fingers forcing the man’s jaws apart to see blood spill from the gashes in his cheeks. 

I sent her back to her boyfriend with my handprint on her cheeks by khalas E ♥♥♥♥♥♥ (WIP) I fucking love this!Like I already reread this a dozen times. College/University AU/Slow Burn/Mentions of harrasment/Friends to Lovers/Size Difference/Possesive!Obito Years ago, if anyone had asked Obito to describe a typical Friday night, he'd have spent hours talking about the time he'd gotten into a fistfight with the school's mascot over the last gas station sushi roll. Now, stuck at home because he'd promised to babysit Kakashi's pet fish, he realizes — He's fucking whipped.

House of cards by khalas E ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 11 chapters The first fic I read from khalas and I was sold. Like when I finished I needed to reread again. Fuck it's dark and amazing,and of course made me cry, but like OMG. Screaming and kicking my legs :D Modern Setting/Detective!Obito/Detective!Kakashi/Gang!Akatsuki/Violence/Possessive!Obito/Rough Sex/Each chapter comes with it's own tw Dark like dark dark. The house always wins.

pacifist by khalas E (WIP) ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ This is part 2 of House of Cards sadly it's only 1 chapter and work in progress. Looks like nobody know what happened/how are khalas so I just hope they're okay.

pork soda by khalas E ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 10 chapters I'm not saying anything new, it's khalas it's amazing. I love it, reread it like a hundred times. Chef kiss! Modern Setting/Doctor!Kakashi/Street fighter!Obito/Self destructive behavior/Lots of violence Obito’s memories are fading, day by day. Yet, the one person he wants to forget seems to be the only thing he can remember anymore.

hot sugar by khalas E ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 6 chapters Am I going to put in all of khalas fic? Maybe, cause all of them are awesome. College/University AU/Modern setting/TA!Kakashi/Athlete!Obito/Possessive!Obito Five times Obito embarrasses himself in front of his TA, and the one time he doesn’t.

ShikaNeji:

Shadows Dancing in the Moonlight by -catalyst (xo_thefirst) G/T series 3 work Canon Divergence/Post-war/Slice of Life/Fluff/Getting Together this is where i'll be collecting all my shikaneji works :)

Liquid Copper by saturnsmoontitan T 2 chapters Emotional Hurt,Comfort/Implied-Referenced Sexual Harassment/Set during the time skip Shikamaru wasn't entirely sure how the five of them got onto the topic of Neji's missions, but it sure sobered him up quick. or Shikamaru coming to terms with how he feels about Neji after the freshly promoted Jounin comes home and talks about some... incidents during his mission.

Ripple Series by KamiKo T/M series 3 work Slow Burn/ Protective Uchiha Sasuke/ Hurt-Comfort/Friends to Lovers/Falling in Love/Anbu Hyuuga Neji/Implied-referenced Rape-noncon/Homophobic Languages/Explicit Sexual Content/Canon Adjacent The progression between Shikamaru and Neji was persistent, but leisurely and yet still somehow they had missed the turning point. //A three-part ShikaNeji series//

The Way Thing Are by Aini M 32 chapters Written in 2008 Neji's forced to take Hinata's spot in an arranged marriage after his cousin runs away. How does the Hyuuga deal with the problem?

The Box by LaughingFreak G One-shot/Family/Father-Son Relationship/Loss Its spring cleaning and while Shikadai is forced to help he finds out more about his dad than he thought he would.

A Downward Spiral by daniwritesattimes E 85 chapters Friends with Benefits/Implied-referenced child abuse/Depression/Oral Sex/Sex/Smut “You feel like kissing yet?” Neji froze at the question. He felt a burn in his face as he looked to Shikamaru questioningly. “You know? Because of the lovey get-up?” The Nara was poking fun at the slow ride of the deemed cave of love. Neji sank a bit further in his seat. The boy had too much control over him. The fun part was that Shikamaru had no idea.

A Preference by daniwritesattimes M 21 chapters So, say Shikamaru and Temari’s marriage was failing and Shikamaru met a very nice man at the market. Yeah...

SasuSaku

Pretty Little Things by LilAnnieSunshine T Romance/Love/One-shot/Canon divergence "Let her go.” Sasuke said, fighting off the pain of his broken wrist as he stood up shakily. Sakura couldn’t be more than twenty feet away from him, but he knew Itachi could end her before he even took a step. She might as well be thousands of miles away for the good he could do her. “She doesn’t have anything to do with this.” What if Sakura had come across Sasuke's fight with Itachi the day Itachi returned to the village?

of flirting and domesticity by chidoririi G One-shot/Married Life/Newly Weds/Snippet/Fluff/Headcanon Sakura's hair has gotten long and Sasuke finds out that he doesn’t like it.

The Exit Wound by LilAnnieSunshine T Domestic Fluff/Fluff and Angst/Canon Backstory/Protective Uchiha Sasuke "His girlfriend’s skin is practically flawless compared to most ninja. He knows it’s not a reflection on how challenging her battles are. She’s a medical ninja, so she’s usually treating others, not fighting. She’s also an expert at healing her own wounds, so scars aren’t usually an issue. Furthermore, when she does see combat, she can beat just about any enemy without lifting a finger. Whoever did this was not only a skilled ninja, but had a medical background as well. " Sasuke sees Sakura's scar from her battle with Sasori for the first time. He also learns that she was the one who killed the Akatsuki member, not Naruto or Kakashi. He's in awe of his wife. Written for Day 13 of SasuSaku Month. Prompt: "Battle Scars." Written late because time means nothing.

TobiMada:

War In Times of Peace by raendown E 42 chapters Arranged Marriage/Slow Burn/Bottom Madara/Uchiha Izuna Lives Not all wars are fought on the battlefield. Some are fought at the conference table, with whispers in the shadows, or even in the bedroom. In a world where the Senju and Uchiha traditional lands were too far apart to have ever made them enemies, Butsuma and Tajima are the ones who come together and sign a treaty of peace. Madara isn't happy to have his life signed away for him in a political marriage to strengthen the bond between their clans. He is even less happy to have Tobirama make assumptions of him from their very first night together. What follows from there is a journey of healing, of learning, and finding the places to belong in the places least expected.

To plead with Time by midnightfeast T/E series 2 works Family/Grief-mourning/Fluff/Modern Setting/Bottom Madara “Oh, you can also relay my admiration. His insults certainly are creative, some may call it a touch of genius.” He turned a page in his still open file and pulled out a lined paper with finely written phrases that he slid to Madara. “I collected his… most accomplished concoctions.” Or: Madara is called to a teacher-parent talk about Izuna's open aggression towards his new chemistry teacher Tobirama Senju

Amaranthine by Blackberreh M (WIP) 9 chapters Time travel/Fix-it/Panic Attacks Everything about Madara just felt... different. Something had happened, and Tobirama was going to find out what. Madara was being kind to him. That just wouldn't stand. But then again, Tobirama's always been able to adapt well to change.

Gave you my heart by aurora_nuova M Modern Setting/One-shot/Fluff At last, the door opened after his fourth, very annoyed attempt. “Hashirama! Who lets their supposed best friend wait this long outside in those freezing temp—“ He startled and threw the sleepily scrunched up, very pale face which greeted him a thoroughly confused look. “You’re not Hashirama.” “Clearly,” the albino yawned out in amusement as he leaned against the half open door, only to squint at the lights outside on the porch with a scowl. If Madara weren’t in such distress, he might’ve found it cute even.

This is all I can think of now ♥

#naruto #hashimada #tobimada #sasusaku #obikaka #shikaneji #tobiizu #fic rec #naruto fic #hashimada fic #obikaka fic #tobiizu fic #shikaneji fic #tobimada fic #sasusaku fic

[allmyfuckingobsessions]

TROUBLED TIMES

Sakura Haruno was the only descendant of the Haruno clan. This clan compared to the other three clans was the weakest, with less purchasing and military power. That is why she had arranged a marriage with the youngest son of the Uchiha leader, Sasuke Uchiha. As the conflict between the Uzumaki and the Hyuga was increasingly evident, the Haruno wanted to lighten the marriage to formalize the alliance, and have the protection of the Uchiha.

Tags:

Alternate Universe - HistoricalAlternate Universe - FantasyHistorical InaccuracyHistorical FantasyDrama & RomanceSlow RomanceSlow BurnAngstAngst with a Happy EndingAngst and Fluff and SmutArranged MarriageAlternate Universe - Arranged Marriage

This is my first sasusaku fic!

I already posted 4 chapters. Hope you like it.

#sasusaku #sasusaku fic #sasuke x sakura #sasusaku fanfiction #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto fanfiction #the collage is made by me with the paint xdxdd #i did what i could hahahha #hope you like it people! #fanfic #fanfiction

[greatideas-badwriter]

SasuSaku: Sacrificed To The Banished Prince Chapter 2

Sasuke's frown deepened as he read a letter sent by his new fiance. When he sent one to her, he fully expected her to cooperate as the previous women had but was mistaken. This was the first time he'd received a written reply or a reply at all. Skimming the short letter once more, the prince asked the maids standing before him, "Lady Haruno personally handed this to you?"

They nodded, bowing lower with pale faces too afraid to meet his gaze.

He didn't dwell on it because their behavior was nothing new. All who tend to him cower in fear, and they have since his twelfth birthday, ten years ago. That's when The Curse awakened. On that day so long ago, the royal castle's doors were open to celebrate the second prince's birthday with a massive celebration. People traveled from far and wide to witness his debut in society.

A foreign-looking man approached a naive and soft-spoken Sasuke, who was too nervous of insulting guests to say something. That was how he ended up bitten on the back of his shoulder by razor-sharp teeth.

The next thing he remembered was waking up in chains, the sound of his mother's soft weeping stirring him from his rest. After that, each time the moon was visible at night, his appearance and personality would morph into something akin to a beast. His skin would turn many shades darker, nails and teeth would sharpen, hair would grow wildly down his back, and hand-like wings would grow from his shoulder blades. The mild-mannered boy became a bloodlusting demon each and every night.

Changing his appearance like that put Sasuke through agonizing pain, and his family searched far and wide for ways to break the curse while also searching for the man who'd bitten him.

Itachi, the first Uchiha prince, managed to locate the attacker, a snake-like wizard named Orochimaru. When Orochimaru was captured and brought back to Konoha, he claimed to be unable to eradicate the curse. The king and queen begged for a way to help their precious son, leading to the awful wizard tricking them into giving up their lives.

Now, Sasuke's appearance barely changed at night, minus on nights of full moons. Orochimaru claimed that the royal family stole something from him, and this was his way of enacting revenge. He told the terrified child that the curse would be broken only when he, too, lost something he held dear.

The previous king, Madara Uchiha, left retirement to run the kingdom until the first prince was ready to rule. His first act was to banish poor Sasuke to the abandoned snowy forests of Northern Konoha. The man claimed keeping someone so volatile near the inner cities was too dangerous. The second prince's appearance may only slightly change most nights, but the murderous personality shift wasn't destroyed.

Each evening at sunset, Sasuke chained himself up so his alternate identity wouldn't be free to wreak havoc. As a result, the Uchiha man rarely slept, leaving him stoic and lacking in energy. After a decade of this struggle, he began to lose hope of ever breaking the curse. That is, until his eighteenth birthday when the king started arranging marriages for his nephew. Sasuke was nervous but excited to finally have someone other than the standoffish staff of the manor to speak to.

That first woman, a pretty brunette named Maharu, did not obey the rules. She came to the third floor in the night, only to witness Sasuke at his worst. As one would expect, Maharu fled the manor in terror. In the morning, the prince was informed that she'd fallen down a ravine in her distress and broken her neck. His first fiance died.

The next fiance lasted much longer, almost two months. Their wedding day was closing in when The Curse broke free of his binds and attacked her. She was the second woman to die.

After that, Sasuke was overcome with guilt. He refused to cause a third casualty. When a new fiance would arrive after that, he'd give them the option of returning to their home or offer to provide them with enough money to start a new life elsewhere without their families' knowledge. Every single one chose to disappear. This led to the public believing the second prince was murdering each and every one of the poor women. In Sasuke's eyes, he was okay with that because he deserved it. Two people died because of him.

'The way this letter is written makes it seem as though Lady Haruno doesn't want to return to her family,' Sasuke thought, grabbing a pen and paper to scrawl out a response to the woman's letter. 'This will be another one to choose to disappear rather than go home.'

"With all due respect, this is a manner that I cannot change my position on. Please reside here for the next month while I prepare for your departure."

A sharp pain flared up Sasuke's neck from the back of his shoulder. It made his teeth grit. Somewhat shakily, he folded the letter and quickly shooed the maids away before approaching the double doors at the back of his bedroom. He opened it, hands trembling while latching thick metal cuffs around his wrists.

"It's no use. This one will die. I won't let another one slip through my fingers." A raspier version of the prince's voice eeks out as the man pants for breath to prevent himself from verbalizing his pain.

In the midst of transforming each dusk and dawn, there are a few moments where the two personalities overlap. Sasuke could see everything The Curse saw at night, and The Curse could see everything Sasuke saw during the day, but it was only at these brief minutes that the two could communicate.

Sasuke didn't say anything because there was no use. He spent years trying to reason with The Curse to no avail. It'd be a waste of breath at this point.

"Coward."

The following day, Yamamoto appeared to free the prince from his restraints and bandaged his wrists which were bleeding from The Curse attempting to escape. The pale man spoke calmly because this wasn't a new situation, "Lady Haruno requested to meet you face to face."

'Why did he refer to her like that?' It almost seemed like the butler was trying to insinuate something, but Sasuke didn't understand what it was.

Apparently, that was obvious because the butler lowered his voice while cleaning up the first aid kit mess, "I may be speaking out of turn, but there is something peculiar about this woman, My Lord."

"Elaborate."

Yamamoto bowed with his gaze low, "I'm unsure if I'll be able to properly explain. Perhaps you should accept our lady's request to meet."

Sasuke tried convincing himself to meet his short-term fiance but couldn't. Whenever he looked at a woman, he could only see the terror on his first two fiances' faces when they discovered his secret. He also didn't want to give The Curse a chance to memorize his target's face. Though the Haruno woman might see his avoidance of her as an insult, it was for her own good in the long run. It was to keep her safe.

A day passed.

Another letter awaited when he woke. 'Please reconsider.'

"...This is all she wrote?" Sasuke asked.

Yamamoto nodded with an uncomfortable expression. Sighing stressfully, the prince writes a politely worded letter to deny the woman's request again.

Another day passed.

No letter arrived for him after that.

The butler explained that Lady Haruno had become agitated. She wasn't eating or sleeping. She wouldn't speak to the staff or even her personal maid.

'Is she throwing a tantrum because I won't give her what she wants? I'd heard Baron Haruno's eldest daughter was pampered but thought it was just a rumor. It must be true. She sounds spoiled.'

Sasuke's curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to try to sneak a peek at his fiance if only to grasp what Yamamoto was talking about. Carefully and quietly, he roamed the halls of the manor. Any staff he encountered would gasp, bow politely, and scamper away in fear without meeting his gaze. The prince stopped acknowledging how uncomfortable their reactions made him long ago, so he ignored it all and continued with his goal in mind.

'I can't let her see me. That's the most important thing.'

Finally, he reached the hallway of her bedroom and was surprised to see the door ajar and the room empty. Since the woman wasn't present, he wandered inside. Snooping around in a lady's dwelling was rude. He knew that, but he had no choice if he was to learn anything today. It was spotless, the entire room, though he was sure the maids mentioned that Lady Haruno refused to have them tidy up on her behalf.

'Does that mean she's cleaned on her own? How peculiar….'

He opened the wardrobe door, and his eyes widened. It was almost entirely empty. The dresses inside were shamefully plain, as well. This confused the prince further because the Haruno family was incredibly well-off and notorious for flaunting said wealth.

His brow furrowed as he sighed and closed the door, 'They must've sent her empty-handed in hopes of me purchasing her a new wardrobe. Greedy leeches.'

Sasuke assumed this was all the information he'd be able to gather today, so he wandered to the window absently, only to freeze when his gaze landed on an unfamiliar woman. Long pastel-pink hair ran down her turned back as she swept the dirty snow and leaves off of the walkway to the garden.

'She's so small. Is she really the same age as me? And why is she doing manual labor?'

The prince's head tilted as he watched Lady Haruno briefly. For some reason, the picture bothered him. It felt somehow sad.

He tore his gaze from the petite woman and left her bedroom to find a maid, who trembled under his watchful eye, "Why is the Lady outside? It's inappropriate. Who told her she had to perform such tasks?"

'Did one of the staff members try to bully her?'

"We've tried to stop her, but she refuses to listen, My Lord. She insists on earning her keep while she's a guest here."

'Maybe she's bored. Her room had nothing in it to pass the time.'

Sasuke couldn't accept things as they were and shook his head, "When she comes inside, take her to the library. Give her full access. Ask her what her hobbies are and provide anything she asks for. Do not allow her to do things like this in the future."

"Yes, My Lord. As you wish."

After returning to his own dwelling, the prince fell into the seat at his desk to focus on work. Though he'd been banished by the king, he was still expected to manage Northern Konoha's villages as a royal family prince. He tried to focus for hours but couldn't because the image of that pink-haired woman plagued his mind.

#sakura #naruto shippuden #haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #sasuke #sasusaku #sasusaku fic #sasusaku fanfiction #naruto #naruto fanfiction #narutofanfic #sakura uchiha #narutofanfiction #sakura haruno

[keithisbae1]

Sakura Week Day 1: Traveling Doctor

“There you go now, all done.” The little boy peeked an eye open, he hadn’t felt the needle go into his arm like he would have imagined. “You’re such a brave boy.” Sakura smiled scribbling something down before handing him a lollypop for a job well done. “Thank you doctor,” he happily took it and ran out the door excited to tell his mom on how brave he was. Sakura smiled and went to wash her hands before heading to what was her office. She had told them that she didn’t need one as she was only here for a short while, but they insisted as it was ‘the least they could do.’ An elderly woman walked in not long after with a basket, most likely her lunch and sat on the chair in front of her placing it on the table for them. “Someone’s certainly Miss popular around here, of course you get that from me.” Sakura could only roll her eyes at the woman’s comment. The only reason she was popular was because everyone in the small village already knew her before she was known as Tsunade’s pupil and strong kunoichi. Even before she was on squad seven.

“So have you thought about my offer?” “Grandma, I told you and pops that I’m only here for a couple of weeks.” Considering Naruto and Sasuke had done their fair share of adventures outside Konoha village Sakura decided it was her turn. Tsunade had given her the go ahead and even gave a few pointers on which places could do with a doctor like her. With her medical knowledge Sakura wanted to help as many people as she could. Including teaching anyone who wanted to learn. She had previously stopped by two other places before visiting her grandparents, as they were the next closest destination. It had felt amazing! Being able to travel with no mission, taking her time to soak in the place, enjoying the views and most importantly, helping those in need. She loved her home, but they didn’t need her now. Not when other people could do with her help so much more and the more people, she teaches the more they’ll be able to help other people and so on. As for her grandparents, her father asked her to check in on them, the two were civilians and as such their house was far from the village they lived nearby at considering they liked their privacy. It was where her father grew up and met her mother. However, they were getting older now so being far away from people would do them no good if they couldn’t get to them in time. 

What if one of them had a fall, it would still take too long for the other to go and get help. She hoped she could convince them to travel and stay in Konoha so their son could take care of them. 

I know they can be stubborn but if there’s anyone who can convince them it’s you. You are a doctor now, one of the best. They’ll have to listen to you. Kizashi had trusted his daughter to look after them and she didn’t want to let him down. Her grandfather would be easier to convince but her grandma loved the place. If she could at least show her what she was capable of then maybe she could persuade her. What she didn’t expect was her to try and set her up with some stranger, they had grew attached to. 

They had first met him a few years back with his friends and invited them in as they needed shelter from the storm. He popped by a few months back, even helping around the house. He promised he’ll pay them another visit so now her grandmother has a crazy scheme to set them up. 

“And? You can spare one day to go on a date, right? You know that’s how your parents met, and how your pops and I met and-” “Yes, I know. You’ve told me this story before.” About how this village is the place where a Haruno would supposedly meet their loved one. Sure, it’s sweet but Sakura had already met her love in Konoha. Her grandmother scoffed as she took out some sandwiches for them to eat. “You youths today, you act too mature for your own good. Sure, I’m proud of the woman you became but your young and single, you should have some fun too. Especially being a kunoichi, you’re less likely to reach your parents age let alone our age.” It wasn’t a secret that her grandparents didn’t like the fact that she was a ninja. She was their only grandchild of course they’d be worried; they didn’t want to lose her before it was their time. Sakura understood their fears and figured maybe she could at least entertain her. “And he’s a shinobi, just like you. I’m sure the two of you will hit it off.” That certainly piqued her interest. A shinobi? Who was travelling by themselves and even stopped by to help her elderly grandparents? Of course, ninjas were meant to help those in need but one travelling by themselves and even as going as far as to help with unnecessary chores such as fixing the roof, doing their groceries, and chopping wood? 

She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but really what lone ninja would do such a thing? “You never mentioned him about being a shinobi.” Her grandma clicked her tongue. “Oh, so you DO listen. And yes, I did, it was the first thing I mentioned about him but knowing you, you’d probably tuned that part out because you were thinking of your imaginary boyfriend.” “He’s not imaginary, he’s just… it’s complicated.” “Right, complicated. Because the two of you are teammates or whatever. Point being, this man isn’t and he’s a catch.” 

“And how do you know we can trust him?” I mean really, he could be anybody. Sakura knew her grandparents well enough to know they can never turn away someone in need, but what if he was taking advantage of their kindness. Then again… they certainly wouldn’t make that much of an effort to protect the small village from a bunch of bandits. As much as Sakura tried to convince herself that this wasn’t Sasuke, the more she thought back about what her grandparents had said the past few days the more suspicious she got. 

“You certainly take after your mother, just because I’m old doesn’t make me an idiot. I’m not saying he’s innocent, far from it. The poor boy looks like he’s been through hell and back but once you get to my age you just know these things. That boy, despite how he may appear he has such kind eyes.” Kind eyes? Well, that certainly wasn’t another give away. “Even when we first took him in with his friends, he looked like a little lost puppy. Anyway, you’ll know what I mean, your grandpa is bringing him here to meet you. So, hurry up and freshen up, they’ll be here soon.” Sakura had almost choked on her lunch. “He’s WHAT?!” How and why? “Oh, he came this morning a few hours after you left, we mentioned you were in town and didn’t want him to leave without meeting you.” Of course they didn’t, how embarrassing. 

“He insisted that he had someone else waiting for him back home, but once we mentioned you were also a kunoichi who was Lady Tsunade’s pupil he was keen on meeting you.” Her heart skipped a beat, this was too many coincidences. Surely it couldn’t be… 

“Can you at least tell me his name?” And as if on cue, her grandpa had knocked on the door inviting themselves in. “Ah, there she is. See? We told you she’s quite a catch. A doctor and a strong kunoichi. You would be a fool not to date her.” 

Sakura immediately stood up face red as she came across a pair of familiar eyes. “Sa-Sasuke-Kun?” “Sakura.” He wasn’t even taken aback, almost expecting her. Well, how many kunoichi are there his age who was Tsunade’s pupil. He would know by now. 

“Oh, you two already met?” Her grandma was quite please, not bothered hiding her grin with her little matchmaking. “What did I tell you dear, another generation romance for the Harunos but really you couldn’t wait a few more minutes. She absolutely reeks, what kind of romantic first date will that be?” Urgh, she’ll never hear the end of this.

#Sakura Week 2024 #sasusaku #sasusaku fanfic #sasusaku fic #sasuke uchiha x sakura haruno

[adelinevw7]

flower crowns

Sakura is shaking with laughter beside him, having joked about turning his silver streaks pink. He knows her amusement hinges on the thought that he would never do it, because he’s simply too cool to even consider a dye job.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s wrong.

Sasuke checks her giggles by poking her forehead, catching her off guard. To her wordless questioning, he replies, “I wouldn’t be averse, you know.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “But then you’d be a pink-haired Uchiha.”

“Aren’t you a pink-haired Uchiha?”

“What, you’d like us to match?”

“Maybe.” He smiles; it’s his turn now to be amused. She still doesn’t know—he never told her—but long ago, when he was a young boy lifetimes away from sorrow, he had dreamed of wearing flowers in his hair.

“You don’t think it would be silly?”

Sasuke thinks back to that boy, who began to love spring before he even knew what love was. Then he considers the woman by his side, springtime personified, restoring warmth even to the remotest corners of his being.

What even is silly? Nowadays he only cares for her regard; in that green gaze lives a world where he can be.

Let him wear his flower crowns.

“Not at all,” he finally tells her, his smile turning soft. He pulls her to him, threading his fingers through her hair.

“Do your worst, wife.”

#sssnippetaday #sasusaku #sasusaku fic #haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke

[sasusakucoded]

Haruno Sakura is a timid girl in senior high school. She and Uchiha Sasuke, a popular student, are schoolmates and neighbors. They live in a high-rise condominium and their units are beside each other. They both keep their balcony doors open to get good signal for their mobile phones. Sakura always hears music from Sasuke's unit and figures that he loves listening to music very much.

Sakura: Ah, he's listening to Hisaishi.. That means he's studying.

At first, Sakura had no idea about his music preference especially because she didn't know what he's listening to. She learned how to google the tunes to know their titles. She took note of every single song in his playlists and recreated them for herself.

She learned that he listens to any instrumental song when he's studying. He listens to alternative rock when he works out. He likes reggae or bossa nova when he's cooking or eating.

Ino: *sings loudly*

Sakura: *whispers* Ino, lower your voice..

Ino: Why? We're alone anyway.

Sakura: S-Sasuke-kun is studying.

Ino: How did you know? Are you two talking now?

Sakura: No.. He's— He's listening to Irlandaise.. I'm sure he's studying.

Ino: Irlandaise?

Sakura: Yeah.. You see, when he listens to classics, he's most likely studying.. So, please let's try to be quiet.

Ino: Or maybe let's just close your balcony door?

Sakura: B-But I want to hear his music.

Ino: Ah, you still like him. I thought you've moved on from middle school!

Sakura: Ino, quiet!!

Ino: *laughs* Tell me, did you move here because of him?

Sakura: No!! I came here first.. I was also surprised that he lives next door.

Ino: Have you ever talked to him?

Sakura: Yeah.. Whenever we see each other.. But the first time he taled to me was when he asked if he could keep his door open when he plays music.

Ino: Oh, speaking of music.. It stopped..

Sakura: *whispers* He's changing his playlist..

Ino: What does that mean?

Sakura: *hears another song* That means he's done studying.. He's chilling now..

Ino: Wow! You really know him just by listening to his playlist!

Sakura: Yeah!

Ino: Anyway, I have to go Sakura! It's getting late. See you at school!

Sakura: Okay! I'll just fix my shelf to kill time.

Ino: Bye! *gathers her things and leaves*

Sakura: *organizes the books that she has read* Hmm. They take up so much space here. I must put them somwehere else. *uses the stool to get the box from the top shelf; slips and falls* Aw! Aw!

Sasuke: *hears screaming; rushes to Sakura's unit and knocks* Haruno-san! Haruno-san! *opens the door and sees her on the floor*

Sakura: Uchiha-san—

Sasuke: Sorry, your door is not locked so I went in.. Are you okay? *helps her*

Sakura: Y-Yeah.. My friend probably forgot to lock the door..

Sasuke: I see.. *hears the music from his unit* I'm sorry! I— I didn't know it's that loud.

Sakura: It's okay.. *almost whispering* I like your music..

Sasuke: No.. That's so insensitive of me..

Sakura: I told you, it's okay. *smiles*

Sasuke: How about this.. You send me your playlist then I'll play that for an entire week.

Sakura: A-Are you sure?

Sasuke: Yeah.. Let's blast your music next time.

Sakura: Okay.. Let me send it to you later..

Sasuke: Your phone?

Sakura: Hm?

Sasuke: I'll write my number.

Sakura: *panics because she has his number already* Um, I— my phone—

Sasuke: Is it charging?

Sakura: Y-Yes!

Sasuke: I'll add you on chat then.. I'll go back now.. See you around! Looking forward to the playlist. *leaves*

Sakura: Yeah. *blushes*

---

Sakura carefully curates a playlist for Sasuke and sends the link to him. She's nervous and excited.

Sakura: It's just a playlist, Sakura. Why are you so giddy and scared?

She waits for him to play the songs from the playlist but all she hears is random tunes.

Sakura: Didn't he like the playlist that I made? Why is he not playing it?

They bump into each other at school multiple times. They talk about random topics but never about the playlist that she made. It makes her wonder but she brushes it off because they talk about various subjects anyway.

One time, she sees him at the elevator..

Sasuke: Hey, Haruno-san!

Sakura: *bows* Uchiha-san.. I haven't asked you.. D-Did you like the playlist that I made?

Sasuke: Yeah. There are some songs that I like..

Sakura: /thinks/ So there are songs that he doesn't like..

Sasuke: Do you hear it in your unit? I play it before I go to sleep, like what you suggested.

Sakura: *confused* B-But I haven't heard it ever since I gave the playlist to you..

Sasuke: Hm? *checks the link*

Sakura: *checks the link*

Sasuke: *realizes it's on shuffle*

Sakura: *realizes it's the wrong playlist*

Sasuke: *blushes* S-So.. I should've not played it on shuffle?

Sakura: *flushed* N-No! I mean, it's wrong— I'll explain, Sasuke-kun— I mean Uchiha-san—

Sasuke: *checks the playlist again; blushes* LOML.. I— I didn't know, Sakura..

Sakura: *cold sweats* U-Uchiha-san.. Um..

Sasuke: *reads the song titles from beginning to end*

Sakura: *runs to her unit as soon as the elevator door opens*

Sasuke: *yells* Haruno-san!!

---

Sakura: You're so dumb, Sakura. Why would you send him that??

Sasuke: Haruno-san—

Sakura: W-What are you doing here? How did you—

Sasuke: You forgot to lock the door.. Haruno-san..

Sakura: It's— It's the wrong playlist, Uchiha-san.. It's not the playlist that I created for you—

Sasuke: But it says Uchiha Sasuke I love—

Sakura: *covers his mouth* Y-Yes.. It's for you too but you were not supposed to see that—

Sasuke: S-So, do you like me?

Sakura: Uchiha-san.. I'll send you the correct playlist, okay? May I ask you to leave? I'm just— I—

Sasuke: Okay.. Calm down.. I'll go.. Sorry.. *leaves*

---

Sakura sends a chat..

Here's the correct playlist [title: For sleepyhead], Uchiha-san. I hope you like it.

Sasuke plays the 1st song..

I like it, Haruno-san. Thanks! Give this song a listen too. :)

This is beautiful, Uchiha-san! Thank you.. Sorry if I acted rudely earlier.. I was just very embarrassed.

Sasuke reads the message and sends another song..

This one is a bit old but I guess it sums up everything that I wanted to ask you earlier.

I was surprised.. Pleasantly surprised..

Uchiha-san..

Sasuke blasts his speakers:

Sakura: *blushes while listening to the song*

Sasuke: Sakura!

Sakura: Y-You're here?

Sasuke: You didn't lock the door. Again.

Sakura: *laughs*

Sasuke: It's not a song for romantic dancing but.. May I? *offers his hand*

Sakura: *takes it and they dance slowly*

Sasuke: I know we're probably going a bit too fast but—

Sakura: It's hard for me to open up b-but Sasuke-kun, can I tell my feelings through songs?

Sasuke: Of course.. *smiles* I'll do the same..

Sakura: Okay.. *smiles*

Ino: *enters* Oh— Sorry, you didn't lock the door.

Sakura: *laughs*

Sasuke: *laughs*

#Spotify #sasusaku #sasusaku au #sasusaku fic #from ask #ty anon #sscoded no 295

[https-gossipgirl]

🧛🎃 H A L L O W E E N I S H E R E 🎃🧛

#sakura haruno #sakura #naruto #naruto shippuden #sasuke uchiha #sasusaku #sasuke #sasuke retsuden #sasusaku fanart #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku incorrect quotes #sasusaku icons #sasusaku fic #sasusaku au #sasusaku official art #sasusaku doujinshis #sasusaku gif #sasusaku headcanons #sasusaku blank period #fanfic #wattpad #halloween

[tamagosandesu]

Title: Meet Cute Author's Notes: So, I was grocery shopping with my mom and realized that fridges was technically storage freezers on the inside. I suddenly thought that wouldn't it be fun if somebody had a meet-cute at the moment? Then I thought, why not sasusaku?

The last part wasn't really planned, I just randomly thought about it and decided to add it. It's up to you to imagine what happened at the dinner ;)

Enjoy! .

.

. Sasuke yawns as he feels the prick of tears welling in the corners of his eyes. His eyebrows furrow as the sun suddenly shines too brightly on his face, heat and light passing through the windshield of his car.

It was too early. Being a university student, Sasuke did not have much time in his hands, and between wanting to graduate and being well rested, Sasuke chose to invest in the long-term effects that studying has to bring rather than laying in bed and slacking off.

He thinks it's normal for many college students to have the same situation; all nighters over sleep, requirements over nap. Taking up Political Science wasn't really much of an exaggerated struggle, but being the high-achiever that he is, Sasuke thinks he can't risk any moment to fail.

Although, between weeks of practically facing university without an ounce of sleep, there are still days that Sasuke is given a reprieve of hunching over his laptop or finishing reports after reports. Every Saturday, he gets half the day free and the whole Sunday to himself. Mondays to Fridays are jam-packed, either with being a student or through juggling his commitments to his part-time job.

Usually, he just spends his weekend free times inside his dorm room near the university; Konoha State University is one of the best schools he could ever get into and is infamously known to produce achievers after achievers that top exams and creates a name for themselves. People whom Sasuke admires are mostly alumni of KSU, so it's only right that he also enters the college.

The only problem with it was that it was a good 2 hours away from their home, an hour and a half if there weren't as many commuters. Sasuke, at first, challenged his chances and tried to face the tribulation of commuting from their house to KSC for his first semester. He had to wake up in the dead of early morning where the sun is nowhere to be seen and the moon is still high up. Sasuke likes a good challenge, and so went his college life.

To say that it was tiring was an understatement. The first week was okay—adrenaline was still powering his body and the fact that he was in KSU oh my god was motivation enough to keep him sane through barely 4 hours of sleep. However, when his family saw his state of practically being a zombie, and he saw his mom shake his head with a pointing look similar to a mother hen to her chicks, he knew he had to move out and find a place near the university.

It was short-lived. However, since Sasuke is able to constantly get 5 hours of sleep, or 6 if he's extremely lucky, he thinks it's quite alright.

Sasuke yawns once again at the thought.

"Stop yawning."

Sasuke Uchiha scowls at his Mother who looks like a trophy-housewife and an elegant mother in the passenger seat, wearing an equally annoyed scowl on her pretty face.

Mikoto Uchiha was the image of elegance—long, ebony hair, styled and fixed neatly that it flows down carefully, her blouse pearly white and neatly pressed without any wrinkles whatsoever, her shoes the latest fashion from her favorite luxury shoe brand, and her face devoid and any imperfections. All this just for merely getting groceries.

Meanwhile, Sasuke looks casual—not too casual, but perfectly casual that still looked presentable. He thinks he looks fine, fine enough for the occasion of becoming Mikoto Uchiha's assistant in her grocery shopping. It wasn't bad, but when you put Sasuke beside his mom, there's no doubt that he would look like he'd come out straight out of bed.

"It's not my fault you woke me up so early," Sasuke retorts, earning a glare from his mom.

"Is that how you speak to your mother, Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sasuke shivers. It's the full name.

Sasuke feels like a little kid again, getting scolded by his mom as if he sped up with his bike way too fast and accidentally tumbled and scraped his knee.

The reverie is gone in an instant, however, when Mikoto suddenly smiles, as if reminiscing.

"Besides, it's not everyday that you get to spend time with the family all together again."

Sasuke sighs and smartly keeps his mouth shut. Anything further and Mikoto goes all sentimental again until Sasuke has to practically tear his ear off to hear none of it.

It was those rare weekends that everyone in the family was free. Well technically, forced to be free. Sasuke decided it was time to come back home after he's had enough of his mother nagging him and painfully reminding him how he and his brother has left her all alone, then proceeding to silently imply as if they don't love her anymore.

Sasuke was mama's boy through and through. So even if he has a mountain of tasks to accomplish and deadlines to reach, he packs his bags for a weekend stay and comes home to his family. Even if Mikoto Uchiha wakes him up early in the morning just to drive her to the grocery store and eventually carry bags of groceries, Sasuke still complies albeit grumbling.

Sasuke yawns once again.

Mikoto tsks and scolds him again. "Stop yawning."

Sasuke only rolls his eyes as he roams the parking lot to find a spot. .

.

. Sasuke rocks the cart back and forth, bored out of his mind as he waits for his mother to finish her chattering with her high school friends that they coincidentally bumped into. Sasuke was an introvert, like an introverted introvert. Not an extroverted introvert, or an at-least-i-can-socialize introvert, but a please-leave-me-alone-i-beg-of-you introvert.

He's suddenly lost half of his almost non-existent social battery when Mikoto dragged him to meet one of her friends and fussed over how her little boy was all grown-up. If Sasuke's uncomfort wasn't obvious enough, judging by his smile that almost looks constipated, Mikoto further forced him to talk and socialize with people he has no idea who are, much to his chagrin.

After Mikoto lost even an ounce of attention on him, he made sure to go as far away from her as possible.

So now, he absentmindedly stares at the variety of chips in front of him while still looking out for his mom if she finally decided to bid farewell to her friends.

"Sasuke?"

Said man tenses as his blood runs cold at the voice. It can't be…

Slowly, he turns his head to confirm.

"Sasuke!" Suddenly, he found himself in a tight hug by none other than his self-proclaimed best friend, Naruto Uzumaki.

Damn.

Sasuke curses under his breath when Naruto finally releases him, smiling ear-to-ear, barely aware of the dark aura and menacing glare that Sasuke is sending his way.

If his social battery was at least still half earlier, Sasuke was sure he lost a quarter more just by being engulfed by the blonde's hug. Naruto is a loudmouth—so loud that it's deafening and extremely vexatious to Sasuke. They were buddies ever since high-school. Well, maybe not-really-buddies since Naruto just rubbed him the wrong way which ended up in a brawl and a notice from the principal, a suspension, a black-eye for Naruto and a broken nose for Sasuke.

After that, Naruto went ahead and apologized which Sasuke did not accept which led to more taunting and shouting before Naruto said he'll just treat him to a bowl of ramen at the very least if Sasuke did not want an apology. One grumble of the raven's stomach and a grin from the blonde was all it took before they suddenly became friends.

At those moments, Sasuke suddenly thought that perhaps, one of the very few foundations of friendships starts at exchanging fists and sustaining damage.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto happily asks the grumpy Sasuke.

"Nothing," Sasuke answers, stealing a glance at his mom who still has yet to finish their conversation.

"Who are you looking at?" Naruto follows his line of sight and spots Mikoto. Face lightening up, Naruto abruptly drags Sasuke out back to his mother with him almost stumbling and leaving the cart in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke hissed. He was sure he knew what the blonde was doing, but still he asked.

"I'm gonna say hi to Aunt Mikoto!" grinning like a child, Naruto arrives in front of a surprised Mikoto before saying hi in a voice so loud that onlookers started to watch.

"Naruto! How nice to see you!" Mikoto exclaims after recovering from her earlier surprise.

"You too, aunt Mikoto!" The blonde replies all too enthusiastically.

Like a domino, it seems as if Mikoto and her friend's conversation started all over again as she introduces Naruto and chatters away. Only this time around, compared to Sasuke who looked like he was constipated and ended the conversation as fast as possible, Naruto appears to be enjoying the talk and replies happily, asking questions after questions.

Sasuke sighs.

This is gonna be long. .

.

. Finally, after almost an eternity, Mikoto finally bid goodbye to her friend and continued with their initial shopping, only this time there was Naruto to tag along.

Sasuke thinks he might've gone deaf from all the blonde's talking. Can't he speak quietly? Why must he always shout?

When they arrive at the counter to finally line up, Sasuke feels like he's already had a long day. And it was only just morning.

"What are you up to today Naruto?" Mikoto sweetly inquires.

"Nothing much auntie, probably just sleeping at home," the blonde casually replies.

Sasuke feels like he has a good hunch about where the conversation is going.

Please don't invite Naruto to lunch and dinner.

"Do you want to spend the day with us? Sasuke's all alone since his dad is still at work and Itachi and his wife's not gonna be home until dinner. Wouldn't it be fun if he had company?" Mikoto asks.

"I'll be fine mom," Sasuke said, hissed, probably putting too much emphasis on 'fine'.

"Nonsense," Mikoto waves his son off. "The more the merrier, right?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically like a dog to his owner, while Sasuke profusely scowled.

"I'd be delighted, auntie!"

There goes my peaceful weekend. .

.

. "Shoot."

Sasuke hears his mom mutter under her breath while the cashier nears scanning the end of the goods they've bought. He's suddenly alert, spine straight and eyes to his mom since it's wasn't common to hear Mikoto Uchiha swear.

"Sasuke dear, can you please get some alcohol?" Mikoto looks at his son with pleading eyes.

Sasuke, without missing a beat, nods and walks away, He briskly strides towards the wine section and swiftly grabs three different bottles. Champagne, red wine, and whiskey. He'e sure Mikoto will reprimand him for the whiskey, but still he takes one just for him and his brother to drink in the night after their dinner.

Sasuke had half a mind to buy a can of his favorite drink when he spied the refrigerator section, almost about to ignore it altogether, until he saw that they had a new flavor. Quickly, he decides in a split second and walks from the wine aisle, passing by the frozen foods' fridge to the drinks that were at the very end.

In his peripheral, he notices someone inside the fridge walking. Probably a staff. When he finally stops to open the fridge and take a drink, he sees a mop of pink and a lithe frame checking the boxes behind the shelves of the fridge. Curiously, he watches her back until she slowly turns to give her his profile.

A cute nose, long lashes, and pursed lips were what he saw as she tapped the pen in her lips and looked in wonder. As if sensing his staring, she side-eyes Sasuke before finally facing him and catching his gaze.

He felt like his breath was taken away.

A beautiful woman looked straight at him, wearing a cap and a uniform while she held onto a clipboard. Definitely a staff. Sasuke studies her pink hair, cut short into a bob that framed her pretty round face. Up front, her lips looked plump and pink, dusted with a light red lipstick. When he looked up and saw her eyes, Sasuke saw the prettiest shade of viridian, staring wide at him and sparkling as if she saw something fascinating. Her lashes and eyebrows were light, and for a moment all Sasuke could do was stare like a dumb kid.

He's probably not painting a pretty picture in front of this gorgeous woman, but still Sasuke looks as if it was the first time he's seen a girl ever in his life.

He tries to say something—she probably thinks he's weird for staring at her for so long—but all he could do was open his mouth and close it, hesitating and most likely looking like a fish.

"Sasuke!" he hears somewhere. Turning his head, he sees Naruto with a frown, urging him to hurry up.

He takes a look back at the fridge and sees the woman still there. She smiles sweetly and says hello before Sasuke snaps out and blushes, nodding his head in acknowledgement and sneaking a glance at her name tag.

Sakura Haruno.

How cliche, he thinks as he walks off and turns his lips in the slightest, the closest he can give to a smile. Pink hair and green eyes—colors he usually thought were loud and obnoxious, and definitely not his type, felt right with her.

With Sakura, he felt like he's never seen anything more beautiful and appealing than a mixture of pink and green.

When he returns back to the counter, he sees his mom glaring at him, probably for taking too long, and Naruto conversing with the cashier, probably to buy them time. He also notices the queue that he's most likely produced, all looking annoyed and impatient.

Usually, he would've felt chagrined at his fault, but after remembering the cause of it, he can't find it in himself to care.

In his mind, on that day, Sasuke feels like he's experienced one of the most unexpected things he would have felt. With all the sudden awareness and sensibility that he possessed in that moment about his feelings, Sasuke Uchiha therefore concluded:

I think I'm in love. .

.

. Itachi Uchiha is a busy man.

Being the CEO of their family company, Itachi barely has time to spare to attend trivial things, like dinners, for example, unless it's part of business.

Or, unless it was arranged by their dear, overbearing mother.

So, Itachi rushes to fix his things and hurries to pick up his wife from her work.

When he gets out of the car and meets Izumi, he sees a certain someone come out.

"Sakura," Itachi greets with a soft smile after kissing his wife on the cheek.

"Itachi-san," Sakura nods and returns his smile.

Izumi Uchiha was the daughter of the owner of the biggest mall-chain in Konoha, and Sakura Haruno was a 4th year university student that works part-time in one of the branches. The pink-haired girl was a sweet little thing that was able to befriend Izumi through a few exchanges of words. Izumi was also sweet, and liked especially sweet things and people. Sakura and Izumi getting along was almost inevitable, if Itachi says so himself. Put two girls together with things in common and you get a pair of bestfriends.

Although Sakura still maintains professionalism knowing that Izumi is practically the daughter of her boss's boss's boss, which Itachi respects. She was a clever girl from Konoha State University studying medicine, but still excels in many fields.

It was a waste to not know her as well.

"Dear, Sakura here was just telling me how she had a 'meet-cute' moment with someone," Izumi tells her husband as she wiggles her eyebrows at Sakura, who profusely blushed.

"Izumi-san!" Sakura tries to chastise.

Itachi, feeling as devilish as his wife, also decides to tease. "And what did he look like?"

Sakura, if possible, darkened further to a shade of red. Being the diligent girl that she is, she still answers the question.

"He was handsome," she admits in a shy voice. And then, in typical Sakura fashion, she proceeds to ramble. "He oddly looked like you, Itachi-san, same eyes and your face structure, but his hair was like all over the place,"

Now that piqued Itachi's interest.

"Did you know his name?" Itachi asked.

"It was…" Sakura trailed off to think. "Sasuke, I think."

Itachi and Izumi both shared a look. Surely, there wouldn't be anyone who looked like him and was named Sasuke right?

Itachi suddenly had an idea.

"Sakura, would you like to have dinner with our family?"

Sakura was confused, with their family? Isn't that supposed to be just intimately between them?

She became even more confused when she noticed both Izumi and Itachi grinning as they awaited her answer, faces as encouraging as ever.

I have a bad feeling about this…

"Sure...I guess...?"

#anime #anime fanfic #naruto #naruto fanfiction #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fic #meet cute

[jyacira1]

Shrine Maiden skr x snake god ssk au!

#sasusaku #sasusaku fic #sasusaku art #haruno sakura #ss fic #sasuke x sakura #uchiha sasuke #ss fic rec #jyacira1

[southsidestory]

Which Naruto fics to update?

#sasusaku #ssfanfiction #ss fanfiction #naruhina #sasusaku fic #southsidestory #my fanfiction #my polls #TVOTE

[valaaye]

Anyone remember that sasusaku fic from years ago?? I think Sasuke was dying and his lungs were burning. Sasuke and Sakura weren't particularly in a romantic relationship. He wanted to die but she wanted to save him. The beautiful part that I remember was that his lungs were dying and he was in pain but they were making out??? And Sakura says something like "feel how alive you are" because she wanted him to want to live. I really can't remember the details but it's bugging me so badly. Most likely an M rated and angst fic.

#sasusaku #ss fanfiction #sasusaku fic #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #valaayespost #naruto fanfiction

[breekento]

Sasusaku College AU I have been working on! 🙈

#sasusaku #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #sasuke x sakura #naruto #naruto fic #sasusaku fic

[greatideas-badwriter]

SasuSaku: Sacrificed To The Banished Prince Chapter 1

Sixteen. That's the age that a person reaches adulthood in Konoha. It's also the age when most sons and daughters get paired up for arranged marriages. The same can't be said for Sakura, though. No, at twenty-two years old, she's never received a single offer, largely due to the fact that her existence isn't known by many. As the illegitimate child of Baron Haruno and a traveling dancer, the poor young woman was brought up as little more than a slave. Most maids are treated with more care.

Sakura is the eldest of the Baron's four children. Just three years younger than her is Hihara, the family heir and only son. With blood-red hair, emerald green eyes, and tan skin, he received nearly thirty marriage proposals on the morning of his sixteenth birthday. He married Duke Hyuga's second daughter, Hanabi, though he remains in the Haruno estate while she stays at the castle. Apparently, their dislike of one another is mutual.

Next, there's Haruka, the most beautiful Haruno daughter. She has the family's red hair, long and flowing down her back, sparkling blue eyes, and a figure others can only dream of having. Her sixteenth birthday was two months ago, and she's been taking her time selecting a husband out of the many proposals.

In reality, Sakura knows Haruka's only holding out because when she's been wed, she'll have to move in with her new husband, and it's likely she won't be as coddled as she is at home. Haruka is a daddy's girl through and through. She's spoiled and mean but does a great job of appearing charming in front of others.

Finally, there's Hana, the youngest daughter. Unlike Hihara and Haruka, Hana is sweet and kind. At fourteen, she's soft-spoken and intelligent. She's the only sibling who doesn't mistreat Sakura. The two share a love for reading novels and often bond by discussing them.

After twenty-two years of being treated awfully, Sakura's spirit is beyond broken. With dull green eyes and an ever-present solemn expression on her pale face, the woman does what she's told and tries not to draw attention to herself. Any personality she had to speak of was squandered long ago.

"You should be thanking me. My father allowed you to stay here even after your slut mother ran off and got herself killed," Haruka shoved Sakura to the ground. The pinkette didn't try to defend herself because she knew by now it would only make things worse.

The middle siblings often find reasons to bully her, even if they have to make something up. This time, Haruka insisted the woman glared at her. It didn't happen, obviously.

"Here," the redhead lifted her flowing dress enough that her feet were visible and pointed one out toward Sakura, "Kiss it. Tell me how grateful you are."

Tears threatened to rise in Sakura's eyes, but she blinked them back. Gritting her teeth, she crawled closer to do as ordered, only to freeze when their father's voice rang through the long hallway, "Girls, quit playing and come to my office."

A tiny cry escaped Sakura when her hand was suddenly stomped on by Haruka's heel. She snatched it away to her chest when able and struggled to her feet with a low gaze. It was bleeding. She quietly followed her younger sister.

"What do you need this trash for?"

They stood before the Baron's desk, Hihara and Hana already present and waiting. The stern man held up a piece of parchment with an unfamiliar seal in dark blue, "There has been a proposal that cannot be declined." He set it on the desk before him and interlaced his fingers with his elbows resting, "The second Uchiha heir demands a wife from us."

Sakura expected Haruka to be excited because, as far as she was aware, none of her other suitors had a name even close to as powerful as "Uchiha". To her surprise, she wasn't. "No, Daddy, please! Don't make me!"

"This is outrageous! How many women has he gone through already, Father? Surely there's something you can do?" Hihara added.

The Baron lifted a hand to silence the room, "Sakura."

Sakura's eyes lifted in surprise, only to drop quickly down again, "Yes, Father?"

"You'll go."

Haruka gasped before laughing loudly, "That's perfect! Send the garbage to her death in my place. Thank you, Daddy!"

The pinkette couldn't help but ask, despite knowing it'd upset at least her siblings, "To my death…?"

Hihara responded, "Countless women have been sacrificed as wives to him already. Receiving a proposal means certain death by the monster's hand." When Sakura met her brother's eye in disbelief, he smirked, "Thank you for your sacrifice, dear sister."

After being raised under the idea that she was nothing, Sakura didn't argue. She didn't fight back when Haruka visited her bedroom later that night to beat and mock her. She didn't even shed a tear upon being bathed and dolled up like some kind of princess the next morning, only to be put into a carriage and immediately sent to the most northern part of Konoha, where snow covered the ground, and the air was cold enough to hurt bare skin.

'If only I wasn't about to be killed, I'd be so relieved to finally be away from everyone,' Sakura mused while watching the trees pass outside. 'Wait, why aren't we going East, toward the castle?' This was the first time she'd been permitted to leave the estate, so she was still happy regardless.

She looked at her hands with a grimace. Her nails were trimmed and painted a soft white, but there's no hiding the scars and callouses from the hard work she'd been forced to do.

'Will he kill me immediately, or will he want to consummate the marriage beforehand?' To say she was frightened is putting it lightly. Sakura didn't know what consummate meant, but Father told her before she left to expect it and that it was her duty as a wife.

"We're here, Lady Haruno," the driver interrupted the woman's train of thought. Sakura's spine straightened as the door to the carriage opened. She was helped outside by the frowning man. He removed her luggage and sat it by her feet, tipped his hat, and left her there on the side of the dirt road.

"W-Wait!" It was futile. She was alone.

The confused woman looked behind her, only to swallow hard. There, at the end of the lengthy trail she'd been left at, stood a mansion. It was black as night and gothic in style. Every window was dark and covered with curtains. The grass and garden were dead, the leaves from the bare trees lying unraked and messily mixed into the snow to make it a dirty brown color.

'Is this really the home of a member of the royal family?'

She carried her heavy suitcase, struggling all the while, up the path until she reached the door, where she hesitated. Before she could decide what to do, the door opened to reveal a pale-skinned man with dull eyes and a tense smile, "You're trespassing. State your business or leave the premises."

'What? Is this not the right place?'

"I'm the eldest daughter of Baron Haruno." Sakura bowed politely as the maids instructed her last night.

The man's eyes widened, and he cocked his head to the side, "You're Lady Haruno?"

She nodded, attempting to remain composed under his watchful gaze.

He studied her in silence for a moment before holding the door open and gesturing inside, "Follow me. Don't touch anything."

A second man wordlessly approached, took her suitcase, and followed the duo into the large home. The floors were bright white, the tile shiny enough to reflect the lights even though they were dim. Dark violet wallpaper with an elegant black design covered the walls. Expensive-looking vases and ornaments decorated the hallway, each one probably worth more than everything Sakura owns combined. "

Wait here." The young woman nods, bowing her head politely when the pale man spares her a glance.

It was silent between her and the second butler for the entirety of their wait, almost ten minutes. The pinkette begins to feel lightheaded. She wasn't offered any food before being sent off by her family, and her body has always been weak due to the neglect and abuse she suffered all these years.

Just as she began worrying she'd have to ask the silent man nearby to show her somewhere to sit, the original butler reappeared.

He held out a thin black envelope. "Usotsuki will show you to your room."

'What is this? A letter? Where is the prince? Will he not come out to kill me now?'

The confusion must've been obvious because he curtly explained, "Lord Uchiha forbids you from visiting the third floor of the estate, where his quarters are located. Until further notice, you'll begin planning the wedding. That letter contains an official greeting."

The next thing Sakura knew, she was alone in a massive, dark bedroom. It took mere minutes to hang the three dresses she owned in the wardrobe. Inwardly, the woman was terrified the murderous prince would come to kill her in the middle of the night, but she was also wondering if maybe things would be better that way. If he did it while she was asleep, then at least she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Lighting a candle at the desk near the bed, Sakura sat in the large chair and opened the letter from her soon-to-be husband. Intricate, neat handwriting met her gaze. Tears welled in her eyes as she read it.

"Lady Haruno, thank you for agreeing to travel to my home without an escort. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. As for our engagement, allow me to clearly explain my intentions. We will not be married. His Royal Highness has demanded I search for a fiance, which is why you've been summoned. However, I do not agree with his demands."

"While I am certain your stay here will be temporary, please inform any of the staff of your needs, and I will see to it that they are met. I ask for your patience as I devise a plan to return you to your family. Please allow me one month to remedy the situation. In the meantime, you will need to act as though our wedding is inevitable. I understand that I'm asking a lot, but it's for both of our sakes. I do not wish to be married, and you likely do not wish to be married to a man like me."

A signature at the bottom of the letter read "Sasuke Uchiha".

Sakura's heartbeat soared in a panic.

'No! No, this can't be happening!'

If she returned home in a month, unwed, her family would be enraged. With shaking hands, the woman fumbled through the desk for a pen and paper, quickly writing a response.

"My Lord, your honesty is appreciated in this stressful situation. Please allow me to return the gesture with unsullied words. While I'm sure you have personal reasons as to why you wish to remain a bachelor, I beg your reconsideration. For my own reasons, I cannot allow this marriage to fail. Let us be wed as His Highness requests. Use me as a defense against further such demands. Whether you discard of me or not, I am fine with whatever outcome so long as our families are fooled."

Sakura would rather be brutally murdered by this mysterious prince than return home. She was sent here to die, and if she didn't do that, the punishment would certainly have her begging for death.

Hesitantly, the woman opened the door to her room and tiptoed into the hallway until she saw two maids passing by, "Excuse me, but can you please deliver this to Lord Uchiha?"

The maids looked at her with wide eyes. One of them gingerly accepted the letter, "As you wish, Ma'am." The pair bowed politely before scampering off, whispering excitedly to one another.

Sakura watched them for a moment before returning to her room with a sigh.

That was the nicest any staff had ever treated her. She fully expected them to hit or at least yell at her. Her body trembled with fright as she climbed into the comfortable bed and curled into a ball. One way or another, her life would soon be over.

#naruto #naruto fanfiction #narutofanfic #narutofanfiction #sakura #naruto shippuden #sakura uchiha #haruno sakura #sasusaku fic #sasusaku fanfiction #uchiha sasuke #sasuke #sasusaku #sakura haruno

[kelpiejz]

Tradition - a SasuSakuSara oneshot

it’s been forever since I last used tumblr but hey, might as well use it again to post some SasuSaku fic, right?

Summary: Regardless of how many things have changed, the Gōkakyū no Jutsu remained the same.

You can also read this on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47920651

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

Standing alone on the pier in the eerily empty former Uchiha District, Sakura ran through the hand signs that came to her as easily as breathing these days. Though it had been years since she had last used the jutsu, she had the habit of practising the signs whenever she felt particularly alone.

She hadn’t learned the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu here like her husband and so many others before him had, but she was no less capable of performing it. Just the thought of that training so many years ago made her heart clench with longing for her beloved, but she took a deep breath to push the thought from her mind and started the signs over again.

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

A massive ball of fire engulfed the air above a remote lake somewhere in Kusa, evaporating a few inches of water from the heat alone. Sakura stood next to Sasuke on the bank, still in awe of just how much control the man had over the signature element of his clan. Despite the massive size of the fireball that he had produced, it had never once threatened to light the dry grass just on the other side of the water.

“Did you get that?” Sasuke asked her calmly, glancing over at her with his mismatched eyes, seemingly almost studying her as he did so.

Her gaze met his after a moment and she frowned slightly. “The hand signs?”

“Aa.”

Though she wasn’t willing to admit it in the comfortable silence that had fallen over the two of them, Sakura had known those hand signs by heart for years. She had spent far too much of her childhood watching him to not be familiar with the jutsu that Sasuke had used more often than the Chidori back then. How could she have forgotten when it had felt like he had set her heart aflame with every ball of fire he had breathed in their genin days?

Despite her impeccable memory and knowledge of all things Sasuke, little genin Sakura had never put her knowledge of the hand signs to use. Something about trying to spit even a pitiful ball of fire had felt wrong somehow—like she would have been trying to intrude on something sacred. No, she had never tried to breathe fire like Sasuke, but that didn’t stop her from practising to weave them seamlessly on the off chance that Sasuke—in all of his 12-year-old genin glory—would ask to train with her and decide to teach her his treasured jutsu.

That had obviously never happened back then, but little genin Sakura would never have expected herself to be learning the jutsu from him over five years and a war later.

After taking a moment to ready herself, Sakura weaved the signs, moulded her chakra, and hoped that Sasuke couldn’t see her nervousness or the familiarity with which she moved her hands. As she reached tiger, she breathed in deeply and brought her right hand up to her mouth to help direct what would hopefully be a breath full of fire. The resulting fireball was nowhere near the size of Sasuke’s, but it was far better than what Sakura had expected from a first attempt. After it dissipated, she took a step back with a wide grin.

“I did it,” she said breathlessly, almost in disbelief. Fire was not her element—far from it, really—so she knew she would never have the proficiency that Sasuke had as a child, but she had done it anyway. Looking up at Sasuke for approval, she had to hold back her gasp when she saw a small yet genuine smile upon his face.

As if feeling the weight of her gaze, he turned to look at her. “Aa. You did.”

Sasuke was never a man of many words, but even still, Sakura could hear just how much pride he felt with those words alone. Her heart felt as if it might beat right out of her chest as she turned to him and impulsively wrapped her arms around his torso. If he was surprised by the action—one Sakura had only recently come to understand didn’t annoy him anywhere near as much as he pretended it did—he didn’t show it. Instead, his lone arm returned the gentle hug.

“That was better than my first attempt,” Sasuke said out of nowhere, surprising Sakura with how open he was today. “Back then, I could barely even call it a fireball.”

Raising a brow, Sakura frowned at him. “Sasuke-kun, weren’t you six when you first learned it, though?”

He nodded, and she had to muffle a laugh in the fabric of his travel cloak.

“Sasuke-kun, I know you’re trying to make me feel better about how small mine was, but comparing me to you at six years old doesn’t help much.”

He was silent for a moment, which wasn’t a surprise, but the vaguely upset-looking expression she saw on his face when she looked up tugged at her heartstrings. Shaking her head with a teasing grin, Sakura stepped back from the embrace and tried not to mourn the loss of his higher-than-average body heat in the cool evening air.

“Still,” she said, “all that means is that I have to practise more, right?”

Instead of answering, Sasuke silently gazed over the lake as if he was seeing someplace completely different instead. Knowing he was likely caught up in his memories, Sakura chose to stay quiet and wait for him to decide if he would tell her what was on his mind. She had learned over the years that Sasuke would only talk if he wanted to, so there was no point in pressing him. Instead, she ran through the signs again and tried tightening her control over her chakra now that she knew what a proper Gōkakyū was supposed to feel like.

As she breathed out more fire, Sakura noticed it was slightly larger than before. At least she was going in the right direction, even if it would take far more practice. Still, it wasn’t good enough, and Sakura prepared herself to weave the signs once more.

“Sakura.”

She stopped, letting her hands drop to her sides.

“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura asked, wondering what he wanted to say now. “Is everything okay?”

Slowly, he brought up his hand to gently brush his thumb over her lips. “Be careful. It’s easy to burn yourself before you’re used to doing Katon jutsu.”

His voice seemed deeper than before for some reason, and Sakura couldn’t restrain the butterflies that began fluttering uncontrollably in her gut. Sasuke was always so effortlessly intense in everything he did, and she would forever be weak to him. Feeling almost entranced by his concern, she didn’t look away from his eyes once as she swiped a finger—glowing green with healing chakra—across her mouth and cheeks where she knew there were light burns.

“Do you know the importance of this jutsu?” Sasuke asked as soon as he seemed satisfied with her newly healed face. Sakura could only shake her head, but noticed that Sasuke seemed stiffer than usual all of a sudden.

“The Gōkakyū…” His voice trailed off into silence as he seemed to almost be at war with himself over if he should say anything or not. After this long on the road together, Sakura knew better than to press him. If he couldn’t say it now, he would tell her when he felt the time was right.

Sasuke exhaled, though, and he closed his eyes as he kept talking. “In my clan, the Gōkakyū was a rite of passage. You weren’t a true Uchiha until you could perform it sufficiently.”

‘No wonder Sasuke-kun was already so good with it by the time Team 7 was formed,’ Sakura thought. Being one of the only solid links to his clan he had left, she wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he had practised it until he dropped in the years following the massacre. But… something about his words made her thoughts race.

“So… why did you teach it to me?” Sakura asked slowly, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer to the question. Just being on this journey with him across the Elemental Nations was enough for her; she couldn’t afford to get her hopes up too much in case of any disappointment. However, in her peripheral vision, she saw Sasuke’s hand flinch almost as if he was holding back the urge to reach for her.

“Sakura… by teaching you this jutsu, you have proven that you can be a true Uchiha.”

‘Don’t get your hopes up, Sakura,’ she begged herself and her traitorous palpitating heart. ‘He can’t possibly mean—’

He took a shaky breath, but kept talking anyway. “I know the Uchiha name has been forever stained, and I would understand if you don’t want it attached to you because of the dangers to your reputation, but you are welcome to claim it as your own. Even if you don’t want it, I would not regret teaching the jutsu to you.”

Her eyes widened as she struggled to sort through all the thoughts blaring in her head. Out of all of them, though, only one made it out.

“Why?”

This time, Sasuke actually did reach for her hand and kept his gaze firmly locked on her hand in his. She had never truly realized just how small her hand was in comparison to his, but the warmth of his palm radiated into hers and something about it felt so right that she never wanted to let go again.

His grip tightened slightly, but not enough to be less than comfortable. “Because when I think of family, I think of you.”

Even though her heart warmed at his declaration, Sakura couldn’t help the instinctive and deeply rooted fear that followed it. Quietly, she had to voice it. “And what about Naruto?”

“What about him?” Sasuke almost seemed amused, as if there was something she wasn’t understanding, but the hint of a smile quickly vanished upon seeing the insecurity on her face.

“He isn’t… family? Even with all the Six Paths stuff from the war?”

Sasuke sighed and squeezed her hand gently. “Sakura, it’s not the same. He and I are connected, yes, but I never chose him like I’m choosing you. I never asked to be ‘soul brothers’ with the idiot.”

That… made sense, so Sakura nodded silently. Seeing that she was still feeling off about the whole thing, Sasuke released her hand and wrapped his arm around her back to pull her close to him. She could hear the accelerated beating of his heart even through his clothes, but she wasn’t expecting him to say anything else. However, Sasuke seemed intent on surprising her today.

“All my life, others have made decisions for me,” he began, his deep voice soothing Sakura’s turmoil even as he bared his emotions to her. “Every conclusion I thought I came to on my own, I discovered that I was manipulated into. Thinking I needed to kill my brother, wanting to destroy Konoha, even ending the war with Naruto. Despite that, despite everything, you are the only choice I’ve ever made that was entirely my own. Even if you don’t want my name or my clan to become yours because of how cursed it is, I just ask that you let me stay in your life as a close friend even if you no longer want me in any other way.”

She frowned, wanting to ask why he would ever think she would say no, why he would doubt her feelings even for a moment after so long. There were some universal truths in this world that would never change: the sky is blue, chakra flows through their coils, Naruto loves ramen, and Sakura loves Sasuke. Sakura Haruno had been loving Sasuke Uchiha for so long that she wasn’t sure she knew how to not love him. It was etched into her very soul, and if she had ever lost that love for him, she wasn’t sure she would even be the same person anymore.

As if understanding her question without her even asking it, Sasuke glanced at her with a serious yet vulnerable expression. “I’ve made too many choices for you before, and while I can’t regret the reasoning behind them, I can regret that I had to hurt you in my misguided attempts to keep you safe. But now, even if it could hurt me, I refuse to do that again. You deserve to have that choice too, Sakura.”

Wrapping her arms around Sasuke’s waist, Sakura finally found the willingness to speak amidst the overwhelming emotions crashing over her. She was feeling so much, too much, and while part of her heart hurt at the memories of the forest of death where the air was choked with purple miasma, the bench under a moon that bore witness to a desperate confession, the crater that remained of a hideout where she felt like she was drowning in a dark-eyed stare, the bridge where too many mistakes were made, the end of the world where she spilled her heart out once more, she remembered the good times too.

The classroom where she snuck glances at the boy who made her heart flutter, the training grounds where they learned what teamwork truly meant, the bridge where she cried and held him close, the exams where he complimented her talents, the ramen shop where they tried desperately to see the secrets hidden beneath a mask, the battlefield as hope arrived in an unexpected turn of fate, the strange realm with green skies where he caught her and she wondered if there was something deeper brewing in those eyes, the valley where he finally apologized in a voice she had never heard from him before, the gates where he poked her forehead and she truly allowed hope to bloom in her heart instead of repressing it to stay as a mere bud.

“I want it.” A pause. “All of it.”

He made no move to show he had heard her other than the minute tightening of his arm around her waist and a barely audible sigh of relief. After a moment, Sakura pulled herself away reluctantly, but looked over at him with a brilliant smile.

“Sasuke-kun, I hope you’re ready to give me more feedback on the jutsu; my Uchiha fire might never be as good as yours since fire isn’t one of my chakra natures, but I’ll be damned if it’s not up to your standards,” she stated as she began weaving the hand signs once more.

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

The sky was cloudy as Sasuke blew out his frustrations in the form of a long-lasting stream of fire over the lake he had practised on in his childhood. Sakura stood next to him, lips pursed, but she stayed silent and held their daughter closer to her chest. Sarada was still only a toddler, but the future was always uncertain.

The fire dissipated and Sasuke grimaced before blowing yet another one. If she wasn’t holding their baby girl, Sakura knew she would be right there next to him, adding her fire to his and filling all the gaps, complimenting each other the way they always had. But she couldn’t. They had both learned their lesson long ago—the world isn’t fair. The past few years had been almost idyllic in their simplicity with their small family in a humble home, but that would not last.

Sarada was only two, still far too young to understand why her father was upset or what it meant, but even she could tell that something was wrong. She whimpered and buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, making Sakura instinctively cradle her closer.

“Dear,” Sakura said when Sasuke finished evaporating more water from the lake, “are you feeling a bit better now?”

Sasuke sighed, a frown finding the familiar place on his face. “No, but I’ll be fine. I just wish the world would leave us alone.”

She understood far too well. In only a few short months, her husband would once again leave the gates of Konoha (and her and Sarada) behind to wander the world, even if for a different reason this time. Sasuke always had such a strong sense of duty, and when rumours about Kaguya and Zetsu re-emerged, Sakura had known from the moment the words had been uttered in that meeting that he would be the one to go. He was their best option, their only option, even if he would much rather focus on his new family.

Right after Sarada had been born, he had tearfully promised both her and their daughter that he would do anything to protect them. In all the years Sakura had known and loved Sasuke, that had probably been the most emotional declaration she had ever heard come from his lips, and she believed in it unconditionally. If protecting them meant leaving them for years on end, then he would do it without looking back.

They stood silently on the dock and even Sarada was quiet as she slowly drifted to sleep in her mother’s arms. Sasuke came to them and wrapped the two most important people in his life in his arm, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of his daughter’s head and then to Sakura’s forehead right over her seal.

“Not on the mouth, dear?” she asked teasingly and Sasuke huffed out a soft laugh in response, shaking his head.

“You always say you don’t like the taste of smoke after Katon jutsu, my dearest wife,” he whispered just low enough to send a tingle down her spine that she fought to suppress. This was neither the time nor place for that.

Leaning in, Sakura kissed him anyway, savouring the way his lips moved against hers in the practised way they always did. “I’ll live with the taste of smoke. But there’s something else on your mind, isn’t there?”

Pressing their foreheads together, Sasuke looked her in the eyes. “How did you know?”

“I know you,” Sakura pointed out with a sad smile. “I’ve always known when something was wrong.”

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes after looking down at Sarada with a longing glance.

“I don’t know how long I’ll have to be away, Sakura. I know that you’ll be fine—that we’ll be fine—but still…” His shoulders fell, showing her a far more vulnerable Sasuke Uchiha than he had been in years. “I’m going to miss important parts of Sarada’s life, even if I’ve already seen her start to walk and speak. By the time I can be home for good, or even just to visit, she might already be in the Academy if she wants to be a kunoichi.”

Remembering a conversation from years ago, Sakura understood what other milestone he was subtly referring to even without a direct mention. It pained her to even consider that he might be gone that long, but there was a very low chance that everything would resolve itself that quickly. After all, nothing was ever simple when Team 7 was involved.

“Dear, I couldn’t…” Sakura gasped, clutching Sarada slightly closer. “You should be the one to teach her that; my chakra natures aren’t even fire.”

“And?”

Sakura knew she was grasping at straws, trying to find an excuse to ensure that he would teach Sarada the Gōkakyū when the time was right. His father had taught him, so he should be the one to teach their daughter. He knew how to perform the jutsu to perfection, and Sakura was fully aware that no amount of practice on her part would ever bring her up to his level in this, at least.

“I’m not the one who should be doing this, Sasuke, it’s an Uchiha family tradition and—”

“Sakura.” When Sasuke spoke in that firm tone that left no room for argument, Sakura couldn’t help but be drawn into his gaze. “I understand. I want to teach her the jutsu myself too, but just in case I can’t be home in time, I want you to teach her. I don’t want her to be behind her classmates in the Academy, or for her to miss out on her birthright.”

Sakura nodded silently, knowing he had more to say. He never talked this much with anyone else, but they had found comfort in the silence between words that occasionally said more than they ever could.

“You have as much right to teach her as I do, remember? You’re as Uchiha as I am now.”

Though she said nothing in response, it was clear she understood. In an uncharacteristic attempt to lighten the mood, Sasuke stepped away and smirked. “Just promise me that Kakashi won’t try to teach her before either of us can. He probably copied it when we were genin.”

Sakura couldn’t help it anymore and laughed, knowing that Sasuke was likely exactly right. Unfortunately, the sudden noise woke Sarada from her nap and she began fussing. Sasuke reached for her, wordlessly asking to hold his daughter, and with the ease of over a year of practice, Sakura helped position her comfortably in his one-armed hold. Almost as if she was aware of the safety of her father’s embrace, the youngest Uchiha calmed instantly, grasping onto his clothes with her tiny hands and a murmur of ‘Papa’ as she settled.

With a tilt of his head, Sasuke gestured to the lake. “It’s all yours.”

Feeling lighter than she had before, Sakura walked to the edge of the dock, moulded her chakra precisely to bring out the heat she desired, and weaved the signs.

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

Uchiha fire bloomed over the lake like it belonged there, and in a way, it did. The smile hadn’t left Sakura’s face since they had arrived on the old dock, and she was glad she had hired a genin team to fix the wobbly boards only a month ago. Though the old Uchiha District was slowly being rebuilt and repurposed after Sasuke finally got around to signing the paperwork that had been sent to him by one of Sai’s ink birds while he was away for his mission, the dock hadn’t been deemed a priority. How the old one had never collapsed beneath the weight of their entire family before Sasuke left, Sakura didn’t know, but now it was more than strong enough to easily and safely hold the weight of an academy student and her mother.

“Did you see that, Mama? I did it!” Sarada cheered breathlessly once the fireball vanished, leaving only the residual humidity of the evaporated water. Just as expected, soot and light burns darkened her cheeks from wasted chakra use and an unskilled hand to direct the breath of fire, but it was all too simple for Sakura to heal them away with barely a thought.

Pulling her six-year-old daughter into a tight hug, Sakura grinned with the overwhelming pride she felt brimming inside her. “I knew you would be able to do it!”

Ever since Sakura had mentioned the tradition on her birthday, Sarada had been begging her mother to take her to the lake and teach her the jutsu. Just like any other mention or link to her father, Sarada latched onto it like it was a lifeline. Though they couldn’t make it out until a few weeks later due to a hectic schedule at the hospital, Sakura had managed to book an entire day off to dedicate to her beloved daughter. Despite that, deep down, Sakura wished that Sasuke had been here to see Sarada blow a fireball bigger than Sakura’s first attempt had been. He would be so, so proud of her.

Just like any true Uchiha, it felt as if Sarada was born to breathe flames from her lungs. It wouldn’t surprise Sakura one bit if her daughter was hailed as even more of a genius than Sasuke had been in their academy and genin days, at the rate she was soaking up any training like a sponge. That wasn’t even counting her currently dormant Sharingan, which made a touch of fear rise in Sakura’s gut. She could never forget just how often Sasuke had been targeted for his eyes throughout most of his life, and if anyone found out just how young Sarada had been when she had first awakened it…

Instinctively, Sakura hugged her slightly tighter and silently renewed the vow both she and Sasuke had made before he had left. He would protect them from outside Konoha’s walls, and she would protect them from within. Nobody would hurt their daughter if she could help it.

“Mama, you’re squishing me again!” Sarada groaned and Sakura released her from her grasp with the same light laugh as always. No matter how many times Sarada complained, they both knew that she found some manner of comfort in Sakura’s too-tight hugs; the girl would pout and mope if they were even slightly looser—exactly the way Sasuke had once told her he had moped in his childhood after Itachi wouldn’t have the time to train. She was truly her father’s daughter.

With a laugh, Sakura gently patted Sarada’s dark hair. “That was better than mine, you know? You really are my little genius.”

“Really!?” Sarada exclaimed, eyes wide and glimmering with childish innocence. “Show me yours again, Mama!”

Of course, Sakura had gotten a lot more practice in the years since she had learned, but her hands flew through the familiar signs and she exhaled a plume of fire over the lake. Sarada giggled as the heat from the flames washed over them.

“Mama, that was bigger! See?” Sarada stumbled through the signs, her little hands still clumsy and unused to some of the more difficult ones to perform—like boar and horse. Her wrists didn’t yet have the flexibility they would acquire through training, and though Sakura had helped Sarada learn all the different signs on their own, she still had to learn how to fluidly switch between them.

Though the fireball wasn’t as big as the one her mother had just breathed, Sarada’s was still extremely impressive for her age. If this was what she was already capable of at only six years old, Sakura was almost afraid to imagine the kind of flames the girl would produce after she had more experience under her belt. It would come with time, and Sakura was certain that someday Sarada would truly master the jutsu like countless Uchiha clan members had before her, perhaps when Sasuke was back home with them to help her refine it.

Sarada giggled and grabbed onto Sakura’s hand, instantly putting a smile on her face and drawing her attention back to the little girl—her thoughts could wait when Sarada was so excited already. “Mama, we gotta do it together! It’ll be the biggest fireball!”

“Oh?” Sakura asked with a teasing smile and glance. “The biggest? Hmmm… maybe if we put our fireballs together, they might be as big as the ones I saw your dad make.”

Sarada’s jaw dropped in awe as she was practically vibrating in excitement. “Really!? Papa can make fireballs that big!?”

She nodded, remembering times from the war and their travels when Sasuke had made fireballs that likely would have made even Madara Uchiha proud. She had heard accounts of just how massive and devastating that attack had been right after the newly resurrected man had arrived on the battlefield of the 4th shinobi war, and knowing that her husband had reached that level was different than seeing it for herself. Of course, there were stories she couldn’t tell Sarada yet—ones she and Sasuke had unanimously decided would be best left until she was old enough to understand and until Sasuke was back to explain them himself—but she was always more than happy to talk about his feats and skills. If anything, they made the young girl even more excited at the prospect of seeing him again.

“That’s right,” she chuckled, “your dad is one of the strongest shinobi out there. Maybe if you ask really nicely, he’ll show you when he gets home.”

As if that had lit the metaphorical fire under their daughter, Sarada’s smile turned into a confident smirk that reminded Sakura far too much of Sasuke back when he was a genin and faced with a challenge he was confident he could overcome. Her heart clenched at the deluge of memories—Sarada looked so much like her father sometimes that the resemblance could make the distance between the divided parts of their family feel worse—but she would never deny their daughter anything.

“Let’s do it, Mama! I want to practise hard enough that we can make a fireball bigger than Papa’s together!”

And oh, wouldn’t that be a surprise for her husband when he eventually returned? Of course, it would take a long time for the two of them to ever match up to the two decades he had been practising the Gōkakyū, but Sakura knew that he would be touched and filled with pride if they even came close.

Crouching down next to Sarada, Sakura poked her daughter on the forehead with her index and middle fingers. She never had found out the entire story behind where this gesture had come from, other than the fact that it was something Itachi had done to Sasuke often when they were younger, but it had clearly meant a lot to Sasuke and she was more than happy to make sure their daughter associated it with an expression of affection in preparation for the inevitability of him poking her forehead after his return. If it was possible, Sarada’s grin widened even more as she laughed happily and put her soot-stained fingers over her forehead.

“Now let’s get practising, hm? That fireball isn’t going to happen overnight,” Sakura teased with a wry grin, relishing in Sarada’s joy. As much as her soul longed for Sasuke to be there with them, to be witnessing every moment of their daughter’s life alongside her, being able to show him the results of him putting his trust in her to carry on the family legacy would be a good backup option.

Sarada stood a bit too stiffly at the end of the dock, already breathing deeply and preparing to puff out her chest to take in as much air as fuel for the fire as she could. “Ready, Mama?”

“Always.”

As Sarada slowly formed the signs, Sakura matched her pace with pride blossoming in her heart.

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

Mother and daughter stood together on the dock, engulfing the lake in what must have seemed like a sea of flame, flickering with heat above the disturbed waters. They held the stream of fire for as long as they could before it tapered off, but it had been long enough to make them sweat from the heat and proximity alone. Standing up straight, Sakura smiled proudly down at her eleven-year-old daughter, knowing full well just how much work the girl had put into this jutsu.

“Did you see that!?” Sarada exclaimed, spinning quickly and running up to Sasuke, grabbing onto his only hand in her excitement. His visible eye was slightly widened and he almost seemed to be staring off into space, and Sakura had to resist the urge to giggle. It wasn’t often that she got to see her husband this surprised—the last time she could remember had been when she had casually told him she was pregnant over dinner and Sasuke had nearly choked after inhaling some rice.

After a moment, that gentle smile reserved for their family alone graced his lips and he bent down to look Sarada in the eye. “That was very well done, Sarada. Easily as good as I was at your age.”

Sakura hadn’t thought that the smile on their daughter’s face could get any wider, a common sentiment when it came to her husband and daughter, but it seemed she was mistaken as Sarada’s cheeks reddened in her glee. It had been a very emotionally chaotic few days for their family, especially considering the Shin Uchiha debacle, but she was glad that Sarada seemed to be even more comfortable with her place in their lives than ever.

Dragging her father to the end of the dock, Sarada gestured out over the lake. “Papa, you gotta show me yours! Mama told me stories of how good you are at the Gōkakyū, and I want to see you in action.”

“You saw me use the jutsu just the other day,” Sasuke said, though he seemed more amused than anything as he smiled fondly. Sakura assumed this must have happened before she had arrived to the fight, but couldn’t hold in the chuckle when Sarada shook her head. After all, there was one more thing her husband wasn’t aware of yet.

“C’mon, Papa, it’s not the same!” She protested, gesturing to the lake. “It has to be here.”

While this place had great importance to him due to his own childhood and the years of Uchiha tradition carried out here, the small wooden dock on the lake had become something special for Sakura and Sarada, too.

Every year since Sakura had taught Sarada the jutsu, the two had returned here for an entire day to sit on the end of the dock, to dip their feet in the cool water, and to tell stories. Sarada would talk about the academy, her friends, and her hopes for the future. Sakura would reminisce, teasing her daughter with anecdotes about when she was young and still drooling on her father’s empty sleeve. The morning would be spent peacefully, then they would eat a picnic lunch they had prepared together in the morning, and every year Sarada would ask her mother for stories about Sasuke.

Sakura didn’t know how many times she had told the stories of their times on Team 7 as genin, when they reunited during the war (though Sarada was unaware of how long they had been separated beforehand and assumed, in all her wide-eyed childish innocence that they had simply been fighting on different battlefields), and when he had caught her when she was completely drained. When lunch was over, they would pack up and return to the dock.

They would each silently think of their regrets, their worries, and their stressors from the past year before moving on instinct alone to weave the signs ingrained into their very souls. They would inhale, feeling the heat rise in their lungs until it was nearly overwhelming, and then they would expel the negative energy in the form of a purifying fire that tied them across an unknown distance to their wandering loved one. They would let the Uchiha fire cleanse everything, leaving them feeling rejuvenated and even more connected as family.

Sakura smiled, knowing that Sarada had wanted to bring her father here today of all days to show him this new tradition, and turned back to look out over the lake. With a fond sigh, Sasuke formed his one-handed seals and, with the ease of practice, created a truly massive fireball that—from where they were standing—blocked out the sun itself. Sarada’s eyes gleamed in excitement, an ear-splitting grin on her face as the intense heat vanished along with the fire.

“Papa,” she breathed quietly before turning to him, “that was awesome!”

His gaze seemed to warm further as he looked down at Sarada fondly. “Aa.”

Though Sakura knew Sasuke would likely deny it if anyone asked, the praise from his daughter clearly made him happy. It was such a relief to see him in such good spirits, especially after everything he (and they) had been through in recent and prior years. She was also fully aware that while his jutsu had been truly massive, it was carefully controlled to be impressive while simultaneously completely safe for them—something the Sasuke of years beforehand would never have done.

‘Yes,’ Sakura thought to herself, ‘fatherhood suits him much better than he expected it would.’

“We didn’t have time to make lunch, but that’s okay,” Sarada said suddenly. “The important part is the jutsu anyway, and we’re all here so we can finally do this right! Just… maybe make the fireball a bit smaller this time since we’re going to do it together.”

Sasuke’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Sakura in confusion, causing her to smile and laugh under her breath. Of course, to him, they had already done all that was necessary. Standing between them as she was, Sarada reached out and grabbed onto her parents’ hands before she and Sakura closed their eyes.

Narrating for her father’s sake, Sarada began to speak. “Papa, this is something Mama and I have been doing for years. Think back to all your worries and regrets from the past year—though you can think of ones from other years too since you haven’t done this as much as we have.”

Sakura felt a pang in her chest, knowing from many whispered conversations under the trees or in their bed just how many regrets her husband truly had. Perhaps this would be good for him, in a different way than his journey of redemption had been. It was different from the time they had come here before his departure, too. That time had been filled with frustration and hidden sorrow, while today was all about closure.

“Then, you mould your chakra, mixing the worries in with it. Turn all the bad feelings into fuel, and then we let the fire burn them away.”

From the feel of his chakra alone, Sakura could sense just how much pride Sasuke was feeling at that moment and she was sure that if she opened her eyes, she would see a genuine smile upon his lips. No one loved like the Uchiha, and he was surely overcome by those feelings. Their daughter wouldn’t be drawn toward the darkness the way he had been, and this exercise was just proof of it.

Sarada reluctantly let go of their hands, and the small family whispered under their breaths as they weaved the signs together.

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

They breathed in and, for a moment, everything seemed to still as they opened their eyes—crimson and viridian and lavender rings, all blazing with determination.

Then, the combined fire of the entire Uchiha clan blazed once more over the lake, cementing bonds and purging all regrets.

#sasuke x sakura #sasusaku #fanfic #sasusakusara #sasuke uchiha #sakura uchiha #sarada uchiha #sasuke and sakura #uchiha family #sasusaku fic #ss fic #vignettes #introspective