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This isn't the first mission we are going on after Sasuke came back, but this is the first mission we are going on after their wedding. I don't even know if I could call it that; a wedding. They decided to go to the court and register their marriage, instead of the wedding they had planned before.
I was very mad at them, obviously but Sakura told me it was because all the planning was driving her crazy and she told Sasuke one night that maybe they should just go to the courthouse in the morning and get married right away. She told me that the planning was so stressful that it took away from what they truly wanted; to be together, to be married to each other. That explanation silenced my complaints.
I also noticed the small yet significant changes that occurred in their behaviors after the wedding. They would trail behind me every time we were walking through the woods and whenever I would take a quick peek, I could see their hands entangled with one another's. During meals, Sasuke would nudge her head with his when she would play with her food for too long. Sakura always saved him some tomatoes from her share and even though he was perfectly capable of eating them on his own, she would feed it to him like she was feeding a child, all the while exchanging loving glances.
The only time I ever saw them kiss was at a cliff we crossed on our way back. Sakura insisted on taking a break so we could admire the view and I wanted us to reach the village as soon as possible, but Sasuke gave me that do-what-she-asks look from afar and I knew there was no choice. This time they walked in front of me, their fingers laced and her head rested on his shoulder the whole time.
They reached near the edge and I could see Sakura gaping at the horizon in awe. Purple clouds filled the sky from edge to edge and the wind was tame and cold. Tiny flowers bloomed on the grass and the only tree that stood there was bare with no leaves. I wish Hinata were here to see this. I took a step further and just as I did I witnessed the most unbelievable sight; Sasuke stood beside Sakura gazing at her while she pointed at something far away that he was not paying attention to. His expression was soft and his eyes gleamed with an emotion I had never seen him show before. Love. At that very moment, Sakura was the most important thing in the world to him.
I smiled to myself. I should leave them alone for a while, maybe look at the map for a shorter route home. I looked back at them while pulling the map out from my belt bag and there they were with their lips on each other and that was my cue.
I learned of Sakura's pregnancy a few months later from Sasuke when Kakashi told me that we'd have to recruit Sai with us next time we go on a mission. It was in the halls of the Hokage tower and I had quickly grabbed him in a bear hug. My best friend and my other best friend were going to be parents. I was going to be an uncle. It was amazing.
They had a beautiful little girl with a head full of black hair that matched Sasuke's and just as I had moved closer to see her eyes imagining them to be green, they ended up matching Sasuke as well. Two black doe-like eyes that stared intendedly at me. They named her Sarada. Boruto is going to have a cute little friend to play with soon.
When Kakashi called us I thought it was to send us on some short term scouting assignment or retrieving information. Sasuke had just joined us back after a few months of staying with Sakura and his daughter. It was only the two of us before Kakashi's desk when he told us that a White Zetsu was spotted by the ANBU on a recent operation and this has distressed the entire Konoha administration. It could mean Kaguya was back, or at least her white Zetsu army. It meant that we could be on the brink of another Shinobi war. My internal hysteria was cut short by Kakashi as he explained the steps that were to be taken next for the safety of the village. He finally came to the reason he had truly called us there; he needed one of us to investigate the Zetsu's and find Kaguya's remaining army.
I gulped. I had only just become a father a month ago. This would mean leaving Hinata behind with a newborn child and no one to support but her sister. It would also mean I would be away from them for a while, maybe a long time, a very long time. I would not know what my son's first words were, or see him take his first steps into the world. I was broken from my revery when Sasuke stated that he accepted the mission. My eyes darted to meet his. I quickly cut him off and exclaimed that I was going to do it instead. It wouldn't be fair to him or his family. He was a father too, and a husband. He would miss out on all the same things I would. It just wasn't fair. Sasuke quickly took the argument to his corner and suggested that his Rinnegan would come in handy and help him make the investigation easier, probably even finish it sooner than expected. I wanted to reject his argument but there was nothing I could say that would convince the two that I would do a better job at this. It was decided, Sasuke would leave Konoha to investigate into Kaguya's Army.
The guilt overcame me. I might not know a lot of things about Sasuke but the one thing I know is that from the bottom of his heart the only thing he wanted was to be with Sakura. And now he couldn't be with her and it was because of me. What kind of life would Sasuke live out there in the woods away from his family? What kind of life would Sakura live here with her job and supporting her child? What kind of a Hokage would I be if I couldn't even let my best friend live peacefully with his family?
I had bid him a quick goodbye before Sasuke and his family moved to the gates as they said theirs. I could see them. Sakura held Sarada in her arms as tears stained her cheeks. Sasuke seemed pensive yet hopeful as he raised his hand and held Sarada's small hand in his. He kissed Sarada's forehead and turned his face to meet Sakura's. Their forehead's touched for a few seconds as Sasuke whispered something to her. He moved back and looked at them one last time; at that very moment, Sarada and Sakura were the most important thing in the world to him.