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She knew it was hard on him to leave again, because this time, he really didn’t want to go. Being a dad was truly one of his greatest joys. His baby girl, still so young and innocent, had to lose her father. She lost her father just as he himself did sixteen years ago. It wasn’t the life she expected, but Sakura wouldn’t change it for the world. For her world. Her husband and daughter meant everything to her.
It’s only been two years since Sasuke left for his mission. Leaving the morning after his daughter's first birthday, where he spent the whole evening holding her close and leaving soft kisses on her forehead. Even when Naruto would ask for a chance to hold her, he would refuse, not just to be petty, but because it was his last night with his baby. He watched as she crawled around with the other babies, how she smiled at everyone singing to her, and the way she laughed as she opened Kakashi’s present to her.
For the first time in a while, Sakura saw her husband cry tears of sadness as he laid her down in her crib for the night. Her chest slowly rose and fell as she let the sleep consume her. The soft pink blanket Shizune had gifted them was clenched tightly in her small little hand. The only light coming from the moon and the small night light in the corner. Sasuke stood over her crib caressing her cheek. He slowly backed away from the crib, slowly shutting the door behind him. Once shut, he allowed the tears to fall out of his eyes as he slowly fell to the floor.
Everything Sasuke did was for the future. He killed his brother, fought in a war, and lost his arm for the sake that the future would just be a little bit better. He thought that after his journey of atonement he could finally settle down, marry Sakura, and start a family. But it all fell down because now, he’s off on another journey that could last a lifetime. Sarada recognized him and called for him. She was attached to his hip to the point Sakura was starting to become jealous. It felt as if the two shared their own secret language. If Sasuke left the house to go meet at the Hokage’s tower, Sarada would always be an emotional wreck. How the hell was he supposed to leave for years?
Sakura sent letters to Sasuke once a week, covering even the simplest of things. Like Sarada’s playdate with Inojin, the way she still leaves the tomatoes aside for her Papa, or how she always ends her day with the same question.
“When does Papa come home?”
And Sakura doesn’t know what to say, because she just doesn’t know. It breaks her heart to see how quickly her face goes from hopeful to disappointed every night. Watching the tears well up in her eyes as she silently accepts the answer. Laying her head down onto her pillow in her new “big girl bed” that her father was supposed to set up for her. He was supposed to put the frame together, help Sakura set up the bedding, and watch as his toddler jumped on her brand new bed. Sasuke was missing all the milestones, and Sarada was starting to forget what her Papa looked like.
~~~
Sakura was exhausted after working at the Hospital for so many hours. She picked up Sarada from her parents house, who gave her a sympathetic look that she chose to ignore. Her daughter was unusually quiet the whole walk home. Usually she would always tell her mother about her day and all the fun she had. Stepping into their home, Sakura let Sarada down from her hip and watched as she walked away to go play with her toys. Another unusual sight, Sarada was always running to go play. Sakura made her way to the kitchen and began prepping for dinner.
Eventually dinner was done and Sarada toddled her way back into the kitchen. She walked up to Sakura, and with one hand clutching the ear of her stuffed bunny, lifted her hands up in a silent asking of “Up.” Sakura obliged and settled Sarada into her seat at the table. She cut the fish into small enough bites and made sure the rice wasn’t too hot. Unlike usual, dinner was silent. Sakura watched as her daughter's eyes kept looking over at her bunny, which rested on the table while she ate.
The same bunny her father had gifted her.
A faint “mama” could be heard, as Sakura raised her head to see her daughter holding the bunny tightly, with tears slowly escaping her eyes. She immediately jumped from her spot at the table and picked up her daughter, holding her extra close. She ran her fingers through her daughter's short black locks as Sarada laid her head down on her mother’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, little one?” After a few short sniffles Sarada raised her head and locked eyes with her mother. “Mama…” her voice began to crack, “why isn’t Papa here?” As if that question was the straw to break the camel's back, Sarada began to cry for real. “Papa’s on a very important mission,” she left a small kiss on her daughter’s head, “he is working very hard to keep you safe.”
Unfortunately, Sakura’s words of encouragement didn’t help the three year old, as she continued to cry. “B- but… Obaachan said that… he won’t come back…” And Sakura knew that today was the last time her parents would watch her daughter. They were never happy with Sakura, or Sasuke, and now they weren’t happy with Sarada. No matter how hard Sakura worked they just could never let their pride down. Never accept that their daughter was a respected Kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf, and that Sasuke had atoned for his actions and truly did love her and Sarada.
She stayed silent for a moment longer before setting Sarada down on the ground. Sakura bent to match her height so their eyes met. “Sarada,” her voice was firm yet soft, “Don’t listen to Obaachan. Your father loves you more than anything. He would be here if he could, trust me baby.” Sakura cuffed her hand around Sarada’s cheek. “Leaving you was the hardest thing he had ever done. But you know what? He’s strong, Papa’s strong. And so are you, my little one. Just be stronger for a bit longer, and then Papa will be home.” She let her hand fall back down to her side. At this point, Sakura couldn’t tell if she was trying to convince Sarada or herself. But it seems Sarada accepted her answer, as she walked right into Sakura’s arms and gave her the biggest hug she could manage.
~~~
Sakura decided to take her lunch break at the Hokage Tower with Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai. It was rare for this version of team seven to meet up, as they were all busy with their own work and families. Naruto was preparing to take Kakashi’s place as Hokage while also raising his son and preparing for the birth of his daughter. Sai had taken over the Anbu and worked tirelessly at making sure all of Danzo’s beliefs and practices were fully erased, all while teaching his son the Super Beast Scroll. Although it wasn’t really jutsu training, and more just teaching little Inojin how to draw.
Kakashi was the one who was always available for a chat. Just because he was Hokage that doesn’t mean he never slacks off and leaves most of the work for Shikamaru. When a real threat arrives, Kakashi is on it, but for simple paperwork? That was his aid’s job. The Sixth Hokage always managed to slip away right before Shikamaru arrived to complain about his work ethic.
“To be honest, I don’t know if Boruto is excited about being a big brother. Is that normal Sakura? Sakura?” Naruto stopped his rambling as he noticed his friend and teammate was clearly in another headspace. Sakura was always assertive and was always a great listener. So the fact that she wasn’t listening just concerned the rest of the group. The boys all stopped eating as they turned to look at her. She could feel their eyes land on her as she finally accepted defeat. She sighed and looked up at her teammates, “It’s just Sarada.”
Clearly the others weren’t prepared for that answer. Sarada had always been talked about being the most well behaved of their generation's kids. She always used her “pleases” and “thank yous” while always managing to clean up after herself (to the best of a toddlers abilities) and talk about her feelings. “What is she doing?” Sai normally wouldn’t ask about others' feelings, but this was not only his wife’s best friend, but his friend as well. While most think Sai doesn’t care, he truly is observant of how others are feeling.
“She misses her father. It’s difficult because there isn’t anything I can do to console her. I keep telling her ‘he’ll be back soon, just hold on a bit longer.’ But it feels like I’m convincing myself more than her.” She doesn’t fail to notice the grim look on Naruto’s face. Sasuke was her husband, but he was also his best friend. “I’m watching her hit all these milestones and I have no one to share them with. I can’t ignore the way people stare, the sympathetic looks and the ones saying ‘I told you so.’”
The truth is not everyone approves of Sasuke. Many still saw him as the boy who betrayed the village. And now that Sasuke was married and had a child the stares and whispers only grew, with the whole family being the target. Some people considered Sakura to be delusional, chasing after a man who was never here and probably never cared.
But they didn’t know Sasuke, and they never tried to. They didn’t see his smile as she joined him on his journey. They didn’t see the way he held her hand when entering a public space, the way he softly kissed her face. They didn’t see how excited he was to be a father. The way he stayed up all night wondering if he would be a good enough father. How gently he held their daughter when she was born. When he would spend his whole day entertaining her in the garden.
They just didn’t know the real Sasuke Uchiha.
And they don’t know her, they aren’t trying to. They didn’t see her eyes light up when he surprised her with flowers at the most random of times. They didn’t see how hard she worked at the hospital day and night to make sure no parent has to bury their child. They didn’t see how despite working all day, she still came home and took care of her daughter as if nothing was wrong. The way she couldn’t erase the vision of a life slipping through her fingers. When she gave her daughter a bath and bubbles would go flying everywhere. Holding her close as she rocked her baby to sleep. And the way she dragged herself up in the morning just to do the same thing over and over and over again.
This time, Kakashi spoke up, “Well, it clearly stems from jealousy.” Everyone turned to look at Kakashi, not really expecting his response to be, well, that. Sakura looked at him confused, “What do you mean Kakashi Sensei?” He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “Not only are you a war hero, but you're also the director of the hospital. All while finding the time to take care of a small child. You got to travel the world with your loved one and accept awards for all your accomplishments. Really, they are all just jealous. It's better to just ignore them.”
This left the group speechless. There was no denying Kakashi had a soft spot for his students, especially for Sakura, but to hear him give good advice? It was practically unheard of. Naruto broke the silence by slamming his chopsticks down onto the table and shooting to a standing position. “Kakashi Sensei is right! Screw all of them! They’re just mad that they aren’t as cool as you!”
“Perhaps it would be easier if Sasuke was still here. In all honesty he should be here to raise his child.” Sai added his own two-cents. Kakashi sat back in his seat thinking. Sakura gave an uncomfortable chuckle and waved for them to stop. “I appreciate the compliments, but don’t worry, I’m fine. I understand how important Sasuke’s journey is.”
Unfortunately, Kakashi had already developed an idea.
~~~
That very evening Kakashi sent out a letter to his former student, signaling the end of his mission.
Sasuke unwrapped the letter confused. Kakashi calling off a mission was unexpected, but when he read the words for himself, his appreciation for his sensei grew tenfold. Turning around, Sasuke rushed to the nearest village to purchase more paper. He had to let his wife know, she had to know that he was coming home.
He was coming home to his family. All it took was confirmation from his Sensei, that yes, he doesn’t have to continue this journey. He could go home and be a regular shinobi. He could go home and be the husband Sakura deserved, and the father Sarada had always wanted.
When he read about how sad his baby had been he could have sworn he felt his heart break. It was wrong to leave her behind so young. Sasuke spent so long convincing Kakashi to assign him this mission that he never processed that despite being so little, Sarada was just as emotional as everyone else. She felt sadness, and worst of all, she felt loneliness.
Sasuke refuses to let his daughter feel the same loneliness he felt when he was a child.
The second he secured the paper and ink, he began to write. He wrote to Sakura, starting with an apology for his absence, before letting her know that he was coming home. That they will be a family again soon. Tying the letter to the foot of the messenger eagle, he watched it fly away.
He watched it fly home.
~~~
Sakura read the letter and cried. As much as she wanted to tell her little girl that her daddy would be home soon, she decided to keep it a surprise. Sasuke should be home right before bed time, meaning not only could he see his daughter, but they could do one of their favorite things together, reading. Sarada loved cozying up on her fathers lap and listening to his voice read aloud the stories of princesses and animals.
She followed the usual routine, this time picking Sarada up from Ino’s place. Her best friend gave her a knowing look, it seems word about her husband's return had traveled throughout the Hokage’s office. Sarada was in a much better mood this time around after playing all day with Inojin. Sakura made dinner that night, and added extra tomatoes, much to Sarada’s dismay. Bath time went smoothly without any fits, which made Sakura think that for the first time in a while, the universe was on her side.
After getting Sarada dressed, she had her daughter pick a book from her little bookshelf and go wait on the couch. Sakura couldn’t help but smile at the confused look on her daughter's face, because normally for story time they would cuddle up on Sarada’s bed. But the girl didn’t argue and picked up one of her favorites: Goodnight Moon
The second Sarada sat on the couch she was ready to begin story time, but Sakura kept saying “Wait just a little longer,” which did nothing but make the toddler more anxious. Even though Sakura would love to read her baby her bedtime story, she knew there was someone else who was just as desperate.
It was when she heard the front door handle begin to jingle that she turned to her little one and gave the biggest smile. “I wonder who that could be!” Sarada looked at her mother confused as she picked her up and rested her on the hip. Sakura was standing before the front door with her baby as the door slowly opened.
Sasuke peeked his head in first and immediately smiled at the sight of his wife and daughter. His little girl had gotten so big since the last time he saw her. Her black hair was now a little bit past her shoulders making him think back to when his wife had short hair herself. She still had the big gorgeous eyes that reminded him so much of his mother.
He shut the door behind him.
Before Sakura could even speak, Sarada burst into tears. Her arms immediately stretched out towards him wanting to be right at his side. She was squirming all around and when Sakura finally let her down, she ran straight to her dad who bent down to her level with his arm open.
“Daddy you’re home!”
As soon as she reached her dad he scooped her up and held her close. He gave a few soft kisses to her head as he held her. He could feel his own tears start to well up as he whispered into her head, “I’m home.”