A/N: Long, long, long ago, I wrote a series of Naruto stories and in retrospect, they were horrible. So, instead of attempting to rewrite them, I kind of retooled them into this story. Inspired by some SasuSaku family pictures on Deviantart and recent developments in the manga, I present this story...

Birds chirped as they began to ring in the new day with a song. The sun made its presence known through the window and blinds. Outside, the thinnest branches on the trees swayed from the wind. It had become tradition for Sasuke to watch the shifting of the darkness of night to the brightness of morning. He found it to be a reminder of the transformation within himself from a hate-filled international criminal to one of the key protectors of the village he had once sworn to destroy. The raven-haired Uchiha took in a small breath and looked down to his side.

He smiled gently as his eyes fell upon one of many reasons his heart had taken a turn. His wife, Sakura Haruno-Uchiha, slept soundly on his chest with her own heart thumping on Sasuke's ribs. Sasuke smirked as he remembered why his wife was so tired, the stings of the scratch marks she left on his back after their sweaty and pleasure filled night. These moments came few and far between sometimes. Mostly because of...

A knock came from outside of the room onto the bedroom door and Sasuke smiled. He carefully laid Sakura's head back down on the pillow and got up from the bed, grabbing a shirt and pants as he made his way to the door. There was another knock as Sasuke crossed the floor and he stretched and yawned.

"Hold on a second. I'm coming," Sasuke called, turning fractionally to make sure he didn't wake Sakura. When he saw that he didn't, Sasuke turned the knob and opened his room door. Outside, two young boys stood with bright eyes and eager faces. The taller and oldest of the two dipped his head with respect and the younger boy followed.

"Good morning, Father," the older boy, Takuma, said. Eleven years old, Takuma was nearly the spitting image of Sasuke's beloved and deceased brother Itachi, save for a dark green eye color inherited from his mother. The younger of the two brothers grinned widely at Sasuke.

"Good morning, daddy!" he said, excitedly. "Are we going to train today? Can we? Please?" Sasuke smiled. Kichiro was eight years old and would be starting the Academy soon. From Sasuke, Kichiro had inherited the Uchiha's raven-colored hair, styled similarly to his father's and the same dark, entrancing eyes. But his excitably, cheerfulness and energy seemed to have come from somewhere else entirely. Sasuke closed the door as he left the room and stood in the hall.

"Where's Hikari?" Sasuke asked. "You know she'll be upset if you two leave her." Kichiro folded his arms and pouted. Sasuke shot his youngest son a stern glance and Kichiro's arms fell. Takuma looked over at his brother with a gentle gaze and then back at his father.

"She's asleep in her room. But, Mother did say that she wanted to take her to visit Aunt Ino's flower shop today," Takuma said, calmly. Sasuke attempted to recall whether or not Sakura had ever mentioned taking Hikari anywhere to him but all he could remember was having dinner and then "dessert" with his wife. He knew Takuma wouldn't lie, not to his face anyway. Besides, if he was, Sasuke would found out later.

Sasuke scratched behind his head. "Well, you two did wake up pretty early to make your request. I suppose we can go out and train then," the Uchiha said. Takuma smiled and Kichiro nearly leapt out of his clothes with joy.

"Let's get our gear, Kichiro," Takuma said as the two raced back to their room. Sasuke stretched and opened the door to his bedroom. If they were going to go out training, he'd definitely need to freshen up first. Silent as a shadow, and made his way to the bathroom connected to the master bedroom. As per usual, Sasuke ran a cold shower. The briskness of the water woke his body and gave him a much-needed rejuvenation. After washing every nook, cranny and orifice on his person, Sasuke dried himself and glided back to his room. His training gear hung behind the sliding shoji doors of his closet and Sasuke quickly dressed himself, zipping up his white, high-collared shirt with the Uchiha crest proudly displayed and then his dark blue pants followed by strapping on his black sandals. His chokutō slid into its sheathe and Sasuke added the final piece to his garb, his Leaf headband.

"Leaving already?" Sasuke turned to see Sakura leaning up fractionally to look at him, her green eyes tracing down his body. Her gaze added a fire in the Uchiha man's stomach.

"Yes," Sasuke said, smiling as he walked towards the bed. "The boys woke up pretty early to request some training. Kichiro's especially excited." Sasuke was half surprised when Sakura's hands grabbed at his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. Sometimes he forgot how strong she was. Sasuke could easily make out her shape underneath the sheets, every one of her curves enticing him to strip off his clothes and make love to her until the sun was setting. The fight against his urges proved difficult but manageable. Sasuke kissed Sakura softly and ran his hands down her body, pausing on her stomach. Sakura smiled up at him. "I have to go. They've waited long enough." Sasuke said before adding, "We'll finish this when I get back." Sakura shook her head.

"We can't. I'm taking Hikari to Ino's flower shop so she can watch her and then I'll be going to the hospital for work," She said, pouting. Sasuke nodded. So, Takuma had told him the truth. Sasuke smiled as he approached Sakura again, kissing her softly.

"If you'll be at the hospital, that's fine. That means there'll be a room and bed for us," Sasuke's words slithered smoothly from his mouth and he could see the change in Sakura's visage as they came out. Her pout turned into a satisfied smile.

"I'll see you later, then," Sakura said, lying back down in the bed. Sasuke loomed over her. His raven-colored bangs softly brushing his wife's face. He kissed again with a passionate finality.

"You will," He said before he left out of the room and closed the door.

The boys sat outside on the porch and as they heard Sasuke approaching, they stood. Sasuke's eyes looked over the beautiful estate he and his family owned, styled in the classic ways of his clan. Fully reconstructed after having nearly been destroyed by the invasion of Pain nearly twenty years ago, the Uchiha Estate included a large lakefront teeming with freshwater fish. The lake even served as a small source of income as people from all over the village often paid a small fee to fish at one of the richest lakes for miles.

Sasuke looked down at his sons and placed one hand on Kichiro's head and the other on Takuma's shoulder. "Let's head to the Spot." Sasuke said to his two sons. The boys nodded and grinned widely.

The clearing known as the Spot was an enormous expanse that stretched for a few hundred yards before it was overtaken by the tree line. Sasuke had expanded the area himself, cutting trees down accidentally while perfecting certain techniques in the past, then burning the old stumps away with fire jutsu. The day before when he had trained, Sasuke managed to make another mark on the landscape, while burning and breaking his leg in the process. Limping home from here was an absolute pain in the ass. Thankfully, Sakura had been able to heal it completely with medical jutsu and he avoided having his children see him hurt.

As the entered the Spot, Takuma took off for the center of the clearing with his younger brother following close behind him. Sasuke stood beneath the shade of a tree and watched his two sons playing around with some taijutsu.

Kichiro leapt toward his brother, swinging a punch only for Takuma to casually dodge out of the way. Kichiro continued to pursue his brother with a determined spark in his eye while Takuma smiled lightly at him and dodged backwards casually. Despite not being able to land a hit on his brother, Kichiro continued to pursue, changing his tactics from simple punches to kicks. The sudden change caught Takuma off guard and this time, he had to raise his arms to block. Kichiro's determination had paid off a bit. Sasuke smiled as Takuma backed away and rubbed Kichiro's head and the young boy smiled.

Sasuke smiled and walked from under the shade of the tree. "Alright, enough play. We're going to start off with a little bit of a taijutsu/ninjutsu training, just like you two were doing before...except you'll be teamed against me. Think you can handle that?" Sasuke asked. Takuma lowered into a fighting stance and Kichiro copied him.

"Yes, sir," Takuma said. Barely a second after his words exited his mouth, Takuma shot towards Sasuke, throwing several very focused and precise punches and kicks. Sasuke batted them away and caught Kichiro moving in from his peripheral. The younger Uchiha son rushed forward like a wrecking ball, barreling into Sasuke. With a quick substitution, the Uchiha replaced his body with a log and reappeared across the field from his sons. The two boys exchanged glances with each other and nodded. The two boys split with Takuma circling around and attacking Sasuke from the right while Kichiro attacked from the left.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly picked up two additional Takumas. Clones. As perfect as they were, Sasuke could still easily distinguish them from Takuma's actual body. While Sasuke's eyes stayed on Takuma's clones, he heard Kichiro approaching on the grass. The young boy yelled out as he threw a kick which Sasuke blocked, grabbing Kichiro by his ankle and whipping him around and tossing him into the grass. Kichiro rolled and fell behind Takuma as his clones rushed Sasuke.

The illusions faded as they closed in on Sasuke but as they did, Takuma was right behind them with a punch of his own. If Sasuke had been a green Genin, the attack surely would've worked in his son's favor. He was impressed by that much. Sasuke grabbed Takuma by the wrist and threw him into the air. Kichiro looked as if he was readying to attack, his eyes focused in on Sasuke's own.

"The rules of engagement are changed. You are free to utilize any technique or weapon you see fit. If you can land a hit on me...I'll take you out for some sweets," Sasuke said with a smirk. Takuma flipped elegantly to the ground and looked over at Kichiro who smiled brightly.

"Aw yeah, I want a lemon cake! Let's get him, Takuma!" Kichiro said, beaming up at his older brother. Takuma nodded and lightly tapped his younger brother's forehead.

"We won't win if we're reckless," he said. Sasuke agreed. He attributed Kichiro's recklessness in battle to his young age and immaturity. In fact, he fought more like Naruto than he did his father. The very thought sent shivers down his spine. He would have to rein him in somehow, one day before he became a Genin and his reckless behavior endangered his entire team.

Kichiro looked up to his older brother and the two nodded at each other. Sasuke's eyes watched as Takuma attempted to circle around him. Sasuke turned his head to watch him but his instincts warned him of something. Sasuke's eyes went back to Kichiro as he performed the hand seals that Sasuke had memorized since he was a young boy.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Kichiro shouted as the grand fireball, the mark of true Uchiha clan membership, flew from his mouth and towards Sasuke. The older Uchiha smiled with pride. He would meet his son's fireball with one of his own. After a blur of hand seals, Sasuke took in a deep breath as he felt the fiery chakra well up in his chest.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Sasuke said. Sasuke's fireball easily dwarfed his child's. Within a few moments, Kichiro would be overtaken and defeated unless he somehow managed to dodge. Sasuke had almost forgotten about Takuma until he felt the heat of the boy's fireball at his back. Sasuke smirked. He was impressed. With a substitution, Sasuke removed himself from between the fireballs and the the fires eventually dissipated. Kichiro panted softly while Takuma looked around, wary of another attack. Sasuke leapt from the tree he transported himself into and walked out into the clearing.

"Did we get you? Did we win?" Kichiro asked, sweat dripping from his brow. Takuma went to his little brother's side and watched Sasuke. The older Uchiha looked into the sky. They had been training much longer than he thought. It was nearly noon and the summer heat was starting to flare. Sasuke's eyes went back towards his sons and he nodded slightly.

"You two did well," Sasuke said, casting his gaze onto Kichiro first. "I'll work with you a bit more so that we can refine your fighting style. Recklessness in the combat field can endanger the mission and your team. If you take risks, you have to be secure enough in your power to guarantee success. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Kichiro replied, lowering his head. Sasuke felt a slight pang of guilt but ignored the feeling and pushed it to the side. His eyes then went to Takuma.

"Takuma, good job leading the attack. Also, your clone taijutsu combo was impressive. Once you learn the kage bun shin, it'll make up for the normal clone liabilities," Sasuke said, folding his arms and smiling lightly. "Now...who wants sweets?" Kichiro's face brightened up and Takuma smiled.

"I do! I do!" Kichiro said, his smile wide and stretching across his face. Takuma nodded and Sasuke dipped his head.

"Then, let's go," he said, before turning, ready to lead his sons into the forest. As they began to leave, Takuma ran to Sasuke's side.

"Father...could we come back here tonight and train? My Academy test is tomorrow and I want to make sure that I've gotten everything down. Is that ok?" Takuma asked. The older Uchiha looked at Takuma's face. The boy's dark emerald eyes seemed to be flickering with expectation.

"Yeah. We can go before dinner and after you've rested from this morning," As the three Uchiha left the forest and started down to make their way into the village, Sasuke patted himself and sighed. He had left his money in the house. He would just have to tell Choji to put it on his tab.

The village of Konoha opened up to the three Uchiha and the hustle and bustle of its citizens crowded the streets. Sasuke watched as his two sons scampered away from him, playing an impromptu game of hide and seek using ninjutsu. Sasuke watched the two for a bit and was reminded of his own interactions with Itachi. Sasuke took in a deep breath and exhaled. If only Itachi could be here to see this.

With his children in eyeshot despite them disappearing into the crowd, Sasuke walked through Konoha, nodding casually to a few shinobi that waved at him. To most people in the village, he was a hero, part of a duo that had saved the world. Now, he was a father and husband. Sasuke wasn't complaining. He had wished since the day that Itachi had been ordered to massacre his clan to rebuild it and return the Uchiha name to its former glory. But now that things seemed to be on their way, Sasuke lived himself in a world where he didn't have to constantly kill and fight to survive...and he was surprisingly rather bored and antsy.

His people had always been adept at combat and fighting was one thing he knew how to do with a certainty. He didn't always have the right words to say to his children or Sakura, but he knew exactly where to put a Chidori to stop an opponent, which poisons would stop a man's heart and how much he needed to put into a sword swing to severe an arm. Life had given these lessons to him. He had spent the first seventeen years of his life learning what it meant to be a killer. He was still learning now how to be normal.

Sasuke saw his sons emerge from the crowd and head toward a flower shop with a bush clover emblem on the outside. Sasuke smirked as heard a cry of glee come from inside the building and he hurried through the crowd and rounded the corner. Takuma and Kichiro hugged their baby sister and when the girl saw her father, she ran on stunted legs to meet him. Sasuke lowered himself and scooped his daughter, Hikari, into the air, smiling as his baby girl giggled. With green eyes and bright pink hair, Hikari was as close to a miniature Sakura as Sasuke could dream. The youngest of his children, Hikari was barely three years old and a bright bundle of joy.

"Ah, no wonder she was so excited," a voice called from behind the counter. Sasuke looked over and saw Ino Yamanaka, Sakura's best friend and the honorary aunt of his children. Sasuke dipped his head and gave a casual smile.

"Hey, Ino. How was Hikari?" Sasuke asked. Ino shrugged as she placed flower pots behind her.

"She was a little sleepy when Sakura brought her in this morning. Cried a little when her mother left, but she's been a great helper since. If she doesn't become a kunoichi, she'll make a great florist," Ino laughed. Sasuke held Hikari close to his chest and his daughter laid her head on him. She giggled as she heard his heartbeats and Sasuke smiled at her laughter.

"Thanks for watching her," Sasuke said, looking up at Ino. "I'll take it from here." Ino nodded and smiled.

"Alright," she said, casting her blue eyes on Hikari. "Bye, you guys and thanks for being such a great help, Hikari." Hikari smiled back and waved.

"Bye bye!" Hikari yelled as Sasuke carried her out. When the semi-complete Uchiha family left the flower shop, Hikari wiggled in Sasuke's arms. Sasuke looked down at the girl, perplexed.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Papa, Papa, up!" Hikari cried, reaching to climb on top of Sasuke's shoulders. Begrudgingly, Sasuke picked his daughter up and sat her behind his head. The girl patted down the spikes in the back to keep it out of her face. Takuma and Kichiro looked up at the older Uchiha and Sasuke nodded.

"You know where the Akimichi Bakery is, right? Meet us there," Sasuke said. Takuma and Kichiro nodded and raced back into the crowd. Hikari started to whine.

"Why did they leave me?" she cried. Sasuke patted her leg as he walked through.

"Don't worry. We'll catch up to them," Sasuke said. Hikari sighed and leaned down on Sasuke's head, before rising back up again. Sasuke glanced up and saw Hikari's finger pointing forward.

"March, Papa!" Hikari shouted. Begrudgingly, Sasuke released a tiny bit of his pride and walked forward, raising his feet a little to appear to march. This sated Hikari enough and Sasuke looked around, daring anyone to as much as smirk at him for appeasing his child. Before long, Sasuke's eyes caught sight of the Akimichi Bakery. He could already hear Kichiro's excited voice as he seemed to be deciding what he wanted to get. Hikari heard them too and began to giggle. Sasuke dropped Hikari from his shoulders and to the ground, holding her hand as they entered the bakery.

"You get one, each," Sasuke said as he entered the bakery. The cashier behind the counter watched the two boys with careful eyes until she saw Sasuke enter with Hikari.

"Thank God you're here," the woman said, her plump face turning upside down as she frowned. "These two have been promising they'd pay for what they want but don't have a penny on them. Surely, the great Sasuke Uchiha will..." the woman said. Sasuke stared at the woman with a straight face.

"I was hoping that you'd let me put it on my tab. Unfortunately, I left my money home when I went out this morning. Wasn't really planning on taking my children to the bakery today," Sasuke said. The woman gawked and then sighed.

"Choji would agree to this. I'll accept the deal for that alone, at least. But you have until the end of this day to bring back what you owe," the woman said. Sasuke looked to his children.

"Get what you want. One thing," Sasuke said. Kichiro immediately went for the lemon cakes, Takuma walked to the wagashi and Hikari cried for a small chocolate cupcake. After the children had grabbed what they wanted, Sasuke looked to the cashier and dipped his head. "I'll have the money here by the end of the day." he said before turning and walking out. Kichiro and Hikari laughed as they sat on a bench and ate while Takuma looked up into the sky as if he was in deep thought. Sasuke looked at the boy and then walked towards him. Takuma looked up and blinked.

"Yes, Father?" he said.

"What're you thinking about?" Sasuke asked. Takuma took another bite of his wagashi, chewed, swallowed then spoke.

"Just about the examination tomorrow. I'm..." Takuma paused before sighing softly. "Nervous," he whispered as if the words were taboo. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Of all of his children, Takuma had always been the most confident in himself, even if it were simply silent confidence. To hear him say he was nervous about anything...was a surprise. Sasuke took Takuma by his shoulder and led him away from his brother and sister.

"What exactly are you nervous about? Your clone technique is excellent, your transformation is near perfect and you're one of the only Academy that can utilize elemental ninjutsu. In my estimation, you're practically guaranteed to pass. What's the problem?" Sasuke asked. Takuma dropped his eyes and shrugged.

"I don't know..." Takuma said before he looked back up at Sasuke. "I'll make you proud, Father." the boy's words were honest but the confidence behind them was lacking. Takuma was worried about something and Sasuke was determined to find out what. He wouldn't press the boy on the matter though. He was nervous enough. Sasuke watched as his children consumed the last of their sweets. Hikari looked around and blinked at her father with inquisitive eyes.

"Where's Mama?" she asked. Something sparked in Sasuke's mind. Sakura was at the hospital, possibly waiting for him. The thought excited him and thankfully he did a good job at hiding it. He definitely didn't want his children to know what he had planned.

"Your mother's working at the hospital. I'm going to go see her," Sasuke said. Kichiro grinned.

"Oooh, are you going on a date?" the young boy that looked almost like a reflection of his father asked. Sasuke refrained from blushing, but instead smirked.

"Something like that," his eyes then fell onto his eldest son, Takuma. "Take your brother and sister home. If your mother didn't make lunch before she left for work, make something. Just...don't burn anything," Sasuke said, rubbing Takuma's head. "And you two..." Sasuke said, casting a stern look at his youngest children. "Takuma is in charge until your mother and I return. If you cause him any trouble, you'll answer to me. Understood?" Sasuke said.

Kichiro and Hikari nodded synchronistically and Sasuke dipped his head, giving his children permission to go. The thought of his children navigating the crowded streets of Konoha alone did frighten the father within Sasuke, but he knew no harm would come to them. No one in this village or in the rest of the world that knew of Sasuke's reputation would dare think ill of his children.

As his children went out of view, Sasuke sighed and smiled within. His feet carried him towards the hospital where Sakura worked. Sasuke entered the building, quickly glancing around the hospital lobby. He expected Sakura to be waiting for him, but he didn't see her. Sasuke smirked. It looked like they were going to be playing hide and go seek. Sasuke passed by the front desk and headed towards the upper levels, clearing every hallway he went to and constantly looking for clues as he went. Some hospital nurses even offered to give Sasuke direction, but he stubbornly refused. He'd find his cherry blossom treasure.

When he had finished scoping out the second floor, Sasuke went upstairs looked down the end of the hall on the third floor to a dark room and the only one on the floor. With his Sharingan activated briefly, Sasuke could clearly see the room number. 328. Sakura's birthday. Slowly, Sasuke approached the room, utilizing all of his shinobi stealth training to avoid being seen or heard. The door was locked as he expected but he made quick work of it and entered the room. Sasuke's Sharingan activated and he glanced around the room. He could see perfectly in the darkness and his eyes caught sight of what he was searching for.

Sakura laid in the hospital bed with the doctor's coat spread on the bed and in lingerie. Sasuke's glowing red Sharingan eyes indicated it was him and if Sakura was unsure, Sasuke spoke.

"You were harder to find than I'd thought you'd be," he crept forward to the bed. Sakura grinned in the dark.

"The hawk tracks it's prey before swooping down to get it's catch," Sasuke paused as Sakura slid her panties down and spread her legs. "Are you ready to eat, Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke smirked. He hadn't been called "Sasuke-kun" in years. The very name brought back memories, ones he cherished and some he wished to reenact in the bed. As Sasuke's lips made his way to his wife's and their eyes met in the darkness, his rubies reflecting off of her emeralds, he had one thought.

I love my "boring" life.