A/N: Finally. This is the end. I am decently satisfied with the way this turned out. So now, for all of you that wanted and asked for it, we have not only had the firth of Hinata's daughter, and a wedding and the wedding night...but now we'll see the aftermath of that. Also, you'll get to see the kids 10 years down the road. All the ingredients for a decent epilogue.

Dog Days

Epilogue: Like Father Like Son

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"Fu-chan! Get back here!" Shizune's voice called, but the boy was already running after Ino.

"Ino-lady!" The blonde boy yelled, launching himself at her, landing on her back. When she grabbed him and pulled him off, he hugged her neck. "You're g-g-going get my mommy and d-daddy, aren't you?"

Smiling broadly, Ino nodded. "Yes. Your uncle Sasuke and I are going. Probably Konohamaru, too, if we can find him." The little boy hugged her again, wishing her luck and telling her that she should be careful, his big green eyes filled with concern. "Don't worry about me, big boy. You just take care of yourself, and don't give Iruka-sensei any trouble. Okay?"

When she put him down, he gave a little salute and a cheeky grin that said he would do nothing of the sort. "Yes, ma'am!"

Ten minutes later, she was standing in front of the village gates, her pack fastened to her back, and waiting for Sasuke to show up. A dark blur materialized to her left, accompanied by one at her right. "Glad you could join me, boys. Shall we go and get the Commander's ass out of a sling?"

Konohamaru's eyes narrowed. "What exactly happened?"

Sakura sighed. In spite of the fact that she'd been forced to fight her former Akatsuki brethren, ended up single-handedly sinking a ship, and been poisoned, this was turning out to be quite a honeymoon. She watched Naruto as he walked in the surf. He'd left his shirt in the little lean-to, and his pants were rolled up to his knees. The sun had given him quite the tan, making him seem to glow. His hair was getting lighter, softening the yellowish tone of the blonde she'd known for years. Smiling, she dug her bare toes into white sand. He was beautiful. And silly, she decided as she watched him doing cartwheels in the shallows.

It had been three days since they'd been shipwrecked. Sakura still couldn't move very much, but she supposed it was normal, since the poison Tobi had used on those darts was a neurotoxin. So, for most of the day she sat under a tree, taking in the breeze and watching Naruto. Every now and again, he would find a seashell or something else pretty, and would come to give it to her. At night, they would sit by the fire he made, and he would cook whatever fish he caught.

In a way, she did feel useless, but she also felt so very loved that she wasn't at all sure she wasn't dreaming. Naruto came walking up, depositing himself in front of her. "Hey, beautiful." She smiled as he leaned forward to kiss her. "How're you feeling?"

Sakura flapped her hand. It waggled loosely. "Like rubber."

"Oh. Like…flexible?" his voice made the joke suggestive, and Sakura found herself laughing right along with him. His hand rose, fingers tracing her lips. "I love you." Blue eyes took in her face as he smiled slightly, as if to himself. Leaning forward again, he said against her lips, "I married the most beautiful woman in the world…" Naruto's mouth was warm against hers, and she felt his fingers threading into her hair as her lips parted.

Strong arms lifted her up, and he began walking. They were soon at their little lean-to, and his body bent at the waist to duck inside. "Naruto, what—" she began as he lay her down on the woven palm leaf mat, but he silenced her with a finger over her lips.

"Shh," was all he said. Sakura's mouth curved up into a smile as he began massaging her legs. Naruto worked his thumbs into her calves, sending little tingles of pleasure through her. As his hands moved to her thigh, his touches became more lingering, softer, until he was only stroking the skin there.

Sakura smiled lazily, raising one eyebrow in a leisurely manner. "If I didn't know any better, Naruto, I'd say you were trying to seduce me."

Large hands trailed over her clothes until they came to the fastenings of her shirt. They paused for a moment, and she saw the way his eyes were beginning to darken, their pupils dilating. "Is it working?" He asked playfully as the ties came undone. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned down, his lips grazing over the skin of her breast. Naruto's voice was little more than a husky whisper as he asked, "Is that a yes, Sakura?" She made a noise that sounded pretty positive, and tried not to squirm when her shirt fell away, his arms lifting her up and pulling at the mesh shirt beneath. She felt sun-warmed skin touch hers as he settled his weight onto her, and it felt like heated silk.

It was difficult, but she managed to stay decently together. That is, until Naruto's mouth found a very sensitive area on her neck. "Ahhh…" Sakura's eyes slid shut, and she sighed, slowly bringing her hands up to place them on his shoulders. One of his hands was inching up the inside of her thigh, trying to sneak. She nearly laughed. There was no reason to be so circumspect…but if that's the way he wanted to play, she could. When his fingers finally began to trace the edge of her underwear, she gave a small gasp, which was only half-feigned.

Naruto's mouth moved downward, lips finding every place that made her squirm beneath him. Sliding hands divested her of any remaining clothing in deft movements, and somehow, Sakura felt that her heart was going to pound out of her chest. When he had removed his clothes as well, she blinked repeatedly at what she saw. Naruto wasn't the boy she remembered. It wasn't that she didn't know it before…but it seemed somehow different, now that he was lowering himself over her. He gave her a little smile, and she giggled girlishly, feeling like she was twelve years old again. She blushed, but did not look away from him.

Water soaked into the fabric of Sasuke's uniform pants, and he thought he felt a crab scuttle across his toes. Ino and Konohamaru slogged through the surf at his sides, the younger man pulling the landing boat along behind him. The sand was gritty between his toes as they hit the beach, working to drag the dingy up onto land and past the high tide mark. Suddenly, he was hit by a wave of familiar chakra. Initiating the Sharingan, he gasped as the enormous spike drove skyward. Konohamaru lunged forward, having also felt the burst, but Sasuke put a hand on his arm. "You don't want to go there just now."

The puzzled look in the young lieutenant's brown eyes made him sigh. He said sarcastically, "Do you want your eyes to burn out of your skull?" Sasuke had well learned his lesson the last time he'd seen that chakra spike, and the thought of being mentally scarred a second time might not be what he wanted at the moment.

Sakura held him close, her pale limbs twined with sun-darkened skin, and she tried to breathe. This feeling…it was so different from anything else. The way he held her to him, making her feel safe, and how she could make out the rhythm of his body as they moved slowly against each other; it was maddeningly sweet. Naruto's mouth found hers, and he kissed gently, trembling. "I love you," he whispered, his hands pulling her from the ground, and seating himself.

Locking her arms around his neck, Sakura closed her eyes as she lay her head on his shoulder. Her legs encircled Naruto's waist, and tightened, taking him into her for the first time. Voice shaking, she breathed, "I love you, too…"

Euphoria washed over them, just as the tide did the shore. Sakura felt as if she were drowning. They moved together, fluid and strangely graceful. Naruto lay her down again, pressing close and filling her entire being with everything that was him. For what seemed like hours, this continued until finally, both were so tired and sated that they simply disentangled themselves, and Naruto pulled her to him again, just before she fell into the sweet welcome dark of sleep.

Naruto woke to the crackle of twigs underfoot. Instantly, he jerked upright, grabbed his pants, and jammed himself into them. "Who's there?" He called toward the sound, wary.

"Are you decent?" He heard Sasuke's voice from about fifteen meters ahead, obviously behind a tree. The bastard had been there for a while, he guessed. Naruto told him to wait for a minute, while he got Sakura dressed. Once he'd shaken her awake, he helped her into her clothing, and carried her over to where Sasuke stood, indeed leaning against a tall palm tree. "So what happened?"

Sakura, who was snugged against Naruto's bare chest, replied sleepily, "Akatsuki attacked. We beat them off, but I punched a hole in the boat and it sank…" Naruto thought that was pretty succinct for what happened, though he would have used a stronger term than 'hole'. She'd blown away nearly a third of the starboard side hull with one punch. But he knew his wife. If he said anything about that, she would probably do the same to his head.

He did tell Sasuke about the poisoned darts, though, which was enough to make those dark eyes narrow. But, the Uchiha declared, that was an issue for a later time. What they needed to do now was get back to the ship that they'd come on. "And Sakura," he said quietly, "Please refrain from destroying the rescue vessel." She just made a rude gesture before beginning to snore lightly. Both Naruto and Sasuke smiled.

"Sir," a masculine voice came from a bit further away, addressing Sasuke, "The tide is coming in. We need to get going." Konohamaru came into view, and he rushed forward. "Commander, let me take her." The younger man carefully took the now sleeping woman, and made his way toward the beach.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto threw an arm over Sasuke's shoulder. "One hell of a honeymoon," he said with a grin. His friend merely rolled his eyes. "Come on, Commander Uchiha. Let's get home."

"No complaints with that idea." They went down to the little whitewashed boat that now bobbed in the shallows, Ino sitting in the stern and holding a sleeping Sakura. Naruto took one oar, while Sasuke had the other, and they rowed. Not long after they began, the small party boarded a mid-sized vessel that was not unlike the one Sakura had sunk. "A cabin has been prepared for the two of you," Sasuke said once they were all on the deck. "It might be a good idea for you to get some rest before we get back. I have a feeling that you're going to need it."

Naruto smiled. "I thought we'd already talked about that?"

Sasuke waved a hand at him. "Yes, yes. No rest for the weary. Now go and see your wife." As Naruto descended the forward hatch, he heard Sasuke yell, "Captain! Get this tub moving!" A chuckle escaped him as he followed a small crewman to their cabin, where he found Sakura sleeping soundly. Even after everything she had been through, she was still just as pretty as the first time he had lay eyes her, so long ago.

Ten years later…

Hinata sighed. "I thought we had agreed on this, Sasuke."

"She can do it, Hinata." He was sitting across the kitchen table, his hands clenched in fists. Naruto and Sakura were also at the table. They both looked uncomfortable to be privy to such a conversation. For Sasuke's part, he was being just as stubborn as he always had been. They rarely argued, and it was even less often that it occurred in front of their friends. However, the thing that angered her more than anything was how hard he pushed their eldest child.

It took a very deep breath before she was able to address Sasuke without raising her voice. "I understand that our daughter is exceptional, Sasuke. She is…she's a genius. I don't know anyone that had that mental capacity at the age of ten, and I'm sure that not even your brother had such good control over the Sharingan. And it cannot be denied that the incomplete Byakugan has helped her as well. But she's a child. Let her be a child for just a little longer."

Eyes like charcoal flickered away from her face to look at his best friend, then settled on her again. She could sense another turning point in the argument already. "But Hinata, please consider. Fugaku was a Chuunin at the age of eleven. That's one year's difference. My brother was a Jounin, and an ANBU at that age. Have we not held her back long enough? Is it not her time to show the world what she can do?"

Hinata was just about to attempt an argument when the kitchen door swung open, Fugaku's lanky form sprawled atop a protesting and sputtering Mikoto. The girl's face had already begun to change from its usual pale porcelain to a shade of red usually only seen on tomatoes. She shoved him off, and struggled to her feet. Mikoto tossed her blue-black hair from her eyes, and tried to look as dignified as possible. This was not easy, since she'd been caught eavesdropping. Fugaku, who was a head and a half taller than she was, scrambled up from the floor himself, and fixed his bright green eyes on the adults who were still seated at the table.

"Why don't you ask her if she wants to take the exam or not?" His voice cracked, and Hinata saw Sakura smiling. The young Chuunin was most territorial where his 'cousin' was concerned. He always had been. And now, with that intense green stare directed at her, Hinata wondered how it was that anyone could help but be convinced by him. Like father, like son, it seemed. Yes, the boy was so much like his father that it was frightening at times. In fact, with his arms crossed over his chest the way they were now, his chin sticking out defiantly and feet planted, all that was missing was a healthy dose of eye-searing orange to complete the picture.

"Uzumaki Fugaku, you get back into the living room right now." Sakura gritted her teeth as she stood jabbing a finger at the door through which the two had fallen. "This has nothing to do with you, and you know it."

Blinking slowly at his mother, the fifteen-year-old Chuunin replied in a voice that was calm in spite of his former agitation, "At the risk of defying a superior-ranked ninja, I will do nothing of the sort." Hinata watched—somewhat awed—as the boy stood his ground against his mother. Fugaku placed a hand on Mikoto's slender shoulder, squeezing slightly. The small but grateful smile that graced her daughter's face surprised Hinata, and she found her heart softening. There was little she could do, other than slide out of her chair and kneel in front of the ten-year-old.

"Mikoto," She said softly, "do you want to take the test? I know that you are anxious to be with your older friends…but the exam is very harsh." The girl made as if to protest, to refute such a statement because really, she could handle it. Hinata forestalled such an argument. "Not physically, darling. The Chuunin examination can take a heavy toll on your mind." Looking over her daughter's shoulder, she asked the boy, "Isn't that right, Fu-chan?"

Coloring lightly at the old nickname, the Chuunin reluctantly nodded. "Yes. It is…taxing. But in the end, passing is worth it."

Gray eyes suddenly seemed indecisive, darting all around the room. Mikoto looked to her father, whom Hinata knew she loved more than the heavens and earth combined. Was she…

"You know," Hinata said quietly, "if you're doing this to make your father happy, then you are taking the test for the wrong reasons." Mikoto stared openly at her. "Something like this needs to be for you, and you alone. Please, take time and think about it. You make us proud every day, Mikoto. Your father and I love you, and would never trade you for all of the other geniuses combined."

Tears had begun to form in the girl's eyes, and she quietly wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, Hinata feeling the compression as she was embraced. "Thank you, mother…I love you, too." After a long moment, the two disentangled themselves from their hug. Mikoto sniffled slightly, and said in a firm tone, "I think I'll wait one more year. Next year…next year I will take the exam." Her eyes took on a very hard edge, with a hint of malice as she finished, "And that leaves me a whole year to use Fu-chan as my practice dummy…"

The sound of knuckles cracking echoed through the room before a puff of smoke erupted behind her, leaving Fugaku's former position empty. Mikoto's eyes narrowed as she activated both of her bloodlines. Nodding respectfully to her parents and the rest of the adults in the room, the girl turned on her heel, setting off to find her prey, "You can run, Fu-chan, but there are very few places where you can hide…"

Hinata turned back to the table, trying to hide the smile that was already forming on her lips. Catching Sakura's eye, she asked, "Remind you of anyone?"

A cat-like grin formed on her fellow kunoichi's face as both men frowned. "Does it ever," Sakura replied. And then, after a little thought, "So…who wants odds on when he's going to ask her to marry him for the first time?"

"She'll be sixteen," Sasuke said.

"Fourteen," Naruto countered.

"You're both insane." Sakura laughed. "He'll do it today."

"But Mikoto's only ten!?" Hinata gasped, rather scandalized.

Naruto began laughing, and after close to five minutes, he was able to breathe long enough to explain his mirth. As Sasuke and Hinata listened, he began, "I guess I never told you…the first time I asked Sakura to marry me was when I was seven…" Wiping his eyes, he chuckled, "The kid's a late bloomer."

The End.

A/N: Ah. Now I can put this in the "finished" folder, for good. Hope you enjoyed it! Now, feed the review monster. It is hungry.