A/N: well... This was a kind of prediction for Naruto Gaiden's ending… After Sasuke craved his sword on the wall this was the first thing that came to my mind... it was how I thought it was gonna end., but thankfully I was wrong and the real ending was a lot better! Well… I still hope you enjoy, and don't forget my Reviews!

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White clouds floating around a celestial blue summer sky. The leaves were dancing through the wind and the golden sun was shining brightly over the village of Konoha. For what it seemed, it was going to be another fine day just like the many others that came after the war. Everything was following its own natural flow. Everything except for one thing.

"Sarada!"

Pink hair, inhuman strength and the brightest emeralds were, once again, showing signals of life. Uchiha Sakura, after 36 long hours, was finally back to reality and to the room provided by her medic fellow. A reality so close yet completely different from the one she last remembered before fainting. A reality in which, even if she couldn't tell exactly what, had something missing. Something important. Something that, for not being there, was making her feel empty and incomplete inside. Something that had dark hair, a pair of glasses and called her mama. Yes, as a mother she is, Sakura knew that her little girl wasn't there.

At first, the rosette thought she was delirious because of the time she had spent knocked out. There was just no logical explanation for that feeling of lost that was installed in her heart. Just because her daughter wasn't sitting next to her bed, it didn't mean she wasn't really there. The places where she could be were so many and the possible scenarios were infinite, yet, even if the Uchiha Queen considered all of those possibilities, she knew that her precious girl was far far away from her reach. And such thing couldn't possibly be happening. She had to get her child back.

The former Haruno recklessly rose from the bed where she had been laying after accidentally destroying her home. Inside a wardrobe that was placed on the corner of her room, the rosette found a few of her belongings that survived the handmade earthquake. Black boots, red shirt with the Uchiha crest on its back, black shorts, black gloves, and of course, her long time red forehead protector. As it appeared, her whole modified jounin uniform had survived, and for the years and her whole pregnancy had been quite generous to her, it still fitted perfectly. Resting aside the clothing, she also found her mission bag with some kunais, shurikens, a dagger and the first aid kit. She's a medic ninja, after all. The best there is, in fact. Even if she hopped not to need any of those things, Sakura felt more confident caring it all around. And feeling confident at such times is a basic need for a mother who's about to get in action.

After fixing her looks, checking the whole place to see if Sarada was there and thanking Shizune for taking care of them; Sakura started her search around the village. She jumped through the rooftops, went to her friends' houses, to the academy and to all the places the young ones like to hang. Nothing. Not a single trace of that dark haired girl known as her daughter. She swore Sarada would be in a huge trouble when she finally got her hands on her. Just because she was worried sick about her child, going easy on her was not on that former Haruno's plans. It was just a matter of time until her green eyes spotted the Uchiha Princess. Unfortunately, instead of spotting her girl, Sakura spotted something a lot different. Different, but incredibly useful, nonetheless.

As the pinkette passed by the academy's courtyard, while cursing everyone and everything that had something to do with Sarada's missing, her own fainting and even Sasuke's mission; her eyes caught the sight of a familiar and currently, scared face looking straight at her. When she finally focused her glance on the owner of such face, the said person, a young boy, to be exact, gave in almost immediately when his eyes clashed against hers. Those eyes that the Uchiha mother knew too well. Those eyes that, even before he was born, were already an open book for her. Eyes that were just like his father's. Eyes so full of expression just like Uzumaki Naruto's ones. Yes, father and son did have the same eyes. And those eyes were telling her that Boruto knew something she didn't.

" Boruto!"

"S-Sakura oba-san..."

The soon-to-be genin, even being meters away from the pink haired woman, started to shake. His ankles seemed too weak for his weight and all that courage he had earned from his father had disappeared. Even if she was the only one who would take care of him when he fell sick in the middle of the night or when he had any other problem, Boruto wasn't an idiot. He knew, just like the rest of the ninja world, how the best medic nin could be dangerous when she was pissed. Playing with her-even talking to her-was something that could make him lose his life in a blink of an eye. If Sarada turned out to be like her mother, who knows what would happen to her future team mates. Boruto couldn't help but pitting the two future unlucky ones every time that thought came to his mind. However, at that exact time, his head wouldn't have time to think about any other thing that not running. Uchiha Sakura was approaching him. And he could feel the earth trembling in fear at each step taken.

" have you seen Sarada?"

" ... N-No..."

He stuttered. He knew how that mother was stressed when the topic was her daughter and if he happened to tell her that Sarada had gone out of the village, who knows what would happen to him or to that whole courtyard. The Uzumaki kid, then, decided to keep his mouth shut. Unfortunately, for him, Sakura already knew he was lying. And she was standing in front of him.

" look, Boruto... Be a nice kid and tell me what you know." She smiled evilly. " you see... There is a reason for your father, the great Seventh, to fear me. Do you want me to show you?"

" No!" He screamed, covering his face. " she and ChouChou…"

" she and ChouChou…?"

" they're out! Otou-san authorized! Please don't hurt me, Sakura-sama!"

Yes, the Uzumaki spoke up faster than expected.

Sakura's eyes widened as she managed to process the latest information. So her daughter was out. Out of her reach, out of her protection and out of the village where she was supposed to stay until her father returned. And she did it all with the authorization of their Hokage who is also the couple's best friend and is more than aware of the situation. Things were more than simply wrong there. And in the middle of all that mess, someone had to take the guilt and the punishment. Yes, Konoha was about to lose its Hokage.

The matriarch didn't even bother in saying goodbye to Boruto before leaving the courtyard. Due to the strength she put in her feet, a crater was left behind to remind Boruto that that could have been his head. The girl, not wasting a single minute, went to the Hokage's office where she was definitely going to hit her former teammate. The hatred was burning in her emeralds just at the thought of Naruto waving goodbye to her precious girl. Sakura was definitely gonna make him understand that losing an arm against Sasuke was nothing compared to what was about to happen to him, but not before she got the exact coordinates for her girl, of course.

Being as stressed as she was, Sakura didn't even bother in entering through the door. She jumped straight to the window, scaring the supposed Hokage that was scribbling some notes on a paper. The blonde surely screamed really loud and when he looked at her, shivers ran down his spine and that room became extremely cold. That girl was definitely going to murder someone.

" Na-ru-to..." She said in a low and dark tone.

" Sa-Sakura-chan! W-What can I do for you?" His eyes followed her as she approached him. The desk between them being his only protection against her.

" my daughter... Where?"

" a-ah... Your daughter?" He bit his lip, averting his eyes from her. " I-I don't know what you're talking about... Do you even have a daughter?"

" NARUTO!"

She leaned forward, grabbing him by the collar of his neck with enough strength to tell him she wasn't joking at all. Emeralds close enough for him to see that they were burning. Sapphire close enough for her to notice something. Something that, for a moment, made her feel a little better.

" since you're a clone, in the moment I turn you into smoke, Naruto is going to know what awaits for him. And he better have my daughter or, I swear, I will destroy him!"

Still, she was still going to kill him.

" you better send him the pain too! SHANNAR-"

Or that was what she intended on doing before a certain person appeared behind her.

" let him go, Sakura..." He sighed. " you women are so troublesome... He has a lot of work to be done."

" Tch." She let go off the clone, who remained quiet in s state of shock. At that moment, the desk broke in half. " Shikamaru, do you know anything about this?"

" naturally... I was the one who told him to go solve that emergency. I was the one who let her go after him."

" you what!?" She glared at him, approaching the shadow master. " you didn't have the right to do so, Shikamaru!"

The man shrugged, trying to remain an unaltered expression. If he did want to keep his head connected to his body, he would have to be careful and definitely keep one piece of information in secret. Sakura could not know about the person the Seventh was about to meet.

" calm down... Calm down... Damn. You, better than I, know Sarada wouldn't stop. She was going to follow him so I simply gave her an excuse to be close to Naruto. He will protect her if something happens."

"..." Her fists clenched and her eyes turned into sad ones. There was really no arguing with Shikamaru. " tell me where they are heading to... I'm going after her. Please, Shikamaru. I need my daughter back."

" Hn... Sakura, you should rest... I've heard you fainted yesterday over stress... Honestly, there is nothing for you to be worried about. They will be back soon since it isn't something complicated."

" soon? When?"

" 2 or 3 days, I think…"

" 2 or 3 days?! And what am I supposed to do until then!? Rest?! How can I rest knowing my daughter is out there!"

"... She's not a kid anymore. You and Sasuke should know that... Especially now that she will become a genin and start her missions."

" you know that's totally different!"

" how different is it?! She will still be out there and without you or Sasuke. Trust your daughter, Sakura... You know she's good."

" you say it as if it was something easy to be done. If not even Sasuke in this 12 years managed to put an end to those guys, how do you think a little girl who has no experience will be able to fight alone!? Sarada is... She's the most important thing in my life. I can't lose her."

"... And you won't. Hn." He placed a hand over her shoulders. " look, I'm not being a good help but... Trust your best friend this time, okay? He will bring her home safely, you'll see."

The two ninjas locked their eyes for an instance. The girl looking for any comfort in those orbs and he doing his best not to look too stoic. Then, Sakura turned her glance at the clone who was trying to fix the wooden table with some tape. Looking at those golden locks and blue eyes surely made her feel better. It reminded her that the one with her daughter was no other than Uzumaki Naruto, the hero of the world and her best friend. She more than anyone knew how strong he was and how he cared about people. She knew he wouldn't let anything happen to Sarada. Sakura herself trusted her life in his hands. And even if it would be hard, trusting Sarada's was the only thing she could do at that time. Her hands were tied, but her heart was with the boy who fulfilled his dream.

And, in the end, Uchiha Sakura was defeated. She left the Hokage's tower and went straight to her newly rebuilt home. Yamato had certainly worked fast for the whole structure was already redone. Perhaps, she thought, the need of fulfilling that empty house would make the days go by faster. She hoped they would, but life wouldn't be that kind to her.

The days Sarada was away definitely had more than just 24 hours. The house was once again looking like a home except for the part of not having anyone but her living there at that moment. It felt lonely and cold and even the noises of the wind were scarier than before. They sounded like screams and they would wake her up in the middle of the night and make her cry over the absence of her child. If only Sasuke was there, things wouldn't be that lonely. If only Sasuke was there, Sarada wouldn't have gone away. If only Sasuke was there, oh, everything would be alright.

Every day she kept waiting was the same. She would go to the hospital to work and from the moment she finished everything, her feet would drag her to the Hokage's office to see if there was any message from Naruto. After receiving a negative answer, the girl would go to the main gates and wait for the return of her daughter. Those were, indeed, long days. Long and slow 5 days. Sakura felt like killing Shikamaru for lying to her before, but since every waiting, eventually, comes to an end, the Uchiha's waiting finally ended.

It was on the dawn of the 6th sun ever since she woke up that something changed in that unchangeable scenario. Instead of tress and a dirty road, Sakura's emerald eyes spotted a running brunette. The girl wasn't that tall and her hair was short and she was wearing red glasses and she was, definitely, running back home. Running back to her mother.

" Mama!"

"S-Sarad...?"

" Mama!"

" Sarada!"

The said mother, dropping everything that was on her hands and ran as fast as she could towards the little one. Her eyes were focused on her child but eventually they spotted ChouChou and Naruto playfully laughing. She couldn't help but mentally thanking him for bringing her back safe at that time. The blonde was, indeed, her hero and she would have to give him a hug or a punch later, but at that exact moment, Sakura only had eyes for Sarada. And Sarada was no different from her.

Mother and daughter eventually met when Sakura almost threw herself on the ground so she could hug her child as tight as possible. Her emeralds trailed around her small body in search of any bruises or blood traces and luckily, nothing was found. The mother planted many kisses around the little girl's face who, eventually, chuckled at such action. Those two certainly had a legit mother and daughter bond. They could have kept hugging and kissing and crying for hours, but there was something that needed to be said. By both of them.

" Mama! You won't believe who I bro-"

" SARADA! Don't ever run away like that again! You've worried the hell out of me!"

" I'm so sorry, but, Mama, I-"

"No buts! You bet you're gonna be grounded for a long time, young lady!" Sakura looked at her with a deadly crying glare.

" grounded!? But-"

" a 12 year old alone in the woods! You're not even a ninja yet!"

" but I wasn't alone."

" being with ChouChou won't make it better." She crossed her arms.

" no! Not only ChouChou! I was also with the Seventh and-"

" Sakura…"

Emeralds widened, head slowly lifted and hands were excitedly being held by Sarada.

That voice, she knew...

There was only one person in the whole world who could make her name sound like that. Sound so warm and sad and homesick. Only one person who could say only one word and mean many others. Only one person who could make her whole world fall apart and then rebuild once again. Only one person who owned her heart. And that person was no other than-

" Sasuke-kun…"

The figure of a tall man dressed in black finally appeared behind Sarada. She noticed how his hair had gotten longer and even how he had gotten taller. She noticed every little change that had turned him into a new person. And the one change she liked the most was the warm smile he was offering her at such time. Damn, how she missed that smile.

Her smile.

Still a little shocked and with infinite thoughts wandering around her head, the rosette slowly stood up. Sarada tightened her grip on her mama's hand while a childish and excited smile played on that young girl's lips. It wasn't every day that her father returned home after 12 years, right? The young Uchiha had the right to be excited and to fantasize about her mother's reaction. Was she going to kiss him? Hug him? Tell her she loves him? No. Uchiha Sakura didn't do any of those things. Instead, she let her body be commanded by her impulses. And what strong impulses those were.

" Sakura, I am-"

His voice was interrupted by a sharp and dry sound of hands meeting skin. The pinkette had given him a pretty good slap that left both of the raven haired Uchihas with their mouthes hanging and with absolute no reaction. What the hell did that slap mean? Did it mean that she hated him? Such thing wouldn't be hard to be true, Sarada thought, but just like before, the young girl couldn't have been any more mistaken.

" How dare you not telling me my daughter was with you!?"

He did not answer. And suddenly, the determined and cold expression that was ruling Sakura's face fell apart into red eyes and a relieved smile.

" I-I..." The tears started to roll down her face. " you could have called me!"

" Hn..." Sasuke smiled softly. " ... I'm home."

"W-Wel-" she sobbed. " Welcome Home…"

After saying such thing, the former Haruno collapsed into her tears. She looked like a little girl that couldn't simply stop crying in front of people. Everything was coming out, except for herself when her husband pulled her in his arms, shielding her from the world and the sad thoughts and the doubts that it could all be just a dream. He hugged her tightly, showing how much he had missed her touch and her scent and everything in her. In his eyes, she was certainly prettier, but in the other black pearls that were watching them from a certain distance, the whole scene meant something completely different. It meant that she would have a family from that moment on. A mother and a father just like she has always dreamed. Who knows if she would even get new siblings...? The future was ahead of the Uchihas once again and unlikely in the past, there was no hatred in it. Only love.

' I've brought papa home…'

Sarada thought as she quickly joined the hug. Yes, a family hug, at last.

The End.