Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs rightfully to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction on Naruto. Please read and review!

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The Pride of Uchiha

Chapter I

At first, she thought that it was just stress and overwork that have affected her usual regular monthly period. It usually happen on anorexic or athletic women wherein too much dieting, exercise or work will lower the female hormones; thus affecting the normal ovulation.

For the past four weeks, she had been pretty busy, working double time as a kunoichi doing missions, medic and research at the Konoha hospital and office works under the Godaime. She's not complaining about the workload, she loved being busy. However, the previous week she found herself complaining of nausea and vomiting, headache and fatigue. A female colleague joked that she might be pregnant but she just laughed it off. Dismissing it as usual symptoms of stress, she continued with her daily routines but the symptoms didn't subside and she decided to seek medical consultation.

"Come in." A business-like voice said from behind the door.

Sakura twisted the knob and entered. "Ohayogozaimasu!"

"Sakura-san!" The business-like voice a while ago changed upon seeing her. "Have a seat." The physician gestured to the two small chairs situated in front of her mahogany desk. "How's work?"

"Still have lots of research to do," replied Sakura. "How about you?"

"Same old me," the woman said. "By the way, what got you here? Don't tell me you're –"

"I don't really know. Just a presumption."

"Oh, I understand." The bespectacled woman adjusted her glasses. "Since you're on the early stage, a serum lab test would confirm it. It would detect the presence of a hormone usually present among pregnant women."

Sakura nodded knowing this information already having read it beforehand. But it didn't stop making her nervous.

"Before we begin the test, I need you to complete this form." She handed her a piece of paper. "I'll be returning after twenty minutes."

Uchiha Sakura, Female, 21 years old.

A small smile stretched across her face as she paused to look at the name she had written on the paper.

It had been almost a month since she got married to her long-time childhood love, teammate and friend, Uchiha Sasuke. Their wedding was a very private one with less than twenty people invited. Naruto was his best man and Ino was her maid of honor. Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade were the principal godparents.

She thought that he had died with his battle against Naruto. They were fifteen then and he was planning to launch an all-out attack to Konoha. They tried to stop him and persuaded him to go back to Konoha but he was so narrow-minded then and focused on his goal on destroying Konoha that he didn't listen to them. He had even sided with Uchiha Madara and Zetsu.

It was foolish of her in attempting to kill him. She just can't bring herself to do it and furthermore, he was too powerful for her. He had nearly killed her then when she attempted to kill him with a poisoned kunai.

Twice.

If not for the timely arrival Kakashi and Naruto, she would've died on his hands.

She had lost her hope on him but it was Naruto who helped her cling to the last flicker of hope. For that, she would always be grateful to Naruto.

After his battle with Naruto, he was brought back to Konoha and was incarcerated. He was almost to the brink of death by that time, badly hurt and depleted of chakra. He was placed in the deepest cells of Konoha with the highest level of security possible. Chakra-binding shackles were placed both on his hands and feet and three highly skilled Anbus were watching him every shift.

He was brought to trial and was originally sentenced to execution but due to Naruto, Kakashi and her appeals it was reduced to a life sentence.

"Sakura-san, are you finished?"

"Yeah, I'm done." Sakura handed the biographical data sheet to the older medic. She was handed with another one.

"Consent form for the test," the OB medic supplied.

"Alright," Sakura signed the paper and gave it to her.

The OB medic slid the stethoscope into her ears and took out a blood pressure cuff and thermometer.

Sakura presented her arm for the routine baseline readings.

"All vital signs within normal limits," the medic removed the stethoscope and brought out a syringe and vial. "I will be drawing a 5-ml blood from you and it will be sent to the laboratory for analysis."

Knowing what to do, Sakura presented her other arm and made a fist. The medic placed a tourniquet a few inches above her brachial area and palpated for a vein. Being thin, it was easy to locate a vein on her arm. The needle of the syringe was inserted and dark red blood easily poured out to the barrel of the syringe. The blood was injected into an airtight vial and labelled. "You might have to wait for an hour or so for the results."

"Thank you," said Sakura.

All she has to do now is to wait.

oOo

"You're dismissed." The Godaime waved off her hand nonchalantly after hearing the reports of the three Anbu on their mission. She was really itching to go home and start gulping her favourite sake.

The two dark-haired Anbus nodded respectfully. The first one, pale-faced with a plastered smile on his face while the other, dead serious.

"Thanks, Granny!" Naruto stretched his arms and grinned.

Tsunade was used to Naruto calling him that name that she grew tired of correcting the blonde. Disrespectful brat, she thought with a chuckle.

"Fine," she grunted. "You can leave."

They left the room immediately and someone among them (undoubtedly, Naruto) was happily bouncing on his steps.

How he reminded her of her little brother, she thought sadly.

Naruto was the very same Naruto she had first met many years ago. He had the same bright smile and stubborn determination especially when it comes to Konoha and his friends. His painful experiences did not mar his personality.

The boy had done so much for the ninja world.

Jiraiya had done Naruto a great deal training that the boy had surpassed his mentor. That perverted sannin, she thought with a smile as she remembered what he last said to her before he left to investigate on Rain country. Sadly, he was not able to witness how much his last student had accomplished or will be accomplishing soon.

She looked through her open window and gazed at the Konoha mountains where the five faces of the previous Hokages up to the present were carved. In a few years, a new one will be carved out of it.

oOo

"Anyone up for a ramen?" Naruto's stomach just grumbled. The image of a hot, steaming bowl of ramen came to mind.

"Sure," Sai agreed.

"How about you, Teme?" Naruto turned to the other dark-haired guy who, in contrast Sai's forever smiling face, had a stoic and expressionless features.

"Hn," grunted Sasuke disinterestedly.

Naruto took it as an affirmation. "Great!" Then, another idea occurred to him. "Hey, why don't we invite Sakura to join us? The hospital is just a few meters away."

"She's busy," Sasuke said.

"But we haven't seen her since our mission! She should have been with our team if not for that stupid research thing Granny Tsunade assigned her to do," said Naruto with a slight annoyed look. Now that Team 7 is complete, he wanted them to be always together.

"It's not as if you're not going to see her here in Konoha," countered Sasuke. The team had just lunch together with her before the three of them embarked on a three-day mission.

"I don't care," said Naruto stubbornly. Even if Sasuke was quite right, he refused to give in to his rationale. "How about you, Sai?"

"It's okay with me," replied Sai.

"Ha! That two out of three, Teme!" Naruto exclaimed triumphantly. "We're going to fetch Sakura!"

"Hn," grunted Sasuke. Outnumbered, he just decided that it would be pointless to argue with the obstinate blonde over such a trivial matter.

Soon enough, they spotted the white building of Konoha hospital. Naruto picked up his pace and entered, greeting everyone he sees.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" The young woman on the information desk greeted the blonde.

"Where's Sakura-chan's office?" Naruto asked the woman.

The woman frowned. "It's at the fifth room on the fourth floor but I don't think you'll see her there. She left early this afternoon. Guess she's not feeling well, she looked a bit pale."

Naruto's face fell at little at this information. "Eh? I see. Arigatou."

"You're welcome! Say hi to Hinata-san from me," the young woman said before turning to another visitor.

"Sure!" Naruto grinned as they left.

"Poor Sakura-chan! I thought we all could have lunch together and Hinata was still on a mission," Naruto said gloomily as they walked when an idea popped into his mind. "Wait, why don't we visit her? Then, since Sakura is not feeling well, Teme would be the one to cook and prepare dinner for us!"

Sasuke turned to Naruto." And what made you think I will let you inside my house?" He will prepare dinner for them? That's ridiculous. Last time Naruto went to their house, he had conveniently emptied the refrigerator before deciding to go home.

Naruto scowled at him. "Even if you won't let us, I'm sure Sakura would!"

"No, she would not," countered Sasuke.

Sai watched the two and can't help but get confused how they managed to be friends in the first place when they always bicker against each other. Perhaps, people have to do that in order to make friends, he mentally noted in his head.

"We'll know when we get there," said Naruto with a grin. He casted Sai a look that said "Follow me", then he made a quick series of seals and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Dobe," Sai heard Sasuke muttered annoyingly before disappearing too.

Well, he guessed that he just have to follow them too.

oOo

Sakura had just finished cooking a special dinner when she felt a familiar chakra signature outside the house.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed surprisingly. "What brings you here?" She had barely finished her question when another presence arrived followed by another one. "Sasuke! Sai!"

"Sakura!" Naruto's loud voice startled her. "We heard from the hospital that you're sick!" He grabbed her shoulders and inspected her. "You looked quite pale and fatigued."

"Hag, you look ugly," commented Sai.

"Sai, keep calling me that and we'll see who will end up ugly." Sakura smiled at him and showed him her clenched fist. How he dared calling her hag and ugly in front of her husband? She caught Sasuke smirking at her.

Sai made no remark and just smiled at her.

"We miss you Sakura-chan!" Naruto engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug. "Could you please let go of that research thing so you can join our group again?"

Sakura's face softened. "How I wish, Naruto. But Tsunade entrusted me that work to finish."

"But it's making you ill!"

"It's not really tiring, I'm just cooped up inside a room all day," she replied, touched at his concern. She looked at Sasuke for any reaction, their gazes met but his face remained impassive.

Sakura was like a sister to Naruto as much as Sasuke is a brother to him. He turned to ask Sasuke who hadn't said anything considering that Sakura is sick. He caught the two looking at each other but they instantly looked away when he caught them.

"Ah, I knew it!" A knowing smile spread across his face as he deduced something. "Teme's not 'tiring you every night', does he?"

"W-what?" Sakura spluttered who went even paler.

"Sasuke wants to revive his clan, right? Or don't tell me after all these weeks you haven't done 'it' yet?" He asked further with an innocent curious look.

Sakura started to feel her cheeks redden, not knowing how to answer properly such a ridiculous question without embarrassing herself. Naruto looked plain curious but his training with the legendary but pervert sannin, Jiraiya must have imparted him some of his sensei's perverted thoughts.

"That's none of your business, Dobe," Sasuke said in a cool, casual voice. He seemed unaffected by the question unlike Sakura who was at a loss for words and obviously embarrassed.

"Fine," snorted Naruto.

Relieved that Sasuke interjected and Naruto dropped the awkward subject, Sakura decided that since they're all here she should invite them inside. "Want to have some tea inside?"

"Sure!" Without waiting for Sakura to usher them inside, Naruto voluntarily entered the house, removed his shoes and went straight to the dining room.

The three followed and entered the house revealing a fairly spacious receiving room. In the center, a huge portrait of Team 7 hung on the oak-paneled wall.

"That's my work," said Sai in a surprised voice and he looked at the painting. Two years ago, Sakura asked him to paint the picture of Team 7 which have been taken when she, Naruto and Sasuke were still a genin together with Kakashi.

"Yeah," said Sakura as she also looked at the painting. "Thanks again," she grinned at him.

"Welcome, hag." It was just a simple request by the hag but he never knew that she would have it framed and displayed openly on their house. An odd sensation surge through him, something that could be described as light and floating, which he doesn't know how to name yet. For the first time, his work was appreciated as an art not just as a jutsu weapon.

Sakura rolled her eyes and decided to ignore Sai's calling her "hag" again. "Come on, food is waiting to be served."

Sasuke and Sai sat on the tatami mat around the low, wooden rectangular table while Sakura prepared to set the foods. Clearly hungry, Naruto's stomach grumbled as she started placing the cuisine on the table.

Sitting beside her husband, Sakura can't help but wince as she watched Naruto attacked every dish she had painstakingly cooked and prepared for Sasuke. From the corner of her eyes, she stole a glance at him. Had he noticed that she cooked all his favourites tonight? From her observation for the past few years, she had noticed that he took a particular liking to omusubi with okaka and tomatoes. She doesn't know what foods he disliked yet. Since the marriage, she had practiced cooking, hoping that she would get to please him and fulfill her role as an "ideal wife".

Yet, in their almost one month of living together, he had never criticized nor praised her cooking. He just ate whatever she served on the table.

"Sasuke?" She called him in a low tone.

"Hn?" Sasuke responded, shoving a slice of tomato in his mouth.

"What can you say about the foods?" She asked quite nervously. "I mean, do you like it or-"

"It's fine," replied Sasuke cutting her words.

It's fine, Sakura repeated the two words inside her mind. It was such a vague answer that she doesn't know whether the foods she had served were good or just passable.

"Kampai!" Naruto raised his cup of tea, motioning for others to follow.

"Kampai!" Sakura and Sai followed while Sasuke merely raised his cup.

Afterwards, Naruto slumped to the floor and gave out a loud, disgusting burp.

"Gross, Naruto!" Sakura shrieked with a revolted look.

"Ever heard of table manners, Dobe?" Sasuke asked in a cool, mocking voice.

"Manners! Manners!" Naruto raised his arms. "You can't eat your manners!"

Sai turned to the blonde. "You reminded me of a..." He searched for the right words to describe what he wanted to say. "-Regurgitating toilet bowl."

"Eeew, that's a pretty gross comparison, Sai," said Sakura whose image of a regurgitating toilet bowl can't seem to get off her mind.

Sasuke just smirked at it.

"Hey!" Naruto suddenly jerked up to a sitting position and glared at Sai. "Who are you calling toilet bowl?"

Maintaining an innocent smiling face, Sai just answered the obvious. "It's you, Naruto."

"How dare you call me that you pale-faced, skinny-" Naruto did not finish his sentence and lunged for the ink artist. But Sai had already anticipated and easily evaded it. Sasuke and Sakura leapt apart just in time, avoiding Naruto's heavy landing. Unfortunately, it was not the same for the dining table which upturned, shattering some of the bowls and glasses, making Sakura scowl.

"Look what have you done, the two of you!" She shrieked out, chasing after the two.

"Hey, it's not only me; Sai is also the one to blame for!" Naruto said. "Come back here!" He called out to Sai.

But Sai was already on their gates, ready to leave. "It was Naruto who did it," he explained innocently to Sakura, then placed his plastered smile and leapt to a neighbour's roof.

"It's your fault!" Naruto had finished strapping his sandals and was ready to go after Sai when he paused for a few seconds. "Don't worry, Sakura, we'll...uhmm...replace the broken ones."

Sakura just raised her brow disbelievingly.

"Really!" Naruto said, raising his right hand as a sign of promise. "Anyway, get well soon and," he jumped to the neighbour's roof. "Don't let Teme exhaust you every night!" He said this sentence quite loud enough for their neighbours to hear. "Till next time!"

"There will be no next time," said Sasuke standing on the doorway. He looked at the mess the two had left behind. Broken chinaware, stained tatami mat and an upturned table; he was right from the start about not having their dinner at the house. They should have jus eaten at the Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto was simply a disaster magnet. How he managed to be a powerful shinobi, Sasuke never knew.

Sakura turned the table and placed it in its original position. She swept up the shattered pieces of chinaware and dumped it on the waste bag. Next, she inspected the tatami mat and couldn't help but scowl. It was stained and minute shards of broken china were embedded between the fibers. It's either she would have to remove it one by one or just buy a new one. To her surprise, Sasuke took the rolled tatami mat away from her, noting how pale and thin she really looked. "They said you're sick."

Sakura looked at him, clearly surprised that he asked about her health when she had thought earlier that he was not a bit concerned about her. However, inspecting his face, she didn't find any guise of worry. He was just cool and casual like always. Is he really concerned with her or he was just doing this because she married him and he have to?

"Not really," she replied. "Thanks."

Sasuke just nodded and when he was about to leave outside to throw the damaged table mat, Sakura called him.

"Sasuke!" She called out, her voice betraying an air of uncertainty.

"Yes?" Sasuke paused at the door waiting what she is going to say.

She should break the good news to him now. After all, she had not prepared his favourite foods for this special night for nothing. He would be happy for sure.

It's what he wanted, right?

"Someone is going to join us soon," said Sakura smiling to herself, thinking that it would be nice to break the news indirectly.

"Who?" Sasuke asked thinking that it could either be one of her parents since she doesn't have any siblings. It could be one of her parents. If one of her parents is going to arrive, he would have to provide him or her decent room to stay. Then, he must buy a bigger house since they were living in a one-room apartment. That means that they have to move into another house again. He wouldn't have this lodging problem had Sakura agreed to live at the Uchiha grounds. Being the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, all of the properties of their clan were already given to him before he reached twelve years of age.

What he can't understand was why was Sakura would rather live in a small apartment when she could have a bigger house. She reasoned out to him that the Uchiha mansions were far too big for the two of them. That reason was too shallow for him to accept but she was really adamant and opposed to the idea of living there that he conceded to her wish. He has a feeling that there's a deeper explanation behind her opposition to the idea of living there and he would pull it out of her in the right time. "Is it your father or mother?"

"No," she replied. "Don't worry, the arrival would still be after eight months." Sakura can't help but smile at the perplexed look on Sasuke's face. "And I might forget to add that the length of stay is quite long."

If it's not her parents, then maybe a relative or a friend would be. The arrival would still be in eight months giving them enough time to purchase and move into a new place. But what caught his interest was that this visitor's stay with them would be indefinite. "What do you mean the 'length of stay' is quite long, like six months?"

Sakura bit her lower lip to prevent herself from smiling. "No, it's going to be longer than that. Years maybe."

"Years," Sasuke was starting to get annoyed now. Years? Just who is this stranger who's going to live with them? Months, he could accept but years? He valued his privacy and he doesn't like strangers meddling with him least interact with them. "Just who the hell is this?"

Sakura was smiling at him like she was enjoying herself, much to Sasuke's irritation. It was like she was taking pleasure in watching him lose his composure. "I don't know yet who it is."

"What? You don't even know who this person is?" Sasuke was staring at her. She wanted him to accept a total stranger to live in their house? "Do you have any idea who could it be, a man or woman?"

"No," answered Sakura smiling at him. "Maybe when he or she comes, we will know."

Sasuke took note of the smile forming on her face. It's as if she knew something that he doesn't know and it annoyed him.

"What?" He was losing his patience at this silly game of hers. He could feel that she wanted to say something to him but was just beating around the bush.

To Sasuke's confusion, she didn't answer his question and pointed to her abdomen.

Sakura let out a small laugh as she looked at her husband's befuddled expression. Deciding to end this guessing game, Sakura gently took his hand and placed it on her stomach.

Sasuke frowned, not understanding why she did that and look at his hand.

Then, it clicked to him.

Comprehension dawned upon him as he understood what she wanted to say.

"You're-"

"Yes," said Sakura giving a soft smile as she gaze at his stunned features. "Congratulations, you're going to be a father soon, Sasuke."

For a few precious seconds, she saw him smile. It was only small as his lips curved upwards but she could see in his eyes that he seemed to regain again the innocence and humanity he had nearly lost. He was like a young child who had opened a surprise gift.

It was beautiful.

oOo

Author's Note: You might have many questions about how Sasuke ended up with Sakura but it will be answered in the succeeding chapters.

Reviews please!

Suggestions and criticisms are welcome!