More //narusasu//

50. Once More, Once Again

Years went by..

"You're still fit as a fiddle Naruto. I'm proud of you, you've been following all the medical advice I gave you", the now pale pink haired kunoichi beamed.

"Thanks Sakura. I plan to stay useful for as long as I can ya know. So tell me, did the bastard pay a visit this time?"

"He sure did. I guess that last scolding from you made him straighten up a little", the medic replied.

"I'm glad. He's been having that problem with his eye lately. Anyway, thanks for still checking up on us Sakura", the blonde gave a thumbs up to his old teammate.

"It's an honor Naruto. I'll see you next month"

The Uzumaki made way to his house to look for his husband, but he wasn't there.

Hmm..

He waited till the afternoon but the raven was nowhere to be found. So he set out to look for him, having a hunch to where he could have been.

And just like he predicted, there he was, grey hair, black cloak, the man as elegant as ever. His husband was found near the Shinobi memorial stone.

"You found me", the Uchiha said without looking back.

"You know l'll find you anywhere, anyhow. What you thinking love?", Naruto said, making his way to stand beside the love of his life.

"Nothing in particular. Just wondering if it was worth it, all of it", dark eyes embedded on the memorial stone.

"Hmm. I don't know about that, but they'd sure be proud of you Sas", tan hand placed on the dark cloak.

"You think so? I really hope you're right", the Uchiha said, keeping his visual on the names of Shinobi that had given their lives to the Leaf village...two names in particular, Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake.

Sasuke Uchiha did not have many people he had cared about in his life. He had in fact made sure that noone would be able to break his walls of solitude and despair. But some got through, some that he could actually rely on. Some, that he could call family. Years passed, but a few remained constant through every thick and every thin.

Kakashi Hatake had died while saving villagers from a burning building fifteen years ago. His age had made his reflexes a bit grey. It was a day to mourn for the whole village. The members of team seven drank that whole night, sharing stories about their perverted yet honarable sensie. Not a single eye was left dry.

Naruto had taken retirement when he thought the time was right for a younger Shinobi to succeed him. Konohamuru Sarutobi became the eighth hokage of the hidden leaf village.

Their son, Bolt Uzumaki Uchiha had become a harmonious amalgamation of his fathers. After making jonin he had decided to travel the world and seek more knowledge, more skill and inspiration for future. He wanted to be hokage someday...or maybe he wanted to become an elite Shinobi? He hadn't decided yet, but what he knew was that he wanted to keep fighting for the peace to remain intact, be it from the spotlight or the shadows. Peace, which he had come to learn comes with a price too high.

Sakura Haruno was a successful, single mother to a very smart daughter. She had decided to continue giving her all to research and medicine, till she could no more.

Years went by, the village kept seeing its ups and downs, but it kept on flourishing because of its strong foundations laid by all the hokage and the ones they relied on.

As for the most powerful ones alive, they had already made their wills known to the higher ups. Both of them had decided that their powers should not die with them. The nine tailed beast and the Uchiha dojutsu would be extracted out of their owners once they had neared their deaths, whenever that might be. It would then be passed on to their son or a suitable successor. That's how they deemed it fit.