Two days, he sheltered from all surroundings; gently catering to the precious new life cradled in his arms. Already he was frightened for the outside in its implications, for truth from those who poised as friends and turned betrayers. So he lives sheltered away, least until he runs out of basic necessities, going through the cupboards and finding only the new spider tenants has him sigh for uncertainty; comfort taken only in knowing that his attackers in birth would have been well handled, that did nothing to ease his uncertainty of those who still held antagonism within the crop of the citizens. Inside the mesh of blankets Raitoningu gave a loud cry of protest for her own hunger, and despite the eardrum breaking sound he giggled at her complaint and pulled down his shirt for her to suckle. It was under reluctance, but he slipped on his sandals, grabbed his keys and left the house for the market. There were few places he could go, many people had forbidden him entirely from their shops under their prejudice, so he often went along with Kamaji who did not mind staring at the shopkeepers until they accepted her presence.

Calm as he locked the door he whistled out a gentle tune Jiraiya had sung in song once, already joyous in the spring of the day. As he turned, putting the keys in his pocket and pulling his daughter a slight closer for a better angle, his irises were met with an unexpected cascade of pink. Instinct had him flinch back for ire at the presence of the nerve-wracked woman in front of him, something sour settled over his grinning visage."Sakura." Though it wished to come forth for familiarity, he did not give her a respectful honourific, and instead, he walked past her to continue on his way, in hopes she would leave. He could see her flinch for the action, but then, he also saw that her hands were shaking as her lip trembled.

"Naruto, please, I know that I-" Without his own want his legs stopped and his arm curled protectively around his baby's figure. "-you can hate me, but please just let me explain." Her pleading had him flinch, yet still, in the respect of their pasts, he made no bid to stop her. A cerulean eye did turn to stare at her tearful emerald, however, her image pathetic far from the strong woman he knew. He sighed for complacency. Though she smiled in happiness for his allowance. They walked together down the familiar path side-by-side, as they had many times previous, it was bittersweet unto him; as he had many pleasant memories of walking with his teammate down the same roads, but that had been before she had 'allegedly' informed a mercenary company and the village of his pregnancy and endangered his and his child's life. "I didn't want to spread the rumour- really, but I didn't have a choice." He paused to glare for her answer, his own being weak, so it appeared more as a chastisement.

Pink hair fell forward as Sakura loudly sighed, and considered her options. "My father had heard from an old-friend that you were expecting. The thing is, my father used to be a member of an old mercenary company, and for some reason -I don't know why- they want you dead, and he's still loyal. So if I didn't spread the rumour around, as he ordered, I would have been in a lot of trouble, I tried my best to make it sound like gossip but..." It was close, the blond almost came to hugging the Alpha, as she began to sob right in front of him, "I swear Naruto I didn't tell him about you- I won't tell him anything else I promise!" he pondered for a moment of all the women in his life were in double-edged positions, as he wrapped a hesitant arm around her figure.

Already, "I forgive you." His anger had been explained away, in addition to the pinkette being an old friend, he allowed himself the luxury of forgiving the woman, though his precaution remained high. Especially as the bundle at his chest began to protest against their angle, he let go but smiled to the distressed woman rubbing red at her cheeks. Just as someone finished her breakfast, a loud burb escaped in a tiny resonance to the air, he smiled to the contented figure and gently pat on her back to release any further wind, while across from them Sakura gave a small smile -watered by her tears. Her voice stuttered, "she's adorable Naruto-kun." A true grin deepened his dimples as the pinkette carefully poked at his baby's small nose. Looking up to him with embrightened emerald eyes that glimmered for the light of her previous crying, but Naruto sighed contentedly his own compassion shining through as his grin brightened once more.

"Isn't she! Well, we're going shopping for food, you want to come with?" It was all he could offer as it was. Forgiveness shook at his mind in question for her actions, then rationality did come forth, as she too grinned and stood beside him and they walked down into the familiar streets. They're in comfortable silence until Sakura chooses a complicated topic, though she looks confused by the notion in herself her finger resting on her lip in thought eyes narrowed to her walking feet in thought.

"Does this mean you won't be coming with us on the search for Sasuke?" He nearly paused for the question, as she turned to him for the answer, his own uncertainty obvious as they both remained staring in ponderance. For he could recall Shikamaru mentioning a task force or some type of team going in search for Sasuke, in contemplation at the time. It wasn't a question he could answer however, for whenever it was decided to progress from anything other then a piece of paperwork on the Hokage's desk, he would have to be able to hire a trusted babysitter- and within a village of belligerence for his own existence that would be problematic. He bit into his own lip for thought, there were few people he could trust his little lightning with, so he gave Sakura a jilted shrug in unknowing; she seemed to understand, for palms up she shrugged with curled lips as well.

They turned back to facing forward without an answer. She spoke in his place for a type of comprehension he was lacking. "I don't know exactly know when its planned out, but Tsunade-sama said we should head out before the information they have turns stale." He nodded, they couldn't have much on his whereabouts as it were, Orochimaru slithered himself throughout the lands in careful avoidance- and he had succeeded so far. Though his eyes astrayed down to the bundle as she cuddled further into her blankets and gave a small burp, the thought of Sasuke imposing, she was too young to present to a babysitter, indeed there was only one he could trust within the village in integrity.

"I can't Sakura." Protest had him want to take the words away, for all his goals collessed in that moment to scream upon him that yes; in fact, he could, without his daughter. However, the rationality of his mind brought him forward, as he clung to her a fraction tighter, in self protest. There was no response from the strong woman, she merely walked quietly by his side, once in the occasional footfall her eyes would glance to the baby he held, a smile kindly curving her visage. It took several minutes of unsteady silence between the two, an air of uncertainty glimmering around them, shuffling dust beneath shinobi sandals for a distraction; before the guilt-tilted pinkette broke away from her precautious friend as her eyes landed on the comforting familiarity of the opening flower shop she could escape within. Bidding a placid- though to her own hopes, a kind- farewell unto her blond comrade.

Naruto watched her with a curved smile leave, his mind still tilted by her reasoning and jilted by his own choice of forgiveness, he sighed for himself and gently rocked the wide-eyed infant in his arms. She was beautiful, as he had known she would, her eyes had opened to display an embrightened light periwinkle blue, a colour far outmatching his own in shine, and contrasting her father's darkened tone near comically, though her head of extensively platinum hair from her father, made up for the tan tone and periwinkle irises gained from her mother. In a moment entranced, he cooed at her while she giggled at his towering visage, no attention payed to the surrounding street as he walked. Though beside him, a store door was being quickly locked by a juggling single mother clinging upon an energetic toddler's hand. Kamaji-san walked up to him with a quickened pace, a large smile, and her son Hina giggling along as his mother pulled him forward. Naruto smiled down at the young man reaching his hand down for a little shake by the tiny boy. "Hello there Hina-chan, how are you today?" As common, he earned no spoken answer, but a firm nod as dark red hair bounced up and down and Hina attempted to imitate a stern express. Naruto tittered with a large grin, while Kamaji smiled in pride as they continued on for their normal walk.

Her silence was paramount, as they continued along the way, she stared down towards the path with narrowed eyes. Ponderance obviously taking up her time, and Naruto did not bother to interrupt for she spoke of her own volition quickly enough. "I believe I should rejoin the Intelligence Unit." His brows showed well enough his surprise for the statement, but in return he only waited for her reasoning; as far as the blond knew, his friend had left after an unexpected pregnancy and chosen to stay away to care for her son. It would be contrasting for her to rejoin without a proper rationale. "There's something, someone, I think I need to look into- who they haven't." It was a mild logic, but he accepted it as the only answer he would gather as it stood.