SASUKE DIDN'T KNOW WHY, BUT he had a feeling that the Kazekage of Sunagakure didn't like him that much. For no reason at all. Was it because of that one time he attacked him and the other Kages at the Five Kage Summit? He made it clear that he only wanted to kill Danzo, so there shouldn't have been any hard feelings... but oh well. He was a hateable guy, so who could blame him.

But his meeting with the Kazekage was just... weird. When Gaara welcomed him to Suna, his expression was blank but his posture was noticeably stiff. Even more confusing was when their conversation suddenly turned to his wife and daughter... who he hadn't seen in six years.

"You just missed them," he had said. "Sakura and Sarada stayed in Suna for about a year to help out at the hospital. They returned to Konoha about a week ago."

"Hn."

"I let them stay at my home."

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that. He knew about Sakura's stay at Suna, but he didn't know she had basically been living with Gaara. She never mentioned it in her letters (which were noticeably becoming more scarcer and less detailed as time passed on, a fact that he pretended not to notice).

"But I'm sure you knew about that though," Gaara continued on, his voice growing drier and his tone more passive-aggressive. "Since you've been communicating with your wife and daughter like every good husband and father does, haven't you."

It was one of the most awkward conversations in his life. Sasuke didn't know how to say so he basically just 'hnn'-ed his way out of the chat and left it as is. It was no surprise that his brief break at Sunagakure had only lasted about two days.

He wasn't wanted there, a feeling he knew all too well. So he left to continue with his mission.

When Kaguya's existence was revealed as well as her clan name—the Otsutsuki—Sasuke was sure that there was more to learn about Kaguya's history. His hunch turned out correct when left for his near-decade long mission when he discovered that there were at least two more Otsutsuki members in the world. And worse, they were hunting down jinchuriki.

Can't they be more original in their goals? Sasuke inwardly scoffed as he dashed through the trees. The Akatsuki may be gone, but they pretty much had 'hunting down jinchuriki' in copyright ownership. It was their thing.

Right now he was heading towards the Otsutsuki clan's ruins, where he was sure the remainder of them were hiding.

Everything was going well until a messenger hawk found him. It dropped a scroll into his awaiting hand and he opened it impatiently, his eyes blinded by all the obnoxiously capitalized letters.

TEME!

Get your ass back to Konoha RIGHT NOW!

I'M SERIOUS! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO SAKURA-CHAN AND KAKASHI-SENSEI AND NOW THEY'VE GONE MISSING! SARADA-CHAN WAS THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED BUT SHE DIDN'T SEE IT!

SCREW THE GODDAMN MISSION! GET OVER HERE NOW! THIS IS AN ORDER FROM YOUR NEW HOKAGE!!

And screw the goddamn mission, he did. He set the letter on fire and turned tail, a new destination in mind.

He needed to go back home.

That was how he found himself back in his village a few days later. He hadn't rested or eaten at all, but he was still very much alert to what was going on. While the village itself looked perfectly fine, it was obvious that the news of the Rokudaime and one of the best medic-nin in the world going missing had taken it's toll on the people.

Naruto had met him at the gates and immediately started to led him towards the house of his in-laws, Sakura's parents who had been watching over Sarada when the incident happened.

"They're not the only one's who's missing too," Naruto said, a dark look on his face.

"Who else has been taken?" He asked.

"Gaara," he answered and Sasuke stopped walking.

"The Kazekage? When was this?" He demanded. "I was just in Suna—"

"—It must've happened after you left, but look, that's not all. There's a similarity between their kidnappings." Naruto cut in. "On the night Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei were taken, Sarada-chan immediately went to my house and started screaming for help—she was actually screaming it in the streets too. It caused a lot of uproar..."

Sasuke winced, trying to imagine his six year old daughter running all over the streets of Konoha, desperately screaming for help before reaching Naruto's place. But the visual was cut short for the reason that Sasuke couldn't even imagine what Sarada looked like. He knew she had his looks, and Sakura had sent him photos of them sometimes, but she stopped doing that two years ago and now Sasuke was left with no image of her current self.

"When we got her to calm down, she told us what happened: Kakashi-sensei took her to bed and gave her a bed time story. Then she went to sleep, but she woke up when she heard this loud noise, like a huge vacuum had been turned on. She went downstairs and on the other side of the hallway, she saw this bright blue light in the living room. She heard Sakura struggling with something and when she tried to get closer, Sakura screamed at her to stay away. And then... the blue light disappeared and the loud noise stopped. When Sarada stepped into the living room, she said the whole place was a mess and Sakura and Kakashi-sensei were gone."

Naruto took an intake of breath and started to explain what happened with Gaara next, "As for Gaara, people actually saw what happened. He was at the training grounds with Kankuro and Shinki. While Kankuro was talking to Shinki about something, they saw this huge blue wormole appear behind him and he was sucked in immediately. It nearly got Shinki too, but it closed up and disappeared before it could happen. They described the wormhole as really loud, and it emitted a bright blue glow too. This happened on the same day Sakura and Kakashi were taken away."

"A bright blue wormhole?" Sasuke murmured. "And it was loud too. That doesn't sound like Kamui, or my Space-Time Ninjutsu. Both are them are more quiet... Nor do they suck people in like a vacuum..."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I thought so too, 'ttebayo. This sounds like a completely new thing. Anyways, we already contacted the other villages about this to warn them that someone's going around kidnapping important figures from villages. I mean, two Kages and one of the strongest kunoichi in the world? This is like an attack!"

Sasuke didn't say anything because they were already standing in front of the Harunos house.

Naruto knocked first and they waited a few seconds before the door opened to reveal Haruno Kizashi, Sakura's civilian father*. The older man's expression dulled the second saw Sasuke.

He was expecting that reaction. Not only were Sakura's parents hesitant about their marriage, but he had also left their daughter and granddaughter alone for six years straight with little-to-no-communication.

Their hate was well-deserved.

"Hello Naruto-kun," Kizashi said warmly to the blonde before regarding the other man with a blank look. "So you're finally back."

Sasuke nodded. "Hello, sir."

"I take it you're here to see Sarada-chan?"

Another nod.

Kizashi looked like he wanted to outright say 'no' and slam the door to his face, but Naruto's presence made him hesitate more. Finally, he opened the door wider and allowed them in. "Alright, you can come see her. She's staying in Sakura's old bedroom, but she's sick though."

"Sick?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"It seems like a fever,**" Kizashi explained as they trekked up their stairs to where the bedrooms were located.

The reached Sakura's old room and opened the door. Despite the fact that Sakura hadn't used it in years, the room looked freshly cleaned. It wouldn't surprise him if the Harunos cleaned it daily—he knew how much they adored their daughter after all. Old stuffed animals filled the shelves, along with childhood photos of Sakura back at her Academy years. There were a lot of books too, which was to be expected from his brilliant wife. Her twin-sized bed was floral patterned, which also wasn't a surprise, but sitting on it was someone he wasn't ready to see.

A little girl of six years old, with pure black hair and onyx eyes just like his. Sarada had all his looks, but according to all the letters he read, her personality was all Sakura's.

Sarada was in the middle of being fed chicken noodle soup by Haruno Mebuki when they entered the scene.

Her dark eyes glanced from her grandfather, then to Naruto, before they finally landed on him...

...Before they moved back to Naruto again.

There was no recognition in her eyes at all, which was a jab to the chest, but well, that was another thing he deserved.

"Hi Sarada-chan! How are you feeling today? Your gramps told me you were sick!" Naruto exclaimed, ambling towards the bedside with ease. Sasuke envied how casual his movements were while he was still standing at the doorway, stiff and trying to ignore the displeased stares from his in-laws.

"Yeah..." Sarada sniffed, her nose all congested and her face completely flushed. "It's a fever..."

"A fever?" Naruto echoed with sympathy. "Don't worry, Sarada-chan, once we find your mom she'll come and heal your fever with just a snap of her fingers!"

Judging by the wobbly smile that appeared on her lips, his words did well to make her feel slightly better. But then her smile fell as she remembered something. "Is... is it true that Gaara-san is gone too...?"

The adults in the room stilled.

Naruto's smile grew weaker. "Yeah... the same thing that happened to Kakashi sensei and your mom happened to him too. But we'll find them soon, Sarada-chan, I promise."

"Will you find them alive?" She demanded.

"O-of course they will, Sarada-chan!" Mebuki stammered, looking horrified at the idea of Sakura being found dead. "The Rokudaime-sama, Kazekage-sama, and your mother are very strong! Nothing can take them down, dear. They'll be okay."

Sarada bit her lip unsurely before nodding in acceptance. Then her eyes drifted back to the lone figure in the room.

"Umm, who's that guy?"

Everyone turned to him, and Sasuke tried not to gulp.

Kizashi cleared his throat and tried to smile. He really did, but it looked more akin to a grimace. "Er, well, this is your..." He trailed off, as if he didn't want to say the dreaded words.

Sasuke decided that he needed to say this on his own. He took a tentative step forward and looked at his daughter, their matching eyes locked together. He noticed the way they slowly started to narrow. She was coming to a conclusion.

Just like ripping out a band aid, he thought.

"I'm your father."

Her features immediately contorted to hate.

Abort, abort. Put the band aid back on.

"You?" She spat, looking him over with a abhorring look in her cherubic little face. "Your my father? You?"

Sasuke mentally prepared himself to duck, because she looked about two seconds away from throwing her bowl of chicken noodle soup at his face.

"Why are you here?!" She demanded, her voice raising.

Sasuke spoke the next words carefully, "I heard about what happened to Kakashi-sensei and your mother—"

"—You sound like a robot." She sneered. "You don't even care, do you? You're just pretending! Go away! I don't want you here!"

Naruto pleaded, "Sarada-chan—"

"—I don't want him here! Tell him to go away! I hate him, I hate him!" She shouted, her already flushed face growing even redder.

Mebuki placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Sweetheart, this is your father and—"

"—No he's not!" She refuted. "He's not my dad, he never was! Kakashi-san's my papa! I want my parents, not him!"

Sasuke tried to speak. "I—"

"—Go away!" She screeched, trying to get out of bed. Naruto and Mebuki tried to keep her down, causing her to thrash in their arms. Tears of anger were streaming down her face. "You can't just come back after all these years! Just leave already! You're the worst!"

And then something happened to her. As she opened her eyes to glare at him, her onyx orbs flashed a bloody red, a single tomoe hovering beside the pupil.

She had awakened her Sharingan.

Kizashi noticed it after Sasuke did. "Sarada, your eyes—!"

She stopped struggling. Mebuki and Naruto released her, their arms falling to their sides in shock. Sarada wore a stunned expression as she clutched her face, as if trying to feel for her Sharingan.

"I... I..." She breathed heavily. Sweat was rolling down her face now, and he knew he needed to find a way to placate her before her fever grew worse.

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly. I'm sorry for not being around, I'm sorry for being a bad dad, I'm sorry for being a bad husband, I'm sorry for being so fucked up in the head that I can't take care of the only family I have left.

He turned to Naruto and the Harunos. "I'll take my leave. I'm sorry for upsetting her."

Naruto opened his mouth, "Sasuke—"

But he was already out of the door and soon enough, out of the house.

He found himself standing outside his home after that. Quietly, he stepped into the house. The living room... was trashed. Picture frames were shattered, flower vases were scattered all over the floor, and pieces of furniture were horribly askew. He immediately noticed that all the destruction was directed towards a certain corner of the room.

That must have been where the wormhole appeared, he realized.

He noticed a few things as he surveyed the damages.

The pictures. He was only in a few of them including the makeshift family photo that Sakura had created, probably to make up for the only family photo he took with him for his journey.

Kakashi dominated almost every other photo in the room.

Kakashi holding a newborn Sarada after he was named godfather. Kakashi holding onto Sarada's arms as he helped her take her first steps. Kakashi celebrating her birthdays. Kakashi introducing Sarada to his summons. Kakashi, Kakashi, Kakashi. He was everywhere.

Sarada's previous words echoed in his head:

"He's not my dad, he never was! Kakashi-san's my papa! I want my parents, not him!"

"Oh..." He said softly, realization smacking him harshly against the face.

He swallowed thickly and turned away, unable to look at all these captured moments of domestic bliss—moments that he should've been in.

Suddenly, he sensed a familiar chakra signature standing outside the front door. He opened it and was face to face with his worried friend.

"Sasuke..." Naruto trailed off, looking worried and sympathetic. "Are—are you okay?"

"My daughter hates me so much that she awakened her Sharingan. You tell me." He replied dryly.

The blonde sighed, then looked over his shoulder and saw the wreckage. "You don't have to stay here..."

He shook his head. "No, I'll stay. I... want to clean things up."

"I'll help." Naruto said, and he knew he wasn't leaving any room for disagreement.

Sasuke was a bit glad for that. He was certainly not in the mood of cleaning all this up and having just one arm was only going to make the task more tedious. They worked together to pick up all the broken glass and set the furniture back in place. Naruto had removed all the photographs from their broken picture frames and was currently skimming through each one, biting his lip.

Sasuke turned away from him.

Naruto sighed and set the pictures down. "Sasuke... Why did you never come back? Why didn't you contact Sakura-chan once? Do you have any idea how miserable she's been?"

"..."

"Oi, teme, answer me!" He demanded angrily. "This thing between you and Sakura-chan—it's not even a marriage anymore! What's gotten into you?!"

"Naruto..." He said in a quiet whisper. He finally looked up at him, and Naruto was startled at the amount of regret he was expressing. "I thought I was ready to move on, but I was wrong. I can't handle this at all."

─────•~❉🌸❉~•─────

"Sakura-chan, can you do a little twirl for me?"

A hairbrush was thrown at Kakashi, but he ducked just in time to avoid it.

"Now how do I work this camera again...?" The older man murmured thoughtfully, while Gaara stood beside him. He was scrutinizing her with his darkly rimmed eyes—no wait, he wasn't scrutinizing her. He was scrutinizing her uniform.

She blushed.

You see, Sakura wasn't aware that the schools in this world required a uniform. So when UA sent her a set of uniforms to wear for the rest of the school year, she was rendered speechless.

What the heck? There were no uniforms required back at the Academy! Things were just getting worse and worse for her...

Her uniform consisted of a white button-up blouse with a grey blazer over it, a dark blue-green skirt, and a red noose that was apparently called a tie. She had no idea how to work it so she made the mistake of asking Kakashi and Gaara for help. Kakashi ended up tying it like a shoelace and Gaara nearly strangled her to death. Finally, after reading extensive instructions from Google, she nailed it on her own (honestly, she loved Google).

She apparently needed to bring three pairs of shoes too, which just made no sense to her. One pair to walk out in, and another to wear inside the building. The third pair was for P.E., which also came with its own uniform.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Gaara attempted to appease her. "You look very good in that."

Her blush worsened.

"Adorable," Kakashi nodded in agreement. His eyes lit up. "Ah! I know how to use the camera now. Sakura-chan, can you give me a smile?"

"Fuck off, Kakashi!" She barked, wanting to hide herself from the men's prying gaze. It was like they were trying to undress her with their eyes, which was just plain weird! "Ugh, let's just go already...!"

She just wanted to get the day over with.

Thankfully, Kakashi agreed to her pleas (but not before snapping a couple of shots). They had to go to school the normal way—which was through the subway—because the last time they went hopping over buildings, this dude with crimson wings caught them. They would've gotten arrested if it weren't for Kakashi bullshitting his way out of the issue.

So they had to make do with normal modes of transportation (for now).

The subway was cramped and Sakura found herself hanging onto the handle for dear life. She did not like the way the train would throw her around. Gaara and Kakashi seemed perfectly fine, much to her annoyance. They weren't even grabbing onto anything, though Gaara was casually leaning against one of the poles.

As she waited for this hellish ride to be over, she could feel a piercing stare on her. She glanced around discreetly, spying a middle-aged man who was eyeing her... skirt? No wait, he was checking out her ass!

Her cheeks reddened with rage and humiliation. To be eyed up like this... How disgusting! Ninety-nine percent of the men back home knew to stay in their lane—she was well-known in the Shinobi Nations and well-feared. The other one percent were usually drunkards or suicidal dumbasses.

In this world, she had no such reputation. To these men, she was just a pretty fifteen year old girl, free for the taking.

Go away, go away...! She thought, as the middle-aged man started to inch closer.

Her grip on the handle tightened. She wanted nothing more than to rip it off and beat the man senseless, but the laws here were annoying. She didn't want to cause any trouble, especially not in this cramped space.

Maybe she could move away?

She turned and saw a wall of people.

Well, that scratched out that idea.

Suddenly she felt a small spike of Killing Intent that chilled the air instantaneously. People stiffened and started to shrink into themselves. A hard body pressed her against the wall.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?" She blinked.

He smiled, but it was forced and full of malice.

"Are you okay?" He asked her in a pleasant voice.

"I—you—why—?" She stammered. Over his broad shoulders, she saw the middle-aged man who had been eyeing her scurry away. He bumped into Gaara, who stared him down intensely. She heard him squeak before fleeing even faster. This time, to a whole new compartment. The dark waves of Killing Intent finally disappeared.

Her eyes widened in realization. Kakashi had been protecting her.

Her shoulders relaxed and she gave him a grateful look. "Thanks."

His smile was more genuine now and he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, well, you should know by now that I'd do anything for you."

She blinked. Did she hear him right? "What was that, sensei?"

The train slowed to a stop and their destination was announced.

Rather than answering her, he turned away and said, "Oh look, we're here now. We should step off."

— author's note —

*I always thought that Sakura's parents were civilians because that would explain Genin!Sakura's skills and behavior... But if you look at their wiki page, they're actually low-leveled Chunin! However, I like the idea of her coming from a civilian family better because not only does it make her accomplishments more impressive, but a civilian upbringing also just makes more sense. I mean, what set of ninja parents would let their kid obsess over boys and their appearances than their own survival?

**Okay, I hate the fact that Sarada has glasses cuz it's gonna make her abilities weaker, that, and it just doesn't make sense??? How tf does ur eyesight go to shit from a FEVER? And her mom's literally the second best medic ever (or possibly IS the best) so how the fuck does Sakura fail to stop a fever like wtf what are the creators d o i n g???? But I guess Sarada's not Sarada w/o her signature glasses so I decided to write about the fever but made it so that Sakura isn't there to heal it so she doesn't look like an incompetent healer, because honestly WTF???

The awakening of Sarada's Sharingan came from the grief of losing her parents and not being able to do anything about it, and the anger of seeing her absentee father come back after years of no communication.

You're all free to theorize what Sasuke's reason for being so absent is. You won't find out the truth for a looong time so have at it.