Journey of Discovery

Chapter 16 - A Favor

Naruto arrived at the Uchiha's residence just as promised. He waited patiently at the door after knocking. The inside of the home was lit up and he could hear chatter from coming inside.

'I'm happy he found his way back to her' Naruto thought to himself as he waited. Without Sakura, Sasuke wouldn't have a family or a house this warm and full of love. It made all the pain they suffered through getting him back worth it.

"Hi Naruto!" Sakura greeted as she opened the door.

"Hey Sakura!" he greeted the pink Uchiha. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He's sitting out back. Sasuke told me why you're here. Thank you for doing this."

Naruto grinned while rubbing the back of his head with his bandaged hand, "Anything for you guys, you know?" And he always meant that.

They walked through the sliding door into the back yard where Sasuke was seated in one of the chairs on the patio, a cup of tea in his hand. Sakura and Naruto sat in the chairs on each side of him.

"So, where did you want to start?" Naruto asks, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't wasting any time, this was serious.

"She's seen our battle when we were 13, she knows nothing of our final one, the one after the war."

"So what? We just sit her down and you guys jump right into it? That doesn't seem any better than her just using the Jutsu on her own again" Sakura said. She was uneasy about this whole thing but knew it needed to be done. It was the final piece of the puzzle for Sarada, she won't have to wonder about anything else.

"What would make you feel more comfortable?" Sasuke asked her in all seriousness. He knew how much stress this whole experience has put on her. Anything he could do to ease her worries, he would.

"I honestly don't know. There's really no other way to go about it" she said quietly. "I think you both should have a discussion with her before showing her anything. Just give her a brief explanation of it all."

Sasuke nodded in agreement to his wife's words and stood from his seat to walk inside. "Sarada!" he called from the bottom of the stairs. He only had to wait a moment before he saw her appear at the top. She descended them and stopped when she was almost eye level to him, about two stairs from the bottom.

"You ready Sarada?" he asked.

She nodded her head slightly and took his outstretched hand. The duo walked outside together to where the other two were waiting.

"Sit with me Sarada" he instructed her as he made room in the seat next to him. She was able to squeeze in, her father's arm draped around her.

"Why is Lord Hokage here?" Sarada asked politely, giving Naruto a soft smile. She was always happy to see him but it was rare anymore that he was able to make a visit to their home.

"Well Sarada," Sasuke started, pulling her close, "This is the next part of the story. This is how we each lost an arm."

Sarada looked surprised, looking between Naruto and Sasuke. "You mean, you lost your arm too Lord Seventh?" Many Shinobi used bandages in an assortment of ways, from covering scars to an accessory to their outfit, she had never guessed that the arm beneath those bandages wasn't his.

Naruto held up his right hand, "This arm was created for me using the cells from the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

"So, did you both lose your arms during the war?"

Sasuke met Sakura's eyes briefly, she looked as if she was holding her breath. "It was actually just after the war" he answered. "I think we need to start a little before that part though, okay?"

Sarada nodded her head. Sasuke continued, "Naruto and your mother and I were responsible for ending the war. We were only able to do so because of amazing gifts we received from a man named Hagoromo."

"You see, your father and I were hurt pretty badly. Hagoromo split his chakra between us and saved our lives" Naruto explained further.

Sarada interjected, "Do you mean Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki? The creator of ninjutsu? I thought he was a myth."

"You've paid attention in school" Naruto said, laughing softly, "Yes, it was believed he was a myth but we can assure you that he's real."

"Okay" Sarada said, having a lot more questions than before, "if you had these gifts then how did you lose your arms? Did you get attacked?"

The former teammates all sat in brief silence after her question, none of them quite knowing what to say. Sasuke broke the silence, "That's where the Jutsu comes in Sarada. We just want you to be prepared for what we are about to show you."

"Sarada," Sakura said, getting her daughters attention, "This is going to be just like all the other times; keep an open mind and know that things have changed since then."

Sarada looked uneasy but nodded her head in understanding. Sasuke hugged her close, "You can back out if you want" he told her quietly. She shook her head vigorously, "No. I want to do this."

They all stood from their seats, standing in a circle facing each other. Sakura reached over and held her husband's hand, he gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Sarada, you do the honors" Sasuke told her.

She nodded her head and weaved the hand signs. Once the darkness cleared she was revealed to be in a familiar place, somewhere she had been once before while using this Jutsu. They were standing above a waterfall, two men carved from stone on each side.

"Papa, I've been here before" she said looking around. "This is where you and Lord Seventh fought as kids."

"That's right Sarada" he said, looking out over the distance. His eyes were locked on to something. She followed his gaze and saw the younger version of him and Naruto standing above the stone men once again.

Sarada followed his gaze to the teenagers. Her eyes widened in realization, "Don't tell me" she said softly, trailing off her sentence. She stood frozen as her father and Naruto began to fight for a second time.