The years following the war were ones of intense labor for the higher-ups and inhabitants of Konoha. The village slowly rose from its ruins, prioritizing the reconstruction of homes and medical centers, and finally, the iconic Hokage Rock stood tall once again as a symbol of the village, from Senju Hashirama to Uzumaki Naruto.
Four years after the war, Konoha had regained the tranquility it once knew. Children filled the academy once again, the first Chunin exam in a long time was celebrated with enthusiasm, and several shinobi were promoted in their ranks. The clans, with renewed pride, began to flourish once more in their greatness.
On a quiet winter noon, in one of the newly rebuilt houses of Konoha that maintained a completely recognizable structure, the sun's rays filtered through the closed curtains of one of the rooms, illuminating the scene. A young man who had spent a long time sleeping more in the cold grass and alert to the danger that lurked, now enjoyed being back in the warmth of his room, even if four years had passed since everything returned to normal.
The blond-haired boy lay on his bed, clinging to the warm sheets with determination, while trying to steal a few precious minutes of sleep after turning off the eighth alarm.
"Boruto!"
However, the ninth alarm rang in the room like a familiar voice, sounding tired and exasperated. Boruto suddenly opened his eyes, still under the covers, holding them firmly when he felt them trying to slip away from their warm embrace.
"Boruto! It's time to get up!" Sarada exclaimed irritably, tugging at the sheets covering him, trying to win. "Morning ended a while ago, it's noon, and we'll be late to pick up our mission"
"Sarada~" the blond murmured sleepily, resisting leaving his comfort under the sheets. "Just five more minutes, Sarada. Five minutes and I'll be ready"
"You've already turned off eight alarms! Eight!"
"There were still five more..."
"Did you expect them all to go off?!" Sarada exclaimed, visibly irritated.
The tense silence that filled the room was Boruto's silent answer, confirming what Sarada had asked. With a look of disbelief, the young ninja continued holding the sheets in her hands but without taking any action.
"I can't believe you've become so irresponsible" she said with frustration in her voice. "When we were genin, you used to be a few minutes late, but now it's hours. I understand you had a hard time back then and that you want to experience everything you missed at that time, but it's been four long years, your gap year is over"
Slowly, Boruto uncovered half of his face, revealing his blue eyes that seemed slightly curved in the corners, indicating a smile that couldn't be seen.
"That's embarrassing" he replied lightly. "But it'll only be for a little while longer..."
"Shannarōyo!" Sarada exclaimed with frustration, letting go of the sheets with force and letting them fall onto Boruto.
Uchiha crossed her arms and sighed resignedly, feeling that the situation was as predictable as it was exhausting. However, before she could do anything else, she felt foreign hands wrap around her waist and ended up squealing quite loudly when her body fell onto the bed.
A blushing Sarada looked incredulously at Boruto as he enveloped both of them in the sheets, inadvertently embracing the girl.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sarada asked, confused, her voice barely a whisper as if sharing a secret.
Instead, Boruto tightened the hug, creating a comfortable and warm refuge, he returned her gaze with a special sparkle in his blue eyes.
"What do you think I'm doing?" Boruto replied in a joking and sarcastic tone. "I just thought we could stay in bed a little longer. It's warm and cozy here"
"Y-your mother and Hima are downstairs!" Sarada exclaimed, still whispering quietly just for the two of them, completely blushing and holding her hands close to herself to avoid touching the other's body that seemed to be invading her space. "What if they walk in through the door and see us like this?"
"It's not like we're doing anything weird" Boruto said dismissively, casually rubbing his tousled hair against Sarada's. A wide smile with a hint of mischief appeared on his lips before he spoke again. "Besides, it's daytime"
"Boruto!"
"Nights are more romantic" the young shinobi murmured after closing his eyelids and ended up laughing softly when he felt the other's fists hitting his chest.
"Get up, get up and let me out" Sarada pretended to sob.
"Noo~" Boruto pretended to sob, still tightening the hug, wrapping his arms around her.
Motivated by his desire to stay longer in his home, Boruto decided to take the lead. Without releasing his embrace, he pounced on Sarada, trapping her between his arms and pulling her towards him. She tried to resist as she repeated that they would be late, she hit and tugged at Boruto's bedclothes to get him off her but to no avail. Boruto's blond hair mixed with Sarada's dark hair, completely disheveling it, creating a whirlwind of emotions.
And after running out of air under the sheets, they escaped from it with exaggerated inhales before finally resting their heads on the pillows, letting the sheets cover only their bodies, low and complicit laughter emanated from them. Suddenly they noticed that their faces were just inches apart, in that brief moment their gazes tangled and the air vibrated with electricity.
Both their hearts were beating rapidly as they stared at each other, immersed in the tension of the moment. The special sparkle in Boruto's eyes caught Sarada's attention, who found herself trapped in the magnetism of his gaze. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation.
"Sarada" Boruto broke the silence with a barely audible whisper, hypnotized by that special sparkle in his partner's dark irises.
"..."
"We could..." his words hung in the air, creating a palpable tension.
Time seemed to stand still as they drew closer, their faces just inches apart. Their gazes intensified, and a complicit silence enveloped them. Every millimeter that separated them was filled with a mix of anxiety and longing. The soft brush of their breaths created an intimate symphony that only they could hear. The rapid beating of their hearts resonated in their ears, amplifying the intensity of the moment.
And just as their lips were about to meet, the door of the room suddenly opened, breaking the magic of the moment.
"Onii-chan!" Himawari exclaimed, leaning against the wooden door she had just opened without warning, keeping her tired eyelids closed. "Mom says to stop bothering your team and hurry up"
Himawari yawned after speaking, scratching her leg with her fingertips and almost losing her balance, she was forced to open her eyes to regain her posture. The silence she felt at that moment was heavy, so heavy that it seemed to force them to fall to the ground, so with curiosity, she looked up to where an intense wave of tension was coming from.
Under the sheets, she could see a strange position where her brother seemed to be on top of Sarada, who remained lying on the bed. Both elders watched the blue-eyed girl, completely paralyzed, as if they had frozen in the North Pole. The three individuals found themselves in an uncomfortable silence as Himawari's gaze roamed the compromising scene.
She noticed that both of them were still dressed, luckily.
Himawari took a few more seconds to show any reaction, but then she let out a mischievous laugh.
"I want a niece" she whispered before closing the door and walking away laughing sinisterly.
Boruto and Sarada, still in a rather uncomfortable position, watched the closed door, burning with embarrassment. The heavy silence was broken by a disbelieving laugh from the blond, who suddenly looked downcast but avoided eye contact with Sarada.
"A niece, huh..." he said, his voice sounding incredulous and almost inaudible, carrying with it a tone full of longing that was hard to hide.
It was as if those simple words had awakened in him a fantasy that had been hidden until now. Images of a little girl with dark hair and bright eyes formed in his mind, and a smile appeared on his lips. In that moment, he found that scene gradually charming, as if the mere thought filled his heart.
He squealed quite audibly, and not at all manly, when his illusion was interrupted by a hand that struck his left cheek forcefully, his body fell heavily off the bed, and Sarada, completely flushed, looked terrifying with her fist raised in threat.
And that warm home in Konoha, which was rebuilt just as it was at the beginning, witnessed how the savior of the shinobi world whimpered like a scolded child on the floor of his room.