Sakura seemed to give up her little crusade after that. Tsunade watched with some amusement as she redirected her energies toward other pursuits -- putting medic-nins into each team, Tsunade's old crusade, creating cross-country information lines about epidemics and their vaccines and treatments, nudging forward the equality of sexes...
In all the upheavals that the Hokage and his teammates had introduced into the country in the last twenty years of rule, the abolishment of gendered language into Konoha's own laws passed almost unnoticed.
Three days later a petition to the Hokage for the right of the Haruno clan to an heir of their own landed on the Hokage's desk.
"I don't get it," said Naruto.
"It means my marriage contract to Sasuke meant any children born under its umbrella would be Uchihas, no matter who actually fathered them, but that's only if there's no other contract -- if the Harunos are recognized as a clan then as the Haruno heir I could have official concubines of my own."
"... Oooh. It'll work?"
Sakura beamed at him. "Unless you've pissed off the Kotaka recently..."
Later she barged in Tsunade's office, brandishing the stamp-covered paperwork, green eyes gleaming behind their little round glasses.
"FINALLY! Oh god, finally."
Tsunade squinted as she read, and then nodded, amused and a little proud that Sakura would have engineered a whole social revolution rather than let go of her goal. "I take it this is the end of our little tea sessions?"
"Oh, I'm sure I'll find more reasons to come visit you. Like, say..."
"Alright, what have you done now."
Sakura sat, trying badly to pretend to be annoyed. Her eyes were still bright, still so fierce and so young. "Oh, it's Naruto, you know how he is..."
"Don't stall."
"Well, he asked me if that meant our next children would be named Haruno. And, well, yes, that's exactly what it means, except for a small, niggling detail -- menopause."
"Which would be grounds for refusal of your request by the Council," Tsunade pointed out, only because she could see Sakura coming from a mile away.
Sakura grimaced at her. "They've got enough grounds for that anyway -- It's mostly just silly legalese and twisty loopholes, but I'm pretty sure the Council will approve it just so their Hokage stops flaunting the fact that he's someone's side dish. They're going to give this shiny bit of polite fiction the go-ahead because it's the most respectable they'll ever make Naruto look. BUT ANYWAY," she said, forging ahead.
"Yes?" Tsunade asked, as if she didn't know where her student of twenty years was going.
"Well. Naruto and Sasuke miss having kids. Young ones, I mean. They're all grown and out of the house now..."
Tsunade took a sip of tea, noncommittal. "I'm sure."
"... Masteeeeeer."
Tsunade relented, eyes laughing, though her face kept looking stern. "I might have some ideas of how to get around that little menopause problem, if you can find the funds for the necessary research at the hospital..."
Sakura beamed at her. "Great! I have a lot of those, too."
She looked down at the official decree, caressed the red stamps. Tsunade could see it on her face -- the silly 'official' approval that shouldn't have meant half as much as it ended up meaning for the balance of her relationship.
Naruto and Sasuke's concubine/husband bond wasn't even legal in Fire Country, yet how it had galled at her to leave things undone -- done only twice. How much she had needed to correct that last imbalance, to bridge that last divide.
Then she looked up, and she smiled that bright, harsh smile that meant there were still heights to be conquered.
"While we're pioneering new medical jutsu, what do you say about making a child with two fathers? I was thinking, if we emptied an ovum and then merged two sperm cells..."
3/3!! :D
In all the upheavals that the Hokage and his teammates had introduced into the country in the last twenty years of rule, the abolishment of gendered language into Konoha's own laws passed almost unnoticed.
Three days later a petition to the Hokage for the right of the Haruno clan to an heir of their own landed on the Hokage's desk.
"I don't get it," said Naruto.
"It means my marriage contract to Sasuke meant any children born under its umbrella would be Uchihas, no matter who actually fathered them, but that's only if there's no other contract -- if the Harunos are recognized as a clan then as the Haruno heir I could have official concubines of my own."
"... Oooh. It'll work?"
Sakura beamed at him. "Unless you've pissed off the Kotaka recently..."
Later she barged in Tsunade's office, brandishing the stamp-covered paperwork, green eyes gleaming behind their little round glasses.
"FINALLY! Oh god, finally."
Tsunade squinted as she read, and then nodded, amused and a little proud that Sakura would have engineered a whole social revolution rather than let go of her goal. "I take it this is the end of our little tea sessions?"
"Oh, I'm sure I'll find more reasons to come visit you. Like, say..."
"Alright, what have you done now."
Sakura sat, trying badly to pretend to be annoyed. Her eyes were still bright, still so fierce and so young. "Oh, it's Naruto, you know how he is..."
"Don't stall."
"Well, he asked me if that meant our next children would be named Haruno. And, well, yes, that's exactly what it means, except for a small, niggling detail -- menopause."
"Which would be grounds for refusal of your request by the Council," Tsunade pointed out, only because she could see Sakura coming from a mile away.
Sakura grimaced at her. "They've got enough grounds for that anyway -- It's mostly just silly legalese and twisty loopholes, but I'm pretty sure the Council will approve it just so their Hokage stops flaunting the fact that he's someone's side dish. They're going to give this shiny bit of polite fiction the go-ahead because it's the most respectable they'll ever make Naruto look. BUT ANYWAY," she said, forging ahead.
"Yes?" Tsunade asked, as if she didn't know where her student of twenty years was going.
"Well. Naruto and Sasuke miss having kids. Young ones, I mean. They're all grown and out of the house now..."
Tsunade took a sip of tea, noncommittal. "I'm sure."
"... Masteeeeeer."
Tsunade relented, eyes laughing, though her face kept looking stern. "I might have some ideas of how to get around that little menopause problem, if you can find the funds for the necessary research at the hospital..."
Sakura beamed at her. "Great! I have a lot of those, too."
She looked down at the official decree, caressed the red stamps. Tsunade could see it on her face -- the silly 'official' approval that shouldn't have meant half as much as it ended up meaning for the balance of her relationship.
Naruto and Sasuke's concubine/husband bond wasn't even legal in Fire Country, yet how it had galled at her to leave things undone -- done only twice. How much she had needed to correct that last imbalance, to bridge that last divide.
Then she looked up, and she smiled that bright, harsh smile that meant there were still heights to be conquered.
"While we're pioneering new medical jutsu, what do you say about making a child with two fathers? I was thinking, if we emptied an ovum and then merged two sperm cells..."