Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Stranger than the Wild	By : kiddattwell Category: Naruto > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 30155 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I don't make any money off of it.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Chapter 14

----Sasuke

His vision was blurry; he couldn’t quite seem to open his eyes, but the shapes coming in and out of focus were familiar. The light walls of his bedroom, wrinkled sheets, familiar faces. A light, ghosting caress of fingers on his chest.

Naruto didn’t look like himself in the brief flashes he could make out. His eyes were the wrong color, his skin was too pale, his hair was long. But despite all appearances, there was no doubt in Sasuke’s mind who was touching him.

Just as things were finally getting somewhere, there was a sound on the stairs. Footsteps. Loud banging footsteps that gave Sasuke no choice but to break the hold of his dream and open his eyes to the morning light that shone in through his still curtain-less windows.

The footsteps halted on the landing, followed by the sound of someone opening and shutting the hall closet. Then they retreated, and Sasuke took a breath to control his sudden rage at being awoken before adjusting himself in his shorts. It took a while before his lust induced anger receded and shame set in.

The dreams were mostly sensory rather than visual... A brush of hair. The sensation of lips on his face. But even without visuals, there was no question as to who was touching him.

It’s Sakura, he insisted, ...most of the time.

But this morning and for the past couple mornings, it had been Naruto.

The first time he’d dreamt about his male teammate, he had woken up on the floor of the living room, sleeping stiffly on Sakura’s sleeping bag with the woman in question curled up a foot or two away on his bag while his feet entwined with Naruto’s, who was sprawled on the floor in the opposite direction.

He was able to put that dream out of his mind. It was weird, an anomaly. Something to forget. But after the second time, then third... it was just getting disturbing.

At least with Sakura, even though he felt stupid afterwards, he understood why his brain chose her.

But Naruto... he knew he wasn’t sexually attracted to Naruto. Naruto was goofy and foolish, even if he did manage to say some insightful things sometimes. The idea of the blonde’s weight holding him down while things were happening... that was grotesque. Not because they were the same sex, but because it was Naruto.

Sasuke knew from previous experience that he tended to have those kind of dreams about whoever happened to be around him at any given time, male or female. But they were usually so infrequent that he had never given them much thought. He’d had more important things to tend to.

But now that his schedule was less vigorous... the dreams were becoming more so.

Sasuke sighed and peevishly threw his feet over the side of the bed. He barely had control over his waking mind and emotions. It was just his luck that his dreams were turning against him as well.

+++

“Morning Sasuke-kun!” Sakura chirped, smiling at him as he walked down the steps.

“Is that what you made for breakfast?” He asked, shuffling over to the refrigerator to get left over rice and an egg.

“No. Since Yamato-sensei is coming, I thought I’d have some snacks ready for him.”

Naruto surprised him, popping in from the open back door, shirtless and still wet from a bath. Sasuke quickly went about heating his food.

“Turns out Sakura-chan has some pretty traditional house wife skills!” Naruto said cheerfully.

Sakura turned pink and sputtered.

“N-no I don’t! It’s just, he’s doing this big job for us and it might tire him out, so I thought it might be good to have snacks!”

“Why can’t ‘cha buy ‘em at the mini-mart?” Naruto asked, rubbing his face with a towel.

“I... I thought these would be nicer. Plus, I always got the feeling that he didn’t like me very much, so...”

“Trying to win him over with treats, eh? Don’t bother; the guy’s weird-“

“No I’m not! I just want him to do a good job!”

“So it’s bribery, then?”

Sasuke listened to them squabble while he ate, just happy that the man was finally coming.

They waited two weeks before they called Yamato to make the addition, his teammates insisting that he take some time to be “sure” that he wanted them to move in.

He wanted to tell them that he wouldn’t have offered if he wasn’t sure, but at the time he was still feeling drained and didn’t exactly want to be shouted down by the duo if he resisted their suggestion.

In the meantime, they were back to sleeping on his living room floor. As far as he understood it, they were still dating. Whether they were intimate or not, he couldn’t tell and didn’t want to know. Most nights he ended up sitting on the floor with them until late in the evening, discussing missions and events around Konoha, or listening to the two of them analyze the emotional status of people he vaguely remembered, but whom they seemed infinitely concerned about. He wasn’t sure if he was getting in their way. In the spirit of their newly hatched honesty pact, he did ask a few nights ago if he was keeping them from anything, but they were so quick and insistent in their denial that he didn’t bring it up again. If he was bothering them with his presence, he figured he had done his part in asking.

Sakura always made sure the room was tidied after she woke up, the sound of her stowing the sleeping bags usually being what woke him up, but for the most part, having them there was nice. It even bordered on relaxing, sometimes... at least when they weren’t yelling about chores or food and things like that. But Sasuke supposed that if loudness was the most he had to deal with, then they’d be alright, especially after they had their own areas in the house.

But now, Sakura’s cheeks were pink from anger and Naruto was teasing her too much, his grin wide and leering, even as he affected a casual air. Sasuke put his dishes in the sink and brushed Sakura’s shoulder to get her attention.

“Let’s go over the plans one more time before he gets here. Do you know where we left them?” Sasuke asked.

The simple interjection worked immediately and he watched her eyes flutter as she turned her gaze to the ceiling in thought.

“We were using the shoe cupboard to draw on, then I put them in the drawer on top. Let me go get it,” she said, jogging into the adjoining room.

Thankfully, she missed Naruto making kissy faces at him, to which he mouthed a slow and deliberate, Dobe.

+++

The man who was rebuilding Konoha, known as Yamato-sensei to Sakura and Naruto, showed up early, as they were still reviewing the plans. After they let him inside, Sakura and Naruto cornered Sasuke in the upstairs hall and asked again if he was sure before they let the man get started. To which Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

Yamato listened to Sasuke carefully and built the structures as described, including the gate and surrounding fence. When he was done, he waved away their thanks and offers of snacks and retreated back from whence he came, leaving the three to explore the new space.

Now when they looked out the back door, instead of a hose and make-shift bathtub, there was a weedy courtyard that separated the main hub of the house from the rest of the rooms that formed the rectangular enclosure, with a wraparound breezeway connecting it all together. Sakura and Naruto shoved each other in their haste to explore until they both came to an abrupt stop, complaining of splinters.

“That jerk! Can’t he take the time to make sure all the boards are completely smooth?” Naruto complained, staring down the wooden planks of the walkway, his eyes filled with accusation.

“I guess we still have to sand and seal a few of these,” Sakura sighed, using her chakra to push a pretty gruesome looking splinter out of Naruto’s big toe.

Sasuke stepped carefully down the breezeway, looking into every room. He hadn’t been inside any of the residential buildings Yamato had rebuilt, so he hadn’t been sure what to expect. Everything looked right, more solid than even hand craftsmanship, right down to the sliding shogi doors. He pushed open the door to one of the rooms, admiring its weightiness.

“Yamato-sensei’s pretty incredible though,” Sakura said, peeking into the room from behind him, “He can even use his wood creation to make paper. He must have trained for years for that kind of control.”

“He can bend wood into paper, but can’t smooth out the splinters?” Naruto groused.

Sakura laughed, “Are you really that mad?”

Sasuke tuned out their bickering as he examined the room in front of him. Even though he had deliberately chosen a different design from his old house, he had half-way expected to feel something... almost like a ghost.

But these rooms were plain and pristine. And they didn’t just belong to him, but to someone else as well.

“Is it what you imagined?” Sakura asked, walking further into the space and examining all four walls.

“It’s big,” Naruto commented, slapping Sasuke on the shoulder, “Good thing you claimed such a big chunk of property.”

“So? You like it?” Sakura pressed.

“It’s fine,” Sasuke said, then added, “It’s your space, anyway. I should be the one asking you.”

Sakura’s smile doubled and Naruto nudged him again, but Sasuke shoved him away with his shoulder.

“Neh! Don’t start fighting in here. You’ll be covered in splinters!” Sakura ordered as the two squared off.

In the end, Sakura took the room on the right side of the courtyard and Naruto the room to the left. With Sasuke upstairs in the main body of the house, they had almost every direction covered. And with the fence... another small part of him was put at ease, knowing that even if it only offered minimum security, at least their privacy was safer.

**** **** **** ****

Yamato wasn’t the only one to be stop by that day. Frequent visitors were another part of living with Naruto and Sakura that he (grudgingly) had to get used to. The entirety of Team Asuma came to investigate only a few hours after the addition went up. They were a curious group and seemed to be more interested in taking in Sakura and Naruto’s exchanges than looking around the house. Sasuke stayed out of their way.

In the following weeks, Ino often dropped by in the evenings and afternoons to bicker and squeal with Sakura and sometimes Naruto.

He reckoned he probably saw every member of his genin graduating class over the next three weeks. Even the old bushy browed Rock Lee came by to visit and remind them all to show up for training sessions.

But the most dumbfounding visitor of all was Kakashi.

In the first weeks after the team had reunited, Sasuke had half expected Kakashi to turn up randomly on some street corner and run a single gloating eye over him before walking away like nothing had happened. What he hadn’t expected was for him to knock on the door, and then have the nerve to ask for Sakura without taking an eye off his book until she was produced.

“Kakashi!” She greeted as she rounded the corner in her usual, enthusiastic manner.

Kakashi finally put his book away to regard the pink haired figure in front of him before producing a message from his back pocket, “Summons from the Hokage’s office. I’m in and out so much I said I’d deliver it in person.”

Sakura opened the scroll, then snorted briefly before rolling it back up, “It’s not urgent, but I suppose I can head in her direction.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Kakashi said. Sasuke, who was watching the whole scene from the edge of the entry way, saw Sakura’s bright smile as she turned to grab her shoes. It was only then that Kakashi caught his eye, but instead of smugness, there was something else... a look he couldn’t decipher.

The moment was over in an instant. Sakura slipped on her sandals and the older man was already turning toward the newly erected gate. Sakura dashed after him, waving before she shut the door, “See you, Sasuke-kun!”

Sasuke dismissed the small moment and put it from his mind, but soon it wasn’t so easy. Kakashi showed up more often, always seeming to want a word with Sakura, or dragging her off somewhere. Once, in town, he even spotted them returning from the training fields together, Sakura grinning and sweaty, and Kakashi... well, he might have looked happy too, but Sasuke thought he was too good at faking to be sure.

How was it possible that Kakashi had discovered a new way to annoy him? Weren’t the hundred or so methods he regularly employed enough?

In passing one night, he mentioned the white-haired ninja’s frequent visitations to Naruto, but the idiot only smiled.

“I’ve noticed them together a lot lately too. It’s nice, right? Sakura-chan was always so studious... kinda a teacher’s pet, wanting to be acknowledged. It’s good that Kakashi-sensei’s finally giving her some attention.”

“Hasn’t she outgrown that yet?” Sasuke asked, tsking.

“That’s not really something you outgrow, more... you learn to get over it. I’m still like that too, in some ways,” Naruto smiled sheepishly.

“You haven’t exactly given up your dream of being Hokage,” Sasuke said.

“Nope! And won’t it be nice for you, the leader of the Uchiha clan, to share a house with the most powerful Hokage Konoha has ever seen?”

“Just how long do you plan on living here?” Sasuke grumbled, but Naruto just laughed.

“I dunno. The rest of my life, probably.”

And that statement alone gave Sasuke enough to think about until the next time he saw Kakashi slinking after his female teammate.

+++

“All the high paying missions are so far away...” Naruto whined, studying the mission board. It was the middle of the afternoon, so HQ wasn’t exactly a hopping bed of activity, allowing the two ninjas to take a leisurely examination of their options.

Sasuke stayed silent. The missions were definitely juxtaposed as either long and intensive or comically easy.

“We’ve got to take one though, especially if we’re gonna buy things for the house,” Naruto continued uneasily, “I just don’t know if Oba-chan will let Sakura take another long mission again so soon.”

“At our level we’re not always going to be able to take missions together,” Sasuke said, although he wasn’t exactly pleased either. He didn’t want to go on missions with anyone else, especially long ones. And solo missions were few and far between it seemed.

“I guess we’ll make more money if we each take a leadership role on different missions... But I don’t wanna babysit a chunin team for two weeks on the road either. Maybe Shikamaru has a hook up... or on second thought, maybe not,” Naruto said, looking more somber all of the sudden. Sasuke was sure that had something to do with the deterioration of his sly eyed, ponytailed friend, but luckily, he didn’t have to think of something to say because Naruto suddenly tossed his hands in the air and started walking toward the exit.

“Feh! Maybe I’ll just stick around and teach! It’ll give me time to train with someone other than you.”

Sasuke shot the blonde a glare, but outside of that, managed to control his sudden rancor at Naruto’s statement. Between him and Sakura and maybe Kakashi, Naruto had his training needs covered. Why waste time with weak people when Sasuke was the strongest out of everyone else in the village?

Maybe he can tell I’ve gone soft, he thought. He grit his teeth as he swallowed his heartbeat back into his chest and took long, but silent breaths as he walked down the street behind him.

Back at home, Sasuke sat on the kitchen counter as Naruto explained the mission situation to Sakura, who was using her time off to winterize the house, coming home with blankets and space heaters and wicker baskets that smelled like spices.

Leaning against the counter beside him, she looked thoughtfully past them both.

“Well... you could just stick around here. We’re not actually hurting for money if we pool our income as a household. I can buy the furniture and take care of the bills.”

“What? How?” Naruto squawked.

She smirked at them both, “Unlike you meat-heads, I have what’s called “practical skills”. The hospital pays pretty decent, considering the economy right now, and I’ve got savings too, since I never bothered to find a place to rent. If you don’t want to go on extended trips or do potato picking and pet finding missions, we can all rely on my salary for a while. If you’re good boys, I’ll even cut you both an allowance.”

“Can we really survive on what you make, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, leaning over the island to study her face. She nodded.

“All joking aside, there’s lots of good reasons for you two to stick around. You’re looking toward more diplomatic jobs in the future, right? Maybe now is the time to really start your training in that regard.”

She looked over to raise an eyebrow at Sasuke. She had a point, he thought, but...

“As soon as the village is back in order, we’re going to start having to pay taxes on the house and property,” Sasuke said. It was a practical reply, but it didn’t quite cover his real discomfort. Money had never been important to Sasuke other than as a means to buy food and weapons. Konoha‘s stipend for orphans had taken care of his finances outside of that. But to have Sakura supporting him entirely felt wrong.

“If things get really dire, missions are always there,” Sakura said, “And you might get assigned missions if something comes up. But it feels like... if you two are planning on being leaders someday, now is the time to learn what that means. We have more than enough high-ranked ninjas to cover the hard missions, which are few and far between anyway. But outside of Tsunade-sama, there’s not much government infrastructure to rely on. Take advantage and wedge yourselves in there.”

“I suppose we’ll be able to keep up with our training well enough... and there’s always the academy to keep us busy, too...” Naruto said.

Sakura nodded, then gave Sasuke a small smile, “You can trust me. I wouldn’t offer to take care of this if I didn’t know I could. I want you to do something for yourself... something you want to do. Whether it’s politics or taking up gardening or whatever. I want to give you some time. You too, Naruto. I know you’ve been saying you’re going to be Hokage forever, but maybe you’ve changed-”

“HA! No way. That is the one thing in this world that hasn’t changed. But thanks for the offer,” he said, stretching across the counter to plant a brief kiss on her lips that she smiled through. Sasuke felt his heart speed up as he witnessed the exchange, but put it out of his mind to focus on the matter at hand.

++++

The next day Sasuke trailed after Naruto on the way to HQ. The blonde had arranged a meeting with the Hokage as quickly and easily as someone else might order take-out.

“Do you know what you’re going to say to her?” Sasuke asked Naruto, who was so carefree he was practically whistling.

“Nah. I’ll just go in and say what Sakura said. To take advantage of the infrastructure or whatever.”

Sasuke clenched his jaw, then unclenched it, “Baka. You can’t just say you’re trying to get into politics by leveraging the post-war chaos.”

“I know, I know. I’m just saying.”

“Are you taking this seriously at all?” Sasuke asked.

“Yeah, but... it’s just that old baa-chan we have to talk to. I don’t have to rehearse what to say to her.”

Sasuke wasn’t sure if he wanted to sigh or punch the guy.

+++

“So Oba-chan, I think it’s time for you to start training me.”

Sasuke’s trained neutral face gave nothing away. Hopefully, Tsunade would take that fact alone as proof that he could have a future career in politics.

Tsunade looked up from her paper work briefly, fixing Naruto with a cold, questioning stare, “You wanna be a healer now? Get Sakura to train you. I’m busy.”

“Mou! You know what I mean. I need you to teach me how to be a good leader.”

Tsunade pretended to ignore him, and for a second, Sasuke thought Naruto took it well. The blonde sighed, straightened his spine and looked briefly out the window. Then he shouted, “C’mon, ya old bag! You can’t stay in office forever! Who else is gonna take over when you retire?”

Shizune cringed as she waited for Tsunade’s reaction, but the older woman only responded with another icy glare, “I’m going to name Hatake Kakashi as my successor.”

“That’s even more reason to train me! You know he’s gonna appoint me when the time comes.”

“Then he can train you.”

“Why are you being so ornery all the sudden? You know I want to be Hokage! Just tell me what you want me to do to prove myself and I’ll do it!”

Sasuke felt a stab of anger, not at Naruto, but at Tsunade. Why should Naruto have to prove himself after everything he had done? If it wasn’t for the two of them, there wouldn’t even be a Konoha for Tsunade to run.

As though she could read his mind, Tsunade suddenly fixed him with a long look.

After a few seconds had passed, she glanced back at Naruto, “What’s with the boyfriend here? You plan on making the title of Hokage some kind of Team 7 joint venture?”

That made Naruto pause for a moment, and he glanced over his shoulder to meet his eyes before he turned back to the woman, “Yeah, I do.” He said simply.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, “I’ve heard worse ideas, but get a grip. I was just joking.”

“I’m not. I’m going to be Hokage and Sasuke is going to be my number two.”

Tsunade finally sighed and made a sweeping motion with her hand, “That’s it. Naruto... just... Shizune, can you take Sasuke to the waiting room for a moment?”

Naruto gave him a nod of approval as he let himself be led outside to the small assembly of chairs beside the staircase. Shizune looked resigned to sit and wait, pulling out some paper work and continuing her business as Sasuke piqued his ears, listening for the sounds of yelling from the Hokage’s office. However, there was nothing but silence as the minutes passed.

Before long, the door opened and Shizune’s name was called.

“Bring Sasuke back, please.”

When he reentered, Naruto was the one holding open the door for him. He smiled, but it seemed a bit more subdued than usual. When they stood before the Hokage again, she seemed just as cold as before.

“Sasuke, I need to know your motivation for all this. With your history, I’m sure you can understand why you aren’t exactly an intuitive pick for a job serving the citizens of Konoha. So tell me, why do you want this?”

Sasuke took a quick, silent breath before he spoke, “To weed out corruption in the most powerful ninja force in the world. To make sure what happened to my family never happens again. To keep my home safe from outside threats. And to protect and support my team,” he said, rattling off more reasons as they sprung up in his mind, hardly even analyzing them until after they were spoken.

Was Naruto blushing behind his stupid, shit-eating grin? Or was Sasuke just imagining it? Either way, Tsunade didn’t look moved one way or the other.

“Well, like I told Naruto, if you really want to pursue this, come back in two days’ time. We’ll begin your training then.”

**** **** **** ****

“See? Easy,” Naruto said as they walked back on to the street into the brisk air, “Although, I gotta say, I think we just signed up for something really boring. I dunno what I’m gonna do if she just wants me to file papers all day or something... At least she said we’d still have regular missions...” Naruto babbled on as they walked.

Sasuke wished he felt as easy as Naruto seemed to about it. The path of his life had changed yet again when he spoke those words to Tsunade-sama. He didn’t have to tell her anything personal like that. He didn’t have to volunteer for diplomatic training at all. He could have waited until Naruto was Hokage and ingratiated himself that way. But he didn’t. He made a choice. He would become smarter, savvier, to support the future Hokage and protect him from anyone who would take advantage of him. This wasn’t just about preventing a repeat of the past. When he was staring at the back of Naruto’s stupid, spiky haired head, he was looking at his future.

Naruto happened to glance back at him, and stopped walking.

“Are you ok, teme?” He asked, reaching out for his shoulder.

Sasuke nodded, but he could feel himself trembling and couldn’t stop. Naruto fixed him with a questioning look, before glancing around. “Let’s hurry home,” he said. Sasuke followed on shaky legs.

Back home, Naruto started calling around for Sakura as Sasuke made a beeline for the stairs. However, heavy footsteps followed him moments later and Naruto breezed into his bedroom without a care.

“What’s going on? I know something’s up; it’s all over your face.” Naruto said, falling on to the edge of his bed.

Sasuke shook his head, “I’m fine. Just... cold.”

“You can tell me anything, ya know?” Naruto prompted, but Sasuke just walked to the other end of his bedroom and threw off his shirt.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

“Take a bath,” Naruto advised, “Since you’re so cold. I’ll heat up some ramen for you.”

“You mean for you,” Sasuke snorted.

“For us.”

“Just get out already,” Sasuke said, his pants joining his shirt on the ground.

“What’re you so shy for,” Narunto said, waggling his eyebrows at him, but shutting the door behind him a second later. As soon as he was gone, Sasuke laid down on his bed.

Why did he have to get weak now, and for no reason? It was one thing to freak out when you’re losing the only two people you care about in the world, but it’s a whole different situation when you’re crying over becoming a politician.

He laid there, listening to the sound of Naruto banging the pots and bowls around in the kitchen and trying to feel normal again.

What have I gotten myself into?

Whatever it was, declaring that his life was practically going to revolve around Naruto certainly wasn’t going to help his dreams get any better.

—Sakura

Sakura did one last visual pass over the living room, making sure everything was in place. The furniture had been delivered from the village just outside of Konoha and she had spent the morning pushing and pulling her couches into the perfect layout. There wasn’t much she could do for decoration outside of the basics that she had ordered, so the walls were bare and the kotatsu was empty of any knickknacks or flowers, but it felt homey anyway. It helped that Sasuke, before he was taken up with the task of assembling his western style bed, had passed by the arrangement and gave it a silent nod of approval. But she was expecting Ino any minute now and that girl had always had a knack for decorating and other girly tasks like that, so she had wanted to impress her as much as she could.

A few moments later there was a knock, and Sakura trotted over to the front door to admit her friend.

“Hey forehead.”

“Hey...” Sakura said, pausing as she took in Ino’s appearance. She seemed pale. There were dark, bluish circles under her eyes and she seemed thinner than just a week ago, the bones of her shoulders protruding more than usual from the light muscles of her arms.

Ino frowned at her and Sakura bit back her concerns. She knew from experience that Ino did not like being told she wasn’t looking good, but apparently she could sense Sakura struggling for some other way to justify her concerns because she just sighed.

“It’s fine,” Ino said briskly, “I know I look like shit. Luckily, my furniture assessing skills are still in good condition, so let me see these couches already.”

“I wasn’t going to say that,” Sakura protested, but Ino just brushed by her to take off her sandals in the entrance way.

“I wish you would have let me come with you,” Ino said, staring down at the floor, “I’ve been in agony over what you might have picked without me there to guide you away from the puke green and mustardy oranges.”

“I’ll have you know that puke green just happens to make my eyes pop! And that orange quilt was from my grandma!”

And so, Sakura was thoroughly distracted until Ino finally appraised the living room with a look of approval on her face.

“It’s nice. Kind of modern, kind of retro... But sleek. I’m sure the boys are happy with your picks.”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to overwhelm them with pink and frilly right off the bat,” Sakura said, snorting at what Naruto and Sasuke’s faces would have been like if they had come home to a living room that resembled the one from her childhood dollhouse.

“Nothing wrong with frills,” Ino said, plopping down on one of the long couches, “Boys don’t seem to mind them either... in the right context.”

“Ewww... Please don’t tell me about Shikamaru’s underwear preferences,” Sakura said.

“Who said I was talking about Shikamaru?” Ino said. Normally, Ino might have delivered that kind of line archly, or teasingly. But instead, she seemed to go cold, not even bothering to look at Sakura, staring at the far wall instead.

“Hey... you seem a bit off... Are you ok?” Sakura asked, sitting down beside her friend, her hand moving across the girls back in a comforting pat.

“I don’t know. I really don’t,” Ino sleeked her ponytail over her shoulder and stared down at the floor, “I’m not fine, but I don’t know what there is to talk about.”

“Is it about Shikamaru? Or...” Sakura bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she should be the first one to bring up Ino’s parents. Despite Ino’s bright, animated personality, Sakura knew that she felt things deeply, even if she didn’t like to let others know it. She got a small stab of guilt that always came when she realized how truly lucky she was. Sakura had Ino, her team, her parents, Tsunade... and even before his offer of friendship, Kakashi had been there if she had really needed him. She knew she didn’t have any control over things like fate and death, and knew that Ino knew that too. But part of her wondered if her friend ever resented her for her good fortune.

It made it hard to offer advice without feeling like an insensitive schmuck. But in the end, she decided it was more important that that Ino knew someone was there for her. So Sakura took a breath and said, “You know... I’m sure you know this, but... I’m here. For anything. I know there might be some things you don’t want to share, like... there’s stuff we all hold back. But you don’t have to. I can take it all.”

“If I can’t talk about something, it’s usually because I don’t want to face it either. It’s not because I don’t trust you, forehead.”

“Ok. But... can I ask... what’s changed in the past week? You seemed like you were doing better, er... healthier.”

“My dad’s birthday. My mom’s had already gone by, but... I guess it just made me realize this... this horrible thing,” Ino said, snorting through her nose like she thought of a joke.

“What?”

Ino rolled her eyes to the ceiling, “That no matter how much of Chouji’s food I eat, or time I spend cheering up Shikamaru or effort I put into the flower shop, my parents are still dead. And they’re going to stay that way... forever,” she added, an odd expression coloring her face.

Sakura didn’t know what to say. Ino had seemed so happy for a while, almost normal. The sudden turn back to depression caught her completely off guard.

But more importantly, how do I comfort her when she’s right?

While Sakura was floundering, Ino went on, “Shikamaru really is smart. I think he’s known that all along. It’s taken awhile to set in for me. And I don’t know if Chouji sees it at all. His denial...” Ino trailed off, waving her hand in front of her.

Come on, Sakura urged her brain, What would Kakashi say? Or Naruto? Hell, I’d even settle for Sasuke’s advice! Because at the moment, they could all help her friend more than she could.

A silence spread between them, until Sakura blurted, “I think you’re really great, Ino. I... I think so much of who you are is because of them. Our parents love us so much... they put everything they have into us, even their hopes and dreams and fears. You keep all those things alive just by being here.”

“But I’ll die too, someday. And then what will the point of all this suffering be? Even if I leave a new generation behind me, eventually time will separate us so much from the living that none of us will matter. So why? Why live through this?”

Ino wasn’t crying, but Sakura clutched her arm and pulled her close to her. Ino let herself be maneuvered, until Sakura held her from behind.

“I keep thinking about the flowers in the shop,” Ino said lifelessly, “How they bloom and then their petals fall and they die. They only see one season. A few weeks are their whole lives.”

“Some flowers come back. From bulbs, or on trees.”

“Never the exact same flower though.”

“No... but maybe that’s the point. They wouldn’t be special if they always returned the exact same way. No one else could be like your parents. That’s why they were so... precious and important.” Sakura tried to wipe her tears on her own shoulder so she didn’t have to let go of Ino.

“I don’t care about precious or important. I’d take a thousand exact copies of them if it meant they could come back.”

Sakura pressed her face against Ino’s back for a moment, holding her tight.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why this happens. But it does happen to all of us. We’re all going to die. We have limited time here. Maybe our questions will all be answered in the end, or maybe we’ll never know. But I want to believe that the time we have here is important. We’re all flowers that will never bloom again, just... really rare and beautiful things. I think if your parents could talk to you right now, they’d be telling you that they want you to embrace life. And that you’re strong enough to carry them.”

“I know. I know they’d want me to be strong. But I don’t want to,” Ino cried, a sudden spasm racking through her, “I’m tired of pretending like I’m ok with them dying. And that I’m ok with all of us dying. This is such bullshit!” She said, her fists hammering the cushions even as tears fell down her cheeks.

They sat that way for a while, Sakura holding on to Ino as she cried and raged in turn. At one point, she looked up to see Sasuke’s retreating form on the stairs. She wasn’t sure what he could have wanted; he normally avoided guests. Ino hadn’t noticed him, but it was enough to break Sakura out of her bleak mood.

“Ino, have you talked to Shikamaru about any of this?”

“There’s no point. He hates talking. He could have all the answers in the world, but you could never coax them out of him. The only time we really talk is when we fight, and I don’t have it in me right now.”

“I’m sure he’d talk to you about something this important...”

“The more important it seems, the less he wants to talk. Trust me. No one knows Shikamaru like I do. I’d get more emotional support from a rock.”

“What about Chouji?”

“I don’t want to talk to him about this. Not when he’s... coping.”

“Well, you have me. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy these last few weeks. I didn’t realize...”

“You have a lot on your plate, moving in here with your boyfriend and your mutual platonic life partner.”

Sakura laughed to try to cheer her up. Ino seemed to be pulling herself together, enough to make quips anyway.

“Anyway, I’m fine enough, I guess. For someone staring death and eternity in the face, I think I’m pretty perky.”

Sakura prodded her a bit more, asking after her physical health and missions, but Ino put a stop to it when Sakura tried to feed her and mentioned a sleep over.

“Oh hell no. Trapped in here with you coddling me all night? I think I’ll take my chances at home. Besides, Chouji wouldn’t want me to miss dinner.”

After Sakura had seen her down the block, she returned to the house and climbed the stairs to Sasuke’s bedroom, her whole body feeling heavy. She knocked on his closed door before being admitted.

Sasuke was sitting on the floor, a book loosely in his hand. His dark eyes looked neutral, but Sakura noticed him quickly examine her, staring harder when he reached her face, which was akin to a normal person asking how you were in a kind, concerned voice.

“I saw that I missed you before,” Sakura said, shifting in place.

“Naruto’s late. I was going to ask you about dinner.”

“Ah, yeah. I don’t know where that dummy is. I guess we get to figure it out ourselves. Want to pick something up?”

He nodded and stood. As he rose, Sakura noticed how different he was beginning to look from some angles. His profile was changing; though he was still sharp featured from the front, his nose, chin and brow were gaining a certain thickness, not dissimilar to how Naruto’s shedding baby-fat was creating new mature lines on even the blonde’s boyish face. Sasuke’s hair was also growing, laying down almost flat in the back while his bangs drooped past his chin.

In light of the melancholy conversation she had just had with Ino, it was a bitter sweet observation. They were all going to die someday, but at least she lived to be old enough to see the people she loved change and grow into the next phase of their lives. She didn’t know if that meant anything, or if forever cared about the joys of the present, but... she supposed it would have to be enough that she cared.

Lost in her reverie, she didn’t notice Sasuke again until he was standing right in front of her. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been waiting for her to move... He was staring at her, his pale face as close to hers as it had been since... since...

She fought down the urge to take a step back. Since she and Naruto had moved in, she had been treading carefully around Sasuke because, despite their group heart to heart, she was still unsure of herself around him. But now that he was up close, alarm bells were sounding in her brain.

Why was he standing there staring at her? Why were his eyes so intense?

Breathe, Sakura! She chided herself, Act! Normal!

His eyebrows twitched toward each other, “You have tear tracks on your face.”

“Ah. That’s why you were looking at me funny,” Sakura said, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“Is...” his brow furrowed again, “How is Ino?”

“Not good,” Sakura answered, “She’s having really nihilistic thoughts right now. Today’s the first time she told me about them. I feel so bad for her... and helpless... and I’m worried that she doesn’t have much support right now.”

Sasuke nodded.

Sakura held back words that were on the tip of her tongue. Before, she would have never spoken them; they were personal and she would have worried that they would offend him, or been rejected or dismissed. But things were supposed to be different now, so she steeled herself and said, “I really wished I could have had you or Naruto or Kakashi-sensei in my head to tell me what to say to her. I always worry that my advice is wrong because I haven’t suffered like she has...”

“That doesn’t really matter, in the end. If someone is looking for a reason to reject your help, they’ll find one. Whether they say it’s because you don’t truly understand or because they just disagree, it’s more about them than you,” Sasuke said, “But Ino is open with you. It’s obvious that you do something for her. If you didn’t, she probably wouldn’t bother talking to you.”

Ninety percent of Sakura was taking in what Sasuke was saying. The other ten was wiping it’s brow in relief and babbling excitedly. Things are going to be alright with Sasuke. Look, you’re having a real conversation with him. It’s totally fine. He didn’t make you feel dumb or lame or anything!

Sakura nodded, and hoped she looked properly thoughtful as she tried to shut out her irritating inner monologue. She was surprised when Sasuke spoke again.

“Is it a lot? To bare that burden with her, even when it makes you feel helpless?” He asked. There was no particular inflection to his voice, but alarm bells went off again. It was clear they were talking about a lot more than Ino. Sakura didn’t have to think too hard about what she felt though. The answer was simple.

She shook her head, “It is a lot. But I would take the weight of it every single time. I love that girl.”

He nodded.

And there is was. The buzz of excitement, the giddy joy that came whenever Sasuke opened up to her. But the high of it, like the depths Ino’s grief, wasn’t too much for her anymore. She could still function, keep her head. I can be just friends with him now.

She patted his arm, “Thanks Sasuke-kun. I’ll splash my face with some water and we can go pick something up from down the street.”

He nodded again and followed her out to put on his sandals and wait at the entrance.

+++

Sakura looked around the park, searching for white hair, but not holding out any hope of actually seeing the tall, masked ninja who had called her out on her lunch break. It wasn’t unusual for Kakashi to show up at the hospital around her break time with food or an errand. He seemed to really be trying to make good on his offer to be her friend and she was happy to respond in kind, taking in meals with him and Tsunade whenever she was at headquarters and asking him to meet around town for training or just a chat. But it was rare for him to call her away from the hospital when she was working a full day, so she was anxious to find him. With her backpack of lunch strapped securely to her back, she maneuvered tree to tree until she reached the bench he favored on the edge of an outlook with a bird’s eye view of the entire park and over the east wall into the forest beyond Konoha.

The park was mostly empty and she hadn’t seen any trace of him on her way up, so when she found the bench empty as well, she said aloud, “I don’t have all day, you know! Especially since you’re the one being all cryptic, calling me out here by messenger scroll-“

“Shh. I’m here already,” Kakashi said, dropping down from the tree above the bench, one that she was sure she had inspected thoroughly. He looked a little too pleased with himself for her taste, but before she could say anything, he asked, “Is that lunch in your bag?”

“You asked me to bring it, didn’t you?” She said, shooting him a withering look, “Aren’t we a bit old for hide and seek to be one of our friendship activities?”

“But it’s fun, isn’t it? And it’s training,” Kakashi said, scooting to one side of the bench, patting the open space. Sakura passed him her book bag before she sat down.

“Hmph. Well anyway, what’s up? Why’re we meeting for lunch so far away from the hospital? I know you have my schedule memorized by now.”

Sakura expected him to demure, but he stayed silent. She furrowed her brow, but decided to wait, figuring whatever it was, it must have been something he was having trouble building up to. She took her bag from his lap and kept herself busy sorting his sandwich from hers and setting out their shared treats on the bench between them. Finally, after she handed him an orange, he spoke.

“With you being so close to the Hokage, I guess it’s no secret that I’m going to be... selected to serve soon,” Kakashi said, managing to look sheepish and annoyed at the same time.

Sakura chuckled, “You can refuse if you really don’t want to do it, you know.”

“I would,” Kakashi said, “if I wasn’t sure that I’ll just be standing in as a place holder for Naruto. I think everyone is expecting me to teach him how to run the country...” he sounded truly bewildered at the idea.

“You’ll be fine. You’re strong, level headed, and one of the few people Naruto listens to, so you’re a good candidate.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Kakashi said dryly. He sat up a little straighter, turning toward her on the bench, “It brings me to what I want to talk about. After they appoint me, I want you to be my aide.”

“W-what? Like... you want me to be your Shizune?”

“Not exactly like Shizune. I doubt I’ll need you to wake me up in the morning and tuck me into bed every night, although I can’t say for certain as I’ve never been Hokage...” he said teasingly, “But you’re the right person for the job, Sakura. You’ve been a student of the current Hokage for a long time, so I’m sure you have a good idea of what the daily runnings of the office are. Everyone at HQ knows and likes you. You’re great at research and problem solving. And you just happen to be best friends with the future Hokage, meaning you’ll be extremely helpful when the time comes to make the transition from me to him.”

Kakashi looked out over the trees as Sakura tried to absorb his words. He continued, “But most importantly, you understand me. And vice versa. We can handle each other.”

“But... the hospital...” Sakura floundered.

“When I spoke to Tsunade-sama about asking you, she said she wouldn’t mind splitting your time. She plans on taking over the hospital completely in her retirement, so your skills wouldn’t be as needed as they are right now. And I don’t plan on keeping you from your training. You have to remember, Tsunade-sama came to the village at a really chaotic time. The Sandime had been killed and we were was under attack. It won’t be like that for us. It should be smooth sailing... laying foundations and what not.

“Eh, anyway. Sorry to spring it on you like this. I know it’s asking a lot,” He finally said, leaning a bit lower on the bench.

“It is,” Sakura said, a little breathless, “It’s a big deal... Do you know when you’re going in?”

“Six months. It’ll be announced in three. Won’t be anything left for me to do by the time they give me the title.”

“They’re gonna carve your face! On the mountain!” Sakura suddenly realized with a gasp.

She heard Kakashi sigh, “So what do you think? Do you need some time, or...”

“I think... yes,” Sakura said, turning to the masked man with a small smile that was threatening to get a lot bigger, “I’ll do it.”

Without looking at her, he rested the hand of his outstretched arm on her head, “That’s a relief.”

“This is so huge...” Sakura murmured.

“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you...” Kakashi said slowly before trailing off.

“You can tell me anything. Aside from us being friends, I’m now you’re future aide.”

“Right,” He said with a huff, “Well... Even though I know this is temporary and I’m just a fill in until Naruto grows up a bit, I’m actually really nervous,” he said, his hand over his heart as though to feel the rate of it beating.

“You’re going to be great. Believe me. As your aide, I won’t let you be anything else!” Sakura joked, and scooted closer to his side. Kakashi stretched his arm along the back of the bench.

“Scary, but comforting,” Kakashi mumbled, starting to peel his orange as Sakura laughed.

+++Naruto+++

Pink hair, warm skin... the only problem was the time. Early morning light illuminated the room in a soft, pale, winter glow. He kicked his feet peevishly under the blankets.

Why did HQ have to open so early every day? When he was Hokage, he wasn’t going to go in until 11.

I would die for this village, but that death’ll be sooner than later if they don’t let me get my sleep.

Impulsively, he kissed the slightly parted lips in front of him, causing Sakura to stir and furrow her brow as she weakly pawed at him in protest. Not to be deterred, he wrapped his arms around her as she stretched and sighed, burrowing his face into her neck.

“Mer herb le meh...” she mumbled. Naruto ignored this as her first words in the morning were usually unintelligible. Her knees and hips cracked as she stretched, her body stiffening under his as he nuzzled his way down to her collar bone, his hands dipping under her shirt to the warm skin of her stomach.

“You’re wakin’ me up...” she accused sleepily.

“Don’t wake up,” he said, shifting under the covers as she hummed in response, “This is allllll a dream.”

She said something muffled, like, “Yeah right, perv.”

It didn’t matter if he was a little late.

+++

Thirty minutes later, with a bit more pep in his step, Naruto appeared in the kitchen. Sasuke was already there, presumably to glare at him while he ate.

Sasuke remained silent though and let Naruto scarf down his cereal in peace. He couldn’t help but grin at his friend, who scowled in return.

Life was coming together exactly how it was supposed to.

...Except for maybe in one way: Diplomatic training with Tsunade-sama (as he as now forced to call her) was the most boring thing he had ever experienced in his life, hands down. Not only did it not involve physical training, but he got the same advice nearly every day during his political “consultations”.

It was always something like, “Even though it doesn’t seem like it, you are sensitive to other people’s emotions, Naruto. It makes you insightful and disarming. But you have to have the patience to use your insight well.”

Or, “You must learn to wait and listen.”

And recently, “Don’t just burst out with the first thing that comes into your big, stupid head!”

“What you need to learn is concentration,” Sasuke murmured to him on that particular day, once when they were well outside the Hokage’s chambers, “If you were actually thinking you might remember to take Hokage-sama’s advice.”

Finishing his breakfast, Naruto walked his bowl over to the sink where Sasuke was leaning as he waited for him. “I think my concentration is gonna be great today,” Naruto said, grinning.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

+++

“Thanks for getting here on time,” Tsunade said sarcastically when they stood before her desk.

Sasuke didn’t look at him, but somehow Naruto felt the accusation coming off of him in waves. It wasn’t like he asked Sasuke to wait on him, but it was nice that he did, so he decided to bite the bullet.

“It was my fault, Hokage-sama. It’s hard to get out of bed when you’re sharing it with Sakura.”

Shizune snorted. Sasuke’s accusation vibe changed to one of disgust, although he might have been imagining it. The Hokage just kept glaring.

“As much as I’d like to punish you for that unprompted for honestly, we don’t have any more time to waste. Let’s begin.”

Naruto had to hold back a sigh.

+++

They trudged home after another day filled with lectures and convoluted political theory, Naruto wondering to himself, What am I missing that’ll make me better at this? while Sasuke marched ahead in stiff silence. Sasuke wasn’t much better off than Naruto when it came to reading and drafting political press. His only advantage at all seemed to be the ability to summon icy silence when he was out-maneuvered by one of Oba-chan’s scenarios. Naruto just hoped he wasn’t too stressed with the constant drudgery of training.

As they entered the front door, he heard the sounds of Sakura humming to herself, quickly cut off as she called their names.

“Naruto? Sasuke-kun?”

“Yeah!” Naruto called, shedding his sandals as he stepped inside. Sasuke beat him around the corner, though, and he heard him chide her, “You wouldn’t have to ask who it was if you locked the door.”

Naruto heard her guilty chuckle and rounded the corner, only to pause after doing so. Sasuke fell on to the couch in once graceful move, his back to Sakura, and sighed. Sakura walked out of the kitchen with her backpack in her hands and plopped on to the arm of the couch next to him.

“Well you’re both in luck. I just got home myself and I brought...” she reached into her back and pulled out a lacquer box, “Fresh hospital grub. Mari-the-Good-Chef was working the dinner shift in the cafeteria today.”

It seemed innocuous enough, but something about the scene made Naruto pause.

It was nothing. They weren’t even aware of what they were doing. But in a barely perceivable amount of time, Sakura had analyzed Sasuke’s mood, become worried at the amount of stress she sensed coming off of him, but immediately decided not to comment on it, smiling instead. In the same milliseconds that Sakura took to do her calculations, Sasuke saw her notice his tension, but then closed his eyes, spending a long moment to sigh silently in his chair. When he opened his eyes again, the stiffness in his shoulders was gone, as was his forced neutral expression. He went from pretending to be fine, to actually being fine.

Something had been exchanged between them and Naruto wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe just trust or some unspoken understanding, but it made him stop and wonder, Does Sasuke ever do that when I walk into a room?

Sure, they fought and punched and kicked until the truth collapsed Sasuke’s hard emotionless shell. And Naruto had been the first one there for Sasuke when things had gone bad in the past. But had Sasuke ever relaxed around him?

Sasuke had kissed Sakura all those weeks ago. He had to have been really relaxed to do that.

“What are you doing?” Sakura asked him, making the world come back into focus.

“Lookin’ at you two,” he said, and then laughed at their identical, narrow eyed expressions of suspicion.

+++

“Hey,” Sakura whispered in the dark, “You ran off to bed before me. Why didn’t you lay down in my room?”

“I thought I might need to wash your sheets,” he said, and he felt her kick him lightly on the shoulder.

“Your pillows are lumpy,” she said, crawling under the blanket to lay beside him. Naruto felt her cool hand skim across his chest, “I don’t know what you did to them. They were just like mine when we bought them.”

“Hey Sakura?”

“Hm? What?”

“It’s a weird question, but can you relax around me?”

“Are you really asking me that as I sneak in here to sleep next to you?” She asked, but he persisted.

“No, I mean… do you feel like you can… Meh, I can’t explain it. “

“Hmm? Then explain why you’re asking.”

“I was just thinking… I wonder if I’m hard for you and Sasuke to live with, like… I’m too loud or something, or you guys can’t relax when I’m around because you’re always worried about me. Do you feel like you gotta take care of me?”

“Well… yes, but to be fair, I feel that way about everyone I love. Except maybe my parents. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think I can rely on you. You take care of me too. “

“Do I?” He sighed, “Maybe in battle.”

“Not just battle. I think… I mean, I know if I need you, you’ll be there. I won’t deny that you’re a dummy when you want to be, but who has a bigger heart than you?” She kissed his neck, “Who’s kinder and sweeter?” She added, punctuating each word with another kiss.

“So I’m sweet now?”

“Suuuper sweet,” she said, pulling him toward her until their hips were aligned and he could feel all of her curves pressed against him. He gave a shuddery sigh.

+++

Naruto stared at the dark ceiling for a while after Sakura fell asleep. Her head was pinning down his arm and his fingers were beginning to tingle from the weight of it, but that wasn’t why he couldn’t sleep.

He was trying to remember specific instances of her coming to him with a problem.

The longer he tried at that task, the surer he was that it didn’t happen very often. In fact, he thought there was maybe only two problems she had ever come to him with in her whole life, and they were both problems shared between them. The first, to retrieve Sasuke, which they had done. The second was the much more innocuous goal of unmasking Kakashi-sensei.

But aside from that, when had she ever relied on him? She ran to Kakashi-sensei or Ino or the Hokage...

In fact, unless it was about fighting or mischief or Sasuke going rogue, pretty much no one turned to him in a crisis.

Maybe Sasuke came to him on occasion... but that might have been because he knew Naruto would give him someone to fight if things got ugly. Also, Naruto had a tendency to chase him down if he was acting weird, so it could have just been that Sasuke realized he couldn’t get away...

Damn he thought, almost shaking with his new revelations, Damn it all. How the hell was he going to be a Hokage like this? If Sakura couldn’t come to him for advice and Sasuke only let his guard down when Sakura was around...

He fought the urge to flail violently in his bed or wake Sakura up so he could vent these new thoughts, but he just laid silently in the dark. This was his problem and his alone. It wasn’t her job to shoulder them and besides, nothing she said would make him feel better because he knew he was right. Sure, she might try to comfort him or twist her logic around his thoughts until he could feel good about himself again, but he didn’t want that either. He wanted to change.

With his heart thumping in the darkness, he took a slow breath and steeled his resolve.

I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna change. I won’t stop working at this until Sasuke and Sakura come crying to me first.

+++ +++ +++

The next morning, he slipped out of bed silently, dressing and entering the courtyard while there was still cold morning mist trapped between the walls.

It didn’t feel like he had slept at all, just floated in and out of consciousness until he saw the light peeking through his shutters, but he wasn’t tired. In fact, he felt a total clarity of mind that he knew came from having a strong, motivating purpose.

He surprised Sasuke as he came down the steps into the kitchen where Naruto was finishing up breakfast. Sasuke’s black hair was sticking out in disheveled spikes and Naruto almost laughed at the mild surprise on his friend’s tired face. The urge to say something like, “Look who’s first today, teme!” was extremely powerful. But he fought it all back to just a smile and a relaxed, “Morning.”

This was apparently not enough to curb Sasuke’s suspicion, but Naruto gave him nothing else to go on as they made their way to headquarters. On the way, he went over and over the advice Tsunade had given him, trying to engrain it into his mind, body and spirit. They wanted him to have control. I can do that, he thought... Probably. I’ve definitely had control before... haven’t I? Maybe if I pretend that every conversation was with a dangerous enemy...

Before long, he was seated at a round table across from Tsunade-sama and Shizune and, strangely enough, Kakashi-sensei, while Sasuke was at his side. His heart was racing, which actually made him feel a little giddy. Alright, moment of truth. Ya gotta keep your head. Like if it was an enemy talking...

Suddenly, a face flashed in his mind so clearly, it took him aback for a moment. Even though it had passed quickly, there was a lingering impression of long black hair and red eyes…

Despite how things had turned out in the end, Naruto’s impression of Uchiha Itachi was still one that filled his heart with a feeling of foreboding. Naruto rarely felt actual fear at facing his enemies, but Itachi’s overwhelming illusions and the traps he laid while trying to lure Naruto in... All of that danger staring out of eyes that looked like Sasuke’s, but cold and dead...

He caught himself glancing guiltily at Sasuke, as though his friend might have been able to see in his mind, but Sasuke just raised an eyebrow. Naruto turned back to Tsunade and swallowed. The trepidation he felt could aid him now, though. If he listened to Tsunade and listened carefully... as carefully as he would if he was facing one of Itachi’s ploys...

His heart was still pounding. His body was gearing up for battle. He had to get this right.

+++ +++ +++

Three hours later, Naruto’s nerves were fried from strain. Tsunade, however, appeared relaxed. He thought that might have been a good sign.

“You took your time today, Naruto,” she said, as Shizune began to gather the folders from in front of them all.

“Yeah,” Naruto sighed, “I’ve was trying to focus, but I the longer I thought about everything, the more suspect it sounded.” Of course, he left out the part where he had been imagining that she was a dead rogue nin. He asked, “Is it wrong to treat a meeting like a battle when we’re supposed to be negotiating?”

“Political negotiations are like a battle. The outcome can decide the fates of every person in Konoha. And just like battle, the more experience you get, the better you’ll be able to judge your opponent. But until you get more experienced, for you, it might be best if you treat each occasion like it’s life or death.” Once Shizune had her hands full, Tsunade stood and said, “I liked your level of dedication today, Naruto. Looks like something finally clicked. The sweating might become a problem, but we can work on that later.”

Tsunade stomped out of the conference room, indicating that diplomacy lessons were over for the day. Shizune followed at her heels, smiling at Naruto. He grinned back.

However, Kakashi stayed sitting at the table. He was also smiling up at him, or at least, squinting his eye.

“Good work today, Naruto,” he said in his low-key, cheerful drawl.

“Thanks! What’re you doing here, anyway?”

“I just came to check up on you guys. Can I take you to lunch?”

“Yeah!” Naruto exclaimed, feeling a bit punchy now that he let all of that weird, battle-like tension go.

“I’m busy,” Sasuke said, flashing Kakashi a brief look of pure antagonism before he left.

“What’d you do to him?” Naruto murmured once Sasuke was out of sight.

“Don’t know... Maybe he’s just mad that I turned out to be right.”

“’Bout what?”

Kakashi grimaced under his mask, “Maybe I’ll tell you over food. What do you want?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

Kakashi sighed, “No...”

+++ +++ +++

“Sakura told us that you asked her to be your Shizune,” Naruto said as soon as they were sitting down.

“Ah,” Kakashi replied, staring straight ahead.

“So does that mean you’re going to take over our training soon?” Naruto asked, leaning on the bar to get a better view of his sensei’s face.

“Probably... Hokage-sama won’t just abandon you outright though. She seems to be making progress. I’m glad to see you taking your training so seriously.”

“Yeah,” Naruto said, “Well I have to. This is my dream, after all.”

“I think I’ve heard you mention that once or twice,” Kakashi said, finally glancing over at him, “But I was beginning to think chasing after Sasuke was your dream. I’m happy you all worked everything out.”

“Yeah,” Naruto said again.

They were quiet for a long moment, Naruto letting it sink in all over again that things had worked out. It still felt a little unreal every time he really thought about it. But then Kakashi-sensei was tapping his fingers on the bar, which was one of the most obvious signs of irritation that he had ever seen from the man. Looking like he had just made up his mind, Kakashi turned his stool slightly toward him and said, “Naruto, I’m glad your ties are so strong, but don’t get bogged down with all of Sasuke’s problems. I’m sure you and Sakura have spent plenty of late nights with him trying to work through some of his issues, but he needs to figure some things out for himself.”

His sensei’s words touched the same sore spot as the night before. Sure, the team had had some late nights, but they weren’t centered around helping Sasuke with his problems. It was seeming more and more likely to Naruto that if Sasuke was looking for support, he was probably waiting until he wasn’t around so he could talk to Sakura...

“Not that I’m trying to meddle,” Kakashi sighed, “What I really want to do is be a good role model for both of you, and teach you whatever you think you can learn from me in the next few years.”

Naruto nodded, glad to have the chance to look away and stuff his face when their food came. It wasn’t jealously he was feeling… Well, not romantic jealously anyway. He knew he had a place in the team as well, just… he had never realized just how much he was missing by being the loud, brash one.

Oh well, he thought, trying to shake off his mood with the delicious ramen and the knowledge that this was just something he was going to have to train for.

Trying to keep his mood positive, Naruto said conversationally, “So you’ve been hanging with Sakura-chan a lot. Are you teaching her new moves now that she’s going to be the future Hokage’s aide?”

Kakashi, who was already done with his food somehow, gave him his default smile that usually meant he was going to try to get around giving a straight answer, “We’ve talked about where she’d like to expand, skills she wants to pick up.”

He felt that twinge again. It was like trying to fend off a nagging little fly. Why didn’t she tell him if she wanted to learn something? He sighed, then whined, “I’m jealous, senseiiii... You haven’t trained me in forever…”

“I have time now, if you’re serious.”

That actually did perk him up, “I’m always serious! You gonna teach me a new technique?”

“It only seems fair, since I taught Sakura one only last week.”

“Yes! Let’s finish up here! Miss! Can I have another bowl, extra fast?”

“…Oh, boy.”

+++

His body was as tired as his brain when he trudged through the front door just after the sun had set.

Sakura and Sasuke were sitting on the couch and love seat respectively, both absorbed in what they were reading when he rounded the corner.

Sakura smiled at him when he appeared. Sasuke was apparently pretending not to notice him.

"Hey, you. You're back late," she said, "Sasuke-kun said that you went out with Kakashi, but that was around lunch," Looking at him closely, she scrunched her nose, "You're all dirty. Were you training?"

"Yeah," Naruto sighed, and sat down on the floor in front of her, "Kakashi-sensei is as mean of a training partner as ever."

"Oh, you were hanging around with him all this time?" she asked, "Did you get dinner?"

Naruto nodded, "Just some kababs I ate on the walk home. I might've passed out otherwise."

Sakura smiled, "He better not be teaching you the secret move that me and him are working on."

"He mentioned something about that, but I think he was just tormenting me today," Naruto saw Sasuke flip a page in his book, despite the fact that he had noticed his dark eyes frozen in one spot. Looks like he really did have a problem with sensei.

"I'm gonna go take a bath," Naruto said, using Sakura’s knees to push himself up again.

Sakura chuckled, "Alright.”

When he returned wearing only a pair of Sasuke’s pants and a towel around his shoulders, he was surprised to see Sakura was missing and only Sasuke remaining in the living room. All he wanted to do was go to sleep, his restless night and the full day of intense concentration waring on him, but he couldn't help himself. He sat down on the section of the couch closest to Sasuke. This was his chance for a real conversation, to show him he could listen and be supportive... preferably without any punching.

Naruto wasn't sure how to indicate he wanted to have a serious discussion. He also wasn't too sure how to bring up the topic of Kakashi-senshi when he was sure that Sasuke would shut down it down as soon as he prompted it. Finally, he just decided to settle on: "So what's going on with you and Kakashi-sensei?"

Sasuke, rolling his eyes ceilingward before fixing them on Naruto, said, "I'm tired of his meddling is all. It's nothing deeper than that."

"That's funny. Today he said something about not wanting to meddle."

"He probably said that right before he said something meddlesome, right?" Sasuke asked, his black eyes already back on his book.

"Actually, yeah," Naruto said with a smile, but then tried to tame it. The mood was supposed to be serious.

Since a straight forward approach hadn't worked, he tried another tact.

"Is it going to be alright if you have to work together?" Naruto asked, "He might take over our training once he's Hokage."

Sasuke paused his reading once again, but continued staring down at the page.

Naruto practically wanted to shout platitudes at him, things like, He's not so bad. He really just wants to help. He's probably not trying to make you mad..., but instead, he waited.

Finally, Sasuke said, "We'll see what happens."

Naruto fought the urge to fall over on to the ground. He knew that Kakashi had angered him somehow; why wouldn't he admit it? If he didn't, Sasuke would just hang on to the grudge forever. Grudges were an Uchiha’s favorite hobby.

For a lack of better options, Naruto went for another front attack, "What did he do? You can tell me," he said, trying to sound calm and reasonable, despite the fact that he wanted to shake the guy, "Maybe we can figure out a way to deal with it if we talk about it."

Sasuke snorted, "No thanks."

"Just tell me already! Kakashi-sensei is unavoidable at HQ and you know you're just gonna hold on to this until you either get out with it or blow up on him, so why don't you save yourself the fight and tell me what is it already?"

Naruto met Sasuke's cold glare with a hot one, until Sasuke got up in high dudgeon and marched up the stairs to his room where Naruto heard the door slide shut. He raked his hands through his hair and suppressed his groan. How was he supposed to help if no one ever told him anything?

+++

The next morning, he met Sasuke in the kitchen for breakfast. He didn’t say anything and it appeared he wasn’t going to.

When he had crawled into bed with Sakura, he had asked her half sleeping form what he should do to make people open up to him, but the best Sakura had was just, “Ask them questions… I guess?”

But Naruto had been asking Sasuke questions and that got him nowhere.

So he had fallen asleep, defeated. However, when he woke up to the light of the early morning sun, agonizing, too, about another day of intense concentration for training and still reeling from his internal defeat the night before, he decided to just lump the two things together. Hokage training required patience and commitment. As for him and Sasuke… well, it couldn’t hurt to apply the same method.

Naruto stared at his dark-haired friend over his eggs and reheated rice. You will open up to me, Uchiha Sasuke, he thought, then angrily shoveled another bite into his mouth as he realized he didn’t know exactly when that would be and how long it was going to take.

If Sasuke sensed either his thoughts or aura, he gave no outward indication, levelly staring down into his bowl until they were both done eating.

+++

When they arrived at headquarters, they were brought immediately to Tsunade’s office where she and Shizune were standing in wait for them. Tsunade addressed them as soon as they came through the door.

“I have a mission for the you two,” she said with no preamble.

Shizune pulled a scroll from her hip pouch and handed it to Sasuke as Tsunade continued, “There’s a town that was decimated right before the last battle began and the locals are just now beginning to come back into the area to rebuild. However, they found some kind of sealed shrine that was unearthed in the forest. They think it might be related to either the forces of the Sound village or possibly a relic of the Uchiha, as they were known to have some activity that area historically. In either case, Sasuke should be equipped to deal with anything you might find inside.

“Your mission is to secure the shrine and make sure there are no traps or sensitive information left inside. We don’t want any dangerous techniques falling into the wrong hands.”

“Right...” Naruto said. Sasuke nodded.

“Naturally, anything that may have belonged to the Uchiha will go to Sasuke, but if that’s the case, we would at least like to examine your findings before you do what you will with them.”

Sasuke nodded, giving away nothing.

“Leave now. It should be a quick trip, three days max. I’ll apologize to Sakura for making her sleep alone when I see her later,” Tsunade said, a smile finally forming on her face.

Naruto frowned, then gasped as he remembered his confession from a few days before, “You better not tell her what I said, baa-chan! She’ll kill me!” Naruto complained.

“Haven’t I been telling you to think about the consequences of your words before you say them? And didn’t I say just yesterday that the truth can get you in as much trouble as a lie?”

Naruto stopped mid-retort as Sasuke’s hand suddenly gripped the back of his head and shoved him into a formal bow.

“Thank you Hokage-sama. We’ll leave immediately,” Sasuke said. When he released Naruto, Sasuke was already walking toward the door. Naruto gave the smirking older woman a glare before he stick out his lip and followed after Sasuke.

+++

After packing quickly and leaving a note for Sakura (“She better not tell her what I said!”) Naruto found himself running from tree to tree, jumping at a casual speed with Sasuke at his side, sometimes splintering off to pursue a different route, but eventually reconverging on to the same path.

Despite a lack of snow or frost, it was full out winter and the wind on his face and hands wasn’t exactly pleasant. Neither of them had gloves, so on occasion they would both stop and fall to the ground to warm up their hands in their pockets. It was on one of these occasions that Naruto spoke.

“What’dya think’s in the shrine?” Naruto asked.

“It could be nothing. A lot of old ninja families bury their secrets. The Uchiha have a few hidden shrines scattered around the area. Orochimaru wasn’t exactly against underground caverns either. But it could be something unrelated to either.”

“I kinda hope it’s Uchiha. There might be some cool relics to bring home with us. Maybe something we could put in the courtyard.”

“You don’t decorate your yard with the ancient secrets of your bloodline,” Sasuke said.

“There’s no rule saying you can’t, right? Besides, we might not find anything important. Maybe just like, a statue or something.”

“For all we know the area was raided on the way to battle, which is probably why it’s dug up now. Anything of value was likely stolen. That’s probably why Hokage-sama made that offer.”

Naruto frowned, “What offer?”

“To let me keep what I found if it was Uchiha,” Sasuke made a disgusted tsk.

“I think she was just being nice...” Naruto said thoughtfully, “She’s a good person. I don’t think she approved of what happened to the Uchiha.”

“But she obviously doesn’t trust me.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Naruto said, “She just doesn’t know you at all, so she’s just trying to be nice in as general way as she can. I guess that’s diplomacy.”

“You’d better stop guessing what diplomacy is and find out for real. I’d say she’s just keeping me buttered up because she can’t get rid of me.”

“Nah,” Naruto said, despite knowing the truth.

+++

The day they came in to ask for training, after Tsunade asked Sasuke to step out of the office, she leveled a cold glare at Naruto that spoke louder than words.

“Sit down,” she ordered, gesturing to a wooden chair pulled up to the opposite side of her desk.

Naruto sat, trying to meet her gaze with all of the resolve he could muster.

However, the Hokage’s face abruptly fell as she sighed, then asked, “Why is Sasuke here?”

“Because he’s my friend and he deserves a say in how this place is run after what happened to him under the watch of the our last couple leaders. I mean, I don’t think the third Hokage had any hand in what he went through, but you have to admit that someone messed up.”

“I’m not saying they didn’t, but think, Naruto. Sasuke is volatile. His entire clan has a reputation for being emotion driven to the point of exception. Hell, you just saved the world from an Uchiha propelled disaster. I get that he’s your friend, but do you really think that his place is in politics?”

Naruto answered with a sigh of his own and slumped forward a bit in his chair. With everyone else out of the room, it was a lot easier to think. “I think... that it’s best that you let him do this if he wants to. Who knows what he’s gonna want to do in the future. But I think he’s looking for a place right now, and if that place happens to be right next to me, then I’m not complaining. Besides, he’s smart. Smarter than me in a lot of ways. He always offers a different perspective than mine, and I think that’s probably the right kind of person to have by your side if you’re going to be a leader.”

Tsunade looked away for a moment, staring into the middle distance before speaking again, “I understand that you’re living with him as well?”

“Yep. Me and Sakura-chan.”

Tsunade gave him a long look that he couldn’t quite interpret, but finally shrugged, “Then I’ll leave him to you, I suppose. It’s up to you to keep him in line.”

“No worries. I think he’s doing really well. There’s no reason he wouldn’t be.”

+++

Naruto glanced at the boy beside him, walking with equal pace as the as the cold winter sun managed to make his face look even paler. Despite his brush with Kakashi-sensei the day before, Sasuke didn’t seem unhappy while he was at work and there were times when, at the house, he seemed truly content. But looking at his expression as he walked in silence...

Nah. I’ll work on cracking him open after the mission, he thought, putting his personal goal of being Team 7’s best confidant and advice giver on hold.

Naruto shook his head to clear it and shrugged his shoulders, “The only important thing is that I trust you, and I do.”

+++

The winter sun had set early, slowing their progress, but they still arrived at the ruins of the village just as the misty purple night was settling in and the temperature was dropping even further. Naruto watched his breath in the stream of light from his lantern as he looked over the area.

“This place is completely wrecked. I hope everyone got out ok...” Naruto murmured mostly to himself, staring into the doorway of a mostly collapsed building. It was one of the only complete structures left in the area. He felt a shiver run up his spine as he remembered the wreckage that was Konoha after it was attacked.

“It’s only a mile from here. Think it’s safe to check the shrine out at night? Or should we wait?” Naruto asked, eager to get away from the silent remains of the village.

“There could be traps, so it’s safer to wait, but we should at least camp outside of it and make sure no one else gets to what’s inside if they haven’t already.”

“Good plan,” Naruto said, thumbing open his map, “This way.”

+++

When they arrived at the shrine, the first thing Naruto noted was that the stone door was cracked and pushed to one side, leaving a small opening in the top and bottom corners of the entrance.

Naruto was about to speak, when Sasuke grasped his shoulder and held a finger to his mouth. When Naruto listened, he could hear rustling and slow, scraping footsteps, barely audible, but unmissably echoing from within the decrepit structure.

They didn’t have to speak after that. Sasuke’s eyes met his in the glow of the lantern, narrowed. If there was someone inside, there was no waiting until morning to explore. Naruto turned off his lantern as they silently approached the door. Together, they tilted the stone slab further to the side until there was a gap they could fit through with some effort.

They were not four steps inside before something was darting toward them. Naruto hit his light, just in time to see small, round, red eyes, glowing as they raced toward him… then around his feet as the creature flitted toward the door.

Naruto huffed out his tension, “It was just a…”

The light of his lantern lit up the entirety of the cavern before him.

It was a small, round room made of stone. Against the far wall appeared to be some sort of slab with carved lettering that he couldn’t make out. There wasn’t any obvious doors or passageways and no signs of physical traps. But those were just the details he noticed mechanically, almost as though someone else had taken control of his eyes. Because he was sure he hadn’t been able to look away from the bodies.

There were two in the center of the room. They were mostly skeletons with torn, ragged clothing hanging on by a thread. One figure was laying across the floor on it’s back, like it had just laid down to fall asleep. The other skeleton was slumped over top of it. Against the cavern wall, there were several small shapes, equally lifeless…

Please be dolls. Or statues, he thought. Those shapes were indistinct enough for his eyes to glaze over them, but the room was filled with the smell of old dealth, a musty decay that Naruto felt had no right to be coming from a human body.

“This is… some kinda mausoleum, maybe? I don’t think there’s anything in here for us to find tonight,” Naruto said. He wasn’t sure how long they had been there. A few minutes? Or had it only been seconds? Sasuke nodded and Naruto let him leave the cavern first, sliding through the gap in the stone behind him.

After breathing a few gulps of very cold air in the clearing, Naruto started to make a plan.

“You think we should go and get the villagers, see if any of them know those people so they can have a proper burial? It seems like they’ve been in there a long time though, so I dunno how helpful they’re gonna be. If you want, we can… Sasuke?”

Naruto watched him as he paced around the clearing. Sasuke’s hand was against his brow, the other was a clenched fist at his side.

“Sasuke,” Naruto called. Sasuke didn’t look up, but he did alter his pacing. Instead of walking in circles, he began going in a straight line, into the woods… without his lantern. It took Naruto a moment to realize that he should follow him.

The one saving grace was that Sasuke wasn’t running; he was walking very quickly, losing his balance every now and then and catching himself before he tripped, but he was fleeing almost absently, like his mind was somewhere else and his body was moving automatically.

When Naruto jumped in front of him to stop his retreat, Sasuke stepped around him, narrowly avoiding a full collision.

“Sasuke... Sasuke! Are you alright? What…” But it was obvious what the problem was. He had been fine before he saw the bodies in the shrine. But still, Naruto’s head needed a moment to catch up. This was the reaction of a shinobi who was seeing his first dead body, not one of the deadliest ninja he knew. He leapt in front of his friend again and snagged him by the shoulders, trying to get him to stop for a moment while Naruto tried to figure out what to do.

Sasuke didn’t fight Naruto’s grip, but that didn’t mean he was ok. His head was bowed and Naruto couldn’t see his expression. He rubbed his hands over Sasuke’s sleeve covered arms.

“Everything is fine, alright? Nothing else is going to happen,” Naruto babbled in a soothing voice, “It’s going to be ok.”

“How the hell is it going to be okay?!” Sasuke shouted, nearly startling Naruto into stumbling backward.

“I-It is. I swear. I’m here. I’m... I’m here,” Naruto said, reaffirming his grip on him.

A long silence passed between them. Naruto tried to get a better look at Sasuke’s face to see what was written there, but the Uchiha now had it craned painfully to the side, obscuring his face with his hair and the shadows created by Naruto’s lantern. He trembled slightly under his hands.

“How long?” Sasuke finally said.

“What?”

“How long do I have to feel like this? How long until I get to be like you? How long until I can live my life without this happening...”

Sasuke suddenly pulled himself away from Naruto and staggered a few more steps until he could brace himself against a tree. Naruto stood there, trying to get his head right. He had wanted Sasuke to open up to him, but now… he had no idea how to help.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and stomped over to Sasuke, laying his hands on his shoulders. I can do this.

“What if I can’t be a ninja anymore...?” Sasuke asked, his voice flat.

“That doesn’t matter. You’ve had enough death and darkness for a life time. Who says you have to keep exposing yourself to more?”

Sasuke slapped Naruto’s hands away and twisted around to face him, his face contorted, “What if I can’t do anything? What if I’m too fucked up to function?”

“You weren’t yesterday, you weren’t a week ago... you weren’t a month ago. Maybe sometimes it’s going to be like... day to day, and you just have to get through them, stacking them up one after another until things are ok again and you don’t have to try so hard.”

Sasuke’s eyes were wide, darting back and forth. Naruto caught the sides of his face in his hands, “Look at me,” he commanded lightly, “Just… look at me.”

But Sasuke’s gaze was everywhere else, even with his face held in place. Naruto stepped closer, until Sasuke wouldn’t be able to see anything other than his chest, his hair, his eyes. Naruto tapped his cheek with his thumb, “Just focus on me. Look me in the eyes. Try,” Naruto asked, his own voice feeling a bit rough. Sasuke’s breathing was slowing.

“Why haven’t you given up on me?” Sasuke whispered, barely audible. Naruto saw his dark eyes shine over, until tears leaked down his face, pooling against Naruto’s fingers. Naruto steeled himself against his own tears.

“Are you kidding me?” He asked gruffly, as Sasuke’s chest convulsed with a silent sob. Sasuke grasped Naruto’s wrists for support as he bowed his head to release a shuddering gasp. Naruto’s control was slipping as well, but he had to get a grip.

I have to be here for him... I have to show him… Although he had no idea how he was going to do that. His brain had gone numb the moment his own tears had begun to creep up on him.

Naruto shifted his weight, only half aware of what was happening as he tried to figure this out. Sasuke moved closer, or maybe Naruto was pulling him. His eyes were closed against the tears. But... it was suddenly quiet. Silent seconds ticked by. Naruto realized Sasuke’s face was right against his. His lips were pressed into his.

Naruto could see that Sasuke’s eyes were open, staring at him. The tears had stopped, and the wetness on Sasuke’s face and Naruto’s hands was the only sign that they had been there at all. His expression now was one of quiet shock.

Naruto’s mind was still a dull blank slate. He had to say something; Sasuke was probably going a mile a minute in his head… Probably planning how fast he could run away.

“I... uh,” Naruto stammered. After another long moment, he tried, “It’s… cold.”

Sasuke nodded, slowly stepping out of Naruto’s grasp. Naruto’s wrists pulsed with the absence of his friend’s grip.

“The village has an inn,” Naruto heard him murmur, low and quiet, “There’s a reservation on our mission scroll.”

“Yeah? Let’s go, then. I’m frozen out here. No point in… well…” Naruto babbled until he faltered. He turned to start walking, but waited for Sasuke, who was still standing in the dark looking dazed. Naruto found himself holding out his hand… for about half a second, but decided to just reach for the guy instead. He found Sasuke’s wrist and gave it a light pull. Sasuke got the hint and started moving, his eyes resolutely looking forward.

The lights of the inn were in sight before Naruto remembered to let go of him.
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Stranger than the Wild