Chapter 1
The sun was setting over Konoha, marking the end of another day. The shops were closing, the civilians were returning home and, save for the odd ninja hurrying back from a full day's training, all was peaceful. The village had been enjoying a period of great prosperity since their Rokudaime had been elected, the heavy losses of the war were a thing of the past and everyone agreed that never had the future looked so bright.
Everyone except for one person.
"So... this is it, huh?" Naruto sighed, looking down at the hat clasped firmly in his hands. This hat represented all his hopes and dreams for the past 19 years, everything he'd strived for. He'd thought that once he'd finally got the Hokage's hat on his head, finally gained the acknowledgement of the villagers that used to shun him, he would feel happy, but he didn't. He just felt empty.
The last rays of sun caught his blond hair, giving him a halo of bright gold. To any Konohan who chanced to look up at the Hokage Monument where Naruto sat, it would seem that his figure was emitting an even brighter light than the sun itself. He had taken up his parents' legacy, and now he was the sun to the entire village- their light, their hope.
He shut his eyes, bathing in the light for a few brief seconds before standing to go. Glancing at the village he'd sworn to protect, he heaved another sigh.
"It's just not the same without you... Sasuke..."
Naruto ran, hopping swiftly from roof to roof. He was a little late, but he knew Tenten wouldn't mind. She understood his need to take some time away from everyone else occasionally, even if no one else did.
He smiled as he thought back to how he and Tenten had first become friends...
FLASHBACK
Naruto was walking back home from another successful mission when he sensed another badly-hidden presence tailing him closely. Trying not to let on that he'd noticed anything, he turned into a deserted alleyway. Sure enough, the presence followed him. Why were they still following him? Were they a spy? He tensed, and in a flash he had a kunai at the potential spy's neck...only to sweatdrop heavily.
"Ne, Konohamaru, you shouldn't try to sneak up on your fellow ninja like that."
"But Boss, you haven't hung out with me in aaages, and I thought I should get some stealth training in! One day I'll manage to sneak up on you, just you wait!" The blond jounin smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Of course you will. Well, I've got some free time now, how about I train you?"
Konohamaru couldn't drag him to the training grounds fast enough.
He had been helping Konohamaru with his aim when Tenten arrived. She didn't say anything, just watching with interest, but Naruto stopped fairly quickly after he noticed her presence, slightly embarrassed at how bad his technique must seem to her, the Weapons Mistress of Konoha.
"Erm... hi! Is there anything you want?"
"Oh, no, it's fine. It's just, these are my team's normal training grounds and I'm supposed to meet them here..."
"Ah, sorry! We'll just finish up here quickly and get out of your way! C'mon Kono, we've got to-" He was stopped by her hand on his arm.
"No, it's fine, really. I'm early anyway. Besides, what would Gai-sensei say if he saw me stopping a trainee from achieving their true youthful potential?" She laughed, and Naruto laughed with her. He hadn't really spoken to Tenten before now, knowing her only as Neji and Fuzzy-Brow's teammate, but she seemed pretty cool.
"Nah, we'll go. 'Sides, I'm not all that great with weapons, I'd feel too embarrassed to keep going with you watching." He scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Haha, then why don't I help train both of you? I need to practice to maintain my proficiency anyway." Naruto scrunched up his brow, thinking.
"Hmm... ok, but in return I'll teach you something. How about a new jutsu? I can't have you wasting your time training us amateurs with no benefit to you!" He laughed again, and Tenten looked thoughtful.
"Sure! I'll set up some targets for each of you, and once you can both hit all of your targets without missing a single shot, you can start teaching me that jutsu! It'd do me good to have a few more in my arsenal anyway."
FLASHBACK END
It had taken them awhile to get all of the targets, with Tenten having to correct their stances and technique many times, and Tenten had struggled with shadow shuriken no jutsu for several hours, but by the end of it it was agreed that considerable progress had been made, and Tenten and Naruto had agreed to meet up again for more training. It had been the start of a beautiful friendship, and for a while most of the village had been convinced it would become more than that, but eventually the matchmakers gave up on them and the gossip died down. Neither Tenten nor Naruto was interested in the other like that, and they found their comfortable friendship suited them both perfectly.
Of course, it helped that neither of them was straight anyway. Tenten had had a crush on a certain sandy-haired kunoichi from the moment they had met in the Chunin exams; and as for Naruto... Naruto wondered sometimes whether he'd ever be able to forget that hair the shade of a raven's feathers, that porcelain skin, those dark eyes which had seemed to pierce his soul every time they had met his own sapphire pools.
Sasuke had been his first everything. His first friend, his first kiss, his first true love.
Naruto just hoped that one day he'd be able to move on.
