a/n: I do not own Naruto
"Naruto!" Shikamaru called out, "We're going to grab a drink. You want to come along?"
"Nah," he grinned, "I've got somewhere I gotta be."
Shikamaru waved and disappeared down the street with the others. It had been a pretty successful mission, even though they all felt low-key now. Naruto didn't mind that at all. He liked getting up, starting a mission, and then finishing it at the end of the day without people dying.
That last part was most important.
Being a Jounin was a lot more busy work than he expected. There was still a lot of harsh feelings, and the Konoha council refused to assign him a team, no matter how much Tsunade pleaded with them. He was still the Nine-Tailed Fox, and to top it all off, he had vouched for Sasuke. It was a little humiliating that they still rebuked him in front of everyone, but Naruto would rather die than admit it. Despite everything, he was still the son of the Yondaime, and that still didn't seem to count in his favor.
Stopping at Ichiraku, he ordered two take-outs, and headed off down the street. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his orange jumpsuit and orange-red sage cloak. Jounins were supposed to be sneaky and subdued, and well...that just wasn't him.
The Uchiha complex was a dilapitated structure at the north end of Konoha. At once, it had been strong and bustling with activity, but now it was a ghost town. The gate had been boarded up until the last month or so. Now it was fixed and painted, thanks to Sasuke.
"Hey!" Naruto walked towards the house. There was someone standing on the roof, "You're going to fall off."
"Idiot." Sasuke stood up, wearing nothing but shorts and shoes. He had been working in the sun all day, and the sweat and dirt was clear evidence. His hair was shaggy, tied away from his face with a sash. The cursed seal was clearly visible on his neck, but he control over it now. He could activate and shut it down on command.
"I brought food. Get down off there before you sunburn your brain."
Sasuke made a face, and brushed off his pants. Then, like the nin he really was, grabbed the edge of the roof, and flipped gracefully to the porch.
The deal had been a hard one to make. Naruto had soul responsibility for Sasuke now. Anything that happened, Naruto would take the punishment personally. It had been a difficult compermise, but he knew that Sasuke didn't deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison. Sasuke was free, Naruto had responsibility, and Sasuke was stripped of his nin rank permanently. That didn't take away his abilities, or the fact that he was still one of the most gifted fighters in the village, but he was just a regular citizen now.
Naruto could tell that Sasuke was still uneasy about it, but accepted it. It was better than execution or exile, which the council could have dealt out. This way, Sasuke spent his days fixing up the Uchiha complex and staying out of the eyes of the village that now treated him like a parriah.
Of course, Naruto knew all about that.
"Why do you come here every day, Naruto?" Sasuke said, sitting with him on the porch, "Don't you have things to do?"
"If neither Sakura nor I came here to feed you, you wouldn't eat."
Sakura was a touchy subject as well.
"You've got enough problems to deal with than having to deal with me."
"I've got enough going on that I can do whatever I damn well please instead of posturing to a bunch of old farts that won't accept me anyway."
"People still come here, you know," Sasuke said, "Lee came the other day and helped me put up the shingles. Neji stopped by," he sighed, "That one got him in trouble."
"Neji doesn't give a rat's ass about that shit either."
Sasuke stared towards the enterance gate, "How did you do it, Naruto? I don't necessarily miss being a shinobi. There's a part of my life now that's a lot less...complex. But how do you deal with the hatred?"
Naruto smiled, "I have you and Sakura," he said, "Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya, Tsunade when I was growing up. I have friends. As long as you know who the people are that really care, than nothing else really matters."
With a smile, the dark-haired man dug into his dinner, "Thanks, Naruto. If I could still vote," he said, "You would have my vote for Hokage."
Naruto chuckled, "I'm not even in the running. Tsunade said the council won't make a decision on the new Hokage for another six months."
Tsunade was retiring. She had said that she was ready to get out of the office and do what she wanted. Training a new Hokage and working at the hospital appealed to her now, and leaving the hard work to someone else seemed like her main goal. Naruto didn't really blame her, she had gone through a lot in the last ten years of her job.
Looking up, Naruto spied the latest row of shingles that Sasuke had been working on, "You need any help?"
His friend smiled, "I wouldn't turn it down."
Gaara stood at the desk, and stared at the file in front of him.
He had always been a very independent, private person. Most of that independence had gone out the window when he became Kazekage, but he didn't seem to mind that. He liked the village, and he liked serving the people. Some were still wary of him, but for the most part, they treated him with respect and admiration. It had taken a while to get use to people chatting with him and not screaming and running.
"The relationship between Suna and Kiri has always been shaky at best. We were able to maintain a type of alliance during the Fourth War, but that's starting to slip." Baki anounced.
"There are rogue groups from Kiri that have been attacking the outskirts of the village," someone informed him, "They currently lack the resources and man power to spread themselves out and take care of the rogue groups, so they are simply letting them go unchecked."
Gaara listened to the exchange, and then glanced at the file again.
He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.
"This was an idea brought up by the Mizukage himself. There are many noble familes in Kirigakure. The Shibuya family is highly respected and has a long history of family members serving the Mizukage with loyalty. If you do this, Kazekage-sama, it will give us the first change to have official ties with Kirigakure."
He understood all of that. It was pretty much their last chance to try and reach a hand out and meet half-way. Sand and Water simply didn't mix, but in this, maybe Gaara could finally bridge the gap.
"I will do it."
He reached forward and stared at the picture of Shibuya Hikaru, and wondered what kind of person she was.
They would be getting married soon, after all.
Kankuro slammed his hands down the desk, "Gaara! What is the meaning of this?"
Gaara stared at his brother a moment, and returned to signing the papers, "This is the only way. I can not risk war, and if this is the way to advert it, I will take it."
"But what about what you want?" his brother demanded, "You're always bending over backward to make sure everyone is happy. Is this what you actually want? To marry some strange girl in another country just to make an alliance?"
"If it stops the threat of war, yes."
"This is madness!"
His brother had always been the emotional sort.
"Kankuro, get out," Temari snapped from her place at the window, she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door, "You're not helping."
"Hey-"
She slammed the door shut, and turned back to Gaara.
All three of them were fairly close. She knew that Kankuro would be upset by this, but she knew Gaara a little better than everyone thought. Walking over to the desk chair, she laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you really okay with this? Just say the word, and Kankuro and I will take care of it," she said, "He's right. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"I do not have a choice."
"There is always a choice," she smiled at him, "You may be the high and mighty Kazekage, but you're still my brother. If you want something, I'll make it happen for you."
He sighed, "I will do it."
"Alright, then. We'll support any decision you want to make, you know that. But, Gaara-" she paused, "What about Matsuri?"
He leaned back in the chair, "How is she?"
"She's a Jounin now. Doing very well. One of the greatest weapon masters that Suna has seen in years," Temari told him, "Misses you."
He missed her too.
"She willl...have no trouble. I am confident that she will have a good life now."
Temari frowned. Even though no one would agree with her, both of her brothers were the same. They were hard-headed and stubborn. Gaara was silent when Kankuro was demanding, but they were still the same.
"If you say so, Gaara," she said, "This is going to be a big event. They're sending out invitations for it."
"Make sure Naruto and the others are coming."
She nodded, "Of course."
Naruto stood up off the roof, and stared in the direction of the forest.
He always heard the frogs croaking. It was a side-effect of being so in tune with the summoning jutsu. He always heard them.
They were silent.
Sasuke looked disturbed as well. "What is it? Can you tell?"
"Something has invaded Konoha territory. Someone," Naruto closed his eyes and listened, "I can't tell what. They're masking themselves really well. I'd better get to headquarters," he leapt off the roof, "Sasuke?"
Sasuke stood up off the roof, looking in the direction of the forest. The ocean lay just beyond it.
"If see anything, send me a message."
"I will," he replied.
Something wasn't right.
Naruto dashed up the steps of the headquarters two at a time. He made his way to the office at the end of the hall. The secretary had long stopped trying to tell him to make an appointment. Naruto always just went in without asking anyway.
The door opened to Tsunade's office, and Hinata emerged.
He froze.
She looked up at him, a smile on her face, "Hello, Naruto-kun."
They had never really talked about what happened during the war, or about the fact that she loved him. He wondered if she still did. Hinata was always quiet, and her schedule didn't match up with his. She was a member of the Anbu, and worked closely with Anko-san. The Byakugan afforded her a great advantage on missions, and she was a rather vicious fighter when she wanted to be.
Naruto still saw the scene in his mind of her defending him and being cut down by Pain.
Grabbing the door to the office, he arrogantly pushed through it like always, "Hey-"
Everyone blinked at him. Tsunade sat at her desk, Shizune standing behind her. There was someone sitting in the chair before her desk, with long dark hair and a lavender uniform. Hinata glanced behind her, and smiled at Naruto, "Hello, Naruto-kun."
"Don't you ever knock?" Tsunade grumbled at him, "Stop gaping, and shut the door behind you when you come in."
Naruto did as she said, and took a seat next to Hinata.
He avoided her quite a bit. It helped that she was frequently working with the Anbu and had different missions. Even sitting next to her, he felt slightly nervous. Why, he didn't really understand it. She was the only person who made him this uneasy.
Because I love you, Naruto-kun.
He felt his face heat up. She was the only living person that had ever really told him that she loved him. Kyuubi even had a strange feeling towards her, considering she had nearly given her life for the both of them. They never talked about that time, so it always felt like some big unspoken taboo in the room. Hinata never brought it up, and neither did he. The tables had turned on him it seemed. Now instead of her always seeming awkward, he felt like the awkward one.
"It's a good thing you came, I guess. I was about to send for you," the Godaime told him, "You felt the disturbance over on the northeast end of the village."
"There's something in the woods. Sasuke sensed it too," he said, "It's too quiet over there."
"Rumor has it that there is an organization that originated from Kirigakure. They're part of the old regime there, and are dissatisfied with the current government. They've been mostly quiet, but reports show that they've started raiding outskirts of the Wind Country. The Kazekage is looking into it, but it looks like we might be next on the list."
"That's all empty territory," Hinata replied, "The forest is there, and it's close to Konoha. It's a very strategic location if they're looking to hide and look into Konoha."
"That's why I sent-" she glared at Naruto, "Was going to send for you. I have a mission for the two of you, and it has to be done very discreetly." She took out a folder of the photos and handed it to Hinata, "I need you two to scout the area. I don't want to send more than a two-man cell since it may attract attention. Naruto, you know the woods well, and Hinata will be able to detect an rogue chakra signatures in the area."
"What about Neji?" he asked, looking at the photos.
Tsunade frown at him for a moment like she was disappointed it him. What the hell was her problem? "Neji is on a mission right now. Hinata is perfectly capable of going in his stead."
He looked up for a moment, and then glanced at Hinata. She hadn't made a single comment over his rude question. Naruto shrugged and looked back at the photos. He would rather die than admit he was nervous around her, "Sounds like a plan to me. When do we go?"
"Tonight," Tsunade instructed, "I want a full report. No matter how insignificant, I want you to look into it."
"Yes, ma'am," Hinata answered her, "We'll do everything that we can."
He nodded, handing the photos back to Hinata. It looked like they were going on a mission together. After closing the office door behind him, he glanced back at Hinata who was waiting patiently in the hall for him. They still had a lot of details to mow out.
It looked like they were actually doing this.
"I have to head back to Hyuuga House to pack a few things," Hinata turned to him, "Would you like to meet me there in ten minutes?"
"Sure thing," he said, "Ah, Hinata?" She stopped, her opal eyes looking straight at him and not missing anything. His nerve suddenly died a quick death. "Um, n-nothing."
"Okay, see you later."
He watched her disappear down the hall.
It was going to be a long couple of days.
I hope everyone will like this story :D It's still a work in progress, but I'm going to try updating it as much as I can. Feel free to check my profile if you're ever curious about what other update news is going on. I've always been a big fan of Hinata, and I'm really happy to finally write a story with her in it! I'm still combing through the chapter for editing, and hopefully ch 2 will be up soon.