As always there disclaimer - I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, THE MANGA, THE MOVIES, AND WHATEVER MADE BY MASASHI KISHIMOTO TV TOKYO VIZ MEDIA AND WHOEVER ELSE.
Anyway - this is a story I have been working on for a while. It's my fix-it alternate canon-divergent sort of twist fanfic I got going on here from the end of the Naruto manga. You readers are in for a trip, there is going to be so. much. DRAMA!
Definitely going to be rated M because, well, you'll see ;) Let's how this goes. Enjoy!
It had been three years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. The restoration of Konoha was complete after rebuilding from Pain's damage to the village years ago. Kakashi was the Hokage, Tsunade worked in the hospital with Sakura and Shizune. Aside from serving with Team 10, Shikamaru was working part-time under Kakashi as an adviser, with Ino picking up some information gathering duties from her Yamanaka clan. Kiba worked with his mom and the rest of the Inuzuka clan every so often. Shino was studying to become a teacher. Sai, while still adjusting to societal norms, made significant progress. He worked mainly with Yamato and not so much in the mysterious Root organization. Rock Lee picked up the slack left behind by the late Might Guy, his sensei. Tenten had her own weapons shop in the market district of Konoha. Neji didn't participate in as many missions anymore, prioritizing his clan duties at the behest of his cousin and heir to the Hyūga. Hinata was thriving more so than any of the Konoha ninja of her generation; she was learning from her father the sacred secrets of their clan, taking on more leadership, sitting in on critical meetings. The highlight of her life; she was dating the hero of Konoha, number one hyperactive ninja Naruto Uzumaki.
The relationship between the knuckle-headed ninja and the Hyūga heiress had become the talk of the town. It began when the two were seen eating together one evening at the Ichiraku ramen shop. To gossiping eyes, it seemed to be a date between a young man and a beautiful woman. After that it was picnics in the park, dinners, and lunches at other restaurants in town, going for sweets in the markets. A few months later, it was clear that Hinata was the only woman for Naruto, and their relationship was steadfast. People talked about how the jinchuriki was seen having tea with Hinata's father and head of the Hyūga clan. Some were even talking about wedding bells, though no news of official engagement was announced.
Then there was Sasuke Uchiha. The former rogue nin was cleared of all charges against him. Helping out the hero of Konoha save the world helped his case considerably. His battles with Orochimaru, Deidara and Itachi Uchiha, didn't hurt his chances either. He was a prodigy and the last of his clan, so the elders didn't want to just kill him, nor strip him of his rank as shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. He was in prison for a year, in solitary confinement. His only visitors were said to be Naruto himself, along with Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke's former sensei. After his release, even to this day, he would be followed by the elitist and most formidable of ninjas. But that wasn't discussed openly, especially by the civilians of the village.
The people of Konoha didn't know how to feel about the silent Uchiha. It was said he'd rarely leave his new home unless he had to. After all, he did declare to destroy the villagers. They didn't know whether to blame it on his childhood or his rumored mental instability. Before his defection, it was said the infamous Orochimaru of the legendary Sannin attacked him once in his younger years. The Uchiha was told to never be the same after that. The ninja of his generation, referred to in some circles as the Konoha 11 were friendly enough to him, but none was as close to him, supported him or vouched for him more than Naruto Uzumaki. The blonde ninja went to extreme lengths to aid the rogue Uchiha on the road to redemption. There was a rumor that the jinchuriki even fell at his knees before the third Raikage, begging that Sasuke be pardoned of his crimes. He fought an entire group of special forces when Sasuke was brought to the elders just after the war. And of course, they had an epic battle in which both ninjas lost their dominant arms. Naruto threatened to tear off his own artificial arm from his body, pressuring Sasuke to have his own attached to his left stump.
It seemed that life was finally at an excellent point for Naruto Uzumaki. He had great friends, each who were becoming powerful ninjas in their own right. He had a wonderful girlfriend, a promising position he was training for, and his long lost friend whom he loved as dearly as a brother. Life was just perfect.
Today was Choji's birthday; most of the Konoha 11 and Sai all were going to the Akimichi's favorite BBQ place. The Sand Siblings and Team Taka were already waiting at the restaurant. All that was left was Naruto and Sasuke. The pair were in Kakashi's office, waiting for him to finish reviewing some paperwork from the stack living on their sensei's desk.
"Ah, Kaka-sensei how much longer do we have to wait here?" the blonde complained with a pout, arms crossed against his chest. "Our friends are waiting." The raven sitting to his right sat silently, rolling his eyes at Naruto's complaint. The stupid dobe couldn't wait to get his food. Sasuke himself would have stayed home alone, but Naruto wouldn't leave him be about going with him, spending time outside and living like a "normal member of society."
"You can't expect to be a very successful Hokage with no patience Naruto," said Kakashi, not looking away from the packet of paper in his hands. "Patience is a virtue you have to keep as leader of this village." The sixth Hokage loved to quip his little bouts of wisdom. That part of him hadn't changed in all the years his students have known him.
Naruto said nothing and continued to pout. Sasuke piped up, "You summoned us here Kakashi, why?"
Kakashi read over his files, grabbed a pen, signed a few pages and set aside the paperwork onto another pile at his desk. Then he deigned to look at his former students, "I spoke with the elders earlier today about you Sasuke."
That caught the boys' attention.
The blonde's pout went away and was replaced with a stern expression. "What did they say?" inquired Naruto in a cautious tone.
"Well, considering everything that has happened the past three years since the war, it was decided that your probation can be revoked," Kakashi explained. "Your continued service under my supervision and countless other comrades have eased the council's concerns. By keeping your head down, you showed you can control yourself and that you're not a flight risk. It definitely helped that a certain hyperactive knuckle-headed ninja was in your corner the whole time." he finished with a gentle smile.
"So it's over?" asked the blonde with a hopeful grin.
"Yes, it's over, your probationary period is done." their sensei confirmed, nodding for further confirmation.
Naruto cried with relief while Sasuke expressed no emotion, his gaze turning to the floor. The blank expression veiled a crashing wave of emotions that the raven was feeling, Naruto knew as much but didn't want to discuss it in front of Kakashi.
"I see," was all Sasuke said.
"This is great news! We should go out and celebrate," suggested the blonde turning to look between Kakashi and Sasuke. The raven made his typical grunt in response, but the faraway look in his eyes, while they remained fixed upon the floor, did not change. Inwardly, it worried his blonde friend. Outwardly, Naruto wrote it off as a classic Sasuke-ism, not to be taken seriously. Kakashi, however, was not fooled. That much was evident in the copy-nin's eye, yet, he made no comment on it.
"That was it. You're free to leave." The Hokage went back to his stack of papers. The boys went without another word. As they departed, Kakashi felt concern about his former underling's reaction. He didn't expect joy, but some relief to come from Sasuke. However, he knew everything would be fine. He was with Naruto, and Naruto wouldn't let Sasuke get into any more trouble ever again. The blonde made that plain throughout their relationship. It would all work out.
At least, that's is what he wanted to believe.
Sasuke rushed out of the Hokage building, with his blonde friend jogging to catch up.
"Hey Sasuke!" he called out to him. It made the raven stop. Sasuke sighed, his shoulders drooping and turned to his friend.
"What dobe?" asked the raven in a cautious tone.
"Don't you wanna talk about this? I mean, this is pretty big news," Naruto said, with concern etched into his voice.
"What's there to say Naruto?" asked Sasuke wearingly.
"It's just that we've worked a long time for this," Naruto said.
"So what? It's not like I'll be left alone. The elders will still be watching my every move with the ANBU forces. People still won't trust me, and that's my fault. I broke the village's trust, and I can't feel the same about this place as I did once before. You know why."
"Sasuke," Naruto began but stopped, thinking. He knew how the raven felt, and he couldn't fault his friend for doing so. Nobody aside from himself, Tsunade and Kakashi, apart from the elders themselves knew the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. The blood of Sasuke's kin was sacrificed for peace in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was something he didn't doubt Sasuke would ever forgive.
"You realize you're the only reason I stick around here," Sasuke pointed out.
"That and I'd hunt you to the ends of the earth," Naruto retorted. After all he already did it once before. And succeeded.
"How could I ever forget," Sasuke said putting a hand on his hip.
"Bastard," Naruto jested.
"Dumbass," the Uchiha returned with a smirk. The discussion wasn't over but it was evident from the exchange that everything between them was fine, for now. He turned to head home.
"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto stopped him again.
"Hm?" the raven turned back to his friend once more.
"There's a party over at this restaurant for Chouji since it's his birthday. Wanna come?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know Naruto," Sasuke responded hesitantly. He was never one to go where he wasn't invited.
"C'mon it'll be fun!" said the blonde encouragingly. "I heard your old team is gonna be there too, along with everyone else."
"Hm," it still amazed Sasuke how well Jugo, Suigetsu and Karin acclimated to life here at Konoha. Better than Sasuke himself it seemed. "Well, it's not like I really have a choice."
"You kinda don't," Naruto confirmed mischievously. He put his arm around his friend and the pair walked towards the restaurant where their friends were waiting.
"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up," said Kiba. Everyone else had gathered, seated and were waiting for Naruto. Kiba and his team, Team 10, Sakura and Sai, Team Guy and the Sand Siblings too. Even the members of the former Taka were present. Choji Akimichi, the guest of honor, was stuffing his face with the choicest meat the group could afford. The long table the gang was seated at had just enough chairs for two more guests, as Naruto brought along Sasuke.
"You two are starting to pick up on Kakashi-sensei's habits," jested Sakura. She was wedged between Ino and Sai along the table. Ino was opposite Shikamaru who was on Choji's right. Team 10 was sitting along next to Shikamaru, and Team Guy was beside them as well. The Sand Siblings sat across from them. Taka sat at the other end of the table.
"Sakura-chan, that's not fair," Naruto said with a playful pout. He helped himself to the feast on the table, pulled up a chair and sat right beside Hinata, who scooted away from Kiba to make space for her suitor. As he began to eat the food before them all, he said, "We were meeting with Kakashi-sensei," explaining casually with his mouth full. Sasuke took the remaining chair, and Sakura made some room for him and he sat between the pink-haired kunoichi and Ino. Both young women were overjoyed at the fact the object of their shared affection was planted next to them, much to the raven-haired ninja's displeasure.
"Oh, what were you discussing?" questioned Ino.
"Ino, that's not our business," admonished Shikamaru. In the tactician's opinion talking about work outside of it was a total drag.
"It's okay," Naruto swallowed down his food in the impolite way he always did, "you're all probably going to find out sooner or later anyway."
"Is this good news?" Sai asked with interest for once.
The jinchuriki looked at his best friend, who didn't seem to be bothered by talking about it. "Well," he turned away to face all his friends, "Sasuke's done with his probation. He's in the clear." He put his hands in the air as some gesture of good faith, as if to drive home how good this was.
No one said anything for a moment. Then Choji spoke as best he could while chowing down on beef. "That's great Sasuke, congrats!" He finished with a big swallow.
Sasuke smiled curtly. "Thanks, Choji. Happy birthday."
"Thanks, man," said birthday boy proceeded to gulp down some juice.
"This is incredible news," said Rock Lee, fired up at this news. "After all your hard work, you're finally able to go forward without looking back."
"Though, it's not like everything Sasuke's done will be swept under the rug," Neji said.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Hyūga prodigy. Naruto and Sakura became tense.
"Well," Hinata piped up. "Sasuke has come a long way, and I'm sure people will give him the benefit of the doubt now."
The Uchiha was taken aback by the Hyūga heiress's defense of his character. He and the girl barely had any interaction in all the time they were aware of the other's presence. Even after she started to go out with Naruto. But Sasuke suspected the reason she was trying to speak up for his sake was sitting right next to her.
Naruto, hopeless little knucklehead. He couldn't explain why, but he wondered how far they got as a couple.
"Anyway, tonight is about Choji," Ino said, waving her arms frantically in attempts to distract everyone. She quickly grabs her glass and toasts, with Sakura following suit. "To Choji!"
"To Choji!" everyone bellowed, toasting their drinks in the air.
The man of the hour was touched by the toast, resembling a chipmunk munching on freshly cooked meat from the grill and smiling while keeping his mouth closed simultaneously.
"Aw, thanks, guys!" Said birthday boy was unintentionally spitting food everywhere as he spoke and ate at the same time, a skill acquired after years of dining with others.
The tension that lingered among the party faded away as the youth engaged in mindless chatter. Sasuke kept to himself, eating his food. Sai observed others intently, hoping to take some more social queues from people his age. Jugo was silent, unsure of what to say to the others at the table. Gaara was blissfully quiet, overjoyed that he was among friends. Hinata was quiet for a while, just happy to be by Naruto's side as he spoke with Shikamaru and Kiba. She wasn't really paying attention to their conversation as she was enraptured by her boyfriend's face. It still amazed her that she could refer to the blonde as such.
She always found him to be so beautiful, with his bright blue eyes and eager, easy-going demeanor. He was so tan and now as a young man, very muscular with a well-built form. The Hyūga heiress recalled years before where the person sitting next to her was a tiny boy whom everyone wrote off as a nuisance. No one believed in him, let alone would think he'd be the accomplished, heroic young man he was today. Naruto had come so far. He wasn't just the apple of her eye, he was her inspiration. He was living proof that one could overcome obstacles and stigmas. That if you believe and persevere long enough, there was nothing that was impossible. Hinata loved him for it.
Kiba piped up, "Looks like someone's in love," he jested. His teammate blushed at the remark, as did her date.
"Oh," Sai spoke, "are you talking about Hinata-sama and Naruto-kun?" He asked innocently.
"Of course Sai," Ino explained with a smile, "who else would he be talking about silly?"
"You two do make a nice looking couple," Karin said encouragingly.
"It's the very essence of youth to be together as you are," Rock Lee said with great enthusiasm.
"So when's the wedding?" Suigetsu joked, toothy grin out for all to see.
"Suigetsu! Shut up, you idiot!" Karin reprimanded, smacking him upside the head. Naruto and Hinata's faces reddened further.
"It is only logical," Sai said, "people who engage in relationships and maintain them for a while to consider marriage."
"Aheheh," Naruto chuckled nervously. He brings this up now?! the blonde exclaimed inwardly. "I mean it's kinda soon to bring all that stuff up right? But I know Hinata would be a great wife." He smiled at her, and her face was overcome with shyness. If Naruto was honest, it was one of the reasons he considered going out with her in the first place. In the brief meeting, he had with his mother, she wanted him to find someone. Hinata could do…is what he would think when the subject came up. It came up initially when Sakura set the pair up in the first place.
"Smooth," Kankuro muttered. Gaara elbowed him in the side.
"I'm sure everything will work out fine between you two," Gaara said favorably.
"It already seems like you're already part of the Hyūga clan given how much time you spend with Hinata and Neji even," Ten-ten mentioned.
"Naruto would be a welcome addition to our clan," Neji stated with some pride. It was a far cry from the Neji of years ago, where he was a pompous, angry teen.
"Well I mean I have Team 7," Naruto pointed out. "And Iruka. All you guys are my family in a way." He said this due to being an orphan child growing up in Konoha, coming home to empty apartments every day. His friends were essentially his family.
"Yes but by marrying Hinata, it would grow a bunch," Sakura reminded him.
"Yeah I guess it would," Naruto said. He looked at Hinata, and while they were both blushing furiously, the pair seemed content at the idea. The entire group beamed at the picture. Everyone except Sasuke.
Yes, the hero of Konoha and his beautiful pale-faced girlfriend made quite the pretty picture. A wedding ceremony for them would likely generate hundreds of guests, with everyone who was anyone of importance in the shinobi world. It seemed Naruto was building quite the future for himself. Did Sasuke really have a place in it? The raven wasn't sure; the bond between him and Naruto was never easy. But recently there seemed to be less reason for the Uchiha to stick around. The jinchuriki had plenty of friends, dozens right here in the Hidden Leaf and countless more outside the village. Now he had a girlfriend, a promising position to lead others and achieve greatness, aside from the feats the Uzumaki already fulfilled in his career. Meanwhile, as the last Uchiha Sasuke managed to sink low. He knew that if his parents lived, they would be ashamed. Sasuke felt his own shame everyday. He never voiced it, but he felt it.
But where would he go, where the same aching feeling of regret would follow everywhere? He couldn't outrun his feelings. The dobe wouldn't let him if he tried. There was also the ANBU to consider. Besides, there was the time recuperating in the hospital with Naruto. So many things were said in that room, so much was shared between them. They never spoke about it afterwards. Dare they even? No. No, it didn't matter, not anymore. Not with the Hyūga girl around.
This was just how it was going to be. Naruto was going to be with Hinata and Sasuke would just be the former rogue ninja of the Uchiha clan. The raven knew himself though, things couldn't stay the way they were now. Sooner or later, he'll implode, do something reckless and land into trouble, which he couldn't afford to do anymore. If only there was something that could be done to change the circumstances. But what? Sasuke thought.
"Sasuke?"
Everyone at the table turned to look at the source of the unknown feminine voice that spoke. All were shocked to see a young woman appearing to be around their age. Her hair was mid-length and black as night. Her matching eyes had a twinkle to them, a spark of curiosity and nostalgia as her gaze was locked onto the raven-haired Uchiha. Her olive skin was fair, her rosy lips full, with a swollen bosom and a body slightly above-average height. The girl was wearing a slim black dress of knee-length, flowing nicely off her toned legs. The woman wasn't exactly familiar to Sasuke, but something about her made him think of a certain little girl from back his earliest days of childhood. He got up from his seat at the table and walked over slowly to her, studying her face for a few moments.
"Yumi?"
At the mention of the name her eyes widened and she squealed out of joy, tackling Sasuke to the floor. Everyone else at the table was silently observing this exchange, astounded at how forward this woman was with touching Sasuke.
"I can't believe it's you after all this time!" Yumi exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see you again…"
"Oy, Yumi, let me go," Sasuke said stiffly. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the entire restaurant. He never was fond of attention. But he caught Naruto's gaze. It seemed different from the others. There was something akin to annoyance in his eyes.
"Oh sorry, how rude of me," said Yumi got off of Sasuke, dusting herself. Sasuke did the same.
"Ne, Sasuke, who's this?" Naruto asked. The blonde was trying his best to keep calm and friendly. The question raging on in his head was who this woman could be to Sasuke. For some reason, this beautiful stranger was ticking him off. For a reason he didn't want to think about right now…
"I'm Yumi Kawasami. Nice to meet you!" Yumi replied with a small wave. "I apologize on intruding on your dinner. It's just seeing Sasuke took me by surprise, and I forgot myself. Sorry again Sasuke." The young woman smiled coyly.
"Hn, just don't make a habit of it," Sasuke said gruffly. He wasn't as peeved as he would have been with other girls in the past, it unnerved the likes of Sakura, Ino and Karin, as well as Naruto.
"So how do you two know each other?" Sakura asked. Sasuke observed she was trying to hide her jealousy. Karin and even Ino looked envious as well. I thought Ino got over me already. Goddamn it, Sasuke thought exasperatedly.
"Oh, we met long ago as children. Sasuke and I met through our parents. I believe it was before Sasuke started school at that Academy I heard about…"
"Tch. You were so annoying back then…" Sasuke grouched. He had forgotten all about those days. Since the massacre happened, the raven-haired ninja didn't ponder much on the days of his early childhood. Most of them were too painful to recount.
"You think everyone is annoying. I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed," Yumi smirked in response to Sasuke's scowl. His attitude never did discourage her. She thoughtlessly put her hand on Sasuke's arm, matching Hinata's hand on Naruto's forearm. Sasuke noticed the jinchuriki's gaze followed the movement but made no comment.
"Were you guys close?" Sakura asked. She shouldn't ask, she shouldn't even care, but just couldn't help herself. The curiosity took over. Sasuke wouldn't have let Sakura get away with touching him like that…
"Oh not really, Sasuke refused to give me the time of day. Our mothers would make us play with each other. Eventually, I had to leave town. I just returned to Konoha a few weeks ago. Last time I was here," Yumi paused for a moment, "would be when I was eight. By then Sasuke was already in the academy. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. Not as if he would let me, the jerk. I'm sure your attitude with women hasn't improved either." Yumi nagged, closing eyes, feigning hurt feelings.
Refusing to feel guilty, Sasuke made his typical grunt. Yumi giggled and reminisced, "It was funny because our mothers wanted us to marry each other. At least that's what they kept saying. They'd joke for hours about it, one time they even dressed us up in little kimonos and had us walk around holding hands. We even did a little practice ceremony. So many pictures were taken that day…" Yumi went on with a reminiscent gleam in her eyes.
Some of the ninja at the table pictured a little Sasuke in a kimono holding hands with a tiny blushing girl, walking around with a scowl on his baby face. Most of the Konoha 9 smirked, some failed to contain their mirth. Sasuke was fuming as slight heat rushed to his cheeks. He never felt so mortified in his life, not even when the dobe kissed him that one time in school. The memory made the blush upon his cheeks redden further.
"Oh Sasuke," Yumi ran her hand through his hair. He glowered at her touch but made no move to stop her. "I'm sure your friends aren't laughing at you."
"Oh no," Kiba said laughing, "We're not laughing at him at all." Everyone laughed at that statement. However, Sasuke was the only who noticed that Naruto did not chuckle. In fact, he uncharacteristically remained silent with a blank expression throughout the entire conversation since Yumi appeared.
"So how do you all know each other?" this newcomer inquired.
"We all went to the same academy together. Most of us were in the same year in fact," Ino answered with a smile. "Sasuke, of course, was the best in the class since Shikamaru here kept slacking off."
"Keeping up with schoolwork was a drag," Shikamaru commented with a sigh. Everyone chuckled at that.
"We met the Leaf ninja during our first Chunin exam," Kankuro explained, gesturing to his Kazekage brother and older sister Temari.
"We met everyone here during the war," Suigetsu said on behalf of Taka.
Members of the Konoha 11, the Sand Siblings and Team Taka were busy reminiscing missions and battles of the past no one paid mind to Naruto. The Hokage in training continued to be atypically hushed for most of the conversations that followed. He remained watching this stranger for the duration of the evening.
The pleasant vibe followed the group outside of the restaurant two hours later.
"Wow you guys have had quite the adventures," Yumi remarked. "It has been so nice getting to meet all of you." Her smile was as beautiful as it was bright. It pissed Naruto off immensely for reasons he daren't consider. "I should be going back to my hotel." She waved to everyone and turned to head off.
"Wait," said Sasuke. "Let me walk you back there."
"Oh," Yumi insisted, "that isn't necessary."
"I just want to make sure you get there safe. It is pretty late and who better than an ANBU ninja to escort you back." Sasuke pointed out. Everyone else was pairing off, discussing walking arrangements back to their homes. Everyone except Naruto, who was watching Yumi & Sasuke's exchange like a hawk scouting from far above, making sure not to miss a single detail.
"Well," Yumi decided to surrender with a smile, looping her arm around Sasuke's. "If you insist."
Naruto was about to intervene, but then Hinata came up to him, expecting him to walk her to the Hyūga compound. It's not as if he could just rebuff her. It wasn't her fault any of this was happening anyhow. He took one look back at the Uchiha, and his female friend walked off into the night, looking like a perfect set.
On to chapter 2 Leave a review if you're up for it :)