Genderbending, Female Uchiha Sasuke. "When one saga ends, another begins. The war ends- and everybody moves on. Sakura becomes the head of the hospital, pioneering a new era for medic-nin. Naruto ends up married to the person he least expected, and Kakashi winds up taking up the mantle of Rokudaime Hokage. And Sasuke? Well... Sasuke... Sasuke wandered." Naruto / Fem. Sasu, Kakashi / Fem. Sasu, Naruto / Hinata, Sakura / Kiba.

Her elbow was propped up on the table, a small frown framing her face as she stared out of the cafe window.

"Excuse me... sir? Your coffee?"

A mug of black coffee was placed in front of her, the brunette waiter staring at her rather meekly.

"Arigato." she replied simply, nodding her head in acknowledgement as the man positively ran away, clearly recognizing who she was.

It was a rather dark day. The clouds blotted out any resemblance of a sun, and a shadow seemed to hang over the newly rebuilt village- something that was rare in these days of peace and understanding.

Something had been bugging her lately. No... not lately. Something had been bugging her for a long while, ever since she had returned to the village, really.

Being reaccepted into the village was one thing- with her war contribution, not to mention the use her bloodline could be to the village, she was readily regiven her citizenship. Being reintegrated... well, that was another story.

Her team had welcomed her back easily, practically ignoring the fact that she had tried to murder them all in cold blood.

Her eyes darkened as she took a sip of the warm coffee, rejoicing internally at the deliciously bitter taste.

The rest of the village... they recognized her for what she truly was. A damaged orphan who had betrayed her friends, her home for power. A nukenin that had attacked the kage, and killed one of their elders. What she still couldn't get... what she wasn't able to understand, was why Naruto... Sakura, and Kakashi didn't seem to care about that.

Slowly, but surely, however, the rest of the village seemed to be accepting her.

At first the hatred and the glares had been prominent- a source of irony considering she was in the situation Naruto had been in years earlier. As the days passed however, they slowly started to ebb away. Shopkeepers didn't refuse her service- waiters and waitresses didn't run away in fright (most of the time at least). Even the former Hokage, Senju Tsunade, someone who loathed had her with every fiber of her being at one point, gave her the occasional nod and tight smile.

It felt wrong.

She was a kin slayer. Her brother was dead because of her. She had wished vengeance, wanting everyone in the village to suffer and die for crimes they hadn't committed. She had thrown a chakra blade through her friend, and teammate's chest, just to quicken the death of an enemy. She had impaled her best friend through the shoulder- missing his heart by little more than an inch.

They shouldn't be accepting her. They should hate her. She deserved it.

Her fingers tightened around the coffee mug, her sharingan activating momentarily before she came to her senses and deactivated it. Putting the cup back down, she ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the brittle strands with no little dissatisfaction.

She still hadn't apologized to Juugo and Suigetsu either, now she that thought about it. After all, she had left the two for dead back at the Kage Summit- even though for some kami-forsaken reason they had still be loyal to her during the war.

She wondered how they were holding up, at Orochimaru's hideout.

... Orochimaru...

The snake sannin- a man who had committed even worse crimes than her, murdering hundreds of innocent people on his path to immortality. After the war, he had been pardoned- his resurrection of the past Hokage having saved the entire alliance from certain death and thus warranting it apparently. He had taken to more humanitarian things, according to the rumors. Using his technical knowledge to create antidotes and medicines, rather than using it to create death and destruction.

... Orochimaru!

He was technically, using a very loose term of the word, a shinobi of Konohagakure once more, given a special status that allowed him to stay outside the village for an indefinite time.

Maybe... just maybe she could-

"Temae!"

A grinning Naruto slid into the seat across from her. Clad in a simple orange t-shirt, with cargo shorts peaking out from beneath the table, he looked to be the very opposite of the village hero he was.

"Naruto." she replied smoothly, picking her coffee cup off of the table and taking a sip of it- a sly attempt to cover up the inner turmoil she had been previously experiencing.

"How ya been, Sasuke?" he said, blue eyes staring at her with nothing more than innocent curiosity. "I haven't seen ya in a while... Kakashi-sensei's been makin' me do all these super awesome missions lately, like protecting princesses and stuff!"

"I've been around." Sasuke murmured, leaning forward in her chair. "Listen... have you seen Kakashi?"

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto put a hand up, stroking his chin in thought. "Have you checked his office?"

Sasuke sighed, very much wanting to palm her forehead in irritation. "He's not there, usuratonkachi." she said, glaring at him as if he was a moron. "Or, at the very least, I can't sense his chakra there."

"Uhh..." Naruto mumbled, scratching his head. "I dunno what to tell you, temae."

Another sigh escaped Sasuke's lips. "Want to help me find him?" she suggested, draining the last of her coffee. "I need to talk to him about something."

"Sure!" the blonde war hero said, standing up from his chair. "Want me to go into sage mode and find'em?"

"Go ahead." Sasuke said, slipping a few notes onto the table, before calmly rising from her chair and pushing it in. "It's fairly important, so I'd like to speak to him as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded. The two walked out of the cafe, Sasuke pausing as Naruto stood still for a moment- eyes closed, and completely still.

Several moments later, formerly blue orbs snapped open, now an orange hue with widened pupils. He hummed beneath his breath, using his sage powers to look for their former teacher's chakra. "There he is!" he said after a minute, orange fading back to blue. "He's... well, he's at home."

A frown appeared on Sasuke's face. "... what is he doing at home exactly?" she said, a look of slight disgust on her face, knowing her teacher's tendency to read pornographic novels.

"Nothing like that!" Naruto said, waving her concern off, having long learned how to recognize Sasuke's facial expressions. "He's just loungin' around, probably tryin' to get away from his responsibilites." he huffed. "Lazy jii-chan, he is."

"You can come with me if you want." Sasuke offered, beginning to walk in the direction of Kakashi's home- a large apartment complex several blocks away, since he had refused to move into the Hokage Mansion.

"Hah, it won't be that easy to get rid of me, temae!" Naruto called after her cheerfully, rushing forward to match her face. "No, but seriously, what have you been up to, Sasuke?" he asked, bringing up his earlier question.

"Like I said." she replied coolly. "I've been around."

"Sasuke...!" Naruto whined, crossing his arms.

"Fine." Sasuke grunted in irritation. "I went on my first B-rank back here.. A quick and easy escort mission. I took some sniveling minor noble brat back to his home at the capital, and came back."

"What?" Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "You went on your first B-rank back and you didn't even tell me?"

"I just told you." Sasuke replied. "It's not my fault Mr. Naruto-sama was dragged to Kumogakure to help teach little academy students how to fight." she said, a small smirk curlng her lips.

"... how did you find out about that?" Naruto murmured. "'s not my fault," he said a moment later, "that everybody loves me so much now. Can you believe they paid me A-rank mission price just to go over there for a few weeks, and teach some kids how to punch and kick? It was awesome!"

"Awesome." Sasuke echoed, the word sounding foreign in her mouth. "Then why'd you try to cover it up- as if Kakashi would give you a mission to protect a princess."

"Hey!" Naruto replied, glaring at the raven haired kunoichi. "I protected a princess once, y'know! And it was awesome... well, I mean... I guess Octopop's raps got a little annoying towards the end."

"Octopops? You mean the Hachibi's jinchuriki, that idiot who raps all the time?" Sasuke muttered, glancing at Naruto. "You had to spend all your time around him?"

"You've never even met him, temae!" Naruto said, his glare intensifying. "And some of his raps are pretty good, y'know!"

Sasuke shook her head in disbelief. "I swear... you must have short term memory loss." she stated matter of factly. "I didn't just meet him, I fought him."

"Eh?" Naruto said in disbelief. "You did?"

Sasuke just continued shaking her head. "Usuratonkachi..." she mumbled, a smirk playing on her lips. The two paused just outside of Kakashi's apartment building, staring up the massive ten story building- one of the larger constructions undertaken after Pein had leveled the village.

Stepping into the lobby and up to one of the telephones, conveniently placed to allow people to call up to the apartment occupants, Sasuke quickly found Kakashi's name, punching in the numbers.

"Hello?" Kakashi's voice came in through the receiver pressed against her ear.

"Kakashi." she said, leaning against the wall, Naruto joining her side. "Naruto and I are downstairs. I need to talk to you."

"Come on up." he replied. "It's always nice to see some of my cute students wanting to visit their sensei." There was a cut, signaling that the conversation was over. Sasuke put the receiver back on the wall, turning to Naruto.

"Come on." she said, jerking her head towards the stairs.

The two scaled several flights of stairs, making their way to the seventh floor where Kakashi resided. Walking along the plush hallways, they paused outside of the Rokudaime Hokage's residence, Naruto leaning forward to knock on the door.

A few seconds later, and the door swung open, revealing a smiling (at least, she thought he was- it was hard to tell with the mask) Kakashi. "Sasuke! Naruto!" he said, black eyes flickering between the two. "Come in!"

Leaning to the side, he let the trio pass by him. Striding to the couch, the two sat down, making themselves comfortable as Kakashi sat down in a nearby chair.

"So... what do you need to talk about, Sasuke?" the silver haired man asked, scratching his nose idly.

Sasuke clasped her hands together, slouching in her seat as she leaned forward. "I want to leave the village again." she stated simply.

A moment passed. And then-

"Nani?!" Naruto shouted, staring at her in shock. "What'd you mean you wanna leave the village again?!"

"I see." Kakashi replied, nodding. "I expected this, to be frank with you, Sasuke." he said, readjusting himself in his chair. "I knew that you haven't felt comfort, ever since you came back. I knew it was just a matter of time before you wanted to leave again."

"Not for good." Sasuke said, more as a reassurance for the seemingly hyperventilating Naruto than anything. "Just for a little while... I... I just need to get my bearings. See the world a little, at least before I can settle down in the village again."

Another long moment passed, all members of the room completely silent. Naruto was still staring at Sasuke in shock- while the other two occupants in the look stared at each other with ill disguised tension.

Then, Kakashi nodded. "Alright." he relented. "I suppose I can arrange for you to be given a leave of duty, for a few years at the most."

"Hold on, hold on, ho-o-o-ld on!" Naruto said, standing up and waving his hands- as if to slow the conversation down. "What the hell do you mean leave the village again, Sasuke? I thought we were happy!"

Naruto and Sasuke locked gazes- blue clashing against obsidian. "You were happy, Naruto." Sasuke murmured, leaning back in her seat. "I haven't been happy for a long, long time."

Naruto quieted down, his head bowed. His blue eyes were clouded as he spoke his next words. "... I thought you liked being back in the village, Sasuke..."

"..."

"Naruto... you need to see this from Sasuke's perspective." Kakashi said, leaning forward in his chair. "Sasuke hasn't forgiven Sasuke, no matter how much you, or I, or Sakura forgive him. Sasuke believes that Sasuke deserves punishment, and yet at every corner all he receives is hope and understanding from us."

"That's what you think, Sasuke...?" Naruto asked, turning to Sasuke. "That you should... that you should isolate yourself, just because you made a couple of mistakes?" he shook his head. "That's... that's fucking stupid, temae."

"It wasn't a couple of mistakes, Naruto." Sasuke mumbled. "I've done things that just can't be forgiven, all because you want to see the best of me and refuse to see the worst."

A cloud descended upon them. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a katana, suffocating Naruto as the reality of the situation descended on him. "... that's it then, huh?" he murmured. "You're leaving again, huh?"

"Hmph." Sasuke grunted, folding his arms and leaning back. "Your taking it to hard, moron. A few years, and I'll be back. I promise."

"Heh." Naruto replied, grin slowly returning. "You mean it, Sasuke?"

"Yeah. I do."

"This is it, then?"

Sakura smiled sadly, standing inches away from Sasuke as the two kunoichi stared at each other.

"Yeah." Sasuke replied. "This is it... for now."

Kakashi and Naruto stood in the background, the two watching as the exchange of words happened.

"... was it not enough?"

The question made Sasuke pause.

"Was it really not enough... everything Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei, and I did to try and make you feel comfortable in the village again?"

"It wasn't that you guys weren't enough." Sasuke said after a moment. "The problem was that I wasn't enough."

Sakura tilted her head in slight confusion, emerald eyes blinking a few times. "Good luck, I guess." she said finally, taking a step back.

Sasuke smiled lightly, turning around to walk away. She made it a few steps, before something stopped him.

"Wait!" Sakura called, rushing up to her. "... is... is there any chance I could come with you?"

Sasuke turned around, cloak flapping in the wind. "Maybe... maybe next time, Sakura." he said. "This time, I need to be alone. I hope you understand."

Before she could make it another ten steps- a swirl of leaves distracted her, along with a rapidly moving chakra. Kakashi appeared in front of her, slouched with his hands stuffed into his pockets- belaying the status he now held within the village.

"I just wanted you to know..." he murmured, eyes darting to Sakura and Naruto, who were out of earshot. "They found Itachi's body. It was being preserved in an old Akatsuki base, and it got here today." Kakashi paused. "I'm going to have him interned- given full honors as a hero to the village. He deserves it."

Silence passed between them. Then, inexplicably and with seemingly no control over her own body- Sasuke reached forward, wrapping her arms around the silver haired Hokage's shoulder.

"Thanks... Kakashi-sensei." she said, pulling away from the hug, ignoring an obviously gaping Naruto and Sakura in the background.

"It's no problem, Sasuke. Good luck on your travels." he said, walking past the raven haired kunoichi.

This time, Sasuke made it all the way out of the village- and deep into the woods before someone caught up to her once more.

"What is it, Naruto?" she said, inclining her head to the right, where Naruto stood high in the trees- perched on a branch.

He quickly descended, dropping to the ground in front of her. "I almost forgot to give you something." he said, digging into his pocket. "Here." He extended his hand, revealing a Konoha headband. The silver metal was clearly polished- although the scratch in it made it clear just whose headband it clearly was.

She wrapped her fingers around the cloth, dangling it in front of her eyes, where it swung back it forth. "... sentimental fool." she mumbled under he breath, a small smile on her face. "You held onto it all these years?"

"Of course I did." Naruto said, a smile on his face. "I always knew you would come back to the village, temae. Good luck." he said, clapping her on the shoulder.

Sasuke watched him disappear into the village gates once more, the heavy doors being closed behind him as he walked away- Kakashi and Sakura at his sides.

She stared at the headband, before stuffing it inside of her cloak, a memento that she would definitely keep on her travels.

Then, she started walking.

Where she was going? That was a question the last Uchiha couldn't definitively answer. All she knew, was that a new chapter in her life had begun.

A/N

If your wondering, Naruto and Sakura have no idea that Sasuke is a girl. Neither does the majority of the village- imagine her as you will, but her cold personality and uncaringness for her looks have made most of the village mistaking believe she is a female. Kakashi, however, knows that she is a girl. More about that later.

Next chapter is wrapping up SasuSaku- a pairing that I enjoy, but is obviously not the focal point of this fic.

I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, and any criticism that you feel is necessary (except for people who just loath the story in general i.e. people who post 'Kill yourself, genderbending is wrong, or kill yourself, SasuNaru never happened.' Get a life, honestly.)

Also, a beta would be amazing. Send a P.M. if your interested.