ONE
Sasuke always knew that in the very end, he would end up working together with a person he truly hated.
His blonde, blue-eyed childhood friend Naruto was a candidate right from the start, but along the way, he met an entire rank of ninjas who could easily fill in that particular position. Orochimaru, for one, but wait - he's actually gone. And it was an entire nightmare of a different calibre, that almost immortal creature. Except that his blood remained as cold as an animal's, and he never gained back the right to atone for his sins.
Sasuke and Itachi had made sure to that.
And then there was that rotten ancestor of his who hid under an orange mask and pretended to be on his side. And then that other guy who pretended to stick by him, that guy who was water and carried a sword, that guy who even risked his life for him, yes – that was one more of the long line of ninjas whom he could truly list down as those he truly hated.
Alongside them, even his old teammate was somewhat agreeable, although he would scoff at his every word and action. Even the thought of his having such a huge pointless ambition – dreams of being the Hokage, a place in the politics, a field where Sasuke knew better than to dabble in. His heart belonged to missions, and although he had turned down the offers of joining the ANBU, he remained a top-notch ninja who often went on Rank A missions alone, or oftentimes, with his own team of ninjas, 3 young genin who always reminded him of how he first started – a young ninja, promising and hopeful, led on by a powerful dream of vengeance. He had gone off the right path afterwards, but he was foolhardy, and he learned, and he did what he had to.
Then, it was all over.
His job was done.
And now, he wanted to make sure that the young ones stayed away from the path he lived. No one else had to suffer through what he experienced, especially under the tutelage of the rebel-Sannin. Not even those he truly hated.
It was a wonder, how in the end, when asked nicely, he agreed to help and landed a part-time job of training genin, especially when their real teachers were incapacitated or temporarily unable to work. Of course, his main work was still doing solo missions, off in the far, far lands. Sometimes he had missions that lasted for months, sometimes weeks. He was extremely happy with this arrangement.
As for old friends, there was Sakura, a prominent med-ninja in the village, was researching various chemicals and plants, hoping to perfect the ultimate healing art. She grew to be a lovely woman, still boisterous and silly at times, but a beautiful wife when she finally married the last person everyone thought she'd end up with. In the past few years, Rock Lee had finally succumbed to her, and changed his hairstyle, trimmed his brows, and changed into regular clothes – they've been dating steadily ever since. And finally, a spectacular marriage two years back, right after the last great wars tumbled down and left room for celebration.
Of course, whenever Rock Lee and Gai-sensei hung out together, he'd put on his green spandex and weights, just for fun. And he kept a wig that was reminiscent of his bowl-cut hairstyle. It annoyed the hell out of his wife, but since she was already his, there wasn't really much Sakura could do.
But their love story, was something akin to rotten tomatoes and eggplants, as Sasuke would always muse to himself (and is so lovely and laughable at the same time that it deserves its own storytelling in another time and place). He would only scratch his head when asked about marriage plans, or future children, or anything related to that.
Why do people even bother?
So even if he deemed himself a most anti-social type of person, Sasuke still wondered how the hell he ended up doing what he never thought he'd be doing – training genin? But once a month was alright, and once a week fit just right into his schedule, and he couldn't say he didn't like the extra pay it gave.
So imagine his reaction when he suddenly received an extra side-assignment from the Hokage herself. It was labelled in an URGENT envelope, and it made him grin to think of receiving such a dire mission at this time of the night.
It didn't take long for him to mutter all the anti-espionage spells and dis-arm the letter. And then, Sasuke glanced over the wordy letter, his eyes ladnding on the crucial words –
sorry, doing well, work, full-time, well-compensated, grateful –
an office job?
To be tied down to a desk, much worse, to students?
It was an outrage.
He had to go see the Hokage first thing the next day.
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tbc
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a/n: A story that struck me one fine morning. Read and review please! :3