Α

Sasuke wasn't really sure which of the many eight million kamigami he had offended, or perhaps what other action he might have taken to earn a backlash of karma that he would be placed on a team such as this one. He watched them with carefully contained emotions, though this was not a far stretch from how he acted normally. Sasuke was not so cold as to be the eternal stoic, but his brother had rubbed off on him more then he realized sometimes, and even though he could not bring himself to be so totally like him, Sasuke was still more then a bit reserved.

But it was hard when he was placed on this team. Apparently, according to Iruka, it had something to do with grades. Sasuke had actually spoken up, catching him slightly off guard, and as a result he had learned that he had, as expected, ranked the highest in his class in ninjutsu with one tie for the top grade, and highest in both genjutsu and taijutsu. His initative score was not nearly as high, but high enough, though he noted quite well that Iruka did not mention the 'teamwork' score that he knew was quite low. It wasn't Sasuke's fault everyone else just slowed him down!

The Uchiha had bristled ever so slightly when he was told that he was the 'best male student' of this year's class, with an only barely noticeable emphasis on the indication of gender. He had gotten even worse after hearing that 'due to his varied skills, he'd been placed on a team with the two specific teammates because he filled a hole in the team perfectly.' To Sasuke, that meant one of two things: he has been picked to prop the other two up, or he had been stuck with another team because they had nowhere else to put him. And for the life of him, Sasuke wasn't really sure what which was worse.

Sasuke never let any of his thoughts escape, simply holding his hands steeped in front of him, elbows on his desk and a noncommittal expression on his face. Every so often his eyes would flick across the room, most often settling on one of the other two people in the room, or occasionally linger upon the window. Obsessionally he'd notice a small flash activity on the periphery of his vision, but it was always gone before he could bring it in focus. Likely some sort of animal, perhaps a bird.

The boy shuddered internally as at the thought of pigeons who seemed to be far too fond of his head.

But, regardless of that, something was moving around out there. Not that it mattered, stuck here in this classroom, waiting for far longer then he should have been. The new jounin-sensei of team seven should have been here almost an hour ago, and yet here they were, still waiting.

His eyes drifted the room again, settling this time on what apparently was the 'designated girl' on the team. Hinata, he thought her name was, and her eyes told him everything he needed to know about her clan. Hyuuga, perhaps the closest thing to a rival the Uchiha clan had, in a very loose sense. In truth, neither clan had much of a grudge against the other, and though they occasionally had run into issues with each other during the course of village activities it was hardly heated. The thoughts of the Hyuuga taking over the role as military police was one thing, but was less to do with the Hyuuga clan itself and more with the loss of power the Uchiha had faced. Not that they hadn't brought it on themselves, of course.

For their part, the Hyuuga were never antagonistic towards the Uchiha clan; loyalty and tradition were hallmarks of the clan. Sasuke was not exactly well versed in their exact customs, as he had never really had any reason to be. But he did know that they were considered one of the old guard, nearly as old as the Uchiha themselves, and that their loyalty was thought to be without question. His initial reaction was to think that the Uchiha had been the same, of course. Then again, now the Hyuuga had a perfect example of what happened when a clan let their pride get the best of them.

The girl was sitting in her traditional seat, but she might as well have been tucked away in the corner for all the attention she drew to herself. Sasuke couldn't help but shake the feel that the girl was intentionally keeping to her self somewhat like himself. She would scan the room every so often. Once he had caught her looking at him, causing her to quickly look away. Turning to stare out of the window after she looked away, he wasn't sure if she was somehow enamored with him as well. That had seemed to be the rule of the class, but he did know she was one who had never acted on it if she had. At least that was a positive about the team, he thought, he had gotten one of the few girls who hadn't been constantly annoying him or trying to hang off him or lay some sort of claim on him.

Still, she appeared more reserved due to shyness than any of the reasons he kept to himself, and given he'd only barely heard of her it was hard to think she was very much of a attention grabber. Hell, he must have spent a few years in the same class with her and he barely noticed her at all. That didn't bode well.

The other boy he knew more closely, though not as a friend. Instead, it was because unlike the girl, or himself, the boy did not shirk away from attention, so to speak. He certainly shirked, but it was more often then not his work, or paying attention in class. Iruka-sensei had been more then a vocal about 'Mr. Nara' and his habit of sleeping during lectures or slacking off during exercises. He seemed competent enough in the basic academy techniques, good enough to pass but not good enough to show off; he was average. Straight down the line, average. Average ability, average friends, average person. And he seemed so strangely okay with this. Sasuke wondered how anyone could do it.

Sasuke knew little about the Nara clan, really. Something about raising deer stuck in his mind, which seemed silly, but then again the Akimichi clan weren't exactly normal either so Sasuke had a fairly open mind when it came to clans. What he did know was, loosely, about their ability to manipulate shadows either due to bloodline or hiden-jutsu. All he knew was that the sharingan could not copy it, which was something that all members of the Uchiha clan were taught; perhaps not the most noble of subjects, but which jutsu you could and couldn't steal was just part of the culture of Uchiha.

Regardless, the kid wasn't very impressive, it seemed, and that only further aggravated Sasuke. More and more it began to look like he'd been stuck on a dead end team. He'd never catch up with his brother, not like this. Before he realized it he was flexing his hand into a fist, teeth grinding. He frowned as he caught himself, realizing he'd let go of his emotions. Noticing something out of the corner of his eye he snapped his head to the side, startling the pale-eyed girl and causing her to turn away. She was perceptive, it seemed. She'd noticed, even if she wasn't all that good at hiding it. He wasn't sure if that was worse. Having the skill, but only half way, or not having it at all.

A sudden thunk sound quickly drew the attention of both Sasuke and the girl, though the lazy Nara kid barely even seemed to look up at all. Sticking out of the teacher's desk was a strangely shaped kunai, with two prongs off the main handle that must have been for catching blades or making more savage wounds, Sasuke thought. A strange writing was on the handle, but before the Uchiha could get a good look at it yet another thunk, this one much louder, drew their attention.

"Ow, damn... still haven't got it right, I guess... better then last time, at least," the thunking object mumbled, revealing itself to be a fairly tall but young looking man who couldn't be much older then Itachi, Sasuke thought. The man was wearing the traditional green chuunin flak jacket over a fairly bright orange shirt, short-sleeved and with a line of black which ran up it's sides, across the shoulders and down the sleeves. His hitae-ite was black, and looked like it had been almost religiously polished, but was buffed down to avoid reflecting light that could give away a shinobi's position. He wore the same black pants that many other Konohagakure no Sato ninja wore, with a set of two kunai holsters, one on each side, and what looked like both a large rectangular equipment pouch and a smaller circular one on the rear of his belt as well. His face was still down, but Sasuke could see a head full of spiky and fairly long bright blond hair that he knew he should recognize from somewhere.

This was, despite the fairly strange entrance which involved appearing out of thin air a few feat above the ground and falling flat on his face, apparently a jounin. More importantly, it seemed to be 'their' jounin, which made Sasuke's already crestfallen spirit collapse even farther. This weird loser was their teacher?

It wasn't until the young man pushed himself up, grinning ear to ear and scratching the back of his head, that Sasuke actually realized exactly who this was. He knew the hair seemed familiar, but it was those face marks that gave it away. Three lines on each cheek, like an animals whiskers, made it beyond obvious. Sasuke had met Itachi's team before, although he was hardly familiar. But this man was damn near legendary, even if Sasuke didn't know why. All he knew was that on the still warm Iwagakure/Konohagakure front, this man was known as Konoha's One Man Army, the Red Demon of the Hidden Leaf himself.

This man was Naruto Namikaze.

Sasuke awaited his first words, wondering if perhaps his luck had turned around. Clearly a jounin of this note was worth something.

The man simply continued to smile for a moment before saying anything. And then, after the agonizing wait, and with Sasuke hanging on his every word, he spoke.

"Uh, hi," he said, waving slightly as he did.

Yet another thumping sound echoed in the room. This time, it was Sasuke's despairing face being introduced to his desk.

Β

Hinata was honestly not at all sure what she was supposed to think. She watched this newcomer with a small amount of trepidation, but at the same time felt a strange soothing in his blue eyes and energetic smile. Somewhere, in the inky blackness of her mind, those eyes and that smile called to her, as though she'd seen it before. But what stuck out most prominently was those strange facial markings, lines that radiated off his cheek like whiskers and only served to make his face seem even more friendly and jovial. Still, for the life of her, she had no idea why she would remember him at all.

Lost in her own mind, she suddenly realized he was staring at her now, still smiling but with a strange focus. She looked away, embarrassed, bringing a hand up to her mouth almost as a reflex. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him chuckle slightly and turn on to his next student. She swallowed hard, unsure of herself now. That wasn't particularly uncommon, of course. There was little she did not doubt herself on, and for good reason. She was hardly a paragon of ability, despite the drive and attention her father had lavished on her. But she had proven that a waste, and now she was here, a shinobi despite the danger, because she was weak.

But she didn't feel so weak when she looked at this man, and she wasn't sure why. She felt... safe.

Hinata jumped slightly when he began to speak.

"Alright! My first impression of this team is..." he began, scratching his chin in an exaggerated manner, drawing a smile from the Hyuuga girl.

"Well, that you guys need a ton of work!"

That caused the smile to drop. How obvious was it when even this person she'd, as far as she could remember, never even met notice that. But she was most shocked when she saw that it was not her he was looking at when he said it, but rather, of all people, Sasuke! And from the looks of it, the Uchiha had noticed it too, his face twisting into an angry snarl.

"You got a problem with me?" he barked, eyes widening in shock, apparently surprised with himself at his own outburst.

"Hmph, someone's got an attitude problem," the blond haired man said, folding his arms and puffing out his lower lip in yet another exaggerated gesture. Hinata couldn't keep herself from giggling slightly this time, then shrunk back as his attention turned to her. But, at the least, he was smiling.

"See? She's got the right attitude," he said with a grin. He turned around and began to try and pry the kunai out of the desk, grunting slightly as he did.

"Dammit, why do I always throw them so damn hard."

It took a moment for him to wrench the throwing blade from the wood, and Hinata could have swore him saying something about hoping that Iruka-sensei didn't get too mad at him chipping the teacher's desk. He spun around, that wide and energetic smile back, "Alright, kids, to the roof!"

He was at the door before she could even see, causing her to catch her breath in surprise. He was fast. Very, very fast. She shook herself from her reverie and slipped out of her seat, heading for the door. Sasuke beat her there, and she wondered if that was intentional or simply a force of habit, while the other teammate, who she thought was named Shikamaru, took up the rear, hands in his pockets. Their new teacher simply smiled, slid open the door, and then chuckled.

"See you there."

And then he was gone, leaving three shocked genin to recompose themselves and head up for the roof in silence.

Γ

"So," Naruto began, clasping his hands together, "first things first. I figure that we're all a bit unfamiliar, so we should know each other if we're going to be a team, right?"

The three genin simply stared at him with an assortment of expressions. Sasuke was staring at him with a look that made it seem as though he really wasn't sure what to think of his new teacher, torn between a strange respect and near despair. Hinata looked as though she was looking at someone she knew was important for a reason other then being her new sensei, but could not grasp exactly what that was. And Shikamaru? Well, he just seemed bored and perhaps somewhat unhappy their teacher seemed so very excitable. That was just too troublesome.

"So, who wants to introduce themselves first? You know, name, likes and dislikes, hobbies and dreams, that sort of stuff!"

None of the three replied, causing Naruto to frown slightly and sigh, "Oh come on guys, don't all jump up at once. look, I'll even go first!"

He brought his hand up to his chin, once again assuming his slightly comical thinking expression.

"Well, my name is Naruto Namikaze. I like ramen, training, and spending time with friends. I dislike the time it takes to make instant ramen, people who disrespect me and vegetables," he said, accenting the last thing by sticking his tongue out slightly in disgust. The action got an incredulous look from Sasuke, but a giggle from Hinata, which made the blond-haired jounin grin.

"My hobby is training hard, and, uh... gardening," he continued, skimming somewhat quickly over the last part, "And my dream? To be the greatest shinobi in history, that is my dream!"

His last proclamation had his genin students staring again, this time with more similar expressions of mild disbelief. To Naruto's credit, he simply scratched his cheek slightly and chuckled, "Well, it is. Now, your turns starting with- ah- you!"

The jounin's finger fell on Hinata, causing her to blush slightly. She gulped slightly, then shook herself before speaking.

"I, uh... my name is Hinata Hyuuga. I like... flowers and, um... I dislike people who look down on me. My hobby is p-pressing flowers, and my dream... my dream is to make my family proud of me," she finished, though due to small stops and stutters it took half again as much time as it should have. She looked down with red cheeks, but Naruto simple smiled and nodded.

"A good dream," Naruto said with a nod, causing Hinata to darken ever so slightly. The jounin's face furrowed in concern for a moment as he saw, "Uh, are you alright? You look a bit red."

That earned a scoffing chuckle from Sasuke, which in turn earned a sudden glare from Naruto, "Alright, then. You're next."

Sasuke folded his hands in front of him and sighed, "Fine. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't particularly like many things but I dislike being coddled or treated inferior. My 'hobby' is to train, and my dream is... to get out of a certain someone's shadow."

Surprisingly, Naruto smiled at that, causing Sasuke's brow to furrow. But before the Uchiha could say anything Naruto had turned to the third student, who still looked incredibly bored by this all.

"Alright then, your turn," Naruto said, nodding slightly in the boy's direction. The pony-tailed boy let out a slightly grumble before complying.

"My name is Shikamaru Nara. I like sleeping, napping, and taking breaks. I dislike having to do lots of work, or people who bother me while I'm resting. My hobby is cloud watching, and my dream? My dream is to marry a regular girl who isn't too ugly and not too pretty. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing Shogi or Go. Then die of old age before my wife."

Naruto stared incredulously at him for a moment, as if his dream was somehow to conquer the world or something.

"A very... precise dream, I guess."

Shikamaru just grunted and went back to being bored while their jounin nodded thoughtfully and brought his hand back up to his chin.

"Alright!" he said suddenly, startling the three young genin. He seemed not to notice, continuing right away, "Here is the deal! I think that you've all got great dreams, and I'd like to help each and every one of you achieve them! I promise you that I'll do anything in my power help you achieve your dreams. Believe it! I never go back on my word, because that's my nindou, my ninja way! In return, I want you to help me with my dream too. Seem fair?"

The three genin were staring at him again, unable to say anything really. He took their silence as agreement, and clapped his hands together.

"Great! Now, you three take the rest of the day off, and makes sure you don't strain yourself. You're going to need a ton of energy for tomorrow."

After a moment of silence, it was Hinata who spoke up, which brought a small smile to the jounin's face.

"Um, Namikaze-sensei? W-what is going on tomorrow?" she asked meekly, barely looked up enough to see him. Naruto grinned deviously at his three new students in return.

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow is the test to see what you're made of. Be at the third training ground at eight AM sharp," he said, earning a small groan from Shikamaru. He ignored it, and then suddenly leaped from the roof.

"Don't be late!" he shouted as he disappeared into the distance, leaving three still fairly bewildered genin. They looked at each other, still at a loss for words, before shrugging and heading their way out, each lost in their own thoughts on what happened, and what tomorrow might hold.

Δ

There was no sound as Kakashi touched down, in the empty forest clearing, single eye flicking around with preternatural speed. The forest seemed peaceful and undisturbed, as though it hadn't been disturbed by humans in a long time. Most of the forest was like that, and to most people they'd find this single clearing not so different then any of the dozens of others that the Konoha-nin had passed in last few hours. But, to trained eyes it was a goldmine. Subtle marks and signs of conflict, hidden from all others, told Kakashi a story. But it was a story he did not want to hear.

There had been a fight, of a sort. It was hardly a fight at all, given how exceptionally one-sided it seemed. The opponent, no, wait, two opponents were hardly an even fight even for this experienced team. They had attacked a team of Konoha-nin, one jounin and three chuunin all in all, two of which had been Uchiha. But their sharingan had not, apparently, saved them at all. Far from it, indeed. They were both missing, with little evidence except for these exceptionally cold markings that told Kakashi so very much and so very little. The opponents were masters of hiding, it seemed, which made since given there hadn't been a single bit of real evidence to their abilities other then the level of teams they had been able to take on.

ANBU level ninja had disappeared the same as genin, or even untrained merchants, which told Kakashi he was dealing with something that even he might not be able to take on directly, and that made him more then a little bit concerned. He pushed off again, leaving the scene behind. There was nothing more to learn there, no more then he'd known from the half a dozen other sites he'd visited across Fire Country. And he was barely any closer then he was when he began.

He frowned beneath his mask and pushed on. This was going to be harder then he'd predicted.

Ε

Shikamaru yawned heavily as he made his way off from the academy and towards his favorite hill. He had stuffed his hands in his pockets, slouching lazily as he strolled along. But while he seemed to be simply leisurely strolling on the outside, his mind was abuzz with the days events, and on the fairly peculiar man that was, apparently, his new jounin sensei.

The Nara boy hadn't really worried too much about who his sensei would be, though he had to admit he was slightly partial to Asuma Sarutobi. The man had introduced him to a fair number of interesting games, apparently simply because he felt the kid was smart and needed an opponent. Shikamaru found that surprising, given how extremely bad Asuma was at shogi, and even worse at go. The boy thought he should have a ton of opponents who wanted an easy win. But, regardless of that, despite how horrible he was at shogi, Asuma still played Shikamaru some times. Not that it ever really did him much good.

He had been surprised by his team as well, as well as a mixture of disappointment and relief; he'd expected to be placed on the next generation of his father's legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, which meant that while he'd have gotten to be on a team with his best friend, Chouji, he'd have had to put up with that exceptionally annoying Ino Yamanaka. He'd known Ino for quite some time, a logical thing given how close their father's were. He was sure that their father's would have requested their placement together, too, which made this team something of a surprise.

Apparently that request had been denied.

He moved through the town, drawing as little attention to himself as possible. A few of the shopkeepers would wave, usually because they had some business with his family and their deer farms, but for the most part it was a leisurely stroll. The streets weren't particularly crowded, though they were busy this time of day. Shikamaru estimated it must be around one or two, given the position of the sun in the sky, which was usually the high point of activity. Luckily, Konohagakure no Sato was right at the sweet spot when it came to population; they tended to be large without being crowded, busy without being stuffy. It was a good village.

A merchant tried to wave him down and get him to buy some produce, but Shikamaru wasn't really in the mood. He stopped for a moment after passing a small shop, however, and let a small sigh escape his lips as he entered it. A few moments later he excited with an extra large bag of potato chips, Chouji's favorite. Shikamaru knew he'd find his friend at the hill, and he knew he'd be hungry. Chouji was always hungry. Was part of his charm, Shikamaru supposed; Chouji was Chouji. He wasn't complicated, and he wore his heart on his sleeve. He was a good friend, and Shikamaru was glad to have him. It was a shame, honestly, that they weren't on the same team. Their talents might actually have meshed quite well together.

As he walked through, the Nara began to ponder his new sensei again. He knew he had heard the name Namikaze before, and it came to him in the metaphorical flash; Minato Namikaze had been a war hero, going by the name of Konoha's Yellow Flash during the war. Later, he had given up his life to seal away the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that had attacked Konoha nearly two decades ago. It was all in their history books, though Shikamaru had barely read those, but Iruka-sensei had spoken of him once as well. Maybe more times, but Shikamaru might have been sleeping during it. He hadn't mentioned a relative however. Given the apparent ages, it seemed that this Naruto was his son.

Shikamaru wasn't really sure why Minato was called the Yellow Flash, of course, but he guessed it had something to do with speed, and that rather bright blond hair Namikaze-sensei sported. Maybe that, and the speed, ran in the family; Naruto did seem fairly fast. And he'd appeared out of nowhere, even if it was just to fall flat on his face.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" shouted someone, followed by a low yelping bark which told Shikamaru exactly who it was. Kiba Inuzuka was a fellow genin from his class, and from the looks of pure glee on his face Shikamaru had to conclude he was more then happy with his team placement. The wild-haired dog shinobi jogged up with his ever present canine partner, Akamaru, close behind.

"Kiba. You seem happy," Shikamaru said, perhaps with even less enthusiasm then he'd intended. Kiba simply ignored it, or perhaps simply didn't notice.

"You bet I'm happy! I just got done with my first team meeting and boy did I score big time!" he said, pumping his arm up in excitement, "My new jounin sensei is a total babe, and she wears this outfit that shows off her body just perfectly!"

Shikamaru was fundamentally unsurprised by Kiba's antics; he had a bad habit of thinking more like a dog then a human sometimes, giving in to crazy instincts instead of actually thinking things through. He had heard that ran in the family, though, so perhaps it was actually genetic. Or at least encouraged in the Inuzuka clan. Or maybe they just spent way too much time with dogs.

"Plus, I got the hottest girl in class too, and she thinks Akamaru is really cute!" Kiba continued, Akamaru barking happily when he was mentioned. "She told me that I reminded her of a dog too, isn't that awesome?"

Shikamaru simply stared at him, unsure if he should burst the poor boys bubble or simply let him go on in his little illusory world. A mischievous grin crossed his face. The Nara knew quite well who he was talking about, and he knew that Ino was not complimenting when he said that. But, he might be able to have some fun with this.

"Yeah, you should say you think she does too next time you see her," Shikamaru said with a grin. He quickly moved to change the subject, not wanting Kiba to think about that too much. "So, who else is on your team?"

"Huh, oh, that weird kid that's always smiling, entered a few years back but never really talked to anyone. Sai, he said his name was," Kiba said with a frown, "He's a jerk too. Called me a 'dickless pansy.' Almost clobbered him until Kurenai-sensei stepped in. Of course, he calls the girls 'gorgeous' and that seems to make at least Ino all giddy."

The dog-nin continued to grumble. Shikamaru simply frowned. He knew of Sai, if only because of how much he stood out. He seemed so very out of place some times, as if he was just learning how to act. He tended to speak it a very polite manner, but would insult you straight to your face without a second thought. He didn't have many friends, tending to be a loner most of the time. Shikamaru wondered what the boy's grades were like, or what niche he was exactly intended to fill on the team.

Something always put Shikamaru off about that Sai kid. He was... troublesome.

Kiba walked along with Shikamaru, talking about random things, most of which he didn't even bother to listen to. Kiba seemed to be in his own world, and was occupied at least. Shikamaru led them towards his hill, knowing Chouji would be there, and with a strange eagerness to hear how he'd faired in his team placement as well.

Ζ

Atop the hokage monument a single figure sat, leaning back with his arms behind him and staring off out over his beloved home town. Naruto Namikaze loved the sunsets over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He had spent much of his youth outside of Konoha, having graduated from the ninja academy when he was only seven years old, four years after he'd had a very angry demon sealed into his body. There hadn't been much time to appreciate his home village's skyline, what with the constant training, and, later, the constant fighting for survival. But eventually it had become his habit to climb to the very top of the monument and rest atop its head, looking out across the village as the sun fell. It was a good place to think, and just as good of a place to not think at all. Naruto did a fair bit of both, in their own times.

Right now, he was thinking. He sat atop the head of the godaime hokage. At first it had been somewhat odd to sit atop the visage of his old teammate and by far closest friend, but eventually it became something of a running joke between them. Itachi could be a very cold person, sometimes, but Naruto always saw another side of him. That small happy part that he kept tightly in control. They had both seen many things in their lives, been through more then people their age should ever have had to. For Naruto, he found refuge in his cheerfulness and energetic lifestyle. For Itachi, it was the opposite; reserved and stoic. But together, they became something else in the way only old teammates could.

They were the last of their team, too. Their jounin-sensei had died some time after they had been promoted to chuunin, while their third teammate had died during the exam's final. They didn't talk about her much anymore; too much pain there, and too much left unsaid. Itachi had moved on better then Naruto had; the hokage had a discrete lover whom he met with fairly often, choosing to keep the relationship private. Naruto's parents had done the same, in fact.

But Naruto still hadn't dated much, at least not seriously. When called on it, he would simply say he was a busy person and hadn't time for that. Itachi was the only one who he would not say that too, but then again Itachi had only brought it up once. That talk had tossed too many things up in the air that had taken far too long to clear, though afterward it seemed to be a far less taboo subject. Now, they joked about it, but Naruto knew there was a subtle point his old friend was making.

He sometimes wondered if his old friend had a very cruel sense of humor, reinforced by the three genin he'd assigned him.

She looked just like her too...

"Some day, someone is going to set a trap for you here. You're far too predictable," Itachi said suddenly, simply appearing next to Naruto without preamble. The blond haired ninja didn't even look up, simply grinning slightly as his friend showed up.

"Yeah, like they'd be able to catch me," he said with a laugh. Itachi smiled.

"Yes, wouldn't that be a sight to see. Horde of enemy ninjas chasing you across the rooftops, barely keeping up."

"Didn't we do that in Kumogakure once?" the hokage said with a grin. This earned a look from Naruto, who stared back with a smile and a chuckle.

"With the oversized straw hats?"

"And the daughter of the ANBU chief?"

"The pigeon who never saw it coming."

"'No, no, not the hair! Not the hair!'" they both finished, laughing heartily afterword. It would be a few minutes before they settled back down. Itachi joined him, resting back against the still warm stone.

"So, how is your new team?" he asked with a knowing smile, earning a snort from his old friend.

"You know how to pick them, don't you?" Naruto said, and then sighed, "They remind me of us. Back then, I mean."

"You don't say," was all the hokage said in reply, blank expression returning to his face. They sat in silence for some time, simply watching as the sun set over the village and the stars took their place in the night sky. Itachi stared at the moon, a strange look that Naruto had noticed more then once since he'd become the hokage. He had always been meaning to ask about that, but never seemed to find the time. Itachi always seemed to speak right before he was going to. Now seemed as good a time as any. Naruto opened his mouth to ask.

"She would have picked you," Itachi said suddenly, staring off into the distance. Naruto was caught off guard, unable to respond before Itachi turned to him with a sad smile and continued, "She really loved you. Didn't take my sharingan to see that."

Naruto stared at Itachi for a long time before sighing. He looked off, "You think so?"

"I'd bet my hat on it."

"Bite your tongue!" Naruto snapped, causing Itachi to flinch slightly, unsure of how to respond. He was caught off guard when his old friend began to laugh, "That hat is awesome."

It was Itachi's turn to be silent, waiting a long moment before breaking into another round of laughter. It was a sound that hadn't been heard so often in a long time. Naruto always seemed to bring it out in him.

"You need to date more," Itachi said suddenly, causing Naruto to scowl slightly in response.

"Not this again," he said, shaking his head, "look, I'll stop you here. Fine, I'll find a date. When I find someone, alright? Stop prodding. I promise I'll go on one within a few months."

"A month."

"Fine! A month, jeez, you slave-driving bastard. Assign me this fixer-upper of a team and then start dictating my love life. Why don't you just start directing my dietary habits too, while you're at it?" Naruto said with a false pout, earning a smile from his friend.

"Maybe I should," was all Itachi said. And then they sat, not bothering to think anymore, and simply enjoyed the silence and the company.

Ω