Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto Uzumaki. He is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto.

.(((OoooO))).

The forest around the Fire Capital was mesmerizing. The luscious green trees, the small bushes flailing gently in the breeze and the wide exotic varieties of animals only added more beauty to the forest.

Sayuri even while being an avid hater of so much livening atmosphere, couldn't help but get enthralled by the unreal beauty of the forest.

As she leaped from one tree to another, her eyes occasionally flickered to her side to acknowledge the sense of peace that the beautiful forest was providing her. She carried on her stride for a few more minutes until a large skillfully crafted gate of expensive wood appeared a distance away from her. Her pace slowed as she examined the gate. Her eyes then veered to the left side of the large door. There stood a room of mildly crafted ragged wood.

She slowly grasped the handle and opened the door of the room. A sigh escaped her lips when she saw an obese guard sleeping carelessly on a small chair which was buckling under the weight of the bogus man. "Are you awake?" her voice came out as a cold whisper and was enough to wake up the slumbering man.

"Who?!" the man called out, trying hard to stumble back on to his feet but failing miserably in his attempts.

"I'm not an enemy, so don't panic" Sayuri growled under her breath.

The guard stopped his movement and looked over to Sayuri with a frown. He observed her face for a moment before a gasp of surprise escaped his mouth "You are Sayuri Uzumaki, aren't you? Lord Naruto called you up here" the guard yelled in panic, making Sayuri wince at his shrieking.

Sayuri was about to yell at the poor guard but ceased as she suddenly realized just what he had called her 'Sayuri Uzumaki…' Her lips curved upward into a beautiful smile at the mere thought of her being called as an Uzumaki for remaining life.

Snapping out from her lovely thoughts, Sayuri smirked at the panicked guard "Yes I'm Sayuri Uzumaki, do you know where Naruto-kun is staying?" she asked, her voice devoid of any coldness this time.

The guard relaxed a bit at the gentle tone of the rather important figure of the shinobi world. Realizing that he still hasn't answered her question, the man nodded his head vigorously at the Uzumaki matriarch "Yes Miss Uzumaki, Lord Naruto is staying at the fortress of the Daimyo," he responded with his head down in respect, missing the small smile that invaded Sayuri's face at being called an Uzumaki again.

Sayuri nodded at the guard in acknowledgment "Thank you" she said and left the room in a Shunshin.

.(((OoooO))).

As Sayuri walked around the capital, she couldn't help but feel a little sad inwardly. Seeing people talking with each other, parents playing with their children and boys wandering the beautiful city with their lovers made her realize just what she was missing in her life.

'Love'

A single word enough to make even the mighty Sayuri Uchiha sad and cripple like an ordinary human. The word was like a bitter reminder of what she had lost in her meaningless life. First her family, then her precious brother and then the most important person in her life...

Naruto, all because she didn't have the guts to accept her feelings for him.

Her walk came to a halt as a refreshing and delicious aroma of a rather unhealthy food reached her nostrils. Turning her neck slightly, Sayuri saw a small food stand that had Ramen inscribed on a wooden board that was hanging on the top of the shop. Her feet moved on their own and before her mind could even register what was happening, Sayuri found herself in front of the entrance of the shop. Realizing that nothing else could be done now, she gently flicked the flap of the stand and entered the shop.

"Welcome to our ramen stand miss!" a grumpy voice echoed in the small stand, momentarily startling Sayuri as she sat down on an empty seat beside the table. She then looked up and saw that the owner of the shop was an old man who barely could stand up on his own. "What do a young, beautiful lady like you want to eat?" the man asked jovially.

Sayuri ruminated for a while before answering "A miso ramen," The owner nodded his head as he wrote her order in his notebook and went back to the kitchen to prepare the food.

Sitting alone in the shop, Sayuri's thoughts spiraled back into an abyss of memories.

[Flashback]

Deep cerulean eyes glistened as they stared at the group of people standing meters away. The laughter of children, the praises of parents and the happy atmosphere around them violently twisted his heart in pain "Why?" a soft bitter whisper escaped the small mouth of the boy. "Why I'm the only one who is always left alone?"

Having enough of crying alone, the boy brushed his untamed blonde hair upwards by his small fingers and ran directly into the nearby group of children who were playing some kind of game. "Hey, can I play with you?!" he asked in a tone filled with utter excitement and hopefulness.

A kid which the boy presumed as the leader of the group came to the front and eyed him suspiciously with his narrow black eyes. "Who are you?" he inquired, while the rest of the children stared at the blond boy intently.

Mustering his best bright smile, the blonde answered: "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, -ttebayo!"

The leader of the group scowled as soon as he heard the name of the boy, while the rest of the children moved a little away from Naruto "Stay away from us, my mom will kill me if she finds out I was playing with you. You are not worthy of playing with us, the mighty Uchihas" the leader snapped and like his friends, moved away from Naruto.

"Yeah, he's nothing but trouble" another child whispered from the back and soon many more vile and abhorrent whispers tainted the calm environment of the playground.

At the children's harsh remarks and outright insults, Naruto's previous smile slowly evanesced from his face as he tightly gripped the hem of his torn white t-shirt. He remained motionless for a while before he abruptly bowed to the group "Gomen (Sorry) for disturbing you all. I saw you guys playing something, so I thought you won't mind having me in your group. But look like I was wrong, - ttebayo." he whispered while his bittersweet fake smile did little or nothing to hide his pain and anguish.

Naruto then turned on his heels and bit back a hard sob before continuing "Don't worry about being punished by your mothers, I will never ask to play with you all again and will never come near you guys. Thanks for talking with me. Sayonara (Goodbye)." he murmured with a small bow, small tears now falling freely from his eyes, staining the cold and rugged surface of the playground.

The group of Uchiha children felt a little guilty at their harsh behavior and were about to call him but couldn't as Naruto was already gone from the playground.

~XxX~

"I shouldn't have asked them to play with me" a defeated and still crying Naruto mumbled to himself as he silently sat on his favorite swing situated beside the academy. "But I just wanted to make my first friends" he argued to himself.

He was about to babble more but a sonorous voice disrupted his flow "Hey!" Naruto stopped swinging and glanced to his left side and saw a beautiful girl standing there with a smile on her face. The girl was around his age and was wearing an expensive dress and adorned deep onyx eyes, but the thing that Naruto found most beautiful about her was her mesmerizing caliginous hair.

Snapping out from his thoughts, Naruto soon noticed the similarities between her and the children of that group. Presuming that she was here to insult him Naruto frowned at her. "You don't have to insult me anymore, - ttebayo!. I will not ask you to play with me again" he yelled at the girl, startling her ever so slightly.

The girl overcoming the momentary shock glared mildly at Naruto "I'm not here to insult you idiot!" she responded furiously.

Naruto inspected the face of the girl for a minute before a questioning look engulfed his whiskered face "Then why are you here? Don't you have any friend of your own?" he inquired, hoping ever so slightly that she was here to talk with him. But the flashes of his experiences soon washed away his little hope and soon a sad look got embroidered on his face.

At Naruto's question, the girl quickly looked away from him, hiding her slightly flushed face "I have no friends. All the children of my clan are idiots" she said and scowled at the mere mention of those jerks of her clan.

"Really?" Naruto looked surprised and a little happy at her implication, but quickly realized his mistake "I mean that's sad. Having no friends at all feels terrible, you know." he whispered while ashamed of himself for being happy at other person's loneliness.

The girl moved near to him and smiled slightly "I know and that's why I want to have you as my first friend!" she chirped, her onyx shimmering with happiness and excitement.

As soon as the words left the mouth of the girl, Naruto fell from the swing and impacted hardly with the bare ground. Stumbling back to his feet he gaped at the girl, making her feel a little uneasy "You want to be my friend! But why?" he inquired, still gaping at the black-haired girl.

The girl twitched a bit at his antics but smiled at him "Why are you asking me this? You don't want to be my friend?" she asked with an innocent face.

Realizing that he was about to lose his last chance to make a friend, Naruto panicked. "No, No No. I just wanted to know the reason that's all, because not many people like me here, - ttebayo!" he murmured and frowned a bit at the conclusion.

"Hmmphh... Idiot. I don't care about anyone else." The girl held out her hand to him and continued "I want you as my friend because... you are interesting and your whiskers look a little cute on your face," she said monotonously, while her face drowned in the shade of a red rose.

Naruto visibly deflated at how uncharacteristically the girl complimented him but grasped her hand in his own "Great!. My name is Naruto Uzumaki!. What's your name?" he inquired with an innocent face.

The girl turned on her heels and looked over her right shoulder to show him her beautiful smile.

"Sayuri Uchiha"

[Flashback-End]

Getting out from the world of beautiful memories, Sayuri smiled slightly at no one "You are still an idiot Naruto" she whispered fondly.

"Oiiii... How many times do I have to tell you! I'm not an Idiot," a familiar voice of her friend pierced her eardrums.

Jolting quickly from her seat Sayuri turned towards the direction of the voice and blushed furiously at what she saw. There stood her Naruto, casually sitting on the seat of the restaurant while pouting at her. Her heartbeat fastened and her cheeks burned because of the inner fire of her raging blood. "Na-ru-to" she whispered lovingly while her hands reached out to cup his cheeks.

Noticing the redness of his friend, Naruto quickly went beside her and placed a hand on her forehead. "You are… hot, Sayuri" he said in a concerned tone.

Sayuri froze, her cheeks burned more fiercely and the blood inside her veins crashed onto the walls of the vessels like a wave swash against the shore, sending a jolt of an unknown yet pleasant emotion throughout her body. In a very slow and feminine manner, she brought her hands up to her head and smiled brightly as she felt the warm sensation that had engulfed her beautiful face. "Yes, I'm 'hot' Naruto, please take care of me, I'm feeling a little tired from traveling" a faint whisper escaped her rosy lips.

"Ayeee Sayuri!" came an immediate response from her teammate and in an instant, he scooped her into his arms and dashed towards the palace.

.(((OooO))).

It's been a while since Sayuri has felt like this. Her usual blank onyx eyes were now filled with life, her cold heart was now pounding inside her chest ecstatically and her ever stoic face was covered with the blanket of pure happiness. All because of the person who was sitting next to her.

"I'm fine now, Naruto" her emotionless voice disrupted the silence of the royal and lavish room.

At the mention, Naruto perked up and frowned at his best friend "No you are not! You were all red just a few minutes ago" he argued, while his hand stroked her hair gently to make her feel relaxed.

Sayuri's lips formed a thin line at Naruto's remark, while a raging wave of a brilliant red color swashed against her pale and dry cheeks "That was because of the heat, Naruto" she whispered, cursing herself inwardly for always losing the control over her own emotions in front of him.

Naruto noticed the redness that crept on her face again and deadpan "Then why the hell are you still red?" he asked tiredly, now poking the red cheeks of Sayuri.

Sayuri's pursed lips formed a beautiful curvature when she felt Naruto's finger poke her puffy cheeks "Well it is just an aftereffect of being under the Sun for so long" her soft voice tingled Naruto's ear as he nodded at her in uncertainty, still not believing her.

"How was your trip?" he asked in an excited tone, deciding to change and lighten up their talk.

Sayuri remained silent for a while before answering "It was average, nothing new, no bandits to capture and no missing-nin to kill" she said in a bored tone.

Naruto sweatdropped at her answer and in a flash bonked her head lightly "Idiot! Don't talk like you love killing and all, -ttebayo" he scolded.

Sayuri instead of flinching just smiled at the angry Naruto "I love nothing, Naruto" she responded 'Except you' she added in her afterthought.

A frown marred Naruto's face as he realized that Sayuri really loves nothing at all. Since the end of the war, she had barely shown any interest in the opposite gender. The only males to whom she ever talked were him and Kakashi. Smiling sadly at her, Naruto spoke "Idiot!, if you will love no one, then how the hell you will revive your clan?" he tried to ask politely but the question unintentionally came out as a shout.

Sayuri smirked at her best friend's question "Ohh... I will just have a random night out with a powerful shinobi and will get pregnant" she answered casually with a lazy shrug of her shoulders, while Naruto looked aghast at the mere thought of her banging an unknown man. If she's going to bang someone, then at least he should be a well-known man throughout the elemental nations... just like him.

"No No No, I won't let you do that, my friend." Naruto murmured with a shake of his head.

In response Sayuri smirked "And how will you stop me from doing it?" her tone while sounded bland but had hidden hope abiding in it.

Resting his index finger on his chin, Naruto ruminated for a moment before glancing back at Uchiha "Well I will force you to fall in love with someone" he grinned.

His grin enchanted Sayuri momentarily in its charm "As if you can?" she huffed and smirked at him.

Naruto deflated but collected himself rather quickly "Oii... I can..." he snarled, not liking the challenging smirk on Sayuri's face at all.

A quirk of the black eyebrow was all he got from Sayuri in answer "Umhmmm..." she taunted, shifting slightly on the bed to get the better view of his face. God… She was loving it!.

Naruto twitched and in an instant positioned himself on the top of her "Don't make fun of me, Sayuri!" he whined while bringing his face close to Sayuri's own.

Sayuri's tried her best to fight the blush that struggled to appear on her face but eventually lost "Na...Naruto...what are you doing?" she hissed, her face as red as her sharingan that on queue flared in her right eye.

Naruto looked confused for a while at her question before a huge blush invaded his own face when he noticed the compromising position in which they were in. "Waahh... I'm sorry Sayuri. I didn't mean to do it intentionally" he sputtered and fell off the bed during his attempt to save himself from Sayuri's wrath.

Getting back the control over herself, Sayuri scoffed at Naruto "I know, idiot" she said and slowly stood up from the bed.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief at her words and got back to his feet "Ah Sayuri, you didn't forget to bring my clothes, right?" he asked, inwardly praying she says yes, otherwise he has to wear those uncomfortable formal kimonos until the end of his stay at the capital.

"Of course, I have brought them. I know you can't wear formal things for too long" was the response of a smiling Sayuri Uchiha.

Naruto grinned brightly at her words and scooped her in a gentle hug to show his regard for her work, while oblivious to the blush that captured Sayuri's face at the heartfelt gesture "Awesome -ttebayo! Now you get ready, we will get some ramen!" he said and like a thousand-watt bulb, his face brightened at the mention of Ramen. Not wasting any more time Naruto quickly left, leaving behind a shocked Uchiha all alone in the room.

"Ha-Hai!" Sayuri murmured to no one in particular. She stood flabbergasted like this for a moment before her hands wrapped themselves around her body to enjoy the warmth that Naruto provided her.

.(((OoooO))).

"Stop stealing my pork!" Sayuri complained, slapping Naruto's chopsticks away and scooping up the whole bowl of tomato ramen for herself.

"Ohh come on Sayuri!. Don't be such a meany!" Naruto whined, trying to look as innocent as he could.

Sayuri tried to avoid his face but couldn't, sighing tiredly and she shoved a big delicious piece of pork into his mouth. "Are you satisfied now?" She asked, ashamed of the attention their little babbling was getting from the nearby customers who were enjoying their dinner.

Naruto nodded happily "You are such a nice girl, Suki!" he yelled, being much too loud in the restaurant, but he didn't care. He abruptly took out a sliced piece of tomato from his bowl and leaned across the table, holding the glistening tomato in front of Sayuri's mouth. "Naruto Uzumaki doesn't keep favors, so here is my compensation for your pork piece," he said and swayed the tomato piece in front her mouth.

Sayuri stared at the broth dripping tomato for a moment, before leaping out at it like a predator leaps at its prey. "That was…" she trailed off, driblets of broth surrounding her rosy lips "Delicious!" she finished ecstatically while Naruto couldn't help but smile at her face.

"Our ramen is always delicious, Sayuri-san. Do you want more?" a voice asked delightfully. Sayuri jerked up and saw that the owner of the voice was none other than the old-aged cook of the restaurant who was standing on the other side of the counter.

Sayuri turned her head down to hide her embarrassed face. "Well, there's no reason we can't eat more.…" she said impassively, trying her best to hide the embarrassment in her voice.

Naruto smiled mischievously in response "I didn't know that you like ramen so much, Sayuri" he teased while the foxy-grin his face only intensified his teasing.

Sayuri fake glared at him and scoffed. "Hmmph...As if an Uchiha like me will ever like this food. Only an idiot like you can love ramen, Naruto" her mocking tone echoed in the restaurant.

Naruto slumped a bit at her remark "Whatever... Uchiha princess!" he growled "and don't make fun of ramen in front of me, otherwise I won't let you live in peace" he added in a whisper, making sure that other occupants don't hear him.

Sayuri in response smiled smugly at Naruto "What will you do? Cry?" she mocked, annoying Naruto furthermore. Then suddenly Naruto's right hand shot towards her face. Noticing the upcoming strike Sayuri closed her eyes and waited for the blow.

She waited...and waited...then to her utter surprise, instead of making a hard impact with her face, Naruto's hand only gently brushed her lips. "Umm...there was broth left on your face" Naruto murmured with a mouth full of ramen.

"Oh," Sayuri muttered and mentally slapped herself for even thinking Naruto would hit her.

"So you want to go back to that boring palace or want to see some cool places with me?" Naruto asked, leaving little to nothing choice for Sayuri, except following his wish.

Knowing he won't go back to palace anyway, Sayuri went with the second option. "I want to see the capital more, so visiting cool places isn't that bad of an idea" she answered.

Naruto nodded happily at her "Cool... So then finish your ramen quickly. I want to show you a great place." he shouted enthusiastically.

Shaking her head slightly at her friend's antics, Sayuri looked down and started eating her tomato ramen.

.(((OoooO))).

The night air was cold at the top of the mountain, but the sky was clear and uncountable stars could be seen twinkling all around the dark sky. The plants around the mountain were swaying back and forth with the gentle breeze. The place was silent and devoid of any other human, leaving only Sayuri and Naruto to make conversation.

Sayuri gazed down at the village that was deluged in the mesmerizing bright colors and smiled "This is beautiful," she whispered, leaning close to Naruto.

Naruto nodded and turned to look at her. She was so close and Naruto could feel her hot breath tingling his skin. "It is," He said, quickly glancing away from her face. When did Sayuri became so beautiful?

Noticing his awkwardness and their somewhat bold position, Sayuri silently scooted away from his side. "So, what were you doing here since the past few days?" she asked

Naruto remained silent for a while before answering "Well that idiot of a fire daimyo kept me busy with him. That bastard didn't leave me alone for even a single minute" he finished with a pout and shuddered when his mind recalled his trip with Daimyo.

Sayuri remained silent over the whole daimyo thing as she knew well about Naruto's hate for formalities. "So you were pretty bored here, huh? But don't worry now I'm here, you will not get bored anymore," she stated and her mouth twitched up at the conclusion of her statement.

"Yeah, but I also wish that Sakura was here too. Then we three would have rocked the fire capital." Naruto shouted while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

A kunai to her heart would have felt better at the moment than the mention of that pink-haired bitch. Sayuri glanced at Naruto and abruptly smiled sadly, her wildly flailing raven hair only adding more feels to her face. "So you don't want me here, huh Naruto?" she inquired coldly, her sad smile doing little to nothing in hiding her pain and anger.

Naruto's eyes shot wide at her words "No Sayuri! I want you here -ttebayo! If I didn't want you here, then why would I have called you especially." he blurted out in panic and relaxed when he saw Sayuri's face return to its usual stoic form.

"I still don't believe you Naruto" she whispered, her face still devoid of any emotion except sadness.

Smiling at his best friend's childish behavior, Naruto scooted close to her. He then slowly wrapped his right arm over her neck and flashed her a bright smile, momentarily enchanting her in his charm. "You are special to me Sayuri. No one can take your place in my life, after all, you are my best friend - ttebayo!. I promised you that day and I'm promising you again, that I will always remain by your side no matter what happens!" with that, he leaned forward and gently tapped Sayuri's forehead.

For uncountable minutes they remained like this and just stared at each other, enjoying the peace that the silent atmosphere of the forest was providing them. It went on like this for a few more minutes before Naruto abruptly snapped out from his stupor. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he cautiously unwrapped his arm and dashed a little away from her.

"Wh-what?" Sayuri found herself bewitched by the kind yet annoying gesture of her best friend. No one except her big brother had the guts to do something like this to her. Then again, Naruto is not anyone else, he can annoy the living daylights out of her without even doing anything.

Placing her right hand on her forehead, Sayuri smiled as a wave of nostalgia swept over her. "Idiot... Annoying idiot" she whispered as her smile became even more serene. After so long, Sayuri Uchiha found herself at complete peace.

'The life isn't that bad here, Nii-san!'

.(((OoooO))).

A.N - I hope you liked the chapter. I tried to make their reunion look as cute as it can be. Their relationship will develop very slowly in upcoming chapters as I like it that way

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Alvida/Sayonara.