"Sasuke!"

Sasuke turns at the sound of his name being called through the crowd. He was so distracted by his thoughts that at first he doesn't recognize the voice. Before he's turned fully around, he knows who it is he'll find coming toward him through the crowd. He could never forget that annoying voice for very long, he'd spent so many years listening to it. When his gaze settles on Naruto, he frowns slightly, then shakes his head and slips out of the crowd, waiting for him to move closer. As he watches Naruto weave through the crowd he notices the small children padding along on either side of him, each holding one of his hands. Blinking in surprise, Sasuke takes a closer look at the children and can't help the grin that slips onto his face.

When Naruto stops in front of him, Sasuke grins wider. "I see she finally managed to tell you she loves you. Congratulations, Daddy."

Naruto grins like an idiot, then looks down at his twins briefly before turning his attention back to Sasuke. "I heard you were back in town. I was hoping I'd catch up to you some time today."

Sasuke nods, trying not to frown. Word traveled fast in this village. Faster than he remembered it seemed. "Yeah, I'm back. Who told you?"

"Hinata. Sakura told her this morning when she came by to get her for their mission. Man you better tread carefully around Sakura. She's changed since you left. Having Junko made her a really tough lady. Even more than she was when we were kids."

Sasuke only nods. He'd noticed the change in Sakura, but he thought his leaving, and the way he did it had a lot to do with her changes. In an effort to change the subject, Sasuke glances down at the children shuffling in boredom next to their father. "Tell me about these two."

Naruto grins his idiot grin again, but Sasuke didn't begrudge him his fatherly pride, he deserved it. "This is Kushina and this is Minato. Hinata named them for my parents."

Sasuke kneels down and holds out a hand first to the girl, then the boy, shaking their hands. "It's nice to meet you both. Me and your Daddy grew up together. Maybe when you're a little older I'll tell you some of the tricks he used to pull around the village." Sasuke stands and grins at Naruto.

"Hey, hey! Don't do that! They're enough of a handful all on their own!"

Sasuke chuckles and nods his head. He didn't doubt that any children fathered by Naruto would be trouble. Looking closely at the girl, Sasuke noticed that she seemed to have her mother's looks, but her father's attitude. It radiated from the girl as she all but glared at him from her father's side. That smug, self-assurance that Naruto possessed and had always annoyed Sasuke was very apparent in the little girl. Turning his gaze to the boy, he was looking at a younger, smaller version of Naruto, with Hinata's eyes. When the boy stepped back to hide himself behind his father's legs, gaze darting down to the ground, Sasuke nods to himself, seeing proof of what he'd already guessed: the boy had his father's looks, but his mother's mannerisms.

Turning his attention back to Naruto, Sasuke smiles. "Well, they're cute kids. I'm sure they'll make good ninjas some day, no matter how much trouble they may be now. How old are they anyway? They look pretty close to Mikoto's age." He refused to call his daughter by a name given to her by another man. She was his daughter, damnit!

"Well, Hinata and I got married not long after you left, so it wasn't long after that that they were born. They just turned three a couple of weeks ago."

Sasuke looks at the children holding their father's hands and feels a pang in his heart. He knew he could be in the same position Naruto was in now if he hadn't left. Beginning to wonder if he'd have been able to stay if he'd known about Sakura's pregnancy, Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, unaware that he was scowling darkly from his own thoughts. Looking down the the children, he doesn't see them as he imagines how different his life would have been if he'd been there from the beginning. He could see himself walking through the village, holding Mikoto's tiny hand in his. This image makes him scowl deeper and sigh deeply with regret.

Naruto shifts and pulls both of his children behind him, seeing the scowl on Sasuke's face. Frowning, he takes a step back before he speaks. "Well, anyway, I've got to get these two over to Hinata's family, I've got a mission. It's good to see you back, I hope we can catch up soon, it's been a long time."

Sasuke drags himself from his dark contemplation when Naruto speaks, unaware that he'd been scowling at the twins. He glances up at Naruto and nods, already getting distracted by his thoughts once more. "Yeah, sure. Good luck on your mission." Just before Naruto can turn away, Sasuke remembered something Naruto had said at the start of their conversation. "Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"If Sakura's on a mission, where's Mikoto?"

"Well, usually she stays with Kakashi. Unless he has a mission, then she stays with Sakura's parents. I've been so busy with these two lately that I haven't seen Kakashi in weeks, so I don't know if he's on a mission or not."

Frowning slightly, Sasuke nods and waves goodbye to Naruto and his children. Slipping back into the crowd, Sasuke sets off for Kakashi's. He didn't want another man raising his daughter. He was back now, and he was her father, so if anyone was going to raise her, it was going to be him. It didn't matter to Sasuke at the moment what Sakura thought. He was angry enough at the thought of Mikoto calling his former sensei 'Daddy' that Sakura and what she'd said never crossed his mind. By the time he reached Kakashi's place, he'd worked himself into a pretty foul mood. He glares at the door for several minutes, trying to calm himself before he knocked. He didn't want to start a fight in front of his daughter. If he scared her now, he might never win her over. Taking a deep breath, he lifts his hand and knocks firmly.

To Sasuke's surprise, it's not Kakashi that answers the door, but Iruka. He blinks at the older man in surprise for a moment before he recovers himself. "Iruka! It's been a long time. Good to see you. I was looking for Kakashi."

"Sasuke! I'd heard a rumour that you were back, but I didn't know if I should believe it or not. It's good to have to back in the village again." Iruka pauses, shifting in the doorway, seeming slightly uncomfortable for a moment before he continues. "Kakashi is out on a mission. He's not due back until some time tomorrow. Was there something I could help you with?"

Sasuke shakes his head and frowns slightly. "No, but thanks. I need to talk to Kakashi about something. If you see him before I do, can you tell him that I'm looking for him? I really do need to talk to him about something."

Iruka nods and smiles. "Sure, I'll tell him. Again, welcome home Sasuke."

Sasuke absently smiles his thanks, then turns and walks away. When he hears the door close softly behind him, he stops. Looking back over his shoulder he frowns slightly, then shakes his head and starts walking again. Unsure what to do now that his anger had been splashed with cold water by having to wait, he felt it slipping away as if it had never been. Sighing, he heads off again, going back to his old room. He'd spent the night there last night, but he knew he was going to have to give it a thorough cleaning if he was going to be staying there for any length of time. Since it was clear Sakura wasn't going to take him back right away, and since he had no intentions of ever leaving again, that meant he was going to be staying there for a while. Just before he slips around the corner, he glances back at Kakashi's place and frowns again, wondering for the first time what Iruka had been doing there.