Now, in the Hokage's office stood only the blonde unpredictable ninja who had rocked the world and the constant avenger who had crushed some of the greatest of their time.
"Phew! You smell!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and took two chopsticks from off Naruto's desk and used them to make the hair that fell in front of his face surrender. Naruto pouted, and gave Sasuke a dry look, "You know, I was eating ramen with those." Sasuke let his hands fall to his sides and grunted, "Hn. Do I look like I care, idiot?"
Casting a glance up and down at Sasuke's disheveled profile, Naruto laughed, "Not at all. Seriously." He received a cold glare for his attempt on humor, but continued, "Sorry, should have given you some time to freshen up before flinging you into a meeting. You look even more like your title." Sasuke leaned on the desk, still glaring, "I bet you just realized what title you gave me too! You're not smart enough to think up an acronym like that on the spot." Cheesing, the blond sat down in his chair and put his feet up, "You're right, I didn't plan it like that, but you realizing it in front of all those people… Sasuke, you don't realize how priceless that was." To only have been back for two hours and already have a degrading nickname… Sasuke groaned. Couldn't Naruto have had just a few more IQ points to justify his misery?
"Well, since you're back already I should make plans for you to go get the next artifact. Your mission is far from over, ya know." Still standing, Sasuke conceded, and pulled a glowing blue pendant out of his rags. "Just what, Uzumaki, are you planning to do with all these Dragon Stones? If you can sense them, why do you have me collecting them?" Naruto smirked and took the pendant, and as the jewel touched his hand the shimmering stone popped out of the silverwork. "I could, but I'd have to make plans, ya know. In fact, you looking for the previous stones all this time, bought me some time to make them."
Sasuke froze and fixed the Hokage with a potent stare. "Wait…" With a foxy smile, Naruto turned to a cabinet that had recently decorated one of the walls, placing the gem with four others that were protected by a set of seals in an elegant box.
"Yes, Sasuke, I'm coming with you this time. Wouldn't you know it?" He turned to find Sasuke's eyebrows somewhere in his hairline, and snickered. "Don't look so surprised! You know I couldn't leave my Lady Leaf without protecting her somehow! I'm coming with you this time, so the process will be faster than before, and these next stones you could not possibly find without me." Grunting, Sasuke crossed his arms and sneered. "What makes you think that?" Naruto shrugged, "It's just that these next stones are the actual artifacts themselves, and not hidden within them. If they get destroyed at any time during the journey, then there would be a huge mess. Think about it Sasuke; you were doing fine on your own. Why would you need me for the ones you could easily get? Anyway, I had a feeling Shikamaru would figure it out pretty quick, so I already had plans in place by the time you were looking for the second gem."
Raising his hand to the cabinet where the jewels were, a faint light issued from his hand, and the cabinet opened to let a small glowing statue of a cat glide to his hand in midair. "Like this one here. I found this one near Ame at a house I stayed in. You see, there is no stone in this one, but it still gives off the same aura."
Sasuke nodded, "Naruto, that jutsu you just did, to bring that cat closer. How long have you known it?" Leaning back in his chair, Naruto shrugged, and answered, "About a year, I think." Sasuke pressed the side of his forehead where a vein was popping up. "And through all those near miss missions, close-to-impossible calls, and near-death experiences, you never once thought of teaching me it?" Naruto's eyes opened wide and he made a quiet 'oh' sound.
"Hehe, sorry?"
He barely had any time to prepare for when Sasuke's fist met his face.
Sakura leaned on her examining table as tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets. She gasped for breath then looked back at Naruto who looked mildly angry, still sporting a fading black eye. "Maa! Stop laughing Sakura, it isn't that funny!" After a few more chuckles, she smoothed out her blouse and stood up straight, still snickering while she glanced at Sasuke's smug face as he leaned against the wall.
Naruto pushed out his lower lip. "I really need this favor. Really! I'll pay you double." She looked back at him, her expression quickly sobering. "You're serious; you really want me to take over while you're gone?" Nodding, Naruto pulled a scroll out of his robes and came down from the table, opening it up to read its contents.
"As by decree of the Hokage, from this day forward until further notice is given, Haruno Sakura shall take on the titles and responsibilities, blah, blah, blah, and a the title of Hokage shall be given unto said notary with all duties and exchange, blah, blah blah, for three months, blah, blah, and two days, blah for the detailed Naruto Uzumaki to—well you know the rest. The point is, yeah, you're taking over for a while. If anybody doesn't like it, they'll have to deal with your fists." Sasuke sniggered at that and looked at Sakura casually, but she frowned back at him. Finally taking the scroll Naruto held with an air of disbelief, she looked at Naruto questioningly. "Are you going with him—I mean—of all people?"
Sasuke nearly flinched at that statement and looked at Sakura's door, but Naruto held up a hand to Sakura and his eyes spoke quiet warning. "Sakura, while we were in the meeting did you hear what I said?" Naruto's eyes were hardened like crystals, and Sakura bit her lip, taking a step back. Her hands crossed over her chest, she gave Sasuke a look of disgust and distain, and with a sigh said, "Naruto, you are one of the most amazing people I know; I'd trust you with my life in a moment—but on the same token, I cannot possibly trust just anyone with yours. This village, all it's shinobi, the elders, the people—all need you Naruto. Heck, I need you!"
She shook her head, adamant. "Naruto, you can't leave the Leaf like this. It's—it's tantamount to treason!" Naruto rolled his eyes, "Clause fourty-two B, part nine; 'in cases where it is under the best interest for the Hokage to take leave of the nation, said Hokage may appoint a Replacement during their absence… and yada, yada, yada… Sakura, do you really think that I would leave the Leaf without a good reason?"
Her jaw clenched and she looked at the floor in shame, but then looked back up at him and drew close, wrapping him in a tight hug. "You'd never tell me why, would you? You dope!" She muttered, "You better not get killed. I'll take him out myself if you do…" Naruto smiled back and placed a comforting hand on her back, flashing one of his famous smiles. "Sakura, you don't need to worry about him doing me any harm at all."
A sharp snap resounded through the room and Naruto's smile quivered.
"…Just worry about those strong arms of yours…"
Sasuke could barely stifle his smirk as Sakura let Naruto fall back onto her examining table, where his face contorted with pain and he gasped for breath. With a quickly reddening face, Sakura tended to Naruto, who tried not to laugh. After a while of fussing and near misses, Sakura stepped back and put her hands on her hips, and gave Naruto a soft look.
"So when are you two leaving? With all the ruckus you just caused," she gave Sasuke a look that could make paint peel, "telling them that you're leaving all of a sudden just seems too suspicious." Naruto leaned back and smiled, "That's exactly why I'm not. In fact, we're not leaving for another two weeks." Sasuke's head snapped to Naruto so fast, Sakura thought it would come off. Leaning towards Sasuke, Naruto wrinkled his nose, "Besides, Sasuke needs a bath and beauty sleep like serious!" Sasuke flicked him on the forehead, and Sakura had a surprising moment of nostalgia as Naruto fussed at him.
"Maybe, just maybe," she thought, "he's really back to being the Sasuke we knew…"
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Just moments after Sakura forcefully threw Naruto out of her office for acting like an idiot, Sasuke had an immersive moment of shock; crowded outside of the door were a remarkable amount of pre-academy children who had suddenly made a circle around the two of them and were peppering Naruto with questions.
"Who's he?"
"Isn't that the Dark One?"
"Why's he here?"
"How'd he get so tall?"
"He sure looks like him…"
"What's that thing on his shoulder?"
"Isn't he Amataseru's guardian?"
"No, Silly! That guy's evil! Lord Hokage wouldn't let a bad guy into the hospital!"
"Stupid! Stupid!"
Finally, Naruto put an end to the bickering by holding a hand in the air. All the genin—save one—snapped to attention. Even the genin who still leaned against the wall turned his gaze to Naruto, who spoke in a calm, fatherly tone. "Actually, Kanye, you are right, this is the Guardian of Amateseru." Gasps echoed all around, and Sasuke felt the floor space around him clear in an instant. "However," Naruto continued, "he isn't evil at all—not by my standards, anyway." Naruto put down his hand, and the genin squirmed and wriggled to get their hands up first. Naruto chose one of the bouncing hands at random, and a little girl asked, "So why isn't he bad anymore?" The other kids concurred and gave reasons why; each one met with surmounting gasps.
"My mom said that he burns villages."
"Mmhmm! And my dad says that he kills babies!"
"Uncle Ando says he eats kittens!"
Naruto turned with a dry look to Sasuke, who was looking off to the side. "Do you?" Sasuke looked back at him in confusion. "Do I what?" Naruto motioned to the little girl, "Eat kittens." Sasuke blanched, "No, definitely not." Naruto nodded, "Okay then, do you kill babies?" Sasuke turned his head to the side, "If Orochimaru counts as a baby." Some of the kids giggled, but the youth next to the wall glowered. "Alrighty then, do you burn villages?" Sasuke shrugged. "Not on purpose." Until Naruto asked one last question the child leaning near the window seemed disinterested. "But if I order you to? Would you do it then?"
No one seemed to expect Sasuke's answer, least of all Sasuke himself, "No—you'd never ask anyone to do something like that, so I'd know that you were an imposter." A beam spread across Naruto's face as he turned to the children. "So, any more questions?" No hands popped up, but the kid on the door looked up at the duo and spoke.
"I have a question for Uchiha, Lord Hokage."
Naruto nodded.
"How come you smell so bad?"
Naruto cracked up, and had to lean on Sasuke to keep his balance as Sasuke's eye twitched in indignation.
As they walked through the town Naruto was taken aback to see Sasuke looking around at the townsfolk, and examining Kohona like a tourist without a camera. He looked a bit confused and—Naruto hesitated to say it, but—lost. It was true though that Kohona had changed tremendously since Sasuke had left; Naruto had mandated some of them, but others sprung from the new population and the jumps in technology they had. The buildings were taller, for sure, and Naruto had instituted special barracks for ninja who did not belong to the clans. Remembering just how hard it had been for him as a kid to get to his classes, Naruto had made the Academy also a dormitory for the children. However, the small village marketplace that Sasuke probably remembered resembled nothing of the credit-based, neon-sign flashing down town that it had become. Attacks on the village and the wear and tear of time had made times hard, so businesses had invested heavily in advertising, and eventually most of the buildings in the market had big, bold colorful signs that made Kohona look like a metropolis.
They rounded another corner, and Naruto smirked, grasping Sasuke's arm to make sure he went the right direction. Keeping right, the shorter man led them into a restaurant that Sasuke knew: Ichiraku's Tsukemen Ramen Stand.
Sasuke could not help the slight smirk that brushed across his mouth as Naruto sat them down. An old man came towards them to take their order, but his eyes were fixed on the pen and paper.
"Welcome, what can I get for you boys?"
Naruto laughed and replied, "Well, a glance would be nice, old man." The old man looked up at Naruto and dropped his pen and pad in shock, coming around the counter with arms outstretched.
"Naruto, m'boy, it's been far too long! We missed you! What could have kept you away?"
Naruto shrugged, "I guess I just don't get moments like this anymore, old man—well, at least not that often. Besides, I just wanted to show an old friend around town." With a casual wave, Naruto motioned to Sasuke, and Mr. Ichiraku's jaw dropped. With a slow nod and a somewhat forced smile, Mr. Ichiraku extended a hand, but Sasuke looked at him in confusion. Chuckling, Naruto took Sasuke's hand from where it was on the counter, and put it palm to palm with Mr. Ichiraku's, wrapping his fingers around the man's hand. Mr. Ichiraku then shook his hand firmly. "It's a foreign custom," Naruto explained, "They do this instead of bowing." "And in a place as packed as this, a handshake is preferable to bowing into someone else," joked Mr. Ichiraku with a smile. With a weak nod, Sasuke returned the hand shake, and the old man turned his head just a tad. "We're glad to have you back where you belong, but I'm hoping that it's for keeps this time, eh?" Taken aback by the question, Sasuke's voice came out soft and quiet, "Of course. This time it's for keeps."
The old man smiled again at Sasuke, but it was genuine this time, and Sasuke barely withheld the smile he wanted to return. He took their orders and disappeared to the back. Following him with his eyes, Sasuke resisted following the man with his feet, but then looked down at the counter. Suddenly, Naruto nudged him with an elbow, and motioned to the old man with his head. "You wanna tell me what that was about? For a second, you looked like you were like, nine again." Opening his mouth to speak, Sasuke had Naruto on edge for a moment, and said, "You know anywhere I can get something stronger than a beer in this town anymore?" Naruto sighed and shook his head in mock amazement. "Sasuke… They may call me the unpredictable ninja, but you took the cake on that one. When did you start drinking anyway?" Sasuke shrugged, and Naruto filled the silence with meaningless chatter and banter, until Mr. Ichiraku came back with their food.
