Tsunade explained to everyone that it seemed that Kakashi was doing a slow recovery thanks to Sasuke, but as the Uchiha now had the same eyes as Itachi, meaning the Mangekyo, it was probable that he could reverse Itachi's actions. Even though, she wanted to wait some more days, just for Kakashi to recover some weight and strength, since going through the Mangekyo sharingan experience would be extremely tiring and dangerous for him, but as soon as he was more or less healthy again, she would allow Sasuke to use his sharingan on him.

When Naruto heard this, he jumped and hugged Sasuke, saying,

"See, you're useful even if you are an ass!"

"Dobe…" Sasuke growled, trying to get away from the death grip the blond had on him, but Naruto didn't move and laughed.

"Naruto-kun, we have to get back to work." Sai said, though he was laughing at Sasuke's expression.

The blond laughed and gripped Sasuke tighter for a second, before letting him go, and the Uchiha almost choked, but shook his head and said,

"In what should we start?"

"Uhhh, hand me the Academy files, we have to check the teachers and all that…" Naruto answered, and Tsunade said,

"Well brat, now that you have your two advisers, we'll be going. I'm glad I'm free of all that paperwork." Tsunade said, as she and Jiraiya left the office, leaving only the younger ninjas in there.

Gaara had been surprised when Naruto hugged Sasuke, but hadn't said anything, as he didn't want to disturb his boyfriend's happiness.

He sat in one of the windows edges, just to watch the three of them work.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The day went really fast for Naruto, giving orders, naming new teachers and positions, checking some of the old accounts, missions that had to be done, the Academy's year program, and several other things that needed to be looked upon.

Sasuke and Sai had been of great help, putting some order into his own chaos, and giving him advice, and he was glad that he had chosen them. Gaara had stayed for a while, but later he went to visit the village, as it was obvious that it was somewhat boring to see them working on more or less the same things as he did while being in Suna, or at least that was what the blond thought. Even though, he could feel the coldness in which Gaara regarded Sasuke, and by the love of kami, he just couldn't understand it. Sasuke noticed it as well, but he acted as polite as possible with the Kazekage, even if this politeness wasn't reciprocated.

Either way, he knew that he couldn't be happier for having his two black-haired friends with him.

He hadn't only chosen them because of their closeness to him, but also because they had qualities that he didn't posses and that would balance him.

He was the righteousness and the empathy for others, while Sasuke was the practicality and subtlety to keep secrets, and Sai was the quick mind and the one that pointed the truth of what was more advisable.

Of course, those weren't their only virtues, as they had many others, and thus, they complemented each other in a way that no other people would have had.

While Gaara was in the village, he met Tsunade and Jiraiya again, and they invited him for lunch, as they wanted to chat with him for a while, about Suna and such.

Even though it was obvious that the redhead had something else in his mind, neither Sannin commented on it, but rather let him be.

The truth was that the longer he spent near Sasuke and Naruto, the more insecure he felt, for it was extremely awkward for him to watch them interact; in the most innocent and yet hurtful way.

Even when they had changed so much, even when they had been apart for such a long time and had lived so many different things, somehow they just acted like if they had been always together, like if all the time apart didn't mean anything, and it confounded Gaara just too much.

It was just the way Sasuke moved around Naruto, bringing him what he needed without the blond asking for it, and the way Naruto just seemed to know what Sasuke was thinking was unique.

Sai, being as adaptable as water and a quick learner, had soon enough blended into their actions and they seemed to know what to do next to help the other.

Even when Naruto was loud and noisy and his two friends were the contrary, the blond seemed to know what they exactly meant with every grunt or answer they gave to his questions, even if it sounded exactly the same to outsiders, and they read each other's movements to perfection; in a way that Gaara felt that he would have never been able to with any of his friends.

And yet, Gaara knew that all of this was unconscious, and only an outsider would have noticed it; but he felt jealous anyway, especially about Sasuke. It was just that the Uchiha and Naruto seemed to have a level of intimacy that not even he had with his boyfriend, and it just sort of hurt, since he couldn't understand what could he do to have the same with Naruto.

Finally, at the end of the day, the new Hokage and his two advisers went back to their homes, after the first day of work. Naruto had been quite nervous, to tell the truth, even if he hadn't showed; just the thought of being the Hokage made him a bit anxious, but now he was extremely happy and couldn't wait to get back home, to his beloved Gaara.

Even though, in the way home, he was thinking about Sasuke and Sai, who had been acting in a somewhat strange way to each other, as it seemed that Sasuke wasn't too happy to have Sai as his coworker, but at the same time, Naruto couldn't help noticing the glances he sent in Sai's direction when the other shinobi wasn't looking. He grinned at that, but at the same time, it made him wonder if something else had happened that Sai had not told him about.

Yet, as he opened the door of his apartment, he quickly forgot about his friend's affairs, and his mind landed on Gaara, thought that made a goofy smile appear on his face.

There was nothing that he wanted more than just to be with Gaara, just to have him close and talk and hold him.

As he took off his shoes, he said,

"I'm home! Gaara?"

Said redhead promptly came from the bedroom door, and asked,

"How was your day?"

"Uff, you wouldn't know! I mean, you do know, you're the Kazekage, but even when I helped ba-chan, I never thought there would be soo much work and decisions and stuff! But Sasuke and Sai helped a lot, really! Anyway, what did you do?" Naruto answered, as he went into the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes, and he carelessly took off his clothes. Gaara smiled, leaning against the door and answered,

"Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama invited me for lunch."

"Really? What did you talked about? I hope they didn't kill you with questions." Naruto said.

"Not really, they were nice. And I met the Hyuga girl as well." Gaara responded, as he calmly ran his eyes over Naruto's body, not bothering to hide his appreciation for the beautiful, toned, tanned body.

"Hinata? She's always been nice, don't you think?" Naruto said, as he finally put on a blue t-shirt and black pants. He added,

"Hey, what do you want for dinner? I haven't bought anything, but we can go out tonight."

"That's not a problem. I brought something Hinata said you liked a lot." The redhead answered, as he went to the kitchen.

Naruto followed him, to find that Gaara had brought him miso ramen from Ichiraku. The blond grinned and cuddled the redhead, and kiss his forehead, saying,

"Gaara, you're the best! Thanks a lot, I really missed this stuff!"

He gave the redhead a peck on the lips, before sitting, ready to eat. Gaara shook his head at his enthusiasm, but smiled and sat with him to eat.

After Naruto had dismissed them, Sasuke had decided to head towards the bathhouse, for he needed some time to relax and think about the day.

It had been a tiring day for all the work they had, but also because having Sai near him and resist the urge to either kill him or kiss him was nearly unbearable and only his pride and self-control had helped him to keep himself in check from either chocking the other shinobi or just making out with him, for he was both angry and yet attracted to the damned man.

Even though, at the same time he was very happy to be with Naruto. The blond was his most important person, even if he would never admit it aloud; there was nobody he cared about more than Naruto and when it came to this, it was when he came into his emotional conflict.

How far these feelings went?

Had he been any other person, with a loving family, he probably would have felt those feelings towards his siblings, but it would have been just family love and nothing else. But he knew that these feelings were deeper, because he had never felt the same for his brother.

And at the same time, the feelings he had for Sai were confounding him greatly. He was very attracted to the ANBU, but he could tell that it wasn't only lust, but also a bit of sympathy and, though he was angry for the last night activities, he had been glad when seeing the other shinobi and worried when he had noticed the wound on Sai's cheek, so those feelings weren't only lust.

So how could it be that he wanted and liked Sai, and yet he felt so deeply for Naruto?

Such thoughts were clouding his mind as he came into the baths and took off his clothes; and after a quick shower, he got into the hot pool.

The truth was the hot water was always a blessing on his body, and he immediately felt better, just of being in the water.

Several minutes went away before the confusion came into his mind, buzzing in his brain.

He just didn't want to feel anything for Naruto besides friendship, more than anything because he could just see how much the blond and Gaara loved each other, even if the Kazekage was very cold to him, he could see the aqua eyes warm up as soon as they landed on Naruto; and Sasuke didn't want to get in the middle of their relationship with his own confused feelings.

Had it been any other person besides Naruto, he wouldn't have cared, but he wasn't going to put his most important relationship into jeopardy, not anymore. He had tried to break it once, and he had broken Naruto in the process, but the blond had taken him back and he wasn't about to repay his friend's trust and open arms in such a poor way.

And Sai, it was just that he wasn't sure of where the things were going with the ANBU. The night before he was kissing him with unknown passion, then he left without an explanation and today he acted like if nothing had happened between them.

What was he supposed to understand with all this? Sai wanted him or not? It made him wonder if the shinobi didn't have a mental disorder, and the thought made him snicker. There was something undeniably attractive about ex-ROOT member, and not only his voice, which sent shivers down his spine every time Sai called his name, but something about his personality and quirks as well.

Nonetheless, he was still hurt about Sai leaving him just like that in the middle of the night and then brushing it away like nothing; so he would be damned if he showed that he was still interested in him.

After a while, he finally headed home.

Some days went away this way, Sasuke, Sai and Naruto working together; Gaara sometimes helping them, but most of the time out in the village, in the company of the two sannins or Hinata, whom he sort of liked, for she was respectful and calm, and didn't mind her silent companion.

Naruto and his advisers were falling easily into the every day routine, so he was really at ease by having them by his side and Neji as his ANBU captain, reporting everything to him, and also with the other ninjas or villagers that requested the missions.

The elders were quite relaxed with his work, so they weren't too much of a trouble, and the villagers were happy with their new Hokage, so everything was going smoothly, save two things that worried Naruto greatly, though more in a personal level.

One was the fact that Gaara was always too cold and sometimes rude to Sasuke, and the blond had no idea of why was that happening. Sasuke had been proven to be patient and polite, but Naruto could tell that the Uchiha's patience was running out with the Kazekage, and he could sense a disaster coming their way if he didn't do something.

And the other one was that Sasuke, though polite and civil to Sai, wasn't letting the other ninja make any advances on him!

Sure, the three of them were working efficiently and their work-relationship was quite good, but he knew that Sai was at a lost when it came to becoming something else than just co-workers with Sasuke. The Uchiha was cordial and respectful, but didn't let Sai get closer to him.

He had even refused twice to go to lunch with Sai! Twice! Why was the bastard being such a bastard?

Sasuke had said that at least one of them had to stay with Naruto, as if the blond couldn't manage for just an hour alone.

And then, he rarely talked to Sai. Ok, Naruto knew that Sasuke wasn't the most talkative person, but the way he just downright ignored Sai was beyond his usual coldness and that was saying something. Whenever Sai tried to ask him a bit about himself, Sasuke was just too closed, and he never laughed when Sai said a joke.

But at the same time, while he acted so cold and arrogant, Naruto could just see how his eyes reflected amusement at Sai's antics, or happiness when Sai just talked to him; or whenever they got closer, to read a document or whatever, he could see how Sasuke would lightly lean into the other shinobi.

For kami's sake, Naruto had even caught him licking his lips softly as he gazed at Sai when the other shinobi wasn't looking!

He couldn't understand why Sasuke was so obviously interested in Sai and yet at the same time acted liked a complete asshole to the other shinobi. Why couldn't he just show his true feelings?

Of course it could be that he was trying to keep Sai interested in him by acting like if he didn't care at all, but it didn't seem like something Sasuke would do, for he was usually straight forward, and besides, instead of interesting Sai, he was just deterring him; since Sai didn't understand such love games, they hadn't been taught to him and they didn't follow any logic, so they wouldn't make any sense to him.

Naruto had the feeling that something was missing, something that Sai hadn't told him and yet had great importance.

Even though, he was taken out of his musings by Gaara's voice,

"There's something on your mind."

So typical of Gaara, it wasn't a question, just a statement, but Naruto could tell that the redhead was wondering about what had been in his head. They were finishing their dinner.

"Oh, it's nothing, just Sasuke." Naruto answered, taking a gulp from his cup, so he didn't notice the sudden flash of jealousy cursing through aqua eyes.

"The Uchiha?" Gaara asked, trying to keep his voice neutral but didn't quite manage and it came out with a note of disdain.

"The Uchiha has a name, Sa-su-ke. Why do you always call him that? I hate it, you know he's not like his brother, he's Sasuke." Naruto answered, annoyed by the way Gaara always treated Sasuke, even when he knew just how much the brunette mattered to him.

Gaara was a bit taken back, but answered,

"He's still an Uchiha."

"I know so, but he's not just any Uchiha, he's Sasuke and he's important to me, why can't you be nicer to him?" Naruto said, his temper rising.

He loved Gaara, but Sasuke was important to him and he wouldn't let anyone treat him like that, not even his beloved one.

"You always insult him." Gaara pointed.

"Yeah, but that's the way we are together. He doesn't insults you, does he?" Naruto replied, a drop of anger in his voice.

"Why do you always defend him?" Gaara asked, getting angry himself.

"Because he's important to me and always be; and if you can't understand that, then I'm sorry, because I'm not changing it." Naruto answered, finishing the argument and getting up to wash the dishes.

Gaara blinked alt this. He couldn't believe why was it that even now Sasuke seemed to be a breach between the two of them. They hadn't really argued about anything until now, and it hurt. But what was more important was what he should do now? Brush it off and ignore it? Argue back? Show he was hurt by Naruto's obvious preference for Sasuke over him?

He looked down at his own cup, and the dark tea reflected his eyes. Strangely, compared to Naruto's ones, they were as indifferent as always, not showing his emotions.

He sighed and took another sip, deciding that the next day he would try to act more civil towards Sasuke, though his own jealousy was so hard to control.

Naruto was upset, both for Gaara's actions and the fact that they had argued about it, but he knew that this time, Sasuke had done nothing wrong and Gaara was the one that had to change, so he wouldn't take back what he had said.

The next day, the two kages headed to Naruto's office in an uncomfortable silence, until Naruto said,

"Look Gaara, I can understand that you don't especially like Sasuke, he's difficult to get along with, I know; but just try to be civil to him, I'm not asking you to be best friends, okay?"

Gaara just nodded, but Naruto kissed his cheek softly and hug him for a moment. That made Gaara smile and feel all warm inside, so he thought that maybe being somewhat nice to the Uchiha would have its perks.

Yet, as soon as they got to the tower they met up with the very Sasuke, who was also walking calmly to his job.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto called, waving one of his hands and the black-haired man turned to face them.

He smiled for a second, but it was a smile that Gaara had rarely seen on him, and he somehow knew that it was only reserved for Naruto, though it quickly turned into his usual smirk.

Gaara took Naruto's hand and the blond entwined their fingers, unconsciously reassuring the redhead.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama." Sasuke said when they were close, with a small bow.

"Not Hokage-sama, Sasuke, but Naruto. What do you have against my name? First you always insulted me and now it's always Hokage-sama. You can't spell my name or what?" Naruto asked, with a light smile on his face. Gaara said,

"Morning, Uchiha."

Sasuke seemed a bit surprised by this new development, but only nodded, as he could see that the Kazekage was trying to be civil, and answered Naruto,

"Your word is my command, Naruto."

"Yeah, as if!" Naruto answered, laughing. Yet, there was another voice,

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Gaara-san, good morning!"

It was Sai, who approached them and bowed lightly with a smile.

"Sai! Nice to see we are all eager to work."

The went up the stairs, moment that Sai used to say to Sasuke,

"How are you? You look really good today."

Sasuke was a bit surprised by the comment, but answered,

"I'm fine, thanks."

And after a moment of hesitation, he asked,

"You?"

"I'm ok, as usual." Sai answered, though he was happy that there was finally some progress between them.

Naruto heard them, and sighed. At least Sasuke wasn't too bad with Sai, though he knew that if things kept going like they had been, he would have to speak with the Uchiha, as much as he would hate to do that, since he knew Sasuke was a hard nut to crack.

A few hours later, though, Sasuke came running into the room with a scroll, and said,

"Naruto, Kazekage-sama! Urgent message from Suna!"

Naruto paled at this, he knew that Gaara had to go back, but for them to receive an urgent message meant something had happened in the village.

Gaara took the scroll and read it, as his frown went deeper, and then he said,

"I have to go back immediately, there's been an attack on the village and several scrolls have disappeared."

So, the next chapter!!! Bwahhahaha, what has happened in Suna? Poor Gaara, he's suffering so much...

Anyway, review, please!!!! ^^