"So when are you leaving?" Sakura asked in front of Naruto's front door.
"Tomorrow, first thing," Sasuke replied.
Sakura grabbed him full-force and hugged him hard. "Ohhh, I don't want you to go," she whined.
"Lady Tsunade got it right. I may not be under any formal punishment anymore, but the world still doesn't trust me...as they shouldn't. If I want to be useful to Konoha in the future, I need to suck it up and prove to them that I am a changed shinobi," Sasuke explained.
"But why did you want to come back here tonight?" Sakura asked. "It's the last night you'll be in the Leaf for a while."
Sasuke chuckled. "Exactly. I need to get a good night's sleep. As much as I enjoy staying overnight at your place, I don't get much sleep there."
Sakura blushed. "Oh. I guess that's true."
He leaned in and kissed her deeply. She, of course, reciprocated.
"I guess this is good-bye," she said to him, not wanting to walk away.
"For now," he added. He knew he would need to be the one to actually leave else Sakura wouldn't ever get going. "I love you," he said as he tried the doorknob. It was locked. He reached into one of his many zippered compartments and slid out the key so he could unlock the door.
That was harder than I thought it would be, Sasuke thought to himself. He sighed. Now it was time to mentally prepare for the mission ahead. He had already packed much of what he needed to bring. He looked over to the black pack that sat in the corner. His stomach growled. I've got to get something in my stomach.
I wonder where Naruto is? He's probably going to stay at Hinata's tonight. He's been doing that more and more.
He headed towards the bathroom to take a leak. It was a typical evening for a shinobi who was alone and preparing for a mission.
Sasuke was in the bathroom when he heard someone come in the front door. The door slammed shut. He concentrated to see if he recognized the chakra of the intruder.
Oh, it's just...
"Hey...," he started speaking as he placed his hand on the bathroom doorknob to exit.
"Uh!" someone grunted.
Sasuke stopped cold. He's not alone. He hesitated for a minute trying to figure out what was going on. Shit!
He opened the door just a crack. He could make out two figures near the front door. The taller one had the smaller one up against the wall just inside the door.
You've got to be kidding me. He rolled his eyes and shut the door once again so that the click was practically silent. He slowly inched his way down the wall to a seated position. He was going to be in there for a while...at least he guessed he would be. At this point, Sasuke didn't know if Naruto and Hinata had consummated their relationship or not. He really hadn't had the chance to have a heart-to-heart, private conversation with Naruto as of late. For all he knew, they were still as hesitant and scared as Naruto had first described. Then he thought about the two figures against the wall in the next room. I guess they figured it out, he thought to himself. I just hope that they...
"Uh!"
Sasuke covered his ears with his hands. ...are quiet? I don't want to listen to this.
Unfortunately for Sasuke, that is exactly what he did. He couldn't escape the sexual sounds emanating from the next room. Yes, they were going to have sex. Somehow they had made it to Naruto's bed and the sounds being heard were unmistakably those of two people in the process of becoming one.
Sasuke, apart from hearing the sex in the next room and the inescapable mental image of the act, also got turned on as any warm-blooded, post-pubescent male would. The question now was, of course, what to do about it. He would give anything to have Sakura with him for the next ten minutes, but that wasn't going to happen. At least he was in the bathroom and "could take care of the problem."
Sasuke did just that and still ended up sitting on the floor for a few more minutes before he heard what sounded like the end of the activities in the next room. He still felt trapped because if he decided to leave the bathroom now, he would also be seen. All he could do was hope that Naruto was the one who needed to use the bathroom first.
Luckily for him, it was. Hinata was seemingly halfway asleep so it was Naruto who ended up making a bathroom run first. He grabbed the knob and opened the door. Before he got even a peep out, Sasuke grabbed him and forcefully put his hand over his mouth.
Shhhh! whispered Sasuke. Naruto's eyes opened wide.
"Teme, what the hell...?" were the first words that Naruto got out when Sasuke removed his hand.
"If case you didn't notice, those are my shoes by the front door," Sasuke explained. "I guess you wouldn't have because you two were going at it even before the door closed!"
"Great. Just great. She's going to kill me!" said Naruto.
"I could really care less about your sex life, Dobe," said Sasuke. "I was a good enough friend not to ruin the mood, eh? I've been in here waiting for a while, y'know? I'm just surprised as hell that you two are...um...so different? Weren't you just telling me about how neither one of you wanted to make the first big move?"
Naruto blushed pink and started scratching the hair behind his head. "Uh, well...about that. You were right about that one. She's quite aggressive as long as there are no doubts in the back of her mind. Once we got past that initial hesitation..."
"So she jumped you?" asked Sasuke.
"Basically," said Naruto.
"Lucky man," said Sasuke. "I guess you don't need my advice anymore."
"I think I'm good," said Naruto. "Listen, you need to get out of here."
"No kidding," said Sasuke. "But..."
"But what?" emphasized Naruto. "Go to Sakura's or something."
"I've got a mission first think in the morning!" said Sasuke a little louder. "I wanted to get some sleep tonight."
"Oh," said Naruto fully understanding the logic behind Sasuke's thinking.
"Ok, we'll go to the Hyuuga compound tonight," said Naruto.
"Thanks, Dobe," said Sasuke. "I owe you one."
"You definitely do. She's going to be cranky when I wake her up," said Naruto. "Get out of here for now...come back in 20 minutes. We'll be gone."
"I'll be gone on this mission for a while," said Sasuke. "Do me a favor and look after Sakura while I'm gone."
"I always do, Teme. I always do," said Naruto. He couldn't help but let out a knowing smile at his friend.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Sasuke went to meet his team at the front gates of Konoha at sunrise the next morning. The names of the three shinobi accompanying him were unknown to him, but he wasn't surprised since he had spent so many years away from the village. The only shinobi he knew were the ones he had either met through his missions when he was 12 years old, or were friends-of-friends since he had returned.
Soon enough, three figures approached. Based on the time of day, Sasuke guessed it was the shinobi he was waiting for. The team lead looked like an older woman and his two teammates seemed to be quite young.
"Sasuke Uchiha," the team lead stated simply. Sasuke knew that with his history, and being the last of his clan, there wasn't anyone in the village who wouldn't know who he was even before meeting him. When she greeted him, the team lead seemed a little nervous. Sasuke wondered if he was still not trusted fully by this virtual stranger - not that he would have blamed her in the least.
"Shall we get going?" said Sasuke to the rest of the team.
"Not yet," said Rida, the lead. "I received a message this morning from the Hokage herself. We are not to leave until we receive official word from her."
"Huh?" Sasuke said aloud. That was a new one to him. He had to wait to get permission to leave to go on a mission...or so he thought.
"Oink! Oink!" was heard from just behind them.
"Shizune?" said Sasuke upon seeing the Hokage's right hand approaching the team.
Shizune (carrying Tonton, of course) talked to the Rida while the three team members looked on. Shizune looked over at Sasuke, winked, and took Tonton back into the village.
Sasuke approached Rida. "What was that all about?"
"The mission has changed a bit," said the lead. "We will head to the Land of Lightning as scheduled, but will not be coming directly home again. From there we will head to Kiri to visit the Mizukage for a few days. We may even hit the Land of Waves on our return as well."
"Seriously?" asked Sasuke. He hadn't intended for this mission to get this complicated. He sighed, taking only a few seconds for it to sink in that he really had no choice.
"The Hokage told me the primary reason you are on this mission," said Rida. "Both of these young ones are new genin from the Koshosuru Clan. Both will likely play major diplomatic roles as they grow older. So you see, it is in their best interest to familiarize themselves with the world. This is a great opportunity for them. To be clear, first and foremost, we protect them...then we worry about your needs."
Sasuke reacted immediately when he heard "Koshosuru Clan." He knew there were members of the clan who specialized in reading even the most subtle changes in chakra such that they could sense numerous things by reading the chakra of those they sat with...deception, sincerity, happiness, anger among others.
"I haven't heard much about the Koshosuru Clan in ages," noted Sasuke. Other than the fact that rumors were that the kekkai genkai wasn't appearing in younger generations for some reason.
"That's because there have been no new blessed shinobi from that clan in 20 years. These two are twin siblings who both share the gift. They will be nurtured so that the Leaf can use their talents to the best of their abilities in the future," said Rida.
They must have hidden their existence to keep them safe while they were young, thought Sasuke to himself.
Rida motioned for the siblings to join them. "Sasuke, this is Sumato...and this lovely lady here is Kanja."
"It's nice to meet you Sasuke," said Sumato.
"So you'll be with us for the entire mission?" asked Kanja.
"I-I guess so," said Sasuke. The young ones were very friendly and seemed very sincere. Perhaps they had not been told of Sasuke's past...and he preferred it that way Maybe this won't be too bad after all.
"This is the first time they will ever leave Konoha," noted Rida to Sasuke. "Their existence has been kept a secret for safety purposes. However, they are now genin and their training requires them to now take some risks."
I was right. "So isn't there another regular member of this squad," Sasuke asked.
The third member of this squad is in Konoha hospital with a long-term illness," noted Rida. "It was fortuitous that you were able to come along with us and had a very similar need to see the world."
Sasuke nodded. "Shall we get going then?"
With that, the four Leaf shinobi started to walk away from the main gate and into the nearby forest.
OlOlOlOlOlO
It was nearly noon when the Hokage finally made it into her office in the Hokage Tower. When she entered, Shizune was the first person she saw. It looked like she was straightening up her desk for her.
"Shizune," said Tsunade.
"Oh, good morning Lady Tsunade," answered Shizune.
"You mean 'good afternoon?'" asked Tsunade.
Shizune looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh yeah, I guess it is very close to afternoon. Don't you think you had a good reason to sleep in though?"
"I'd say," said Tsunade. "I like the lady and all, but to get her to allow Sasuke into her village was much more difficult than I was anticipating. And having to wait up until we received formal word of her permission? Sheesh! By the way, did you see the team before they left this morning to tell them?"
"Yes, M'Lady. I gave your written instructions to Rida and also talked with her before they left," said Shizune.
"Good," said Tsunade. "It's just easier for them to go right to Kiri than to come here and have to go out again."
OlOlOlOlOlO
Sakura had finished training with Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi that morning and was now walking home to shower and get lunch. It was a good training session, though she didn't like not seeing Sasuke. I wonder when he'll be back, she thought to herself. I hate these missions with vague timelines.
She thought again about what Naruto had told her this morning about his run-in with Sasuke last night. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle to think of Sasuke stuck in the bathroom while Naruto and Hinata made love on the bed in the next room. Then she thought about the fact that Naruto was comfortable enough with her to be able to tell her the story...it spoke of how deep their relationship as friends really was. She was also happy that he and Hinata had finally seemingly clicked and seemed to be getting along very well these days. She would not be surprised at all if they ended up together for the long haul.
As Sakura thought and walked, for some reason her feet didn't take the usual path home. She wasn't paying much attention for a good while before she finally snapped out of her fog.
Where is this? she thought to herself. Then she saw it. Now he's even in my subconscious mind.
She rounded a corner to see a large building under construction where an empty lot had once stood. It's really coming along. He'll be living here in no time. She paused. I wonder if I'll ever be living here. Then she smiled because there wasn't a doubt that she would be. She missed him already...she was already entwined in his life just as he was in hers. For now, she just had to survive until he returned once again.