Disclaimer: I own nothing, damn it all. I don't own Naruto, belongs to Kishimoto-sensei.

A/N: Kyuubi's thoughts Everyone else's thoughts

Chapter 21

In the awakening light
Is there a chance for happiness
Was the Price they paid
To get to this point
Finally enough?

Naruto stood out in the hallway leaned back against the door, his head lolled back to rest on the door as well. He fisted his hands in his hair, Sasuke was slowly driving him insane. He wasn't being very co-operative at all, he fought the physical therapist, he fought the staff he didn't know, and he was being extremely difficult when it came to eating anything.

One day, he had the meeting tomorrow and Sasuke was still going to be released in the morning. He really couldn't be held with his physical injuries healing and he wasn't out of his mind, he was just being a stubborn jackass.

He was fine with Tsunade or Natsu and Shouji seeing him, but anyone else had hell to pay. Naruto managed to keep Sasuke from hitting anyone or throwing anything, but he was still being difficult. He would try to bite if they got to close, cuss, rant, and hiss and he was getting more and more agitated with Naruto with every passing day.

Naruto took a deep breath and stood upright his hands going to his pockets, he hoped Kakashi would hurry up and get here so he could go for a walk around the hospital and recover from the last mood swing Sasuke had. Naruto now sported a split lip, a bruise on his right cheek, bite marks on his finger, claw marks on his arms, and his ribs were still hurting from that kick he'd received to his chest.

Sasuke was getting better alright, he knew he'd at least bruised if not cracked one of Naruto's ribs. It was over Sasuke not wanting to eat a bowl of soup and some damn bread. He had pulled the patience he'd had with the patients during the war to keep from lashing out or getting angry with Sasuke. The second day had started out peaceful, but Sasuke was having mood swings due to a medication that was helping correct his chakra flow, heal his muscles, and help in healing his nerves. The medication was designed by Sakura to tend to all three, but the side effects were the mood swings, and with Sasuke's mental anguish and issues, mood swings were the last thing he needed.

It had been an hour ago that Naruto had called a nurse in to give Sasuke a sedative, he had then sent for Kakashi to come and relieve him for a few minutes if anything. After the meeting tomorrow he planned to talk to Tsunade or Sakura about the side effects to the medication they were feeding Sasuke and seeing how long he would have to take it and whether there was another way to correct and heal everything that didn't entail mood swings. Sasuke had mentioned that he wanted to talk to the two as well about something he refused to tell Naruto about. That had been before the mood swings, since then Sasuke hadn't said much of anything other than cusses and hisses.

Not only that, but Naruto had often been forced to sleep in the chair, but Sasuke didn't fight him keeping his hand resting on his forearm as he slept. Naruto growled at Kakashi's tardiness and turned just as Kakashi appeared behind him.

"Oi, always tardy."

Kakashi smiled, "I am Hokage, I had paperwork to escape first."

Naruto sighed, "Fine, fine, thanks for showing up, see ya."

Kakashi sighed, "Naruto-kun," Naruto stopped only having took a few steps down the hall and looked over his shoulder at him.

"Don't leave the building or stay gone long, I have more work to do."

Naruto nodded and turned back to walk down the hallway waving over his shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I won't be gone that long, you can thank me for the break later."

Kakashi sighed and turned to the door quietly walking into the dark room, it was already getting close to dusk and he had to admit he was grateful to Naruto for the much needed break. He silently closed to the door behind him and just as silently made his way over to the chair next to Sasuke's bed. He had been thinking a lot about Tsunade's words to him shortly after Naruto had brought Sasuke back.

It was apparent that Naruto hadn't used any actual jutsu techniques fighting Madara, a surprising thing to know considering . . . Kakashi wasn't blind, he was acclaimed for his skill in observation, expected of a veteran Anbu. During the time Sasuke was still marked as a rogue ninja and during the war Kakashi had seen the exceptional growth in Naruto. He had matured in more ways than one and he was often pursued by the Anbu forces because they as well as Jonin and Chunin alike had noticed his growth as well.

Naruto still preferred to use his signature moves like his perfected Shadow Clone Technique, and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. But over the last five years Naruto had mastered other techniques, he had even learned techniques that weren't within his elements of water and wind. As an overseer of Naruto's more advanced training to pinpoint what elements he could use, he remembered the first thing Naruto had noticed about his elements, they both were conductors to Sasuke's elements of fire and lightning.

Kakashi smirked and glanced at Sasuke for a moment then went back to his originals thoughts. Naruto has not only grown into a more mature, though still childish in his own right, ninja, he's become quite a skilled, powerful, and dangerously adept ninja. The Jonin and Anbu have bothered me for the time I have been Hokage to try and persuade Naruto to join the Anbu force. They didn't even argue with me when I said I was nominating Naruto for the position of Hokage, they all said it was a smart decision. Naruto has grown to make quite the impression. Yet, there are still citizens and then the council members that only wish to see Naruto as a jinchuriki.

Kakashi sighed, Someone like Naruto, who can adept quickly, can learn anything, especially now, and the stamina, will power, and strong sense of justice, he's just like his father. He would become the greatest Hokage in history but the council is set on not giving him the chance. Tomorrow things will change, tomorrow the council will be a group of newer members. Sasuke will hopefully be able to represent his clan, his voice would be heard because of his name and the amount of respect for the abilities he possessed. Not only that, Sasuke is intuitive and more level headed than Naruto, so he may be able to keep Naruto from saying something incriminating.

Kakashi smirked when Naruto entered the room silently, it was interesting to see that Naruto could be silent and stealthy when he tried. Naruto was grinning and Kakashi could tell even behind that grin that Naruto war stressed and very much worn out, Sasuke was giving him quite a bit of trouble he assumed. Naruto gazed at Sasuke and a gentle smile came across his face, Kakashi stood and looked over at his previous student. It was remarkable how beautiful the Uchiha was, much too young for him, and he had Iruka, but nevertheless, he was beautiful. His features were relaxed, tranquil, his pale complexion was reflected nicely by the dimming light of the last hours of daylight.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and looked back to Naruto motioning to speak to him outside the room. Naruto followed him silently as they exited the room and Kakashi walked a little ways down the hallway. Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, "What is it Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed, "Naruto-kun, it's been brought to my attention once again and I must inquire why you continuously turned down a position with the Anbu."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, once his hand was back at his side again his eyes looked away from Kakashi. "During the war, I thought that I'd seen enough death around me you know. Why would I purposely put myself in the position to be the cause of even more death? It wasn't that I never wanted to become an Anbu, but the idea of killing someone has never been appealing, I killed plenty of shinobi then and . . . every time after the war finally ended and I had to take another life . . . even when I killed Madara . . . I kept seeing the faces of all the genin that died, the faces of shinobi younger than me, the same age as me . . . "

Kakashi nodded, "I understand." Naruto was grateful Kakashi had stopped him from continuing. Kakashi did understand, it still unnerved him to see so many young lives lost, regardless of his thoughts that if one was to become a shinobi and could die for their country, for their village they should be seen as adults, treated as such, but in the end, they were still just kids.

Kakashi decided to change the subject, "Naruto-kun, it would be a wise choice to bring your scrolls with you tomorrow, a marking of the techniques you've mastered."

Naruto grimaced, probably thinking that the council doubted his abilities, Kakashi couldn't blame him for thinking as such. Naruto sighed, "Hai, but they better not ask for a demonstration, my chakra is still strained."

Kakashi nodded, "Of course, if they do wish for a demonstration then they will have to wait. You're still under Tsunade-sama's watch as well as Sasuke-kun. The two of you are still under restrictions. The possibility of whether you will face any penalties for leaving will be the main topic of discussion."

"Hai, I know that."

Kakashi sighed, "Well, Iruka should be by sometime today or he'll be here to escort you in the morning."

Naruto grinned, "Okay, well then bye."

Naruto turned and walked back to Sasuke's room, he looked over at Kakashi as he turned and walked down the hallway. Naruto knew Kakashi was hiding something from him. He had made it a point to point out what he had been told was the reason he had to meet the council in the first place. Naruto shrugged and walked into the room, he was completely silent closing the door behind him and taking up his place in the chair next to Sasuke's room. He grabbed his pack from under the chair and started to go through the scrolls he had.

He had to keep the scrolls with him, it was impossible for him to remember all the techniques he had learned over the last five years. Most of them weren't all that common for other shinobi, something that only one with Naruto's stamina and the reserve of Kyuubi's chakra could even think of using. He had talked Gamabunta into helping him learn techniques he used, of course it had taken him quite a while to convince the arrogant old toad to do so, but he had been just as stubborn and persistent as he ever was.

His training as a Sage had proven more promising than anything, he had continued the training after the invasion, learning techniques only Jaraiya had used such as the Toad Mouth Bind summoning technique. Sasuke had no idea what techniques Naruto actually had mastered and learned in the time he was gone. Naruto hadn't seen any new techniques from Sasuke and they hadn't gotten into a heated battle requiring them to use any of their techniques. Not only that, but they didn't go on missions together with Sasuke still be ranked as genin because of the councils' stubbornness to keep him as such despite his skill.

Naruto sighed and concentrated on sorting through his scrolls. He had to keep the scrolls for all twenty-two techniques he knew because he couldn't remember all the katas for them. Not only that, but his memory really did suck. Naruto had put together all his scrolls and it was habitual to carry them all in his pack, he guarded it well and when on missions it was always with him, he couldn't risk an enemy learning his techniques or the hidden techniques particular to Konoha. Sasuke didn't have to carry the scrolls to his techniques, but Naruto was certain he carried the scrolls for the advanced jutsu he knew.

Sakura did the same thing when she went out on missions, but the medical jutsu she knew by heart. After the war had ended she moved up in the ranks and had Tsunade and Shizune teach her the more advanced Medical Jutsu. But her being pregnant meant she had to stick to just her medical training as a doctor and nurse.

Naruto looked up when there was a light tap on the door, he heard Sasuke shift but when he looked at Sasuke he was still deep asleep. Naruto skimmed through the scrolls to make sure they were all there and then put them back in his pack and placed the pack back under the chair. He got up and quietly, but swiftly made his way to the door. He grinned at seeing Tsunade standing there.

"Hey there Gaki, came to check on both of you."

Naruto held the door open and leaned on the door frame, "I'm fine and he's still asleep."

She nodded with a smile, "Good, from what I've been told of his condition and the fact that you both have to meet with the council in the morning, plus he's asleep so he'll actually sit still long enough for me to actually do so, I'd like to properly heal him."

Naruto grinned, "Really, well that's cool, why did it take you so long to get here if you wanted to do that, he's been asleep for like three hours now."

"To make sure he was in a deep enough sleep to stay still and not fight me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her, she shook her head, "Haven't you ever paid attention to Sakura-chan gaki? Medical jutsu requires a lot of concentration and the patient has to be still and co-operative. That, is why he wasn't healed using jutsu."

Naruto nodded, "Hai, I know all that, Sakura-chan did teach me the fundamentals of medical jutsu you know."

Tsunade sighed, "Hai, hai, well are you going to let me get to work or are you going to stand there all night?"

Naruto sighed and moved aside to allow her to come into the room, she took a deep breath and stepped into the room turning on the light as she did so. Naruto blinked a few times then glanced quickly at Sasuke who had turned over on his side when the light came on. He's really out of it, guess they gave him a really strong sedative.

Naruto closed the door and watched Tsunade move the chair out of the way as she stood next to Sasuke's bed where his back was facing her. Naruto moved the chair somewhere he could see and close by in case Sasuke freaked out and woke up but far enough away to give Tsunade room to work. She gingerly moved the sheet and blanket wrapped around Sasuke to rest at his waist. Next she undid the hospital gown and moved it to rest off his back as best as she could.

Naruto hadn't seen the wounds beneath the hospital gown and he let out a low growl at seeing the lashes on his back were still deep, reddened and violent. But he didn't turn away either. Tsunade rolled up her sleeves and Naruto noticed the green glow around Tsunade's hand from a healing jutsu. That was something he didn't quite understand, medical jutsu didn't require kata's only precise chakra control.

From years of watching Sakura and from watching as the lashes, gashes, cuts, and bruises slowly disappear, he could assume Tsunade was using the Enchanted Palm technique. From what he knew of the technique he made sure to remain quiet. The technique required a precise amount of chakra, and considering the amount of wounds Sasuke had, Tsunade was going to use up a lot of her chakra to heal him.

Warmth spread through Naruto at the thought, she was like a older sister, a mother in some cases and the fact that she was healing Sasuke meant a lot to him. He did wonder if she was doing it for Sasuke or because she knew how much it tore him up inside to see so many scars on Sasuke. With that thought he felt the guilt rise up in him once again, if only he'd found Sasuke sooner he wouldn't have been hurt, he wouldn't be in the state he was in.

The Kyuubi stirred with a growl and spoke in his mind; Kit, considering the level that the old bastard Uchiha was at, it probably would have taken you the same amount of time. Your mate sent you signals when he could, and the first one took a long time to send out.

Naruto hung his head not daring to sigh and distract Tsunade. His eyes were glazed with weariness and exhaustion and he wasn't really able to concentrate on two things at once in the state he was in. I could have arrived at Iwa sooner and it would have cut the time it took to find Sasuke in half.

Foolish boy, your mates' scent was even masked until he managed to remove that chakra repressor. Your guilt is wasted energy. He's alive and the medical nin is healing him so he'll be good as new in no time.

And what about his state of mind, the mental and emotional side effects . . .

Kyuubi cut him off with a growl, He's an Uchiha and a unique one at that, he'll manage. You are always saying how strong the boy is.

Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke as Tsunade moved the sheet and blanket down to expose his legs. Naruto grinned at the sight of Sasuke's pale, bare backside. Even as thin as he was, he was still beautiful to him, the light from the window making his pale skin look luminescent and surreal. His eyes traveled down to Sasuke's legs as Tsunade gingerly removed the bandages to reveal the thin, numerous scars all the way around his legs, up and down his legs from his ankles all the way up to his hip bone. Some of the cuts looked shallow, others deeper and the he could just barely make out a scar from a stab wound on his thigh.

As Tsunade lightly and carefully moved her hand down Sasuke's leg the scars disappeared, but they were carved in Naruto's head. After the back of his legs were healed she gently moved him to lie on his back. Then she moved the sheet up to his waist and set to removing the gown fully to heal his chest and stomach. She also removed the bandages on his left hand and the cast on his right arm. There were still reddened skin from the burns on Sasuke's chest and stomach, and beneath the cast and bandages on his hands he could see the thick scabs around his wrists.

Tsunade set to healing his left arm first, all the scabs, cuts, and scars disappearing as her hand moved. She did the same to his other arm and the deep purple bruising around Sasuke's fingers and wrists healed completely as well. She completely healed his arms and then the healing cuts and scarring around his neck, along his collar bone, down his chest and his stomach and she stopped for a moment. She took a few moments and looked him over closely reaching up to turn his head towards her and look at the scar on his face. Naruto wondered if Sasuke wanted to keep that scar, he didn't know why the thought had popped into his head.

Just as Tsunade pulled her hand away she and Naruto both jumped, startled when Sasuke's hand shot up and gripped her wrist. His eyes opened and he glared at her. Naruto got to his feet and was across from Tsunade in the blink of an eye catching both of them off guard. Sasuke looked at Naruto with a glare, "What the hell are you two doing?"

Tsunade sighed and Sasuke looked sharply at her letting go of her wrist. "Healing you, if you stay still I can finish the job."

Sasuke shifted to sit up but Naruto put a hand on his shoulder and held him in place, "Just let her finish Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at Naruto and after their eyes locked he sighed and said, "Fine, but the scar on my face stays."

Tsunade nodded, "Fine, now stay very still and neither of you distract me."

They nodded and Tsunade finished healing the injuries on Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke flinched when she moved to pull the sheet down. Naruto moved his hand from Sasuke's shoulder to his cheek and turned Sasuke's head to look at him. Tsunade smirked and watched them out of the corner of her eye.

Sasuke sighed and Naruto caressed his cheek with his thumb and held Sasuke's gaze. Sasuke couldn't look away from those blue eyes and Tsunade took the opportunity to quickly and efficiently heal Sasuke's legs completely. When she finished and pulled back Sasuke looked at her as she pulled the sheet and blanket back over him. Sasuke moved to sit up, but then Naruto's hand was back on his shoulder again holding him in place.

Tsunade looked at the two of them and then said to Sasuke, "Even though you're healed, you still have to rest. You may have a few phantom pains in your hands for the next few days due to the severity of the injuries. Take it slow and don't over tax yourself. Just because the injuries can't be seen doesn't mean that they will not still effect you. Get some sleep tonight, the two of you have a long, hard day ahead of you tomorrow."

She looked at Naruto when she said the last part and Naruto grinned. Tsunade stepped back from the bed and looked sharply at Naruto, "I want a word with you before I leave."
Naruto looked at Sasuke and then nodded to Tsunade and followed her out of the room and out into the hall. Sasuke sat up on the bed after Naruto closed the door behind him. He raised his arms to look at his hands and ran his left hand over his chest and stomach a small smile on his face at the fact that the scars were gone. He felt ten times better than he had the days before.

A sharp jolt of pain shot up his spine and then up his arms leaving him feeling light headed. He laid back on the bed with a gasp and closed his eyes. Phantom pain, damn that hurt. He took a few deep breaths to calm down and opened his eyes to look at the ceiling, Even so, I still feel a hell of a lot better than I had when I'd fallen asleep.

He closed his eyes again, suddenly feeling very tired, he would wait until tomorrow to appreciate Tsunade healing him. Right now he wanted to go back to sleep and hopefully he would fall back into a drug induced sleep that kept him from dreaming.

In the hall Tsunade leaned up against the wall next to Sasuke's door. Naruto stood in front of her, "So what's going on Baa-chan?"

She locked eyes with him, a serious expression on her face, "Naruto, Kakashi-san and I have both come to an agreement on something. You may be surprised to hear that the Anbu and Jonin here were very supportive of his idea. It will be told to you tomorrow, but I believe you should walk in there knowing what will come and what will be expected of you. This is serious and I want to inquire how you feel about it."

Naruto looked at her with a serious expression as well, "What the hell are you talking about Baa-chan?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, "The position of Hokage."

Naruto felt a flood of emotions pass through him with those words. He felt elated, energized, then felt pressure surrounding him, worry, stress. "Me? Hokage? Are you serious?"

Tsunade nodded at the shocked look and tone of voice from Naruto. "I'm very serious. I had told Kakashi-san that I had thought of nominating you, but at the time you still had a lot to learn and there was a lot to be done after the war. I didn't want you to be burdened with that right off. He suggested it to the Jonin and Anbu and they were enthusiastic, they fully support the idea."

Naruto felt a swell of pride pass through him, "They do? That's . . . I can't believe that . . . "

Tsunade cut him off, "Naruto-kun, they were always trying to get you to join Anbu and you earned their respect during the war. You are more respected than you realize by the shinobi of Konoha. You also have all your friends, who are ranking shinobi as well. I believe you're ready."

Naruto took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair stopping to scratch his neck nervously before he put his hands in his pocket. "Tsunade-sama, I'm honored that you and Kakashi-sensei believe so . . . but Hokage, that's a huge responsibility and Sasuke isn't in a stable place right now, Sakura is going to be going through a rough time . . . my friends need me and being Hokage may mean I can't be there for them. I just . . . it's not that I don't want to be Hokage or anything . . . it's just that I . . . I don't want to split my concentration and it's a huge decision to make . . ."

Tsunade smiled and put a hand on his shoulder making him look at her again, "Gaki, the fact that you realize how much of a responsibility it is, and that it is a life changing decision to make only proves that you really are ready."

Naruto shook his head, "No, no I'm not. How . . . how in the world am I supposed to take up that position when I haven't even had a team of my own and you know I still mess up and stuff . . . and it's just . . . "

"Breath Naruto, breath. I'm not saying it is going to happen tomorrow. You won't be jumping into this head first without being taught how to handle the position. I just want you to think about it, really think about it as a possibility. Don't hide this from Sasuke-kun either, he will be severely pissed and he deserves to know . . . "

"But what about his condit . . . "

"Don't finish that, Sasuke-kun will be pissed if you start saying things like that. Look, gaki, I want you to think on it, talk to him about it as well. You don't have to give an answer right away. I am just letting you know that it will be brought up tomorrow while you meet with the council."

"Doesn't the council take part in the decision?"

"Yes, they do. They make suggestions, but since Kakashi-san is alive and well, he can suggest who shall take his place. He has to run it by the Jonin and Anbu and get their approval and support. The council has a large part in the decision and at times has the support of the citizens of Konoha behind them."

Naruto nodded, "Which means if the council doesn't agree with the idea then the citizens will most likely agree with them. If the citizens of Konoha don't agree with the choice of Hokage then it will cause a lot of problems."

Tsunade nodded, He has grown so much. "Yes, that's true, that is something you can worry about tomorrow."

Naruto scoffed, "Yeah, now that you've told me I find that hard to do. I'm going to be up all night thinking about it now."

Tsunade frowned, "Gaki, I wanted you to go in there knowing something of what was ahead of you tomorrow. I will be there, since I'm an elder and all now. Get some rest and talk to Sasuke-kun in the morning about it. Tomorrow will just be a review of your record and tributes to the village. It will be mentioned that you're being nominated for the position. But you will be given time to think about it."

Naruto nodded numbly, Tsunade place a hand on his shoulder again and he looked up at her. She smiled gently and pulled off his headband before kissing him on the forehead. A very light blush dusted his whiskered, tan cheeks and she pulled away to look at him. Naruto smiled at her and nodded, "I will think about it. Arigato, Baa-chan."

"I will see you tomorrow gaki."

She turned to leave and Naruto looked at the door to Sasuke's room without seeing it. His mind was running rampant; Both of them suggested me to be Hokage and the Jonin and Anbu support the idea? That's insane, even though I may be boastful, I'm not as great as the Hokage's before me . . .

Kyuubi laughed snapping Naruto out of his daze with an internal glare and a low growl. Kyuubi chuckled, Kit, you are a fool if you turn it down. A fuse in our abilities has slowly caused a fuse in our souls and I know how much the position means to you. I can even guarantee you that your father would want the same for you.

Your soul really is fusing with mine, you just keep getting nicer and nicer everyday.

Shut up kit, I hate it. You're too damn good natured for my tastes and way too merciful and soft.

Naruto sighed and walked back into the room, he closed the door with a smile at seeing Sasuke asleep once again. He walked back over to the bed and moved the chair back to where it originally was. Sasuke's voice made him look up, "Baka, you can sleep with me."

Naruto grinned, he was already set on not doing anything until Sasuke was up to it, but he would never turn down sleeping in the same bed as Sasuke. He climbed into the bed and noticed that at some point Sasuke had put the hospital gown back on along with the hospital's version of boxers. Naruto was slightly disappointed, but relieved. He didn't think he could handle sleeping in the same bed with a naked Sasuke and keep to his vow to not do anything to him.

Sasuke sighed and curled into Naruto once Naruto laid back on the pillow and pulled the sheet and blanket over both of them. Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's chest and his left hand rested over his hear. Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke's back to hold him close and whispered into Sasuke's hair, "Goodnight Sasuke."

"Night. Dobe."

Naruto smirked and after only a few minutes Sasuke was sleeping soundly again, the sound of his steady breathing helping to lull him to sleep as well as the soothing scent that was only known to Sasuke. The feel of Sasuke in his arms helped in calming his racing thoughts. Naruto closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep with a content smile on his face.