Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto!
"And then Sara threw the ball to the mean man's house and she was soooo scared to get it. Not me though! I'm going to be a shinobi, shinobi don't get scared!" Long brown hair swayed as a young and very small girl proudly retold her side of the story from earlier in the day. The girl was an orphan, her parents deceased from when she was only three years old.
Sasuke stood quietly as she listened to the excited child. Minori was her name, and she immediately latched onto Sasuke after the Uchiha "volunteered" to help at the orphanage. She tensed when the girl jumped towards her and wrapped her thin arms around her leg. Looking down, Sasuke waited for the girl to explain herself before she would promptly remove her.
"Sasu-chan!" That's another thing. She's only known her for what was at most two day's and the girl already nicknamed her. Nicknames like that were something Sasuke only accepted from three people, and two were dead.
'She's just a child.' She pulled in whatever annoyance she was feeling at dealing with such a loud child. Honestly, it reminded her of Naruto before he figured out how to be patient. Which he still was awful at in her esteemed opinion.
"Sasu-chaaan!" The whine from the girl returned Sasuke from her thoughts and her mismatched eyes sought out plain brown ones that radiated happiness.
"… What do you want now?" Temari left her alone to settle a couple financial issues. The owner of the orphanage was a real piece of work, judging by the glare she kept on Sasuke the entire time.
"You're a shinobi right?! You have to be since you know Temari-chan! Can you teach me something please! Please!" Minori gripped the fabric of Sasuke's pants tightly, not wanting to let go until she got an answer she wanted.
"No." Unless you were blond with dumb whisker marks, it took a fair amount to get more words out of her. Minori instantly had tears come to her eyes, which happened so fast that Sasuke could swear they were faked.
"Please…" The sad voice and defeated expression would have crushed her teammate in a heartbeat.
"You're too young." Her poor excuse was based on her judging Minori's size. Sasuke wasn't necessarily tall in her youth, but this girl barely came up to her waist.
"Am not! I'm going to be seven years old!" The orphan held her fingers up to Sasuke dramatically, displaying the digits of her age. All around the room, orphans watched hesitantly. The children were a bit scared of Sasuke's presence and she made no effort to correct that. However, Minori either didn't notice or care.
"Too young." It was contradictory in a way considering she bothered her late brother to train her ever since she could understand the basics of what being a shinobi was. Minori shook her head with a big pout.
"Nuh-uh! I want to be strong like…" She scrunched her face up cutely and Sasuke expected many different names to come out. Almost all related to Suna shinobi or the Kazekage. "Naruto Uzumaki, the hero!" Minori declared with a gigantic grin.
The second his name left her lips, the orphans all began their own conversations involving Naruto.
"Kazekage-sama says they are best friends!"
"I heard he turns into a big fox!"
"My brother says he can fly!"
"No way?! Awesome!"
Sasuke let her gaze sweep around the room as the children spoke about her best friend with such high praise. Gaara must frequently speak about Naruto or shinobi must past down stories of his feats.
'The hero huh?' A smile threatened to appear as she thought of him. Minori tugged on her pant leg once more.
"Sasu-chan, are you a Suna shinobi? You don't have a headband on…" Minori pointed out and felt internally worried that the girl wasn't truly a shinobi.
"I… belong to a different village." Being 'owned' by Konoha left a sour taste in her mouth, even to this day. If it weren't for Team Seven and her brothers actions, she wouldn't have any ties to that village anymore.
"Oooh…" The orphaned girl sounded off, understanding it now. Some others moved closer as they heard of her admittance to being a shinobi. "Where are you from?" Brown doe eyes shined curiously. Sasuke debated with herself over continuing with the conversation before sighing deeply.
"Konohagakure." If the orphans were scared before, that disappeared upon hearing the villages name.
"That's where he's from!" The other children began to shout once more.
"Do you know Naruto Uzumaki?!"
Minori stared up at her in obvious awe, expecting her to know about the boy who even Suna shinobi sung praises for.
Sasuke wasn't sure what made her speak. Years ago she would have felt the familiar burn of inferiority over hearing about Naruto's accomplishments and strengths. Now…
"He's my teammate."
All hell broke loose when all the orphans got into her personal space in a heartbeat.
She was going to stab Naruto for this one.
"You know… I feel like Sasuke wants to stab me right about now." Naruto spoke as he walked with Gaara down the sandy paths of the village.
"It wouldn't be the first time." The response from Gaara left Naruto slack jawed.
"When did you start making jokes?!" Naruto glared at him with no real heat. Gaara gave a small laugh before nodding respectfully at any citizens or shinobi they passed by.
"You're an easy target." Gaara poked fun at the now comically sad Naruto.
"Blah! You should show more respect to a future Kage." Naruto turned his head upwards in a fake showing of being smug.
"You should show more respect to a current Kage." The mirth in his voice was easily picked up. Naruto gave his own joyful laugh before clasping his hand on Gaara's shoulder.
"You've changed so much Gaara." It was a genuine compliment. The killing machine from the sand was no more. All that remained was a true Kazekage.
"Yes, I wonder why that is." Gaara shot him a knowing look.
"Hey now, all I had to do was knock some sense into you with my fists… er… my head." Naruto downplayed his impact involving Gaara's current outlook on life.
"Indeed… now let us continue on. I'd like to check on the orphanage and Temari." Gaara told him as they picked up their pace slightly.
The Kazekage decided to bring Naruto around to various establishments around his village that he visited every now and then. Being a Kage was more than sitting behind a desk and doing paperwork. Appearances and showing genuine care for the population was essential. Naruto needed more experience in how to conduct himself in these different settings. While Gaara knew his friend was second to none when it came to giving speeches and igniting fire in people, he was still his usual hyperactive self.
"Sasuke should still be there with your sister right?" Naruto questioned as they got closer to the location.
"I'd assume so. How is Sasuke reacting to helping in such a way?" He wanted to know how the previous avenger was doing in that regard.
"She's well… Sasuke. She'll get used to it and helping others eventually. She's just so stubborn, you know? I've never met someone as stubborn as her." Naruto rambled on about his teammate. Gaara closed his eyes with his smile ever present.
"I think the phrase is 'a match made in heaven'." His words only made Naruto confused.
"Like a… match you use to start a fire? What's that gotta do with anything?" Naruto's confused expression spoke volumes.
"Never mind that. We are here." Gaara gestured to the large brown building.
Getting to the door, Naruto opened it dramatically for the Kage. He made an exaggerated showing with his usual Naruto flare. Upon entering they weren't greeted by anyone, showing that Temari must still be conducting her business with the owner. What they were greeted with was far different.
"Why are they so loud?" Naruto muttered as he heard the children making so much noise. Gaara was equally as confused.
The pair walked into the main room that housed the orphans while they played.
'Better take a mental picture of this. She's going to kill you for it.' Kurama's comment was not entirely false.
The avenger of the Uchiha clan sat cross legged on the floor. Children pulled on her cloak and pants and threw out question after question. Two different colored eyes regarded them dully. She wasn't even able to get a word out with all the shouting.
Naruto burst into laughter, eyes closing as he pointed a finger at the scene.
Sasuke, through all the loud children voices, was able to make out the laugh that she became accustomed to hearing.
Luckily, the children heard the laughter too and went silent as the two newcomers entered. They all became shocked at their Kage's appearance, but the tall blond with whiskered cheeks next to him left them frozen.
"Is that…?" A small boy muttered as he slowly figured out who the person was based on previous descriptions all over the village.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" In only a few seconds, they abandoned Sasuke and bolted towards the future Hokage. Naruto couldn't even warn them to stop before they dog piled him. Knocked onto his back, Naruto could only stare up at Gaara's amused eyes.
Sasuke's smirk was showing fully now, feeling that Naruto deserved this. She blinked when realizing something still held onto her leg.
"Minori?" She called out to the hyper child. The girl was locked in place at the sight of Naruto. Seeing her idol in person must have sent her into shock. Sasuke was about to remove her when she spoke up.
"Sasu-chan? Can I… um… meet him?" Quite frankly, Sasuke was surprised that Minori didn't jump on Naruto like the other children.
"I guess." Sasuke attempted to stand up before dryly looking down at her "Off. Now."
Minori complied and stood along with the Uchiha. She still held a grip on the cloak that covered Sasuke's form.
"Children. Please allow my friend to get up so he can properly speak to you all." Gaara's voice wasn't raised high or aggressive, but it did the trick in making the children listen. Naruto mouthed a silent 'thank you' at the red head.
Getting up with little effort, Naruto straightened out his clothes before locking eyes with Sasuke. She shifted her eyes to the young child holding her tightly and Naruto got the message.
"Hey! Come on over here! I don't bite you know?" Naruto's smile radiated warmth.
Sasuke walked slowly to the group, almost dragging Minori with her.
"I'm Naruto, what's your name?" He wasn't purposefully ignoring the other children, he was only distracted as this one seemed to be having an issue.
"Minori!" She squeaked out with a red face. Innocent eyes searched everything on Naruto's face, particularly focusing on his whisker-like markings and smile.
"Nice to meet you Minori-chan!" Naruto ruffled her hair playfully. "You can let go of my teammate now." All of the children gasped again. Gaara simply watched the interaction play out, he wasn't upset in the least that they forgot about him.
"You do know Sasu-chan then." Minori slowly released Sasuke's form covering cloak. Naruto struggled to hold in his laughter, his eyes caught the way Sasuke's nose twitched at the name.
"Yup! 'Sasu-chan' is my teammate and we've been friends since we were your age." Naruto explained to the group.
"Moron…" She mumbled under her breath. They were certainly not friends in the past. Also, Sasuke wasn't sure why that little nickname Naruto copied made her stomach flip.
"I'll tell you more but for now I want to know all of your names!" Every child grinned at their inclusion and rushed to shout out their name before the inevitable shinobi questions began.
Sasuke watched Minori cling to Naruto now, she stared at her teammate like he was the only ray of sunshine after a rainstorm.
That wasn't entirely inaccurate to her.
"He's quite good with children, isn't he?" The voice that was tinged with emotion asked Sasuke.
"He's always been good with them." She remembered his relationship with Konohamaru and his little friends.
"Temari once said that I need to practice my skills with handling children if I ever want to be a father." Gaara told her offhandedly. Sasuke kept quiet.
'... Naruto as a father? He'd probably sneak his kids ramen all the time and they'd make sure he never gets any work done. I feel bad for his wife.' She thought to herself as she watched him interact with the orphans.
"Why are you smiling?"
Gaara's questioned her, and she made a very unsuccessful attempt at changing that smile into a frown.
"Perhaps you're thinking of Naruto as a father? How interesting."
Sasuke missed wearing her high collared shirts in that moment.
When Temari appeared with the orphanage owner in tow, they witnessed Naruto talking animatedly with the entire group of children. Observing his retelling of training and grandiose missions for a short while, the old woman who took care of the many orphaned young ones made her presence known. Only two taps of her withered cane on the ground alerted everyone.
Every boy and girl became quiet when the woman they all looked up to revealed herself. Naruto paused mid sentence as he eyed the elder. She was similar in appearance to Chiyo, the one old woman from the village who Naruto would never forget.
"Well what do we have here? Kazekage-sama and Konoha's own Naruto Uzumaki. It's a pleasure." The woman smiled pleasantly at them. Sasuke, who stood to the side of Gaara, narrowed her eyes at the old hag. She received nothing but disgusted looks and glares upon arriving.
"Granny, I'm guessing you're the one taking care of all of them? You must be doing a good job, because they are great kids." Naruto gave her his village famous grin as he easily raised a giggling Minori with one arm.
"Ohoho, you flatter me. It seems your reputation does proceed you. You may call me Akane." She bowed her head forward in respect for the strong shinobi. Temari shot Naruto and Gaara a smile as she stood close by.
"Akane-san, has the issue been resolved with improving the orphanage and its finances?" Gaara walked close to the elder, which left Sasuke standing somewhat awkwardly at the side of the room.
"Temari-chan is always a great help. It shouldn't take much longer for this place to get cleaned up. I've been terribly busy since the end of the war." Every shinobi in the room understood how many orphans were made after the great war.
"That is good news. Rest assured I will do my best to make sure this process goes along smoothly. These children are the future of our village and it is important to tend to them." Gaara sounded just like how a Kage should, and Naruto felt pride swell up in him for his friend.
"You truly were the best choice for this village Gaara-sama." Akane complimented him with happiness showing on her aged face. "Although, I wouldn't mind borrowing Naruto Uzumaki over there to help with the children." She motioned with her cane towards the children who still clung to Naruto like a tree.
"I'm afraid he is needed regarding other matters for a few more days." Gaara informed her.
"What a shame." Akane shook her head in disappointment. The ability to connect with the children instantly was not one to be ignored.
"Sasuke Uchiha is still available to help if needed." Upon Gaara's suggestion, Sasuke caught the darkened eyes of the orphanage owner.
"Is she? How nice." Akane tapped her cane lightly on the ground. "Gaara-sama, do you recall how we took in some orphans when there was an unfortunate amount that couldn't be held in Tetsu no Kuni?" The woman kept her eyes on Sasuke as she spoke.
"Yes. As a way of forming an alliance with Mifune-sama and his samurai, we agreed to take them back to Suna. There simply wasn't enough funding to support them after... the war efforts caused their economy to suffer. Is there something wrong with them?" Gaara had a feeling he understood and he wasn't exactly pleased for her to be bringing this up. The past couldn't be forgotten, but the times were changing. People were changing.
"Oh, I'm just reminiscing is all. They've all grown so much and it feels like it was just yesterday that they were brought here. It's such a shame... taken from their home and a few even lost the only parent they had." Gaara and even Temari appeared displeased at her words.
"I see. Well I am glad they are doing well. If that's all Akane-san, we will be taking our leave soon. There are more meetings I must attend to before the day ends." Despite how he felt about her comments, he acted with proper decorum.
"Please don't let me hold you up." She craned her head forward to acknowledge her leader before smiling at the other Suna shinobi "Temari-chan, it's always a pleasure working with you."
"Likewise Akane-san." Temari returned the gesture, if only a bit more subdued than usual.
Naruto easily picked up on the tense atmosphere in the room and glanced at his teammate. Sasuke stood with her usual blank face. Standing from the circle of children, Naruto was determined to figure out why the mood in the room changed.
"Naruto! You're leaving?" Minori's lip quivered as she looked up at her idol. Naruto patted her on the head gently before doing the same with the other children that surrounded him.
"Sorry kids. I've been working with Gaara and I have another important thing to do with my teammate." Naruto apologetically explained to the downtrodden children.
"Will you come back to visit?" Minori asked him hopefully.
"Of course! Whenever I'm in Suna, I'll be sure to visit you guys if you're still here. You can even come to my home when you're older." Naruto reassured them. Minori's face lit up before she whipped her head around the room to spot Sasuke.
"Sasu-chan!" She cried before barreling into the young woman. Akane watched on with an unreadable expression.
"Minori." Sasuke kept her tone from displaying any emotion.
"Sasu-chan, are you going to come visit too?!" Minori needed to be reassured that she'll see her again.
"I…" Her eyes shifted from Naruto to Akane.
Akane's words echoed in Sasuke's head. The consequences of her actions set in. The Five Kage Summit, a meeting that brought together all the leaders of the great nations to fight for a common goal. It was a grand event that was ultimately interrupted by Obito and his true declaration of war. Her goal was Danzō, she didn't care for much else at the time. Though with having one too many close calls with death and going nearly blind, it was not an event that she enjoyed remembering at all.
What she did remember was the samurai that fought against her on the path for revenge. She cut them down one after another. Some may have had families, leaving innocent children left behind. Blinded by hatred, she didn't even bother to consider what would come out of it.
Atonement… did she even deserve it?
"Sasu-chan!" The high pitched voice called her again.
Whenever those dark thoughts invaded her mind, she held on to the words said by Naruto. How he told her she changed, how she wasn't that kind of person anymore. When she told him she could still stand against him, he assured her that it wouldn't come to pass. She wasn't being consumed by that sickening curse of hatred that held her for years. There was never any concern on his end when it came to her traveling down that road of life once more. He believed in her, even though he shouldn't. Not after all the things she's done and said to him.
"I will." She relented. Her regret and self loathing staying locked up for the moment.
"Yay!" Minori hugged her tightly at the waist, succeeding in making Sasuke's body tense unconsciously.
Naruto was at her side before she even noticed. He smiled cheekily at her moody face before throwing an arm around her and pulling her closer. Whatever tension she felt melted away at his touch, and Sasuke's shorter form pressed against him without a struggle.
"Aww, Sasu-chan is the best isn't she?" Naruto teased with a snicker. His eyes shot open in pain when his foot was stepped on harshly.
"Be quiet."
"Sasu-chan is so mean..."
Minori giggled at their interaction.
Akane couldn't make sense of why Naruto allowed himself to get so close to that girl. Did he not know of her previous actions? Her Kage noticed the look on her aged face.
"Akane-san." Gaara kept his voice low. "The road that she followed in the past is not one any have forgotten. The same can be said for myself." Both his sister and the elder listened intently to their leaders words.
"Why does he associate with her Gaara-sama? Someone as good natured as him, lowering himself to that level. She orphaned some of the very children in this building." Akane's hushed tone was riddled with disdain.
"Sasuke has led a life of many troubles, though I understand that doesn't excuse her past actions. Despite it all, there's always been one person in her life... Naruto. Their history isn't my place to share but know this Akane-san... monsters don't seek to change. Monsters don't seek help."
With his piece said, Gaara went to reunite with his friend. Temari bid the woman farewell and followed her younger brother.
Akane heard the children groan in disappointment and sadness when the 'cool shinobi' left the orphanage. Before she could announce her upcoming dinner for the children, Minori came running up to her.
"Did you hear?! Did you hear they are going to come visit?" She questioned the owner while jumping in place.
"Yes young one, I'm sure you must be very happy." Personal feelings aside, she had to remain positive for the orphans.
"I hope Sasu-chan can teach me next time! She's so cool! She has two different eyes and one is purple with weird little things around it. Oh! And Naruto has..." Minori began to highlight every little thing she noticed. Akane did her best to listen intently, but her mind drifted elsewhere.
Hearing nothing but the worst when it came to the Uchiha for years, her feelings wouldn't change instantly. Though the emotions swirling in those cold Uchiha eyes when she looked at Naruto were hard to classify as monstrous.
"Granny? Hey, are you even listening?"
She was brought back to reality as Minori questioned her.
"Of course my dear, I'm just a little distracted by all of the details. Please go on."
Akane came to regret those words as Minori would continue to talk about her two new favorite people for the rest of the evening.
Seated on the rooftop ledge of the Kazekage mansion, Sasuke looked out at the lit up village. Nighttime in Sunagakure was different from anything she's seen before. When the chilling winds swept across the desert, parents rushed the children into the safety of their warm homes. The frequent and unpredictable sand storms also ensured most wouldn't wander out into the night.
Sasuke didn't mind the cold biting at her face and her long cloak provided more than enough protection from the elements. Besides, she had a lot on her mind. Weather conditions weren't going to stop the creeping feelings of regret that formed in her chest. If someone observed her face in that moment, they'd notice the conflicted expression that overtook her usual composed features.
What she heard at the orphanage left her thinking about her previous actions even more.
She was the one responsible for some of those children being there, she ruined families. Just as hers was ruined by a failing system of shinobi.
She closed her eyes tightly to clear her head of that line of thinking. The last time she thought like that, she lost an arm while fighting with the only person alive who truly mattered to her.
"So this is where you ran off to." She should have expected the voice from behind her. The Uchiha was basically letting off every negative emotion she kept bottled up. Unfortunately for her, Naruto's partner was a master at picking up on those.
The ledge she sat on was soon occupied by another body as Naruto sat shoulder to shoulder with her. They both sat in silence, overlooking the village that Gaara won over.
"Minori-chan's a cute kid, isn't she?" Naruto commented as he watched the sand dance in the wind.
"... Yeah she is." Sasuke admitted with a frown. She wondered if Minori would still enjoy seeing her when she found out of her actions.
"What's the matter Sasuke? I noticed how tense the orphanage got after the old lady came down with Temari." Naruto had some ideas. He wasn't stupid, definitely dense at times, but not stupid.
Sasuke knew there was no point in hiding anything from Naruto. She was stuck with him on this journey and he was annoyingly persistent with anything involving her.
"The old woman mentioned some of the children were taken from Tetsu no Kuni. I'm sure you remember what happened there." Sasuke didn't look him in the eye as she spoke.
"The Five Kage Summit." Naruto had his own reasons for trying to forget those days.
"Yes." Sasuke's confirmation caused silence to form between the two once again. Naruto knew he had to be the one to break it.
"You know, I begged the Raikage to leave you alone." Naruto chuckled to himself, remembering how he pitifully got on his knees to beg for her. No matter how foolish it may have seemed at the time. "Everyone told me what you were doing. Everyone told me to stop trying to help you." He noticed how she still refused to meet his gaze.
"Why didn't you?" She knew he never gave up on her, but she deserved it. To throw away his pride as a shinobi by kneeling to another Kage for her...
"When you were stuck on your path of revenge and attacked the Kage's, that wasn't you. That wasn't the Sasuke who constantly tried to show off during training. That wasn't the Sasuke who would kick me under the counter when I'd slurp my ramen too loudly during our team dinners. That wasn't the Sasuke I knew." Naruto explained to her as he fondly remembered their first months as Team Seven.
"I changed Naruto. You should have left me alone like everyone else." Sasuke's voice was barely above a whisper.
"No. Deep down I knew you were still there. Sakura-chan wanted me to bring you back so our team could be complete again, but..." Naruto scratched at his whisker markings, feeling embarrassed over what he was going to admit. "Even if she didn't want you back, I did. I was selfish. You're the one person I wanted to acknowledge me. Besides, what you did at the summit was because of Danzō, right?"
"... I still took down anyone who got in my way Naruto. The samurai, they were the first to go." She didn't need to explain how this related to the orphanage, she figured Naruto understood. Sasuke heard her teammate sigh and watched him look up to the star filled sky.
"Do you regret it Sasuke?"
"Having regret won't forgive what I've done Naruto."
"I guess you're right..." His response was completely justified, but that didn't stop her chest from tightening painfully.
"That's why you wanted to go on this journey though. This is a chance to show everyone that the Sasuke who did all those things is gone. You can show all these people the real you. The smug Uchiha who can't handle eating sweet food." He grinned brightly at her.
"You really are something Uzumaki." That was all she could say. Naruto constantly pushed her up while she tried keeping herself down.
She doubted that regret would go away in her lifetime, but she wanted to follow Naruto's advice. His naive, obnoxiously positive, warm advice.
"I know I am. Please keep complimenting me Sasu-chan." Naruto smiled at her deadpan stare.
"You know I don't like being called that."
"It's cute. Sakura-chan gives you nicknames all the time."
"Sakura is a nuisance."
"Oh come on, she's your teammate."
"Reluctantly."
Kurama's Jinchūriki began laughing happily at their back and forth. Sasuke didn't notice that he successfully pulled her away from all the negativity swarming around inside her head.
"So you really begged the Raikage for me." She smirked somewhat playfully at him now.
"Yeah. I figured you weren't anywhere near as strong as I was, so you needed some protection. I had to save you." He was messing with her and they both knew it.
"Please. You've been weaker than me from the beginning. What kind of weakling can't even do a simple Bunshin no Jutsu." She played into his taunts. Hidden within her, Sasuke would never stop being grateful for his ability at making her worries disappear.
"The kind that can make thousands of super strong clones!"
"I've destroyed hundreds of those clones. They are weaker than the weakling who created them." She leaned forward to taunt him more directly.
"I let you do that." He defended himself poorly.
"And I let you win our last fight."
"You did not! We both lost our damn arms because somebody had to clash our jutsu again." Naruto shot back at her. Sasuke felt her face flush at both his accusation and how close their faces were now.
"Loser..." She averted her eyes from his.
"Ha! You admit it!" If anything, Naruto's face got closer to her own. Sasuke was reminded of all those years ago... when they kissed. Accidentally.
"If you get any closer, I will stab you." The only way Sasuke knew how to cover up her embarrassments was with empty threats. Naruto's grin widened when he picked up on it. He may not be the best at reading people, though that changed when it came to Sasuke.
"You're embarrassed."
"... You're delusional."
"And you're embarrassed."
"Delusional."
"Embarrassed."
'I would throw up if possible.'
"Be quiet Kurama."
The 'romantic' moment was ruined by the tailed beasts intervention.
"Delusional." Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at the look on Naruto's face. Due to the distraction, she got the last word in.
'I'm an Uchiha, it's my right to get the last word. Not even an Uzumaki can-' her inner monologuing was disrupted by two arms grabbing hold of her body. She felt her body press to his in an intimate way.
"Naruto! Let me go!"
"I'll show you delusional!"
They rolled off the rooftop in a tangle of limbs.
Within the Kazekage office, Gaara raised a cup of steaming coffee to his lips. He was just about finished with whatever paperwork he set aside to help Naruto for the day. Suddenly he felt compelled to turn his head and admire the land he swore to protect beyond the large windows.
"Naruto!"
"Sasuke!"
Gaara watched the two fall past his window and to the sand below. Their loud voices were heard even from within his office.
"CHIDORI!"
"I hate that jutsu!"
The nighttime air screamed with the ferocity of a thousand chirping birds.
He took a sip of his coffee.
They would be fine.
A/N - As usual, thanks for the feedback on the last chapter! Considering how awful the PM system is on here, I actually started talking with people on discord instead, it's amazing.
Hope you enjoyed this one too, and yeah. Sasuke killed those samurai during the summit. It was never brought up again, and it seems like Mifune probably forgot that his soldiers died. Nice.
Stay safe :)