"What the fuck, ya know!" Naruto scrambles upright as Sasuke's hand falls away, "Is that— no. You— what the fuck?"
"Eloquent, dobe," Sasuke replies distantly, eyes still glued to the bright red brand of Naruto's soulmark— emblazoned tauntingly across the border of his waist.
"Shut the fuck up," Naruto hisses, snatching up Sasuke's wrist to plaster his hand against the mark once again, "This can't— this can't be real. It doesn't make sense!"
Sasuke leaves his hand where Naruto puts it, still too stunned for anything resembling bodily autonomy at the moment.
"It's probably—" he wets his lips, finally tearing his gaze away to look at Naruto's face— only the idiot isn't looking at him, his wide eyed attention focused solely on his mark under Sasuke's hand, "It's probably a coincidence."
"A coincidence?" Naruto scoffs, fingers tightening over Sasuke's wrist dangerously, "Are you serious right now?"
"You got your mark when you were seventeen," Sasuke reminds him, "You've grown— skin's dimensions changes over time."
"Technically, I was sixteen and that's not how it works," Naruto glares at him, though he doesn't let Sasuke's hand move even an inch, "Temari and Shika's marks still fit their hands perfectly and they got them when they were twelve, y'know."
"That…" Sasuke frowns, "That doesn't make an ounce of anatomical sense."
"Because having our skin change color for some random person the universe decided makes us happy really screams scientifically sound, doesn't it," Naruto snorts, "What does happiness even mean to the universe anyway? It's like— subjective or whatever."
"You— you're changing the subject," Sasuke snaps.
"Am I though?" Naruto's eye narrow, "I feel like I'm going crazy. Like all the rules they told us were nothing but— but— bullshit to make us feel better about things we just can't explain."
"Or," Sasuke says, "The rules could just be rules and this is a coincidence."
"Do you really think that though?"
"It's better than—" Sasuke's mouth clicks shut, before he can voice such damning words.
Because assuming this was a coincidence— just some giant cosmic joke that happened to be at their expense— would be better. Better than getting his hopes up. Better than trying to assign some grand meaning to all the pain and confusion and bitterness they'd waded through, over the years—
Because if it were true… if somehow they had been a match all this time…
It was too much— too heartbreaking to think about. All the time they'd lost because Sasuke had been so determined to be miserable at both of their expense…
Naruto, as always, understands him without words though.
"It's not though—" Naruto answers Sasuke's unspoken thoughts, "It wouldn't be better. It wouldn't be worse— it wouldn't be anything. Nothing would be different at all, really. It would just be… to know, y'know?"
Right, Sasuke thinks— inhaling deep, shoving down the spike of nervousness he hadn't even recognized for what it was. Right— logically, why would this change anything? Whether it was a merely a coincidence or a horrible, profound misunderstanding on fate's behalf— why would it really matter? When they had already collectively decided that fate could go fuck itself.
"I doesn't change anything," Sasuke confirms, with a slow nod.
"Right," Naruto agrees easily, and then broad palms are cupping Sasuke's jaw.
"… It wouldn't make anything different, really," Sasuke reiterates, as Naruto's nose brushes against his.
He feels Naruto smile, pressed into his cheekbone, "Nope."
"We're still the same people," Sasuke breathes, as Naruto breath fans over his face.
"Exactly," Naruto huffs, eye dipping down Sasuke's lips for less than a heartbeat before they snap back to his, "Now shut up and kiss me, you idiot."
Sasuke does, willingly and gratefully— and if his hand never strays far from the marked skin of Naruto's waist, he decides not to think much about it.
"Ah, I was wondering where two have been," Shikamaru drawls as Naruto storms into his own office— Sasuke following behind at a much more reasonable pace, "We just got word from Land of Mountains about the revisions to that peace treaty you've been mediating with—"
"I've been gone two hours," Naruto interrupts hotly, "Whatever it is can wait, ya know!" He pauses for a brief moment, eyes flickering with something Sasuke doesn't think he appreciates right now, "Wait, the treaty with Flowers? Have they agreed to that infrastructure development clause for—?"
"Naruto," Sasuke growls, tone heavy with warning.
"What?" Naruto hisses back, "We've been trying to get them to build this spur for over a year. If Flower Country can start trading with Oil Country it would really help resolve the power imbalance south of Iron—"
"If they've waited a year they can wait one more day," Sasuke points out sternly, "This was your idea. Maybe try to focus on it for more than five minutes, if your goldfish brain can handle that."
He is still growing used to this version of Naruto. The kind who leads an entire damn village when he isn't preoccupied with Sasuke. Of course he's worked with Naruto the Hokage before— just not to the extent he is now. Adjusting to the rapid shifting of Naruto's behaviors and tone, not unlike flicking a switch. It remained disorienting to witness in person, on a daily basis.
"Hey," Naruto leveled him with a challenging finger, "You try getting an ironworks oligarchy to maintain a bipartisan trade agreement with a commune of tulip farmers living in windmills and then you can talk to me about—"
"Excuse me," Shikamaru cuts in, clearly amused by their bickering, "Is there more pressing business I should know about, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asks, glancing between them knowingly, "Or is world peace just too much of an inconvenience for your honeymoon period all of a sudden?"
"We need access to the restricted records vault," Naruto says, ignoring the jab, "The classified soulmark registry, actually."
"The soulmark registry?" Shikamaru says, glancing between them with an air of concern and confusion this time, "Why would you— don't tell me you're interested in finding your soulmates now?"
"Eh," Naruto chuckles awkwardly, scrubbing a hand over the back of his head, "Uh, kinda? You could put it that way, I guess."
"Hmph," Shikamaru scowls, "Never thought I'd say it, but I think I preferred the will they won't they nonsense to whatever this is. What business could you possibly have in those records at this point?"
Sasuke huffs, "Just take us there. We would have done it ourselves but the vault needs the chakra signatures of two executive staff—"
"To grant access— you think I don't know that?" Shikamaru asks, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I'm just having a hard time wrapping my mind around why you need to go there. Don't tell me there's trouble in paradise already?"
"It's— it's probably nothing, y'know," Naruto hedges, dropping his hand to rub the back of his neck in a nervous gesture, "There's just… something we gotta check out, okay?"
"… Well, it's not like I can deny an order from my Hokage, now can I?" Shikamaru points out, finally trudging toward the office doors— Sasuke and Naruto following close behind, "Though I'll probably be of more help if you evasive nimrods just tell me what's going on here."
"It's… complicated," Naruto says, as they march.
"I'll be the judge of that, hm?" Shikamaru chuckles.
"Dobe," Sasuke says, the pads of his fingers brushing Naruto's wrist between the swish and folds of their cloaks, "We should just tell him. Maybe he can help."
"What would he know about it? He found his soulmate at twelve."
"Obviously more than us, considering."
Blue eyes meet his, wide and uncertain, "Yeah, but—"
"He's going to find out anyway, Naruto. What were you planning on telling him when we told him what we're looking for?"
"… You're probably right, y'know."
"Would one of you just spit it out already?" Shikamaru practically snapped, steering them down a narrow staircase at a brisk clip toward the classified records vaults— all the way down in the sub-basements of the tower, "What exactly do you think I'll be able to help with? And why are we marching into a records room like we're going to war?"
Naruto comes to a halt, pulling Sasuke to a standstill with a hand on his wrist. Shikamaru turns to them when their footsteps fall silent behind him, raising a questioning brow.
Without a word, Naruto tugs up the hem of his shirt and jacket, exposing his mark. Catching onto his intent, Sasuke uses his teeth to slide the glove off his hand—
Sasuke's hand slides into place over Naruto's mark, a perfect fit. He still can't tear his eyes away from the sight. He wonders if he ever will be able to, no matter what their search uncovers.
Under his hand he can feel Naruto holding his breath.
"… Well, that's something," Shikamaru says, after a long pause, "And you two didn't—"
"Nope," Naruto says.
"And do you really think—"
"It's possible," Sasuke grunts, "Worth looking into, if nothing else."
Shikamaru sighs, "Alright, let's crack this thing before it breaks my brain even more."
Giving the two pale faced records ninja the afternoon off was easy enough. Locating the sheaves of classified soulmark information amongst the reams of classified files also proved simple.
The rest, however.
Sasuke stared the papers in his hands— one page profiles of their individual marks; the locations along with the date and circumstances of their appearance. In the upper right hand corner of the first page, a photograph of Naruto's stomach circa fifteen years ago. The bold red of the print parallel to the ruler indicating it's dimensions.
On the second page, a picture of Sasuke's hand, and the same ruler.
One of the numerous benefits to possessing an extinct doujutsu was an unprecedented degree of visual accuracy and the ability to recognize the minutiae of patterns the human eye couldn't normally percieve.
His left eye didn't lie— and even at seventeen, their marks matched.
"How two grown ass men still be this much of a pain in my ass, I don't even know," Shikamaru grumbles, sifting through his own stack of papers on a desk at the center of the room, "Of the handful of Konoha-nin who received their marks during the war, most of them were able to eventually identify their matches. The others, well… it doesn't take a cryptics expert to say they aren't a match for either of your marks no matter what angle you look at them."
"That still leaves four other nations worth of ninja unaccounted for," Sasuke reminds him.
"Yeah," Shikamaru mutters, "Naruto, did you find the—"
"Yep," one of Naruto's clones breezes past the desk, depositing a thick stack of papers on its way, "I never really expected she'd have any luck, but it looks like Baa-chan tried to find my match at least. I don't even want to imagine the hoops she had to jump through to get these records. And there's more where that came from. I'm looking through the rest in the other room but nothing's come up so far."
"What are you doing in here then?" Shikamaru asks, pulling the new papers toward himself.
"I've already sorted through those," the clone says, digging into a shelf of files on the opposite side of the room, "I just wanted you to see what kind of headache I'm dealing with in there, y'know."
"… Yes, I can see," Shikamaru says with a distinct note of disgust, thumbing through the papers, "And I thought our records were inconsistent. At least ours are legible— no thanks to you."
"Hey!"
"What are you looking for anyway?"
"… Something one of Baa-chan's notes mentioned— dunno if it's important yet."
"Alright," Shikamaru sighs, "You got anything over there, Uchiha?"
Sasuke blinks, setting their records down at long last, "… Nothing to definitively prove we're wasting our time."
"Nothing involving you two is ever gonna be cut and dry, is it?"
"Someone has to keep things interesting for you."
"Sorry, but this isn't the sort of intrigue I had in mind. You—"
Shikamaru cuts himself off— drawing Sasuke's attention to the desk where Naruto's clone is setting a folder down with an odd look on it's face.
Without a word, it dispels itself in a puff of smoke. In the next room, there's a crash the sounds suspiciously like someone falling off their chair.
Sasuke shares a put upon look with Naruto's assistant for a moment before the Hokage himself bursts back into the room, making a beeline for Shikamaru's desk.
"What am I looking at here, exactly?" Shikamaru asks, jabbing the paper with a finger as Sasuke rises from his position on the floor, "What am I supposed to get from this if half of this report is redacted?"
"I'm not sure— that's why I'm giving it to you," Naruto says, sliding another set of sheets in front of Shikamaru, "But she references this report here— in a note about two soulmates from Iwagakure who got their marks on the frontlines."
"… Why would she reference a redacted report?" Sasuke asks, peering over Shikamaru's shoulder at the heavily blacked out ledger in question, along with mark profiles for a pair of soulmates from Earth Country.
"I'm assuming because it wasn't redacted at the time," Shikamaru murmurs.
"And what's so special about these soulmates?" Sasuke asks, scanning the pages for any clues.
"They were already married," Naruto says, pointing at a paragraph halfway down one of the pages, "And they were both found dead, after the Infinite Tsukuyomi was released."
"I thought there weren't any casualties from the genjutsu itself."
"There weren't," Shikamaru hums thoughtfully, "But a number of branches were damaged during the battle, which cut off life support to the trapped victims. Between the Godaime and Sakura, Katsuyu-dono was able to heal a number who had passed within a few minutes of the genjutsu being released. A small number, in the grand scheme of things— but it was well documented in the reports."
"I read those reports," Naruto says, "This wasn't in them though."
"The fact that they were soulmates?" Sasuke asks.
"The fact that they didn't know they were soulmates until after the war."
"… What does that mean?"
"Their soulmarks only appeared after the genjutsu ended," Shikamaru says, "And that's where Tsunade-sama makes a note about another report— from a year before."
"Which is useless, because look at this thing," Naruto says, gesturing with visible irritation to the redacted pages.
"Maybe not entirely useless," Shikamaru says, "Look at the dates at least."
Sasuke does, but they mean little to him.
But apparently not Naruto, who sucks in a startled breathe.
"The Akatsuki Invasion," Naruto says.
"Around that time, yeah."
Naruto begins shuffling the papers together, stuffing them into a folder, "Let's go. We need to talk to Sakura."
"You can't take those files out of this room, you know," Shikamaru points out dryly.
"Yeah?" Naruto snorts, making for the exit, "Under whose orders, huh?"
"… You can't be serious," Sakura blinks between the pair of them as she filled her coffee mug.
"Nothing's definitive yet," Shikamaru states sternly, "We're just exploring the possibilities right now."
"How'd they rope you into this, huh?" Sakura laughs, "It's all a bit… fanciful, isn't it?"
"You know I don't like leaving questions unanswered," Shikamaru says, "And who knows— maybe I'm a bit of a romantic after all."
"Romantic?" Sakura huffs, "But they're not even—"
She falls silent at Shikamaru's pointed look at Sasuke.
"You haven't told her?" Shikamaru asks pointedly.
The temperature in the room drops.
"Tell me what?" Sakura asks, dangerously low, "Sasuke?"
Sasuke shifts uncomfortably, "… I was going to tell you. We were waiting for the right time—"
"And immediately was the wrong time?" Sakura's eyebrows climb toward her hairline.
"… I'm sorry."
"… Where is that idiot? I can't bring myself to slug the father of my child but someone is getting punched for this—"
"Sakura," Sasuke says, cutting offer her tirade, "We were going to tell you."
Shikamaru takes the opportunity to step in between them, "Listen— these two are morons, no question about it. But you guys can sort that out among yourselves another time. We're talking about the Hokage's soulmate here— if this is true, we need all the information. How, what, when— none of it makes sense."
Sakura stares at Shikamaru for a long moment and Sasuke thinks she'll press it further— but instead she sighs, "Your marks are light blue and red, aren't they?"
Sasuke nods, "Shikamaru said—"
"That the color of our marks correlates to the nature affinity of our match's chakra," Sakura hums thoughtfully, "There have been theories about it for years— it's only been recently anyone's bothered to compile the data to back it up. The colors of your individual marks certainly don't rule the match out. But it's hardly definitive evidence considering everything else. You're certain the size and placement are consistent?"
"I am— we even checked the soulmark registry to confirm. It's all here," Sasuke says, handing Sakura the file Naruto had pulled together containing everything they'd found, "But there's something else we don't understand."
She looks at the folder like it will bite her hand if she touches it, but accepts it after a moment anyway, "Right. Follow me— we can talk in my office."
With the stacks of paper spread across her desk, Sakura reviews their findings with a critical, practiced eye.
"You remember your first contact?" Sakura asks as she flips another page.
Fighting the heat threatening to rise in his cheeks, Sasuke nods, "I do."
"And?"
"And nothing. It doesn't match."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. It would have been… distinctive."
Shikamaru snorts from where he leans against the far wall of her office, "You went did the Uchiha's first contact ritual, didn't you?" at Sasuke's questioning glance, Shikamaru just shrugs, "What? You think the Uchiha were the only ones to have something like that? All the major clans used them, especially when it came to the clan head's heirs."
"… And what if I did? I doubt he understood what was happening at the time."
"For crying out loud," Shikamaru laughs humorlessly, turning his gaze toward the ceiling, "To think you've been this hopeless your whole lives and not just as a matter of circumstance."
Across her desk, Sakura huffs— full of humor, "You don't know the half of it."
"I've been working by Naruto's side for the last five years— I can certainly imagine at this point."
"Exactly how is any of this helpful?" Sasuke feels the need to interject.
"You came to me, Sasuke," Sakura reminds him, "I'm just trying to get a baseline understanding here."
"Then perhaps focus on questions I can answer rather than poking fun at others' misfortunes."
"Alright, alright," she smiles, turning back to the documents in front of her, "Do you remember what I told you— a few years ago? About the… sensations? That soulmates experience?"
Casting his mind back, Sasuke nods.
"Have you ever felt something like that? A physical touch? A sound? A smell? Something that couldn't be explained by your surroundings?"
Sasuke hesitates— he'd never told anyone. A part of him had thought it had all been in his head. But on the off chance that it mattered—
"I feel the wind sometimes. The scent of the ocean."
"That sounds nice," Shikamaru hums, "Mine feels like the ground shifting beneath my feet— like I'm walking on sand. It's a pain in the ass."
"Does Naruto have anything like that?" Sakura asks, fully focused on the pages now.
"… Not that he's mentioned," Sasuke answers.
Sakura sighs, "It really would be easier if he were here. Why—"
"He's tracking another lead— trying to find the person who wrote that," Shikamaru says, gesturing to the redacted pages.
She picks them up, "This is one of Tsunade-shishou's reports following Pein's attack on the village."
"Did you help her write this report?" Sasuke asks, "Some of her notes following the war reference it."
"I didn't," Sakura says sheepishly, "Not long after she woke from her coma I was… otherwise occupied."
Sasuke doesn't know how to interpret Shikamaru's constipated look, so he presses on.
"The war records describe a pair of soulmates whose marks only appeared after emerging from Madara's genjutsu," Sasuke tells her, pulling out the relevant profiles and placing them on top of the stack.
"Ah, the couple from Iwa— I remember," Sakura says, squinting at the small print on the reports, "Very odd situation. I've never seen anything else like it. I doubt they ever would have put the pieces together, if their first touch hadn't been so… unique."
Sasuke scowls as Shikamaru chuckles.
"You gotta appreciate a woman who knows what she wants," Shikamaru says.
"Anyway," Sasuke steers them back on track, "That doesn't help us understand how this was possible. There's never been any documentation referencing delayed soulmark appearances except—"
"Except this," Sakura sighs, picking up the blacked out report, "I'm sorry, I wish I had something to offer, but Godaime-sama wasn't always the most transparent person. And as much as I studied under her for a long time, I know there was a lot she didn't— couldn't— share with me."
"… It's fine," Sasuke says, "It was a long shot. If Naruto can locate the Godaime, perhaps we'll get some answers from her directly."
"I'll go check on his progress," Shikamaru says, pushing himself upright and heading for the door.
"Wait," Sakura says, causing the man to pause with his hand on the door knob, "Sasuke's investment in this I understand. But what about you? Why are you tying yourself up in all this?"
"… I told you, if it has to do with the Hokage's soulmate—"
"Naruto's soulmate was never a cause for concern before," Sakura points out, "Seriously, why are you here, Shikamaru?"
"… I can't care about my friends' happiness?"
"For you, caring about Naruto's happiness means giving him the day off work to figure his own shit out— not dragging you both away from the office for a day. I've worked with both you and Naruto long enough to know how you operate. What is it about this that has your undivided attention for once?"
Shikamaru hesitates before turning away from the door, arms crossed over his chest.
"I… heard something once. About the Uchiha and their soulmates."
Sasuke grits his teeth, "You've spoke to Kabuto."
"I may or may not have been part of his interrogation, after the war," Shikamaru shrugs, "It doesn't matter. What matters is you never had any intention of locating your soulmate before. Now that that's changed… there's more at stake here than just your relationship."
"My relationship isn't at stake," Sasuke says, "The truth won't change anything, no matter what it reveals."
"Not for you maybe," Shikamaru says, "You've never wondered why you were able to wield the Mangekyou Sharingan without having a soulmate? Knowing what you do?"
"I never bothered to question it," Sasuke says, "It's not unheard of."
Uncommon, yes. But not impossible.
"There are too few known historical Mangekyou users to know for sure," Sakura is the one to mention.
Which is true. Sasuke'd entertained a passing thought for the matter, over the years. In the grand scheme of things, it hadn't been significant to him. Regardless of the means he'd achieved his power, what mattered was the he had it. He'd never bothered to doubt his path before, and he hadn't planned to start.
"Perhaps you should start questioning it," Shikamaru says, "Because if it's true and Naruto is your soulmate— you know what the risks are. For him. For you."
"What kind of risks are we talking about here?" Sakura asks, glancing warily between the pair of them.
Sasuke knew well what Shikamaru was referring to— only in infuriated him to hear Shikamaru speaking of it so cavalierly.
The Curse of Hatred.
Obito, curse him, had illuminated a great deal about it. And Zetsu had further made clear the role soulmates played in the evolution of the Uchiha's power. Of course Sasuke hadn't thought much of it, at the time. Without a soulmate of his own, what was the point?
Now, though. If Kabuto had been right all along…
Shikamaru was right. They needed a definitive answer to this puzzle, like it or not.
"I'll speak with Kabuto," Sasuke decides, "We'll have all the information we need to proceed regardless of what we uncover."
"See that you do," Shikamaru agrees, just as a ruckus from out in the hall grabs all of their attention a moment for the door crashes open— forcing Shikamaru to dodge back to avoid the collision.
Naruto bursts into the room, a whirlwind of frenetic color against the bleak beige walls of the office.
"I found her," he says in a rush, "We can get there in two days if we leave right now."
Sasuke moves toward the door immediately, "Lead the way, dobe."
Naruto grins, "I'm already packing a bag," before disappearing into a puff of smoke.
As it turned out, Tsunade was on something of a holiday, at an onsen in Hot Springs Country. Easily a four day travel for a pair of ninja traveling at a moderate clip. Sure, he and Naruto could likely halve that time, if they put their backs into it, but—
"We're not going to exhaust ourselves for something this," Sasuke tells him outside the gates of Konoha, "If we want to be reckless I might as well risk the chakra drain and open a portal—"
"Could you?" Naruto lights up, "That would be so much faster—"
"Don't be an idiot."
"Fine, fine—" Naruto says, adjusting the band of his hitai-ate, "We'll do it the slow way then."
It's been a long, long time since Sasuke has seen Uzumaki Naruto in anything resembling a uniform. The Naruto he knew moved through the world in two distinct states. The Hokage, and all his trappings and embellishments. And the Naruto that existed within the private walls of his home— favoring pajama pants or boldly patterned boxers and a t-shirt.
If only Kakashi were here to see Naruto now, in a jounin's uniform at last.
He doesn't think any version of Naruto has ever dressed like this. Colors muted and restrained into something… ordinary. Commonplace. Perhaps as genin Sasuke would have approved but now— almost twenty years and a lifetime later, Sasuke's only thought is that it looks wrong on him.
All except one piece of the picture— the traditional hitai-ate emblazoned across his forehead in blue and silver, the knot of the band matting the back of his bright hair.
"Are you even allowed to wear that?" Sasuke asks as they make their way through the wilds of Fire Country wilderness, "You never passed the jounin exams, if I recall."
"I never took them— there's a difference and you know it," Naruto huffs, adjusting the vest over his standard uniform shirt, "And who's gonna tell me off for it, huh? It's a perfectly good disguise, y'know."
Sasuke can't argue with that. The last thing anyone would expect would be to find Konoha's Orange Hokage gallivanting around the countryside, sans a formal escort and decked out in the garb of one of his jounin soldiers.
"… It looks strange on you," Sasuke manages to say.
"It feels strange," Naruto agrees, "I never really knew how bulky these things were. Maybe I should talk to R&D about a redesign. I'm gonna overheat in this thing before we get anywhere near Hot Spring— are you sure you can't—?"
"I'm not going to use a portal."
"Hmph," Naruto grumbles, "I haven't been away from the village this long outside of official business since my inauguration. I'd feel better if we could make this as quick as possible."
Sasuke grinds to a halt on the next tree branch he lands on.
A few branches ahead, Naruto stops as well, glancing back at Sasuke with a question in his eye.
"Are we in some sort of rush all of a sudden?" Sasuke asks, "I didn't think Shikamaru had assigned us a deadline."
"He… didn't," Naruto frowns.
"I see," Sasuke says, "So you just want to get this over with then."
Naruto's eyes widen and in the blink of an eye he's in front of Sasuke, standing toe to toe.
"That's not what I meant," Naruto says, emphatic, "Sasuke—"
"I understand you have responsibilities," Sasuke speaks over him, "But this isn't— this isn't a just a mission to me, Naruto. This is the rest of our lives. Doesn't that matter to you?"
"Of course it does, y'know!" Naruto exclaims, visibly resisting the urge to gesticulate wildly as he was prone to when they were younger, "Where is this coming from? Just because I wanted to hurry?"
"No… Yes. I'm not sure."
The concern in Naruto's gaze slips into something softer and fonder, "You? Not sure? Who are you and what have you done with that bastard?"
"Shut up."
"No. It's your turn to do the shutting up I think—" Naruto grins before Sasuke finds himself shoved up against the bark of the tree and having the daylights kissed out of him.
His fingers have only just tangled themselves in Naruto's hair— the turquoise of Sasuke's mark glinting through shining gold— before Naruto is pulling away. Sasuke's eyes blink open, straight into startling blue. Naruto just looks at him for a moment— strangely silent for someone who had been the one intent on shutting Sasuke up a moment ago. What he wouldn't give to know what Naruto is thinking in that moment. His heart, Sasuke knows like the edge of a kunai— but his mind, well. That is something Sasuke is still learning. Picking apart piece by piece. Peeling back the layers to expose years worth loss and misery and… hope.
The familiar kiss of a phantom sea breeze brushes Sasuke's skin, contrasting with Naruto's warm breath against his lips.
"What are you feeling right now?" Sasuke asks quietly.
Naruto blinks, "What? Uh, good, I guess? It's kinda hot, but that's probably the flak jacket—"
"Not that, stupid," Sasuke murmurs, "Do you ever… feel things? Things you can't explain? The smell of dirt after rain? The taste of lightening on your tongue? The wind against your skin when the air is still?"
Sasuke clocks every minute movement of Naruto's face— the crinkle of skin around his eyes, the cant of his brows as his face morphs in confusion.
"No… nothing like that."
Releasing a heavy breath through his nostrils, Sasuke makes to shirk Naruto's weight against him— pushing down the subtle prick of disappointment he feels—
"It feels like I'm sitting in front of a campfire," Naruto says lowly.
Sasuke's eyes snap back to his, "What?"
"I feel… hot sometimes. But only ever in front of me. Warming my skin no matter what temperature it is outside. I actually had Sakura check me for a fever, you know— the first few times. It was… weird, at first. But I got used to it. It's why I picked a short cloak for my mantle, actually. Better ventilation—"
"And when do you feel it?" Sasuke asks, unmindful of the urgency in his own tone.
"I mean, there hasn't exactly been a pattern—"
"When, Naruto?"
"… Uh, most recently?" Naruto hums, "Well, right now, I guess—"
With the caress of wind at his back and the scent of salt in his nostrils, Sasuke lunges. Leveraging his weight to switch their positions— crushing Naruto into the unforgiving bark. Lips seeking Naruto's in a kiss like taking his first breath of air after breaking the water's surface.
"I hate that I want this so badly," Sasuke breathes as they break apart once more, "But I do. Even after spending what feels like my whole life convincing myself I didn't— I want it. I want it to be you."
"Your whole life?" Naruto scoffs, gratifyingly breathless, "C'mon."
Without hesitation, Sasuke brings his hand up. Naruto's eyes close as his fingers draw closer, and Sasuke drags the pad of his thumb over the thin skin there.
"… You've done that before," Naruto mutters, lips quirking.
"I have," Sasuke admits, uselessly— withdrawing his hand. Of course Naruto remembers, "Back then… I didn't understand it, but I thought… I thought my mark would be there."
"… You're whole life, huh?"
"Pretty much, idiot."
"Better watch who you're calling an idiot, y'know," Naruto chuckles, "That— that wasn't even the first time we touched, asshole."
"… Yes. It was."
"Nope."
"Alright— when was it then?"
"As if I know— but we'd been in the same class for like a year at that point. There must have been some time."
"… I'd hardly call your memory the most reliable."
"O-oi," Naruto protests, but he's laughing as he says it, "I think I do okay, y'know."
"Doesn't make you less wrong."
Naruto's the cool metal of Naruto's hitai-ate presses more firmly into Sasuke's cheekbone as his laughter bubbles over. Wrapping his arm around Naruto's convulsing shoulders without a second thought, Sasuke sighs.
"If it's true— and even though there's much we still can't explain, that's seeming more and more likely— what does the future even look like? We've spent our whole lives— what? Living a lie? A lie we didn't know we were living?"
Naruto's arms wind around Sasuke's back, as his laughter subsides.
"And what about our lives has been a lie, huh?" Naruto asks softly, breathing ghosting over the warm skin of Sasuke's neck, "You have Sarada. I have Boruto and Himawari. We have… friends and comrades who care about us even if they're fucking dicks sometimes. That's all worth something, isn't it?"
"But—"
"I'm not done. It— it isn't just that. Aside from all the people in our lives, there's… there's us, right? All the things we've been through— apart and together. The good and the bad. That's made us who we are right? And who we are… no matter what the truth is, we're the idiots that decided we get to choose. I think I like that better, y'know."
Against his will, Sasuke's eyes grew damp— overcome by an emotion he hadn't felt since lying broken and rebuilt at the base of that valley.
"… You're right," Sasuke says, ignoring how raw his voice sounds.
"Oh, now I'm right, huh?"
"Don't get used to it, usuratonachi," Sasuke huffs, pulling Naruto to him to steal once last kiss before shoving him away, "C'mon— we better get on the road before the Godaime decides to head for greener coffers."
"Hmm," Naruto murmurs, staring up at the broad sign marking the onsen entrance, "This is… different, for her."
Sasuke could only imagine. He can still recall the outpost village he'd tracked Naruto to, all those years ago, on his first quest to retrieve Tsunade. Needless to say… this was nothing like that raucous, lively town.
The onsen was obviously well-established— old, but only in that gently worn way that things well cared for could could achieve. The success of the operation was readily apparent, by the tiny, tourist village that had sprung up in the onsen's sprawling shadow. The whole, quaint cluster nestled among the throngs of bamboo forest that dominated more temperate regions of Hot Springs Country.
"So what's our first move?" Sasuke asks, "Start checking the taverns one by one?"
Naruto laughs, "Nah, no reason to do this the slow way, y'know."
"I'm assuming you have a plan then?"
"Way ahead of you," he hears the grin in Naruto's voice and glances over— ah, maybe he hadn't just been staring up at the sign in wonder then. He'd merely been standing still.
Naruto glances back at him, golden eyes peering at Sasuke through lids stained orange.
"Found her."
He leads them straight across town, to a bar tucked in amongst the shops and inns that pepper the modestly bustling streets. Once they're inside, they are quickly directed to a booth at toward the rear of the bar after a brief inquiry to the wait staff.
The Godaime glances up at them, from her saucer of sake. Without a word she throws the dish back, downing the liquor in one go.
"I figured you troublemakers would come knocking eventually," she says, in lieu of an actual greeting.
"… Is that so?" Sasuke asks after a beat of hesitation, following Naruto's lead as he slides into the booth across from her.
He clocks Naruto's quelling look, but chooses not to dignify it with a response.
Turning back to Tsunade, Naruto grins, taking a small dish off the nearby stack and reaching for the sake rasher.
"Good to see you too, Baa-chan," Naruto says, with no little cheek, "And how are you Nanadaime-sama? How's Konoha? Is Sakura doing well? It's all great, thanks for asking."
Tsunade snorts, "Don't get sassy with me, brat."
"Maybe you shouldn't get sassy with me first then," Naruto shoots back, "You said you expected us to show up. Did you mean me, Konoha, or both of us specifically?"
"The both of you. Specifically."
"Why?" Sasuke finally inserts himself into the conversation, "Do you know why we're here?"
She tosses back another shot, "I have some idea."
"… You do?" Naruto asks with visible hesitation, "Did Sakura tell you anything?"
"Nope."
"Then how can you be so sure you know what brought us here?" Sasuke asks.
Sharp eyes cut from him to Naruto and back, far more sober than Sasuke would have expected considering the volume of bottles littering the table.
She sets her dish down and doesn't make to pour another.
"Because if it were anything else the Hokage wouldn't need to send for me personally. Because I have information you can't find anywhere else— I made sure of that. Because I've been expecting this day would arrive for fifteen years," she ticks off the items on her fingers like she's going over a shopping list, "Is that enough reasons for you, Uchiha?"
"Baa-chan," Naruto says with a note of warning in his tone.
She meets Naruto's unwavering gaze with a long, hard look of her own before huffing and glancing away, arms crossed defensively over her chest.
"Fine," she says, "Let's get this over with. Ask whatever you came here to ask."
"Here," Sasuke says, reaching into Naruto's backpack to withdraw the folder. He slides the redacted document across the table, "Explain the contents of this report."
Her eyes scan the page, "This is the report I wrote regarding the physiological effects observed as a result of Pein's assault on the village. And the subsequent resurrection of a quarter of it's population."
"That was clear in the report— at least the parts of the report we could read," Sasuke presses on. He jabs a finger at the blacked out paragraphs, consuming almost a whole page of space on their own, "It's the parts we can't we would like you illuminate for us."
"… Those are the sections of my report regarding soulmarks," she says.
"Yeah, we figured," Naruto huffs, passing another few sheets of paper across the table, "Since we only found the report at all because of these— foreign soulmark profiles. From the war."
Pale eyebrows rise as she accepts the documents, "You really did your due diligence, didn't you?"
"We had questions," Naruto says.
"Questions about soulmates who got their marks during the war," she clarifies.
"Yes," Sasuke says, "Questions you knew someone would ask— why else redact the information?"
"Not someone," Tsunade corrects, eying the sake carafe with naked longing, "You. The both of you."
If Sasuke feels blindsided by that divulgence, his reaction is nothing compared to Naruto's.
"What?" Naruto hisses, slapping his hands onto the table— flinching at the curious looks it draws from other patrons. Sasuke watches in fascination as Naruto visibly composes himself before continuing, "What do you mean the both of us?"
"Well," Tsunade says, appearing completely unruffled by Naruto's rash display, "You're here because you've discovered you might be soulmates, aren't you? I'll admit, I hadn't expected it to take you fifteen years to come to that conclusion but—"
"You… how do you know that?" Naruto asks, wide eyed and bewildered, "Only Shikamaru and Sakura have—"
"Then Shikamaru and Sakura are just as slow on the uptake as you two dunces."
"Answer the question," Sasuke cuts in, "What do you know? What is in that report?"
Her steely gaze cuts into him, but he doesn't flinch— too furious and confused to bare any emotion at all for fear of doing something he would almost instantly regret.
"My report," she answers slowly, "Documents three pairs of soulmates we identified in the months after the attack. All three had known each other for years— one match were even teammates. And yet Inoichi's investigations into the mark's appearances and the memories of the pairs in question made it clear their soulmarks were indeed true matches. Except their marks only appeared after the attack and did not correlate to any contact exchanged during the battle itself."
Sasuke barely takes any time to process that information, quickly assimilating the knowledge and firing back, "What connects their cases? There must be something that correlates them or else you wouldn't have gone through all this effort—"
"I was getting there, brat," Tsunade grunts, composure slipping into something more heated for a moment before she steels herself once more, turning to Naruto, "Before I continue— I just need you to know. I did what I did because I was worried about you. You've overcome a lot of adversity in your life, kid. I simply did what I could to avoid adding to that."
"… I'm not sure if I should be thanking you yet," Naruto says, "Baa-chan, what did you do?"
"The first thing I did, after learning of Uchiha Sasuke's mark, was censor this record and bury any other evidence of the phenomena I detailed in this report," Tsunade says, posturing slipping into something… tired, "The thing about those matches— all six individuals were amongst those resurrected by the Rinne Rebirth technique."
Something like awe blooms in Sasuke's chest— a sudden and implacable spark. The hope he'd failed to fully quench catching fire and ripping through him— bathing every inch of him in its blaze.
"… Okay," Naruto says, clearly not on the same page, "And what does that—"
"We died in the war, Naruto," Sasuke interrupts, "And our marks didn't appear until we were brought back by the Sage of Six Paths' power. That's the connection we didn't have."
To his credit, Naruto catches up quick, turning to Tsunade with a shocked look, "So you knew? You knew this whole time? And kept it a secret?"
Tsunade seems to age ten years, right before Sasuke's eyes, "I did. I won't lie to you— it wasn't even a difficult decision to make. Not after everything he'd done."
"And since then? All the years I spent— all that he's done for us. None of that mattered?"
"Of course it mattered," Tsunade scoffs, "Why do you think we're speaking now? If I had any intention to continue to keep the information to myself, you never would have found me to ask."
"But we still had to find you!"
"Up until recently neither of you had spoken in years. You got married. Forgive me if I thought you'd found happiness elsewhere. You deserved to find happiness elsewhere— or do you regret the opportunities my secrecy brought into your life?"
Sasuke's gaze cuts to Naruto, knowing such a thinly veiled jibe would land hard. Her tone and emphasis didn't leave much room for interpretation. The brazenness of it even ruffled him— taking such clear aim at their families was a low blow.
"N-no, of course not," Naruto snaps back, even shaken as he is, "That doesn't give you the right to take that choice away from us."
"I won't argue with that. I took a great deal of liberties with my power," Tsunade says, without an ounce of consolation, "But I had a perspective you didn't. Young people always put their soulmates on such a pedastal these days— refusing to acknowledge a match's ability to hurt them deeper than they can ever—"
"Are you talking about Dan? Or Jiraiya and Orochimaru?" Naruto asks, tone matching her's in ice, "Yeah, I know about them, y'know."
"Be that as it may—"
"No, I'm not done," Naruto continues, folding his hands on the table— and Sasuke wonders if this is the Naruto others get to see these days. The one who meets with Kage and Daimyo alike, while enacting his influence upon the world, "You, Dan, Jiraiya— even Orochimaru. You all had choices. I know you don't regret choosing to be with Dan, even if losing him tore you apart. Orochimaru made different choices. Horrible choices— ones you'd know he second guesses, if you bothered to ask him. Maybe I'd have regretted any decision I made too— I don't know. But it should have been our decision, not yours."
Sasuke… hadn't been aware Naruto'd known of the particular nature of Orochimaru and the late Jiraiya's relationship. The snake sannin had never even disclosed his soulmate's identity to Sasuke, though it hadn't been difficult to put the pieces together. While it's surprising, considering Jiraiya had been the one the most burned by Orochimaru's choices, questioning Naruto about it now would only distract from the matter at hand.
Despite Naruto's words, Tsunade doesn't look even slightly chagrined, straightening in her seat under the full force of Naruto's displeasure, "Are you planning on berating me all evening, or would you rather attempt to have a productive discussion?"
"I think we got what we came for, thanks," Naruto says, rising in his seat.
Sasuke doesn't move, except to lay a staying hand over Naruto's wrist. He can feel Naruto's stare, burning into the side of his skull but doesn't meet it with his own. Instead, he only has eyes for the Godaime, watching their interaction with undisguised interest, as Naruto plops back into his seat with a petulant sound.
"If there's a productive conversation to be had," Sasuke says, leveling Tsunade with a cool look, "Perhaps we should try have it."
"How are you not angry?" Naruto growls, "She lied to us—"
"She did, and I'm furious," Sasuke responds, keeping his tone even, "But I've spent enough time letting my anger cloud my judgment. I think I would know how much there is to lose by acting on impulse and outrage."
"I hate it when you're the reasonable one," Naruto huffs, slumping in his seat.
"Don't act like it's the first time," Sasuke shoots back dryly before focusing again on Tsunade, "Are you certain then?"
"Certain of what?" she asks.
"That it's true," Naruto picks up Sasuke's line of questioning, "That we're… soulmates."
"As sure as I can be," she says blandly, "Obviously there aren't many opportunities to study soulmate phenomena of this nature. But from what I observed in that report and the limited accounts that I've managed to track down since then— I have no reason to assume my initial suspicion isn't the correct one."
"… Fine," Naruto says, crossing his arms, "Even if you felt justified not telling us at the time— if you're willing to tell us now, why wait, huh?"
"No, I think it's my turn to ask a question," Tsunade says, leaning forward. She doesn't wait for approval from either of them, "Why come to me now? I refuse to believe you stumbled upon those records out of sheer dumb luck— no matter how much of it you might have between the two of you."
"I don't think that's any business of yours," Sasuke answers without missing a beat, "And at no point did we agree to an exchange of information—"
"Isn't that what a conversation is though?" Tsunade says, painted lips quirking.
Naruto sighs, "If you really don't want to tell her, we don't have to. But if it's true, it's going to come out eventually. We'll have to register our match."
"Even if I was concerned about registration— which I'm not— that isn't what I'm talking about, dobe."
"I know," Naruto says, "But it isn't that simple, y'know. The Hokage position if different now. I don't have privacy when it comes to stuff like this— my divorce with Hinata was all the news cycle talked about for weeks. When I register a match— even if your identity is kept classified— people are gonna ask questions. A lot of questions. Especially if I'm not answering them."
It was Sasuke's turn to sigh, "You don't have time for that."
"I have clones— I can make time," Naruto countered, "But it would be… pretty distracting. For me, for my office."
"For the media."
"Yeah," Naruto chuckles tiredly, "Them, too."
"We can't afford to lose focus," Sasuke says, "Not with the Ootsutsuki issue looming and the Alliance continuing to grow in influence."
Naruto's goals— Sasuke's goals— they'd achieved so much along the way. But there was much left to do. Every day the insidious rot of the Hidden Villages seemed to grow, as they turned over stone after stone. Healing old wounds took time. Time they couldn't afford to waste on something like this.
If all it took was Sasuke swallowing his pride to allow them to have both— the change they'd striven for, and… this. This burgeoning thing between them they'd decided to nurture.
Sasuke turns to the woman who continued to watch them silently, "Your machinations— well intentioned or otherwise— didn't amount to much."
"Obviously," she scoffs, "You discovered the truth well enough on your own—"
"We didn't," Sasuke corrects, "That happened after."
That seems to give her pause, "I don't understand what you mean."
Sasuke's stomach churns, but he pushes down the unease. Focusing on all they stand to gain.
"You conspired to keep us apart. I can't fault you for that, considering," Sasuke says, "But it didn't work."
Unsure how else to say it plainly, Sasuke reaches out. Taking Naruto's hand in his own.
"I didn't need this color on my hand to know what I wanted," Sasuke says, "We made a choice. Everything else came after."
He can't bear to look at Naruto's face— worried any expression he finds there will fracture what little composure he's managed to maintain. He also can't look at her— not as he's flayed himself so open for her scrutinizing gaze. So he looks at their hands— his own, pale and scarred, and Naruto's white knuckled and unblemished.
"I see," Tsunade says at long last, "And is this what you want, kid? You've rearranged your priorities for this man before."
Naruto doesn't respond immediately. Despite that, Sasuke isn't worried. He simply waits.
"I used to think that finding my soulmate would solve all my problems," Naruto says lowly, "I know it's silly, but what did I know, huh? I've learned a lot since then. I'm not the kid I used to be. But one thing… there's one thing that's been the same for a long, long time, Baa-chan."
"If you dare try to feed me some crap about that being Uchiha, I will—"
"You'll what?" Naruto laughs, "You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"Then spit it out."
"I'm trying— I'm trying to tell you life has always been easy. For either of us. For a lot of reasons. We faced darkness in ourselves and others not a lot of people will ever be able to understand. We haven't always understood one another. We haven't always made each other better. But we've always pushed each other. Always saw each other clearly. Before I needed a family or a soulmate, that was what I needed. After I had it— it was like I was seeing a world full of colors I hadn't even known existed.
"Sometimes… choosing something— someone— isn't the easy decision to make. But you're not making the choice because it's hard or because it's easy. You make it because nothing else feels right. This— Sasuke— he doesn't just feel right. I only know what right means because he showed it to me first, y'know."
As Naruto falls silent after his solemn diatribe, Sasuke finds himself… blinking. Throat and heart swollen with the words he had no idea how to absorb, let alone answer. In lieu of any other response, he tightens his grip around Naruto's.
"… W-well," Tsunade speaks up, clearing her throat, "That's, well. You've always had a certain way with words, haven't you."
"I've heard I've gotten better," Naruto responds mildly.
"Indeed," Tsunade hums, "Well, with that out of the way— let's talk about the registration process. With circumstances as unique as yours, be prepared to jump through some hoops. Here's how I can help with that—"