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He woke to bright light and a pounding door the next day. Vaguely he realized that
sometime during his exhausted sleep he had been moved from the cramped chair to his bed, and
his mussed blanket thrown over him.
Naruto must have carried him.
Why did that make him blush?
As if sensing his wakefulness, the pounder pounded louder. Muttering, Sasuke composed
himself and stumbled to the door, answering it before a headache could develop. For the life of
him, he hadn't expected a very harried-looking Nara Shikamaru to be standing in the entryway.
Politeness be damned. What the hell was he doing here?
"What do you want?" Sasuke glared.
Unaffected, Shikamaru slouched even lower and unconcernedly thrust his hands back into
his pockets. A single camera slung from his neck, the only clue to his actually having an
occupation. "The Hokage requests your presence." He muttered after a bit.
"For what?" Why?
"The hell would I know?" The Nara grumbled, muttering under his breath about how
professional models were just as troublesome as the children. Stomping to the door next to his,
Sasuke impatiently rapped on it.
"NARUTO?! YOU IN THERE? LISTEN, THE HOKAGE WANTS TO SEE ME; DO
YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?!" He bellowed.
Shikamaru, if anything, looked at him like he needed to be carted off to la-la land.
After allowing Sasuke to continue making an ass out of himself, Shikamaru realized that
the Uchiha was not in on the secret. Even though he was as placid as it gets, he did take a certain
perverse pleasure in knowing what Sasuke didn't.
After a time, Shikamaru slunk toward the staircase, hiding a grin just one level above
half-assed. "Maybe he's already gone to see the Hokage." He drawled slowly.
Lordy, he was loving this.
"Yeah, maybe..." Sasuke trailed off, reluctantly turning from the door and following
Shikamaru. His dorm house was at the furthest point from the main building where the Hokage's
office was located, for once Sasuke found himself in an uncomfortable silence walking beside the
shambling Nara.
"So, uh..." Sasuke started. He really hadn't taken much notice of Shikamaru during their
school days, even though they had shared a few classes in their early years before they went off to
their individual course studies.
He wasn't even aware of the other's existence until Shikamaru had snapped the award-
winning photo of Naruto in the house of mirrors. And only then he had noticed because Naruto
was so proud of it that he passed out duplicates, and Sasuke had grudgingly admitted it looked
good. (Damn good, actually, maybe even better than his own first portfolio pic; not that he
would actually admit THAT.)
"So, uh..." Sasuke tried again, trying to think of a non-committal question that didn't
require any background knowledge.
"How've things been?" He asked, settling on the easiest question.
Shikamaru stopped in his tracks, aiming his camera at the sky. Craning his head at an
awkward angle, all Sasuke saw was a bright blue sky with a puff of cloud here and there. It was
then that he remembered that Naruto had once told him that Shikamaru had almost failed from
Konoha because the few assignments he did turn in were snap shots of the sky.
Talk about obsessions...
Seemingly satisfied with his shot, Shikamaru continued towards the Hokage's office.
"School's been going downhill lately." He grunted; nodding his head in the direction of a
broken window and section of unkempt lawn. Sasuke nodded absently, wondering what had
occurred in his absence.
"Why?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
Shikamaru couldn't help it. His face split into a smirk as he held the door open to his
companion. "You're gonna have to ask the Hokage about that." He grinned. Sasuke couldn't
help but feel worried.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Up and up and up, Sasuke followed the single spiral stair case to the highest floor in the
main building. The lowest floor is used as offices and teems with wandering people going about
their business, but each level has a separate department and the higher one goes, the fewer people
they encounter. Every level has an escalator and elevator service EXCEPT the Hokage's office
floor. All services that allow you to be lazy stop one level beneath it, even though the floor
below it has a very high ceiling and the staircase goes on forever before it reaches the office.
Which is why even a guy as in shape as Sasuke was left panting for breath by the time he
appeared before the Hokage's chambers. Inhaling deeply, he slowly turned the ornate knob, only
to confront a small crowd blocking his entrance.
A lot of people were there for some reason: that creepy guy, Aburame Shino, who hosts
an insect show; Inuzuka Kiba, that one guy who is said to own thirty dogs ( he had a puppy slung
over his shoulder like a baby); Hyuuga Hinata, said to be the next Martha Stewart (if Sasuke
recalled correctly, she'd once had an enormous crush on Naruto.) Staring at the faces around
him, Sasuke felt like his generation's wall of fame had come alive.
But where was Naruto?
"Sasuke!" A familiar voice called. "What took you so long?" Sakura shoved her way to
his side, wearing a skirt that was cut so short it was beyond making a suggestive statement. He
decidedly didn't comment about it.
"Why did the Hokage call everyone here?" He wondered aloud. As if answering his
question, Tsunade appeared in all her cleavage-bearing glory.
"Hokage-" He started.
"Aw, drop the formalities, kid. It makes me feel older than I really am." She grinned,
ushering them before the antique desk that held center stage in the room. The only other piece of
furniture in the room was the enormous leather chair behind the desk that currently faced the
back window.
"Sides, I already passed that title on."
"What?" Sasuke and Sakura gasped.
"But who-?" Sasuke uttered.
"But when-?" Sakura squeaked.
"Me, actually. As of last week."
The chair swooped around, revealing the missing party.
"M-Master Kakashi?" That old pervert? Since when? But how? WHY?
Hatake Kakashi glanced around the room, taking in all the stunned faces, before his eye
resettled on his former students. For as long as they had known him, he always, always covered
both his left eye and the bottom half of his face. He says it "Adds to his mystique." Today was
no different: A puffy hat was perched at a jaunty angle on his head; his silver hair effectively
covering his left eye. A black scarf wound over his mouth and loosely draped his shoulders.
Really, that man will never be able to act his age.
Kakashi's single exposed eye curved into a crescent, the only indication that he was
smiling. "Well, aren't you going to hail your new Hokage?"
The door crashed open, and Naruto stumbled in, gasping for breath worse than Sasuke
had. "Oh, man, there needs to be an elevator up here!" He laughed, his eyes crinkled in good
humour. "Sorry, I'm late everyone! I stopped for a bite to eat and there was this all-you-can-eat
and I... Kakashi, what're you doing in my chair?"
Kakashi bit back his laughter. "Oh, man. You guys should've seen the look on your
faces."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
He woke to bright light and a pounding door the next day. Vaguely he realized that
sometime during his exhausted sleep he had been moved from the cramped chair to his bed, and
his mussed blanket thrown over him.
Naruto must have carried him.
Why did that make him blush?
As if sensing his wakefulness, the pounder pounded louder. Muttering, Sasuke composed
himself and stumbled to the door, answering it before a headache could develop. For the life of
him, he hadn't expected a very harried-looking Nara Shikamaru to be standing in the entryway.
Politeness be damned. What the hell was he doing here?
"What do you want?" Sasuke glared.
Unaffected, Shikamaru slouched even lower and unconcernedly thrust his hands back into
his pockets. A single camera slung from his neck, the only clue to his actually having an
occupation. "The Hokage requests your presence." He muttered after a bit.
"For what?" Why?
"The hell would I know?" The Nara grumbled, muttering under his breath about how
professional models were just as troublesome as the children. Stomping to the door next to his,
Sasuke impatiently rapped on it.
"NARUTO?! YOU IN THERE? LISTEN, THE HOKAGE WANTS TO SEE ME; DO
YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?!" He bellowed.
Shikamaru, if anything, looked at him like he needed to be carted off to la-la land.
After allowing Sasuke to continue making an ass out of himself, Shikamaru realized that
the Uchiha was not in on the secret. Even though he was as placid as it gets, he did take a certain
perverse pleasure in knowing what Sasuke didn't.
After a time, Shikamaru slunk toward the staircase, hiding a grin just one level above
half-assed. "Maybe he's already gone to see the Hokage." He drawled slowly.
Lordy, he was loving this.
"Yeah, maybe..." Sasuke trailed off, reluctantly turning from the door and following
Shikamaru. His dorm house was at the furthest point from the main building where the Hokage's
office was located, for once Sasuke found himself in an uncomfortable silence walking beside the
shambling Nara.
"So, uh..." Sasuke started. He really hadn't taken much notice of Shikamaru during their
school days, even though they had shared a few classes in their early years before they went off to
their individual course studies.
He wasn't even aware of the other's existence until Shikamaru had snapped the award-
winning photo of Naruto in the house of mirrors. And only then he had noticed because Naruto
was so proud of it that he passed out duplicates, and Sasuke had grudgingly admitted it looked
good. (Damn good, actually, maybe even better than his own first portfolio pic; not that he
would actually admit THAT.)
"So, uh..." Sasuke tried again, trying to think of a non-committal question that didn't
require any background knowledge.
"How've things been?" He asked, settling on the easiest question.
Shikamaru stopped in his tracks, aiming his camera at the sky. Craning his head at an
awkward angle, all Sasuke saw was a bright blue sky with a puff of cloud here and there. It was
then that he remembered that Naruto had once told him that Shikamaru had almost failed from
Konoha because the few assignments he did turn in were snap shots of the sky.
Talk about obsessions...
Seemingly satisfied with his shot, Shikamaru continued towards the Hokage's office.
"School's been going downhill lately." He grunted; nodding his head in the direction of a
broken window and section of unkempt lawn. Sasuke nodded absently, wondering what had
occurred in his absence.
"Why?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
Shikamaru couldn't help it. His face split into a smirk as he held the door open to his
companion. "You're gonna have to ask the Hokage about that." He grinned. Sasuke couldn't
help but feel worried.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Up and up and up, Sasuke followed the single spiral stair case to the highest floor in the
main building. The lowest floor is used as offices and teems with wandering people going about
their business, but each level has a separate department and the higher one goes, the fewer people
they encounter. Every level has an escalator and elevator service EXCEPT the Hokage's office
floor. All services that allow you to be lazy stop one level beneath it, even though the floor
below it has a very high ceiling and the staircase goes on forever before it reaches the office.
Which is why even a guy as in shape as Sasuke was left panting for breath by the time he
appeared before the Hokage's chambers. Inhaling deeply, he slowly turned the ornate knob, only
to confront a small crowd blocking his entrance.
A lot of people were there for some reason: that creepy guy, Aburame Shino, who hosts
an insect show; Inuzuka Kiba, that one guy who is said to own thirty dogs ( he had a puppy slung
over his shoulder like a baby); Hyuuga Hinata, said to be the next Martha Stewart (if Sasuke
recalled correctly, she'd once had an enormous crush on Naruto.) Staring at the faces around
him, Sasuke felt like his generation's wall of fame had come alive.
But where was Naruto?
"Sasuke!" A familiar voice called. "What took you so long?" Sakura shoved her way to
his side, wearing a skirt that was cut so short it was beyond making a suggestive statement. He
decidedly didn't comment about it.
"Why did the Hokage call everyone here?" He wondered aloud. As if answering his
question, Tsunade appeared in all her cleavage-bearing glory.
"Hokage-" He started.
"Aw, drop the formalities, kid. It makes me feel older than I really am." She grinned,
ushering them before the antique desk that held center stage in the room. The only other piece of
furniture in the room was the enormous leather chair behind the desk that currently faced the
back window.
"Sides, I already passed that title on."
"What?" Sasuke and Sakura gasped.
"But who-?" Sasuke uttered.
"But when-?" Sakura squeaked.
"Me, actually. As of last week."
The chair swooped around, revealing the missing party.
"M-Master Kakashi?" That old pervert? Since when? But how? WHY?
Hatake Kakashi glanced around the room, taking in all the stunned faces, before his eye
resettled on his former students. For as long as they had known him, he always, always covered
both his left eye and the bottom half of his face. He says it "Adds to his mystique." Today was
no different: A puffy hat was perched at a jaunty angle on his head; his silver hair effectively
covering his left eye. A black scarf wound over his mouth and loosely draped his shoulders.
Really, that man will never be able to act his age.
Kakashi's single exposed eye curved into a crescent, the only indication that he was
smiling. "Well, aren't you going to hail your new Hokage?"
The door crashed open, and Naruto stumbled in, gasping for breath worse than Sasuke
had. "Oh, man, there needs to be an elevator up here!" He laughed, his eyes crinkled in good
humour. "Sorry, I'm late everyone! I stopped for a bite to eat and there was this all-you-can-eat
and I... Kakashi, what're you doing in my chair?"
Kakashi bit back his laughter. "Oh, man. You guys should've seen the look on your
faces."