Heart of Konoha

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but i made a story out of it. I will own it in due time. Yay!!! kidding.

Thank you for your kind reviews.

Chapter 2: Change is Constant

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke cannot believe he didn't sense him coming. 'Lack of training,' he thought. Then he turned around to see the blond boy. He looked at him in surprise. Naruto had grown, almost as tall as him. He smirked and raised his right arm."

"Naruto..." Sasuke waved at him.

Naruto walked closer to the two with both of his hands on his pocket. He glanced at his right and then to his left as if he was looking at something else. He let out his famous grin, "Been a while Sasuke," he held his fist to him.

Sasuke also held his fist and tapped Naruto's fist with it. "Sure, dobe-kun," he smiled as he had never smiled before. He looked at the person who had saved him from his complete destruction. His eyes laid for while on the vest then, "Chunnin... you made it dobe-kun."

Although he hated to be called that way but seeing Sasuke smiling with happiness, he completely ignored it or somehow joked about it, "You know what they say, the first will be last; the last will be first." He glanced at Sakura who was silent the whole time. "Sakura, ohayo," he said flatly or rather dryly.

Sakura was shocked or somehow surprised at Naruto's greetings. Not because it was dry or flat, but because it was the first time in 3 years Naruto spoke to her. She blushed over this and greeted him back in a shy, soft voice, "Ohayo, Naruto..." with this she immediately stood up and took her sling bag.

"Where you going," Sasuke asked as he noticed the changes between the two. He glanced at Naruto then to Sakura.

"I'm off to work... I'm chunnin as well but I worked in the office," she replied without looking at Sasuke or at Naruto. "later.." she said dryly and then took off leaving a half sliced cake and an empty teacup of her snack.

Sasuke turned to Naruto with confusion written all over his face, "What the hell was that? One minute we were talking here, and then she's gone... snubby the moment you arrived. What... did I miss the last 3 years, eh?"

Naruto smiled faintly and desperately tried to humor him, "Can I eat the remaining cake?"

"Nice try," he reached for the remaining cake Sakura left and gave it to him. "But nah, no effect? Spill it out." Sasuke demanded.

"I don't know... its long story actually. You'll know it when the time comes," Naruto replied then ate remaining cake. "deruscyus," he mumbled.

Sakura was reading some papers in her table at the office. Carefully reading each of them then write something on it. She cursed herself for writing something on one of the scrolls when it she shouldn't have. "Damn, moron, stupid....," her voice echoed within the four corners of her cubicle. But with Hokage's sharp sense of hearing it didn't go unnoticed.

"Something wrong, Sakura," she asked inquisitively. Her voice suggests that there is something wrong.

"Hokage-sama," Sakura exclaimed. She didn't expect Tsunade to be walking at her staffs' cubicle. Much to her dismay she stopped at her. "Nah, nothing's really wrong, I.. just made a simple mistake," glancing at the scroll, "nothing I couldn't handle." She finished with a faint grin.

Hokage, just smiled at her. She knew Sakura is a good worker and an intelligent one. Hiring her to work in the office was one of her smartest move. "I know," trailing off where Sakura left off. "I have a scroll here, please carry out this first," she gave the scroll to her. "The list of representatives for the joint ninja exercise," she pouted her mouth to point out the scroll she gave her. "Instructions are there, so please do it right away. I need it by tomorrow," with that she turned to return to her office. But she stopped along way, "Sakura, don't worry, he will come in time." Then she continued on her way.

Sakura, blushed and nodded. "Arigatto, Hokage-sama," she said softly. Then she turned her attention to the scroll handed to her.

"I'll be off," Sasuke stood up from his chair. Stretching his body a bit after sitting there for an hour. "Got to see Hokage-sama later on," He looked at Naruto and waived his hand before leaving.

Naruto, was quite for a moment looking at his friend walking away. After Sasuke had gone 30 meters away from him, "Sasuke!!! Don't take too long! We'll be waiting!" he shouted at him.

Sasuke smiled with his back facing Naruto. He waved his right arm. He understood what Naruto meant. "Sure, I won't be left behind," he said to himself.

Naruto remained in his seat as his friend faded away from his sight. He took a moment of silence and glanced at the surrounding, 'I wasn't even here for the last 2 years and 7 months Sasuke, how the hell would I know,' he thought to himself. Naruto stood up and was about to leave the shop when the owner called his attention.

"Hoy, Naruto, who do you think will pay for it," the owner pointed out the foods on their table while holding a pen and notebook. "That would be 250 ryu." He said.

"What!!!! They haven't paid for it.?" He turned around to where Sasuke was walking before and shouted, "Sasuke, you bastard!!!!" But even so Naruto paid the bill.

The next day at the Hokage's office, Tsunade was in deep contemplation. Her eyes narrowed with her one finger under her chin. The clerks in her office find this unusual with her. "Hokage-sama, what seems to be the problem," one of the clerks broke the silence in the room. Tsunade didn't seem to hear it and continued on her contemplation. "Hokage sama...." Again the clerk asked. Tsunade seemed to hear this small voice and directed her eyes to where the voice came from. She saw the concern look of the clerk's eyes and was prompted to sit properly.

"What is it," Tsunade asked turning her eyes from the concerned gaze of the clerk to her table looking for something.

"Well you were silent for while and we find it unusual for you," the clerk explained not wanting to look like a meddler in front of the Hokage.

"I appreciate your concern," Tsunade smiled at her soothing the concerned look of her clerk. "Summon Naruto for me, will you."

Sasuke reached his apartment, but before he reached the doorknob, a smoke puffed above him, he knew who was it. "Kakashi, so nice of you to drop by.

"Yo, Sasuke," the masked ninja greeted him.

Sasuke looked up and was blown to surprise. He closed his eyes for while and shrugged his head, "My...my... everybody change...' He looked at Kakashi once again if he is this all right. A shaggy silver haired masked ninja whose bangs covers mostly of his right eye.

"Just for a change, you know... I got let my hair down." Kakashi smiled beneath his masked. He's happy seeing Sasuke once again.

"so would you like to come in?" Sasuke asked or rather was inviting his sensei to come in.

"Sure, I got nothing to do anyway," Kakashi leaped from where he was squatting above and landed softly beside Sasuke. "You've grown a bit," he commented. Then the two went inside.

The house was dark; shadows crept all over the place; few rays of the sun can reach the floor of the room. It smelled dusty and the house was silent. Only their thudding boots made the sound. Then the light flickered for once then twice before it light up. Nothing was moved in his house. Everything was well placed and remained in their place; few webs dangling on ceiling and some spiders on it. Other than what they have observed, the place was just alright.

"Sorry about this, I was not home for a long time," Sasuke chuckled. "

Kakashi chuckled in reply knowing it was humor from Sasuke, a humor, which is rare from Sasuke. "Well, at least everything's here. The house was guarded by several Anbus you know," he said. "24/7," he added as he reached for a figurine on a wooden dresser.

"I didn't come home here yesterday. By the way, I was 8 when I won that one," he said noting the figurine Kakashi was holding. "Shuriken contest," he finished.

Kakashi nodded in reply then he placed it back where he took it. Glancing around the inside of the house, he turned to Sasuke who was sitting lazily on the couch. "So what do you want to know?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke grunt a bit then he smirked. "Already then?"

"Well you wouldn't invite me for dinner would you? So it's got to be info." Kakashi replied taking his seat opposite to Sasuke.

"Our team after I went in?"

Naruto passed Sakura's cubicle as he made his way to Hokage's office although he didn't noticed she was there. He walked straight ahead to the office and knocked on the door. Immediately the door opened and he went in.

"Hokage-sama," Naruto greeted with cunning grin all over his face teasing Tsunade to explode again.

Hokage raised his eyes from the scrolls to Naruto. She noticed the cunning grin on his face, and then she smiled. "Naruto, come over here," she ordered.

Naruto noticing the unusual respond, obeyed immediately. "What's wrong Tsunade-babachan?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"How are you and Sakura doing?" she asked bluntly.

Naruto was surprised at Tsunade's blunt question. For him, Tsunade was always blunt but when it comes to this kind of matter, she wasn't ever blunt like this. He recollected his composure before he answered Tsunade. "Well I'm... I mean... What was that suppose to be?" Naruto let to go of his cool composure.

"Sakura made a lot of mistakes yesterday. She was cursing all day. It never happened to her before, just yesterday." Tsunade explained.

"And what has it got to with me?" Naruto asked in confusion. "Why not ask Sasuke, he got out already and she was with him yesterday!" he added in defense.

"You know, Naruto sometimes you're just so stupid." Tsunade shrugged.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"You find it yourself," Tsunade replied.

"Is that why you summoned me? Naruto asked in a voice suggesting that I got other things to do.

"Nah, it's about this," she handed Naruto a picture of a guy. "You know him?"

Naruto took the picture and studied it for a while. "Yeah I know him, Yanagi Etsuya, a missing nin of the earth country...wanted for treason. What about him?" he glanced at Tsunade while holding the picture.

Anbu, reports that he was spotted near the borders in the east of our country a year ago. You were there almost a year ago. Have you met him during your so called escapade?" Tsunade annoyingly asked.

"I saw him but I didn't actually meet him," Naruto answered knowing what the Hokage meant by the word escapade. "At Jensuku village... I saw him there," he finished.

Tsunade rose from her sit and walked towards the window. "Tomorrow you'll be leaving for the exercise," she took a deep breath. "A spy was caught last night and during the interrogation, he was looking for you." Tsunade said in a cold sad voice.

A/N: I know... I know... there's no action here yet. Please be patient there will be next time. Now who could be this spy? What the hell happened between naruto and sakura? What happened to team 7? A lot questions left unanswered in this chapter. Please watch out for the next chapters.