A/N: Woo! New chapter! This was a ton of fun to write, so I hope you enjoy!
Kishimoto owns Naruto, I do not.
Chapter VIII: Good Company
Naruto's eyes snapped open, a familiar smell wafting into his nostrils. Could it be? He leapt out of bed, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas to brush his teeth. The blond sprinted into the kitchen, skidding to a halt. His purple rippled eyes grew impossibly wide as he beheld the breakfast that Sasuke had prepared: soy sauce flavored instant ramen.
Sasuke turned to his roommate, eyeing him curiously. "You know, I knew you loved ramen, but I would've never guessed you loved it enough to drag your sorry ass out of bed just because you smelled it."
Naruto paid no attention to Sasuke's jab, opting instead to sit down and give thanks before digging in. Sasuke blinked a few times before shrugging and doing the same. Normally, Sasuke would be entirely averse to the idea of ramen as a first meal, but even he had to admit the soy sauce flavored instant ramen was good enough to eat in the morning.
Sasuke downed a mouthful of noodles. "So, do you have anything in mind as far as what kinda clothes you're going to pick out?"
Naruto shrugged as he downed his own portion of ramen. "Dunno really. Just so long as it looks cool. Maybe I'll get something that has or—"
"No orange, you troglodyte."
"I told you it's my favorite color, jackass! The only way I'll give up the orange is if I find something that looks cooler on me." The blond retorted, slurping up more noodles.
Sasuke snorted, a wry smirk tugging on his mouth. "You know, I bet Sakura would pay more attention to you if you wore something besides orange."
Naruto nearly choked on his mouthful of ramen, his face turning beet red. "The hell is that supposed to mean, fucker?!" He squawked indignantly.
Sasuke's smirk had morphed into a conniving grin. "Oh nothing. Just that maybe if you let Ino help you with your choice of clothes, she and Sakura might start gushing over you like your old fangirls when we were in the academy." The Uchiha snickered as Naruto frowned, his face still the same shade of crimson. He remembered his fangirls, and while they were some of the few that didn't ostracize him, he knew that they were mostly interested in the fact that he was friends with Sasuke.
"Kiss my ass, sausage. Sakura's not so shallow that she would only notice me for my clothes. And what about you huh? I already told you the only difference between now and when we were genin is you wear a skirt with a rope as a belt!" His face had returned to its normal color, but his voice still held the same indignation.
Sasuke only slurped on his own ramen. "I already told you that my clothes make sense. Besides, I agreed to change up my wardrobe as well."
"Lemme guess, you wanna look cooler for Hinata, don't you?" Naruto sneered.
It was Sasuke's turn to choke on his food and turn red. Even his ears, though semi-concealed beneath his black locks, had turned the same shade of tomato red as his face. "Th-th-th-that's not it at all and you kn-know it, p-p-pinhead!"
"Oh yeah? Then how come you're blushing so hard?"
"Because y-you mentioned Hinata!"
"Aha! So you do want to look cooler for her!"
"Sh-shut your mouth, you half-wit!"
Naruto threw his head back in raucous laughter. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Sasuke, I just like screwing with ya. Especially about Hinata."
Sasuke pouted as he buried his face in his ramen cup, his blush calming down to a light pink dusting on his cheeks. Naruto's crush on Sakura had held fast since they were children, and everyone knew that the blond adored the pink-haired girl. Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura had held onto her crush on Sasuke; though recently it had begun to fade as she opened her heart to the possibility of someone else taking Sasuke's place by her side. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Hinata Hyūga was near hopelessly in love with him, and had confessed her feelings during Naruto's fight with Pain; feelings that quietly went unreciprocated. Sasuke, ironically enough, had no interest in Sakura outside of being her close friend and teammate. His heart belonged to the lavender eyed Hyūga girl that fainted around his blond teammate. Truth be told, Hinata had the same effect on Sasuke as Naruto had on her.
Naruto remembered when Sasuke had first noticed Hinata: he blushed furiously and couldn't stop staring at her. He had asked his raven-haired friend about it, to which Sasuke only responded that she was pretty and seemed very nice. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, Hinata only really saw him as her and Naruto's friend; a title that Sasuke wanted to change.
Sasuke looked back up at his roommate from his ramen cup, only just now noticing that he still had his pajamas on, sleeping cap and all. "Yo, brainless. You should probably hurry and get dressed after you eat. Sakura will probably be here soon with Ino, and maybe even Haku."
Naruto grunted as he finished his salty breakfast, tossing the spent foam cup and washing his chopsticks before heading back to his room. He reemerged sporting a black T-shirt with a red Konoha emblem adorning the front. Much to the chagrin of his roommate, he wore orange sweats with his usual black sandals. With his headband missing, his unruly, spiky hair draped over his forehead.
Sasuke was wearing something similar, except his T-shirt was dark blue, bearing an Uchiha crest in place of the Konoha emblem. His pants were a light grey; reminiscent of the white shorts he wore as a genin. In place of his usual high-topped sandals, he opted for ones that looked like Naruto's. Like his roommate, Sasuke's hair also covered some of his forehead without his headband, though the rest of it retained its signature kempt but spiky look.
The blond plopped himself down across from his roommate at the table, taking a sip of tea. The two sat in comfortable silence before there was a knock at the apartment door. Naruto was about to get up and answer, but was stopped by Sasuke, who pointed to his own eye. The Rinnegan bearer winced, offering a sheepish grin as he went to retrieve his sunglasses while Sasuke answered the door.
The Uchiha was greeted by the familiar sight of bubblegum pink and platinum blonde locks. Accompanying the two bright colors was one that he hadn't seen in a while: coal. Sasuke smiled warmly. "Hey Sakura, Ino." He turned his attention to the androgynous individual accompanying the two girls. "Haku. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
The young man gave a small smile. "It has. How've you been, Sasuke?"
"Just fine. Naruto will be out in a second. I'm sure he'll be especially happy to see you."
No sooner did Naruto's voice pierce the air upon seeing his old friend. "Haku! You came after all!" The blond charged the male medic, tackling him in a bone-crushing hug. Haku laughed heartily after letting out a wheeze.
"It's good to see you Naruto. It's been awhile." Haku was as soft-spoken as ever, but his eyes held more life than when he had first arrived in Konoha with Team 7. Naruto let him go, holding him by his shoulders. Haku hadn't changed much in terms of appearance since his arrival in Konoha. He didn't appear much older; the only indicator of his age being his more sharply defined jawline and his height. He kept his hair longer than most young men his age, opting for a shoulder-length style instead of the twin tails and bun he had sported in the past. Even more surprising was the fact that his voice hadn't dropped in pitch by much.
"It really has. How've you been? How's Granny treating you?"
Haku chuckled once more. "Just fine on both accounts, my dear friend. Sakura and Ino have kept me sane through a lot of the rigors." Haku took a moment to study the blond, only now noticing his sunglasses. "Er, Naruto? Can I ask why you're wearing sunglasses? It's not that bright outsi—"
"Ah! Well, you see, it's part of his new look!" Sakura cut in.
Naruto released Haku's shoulders, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. The androgynous medic cocked his head before shrugging, deeming the answer reasonable enough.
"Well, let's get going! We've got lots of shopping to do!" Ino called out to the group, practically glowing with glee.
Sasuke locked the apartment door before he and Naruto set out with their friends, hoping they wouldn't look ridiculous by the end of the day's adventures.
As it turned out, clothes shopping with Sakura and Ino was not as straightforward as Naruto and Sasuke would have hoped. The latter considered himself well-dressed, for the most part, especially when it came to his shinobi gear. The former had worn orange for the entirety of his time as a genin and most of his time as a chūnin. Neither had given their choice of clothing a second thought. That is, until Ino weighed in on just how lackluster their ensembles were as the group made their way to a clothing shop.
"I mean seriously, Naruto. We've been telling you for ages that orange is not a good color for shinobi!" Naruto pouted as Sasuke smirked.
"Oh, don't think you're off the hook, Mister 'My Rope Is Multifunctional.'" The platinum blonde formed air quotes around her nickname for the Uchiha. Sasuke and Naruto's roles reversed, and Naruto snickered for a moment before realizing that this shopping trip was for both Sasuke and himself.
Haku and Sakura share a lighthearted laugh, knowing Ino meant well despite her bluntness. "Oh, we're here," Haku announced. The group stood before a relatively plain looking shop. The sign was simple: black letters on a white background that read "Ninja Gear."
"Well come on! We need to get you two some fashionable gear!" Naruto and Sasuke visibly flinched at Ino's declaration, catching the manic look in the platinum blonde's eyes. They gulped before chuckling nervously, following their friends into the shop. Naruto still wasn't used to the idea of not being kicked out of a shop. Years of being the village pariah had made him paranoid any time he went near a building that wasn't the Hokage Tower, the academy, or Ichiraku Ramen. Sakura and Haku had offered words of encouragement when they saw him stiffen after crossing the threshold inside. He visibly relaxed after the shop owner greeted them warmly, even offering Naruto his gratitude for saving the village.
For such an unassuming exterior, the shop had an impressive smattering of items for sale: weapons, clothes, armor, blank scrolls, explosive tags, smoke bombs, even a few starter kits for young ninja that contained basic ninja tools. The group of friends marveled at the shop's impressive inventory before Ino, Sakura, and Haku started milling about.
The two male roommates couldn't help but stare slack jawed at the three medics. They had heard from Sakura how Ino could be when she was in her so-called 'Shopping Mode,' but seeing it firsthand was unnerving. She grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and led him through the racks of clothes, picking seemingly random tops and bottoms. Each time, she appraised them by holding them up to his torso or his legs and talking at Sasuke. The Uchiha would try to get a word in, but Ino seemed to be in her own little world. Her talking was more so her way of working through her own opinions on the selected combo rather than actually asking Sasuke what he thought of her selections.
Meanwhile, Naruto was being attended to by Sakura and Haku, who had a similar process to Ino, but with less thinking aloud and more conversation. Every now and again, Ino would weigh in on the choices that Sakura and Haku would present to the spectacled ninja; she denied more than she approved. Naruto tried to sneak orange in at every opportunity, but each attempt was shot down by his pink-haired friend. Haku chuckled at Naruto's exaggerated pouting.
"Oh, come on! You mean I can't have any orange at all?" Naruto whined.
Sakura shot a glare at him. "No! We've all already told you that it's not a good color for ninja gear!"
"To be honest, Naruto, orange turns you into a walking target," Haku added gently.
Naruto pouted again, this time letting out a groan. "Whatever, as long as I look cool," he muttered before returning to absently thumbing through various shirts. Nothing seemed to catch his eye, and he wasn't finding the suggestions that Sakura and Haku were making to be terribly appealing. He glanced over to his roommate, making eye contact with him. Sasuke mouthed the words "Help me" as he was subjected to more of Ino's rambling. Naruto snickered at the Uchiha's misfortune, thankful that he was with two people that he could stand to be around despite being bored out of his mind.
Not a moment later, Sasuke was yanked towards a fitting room and shoved inside with a pile of clothes to try on. Naruto winced at the sound of the door slamming, knowing full well the scrutiny that awaited him and the Uchiha. He was about to wander off to browse the various weapons and ninja tools when Sakura appeared in front of him with a small pile of clothes, a pleading smile on her face. Naruto groaned as he took the mass of fabric and trudged to the fitting room, his entourage behind him.
First up was a fairly plain ensemble of a black tracksuit, not a trace of orange to be found. He frowned as he slipped into the clothes. He tried to imagine himself with his sage cloak, but the black looked strange on him. It made his hair stand out even more than usual and made him look like a lit candle. He blew a raspberry as he tossed the inky black tracksuit aside.
Next was a set of standard navy-blue ninja garments; characteristic red swirls adorning each shoulder of the top. He was confused at first as to why Sakura would give him this outfit of all things until it clicked: his flak vest. No doubt, this was what he would wear on official Konoha business, should the need arise. That, or he would keep it as a backup when his normal outfit and its spares needed a wash or repair.
Naruto looked himself over in the mirror, finding that it didn't look all that bad on him. He toyed with the idea of making this his regular outfit for training and missions. The only problem was his sunglasses; they made him look too much like Ebisu with blond hair. He shuddered at the thought of resembling such a strange jōnin. He slipped out of the navy-blue garb, trying to erase the image of him looking like Ebisu.
The blond sighed, preemptively dismissing the next outfit in line, when a familiar color caught his eye: burnt orange. He immediately unfurled the shirt, staring at it. It was a black, long-sleeved, high-collared shirt with a zipper running down the middle. Flanking the zipper were thin stripes of burnt orange. Naruto could see the same burnt orange on the inside of the high collar. Turning it around, there was a red swirl emblazoned on the back where it would be on his usual track jacket. A splitting smile crept onto his face as he noticed the black pants had a single stripe of orange running down the outside of each leg that would stop just above his mid-topped sandals.
The elated Uzumaki slipped the outfit on, looking at himself in the mirror. The collar wasn't nearly as high as he thought it would be, stopping just below his chin. It also hugged a little closer to his neck than Sasuke's shirts did, letting the burnt orange lining just peek out. The sleeves stopped just before his wrists, and he could see the same burnt orange lining inside. He visualized his sage cloak and the tails of his headband whipping in the wind behind him. Coupled with his circular sunglasses, he thought he looked rather imposing, if he did say so himself. Naruto decided to step out and let the trio of medics take a look at him.
Just as he threw the door open, he ran into Sasuke, who was about to do the exact same thing Naruto had thought to do. The blond regarded his roommate, looking over what Ino had picked out for him. The Uchiha had donned a smoky grey, short kimono with narrow sleeves; the overlap made for a V-neck that went down to the middle of his sternum. His pants were the same dark navy as before and were still tucked into his high-topped sandals. In place of the 'skirt,' as Naruto teasingly called it, Sasuke wore a purple sash, which was a marked improvement over the rope that he had worn previously. Naruto gave a nod of approval; had to admit, Sasuke looked good. The Uchiha sized up his blond roommate, giving his own approving nod.
The two stepped out into view of their three friends, nervously awaiting the impending bombardment. They were met with stunned silence from the three medics, a light blush dusting the cheeks of all three. Naruto and Sasuke fidgeted awkwardly, unsure of what to do as they felt the three pairs of eyes sizing them up.
Sakura stared at her two teammates. Sasuke looked so regal in his short kimono, but something kept drawing her eye to Naruto. He looked so much more mature and serious. The color combination of black and orange looked ridiculous on him before, but now he looked positively dashing. Those sunglasses of his only added to his appeal. Her blush deepened as she realized she had been staring at the blond, and she quickly averted her gaze.
"Wow…" Haku said barely above a whisper. He remembered when he first met Naruto in the forest and how naïve and innocent he was. Now, he looked like a real shinobi; one who shouldn't be underestimated. He had always found Naruto to be cute in a bratty sort of way, but Haku wasn't expecting him to look downright handsome. Sasuke looked like someone of nobility; one who could kill a would-be assassin if need be. Ino always joked about how the coal-haired medic was too pretty to be straight; jokes which Haku always took in stride, politely reaffirming that he was interested in women. Though, that was more of a half-truth, as some men would catch Haku's eye now and again.
Ino slapped her hands against her cheeks, squealing with girlish glee. "You! Look! Amazing!" The platinum blonde scurried over to Sasuke, who stiffened at her sudden arrival. "Sasuke! You look so dignified in this! You look like a real clan heir now!" Ino squeaked once again, marveling at her handiwork before scampering over to Naruto. "And you!" Ino tugged at Naruto's collar, eyeing him up and down, a sultry smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eye. The blond ninja blushed at the closeness and the look that Ino was giving him. "My, my, Mister Uzumaki. You always acted like a serious ninja, but you definitely look the part now," she purred. Naruto's face turned a shade of crimson rivaled only by his sage cloak.
Sakura agitatedly cleared her throat, casting a glare at her platinum blonde friend. "I think we all agree that Sasuke and Naruto look great in their new outfits. I say we get some spare sets and head out."
Naruto's stomach growled. "How about lunch?" The group agreed, as they were all starting to feel peckish themselves. Naruto and Sasuke changed back into their original clothes while Sakura, Ino, and Haku gathered the spares for the outfits they had picked out, along with a few things for themselves. Naruto had also picked out a pair of gloves that resembled Kakashi's, but in black. Sasuke and Naruto said they would pay for their own, but Sakura insisted that it was her and Ino's treat. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he stowed his wallet back into his pocket and thanked them, while Sasuke muttered his own thanks. The Uchiha had the idea to seal the bags into a storage scroll to avoid having to carry them around. Haku, being ever-prepared, had provided said scroll before the group set out again.
To everyone's surprise, Naruto suggested going to a tea shop for lunch. Sakura instinctively checked to see if he had a fever, while Haku and Ino gaped. Sasuke snickered at their incredulity, inwardly gloating at the success of his efforts to get him off his ramen addiction. His moment of triumph was cut short when Haku mentioned that he had seen Ichiraku open. Sasuke grimaced as he saw Naruto start drooling and considering the offer, until he caught the Uchiha's death glare. Naruto smiled apologetically at his roommate, suggesting that they have dinner at his beloved ramen stall and stick with the tea shop for lunch. The group agreed and set off.
The tea shop was nice; picturesque, even. Just like the ninja gear shop, it was a bit plain on the outside, likely because the mercantile buildings were still in need of a coat of paint. What struck everyone was the name of the shop.
"The Jasmine Dragon," Sasuke read off.
Haku tilted his head. "Interesting name."
Naruto shrugged. "Hopefully the tea is good."
The interior was anything but plain. Each hardwood table was decorated with a centerpiece containing a single white lotus. It was a simple tea shop, but there were plenty of options as far as the menu went: green tea, herbal tea, oolong tea, black tea, sweet and savory dango, onigiri, various cakes, even mochi and sweet red bean soup. The owner was an old man who introduced himself as Hiro, an ex-shinobi of Sunagakure, hailing originally from Tea Country. He and his niece, Asuka, and his nephew, Kozu, decided to settle in Konoha after Hiro's retirement from being a Suna shinobi.
The group each ordered their rather sweet lunches. The three medics ordered dango, while Naruto decided on the sweet red bean soup. Sasuke, in accordance to his aversion to sweet things, ordered skipjack-filled onigiri. To his chagrin, there were no tomatoes available for side dishes. The tea was delicious, as expected of a tea shop owner from Tea Country.
As they were talking about how their lives were going since the last time they had seen each other, Sasuke spotted a familiar head of dark blue hair enter the tea shop. The Uchiha spit out his tea, coughing violently.
"Holy shit! The hell's wrong with you, Sasuke?" Naruto demanded. Sasuke tried to hide himself behind his cup, his plate, even behind the single white lotus.
"H-hide me!" Sasuke hissed. His face had turned tomato red.
Naruto stared at his friend incredulously. "What? Why? Seriously, what's wrong?"
Sasuke kept his voice at a harsh whisper. "H-Hinata is h-here!"
Naruto's head immediately went on the swivel, spotting the lavender eyed Hyūga near the door, greeting the owner and his niece and nephew. The blond eyed his roommate, who was struggling to maintain his composure. An idea popped into Naruto's mind, and he excused himself from the table for a moment.
Sasuke watched wide-eyed as Naruto walked up to Hinata, who started blushing and fidgeting in his presence. He would never admit it, but seeing Hinata around Naruto was like looking into a mirror. The Uchiha tried to keep himself together as Naruto gestured in their general direction and Hinata's lavender eyes widened. Her face was the same tomato red as Sasuke's by this point. She nearly fainted when Naruto gestured for her to follow him to their table. Sasuke did faint when he saw Hinata following his roommate, but only for a second. He snapped himself awake just as the Hyūga girl sat down. The Uchiha took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure and put out the fire that had erupted on his cheeks and ears.
All the while, Sakura was staring at Sasuke like he had sprouted a second head. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Here was Sasuke Uchiha, the very same Sasuke Uchiha who fought Zabuza Momochi alongside Naruto. Sasuke Uchiha, who killed Orochimaru. Sasuke Uchiha, who always looked so calm and composed. Yes, the Sasuke Uchiha was practically falling apart at the seams. Why? Was it because he was afraid of Hinata? Was it something Naruto told him just now? Was something on her face? She had her suspicions that Sasuke had a massive crush on the Hyūga girl, but she pushed those thoughts down, not wanting to think about the possibility of her feelings not being reciprocated.
Ino found the situation hilarious. She inwardly snickered at how awkward and fidgety Sasuke and Hinata had become, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for Sakura. Ino figured that her pink-haired friend was ignoring the glaringly obvious fact that Sasuke had a crush on Hinata. Haku simply smiled nervously along with Naruto, hoping to dissipate the awkward tension that hung heavy in the air.
Thanks to Naruto's talkative nature, Hinata and Sasuke both relaxed as time passed. At one point, Hinata even conversed at length with Sasuke and Sakura about the extent of their training, what being a medic was like, and how it was having a roommate. Ino and Naruto chimed in now and again to give their two cents on their respective roommates. Haku could only chuckle at how brash the two blonds of the group were.
Naruto and Haku had taken the opportunity to catch up. Haku was quite enjoying being a medic, but was considering a stint in ANBU as a hunter. Naruto was a bit surprised at the coal-haired medic's desire to return to combat, but Haku had assured his blond friend that he was only entertaining the idea and had nothing solid planned just yet. Ino threw a glare at her male colleague, insisting that he stick around until she inevitably gets transferred to T&I by way of her father. Naruto wanted to tell his friends about what had happened to his eyes, as Hinata had asked him why he was wearing sunglasses inside. He dismissed the question, chalking it up to his sunglasses being part of his new look for himself, which wasn't entirely false.
Hinata left shortly before the group did, saying she needed to head back to the Hyūga compound. Sasuke had even worked up the nerve to bid her goodbye, but blushed furiously at the sight of her sweet smile. Naruto snickered at Sasuke's shyness around the lavender eyed kunoichi, earning him a scowl from said Uchiha.
The group paid for their lunch, thanking the owner for the tea. Haku commented that the shop was nice. The owners seemed like good people and they served good food and good tea, so the group agreed to come back when they had free time again. For the time being, they had elected to walk through Konoha.
It had only been a couple of weeks since the attack, but the village was beginning to revive. Merchants were beginning to set up shop once again, and carts full of imported goods were making their way along the main road. Civilians and shinobi alike were roaming the village, each on their own personal journey. Most shinobi, ANBU especially, were relegated to patrolling the walls of the village or guarding the Hokage Tower, which had only recently been fully reconstructed.
The people that were out and about had recognized Naruto despite his sunglasses. Many had offered him cheerful greetings, while some thanked him for saving the village. Others even made a point to bow deeply as they did so. Naruto had gotten slightly more used to the positive attention from the villagers, but he still was often at a loss for words other than an awkward acknowledgement of their gratitude.
During their trek, the group had run into some of their other friends. Kiba had taken Akamaru on a walk, and paused to boast to the group about how strong he'll be. They had also encountered Shino, who they thought was skulking about in the shadows. Unbeknownst to them, he was actually standing in broad daylight. Rock Lee had passed by them, but only briefly, as he was running laps around the village on his hands with Might Guy. Tenten wasn't far behind, but she had opted for jogging on her feet rather than her hands. Chōji was in his usual place: eating copious amounts of barbecue. The group waved at him through the window so as not to disturb his almost ritual-like dining.
The group of friends mostly made small talk whenever they weren't talking with friends they encountered. The group continued strolling through town and had done some more catching up. Ino mentioned that her father had been incessantly trying to get her to transfer to T&I from the medical division. But Ino was stubborn, and had told Inoichi multiple times that she wanted to get as much as she could out of learning from Tsunade before transferring. Sakura was surprised that Inoichi was still on her case about that, while Haku merely expressed his sympathy for the platinum blonde. Sasuke had taken the opportunity to talk more with Haku, deciding to bury the hatchet. He had figured that it was pointless to hold what happened against him, especially since it was likely that Haku could save his life one day as a medic. After a couple of hours, Naruto dramatically announced that they should head to Ichiraku Ramen to have dinner. Sasuke and Ino grimaced, Haku smiled awkwardly, and Sakura delivered a smack to the back of Naruto's head. Even Naruto admitted he probably deserved it for being so loud in public.
Dinner at Ichiraku was a familiar affair for Team 7, but Haku didn't frequent it often, and Ino had never eaten there before. Naruto was overjoyed to see Teuchi and Ayame again, his teammates also greeted the father-daughter duo warmly. Surprisingly, Teuchi even recognized Haku despite him not being a regular customer. Sakura introduced Ino to the two ramen chefs, who told her that her first bowl would be on the house as a new customer. Teuchi, in fact, had decided to give everyone their first bowl on the house, since it was the first he'd seen them since the stand reopened. Naruto could have lit all of Konoha with the smile he gave.
As always, Naruto had miso char siu with extra pork. Sasuke ordered shoyu with shrimp, and Sakura and Ino had gone for miso as well, but with veggies instead of pork. Haku had taken a liking to the seafood shio, saying it reminded him of Kiri. The ramen was exceptional, and even Ino admitted that it was tasty, if a bit filling. There was no shortage of laughter and smiles, and it was refreshing for Naruto to be able to eat at his favorite ramen stand with his teammates.
Their night out ended once Teuchi announced that he had to close up shop for the night, but not before Naruto had downed eight bowls. The group of friends walked towards the residential district, bidding each other goodnight once someone neared their residence. Naruto and Sasuke made their way back to their apartment quietly, though they both wore small, satisfied smiles.
Sasuke unsealed the piles of clothes onto the couch as Naruto went to his room to put his sunglasses on his nightstand. As he retrieved his pile, he turned to the Uchiha.
"Hey, Sasuke."
"Yeah?"
Naruto paused, choosing his next words carefully. "Do you think I'll be able to keep my eyes secret?"
Sasuke turned to his roommate. "What do you mean?"
"Well…I mean, I've never worn sunglasses before, well, you know. And so far, Haku and Hinata both noticed them. I guess I'm just wondering how long it'll be before someone finds out about my dōjutsu."
"Who can say? I mean, most secrets don't stay secrets forever."
Naruto sighed as he nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm just worried people will freak out, or the wrong person will find out about my eyes and come after you and Sakura, or me."
Sasuke paused mid-stride, moved by Naruto's selfless concern for him and Sakura over his own wellbeing. The Uchiha shook his head. "Don't worry about it so much. Even if someone tries to come after us, we'll just kick their ass like we always do." He finished with a mischievous smile.
Naruto flashed a toothy grin to his roommate before chuckling. "Yeah, you're right. If anything, I'll just ask Granny about who can know about my eyes. After all, they are pretty cool."
It was Sasuke's turn to chuckle as he started toward his room. "Don't let it get to your head, whiskers."
The blond ninja simply laughed as the two headed into their rooms for the night.
A/N: Ah, fluff is nice, isn't it? I wanted to give some of the other characters a bit of time to interact with Team 7, especially Haku. That, and I wanted to break up the seriousness of training with a bit of fun. I did a lot of thinking regarding how to change up Naruto and Sasuke's clothes to be different while still keeping their signature elements, namely Naruto's orange. Also, cookie to anyone who caught the VERY obvious reference in there. Thanks for reading! Fav if you enjoyed, follow if you loved it, and feel free to leave a review! Chapter 9 in the works!
