Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto. No profit is made off of this fan-fiction story. Any additional original characters located in this story are designated at such and belong to the author, Jae (Dirtyangel).

A/N: Happy New Year, all! Enjoy the update.

—.&.&.—

IX.

What Was Mine

It was done.

Sasuke had committed himself to a task that the angriest parts of him railed against; but it was done. He'd accepted the Hokage's compact, launching the advancement of an ungodly amount of paperwork. His jounin status was now amended to "advanced field instructor", officially labeling him as the squad leader of his own genin team—of one. The entire thing was bordering on ridiculous.

"Is all this necessary?" he asked, gesturing to the sizable packet of documents he'd been presented with.

The briefing room's other occupant, Tsunade's assistant, smiled apologetically and nodded. It was a shame Sasuke couldn't remember her name.

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but yes. There's a considerable amount of process that's required for this whole thing. Hokage-sama wanted to ensure that every licensed measure was taken," she said.

Taking a polite step forward, she tapped the top of the packet, which lay on the conference table in the center of the room.

"You should also keep in mind that this includes the property release forms for the Uchiha Estate. I know you hadn't specified whether you wanted to take it out of escrow, but it was agreed that you should have them anyway."

She paused. A cautious look came over her features as she visibly considered something. She spoke again: "At the very least, I hope it can provide some closure for you, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke grimaced at the unexpected sentiment. He didn't want or need it, but considering how idiotically generous he was being that day, he decided to forgo any dirty looks.

Sensing his mood from the way her comment was received, the other ninja cleared her throat awkwardly and fell back into a businesslike demeanor.

"You'll find everything you'll need to fully assess your new assignment inside," she finished.

Glad she was done with her frivolous gesture, Sasuke grunted in acknowledgment. He picked up the packet to quickly peruse its contents. It contained official papers releasing Naruto into his custody as well as a variety of other documents outlining the guidelines of the blond's demotion. There was a file a few centimeters thick with compiled information on Naruto's background, skill level, medical records, and family history. From Sasuke's cursory reading he noticed that only one name was listed under Naruto's parents column—Uzumaki Kushina.

"This is more information than I expected," he said, "Certainly more than I thought I would need."

Tsunade's assistant nodded again.

"Actually, that file is standard for all genin team leaders. Because they are responsible for their team's full integration as ninja, it's expected that every team leader know their members thoroughly."

He looked from her to the file dubiously. To think that all this data was collected for a simple thing like a genin team perturbed him. It made him wonder about the type of information Kakashi had available about them when they were Team 7. He closed the file and placed it back within the packet.

"This is—a lot to take in," Sasuke replied. Not even his past missions as ANBU were this extensive.

"It's a great responsibility you've taken on, Uchiha-san. Hokage-sama has placed her complete faith in you to fulfill this."

Her reassurance hardly helped to inspire him.

When she stepped forward again, she was handing him a slim wooden box the length of half his forearm.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I'm not sure exactly. Hokage-sama only said that it was something you needed to present to Uzumaki-san."

Sasuke set the packet aside, taking the box from her. He unclasped both the latches that kept it shut and lifted the lid. When he saw what was inside he wanted to laugh at its irony.

Fourteen years ago he would have never guessed that he would be handing Naruto back his forehead protector. After that desperate fight at the Valley of the End, the blond had shoved Sasuke's discarded forehead protector in his chest and swore at him for trying to abandon them—for trying to abandon him. His tirade about how Sasuke was a brother to him, and how he would rather have died than allow the other to destroy that family, had moved something in Sasuke. Somehow, Naruto's insane tenacity to keep Sasuke from going had been just enough to waiver his resolve to leave.

Then a few years later all that ranting had proven to be a pretentious lie.

He'd snapped the lid shut so suddenly that the woman in front of him jumped in surprise. Before she could question him, Sasuke spoke: "I'll make sure he gets it."

The box was re-latched and placed atop the packet on the table; he wasn't going to fall victim to any sympathy for Naruto. The other man had lied and abandoned him in the end. Naruto only knew how to manipulate people for his own means.

Not for the first time that day, Sasuke wondered why he had agreed to do this. Tsunade's plan to redeem Naruto could be doomed to fail because she was asking him to take of it.

Breathing in deeply, Sasuke braced himself for what he was about to endeavor.

"When do I receive him?" he turned back to the Hokage's assistant.

She opted to ignore his outburst and gathered herself.

"I'll let Hokage-sama know that you're ready and have Uzumaki-san escorted to this room," she said.

With a final glance over her shoulder at him, she quietly exited the briefing room.

Alone, Sasuke stared at the packet of documents and the wooden box. He needed to be diligent about this assignment. The Hokage was counting on him to help guide Naruto through the political game his return had invoked. He would tackle this mission like he did any other mission. His personal feelings didn't matter.

That's why he'd said yes to the Hokage and that was what he'd continue to tell himself.

—.o. —

It wasn't long before Sasuke heard the shuffling of feet outside the door. Enough time had passed for him to finish reading the information he'd need to go over; he was ready for his new charge. When the briefing room door opened, Tsunade's assistant entered first. Then came Naruto's tall form. Immediately, the blond's eyes searched the room, and as they settled on Sasuke, a look of resignation hijacked his expression.

He no longer wore the nondescript clothes they'd given him several hours earlier. His shaggy blond hair had been pulled back into a short ponytail, and he was dressed in a dark-gray fitted t-shirt with a pair of standard issue fatigue pants and high-top sandals. Layered beneath the top was a mesh undershirt that peeked out over its collar and extended to his elbows. He didn't look like the civilian Sasuke had passed on that morning.

"Here you are, Uzumaki-san. Uchiha-san will fill you in on everything you need to know about your new status," Tsunade's assistant informed.

Naruto's gaze lingered on Sasuke for a few seconds before looking down at the woman. A smile spread across his lips as he dipped his head in gratitude.

"Thanks…" his voice trailed off expectantly.

She froze as if hit with a stun tag. Her cheeks turned a suspiciously rosy hue and it made Sasuke want to roll his eye in disgust. It was absurd how Naruto could charm her so easily.

What little respect the jounin had for her was dwindling.

"Mai," she said slowly, "Chino Mai, Uzumaki-san, and you're quite welcome."

Again, Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes.

"Chino-san," he interjected.

She seemed to break out of her trance at the sound of her name and whipped around to face him, clearly embarrassed.

"Thank you, but I need to brief my subordinate. Now," Sasuke said pointedly.

"Y-yes, of course, Uchiha-san. Please let me know if there's anything you need," she scrambled out the door in a hasty exit. Before she could close it, Naruto stopped her.

"Actually, Chino-san. Unless Sasuke objects, I was hoping someone could tell my kid I'll be back soon. I know he's been with Sakura all day, but he's probably getting anxious."

Mai (Sasuke would never have asked for her name) looked back at him in askance. He nodded dismissively; there was no reason why she couldn't fulfill Naruto's request. Accepting his cue, she politely agreed to do as the blond asked. With the soft click of the door, the two men were alone.

Naruto's smile dropped instantly and he turned to Sasuke with an intense look. His stare caused the jounin to square his shoulders and give his own unwavering glare.

"Tch, so this is what the great rivalry between Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto has come to," Naruto announced sarcastically. He grabbed one of the conference table chairs and planted himself firmly in it.

Sasuke tsked disdainfully at him.

"You did this to yourself, Naruto. No one else is to blame here," he said, straightening up from where he'd been leaning against the table.

"I'm well aware of that, Sasuke," Naruto snapped.

"Then also be aware that you don't have a right to feel indignant."

That seemed to shut the other man up, but he continued to stew. Sasuke crossed his arms and took on a serious air.

"Do you understand what is going to happen from here on out?" he asked.

Naruto leaned back in his seat and placed a hand on top of the table.

"It is to my understanding that, as an alternative to facing a military tribunal, I've accepted the revocation of my chuunin status; and have forfeited my autonomy as a ninja to your supervision. After six months, my progress is to be evaluated by the Council."

The eloquence of his response had Sasuke raising an eyebrow. A part of him wondered if Naruto even understood half of what he'd said.

"Hmm, those are some big words you have there, Naruto," Sasuke quipped.

An insulted looked flashed across the blond's face but it quickly morphed into a defiant glare.

"You'll be happy to know that I can also read and write, Uchiha-sensei," he replied in an obnoxiously saccharine tone.

Sasuke snorted. He knew this comeback was meant as a fuck you, and that Naruto was pulling his words for the sake of his predicament. It was wrong of him to be petty, especially with the seniority he held over the blond, but he could afford himself that one jab.

"I'm glad," he smirked.

Then he got back to the matter at hand.

"To expand on that: The terms of your six month probation require you to be fully re-integrated back into the shinobi community by the time you're reevaluated. This means you'll be starting from scratch with your missions record. All your previous operations have been invalidated and no longer count toward your ranking. You are expected to undergo training to ensure you've retained a decent jutsu level to possibly be reassigned your chuunin rank. And lastly, you are to establish a meaningful and satisfactory level of trust with the citizenry of Konoha to prove you're worthy of being granted your independence back."

Naruto listened silently as Sasuke outlined the provisions of his demotion. His expression remained neutral but Sasuke could see how the fingers of his hand twitched with restraint. The jounin continued.

"My role is to help you accomplish all of this. I am to be your mentor, team leader, and general counsel. It is my responsibility to get you up to code with current nin culture and protocol. I'll be acquiring all your missions, and I'll be training you. I'll also be in charge of getting you settled back in as a Konoha resident and taking care of your housing situation."

When he'd been reading these terms in the documents Mai had provided they'd seemed immaterial. But as he spoke them out loud, their weight began to fully register with Sasuke. He was sentencing himself to spend almost every waking moment with Naruto. Tsunade had cornered him into an arduous situation and he'd accepted it like a fool.

It was going to take every ounce of discipline he had to keep him from dishonoring himself.

"Do you have any questions?" Sasuke asked—his voice unfettered by his internal dilemma.

Naruto's hand was clenched into a fist and his lips were pressed into a thin line. It had been for the best that he wasn't issued any weaponry yet; it made Sasuke having to potentially put him down in closed quarters much easier.

Admittedly, some of the terms he'd gone over were demanding, but Sasuke felt the punishment fit the crime.

"What exactly does 'meaningful and satisfactory level of trust with the citizenry' mean?" Naruto's voice was surprisingly calm.

"I wasn't exactly anyone's golden boy before I left, and after it's revealed that I'm a deserter, that won't change."

Sasuke didn't have an immediate answer for him because he didn't have any trust for Naruto. That task in question could prove challenging, but he would figure something out.

"The Kyuubi's attack was nearly thirty years ago. Most of the people who really remember it are much older now and the younger generations aren't that invested. You may not like to hear this—actually, you could—but not many people in Konoha remember you. Only those of us who interacted with you regularly do."

Naruto gave a strained smile. "Sadly, that does make me feel better."

He placed his other hand on the table in front of him.

"So where are you guys putting me? I only have the things I was traveling with and whatever money that's left over from this trip is going back with Kanaye."

That was the crux of all this. Being Naruto's babysitter for six months was manageable, but it was where Sasuke knew he had to put him that chafed. There was no rational reason why he couldn't put Naruto in a house on the Uchiha Estate. The grounds were big enough to setup a training quad and there were a number of homes meant for moderate to large families. But it meant Sasuke had to go back there and see all that emptiness. He was sure all the corpses were gone, but what of all the blood?

"You'll being staying on the Uchiha Estate," he said. Hopefully, Naruto couldn't see how tightly his hand gripped his bicep.

"What? I—Sasuke, I don't feel right about that," Naruto looked genuinely worried.

"Decision's already been made," Sasuke unfolded his arms and reached down for the wooden box still perched on top of the packet. The blond's eye followed his motion. He slid the box across the table toward Naruto; a curious look appeared on the other man's face.

"You're giving me gifts now?"

"Hardly," Sauske said, annoyed. "You're going to need that if you want to be considered a Konoha ninja again."

Naruto pulled the box closer and open it. He hesitated half way through.

"You—kept this?" the blond didn't look up, enthralled by the box's contents.

"No, you have the Hokage to thank for that."

Something unreadable settled in Naruto eyes. He gazed intently at the returned forehead protector, his expression distant, as if his mind was no longer there in the briefing room.

"I see," he let the box's lid fall back completely.

There was a tenderness to the way he lifted the headband out of the box, and it surprised Sasuke how intimate the moment had become. Naruto ran the fingers of one hand over the metal plate, mapping each of the scratches and grooves in its surface. He traced the contours of the Konohagakure insignia at the center, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.

"I wonder—" he turned the forehead protector over to look at the back and grinned when he confirmed whatever it was he was looking for.

"Yup, it's the same one!"

Sasuke made an impatient sound, reminding the other that he was still in the room. When Naruto looked up at him, he still held his excited smile. He wasn't sure why, but Sasuke hadn't been prepared for that, and it gave him pause. The uncomfortable flutter that ran through his chest as a result disturbed him greatly.

"See?" Naurto turned the back of the forehead protector toward Sasuke to show him the faded scribbling on the band.

Property of Uzumaki Naruto. Dattebayo!

Sasuke gave an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. How was it possible for Naruto's old possessions to sound as idiotic as he used to be?

"Yeah, yeah. Sigh all you want, but I never lost this sucker," Naruto said as he tied the forehead protector securely around his head.

"I suppose not. Not even when you left it behind," the jounin's comment quickly sobered the mood again.

Naruto's shoulders sagged at his words and he slowly lowered his hands back down to the table. Strangely, seeing this didn't give Sasuke any gratification. He wanted Naruto to feel ashamed. The worst the other felt, the more relentless his vindictive side wanted to be; but these small victories tasted like ash to him. They didn't make him any less angry.

"I'm sorry for leaving you, Sasuke."

The words had come so suddenly, Sasuke wasn't sure he had heard them correctly.

"What?"

Naruto turned to him; his blue eyes focused only on him.

"I'm sorry I left you," the blond repeated, "You meant a lot to me and it hurt to have to leave you all behind. I hope you can believe that."

Sasuke frowned. The same bothersome feeling in his chest twisted painfully beneath his ribcage.

"No. I don't."

He would not fall victim to Naruto again.

—.&.&.—

"NO!"

Kanaye's outburst was followed by the forceful slam of the bathroom door.

Naruto let out an aggravated sigh. He was having one of the shittiest days in the history of shitty days. He strode across the inn room to the bathroom door and tried the doorknob; it was locked.

"Kanaye, open this door right now," he demanded.

"No!"

"Kanaye, I'm not playing around."

Naruto was trying desperately to keep his calm. He didn't want to end up shouting at his son during this delicate conversation.

"No, 'tou-san, you promised! You promised me last year that we'd see all of Fire and now you want to send me home."

Naruto sighed again. Why the hell was this happening to him?

He glanced over his shoulder at the other three people in the room. Sakura looked uncomfortable, Kakashi looked amused, and Sasuke—he didn't want to dwell on Sasuke at the moment.

"Do you all mind? I'm trying to have a private conversation with my kid," he groused.

Sakura gave him a pitying look before heading for the door; Kakashi followed her out. Sasuke stayed exactly where he was, which made Naruto want to throttle him.

The blond didn't know when he was going to catch a break. Sasuke had been nothing but pushy with him since they'd left the Tower, and his heavy-handedness was getting old. It also didn't help that he was still sore from his talk with Sasuke earlier.

It had hurt when he'd asked Sasuke if he believed that Naruto cared. The way he'd said no, without hesitation, was painful. Naruto couldn't understand what could have happened to make Sasuke distrust him so deeply. He knew that the other man was upset with him for leaving, but he thought his letter would have let him know how much he had to go.

"Really, Sasuke?" Naruto challenged, "I can't have fifteen minutes to talk to my distraught son?"

Sasuke looked at him flatly and unfolded his arms. He stepped forward until he was an arm's length away.

"Fifteen minutes," he said. Then he walked out of the room.

Honestly, sometimes, fuck Sasuke.

He turned his attention back to the door.

"Na-chan, open the door. You know we don't have conversations like this."

"I don't wanna talk."

Naruto could hear the tears in Kanaye's voice; his heart sank. He knew this would happen, but had hoped he could mitigate it somehow. His wife had been so much better at this than he was.

"Come on, Na-chan, don't be like that," he said softly, "This isn't how family treats each other. You know that."

There were a few more moments of sniffling before Naruto heard the click of the door being unlocked. He slowly pushed it open and peered inside. Kanaye had crawled into the bathtub and hidden himself behind the half drawn shower curtain. He could just make out the boy's blurry silhouette through its kitschy pattern design.

Opening the door wider, he entered the bathroom.

"Why are you hiding away, kiddo?"

"Because you're not being fair," Kanaye replied with a quivering voice.

"It's not that I don't want to finish our trip, Na-chan. I just have to postpone it to take care of some things."

"But why do I have to go back home? And why aren't you coming too?"

Naruto sighed. How could he tell his son that he couldn't go with him because he was serving his punishment for deserting his Hidden Village?

"I'm sending you back home because I think it would be best, and because I need to stay in Konoha for a while to be a ninja again."

Kanaye's outline turned its head toward him.

"You mean like Sakura-oneesan? She experiments and fixes people all day."

This description made Naruto curious as to what Sakura and Kanaye got up to when she watched him. But he set that thought aside for another time.

"Not exactly. More like Kakashi-san and Sasuke-san."

"You mean weird guy and jerk-face?"

He couldn't help snickering at the nicknames his son had given the two men. Naruto quickly peeked back into the inn room to make sure it was still empty.

"That's not nice," he tried to keep the amusement out of his voice, "But yes, like those two."

Kanaye slowly crawled out from behind the shower curtain and looked up at him. His eyes were puffy and red from crying, and his nose was runny; but Naruto was glad he wasn't hiding anymore.

"I still don't get it. Why do I have to go?"

He grabbed a face towel from a rack and knelt down in front of the boy. Carefully, Naruto dried his son's eyes and wiped his nose.

"It's very complicated, Na-chan. There are a lot of things going on and I'm worried that I might not be able to look after you properly while I'm here. You love obaa-chan and ojii-chan. They'll take care of you while I'm away for a bit."

"But when will you be back?"

Naruto didn't have an answer to that question.

He glanced up at the clock mounted on the bathroom wall. It was 10:03 pm. The day had been too long and Kanaye should have been in bed hours ago.

"How 'bout this, let's get some sleep and then tackle everything in the morning. Yeah?"

Kanaye shook his head stubbornly and crossed his arm. "Ugh uh, I'm not sleepy."

"No? Well, I sure am," Naruto let out a massive yawn, scratching the top of his head for added effect.

Just as he'd hoped, Kanaye's pouting face broke into an involuntary yawn as well. The boy rubbed his eye drowsily and insisted that he still wasn't tired.

Naruto smiled. Children were blessedly simple at times.

—.o. —

The midsummer night was pleasantly temperate—a small kindness, considering the frenzied series of events that had transpired that week.

"Well, this sure is a lovely evening for a reunion," Kakashi's contented voice shattered the night's quiet.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto turned in unison to look at him wearily. This did nothing to deter the man's carefree stargazing. All four members of Team 7 were standing on the inn's roof above Naruto's room at his behest. The night was lovely, but there were mixed feelings as to whether it warranted this reunion. At least that was how Naruto felt.

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled, looking up at the sky. She placed one hand on her hip and another on her opposite shoulder.

"You know, in spite of your grotesque absentmindedness, Kakashi, you're right. It is a nice evening for a reunion."

Naruto was still doubtful, but he would play along if it meant getting over this awkward moment. He placed a casual arm on Sakura's free shoulder and stared up at the stars. Sasuke stood beside him; though, it was unlikely that he'd participate in any friendly contact. However, he was stargazing too, and his hands were in his pockets instead of his arms being crossed.

That was a better sign than nothing at all.

—.&.o.o.&. —