"What is it about?" The frowning kunoichi asked, looking down on Sasuke and swirling her finger. The boy was sitting under a tree, calmly looking back at her, and remained silent. "Why don't you start with the exercise I told you?" She added, a little annoyed.
It was the day after Sasuke's release from jail. Asuka had gone to his apartment a few minutes earlier than nine to dispel the barrier jutsu, then she had rung the doorbell. Sasuke had opened the door a few seconds later, ready to go out, his face as expressionless as ever. He had nodded when Asuka had asked him if he had already had breakfast, and had passed by her, heading to the exit of the building without a word.
When they got to the training ground, Asuka told him that the next week would be spent with him focusing on taijutsu, so that he could build up stamina and acquire more dexterity when moving and fighting without a limb.
Considering Sasuke was still recovering and that his stamina was almost nonexistent, she had kept the exercise simple. A brief run to warm up, then a punch-guard-kick-guard routine to work on his reflexes. Yet, he had just strolled to the nearest tree and sat down under it.
"What's the meaning of this?" he asked, instead of replying. Her questioning look prompted him to clarify.
"Of this training?"
He had done those stupid exercises the day before, too, yet he couldn't see the point in preparing for something that would never come. The day before, he had complied with her requests, because he was still tired and overwhelmed by the whole situation, but during the night, he had had time to think. He realized he had no chances of being acquitted. He had simply done too much, gone too far.
He had no chances, and no right to be pardoned. He had avoided Naruto, the night before. At around eleven, he had showed up at his door and knocked a few times. Sasuke had recognized his chakra signature, but had pretended to be still sleeping, and hadn't opened. He didn't think he could sustain the blonde's smiling eyes and positive behavior, not when his thoughts were so dark.
Asuka shook her head. "I thought Rokudaime had already told you this. We need to establish your value as a shinobi." Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"My… value?"
"Yes. You were a criminal and defied the ninja world. However, without you, there probably wouldn't be a world anymore. So, should you be punished or pardoned? Are you totally mad and mischievous, or is there something good in you? Can you prove yourself worth of the world's faith?"
Sasuke scoffed, an unamused smirk on his face. "So, you're going to decide whether this tool is permanently broken and shall thus be thrown away, or if it can be still exploited, uh?"
His tone was bitter. Before Asuka could reply, he spoke again.
"Because, that's what shinobi are. Merely tools that can be disposed of whenever they are not needed anymore. You said you were not here during the war, so I'll tell you one thing. Breaking news: out of the five Kage, only Kakashi, maybe Gaara, will be by my side. The other Kage won't. My sentence is already decided. In four months, I will be either thrown into prison for the rest of my life with a seal on my eyes or better, with my eyes gauged out, or sentenced to death. Do you really think these four months will serve a purpose? Do you really think a stupid taijutsu drill will acquit me?"
Sasuke fully expected the slap, yet he did nothing to dodge it. His cheek was throbbing and his skin was prickling. When he met Asuka's eyes, though, he didn't see contempt or disdain, but hurt and sadness. For an instant, he was surprised, but his face immediately returned to the stone-cold expression he was sporting before.
"Rokudaime warned me you were an idiot, but I didn't think up to this point."
Asuka's lips scrunched in an angry pout, before she exhaled, slowly.
"Shinobi are tools. That is true. You and I know that well. We've been trained in hiding our emotions, focusing only on accomplishing our missions and taking our decision on the basis of how they might affect our village. That's because our role is to protect."
Sasuke's teeth clenched, his thoughts immediately running to his brother, to what he had been forced to do for the well-being of Konoha, to avoid a coup-d'état that would have likely caused the death of even more people. His stomach churned.
"Of course, being a shinobi is not easy. Choosing to become ninja means choosing a life of sadness and death, even if you're lucky and live in a rather peaceful time. But, the fact is that we are imperfect tools, because we are also human. We have a conscience, we have feelings, we have bonds. That's what differentiates us from machines. And while some see this as a downside, I consider that a gift."
Her head shook lightly, as if she was searching for something in his eyes. "Do you really think of yourself simply as something to be used and discarded?" Sasuke didn't reply.
Her eyes narrowed. "That's so fucking selfish," she said. She leaned towards him, her finger now poking his chest.
"Think about the people who want you alive. Think about those who love you. Think about what they have done for you to be here, now. And, as much as your selfish, prima-donna, victim behavior might be hurt by what I'm about to say, you are not alone."
Sasuke stood up abruptly, his head level with hers, as they glared at each other.
"You don't know anything about me," he hissed. "Shinobi lead a life of sadness and death, even if they're lucky, uh? Well, I've been so very unlucky, then. You don't know how much I suffered. You don't know the solitude I've lived in. You don't even imagine the sorrow I caused to those around me. Don't you dare speak of those who love me as if you're entitled to." The memory of when he tried to kill Sakura was still there, being replayed in his mind all over again.
He turned around to leave, but Asuka grabbed him by the wrist and forcibly spun him around.
"This is not a competition of who's suffered the most, for God's sake!" She blurted out, exasperated. "I don't know you, that's true. I don't know what you've been through, but tell me, do you know me? Haven't you wondered why I wasn't here during the war, or during your childhood?" Her stare was hard.
"We all make mistakes. We all have our own amends to make, our burdens to carry. But we need to take every opportunity we can to atone. These four months are your opportunity. You have the chance to make people change their mind about you. You have the chance to do your best, to work hard for that. To thank Naruto, and Sakura, and Kakashi, all those who believed, and are still believing in you. To prove to the whole ninja world, and to yourself, that you have changed. But you can also choose to not do anything, stay in your apartment and sulk. I won't stop you, nor will I come looking for you. It won't be much different from staying in prison. Or you could try and escape, go back to a missing-nin life, but in your physical condition, you'll be dead before crossing the village gate." She let go of his wrist. "It's your choice."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath when the boy disappeared from her sight.
Asuka didn't need to look behind herself when she heard steps approaching. "I might have gone a little overboard," she said, her eyes still fixated in front of her, looking at the direction Sasuke had left from. She was sitting under a tree, legs crossed, her chin resting on her hand.
"He came to visit me," Kakashi said, sitting down next to her and offering her a bento. She refused, claiming she was not hungry, so he opened it and started eating alone. "He didn't say anything, though. Just stood there and stared at me for a while," he said, chuckling.
"He reminded me of myself. Do you remember when I fled from you, that time after our first spar?"
She remembered; it was when she had mentioned her grandmother's suicide. Asuka shook her head, sighing.
"Kakashi… that kid is seriously damaged. And I should have acted like the adult I'm supposed to be, yet I haven't."
He swallowed the last of his rice. "Then why are you here and not looking for him around the village?" She briefly glanced at him, then back in front of her. An Anbu ninja had tried to report Sasuke's location to her, earlier that morning, but she had sent him away and hadn't moved from her spot.
"Because I firmly believe in what I told him. I should have chosen a more tactful approach, but I really am convinced of my words. We can help him, but it's up to him to want it."
Kakashi placed the sticks into the bento box. "I knew you wouldn't be discouraged by my stupid student's antics." He placed something beside her, on the ground. "Here, I know you'll get hungry sooner or later." Asuka smiled at the bento box next to her. Kakashi squeezed her shoulder.
"Have patience." That said, he left.
Her heart warmed at the man's trust in her. It was funny how he kept telling her she had saved him, when instead she was convinced of the contrary.
It was a couple of hours later when Sasuke came back. Asuka hadn't moved from her spot, and observed the boy approach slowly, as if every step put a lot of physical strain on his body. Or, more likely, his pride took a hit with every step he took. He came to a stop in front of her and looked down at the woman, seemingly searching for words to say.
Asuka took a deep sigh, closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head. "Run around the ground for twenty minutes, then punch-guard, kick-guard for twenty times, then again for a total of five times. Got it?"
Sasuke's eyes bore into hers. She noticed how his jaw clenched. Then he nodded, turned around and started running. Only then did she open the bento box and started eating.
Asuka never asked the boy where he had been or what he had done that day. She had come to know the answer, though, as both Naruto and Sakura told her he had visited them. He had played cards with Naruto and had himself treated by Sakura. He hadn't spoken much and had evaded their questions as to why he was not training. In the end, he had mumbled an excuse and had gone away.
Of course, his wounds wouldn't heal in a day. His rehabilitation, both physical and mental, had only just begun, but Asuka was thinking that, maybe, it had been good for them to quarrel early on. If he had doubts, it was better he addressed them at the beginning of this process.
A month had already passed. Sasuke sat on the grass of the training ground, catching his breath. For the past week, he had been training his kenjutsu skills with a friend of Asuka, whom he vaguely remembered from his student days as one of the teachers at the Academy.
Asuka had stated that she used to be skilled with a sword before she left Konoha, but as she hadn't touched one in years, she doubted she could efficiently assist his training. Therefore, instead of teaching him, she had called Midori and had decided to train alongside him. While his goal had been getting used to fighting with his right hand only, the kunoichi wanted to brush up her past skills. And, he had to admit, she was good. Not better than Midori (that woman was a freaking monster, and in Sasuke's opinion, she should not have been given permission to stay with children) but certainly better than many he had fought, and she made a good sparring partner.
He heard Asuka's steps as she approached him, after accompanying the other kunoichi to the exit of the training ground. He turned his head towards her and accepted the bottle of water she was offering him. "So, Sasuke-kun, what about we celebrate together with your friends, tonight?"
The boy frowned. "Celebrate what, exactly?" He asked. She tilted her head and smiled. "The end of our training, of course. Starting from Monday, we'll be assigned missions." She then shook her head lightly, her eyebrows knitted together. "I thought I had already mentioned this to you before."
Sasuke shrugged, averting his gaze. "I was probably ignoring your blabbing." She rolled her eyes to the sky. It was already halfway through December and the weather was cold and damp, but it was sunny, nonetheless. She sighed and looked at the cloud of smoke coming out of her mouth.
"Whatever, smart-ass. I was thinking I could buy something to eat all together at my place, later." Sasuke scoffed. "Of course you're buying food. Nobody wants to end up poisoned to death by your cooking."
In her defense, she had tried. She had noticed how Sasuke was looked at by the villagers. So, instead of having lunch in one of the food stalls in Konoha, Asuka had thought that she would pack lunch for the both of them. For the previous month, she had seriously attempted at cooking a decent meal. She had bought recipe books and all the right ingredients, yet she had always failed.
And if she had ever doubted Kakashi's feelings for her, now she could be 100% sure he loved her, because he still hadn't broken up with her, not even when she had made multiple attempts on his life with her failed experiments, not even after he had seen what could come out of her body, during a sleepless night she had spent face-down the toilet, Kakashi holding her hair behind her head and rubbing her back with his warm hand.
(Earlier that night, he had strongly refused to eat the food she had prepared and had tried to discourage her from doing so, too, claiming the smell it exhaled was dangerous. She had laughed at him, called him a pussy, and shoved the whole content of both their plates into her mouth. She had immediately regretted that action, but she just could not give Kakashi the satisfaction of being right yet again.)
After that incident he had offered to help her, teaching her some of his recipes, but those occasions had always resulted in them forgetting about food and instead having sex on the table, on the kitchen countertop or against the fridge.
The solution to their lunch then had been that Asuka would either pack leftovers from the previous night, or that Kakashi would prepare three bento boxes when he had time. Sometimes, Sasuke would bring his own food, and at times he and Asuka would just go get takeaway food from some shop or restaurant in the village.
Asuka stuck out her tongue at Sasuke. "So, what do you say?" The boy shrugged. "Like I care about a stupid party." His head jerked to the right, avoiding her kick. Nice reflexes.
"Go tell Naruto and Sakura. Come to my apartment around eight, ok?" Sasuke deadpanned. "I don't even know where you live," he stated. Asuka dismissed his remark with a wave of her hand. "Either Sakura or Naruto will. I'll see you later," she said, disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.
Sasuke stared at the point the kunoichi was until a second earlier. "Idiot," he muttered, standing up and heading towards the hospital. It was the day of his treatment, anyway.
During that first month, he had gotten to know the woman a bit more. He still didn't care about her, and it was not like he paid any attention when she talked about herself. She was childish, loud and stupid, but at times she had proven to be quite reliable. Borderline trustworthy, he would say.
The first week, they had trained in taijutsu. He had quickly acquired dexterity and built up stamina, even though he still got tired way faster than before. But that was something that would just keep getting better with time.
Then, they had trained in ninjutsu. That had been hard. He had needed to learn how to cast ninjutsu spells with only his right hand. He had discovered that, despite taking more chakra than usual, it was not that hard. He had even enjoyed that time. Asuka had smiled, telling him she could clearly see why the Uchiha had always been praised as a genius clan. He hadn't had any reaction, as usual, but he had felt proud of himself.
Then, they had trained in genjutsu. Only a couple of days, though. Apparently, that was not Asuka's specialty. She had taken him to a neighborhood to the far East of Konoha he didn't know, and trained with him in a temple. The monk that had put the seal on his eyes was there, too. Apparently, he and Asuka were somehow blood related. Not that he cared, anyway.
The kunoichi had a strange sealing jutsu that was designed to interrupt the flow of her chakra when she was under an illusion. It would appear in the form of a black kanji on her palm, like a tattoo, which spelled "illusion." Sasuke suspected that, without it, she would fall prey to even the plainest ones. She didn't look like the type of person with innate genjutsu ability. A little like Naruto.
Also, there was something that Sasuke couldn't quite understand about the woman, namely the black chakra flowing inside of her. She had never used that during that month. But he could see it flowing in her system with his Sharingan. It was like the nine-tails inside Naruto. But, whereas the spirit inside the boy felt like fire, red and burning, the chakra inside Asuka felt dark and cold, more menacing. Once he had asked her about that, but she had evaded his question and accused him of using his 'x-ray vision' to 'take a peek at her perfect body'. The idiot.
"Asuka-nee! Here we are!"
Asuka opened the door just as Naruto was hit on the head by an annoyed Sakura. "Geez, idiot, why do you always have to be so loud?" Next to the girl stood Sasuke, with his usual I've just eaten something very acid expression.
Asuka's eyes then settled behind the trio, taking in the sight of two other people she wasn't expecting. She knew one of them, who looked fairly embarrassed, but not the other, who sported a curious expression. Sakura's elbow hit Naruto straight in the ribs. "Explain!" she hissed at him. The boy put his hand behind his head and grinned excitedly. "Well, I thought it would be good to have a Team 7 reunion, so I took the liberty to invite Yamato-sensei and Sai, too!" Seeing her raised eyebrow, his expression turned doubtful, as Sakura was insulting him through whispers. "I told you, you can't invite other people when it's not your house, idiot!" She seemed ready to apologize for her teammate's rudeness, when Asuka simply smiled.
"Oh, that's great! Well done, Naruto! I was actually fearing I had bought too much food! Please, come in," she prompted, stepping aside to let her guests inside the apartment.
Yamato scratched his neck before entering. "I'm sorry, Sarutobi-san… Naruto was so insistent, I thought he had asked for your permission and that you knew we would come over, too." Asuka smiled, tilting her head to the side. "No need to worry, I really did buy a whole lot of food." She accepted the little bag Yamato offered and peeked inside. "I thought I'd buy some sweets." Asuka thanked him, then turned to the boy behind him.
"Hi," she said, "I don't think we've met before. I'm Sarutobi Asuka." She swallowed, her lips tightened when she received no reply and her hand was still extended, waiting to be shaken.
The awkward silence was interrupted by Sakura, who stomped back towards Sai and smacked him on the head. "Introduce yourself, animal!" She said, turning to Asuka.
"I apologize, Asuka-san! He really doesn't know how to interact with people…"
The boy looked at his friend, then at Asuka. "I'm trying to learn, though. I'm reading a lot of books. I'm Sai," he said. His expression never changed.
'Weirdoo,' Amanozako chanted inside her head, and Asuka couldn't help but agree. Her smile, though, didn't falter. Sai looked at Sakura.
"Should I be honest and express my first impression?" The girl's eyes widened, recalling the nickname Sai had given to her when they had met. She started shaking her head violently, but Asuka interjected. "Please, do tell me. I'm curious," she prompted. Sai tilted his head to the side and pulled up the corners of his mouth.
"I really like your smile. As much as I try, I can't seem to be able to perfect it. If you were my age and we were friends, my nickname for you would be Smile."
That said, he entered the apartment, leaving Sakura behind trying to apologize for her friend's behavior. "He's had… an odd upbringing," she explained, "but you've been lucky. I've been nicknamed Ugly, after all." Asuka found that amusing, but she didn't laugh. Girls of Sakura's age were still insecure about their appearance. She patted her head with affection.
"That means he's a fool. You're so cute, Sakura. I would have loved to have such peculiar traits when I was your age, really, instead of looking rather plain."
Sakura blushed and took in the woman's appearance. She was wearing a high-neck, oversized tan sweater, cropped on her belly, over a pair of black leggings. She had pulled back her bangs with a deep-red headband and had her usual eyeliner and dark lipstick. She couldn't really understand why she would have liked to be different. In her opinion, Asuka was gorgeous. She had gotten to know her a little better during the past month, as she would always accompany Sasuke to the hospital, and they had often had lunch together, when Sakura and Naruto visited them during training. She was cheerful and outgoing, but also nice. Even then, she had warmly welcomed Yamato and Sai, even though she wasn't expecting them, and hadn't made a fuss out of it.
Asuka closed the door behind herself; Yamato, Sai and Sakura took off their cloaks and sandals before stepping into the living room, where Naruto and Sasuke were already looking around themselves.
"Asuka-nee, can I take a tour of the apartment? It's my first time being here!" Naruto pleaded. "Uhm, sure," the woman conceded. "Make yourselves at home."
Naruto hurried excitedly all over the house, looking at their teacher's apartment, moving things and opening cabinets, secretly trying to discover more about Kakashi. More specifically, searching for a picture of him without his mask on. And, of course, he didn't find any.
Since he hadn't paid much attention to what Asuka had been telling about herself during the past month, Sasuke could only guess she was sharing the apartment with another person. He had seen a pair of men's shoes in the hall, and as he washed his hand in the bathroom, he noticed two toothbrushes and a shaving razor on the sink. He hadn't gone into her bedroom, because he was not as nosy as the blond idiot, and also there seemed to be another room in the house. He guessed she lived with a man, probably a shinobi, who was maybe away on a mission.
When he got back into the living room, Naruto was asking the woman when Kakashi would arrive. She glanced at the clock on the wall and the corners of her lips turned down, as if she were thinking. "I guess he should be on his way," she replied.
Sakura then paid Asuka some compliments regarding a plant she had in the apartment. She giggled before replying. "It's the one Ino gave me for my birthday; thank God it's really low-maintenance. I'm doing a very poor job of taking care of it."
Asuka strolled into the living room carrying a tray with appetizers and tea. "While we're waiting for the last member of your team, please enjoy these." She placed the tray on the little table in front of the sofa. "Yamato-san, I have some sake, if you prefer." The man kindly refused. "Maybe after dinner," he added.
"So, you too are members of the infamous Team 7?" Asuka asked to Yamato and Sai, sitting down on one of the chairs she had placed in front of the sofa. Naruto yelled at her from the kitchen, where he was peeking inside the bags of food Asuka had bought. He smiled brightly when he noticed that the woman had indeed bought ramen, among other things.
"Yo, Asuka-nee, we are the glorious Team 7!" She chuckled lightly and focused back on Yamato.
"Yes, well, not the original one… I've substituted for Kakashi-senpai on some occasions."
Sai then tilted his head, a creepy smile on his face. "I replaced Sasuke-kun after he chose to leave." Beside him, Sakura tensed and looked at Sasuke, who was sitting on an armchair. She silently thanked the gods above for preventing Sai from uttering the word criminal.
"Yes, because Granny Tsunade thought we might need another pale, emo guy with no sense of humor," Naruto joked, grabbing a handful of chips and shoving them into his mouth.
"The role of the buffoon had already been assigned," Sai commented, serious, making everybody but Naruto snort in amusement. The boy then looked at Sakura, an eyebrow raised in confusion, "Did I say something funny?" he asked.
The following minutes were spent with a discussion among the teenagers about who was the most idiot; Naruto was selected as the chosen one, much to his chagrin. Trying to change topic, Naruto turned back to Asuka and complained about their teacher's tardiness.
"Well, he's usually home by this time. I did tell him you were coming over at seven, though, as a precaution. You know he likes to make people wait for him," she joked.
At her words, Sasuke and Yamato looked at Asuka, confused. "He's… home?" Yamato asked, connecting the dots inside his head.
"Asuka-nee is Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend," Naruto explained. Yamato almost sputtered his tea all around him. "What?" The woman waved a hand in front of herself, as if to dismiss other questions.
"Yeah, we were together even before I left the village. We got back together when we met again, it's not that big of a deal, really," she explained.
Yamato wanted to reply that it was, indeed, a big deal. Kakashi was the Hokage, the village leader, and as such, he was an important representative figure. His life was under constant spotlight. Then again, Sarutobi-san was a strong and level-headed kunoichi, and she didn't seem a gold-digger or someone who would cause scandals. Also, the fact that she was the daughter of the Third Hokage could give a feeling of continuity to the whole village.
Sasuke was shocked. His expression didn't betray his emotions, of course, but he couldn't say he had seen it coming. When Asuka talked about Kakashi with him, she would refer to him as Rokudaime or Hokage; very rarely had she called him by his name. Maybe he should have listened to her blabbing about herself more attentively.
It was Sai, however, to play the awkwardness card, yet again.
"Asuka-san, does 'being together' mean fornicating?"
The woman snorted, almost choking on her tea. The same reaction seemed to affect everyone else, too. Sai looked around himself, disoriented. "Did I say something inappropriate? I read in a book that this kind of romantic relationships often entails sex as a means to express love. I thought it was a valid topic for a conversation, as we could all learn something new."
Beside him, a flustered Yamato covered his face with his hand, mumbling some kind of apology to Asuka. Sakura's face was the color of her hair, while Naruto looked at the same time flustered and curious. Sasuke seemed unperturbed, yet his pale complexion was pinker than before. He was suddenly remembered of Asuka's introduction. I like food, music and sex, she had said. Fuck. Now he couldn't help but picture the two being intimate. Can someone erase this image out of my head, please?
Asuka giggled. "Oh my, you're hilarious," she said to Sai. "Actually, yes, we do have sex," she replied.
Sai nodded, interested. "Is it good?" he asked, oblivious to his friends' faces becoming even redder. Asuka nodded in response, an amused smile on her face. She was not embarrassed by those questions, but she really wanted to see how far he would go with his curiosity before Yamato or Sakura would try to silence him.
"I read that some women complain about the dimension of their partner's penis. If you're satisfied, I guess it's nor your case." At that, Yamato turned to Sai, glaring menacingly at the boy. "Enough of this, Sai. These questions are way too personal." The boy looked confused.
Asuka chuckled. "It's ok, really. I'm not embarrassed, and I guess this is a topic all kids their age want to know more about." She turned to Sai. "To answer your question, I am satisfied, I don't really have anything to complain, and also, how could I put it…" she said, placing her finger on her chin, "it's not the dimension of the tool which is important, it's more how you use it."
At that, Sai turned towards Naruto. "Did you hear that? I guess that despite your small prick, you could still pleasure a girl."
Silence fell in the room, but it only lasted for a second. A snort was heard loud and clear, coming from none other than Sasuke. Ashamed, Naruto threw himself onto Sai, ready to murder him. "Stop saying that, dammit!" he demanded, flustered, trying to close his hands around his teammate's neck.
"Yo."
Kakashi's appearance was welcomed by a collective sigh of relief. The Hokage, though, was unsure whether to laugh or intervene in the attempted murder that was taking place in front of his eyes. He resorted to ignoring the scene, sighing and instead smiling at the other guests. Yamato apologized for showing up unexpectedly with Sai, saying Naruto had invited them. "Now I wish I hadn't!" He barked, his face red. Asuka looked amusedly at him, her finger rotating beside her temple. They're crazy. Kakashi smirked at her, and excused himself as he went to the bedroom to strip off of his jacket and weapon pouch.
It felt strange to have other people inside the house. That morning, Asuka had told him she was thinking of inviting the kids over to dinner, claiming that Sasuke wouldn't have felt at ease if they had gone to a restaurant. After only one month since his release from prison, the villagers were still giving him the cold shoulder, or worse, insulting him openly, so Asuka wanted to avoid unnecessary commotion. Therefore, she had asked Kakashi if he was ok with the idea. He couldn't deny having felt somewhat uneasy at the thought of having the kids invade his privacy. However, he had replied that it was not his house anymore, it was theirs, and Kakashi wanted her to feel like she truly belonged there. She didn't have to ask for his permission to invite people.
Also, glancing at the living room from the bedroom, he couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since the whole Team 7 had been together. Actually, he couldn't recall any other similar occasion. Seeing those kids, almost young adults, having fun together – even though at Naruto's expenses, it seemed – stirred something inside his chest. Pride, hope, love. They had accomplished so much since he had met them.
Kakashi strolled back into the living room. Asuka and Sakura were taking the food out of the bags and placing it on plates, while Yamato was seemingly using his wood-style jutsu to make chairs.
"Thank you very much, Yamato-san! I hadn't considered we only had two chairs!" Asuka chimed. "Well, if you don't mind, could you also find a way to extend the table, so that we could all fit comfortably?" Yamato smiled sheepishly, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. Was she exploiting him? Asuka smiled and winked at Naruto. The boy chuckled beside him.
"Heh, Yamato-taichou, you're a true pushover, you know that?" The man's head dropped low. "I'm just being polite!" he retorted.
Behind them, Kakashi's amused voice made the two startle. "You'd better be, Tenzo, since you came here uninvited and are about to sponge a dinner." Yamato's face became red, while he hastened to apologize and blame Naruto.
Dinner went on smoothly. Naruto was the main attraction, speaking loudly about whatever crossed his mind. You could tell he was happy to spend the night with people he considered his family. Asuka supported the loud behavior of the boy sitting next to her with comments and laughter.
"Kakashi-sensei, how comes you're wearing that mask even in your own house?" Naruto whined, annoyed. He really wanted to see what was under it. Sasuke lifted his eyes from the plate in front of him, seemingly interested in the matter. Of course, Kakashi had already finished eating and nobody had noticed him. That fucking stealthy ninja. "If I didn't, I would completely lose all my allure to you," he joked.
"Why?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. Asuka smiled, content that the boy was proving to be alive. She had been pondering over pricking him with her chopstick before.
Kakashi closed his eyes dramatically, bringing a hand to his chest. "There wouldn't be mystery anymore in our relationship, and you'll get bored of me… your fantasies about my face would just crumble. And I don't want to be the one responsible for such a shock," he stated.
Naruto pouted, mumbling about his teacher being a total smart-ass. In front of him, Sakura blushed, probably thinking about her teacher's face. Naruto noticed that and his eyes widened. "You saw him!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at his friend. Sakura shrugged, looking away, her blush intensifying. "Of course, I did; he's been my patient more than once, you know?"
The blonde boy huffed. "So, Sakura-chan saw him, Asuka-nee…" he eyed the woman next to him, who smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess you did, too… you two do make out, after all. And I hope he's not weird enough to keep his mask on. Yamato-sensei?" he then asked, his eyes searching for the third adult in the room. Yamato shrugged and tilted his head in thought. "I guess I have seen him once or twice." But he really did not remember his face that much. Sai raised his hand "If it makes you feel better, I haven't seen Kakashi-sama's face. But it's not like I care, either." Naruto then groaned and his shoulders slumped, defeated.
"That's mean, Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke and I have been trying to see what's underneath your mask for years now! We even risked being arrested! Hey Sasuke, do you remember? The time when we infiltrated the registration office archives with that photographer… what was his name again?" he mumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Shikaner, Sukea, something like that," Sasuke replied, quietly chewing his meat. Kakashi chuckled. "Oh, I remember that guy. He wanted to take a picture at my face and sell it, didn't he?"
Asuka giggled, amused. "What did you do, guys?" She asked, already knowing they had probably been pranked by the man. 'Shikaner' and 'Sukea' were some of the aliases Kakashi liked to use on covert missions. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke then proceeded to tell her the story of how they had almost revealed their teacher's face, and all the other various, unsuccessful attempts they had made.
"Geez, you truly are an idiot," Asuka whispered to Kakashi, who let out a quiet laugh. "It was an innocent pastime, he replied."
"There you go!" Asuka beamed, placing a tray onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. Five pairs of eyes looked at her questioningly, while Kakashi only seemed disappointed that he would have to share such a fine delicacy with such snotty brats who clearly couldn't appreciate its value.
"What's the matter? We must celebrate the end of Sasuke's training and the beginning of his missions… this calls for sake!" Asuka exclaimed. At that, Sasuke rolled his eyes upwards. As if staying together with that idiot for the next three months was anything to celebrate.
"Yeah, Asuka-san, but… we are not supposed to drink alcohol. We're still underage," Sakura said, tentatively, looking at the little sake cups on the table. Naruto, on the contrary, seemed somewhat curious to try.
The woman waved a hand in front of her. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you've never tried!" Sakura shook her head, and Asuka let out a sigh. "Kids these days… Big enough to fight in a war, yet chaste and law-abiding as pure little virgins," she looked at Kakashi, smirking. "Aren't they boring?" The man chuckled, amused. "Nah. I think they're cute," he commented, then looked at Sakura.
"Obviously, you don't have to drink if you don't want to, Sakura." The girl blushed. She didn't want to appear as a moralist. The truth was that her inner self was screaming at her to try and. Also, it was a good idea to do that with three responsible adults who would probably prevent her from getting drunk. Thus, she decided to reach for the cup. Asuka winked at her and giggled. "It's better than you think," she promised.
Naruto raised his hand and waved it in the air. "Asuka-nee, I do want to try it!" He was so excited; he felt like he was being treated like an adult, and it made him proud of himself. Sasuke had already grabbed the small cup and was smelling its content. He was not afraid of a little alcohol. After all, he suspected Orochimaru had administered him even worse stuff in the years they had spent together.
Sai, too, had the cup in his hand. "I read that many social interactions are facilitated by alcohol, which eases conversations and loosens mental restraints." Yamato eyed him, serious. "That is right, but you need to use moderation." Sai looked at him with a confused expression.
"If you drink too much and get wasted, you can easily end up ruining those social interactions you want to establish," Asuka explained. "Also, be aware that you shouldn't use it to get into ladies' panties."
Sai tilted his head. "I don't see why I should. I usually wear boxers." Asuka snorted. "Nevermind," she said, stifling a laugh. She glanced at Kakashi, who was looking rather amused.
"Can I be the one to propose a toast? Please?" Naruto whined, before anyone could drink. Kakashi nodded, and the boy screeched, excitedly.
"Great! Ok. So, I wish Sasuke successful missions around the village, I do hope you'll be freed soon and that we will all go back to work as a team again!"
Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat. He had never known how to respond to such explicit shows of affection from Naruto's part. He felt both privileged and terrified at the same time, because he felt somehow responsible for his friend's happiness. He glanced around himself and saw that they were all looking at him. No, he didn't want all that attention upon himself.
"Oh, and I hope Asuka-nee won't get fed up with Sasuke's idiotic attitude and leave him be after their first mission!" At that, the woman smiled and looked playfully at Sasuke. "That might really happen," she joked.
"Then, I wish for Sakura-chan to do well with her job at the hospital, and for Yamato-sensei to be less of a pushover, and for Sai to stop being a dork, and…"
"That's enough, Naruto, save your wishes for the next toast," Kakashi said, interrupting his former student, or he would have continued for a long time.
The boy's eyebrows shot up in his forehead. "We are allowed to drink more?!" he exclaimed, excited.
"We'll see your condition after the first cup," Kakashi replied, smirking. He had a feeling that Naruto wouldn't hold alcohol that well.
"Well… Cheers!" Asuka chirped, then took a sip from her cup. That was going to be the only alcohol she would be having that night, so she wanted to enjoy every single drop of it.
It was good. Now she understood why Tsunade would keep a secret stash in her drawer, both when she was Hokage and now in her office at the hospital. It burned a little at the beginning, but that feeling was swiftly replaced by a comforting warmth in her mouth and her esophagus. Sakura knew exactly how sake would affect her system, she had thoroughly studied it, but now she could have a first-hand experience. It was probably suggestion, but she already felt more relaxed.
She cast a furtive glance at Sasuke. He was so handsome. His physical aspect had greatly improved in that month. She remembered how worried she had been when she had seen him the day he had been released. Too skinny and pale to be considered healthy. And that problem with his chakra… she could only imagine how much pain he had to endure. But that afternoon, when Sasuke had showed up for his weekly check-up and had taken his t-shirt off, she could gladly observe, in total objectivity, that his physical shape had definitely gotten better. She felt her cheeks get warmer the more she looked at him.
Sakura had tried to rationalize.
Rationally, she should not be feeling anything towards him anymore. He had tried to kill her, for god's sake. And not 'tried' as if in 'I should try pottery'. He had been serious. Killing intent and all that jazz. She would be dead, if not for Kakashi and Naruto. And yet, there she was, still pining after him. She guessed her reason was weaker than her heart.
But there was something… something was different. She was different, for starters. She was strong now, she could take care of herself, she could be the one to protect those who were dear to her. And it seemed Sasuke had noticed that. He tended to act more nicely and relaxed around her. He did seem to enjoy their time together. She didn't want to start building castles in the air, but she was somewhat optimistic.
At that moment, Sasuke's eyes settled on her, and just stared. He didn't move a facial muscle, didn't say anything. He was just looking at her. Sakura felt her cheeks burning. She knew that she was blushing hard, she just knew that, but she couldn't look away.
However, right at that moment, Sai caught a kunai that Naruto had thrown at him (he had apparently revealed that during their last mission, Naruto was caught peeping at Hinata while in the bathhouse, a fact that the blond was fervently denying) and accidentally hit Sakura in the ribs. The girl, who was lost in her thoughts and wasn't paying attention to the conversation, thought that Sai had voluntarily nudged her to catch her attention, and her face jolted towards the other people in the room, who noticed her sudden movement and looked at her, surprised. She let out a nervous giggle, and her brain desperately tried to find something to say, anything, to not look like a complete fool. Her eyes briefly scanned her surroundings.
"Uh, hum… Kakashi-sensei, I didn't know you could play guitar," she said, pointing at the instrument carefully placed on its stand next to the tv. The man shook his head, amused at Sakura's embarrassment (he had noticed her and Sasuke's silent interaction, of course). "I'm afraid I don't have any artistic talent," he said, pointing at Asuka, "she is the musician," he explained. Sakura's mouth formed a silent 'oh'. Just how cooler could that woman get?
"Asuka-nee, would you please play something for us? Please?!" Naruto asked, helping himself with another cup of sake. "Whoa, Naruto, go easy on that, will you?" Asuka said, standing up to grab the guitar. "Even though you are with responsible adults, it's not like I fancy the idea of you passing out on the floor, you know?" The boy immediately put his cup down on the coffee table.
Asuka sat down on her chair once again and strummed on the strings, then quickly tuned her guitar. "Do you guys want to listen to something happy or sad?" she asked her audience. Naruto, of course, wanted a happy tune, and he expressed his preference as loud as ever. Asuka chuckled and started playing an upbeat song, probably a bit old for teenage tastes, but she had been away for many years and was not that updated on new music; her repertoire on contemporary music of the Land of Fire was indeed limited. Naruto, however, seemed to be liking the song, considering how his head bobbed along with the tune. When she started singing, though, he froze and looked at her with his mouth open.
"Holy shit, Asuka-nee, you're so good!" Naruto complimented her, once the song was over. "Please, go on!" Sakura and Yamato complimented her, too, while Sasuke and Sai just stared at her. Kakashi seemed deep in thought. Asuka giggled. "Mind you, I have a big repertoire… I could go on all night long, you know?" Sakura clapped her hands, and Asuka resumed playing. She also sang songs from the Western Continent, in languages the ninja didn't know, which prompted heated questions from the rest of the group about the world outside Konoha. Asuka was more than happy to talk about where she had lived and what she had seen, her friends in Ita, careful not to give away details about Amanozako or the reasons why she had to move.
It was way past eleven when Yamato and Sai stood to leave, and Kakashi walked them to the door. Naruto had indeed passed out on the armchair after his third cup.
Sakura had gone to the balcony out of the living room to admire the view. Asuka believed she just wanted to get some fresh air and sober up. "You guys do drink, uh?" she teased Sasuke, who was holding his fifth cup, but seemed as sober as when he had showed up. She placed the guitar back on its stand and collected the cups on the coffee table, putting them in the sink.
"You instead don't drink much," he replied. Asuka looked at him, while washing the cups. "Bad things happened when I did," she said. Sasuke scoffed. "What do you do? Go around killing people?" She smiled sadly, looking at the water running, and hummed. "Eating them, too." Sasuke took that as a joke, snorted and looked away, mumbling insults at the woman who was clearly making fun of him.
"I think you should go outside and check on Sakura," she said, "maybe offer to walk her home. I bet she's still waiting for her goodnight kiss from an emo-ninja with pretty mismatched eyes." She really couldn't help but tease him. He looked annoyed but stood up, nonetheless, and walked out on the balcony, sitting beside Sakura on a small bench.
"Aren't they cute, your puppies?" Asuka asked, leaning into Kakashi's hand on her cheek. He hummed in confirmation before leaning forward and quickly pressing his lips on the woman's. "What should we do with him, though?" He asked, adjusting his mask back onto his face and turning to Naruto, who was snoring loudly on the armchair. She waved her hand, giggling. "Oh, just leave him be. I guess we could shelter a stray cat for a night."
Just then, they heard a light tapping on the window pane. Sasuke was looking at them and seemed utterly terrified at the kunoichi leaning on his shoulder and hugging his waist, sleeping as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Or three stray cats," Kakashi huffed, amused, opening the French window to help Sasuke carry the sleeping girl inside.
Asuka motioned for them to lay Sakura onto the sofa, and she immediately covered her with a blanket, then she did the same to Naruto, still perched on the armchair and oblivious to the whole situation. "You can stay here for the night, too, if you'd like, Sasuke," Asuka offered. "After all, I don't think they'll wake up anytime soon."
Sasuke nodded and accepted the blanket and pillow Asuka had retrieved. "It's not much, but you can either sleep here, in this other armchair or on the carpet. We do have another room, but I don't think Kakashi's dogs would be willing to share their kennels with you. Or you could sleep in the bed between me and Kakashi, we can squeeze," she joked. The man's glare told him clearly not to even dare thinking about it.
"Thank you," Asuka and Kakashi heard as they were entering their bedroom. It had been barely a whisper, but so clear in the silence of the room. Asuka smiled, seeing Kakashi's surprised expression. She guessed it was a first for him. "Good night, Sasuke," she replied, before closing the door behind themselves.
She took Kakashi by the hand and led him to their bed, then turned around and hugged him, her arms circling around his neck. "How are you?" She asked, whispering. He nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent.
"Grateful. Hopeful. Worried," he replied. So much was passing through his mind right now. There finally seemed to be peace, everybody was fine. How long would it last, though? Days? Weeks? The three months that awaited them before Sasuke's trial? He was not sure he could bear other tragedies.
Asuka caressed his hair sweetly, then kissed his masked cheek. "Believe in him. He's an asshole, but I think he might be changing. You have to be strong, for him. For Naruto and Sakura. For the whole village." Her hands delicately caressed his cheeks. "But when we are alone, you can break down. You can curl up in a ball on the floor. You can throw things at me. I won't budge. I have broad shoulders and an empathetic personality, and I'm not afraid to use them, you know," she said, looking at his eyes. Kakashi leaned his forehead against Asuka's. "You're amazing," he said.
They stood there for quite some time. Snoring sounds came from the living room. Kakashi's eyes suddenly became playful. "I guess it's not appropriate to have sex when the brats are just on the other side of the door, uh?" She scoffed, letting Kakashi take off her sweater, then she slid her arms down his back and hugged his waist. "I fear you're right… or we could try to keep it down, the door is locked anyway…" she whispered, bringing their bodies closer and leaning her hips against his. He faked a pout; Asuka could see his lips protruding under the mask. "But I like it when you're loud," he said playfully, his fingers running on the skin of her stomach, reaching up to her bra and sneaking underneath.
"Well…" Asuka started, her hand slowly sliding to Kakashi's front, caressing the bulge that had formed there. "There is a way for me to stay silent, and for you to still enjoy it…" She kissed his masked lips and then bent on her knees, sliding his pants down his legs. Kakashi's head jerked back and he gasped, as a familiar wet warmth engulfed him. Asuka's hands grabbed his rear, pushing him deeper into her mouth. His fingers found her head and delicately tangled in her hair, making her red headband slide off her head.
Warmth… it felt so good to be hugged by someone during sleep. It made the uncomfortableness of lying on the floor more bearable. Also, sunlight was coming in from the window, hitting his body, amplifying that warm, comforting sensation.
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, recalling the events from the previous night. The dinner at Kakashi's, the sake, the music and the carefree conversations (in which he clearly had not taken part), then Sakura falling asleep while they were outside, leaning her head on his shoulder, like she was doing now. Even though he thought she would be lighter. His eyes then focused on a thin arm above his head, hovering from the sofa. That was Sakura's arm. A chill ran down his spine, just as he heard a click sound from above him.
"Aww, isn't that a sight to behold? You're just the cutest!" Asuka was there, looming above Sasuke, her arms crossed in front of her chest, openly mocking him. At her side, Kakashi's eyes were crinkled in a smile, as his right thumb pulled the film advance lever on his camera.
Sasuke abruptly looked at his right side, where he thought Sakura was, finding instead a blond mass of spiky hair belonging to a notoriously idiotic ninja who was constricting him like a koala on a eucalyptus branch. He jerked up, sitting with his back straight, disentangled his right arm from Naruto's grip and punched him on the head.
"Ouch! What was that for? What…" Naruto froze. His gaze ran from Sasuke to Asuka and Kakashi while the skin of his face got darker with each passing moment.
Sasuke stood up abruptly, but his foot was still entangled in his blanket and Naruto's legs, with the result of him losing his balance and falling onto Sakura on the couch. The poor girl jerked awake and sat up, only for her head to bump into Sasuke's head with a big tonk sound. They looked at each other and their faces went red with shame.
Light chuckles were heard as Asuka and Kakashi literally stepped over the teenagers and strolled to the kitchen.
"Gai sure is right when he talks about the spring of youth, uh? Look at that much energy!" Asuka commented from her place at the table, her head resting on her hand and her foot pulled up onto the chair. Kakashi hummed in agreement while preparing breakfast.
Naruto was the first one to snap out of his daze and headed to the bathroom. His head peeked out to ask if he could take a shower. Asuka went to retrieve towels and clean clothes for him to use (Kakashi might have given her a disapproving look when he noticed his clean clothes in her arms), and she told Sasuke and Sakura they were welcome to take a shower and change, too, if they wanted.
"Kakashi-sensei, you really don't have that much fantasy in your clothing choice, do you?" Naruto complained, while Asuka folded the sleeve of the sweater up his right arm. The boy glanced at Sasuke and frowned; they were wearing the exact same items. The same blue sweater and blue pants that the Hokage always wore. The man sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. Such ungrateful brats. They should be thanking him for lending them new clothes. Which, by the way, simply were the standard Konoha shinobi uniform, that they never wore. And they fit him much better than those kids.
Sakura, on the other hand, was literally glowing at the dress she was wearing. It was the burgundy turtleneck dress Asuka was wearing the day they had met, after the woman had come back to Konoha. Sakura had never owned anything like that. The fabric was just the softest and warmest wool she had ever touched, and the quality felt so high. It was just a little loose on her, because the woman was curvier than Sakura, but she had tied a belt around her waist that better defined her waist. She didn't want to give it back to Asuka. She wandered if she had that eclectic and peculiar air about herself that the woman always conveyed. Naruto eyed her. "You're cute, Sakura-chan, but it feels like that dress is a little empty in this area, don't you think?" He made a circular motion in front of his chest. "Ouch!" He complained. Had Asuka-nee really smacked him on the head?
"It's rude to say such things to a girl, Naruto," she scolded. The boy ducked his head into his shoulders. "Well, it's not my fault if you've got big boobs while she's just as flat-chested as I am. Ouch!" There. Another slap on the head. Holy crap, Asuka was quick to violence. "Don't listen to him," the woman hastened to tell Sakura, noticing the mortified expression in the girl's eyes. "You're very pretty," she said. "Isn't it right, Naruto? Sasuke?" Asuka asked, clearly menacing the boys. "Oh, come on, I wouldn't have liked Sakura for all those years of I had thought she wasn't pretty!" Naruto said, finally, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Sasuke was looking at anywhere but the table. He didn't want to be dragged into that conversation. Kakashi seemed to be thinking the same, as he was clearly pretending to still be cooking and had his back to them. But when Asuka kicked his leg under the table, focusing just the right amount of chakra that would probably make him limp for a few hours, Sasuke huffed and gave in. "I don't care about Sakura's body," he said, sincerely.
Had it been summer, the silence after such comment would only be filled by crickets creaking in the distance. But it was December, so that was it, complete silence. Even Kakashi had stopped his act of cooking and was now looking at him. What had he said? Why was Asuka looking at him as if she were refraining from punching the hell out of him, Naruto seemed shocked and Sakura deeply hurt?
He had been honest. He didn't care about her body. She was pretty, but that was not the most important thing about her. She was intelligent, powerful, caring. She was resolute, and gave her all for what she believed in. But he couldn't say all that aloud. He couldn't give her hope, because the last thing he wanted, now, was to make her suffer again. He pointed his chin at Asuka.
"You might be more feminine, but you're loud and obnoxious. And rude. And an idiot." He could distinctly feel some killing intent coming from Kakashi, even though his eye-smile was confusing. He turned his head to Asuka when he heard her giggle. "Gosh, Sasuke! You know, you don't have to humiliate a person if you want to compliment another one! I'm a sensitive girl, too!"
She shook her head. "You're lucky I have high self-esteem. But you forgot to mention one thing… I am also vindictive," she said, smirking mischievously, standing up and swiftly running behind him, effectively trapping the boy in a neck crank.
The scene must have been rather funny, because both Naruto and Sakura burst out laughing. The tension from a few seconds before had dissipated just like that. Asuka let go of Sasuke and winked at him, going back to her seat just as Kakashi put food onto the table.
He frowned lightly when he noticed the scar that ran along the woman's neck. He had never seen it, because she was always wearing clothes that would cover her, but now she was wearing a simple t-shirt with a loose cardigan and her skin was exposed. He briefly wondered about it, but pondered it would be better to ask when they were alone. Not that he was that interested, either.
As they were having breakfast, Sasuke briefly glanced around himself. He had had a family, before what Itachi had done. He remembered having breakfast all together, especially at the weekend, when his father and his brother were rather free and could take their time, staying a bit longer at the table, just pleasantly talking. He would listen to his father talking about the family's plans for the upcoming days, or just conversing with Itachi about the prodigy's missions. His mother would often comment with sweet remarks, while serving Sasuke his favorite food, onigiri. The boy cherished those moments. But, even if he knew they would never come again, he wondered if it would be possible for him to feel like his seven-year-old self again. Cheerful voices filled the room, he took his time to observe the scene before him, and couldn't help a warm feeling spread in his chest.
Naruto never had a family. Or at least, he didn't remember the almost-family he had once had, when he lived at Sandaime's. He could only speculate about how it would feel to be all together at the table, having breakfast, but he was convinced that it would be very similar to what he was experiencing now. He grinned like a madman, looking at Sasuke, whom he considered his arrogant yet irreplaceable brother. Next to him was Sakura, the beautiful and caring cousin you have a tiny crush on. Then, Asuka. The wise and protective older sister. He had known her for only a month, but he had grown so fond of her. Kakashi-sensei was his mentor and, along with Iruka-sensei, a father figure. No, more like a cool uncle, maybe. He teased Naruto too much to be compared to a father. But, if Asuka was his sister, then…
"How do you call your sister's husband?" He asked, out of the blue, receiving questioning looks. Brother-in-law, Sakura had replied, warily. Naruto nodded, satisfied. That sounded good.
"What are your plans for the day, Asuka-san?" Sakura asked, while helping her do the dishes. The woman shrugged. "Not much, really. Grocery shopping, and then I guess I'll clean up a bit here." Well, if the kids hadn't spent the night there, her morning would probably have been spent in bed with Kakashi engaging in very enjoyable activities. They would need to make up for the time lost the following day.
"I could come with you, if you don't mind. I also have some things I need to buy before going to the hospital. My shift starts at two this afternoon." Asuka smiled, handing her the last plate to dry. "Sure, why not. It's boring to go alone."
Naruto swiftly turned to Kakashi. He was still imagining them doing cool stuff together like a true family, but he didn't really fancy the idea of grocery shopping with the girls. Maybe the boys could do something together, like going fishing. "What are you doing today, sensei?"
As if expecting that question, Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Training," he said. He had specifically made sure to not fall behind schedule with his paperwork that week to be able to take some time for himself and focus on his jutsu training. He had meant to be alone, but… "Do you want to tag along?" He just couldn't say no to Naruto when he looked at him like a lost puppy. He then glanced at Sasuke, and caught him staring at them. He quickly looked away, embarrassed at being caught. "You can join us, too, Sasuke. I might evaluate if your training with Asuka was effective." And he could use another punching bag.
"Asuka-san, may I ask you a personal question?" The woman glanced at the blushing girl next to her, who was looking at potatoes as if they were the most interesting thing on earth. She prompted Sakura to go ahead and ask.
"How did you and sensei started dating?" Asuka smiled, tilting her head in thought.
"We first met when we were fourteen. Well, we knew who the other was, of course, but we had never interacted. However, we became friends. About two years later, we got together." Asuka couldn't help a smile spread onto her face, thinking back to that time.
"How did he confess?" The pink-haired girl asked, carefully avoiding using her teacher's name. She didn't want potential gossipers to know about the Hokage's private life. Asuka giggled. "He didn't." Sakura's eyes widened. "You did?" Asuka shook her head. Noticing the girl's confused expression, she went on.
"Nobody confessed to the other. I was curious about sex, so I just showed up at his house one day and asked him if he wanted to see what it was like, because I didn't want to die not knowing what all the fuss was about. After all, we were teenage soldiers in a time of war."
Taking in Sakura's shocked face, the woman hastened to clarify. "I mean, I did like him, of course, and he liked me. I know it's not the kind of romance girls usually dream of, but… that was not priority for me. After we kissed, I asked myself why we hadn't done that before. It was like… it felt so natural. And after that we were simply together. We did not speak about our feelings."
She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear. However, I'll admit that when I was away, I regretted not telling him anything… I'm just so grateful I could come back, you know."
Sakura felt her heartbeat accelerate. "That is so romantic!" She exclaimed, making Asuka laugh. "I envy you so much! It's not common to have perfect first experiences, or so I heard…" she said, her voice thinning until it became a whisper.
After all, it was not like she had any experience. She had always been rejected, whenever she had confessed her feelings. Heck, even when she had told Naruto she loved him only so that he would stop trying to bring Sasuke back and risk getting himself killed; even then her (fake) feelings had been rejected.
There had been some random guys who had approached her and asked her out, like Rock Lee, or some patients, but she had always turned them down, because she was not interested. However, she was starting to fear that she would die alone and a virgin, waiting for Sasuke to respond to her feelings.
Because, yes, she was obsessed with him. The night before he had seemed a little more considerate towards her, like when he had gone to the balcony to check if she was ok and had sat by her. Too bad she had fallen fucking asleep. Fuck, she would kick herself forever over that wasted opportunity. She would never drink again. Ever.
Sakura's lucubration was interrupted by Asuka's giggling. "Sakura, please, don't think my first time was perfect! Far from it! I mean… thinking about it… we really didn't know what we were doing. Our kisses were too sloppy, our gestures too inexperienced and naïve. It was painful, and when it started to take off, it was over."
She didn't want to create too high expectations in Sakura, but she couldn't even spoil that moment, which had been so meaningful to her. "However… it felt so good. We were in that together and… that was so powerful." She grinned, proceeding to the checkout counter.
"Also, in this kind of things, practice does make perfect," she whispered to Sakura's ear, winking at the blushing girl.
Kakashi-sensei was strong. As yet another shadow clone was electrocuted with purple lightning, Naruto couldn't help but wonder if his teacher had ever been serious with him around. Maybe, only during their fight against Kaguya. He had never seen Kakashi train, either, and Naruto had to admit it was a bit disheartening to see how much he still had to do before he could truly deserve to become Hokage.
Kakashi was keeping up with both him and the dobe at the same time, and it was frankly irritating. Just how powerful was he? Then again, Sasuke still wasn't in top condition, and the idiot… he looked at Naruto for a moment. He seemed he had been pampered a little too much in those months.
When Kakashi blocked Sasuke's chidori-clad sword with a kunai and pushed him away to disperse Naruto's Rasengan with his own, it became evident why the Hokage had erected four earth walls around their training ground. The destruction they were causing would have been detrimental to the village. Sasuke frowned.
"You were never this strong," he grunted, clearly irritated. He was sure he had surpassed his former teacher. Naruto laid on the ground, panting hard. Kakashi straightened his back. "Well, even though the Sharingan was a powerful asset, it constantly drained my chakra reserves." He then eye-smiled at him, tilting his head. "Or maybe you are weaker. Who knows?" he chuckled, seeing how Sasuke's jaw clenched.
Kakashi's foot nudged Naruto's body on the ground. "Are you ok? Maybe you should rest… I guess we can call it a day." After all, they had been sparring for the past four hours or so, and even though he had told Naruto not to use his prosthetic arm, which was still needing some fixings, the boy had clearly overexerted himself, and Kakashi didn't really fancy the idea of Tsunade scolding him again like a brat. He would train again alone the next day. Maybe ask Asuka if she'd like to tag along.
"What?" Sasuke spit out, his eyes narrowing at the playful look Kakashi was giving him. "I'm glad to see your training has been going well. You've gotten back strength and stamina. And you're getting proficient at sign weaving with only one hand, too." Sasuke's lips tightened. He didn't need Kakashi's pity. "I'm far from where I was when we were fighting Kagura." The man's hand rested on Sasuke's shoulder. "Don't be too harsh on yourself. It's not something you can solve in a month. It'll probably take years for you to get back to where you were and go beyond that point. Take it as a motivation not to rest on your laurels." Sasuke nodded. Kakashi wasn't wrong.
"That is also worth for you, Naruto," Kakashi told the blond ninja on the ground, who was tiredly getting up. "I fear Tsunade preventing you from fighting is proving to be a little bad for your ninja form, uh?"
Sasuke looked at his friend and nodded. "I agree. You'll end up a fatso in no time."
"How dare you! Bastard!" Naruto shot up and pointed his finger at Sasuke. Kakashi and Sasuke exchanged a conspiratorial look and smirked. "Kakashi-sensei! Don't side with the bastard, please!" The Hokage chuckled. "No biases here, Naruto. Just stating the obvious." The blond's shoulders slumped slightly. "Maah, Kakashi-sensei… you should buy me dinner to make up for your rudeness," Naruto said, pouting.
Kakashi tilted his head and smirked with mirth. "I really don't think so. I actually have to go now… I guess I'll see you around. Remember you need to give me back my clothes. Bye!"
That said, he didn't even give the teenagers time to reply. He just disappeared in his trademark whirlwind of leaves.
"Idiot number one," Sasuke commented, and Naruto grunted in annoyance.
But the truth was, they were happy.
A warm fire spread into their chests, and they both felt motivated to do their best.
Sasuke looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eyes. "Let's go, idiot. Buy me ramen."