The gate-guards stare. Indra can't actually blame them because, for all that they're in generic shinobi gear they'd managed to wrangle out of the Uchiha Stronghold on the way back (and Asura had aggressively stitched an Uzumaki's sigil over the Uchiha fan and he's ridiculously pleased she did that instead of ripping it off)... there's nothing generic about them. Between Indra's clearly Uchiha face, Asura's bright blonde hair and whisker marks, and Swirl-face's... everything, he imagines they're a sight to be seen. That Asura is skipping towards the gate, hands clasped behind her back and that beaming smile on her face... well, she doesn't exactly scream enemy-nin, but she's nowhere near subtle either.

"Good morning! We're here to see the Hokage, 'ttebayo! Pervy Sage shoulda already told him we're coming!"

Yeah, he's got no desire to straighten that out.

Guard One frantically flicks through papers. Probably the 'allocated or expected strangers list'. Guard Two had been facing into the village as Asura arrived and is now whipping his head back and forth between the mountain and the girl. Right, her father's carved into the stone, looking out over them all. Why Asura wants her bangs like her father's, he'll never know. They do suit her face, frame her eyes so perfectly. The growing hair, well, he's not sure about that. Oh, Asura'll make it look beautiful, but he just doesn't know where the idea has come from. When they were genin brats, her hair was sheared shorter than his. A reaction to that stupid rumour he liked long hair.

He doesn't. Hair is hair.

... He does have a thing for sunny blondes though.

"I- state you're name," Gate Guard One finally fumbles out, gawking again as Swirl-face slaps down what has to be some form of war time ID thing. Huh.

"Uchiha Obito, returned from Prisoner of War status."

"Rescued by us! Hi, we're Uzumaki Asura and Uchiha Indra!" Asura's right up in their faces now, all beaming smile and sunshine attitude

Indra slips his hand into hers, saying nothing.

That's about the time Gate Guard Two tears his eyes away from Asura to look at Swirl-face instead. It's a long, drawn out thing, followed by the disbelieving shake of a head.

"Hatake's gonna lose his shit," he whispers and Indra cannot tuck away the smile that wants to stretch across his lips at that.

.

A moment later, a small coalition of ANBU appear, undoubtedly to escort them to the Hokage's Tower, swiftly and safely. They take the rooftops, the flared chakra of their 'guards' signalling any other ninja to keep well away. Not that it'd stop either of them, or Swirl-face for that matter, from attacking the citizens if they wanted to. But they won't. Asura's too good to think of it, Indra too determined to be on her good side, and Swirl-face too under thumb to be anything other than good. For now.

All bets are off if he sees Danzō.

He does spot a younger Ino walking through the streets, utterly oblivious to the contingency of ANBU passing overhead. She's accompanied by her father, who does spot them and stares at him, at Asura. Indra ignores him. Asura gives a jaunty wave.

It's... strange, being back in the Leaf Village. The place he'd sworn to destroy. The place he'd nearly died trying to protect. This place that treated both himself and Asura so badly, yet remains a central point of her love. It doesn't deserve it but then, neither does Indra. Perhaps that's something they have in common. Loved by an idiotic blonde who doesn't know any better. It's foolish, comparing himself to a village like this. And yet, so much of what Asura is, what she strives for, is focused upon this sprawling stretch of buildings and the people who occupy them.

"Indra!"

He doesn't have much time to react; Asura is suddenly throwing herself onto his back, arms wrapped around his shoulders and cheek nuzzling against the side of his skull. Her legs encircle his waist and Indra catches the bald of her thighs, unnecessarily holding her steady.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing! I just wanted a piggyback!" Her breath is hot against his ear, the excited rhythm of her heart thundering through the skin of his back to jolt his own into motion. He runs one of his fingers back and forth against the thick shinobi-wear that covers her legs, feeling the muscle flex beneath his touch.

She can read him well enough; Asura doesn't even need to ask him for something. Whatever she wants, he'll do his best to ensure she gets it.

"You two are sickening," Swirl-face grumbles, slipping in through the window before Indra can think of a snappy comeback that won't have the reformed villain (attempting to) shank him.

They follow a moment later, entering an office Indra hasn't seen in near five years. The photos of the previous Hokages remain (how no one ever connected Asura to the Fourth, he'll never know) though the desk is different to what he recalls. Then again, Tsunade was well known for her stellar temper. She probably smashed this one in a fit of rage after learning about the clusterfuck that is the Leaf Village and all it's hidden darkness. Speaking of, he'll be shooting for Danzō the second they're on of this room and officially 'Leaf Ninjas'.

The Third Hokage sits behind his desk, staring at the two (three) of them. Indra wonders what he sees. If it's the jawline of his mother, the charcoal of his father's eyes. If he sees the promise and brilliance within Asura.

Only once one of the ANBU guards has whispered in his ear do his eyes find Swirl-face, clear surprise in them. Then, he turns to Asura, rightly deducing her their leader.

"You best start from the beginning."

.

They do start from the beginning. From the beginning of Jiraiya's pre-conducted, delivered-by-the-toads story, that is. Asura's particularly good at feeding her lies, taking incidents that actually happened when they were genin and twisting them to fit her narrative, smiling all the while.

It's as she's in the middle of recalling their 'arms-trapped-in-the-thing-accidental-waterfall-kiss that the door is thrown open with a bang, a desperately hopefully Kakashi on the other side. Ah, the rumours of Swirl-face's return must have reached him. The other Uchiha looks one bad word from fleeing into his fucked-up dimension; the only thing keeping him in place is Asura's hand on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, the Third full out gawks at the intruder.

"Kakashi? You're- you're an hour early."