Chapter 6: Changed Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke woke up in his bed with a start. Was it all a dream after all? No matter, he was determined to change. He sprang out of bed, and ran out to where his team was. The first person he saw was Suigetsu.

"Suigetsu, today's Christmas right!" he said excitingly.

Suigetsu seemed to be scared of Sasuke.

"Uh... yea Sasuke... what the hell is with you?" he asked taken aback.

"Good! I haven't missed it! I can get my Sakura back! I'm not too late!" Sasuke exclaimed as he ran back to his room and got dressed. He didn't care if anyone followed him.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Suigetsu asked.

"I'm going home. Hawk is disbanded. I realized last night that I need to be home. Not here."

"What? Did you bump your head, or did you somehow get stuck in 'A Christmas Carol?'"

"What?"

"You know, 'A Christmas Carol' the story where a guy goes through a night of ghosts and comes out a changed man." He said. "You never read that?"

"No... but... that's exactly what I went through..."

"So what did you think of the big jolly guy in for the present?" he laughed.

"You believe me?"

"Well yea, I'll believe anything when I see you like this." He laughed.

Sasuke smiled. "Actually the ghost of Christmas present was Itachi. The ghost of Christmas past was Kakashi. And the ghost of Christmas future was..."

"Let me guess, Orocimaru?"

"No, some hooded guy. But I didn't need him. Itachi made me realize that if I took over Konoha like Madara would just to get Sakura back then I'd end up killing Naruto, Sakura would end up killing herself while pregnant with my child, and I'd die soon after because a mob on ninja would gang up on me."

"You were going to take over Konoha?"

"Yea, but I'm not going too. I found out that Sakura still loves me! But if I don't get there before tonight it'll be too late. Naruto will ask Sakura to marry her! I can't lose her!" he said now with a bag full of stuff. He ran out not caring if anyone followed. He needed to get to Konoha before it was too late.

When he got inside, he found that most of the village had been rebuilt from Pein's destruction. He looked around, and saw her! Sakura was staring right at him. He couldn't take it. He ran to hug her, and she ran to him. Their embrace was very tight. Sasuke never wanted to let go of her ever again.

"I'm sorry for leaving you again, I should have stayed, and I just thought that you and Naruto..." he said stopping himself before he revealed anything that would make him seem very crazy.

He looked at her, to see that she was crying.

"This is the best Christmas present ever Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke smiled and held her tighter. Then Naruto's voice rang from behind him.

"Teme?" he asked. Sasuke turned around to see the knuckleheaded Hokage staring at him.

"I'm back Dobe."

"What happened? I thought..."

"I had a change of heart." He smiled. "I decided that I belong here."

"You better stay this time Teme!"

"Of course Dobe." He smirked

Sasuke hugged his friend, and they were off to his house. Sasuke was a little annoyed when Sakura and Naruto held hands, but he had a plan... a plan that he hoped would work...

Later on that day, Sasuke got the courage to talk to Naruto.

"He Dobe,"

"Yea Teme?"

"I don't know if you'd believe me, but did you ever hear of the story 'A Christmas carol'?"

"Yea, what about it?"

"Well I think I went through the whole thing last night."

"What? What are you all scrooge about?"

"I... I never liked Christmas since the massacre. And last year kind of made it worse."

"Why would it..." Naruto began, but he seemed to have realized where he was going. "You love Sakura-chan don't you?"

Sasuke sighed he got him right on the nose. "yes." He said not looking at his best friend. He didn't want to hurt his feelings or anything, but he didn't want to be with anyone else.

Naruto was quiet for a while. Sasuke was wondering if he said the wrong thing. What if he didn't want to let her go? What if he wanted to fight him for her? What if....

However before Sasuke could finish his anxiety of "what ifs" Naruto's grave face turned into a smile.

"I was hoping you'd say that Sasuke." He said looking at him with the friendliest face ever. "The only reason I was going out with Sakura was because she was so sad about you. I don't feel like our relationship is even the way it used to be. Its like I'm your replacement. Since you left she figured I was the only one who she could be with. She still loves you Sasuke. She says it every once in a while. I was going to ask her to marry me, but I think you telling her how you feel would be the better present. Besides, I realized a little while ago why Hinata was always blushing, stuttering, and fainting around me." He smirked.

"You just figured that out?" Sasuke said with a cry-stricken voice. He didn't want to cry, but he felt it. This was the best Christmas present Naruto could have ever given him. Without warning, he embraced his best friend tight. Tighter than he had ever hugged before.

"Thank you Naruto." He said.

When he let go, he immediately wiped his tears away, ran inside, grabbed Sakura (who was ironically hanging mistletoe again) and kissed her on the lips hard. Sakura was surprised, but gave into the kiss with tears streaming down her cheeks. The audience was surprised, but Naruto came in and surprised Hinata with almost the same enthusiasm. From that day foreword, Sasuke never left Sakura's side, and they restored the clan with five children. The eldest being a boy named Itachi.