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As he lay on the med tent bed, Naruto smiled. He had won the war. Best of all, Sasuke was back. He fulfilled his promise of a lifetime. Best of all, he'd won the respect of the entire shinobi world.
"Naruto-kun," said a soft female voice.
"Hinata-chan?" he replied.
The violet-haired kunoichi came in, still in her battle gear. Neji's blood stained her gloves and sleeves.
"Hello Uchiha-san," she said, acknowledging Sasuke's presence on the adjacent bed. He nodded, smirking at his best friend beyond the kunoichi's back. He had seen this coming since their Academy days.
Hinata took a seat on Naruto's bed. He didn't waste any time. He pushed himself against the headboard and pulled her into his lap with a goofy smile on his face.
"Naruto-kun."
"Hinata-chan. Want to get some ramen when we get back to the village?"
"S-sure," she said, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
Sasuke's gaze was fixed on the tent's entrance. Sakura had stopped in. Hinata went pale. She stood suddenly.
"I just stopped in to see Naruto-kun," she said quickly.
Sakura smiled at her fellow kunoichi.
"Stop by anytime," she replied with a wink.
The kunoichi left with a hasty goodbye to both boys. Sakura gave her an approving look.
"So you ask her out yet?" she teased Naruto.
"I asked her to get ramen with me," he said. "You and Teme should come with us as a double date."
"Hn," said Sasuke.
Sakura punched Naruto lightly. A red bruise appeared on his tan skin.
"Ow Sakura-chan," he muttered.
"Dobe"
"Teme"
"Your first date with Hinata should be just the two of you," suggested Sakura. "Right Sasuke?
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. The fact she'd dropped the "kun" was not lost on either teen. Black met blue, searching for an answer. The blonde shrugged.
"I'm off for my own exam. See you later," she said with a little wink to Naruto.
The pink-haired medic left, leaving the two boys by themselves.
"She called me 'Sasuke'," the Uchiha said plainly. His expression was unreadable.
"You did try to kill her at one point," he answered. "She is the type to carry a grudge."
"Sasuke-kun," said a female voice. The Uchiha winced visibly.
"Karin," he muttered.
The redheaded kunoichi walked in, followed by Orchimaru and Tsunade.
"I see my student was here," commented the Hokage as she looked at the mark on Naruto's cheek.
"She's another you," commented Orchimaru with a laugh. "Jiraya used to have marks like that."
"Who did this?" asked Karin. "Another woman was in the same tent as my Sasuke-kun."
"Two actually," retorted Naruto. "My girlfriend and our teammate."
"So one isn't interested in him?"
"His girlfriend's had a crush on him since we were four," Sasuke commented. Karin smiled at this piece of information.
"And the other one's a medic," responded Naruto. "You look familiar. What's your clan?"
"She's a Uzumaki," answered Orchimaru. "Your cousin in a sense."
Karin approached Naruto's bed and offered him a hand. He noted the kunoichi had red hair similar to his mother.
"She's loud like both of us," he thought.
Sasuke gave a little "hn." The two most annoying people in his life were related. Go figure.
"Why are you here Ba-chan?" asked Naruto.
"When we return to the village. I want to see your whole team in my office," said Tsunade. "Team 7 is getting reassigned."
The blond left the room with Orchimaru in tow. The redhead teen stayed.
"Go Karin," ordered Sasuke. "I'm going to sleep."
She took of her glasses and took a seat on Sasuke's bed.
"Are you sure you don't want me here?" she asked. "The last time I saw you two together, he tried to kill you."
Sasuke gave no reaction.
"Go. Now."
The redhead gave Sasuke a longing look before she got up and left.
"She doesn't hold grudges," commented Naruto.
"Shut up Teme," responded Sasuke.
"You know I'm right Dobe," he replied.