AN: People change it just takes time.

Warnings:at this point just language.

Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it... This can be either a blessing or a powerful curse. Sometimes it is both.

Sasuke Uchiha was still sleeping, but healing.

Albeit slowly or rather, normally considering the amount of damage his body had taken. It would be several more days before he even woke up, and possible weeks before he would be able to leave the confines of the hospital. He'd been here only 4 days and already he was showing signs of moving from the comatose state he had been in, to a more active REM cycle. Tsunade knew she would have to use a sleep jitsu to keep him out for a few more days, so as to keep him as still as possible. She couldn't risk the Brat undoing all her hard work and effort by waking up and doing something stupid.

The Sasuke of 'her' memory was not the brilliant prodigy everyone else thought of, to her he was just another Brat and had been a serious pain in her ass practically from the moment she had taken over as 5th Hokage of Konoha. In fact she had been relatively surprised that Naruto had actually succeeded in bring the Uchiha Heir home in one piece.

Thinking of Naruto, Tsunade knew she was going to have to come up with something else soon to keep that overactive fireball of energy busy. She didn't want him lurking in every corner, asking her a million times a day 'How's the Bastard, when can I see him, Is he awake...Come on Old Hag tell me'... Sigh... Cleaning the Uchiha Mansion was only going to take him so long, even with forbidding him to use his clones. That, the 5th chuckled to herself was a stroke of genius, and the look on his face, priceless. Well he had said 'Anything' right and she planned to milk that for all it was worth. Hmmm speaking of which, the streets of the Leaf Village were looking a little shabby lately they could use a good sweeping. Maybe she's let him have a few clones for that, ahem 'Mission'. Smiling the buxom blonde 5th Hokage set off for her office, she was in such a good mood she might even do a little paperwork, Hmm, Nah why ruin it.

Naruto felt like weeping as he stared at the brooms, rakes, shovels and wheel barrels that he was supposed to use to clean up the streets of the Village. Why the Hell were there so many damn leaves all of the sudden. At least he had talked the old Hag into letting him use enough clones for 3 cleaning crews and she had promised that if the Jerk so much as twitched, she would tell him. He hadn't trained all this time and worked so hard to end up as a janitor. Yeah yeah, he knew Grandma was actually trying to help him and keep him busy so he didn't go stir crazy waiting for the Asshole to wake up. But really did she have to pick such boring jobs? Why couldn't she have just given him some money and let him eat ramen for a day or two. That would have kept him busy, and happy. Truth be told Tsunade had thought of that, but village's budget wouldn't have survived.

10 mins, 8 clones later, three teams of three Narutos each set off to attack the seemingly endless supply of leaves that had seeming appeared overnight all over the village. One thing Naruto did notice as he cleaned was that the hateful stares, the rude comments, the whispered mutters... Well, that seemed to be missing. Oh there was a few here and there, some people were never happy. But it 'Had' been sixteen, nearly 17 years now since the Kyuubi attacked the village, and less than 4 since Oriochimaru had killed the 3rd and decimated the village. Kyuubi was old news to the villagers, and did you hear... The Uchiha Heir was undercover... I heard... he killed that Monster Oroichimaru.. good riddance... I heard the Uchiha Heir nearly died, and that Naruto Uzumaki saved him and returned him to us... Thank goodness Naruto was there...what would we do without Naruto...

All his life Naruto had to work to tune out the Villagers. But today, today something had changed for the Whiskered marked teenager. People nodded and even smiled at him as he worked clearing the streets. Maybe this job wasn't so terrible after all, and maybe that was just dust in his eyes making them watery.

Iruka smiled as he watched his former Student from a window at the school, Naruto wiped a hand across his eyes, dashing the 'no those are not tears damnit' from his eyes, grinning madly while he worked.

'Well Naruto, you finally did it. All without really trying. I'm so happy for you'.

By the end of the day Naruto was on emotional overload. Naruto being Naruto, he knew only one way to deal with it. So after he was done for the day, he ran hell bent to his usual training spot produced 200 clones while still running, grinning like a fool the whole way. Within seconds they all went at it. Damn he felt good, now if only that Bastard would hurry and wake up and then get better, well then he'd finally have a real sparring partner. Fighting his clones wasn't that much of a challenge, they went poof just when you were really getting into it. It was over far too soon.

'Come on Bastard wake up. I miss you.' Naruto had stretched out on the grass to look up at the clouds overhead and was soon napping in the sun.

Jiraiya and Kakashi had watched from the sidelines as Naruto had swiftly defeated the usual mob of clones.

"I'm pretty sure I've never seen the kid look so serene or peaceful. Kakashi, I'm gonna need you to watch over him for me. Just for a while longer" Jiraiya stated.

"You're going then" It was a statement not really a question.

"I have to, Itachi was just only one of the Akatsuki. They are still after Naruto and the Kyuubi inside of him. That hasn't changed. Now that Sasuke is back I hope that he will now fight alongside Naruto once he is healed. I suspect that together the two of them would be an unbeatable combination."

"Hai, even Naruto knows that his wind chakra nature and Sasuke's fire chakra nature complement each other perfectly. Plus before, when in combat they have always worked extraordinarily well together." Jiraiya nodded and rubbed his chin as he thought.

"And the girl, Sakura. She's been training under Tsunade all this time. Talk about making a clone of yourself, girls even got Tsunade's temper. But her chakra control is excellent, she may even surpass Tsunade someday, scary a thought as that may be." Jiraiya chuckled "What of the other youngster the ex-ANBU, What is he going by... Sai? Isn't he one of Danzo's?"

"He was originally, but.. well, you know Naruto. If he can change Gaara of the Sand into a Kazekage, then a simple ANBU assassin like Sai was putty in his hands. He may be completely socially inept, but he is trying, and I think his loyalty is now to the Hokage and Team 7, not necessarily in that order."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it Kakashi. We can't always be there for them. They are all growing up so fast, and sooner then we realize it the day will come when they won't really need us anymore." Kakashi grinned under his mask.

"Well at least I'll have plenty of time for my reading. Speaking of which when ARE you publishing the next book in the Paradise series?"

"I think I need to do a little more research while I'm out...One can never do enough research you know." Jiraira leered. Kakashi just rolled his one visible eye and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

After setting the lilies she had brought to room in a vase by the window. Sakura had sat in a chair next to Sasuke's bed and watched her former childhood crush sleeping. It was hard to see the beautiful face thru the bandages, swelling and bruising, but if she squinted just right she could still see it. Sasuke Uchiha, once the absolute center of her adolescent fantasies, her knight in shining armor. Watching the raven haired avenger sleep she realized she had changed, they all had. A lot can happen in three years, and thanks to Tsunade-sama, and her own determination she was no longer the weak useless girl she had been so long ago. The one that lived only to see some kind of approval in the eyes of one certain boy. She no longer needed that approval, she was strong and confident in her own right. Smiling softly she bent over and placed a chaste kiss on the forehead of the young man who had once been her whole world, and held his hand as she spoke to him.

"Sasuke-kun...I really believed I wanted you back just for me. That if you just came back, back to the Leaf Village, back to me... it would all work out between us. I was such a selfish bitch, wasn't I. Please hurry up and get better Sasuke-kun, He's been waiting for you a long time. He always did understand you best, I don't think I ever really did." With a last squeeze of his hand she got up and left, a soft smile gracing her lovely face. Closure. This young man no longer held her fragile heart in his calloused hands, she was free to move on and to care for him as a true friend should. Not the love sick girl of 4 years ago. She had truly changed and she was happy with that.

AN: Next chapter Sasuke wakes up...about frickin time too. Tsunade is running out of chores...I mean Missions for Naruto