Disclaimer - Don't own Naruto

(Konoha – A week later)

The main gates of Konohagakure were a familiar sight to many. For so long the 'Eternal Chunin' Izumo and Kotetsu had acted as a token visible barrier but they were gone now, just another pair of casualties in the war that had enflamed the whole world. Another pair of nameless Chunin had taken their place for three years, but they too were gone, except no-one knew where or why.

In the days since the defection of Namikaze Naruto, the gate guards had vanished. Rumour abounded, many pointing fingers at the Hokage, wondering if he was taking up Orochimaru's example when it came to those who failed in their mission. Unrest and distrust filled every heart, the elite wondering how long until the masses arose; those same proletariat masses wondering how long until they 'disappeared' at the behest of the Uchiha Hokage.

A carriage came screaming up to the gates, screeching to a halt as a squad of ANBU dropped out of nowhere to surround it. The same Hyuuga ambassador who had been publicly shamed in the Daimyo's court limped out to confront them, accompanied by his fellow Konoha Representative.

"We must see the Hokage now. He must convene an emergency council meeting, we have urgent news. I bear a message from the Demon." Another figure, an ANBU captain, joined the group.

"Very well, leave your transport here, Bat will take your message to the Hokage, we shall see if he will receive you."

He would. And the rest of the council was only too happy to drop everything… well except Kiba and Shikamaru, who were still sleeping with their respective wives, Hinata and Temari.

"What a drag," the lethargic Nara was currently lamenting his awake situation. In the fallout of the wake of war he had drifted out of favour, going from a valued strategist and Sub-Commander in the United Shinobi Army, to being nearly ignored on everything, logic was no longer welcome in Konoha. It had been his idea for Konoha to remain part of the Coalition, Sasuke had refused. Now the Village Hidden in the Leaf stood alone in a world of friendships and alliances. "This Naruto fetish of yours is growing tiresome Sasuke, when are you going to grow up like the rest of us had to."

"How dare you address Hokage-sama in such a manner? He is a great leader and—"

"Oh shut up." Kiba snarled, "You civilians shouldn't even be here, you aren't Shinobi and you certainly don't represent the people of this village, the only thing you care about is yourself."

"All of you be silent." Sasuke had entered, "Nara, I'm afraid if you speak to me like that again I'll be forced to—"

"You'll what Sasuke? Kill me? Then either Temari will kill you or you'll kill Temari, in which case Suna will declare war, and her allies, which make up most of the Elemental Nations, will descend upon you and annihilate this entire village. I assure you Sasuke, for all your posturing you cannot touch me. Your arrogance damned you a long time ago, but now it's going to damn this entire place." It wasn't a new thing. Shikamaru would insult Sasuke; one of the Civilians would have apoplexy; then Sasuke would threaten the lazy Nara; then Shikamaru would remind Sasuke just how many powerful allies he had.

But despite the show, Shikamaru had no say over what happened in Konoha, he could complain all he like, Sasuke ran roughshod over everyone's opinions but his own. And after the deaths of nearly all capable clan leaders, including Ino and Chouji, murdered on their honeymoon, the only opposition he had was Kiba and Shikamaru.

Sasuke's eyes flashed red.

"Not for long will I condone this Nara. Soon I will have no need of the rest of the Elemental Nations, and we shall take our place as rulers of this world. Then I shall have no need of you." This was new. Many had suspected for some time that the insane Uchiha had sinister plans, but this was the first time it was confirmed.

"I see, well can we get a move on. It's my day off; I'd rather not be here longer than necessary." Wearing the ceremonial Hokage robes, Sasuke took his seat; the meeting began.

"We are here to discuss what to do with the missing-nin Naruto, of no family name of import." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, it was going to be a troublesome meeting, and he had to object already.

"Since he was stricken from the military records, Namikaze Naruto is not a missing-nin; we have no legal right to name him as such. And furthermore, as he was not a Shinobi of this village, he was under no obligation to obey any orders this council made as long as he did not disturb the peace, which he did not."

The Rokudaime ground his teeth in frustration. Every time he spoke he was opposed. His problems just piled up and up and up.

"Be that as it may, he is in possession of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the property of this village; he has stolen many of our most precious secrets and Jutsu. We have news, the report of the Ambassadors to the Daimyo who returned today. We will hear them." His ANBU opened the door to the chamber, and a Hyuuga entered, followed furtively by the Civilian Representative. The masked ninja leapt back into the shadows of the rafters.

"My name is Hyuuga Hiroki; a week ago I was in the Daimyo's court during an audience session when an unexpected announcement was made. It proclaimed the arrival of Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto… and his fiancée Hyuuga Hanabi." He paused for effect, expecting gasps. Hiroki was disappointed.

"We are already aware of that particular news; their marriage is of no surprise to us." It was Hiashi who spoke, speaking as the Head of the Hyuuga Clan. "She has already been removed from the records of the clan. We are working on obtaining another heir." He glanced at Kiba surreptitiously. Kiba noticed, and started making plans – Konoha was no longer safe for his wife and child. He would need to contact Naruto.

"Yes, well it is not the only thing that occurred. They were welcomed by the Daimyo, personally, as if they were expected." Eyebrows were raised subtly above disbelieving eyes. "I attempted to obtain an audience with the girl alone, but was publicly rebuffed. A public insult was levied by the Daimyo against our clan. As was my right, I attempted to apply the seal to her, but was assaulted by the demon boy." At this the civilian snorted, drawing glares before he spoke, his previous nervousness all but vanished;

"You attacked her, she wasn't scared at all. Stop trying to cast yourself in rosy light. While you were unconscious she admitted to being able to stop you at any time. She merely wanted to showcase Naruto's power to me, and vicariously to you, Honourable Council Members." Sasuke decided it was his turn to speak up.

"It appears Hiashi that your second daughter is far more capable than you thought. She is not only a master of Shadow Clones but battlefield tactics and strategy, and a master politician in the making. Yet, you let her slip from your fingers; I question your eligibility as Clan Head." Many sniggered at the slight; none liked Hiashi enough to stand on his side. He stayed silent; his failings had hit him hard, he had lost not one but two heiresses. He had no arguments; he had failed and was man enough to admit it. Finally he spoke, realising that the Hokage expected a response.

"As do I Hokage-sama. I fear I may have lost the right to rule. Once a suitable heir is located I will stand down." If drinks had been allowed in Council meetings (post-Tsunade it was decided that their presence was unwise) there would have been a universal spitting out of said beverages. That was not the anticipated response. Where was his air of superiority, where was his arrogance? He was a different man to the Hiashi of, of two minutes previously really. Shikamaru wasn't buying it.

"See that you do." The attention of the room was returned to the one giving witness. "What more do you have for us that will be useful for bringing Naruto back so we may extract the Kyuubi." If one was paying attention they would swear there was lust in his eyes, they would say the death of Itachi had done nothing to dampen his insatiable appetite for power and he was dangerously close to insanity.

"I know that he made no attempt to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Instead his body glowed with some strange power." The Hyuuga piped up once more. The black-haired Uchiha's fingers formed into a steeple, he knew what that was. Madara had clued him into the Sage Mode while he was drafted into Akatsuki. "I know nothing more. I was indisposed after that." The collective council sniggered, they knew what that meant.

"What we have gotten so far are vagaries and general information. Tell us exactly what was said from the moment they were announced to the moment the boy knocked you unconscious, in one move." Koharu spoke for the first time. The advisor had seen four different Hokages, and had given poisoned and foolish advice for every single one. They had finally gotten a Hokage in power whose views lined up with their views… and went with Danzo's master plan in event of his death. It was ironic that the one to blindly carry out those plans would be the same person who killed Danzo.

The meeting continued, with every single detail of the wedding ceremony being pored over. In the end, it was decided that nothing useful had been gleaned. They already knew nearly everything. The only new information was that Naruto had been granted an immediate and private audience. They would need to be wary.

(Fire Daimyo's Palace – Same Day as Council Meeting)

The Daimyo was kind enough to grant them a week to think about his plan, before he would need to take other steps, steps which Naruto had agreed would be far less desirable.

They had been determined to make the most of it. They swiftly learned what the other liked, both in bed and out of it. Being in a team for nearly two year had resulted in a lot of up close and personal time. They already knew each other's bad habits, which meant only positive surprises remained.

Naruto and Hanabi had left their rooms a grand total of twice after their second meeting with the Daimyo, to go sightseeing and stock up on food. The rest was spent in bed, or in their own personal Onsen.

But the relaxation time would soon be over. The newlyweds sat in their hot tub, trying to make heads or tails of the situation they found themselves in. In some ways, their escape from Konoha had gone perfectly; in others, not so much.

Naruto was leaned up against the wooden side of the tub, grateful it had been designed with comfort it mind so he barely noticed it digging it into his back, with Hanabi sat with her back in between his legs. His arms were loosely wrapped around her waist, absent-mindedly stroking the side of her bare stomach.

Hanabi cracked a smile, "So… what are we going to do."

Naruto pulled her more tightly against him, "I think that accepting the Daimyo's offer is our only choice. As much as I hate it, at some point Konoha is going to come after us. If we had no-one there we cared about then we could just disappear, Spring Country would be a good place for that, but if we do they'll start on our loved ones to find us. Enough people have died defending me."

She scoffed. "They died because of power-hungry men, not for you. And most of them would have left you for dead if it wasn't the world at stake. You're lucky I love you, because this self-defacing act gets old."

Naruto laughed at her claim, "and how do you mean that?" He could practically hear Hanabi roll her eyes even as she settled deeper into his embrace.

"I mean that you blame yourself for too many things that were not your fault. It's a hero-thing I guess, they all seem to do it. At least they seem to in books, and you do it. That's all the experience I have with heroes… Stop that." As she spoke Naruto had been nuzzling her neck, laying tiny kisses up and down the skin of the curve. "I'm trying to be angry here."

He kept going, slowly administering kisses even while his hands started massaging her legs. Hanabi groaned as he worked. "Nope, you're not allowed to be angry. Not right now." Each word was punctuated by a further press of his lips to her neck, and a tiny shiver of pleasure from the girl. "We have one more day, and we're going to make the most of it."

Hanabi gave up on the serious stuff. If Naruto didn't want to be serious he wouldn't be and nothing could change that. She leaned back into him, laying her head on his shoulder and twisting her neck to meet his lips in a searing kiss. His hands had just started moving to her hips to twist her around when…

Bang, bang, bang. The door to their suite shook from the force of the knocks.

"Oh come on." Naruto, reluctantly, released his gorgeous, and practically naked, wife and stepped out of the Onsen to throw a robe around his shoulders. He noticed that Hanabi seemed just as put out as him, and filed it away to help stroke his ego later. He muttered unintelligibly as he traipsed his way to the door. Hanabi raised an eyebrow at his childish exploits, as she too found something to cover herself, settling on drying herself and getting fully clothed. The lilac-eyed girl knew he did it to make her laugh, and that made it easier to bear.

Minutes later he re-entered, his face falling at her fully clothed state. "It's just the time for our meeting with the Daimyo tomorrow." Hanabi nodded and gave a creepily Sasuke-like grunt. Naruto scowled. "That it, that your only reaction?" She nodded again. He didn't know what he was expecting, or why he was irritated. Wait, yes he did.

He evaluated his wife's clothing. She was just wearing a t-shirt and a skirt. In a flash he had her pressed against a wall, one hand lifting her by the curve of her buttocks; the other sneaking under her shirt. "We won't be this comfortable, or alone, after tomorrow." She wordlessly agreed, snaking her arms around his neck even as he began slowly rubbing the underside of her breasts.

"Just shut up, stop teasing me and see if we can overload this anti-pregnancy seal." Naruto smirked, his lower hand tracing the outline of her underwear before slipping under it.

"Challenge accepted."

As they entered the audience chamber the next day Naruto was still smirking. Hanabi disguised a limp by hanging onto his arm as they walked. She managed to do the impossible; she glared at him while looking completely innocent to everyone else in the room… must be a girl thing. She also managed to hiss angrily at him without losing the courtly smile on her lips. If Naruto wasn't so smug it might have been worth investigating whether it was a Genjutsu.

"Shut up Naruto."

"I didn't say anything." They were early, so settled into the corner of the room to wait. The bustle of courtiers and politicians around them below their notice, their attention was on far more important matters.

"You didn't have to."

"You're right I didn't"

"Shut up."

"I don't understand. You seemed quite happy last night."

"I feel violated." She ignored his logic.

"You challenged my manliness, I accepted. The limp is entirely your fault."

"Then why are you so smug." Naruto decided to make a peace offering, although he had no parents and had never learned the rightful place of a man in a relationship; he had a sneaky suspicion that angering a woman close to you was a bad idea. He was right, and was so close to discovering the piece of information that would make every man's life easier. Women are always right; they are also secretly, or in some cases not so secretly, in charge of the world.

Naruto leaned close to her ear. "I got to make love to the most beautiful woman in the world last night. What man on this earth wouldn't feel a little smug at that," He brushed her temple with his lips, "and best of all, I got to see her enjoy it almost as much as I did." Contrary to popular belief, flattery gets you everywhere. That fact was testified to by the faint pink blush manifesting on Hanabi's cheeks and ears – compliment appearance – check.

She raised an eyebrow, and spoke in a dry voice, a wry smile raising one corner of her (very kissable in Naruto's opinion and he was only holding back because of the presence of a hundred stuffy old men) lips. "Keep going." He took his arm from hers, prompting a mew of disappointment. But it was silenced when he held her close to him by the waist – public display of affection, check.

"I don't think I tell you I love you enough, but I don't want you to ever forget that fact. I never thought I'd have someone as perfectly imperfect as you. You get angry and upset at little things, but you're so damned cute when you do. You talk in your sleep, but I can't help smiling. I love everything about you. I love that you can kick all kinds of butt; I love that you have a temper to match your name; most of all… I just love you". – Undying declarations of love – check.

It worked, she sighed and relaxed into his hug. They were drawing glances, a mixture of smiles and disapproving sneers. Her eyes were closed and didn't notice. Naruto just didn't give a fuck, he didn't care that he was nineteen and she a barely-legal sixteen (she was his wife anyway, they could do whatever the hell they wanted), he didn't care that others might view their behaviour as unacceptable. He could count the number of people whose opinions he gave a flying toss about on the fingers of one hand. And he could think of a much better use for that hand, several in fact.

While he was lost in the possibilities of various hand signals in a myriad of times and places. They were called forward. The Daimyo wordlessly left his throne to lead them to the same small chamber their previous two meeting had taken place.

Sasuke was alone in his office. The paperwork was all done, he had sent his ANBU away. Crickets chirped and the pale moonlight glimmered through a slit in the blinds. Cursing the black-haired Hokage stood, shifting the blind slightly, plunging the room into complete blackness.

There was no sound to betray the appearance of the person behind him, not even the whisper of displacing air. But the Uchiha knew he was there.

"Kakashi?" It was a mere formality, but one they had established over three years of secret meetings. As per tradition Kakashi didn't answer, it was unnecessary. "Are you tired of being dead?"

"It is time then."

"Yes. Tell Shikamaru… tell him I said thanks, and that I'm truly sorry about Ino and Choji, that wasn't what I wanted to happen." Silence… then his old teacher spoke.

"I know… Just be sure to tell Sakura, it tore her apart to hurt Naruto for that. And she never asked for the reason." Sasuke sighed. So damned much had happened that he had not expected.

"I will. I have to get a message to Naruto at some time, I need you to do that, you know what to say." Sasuke spoke in a monotone drawl, much like his trademark grunts of his younger days. But unlike in public a weariness could be heard in his voice. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it.

Sometimes he wondered if he was making a mistake.

Author's Note

This one is a tad shorter than the others.

Some strange happenings, and some that you don't get to see yet.

Sasuke's motives and actions are brought into question. Most of what we have seen has been from Naruto's perspective, but is his opinion always right, or are things kept from him as well.

Hmm... we shall see.

Please Read and leave feedback, advice and even possible things you want to happen. No promises that I'll use anything, but inspiration comes from all places.

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews.

If there are typos or mistakes please point them out and I will work on them.

La3nus

End Transmission