AN: I'm so glad everyone seems to like this one, only two chapters left after this one and I'm thinking about working on another fic but not sure what it will be about, right now Uzushio has all my focus.

Chapter 4: Team 7

Sasuke is thirteen years old on his way back to Uzushio, this time as an escort mission with Team 7. Their client is a merchant on his way to Uzu to trade spices for blue salt, a precious mineral made especially in Uzushio. In all, Sasuke is more than a little irritated at how slow the whole ordeal is going but their client has a whole carriage full of spices that many of citizens of Uzushio will trade their blue salt for. They must travel at the speed their client does and it takes a whole week and a half before they manage to make it to Yashima, once at the small coastal town Sasuke welcomes the sight of red hair and the Uzushio swirl on every single surface. Sakura and Ranmaru, who have never been outside the walls of Konoha, are beside themselves with glee and curiosity. Kakashi-sensei allows them a little freedom and him and Sasuke watch as both Sakura and Ranmaru run into the ocean and splash each other, both laughing happily. Sasuke, for his part, wants to get to Uzushio, he wants to see his bride and see how he has changed in three years, and he wants to show Naruto how he has changed himself.

While their client is getting his paperwork and goods approved by the guards, Sasuke spots a familiar redhead chatting with one his fellow guards and realizes almost too late to turn away because pretty soon Kuzuyama Giichi is heading his way, his body is still massive and covered in chakra ink.

"Sasuke! Look at how you've grown squirt!" Giichi-san is just as rough as he was back when Sasuke had first visited Uzu. His hands are none too gentle in the way they ruffle his hair. "Naru-chan is going to be so excited to see you after three years!"

Kakashi-sensei and the rest of his team stare at Giichi in awe, Sasuke is not the most sociable person on his team and the fact that he's letting a stranger touch him says a lot about said person. But Giichi is part of Naruto's family and one of Naruto's favorite cousins, and as such Sasuke will tolerate any treatment from the huge man.

"Giichi-san, it's always a pleasure to see you again. I'm surprised to see you at the coastal guard post, aren't you usually working at the Academy?" Giichi-san was one of the Academy teachers in Uzushio for basic medical jutsu, the Kuzuyama Clan known widely for their incorporation of fuuinjutsu into medical jutsu. At the coastal guard post, Rokkaku were usually the ones on post as they were the police and coastal guards for Uzu much the same way Uchiha had been before they were all massacred.

"Naru-chan is helping me with a seal for one of my medical jutsus, we're testing the first seal and see how it holds up." Giichi-san pulls a scroll from one of his pockets and there is the Uzu swirl. "Complicated stuff but Naru-chan has become somewhat of a genius with fuuinjutsu."

Sasuke smirks and knows he looks proud but why should he not when his bride was powerful and was making a name for himself, his bride was a maelstrom to be reckoned with. Their client pulls them from their conversation and soon Team 7 is heading towards one of the transportation rooms.

"Sasuke, I'll tell Naru-chan you're here okay? He'll find you!"

Sasuke ignores the questioning looks from his team and instead imagines how his bride has changed, he wonders if Naruto has lost all of the baby fat from his face or if his eyes are still just as blue as always. He wonders if he still smells like the ocean and vanilla, but most of all he wonders if his bride has missed him as much as Sasuke has missed him.

The trading house for Uzu is far more inland from the port and they only have to escort their client to his meeting spot and meet with him again in two days time to accompany him back to Konoha. It's a very standard mission and Sasuke had only agreed to take it when he heard the man was travelling to Uzushio. Once their client has been dropped off, they are free to do whatever they wish, so they head to one of the local inns and Sasuke is surprised at how cozy the small inn is, the owner is an elderly member of the Rokkaku Clan, she's one hundred years old but looks only to be about seventy and is very kind and loud.

"So Sasuke, since you've been to Uzushio, why don't you take us to sightsee?" Kakashi-sensei says from behind his bright orange book, Sasuke wants to smack the stupid book out of his hand and for suggesting the idea, he wanted to head out to Naruto's house.

Sakura and Ranmaru both nod eagerly and latch onto both his arms and start leading him out the door and he reluctantly gives them directions to the barbeque place his parent-in-laws had taken him to five years earlier. His teammates are both somewhat obsessed with Sasuke, they both claim to love him unconditionally and while Sakura only wants to date him, Ranmaru wants to date and beat him up; he claims they could be loving rivals. But for all their stupidity, his teammates are competent after intensive training with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke is reluctant to acknowledge that his fighting style has accommodated to theirs.

Still, his teammates are nothing to his bride, their eyes are not blue and their hair is not golden, their cheeks are not scarred and their expression doesn't become vulpine when happy. In all, they are a gray, rainy day when compared to the bright sunny day that his bride is.

"Sasuke-kun, how are you so familiar with Uzushio?" Sakura asks in between bites, she's sitting to his right and Ranmaru to his left, both keep trying to feed him. "I thought this was your first time outside the village."

Kakashi-sensei is still immersed in his book but he gives Sasuke a smile and keeps reading. Sasuke is aware that Kakashi-sensei probably knows about him and Naruto and his multiple visits to Uzu but he doesn't let anything slip past his mask covered face.

"I've been here three times before."

Ranmaru and Sakura both make shocked faces; they drink water at the same time and hold onto his arms tightly.

"Sasuke-kun, you've been to Uzushio before and didn't bother to tell us! Sasuke-kun we're your most important people!" Ranmaru has no time to finish as Sasuke viciously pulls his arms from their grasp. He stands up quickly, doesn't say anything and heads out without another word, a scowl set firmly on his face.

Sasuke tolerates his teammates because he knows he needs to understand what team dynamics are and how they work but his teammates were just that; they were nothing less and nothing more. Sure, Sasuke had adjusted himself to match with them so their team attacks would be more powerful but they were not his most important people. That spot was only for his bride; for Naruto and no one else not even his own mother and brother. The one he would give his life for was for his bride, for Naruto, who would wait for him and believed in him.

Sasuke headed for the usual dock and watched the sun set, he leaned back and laid down closing his eyes, the sound of the river splashing against the wood calmed him but the scowl didn't disappear from his face and his brows were still knitted together.

"You're going to get wrinkles if you don't stop scowling, teme." Warm fingers gently smooth out his brow and the scent of vanilla is strong. "I don't want to marry an old man."

Sasuke opens his eyes and bright blue eyes are staring down at him, the dark sky accenting blonde hair. Naruto has lost his baby fat and his face has become more like Kushina-san's but still uniquely Naruto. Sasuke reacheed up and pulls the warm hand to his lips and kisses it softly and lingeringly, he watches as cheeks dust pink and blue eyes soften.

"Wouldn't you still love me even if I were an old man?" He pulls Naruto to lie down next to him and watches the sky as stars appear on the darkening sky. He turns and finds blue eyes still staring at him, his bride is looking at him intensely as if trying to memorize his face. "Have you missed me Naru-chan?"

Pink lips curve up and that is all the answer Sasuke needs.

"Tell me everything."

And Naruto does, he tells Sasuke about his increasing skills at fuuinjutsu and the advancements he has made. His latest creation is a containment seal for complicated medical procedures such as reattaching a limb or organ transplant, the seal would keep the intended organ/limb in a stasis for a period of an hour so as to give medics enough time to act. The stasis keeps the organ in the exact form it was sealed in and cleanses all outside microbes thus rendering the organ safe to use immediately without worry of infection. He tells Sasuke about his offensive fuuinjutsu and how his latest seal is starting to look a bit too deadly, the seal works like a gravity seal but Naruto has modified it so he can control the environment within the seal and as such he can suck all the air out or the moisture and leave the person trapped in it to die a slow and painful death. Naruto's chakra ink and his own chakra have made all of his seals almost twice as powerful and deadly.

And he tells Sasuke about his team, both Naruto's cousins, and how they have grown in leaps and bounds with the help of Uzumaki Tatsumi-sensei or the 'Rampaging Ogre' as the man is known by as well. And Sasuke learns about the new dreams and goals that his bride has set for himself and how his team is training for the upcoming Chunin Exams but Tatsumi-sensei wants to wait a little longer.

Sasuke lets Naruto talk as much as he wants, he lets his brides voice wash over him and he memorizes Naruto's voice, how he looks now and Sasuke suddenly realizes they are no longer children. Naruto is thirteen years old as well and suddenly kissing his bride has taken on a new meaning from the innocent kisses they had shared as children before. This time as Sasuke rolls over and on top of his bride, leaning his weight on his forearms on either side of his bride's head, his body tingles and his blood sings at the intimate touch.

Looking into blue eyes, he realizes Naruto feels the same in the way his cheeks dust a dark red but Naruto does nothing to pull away from him and instead clings to Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke is aware of himself, of every part of his body that is touching Naruto and he leans down and kisses soft, plump lips. Unlike before when the touching of lips was nothing more than that, this time as they kiss he wants to explore more of Naruto and his lips. Sasuke has never kissed anyone before aside from his bride and so he is entirely new to this but neither has Naruto if the hesitant way his lips move are of any indication. So, Sasuke tentatively licks Naruto's lower lip and it sends electricity shooting through his body, his bride tightens his grip on his shirt and opens his mouth hesitantly.

When their tongues touch, it's odd and awkward but it fades and soon they are kissing passionately, Naruto is making soft mewling noises and Sasuke pulls away and watches his bride and the way his lips are swollen and red, his cheeks are red and breathing hard. But most of all, blue eyes have darken to the color of a thunderstorm and they look at Sasuke with love, his bride lets go of his shirt and instead loops his arms around Sasuke's neck and pulls him down to bury his face into the crook of Sasuke's neck.

"Anata, that was my first real kiss." Soft lips peck at his neck and it sends a shudder down his back. "I hope you liked it."

His forearms are hurting and the wood is starting to dig into his arms but he's body is comfortable and will not move.

"Anything you give me, I will treasure for as long as I can, Naru-chan." Sasuke pulls away and starts kissing Naruto's cheek and moves down to his neck, where he places a soft, lingering kiss. "Can I kiss you more?"

Naruto barely nods before Sasuke is lightly sucking soft flesh with the intention of leaving a mark on his bride; a mark for everyone to know that Naruto already had someone. Sasuke moves up and kisses his way into Naruto's mouth, tasting every corner, memorizing the taste, the sounds his bride makes and the way he looks.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Startled, they both pull away from each other and look towards the hill and sure enough, Team 7 is there both Sakura and Ranmaru looking horrified at having caught Sasuke in the act. Sasuke scowls, the pleasant feeling disappearing to be replaced by irritation at his annoying teammates, his bride blushes and pushes him away. But a smile has formed over red lips and Naruto shares a secretive look with Sasuke, who smiles back.

"Sakura, Ranmaru what are you doing here?" He pulls his bride up and they hold hands as they walk to the top of the hill. His bride squeezes his hand and he gives a squeeze back in return. "Where is Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura and Ranmaru don't say anything; their eyes are fixed on Sasuke and Naruto's joint hands. Sasuke knows something is wrong and suddenly he sees his teammates share a look and he pulls Naruto closer to himself. His teammates are looking at Naruto with hate, like he took their favorite toy away.

"I said what are you doing here?"

Sakura immediately pulls the little girl look on him, and starts to twirl her hair and look guilty. "Kakashi-sensei told us to look for you, he wants to do some training."

"You have to come back with us Sasuke-kun." Ranmaru says and the tone he takes is hostile towards his sweet bride, who holds a smile on his face throughout his teammates immature behavior. "Who is this?"

Sasuke smirks and lets go of Naruto's hand and instead slips his arm around his brides' waist. "I'm glad you asked. This is Uzumaki Naruto, my future bride. Naru-chan, these are my teammates, Haruno Sakura and Kirino Ranmaru."

Naruto bows to them politely but doesn't step away from Sasuke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I hope you enjoy your short stay in Uzushio."

Sakura and Ranmaru glare at Naruto but make no move to step closer; instead they turn and start walking away. Sasuke scowls at them and looks at his bride and smiles, there is a mischievous smile on pink lips. "What are you thinking?"

Naruto swats at his arm and turns to him with a glint in his eyes. "You have quite the team, they really seem to like you." Sasuke shakes his head and pulls his bride closer to himself and steals a kiss; innocent unlike the earlier one.

"Yes and you are the only one I like." He steals one more kiss. "I will find you tomorrow okay?"

The morning sun blinds him as he attempts to open his eyes; the sun is directly in the window of the room he is sharing with Ranmaru and Kakashi-sensei. The room is empty and he wonders where the rest of his team is as he stretches and gets ready to head out and find his bride. Today is their last day in Uzu and he wants to spend the morning with his bride before he has to depart.

Kakashi-sensei is lounging in front of the garden with his orange book and giggling, the rest of his team is missing.

"Ah Sasuke-chan," That stupid sensei of his. "Sakura-chan and Ranmaru-chan said they were going to hang out with a certain blonde today, they must have become very good friends already."

His fucking teammates were giant idiots and if-no, when he caught them, they were going to be in huge trouble.

"Be back at five, ne?"

It was no trouble finding his team; Sakura's pink hair was unmistakable and Naruto's bright golden, blonde hair always caught Sasuke's eye. What he didn't expect was to find his teammates on the floor in the middle of a seal, Naruto and his team sitting around them, eating onigiri.

"Sasuke-kun, help us!"

"That little idiot won't let this stupid seal up!"

Sasuke walks towards his bride and sits behind him, pulling him closer so Naruto could lean against his chest. Sasuke stares dispassionately at his team and nuzzles his cheek against soft hair, he squeezes softly and Naruto offers him some of his food.

"Gravity seal?" he asks in between bites.

"Yup, pretty cool right?"

Sasuke leans his chin on Naruto's shoulder. "Indeed, how long did those idiots last?"

"Four minutes. Uzumaki Akira, nice to meet you." Akira-kun has a light shade of red hair and has multiple scrolls attached across his vest.

"Uzumaki Misaki, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Misaki-chan is small with short, curly dark red hair.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I'm sorry for the trouble my idiot teammates gave you." They both wave away his apologies and they all continue to stare at Sakura and Ranmaru, eating quietly with occasional questions exchanged. Sasuke is strangely at peace in the moment, everything feels surreal except for the pleasant warmth of his bride against his chest.

"Why don't you let them up, Naru-chan?" He stood up and pulled Naruto with him, Akira-kun and Misaki-chan packing up the food that was left over.

The minute chakra ink retreated from the floor and up Naruto's arms, his teammates were up and going straight for Naruto but Sasuke knew this was coming, his teammates were incredibly predictable and he was going to have to work on that with them. Instead, his eyes bled red and he could see the attacks, with two quick jabs to their stomachs and he had them on the floor dry heaving.

"Go back to the inn and wait there, I will not be as forgiving next time." He watches as they stumble away but cares not and instead looks lovingly at his bride, such a strong and beautiful creature. Sasuke could not have fallen in love with someone more perfect.

"Let's take a walk Naru-chan."

They depart from Naruto's teammates and head down the river, the water sloshing against the shore noisily.

"I have not forgotten the things I told you three years ago, and I have not forgotten your own promise to me." He looks toward the sky and sees no clouds. "I will find who forced my father to kill everyone and I will kill them, make them pay for taking everything away from me. I might not take the path you think, Naru-chan but I need to avenge, my mother and brother are not going to do it. I will take that burden upon me so no one else has to."

Naruto hugs him suddenly and he can only wrap his arms around the warm body.

"Naru-chan, if I were to ask you to come with me, would you?"

Bright, blue eyes stare into his own and he sees nothing but understanding and love. The same as three years ago.

"I will support you as much as you will let me but my duty first is to Uzushio and the Uzumaki Clan. I am to be the third container to the Kyuubi and I cannot disregard that duty, I cannot follow you as far as you want me to." Plump lips press against his own and the gesture is so innocent and loving.

"I will wait for you and follow you when I can, you are to be my husband and I would not like you to be a missing nin. But if that is the path you choose, then I shall still support you, Anata. You will come back for me, no?"

Sasuke kisses pink lips and shudders with love, his bride was his everything and he would return to him no matter what, whether he was missing a limb or half dead.

"You are my only light, the only one I will come back for."