Uzumaki Naruto truly was the perfect nightmare repellent. Sasuke's horrible night terrors, many of which were the side effect of Itachi's actions, always faded into nothing when she laid with Naruto. Sleeping in the same bed was common, but now that they were together, the dynamic changed. It felt way more intimate, or at least she thought so.

Sasuke couldn't help herself from observing her boyfriend as he slept. Was she being creepy by doing that? Was that normal girlfriend behavior? She wasn't sure, but she didn't really care. She enjoyed watching him, and she completely lost track of time when doing it. It's not like she knew what 'normal' girlfriend behavior should be anyway, she was a young adult with zero relationship experience. Luckily for her, dating Naruto changed very little when it came to their day to day bickering and verbal wars. It made her comfortable, as there was a certain safe feeling in knowing that being in a relationship did not mean they'd lose aspects she loved about their friendship.

Only they could break each other down verbally and build each other back up in a few seconds. She never wanted that to go away. She doubted most boyfriends and girlfriends behaved like that.

Her Sharingan spun slowly as Naruto slept peacefully. 'Okay, now I'm probably creepy.' Sasuke's smiled softly as they laid face to face. He was stupidly cute when he was asleep.

Time truly seemed to slow down to a snail's pace once they confessed to each other. The days felt longer, but that wasn't a bad thing in the least. Only a few weeks passed since she broke down and said three words that had more power than any ninjutsu. She felt lighter, and all the walls she built around her heart crumbled whenever Naruto uttered those special words.

I love you.

Her mother, father, and brother all said that to her. However, coming from Naruto… it felt different. Better. He wasn't an Uchiha, he wasn't family that loved her by default. He fell in love with a girl who wasn't worth the trouble for the majority of her life. Yet, he wouldn't stop repeating himself. He made sure to remind her at every opportunity, and Sasuke could only smile like a fool when he randomly said it in the middle of a normal conversation.

The sixteen-year-old version of herself would be having a heart attack over how Naruto saying three words could change her entire mood.

"I love you." Sasuke whispered at him, not expecting a response at all. It was impossible not to let emotion drip into her voice when she spoke. She tended to speak like everything around her was uninteresting, but when she was showing her boyfriend affection, it was wildly different. If only she was actually good at the physical side of things. For example, it was a massive blow to her ego when she discovered Naruto was better than her at kissing. She didn't know where to put her hand during the act, she didn't know how long one should last, and she mashed their teeth together by accident more than a few times. Don't get her started on using tongue… like what the hell was she supposed to do with it?

Sasuke shuffled closer to her boyfriend's extremely warm body and wrapped herself around him like a snake. Usually, Naruto was the one who would sleep on her like this, but she wasn't opposed to doing the same to him. She'd never hang off him in public or start some excessive make out session for everyone to see, that wasn't how she operated as a person. Although, behind closed doors she didn't intend to be an indecisive and shy woman. She'd be sure to show him how much she cared about him, because she's done enough pretending for one lifetime.

She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into his body. Her last thoughts before she allowed sleep to claim her were about how lucky she was. Lucky to be alive, lucky to have a second chance, lucky to have him.

"This is new..."

Naruto offered a very weak attempt at moving as he woke up in the early morning hours. Sasuke had him in a death grip, and she had her strong legs wrapped around his. He tried not to stare that long at how her sleep shorts rode up while she slept, which revealed a generous amount of her ass.

He looked down at his chest and studied her slumbering face. She was completely relaxed, there was obviously no scowl on her face as she slept, but she appeared to be content while snuggled up to him. Naruto was glad she could completely let down her guard around him. He chuckled quietly when noticing her mouth was open slightly and she unknowingly drooled onto his white shirt.

"That's pretty cute." Naruto couldn't help but speak to himself as he looked down at the love of his life.

Love was a complicated deal for him. Growing up, he knew absolutely nothing about love. Nobody sat him down to discuss love in any way. He wasn't even sure if he loved anything as a child. Deep down, he was full of anger, bitterness, and hate… just like Sasuke. When Iruka acknowledged him, and he started to form real bonds, the concept of love began to make sense.

He remembered how his mother became giddy and embarrassed when recalling her relationship with his dad. He never would have thought he could relate to that, but here he was.

He's heard of 'cloud nine' being a thing before, but screw that, he was on cloud ten! He wanted to tell every single person they came across that he had the best girlfriend ever. He had someone who reciprocated his feelings. For a person who could only dream of having a significant other, Naruto couldn't believe how lucky he was now.

He spared a glance at the digital clock on the nightstand. They couldn't really afford to sleep in if they wanted to make it to Iwagakure at a reasonable time. Naruto rose the arm that wasn't being strangled by Sasuke and reached for her forehead. Some boyfriends may go with a romantic gesture to wake up their girlfriends, or maybe they'd simply wait patiently. Naruto on the other hand…

He flicked her forehead.

Sasuke's face scrunched up at the weird sensation, and Naruto did it one last time while putting a little more power into it. Immediately, a set of bleary and very annoyed eyes drilled into him.

"Why?"

"Dunno, just felt like it."

"Terrible… boyfriend…" She mumbled and dropped her head down on his chest as laughter rang in her ears. She regretted letting her thoughts consume her late into the night, she craved more sleep now.

"Am not. Would a terrible boyfriend let you drool on their chest?" Naruto smugly questioned her, making her lift her head with a weak glare.

"Uchiha do not drool."

"But I thought the Uchiha clan was capable of doing anything?"

"They are."

"Drooling falls under the category of anything, doesn't it?"

"You're a moron." Sasuke's voice was muffled after her face made contact with his shirt once more. She stomped down the embarrassment she felt when noticing that his clothing was indeed wet, all from her. Damn it…

Naruto grinned and sat up, pulling the unwilling Uchiha with him. She let out a tiny groan when being forced to sit up in the bed. Maybe sleeping on top of him made her a little too comfortable, because she tended to be an early riser.

"Why are you so eager to go to Iwa?" Sasuke frowned and rubbed at her eyes.

"Cuz' the old man Tsuchikage is a cool guy." Naruto shrugged in a carefree manner.

"Oh, real cool. He tried to kill me."

"Well, you- "

"Yeah, you don't need to say it."

Naruto couldn't help but burst out laughing, which made Sasuke's stoic face crack. Normally, something that dark wouldn't make Naruto laugh, but Sasuke knew they were both a little fucked up in the head after all they've been through. It was impossible to live like them and come out with 'perfect' mental health. Only two people besides them knew of what Sasuke planned to do with the Kage at one point. She wasn't exactly proud of herself for it.

"What's wrong with us?" Sasuke asked with a smile on her face.

"There's nothin' wrong with me." Naruto pointed a thumb at his chest like a dumbass, in her esteemed opinion. "But you? Your breath smells."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "It does not…" She rose her hand to her mouth quickly and tried to sneakily smell her own breath.

"Total morning breath."

"I'm dating a literal man-child."

"You love me."

"Whatever…" Sasuke scurried off the bed with a tint of red painting her cheeks.

"Where ya goin'?" Naruto called out to her as she dug into a pouch on a small table in their hotel room.

"Nowhere." She hid a small clear bag behind her back expertly.

"To brush your teeth."

"I do not like you."

"Nope, you don't. You loveee me!"

Sasuke shut the bathroom door as he spoke in such an upbeat way. She faced her reflection in the mirror and saw that a smile remained on her face. That amazing word had such a profound effect on her.

"The Uchiha do not get morning breath…"

"They do!"

Naruto's shout from right outside the door made her apply toothpaste to her toothbrush immediately. Something was definitely wrong with her brain for her to be madly in love with a fool like him.

The worst part was she never planned to fix it.

Iwagakure was not exactly that far away from their current lodging. It was an uneventful journey though, as Sasuke lagged because of her drowsiness. Their conversation's fizzled out over the course of their run and Kurama was napping, which meant Naruto was incredibly bored.

He celebrated internally when the checkpoint that would grant them entrance to the Tsuchikage's village came into view. He's never been to Iwagakure before, and he was excited to-

"Nobody is here."

"What?"

"The checkpoint is empty. Traveling to this village was pointless then."

Naruto blinked in surprise at his girlfriend's words. That wasn't possible, usually there were always people sitting at the checkpoints. He walked closer to get a better look and spotted a gigantic sign with red text plastered on the rocky barrier.

"Entry to the village is denied to foreigners on account of the Tsuchikage being out of the village for the… upcoming Chūnin Exams." Naruto read it aloud.

"Makes sense. They don't want any random foreign shinobi to enter without the Tsuchikage being there." Sasuke was somewhat annoyed that her sleep was disturbed now, because the trek to Iwa was all for nothing.

"Sure, but the Chūnin Exams?" Naruto frowned and turned his attention to the sign again. "How come we didn't know about it?"

Sasuke shrugged from behind him. She didn't really care about those. Shinobi rank mattered little at this point in her life. "We've been distracted."

Naruto cracked a grin at her response. They were distracted with their own relationship, not that he minded. While he read over the sign, Sasuke looked at the small pamphlet taped to the barrier. It was an advertisement for the exams…

"Oh…"

"Huh? What is it?"

Naruto leaned against her and squinted at the tiny words. The location of the Chūnin Exams made his eyes widen. "Konohagakure…"

Sasuke let a frown grace her features, but that was it for her reaction. Naruto seemed bewildered at the fact that his home village was hosting the exams this year, and he knew nothing about it.

"Wouldn't Kakashi-sensei have told us this? I mean, it's a pretty big event."

"Naruto, we haven't kept in contact with the village… at all." Sasuke's reminder made him feel like ice was creeping into his veins. Was that true?

'Neither of you have bothered. You didn't even think to send a letter, or at the very least a stupid toad.' Kurama would always hate the creatures that tried to occupy the same space as a magnificent, tailed beast.

'Thanks a lot, Kurama.'

'Maybe you'd remember if you weren't sucking the Uchiha's tongue constantly.'

Naruto ignored the Kyuubi and faced Sasuke instead. "When was the last time we contacted Kakashi-sensei?"

"Never." Sasuke's immediate answer made him deflate. "He didn't try to reach us either. Which is probably because he's heard about our whereabouts along the way. It's not like we are hiding."

"It's almost an entire year that we've been gone."

"Yeah, so?"

Naruto remembered the only other time he's been away from the village for a substantial amount of time, that being the long training trip with Jiraiya. Back then, Naruto didn't really think about contacting the people he considered friends, especially after losing Sasuke. It was different now, and he felt a little disappointed in himself.

"What do we do now?" Naruto asked her hesitantly, and there was certainly a reason for that.

"Why are you asking me?" Sasuke refused to break eye contact with him.

"I'm not going to pretend I didn't notice, Sasuke."

"What'd you notice? Enlighten me."

"It doesn't seem like you really want to go home." Naruto and Sasuke wore matching frowns. It wasn't a conversation either wanted to be having, but it was necessary.

"Home?" Sasuke rose a delicate eyebrow.

"Our home." Naruto stressed the word.

"The village is not exactly home." Sasuke dropped it on him after almost an entire year of it going unsaid.

"… Look, I know you like traveling- "

"Naruto." Sasuke held up her hand slowly, cutting him off. "It's not just because I enjoy this." She hated seeing the obvious hurt on his face.

"If you don't come back, how will we be able to…" Naruto paused to compose himself. "Sasuke, I can't do this forever with you. No matter how much I'd love to."

"I know." Sasuke knew that from the very beginning. He couldn't travel the world for years on end, helping remote villages with small problems or receiving training from all the Kage. That wasn't realistic. He had big things to accomplish in the village. She understood that well. He may have initially forced his way onto her journey, but she appreciated every second of him being with her.

"I also can't leave you." Naruto admitted it to her as he took one step closer to her. Despite the serious situation, Sasuke felt butterflies in her stomach. "I'm not stupid. I know that being in the place that caused you pain isn't easy. I hate that you went through so much. I just… I…" He struggled to find the right words.

"Naruto, relax." Sasuke stopped him calmly.

"What is home to you?" Naruto couldn't stop himself from blurting that question out.

Sasuke went silent for only a moment before she softy placed an open palm on his chest. "Here." He was clearly confused by her very nonchalant answer. She knew he'd always be a little dense.

"I don't get it…"

"A home is supposed to make you feel comfortable and safe, right? You're supposed to be able to relax completely at home, even for us shinobi. Only you make me feel that way, Naruto. Which means I go where you go." Sasuke spoke from the heart.

Naruto really didn't care for how his eyes were watering. Kurama wisely didn't comment on the interaction either. "If you don't feel comfortable in Konoha, why would you want to go with me?"

"Stupid question. It's because I love you." Sasuke made sure to get that point across bluntly. "When you love someone, you make sacrifices. That's what I believe." She finally realized that she had something else in common with Itachi after all these years.

"How is that fair? I don't want you sacrificing anything for me." Naruto's response made her laugh under her breath.

"You sacrificed so much for me, you idiot." Sasuke grabbed his bandaged hand on purpose. "Years of your life where everyone thought you were insane for thinking about me. Your dream of becoming Hokage didn't seem to matter if you couldn't help me. You were even ready to throw your life away for me. Are those not sacrifices, or should I keep going?" She finally made him break eye contact with her.

"I'm going to feel like I'm forcing you to stay somewhere that you don't want to be…" Naruto didn't dwell on the fact that apparently people thought he was 'insane'.

"No need. You aren't forcing anything. I came to this decision before confessing to you. If I had to choose between going off on my own or being with you in the village… it would be the easiest decision I've ever had to make."

They stood in complete silence until Naruto brought his clothed forearm up to his face to quickly wipe at his eyes. Sasuke merely smiled, she knew exactly why he did that. It was revenge for making her cry after they fought at the valley, and during her confession. Let him experience some tears of his own.

"When the hell did you get so good at making people feel better?" Naruto's voice cracked due to his emotions.

"Hmph. It's almost like I'm constantly around this idiot who does the same for me all the time. I guess I learned a thing or two."

"Hehe…" Naruto couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "How'd I get so lucky?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm definitely out of your league." Sasuke teased him with her usual smirk. They fell right back into their routine. That was good, considering Sasuke found no joy in upsetting her boyfriend. She'd sacrifice anything to remain at his side.

"Nope. I think I'm outta your league, ya know."

"Sure."

"Oi, why not? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Do you really want an answer?"

"Yes!"

Sasuke stood on her tippy toes, which would always embarrass her because of the unfortunate height difference and gave him a kiss on the lips. Naruto took a second to process her taking the initiative, but he happily reciprocated her action.

"It's… because… Uchiha." Sasuke whispered those words to him sensually. Naruto shook himself out of the daze from their kiss to glare at her.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Think on it then. We have a long journey ahead of us and it'll be stimulating for your small brain."

"Arrogant Uchiha…"

"Mhm."

"It's not a compliment!"

Kurama snorted from within Naruto before laying down in the seal. The Kyuubi would never be the biggest fan of Sasuke, but their relationship seemed good for Naruto. She cared deeply for him, and he felt the same for her. That was good enough for the beast who begrudgingly watched over Naruto from the very beginning.

'Maybe I'll eventually forgive her for plotting to kill me…' Kurama listened in on their conversation after missing a few minutes of it.

"-I think the Kyuubi's chakra is responsible for making you so dense. It's not like either of you are very smart."

Kurama firmly believed that she never deserved forgiveness.

Orochimaru was usually ready for anything. That was the real secret behind living as long as he did… not counting the one-time Sasuke unfortunately killed him. How rude she was. However, he was not ready for her shoving his office door open with a rather loud slam.

"Oh my, I never would have expected an impromptu visit from you."

"I didn't want to, but we need to talk."

Sasuke watched her former sensei wearily. She'd never trust the snake, regardless of how docile he's been making himself appear nowadays. His base was the last stop she intended to make before continuing to Konogakure. Naruto was not thrilled with it either.

"It's nice to catch up every once in a while." Orochimaru brushed a stray piece of hair behind his ear, smiling mysteriously the entire time. "Where's your other half?"

Sasuke narrowed her eyes at how he referred to Naruto. "Outside. He was talking to the man who's appointed to watching over you. Yamato, I think." She neglected to mention how Naruto was apparently on the lookout for Suigetsu. He refused to let her former teammate see her. Strange.

"Ah, I see…" Orochimaru learned forward on his desk, pushing away his research to put all his attention on her. "What would you like the topic of this conversation to be?"

Sasuke reached into the pouch on her hip to pull out the book that she retrieved from Orochimaru at the start of her journey. The information held within was admittedly dangerous. It detailed weaknesses of villages, key details about shinobi, and so on.

Orochimaru gazed at it with amusement, and his smile only grew when Sasuke's eye started to bleed. A mere second later, his precious journal was reduced to ashes. "Now why would you go and do that?"

"Did you think I would actually return that information to you?" Sasuke asked him flatly.

"Hmm, well when you loan a person something, you expect to get it back. That wasn't very nice." Orochimaru continued to mock her with his tone.

"I'm not a fool either. You have copies of this information."

"Perhaps."

"Get rid of it."

Orochimaru let out his odd sounding laughter after hearing Sasuke's demand. "Aren't you just the paragon of peace?"

"I'm not asking." Sasuke stood firmly in his office. She was certainly acting confident, although Orochimaru supposed she had every right to. Not even he could match the power that she flung around anymore.

"No need to threaten me, it's not like I planned to do anything with that information anyway." Orochimaru informed her in a matter-of-fact tone. Sasuke furrowed her brow at him.

"As if I'd believe the man who plotted to destroy a village in the past."

"Fair point." Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "What a coincidence, it was the same village you plotted against. It seems we are quite similar." He did enjoy the way her face soured. He'd take his small victories wherever he could get them.

"I changed."

"So you have."

Sasuke kept her eyes trained on him when he stood up to grab at something on the large bookshelf behind him. It was littered with scrolls and thick books containing information that would probably make most shinobi queasy. He produced one unassuming scroll and held it out to her. "Here is my handwritten copy."

"Good."

Just as she was about to take it, Orochimaru pulled it back. She let a scowl form on her face. Was he treating this like a game?

"Before I let you burn this with your special eyes, why don't you answer a question for me? It's not like we'll be seeing each other for a while." Orochimaru's curiosity needed to be sated.

"What's stopping me from burning it and your hand?"

"Nothing at all." Orochimaru held the scroll tauntingly. Sasuke was severely tempted to let Amaterasu have its way with him. "But humor me, Sasuke-chan."

"Don't call me that." Sasuke spoke with a clenched jaw. "You can ask your pointless question, but I don't have to answer."

"Of course, I'd expect nothing less from you." Orochimaru's mood flipped as he smiled at her calmly. Despite their power difference, he did not show fear in front of her. Maybe he knew she wouldn't do anything… maybe she should prove him wrong.

"Get on with it."

"Did you actually find what you were searching for?" Orochimaru studied her with calculative eyes, he genuinely wanted an answer. Sasuke interested him greatly for many years. Initially, he related her to a blank canvas that could be painted any color. Nowadays, she was muddled by a myriad of colors.

Sasuke's poker face refused to break even as she pondered his question. Did she atone for every single wrongdoing or mistake she's made in the past? No, she knew that wasn't possible. Not for her, not for anyone. However, she changed a lot along the way. Traveling with Naruto finally broke down every wall she built around her heart. Meeting Gaara and Mei as something other than an enemy meant she was able to show prominent figures in the world that she wasn't just a criminal wrapped up in darkness. Rather, she was someone who can stand at Naruto's side without looking out of place.

She didn't consider herself a failure for not reaching a true 'ending' for her self appointed journey in only a year. Perhaps there was no true ending for a person seeking atonement in life. Although, every time she thought about how twisted and hateful she was, she took some pride in knowing that person was gone. She did not want to be the girl who tried to kill the love of her life. She did not want to be the girl who made innocent children into orphans. She did not want to be seen as irredeemable trash by the entire world. Instead, she wanted to work with Naruto and ensure that nobody would follow the path she once walked down. That's why she gave Orochimaru a very simple answer.

"I have."

Orochimaru hummed thoughtfully at her quick response. "How?"

"How?"

"How did you reach it?" Orochimaru continued to prod her. He was obsessed with knowledge, and Sasuke was someone who could provide a special kind of information. It was exceedingly uncommon for a person who drowned in hatred for years to actually find something like atonement.

Sasuke wasn't sure what made her continue the conversation, but her next response made everything worth it. Orochimaru rose an eyebrow at her smirk.

"Love."

"… Excuse me?"

"That's my final answer." Sasuke took advantage of his momentary surprise and yanked the scroll from his hand. Orochimaru didn't even flinch at the harsh action.

"I suppose it's true then." Orochimaru shook his head before seating himself behind his desk once more. "What they say about the Uchiha clan, I mean."

"You're not the first to tell me that…" There was a certain edge to her voice when she spoke. Bringing up her clan was clearly a sure-fire way to earn her ire.

"Oh, no. I don't mean anything negative, my dear." Orochimaru waved his hand from side to side, placating her. "I was talking about how an Uchiha's greatest strength comes from love… regardless of how asinine that sounds. It's typically a concept many related to the Senju clan."

"Hmph. I'm surprised you even know what love is." That scathing insult from Sasuke only served to make him laugh.

"Don't forget, I'm a man of science. Because of that, I've spent a great deal of time observing the world around me. Human relationships and emotions always intrigued me, even if I hardly sought them out myself. Love certainly is a real thing." Orochimaru looked up at her with another teasing smile. "I can't say I'm shocked that love was the reason behind your recent changes. You always had a special bond with Naruto-kun."

"I didn't mention him." Sasuke did not need Orochimaru discussing their relationship. It felt disgusting.

"Yes, yes… I'm sure there's some other man or woman who could attract your attention the same way. What a fool I am."

"We are done here." Sasuke gripped the scroll tightly in her palm and turned to leave the office belonging to the most notorious man in the Elemental Nations.

Orochimaru watched her exit with amusement displayed on his face. He was hoping for some deeper answers from her, maybe even a small breakdown of this atonement she claimed to reach. In the end, she chalked it all up to love.

"Perhaps in time I'd be able to witness the labor of that love." The snake summoner mumbled, clearly thinking about what kind of powerhouse would be spawned from the two of them.

What a fascinating human Uchiha Sasuke was.

The large village gates towered over them, and Sasuke did have to steel her resolve to move forward.

It was very early in the morning, and most of the population was sound asleep, which was perfect for their return. Sasuke did not feel like dealing with a massive crowd on top of her anxiety. The village was going to be filled due to the exams as well, which meant Naruto would be hounded by people from all nations. Great…

Her hand was squeezed gently, and she turned to see a foxlike grin on her boyfriend's face.

"Love ya."

Oh. There went her anxiety. It was like magic.

Naruto's chakra and techniques weren't the key factor to his strength. Sasuke was convinced he had a mysterious ability that caused his words to influence others.

She wondered if that could be passed on genetically. Would their kids…?

Her cheeks burned and Naruto blinked at her reaction.

"Sasuke?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Sasuke rushed out before taking a brief pause. "Love you too…"

Naruto tried to secretly pump his fist in excitement when she said those words. He cherished those words more than anything. She noticed his action, because he was awful at hiding anything from her.

What a loser. Her loser.

He led her towards their villages guards and Naruto's face lit up.

"Kotetsu! Izumo! Wow, do you guys do anything but sit at this gate?" Naruto made his presence known immediately. The two eternally Chūnin gate guards were stunned at his sudden appearance.

"Naruto?! What the hell?! It's been forever!" Kotetsu stared at the pair with wide eyes.

"Everyone in the village has been wondering what happened with you!" Izumo followed up with his own shock.

Naruto did feel bad about never informing Kakashi-sensei, and by extension the village, of anything. He dreaded being chewed out by Sakura for this. He'd hide behind Sasuke for that one.

"We were busy…?" Naruto offered a very weak excuse and Sasuke remained silent at his side. She did not know these men outside of a passing glance here or there, nor has she ever interacted with them.

"Busy?" Kotetsu and Izumo appeared incredulous at the reason.

"Yup." Naruto gave them a simple answer, and Sasuke's lips curved upwards.

"… Well have fun explaining that to Hokage-sama." Kotetsu shook his head at Naruto before he eyed Sasuke. "Hello?"

Awkward silence filled the entryway to Konoha. Izumo looked between his friend and the Uchiha rapidly.

Sasuke nodded her head. Kotetsu nodded his head. Izumo then proceeded to do the same thing.

That was the extentof their interaction with Sasuke, and nobody had any complaints.

"One last thing… I'm going to assume you're both aware that the Chūnin Exams are being held here. The five nations and many visitors are going to be pouring into these gates. Things are going to be a bit hectic around the village, just letting you know." Izumo neglected to mention that pretty much every nation was eager to found out if the "Hero of the Leaf" would be in attendance.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Naruto shot them a 'cool guy pose' that he copied from Lee all those years ago. Sasuke merely sighed quietly at the information. That meant she'd have to interact with Kumo shinobi. Amazing…

"We won't hold you up any longer. Welcome home!" Kotetsu and Izumo were so genuine in their greeting that even Sasuke gave them an almost unnoticeable smile.

After Naruto bid them farewell, the two war heroes proceeded into the village at a relaxed pace. The gate guards blinked when noticing one odd thing about them.

"Was she… holding his hand?"

"No way…"

The Chūnin knew that would be the talk of the village once word got out.

"Busy. You were both busy."

"We fought an immortal old lady. That classifies as being busy, Kaka-sensei." Not even Naruto's affectionate shortening of his name could stop Kakashi from deadpanning at him.

"And how long did it take you two to defeat this immortal old lady?"

"About ten minutes." Sasuke responded from Naruto's side, and her boyfriend shushed her loudly.

"Ten minutes, wow. Now what about the other ten months? Was there an immortal old man? Maybe two?" Kakashi leaned on his fist as he stared down his two former students.

"Okay, okay! We get it. We should have done a better job communicating with you and the village." Naruto scrunched his face up at Kakashi who slowly closed his laptop lid to give them his full attention.

"You should have. What if you two were killed out there?" Kakashi asked them with a raised eyebrow.

"Real funny, Kakashi." Sasuke tone was clipped and Kakashi felt nostalgic. She still didn't call him sensei.

"Well, it's not likely any shinobi could take either of you out at this point… besides each other."

"We'd never do that!"

"Oh? And why's that?" Kakashi wasn't sure what kind of response he was expecting.

"Because we totally love each other, ya know." Naruto sounded so much like Kushina in that moment that Kakashi had to do a double take. He could recall her saying something very similar about Minato-sensei.

Sasuke's face burned again at the fact that Naruto finally publicly announced their relationship to someone. She wasn't going to stop him from doing that. She wouldn't hide her relationship from anyone, but she'd never be the one to shout it out.

"Does that mean… you're together?" Kakashi stood up from his Hokage chair and stood in front of them.

"Damn right we are!"

"Why do you care, Kakashi?" Sasuke could see his smile widening behind his mask.

"One, because you're my cute little former students and I'm happy for you both. Two, because I'm going to be making a lot of money. Tsunade-sama is going to have to pay up."

"Eh?!"

"Excuse me? You participated in a bet pertaining to our relationship?" Sasuke was stunned that people cared so much.

Kakashi gave his own 'cool guy pose' and Sasuke considered the potential consequences of taking out the Hokage.

"I can now retire while being financially wealthy. Thank you." Kakashi seemed elated at that fact before he shook his head and became serious.

Naruto and Sasuke straightened up as they prepared for whatever he would say next…

"But please, use protection. I'm much too young to be an uncle."

In that moment, Sasuke schemed to burn whatever profit Kakashi made from the bets.

AN: Been a long time again, I know! I suck for being gone, but hey, I found my muse and some time to write again!

Thank you all so much for the reviews on last chapter, and for all the congratulations. Thank you for sticking around. It means a lot. I still love Naruto, I still love fanfiction, I just have such a busy life now. I wish I started writing when I was a bit younger (but it would have been even worse than this shit now, so maybe it's a good thing I didn't).

As for those asking about my other stories in PM's or reviews, it's up in the air right now when I'll update them or return to them. I'm genuinely sorry, but writing fanfiction isn't something I can crank out in five minutes.

Anyway! I'll do my best to actually respond to reviews this time if this site actually works. So, ask me whatever in there! Missed y'all and hope all of you have been well 3