This is a NaruSasu SasuNaru SNS slowburn story.

Chapter 1: The Mission

Leaves crunched under Sasuke's shoes as he walked through the Hidden Leaf village. A home he had many memories in, some of which gave him smirks and chuckles, but some not ones he cared to ponder on for too long.

It was currently fall in the village. People were bustling with bringing in harvests and preparing for the holidays. Buildings were being prepared for the coming winter, although winters in the village usually weren't horrible. They got their fair share of snow every year, although nothing near the other villages. It never really got that cold either since they weren't that far north. But fall was always the season where the Hidden Leaf was at its prettiest. Surrounded by so many trees, the leaves would turn everything into bright oranges, reds, and yellows. It was absolutely beautiful this time of year.

This was starting to get into Sasuke's favorite time of year. He loved the colder months since it was always more quiet. Calm. Serene. People stayed indoors more, and the snow made everything eerily silent. Plus, he didn't mind the cold. He liked the coziness of staying indoors too. No one usually bothered him. Curling up with a warm drink made him very content. One of the very few pleasures of his life.

He walked through the village and admired the atmosphere until he finally made it to his destination. He met bright blue eyes that immediately grinned widely when he was spotted, face lit up so much that it made Sasuke smirk slightly.

"It's about time Sasuke!" Naruto bellowed out. "I was about to eat without you!"

"Tch." Sasuke spat at him, trying to stifle the smirk on his face that the idiot always seemed to bring out. "I had things to do, loser."

Naruto just grinned and giggled like a child, lifting the curtain to Ichiraku and heading inside. Usually Sasuke would roll his eyes at the idea of eating ramen, since Naruto wanted it SO often. However, he did admit that a big bowl of warm ramen on cool days hit the spot, made things almost cosy. It was one of the rare things that he liked. When Naruto practically begged on his knees for Sasuke to get dinner with him at Ichiraku, Sasuke for once agreed.

"What kind of things did you have to do anyways?" Naruto asked, sitting down next to Sasuke. He blinked at him almost a tad too sincerely.

"Things that involve being a better ninja." Sasuke replied. "Something you wouldn't know about." He tried his best to stifle yet another smirk. It was fun to tease Naruto sometimes, especially since he would always get a boisterous reaction.

Naruto huffed. "Yeah! We'll just see about that!" He started blabbering on about how he's going to be hokage soon, which Sasuke only pretended to listen to. As usual.

Naruto would always get so animated when Sasuke poked fun at him, a sharp contrast to Sasuke's monotone self. They had a stronger bond than ever, rebuilding what was severed. Sasuke still got irritated when Naruto was too much at times, but he found himself to genuinely enjoy his company more and more. Naruto would always get giddy when he hung around Sasuke, which they seemed to be doing more and more lately. Mostly training, sparring, and ramen, but they had a strong friendship. Sasuke actually found himself to get less and less annoyed with the dobe. Maybe because they've grown up a lot…even if Naruto still acted 10 years old sometimes.

Naruto's eyes lit up as a massive bowl of ramen was placed before them. "Oh boy! This is gonna be so good!" He snapped his chopsticks and slurped away, broth dripping down his face.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and ate his calmly. The warm broth made him content, contrasting the coolness of the fall air. It actually tasted really nice. He let out a sigh in spite of himself, but quickly caught his breath in slight embarrassment. Not in time for Naruto to eye him sideways. Naruto smiled to himself. Sasuke still tried to be as cool and collected as ever. There were very small snipets of him letting down his guard, which slowly happened more and more, but Sasuke always acted like they didn't happen, or he just brushed it off. Naruto did enjoy seeing him truly get comfortable sometimes. Even if it only happens for 5 seconds before Sasuke puts his wall back up.

The curtain behind them lifted, and in walked their favorite masked sensei. He smiled and raised his hand in a wave. "Hey guys, just the two I was looking for. I figured you'd be shoveling down ramen as usual, Naruto."

"Mmasshi shenshei?" Naruto sputtered, spewing noodles everywhere. Of course Naruto would talk with his mouth full.

"Charming." Kakashi chuckled. He placed his hands on each of their shoulders, standing between them. "Nice to see you again Sasuke." He said, looking at the dark haired Uchiha. Sasuke only said "Hnn" and sipped at his broth.

Naruto swallowed and looked up at the sensei. "What are you doing here sensei? Ooo! Are you coming to eat ramen with us?"

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "Not today. I've got a lot of stuff to take care of. I was actually coming to see if you two were interested in…a mission?"

"A…a mission?!" Naruto gasped and jumped up, clenching his fist. "It's about time I go on a mission! I've been training and training for my next one! It's been so long sensei! I'M READY FOR ANYTHING!" Fire burst in his eyes as he grinned widely.

"Uhhh…that's great Naruto. But maybe settle down a bit? You don't even know what this mission is about." Kakashi waved him down. Naruto always had way too much energy, even for him. He looked over to Sasuke. "I would like for you to go along with him, Sasuke. Sakura is busy on another mission, so it'll just have to be the both of you. But, I think you two are strong enough to handle it." He smiled again. "Sorry to just volunteer you, but there's really nobody else available, and this is a time sensitive matter."

Sasuke frowned at him. "What kind of mission?" He really didn't like to be volunteered to do anything without his approval. There really weren't any other ninja who could go? Sasuke had planned for…well, he had planned to do just about anything else than go on a mission anytime soon, but that won't be happening anymore.

Nobody was around them, so Kakashi could talk about the mission freely. "You both are to go to the Land of Snow and retrieve important documents. These are top secret, and could mean trouble if they fall into the wrong hands. They're very important for the research we've been doing." Kakashi looked at them both seriously. "This is why I'm counting on the two of you. This will be pretty dangerous, but I know the both of you can handle it. Plus, Naruto has just been itching to go on a mission."

Naruto blinked. "Retreiving documents? How lame." He crossed his arms and pouted. He was acting extra childish today. Naruto had wanted to fight some big bad ninja in a foreign land. Predictable as ever.

Kakashi sighed. "I know it's not the most exciting mission Naruto. We need them for the chakra research we've been working on." He looked at them seriously. "You remember the ninja that encountered Sizuki a few weeks ago? They still haven't full recovered, and Tsunade is needing the information from the Hidden Snow village to heal them." Sizuki was a rogue ninja from the Land of Snow that had ice powers that could literally freeze chakra, rendering the ninja who encountered her completely immobile and paralyzed. Thankfully Sizuki was stopped, but the poor ninja were rendered helpless and no treatment has been working.

Naruto took one last slurp of ramen and set his bowl down. His face had determination all over it. "Well you can count on us Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto jumped up. "I'll go get my stuff!" With that, he ran out of Ichiraku.

Kakashi just blinked. "I…wasn't even done talking yet. You won't even be heading out until tomorrow morning."

"Typical Naruto." Sasuke rolled his eyes again, thinking of what Kakashi said. A mission with just the two of them? And to the Hidden Snow Village of all places? He was already feeling uneasy. The weather there is so unpredictable that ninja have been lost in the blizzards, never to be seen again. Only those already adapted to the extreme cold and snow could live there. Which Sasuke didn't MIND the cold, but that didn't mean he wanted to go out in it willingly. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head. Sasuke? Uneasy? Pshaw.

Kakashi pulled out his Make-Out Tactics book, like he did every single day. "Well, that's all I have to say. Come see me tomorrow before you head out. I have some things for you to take on your journey." And with that, he was gone.

Sasuke got up and was about to head out as well when a voice stopped him. "Hey! Aren't you going to pay for those?" The old man clicked his spoon on the counter, looking peeved. Sasuke glanced at the bowls and remembered Naruto had just ran out, not even paying for his share. "That idiot." He cursed to himself. Hopefully this wasn't a sign of how the mission was going to go.

XoXoXoXoX

Sasuke and Naruto both stood before Kakashi in the early dawn. A slight chill was in the air, but the heavy cloaks kept them pretty warm. The sky was dark with hints of orange in the clouds, blending with the tops of the orange hues in the trees.

Kakashi had just given them a map laid out with the trail they need to take. "This path goes right through the valley, which should mean less chance of encountering a winter storm. It'll take you several days to reach the village, and it'll get colder the farther north you go." He looked at them seriously. "If for any reason you get stuck in a blizzard, do not go any farther. Wait it out in a shelter. Many ninja have been lost in the wilderness when a sudden snowstorm made them completely lose their senses. The Hidden Snow villagers are way more adept to handle these things…not us from the Hidden Leaf."

Naruto gulped and shivered in spite of himself. He did not want to get stuck in a blizzard…especially with Sasuke. He would probably just make fun of him the entire time. He then gasped. "Wait, but what about those documents?"

"If worse comes to worse," Kakashi sighed, "Then nothing can be helped. I'd rather not lose you guys too. But, if you get close enough to the border, Sasuke might be able to send one of his snow hawks to go the rest of the way while you two hunker down."

Sasuke stared at the long road ahead of them and sighed, shutting his eyes. This mission just sounded like a big pain. Sure he liked the winter, but he did not fancy getting stuck out in the wilderness with Naruto.