Who Are You Really

by dopeboyb

"Who are you really? Are you my friend, enemy or are we something else Sasuke?" Naruto asked his eyes staring into mines. I wanted to lie to him, I wanted to tell him he is just a friend, no he is just an obstacle in my way.. Fem Sauske x Naruto

10. Chapter 10

Who Are You Really

Chapter 10.

"Yeah, I don't get it, Kakashi-sensei! I didn't do anything wrong!" Naruto exclaimed as he and Team 7 approached the gates of Konoha.

It had been seven days since their encounter with Kabuto Yakushi, and a month and one week since they originally left Konoha on a C-ranked mission to the Land of Waves. It goes without saying that their once C-ranked mission was anything but a regular C-ranked mission.

They had completed their original objective of protecting Tazuna until he finished his bridge—a bridge he named after Naruto and his heroic actions against Zabuza and Haku, much to the blonde's joy. Zabuza was dead, his memorabilia, aside from his sword, which was named Kubikiribōchō or the 'Executioner's Blade' to those outside Kirigakure, was now firmly attached to the back of the man who had killed Zabuza—an S-ranked missing ninja of Kirigakure. After their second objective, the capture or elimination of the man known as Gato, was also achieved successfully, Team 7 and Team 8, assigned to capture or kill this terrorist threat in the Land of Waves as deemed by the Hokage, managed to complete this mission as well. The two teams remained in the Land of Waves for three days after capturing Gato along with 25 of his subordinates. Sadly, they failed to capture Kabuto, the third most wanted missing ninja from Konoha. The Hokage, while disappointed that Kabuto escaped, could not overlook the accomplishments of Teams 7 and 8—both recently formed Genin teams. He expressed his delight in their success, despite their one failure.

A team of ANBU was sent by the Hokage to the Land of Waves three days after the operation to assist in escorting the high-value targets, both Gato and Haku, along with the 25 captured subordinates, back to Konoha with Team 8. Team 7 stayed four more days to ensure the bridge's completion. Now, they were just a few minutes away from Konoha's gates.

In the days following the mission, Kakashi had been communicating with the Hokage about the new developments within the mission and his team, specifically their encounter with Kabuto, learning about the 'Akatsuki', and Naruto developing the Byakugan. No one on Team 7 or Team 8, nor the ANBU sent by the Hokage, had ever heard of the Byakugan manifesting in a person who was not from the Hyuga clan and also did not have the standard 'grey' eyes at birth—a sign that the person could manifest the Byakugan later in life. Naruto had two blue eyes prior to his Byakugan manifestation; now, his left eye possessed the grey, pupil-less appearance of the Byakugan, completely different from the eyes he had just weeks ago. The Hokage had informed Kakashi, who then informed Naruto, that it was highly probable that Hyuga Hiashi, the leader of the Hyuga clan and Hinata's father, would oppose Naruto in any way he could.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Naruto. Me, Kurenai, Sakura, Sasuke, and Team 8 will testify on your behalf if it's required. There's no need to worry." Kakashi reassured his student.

"Well, it sure feels like I did something wrong. Worst of all is how the Hyūga treat members of their own clan cruelly I can't imagine how they'd treat me." Naruto said, looking down at his feet.

"Idiot, you've done nothing wrong. Your manifestation of the Byakugan was out of your control. All we have to do is inform the council of this, and they will have no choice but to accept it." Sasuke told Naruto as they entered the village.

"Sasuke's right, Naruto. From what Kakashi-sensei and Hinata-chan said, the Hyuga clan will just be concerned as to why you have it and may accuse you of theft without evidence. Everything will be okay." Sakura joined in, reassuring their teammate.

Naruto sighed, and Sasuke looked at him with a worried expression.

"Alright, my little Genin, we've had a long journey. I will go and submit the reports to the Hokage myself, as well as pick up our rewards for the completion of the mission and drop them off at your homes later. Take the next two days off, and we will meet again at our usual place, same time as always." Kakashi said before hopping onto a nearby roof and disappearing from the Genin's line of sight.

"I'm going to go home and see my parents. I'm sure they're worried sick about me. See you later, Naruto-kun... Bye, Sasuke." Sakura said, waving and offering a small smile to the two before darting off in the direction of her home.

Leaving Sasuke and Naruto together, both had subconsciously twitched at the mention of parents.

Sasuke and Naruto walked together, wordlessly and directionless, with Naruto's mind deep in thought about the events of the mission. Although Sasuke wouldn't admit it, she was worried about Naruto. He seemed very concerned after hearing that with the Byakugan, he now had a target on his back from one of the most noble clans of Konoha. She didn't want to leave him alone.

She silently followed Naruto as he led them, seemingly without much direction. If he was bothered by her presence, he didn't voice it, and she took his silence as consent to join him.

Mindlessly, he guided them to a place of familiar comfort for him—Ichiraku. Sitting down without a word, Sasuke took a seat next to him. They were immediately greeted by Ayame, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"Hey, Naruto, you've been gone for quite a while. How was your mission? Was it fun?" Ayame inquired as she handed Sasuke a menu, looking at Naruto with slight concern. He hadn't seemed to notice her yet, despite standing right in front of him and speaking to him. Casting a concerned glance at Sasuke, Ayame was met with a cold, emotionless look that sent shivers down her spine.

"Yeah, Ayame-chan, it was fun. Lots of cool things happened. Can I just get my usual, please?" Naruto finally looked up from his lap towards the young woman, who gasped at his eye.

"Naruto! What happened to your eye? Are you okay?" she asked, concern evident as she gently reached for his face to get a better look at his features. Although initially viewing him as a freeloader, Ayame had grown to care for Naruto, finding his features handsome. His right eye retained its usual vibrant blue, but his left eye appeared as though he had gone blind—a look she recognized but couldn't name.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm not blind, so don't worry. My eye just...changed after a fight with a shinobi on our last mission. No need to worry, Ayame-chan." Naruto reassured her with his usual smile.

Sasuke glared as Ayame ignored her presence, examining Naruto with intense care. Even after Naruto's reassurance, Ayame continued to stare at him worriedly for a few more moments before finally turning her attention to Sasuke.

"And what would you like?" Ayame asked curtly.

"Just give me the Sapporo ramen with extra tomatoes." Sasuke replied, rolling her eyes as she practically tossed the menu back at Ayame, who barely managed to catch it with her civilian reflexes. Ayame shot Sasuke a weak glare before heading to the back of the restaurant.

Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke. "You don't have to be such a jerk to everyone, Sasuke. Ayame-chan isn't used to you. She might just think you're being purposefully mean to her." he said with a long sigh.

Sasuke narrowed her eyes in response.

Why are you defending her!

"Well, maybe because I am." Sasuke retorted, looking away from Naruto, who just threw his head back with a tired and exasperated look.

"Bastard." Naruto muttered under his breath, slightly disappointed.

Usually, the insult didn't bother her, but the way Naruto had said it this time annoyed her, as if she was always in the wrong. They sat making small talk; mostly, it was Naruto voicing whatever came to mind, with Sasuke listening intently to his concerns, worries, and excitement about their recent accomplishments. It didn't take long for Ayame to return with their food, handing each of them their order before lingering to talk more with Naruto, much to Sasuke's displeasure and annoyance.

Ayame wore a shy, almost schoolgirl-like expression, which made Sasuke uncomfortable. She sensed that Ayame was planning something, even though Naruto was oblivious to it.

"Umm, Naruto-kun." Ayame began, her voice shy and sweet.

Naruto slurped a mouthful of noodles before looking up to see Ayame blushing at him.

"Yeah?" he replied, mouth still full.

Sasuke rolled her eyes at his table manners.

We'll have to work on that, Naruto.

"I-I was wondering, if you're not too busy with your missions and all..."

No way, Sasuke thought, panic flashing in her eyes. She's going to ask him on a date! I knew I should have objected to coming here, but he seemed so deep in thought and concerned, I wanted him to open up comfortably.

"If you'd maybe... like to go on a date?" Ayame asked sweetly.

Naruto was speechless, mouth agape, his amazed expression amusing Ayame and infuriating Sasuke.

"I...I..." Naruto stammered.

He had never been asked on a date before. Internally, he was ecstatic, but also shocked. Usually, he would ask Sakura out, be rejected, and then ask again later. Lately, with all the shinobi work, he hadn't even bothered asking Sakura. But now, Ayame-chan of all people was asking him on a date! She might not be as pretty as Sakura-chan or even Sasuke, but she was pretty enough for him!

"I would lo-"

"He can't!" Sasuke interrupted; her face flushed. Naruto might think it was from anger, but Ayame noticed the blush and hesitant glances Sasuke cast at Naruto.

So, you do like him? Well, all's fair in love and war Ayame thought.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I was speaking to Naruto-kun." Ayame said, her politeness tinged with sarcasm and a hint of malice, attempting to intimidate the formidable shinobi before her.

"He will not go on a date with you!" Sasuke stated, this time with more confidence and without the hesitation or shyness she had shown earlier.

Naruto and Ayame looked at Sasuke with different expressions: Naruto, confused as to why his best friend was obstructing his chance at a date; and Ayame, with a mix of question and determination.

"Hey bastard, what are you getting at? You know I've never been on a date before! You're not being a good wingman right now!" Naruto said, confused.

Sasuke refused to meet his gaze, knowing that her face would betray her emotions.

"Whatever, idiot. You're not going on a date with the local ramen shop girl. You can do better." Sasuke said rudely, slurping some noodles to distract herself from her feelings.

Naruto's face twisted in anger and confusion as he glared at her. "Who died and made you, my mother?"

Sasuke's face turned bright purple at this. She stood up so abruptly that her chair flew backward and fell.

"Whatever! Do what you want then, as if I care, you- fucking idiot!" she screamed at him. Before she left, Naruto swore he saw her Sharingan spinning, with what looked like tears building up in her eyes.

Naruto sat shocked for a few moments before quickly getting up to follow her.

"Sorry, Ayame-chan, this should cover the food. Got to go, see ya!" Naruto said as he fumbled through his frog wallet, quickly pulling out enough to cover both his and Sasuke's food, before hastily picking up the fallen chair and dashing off after Sasuke.

"You don't have to pay—" Ayame started, but Naruto was gone before she could finish her sentence.

Does she have your heart as well, Naruto-kun?

Ayame thought as she collected the barely touched food, taking it back to the kitchen to be cleaned.

Naruto ran as fast as he could, finally catching up to Sasuke at the gates of the Uchiha compound. Sasuke's hands trembled as she struggled to unlock the gates to her clan's compound. Relieved he had caught up with her, he called out.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" He saw her movements freeze as he approached, her back still to him.

"Hey, bastard!" Naruto said as he came to a stop behind her. Sasuke remained frozen, refusing to meet his gaze.

"What do you want, Naruto!" Sasuke spat, her venomous tone clear in her voice.

Naruto tried to peek over her shoulder to get a better look at her face, more specifically her eyes, to gauge her true feelings. If there was one thing Naruto knew about Sasuke, it was that her words didn't always reflect her true sentiments.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Naruto asked, concerned.

Sasuke turned, glaring at him. Her eyes no longer held the teary expression he thought he saw earlier, but now radiated pure rage.

"Why the heck do you care? Shouldn't you be planning your date with Ayame!" she seethed.

Naruto raised his eyebrows in confusion.

She can't be mad at me for that. Can she?

"Well, you seemed upset about something, so I came after you." Naruto said honestly.

Sasuke's face twitched for a moment as if she were considering his words. Her expression softened, but it might have been an illusion because it quickly hardened again, her glare seeming to say, 'I want to kill you.'

"Well, I'm fine. Now leave me alone!" Sasuke said, turning away to open her clan compound's doors, walking towards her home.

Naruto hesitated as she crossed the threshold.

"Wait, Sasuke!" Naruto said, running after her and placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her, but Sasuke stopped, her body shaking, still with her back to him. She glanced at his hand, and Naruto immediately retracted it, sensing she was about to react violently. They stood in the silent, empty street within the vacant clan compound.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked again.

"Get out of my clan's compound right now! Or I'll have you trespassed." Sasuke said, still facing away.

Naruto was beyond confused. Yes, Sasuke was sensitive about her clan. She always complained about Kakashi intruding, but she hadn't threatened trespass against him. Naruto had visited unannounced before, sometimes even for meals, and she never reacted this way.

Naruto sighed, not wanting to further upset her, but also reluctant to leave her alone like this. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"You really want me to leave you alone?" he asked, unsure.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone before you get it? Maybe you really are just a dumb fucking idiot." Sasuke said as she walked away towards her home.

Naruto shook with rage as he yelled back without following, "Yeah! Well, you're a bastard!" He stormed out of the Uchiha compound.

If she wants to be a crazy psycho, so be it!

Naruto thought as he exited the compound, pausing at the gates to look back at Sasuke. When he turned around, he saw she was watching him with a slightly sad expression. Upon noticing him, she glared and turned back towards her house. Naruto narrowed his eyes at her glare, flicking her off before heading towards his apartment.

On his way home, Naruto's stomach growled, prompting him to stop by the grocery store Sasuke had shown him. Upon entering, Botan gave him a wary look but welcomed him. Naruto offered a half-hearted greeting before browsing the store. He contemplated making a dish Sasuke had taught him but ultimately decided on instant ramen instead. At the cash register, Botan offered a small smile.

"Did you find everything okay, Naruto?" he asked, as usual.

Naruto didn't respond, just waited for the total. Botan, noticing Naruto's troubled demeanor, felt compelled to offer some help.

"If you don't mind me asking, you seem troubled. Is something wrong?"

"Sasuke is being a dickhead! I just want to take her pretty face and punch it!" Naruto blurted out, visibly upset.

Botan was taken aback by Naruto's harsh words paired with the conflicting compliment. With his age and wisdom, he knew he had to remain neutral to help the young man.

"May I ask for more context? What happened, if you don't mind sharing?"

After Naruto recounted the events, venting his frustrations, Botan considered everything he knew about Sasuke and the Uchiha clan before responding.

"Well, it sounds to me like Sasuke-chan was jealous."

Naruto's face contorted with confusion.

The bastard jealous? Why?

"What do you mean, jealous? Sasuke has no reason to be jealous. Are you okay, old man?" Naruto asked.

Botan ignored the jab and continued, "From my encounters with the Uchiha clan over many years, I know two things for sure: they can be very protective of things they cherish, sometimes showing anger or jealousy to keep people and things away from those they deem 'precious.' And also, that they love unbelievably hard. Most people believe the rumors about the Uchiha clan and only think about, hear about, and bother to speak about the wrath that the clan has, which is undeniably true. But behind that wrath, the reason they become so hostile, even violent, is because they love unbelievably hard. Don't be too upset with Sasuke-chan. I'm sure in her own way, she just wants the best for you."

Naruto seemed to ponder this for a while before smiling at the man, who returned the gesture with a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Botan! I guess I'll just give her some space, then swing by later. Wait, do you guys still have some of those tomato paste cookies Sasuke likes?" Naruto asked.

Botan's smile grew wider, realizing the boy intended to use them as a peace offering for his friend. Nodding, he watched as Naruto's face lit up, and he dashed to the aisle with Sasuke's favorite snacks, grabbing a pack before returning.

"How about some flowers as well?" Botan suggested.

His wisdom, born of age, told him that Sasuke's jealousy stemmed not from their apparent friendship, as Naruto believed, but from a romantic place in the young Uchiha's heart. If he was right, the flowers might be a nice complement to the cookies.

Naruto looked at him, puzzled. "Why do I need to get her flowers as well?"

Shouldn't the cookies be enough?

Botan fought to keep his face neutral at the boy's apparent cluelessness about romance. He sighed before saying, "When trying to apologize to a female, whether you're right or wrong, flowers are always a good choice."

Naruto's face lit up with understanding. "Be right back!" he shouted and dashed off to buy a bouquet of flowers. He returned with a beautiful bundle of red and yellow camellias, a choice Botan subconsciously approved, noting the bold meaning behind those flowers.

Meanwhile, Naruto had no idea what the flowers represented; he simply chose the ones he thought fit Sasuke best.

"Will that be all, Naruto?" Botan asked with a cheerful smile.

Naruto nodded, and Botan only charged him for the instant ramen, not the cookies or flowers. Before Naruto could point out the oversight, Botan spoke.

"The flowers and cookies are my gift to you. I hope you and your... friend... can sort things out with these." Botan said, handing Naruto his items.

Naruto flashed a huge smile, gave a thumbs up, and ran off. He stopped by a flower shop to grab a vase for the flowers, not wanting them to wilt before he had the courage to face Sasuke.

He decided to visit his friend the next day, hoping his gifts would help soothe the Uchiha's wrath. Returning home, he placed the flowers in the vase for Sasuke, then prepared his instant ramen. Noting it was only 6 PM but feeling exhausted, he decided to head to bed after his meal.

Naruto sighed, feeling the warmth and comfort of his bed in his apartment, and drifted off to sleep.

Sasuke awoke, her body drenched in sweat from a nightmare. She had watched as Itachi killed her clan and her parents, but this time, Naruto was there too. Itachi made her watch, chained, as he brutally stabbed Naruto repeatedly, his cries of pain echoing in her ears. She wanted to save him, take his place. She fought the chains, cursed her brother until Naruto took his last breath. She begged Itachi to kill her too. Tears brimmed her eyes as she stared blankly at her comforter, which failed to warm her. In her dream, she begged Itachi to end her life, but he left her there. Only after he disappeared could she move, crawling to Naruto, his lifeless eyes sending shivers down her spine. When she woke, she was screaming, covered in sweat.

Shaking off the thoughts, she glanced at the clock, which read 2 AM. Knowing she wouldn't fall back asleep, she headed for a hot shower to counter the chill over her body.

I will kill you, Itachi Uchiha. I'd rather die than let you harm Naruto.

Thinking of her blonde teammate, she sighed heavily. She knew Naruto was concerned for her; her envy and jealousy of Ayame had been too much. Ayame was a threat to the last piece of happiness Sasuke had.

Yet, she realized Naruto likely didn't understand what happened and was probably upset and angry with her.

I need to make it up to him.

She didn't want Naruto to be angry with her, and worse, to not want to deal with her at all. She needed to get better at controlling her temper around him. She would get so frustrated and lash out in response. It wasn't healthy, and she feared that her actions, not Itachi, would be the reason she and Naruto grew apart. She needs another way to get to him.

Sighing, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep again, she decided to go for a walk to clear her thoughts more effectively.

She went to her room, grabbing a pair of short black spandex shorts that stopped just under her buttocks, and a hoodie with the Uchiha logo on the back. She tied her hair into a bun, so it would dry better and not soak her hoodie.

Stepping out of the Uchiha compound, she walked aimlessly across Konoha. The streets were empty, considering it was almost 3 in the morning, except for a few people Sasuke presumed were probably overnight workers. To Sasuke, Konoha was unbelievably beautiful at night; the lights shone brightly, and the atmosphere of the village was light and youthful, reflecting the overall wealth and prosperity within the village.

As she continued down the street, Sasuke observed night crew workers passing by—some headed to work, others seemingly leaving, if their tired expressions were anything to go by.

Further down the street, she saw a group of men being escorted out of one of the popular bars in Konoha. Each man was obviously drunk, but three of the men were drunker than the other two.

"Hey, mister security guard. We'll kick your ass if you don't let us in!" one of the men slurred, attempting to threaten the bouncer who had kicked them out. The bouncer, unimpressed by the drunk man's threat, crossed his arms. He seemed very familiar with the group, leading Sasuke to presume he had encountered them before.

"Get out of here, Hiro. Goku, make sure they get home safe, okay?" the bouncer said to one of the men named Goku, who was tall, probably 5'11", taller than the average person in Konoha.

As Sasuke got closer to passing the group, she noticed that Goku, likely the leader of their little friend group, didn't turn to leave until he grabbed the man named Hiro's arm, draping it over his shoulder to help support the other man's drunken dead weight.

Hiro spoke as the group approached her from the opposite direction.

"Man, Kanji is lucky I'm drunk, otherwise I'd totally kick his ass." the man said, hiccupping.

Sasuke watched Goku smile softly at his friend. "Yeah, whatever you say, Hiro."

As they approached from the opposite direction, Sasuke got a good look at the group, all of whom appeared like typical hard-working construction workers, probably enjoying a night on the town on their day off.

Goku was surprisingly handsome—not the most handsome boy she'd ever seen, but she wouldn't be surprised if he had a girlfriend. He had jet-black hair that stuck out in different directions at the top and wore typical civilian clothing, but his body seemed strong, probably built up over years of intense construction work.

Her curiosity satisfied, she turned her head away from the group and continued walking down the road, not sparing the group another glance. Konoha was usually pretty warm, but tonight a cold wind would occasionally sweep across the village. Sasuke was aware that the wind made her nipples under her hoodie harden. Thankful that her hoodie was a darker color, otherwise, she'd have to run home because her nipples would be poking out from under her hoodie. She faintly cursed under her breath for wearing so little clothing on her walk, with only her hoodie and spandex being the only two items of clothing covering her modesty.

As she was about to pass the group, she heard collective whistles at her before the man named Hiro spoke to her.

"Yo, pretty lady, why don't you come join us? I'm sure we can keep your fine ass company!" Hiro had managed to pull himself from Goku and was now stumbling across the street headed for Sasuke.

She paused, raising an eyebrow unimpressed, and stared at the group of men behind Hiro, who all were looking at her with lustful gazes, soaking in her body, particularly her exposed legs. As Hiro approached her, when he was close enough, he tried to pin her against the wall, his arms on either side of her head, preventing her from moving away from the foul stench of alcohol coming from him.

Her death glare wasn't working on the man; he seemed too intoxicated to realize his life was threatened.

Hiro looked her up and down, a disgusting, lustful sneer filling his expression. Sasuke stared at him in his eyes, her own filling with rage and disgust with each moment the man lingered in her presence.

"My my my, you're quite the looker. I don't believe I have seen you around here before." the man said, trying his best to flirt in between his alcoholic hiccupping.

Sasuke glared at him. "If you don't step away from me immediately, I will kill you." Sasuke responded calmly.

The man, obviously immune to her threats in this state, reached a handout in an attempt to caress her face. Sasuke immediately grabbed his hand, twisting it behind his back, and flipped them so she slammed him face-first into the wall her back was just on.

"Aha! Ouch!" The man screamed as his head ricocheted off the wall with a loud thud.

Sasuke was contemplating breaking the man's arm when she felt a firm but also gentle and timid hand on her shoulder. She turned her head, still having Hiro pinned against the wall, to see Goku, who immediately snatched his hand away from her shoulder, not wanting to end up like his friend.

Smart.

Goku looked scared, impressed, and slightly interested in her. He held his hands up in a typical surrendering gesture, showing her that he meant no offense and wasn't trying to get into further altercation with her.

"Hey, miss, I am really sorry about my friend. He normally isn't like this. He's just drunk." the man said pleadingly.

Goku was joined by the other less drunk man in their group.

"Yeah, ma'am, he usually isn't like this. Please forgive us and excuse his behavior. We will take him straight home." the man begged her.

Sasuke sighed before letting Hiro go. The man retreated from her as if she had the plague and returned to the group with the man who came up to her after Goku.

Sasuke and Goku watched the retreating figures before Goku turned to her with a big grin on his face.

Sasuke looked at him blankly, and the man's smile faltered momentarily.

"Thank you for being so kind."

"You better make sure your friend gets home. If he touches me, or any of you whistle at me again... I will kill you all." Sasuke said plainly.

The man took a fearful step back, which made Sasuke smirk. He obviously was sober enough to see her threat for what it was—a promise of violence.

Still, although he looked like he wanted to retreat just like Hiro, he had a slight blush on his face, which Sasuke presumed was from drinking. She was caught off guard by what he would say next.

"So, um—I've never seen you around here before. Are you from Konoha?" the man asked her, shifting his weight back and forth and only maintaining eye contact with her for a few moments before looking away.

"Yes." she replied plainly, her face showing no emotion. He had no idea what she was thinking.

Goku seemed surprised at this. His eyes flashed to hers. "So, you graduated from here as well?"

Sasuke stared at him blankly. She debated whether she should just walk away from him but figured there was no harm in his questioning. "Yes."

"Oh really? Me too. My name's Goku, by the way. That rude guy was Hiro. We just graduated from Konoha High School, and we're celebrating with some drinks. We will all be working for the Konoha Construction Company. I am 18 years old... and single." the man finished with a blush, casting a shy glance at Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke had looked away from the man and was thinking about something else entirely, so his next question caught her off guard.

"What about you?" Goku asked nervously. This girl was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Based on her looks, he'd guess she was 16-17. He had never seen anyone remotely close to her in terms of looks, and Konoha had beautiful women all over the place. Some of the most beautiful were shinobi, of course, and way out of his and his friends' league—even this girl was way out of his league. But his dad always told him you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take. And he'd think about this girl for weeks if he didn't speak to her. Hiro's blunder could just be the start of his amazing love story with this gorgeous woman.

Sasuke looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Uh—I asked, what about you? Where do you go to school, a private school? I'm sure I'd know if you went to Konoha High," Goku said, blushing again.

Sasuke's face turned to an annoyed scowl. "What do you want?" She was growing tired of this questioning.

Goku's face twisted with horror and worry; he was losing confidence by the moment, and it was showing. "Uh-uh, I just wanted to get to know you a bit."

"Sasuke!"

Both Sasuke and Goku turned to see a boy running towards them. Goku didn't recognize the boy. As he got closer, he saw that the boy was tall, probably 6'0" or 6'2, undoubtedly built, his broad shoulders and strong-looking arms showed that. He had blonde hair and different-colored eyes—one was blue, and the other was a pale greyish color.

The boy wore an orange hoodie with some black sweatpants. He looked like he should be the star of a Konoha sports team, but Goku was the star athlete at Konoha, excelling in multiple sports. If this boy played sports, he'd know; him for sure.

He looked at 'Sasuke,' or at least that was what the boy had called her. She had a different air about her suddenly; her previous hostile, aggressive, annoyed posture had given way. She was even smiling at the boy, her eyes holding a light and openness that her previous plain, emotionless facade didn't compare to.

Goku was speechless when a smile graced her lips at the boy; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

"Sasuke, hey bastard, what are you doing up so late?" Naruto

Sasuke smiled. "Naruto, I should be asking you the same thing, idiot. Isn't it past your bedtime?" she said teasingly.

Goku watched their interaction. Based on the names they called each other, they definitely weren't romantic partners, which brought him much relief. He figured her warm welcome meant that they were close friends. He got the vibe from her that she didn't just offer that smile she gave him to anyone.

Just in the few minutes he'd known her, she hadn't offered any emotion to him but anger and malice. Her demeanor change was noticeable and refreshing; it made him believe he had a chance if he could get her to open up. At least then he'd never have to worry about her cheating since she was so hostile to everyone else.

Naruto smirked as he scratched the back of his neck shyly. "Well, after our mission, I was exhausted and ended up falling asleep at 6, woke up with a killer headache and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I decided to take a walk."

Goku gasped, and this seemed to make the two shinobi realize that he was still there.

Mission? That means they are shinobi! No wonder I didn't recognize either of them. The way she reacted to Hiro so quickly and why her eyes are so scary—it all makes sense.

Naruto looked at Goku and offered him a friendly smile before looking at Sasuke.

"Who is your friend, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke scoffed, rolling her eyes. "He is not my friend."

Goku felt his heart pang in his chest but wouldn't give up, even if this girl was way out of his league, and her friend was also a shinobi and could probably kill him without breaking a sweat. He needed to make his intentions clear, all women like confident men, right? What's more confident than confessing in public?

Goku stretched a handout to Naruto. "Hi, I am Goku Hyakuya, nice to meet you, Naruto. I just met Sasuke tonight, so our relationship is only that of acquaintances for now." the man said, hoping that his intentions were clear to Sasuke. The girl seemed to pick up on this and looked at him blankly with a thoughtful look, whereas Naruto seemed oblivious to it all. Smiling, he grabbed Goku's hand and shook it. Goku had to stop himself from grimacing and looking weak in front of Sasuke, although Naruto may not have meant it, to a normal person like him, his grip was bone-crushing.

"Well, nice to meet you, Goku!" Naruto said with a smile before letting his hand go, much to his relief.

"What did you want to know about me specifically, and why?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

Goku chuckled nervously, taking a deep breath in as Naruto watched him curiously and Sasuke eyed him suspiciously.

Now or never, I guess.

"Sasuke-chan, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life. I was hoping that you would give me the pleasure of an opportunity to court you." Goku said, bowing his head deeply. With his head down, he couldn't see the two shinobi's reactions, but the silence was almost more than he could bear. He wanted to run away due to embarrassment but had started this and would see it through.

Naruto looked from Goku to Sasuke and back. Goku was still bowing respectfully, whereas Sasuke had a disbelieving, disgusted, and unamused look on her face.

"What does he mean by 'court you'?" Naruto asked Sasuke quickly. He noticed Goku flinch but still remained bowed respectfully.

"He's asking me out on a date." Sasuke replied to Naruto, sounding annoyed and bothered.

Naruto's face lit up at this, and he laughed hard. "Oh man, Goku, you sure? I think Sasuke is way too much for you to handle!" Naruto said, laughing.

Goku remained bowed.

"Respectfully, I would like that decision to be made by Sasuke-chan." he insisted.

Naruto stopped laughing as he looked to Sasuke, who was glaring at the back of Goku's neck. Knowing what it's like to be rejected, Naruto tried helping the poor boy before his feelings were hurt by Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke, maybe you should say yes, then me, you, and Ayame-chan can go on a double date!"

Sasuke's glare turned to Naruto, who met her gaze, refusing to back down. He meant it! He wouldn't let Sasuke's bastard behavior make him back down. It's not like it wouldn't be fun. And Sasuke could loosen up a little; even he knew she was too wound up.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before her face twisted in anger. Then her gaze sharpened, a devious glint appearing in her dark eyes as she observed Naruto's earnest expression. The usually stoic and reserved Uchiha saw an opportunity she couldn't resist. While she had absolutely no interest in Goku beyond the mild annoyance his presence caused, Naruto's unexpected eagerness to support Goku's proposition piqued her interest in a different way. It wasn't often she found herself in a position to unsettle Naruto, especially using such a personal tactic.

With a sly grin slowly forming on her lips, Sasuke turned her attention back to Goku, who was still bowed deeply, a mix of hope and apprehension palpable in his stance. She then glanced at Naruto, noticing his expectant look, and made her decision. It was a rare chance to stir some reaction from the usually buoyant Naruto, perhaps even make him a tad jealous, something she had never openly tried but found the idea suddenly amusing.

"Maybe I should!" she exclaimed before walking away from Naruto and Goku.

Goku remained bowed for a second until Sasuke was about 10 feet away and departing. He looked at Naruto, confused.

"Was that a, yes? I am unsure." Goku asked the other man, confused as he watched the Uchiha walk away, fighting to keep his eyes from staring at her ass. He kept glancing, though, as she walked away, getting slightly hypnotized by the sway of her hips and the jiggling of her round ass.

Naruto sighed. "Well, it wasn't a no. Give me your information, and I'll try to set up a double date for us, okay?" Naruto said to the saddened man, knowing exactly how the man was feeling.

Goku whipped out a piece of paper and wrote down his name and address for Naruto, who took the paper and took off after the beauty. When he caught up to her, he could hear their arguing from where he stood.

Hiro and his friends approached him as he stared at the two walking away, taking a long glance at the woman's nice ass. He'd kill to be in Naruto's shoes; he had no idea how the boy could be just friends with someone so hot.

"So, did you do it? Did you get a date?" they asked excitedly.

"I don't know." the man said honestly.

The men looked at him, confused. He sighed and shrugged, leading his friends in the opposite direction of the two shinobi, wondering about their relationship. They were obviously very close, and although they had weird, insulting nicknames for each other, he figured the bonds those shinobi have with each other, risking their lives together all the time, meant there were certain things he'd just never understand.

"You know you don't have to be a bastard all the time?" Naruto said teasingly.

Sasuke looked pissed at him again. He had no idea why, just like earlier. She ignored him, and he sighed as they walked for a while. They ended up doing a huge circle and were a few blocks away from his apartment. This was when Naruto remembered the cookies and flowers at his apartment.

Sasuke was pissed, her plan to elicit a jealous response from Naruto faltering as he showed no sign of the reaction she had anticipated and wanted. Instead, Naruto appeared genuinely happy for Goku, leaving Sasuke feeling a mix of frustration and regret. Her attempt at making Naruto jealous had backfired, leaving her to contemplate why Naruto had no possessive feelings for her, which she had not truly considered until he tried pawning her off.

"Hey, Sasuke!" he said to her, but she continued to walk next to him, ignoring him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said. As they were approaching the street for his apartment, sighing, he just grabbed Sasuke by the hand and dragged her down the street towards his apartment. This elicited an angry reaction from Sasuke.

"What the hell do you want, Naruto! Let go of me, idiot. Can't I just go for a walk-in peace?" Her voice was not the usual angry tone she had; it quivered slightly, but Naruto wasn't going to let her go until they were in his apartment, otherwise she'd just run away.

Dragging the Uchiha behind him, he approached his apartment. She was making it difficult for him to drag her as she fought against him. Naruto knew that if she really wanted him to stop dragging her by the hand, she could easily get herself out of this, so he wasn't concerned. She was just dragging her feet and stopping, slowing his forward movement as much as possible.

"What? You're inviting me to your home after you just tried to auction me off to another man?" Sasuke spat at him.

Naruto sighed, shaking his head at the pissed Uchiha he was dragging behind him.

"I don't know what you're getting at. Just come to my apartment; I have something I want to give you."

This quieted the Uchiha, and her resistance against him stopped a tad. He managed to get to his apartment before unlocking the door with one hand, stepping in, and dragging Sasuke in with him. He quickly threw her in front of him, locking the door so she wouldn't just run out and escape.

When he turned, he was met with a pissed Uchiha glaring at him with her deathly glare.

"What am I doing here, Naruto!" She spat.

Naruto sighed. He approached Sasuke slowly, his eyes determined as they looked into hers. Sasuke was caught off guard by the shift in demeanor, taking steps away from Naruto as he approached her, soon her back hit a wall, and Naruto pinned her against it, looking down at her seriously.

Sasuke couldn't help the blush that came to her face as she looked away from Naruto's determined eyes. She always found his eyes to be so... attractive. Even his grey eye was quickly becoming likable to her.

"Don't run away. I want to give you something." Naruto said, his breath hitting her cheek. When she didn't look at him or respond, Naruto lightly grabbed her chin and turned her to face him.

Sasuke's blush deepened as she stared into his eyes, her gaze flitting to his lips which were tantalizingly close to hers. She licked her lips in response.

"Promise me." Naruto said, still holding her chin lightly.

Sasuke was so absorbed in the intimacy of the moment; she hadn't even known what Naruto was asking her to promise. She was lost in his presence and responded immediately without question.

"I promise." Sasuke said. She mentally prepared herself for what Naruto would have her do—strip, kiss him? Would they have sex? Was he experiencing his teenage hormones and seeking an outlet for his testosterone-driven lust?

None of this happened, though, much to Sasuke's displeasure. Naruto flashed her his charming smile before telling her he'd be right back and disappearing into his room.

Sasuke let out a breath she didn't know she was holding; her legs were trembling, and not because Naruto's A/C was on.

Get a grip!

She walked over to Naruto's couch before sitting down on it, looking around. It had been a month or so since she was last here.

It definitely needs a feminine touch.

Naruto came back to her and smiled, seeing she kept her promise and was sitting on his couch.

Sasuke watched Naruto return with his hands behind his back, hiding something from her view.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier." Naruto said before a light blush came to his face.

His blush was met by Sasuke, who recalled the events and knew it was her fault, honestly. She couldn't control her emotions and lashed out.

"You don't have to apologize, Naruto." she said sadly, with some shame in her tone.

Naruto, seeing this, acted immediately, pulling out the vase and box of cookies from behind his back.

"I hope this is enough for you to forgive me, bastard." Naruto said with a smile.

Sasuke was shocked, looking at the flowers he got her made her blush intensify, and Naruto looked shocked and horrified.

"I-if you're still mad, I can—"

"No, Naruto, thank you. I love it." Sasuke said, getting up and grabbing the items from Naruto. She looked at the flowers again.

They were beautiful red and yellow camellia flowers. She doubted that Naruto understood the significance of giving her these types of flowers. The red flower symbolized love, and the yellow symbolized longing. Together in a bouquet like this, it could mean something like 'I am waiting for my love' or 'Waiting for my love to be returned.'

But with his handsome, warm, genuine smile, she allowed herself, just for tonight, to believe in a delusion akin to Sakura's.

She placed the flowers and cookies down on the table before running and jumping on Naruto, giving him a huge hug and wrapping her legs around him intimately. Naruto chuckled cutely before wrapping her in a tight hug as well.

"I'm guessing this means you forgive me?"

Sasuke ignored him, just nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, her lips faintly brushing against Naruto's neck, making the skin on her lips burn and sending a chill down Naruto's spine.

Flowers and cookies, thank you, Botan!

Naruto brought Sasuke, who was still clinging to him, to the couch, sitting down with her on his lap. She had expertly unwrapped her legs as she felt him sitting down so that her knees were on either side of him, and she sat on top of him, straddling him.

Naruto had never felt so comfortable in his life as in this moment. Sasuke's hug was like holding onto a cloud; her soft body was a stark contradiction to her hard exterior. He could feel everything—her soft, warm legs on his sides, her breath hitting his neck, her soft plush breasts pressed against his chest.

Naruto's breathing and blood started to heat up as he thought more about Sasuke's body. Her breasts pressed against him felt so nice; he felt as though he could almost feel everything. He still had his arms wrapped around her and dropped one to his side, as he absentmindedly began stroking her back with his other hand. Sasuke let out a soft moan right against his ear, which made him freeze, and his lower body part instantly and intensely reacted to that moan. He could feel himself harden as blood rushed south.

Sasuke seemed to relax instantly into the hug, and that caused her body to mesh more into his. Her hips dropped, and now Naruto had an instant full-on erection. He could feel an intense warmth on top of his crotch coming from Sasuke's warm body. He mentally tried to stop himself from ruining everything, but it was impossible; he was too hard.

Don't be weird... Don't be weird he thought to himself.

Sasuke shifted lower; she could feel her heat in her private area heating up, as well as fluids beginning to run out of her privates. Her breath picked up as she pushed herself lower onto Naruto's lap. A jolt of electricity fired from her clit to her brain at the contact of her womanhood with Naruto's hardened member.

She smirked into his neck, taking in his intoxicating scent. Sasuke knew what she was doing. It pissed her off to no end that Naruto just seemingly was careless about her; he literally tried getting her to accept a date just 30-45 minutes ago. Didn't he hold any feelings for her? She knew he was a romantic idiot, but was he really okay with letting another man get the opportunity to do this with her or to her? He's told her he finds her cute, which basically means he is attracted to her, right? Then why does he give other women chances but not her? It frustrated her to no end. He was becoming all she wanted to think about.

She had to test him. At first, when she hugged him, she meant it as an innocent encounter, but his strong body and his scent overwhelmed her, and her body reacted lustfully towards him. Then, when he stroked her back, she felt so comfortable she could have fallen asleep. It was when she accidentally moaned did she get a reaction out of Naruto's body—a reaction she'd been scared he lacked for her, the innate primal desire all humans and all creatures have: the need to mate. Naruto was a healthy, handsome young man. Outside of his requests for dates with Sakura, Naruto never expressed interest in the other gender physically. It was always training or studying.

Sasuke had caught Naruto looking at her breasts a few times, but not as much as she caught him looking at Hinata's when the girl would just wear her mesh fishnet tank top, much to Sasuke's annoyance. She believed Hinata only did that around Naruto to get him to look at her. Not that what Sasuke was doing now was any different, really.

When their privates made contact, Sasuke let out another teasing, breathy moan, this time right in Naruto's ear. His reaction was immediate; she felt his hands come to grip her just under her butt on her thighs, and his body involuntarily thrusted up into her, searching for her heat.

She smirked.

So, you are attracted to my body. Good.

"Umm, Sasuke." Naruto said questioningly, his voice shaking.

Sasuke didn't respond, relaxing her body more onto his. She moved her hips slightly, biting her lips at the sensations it caused.

"Sasuke!" Naruto moaned out, voice shaking breathlessly.

She pushed herself up, looking directly into his eyes, sitting on his lap. She knew her face was blushed but hoped not as much as Naruto's in this moment.

His eyes were locked on hers, both innocent but would flash momentarily to a predatory, penetrating gaze, as if he could see her want for him and would take pleasure in it, before switching back to its innocent, questioning look.

"Yes, Naruto?" She said, her own composure shocking herself.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes. Are you okay, Naruto?" She said this as she wiggled her hips so that her moist private area rubbed against him grinding against him, teasing them both. She smirked at his reaction. His breath hitched, and his eyes looked up in pleasure momentarily before locking in on her. Seeing her smirk, Naruto instantly knew she was messing with him.

"Bastard!" Naruto said, lifting Sasuke off himself and tossing her to the side. He missed her look of displeasure and slight embarrassment when he threw her off.

"Always messing with me!" Naruto said, glaring at her before covering his erection with his hands and running into his room, dashing into the bathroom.

Sasuke was shocked before seeing Naruto's embarrassed face and his reaction to his own erection. Sasuke got the confidence boost she needed.

He thinks I'm attractive; he just doesn't see me as a woman!

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle. She couldn't believe herself. What was she even worried about? She got up, still chuckling softly, and walked into Naruto's room.

His room was neat, neater than his living room and kitchen. His comforter was orange, and his sheets were white, and this made her smile softly.

Of course, they'd be orange.

His room was as bare as his living room, only a desk with open scrolls, a nightstand on either side of his queen-sized bed.

She walked over to his closet, opening it. There weren't many different clothes, but she herself didn't own many different clothes either. She saw his old jacket hanging there. Looking over her shoulder, seeing he was still in the bathroom, she leaned forward to smell it.

It smelled like him still. She grabbed it off the hanger, sniffing it more. Looking over her shoulder, she looked at her own hoodie before slipping it off and quickly putting Naruto's on.

She then hung her hoodie on the hanger and heard Naruto coming out of the bathroom. She was hanging up her hoodie when Naruto spoke.

"Dickhead... Make yourself at home, why don't you."

"I intend to." she replied, smirking at Naruto, whose jaw literally dropped as she headed into the bathroom, walking right past him.

She entered the bathroom, closing the door before locking it and looking into the mirror. Her own eyes surprised her. They looked confused, worried, but also seductive, aggressive, and happy—for the first time, her eyes held a light in them she hadn't seen in years. Even her smirk was more of a half-smile.

But what she was sure made Naruto's jaw drop moments ago was the fact she was currently wearing Naruto's old jacket and nothing else. She could see her toned, white, smooth skin that stretched from her shorts all the way to her neck, showing off her breasts and body—at least her stomach, with only her nipples and half her breast on each side hidden from view.

She was completely shocked. Had she really done this? What was she doing?

She grabbed the sink, looking at her breasts that now fell through the unzipped jacket. She turned on the sink, splashing her face with water before grabbing a towel and wiping her face.

It would be him.

If it was going to be anyone, it would be Naruto she made up her mind at that moment. She had a crush on a boy who didn't even see her as a woman. And never did.

She zipped up his jacket halfway, enough to expose a good amount of skin but enough so that her breasts wouldn't fall out in her sleep.

She looked at her eyes again; the onyx was fading into a reddish hue. She was actually flirting with Naruto Uzumaki, and she was okay with it.

She stepped out of the bathroom, mentally prepared to face Naruto who undoubtedly had many questions.

She walked out, and Naruto was sitting on the bed, confusion, embarrassment, shock, and anger evident on his face.

"What are you playing at, Sasuke? I don't get it." he said.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, leaning on the closed bathroom door, trying to look innocent.

"I don't know what you mean, Naruto." she teased.

Naruto glared at her, and she smirked teasingly.

"Why are you wearing my jacket!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the piece of clothing.

Sasuke smiled teasingly.

"Oh, so you want me to take it off?" She said as she pulled the zipper down slowly.

Naruto's face flushed the reddest she had seen yet; his eyes flashed to her chest, then her face before he threw his hands over his eyes and his head back into his bed.

"No, no, just keep it!" His embarrassment made her chuckle.

Naruto shot his head up, looking at her shocked, then smiled brightly at her.

"I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh. Wow." he said, just staring at her, amazed, a bright smile on his face.

This time, Sasuke felt herself blush. She was caught off guard by his intrusion into her teasing with such a genuine statement and true amazement. His appreciation for her in that moment shone in his eyes.

"Whatever, idiot. I assume you sleep on the right side." she said, walking to the left side of the bed.

"Yeah, I do." Naruto said, looking at her, his question hidden in his tone.

"Can I sleep with you? Or are you going to send me home at 4 am like this?" She said, gesturing again to her body, bending over slightly like she'd seen Ayame do, allowing him a good line of sight on her breasts. She knew that seemed to catch his eye.

She was right. Naruto looked, as he said,

"Uhh, yeah, sure, the left side is fine." before catching himself looking and turning away to hide his blush.

This made Sasuke smile harder. She got into the bed quickly, covering herself and turning away from Naruto. She didn't want him to see how red her face was right now. She prayed he'd just turn the lights out and hoped it would help hide her blush.

Thankfully, Naruto did just that.

Naruto turned the lights off and pulled the comforter over himself as he lay in bed. Sasuke was acting really weird. He understood she was a girl, but since he found out, she was acting more... girly. Not that it was a problem to him; she still was the same Sasuke, but it put him in weird situations that didn't happen before.

Like her teasing him on the couch and in his room, it's as if she stepped up her game from insults to teasing him like that.

That's it! The bastard has just been messing with me! All I have to do is try not to react to her teasing. Then, it'd look like it doesn't bother me, and I'd win!

This made Naruto smirk. He'd rub it in her face without telling her he was onto her.

"Hey Sasuke?"

Silence. Naruto looked over and instantly knew Sasuke had fallen asleep. Her deep, even breaths and her completely relaxed form showed him this. Naruto sighed, eyes suddenly feeling heavier coupled with a slight stinging in his right eye. He closed them, trying to relax as well to get some sleep.

The Next Day.

Sasuke woke up to sunlight beams flashing through the curtains. She heard light snoring to her right and turned to see Naruto resting peacefully beside her. A smile came to her face; she'd slept dreamlessly through the night for the first time in a long time. She had no bad dreams of Itachi, no saddened memories of times spent with her clan. Just black, peaceful, restful sleep. Sasuke took the opportunity of Naruto sleeping to cuddle into his side. Naruto slept on his back, apparently, which made snuggling into him easier. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the sounds of his heartbeat; she threw one of her legs over Naruto to get a full embrace. She laid like that comfortably for a few minutes before glancing at the clock. It was already 9:45 am. She sighed and rolled out of bed, walked over to the bathroom, used the bathroom, washed her hands, and looked in the mirror.

In her most humble opinion, Sasuke believed one of the times she looked the most attractive to herself was early in the morning. Her wild bed hair made her look fierce but tempting, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes and eyelids weren't fully awake, giving them a drunken, seductive look that she liked. She looked around Naruto's bathroom for an extra toothbrush but had no luck. She stared at his toothbrush, breathing into her hand and taking a whiff of her morning breath. Her face grimaced; she definitely didn't want Naruto to smell that.

I am going to have to bring a few things over here.

She decided to use some of his mouthwash as a temporary alternative to brushing her teeth. She exited the bathroom, and a small smile graced her lips at Naruto's still sleeping form. She decided she'd make him breakfast, then take her leave. She didn't want to be too overbearing, and as much as she wanted to stay around to be there to fight off girls like Ayame and Hinata, she knew she was probably already pushing her limits. As long as she could manage to get more sleepovers with Naruto and continue spending more time with him, she was sure eventually she could change his perspective on her and their relationship. She had all the time in the world, assuming no one else got to him first.

Bet that little Hyuga would have a heart attack if she knew about this.

Sasuke walked to Naruto's kitchen. She was grateful that before she left, she took Naruto shopping again. He still didn't have much in terms of food, but she was the reason why he at least had eggs and bacon in his apartment.

It's not much, but it should do.

Sasuke remembered her mother and how she'd often make breakfast for her family. Her mother always would bring her father, Fugaku, his breakfast in bed. When Sasuke was younger, she never realized her mother's absence at breakfast, but often she heard pants and groaning coming from her parents' room after her mother would bring her father breakfast. Now that she was older, she realized her parents were having sex, and her mother seemed to use bringing her father breakfast in bed as a way of seduction.

Her cheeks flushed at this thought.

It's too late now... I've already started down this path.

Sasuke had made up her mind last night that she did have some romantic feelings towards Naruto. Otherwise, how else could she explain it? She got so angry at the fact that not only was Naruto offered a date, but then he tried to set her up with a man she was not interested in. She had no interest in anyone other than Naruto. No one had made her heart flutter like the idiot, and he was the one who brought light back into her eyes. Yet, why didn't he ravish her like a regular hormonal teen? His body was attracted to her; he said himself he thought she was 'cute.' Yet he had only asked Sakura for a date, and until yesterday and last night when she practically ran around naked in front of him, he hadn't looked at her sexually. It was both frustrating and confusing. She looked better than Sakura; she also had a better body than the pink-haired banshee. She could say the same about Ayame. Hinata was closer competition, arguably Hinata had a better body, the girl was shorter with perfect boobs, and a curvy body. Sasuke cracked open some eggs, seasoning them before whisking them as she looked over to her butt. Sasuke had a nice ass; her butt, thigh combination was the thickest of all the girls in her class, although her petite figure might trick the unsuspecting onlooker until they got a good look at her rear. She didn't have a massive booty but for her size, she had the roundest and best-shaped one. She also believed although both Sakura and Hinata were pretty in terms of faces, she had to be better, right?

She sighed and focused her attention back on cooking and thinking about other things she noticed got Naruto's attention.

Shinobi Fishnet mesh, I guess I should go shopping today.

Sasuke put the bacon in the oven; the eggs were already made, and she had a few minutes to spare before breakfast would be done. She walked around Naruto's apartment; it was fairly clean, so doing housework wasn't really needed. But she remembered that her father once told her it was one of the things he loved about her mom. Maybe Naruto would like the same thing? She picked up some clothing set aside here and there, placing it on his couch. She grabbed some paper towels and walked around, wiping and dusting off his furniture. She threw away the dirty towels before picking up some of the laundry she found and carried it into Naruto's bathroom, placing it into what she assumed was his dirty clothes hamper.

Her thoughts wondered back to Naruto as usual Naruto is so strange sometimes, I wonder if he is socially inept. To her it makes a lot of sense, Naruto still acted childish, all though he was defiantly less rambunctious not really pulling pranks anymore, he still seemed to miss social cues often. I wonder if it's because I am his first friend. Although the word tasted like vinegar to Sasuke now. Naruto never had social interactions with people their age until her, outside of Ayame. Naruto never really grew up around to many people. Therefore, it'd make sense for him to not being on the same social level as her. She smiled at this Well it should make it easier to keep you to myself.

When she walked back into the living room, she put her hands on her hips, looking for something else to do. She noticed his plants and decided to water them and trim some of the decaying leaves.

Naruto woke up and instantly noticed his bed was empty, missing Sasuke. He frowned; he at least wanted her to say goodbye before just up and leaving him like that. Then he smelt cooking coming from the kitchen, a smile forming on his face.

I knew it! That bastard would at least say goodbye.

Naruto noticed that unless Sasuke was mad, which was a fairly decent amount of her daily disposition, she'd usually always say bye to him. He figured it had something to do with her past. Naruto knew that unless he wanted to make Sasuke shut down and run away, forcing her to open up and talk was not the plan. However, Sasuke tended to always say goodbye when she thought she wouldn't see him for the rest of the day. I guess that's normal for most people, but for Sasuke, it really meant something, especially since she never often offered the same gesture to the rest of Team 7.

Naruto walked to his bathroom to brush his teeth, excitedly. It had been weeks since he had Sasuke's cooking. Tsunami was a good cook, and she was an excellent hostess to Team 7 and Team 8 while they were there, but Naruto loved Sasuke's cooking for some reason. The simplest things, when coming from her, tasted awesome. His head still rang but was a tad less painful than what he woke up to earlier today; it felt as though someone had a jackhammer and was drilling into his brain behind his right eye.

He finished brushing his teeth and then walked out to his living room and froze at the sight of Sasuke's rear end. Sasuke was bent over at the hips, tending to his plants. She would sway from one foot to the other, shifting her hips, which shifted her ass in an up-and-down manner. Each slight movement sent jiggles through her butt cheeks that were too alluring to look away from. Naruto felt a blush rising as he tried to force his eyes away from the sight. His blood ran cold from embarrassment at being caught looking at his best friend's butt.

"A picture lasts longer, Naruto." Sasuke said, still bent over, not looking at him.

Naruto just looked away, mumbling 'Bastard' under his breath. He walked into the kitchen just as the oven alarm went off. Excitedly, he reached for a plate but had his hand smacked away by Sasuke, who gave him a small glare.

"Hey, what was that for!" Naruto asked, giving her a half-hearted glare back.

"Go sit. I will bring you your food."

Not having to be told twice, Naruto excitedly ran to the table, sitting down and rubbing his hands together. Sasuke rolled her eyes, turning her head to hide her smile.

"It's just bacon and eggs, Naruto. Don't get too excited." she spoke.

"Yeah, but I already know it will be amazing. I love your cooking, you know that!"

Sasuke just smiled as she put his food on his plate. Walking over to where he sat, she placed it in front of him with a smile.

"Enjoy."

Naruto immediately dove in. She sat across from him, her elbows on the table, hands on cheeks, just watching him eat. Naruto took a few bites before he realized Sasuke wasn't eating but just watching him eat.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to eat?" Naruto asked her.

"I was going to leave after you finished eating." she said plainly, eyes still watching him intently.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Although Sasuke always told him she wasn't his 'personal chef,' she often would make him meals and try to get out of it without eating, much like he imagined a personal chef would behave.

"Bastard, I'm not taking one more bite until you eat as well!" This was Naruto's most effective strategy against this Sasuke behavior. Sasuke seemed to hate food going to waste, at least what she made for Naruto. So if Naruto protested by not eating, Sasuke would always cave and join him.

She smiled, rolling her eyes before getting up and making herself a plate. Naruto smiled brightly when she returned with a plate of her own and began eating her breakfast alongside him.

Naruto, ever the spirited presence, was recounting the details of their recent scuffles with his usual animated flair, his hands dancing in the air as he mimicked the clash of kunai and the swoosh of jutsu. Sasuke, for her part, offered only the occasional nod or hum of acknowledgment and a small smile, her focus more on the meal than Naruto's theatrics.

As the excitement of the tale dwindled, Naruto's demeanor shifted, a shadow of discomfort crossing his usually bright features. He reached up, rubbing his temple as if to ease an invisible pain.

Sasuke's sharp eyes caught the gesture immediately. "What's wrong? You've been rubbing your head since you walked out here." she remarked, her voice tinged with a mix of concern and reprimand.

Naruto hesitated, his usual openness warring with the uncertainty of his experience. "Well, Sasuke, it's just... I've been having this bad headache since last night, and I thought it was nothing, but..."

"But what?" Sasuke pressed, sensing there was more he wasn't saying.

Naruto looked down at the reflection on his tea, the ripples distorting his image. "This morning, when I was in the bathroom, I saw something... in my right eye. It wasn't like the Byakugan in my left. It was different."

Sasuke's eyes widened just a fraction, a clear sign of her alarm. "Show me."

Wordlessly, Naruto faced her and lifted his bangs away from his right eye as he focused his chakra like he'd done earlier. As the morning light hit his face, his right eye shimmered with an unearthly glow. Within the iris, a complex pattern whirled—a geometric maze of connected lines and circles that pulsed with a cerulean light, the pupil at its center like a gateway to an unknown dimension.

"It looked like this," Naruto explained quietly, his voice carrying a mix of awe and unease. He stopped his chakra flow; the headache intensified too much, and his pupils returned to normal. "I don't know what it means or what it does. But it felt... powerful. Overwhelming, even."

Sasuke studied his eye intently, her analytical mind racing through every scroll and text she'd ever studied. She had her sharingan out memorizing every detail. To her it looked like a never ending interconnected maze of knots.

Naruto watched as Sasuke leaned closer, her eyes narrowing as they scrutinized the swirling pattern in his right eye. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant sounds of Konoha waking up to another day.

"Mugenkessetsugan..." she murmured almost to herself, a trace of wonder seeping through her typically unflappable demeanor.

Naruto blinked, the unusual name catching him off guard. "Mugenkessetsugan? What kind of name is that?" he asked, a playful edge to his voice despite the situation.

Sasuke shot him a sharp look, her lips curving into a rare, knowing smirk. "It's better than any name you'd come up with. Still, I have never seen nor heard of an eye like that." she retorted, the challenge and concern clear in her tone.

Naruto sputtered, his face folding into a mix of mock offense and bemusement. "Hey! I can come up with cool names too, you know!"

But Sasuke's amusement was fleeting; her expression quickly settled back into its usual serious lines. "This isn't a joke, Naruto. Why didn't you tell me you were having headaches? This could be serious."

The shift in her demeanor caught Naruto's attention more effectively than any teasing could. He looked down, his usual vivacity dimming. "I guess... I didn't want to add to the stress of the mission. And I thought it might go away on its own."

"Naruto, when it comes to dojutsu, especially something unknown like this, you can't just hope it'll go away. We need to be cautious. Don't tell anyone about this, not even Kakashi-sensei! Promise me." Sasuke insisted, her voice firm but not unkind.

Naruto met her gaze, the weight of her words settling over him. He nodded, the gravity of the situation finally sinking in. "You're right, Sasuke. I should've said something sooner, and I promise, it's our little secret." Naruto said, while crossing his fingers and giving a teasing, playful smile.

Sasuke scowled, though her concern was palpable. "Idiot. Something like this isn't just going to go away. We need to figure out what this is, and fast."

Naruto suddenly looked down at his table, lost in thought. Sasuke, initially annoyed at his abrupt silence, couldn't help but let her concern seep through.

"What are you thinking about?" she prodded, her voice softer than intended.

Naruto paused, the weight of his gaze heavy as he lifted his eyes to meet hers. Both the Byakugan and the newly christened Mugenketsugan stared back at her, revealing a vulnerability and uncertainty that was uncharacteristic of him. His expression was downtrodden, a stark contrast to his usual buoyancy, stirring a deep concern within Sasuke.

"What's happening to me, Sasuke?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sasuke's heart ached at his words. "Naruto." she began, her voice filled with an intent to comfort, to reassure. But before she could continue, a knock on the door cut her off, halting the moment and leaving her unsaid words hanging in the air.

Sasuke had finished her food, and Naruto was on his third helping, so she decided to answer the door for him. She zipped up the cleavage she was previously offering Naruto's vision so that her modesty remained intact. She had a good idea who was at the door; she doubted it would be Sakura.

Opening the door, she was met with an expected sight, their sensei Kakashi Hatake. He had his orange, perverted Icha Icha Paradise book open, reading it until the door opened. Peeking over the top, the surprise in his one eye was evident, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into his usual eye-smile. Sasuke was glad that she came to the door instead of Naruto; he'd be too easy for the jonin to read. They needed to keep his unknown dojutsu safe.

"Well, well, well. I guess now I know why you weren't at your home. I put the funds from our last mission in your mailbox, along with the bonuses we received from capturing Gato and Haku, as well as killing Zabuza."

Sasuke just rolled her eyes in response. Kakashi looked her up and down; she could practically see his perverted smile as she asked,

"What do you want, Kakashi?" she asked curtly. Shifting slightly, she had the door only cracked open so Kakashi couldn't see inside where Naruto was, trying to protect him from view with her body and the door.

"I see you decided on a change in clothing. Nice jacket. I can't help but feel like I've seen it somewhere before." Kakashi said teasingly.

"You should ask Naruto what's under the jacket." she shot back.

Kakashi was surprised for a moment, and it showed, making Sasuke smirk that she finally managed to outfox their sensei, who would tease her about her and Naruto's relationship any chance he got.

"Did you two..." Kakashi asked almost in disbelief but was cut off again by Sasuke.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, more annoyed. He was taking time away from her and Naruto, although she planned on leaving soon anyway, she still intended to take as much time as she could before leaving.

Kakashi's lone visible eye narrowed slightly, always quick to pick up on his students' subtleties. "Everything alright, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha glared and ignored his question in response. What sign did she give away?

"So feisty as usual. Am I wrong, is this the Uchiha compound, or is this Naruto Uzumaki's home?" Kakashi said jokingly as he stepped back to look around the building as if making sure he was in the right place.

Sasuke glared at him. Kakashi basically told her this isn't even her house, so he didn't really have to tell her why he was there.

"Bastard, is that Kakashi-sensei?" she heard Naruto's voice coming up behind her.

She turned around, still blocking the door as Naruto approached it, opening up the door more so he could see Kakashi. He thought he sensed their jonin sensei; being back in such a large village compared to the Land of Waves was really messing with his internal senses. So, he was having some trouble organizing things inside himself, and Sasuke was taking longer than needed to answer the door. He stood behind Sasuke, looking over her at Kakashi, and gave their sensei a big smile.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I was trying to make it past your door guard, but I seem to be missing the correct passcode." Kakashi said, teasing Sasuke more.

Sasuke was annoyed, but if the attention was on her, then Kakashi might ignore the signs of discomfort Naruto would occasionally display.

Naruto chuckled at this. "Stop being a bastard, Sasuke, and let sensei in. Come on in, sensei! Sasuke made breakfast; I'll share some but only one plate! I want the rest." Naruto said as he headed inside, followed by a chuckling Kakashi who politely declined, and an unamused and annoyed Sasuke.

As they walked into the living room, Kakashi observed Naruto. The boy still had an innocent air about him; his neck and body seemed unmarked and 'love bite' free, so he doubted that his students had actually done the deed.

So, then what was Sasuke talking about earlier?

From the looks of it, Sasuke had spent the night. Her attire was comfortable nightwear that was similar to what he had seen her in before, minus the sweatpants and replaced by her Uchiha hoodie with Naruto's infamous orange jumpsuit jacket.

Naruto himself was still in sweats, meaning that neither one of them had left the apartment and started their day.

Sasuke made her way to the couch, laying down and looking up at the ceiling, really making herself at home and ignoring the two men. Naruto went back to his plate, and Kakashi sat next to him in an empty seat, not wanting to anger the Uchiha if she decided to join them at the table in her seat across from Naruto.

Naruto dove into his food, asking, "So, what brings you here, Kakashi-sensei?" with his mouth still full of food.

Sasuke shouted from the couch, "Don't speak with your mouth full, or I swear I will never cook for you again, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Kakashi watched Naruto freeze before swallowing and offering him a scared smile.

"Sorry, Sasuke." Naruto then used one hand with his index finger out, moving it in a circular motion around his ear, doing the typical 'crazy' gesture without saying anything.

Kakashi chuckled softly at this.

I think it's just for you, Naruto.

Kakashi sighed before speaking again.

"Well, since you are both here, it makes this easier. Naruto, you have been summoned by the Hokage and Konoha council to discuss with you about your manifestation of the Byakugan. Team 8 and Sakura have already sworn to testify if need be on your behalf. I will be there as well, so you have nothing to worry about. The meeting is in an hour, so I suggest you two get dressed. I'll leave your mission rewards on the table."

Sasuke's head had shot up as soon as Kakashi mentioned the Hokage and the Konoha council.

"I will be attending as the head of the Uchiha clan as well." Sasuke said to Naruto, her meaning obvious to the two that knew her.

Kakashi chuckled; he figured. He was aware that for the most part, Sasuke did not care about her role as the head of the Uchiha clan when it came to the almost weekly meetings the Konoha council had, but he knew for this meeting, the Uchiha would probably use her position as a means to be there.

"Well, like I said, you two have an hour, so I will see you there. I'm the leading eyewitness on your behalf, Naruto. See you guys in a bit." Kakashi said as he walked away, waving over his shoulder.

Naruto watched him leave, and Sasuke watched Naruto with concern on her face.

"Remember, no matter what, keep your right eye dojutsu a secret for now!" Sasuke said to him.

"Right, got it." Naruto said softly.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded.

"I'll be there, so don't worry. This is nothing but a formality. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

Naruto just nodded again, looking unusually concerned. Sasuke sighed, walking over to Naruto, bending down, and poking him in the forehead much like her brother used to do to her. This seemed to shake Naruto out of his thoughts, and his eyes flicked to her. She gave him the warmest smile she could muster. "If those old farts misbehave, I'll kill them all."

Naruto chuckled at this, her warm smile not matching the cold, heartless words she spoke. "Bastard!" Naruto said with a slight blush.

Satisfied, Sasuke walked away, leaving Naruto in his apartment.

An hour later, Naruto was walking into the Hokage tower. As soon as he entered, he was immediately flanked by three ANBU members. He looked at them hesitantly before one spoke.

"We are here to escort you to the council chambers. Please follow us." The masked man said before leading them towards the council chambers. Naruto noticed some of the questioning looks people gave him as they walked past but kept his head straight. He was innocent; he had nothing to worry about.

Naruto was led to a door, which was opened by the ANBU man, and the four of them walked in. Naruto was met with the sight of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Naruto had to fight to keep from glaring at the old man; he was still upset at the man for taking so long to tell him of his lineage. The Hokage sat on an elevated seat at the head of the rectangular long table. Next to him stood his sensei, Kakashi Hatake, who offered him a friendly eye-smile. On either side of the long table sat multiple men. One side had a lot of people that Naruto didn't know, but he saw one familiar face that instantly calmed his nerves, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke sat looking annoyed and malicious as usual, but her eyes softened at him, and she even gave him a small smile and nod of acknowledgment before glaring at a man who was ogling her from across the table. She was in her usual gender ambiguous clothing. Naruto figured that since Sasuke was on that side, the people to his right were shinobi clan heads, and the people to his left were the civilian council. He looked at the members of the shinobi side; outside of Sasuke, they all looked significantly older, some people he was able to recognize their clans because they looked so similar to their children.

That must be the Nara clan head, The Akimichi, The Yamanaka, The Inuzuka. I'm guessing that's the Aburame, and he must be the Hyuga clan head.

The Hyuga clan head was staring daggers at Naruto, his face twisted with disgust as the man's eyes stared into the left eye of Naruto. Naruto shivered slightly due to the amount of pure hate and disgust emanating off the man; he looked as though he wanted to rip Naruto's eye right out.

The civilian council had much the same eyes as the Hyuga clan head, either hate, disgust, or pure uninterest shown in all their eyes.

The ANBU quickly left to guard the door after escorting Naruto in. Once the door closed behind him, the Hokage cleared his throat and began the meeting.

"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, have declared the start of the trial for the innocence or guilt of Naruto Uzumaki. Uzumaki Naruto, you stand accused by Hiashi Hyūga of stealing his clan's dojutsu, the Byakugan. How do you plead?"

Naruto stood there, swallowed the lump in his throat. "Innocent." he said.

The Hyūga clan head, whom Naruto now knew the name was Hiashi, scoffed at this.

"What more evidence do we need? The pale eyes of my clansmen are clearly visible in this boy's left eye. I want him killed for his transgression, and that eye returned immediately." he said, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and was about to retort when Sasuke cut him off.

Glaring at Hiashi, Sasuke spoke, "And if he is found innocent, will you and your clan get on your knees, bow your heads, and beg in apology to him?"

Naruto might not be knowledgeable of shinobi politics, but Sasuke was. The death penalty, even if Naruto stole their clan's dojutsu, was harsh for this crime. Usually, it's something they'd give to a problem shinobi, or a shinobi caught from a different village doing the same 'crime.' Although the only recorded incident similar to this was top-secret information, she knew that man was still alive, although labeled a missing ninja and marked for death. Naruto was not Orochimaru.

Sasuke stating that the Hyūga clan head, as well as his clan, had to bow to Naruto, would be an insult to him as a clan head and the Hyūga clan as a whole. Having their clan head bow on his knees was ultimate surrender and admittance that he was wrong and unjust, in short, a huge piece of humble pie.

Hiashi looked at Sasuke with slight shock momentarily before narrowing his eyes. He knew that Sasuke was teammates with Naruto, and based on the information from his daughter, they were close. But he also thought that maybe her presence today was her showing kinship to the Hyūga clan since they were the only two dojutsu clans left in Konoha. But with that statement alone, Sasuke Uchiha had told him and the rest of the clan heads why she was here.

Hiashi thought for a moment about his response. Was he willing to risk his pride to get repentance for his clan? Of course. Casting a determined, unwavering look at Sasuke, he spoke.

"Of course, I will apologize to him on behalf of my clan."

Sasuke just smirked in response. "I hope your knees are strong." she said mockingly.

Hiashi's face twisted in anger. "You arrogant little—"

"Enough!" the Hokage spoke, interrupting the verbal quarrel. "I did not call you all here to argue and bicker. We will determine Naruto's innocence and guilt here and that is all. Now, with that being said, the village of Konoha recognizes your not guilty plea, Naruto Uzumaki. Now for attendance. The head of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha "Present." Sasuke said in her plain, emotionless tone.

"The head of the Hyūga clan and the accuser, Hiashi Hyūga."

"Present."

"The head of the Akimichi clan; Choza Akimichi."

"Present."

"The head of the Nara clan, Shikaku Nara."

"Present."

"The head of the Yamanaka Clan, also acting as the Polygrapher, Inoichi Yamanaka."

"Present."

"The head of the Aburame clan, Shibi Aburame."

"Present."

"The head of the Inuzuka clan, Tsume Inuzuka."

"Present."

"Elder Danzo Shimura."

"Present."

"Elder Homura Mitokado."

"Present."

"Elder Koharu Utatane."

"Present."

"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will have two votes, one as Hokage and the other as my position as Sarutobi clan head. Any objections?"

Silence.

"The accused, Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage said, looking at him softly.

"Uhh...Here." Naruto said trying to lighten the mood.

Kakashi facepalmed, and Sasuke's lip twirled up into a small smirk. Hiruzen smiled but quickly wiped it away as to not show favoritism before continuing.

Hiruzen quickly went through the civilian roll call. They had more people, mainly the big business owners. Hiruzen said, since this was a shinobi dispute, the civilians would not have a vote when the time for the verdict would come unless it ended with a tie. Then the swinging vote would be given to the civilian council based on collective decision-making.

"Kakashi Hatake is acting as Naruto's spokesperson and advisor, as his team leader and also the key eyewitness. Team 8 is assembled in the waiting area if further questioning beyond Kakashi's accounts is needed. With formalities out of the way, we will begin the trial. The accuser will get a chance to speak. You have 5 minutes."

Hiashi stood and bowed respectfully towards the Hokage before speaking.

"My friends, fellow citizens, and warriors of the Leaf, I am deeply saddened and troubled to have called you all away from your homes and families, but a great crime has been committed against me and my clan. If you all look at my eyes," Hiashi said, moving his head so that everyone could see his eyes, "They have the beautiful greyish hue of my clan's dojutsu, the Byakugan. No other clan, nor person in the history of this world, has had these eyes since birth EXCEPT and ONLY members of my clan. Now please look at Naruto Uzumaki's left eye. His eye bears an uncanny resemblance to mine, yet he was not born from a Hyūga woman. The evidence of his nonrelation to the Hyūga clan is his other eye, which shines blue. An impossible feat for a true-born Hyūga. Now, I ask you to use logic and tell me how this boy came to possess my clan's eye if he did not indeed steal it. That is all." Hiashi said before sitting down.

Hiruzen let the council murmur, mainly the civilians, for a few moments before speaking and silencing them.

"Now Naruto and Kakashi will get their 5 minutes to speak. Afterwards, witnesses and evidence will be presented from both sides."

Before Naruto could speak, Kakashi spoke. "Let me start things off, Naruto. You may speak after me, thank you." Kakashi said, bowing slightly to Naruto, which caught him completely off guard.

Good move, Kakashi. Showing Naruto some respect will boost his social standing and importance in the eyes of the civilian council if their vote is needed, Sasuke thought.

"Shinobi and Civilian Council members, I also would like to thank you on behalf of me and Naruto for your time here. For those who don't know me, I am Kakashi Hatake. I am 26 years old, I have been ANBU for 10 years, 8 of which as a captain. I am Team 7's jonin sensei, which consists of Naruto Uzumaki, the accused, Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha clan head, and Sakura Haruno. I first stated my age to allow you all to realize that I've spent over half of my life so far as a shinobi. I've seen things, done things that you all could never imagine if you yourself are not a shinobi. There are not many things that surprise me, but what happened last week definitely is close to the top of the list of the most surprising and unusual things I've seen. For context, my genin team was assigned a C-ranked mission by the Hokage. Due to lies told by our client, that C-ranked mission quickly became an S-ranked, in which I didn't know if I was going to be able to protect my own students." The civilians and some of the shinobi council who weren't already aware of Team 7 and Team 8's mission gasped at this; no way could a genin team complete an S-ranked mission.

"Not only did my team and I, alongside the admirable leadership and tenacity of Team 8 led by Kurenai Yuhi, manage to complete the mission, but we also completed additional assignments assigned to us by Lord Hokage. This makes us one of the few Genin teams to ever accomplish this in Konoha. During that mission, Naruto's left eye, the one you see now, was severely injured. Prior to this injury, both of Naruto's eyes were the same blue that you see in his right eye today. However, after receiving that injury, his eye somehow transformed into what it is now: the Byakugan. I know it may defy all logic and understanding of what Hiashi-sama and the Hyuga Clan know of their dojutsu, but this does not change the truth. Naruto is innocent. Naruto is lucky not to be blind in his left eye right now! An eye he would have lost in honorable service to the Leaf. That is all. Naruto, if you wish to speak, I leave the floor to you."

All heads shifted from Kakashi to Naruto in that moment.

"Uhh, I am Naruto Uzumaki, and I umm am totally innocent, ya know! Like Kakashi-sensei said, after that jackass Kabuto punched me in the face, my eye was hurting like crazy, then the next thing I knew, bam, Byakugan. Totally innocent and didn't steal anything!"

Kakashi, the Hokage, and Sasuke sweat dropped. Kabuto's involvement was supposed to be an S-ranked secret since he was a missing ninja. Hearing the name of the third most wanted shinobi made the room fill with gasps and shock, all except the clan heads whose children were on the mission.

"Kabuto?"

"He said Kabuto Yakushi, right? The third most wanted Missing Ninja from Konoha."

"Yeah, I heard he was a medical ninjutsu genius and helped Orochimaru conduct those experiments a long time ago."

Naruto just looked around the room at the conversations sparked from his statement. Naruto threw a thumbs up to Kakashi and Sasuke, who just grimaced and rolled her eyes.

"Silence. We will have order in here. I want you all to not mention Team 7 and Team 8's S-ranked mission that involved Kabuto Yakushi. That is a secret, and scratch that from the record." Hiruzen said to the council reporter, a man who was sitting in front of a typewriter. He immediately followed the Hokage's order and blacked out the name from the record.

"We will move on." the Hokage said with a sigh after the room quieted down.

"The Accused will be able to present his evidence and witness first; the Accuser will be given an opportunity to cross-examine these witnesses and evidence."

Kakashi spoke, knowing he had organized everything. "The first eyewitness that we'd like to present is Sasuke Uchiha, the clan head of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke smirked. She figured that Kakashi would want to use her as one of the first witnesses; either her or Kurenai would be a good first pick with their status; they'd have the most sway in convincing the audience.

Since Sasuke was a clan head and here officially representing her clan, she didn't have to move to stand next to Naruto like per usual, but she did anyway. To show everyone present who may not understand why she was there, seeing as she never bothered to show up to any of these before, exactly why she was there.

As she approached Naruto, he gave her a warm smile, and she smirked in response.

Once she reached Naruto, the Hokage spoke.

"At this time, Inoichi Yamanaka, using his clan's ninjutsu, will validate the truthfulness of these witnesses."

Inoichi stood up, bowing to the Hokage before taking his place behind Sasuke, placing one hand on her head while the other formed a hand sign.

Sasuke felt his chakra in her mind; it was weird, and she didn't like it, feeling as though her privacy was being invaded. When Inoichi was ready, he nodded to the Hokage, who spoke.

"We will begin the line of questioning. Kakashi and Naruto, you may go first."

Kakashi spoke. "Please state your name one more time for the record."

Sasuke rolled her eyes. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Truth." Inoichi said behind her.

This just annoyed Sasuke more.

"And what is your relationship with Naruto Uzumaki?"

Sasuke had to fight to keep her blush from reaching her face; she was sure her cheeks were slightly red, and the faces of some of the council members seemed to be curious about this.

Kakashi's eyes held a devious shine to them.

He did that on purpose! I will so kill you, Kakashi!

Huffing, Sasuke crossed her arms and turned her blushing face away from Naruto as she responded.

"He is an idiot that I have the displeasure of being teammates with." Sasuke spat back at Kakashi. Naruto just grinned, knowing Sasuke was not serious, but the rest of the room, minus the Hokage, seemed confused by the seemingly contradictory statement they wouldn't have expected based on her behavior so far to hear that.

There was a long pause before Inoichi spoke. "Lie."

Everyone's faces twisted in confusion, and Kakashi had to fight back his giggles. Sasuke looked desperately angry, her face growing redder.

"Please, Sasuke, for Naruto's sake, be truthful. I ask you again; what is your relationship with Naruto?" Kakashi asked when he was sure his voice wouldn't betray his amusement.

"He is my teammate and friend." Sasuke spat out quickly.

A pause before Inoichi spoke. "Truth."

"Is that all Naruto is to you?" Kakashi asked, his eyes now shone with his hidden amusement.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into a hard glare as she said between her clenched teeth and hands, obviously angered, "What does that have to do with this?"

"You're right. I apologize. How long have you known Naruto?"

Sasuke paused. "I have known of him for 8 years, but I only got to know him after he joined my shinobi academy class, so roughly 4 years."

"Truth." Inoichi said.

Kakashi nodded. "And in that time, has Naruto always had the blue eyes like his right eye?"

"Yes."

"Truth."

"At any point in you knowing Naruto, has he manifested the Byakugan in any way?"

"No."

"Truth."

"Were you there when Naruto manifested the Byakugan for the first time, since you've known him?"

"Yes."

"Truth."

"And so, you testify that Naruto did not steal that eye but manifested it of his own accord."

"Yes, he did not steal the Byakugan in his left eye."

"Truth."

Kakashi nodded. "No further questions, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage nodded before turning to Hiashi. "Would you like to ask the Uchiha clan head a few questions?" Hiashi and Sasuke stared at each other for a moment before Hiashi nodded and stood.

"Why did you lie about your relationship with Naruto?"

"Objection, Lord Hokage!" Kakashi said immediately. He was only teasing his student; he wasn't trying to drag her personal life into this proceeding. He now realized his mistake because it seemed that Lord Hiashi was trying to use Sasuke's relationship with Naruto to discredit her accountability.

"On what grounds, Kakashi?" The Hokage asked.

"Uchiha-sama was right. No matter their relationship, her testimony is not based on what she feels but what she saw. It shouldn't matter their relationship." Kakashi argued. He saw the flash of horror that came in Sasuke's eyes as well as the rage towards him and Hiashi. He wouldn't allow her to get too embarrassed.

The Hokage thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"Retract or rephrase your question, Hiashi."

Hiashi nodded before thinking for a moment.

"I have no further questions for the Uchiha Clan head then, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage nodded, and Inoichi undid his jutsu. Thankful, Sasuke glared at Hiashi, then at Kakashi. Her look clearly stated, 'This is your fault, and I am so going to make you pay!' She made her way back to her seat, and once she sat, the Hokage spoke.

"The Accused may call forth their next witness."

Kakashi responded to the Hokage. "We'd like to summon Kurenai Yuhi, the jonin leader of Team 8."

Soon the council chamber doors opened, and Kurenai stepped in, standing next to Naruto.

Her face looked neutral, but her body posture screamed confidence.

Inoichi placed his hand on Kurenai's head, initiating the jutsu to verify her truthfulness. With everyone's attention now on Kurenai, the Hokage gave a nod, signaling the beginning of the questioning. Kakashi leaned forward slightly, ready to guide the process.

"Inoichi, if you may." Kakashi started, giving Inoichi a prompt.

Inoichi nodded, indicating his readiness. "Kurenai Yuhi, was your Team 8 sent to back up Team 7 in the Land of Waves?" he asked clearly and concisely, his voice echoing slightly in the hushed room.

Kurenai, maintaining her composure under the weight of Inoichi's jutsu, responded without hesitation. "Yes, Team 8 was sent to support Team 7 in their mission in the Land of Waves." she stated firmly, her voice steady.

"Truth," Inoichi confirmed after a brief pause, his voice neutral but carrying a weight of authority that silenced any murmurings in the room.

"And before your mission with Team 7, have you ever seen Naruto before, even in passing?"

"Yes."

"Truth."

Kakashi nodded. "And could you describe his eye color for me? Both eyes, please."

Kurenai nodded, pointing to her eyes as examples. "His eyes were both blue, both his left and right."

"And when did you first notice a change in Naruto's left eye?" Kakashi asked.

"On the mission with Team 7, after Naruto received an injury, I thought would leave him blind, I was the first one to him. I saw his eye shift from blue to the eyes of the Byakugan. At first, I thought he had gone blind, but then I realized it was the Byakugan upon activation."

"Truth."

Kakashi nodded. "And for credibility's sake, I'm sure you don't need any introduction, but please tell us about your shinobi record."

"I am Kurenai Yuhi, a jonin in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I have been a jonin for 8 years and have completed numerous A-ranked assignments as well as a few S-ranked. I am a proficient genjutsu specialist and the jonin leader of Team 8."

"Truth." Inoichi said.

"No further questions." Kakashi said. He looked at the shinobi council; they all seemed pretty convinced at this point of Naruto's innocence, yet Hiashi still seemed determined and unyielding despite his lack of evidence. Kakashi figured one more witness would seal the deal, and he knew just who to choose from the genin of both teams.

"Hiashi, do you wish to question the witness?" The Hokage asked.

Hiashi nodded, standing up.

"Kurenai, you said you saw Naruto's eyes turn from blue to what they are now. Can you please expand on that a little?"

Kurenai nodded.

"Yes, we were conducting an assault operation, where I, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, ran into a very competent shinobi. Said shinobi struck Naruto with a jutsu that could sever ligaments without leaving a physical cut. After Naruto was hit, I feared for his eyesight, and like I said, when I reached him he was crying out in pain, just before I started using my limited medical ninjutsu knowledge on his injury, his eyes changed."

"Truth."

Hiashi growled.

"No further question, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage nodded.

"Before we summon the last witness, now is the time for Hiashi to provide any witnesses or evidence he has against the accused."

Hiashi stood up, sighing.

"I'd like to call Neji Hyuga."

Neji walked in and stood next to Hiashi. Inoichi walked over to them and placed a hand on Neji's head before nodding to the Hokage, who allowed questioning to begin.

Hiashi spoke. "Neji Hyuga, you are a member of the Hyuga branch family, correct?"

Neji nodded and spoke, "Yes, Lord Hiashi."

"Truth."

"In your knowledge as a Hyuga, is it possible for a non-Hyuga to manifest the Byakugan?"

Neji's eyes narrowed at Naruto before shaking his head. "No."

"Truth."

"Look at Naruto's left eye. What is that in his eye?"

Neji looked at Naruto through narrowed eyes. "My clan's Byakugan." Neji spat.

"Should it be possible for Naruto Uzumaki to manifest this eye?"

"No."

Hiashi smiled. "No further question, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage nodded before turning to Kakashi. "Kakashi, would you like to cross-examine the witness?"

Kakashi looked at Hiashi, who seemed confident that Neji's testimony was enough to swing the votes, but based on the other reactions, the man may be having high hopes.

"No, Lord Hokage."

This seemed to please Hiashi even more. Kakashi figured that to Hiashi, this was a victory, but Kakashi knew it'd be very short-lived. Why question Neji when he had someone better?

"Kakashi, you may call your final witness."

"We, the Accused, would like to call Hinata Hyūga."

Hiashi's eyes narrowed; he had tried using his daughter as well, but she refused, showing a spine for the first time to her father.

Hinata walked in timidly and stood next to Naruto. Every time she glanced at him, her blush would increase, and Sasuke was glaring at her as if she were the plague.

"Hinata Hyūga, how long have you known Naruto?" Kakashi asked her.

Immediately, Hinata blushed deep red before looking at her toes while her fingers poked together.

"I've known Naruto for 10 years." she said shyly.

Naruto's face twisted with confusion. There was no way he knew Hinata that long. Why was she lying?

"Truth."

Naruto was shocked. He had no idea how Hinata knew him for so long.

"And in those ten years, has Naruto ever manifested the Byakugan in his left eye?"

Hinata shook her head. "No."

"But you are sure that, in his left eye, is a Byakugan?" Kakashi asked.

Hinata looked over timidly at Naruto, blushing before looking back at Kakashi and nodding her head. "Y-yes, I'm sure."

"Truth."

"And when did you first notice Naruto's Byakugan?"

"On Team 8's A turned S-ranked support mission to assist Team 7, after Naruto was injured, his left eye manifested its Byakugan."

"Truth."

"You are not my daughter!" Hiashi spat. Hinata flinched, and Naruto's glare intensified at the harsh words directed towards her.

"Don't you dare talk to Hinata like that, you... jerk!" Naruto shouted, his voice filled with indignation and protective fury.

Hinata's face turned a deep shade of red, caught off guard by Naruto's vehement defense. A mixture of gratitude and embarrassment washed over her as she dared to peek up at Naruto, whose attention was fully on Hiashi.

Sasuke, from her seat, couldn't help but scowl, her feelings of jealousy momentarily surfacing as she witnessed Naruto's passionate outburst on behalf of Hinata. It was a complex tangle of emotions, watching someone she cared for deeply, showing such open concern for another.

Hiashi's face twisted in anger at Naruto's outburst. "Watch your tone, boy, and know your place, brat!" he yelled back, his voice booming in the silent council room, demanding respect and submission from Naruto.

The tension in the room spiked, a clear divide forming as alliances and emotions were laid bare for all to witness.

"Hiashi! Control your mouth, or I will dismiss this case here and now!" The Hokage threatened, which made the Hyuga head quiet, but his glare at his daughter did not cease.

Kakashi sighed. "No further questions, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage nodded before turning to Hiashi, who was still glaring at Hinata, who was trying her best to hide from it and not look at him.

"Hiashi, do you have any questions for your daughter?" The Hokage stated firmly.

"No, Lord Hokage."

Hinata quickly dismissed herself, and Naruto could swear he saw tears forming in her eyes. Naruto glared daggers at Hiashi, who just looked at him with contempt and disgust.

"Now we will cast our votes for the guilt or innocence of Naruto Uzumaki, who stands accused of stealing a Byakugan. All those who find Naruto Uzumaki guilty, please raise your hands."

Hiashi raised his hand and looked around. Danzo and the two other elders had their hands raised, but that was it. He looked at the other shinobi clan heads, who looked at him sadly before shaking their heads at him, signifying they did not agree with him today. When his eyes met the Uchiha's his own narrowed to match the hatred it shown.

Hiashi was frustrated. He knew he was lost with only 4 votes; the other 8 were likely against him.

The Hokage nodded. "And all those who vote Naruto innocent, raise your hands."

All the other clan heads besides Hiashi raised their hands, along with the Hokage, whose vote counted twice.

Naruto and Sasuke had wide grins on their faces; that meant Naruto was found innocent in a vote of 8 to 4.

"Okay, this case is closed. Naruto Uzumaki, as the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the village and the Konoha council find you innocent of your accused crime. You are free to leave!"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up and down. He was joined by Sasuke and Kakashi immediately, and the three walked out to see all of Team 8 plus Sakura there, looking expectantly.

"I am an innocent free man!" Naruto's shout could be heard by the Hokage in the chamber, along with the cheers from Team 8, mainly Hinata and Sakura.

However the declaration of Naruto's innocence had barely settled in when Danzo Shimura's voice cut through the murmurs, "While we have resolved that Naruto-san's Byakugan isn't stolen, it still doesn't change the fact that Naruto, a non-clan member, possesses the prized dojutsu of a major Konoha clan, which cannot be overlooked."

"Damn it!" Kakashi cursed under his breath as he glared daggers at the Old War Hawk whom he himself had a bad history with. He should have known the crafty old man wouldn't let things be resolved that easily.

Grateful for the opening Danzo had provided, Hiashi seized the opportunity and demanded, "To protect the clan's dojutsu, the Caged Bird Seal must be placed on Naruto Uzumaki."

Chaos erupted in the Council room with Hiashi and the civilian council demanding the seal be placed on Naruto while Sasuke, glaring fiercely, threatened, "If any of you dares lay a finger on Naruto, I'll kill you all!"

Hiruzen raised his voice, imbued with killing intent, to bring order back to the room.

"You can't let your personal feelings blind you, Hokage-sama!" Danzo reminded Hiruzen of his duty to act as Hokage and protect the village and its major clans as a whole, not letting personal feelings interfere.

Cursing under his breath, Hiruzen realized Danzo had cornered him.

Sasuke's voice was laced with venom as she stood, body tensed like a coiled spring, ready to leap into action. "I swear, if you even think about placing that seal on Naruto, I'll—"

"Sasuke!" Hiruzen's commanding voice echoed through the council chamber, cutting through her threat with the sharpness of a kunai. "Enough. Kakashi, restrain your student."

Kakashi moved swiftly, his hand resting on Sasuke's shoulder in a firm grip. "Sasuke, now's not the time." he murmured, his voice low but carrying the weight of his authority.

Sasuke shook under Kakashi's hold, her Sharingan spinning wildly as her gaze met Hiruzen's. "You can't do this! He's done nothing wrong!"

Before she could shake Kakashi off and escalate the situation further, a soft, broken voice reached her ears, cutting deeper than any blade. "Sasuke, please... don't." Naruto pleaded, his eyes meeting hers across the room. The pain and resignation in his gaze struck Sasuke like a physical blow, her resolve shattering under the weight of his silent plea.

For a moment, Sasuke's breath hitched, her eyes softening as she looked at Naruto. The fight drained out of her as she slowly relaxed under Kakashi's grip, the anger giving way to a profound sense of helplessness. "Fine." she hissed, barely above a whisper, her eyes never leaving Naruto's.

Kakashi gave her a slight nod, understanding the turmoil swirling within his student, his hand still firmly on her shoulder as a silent reminder of his support and the boundaries she couldn't cross. Not here, not now.

Hiruzen, maintaining order, finally gave his decision, "While I understand the village's laws regarding the sanctity and protection of each clan's dojutsu, we must also consider that Naruto is not just any regular ninja." The implication about Naruto's Jinchuriki status was clear, though unspoken. "Placing the Caged Bird Seal on him could compromise the other seal on him and endanger the entire village."

Hiashi stood to object, but Hiruzen's glare sent him back to his seat. "The village's laws and the protection of its clans cannot be completely ignored either. Therefore, I order Naruto's Byakugan to be sealed, but this seal will remain under the control of the Hokage alone."

Hiashi's protest died under Hiruzen's stern glare, realizing the matter was closed.

Sasuke's hand moved almost reflexively towards the kunai pouch strapped to her thigh, her Sharingan swirling with unspoken threats and deep-seated anger. Kakashi's grip on her shoulder tightened, an unspoken command for restraint as he caught her wrist with his other hand, stopping her from drawing her weapon.

The heads of the different leaders turned to Sasuke. Reaction's different those untrained civilians fearful at the hate and malice the shinobi displayed. While the clan heads froze bodies tense to quickly dispatch any threat.

"Let me go, Kakashi." Sasuke growled through clenched teeth, her voice a dangerous whisper that promised retribution. Her Sharingan blazed with intensity, reflecting her turmoil and the battle she fought within herself. She began counting her enemies, analyzing and sorting the danger levels of each person in there.

Kakashi, his own expression unreadable behind his mask, simply shook his head, his grip unwavering. "This is not the way, Sasuke." he said quietly, a hint of sternness in his voice that brooked no argument. "We do this here, and we lose more than you realize. There is no turning back."

Sasuke's arm trembled under his hold, torn between the desire to fight and the knowledge of the consequences that would follow. She turned her face away from Kakashi, unable to bear the mix of pity and disappointment she saw in the eyes of the council members. Her gaze found Naruto, who remained silent, his head bowed in a resigned acceptance that pierced Sasuke's heart like a thousand needles.

Naruto's quiet strength, even in the fact of such injustice, spoke volumes, his lowered gaze not one of defeat but of a plea for her to stay her hand. It was a silent communication between them, one that spoke of battles yet to be fought and the promise of standing together, no matter the cost.

Sasuke's anger simmered beneath the surface, her Sharingan slowly dimming as she took a deep, shuddering breath. The tension in her arm eased as Kakashi's words sank in, and the reality of their situation became painfully clear.

With one last look at Naruto, Sasuke nodded once, sharply, a silent vow that this was not the end. "For now." she muttered, her voice carrying a mix of defiance and reluctant obedience. She slowly pulled her hand back, stepping away from Kakashi and folding her arms across her chest, her gaze still fixed on the floor in front of Naruto.

The moment was heavy with unspoken promises and the weight of a future that hung in the balance. Sasuke's posture, though seemingly relaxed, was that of a warrior ready to spring into action at the first sign of threat to those she held dear. Sending an apologetic look to Naruto, Hiruzen received a weak smile and nod in understanding from the blonde.

Hinata watching the object of her affections in such a state of sorrow couldn't help but clench her fists, her fingers digging into her palms, making them bleed. At that moment, she could say without a shadow of doubt. She hated her father.

The Hokage sighed as he inhaled his pipe. Hiashi was looking furious as he was about to storm out of the chamber room. Hiruzen noticed Danzo briefly grab Hiashi's arm and whisper something in his ear.

Hiruzen sighed.

Please don't make trouble for me, Danzo!

In the tranquil aftermath of the turbulent council meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk in the Hokage tower, his thoughts swirling in the eddies of the morning's revelations and confrontations. The room was awash with the soft glow of the afternoon sun, casting long shadows that seemed to echo the weight of responsibility and the secrets that the Third Hokage carried. He longed for solitude, a rare commodity in his position, to process the day's events and to strategize the path forward for the Leaf.

It was at this moment of introspection that the door creaked open, and Kakashi Hatake entered without announcement. Hiruzen, slightly irritated by the interruption and not in the mood to deal with more issues, couldn't help but wear a mask of cordiality over his annoyance.

"Kakashi, what brings you here?" Hiruzen asked, his voice laced with a feigned cheerfulness.

Kakashi met Hiruzen's gaze squarely, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced with a seriousness that immediately set alarm bells ringing in Hiruzen's mind. "They're fine." Kakashi said, his tone flat, his eyes never leaving Hiruzen's.

The persistent serious look on Kakashi's face was enough for Hiruzen to recognize that the matter at hand was grave. "Speak your mind, Kakashi." Hiruzen said bluntly, his patience for pleasantries worn thin.

Kakashi hesitated, a rare occurrence for the elite ninja, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of folded paper. He placed it on Hiruzen's desk and slid it toward him without a word.

"What's this?" Hiruzen asked, frowning as he picked up the paper.

"See for yourself, Hokage-sama." Kakashi urged quietly.

Hiruzen unfolded the paper, his eyes scanning the contents. As he read, his brows knitted together, his eyes widened in shock, disbelief, and finally anger. He looked up at Kakashi, the paper trembling slightly in his grasp. "Why didn't you tell me?" Kakashi pressed, seeking answers.

Ignoring Kakashi's question, Hiruzen fired back with one of his own. "When did you do this?"

Kakashi maintained his composure under Hiruzen's intense scrutiny. "The timing is irrelevant. What matters is why you hid such crucial information from me, especially considering Naruto was going to be on my team."

Hiruzen's temper flared, his fist slamming down on the table with such force that it made Kakashi flinch and the table itself to split in two. "WHEN?" Hiruzen bellowed, his voice filled with a barely restrained fury.

Kakashi, though visibly shaken, managed to reply, "Shortly after the mission. I was curious about his Byakugan. I thought it might help if Naruto was accused of stealing the Hyūga dojutsu."

"And you didn't think to inform me of this beforehand?" Hiruzen scowled, disbelief and anger radiating from him.

Kakashi met Hiruzen's gaze defiantly. "I intended to bring my findings to you. I believed that discovering a genetic link to the Hyūga through Minato-sensei or Kushina-san would absolve Naruto of any guilt regarding the Byakugan. However." he trailed off, his look accusing.

Hiruzen knew what was coming and braced himself. Kakashi, realizing the Hokage wasn't going to volunteer anything, finally said, "I was surprised to learn that not only did I not find any match linking him to the Hyūga, but there was no match with anyone in the shinobi or civilian records. In fact, according to the reports, his DNA..."

"That's enough!" Hiruzen roared, slamming his fist down again, this time splitting the table entirely in two. For a moment, silence engulfed the room, punctuated only by Hiruzen's enraged breathing as the two men stared each other down.

Finally, Hiruzen managed to calm himself, and with a flick of his hand, he activated the silencing seals around his office. Kakashi stiffened, a flicker of panic crossing his face as he anticipated the Hokage's wrath.

But Hiruzen, visibly deflating back into his chair with a heavy sigh, looked up at Kakashi with an expression devoid of the earlier anger. "What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room. Do you understand me, Kakashi?" His tone was grave, leaving no room for argument.

Kakashi, weary but understanding the gravity of the situation, nodded, bracing himself for revelations he knew he wouldn't like.

A/N BOOM! Just dropped a 20k chapter bomb on yall! Lol it's the longest chapter I've ever posted and I will try to break them up a bit better, their is a lot going on here, and im so excited to reveal my work to you all, I hope you all now realize your walking into AU reality now, although the characters are familiar they are not completely the same, If you wanted to read a more basic story that strictly followed the Naruto storyline then sorry but this isn't it, you'll see a lot of the same things just almost completely different take our Wave Mission for example; both Naruto Sasuke, Sakura, even Kakashi who has the executioners blade now will have different abilities. That should be obvious with Naruto byakugan which we will unveil the secret to as the story progresses, and yes it makes sense, and you will understand why when time comes.

Naruto will not have unlimited power or tons of bloodlines so don't worry this isn't that type of story. Same with Sasuke but i did buff them. Please trust me on this. Also once Naruto masters the rasengan and flying rajin i will post a jutsu break down of team 7.

I was encouraged to do my own thing so i will i hope you all will enjoy the journey right now Naruto byuakugan is sealed and his Mugenkessetsugan cannot be used he is not OP but will trend to stronger heights.

"Mugenkessetsugan."which is based on the concept & bearing the symbol of the Endless Knot can be broken down into three parts in Japanese to understand its likely

translation: "Mugen" (無限) means "infinite" or "endless".

- "Kessetsu" (結) refers to "knot" or "bind".

- "Gan" (眼) translates to "eye".

Putting it together, "Mugenkessetsugan" translates to "Infinite Knot Eye" or "Endless Knot Eye," reflecting the dojutsu's abilities and symbolism around the concepts of infinity, interconnectedness, and the cyclical nature of existence. Which was one a theme in Naruto but heavily played in my Story.

other than that I hope you all enjoyed until next time!