Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Naruto's footsteps were heard as he made his way through the quiet streets of the village. Going on as he walked. He had just got done with his apprenticeship for the day, learning what he needed to know before he became Hokage. Having been taking it for the past year as he would need to know what was necessary for him for when he became Hokage.
He had struggled for the first few months of it, as he learned that being it wasn't just about being praised and revered and everyone wouldn't automatically do what he told them to do just because he was Hokage. There was a lot he would have to do for when he took up the mantle of it. But he was ready for the challenge, as it had been his life goal to be Hokage and he wasn't going to let anything stop him. By this time next year he should be ready for the task.
He ran a hand through his blonde hair, which was growing out back to its usual length and style after the disastrous decision to try a new look. "What was I thinking, letting TenTen cut my hair?" He said shaking his head. He had made a lot of dumb decisions in his life he would admit, and that was easily in the top five.
He continued to walk until he came to a secluded part of the village. Near a park at the top of a hill where a rail was at. He stopped there and paused at the railing as he casually leaned against it. Enjoying the soft breeze of the wind as he looked on as the sun was shining as there was not a cloud in the sky at this hour.
Naruto stood there and waited until he had heard the sound of footsteps that were approaching him. He didn't turn his head to register who it was as he already knew.
The person stopped beside him and leaned against the rail joining him.
"Naruto."
"Sasuke." Naruto responded as he acknowledged his presence. He turned his head to look at his counterpart who stood there having met him there as it was the meeting spot between the two. "I take it you've been well."
"Hmm, I'm fine and you?" Sasuke asked him.
"Never better, part of me wishes though I had studied more in The Academy and spent less time at Ichiraku's if I know what was in store for me for when I take the job of Hokage." He said with a laugh but Sasuke didn't join him. Naruto looked on at him as it seemed that in these few moments, Sasuke would finally let down his guard and be at peace. To allow himself to be relaxed for a change
"I haven't seen you since October, I was hoping that you would've shown back up around Christmas."
"The mission I've taken takes priority." Sasuke responded at him.
"Hmmm, even now you refuse to take a break." Naruto said shaking his head. "You know you're more than welcome to stay here. You don't have to keep on traveling as there's others who could do it instead."
"I've chosen my path, and it's not one I regret. Don't try to dissuade me from it" Sasuke said to him.
"Yeah, Yeah, I know."
The two stood there and talked. About what was going on in the notes and letters that they had given each other. About what was going on in The Village and the remnants left of the war. How things for now were peaceful.
Discussing the ongoing peace between The Nations of the land and the hope for no more escalation between the Five Great Villages..
They continued to stand there and talk, as though it was old times between them. One wouldn't have thought looking at them that years ago they had nearly killed one another with each losing a limb.
"I should be going." Sasuke said a half hour later as he stood up straight and got ready to leave. Preparing to go and leave Konoha. "I don't know when I'll be back. Maybe during the Autumn."
"Hold on, there's something else that I need to tell you." Naruto told him stopping him before he could go
"What is it?" Sasuke said an impatient tone in his voice
"Sakura and I, we're having a baby." Naruto told him.
There was a flicker in Sasuke's eyes, briefly for a moment a look of surprise appeared in them at what he was just now told. At the news he had just received from him. "Sakura-chan and I are expecting. We're having a boy." Naruto announced to him. "She's four months pregnant and will be due in around November the Doctors have told us. We got together during last Winter." He told Sasuke who looked on at him but didn't say anything.
"You seem surprise by the news." Naruto told him.
"I didn't expect you two to get together." Sasuke told him.
"Well, life's full of surprises, don't tell me you still thought she was gonna wait for you forever?" Naruto replied to him.
"She had told me when I first left after the fourth war that she was going to. I guess she wasn't as strong as I thought she was." He said in a dismissive tone.
"You're right..." Naruto said to him. "She isn't as strong, she's stronger." He said to him and Sasuke detected the tone in his voice. "She's stronger than you, and she's stronger than me." Naruto declared as Sasuke looked over at him and saw the anger now in Naruto's eyes.
"I told you many times that Sakura was lonely and suffering from depression. That you needed to see her, over how much she missed you. But did you do so? No, you flat out refused to see her or even send her a letter to let her know that you're alive!" Naruto told him. "You willingly ignored her, just like you did when we were little."
"I had things I needed to do. You and she both knew that this task requires me to be gone for long periods of time." Sasuke said defending himself
"Bullshit." Naruto countered. "I've read your reports and letters, you had plenty of time in between them to come here." Sasuke went to speak but Naruto raised a hand motioning that he wasn't done talking. "Is it that much of an effort to send a letter to her? To let her know how you are doing? To see if she's in good health or if she's been sick? You can send letters to me but you wouldn't to her? Even just seeing you or sending a letter would have made her happy but you didn't. But despite it all, she never gave up hope. Whilst everyone else had given up on ever seeing you again, she still believed that you would be coming back. With a smile on her face that you'd be coming home and visiting. She would stay up all night waiting and hoping you'd come home you know? But that didn't matter to you did it?" Naruto accused him and Sasuke shamefully turned his head away not able to look him in the eye
"...How did you two get together?" Sasuke asked after several moments
"It was rather sudden, it's not like I had planned this whole thing out. You know I've got no mind for that. It was sometime around December when I had received your letter for that month and you were in The Land of Fire and it seemed like you was going to be stopping by for a while. Sakura was elated to hear that when I told her the news. She then spent the next few days planning your return." Naruto told him
"She had it all planned out. She was making a special dinner just for the two of you. A candlelit Dinner with both yours and hers favorite foods that she had cooked. It was going to just be a nice quiet evening between the two of you. She spent hours over every detail and spent every ryo she had to make things perfect for the both of you that night." Naruto explained to him. "I was heading home that night, it was about ten or so when I heard a ruckus coming from her apartment."
"At first I thought it was nothing, but then I heard the sound of her crying out and I rushed in to see if she was alright." Naruto said recalling that night. "When I got to her home, I saw her on the couch, tears all over her face with her head buried in her hands. She had been crying nonstop it seemed like." He said bitterly as he had hated the sight of her like that. "The food that she had cooked and made for the both of you had long gone cold. The only thing that had been touched was a bottle of champagne that she had drunk straight from the bottle. Tsunade would've told her to lay off it if she had seen her. She had waited hours for you to come. Hanging onto hope that you would show up. She sat there at the table as the sun went down and in the darkness for I don't know how long. But you never showed." Naruto told him. "You never showed." He repeated in an accusing tone to Sasuke emphasizing each word.
Sasuke said nothing in response, knowing that any counter or argument he had was feeble at best and would be torn apart.
"I did the only thing that I could think of. I grabbed hold of her and hugged her, gave her my shoulder to cry on which she did." He told Sasuke. "Sasuke," Naruto said and the look in his eyes was like steel. "The sound of her crying that night was more painful to me than anything I had ever experienced. And something I will never let happen ever again." He told him and Sasuke knew enough of the blonde that he meant what he said.
"As we sat there, holding each other in the darkness, one thing lead to another and the next thing I knew, we were kissing each other. I can't remember if I kissed her first, or if she kissed me first, but we were both there in the dark kissing one another. Soon enough, we had both lost our clothes as it was like a whirlwind what was happening as we were in her room on her bed. It was at that moment, that she finally moved on past you." Naruto told him.
Sasuke said nothing for a long time, as he processed all that had happened.
"The next morning we found each other in the other's arms in her bed. We were both shocked and believed that it was an accident and a one time affair but despite it we both realized it was more than that as we started interacting and spending time together as we were wanting more. Not just meeting to make out as as it wasn't just about sex but companionship. Enjoying each other's company and doing stuff together. It was only a matter of time before we had moved in together. And then we discovered that she was pregnant to both of our surprises. It was unexpected but not unwelcomed."
"After our fight at The Valley of The End, I backed off because I believed that you two were going to get together. Out of respect for the both of you I stepped aside despite how much I cared for her. Even when she had confessed to me and I told her she was lying. Yet every opportunity you had to show to her that she was important to her and that she meant something, you squandered. You shouldn't be surprised that she decided to move on."
"I admit that I haven't done right by her." Sasuke said to him as he grudgingly admitted it. He knew that Sakura had been deserving of more attention by him after all she had done. "That I should've done more for her as she was the only one other than you who spoke up in my defense after everyone else had deemed me a lost cause. That she deserved better by me. But this life, it was enough for me."
"Was it enough for her?" Naruto asked him. "You really think that's the life Sakura wanted?" He questioned Sasuke. "Love isn't about just making one person happy, both of them need to be happy in it. You truly believe that's what she wanted? To be alone for weeks and months at a time? To never see or hear from you? Did you know I've had to lie and say that you talked about her in your letters so to make her happy?" He demanded from him. "How many times have you showed up, only to leave without a word an hour or so later? How many times where you on the route and roads leading to here only to decide not to stop and see her? You didn't even ask about her right now until I told you that we're having a baby to finally get a reaction out of you!"
"My family's curse-"
"Don't give me that crap of how you love so much." Naruto instantly cut him off. "If you did, you would've found the time to go see or even write her. You don't love her Sasuke, you never have and you never will so don't even try to play and act like you're the victim." He told Sasuke glaring at him. Sasuke glared back at him but said nothing "I pray that maybe one day you will find someone to love but it's clear that right now, you are incapable of loving someone."
"After the Baby is born, we're getting Married. We don't want anything big or fancy. We decided it'd be best this way." Naruto told him. "It'll just be a small private ceremony for the wedding. Me, her, her parents, Iruka, Kakashi, Tsunade and maybe Shikamaru and Ino, that's all who'll be there." He said to Sasuke. He wasn't saying whether or not Sasuke was allowed to show up he noted.
"...Well then, I congratulate you on your family and your upcoming nuptials." Sasuke responded to him.
"Go on then, get out of here." Naruto said motioning with his head. "I'm sure you'd rather be someplace else right now. I'll let her know you're doing okay. Try to stay alive and keep in touch more often will ya?"
Sasuke said nothing before he turned and walked away. Naruto looked on, watching Sasuke leave until he became a dot in the distance before he disappeared out of sight. Having watched him leave, he then departed as well.
Naruto returned to his home, his and Sakura's home where she was waiting for him. He entered through the door and saw her in the living room as he walked in a smile on his face as he saw her. Her stomach had a noticable bump in it from her ongoing pregnancy
She was seated on the couch and was looking up baby clothes in a magazine. Deciding which one she liked best and would look the cutest. When Naruto entered through the doorway she smiled brightly looking on at him as she got up off the couch and walked over to him and hugged Naruto who returned it.
Naruto wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the lips gently before her tilted his head up and kissed her on the forehead as Sakura hummed softly as she embraced him. Letting her know he would never leave her.