Sasuke's Day With A Baby Naruto
Summary: What will Sasuke do when his friend/rival/secret love, the Nanadaime Hokage, is turned into a four year old who doesn't even remember him?
Warnings: SasuNaru, divorce, craziness, marrige out of convinience, Sakura-bashing, feels, grumpy Kurama
It was a normal day in Konoha. The sun was shinning, the birds were chirping, the women were swooning as the tall, dark and handsome man walked down the streets with their beloved Nanadaime Hokage on their way to the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. Just a normal day.
Uchiha Sasuke, the man with the blond Hokage, was as alert as ever even as his companion let his guard fall around children, watching over his best friend with every move Uzumaki Naruto made. Sasuke would never again deny it that he worried for the blond man with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen after what had happened just a week ago. One may wonder why he would hide his concerns at all, but let's face it. This is Uchiha Sasuke we were talking about.
Uchiha Sasuke was one of the two most powerful shinobi, people and beings in existence with Konoha's Seventh Hokage. He was the head of what remained of the famous Uchiha Clan, the reincarnation of Otsutsuki Indra and the current bearer of the Moon Seal that was located on his left palm. He had been the Number One Rookie before he left Konoha when he was still only a genin for three years in order to train and become stronger than his older brother, the Clan Killer Uchiha Itachi. And after he killed the murderer of his clan, Sasuke learned Itachi had done it to protect him and he blamed Konoha for both of their suffering, vowing revenge and joining Akatsuki. He tried killing the very same blond he was now worrying over more than once but in the end, they both ended up being the best friends they had always been. Naruto even called Sasuke his brother, but Sasuke always used a different word for the blond. Outloud, it was either dobe or usuratonkachi, but inside, he called Naruto his sun, his light and his most important person. Naruto made him come back to Konoha and gave him a home again. Sure, it had taken a fight that had nearly killed them and cost them both an arm, but they were content in the end. Naruto accepted to have a replacement arm made out of Hashirama's cells so he had his right arm again, but Sasuke didn't want something that wasn't his by birth in place of his left arm.
So how, you ask, is it that the Moon Seal is still on Sasuke's left palm?
Well, it had something to do with what happened one week ago.
And what happened one week ago?
Well, I'll tell you, but I'll tell this story only once, so you better listen. It all started on a day very similar to this one. Konoha was surprisingly quiet, especially since Naruto's son, Boruto, had inherited his father's loud nature when he wanted to train. And he really wanted Sasuke to train him. But the raven haired man had wanted to spend the day with his old friend instead of doing anything work related. He was to go on a three day long mission the next day and after that, Naruto would be too busy with planing for the new Academy cadets and all. He had to hold a speech and distribute the time between the rest of his work and the unexpected divorce from Hinata. Sasuke was half hoping to get Naruto to tell him why they were divorcing - actually, it was more to get Sakura to shut the hell up about it since Hinata wasn't saying anything to her or Ino about it and his own wife liked it too much to stick her nose into other people's business. Just the custody debate was making a lot of trouble, since Himawari wanted to stay with both her parents while Boruto was being hot and cold towards Naruto again, so one day he wanted to be as far away from his father as is possible while other days he was attached to the older blond's hip. Hinata's father wasn't helping any, demanding both his grandchildren - the rightful heirs of the Hyuuga - live with their clan, but Naruto was also unwilling to so easily give up his children.
Sakura had spent hours scolding Naruto over the divorce, telling him to go and fight for Hinata, but she didn't know why they were getting a divorce and something she said yesterday had upset the Hokage and Naruto had been avoiding everyone with excuses of work ever since. Shikamaru refused to let anyone into the blond's office, since he was apparently there when Sakura had stormed in to scream at Naruto for making this 'greatest mistake of his life' and he wasn't letting anyone else in or telling them what had caused the fight between the close friends. Or what was the cause of the divorce, either. So as of yesterday noon, only Shikamaru and Konohamaru had entered Naruto's office and Sasuke was going over there to try his own luck out. He wouldn't have admitted it even under torture, but he really was worried about his friend and he wanted to help fix whatever it was that was making him this upset.
But Boruto had been stalking him almost as successfully as his fangirls - they all flocked back into his old fanclub as soon as he returned with the whole 'tall, dark, handsome and mysterious' vibe and Naruto had thanked the gods and Sasuke for his return and the decrease of his own stalkers - until Sasuke got sick of him and simply went back to the old Uchiha Compound. Boruto - and most of the kids these days - didn't dare enter the Compound in fear of vengeful Uchiha ghosts that might attack them. Naruto tried to assure them that the only thing they had to fear on the grounds was death by boredom but no one dared enter them still, to this day. Sasuke helped spread the rumors of ghosts by letting out his Susanoo whenever some boys dared each other to go in there to prove they weren't cowards, watching in a sort of sadistic glee as they fled like scared puppies, wailing for their mothers. That Compound was his safe heaven from everyone, as even Sakura and Sarada were uncomfortable there. The only one who was willing to visit it with him was, of course, Naruto, despite his own fear of ghosts that Sasuke totally exploited to have the blond hang off of him as they walked the halls of his once home. He sure did enjoy the close contact, though.
But as soon as he shook Boruto off, Sarada, his own daughter, started trying to get him to train her. She wanted to awaken her Sharingan before she was ready and Sasuke couldn't even begin to understand why. She didn't have an older sibling who killed her entire family to chase after. And Sasuke didn't want her to go through anything traumatic enough for the Kekkei Genkai to awaken. He remembered what had triggered his own and the story behind what triggered his nii-san's and Obito's own Sharingan. Sarada didn't deserve to lose someone so close just to get a greater power. Sasuke had learned the hard way that it sucked to lose a dear person for that stupid power. It's one of the reasons he doesn't have his brother anymore. It's one of the reasons he and Naruto didn't have one arm each anymore. It's why there was still some distance between them.
So, in order to avoid Sarada for the day, Sasuke had taken a page out of Itachi's book, pocked her in the forehead and continued on his way towards the Hokage Tower. He had picked up the habit after Sakura expressed for the second time that she wanted to go with him when he was leaving Konoha. She really loved him but Sasuke was just fond of her as a friend. In all honesty, he was a bit disgusted with himself, because while Naruto called Sasuke his brother, Sasuke saw Sakura as his sister. He was just glad that their first night together immediately resulted in offspring. He honestly wasn't sure he could continue on with this farce of a marriage if he had to sleep with Sakura every night. He really saw her as a sister and that would be more awkward than sleeping with Itachi. Though that may be because he and Itachi actually knew each other. The only thing he really knew about Sakura was that she was a great ninja, a caring person with a bad temper that the gods saw fit to gift with inhuman strength just to make things more difficult. He knew she was crushing on him since they were eight or so and that her best friend/rival was Ino. She trained with Tsunade while both he and Naruto had trained for two and a half years with the other two Sannin. She had a fairly normal life for a ninja. That's about it.
About Naruto, he knew a lot more. Everything, actually. He had never even met Sakura's parents and she's his wife, while he had talked with Naruto's father and the blond had told him all about his mother. He knew Naruto was a strange mix of Kushina's and Minato's personalities, and to top it all off, Naruto was actually somewhat friends with Itachi. Even their parents were friends before Minato and Kushina died. Naruto was shunned for years because of the Kyuubi he housed, all alone on the outskirts of society until Sasuke came along after the massacre. They were alone together, but never lonely around each other. Naruto entered the Academy two years early because Sandaime feared more free time would mean more time for the villagers to pick on the young blond. He failed three times because no one ever bothered to really help him out with the Bunshin techniques and he passed when he did only because he stole the Forbidden Scroll - which he was tricked into by their second instructor, Mizuki - and learned the Kage Bunshin in a few hours time. That's also the first time anyone told him he had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him. He wanted to become Hokage ever since he was little not only to get everyone to acknowledge him but to make the Sandaime, who he greatly respected despite not showing it often, proud of him. He awakened the Kyuubi's power for the first time when he thought Haku had killed Sasuke and Haku's words followed him throughout the years like an echo. He was angry Kakashi didn't want to train him for the Chuunin Exams Finals because he was training Sasuke, but he was glad he got Jiraiya in the end. After Sasuke, Gaara was the first person who he reached out to and who reached right back, only Gaara didn't pull away later. He was devastated when Sasuke left for Orochimaru and ever since then, all he could see in front of himself when training was his missing friend. He left for his own training outside of Konoha with Jiraiya a few months after Sasuke left and when he came back, he wasn't exactly friendly towards Sai when he was revealed to be Sasuke's replacement. A fact that made Sasuke even more fond of the blond. He had quite a struggle, chasing after Sasuke, training, running from and fighting Akatsuki, protecting Konoha, all the while trying to keep a grip on the biju he housed. Things soon escalated into the Fourth Shinobi War, during which he became friends with the Kyuubi, which no one had wanted to let him fight in until he all but made them let him fight. He and Sasuke died, got revived and almost died again because of their own stupid fight after saving the world. He wasn't happy that the Uchiha was leaving again but he let it be. He soon became popular because he was a hero and then Hinata confessed she loved him and not long after that, they got married. They had Boruto a few months before Sarada was born and later they had Himawari. Then Kakashi stepped down as the Rokudaime and Naruto took his place as the Nanadaime Hokage, which he still was now.
In the meantime, Sasuke followed custom and married, had a kid and went right back to his traveling, making sure there were no left overs from the whole Otsutsuki ordeal, and that didn't just mean Kaguya. She was just one of many. An entire clan resided on the moon, descendants of Hamura and predecessors of the Hyuuga. And that's not even mentioning the clansmen in their original dimension. Sasuke took it upon himself to make sure no new Otsutsuki surprise them by randomly popping up. It also allowed him to be absent most of the time. Which was good, because he really wouldn't like to spend so many awkward hours with Sakura. She was great, probably a perfect wife ... Just not for Sasuke.
The poke on the forehead excited Sarada as much as it used to Sasuke when Itachi did it for him, but neither Sarada nor Sakura understood that the gesture was one reserved between him and Itachi. Sasuke used one finger when he poked them, not two. They also didn't understand that "maybe next time" was an empty promise. The gesture and the words were Itachis ... Sasuke was just using them to cover up just how awkward he was around his ... family when Naruto wasn't around. Sakura thought he married her out of love. A bit of that old fangirl had remained and been revived when Sasuke sent her a letter with his hawk, asking her to marry him. He thought it a bit sad but he needed to revive the clan ... How else were his and Naruto's souls supposed to meet again if there was no bloodline into which they could reincarnate? Hashirama and Asura almost didn't have one, since the whole of Senju Clan, save Tsunade, were as gone as the Uchiha were, save Sasuke and now Sarada. Naruto with now Boruto and Himawari were the last Uzumakis. Besides maybe Karin. Nagato was dead, so that's it from him. It was up to the four of them to revive a clan dead longer than the Uchiha. And people weren't exactly all that fond of the Uzumaku, either. Not to mention that the Hyuuga, as a bigger clan, are now claiming Naruto's kids as their clansmen. In another hundred years, Asura's bloodline will completely die out at this rate.
That aside, he was looking forward to a day with just him and Naruto, so you could imagine just how unpleased he was when he arrived to the scene of Shikamaru, Konohamaru and anyone else who worked at the Hokage Tower in front of said tower, panicking out of their minds. There were explosions and sounds of a struggle, but a strong barrier separated everyone from the walls of the building, let alone the doors or windows. The barrier was such that not even teleportation or Raikiri could get through.
That's why the usually composed Nara Shikamaru lunged for Sasuke, taking his cape into both hands and started shaking him while Konohamaru was pointing to the purple smoke now coming out of Naruto's office with soon-to-pass-out levels of panic. "Where the fuck have you been!? Some maniac snuck into Konoha and straight to the Hokage Tower, using some genjutsu to pass through invisible! He then made a diversion outside with a clone and some bombs, leaving me and Naruto with only two ANBU guards! He killed them and threw me out of the window! Naruto's all alone up there with him! For fifteen FUCKING minutes, Uchiha! Fifteen!"
"Why didn't Kakashi get in? I'm sure Susanoo can break through this barrier." The one armed man asked as Konohamaru started pulling his hair out.
"I tried, but it didn't work." Said silver haired man popped up beside them, freaking the youngest of the group out even more. He wasn't used to Kakashi's means of travel, even after all these years of working for him and knowing him. "It was suggested I used Kamui, and I did, but it's like with transporting. Useless. So they suggested Amaterasu but I don't think that it'd be a good idea to set the whole village aflame."
"We were hoping your Rinnegan might work." Yamato appeared beside the older man and Konohamaru jumped in surprise. He was too on edge for this and this early in the day, too. It was only nine o'clock. "It's stronger and works on the princip of replacing an object or person with yourself. We think it's worth a try."
"If it doesn't work, I'll set Konoha on fire my self." The Uchiha promised darkly as his hairt started fluttering around as he drew on his power. He focused on a curtain he could see through the smoke and before his companions could blink, Sasuke was gone and in his place was a singed red curtain.
Sasuke quickly analyzed the situation through the thick smoke curtain, but it was hard to see. He reacted more to the presences he felt. One was unfamiliar and threatening and it seemed to be holding on to the all too familiar presence of Naruto. His Rinnegan could see their chakras and so he knew something was not right. So he jumped into the fray without thinking about the consequences. Naruto's life was in danger and he wasn't wasting time. A strange sounding cry drew his attention as he unsheathed his sword. It only made him rush at the unfamiliar chakra signature and the next moment, a pained cry sounded in the Hokage's office as the barrier outside flickered out of existence. Many of the gathered shinobi and Konoha inhabitants cheered, knowing this meant their so called Sasaukage had succeeded. Kakashi sighed in relief, knowing Sasuke wasn't kidding when he said he'd set the village ablaze just to get to Naruto. Their bond had become significantly stronger since their fight all those years ago.
The trio quickly jumped over to the window through which Sasuke had entered the building and they stopped at the shocking sight before them. As soon as Sasuke had cut down the assailant, Naruto's chakra signature had started dropping to the ground so Sasuke had dived in to save Naruto from a cracked skull, only to remain speechless and motionless from shock when his arm wrapped around a small body instead of the adult one he had expected. He was currently staring down at the contently sleeping blond, tanned, whiskered boy of about four that had an all too striking resemblance to his friend for it to be anyone else but said friend. He ignored the four pairs of dark eyes gawking at him holding something so fragile in his arm as he carefully stood up with the child version of their Hokage.
"W-what happened?" Shikamaru asked in a shaky voice, staring at the miniaturized form of his friend. Kakashi couldn't muster up enough wits to say anything, wondering why these crazy things always happened to him and his first ever team.
"Is that ... Naruto-nii-chan?" An incredulous Konohamaru asked, unable to believe that such a small body could contain the larger than life personality Naruto seemed to radiate with his smiles, grins and presence. Not to mention he could be quite scary when pissed. Kakashi once told him it was something he picked up from his mother. Konohamaru still remembered the shudder that had ran through the silver haired man at the memory that must have flashed through his mind.
At Sasuke's reluctant nod - because they knew that he was the one who could best tell if it was really Naruto or not - four things happened at once. Kakashi sighed and tried to rub away the oncoming headache, Konohamaru dropped to the floor in a dead faint and Yamato gaped.
Shikamaru only had one word for the whole situation. "Troublesome."
He had no idea how right he was as soon as those young blue eyes opened and landed on the frowning Sasuke.
This was going to be a long day.
00000
"Well, he seems to be fine, both physically and mentally." Tsunade said after she finished her examination of the chibi Naruto while she gave said boy a lolly for 'being good' during the checkup. The female Sannin looked to the four men that had brought the child version of the current Hokage in. "However, he also seems to be the age of four in the same way. He has no memories and his body has no traces of ever being older than this. Even his seal is back to the way it was, so I'd expect a very pissed off Kyuubi making an appearance soon enough."
"So that's really Naruto-nii-chan? But he's so little..." Konohamaru said in an almost whisper. Blue eyes trailed over to him and the child hesitantly waved to him. The brunet barely managed to return it with how stunned he still was. "How did he get like this?"
"They found traces of a strange chemical in his bloodstream." The Godaime Hokage said as she ran her fingers through the miniature Nanadaime's hair, making the Uzumaki giggle happily. "It's a chakra laced potion, making the body heal itself until all external injuries ever made are erased. This is the age it stopped at for Naruto. Most people would stop at an older age, but Naruto's been ... kind of abused as the Kyuubi's vessel."
"When is it going to wear off? Or is it permanent?" Shikamaru asked when he felt a killing intent from his left, where Kakashi and Sasuke were standing. He didn't need to look over to know which of the two was plotting death on what were probably already dead people.
"Judging from the components we've managed to discern, we estimated it should wear off after twenty four hours. So I'd say in some twenty two hours." The blond, busty woman said as she let Naruto down from the examination table. "I suggest you take turns or one of you locks yourself away with him until he turns back. No one needs to know their Hokage is currently this vulnerable."
"Agreed." Kakashi said, watching as Naruto ran over to Sasuke, tugging on his cloak. "But are you sure he has no memories?"
"And what about the Hokage post?" Konohamaru asked as he squatted down in front of the (usually) man he admired so much. Naruto was a cute kid with a round face and huge blue eyes that wanted to make you melt.
"He only knows his name and has the meories of that part of his life. As for Naruto's job, Kakashi will take over for the twenty four hours it takes Naruto to turn back and recover from this." Tsunade answered, crossing her arms as she watched Naruto shyly hiding behind Sasuke's legs inside his cloak. The raven haired man arched an eyebrow at him but didn't move away as the blond hid. She ignored the silver haired man's protests as she pointed at the blond. "He needs new clothes."
"I'm no good with all of this. I can barely look after Shikadai and he's a genius." Shikamaru complained and Tsunade glared at him. "Besides, I need to help out the temporary Hokage with the workload this attack has left behind."
"And I need to go get the report from Ibiki-san. He said he recognized the man and has a suspicion on as to whom could have ordered a bizarre attack like this." Konohamaru said apologetically. Kakashi suddenly wasn't complaining.
"So sorry, but not only do I suck with kids but I need to fill in Naruto's place." Tsunade was glaring at them with all she's worth for trying to leave the blond with her when Sasuke spoke up.
"I'll look after him. We'll stay at the old Uchiha Compound. No one goes there and my old toys are there. There's plenty of space for him to run around and explore without getting in dangerous situations. And I probably cook better than anyone here," that got agreeing nods and incoherent mumbles. "Besides, he seems to ... like me." And that was a rather soar topic for the Uchiha because of his pride. As soon as they had given Naruto over to Tsunade and she told them to leave the room, Naruto's lip started to wobble. And as soon as Sasuke disappeared from his line of sight, Naruto released a wail befitting his teenage self's lung capacity. Sasuke had ran into the room in the blink of an eye, Kusanagi drawn and ready to kill any possible attacker, only to find none. He turned to leave but Naruto started crying again and Sasuke was forced (read gave in when he saw teary blue eyes staring at him beseechingly) to stay in the room during the examination, his face in his hand while Naruto played with his other sleeve. It had made Konohamaru giggle in a very unmanly way while Kakashi had smiled at his former student in a way that made Sasuke want to stab him. Shikamaru had just taken a picture and saved it to show it later to Naruto when he turns back to normal.
Tsunade thought about it before nodding. "Remember, no one knows about this. There are still people who would rather kill Naruto and the Kyuubi for the loss of their loved ones than accept that they are their greatest protectors now." The men nodded as Sasuke bent down and wrapped his arm around Naruto. The blond giggled when he was suddenly lifted up and placed on Sasuke's hip, wrapping his little arms around the raven haired man's neck. Sasuke's expression softened at his friend's obvious happiness and he tightened his grip around the little blond. "Konohamaru will stop by in a couple of hours to drop off some food for you guys. You need anything else, send that hawk of yours with a message and we'll make sure it's discretely delivered to you." The last Sharingan user nodded and the busty woman waved them off. "You can all get out of my office now."
And with that, the female Sannin turned around and took out a hidden bottle of Sake, filled a small cup and knocked it back before she started filling the next one. The men nodded to her back then to each other before Sasuke disappeared in a burst of flames while Kakashi teleported Shikamaru and himself to the Hokage Tower. Yamato just nodded and left through the window. Konohamaru ran off to meet with Ibiki so he can report to Kakashi the findings, only to run into Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki.
"Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here? Is one of you hurt?" The brunet asked, looking them over on instinct to try and find an injury. When he found none, he looked at them with obvious confusion on his face.
"No, we're fine but we heard that there was an attack on Nanadaime-sama!" Sarada asked as she came closer to her sensei. "Is he alright? I heard my papa was there, too! Is my papa alright?"
"They're both fine," Konihamaru easily replied, waving the question away with a barely straining smile. Mitsuki narrowed his eyes at him in confusion while Boruto actually downright glared.
"Then where is he? He wasn't checked in under his name in the hospital. I made the nurse check seven times before she yelled at us to check for ourselves. He's not here."
The brunet and the blond exchanged harsh looks as Boruto crossed his arms and Konohamaru placed his hands on his hips. "Of course he wouldn't be registered under his own name. If anyone found out he was injured and word got out, we'd be under attack before you could say henge."
"So he is injured!" An annoyed voice yelled from behind the kids and they all turned to see an enraged Sakura, stalking over towards them with Hinata and Ino behind her, Sai, Inojin and Himawari trailing after the women at a safe distance. "That baka! When I get my hands on him-! Where is he?"
Konohamaru crossed his arms and bravely glared at the pinkette. "The situation is currently an S-Rank secret and only on a need to know basis. You guys don't need to know and since it's concerning Naruto-nii-chan, you won't frighten me into telling you anything other than that he is perfectly fine and the situation is under control."
"Does Sasuke-kun know where and how Naruto-kun is?" The question got an arched brown brow from the Sarutobi but Konohamaru just nodded. Hinata seemed to relax and just nodded back before turning to her son. "Leave it all to Sasuke-kun. He won't let anything happen to Naruto-kun."
Sakura turned towards Hinata with a strange look on her face. "Hinata, he's your husband! You need to know where he is and how he is at all times!"
"That sounds invading and overbearing rather than something a couple should do." Sai oh so helpfully threw in, earning a glare from the other old Team 7 member. But he just smiled his still awkward fake- looking smile and shrugged. "Just pointing out one of the reasons why Sasuke-kun must have turned gay."
"There's no way papa is gay!" Sarada screamed at the man who could have passed off as her father to an untrained eye. "He married mama and made me!"
"Of course he did. Other than killing his older brother, his second goal was to revive the Uchiha Clan. He can't do that without a wife, since it's law that bastards don't count as clan heirs."
Sarada looked close to tears and Sakura looked ready to kill Sai, but Konohamaru cut through the tension like a knife through butter. "While this is all fascinating, I must go see Ibiki-san and deliver something! Bye!" And whit that, he made a hand seal and disappeared with a whirl of leaves. He sighed in relief when he reappeared a few halls down and listened for a second as the fight began. It was just like he and Shikamaru had suspected.
Neither Sasuke nor Naruto had married out of love, but out of convenience. It would seem Hinata and Naruto had decided to cut the loose knot and find their true loves. It was now a question as to what Sakura and Sasuke will do and if what is happening now will make the final decision.
Two hot guys will soon be briefly on the market again, that's for sure. The chaos that will follow won't be pretty.
00000
Sasuke would be the greatest, biggest liar in the world if he said he hadn't enjoyed the past two hours immensely. He had always thought that Naruto had been as bad as Boruto as a child, assuming so since Boruto had picked up Naruto's prankster nature from the older blond. But the kid Naruto was at twelve and the boy he was at four were two completely different people.
This Naruto was a delight. Give him just a little attention and kindness and he will warm your heart over better than the sun. The whole abandoned compound was echoing with his delighted laughter as the child ran around and explored. Naruto immensely enjoyed the Uchiha Compound and all the space he could run around in. The streets Sasuke had once upon a time used everyday before they became a part of his nightmares were now the little blond's playground. Sasue swore Naruto had explored each and every one of the streets twice and the child still seemed as hyper as he had been when he first started running. Naruto also found he liked the wild garden his aunts had once cared so carefully about. The sakura tree street had gifted Sasuke with the most wondrous expression. After his return from his atonement journey, Tsunade had told him the trees were Hashirama's gift to Madara for the many years of friendship between them. The street was short but the trees were beautiful, seemingly stuck in a forever bloom. Sasuke had been just as fascinated by the sakura flowers that were always present of the trees, no matter the time of the year or the weather. His mother had told him that the Uchiha greatly treasured the gift but today, Sasuke wondered how many of them had even known where it came from. The training grounds had, of course, greatly impressed Naruto and the little boy had managed to convince Sasuke - rather easily, but he'll never admit it - to show off some of his moves. Susanoo seemed to be Naruto's favorite, but Sasuke suspected it had something to do with Naruto using his sceletial form as monkey bars more than the power the behemoth represented.
And what truly melted Sasuke's heart was the fact Naruto seemed to love and enjoy his presence above all else. Even when he finally tired himself out after many hours of running around and playing, Naruto - with barely open eyes - had made his way into Sasuke's lap and begged the man to not leave him and to just hold him. Sasuke was sure that if any female saw the soft expression in his face at that moment, when he carefully rearranged Naruto so the four year old was sprawled across his crossed legs like in a cradle and ran his fingers through those golden locks, they'd faint or try to jump him on the spot.
That's how Konohamaru found them, hours later, when it was already past lunch. The brunet looked exhausted as he carried two bags of food with him and some clothes he had managed to find in Naruto's apartment after a quick search. The blond had never had the heart to throw away some of his old clothes and it was a good thing now, as Naruto didn't have anything else to wear that wouldn't cause him to trip over the clothes. Needless to say, the younger man had gawked at the sight of the little blond so contentedly sleeping in an equally peaceful Sasuke's lap but he just slapped himself and walked over to the duo.
"Sorry it took so long, but I had to run a few errands for Kakashi-san before coming here. And then there's your guy's kids. Boruto and Sarada have been following me around all day. It kind of got annoying. They wanted to know what happened to Naruto-nii-chan."
"I hope you didn't make the mistake to tell them." The older one said as he looked around. They were already screwed. Mitsuki had found a way to convince Boruto to enter the Compound and the three twelve year old genin were just within hearing range. Mitsuki also seems to have mastered masking their chakras if Konohamaru had not sensed them. Then again, Mitsuki was Orochimaru's. The Snake Sannin would have taught him these things and if not him, then Karin or Suigetsu would. Sasuke had a stronger sensing range and he could clearly see their chakra's with his Rinnegan, even with his hair in the way. Maybe they'll think something else and just leave it at that? After all, what had actually happened was too bizarre and Sarada would surely mock Boruto if he suggested that the chibi Naruto was actually really the real Naruto, his father. I mean, seriously. This sort of thing didn't even happen in movies.
"As if I want Tsunade-sama to castrate me." The younger man said with a shudder. "By the way, your wife stopped by the hospital and got into a shouting match with Sai."
Sasuke immediately scowled a scary looking frown. "I hate that guy." He muttered but he couldn't help his curiosity. "What were they fighting about?"
"Your preference." Konohamaru said with a blush, which only got worse when the Uchiha arched an eyebrow at him. "Sai said you're gay."
"Suigetsu could have told you that fifteen years ago," came the dry reply and Konohamaru choked on his own spit. "And he's the dumbest person I know."
"Oh thank god!" The jonin shouted, earning another raised eyebrow. Konohamaru coughed to clear his throat before rubbing the back of his head. "Um, for a moment there, I thought he and you were ... You know..."
A shudder ran down Sasuke's spine when he realized what the younger had thought. "Fuck no! Are you out of your mind!? He talks and is loud too much as it is!" The Uchiha shouted but quieted down when Naruto shifted in his lap. Both adults looked down at the adorably toddler and their faces softened at his sleeping face. When they looked up again, they were a lot more quieter. "Besides, someone else has had my heart long before I even met that idiot."
00000
"See!" Sarada excitedly told her albino teammate, the three of them and Inojin hidden inside one of the houses that was right next to the main house of the Uchiha Compound. "I told you he really loved mama! He just has trouble showing it!"
"Naruto-sama and Hinata-san had no trouble being all lovey-dovey and they're getting divorced now." Inojin pointed out hen winced when he saw Boruto stiffen beside him. "Sorry.''
"My Tou-san is an idiot." The younger blond replied, still staring at Sasuke and the child in his lap. "But who's that? Some secret love child or something? Ow!" The Uzumaki turned to face the fuming Uchiha. "What was that for!?"
"For being an idiot!" The girl screamed. "There's no way my papa would cheat on my mama!"
"Sarada, why are you yelling in my old family home?" A voice called out in a chilling tone and the four genin stiffened. 'Shit!' Was all that was running through their minds when they turned around to see the deathly pale Konohamaru and far from impressed - and very annoyed - Sasuke.
"The better question," a new voice filled the air, making everyone's hair stand on end as shiwers ran down their spines as they all slowly turned their eyes to the no longer sleeping - or blue eyed, for that matter - child that was now staring at the with blood red eyes with a slit pupil and suddenly a lot sharper and more beastly in appearance. Konohamaru and the kids paled further while Sasuke stiffened. "Is why exactly is my host once again a child and the seal is back to the way it was?" Silence was his answer and he growled as he rightened his host's body so he could properly growl at them. "Well?!"
"Are you really the Kyuubi?" Mitsuki asked and the other three children turned to gawk at his boldness, but the albino ignored them as he focused on the child. "You feel like Naruto-sama, but you're not talking like him. And my father had told me about the Kyuubi residing inside of Naruto-sama. Are you really him?"
"I am." The once again caged fox answered while crossing his arms over Naruto's little chest. "Uchiha, you better answer my question."
Said man looked down at the glaring child with a sigh even as Sarada flinched away. Boruto was still too busy staring at the cute blond toddler that he had just found out was his father. Inojin had taken out his notebook and was drawing the little Jinchuuriki in Sasuke's lap. His mother taught him well what could earn him money among fangirls and his father's artistic talents had definitely passed on to him.
"Don't you remember the attack this morning, Kurama?"
"I tend to sleep through most of the boring debriefings and paperwork." Kurama said while looking to the side. "It bores me to death. I usually wake up when I geel your, Sai's or Kakashi's presence. You three get the best reactions out of Naruto and I find them rather amusing."
"I'm not your entertainment." The oldest of the group (of humans, Kurama didn't count) growled and Kurama huffed.
"Neither are you answering my question." The biju pointed out and the Uchiha brought up a hand to massage his temple.
"Some ninja was hired to attack Naruto. Probably to kidnap him, as Naruto wasn't injured. They used some strange chemical that turned him back into this state but it's supposed to wear off after 24 hours. Which is in," Sasuke looked up at the sun, an old habit despite him knowing all three kids had a clock on their smart phones. He liked doing things the old, ninja way, thanks. "About twelve more hours. Wow, where did the time go by?" The last was mumbled to himself but Kurama heard and he sighed.
"Well, aside from the seal's reappearance, I think Naruto will be just fine. The cage will fade away after we turn back."
"What do you mean?" Konohamaru asked with a confused frown.
"Well, I'm currently in a cage inside of Naruto's mind space, and that cage has been gone ever since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War-"
"No, no," the younger adult interrupted, ignoring the glare sent his way. "The whole seal thing. I thought it always just stood there, you know? That it is what allows you to still loan off of Naruto-nii-chan."
"I am not a loaner!" Came the indignant reply while something finally dawned on Sasuke and he snatched up Naruto's right hand. The action was so fast that Kurama stumbled a bit and hit back into Sasuke's chest. "Hey! What's the bright idea!?"
"Hey! Be a bit more careful with Naruto-nii-chan! He's a lot more fragile in this state." Konohamaru protested as well, but Sasuke ignored them. It was only then that they all realized just how tense Sasuke had gotten. He just sat there, Naruto's little wrist in his bigger hand, the small palm open and a white circle right in the middle of the palm glowed like a faint, miniature sun.
"Wow!" The genin gushed as the light from the circle washed over them and they could swear on their lives that all the soreness from their muscles disappeared. Kurama now wore a look of dawning realization on Naruto's face and he stopped glaring, instead allowing Sasuke to stare at the sun revealed to him after all those years. A thumb traced across it and Kurama couldn't hold back the shudder that went through his host's body. "What is that?" Boruto asked, basking in the warmth. Kurama promptly closed the palm into a fist and glared at the kids that were now surrounding the two reincarnations of his creator's sons in their rather intimate moment.
"Is that what I think it is?" Konohamaru asked in an almost whisper and Kurama nodded. "But how? I thought it was lost with sealing away Kaguya and then when the fight destroyed their arms..." Neither Sasuke nor Naruto have been pleased when they lost their dominant arm. More so because they lost the new connection they had made in destiny than the actual loss of a limb.
"I don't know." Sasuke murmered, still holding the closed fist in his hand.
"Jii-chan must have decided to return the power to this world again, when he saw the opportunity." Kurams theorized, his red eyes turning hazy. Flashes of blue were returning to them, a sign Naruto must be waking up. "I ... am going now ... the kit is awake." And no sooner than the words left his mouth, a yawn forced him to close his eyes as the little body stretched. When the eyes opened again, innocent little Naruto was looking out at them with s curious twinkle in his eyes.
A large smile stretched across his cheeks as he saw Sasuke, stunning the genin with its radiance.
In all of his life, Boruto was sure he had never seen his dad smiling like this. Every smile he had seen on his father was always subdued by some other emotion he could never clearly see or fully understand. Or was it the lack of the emotion he could see now? The sheer, unadulterated joy shinning through for the first time in his young life. Boruto had to admit, he could see why so many people wanted to stay close to his father. His smile - this real smile - was like the sun.
And the calm, content and relaxed expression on the usually brooding face of his sensei was like the moon. It was pale and it only showed its true beauty when the sun was shinning brightly upon its surface. The cold appearance was gone. The darkness that clung to that face was chased away. Tension seeped away and happiness replaced all the sorrow and the suffering. It made Sasuke even more handsome than he already was.
And as those young blue eyes met the black eye of his counterpart, Boruto ... finally understood. And he finally made his decision. He's staying with his Tou-san, whether his Jii-chan liked it or not. He briefly wondered if Sarada would ever understand or if she would be like her mother? He kind of pitied the pink haired kunoichi.
"Sas'ke!" The little blond squealed and thew himself into the man's awaiting arm for a hug. Sarada found the lisp kind of cute. The cute moment was chased away by a growl from Naruto's stomach, only to come running back when he blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "'M hungry."
Sasuke shook his head as he wrapped his arm back around Naruto and walked back into his old house. "Then let's get some food into you. How does ramen sound?"
"Yay!" The little blond cheered, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck and nuzzling a pale cheek. "Thanks Sas'ke!" Said man just chuckled and easily made a shadow clone to take the groceries away from Konohamaru. Sarada and Inojin made to follow, but Boruto took hold of the girl's hand while Mitsuki held on to the pale blond.
"Hey, Boruto, what gives?" The kunoichi asked in growing confusion as their sensei started leading them away from the main house and towards the exit/entrance of the Uchiha Compound.
"I think it's best if we did as my Kaa-chan said and let sensei take care of Tou-chan." The Uzumaki said as they approached the gate. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Sakura heading towards the Compound with a grumbling Ino by her side. "Shit!"
"Sarada, where have you been?" The woman asked even as Ino bent down to hug her eager son. She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Sorry, Sakura-san." Mitsuki replied with a small smile. "We had a mission to find and catch Tora-kun."
"Again," Boruto grumbled to make the story more believable. Konohamaru chuckled nervously while he discreetly made a clone and masked it into said cat - that thing was still terrorizing Konoha's genin, even after thirty years - and showed them their 'catch'.
"It came here?" Ino asked suspiciously, though she kind of knew what the deal was. Only Sakura - and maybe Lee, but he was kind of dumb, no offense to the good guy - was still blind to the strength of the bond between Naruto and Sasuke and the significance of it. Especially as to how insignificant her bond with Sasuke seemed in comparison. But it wasn't Ino's place to point this out to her friend. She wouldn't believe her, anyways.
"I thought Boruto hated this place. Not that I can blame him. It's very creepy and depressive." Sakura commented and a vein started throbbing in Konohamaru's forehead at the offhanded comment.
"Yes, well, it tends to be like that on scenes of a massacre the size of which this massacre had been." He told her snappishly and she glared at him.
"Don't you think I know that?! It's what caused my Sasuke-kun to leave many years ago!" Apparently, Sakura had no respect for the place her beloved husband was born and raised in, as she yelled loud enough for Tsunade to hear her back at the hospital and Kakashi and Shikamaru in the Hokage Tower. Inside the Compound, Naruto looked up curiously from where he was setting the table and Sasuke glared from where he was preparing the food. He did not like being so possessively referred to.
Luckily, Ino stepped in before the two other adults could make even bigger of a scene. "Alright, you two. That's enough. Show some respect for the deceased before Sasuke decides to come here and whoop your asses for disturbing his ancestors. You all know the stories of things that go bumping in the night in there ... well, during daytime, too, if what I heard is the truth."
"Ino, it's just freaking animals in there." Sakura said while pointing a finger at the estate. "I bet half of the rodents of Konoha have made themselves at home where no one else would like to live."
"But it's really pretty in there, mama." A confused Sarada said, feeling uncomfortable with how her father's home was being treated. She had seen her papa just now, and many times before that, as he respectfully walked down these deserted streets and how he cleaned the estate and the houses as best as he could. She had seen him spending whole nights in there just to chase away any possible vandals that might come in. She had seen him chasing away children that might accidentally break something, keeping the false rumor of the Uchihas' ghosts roaming around to keep people away from the enormous property.
Sakura looked at her daughter in shock and was that revulsion? "Don't you dare ever go in there, Sarada. You don't know what creatures you may find."
"Yes, Sakura-san. You really don't know what creatures live here." A voice breathed just beside her ear and Sakura screamed when it finally registered who it was. The kids screamed, too, when they saw the blood covered thirteen year old Uchiha Itachi in full ANBU uniform, sword drawn and eyes as red as the blood covering him as Sharingan glared at them. Konohamaru picked his team up and fled for his life on instinct, not even bothering to check the apparition out and Ino and Inojin just disappeared. Sakura made to run but tripped and managed to knock herself out when her head hit against the paved street. The supposedly dead Itachi flickered out of existence and a new voice filled the air.
"Maa, Sasuke, that was mean." Said man stepped forward to his wife and looked down at her sprawled form, a little blond looking curiously down at the woman as the silver haired man jumped down in front of them. The Rokudaime sighed as he picked up his female student while the silent genius watched impassively, not caring about the blood trailing down the side of her face from the hit. "I came to see how you and Naruto are doing." The masked man smiled up at Kakashi with a cute wave, causing Kakashi to smile right back.
"We're fine." Was the short reply.
"Only a handful of hours left, huh?" Their old sensei mused, perking up when he saw the flash of hidden emotion in his eldest student's eyes. Despite the time that has past and most of the wounds that have healed, Sasuke still kept his emotions to himself most of the time. But it would seem some things never change. Itachi and Naruto were still the only two people Sasuke really remembers at the end of the day, despite him now having a family of his own. But were Sakura and Sarada family if Sasuke didn't spend more than a few hours a week with them? Seriously, Kakashi spent more time with them. "Sasuke-"
"Save it." The Uchiha said curtly and turned around, heading back towards his house. Naruto lingered only long enough to wave at the older man before running after his guardian for the day. Kakashi looked after them with resignation and maybe a little amusement. It would seem that, just like Sasuke's affections for only two never changed, Naruto's tendency to run after Sasuke didn't either. Kakashi just looked down to his third once student and shook his head before heading towards the hospital to drop Sakura off before going back to the Hokage tower, where he found Shikamaru waiting for him.
"How is he?"
"Sasuke or Naruto?" He answered the genius' question with one of his own as he sat back into the seat he had honestly hoped never to be in again. He had enough of these duties in his time as Hokage. He had been quite pleased to hand over the hat to Naruto.
"Both, I guess," Shikamaru answered with a lazy shrug one rarely saw him doing now. He had changed a lot during his years as a Hokage's advisor. He was still lazy - it was a distinctly Nara thing - but not quite as lazy as he had been as a genin.
Kakashi paused in picking up a paper, seeming to stare off into space for a minute before continuing on with his work. "They're good for each other."
For anyone else, that would be too vague or not related at all, but Shikamaru wasn't like other people. The brunet tsked as he walked over to hand over a new report to Kakashi.
"How troublesome, those two."
Kakashi chuckled amusedly at the statement. 'Yes, yes they are.' He thought fondly as he read the two papers. 'Yes they are.'
000000
Dinner was a quiet affair. Naruto could be surprisingly polite during meals, something most people would never guess at if they ever saw the blond eating ramen as a genin. His status as Hokage seems to have mellowed him down over the years, but this child Naruto was mellow because of how people treated him when he was four. He ate quietly except the occasional moan of appreciation or compliment for the food. Sasuke himself spent most of the meal observing this younger version of his friend, trying to find the roots of everything that made him who he was now. Naruto's strength didn't come from Kurama or the Sun Seal or even his friends, but rather everything he had went through in his life, everything he had survived and surpassed. The boy before the loudmouth who could no longer be ignored or overlooked at twelve was the foundation of the man Konoha and the world owed for still existing.
And Sasuke could see it in the blond happily eating in front of him.
The real trouble came when he mentioned bath time. At that point in life, most boys hated taking baths. Sasuke did, too, very briefly, but he had Itachi to entertain him every once in a while. Naruto, on the other hand, was used to cold water and rough handling, so he ended up running all around the deserted Compound with Sasuke chasing after him until the man caught him and dunked him into the onsen the Uchiha Compound had at it's outskirts towards the depths of the forest. Of course, once Naruto was clean and Sasuke focused on cleaning himself while Naruto played in the warm water, Naruto's curiosity reared its unpleasant head.
In order to bathe, one must remove their clothing so they could scrub all the dirt and sweat from their body. This was the first time anyone - other than his wife, and that had been in the dark of the night with drawn curtains so no light reached them - saw him naked after he had lost his arm. He felt uncomfortable with people staring at what was left of his life before the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. It was a painful reminder of just how much more his bond with Naruto could have been, but his own stupidity had stuck him straight in the middle of the dreaded friend zone.
But this Naruto, the four year old who he has been taking care of this fine, if weird, day, didn't know how Sasuke lost his arm and he was curious as any child would be. So the little blond child had waded over to Sasuke, who was washing off the suds from his body with a bucketful of water and he reached out to touch the stump from the appendage. With his right hand. With the Sun Seal glowing intensely enough for it to illuminate half of the Compound and the forest nearest to the onsen.
Sasuke gasped as a strange sensation flushed through his body, the source originating from his missing arm. A warmth he would never be able to mistake for something else overwhelmed his senses and he moaned in the strange pleasure that came with it. Through his mind flashed numerous memories: Naruto's, his own, Madara's and Hashirama's, Asura's and Indra's, the nine biju's and even some of Hagoromo's and Kaguya's. All of their memories flashed across his mind before they were washed away, leaving a blank landscape, where two boys were standing. They were the same age, one slightly taller, slightly older, paler with dark hair and eyes while the other was tanned, blond with blue eyes and whisker scars. Their hands were hovering close to each other, as if reaching out. The four year olds stood not a foot away as their hands came closer together. Sasuke blinked, stunned to suddenly find them eight. They were still reaching out, only their other hands were in a familiar hold he had only ever shared with Naruto. Another blind and the boys were older once again, twelve now. The taller boy had a scowl on his face and his left hand was now in a fist, his right no longer holding the blond's left one. The blond had a bright, excited grin as he still reached out with his right. They slowly aged closer to thirteen when a wall of glass suddenly raised right in between they were standing, separating them. Both were touching the glass, but the wall kept growing thicker. The older one's side started growing darker and darker as they grew older. Another blink and they were sixteen and fifteen. The wall was made of ice. On the pale teen's side was a weak, flickering flame, barely illuminating the boy. In front of him, the blond was glowing like the sun, yet the light couldn't penetrate the ice. On the blond's side, a strong wind was howling and the teen had a determined expression on his face. They grew older, reaching the age of sixteen and sixteen and a half before the first crack in the ice appeared and the wind sneaked in as well as some of the light, illuminating the pale male while the fire suddenly started blazing. More and more cracks appeared and soon enough, both boys were glowing, the blond with his own light and the raven from the other boy's light. For a moment, their palms touched before their arms evaporated like pixie dust. Another blink, and the teens turned into men and another had them at the age they were now; Naruto's replacement arm reaching out with an open palm and Sasuke ... Sasuke was denying him by denying the replacement he himself had been offered.
Sasuke stared at himself and Naruto, his fire still burning and Naruto's wind still howling around it. Both their features were wary from years of no contact like they had shared in those few brief instances. The Sun Seal and the Moon Seal had allowed their souls to reach out to each other, not like Asura's and Indra's: not like brothers; not like Madara's and Hashirama's: not like lifelong friends and rivals. Like soulmates. They had reached out like soulmates. And they couldn't reach out like that again and that hurt, so Sasuke and Naruto surrounded themselves with people whom they knew lived them but they felt close to in a brother-sister fashion.
Sasuke suddenly realized Naruto couldn't pretend anymore. Sasuke didn't want to pretend, either.
An intense pain blinded him and the Sasuke and the Naruto he had been watching turned to face him. He couldn't help but cry out as his left side burned like he had been set aflame with Amaterasu. Naruto smiled at him like the four year old version he had been protecting and caring for does as he reached up with his right hand. The other Sasuke's left hand followed, the two hands, tan and pale, resting on Sasuke's heart. They glowed so brightly that Sasuke had to close his eyes or risk going blind again.
They flew open when he felt a small hand being gripped in his own bigger one. At first it didn't really register as he tared at the worried eyes of a four year old Uzumaki Naruto, but when he finally looked down - Naruto following his example - the Uchiha's eyes widened when he saw that he was holding on to Naruto with his left hand, of his left arm. And as the Sun and Moon touched, both seals were humming in content as they lit up the night. The whole Uchiha Compound was illuminated in the light of the seals, drawing the attention of the villagers as the once haunted looking grounds looked as majestic as they once had, before the tragedy that had struck the clan. The Hyuugas weren't the only ones who could see the chakra rising from the old estate. Even commoners could see it and everyone in the village was glued to their windows as they watched the light show of tailed beasts and Susanoos, of fire and water and wind and earth and lightning, of yin and yang, of blacks and reds and oranges and yellows and blues ... It was breathtaking.
No one but the two bearers of the seals slept that night. Sasuke hadn't wanted to, fearing Naruto would disappear as he held onto his small friend. Naruto - having been listening to the adults talk about it being only a day with the dark haired man - had also feared he would wake up without Sasuke being there, so he was holding onto the arm that had miraculously regrown with his right hand with all his might. His face was buried in the man's chest as the right, unoccupied arm hugged the little body closer to the broad chest. They had both tried staying up longer, Naruto asking questions about Sasuke's returned arm and the purple Rinnegan eye and Sasuke telling him stories, but it had been an exhausting day for them both and the two reincarnations fell asleep in the light of the moon and under Kurama's watchful gaze as he watched out for them in their vulnerable state.
When the sunlight finally dared peak through the loosely closed curtains, it illuminated two grown men, hands still firmly locked together and hanging on to each other as if the world is trying to tear them apart. Their eyes opened at the same time and Sasuke blushed when Naruto just beamed at him from his place on the slightly older man's chest before settling down for some more sleep. Needless to say, everyone was relieved when their Nanadaime returned to the Hokage Tower a couple of hours later, although both he and Sasuke received strange looks when everyone realized the blond was wearing an Uchiha shirt.
Kakashi, Konohamaru, Shikamaru and Yamato - who were the first to fully see them when they entered the Hokage's office - nearly died from shock when they saw both men had both of their real arms back. The questions of how and why were left unanswered as Naruto said he didn't really remember anything, just impressions, while Sasuke refused to share something to intimate - on a soul level, no less - with them. Kakashi had then happily handed over the Hokage hat back to Naruto, welcomed him back, congratulated both his students on getting their arms back and left with a poof. Konohamaru had just hugged the blond in greeting before leaving with a smiling Yamato. Shikamaru had just handed them both the paperwork Naruto was supposed to fulfill and left for his coffee break.
When Sarada, Boruto and the rest of the village later saw that both their protectors had their real arms back, they even threw a celebration for them.
Sasuke stopped walking with a shudder running down his spine as he remembered that night and the humiliation - in his mind - that it lead to.
"Oi, Sasuke! Are you alright?" Naruto called from few steps ahead, having turned around to see if his friend was alright. "You look pale. Well, paler than usual."
"Shut up, usuratonkachi." Came the reply and an indignant look crossed the Hokage's face. But then he registered the look of embarrassment on the pale features, dusted with the faintest blush in history, and he grinned when he realized what it was all about.
"Mou, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!" The blond said as he came closer so he could tease his friend. "You couldn't have expected that!"
"I should have just killed her." He would have, too, had she not been Sarada's mother and he hadn't been ... detained with the problem she had caused.
Naruto just laughed it off. "It was fine in the end, though, ne?" He sobered up slightly when he looked around them. He was the only one here to see Sasuke off on his next mission, other than both of their fanclubs. Sarada was currently angry with her papa and Boruto was visiting his grandfather, aunt, sister and mother at the Hyuuga Compound, as the custody and divorce contracts stated that he needed to spend two hours over at their house every day. Everyone else was busy or found it too awkward to see him off now when they weren't accompanying Sakura. Although Ino had to beat up Sai when he tried going just to piss the Uchiha off. "Never thought it'd all go back to how it was, dattebayo."
"How so?" The taller man asked as he looked at his friend's and secret love's face... well, not so secret anymore, thanks to that crazy woman he had been insane enough to marry in the first place.
"Well, we're both alone again." The blond explained. "You even moved back into the Uchiha Compound. It's as if time has been reversed."
"We're not alone." Sasuke insisted, grabbing Naruto's chin and bringing the blond's attention back to himself. Blue eyes looked at him questioningly. "The villagers accept us both, we have friends and we have a family." Sasuke's face grew closer to the stunned blond's as he went and gripped Naruto's right hand with his left one. The seals contently greeted each other with humming energy, energizing them both in a way nothing else could. "Besides, even if we had nothing else, we have each other. I'm never alone or lonely when I'm around you."
The Uzumaki grinned at the Uchiha, gripping his hand in return. "Same here, dattebayo. Even when surrounded by people, I feel lonely without you there Sasuke. So you better come back and come back soon."
"It's only a week, idiot." But Sasuke nodded to Naruto's words anyways. They stayed that way for a long time until Sasuke gave in to the urge and he gently claimed Naruto's lips with his own. Naruto gasped but before he could respond in any way, Sasuke pulled back and turned to walk out of Konoha's south gate. "See you then, dobe."
"Don't call me that, teme!" Came the automatic reply and Sasuke just chuckled, thinking back to the good old days as he left Konoha. Naruto crossed his arms and pouted at his back but he smiled anyway as he thought back to his day as practically a baby with Sasuke.
What followed is an equally fond memory.
OWARI
A/N: And that's another wrapped up story! Maybe you could guess from the ending and the hints, but I'll state it plainly anyway: there's going to be a sequel to this story soon! It will clear up quite a few things: Naruto's and Hinata's divorce, the hinted Sasuke and Sakura divorce, the conversation between Sakura and Naruto and the event that had embarrassed Sasuke and the whole 'not-so-secret-love-of-his-life-secret-anymore'. So stay tuned for Naruto's Day With A Baby Sasuke!