I decided to revisit this, correct some spelling, make it deviate less from the story line, and just generally de-newb it.
As usual, try to enjoy.

Love, friendship, desire. These things I know, though I probably shouldn't. A proper shinobi should, as a rule, close off his heart – that is what we are taught.

I however, am human, and as such am alive undeniably thanks to the heart. This is fact.

Fact can not be changed. I should embrace it.

Fate can be changed. I don't need fate.

That's what he told me. That dropout boy from the chuunin exams.

There's no reason to abandon a dream. The weak can attain strength, and the foolish, wisdom. If you believe and work hard, something will happen. In this belief is true strength.

I believe in Naruto.

\\\

His teammate was abducted.

I happened to be out with Lee that morning when he and a few others came along, recruiting rescue team members.

I thought it a good chance. Perhaps I could help the boy who helped me, if only a little.

\\\

The mission failed, but I came back stronger. I fought against my destiny and won.

But he's broken.

I think insanity's taken him. Not only was he unable to fulfill his promise with Sakura; he failed to stop Sasuke as well.

It probably hurts.

\\\

He's left the village.

I can't say that I didn't see it coming. The way he looked out the hospital room's locked windows gave it away.

Not that I've been watching him. I certainly don't lay in my own hospital room and watch him with byakugan..

That would be strange.

Unethical even.

I don't.

Really.

At least not anymore.

You know. Since he's left and all.

\\\

The only thing I can do now is train.

Think fast. Get stronger. Be better. These are the only things I think about.

If I lay myself down to sleep at night exhausted, I'm less likely to think of him.

And thinking of him hurts.

\\\

Never mind him on my mind before I sleep. Now I'm having dreams about him.

Fantastic stories with grandiose adventures. (note: fantastic as in fantasy-like, not great)

Talks and brief but heartful encounters.

That dream where you wake up with a strange boy in your bed, then wake up again and realize it had been a dream as well.

Following that thought, that sort of dream has occurred.

Even renditions of our past encounters, with commercial breaks and background music, with the additions of scenes I could not have possibly been present to remember. Usually at the end, Naruto shows clips of what he claims will be the next dream, and narrates it. He would make a splendid narrator, if not for his addition of "-tebayo" to the end of nearly every sentence.

Needless to say, it's distressing.

I can't talk about this to my teammates. Mainly because they wouldn't understand, two being idiots and the other a girl.

Girls can be tiring sometimes.

TenTen for instance, is a reliable fighter, but not a good conversation partner, and certainly not one to confide inappropriate-dream matters in.

A more tiring girl though, is that Sakura.

Naruto's gone, but I'm sure she thinks more about Uchiha Sasuke.

She should consider herself lucky.

In fact, Sasuke should consider himself lucky too!

I'm sure he's thinking about them.

\\\

I've taken to sparring with Hizashi-sama and Hinata-sama.

There is little Hizashi-sama can teach me that I would not have taught myself, but the help is appreciated. This goes triple for Hinata-sama.

Occasionally, over tea, Hinata-sama tries to talk to me about Naruto. Mostly speculation on his whereabouts, his doings, his growth and the like. I indulge her, because I understand her feelings.

We both go to sleep every night, and hope that the next morning we'll wake up and hear Naruto's obnoxious voice in the distance.

\\\

He's back.

I didn't see him, but Sakura had. I'd gone to the Godaime's office for a report and overheard Sakura reporting to Tsunade-sama.

This would be a good day.

I'm bound to see him eventually, as long as I frequent Ichiraku's ramen stand.

\\\

Despite my efforts, I did not see him.

I four days of ramen, and not a sign of him! Not one!

I think I'm going to get fat.

He's gone because he's on a mission.

In the hidden sand village.

Tsunade-sama has come to team Gai with an S-rank mission though.

I could barely contain my smile.

\\\

Although fighting a clone of myself was interesting, I can't help but feel somewhat irritable.

I have seen Naruto.

We haven't spoken directly.

This may be a blessing though.

If I were to somehow, through a slip of the tongue, end up telling him about...that... what would I do?

\\\

Over the three-day desert crossing, we end up talking.

Despite his new height, the fool hasn't matured at all.

He likes to sleep early under the stars, so I sit on the cold sand and watch him.

Suddenly all the lonely days of the past few years seem like a far off memory.

I'm warm.

\\\

I'm cold.

As soon as we arrive, he's out on another mission.

I, once again, resign to my training and wait for his return.

\\\

When he gets back, he's with a boy named Sai who I've never seen or heard of before.

He's our age, and he's incredibly strong.

It's suspicious, and I don't like it.

I caught a glimpse of Sai, Naruto and Sakura walking into the village together, and I watched. You know. For information. Shinobi must be adept in 'information gathering' you know. It's for my training.

It is.

...

Sai reminds me of Uchiha Sasuke.

\\\

They're due to leave in the morning for a top-secret mission.

Team Gai has one too.

It's supposedly a rather long-term one. Probably lasting two to four months.

We go our separate ways tomorrow.

\\\

The mission was successfully completed. Four months have passed since we departed.

When we return, Naruto's in the hospital.

He's in a small, isolated room in the low levels of the hospital.

Nearly every bone in his body is in pieces, every muscle torn, and every chakara passage damaged, but he looks like he's healing.

Apparently, his latest mission was a success.

Something to do with prophetic disciples of Jiraya, eye techniques, tailed beasts, Akatsuki, and the end of the world.

The world was saved.

He won't take any visitors.

I want to cry.

Konoha's heart breaks.

\\\

Naruto is back to his usual self.

Or so he would have us think

He hasn't said a word about Sasuke.

They found a mountain landscape littered with corpses, back where Naruto's battle was said to be.

The blood of the black coated men covered the ground.

And in the middle of all the carnage...

The last Uchiha's name was honorably carved into stone, at the place those shinobi killed in action are left to rest.

...

Will he accept my comfort?

\\\

He's accepted me.

Every night, we meet atop the five-headed memorial to the Hokages and watch the stars together until one of us falls asleep, and the other feels it necessary to carry him home. It is a time of peace.

We don't talk much. He just leans against me and I hold him. No words are said about the intimacy, and it's likely that none shall ever be.

I like to think that it's not because I remind him of Uchiha Sasuke.

\\\

Our first kiss took away my sleep that night.

It was at our previous rendezvous. He asked to see my seal.

He touched it.

He said something.

We reminisce.

I confessed.

He kissed me.

Two fools kissed awkwardly under the moon, on top of the Sandaime's stone head.

I'm sure he would forgive us.

\\\

We've moved in together.

Even though we haven't done that yet, we want to be close to each other.

The two of us spend our nights kissing and cuddling.

It's embarrassing behavior, but I do enjoy it.

When Lee found out, I explained to him that it was for housework reasons, and we were only very good friends.

I'm not sure how he would react to the truth.

I'm not sure how anyone would, really.

\\\

The Godaime found out.

She took it badly.

Perhaps it's because she was so sure he had fallen for Haruno Sakura.

Which he had.

Not that I'm jealous.

She dismissed it as "not really her business", and gave us her blessing. 'Jinchuuriki can't reproduce anyway' she said.

Shizume-san's cheeks were bright red.

\\\

Suddenly the whole village knows.

Should I walk into a shop, whispers will follow me.

The young girl at the ramen stand looks very disappointed.

TenTen won't look me in the face anymore.

Hinata-sama... I've avoided.

Sakura seems to be unsurprised and understanding. Did she know beforehand?

Gai-sensei and Lee are planning a celebration party.

Naruto and I are planning on ditching it.

\\\

We did it.

I won't be able to sit properly for a week.

It didn't hurt that badly…

…but since then, we've been doing it non-stop.

Every room, every surface, and every position we can manage.

I've never had to produce so much sperm in my life.

\\\

It's another war. This time with the hidden mist and cloud.

Naruto's requested to be put on the front lines.

Naturally, I did too.

We've both been denied. The Gai-team, along with the Kurenai-team is on information, and the Kakashi-team (with that Sai person, who I still don't trust) has been assigned to guarding the border, as has the Shikamaru-team, who has been assigned a talented new chuunin – my very own cousin Hinabi-sama!

\\\

The enemy forces have been completely eradicated.

As expected.

Konoha has only suffered a single casualty, although she was the one nobody expected to lose.

Godaime took out ten enemy teams herself.

The rest were taken care of by Naruto.

Everyone else just stood by in awe.

I've never seen so much blood.

\\\

We still don't have a new Hokage.

Naruto is obviously strongest in the village, but the two elders seem reluctant to choose him.

Perhaps it's prejudice against the jinchuuriki.

If the rest of the village knew what he was, would he still be so widely liked?

\\\

Naruto has been selected, finally.

He's more than proved himself, or at least I think so, yet it took them two months to reach that conclusion.

I'm very proud.

\\\

The induction process was tiring.

And there's a mountain of paperwork waiting on his desk.

He's got me doing it.

I'd let him hire an assistant… but…

It'd probably be a cute girl.

I can't accept that.

However, being together not only at home, but at work...

I'll have to order some new carpeting for the Hokage's office. Wood floors are terrible for my back.

\\\

Haruno Sakura seems to have found her own happiness with an unexpected candidate - Aburame Shino.

Naruto's gone into a slump.

I can't forgive her after all.

Although I'd never say that I'd prefer that she had accepted Naruto's feelings, it would be nice of her to at least properly reject him.

At times like this, leaving him alone is not an option. He's sure to do something impulsive.

I've got to be there to knock him out.

\\\

The Kazekage came to congratulate Naruto personally on achieving his dream

Gaara however, walked into our carpeted office at the least opportune time.

The guy's cheeks turned as red as his own hair.

Was he embarrassed or angry?

In any case, I'm not coming out of the coat closet until he's left.

How embaras---

"Neji? Neji, are you still in there?"

I quickly stashed the leather bound journal in myrobe, "Is he gone?" I said, peeking out.

"He went downstairs to meet up with his brother and sister," said the Hokage, sauntering casually to his chair and grinning, "what were you doing in there?"

"Nothing important... just hiding,"

A raised eyebrow, then a gesture to come closer, "I heard writing"

"A letter of apology for Gaara-sama" I walked up to the desk, "When he saw us we were in the midst of... passion... and he may have heard me say something... out of character"

The blonde sniggered "What's so out of character about aaaaah, Naruto, harder, ram your--," I slammed my hand over his mouth.

A grin, a hand behind my head, then a kiss.

Then another.

And another.

And the promise of many more.